Goucher Debut Defeats Record Holder Radcliffe
When spectators came to watch the Great North Run last Sunday, the thirtieth of September 2007, what they had been expecting was an explosive and victorious comeback from British world marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe – famous runner had taken a hiatus in lieu of a foot injury and her pregnancy. What they had failed to foresee was the fantastic performance that American Kara Goucher (wife to cross-country star Adam Goucher) was capable of. The competition's dark horse apparent, Goucher had finished on top with a time of 66:57 – almost two whole minutes ahead of Radcliffe.
Bursting into track and field fame in her collegiate years as a middle distance runner, Kara Goucher (at the time, Kara Wheeler) had won several titles including NCAA champion for both the 3000m and 5000m as well as NCAA Cross Country. It was also as a college student that she had gotten a ranking as the eighth top Olympic Trials finalist. After college, having suffered though some injuries, Goucher became unable to seriously compete until just last year, when she returned gloriously to the track with substantial placings in the USATF's 5km and the IAAF World Cup's 3000m, and several excellent personal records – the 10km time she had set had in turn set her as America's second fastest woman of all time.
Kara Goucher went on to prove that she wasn't just having a lucky year – she took the bronze medal for the 10000m in this year's IAAF World Championships held in Osaka. This same year, she had decided to make a debut in the half-marathon event at the Great North Run, a longer run than she was used to.
As a newcomer to this type of race, Goucher received some interest, but not as much as the powerhouse Paula Radcliffe. As the race progressed, however, the American had launched a run that surprised not only the spectators and her competitors, but Kara herself. “I really didn't know how fast I was running,” Goucher had said. “I didn't realize I was pulling away from Paula.” She had begun to seriously outrun Radcliffe around the seventh mile, without realizing it. “I really just wanted to compete and didn't know what to expect.”
Kara Goucher's debut half-marathon brought pride to America not just for the fact that she had won on her first try. It was also because with her first place ranking came the fastest half-marathon time ever, run by an American. The previous American record was 67:34, set by Deena Castor in 2006 in Berlin. Many agree that Goucher's half-marathon debut has to be one of the best debuts in athletics.
Unfortunately, as many point out, the time would not be an official record as the terrain of the Great North Run was a downward incline, which excludes the run time from any official standing. Still with this amazing performance, Kara Goucher had made spectacular mark on the road racing event.
