Lauck Is 10th as First U.S. Woman Finisher

ATLANTA — The top American finisher in Sunday’s women’s marathon didn’t look so good.

Anne Marie Lauck of Marietta, Ga., finished 10th in 2 hours 31 minutes 30 seconds, crossed the line and then fell to her knees. She was scooped up by medical personnel on the track and carried off in dramatic fashion.

It wasn’t as bad as it looked though. Lauck had stomach and leg cramps and was chatting with reporters 10 minutes later.

“I don’t know about this marathon thing,” she said, laughing. “Every single one I’ve done I’ve gotten to that 23 miles and say, ‘Why am I doing this? It’s not fun.’ I figure it’s got to get better.”

Linda Somers of Oakland finished 29th in 2:36.54 and Jenny Spangler of Gurnee, Ill., dropped out at the 10,000-meter mark.