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TFS News Briefs: 11/28/07

Posted November 28th, 2007 at 1:04 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, TFS News Briefs

Hayward Field Track “Fastest in the world”
Hayward Field, the site of next year’s Olympic Track & Field Trials, has a new track surface, one that has been “designed to be the fastest track surface in the world.” Some specs of the new Benyon BSS 2000 surface: “It features maximum return of energy and superior shock absorption, courtesy of a bio-engineered force reduction layer of butyl rubber and full-depth color polyurethane, which allows for daily training without stress injuries. The track is finished with a custom-made surface consisting of embedded Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) granules, which allow for advanced traction.”
Read more at: [Product Design & Development]

Mysteries of Trail and Track Etiquette Revealed
An article in the Tallahassee Democrat (FL) reveals some of the mysteries of track and trail etiquette. Apparently, running newbies have not learned some of the basics, such as jogging in the outside lanes so that faster runners can have the inside lanes for interval training. If you are new to running, this is a good primer. Read more at: [Tallahassee Democrat]

Excerpt from Again to Carthage, John L. Parker’s sequel to Once a Runner
Runner’s World is featuring an excerpt from Again to Carthage, the long-awaited (29 years) sequel to the classic track and field novel by John L. Parker, Jr., Once a Runner. Again to Carthage is now available in bookstores. Read more at: [Runner’s World 1][Runner’s World 2]
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TFS News Briefs: 9/30/2007

Posted September 30th, 2007 at 7:40 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field

Gay Wins, Powell Injures Hamstring in Yokohama
Tyson Gay ended his season strongly by finishing 1st in the 100m in a steady rain at the Super Track and Field Meet in Yokohama, Japan Sunday. In the same meet Asafa Powell pulled a hamstring muscle while running the turn of the 200m. Tyler Christopher of Canada went on to win that race. Read more at: [The Canadian Press]

Cross-Country: Oregon Upsets Wisconsin at Bill Dellinger Invitational
Number three Oregon pulled off an upset victory over number one Wisconsin in the men’s race at the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Eugene, OR on Saturday. The Badgers were outscored by the Ducks 54 to 73 points. Read more at: [UWBadgers]

Tergat Salutes Gebrselassie’s World-Record Run
Kenyan Paul Tergat, upon hearing that Haile Gebrselassie had beaten his four-year old marathon world record of 2:04:55 by running a time of 2:04:26 at the Berlin Marathon, said, “There is no better person to break the record than Gebreselassie… He has been hunting for it for a long time and had been successful. Now that he has done it I salute him.” Tergat will be running in Fukuoka this December. Read more at: [SuperAthletics]
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New Post by Once A Runner Author John L. Parker, Jr.

Posted September 24th, 2007 at 8:12 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Motivation, Success Stories, Track & Field

John L. Parker, Jr., the acclaimed author of the cult-favorite track & field novel Once a Runner who recently suffered a life-threatening “severe cardiac event,” has finally recovered enough to actually be able to post a note on his CaringBridge website. After all these days of uncertainty, I’m sure he won’t mind if I post it in its entirety for the running community to read:

Hi everyone. This is a quick note from the actual JP, not a stand-in. I’ll have a lot more to say in coming days about this long strange journey I’ve been on, but I just wanted to pop on quickly to thank everyone who has commented on this web page or sent good wishes, prayers, or (what we used to call in the 60’s) good vibrations my way. I have read every single comment and many brought actual tears to my eyes.

Novelists try very hard to make hard fast connections with their readers and I have been aware over the years from the occasional note, letter or email that I had at least partially succeeded with *Once a Runner* years ago. But the comments and good wishes from readers on this web page and elsewhere have been just plain humbling.

Thanks to my brother Jerry, and my wonderful Catherine, for everything. In “everything,” I include–literally–my life.

Of all the notes on his guestbook, perhaps the most intriguing one was signed today by none other than the legendary Olympic gold medalist (and former Florida Track Club teammate) Frank Shorter. To read the note from Shorter and stay informed of the latest great news regarding JP’s continued recovery, you can visit his website: [CaringBridge]

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On the Road & Around the Track:
TFS News Briefs 9/20/07

Posted September 20th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, TFS News Briefs

World Athletics Final Middle- and Long-Distance Preview
In the latest WAF preview there are speculations about who will run the middle- and long-distance events this late in the season and why they will do it. Runners to watch (men): Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (800m), Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (1500m), Craig Mottram (3000m), Paul Kipsiele Koech (3000m SC), Sileshi Sihine (5000m). Women: Janeth Jepkosgei (800m), Maryam Yusuf Jamal and Yelena Soboleva (1500m), Yekaterina Volkova (3000m SC), Meseret Defar (pictured at right, 5000m). Also, an explanation of the WAF points system and the current standings. Read more at: [IAAF WAF2007]

World Marathon Majors Conference Call with Race Directors
Race Directors Dave Bedford (London), Carey Pinkowski (Chicago), Mark Milde (Berlin), Mary Wittenberg (New York City) and Guy Morse (Boston) talk about a range of questions regarding their races and the sport in general. Read the complete transcript at: [Track & Field News]
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Sequel to Cult Classic Novel Once a Runner Due Out Soon

Posted September 13th, 2007 at 2:22 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

John L. Parker, author of the cult classic track & field novel Once a Runner, remains in serious condition at Brigham & Womens Hospital, Boston, MA after suffering “a severe cardiac event.” He is showing signs of improvement, however, and his family has posted some news about Again To Carthage, his sequel to Once a Runner, the cult classic novel about a world-class miler, on the family’s illness connection website:

There is one pretty consistent request regarding the long awaited sequel… When? Answer… Soon. I will try to get an estimated release date and post it here. I can tell you that I have read most of it, a random chapter at a time and completely out of order, so don’t look for any spoilers from me. The wait will be worth it.

Read more, send donations and your best wishes here: [Caring Bridge]

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On the Road & Around the Track:TFS News Briefs 9/13/07

Posted September 13th, 2007 at 1:29 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, TFS News Briefs

U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon Just Got “Officially” Interesting
The leading contenders in the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon on November 3rd, 2007 have officially entered the race. Dan Browne (unattached / Nike), Ryan Hall (unattached), Abdi Abdirahman (unattached / Nike), Meb Keflezighi (unattached / Nike) and Alan Culpepper (unattached / Nike) are among the entrants. You can see the entry list at: [USATF]. Also, please vote for who you think is the favorite to qualify by voting in TheFinalSprint.com’s poll in the column to the right (Below the RSS Feeds)!

Wariner: Sub 43 in 2007?
Jeremy Wariner will continue chasing his dream of becoming the first human to run a sub 43 400m Dash this Sunday in Berlin. He is also scheduled to compete in Warsaw, Poland and Shanghai, China later this month. Read more at: [IAAF Golden League] and [JeremyWariner.com]

Marathoner Jenny Crain Remains in Critical Condition
Jenny Crain remains hospitalized and in critical condition after being hit by a car while training in Milwaukee on 8/21/2007. You can contribute to her Make It Happen recovery fund and read more at: [Make It Happen] [The Register-Guard]

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