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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

TFS Running Podcast 139: Gatorade XC Runner of the Year CHRIS DERRICK

Posted May 1st, 2008 at 1:30 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, High School

On Episode 139 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, I had the pleasure of being joined by Chris Derrick of Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois.

In January Derrick was named the 2007-2008 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. He also finished second behind TFS Elite Athlete Blogger Michael Fout at the national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships and most recently ran the fastest 5k ever (13:55:96) in a high school race at the Arcadia Invitational.

In the interview, Derrick talks about his recent successes and why he’ll head to Stanford this fall instead becoming an Illini. Download the podcast to hear Derrick discuss these topics, as well as, whether the current crop of elite high school runners (Derrick, Fout, Puskedra, Lowe, Fernandez, etc) could match the level of success already achieved by Hall, Webb, and Ritz, his answers to our new “Rapid Fire Questions” segment, and much more!

TO DOWNLOAD: Right click here and select “Save As”

Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Chris Derrick
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 13.6 MB | Length: 00:19:56

Episode Sponsored By: U.S. Army Special Forces

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U.S. Army Special Forces.
Visit goarmy.com/specialforces.

There’s strong and then there’s Army Strong.

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Ray Crothers Remembered

Posted March 5th, 2008 at 10:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

Ray Crothers, who won the Manchester Road Race in 1965, passed away last Thursday from melanoma. He was 65.

Crothers not only won Manchester, but was a category winner at the high school level and the masters level. Amby Burfoot, who won Manchester nine times, has posted a remembrance of Crothers on his blog at this link:

http://footloose.runnersworld.com/2008/02/ray-graduated-f.html

It’s a good read on a man worth remembering.
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VIDEO: High Schooler Crawls to Cross Country Finish Line After Breaking Leg

Posted November 16th, 2007 at 10:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, High School

A high schooler in Ohio, Claire Markwardt, sustained multiple broken bones in her leg in the final few meters of the Ohio State cross country meet two weeks ago. Not to let down her team, she crawled to the finish line.

Read the incredible story at ESPN.com and/or watch the video below.

WARNING: Please be advised that the video accompanying this story of Claire Markwardt’s fall might be unsettling for some viewers.

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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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