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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

Complete Elite Fields for NYC Half-Marathon

Posted July 24th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Road Racing

The New York Road Runners (NYRR) have announced the complete, wlite fields for this Sunday’s NYC Half-Marathon Presented by Nike. TheFinalSprint.com will be at the race to provide live updates, press conference videos, interviews and more!

Bib First Last City State Nat. Affiliation DOB Age PB

MEN

2 Patrick Makau N’gong KEN adidas 02-Mar-85 23 58:56
3 Dathan Ritzenhein Eugene OR USA NIKE 30-Dec-82 25 1:01:25
4 Hendrick Ramaala Johannesburg RSA adidas 02-Feb-72 36 59:20
5 William Kipsang Eldoret KEN NIKE 01-Jan-77 31 1:00:25
6 Felix Limo Eldoret KEN adidas 22-Aug-80 27 1:01:12
7 Tadesse Tola ETH NIKE 31-Oct-87 20 1:01:37
8 Khalid El Boumlili MAR NIKE 10-Apr-78 30 1:01:12
9 Adam Goucher Portland OR USA NIKE 19-Feb-76 32 1:03:17
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Torres, Flanagan Victorious at Central Park Challenge

Posted March 15th, 2008 at 12:50 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

At the inaugural Central Park Challenge here today, which incorporated the U.S. Men’s 8-K Championship, Jorge Torres (Pictured) and Shalane Flanagan won their respective races convincingly. But the paths taken to their titles were completely different.

In the men’s race, all eyes were on U.S. mile record holder, Alan Webb, running in only his fourth professional road race and his first race of 2008. Webb was on the lead with Christian Hesch at the first mile (4:36), and was right behind Andrew Carlson at the two mile mark (9:05). Carlson began to push the pace in the third mile (13:37), but Webb and Christian Hesch surged through the 5-K mark (14:10) where primes were awarded for the top-3 men (Webb was first with Hesch just behind).
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Jorge Torres Edges Andrew Carlson for USA Men’s 8K Championship

Posted March 15th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results

Building on a strong, second-place performance at the USA Cross Country Championship, Jorge Torres outlasted Andrew Carlson to win today’s USA 8K Championship in Central Park.

Torres earned the 8K national title with a time of 22:41.2, finishing 0.7 seconds ahead of Team USA Minnesota’s Andrew Carlson (22:41.9). Jason Hartmann (22:48), James Carney (22:52.5), and Fasil Bizuneh (23:02.1) completed the top five.

Alan Webb (23:31.3) finished a disappointing 16th in what was only his fourth professional road race and 2008 racing debut. However, David Monti reports that Webb was sick on Thursday night, probably the result of food poisoning. He and his coach, Scott Raczko, considered scratching him from the race, but Alan decided to start. There is little doubt that it affected his performance today.
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Hall puts on stunning display, Wins Olympic Trials in men’s marathon

Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 3:27 PM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

All the chatter about the resurgence of American distance running came to fruition in powerful fashion Saturday, with Ryan Hall leading Dathan Ritzenhein and Brian Sell onto the 2008 Olympic Team. Competing at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon in Central Park, Hall tamed what had been thought of as a slow and very difficult course, breaking the Olympic Trials record with his winning time of 2:09:02. Ritzenhein was second in a personal-best time of 2:11:06, with Sell third in 2:11:40.

A 25-year-old Californian, Hall has been looked to as a future star since he was a national cross country champion in high school, and in 2007 he broke the American record in the half-marathon (59:43) and posted the fastest American debut marathon in history in placing eighth at the Flora London Marathon (2:08:24).

But Hall on Saturday served notice to the world that he is not just a star of American distance running, he has the capacity to be a major player on the global scene. After leisurely opening miles in which the main pack came through 2 miles in 11:00, the pack finally caught up with earlier leader Michael Wardian at 7 miles, after a 5:19 mile split. From that point on, however, the hammer was down, and Hall made it look frighteningly easy.
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Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
FASIL BIZUNEH

Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 3:30 AM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

He had already met the “A” standard time to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon. But Fasil Bizuneh was not satisfied with his performance in either of his two previous marathons. So the four-time All-American at Arizona State changed his training regimen—dramatically—in the months before the November 3 race in Central Park.

Bizuneh decided to prepare for the Trials the KIMbia way. At the suggestion of journalist and videographer Matt Taylor, Bizuneh moved to Boulder, Colorado, to begin training with the accomplished Kenyan athletes from KIMbia—runners like Stephen “Baba” Kiogora, the runner-up at the ING New York City Marathon 2006.

Bizuneh, 27, has immersed himself in the KIMbia regimen …

To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the New York Road Runners, please click here

For more details, background and interviews:

• Runner’s World “Brief Chat”
• EliteRunning.com Interview
• Runner’s World Article

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Video: Preview the Highly-Anticipated Third Season of chasingKIMbia

Posted September 20th, 2007 at 6:30 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

40K at Magnolia. Ugali and Chicken. Table Mountain. CNN and Fox News. Trips to Wal*Mart. Yep, it’s that time of year again. Welcome to Season Three of chasingKIMBIA; a video blogumentary detailing the lifestyle and training of some of the world’s best marathoners.

The Chicago and New York City Marathons are fast approaching, and the athletes have been getting fast. Season Three kicks off next Monday from Boulder. You’ll meet some new athletes this season, like Christopher Cheboiboch, who has a PR of 2:08 and has finished second in both New York and Boston. You’ll also see some old faces, like Baba (New York) and James Koskei (Chicago).

But the biggest change this year will be the addition of an American to the group. Fasil Bizuneh is an up-and-coming American marathoner. His half-marathon PR of 1:02:20 came in the US Championships where he finished second to Ryan Hall, and ahead of Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi and he’s been training with the guys in Boulder since the end of August in preparation for the November 3rd US Olympic Marathon Trials in NYC.

Play the video trailer below for a sneak-peak of chasingKIMBIA’s highly-anticipated third season!

Click To Play

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Abdirahman, Hall lead top field at USA Men’s 10 km Championships

Posted July 2nd, 2007 at 4:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

2007 10,000 meter track champion Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.) leads the men’s field for the USA Men’s 10 km Championship on Wednesday, July 4, in Atlanta. The championships are hosted by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution Peachtree Road Race.

Abdirahman, who won his third track title last week at the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis, will face-off with 2007 USA Half-Marathon Champion and American Record holder Ryan Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.); 2006 USA 25 km champion and American Record holder Fernando Cabada (Bloomington, Ind.), and Brian Sell (Rochester Hills, Mich.), the 2006 USA Half-Marathon champion.
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Martin Lel gets second London title in thrilling sprint finish

Posted April 22nd, 2007 at 7:28 AM by David Monti

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

In a finish reminiscent of the 2003 Flora London Marathon, Kenyan Martin Lel won a four-man sprint on the Mall to take his second title here in 2:07:41. He also won here in 2005.

Making the final righthand bend before the finish line, Lel surged away from defending champion and compatriot, Felix Limo, world champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco, and another Moroccan, Abderrahim Goumri. Goumri was the next best sprinter, finishing second in 2:07:44 in his debut at the distance. Limo finished third in 2:07:47 and Gharib, who did most of the pushing in the final kilometers, was fourth in 2:07:54.

“I corrected the mistake I made last year,” Lel told the BBC, referring to how he lost last year’s race in a two-man sprint against Limo.

Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrselassie dropped out just past the 30-K mark. “I cannot move,” Gebrselassie told the BBC shortly after leaving the course. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

American Ryan Hall made an excellent debut, smashing the USA debut record of 2:09:41 held jointly by Alberto Salazar and Alan Culpepper. Hall finished seventh in 2:08:24, running at the front of the race until falling back in the final kilometers.

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Americans hope to make their mark at London Marathon

Posted April 20th, 2007 at 12:17 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

At Sunday’s talent-packed Flora London Marathon, where world record holders, world champions, and Olympic gold medalists will battle for one of the most prestigious titles in all of distance running, a strong group of American men also hope to make their mark.

Led by the former world record holder, Khalid Khannouchi of Ossining, N.Y., who won this race in 2002 in a then world record of 2:05:38, a group of six U.S. men have been drawn here by the opportunity to run with the world’s best athletes, set personal best times, and perhaps snag a top placing.

“It will definitely be exciting and my preparation has gone very well,” remarked Olympic silver medalist, Meb Keflezighi of San Diego, Calif., who will be making his London debut.

Khannouchi and Keflezighi are joined here by Fasil Bizuneh (Bristol, Tenn.), Joe Driscoll (Blowing Rock, N.C.), Ryan Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.) and Jason Hartman (Boulder, Colo.). Bizuneh (2:18:14), Driscoll (2:18:40) and Hartmann (2:15:50) already have marathons under their belts, while Hall will be making his debut.
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Ryan Hall sets new North American record for the Half-Marathon (59:43)

Posted January 14th, 2007 at 5:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Ryan Hall battled the elements to become at the first North American to ever run a half-marathon in less than one-hour at today’s Aramco Houston Half-Marathon. The half-marathon served as the USA Half-Marathon Championships.

Hall, who is only 24-years old, ran triumphantly against an all-star field to set a new North American half-marathon record with a time of 59 minutes and 43 seconds. [Click here to see video footage of his record-setting performance].

Hall flew past the previous record of 1:00:28 which had been held by German Silva and Dionicio Cerón since 1994. Hall also set a new American record, beating Mark Curp’s 1985 time of 1:00:55.
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