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Lead Stories: Wednesday, October 15, 2008

USATF To Combine Offices with Other Olympic Sports

Posted April 3rd, 2008 at 10:15 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

The yet-to-be-selected CEO to replace Craig Masback at USA Track & Field will be treated to new office space as the U.S. governing body for athletics will be moving out of their offices at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis in advance of its demolition this summer. Moreover, USATF will share space with the U.S. Olympic governing bodies for diving, gymnastics, and synchronized swimming which are also based in Indianapolis. The four organizations will share 32,000 square feet of space at 132 East Washington Street.
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Masback to leave USATF after 10 years of service, will join Nike in Global Business Affairs

Posted January 9th, 2008 at 7:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

USA Track & Field CEO Craig A. Masback is departing USATF after leading the organization for more than 10 years, USATF President Bill Roe announced Wednesday. Masback will become Director of Business Affairs for Nike’s Global Sports Marketing Division and will transition to his new position over coming weeks and months.

In his decade of service as CEO of USATF, Masback has helped oversee the rebirth of the organization. Shortly after taking over as CEO, Masback and USATF established the nationally televised Visa Championship Series and began an Elite Athlete Services Department that revolutionized governing body/athlete relations.

Masback also worked with the organization’s Board of Directors to institute one of the sporting world’s first “Zero Tolerance” anti-doping policies, and vastly expanded the grass-roots services provided by the National Office. Since 1997, Team USA also has steadily seen its medal tally at World Championships and Olympic Games grow from an average of 17-19 to 25 medals or more at the last Olympics and last two World Championships.
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In Between Eugene Will be Des Moines

Posted December 13th, 2007 at 9:54 AM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Eugene, Ore., will host the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2008, and the U.S. Outdoor Championships in 2009 and 2011. In between, USATF announced today, the national championship meet will move to Des Moines, Iowa, home of Drake University and the Drake Relays.

“For several years, we have wanted to bring one of our premiere events to Drake Stadium,” USATF CEO Masback said in a prepared statement. “The Drake Relays is truly a community event with phenomenal fan support, and that community spirit shone through in Des Moines’ bid. We look forward to building a very strong partnership with local organizers for what will be an outstanding 2010 USA Outdoor Championships.”

Drake Stadium will get a $15 million renovation for the championships. “We envisioned that the facility would make Drake and Des Moines the Midwest capital of track and field,” Drake President David Maxwell said. “This event is a huge plus not only for Drake but also Des Moines and Iowa as a whole.”

(c) 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.

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Eugene set to host 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and ‘09, ‘11 Championships

Posted December 13th, 2007 at 7:40 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

USA Track & Field and the U.S. Olympic Committee on Wednesday announced their intent to host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field in Eugene, Oregon, USATF CEO Craig Masback announced Wednesday. The announcement was made at an afternoon press conference on the University of Oregon campus.

Eugene, which next year will host the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field, also will host the 2009 and 2011 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Masback announced.

Site of the 1972, ‘76, ‘80 and 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field and the 1999 and 2001 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field will be the site of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, where the roster for Team USA will be selected for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. In 2009, Team USA will select its roster for the 2009 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Berlin, Germany, and 2011 will see the selection of the American squad for the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Daegu, South Korea.
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Podcast 107: CHRIS LEAR: Author of Running with the Buffaloes [Part 2 of 2]

Posted December 3rd, 2007 at 5:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, Drugs In Sports, College

Episode 107 of The Final Sprint Podcast features the second installment in a two-part series of interviews with CHRIS LEAR, author of the cult-favorite running books Running With the Buffaloes and Sub 4:00: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest Mile. TheFinalSprint.com Assistant Editor Jimmie R. Markham joins us for the interview.

In Part Two, Lear talks about being a “trackie,” a “running geek for life,” and marrying his profession with his favorite sport. He discusses his future goals of getting involved with the business end of the sport of Track & Field, taking on a significant leadership role, perhaps following in the footsteps of Craig A. Masback, President of USATF, the governing body of American Track & Field.

Ethics, both in the sport of Track & Field and in business, is discussed. Lear touches on how collegiate runners tend to have the highest GPA’s of all sports and how they play a unique role in that college graduates – compared to athletes in the third world – have more to lose by doping. He also discusses the unique running heroes he emulated while he was growing up.

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

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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Chris Lear
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 13.5 MB | Length: 19:41 MIN

Episode Sponsored By: Nike +

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Nike Plus will improve the way you run. Get feedback from your iPod on pace, time, distance and calories burned.

Log into Nikeplus.com to track your progress, set goals and challenge friends.

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USATF Convention Opens on an Optimistic Note

Posted November 29th, 2007 at 10:11 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With his books in the black and 26 medals (14 gold) won at last August’s IAAF World Championships in Athletics, USATF CEO Craig Masback was riding high as he strode the podium to give his State of the Sport address at the opening session of the USATF annual convention here.

Reminding the 800+ attendees that their organization was $3,000,000 in debt back in 1997 when he took charge of the Indianapolis-based governing body, Masback said today that his organization was sitting on a significant reserve fund and was “poised to use our power to make a difference.”

Indeed, under Masback’s guidance the United States has minted global stars like Allyson Felix and Tyson Gay, Jeremy Wariner and Sanya Richards, Bernard Lagat and Alan Webb and Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi. He called athletics “the world’s best sport,” and thanked the federation’s members for their hard work and support to make the United States the world’s #1 track team.
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Dathan Ritzenhein Named
Visa Humanitarian Athlete
of the Year

Posted November 27th, 2007 at 7:45 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Two-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein has been named Visa Humanitarian Athlete of the Year by USA Track & Field. Ritzenhein will be honored December 1 at the 2007 Jesse Owens Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony held in conjunction with USA Track & Field’s 2007 Annual Meeting, November 28-December 2, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Ritzenhein, 24, of Eugene, Oregon, earlier this year won the Healthy Kidney 10K in New York on May 19 in 20 minutes 8 seconds, breaking the Central Park course record of 28:10 set by Kenyan Paul Koech in 1997. Following the race Ritzenhein donated his winner’s earnings of $7,500 to the race beneficiary, the National Kidney Foundation. “I made a pact with myself before the race that if I’m fortunate enough to pick up this course record the least I can do is give back the first place prize money seeing as how this is professional athletics, but it’s a race for charity,” said Ritzenhein.
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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

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.

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.

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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Statement from USA Track & Field CEO Craig Masback on Marion Jones’ guilty plea

Posted October 5th, 2007 at 8:05 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Drugs In Sports

The following statement was released just moments agao by USA Track & Field CEO Craig A. Masback regarding Marion Jones’ guilty plea and her admission to using performance enhancing drugs:

“USA Track & Field condemns drug use by any athlete, and we are extremely disappointed in Marion Jones and the lies she has told regarding her use of performance-enhancing substances. Her fellow competitors, teammates and the sport are paying the price for her mistakes, and her admission cannot erase that damage.

The sport of track and field and the Olympic movement continue to make a strong statement in punishing athletes who use drugs, and we have made great progress in that fight in recent years. The lessons of the BALCO scandal still shape how we battle drug use and drug culture, just as our clean athletes continue to set an example for how to win the right way.

We hope all athletes, whether youth athletes, professionals or recreational athletes, heed the lessons from Marion Jones’ experience, and that they make the right decision to compete cleanly and honestly.”

For more on Marion Jones and her decision to finally come clean and admit to doping, please visit: thefinalsprint.com/tag/marion-jones/

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Marion Jones’ Fall From Grace Now Officially Complete

Posted October 4th, 2007 at 8:50 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, Drugs In Sports

Disgraced sprinter Marion Jones, winner of 3 gold and 2 bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has finally acknowledged that she took steroids. In a letter to family and friends she admits to taking, beginning in 1999, a designer drug known as “The Clear” or THG (Tetrahydrogestrinone), a powerful anabolic steroid.

She also, according to a report in the Washington Post, “plans to plead guilty tomorrow in New York to two counts of lying to federal agents about her drug use and an unrelated financial matter.” Jones is still, however, insisting upon using the ignorance defense, claiming that she thought she was taking flaxseed oil, a nutritional supplement, even though she “said she noticed changes in how her body felt and how she was able to recover from workouts.”
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