Marathoner Deena Kastor once had two major goals: to claim an Olympic medal and win a major big-city marathon. Kastor has exceeded those goals, but the former Alamosa resident is finding new challenges to replace them.
Kastor won the Chicago Marathon last October and won again her next time out, lowering her American record in the London Marathon in April. On Monday she announced her next marathon will be in New York on Nov. 5.
“For some reason I feel the marathon is bittersweet all the time,” Kastor said. “Just as you obtain one goal a new one creeps in, or you think you can prepare a little better or tactically race a little better to come back for more. It’s kind of a vicious cycle, an insatiable cycle of events that you can conquer these goals and give yourself a pat on the back, but then something always sneaks in that says you can do more – you can run faster, you can be better.”
Kastor made her marathon debut at New York in 2001 when the city was still reeling from the Sept. 11 attacks, and the outpouring of emotion during the race made a deep impression on her. She went back in 2004, only 77 days after she won a bronze medal in Athens, but she was forced to drop out after 16 miles because of a knee injury.
“Ever since 2001 it’s been my dream to come back and win New York,” Kastor said. “I tried in 2004 and had an awful race that forced me to drop out, but every year I’ve gone back to be a part of the race in one way or another because it is such a spectacular event. I’m very excited to have it as my focus for the rest of the year.”
Kastor will be 35 when the 2008 Beijing Olympics are held, but she believes she can be a contender.
“In my 10 years of running professionally I have yet to even have a plateau,” Kastor said. “I’m still improving and still have higher goals. I don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.”
