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Goucher withdraws from 8-K Championship with illness

Posted March 7th, 2007 at 4:14 PM by Jamal Walker

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

Adam Goucher, who had hoped to challenge his coach’s national 8-K record at the U.S. 8-K Championship in New York City in ten days time, has been forced to withdraw from the race due to illness.

“He’s got pneumonia and he’s been sick for over ten days,” said Goucher’s coach, Alberto Salazar, in an e-mail message sent to race organizers, the New York Road Runners. “He’s under orders of no running for five days. Obviously the 8-K race is out of question at this point.”

Both Goucher, and his wife Kara, were stricken. Kara was forced to miss the U.S. Indoor Championships late last month where she was a contender to win the 3000m.

A 31 year-old Olympian, Goucher was looking forward to dueling Dathan Ritzenhein for the title and possibly toppling Salazar’s record of 22:04 set in Los Altos, Calif., in 1981, one of the oldest standing records in U.S. road running. In addition to a $35,000 prize money purse, the Road Runners have offered a $25,000 bonus to the race winner if he dips under Salazar’s record.

“Our hearts go out to Adam as we know he was ready to run for the win and the record,” said NYRR President and CEO, Mary Wittenberg, in a prepared statement.

Leading contenders in the field include Olympians Ritzenhein, Abdi Abdirahman, returning champion Jorge Torres, and steeplechaser Anthony Famiglietti, a late addition to the race. The race course will cover the last 8 km of the route that will be used when NYRR hosts the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon on Saturday, November 3, 2007.