American Dream: Kastor’s `main goal’ to become first U.S. champion since 1985
American Dream: Kastor’s `main goal’ to become first U.S. champion since 1985
By Mario Fraioli
Telegram & Gazette – April 15, 2007
Had she decided to run next weekend’s Flora London Marathon instead of attempting to forge the newly formed river from Hopkinton to Boston tomorrow morning, Waltham native Deena Kastor would have had a lot more things going in her favor – nicer weather, a faster course and a better paycheck, just to name a few.
Instead, Kastor, 34, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., will attempt to become the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach’s 2:34:06 victory in 1985, as she toes the starting line at 9:30 a.m. with the rest of the elite woman in the 111th running of this historic Patriot’s Day race, which this year doubles as the U.S. Women’s Marathon Championship.
The women’s winner takes home $100,000, and the U.S. champion will pocket $25,000 for mastering Boston’s historic hills. And while the potential for a hefty payday looms as ominously as the much-talked-about nor’easter, Kastor made her primary motivation for contesting tomorrow’s race clearer than the impending weather.
“My main goal coming in here is to win,” Kastor said at Friday’s pre-race press conference. “Following in the footsteps of 111 years of champions would be extraordinarily exciting. I’m just excited to be here – it’s been a long time coming.”
Kastor, who won the bronze medal in the marathon in Athens 2004, also holds the American record for the 26.2-mile distance, clocking a 2:19:36 last April in London to make her the only U.S. woman to crack the magical 2:20 barrier. She also won Chicago in 2005 – the first major marathon win by an American woman since 1994 – and finished 2006 ranked as the No. 1 women’s marathoner in the world. An impressive resume for sure, but one that’s incomplete as far as Kastor is concerned.
“Whether I win on Monday or not, I’ll be back to try until I hang my shoes up,” Kastor said. “I tend to thrive off adverse conditions, whether it was medaling in the heat in Athens or winning London in the rain last year. I honor all the goals I set for myself, and each one of them is as equally sweet as the last, but right now winning Boston has been my biggest goal for this year – it’s what I’ve focused this whole year on.”
An already successful year at that. Kastor started off 2007 by capturing her record seventh U.S. cross country title in Boulder, Colo., in February as well as dominating the U.S. 15K road championships in Jacksonville last month. Her time of 47:20 in the Florida heat was just five seconds off her own American record set in 2003, and a 4:50 closing mile served as a reassurance that her increased level of training at her 8,000-foot training base in Mammoth Lakes will serve her well tomorrow over Boston’s hilly layout.
“That really gave a boost to my confidence,” Kastor said of her strong finish last month in Jacksonville. “I’ve always been a strong hill runner, and we’ve been focusing on simulating the course in training.”
Careful preparation aside, Kastor will certainly have her hands full tomorrow, both with the anticipated dismal weather as well as rock-solid competition in the form of defending champion Rita Jeptoo of Kenya and last year’s runner-up, Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, the winner of the last two New York City Marathons. Kastor finished sixth, more than two minutes behind Prokopcuka, last fall in the Big Apple.
“Jelena Prokopcuka, Madai (Perez) from Mexico and Rita Jeptoo the defending champion, all of them collectively make for a very strong field,” Kastor said. “I’m going to have my work cut out for me Monday.”
Fully aware of what she’s up against – unpredictable weather, a tough course and stiff competition – as well as any other surprises that may get thrown her way, Kastor has left no stone unturned as sets about the indelible task of becoming the first American woman to wear the historic laurel wreath at Boston for the first time in 22 years.
“My competition will probably pose a bigger challenge than the weather conditions or topography of the course,” Kastor admitted. “We’ve trained in the snow, wind, icy conditions and rain. I’m ready for the conditions – it’s the competition that will be tough.”
Even so, Kastor’s pre-race intentions couldn’t be any clearer.
“I don’t plan on making it a tactical race,” Kastor said. “I want to run strong from the start. The finishing times may be affected in the long run by the weather conditions, but not the effort and not my race strategy.”