Several cities have launched bids to host the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials but St. Louis is the first to officially confirm that it has submitted a proposal for the event, according to published reports.
After serving as the stage for last week’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the St. Louis Sports Commission believes it can draw other events and boost the city’s downtown area.
And in a report from St. Louis Public Radio, commission president Marc Schreiber was clear that his group has eyes on NCAA championships, the 2030 figure skating championships, but also wants pull in the next Olympic marathon trials in early 2028.
“We’re in the midst of multiple bids,” Schreiber said in the report. “We prove ourselves this week, it only helps that case even more. And the wonderful thing about St. Louis, we’ve been able to assemble that great track record of success.”
The 2024 trials were held in Orlando with warmer than expected race day temperatures as Conner Mantz, Clayton Young and Leonard Korir taking the top spots in the men’s race while Fiona O’Keeffe, Emily Sisson and Dakotah Lindwurm grabbed the women’s spots.
And while the bids of the of the other prospective cities remains under wraps — for now — USA Track and Field has already revealed the standards for the 2028 trials.
In June, USATF noted that male qualifiers must be two minutes quicker than previous races while the women’s time will remain the same as 2024.
It means the men’s field will be made up of participants who run 2:16 or better and the women will stick to the 2:37 mark from the previous period.
“The standards and qualifying window were formed with direct feedback from athletes, coaches and agents at the front of mind with the goal of creating an environment that prioritizes athletes’ performance needs.” USATF director of Long Distance Running Programs Amy Begley said in June. “We’ve had such a surge of young, record-breaking talent on the roads in recent years and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2028.”
And beginning this month, runners can also qualify with top half marathon performances, with the 1:03 standard for men and 1:12 for women.
Meanwhile, for St. Louis the next large scale event for the city is the first and seconds rounds of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament in March at the Enterprise Center, the same site as last week’s figure staking championships.
The city is no stranger to hosting major events and was the site of the third Olympic Games in 1904.
