Former All-American distance runner Ryan Hall ‘05 secured a spot in the 2012 Olympic Games with a second-place finish at Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston.
The pre-race favorite, Hall pushed the pace early on the flat, fast course, and a lead pack of seven runners quickly broke away from the rest of the field. But as brisk winds swept the course, the 2008 Trials winner Hall was slowly reeled in by the lead pack.
In the end, 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi won the race by 22 seconds with a strong kick past Hall, ultimately finishing in 2:09:08.
Three-time track Olympian Abdi Abdirahman secured the third spot and filled out the most seasoned U.S. men’s marathon team ever, with an average age of 33 and multiple Olympic appearances among the three runners.
The 29-year old Hall ran the fastest time ever for an American at last year’s Boston Marathon, finishing the 26.2-mile race in 2:04:58. Known for going out fast, Hall finished 10th at the 2008 Games in Beijing when he started more conservatively and finished in 2:12:33.
– Miles Bennett-Smith