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One of the sentimental favorites for the upcoming USA Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon, Colleen De Reuck, has decided to withdraw from the race due to a calf injury.
De Reuck, who turns 44 on Sunday, is the defending Trials champion, a victory she earned just ten days before her 40th birthday in 2004, sending her to her fourth Olympic Games, and her first as an American. She's also the Trials record holder.
Coached by her husband, Darren, De Reuck was returning to form after having her second daughter, Tara, last July. She first injured the calf at the U.S. Cross Country Championships last February, then reinjured it at the U.S. 15-K Championships in Jacksonville, Fla., last month.
"During Jacksonville she hurt her calf again, this time in a different spot than cross country," said Darren De Reuck in a telephone interview. But, after taking some time off and cross training, things were looking up. "This last week she was fine," he added. "She was completely better."
She raced at last Sunday's Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in Washington, D.C., clocking 57:17, a performance which demonstrated that she had simply lost too much training time before the Trials.
"She ran good enough for herself, however a 5:44 pace wasn't good enough to run the marathon and be competitive," Darren said. "We always thought about not going, but there was a little bit of hope."
Darren emphasized that De Reuck's career wasn't over and that she looked forward to running at shorter distances throughout the summer. However, he said that she would greatly miss lining up in Boston on April 20.
"Unfortunately, it's a little sad," he said. "But, Colleen isn't going to give it up yet."
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