The US Olympic Trials takes place in 2 days in Atlanta with over 700 runners competing, which is almost double the field size last year. For some, the race is the ultimate test of their training over the past 4 years and a chance to earn one of 3 spots on the Olympic team. For everyone, the race is a dream come true and celebration of years of hard work to become an elite American marathoner.

The hilly course in Atlanta with 1,389 feet of elevation gain helps level the playing field. As a result, the race will be more about race tactics than pure speed. Who will make moves to separate from the lead pack? Who will cover those moves and who will get dropped?

The men start at 12:08, followed by the women at 12:20, with the separation intended to space out the race and limit runners passing each other over four loops. You may think watching a marathon on TV would be quite boring. In fact, watching how the athletes surge and keep their composure can be fascinating, if we are lucky to catch those moments with the ad breaks!

A few things to look out for:
Hills and more hills: A running stat guru predicts the course will result in times up to three minutes slower than a pancake-flat course because of the cumulative impact of all the uphills and downhills mixed in with the turns.

Fluid stations: They will be almost half a mile long since elite marathoners create their own bottles and turn them in the night before. Since athletes may knock over someone else's bottles, there will also be regular aid stations but with bottled water and bottled Powerade instead of cups due to doping control. For the Trials, you can expect 4,200 elite bottles for 700 runners whereas the Boston and New York City marathon majors have only 640 bottles for 80 runners.

Nike Vaporflys: With the IAAF deeming these Nike shoes legal and eligible for the Trials, how many of the runners will be wearing them?

From trails to Trials: Jim Walmsley is an ultramarathon champion who has never raced a marathon but has run 50 miles in less than five hours. CJ Albertson has regularly been logging 26+ miles at low 5-minute pace on Strava on trails in California.

Better together: Runners will be working together in Trials especially since the race is without pacemakers. Training partners Emily Sisson and Molly Huddle are both favorites to make the team, with 28-year-old Sisson setting a US debut record in her first marathon at London 2019 and 35-year-old Huddle making every national team she's tried out for since 2011.

Or better off alone?: Galen Rupp and Jordan Hasay have the fastest marathon finish times in their respective fields, but both have made major changes after their coach Alberto Salazar was banned by the US Anti-Doping Agency and exposed by over 10 other runners for his abuse. They both dropped out of the Chicago Marathon in October, Rupp at mile 23 with a calf strain, and Hasay at mile 2 with a hamstring injury. Rupp did win a half marathon earlier this month in 1:01:19 as part of a 22-mile training day.

Race conditions look almost ideal with temperatures in the low 40s, little wind, clear skies and sun. Airing live on NBC, NBCSports.com/live, and the NBC Sports app from 12pm ET, tune in to find inspiration for your training and watch how the marathon can truly be a team sport.