VALLEY COTTAGE, NY — Tyson Miehe, a 2013 Darlington graduate, ran a 2:16:08 in the McKirdy Mico Marathon on Saturday, Oct. 14, qualifying for a spot in the Olympic Trials in February. Four years ago, Miehe had the same opportunity following fifth-place finish in the California International Marathon.

The McKirdy Micro is a USATF-sanctioned event, where those who attain the Olympic Standard are eligible for the Olympic Trials. The current Olympic Standard for the men’s marathon is 2:18:00, and Miehe beat it by nearly two minutes.

Miehe finished 13th overall with a 5:12 pace, while the winner — Tsegay Tuemay — ran the marathon in 2:11:04 with a 5:00 pace. Tuemay, a 27-year-old from Flagstaff, AZ, has represented Eritrea in the Olympics. 

An athlete can qualify for the Olympic Trials in one of four ways — meeting the Olympic Standard, winning the 2022/2023 USATF Running Circuit, finishing in the top six of the 2023 USATF Marathon Championships or obtaining an automatic qualification. 

According to USATF, as of Oct. 10 there were 161 men qualified to run in the Olympic Trials. Conner Mantz, a 26-year-old from Logan, UT, has the fastest qualifying time at 2:07:47. Mantz won the 2020 and 2021 Division I Cross Country Championships at BYU and currently represents Nike.

The Olympic Trials are set for Saturday, Feb. 3 in Orlando, FL with those that make the team competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics set to begin in July 2024.