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May 22, 2008
Race Preview: 2008 Ironman Brazil
From Ironman.com…
The 2008 Ironman Brazil will take place this Sunday on the island of Florianopolis in the State of Santa Catarina. Located in southern Brazil, Florianopolis is a destination spot for many South American’s. The island is known as “Floripa” to those who visit the area often. Brazilians and Argentines love to vacation in Florianopolis not only for its beaches but also for its culture, history, food, nightlife, and well protected diverse ecosystems.
The area has a steep history dating back to the 1500’s when the Spaniards inhabited the land. Eventually the Portuguese would assume control in the mid 1600’s which has resulted in Portuguese now being the native language of the country. On May 25th, another power struggle will occur on the Island, however this time it will be for the titles of Ironman Brazil Champion. The region’s history and landscape make for a perfect back-drop for an Ironman.
The battle grounds; the transition, finish-line, expo and race headquarters are located at the Doze de Agosto Club at the north western tip of Florianopolis Island. The clubs focal point is a covered soccer field which also doubles for the location of the carbo and awards dinners. Last year’s carbo dinner and festival featured a little taste of Rio de Janeiro with carnival dancers and bands entertaining the competitors.
May 22, 2008
Race Preview: Madrid - BG Triathlon World Cup race #6
from Triathlon.org…
ITU celebrates a major anniversary this weekend at the Madrid BG Triathlon World Cup as the event is the 200th world cup in ITU history. Since humble beginnings in 1991, the world cup series has come a long way with more prize money, much more competitive fields and high stakes that include coveted Olympic qualifying points.
This Sunday the world’s best flock to Madrid for the sixth straight year to challenge the tough course, a favorite for many triathletes including Vanessa Fernandes. The world champion has made the Madrid course her personal playground for the past half decade, winning every year since 2003. It will be a tall order for the other women to break the Fernandes stranglehold on the event. New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt has performed well on the Madrid course and has been runner-up to Fernandes for the past two years. Swede Lisa Norden is enjoying a career year, already with a pair of world cup podiums and a bronze at the European championships.
Adding to the lustre of the event is Olympic qualifying spots at stake for both the German and British teams. For the Germans, just one spot remains and it will be a fierce battle between Joelle Franzmann and Christiane Pilz. Whoever cross the line first can book her ticket to Beijing. Franzmann is seeking her third trip to the Olympics while Pilz is racing for her first Olympic berth. In 2004 she was forced to miss the Games after sustaining an injury shortly before the opening ceremonies.
May 22, 2008
Giro d’Italia Results - Stage 12
from the AP…
CARPI, Italy, May 22 (Reuters) - Italian Daniele Bennati won the 12th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday in a sprint finish to the run from Forli to Carpi, according to provisional results.
Second behind the Liquigas rider in a very tight bunch was Briton Mark Cavendish, with Australian Robbie McEwen coming third in a photo-finish.
Italian Giovanni Visconti retained his overall lead of the race which finishes on June 1 in Milan.
May 22, 2008
Italian rider Moletta suspended for alleged doping
from the AP…
CESENA, Italy (AP)—The Gerolsteiner team suspended Andrea Moletta and pulled the Italian rider out of the Giro d’Italia because of alleged doping.
Moletta, who was in 77th place halfway through the three-week Giro, did not start Wednesday’s stage.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported Thursday that Italian police searched a car driven by Moletta’s father in which they allegedly found a refrigerator with suspected doping products as well as syringes hidden inside tubes of toothpaste.
Police said the car was headed to the Giro and the search was part of a wider investigation into doping in gyms in the city of Padua in northeastern Italy.
Gerolsteiner general manager Hans-Michael Holczer made the decision to suspend the 29-year-old Moletta, Gazzetta said.
The Giro d’Italia continued Thursday with a 107-mile flat leg from Forli to Carpi.
May 22, 2008
Race Preview: 2008 Ironman Lanzarote
from Ironman.com…
It’s that time again when Ironman racing all of a sudden gets really serious. Not, of course, that undertaking an Ironman could ever be described as ordinary, or trivial, or even mundane. But, just like there are races which have a reasonably level playing field and you know what you’re getting into, some races don’t. Ironman Lanzarote is definitely one of those.
Described by the organizers as the ‘toughest Ironman in the world’ (and not without some considerable justification) it is seen by many as a rite of passage. The event is seen as a true test as the athlete takes on the environment and the elements. Ironman Lanzarote sends its competitors out into the unforgiving and relentless hills of this volcanic lump nestling up to the coast of North Africa for a single 112-mile loop. Then fries them with a four-lap, out-and-back coastal run which has seen roadside temperatures top 30 degrees Celsius.
Here the winds blow hard, the sun is relentless and the hills just have to be seen to be believed. Despite all that, Ironman Lanzarote, now in its 17th year, has filled to capacity. It seems, that making races tougher is no longer a barrier to entry.
The pro athletes returning for this year’s race represent an interesting cross-section; those that have consistently raced well here and those that are giving it a shot to see what happens. The men’s field is absent any of last year’s top three. The top seed is Ain-Alar Juhanson (EST), who won here in both 2005 and 2006. He’ll not have an easy job though because any of half a dozen others could, given the fickle conditions, have a better day. Bert Jammaer (BEL) placed fourth here last year and recorded a 12th place in Hawaii, Gregorio Cáceres Morales (ESP) was sixth here last year as an age grouper and has now turned pro.
While those three represent the obvious candidates for a podium, there are others in the field who could sneak in a great result: Dirk Van Gossum (BEL) won here back in 2000 and has two other top five results on the course. Alex Taubert (GER) has an impressive sheet of top ten finishes, but none of them here, and last year’s 12th placed finisher was age grouper Rafael Wyss (SUI) who has now also turned pro.
For the women the field is tighter, but no less interesting. Virginia Berasategui (ESP) won here on 2004 and 2005. Tara Norton (CAN) was second in last year’s race and previously finished in fourth in 2006. Heleen bij de Vaate (NED) can’t be ruled out, she was 3rd here in 2006 and has a hatfull of top five places in the last couple of years including seconds at both Ford Ironman Florida and Almere last year. Ulrike Schwalbe (GER) has placed fourth here, while Bella Comerford (GBR), fresh off her win in South Africa last month, has gone one better with a third place here.
In 2007 we watched the first blind athletes compete here in Lanzarote. In 2008 we have two wheelchair athletes tackling the course. Anyone who has ever ridden up either of the Mirador climbs will be well aware of the magnitude of the task that faces them.
May 21, 2008
Las Vegas Marathon in Financial Trouble
from CompleteRunning.com…
The dirty laundry of some big city marathons is being aired in public. Oddly enough, the organizers of the Las Vegas Marathon figure in many of the recent controversies.
When results from the 2007 Honolulu Marathon were lost due to problems with a new timing tag system, it was revealed that the system had similar complaints from runners in the Las Vegas Marathon.
Coupled with a story about the small percentage of proceeds that went to a charity affiliated with the Seattle Marathon was news that the winners of the 2006 Las Vegas Marathon didn’t receive their prize money for a year.
Now the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Devine Racing, owner of the city’s marathon, owes more than $100,000 to at least a dozen local vendors for the 2007 race, and still owes money to a handful of businesses for the 2006 race.
The company also owns the Los Angeles and Salt Lake City marathons and the Chicago half-marathon.
The Review-Journal article also lists in a sidebar the unpaid vendors, many of whom state they will no longer do business with the marathon. Even the head of the Nevada Highway Patrol said, “They’ll get nothing for December 2008 – no permits from us – unless we get the full amount up front.”
In a press statement, Devine Racing CEO Chris Devine said all outstanding debts will be paid by June 15, and that he doesn’t expect similar difficulties this year since race registrations are “30% ahead of last year’s pace.”
May 20, 2008
USA Swimming hopes for quick settlement to swimsuit case
from the AP…
A top USA Swimming official said Friday he hopes a lawsuit accusing the governing body of being in cahoots with Speedo will be resolved quickly so athletes can focus on the Beijing Olympics.
Chuck Wielgus, executive director of the national governing body, also disputed claims by California-based TYR Sport that USA Swimming and its head coach, Mark Schubert, were trying to persuade American swimmers to switch to Speedo’s revolutionary “LZR Racer” suit even if they have sponsorship deals with other companies.
“While we cannot comment on pending litigation, it is important to note that USA Swimming does not dictate which brand of personal competitive gear our national team athletes wear,” Wielgus said in a statement. “Rather, U.S. athletes are free to wear their preferred brand of suit, cap and goggles.”
May 20, 2008
Race Results: 2008 Columbia Tri
from Triathlete.com…
May 19, 2008 — This is how to celebrate a triathlon’s silver anniversary. Get the a legendary race director to assemble world champions on a brutal course with super-competitive age groupers and add about ten thousand supporters and spectators. All done with courageous competition and superb sportsmanship at Columbia Tri’s 25th Anniversay. Truly a great day in race director Rob Vigorito’s neighborhood.
Names like McCormack, Lieto, Ficker, and Lovato backed up many returning age group champions to set the scene for success without revealing the climax. Kind of like Indiana Jones with random action scenes. We knew something big was gonna happen, but were not quite sure what or who would do the deed.
Compact groups of pros ran up from the Lake Centennial swim finish for tidy transitions to the 41 K bike course. They quickly vanished up the road as follow-up waves of triathletes thrashed into the transition area in the pro’s wake for their race. American Chris Lieto powered the lead group up the road, pursued by Aussie Chris McCormack and the rest of the elite posse. The race was on by the first turn and tactics were shaping up for a likely showdown on the challenging 10K run. No surprises there, but this is triathlon and surprises are always out there. Unfortunately, it came when a bad corner direction sent McCormack and the first chase group off course. We’ve all been there and as McCormack said, “These things happen.” Read More
May 19, 2008
Amey and Cave Win at Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida
from NASports…
Orlando, FL – The men’s and women’s titles both went to Great Britain today at the 2008 Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida held at Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida. Paul Amey took the men’s title and the women’s was won by Leanda Cave.
Amey, now based in the San Diego area, took the lead on the bike portion of the race and held off the field with a 1:17:18 half marathon time. This was Amey’s first win at the 70.3 distance with an overall time of 3:52:51. Brazilian Santiago Ascenco, who posted the second best run time on this course in 2007, finished in second in a time of 3:56:33. Third place was won by Spencer Smith of Palm Harbor, FL in 3:59:04.
The women’s race was dominated by Cave, Nina Kraft and Dede Griesbauer from the swim. Griesbauer led the race through the first two stages only to be overtaken on the run course by both Cave and Kraft. Cave finished in a time of 4:22:52 followed by Kraft in 4:24:15 and Griesbauer in 4:30:38. Lisa Bentley posted the second best run time of the day at 1:27:30 to move into fourth place, with last year’s winner Katja Schumacher rounding out the top five.
Top Ten Finishers
Men
1. Paul Amey, GBR 3:52:51
2. Santiago Ascenco, BRA 3:56:33
3. Spencer Smith, Palm Harbor, FL 3:59:04
4. Courtney Ogden, AUS 3:59:42
5. Kevin Lisska, Fletcher, NC 3:59:56
6. Bryan Rhodes, NZL 4:03:10
7. Brent Poulsen, CAN 4:05:18
8. Andrew Hodges, CAN 4:11:56
9. Brad Seng, Boulder, CO 4:17:30
10. Marcus Ornellas, BRA 4:18.45
Women
1. Leanda Cave, GBR 4:22:52
2. Nina Kraft, GER 4:24:15
3. Dede Griesbauer, Boston, MA 4:30:38
4. Lisa Bentley, CAN 4:31:47
5. Katja Schumacher, GER 4:34:45
6. Kim Loeffler, Colchester, VT 4:34:52
7. Heather Gollnick, Bradenton, FL 4:36:05
8. Sione Jongstra, NLD 4:43:53
9. Michelle Leblanc, Woodlands, TX 4:48:00
10. Teri Albertazzi, Tucson, AZ 4:49:02
Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida took place for the fifth time on Sunday, May 18th at Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida. Athletes were competing for a pro prize purse of $30,000 and 75 qualifying spots for the 2008 Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 to be held in Clearwater, Florida. For more information, please log onto www.floridahalfironman.com
May 19, 2008
The Great Marathon Boom of 100 Years Ago
from CoolRunning…
With just about every major city in the United States hosting a marathon, this era could be classified as the second great marathon boom. Did you know the first one took place 100 years ago?
The New York City Marathon, at least in its current incarnation, began in 1970 when 127 runners circled four loops of Central Park, generating little interest among others visiting the park that day. Although many have marked that as the beginning of what is known today as the ING New York Marathon, it was hardly the first 26.2-mile race held in the metropolitan area. In fact, 100 years ago this year the first marathon running “boom” took place, for both participants and spectators, who numbered in the tens of thousands.
Amazingly however, the first New York “marathon” was held not in the 21st, or even the 20th century, but late in the 19th century, even before the first Boston Marathon. After the first modern Olympic Games in Athens Greece in 1896, a group of American travelers, inspired by the 40-kilomoter marathon run that proved to the centerpiece of the Games, held their own “marathon” race back in the U.S. The route took the runners from Stamford, Connecticut to New York City, some 25 miles over muddy dirt roads. John McDermott won the race in 3:25; he would go on to win the inaugural running of another new marathon the next year, held in Boston and sponsored by the Boston Athletic Association.
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