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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

TFS News Briefs: 8/26/2008

Posted August 26th, 2008 at 11:37 AM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Columns, Olympics, TFS News Briefs

ÅF Golden League Down to Two for Jackpot
Friday’s Zurich Weltklasse meet, the second-to-last event in the Golden League series, will have the remaining two athletes contending for the $1 million jackpot. Kenya’s Pamela Jelimo and Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic are undefeated in the series. Jelimo broke her own World Junior Record at the Beijing Olympics, while Vlasic suffered her only defeat in over a year. The meet, known as “The Olympics In One Night” due to the strength of the competition, will be carried on ESPN Classic on Friday afternoon. IAAF

Catherine Ndereba Confirms She Didn’t Know She Was Behind
Her agent tells Runner’s World’s Amby Burfoot that she lost sight of eventual marathon champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita when she made her break, and excessive security kept the information from being relayed to her. She never tried to close the gap because she thought her group was leading the race. Runner’s World

Coach deserves Texas-sized blame for Games
In a searing editorial, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette lays blame for Olympic disappointments at the feet of head coach Bubba Thornton due to his forcing legend John McDonnell off the US staff. That McDonnell was the coach at Arkansas while Thornton is at rival Texas had nothing to do with their analysis, of course.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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Nick Symmonds: Experience
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 19)

Posted August 25th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

Welcome to the official blog of middle-distance track star and 2008 U.S. Olympian Nick Symmonds. Be sure to check every other Monday at http://nicksymmonds.thefinalsprint.com for Nick’s latest entry! For more information about Nick, also please visit: nicksymmonds.com

It is August 24th and I have just finished packing my bags. I am about to leave China and fly to Europe for a few races, and I cant help but think back on all the incredible experiences Ive had over the last 17 days. Of course, there was a huge amount of disappointment thrown in there, but ultimately I just have to chalk another one up to inexperience and keep believing that I CAN run with these guys. With one more international championship under my belt I am that much closer to being the runner I know I can be and with determination and hard work I will make more teams and have more shots at World/Olympic medals. OK, now that Ive reaffirmed that, Id like nothing more than to share my experience at the 2008 Olympic Games!

Flying out here was a bit tedious but we had VIP treatment all the way. The highlight of the first few days was, of course, the Opening Ceremonies. It was awesome to see all the other track athletes, meet other USA Olympians from other teams, as well as President Bush and Lebron James among others!
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Jelimo’s Followup: A Little Patience, Please

Posted May 29th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

After her stunning breakout performance at the FBK Games in Hengelo last Saturday, Pamela Jelimo can be forgiven for getting just a little bit ahead of herself.

Moments after her brilliant 1:55.76 run, a world junior record and the fastest 800m in the world in five years, the 19-year-old told reporters that her next outing would come at Sunday’s AF Golden League opener in Berlin.

But as Kenyan media are reporting, Athletics Kenya, the country’s governing body, may have other ideas. Aiming to keep their latest star fresh for the Olympic Games, the federation apparently hasn’t granted permission for her to compete, requesting instead that she report to a pre-Olympic training camp post haste.
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Nick Symmonds: Teammates
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #11)

Posted April 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. Be sure to check every other Monday at http://nicksymmonds.thefinalsprint.com/ for Nick’s latest entry! For more information about Nick, also please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com

Most mornings I wake up excited at the physical challenges I have planned for me that day. Whether it is an intense set of 200s, a grueling day of mile repeats, or just an easy jog followed by some lifting, I usually roll of out of bed anxious to start my workout. Today however, I woke up and was literally dreading my morning session. On the schedule I had a 5 mile tempo run averaging 5:05 pace. As an 800 meter runner this is a difficult workout, but I’m usually able to key off my teammates and literally let them drag me down the marked bike path that runs along the Willamette River. Today however, I did not have the pleasure of working out with any of them and was left tackle this 5 mile monster by myself.

I am part of a very unique training group here in Eugene, Oregon; there is no other running team in the United States as talented or as deep as the Oregon Track Club Elite. It is a group that has been carefully selected by the great coaching minds of Frank Gagliano and Vin Lananna as well as the higher ups at Nike. We have guys who have run 45 seconds for 400 meters, guys who can run well under 13:30 for 5000m and guy who can race the lights out of any distance in between. It is an honor to be part of this group and sometimes I forget just how important my teammates are to me and how much more difficult and less enjoyable my life would be without them.
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Nick Symmonds: Goin’ Home!
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry 10)

Posted April 7th, 2008 at 6:28 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

At the age of 18 I was applying to colleges and, though I wanted to stay in the Pacific Northwest, I also knew that I had to get out of Boise, ID. Boise had been my home for 15 years and while it was a great place to grow up, I needed a change of scenery and wanted to see what life was like in other cities. However, returning to Boise has always been extremely important to me. This Friday I will be going home for the weekend and this got me thinking about why I return home every few months.
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Nick Symmonds: The Last Bales of Hay
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #9)

Posted March 24th, 2008 at 6:15 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. Make sure to check every other Monday at http://nicksymmonds.thefinalsprint.com/ for Nick’s latest entry! For more information about Nick, also please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com

If you have ever raced competitively and trained to peak for a specific race then you have heard the phrase “the hay is in the barn.” This, of course, refers to the months and years of training you have logged in preparation for that race. The race I am preparing for is the Olympic Trials and I have been accumulating hay for this one for about 10 years now. It’s amazing to think that in three months I will finally have my chance to realize this dream. However, a lot can happen in three months.

After taking five days off in Spain and just being your standard American tourist (i.e. not running a step and eating WAY too much) I returned to Eugene five pounds heavier and as mentally fresh as I’ve ever been. This is exactly where I want to be. I find that a few extra pounds help me stay healthy during the months of intense training and after an intense indoor season I needed that five day break from living the life of a professional athlete.
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Nick Symmonds: World Indoor Championships 2008
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #8)

Posted March 11th, 2008 at 4:30 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

I am currently sitting in a cafe in Oviedo, a small city in the north of Spain and I’m thinking I have the best job in the world. I get paid to travel to many foreign places doing what I love to do. Well, usually I love this job, but sometimes it challenges me with the most difficult experiences. I ran into a new challenge this past weekend in Valencia, Spain at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships.

After passing through the prelims and semi-finals with relative ease, I found myself preparing to race in my first World finals. I was about to compete against five of the fastest people on this planet. The prospect had me excited to say the least and I had no idea what to expect. Though this was my first final on the World level, I have been in many championship races. They are, especially in the 800m, impossible to predict.

I assumed that it would go out at a modest pace and eventually slow down leaving things perfectly set-up for me to unleash a 200m kick that would surely result in a top three finish … No such luck.
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TFS News Briefs: 2/28/08

Posted February 28th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, TFS News Briefs, Masters

TFS News Briefs
Valencia Boasts 159-Nation Roster
The 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships, to be held in Valencia, Spain from March 7th through March 9th, 2008 will be the biggest ever by a huge margin. The previous largest nation count was 139.
Read more at: [IAAF WIC08]

Mottram Scorches Last 400 of Australian Championships 3000m with 54.0
Craig Mottram sent a loud message to the other World Indoor Championships qualifiers that he is the man to beat by running a 7:48.26 in the Australian Championships 3000m. He scorched the last 400m in 54 seconds to win by nearly 5 ½ seconds.
Read more at: [IAAF]

MastersTrack.com Interview With Speedster Alisa Harvey
Ken Stone over at Masterstrack.com got a chance to interview 42-year-old Alisa Harvey, who has provisionally qualified for the US Olympic Trials, having run a 2:05.75 at the AT&T US Indoor Championships.
Read more at: [Masterstrack.com]

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Nick Symmonds:
Roll with the Punches
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #7)

Posted February 25th, 2008 at 9:21 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

TFS Elite Athlete Blog Series NICK SYMMONDS 425x75 Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. For more information about Nick please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com

Nick Symmonds elite athlete blog There is so much to write about this week! The last fourteen days have been very exciting for me. Preparation for USA Indoors went very well. The weather in Eugene was ideal and I felt very prepared as I sharpened up for this meet. However, I was thrown for a bit of a loop trying to get to Massachusetts. Our flight was canceled out of Eugene not once, but twice, and in order to get to Boston on time three of my teammates and I ended up flying the red-eye out of Los Angeles. It was not the ideal travel schedule, but this sport is about rolling with the punches. My legs felt much better after a few hours of rest and a shake out. I felt great going through the prelims and though the final was a bit frustrating for me, it was a great race and a great time. I hope anyone who caught the race enjoyed watching it! Its tough to run half a mile and lose by 1/100th of a second, but that is why they measure the finish so accurately. Next time I’m just going to have to dig down that much deeper.
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Podcast 127: 4-time U.S. 800m Champ Khadevis Robinson on New Race Strategies for 2008

Posted February 12th, 2008 at 3:15 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

Today’s episode of TheFinalSprint.com Running Podcast features top-ranked American 800 meter runner Khadevis Robinson who has won the US National Championship in that race four time, including the past three years in a row.

Coached by the legendary Johnny Gray, Khadevis is trying out new race strategies for the 2008 season including, sitting and kicking and running more-even splits. These are strategies he hopes will augment the aggressive front-running tactics for which he’s well known.

Download the podcast to hear Khadevis talk about the Ken Doherty Memorial Fellowship for which he’s recently been selected, his life as a new father, Alan Webb’s venture into 800 meter running last year and his goals for his post-competitive career.

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Host: Jimmie R. Markham | Guest: Khadevis Robinson
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 28.8 MB | Length: 42:04 MIN