Chris Derrick is one step closer to running his marathon debut on February 13 in Los Angeles. The Bowerman Track Club athlete is officially entered in the USATF Olympic Marathon Trials.

After running his half marathon debut of 1:03:41 in Jacksonville on January 3, Derrick officially qualified for the Trials. He told FloTrack that he was keeping his options open between competing in the marathon and the 10,000m, an event that he finished fourth in at the 2012 Olympic Trials. He still maintains that position of making a decision based on whether he has a "strong run" of making the team, he told LetsRun.

His status on the official USATF entries puts him one step closer to his marathon debut than Galen Rupp. Rupp ran a half marathon time of 1:01:20 in Portland on December 13. It was a surprise to some, as the Portland Foot Traffic Holiday Half Marathon only became USATF-sanctioned a few days before the event and Rupp was minutes ahead of the next finisher. The 2012 Olympic silver medalist over 10,000m also said he was "keeping his options open" but has yet to officially throw his hat into the ring, at least on the entry list.

If Derrick and/or Rupp make their marathon debuts in Los Angeles they will join the likes of Sam Chelanga and Diego Estrada as accomplished 10,000m runners making their first appearance over 26.2 miles.