Californians Prevail at 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

Ryan Hall (2nd, 2:09:30)
Redding
“I was telling [Keflezighi and Abdirahman] after the race, ‘I watched you guys making the 10K [Olympic] Team when I was in high school.’ They make me feel very young, and I’m 29. You realize what an honor it is to be on this team and what it takes to get here. The potential we have to go win medals is great. He [Meb] is going to be a great leader for us.”

“I accomplished my goals today. The pace car started getting me riled up when I saw 2:06 [projected finish] flashing. We even got down to 2:05 at one point. The wind was a little tough for us out there and the concrete was kind of brutal on the quads.”

About leading for half the race: “I was just being me. I wasn’t thinking, oh this is the Trials and it means you run conservative. I just wanted to air it out and that’s the way I run best. After running 2:04 at Boston, I felt that anything is possible. What it’s going to take in the Olympic Games is running the race like we did today. You are going to have go early and commit to the pace. It’s going to be a race of attrition out there. I think today was a very good simulation to the Olympic Games.”

“I was just sick of leading [mid race]. It was weird because I got out of the lead and was sitting behind Abdi and I said ‘oh man, I feel great.’ Then when I got back in the lead I said ‘oh, it feels bad.’”

“My hat’s off to Dathan. He ran really tough, finishing fourth, and breaking the wind all by himself the entire last 10K. I was really impressed how he ran and came back. I’m looking forward to seeing how he does on the track.”

Brett Gotcher (5th, 2:11:06)
Flagstaff, AZ (born in Watsonville, CA, Aptos H.S.)
“I just tried to run my own race. I knew that, for me, it would be suicide for me to run with those guys up there running that pace. I just tied to do my own thing and, luckily, had a nice group of guys to run with. We worked together, and it seemed that we were making up a little bit of ground, but they just had too much space on us. The marathon is really hard. The last four miles were all about just trying to catch people.”

“I’m happy with my race, although it would have been nice to run faster than my [personal] best [2:10:36 at the 2010 Chevron Houston Marathon]. It was good for a fitness kind of race.”

“It was pretty windy when you got into the city, but once you got onto the highways out there it was pretty nice. It was really good. Our group worked together once we got in the city and everyone was kind of taking turns at the front.”

“I haven’t really made plans beyond this race. We’ll have to re-evaluate.”

Stephan Shay (34th, 2:16:48)
Huntington Beach
“I’m quite pleased with my race. The last couple of miles were rough. There was a big blister forming on my toe and I felt it. I would have liked to have finished a little stronger, but I gave it my all.”

“Of course, I was thinking about my brother [Ryan, who died of heart failure during the 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials] today. It was emotional, but it was awesome crossing the finish line and I felt a sense of accomplishment. I felt that he would have been proud.”

Tim Tollefson (79th, 2:27:00)
Roseville
“It went as well as it could today. This is my third marathon in three months. I’m looking towards 2016. I think by then I can be a steeplechaser and 1500-meter guy. This one was about getting experience and not giving up.”

Desiree Davila (2nd, 2:25:55)
Rochester Hills, MI (born in Chula Vista, CA, Hilltop H.S.)
About leading or sharing the lead for much of the race: “I think it went really well for me. That was the game plan—to not let [the pace] get soft and let other people to be there late. The only way to do it is by putting the pressure on because everyone in there is really tough. I did the job I needed to do. I think it cost me late [in the race] by having to do a little more work than I’ve covered before. But it’s another race experience and another tool that I’ll have for the future.”

“Going into the last mile it was kind of this internal conflict where I really wanted to make a push and see what I had left. At the same time I knew Kara [Goucher] was right behind me, and Amy [Hastings] had made huge surges throughout the race. I couldn’t assume she had been dropped. My calves were just cramping up and ultimately I was like, finish it off and get the job done. I didn’t have enough confidence in being able to catch Shalane [Flanagan] and I didn’t want to lose the spot I had.”

About the combined men’s/women’s trials format on the same day: “ I was in New York and watched the men’s 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials and it was an incredible experience. It was kind of like a little practice run because you saw what they [the male athletes] had to do before [the Women’s Trials]. So, I enjoyed separate Trials races. But today was great, too. I’ll just have to do a little catching up on the men’s side afterwards.”

Amy Hastings (4th, 2:27:17)
Mammoth Lakes
About surging to the front at 16 miles: “I was trying to test the waters and see where everyone was. But I’m fine with the way I raced.”

 “It was pretty solid through 20 miles. Then, the top three just pulled away and I didn’t have quite enough. I tried to get back, but it just wasn’t there. It was an emotional last mile for sure.”

About the combined men’s/women’s trials format on the same day: “I really enjoyed having them together. With about six miles to go my coach [Terrance Mahon] yelled at me that Meb had just won. It was pretty cool hearing that my [Mammoth Track Club] teammate had come through and made the team, so I liked it.”

Deena Kastor (6th, 2:30:40)
Mammoth Lakes
“It was bittersweet. Houston created a great space for the athletes and I gave it my best today. I stayed engaged the entire 26.2 miles, so I couldn’t ask for more. It just wasn’t good enough today. I was hoping that the mental tools that I’ve acquired over the past few months would get me on the podium, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I’m really happy with my effort, but obviously I’m a little disappointed.”

“It was a rough day out there. I feel like I really got the marathon experience. I stayed engaged and, once I hit 20 miles, I knew it was going to be a rough last lap and it proved just that. I was really happy that I was just able to stay in there and stay focused. The whole time I had my eyes on the girls in front of me watching them get further and further away, but I really tried to stay engaged with them the whole time. On a mental note, I couldn’t ask more of myself today. I really felt proud that I stayed in the grind as long as possible even while seeing my dreams slip away.”

“I obviously could have sharpened up a little more for this, but I felt really good about my preparations and my progress over the last month. And we’re sending an amazing team to London, so we should be proud of the girls that executed today when they needed to.”

Magdalena Lewy Boulet (10th, 2:33:42)
Oakland
“I gave it all I had, but that’s all I had today. I was hoping for a great race, about four or five minutes faster. But, I’ll come right back and fight for a team spot in the 10,000m. I definitely wasn’t on my ‘A’ game today, but you get what you get and you don’t get upset. That’s what I tell my son. I have to suck it up and take it, come back in the Spring, and then fight for a 10,000m spot.”

“For the first 10K, I thought I was right on pace, but by the time I got to 10 miles I felt I was definitely falling off my goal pace. I got dropped from the chase pack and was getting caught by other people. During the last two miles, I lost the bounce in my feet and was just dragging.”

“It was tough out there, but it’s not over for me. The team in the marathon today will definitely be back in the 10,000m and they’ll be up there as well, so, I have to be very prepared in order to grab one of the [team] spots.”

“Coming in fifth in 2004 [at the Marathon Trials], I was very emotional. Four years ago, I was crying because I was really happy [to make the team]. Right now, I’m just trying to tell myself that there’s a few months left and time to turn it around, and don’t give up.”

Blake Russell (DNF)
Pacific Grove
“It’s pretty frustrating because I don’t know why I felt so off early on. It makes no sense.”

“Frankly, I love the marathon, but I’m tired of it. I have trained for three since [the birth of son] Quin, and they have all gone poorly for one reason or another. Just like my original reason for moving to the marathon, I am ready to go back to the track for something new. My coach, Bob Sevene, has always said that I am a track athlete running the marathon. I guess we will test that theory soon enough. I have one more shot at making the Olympic team this summer in either the 10,000 meters or the 5000 meters. It will be a similar situation with a handful of women vying for three spots in each event.” (courtesy of the Monterey Herald)

Clara Peterson (16th, 2:35:50, marathon debut)
San Anselmo
“My workouts indicated that I was in 2:32 shape, but in your first marathon you never know what’s going to happen. But over the last three miles I was breaking. The pack was really strung out and one of the girls ended up over a minute ahead of me. I’m very happy I was under 2:36 and 16th in the country in my first marathon. This was just the first of many marathons, and now I know what those last three miles feel like. They’re indescribable. I hope to come back a little more dangerous in four years. I think I really have a good future at this distance. I was born on January 26th, and I feel like 26 miles is my calling.”

Brooke Wells (19th, 2:36:24, PR by about 1:30)
San Francisco
“I fell really hard at about eight miles trying to get my water bottle but I just had to keep going, I got up, caught the pack, and kept going. We had a great pack for about 13 miles. I did a lot of running on my own at the end, but now it feels just great.”

Linda Somers Smith (28th, 2:37:36, U.S. W50-54 record)
Arroyo Grande
“I’m very happy, but very sore. I figured that I would break the record, but you never know. I was really nervous because before my last marathon [New York City, 2010] I had a lot of confidence going in, but I felt horrible during the race. That was my last mental picture of the marathon before this one.”

“I just wanted to run very conservatively at the start, like 6:05 pace, but there was a huge pack running under 6-minute pace, and it was breezy enough that I was going to get stuck by myself or go with that pack. We stayed together until about mile 13 and then it just blew up. But I still had plenty of people to chase and others to try and hold off. Brooke Wells was in that pack and then she went to the front of it when it broke apart, so she ran really well. People were coming up and back to me, so I felt like I always had somebody pushing me. I’m amazed that, with the time I had, there were so many people in front of me.”

“I wasn’t nearly as nervous for this Trials because after tenth place it really didn’t matter in terms of money or anything. It was just more of a personal thing. I won’t say that I didn’t care, but I didn’t feel like I was running the Trials. It felt like I was just participating in a marathon. I actually slept the night before the race.”

Rachel Booth (31st, 2:37:59, PR)
Mandeville, LA (PA/USATF member, moved to Louisiana last May)
“I was very prepared going into the race and was hopeful that I could run a big PR. I knew the conditions were going to be favorable and the competition was going to be amazing, which would help pull me through the race. I was excited to see what I could do. I’m very pleased that I was able to run my personal best by close to 5-1/2 minutes and prove to myself that I can run the marathon at that pace. It was an absolute honor to be part of this historic event and I’m walking away with my own personal victory.”

Jen Rhines (64th, 2:43:35)
Mammoth Lakes
“It was a really tough one for me. I thought I was in about 2:28 shape, and my plan was to run from behind, but I just wasn’t able to execute that. I think, maybe, the marathon is just not my event. I did a good job of coming back from New York [City Marathon where she DNF’d], getting my head around the training, and getting ready for this race. But I think my best distance is just the half [marathon] and down. I’ve only had two good marathons out of eight. I wanted to give it one more try because I’ve been feeling really strong the last couple of years.” (Note: Rhines’ marathon PR is 2:29:32 set in 2008. She placed third at the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials in 2:29:57.)

“Today, I wanted to finish and I gave it everything I had. Now, I’m excited to get back to training for the shorter stuff. I think the marathon training will help me in the 10,000. I plan on doing both the 5000m and 10,000m at the track and field trials.”

Flagstaff, AZ
born: Watsonville, CA