The idea had been percolating in Justin Grunewald's mind for some time. Though his career as a Gophers cross-country and track athlete didn't go quite as he hoped, he didn't lose sight of his long-held goal to compete in the U.S. Olympic marathon trials.
Grunewald made the cut for the 2012 trials in a half-marathon two years ago, just as another lifelong ambition had begun to complicate things. As a medical student at Minnesota Duluth, he struggled to fit training into a heavy workload of classes and studying. That only got tougher when he began doing rotations in two Twin Cities hospitals last summer.
Shortchanging either of those pursuits was out of the question. Last fall, Grunewald chose to defer one dream, if only briefly, to devote himself fully to chasing the other. During a four-month leave from medical school, he has trained full-time toward Saturday's Olympic marathon trials in Houston, which will determine the three men and three women who will represent the United States in this summer's London Olympics.
About two dozen Minnesotans will run in the trials. Some, including Team USA Minnesota's Jason Lehmkuhle and Katie McGregor, are in the hunt for Olympic berths. Grunewald is among the many who simply hope to run well in a race that will be the most prestigious of their lives.
"I'm living the life of a pro runner for a few months," said Grunewald, 26. "Come February, I'll start back up with an endocrinology rotation at Fairview University [hospital] and go back to the other life. I'm a little nervous, but mostly, I'm excited. You put so much effort in over the years that to actually reach your goal means a ton. So now, it's just go out there and see what you've got."
A posse of 10 relatives and friends is traveling to Houston to cheer Grunewald along the 26.2 miles. That includes his girlfriend, Gabriele Anderson, a professional runner who is among the top U.S. women in the 1,500 meters.
Anderson, who also ran at the U, said she was a little surprised that Grunewald qualified for the marathon trials in his first attempt. Athletes could earn entry into the trials by meeting time standards in the marathon, half-marathon or 10,000 meters, and Grunewald's personal-best time of 1 hour, 4 minutes, 50 seconds at the 2010 Houston half-marathon bested the standard of 1:05. Once he qualified, though, Anderson was not surprised at how diligently he prepared.
"He makes me feel lazy," she said. "I've never met a harder worker than Justin. If I tried to do what he's done, I'd be a terrible failure. His commitment shows how much he loves this sport."
