Anthony "Tony" B. Sandoval (born May 19, 1954) was a world class marathon runner, most noted for winning the 1980 U.S. Olympic Marathon trials, in the year the U.S. boycotted the Moscow Olympics. Sandoval's 2:10:19 performance in Buffalo, New York on May 24, 1980 was a US Olympic Trials record.[1]
In his first attempt to make the Olympic team "Sandoval took a crack at the '76 Olympic Marathon Trial. He'd run a 2:19 debut in Phoenix the previous December. In the trial, held in Eugene, Oregon, Sandoval ran well but it was his first near-miss: fourth-place [with the top three making the team] in 2:14:58."
In the late 1970s Sandoval worked towards becoming a medical doctor and competed in marathons on unusually light training. Following the 1976 trials he trained by running 35 miles per week and ran "a 2:14:37 for second place at the Nike-Oregon Track Club Marathon in Eugene in 1978. After that, he ran 2:15:23 for 15th place in the Boston Marathon in 1979."
Later in 1979 "In one of running's most heralded ties, Sandoval came across the finish holding hands with Jeff Wells in 2:10:20. 'We were running together,' says Sandoval, 'At the finish, I just put my arm out and Jeff put his arm out. No words were spoken.'"
Following the 1980 Trials "Sandoval made halfhearted attempts in subsequent marathon trials. He ran 2:12:42 for sixth place in 1984 and 2:22:37 for 27th place in 1988. In the 1992 trials in Columbus, Ohio, Sandoval popped an Achilles tendon at 8 miles and was a dnf [did not finish]. 'That was the last time I ran hard,' he says."
Sandoval's lifetime best for 10,000 meters came at the Mt. Sac relays in 1984, where he ran 27:47.0 for fifth place.
Sandoval is currently a cardiologist in Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA.
A fictional representation of Sandoval appears in John L. Parker Jr.'s Again to Carthage when Quenton Cassidy runs in the 1980 Olympic Marathon trials.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing the United States | |||||
| 1981 | New York City Marathon | New York, United States | 6th | Marathon | 2:12:12 [2] |