An independent study of athlete performances showed that under the new 2012 USA Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon qualifying rules passed at the recent USATF Convention, 69 men would have qualified for the 2008 Trials which were held in New York City last month, a 61% reduction from the number who actually qualfied. That race had 179 qualifiers and 130 starters.
The study, conducted by Race Results Weekly, showed that just 35 men would have qualifed with a 2:19:00 or better marathon run on either an IAAF record-standard course (no more than 50% start/finish separation and elevation loss limited to 42.195 meters), plus the Boston Marathon, from which the USATF Men’s Long Distance Running Committee said they would be inclined to accept performances.
Fourteen athletes who were accepted into the 2008 Trials with marathon marks better than 2:19:01 would have been excluded because their performances were achieved on aided courses, like the 2006 Freescale Austin Marathon (137 meter elevation loss), 2006 California International Marathon (105 meters), 2006 and 2007 St. George Marathon (781 meters), and 2007 Top of Utah Marathon (319 meters).
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If you’ve ever had to fumble with your iPod to try and find a song or crank up the volume while on a treadmill, elliptical trainer, stationary cycle or – especially – running, you’ll appreciate the Timex IRONMAN Sleek iControl™ watch with its Play, Pause, Track Forward/Reverse and volume-control functions.
According to the Timex website, “the iControl™ watch transmits signals seamlessly to your iPod so you can control your music in a heartbeat. Designed to work with your body and coordinate with your iPod, the iControl watch is sleek and comfortable to wear - with all the features you need for running around the track or traveling around the world.”
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The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee announced today the team and individual qualifiers for the 2007 Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships.
In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals must qualify in their respective NCAA regions.
Thirty-one teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large.
Thirty-eight individuals, the first four athletes from each region who are not a part of a qualifying team and two additional qualifiers, were selected to participate in each championship. All individual qualifiers must finish in the top 25 in their region.
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Several thousand votes from TheFinalSprint.com readers from been tallied-up and the results are in!
Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi, and Abdi Abirahman have been selected by TFS readers as most likely to qualify for the Beijing-bound U.S. Olympic Team!
Full TFS Prediction Survey Results:
Ryan Hall - 38%
Meb Keflezighi - 19%
Abdi Abdirahman - 15%
Khalid Khannouchi - 6%
Brian Sell - 6%
Alan Culpepper - 5%
Someone Else- 4%
Dathan Ritzenhein - 3%
Dan Browne - 2%
Peter Gilmore - 2%
Episode 96 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my pre-U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials interview with 2004 Olympic silver medalist MEB KEFLEZIGHI.
After nearly 20 years on U.S. soil, Meb remains focused on realizing his dreams through faith, hard work, a unique appreciation for life and having the utmost respect for his competitors.
In the interview, Meb talks about taking one day a time, the 20 year anniversary of when his family came to America from war-torn Eritrea, overcoming his recent calf ailment and staying confident despite a rough year of health concerns and bad luck.
Download the podcast to hear Meb discuss these topics, as well as, his race strategy and preparation for the arduous Marathon Trials race course, lessons learned from his 2004 second place finish, his reputation for having a “reserved personality”, pacesetters, advice for young Olympic hopefuls, and much more!
Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)
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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Meb Keflezighi
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 11.5 MB | Length: 16:45 MIN
Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!
38-year-old Russian Sprint star, Irina Privalova, has announced her plan to qualify for Beijing next year.
The World Indoor 60m and 300m record holder plans to focus on the 100m distance for Beijing, while also competing in indoor races at 60m. Privalova took the 100m bronze medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, and now, 16 years on, she is fairly confident that she is in good enough condition to be a challenge again,
“I’m in full preparation, no health problems, but we will see depending on my results how realistic my plans are.”
At 39-years-old, Privalova would still have a nine year advantage over Slovenia’s Sprinting Super-Vet, Merlene Ottey, who has also not ruled out an appearance in Beijing, a feat that would mark the incredible Slovenian’s 8th Olympic Games!
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Team USA’s women’s 4×100m relay squad looked solid during Saturday morning’s qualifying round at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Nagai Stadium.
Women’s 100m bronze medalist Carmelita Jeter (Long Beach, Calif.) ran a strong lead leg for Team USA before handing the baton to 2007 Pan Am Games 100m and 4×100m relay silver medalist Mechelle Lewis (Columbia, S.C.), who kept the Americans in the lead.
2007 Pan Am Games 100m gold medalist Miki Barber (Raleigh, N.C.) ran a masterful third leg that gave Team USA a commanding lead before handing the baton to 2005 World 100m champion Lauryn Williams (Miami, Fla.) [Pictured], who sped to the finish, crossing the line in the fastest time in the world this year of 42.24 seconds.
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U.S. men’s javelin record holder Breaux Greer bettered the automatic qualifying mark on his third and final attempt during Friday morning’s qualifying at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Nagai Stadium.
Greer (Scottsdale, Ariz.) failed to surpass the automatic qualifying mark of 82.00 meters/269 feet on his first two throws, but after releasing the javelin on his third attempt, he immediately turned his back on it and pumped his fist believing he had qualified for the final. He was right. Greer’s third throw sailed 86.78 meters/284-8, which was the best of both qualifying groups. The men’s javelin final is Sunday.
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There were few surprises in today’s qualifying rounds. In the women’s 800m, Hazel Clark, Nikeya Green, Alice Schmidt, Alysia Johnson and Nicole Teter all advanced, while Nick Symmonds, Khadevis Robinson, and Jonathan Johnson also moved to the next round on the men’s side at the same distance.
NCAA women’s steeplechase champion Anna Willard won the second heat of her event here, and made it look easy.
“It was good,” said Willard of her heat. “I’m just hoping to go out strong. I like to not have a right plan going int the finals. I feel like in the steeple you can’t rule anybody out.”
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Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.
Monica Cassier, of Midlothian, VA, was seeking to qualify for the Boston Marathon for the first time. Her extraordinary report of her journey to her goal is inspirational and a “must read”. It has been re-published on my personal site and below on TFS with her permission.
REDEMPTION, by: Monica Cassier
I can’t help but ask myself: “How can I be here?” It is an early December day in Charlotte, NC, the temperature is hovering in the low 20’s, and I’m minutes away from the start of the Thunder Road Marathon. I’m a couple of hundred miles from home. I’ve stayed with my brother-in-law and his family, but at race start I am alone, and I expect no familial support during this endeavor. I’m wearing shorts, a long-sleeve shirt layered over a short-sleeved shirt. And I’m freezing. What a difference a few weeks make. I rewind my mind. It’s a day a month earlier in Richmond, VA.
“How can I be here?” This is all I can think to myself. “This isn’t happening. This can’t be real… this is a bad dream.”
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