NEW YORK -- Marla Runyan has had her share of ups and downs this year.\nShe barely finished the Boston Marathon in April. In the U.S. nationals, she won the 5,000 meters but ran slower than she wanted.\nThen in August, she pulled out of the world championships. After training for the world half-marathon championships, she quit after just five miles because of a viral infection.\nThe legally blind runner is ready to put all the disappointments behind her with a big finish in the New York City Marathon Sunday.\n"It's just been up and down," Runyan said Wednesday. "I've had some great races and great workouts. I've also had some periods of time where I need to breathe a little bit. It's kind of like, 'Where am I on this roller coaster?'"\nRunyan ran for the first time in New York last year and finished fourth in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 10 seconds. She wanted to come back because she loved the course. Having run it once before certainly will help.\nShe enters the race as the top American contender in a women's field packed with elite runners such as Catherine Ndereba, Lornah Kiplagat and Margaret Okayo.\n"It was extremely important to get Marla back," race director Allan Steinfeld said. "We'd love to see her on the podium, we'd love to have an American in the top three. It's important for our sport nationwide and worldwide."\nRunyan's first marathon this year did not go well. Midway through the Boston Marathon on an unusually warm day in April, Runyan knew she would have no chance to win.\nShe started feeling tired and by the time she reached the finish in 2:30:28, she was dehydrated.\nRunyan spent five hours in the medical tent receiving fluids intravenously. She could not hold down food or liquids.
"The biggest concern was making sure she was OK after the race," said her coach and husband, Matt Lonergan. "After she passed the first half, I knew it would be tough. She did a lot just to finish that race."\nThough she did finish fifth, Runyan was discouraged. But it was time to compete in the shorter distances. She won the 5-kilometer U.S. Road Championships and then won the 5,000 a month later.\nWith the worlds coming up in August, Runyan started training extremely hard. After a month, she realized she needed to make a choice: Worlds or NYC Marathon.\n"Pulling out of the Worlds was such a tough decision," Runyan said. "There were many days of tears and crying of not being able to go over there. To basically relinquish the track for the whole season was very difficult."\nShe had to focus on her road races. In September, she set an American record in the 20K in 1:05.52. That did plenty for her confidence. Next up was the world half-marathon championships in Portugal Oct. 4.\nDespite a viral infection and jet lag, Runyan went ahead with the race. She dropped out after five miles, too sick to go on.\n"It's just been a long year," Lonergan said. "A lot of things didn't go as planned."\nBecause she suffers from a degenerative eye condition known as Stargardt's disease, Runyan can only see a few feet in front of her. She once again will have a cyclist ride near her to tell her when turns are coming and yell split times.\nShe also is considering wearing a prototype watch that is 4 1/2 inches in length with the digits 2 inches tall so she can read her split times. She has never been able to do that before.\nRunyan does not want to be treated any differently than the other runners. She is looking forward to another good race and ending her year on a high note.\n"I really enjoyed it last year," Runyan said. "I was really happy with how everything went last year. If I can have a positive race like that again, I'd be so happy"
