Coupeville brothers Kyle (left) and Tyler King both ran at the Eugene Marathon in April. Now Kyle is headed to the USA Olympic Team Trials. (Photo courtesy Tyler King)
Right on time.
A century after Coupeville native Eldon Jenne pole vaulted at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Cow Town has a second athlete in the mix.
This time around it’s Kyle King, who is pursuing a spot on the USA men’s marathon team which will compete at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The 2008 Coupeville High School grad punched his ticket to the Olympic Team Trials, which will be held Feb. 29, 2020 in Atlanta.
The top three finishers there comprise the USA team, with the fourth and fifth-place finishers designated as alternates.
The Tokyo Olympics are July 24-Aug. 9, with the men’s marathon set for the final day of competition.
King qualified for the Team USA trials with his performance at the Eugene Marathon April 28, where he finished in two hours, 18.04 seconds.
He’s one of 181 male runners who have hit a qualifying time – 2:19 in a marathon or 1:04 in a half marathon.
The pack is currently led by Galen Rupp, who ran a 2:06.07 at the Prague Marathon.
Rupp is trying to make his fourth-straight Olympics team, having competed in Beijing (2008), London (2012), and Rio de Janeiro (2016).
He claimed a silver medal in the 10,000 meters at London and a bronze in the marathon in Rio.
King is a busy guy these days on multiple fronts.
He’s a Captain in the Marine Corps and is currently stationed at the Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado.
“I’m an inspector-instructor,” King said. “Basically I run a small active duty site support staff for a reserve artillery battery that is stationed here.”
Three days a week he’s up and out on the road at the crack of dawn to train with others in the area who will also be at the Olympic trials.
“Got a pretty cool crew I work with out here,” King said. “No Instagram yet, but we’re starting “The Good Boys” Run Club.
“Group of five of us all training for the trials, all have outside jobs, so we get together and run three days a week at 0545 to workout before work.”
Along with his training, King plans to run in the San Jose Half Marathon Oct. 6, then is off to China for the Armed Forces Summer Games.
He’ll be in Wuhan for two weeks, with the marathon going down Oct. 27.
Then it’s back to training for the biggest race of his already well-distinguished career, a 26.2 mile event which will pit him against the best the USA has to offer.
During his days on Whidbey, King won five state track and field titles, tying him with Natasha Bamberger as the most-decorated athlete in school history.
He won the 3200 three straight years (2006-2008), added the 1600 crown in 2007, and ran a leg on a triumphant 4 x 400 relay unit in 2006.
After graduation, King ran as an NCAA D-I scholarship athlete at two schools – Eastern Washington University and the University of Oklahoma.
