While the 2005 debut of Olympic marathon bronze medallist Deena Kastor is stealing the headlines prior to this weekend's US national 8 km championships, Saturday morning's race on Randall's Island in New York City marks the season's debut of another 2004 Olympian, 1500 meter national champion Carrie Tollefson.

"Eight kilometers is going to feel a little long after running all those four- minute long races on the track last summer in Europe," said Tollefson, a five-time NCAA champion while at Villanova, during a conference call with reporters a few weeks ago, "But my coach has been slowly getting me ready for a longer race like the 8K, and after getting over a couple of injuries over the winter, I'm feeling better than I have in a few years."

Last summer, Tollefson was aiming for a spot on the start line in the Olympic 5000, her preferred event, but finished a distant sixth at the Olympic trials. Four days later she doubled back in the 1500, winning her prelim before taking the final two later to become the only American in the event in Athens. She reached the semi-finals in Olympic Stadium, ran in the second and faster of two heats, and fell about three seconds shy of advancing.

Despite missing the final, Tollefson was the most upbeat of the athletes making their way through the crowded mixed zone after her semi-final.

"This has been a whole learning experience, running the 1500 rather than the 5[thousand]," said Tollefson, who trains with in Minneapolis with the Team USA-Minnesota program. "And you know, again, no complaints, but I think you,re going to see a different runner after I go home and can call myself an Olympian. And hopefully we,ll see good things. I learned that not only can you run one event, but you can come back and be maybe even better in another one."

Despite her Olympic appearance in the metric mile, Tollefson indicated that while the 5000 is still her preferred distance, she will pay more attention to the shorter race as well.

"I,m going to work on [the 1500] a little bit more," Tollefson, now 28, said in Athens. "I shouldn,t have to PR when I'm tired like I have all year. So I,ll definitely try to get that under 4:05 next year and be a competitor. This has been really good for me, learing how to race mentally and stay in it. My 800's coming down, so I think the 1500 meters definitely is going to help my 5-k, so regardless, Im going to run it some more."

Competing in Athens, Tollefson said, was "a great experience, no complaints whatsoever. I learned how to be an Olympian, and next time around I,ll hopefully make it to the final. And you never know what can happen then."