Random Thoughts on the Olympic Trials

• Galen Rupp killed it.  I felt he was pretty safe around 20 miles but in reality, that's also where the race normally starts in the marathon.  He ran very patient and looked really smooth through 24 miles. He is a definite medal threat in Rio and I can see him making a run at 2:05 in a few years.

• Tyler Pennel made the race.  In the first half of the marathon, especially in those conditions, there are no risks made early on, just bad decisions.  That's why the pack was so bunched up, with 30ish guys going through the first half together.  Tyler's big move was what really separated everyone but unfortunately, it didn't work out for him in the end.  This time, at least.

• Jared Ward knows how to race.  It was obvious his goal was to make the team, and that's what he did.  He ran almost dead-on even pace and was pretty spent at the end.  If he would have went with Pennel and Co., it very well may have been Luke Puskedra in Rio, instead of him.

• Amy Cragg had a heck of a race.  I don't know if I even had her in my pre-race top five, but she was far and away the best runner on that day.  She looked very smooth and controlled and the entire time, I was waiting for her to fall back, with Flanagan taking over.  Obviously, the opposite happened.

• While I was impressed with the crod support out there, having the race after 10:00am in Southern California wasn't the brightest idea.  Forty percent of the field didn't finish, which is way too high.  It was also ridicuoous that there were no generic water stations for the athletes. the only fluids available were the ones you checked in.