Plumer Gets Personal Best but No Victory

To gain an appreciation of world-class expectations, you would only have to hear what PattiSue Plumer said about her performance in the women’s mile at the Jack in the Box Invitational Sunday at UCLA.

Plumer, a 1988 Olympian at 3,000 meters, ran the fastest mile of her life Sunday--4 minutes 29.21 seconds.

The problem, at least in Plumer’s opinion, was that her lifetime best was not fast enough to win.

Suzy Favor, a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Assn. 1,500-meter champion, earned the victory in 4:27.31, the fastest outdoor mile time by a U.S. woman this year. Mary Slaney ran 4:23.91 indoors earlier this year.

“I don’t mind getting second, but I just totally (tightened up),” said Plumer, 27. “You start second-guessing yourself after races like this. It’s not a fun feeling.”

Plumer took the lead from the start, as Favor tucked in behind for protection from the light breeze. Plumer looked strong and in control through the first three laps, but with 300 meters to go, Favor surged. Plumer fought back but with 200 to go, but Favor, a great kicker, took the lead for good.

Down the stretch, Favor outdistanced Plumer to the finish.

“It was very exciting running against PattiSue,” Favor said. “I was surprised at my time. . . . I was not feeling that well before the race. It was hot and windy but that turned out not to be a factor.”

Although Plumer and Favor will compete later this month at the World University Games at Duisburg, West Germany--Plumer will run the 3,000 and Favor the 1,500--Plumer, by her post-race estimation, anyway, will go overseas without the confidence boost she needed.

“I hate the fact that I’m going over to Europe after a race like this,” she said. “I don’t like having doubts about myself.

“At 250 (meters to go), I was still OK, but the last 100 or 150 I just lost it. That spells trouble to me. . . . If that (race) was a 3,000, I’d be suicidal.”

One month ago, Plumer was in the midst of her best racing of her career. After winning The Athletics Congress 3,000-meter championship, she went to Europe where she began to prove she could run with the best in the world.

On July 3 at Stockholm, Plumer set a U.S. record in the 5,000 in 14:59.99. There, too, she placed second (to East Germany’s Kathrin Ullrich), but she was very satisfied with the record, which broke the U.S. best of 15:06.53 set by Slaney in 1985.