The Trials Standard
October 12, 2011 - Issue 9    
In This Issue
Road to London Race Weekend Schedule
Athlete Spotlight: Cherobon-Bawcom, Olympic Trials Wild Card Contender
Olympic Trials Flashback
Fun Facts
Top 12 Men's and Women's Qualifying Times

COUNTDOWN
2012 U.S. Olympic
Trials Marathon 
January 14, 2012
93 Days

2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifiers 

 147 Men  
185 Women


 


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Hello from Houston!
Road to London Race Weekend Schedule 

 

With just under 100 days to race day, the Houston Marathon Committee and USATF are excited to announce its action-packed race week schedule for fans and spectators!

 

Thursday, January 12

 

Kicking off race weekend activities is the ultimate interactive Fan Festival at Discovery Green in downtown Houston. Learn more about the Olympic movement at the United States Olympic Committee's Road to London Tour, get official Trials race merchandise at the Nike Zone, meet top American athletes at USATF's Track Town, ice skate in the heart of downtown Houston and much more! The Fan Festival is free and open daily to the public through Sunday, January 15.

 

Friday, January 13

 

Check out the Houston Marathon's EXPO with more than 125 vendors from across the nation showcasing the latest products and gear in running, health and fitness at the George R. Brown Convention Center from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Then, head across the street to Discovery Green for an Opening Ceremony celebration with U.S. Olympians and athletes from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

 

Saturday, January 14

 

Come out early and cheer on top American athletes as they compete for a coveted spot on Team USA. Starting at 8:00 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. respectively, the men and women will tackle 26.2 miles on an eight-mile looped course. The top three men and women will go on to represent the United States in the marathon at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

 

Click here for a complete race weekend schedule including VIP events.

 

And don't forget to check out Houston2012.com, the premier source for event information for media and fans as the top marathoners in the U.S. prepare for the Olympic Trials Marathon and Road to London!

 

Join the conversation on Twitter: #Houston2012

 

Athlete Spotlight: Cherobon-Bawcom, Olympic Trials Wild Card Contender

 

With five victories in five fall road races, Janet Cherobon-Bawcom is on a hot streak and has positioned herself as a true Olympic hopeful since September when the Kenyan-born and current resident of Rome, Ga. became eligible to represent the U.S. in international competition. Cherobon-Bawcom became a U.S. citizen on November 10, 2010.

 

Her recent win total includes three USA titles - 20 km, 10 mile and 10 km as well as Sunday's B.A.A. Half Marathon in 1:11:58 that Cherobon-Bawcom impressively followed the next day with her national 10 km crown (32:47) at the Tufts Health Plan for Women also in Boston. Her Tufts triumph also secured the 2011 Women's USA Running Circuit grand prix title.

 

Although the 33-year-old has a modest marathon personal record of 2:37:27 from 2008, her steady string of sub-1:12 half-marathons and 1:10:59 PR indicate that the MarathonGuide.com sponsored athlete can run under 2 hours, 30 minutes for the marathon, and based on past Olympic Trials, a sub-2:30 marathoner should be a top contender at the upcoming 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon in Houston on Saturday, January 14.

 

The Olympic Trials "wild card contender" is a cardiac nurse and competed at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas as "Janet Kogo" where the 2005 graduate was an eight-time All-American runner and three-time Division II national champion. In May 2011, she was inducted into the Division II Track & Field Hall of Fame.

 
Olympic Trials Flashback 

 

Gutting It Out

1996 Charlotte, NC

 

Bob Kempainen, a 1992 Olympic marathoner and doctor-to-be, brought new meaning to the term "guts" with his memorable performance at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon. Just past 21 miles, as Kempainen pulled away from Mark Coogan and Keith Brantly, the Minnesota native began to vomit. His second eruption staggered him for a moment, but he calmly wiped his chin, gathered himself and incredibly increased his lead. Despite his stomach distress, he ran the mile 23 and mile 24 miles in 4:42 and 4:33 respectively which finally broke Coogan and Brantly.

 

Under cool conditions on a challenging course, Kempainen, 29, the fastest U.S. marathoner at the time (2:08:47 at Boston in '94), maintained his lead and crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 12 minutes, 45 seconds.

 

Kempainen's gutsy effort earned him another trip to the Olympics, a record guaranteed first place marathon purse ($100,000), a course record and his first marathon win in seven attempts.

 

With about 400 meters left, Coogan passed Brantly, the defending national champion, to claim his trip to the Atlanta Olympics and $40,000 with a 2:13:05, a personal record, while Brantly secured the final Olympic berth in 2:13:22 and took home $30,000.

Fun Facts 

 

At the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon in Birmingham, Alabama, Darrell General, 38, became the first - and only to-date - male qualifier to finish five U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. His best Olympic Trials place and time was 12th in 2:16:30 at 1996 Charlotte.

 

The 1992 U.S. Men's Olympic Team Trials Marathon hosted by Columbus, Ohio was the first Trials in which the three Olympic qualifiers had to also meet an Olympic Marathon time standard (2:14:00 or faster).

Top 12 Men's and Women's Qualifying Times*

 

*As of October 12, 2011  

 

MEN 

 

No.

Time

Name

Event

1

2:04:58

Ryan Hall (CA)

2011 Boston Marathon 
2

2:09:15

Meb Keflezighi (CA)

2009 New York City Marathon 

3

2:10:00

Dathan Ritzenhein (OR)

2009 London Marathon 

4

2:10:36

Brett Gotcher (AZ)

2010 Houston Marathon 

5

2:11:06

Jason Hartmann (OR)

2010 Chicago Marathon 

6

2:11:30

Nick Arciniaga (AZ)

2011 Houston Marathon 

7

2:12:34

Jason Lehmkuhle (MN)

2010 Boston Marathon 

8

2:13:00

Jorge Torres (CO)

2009 New York City Marathon 

9

2:13:12

Jeffery Eggleston (AZ)

2011 Grandmas 

Marathon 

10

2:13:28

Matthew Gabrielson (MN)

2011 Grandmas Marathon 

11

2:13:47

Antonio Vega (MN)

2010 Boston Marathon 

12

2:13:51

Josh Cox (CA)

2009 California International Marathon 


WOMEN

 




No.

Time

Name

Event 

1

2:22:38

Desiree Davila (MI)

2011 Boston Marathon

2

2:24:52

Kara Goucher (OR)

2011 Boston Marathon

3

2:26:22

Magdalena Lewy Boulet (CA)

2010 Fortis Marathon Rotterdam

4

2:27:03

Amy Hastings (CA)

2011 LA Marathon 

5

2:28:40

Shalane Flanagan (OR)

2010 New York Marathon

6

2:29:27

Claire Hallissey (VA)

2011 Chicago Marathon

7

2:29:35

Stephanie Rothstein (AZ)

2011 Houston Marathon 

8

2:29:54

Clara Grandt (WV)

2011 Boston Marathon 

9

2:30:51

Colleen De Reuck (CO)

2010 Copenhagen

Marathon 

10

2:30:53

Tera Moody (CO)

2010 Chicago 

Marathon

11

2:31:01

Katie McGregor (MN)

2010 New York 

Marathon 

12

2:31:48

Dot McMahan (MI)

2011 Grandma's 

Marathon