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At least 10 Olympic Trials marathoners have ties to Wisconsin. Here's how to watch them Saturday.

Claire Reid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·6 min read

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials marathon is on Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

The top finishers earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and the chance to represent their country at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this summer.

But before any of that, athletes had to qualify to compete in the Trials. For men, this meant running a 26.2-mile marathon in 2 hours and 18 minutes or faster, or a 13.1-mile half marathon in 1 hour and 3 minutes or faster. For women, the qualifying standard was 2 hours and 37 minutes or faster in the marathon, or 1 hour and 12 minutes or faster in the half marathon. Qualifying times had to be run between Jan. 1, 2022, to Dec. 5, 2023.

In all, 228 men and 173 women achieved these times, though not all will run in Saturday's Trials due to injury or other reasons. Milwaukee-area native Molly Seidel, who earned the bronze medal in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, announced Thursday morning that she is withdrawing from the Olympic Trials race this year due to a knee injury.

However, there are still many runners competing who have ties to Wisconsin. Here are 10 athletes with Wisconsin connections to cheer on and how to watch them on Saturday.

Which 2024 Olympic Trials marathon runners have connections to Wisconsin?

Emily Sisson poses next to her time after setting an American women's marathon record at the 2022 Chicago Marathon.
Emily Sisson poses next to her time after setting an American women's marathon record at the 2022 Chicago Marathon.

Emily Sisson — Born in Milwaukee

The current American record holder in the marathon, Emily Sisson, 32, was born in Milwaukee. Sisson ran 2:18:29 at the 2022 Chicago Marathon, breaking the previous American record by 43 seconds.

She attended high school in Missouri but returned to Wisconsin for a year when she competed for the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a freshman. There, she earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year in cross country and earned All-American status when she took second at the NCAA Great Lakes regional and third at the Big Ten championships. She then transferred to Providence College in Rhode Island.

With the fastest personal-best marathon time of all the competitors in the women's field Saturday, Sisson is certainly a top contender to make the Olympic Team.

Gabriella Rooker ― UW-La Crosse

Gabriella Rooker, 36, qualified for the Trials with a time of 2:24:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. The Minnesota native and resident attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where she actually competed in gymnastics, not running.

As a college gymnast, Rooker was a six-time Division III National Champion with titles in vault in 2007 and 2008, floor exercise in 2010, and Team National Championships in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

"After college, I sampled different sports and found a new love for competition in running. I started training seriously in 2019 and enlisted the help of my husband, Alex, to coach me," Rooker shared in her official Olympic Trials athlete bio. "I used the pandemic as a time to increase my volume and have more consistent interval sessions. I ran my first marathon in 2021 and set a goal to hit the OTQ standard in 2022."

Former Iowa State standout Annie Frisbie, at November's New York City Marathon.
Former Iowa State standout Annie Frisbie, at November's New York City Marathon.

Annie Frisbie ― River Falls High School

Annie Frisbie, 27, was raised in River Falls and graduated from River Falls High School in 2015, according to the River Falls Journal. Frisbie qualified for the Trials with a time of 2:27:02 at the 2023 BMW Berlin Marathon.

In 2014, Frisbie became the only girl from River Falls at the time to win a WIAA state cross country title, the River Falls Journal reported. As a senior in high school, she took fourth at the Nike Heartland XC Midwest Regional and was the top Wisconsin finisher at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional, placing seventh. She then continued her running success at Iowa State University.

Kathy VanDehy of Menasha is the first female to cross the finish line of the Bellin Run 10k on June 10, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis.
Kathy VanDehy of Menasha is the first female to cross the finish line of the Bellin Run 10k on June 10, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis.

Kathy VanDehy ― Lives in Menasha, attended UW-Stevens Point

Kathy VanDehy, 29, is a Greenville native, current resident of Menasha and works as a human resources manager. She attended Hortonville High School and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She qualified for the Trials with a time of 2:29:45 at the 2023 Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minn.

Kevin Koski ― Chequamegon High School

Park Falls native and Chequamegon High School grad Kevin Koski, 26, qualified for the Trials in his first-ever marathon, the 2022 Grandma's Marathon, with a time of 2:15:56. Koski ran at Illinois State University, where he led the 2020-21 Redbirds to their first Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country team title in 19 years. This earned Koski the 2020-21 MVC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year award.

John Dewitt, a West Allis resident and math teacher at Nathan Hale High School, competed in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Saturday in Atlanta. He finished 90th overall with a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes and 9 seconds.
John Dewitt, a West Allis resident and math teacher at Nathan Hale High School, competed in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Saturday in Atlanta. He finished 90th overall with a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes and 9 seconds.

John Dewitt ― current West Allis resident, UW-Oshkosh, Oshkosh West High School

Current West Allis resident and Oshkosh native John Dewitt, 32, will be lining up for his third Olympic Trials marathon on Saturday. Dewitt attended Oshkosh West High School and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He is currently a math teacher at Nathan Hale High School in West Allis where he has been the head boys' track and field coach for 11 years.

Dewitt qualified for the 2024 Trials at the 2023 McKirdy Micro Marathon with a time of 2:17:13.

More: A West Allis math teacher has 'special' finish in the US Olympic Marathon Trials

Daniel Schubert ― Appleton East High School

Daniel Schubert, 30, grew up in Appleton and attended Appleton East High School. Schubert, a current North Carolina resident, qualified for the Trials at the 2023 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon with a time of 2:17:42. He attended the University of Oklahoma.

Elite women's runner Breanna Sieracki cools her hands down in ice water to help lower her body temperature shortly before the start of the women's race Saturday morning. The 46th Gate River Run started out with calm weather but after the first hour when the top runners were done on the course, the rains began, making for a soggy finish for thousands of participants in the race Saturday, March 4, 2023. Women's elite runner Emily Sisson won the women's race for the third year in a row and the men's winner was Hillary Bor.

Breanna Sieracki ― Spring Valley High School

Spring Valley High School grad Breanna Sieracki, 28, qualified for the Olympic Trials at the 2023 Grandma's Marathon with a time of 2:33:26. Sieracki grew up in Spring Valley and currently lives in Minnesota with her husband and young daughter. She attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

When asked what her greatest accomplishment is, she said, "Having my daughter and coming back postpartum to a higher level of fitness than I was prior to pregnancy and tackling a new distance. Before having Addy, I was a track 5,000m runner but decided to train for a marathon during pregnancy/postpartum."

Olivia Grace Pratt ― Madison West High School

Olivia Grace Pratt, 30, grew up in Madison and attended Madison West High School. She qualified for the Trials at the 2022 Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:34:22. She had a successful running career at Butler University and now lives in Auburn Hills, Mich. She qualified for the 2020 Olympic Trials in track and field in the 10,000-meter race.

Jessica Watychowicz ― UW-Parkside

A resident of Colorado Springs and an Illinois native, Jessica Watychowicz, 32, attended the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. She qualified for the Olympic Trials with a time of 2:33:09 at the 2022 Twin Cities Marathon.

Olympic marathon qualifiers, from left, Molly Seidel, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Sally Kipyego, Jacob Riley, Galen Rupp, and Abdi Abdirahman pose together after finishing in the top three of the men's and women's U.S. Olympic marathon team trials on Feb. 29, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Olympic marathon qualifiers, from left, Molly Seidel, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Sally Kipyego, Jacob Riley, Galen Rupp, and Abdi Abdirahman pose together after finishing in the top three of the men's and women's U.S. Olympic marathon team trials on Feb. 29, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia.

How to watch the 2024 Olympic Trials marathon

The U.S. Olympic marathon trials are on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 10 a.m. EST (9 a.m. Central) in Orlando, Fla., airing live on Peacock with coverage on NBC, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app at noon EST (11 a.m. Central).

The men’s race will start at 10:10 a.m. EST, and the women’s race will follow at 10:20 a.m. EST. The first finishers are expected to come in around 12:15 p.m. EST.

Peacock will live-stream the race from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST. NBC will also show a tape-delayed broadcast from noon to 3:30 p.m. EST.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How to watch 10 Wisconsin runners in the 2024 Olympic Trials marathon