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2004 Marathon Review
Submitted by Rickshaw :: Thu Dec 30, 2004 10:01 am
IAAF continues their recap of the year with a review of 2004's marathon highlights. There's also a look back at the year in race walking, for all three of you that follow that sport. But for anyone who's a fan of the 26 mile 385 yard distance, it was a great year.
Most elite marathoners planned to peak at the Olympics in August, so competition at other marathons was not as strong as in past years. After a string of new world records in previous years, both the men's and women's world records were unchallenged in 2004. There was also some loss of depth and quality in the men's field, as the number of sub-2:10 male runners dropped to 59, from 81 in 2003.
The most exciting marathon of the year was undeniably the Olympic women's marathon, with the UK's Paula Radcliffe dropping out in the late miles, America's Deena Kastor mounting a come from behind effort to claim the bronze, and Japan's little-known Mizuki Noguchi taking home the gold medal. With Meb Keflezighi taking the silver medal in the men's race, it was the best finish for the USA in the marathon in decades. And of course, who can forget race leader Vanderlei Lima getting mugged by a crazy spectator?
