Goucher on USA Marathon Squad ... for Now

Earlier this week, Kara Goucher was named to the USA squad for the IAAF World Track and Field Championships to be held in Daegu, Korea in September. The Duluth native, however, says she may give up the spot to compete at 10,000-meters in the meet instead.

Goucher explained the situation on her blog yesterday, HERE.


She said she plans to compete in the 10,000m at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held in Eugene, Oregon in June with the intent of making the USA team in that event. If she does -- the top three finishers in the USA Outdoor 10,000m are eligible to make the team -- she says she'll forgo the marathon in favor of the 25-lapper.

In 2007, Goucher won a surprise bronze medal at the World Championships 10,000m held in Osaka, Japan. Two years later, at the World Championships in Berlin, Goucher finished 10th in marathon.

Running the marathon in Daegu poses some tricky timing for Goucher. Having run Boston last month and planning to compete in the Olympic Trials Marathon in January in Houston, running the World Championships marathon would mean running three marathons in a nine-month span.

Currently, the USA women's marathon team for Daegu is composed of Goucher, her Berlin teammate Tera Moody, Olympian Colleen De Reuck, Kathy Newberry, and Alissa McKaig. If Goucher abandons her spot on the team, alternate Zoila Gomez will run in her place.

Photo by Sean Hartnett.