FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 22, 2018) — Northern Arizona Elite announced today that Aaron Braun will be running the 2018 NN Rotterdam Marathon on April 8. Braun, who owns a personal best of 2 hours, 12 minutes, 54 seconds, will be making his first appearance on the famously fast Rotterdam course.
Braun joined the HOKA NAZ Elite team in March of 2017 coming off a difficult 2016 in which injuries had forced his withdrawal from the Olympic Trials in the marathon and on the track. After returning to full health, the Adams St. alum bounced back with a twelfth place finish at the 2017 Bank of America Chicago Marathon last fall. Rotterdam will present Braun with an opportunity to improve on his personal best, a mark he set back in 2015 at the Chevron Houston Marathon.
“I am excited about running on a notoriously fast course and trying to take a good chunk off of my PR,” Braun said. “I am also grateful for the opportunity to race internationally and explore a city and country that I have head so many good things about.”
Braun has some of the best range in U.S. distance running having run 13:20.25 for 5,000 meters, 27:41.54 for 10,000 meters, 1:01:38 for the half marathon and 2:12:54 for the marathon. He was fifth at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials over 10,000 meters. He was also the 2013 12k National Champion on the roads. More recently, he ran a 4:01 mile in January at the University of Washington Invite and was seventh at the USATF Cross Country Championships in February.
HOKA NAZ Elite Head Coach Ben Rosario said Braun’s training is ahead of where it was last fall before Chicago.
“We’ve been careful bringing Aaron back from his injuries and he’s finally at the point now where his volume is back to what it was back in 2015,” Rosario said. “The exciting part is that not only is his mileage super high but his workouts have been phenomenal which leads us to believe he’s ready for a big one in Rotterdam.”
The Rotterdam Marathon has a rich history, having hosted many of the sport’s all-time great marathoners including Portugal’s Carlos Lopes and Kenya’s Tegla Loroupe who both set World Records on its course. The average of the top ten men’s times ever run at Rotterdam is 2:05:15, trailing only Berlin in that category. Traditionally great weather and flat, well-kept roads combine to make the Rotterdam layout such an ideal place for fast times.
The Rotterdam Marathon will take place on April 8 with a 10am local start time (5am EST). For more info on the race visit www.nnmarathonrotterdam.org.
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