Don't cry for me USA

And then there were three. Those were Larry Rawson’s words as the pack of elite women in Monday’s 113th running of the Boston Marathon dwindled to the final three competitors. Kara Goucher, with the eyes of an entire nation zeroed in on her historic quest to become the first American woman to win Boston since 1985, was beginning to show signs of fatigue. Had she made her move too early? Had she miscalculated her own kick? Coming down Boylston Street for the final 600 meter stretch, Kara’s dream was beginning to take on a nightmarish quality.

We had seen this before. The great Steve Prefontaine at the Munich Olympics in 1972 staged a similarly heroic effort, nearly taking first place on the last lap of the 5000 meter final. And here was Goucher, having led most of the way, in heartbreakingly close proximity to the finish line, seemingly losing her grip on a fairy-tale-like victory. But alas, it was not to be. The Africans surged ahead in a tight battle for first and Kara was relegated to the bronze, just nine seconds short of her goal. The disappointment that cloaked her demeanor was painfully evident, and the emotions that soon overflowed would have easily touched the most casual of spectators.

The hype. The pressure. The ensuing despair. It’s not easy carrying the weight of expectations, personal and otherwise, on one’s already emaciated frame. In her post-race interview, Goucher remarked: “I feel good and sad at the same time.” And yet, with a face streaming with tears, an inconsolable Goucher wept into her husband’s comforting embrace. Devoting an entire 4 months of training and lifestyle configuration to just 2 hours and 33 minutes of “game-time performance” is quite the calculated risk. But despite her struggles, Kara would not want us to feel sorry or extend mournful condolences. After all, a third place finish at Boston in what amounted to a very gutsy race and an all-out-effort is nothing to be ashamed about. Quite the contrary, Kara shows great promise for the future as she matures from a neophyte marathoner to savvy race veteran. Her resume already includes a World Championships bronze medal at 10,000 meters and a top finish in her debut marathon last November in New York City, a race in which she was in striking distance behind Paula Radcliffe for most of the way. Not to mention her NCAA track titles and USA championship medals. Goucher, in fact, is such a fierce competitor that she begged her coach, Alberto Salazar, to let her run London just six days later in an act of redemption. Needless to say, that isn’t going to happen but what we will see happen someday is this girl, who hails from the Bronx, win a major marathon.

Kara will now take some time off from competitive running to start a family with her husband, Adam, a former Olympian at 5,000 meters. In London 2012, Goucher plans to seriously contend for a gold medal, a feat which no one would rightly put past her. The 2009 Boston Marathon was the day we saw Kara lay it on the line against the best in the world and gain valuable experience. Who knows what would have happened had she chosen to draft off the leaders with as little as a mile to go. Perhaps we’d be talking about Kara going after the world record. Either way, how can you not fall in love with someone who gives it their best and welcomes such monumental challenges with both national pride and natural prowess. If the sport of long distance running needed a face to be enamored with, a personality to be wrapped up into, and a spirit to be uplifted by, then I think we found our hero. I, for one, am and always will be a Kara Goucher fan. “I want it so bad, and I want it for the US,” Goucher said. Well, Kara, we want it for you too.