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HOUSTON — Former Fort Lewis College cross country runner Brianne Nelson finished 61st in today's U.S. Olympic Team Trials, finishing the 26-plus-mile race in 2 hours, 42 minutes and 58 seconds — 17:20 behind the winner.
Nelson was one of 152 women who competed in the trials, which determined the three people who will represent the United States in the 2012 Summer Games in London, England.
“I'm just proud of her accomplishment and what it means to her individually,” said Skyhawk cross country coach Ken Flint, who coached Lippoldt throughout her FLC career. “Make no mistake, she's a driven lady. She trained on her treadmill in her basement while taking care of two kids to make this happen.”
Shalene Flanagan of Oregon TC Elite won the race, which was televised nationally on NBC, in 2 hours, 25 minutes and 38 seconds. Desiree Davila of Hansons-Brooks Distance Project was 17 seconds behind Flanagan at 2:25:55, while Kara Goucher of Oregon TC Elite was 28 seconds behind Flanagan at 2:26:06.
The former Brianne Lippoldt competed for the Skyhawks from 2001-03. Her 14th place finish at the 2003 NCAA Division II national championships marked the highest-ever finish for a Skyhawk distance runner at the NCAA nationals.
As a senior, Nelson — a walk-on during her first year of competition at Fort Lewis — earned All-America and All-Region honors. She was recently named to FLC's All-Century Team last fall, a group of the top 100 student-athletes, coaches, and administrators in the first 100 years of athletics in school history.
Nelson, a mother of two who lives in Fort Collins, qualified for the Olympic marathon trials by running 1:14:36 at the Philadelphia Rock & Roll Half-Marathon last September.
“It obviously brings some recognition to the program, but all the accolades should go to Bri,” said Flint. “We've never had anyone qualify for the Olympic trials in the history of the program. She set the standard for others to reach for.”
Nelson ranks highly among the all-time best times in FLC history at the 5k and 6k distances. She owns four of the top 10 times in FLC history in the 6k (her best time of 21:38 on Oct. 25, 2003, in Alamosa, Colo.. ranks second all-time) and two of the top 10 times in the 5k (her best time of 18:18 on Oct. 12, 2002, in Greeley, Colo., is fifth-best all-time in the school record book).
Considered by many as the pinnacle of sporting events, the marathon is a 26-mile, 385-yard race (42.195 kilometers) and the final event at the Summer Olympics. The event was instituted in the commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger who ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896.
