There was a shootout in Houston, Texas yesterday and after the smoke cleared, only six remained. Say hello to your 2012 USA Olympic Marathon Team: Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Hall, Abdi Abdirahman, Shalane Flanagan, Desiree Davila and Kara Goucher.

American distance running has come a long way in the “second running boom” and that was evident in the streets of Houston. In two of the fastest races in USA Olympic Marathon Trials history (four men under 2:10 and five women under 2:30), these six set the pace for what could be a very promising summer in London.

From the outset, it was pretty obvious that two of the three slots for both the men and women would be filled by the favorites, barring some unforeseen incident (Meb and Ryan; Shalane and Desiree). The only question left was who would get the coveted third slot on London. While the American running scene is not nearly as deep as say the Kenyan or Ethiopian teams, there was a strong contingent of runners that really had a good shot at it.

I wasn’t totally sold on Abdi Abdirahman halfway thru the race. I’ve watched him in big races before start strong but finish off the pace (I will give him this though, Abdi does have a badass nickname: the Black Cactus). Was Dathan Ritzenhein going to come back after falling back of the lead pack? Would another young runner throw his hat into the ring and barge onto the American marathon scene? All of these seemed moot after Dathan fell way back but did make it interesting at the end coming up just 8 seconds short of catching Abdi.

The women’s field was more stout halfway thru the race with a dozen women leading the way. While Shalane and Desiree did most of the work, we had some interesting names in the lead pack. Kara Goucher, Amy Hastings and Deena Kastor were still in the hunt for the third spot. Deena fell back towards the end (finishing in sixth) while Kara held on and Amy had to settle for disappointing fourth place.

Overall, I think USA Track and Field should be fairly optimistic about the marathon team they’re sending across the Atlantic. While I don’t think the men will be able to knock off Geoffrey Mutai and Emmanuel Mutai of Kenya or Tsegaye Kebede or Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia, I do think they will at least give the USA a fighting chance at a couple of top tens and maybe…just maybe sneak onto the medal stand. The women are a totally different story altogether. I could absolutely see Shalane, Desiree and Kara competing for the top spot. You’re looking at three young runners with a ton of potential. Especially in Shalane’s case. She’s only run in two competitive marathons and the future is looking very, very bright.

Congratulations Team USA!!! We can’t wait to see you shine.

RMFR

Most of us are lucky enough to have a “hometown” race. No worries about travel, hotels, packing all your gear and having the right things to eat. There are a select few of us that actually get to have a “neighborhood” race. With the inaugural Summerlin Half Marathon by Desert Sky Adventures, I am lucky enough to join that selective group. The race start and finish are literally right down the street from where I live. I run all these streets/trails on a regular basis and would like to share my experiences to help those that may be traveling from out-of-town or from different parts of Las Vegas/Henderson.

Before we get to this I want to give props to USA Track & Field. If you haven’t checked out their Route Mapping feature you absolutely must. If you’re not a member of USA Track & Field, I highly recommend it. You can join by clicking here.

Mile 1
Total Elevation Change: 176 ft. – Total Climb: 0 ft.
Starting at The Vistas Community Park, the first mile is all downhill. Remember, what goes down…must come up!!! Depending on your race plan, monitor the first 7 miles. Most of the first half of the race is downhill. Most of us won’t negative split this race. If you do, you da (wo)man!!!

Mile 2
Total Elevation Change: 90 ft. – Total Climb: 5 ft.
Since the beginning of the race is downhill, there will be some congestion when the transition is made to the Summerlin trail system. While the trails are wider than sidewalks, there are some twists and turns that may create some backups.

Mile 3
Total Elevation Change: 111 ft. – Total Climb: 34 ft.
The trail system in Summerlin is bad ass. The downhill continues and the climb comes when you transition from the trail back up to Hualapai Way. I ran it recently and it progressively gets steeper towards the top.

Mile 4
Total Elevation Change: 112 ft. – Total Climb: 24 ft.
This is one of those miles that it seems you’re running uphill but it’s a rolling mile. Hopefully we’re running on the street because I’ve never been a fan of the sidewalks. In fact, on my run this morning I took a header on a section of uneven sidewalk. Came away unscathed…thanks for asking.

Mile 5
Total Elevation Change: 107 ft. – Total Climb: 10 ft.
The beginning of this mile has a slight incline but it’s mostly downhill. This is a fun street to run down. It has a couple of turns but definitely a “cruising” mile.

Mile 6
Total Elevation Change: 132 ft. – Total Climb: 29 ft.
I’m not totally familiar with the transition to this trail. It looks to be a cart path from the golf course but I could be wrong. Either way, beware of hangups as most of these transitions involve twists and turns.

Mile 7
Total Elevation Change: 57 ft. – Total Climb: 7 ft.
Enjoy Mile 7 because you’re going to be climbing the rest of the way!!! Rampart is pretty boring so focus on your stride rate and take a quick glimpse of the strip. You need to get ready to start digging deep.

Mile 8
Total Elevation Change: 107 ft. – Total Climb: 107 ft.
You’re no in the older part of Summerlin. The trees are more mature and the scenery is a nice break from Rampart. Here begins the climb back to the finish. If you’ve been saving a little extra in the tank…it’s time to start using it.

Mile 9
Total Elevation Change: 123 ft. – Total Climb: 123 ft.
After a little road/sidewalk section, we hit the Trails Park trail. I’ve run this trail several times at various 5K’s. It’s not easy but it’s not that difficult. There’s something about running on landscaped trails that make things a little easier.

Mile 10
Total Elevation Change: 120 ft. – Total Climb: 70 ft.
You’ll get a nice little downhill here as we make our way down to Crestdale. When I say little, I mean little. Get ready for the overpass over Summerlin Parkway. I used to live right here and I HATED this overpass.

Mile 11
Total Elevation Change: 185 ft. – Total Climb: 185 ft.
We’re back uphill on Mile 11. This climb will lead us up to the next trail. When I ran it today I did have to take a couple of walk breaks. Save a little in your tank for this climb. Don’t use it all as you’ll need to save some for the last climb.

Mile 12
Total Elevation Change: 49 ft. – Total Climb: 15 ft.
After all that climbing you’ll get a reprieve as you head out on another trail system towards Palo Verde High School. My son will actually be attending the Sig Rogich Middle School we’ll run by here next year. Enjoy the landscaping and easy mile as the last mile awaits!!!

Mile 13.1
Total Elevation Change: 172 ft. – Total Climb: 145 ft.
I run this stretch nearly every week. In fact, I named Alta Drive the “Alta Upchuck” when I started running. After my first attempt at running up Alta I heaved big time. You’re all uphill to the finish from here. Beware the overpass over I-215 – it’s steep!!!

Hopefully this answers any questions you may have about the Summerlin Half Marathon course. Shoot us an ORB email if you’d like a particular mile profile from USA Track & Field. See you next weekend!!!

RMFR