TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Saturday, November 22, 2008

Gebrselassie Achieves First Sub-2:04 Marathon in Berlin

Posted September 28th, 2008 at 11:27 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Haile Gebrselassie became the first man in history to break the two hour and four minute barrier when he won today’s real,- Berlin Marathon, shattering his own world record set on the same course one year ago. The 35 year-old Ethiopian, who now owns the three fastest marathon times in history, clocked 2:03:59 under sunny skies accompanied by comfortably cool temperatures (10°C to 12°C).

“I’m so happy,” Gebrselassie told race organizers immediately after the race. “Everything was perfect, the weather, the pacemakers. Two weeks ago, I had a little problem, I ran 20-K 40 seconds faster than in my preparation last year. But I had some cramps, and missed a week’s training. I started again a week ago, and had some doubts today, but in the end, everything was fine. This really is my lucky city.”

It was Gebrselassie’s third victory at Berlin, and he won €130,000 in prize money and time bonuses (USD 190,000) in addition to an undisclosed appearance fee. He lowered his previous standard of 2:04:26 by nearly half a minute.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Berlin Golden League Live On the Web

Posted May 31st, 2008 at 10:28 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

USA Track & Field will be broadcasting the six meets of the IAAF Golden League live on their website at this link:

http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/GoldenLeague/

Tune in tomorrow for the DKB-ISTAF meeting from Berlin. Coverage begins at 9:00 a.m. EDT.

The meet will also be broadcast later in the day on ESPN2 beginning at 2:00 p.m. (tape delay)

Comment on this post | Permalink

IAAF Announces Venues for 2009 Half-Marathon Champs, World Athletics Final

Posted April 3rd, 2008 at 9:00 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field

Birmingham, England, will host the 2009 World Half-Marathon Championships, the IAAF announced yesterday after its two-day Council meeting in London.

The 21.1 km event, the only global championship set aside solely for road running, returns to Great Britain for the third time. In 1992, Tyneside played host before returning in 2001 to Bristol. This year’s edition will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in October.
Read the rest of this entry »

4 comments, add yours | Permalink

Gebrselassie Half-Way at Dubai Marathon in 1:01:27

Posted January 17th, 2008 at 11:34 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Pat Butcher reports that Haile Gebrselassie has hit the half-way mark at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon in 1:01:27. He hit the half in 1:02:29 in Berlin last September when he set his 2:04:26 world record.

More later…

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Amsterdam Marathon Ranked Number One For Speed

Posted November 7th, 2007 at 6:17 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Despite World Record holder Paula Radcliffe’s best efforts to tear up the tarmac in New York, the Amsterdam Marathon remains at the top of the World rankings of fastest marathon cities of 2007.

Frankfurt was fast enough to challenge the all-time fastest city Berlin, but Amsterdam has shaken off it’s laid back image to hold on to it’s dominant 1.83 minute lead at the top of the rankings.

The course that saw Kenyan winner Emmanuel Mutai smash his personal best from 2:13.06 to 2:06.29, also brought national success for Kamiel Maase, who bettered his own Dutch record by 10 seconds as the first European home in ninth place at 2:08.21.

2007 Rankings:
(Average times for the World rankings of fastest Marathon cities are calculated by the average of the 10 fastest finishers.)

1. Amsterdam 2.07.52
2. Frankfurt 2.09.35
3. Berlin 2.09.38
4. Hamburg 2.09.41
5. London 2.09.55
6. Paris 2.10.34
7. Eindhoven 2.11.51
8. New York 2.12.25
9. Rotterdam 2.12.28
10. Lake Biwa/Otsu 2.13.02
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Wami’s Daring Marathon Double Begins in Berlin on Sunday

Posted September 27th, 2007 at 1:44 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Most performers in elite sport will say that they would compete even if they weren’t paid. On the other hand, while rewards can often seem obscene, eg the $200,000+ per week that many English Premier League footballers earn nowadays, or three times the average YEARLY wage in the UK, few would deny them that opportunity to earn those sums, if that’s the going rate. But, what to make of those athletes who chase the money to the detriment of their career achievements?

Speaking of which, half a million dollars is the sum that Gete Wami has in her sights, the prize for winning the first edition of the World Marathon Majors series. But to ensure the victory, and the prize, Wami has to run in both the real_Berlin Marathon this Sunday, and the New York Marathon in five weeks’ time. And she would have to win both, in order to ensure displacing points leader, Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, who also runs New York. That is a tall order, even for an Ethiopian distance runner, despite Wami’s considerable kudos as a former Olympic 10,000m and world cross country champion.

In Berlin yesterday, Wami and her husband and coach, Getaneh Tessema were both playing down the dual challenge. “I can only start to think of New York when I finish the race here in Berlin on Sunday,” said the 32-year-old defending champion. “Whether I run New York will depend on what happens here.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Berlin Marathon To Undertake Major Meteorological Study

Posted September 25th, 2007 at 5:10 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Marathons

This year the Institute of Meteorology of the Free University Berlin, the society Berliner Wetterkarte e.V. and three grammar schools in Berlin will be recording the meteorological conditions along the route of the real,- BERLIN - MARATHON for the first time.

Five mobile measuring instruments, which have been purchased in the course of a project sponsored by the Robert-Bosch-foundation to establish cooperation between schools and research centres, will record the meteorological conditions during the run.

On Sunday, 30th September 2007, 5 groups of students will measure temperature, relative humidity and wind speed at selected points every ten minutes from 8am till 3pm. In addition they will record the weather conditions and pass on all collected data.

These measurements will be supplemented by data from the Berlin Stadtmessnetz of the Institute of Meteorology. Moreover, meteorologists of the society Berliner Wetterkarte e.V. will provide current analyses as well as forecasts of the weather (see www.berliner-wetterkarte.de).
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Sanya Richards named USATF Athlete of the Week

Posted September 19th, 2007 at 3:00 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Sanya Richards has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning the women’s 400 meters Sunday at the 2007 ISTAF Meeting in Berlin, Germany to earn her second consecutive share of the Golden League Jackpot.

The 2006 IAAF Athlete of the Year, Richards earned half of the million-dollar jackpot by going undefeated in the women’s 400 in Golden League competition. In the last meet of the series, she streaked to victory in the women’s 400m in a world-leading 49.27 seconds. Richards’ other Golden League wins came in Oslo June 15, Paris July 6, Rome July 13, Zurich September 7 and Brussels last Friday.
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Richards, Isinbayeva Split $1 Million Jackpot as Golden League Series Concludes

Posted September 17th, 2007 at 8:32 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Sanya Richards and Yelena Isinbayeva each won a $500,000 share of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot after their respective victories at the ISTAF meeting in Berlin today, the final meet of the six-meet Golden League series.

In front of a near-capacity crowd of 70,000 –the third consecutive announced Golden League sell-out – Richards yet again crushed all opposition en route to a 49.27 dash, another world-leading performance for the 22-year-old American.

“Nobody knows how hard this year has been for me,” said Richards, who after early-season illness, finished fourth at the U.S. championships in June and missed a spot on the world championships squad. “I feel much stronger now than I did two months ago.”

It was the second perfect six-for-six Golden League campaign for Richards, who last year took a smaller share of the prize pot. But for Isinbayeva, the world record holder in the pole vault and one of the sport’s biggest stars, it was the first time her event was given GL status, and she took full advantage over the three month campaign to share half of the sport’s biggest prize. Next up for the 25-year-old Russian, she said, was an assault on her own 5.02m world record which has stood for more than two years.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

World Records Possible at Brussels, Berlin Meets

Posted September 11th, 2007 at 5:13 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

If you’re the sort of track & field fan who likes to see assaults on world records, you’re not likely to be disappointed at either of the upcoming IAAF Golden League meets. The Memorial Van Damme meet (Friday, 9/14/2007 in Brussels, Belgium) and the DKB-ISTAF meet (Sunday, 9/16/2007 in Berlin, Germany) are historically two of the best meets in the world.

A total of 14 world records have been set at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels, Belgium ever since the inception of the Memorial Van Damme meet, including Kenenisa Bekele’s remarkable 26:17.53 at 10,000m, a pace of 4:14 per mile. The Memorial van Damme meet honors Ivo Van Damme a Belgian middle-distance athlete who won two silver medals (800m and 1500m) at Montreal’s 1976 Olympic Games but whose life was tragically cut short in a car accident in December of that year.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink