When Brian Sell qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic marathon team, he joined blue chippers Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenhein on the trip to Beijing. But unlike his Olympic teammates, Sell was nowhere near a top high school talent having never broken 10 minutes in the two mile as a prep runner. Sell lived in the suburbs of Detroit rather than training meccas like Mammoth and Eugene and worked a part time job at Home Depot. 

His performance on that November morning in Central Park gave hope to all the “blue collar” runners out there that they could one day make it as a professional.

The men’s field at next week’s 2012 Olympic Trials contains a few favorites – namely Hall, Ritzenhein and Meb Keflezighi – but like in 2008 there’s always a chance for a darkhorse like Sell to step up and qualify. A few men come to mind.

Sergio Reyes has become a sort of cult hero of the California running scene after a Running Times article described his ridiculous routine of working 50 hours a week as a project engineer on fighter jets at Edwards Air Force Base and commuting two hours a day to and from work, all while putting in 150 miles a week of marathon training.

The work ethic paid off for Reyes when he ran 2:14:02 to win the 2010 Twin Cities Marathon, crushing his marathon best by nearly a minute and a half. Reyes’s lifestyle certainly warrants the label of “blue collar” but will need a special day in Houston to achieve the cult status of Brian Sell.

Veteran Josh Cox is a remnant of the last generation of American marathoners seeking his last hurrah at the Olympic dream. Cox may be better known as a relentless promoter of his many sponsors but the man has produced the times to warrant it.

The 36-year-old is making his fourth Olympic Trials appearance with his highest finish (seventh place) coming in 2004. The graduate of Liberty University is a long-shot with the 13^th fastest qualifying mark of 2:13:51 but a strong performance would cap his distinguished career with a bang.

On the opposite side of the spectrum from Cox are marathon newbies Tim Nelson and Ryan Bak. Each has run just one marathon but believe they have what it takes to finish in the top three.

It’s a bit of a stretch to compare Nelson, someone who trains everyday at Nike’s world class facilities in Portland, to Brian Sell, but they’re more similar than initially meets the eye.

Though labeled as a darkhorse heading into the 2008 Trials, Sell was actually the fifth-fastest entrant heading into the race but was overshadowed by higher profile competitors – former world record holder Khalid Khannouchi, Olympic medalist Keflezighi and 2:08 debutant Hall.

Similarly, Nelson often doesn’t get attention due to his more famous teammates and his quiet demeanor. An American who’s run 13:20.33 and 27:28.19 would typically receive high acclaim but Nelson has lived for years under the shadow of Chris Solinsky, Matt Tegenkamp and Simon Bairu, first at Wisconsin and now as professionals.

Nelson’s 2010 marathon debut of 2:15:06 in New York City was far from spectacular but he holds track and half marathon credentials that indicate he’s ready to give it a shot.

Bak reemerged on the elite running scene after two years of retirement with a strong 2:14:17 debut at the California International Marathon on December 4. Bak, a former member of the Oregon Track Club Elite, focused more on enjoying the process of training during his comeback.

“I’ve gotten back to the purity of running and enjoying it,” Bak told Flotrack after his CIM race.

Given the fact he isn’t expected to do much at the Trials, Bak’s goals are simple – “have some fun and surprise a lot of people.”