Laura Thweatt kept up with Molly Huddle for 5,000 meters, but nobody could keep up with Huddle for 10,000.
At the Women’s 10K race at the USA Track & Field Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Huddle claimed first place in 31 minutes, 41.62 seconds to earn a spot in the Olympics for the second time in her career.
Thweatt, a 2007 Durango High School graduate, finished fifth in 32:26.21. She needed a top-three finish to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She will have one more chance to qualify in the 5,000-meter run Thursday.
“It was unbelievable to be in that race in that venue with all those women,” Thweatt said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “It was everything I thought it would be and more.”
Second and third place went to first-time Olympians Emily Infeld (31:46.09) and Marielle Hall (31:54.77). Kellyn Taylor finished fourth in 32:11.29.
Thweatt began the race running outside in eighth position. She methodically worked her way through the pack and ran off Huddle’s right shoulder for a long stretch. Through 4,000 meters, Thweatt was even with Huddle in 12:55.11, and she stayed with her for another 1,600 meters before Huddle and Infeld began dropping the rest of the field.
“Obviously I’m disappointed. I fell short of the end goal of making the team, but I raced has hard as I could and gave everything I could,” the daughter of Jean and Steve Thweatt said. “I can’t be too upset. (Huddle) was unbelievable and led the entire race and closed with a 68 to win it. It shows her strength and how aggressive she is as a competitor. She’s the next level, and we’re all trying to compete against it. She was in a true form, and it was fun to sort of be part of that.”
Huddle, a product of Rhode Island, is the American record holder in the 5,000 meters. She won the New York City Half Marathon in 2016. Thweatt ran the full New York City Marathon and finished as the top-American woman in seventh place overall. Huddle will be back Thursday in the 5K, too.
Thweatt, who now lives in Boulder and coaches at Monarch High School after attending the University of Colorado, has worked tirelessly for four years with the goal of reaching the Olympic Trials for a chance at Rio. She knew Saturday’s competition would be tough, and her impressive fifth-place showing earned her a $1,000 payday.
Now, Thweatt plans to rest up for a few days before mentally preparing for Thursday’s race. Her training is done, so all that’s left is to finalize her gameplan and give it everything she has left.
“It’s not over yet,” she said.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
