FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ian Monahan
Elite Racing
800-311-1255
Olympic Trials Preview at Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, San Jose
Olympic silver medalist, Meb Keflezighi, and San Jose native, J.T.
Service, tune up before Olympic Trials in New York City
SAN JOSE, Calif., (August 7, 2007) – San Jose's Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon
will feature two American Olympic hopefuls on Sun., Oct. 14, 2007 as
Olympic silver medalist, Meb Keflezighi, and San Jose native, J.T. Service,
tune up before the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials to be held in New York
City on Sat., Nov. 3, 2007.
Keflezighi, 32, winner of the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics in
the marathon, had to pull out of the 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon with
a leg cramp near mile 11 of the 13.1-mile race. He was staging a comeback,
picking off runners one by one, as he gained ground on the blistering pace
set by Duncan Kibet of Kenya, who won in a time of 1 hour, 22 seconds.
Despite an early exit from the race, Keflezighi realized the potential the
San Jose course offers to runners looking to gauge their race speed.
"Last year, I wanted to test my fitness prior to the ING New York City
Marathon," said Keflezighi. "The weather was perfect, the course is fast,
and depending on how I perform over the next couple months, I feel I can
put together a strong race in San Jose before the Olympic trials."
Keflezighi, who will celebrate his 20th anniversary as a U.S. citizen this
October, hopes to make his third U.S. Olympic team. A win for Keflezighi at
the Olympic trials would represent his first ever victory in 10 marathon
starts and solidify his spot on the Olympic team provided he earns the
Olympic "A" standard of 2:15:00 at the trials or prior to April 21, 2008.
Keflezighi began running at age 12 and competed with two of his brothers at
San Diego High School where he won three state titles his senior year. At
UCLA, running for his current coach Bob Larsen, Keflezighi won four NCAA
titles while earning a B.A. in communications. He currently lives in San
Diego and in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. where he trains at altitude with Team
Running USA.
Service, 26, returns to defend his title as the top San Jose and Bay Area
finisher at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, finishing the 2006 inaugural
race in a time of 1:07:46. However, at the start of this year's race, the
butterflies will be fluttering a little harder in his stomach as he
prepares for his first shot at an Olympic team.
"Making it to the Olympic team is any athlete's dream," Service said. "As I
look back over the peaks and valleys of my running career, my preparation
for the trials has seemingly taken a lifetime. When I found the marathon,
things seemed to have fall into place. Now, I just want to run a fast tune
up in San Jose, then give a huge effort at the trials and let chips fall
where they may. It's all really exciting."
His father, Tom Service, has been a running role model throughout his son's
life. As the head coach of both the men's and women's distance programs at
Santa Clara University, Tom Service has helped guide J.T. through his
athletic career.
"Although he has never officially been my running coach, he has always
advised me on a day-to-day basis," Service said of his father. "Somehow he
has walked the tight rope of encouraging me to participate in his favorite
sport while constantly letting me know that he would love me just as much
if I quit tomorrow."
As a member of the Asics Aggies Running Club, an Olympic development
program for USA Track & Field, Service has strengthened his own career in
his bid for the Olympics.
Service has found success at past Elite Racing musical marathon events. In
addition to his top regional performance at the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon
last year, Service was the top American finisher at the Rock 'n' Roll
Marathon in San Diego, Calif. in June, 2006, finishing in a time of
2:24:42. The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon was the first of his career.
When he isn't logging marathon miles through the streets of the South Bay,
Service is hard at work as a law student at Santa Clara. He also will lead
Team Swift Justice at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon to raise money for a
local community law center which advises, counsels and represents
low-income clients on legal issues involving workers' rights, workers'
compensation, immigration, and consumer protection. Runners interested in
running the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon with Team Justice may call
408-406-6490.
Born and raised in San Jose, Service ran cross country for Archbishop Mitty
High School. He went on to receive his undergraduate degree from the
University of California, Santa Barbara where he was a two-time all-Big
West Conference distance runner.
For more information or to register for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon,
please visit www.RnRsj.com or call 800-311-1255.
Meb Keflezighi
Meb with three-time Super Bowl Champion Roger Craig, Courtesy: Victah
Sailor
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Meb on-course at 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, Courtesy: ASIphoto.com
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J.T. Service
J.T Service on course at 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon
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