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In Video Message Hall Confirms ING New York City Marathon Run
Posted July 23rd, 2009 at 8:24 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Ryan Hall, the 2008 USA Olympic Marathon Trials champion and national half-marathon record holder, has confirmed his participation in the ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 1. It will be Hall’s first attempt competing in the world’s largest marathon which will be celebrating its 40th edition this year.
“It’s a dream come true for me to get to run the marathon that I’ve watched over and over again, and it’s the marathon I first saw live in person that first caught my attention,” Hall explained in a video recorded in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., where he trains and posted at the marathon’s website. “It caught my heart, and drew me into the marathon. I’m real excited to get to go back there and compete against the best field in the world and against the best U.S. racers.”
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LA Marathon To Return to March for 2010
Posted July 22nd, 2009 at 12:20 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
A 12-0 unanimous vote by the Los Angeles City Council yesterday paved the way for the Los Angeles Marathon to move back to March for the 2010 edition, event organizers announced late yesterday.
Under new ownership this year after the event had been sold by financially strapped Devine Sports, organizers had moved the event from its traditional date on the first Sunday in March to Memorial Day Monday on May 25. The date change was poorly received by the Los Angeles running community, mostly over fears of hot weather. Although temperatures remained reasonable on race day when a marine layer of clouds hung over the city, race participation was way off from the prior year. Marathon finishers dropped from 17,311 in 2008 to 14,128 this year.
The City Council also approved a new course for the race which organizers have dubbed “Stadium to the Sea.”
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Chicago Confirms Wanjiru for Marathon
Posted July 22nd, 2009 at 8:01 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Organizers of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon confirmed this morning that Beijing Olympic Marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru would run their race on Sunday, Oct. 11. It will be Wanjiru’s first-ever marathon in the United States, and the 22 year-old is hoping for a fast time on Chicago’s famously flat and fast course.
“My only focus between now and October is to prepare and train aggressively for my best performance yet,” said Wanjiru who has won the Fukuoka, London and Olympic Marathons and has a career best time of 2:05:10 set in London this year.
The fastest time ever in Chicago was 2:05:42 set in 1999 by Khalid Khannouchi, a Moroccan who became an American citizen the following year. Performances at Chicago were held back the last two years by unusually hot weather, especially in 2007 when the temperature reached 27°C (80°F) by the time the men’s winner, Kenyan Patrick Ivuti, hit finish tape in 2:11:11. In good weather Wanjiru could challenge Haile Gebrselassie’s world record of 2:03:59 set in Berlin last year. Indeed, Wanjiru told reporters after his Beijing victory last August that he wanted to break the world record this year.
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Kibet to Challenge Gebrselassie at Berlin Marathon
Posted July 22nd, 2009 at 7:59 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
The two fastest marathoners of all-time, Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie and Kenya’s Duncan Kibet, will face each other at September’s real,– Berlin Marathon, race organizers announced today.
Gebrselassie, twice an Olympic gold medalist at 10,000m, has won the last three editions of the marathon in Berlin, lowering his time with each effort and twice setting the world record. In 2006 he was on schedule through 35 km to break Paul Tergat’s then world record of 2:04:55 set on the same Berlin course in 2003, but he faded in the final kilometers in warm and windy conditions to run an Ethiopian record of 2:05:56. The following year, helped by pacemakers Eshetu Wondimu and Rodgers Rop through 30-K, Gebrselassie broke Tergat’s mark with a 2:04:26 clocking. He came back again in 2008, and lowered his own record to 2:03:59, which remains the world record.
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Houston Marathon Sells Out in Record Time
Posted July 20th, 2009 at 3:53 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Organizers of next January’s Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half-Marathon reported today that their event had sold out in record time. Registration was opened just last Friday, but within 24 hours the half-marathon had already reached capacity. The marathon filled up just a few hours later, as the event hit its combined cap of 22,000 runners.
“We knew we would establish a new standard with the fastest sellout in race history, but the pace at which registration was completed exceeded even our most optimistic projection,” commented race director Brant Kotch through a media release. “The Houston Marathon Committee and our dedicated team of more than 5,000 volunteers look forward to staging a great event for our largest field ever.”
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Salazar To Coach Ritzenhein
Posted June 27th, 2009 at 1:47 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field
On the heels of his runner-up finish in the 10,000m last night at the USA Outdoor Championships here, Dathan Ritzenhein told reporters gathered for the Track & Field Writers of America (TAFWA) awards breakfast this morning that he had chosen three-time New York City Marathon champion Alberto Salazar to be his new coach.
“I’m going to be joining Alberto and Galen up there,” said Ritzenhein referring to Portland about 125 miles north of here. “There’s only so far you can get on your own.”
Ritzenhein, who was coached a the University of Colorado by Mark Wetmore, split with his professional coach, Brad Hudson, after last April’s Flora London Marathon where he finished 11th in a personal best 2:10-flat. Ritzenhein was disappointed with his performance and said today that aspiring to be a 2:08 marathoner wasn’t good enough when the world’s best were running much faster. Salazar not only has the know how, but incredible assets as his disposal at the Nike World Campus, including state of the art training facilities and sports scientists.
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Sell Is First To Enter USA Marathon Championship In New York
Posted June 26th, 2009 at 10:29 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
The New York Road Runners announced yesterday that Brian Sell was the first athlete to enter the USA Men’s Marathon Championship, a race within a race at the 2009 ING New York City Marathon set for Sunday, November 1.
Sell, 31, of Rochester Hills, Mich., finished third at the 2008 USA Olympic Trials Marathon held in New York’s Central Park, but this will be the first time he will run the ING New York City Marathon. In addition to the usual prize money on offer, the Road Runners have put up a special $150,000 prize money purse for the championship. Sell, like the dozens of other Americans who will eventually enter, will be competing hard for the $40,000 first prize.
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Americans Sweep Grandma’s Marathon Titles
Posted June 20th, 2009 at 6:59 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
For the first time in 15 years, American athletes won both the men’s and women’s titles at Grandma’s Marathon, held today for the 33rd time in Duluth, Minn.
Christopher Raabe, 30, of Washington, D.C., and Mary Akor, 32, of Lomita, Calif., won their respective categories in 2:15:13 and 2:36:52, respectively. For Raabe, his time was a personal best, surpassing the 2:17:01 he ran in November, 2007, in New York City at the USA Olympic Trials. He finished sixth at Gramdma’s last year in 2:17:35. Although Akor did not set a personal best, it was her third consecutive victory at Gramdma’s, a race which gets its name from a Duluth-based group of restaurants bearing the same name. Both Raabe and Akor won $10,000 in prize money plus modest time bonuses.
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Network Coverage Doubles for ING New York City Marathon
Posted June 15th, 2009 at 3:56 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Network television coverage of the ING New York City Marathon will double under a new three-year agreement reached between the New York Road Runners, NBC Sports and WNBC.
Under the terms of the new deal, the same-day tape-delay coverage of the marathon on Sunday, November 1, will be expanded to two hours from one hour, broadcast on NBC Sports from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The tape-delayed show will follow five hours of live coverage on WNBC, the local NBC affiliate here.
“The ING New York City Marathon is one of the iconic sporting events in our country,” said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports through a statement. “We are looking forward to continuing this great partnership with New York Road Runners and our flagship station WNBC and expanding the network coverage to two hours.”
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El Boumlili and Gromova Run Away With Rock ‘n Roll Marathon Wins
Posted May 31st, 2009 at 1:46 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Khalid El Boumlili of Morocco and Yuliya Gromova of Russia scored runaway victories at today’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon in San Diego, Calif., the race which began the entertainment revolution in marathon running.
El Boumlili, who finished third at the 2008 Boston Marathon, was part of a large lead pack at 10 km (31:42), but soon set out on his own to try for victory. By the half-way mark (1:05:43), El Boumlili had built up a one minute and 18-second lead over the main field. Although Kenya’s Samuel Mugo finally broke from the main field in an effort to reel in El Boumlili, it was too late. By 34 km, El Boumlili had nearly two minutes on the main field and about a minute and one-half on Mugo. The Moroccan made it to the finish alone in 2:11:16 (unofficial), with Mugo second (2:12:37) and Ethiopia’s Tesfye Tola third (2:13:02).
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Who had the more impressive Boston Marathon debut?
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Page 2 Articles
- Boston Marathon Coverage on UniversalSports.com
UniversalSports.com has very robust coverage of today’s Boston Marathon, which will include live streaming of the race. They have a number of pre-race feature stories by editor Dave Ungrady and contributors Jim Hage and David Monti. You can find all of the coverage here.
My two stories are here:Handicapping the fields
Robert Cheruiyot feature - Thrilling Finish, Fast Times At Rotterdam Marathon
With 500 meters remaining in the 29th Fortis Marathon Rotterdam today, Kenyan James Kwambai seemed headed for the big marathon victory that he so richly deserved. Second to Haile Gebrselassie at last year’s real,- Berlin Marathon when the Ethiopian great lowered his own world record, Kwambai’s 2:05:36 didn’t get much attention. But today, […]
- Goucher Wins in Lisbon, Looks Strong Heading Into Boston Marathon
2008 Olympian Kara Goucher was a convincing winner of the women’s race Sunday at the 2009 EDP Half Marathon in Lisbon, Portugal. The EDP Lisbon Half Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
Goucher, who was the women’s 10,000m bronze medalist at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships, broke from the field a third of the […] - Upsets, Record Time At Rome Marathon
Benjamin Kiptoo Koulum and Firehiwot Dado wore bib numbers 36 and F12, respectively, at today’s 15th Maratona di Roma, sure signs that they were not expected to contend for victory. In fact, Kiptoo, a Kenyan who prepared for this race in the same camp where Martin Lel is currently training for the Flora London […]
- Road Mile To Debut Boston Marathon Weekend
It’s only about 1/26th the distance, but a new road mile to be held in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood the day before America’s oldest marathon could be just as exciting in its own right.
The first B.A.A. Invitational Mile will be held on Sunday, April 19, and incorporate both professional athletes, including Olympic bronze medalist Shalane […] - Gebrselassie to Attack World One-Hour Record at Hengelo
Haile Gebrselassie will attack his own world record for the one-hour run at the Fanny Blankers Koen Games in Hengelo, Netherlands on June 1, event organizers announced. It will be the 11th time the double Olympic gold medalist will compete in Hengelo.
The one-hour record is currently 21,285m, set by Gebrselassie in Ostrava, Czech Republic, […] - USATF Foundation Announces 2009 Distance Project Grant Recipients
The USA Track & Field Foundation, running event organizations and generous fans have come together again to make possible a significant investment in USA distance running in 2009.
Thanks to support from the following sponsors, grants totaling $282,000 will be directed to the development of elite and “up and coming” American distance runners via the USA […] - Note on the News: Radcliffe Out of London Marathon
Multiple news outlets, including the BBC, are reporting that Britain’s Paula Radcliffe has been forced to withdraw from next month’s Flora London Marathon.
The world record holder and three-time London champion has broken her toe while training in New Mexico.
You can read the full story here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/7927115.stm - Lago Maggiore Half-Marathon Features Strong Field
Sunday’s second annual Lago Maggiore Half-Marathon from Stressa to Verbania, Italy, will feature a strong elite field, race director Paolo Ottone reported. Indeed, there is a very good chance that both the men’s and women’s course records will be broken.
Kenyans Nicholas Manza Kamyaka (1:00:12 PB), Denis Ndiso (1:00:33) and Jacob Yator (1:01:09) lead the […] - Athlete and Event News Wrap-Up
TERGAT JOINS FIELD FOR GREAT IRELAND RUN: Two-time Olympic silver medalist and former marathon world record holder Paul Tergat has joined the field for the Great Ireland Run in Dublin in April 5. Tergat, 39, who won five consecutive IAAF World Cross Country titles, will run this popular 10-K for the first time. […]
The Final Sprint
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