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BOSTON, MA- Five U.S. men placed in the top 10 in the 2006 Boston Marathon, the strongest American showing in years. That momentum is carrying into the 2007 Boston Marathon on April 16. For the first time in Boston history the race has been designated as the USA Women's Marathon Championship, guaranteeing a deep field of American women. Peter Gilmore returns in the men's field, looking to improve again after placing 10th in 2005 and seventh in 2006.
Entrants in the USA Women's Marathon Championship will start in the Elite Women's Start at 9:35 a.m., 25 minutes before the elite men begin. The women will be competing for overall Boston Marathon prize money, as well as a separate U.S.-only prize purse of $70,000. USATF will also award $10,500 of championship funds to the top five qualified athletes in the race. At least two women from the field will be selected to represent the United States at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, on September 2.
"Last year the men showed us that U.S. distance running is on the rise, with five top-10 finishes. This year, the U.S. women are poised to do the same," said Guy Morse, Executive Director of the Boston Athletic Association. "This year's race, which includes the 2007 USA Women's Marathon Championship, launches 12 months of focus on our country's top women, culminating with the selection of the 2008 Olympic Team at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Women's Marathon on April 20, 2008, the day before the 112th Boston Marathon."
Headlining the USA Women's Marathon Championship field will be Deena Kastor, who was announced as an entrant by the Boston Marathon's principal sponsor, John Hancock Financial Services, in January. Kastor was the world's number-one ranked marathoner in 2006, setting an American Record of 2:19:36 in winning the 2006 Flora London Marathon. Kastor has been dominant so far in 2007 as well, capturing the U.S. cross country title in dominant fashion on February 10. Yesterday, she led the U.S. to a second-place finish at the Yokohama International Ekiden in Japan, clocking the second-fastest 10k split (31:09) in the field. Kastor will continue to prepare for Boston by competing in the Gate River Run, the USA 15k Championship, on March 10. Kastor has captured 18 U.S. national titles in her career, including the 2001 marathon championship.
The Boston field will also include another past U.S. marathon champion: Sara Wells, who won that distinction in 2003. Additionally, five of the top seven finishers from the 2006 USA Championship will compete in Boston: Mary Akor (second place), Zoila Gomez (third), Turena Johnson Lane (fifth), Jenny Crain (sixth), and Emily LeVan (seventh). LeVan also holds the distinction of being the top American finisher in the past two Boston Marathons, having placed 12th in 2005 and 13th in 2006.
Of the top 31 entrants in the 2007 field, 22 have already qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Women's Marathon, while the remainder of the field will be chasing either the "A" (2:39:00) or "B" (2:47:00) qualifying standards.
The top entrant in the American men's field will be Peter Gilmore, returning for his third consecutive Boston Marathon. In 2005, Gilmore placed 10th in 2:17:32. In 2006, Gilmore improved to seventh with a personal best time of 2:12:45. Gilmore then placed 10th, in 2:13:13, at the 2006 ING New York City Marathon. He was ranked as the fourth best U.S. marathoner of 2006, according to Running Times. Also confirmed for 2007 are Jason Lehmkuhle and Chris Lundstrom, both members of Team USA Minnesota, a Twin Cities-based training group that also includes Sara Wells. Lehmkuhle placed ninth in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Men's Marathon in a personal best time of 2:16:27, while Lundstrom boasts a 2:17:34 personal best. All three men have already posted qualifying times for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Men's Marathon, to be run in New York City on November 3, 2007.
2007 USA Women's Marathon Championship Top Contenders:
Athlete - PR - OT Qualifier* - Affiliation
Deena Kastor (CA) 2:19:36 ('06) 2:19:26 Team Running USA; ASICS
Heather Hanscom (OR) 2:31:53 ('04) n/a Team Eugene
Sara Wells (MN) 2:33:15 ('04) n/a Team USA Minnesota; ASICS
Sylvia Mosqueda (CA) 2:33:47 ('02) n/a
Mary Akor (CA) 2:33:50 ('06) 2:33:50
Turena Johnson Lane (FL) 2:34:43 ('05) 2:36:15 Brooks
Zoila Gomez (CO) 2:35:26 ('06) 2:35:26
Emily LeVan (ME) 2:37:01 ('06) 2:37:01 Boston Athletic Association
Tamara Lave (CA) 2:37:32 ('02) n/a Mizuno
Jenny Crain (WI) 2:39:07 ('06) 2:39:07 Wisconsin Runner Racing Team
Melissa White (MI) 2:39:21 ('06) 2:39:21 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project
Michelle Simonaitis (UT) 2:40:35 ('01) n/a
Zika Rea (NC) 2:41:06 ('05) 2:41:06 ZAP Fitness
Veena Reddy (PA) 2:41:29 ('06) 2:41:29
Christine Lundy (CA) 2:41:55 ('04) 2:43:14 Impala Racing Team
Janelle Kraus (RI) 2:42:44 ('06) 2:42:44 Boston Athletic Association
Anne Kugler (NY) 2:43:16 ('05) n/a
Dot McMahan (MI) 2:43:27 ('06) 2:43:27 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project
Alvina Begay (AZ) 2:43:30 ('06) 2:43:30
Kasie Enman (VT) 2:44:06 ('06) 2:44:06 Boston Athletic Association
Kristin Price (NC) 2:44:09 ('06) 2:44:09 adidas Raleigh Track Club
Caryn Heffernan (WA) 2:44:18 ('06) 2:44:18 Club Northwest
Sopagna Eap (OR) 2:44:29 ('06) 2:44:29 Team Eugene
Melissa Rittenhouse (OH) 2:44:39 ('04) 2:45:14 Saucony
Yolanda Flamino (MI) 2:45:19 ('06) 2:45:19 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project
Brianna Torres (AZ) 2:45:57 ('06) 2:45:57
Brett Ely (MA) 2:46:12 ('06) 2:46:12 Boston Athletic Association
Lauren Knowles (GA) 2:46:31 ('06) 2:46:31 Atlanta Track Club
Ann Alyanak (OH) 2:48:04 ('05) n/a
Trisha Steidl (WA) 2:48:17 ('04) n/a
Desiree Davilla (MI) Debut n/a Hansons-Brooks Distance Project
*Qualifying times for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Women's Marathon must have been run on October 2, 2005, or on or after January 1, 2006.
[Content provided by race organizers.]
Posted by Alison Wade at 9:56 a.m. | Tags: Press Releases, Event Previews
pjm commented, on March 7, 2007 at 1:45 p.m.:
Different answers depending on the question. American men running Boston? I don't know. Either in the John Hancock release back in February, or we'll find out shortly before the race because they're not high enough profile for Hancock to bother with.
American men for the 2007 national marathon championship? Ask again in late October.
GTF commented, on March 14, 2007 at 11:34 p.m.:
The former. "Fields" in the headline with a long list of runners from only one of said fields seemed to be lacking. Understandably there will most likely be more US women than US men entered in the elite fields since it is the US champs for women, yet to list only three men seems a glaring oversight and certainly there are men entered who are "high enough profile" to mention when compared with many of the entrants deemed "high enough profile" to include in the list provided. Women typically get the shaft in terms of media coverage for their side of the sport and this release seems to unfortunately go to the opposite extreme. I realize that the above is simply a copy/paste effort of someone else's communication, I wondered if it might have been truncated, perhaps inadvertently.
Alison commented, on March 15, 2007 at 5:56 p.m.:
Nope, it wasn't truncated. That's all they sent.
GTF commented, on February 28, 2007 at 5:55 p.m.:
¿Donde esta los caballeros?