MARATHON TRIALS Culpepper triumphs; Folk is 51st

Matt Folk, an assistant coach at Youngstown State, was clocked in 2:26:24.
STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The United States can again send three men to the Olympic marathon. Now, the question is who will they be?
Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflezighi and Dan Browne qualified for the Athens Games during the U.S. Olympic Trials on Saturday, but they're also considered the nation's best at 10,000 meters.
Culpepper and Keflezighi have already competed in the Olympics in that event.
"My intentions are to run the Olympic marathon," said Culpepper,
Culpepper won the 10,000 at the USA Track and Field Championships and has run only two marathons.
Trent Briney, Clint Verran and Eddy Hellebuyck are next in line if the top three qualifiers back out.
Folk is No. 51
Matt Folk, an assistant track and cross country coach at Youngstown State, placed 51st out of 86 runners in 2:26:24.
Folk, 28, a YSU graduate in his fifth season as a Penguins' assistant in both sports, had qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2:21:11 at the 2003 Columbus Marathon. His participation was sponsored in part by the Youngstown Road Runners Club, who staged several fund-raisers for him.
Folk, a former YSU cross country and track and field standout, was among four participants in the U.S. Olympic Trials who have competed in the Youngstown Peace Race.
The others are Keith Dowling of Reston, Va., who placed 11th Saturday in 2:16:50; Fred Keiser, 33, Cleveland, No. 14, 2:17:21; and James Jurcevich, 28, Dublin, Ohio, No. 62 in 2:30:59.
Pulls away
Culpepper pulled away from Keflezighi in the final mile of a race that began in nearly freezing weather to make his second Olympic team.
Keflezighi (2:11:47) and Browne (2:12:02) also easily cleared the "A" qualifying standard of 2:15 for the games in August, three minutes slower than the 2000 standard.
The race -- in which 71 of 86 runners finished -- started in 35-degree temperatures and never warmed up much, with light slow flurries falling the final few miles.