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On February 3, the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials are being held in Orlando, FL. This event will determine who will be selected for the men’s and women’s US Olympic Team and will compete in August at the Paris Olympic Games. In preparation for this event, ElliptiGO bicycles have been the cross-training tool of choice for many of these top competing athletes.

At the last US Marathon Trials in 2020, there were over 750 qualifiers between the Men’s and Women’s races. It was the highest number of qualifiers in history and ElliptiGO had a record of its own with over 80 of those qualifying athletes using ElliptiGO bikes during their training build-ups. With ElliptiGO cross-training, these athletes have been able to increase strength and aerobic capacity. Furthermore, when athletes at this level are pushing their bodies and minds through such intense workloads, ElliptiGO training is also used to reduce stress on the body, recover from injury flare-ups and maintain mental sanity through training variety.

In this qualifying cycle, the time standards were made significantly faster, thereby reducing the total number of qualifiers from 750 to 400 (173 Women / 227 Men). Of those qualifiers, over 40 athletes are integrating ElliptiGO training. Many are newer ElliptiGO users, while some are veterans entering their 3rd or 4th Olympic Trials race.

In addition to individuals, ElliptiGO supports top professional teams that will be represented at these trials including HOKA NAZ Elite, ZAP Endurance, Tinman Elite, McKirdy Trained, and Minnesota Distance Elite.

In the women’s race, the ElliptiGO athletes to watch include American Record Holder Emily Sisson. She was a favorite in the 2020 race but had to drop out due to injury. Since then, she’s adopted ElliptiGO training to help ensure she’s both as strong and as healthy as she can be to secure a spot on this team. In the process, she made the 10K Olympic team on the track in 2021 and lowered the Marathon American Record down to 2:18:29 in 2022, making her a key contender for this Olympic Team.

Two of the athletes who made the Olympic team in 2020 were Aliphine Tuliamuk (1st) and Molly Seidel (2nd), which was also her first ever Marathon. When the Olympic Games were postponed to 2021, Seidel used that time to gain experience with the elite-only edition of the London Marathon in October and then she won the ElliptiGO World Championships just a few weeks later! She certainly maximized that training period as she went on to win the Olympic Bronze in Tokyo. Aliphine used that extra time in a different way as she had her first child that January leading up to the Olympics, making ElliptiGO integration all the more valuable in her preparation.

In the men’s race, Andrew Colley of ZAP Endurance will be an athlete to watch. Ranging from the Mile to the Marathon, Colley has had success in every corner of the sport, including making the 2023 World XC Championship team. As an injury-prone athlete, ElliptiGO training is certainly a staple for Colley and with a PB of 2:11, he’ll have a great shot at being in that top 10 where anything can happen.

Don’t overlook Olympic veteran Jared Ward. Ward was 3rd at the 2016 Marathon Trials and went on to finish 6th at the Rio Olympics. With a 2:09 PB and a recent 2:11 at Berlin this past September, don’t be surprised to see this veteran in those lead packs. Speaking of veterans, Abdi Abdirahman qualified for his 5th Olympic Games in 2020 with a 3rd place finish and is lining up for a chance at competing for yet another Olympic berth.

Other top female contenders who use ElliptiGO bikes include:

• Lindsay Flanagan – After placing 12th at the 2020 Trials, Flanagan has been gaining major championship experience with top 10 finishes at Chicago, Tokyo, NYC, Paris, and a 9th Place finish at the 2023 World Champs in Budapest. With a PB of 2:24, she’ll certainly be in the mix with a solid chance at making this team.
• Tristan Van Ord – Representing ZAP Endurance, Van Ord was a newbie at the 2020 Trials in only her 2nd marathon. Since then, she’s steadily improved from 2:40 all the way down to 2:25 and will be a strong contender for a top 10 spot, maybe more.
• Molly Huddle – One of the most accomplished athletes in the sport, Huddle has won 28 US Championship titles. Welcoming her first child in 2022, her only qualifying marathon was in November at NYC running 2:32. With a PB of 2:26 and her incredible racing experience, never count out this veteran.
• Lauren Hagans – Representing HOKA NAZ Elite, Hagans ran her marathon debut at the 2023 Grandmas Marathon and won in 2:25:56. Starting as a middle-distance runner in college, she’s found new excitement in the marathon and will certainly be up near the front.
• Neely Gracey – An early adopter with ElliptiGO training, Gracey (formerly Spence) has been using the product since 2012 and has trained through marathon PBs, pregnancies, and even a World Record in the stroller mile. Now a professional coach, she’s entering these Trials with a 2:30 PB from just over a year ago.
• Stephanie Bruce – Representing HOKA NAZ Elite, Bruce (formerly Rothstein) has integrated ElliptiGO training since 2010, including her first two pregnancies within 2 years, her 3rd pregnancy this past fall, and everything in between. She was 6th at the 2020 Trials and now just after her 39th Birthday, we’ll be very proud to cheer on this gritty superwoman.

Other top contenders in the men’s race who integrate ElliptiGO bikes into their training include:

• Josh Izewski – Representing ZAP Endurance, Izewski was 17th at the 2020 Trials and has since improved his Marathon time from 2:14 to 2:11 with a top 5 finish at the 2023 Gold Coast Marathon. With a top 20 ranked time coming into this race, he’ll be working with other ZAP teammates to finish as close to the front as possible.
• Connor Winter – Representing Tinman Elite, Winter ran his debut Marathon in Chicago this past fall with a 2:15:51. With that building experience, look for him to potentially turn some heads in the chase packs.
• Tyler Pennel – Representing ZAP Endurance, Pennel has been excelling in championship-style marathons for a full decade, dating back to when he won the 2014 US Marathon Championships. Like many veterans, there were up and down years, but with a PB of 2:12:16 in 2023, keep an eye on this gutsy racer.
• Donnie Cowart – At 38 years old, Cowart has stated this will be his last Olympic Trials. Competing in the 1500 and Steeplechase for many years, he moved up to the marathon and just ran a PB of 2:13:39 at the McKirdy Micro Marathon this past October.

The ElliptiGO team will be represented in Orlando during trials weekend to support its many athletes, teams, and coaches. We’ll have some fun things planned while we’re in town and you may see us riding around the city on our GOs.

For more information about how hundreds of professional athletes, along with high schools and colleges across the country use ElliptiGO integration in their training, be sure to visit our Athletes page.

Visit https://www.orlando2024trials.com for information about the race, local activation and athlete bios.

Tune in and cheer on these athletes! The race will stream live on Peacock 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. EST and broadcast (taped delay) on NBC 12:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. EST