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One of the toughest races in the country will have some Portland State representation as Viking alum
Camelia Mayfield races in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials next Saturday, Feb. 29, in Atlanta, Ga.
Mayfield qualified for next week's race after meeting the 'B' standard at the California International Marathon (CIM) on Dec. 2, 2018. Mayfield posted an official time of two hours, 42 minutes and 55 seconds at CIM, putting her well under the 'B' standard of 2:45:00.
Mayfield has primarily competed in ultramarathons – races above the traditional marathon length of 26.2 miles – after graduating from Portland State in 2015. Mayfield says she still hopes to be competitive in next week's race, however, despite competing against several high-level runners who specialize in the marathon.
"I've been working really hard to get in prime shape for this race," Mayfield said of her preparation. "I hope to finish in the top 15 percent of the field, and hopefully run a personal-best time, which will be tough on this course."
The trials course will force runners to climb 1,389 feet and descend 1,382 feet over the 26.2 miles, an element that could benefit a runner like Mayfield, who has experience running over dramatic elevation changes as an ultrarunner.
"When I ran CIM about 15 months ago, I remember thinking that the last three miles of a marathon were way easier than the last three miles of a 100-mile race," Mayfield said. "That definitely helps my mindset in general. I've also been doing more specific road and time-specific workouts, which I think will transition me well back to trails in the spring as well."
Two of Mayfield's best finishes in ultra races came in the past year between the 2019 Western States 100-Miler and 2019 Javelin Jundred. Mayfield placed fifth in the women's race and 22nd overall out of 319 finishers at the 2019 Western States 100-Miler, where she also shaved more than 90 minutes off her time from the previous year. Mayfield then followed up with a second-place finish in the women's race at the Javelin Jundred in October.
Both those races should dwarf the elevation changes Mayfield will face at the Marathon Trials next Saturday. The Western States 100-Miler, for instance, winds through the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in California, and has runners climb 18,000 feet all told while descending close to 23,000 feet. The Javelin Jundred, meanwhile, takes place in the McDowell Mountain Regional Park in Arizona, where in-race temperatures have been in the mid-90s.
Mayfield will have a familiar face in the field with her next week, as Sarah Reiter, who competed against Mayfield while a runner at Eastern Washington, will also run in the trials. Reiter moved to the Portland area after graduating from Eastern Washington, and Mayfield and her have been training together ahead of the trials.
NBC will broadcast the trials live, starting at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET. The race will begin and end at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park, site of the 1996 Olympic Games.
