The 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon gets underway early Saturday morning in Houston. Here's a few names to watch, as well as the schedule of events.
Jan 13, 2012 - The 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon gets underway early on Saturday morning in Houston, and it's a race with plenty of intrigue. The goal on both the men's and women's side is simple: finish in the top-three in Houston and you're in the 2012 Olympics, earning a trip to London as a result.
Ryan Hall, Dathan Ritzenhein and Meb Keflezighi are three names Stride Nation, our very own running blog -- did you know we have a running blog? It's new and fantastic, -- notes that you should pay attention to.
Hall, the only sub-2:05 runner in the field, won the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trails (but finished 10th at Beijing), beating Ritzenhein in the process (Dathan was 9th in Beijing). Meb, who took silver in the 2004 Olympic Games, had a terrible 2008 trial, suffering through a severe hip injury and the loss of his friend and training partner, Ryan Shay, who died of a heart attack during the race.
And then there's Mo Trafeh. As Tom Ziller notes, Trafeh has big aspirations, plenty of confidence, yet is a relative marathon green horn.
Trafeh hasn't finished a marathon -- he dropped out down the stretch in the 2011 London Marathon after keeping up with the elite lead pack through 12 miles -- but beat Ryan Hall the last time the pair met up in Houston at the 2011 USA Half Marathon Championships, and has a half PR of 1:00:39. That's fast enough to go under 2:10 for a full, if Mo has the endurance ability and has trained well.
Read the full article for Trafeh's quotes. His race strategy is going to be interesting, to say the least.
Stride Nation mentions numerous names on the women's side, noting the race is wide-open, including Desi Davila.
Goucher took 2010 off with the birth of her child but returned her focus to marathons in 2011, finishing third in the New York City Half and fifth at Boston (2:24:52 PR). Desi may very well be the favorite on Saturday, thanks in large part due to her performance at the 2011 Boston Marathon where she finished second, missing out on becoming the first American woman to win since 1985.
The full schedule for the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon can be found here. The marathon will be aired as a tape delayed program -- go ahead, let that big sigh out -- on NBC.
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