The Olympic Marathon Trials being held Saturday January 14 in Houston is going to be exciting.   158 men and 223 women qualified to run.   This will be the first time the men's and women's teams will be selected on the same day based on results from the same course.

The men will start at 8 a.m. on what is forecast to be a sunny morning with temperatures in the mid-40s to low 50s; the women start 15 minutes later. The Houston course, a 2.2-mile downtown loop followed by three 8-mile loops, is flat and fast, roughly replicating the layout and terrain in London.

There are roughly six to eight runners in each race who appear to have the edge to nail down spots on the team that will compete in London.  The men's race is harder to call and stocked with less seasoned marathoners or debutants who have proven themselves at shorter distances.

Photo: Meb Keflezighi says he is ready.  He has a lot of support.  photo by Catherine Cross Ujena Fit Club at San Jose Half

Ryan Hall, who won the 2008 trials with a breathtaking breakaway in New York City, may be hard to beat.  Hall, 29, who ran a scintillating personal best of 2:04:58  in the Boston tailwinds last spring, last raced in the Chicago Marathon in October, finishing fifth in 2:08:04. Self-coached since late 2010.

Photo: Is it going to be Ryan Hall's day on Saturday?

"From day to day, I feel a lot more freshness in my legs," Hall said Thursday. "I'm always in a recovered state. I just remember before when I was training, getting to the point where easy days were such a hard thing for me to get up for. I'd be feeling totally trashed and taking two-hour naps and just really super-tired all the time. Now I'm not that way; I feel much more energetic."

I just finished reading his book - I quite enjoyed it!
Shari Mernett 4/7/12 6:57 am

Log In To Comment

Soft-spoken 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi, 36, notched a personal-best time of 2:09:13 in the New York City Marathon this past November. However, that effort took its toll, as Keflezighi became perhaps the first athlete in history to suffer a foot injury caused by Breathe Right nasal strips.

Keflezighi told reporters on a recent conference call that he routinely tucks the strips into one of his running shoes to make sure he doesn't forget them -- but he forgot they were there until he hit Mile 1 in New York and thought, "Uh-oh." The chafed area on his left foot became infected after the race, and his altered stride as a result caused a sore knee. Keflezighi was forced to take three weeks off during his short recovery time. Still, he said he's ready, and has the support of "people around me who believe in me more than I believe in myself."

Several experienced marathoners, including 2008 Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein, could figure into the mix. And there are a number of intriguing dark horses, such as Brett Gotcher, who ran a 2:10:26 in Houston in 2010, and marathon rookies Mohamed Trafeh and Brent Vaughn. Hall said he and other top entrants won't make the mistake of underestimating them.

The U.S. women's field is the strongest in a history dating back to 1984, when the Olympic marathon became a medal event for both genders. Veteran and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor predicted that any trio coming out of this race has the potential to put at least one on the podium in London.

Many think the top three in Houston will come from a quintet that includes two runners-up in major marathons in the past 18 months -- Desiree Davila (Boston, 2011) and Shalane Flanagan (New York, 2010) -- Kastor and past Olympians Kara Goucher and Magdalena Lewy-Boulet. Amy Hastings, who clocked a 2:27:03 in her first marathon in Los Angeles last year, Janet Cherobon-Bawcom and Stephanie Rothstein should be in the conversation, as well.

Photo: Davila says she made rookie mistakes four years ago.  She is ready to race.

Davila, the California-bred, Michigan-based runner whose career has been on a gradual but continuous uptick, came into her own last year with personal bests at four distances on the road and track. The most notable was her personal marathon best of 2:22:38 in Boston, where she traded leads with eventual winner Caroline Kilel of Kenya in an extraordinary stretch duel.

"I'd say from [the trials] four years ago, across the board I'm a completely different athlete," Davila said Thursday. "It was my second [marathon] and I was trying to be aggressive and do something maybe I wasn't quite ready for. I made rookie mistakes, like not taking fluids and maybe pressing a little too hard when I didn't need to. I kind of almost panicked when I found myself in the hunt, and it took me by surprise. … I think every time out I've gotten a little better at the little things that caused me to blow up at the trials. All of that will hopefully come together this time around."

Davila said that before the 2008 trials, she thought she might be able to sneak onto the Olympic team with a 2:32. Not so this year, where she said it could take a 2:24 to win and a 2:28 to place. "That's the kind of team you want to be a part of," she said. "If you can make it in Houston, you're going to be on one of the best Olympic teams ever."