Brian Sell
When Brian Sell was a varsity athlete at Northern Bedford, he
impressed all his coaches with his work ethic but didn’t exactly wow anybody with the athleticism that would warrant a spot, eventually, on the US Olympic team.
His high school track and field coach, Dave Mahaffey recalls Sell as the kind of kid that would do whatever was asked but is quick to point out that “It never struck me that he would take things to the level he did after high school.”
Sell was a three-time District 5 champion in the 1600 meter run but never made it beyond the preliminary round at the state meet.
“We only got him out for track in his sophomore year because he saw that he didn’t have a future in baseball,” Mahaffey recalled.
Sell didn’t run cross country in the fall. Instead, he contributed to the Panthers state semifinalists football team his senior
year as a cornerback, wide receiver and special teams player.
In the winter he toiled on the wrestling mats for Rod Hoover’s Panthers and became good enough to be the 130-pound District 5 runner-up his senior year.
“His enthusiasm and work ethic were second to none,” said coach Hoover. “Nobody could’ve predicted what would
transpire in the years to come though.”
There is little doubt that his lessons on the mat were important in developing the drive and determination that found him
on the US Olympic Marathon team many years later.
“He beat people on desire alone many times,” Hoover added. “You better beat him before the third period because nobody was in better condition and had more determination than Brian.”
After graduation, with no athletic scholarship offers, Sell went on to Messiah College where he walked on to the Falcons
Division III track teams. After one year there he transferred to St. Francis University and that is where his running career accelerated.
According to St. Francis distance coach Wayne Sherlock his breakout meet was at the Raleigh Relays 10K in his first year
at SFU.
“He ran a huge PR, placed 5th overall, and opened up a lot of eyes with his time and performance,” Sherlock recalled.
St. Francis head coach Kevin Donner agreed. “That’s when we knew we had somebody special.”
“He improved drastically while at SFU,” according to Donner. “He had two things going for him. A tremendous mindset—
he wanted badly to win. And the ability to handle a lot of work (miles) that gave him the confidence to compete at a high level.”
Sherlock added, “With his work ethic and dedication he took off and elevated not only himself but his teammates.”
Donner felt that he really took off his senior year in which he pulled off an incredible triple at the Northeast Conference meet, winning the 10k, steeplechase, and 5k in one weekend, and Sell was named the conference MVP. He then qualified for NCAA Nationals in the 10k by running a 28:55 at Stanford.
“I felt he would be a great marathoner because he could handle the high mileage. He’s the only athlete I’ve ever coached that put in two consecutive 100 mile-plus weeks,” Donner added.
Sell graduated from St. Francis with six school track & field records, and in 2015, he was inducted into the SFU Athletic Hall of Fame.
Coach Donner put Sell in contact with Kevin and Keith Hanson of the Brooks Hanson running team in Michigan as he
continued his storied ascension to the top levels of the distance running world.
In 2002, Sell finished third in the USATF Cross Country race for his first major postcollegiate finish. After running in the US
Olympic Trials in the 10k, placing 17th, and not qualifying for the Olympics, he tried another event. In the 2004 Olympic
marathon trials race, he boldly took the lead through the first 21 miles only to fade to a 13th-place finish.
That race appeared to push him to the next level as he ran the fifth-fastest American time ever in the 20k in finishing second at the US Championships. He was also the first American, and 25th overall, at the World Half Marathon Championships that
year.
Both 2005 and 2006 were big years for Brian as he won the USATF Half Marathon, and 25K Road titles, placed 4th in the Boston Marathon, and 9th in the World Marathon Championships. The table was set for his Olympic team run.
In November of 2007, the US Olympic trials race was held at Central Park in New York City. Sell ran very different,
strategically, than he had 4 years earlier. He spent most of the middle part of the race in fifth and then in fourth place before
overtaking Dan Browne in the final 3 miles of the race to finish third in 2:11:40 and claim a spot on the US Olympic team.
Brian prepped for the heat of Beijing by winning the Miami, FL, half marathon in his last major race before representing the US
in China. At the games Sell finished 22nd overall.
At his height, Track & Field News ranked Brian as the #3 marathon runner in the US. He had a PR of 2:10:47 in the 2006
Chicago Marathon.
Brian retired after the 2009 New York Marathon and now lives in Lititz, PA, with his wife Sarah and their 3 children.
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impressed all his coaches with his work ethic but didn’t exactly wow anybody with the athleticism that would warrant a spot, eventually, on the US Olympic team.
His high school track and field coach, Dave Mahaffey recalls Sell as the kind of kid that would do whatever was asked but is quick to point out that “It never struck me that he would take things to the level he did after high school.”
Sell was a three-time District 5 champion in the 1600 meter run but never made it beyond the preliminary round at the state meet.
“We only got him out for track in his sophomore year because he saw that he didn’t have a future in baseball,” Mahaffey recalled.
Sell didn’t run cross country in the fall. Instead, he contributed to the Panthers state semifinalists football team his senior
year as a cornerback, wide receiver and special teams player.
In the winter he toiled on the wrestling mats for Rod Hoover’s Panthers and became good enough to be the 130-pound District 5 runner-up his senior year.
“His enthusiasm and work ethic were second to none,” said coach Hoover. “Nobody could’ve predicted what would
transpire in the years to come though.”
There is little doubt that his lessons on the mat were important in developing the drive and determination that found him
on the US Olympic Marathon team many years later.
“He beat people on desire alone many times,” Hoover added. “You better beat him before the third period because nobody was in better condition and had more determination than Brian.”
After graduation, with no athletic scholarship offers, Sell went on to Messiah College where he walked on to the Falcons
Division III track teams. After one year there he transferred to St. Francis University and that is where his running career accelerated.
According to St. Francis distance coach Wayne Sherlock his breakout meet was at the Raleigh Relays 10K in his first year
at SFU.
“He ran a huge PR, placed 5th overall, and opened up a lot of eyes with his time and performance,” Sherlock recalled.
St. Francis head coach Kevin Donner agreed. “That’s when we knew we had somebody special.”
“He improved drastically while at SFU,” according to Donner. “He had two things going for him. A tremendous mindset—
he wanted badly to win. And the ability to handle a lot of work (miles) that gave him the confidence to compete at a high level.”
Sherlock added, “With his work ethic and dedication he took off and elevated not only himself but his teammates.”
Donner felt that he really took off his senior year in which he pulled off an incredible triple at the Northeast Conference meet, winning the 10k, steeplechase, and 5k in one weekend, and Sell was named the conference MVP. He then qualified for NCAA Nationals in the 10k by running a 28:55 at Stanford.
“I felt he would be a great marathoner because he could handle the high mileage. He’s the only athlete I’ve ever coached that put in two consecutive 100 mile-plus weeks,” Donner added.
Sell graduated from St. Francis with six school track & field records, and in 2015, he was inducted into the SFU Athletic Hall of Fame.
Coach Donner put Sell in contact with Kevin and Keith Hanson of the Brooks Hanson running team in Michigan as he
continued his storied ascension to the top levels of the distance running world.
In 2002, Sell finished third in the USATF Cross Country race for his first major postcollegiate finish. After running in the US
Olympic Trials in the 10k, placing 17th, and not qualifying for the Olympics, he tried another event. In the 2004 Olympic
marathon trials race, he boldly took the lead through the first 21 miles only to fade to a 13th-place finish.
That race appeared to push him to the next level as he ran the fifth-fastest American time ever in the 20k in finishing second at the US Championships. He was also the first American, and 25th overall, at the World Half Marathon Championships that
year.
Both 2005 and 2006 were big years for Brian as he won the USATF Half Marathon, and 25K Road titles, placed 4th in the Boston Marathon, and 9th in the World Marathon Championships. The table was set for his Olympic team run.
In November of 2007, the US Olympic trials race was held at Central Park in New York City. Sell ran very different,
strategically, than he had 4 years earlier. He spent most of the middle part of the race in fifth and then in fourth place before
overtaking Dan Browne in the final 3 miles of the race to finish third in 2:11:40 and claim a spot on the US Olympic team.
Brian prepped for the heat of Beijing by winning the Miami, FL, half marathon in his last major race before representing the US
in China. At the games Sell finished 22nd overall.
At his height, Track & Field News ranked Brian as the #3 marathon runner in the US. He had a PR of 2:10:47 in the 2006
Chicago Marathon.
Brian retired after the 2009 New York Marathon and now lives in Lititz, PA, with his wife Sarah and their 3 children.
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Class of 2023
Bedford County Sports
Hall of Fame
Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County, Pennsylvania