Brian Sell (born April 11, 1978) is a retired American

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

who specialized in various long-distance track events before specializing as a marathoner in his professional career with

Hansons-Brooks Distance Project The Hansons-Brooks Distance Project is an Olympic development program for post-collegiate Long-distance running, distance runners. The program was founded by brothers Kevin Hanson and Keith Hanson in Rochester Hills, Michigan in 1999, and joined by ...

. Sell represented the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

in the men's marathon. He attended

Saint Francis University Saint Francis University (SFU) is a private Catholic university in Loretto, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. The university is situated ...

Loretto, Pennsylvania Loretto is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census it had a population of 1,302. Like the rest of Cambria County, it is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Johnstown Metropolita ...

, where he ran on the Saint Francis University cross country team.

Running career

High school

Sell attended Northern Bedford High School, where he participated in multiple sports. In addition to running he was a wrestler as well as a wide receiver on the football team, and did not join the track team until his sophomore year. His best track times by the end of his senior year were 4:28 (min:sec) in the 1600-meter and 10:06 in the 3200-meter.

Collegiate

Sell began at

Messiah College Messiah University is a private interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Upper Allen Township, Pennsylvania, near Mechanicsburg. History The school was founded as "Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home" in 1909 by ...

, then transferred to study at

, where his athletic career reached new heights. He represented SFU at the 2000 NCAA Division I XC Championships, where he ran the 10K in 31:17.1 and was a two time All-American.

Post-collegiate

Sell placed third overall in the 2008 USA

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

Team Trials

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on November 3, 2007, with a time of 2:11:40, earning him a spot, along with Ryan Hall and

Dathan Ritzenhein Dathan James Ritzenhein (born December 30, 1982) is a retired American long-distance runner, and current head coach of the On Athletics Club (OAC). He held the American record in the 5,000 metres (12:56.27) from 2009 to 2010, until it was broke ...

, on the U.S. men's marathon team at the

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, where he finished the Olympic Marathon in 22nd place with a time of 2:16:7. Sell ran the 2009

New York Marathon The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 fin ...

, which he and his coach have indicated was his last competitive race.

Achievement chronology

* 2002 – 3rd at

USATF Fall Cross Country Championships USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1 ...

* 2002 – Chiba Ekiden Relay Team * 2002 – 8th at USATF Championships 10K (road) * 2002 – 8th at USATF Championships 8K (road) * 2002 – 4th at USATF Championships 7 mile (road) * 2003 – 13th at USA 2004 Olympic Trials Marathon (after leading through 21 miles) * 2003 – 25th at

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

World Half Marathon Championships (1st American) * 2003 – 2nd at

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1 ...

Championships 20K (road) (5th fastest American 20k time ever 59:18) * 2003 – 8th at USATF Championships 8K (road) * 2004/2005 – 1st place LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle * 2005 – 2nd at USATF Championships 10 mile (road) * 2005 – 1st place USATF 25K * 2005 – 9th at World Championships marathon, Helsinki, Finland * 2006 – 1st place USA Half Marathon Championships * 2006 – 4th place

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

in a PR 2:10:55 * 2006 – Reed’s Lake 10K Champion 29:02 * 2006 – Chicago Distance Classic Champion 1:04:25 * 2006 – 6th place

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a road marathon held in October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the seven World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is one of the largest races by number of fini ...

in a PR 2:10:47 * 2007 – 1st place Sauder's Egg Run * 2007 – 1st place USATF 25K Championships * 2007 – 3rd place USA 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon (qualifying for Olympic team) * 2008 – 1st place Miami Half Marathon, 1:03:46 * 2008 – 22nd place, 3rd American at the Men's Olympic Marathon, 2:16:07 * 2008 – 1st place Rock 'n Roll San Antonio Half Marathon, 1:02:50 * 2009 – 5th place 2009 USA Half Marathon Championships, 1:02:36

References

External links

USATF 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon official website

Hansons-Brooks Distance Project official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sell, Brian 1978 births Living people American male long-distance runners Saint Francis Red Flash men's track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States American male marathon runners 21st-century American sportsmen