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2024 US Olympic Trials Marathon

Live Blog: The U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

Live Blog: The U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

Follow along as we track the men's and women's marathons at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on Saturday

Feb 3, 2024 by Cory Mull
Live Blog: The U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The day has come. Who's making the U.S. Olympic marathon team? 

Obviously, figuring out that equation on the men's side has felt like solving some kind of nuclear physics equation. Will we get one, two ...three? How fast do they need to go? Will anyone run the Olympic marathon standard of 2:08:10? We'll find out all those questions soon enough. 

It feels a bit more simple on the women's side. Three will likely get in. 

If Keira D'Amato is in the top three, she just needs to run 2:29.30 or faster. Emily Sisson, the American record-holder (and the only women to ever run under 2:19) has been mostly quiet here in Orlando -- but she has felt like the favorite in many people's eyes. 

How will Betsy Saina fare? Will hometown favorite Jenny Simpson become a wildcard and shake things up at the top? 

Today, we will figure out what the deal is. The men's race will began at 10:10 a.m. EST, while the women will follow at 10:20 a.m. 

The live broadcast can be found Peacock (subscription). We'll have updates as the race unfolds. Cory Mull here with Ashley Tysiac (our social media superstar) inside the USATF media tent. Live race tracking can be found here. 

Here in the tent, we'll have live results and a couple of different camera points to judge how the race is faring, including a live camera from the pace truck (which won't always be live on Peacock). 

10:10 a.m.: 

The men's race is finally underway, with a start time temperature of 61 degrees and a dew point of 49. A total of 200 men began the race. 

One interesting note: A lot of hats! The front-runners, Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, are both rocking headgear. Same with Galen Rupp and many others. 

Was that the Orlando-hack? Pro-hat for the first half and maybe a giant toss toward the end of the race? 

First Mile Leader: 

That's none-other than T-Roy Brown, who ran 2:16:37 at the Valencia Marathon in December. Field cruises into that first split at 5 minutes. 

10:20 a.m.: 

The women are off. A total of 149 women start the race. Kara Goucher: 'My guess is we're going to see some aggressive racing." I see less hats here off the starting line. D'Amato is rocking the visor. Also Goucher: "I don't see the women not racing under the Olympic standard today. That's how good the women are right now." 

10:21 a.m.: 

Twenty minutes into the marathon, Conner Mantz has ditched his hat. We have also learned that Mantz had a woopsies moment on the first hydration station, a dropped water bottle -- what's worse, he actually flicked it behind him. 'BOTTLE BACK!' 

First 5K split: 

The men went through the 5K split officially in 15:27. Aaron Davidson was leading at three miles in 14:56, followed by Abdi Abdirahman, who is the oldest competitor in the field at 47. Scott Fauble in third. 

10:28 a.m.: 

The women head through the first mile in 5:32 and it's Keira D'Amato, the 39-year-old mother of two, who's taking the early lead. Sisson is there, along with Sara Hall and Fiona O'Keeffe and Sarah Sellers. It's early, but the women are not messing around. 

10:33 a.m.: 

Our first sighting of Galen Rupp ... on the NBC (Peacock) broadcast. Rupp expands in an interview: "This is all about competing. You have to figure out how to break people." The four-time Olympian didn't show up at the media session on Friday. He's currently cruising in 14th place through four miles.

10:34 a.m.: 

A pack of women have broken away just 15 minutes into the race, led by D'Amato, Sisson, Hall, O'Keeffe and Saina. A bit bold of a statement from the broadcast. "Olympians will emerge from this pack." 

10:39 a.m.: 

A single-file pack has formed in the men's field. It's Zachery Panning (Hanson-Brooks Distance Project), followed by no-hat Mantz and pro-hat Young, who are one-two-three. Rupp is now fourth. We're into the sixth mile. Mile pace is 4:49. 

10:41 a.m.: 

Queen Keira is still out in front through four miles (21:32). Sisson is right there in second, followed by O'Keeffe, who just might be the woman who enters into the conversation here. Still a long way to go, but the former Stanford star is in it. 

10:47 a.m.:

The men have separated. We have a pack of about 25 or so men who have gapped the rest of the field -- and no Paul Chelimo in sight. It's still Panning out in front -- can't miss him in that orange singlet and shades. Then it's Mantz and Elkanah Kibet of ASICs. So Chelimo. He's been dropped. Some pre-race speculation centered around Chelimo possibly going after the Olympic standard. But at this point in time, it seems unlikely just eight miles into the race.  

10:52 a.m.: 

Sara Hall is in the chat. She's currently side-by-side with D'Amato five miles in. Hall, 40, ran 2:25:48 at Boston in April, but clocked a 2:22:10 at the World Championships in 2022 and owns a marathon PB of 2:20:32. She did not finish the last two Trials in 2016 and 2020. But she is firmly in the mix. 

10:55 a.m.: We got word here in the tent that the women went through the 10K marker in 33:39. The breakaway pack on the women's side remains entrenched together. 

The men went through 15K in 45:48. The 5K in between? 14:48. So the men are beginning to turn over the gears. 

11:00 a.m.: 

Emily Sisson leads the women's field and looks pretty comfortable. Emily Durgin is to her left and has never really left the top 10-11 women over seven miles. But one note: The temperature is rising. The race started at 61, it's now 64. 

A major news breaker in the media tent: Reports have emerged that Scott Fauble stopped at some point in the race. And now he's OUT! It's Panning, Mantz and Teshome Mekonen. 

11:05 a.m.: 

Lewis Johnson is interviewing Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer. For the second time since Friday, he says, "I've heard the Olympic Trials Marathon is the Super Bowl of distance running." Is he right? I'm not sure he's absolutely accurate there. But it is cool!

11:10 a.m.: 

Reports here adding to the Fauble news. We're also hearing that Abdi Abdirahman, who finished third at the 2020 Trials, has also dropped out. Meanwhile, Zachery Panning is absolutely crushing it. He's single-handedly putting this field on pace for roughly about 2:08:23, which is just 0.13 seconds away from the Olympic standard. He's folowed by Mantz, Mekonen and Young. We are nearly at the halfway point. 

Panning ran 58:44 through 12 miles.

11:13 a.m.: 

The women are currently nine miles through the race. We got some word that they ran 15K in 50:39 and pushed through that in-between 5K from in 17 minutes. The broadcast was right though. The Olympic bids will come through this lead pack. It's 13 women strong. 

The men, meanwhile, went through the half marathon distance in 1:04:07, on pace now to run 2:08:09. That time would be a new Trials record. The former mark? That's held by Ryan Hall, who ran 2:09:02 in 2008.

11:17 a.m.: 

New leader in the women's race. It's Dakota Lindwurm of the Minnesota Distance Elite and Puma. Unexpected? Perhappppps. But she's smiling her way to the front. And we are pro-smiles in an Olympic Trials qualifying race. 

11:20 a.m.: 

Fun facts about Zachery Panning. He has a sweet mustache. He also is rocking the split shorts. 

11:23 a.m.: 

Fun facts about Fiona O'Keeffe, who's currently side-by-side with Lindwurm out in front for Team Puma. O'Keeffe hasn't run a marathon before. This is actually her debut! She ran 1:07 for the half marathon distance in Houston in 2022 and went 1:10 in Boston this past November. But she has emerged as a real threat to grab a spot on the women's team and is running supremely confident. 

11:28 a.m.: 

T-Roy Brown, who led the first mile of the men's marathon, has officially dropped. He'll always that mile, though. 

11:30 a.m.: 

How do we feel about Zachery Panning? We have 10 miles to go, and Panning looks wonderful right now. Galen Rupp, however, is being gapped. There's a pack of about seven men who have separated around 1:18:05. Rupp has been dropped by a few seconds. His fifth Olympic bid is in jeopardy. 

11:32 a.m.: 

The women officially went through the half marathon distance at 1:11:43, led by Lindwurm, who's stuck her head in the front and hasn't wavered. Durgin looks pretty good as well, but mostly this group of women are measuring themselves. We are right now on pace for a 2:23:23 finish. That would shatter Shalane Flanagan's record of 2:25:38 from 2012.

11:37 a.m.: 

This might be the move! Panning has just tore off and now it's him, Mantz and Young in a pack of three. That 17th mile was at 4:44 pace. Panning ran a 2:11 marathon in August at the World Championships and is now on pace for 2:07:39. 

11:41 a.m.: 

Panning backed off slightly in the 18th mile, clocking a 4:51. Mantz and Young are still very much in the mix for the win. All three are within a breath among one another. A pack of two behind them, Andrew Colley and Elkanah Kibet, are trying to hold on. 

11:43 a.m.: 

It's now 68 degrees. Seven miles left in the men's race. Just over 10 miles are left in the women's race. We're kind of just waiting to see a major move from the women. Sara Hall is reinserted herself with O'Keeffe in the front. Fifteen miles in, O'Keeffe was leading at 1:22:09.

11:45 a.m.: 

Kara Goucher commenting on the men's race: "Protect your position." 

11:50 a.m.:

Fiona O'Keeffe has put in a big surge. 5:29 on the 15th mile and now 5:26 on the 16th. Only nine women are in the lead pack, but O'Keeffe is trying to break the field just slightly. Hall, Betsy Saina, Carolina Rotich, Emily Sisson and Emily Durgin are two, three, four, five and six. 

11:51 a.m.: 

We are 20 miles through the men's marathon and the pace, led by Panning, is still under the 2:08:10 Olympic standard. Lewis Johnson reported a few minutes ago that Mantz gave Young a little slap of the hands, as if to say, "Let's goooooo. We got this." How big is their lead? Fourth-place Leonard Korir is 16 seconds back. 

11:53 a.m.: 

We see you, Fiona! Her move continued into mile 17 as she put down a 5:17 split. Seven women hung with her, but this race is now being dictated by the first-time marathoner. 

11:56 a.m.: 

This might be the grind-out moment for Panning, who slowed to 4:59 on the 21st mile. This might be the time for Mantz and Young to take over. They haven't made a move on Panning just yet, but they seem to be circling. 

11:57 a.m.: 

The women's race is breaking away and forming real leaders. O'Keeffe is there in front, followed by Sisson, Rotich, Saina and Durgin. D'Amato. The chase pack is seven seconds back, led by Makenna Myler. D'Amato's hopes are dwindling. She's back 54 seconds.

12:00 p.m.: 

The temperature is now 68 degrees. At the 22 mile mark, Mantz has taken control and Young is right behind him. We're at 1:47:28. The pace is steadily moving, though, and we might be in jeopardy of that third Olympic standard time. Panning is trying to hold on. Let's see how tough he is. 

12:02 p.m.: 

Paul Chelimo walks through the media tent, having dropped. He's watching the broadcast now. 

12:03 p.m.: 

O'Keeffe's putting on a masterclass. After a 5:16 mile, she backed off in 5:27 and then went back on at 5:22 in mile 19. She's dropped the field. They are four seconds back. It's Sisson and Saina in two and three. 

12:05 p.m.: 

It would be a brutal result if Panning finishes third and loses out on an Olympic bid because of time. He's gritting his teeth now, 23 miles down. Meanwhile, Mantz and Young are breaking away, with Young out in front. Also -- Young is still wearing his hat ...backwards now! 

12:06 p.m.: 

Young tosses the hat! It's gone. Somebody grab that hat! 

12:09 p.m.: 

Jenny Simpson has finally called it a day, dropping out of the field. Meanwhile, we are 2 miles out from the finish on the men's side. Panning is now back 18 seconds and the Olympic Standard is not in site. Young and Mantz are on pace for 2:08:36. 

12:11 p.m.: 

Subplot now forming on the men's side. With Panning dropping back into the field, now Elkanah Kibet is now making up ground on his place. CJ Albertson is sixth. Does he still have a shot over the last mile and a half for third? Leonard Korir also in the mix. 

12:13 p.m.: 

It's Fiona O'Keeffe and Emily Sisson in 1 and 2. But third is a storyline in itself. Caroline Rotich made a major move in the 20th mile, moving all the way up to third, passing Saina, Hall and Durgin. 

12:15 p.m.: 

The men are making their way into downtown, a little less than a mile to go. Kibet has moved to third overall, passing Panning. 

12:17 p.m.:

The boys of BYU are now making their way toward the finish. Young is pumping up the crowd and slapping fans' hands. Will he and Mantz come across the line together? That seems like the move here. 

MEN'S FINISH: 

What a final tracking shot. Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, the Provo two, are across the finish line in 2:09:05 and 2:09:06. Buddies, bros, men of the marathon. What a race from those two. 

Leonard Korir snags the third-spot. 

12:22 p.m.: 

The women have just over three miles left. O'Keeffe still looks really good and has a 21-second lead on Sisson. In third, Dakotah Lindwurm has made her way back into the picture. She's battling with Rotich, who's in fourth. Sara Hall is eight seconds back from that chase pack. 

1:23 p.m.: 

We're back! (Interviews, amiright?)

But anyway, women's winners, Fiona O'Keeffe! She set a new U.S. Marathon Trials record in 2:22:10. Emily Sisson was also underneath the former mark and finished second in 2:22:42. Dakotah Lindwurm, the from-out-of-nowhere third-place finisher, was third in 2:25:31, which was also underneath the former record by seven seconds! 

What a marathon from the women.