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USA Women's Marathon Championships - Preview and Starter List
By Sharon Ekstrom
Photo Credit: Victah Sailer - Shalane Flanagan at 2010 Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon
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See also:
Starter List (lower on this page)
On Sunday, November 7, 2010 the New York City Marathon will host twenty-five female athletes who will be competing in the 2010 USA Women's Marathon Championships, a race-within-the-race, where the title National Marathon Champion will be crowned and the winner will receive a special prize bonus of $40,000. A total of $150,000 in prize money will be given out to the top 15 runners in the championship field. Eligibility requires that the entrants be US citizens, at least 14 years of age on race day and members of USA Track and Field in good standing. Those headlining the championships are Shalane Flanagan, Katie McGregor, Mary Akor, Sally Meyerhoff, Linda Somers Smith and Serena Burla.
2008 Beijing Olympic gold medalist Shalane Flanagan is a 10,000m specialist who will be debuting in the marathon. Mary Wittenberg, CEO, President and Race Director of the New York City Marathon, called Flanagan a 'thoroughbred', remarking on watching her career blossom on the track since high school and the anticipation of her transitioning to the marathon. Flanagan won the 2010 USA Half Marathon Championships (69:41) as well as the USSA Cross Country Championships (8K). Expectations are high for a strong first marathon performance from Flanagan in New York, not only at the championships but in the international race as well. The last American woman to win the New York City Marathon was Miki Gorman in 1977, who finished in 2:43:10 at age 42. Flanagan at 29 is ready to tackle the distance:
"Well, we'll find out Sunday if I can thrive over 26.2. But in the course of our training, I think I draw the most strength and confidence through the long runs, the long tempo runs. I've done on two occasions an
18 miler on a really hilly course that I think simulates New York really nicely. Then, we did a little less aggressive one about three weeks out, a 16 mile. I'm trying to strive to be a podium runner. My coach and I feel like being in 2:25 shape is a podium type status."
Despite the slight nervousness Flanagan exhibits having also transitioned to working with a new coach and at a new distance in recent months, she has been working through her 'growing pains', has trained well and will most importantly need to focus on race day.
"For me, the marathon is all about patience. The track is intense, and I'm pretty aggressive. But the marathon, I know that that can lead to being quite disastrous for me, especially a first timer. So I've really worked on my focus and my ability to stay calm and patient."
Also, expect a top performance from Katie McGregor who will be returning to the New York City Marathon for the third time which is also her third career marathon. She has two top ten finishes in New York (2008-2:31:14, 10th place, 2006-2:32:36, 9th). Entering the field with the most experience on the New York City course, McGregor's thoughts are positive for the 2010 race, "I'm excited for the strong field because I think I'll have more people to run with, and I'm hoping that will help me out a lot. The marathon is hard enough on its own, and you have to stay mentally focused the whole time. The last time I was here, I ran a lot of the race on my own, which was fine because I ended up not having the race I wanted. But I'm hoping I'll have some other people pulling me along this time. I feel better prepared to run faster than I have here before, so I think that also puts me closer to a lot of the top runners."
Predominantly a 10,000m runner, McGregor has had a stellar year on the roads winning national championships in the 10-Mile and the 15K. Expect a top performance from this Team USA Minnesota runner once again.
Others to watch in the championship field are Sally Meyerhoff and Mary Akor.
Just in 2010 Meyerhoff placed 5th at the USA National Championships 10-Miler (55:22), was 9th at the New York City Half-Marathon and won the More Half-Marathon (74:40). In the marathon distance Meyerhoff was fifth at the 2009 USA Women's Marathon Championships (2:35:49), fifth at 2009 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona (2:35:52) and third at the 2008 Grandma's Marathon (2:42:58). Akor is an inveterate marathoner who races the distance from three to eight times per year. While she races high profile marathons, she has also collected accolades at smaller venues. A few include victories at Grandma's Marathon (2007, 2008 & 2009), Vancouver Marathon (2004 & 2008), OC Marathon (2007), and Big Sur Marathon (2005). Akor's personal best is from the 2006 Twin Cities Marathon in a 2:33:50 finish (2nd place) not bad for her seventh marathon of that year.
Notably absent are the 2008 USA Beijing Olympic Women's Marathon team American Marathon Record Holder Deena Kastor (pregnant), Blake Russell (injured), Magdalena Lewy-Boulet who ran 2010 Chicago Marathon with several other American women who managed to qualify for the 2012 USA Olympic Trials. Also, missing from the roster is Kara Goucher, the fastest American female to ever run the New York City Marathon. Coached by Alberto Salazar, the fastest American to ever run the New York City Marathon, Goucher took third place at the 2008 race in 2:25:53.
While the USA Marathon Championship field has drawn worthy talent, we also look to the field to provide the next top American marathoner as the 2012 London Olympics nears.
USA Women's Championship Prize Money:
| Place | Amount |
| 1st | $40,000 |
| 2nd | $25,000 |
| 3rd | $20,000 |
| 4th | $15,000 |
| 5th | $12,000 |
| 6th | $10,000 |
| 7th | $8,000 |
| 8th | $5,000 |
| 9th | $4,000 |
| 10th | $3,000 |
| 11th | $2,500 |
| 12th | $2,000 |
| 13th | $1,500 |
| 14th | $1,000 |
| 15th | $1,000 |
| Total | $150,000 |
| USA Women's Marathon Championships Starter List |
| Name (Age) | Bib | Personal Best |
| Shalane Flanagan (29) | 108 | Debut |
| Katie McGregor (33) | 121 | 2:31:14, New York, 2008 |
| Desiree Ficker (33) | 124 | 2:39:30, New York, 2009 |
| Serena Burla (28) | 125 | Debut |
| Katherine Newberry (32) | 128 | Debut |
| Alissa McKaig (24) | 129 | Debut |
| Stephanie Lenihan (24) | 130 | Debut |
| Mary Akor (34) | 131 | 2:33:50, Twin Cities, 2006 |
| Ann Alyanak (32) | 132 | 2:34:46, Boston, 2008 |
| Heidi Westover (29) | 133 | 2:32:02, Vermont City, 2009 |
| Sally Meyerhoff (26) | 134 | 2:35:49, Twin Cities, 2009 |
| Melissa Christian (34) | 135 | 2:41:19, US Olympic Trials, 2008 |
| Sheri Piers (39) | 137 | 2:37:04, Boston, 2009 |
| Michele Suszek (28) | 138 | 2:38:37, Seattle, 2009 |
| Wendi Ray (37) | 139 | 2:38:58, US Championships, 2009 |
| Linda Somers Smith (49) | 149 | 2:30:06, Columbia, MO, 1996 |
| Kristin Barry (36) | 151 | 2:40:38, Arizona, 2010 |
| Laurie Knowles (32) | 153 | 2:44:03, Olympic Trials, 2008 |
| Kelly Chin (30) | 155 | 2:44:44, Houston, 2010 |
| Marlene Farrell (35) | 156 | 2:45:16, Eugene, 2010 |
| Emily Hardin (27) | 161 | 2:50:23, Chicago, 2009 |
| Rachel Booth (29) | 162 | 2:51:18, Houston, 2007 |
| Kathyrn Hatch (34) | 163 | 2:52:10, Philadelphia, 2007 |
| Christa Iammarino (36) | 164 | 2:53:41, Wrightsville Beach, 2010 |
| Jeannette Faber (28) | 166 | 2:41:06, Hartford, 2010 |
Deena Kastor (37) | | 2:19:36, London, 2006 |
Blake Russell (35) | | 2:29:10, LaSalle, 2005 |
Paige Higgins | | 2:33:06, LaSalle, 2008 |
Coverage Homepage
Post Race: Men's Race |
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Complete Searchable Results
Race Day: As It Happens - Live Coverage
Pre-Race:
Men:
Men's Preview & Starter List |
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Women:
Women's Preview & Starter List |
USA Championships Preview |
Women's Athlete Bios
Head-to-Heads: Elite Athlete Past Matchups
Extras:
Pace Calculator/Pace Guide |
Videos (Athletes/Archival/More...)
Additional Interviews:
The Chilean Miner! | Haile Gebrselassie & Paul Tergat
More News:
Press Releases |
News
Featured Book/Movie:
Run For Your Life |
A Race Like No Other
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