Davila 1:10:31 in Naples

B genre won in 1:09.57 first they have to beat the emerging threat of Africans on US soil

I can't wait for the excuses.

Desiree by 3 and a half minutes. That is about right.

Zach Hine, Hansons in 1:03-low... impressive...

Overall Male Open Winners

1 Nicholas Kurgat Chapel Hill NC 31 1 1:03:25.7

2 Ezkyas Sisay Flagstaff AZ 22 2 1:03:26.0

3 Macdonald Ondara Santa Fe NM 26 3 1:03:37.8

4 Zach Hine Rochester MI 23 4 1:03:53.5

5 Jeffrey Eggleston Flagstaff AZ 26 5 1:04:19.5

Women

1 Gebre Belainesh Flagstaff AZ 23 1 1:09:57.6

2 Desiree Davila Rochester MI 27 2 1:10:33.1

3 Misiker Mekonnin Albuquerque NM 26 3 1:14:18.9

4 Hirut Mandefro Flagstaff AZ 25 4 1:16:22.5

5 Svetlana Semova New York NY 34 5 1:16:48.9

1:03 high

Gebre was through 9 miles in about 48:03. Davila almost caught her at this point, but there was a turn-around which allowed Gebre to see the field immediately behind her. As soon as she saw Davila, Gebre took off like a bat out of hell.

Everyone with a Garmin watch at Naples said the course measured 13.18 to 13.20. Is this typical of a certified course? I mean, is this because nobody with a Garmin doesn't know how to run point-to-point? Or is it because they measure the course with the assumption that both lanes of traffic will be closed but they only closed one lane?

You have to take into account that Garmin users need to run on the side of the road to pick up their backup fuel belts throughout the race. That could account for the extra .08 miles.

Kara will be behind Desi in Boston, for the 100th time! The excuses will fly from Kara and from those who were in the camp that said she had plenty of time after giving birth.

Here's a small sampling:

"My training wasn't quite what I thought it was"

"I should have taken off sooner when the pace was slow, but next time...."

"Having the baby last summer just wasn't didn't give me enough time"

"I will run faster next time"

"I believe in myself"

"Pro basketball players want my number and I want everyone to know it, even my husband."

"Paula's WR is my ultimate goal. Yes, of course I know it's unrealistic, but it's my goal."

"I will win the trials"

"Getting Gold is my "goal" in London"

"I think people think I am amazing and so do I"

"I am Kara Goucher dammit, pay attention to me!"

"I am the best. Heck I broke 2:26, once. I know the Russian lady ran 2:20 at Chicago, stop bringing her up. Who does she think she is anyways?"

"So what if she can average about 13 seconds faster per mile, that's only 3 seconds every 1/4 mile."

"I am special and I will win."

"People love me and I am a Goddess"

"Just who do those dozen or more ladies with pr's faster than mine think they are?"

Well, you're an asshole.

GPS never lies wrote:

Everyone with a Garmin watch at Naples said the course measured 13.18 to 13.20. Is this typical of a certified course? I mean, is this because nobody with a Garmin doesn't know how to run point-to-point? Or is it because they measure the course with the assumption that both lanes of traffic will be closed but they only closed one lane?

Please don't bring up the Garmin thing again. The answer is that yes, they almost always measure a bit long and it is typical of a certified course. There are a number of reasons, which you can find by doing a thread search where the measuring nerds argue incessantly among themselves.

Your post has been reported. My 12 year old son reads these boards. Agree with the poster or not, that is uncalled for. He or she didn't swear, you did.

I'm pretty sure that your 12-year-old son can find worse things in the internets than the word "a-hole". Be advised.

My Garmin measured at 13.2. I did it as a workout (~goal MP... 1:17:30) so don't really care that I ran slightly long. I do want to point it out, though, as I personally don't think it had anything to do with running tangents. The reason why I say this is because it was spot on through 5, and then somewhere in the next mile or 2, it got way off and stayed that amount off until the finish. So unless I somehow veered .1 miles over the course of a mile (and ran suddenly 30 seconds or so slower for that mile, with the same effort, then any mile before or after), likely one or 2 of the miles were slightly mis-measured. If it was a tangent issue, it would be a gradual accumulation of each mile getting more and more off, which was not the case.

Again, I could care less. It was a well organized race, great weather, good field, etc, and for me, a solid workout. Maybe if I just missed a big PR I would be upset, but I would guess that every course is slightly off on the road (the longer the race, the more off). Maybe someone who is complaining has a PR from a SHORT course. Its the nature of road races and you deal.

Mr. Obvious wrote:

Please don't bring up the Garmin thing again. The answer is that yes, they almost always measure a bit long and it is typical of a certified course. There are a number of reasons, which you can find by doing a thread search where the measuring nerds argue incessantly among themselves.

Sorry to stray back to the thread topic, but Kara's 1:14 speaks volumes about her preparedness for Boston, which is less than 13 weeks away. I don't see how Kara is going to go from 1:14 on a flat course to 2:25 at Boston. I can't imagine her finishing on the podium. Looks like a Dathan type payday awaits her. Gobs of money for a top 10 performance.

How good was Davila's 1:10? How hilly is the Naples course? To get my hopes up for another American on the podium at Boston, I'd rather have seen a Shalanish or Deenish sub 1:10 performance at the half distance. A top 5 for Davila sounds realistic.

Naples is flat as a pancake. There are numerous turn-arounds that slow you a bit, but they're cul-de-sacs which feel like running around the curve of a small indoor track.

Wind was negligible - I didn't notice it whatsoever. The air was cool and humid. I heard the humidity was in the 80%-90% range.

Overall, people describe the course as being fast. That's how Gebre described it.

But in order to find anything out about the Davila performance you had to read it on Letsrun. Brooks does not know how to market athletes.