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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Strong Group of Americans Headed to ING NYCM

Posted October 3rd, 2008 at 9:57 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

A strong group of American athletes will see how they stack up against some of the world’s best runners when the line up for the 38th edition of the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 2. Their burden is great as no American has crossed the finish line first here since 1982, but this is a determined group.

“Everybody knows that New York is the race to run in the fall,” said three-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman of Tucson, Ariz., in a statement. “I know the competition will be really tough, but I’m going there to try to win it. That’s how I always run.”

Abdirahman, who has a marathon personal best of 2:08:56 set in Chicago in 2006, will be running New York for the third time. He finished a disappointing 14th in his marathon debut here in 2004 when his Achilles tendon ruptured around the 20 mile mark. Like a racing car with a flat tire, he limped to the finish line in 2:17:09. Undeterred, he came back the following year and set a then personal best 2:11:34 to finish fifth. Abdirahman ran the Olympic Trials marathon here last November but dropped out.
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Star-Studded Meet At Stanford Tomorrow Night

Posted May 4th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Just 18 miles north of this San Jose suburb, one of the most important meets for distance runners held in the United States will take place at Stanford University. Packed with talent, the Peyton Jordan Cardinal Invitational turns the running industry on its head: top stars actually pay entry fees to compete and there are no appearance fees or cash prizes.

So what’s the draw? Perfect weather for achieving all-important Olympic Games qualifying times. When the sun sets at this time of year in Palo Alto, the winds calm down and the temperature drops, becoming comfortably cool. There is already very low humidity.

The key races are the top sections of the men’s and women’s 5000m and 10,000m, led by double world champion Bernard Lagat. Although he won the world titles last summer at both the 1500m and the 5000m, he doesn’t have an Olympic Games “A” standard time in the longer distance: 13:21.50. Working with other coaches, managers and the New York Road Runners, the men’s 5-K will be set-up by pacemaker Christian Hesch for a 13:10 to 13:20 finish time.
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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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Overcast Skies, Chance of Rain for U.S. 8k Champs in NYC

Posted March 15th, 2008 at 8:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results

Weather.com is forecasting cloudy skies, temperatures around 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and 15mph winds for this morning’s 9am start time of the Central Park Challenge in New York City.

Hosted by the New York Road Runners (NYRR’s), the event includes the U.S. Men’s 8k Championship and a separate Invitational Women’s Race.

The top entrants in the men’s national championship are Alan Webb, who will be making his season debut, Jorge Torres, James Carney, Andrew Carlson, and Fasil Bizuneh. Shalane Flanagan comes in as the favorite for the women’s contest, but will face challenges from notables such as Team USA Minnesota’s Katie McGregor and Carrie Tollefson.

A total prize purse of $70,000 will be on the line, with $10,000 going to each race winner.

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Torres, Webb lead field for USA Men’s 8 km Champs

Posted March 14th, 2008 at 12:30 PM by Jamal Walker

Section: News & Results

2005 8 km champion Jorge Torres (Boulder, Colo.) and American Record holder for the mile Alan Webb [Pictured] (Reston, Va.) lead the field for the USA Men’s 8 km Championship in New York’s Central Park this Saturday. This year’s championships, hosted by the New York Road Runners (NYRR) as part of the Central Park Challenge, will see a field of more than 50 U.S. men.

Torres, the 2006 champion at 10,000 meters, will use the 8 km as a final tune-up for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships two weeks later in Edinburgh, Scotland. While Webb will use his second “serious” road-race longer than a mile as he finalizes his base training phase in preparation to make the U.S. Olympic squad for 1,500 meters in Beijing this August.
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Ritz, Abdi & Torres To Test Webb in Central Park Challenge

Posted February 21st, 2008 at 10:17 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Road Racing

Alan Webb, who hasn’t competed since winning the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile last September, will need to be extra sharp for his season opener on March 15, when he’ll face a legion tough competitors at the Central Park Challenge, the New York Road Runners event which is hosting the U.S. Men’s 8-K Championship.

It will be Webb’s old high school rival, Dathan Ritzenhein (Pictured) of Eugene, Ore., who will be leading the charge. Fresh off of his commanding 12-K victory at the U.S. Cross Country Championships last Saturday, “Ritz” is hoping to improve on his lifetime record of 5-2 over Webb.

The athletes first faced each other at the Foot Locker National High School Cross Country Championships in Orlando, Fla., in December, 2001 (Ritzenhein won and Webb was 8th), and their last meeting was at last year’s Prefontaine Classic over two miles (Ritzenhein was 4th in 8:11.74, Webb 9th in 8:23.97).
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TFS Podcast 123: 2008 USA Half-Marathon Champion James Carney

Posted January 31st, 2008 at 10:50 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode 123 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with 2008 USA Half-Marathon Champion James Carney. In his half-marathon racing debut, the 10,000m Olympic hopeful held off a competitive field and earned the U.S. title with a winning time of 1:02:21.

In the interview, Carney talks about his bold, and ultimately successful strategy of taking out the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon right from the first mile and why he would choose such a strategy in his first 13.1 mile race. He also talks about the “frustration” of his 2:16:54 performance at the US Olympic Marathon Trials, another debut, his plans to run the 10,0000m in Eugene, what it will take to earn a spot on Team USA, and the competitors that may pose the greatest threat to his Olympic dreams.

Download the podcast to hear Carney discuss what he believes will ultimately be his best event by the end of his running career, being perceived as a perennial “underdog”, and much more!

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

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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: James Carney
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 15.9 MB | Length: 23:11 MIN

Episode Sponsored By: Nike +

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Carney and O’Neill Win First USA Titles at Aramco Houston Half-Marathon

Posted January 13th, 2008 at 1:42 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

James Carney and Kate O’Neill (Pictured) got their 2008 racing campaigns off to a flying start by winning their first-ever USA titles at today’s Aramco Houston Half-Marathon here.

Carney, from Boulder, Colo., ran boldly for a man who had never run a half-marathon before. He launched to the lead through the first mile, and by the four-mile mark only Jason Lehmkule and Ryan Kirkpatrick were able to hang on to Carney’s pace.

“I decided to take it out hard and hold on as long as I can,” said Carney just after crossing the finish line and being presented with a massive silver belt buckle. He added: “If I blow up, I blow up.”
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USA Half-Marathon Titles
Up for Grabs in Houston

Posted January 13th, 2008 at 8:30 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

With deep fields but no clear favorites, Sunday’s USA Half-Marathon Championships hosted by the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon look to be wide open races. Most athletes are only in the base phase of their training cycles, either recovering from, or in the early stages of preparing for, important marathons. Expectations amongst the top entrants are modest, despite the $12,000 winner’s purse.

“I was in the same boat last year at this time,” said defending women’s champion Elva Dryer in a telephone interview last night from Houston. Prior to last year’s championship, Dryer was just restarting her training after running the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in October.

This year, she’s had even less recovery time after placing sixth at the ING New York City Marathon last November. However, Houston offers her a good chance to see where her training stands for April’s USA Olympic Team Trials - Women’s Marathon in Boston. A two-time Olympian at 10,000m, Dryer has an excellent shot of qualifying for her first Olympic marathon.
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