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Lead Stories: Friday, December 5, 2008

Dold & Walsham Hope to Be First in Race to the Sky

Posted February 4th, 2008 at 12:45 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

Defending champions Thomas Dold of Germany and Suzy Walsham of Australia hope again to be the first to see daylight on the 86th floor observation deck of Manhattan’s tallest building when the 31st Empire State Run-Up is held here tomorrow morning.

Dold, a 22 year-old economics student from Stuttgart, is looking for his third victory in the unusual race up 1,576 steps which finishes outside on the building’s famous observation deck. Climbing two steps at a time, he won in both 2006 and 2007 and was second in 2005.

“There are no special tower running shoes,” said Dold, an accomplished mountain runner, at today’s New York Track Writers’s luncheon. He plans to wear a pair of road flats from his sponsor, Brooks.
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Run-Up Champions Return To New York in One Week

Posted January 30th, 2008 at 10:17 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

Defending champions Thomas Dold of Germany and Suzy Walsham of Australia will again be on the starting line of the unique NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up one week from today. It will be the 31st running of the world’s most famous stair climbing race, up 86 floors and 1576 steps of New York City’s highest skyscraper.

The 23 year-old Dold, an accomplished mountain runner from Germany, will be looking for his third consecutive victory. Prior to winning in 2006 and 2007, he finished in second place by less than a second to Rudolf Reitberger of Austria in the 2005 race. In that event the two men lunged for the finish line on the outdoor 86th floor observatory, both crashing to the concrete surface as a crush of photographers captured the moment.
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Craig Mottram Wins Handicapped Mile

Posted December 29th, 2007 at 6:40 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

Australia’s Craig Mottram passed 47 people to win a handicapped mile in Devenport, Tasmania, on Saturday night, according to his coach and manager, Nic Bideau.

Running on grass, only Mottram and Australia’s two-time 1500m champion Lachlan Chisholm did not receive a headstart. Mottram clocked 3:59.1 in his first race since resuming his training in November. Chisholm finished second, ten seconds back.

“I love coming to run here because the people always get behind me,” Mottram told Australis’s ABC News. “It’s taken a few years of me coming down here and performing well to get the interest and the support, so I look forward to keep coming back in the future.”
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Wariner’s Olympic Preparation To Begin
in Australia

Posted December 7th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by J. R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

In lieu of a cold, harsh indoor season, world and Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner will begin his 2008 Olympic-season campaign outdoors in Australia. Although he usually begins racing in March, he is set to begin his season next year in February, a warm summer month in the Southern Hemisphere. He will be joined in Sydney and Melbourne by 100m world-record holder Asafa Powell, his training partner Darold Williamson and his coach Clyde Hart.

The 23-year old Texan said, “I am looking forward to running in Australia in February. I am excited about competing here for the first time as I prepare for the summer Olympics in Beijing.”

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TFS News Briefs: 11/29/07

Posted November 29th, 2007 at 2:46 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

X-Man Moves to Gainesville To Train for Beijing
Xavier “X-Man” Carter, history’s 2nd alltime fastest 200m runner, has moved to Gainesville, FL to train with his coach Mike Holloway and to focus on qualifying for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Read more at: [Total Sports Management]

Asafa Powell To Begin 2008 Campaign in Australia
Enthused by the Australian track and field fans, 100m world record holder Asafa Powell (JAM) will begin his 2008 track & field season there. He will train in Australia and compete in two meets: the Sydney Athletics Grand Prix on February 16th, 2008 and the IAAF World Athletics Tour meet in Melbourne on February 21st, 2008. Read more at: [IAAF]

Precedents May Favor Marion Jones’ Teammates in Their Bids To Keep Medals
Several precedents may allow the US women’s 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams (other than Marion Jones, of course) to keep their medals. An article in the LA Times pleads their case for them.Read more at: [LA Times]
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TFS News Briefs: 11/24/07

Posted November 24th, 2007 at 11:12 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, TFS News Briefs, Trail / Ultra

Liu Xiang’s Legs Insured for $13.3 million
Chinese insurance company Ping An, a sponsor of China’s Track & Field team, has donated coverage of national hero Liu Xiang’s legs worth $13.3 Million. Calling his legs “priceless,” the 100m hurdler said, “I don’t care how much it is. Naturally, I hope never to collect this money and just keep on staying healthy.” Read more at: [Malaysia Star]

Lack of Interest Submarines Felix’s Bid for IAAF Athlete of the Year
IAAF director of communication Nick Davies stated that American’s lack of interest in Track & Field caused Allison Felix to lose in her bid to become the IAAF Athlete of the Year, saying, “the public vote on internet counts for 30percent of the final mark. But the Americans were completely uninterested in contrast to the Chinese who voted for Lui Xiang and the Croats who went into action for Blanka Vlasic.” Read more at: [AFP]

Tribute to Pioneer African-American Ultra-Runner Eddie Gardner
In the build up to the upcoming Seattle Marathon, Seattle Post Intelligencer reporter Casey McNerthney pays tribute to Eddie Gardner, a Seattle-based ultra-runner who was one of five African-Americans to compete in the historic 1928 trans-America footrace dubbed the “Bunion Derby.” Overcoming death threats in Oklahoma and Texas, Gardner finished 8th out of 199 starters. Read more at: [Seattle Post Intelligencer]
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Q&A: Are hot tubs and saunas helpful or harmful?

Posted November 1st, 2007 at 8:15 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

For many years I have believed that heating muscles in a whirlpool or sauna after exercise interferes with muscle contractions and hampers muscular endurance.

However, a study from the University of Otago in New Zealand shows that taking a sauna after workouts for three weeks helped athletes to exercise longer to exhaustion (Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Sports Medicine Australia, August 2007).

Trained runners sat in a humid sauna for 30 minutes at 89.9 degrees centigrade immediately after exercising, 12 times in three weeks. They then ran as hard as they could on a treadmill for about 15 minutes, to exhaustion.
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Podcast 87: Australia’s BENITA JOHNSON on the 2007 Chicago Marathon

Posted October 3rd, 2007 at 5:34 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 87 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my interview with Australia’s BENITA JOHNSON; the women’s favorite for Sunday’s LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

In the interview, Benita talks about her decision to return to Chicago, looking for another P.R., the difference between running in Chicago and London (where she lives for parts of the year), bouncing back from a disappointing performance at the London Marathon in April, and how her second place finish behind world champion Catherine Ndereba at the NYC Half-Marathon has helped with her mental preparation for Chicago.

Download the podcast to hear Benita discuss these topics, as well as, her thoughts on fellow Australian Craig Mottram’s struggles in Osaka, going from a talented 18 year old hockey player to a world class runner, who she thinks will win the NYC Marathon, and how a childhood full of barefoot running and constant activity (and almost no TV) has helped make her the runner she is today.

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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Benita Johnson
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 16.0 MB | Length: 23:21 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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Don Kern breaks record by running marathons on seven continents in 35 days

Posted March 22nd, 2007 at 9:57 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Marathons

On 18 February 2007, “Marathon” Don Kern completed his attempt to break the Guinness World Record “Marathon on each continent - Shortest duration to complete (Men)”.

He succeeded in this feat by running in organized marathons on each of the seven continents in 35 days. The attempt began on 11 February 2007 in Birmingham, Alabama.

The marathons included in the “world tour” were: Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham Alabama (North America), Egyptian International Marathon in Luxor, Egypt (Africa), Maraton Popular de Valencia in Valencia, Spain (Europe),
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Podcast 30: Follow-up with Don Kern on his Guinness WR-setting marathon journey

Posted March 21st, 2007 at 10:24 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode 30 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my follow-up interview with Don Kern; an avid adventure runner and race director for the Grand Rapids Marathons, who just completed an incredible, around-the-world marathon journey.

By completing his quest in a mere 35 days, Don was able set a new Guinness World Record for running a marathon on each continent in the shortest duration of time. The previous record was 99 days.

Don is now back home in Michigan after running more than 183 miles and traveling on a plane for over 84 hours (not to mention all of the time he spent in airports and traveling within each country). Fresh off setting a new WR, Don will hit another milestone in April when he runs the Boston Marathon; marking the 50th consecutive month that he will run race of at least marathon distance!

Download the podcast to hear Don describe his adventure, the physical wear-and-tear of the feat, eating “raw fish and beer” the night before his final marathon in South Korea, the warm reception by fans around the world, and some possibilities for future, endurance running adventures!

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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Don Kern
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 11.7 MB
Length: 00:17:10

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