Meet records fell across all event groups, none bigger than Brad Walker’s American record in the pole vault, and Maria Mutola had a historic exit Sunday at the Nike Prefontaine Classic.
The fourth event of USATF’s Visa Championship Series, the Nike Prefontaine Classic drew a meet-record 14,221 fans to Hayward Field, site of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field June 27-July 6. They were treated to a formidable show, including no fewer than eight meet records and Walker’s AR.
The 2007 world champion, Walker looked magnificent throughout the competition. He had just one miss, at his opening height of 5.70m/18-8.25, then passed to 5.90m/19-4.25, which he cleared on his first attempt and which won the competition for him. Walker then elevated the bar to 6.04m/19-9.75. On his very first attempt, he cleared, brushing the bar just a bit, but leaving it up.
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Here’s the latest news from several prominent road running events in the United States:
ALBANY, N.Y.: Five women are preparing to run in their 30th consecutive FREIHOFERS’S RUN FOR WOMEN on Saturday, May 31. Dubbed the “Fab Five” by race organizers, Linda Campbell, Denise Herman, Cynthia Kelly, Bernadette La Manna and Ellen Picotte have not missed a Freihofer’s Run for Women since its inception in 1979. “It’s an amazing accomplishment when you think about it,” said elite athlete coordinator John Tope. “These women have been able to race each year despite whatever life has thrown at them - the good and the bad. I’m sure they have some interesting experiences that could have derailed the streak.” More info at http://www.freihofersrun.com.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.: The MEDTRONIC TWIN CITIES MARATHON, set for Sunday, October 5, has reached its entry limit of 11,000 runners. Amazingly, the race filled in just one month despite the entry cap being raised by 500 runners to help meet demand. “Runners looking for a great fall race come to the Twin Cities for the terrific community support, the beautiful fall weather and for a top-quality marathon experience,” said executive director Virginia Brophy Achman. An additonal 150 entries are available for runners wishing to raise money for certain charities. More info at http://www.mtcmarathon.org/index.cfm?
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Nike today announced that its Nike Team Nationals (NTN) team cross-country championship will expand this year to include individuals, becoming Nike Cross Nationals (NXN). The Nike Team Nationals event, which began in 2004, featured the 22 best teams of each gender selected via a series of regional qualifying events. This year, the top 22 teams will be joined by the 90 fastest individuals from non-qualifying teams. Nike Cross Nationals is the only national cross-country championship for both teams and individuals.
“Nike Cross Nationals is going to be the ultimate competition for high school cross country,” said Ken Dice, vice president of the Nike USA Brand. “It’s true cross country, and a true national championship. We’re inviting the best runners in the country, whether they compete individually or as part of a team. Nike Cross Nationals is going to take cross country to a whole new level of competition for these elite athletes.”
Today on Episode 130 of The Final Sprint Podcast, I had a chance to speak with Matt Tegenkamp, the American record holder in the two-mile run and two-time US Indoor champion in the 3000m who competes for Nike and KIMbia Athletics.
In the interview, Matt talks about his repeat victory in the 2008 US Indoor Championships 3000 meters, why he’s staying home while his KIMbia Athletics teammates Chris Solinsky and Jonathon Riley (who finished 2nd and 3rd) are heading to Valencia for the world championships while he’s staying home. He also talks about what’s in store for him in 2008 leading up to the Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR and the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Download the podcast to hear Matt discuss about his plan to assault the American record in the 5000m, his long-term goals for running and beyond, and much, much more!
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Host: Jimmie Markham
Guest: Matt Tegenkamp
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 13.2MB
Length: 00:19:17
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Registration for the 2008 NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE opened at noon today with applications available online at www.nyrr.org, announced race director Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. The race, now in its third year, will be held on Sunday, July 27.
Applications for the lottery from both U.S. and international participants will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, 2008, and results will be posted by Friday, May 30. Entry fees for runners accepted through the lottery (as well as guaranteed entrants) will be $70 for New York Road Runners members and $75 for non-members. International entrants will be charged $100.
Jones Scandal Damaged Credibility of Track, Says Sprinter
Jamaican 100m world champ Veronica Campbell-Brown, training in Florida for Beijing, said that the Marion Jones doping scandal has “put a dark cloud over the sport” of track and field and damaged its credibility.
Read more at: [Jamaica Gleaner News]
Razorback Track Appealing NCAA Sanctions
The Arkansas Razorbacks track & field team is appealing sanctions put down on it by the NCAA, sanctions they call “excessive and inappropriate.”
Read more at: [ESPN]
Huckabee Officially Enters Boston Marathon
Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has officially registered to run on a relay team in this April’s Boston Marathon. He was granted a waiver to run for Team Hoyt, a local charity that seeks to integrate the physically disabled into everyday life.
Read more at: [WCSH, Boston]
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Episode 122 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with world-class distance runner Adam Goucher; whose long list of accomplishments include being a two-time U.S. Outdoor 5,000m champion (’99, ’00); 2000 USA 12km and 4km XC champion; 2006 USA 4 km XC Champ; 2007 USA Cross Country runner-up; 1998 NCAA 5,000m Outdoor champion; 1998 NCAA XC champion and 2-time NCAA 3,000 Indoor champion (’97, ’98).
In the interview Adam talks about his recent ankle surgery and the subsequent (and ongoing) recovery, his plans for competing at the marathon distance after the Olympic season, his victory over Kara in their Nike challenge, the excitement and challenges of the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs at the Olympic Trials and his specific focus on the 5k.
Download the podcast to hear Adam discuss these topics, as well as, the role of faith in his religiously-eclectic training group, coach Alberto Salazar’s recovery, and much more!
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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Adam Goucher
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 13.1 MB | Length: 19:09 MIN
Episode Sponsored By: Nike +
Long Live Running!
Nike Plus will improve the way you run. Get feedback from your iPod on pace, time, distance and calories burned.Log into Nikeplus.com to track your progress,
set goals and challenge friends.
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TheFinalSprint.com (TFS) is honored to present our monthly Success Story award to individuals who have overcome tremendous obstacles, changed their own lives and/or the lives of others through running, sports or fitness.
I am proud to announce that TFS’s January 2008 Success Story, and my guest on Episode 119 of The Final Sprint Podcast is courageous survivor and hall-of-fame track & field coach BEVERLY KEARNEY, head coach of the University of Texas women’s track & field team and founder and president of “Pursuit of Dreams,” a non-profit organization comprised of leaders from athletics, business, and medicine whose mission is to provide the necessary assistance and guidance to individuals in order to fulfill their total mental, physical and spiritual goals.
Coach Kearney uses those same principals in her coaching. Her success in track and field is almost unprecedented. In her distinguished career, she has led her Longhorns to 6 NCAA National Championships and 14 top-three team finishes, She is 3-time NCAA Outdoor Coach of the Year, 2-time NCAA Indoor Coach of the Year and 15-time Conference Coach of the Year. She has coached 14 individual NCAA Champions who have earned a total of 28 NCAA titles, 36 different student-athletes to 51 NCAA national titles overall (individual and relay) and 15 relay-team NCAA Champions.
To top it all off, she recently was inducted to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame. She has accomplished all of her remarkable achievements despite having to overcome incredible adversity, including losing her mother in high school and becoming homeless, and suffering a near-fatal car accident that killed two of her friends. Using her own principles, she is walking now and has coached her young ladies from her hospital bed, a wheelchair, a walker, and now stands and walks on her own. In our interview we talk about all of this and much more!
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Host: Jimmie R. Markham | Guest: Beverly Kearney
Producers:Greg Cherniet, Jimmie R. Markham
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 16.4 MB | Length: 23:58
Episode Sponsored By: Nike +
Nike Plus will improve the way you run. Get feedback from your iPod on pace, time, distance and calories burned.Log into Nikeplus.com to track your progress,
set goals and challenge friends.
Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!
Episode 115 of The Final Sprint Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my two-part interview with JAY JOHNSON; middle-distance track coach at the University of Colorado, Director of the Boulder Running Camps and now the producer/editor of a new DVD series for runners.
In part two of the interview Coach Johnson talks about his current middle-distance track team at CU and their chances of making the U.S. Olympic team, the resurgence of distance running in the U.S. and how we can compete with the Kenyan runners.
Download the podcast to hear Coach Johnson discuss these topics, what he thinks about Ryan Hall’s recent performance at the Olympic Trials marathon and much more!
Listen In
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Host: Jimmie R. Markham | Guest: Jay Johnson
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Jimmie R. Markham
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 19.6 MB | Length: 21:27 MIN
Episode Sponsored By: Nike +
Nike Plus will improve the way you run. Get feedback from your iPod on pace, time, distance and calories burned.Log into Nikeplus.com to track your progress,
set goals and challenge friends.
Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!
Episode 114 of The Final Sprint Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my two-part interview with JAY JOHNSON; middle-distance track coach at the University of Colorado, Director of the Boulder Running Camps and now the producer/editor of a new DVD series for runners.
In part one of the interview Coach Johnson talks about his role on the 1998 Colorado Buffalo cross-country team that was featured in the cult running classic Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear. He also discusses why runners need to be better prepared nowadays than they were when he ran and how his new DVD Building a Better Runner: Building from the Ground Up can help runners do that. He is offering this DVD to readers of The Final Sprint at a 20% discount (see code in graphic at the top of this post).
Download the podcast to hear Coach Johnson discuss these topics, describes the fantastic experience young runners can have at his running camp, Boulder Running Camps, and much more!
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: Jimmie R. Markham | Guest: Jay Johnson
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Jimmie R. Markham
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 22.4 MB | Length: 24:31 MIN
Episode Sponsored By: Nike +
Nike Plus will improve the way you run. Get feedback from your iPod on pace, time, distance and calories burned.Log into Nikeplus.com to track your progress,
set goals and challenge friends.
Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!
James Li, who guided Bernard Lagat to a history-making performance at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships in Osaka, Japan, and an American record indoors, has been named the 2007 Nike Coach of the Year by USA Track & Field.
He will receive his award Saturday, December 1, at the 2007 Jesse Owens Awards and Hall […]
“I’d like to work it out so that at the end, it’s a pure guts race. If it is, I’m the only one who can win it.”
- Steve Prefontaine in Without Limits
Episode 104 of The Final Sprint Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my interview with former BYU Cross Country Champion JOSH ROHATINSKY.
Josh, who now lives in Eugene, OR and is trained by legend Alberto Salazar, is coming off of an impressive marathon debut and 9th place finish at the 2007 […]
“I can endure more pain than anyone you’ve ever met. That’s why I can beat anyone I’ve ever met.”
- Steve Prefontaine in Without Limits
For the active individual, winter is not an excuse to hibernate - or even cause to move workouts inside - instead, it’s reason to invest in some workout gear that will keep you warm as temperatures dip.
According to geartrends.com, when working out in cold weather you lose heat through the soles of your feet, […]
DICK’S Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS) announced today the launch of Nike ACG, a diverse collection of active and outdoor apparel, with exclusive styles available at DICK’S Sporting Goods and www.DicksSportingGoods.com.
Nike ACG utilizes innovative, advanced technology and a unique layering system for progressive protection, maximum comfort, and improved personal performance for active lifestyles. Men’s and women’s […]
What: Lance Armstrong, Paula Radcliffe and several other elite Nike runners are in New York City this week to prepare for and compete in the marathon and the marathon Olympic Trials. Throughout the week they will take part in a variety of events open to the public and the press.
Why: For Radcliffe, the marathon marks […]
Marking a trend of continued growth, road runners and walkers raised $714 million for charity in 2006, USA Track & Field (USATF) announced Monday. The figure marks a nearly 9 percent increase over 2005 and shows continued, steady increases since USATF began its annual charity survey in 2002.
The Nike Women’s Marathon and Half-Marathon was named […]
Nike is one of the many large marketers that are taking huge chunks of money out of their budgets for traditional media and using the funds to develop new, more direct interactions with consumers — not only on the Internet, but also through in-person events.
You can read all about Nike’s programs and alternative marketing […]
Nike today announced the opening of its first NIKEiD Studio at Niketown in New York City, giving consumers a more hands-on design experience and the power to design and create footwear, apparel and equipment for themselves, for their friends, and even to be purchased by others around the world.
The NIKEiD Studio is a consumer destination […]
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