Kara Goucher to Run Boston

She joins previously announced Ryan Hall as part of the John Hancock Elite Team at the 113th Boston Marathon on April 20. Goucher, whose public profile and media presence have been raised significantly since she won a bronze medal in the 10,000-meter race at the 2007 World Championships, was a 2008 Olympian in the 5000 and 10,000 and then had great success with her 26.2-mile debut at the ING New York City Marathon on November 2. Goucher's third-place 2:25:53 is the fastest American women's marathon debut in history, the fastest time by an American woman in the New York City, and the best time by an American in 2008. She's already the third-fastest U.S. woman of all time in the marathon, behind Deena Kastor and Joan Benoit Samuelson. “I could not be more excited to participate in the 2009 Boston Marathon on the John Hancock Elite Team,” says Goucher. “As an American, Boston is an incredible opportunity to run a major marathon. The race has a history like no other and its legacy spans generations. I am so thankful to continue my journey toward my goal of becoming the best runner in the world here in the United States.” Goucher is coached by Alberto Salazar, who won a legendary duel with Dick Beardsley in Boston in 1982. “Coach Salazar will guide me to be ready to tackle the course, and the infamous Heartbreak Hill,” states Goucher. The last American woman to win the Boston Marathon was Lisa Larsen Weidenbach (now Rainsberger) in 1985.