FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Defending champions Meb Keflezighi and Shalane Flanagan set to run 2016
U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Men's and Women's Marathon
LOS ANGELES – LA MARATHON LLC and USA Track & Field today jointly announced
that defending champions Meb Keflezighi and Shalane Flanagan are the first
athletes to officially declare their intention to compete in the 2016 U.S.
Olympic Team Trials for Men's and Women's Marathon, which will take place
on Saturday, February 13, 2016 in Los Angeles. The pair of Olympic
medalists are currently the fastest men's and women's qualifiers for the
United States.
Keflezighi and Flanagan are the first of more than 300 athletes currently
qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Men's and Women's
Marathon to officially enter the competition field. The 2016 Olympic
Marathon Trials will deliver a record $600,000 prize purse, distributed
among the top 10 finishers in both the male and female categories. The top
three finishers from each race who meet Olympic time standards will be
nominated to represent the U.S. in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
"Meb and Shalane have raised the bar of American marathoning and inspired a
nation," said USATF CEO Max Siegel. "I cannot think of better athletes to
kick off what will be an exciting 200 days leading up to the Olympic
Marathon Trials. We are looking forward to spectacular races in Los Angeles
and further elevating the profile of U.S. marathoners, on one of the
world's most visible stages."
"Meb Keflezighi and Shalane Flanagan are two of the most highly-decorated
runners in U.S. history, and confirming their intention to compete in the
2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Men's and Women's Marathon elevates the
level of competition," said Tracey Russell, Chief Executive of LA MARATHON,
LLC. "We are honored to host the race that will determine the top three
male and female marathoners who will represent the U.S. at the Rio 2016
Olympic Games."
Keflezighi, 40, of Mammoth Lakes, California, is one of the most recognized
runners in the world. The three-time Olympian earned a silver medal at the
2004 Athens Games and placed fourth at the 2012 London Games. He earned his
spot on the 2012 Olympic Team at the Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, TX
where he set a personal best, crossing the finish line in 2:09:08. He has
since recorded a new personal best-time of 2:08:37 with his impressive 2014
Boston Marathon victory. If Keflezighi makes the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team, he
will become the oldest U.S. Olympic marathon runner of all time.
"It is with great excitement that I officially announce my plan to compete
at the 2016 Olympic Trials in Los Angeles," said Keflezighi. "As a product
of San Diego, and UCLA, I am looking forward to competing in front of
family and friends. It would be a great honor to make my fourth Olympic
Team, but I know the competition will be very strong."
Flanagan, 34, of Portland, Oregon, is also a three-time Olympian. She won a
bronze medal in the 10,000m at the 2008 Beijing Games and placed 10th in
the marathon at the 2012 London Games. At the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials
in Houston, Texas, Flanagan set an Olympic Trials record of 2:25:38 in the
second marathon of her career. The two-time national marathon champion
(2010, 2012) will compete in the 10,000m at the World Championships in
Beijing in August 2015.
"For most athletes, pulling on that red, white and blue singlet is what
it's all about," said Flanagan. "There are few things I want more than to
make my fourth Olympic Team at the 2016 Games in Rio, and it all starts in
Los Angeles on February 13. It's a good omen that Team USA's quest for gold
begins in the Golden State!"
In order to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Trials, athletes must meet the
minimum "B" standard of 2:18:00 for men and 2:43:00 for women from August
1, 2013 to January 17, 2016, on a USATF certified course in an event
sanctioned by USATF or a member federation of the International Association
of Athletics Federations.
Start times and specifics on the courses for both the men's and women's
races will be determined in the coming months. The Trials will take place
on Saturday, February 13, 2016, the day before the annual LA Marathon,
setting the stage for the city's biggest running week and providing LA
Marathon participants and fans alike with a unique opportunity to be part
of the Olympic movement.
For more information on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Men's and
Women's Marathon and the LA Marathon, please visit www.lamarathon.com.
About LA MARATHON LLC
LA MARATHON LLC, a subsidiary of McCourt Global, creates world-class
experiences that ignite passion in athletes and connect communities through
the transformative power of sport. The LA Marathon is among the largest
marathons in the country with more than 26,000 participants, thousands of
volunteers and hundreds of thousands of spectators. The "Stadium to the
Sea" course, starting at Dodger Stadium and finishing near the Santa Monica
Pier, is one of the most scenic in the world, taking runners on a tour of
Los Angeles past every major landmark. LA MARATHON LLC will host the 2016
Olympic Team Trials for Men's and Women's Marathon, awarded by USA Track &
Field and the United States Olympic Committee, which will take place in Los
Angeles February 13, 2016. For more information, please visit
www.lamarathon.com.
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and
field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF
encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched
events of Olympic broadcasts, the country's #1 high school and junior high
school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the
United States. For more information on USATF, visit usatf.org.
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