Press Release: A Quick Look At All The Brooks Athletes Training For The Marathon Trials
Brooks Press Release
December 17, 2015
While runners across the country enjoy holiday treats and rest days this winter, Brooks marathoners will be hard at work intently logging miles and stoking the fire of Olympic dreams in preparation of the U.S. Marathon Trials.
In Rochester Hills, Mich., a dozen athletes on the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project hit the roads to train for the trials. Of note, Des Linden comes back for a shot at making her second Olympic team. Her last four years are marked by a steady resurgence following an injury that sidelined her from completing the 2012 Olympic Marathon race. Linden earned a fifth place, first for the U.S. finish at the 2014 New York City Marathon and a fourth place, first U.S. finish at the 2015 Boston Marathon.
Dot McMahan comes back to the trials invigorated by past successes. She’s the only woman other than Deena Kastor to finish in the top-10 in both of the past two Olympic Trials races. McMahan will use experience and her smart training to shoot for not just a top-10 finish this time, but a spot in the top three. She and Linden will captain a group of young Hansons-Brooks women in Los Angeles for their first-ever trials.
Bobby Curtis debuts at the Olympic Marathon Trials this coming year. Strong training and a 2:11:20 personal record (PR) give him confidence for making the Olympic team. He leads a group of men in similar positions including Jake Riley and Brendan Gregg.
In addition, Ryan Vail and Amy Cragg, both at-large Brooks athletes, will toe the line in Los Angeles. Cragg, a women’s favorite with her twice-run 2:27 PR, is back in the marathon to make her first Olympic team in that event; she competed in the 10,000-meter run at the 2012 Olympics. Vail is back after solid performances this year and last, headlined by competing for Team USA at the World Cross Country Championships earlier this year and a top-10 finish at the 2014 New York City Marathon.
Supporting professional athletes on and off the run and their ability to pursue their dreams is central to Brooks’ purpose. Brooks joins the running community in cheering for these and all runners in Los Angeles.
The full Brooks roster and their qualifying times for the marathon trials follows below.
Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project Runners:
· Des Linden- 2:23:54
· Melissa Johnson-White- 2:32:37
· Dot McMahan- 2:34:49
· Dani Miller- 2:41:32
· Jen Rock- 2:40:55
· Katie Kellner- 1:14:41
· Melanie Brender- 1:14:40
· Bobby Curtis- 2:11:20
· Mike Morgan- 2:14:40
· Jake Riley- 2:13:16
· Brendan Gregg- 1:03:35
· Luke Humphrey- 2:16:34
Brooks At-Large Runners:
· Amy Cragg- 2:27:07
· Ryan Vail- 2:10:57