Olympic Marathon Trials ‘08:
Elite Athlete Profile:
ELVA DRYER
Posted April 12th, 2008 at 6:10 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
A two-time U.S. Olympian, Elva Dryer has developed her athleticism since high school with patience and hard work. She first began to train seriously at Western State College in Colorado, refining her skills for a promising career on and off the track. She was a 16-time NCAA Division II All-American and a seven-time national champion at Western State.
After graduating in 1996, Dryer continued to race and train. She posted respectable indoor times in the mile, 3,000m, and 5,000m events before extending her skills to the roads, cross country and outdoor track. In 1998, Dryer produced several strong international performances, placing eighth at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships 4K and ninth in the mile at the Goodwill Games with a PR of 4:31.12.
Dryer finished third at the U.S. Olympic Trials 5,000m in 2000 and competed in the Sydney Olympic Games, but she did not make the final. Dryer went on to place third in the 5,000m at the U.S. Championships in 2001 and won the U.S. national 10K road title. She continued to build her career in 2002 with a second-place finish in the U.S. 15K championships. Dryer also helped Team USA win a silver medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
In 2003 she was second in the 10,000m at the U.S. Championships. In 2004, Dryer worked through injury and health problems to compete in her second Olympic Games where she finished 19th in the 10,000m final. In 2005 she improved her personal best at 10,000m by clocking a 31:21.92.
In 2006 Dryer placed sixth at the U.S. 15K championships (51:21), ninth at the Bolder Boulder 10K (34:31), second at the Bellin Run 10K (34:46), 11th at the Peachtree Road Race 10K (32:51), sixth at the Beach to Beacon 10K (33:00), eighth at the Falmouth Road Race 7-Mile (37:52), and second at the New Haven 20K in 1:08:39, just 11 seconds behind winner Marla Runyan. Dryer ran a 2:31:48 marathon debut, placing 12th at The 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.
She started 2007 with a bang, claiming the U.S. national half marathon championships by notching a personal best 1:11:42 in Houston on January 14, then closed the year with a sixth-place finish at the ING New York City Marathon, in just her second race of that distance.
Elite Athlete Bio: Courtesy of BostonTrials2008.com
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Tags: 2008 U.S. Olympic women’s marathon trials, 2008 USA Olympic women’s marathon trials, athlete profile, deena kastor, elite athlete bio, elite athlete profile, Elva Dryer, elva martinez, Olympicwomensmarathontrials2008profiles, usa Olympic team trials – women’s marathon
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