Meet Napa Marathon Pre-Race Favorite Kevin Pool

He wants to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

The Napa Valley Register recently profiled elite runner Kevin Pool who will be taking on the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon this weekend. Despite his 2:22 marathon PR–a time that would have qualified him for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials–Pool is not satisfied and thinks he has room to grow.

He is hoping to run three minutes faster this weekend. Since the Napa course is USATF certified, a 2:19 would ensure Pool’s entry into the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.

“My workouts have been going well,” Pool said. “I think I’m better prepared now than I’ve ever been to take on a 26-mile race.”

Were he to qualify for the Trials, Pool would head to Houston and run a course he’s familiar with. On January 14, he raced in the U.S. Half-Marathon Championships, placing 24th overall with a 1:06:30.

“I ran a pretty solid time on what I didn’t consider to be an especially fast course,” Pool said about his Houston half-marathon performance. “That’s a pretty competitive field for a U.S. Championship. I was glad I got to experience that and certainly would like to be on the line next January as well.”

This weekend’s race will be Pool’s first Napa Valley Marathon.

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