News & Views
News & Views
June 9, 2008
Kara Goucher Meets Olympic "A" Standard For The 10,000 Meters
During a race in Portland last week, Kara Goucher met the Olympic A Standard. She ran 31:26.48, which is under the automatic qualifying standard of 31:45 for the Olympic Games. So, if Goucher finishes in the top three at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field, she will be headed to Beijing.
Kara Goucher established her running credentials last year with a bronze medal in the 10,000 at the World Championships in Osaka. A year earlier she became the no. 2 all-time American woman at that distance, running 31:17.77. She’ll run the 10,000 the opening day of the Olympic Trials and says, “As long as I'm healthy Eugene will get to see a lot of me; I will be back to challenge in that 5000 as well!"
Goucher lives in Portland, Oregon where she and her husband Adam train with Alberto Salazar. Adam was a finalist in the 2001 World Championships 5000 and ran his PR of 13:10.00 in 2006.
Here are Goucher's responses in an e-mail Q & A:
Eugene08: Your PRs in the 5000 and 10,000 came in 2006, but your big breakthrough on the world stage came in 2007. Do you feel those two years put you in an especially good position for the Olympic year--you know how to run fast, and you know how to run tactically?
KG: Absolutely! I feel like I learned so much over the past two years. Not only did I learn that I can push my body to run world-class times, but I also learned how to run world-class races. I feel confident that I can respond to any type of race, whether it's fast and on the edge the whole time or a slow build up with a break and drastic pace change.
Eugene08: What kind of race are you expecting at the Olympic Trials? Fast or tactical?
KG: I don't think that the women's distance races will be as tactical as in the past. I think that there are a few American women right now who are confident in pushing the pace and forcing the field to really run. I don't think we will be setting records, but I don't think that the women will sit around and kick. It will be a respectable pace from the beginning.
Eugene08: You scored a major win in last year’s Great North Half Marathon. [Defeating marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe with a time of 1:06:57.] Do you see yourself moving up to the marathon at some point?
KG: I definitely see myself running the marathon in the future. I do feel a pull to the longer distances; that my legacy might be made there. But, for now I am focused on the track. I feel like I have a lot left to give there. I think I can run faster and smarter races.
Eugene08: You and Adam have talked about having made the commitment to being truly professional athletes. What are the toughest parts of that commitment? And what have been the greatest benefits?
KG: The toughest part of being committed to our training is just that it's a 24-hour job! Everything that we do during the day is a part of becoming a better athlete, whether it's running, stretching, doing drills, napping, getting massage, getting therapy, or eating. There is a lot of sacrifice, a lot of missed trips to see friends and family. But we have chosen this path. We want to see how far we can go, and our friends and family want this for us as well. We are extremely supported and it makes that commitment easier.
The greatest benefits of our commitment have been those moments when one of us achieves a dream. When Adam was 6th in the World Cross Country Championships or when I won my bronze medal. These are such special moments for us. We cherish them and they keep us going, they keep our dreams of Olympic success alive.