Then please explain, Karen, why the nine women that finished ahead of Flanagan and Goucher were able to do so. Did they encounter less rain? Did they run a more even pace? Did they encounter less turns or a wider course? Did they practice the exact course for 26.2 miles prior to London? If the answer to any of these questions is no then Flanagan and Goucher's excuses are just that...excuses that don't explain why these factors affected them more than any other runner in the field. Personally I would rather just hear them say "I got beat by better runners who were better able to handle all the conditions that were thrown at them!"