In high school and for most of her college career, Haddonfield Memorial High School grad and Mt. Laurel resident Marielle Hall ran intermediate-distance races like the 800m and 1,500m events in track and field.
In a few weeks, however, Hall will be running in a much longer race on one of the world’s biggest stages.
Hall will be competing in her first Summer Olympic Games in August. Hall qualified for the Olympics after finishing third in the 10,000-meter run at the United States Track and Field Olympic Trials.
Hall had specialized in the 5,000-meter run since graduating from the University of Texas in 2014, competing in the event last year at the World Championships in Beijing. However, the 10,000-meter run was a new event for Hall.
“The transition to running the 10 was a bit of a surprise this year, but I did a lot of base training in the fall,” Hall said.
Running the long-distance events is very different from the events Hall ran when she was younger.
“I started in fifth or sixth grade,” Hall remembers. “I mostly did a lot of sprints, I did the long jump. In high school and my first few years of college, I did the shorter middle-distance events.”
Hall gave a lot of credit to her coach, Derek Thompson, for setting up a long-term plan for her training. She said her training for the 10,000-meter run began last fall and helped set her up for success for the 2016 track and field season.
Hall entered in both the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter run at the Olympic Trials. Hall had previous success in the 5,000-meter run, finishing in the top-3 at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2014 and 2015.
“That was where my focus was,” Hall said of the 5,000-meter run. “I thought I had a good chance of making that team. You have a better chance if you have experience in the event and you made it there before.”
The 10,000-meter run was Hall’s first event on July 2. Early in the race, Hall hung toward the back, running no higher than 10th place in the first 3,000 meters. Halfway through the race at 5,200 meters, Hall moved up to fifth place.
“It was just trying to stay patient for as long as possible,” Hall said. “If you feel good 10 minutes in, it doesn’t mean you’re going to feel well 20 minutes later.”
“It was not trying to do too much so that you put yourself out of it,” Hall added.
By the race’s 15th lap, other runners had dropped off the pace and Hall moved into the top-3, less than a half-second behind leader Molly Huddle. She hung in the top group before Huddle and second place Emily Infeld pulled away in the final couple of laps.
Realizing the top-3 finishers would all advance to the Summer Olympics, Hall was focused on maintaining her position.
“I knew that I was third but I wasn’t sure where fourth was,” Hall said. “I remember running the last couple laps and the front two runners broke away from me.”
Hall finished the race ahead of fourth place Kellyn Taylor by a little more than 16 seconds, sending her to the Olympic Games.
“Afterward, it was a thrill,” Hall said. “My whole family was there and to get to do the victory lap and see my parents and my coach, it was amazing.”
With just a couple weeks remaining before she competes at the Olympics, Hall is most looking forward to spending time and cheering on her training partner and friend, Ajee Wilson. Wilson is also competing for the United States in the Olympics for the first time. She will compete in the 800-meter run.
Hall will only compete in one event in Rio de Janeiro, as she finished in seventh place in the 5,000-meter run at the Olympic Trials. However, qualifying for the Olympics in any event is a joy for Hall. Her focus now is to have the race of her career at the Olympics.
“The biggest goal I can have for myself is to have my best race possible,” Hall said. “A personal best would be ideal.”
Hall will be competing in the first medal-awarding event in track and field at the 2016 Summer Olympics. The 10,000-meter run will take place during the first day of the track and field schedule on Aug. 12. The race is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:10 a.m. Eastern time. All events at the Olympics can be streamed online at nbcolympics.com.
