Olympic Trials Preview at Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, San Jose
Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi and San Jose native J.T. Service tune-up before Olympic Trials in New York City

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Posted Monday, 13 August, 2007

SAN JOSE, Calif. - (August 7, 2007) - San Jose's Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon will feature two American Olympic hopefuls on Sunday, October 14, 2007 as Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi and San Jose native J.T. Service tune-up before the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials to be held in New York City on Saturday, November 3, 2007.

Keflezighi, 32, winner of the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the marathon, had to pull out of the 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon with a leg cramp near mile 11 of the 13.1-mile race. He was staging a comeback, picking off runners one-by-one, as he gained ground on the blistering pace set by Duncan Kibet of Kenya, who won in a time of 1 hour, 22 seconds. Despite an early exit from the race, Keflezighi realized the potential the San Jose course offers to runners looking to gauge their race speed.

"Last year, I wanted to test my fitness prior to the ING New York City Marathon," said Keflezighi. "The weather was perfect, the course is fast, and depending on how I perform over the next couple months, I feel I can put together a strong race in San Jose before the Olympic Trials."

Keflezighi, who will celebrate his 20th anniversary as a U.S. citizen this October, hopes to make his third U.S. Olympic team. A win for Keflezighi at the Olympic Trials would represent his first ever victory in 10 marathon starts and solidify his spot on the Olympic team provided he earns the Olympic "A" standard of 2:15:00 at the Trials or prior to April 21, 2008.

Keflezighi began running at age 12 and competed with two of his brothers at San Diego High School where he won three state titles his senior year. At UCLA, running for his current coach Bob Larsen, Keflezighi won four NCAA titles while earning a B.A. in communications. He currently lives in San Diego and in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. where he trains at altitude with Team Running USA.

Service, 26, returns to defend his title as the top San Jose and Bay Area finisher at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, finishing the 2006 inaugural race in 1:07:46. However, at the start of this year's race, the butterflies will be fluttering a little harder in his stomach as the UCSB grad prepares for his first shot at an Olympic team.

"Making it to the Olympic team is any athlete's dream," Service said. "As I look back over the peaks and valleys of my running career, my preparation for the Trials has seemingly taken a lifetime. When I found the marathon, things seemed to have fall into place. Now, I just want to run a fast tune-up in San Jose, then give a huge effort at the Trials and let chips fall where they may. It's all really exciting."

His father, Tom Service, has been a running role model throughout his son's life. As the head coach of both the men's and women's distance programs at Santa Clara University, Tom Service has helped guide J.T. through his athletic career.

"Although he has never officially been my running coach, he has always advised me on a day-to-day basis," Service said of his father. "Somehow he has walked the tight rope of encouraging me to participate in his favorite sport while constantly letting me know that he would love me just as much if I quit tomorrow."

As a member of the ASICS Aggies Running Club, an Olympic development program for USA Track & Field, Service has strengthened his own career in his bid for the Olympics.

Born and raised in San Jose, Service ran cross country for Archbishop Mitty High School. He went on to receive his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara where he was a two-time All-Big West Conference distance runner and he is now a law student at Santa Clara.

For more information or to register for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, please visit: RnRsj.com or call (800) 311-1255.

Contact: Ian Monahan, Elite Racing, (800) 311-1255

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