Trying to take the High road to London is no easy exercise

Saturday in Houston, a select group of men and women will compete in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

It's hard to imagine that any followed Renee High's pre-race path.

The 30-year-old registered nurse in the Sentara Virginia Beach General orthopedic unit was the top female finisher at the Disney Marathon on Sunday.

Winning Disney had always been high on her agenda, so she thought, why put it off? With only six days to recover, she counted on her nutrition and some massage therapy to get her ready for this next test of body and soul.

"My goal was to win Disney, and I did it," she said. "So my goal for the trials is to have a great time and see what happens."

Marathoners, in case anybody needs reminding, are a different breed. Who else could entertain the notion of running 26.2 miles twice within seven days at an elite level?

Only the top three men and women in Houston qualify for this summer's London Olympics, but as is usually the case when marathoners get together, the trials are touted as a great communal gathering, where the ultimate winner is distance running itself.

"It's kind of a celebration," Amanda Scott said.

Scott, a 24-year-old Cape Henry High School graduate, qualified for the trials after running a life's course that has taken her to Vanderbilt University, Cambridge, England, and Boulder, Colo., where she is a product developer for Crocs, the shoe company.

Only 228 women qualified for the trials, and three of the runners - including Jenn Shelton, who lives in Oregon - have Virginia Beach connections.

Jerry Frostick, who along with his wife, Amy, puts on the Shamrock Marathon and has trained High and Scott, said that while 5 percent of the country's marathoners qualify for the prestigious Boston Marathon, the Olympic Trials are open to the final 1 percent.

"These are highly motivated individuals," he said. "Not just with fitness; in all parts of their lives."

A former No. 1 runner on the Western Kentucky track and cross country teams, High transferred to ODU as an undergraduate, then earned a master's degree in exercise science. She's attending Norfolk State to become a registered dietitian with the idea of running her own wellness center some day.

"I'm also studying for my yoga certification," she said, "so I am very busy."

Between shifts at the hospital and classes, she fits in 85 to 90 miles of roadwork a week, often at First Landing State Park, her favorite training ground.

"Marathon runners are obsessed," she said.

Also happy, judging by her buoyant disposition.

"If I don't run," she said, "I'm not as upbeat."

High was introduced to marathons at the 2005 Shamrock.

"An amazing experience," she recalled. "My legs were in so much pain, my heels were bleeding. I actually had to be picked up when I was done. I couldn't walk another step. But I was hooked. I couldn't wait to do it again."

The next year, she was the first woman to finish the Shamrock. As one of the East Coast's top runners, she enters two marathons a year in addition to shorter road races. At the 2008 Olympic Trials in Boston, she finished 60th.

"Not too shabby," she said. "But to be honest, I'm not going to win this race. No matter what, your time is always there in black and white."

High won Disney in 2:48:35, and her best time of 2:45 was set in Chicago in 2010. Only women who have broken 2:30 are realistically given a chance to qualify for the Olympics.

"It won't be me," Scott said cheerfully. "I'd like to (set a personal record) by a couple minutes, but we'll see. I just want to hang out with our group and enjoy the experience."

Scott's credentials as a highly motivated young woman are solid. After Cape Henry, she ran cross country and track at Vanderbilt while earning a double-degree in chemical engineering and chemistry, and winning a Bill Gates scholarship to Cambridge University.

She'd competed in several half-marathons, so when she entered her first marathon in 2010 in London, "it didn't seem like such a huge deal."

The last leg of the race ran along the Thames River, with a final turn at Big Ben and the finish in front of Buckingham Palace.

"Amazing," she said.

In less picturesque surroundings, Indianapolis, she qualified for the trials in November by finishing in second place in just under 2:46.

"I'm still learning, still making mistakes, but it's been fun. I love running so much. To run 30 or 40 miles a week, I might not get the same joy from that as running 90 miles a week."

As for High, she thinks her legs will "be pretty well recovered" for the trials.

With another 26.2 miles beckoning, she can't imagine missing an opportunity for a great time.

Bob Molinaro, 757-446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com

Twitter@BobMolinaro