By Chris Duncan, AP Sports Writer
Shalane Flanagan, Antonio Vega and Brett Gotcher felt as if they took big first steps Sunday toward the 2012 Olympics in London.
Flanagan, who won the bronze medal in the 10,000 meters in Beijing, won the women's race at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, setting a course record in her first attempt at the distance.
Vega was the overall winner of the half marathon, and Gotcher was the top American finisher and seventh overall in the Chevron Houston Marathon.
Flanagan, entered in a race longer than 10,000 meters for the first time, covered the 13.1 miles in 1 hour, 9 minutes, 41 seconds to surpass the mark of 1:10.55 Colleen De Reuck set in 2004.
"The primary goal was to win the race," Flanagan said. "Everything else was a bonus. I feel like I gave a really good effort, but I actually feel like I have more running in my legs. That's a good sign to me."
The 28-year-old Flanagan used the race as a gauge for her training as she aims for the Olympic marathon in London.
"Physically and mentally, you kind of have to callus yourself to be able to endure these kinds of distances," she said. "I showed myself today, more than anything, that I can handle it.
"I hope I have two more Olympics in me, and I would love to be able to make myself into a marathon runner before 2012. You can't rush it, though. You've got to do it right."
Flanagan previously set American records in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters. She fought off anxiety during Sunday's race, wondering if her endurance was going to hold up.
"It was a lot of fun, but a little nerve-racking in the middle of the race," she said. "I might have had a patch where I was like, 'Oooh, can I really sustain this?' But then I got into a groove and clicked the miles away. I just settled in and got comfortable."
Teshome Gelana, of Ethiopia, won the full marathon in a course-record 2:07.37. Gotcher finished in 2:10.36, an American record for the event.
Defending champion Teyba Erkesso, also from Ethiopia, won the women's marathon in 2:23.53. She beat her own course record by almost 30 seconds. Paige Higgins was the top American, finishing fourth in 2:33.22.
Gotcher, who trains in Flagstaff, Ariz., wants to run in the New York Marathon, as early as this year. Like Flanagan, Gotcher's ultimate goal is the marathon in London.
"We wanted to be very aggressive," Gotcher said. "The last three miles, it kind of caught up to me. I didn't want to have anything left, I wanted to make sure of that everything was left out on the course today and I can definitely say that's the case."
The races began under clear skies and a temperature of 42 degrees. Vega usually trains on a treadmill in frigid Minnesota, so the conditions were perfect for him.
"This was warm for me, and the best part about it was there was no ice on the pavement," Vega said. "I didn't have any goals coming in. I thought I was in shape, but it's hard to get an idea of what kind of shape you're in until you actually race. I came here, ran as hard as I could, and I had a great day."
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