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With every race, former Wartburg College cross country and track and field standouts Erin Ries Moeller ’00 and Robyn Olson Friedman ’95 take a step toward goals. They do so individually and in many cases, as a team. The major goal the two have is to take a shot at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials this April. Both qualified for the trials’—women’s marathon, which will be hosted by the Boston Athletic Association April 20. They’ve each hit the B standard of 2:47, with Moeller striking the mark during her victory at the Green Bay in a time of two hours, 40 minutes, and Friedman doing so with a 2:42 clocking while claiming the Des Moines Marathon title. Due to good finishes at recent marathons—Moeller at the Twin Cities Marathon and Friedman in Chicago, the pair will have all expenses paid when they go to the trials. Although they are already going to make the trip in April with their B standard efforts, hitting the higher A standard time slot of 2:39 qualifies each for the elite group of the trials. Both are poised for success. Friedman already owns the championships of the Des Moines Marathon, Park to Park, Dam to Dam, and Clive Running Festival events and strong finishes at the Drake Relays half-marathon and Alliant 8K Energy races. Moeller’s credentials are just as impressive with the Green Bay title (making the final lap around historic Lambeau Field for good measure), the Drake Relays half-marathon title, and solid outings at the always-popular Bix race in the Quad Cities and the Park to Park event. “We’re both close to the higher B standard time,” Friedman said. “We’ve been going back and forth times-wise in our recent races. It’s neat to have someone like Erin out there, pushing myself and herself to do our best.” “Robyn is an amazing runner and great friend,” Moeller agreed. “It is indeed a special opportunity to be able to compete in these events with her.” While realizing the odds of making the Olympic team for the Beijing Games this summer will be tough, it’s another goal to add to their list. “Life is all about making goals,” Moeller said. “Those things drive me to be a better all-around individual all the time. It may be a tough mark to reach, but it’s out there.”“There would be a remarkable field of athletes at the trials,” said Friedman, who will make her second successive appearance at the event. “It would be great to just compete against them again, and there is always an opportunity to drop a personal time down. Despite being in competition on the race course, the friendship they’ve built in and out of college led to the two pursuing some team goals. Understanding the need for women’s running to continue to grow in Iowa, they were part of the founding group of Iowa’s Run Ablaze, a Des Moines–based elite female road racing/marathon group. “This isn’t just a group of women who might want to run a road race here or there,” Friedman said. “We’ve got some elite athletes competing to get toward the big events. Our membership includes Christy Nielsen, also an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, Casey Owens, a qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials in the 5,000 and 10,000, fellow Wartburg alumna Laura Max ’99 and other top-notch runners.”
Friedman and Moeller noted that other women interested in continuing their long-distance running careers can check out Iowa’s Run Ablaze club at www.runablaze.com. Their group recently made its mark on a race in the Cedar Valley area, taking several of its members to the Park to Park event in Waterloo the weekend of Sept. 8. It also plans to put a team together for next summer’s Des Moines race as well as sending a group to the U.S.A. Track and Field Club cross country championships this December in Ohio. Their passion for running has spilled over into their family lives as well.“It was important for me to keep running,” Friedman said. “It’s such a big part of our family. My husband, Bryan ’94, and I probably aren’t your typical husband and wife. We don’t do the average date of a movie or so forth. When we have our date nights, we usually put in a few miles of running. It helps us stay connected, as we talk throughout the run. “Our children, Isaac and Leo, attend as many of my races as they can,” she added. “They love watching mommy and daddy run.” Moeller and her husband, Andy ’99, know the feeling. “Our son, Ryne, has even started running in the kids races prior to the events I compete in,” she said. “We had to hold him out of a short race recently, and he was very upset. He loves running.”
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