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Lead Stories: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

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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Jorge Torres Edges Andrew Carlson for USA Men’s 8K Championship

Posted March 15th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results

Building on a strong, second-place performance at the USA Cross Country Championship, Jorge Torres outlasted Andrew Carlson to win today’s USA 8K Championship in Central Park.

Torres earned the 8K national title with a time of 22:41.2, finishing 0.7 seconds ahead of Team USA Minnesota’s Andrew Carlson (22:41.9). Jason Hartmann (22:48), James Carney (22:52.5), and Fasil Bizuneh (23:02.1) completed the top five.

Alan Webb (23:31.3) finished a disappointing 16th in what was only his fourth professional road race and 2008 racing debut. However, David Monti reports that Webb was sick on Thursday night, probably the result of food poisoning. He and his coach, Scott Raczko, considered scratching him from the race, but Alan decided to start. There is little doubt that it affected his performance today.
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Overcast Skies, Chance of Rain for U.S. 8k Champs in NYC

Posted March 15th, 2008 at 8:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results

Weather.com is forecasting cloudy skies, temperatures around 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and 15mph winds for this morning’s 9am start time of the Central Park Challenge in New York City.

Hosted by the New York Road Runners (NYRR’s), the event includes the U.S. Men’s 8k Championship and a separate Invitational Women’s Race.

The top entrants in the men’s national championship are Alan Webb, who will be making his season debut, Jorge Torres, James Carney, Andrew Carlson, and Fasil Bizuneh. Shalane Flanagan comes in as the favorite for the women’s contest, but will face challenges from notables such as Team USA Minnesota’s Katie McGregor and Carrie Tollefson.

A total prize purse of $70,000 will be on the line, with $10,000 going to each race winner.

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Quote of the Day: 3/15/08

Posted March 15th, 2008 at 7:00 AM by Martha Jones

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes

“The thing about Pre is that he ran as hard as he could every race, and if you were going to beat him, you were going to have to run harder than he did.”

- Bob Kennedy

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Carlson and Kastor Win U.S. 15-K Road Running Titles

Posted March 8th, 2008 at 1:59 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

In conditions so windy that water was blowing onto the course between the 5 km and 6 km marks, Andrew Carlson and Deena Kastor (Pictured) captured the U.S. 15-K road running titles this morning in Jacksonville, Fla., at the 31st Gate River Run.

Carlson was the big winner as he and three other men were able to catch Kastor who, along with the other elite women, were given a five minute headstart. Carlson won not only the $12,000 first place prize but an additional $5,000 bonus for winning the gender battle. He crossed the finish line about 25 seconds ahead of Kastor. It was Carlson’s first U.S. title at any distance on any surface, and he waited for Kastor at the finish line and congratulated her with a hug.
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Podcast 103
JASON LEHMKUHLE Climbing the Marathon Leaderboard

Posted November 12th, 2007 at 4:48 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode 103 of The Final Sprint Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my interview with Team USA Minnesota’s JASON LEHMKUHLE.

Jason shattered his marathon PR and outperformed many of America’s most prominent runners to finish in 2:12:54 and come in an impressive 5th place at last Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials in NYC.

In the interview Jason talks about the keys to his success at the Trials, why the course was not as difficult as he expected, what it’s like to be running with and passing America’s most successful elite runners, the tremendous crowd support, dealing with the tragic lose of Ryan Shay, and how it makes (or should make) an athlete (especially one like Jason who knows they have a heart murmur) take extra medical precautions.

Download the podcast to hear Jason discuss these topics, as well as, his racing plans for the spring, his long buildup to the 10,000m U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, his future in marathoning, what makes Minnesota an ideal place to live and train, his freelance graphic design work, helping younger runners, and much more!

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[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)
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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Jason Lehmkuhle
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 19.9 MB | Length: 29:04 MIN

Episode sponsored by:
Camelbak - the originator and leader in hands-free hydration.

To learn more Camelbak Elixir, their effective, easy-to-use and portable electrolyte beverage, as well as Camelbak’s running specific hydration systems, please visit www.camelbak.com.

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

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ChampionChip Develops New Permanent Timing System for Outdoor Sports in U.S.

Posted November 8th, 2007 at 4:03 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous

ChampionChip has developed a new permanent timing system that can be incorporated in any outdoor sports setting; such as a track or public park. Called TimePoint, the system is currently installed in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. TimePoint is now available for U.S. installations.

The TimePoint system comprises three parts: ground antennas, the housing and a scoreboard display that shows an athlete his or her time as soon as he or she passes the system. The display is optional, but certainly adds a huge “wow” benefit to the system as athletes can see their time instantly displayed.

Additionally, run times are sent to the Internet and athletes can check the www.mychampionchip.com Web site for laps and training progress. They can compare and share their data with other athletes around the world.
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NYRR, Wittenberg Continue to Lead the Way

Posted September 14th, 2007 at 9:03 AM by Scott Bush

Section: Marathons, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

For the past few years, every major marathon seems to include a handful of pacemakers to take out the race and push the fields to fast times. While fast times look impressive on paper, they don’t always make for the best races and the public is generally unaware of the records and impressive times for elite marathoners. With that in mind, Mary Wittenberg, the race director for the New York City Marathon, announced Friday that there will be no pacemakers at this year’s race.

“Our sport is full of great stars who thrive on competition and the purity of head-to-head racing,” Wittenberg said. “In the end, it is all about the thrill of racing and the pursuit of victory. Who cares what the clock says? We owe it to our best to put them front and center and let them race.”

This is great news for a variety of reasons. While hundreds of thousands run a marathon or two each year, few of those runners know more than a couple of the world’s best marathoners. Taking away pacemakers in the front of the pack allows TV commentators to focus on identifying athletes and build stories around them, creating more space for athletes to be showcased. No pacemaking also signifies a larger, more competitive field at the end of the race, instead of a strung out group, with no more than a handful of athletes in the lead pack.

The New York Road Runners build running environments in their city that are both creative and diverse, and with Wittenberg at the helm, NYRR consistently shows why New York City is the center of the second running boom. Dropping pacemakers from the elite race is a bold move. It suggests more head-to-head racing, but slower finish times. NYRR often gambles with ideas like this and continues to exude the creativity, confidence and ability to elevate their events and athletes that this sport so desperately needs.

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Podcast 69: ABDI ABDIRAHMAN on the NYC Half, Osaka & beyond

Posted August 7th, 2007 at 4:59 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Podcasts

Episode 69 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast features my interview with American Olympic distance-runner Abdi Abdirahman.

Abdi, who earlier this summer won his second consecutive 10,000m National Championship, finished second behind the legendary Haile Gebrselassie at last Sunday’s NYC Half-Marathon

In the interview Abdi discusses his performance at the NYC Half, the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Osaka, and his preparation for and the field of competitors running in November’s U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials.

Download the podcast to hear Abdi discuss these topics, as well as, why he believes the U.S. will earn the more medals than ever before at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, looking up to Billy Mills and Bob Kennedy, the special and important place in his heart for his native Somalia, and his deep, heart felt love for being an American.

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: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Abdi Abdirahman
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 9.9 MB
Length: 13:23

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

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“There’s no crying in running!” … How to recover from a bad race

Posted June 26th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Training Tips

“Once you’re beat mentally, you might as well not even go to the starting line.” -Todd WilliamsWhen I nervously pinned my bib number onto my new technical tee, slathered my body in Ben-Gay, and stretched my aching glutes and hamstrings, I knew that I was not sufficiently prepared for the 26.2-mile journey ahead of me.

I was too stubborn to admit defeat, but when mile 14 rolled by, I stopped. I frantically watched as the seconds ticked away and my goal time turned into a sad country song . . . the man of my dreams didn’t slip away, but the race of my dreams sure did.

Read the rest at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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