UNDATED -- Oakland's Magdalena Lewy Boulet found the inspiration she needed to win a place Sunday on the United States Olympic Marathon Team each day when she walked into her young child's nursery.

"Having my son three years ago has been probably the best thing that has ever been to me," said the happy Lewy Boulet after finishing second Sunday at the Olympic Trials. "He is an inspiration and I want to make him proud. Every mile I run is so one day he can look at me and be proud of me."

With her American record personal best of 2:19:36 making her 12 minutes faster than the next-fastest entrant, Deena Kastor from Mammoth Lakes was a heavy favorite coming into Sunday's race.

But Lewy Boulet busted out quickly and ran far ahead of the pack for the first half of the race -- leading by nearly 2 minutes at the 14-mile mark.

"I had no idea that I was going to be by myself, but it worked," the Oakland resident said. "I was definitely a little bit uncomfortable, especially the first and second mile, a bit surprised that I was out there by myself. But the crowd just kind of took me through it."

However, Kastor eventually reeled her in and took the lead, going to win in a time of 2:29:35. Lewy Boulet was second in a personal-best time of 2:30:19 to qualify for her first Olympic team.

A Pole who became a U.S. citizen on Sept. 11, 2001, Lewy Boulet finished fifth in the 2004 trials with a personal best time of 2:30:50, missing a chance to run in Athens by 53 seconds. She won in San Francisco and Pittsburgh in 2002 and, after taking time off to have a baby, she won the Orange County Marathon in 2006 and was 15th in New York.

"I can't even explain how exciting this is," she said Sunday. "I've been working so hard toward it. Coming from a different country and having the opportunity to do whatever I wanted to do is amazing."

Blake Russell, from Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula, who finished fourth in 2004 held on to take third in 2:32:40 to round out the Beijing squad.

"Right now I don't think it's really sunk in," she said. "It's something that after the disaster in 2004 (placing fourth at the Olympic Trials), my coach and I said we've got to set up a plan to get me to this spot right here. I think later on tonight it's going to hit me but right now it seems surreal."