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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Complete Elite Fields for NYC Half-Marathon

Posted July 24th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Road Racing

The New York Road Runners (NYRR) have announced the complete, wlite fields for this Sunday’s NYC Half-Marathon Presented by Nike. TheFinalSprint.com will be at the race to provide live updates, press conference videos, interviews and more!

Bib First Last City State Nat. Affiliation DOB Age PB

MEN

2 Patrick Makau N’gong KEN adidas 02-Mar-85 23 58:56
3 Dathan Ritzenhein Eugene OR USA NIKE 30-Dec-82 25 1:01:25
4 Hendrick Ramaala Johannesburg RSA adidas 02-Feb-72 36 59:20
5 William Kipsang Eldoret KEN NIKE 01-Jan-77 31 1:00:25
6 Felix Limo Eldoret KEN adidas 22-Aug-80 27 1:01:12
7 Tadesse Tola ETH NIKE 31-Oct-87 20 1:01:37
8 Khalid El Boumlili MAR NIKE 10-Apr-78 30 1:01:12
9 Adam Goucher Portland OR USA NIKE 19-Feb-76 32 1:03:17
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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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London Marathon 2008: Elite Women’s Race Preview

Posted April 11th, 2008 at 3:30 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons

The women’s competition at the 2008 Flora London Marathon promises to be intense despite the absence of perennial favorite and World Record holder Paula Radcliffe, who recently withdrew due to a toe ailment. The race will still include a pair of Ethiopian stars as well as several other first class British marathoners. These women will be racing for one of the most prestigious titles in the marathon world as well as points in the World Marathon Majors contest.

Leading the way for the women will be the inaugural World Marathon Major Champion, Gete Wami of Ethiopia. Wami had a stellar track career before turning to the marathon, and has finished on the podium in numerous world class marathons. She won last fall’s Berlin marathon and finished second at London last year (to China’s Chunxiu Zhou). Her lifetime best of 2:21:34 ranks near the top of the field but is almost a minute slower than that of fellow Ethiopian Berhane Adere, whose 2:20:42 is the fastest in the field. Adere also sports an impressive marathon resume with two Chicago victories and the 2008 Dubai title to her credit. Adere will be looking to avenge a few uncharacteristically poor performances at London as her fourth and eleventh place finishes the last two years are far below her standards.
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TFS News Briefs: 3/29/08

Posted March 29th, 2008 at 1:45 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

Coe Blames Athletes and Coaches, Not Federations, For Cross-Country’s Decline
A report in UK’s Guardian continues the recent discussion about the decline of European decline in cross-country. IAAF President Lamine Diack called Germany’s one-woman delegation (Susanne Hahn) “shameful.” (However, I must say that mad props should go to Hahn!) IAAF VP Sebastian Coe, the unparalleled middle-distance runner who won 4 Olympic medals and set 11 world records (8 outdoors/3 indoors), blamed the individual athletes and coaches, whom he said “don’t see it… You rarely find anyone at a European level now who sees a correlation from cross country to track.”
Read more at: [Guardian, UK]

African Showcase In Edinburgh
Speaking of cross-country, the 11th hour until the big race is upon us. At 9:45am Sunday morning (EST) (9:05 for the women’s race) the Africans will toe the line in Edinburgh, Scotland to take their 22nd world championship in a row at the 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Among the favorites are 2006 winner Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, defending champ Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea, Moses Kipsiro of Uganda and a whole host of Kenyan runners, including Gideon Ngatuny. The lone non-African contender is Craig Mottram of Australia. In the women’s race, Tirunesh Dibaba hopes to join Bekele in an Ethiopian sweep.
Read more at: [IAAF][Peninsula On-line, Qatar]

Speaking of Mottram…
That’s all we can do because he’s certainly not doing any speaking for himself. He has initiated his usual pre-race lock-out of the media in order to prepare for the race. Benita Johnson, Mottram’s teammate and training partner, has joined him in the media ban. The Sydney Morning Herald states that the media ban is “self-imposed,” but taskmaster coach Nic Bideau must have a major say in the decision. Bideau told the media that “the interviews might make [Mottram] more famous and get him more sponsorship deals, but it’s not going to help him run better.”
Read more at: [Sydney Morning Herald][More Mottram]
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2008 Previews & Predictions: Women’s Marathon

Posted January 24th, 2008 at 12:30 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

The marathon promises to be one of the marquee events in women’s track and field in 2008. Among the highlights will be an epic showdown in London, a thrilling U.S. Olympic Trials, and Paula Radcliffe’s last chance at Olympic glory in Beijing. These and a few other huge races should provide many memorable moments and will define many careers. I will again try to make predictions based on as much hearsay, personal bias, and circumstantial data as I can gather.

The first big event on the 2008 women’s marathon calendar is the Flora London Marathon, which will be held on April 13. This race feature’s several of the world’s top female marathoners including World Record holder Radcliffe, World Marathon Majors Champ Gete Wami, Dubai Marathon champ Berhane Adere, Svetlana Zakharova, Constantina Tomescu-Dita, and Benita Johnson.
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It’s Official: Paula Radcliffe to Return to London Marathon

Posted January 15th, 2008 at 11:04 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Any doubts that Paula Radcliffe might skip the spring marathon season were laid to rest today when Flora London Marathon race director, Dave Bedford, announced that the world record holder would try for her third London title on Sunday, April 13.

“We are delighted to have Paula back in London and pleased that she has decided to race here again against such a strong field,” Bedford said through a media release.

Radcliffe, who turned 34 last month, previously won London in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Should she prevail again this year she would tie Norway’s Ingrid Kristiansen with four titles, the most by any man or woman at London. Radcliffe set the absolute world record in a mixed-gender race in 2003 when she ran a jaw-dropping 2:15:25 with the aid of male pacers. She also set the world record for an all-women’s race in London in 2002 in her marathon debut, clocking a solo 2:18:56. Radcliffe is coming off of a thrilling victory at the ING New York City Marathon last November where she won a pitched battle with Ethiopia’s Gete Wami.
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Chicago Marathon ‘07: Berhane Adere comes from behind to earn second consecutive championship!

Posted October 7th, 2007 at 11:35 AM by Jeremy Sussman

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Berhane Adere has done it again; winning her second consecutive LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon title in dramatic fashion.

In uncharacteristically warm conditions, the women’s marathon field came down to the defending champion and a debut marathoner. Berhane Adere, from Ethiopia came into the race looking to repeat last years win and make up for her sub par, 10th place performance in London this year.

After early leaders Kathy Butler, from Great Britian, and Nuta Olaru, from Romania, fell off the pace, Alevtina Ivanova, from Russia took over the lead. Ivanova stayed at the front through 20 kilometers before Adere took over the lead by the half way mark.

While Ivanova stayed on the pace, a new comer to the marathon, Adriana Pirtea, from Romania, was also quietly sitting on their shoulders. Adere was able to drop Ivanova, but Pirtea continued to stay on her shoulder. Pirtea made her move just after 22 miles and put 20 - 30 meters on Adere within a few seconds.

She increased her lead to around ten seconds and came into the home stretch waiving her hands, not realizing that Adere had come back and was making a mad sprint for the finish. Completely unaware that she was about to be defeated, Pirtea continued to celebrate until, at the last minute, she viewed Adere passing her for the win. Adere finished in 2:33:49 and Pirtea in 2:33:52.

Kate O’Neil was the first American women to cross the line in 2:36:15. She was third place overall. Liz Yelling was fourth in 2:37:14, followed by Benita Johnson, of Australia, in 2:38:30.

The slow times were due to the temperature that reached as high as 87 degrees.

Official Times:

1. Berhane Adere 2:33:49 5:51
2. Adriana Pirtea 2:33:52 5:52
3. Kate O’Neill 2:36:15 5:57
4. Liz Yelling 2:37:14 5:59
5. Benita Johnson 2:38:30 6:02
6. Nuta Olaru 2:39:04 6:04
7. Paige M Higgans 2:40:14 6:06

This article was written by Joe Renguso. To contact Joe and for more information about his training advice for high school track and cross country runners, please visit: http://thehighschoolrunner.com/

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Chicago Marathon ‘07: Pirtea continues to lead Adere; on pace for 2:30 finish

Posted October 7th, 2007 at 11:26 AM by Jeremy Sussman

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Pirtea continues to take water at each water stop. She’s on 2:30 pace.

Adere is about 120 meters behind. Pirtea seems to have the race wrapped up. Just need to remember Adere’s amazing track speed.

Kate O’Neill is just over a minute behind Adere in 3rd.

With the heat and oppressive conditions, these conditions are probably comparable to what it’s going to be in Beijing - minus the intense pollution, of course.

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Check back often for TheFinalSprint.com’s LIVE coverage of the 2007 Chicago Marathon, sponsored by Ultima Replenisher, at:

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