Fast Women - OTQ 2020 edition

diablita · February 10, 2020, 07:19:52 PM

So what do you think for the women running in Atlanta? (I think there was a thread for this but couldn't find it?)

Who are your faves? With Des going after it again, I like her odds. She has grit and it's a gritty course. Amy Cragg just had a notsogreatforher half the other day, hard to say if she held back or was held back by something bugging her. And speaking of something bugging her, haven't heard all that much from Jordan Hasay so it will be interesting to see if Paula has been able to boost her up.

the kenyan · February 10, 2020, 10:28:15 PM

NONONOHASAY! Even if it means gifting it to a double letter-er.

Cross your fingers for 40 degrees and a monsoon or a million and drowning in humidity, then Desi will roll. She might roll anyway against these pansies.

Sara Hall has been poised to throw down for a long time as well. She's the other one who will be intriguing to watch. We'll see how the prolific buildup pays off...

diablita · February 11, 2020, 06:47:08 AM

Well I'll be standing out there so I don't want either scenario. I think the course is plenty tough to give Desi an edge.

Interesting human interest story about the Halls:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/olympics/2019/04/12/boston-marathon-family-how-ryan-halls-adopted-four-and-kept-running/3386444002/

Coyote Mas Loco · February 11, 2020, 08:06:04 AM

http://chrunners.net/forum/index.php?topic=123778.msg3212835#msg3212835

There's the Thread.

Sisson, Hasay, Huddle, and Hall. Even though she's the least experienced of the four, the strongest favorite imo is Sisson. Maybe Hall is next with Huddle and Hasay having some question marks to go with their great credentials. However, Kellyn Taylor, Steph Bruce and a host of others might say otherwise. It's going to be a great race.

Coyote Mas Loco · February 11, 2020, 09:32:28 AM

About Desi, I'm not sure she's fully in. She's almost doing this as an afterthought. But if she's having a good day, she'll be right in there.

the kenyan · February 11, 2020, 10:20:07 AM

Yeah, I really think she'll need the perfect day. Her PR is 3-5 minutes behind the others, most of whom appear to be at the top of their game. I just don't know that much about Sisson, but she looks legit. You think Huddle will make it? She may well have the best raw talent of the bunch, but seems like she hasn't been able to put it all together with the marathon yet. It would be a heck of a time to get it right though!

diablita · February 11, 2020, 03:06:44 PM

It's just going to be an amazing day for American distance running

Coyote Mas Loco · February 14, 2020, 07:52:50 AM

Here is my women's favorites list, more or less in order; anyone in the top 7 (down to Bates) has a good shot at making the team. The others would need to have a huge breakout effort. Times maybe 2:24 FTW and 2:27 or faster to make the team, and it might be top 3 or 4 within 30 seconds.

Emily Sisson (less experienced but young and made for the marathon)
Sarah Hall (prolific racer but as tough as nails and a gamer)
Molly Huddle (breakthrough?)
Kellyn Taylor (look for her to run aggressively in the middle miles but maybe fade toward the end)
Jordany Hasay - Des Linden (I think one of these two will drop or maybe even not line up but either could be in the top 3 as well)
Emma Bates
Stephanie Bruce
Lindsay Flanagan
Laura Thweatt
Amy Cragg

the kenyan · February 14, 2020, 11:43:03 AM

I've got a good feeling about Hall this time. Should be quite a spirited duel with Sisson. Huddle will be an interesting X factor, especially with being Sisson's training partner. No idea where she's currently at, but on paper she should be right up in that mix. She's beaten Sisson over 10k as recently as last summer. Now that she's had a few marathons under her belt to figure things out, maybe experience will pay off.

diablita · February 20, 2020, 02:18:00 PM

Amy Cragg just announced that she's out due to illness.

Coyote Mas Loco · February 20, 2020, 02:53:56 PM

I was just going to say...

She'd have been a long shot, but wonder what's going on. Some speculation of some sort of chronic fatigue.

Coyote Mas Loco · February 20, 2020, 04:21:03 PM

from rojo of letsrun: We have more details. A source close to Cragg said her withdrawal is the result of adrenal fatigue as a result of the Epstein-Barr virus.

diablita · February 20, 2020, 04:27:54 PM

. So much has to go right to line up on any given race day. I hate this for her.

Coyote Mas Loco · February 20, 2020, 04:50:11 PM

Yeah that's rough. Marathoners are living at the edge for months at a time and sometimes the edge wins. She just needs to get her health back.

diablita · February 21, 2020, 08:23:20 AM

Totally. Here's more detail:

https://twitter.com/chrischavez/status/1230611296334360576?s=21&fbclid=IwAR1ZmdZezPLYCHKybHdRRzfU6MwzY6d67XhTeL0zQaXS9aeSPrcYasFj2SM

Coyote Mas Loco · February 21, 2020, 10:55:58 AM

Updated.

Emily Sisson (less experienced but young and made for the marathon)
Sarah Hall (prolific racer but as tough as nails and a gamer)
Molly Huddle (breakthrough?)
Kellyn Taylor (look for her to run aggressively in the middle miles but maybe fade toward the end)
Jordany Hasay - Des Linden (I think one of these two will drop or maybe even not line up but either could be in the top 3 as well)
Emma Bates
Aliphine Tiliamuk
Stephanie Bruce
Lindsay Flanagan
Laura Thweatt
~~Amy Cragg~~

diablita · February 25, 2020, 11:30:49 AM

I was already a Kellyn Taylor fan and this makes me even fonder:

https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a31081434/kellyn-taylor-foster-parent/?fbclid=IwAR01NqiJixbdiidKZndzzXmPvElEjPjBkSDXX1IB8oh7MUaT1U4FnhRh6TA

I hope she has a great day on Saturday. She's a tough cookie.

Coyote Mas Loco · February 25, 2020, 11:49:11 AM

I don't know a lot about Taylor other than see her rip it up at some big races over the past couple years. I think she's up for one of the podcasts this week (Rogue?). Tough competitor! And seems genuine.

With Cragg off the list I'll add Sally Kipyego, and she could be anywhere in that top 10. Has an Olympic medal and a bunch of NCAA titles. But has had a baby in the past couple of years and she'd now in her mid-30s and hasn't done anything really notable in a while. But she could definitely make that team.

diablita · February 25, 2020, 12:43:08 PM

For sure Kipego is a contender. I see her in top ten definitely. Top 3, just don't know.

the kenyan · February 25, 2020, 01:21:26 PM

Apparently Desi is also running Boston. So is she sandbagging the trials and using it as a tuneup, crushing the trials and taking a victory lap in Boston, or crushing the trials, boston, and the coronalympics because "COME AT ME BITCHES!!"?