The 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials Project had a HUGE result yesterday morning with Chad Maloy running 1:06:12 in his half marathon debut at the Richmond Half Marathon!!! Running a very even and smart race, Chad was able to finish in 1:06:12 and get within just two minutes of the 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying standard.
Here is what Chad had to say about it, including his splits…
Half marathon debut came out as a success! I really enjoyed the distance and was able to take a lot out of this race.
From the start the lead pack took off and I settled in a 4 man group which was the backbone of this race. We communicated well and switched leads on and off.
The first 2.5 miles were slightly uphill with a bit of a headwind that made us all want to tuck into each other and a big reason why we hit a 5:12 for that second split. We all kind of woke up after that one. From 2.5 to 5 it was relatively flat with one small bump which was a bridge. From 5-8 we hit a park that was in the woods which was mostly rolling hills. I felt really good on this one and led the way on the uphills and usually played catch up after the downhills. We went through 10k in 31:36 (that’s off the top of my head). We dropped the one guy at mile 8 and then I found myself in the ropes at mile 10. The other two starting pulling from me and so I started getting really negative thinking ‘here is where the legs start tying up’. Fortunately I looked at my watch and saw that I was hitting a 4:54 pace for the current mile and was rejuvenated. Was able to keep clipping and straighten out mentally. The last two miles had a slight downhill with the last half mile having a rather steep finish. Almost too steep. (Course was still elevation legal) I ended up chasing down one of the guys that left me at mile 10 (even though I never really did let him go very far). Pretty pumped about it all and seeing that I exceeded expectations. Looking back on it, I see lots of room for improvement!
Splits:
4:58
5:12
5:10
4:57
5:02
5:04
5:03
5:06
5:00
5:05
5:01
5:00
4:57
Would have been nice to have Mile two and three faster but the wind kept us cautious early on with the slight uphill gain.
I’m super excited for Chad and can tell that there is definitely more there…it’s going to be fun watching him continue to pursue the trials qualifier and if today is any indication…THAT’S COMING SOONER, RATHER THAN LATER!!!
Phillips Running 