Lewy Boulet Leads through 24, Kastor is invincible Russell shows her promise; Great race, great crowds!
April 20, 2008

Put on a race, and they will come......

As I headed to the start of the Olympic Trials this morning, I noticed that I would have alot of company. Runners of all shapes and sizes with their spouses, kids were heading to the start. I walked down the middle of the Boylston (the start is 400 yards from the official finish of the BAA Boston marathon).

As I walked up Boylston street, I noticed the crowds on both sides of the street, two to three people thick, the closer and closer one gets to the start. The fans here will be able to see the runners here, staying stationary at 8 miles, 14 miles, 20 miles and the finish. The more adventuresome will be able to see the marathoners ten to twelve times on this very well organized criterium course. The first loop was 2.25 miles, and there are many of the major tourist attractions on this loop. The large loop, about six miles, run four times, goes down Commonwealth avenue and gives the fans a real chance to view the developments of the race.

The weather is about 48 degrees, sun is out, on this wonderfully clear day! Perfect day for marathoning. I kept walking up the to the starting line, with my media credential turned backwards and made it up to the athletes tent. I said hello to Coach Joe Vigil, and Dr. David Martin, one of the real experts on the marathon.

The women are getting their final warmups, and the starting line is filling up. The estimated twenty thousand fans at this start are screaming for the marathoners.

The race has started!

The day that these marathoners were all waiting for has come. And, taking the lead right away is March/April Cal Track cover athlete Magdelena Lewy-Boulet. Magdelena is our spoiler pick for the team.

Magdelena is the wife of Ritchie Boulet, a 3:52 miler. Magdelena is the mother of a three year old, Owen and manager at the Transports adidas team in San Francisco. Lewy-Boulet lead thorugh miles one in 6:03, two miles in 11:48 and three miles in 17:27.

In the second pack is Blake Russell, Deena Kastor, Mary Akor, Kate O'Neil, with about seventeen other marathoners. Also in here is Elva Dryer, Melissa White, Zoila Gomez and Samia Akbar.

Magdelena is not running out of her mind, remember, her personal best is 2:30:50, from her fifth place in St. Louis, Missouri at the 2004 Olympic Trials. Lewy-Boulet is advised by Dr. Jack Daniels, one of the true deities in the distance coaching food chain. Lewy-Boulet has won one marathon, Long Beach from 2006. In the Bay Area, Magdelena is well known for her racing.

The chase pack is letting Magdelena Lewy-Boulet go. Lewy-Boulet hits four miles in 23:05, five miles in 28:48, six miles in 34:25 and the 10k in 35:35. This is well within Magdelena's abiity. With the conditions as they are, Magdelena, looking strong and running with an amazing stride, has taken the lead of this race, and does not look like she will be giving it up soon.

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Miles 6-Halfway

What is the chase pack thinking?

Deena Kastor, Blake Russell, Elva Dryer, Mary Akor, Melissa White, Dot McMahon, and Amy Rudolph. Yes, Amy Rudolph got in due to her 10k time and is running very well in the chase pack.

But the chase pack is still not making any progress against Magdelena Lewy-Boulet. Lewy-Boulet is running along the course, as if it is a time trial. She hits seven miles in 40:05, eight miles in 45:47, nine miles, 15 kilometers in 53:18, ten miles in 57:10. Lewy-Boulet is relentless! Her stride is beautiful, her arm movement is perfection and she does not bounce her head. The only thing moving is her pony tail, and that pony tail has a 1 minute 30 second lead!

Kastor, Russell, Akor look to be the players in this pack, along with Kate ONeil. LA sports & Fitness publisher Danny Greenberg told us that Mary Akor , who has won his 10k race for several years, ran two minutes faster this year!

Magdelena Lewy-Boulet is continuing to build the lead. At 11 miles, Lewy-Boulet hit 62:47, twelve miles in 68:17, thirteen miles in 1:13:59, and the half marathon in 1:14:35. At the half way point, Magdelena has a lead of one minute, fifty-one seconds.

Lewy-Boulet continues to look good. But the chase pack is breaking up!

In the chase pack, which held together through eleven miles, has started to break up. Deena Kastor threw in some surges, nothing big, testing the pack. Kastor stayed in the pack, and at about halfway, Kastor, Russell, Akor took off.

Kate O'Neil started to drop back as has the rest of the chase pack. In fifth is Melissa White from Hanson Brooks, Desiree Davila in sixth, Samia Akbar in seventh, and Elva Dryer, two time Olympian in eighth. Zoila Gomez is in ninth and Kate O'Neil had dropped back to tenth.

But the race is on.......

Deena Kastor is surging and she has broken up Russell and Akor. Kastor is moving hard, running 5:35 pace, she has taken a seven second lead on Russell and Akor. But, Deena looks like she is running for second and perhaps she will make up something on Lewy-Boulet, who looks fantastic.

Lewy-Boulet hit fourteen miles 1:19:42, fifteen miles in 1:25:27, and twenty five kilometers in 1:28:23. Lewy-Boulet hit sixteen in 1;31:06, and seventeen miles has been hit in 1:36:44. She has a quite comfortable lead.

Deena Kastor has made up ten seconds on Lewy-Boulet's lead, who is now down to 1:43 lead. Kastor has ten seconds on Blake Russell, and Russell has 28 seconds on Mary Akor. Desiree Devilla has now moved into fourth, and has passed Mary Akor.

Desiree Devilla is part of the Brooks Hanson Distance Project. She is running very well and has moved up through the pack.

At this time, at seventeen miles, Magdelena Lewy-Boulet has a very comfortable lead of 1 minute, forty second lead.

Deena Kastor is in second place and moving up. Blake Russell is in third and Desiree Devilla is seven seconds back on Russell...Kastor just ran a 5:29 mile for mile eighteen.

Blake Russell is in third, Desiree Devilla is in fourth, Mary Akor is in fifth and Zoila Gomez is in sixth!

What is fascinating about this race is the that 2004 fifth placer is leading and the 2004 fourth placer is fighting to make the team!

Magdelena Lewy-Boulet, running as well now as she did at ten miles, Boulet has an Olympic team position in her sights. Lewy-Boulet has hit nineteen miles in 1:47:56. Kastor has cut the lead down to 1:32. Blake Russell has 22 seconds over Devilla.

The third position is still open, with six marathoners fighting for that coveted third position. At this time, nineteen miles into the race, Deena Kastor is running negative splits and Magdelena Lewy-Boulet is not giving up easy. With seven miles to go, my picks are Lewy-Boulet, Kastor and Russell, but we shall see.....

Miles 20-21

Deena Kastor is in second place, hitting twenty miles in 1:55:02, cutting the lead down to seventy-seconds. Magdelena Lewy-Boulet hit twenty miles in 1:53:47 and is starting to look tired, but still has her great form and her stride is still on!

Kastor is focused and has put fifty-seven seconds between her and Blake Russell, who has seven seconds on Desiree Devilla, who is running in fourth. Russell hit twenty miles in 1:55:53, Desiree Devilla in 1:56:01 in fourth, Zoila Gomez in fifth place in 1:56: 33 and Melissa White in 1:56.56.

Magdelena Lewy-Boulet ran her slowest mile, 5:59, for mile 21, hitting that in 1:59:44. Kastor has made up fifteen seconds in the last mile! Deena has closed the gap to fifty-six seconds between her and Lewy-Boulet. Kastor has a lead over third by forty-four seconds. Temperature is 59 degrees.

The 35 kilometer point, 21.75 miles was passed by Lewy Boulet in 2:04:04, and she knows is she is being chased. She has run the last three miles in 5:54, 5:50 and it is only going to get tougher.

MIles 22-24 Wicked Wicked Gravity

Okay, there is this song by Jim Carroll ( from a seminal album, Catholic Boy-must buy it), called Gravity. One of the refrains is Wicked, Wicked Gravity.

Gravity was playing out it's real job, as Deena Kastor began that unstoppable move from second to first place. At mile fourteen, Kastor was one minute, fifty six seconds back. By 22 miles, where Lewy-Boulet ran 2::05:05, the lead was down to thirty seconds!

Mile 23, hit in 2:11: 33 and wicked gravity and the unstoppable rush of Deena Kastor was not going to be stopped. Magdelena Lewy-Boulet did not fall apart, Deena was running like only Deena Kastor can run.

The lead changes......

Kastor came up the left side of the highway and Lewy-Boulet was running up the right side of the highway. At two hours, sixteen minutes, and just about ten seconds, Deena came charging by and Lewy-Boulet cut across the road, to get in behind her. " My only tactic to get to the left to get my water bottle, I had missed one early on.." noted Kastor.

Lewy-Boulet stayed with the hard charging Kastor for about fifteen seconds. By mile 24, hit in 2:17:11, Deena Kastor had taken the lead and was racing to the finish....

"The moment that I got in to pulling into the lead, it was a testement to, kind of, succumbng to second place in middle of the race and then to rally. My coach told me to define myself that day, today before the race, I was drawing on the strength of my teammates. My team, Running USA at Mammoth Lakes gave me the strength to start pushing to Magdelena and gather that strength to moving into first place, it moves you to the finish line and gives you the energy to make it to the finish line, " noted Deena Kastor.

Kastor was running hard, Arms pumping, stride perfect, and she was confident. What a difference a few miles make! Kastor would later comment, " There were some middle miles there where I thought I had made the wrong race plan, Magdelena looked so good. The gap started to shorten again, and I started to get some confidence. It was the second half of the last lap that I started to feel confident."

Kastor hit 40 kilometers in 2:21:55, and she already had a twenty second lead! She was unstoppable, and continued that way through twenty-five miles, which she hit in 2: 22:49.

How good was Kastor feeling? Well, at the last turn, about twenty-five miles, she made the turn and waved to the crowd, but Deena Kastor was on! She was running in control, 5:30 miles, one after another and she was in lead.

For Deena Kastor, the last 1.22 miles were a celebration. The crowds down Boylston were screaming madly and someone gave her a flag with about a half mile to go! Kastor continued to increase her pace as she came closer and closer to her dream, to be finishing first in the women's Olympic Trials, running a fine 2:29:35. Deena, improved on her 2004 position in the Olympic trials with her first here, from second

Magdelena Lewy-Boulet, who made the gamble she did not see, held on for second place, with a fine time of 2:30:19. " The plan was to run the pace I was running, the plan was not to run by myself. The picture of Blake was in my mind. I went out in 1:14, the plan was to run 1:15, I then expected the ladies to be there in the end, no doubt." Magdelena improved on her fifth position from the last Olympic Trials!

Blake Russell, the fourth finisher in the 2004 Olympic Trials, ran a very disciplined race, that showed her strengths and held on for third, with a fine time of 2:32:40. Blake had fought off the bids of Mary Akor, then Desiree Devilla (who was seven seconds down at one time), and had fifty-three seconds of comfort when she crossed the finish line. As she embraced her husband, the tears were flowing....

Joan Benoit Samuelson, who finished 90th in 2:49:08, at the age of 51, when interviewed about her career ( she has qualified for seven Oly Trials, won one, won one Olympic gold as well as set the AR several times), noted this:

"Like the traditional Boston course, my marathon career has been a roller coaster. Never say never, I do not know when I will run another marathon. I trained very hard this winter, very tough, very challenging. I had a plan and a goal, so I dealt with the weather conditions. So I have friends and family members who might run a marathon, so I might join them. I felt strong today, feel surprisingly good today. My career? It has been a great run. I came on in the running scene in Boston with the Boston Marathon and what is now the Tufts 10k. To be able to go out there today with the best that the sport has to over, Deena thanks for your kind words. I told the press that Deena would be the next American record holder, I am handing the torch to her now, and she certainly will. "

Blake Russell commented after the race, " I was hoping that I was not in trouble. I thought that she (Magdelena) looked really strong. Alot can happen in those miles, though. I made sure I did not panic, I opened up the gap a little and they gave me a run for the money."

In fourth position was Zoila Gomez, in her second marathon, who ran a superb race! Zoila is one of sixteen kids, a graduate of Adams State and a new American citizen ( 2006). She has won several Division three titles and has no sponsor. She was wearing one of the seventy five gift sets that Nike and USATF sent out to un sponsored athletes.

In fifth position, was Terra Moody, who ran 2:33:54, a great personal best. Terra has been training in Boulder, but is from the Chicago metro area.

We will have another piece in about an hour, but for now, I will end with a quote from one of my favorite athletes, the 1992 Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon, Lorraine Moller. The Kiwi marathon goddess, and formidable scrabble player said this to me after the race, " It worked out as it should, Deena is a great marathoner, Magdelena earned it, and Blake did too!"

Enough said. In a field of 153 starters, in a crowd of 100,000 plus fans, the country was treated to an Olympic Trials most will not forget. A huge gamble as seen by many was a logical move by Magdelena Lewy Boulet. A conservative start by Deena Kastor and Blake Russell ended with Deena Kastor showing that she is a serious pick for a Beijing medal, and Blake Russell showed how tough of a marathoner she really is. Joan Benoit Samuelson, in her final Olympic trials showing, ran 2:49:08 for 90th place and noted," What a wonderful team for the Olympic Trials marathon. I pass the torch to Deena, and she has handled it well."

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Final comments

Deena Kastor's dream began four years ago, when tired and having finishing second, and I sat behind her on the bus. She was spent. I felt very uncomfortable as I noticed a tear coming down from her eye. The pain of a dream unfulfilled. Yet, less than six months later, Deena ran the most amazing last ten kilometers this writer has ever seen in an Olympic marathon, to take the bronze.

Deena Kastor is at the top of her game. Her negative splits, her victory by forty-four seconds over a marathoner who had one minute, fifty-four second lead at mile fourteen, was stupendous. Kastor's win in 2:29:35 was a sweet victory and the fulfilment of a dream, perhaps many dreams.

Yet, Deena Kastor is human. "I was worried, that I would not get this title. I started to panic, as Magdelena looked tough. Absolutely, I was worried when the gap opened up that much. It is a relief that the race is over, " noted Deena in the post race press conference.

And the focus of this worry, this anxiety? Well, none other than Magdelena Lewy Boulet, a wife, a mother of three year old Owen and a career woman. Sponsored by Transports/adidas, the club of her husband's running store, Ritichie Boulet, a former 3:52 miler, Magdelena does not know what all of the fuss is about.

Raised in Poland, her parents emigrated to Germany when she was sixteen. She moved to the States in 1990 and became a US citizen on September 11, 2001. " I had no idea what was going on. I was in a car with my husband, looking forward to being part of that special ceremony. We got there, basically, thinking we had a two hour ceremony, but the ceremony would last five minutes, they sent us home, get in your car and go home. We got in car, paused listening to radio, listening to what was going on in the world-September 11. It was very sad.", noted Lewy Boulet.

Magdelena ran up a minute and thirty lead by ten miles in 58:17, and by fourteen miles, had a lead of one minute, 54 seconds. She ran well, she was focused. " I wanted to run 5:40s, my strategy from beginning. I had no idea that I was going to run by myself. I was definitely a bit uncomfortable, surprised that I was by myself. Right before the race, my husband told me that the race was not going to come to me, I had to go to it, and I did. "

Magdelena Lewy Boulet achieved her dream, she kept the lead until just before 24 miles and held on for second, with a fine time of 2:32:40.

Blake Russell was the impetuous one in St. Louis. Her lead was supreme, but she faltered and finished fourth. Blake stayed with the chase pack,and made her move when Deena blasted away. With six pursuers, Blake showed her amazing strength over the last three miles and held on for third place, in 2:32.40. " Redemption finally. The goal was tough, the pace felt uncomfortable, it was scary, luckily felt stronger and stronger. I was definitely, I tried and stayed relaxed, I hope to finish a little bit faster!"

For all three of the women who made the team, this dream started in St. Louis four years ago, in an Olympic Trials race. Deena Kastor, Magdelena Lewy Boulet and Blake Russell made their dreams a reality. And now, on to Beijing!