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Women's Race Preview - U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon 2020

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U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon   Feb 26th 2020, 4:59am
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A Dozen Contenders Seek Top Three Finish and Ticket to Tokyo

By Scott Bush

The best of the best take to the streets of Atlanta on Saturday morning, as the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon marks the beginning of the Road to Tokyo for Team USATF. On the women's side, the competition is fierce and the depth impressive, as no fewer than 12 women have a legitimate shot to finish top three. There are certainly favorites heading into the race, but the challenging course along the streets of Atlanta should lead to some surprises.

With Shalane Flanagan having retired and Amy Cragg withdrawing due to illness, Desi Linden is the lone qualifier from 2016. Linden earned seventh place at the Olympic Games in Rio, only to build off that performance by winning the Boston Marathon in 2018. Linden will line up as the most accomplished marathoner of the field, but it certainly won't be easy to make her third Olympic team.

Sara Hall, Jordan Hasay, Emily Sisson, Kellyn Taylor, Molly Huddle, Sally Kipyego and the list goes on and on. With so many contenders entered Saturday, the race from start to finish should be thrilling, as fans both in Atlanta and watching elsewhere cheer on their favorite athletes, as they compete for a spot on the starting line in Tokyo this summer.

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Race Contenders

(in alphabetical order)

Emma Bates

After having a tremendous 2019 campaign, Bates enters Saturday's contest as a top contender. While she only debuted in the marathon distance this past October at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Bates did finish fourth overall in 2:25:27, which makes her one of the fastest marathoners in the field Saturday. Bates also ran 1:11:13 twice for the half marathon last year, placing third at the USATF Half Marathon Championships and fourth at the NYC Half.

Stephanie Bruce

The veteran Bruce continued to prove herself against America's best last year. The Flagstaff-based runner took home the USATF Half Marathon title over Sara Hall and Emma Bates, following that up with a sixth-place finish at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October. In Chicago, Bruce ran 2:27:42, the second-fastest American on the day (only behind Bates). Training with teammates Kellyn Taylor and Aliphine Tuliamuk, both listed among the top contenders, Bruce is feeling confident and ready to race - Read the Interview

Lindsay Flanagan

Arguably the most overlooked top contender in the field, Flanagan ran to two top 10 finishes at World Marathon Major events in 2019. In April, Flanagan ran to a ninth-place finish at the Boston Marathon. Coming back six months later, Flanagan earned a seventh-place finish at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in a PR of 2:28:08. She ran a half marathon personal best earlier this year at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, placing as the fifth American in 1:09:37. The 29-year old might not have the fastest personal best in the field, but she continues to prove herself at a high level every time out.

Sara Hall

Hall, 36, enters Saturday's contest as one of the top three favorites. What puts her in that position are a duo of performances over the past six months. First, Hall ran to a fifth-place finish at the BMW Berlin Marathon in a new personal best of 2:22:16, which ranks her second fastest in the field in Atlanta and made her the fastest American in 2019. Hall built on that heading into the new year, placing as the top American at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon last month, running a new PR of 1:08:58. Hall won the USATF Running Circuit overall title in 2019, as well, winning the USATF 20 km and 10 Mile Championships and has found a new level of fitness and confidence heading into Atlanta - Read the Interview

Jordan Hasay

After starting the 2019 season on a high note, claiming a third-place finish at the Boston Marathon, Hasay struggled the back half of the year, battling injury and a stress-filled situation with her coach Alberto Salazar getting suspended. Hasay earned a DNF at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and since then has been extremely quiet. However, Hasay has shown she can simply be dominant over the marathon distance. Two third-place showings in Boston and a third-place finish in Chicago are big time and her 2:20:57 PR is easily the best in the field. If Hasay is healthy and confident, a win Saturday is easily within reach.

Molly Huddle

The two-time Olympian looks to earn her third trip in Atlanta, this time focused squarely on the marathon. Last year, Huddle won the national title in the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships, following that up with a ninth-place finish at the World Championships. She earned a 12th-place finish at the Virgin Money London Marathon and is one of the most consistent and dominating runners in American history. She placed fourth at the TCS New York City Marathon in 2018, set the American record in the half marathon in 1:07:25 in 2018 in Houston and more recently placed as the second American overall at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.

Sally Kipyego

Kipyego is set to compete in her first U.S. Olympic Trials and will certainly contend from the start. The World Championship and Olympic silver medalist over 10,000m in 2011 and 2012 (while running for Kenya) had a fantastic marathon last fall at the BMW Berlin Marathon, finishing seventh overall in 2:25:10. Kipyego isn't the most proven marathoner in the field, but she's extremely experienced and race savvy.

Desi Linden

The favorite. It's as easy as that. Linden placed second at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon in Los Angeles, then turned around and placed seventh at the Olympic Games in Rio. After her Olympic success, Linden made history winning the Boston Marathon, while continuing to rack up top six finishes in Boston and New York. She was the top American at the TCS New York City Marathon this past November, placing sixth overall in 2:26:46, while earning a fifth-place finish in 2:27:00 at the Boston Marathon in April. Linden has been extremely quiet on the racing front this year, focused on making her third Olympic team. All eyes will be on the Brooks runner in Atlanta.

Molly Seidel

The least experienced of the dozen top contenders, Seidel cracks the list based on upside. The former multi-time NCAA champion from Notre Dame dealt with injuries to start her pro running career, but has since found success. She was the third-fastest American at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January, running a PR of 1:09:35, placing only behind Sara Hall and Molly Huddle. She'll be debuting at the marathon distance in Atlanta, but she's strong and ready to race having trained at altitude the past few weeks.

Emily Sisson

Sisson, 28, has quietly become one of the premier distance runners in the United States. Overshadowed by training partner Molly Huddle since turning pro out of Providence College, Sisson has shined both on the roads and the track. In 2019, Sisson placed fifth at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon with an incredible performance of 1:07:30 (five seconds off the American record). She followed that up with a sixth-place performance at the Virgin Money London Marathon in 2:23:08. Sisson then stepped back on the track to earn a spot on Team USA in the 10,000m, earning a 10th-place finish at the World Championships in Doha.

Kellyn Taylor

The fourth-fastest qualifier to line up Saturday, Taylor is the second-best returnee behind Linden from the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon, where she finished sixth overall. Since then, Taylor has continued to climb the ladder among American marathoners. She placed fourth at the Prague Marathon in 2019 with a 2:26:27 effort, coming back to place seventh (only six seconds behind Linden) at the TCS New York City Marathon this past November. Taylor's 2:24:29 winning effort at Grandma's Marathon in 2018 was one of the more overlooked marathon performances of the past few years.

Aliphine Tuliamuk

HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite runner Tuliamuk has had tremendous success on the roads in past years. In 2016 and 2017, Tuliamuk won the USATF Running Circuit overall title, dominating nearly every race she entered. After a quiet 2018, Tuliamuk finished third at the NN Rotterdam Marathon with a 2:26:50 in April, only to follow that up with a 12th-place finish at the TCS New York City Marathon. Tuliamuk ran 1:09:49 at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon and her fearless racing style should put her in contention to earn a top-three finish for much of the race.



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1 comment(s)
parkmeter
Emma Bates' marathon debut was at 2018 CIM which she won. Chicago 2019 was her 2nd.
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