Davila Recalls Tough Olympic Marathon

Despite the DNF, she still calls herself an Olympian.

Sunday’s Olympic Marathon in London was not kind to American Desiree Davila.

Heading into the race, the Hansons-Brooks athlete knew it was going to be a tough go.

She had been training through a right hip injury and hoped the fact that she was in the Olympic race would perhaps make the pain go away.

“Maybe I can catch some magic,” she thought.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for Davila.

About 2.2 miles into the 26.2-mile event, she pulled off the course and quit the race.

“I’ve been training through pain, having ups and downs and highs and lows,” she said. “I do feel like you have to cross the [starting] line to be an Olympian, to have that title,” she recalled. “And I feel like I’ve earned that, the last month, especially. I put everything I had into getting here.”

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