Bay Area brothers take a run at the Olympics

Brothers Garrett and Elliott Heath grew up running together, providing support for one another, and watching each other break records.

Now, the Bay Area running duo have a chance to take their skills to an unbelievable new level: the U.S. men’s track and field Olympic team.

The two Stanford graduates are training together despite running two different events. Garrett, who runs in the 1,500 meters, and Elliott, who competes in the 5,000 meters, will travel to Eugene, Ore. for the Olympic trials July 1.

Elliott, who is three years younger than Garrett, said his brother has always been a source of guidance and support:

“He was a great role model for me and really helped me set a lot of my goals and really helped me obtain a lot of my successes.”

Despite sometimes breaking one another’s records, the brothers say their bond is strong and has helped them get through many competitions.

The two were standout runners at Stanford, both winning NCAA titles and Garrett finishing second in the 1,500 meter in nationals during his senior year.

Elliott won the 3,000 meter national title in indoor track and finished in the top five in the 5K.

Both continue to train at Stanford with the ultimate goal of running together in the London summer Olympics, says Elliott:

“Being there and potentially experiencing that with your brother, I think that’s something that I don’t know how many people have done that before, but its got to be very few and i think that that would be incredibly special.”