Athlete quotes, women's marathon

Deena Kastor (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.): "My foot has been sore for the past week. I thought it was just tendons; they get hyper-sensitive leading up to a marathon. I was icing it this week. It didn't affect how I was training. It was a bit sore when I woke up but had no effect on my running. It was tight most of the way. I felt a pop in my foot. I couldn't stand on it. I didn't expect to be finishing the marathon in a bus. We prepare forever for the marathon, and we had a sound race plan. I was excited to get out, make my country proud and try to win another medal. As athletes, we have ups and downs. Unfortunately, you can't pick the days they come on."

Blake Russell (Pacific Grove, Calif.): "I had no idea what was going on with Magda or Deena. It was tough out there. I put myself in good position, but they kind of pulled away the second half. I thought I would catch more people. ... I'm so excited to be here and I had to keep telling myself to go for it."

Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.): "A few days ago, I was sitting in a shuttle in the Village and banged my knee, right in the middle. It's been stiff, with not much range of motion. I was hoping for the best, hoping it would warm up, but it just got stiffer and stiffer. My fitness is fine. It's just that I couldn't bend it (the knee)."

On if she knew the extent of her injury when it happed: "I knew right away. I just whacked it really hard, so it was an acute kind of hit."

On the pain of dropping out: "Your dream goes away. But I'm going to try to do it again."