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Lead Stories: Friday, December 5, 2008

Rupp & Willis To Run Wanamaker Mile at Millrose

Posted January 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

galen rupp oregon pac-10 Meet director Mark Wetmore added some additional depth to the Millrose Games’ Wanamaker Mile, announcing today that Galen Rupp Pictured and Nick Willis would be on the starting line with last year’s 1-2 finishers, Bernard Lagat and Craig Mottram.

Rupp, 21, the NCAA 10,000m record holder, is a natural distance runner, who also holds the U.S. junior records for 3000m and 5000m. However, has never achieved a big performance in the middle distances. His top goal at the Millrose Games might be to achieve his first-ever sub-4:00 mile (his personal best is 4:01.8, outdoors), but the tight 11-laps-to-the-mile track at Madison Square Garden makes running fast times difficult.
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Gold Medalists Defar & Dibaba to Both Race in Boston on Saturday

Posted January 22nd, 2008 at 3:27 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The gold medalists of the women’s 5000m and 10,000m at last summer’s IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Meseret Defar [Pictured] and Tirunesh Dibaba, will both compete at Saturday’s Reebok Boston Indoor Games (RBIG), organizers have confirmed. Although the two athletes will run similar distances, the two Ethiopian stars will not be running head-to-head; Defar will run two miles and Dibaba 3000m.

“Defar and Dibaba did not want to race each other in the first meet of the year, and a 5000 didn’t fit into the training of either one right now,” explained Mark Wetmore of Global Athletics & Marketing, the Boston-based athlete management firm which manages the meet and represents the two athletes. “This was a way to get them both into the event, and that was our priority.”

Both athletes have enjoyed record-breaking performances –and disappointments– at the RBIG which is held at the Reggie Lewis Track Facility at Roxbury Community College.
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TFS News Briefs: 10/14/07

Posted October 14th, 2007 at 4:36 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country

TFS News Briefs

Oregon Men and Women Sweep Hodges X-C Invitational
Both of the Univ. of Oregon cross-country teams, #1 ranked men’s team and the #3 ranked women’s team, swept the Hodges Invitational Saturday. The men’s team scored a near-perfect 16 points while the women scored an impressive 28 points. Read more at: [GoDucks.com]

Univ. of Colorado Coach Mark Wetmore Expects Buffs’ Ranking to Drop
Competing at the Pre-Nationals Cross-Country meet this weekend, the Colorado Buffaloes men’s team, ranked #3 nationally, finished second while the women, ranked #2, finished in sixth place in the white race. After the meet coach Mark Wetmore stated that, “We basically got what we were looking for and where we hoped to be. When the rankings come out, our women will drop a lot but I am pretty sure we can put a big dent into that in the next few weeks. And our men will drop a little bit, which is about what I expected. I thought we were a little over-ranked.” Read more at: [Colorado Buffaloes]

#1 Ranked Stanford Women’s X-C Wins Pre-NCAA InvitationalThe Stanford women’s cross-country team took first place at the Pre-NCAA Invitational in Terra Haute, IN Saturday, scoring 102 points. Senior Teresa McWalters, a four-time All-American, led the Cardinals with a 2nd place finish in a time of 20:01. Susan Kuijken of Florida State won the race with a time of 19:55.5. Read more at: [Stanford Cross-Country]
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Podcast 79: Univ. of Arkansas XC & Track Coaching Legend JOHN MCDONNELL

Posted September 12th, 2007 at 7:40 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Running & Training, Cross Country, Track & Field, 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 79 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with legendary University of Arkansas track and XC coach John McDonnell.

In the interview, Coach McDonnell reflects on the stellar IAAF World T&F Champ performances by former Razorbacks Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon, explains why Gay was one of the most disciplined and driven athletes he ever coached, and responds to those critical of the recruitment of international runners, such as former Razorback Alistair Craig, for NCAA Teams.

Download the podcast to hear Coach McDonnell discuss these topics, as well as, the benefits and challenges of his current XC squad’s youth, how to develop a young runner possessing incredible, pure talent (i.e. incoming frosh Duncan Phillips), his lower mileage training regimen vs. 100+ miles/week philosophies of coaches like Colorado’s Mark Wetmore, and when and why he would eventually decide to cap off his Hall of Fame career and retire from coaching.

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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Coach John McDonnell
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File Size: 12.5 MB | Length: 18:15 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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Hundreds gather to remember Mike Long

Posted July 28th, 2007 at 11:22 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

Mike Long Elite Racing Under the warm Southern California sun, which no doubt had influenced his sunny disposition, hundreds of family, friends and running industry colleagues gathered at Mission Point Park to remember Elite Racing’s legendary elite athletes coordinator, Mike Long, who died unexpectedly last week at 65.

Tears flowed freely as more than a dozen people came to the podium to remember Long, showering him with praise and sharing their goodbyes.

“For those who never met him words would not suffice,” said writer and television commentator, Toni Reavis, who acted as emcee. He called the diminutive Long, who only stood 5′ 6″ (168cm) tall, “the center around which all we revolved.”

Long’s son, Bruce, said that his father’s sudden death –believed to be a heart attack– was probably how his father would have wanted to go, not caring for lingering goodbyes. “He was never a hospital bed kind of guy,” he said, his sunglasses concealing his tear-swollen eyes.
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Book Review: “Running with the Buffaloes” by Chris Lear

Posted July 16th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Paul Petersen

Section: News & Results, Motivation, Books, Cross Country, Track & Field, Special Features, TFS Reviews

running with the buffaloes book cover Have you ever wondered what it’s like to run for an NCAA cross country powerhouse? Have you ever wanted an inside look into the minds and workouts of a D-I national contender? “Running with the Buffaloes: A Season Inside with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, and the University of Colorado Men’s Cross-Country Team“, by Chris Lear, brings all of those perspectives, and much much more.

“Running with the Buffaloes” chronicles the 1998 Colorado University cross country season, day-by-day, workout -by-workout, race-by-race. The book takes you through the intense three-month season via an easy-to-read narrative that flows smoothly amidst team activities. Each day of the season fills its own short chapter, which not only makes the book consumable for people with short attention spans (like me), but also makes it hard to put down!
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Podcast 39: Interview with Adam Goucher

Posted April 11th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Adam Goucher 2007 usa cross country champs Episode 39 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with Adam Goucher. Adam, a 2000 Olympian and one of America’s leading middle distance runners, finished second behind Alan Culpepper at this year’s exciting USA XC Championships in Boulder, CO.

In the interview, Adam discusses the Cross Country Champs, having to withdraw from the 8k Nationals, the decision to leave Colorado for Oregon, and how he has improved under the tutelage of coach and legendary marathon runner Alberto Salazar.

Download the podcast to hear Adam discuss these topics, the “very good possibility” that he will make his marathon debut this fall (but how it might be at a marathon other than the Olympic Trials!), Salazar and Culpepper’s American marathon debut record, his current training, how he and Kara compare to the other power running couples, being inspired by Bob Kennedy and much more!

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

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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Adam Goucher
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 15.1 MB
Length: 00:21:59