The U.S. Olympic marathon trials take place today, Saturday, February 13, and two local moms will be there representing San Antonio. Andrea Duke and Anita Quirino-Perez are both moms of two, and both ran under the 2:45:00 standard required to head to Los Angeles for the marathon. The top three finishers in L.A. will represent the United States in Rio for the 2016 Olympics.
Anita Quirino-Perez
Originally from El Paso, Anita qualified for the trials with a time of 2:42:02 at the California International Marathon in December, after years of narrowly missing the standard. Anita was the only Latina on the finisher’s stage, a proud accomplishment, and will be one of only a few Latinas at the Trials.
A former collegiate runner, Anita runs under the tutelage of local coach Gary Brimmer. She is sponsored by shoe company Sketchers and Generation UCan, a fuel for athletes. She works with special needs children, while raising two children of her own. Anita can be found training on local routes, such as McAllister Park and through the Alamo Heights area with Soler’s Trisports on Broadway.[hr]
Andrea Duke
Originally from Schertz, Andrea Duke qualified for the trials at the Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:41:05. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Incarnate Word and a mother of two. Andrea ran her first marathon in 2002, and since then, has completed 45 more races en route to the Olympic Trials. She is sponsored by the women’s running apparel company Oiselle and has an active presence on social media. Andrea is trained by elite coach Ben Bruce, who lives in California.
Andrea trains locally on trails such as Panther Springs Park and on the Leon Creek Greenway. When not training, Andrea can be found recovering at Cryofit and refueling at Freetail Brewery.[hr]
The Olympic Marathon trials will be broadcast live on NBC at 12:00 P.M. on Saturday, February 13. There is a social run and viewing party at Soler’s Trisports in Helotes. More information can be found here.