Deena Should Win, But . . .

Having seen 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor of Mammoth Lakes. Calif., get a little aggressive early and then hang on for dear life to win the Chicago Marathon in 2005, I give her a thumbs-up Sunday morning at the U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, which will be run on a course almost as flat as Chicago's. However, I think Kate O'Neill, third at Chicago last year in the heat, may be close to the lead, especially if Deena goes out too fast. I'll say O'Neill, of Palo Alto, Calif., is a close second, with third place going to Elva Dryer of Gunnison, Colo., after a battle royale with Blake Russell of Pacific Grove, Calif. My wild card? Gotta go with Samia Akabar of Herndon, Va. Winning time? I'll say 2:28:20. They get rolling at 7 a.m. CDT. Hi to Chicago's own Claudia Becque. Go! Go! Go!