Anderson might be the least likely of them all. She is hardly a prepossessing specimen. At 5-foot-3, 110 pounds, she is usually the smallest woman in the race. This is clearly a disadvantage in an event that requires her to clear 30-inch barriers and hurdles 28 times and a 12-foot water jump seven times over the course of 7 1/2 laps.

"But she's a good athlete, and her technique is excellent," says Pilkington. "She's good over the water jumps and hurdles."

He says this as he puts Anderson through a training session in Ogden's City Park. She is doing a set of repeat 800- and 400-meter runs over a trail that winds around a small pond, past ducks and geese and joggers. Anderson and Pilkington come here to break the monotony of running on a track and because it's cool and shady under the trees.

"How do you feel?" he asks her a couple of times to determine the effects of the workout.

Pilkington and Anderson are a good team. She has complete faith in her coach and his training program, which is understandable given her sudden steep improvement under his tutelage. Pilkington's mild, serene temperament has a calming effect on anyone he meets but especially runners, who tend to be prone to self doubt and anxiety. He was a junior high English teacher for years until he blossomed into a world-class road racer and marathoner, which he turned into a fulltime profession. He once was hired as a pace-setter for the L.A. Marathon in which his competitors waited for him to slow down and then drop out, as is the custom; instead, he made worldwide headlines by winning the race. Now 49, he has been hired by Weber State, his alma mater, to coach its distance runners, and he has continued to coach Anderson into the professional ranks.

"I know I couldn't have progressed and gone to this level without Paul," says Anderson. "There's no doubt in my mind."

Anderson, who is married to her high school sweetheart, Mark Anderson, was the oldest of Scott and Sherilee Olson's five children. Her identical twin, Angela, was a good high school runner, but passed up invitations to run at the collegiate level. She served a church mission in Malaysia, then returned in January and enrolled at Weber State. She continues to run recreationally and will compete in the Deseret News 10K as a member of the Momontimes.com running team.

Nothing in Lindsey Anderson's formative years suggested a future Olympian. She won four state titles in the 3A classification for Morgan High, but none as a senior, and after her sophomore year her times declined. Only Weber State and Southern Utah offered track scholarships.