Scenes From Atlanta: 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials
The 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials featured the largest field ever vying for the opportunity to represent the country in Tokyo. The two races featured many surprises over the course of 26.2 miles, including many pre-race favorites proving to be non-factors late in the race, like Jared Ward (recovering from the flu), Jordan Hasay, Molly Huddle (DNF), and Sara Hall (DNF). In the end, the 6 representatives to Tokyo are Galen Rupp, Jacob Riley, Abdi Abdirahman, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Molly Seidel, and Sally Kipyego. Find our full coverage of the race here.
All images by Eric Wynn, Slowtwitch Media House
More than 450 women toed the line, by far the largest field assembled for the trials.
Immediately after the start, the race headed uphill. Luke Puskedra decided to push the pace immediately and began the first breakaway of the day.
Former steeplechaser Brian Shrader leapfrogged past Puskedra, bringing Dan Nestor with him. Early on they pushed hard, gaining nearly a minute on the chase pack.
Shrader's lead evaporated in the course of two miles, with Galen Rupp sizing up his prey before definitively slamming the door on Shrader's hopes. Shrader soon after dropped from the race.
Rupp soon played a game of cat-and-mouse with fellow front-runners Abdirahman, Matt McDonald, Augustus Maiyo, and Leonard Korir. He broke away for good with a 4:51 21st mile and won by 42 seconds.
The unrelenting hills, 20 MPH winds, and noon start all conspired to make for an incredibly challenging day.
A lot of focus during coverage was on the shoes: VaporFlys, AlphaFlys, Hyperion Elites, Endorphin Pros, and more were mentioned for their innovations.
The women's race proved a different affair: a large pack ran together through the halfway mark, with the first real move not coming until the 15th mile.
Des Linden was frequently near the front of the pack, particularly while approaching the crowded aid station tables.
One by one, the pack slowly whittled itself down.
Kipyego enters the final mile. She faded hard over the last 1.2 miles.
Linden and Laura Thweatt were 4th and 5th on the road and trying to desperately close the gap to Kipyego for the final berth on the team.
It was Linden who broke away, but ran out of real estate, finishing an agonizing 10 seconds behind Kipyego for 4th.
Nell Rojas ran with the lead pack for much of the race, finishing in 9th place.
Although this was the largest Trials field, it can still get incredibly lonely during the late stages of the race.
You could feel the effort pouring out of people.
For many athletes, the Trials race is a victory lap for the qualification effort. Rachel Hyland was one of a few pregnant athletes running; she pulled off course after 13.1 miles.
43-year-old Abdirahman pulling away from the field and onto his 5th Olympic team.
