Contrary to the men's race, the path to Paris Olympics for the women's marathoners is pretty straightforward come Saturday, as over a dozen women head into race day with the Olympic Standard of 2:26.50.

Barring any major upsets and unexpected results, the top three will almost certainly punch their ticket to Paris. 

The depth of the 2024 field is seemingly unmatched compared to those of year's past, as current and former American record-holders, Olympic medalists and the reigning Olympic Trials champion are among those scheduled to run. 

Let's get into it.

Keira D'Amato

In her marathon debut back in 2018, the mother of two D'Amato ran 2:56:44 through the streets of Boston. Less than four years later, she became the American record-holder at the Houston Marathon, crossing in 2:19:12, which gave her the honor of being just the second American woman to ever break 2:20. 

She followed her record-breaking performance up with a trio of marathons throughout the remainder of 2022, highlighted by her eighth-place finish at the World Championships and a sixth-place finish at Berlin just two months later. 

The 39-year-old raced just one marathon in 2023, but a fourth place finish at the B.A.A Half Marathon was a strong performance during her trials build-up.  

Emily Sisson

Following a career on the track that included three top 10 finishes at the World Championships and the Olympics, Sisson has strictly focused on road racing since 2022. 

That year she won a pair of US titles over 15K and the half marathon distance before lowering D'Amato's American record by 41 seconds. 

At the Chicago Marathon, the now 32-year-old finished second behind the No. 2 time in world history. At the beginning of 2023, Sisson set a new American record in the half marathon and won two more U.S. titles over 15K and 20K. In November, she was seventh in Chicago.

Molly Seidel

After finishing runner-up at the trials in 2020, Seidel won an Olympic Bronze in Tokyo in just her third-ever marathon. 

Since then, Seidel has been vocal about her mental health while simultaneously dealing with a series of injuries. Through it all, Seidel has been incredibly open and transparent about her struggles, which is a testament to her grit and toughness. Those two traits are what make Seidel dangerous on race day, despite not having a PR like some of her competitors. 

All that being said, expect her to be in the race from the get-go and use her 2020 experience to her advantage. 

Keep in mind, Seidel's marathon PR came just a few months back in Chicago, where she was eighth in 2:23:07. In Tokyo, Seidel battled temperatures over 90 degrees and 70-percent humidity, so the Orlando climate isn't anything new.

Sara Hall

She has the best collection of experience of anyone in this field. The 40-year-old mother of four continues to perform at a high level and is prepping for her eighth Olympic Trials. 

Over the years, she has worked her way through various distances, competing at the international level on both the track and the grass, but she's seen much of her best success on the roads. 

In 2020, Hall ran the No. 4 time in U.S. history, clocking 2:20:32 at The Marathon Project in Arizona. The following year she came in third in Chicago before setting the previous American record in the half marathon less than a month later. 

The cherry on top was her fifth-place finish at the 2022 World Championships. Her last year of training has been less-than-ideal, as injuries prevented her from a consistent race schedule. However, as one of the fastest and most experienced in the field, Hall is obviously someone to watch.

Betsy Saina

The Kenyan-born marathoner is toeing the line in what will be her first U.S. Olympic Trials, though she has a top eight finish at both the Olympics and World Championships. 

She also made the Kenyan national team in 2015 in the 10,000m, which is consistently one of the toughest teams to make in the distance world. 

Saina is coming off quite the 2023 campaign, though, one that included a fifth-place finish and PB (2:21:40) in the Tokyo Marathon and two wins in the USA 25K Championships and the Sydney Marathon. 

She heads into Saturday with the third-fastest time in the field.

Aliphine Tuliamuk

The winner of the 2020 Olympic Trials is back to defend her title. After taking some time off in 2021 as she became a mother, Tuliamuk has had a shaky road back. 

However, a few injuries and setbacks haven't deterred the Olympian, as she was seventh in the New York Marathon at the end of 2022 and 11th in Boston last April with a PB of 2:24:37. 

Similar to a few athletes in the field, Tuliamuk has the valuable combination of experience and discipline to stay in the race throughout its entirety. The crazy part is there are at least a dozen more athletes that could have their best day on Saturday and shake things up. 

Other Notables To Watch

Sara Vaughn, Lindsay Flanagan, Gabriella Rooker, Susana Sullivan and Nell Rojas are just a few of the many women that could additionally see themselves on the podium.

What To Know Ahead Of Saturday

On Saturday, the women's race starts 10 minutes after the men's, with the gun set to go off at 10:10 a.m. EST. 

You can tune in live on Peacock, with coverage starting at 10:00 a.m. EST, and NBC will begin broadcasting a replay at noon.