PUBLISHED 10/20/2006
Last year Colleen De Reuck set her sights on Priscilla Welch's 1987 world masters marathon record of 2:26:51. She fell short of her goal, but did set a new American masters mark of 2:28:40 and finished fourth overall.
De Reuck now holds all the female masters records from 5K to the marathon and she'd like to improve on her US mark this year in Chicago. She's not sure she's capable of challenging Welch's mark. "I don't have the confidence that I had last year," she said. "I've had a few blips in my training this year, so I think I'll be a little more cautious this year. Last year I didn't get it and I had a much better build up."
The 42-year-old is the same age Welch was when she set the record, and De Reuck hasn't ruled out going for it if the conditions and her body allows it, but the goals this year are more modest. She didn't anticipate finishing fourth last year either, though.
The wind was a factor last year as it slowed the runners more than normal during the final portion of the race, but it also upped the attrition rate for the women in front of her, said De Reuck. "I know that in the last miles there aren't that many spectators. The course is also a bit more open there and you're pretty much running by yourself. Last year was fun though because I was moving up, coming through the field. I didn't even know I was fourth until after the finish."
She doesn't expect the same good fortune this year, but you never know what to expect, said De Reuck, that's what makes it all so much fun.
