Bei-Hall so very close to Olympics

Sara Bei-Hall, the Montgomery High grad, is close, so close she is less than two seconds from achieving the "A" standard in the 1,500 meters and just about cementing her place on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

In town with her husband Ryan Hall, already on the U.S. team as a marathoner, Bei-Hall's best time in the 1,500 is 4:08.99, set last June at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championship where she finished fifth. The "A" Olympic qualifying standard for women in the event is 4:07. In order to make the U.S. Olympic team in this event, a woman has to finish in the top three at the Olympic Trials and run 4:07 or quicker.

"They are about five of us who are together," said Bei-Hall of the number of women who sit on the 1,500 bubble. Her chances have increased a bit since the five women runners who have run the "A" standard, only one or two of them will compete at the Olympic Trials in the event.

As an example of how important the "A" standard is, if Bei-Hall does not have the "A" standard but finishes third in the 1,500 at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon on July 6th, she will be left off the team if a fourth-place finisher has an "A" standard.

That's why Bei-Hall is running 1,500s every two weeks until the Trials, in hopes of running 4:07 or less and lessening the pressure of that make-or-break date.

The 1,500 has two prelims at the Trials on July 3rd and July 4th but those races generally are run slower as the field thins.

As for her future in the sport Bei-Hall doesn't know if she will continue long enough to compete for a spot on the 2012 U.S. team going to London.

"I didn't even know if I was going to run after college," Bei-Hall said.

She did, turning pro in the spring of 2005. Her primary sponsor is Asics.

Bei-Hall graduated with a degree in human biology from Stanford after starring there as a middle distance runner, where she was Pac-10 Female Athlete of the Year in 2003 and a multiple All-American. At Montgomery Bei-Hall was the first person to win four state cross country titles and was three-time state champion in the mile and two-mile.