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Lead Stories: Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Beijing Swelters in Advance of Opening Ceremony

Posted August 8th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

In advance of tonight’s Opening Ceremony, Beijing remains in the grip of a humid haze so thick that one could barely see the sun over Tiananmen Square this morning (see photo).

This is the third consecutive day that this Olympic host city has seen stifling humidity which has greatly reduced visibility and has left athletes, tourists and members of the media alike sweating profusely. There has not been a blue sky to look at since Tuesday afternoon.
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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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London Marathon to Announce New Title Sponsor

Posted May 12th, 2008 at 2:24 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

Beginning in the spring of 2010, it won’t be called the “Flora London Marathon” any longer. But what will be the new name?

Journalists have been asked to assemble at the Tower Hotel on St. Katharine Way in London on Friday, May 16, to find out which company will be the London Marathon’s new title sponsor.

Race Results Weekly (RRW) spoke on background to a high-ranking London Marathon official on the day of the Boston Marathon who said that the London event had been pitched by five well-heeled sponsors all vying for the privilege of bankrolling the world’s top spring marathon.

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Lel Takes London Record in History-Making Race

Posted April 14th, 2008 at 10:20 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Like a bull at a rodeo, the men’s field at the 28th Flora London Marathon bolted out of the gate with reckless abandon. The athletes who were strong enough to hang on were rewarded with personal and national records, while others were thrown to the street, their hopes of victory incinerated by the fast pace.

But when the dust had settled at the grand finish line on The Mall, race director David Bedford’s bold experiment in aggressive pacemaking yielded –by several measures– the fastest men’s marathon of all-time, with three men cracking 2:06:00, and six men breaking 2:07:00, for the first time ever in a single race. Those times came after a breathtaking 62:12 first half which left some of the world’s best marathoners well off the pace.

“It was crazy,” said last year’s runner-up, Abderrahim Goumri, of the 14:21 (downhill) first 5-K.

But the fast pace, coupled with a cold and drenching rain which fell from the 18th through the 23rd miles, did little to knock defending champion Martin Lel (Pictured above) off of his game.
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Munyutu & Komu Set Unique Record at Paris Marathon

Posted April 9th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

It was a good day for Kenyans Simon Munyutu and Martha Komu at last Sunday’s Paris International Marathon. Both athletes set personal best times (2:09:24 for Munyutu and 2:25:33 for Komu), and Komu got her first big marathon win.

But the couple also achieved a unique record, according to veteran marathon statistician Marty Post. Their combined time of 4:34:57 was the fastest ever set by a married couple running in the same marathon.

“Best known previous was 4:41:42 by Odilon Cuahutle (2:18:43) and Madai Perez (2:22:59) at Chicago ‘06,” Post wrote in an e-mail message to Race Results Weekly.
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Athlete Ngetich Perishes in Ongoing Kenyan Violence

Posted January 21st, 2008 at 1:22 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

The ongoing violence in Kenya has claimed the life of marathoner Wesley Ngetich, according to his manager Hussein Makke. The 34 year-old athlete was shot in the chest with an arrow today during fighting in his hometown of Trans Mara, not far from Masai Mara.

“They spoke to his sister-in-law who said they took him to the hospital and he passed away,” Makke explained in an e-mail message to Race Results Weekly. “I don’t have any further information at the moment.”

Makke got the news of Ngetich’s death from his on-site manager in Kenya, Francis Kamau.
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Hall and Wanjiru Added to London Marathon Field

Posted January 7th, 2008 at 12:30 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Race director David Bedford has beefed up his already robust field for the 2008 Flora London Marathon by adding two of the sport’s most promising marathon stars: Ryan Hall (Pictured) of Big Bear Lake, Calif., and Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya. The 28th edition of the race is scheduled for Sunday, April 13.

Hall, 25, is coming off of a dramatic victory at the USA Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon held in New York City last November. The former Stanford University star ran a brilliant race, saving his strength during the first half of the hilly, five-loop course in Central Park before unleashing a seemingly effortless 62:45 for the second half. His finish time of 2:09:02 was a Trials record, despite the fact that he lost at least half a minute in the final miles celebrating his victory. Hall also ran 2:08:24 at London in his debut last April, a USA debut record.
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Lel & Wami Ranked #1 in Marathon in 2007 by RRW

Posted December 31st, 2007 at 2:24 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Race Results Weekly, the wire service of distance running, announced today that Ethiopian Gete Wami and Kenyan Martin Lel were the top-ranked marathon runners of 2007. RRW produced for the third time an annual top-10 marathoner ranking based on key victories, head-to-head competition, fast times, consistent performances in multiple races and, in some cases, heroic efforts.

“Lel was a clear choice for us by winning both London and New York, a feat no man had ever accomplished” said Editor & Publisher, David Monti. “However, it was much closer on the women’ side between Wami and China’s Zhou Chunxia.”

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Study Shows 69 Marathon Trials Qualifiers Under New Rules

Posted December 17th, 2007 at 3:31 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

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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Prize Money Increase for Comrades Marathon

Posted December 8th, 2007 at 12:12 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Marathons

The 2008 Comrades Marathon, to be run on Sunday, June 15, will offer elite athletes a total of nearly R1.4 million (USD 210,000) in prize money, a record amount for any road race in South Africa and an increase of ten percent over 2007. The winner’s prize for both men and women goes up from R200,000 to R220,000 ($33,000) and the total winnings will be a whopping R1,398,900 ($209,800).

Speaking at the launch of the 2008 event in Johannesburg, Comrades Marathon general manager Gary Boshoff said that this move is in line with the international trend to reward elite performers handsomely. “We live in a professional era and ultramarathon stars deserve to be richly rewarded, just as sportsmen and women are in other sports. The Comrades Marathon is considered by the international fraternity to be the world’s greatest ultramarathon road race and we need to attract the best possible field. Last year we saw the impact a runner like Leonid Shvetsov can have on our event and we need to keep that momentum going,” he said.
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