Imagine running a marathon for the first time in your life and qualifying for the Olympic Trials. That’s exactly what happened to Joe Farley.
Farley, a 24-year-old assistant inventory planner on the Clearance Optimization team at DICK’S Sporting Goods, completed the Chevron Houston Marathon in January 2026. He finished 8th overall in the race with a time of 2:14:57, and that finishing time qualified him to participate in the Olympic Trials for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games.
While Farley had never run a marathon before this year, he was no stranger to running. He ran cross country in middle and high school before running on the cross country and track teams at both Kent State and Florida State universities. He was 24th in the ACC and 11th at the Southern Regional in 2024. In June 2025, Farley’s friend encouraged him to run the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.
Farley running in the 2024 ACC Cross Country Championships for Florida State University.
“I had just graduated and wasn’t exactly sure how running was going to fit into my post-grad life,” said Farley. “So, I thought, why not give it a try?”
Not only did Farley love the atmosphere, but he also clocked a time of 1:05:05 and finished in 8th place overall. That got him thinking.
“I didn’t feel fulfilled after my college running career,” Farley said. “I felt like I had more in the tank. Maybe this is the more.”
Two days later Farley registered for the Chevron Houston Marathon, and he set his goal far beyond the usual finish line.
“I wanted to qualify for the Olympic Trials,” Farley said.
To qualify for guaranteed entry to the 2028 USA Track & Field (USATF) Olympic Trials, male runners must complete a marathon in under 2:16:00. Farley had six months to train and make it happen. When it was time to head to Houston for the race, he was ready.
“I knew I put in the work,” said Farley. “I put in the miles and did the workouts. At that point, it was just about going out there, doing my best and enjoying the run.”
Farley crossing the Chevron Houston Marathon finish line and qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Trials.
With his dad cheering him on along the course, Farley finished the marathon in 2:14:57. On his very first try, Farley qualified for the 2028 Olympic Trials, scheduled for late March 2028. To make it onto the 2028 USATF Olympic Marathon Team, athletes must finish the Olympic Trial races in the top three and run the Olympic standard. It’s something Farley said he'll be working at diligently for the next two years.
“My dreams are bigger than just qualifying,” Farley said.
Written by Hilary Totin