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Lead Stories: Friday, July 18, 2008

Ryan Hall: The Team
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 11)

Posted June 7th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by Ryan Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall

Welcome to the official blog of top U.S. distance runner Ryan Hall as he begins his quest for Olympic gold! Check back every other Friday for Ryan’s latest entry at http://ryanhall.thefinalsprint.com/

Eleven weeks to go. I go back and forth between thinking I have too much time before the games, and then feeling like there is not enough time. Eleven weeks sometimes feels like a long time to train at the intensity that I am now daily putting forth, but then when I think to myself that in two months I will be heading out to Beijing, I wish I could sneak in a few more weeks at altitude before then. I have found that it is usually a good sign to feel like I wish I had one or two more weeks of training. It is a sign that I am still fresh, still hungry, and still moving forward. Contrast this with my first marathon run at the 2007 London Marathon when I had been hanging on for a month after training for what seemed like an eternity.

Today I will be repeating the same workout I ran two weeks ago before I left for Bolder Boulder—a ten mile tempo run. Last time out it didn’t go so well. Waking up to snow was my second sign that I was going to have a tough day, with the first sign being my cranky ankle that had been bothering me after doing an hour and a half run on a rocky—yet beautiful—single track trail in Big Bear. So between my cranky ankle, snow falling, and being out there all by myself without my shuffle (which I forgot at home) I set myself up for a long day. Let’s not get too much into the specifics; we can just leave it at that I went out slow and came back even slower. Not to mention picking up my bottles off the ground didn’t seem to speed things up any. I left for Boulder concerned.
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Ryan Hall: I Can Be Beaten, But Not Defeated
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry 10)

Posted May 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Ryan Hall

Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall

While on a run a couple of days ago I found myself laughing at Kai (our miniature Siberian Husky) as she tore off through the woods in hot pursuit of yet another squirrel, only to be left at the bottom of the tree peering up as the hot- tempered squirrel rattled off some expletives in its native tongue. I thought to myself, ‘why does she keep wasting her energy flying after squirrels when she has chased thousands of squirrels during her short life, yet has never, ever, even been close to catching one?’ But as I contemplated her spirit I realized that our spirits aren’t really any different. I have been trying to run with the best runners in the world ever since I was able to enter the same race in which they were competing, and while I have never won a race that would give the honor of being crowned “the best in the world,” I still find myself tearing off after the world beaters as if I have never been unsuccessful in beating them. When I watch Kai’s eyes as she spots a Squirrel I can see her come to attention as I though I put a fat sausage in front of her nose and then I see her wheels turning. I know exactly what she is thinking because I have thought the same thing a million times, “I am going after it.” Then the trigger is pulled and we are off to the races. I think this is what Coach Vigil means when he says that all that matters on the starting line is having big eyes. I love that saying. All that matters on race day is being ready to go after it, to go to war.
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Ryan Hall:
More Precious Than Gold
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #9)

Posted May 10th, 2008 at 6:15 PM by Ryan Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall

With three months to go before the Olympics begin I am now putting the finishing touches on a vision that birthed 10 years ago during a long, slow, painful, fifteen-mile run around the lake. Now, after all I have been through I have just 105 days to pour myself into my training and prepare for the biggest opportunity of my life. All the training, all the discipline, all the depression, all the sacrifice, all the joy, it was all part of the journey that has prepared me for August 24th.

I love the Olympics. I always have. Growing up I had Olympic rings scribbled all over my text books. I find the symbolism of the rings to be quite dramatic with the five rings representing the unity of man from each of the five continents. There is something powerful about the unity of man.
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TFS Podcast 126: U.S. Olympic Hopeful JON RANKIN

Posted February 7th, 2008 at 8:03 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

jon rankin at 2007 continental airlines fifth avenue mile Episode 126 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my interview with U.S. Olympic hopeful Jon Rankin as he prepares for next weekend’s USA Cross Country Championships.

Rankin, who ran two early season races in Bermuda and California, overcame injuries to finish strong in 2007, continues to stay healthy, and reports great, injury-free results throughout his recent training.

In the interview Rankin talks about his early season travels, his pursuit of at least a top ten finish at the XC Champs, how he enjoys training for and racing these longer distances, and that down the road he may even pursue such events up to the marathon.

Download the podcast to hear Rankin discuss these topics, as well as his success with Hypocxico’s altitude tent and being able to “Train High, Live Low” without ever leaving San Diego, his new charity organization “Shoes 4 the Soul”, and his responses to TFS’s newest podcast segment: “Rapid Fire Questions”.

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Host: Jimmie R. Markham | Guest: Jon Rankin
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 17.2 MB | Length: 25:05 MIN

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

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DFMC Team: A Worthy Challenge for the Fleet of Foot

Posted January 30th, 2008 at 11:09 AM by Jeremy Sussman

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

dana-farber marathon challenge team DFMC Boston Marathon Training for the Boston Marathon certainly provides runners with the experience of a lifetime and countless health benefits. Some even run fast enough to help improve the health of others.

The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) team is looking for qualified runners who want to add a new dimension to their training by running for others as well as themselves. Runners who have run a qualifying time at a certified marathon after Sept. 23, 2006, can join the DFMC team and run to raise money that supports researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. These researchers have taken on another type of challenge: Curing Cancer.

Each Challenge runner agrees to raise at least $3000 by May 21, 2008, a sum that is easier to raise than most think. The average amount raised per runner in 2007 was more than $7000 and 100 percent of the money goes to the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
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Podcast 105: TIM BORLAND
TFS’s Oct ‘07 Success Story

Posted November 21st, 2007 at 8:22 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Columns, Success Stories, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

TheFinalSprint.com (TFS) is honored to present our monthly Success Story award to individuals who have overcome tremendous obstacles, changed their own lives and/or the lives of others through running, sports or fitness.

I am proud to announce that TFS’s October 2007 Success Story, and my guest on Episode 105 of The Final Sprint Podcast is TIM BORLAND.

On November 4th, Borland finished his 63rd marathon in 63 straight days, a feat never before accomplished. Called the A-T Cure Tour, Borland set out to accomplish this arduous task in order to raise awareness for the A-T Children’s project, a non-profit organization that raises funds to support and coordinate first-rate biomedical research projects, scientific workshops, and a clinical center aimed at finding a a-t cure tour logo cure or life-improving therapies for ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), a rare, fatal genetic disease that affects children.

Download the podcast to hear Tim discuss his sixty-three-day, cross-country marathon adventure, the challenges he faced along the way, his efforts to fight this horrible disease, his future ultra-running goals and much more!

Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)

[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Jimmie R. Markham | Guest: Tim Borland
Producers: Jimmie R. Markham, Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 21.5 MB | Length: 31:20

Episode sponsored by:
Camelbak - the originator and leader in hands-free hydration.

To learn more Camelbak Elixir, their effective, easy-to-use and portable electrolyte beverage, as well as Camelbak’s running specific hydration systems, please visit www.camelbak.com.

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

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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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Charity Fundraising by Runners Now $714+ Million

Posted October 30th, 2007 at 8:00 PM by J. R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Marking a trend of continued growth, road runners and walkers raised $714 million for charity in 2006, USA Track & Field (USATF) announced Monday. The figure marks a nearly 9 percent increase over 2005 and shows continued, steady increases since USATF began its annual charity survey in 2002.

The Nike Women’s Marathon and Half-Marathon was named the 2006 USATF Charitable Race of the Year, while the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and its GREAT STRIDES program was honored as 2006 Charitable Organization of the Year.
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USATF study reveals
charity fundraising by runners, walkers surges
to over $714 million

Posted October 29th, 2007 at 2:45 PM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

Conducted internally by USATF, the national governing body of track and field, long-distance running and race walking, the study revealed that more than $714 million was raised for charitable causes by runners in 2006.

charity runners walkers USATF gathered data from national charitable race series/organizations and a sample of nearly 200 running/walking races, including many of the country’s largest races.

“The continued growth of charity fundraising in the current economic climate shows the dedication of charity runners and walkers to their cause, as well as the strength of road running in this country,” said USATF CEO Craig A. Masback.
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Wildfires Force Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Postponement in San Diego

Posted October 29th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results

Due to the wildfires in San Diego County, the Komen San Diego Race for the Cure which was scheduled for Sunday, November 4, has been postponed to Sunday, December 2, 2007.