There are two questions I often get when folks find out I’ve run marathons. The first is, “How far is a marathon?” And the second, “How long does it take you to run it?” While I’ll never be mistaken for an elite runner, I’ve run a race or two at a fairly good clip managing to pound out times between 3:35 and 3:18. By way of comparison the Houston Marathon Committee, which is hosting the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials, sent out an email with the following facts attached.
Houston is the first city to host both men’s and women’s races at the same Olympic Trials Marathon.
Below are the top 5 fastest men’s and women’s qualifying times as of Feb. 12, 2011:
MEN
1. 2:08:41 Ryan Hall (CA) 2010 Boston Marathon
2. 2:09:15 Meb Keflezighi (CA) 2009 New York City Marathon
3. 2:10:00 Dathan Ritzenhein (OR) 2009 London Marathon
4. 2:10:36 Brett Gotcher (AZ) 2010 Houston Marathon
5. 2:11:06 Jason Hartmann (OR) 2010 Chicago Marathon
WOMEN
1. 2:26:20 Desiree Davila (MI) 2010 Chicago Marathon
2. 2:26:22 Magdalena Lewy Boulet (CA) 2010 Fortis Marathon Rotterdam
3. 2:28:40 Shalane Flanagan (OR) 2010 New York City Marathon
4. 2:29:35 Stephanie Rothstein (AZ) 2011 Houston Marathon
5. 2:30:53 Tera Moody (CO) 2010 Chicago Marathon
Pixel Pusher 