Kara Goucher to Run Berlin World Champs Marathon

Happy Birthday Kara!!!
:)

i'm so excited to see kara back in action!!
go kara!!

Ok, I am a little drunk now and have been thinking. Clearly, I have some deep rooted issues against Kara Goucher, and I am wondering if I should get some professional help for it. It must be clear on this site that I am a bitter, bitter never-amounted-to-anything runner. I got fired from my last job because I was so obsessed with putting Kara down that I could not walk away from my computer. I never amounted to anything, and now I am so pissed that other people have. Plus, I just can't stand when athletes are driven, have a true passion, and have encounter success because of it. I mean, I would have been a marathon medalist if being lazy, mean, complaining and doing NOTHING would have helped my running. I guess it didn't. So, I will just remain bitter against great American runners who work hard and actually bring some respect to our sport because slackers like me will never (thankfully) be able to do it.

Ook... there is no one who can say that her time as US #1 marathoner will come to an abrupt end.

I think Kara is a great runner, a hard worker, seemingly sweet girl and nice person. I also agree that she has that America's Sweetheart persona and we like her because she is so apple pie and a good runner for the U.S.A. However I do think if Shalane and Deena are healthy and doing marathons she may not be the top American finisher for very long. And there of course are others who will move up to the distance. I wish her nothing but the best but her time as the fastest U.S. female may be coming to an abrupt end and I hope she can handle it.

Good luck! Good Yul! You were such an inspiration in Boston! Go Kara, GO!!!

Note to idiots below, please go back to letsrun.com.

Wow, for a moment I thought I was on that other more hostile running site?

No, Kara is not favored to win but that does not mean we cannot be cheering for her. I like this site because the primary focus is on the passion of running. Most of these athletes will never become Olympic champions. However, that does not take away from their love for the sport. Sharing that love with others I hope only propagates an interest in running. That could only help the entire running community.
FloFolks, keep up the great work!!!

People like Harry, Dan and Jessica can't know anything based off their responses.

Hey, how the hell did i get roped into this. This is ridonkulous.

Hey Mark, any chance of an interview soon with Deena Kastor? As an admirer of her athleticism, I would enjoy hearing how she's doing on her comeback trail. And what are her goals in the near future for any major races.

We cannot argue with the facts that you listed, and it is important to consider what people have done in the past. However, it should not be the only thing considered. If we wanted to go strictly by previous events then they wouldn't even run the race. They'd just have the runners stand at the line and then announce the winner based on PRs. In addition, I wouldn't be a Cubs fan.

If you are implying that Kara Goucher isn't an amazing runner, regardless of her ability in relation to others, then I think that you are wildly mistaken. People on this site cheer for Kara in large part because she's an American. It seems obvious that many Americans would consequently be fans of her. We can see her workouts, hear her interviews, and witness her passion, and people identify with that. You may have predicted that she wasn't going to win Boston. Well she wasn't exactly the favorite so I don't think you should be flaunting that prediction. This site supported her because they are Kara fans and her winning was very possible. Being outkicked at the very end of a 26.2 mile race is not a concrete determination of who is ultimately better.

The main point, however, is WHY do you feel the need to be negative? Make your case and state your prediction like everyone else, but this is supposed to be fun. I could comment on every video on this site and say, "Well Bekele would just destroy him. This guy is awful." What would that accomplish? I think instead of calling out names and making assumptions (i.e. "People like Harry, Dan, & Jessica don't know anything.") you might actually have fun with this if you got excited about the rise in American talent and rooted for someone.

Interesting decision - she definitely seems to be really driven right now. Deciding when to have a child is difficult for any professional woman but, I suspect, moreso for an athlete. To the observer, it seems like Kara feels like she has some unfinished business she needs to take care of before starting a family and she would have always wondered "what if" if she didn't do this; but it certainly puts the pressure on, doesn't it? Not to mention the pressure to conceive right after Berlin with the whole track community watching! I don't know, maybe pro athletes use fertility treatments to get pregnant exactly when they want to but still, it's a lot of attention. She does seem to wear her heart on her sleeve a bit (and good for her!) so maybe it doesn't faze her. Best of luck to Kara - hope you're successful in all your endeavors. I'll be cheering for you!

That's a good question. I watched the whole thing from start to finish. At first the language in the booth implied the race was becoming tactical. They kind of expected the leaders to open it up in the end and turn it into a 5K. Being a weatherman myself, I took the possibility of the "Nor'easter" situation seriously. Maybe they did too. The likelihood of strong headwinds as the runners approached the harbor area was very real. The effects of the wind was difficult to see. Not much to look at in an urban landscape. But I think it was a factor. The bottom line is that every marathon is different. They almost never look the same in any way. Wind, temperature, crowd, hills, etc. So I just accept all of that and don't try to compare times to previous years or other races. From the runner's perspective it still hurts like Hell. They worry about being able to hang with the front pack, sometimes even finishing. That's why I have great respect for the job Kara did at Boston. She did a super job at the Trials and the Olympics, but New York and Boston have defined how good a runner she really is. Think what you will about her. She is still the 2nd fastest woman marathoner in US history. She's the right age to do even better.

Mark,
You should have an Anonymous Coward day on the site. We all love to hear his intellectual insight on distance running.

lolwut O.o

Responding to Anonymous Coward...

Do you have a job?!?!? You seem to have a lot of time to sit on the computer and write a book of crap about great American runner. In Mark's case, he has a job and this is it! So he can write, believe and promote any runner he wants just like the rest of us...

Get a life!

Why did the ladies field start so slow at the 2009 Boston marathon?

Mark,

I think Anonymous Coward has a good point...
HAH! Just Kidding!
that would be a sweet game though..."battle of the runnning wits"

One more thing, Paula is now running Berling and Kara has NO chance of finishing in front of her. You people who bring up that half marathon aren't very educated on what happened there. I'm not explaining it again, but you're welcome to do your own research to find the answer. Jessica?

Dear Anonymous Coward,

Everyone has there ideas on what will happen in races. Mark's idea is his own, and he can think what he wants. The fact that it bothers you so much makes you very child like. Its pretty sad you let something like this eat at you so much.

Smarter than you Mark, you picked her to win, right? Just because you carry a mic and have a site doesn't mean anything. You know no more than anyone else but in fact just like to create that illusion. If you'd like, just respond to this and put your email address out there. I will gladly contact you and we can have a battle of running wits. You will lose. You have a nice site, actually fantastic, with tons of information, but you don't know anything more than anyone else. When someone goes against the grain, with FACTS, people like Dan Knewitz are all ready with their meaningless responses that don't make them look very bright. I also picked Kara to run 2:26 in New York Mark and was very close, what did you pick her to do? That's what I thought. I also picked Paula to beat her, which she did, how about you? You just try to be friends with people like Kara and say nothing but positive things (versus the truth) because you are biased knowing you'll be facing her later (man up and admit it). People like Harry, Dan, & Jessica don't know anything. Jessica said "it's almost like what everyone said at Osaka wasn't it?" That shows nothing but ignorance of the sport on her part. She got the bronze there for one reason and one reason only, lack of competition, hence her finish in Beijing (10th) and she PR'd THERE!!!!! Lornah beat her in Beijing without even PR'ing. The 10th place time in Osaka was worth 24th in Beijing!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, 24th place. Is this helping Jessica? What does that tell ya? Whoever can't figure out why she placed so high in Osaka and medaled versus Beijing is completely moronic. Mike Mather, as God in heaven above is my witness, I'm not dinging anyone tonight and this is the ONLY POST that I have made in well over a week (check it out Mark), I swear on my life. I just didn't take the time to log in or enter my name, like a lot of people do. Whoever made the posts you are speaking of is laughing very hard at you Mr. Mather, knowing that it was them and not me.
So then, break it down Mark and tell me where I'm wrong, since you think you are so smart. People like Harry, Dan and Jessica can't know anything based off their responses. Kara made excuces after Boston and had every opportunity to run a steady pace from the gun. She CHOSE to run slow with everyone else and then because she started picking up the pace later, she thinks she should have won. Why? She got beat and had no chance of outkicking either of them. So immediately after the race come the excuses. Please...................she made her race, accept it. She will do the same thing in Berlin and blame others for the slow pace, not herself. If she could run 2:22, then why not run that pace evenly till halfway and see who's there? That would be far too difficult right? Is there one person on this entire site who can figure this out? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

You can delete my post Mark, but at least it was the truth, unlike the "I wanna be like Kara" posts that seem so prevalent. She's so beautiful..........who cares, we're talking about running and her ability. She's cashing in until Shalane takes over and she will takeover. Kara is going to be hard pressed to make the Olympic team, believe me. It will be no walk in the park, but apparently she thinks so. We'll see.
Go ahead and flame away, it doesn't change the truth, but it will make some of you feel better, so have it!

Woa, i didn't know ryan seacrest was on flotrack. I actually heard he's been under 14 for 5k before.

Even a broken clock is right two times a day.

I know, it's almost like what everyone said at Osaka wasn't it?

Thank you Mark. You saved me the trouble. He's kind of dinging everyone tonight. It didn't take him long to work his way over from Jordan to Kara!

Oh man, Anonymous Coward told us all. We should of listened, how could we all been so stupid! This person is smart.

Again, ONCE again, she's overrated and self-overly hyped!!!! She will not break the top 3 in Berlin, period. Not gonna happen! I picked her 3rd and for Tune to finish in front of her, she did. Where are all the naysayers who attacked? All aboard the Kara express, here comes the believers. She won't win and she will never ever break 2:20. Put your money on Shalane!

Seacrest Out!

marathon in november, marathon in april, marathon in august. She's squeezin all these marathons pretty tight over a 9 month period. hmmmmmm burnout???

Once she has that baby, she's pretty much gone. There's always hope for me as long as she doesn't have a child with Adam. I can't wait to meet her some day...hahaha

Like all true runners, as soon as you finish a big race, you take a shower, get some rest, go home, plunk down on your couch, turn on the TV, and think "Where in Hell could I have gotten another 8 seconds?" I think she figured that out, will make some adjustments to her training schedule, and go kick some butt in August. Way to go Kara!

Great News!

Of course the baby is on hold. She ran really well at Boston. No way is she going to just hang up her shoes just to get pregnant.

Awesome! It is great to see an American star at the World Championships!

baby on hold???

i hope she can capitalize on her recent 'jog' in Boston. I'm glad she's doing it.