Linda Somers Smith - 2:36 at LA Marathon!

by Mark Winitz

PA/USATF's Linda Somers Smith qualified for her seventh consecutive U.S.
Olympic Trials Marathon at the Honda Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday,
March 21. Somers Smith, age 48, finished sixth in a competitive women's
field in a time of 2:36:33 -- well under USATF's "A" qualifying standard
of 2:39:00 for the 2012 Women's Marathon Trials. The San Luis Obispo
attorney's time translates to a world-class age-graded score of 99.57
percent.

Somers Smith was a 1996 U.S. Olympian in the marathon. She scored her
personal best time of 2:30:06 at the 1996 Olympic Marathon Trials where
she placed second. She was also the 1993 and 1994 USA Women's National
Marathon Champion.