U.S. enjoys resurgence in women's marathon

BERLIN -- When the words “women’s marathon” and “United States” were uttered here over the last eight days, the name Kara Goucher wasn’t far behind.

At the finish line, neither were her teammates.

That resurgence in American distance running you keep hearing about? Well, it was on full display Sunday during the final day of the 2009 track and field World Championships.

To no one’s surprise, Goucher was the top U.S. finisher in the women’s marathon, crossing 10th in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 48 seconds. Coming in five seconds after that was Desiree Davila, who ran 2:27:53 – a personal best by four minutes – for 11th. Later came Tera Moody, 28th in 2:36:39. Shortly thereafter was Paige Higgins, placing 30th in 2:37:11. Zoila Gomez was the race’s 51st finisher in 2:42:49.

While those places and times pale in comparison with, say China, which placed three of its first four runners in the top five, led by race winner Xue Bai, and won the marathon World Cup competition held in conjunction with the World Championships with a cumulative time of 7:17:02.

Japan finished second with a cumulative time of 7:22:15. Russia was third at 7:24:42. Ethiopia took fourth at 7:28:17.

Again, no surprises there.

The big news was the United States finishing fifth -- its highest place ever -- with a team-time of 7:32:20. That was more than seven and a half minutes better than the mighty Kenyans.

“I know we were looking for the podium shot, but it’s still a really respectable place,” Higgins said. “I mean we beat Kenya, which is always tough. We all ran strong and poured our hearts out today.”

While Goucher may have been the only U.S. runner who entered with medal aspirations, all five said they were determined to show their country well. To do so, all needed to battle the unforgiving sun and heat, which affected all of the runners differently.

Perhaps the one American who handled it best was Davila, whose modest early pace perhaps enabled her to finish stronger than the rest. She also had the experience of running in the Chicago Marathon in 2007, when oppressive heat was to blame for one death, 30 hospitalizations and 400 other runners needing medical treatment.

“Things played out pretty much ideal for me,” Davila said. “I went out pretty even and was able to pick it up along the way. There was a huge pack sitting right in front of me and as it broke up, I was able to just kind of move my way through it. I felt great going into the last loop of it and was able to pick people off. I think being a little conservative early and having the experience from Chicago I was able to move through the field and be confident.”

The temperature, which hit the mid-70s, had the most adverse affect on Moody, who has been treated for exercise-induced asthma since she was in high school. While answering media questions in the mixed zone after the race, Moody collapsed and needed three puffs of her emergency inhaler before she was able to begin breathing normally again. She was carried into the medical tent, and after receiving treatment, returned to answering questions.

“I remember talking to you guys and starting to lose my voice,” Moody recalled. “I could feel my breathing getting shallower and shallower. I started seeing spots and I know when that happens I know I’m going to pass out. I tried to get closer to the ground so I wouldn’t fall. I knew once I took my inhaler I would be fine. It’s very scary when you can’t breathe and I panic when I can’t breathe and that’s the worst thing you can do because your breathing becomes shallower.”

During the race, Moody said the heat contributed to her inability to pick up her pace in the latter stages.

“I felt great from the get-go,” she said. “It felt like it was so easy. It felt like I was jogging along. I was getting impatient because I felt like no one was going fast enough. When I went through in 1:17 I wanted to move up because I was feeling great. I wanted to start picking off people but I wasn’t getting any faster. The turnover just wasn’t there. Then I started getting really, really hot. There weren’t as many people to pass.”

Higgins ran with Moody for a good portion of the race, but she too was sapped by the sun and heat despite the fact that she trained in Flagstaff, Arizona prior to this meet.

“Tera Moody and I kind of found a second group in the chase pack and worked with them for two loops,” Higgins said. “The third loop was hang on for dear life and try to get whatever you can for the team. That’s what I tried to do, but the heat definitely got to me.”

Gomez said the going got tough for her midway through the race.

“Shortly before the half, I started feeling some hot spots on the bottoms of my feet,” she explained. “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.”

Everyone on the team was encouraged by the progress made and the experience culled from this race.

“The races you’re disappointed in are the ones you learn so much more from sometimes,” Moody said. “I’m going to take as much as I can from this.”

While this race was a learning experience for all five runners, none of whom have really cut their teeth in an international marathon prior to Sunday, Higgins said it was also a proving ground.

American distance running is really trying to show the world that we belong up there,” Higgins said. “Everybody is pushing to show the world that we want it and will train as hard, or harder than everybody else to get it. The four women I was on the team with I have the utmost respect for. I knew all four were going to work just as hard as me. We’re all young. We’re all still really fired up.”

Davila is the youngest member of the squad at age 26. Higgins is 27. Moody is 28. Gomez is 30. Goucher is 31. None, in theory, have reached their distance-running prime yet.

That certainly bodes well for the future.

“We finished fifth team wise and that’s one of the best finishes ever for the U.S.,” Davila said. “We’re making small jumps, but we’re getting there.