Long Beach's Amy Cragg wins US Olympic women's marathon trials

LOS ANGELES >> Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg appeared to be out for a training run at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Saturday in downtown L.A.

The pair train together in Portland, Ore. and they ran side-by-side for the entire race. They pulled away before the halfway point of he 26.2-mile to ea berths for August’s Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Long Beach-bo Cragg took command of the race with a mile to go to win in 2:28.20. Flanagan quickly slowed her pace down and Desiree Linden, who was more than a minute behind the pair with five miles to go, passed the 2012 Trials wier after the 25th mile.

Linden finished second in 2:28:54 with Flanagan in 2:29:19.

It was the hottest race in the history of the Trials. The temperature was approaching 80 degrees in the shade at the race’s finish.

The pair, who train together, broke away from Kellyn Taylor and Sara Hall in the 11th mile, in Exposition Park.

Cragg missed qualifying for ‘12 in the marathon, finishing fourth, but advanced to London in the 10,000. Linden eaed her second consecutive Games berth in the marathon. Flanagan will enter her fourth Games. She eaed a bronze medal in the ‘08 Games in the 10,000 meters.

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