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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

Quote of the Day: 11/30/07

Posted November 30th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Steven Schiff

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes

“It is not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.”

- John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach

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Coach McDonnell Honored by the Southeastern Conference

Posted October 31st, 2007 at 8:31 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

Arkansas’ John McDonnell was chosen as the SEC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year, it was announced by the conference on Tuesday.

The award marks McDonnell’s 13th consecutive SEC Cross Country Coach of the Year award and 16th overall after guiding his Razorbacks to another SEC Championship. The Hogs won Arkansas’ 34th-consecutive cross country conference title and its 17th-consecutive SEC cross country title. The title win also marks Arkansas’ 82nd conference title (cross country, indoor and outdoor).

McDonnell has been named National Coach of the Year 12 times in indoor track, 11 times in outdoor track and seven times in cross country for a total of 30 awards. He has been Conference Coach of the Year a remarkable 48 times, and Region Coach of the Year 61 times.
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Interview Excerpts: Hanson, Hudson and Mahon on the Olympic Marathon Trials

Posted October 22nd, 2007 at 9:04 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews

Last week, the New York Road Runners hosted the second installment in a three part series of teleconferences about the about the November 2 U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon trials in New York City.

In the second installment, the media had the opportunity to speak with NYRR CEO/President Mary Wittenberg and Coaches Keith Hanson, Brad Hudson, and Terrence Mahon .

Hanson is the co-founder and coach of Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, which has 13 athletes who have qualified for the trials. Hudson is the coach of Olympic Trials qualifiers Dathan Ritzenhein, Jason Hartmann, James Carney, and Ed Torres. Mahon is the coach of Olympic Trials qualifiers Ryan Hall and Mike McKeeman.

Mary: We consider the coaches the key component in a successful athlete’s career. There is no more important role than the role of the coach. At New York Road Runners, we believe that the coaches are key to the rise of an athlete. We believe they are critical as we head towards an even more successful sport.
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Podcast 92: Preeminent Running Coach JOE VIGIL

Posted October 11th, 2007 at 7:56 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, 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 92 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my in-depth interview with legendary running coach JOE VIGIL.

Recognized as one of America’s greatest distance running educators, Vigil led Adams State to 14 national championships, guided a plethora of top runners, such as Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor, to extraordinary success, and has been inducted to eleven different Hall of Fames. In addition to mentoring a number of coaches and athletic organizations, Vigil continues to coach Team Running USA alongside fellow icon Bob Larsen and will lead American distance runners at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

In the interview Vigil explains why Deena Kastor has had such a significant and special impact on him as both a coach and as a person, he shares his thoughts on the Marion Jones debacle, talks about Pat Porter’s passion for the sport, “improv[ing] achievement motivation”, and the role that Arthur Lydiard and other coaching greats played in his own development.

Download the podcast to hear Coach Vigil discuss these topics, as well as, preparing the American distance running squad for the pollution and warm conditions in Beijing, the upcoming U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, the greatest moments of his career, his opinion on pacesetters and why their absence helps athletes to learn what their “capable of internally”, 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: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Joe Vigil
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 16.3 MB | Length: 23:46 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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New ‘Chasing Glory’ Pre-Marathon Trials Video

Posted September 20th, 2007 at 5:07 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

As part of the New York Road Runners’ unprecedented promotional and media build-up to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon race on Saturday, November 3, “Chasing Glory,” a seven-week series of web videos offering exclusive athlete and coach interviews and insight will premiere today on the NYRR website, it was announced by NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.

Leading Olympic Trials contenders Dathan Ritzenhein, Abdi Abdirahman, Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflezighi, Brian Sell, and Ryan Hall, along with top coaches Brad Hudson, Keith and Kevin Hanson, and Terrence Mahon will be among those featured in the weekly videos. Other segments will highlight behind-the-scenes footage of the challenging Olympic Trials course in Central Park, facts and figures about the race, and a glimpse of how the USA’s runners compare with those of the rest of the world.

The five- to seven-minute videos will be launched every Tuesday and Thursday from September 17 to October 26. The videos are produced by videographer Matt Taylor, whose other credits include “Chasing Kimbia” and “Chasing Tradition.” The videos will be supplemented by three text-based commentaries each week, written in conjunction with television analyst Toni Reavis.
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Moscow to host international coaching conference

Posted September 20th, 2007 at 2:38 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results

More than 200 coaches are expected to take part in an international coaching conference entitled The Winning Difference: Focus - Beijing Preparation, which will take place in Moscow from the 2nd to 4th November.

The conference will be jointly organised by the All Russian Athletic Federation and the European Athletics Coaches Association (EACA) and will include the EACA’s General Meeting and elections.

Confirmed conference speakers include Edwin Ozolin (RUS), Scott Drawer (GBR), Ekkart Arbeit (GER) and EACA President Frank Dick (GBR).

For more information, please visit: European-Athletics.org

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Podcast 81: PETE REA
Head Coach of the ZAP Fitness Elite Athlete Program

Posted September 18th, 2007 at 7:40 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Running & Training, Track & Field, Olympics, Training Tips, 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 81 of The Final Sprint Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my interview with PETE REA: a former University of Connecticut stand-out and head coach of the ZAP Fitness Elite Athlete Program.

Rea’s been with ZAP, a non-profit training center for post-collegiate, Olympic hopeful distance runners, since its inception in 2002 and has helped 10 ZAP Fitness athletes to Olympic Trials qualifying times at distances from 1500 meters to the marathon.

In the interview Pete talks about the strides made by ZAP athletes and lessons they’ve learned over the past year, which of his athletes, like Joe Driscoll, are on the cusp of reaching the next level, the role of post-collegiate running groups in the recent U.S. distance running “revival”, a comparison of ZAP to other groups like Hanson-Brooks and Team USA Minnesota

Download the podcast to hear Pete discuss these topics, as well as, how he got into coaching, his coaching philosophies (including an explanation of periodization and his individualized and Lyrdiard-oriented approach), his own running/coaching heroes, advice for young athletes and their coaches, 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: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Pete Rea
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File Size: 14.1 MB | Length: 20:31 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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FINISH STRONG with TFS’s collection of famous quotes!

Posted September 14th, 2007 at 7:06 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes, Special Features, Famous Quotes

From Jesse Owens to Dr. George Sheehan … from Steve Prefontaine to Sir Roger Banister … from ancient philosophers to runners just like you …

The Final Sprint has accumulated the most comprehensive anthology of motivational quotes to help you FINISH STRONG!

Pick out your favorites and read them before a big race or even choose one as your training credo!

Have one you want us to add?

No problem; just send an email to thefinalsprint@gmail.com!

Start Here . . . Finish Strong!
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Cross-Country Season is Nearly Upon Us

Posted August 11th, 2007 at 11:26 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Running & Training, Motivation, Books, Cross Country, Training Tips

With all of the triple-digit thermometer readings all over the country this week, it’s hard to believe that Cross-Country season is right around the corner. If you haven’t been building your base all summer, it might be too late for you to challenge the best runners in your area for the lead in those upcoming early-season races (they’ve been at it all summer long); but – as long as you begin training immediately – it might not be too late for you to be competitive in those end-of-season district races.

If you need some training tips and inspiration, perhaps the best book ever written about high school cross country – not only for coaches, but for runners and fans, too – is Coaching Cross Country Successfully by Joe Newton with Joe Henderson. Newton is a legendary cross country coach from Elmhurst, Illinois, where he led the long green line from York High School to 20 national and 25 state cross country titles. Whether you’re a middle school or high school coach or runner, this book is the blueprint for coaching, and running on, a winning cross country team.

For more information about Coach Newton: [Sports Illustrated]

You can buy the book here: [Amazon]

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Accustomed to winning, University of Wisconsin may be on the verge of losing Schumacher

Posted August 6th, 2007 at 11:05 AM by Jessica Galvano

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

The University of Wisconsin has long been reputed as a cross country powerhouse. Much of the Badger’s athletic distinction is owed to head coach and former All-American, Jerry Schumacher. Once a celebrated distance runner at UW, Schumacher’s now off-the-course contribution has garnered further successes for his alma mater. With five consecutive years of nationally acclaimed cross country and a 2005 NCAA title, the UW dynasty could now be in jeopardy of possible defeat: losing Schumacher.

Recently, the University of California has offered Schumacher the opportunity to replace Chris Huffins as director of the University’s track and cross country programs. A move to California, while not entirely devastating to a solid Wisconsin team, would nonetheless, negate the momentum Schumacher has brought to UW during his nine years as head coach.
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