Navigation
2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon: Meb Keflezighi, Shalane Flanagan Run Fast to Make Team USA Roster
From USA Track & Field with contribution by Drew; all photos by www.PhotoRun.netJanuary 14, 2012
Houston, TX
Two of the fastest races in Olympic Marathon Trials history took place on Saturday, January 14 in Houston as the six men and women who will represent Team USA in London earned their way onto the squad. Shalane Flanagan set an Olympic Trials record of 2:25:38 in only her second marathon, while Meb Keflezighi earned his third Olympic berth by winning the Trials in a personal best time of 2:09:08. Shalane led a Trials record five women under 2:30 while Meb led four men under 2:10 for the first time in Trials history.
Men
Meb Keflezighi (photo left) of Mammoth Lakes, CA produced a winning performance only 69 days after his last marathon; at the 2011 ING New York City Marathon in November, he ran a personal best time of 2:09:13 (sixth). The 2009 ING New York City Marathon winner and 2004 Olympic silver medalist became the first man to win both the U.S. Olympic Trials and the New York City Marathon in his career. At nearly 37 years old, he is the oldest man to win the Olympic Marathon Trials.
Defending Olympic Trials champion Ryan Hall (training in Flagstaff, AZ and Redding, CA) led much of the race en route to securing his second Olympic berth. Hall (photo right) set a torrid pace early, with a projected finish of 2:06 that held up through the half-marathon mark. Wind and leg fatigue slowed Hall’s pace, as he shook his arms out regularly. The fastest American marathoner ever held on for second place (2:09:30) in the Trials Marathon and made his second Olympic marathon team.
Abdi Abdirahman of Tucson, AZ was the big surprise: he turned heads in the lead pack. Entering the Trials with the 14th-fastest qualifying time, Abdi hadn’t run under 2:14 since setting his personal best of 2:08:56 in 2006. He had soldiered on during a year and a half of injury, but has done some of his training with American distance superstar Bernard Lagat. Abdi looked to be fading during the final miles, but he finished strong enough to earn third (2:09:47). It was his fastest marathon since 2006; he has made his fourth Olympic Team at age 34.
Dathan Ritzenhein of Portland, OR, the top American marathoner at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, returned to the racing scene after a difficult Achilles injury in 2011. In Houston's race, he knelt at the finish with his head in his hands as he was 4th in 2:09:55. Ritzenhein had fallen off from the lead pack (Keflezighi, Hall and Abdirahman) at approximately the 18-mile mark, and at one point lost sight of the leaders, but he rallied to finish only eight seconds behind Abdirahman.
Brett Gotcher of Flagstaff, AZ led the chase pack through much of the race and held his position as other men faded to place fifth in 2:11:06.
Women
Shalane Flanagan (photo left) of Portland, OR bettered the women’s Olympic Trials Marathon record by two minutes and forty-seven seconds in her Olympic Trials marathon debut. Flanagan was in the lead pack throughout the race, but did not step forward as the clear leader until the 21st mile. A lead group of three established itself past mile 19: Shalane, Desiree Davila, and Kara Goucher. Shalane exchanged the lead with Desiree Davila of Rochester Hills, MI several times before opening a gap during the final mile and a half. Shalane finished 17 seconds ahead of Desiree; her winning time was a personal best by nearly 3 minutes.Desire Davila (photo right) added the word Olympian to her growing resume by finishing second (2:25:55). Desiree led portions of the race from five miles on before
dueling with Flanagan in miles 22 through 24. Desiree attracted attention in 2011 by nearly winning the Boston Marathon in April (2:22:38) in an exciting fight to the finish line.Kara Goucher of Portland, OR claimed her first spot on the Olympic Marathon squad (Shalane and Kara both made the 2008 team in the 5000m and 10,000m) by finishing third in 2:26:06. Kara, the 2007 World 10,000m bronze medalist, did not race in 2010 and gave birth to a son. The Houston Trials Marathon is her second marathon in nine months; she ran 2:24:26 in the 2011 Boston Marathon.
Amy Hastings of Mammoth Lakes, CA briefly lost contact with the top three near mile 16, but recovered and took the lead. However, by mile 20 she could no longer stick with the leaders and fell back for good to finish in fourth (2:27:17). Janet Cherobon-Bawcom of Rome, GA finished fifth in 2:29:45; she won the women’s 2011 USA Running Circuit title.
Notables: The 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon was the first time ever four men ran faster than 2:10 in the Olympic Trials. It was the first time five women ran faster than 2:30 in the Olympic Trials. The women’s top-three all have medaled in either New York, Boston or both. The men’s top three also boast experience as the oldest Olympic bound trio Team USA has ever sent on the men’s side with an average age of 33; the men have a combined 9 Olympic appearances among them.
Quotes
Meb Keflezighi: “It’s an honor to be on the Olympic Team for the third time. The race started great. It was tough getting it down to as few people as possible [reducing the size of the lead pack]. We got it down to five people and then said hey, let’s be on the team. With 3 guys [in the lead] with four or five miles to go, it was all about being on the team. It’s not about being first, second or third. I’m just delighted to be part of the team with these guys to go to London. I’m honored to win this race but a lot of guys would be glad to be in our shoes and be on this team.”Ryan Hall: “I was telling them after the race, I watched you guys making the 10K (Olympic) Team when I was in high school! They make me feel very young, and I’m 29. You realize what an honor it is to be on this team and what it takes to get here. The potential we have to go win medals is great. [Meb] is going to be a great leader for us. The pace car was getting me riled up when I saw 2:06 up there for the projected finish, and it got down to 2:05 once. It got increasingly windy [on the course] and the concrete was kind of brutal on the quads.”
Abdi Abdirahman (photo left): “It has been a long journey for me. The last year and a half I struggled with injury. I’m also honored to be sitting here with these two great guys. I’ve been friends with Meb close to 20 years probably. Ryan took it out at 63 high [half marathon split] pace and I felt good. Meb and I said let’s work together and make this team. Meb felt a little better these last two miles. This is going to be my fourth Olympics.”Shalane Flanagan: “It was a huge day, I think one that all of us will remember. The last mile was a cross between savoring the moment and just being really grateful that I was almost done. I knew Desi was charging hard and I told myself I had to have one last gear if she came up on me. I tried to view it as a track race for the last mile. I didn’t really enjoy that last mile. It felt really long. I’m just grateful to be on the same team with these women.”
Desiree Davila: “Going into the last mile it was kind of this internal conflict where I really wanted to make a push and see what I had left. At the same time, I knew Kara was rig
ht behind me, and Amy had made huge surges throughout the race. I couldn’t assume she had been dropped. My calves were just cramping up and ultimately I was like, finish it off and get the job done. I didn’t have enough confidence in being able to catch Shalane and I didn’t want to lose the spot I had.”Kara Goucher (photo right): “I never really imagined myself winning this race based on my short period of training. I definitely ran outside of my fitness for a few miles trying to get away from Amy [Hastings]. The last miles, I was just hanging in there basically. I was really happy with the slow start.”
Amy Hastings: "It was pretty solid through [mile] 20, then they just pulled away. I didn’t have quite enough left. I tried to fight back but it wasn’t there. It was an emotional last mile for sure.”
More information has been posted at www.usatf.org and www.Houston2012.com.
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. See www.usatf.org.