COVINGTON — This past weekend, former Covington and Wright State University standout distance runner Nate Dunn qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympic Trials.

Dunn needed to run under 2:18 to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the 26.2 mile marathon race and ran a 2:16.55 in a race in Duluth, Minn.

Dunn and his college coach at Wright State University Rick Williamson set a goal of qualifying for the Olympic Trials more than a year ago.

His first attempt came in the California International Marathon in Sacramento last December. He came up three seconds short of qualifying and Dunn and Williamson came up with a plan for the next race.

In Duluth, he heat the qualifying time by more than a minute to accomplish his goal.

Dunn has progressed throughout his career.

The 2015 Covington graduate, under the tutelage of his dad Steve Dunn and current Covington coach Josh Long, was able to qualify for state in cross country in 2014.

With the help of Williamson at Wright State, Dunn was able to improve and progress every season.

He placed in the league meet every year at Wright State.

After graduating from college, Dunn continued to pursue his love of running and set new goals for himself. It all led to his big moment last weekend in Duluth.

Dunn described himself as an endurance monster and said he has an advantage at the marathon distance, because he doesn’t have to run as quick or have as good of foot speed.

Dunn said training his heart out is how he qualified for the Olympic Trials.

He said it is still hard to believe what he has accomplished, saying he has never hit 26.2 miles, but when you get on the starting line you just give it everything you have.

Dunn is now busy preparing for the Olympic Trials race that will be run on Feb. 3, 2024 in Orlando, Fla.

Jason Salyer

Dunn joins Jason Salyer of Tipp City of qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon.

Salyer recently took first place in two Ohio marathons, the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon and the Toledo Glass City Marathon, within two weeks of each other.

Though Salyer was cautioned against running both races by friends, family and fellow marathoners, he was determined. His goal of running what he categorizes as Ohio’s biggest six marathons — the Toledo Glass City Marathon, the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, the Air Force Marathon, Cleveland Marathon, Akron Marathon and Columbus Marathon — and the only way to achieve that goal was to run the Flying Pig and the Glass City Marathons within weeks of each other. With his two recent wins, Salyer has now won three of the six big Ohio marathons; the Toledo Glass City Marathon, the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon and the Air Force Marathon.

Salyer won the Toledo Glass City Marathon on Sunday, April 23, with a finishing time of two hours, 20 minutes and 27 seconds, setting a course record. He then won the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon on Sunday, May 7, with a time of two hours, 27 minutes and 10 seconds.