Boston-based running club to race for spots on Team U.S.A. on February 29
BOSTON—The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) will send 14 members of the organization’s High Performance and Racing teams—the largest contingent among any running club in America—to compete at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s and Women’s Marathon in Atlanta on February 29. The top three finishers in both races will earn automatic bids to represent Team U.S.A. at the Olympic Marathons as part of this summer’s Olympic Games in Japan.
Leading the way are B.A.A. High Performance Team members Jerrell Mock (personal best of 2:10:37) and Kaitlin Goodman (2:32:08).
B.A.A. High Performance and Racing Team Members Competing at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women
| NAME | PERSONAL BEST | HOMETOWN |
|---|---|---|
| Kaitlin Goodman | 2:32:08 | Providence, RI |
| Rachel Hyland | 2:37:22 | Somerville, MA |
| Laura Paulsen | 2:39:54 | Brookline, MA |
| Katie Kellner | 2:41:07 | Boston, MA |
| Allie Hackett | 2:42:48 | Boston, MA |
| Michaela Hackett | 2:44:11 | Boston, MA |
| Rachel Coogan | 2:44:10 | Somerset, MA |
| Hannah Rowe | 2:44:26 | Boston, MA |
| Katie Edwards | 2:44:54 | Cambridge, MA |
B.A.A. High Performance and Racing Team Members Competing at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men
| NAME | PERSONAL BEST | HOMETOWN |
|---|---|---|
| Jerrell Mock | 2:10:37 | Logan, UT |
| Brian Harvey | 2:17:05 | Cambridge, MA |
| Eric Ashe | 2:17:06 | Natick, MA |
| Alex Taylor | 2:17:08 | Lincoln, MA |
| Dan Harper | 2:17:32 | Chicago, IL |
Notable Stats and Numbers
- 14: Of all running clubs in America, the B.A.A. will have the most athletes competing at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon with a total of 14 runners (5 men and 9 women). At the last two U.S. Olympic Team Trials, the B.A.A. sent 7 competitors (2016 in Los Angeles, 4 men and 3 women) and 4 competitors (2012 in Houston, 1 man and 3 women).
- 7: A total of seven B.A.A. athletes have represented the United States at the Olympic Marathon while competing for Team B.A.A. o Arthur Blake (1896), Richard Grant (1900), Ted Vogel (1948), Aulis Manninen (1948), John J. Kelley (1956 and 1960), and Dean Thackwray (1956).
- 9: The B.A.A. sent nine athletes to compete at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896, making up a majority of the American contingent. They returned with six medals, and were inspired to create the Boston Marathon, which made its debut a year later.
- 1964: The most recent Olympic medalist to represent the B.A.A. is John Thomas, who earned a silver medal in the high jump at the 1964 Olympic Games – the last time the Games were held in Tokyo.
B.A.A. Athlete Biographies and Storylines
Jerrell Mock is the most recent professional runner to join the B.A.A. High Performance team. He finished tenth at the 2019 Chicago Marathon (second-fastest American) in 2:10:37. An All-American in college at Colorado State, he enters the Olympic Trials Marathon as the sixth-fastest men’s competitor in the field. A press release announcing Jerrell joining Team B.A.A. can be found here.
Brian Harvey competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon, placing 32nd. He is a Biomedical Engineer and was a 5-time Division III All-American while at Carnegie Mellon University. He’s a father to a 2-year-old daughter, Olive.
Eric Ashe is a native of Hanson, MA and competed at Boston University in college. He’s a past winner of the Cape Cod Marathon. Eric qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles, though did not finish.
Alex Taylor is racing his first Olympic Trials Marathon after chasing the elusive Olympic Trials qualifying standard for 10 years. He’s a father of two, and is competing as a masters (over 40) runner. Alex is a Software Engineer in Natick.
Dan Harper will be running his first Olympic Trials Marathon. A graduate of MIT, Dan is a medical student at Rush Medical College (Illinois) and was the 2013 USATF-New England Outdoor champion in the 10,000 meters.
Kaitlin Goodman is a member of the B.A.A. High Performance team, coached by the B.A.A.’s Mark Carroll, an Irish Olympian. Kaitlin won the Naples Half Marathon earlier this year in 1:13:52 (a personal record). Her career best marathon finish is a 2:32:08 from the 2017 U.S.A. National Championships, where she finished fifth. Kaitlin was one of only two women to qualify and compete at three distances at the 2016 Olympic Trials (5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and the marathon). More information on Kaitlin can be found at www.teambaa.org.
Rachel Hyland finished fourth at the 2018 Boston Marathon, persevering through the rain and windy conditions to earn the highest finish by a B.A.A. athlete since Patti Dillon’s runner-up placing in 1979. Rachel is a graduate of Williams College, and finished 46th at the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon.
Laura Paulsen competed at the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon, finishing 59th. Laura ran at Johns Hopkins University and now is a Director of Product Management at a medical device company in Lexington. She won the 2013 Medtronic Twin Cities 10 Mile race in 2013.
Katie Kellner earned national headlines last fall when she saved a man and dog from drowning in the Chestnut Hill Reservoir while out on a training run. Since her heroic actions, Katie has been honored by the Boston Celtics as their ‘Hero Among Us’; recognized by PETA with their Compassionate Action Award and named as one of the organization’s Top Animal Rescuers of the Year for 2019; and was honored at Boston College’s annual red bandana football game. Katie was a three-time All-American at Cornell and earned her graduate degree at Boston University. She competed at the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon, finishing 28th. She owns her own online coaching business called Forward Focus Running.
Identical twins Allie Hackett and Michaela Hackett are both qualified for the Olympic Trials Marathon and will compete for Team B.A.A. They are believed to be the only set of identical twins to have qualified for this year’s Olympic Trials. Both are from Cranston, RI; ran at Abilene Christian University; work as CPA’s at Ernst & Young; and live in Boston. Allie qualified for the Trials thanks to a 2:42:48 time at the Cal International Marathon, while Michaela qualified by way of a 2:44:11 time at the Grandma’s Marathon.
Rachel Coogan qualified for the Olympic Trials thanks to her 2:44:10 finish at the 2019 Boston Marathon. This will be her first Olympic Trials Marathon. Rachel finished 44th at the 2019 Boston Marathon.
Hannah Rowe qualified for the Olympic Trials Marathon by finishing this year’s Houston Marathon in 2:44:26 on January 19 – the deadline and last possible day to earn a qualifying time for this year’s Trials. Hannah ran at Dartmouth College, and also won the 2019 Cape Cod Marathon last October in 2:46:42.
Katie Edwards ran 2:44:54 to finish runner-up at the 2019 Bay State Marathon in Lowell. At the 2014 Boston Marathon she placed 35th in 2:45:29.
Lauren Philbrook, a native of Hopkinton, MA, is an Assistant Professor in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. She finished 29th at the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials and 32nd at the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials. Her career-high finish at the Boston Marathon is 16th in 2015, a special achievement considering the Boston Marathon starts in her hometown of Hopkinton. Philbrook successfully earned a qualifying time for the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon, though will not be competing.