As runners descend on Atlanta for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, the streets around Centennial Olympic Park will be packed with the country’s most talented marathoners. But some competitors, such as Morgan VanGorder, don’t have to travel far for their chance at an Olympic berth.
“I’m from Georgia. I’m a Georgia girl,” VanGorder said.
VanGorder is one of over 700 runners participating Saturday in the largest marathon Olympic Trials ever. The women’s race will start at 12:20 p.m. outside of the College Football Hall of Fame near Centennial Olympic Park and wind through downtown before finishing in the park just over two hours later. The top three male and female finishers will represent the United States at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
For VanGorder, having the Olympic Trials in her home state makes the race extra special. She now lives in Atlanta, but grew up in Gainesville and graduated from Georgia in 2013.
“I have a lot of friends and family that will be here coming from Athens and Gainesville and even here in Atlanta,” VanGorder said. “That support has been overwhelming and I’m really looking forward to seeing a lot of people that I’ve known from all of the different areas of Georgia that I lived.”
After starting to take running more seriously during her sophomore year in high school, VanGorder committed to run at Georgia, starting in the fall of 2008. During her time in Athens, she ran cross country and track, competing in events as short as the 800-meter run and as long as the 10K.
VanGorder had some familiarity with the Bulldogs. Her father, Brian VanGorder, was the defensive coordinator of the football team from 2001-04. Brian also served as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator from 2008-11 and has been a coordinator collegiately at Auburn, Notre Dame and Louisville. He also was head coach at Georgia Southern and a position coach for the New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But to Morgan, Brian is just dad.
“Everyone sees him as the coach, but he’s obviously also a dad. …” VanGorder said. “He just reminds me that I’m tough and that I’ve done this before, so to stay mentally in (the race) and mentally focused.”
After graduating in 2013, VanGorder competed as a member of Atlanta Track Club, initially running shorter distances. Eventually, she decided to transition into longer events, beginning with the half-marathon before finally settling on the full 26.2 miles. VanGorder raced her first marathon in 2018 and qualified for the Olympic Trials just a year later, running a 2-hour, 41-minute time last year at the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota in October.
VanGorder is one of seven Atlanta Track Club members to compete in this weekend’s marathon. She attributes much of her success over the past few years to the collective competitive attitude of her teammates.
“I wouldn’t be here without the other teammates (at the Atlanta Track Club),” VanGorder said. “Just to have other people to train with that are focused on the same thing that you are and that go out there and work hard and have the same mentality that you do; you can’t ask for more than that.”
One advantage for VanGorder and the other members of Atlanta Track Club is a familiarity with Saturday’s marathon course. After beginning just outside of Centennial Olympic Park, the runners will spend most of the race on Peachtree Street, completing three loops, before finishing back inside the park.
The route is expected to be difficult and will feature drastic changes in elevation and a few 180-degree turns. But for VanGorder, training in the city has only made her more comfortable.
“The course is definitely very challenging. There’s lots of hills and elevation changes so that’s going to be a little bit different than a typical marathon and for developing a rhythm,” VanGorder said. “I’ve been able to run the course a lot since I do live here, so there won’t be any surprises. I know the course pretty well at this point.”
In a large women’s field, VanGorder is unlikely to qualify for the Olympic team. Still, her goal remains to run her own race in front of her group of fans, all of who will be cheering loudly for their hometown runner.
“It’s definitely going to be pretty chaotic out there, especially the first 5K or so,” VanGorder said. “My goals are just to stay focused on my race and where I want to be and not to get too carried away.”
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