ABQ wrote:
First off, huge kudos to both of them for their recent titles. They are remarkable women, and deserved to be praised. In the span of 6 months we went from not having a US women win a major to two winning. However, both of them skipped a marathon the season before. I'm worried that this will set a trend for the US women, where they feel like they can only compete with the best if they run one marathon a year.
Anyone else share my concerns?
Desi, great win, but her victory was due to severe weather forcing other runners to withdraw or drop off the pace. In a normal race setting, she wouldn't have been a factor. The issue was a universal deterrence, and an asterisk could be place on her victory.
Shalane's win is more authentic. Even though Mary was enduring the end period of her menstrual cycle, and Edna was running her third marathon of the year, each runner is responsible for his/her own form. The race conditions were normal, and Shalane was just in better shape than her two main rivals.