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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Kastor Looking Forward to Another Race in Boston

Posted October 10th, 2007 at 10:29 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Less than a day after winning the 2007 U.S. 10-K championships at the Tufts Health Plan 10-K, on Monday, Oct. 8, Deena Kastor was up for a Tuesday-morning run on a similar course, the criterium loop which will host the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials - Women’s Marathon next April. The Trials course will feature four laps of a circuit which criss-crosses the Charles River between Boston’s Back Bay and Memorial Drive in Cambridge, sharing large sections with the Tufts course.

Kastor and her coach, Terence Mahon, said the course tour was the second of two reasons to come to Boston this weekend, the first being the opportunity to race hard on the course during the 10-K on Monday. Kastor won that race easily in 32:01, and admitted that it also represented an opportunity to “redeem myself” after a disappointing race at the Boston Marathon in April.

The 2007 Boston Marathon has framed Kastor’s approach to the Olympic Trials as well. “Boston taught me not to believe in favorites,” Kastor said on a conference call with reporters today. “Anything can happen over the marathon distance.”
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Deena Kastor tours U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women’s Marathon course

Posted October 9th, 2007 at 5:41 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Following her first tour of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women’s Marathon course, Deena Kastor spoke with reporters via teleconference from the Boston Athletic Association’s office. Kastor, along with her coach Terrence Mahon, was guided on a running tour of the Olympic Trials course on Tuesday morning. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women’s Marathon is scheduled for April 20, 2008, the day before the 112th Boston Marathon.

Kastor, who was the runner-up in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women’s Marathon, captured the bronze medal in the marathon at the Athens Olympic Games and is the American record holder in the marathon (2:19:26).

“It looks like a wonderful course for the women toeing the line next April,” Kastor told reporters following her run. “I think the criterium [multi-loop] course allows the crowds to see things changing and evolving over the course of the race, which is exciting. It makes the crowd more involved.” She also saw a benefit for the runners: “To be able to see your competition at all times [on the course’s long straightaways] is great for all of the athletes.”
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Podcast 85: SARA HALL on the Fifth Ave Mile, Olympics, parenthood, faith and more!

Posted October 1st, 2007 at 4:37 PM by Adam Jacobs

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

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years BR Sportswear is closing out their line of high -quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

Episode 85 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast features my interview with SARA HALL.

Hall capped off her 2007 running campaign with a third place finish at the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile and heads into the off-season with hopes of an Olympic bid – for both herself and her husband Ryan.

In the interview Sara talks about the Fifth Avenue Mile, racing in Europe, bouncing back from the disappointment of missing the U.S. World Championship team by less than a second and being inspired by Ryan’s breakthrough year.

Download the podcast to hear Sara discuss these topics, as well as, her NCAA career, how the recent birth of Dathan Ritzenhein’s first child has affected her own thoughts of parenthood and plans to adopt a child, the newest addition to the Hall family (a miniature Siberian Husky named Kyla), the importance of faith in her life & career, and much more!

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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Sara Hall
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File Size: 9.03 MB | Length: 13:09 MIN

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

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New ‘Chasing Glory’ Pre-Marathon Trials Video

Posted September 20th, 2007 at 5:07 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

As part of the New York Road Runners’ unprecedented promotional and media build-up to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon race on Saturday, November 3, “Chasing Glory,” a seven-week series of web videos offering exclusive athlete and coach interviews and insight will premiere today on the NYRR website, it was announced by NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.

Leading Olympic Trials contenders Dathan Ritzenhein, Abdi Abdirahman, Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflezighi, Brian Sell, and Ryan Hall, along with top coaches Brad Hudson, Keith and Kevin Hanson, and Terrence Mahon will be among those featured in the weekly videos. Other segments will highlight behind-the-scenes footage of the challenging Olympic Trials course in Central Park, facts and figures about the race, and a glimpse of how the USA’s runners compare with those of the rest of the world.

The five- to seven-minute videos will be launched every Tuesday and Thursday from September 17 to October 26. The videos are produced by videographer Matt Taylor, whose other credits include “Chasing Kimbia” and “Chasing Tradition.” The videos will be supplemented by three text-based commentaries each week, written in conjunction with television analyst Toni Reavis.
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Podcast 77: 2004 Olympian DAN BROWNE on his third 20km U.S. title and more!

Posted September 10th, 2007 at 3:30 PM by Adam Jacobs

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

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

Episode 77 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with DAN BROWNE, a 2004 Olympian, on earning his third 20km U.S. title.

In the interview, Dan discusses his championship performance, why experience will be key at the Nov. 3rd U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials, and his recent decision to leave Alberto Salazar to run in Mammouth Lakes with Coach Larsen, Deena, Ryan, Meb and the rest of Team Running USA

Download the podcast to hear Dan discuss these topics, as well as, the role of faith in his athletic career, his thoughts on triple-jump superstar Jonathan Edward’s renunciation of faith, why an “attitude change” has been the most significant factor in the U.S. distance running revival, and how being a member of the U.S. military affects his opinion of Oscar Pistorius and amputee runners competing against able-bodied athletes.

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

[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Dan Browne
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File Size: 10.1 MB | Length: 14:45 MIN

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

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