Elise Cranny prepares for the Olympics

Niwot High School graduate Elise Cranny, who now runs professionally for Nike, is preparing for her second appearance at the Olympics, to be held in Paris from July 26 through Aug. 11. Cranny finished second to Elle St. Pierre in the 5,000 meters by two one-hundredths (0.02) of a second in a photo finish at the Olympic trials to secure a spot in Paris on the U.S. Olympic team.

Last week, Cranny also ran the 1500 meters at the Olympic trials, finishing sixth with a time of 3:57.87 a sub-4-minute metric mile, but did not qualify in the event for the Olympics as only the top three finishers qualify. St. Pierre was favored to win the race, but came in third behind Nikki Hiltz and Emily Mackay. The top eight runners each posted a time under four minutes.

After the race, St. Pierre disclosed that she intended to focus on the 1500 meters at the Olympics, and would not compete in the 5,000 meters, putting Cranny in the position of the top U.S. runner in the event.

Cranny is scheduled to run the 5,000 meters on Aug. 6, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mountain Time. The 5,000 meters is decided in one race as there are no preliminary heats, whereas the 1500 meters consists of preliminary heats and a final.