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Lead Stories: Monday, October 6, 2008

Slattery Wins U.S. Women’s 8-K Title

Posted September 27th, 2008 at 8:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

Sara Slattery of Lafayette, Colo., won today’s U.S. Women’s 8-K Championship in Akron, Ohio. For the 26 year-old athlete, who won the Pan Am Games 10,000m title in 2007, it was her first ever U.S. open title on any surface.

Slattery went for victory early, sharing the lead with race favorite Katie McGregor. They passed the first mile in 5:05, while a chase pack of eight women, including Amy Rudolph, Molly Huddle, Renee Metivier-Baillie and Lindsey Anderson, kept them in sight. On a gradual uphill in the sixth kilometer, Slattery eased away from McGregor and Metivier-Baillie, who had come up from the chase group, and found herself with a ten meter lead.
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CVS Caremark Downtown 5-K Entry Lists Released

Posted September 19th, 2008 at 9:33 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

Organizers of Sunday’s 18th CVS Caremark Downtown 5-K in Providence, R.I., which serves as the USA 5 km road running championships for men and women, have released their entry lists of invited athletes.

Trying for both the open and USA titles will be national steeplechase champion and 2008 Olympian Anthony Famiglietti, 2004 Olympian Dan Browne and USA indoor 3000m champion and 2008 Olympian Matt Tegenkamp. Browne finished third overall at this event last year, behind Kenyans Simon Ndirangu and Richard Kiplagat, and won the USA title.

The women’s field is led by Olympic 10,000m bronze medalist and defending champion, Shalane Flanagan, who will try to win her third USA title this year (she has already won the national cross country and 10,000m crowns).
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Flanagan Edges Goucher in Olympic Trials 10k; Begley’s Strong Finish Earns Third

Posted June 28th, 2008 at 1:00 AM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

The women’s 10,000m at the 2008 USATF Olympic Trials was billed as a “clash of the titans” and did not disappoint. Heavyweights Shalane Flanagan [Pictured] and Kara Goucher outlasted the field and the muggy conditions to stage an epic battle over the final three laps, with Flanagan using a blistering final quarter to secure the victory. The star of the night, however, was third place finisher Amy Begley. Begley needed the Olympic A Standard to make the team and got just that with a heroic effort that included pacing Flanagan and Goucher for long stretches and closing hard to finish just under the standard.

Going into the race, most people had their eye on the four Americans who had achieved the Olympic A standard (31:45.00): Flanagan (30:34.49), Goucher (31:26.48), Team USA Minnesota’s Katie McGregor (31:37.82) and Molly Huddle of Run Providence (31:27.12). The American Olympic team is comprised of the top three finishers in the Trials race who have also achieved the A Standard, either in that race or in a previous meet. This rule allowed the aforementioned “Big Four” to race for place while the rest of the field needed to worry about keeping the pace honest to achieve their Olympic dreams. The A standard became extremely difficult to attain on this night due to the warm and humid conditions (low 80s with significant humidity).
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Flanagan, Goucher, and Begley Take Charge Through First Half of 10,000m Final

Posted June 28th, 2008 at 12:41 AM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Background:

The Women’s 10000m at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials will showcase several potential medal winners at this summer’s Beijing Games. Leading the way will be Shalane Flanagan (30:34.49), Kara Goucher (31:26.48), Molly Huddle (31:27.12), and Katie McGregor (31:37.82), all of whom have attained the Olympic A Standard of 31:45. Flanagan holds the American Record in both the 5000m and the 10000m while Goucher took bronze in the 10000m at last summer’s World Championships.

This event will serve as both the USATF National Championship and the qualifying race for the US Olympic Team. The three members of the team will be the top three finishers in this race who have met the Olympic A Standard, either in this race or with a previous effort. Thus the aforementioned “Big Four” will only be focused on place, while others will have to push the pace to make the team. This sets up an interesting dynamic and surely a dramatic race.

Mid-Race Update:

The Women’s 10000m is underway at the 2008 USATF Olympic Trials. The weather in Eugene is a bit warm, with temperatures in the low-80s with significant humidity. The race started at a pedestrian pace with Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan leading the field through a relaxed 81 second quarter.
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Interesting Possibilities in Tonight’s Women’s 10,000m Final

Posted June 27th, 2008 at 6:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

The fan and media focus at tonight’s women’s 10,000m final at the U.S. Olympic Trials here is rightly on the event’s two top stars: American record holder Shalane Flanagan and last year’s IAAF World Championships bronze medalist Kara Goucher.

But, because the field has only four Olympic Games “A” standard holders, several other women are likely to be pushing the pace because it is their only hope of making it to Bejing. Unlike in previous Olympic years, U.S. athletes will not be allowed to register qualifying times after the Trials have concluded. Also, if a “B” standard holder should win the race, she won’t be able to earn a Beijing berth because the qualifying rules state that as long as there at least two “A” standard holders behind them in the field, those athletes will be nominated to the Olympic team ahead of the “B” winner. For athletes without the “A” standard going into tonight’s race, it’s do or die.

The four “A” standard holders — Flanagan, Goucher, Molly Huddle and Katie McGregor — have no incentive to push the pace, and it is unlikely that they will do much leading tonight. However, other strong athletes who need to make the standard tonight (31:45.00 or better), will have little choice but to make the race.
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Faces in Races: Flanagan, Goucher & Huddle Lead the Way in Women’s 10,000m

Posted June 27th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Shalane Flanagan

Shalane Flanagan enters the 2008 USATF Olympic Trials as the favorite and American Record holder in both the 5000m and the 10000m. Flanagan’s PRs of 14:44.80 and 30:34.49 place her in the company of the world’s elite and demonstrate her ability to medal in this summer’s Olympic Games.

Flanagan began her running career as a high schooler in Marblehead, Massachusetts and had a standout career at the University of North Carolina. As a Tar Heel “Shenanigans” dominated the college ranks, winning two individual NCAA cross country championships and earning 15 All-American certificates. After graduating in 2004 Flanagan signed with Nike and made the U.S. Olympic team in the 5000m. She placed 11th in the semifinals of the Athens Games and continued her success with victories in the 2004 and 2005 USATF 4km XC races and the 2005 USATF outdoor 5000m.
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Star-Studded Meet At Stanford Tomorrow Night

Posted May 4th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Just 18 miles north of this San Jose suburb, one of the most important meets for distance runners held in the United States will take place at Stanford University. Packed with talent, the Peyton Jordan Cardinal Invitational turns the running industry on its head: top stars actually pay entry fees to compete and there are no appearance fees or cash prizes.

So what’s the draw? Perfect weather for achieving all-important Olympic Games qualifying times. When the sun sets at this time of year in Palo Alto, the winds calm down and the temperature drops, becoming comfortably cool. There is already very low humidity.

The key races are the top sections of the men’s and women’s 5000m and 10,000m, led by double world champion Bernard Lagat. Although he won the world titles last summer at both the 1500m and the 5000m, he doesn’t have an Olympic Games “A” standard time in the longer distance: 13:21.50. Working with other coaches, managers and the New York Road Runners, the men’s 5-K will be set-up by pacemaker Christian Hesch for a 13:10 to 13:20 finish time.
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Torres, Flanagan Victorious at Central Park Challenge

Posted March 15th, 2008 at 12:50 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

At the inaugural Central Park Challenge here today, which incorporated the U.S. Men’s 8-K Championship, Jorge Torres (Pictured) and Shalane Flanagan won their respective races convincingly. But the paths taken to their titles were completely different.

In the men’s race, all eyes were on U.S. mile record holder, Alan Webb, running in only his fourth professional road race and his first race of 2008. Webb was on the lead with Christian Hesch at the first mile (4:36), and was right behind Andrew Carlson at the two mile mark (9:05). Carlson began to push the pace in the third mile (13:37), but Webb and Christian Hesch surged through the 5-K mark (14:10) where primes were awarded for the top-3 men (Webb was first with Hesch just behind).
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Shalane Flanagan Dominates Field at Women’s Invitational 8K

Posted March 15th, 2008 at 10:15 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results

At today’s Central Park Challenge in New York City, Shalane Flanagan continued her early season dominance and won the Women’s Invitational 8K in 25:40.

Katie McGregor finished second in 25:56 and Molly Huddle rounded out the top three (26:07).

Official Results (Top 10 Finishers):

1) Shalane Flanagan - 25:39.7
2) Katie McGrego - 25:55.7
3) Molly Huddle - 26:06.1
4) Amy Rudolph- 26:24.3
5) Carmen Douma-Hussar - 26:27.7
6) Erin Donohue - 26:28.0
7) Firehiwot Tesfaye - 26:31.9
8) Liliya Shobukhova - 26:33.6
9) Aziza Aliyu - 26:43.6
10) Julia Lucas - 26:45.2

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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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