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As
the women warmed up, the temperature was reported as about 20 degrees...
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...with
the wind making it feel like eight degrees. Above: A bundled-up
Indiana team...
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...warms
up for their race. A total of 31 women's teams would compete with
252 runners finishing.
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The
start involved a long straightaway with a left turn 500 to 600 meters
in. By the time the runners came around that...
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...turn,
Shalane Flanagan (left) and Kim Smith - the strongest two individual
favorites - had already...
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...separated
themselves from the field. Both Flanagan and Smith were undefeated...
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...this
season, and they had never raced each other before. Flanagan was
the defending champion...
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...while
Smith, a native of New Zealand, had to sit out last year after doing
a double transfer.
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Smith
displayed her fitness, however, when she won the Penn Relays 5,000m
unchallenged in 15:47.92...
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...And
she appeared to have improved her fitness since then. Flanagan hadn't
lost a cross country race since the...
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...2001
NCAA Cross Country Championships and she had an excellent 2003 track
season...
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...capped
by a runner-up finish in the 5,000m at the USA Outdoor Track &
Field...
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...Championships
in a PR 15:20.54, which placed her four seconds behind Marla Runyan.
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Flanagan
seemed to be the favorite here, but Smith seemed to be the most
likely challenger.
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Flanagan
and Smith run close together as they approach the 1k mark.
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Stanford's
Alicia Craig tried to go after Flanagan and Smith at the start...
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...but
she ended up getting caught in no-(wo)man's land.
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And
then came the rest of the field.
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BYU's
Michaela Mannova and Providence's Mary Cullen lead the way with
#709 Sara Bei and #658 Ida Nilsson also in there.
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L-R:
L. Nilsson, #501 Keira Carlstrom, #627 Michelle Carson, #504 Amy
Hastings, #534 Laura Turner, #912 Marlies Overbeeke, #925 Megan
Metcalfe and #606 Emmily Chelanga.
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