Houston To Host 2012 Olympic Team Trials For Men’s And Women’s Marathon

Fast-rising Houston Marathon steals events away from New York and Boston

The Houston Marathon is certainly an event on the rise. In recent years this event and its concurrent half marathon have attracted some of the biggest names in running and witnessed breakthrough performances, including Shalane Flanagan’s half marathon debut and Brett Gotcher’s breakthrough 2:10:35 marathon this year. Now it has earned the right to host the 2012 Olympic Team Trials Men’s and Women’s Marathons, which will be held the day before the 40th Houston Marathon next January.

Ahead of the 2008 Olympics, the all-mighty New York City Marathon hosted the men’s trials and the venerable Boston Marathon hosted the women’s trials. The smart money might have been on these same events to easily win the right to stage the 2012 trials, or swap them with each other, but in the end it was the upstart (if a 40-year-old event can be an upstart) Houston Marathon that prevailed. We have no skin in the game, but we are excited to see the selections for both genders take place on the same day.

For more: USATF Web site