(8-23-09) From USATF Press Release - 2008 Olympic Trials 5,000m champion and 10,000m runner-up Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore.) was the top U.S. finisher at the women's World Marathon Cup competition Sunday through the streets of Berlin. The race was contested under mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the low 70's.
Goucher, who stayed with the main pack for the majority of the race, finished 10th in a season's best time of 2 hours 27 minutes 48 seconds. Goucher's finish is the highest by an American woman in the World Championships marathon since Linda Somers finished seventh in 1995.
Goucher was closely followed by 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon fifth-place finisher Desiree Davila (Rochester Hills, Mich.), who finished 11th in 2:27:53, which greatly improves on her previous personal best of 2:31:33 set last year in Chicago.
2008 Olympic Trials marathon fifth-place finisher Tera Moody (Boulder, Colo.) rounded out the scoring for Team USA as she placed 28th in 2:36:39 to give the U.S. its combined time of 7:32:20.
Team USA women's fifth-place finish in the World Marathon Cup at a World Outdoor Championships is its best ever. Team USA finished sixth in 1999, 2005 & 2007.
Other finishers for Team USA included 2008 USA 25 km champion Paige Higgins (Littleton, Colo.), who finished 30th in 2:37:11, and Zoila Gomez (Alamosa, Colo.), who placed 30th in 2:42:49.
Team USA quotes
Tera Moody (Colorado Springs, Colorado)--I wanted to break 2:30 today, but with the heat, I had to be a little more conservative. I felt really great, but I just didn't have the turnover.
I felt great from the get-go. I was getting a bit impatient.
Desiree Davila (Rochester Hills, Michigan)--I went out pretty even, and was able to pick it up along the way. A huge pack was sitting in front of me, and as it broke up, I was able to weave my way through. I felt great going into the last lap, and was able to pick people off.
I came in very fit, and having the confidence from the Chicago Marathon, and being able to move through the field was huge.
Kara Goucher (Portland, Oregon)--My legs felt great, and I felt really relaxed. It was great to have a loop course where my husband and coach could yell at me. The pace felt comfortable, and it felt like practice.
I had a lot of problems keeping my fluids down. After the second personal fluid station, I started throwing up what I took in. I would start taking it, then a mile later, I'd throw up.
I started to cramp with 13k to go, and then the field started to surge. It wasn't there. I just wasn't good enough today. I thought I hydrated myself well leading up to the race.
When the field made their break, my body wouldn't go.
Paige Higgins (Flagstaff, Arizona)--It went very well, but the heat got to me. Tera Moody and I pretty much buddied up together and pursued the second chase pack. We were in it to get a real good team placing.
I liked running on a criterium-style course like this. You can figure out the undulations, and you can break up the course into sections. My coach told me to do a 30k run, and a 12k race. The fans made a huge difference, and that's why I love this course. It's very runner-friendly, and even if you're not a runner, you can see us pass by four times.
Zoila Gomez (Alamosa, Colorado)--It wasn't what I had expected. The first 10k I was right on what I wanted to run, and on the second lap I was feeling th esame thing.
Shortly before the half-marathon, I started feeling some hot spots on the bottoms of my feet. The race was harder than I thought with the blisters and all. I'm glad I finished the race, but I wished I could have done better.
For complete results, quotes and Team USA reports, visit www.usatf.org.
Fans can watch Team USA on national television broadcasts on NBC and Versus, or online via live, daily Webcast at www.universalsports.com. For complete TV listings, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/mediaCoverage.asp.
For more information on Team USA at the World Outdoor Championships, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/.
