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Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
RYAN HALL
Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 7:30 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
He could do for marathon running what Tiger Woods has done for golf or what Roger Federer has done for tennis: elevate the sport to a new level, bringing more spectators to the events and more eyeballs to television sets. Indeed, after the U.S. Olympic Trials – Men’s Marathon, he could become as synonymous with his sport as Woods and Federer are with theirs. The expectations for Ryan Hall are so high because the talent is so impressive, the potential so great.
Hall’s debut at 26.2 miles, at the Flora London Marathon on April 22, was nothing short of brilliant. Serving notice that there is a new force in the sport, Hall ran a 2:08:24, shattering the record for the fastest marathon debut by an American (2:09:41) that had been jointly held by Alberto Salazar (New York, 1980) and Alan Culpepper (Chicago, 2002).
To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the New York Road Runners, please click here.
For more details, background and interviews:
- TheFinalSprint.com Podcast Interview
- Runner’s World “Brief Chat”
- Runner’s World Article
- USATF Biography
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Elite Athlete Bio and Photograph: Courtesy of the NYRR
Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
MEB KEFLEZIGHI
Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 7:15 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
Among the entries on Meb Keflezighi’s checklist when he heads to New York five days before the Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon will be the following:
* Carry running shoes onto plane
* No ambitious food choices in NYC
Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist and one of the favorites to represent Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Marathon, is determined to give himself the best chance to succeed on November 3, unlike in his last major race in New York, when lost luggage and a case of food poisoning led to a disappointing 21st-place finish in the ING New York City Marathon 2006.
To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the New York Road Runners, please click here.
For more details, background and interviews:
- TheFinalSprint.com Podcast Interview
- Runner’s World “Brief Chat”
- Runner’s World Article
- USATF Biography
Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
BRIAN SELL
Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 7:05 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
Through persistence, a strong work ethic, and the ability to learn from a mistake, Brian Sell has made himself an elite marathoner and a top contender for a berth on the team that will represent the USA at the Beijing Olympics.
Sell qualified for the Trials with a sparkling 2:10:47 at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon last October. A consistently strong competitor, he ran a 2:10:55 six months earlier at the Boston Marathon. Only four Americans (Khalid Khannouchi, Ryan Hall, Abdi Abdirahman, and Meb Keflezighi) have run faster qualifying times than Sell as of June 2007.
The Trials course in Central Park is one Sell has traveled before. But that won’t make the task any less formidable.
To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the New York Road Runners, please click here.
For more details, background and interviews:
Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
PETER GILMORE
Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 7:00 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
Conquering a field of top-level runners to earn a spot on Team USA is the goal of every athlete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon. But Peter Gilmore will have a second goal in mind when he lines up in Midtown on November 3: conquering New York. Because for all his success in races across America and around the globe, Gilmore has not always shown his best form in the world’s premier city.
In his most recent New York appearance, the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE on August 5, Gilmore finished a disappointing 15th in 1:05:06— four and a half minutes behind the top American, Abdi Abdirahman. That was a frustrating outcome for Gilmore, 30, of San Mateo, California, who had specifically entered the NYC Half as part of a strategy to get used to New York before the Trials race.
To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the New York Road Runners, please click here.
For more details, background and interviews:
Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
ABDI ABDIRAHMAN
Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 6:45 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
It took someone other than Abdi Abdirahman himself to recognize the talent that he possessed. “When I came to the U.S.,” he said, “one of my friends, Martin Keino, the son of [legendary Kenyan runner] Kip Keino, told me I could be a good runner because of the way I look. I listened to him, and he was right.”
Abdirahman, now 30, has become more than a good runner. He’s a star, a two-time Olympian, and one of the favorites to earn a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon team.
Known mostly by his first name, Abdi is fortunate to have this opportunity. When he was 3, his family fled a civil war in Somalia, relocating to Kenya[?]. At the age of 12, Abdi moved to the United States. He became a U.S. citizen on January 28, 2000. In his first race at Pima Community College in Arizona, he didn’t have a pair of running shoes or running shorts. Running in boots and cut-off pants, he finished second.
To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the New York Road Runners, please click here.
For more details, background and interviews:
- TheFinalSprint.com Podcast Interview
- Runner’s World “Brief Chat”
- Runner’s World Article
- USATF Biography
Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
ALAN CULPEPPER
Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 6:30 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
If it’s a major race, then Alan Culpepper is going to be on the starting line with an excellent chance to win. In the 2004 Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon in Birmingham, Alabama, Culpepper outkicked Meb Keflezighi in an exciting dash to the tape to win in 2:11:42.
Nobody would dare disregard his chances to repeat as Trials champion in Central Park. Indeed, there may be no one in the field more respected by his peers than the two-time Olympian.
To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the NYRR, please click here.
For more details, background and interviews:
Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
DATHAN RITZENHEIN
Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 6:15 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
Many athletes would wilt under the pressure of being labeled “the future of U.S. distance running.” But Dathan Ritzenhein has been called that since his days as a schoolboy star in Rockford, Michigan. And he merely takes it in stride because his results strongly suggest the label fits.
Before he turned 22, Ritzenhein helped lead the University of Colorado to the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships title, won an individual NCAA cross country title, set a U.S. collegiate record in the 10,000 meters and qualified for the 2004 Olympics. And he accomplished all that despite being beset with injuries. (A stress fracture in his foot led to a DNF in the 10,000 meters at the Athens Olympics.)
Since turning pro three years ago “Ritz” has excelled in international events…
To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the New York Road Runners, please click here.
For more details, background and interviews:
Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
KHALID KHANNOUCHI
Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 6:00 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
For every athlete competing in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon, it will be a race against time. But the task will be even tougher for American record-holder and former world record-holder Khalid Khannouchi. At age 35, he’ll also be running against Father Time.
“I would prefer to be 25 with fresh legs,” he said. “Having fresh legs is always very important in a marathon. We know how difficult the event is and how difficult the course is. When I had fresh legs, I didn’t really care who else was running.”
To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the New York Road Runners, please click here.
For more details, background and interviews:
Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
FASIL BIZUNEH
Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 3:30 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
He had already met the “A” standard time to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon. But Fasil Bizuneh was not satisfied with his performance in either of his two previous marathons. So the four-time All-American at Arizona State changed his training regimen—dramatically—in the months before the November 3 race in Central Park.
Bizuneh decided to prepare for the Trials the KIMbia way. At the suggestion of journalist and videographer Matt Taylor, Bizuneh moved to Boulder, Colorado, to begin training with the accomplished Kenyan athletes from KIMbia—runners like Stephen “Baba” Kiogora, the runner-up at the ING New York City Marathon 2006.
Bizuneh, 27, has immersed himself in the KIMbia regimen …
To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the New York Road Runners, please click here
For more details, background and interviews:
Olympic Marathon Trials ‘07:
Elite Athlete Profile:
JAMES CARNEY
Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 3:15 AM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics
Top-level runners may draw inspiration from one of their own previous performances or a performance by a competitor or childhood idol. But 30-year-old James Carney, who has overcome long odds to earn his place at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon, is inspired by what may be the greatest upset in college football history: September 1, 2007: Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32.
“A little school that got an appearance fee for the game because they were supposed to get beat,” Carney marveled about the tiny North Carolina school that upset the No. 5-ranked team in America. “But nobody told Appalachian State. Those guys didn’t roll over and die. They won! You know what an inspiration that is to me? I didn’t go to UCLA. I didn’t go to Arizona State. I went to Millersville University.”
A four-time Division II All-American at Millersville in Lancaster, PA, Carney has parlayed hard work and self-confidence into a successful career.
To read the rest of this elite athlete profile by the Cecil Harris and via the New York Road Runners, please click here.
For more details, background and interviews:
Who had the more impressive Boston Marathon debut?
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The Final Sprint
On March 15, 2010
SDrunner said:
Great review, I wrote one on the Ironman Road Trainer HRM, which is similar to this one, without the...