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Lead Stories: Friday, August 29, 2008

Faces in Races: Abdi, Rupp, Meb highlight Men’s 10000m

Posted July 4th, 2008 at 4:47 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

The men’s 10000m final at the 2008 US Olympic Trials should be a wide-open affair, with several men who could potentially take the title. Leading the way will be Abdi Abdirahman, whose 27:16.98 at the Prefontaine Classic a few weeks ago makes him a slight favorite. He will have to battle with 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi, 2007 USATF 10k national runner-up Galen Rupp, Colorado alum Jorge Torres, and rising stars Josh Rohatinsky and Scotty Bauhs. Dathan Ritzenhein, a 2008 Olympian in the marathon, is also entered in the race but has been focusing on marathon preparation.

As in the other races, the top three finishers in this race who have achieved the A standard will make the US team in the 10000m. The A standard in this event is 27:47:31, which has been achieved by six athletes (Abdi, Rupp, Meb, Torres, Ed Moran, James Carney) in the qualifying window. These six athletes can afford to focus on place while the other competitors must keep an eye on the clock to see their Olympic dreams fulfilled. Below we profile three of the competitors (Abdi, Meb, Rupp) and offer some thoughts on how we think this race will play out.
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Great Line-Ups for Sunday’s adidas Track Classic

Posted May 15th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Organizers have secured great line-ups for Sunday’s adidas Track Classic at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., and that includes the middle and long distance events.

The men’s 1500m is shaping up to the the top event, led by double world champion and two-time Olympic medalist, Bernard Lagat. Commonwealth Games medalists Nick Willis of Australia and Nate Brannen of Canada are also in the field, along with perennial Canadia star Kevin Sullivan and former NCAA ace Lopez Lomong. Nick Symmonds will be moving up from his usual specialty, the 800m, while 5000m man Adam Goucher will be moving down for a speed workout.
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Flanagan & Ritzenhein Dominate U.S. XC Champs

Posted February 16th, 2008 at 8:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

Shalane Flanagan and Dathan Ritzenhein each brought their “A” game to Mission Bay Park here today, running away with their first long-course U.S. Cross Country titles in commanding fashion.

Flanagan, who struggled with the high altitude in Boulder at last year’s championships where she was soundly beaten by Deena Kastor, jumped quickly to a five second lead after 2 km of the 8 km race, and expanded it with each lap. She was unrelenting, pressing all the way to the finish line to win by a whopping 70 seconds in 25:26.

“I had a blast,” said a beaming Flanagan who liked the grass course and the warm conditions. She added: “If we could have venues like this I would be coming every single year.”
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BIGgest Moments from Boston

Posted January 27th, 2008 at 8:09 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, College, High School

The 2008 Reebok Boston Indoor Games featured many exciting events on the track and in the field. As usual the meet attracted many of the world’s finest athletes- Olympic Medalists, World Champions, seasoned vets and rising stars. Each event at the Boston Indoor Games brought thrills to the crowd at the Reggie Lewis Center, but below we give our recaps and rankings (the latter being completely subjective) of the excitement delivered by each event:

1.) Women’s 2 Mile- Defar and Smith shatter previous WR

The Women’s 2 mile was a distance running clinic put on by two of the world’s finest distance runners, Meseret Defar (ETH) and Kim Smith (NZL). Defar’s goal in this race was to break the Women’s Indoor 2 Mile World Record of 9:23.38, set by disgraced American star Regina Jacobs.
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World Catching Up To Kenya in 10,000 Meter Run

Posted November 13th, 2007 at 3:13 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

A look at the top 5 nations in terms of the all-time number of world-class performances run by men in the 10,000m run reveals that a handful of countries, including the United States, are beginning catching up to the Kenyans. The other countries that have seen a resurgence of 10,000 meter running are Ethiopia, whose runners are leading the way in catching up to the Kenyans, Morocco and Uganda. Tanzanian and Eritrean 10,000m running is also beginning to make an impact on the world stage, but not enough to crack the top 5 just yet.

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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:
The Race Has Begun!

Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 7:35 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results

The U.S. Olympic Trials Men’s Marathon has begun! The weather at race time:

46°F
Cloudy
Wind: NE at 12 mph
Humidity: 61%

Event Coverage Sponsored By:
Camelbak - the originator and leader in hands-free hydration.

To learn more Camelbak Elixir, their effective, easy-to-use and portable electrolyte beverage, as well as Camelbak’s running specific hydration systems, please visit www.camelbak.com.

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U.S. Olympic Trials- Men’s Marathon Preview

Posted October 31st, 2007 at 12:15 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons

It’s almost here. After years of preparation and months of carefully tuned training, America’s finest men’s marathoners will toe the line this Saturday in a showdown that will determine the U.S. team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Let’s step back for a minute and think about how big this race is. In most countries the Olympic marathon team is determined by a committee, freeing the elite athletes from the stress of earning their spot but ruling out the underdogs as well. The U.S. Olympic team, however, is chosen through an open trial race where anyone who meets the qualifying standards may enter. Dreams are realized or dashed, careers are made or broken, and thousands of miles are rewarded or second-guessed based on one race. With so much at stake and with the unpredictable nature of the marathon, the Olympic Marathon Trials are one of the largest spectacles in American sports.
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Interview Excerpts: Gilmore, Rohatinsky and Shay on being Marathon Trial “Underdogs”

Posted October 26th, 2007 at 9:50 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews

Earlier this week, the New York Road Runners hosted the final installment in a three part series of teleconferences related to the about the November 2 U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon trials in New York City.

This third teleconference provided the media with an opportunity to speak with NYRR CEO/President Mary Wittenberg and the following professional athletes: Peter Gilmore, Josh Rohatinsky, Ryan Shay

On being referred to as dark horses and training for the Trials:

Ryan: Since winning the USA Marathon title in 2003, my training has had a long period of ups and downs, some changes in coaching and changes in training environment . . .
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U.S. Athletics Championships open tomorrow in Indy

Posted June 19th, 2007 at 9:26 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, arguably one of the best track meets in the world for event-by-event depth, open tomorrow in Indianapolis and will serve as the binding selection meet for the U.S. team for the IAAF World Championships in Osaka in August.

Like last year, the meet will span five days and be held at the Michael A. Carroll Stadium at Indiana University-Purdue University. The top-3 finishers in each event, assuming they have achieved the appropriate IAAF qualifying standard, will be named to the U.S. team.

Also, the U.S. Junior Championships will be held at the same venue over the same dates. Most of the junior events will be held earlier in the day.
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