St. Louis has a great history in athletics. From fantastic track and field athletes to fine Olympians and hosting the 1904 Olympics, St. Louis represents history, context, and culture.
A very entertaining account of the first US Olympic marathon, the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, can be found here.“Inside the 1904 Olympic marathon, so disastrous that the sport was almost banned.” AllThatsInteresting.comMarch 22, 2023 https://allthatsinteresting.com/1904-olympic-marathon. It is a very good read.
It 1904 Olympic Marathon was open only to men. It The first Olympic marathon for women took place in 1984. and it demanded that the claim of famous female runners be upheld. remember Baron Pierre de Coubertin neither a fan of women in sports nor of non-whites (“colonists” as he called them in 1894). Courbertin, complicated as he was, championed the Olympic movement of the modern era.
In 2004, when St. Louis so spectacularly hosted the US Women’s Olympic Team Trials, the event defended; Nancy Lieberman, who was GO! St. Louis until a few years ago! Nancy was a gunslinger and she loved St. Louis, the St. Louis Marathon and the Olympic Trials. He and his daughter are climbing adventurers Mount Kilimanjaro. 2004 Women’s Olympic Team Trials won Colin DeRook, in 2:28.25. with Dina Castor is second with 2:29:38. and: Jen Raines was third in 2:29.57.
At the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Dina Castor won Olympic bronze, 2:27:20 m.n horrendously hot and wet8 conditions from the 18th half to the third at the end of the race. Jen Rhines was 34th in 2:43.52. Colleen de Rijk was 39th in 2:46.30. This writer has competed in both the St. Louis Marathon Trials and the Athens Olympic Marathons.
Congratulations GO! Saint Louis, St.Louis Sports Commission and USATF regarding this announcement. Q:Avoiding the marathon trials in the Midwest will inspire another generation of young men and young women to strive for Olympic ideals.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. Louis will host the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, the marathon
INDIANAPOLIS – One hundred and twenty-four years after hosting the first Olympic marathon ever held on US soil, St. Louis will once again play a pivotal role in America’s Olympic marathon history.
USA Track and Field and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced today that St. Louis will host the 2028 US Olympic Team Trials Marathon on March 25, 2028, where six athletes – three men and three women – will earn a spot on Team USA for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Organized by the St. Louis Sports Commission in partnership with GO! St. Louis, the event will celebrate the city’s rich Olympic heritage while showcasing the energy and evolution of modern St. Louis. The event will be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 11:00 a.m. CT.
The course will take athletes through some of the city’s most iconic sites, including WashU, the site of the 1904 Olympic Stadium, the world’s oldest modern Olympic stadium still in active use, and Forest Park, the cultural heart of St. Louis. The route also highlights iconic landmarks like the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium before finishing at Energizer Park, home of the St. Louis CITY FC. The final course layout will be announced in the coming months.
“We are proud to announce St. Louis as the host of the 2028 US Olympic Team Trials Marathon,” said USATF Executive Director Max Siegel. “Throughout the competition process, the local organizing committee demonstrated the professionalism, vision and passion needed to host one of the most important events on the road to Los Angeles. We are confident that this event will provide an exceptional experience for the entire running community and bring the best runners to face the world’s best in Los Angeles.”
“The US Olympic Team Trials consistently features some of the best competition in the world, and we are thrilled to have the inaugural LA28 event in St. Louis, the city that hosted America’s Olympic marathon debut in 1904,” said USOPC Executive Director Sarah Hirschland. “This race will determine the original members of Team USA for the Olympics, which will return home after more than 30 years and mark the beginning of the road to LA28.”
“It is a great privilege and opportunity for our region to host the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon,” said St. Louis Sports Commission President Mark Schreiber. “We are grateful for the confidence USATF has placed in us and are excited to renew our longstanding relationship with the organization. As America’s first Olympic city, we are also thrilled to add another exciting chapter to our rich Olympic history; let alone St. Louis with the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Thanks to our regional partners, including GO!
St. Louis’ history in Olympic athletics and motor racing goes back to the 1904 Olympics. The city hosted the 2004 US Olympic Team Trials, Women’s Marathon, and is home to Olympic gold medalists Ray Armstead (1984, 4x100m relay), Dawn Harper-Nelson (2008, 100m hurdles) and Jackie Joyner-Kearsey, one of the greatest long jumpers in Olympic history. 1988 and again the heptathlon in 1992.
“It is a great honor to be selected as the host for the 2028 Marathon Trials,” said St. Louis Organizing Committee Co-Chair Jackie Joyner-Kersey. “St.Louis is ready to step up to deliver a world-class experience and provide a special energy that athletes will fuel as they push their limits to make Team USA. This is much more than just organizing a race.
2028 US Olympic Team Trials – The marathon will be the first Olympic team selection event held in all sports for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
To participate in the event, athletes must meet the following criteria within the specified qualification window:
• Men: 2:16:00
• Women: 2:37:00
The additional ‘A’ standard, which will include travel and accommodation support, will be decided by the local organizing committee. Additional event details and qualification information can be found here here.
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About USATF
Based in Indianapolis, USA Track & Field® (USATF) is the national governing body for track and field, distance running and track and field in the United States. USATF includes the oldest organized sports in the world, the most watched Olympic telecasts, the number one high school and junior high competitive sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.
ABOUT USOPC
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and the United States National Paralympic Committee. The USOPC is focused on protecting, supporting and empowering America’s elite athletes and is responsible for fielding US teams at the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, All-American and Para-American Games and serving as the steward of the US Olympic and Paralympic movements. For more information, visit USOPC.org and TeamUSA.com.
ABOUT ST. LOUIS SPORTS COMMISSION
The St. Louis Sports Commission is an independent, privately funded non-profit organization that grows, strengthens and advances St. Louis through sports. The organization uses the power of sports to improve the area’s quality of life and bring economic and social benefits to the St. Louis region.
ABOUT GO! St. LOUIS:
GO St. Louis is a premier event production organization and nonprofit dedicated to growing and inspiring the running and active lifestyle community in the St. Louis region and greater Midwest. Through world-class running and fitness events, community partnerships, school programming and year-round engagement initiatives, GO! St. Louis creates opportunities for people of all abilities and backgrounds to embrace healthy, active lifestyles.
