2004 US Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon: Ryan's Race Recap
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At the start of the race, conditions were nearly ideal. Temperatures I would guess in the low 40s, just a slight breeze, and not a cloud in the sky. The only problem I could foresee would be, without the wind and with the sun, how warm would it get as the morning went on? Fortunately, with a 7:00 start, things wouldn't get as bad as would be possible with a later start. All the big names were there. Deena Kastor, Colleen De Reuck, Deeja Youngquist, Blake Russell, Sylvia Mosqueda, Magdalena Lewy Boulet, Sara Wells, Jenny Spangler, and all the rest were looking primed and ready to go. This was shaping up to be an interesting race before it even started. As the gun went off, the whole field remained packed for the first lap on the Washington University track with the two favorites, Kastor and De Reuck, prominently positioned in the front. On the second lap, a sizable lead pack started separating a bit from the rest of the field, again with Kastor and De Reuck present right up in the front. On the third lap, Russell gapped the lead pack at a fairly blistering pace for early in a marathon. After a fairly pedestrian first half mile, Russell seemed determined to either make the top three earn their spot or run away with first. It seemed as though I was not the only one who was surprised by such an early break by one of the contenders. I thought this looked like a suicide mission. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong mode of transportation to get back to the rest of the course, as the media bus got caught in traffic. I still did get back in time to see the runners around the 6 mile mark. Russell was still holding a good lead but Kastor and Mosqueda seemed to be interested in reeling her back in. Behind them were most of the other contenders, including De Reuck, Boulet, and Youngquist, along with some surprise faces such as Jen Rhines, who I didn't even recognize for quite some time. At the 10 mile mark, it looked like more of the same. Russell was still leading Kastor but Kastor seemed to be closing the gap, Mosqueda was still solidly in third place but no longer running with Kastor, and those chasing included the same faces. It took me somewhat by surprise that De Reuck wasn't doing more to get into position. As the runners came back by approaching the 12 mile mark, Russell opened the gap up a bit again but Kastor was still looking strong and seemed to just be waiting for the right time to go in for the kill. While Russell looked like she was racing, Kastor looked like she was out for a morning stroll at that point. The chase pack was still looking the same. Mosqueda still in third with De Reuck, Boulet, and Rhines looking like the ones who would still be in contention. As the runners were approaching mile 17, it was obvious that Kastor had decided to make her move. She seemed to be in a different gear and had drastically closed in on Russell. It was now only a matter of time until she would take the lead. Behind the top two, De Reuck passed Mosqueda for third place and Boulet and Rhines were also closing in on Mosqueda. It was looking like there would be quite the battle for third, as Russell was fading back to that position and there were four competitors within relatively close range waiting for her back there. As the runners made their way toward mile 19, Kastor had taken the lead and was looking strong. Russell was struggling but seemed to be solidly in the top three. De Reuck, though, was running strong and looked like she had second. The big question was whether Mosqueda could regroup and pass Russell for the final spot. With about three miles to go, Kastor seemed to have a good lead but De Reuck was closing in. While Kastor looked like she was struggling, De Reuck looked strong. I couldn't help but think of one year ago, when De Reuck had a good lead at this exact point but she looked to be struggling and Sara Wells was running strong. Last year, Wells passed De Reuck at about the 25 mile mark to take the win but I just couldn't see that happening in this race. In third was still Russell. I left for the finish before I could see some important developments behind Russell, though. While Mosqueda had dropped out, Jen Rhines was making a big move and setting herself up for a shot at the Olympics. At the finish line, it was announced that De Reuck had passed Kastor on the final loop of the course. I had this sudden feeling of deja vu, as this was the same announcement I heard last year except it was Wells passing De Reuck. I couldn't help but wonder if the same thing had gone through De Reuck's mind. Maybe she had learned something about this course at last year's race that she used to her advantage in this race. De Reuck opened up the gap and ended up winning with an Olympic Trials record time of 2:28:25. Kastor held on for second in 2:29:38. To my surprise, I did not see Blake Russell coming in next. After a moment, the announcer stated that third place was Jen Rhines. She made her big move for third and, just before the 26 mile mark, passed Russell for third place and the final spot on the Olympic team. After a very brave and even more impressive run, Russell came up just a bit short in fourth. After working together for much of the race with Rhines, Boulet finished strong in fifth. Heather Hanscom finished in sixth, while Sara Wells came in for seventh, Deeja Youngquist held on to eighth, Susannah Beck got ninth, and Jenny Spangler finished tenth. |
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