Let’s Hear It For The Girls!
by Kara Goucher | Jul 23, 2010 |
Although I really miss racing, sitting out this year has allowed me to be a full-on and loyal fan of American running. The year got off to an amazing start with Chris Solinsky and Galen Rupp in the 10k at the Standford meet. Then, just a few weeks later, Chris amazed us again with Bernard Lagat in a sensational 5k. These were attention-grabbing and awe-inspiring performances. But they were all male performances. Were the women going to shine this year too?
The answer came a few weeks later at the Prefontaine meet in Eugene. The day was beautiful and the crowds were amazing. Besides Andrew Wheating’s run in the mile (3:51), there were three female performances that really stood out. My teammate, Amy Begley, ran an incredible 14:56 in the 5k on a sore achilles. Right ahead of her, Shalane Flanagan ran 14:49. She looked amazing, powerful, and totally in control. It was a superb 5k. Later in the meet, Phoebe Wright blasted a 1:58 800 meters. A huge PR, considering she had never broken 2 minutes before that race.
After Prefontaine I wondered if it could get any better. Could the women keep it up? They most certainly have! In the past few weeks the US women have taken Europe by storm.
First there was Erin Donohue running 4:03 for a win in the 1500 and sub-2 minutes in the 800. Then we saw a 4:02 and sub-2 minutes from Morgan Uceny. These are incredible times! Next came Paris, where Christin Wurth- Thomas ran a fantastic 3:59 in the 1500 meters. Not to be outdone, Molly Huddle and Lisa Koll added their names to the US all-time list in the 5k with times of 14:51 and 14:55 respectively. These performances seem even more amazing when you consider that Molly has been racing hard since the World Cross Country Championships and Lisa was coming off a long college season which saw her run multiple 5k/10k doubles.
I honestly didn’t think that the US women could make me any more proud, and then came the races in Monaco last night. Alysia Johnson blazed a 1:57 800 to win the entire race and become the fifth-fastest American of all time. Later in the meet Shannon Rowbury, who is known as a 1500-meter runner, ran 8:31 for 3000 meters. That makes her the third-fastest American of all time.
What makes me most excited about all of these performances is the sheer number of American women who are doing amazing things right now. It’s not one or two people that are running brilliantly and pushing boundaries; it is multiple women. I am confident that there will be many more names to add to this list before the summer is over. It has been, without a doubt, the most exciting season to follow in years. And although I look forward to many more outstanding male performances, I think the women have really given us something to be excited about. I can’t wait to join them next year!
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http://www.emmanuelat.org Michael Perrenoud