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More than 300 set to run in 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon on Saturday $500,000 at stake as men, women compete for first time at same venue HOUSTON - In less than four days, more than 300 of America’s top distance runners will take to the streets of Houston in an historic edition of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. For the first time, the men’s and women’s teams will be selected on the same day and on the same course.   “For two years, the Houston Marathon Committee has looked forward to Saturday almost as much as the athletes,” said Houston Marathon Committee President Brant Kotch. “Our goal from the start has been to treat them like rock stars, and as they begin to arrive in the next few days both they and the city of Houston will quickly discover that we meant it. Hosting the Trials is a huge honor, and along with the 40th anniversary of the Houston Marathon on Sunday – as well as cheering for our Houston Texans in the playoffs – it will be a momentous sports weekend for the city.”   Both the men’s and women’s Olympic Trials races will start and finish on Saturday morning in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center, with the men beginning at 8 a.m. and the women at 8:15 a.m. The course begins with a 2.2-mile loop through the heart of downtown, after which the athletes will run three 8-mile loops on a spectator-friendly, flat course that is expected to result in fast times.   The top three finishers in each race, subject to the final approval of the U.S Olympic Committee’s board of directors, will represent the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where the marathon will be run on a similar three-loop course.   Returning to compete in the 2012 Trials are five of the six reigning U.S. Olympians in the marathon: Ryan Hall, Dathan Ritzenhein, Deena Kastor, Magdalena Lewy Boulet, and Blake Russell. They will be joined by 2004 marathon team members Meb Keflezighi, Colleen De Reuck, and Jen Rhines, and 1996 Olympic marathoner Linda Somers Smith. Keflezighi and Kastor are both 2004 Olympic medalists, with Keflezighi winning silver and Kastor bringing home the bronze.   On the men’s side, Hall (Flagstaff, Ariz.) leads the field with the three fastest qualifying times, topped by his 2:04:58 – the fastest qualifying time in Trials history – from the 2011 Boston Marathon. The next four fastest times, headed by his 2:09:13 from the 2011 ING New York City Marathon, were posted by Keflezighi (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.); Ritzenhein (Portland, Ore.) is third with a 2:10:00 from the Flora London Marathon in 2009.   For the women, Desiree Davila (Rochester Hills, Mich.) sets the pace with her 2011 Boston Marathon time of 2:22:38. Second is Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore.) in 2:24:52 from Boston 2011, followed by Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) in 2:26:22 from the 2010 Fortis Rotterdam Marathon.   In total, 158 men and 223 women achieved qualifying times allowing them to compete in the Trials. The oldest man is Mbarak Hussein (Albuquerque, N.M.), 46; the oldest woman is Somers Smith (Arroyo Grande, Calif.). At 50, she has qualified for the Trials a record seven times. The youngest competitors will be Craig Curley (Tucson, Ariz.), 23, and Amanda Marino (Jackson, N.J.), 22.   In addition to a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, athletes will be competing for a prize purse totaling $250,000 in each race, plus bonuses. The men’s and women’s champion will each take home $50,000.   NBC will broadcast two hours of same-day coverage from 3-5 p.m. ET. The comprehensive coverage will be the first time that both men’s and women’s Olympic Trials have been televised on the same day.   About the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.  Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC), a Running USA Founding Member, annually organizes the nation's premier winter marathon, half-marathon, 5K and kids' fun run. In 2010, more than 30,000 runners participated in four race weekend events organized by 7,500 volunteers, creating Houston's largest single-day sporting event. In addition to hosting numerous world-renowned road races, including the USA Men's and Women's Half Marathon Championships since 2005 and 2007 respectively, and the 1992 U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, HMC will host the 2012 U.S. Men's and Women's Olympic Team Trials - Marathon on January 14, 2012. For more information, visit houstonmarathon.com or call 713.957.3453.

About USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: www.usatf.org.