St. Louis is seeking to bring one of the most important events in American distance running back to the city.
The St. Louis Sports Commission has submitted a bid to USA Track & Field to host the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, according to a report from St. Louis Public Radio. USA Track & Field has received multiple bids for the event but has not publicly identified which cities are under consideration.
“St. Louis is an Olympic city and will always be an Olympic city,” Marc Schreiber, the president of the St. Louis Sports Commission, said last month on The 314 Podcast.
A Return to an Olympic Trials Stage
St. Louis has history with the Olympic Marathon Trials. The city hosted the women’s race in 2004, when Colleen De Reuck won in 2:28:25, setting a Trials record at the time. Deena Kastor and Jen Rhines also qualified for the U.S. Olympic team that day.
Kastor later went on to win a bronze medal in the marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, one of the most successful performances by an American woman in the event.
The qualifying window for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials has already opened, which means it’s the start of the long buildup toward the Los Angeles Games.
Part of a Broader Sports Strategy
The bid for the marathon trials is part of a wider push by the St. Louis Sports Commission to attract high-profile sporting events. The city recently hosted the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center, an event local officials have pointed to as a success.
Schreiber said the commission is using that momentum to position St. Louis as a strong candidate for future national championships and international competitions.
In addition to the 2028 marathon trials, St. Louis is hoping to host the 2030 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the Frozen Four in college hockey, the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, the 2031 Rugby World Cup, and other NCAA championships.
The city has recent experience with major events. In 2025, St. Louis hosted the NCAA hockey championships, and it has staged the U.S. Gymnastics Championships three times since 2008.
USA Track & Field has not announced a timeline for selecting the host city for the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials.
