St. Louis, Missouri will be the host of the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, USA Track & Field (USATF) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced on Thursday. The event will take place on March 25, 2028 and be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 12 p.m. ET.
“We are proud to name St. Louis as the host of the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “Throughout the bid process, the local organizing committee demonstrated the professionalism, vision, and passion necessary to host one of the most important events on the road to Los Angeles. We are confident this event will provide an exceptional experience for the entire running community and ensure the top runners are prepared to face the world’s best in LA.”
“The U.S. Olympic Team Trials consistently showcase some of the best competition in the world, and we are thrilled to have the opening event for LA28 take place in St. Louis - the city that hosted America’s Olympic marathon debut in 1904,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “This race will determine the initial members of Team USA for the Olympic Games returning to home soil after more than 30 years and mark the beginning of the road to LA28.”
The course will take athletes through some of the city’s most iconic locales, including Washington University — site of the 1904 Olympic stadium, and Forest Park. Other highlights include the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals. The route will finish inside Energizer Park, home of St. Louis CITY Soccer Club. The final course layout will be announced over the coming months.
“It is a wonderful privilege and opportunity for our region to host the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon,” said St. Louis Sports Commission President Marc Schreiber. “We’re grateful for the trust instilled in us by USATF and thrilled to renew our longstanding relationship with the organization. As America’s first Olympic city, we’re also ecstatic to add another exciting chapter to our rich Olympic history – not to mention further connect St. Louis to the 2028 LA Games. With St. Louis hosting the Marathon Trials and Olympic Soccer matches, it is going to be a special year for our community. Thank you to all of our regional partners, including GO! St. Louis, for supporting the effort to bring the Trials here.”
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected as host of the 2028 Marathon Trials,” said St. Louis Organizing Committee Co-Chair Jackie Joyner-Kersee. “St. Louis is ready to step up to deliver a first-class experience and provide a special energy the athletes will feed off as they push their limits to make Team USA. This is much more than just hosting a race – our plans include using the power and influence of the Olympic Trials in St. Louis to make a lasting impact on the lives of young people throughout the region, inspiring them to chase their dreams and believe anything is possible.”
The 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials will be one of the earliest opportunities for U.S. athletes to qualify for Team USA ahead of Los Angeles.
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are scheduled for July 14 through July 30. Track and field in the “City of Angels” will run from July 15 through July 30, with the women’s marathon slated for Saturday, July 29, and the men’s marathon taking place on the final day of the track and field program, Sunday, July 30.
During the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, Florida ahead of the Paris Olympics, Conner Mantz won the race in a time of 2:09:05, with Clayton Young and Leonard Korir finishing second and third, respectively. On the women’s side, Fiona O’Keefe (2:22:10) ran the fastest-ever women’s time at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, with Emily Sisson and Dakotah Popehn (née Lindwurm) rounding out the top three.
Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola is the reigning Olympic champion for the men, as he broke Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru’s previous Olympic record (2:06.32) thanks to a time of 2:06:26 to capture gold in “The City of Light.” Behind him, Bashir Abdi of Belgium (2:06.27) secured silver with the best Olympic marathon finish in the country’s history, while Kenya’s Benson Kipruto (2:07.00) brought home the bronze. Mantz and Young finished in the top 10 at eighth and ninth, respectively.
Also in an Olympic record time of 2:22:55, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands stood atop the women’s marathon podium in Paris, edging the previous record set by Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana (2:23.07) during the 2012 London Games. Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia swiped silver in 2:22.58 for her first Olympic medal and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri (2:23.10) claimed the bronze. Americans Popehn (2:26.44) and Sisson (2:29.53) placed 12th and 23th, respectively, while O’Keeffe dropped out early and didn’t finish.
Read the full announcement about the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials here.
