Posted: October 25, 2007

Athletics: U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon Notes: Central Park Loop

New York Road Runners' CENTRAL PARK LOOP This Week on Chasing Glory...American distance running has made a comeback, with the development of young talent and the spotlight on marquee events such as the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon in New York City. The Olympic Trials race is turning heads across the nation and around the world, and the mantra for this week is "Americans can run." Want to know more? Visit www.nyrr.org/chasingglory to view the videos in their entirety and read the accompanying text Did You Know? Forty years ago, in Alamosa, CO, the U.S. Olympic marathon team was selected by a single race for the first time. An Olympic steeplechaser from New Mexico named George Young won the Olympic Trials in 2:30:48 in his marathon debut. In Jersey City, NJ, in 1988, prize money was first awarded to athletes in an Olympic Trials event (in something other than an equestrian event). The 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon will award a prize purse of $250,000, going 10 deep. Each of the three athletes who compete in the 2008 Olympic Games will receive a $20,000 Olympic marathon team bonus (payable post-Beijing). From Sea to Shining Sea The 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon boasts runners from 32 different states: California leads the way with 25 entrants; Michigan has 17; Colorado and Oregon have seven each; North Carolina has six, as do Utah and Wisconsin; Minnesota, New Mexico, and Ohio each have five; Arizona and Illinois have four entrants apiece;, Massachusetts, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington each have three qualifiers; Kansas, New Jersey, and New York have two entrants each; and Alabama, Arkansas, Washington D.C., Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and West Virginia each have one contender in the Olympic Trials. With a vast and talented field from all over the United States, this race is guaranteed to be one of the most representative Olympic Trials races in history. Don'tcha Know? Several Minnesota natives will be heading to New York City next month with the goal of making the 2008 Olympic marathon team. The Minnesota Elite Athlete Development Program (MEADP) has awarded $300 to each of these athletes. In 1998, the Minnesota distance running community created MEADP to provide financial assistance to elite Minnesota distance runners who have completed their academic running careers. Donovan Fellows (Woodbury), Pete Gilman (Rochester), Jason Lehmkuhle (Minneapolis), Chris Lundstrom (Minneapolis), and Zachary Schendel (Minneapolis) have all qualified to compete in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon on Saturday, November 3. New York Road Runners has donated $40,000 to Team USA Minnesota, the elite training group that includes Olympic Trials entrants Lehmkuhle, and Lundstrom, as part of the USA Distance Project. The five Minnesotans will be among the field of the nation's fastest male marathoners all vying for a chance to represent the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Games. He Said What? Jacob Frey of Philadelphia, PA, qualified for the Olympic Trials by running an impressive 2:16:45 marathon at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he placed fourth overall. Frey, an accomplished undergraduate athlete at the College of William and Mary, was a multi-time CAA Conference Champion and an All East recipient in 5000 and 10,000 meters. Frey has come a long way in his distance running career since he ran his first half-marathon in his final year of college. NYRR: What songs are on your top-10 playlist right now? JF: ACDC-"Thunderstruck"; Dean Fields-"LA"; Bob Dylan-"I Shall Be Free" NYRR: If you could be great at any other sport, what would it be and why? JF: Without a doubt, basketball;when it's 30 degrees and raining you can always practice inside. NYRR: What is something nobody knows about you or would never expect from you? JF: I have an unbelievable collection of fortune cookie messages.I even have one that says, "You eat too much Chinese food." NYRR: What is your favorite movie of all time? JF: Good Will Hunting NYRR: If you could have breakfast with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you order? JF: I'd eat with my girlfriend, and I'd order a ton of cheese.She hates cheese, so maybe she would be so preoccupied with her disgust that I would dominate the conversation and could convince her out of the dumb things that she had planned for the day. NYRR: What TV show would you like to appear on? JF: After my running career is over and I graduate law school, I'd really like to take over Judge Judy's spot; never a dull moment. NYRR: What is your nickname and why? JF: They used to call me "Small Frey," but since then I've grown half a foot and gained 40 pounds, and my name was never super-sized. NYRR: What do you do to relax? JF: Sit on my doorstep in Conshohocken PA, and slug Bud Light. Content written by Jenlizbeth Risien. ** Olympic Trials on Television: If you can't join us in person for the exciting Olympic Trials race, be sure to tune in for the live start on Saturday, November 3, at 7:35 a.m. on NBC's Today Show. The complete race will be streamed on NBCSports.com, and a half-hour highlights show will be aired on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. EDT (check local listings for exact time in your area). Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest