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 A record field for the trials, comprising more than 370 athletes,
will have to cope with temperatures of up to 82 degrees Fahrenheit
(28 Celsius) in downtown Los Angeles where the race will start and
end.
"Coming into it, I think it's the training that you do and you just
try to prepare yourself as much as possible," Luke Puskedra, the
third-fastest men's qualifier, told reporters about the impact of
the heat.
"The weather makes it more tactical. You have to be ready for
everything. That being said, it's going to take a 2:08:00 effort (to
qualify).
"A lot of it (coping with heat) comes with the toughness and some of
it will probably be more of a mental head game. I stayed at home
training in Eugene, Oregon, and turned the thermostat up to 80. My
wife didn't enjoy it as much as I did!"
Puskedra, 26, will be making his debut in the U.S. Olympic marathon
trials and will vie for a spot in Rio de Janeiro along with
three-time Olympian Meb Keflezighi and Dathan Ritzenhein, who placed
ninth in the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Also competing will be Galen Rupp, the 10,000m silver medalist at
the 2012 Olympics who will be making his marathon debut.
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Another three-time Olympian, defending trials champion Shalane
Flanagan, will head the women's field where her leading challengers
are expected to be Desiree Linden, Kara Goucher and Amy Cragg.
"The heat is going to obviously play a part," said Linden, 32, who
represented the U.S. at the 2012 London Olympics. "It's handling
that last 10km and being able to finish the marathon."
The top three finishers from each race who meet Olympic time
standards will be nominated to represent the United States in the
Rio Games.
(Editing by Larry Fine)
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