2016 U.S. Olympic Team Marathon TrialsFeb 9, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
Amy Cragg: Can She Keep Her No. 3 Spot?
Amy Cragg: Can She Keep Her No. 3 Spot?
Leading up to the February 13th U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, FloTrack will highlight the storylines of the contenders on both the men's and women's side. A
Leading up to the February 13th U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, FloTrack will highlight the storylines of the contenders on both the men's and women's side.
Amy Cragg: Can She Keep Her No. 3 Spot?
Name: Amy Cragg
Age: 32
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Marathon PR: 2:27:03 (Chicago 2014)
Best Trials Qualifier: 2:27:03 (Chicago 2014)
Previous Trials Results: 4th in marathon (2012), 1st in 10K (2012), 14th in 5K and 10K (2008)
Our Take: With the third-fastest mark heading into the 2016 Trials, Amy Cragg is an obvious top contender to make the Olympic team, but Cragg also made a unique training decision that could help push her even further — she moved to Portland to train with defending champion Shalane Flanagan.
Cragg’s past Trials performance was a heartbreaking fourth-place at the 2012 Championships, which left her off the Olympic team in the 26.2-mile distance by just over a minute. Despite the tough reality, Cragg returned in July of that year to win the 10K at the track Trials and earn her spot on the Team USA roster. She went on to finish 11th at the Olympic Games in London.
The following year had a series of ups and downs. Although Cragg only managed a season’s best 2:42:50 on a stormy day at the 2013 NYC Marathon, she was able to finish 14th overall in the 10K at the World Championships in Moscow. 2014 was a banner year as she finished third in the 10K at the national championships and followed the performance with a personal best of 2:27:03 in the Chicago Marathon. The mark actually tied her personal best from 2011 exactly, and earned a fourth-place finish on the streets of Chicago.
Cragg toed the line at the 2015 Boston Marathon but was forced to drop out at the halfway point due to injury. She continued her season on the track that summer, but finished fourth in the 10K at USAs and just missed making the World Championships squad that competed in Beijing. Towards the end of 2015, Cragg made a surprising training move. She moved from Providence, Rhode Island to Portland, Oregon to train with defending Trials champion Shalane Flanagan. It is somewhat rare to see top marathon contenders train together, but the arrangement seems to be working well as both Flanagan and Cragg are thrilled to each have a talented training partner to share countless miles with.
“Amy and I have the same exact goal, which is to be top three on Feb. 13,” Flanagan told FloTrack before the San Antonio Half Marathon in Dec. “So it kind of makes it easy. We have the same objection, we’re going to be living the same lifestyle. You know the other women are all focused on the track, as they should be.”
Craig and Flanagan crossed the finish line together in a training run at the San Antonio Half, en route to a solid pre-Trials training cycle.
With a strong Trials qualifier in Chicago and the help of quality training partner Flanagan, Cragg has a real shot at finally making the coveted Team USA marathon squad this weekend.
The Olympic Trials Marathon will be live on NBC.
Amy Cragg: Can She Keep Her No. 3 Spot?
Name: Amy Cragg
Age: 32
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Marathon PR: 2:27:03 (Chicago 2014)
Best Trials Qualifier: 2:27:03 (Chicago 2014)
Previous Trials Results: 4th in marathon (2012), 1st in 10K (2012), 14th in 5K and 10K (2008)
Our Take: With the third-fastest mark heading into the 2016 Trials, Amy Cragg is an obvious top contender to make the Olympic team, but Cragg also made a unique training decision that could help push her even further — she moved to Portland to train with defending champion Shalane Flanagan.
Cragg’s past Trials performance was a heartbreaking fourth-place at the 2012 Championships, which left her off the Olympic team in the 26.2-mile distance by just over a minute. Despite the tough reality, Cragg returned in July of that year to win the 10K at the track Trials and earn her spot on the Team USA roster. She went on to finish 11th at the Olympic Games in London.
The following year had a series of ups and downs. Although Cragg only managed a season’s best 2:42:50 on a stormy day at the 2013 NYC Marathon, she was able to finish 14th overall in the 10K at the World Championships in Moscow. 2014 was a banner year as she finished third in the 10K at the national championships and followed the performance with a personal best of 2:27:03 in the Chicago Marathon. The mark actually tied her personal best from 2011 exactly, and earned a fourth-place finish on the streets of Chicago.
Cragg toed the line at the 2015 Boston Marathon but was forced to drop out at the halfway point due to injury. She continued her season on the track that summer, but finished fourth in the 10K at USAs and just missed making the World Championships squad that competed in Beijing. Towards the end of 2015, Cragg made a surprising training move. She moved from Providence, Rhode Island to Portland, Oregon to train with defending Trials champion Shalane Flanagan. It is somewhat rare to see top marathon contenders train together, but the arrangement seems to be working well as both Flanagan and Cragg are thrilled to each have a talented training partner to share countless miles with.
“Amy and I have the same exact goal, which is to be top three on Feb. 13,” Flanagan told FloTrack before the San Antonio Half Marathon in Dec. “So it kind of makes it easy. We have the same objection, we’re going to be living the same lifestyle. You know the other women are all focused on the track, as they should be.”
Craig and Flanagan crossed the finish line together in a training run at the San Antonio Half, en route to a solid pre-Trials training cycle.
With a strong Trials qualifier in Chicago and the help of quality training partner Flanagan, Cragg has a real shot at finally making the coveted Team USA marathon squad this weekend.
The Olympic Trials Marathon will be live on NBC.