2012 USA Olympic Marathon Trials HoustonOct 12, 2011 by Kevin Selby
Stay humble Ryan Hall. It is the best course of action.
Stay humble Ryan Hall. It is the best course of action.
Stay humble Ryan Hall. It is the best course of action.
At the Chicago Marathon post race press conference last Sunday, Chicago Tribune reporter Phil Hersh questioned the importance of Ryan Hall's status as the top American marathoner. Ryan quickly established that it is important for him to be the best American and later commented how he will go to the Olympic Marathon Trials starting line "with humility" knowing that his competition will ready to do battle.
Ryan Hall is on the mark in this case. He is the guy with a target on his back, and a deceptively deep field will make this Olympic Trials marathon more competitive that the one he crushed to qualify for the Bejing Games.
Track and field is reguarly full of surprises, particularly in a championship year. The surprises are not just in performances, but in events athletes choose to run. Among those who have qualified for the January 14th trials are Meb, Ritz, Abdi, Rupp, Tegenkamp, Solinsky, Gotcher, Smyth, Trafeh, Hartman, Arciniaga, Curtis, Vail, Nelson, Vega, Bauhs, and Vaughn. Will all of these guys show up? Probably not. However, all of them realize that only nine slots are available in the 5k, 10k, and marathon, and Rupp and Lagat will probably occupy about three of them.
Do you think I am crazy for listing several guys who would make marathon debuts at the trials? Think again. Lauren Fleshman is the prime example of why we need to think outside of the marathon box as she heads to NYC next month. There is no "low hanging fruit" to be harvested on the US distance teams. I am sure that athletes are looking at all options and strategies, including ways to upset (or avoid) favorites like Hall, Rupp, and Flanagan.
Ryan Hall feels no comfort as the current top American marathoner, and he is no dumby. Brett Gotcher and Brit Scott Overall have run 2:10 marathons off of solid track credentials. Consider that eight different Americans have broken 28:00 on the track int he 10k in the last two seasons. It might take a 2:08 type of performance to make the US team if the race is smoking hot.
I expect Hall to win, but it will not be easy. Many studs, those that are both young and experienced, will make the trials the deepest distance race the US has seen in sometime. Any athlete underestimating their cometitors will be ont he outside looking in on the US team.
Ryan Hall is on the mark in this case. He is the guy with a target on his back, and a deceptively deep field will make this Olympic Trials marathon more competitive that the one he crushed to qualify for the Bejing Games.
Track and field is reguarly full of surprises, particularly in a championship year. The surprises are not just in performances, but in events athletes choose to run. Among those who have qualified for the January 14th trials are Meb, Ritz, Abdi, Rupp, Tegenkamp, Solinsky, Gotcher, Smyth, Trafeh, Hartman, Arciniaga, Curtis, Vail, Nelson, Vega, Bauhs, and Vaughn. Will all of these guys show up? Probably not. However, all of them realize that only nine slots are available in the 5k, 10k, and marathon, and Rupp and Lagat will probably occupy about three of them.
Do you think I am crazy for listing several guys who would make marathon debuts at the trials? Think again. Lauren Fleshman is the prime example of why we need to think outside of the marathon box as she heads to NYC next month. There is no "low hanging fruit" to be harvested on the US distance teams. I am sure that athletes are looking at all options and strategies, including ways to upset (or avoid) favorites like Hall, Rupp, and Flanagan.
Ryan Hall feels no comfort as the current top American marathoner, and he is no dumby. Brett Gotcher and Brit Scott Overall have run 2:10 marathons off of solid track credentials. Consider that eight different Americans have broken 28:00 on the track int he 10k in the last two seasons. It might take a 2:08 type of performance to make the US team if the race is smoking hot.
I expect Hall to win, but it will not be easy. Many studs, those that are both young and experienced, will make the trials the deepest distance race the US has seen in sometime. Any athlete underestimating their cometitors will be ont he outside looking in on the US team.
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