Two Brothers Hope to Run in Olympics

Two Stanford Grads are hoping to make the men's U.S. Track & Field Team

The U.S. men's and women’s track and field team has not yet been named. 

That will come by July 1, following the Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore.

But several Bay Area athletes have a good shot at competing, including two 20-something Olympic hopefuls who graduated from Stanford University, and who have spent a lifetime watching each other shatter running records.

Watching them run, stride for stride, Garrett and Elliott Heath, are totally in sync.

"He knows me better than anyone else so he is probably the first to tell me  when I'm having a good day, when I'm having a bad day," Elliott Heath said.

"We really are on the same level, doing everything together," Garrett Heath added.

These runners share more than just a love of running, they share a brotherly love.

Garrett Heath, who is three years older than Elliott, is training with his younger brother. And although they are running different events -- Garrett in the 1,500 meters and Elliott in the 5,000 meters -- they turn to each other for guidance and strength.

"He was a great role model for me and really helped me set a lot of my goals and really helped me obtain a lot of my successes," Elliott said of his big  brother.

At this elite level, age doesn’t matter like it did when they were growing up.

"He's helping me out just as much as i’m helping him out,” Garrett says of  his little brother.

It’s a bond that can’t be broken, even though growing up in Minnesota, Elliott broke plenty of his big brother’s records.


“Its been a ton a fun growing up and having your brother doing the same thing as you are," Garrett said, "kind of following in your footsteps but at the same time breaking a lot of your records along the way.”

The Heath brothers were both track and field standouts at Stanford winning NCAA titles, Garrett finishing second in the 1,500 in nationals his senior year.

“The time for that was 3:39 which was which is a really good time," Garrett humbly acknowledged.

Not to be outdone by his brother, Elliott won the 3,000 meter national title in indoor track, and finished in the top five in the 5K. Both have since graduated, but still train at Stanford and running sub four minute miles. Great times no doubt, but both events are very competitive and they’re no shoe-in for Team USA.

“I’m definitely not guaranteed a spot or anything like that but one of the guys that’s in the mix to show up on race day or show up at the trials and capable of making the team," Garrett said.
He'd like nothing more to than walk into Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony with his brother by his side.

“That’s the ultimate dream to both go to London and be competing on the team," Garrett said.
His brother agrees saying, "Being there and potentially experiencing that with your brother, I think that’s something that I don’t know how many people have done that before, but its got to be very few and i think that that would be incredibly special."

The U.S. Track and Field Trials begin June 21 and run through July 1in Eugene.
 

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