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: Monday, December 1, 2008

Wins by Jamal, Sinclair the highlights in chilly Lausanne

Posted July 11th, 2007 at 7:55 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Running in chilly conditions that dipped below 50 degrees F (9 C.), Maryam Yusuf Jamal and Jamaican Kenia Sinclair produced the chief highlights at the Athletissima Super Grand Prix in Lausanne tonight.

After a dismal 13th place finish in Paris last Friday, Jamal was clearly trying to illustrate a point 1500. Running before a supportive hometown crowd –the 22-year-old Ethiopian-born Bahraini has been based in Lausanne since fleeing Ethiopia in 2002– Jamal cruised to a front-running victory in 4:03.61. Never seriously challenged –she had a near four second lead at the bell– Jamal easily held off the late race charge of Ukraine’s Iryna Lishchynska (4:04.27) and Russians Olga Yegorova (4:04.64) and two-time world champion Tatyana Tomashova (4:05.48).

U.S. champion Treniere Clement briefly followed Jamal and pacesetter Olga Komyagina’s solid tempo, but paid for it dearly 800 meters into the race. Fading badly over the final lap and a half, she finished 22nd in the 23 woman field.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Athletes Overcome Wind, Rain and Cold at Boston Marathon

Posted April 17th, 2007 at 11:44 AM by David Monti

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

The weather was bad and the times were slow, but the Boston Marathon was nonetheless an exciting race which, for a short time last night, was on the brink of being canceled.

“I’m relieved that it worked out so well,” said Guy Morse, Executive Director of the Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the event. Morse said the high winds, heavy rain and flooding at the starting area in Hopkinton were so severe last night that canceling became a possibility. But the rain tapered throughout the morning and, although conditions were still very windy, wet and cold, the world’s oldest annually contested marathon was able to be run for the 111th time.

CAUTIOUS WOMEN’S RACE DELIVERS EXCITING FINISH

The women’s field was one of the best assembled at Boston, led by defending champion, Rita Jeptoo of Kenya; two-time ING New York City Marathon champion, Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia; and last year’s fastest marathoner, Deena Kastor of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. It was Kastor’s Boston debut and expectations were high.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

111th Boston Marathon: Race start weather conditions

Posted April 16th, 2007 at 9:11 AM by Adam Jacobs

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

Weather conditions remain poor as the wheelchair division prepares to begin and less than an hour remains before the elite men and women start their respective races.

The rain continues to drench the race participants who have done their best to wear waterproof, warm and moisture-wicking apparel. According to Weather.com, the is wind is blowing in from the east at 27MPH and gusting up to 39 MPH. The current temperature is 46 degrees Fahrenheit, but it feels like 37 degrees with the precipitation and wind chill.

Please read the Boston Athletic Association’s weather advisory by clicking here.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Weather Continues to Dominate News at Boston Marathon

Posted April 15th, 2007 at 6:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

The Nor’easter which is currently battering Boston continues to be the talk of tomorrow’s 111th Boston Marathon, a sharp contrast to the hot weather which athletes endured in Rotterdam and Paris today.

The winds and rain which are whipping through Back Bay this evening will continue through the race tomorrow, according to the forecast posted at Weather.com. At the 9:35 a.m. start time for the elite women, the temperature is forecast to be 8°C (46°F) accompanied by heavy rains and winds from the east (against the runners) at 48 KPH (30 MPH).
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Rain Should Not Be a Problem for Chip Timing at Boston

Posted April 14th, 2007 at 1:41 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

The wet, cold and windy weather predicted here for Monday’s 111th Boston Marathon will be a bigger problem for the athletes than for the man responsible for timing them.

Mike Burns, president of ChampionChipUSA/Burns Computer Services of Ann Arbor, Mich., says that even torrential rain won’t be a problem for the ChampionChip transponder timing system.

“Everything works perfectly,” said Burns of the system’s operation in wet weather. “Everything is battery powered, battery driven. Any potential weak links in the electronics are encased in waterproof coverings. It should be fine.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Boston race officials carefully watching grim weather forecasts for Monday

Posted April 12th, 2007 at 3:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Organizers of the Boston Marathon and safety officials in the Greater Boston area are watching the worsening weather forecast for Monday’s Boston Marathon carefully.

According the the National Weather Service, the chance of rain has increased to 70% for Monday, and there is an 80% chance of rain the night before the race. Monday’s rain should be heavy at times, accompanied by cold temperatures and strong winds. The official forecast calls for Monday’s daytime high temperatures to reach Only 45°F (7°C). Winds are predicted to be from the east (against the runners) at 23 MPH (37 KPH).

A statement released by the Boston Athletic Association yesterday said:
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Boston Marathon likely to be cold with showers possible

Posted April 10th, 2007 at 2:56 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Early forecasts indicate that the 111th Boston Marathon, set for Monday, April 16, is likely to be cold and possibly accompanied by rain showers.

According to the website Weather.com, the low temperature for the day will be 38°F (3°C) and the high will be 50°F (10°C). There is also a 30% chance of rain. Because the race now starts earlier in the day (9:35 a.m. for the elite women, 10:00 a.m. for the elite men and the first wave of the mass race, and 10:30 a.m. for the second wave of the mass race), athletes are likely to be running in temperatures well below the predicted high for the day. The race formerly began at noon, but changed to a morning start this year.

In addition, the forecast is calling for rain the night before the race which could slicken the roads from the start in Hopkinton to the finish in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.
Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

‘Tis the season for snowshoeing!

Posted February 14th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Valerie Cerami

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Training Tips, Cross Training

It’s been too dangerous (during this frigid icy spell) to get in most of your outdoor runs. You can always count on the gym (for a treadmill under the air vent), but counting on indoor rubber is like counting sheep.

I miss the fix of fresh air, sans someone sneezing on me. I don’t particularly enjoy the forced eavesdropping of my neighbors cell phone conversation – let alone, the conversation I become a mute-third-party to. I need my daily dose of endorphins pumping, heart pounding, pore and mind opening, oxygen.

And I also enjoy the solitude and brief escape from the electronics that rule the day. During disagreeable weather, there is hope for us all to: get outside – get re-energized – and get a great cross-training hobby - without relying on the boredom of the machines housed in germ-factories of the masses …

What can we die-hard, runners do when it’s snowing?
Simple. Snowshoe.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink