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Lead Stories: Friday, May 16, 2008

USA National Distance Running Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2008

Posted May 12th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Masters, Road Racing

During the recent Boston Marathon weekend, the USA National Distance Running Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2008. Members of the class of 2008 are: Amby Burfoot, Johnny Hayes and Priscilla Welch.

In 1968 Burfoot, as a college senior, was the first American to win the Boston Marathon since 1957 with a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, 17 seconds. In 1908 Hayes was the first American to win the Olympic Marathon against a truly international field. Welch holds several masters records at a variety of distances including the marathon (2:26:51).
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Dathan Ritzenehin:
Homeward Bound: New Beginnings and Role Reversals
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #5)

Posted May 6th, 2008 at 4:30 PM by Dathan Ritzenhein

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Dathan Ritzenhein

Welcome to the official blog of top U.S. distance runner Dathan Ritzenhein! Check back every other Tuesday for Ritz’s latest entry at http://dathanritzenhein.thefinalsprint.com/ as he prepares to represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics!

Sunday night, a night of great races [at the Peyton Jordan Cardinal Invitational], made me want to be out there racing. Even though I was at home, already in my pajamas, I wanted to be there racing. Watching Brent Vaughn grit his teeth down the homestretch, and Shalane [Flanagan]’s American Record was also exciting. I would check the computer intermittently to catch an update of the races. Stanford is such a great place to go if you want great weather and fast times. No other place or meet has the predictability and guarantee that Stanford can offer.

It is always one of the hardest things to do; watching races when you are sitting at home, but I just have to keep my head down and work hard know that I will be ready for August 24th.
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Ray Crothers Remembered

Posted March 5th, 2008 at 10:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

Ray Crothers, who won the Manchester Road Race in 1965, passed away last Thursday from melanoma. He was 65.

Crothers not only won Manchester, but was a category winner at the high school level and the masters level. Amby Burfoot, who won Manchester nine times, has posted a remembrance of Crothers on his blog at this link:

http://footloose.runnersworld.com/2008/02/ray-graduated-f.html

It’s a good read on a man worth remembering.
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Marathon Comes to Big Screen, But For Only One Night

Posted January 7th, 2008 at 10:07 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Movies

In an unusual arrangement, a full-length feature documentary film on marathon running will be shown in USA theaters, but only for one night: Thursday, January 24.

The film, “Spirit of the Marathon,” presents the stories of six runners who competed in the 2005 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, from from first timers to elite runners like Deena Kastor and Daniel Njenga. The film explores how recreational runners use the marathon as a device to confront other issues in their lives –like divorce– and how elite runners are in it for equal amounts of glory and cash.

“The normal person, they want to make their body slim,” Njenga says over shots of him warming up before the race. “But for us, we want to make money. This is like a job and I love my job.”

Filmed on four continents, the two-hour movie chronicles the training of these athletes, interspersed with interviews from well-known marathon runners and experts, like Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Amby Burfoot, Dick Beardsley, Joe Henderson, Roger Robinson, and Kathrine Switzer. Shot in hi-def video, the footage of the Chicago Marathon is both varied and majestic; the producers had a crew of 62 on the scene and used 15 camera operators. There is also a rousing score.
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Letherby, Begley Win 71st Manchester Road Race

Posted November 22nd, 2007 at 9:25 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

Andrew Letherby of Australia and Amy Begley of Beaverton, Ore., won today’s 71st running of the Manchester Road Race in Manchester, Conn.

For the 34 year-old Letherby it was his second Manchester victory. He also won the 4.78 mile race in 2002, and remains the only Australian to race to victory at Manchester. His time today of 21:54 was nine seconds faster than his 2002 winning mark, but only one second up on Irishman Martin Fagan who took second.

U.S. steeplechaser Brian Olinger of Westerville, Ohio, took third in 22:00, while defending champion, Ian Dobson of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., was fourth in 22:03.
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TFS News Briefs: 10/23/07

Posted October 23rd, 2007 at 4:20 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Books, Track & Field, Olympics, TFS News Briefs, Trail / Ultra, Masters

New Running Books To Be Released Soon
There’s a few new books about running that you’ll want to keep an eye on. Ronnie Delaney: Staying the Distance an autobiography by the legendary Irish miler who won gold at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and was the 7th man to break 4:00 for the mile. Also, be sure to check out The Marathon Des Sables, Seven Days in the Sahara: Enduring the Toughest Footrace On Earth by Mark Hines. Read more at: [Wikipedia]. Look for more soon-to-be-published running books at: [Amazon]

Southern CA Wildfires Affecting Some Masters Runners
Masters runners, along with some 300,000 San Diego County residents, are being evacuated due to the raging wildfires that extend from Malibu to the Mexican border. Stay updated at: [MastersTrack.com]

London Wants To Be Known as Public Transportation Games
The Olympic Delivery Authority of the 2012 Olympic Games in London want theirs to be known as the Public Transportation Games. Day 7 of the 2012 Olympic Games in London will see some 800,000 fans converge on London’s transportation system to watch the opening day of track and field. Read more at: [USA Today]
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Check out McMillan Running’s excellent running calculator and time converter

Posted August 17th, 2007 at 11:15 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: Running & Training, Pace Calculator, Tools & Resources

Ever wondered what your 5K race time will convert to in the marathon distance? How about converting your 800m time to a 100m time?

This running calculator from McMillan Running will convert your time in any race to its equivalent time in any other race from the 100m dash all the way up to the marathon. Not only that, but you can also find out your appropriate training pace.

In addition, on this website you can sign up for personal coaching (online and/or in-person) from Greg McMillan; “one of the best and smartest distance running coaches in America.” (According to running legend and Runner’s World Executive Editor Amby Burfoot)

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26.2 - vs. - 13.1:
13.1 reasons for running a half-marathon before attempting your first full

Posted June 4th, 2007 at 6:08 PM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: Running & Training, Health & Fitness, Exercise

Let’s get this one simple fact straight: you do not have to run a marathon to be considered a “real runner.” Anyone who pounds their feet on the pavement in repetitious monotony, automatically knows how many miles are in a 5K, and doesn’t laugh when someone bellows out the word “fartlek,” is a REAL runner.

But since the running boom officially “boomed” a second time with Oprah’s 26.2 feat in 1994, not to mention her triumphal landing on the cover of Runner’s World magazine, more and more runners continue to spin their feet at the distance. Dubbed “everyman’s Everest’ by former professional runner and current Runner’s World executive editor, Amby Burfoot, the marathon of the twenty-first century attracts everyone from the taut and toned twenty-year-olds to the Ben & Jerry fifty-year-olds. Gone are the days of the first boom where everyone ran hard, everyone ran more than 70 miles per week, and almost everyone belonged to the same gender.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, 410,000 runners hit the finish line last year, as opposed to 277,000 in 1994. And there are no signs of slowing down: the Chicago Marathon shut down registration for its famously flat October race earlier than ever before.

But why the sudden rush to the summit when there at least 13.1 reasons to run a half before you land on top of the world?

Read the rest at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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