Goucher in good shape for Berlin

Kara Goucher completed her racing preparation for the World Championships with a superb win at the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half-Marathon.

Competing over the distance in American for the first time, Goucher scorched to a time of one hour, eight minutes and five seconds.

The victory was just the tonic she needs before bidding for the world marathon title in Berlin on August 23.

Goucher's time on the fast Chicago course was the quickest ever achieved on American soil by a woman, replacing the mark set by reigning Olympic champion Constantina Dita in Chicago in October 2006, during the annual marathon, by two seconds.

The 31-year-old New York-born athlete finished almost 20 seconds ahead of the first male finisher.

"I felt I could run in the 67-68 minute range," said Goucher. "The race was great, it was awesome to be the first finisher and I wanted to enjoy the crowd.

"I really liked how the course changed up, there was never a stretch where it was dull and you are going through the city, going over bridges and along the water."

Her time was marginally slower than the US record of 1hr 7min 34sec which Deena Kastor posted in Berlin three years ago.

Goucher's quickest time for the distance - 1:06:57 - does not stand as the national record because it was achieved when winning on the slightly downhill Bupa Great North Run course from Newcastle to South Shields in England.

On that occasion, Goucher stunned marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe, who is expected to announce shortly whether she will be fit to compete in Berlin.