Will Neely Spence Gracey stomp many of the foreigners at Boston?

She is a great person and a great runner with great potential

Is a sub-2:30 possible with favorable wind and weather conditions? Hope she can stay healthy to the starting line. Big fan.

Last year, well over 5000 foreigners started the race. I feel confident that she would have stomped the vast majority of them.

But seriously, I'm a fan, and I think she'll do well.

If she is healthy she will run about 2:25 - at least according to the Race Predictor sites , and generally accepted formulas of performance. I'd say a faster time, but it is Boston and there are some hills that are rarely a good thing for fast marathons. She got me to some PR's as a Geezer Runner last year in the 1/2 Marathon ( 1:29:01 Rochester , Mi , age 58) and Crim Mile ( 5:30.35 ). The workouts she put me through were extremely well thought out and not at all easy . A very nice person indeed. She will be in the mix with the Africans.

Top 4 Americans at Boston, and only Americans under 2:26

2:22:02 Shalane Flanagan 21.04.2014

2:22:38 Desireé Linden 18.04.2011

2:22:43 Joan Benoit 18.04.1983

2:24:52 Kara Goucher 18.04.2011

Neely's 70 minutes predicts about 2:26. It would be sensational but unexpected if she breaks that time.

Spence has a lot of potential in the marathon, but Boston is a tough one for your debut (you have to race the course, not just the distance), and it's a high-end women-only field, with few people to run with.

If she's smart (like her dad was), she'll run conservatively and aim for a low-2:30s, low-2:30s, take that experience into a fall marathon.

Only one American has ever debuted sub-2:26, and that was Kara when she was one fire.

She's aiming for 2:28. If she can run sub 2:30, it would be excellent.

She will definitely break 2:30 ! She will use wisdom in pacing, and guts the final stretch.

On 2:34 pace in 14th place at 25K with Crouch stalking her.

Congrats to Neely as she is now 2 minutes faster than Alana Hadley and over 10 minutes behind the top Americans.

I know very little about her, but what is your issue with Neely Spence? I've seen you bash her on multiple threads now.

No issue. Just perspective.

You can't say things like "I just want to run sub 2:30" and then act like you rule the world when running 2:35.

Is she honest now and dishonest in every pre race interview? Or is she dishonest now?

I'm sorry, I didn't see your post and my question was more aimed at D2 Princess. Particularly for these two comments made this week:

It seems like D2 Princess has a personal grudge.

Your hatred does not flatter you. Did she dump your sorry behind back in the day?

Nothing wrong with having sub-2:30 as a goal for a debut, and she would've been close in better weather. Only the women's winner went sub-2:30 today in piss-poor conditions. Take a reality check.

Get over yourself wrote:

Nothing wrong with having sub-2:30 as a goal for a debut, and she would've been close in better weather. Only the women's winner went sub-2:30 today in piss-poor conditions. Take a reality check.

Headwind? It didn't look overly hot. 63-68, and cooling down as they they got closer to the finish. Neely Spence Gracey has nothing to be ashamed for her debut, and to say otherwise is just cray cray. Crazy talk.

R2D3 wrote:

Get over yourself wrote:

Nothing wrong with having sub-2:30 as a goal for a debut, and she would've been close in better weather. Only the women's winner went sub-2:30 today in piss-poor conditions. Take a reality check.

Headwind? It didn't look overly hot. 63-68, and cooling down as they they got closer to the finish. Neely Spence Gracey has nothing to be ashamed for her debut, and to say otherwise is just cray cray. Crazy talk.

Don't know on the wind. Temps were not ideal, nor was the pacing. Both the men's and women's top finishers were about five minutes slower than an "average" Boston.

Shalane who has run Boston 3 times called conditions

perfect, a no excuse day

No Excuse Day wrote:

Shalane who has run Boston 3 times called conditions

perfect, a no excuse day

Ok. Top three times on men's and women's sides were sure slow though. Nobody deserves to have their performance denigrated.