NEW YORK (02-Nov) -- 2016 was a magical year for 28-time national champion Molly Huddle.  The former Notre Dame star won the United Airlines NYC Half for the second time (setting a national record for an all-women's race), claimed the USA Olympic Trials titles at both 5000m and 10,000m, and finished sixth at the Rio Olympic Games in the 10,000m where she set a North American record of 30:13.17, a mark which would stand for more than six years.  She also made her long-awaited marathon debut at the TCS New York City Marathon, and finished third in 2:28:13, a very credible time in the pre-supershoe era.

The ascent of the American women’s marathoning that started with almost 20 years ago with Deena Kastor continues on Saturday at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Whoever makes the team is capable of getting a medal at the Olympics, and medal-worthy athletes will be left off the team. Here’s a breakdown of the top contenders. 

As the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials rapidly draw near, tensions surrounding the fate of Nike’s controversial Vaporfly shoes are at an all-time high. Reports in recent weeks that World Athletics is set to ban the shoe have led to speculation of when a potential rule change would be made and what specifically the governing body seeks to outlaw. With less than 40 days until Atlanta, both action or inaction by World Athletics will be a major storyline in the race for Tokyo. 

Molly Huddle broke the American record for half marathon by clocking 1:07:25 over 13.1 miles at the 2018 Aramco Houston Half Marathon on Sunday morning.

Twelve years have passed since Deena Kastor's spectacular 2006, which saw her set American records in both the half and full marathon distances in 67:34 and 2:19:36. Prior to 2016 Kastor was truly in a league of her own, as no other American woman had ever broken 68 minutes for the half marathon, and to this day no other American has run faster than 2:20 for the full distance.