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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

NYC Half Marathon: Tola Edges Makau to Win in 1:00:58

Posted July 27th, 2008 at 8:07 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Road Racing

1. Tola, Tadesse (ETH) 1:00:58
2. Makau, Patrick (KEN) 1:00:59
3. Ritzenhein, Dathan (USA) 1:01:38
4. Maiyo, Richard (KEN) 1:01:55
5. Tola, Girma (ETH) 1:02:58
6. Kipsang, William (KEN) 1:03:25
7. Rotich, Hosea (KEN) 1:03:33
8. Ramaala, Hendrick (SA) 1:04:07
9. Beyi, Worku (ETH) 1:04:07
10. Tefera, Demesse (ETH) 1:04:18

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NYC Half Marathon: Pack of 4 Continue to Lead Men Through Mile 5 in 22:53

Posted July 27th, 2008 at 7:22 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Road Racing

The men’s lead pack of four just passed the 5 mile marker in 22:53 at today’s NYC Half-Marathon presented by Nike. The leaders include Tadesse Tola (ETH), Dathan Ritzenhein (USA) and Kenyan compatriots Patrick Makau and Richard Maiyo.

The next pack trails by about 8 seconds and it includes: Girma Tola (ETH), Hosea Rotich (KEN), William Kipsang (KEN), Felix Limo (KEN), Demesse Tefera (ETH) and Worku Beyi (ETH).

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Complete Elite Fields for NYC Half-Marathon

Posted July 24th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Road Racing

The New York Road Runners (NYRR) have announced the complete, wlite fields for this Sunday’s NYC Half-Marathon Presented by Nike. TheFinalSprint.com will be at the race to provide live updates, press conference videos, interviews and more!

Bib First Last City State Nat. Affiliation DOB Age PB

MEN

2 Patrick Makau N’gong KEN adidas 02-Mar-85 23 58:56
3 Dathan Ritzenhein Eugene OR USA NIKE 30-Dec-82 25 1:01:25
4 Hendrick Ramaala Johannesburg RSA adidas 02-Feb-72 36 59:20
5 William Kipsang Eldoret KEN NIKE 01-Jan-77 31 1:00:25
6 Felix Limo Eldoret KEN adidas 22-Aug-80 27 1:01:12
7 Tadesse Tola ETH NIKE 31-Oct-87 20 1:01:37
8 Khalid El Boumlili MAR NIKE 10-Apr-78 30 1:01:12
9 Adam Goucher Portland OR USA NIKE 19-Feb-76 32 1:03:17
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Makau Wins, But Ritzenhein’s Record Still Stands

Posted May 17th, 2008 at 12:09 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

Given that it was his first trip to the United States, Patrick Makau wanted to make sure it was a memorable one. So, on a glorious spring morning in Central Park here, the silver medalist from last year’s IAAF World Road Running Championships bolted from the start of the 4th annual Healthy Kidney 10-K to attack Dathan Ritzenhein’s one year-old course record. A $20,000 bonus awaited him at the finish line if he could break 28:08, a very solid mark considering the difficulty of the course.

“The course record is not so hard,” Makau said at the pre-race press conference last Thursday.

The 23 year-old Kenyan from Ngong rocketed through the first mile –which is uphill– in 4:23, instantly opening up a big gap on the field. Makau didn’t let up, running the second mile in 4:24 and the third (which includes a significant climb in the north end of the park) in 4:31. By the time he hit the 5-K in 13:51 he was 23 seconds up on Ritzenhein’s record.
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Marathon Ace Goumri Added to Healthy Kidney 10-K

Posted May 12th, 2008 at 6:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

One of the world’s top marathon runners, Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco, has been added to the field of next Saturday’s Healthy Kidney 10-K, the New York Road Runners announced today. Goumri, who turns 32 on May 21, was the #2 ranked marathoner in the world last year according to Race Results Weekly, finishing second at both the Flora London and ING New York City Marathons.

“Abderrahim returns to New York and the center stage against this formidable field for another step in a career that has been steadily on the rise the past few years,” said NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg through a prepared statement.

Goumri was added to the field in the wake of defending champion Dathan Ritzenhein’s withdrawal due to injury. The speedy Moroccan hold’s his nation’s record for the marathon which he set last April when he finished third at the Flora London Marathon in 2:05:30. He’s no slouch at the 10 km distance, either, also holding his nation’s 10,000m record of 27:02.62. He’s also run 28:34 on the road.
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2 Mile World Best for Bekele in Birmingham

Posted February 16th, 2008 at 3:09 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Kenenisa Bekele set a new world best over 2 miles at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham, England, today, clocking 8:04.35.

His performance knocked 0.34 seconds from the previous mark of 8:04.69 set by his compatriot Haile Gebrselassie in 2003 on the same track at the National Indoor Arena. Bekele, the world record holder outdoors in the 5000 and 10,000m, now owns the world record or world best indoors at 2000m, 2 miles and 5000m. Only Daniel Komen’s indoor mark of 7:24.90 in the 3000m, considered the strongest of indoor world records on the track, has eluded the 25-year-old Ethiopian.
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Assault on Women’s 4×800m World Relay Record on Tap in Linz, Austria

Posted January 30th, 2008 at 2:03 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

An assault on the year-old women’s 4×800m relay world record will be among the highlights at the inaugural Gugl.Indoor meet in Linz, Austria, on Thursday night.

Four teams –quartets from Russia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Austria– are entered in the rarely-contested event, but attention will be clearly focused on the Russian quartet gunning for the world record of 8:18.54 set last February in Volgograd.

On paper the record is well within the capabilities of Natalya Pantelyeva, Svetlana Klyuka, Anna Alminova and Natalya Yevdokimova, who each have sub-two minute 800m credentials to their credit. But averaging about 2:04.60 per leg, largely running solo, is another matter. Read the rest of this entry »

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Elite Fields Announced For Boston Half-Marathon

Posted October 1st, 2007 at 10:15 AM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Marathons

For the seventh consecutive October thousands of runners will be racing through the streets of Boston and Brookline in the B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. The race is scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 7 at Roberto Clemente Field in Boston’s Back Bay Fens neighborhood. The route will take runners out to the Franklin Park Zoo, and back again, along Boston’s Emerald Necklace park system. Leading the pack will be a field of elite men and women, competing for a total prize purse of $30,000.

Defending champion Samuel Ndereba (KEN), 30, headlines a men’s field that will be chasing Luke Metto’s 3-year-old course record of 1:02:57. After placing second here in 2005, Ndereba seized control of the 2006 B.A.A. Half Marathon at the 11-mile mark. He crossed the finish line in 1:03:03, tying the fourth fastest time ever run on the course, and falling just short of a new course record. Ndereba made his marathon debut in Boston this past spring, placing ninth in 2:17:04. With that time, he and his sister, four-time Boston Marathon champion and former world-record holder (2:18:47) Catherine, set a unique record: they now own the fastest combined brother/sister marathon time in history at 4:35:51.

Celedonio Rodriguez (Alamosa, CO), 26, the man who beat Ndereba two years ago, and placed fifth last year, will be looking to regain the top spot. Rodriguez took the entire elite field by surprise in 2005, seizing the lead in the first mile and never looking back en route to a 12-second win.

Challenging the two past champions will be Richard Kiplagat (KEN), 26, runner-up in 2006. In his half marathon debut, Kiplagat was the only man who could keep pace with Ndereba. He ultimately finished just 12 seconds back, in 1:03:15, the seventh fastest time ever run on the course. Joining these B.A.A. Half Marathon veterans will be Tom Nyariki (KEN), 36, who boasts a 5,000m best of 12:55.94, won the 2006 New York City Half Marathon with a time of 1:01:22.

Edna Kiplagat (KEN), 28, one of the year’s hottest road racers, headlines the women’s field. Kiplagat comes to Boston for the first time having already captured three major road racing titles in 2007, winning the Lilac Bloomsday 12K, Bay to Breakers 12K, and Bolder Boulder 10K earlier this year. Though she’s a relative newcomer to the half marathon distance, Kiplagat already owns a personal best of 1:09:32.
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Distance stars shine in Stockholm

Posted August 8th, 2007 at 7:40 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Many of the sport’s middle and long distance stars shined at last night’s DN Galan meeting in Stockholm, an IAAF Super Grand Prix event.

Kenenisa Bekele dominated the men’s 3000m, running the fastest time of the year and winning by about ten seconds. The Ethiopian’s 7:25.79 clocking made him the #6 performer of all-time, and he has run the three fastest times in the world this year at this distance. He is gearing up for his title defense at 10,000m at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, the only event he will contest at those championships according to his manager, Valentijn Trouw. Second place went to Jonas Cheruiyot of Kenya in 7:35.44. American Matt Tegenkamp ran his fastest 3000m of the season, finishing fourth in 7:35.68.

American Deena Kastor won the women’s 5000m in 14:52.21, perhaps a birthday gift to husband Andrew who turned 30 yesterday. Her time was only slightly off of her personal best of 14:51.62 set on the same track back in 2000. Like Bekele, Kastor will contest the 10,000m in Osaka.
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Healthy Kidney 10-K Start List

Posted May 17th, 2007 at 10:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

The following athletes are expected to start Saturday’s Healthy Kidney 10-K in New York City’s Central Park. A $20,000 bonus is on the line if the winning man breaks Paul Koech’s Central Park record of 28:10:

Mottram, Craig, AUS
Ritzenhein, Dathan, USA
Khannouchi, Khalid, USA
Kiplagat, Richard, KEN
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