NAGOYA — A nation watched. A nation waited. A nation hoped. . .

Naoko Takahashi, Japan's female marathon icon, returned to the grand stage on Sunday, chasing her dream. The collective aspirations of a nation were carried on her slim, determined shoulders.

Q-chan desperately desired to emerge victorious at the end of the Nagoya International Women's Marathon, and in doing so accomplish two things: catapult herself back into the conversation of the nation's elite female marathon runners and put herself back in the running for the last coveted spot on the 2008 Japan Olympic Team.