Newberg’s Mark French Eyes 2028 Olympic Trials

NEWBERG, Ore. — Newberg resident Mark French crossed the finish line of the Camellia Festival 5K on Saturday with an official time of 15:12 (a 4:54 minute-per-mile pace), clinching first place in the community race.

While the victory was a personal tune-up, it marked another step in a much bigger journey: qualifying for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

French, 27, is a mechanical engineer by day and a competitive runner by early morning and late evening and any other spare hour in between. Despite never having run a full marathon, he’s logging 70 miles a week in preparation for his debut at the Eugene Marathon on April 27.

“I’ve always been more of a short-distance guy,” French said in a post-Camellia-race interview. “But I’m excited to take this on. To have the setup I do for my first marathon, at Hayward Field, it doesn’t get better.”

French grew up in the Willamette Valley and ran track and cross-country at Tualatin High School before competing at Oregon Institute of Technology. After graduating with an engineering degree, he stepped back from competitive racing, assuming his best times were behind him.

“I was kind of burned out,” French said. “I figured I’d just stick to local road races and fade into the background.”

That changed when a former college rival, Rob Swoboda, reached out from Salem. Swoboda said he had narrowly missed the Olympic Trials marathon qualifying time and was training solo. He invited French to join him.

“Training with Rob kind of reignited everything,” French said. “We now share a coach and a support system. It’s been almost a year since we started, and I’ve been building ever since.”

Now, French balances a full-time engineering job at a renewable energy firm with an elite training schedule. 

“If you live in Newberg, you’ve probably seen me running,” he said. “It’s a lot of hours, but the goal keeps me focused.”

The path to the Olympic Trials includes a series of key marathons. French and his coach, Stuart Eagon, have mapped out a race plan focused on events like the California International Marathon, Grandma’s Marathon in Minnesota, and the Chicago Marathon. While the qualifying standard for the 2024 trials was 2 hours, 18 minutes, the time for 2028 has yet to be announced.

“I ran a 1:06:17 half marathon in Mesa back in February,” French said. “If you double that, I’m on pace. But I’ve never raced a full marathon, so Eugene will be a big test.”

French trains with CCC Elite, an amateur team made up of former Cascade Collegiate Conference runners. The team is largely working professionals—many with families—who still chase high-level competition.

“All of us came from small college programs, and now we’re training together while balancing life,” French said. “That’s the message we’re sending—elite running doesn’t have to stop when college ends.”

For now, French is focused on Eugene, where he’ll line up alongside teammate Nick Maszk in the elite field. He encouraged community members to come out and support the race.

“If you’re from Newberg, there’s a good chance you know someone running Eugene,” French said. “We’ll be out there in CCC Elite singlets. Come cheer us on.”

Follow French’s progress at the CCC Elite Instagram page.