Down the Backstretch

Despite lower registration numbers and competition from new local marathons, Grandma's marathon remains Minnesota's race of choice for elite marathoners during the spring/summer season. The international elite field is strong again this year, but perhaps the best story revolves around an American contender; Mary Akor will be attempting the rare feat of winning three consecutive Grandma's Marathons.

We'd like you to predict whether or not she will build on her success:

Yes/No: Will Mary Akor win the women's title at Grandma's Marathon on Saturday?

Not only has Akor won the last two Grandma's but she was 3rd in 2006 and 4th in 2005 at the Duluth classic. Akor has certainly proven herself to be a prolific marathoner with 17 marathon finishes in 2005 and 2006 alone. But her races involve quality as well as quantity - the Nigerian-born star bettered the qualifying standard for the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials 11 times. Akor also seems to run her best in Minnesota - her PR is 2:33:50 from the 2006 Twin Cities Marathon.

At Grandma's this year, it appears Akor's most likely challenge will come from one of three women. 40-year-old Alina Ivanova of Russia sports a 2:25:34 PR from 2001 and ran 2:29:20 to win the 2007 Dublin Marathon. Poland's Dorota Gruca, 38, ran 2:33:32 to finish 30th in the Beijing Olympic Marathon last summer. Finally, Robyn Friedman of Lambs Grove, Iowa is an intriguing contender. She has a PR of 2:35:02 from the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials, where she placed 9th. The 36-year-old just ran 1:11:12 for 20K

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 7:30 a.m. CDT , Saturday, June 20th. Please put your answer in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail. We will continue to offer a bonus for participants making their debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for any first-time players.

My Answer: No

Results from recent contests ... Two weeks ago, the question "Will there be 2 or more All-Time State Meet Records broken at the Minnesota State High School Meet on Friday and Saturday?" - was likely affected by the inclement weather. There was only one all-time meet record over the weekend and the correct answer was "No." Seven contestants answered correctly.
Last week's Pick 10 contest was won by Charlie Mahler with 29 points. Kyle Serreyn, Ryan Aylesworth and Jesse Schoen all tied for 2nd with 22.

You can find the all the results and leaderboards at DtB Fantasy Corner.

Good luck and thanks for playing Yes/No on DtB!