GREENVILLE, Pa. – Assistant cross country / track and field coach Jed Christiansen ran to a 14th-place finish at Sunday's 34th annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and in doing so secured a spot in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, Texas.

“It's unbelievable to me. Right now there are only about 70 men in the United States who have qualified, so not too many have done it,” said Christiansen.

A member of the World Marathon Majors (launched in 2006 and includes the Boston, Virgin London, BMW Berlin, Bank of America Chicago and ING New York City marathons, the WMM offers a $1 million prize purse to be split equally between the top male and female marathoners in the world), the Bank of America Chicago Marathon annually attracts 45,000 participants, including a world-class runner and wheelchair field, and an estimated 1.7 million spectators.

Christiansen was just the third American competitor to finish, completing the race in a time of 2:18:31 (a pace of 5:18 per mile). A time of 2:19:00 was required to qualify for January's trials. He understands how significant an achievement this is, both personally and professionally, but continues to remain grounded in his approach moving forward.

“I think it is important to dream in life. So many people don't really believe that they can achieve much, but with God's help, a lot of hard work, and great perseverance, even that which seems impossible can be achieved. Limits can be broken,” said Christiansen.

Christiansen's initial taste of marathoning came last May after participating in the Pittsburgh Half Marathon and finishing seventh overall and second in the men's 20-24 age division. He began training specifically for the Chicago Marathon after the Pittsburgh race after his dad recommended taking on the challenge.

“I believe Thiel's cross country program is truly unique because of our coaching staff; Jake Smith, another assistant with the program, also trains and competes at a very high level, and I feel that success is contagious. When we run well, we believe that excites the student-athletes involved with our program and gives them the confidence to understand that all of their hard work will pay off in the end,” said Christiansen.

Christiansen, a native of Greenville who is in his second year as a member of the Tomcat athletic department, graduated from Calvin College in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in K-12 Physical Education and a minor in Health. He was the recipient of the Albert H. Deal Scholar-Athlete Award, which recognized him as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's senior class student-athlete who excelled in academics and athletics while displaying outstanding leadership qualities. He also received the Bere Memorial Award honoring Calvin's top senior male student-athlete.

A four-year member of the Knights' cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams, Christiansen was an eight-time All-American and helped lead the Knights' cross country team to a Division III national championship in 2006.

Christiansen will compete at the trials for the opportunity to represent the U.S. in the marathon at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. Houston's eight-mile loop course was designed to replicate the course in London at the 2012 Olympic Games. The top three male and female finishers at the event will comprise Team U.S.A. and represent the United States in the marathon in London.

“There are a lot of great runners that try over and over to make the trials and don't quite make the cut, so it is pretty incredible that I was able to do it my first shot. I'm still in some disbelief that I was able to.  I am currently taking a few days off to help my body recover and then I'll start easing back into training. I don't have a ton of time to get ready (for the Trials), but I should retain quite a bit of my fitness and so I'll just continue to follow the recipe for success that I did the first time – several 95-plus mile weeks, progressive tempo runs, and hill work,” said Christiansen.

Just minutes after completing Sunday's Chicago Marathon Christiansen's thoughts were, as usual, with his Thiel runners and what his experience, and performance, could do for the program.

“My focus is on giving this program everything I have, and my motivation going into the Chicago Marathon was knowing that I needed to do my best because this team could feed off of that success and it would give prospective student-athletes the confidence that they will be coached at a high level when they're deciding to attend Thiel,” said Christiansen.

Steve Carr is in his third year as the head cross country and track and field coach at Thiel and has known since meeting Christiansen that his experience as an elite distance runner and his unique understanding of what is required of collegiate distance runners to excel at the highest level would pay dividends for moving his programs in the right direction.

“Coach Christiansen is making a difference with our student-athletes on a daily basis. His love for the sport and teaching it to others is second to none. Our student-athletes interact very well with his coaching methods and have a great amount of respect for him, not only as a coach, runner, but also a person. He is a man of good morals and character and that shows up in his leadership,” said Carr.