Lundstrom Excited About Pan Am Marathon Sunday

Team USA Minnesota's Chris Lundstrom will compete in the closing event of the Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday - the men's marathon. We got the Northfield High School and Stanford University alum's thoughts on the race recently.

On conditions in Rio ... From what I can tell, it will likely be a little warmer than ideal, but supposedly, the sea breezes keep temperatures fairly moderate. It is winter there, so it will probably not be as hot as it is here.

On the Pan Am course ... I understand that the course has some up and down in the first 5 miles, but then is quite flat for the rest of the way. It stays fairly close to the ocean as well, so again, hopefully there will be a cooling effect.

On representing the USA for the first time... I'm 31 and this is my first chance to represent the U.S. in international competition. The Pan Am Games happens only once every four years, so this opportunity may never arise again. I think I have a chance to go out and place pretty well in Rio, so that's exciting.

On preparing for the Olympic Trials afterward ... It's 13 weeks from the Pan Am Games marathon until the Olympic Trials in New York, and I'm fairly confident that I can recover and compete well in November. There is of course a risk of injury or just having a hard time recovering and getting back into the training routine. Hopefully, though, my experience will pay off and I'll be able to time things well to have two strong marathons.

Photo courtesy of Team USA Minnesota.