Deena Kastor Breaks Masters Record at Shamrock Shuffle – runnersworld.com

After a disappointing finish in the Tokyo Marathon earlier this month, Deena Kastor made a resurgence at the Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago on March 24. She added another record to her long list of accolades by breaking the American masters record for the fastest 8K run by a woman between 45 and 49 years old.

The 46-year-old Olympian finished the road race eighth overall in 27:12, averaging a 5:29-mile pace. Ahead of Kastor, Olivia Pratt claimed the overall women’s victory in 26:26.

“Special thanks to the women ahead and those pushing me from behind to an unintentional Masters record,” the Mammoth Track Club standout wrote on Twitter.

Pending ratification from USA Track and Field, Kastor’s performance would stand as the new masters record for her age group ahead of the previous record of 27:45 set by Carmen Troncoso in 2005.

Watch: Deena Kastor used this simple trick to extend her competitive racing career.

Since entering the masters division, Kastor hasn’t wasted any time rewriting the national record books. She currently holds the 5K, 10K, 15K, 10 mile, 20K, half marathon, 30K, and marathon American masters records for the 40-44 age group. She was 42 years old when she set the masters record of 2:27:47 at the Chicago Marathon in 2015.

Her career best in the marathon—2:19:36 at the 2006 London Marathon–still stands as the American record in the distance.

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Sunday’s 8K performance also marks a comeback from a disappointing race at the Tokyo Marathon on March 3. Kastor experienced a range of challenges on the streets of Tokyo between the rainy weather, a bathroom stop, and two falls caused by oblivious runners on the course. Frustrated, she finished in 2:51:58 but managed to pull herself out of the disappointment by focusing on the positives that took place from the experience.

“A DNF is an ugly thing,” she told Runner’s World after the race. “The guilt of dropping out of a race is hard to shake. In Boston, I had hypothermia and physically couldn’t go any further, and I still felt guilty for weeks after the race. But in Tokyo, it was just a matter of rising up and fighting. I’m up for that challenge.”

Kastor, like several other elites, was forced to drop out of the 2018 Boston Marathon due to the poor conditions. She returned later that season to finish second at the Brooklyn Half Marathon.

Both Tokyo and Shamrock are building up her 2019 season, which could lead to the Berlin Marathon in September, the last race on her Abbott World Marathon Majors bucket list. While age has slowed Kastor slightly over the years, the three-time Olympian maintains a well-balanced perspective on her running goals while maintaining a relentless competitive drive.

“I don’t think I’m ever going run 2:19 again, or be able to run 140 miles a week like I did 20 years ago,” Kastor said after Tokyo. “But I can still push myself in the same way as I get older. I still approach racing and training in the same way. I just have different fitness and time goals in mind.”