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Apr-3-2004
DE REUCK IS UPSET WINNER OF U.S. TRIALS MARATHON
by David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
ST. LOUIS (03-Apr) -- Just 10 days before her 40th birthday, Colleen De Reuck earned her fourth trip to an Olympic Games, and her first as an American, when she won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon here today in a championships record 2:28:25 (unofficial). In doing so she became the oldest winner of these trials, held since the marathon was introduced to the Olympic Games for women in 1984.
De Reuck, who was born and raised in South Africa but now lives in Boulder, Colo., passed the race leader and pre-race favorite, Deena Kastor, in the 25th mile, near the same place De Reuck herself was passed in last year's national championships held on the same course in sprawling Forest Park where she finished second.
"It's hard to express in words, I'm just so happy at this time," said De Reuck after the race. She went on to thank nearly everyone who had supported her training, from her husband and coach, Darren, to her 9 year-old daughter Tasmin, whom she plans to take to the Olympic Games with her this summer.
Kastor, who lives at high altitude in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., had taken the lead in the 18th mile, reeling in an early solo bid for victory by Blake Russell of Acton, Mass. Russell, running in only her second marathon, had built up a lead of nearly a minute in just the first 10 km of the race, blazing through that mark in 33:33. Still alone, she passed through the halfway mark in 1:11:58, just ahead of a 2:24 marathon pace. It was a brave move.
"Stupid or brave, I'm not sure," said Russell after the race. "When I got to halfway I knew I was going way too fast."
After Kastor took the lead, Russell began to slow but still seemed to be maintaining her form in second place. But two miles later, she was overtaken in mile 20 by De Reuck who at that time had no designs on winning the race.
"Just to make that team, that's all I was thinking," said De Reuck who knew a top-3 finish guaranteed her a spot on the U.S. Olympic squad.
Kastor looked smooth and seemed to have the race under control, despite having to stop twice in the 12th mile to remove a stone from her shoe. Wearing a white cap to protect her from the sun, she was sure to take all of her fluids along the course.
"I finished the fluids in every one of my bottles," said Kastor, who later said that she only ate a small bit of bread before the race after having a big meal the night before. Unfortunately, the food energy available in her body depleted too early and she began to slow down. After running a string of 5:30 miles to catch Russell, she slowed to a 6:03 in mile 24.
"It's the weirdest feeling in the world," said Kastor of how she began to feel weak because of a lack of food. She had no cramps, side stitches, blisters, pulled muscles or any other problems which typically plague marathoners. She was literally running on empty.
"This is two marathons where this happened," said Kastor referring also to her 2:26:53 finish in Chicago in 2002 where she felt both weak and cold at the finish.
When De Reuck passed Kastor two hours, 16 minutes and 22 seconds into the race, she immediately opened up a gap on her younger rival. She built the lead to 21 seconds on Kastor by the 40 km mark, and about 25 seconds at the 25 mile mark. De Reuck continued to stretch her lead all the way to the finish line. She smiled and waved to the crowd, overwhelmed by her accomplishment.
"She ran the race I told her to run," said her husband Darren who had given her the thumbs-up sign from the side of the course in the 23rd mile. "When I did that she was a solid second."
Visibly weakened, Kastor crossed the line in second in 2:29:36 (unofficial), the slowest of the four marathons that she had run and some eight minutes slower than her U.S. record time of 2:21:16. Certainly disappointed, she took it all in stride, and said it was yet another learning experience.
"My goal coming in to this race was to win it, but my 'plan B' was to make the team," she said. She had nothing but praise for De Reuck: "I don't picture her as 40; she had a wonderful race."
Behind Kastor, Russell had slowed even more and had to contend with Jen Rhines of Ardmore, Pa., who was drawing closer to her with every stride. Rhines, who was a 2000 Olympian at 10,000m but had yet to run a good marathon in two previous tries, made up a two minute deficit on Russell, passing her in the last half mile to get third place in a personal best 2:29:56 (unofficial). Russel finished fourth 36 seconds later, also running a career best time (2:30:32).
"I'm extremely proud of her," said Kastor of Rhines, a close friend who was in Kastor's wedding party last September. "Jen worked hard on details for this race," she continued explaining that her friend had come to St. Louis earlier in the year to survey the course, had added more mileage to her training and had modified her diet.
Another pre race favorite, Sylvia Mosqueda of Los Angeles, Calif., had been running a strong fourth behind Russell late in the race, when a hamstring injury in her right leg flared up, causing her to stop. She completed the race at a jog.
"I jambed it in a ditch," said Mosqueda of her leg when she was on a training run yesterday. "I felt terrible from the start."
Because the top-3 finishers have qualifying times under the IAAF-determined Olympic Games "A" standard of 2:37:00 (De Reuck and Kastor had earned theirs before the race), De Reuck, Kastor and Rhines each earned berths on the U.S. Olympic team. All plan to run the marathon in Athens, even if they place in the top-3 at the Olympic Trials 10,000m in Sacramento, Calif., in July.
"We have a great team (for Athens)," De Reuck summarized.
Unofficial Results:
1. Colleen De Reuck, 2:28:25 CR
2. Deena Kastor, 2:29:36
3. Jen Rhines, 2:29:56 PB
4. Blake Russell, 2:30:32 PB
5. Magdalena Lewy, 2:30:50 PB
6. Heather Hanscom, 2:31:53 PB
7. Sara Wells, 2:33:14 PB
8. Deeja Youngquist, 2:34:21
9. Susannah Beck, 2:34:44 PB
10. Jenny Spangler (40+), 2:36:30
11. Linda Somers Smith (40+), 2:37:27
12. Jenny Crain, 2:37:16 PB
13. Cori Mooney, 2:37:49 PB
14. Liz Wilson, 2:38:18
15. Lori Stich-Zimmerman, 2:38:44 PB
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