Women’s 10,000m at Stanford
I can only vaguely remember my first 10K, but I am pretty certain I didn’t run it in 32 minutes. Nice!
Watch more video of 2013 Stanford Invitational on flotrack.org
What About This Resurgence in American Women’s Marathon Running We Keep Hearing About?
Lloyd Levine
By Lloyd Levine, Special to the SRN
Quick! Name the second fastest (ever) female U.S. Marathon runner. The answer will probably surprise you.
Recently, I wrote about Ryan Hall and the state of men’s marathon running in the United States. Given that, it seems only fair to look at the status of women’s marathon running in the U.S. as well. The women don’t have a Ryan Hall type figure (i.e. fast times but no wins) who draws praise, and scorn in equal measures, but the status of women’s marathon running in the U.S. is not much different from that of the men. There are a few women marathon runners who draw praise and generate excitement but, except for Deena Kastor, have little to show in the way of meaningful results or times. Additionally, like the men, there is really very little depth in the talent pool.
Most serious marathon runners in the United States probably know that Deena Kastor holds the American Record, but do you know who the second and third fastest are? After analyzing the 1,875 (which is how many times the 2:30 mark has been broken) fastest women’s marathon times of all time it appears that the United States has only had two, legitimate, top-level marathon runners, Deena Kastor and Joan Benoit–who is still the second fastest U.S. woman of all time, despite having run her best time 1985. (Editor’s Note: The list, updated today, now includes 1,917 names but the analysis of the standing of the US women has not changed materially.)
Deena Kastor and Joan Benoit are the only U.S. women to have won major marathons, posted times competitive with the best in the world, and won Olympic medals. Deena Kastor has a PR of 2:19:36, good for 11th place on the all time list (and fifth on the all time list of women not named Paula Radcliffe). Deena won the bronze medal in the Athens Olympics, and has won London and Chicago (as well as many other top finishes). Joan Benoit has a PR of 2:21:21, won the Olympic Gold medal, held the world record, and won numerous marathons.
Boston Marathon This Monday
They are probably already staging porta-potties in Hopkinton for the 2011 Boston Marathon.
Unlike most every other marathon in America, the Boston Marathon is held on a Monday that is not Labor Day. They run it on Patriot’s Day.
Patriot’s Day is a New England holiday celebrating the battles of Lexington and Concord. In Boston, this holiday is generally observed by running from the town of Hopkinton to Boston, or by screaming at people who are running from Hopkinton to Boston.
This year’s Boston Marathon includes one of the deepest women’s fields in event history and two American women with a legitimate shot at a podium finish: Kara Goucher, who was 3rd in 2009, returns this year, and Desiree Davila, of the Hansen-Brooks Distance Project makes her Boston debut.
For some reason, Desiree Davila toils away as a rather unknown runner, but her 2:26:20 at the Chicago Marathon makes her the fourth fastest women in American history.