In an exclusive to RunBlogRun.com and Runningnetwork.com, American Distance Project’s Wendy Thomas has withdrawn from the 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon, due to injuries. Here is the story from Jon Gugala, who will be covering the event live for Runblogrun.com and the Runningnetwork.com.
American Distance
Project’s Wendy Thomas Withdraws from Chevron Houston Marathon
by Jon Gugala
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –
The 2012 New York City Marathon–or what might have been–has claimed another
victim, this time the American Distance Project’s Wendy Thomas. The
33-year-old, who was slated to run the 2013 Houston Marathon on January 13, has
announced her withdrawal due to injury.
Thomas, who set her PR of 2:34:25
at the 2012 Olympic Team Trails Marathon almost a year ago, was one of the many
elites committed to racing the New York City Marathon in November. When the
race was canceled, she says she took a week off and then jumped back in,
refocusing on Houston.
She started feeling pain
in her left IT Band three or four weeks ago, but was able to train through it.
“It was more denial,” Thomas says. “‘I just ran 22 miles. Of course my leg
hurts.'”
It was two weeks ago that
the pain became unbearable. So she spent a lot of time on her ElliptiGO
cross-training, and she began undergoing therapy. A lot of therapy.
Thomas says she went
through massage, Active Release, acupuncture, dry needling, and several more
that sound equally unpleasant. She and coach Scott Simmons of the ADP were
banking on the reserve of miles she’d already built up. There were times, she
says, that she felt like she’d turned the corner, as recently as this past
weekend. But on Tuesday, January 8, going out for a seven mile run, she says at
six miles her knee locked up, leaving her stretching and crying.
“We tried to fight,”
Thomas says, “but you can’t run 26.2 miles if your leg’s not working right.”
“It wasn’t fair to anyone,
including her, to race,” Simmons says. “We will look to solve her challenges
and then look for a marathon when she is ready.”
Thomas isn’t alone; with
few examples, most of the 2012 New York City Marathon field that has chosen to
find alternate races in the fall/winter season have raced poorly. Andrew
Carlson, sixth at the 2012 Olympic Team Trials Marathon and one of the NYC
field, reported on Saturday that a late Achilles injury had brought his
participation in the Houston Marathon into question. He has since confirmed his
entry.
Though injuries are
frustrating enough, Thomas says the worst part is that she’s now trained for
two marathons–Houston and New York–neither of which she was able to run. The
plan now is to take a couple weeks off, get healthy, and then get back to
it–and sooner than you think.
“I definitely want to run
a marathon sooner rather than later,” Thomas says.
Follow RunBlogRun for this
and other stories about the 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Half
Marathon, on January 13.
