Top Ironman triathlete Desiree Ficker, 31, who qualified with a speedy run at the Austin Marathon in 2007, finished 79th of 124 finishers and 148 entries at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston April 20. Ficker, who finished second at the Ironman world championship in Kona in 2006, ran a 2:48:11, which was 18 minutes, 36 seconds behind winner Deena Kastor - but 57 seconds faster than the legendary 1984 Olympic marathon winner Joan Samuelson, competing at the age of 50.

Ficker’s performance in the criterion-style, multi-lap course was creditable, roughly the same time as Lance Armstrong ran in the traditional Boston Marathon event Monday. But her performance fell just short of triathlon great Joanna Zeiger’s 2:47:03 and 30th place at the 2000 U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials.

Had Ficker been able to match her 2007 Austin time of 2:40:28 in Boston, she would have finished in 23rd place.