Who will be first non D1 alum to finish in Atlanta.

Did Mary Akor go to school here?

Sarah sellers?

Kelsey Bruce

In DC, there's a 23 year-old ex D3 soccer player, never ran track or XC at any level, just ran 3:00 (1:28 second half) at MCM in October, after a 3:22 in the spring in her first marathon I suspect we may see her next Trials.

Since the question was "who would be the first to finish" it will almost certainly have to be a male, as the men start 12 minutes before the women and the men are likely to be faster.

I believe Tyler Pennel is an obvious possibility, based on past results and his experience. Not sure how fit he is now though.

Tim Young - 11th in the 2016 trials. Wouldn’t call him a D1 alum as his program was cut in his sophomore year at JMU, so he graduated as a non-D1 athlete.

Here is a post about him from 10 years back. A true LRC hero.

https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3741011

Best beard in the field, too.

DO NOT COUNT OUT

LAUREN MARTIN MASTERSON (2:31 performer, former Adams State runner, now Trinidad State head coach) and her husband Kyle (also former Adams, also Trinidad State coach) could be fastest husband- wife in Trials.

Also Jim Walmsley getting lots of PR-- great runner but has never finished a standard marathon. But Kyle Masterson was the first U.S. finisher at world ultra champs in Romania, is also currently training for Comrades (90km) in South Africa.

With the hilly Atlanta course, dark horses have a better chance than on many prior Trials routes.

It’s like Lauren and Kyle Masterson wrote this about themselves.

Mark g. Dorion wrote:

DO NOT COUNT OUT

LAUREN MARTIN MASTERSON (2:31 performer, former Adams State runner, now Trinidad State head coach) and her husband Kyle (also former Adams, also Trinidad State coach) could be fastest husband- wife in Trials.

Also Jim Walmsley getting lots of PR-- great runner but has never finished a standard marathon. But Kyle Masterson was the first U.S. finisher at world ultra champs in Romania, is also currently training for Comrades (90km) in South Africa.

With the hilly Atlanta course, dark horses have a better chance than on many prior Trials routes.

Thanks for the love Mark, just gotta be tougher than all the soft Nike guys that need ‘biomechanical doping’ to be good.

John Dewitt from UW-Oshkosh, he knows how to grind! We know this since he is a 3x winner of Grindfest in Milwaukee. Ryan Root from North Central will be up there too.

Joan & Bill wrote:

Did Mary Akor go to school here?

Mary Akor is a drug cheat

sans-culottes wrote:

Roll Mules wrote:

DAN VASSALLO COLBY CLASS OF 2007

I enjoy this guy's training log

Okay tuna is a runjing2win legend

Ryan Root is an absolute beast. Has a mysterious CR super far from Iowa and Illinois at one of my old trails in South Carolina. Hope he does well.

But didn't he go to Tulsa for a year?

You’re good, Joan went to NC State for a year.

It looks like Root did all his running at North Central and is currently a Grad Assistant at Tulsa.

https://northcentralcardinals.com/sports/mens-track-and-field/roster/ryan-root/7439

No. He was at Tulsa. He has been a volunteer assistant this season with Iowa.

On a semi-related note (due to people bringing up some New Englanders), the Boston post-collegiate running scene has been blowing up recently. It's obviously nowhere near a Flagstaff or Boulder in terms of elite runners of course, but I ran a 5 Miler the other weekend as part of their USATF NE circuit and got my doors blown off by a ton of guys. The depth is getting pretty crazy.

Is it like this in other parts of the country? Do other cities have an absolute slew of sub 1:10ish half marathoners? Curious.

Mark g. Dorion wrote:

DO NOT COUNT OUT

LAUREN MARTIN MASTERSON (2:31 performer, former Adams State runner, now Trinidad State head coach) and her husband Kyle (also former Adams, also Trinidad State coach) could be fastest husband- wife in Trials.

Also Jim Walmsley getting lots of PR-- great runner but has never finished a standard marathon. But Kyle Masterson was the first U.S. finisher at world ultra champs in Romania, is also currently training for Comrades (90km) in South Africa.

With the hilly Atlanta course, dark horses have a better chance than on many prior Trials routes.

Sounds like this person drank the Adams state koolaid. Probably has a kid on the team and is some crazy ultra fan. Which speaking of ultras... ultras were made because we wanted to keep all the Africans out of a useless distance no one cares about. If there was money in it like the marathon the Africans and everyone else would destroy the US. Get out of here with the first US finisher stuff. You’re glorifying losing.