Semi-live from the women's marathon...

BERLIN, Germany--Just a quick note that the women's marathon is now underway, as they have passed roughly 12-13 kilometers.

Here's a quick photo of the lead pack, including Portland's Kara Goucher (with sunglasses in center wearing white top/photo by Paul Merca).

UPDATE: At 15 k, Epiphanie Nyirabarame from Rwanda currently leads.

12:34 pm--The pack is about 18-20 people with Kara Goucher in it. She wen through 20k at 1:09:49.

Second American runner is Desiree Davila, a former Arizona State standout, then it's Paige Higgins and Tera Moody, with world championships veteran Zoila Gomez the fifth runner.

1:15 pm: As the race enters the 30 kilometer mark, there is now some separation with four women in contention. Goucher was about sixth or seventh.

I will say this: The organizers have done a good job with the presentation aspect of the race, with music blasting to keep spectators entertained between laps.

With my obligations to USA Track & Field, and a short time period before the start of the track session (4:25 pm, Berlin time, when Bernard Lagat runs in the finals of the 5000 meter run), this will be the last marathon post. The marathon course is about 5 miles away from the Olympiastadion, and I will have to ride the S-Bahn to get there, which will be an adventure in itself.

There will be a recap of the marathon, along with a story on how Lagat fares upon the conclusion of Sunday's competition.