I hope you got to see history Saturday morning. If you picked the top 3 men and women you’ve got magic in your head. That’s why they run the race. Everyone picked Galen Rupp and after that 0-fer. Two fellas I was able to pull for joined Galen on the stud side. Abdi has been a fixture on the USA scene for two decades. I first met him in Mobile, AL at the 2000 USA Men’s 10K Championships. One of the funniest and most respected fellas to lace them up. Making his 5th Olympic team. Jacob Riley surprised a lot of people including me, but not his coach Lee Troop, or our buddy Jim Estes. Troop is an internationally pedigreed marathoner from his native Australia, lives in Colorado Springs. I can’t imagine three happier men in Atlanta.
As an aside, not everyone that runs or competes at this level has to be a nice guy. I almost expected fisticuffs between Luke Puskedra and Dan Nestor during the early miles, the much taller Puskedra losing his cool with Nestor’s drafting techniques.
On the studettes side it was a sweep for the unheralded. Tuliamuk, Seidel, and Kipyego. Seidel making her 26.2 debut, there’s your Cinderella story.
We lost a Giant of our sport on Saturday. Bill Roe was a friend. I had the privilege of working with Bill on the USATF Club Council from 2005-2016. Former President of USATF, Founder of Club Northwest, mentor to legions. Instrumental in my brining the 2012 USA Club Track & Field National Championships to Omaha. One of the most respected men of our sport, period. I’ll miss you Bill.
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