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More than 450 women toed the line, by far the largest field assembled for the trials.
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Immediately after the start, the race headed uphill. Luke Puskedra decided to push the pace immediately and began the first breakaway of the day.
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Former steeplechaser Brian Shrader leapfrogged past Puskedra, bringing Dan Nestor with him. Early on they pushed hard, gaining nearly a minute on the chase pack.
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Shrader's lead evaporated in the course of two miles, with Galen Rupp sizing up his prey before definitively slamming the door on Shrader's hopes. Shrader soon after dropped from the race.
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Rupp soon played a game of cat-and-mouse with fellow front-runners Abdirahman, Matt McDonald, Augustus Maiyo, and Leonard Korir. He broke away for good with a 4:51 21st mile and won by 42 seconds.
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The unrelenting hills, 20 MPH winds, and noon start all conspired to make for an incredibly challenging day.
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A lot of focus during coverage was on the shoes: VaporFlys, AlphaFlys, Hyperion Elites, Endorphin Pros, and more were mentioned for their innovations.
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The women's race proved a different affair: a large pack ran together through the halfway mark, with the first real move not coming until the 15th mile.
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Des Linden was frequently near the front of the pack, particularly while approaching the crowded aid station tables.
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One by one, the pack slowly whittled itself down.
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Kipyego enters the final mile. She faded hard over the last 1.2 miles.
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Linden and Laura Thweatt were 4th and 5th on the road and trying to desperately close the gap to Kipyego for the final berth on the team.
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It was Linden who broke away, but ran out of real estate, finishing an agonizing 10 seconds behind Kipyego for 4th.
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Nell Rojas ran with the lead pack for much of the race, finishing in 9th place.
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Although this was the largest Trials field, it can still get incredibly lonely during the late stages of the race.
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You could feel the effort pouring out of people.
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For many athletes, the Trials race is a victory lap for the qualification effort. Rachel Hyland was one of a few pregnant athletes running; she pulled off course after 13.1 miles.
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43-year-old Abdirahman pulling away from the field and onto his 5th Olympic team.