Leading up to her second U.S. Olympic marathon trial, Clara Grandt Santucci knew runners faced a “brutal system” where years of training could be undone by uncontrollable factors on race day.
When a hamstring injury flared up in Los Angeles on Saturday, the former West Virginia All-American was forced to quit mid-race, dissolving her dreams of qualifying for the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games.
“It was pretty heartbreaking to have to step off the course,” she said.
The 13th-ranked runner in a women’s field of more than 200, Santucci felt the hamstring tighten around Mile 9, at which point race trackers timed her at 53:36.