The Hansons-Brooks women claimed three of the top fourteen places in the Olympic Marathon Trials April 22^nd in Boston, Mass. 

Desiree Davila challenged for the third spot late in the race, closing the gap on Blake Russell (Pacific Grove, Calif.) to only seven seconds, before falling off pace and fading from fourth place to 13th. Dot McMahan was the top finisher for the Hansons-Brooks squad, running an eight-minute personal best and placing eighth. White, who accompanied Davila in the lead pack for much of the race, placed 14th. Yolanda Flamino and Lori Stich Zimmerman placed 38th and 47th respectively, in the field of 124 finishers.

1)Deena Kastor Mammoth Lakes, Calif. 2:29:35

2)Magdalena Lewy Boulet Oakland, Calif. 2:30:19

3)Blake Russell Pacific Grove, Calif. 2:32:40

4)Zoila Gomez Alamosa, Colo. 2:33:53

5)Tera Moody Boulder, Colo. 2:33:54

6)Turena Johnson Lane Baton Rouge, Louis. 2:34:17

7)Ann Alyanak Bellbrook, Ohio 2:34:46

8)Dot McMahan, Rochester Hills, 2:35:02

9)Robyn Friedman Lambs Grove, Iowa 2:35:02

10)Erin Moeller Cedar Rapids, Iowa 2:36:51

13)Desiree Davila, Rochester Hills,  2:37:50

14)Melissa White, Rochester Hills,  2:37:53

38)Yolanda Flamino, Rochester Hills, 2:42:53

47)Lori Stich Zimmerman, Rochester Hills, 2:43:56

Early in the women's race, Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) unexpectedly took the lead, and gapped the rest of the field by a minute over the first five miles. Lewy-Boulet was the fifth-place finisher in the 2004 Marathon Trials, but came into this years trials with the 46th fastest qualifying time. Behind Lewy-Boulet, a large pack of contenders—including pre-race favorite DeenaKastor (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.), as well as Hansons-Brooks athletes Davila and White— their way through the first fourteen miles. At that point, aftersurrendering a two-minute lead to Lewy-Boulet, Kastor made a decisive move offthe front of the chase pack. She was followed closely by Mary Akor (Hawthorne,Calif.), and Russell. Kastor would eventually catch Lewy-Boulet near mile 24, before crossing the finish in 2:29:35. Kastor placed third to make the Olympic team in the 2004 trials race, before winning bronze in the games later that year.

The definitive moment for Davila came during mile 17, when she made her bid for the all-important third position. Davila ran a 5:45, easily overtaking Akor for fourth, followed by a 5:34 eighteenth mile—which closed the gap from third-place Russell down to seven seconds. Over the ensuing four miles, Russell matched Davila's pace, and maintained her lead of seven seconds, until Davila fell off pace, eventually dropping to 13th. Russell, who was the Olympic Marathon alternate in 2004, joined fellow Californians Kastor and Lewy-Boulet on the Olympic team by running 2:32:40.

With their strong showing at the trials, the Hansons-Brooks women also set new team bests in the marathon. McMahan's 2:35:02 is the new team best for the event, with Davila and White taking over the second and third spot on the all-time team list. Flamino's time of 2:42:53 was good enough for sixth, and Lori Stich Zimmerman moves into tenth all-time.