NAIA Track & Field National Championships Home Page
 
PORTLAND, Ore. – No matter where he finishes on Saturday, Brian Comer will be making Multnomah University history as he becomes the first Lion athlete ever to compete in the 2018 National Association of Intercollege Athletics (NAIA) Outdoor Track and Field National Championships on Thursday-Saturday, May 24-26, in Gulf Shores, Ala.


Comer, the Multnomah record holder in both the 5,000 meter run (15:53.92) and the 10,000 meter run (33:06.66), will compete in the NAIA marathon, which is set to begin at 6:00 a.m. Central Daylight Time on Saturday.  He hit an NAIA "A" qualifying standard for the marathon when he won the Hop Hop Half Marathon in Portland on March 31, beating 448 other competitors with a time of 1:13.24.
 
"Since athletes are able to qualify for the full marathon by only running a half marathon, nearly the entire field qualified that way," noted Corey Mehl, Multnomah's head track and field coach.  "Of the 51 "A" standards, only one man did it by running a full marathon.  I anticipate there being many more entries based on "B" standards and right-of-entries from other institutions, so the distance will be a challenge.  In 2017, there were 77 men and 47 women running in a combined race, and 32 men and nine women were a DNF (Did Not Finish)." 
 
Mehl, however, anticipates Comer completing the race, saying, "I'm very excited for Brian.  It's the first national championship he's ever qualified for in either the NAIA or the NCAA (he did his undergrad work at Seattle Pacific).  He is an extremely hard-working young man who decided the NAIA marathon would be his pursuit (it is only available at the NAIA level, the NCAA doesn't offer it).  He's put in tons of miles and ran a great half marathon back in March.  He's never done a marathon before, so that will be one interesting aspect of his race.  I have zero doubts he will finish it, because that's just the type of person he is."
 
In addition to  the distance factor, Mehl pointed out two other considerations that could come in to effect: the field of competition and the weather.
 
"The second issue is the field; it's difficult to gauge who is in it to win it or who is in it because they are just happy to qualify and have no intention of finishing," said Mehl.  "You don't want to get caught up in a race with someone who's pushing the pace but only is trying to get a good time for half the race instead of the whole thing.
 
"This, of course, leads to the matter of the weather.  It's Gulf Shores, Alabama, heading into Memorial Day weekend; it will be hot and humid even with an early starting time, and many people will drop out due to just the weather itself."
 
Foreseeing a need for Comer to get somewhat acclimated to the sticky heat of the deep South, the Multnomah contingent took off Tuesday.  Joining Mehl and Comer in Alabama are assistant coaches David Lee and Andrew Stave, along with men's team captain Daniel Larabee.  Each will all be vital pieces in helping Comer at aid stations throughout the course for nutrition and race/pacing updates.  The race itself in a road race, not competed on a track, and will consist of two half-marathon loops, ending up at the Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium where the rest of the NAIA Championships are being held.
 
In summary, Mehl said, "It's super exciting to get not only our program's first national qualifier but also Multnomah's first one in the three short years we've been part of the NAIA ( our first year was a probation period where we couldn't qualify anyway).  The administration, and particularly our athletic director, Lois Vos, has been amazing throughout this process.  MU has told us from day one that they will support our athletes to compete at the national level.  It's a big trip and a unique opportunity, and one that I hope we repeat many times in the years to come.  We are thrilled to be representing MU in this capacity, and are excited to put Multnomah on the national stage at the NAIA Championships!"
 
For more information about the national meet, including an events schedule and links to live viewing and updated results, visit the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships home page at http://www.naia.org/SportSelect.dbml?&SPID=98899&SPSID=644757&db_oem_id=27900.