Today on Episode 140 of TheFinalSprint.com Running Podcast, I had an opportunity to chat with Brian Sell, the third place finisher in the US Olympic Trials Men’s Marathon who, along with Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenhein, will represent Team USA at the Olympic Marathon in Beijing.
Brian talks about the adjustments he has had to make after turning 30-yrs old in April, future plans for his running career - including what he hopes will be continued success in the marathon, why that is his ideal distance, the importance of not dwelling on his qualifying performance at the Trials, and how the conditions in Beijing ‐ especially the heat and humidity ‐ are going to affect his training and racing.
Download the podcast to hear Brian discuss these topics, as well as, competing on Saturday for his third title and trying to gauge the progress of his Olympic preparations at the USA 25k Championships, his teammates at the Hanson-Brooks Distance Project, his hobbies, advice for young runners and much more!
TO DOWNLOAD: Right click here and select “Save As”
Host: Jimmie Markham | Guest: Brian Sell
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 19.5 MB | Length: 00:28:25
Episode Sponsored By: U.S. Army Special Forces
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Ethiopian distance running star Haile Gebrselassie says he may compete over the marathon at the 29th Beijing Olympics if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes changes to the event’s venue and starting time.
On Monday, the world marathon record holder and former double Olympic 10000m champion announced that he will not take part in this year’s Olympic marathon citing Beijing’s pollution and fearing the aggravation of his own exercise-induced asthma.
But speaking on Wednesday, the 34-year old said, “I do not want to rule anything out at this point. This decision is not about Haile. It is about all athletes who will be competing. Our safety has to be protected.”
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The news of Haile Gebrselassie withdrawing from the Olympic Marathon in Beijing broke while your editor was flying home from Spain. He told Reuters he’s very concerned about the air quality there, especially because he has exercised-induced asthma.
The New York Times picked up the story here (The link has been shortened): http://tinyurl.com/2papl4
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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Today’s NEW YORK TIMES has a front page story on the thick smog which blankets the skies of Beijing and efforts to clean it up prior to next year’s Olympic Games.
You can read the story here:
http://www.nytimes.com/
China Withholding Beijing Pollution Data
Physicians for Australian Olympic athletes have requested data about Beijing’s pollution readings from August 2007, measured exactly one year before the 2008 Olympic Games, but to no avail. The readings were taken while a number of pollution-reduction measures were in place in Beijing, including banishing nearly half of the city’s 3 million automobiles from the streets. The Chinese have claimed that these measures reduced smog by 15-20%. Australian officials doubt these claims. Read more at: [The West Australian]
Galen Rupp is Team Player
Galen Rupp, even though he lost to Liberty’s Josh McDougal by 1 second in the NCAA Cross-Country Championships, is thrilled that his 2nd place finish was able to propel the Oregon Ducks men’s team to their first NCAA team championship since 1977, saying “It’s a great day for Oregon. This is the reason why I came back so quick after running (the World Championships) in Osaka. For the team. We have such an unbelievable group of guys and we have so much fun together.” Read more at: [The Register-Guard, OR]
Turkey Trotters and JFK Conspiracy Theorists Converge in Dallas on Thanksgiving
This year Thanksgiving Day happens to coincide with the 44th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas TX. Runners, tourists, presidential historians and conspiracy theorists will converge in downtown Dallas tomorrow to stuff downtown Dallas like a Butterball turkey. Over 30,000 runners plus another 20,000 volunteers and spectators in Dallas for the 40th Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot will be competing for parking space with an expected 2,000 people who plan to make their way to Dealey Plaza, the site of the assassination in 1963. Dealey Plaza is located just a few blocks away from the race course of the largest turkey trot in the country. Read more at: [Dallas Morning News][Wikipedia]
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Profile of Cuban 110m Hurdler Dayron Robles
Cuba News Headlines/Cuban Daily News profiles 100m hurdler Dayron Robles and explains why the Cuban people believe he ought to be the 2007 Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Read more at: [Cuba News Headlines/Cuban Daily News]
Poor Air Quality in Beijing May Force the Move of Some Distance Events to Another VenueInternational Olympic Committee inspectors are in Beijing in continuing efforts to monitor the city’s notorious pollution and to try and determine whether or not some long-distance events will be need to be moved to another city. Read more at: [Washington, PA Observer-Reporter]
NCAA Cross Country: Conference Championships Weekend
The top 5 ranked teams in NCAA Division I Cross Country (1. Oregon, 2. Northern Arizona, 3. UTEP, 4. Iona, 5. Colorado) will all be competing in their conference championship meets this weekend. Read more at: [USTFCCCA]
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According to Chinese media, “Chinese city traffic police have an average life expectancy of just 43 years because of the dire working conditions and pollution.” Reports like this have worried the Australian Olympic delegation so much that they have announced they will wait until the last minute next summer to arrive in Beijing.
Australian IOC member John Coates said he’d be “telling his athletes to stay away from Beijing until four or five days before their events.” The pollution is so bad in the city that some people have begun calling it “Greyjing.” Add to that the worries of tainted food in the way of pork tainted with growth hormones (which could actually cause positives in athletes’ dope tests) and Beijing could wind up being the riskiest and most controversial Olympics in history.
Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: SummerOlympian.com
Although the 2007 USA XC Championships are in less than 24 hours, athletes and coaches are already concerned and preparing for next summer’s Olympic games.
Physiologist, Dr. Randy Wilbur, began the conference entitled “18 Months to Beijing: How heat, humidity and extreme pollution won’t keep USA athletes off the podium,” and was accompanied by eight time US Marathon Champion Steve Jones, and world, US record setter, and Nike Coach and running legend Alberto Salazar. The panel of speakers discussed the fears and concerns of entering such a hot, humid and polluted environment for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
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People who exercise with their mouths closed aren’t working very hard. You can’t get enough air through your nose to meet your needs for oxygen when you exercise vigorously.
The cross sectional area of the openings in your nose is less than one-tenth the opening in the back of your mouth. That space is so narrow that when you pick up the pace, you could turn blue if you failed to open your mouth …
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