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Lead Stories: Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Great Line-Ups for Sunday’s adidas Track Classic

Posted May 15th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Organizers have secured great line-ups for Sunday’s adidas Track Classic at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., and that includes the middle and long distance events.

The men’s 1500m is shaping up to the the top event, led by double world champion and two-time Olympic medalist, Bernard Lagat. Commonwealth Games medalists Nick Willis of Australia and Nate Brannen of Canada are also in the field, along with perennial Canadia star Kevin Sullivan and former NCAA ace Lopez Lomong. Nick Symmonds will be moving up from his usual specialty, the 800m, while 5000m man Adam Goucher will be moving down for a speed workout.
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Jon Rankin: Training to Become An Olympian
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #2)

Posted December 19th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Jon Rankin

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Jon Rankin

Welcome to the official blog of rising U.S. track & field star
Jon Rankin; the inaugural member of TheFinalSprint.com’s
Elite Athlete Blog Series. Make sure to check back every other Wednesday for Jon’s latest entry.

Hi everyone. I hope this entry finds all of you happy and healthy this holiday season. I am writing this entry while I sit on my bed feeling terribly sore. Yesterday, December 17th, twenty of us athletes from the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA experienced something that will forever change our perspectives on mental toughness and limitations: we spent the day going through the BUD/S Navy Seal training course

The day started off with all of us getting up at 4:30 AM. We departed at 5:10 AM for the Naval Special Warfare Training Center in Coronado, CA. We couldn’t arrive late because to keep the instructors waiting would have made an already-hard day that much harder. They would already be yelling at us and putting us through the worst day, psychologically, of our lives. So we left really early to avoid being late and start off on the wrong foot.
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Running USA Exec. Director Basil Honikman to Retire

Posted November 16th, 2007 at 5:30 AM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results

Basil Honikman, one of the founders of Running USA in 1999 and its Executive Director and CEO since 2000, has informed the organization’s Board of Directors that he will retire after the 2008 Running USA Conference in La Jolla, Calif. this February. Running USA is a trade organization representing American road races and related businesses.

“I believe that we have made remarkable progress in a relatively short time and although I still feel enthusiastic and energetic, I realize that sooner or later I will have to turn over the leadership of the organization to someone else,” Honikman said through a media release. “Given our achievements and the excellent health of Running USA, I feel this is an appropriate time for change.”
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Local Charities Benefit from Big Sur Marathon

Posted November 6th, 2007 at 3:30 PM by Jamal Walker

Section: News & Results, Marathons

In keeping with its mission statement, the Big Sur International Marathon has continued its support of local charities through distribution of grant funding. This year, $180,000 in grants was awarded to 91 organizations on the Monterey Peninsula and in Big Sur.

Since its inaugural event in 1986, the Big Sur International Marathon has been able to provide grant funding, primarily to organizations that help stage the race. Scout groups, youth and arts organizations, the military and schools are among the beneficiaries. To-date, more than $2.2 million has been donated throughout Monterey County.
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Kenyans Sweep; Khannouchi Frustrated at Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Jose

Posted October 15th, 2007 at 4:06 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Kenyans McDonald Ondara and Magdalene Makunzi won the second annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Jose on Sunday. Ondara, 23, covered the 13.1-mile course in 1 hour, 1 minute, 11 seconds. Makunzi, 24, broke the tape in 1:09:58.

The men’s race culminated in a sprint to the finish as Ondara, who led the majority of the race, beat the 27-year-old Tanzanian John Yuda by just seconds.

“I was sort of afraid of him,” said Ondara of his closest competitor Yuda. “It was very hard to predict,” Ondara added about planning his final kick.

Yuda managed a smile as he clutched his ribs after the finish from an apparent side stitch.

“It was a good race,” Yuda said. “The course was quick.”

After mile three, the men’s lead pack began to thin out, gradually dropping American Khalid Khannouchi. The four-time Chicago Marathon champion was clearly frustrated with his 1:05:04 finish time.
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