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Olympic Marathon Trials: Three Runners With Arizona Ties Qualify For London Olympics

Houston played host to the U.S. marathon trials for the London Olympics on Saturday, with the state of Arizona well-represented.

By Bill Hanstock
HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 14: (L-R) Ryan Hall and Abdi Abdirahman compete in the U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials January 14, 2012 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 14: (L-R) Ryan Hall and Abdi Abdirahman compete in the U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials January 14, 2012 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)
Getty Images

The Olympic trails for the marathon were held on Saturday in Houston, Texas. Several Arizona-based runners and other athletes with Arizona ties competed in the event. Three of these athletes made the cut and will be headed to the London Olympics, with a fourth narrowly missing the top three.

In the men's competition, Ryan Hall of Flagstaff placed second, finishing just 22 seconds behind the event winner Meb Keflezighi. Hot on Hall's heels was Abdi Abdirahman of Tucson, who will be heading to his fourth Olympic games. Keflezighi finished the trial in 2:09:08, leaving intact the trial record of 2:09:02, which was set by Hall in 2008.

In the women's race, Desiree Davila was the runner-up. Davila used to run track at Arizona State. Amy Hastings, another former ASU runner, finished fourth in the trials, just missing qualification.

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