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April 19, 2008
Race Preview: 2008 Boston Marathon
from Science of Sport….
Monday sees the 112th running of the famous Boston Marathon, which has brought us some epic duels and historical races, like the Duel in the Sun of 1982. Coming a week after the great London Marathon, this race promises to make history for Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya, who, if he wins, will join Bill Rodgers, Gerard Cote and the great Clarence de Mar as the only men to win the title four times (he has a long way to go to catch de Mar, who won seven times. Amazingly, his second win came 11 years after his first, and then he reeled off five more in the next eight years!)
Cheruiyot was the world’s first Marathon Major champion, and has a valid claim to a position as one of the great marathon racers in the world. He is the defending champion, the current course record holder (in 2006, a time of 2:07:14), and won the Chicago Marathon (2006) in addition to some other high finishes in Chicago and New York. So he has, like Martin Lel from last week’s preview, shown the ability to get it right on the day. Whether he is quite in the condition that Lel has been in for the last 30 months is debatable, but his name certainly stands out on the entry lists for the Boston Race.
April 14, 2008
Race Results: 2008 Flora London Marathon
The 2008 World Marathon Majors (WMM) racing calendar opened today with exciting performances by both the men’s and women’s professional fields at the Flora London Marathon. Kenyan Martin Lel extended his lead for the 2007-08 series championship as he set a London course record in 2:05:15 while German Irina Mikitenko made history of her own by winning her first marathon in only her second appearance in the distance.
Points earned by the top five men and top five women finishers in London have created significant shifts in the standings for the 2007-08 crowns. Five 2008 races remain including next week’s Boston Marathon followed by the Olympic Marathons this August in Beijing. At the conclusion of the two-year series this fall, the male and female point leaders will each be awarded $500,000.
Lel’s first-place finish (25 points) has put considerable distance between him and the rest of the contenders as the Kenyan now has earned 75 points in three consecutive WMM wins at London (2007 and 2008) and New York (2007). In second place on the 2007-08 leaderboard is Abderrahim Goumri (MAR) with 30 points following a third-place finish today.
2006-07 WMM women’s champion Gete Wami extended her lead in the 07-08 series with a total 65 points following today’s third-place finish behind Mikitenko and Svetlana Zakharova (RUS). Mikitenko’s 25 first-place points vaulted her into a tie for second in the 2007-08 series with China’s Zhou Chunxiu as each woman has accumulated 40 total points.
April 12, 2008
Race Preview: 2008 Flora London Marathon
from Athletics Weekly….
Arguable pre-race favourites Samuel Wanjiru and Berhane Adere head world-class fields as British athletes chase selection for Beijing.
With a field including six men boasting sub-2:07 credentials, an Olympic champion and a and the reigning world champion, this is one of the most lucrative marathon fields ever assembled, which should be a keenly contested competition between a strong Kenyan contingent, including defending champion Martin Lel.
The withdrawal of Paula Radcliffe through injury has left the women’s race wide open, with five women having clocked sub-2:22 PB’s.
Men’s race
LEL will certainly be hungry to win his third London crown, having been victorious in 2005 and 2007. A two-time winner of the New York Marathon as well, the 29-year-old Kenyan is likely to discover that the fiercest competition will come from his homeland, maybe in the guise of Samuel Wanjiru, the possible pre-race favourite. The half-marathon specialist translated that talent over the full distance on his debut in Fukuoka last December, storming to a 2:06:39 debut and since then, has won half-marathons in Granollers and Abu Dhabi.
April 11, 2008
Team Running USA Athletes - Hall, Kastor and O’Neill - Ready for Marathon Tests in London and Boston
from Running USA…
Three Team Running USA athletes - Olympians and recent national champions Ryan Hall, Deena Kastor and Kate O’Neill - are ready to race at the most important marathons to-date in 2008, the Flora London and U.S. Olympic Trials Marathons, on Sunday, April 13 and Sunday, April 20, respectively.
In London, Hall, 25, who last November won the U.S. Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials in impressive and record fashion over the hills of Central Park, returns to the site of his U.S. record debut of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 24 seconds, where he raced like a veteran and finished 7th overall against a deep international field.
This year at London, in his third marathon, the Stanford grad again faces world class competition including defending race champion Martin Lel of Kenya, 2004 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Stefano Baldini of Italy, two-time world marathon champion Jaouad Gharib and last year’s London runner-up Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco, 2007 world marathon champion Luke Kibet of Kenya and his countryman, the world half-marathon record holder Sammy Wanjiru who ran 2:06:39 in his marathon debut in Fukuoka last December and South African veteran Hendrick Ramaala.
Team Running USA Coach Terrence Mahon commented on his young charge, “Ryan’s build up to the Flora London Marathon has been his best training by far. He is stronger, faster and more relaxed when putting in the training workload required to be one of the world’s best marathoners. He is excited to test his fitness against the incredible field that they have assembled in London. We both feel that this marathon will be a great test for what lies ahead in Beijing.”
For a recent Hall interview via a podcast where he talks about his London preparations, his tapering strategy and expectations and more, visit: www.thefinalsprint.com/2008/04/tfs-running-podcast-132ryan-hall-takes-on-the-london-marathon-part-deux
A week later at the Olympic Trials over a multi-loop course in downtown Boston, Kastor and O’Neill hope to join teammate Hall on the Beijing U.S. Olympic marathon team. Based on her long list of running achievements including the first sub-2:20 marathon by a U.S. woman and her 2004 Olympic Marathon bronze medal, Kastor, 35, is the clear favorite to win the event.
According to Coach Mahon, “Deena is ready to begin her quest to a return to the Olympic podium. Her training has gone very well and she is stronger than ever. She would like nothing better than to cross that line at Boston and find out that she will share her trip to China with her training partner Kate O’Neill.”
O’Neill, 27, an Olympian (10,000 meters in 2004), ran an impressive debut (2:36:15) in the heat at Chicago in 2007 and as a result, the Yale grad, who won the 2008 USA Half-Marathon title in Houston on January 13, is also a contender for a top three finish at the Olympic Marathon Trials.
Coach Mahon further commented, “O’Neill, much like Ryan Hall, is a newcomer to the marathon but appears to be a natural for the event. Her third place finish in a hot and steamy Chicago shows that she knows how to handle whatever marathon race day throws at her. Having the advantage of being able to train with Deena Kastor on a daily basis - Kate knows what it will take to make the Olympic team and feels more confident about her chances after each training session.”
“Deena and Kate have worked extremely hard in their Trials preparations, and they will be tough to beat and will inspire each other during the race,” he added.
Other Olympic Marathon Trials contenders at Boston include two-time Olympian Elva Dryer, 2004 OMT fourth place finisher Blake Russell, Mary Akor, 2004 OMT fifth place finisher Magdalena Lewy Boulet, Samia Akbar and Desiree Davila. As past Olympic Marathon Trials have shown, however, upsets are more the rule than the exception, and someone again could “shock” the field and the pundits.
For more Olympic Trials information including the list of qualifiers and entrants, prize money, course configuration and more, go to: www.usatf.org/events/2008/OlympicTrials-Marathon-Women or http://bostontrials2008.com
April 4, 2008
New Nike+ SportBand Expands the Nike+ Experience to Make Running Even Easier
The Next Innovation in Nike+ Offers a New Way to Connect to the World’s Largest Running Club and Lets You Track Your Results to Train for Better Performance in Any Situation
BEAVERTON, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–This spring brings the next evolution of the Nike+ experience with a new option to help runners run and train. Available April 10th, Nike (NYSE:NKE) launches Nike+ SportBand, allowing runners to get real-time performance feedback during a run, while linking them to the world’s largest running club. In addition this spring, www.nikeplus.com introduces Nike+ Coach, a new personal coaching tool to help runners go the extra mile and engage like never before in the Nike+ global online running community.
A New Way to Run with Nike+
Nike+ SportBand allows runners to see their distance, pace, time and calories burned when they run, in addition to gaining access to all of the features and tools on nikeplus.com. Designed for runners who choose not to run with music and for those times when you can’t use music, the Nike+ SportBand provides all the benefits of Nike+ technology, but opens up the Nike+ experience to a broader audience of runners. Runners who enjoy that extra motivation, or who are music fans, can continue to hear their run details through an iPod nano system.
April 4, 2008
Dean Karnazes to Run Five Major Deserts in One Year From the Atacama Desert in Chile to the Polar Plateau in Antarctica, Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes Chases the First-Ever “Desert Grand Slam”
SAN LEANDRO, Calif., Apr 03, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The North Face, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative, and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment, and footwear, today announced The North Face Desert Grand Slam, in which The North Face Endurance athlete Dean Karnazes will attempt to complete the world’s five major desert foot races in a single calendar year.
The North Face Desert Grand Slam spans the driest, hottest, coldest and windiest places on earth in some of the most grueling footraces imaginable.
In pursuit of the Desert Grand Slam, Karnazes, who is currently running the Atacama Desert in Chile (March 30 - April 7), will also run the Gobi Desert in China (June 6 -16), Death Valley in California (July 14 -16), the Sahara Desert in Africa (Oct 24 - Nov 3), and the desolate, arid plateaus of Antarctica (Nov 19 - Dec 5). Races range in format and distance from seven-day, 155-mile runs that require competitors to carry all their own supplies, to a crew-supported traverse of Death Valley in a nonstop, 135-mile push.
April 3, 2008
2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women’s Marathon TV Coverage
Boston, Mass. — The Boston Athletic Association, in conjunction with NBC Sports and NBCSports.com, announced today that live coverage of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women’s Marathon will be available on NBCSports.com/marathon <http://www.nbcsports.com/marathon> on Sunday, April 20. Additionally, a 60-minute highlights show will air on MSNBC on Sunday, April 27 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET.
The 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women’s Marathon will be held at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, and will be run on a unique multi-loop course in downtown Boston and Cambridge. The race will feature more than 100 of the top female marathoners in America vying for a chance to represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer. Among the athletes entered in the field are 2004 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor, 1984 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Joan Samuelson, and 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women’s Marathon champion Colleen De Reuck.
“Playing host to the event, the Boston Athletic Association felt strongly that the U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women’s Marathon in Boston, on the occasion of Patriots’ Day weekend and the Boston Marathon, should feature television and internet coverage with video streaming,” said Guy Morse, B.A.A. Executive Director. “These are America’s best female marathoners and many have been training their entire athletic lives for this moment. They deserve to receive the spotlight that our broadcast coverage will give them as we simultaneously provide inspiration for the next generation of U.S. women.”
March 31, 2008
Race Results: ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon
From Runningusa.org by Jenny Schmitt…
Marusin, Vinitskaya, Chirlee and Cherobon Win ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon - Three event records fall; more than 10,700 participants on new course for 2nd edition
ATLANTA - (March 30, 2008) - Three champions in the professional field of the second ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon set event records on Sunday. Oleg Marusin of Russia won the men’s marathon in 2 hours, 18 minutes, 50 seconds, cutting off 27 seconds of the time set last year by Kenyan Joseph Chirlee. Chirlee, who lives in Acworth, Ga., opted not to defend his marathon title and won the men’s half-marathon this year in 1:06:43.
Lawrenceville, Ga. resident Janet Cherobon successfully defended her half-marathon title, winning in 1:13:48. Setting an event record, the Kenyan trimmed 2:45 from her mark in the inaugural half-marathon last year.
“The weather was perfect except the wind. The course was a little hillier than last year, but there were more down hills. I ran a good time so that was good,” she said in chilly, overcast conditions following her race.
The women’s marathon was won by Alena Vinitskaya of Belarus in 2:41:13. She was 12 seconds faster than the time set last year by Valentina Levushkina of Russia, who finished second in the marathon this year, 2:06 behind Vinitskaya.
March 31, 2008
Marathon Races Off The Beaten Path
Great post from Mom on the run at CompleteRunning.com...
So you’ve run the Marine Corps Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, the New York Marathon and even the Flying Pig Marathon, but now you’re looking for something a little different. Although running a marathon anywhere is a unique experience in the scope of life’s experiences, some marathons add to the interest by virtue of their location and courses. Take, for example, the Marathon du Medoc. It features a show before the departure, events during the race with over 90% of runners in disguise, some 52 other events alongside the race, 22 refreshment stands, 21 food stands and special gourmet stands (oysters, ham, steak, cheese, ice cream, Medoc attic, etc.). With so many unique races around, I thought I’d help you with this list:
March 1, 2008
Baikal International Ice Running Marathon - Baikal Lake, Russia Run a marathon on a frozen lakeMarch 27, 2008
Marathon des Sables - Sahara Desert, Morocco Hottest Ultra-MarathonMarch 30, 2008
Around The Bay 30K - Hamilton, ON, Canada Oldest Race in North America (and right in my backyard - I’ve done this race 2 times and had a blast!)Apr 11, 2008
Dead Sea Marathon - Amman, Jordan Lowest Marathon - Finish Line is 400 m below sea levelMay 17, 2008
Great Wall Marathon - Tianjin Province, China Run along one of the seven wonders of the medieval world - they can even see ya from outer space!June 21, 2008
Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon - Anchorage, Alaska Run in the daylight at night - race starts at 11 pmJune 28, 2008
Safaricom Marathon - Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya Run in a game conservancySep 6, 2008
Jungfrau Marathon - Jungfrau, Switzerland Slowest Marathon - an all uphill courseMarathon du Medoc - France A marathon where they serve wine at the aid stations (now that’s my kind of marathon!)
Oct 26, 2008
Niagara Falls International Marathon - Niagara Falls, NY, USA, and Niagara Falls, ON, Canada The only marathon that starts in one country and ends in another (my hubby proposed to me at this race, so it’s a personal favourite).Nov 9, 2008
Athens Marathon - Athens, Greece Run the original course that Phidippides ranDec 7, 2008
Tucson Marathon - Tucson, Arizona, USA Fastest marathon - the course is mostly downhill!Nov 1, 2009
Everest Marathon - Everest Base Camp, Nepal Highest Marathon - race starts at 17,000 ft above sea levelNo matter which race you run, it is sure to be a unique experience. Run on, my friends!
Photo credit: Kai Mengel
March 29, 2008
Race Preview: ING Atlanta Marathon on Sunday
Nice course Video
Great posting from Coach Joe English….
ATLANTA– One year ago, the inaugural ING Atlanta Marathon kicked off as one of the largest debut marathons in the United States. However, the great promise for this race was spoiled by aid stations left dry and cupless and a heat wave the left runners wilting.
Running forums on the Internet buzzed with the anger of runners that wondered how a race could be staged without adequate supplies of cups, energy drink and water. As one runner wrote, “Missing aid that is listed on the website, printed in the race literature, and posted on signs lining the course is not optional or aspirational. Being a resourceful runner in one thing, but something close to proper aid at an event of this magnitude isn’t too much to ask.
Race organizers promised to make things better this year.
After last year’s race, Race Director Victoria Seahorn wrote, in an open letter to runners, “We have taken this past week to review all of the difficulties that we encountered in the various areas and I can assure you that each challenge that occurred will be resolved. We will not have the logistical and fluid problems next year. We have learned from our mistakes the hard way.” In an article this week, she seemed to have a far rosier recollection of the event in 2007 telling the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “The sky’s the limit. That’s what I teach my daughter. Last year proved that dreams do come true.”
In year two, the race is getting off to a rough start once again, but hopefully this year’s trials will be over before the race gets underway. After tornadoes swept through downtown Atlanta earlier this week, race officials have announced that the race will go on, with a few minor modifications due to storm damage. The race expo and starting line will be moved, and the course will be re-certified for Boston Qualification this week.
The start has been moved 300 feet from Marietta Street in front of the CNN Center to Centennial Olympic Park Drive at the intersection with Walton Street. The move was prompted by the road closing of Marietta Street in front of CNN Center while repairs are made to the building. Race officials will have the race course re-certified by USA Track & Field (USATF) within the next 72 hours.
The race expo will move to the Georgia Dome from the Georgia World Congress Center as well.
“Despite last weekend’s extreme weather events, and the terrible damage caused in the downtown area, we’re pleased that the show will go on,” said Race Director Seahorn.
Last year, the new Atlanta Marathon became the second-largest inaugural marathon/half-marathon ever held with 13,479 finishers. This year’s 15,000 spots are close to a sell-out. The largest, by a large margin, was 2004’s PF Chang Rock N Roll Arizona marathon/half-marathon which drew 23,456 runners in its first year.
And while organizers hope the race will someday rival major international marathons, the race will need to be executed well and draw runners from a wider circle with 80% of this year’s runners coming from Georgia.
We hope that these new challenges are the only ones that come up this year and that marathon goes smoothly on race day. Check back here Monday for race coverage and results.
The marathon’s web-site is located at www.inggeorgiamarathon.com.
