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History Made in Houston at U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials
By Brenda Barrera & Dickson Mercer; contributions from Kathy Freedman and Sue Himes.
Houston, TX
January 14, 2012
For the Washington Running Report
Photos by Dustin Whitlow. See the March/April 2012 Washington Running Report for a more detailed report.
History was made in Houston at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials. In setting a Trials record in New York in 2008, Ryan Hall was the first to run faster than 2:10:00. Today, the top four all broke that mark. As for the women, the top four all broke the previous Trials record.
Meb Keflezighi was today’s victor, winning the Trials in a personal best time of 2:09:08. Joining him on the men’s Olympic squad is Ryan Hall, who finished in 2:09:30, and Abdi Abdirahman, who took the third spot in 2:09:47. In the women’s race, which started 15 minutes after the men, Shalane Flanagan won in 2:25:38, a personal best time. Close behind her was Desiree Davila in 2:25:55, followed by Kara Goucher in 2:26:06. Draped in American flags and sporting cowboy hats, the six marathoners posted for pictures afterward to a record crowd who chanted, “USA, USA, USA!”
Notes: Men’s Race
Ryan Hall defined this race. He made it honest from the start. Less than 15 minutes in, the true contenders were up front and the rest of the field was strung out. This was a race that benefited smart racing.
Ricky Flynn, 24, from Lynchburg VA, (left) in his marathon début, was the top Mid-Atlantic finisher. He had the good sense not to get mixed up in what was happening up front. Other début marathoners went out too fast and either did not finish or suffered. Ultimately, there were fewer than 100 finishers. The lead pack's opening miles were 4:51, 4:51, 4:48, 4:49, but Flynn ran his own race. He went through the opening mile in 5:17, in 78th place. "My strategy is just to go and run," he told WRR about a month before the race. What he did not mention was that he would go and run so smart.
Finishing 16th among the men was Sean Quigley, 26, who graduated from La Salle University in Philadelphia PA. He notched a 2:14:12.
Arlington’s Michael Wardian, 37, (below) led one of the chase packs in the opening half of the race. Late in the race, he was in the middle of the field, and his time of 2:21:50, good for 62nd, was a solid time for him. While everyone else will be enjoying a day off on Sunday, Wardian will hit the road again and run the 40th anniversary of the Chevron Houston Marathon along with 28,000 participants who are running the Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon and El Paso Corporation 5K.
Pennsylvania runners in the mix included Jed Christiansen, 24, from Greenville, PA, who came in just before Wardian in 61st place with his 2:21:09. His training partner, Jeff Weiss, 25, from Avella, PA ran 2:29:03.
Post Race Quotes - Men
Abdi Abdirahman: “It’s been a long road journey back.”
Ryan Hall: In response to the question, why did you go out so hard? "I was feeling good. You never know what is possible on the day."
Ryan Hall: "It is an honor to be sitting here with these guys." He is the youngest, at 29, and he watched the two other guys make the Olympic team when he was in high school. "Today was a lot of fun."
Ryan Hall (typically a front runner) on leading the race: "I was sick of leading."
Meb Keflezeghi: “To make my third Olympic team is all I ever dreamed."
Notes: Women’s Race
The women went out in a slow pace that served as a warm up for the top contenders. Fifty minutes into the last race, Serena Burla, who recently moved from St. Louis, MO to Falls Church, VA, was with the leaders and even had the lead at times. Clara Grandt (left), her Riadha club teammate, was running solo, chasing, but looking strong. By mile 18, Burla had faded and unfortunately did not finish. Grandt held her ground. She was right on the heels of Deena Kastor, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, in the final stretch. She crossed the finish line in 7th overall, a mere six seconds behind Kastor, in 2:30:46. Grandt certainly proved her début 2:29:54 at the 2011 Boston Marathon, was not a fluke. She showed that she is well on her way to achieving her dream of becoming one of the best American marathoners.
Virginia native Kathy Newberry, who recently moved to Ann Arbor, MI, said it took the first ten miles for her to get into the groove. The 33-year-old, who races for the New York Athletic Club, finished 18th in 2:36:21.
Esther Erb, 25, originally from Richmond, VA and now living in North Carolina and racing for Zap Fitness Reebok, finished 27th with a time of 2:37:21.
Military runners got a lot of crowd support. Charlottesville’s Emily Potter (U.S. Army) ran 2:39:55. Baltimore’s Amanda Rice (U.S. Navy) (right) ran a consistent race and was 50th among the women in 2:41:06. This was a great showing in her first Trials, especially considering she did not even start running competitively until after the last Trials were held. It proved to be her second best marathon time.
Arlington’s Lisa Thomas, who runs for Pacers/New Balance, was 94th in 2:46:42.
Lucinda Smith, 30, of Kensington, MD finished 110th in 2:48:39. Louise Knudson, 26, of Charlottesville, VA finished 114th in 2:49:00.
Post Race Quotes: Women
Shalane Flanagan: "This is a huge day . . . The last mile felt really long."
Flanagan on competing in the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials: "I will enjoy this moment and then talk to my coach. I would love to participate in the track trials."
Kara Goucher: "I never imagined myself winning this race . . . the last mile I was just hanging in there.”
Clara Grandt: “I wanted to run faster . . . I’m still learning about the marathon - it’s a beast.”
Amy Hastings: "It was an emotional last mile."
Deena Kastor: “It was bittersweet, I enjoyed the race but it wasn’t meant to be.”
Amanda Rice: “I loved that it was a loop-course . . . it was my first time running in my Navy uniform and I really felt the extra support from the crowd.”
Lucinda “Luci” Smith: “I was fine through the first loop but around mile 11 I started to feel my foot pain . . . my goal was to enjoy the experience.” She was supported by her twin sister and her mother who came all the way from Bolivia.
Race Facts Men
* This is the oldest men's team in history. The average is just under 33 years.
* There are nine Olympic games between the top three men.
* Meb Keflezeghi is the oldest qualifier in history at almost 37 years old.
* Keflezeghi led four men under 2:10 for the first time in Trials history.
Race Fact Women
* Prior to today, Shalane Flanagan and Desiree Davila had gone head-to-head 5 times and Flanagan won 5 times.
* Shalane Flanagan's time is a new trials record and her PR by 3:02.
* This will be Flanagan's third Olympic team, the first for Davila, and the second for Kara Goucher.
* Shalane Flanagan led a Trials record of five women faster than 2:30.
Contributions from WRR Team: Kathy Freedman, Brenda Barrera, Dickson Mercer, and Sue Himes. A more detailed report will be in the upcoming Mar/Apr issue.