Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. Be sure to check every other Monday at http://nicksymmonds.thefinalsprint.com/ for Nick’s latest entry! For more information about Nick, also please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com
I freaking love the outdoor season. After a long, cold, and wet winter / early spring comprised of boring days filled almost entirely with training, the track season comes and we get to finally see our hard work pay off. I got to see a bit of this over the last two weeks as I opened up my outdoor season in Philadelphia and Palo Alto.
Going out to the Penn Relays wasn’t originally in the plans but Coach Gags and I thought it would be a good idea to get a nice effort in before my first 1500m. Also, Penn is the most exciting place to race and nothing like it will get you as pumped up for an upcoming season. I ran a 1200m in a U.S. DMR [Distance Medley Relay] and was very pleased with my performance. I basically decided to treat it as a workout and just ran it as hard as i could. In doing this I split 2:51.1 and found out that I am really really strong right now! I was able to give my USA team a good lead but we were unable to finish that way and the Kenyans won (yet again!).
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All too often, the streets of Philadelphia can be marked by homeless individuals whose inspiration stereotypically seem to have been lost in bad decisions, unfortunate circumstances or what some critics unwarrantably call pure laziness. But in the “city of brotherly love,” the homeless are stomping on the stereotypes… with their running shoes. That’s right—they’re joining together to overcome life’s challenges through one of the most self-disciplining sports out there—running.
Back on My Feet is non-profit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of Philadelphia’s homeless population by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.
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The Philadelphia Distance Run has become the latest event to join the ING family of road races, organizers announced today. This classic September half-marathon, which goes up and down the Schuylkill River, will now be known as the ING Philadelphia Distance Run.
“Elite Racing assumed management of the Philadelphia Distance Run in 2005 and has since worked hard to uphold its high standards and increase its visibility on the world’s stage, said Adam Zocks who manages the race for San Diego-based Elite Racing, Inc., a division of Competitor Group, Inc. “Our partnership with ING only adds to the prestige of the event.”
The race is consistently one of the fastest half-marathons in the United States. According to the independent Association of Road Racing Statisticians, the ING Philadelphia Distance Run has played host to three men’s world records (1982, 1985 and 1990) and two women’s world records (1983 and 1984).
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A Philadelphia woman, Anne Mahlum, was named ABC’s “Person of the Week” last Friday for forming a running club for homeless people she used to pass on her early morning runs.
“I looked back, and I was like, ‘I am cheating these guys,’” Mahlum told ABC. “‘Why am I just running past them and leaving them there?’”
Watch the video on the far right, top of the page, at this link and see what happened. It’s a great story.
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/PersonOfWeek/story?id=4003180&page=1
Kenyan Julius Kibet earned top honors for the second time at Sunday’s 30th Philadelphia Distance Run, winning the men’s race in 1 hour, 2 minutes, 2 seconds. Pamela Chepchumba, also from Kenya, won the women’s race in 1:08:45, one of the world’s fastest half-marathon times for women (and the best in the U.S.) this year.
It took a few miles for the men’s professional field to warm up to the clear and cool morning, recording their first sub-five minute mile at mile three (4:52). The pack of 27 men weaved through Center City, before doubling back onto Benjamin Franklin Parkway, to the cheers of thousands of runners who were taking their initial steps on the course.
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