US Olympic Marathon Trials - 2024
76th place out of 177 finishers
2:21:47
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This one wasn't pretty.
Nothing is promised in running,
But that's often forgotten.
I was in the best shape of my life and perfectly prepared,
yet the result didn't reflect my preparation, capability, or focus.
Saturday was tough for a lot of athletes,
but that doesn't make it easier to manage personally.
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I ran smart and perfectly to plan.
Conservative but confident.
"no faster than 68 through the half"
I split 68:16, perfectly executed.
But everything was already going downhill.
Within the first mile I was already sweating hard,
sweating too much.
The heat got to most and I was no exception.
With 10 miles to go I knew it wasn't going to be my day,
but 10 miles is a LONG time to suffer.
I quickly began to question how I would finish.
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Despite the pain and slowing pace,
I knew stopping wasn't an option.
Every step was painful but i've come too far.
My focus turned to appreciation.
I tried to savor all the precious moments on the course.
It was SO LOUD out there. The fans were amazing.
Thanks to everyone who came out and got wild.
It was a truly special experience despite the result.
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Major thanks to my entire team.
The love and support is what makes this possible.
Until next time ..
@torgerlach@banditrunning@on
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Also photo gang went nuts;
Cc @snackfarmer@cortneywhite_@mralanlam@jkh_photo
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#nippletape #usolympictrials #marathon #teamusa #orlando #banditrunning #onrunning #cloudboomecho3
CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL MARATHON - 2022
*2:15:26*
13th place - USATF Marathon Championship
~2 minute personal best
Exactly 2 massive fist pumps to cap it off
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Scroll at your own risk for a full recap
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The only goal Sunday was to qualify for my 2nd Olympic Trials Marathon. Sub 2:18. For my first marathon since the last Olympic Trials in 2020, a conservative race made sense.. but my build up has been perfect and I could do more
💭 Let's run 2:16:00. I can do that.
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The day before my mind was made up, with 2:16 as the goal. The plan was executed perfectly coming through halfway in 1:08:03. Everything felt good, actually everything felt too good.
💭 No marathon goes THIS smoothly..
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Mile 17, there it is.. my hamstring starts to tighten. While I was held strong in a solid pack, I feared I wouldn't be able to finish. Everything else felt amazing but I knew this growing knot could end my race if I wasn't careful ..
💭 Just hang in this pack and you'll run 2:16
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The pack kept rolling and the field continued to thin out. I consumed every electrolyte I could snatch from the amazing volunteers
💭 Maybe if I eat this entire banana my hamstring will feel better?
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Rolling through mile 20 my coach tells me I look too good and I needed to start racing..
💭 Easy for you to say, I'm fighting for my life.. I guess I can't drop out
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The last 6 miles continued to click off and neither my form, energy or hamstring were deteriorating like I feared.
💭 Wow.. I may actually finish.. wait I actually feel really good. RACE.
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Battling with a few guys over the last couple miles I felt like I was floating. I realized I was knocking off low 5:00s miles.. and I tried to hold back a full smile
💭 Wow, I may break 2:16!!
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I truly had no idea what time I was going to run, I only knew if I didn't slow down I'd be close to my goal. I turned the last corner and saw the clock..
💭 Holy S#*+ .. I'm a 2:15 guy!
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The feeling is unmatched. Crushing your own expectations and reaffirming the time and effort invested.
💭 THIS is why I do it
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There were 26 miles of fun, but enjoy some content from the last few meters;
📸 - @justinbritton
🎥 - @trialsofmilesracing
🎥 - @runcim262
That time of year again 😌
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Marathon training 🏃🏻♂️ and football season 🏈 .. Drop your favorite team and predict their record in the comments and I'll tell you why they're not in the same conversation as the Buckeyes or the Broncos. Thanks for playing.
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🎥 @ra_andrews
The 50th @berlinmarathon 🇩🇪
2:16:38 ⏱️
50th overall 🏅
3rd American 🇺🇸
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Read about my experience or simply drop a ❤️:
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It's been a week and this race still brings mixed emotions. It's a strange balance of feeling the residual excitement of the day, the race, the city, but with an underlying sense that I didn't reach the goals I had for myself.
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On the surface, running one of my best times in my first international race is a solid feat. I'm proud of my effort and I can confidently say I fought hard to survive and finish strong. Coach was pleased.
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But to be truthful, I am a bit disappointed to fall short of a PB. I built the fitness to run fast and I put myself in position to do that. But the marathon doesn't give anything away easily so I'm working to appreciate all the positives from the race.
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The first 10k felt magical. Smooth, fast, no doubts.. I kept telling myself, "we're running fast today." Unfortunately, I was mostly alone in the early stages of the race and could never truly zone out and coast. Then I hit a wall at 12k, turning into the wind.
💭 No no no no no. Where is everyone?
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Before halfway my pace started to slip. I honestly panicked. That's way too early in the race to feel strain. From miles 12-18, I had a really challenging solo stretch but kept fighting to maintain a respectable pace.
💭 Do NOT think about how much running is ahead
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FINALLY, a group caught me. I've never been happier for a pack to overtake me. I knew this was my ticket. I latched on and escaped no-man's-land. This group legitimately saved my day. The last 8 miles I went blank besides;
💭 Stay in this pack at all cost
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I knew it wasn't going to be my best time. Unfortunately I knew this for most of the race. That can be massively discouraging and has ruined many races for me. This time I didn't let it. I stayed focused and gritted the last 10k.
💭 Where is The Gate?
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The last 800m was a special couple minutes. I fully soaked it in.The music. The crowds. Loud. The blue carpet was rolled out. The last 26 miles, justified. I had to kick for 50th but I'll always remember being 50th place at the 50th Berlin Marathon.
💭 Beer. Now.
- more in comments >
🚨🇩🇪 RACE ALERT 🇩🇪🚨
I've been remiss in updating the internet about my marathon plans.. well I'm headed to race the Berlin Marathon in 3 weeks! I put some of the final touches on training today, feeling strong and ready!
Shout-out Coach @torgerlach on bottle service 🧃
With the Olympics here and athletics around the corner, I thought I'd revisit some work from the US OLY Marathon Trials and loved these shots of @jacksoncneff warming up pre-race.
@banditrunning
