A year ago, Kevin Eastler probably was a lock to make the U.S. Olympic team as the nation's No. 1 racewalker.

But injuries have derailed Eastler's training this year, and he knows his road to Beijing is certainly a little rockier.

"It's been a rough season for training," he said. "A lot of ups and downs, which isn't the best. I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be.

"But I think I can put together a decent race considering where I've been. And that may or may not get me on the Olympic team."

Eastler, a 30-year-old Farmington native who graduated from Mt. Blue High in 1995, will find out July 5, when he participates in the 20-kilometer racewalk in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Ore.

He still has the best qualifying time (1 hour, 22 minutes, 56 seconds) of the entrants and is the only entrant to have run the "A" qualifying standard for the Olympics.

But that won't mean much when he takes the track.

Eastler, who has been selected to be promoted to a major in the Air Force, suffered a deep sports hernia last year and after months of trying to determine the injury, had surgery in December.

When he returned, he suffered from knee tendinitis, limiting his training further.

He participated in the U.S. 50k racewalk trials last February but didn't finish the race, stopping after one lap.

He recently raced in Spain, finishing in about 1:30:00. John Nunn of the U.S. Army won that race in 1:26:22.

Coming off highly successful seasons in 2006 and 2007, when he won back-to-back U.S. outdoor 20k championships, Eastler admits to being frustrated in the 2008 season.

"It's a disappointment but it's all part of athletics," he said. "You never know when your body is going to break down and things will go awry. I'm doing the best I can."

Eastler doesn't know what will happen, but he's certainly going to do everything he can to earn a spot on the U.S. team.

"I think I have a better than 50 percent shot of making it," he said. "But you never know."

Eastler, who participated in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, finishing 21st in 1:25:20, can make his second Olympic team in several ways.

First, if he wins the race, he goes. That's the most simple explanation. Second, if someone else can run the Olympic "A" standard (1:23.00) other than Eastler, Eastler will go because he's already made the time.

Third, if no one else runs the Olympic "B" standard (1:24:30), Eastler will go if he beats Tim Seaman, a longtime rival who has already achieved the standard with his qualifying time of 1:23:38.

"I can tell you exactly how it's going to go," said Eastler. "One or two guys (Nunn and Matthew Boyles most likely) will go after the 'B' standard. If they win with the 'B,' they go."

But it won't be easy. The course is set up on a 1-kilometer loop, not the traditional 2-kilometer loop. That means more turns and that will make it more difficult for anyone to meet the standard, A or B.

"The turns are a killer," said Tom Eastler, Kevin's father who still trains racewalkers in Maine. "You've got to slow down, turn 180 degrees and start all over."

Add the pressure of the Olympic trials and, Kevin Eastler said, you can see why this will be a difficult race.

"You have the trials pressure, it's an early-morning race -- it's an uphill battle for anyone who wants to go for a standard," he said. "That's not to say someone can't do it."

"It's a tough challenge. What will happen is the lead pack will go out and Tim and I will lead the second pack. I don't think either of us is in shape to challenge (Seaman had hip surgery last October). We'll race our own race and fight our own battle."

Eastler obviously would love to make the trip to Beijing but as his father said, he would only go if he deserves to.

"If he doesn't make it in this race, he'll be the first to congratulate the winner," said Tom Eastler. "The guy's an Olympian. He'd love to be a two-time Olympian but he doesn't want to represent his country if he's not the best guy."

Should Eastler win the Olympic berth, he knows he'll have another six weeks to prepare for what would be his last Olympics.

He's been racewalking since he was 9, he said. Now it's time to think about doing something else.

"My body's telling me enough is enough and that's pretty much it," he said. "Time to move on to other things."