Deena's performance at Chicago is beyond amazing, but it is also a little shady.
Chicago was not supposed to have pacers, but Deena had a group of about 6-8 guys around her at half way, that she was tucked in behind.
At roughly 20 miles she had about 4-5 guys who she was tucked behind.
These guys were not strung out, but rather tightly packed in order to block any wind.
This could be just coincidence, but it seems highly unlikely considering Deena has had many marathons with a multitude of pacers and by the pure evidence of the race.
Another big reason this is shady is because she stated in the press conference that she was on board with making the race more pure by not having pacers.
On a side note Alexi Pappas, dropped out exactly at half marathon? Was she pacing or something? I don't believe she was listed as an elite participant that was planning on finishing.
I'm not against pacers. I actually think it makes the races better, but if everyone else isn't allowed a pacer but Deena has them, that's an unfair advantage to other female athletes. And is it allowed to be considered an American Masters Record if it is paced?