Japan's Naoko Takahashi said Thursday she will not run for a world record at Sunday's Berlin Marathon on a course where the Olympic champion became the first woman to break the barrier of 2 hours, 20 minutes.
Marathoner Naoko Takahashi , the gold medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics, smiles during a news conference ahead of Sunday's Berlin Marathon."I'm 70 to 80 percent of my best form. I came here to take the first step in my buildup program to the next Olympics," Takahashi said. "My goal this time is to gain something and it could be confidence or to learn a lesson."
Takahashi, who won has five straight marathons since 1998, said the good course and enthusiastic crowds attracted her back to Berlin.