Ryan Hall, here setting an American half marathon record, was just as dominant at twice the distance in the Olympic Trials. © www.photorun.net
Ryan Hall produced one of the most memorable American marathons in recent years to dominate this morning’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in New York City. With a 4:32 18th mile, Hall broke up a lead pack of five, and then ran a string of 4:50 miles to win by more than 2 minutes in 2:09:02 in just his second marathon. Also in his second marathon, Dathan Ritzenhein ran a 3-minute personal best to take second in 2:11:07. Brian Sell came from 8th place at halfway to take the coveted third spot, which he didn’t claim until 35K.
In brisk, windy weather, the race started conservatively, with the main pack passing through 5K in 16:50 (2:24 marathon pace). Once in Central Park on the first of their five laps, the main contenders started running at a more reasonable pace of around 5:00 per mile, some faster, some slower given the rolling nature of the Central Park roadway. By halfway, a pack of five had separated itself: Hall, Ritzenhein, 2:08 runner Abdi Abdirahman, defending Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi and 2004 Olympic marathoner Dan Browne. They passed 13.1 miles in 1:06:17, chased most closely by former world record holder Khalid Khannouchi, who was 32 seconds back.
The runners passed the finish line four times before the 26.2-mile mark. When they did so just after 16 miles, Hall looked at the large television screen there for spectators, and saw that Khannouchi was closing on them. “He is too dangerous a runner to have to worry about late in the race,” Hall said later. So he surged a bit, got a little momentum going on a downhill stretch and figuratively, if not literally, never looked back.
“Honestly, I was blown away when I saw Ryan’s time,” said Alan Culpepper, the 2004 Trials champion who dropped out just past 16 miles. “He could run 3 minutes faster on a different course.” At the end, Hall was only 38 seconds off the debut time he recorded in April on the flat London course. Hall covered the second half in 1:02:45 en route to shattering the old Trials course record of 2:10:19, set by Tony Sandoval in 1980, two years before Hall was born.
Ritzenhein covered Hall’s move well enough to secure second place for the rest of the race. Behind him was the real drama. Browne and Keflezighi traded surges in the battle for the last team spot; both were eventually hit with calf cramps, Browne finishing sixth, Keflezighi eighth. Meanwhile, Sell ran more patiently and evenly, saving his energy for a sustained push over the last 5-mile loop. He was rewarded not only with an Olympic berth, but also vindication for his commitment to years of hard work. Sell was but a 10:08 2-miler in high school; by comparison, Ritzenhein ran 13:44 for 5,000m as a high schooler. After the race, Sell said, “I hope every kid out there who’s not a state champ, not a district champ, looks at this and says, ‘I can do this if I put the work in.’”
Khannouchi held on for fourth, making him the alternate if any of the top three can’t run in Beijing.
Sadly, the day’s euphoria was punctured when it was learned that Ryan Shay, the 2003 national marathon champion, collapsed at 5.5 miles and died after receiving CPR. At press time, details weren’t available about the cause.
