"My big worry was that the heat and humidity..."
"You just try to to put it aside and just concentrate on your race..."
"My head and everything was still functioning,
I knew what I had to go and, through dehydration, your body cramps up"
"I kinda told myself: Try to keep running, try to stay upright.
My muscles just didn't respond."
"I knew if I would stop, or sit down that would be the end of it."
"I just was determined to make it through that finish line."
It was quite special because they had a little ceremony beforehand
They had all the flags, and they said,
they announced its the first women's marathon.
And so, I think that - besides running in the Olympics -
also being part of the first marathon was special.
And you wanted to show that it was the right decision for the Olympic Committee
to let women run the distance,
because there is no scientific evidence that they can't run it
And so many women ran marathons
in in just road trip road races are
around the country just not in there in the Olympics
and as debt development show Lost like
in the United States a lotta marathons
or a shorter races on the roads the percentage of women now
this sometimes bigger than the percentage of men so it just shows you
know
it was a good think that they decided to do that because
deathly I think that helped a women get involved
into long distance from
then raced for the women it was the first command of the track and field
I remember warm a nap still have my sweats on and
just trying to drink a lot of water and
and then the first definitely the first half
went pretty much according to my plan I had a
an idea what I wanted to run each 5-kilometer mark and
and I look at that women around me
and summer from I knew from previous races and I knew or
you know I knew I couldn't run miss the leaders
I just wasn't that that good and
but not everybody can win and they were
for a lot of us you know that where just
in 10-15 place in the plan or a no signal
and then you know often 15
miles or so the field start to
they now you are running a lot just by yourself
and to
and then I think maybe at twenty miles I i Skype you
to really feel the heat but to
you know I thought that's 66 more mile seen only made it to hear and
you not last it looks
it looks good in then I think well then I missed the last water station I don't
know if he was consciously or
sometimes year so vocalist or
you start to focus on your body and anyway I just missed it
and that definitely had an impact for the last few miles
and I distinctly remember
like the Los mile I had to slow down
and and coming in to get towel
I really remember that because about its
its it's a little cooler in there and dine or from here on it's not that
like to go but
the really one of the big problems I had was to
you know I wish I could have had water more water more often especially since I
missed that last
station and to and now the ruling at that time was that pic only get the
water at peace
I think four or five stations that yes set up
I just got dehydrated
and that's why they lost when I got into the stadium
from you know the heat but more intense in there
and also at that point to dehydration you your body cramped up
and that was my main problem I my head and everything was still
functioning 9 I knew what I had to go and and ap
I kinda told myself try to keep running
tried to stay upright and my my muscles just didn't respond
and so then be no just the curated over to
last 400 meters at that point it was just
I'm in the Olympics I wanna finish this race because
this is my my one and only chance
because I was already 39 any new or
another four years at there will be a very slim chance to
to qualify again so that made it
if it would have been another race you know just another marathon
I would have probably stop
I think just from there heat
in that stadium I just %uh started to fall apart
but I clearly remember the cheering
and the noise it was just incredible it was so loud
I didn't expect something like that
so that was you know clearly I can hear that now probably
kept me going to there was a
a medical adoptive he was following me
closely and watchin me and later on
you know he said biggest there was a lot of criticism
from depressed they say are they should have stopped me and things but
he said you know he's familiar these these things and he said he was watching
me closely
any said as long as I still knew where I was going
and shown showed sign up sweating
that said that it was okay I
in I read now or sometime see tapes it's not the first time
and Edin its it's not uncommon in a hot
long race that people have problems
and I know offer a couple are the marathon
rest they had the same problem but it happen earlier in the race
been on the road and then they they just to you know quittin
and got got a ride or whatever and
miss me you know pictures making it that far
I think it's different you know then I think every other one
person would have tried to to finish
I was very relieved and now worse you happy
II I got to the finish line and then at that point I didn't care if I would be
you not feeling good for a week the main thing less
I made it and I didn't think you know that I had
anything damage to
it was painful for the first you do a net loss
Lapan the first hour in the medical tent I was in a lot of pain
ca but then of the to our side I was fine
you know what really surprised me
in a very a nice way
yes all the compassion and enter
the reaction of of
just average people there were watching the games and then also
of the athletes I was kinda embarrassed
that I didn't do well in math I thought I didn't deserve all this attention
and I really kinda felt guilty and
other athletes they made me feel good because they were so supportive
and I think that was one of them big memories I have
from two games
at the time of the 2000 Olympics I would have traded anything for a
10 to 15 place at not having that
what I thought was a spectacle but you know now looking back which time I can
see that
to people kind it it than 85 issue
and because they seem to struggle and they see that
if you really set your mind to it weakened overcome a lot of
obstacles so that
to you know and it teaches you a lesson to that besides
overcoming obstacles you have to get
over some bad experiences
and not dwell on it and just look forward and
learn something hopefully learn something