Houston Chevron Marathon Results 2012: Men and Women's Olympic Qualifiers

While Saturday mornings are a time of rest for many, the men and women that entered the Houston Chevron Marathon were racing for a chance to be one of three representatives from each sex for the United States in the 2012 Olympics.

Beautiful weather at their back, runners from across the globe arrived in Houston to conquer the 26.2 mile marathon and put their name on one of the most prestigious marathon titles in the world.

The normal tradition has been to do the time trails for the men and women on separate occasions, but the powers that be made a choice that shook the marathon world. In one unprecedented event, the Houston Marathon Committee along with USA Track and Field would hold both events on the same day in what would become a mega-event.

With both races kicking off within 15 minutes of each other (8:00 a.m. for men, 8:15 a.m. for women) the contestants have been battling for the majority of the afternoon. With all televised broadcasts being edited and rebroadcasted later today on NBC at 3:00 p.m. ET, the only live feed into the event is via the Internet.

Most of the feedback from the fact that this event was not televised live is disappointment, but most are just happy that their future Olympians are being crowned.

UPDATE: Saturday, Feb. 14, 12:30 p.m. ET by Donald Wood

After a wild day, the finishing touches are being laid upon the beautiful canvas that was a Houston Saturday in winter.

Just like that, the three men and three women that will represent the United States as marathon runners in the 2012 Olympic Games have won their place in history and look to continue their legacy across the Atlantic.

For the men, Meb Keflezighi finished first, Ryan Hall finished second and Abdi Abdirahman took home the final spot in what should be an excellent representation of the power the men can wield during the Olympics.

The women had an amazing showing, with each qualifier beating the previous Olympic trials record. Shalane Flanagan won the event, followed closely by Desiree Davila in second and Kara Goucher in third.

Men’s Olympic Qualifiers

Finish	Name	Time
1	Meb Keflezighi	2:09:08
2	Ryan Hall	2:09:30
3	Abdi Abdirahman	2:09:47

Women’s Olympic Qualifiers

Finish	Name	Time
1	Shalane Flanagan	2:25:38
2	Desiree Davila	2:25:55
3	Kara Goucher	2:26:06

With an amazing day of racing behind us and plenty of happy people still enjoying the festivities in Houston, we have to be honored to have these people as our country’s representatives for the Olympics.

A group this good may actually have something to say when it comes time to hand out the medals.

Go USA!

Follow @Donald_Wood