Ilsa Paulson Wins 2009 US Women’s Marathon Championship

Colleen DeReuck took second overall and won master’s championship.

Courtesy of Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon

(St. Paul, Minn.) – A twenty-five year age difference separated the first and second place winners of the 2009 USA Women’s Marathon Championship today at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. Ilsa Paulson, 20, of New York City, won the title with a finishing time of 2:31:49. Colleen De Reuck, 45, of Boulder, Colo., placed second with a time of 2:32:37; De Reuck also won the USA Women’s Masters Championship. The championship events were part of the 28th Annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, which started in downtown Minneapolis and finished at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minn.

“Nothing compares to the marathon distance, and I can’t say enough good things about the people here at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon,” said Paulson. On her win, Paulson remarked, “This is really, really rewarding. You just hang in there and grind it out, and it felt so good today, particularly the last 10 kilometers. It was also such a blessing to have Colleen De Reuck in the race.”

De Reuck, a four-time Olympian, said the pace picked up around mile 24. “I was trying to run my pace, but Paulson was much stronger over the last six miles,” she said.

Kristen Nicolini, 32, of Team USA Minnesota (Minneapolis), placed third among the women with a time of 2:35:06. Nicole Blaesser, 24, of Seattle, placed fourth with a time of 2:35:09; Sally Meyerhoff, 25, of Eugene, Wash., placed fifth with a time of 2:35:49.

“This may be the year of the women – boasting exceptional finishing times for both the USA Women’s Marathon Championship and the USA Women’s Masters Championship,” said Virginia Brophy Achman, executive director of Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. “Masters runner Colleen De Reuck’s finishing time is particularly noteworthy, as well as the 29 women producing qualifying times for the 2012 Women’s Marathon Olympic Trials.”

The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon was the only opportunity to qualify for the 2012 USA Women’s Marathon Olympic Trials. At the race, 29 women posted qualifying times; ten women are “A Standard” qualifiers, posting times of 2:39:00 or better, and 19 are “B Standard” qualifiers, posting times of 2:46:00 or better.

The USA Women’s Marathon Championship and USA Women’s Masters Championship were a USA Track & Field national championship event that started with the open Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon field at 8:00 a.m., Sunday, October 4. The 28th annual race began near the HHH Metrodome and in front of the state capitol.