Olympic Marathon Trials on Tap for Saturday
Nation's top female distance runners gather in St. Louis

by Alison Wade

Deena Kastor (Photo: New York Road Runners)

The USA's top female marathoners will vie for three spots on the Olympic team at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon on Saturday, April 3, in St. Louis. Provided that they run the Olympic "A" standard of 2:37:00 or faster in the race, or have done so since January 1, 2003, the top three athletes across the line will be eligible to represent the U.S. at this summer's Athens Olympic Games.

The overwhelming favorite heading in is Deena Kastor, 31, who broke Joan Benoit Samuelson's 17-year-old American record in finishing third (2:21:16) at the 2003 Flora London Marathon. Kastor has been quick to play down her favorite status — saying, "I by no means would put myself in a different category from any of these women" — but her seed time is nearly seven minutes ahead of the second fastest entrant, Colleen De Reuck (2:28:01). Even Kastor's slowest marathon time (2:26:58 in her marathon debut, at the 2001 New York City Marathon) would seed her ahead of the second fastest qualifier, Marla Runyan (2:27:10), who has not entered the marathon Trials.

Past Trials have proven that anything can happen, and no marathoner in history has yet mastered the event. As Kastor says, "I think [the desire to get it right is] what keeps people coming back for more each time. Inevitably I think the marathon wins each time, which is why you have to respect the distance and the other people that are running." De Reuck, 39, knows all about that. One year ago, she was favored to win the USA Marathon Championships — run on the Trials course in St. Louis — but finished second in 2:37:41 after suffering from hypothermia. De Reuck rebounded well, however, running 2:28:01 at the 2003 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, and will be the favorite to grab the second spot in St. Louis.

Beyond that, there are no clear favorites. Third seed Deeja Youngquist (2:29:01) and fourth seed Blake Russell (2:30:41) have each run only run one marathon, as has Sara Wells, the 2003 USA Marathon Champion (2:35:37). Sandwiched in there is a trio of more experienced runners — 1996 Olympian Jenny Spangler (2:32:39), Sylvia Mosqueda (2:33:10), and Jill Boaz (2:34:54). Another athlete to keep an eye on is Magdalena Lewy Boulet, who ran her qualifying time of 2:31:38 in finishing second at the 2003 Pittsburgh Marathon.

If past Trials are any indication, then at least one athlete not mentioned above will qualify for the team. The 1996 Trials winner, Spangler, was seeded 61st in that race, and the 2000 Trials winner, Christine Clark, had the 22nd fastest time heading in. Looking further down the list, many have pegged Rachel Kinsman (2:37:51 in her debut at the 2003 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon) as an athlete who might have the tools to pull off an upset, and right behind her is Heather Hanscom, who ran 2:37:59 in her debut to win the 2003 Marine Corps Marathon, and has shown improvement in shorter distances since then. The 29th seed, Jen Rhines (2:41:16), is one of the country's top distance runners, but has yet to run to her potential in the marathon. And then there are the countless others in the field who are hoping that great training, combined with timing and luck, might see them grab one of the top three spots.

While the weather was a major factor at the 2000 Trials in Columbia, South Carolina — with temperatures climbing into the high 70s by the end of the race — the forecast predicts much milder temperatures this time around. Saturday's low is expected to be around 40, and the high around 60, with the race beginning at 7:00 a.m.

The only guarantee for this year's Trials is that it will be an exciting race. New York Road Runners will be there, bringing you post-race coverage and photos of the event on this site.

(Note: Deena Kastor will be interviewed by NYRR on Tuesday, April 6, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., with a live broadcast at nyrrc.org.)