VYING TO MAKE TEAM USA IN THE MARATHON AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS WILL COMPETE RIGHT HERE IN ORLANDO. 370 OF THE BEST DISTANCE RUNNERS IN THE COUNTRY WILL TAKE TO THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN SATURDAY, TRYING TO MAKE A DREAM COME TRUE. BUT BEFORE THEY START RACING FOR PARIS, I FOUND OUT WHAT IT TOOK TO MAKE THE OLYMPIC TRIALS CROSS THE FINISH LINE AND JUST FEET AWAY WE SEE HIM. FOR MANY ELITE ATHLETES, COMPETING IN THE OLYMPICS IS A DREAM AND THIS WEEK IN ORLANDO, HUNDREDS OF MEN AND WOMEN MARATHONERS WILL TRY TO MAKE THAT DREAM COME TRUE BY QUALIFYING FOR THE PARIS GAMES. AND IT COULD BE ANY OF THEM. NO ONE’S DEFINITELY GOING TO MAKE IT. THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF THE MARATHON. THERE’S SO MANY FACTORS THAT EVEN IF YOU’RE REALLY GOOD, YOU KNOW THE WEATHER CAN BE A FACTOR. YOU COULD JUST NOT FEEL GOOD THAT DAY. UM, THE PACE COULD BE, YOU KNOW, THE PACE OF THE RACE COULD BE NOT WHAT YOU WERE EXPECTING. AND AND SO IT COULD THROW OFF YOUR RACE PLAN. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF RUNNING USA, JAY HOLDER SAYS THE BEST DISTANCE RUNNERS IN THE COUNTRY ARE READY. WE DON’T LIKE YOU GUYS ARE MAKING THEIR RACE PLANS RIGHT NOW, HOPING TO SNAG A COVETED SPOT ON TEAM USA. TO GET HERE. THEY HAD TO QUALIFY FOR THE QUALIFIER, RUNNING A CERTIFIED MARATHON OR HALF MARATHON. REALLY, REALLY FAST. ON THE WOMEN’S SIDE, YOU HAD TO RUN A 237 OR FASTER 237 MARATHON OR FASTER ON THE MEN’S SIDE, YOU HAD TO RUN A 218 MARATHON OR FASTER. SOME ATHLETES SPEND YEARS JUST TRYING TO HIT THOSE TIMES AND MAKE IT TO THE TRIALS. FORMER 2008 BEIJING OLYMPIAN AMY BEGLEY KNOWS THE GRIND ALL TOO WELL. IT’S A LOT AND A LOT OF ATHLETES PUT IN ANYWHERE FROM 100 TO 140 MILES A WEEK, YOU KNOW, THAT IS A LOT OF TIME OUTSIDE AND ON THEIR FEET. AND THE ONES THAT HAVE KIDS AND JOBS, IT’S IT’S LIKE TWO FULL TIME JOBS, RIGHT. UM, AND THEN LIKE I SAID, THERE’S OTHERS THIS IS ALL THEY DO. THIS IS THEIR JOB. SO WHEN THEY’RE OUT THERE ON THE STREET THAT THAT IS THEM IN, IN ALL THE GLORY AND ALL THE THINGS THAT THEY’VE SPENT ALL THEIR TIME DOING. BEGLEY IS NOW THE DIRECTOR OF LONG DISTANCE RUNNING PROGRAMS AT USA TRACK AND FIELD. SHE’S BEEN HELPING THE ATHLETES PREPARE THE BEST THEY CAN FOR WHAT COULD BE THE RACE OF THEIR LIFE, ONE THAT IS EQUAL PARTS MENTAL AND PHYSICAL. IT’S EXCITING THAT THE OLYMPICS ARE EVERY FOUR YEARS, BUT IT’S ALSO NERVE WRACKING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON’T MAKE IT THIS TIME, FOUR YEARS IS A VERY LONG TIME TO WAIT. BUT YOU KNOW, IF YOU DO MAKE THE OLYMPIC TEAM, THEN YOUR LIFE JUST CHANGES IN AN INSTANT. AS SOON AS THE RACE IS OVER, MORE THAN 350 RUNNERS HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE TRIALS TO GET TO PARIS, THEY HAVE TO RUN 26.2 MILES THROUGH THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN ORLANDO. THE MEN IN TWO HOURS AND EIGHT MINUTES, AND THE WOMEN TWO HOURS AND 26. WHETHER IT’S THE FIRST OLYMPIC TRIAL OF THEIR CAREER OR POTENTIALLY THE LAST, IT IS STRESSFUL AND EMOTIONAL. AND IN THE END, ONLY THREE WOMEN AND AT MOST THREE MEN WILL BE ABLE TO REPRESENT THEIR COUNTRY. THESE ARE REGULAR PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING THEIR OLYMPIC DREAM, AND I THINK THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF THIS EVENT. WE’RE EXCITED. I MEAN, IT’S GOING TO BE A THREE HOUR LIVE BROADCAST TO SHOW OFF ORLANDO AND SHOW OFF FLORIDA. SO IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT THING FOR EVERYONE. THAT IS NERVE WRACKING. JOIN US ON FRIDAY NIGHT FOR A PREVIEW OF THE US OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS RACING TO PARIS IS LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT AT 730 FROM THE DOCTOR. PHILLIPS CENTER. FROM WHERE TO WATCH THE RACE IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO TO THE RUNNERS YOU’LL WANT TO WATCH. WE HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO COME OUT AND CHEER ON THE OLYMPIC HOPEFULS AGAIN. THAT I