2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon

In Their Words

Nell Rojas (9th, 2:30:26)

Atlanta was surreal. Going into it, I hadn't run in that caliber of race before and it was exciting, intimidating, and scary. I had no idea how the race was going to go out and had to be ready for anything. It ended up going out super slow which I was surprised, but also pretty happy about. The front pack broke off at about 8 miles and I found it comfortable to be settled into the middle of that. I felt really good, really relaxed, and just kept telling myself that I wasn't going to be the one to drop off. Classically at mile 20, my whole body instantly ran out of fuel, and I had nothing. A lesson in fueling that I hadn't learned before. I was able to keep moving forward to a top 10 finish. 

The cheers the entire race were piercing, the women that surrounded me have inspired me for years, and the support i had brought me to tears. Definitely a life changing experience.

Jaci Smith (19th, 2:36:34)

Atlanta was an incredible. Not only was it my first Olympic Trials experience, but it was my first marathon! Because I still consider myself to be a 10k runner, I didn't feel an immense amount of pressure leading into the race. However, because I had never toed the line of such a long and high caliber race, there was an extreme amount of fear and uncertainty. The Atlanta course was a roller coaster of hills and emotions.  I was proud of myself for battling through the ups and downs, and enjoyed the support of family, friends, and an amazing crowd. I learned that the marathon lends itself well to many of my strengths as a runner, but also discovered areas where I will have to improve if I aspire to be a top marathon runner in the future. I'm so grateful for the race in Atlanta, but am excited to stick to the track for a while!

Laura Thweatt (5th, 2:29:08)

Ooof, haha, Atlanta was just as hard as everyone thought it was going to be, maybe even harder. Tons of rolling hills, you were either going up or going down, and a nasty headwind. Sometimes you would come around a corner and it would hit you so hard that you felt like you were getting hit by a bus. But all of that I think is what made it the perfect course for me. I pride myself in being more of a strength runner, which is why I have always loved cross country so much. And to quote Jared Ward, "Atlanta is a 26.2 mile cross country race." I found myself drifting towards the front around mile 8, at the end of the first loop. That wasn't our strategy, especially with the wind, but I just felt so good, strong and confident and was thinking to myself, this is my race. This was the first marathon since 2015 that I arrived to the start line healthy with an uninterrupted block of training underneath me and I was extremely confident in how we had prepared and trained. So in that moment when I found myself in the front, I thought, this is it, this is my moment and I've never wanted anything so badly as I wanted to make that Olympic team. So went for it. I put everything I had on the line and risked it all for my dream. Although I ultimately ended up coming up short, I have no regrets with how I chose to race. The three best women made the team, women who I have competed against over the last 4-5 years, and I could not be happier for them. It was definitely a bittersweet moment crossing that finish line in 5th, but again, I knew I had given it everything that I had.  And what an incredible field of women!! Looking back at all the pictures of our pack, which held together until about mile 20, 21, sums up the state of American Women's marathoning. Truly, truly amazing to be apart of this movement.

Colorado Results Scoreboard

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