Linden headlines amazing women’s contingent at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon

ATLANTA – Two-time Olympic marathoner Desi Linden leads the way Saturday at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon in Atlanta, looking to finish one spot higher than she did in 2016. Linden leads arguably the deepest and most talented field ever assembled on the women’s side at the event, meaning competition for a top three finish from the start should be fierce.
 
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon are the second stop on the 2020 USATF Running Circuit. The top three finishers Saturday will represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer.  Fans can tune-in for the live broadcast beginning at 12:00pm ET on NBC or NBC Sports Gold, with the men’s race beginning at 12:08pm ET and the women’s race starting at 12:20pm ET.
 
Leading the charge, Linden is the most accomplished runner in the field Saturday. After placing second at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon in 2016, she followed that up with a seventh-place finish at the Olympic Games in Rio.  She went on to run a historic effort to win the Boston Marathon in 2018, then placed sixth at the TCS New York City Marathon that fall, followed by a fifth place showing this past spring in Boston and a sixth place finish in New York City this past fall. Her consistency and experience make her a heavy favorite in Atlanta.
 
Linden’s top two challengers, at least on paper, are Jordan Hasay and Sara Hall. Hasay stormed onto the marathon scene in 2017, placing third at the Boston Marathon with a 2:23:00 finish and top American status, only to follow it up with a third place effort at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, running a personal best of 2:20:57. Hasay once again claimed third, this time as top American at the Boston Marathon last spring. While Hasay dropped out of Chicago this past fall, if healthy, she’s clearly as talented as anyone in the field.
 
For Hall, she’s shown over the past two years to be one of the best road runners in the United States. The tough veteran was the second fastest American over the marathon distance in 2018 with her third place showing at the Ottawa Marathon, then followed that up with a fifth-place finish at the BMW Berlin Marathon this past fall in 2:22:16, the fastest marathon performance for an American in 2019. More recently, Hall ran a new personal best of 1:08:58 to easily finish as the top American at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, giving her plenty of momentum to build off of entering Saturday’s race.
 
Training partners Molly Huddle and Emily Sisson are two other top contenders to follow Saturday. Huddle, a multi-time Olympian on the track, finished as the second American last month behind Hall at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in 1:09:35. She placed 12^th at the Virgin Money London Marathon last spring, then winning the national title in the 10,000m at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships, while placing ninth in the event at the World Athletics World Championships.
 
Sisson, who edged is the third fastest qualifier in the field, ran to a sixth-place finish at the Virgin Money London Marathon last spring, running an incredible debut time of 2:23:08. The former Providence College standout finished second to Huddle at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships in the 10,000m and a spot behind her at the World Championships in tenth.
 
A trio of teammates from HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite will also be in contention for Olympic berths. Kellyn Taylor, Aliphine Tuliamuk and Stephanie Bruce have all had their fair share of successes on the roads over the past few years and each is fully qualified to push for top three Saturday.
 
Taylor is the most accomplished marathoner of the group, entering Saturday’s contest with the fourth fastest qualifying time of 2:24:28. She had a terrific 2019 campaign, placing fourth at the Prague Marathon in 2:26:27 earlier in the year, followed by a seventh place showing at the TCS New York City Marathon, where she finished only six seconds behind Linden.
 
Tuliamuk and Bruce also had fantastic 2019 campaigns. Tuliamuk claimed third place in 2:26:50 at the NN Rotterdam Marathon, and more recently ran 1:09:49 at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Bruce, who won the USATF Half Marathon title last year, earned a sixth-place finish at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in the fall, finishing as the second American behind Emma Bates in 2:27:42.
 
Speaking of Bates, the former NCAA champion from Boise State University, showed she’s a top contender in Atlanta by finishing fourth at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, with a 2:25:27 marathon debut. While still relatively new to the marathon distance, Bates is plenty accomplished both on the roads and on the track.
 
Not to be overlooked, Sally Kipyego, who earned Olympic and World Championship silver medals on the track over 10,000m competing for Kenya in 2011 and 2012, placed seventh at the BMW Berlin Marathon last fall. Kipyego ran to a 2:25:10 finish, and while she hasn’t raced much the past year, she has the experience to pull from in championship events.
 
Lindsay Flanagan is a runner who has run under the radar the past few seasons but has the potential to push for a top three finish. Prior to finishing as the fifth American at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon last month in 1:09:37, Flanagan earned a pair of top ten finishes at World Marathon Majors. She placed ninth in the spring at the Boston Marathon, following that up with a seventh place effort at the Chicago Marathon. Her big-race experience should serve her well in Atlanta.
 
Allie Kieffer is another runner to watch, fully capable of pushing for a top five finish. Kieffer earned back-to-back top ten finishes at the TCS New York City Marathon in 2017 and 2018. She claimed a fantastic fifth place finish in 2017, only to follow it up a year later with a seventh-place finish. When healthy, Kieffer is one of America’s best at the marathon distance.
 
Other notable entries include Laura Thweatt, who finished eighth at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon this past October and former multi-time NCAA champion Molly Seidel, who is making her debut at the marathon distance after placing as the third American at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon earlier this year in 1:09:34.
 
Thweatt and Seidel are joined by veterans Becky Wade, Nell Rojas, Bethany Sachtleben, Katy Jermann, Roberta Groner, 2018 Boston Marathon runner-up Sarah Sellers, Dot McMahon, and Janet Cherobon-Bawcom.
 
About the USATF Running Circuit
 
The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $480,000 in prize money will be awarded at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon
 
The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon, scoring is set as 30 for first, 24 for second, 20 for third, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series.
 
The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners.
 
Contributed by Scott Bush