2016 U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials

WOMEN'S LIVE UPDATES: 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials

WOMEN'S LIVE UPDATES: 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials

LIVE RESULTS | ENTRIES | RACE PREVIEW | VIDEOS | MEN'S UPDATESFollow along below for live play-by-play updates of the 2016 Women's U.S. Olympic Team Maratho

Feb 13, 2016 by Gordon Mack
WOMEN'S LIVE UPDATES: 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials
LIVE RESULTS | ENTRIES | RACE PREVIEW | VIDEOS | MEN'S UPDATES

Follow along below for live play-by-play updates of the 2016 Women's U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials!

Updates will start at 12:00pm CT (race start time 12:22pm CT)

Prize Money for winner = $80,000
Trials Marathon Record - Shalane Flanagan 2:25:38 (Houston Trials, 2012)
Top Marathon Qualifier - Shalane Flanagan 2:21:14 (Berlin Marathon, 2014)
Top Marathon in 2015 - Desiree Linden 2:25:39 (Boston Marathon, 2015)
Top Half Marathon Qualifier - Shalane Flanagan 1:09:44 (Rock 'n' Roll Chicago, 2014)
Top Half Marathon in 2015 - Maegan Krifchin 1:09:51 (Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia)
Athletes Under 2:30 in Qualifying Window - 7 (Shalane Flanagan, Desiree Linden, Amy Cragg, Serena Burla, Annie Bersagel, Kellyn Taylor, Misiker Demissie)

MILE PACE WHAT'S HAPPENING?
1 Total Time: 00:05:52
Last Mile: 00:05:52
Projected Finish: 00:00:00
202 women start the race. Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg in the lead from the get go. Conservative start to surprise with a 66-degree start temp.
2 Total Time: 00:11:51
Last Mile: 00:05:49
Projected Finish: 00:00:00
No major changes in the lead pack as Shalane Flanagan, Amy Cragg and Kellyn Taylor lead the pack. 
3 Total Time: 00:17:25
Last Mile: 00:05:44
Projected Finish: 02:33:00
Pace slowly starting to ramp up here as women make their way through the opening loop. Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg still in the lead. Demi Linden and Kara Goucher tucked back in the teens on the right side of the pack. Janet Bawcom pokes her head up near the front right.
4 Total Time: 00:23:02
Last Mile: 00:05:37
Projected Finish: 02:31:44
Women enter the USC campus portion of the race as things continue to pick up. Still Shalane Flanagan, Amy Cragg and Kellyn Taylor running in the lead. Weird sand surface down the middle of the road. Women will have to make a decision as to which tangent to run.
5 Total Time: 00:28:52
Last Mile: 00:05:50
Projected Finish: 02:31:44
The pace slows again, down to 5:50 for the fifth mile. Shalane Flanagan, Amy Cragg and Kellyn Taylor still lead. Women are handling the turns on USC campus with ease. The difficulty may have been overblown. They appear to be gentle and sweeping instead of rhythm jarring.
6 Total Time: 00:34:42
Last Mile: 00:05:50
Projected Finish: 02:31:44
Pace maintained at 5:50. Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg drop back behind Kellyn Taylor and Belinesh Gebre slightly. Demi Linden has moved to the left of the pack, Kara Goucher still running to the right. Temperature is up to 70 degrees. 35:56 is the 10K split.
7 Total Time: 00:40:36
Last Mile: 00:05:54
Projected Finish: 02:31:44
Kellyn Taylor continues to be the leader as the pace slows ever so lightly to 5:54. Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg tucked right behind. Desiree Linden right where she wants to be, running conservatively in about 10th place.
8 Total Time: 00:46:20
Last Mile: 00:05:50
Projected Finish: 02:32:00
Pace back down to 5:50. Looking comfortable across the board. Kellyn Taylor still the leader, followed by Amy Cragg and Shalane Flanagan. Sara Hall is tucked right behind Cragg and Flanagan. Kara Goucher running wide left behind one of the motos. Several women grab cooling cloths at that last station.
9 Total Time: 00:52:01
Last Mile: 00:05:35
Projected Finish:
Slight break happening here with the fastest mile of the race at 5:35. Kellyn Taylor, Shalane Flanagan, Amy Cragg and Sara Hall in the lead group, about 15 meters ahead of the chase group which is led by Desiree Linden and Janet Bawcom. Kara Goucher in eighth place. 53:46 at the 15K.
10 Total Time: 00:57:32
Last Mile: 00:05:32
Projected Finish:
Pace continues to quicken as the leaders go through Mile 10 in 5:32. Kellyn Taylor, Shalane Flanagan, Amy Cragg and Sara Hall now lead the chase pack by six seconds. Desiree Linden choosing not to cover this move as if she is confident the leaders will fall back to her. Temps now up to 73 degrees.
11 Total Time: 01:03:34
Last Mile: 00:05:31

The leaders have made their way through USC campus again with Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg taking control of the lead with the fastest mile of the race. Kellyn Taylor has fallen about five meters behind and Sara Hall is now almost in no-man's land off the back of the one-time lead pack as they round in front of the LA Colosseum. Kara Goucher and Desiree Linden still leading the chase group which has fallen way back.
12 Total Time: 
Last Mile:
Projected Finish:
Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg have made a decisive move over the last two miles. Both look comfortable running at the current pace while Kellyn Taylor appears to now being paying the price for early work in this race. Desiree Linden has now caught Sara Hall for fourth place. You just get the feeling that she will continue to reel hew way up in the second half of this race.
13.1 (Half Marathon) Total Time: 01:14:30
Last Mile: 
Projected Finish: 2:29:45
This is looking like a race for third as Amy Cragg and Shalane Flanagan are in complete control up front. Desiree Linden and Kara Goucher currently running in third and fourth, but significantly behind the leaders at the moment.
14 Total Time: 01:19:25
Last Mile: 00:05:31
Projected Finish: 02:26:55
Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg click off another 5:31 mile that looks absolutely comfortable. They are making this look like one of their workouts in Flagstaff and Portland. The duo have rounded back in front of the Staples Center with third place no one in sight behind them.
15 Total Time: 01:24:53
Last Mile: 00:05:28

Temperature is now 75 degrees but it's Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg who continue to cook this field with another speedy 5:28 mile. Third place Kellyn Taylor and fourth place Desiree Linden are nowhere in sight. They are about 40 seconds back.
16 Total Time: 01:30:19
Last Mile: 00:05:26

Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg look like they're jogging to class as they make their way through USC campus again. Of course, they are running faster than that but they have certainly made this look easy. Desiree Linden now seven seconds ahead of Kellyn Taylor in third place.
17 Total Time: 01:35:51
Last Mile: 00:05:32

Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg still cruising up front, covering the last mile in 5:32. The real battle is behind. Desiree Linden 54 seconds behind the leaders but now 11 seconds ahead of Kara Goucher, who has passed Kellyn Taylor and moved into fourth.
18 Total Time: 01:41:22
Last Mile: 5:31

Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg continue to run side-by-side in the lead. Kara Goucher has moved to within 10 seconds of third-place Desiree Linden, who is running well within herself.
19 Total Time: 01:46:55
Last Mile: 00:05:33

Here's a good question: Will Shalane Flanagan lower the boom on her teammate Amy Cragg at any point to win this race? 
20 Total Time: 01:52:33
Last Mile: 00:05:38

Here's a better question: Does Amy Cragg have the audacity to try and drop her teammate Shalane Flanagan at any point to win this race?
21 Total Time: 01:58:05
Last Mile: 00:05:35

Desiree Linden is 19 seconds ahead of Kara Goucher in third place and seemingly secure in her spot to make this team.
22 Total Time: 02:03:48
Last Mile: 00:05:40
Projected Finish: 02:27:30
Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg have a 53 second lead. Desiree Linden has opened a 35 second lead on Kara Goucher in third place and is moving really well.
23 Total Time: 02:09:37
Last Mile: 00:05:49

Amy Cragg seems to want to break from Shalane Flanagan but is hesitant to do so. Shalane looks to be hurting more. I get the sense that Amy will not make a big break at this point and will instead encourage Shalane for a bit longer. Desiree Linden leads Kara Goucher by 40 seconds.
24 Total Time: 02:15:35
Last Mile: 00:05:58

At Mile 24 mark, Amy Cragg looked like she was going to break...and then she didn't, allowing Shalane Flanagan to catch back up to her right side. The two continue to talk to each other as they make their way through the slowest mile of the race. Amy even grabbed two water bottles, one for her and one for Shalane. Desiree Linden is now 32 seconds behind the leaders, and added 20 seconds to her lead on Kara Goucher.
25 Total Time: 02:21:38
Last Mile: 00:06:03

A super-slow 6:03 mile has allowed Desiree Linden to get into striking distance at 19 seconds back. Amy Cragg has finally broken from her teammate. Shalane Flanagan is fading. Desiree Linden is closing fast, she overtakes Shalane Flanagan for second place.
26

Amy Cragg really looking strong. She showed the utmost concern for teammate Shalane Flanagan for as long as possible but was clearly in the best shape of her life. In two trips we took dropping in on their training in November and January, Shalane did nothing but sing Cragg's praises. Now the world has seen why.
Finish Actual Finish: 02:28:20 It's Amy Cragg: 4th in 2012, 1st in 2016. Unofficial winning time: 2:28:20