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Michelle Gallagher qualifies for Olympic Trials in debut marathon

Posted on December 3, 2007, Interview conducted December 3, 2007

SACRAMENTO, CA - Michelle Gallagher, 22, representing the Pamakids Running Club, qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Women's Marathon by running a 2 hour, 43 minute, 30 second marathon. The Daly City resident, running her first marathon, placed fifth overall and third among the U.S. women at the 2007 California International Marathon (CIM) in Sacramento on Sunday, December 2. The 26.2 mile race starts in Folsom and ends at the Capitol Mall in Sacramento. Her time, according to a list on the Track & Field News web site, is the 17th fastest by an American woman in 2007.

Gallagher ran a smart race, running consistent splits throughout the race. She was on 2:43 pace almost right from the very start, and she held that pace for the whole race. Her fastest mile was 6:03 and her slowest was 6:21. "It felt more relaxed than at practice," said Gallagher, "We had a good group of runners who worked together to get a fast time." Gallagher ran much of the race with fellow 22-year-old Brooke Wells of San Francisco. Gallagher had almost 20 people cheering her on along the course, including her mom, dad, brother, coach, and Pamakid teammates. "At 18 miles, I asked her how she felt and she said fine," said her coach Andy Chan, "I told her to surge a bit and she immediately did. That's when I knew she was going to get the Olympic Trials time."

Gallagher attended high school at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco, where Chan was her coach. In cross country she was league and section champion as a senior and placed third at the state championship. In track & field, she was a two-time league champion at 3,200 meters. Her fastest 3200 was 10:33.04 at the Arcadia Invitational in April 2003. That mark was the 15th-fastest in the nation that spring. In her final high school race for the Fightin' Irish, she placed fourth at the state meet in the 3,200 meters. She also set high school bests of 4:56.1 (1,600 meters) and 2:17.7 (800 meters).

After graduating from SHCP, she earned a full athletic scholarship to NCAA Division I, Iona College in New York. She competed for the Gaels for four years. On the track, she ran a 5,000 meter best of 16:49.54, qualifying for the NCAA East Regional in 2004. She also won conference titles at three different distances (5,000 as a freshman, 3,000 as a sophomore, and 1,500 as a junior) outdoors. Indoors she was a four-time conference champion. In cross country she was a member of the Iona team that won back-to-back conference championships and in 2006 placed second in the region and 20th at the NCAA Championships.

Gallagher graduated from Iona in June 2007 and returned to the Bay Area. She asked her former high school coach, Chan, to coach her again. Her goal was to run her first marathon in Seattle in November 2007. As part of her training she ran for the Pamakids Running Club at the Pacific Association Grand Prix Cross Country series. She won the Presidio Open in October and also placed second twice and third twice during the season. At the Cross Country Championships, she finished fourth. Gallagher placed second overall in the series and she led the Pamakids team to a third-place team finish.

Gallagher's best race of the fall, prior to CIM, was the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on October 14. At that race she ran 1:16:37 (a seven-minute personal record), coming in 12th among the woman, fourth among U.S. women, and first among Bay Area woman. As a result of that excellent race, she and Chan decided to change her goals for the marathon. "After Rock 'n' Roll we realized that she had a legitimate chance to get the Olympic Trials qualifying mark," explained Chan. So instead of racing the Seattle Marathon, she switched to CIM, which is known for producing fast times.

And a fast time is just what she got. "When I realized that the halfway split that I needed was six minutes slower than what I ran at Rock 'n' Roll it made me feel confident that I could do it," said Gallagher." "Even back in high school," said Chan, "I thought her best distance when she got older was going to be the longer races. When she asked me to coach her in June, I remember telling her that if she ends up liking the marathon she could do quite well…maybe even make the Olympic Trials someday. But I had no idea that someday would come so soon."

The Trials race will be held in Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday April 20, 2008. The top three finishers at that race (assuming they have run the Olympic "A" standard of 2:37:00 or faster) will represent the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. As of December 1, only 96 women had achieved the Trials qualifying mark. At Sunday's CIM, Gallagher was one of nine athletes to qualify for the Olympic Trials.

The Trials race will be held in Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday April 20, 2008. The top three finishers at that race (assuming they have run the Olympic "A" standard of 2:37:00 or faster) will represent the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. As of December 1, only 96 women had achieved the Trials qualifying mark. At Sunday's CIM, Gallagher was one of nine athletes to qualify for the Olympic Trials.