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Lead Stories: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Freihofer’s Threepeat Bittersweet For Johnson

Posted May 31st, 2008 at 3:07 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

As she crossed the finish line with her third consecutive victory at today’s 30th Freihofer’s Run for Women in Albany, N.Y., Benita Johnson raised her arms in victory, her smile showing nothing but pure joy.

But the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships gold medalist was carrying a heavy weight throughout the race, the knowledge that her terminally ill father was in his last days.

“This race was for my Dad,” she told race organizers after the race. “But I can use things in my life as motivation to go forward and to have strength.”

She had already planned to leave Albany immediately following the race to go home to Australia and be with her father. A phone call placed immediately following the race to share the news of her victory brought instead the worst of news. Her father had died.
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Johnson Leads Loaded Freihofer’s 5K Field

Posted May 29th, 2008 at 2:30 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

Australian star Benita Johnson leads a loaded field for Saturday’s 30th edition of the Freihofer’s Run for Women in Albany, N.Y., one of America’s oldest and most prestigious all-women’s road races.

Johnson has already won the race twice, splashing to victory in heavy rain in 2006, then coming back to defend her title last year. She’s recorded excellent times both years: 15:27 and 15:22, respectively.

“I’m so excited to be returning for my third year in a row,” Johnson said through a press release. “Let’s hope it is third time lucky for me! I love this event and to run it in an Olympic year means it’s vital for my preparation for Beijing. I can’t wait to hear the crowd as I run towards the finish. It’s truly magic in Albany with those fans screaming!”
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Rematch At 30th Annual Freihofer’s Run For Women

Posted May 28th, 2008 at 6:15 PM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

Press Release: With the 30th Freihofer’s Run for Women just days away, all signs indicate it will be another hotly-contested race among the open elites and the masters.

In addition to two-time defending champion Benita Johnson’s bid for a three-peat, a strong Kenyan contingent will be on hand to prove they can dominate the short courses just as well as the long courses. Included in that group will be Monday’s Bolder Boulder 10k champion Millicent Gathoni, whose winning time in Colorado (32 minutes and 49 seconds) was the fourth-fastest women’s elite time in the history of the race.

Joining Gathoni on the start line will be fellow Kenyans Jane Gakunyi, a 2004 Olympian, whose PR in the 5K is faster than the Freihofer’s course record (15:18), Genoveva Kigen, Evelyne Lagat, Florence Jepkosgei, Jane Kibii and Jacqueline Nytipei, who has finished in the top three of almost every race she entered over the last year, including a first-place finish in the Carlsbad half-marathon in April.
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Josh McDougal: “Running Is What I do, Not Who I Am”

Posted April 12th, 2008 at 2:45 PM by Stephanie Lowe

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, College

Liberty University senior Josh McDougal is confident as he prepares for this summer’s U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. This past fall, McDougal became the 2007 NCAA Division I cross country national champion after he out-kicked Oregon’s Galen Rupp by one second. He was unsatisfied with his performances in the 5000 (5th place) and 3000 (6th place) at the 2008 NCAA Division I Indoor meet March 14-15, but remains optimistic as he builds his base for the trials.

“It’s been a rough few weeks,” McDougal said. “[But] I’m in good shape now.”
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Gerry Lindgren: The Self-Proclaimed “Wimp” Who Revolutionized Running

Posted March 25th, 2008 at 1:34 PM by Stephanie Lowe

Section: News & Results, Motivation, Track & Field, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, College, High School

Despite protests of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, President George W. Bush recently stated that there will not be a boycott from the United States. According to CNN, Bush believes the Olympics “should be about the athletes and not necessarily about politics.”

Former U.S. Olympian Gerry Lindgren, 62, agrees. He thinks China will benefit from hosting the Games.

“I think they need to leave politics out of it,” he said. “China has made some great strides forward in the last few years.”

Lindgren recalls backlash of the 1980 U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics. He did not plan to compete in Moscow, but he knew how disappointed the U.S. team was to miss out on the Olympic experience. Lindgren said he was upset with former President Jimmy Carter’s decision and said the Olympics should have been “the only avenue in the world that wasn’t political.”
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New Road Race Festival Coming to Rhode Island

Posted December 13th, 2007 at 1:39 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

It may be America’s smallest state, but Rhode Island is getting a big new road racing festival next spring. The Cox Providence Rhode Races will be held for the first time on May 3 and 4, organizers announced yesterday.

Managed by Eident Sports Marketing, the event will feature a marathon, half-marathon and 5-K. The Cox Sports Marathon will start at the Johnson and Wales Harborside Campus, wind through portions of East Providence and Pawtucket, and finish in downtown Providence on Weybosset Street in front of Gaebe Commons, near the Providence Performing Arts Center.

“We are delighted that Cox Communications has sprinted ahead of the pack and is the title sponsor of the event,” said John Mathews, President, Eident Sports Marketing, through a media release. “This continues to emphasize Cox’s significant tradition of civic support.”
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Vincente, Csomor Win XTERRA Makena Beach Trail Run 10K in Maui, Hawaii

Posted October 29th, 2007 at 8:10 PM by Bart Moylan

Section: News & Results, Trail / Ultra

At the blast of a cannon, 355 trail runners from 14 different countries and 30 U.S. states took off for the XTERRA Makena Beach Trail Run on Saturday. With a backdrop of bright blue skies and palm trees swaying in the balmy breeze, this trail run is the kickoff event for a weekend of XTERRA adventures.

Competitors chose from two off-road courses, a 10K or a 5K - each serving up a plateful of Mother Nature’s finest ingredients including loose gravel and lava rocks, soft sand and humid temperatures.

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Ethiopians, BAA, Shoe4Africa Win Big at Mayor’s Cup Cross Country Races in Boston, MA

Posted October 29th, 2007 at 8:59 AM by Allyson Rosen

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

Blustery winds, blue skies, and temperatures in the lower 50s created the quintessential New England cross country backdrop for the 782 finishers in Sunday’s Mayor’s Cup Cross Country Races, presented by adidas and the Boston Athletic Association, and directed by USA Track & Field (New England Association) and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department in conjunction with Boston Centers for Youth and Families.

Westchester (New York) Track Club repeated its feat from last year, sending both the male and female champions to the winner’s circle, and Aziza Ayilu – an Ethiopian residing in the Bronx – became the first female to win back-to-back since the legendary Lynn Jennings successfully defended her title in 1994-’95.
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Podcast 93: NICK SYMMONDS on His Rookie Season, Osaka, & U.S. 1000m Indoor Record

Posted October 12th, 2007 at 3:33 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years BR Sportswear is closing out their line of high -quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

Episode 93 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my interview with NICK SYMMONDS.

In the interview Nick talks about his rookie season as a professional, how his performance in Osaka was affected by the wear and tear of a heavy, summer racing scheduling, and the thrill of watching Bernard Lagat win the 5,000m gold.

Download the podcast to hear Nick discusses these topics, as well as, why Marion Jones’ relay teammates should return their Olympic medals (and why he would do the same if in their position), planning to “train like a miler or 5k guy” this winter to build up his endurance, and aiming for the American indoor record in the 1,000m (which he says may be his “perfect distance”) when he kicks off the season at the Boston Indoor Games.

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[PLAY](To Download: Right click and select “save as”)
[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Nick Symmonds
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 12.7 MB | Length: 18:32 MIN

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

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Podcast 86: KATE O’NEIL on making her 26.2 mile debut at Sunday’s Chicago Marathon

Posted October 2nd, 2007 at 12:24 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years BR Sportswear is closing out their line of high -quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

Episode 86 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with 2004 Olympian KATE O’NEIL about making her marathon debut at Sunday’s Lasalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

In January, Kate finished second and ran a personal best 1:11:47 at the Aramco Half-Marathon in Houston. She continued her success with third places finishes at the Falmouth Road Race in August and the New Haven 20-K in September (where she also set another PR).

In the interview, Kate talks about her mental and physical preparation for Chicago, plans to run in next April’s U.S. Olympic Women’s Marathon Trails in Boston, and why she chose Chicago over other fall marathons (i.e. - New York) for her debut.

Download the podcast to hear Kate discuss these topics, as well as, how Deena Kastor and the other members of Team Running USA in Mammoth Lakes, CA have helped with her approach to the marathon, her views on the role of pacesetters, how cheering fans have confused her with her twin sister Laura when they ran together at Yale, and much more!

Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)

[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Kate O’Neil
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 12.0 MB | Length: 17:30 MIN

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

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