RIO DE JANEIRO _ Most of the U.S. Olympic track and field team was determined last month, during the trials held in Eugene, Ore. But the three female and three male marathoners clinched their berths six months ago in Los Angeles, so they've been waiting quite awhile for their respective Olympic moments.
The wait soon will end for the women, who are scheduled to compete Sunday morning in Rio. The men, however, must wait until the final day of the Games, as has become traditional.
For Chula Vista, Calif., native Desiree Linden, who was second at the trials, the wait has sometimes seemed interminable.
"When I think about crossing the finish line, it feels like forever. I forgot how hot and miserable it was," she said in a telephone interview before she arrived in Rio. "But it sort of seems like it's been a blink of the eye since the training has gone by, and all of a sudden, it's time to do another one."
Linden finished second on an unusually warm day in a time of 2 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds, behind Amy Hastings Cragg (2:28:20), and ahead of Shalane Flanagan (2:29:19). Afterward, she took three weeks completely off to recover before starting back up again. "Then I was able to get into a fun training segment, really low-pressure races that were just fun for me," she said. "An 8K, a half-marathon. We kept the mileage low to make sure I was healthy."
But since she ran the Columbus, Ohio, half-marathon in late April, "it's been all business," said Linden, who trains in Rochester, Mich.
Linden, 33, made the U.S. marathon team for the 2012 London Olympics but had to drop out of the race early because of what later was diagnosed as a femoral fracture. She was so determined to stay healthy leading up to the Rio Games that she took a more cautious approach in training before the U.S. trials, which was something of a risk in itself.
"That was one of the learning things we took away from London. I felt like I just was really aggressive getting ready for the trials last time, and this time, we scaled it back just to make sure I was healthy," she said. "It was a little bit of a gamble going into the trials at only 90, 95 percent, but I felt like I could get on the team like that and build from there. It really paid off. I feel great right now. I feel like I'm the fittest I've ever been, and that's exciting."
Making the team again, she said, helped put her London disappointment behind her. "I think that's when you go, 'OK, that part's done. Now that I'm on the team again, I get another opportunity.' It still really motivates me," she said.
"I want to go out there and have a really great experience. It was a big learning tool for me. I think if you just completely forget it and don't take anything away from it, it's a huge missed opportunity. I use it as a learning tool and a motivator every day. I want to go and have an awesome experience and be better than last time out."
As soon as she knew she'd be going to Rio, she and her coaches, Kevin and Keith Hanson, planned a visit to scout out the course. She said the weather in Michigan closely simulated the weather she's likely to encounter in Rio.
"The course is flat and there's not a whole lot to it that you have to come back and train for, but it was good to know that," said Linden, who made the trip in June. "And also, I picked up on a bunch of landmarks to have those visuals in training where I can use that and think, 'Just pretend you're at this part of the course.' That was definitely helpful.
"I think it's going to be spectacular when you get out there on race day and you kind of head down, looking between the curves and eyeing up the competition. It was fun for me to go out there and see the course and see how beautiful Rio is and a lot of the landmarks that are going to be showcased. I think it's going to be spectacular viewing."
No American man or woman has won a marathon medal since 2004, when Deena Kastor won bronze and Meb Keflezighi _ who made the Rio team _ won silver in Athens. The marathon is difficult to predict because of variations in courses and in weather, but Linden has done all she can to prepare for anything.
"I feel I'm in shape where I've got a great shot," she said. "All you can do is get yourself really fit and go out there and do the best you can and see where it lands you.
"But across the board, the three Americans on the women's side, I think we all have the potential to be on the podium. It's really exciting. It's going to be fun to see what happens."
