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162 Entrants For Women's Olympic Trial Marathon
For Immediate Release: Friday, April 11
162 of America's Top Distance Runners Enter U.S. Olympic Team Trials
Nine days until the U.S. Olympic Team in Women’s Marathon will be determined
Boston, Mass. -- One hundred and sixty-two of the top female marathon runners in the United States have registered to run in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women's Marathon, which will be held in Boston on April 20, 2008, the day before the 112th Boston Marathon. The race will start at 8:00 a.m. and take place on a multi-loop course in Boston and Cambridge. A total prize purse of $250,000 will be awarded, and the U.S. Olympic Team in Women’s Marathon will be decided by the race.
Among the many notable entrants are:
Deena Kastor 2004 Olympic bronze medalist – Women’s Marathon
Elva Dryer 2000 & 2004 U.S. Olympian at 5,000m and 10,000m
Mary Akor 10th place, 2007 Boston Marathon
Kate O'Neill 3rd place, 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
Turena Johnson Lane U.S. 25K champion
Magdalena Lewy-Boulet 5th place, 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women's Marathon
Blake Russell 4th place, 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women's Marathon
Linda Somers-Smith 6-time U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women’s Marathon qualifier
Joan Samuelson 1984 Olympic gold medalist – Women’s Marathon
In total, 181 women qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials via either an "A" standard time (2:39:00) or a "B" standard time (2:47:00, or 33:33.00 for 10,000m).
QUALIFIER STATISTICS
Number of Qualifiers
181 19 “A” qualifiers, 162 “B” qualifiers (10 via 10,000m performances)
Oldest Qualifier (age on 4/20/08)
Joan Samuelson 50 years, 340 days
Youngest Qualifier (age on 4/20/08)
Michelle Gallagher 22 years, 184 days
Qualifiers by Age
77 Qualifiers ages 20-29
90 Qualifiers ages 30-39
13 Qualifiers ages 40-49
1 Qualifier age 50+
Personal Bests as Qualifying Performances
135 135 of the 171 women who qualified with a marathon time did so by running a personal best.
Most Qualifying Performances
11 Mary Akor (2006 Country Music, 2006 Vancouver, 2006 Grandma’s, 2006 Twin Cities, 2006 Brunei,
2007 OC, 2007 Port of Spain, 2007 LaLa, 2007 Boston, 2007 Vancouver, 2007 Grandma’s)
Most Qualifying Performances in One Race
25 The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon (2006)
15 Twin Cities Marathon (2006); Boston Marathon (2007)
Most Qualifying Performances at One Event
28 The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon (2006-2007)
20 Boston Marathon (2006-2007)
Races Where Qualifying Performances Were Run
61 54 marathons and seven track meets were used to qualify.
Most Representatives from One University
5 Duke University (Maureen Ackerly, Betsey Keever, Phebe Ko, Sally Meyerhoff, Paige Miller)
Olympians (all events)
10 Maggie Chan Roper (2000)
Colleen De Reuck (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
Elva Dryer (2000, 2004)
Deena Kastor (2000, 2004)
Kate O’Neill (2004)
Jen Rhines (2000, 2004)
Amy Rudolph (1996, 2000)
Marla Runyan (2000, 2004)
Joan Samuelson (1984)
Linda Somers Smith (1996)
Olympians (marathon)
5 Colleen De Reuck (1992, 2000, 2004)
Deena Kastor (2004)
Jen Rhines (2004)
Joan Samuelson (1984)
Linda Somers Smith (1996)
Past U.S. Marathon Champions
7 Linda Somers (1993, 1994)
Kim Pawelek (1999)
Deena Kastor (2001, 2007)
Jill Boaz (2002)
Colleen De Reuck (2004)
Nicole Aish (2005)
Marla Runyan (2006)
Past U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Women’s Marathon Participants
55 55 qualifiers have competed a combined total of 76 times in previous U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Women’s Marathon.
More information about the athletes, the race course, and the history of the U.S. Olympic Trials, can be found at www.bostontrials2008.com. Live online streaming of the race will be available on NBCSports.com, and a one-hour highlights show will air on MSNBC on April 27 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET.
USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.
USATF is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization with a staff of professional program administrators at the National Office in Indianapolis. The mission of USATF is to foster sustained competitive excellence, interest, and participation in the sports of track & field, long distance running, and race walking. For more information, visit www.usatf.org.
Boston Athletic Association
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events, including the B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial Services. The B.A.A. is the local organizing committee for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials- Women's Marathon.
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