U.S. Men’s Marathon Trial : For Conover, It’s a Lot Easier the Second Time

When a little-known runner named Mark Conover mailed in his biography to the people who put on the U.S. men’s Olympic marathon trial, he described his training this past year as follows: “Constant improvement in all aspects. Strength, consistency and confidence.”

Maybe they didn’t read it carefully enough since they gave him number 70, a commentary on his lack of marathon experience and his relatively slow qualifying time--2 hours 18 minutes 3 seconds--in the one and only marathon he had ever run.

They should have paid more attention.

On a day when the three coveted spots on the U.S. Olympic men’s marathon team were up for grabs among more than a dozen of the country’s best-known marathoners, Conover was the surprising winner of the 26.2-mile race, taking the top spot in 2:12:26.

“My first marathon was run under horrible conditions: 60-mile-per-hour winds, driving rain--I knew I had a lot more in me than that,” said Conover, 27, a former Division II distance runner for Humboldt State (Calif.).

Conover ran most of the last 8 miles with Ed Eyestone, a cross-country and 10,000-meter runner from Brigham Young who only recently took up the marathon. It wasn’t until the final mile that Conover passed Eyestone, who finished second in 2:12:49.

The only familiar face among the top three at the finish line was that of Peter Pfitzinger, third in 2:13:09. Four years ago, Pfitzinger was a mystery man like Conover who came from nowhere to win the 1984 trial.

“Experience is why I made it this time.” Pfitzinger said. “The first time it was sheer energy and excitement and being new. This time I was a wily old fox.”

Paul Gompers, from Fairview Heights., Ill., placed fourth in 2:14:20 and will serve as an alternate.

Conover won $50,000 in prize money for his first-place finish. Eyestone won $25,000, Pfitzinger $20,000 and Gompers $15,000.

One-hundred and sixteen men lined up in Liberty State Park, across the Hudson River from the towering Manhattan skyline. Temperatures were in the mid-50s and it was partly cloudy, but runners were severely hampered on the hilly course by an unrelenting head wind.

As expected, the pace was slow and tactical, averaging about 5 minutes 3 seconds per mile. In an Olympic trial, it matters less to run a fast time--or even to win--than it does to finish in the top three.

“I wanted this real bad,” said Pfitzinger, who was in tears after he finished. “I didn’t think I was going to do it.”

Pfitzinger’s race was probably the most dramatic of the trial. He began with the pack, kept dropping back, but continued fighting to return.

Between the 18th and 19th miles, Conover and Eyestone had broken away from a pack of about a half-dozen men. Mark Curp, also a newcomer to the marathon, was running third. Gompers and Steve Spence were behind Curp. Pfitzinger was a distant sixth, slowly trying to work his way back up.

He passed Spence and Gompers, then began gunning for Curp.

“I actually passed Paul twice,” Pfitzinger said. “Curp was still a far way ahead. Then Paul came flying by me on a big downhill. Then we both pulled in Curp.”

By the 23rd mile, Pfitzinger said, “with Gompers and Curp right behind me, I was running for my life.”

Meanwhile, up front, Conover and Eyestone were working together.

“I realized we both had a shot to make the team,” Conover said. “I kept glancing over my shoulder to see if anyone was behind us, and sharing that information with Ed. We were trying to make the last 5 miles as easy as possible for one another.”

Eyestone said: “I was afraid to look. I was afraid they were going to be closer.”

Eyestone, who also plans to run in the 10,000-meter trial this July, said he suffered a sharp pain in his left hamstring in the last mile and abandoned thoughts of winning--and the extra money--realizing that making the team was more important.

“I felt the pain and the money business went out the window,” Eyestone said.

Conover said he was extremely confident before the race, as he had written in his biography. But since no one had ever really heard of him, he could run without pressure.

“I knew if I kept my head on straight and made it to the starting line well rested, I’d have a good race,” he said. “I think the more marathons you run, the more your body starts to rebel on itself. Hopefully, I have one or two more good ones before my body rebels.”