Captain claims second women's overall win
By Brett Turner
Skywrighter Staff, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
There's an old saying, "To the victor go the spoils." In some cases, it should be modified with some fine print about the pressure of defending a title.
Capt. Jill Metzger of Ramstein Air Base, Germany , the defending 26.2-mile race women's champion, admitted such thoughts were in her mind prior to Saturday's race.
Metzger retained the women's title, finishing in three hours, six minutes, six seconds, and 36 th place overall, becoming the first women in the marathon's history to win the 26.2-mile race more than once.
"I was coming in with a lot of pressure because I won last year," said Metzger. "Everybody was like 'Come on, Jill, you have to defend your title.' I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself; I didn't want to be overconfident and have too many expectations for myself."
Metzger drafted her own mental game with how to deal with it. She said her strategy was telling herself to run the best race she could, have fun and be happy if she finished in the top three.
"In the back of my head, I really wanted to win," she said.
Metzger started out with an easy pace, not wanting to go too fast. She said she was happy to stay in second behind Shannon Moon of Mount Orab.
She added strategy around mile three or four with a male runner she drafted off of to compensate for the wind blowing by.
At mile 17, Metzger made her move on moon. She said she hurt a bit, but passed Moon with "aggressive force" to keep her off balance.
This created a different situation for Metzger. She had never been first by herself at this point of a race before.
"I said I have to keep this lead and speed up, but also I didn't want to go too fast," said Metzger.
Although he enjoyed a clear lead, Metzger began a sprint near the end. She wanted to improve on last year's time of 3:05:35, but fell shy of the mark.
"My dad told me to slow down, but I wanted to try and beat my time," said Metzger.
Besides retaining her title, one of Metzger's goals was to finish the race under three hours, but the course here makes that a tougher challenge. Besides, there will likely be another time for that.
Despite all the pressure she put on herself, winning made it easier to joke. Surrounded by her family, Metzger's smile made it hard to believe she had anything but confidence.
"Maybe it will start a new Lance Armstrong/Jill Metzger saga," she said jokingly. "Give me a yellow jersey."
Metzger, who ran with the United Stated Air Force Europe team here, will next travel to the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. Oct. 31. Despite her jitters, she admits here is where her heart and swift feet will remain.
"It was 10 times harder this time, but I'll absolutely be back," she said. "But I won't come with the attitude I want to defend (my title). This is my all-time favorite marathon. This is our marathon, and I take pride in it."