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 endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

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 distance runners. The program was founded by brothers Kevin Hanson and Keith Hanson in Rochester Hills, Michigan in 1999, and joined by Brooks Sports as a ...

. Sell represented the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

in the men's marathon. He attended

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

Loretto, Pennsylvania Loretto is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. 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 Metropoli ...

, where he ran on the

Saint Francis University cross country The Saint Francis Red Flash are the 23 sports teams representing Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania in intercollegiate athletics. The Red Flash competes in the NCAA Division I and are primary members of the Northeast Conference, with ...

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 Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. History The school was founded as Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. O ...

, 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 an 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 b ...

Team Trials

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , 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 are also wheelchair div ...

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

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 On Athletics Club. He held the American record in the 5,000 metres (12:56.27) from 2009-2010, when it was broken by Bernard ...

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

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, 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 TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) 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 finishe ...

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

Achievement Chronology

* 2002 – 3rd at USATF Fall Cross Country Championships * 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 (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

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

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the 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 ...

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 several 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 i ...

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 marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...

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 University alumni Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes of the United States American male marathon runners