U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Deliver Thrilling Finishes in Atlanta

Galen Rupp and Aliphine Tuliamuk won the deepest U.S. Olympic marathon trials in history

ATLANTA — The first six members of the U.S. Olympic track and field team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were determined on Saturday afternoon with two thrilling and unexpected finishes at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

Men’s Race

Galen Rupp, who won the trials four years ago before earning a bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro, became the first man to defend his title since 1976 with a 2:09:20 victory on an undulating course. Rupp, who is arguably one of the best American distance runners in history, sat patiently among the leaders before surging and pulling away at the 21st mile.

The battle for the second and third spots for the Olympics came down to a sprint. Unsponsored Jake Riley, 43-year-old Abdi Abdirahman held off a fierce charge from U.S. Army sergeant Leonard Korir in the final home stretch. Second and fourth place were only separated by four seconds.

Rupp’s victory comes after a tumultuous 2019 where he was sidelined due to Achilles surgery and then dropped out of the Chicago Marathon in his comeback race due to an ankle injury. He lost his longtime coach Alberto Salazar to a four-year doping ban. Salazar is appealing the suspension. Rupp, who has stood by his coach, has never been implicated in doping or tested positive for any banned substance.

“After Chicago, so much of it was ‘Alright, you need to take a step back now and focus on your health,’” Rupp says. “The situation I was in, you try to push through things. You’re limping. You’re in pain. You try to tough it out and say I can keep pushing. Until you’re actually 100% you can’t train at that high level.”

Riley, who felt like his running career had hit a wall due to injuries in recent years, broke out with a 2:10:36 at the Chicago Marathon last fall. In a field with Olympians and four men who previously ran under 2:10, Riley was considered a dark horse contender to make the team. He rallied in the 24th mile to catch the leaders and traded second place with Abdirahman for the last two miles.

Riley grabbed a tiny American flag with less than a mile remaining, although his spot wasn’t decided until he crossed the finish line in a personal best of 2:10:02. With the runner-up finish, he traded in the tiny flag for a full-sized one to drape over his shoulders.

“It was almost exactly how I had been picturing it for a really long time,” Riley says. “I definitely had a rocky buildup going into it. The fact that the way that I had been imagining it for so long is matching up with the reality is a little surreal. I think it’s going to take a long time to process it. You’re seeing someone live the happiest moment of their entire lives. That’s pretty special right now.”

Abdirahman broke his streak of making Olympic teams by failing to qualify at the trials in 2016. He competed at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics in the 10,000 meters on the track and then raced the marathon in 2012. Abdirahman is selective with his races but has continued competing despite his age. His 2:10:03 on Saturday set a new U.S. masters record (40 and older) and clocked his fastest marathon since the 2012 trials. He becomes the oldest U.S. Olympic marathon team qualifier in history.

Women’s Race

About 10 women remained in contention for the three spots at the 18-mile mark but Aliphine Tuliamuk waited three more miles before taking Molly Seidel with her for a breakaway from the lead pack.

Tuliamuk, one of 33 children in her family, was born in Kenya in 1989 but attended Wichita State University, where she was a 14-time All American before becoming a U.S. citizen in April 2016. Her professional career has flourished as a member of Northern Arizona Elite, a professional training group out of Flagstaff, Ariz., and has six national titles after winning in 2:27:23.

Seidel was a surprise to see among the lead pack since Saturday’s race was her marathon debut. She was the 2011 Footlocker Cross Country National Champion as a high schooler and then won four NCAA titles at Notre Dame. She took a brief break from running in 2016 after developing an eating disorder but signed a professional contract with Saucony in July 2017.

Seidel held on for second place in 2:27:31 to make her first U.S. Olympic team and now inches closer to fulfilling her dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, which she wrote down for a fourth grade class assignment.

“At the end of the day, I think I’m a strength runner. I like hills and I can grind it out,” Seidel says. “I know there are really more talented women out there and I don’t by any means think this says I’m more talented than any other person. Today, this was a course that favored me and it was my day today.”

Sally Kipyego also pulled away from the chase pack but slowed in the closing miles. Two-time U.S. Olympian and 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden attempted to reel her in but fell 11 seconds short of Kipyego in 2:29:03.

Kipeygo heads to her second Olympics after winning the 2012 Olympic 10,000 meter silver medal for Kenya. She made her marathon debut with a runner-up finish at the 2016 New York City Marathon and became an American citizen a year later. However, she struggled in her comeback from childbirth in 2017 and wasn’t able to finish a marathon until last fall’s Berlin Marathon.

“Today, I was victorious because where I’ve come from. I was victorious because of the challenges I’ve gone through to be back here. I’m just so grateful that I’m going back to the Olympics. But I’m also going back to the Olympics as a mom. Today was huge in so many ways.”