Congratulations to Tiki Gelana, Priscah Jeptoo, and Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova on finishing 1-2-3 at yesterday’s Olympic Women’s Marathon in London. It was pretty impressive to watch them pull away during final miles. I was especially impressed by Arkhipova who seemed to be losing contact with the leaders, and then had a surge to catch back up. You don’t see that very often.
However, I’ll admit I was pretty disappointed after the race from an American perspective. It was tough to watch Desi with such a noticeable limp in her running gate, and then have to pull out after only 5k. I also thought that Shalane had a legitimate chance at a medal, but this obviously didn’t come to fruition. However, I know Shalane and Kara poured their guts out during the race, and I’m proud of them for finishing strong. It was also cool to see Kara helping Shalane as they walked off the course together arm in arm. Hoping to see all three of them bounce back quickly, and can’t wait to cheer for them in their next race.