The Olympic Trials and "The Four Musketeers"

This Saturday in Houston, TX, the fastest three men to cover 26.2 miles in the Olympic Marathon Trials will qualify for the 2012 London Games. Of the roughly 115 men toeing the line in the men's competition, 14 will be representing Team USA Minnesota. Of those 14, a recent documentary closely followed the intense training cycle of 4 individuals in particular—Jason Lehmkuhle, Andrew Carlson, Matt Gabrielson, and Josh Moen. They have been dubbed "The Four Musketeers of Minnesota," more reflective of their joint training endeavors than any sort of ranking system, I think.

Other than being a well-done documentary in general, this 12-minute video also has some good shots of the Mississippi River Greenway paths and bridges that my own two feet have quickly come to call home here in the Cities...



"The key is to get to the finish line as fast as you can without dying." --Gabrielson

More from Gabrielson, in Houston, before race-day:



Some further coverage:

• "Dennis Barker Talks Trials" -- Team USA Minnesota coach Dennis Barker's perspective...
• "Worlds Collide at the US Olympic Trials Marathon" -- A look at the (increasing) overlap of mainstream endurance running, on display at this year's Trials...

Notable Results:

1. Meb Keflezighi, 2:09.08

2. Ryan Hall, 2:09.30

3. Abdi Abdirahman, 2:09.47

6. Andrew Carlson, 2:11.24 (Chaska, MN)

18. Jason Lehmkuhle, 2:14.35 (Minneapolis, MN)

40. Chris Erichsen, 2:17.52 (Minneapolis, MN)

And, Team USA Minnesota Recaps: here, and here