They Just Felt Like Running; Notes from Orlando, Hosts to U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Marathon

Feb. 29 marks four years since Atlanta hosted what may be called the "Pandemic Eve" Olympic trials for marathon on Team USA's road to Tokyo. 

This week in Orlando, U.S. Track & Field's entourage set up shop for the Paris 2024 edition, with elite runners taking to the streets of the city's Thornton Park, Lake Eola Heights and Milk Districts, a few blocks east of downtown. 

With a three-lap, eight-mile loop course, the qualifying standards for Paris varied for women and men. In simple terms, the top three women with times of 2 hours, 29.5 minutes or faster (Nov. 1, 2022, to today) will represent Team USA this summer, while the men at 2:18 faster punch their ticket to the City of Lights. There were 165 female entrants to 215 men, ranging from age 22 to 47 for both genders. Also noteworthy were the four men and two women for whom the 2024 race marked their fifth consecutive marathon Olympic Trials. 

I shudder to think about finishing a single marathon let alone five or more spanning 20 years/five Olympiads!

As a member of the working media who touched down at MCO yesterday, from my perspective USATF and the Orlando organizers killed it on organizing. 

The positive vibe with fellow reporters, hundreds of volunteers (including a couple of friends from Atlanta) and spectators was high energy, and the weather cooperated with mostly sunny skies yet moderate temps. 

During the races, thousands of spectators lined the route including a mix of locals and out-of-towners. In a live interview with NBC Sports, Orlando's longtime Mayor Buddy Dyer stated his glee to add an Olympic trials and more guests atop the 70+ million annual visitors to the city. 

At a Friday press conference, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor and 1984 Olympic marathon champion Join Benoit Samuelson were on hand to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Benoit's gold in the first five-ringed marathon. 

"Patience is going to be the name of the game," said Benoit Samuelson, referring to a runners' strategy for tackling the marathon course. She also offered that, in observing many of this year's entrants in the lobby of the host hotel, many runners are distracted now more than in the 1980s. "Everybody's online constantly, and I think that needs to change," she said.

By the marathons' conclusion, the Paris-bound runners included race favorites and Utah neighbors Conner Mantz of Provo and Clayton Young of Springville, as well as Leonard Korir of Colorado Springs, finishing in 2:09:05, 2:09:06 and 2:09:57, respectively.

In her marathon and Olympic trials debut, Fiona O'Keeffe of Chapel Hill, N.C., finished first for the women in 2:22:10, with one of the race favorites -- 2020 Olympian in 10,000m Emily Sisson of Flagstaff, Ariz. -- at 2:22:42, then Hopkins, Minn., runner Dakotah Lindwurm in 2:25:31.

O'Keeffe also became the first first-time marathoner to win the Olympic trials at this distance, setting an Olympic trials record in the process. During the post-race press conference, she said her marathon naivite was a factor in the race.

"Not knowing what I was getting myself into was a good thing," O'Keeffe said. Part of the main pack for the first laps of the race, once she pulled ahead several reporters noted O'Keeffe "never looked back" as she gained an ever-increasing lead to the finish.

Via NBC's finish line camera work, when Mantz and Young came into view, they were visibly sharing words of encouragement for several hundred meters, following a mid-stride high five.

"I just wanted to take every step of the way with Conner over the last couple miles,” Young said. “Conner is the guy who has pulled me this entire build, day-in and day-out in practice. He works hard and he deserves this just as much as I do.”

Young's daughters donned custom T-shirts proclaming "My Daddy Just Made the Olympic Team" (see photo below).

Meanwhile, Korir dedicated his race to his U.S. Army commander and unit, who encouraged him since his fourth place finish in 2020.

"For me to make the team ... this is for everybody who is serving in the Army," he said in a finish line interview with NBC Sports.

Korir will have to patiently await official word of his Paris travel status, with an additional qualifying stage The Athletic explains in the penultimate paragraph of this article. This blogger sure hopes he makes it, and that "The Three Musketeers" of both Team USA's marathon women and men find a way "one for all and all for one" when they race on Aug. 10 and 11 in the Olympic city.

Image credit: Nicholas Wolaver in Orlando. Race footage on big screens via USATF and NBC Sports.