The women's race at the U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials -- run for the first time ever on the same day and city as the men's competition -- couldn't have been more different at the start. While a group of the men racers blazed off in some wild attempt to peel off a pace no one expected, the women's race started slowly and only began to separate into a clear lead pack after a few miles.
But it did eventually string out, and left in the lead pack at the half are expected contenders Desi Davila, Shalane Flanagan, Deena Kastor, Amy Hastings and Kara Goucher. Serena Burla began to drop off the back of the lead pack approaching the midway point. Of the lead five, Kastor, an American racing legend, has dropped back a bit from the lead three, but there's a lot of race left. The lead pack hit the halfway point at 1:13.
The top three finishers will advance to the 2012 London Olympics. Davila and Flanagan came in as overwhelming favorites.