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Organizers Hope for World Record at RAK Half
Posted January 3rd, 2009 at 9:06 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Organizers of the third edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Half-Marathon, scheduled for Feb. 20 in the United Arab Emirates, hope to take back the world record set two years ago by Olympic Marathon gold medalist Samuel Wanjiru when he stormed to victory in the first edition of the race in 58:53. It’s a tall order, but organizers have recruited 13 men who have broken the one-hour barrier –ten from Kenya, two from Ethiopia and one from Tanzania– so it is certainly possible.
Back in the first edition of the race in 2007, Wanjiru’s performance surpassed Haile Gebrselassie’s previous IAAF-ratified mark of 58:55 set in the Arizona desert the year before. Some five weeks later, Wanjiru lowered his own world record in Den Haag to 58:33, which remains the fastest time ever.
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Industry and Events News Wrap-Up
Posted November 19th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics, Road Racing
CLAY, BROWN TRAFTON WIN 2008 JESSE OWENS AWARDS:
Olympic gold medalists Bryan Clay (decathlon) and Stephanie Brown Trafton (discus) on Tuesday were named winners of the 2008 Jesse Owens Award by USA Track & Field. Established in 1981, the Jesse Owens Award is USA Track & Field’s highest accolade, presented annually to the outstanding U.S. male and female track and field performers. Clay was the favorite to win Olympic gold, while Brown Trafton’s medal was one of the biggest surprises in Beijing. “All of us at USA Track & Field take great pride in saluting Bryan and Stephanie for their accomplishments during the 2008 season,” said USATF CEO Doug Logan.
IAAF WORLD ATHLETICS GALA TO BE STREAMED
LIVE ON IAAF.ORG:
For the first time in the history of the annual World Athletics Gala, the show will be shown via a video stream on the IAAF website, as well as the live worldwide TV broadcast. The event, which includes the announcements of the Male and the Female World Athlete of the Year 2008, will be hosted on Sunday 23 November at the Salle des Etoiles of the Sporting Club d’Eté, Monte-Carlo by International Athletic Foundation (IAF) Honorary President HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and IAF & IAAF President Lamine Diack. More details available at IAAF.org.
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Tola, Masai Win Falmouth Road Race; Keflezighi Finishes 2nd With Strong Performance
Posted August 10th, 2008 at 4:07 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Road Racing
The first time was a charm for both the men’s and women’s winners of the 2008 CIGNA Falmouth Road Race. In addition, this year marked the first time that a Masters runner topped the women’s field, following her wins in consecutive weekends at the Bix 7-Mile in Davenport, Iowa and the Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Edith Masai, age 41, of Kenya crossed the finish line in 37:02 followed by Lyudmila Bitkasheva, age 34, of Russia three seconds later in 37:05.
On the men’s side, Tadese Tola, age 20, finished in 32:01, which broke the nine-year Kenyan winning streak and marked the first win by an Ethiopian. The 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist Mebrahtom “Meb” Keflezghi, 33, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. finished second in 32:09. That time bettered his 2007 Falmouth second place finish by four seconds. Boaz Cheboiywo of Kenya placed third in 32:12. Both winning times were off the course records of 31:08 set by Gilbert Okari in 2004 and 35:02 set Lornah Kiplagat in 2000.
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Edith Masai To Highlight Singapore Marathon
Posted December 1st, 2007 at 10:48 PM by Jeanie Rebb
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Running royalty comes to the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon this Sunday (December 2), in the person of Edith Masai of Kenya. A former 800 metres runner, Masai was a late developer in distance racing, winning her three world cross country titles and a world champs bronze on the track in the early years of the new century, when well into her thirties.
She only made her marathon debut two years ago, with victory in Hamburg in 2.27.06, and finished a highly creditable eighth in the recent World Championships in Osaka in August. At age 40!
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Japanese Medal Hopes Riding With Women Marathoners
Posted September 1st, 2007 at 4:00 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage
Tomorrow morning’s women’s marathon will be the last opportunity for the Japanese team to win a medal at these 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics which draw to their conclusion tomorrow night. It was in Gothenburg in 1995 when the Japanese were last shut out of the medals, and in only two world championships have the home team not put at least one athlete on the medal stand: the Swedes in Gothenburg in 1995 and the Canadians in Edmonton in 2001.
No team has been more successful in the history of the IAAF World Championships women’s marathon than the Japanese. Of the 30 medals which have been distributed in the ten previous editions, Japan has won eight, double their nearest rival, Romania. In addition, they have won four of the last five World Cup team competitions which were first integrated with the World Championships in Athens in 1997. In Helsinki in 2005, the Japanese lost the Cup to the Kenyans by four minutes and are anxious to take it back.
Leading the Japanese will be veteran Reiko Tosa (pictured), the 31 year-old silver medalist from Edmonton in 2001 who boasts a 2:22:46 personal best. Tosa prepared for these championships in Kunming, China, according to a report in the DAILY YOMIURI newspaper.
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Splendid World Masters 10,000m Record for Masai
Posted July 22nd, 2007 at 12:48 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results
The ever-durable Edith Masai, who turned 40 on April 4, not only won a silver medal at Saturday’s African Games 10,000m, but she smashed the world masters record for the distance by more than 40 seconds.
Masai, of Kenya, clocked 31:31.18 to finish second behind Ethiopia’s Mestawot Tufa (31:26.05). Her mark blew away Frenchwoman Nicole Leveque’s previous W40 record of 32:12.07 set in Helsinki in 1994. Leveque set her mark at age 43; the previous best mark by a 40 year-old was 32:18.03 by Anne Keenan Buckley of Ireland set in Camaiore, Italy, in 2002, which Masai also surpassed.
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Fast times at Berlin Half
Posted April 1st, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Bob Ramsak
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Patrick Makau of Kenya and Benita Johnson of Australia won today’s 27th Vattenfall Berliner Halbmarathon (Berlin Half-Marathon) in fast times.
Makau, who ran 59:13 at Ras al Khaimah last February, became the third man to break the 59 minute barrier on a record-standard course, breaking the tape at Berlin in 58:56, a course record. It was also the fastest-ever half-marathon run on German soil. His was the fastest half-marathon which was not a world record.
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Johnson to face Masai at Berlin Half-Marathon
Posted March 23rd, 2007 at 3:59 AM by Jamal Walker
Section: News & Results, Marathons
The Vattenfall Berliner Halbmarathon (Berlin Half-Marathon), scheduled for Sunday, April 1, will feature a clash between defending champion and course record holder, Edith Masai of Kenya, and multiple national record holder, Benita Johnson of Australia.
Masai clocked 1:07:16 at last year’s race, the fastest half-marathon run in the world last year by a woman. Johnson’s personal best is 1:07:55 which she set when she won the Great North Run in 2004.
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Who was America's most-valuable male runner in 2008?
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On January 9, 2009
Vry Disgusted said:
Why are you flogging this junk? What will be next - first we have flavored water - now jazzed...