by Ketan Dhawan
Daily Lobo
Matt Gonzales is hoping to take a trip to Athens, Greece, for the Olympics.
However, it will not be to look on as the world's finest athletes compete for the pride of their nations.
Team USA's Olympic trials will be July 9-18 in Sacramento, Calif., and Gonzales, a UNM junior and the Lobos' foremost distance runner, will compete against the greatest runners in the United States to clinch the honor of representing the U.S. in the 10,000-meter run in Athens this summer.
In order to qualify for the Olympic trials, a runner must complete his or her respective race within a certain time. There is an A mark and a B mark. For the 10K, 24 athletes are chosen to run at trials based on their times during regular and post-season competitions.
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The A mark for the 10,000 meter run is set at 28:15. Anyone whose time is faster automatically qualifies to compete in the Olympic trials. But if 24 competitors do not make this time, the best B-mark qualifiers receive a bid. The B mark for the 10,000 is 28.50.
Gonzales' best time for the 10K is 28:26. He has already surpassed the B mark, and is on the list of 24 provisional qualifiers. The Olympic A mark is set at 27:49.
Next weekend, Gonzales will head to Stanford, Calif., to run at the Stanford Invitational where he hopes to pass the A mark to qualify for trials.
"The field is awesome," Gonzales said. "I'll be running with two American record holders and a bunch of pros. It'll be a really fast race."
The competition includes Bob Kennedy, who is a two-time Olympian and the U.S. record holder in the 5,000-meter run, and Meb Keflezighi, who is the American record holder in the 10,000 meter race.
Gonzales will have a tough road ahead of him in order to qualify to go to Athens. He will have to place in the top three at trials in July, but that is only assuming the American team will send three runners. The team is allowed to send up to three, but does not have to.
The Olympics games are not out of Gonzales' reach. He took third at nationals last year and has continued to dominate his field all season.
"My season's been good," Gonzales said. "I didn't run as fast as I could have in the 5,000, but otherwise it has been really good."
Gonzales will have many opportunities to surpass the marks. He has this weekend's home race, followed by the Mountain West Conference championships, regionals and nationals.
"I hope I can make it," he said. "If, not - I'm still young, so there's always 2008 and 2012 to look out for."
