09/10/2008 By David Monti (c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission
NEW
YORK (10-Sep) -- Following in her coach's footsteps, 2007 IAAF World
Championships 10,000m bronze medalist Kara Goucher will make her
marathon debut at the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 2.
"Last
year when I watched the race first hand, I decided I wanted to run in
New York," Goucher commented. "The ING New York City Marathon is one
of the most prestigious, and the course is challenging, so I'm excited
for my first marathon to be this one."
Goucher's coach, Alberto
Salazar, made his marathon debut in New York in 1980 and won the race.
He would win it two more times in 1981 and 1982, and remains the last
American man to win the race.
"Now I believe that Kara can run a
great fall marathon, go back to the track... and run another marathon
next fall," said Salazar on a national conference call hosted by the
New York Road Runners which organizes the event.
Goucher, and
New Zealand's Kim Smith, are the key debutantes at New York this year,
according to race director Mary Wittenberg. Goucher has run 30:55.16
for 10,000m, while Smith has run 30:35.54, the New Zealand record (both
women finished in the top-10 in the Beijing Olympic 10,000m). Goucher
has run one half-marathon, the longest race of her career, clocking a
sparkling 1:06:57 at the Great North Run last fall. That performance
helped convince her that she should step up to the marathon.
"I
have a strong emotional connection to New York, as it is where I was
born, where my family lives, and where my father passed away," Goucher
added. "This one will be personal for me and my family."
Two
American women have made successful marathon debuts at New York in
recent years. Deena Kastor finished seventh in her debut in 2:26:58 in
2001 (still the USA debut record), and Marla Runyan ran 2:27:10 (4th
place) in 2002.
