On Episode 139 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, I had the pleasure of being joined by Chris Derrick of Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois.
In January Derrick was named the 2007-2008 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. He also finished second behind TFS Elite Athlete Blogger Michael Fout at the national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships and most recently ran the fastest 5k ever (13:55:96) in a high school race at the Arcadia Invitational.
In the interview, Derrick talks about his recent successes and why he’ll head to Stanford this fall instead becoming an Illini. Download the podcast to hear Derrick discuss these topics, as well as, whether the current crop of elite high school runners (Derrick, Fout, Puskedra, Lowe, Fernandez, etc) could match the level of success already achieved by Hall, Webb, and Ritz, his answers to our new “Rapid Fire Questions” segment, and much more!
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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Chris Derrick
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 13.6 MB | Length: 00:19:56
Episode Sponsored By: U.S. Army Special Forces
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Visit goarmy.com/specialforces.There’s strong and then there’s Army Strong.
Lauren Forgues and twins Ricardo and Roberto Vergara, have been named the 2007 Henry Laskau Award winners. Now in its fourth year, the Laskau Awards are presented annually to the top USA junior male and female race walkers. The awards will be presented during ceremonies December 1 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Laskau Awards commemorate the three-time Olympian’s accomplishments not only as an athlete, but as an inspirational master of the sport who promoted race walking at many levels, including converting numerous runners into race walkers. Laskau, who passed away in May of 2000, was the second race walker ever inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame.
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Today in East Jordan, Mich., a funeral was held for Ryan Shay, the 2003 USA marathon champion who collapsed and died at the USA Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon on Nov. 3, in New York City. He was 28 years-old and had been married only for four months to the former Alicia Craig, the Stanford University star who won the NCAA 10,000m title in 2003 and 2004.
The exact cause of Ryan’s death is still unknown, but it is clear that his heart abruptly stopped at about the 9 km mark of the Trials and, despite heroic and immediate medical intervention, he died before reaching Lennox Hill Hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
I knew Ryan both through my role as a journalist and a race organizer. It would be a stretch to say were close, but we were certainly friendly and shared a passion for the sport. I recruited Ryan to run the 2004 ING New York City Marathon where he set his personal best time of 2:14:08, cracking the top-10 in ninth place. It didn’t surprise me that Ryan would run his best marathon in New York, despite the difficulty of the course. He was so strong and so tough, the kind of runner who was well suited to the hills of the Five Borough Classic. Ryan really had heart.
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ChampionChip has developed a new permanent timing system that can be incorporated in any outdoor sports setting; such as a track or public park. Called TimePoint, the system is currently installed in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. TimePoint is now available for U.S. installations.
The TimePoint system comprises three parts: ground antennas, the housing and a scoreboard display that shows an athlete his or her time as soon as he or she passes the system. The display is optional, but certainly adds a huge “wow” benefit to the system as athletes can see their time instantly displayed.
Additionally, run times are sent to the Internet and athletes can check the www.mychampionchip.com Web site for laps and training progress. They can compare and share their data with other athletes around the world.
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A University of Missouri study suggests that athletic men may be at risk for low bone density. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, “osteoporosis affects more than 2 million men in the United States and nearly 12 million more have osteopenia– clinically significant low bone density that is less severe than osteoporosis.” The study now suggests that men who engage in low-impact forms of exercise have a higher incidence of osteopenia.
Pamela Hinton, an associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Missouri’s College of Human Environmental Sciences claims that “Regular, non-weight-bearing activities, such as swimming and cycling are effective measures for preventing the leading risk factors for death and disability in our society, but the results of this study suggest that regular weight-bearing activities, such as running, jogging, or rope jumping, are important for the maintenance of healthy bones.”
Read the rest of this article by new, staff writer Denise Musumeci via our partner site: HesFit.com
Liberty’s Josh McDougal has developed into one of America’s finest distance runners. With 4th, 13th, and 27th place finishes at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships, McDougal looks to be the top finisher this upcoming season.
Q. Can you explain how you first got starting in the sport of track and field?
I grew up running a few miles a week with my parents. They were trying to stay in shape, and I was always an active kid so it was always fun to go out and run.
A. When I was 10 my family moved a town over to Peru to be closer to where my Dad worked. One of our new neighbors was the high school cross country and track coach. She saw us out running and suggested we do the Junior Olympic series. That first year we did the JO’s Jordan and I just showed up and ran, no real preparation whatsoever. It was really hard, we both puked after our first race, and Mom and Dad were sure we would never want to do anything like that again. We both loved it though and have been serious ever since.
To read the rest of this interview conducted by our friends at Joffroi Running, please CLICK HERE.
How fast you can move and how long you can exercise intensely depends on the amount of sugar (glycogen) stored in your muscles. The same rule applies in all sports: when muscles run out of their stored sugar supply, they require more oxygen and you have to slow down.
Fluid is less important than muscle sugar because dehydration will not cause you to slow down until your blood volume is reduced. As you lose fluid from sweating, interstitial fluid stored around cells is released into the blood to maintain blood volume. When you compete is sports at a very high intensity, your muscles run out for stored sugar long before your blood volume is reduced, and you slow down from lack of muscle sugar before you slow down from reduced blood volume (Sports Medicine, April- May 2007).
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Episode 63 of The Final Sprint Podcast was done in conjunction with TrailFit.com; a comprehensive trail running, ultra- marathoning, and adventure racing publication and the newest member of the TFS media network.
Today’s guest is Southern California’s MICHELLE BARTON; an elite ultra distance and trail runner with an intoxicating love for the sport, eternally positive spirit, and incredible athletic ability.
These gifts have propelled her to 
ultra-marathon finish lines, such as the 2006 Orange Curtain 100k, ahead of not only the women but also every male runner in the field. Most recently, Michelle was victorious 
at the Holcomb Valley 33 Mile Trail Run on June 10th and then two weeks later had the honor of pacing Gordy Ainsley at the legendary and infamous ultra that he founded: the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run (WS100).
Download the interview to hear Michelle discuss her experience at Western States, how she trains, staying fueled on a vegetarian diet, the differing training and mentalities for ultras, trails and road races, Dean Karnazes, plans for the future, the booming and supportive ultra-endurance community and much more!
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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Michelle Barton
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 16.7 MB
Length: 24:20
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My mood was great, my weight was fine, and my running times had never been better – I was in the best shape of my life. So why was I in my doctor’s office, being told I had hypothyroidism? How does a 21-year-old, daily runner with energy to spare wind up on medication to treat a condition commonly associated with middle age, lethargy and weight gain?
It might sound surprising, but my situation is far from unique. As more and more athletes are being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, medical professionals are starting to make the connection between intense training (around 50 miles of running a week) and a malfunctioning thyroid gland. Recently, elite athletes Galen Rupp and Adam Goucher were both diagnosed with the condition – surprising, considering they are two of the best competitive runners in the country, and they hardly fit the typical profile of people diagnosed with hypothyroidism.
Read the rest of this article at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com
In the world of competitive running, a bulk of the media’s attention and fanfare is placed on men. This is really unfortunate as there has been, and continues to be, truly spectacular female athletes. Legendary runner Grete Waitz is a perfect example.
From track and field to marathons, she has done it all, and done it well. Perhaps her most well known success comes from being a nine time winner of the New York City Marathon. She is the only runner, female or male, to come anywhere near that record streak of domination.
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