TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.
Dysfunction Run Amuck
Part I: USA Track & Field and the Need for Change
Posted November 20th, 2008 at 2:00 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics
The upcoming presidential election for the sport’s national governing body, U.S.A. Track & Field (USATF), comes at a critical juncture in the history of the organization. Recently appointed CEO Doug Logan has shown both a strong commitment to continue reforming the anti-doping measures that were begun by his predecessor Craig Masback as well as a passion for challenging the status quo. His success in tackling these issues as well as the tough marketing challenges that lie ahead will need to be complimented by a streamlined board of directors in order to ensure the future of the American track federation.
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has levied demands for change at USATF, including serious threats of reduced funding or even de-certification if they fail to comply. Although the restructuring process has already begun for USATF, the process itself faces some tough challenges of its own. USATF national secretary Lynn Cannon has leveled some strong accusations of financial mismanagement that have already reverberated throughout the United States track & field and running community. They have resulted in denials and/or finger pointing from within the board.
TheFinalSprint.com’s investigation into this matter uncovered disturbing accusations and issues of dysfunction, including infighting, power struggles, racial tension, lack of oversight, and conflicts of interest within the board of directors. While the allegations may not rise to the level of criminality, they do threaten to undermine the organization at a time that it desperately needs cohesiveness and efficiency.
With the belief that sunlight is the best disinfectant, TheFinalSprint.com will provide an inside look at USATF and its current situation over the next six installments to be published between now and USATF’s annual meeting in Reno, NV. The topics to be covered in each segment and the date that it will be available can be found below:
- 11/20 - Introduction
- 11/21 - How Did We Get Here?
- 11/25 - USOC Mandates / A Question of Authority
- 11/28 - Cannon’s Allegations / Financial Mismanagement
- 11/29 - ‘Jets vs. Sharks’ Dynamic / Racial Tensions
- 12/02 - Overstepping / Conflicts of Interest
- 12/03 - Pres. Election / Logan / Restructuring
TFS Running Podcast: Marathoner Peter Gilmore on How the Economic Crisis Affects Elite U.S. Runners
Posted October 31st, 2008 at 9:29 AM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, Road Racing
Today I’m joined by Peter Gilmore; a well respected U.S. marathoner who runs for Team MarathonGuide.com. Gilmore, who has a marathon PR of 2:12:45 (Boston, 2006), has been struggling with injuries of late, but seemes headed back on track. Last year, he won the Surf City USA Half-Marathon in Huntington Beach, CA and set a new course record of 1:03:53. He was also the top American at the 2007 Boston Marathon and 2006 ING New York City Marathon,.
In the interview, he discusses the current economic crisis, offering his unique perspective as both an elite runner and as someone who holds a masters degree in finance. Gilmore talks about how how the current economic crisis is affecting him, personally, as well as other elite runners, how this downturn might actually be good for the sport in the United States and offers steps that professional and other runners can take to weather the storm.
Download the podcast to here Gilmore go into these topics, as well as, his recent injury, progress made in rehab, and when and where he hopes to return to racing. In addition, he offers his predictions and thoughts on this weekend’s NYC marathon!
TO DOWNLOAD: Right click here and select “Save As”
Host: Jimmie Markham | Guest: Peter Gilmore
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 15.1 MB | Length: 00:21:59
Episode Brought
To You By:Degree Women Clinical Protection
Prescription strength wetness protection without a prescription. Check out DegreeClinical.com for more info!
TFS Running Podcast:
NYC Marathon Teleconference with Kara Goucher and Abdi Abdirahman
Posted October 30th, 2008 at 12:17 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts
Welcome to a special episode of TheFinalSprint.com Running Podcast featuring the 2008 ING New York City Marathon. Today we present a teleconference interview (courtesy of the New York Road Runners) with Kara Goucher and Abdi Abdirahman, along with New York Road Runners President Mary Wittenberg and PR Director Richard Finn, as well as several members of the media, including John Elliott of MarathonGuide.com and Peter Gambaccini of Runners World.
During this episode Abdi and Kara talk about their preparations and expectations for the race as well as their goals for the 2009 season. In addition, Kara talks about training under the tutelage of Alberto Salazar (the last American to win the New York City Marathon) and Mary discusses the recent controversy in the Chicago Marathon and the Nike Women’s Marathon over “gun” times trumping “chip” times, and much more!
TO DOWNLOAD: Right click here and select “Save As”
Host: NYRR, Jimmie Markham | Guest: Abdi Abdirahman, Kara Goucher
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 33.6 MB | Length: 00:36:47
To You By:Degree Women Clinical Protection
Prescription strength wetness protection without a prescription. Check out DegreeClinical.com for more info!
Bank of America Chicago Marathon: Men’s Preview
Posted October 10th, 2008 at 2:30 PM by Jared Markowitz
Section: News & Results, Marathons
The 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will feature an impressive assembly of Kenyan distance talent. Even with stars such as Sammy Wanjiru, Martin Lel, and Robert Cheruiyot recovering from their Olympic build up, Kenya will have 10 men with sub-2:10 credentials in this race. Only one other entrant (Japan’s Arata Fujiwara) has run that fast, so the winner will almost certainly come from Kenya.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bank of America Chicago Marathon: Women’s Preview
Posted October 10th, 2008 at 1:30 PM by Jared Markowitz
Section: News & Results, Marathons
The Women’s Race at the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will feature a clash between youth and experience. On the side of experience are reigning Olympic champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita and two-time defending Chicago champion Berhane Adere, both of whom have remarkable credentials and are in fine form. They will be challenged by relative newcomer Bezunesh Bekele and several other talented women looking to prove themselves on this big stage.
Read the rest of this entry »
What To Watch: Running & Track Events on TV, Webcast
Posted October 10th, 2008 at 12:29 PM by Jesse Squire
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Columns, What To Watch, Road Racing
Action is beginning to pick back up as we head into marathon season. Headlining the coming week’s action are the Chicago Marathon and the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships. As always, all times are Eastern; check your local listings.
Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Universal Sports TV, 9:00 AM Sunday
UniversalSports.com, 8:45 AM Sunday
Surprise Olympic marathon champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita leads the field in the penultimate stop on the World Marathon Majors tour. For more, go to Chicagomarathon.com.
IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships
UniversalSports.com, 7:30 AM Sunday
The free webcast coverage of the IAAF’s World Championships will be live. The men’s race, featuring defending New York City marathon champ Marilson dos Santos, begins at 7:45 a.m. The women’s race, featuring ‘07 World Cross Country champ Lornah Kiplagat, begins at 8:15 a.m. For more on the race, go to the IAAF’s website.
TFS ElectionCast 2008:
USA Track & Field Presidential Candidate DEE JENSEN
Posted October 9th, 2008 at 12:30 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, Drugs In Sports, Trail / Ultra, Masters, Road Racing
Welcome to the third and final episode in TheFinalSprint.com Running Podcast’s special-edition series: “TFS ElectionCast 2008: Interviews With The USATF Presidential Candidates”. This series will introduce you to the candidates for president of the governing body of track & field in the United States: USA Track & Field (USATF).
Today’s interview is with Dee Jensen, who is the current vice-president of USATF and treasurer of the Dakotas Association. She also has experience as a coach and official.
You can find our interview with Bob Bowman here and our interview with Stephanie Hightower here. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed to be notified when these interviews, as well as, all of our other articles and podcasts are published.
TO DOWNLOAD: Right click here and select “Save As”
Host: Jimmie R. Markham | Guest: Dee Jensen
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 15.6 MB | Length: 00:22:49
To You By:Degree Women Clinical Protection
Prescription strength wetness protection without a prescription. Check out DegreeClinical.com for more info!
TFS ElectionCast 2008:
USATF Presidential Candidate STEPHANIE HIGHTOWER
Posted October 8th, 2008 at 11:44 AM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, Drugs In Sports, Trail / Ultra, Masters, Road Racing
Welcome to the second of three episodes in TheFinalSprint.com Running Podcast’s special-edition series: “TFS ElectionCast 2008: Interviews With The USATF Presidential Candidates”. This series will introduce you to the candidates for president of the governing body of track & field in the United States: USA Track & Field (USATF).
Today’s interview is with Stephanie Hightower, who is the current chair of the women’s track & field committee of the High Performance Division of USATF. She also competed as an athlete in the hurdles, was an Olympian and still holds the indoor world record in the 60 yard hurdles.
Our interview with Bob Bowman here and you can find our interview with Dee Jensen here. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed to be notified when these interviews, as well as, all of our other articles and podcasts are published.
TO DOWNLOAD: Right click here and select “Save As”
Host: Jimmie R. Markham | Guest: Stephanie Hightower
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 28.8 MB | Length: 00:41:58
To You By:Degree Women Clinical Protection
Prescription strength wetness protection without a prescription. Check out DegreeClinical.com for more info!
Weather Trending Warmer For Chicago Marathon
Posted October 8th, 2008 at 9:34 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
While not expected to reach the sweltering highs which plagued last year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon, temperatures in the Windy City for Sunday’s race are, nonetheless, going to be warm for marathon running.
Race Results Weekly checked the weather forecast for Chicago using three popular websites, and all predict temperatures to reach the mid-70’s F (low/mid-20’s C):
WeatherUnderground.com: Partly cloudy, high 74°F/23°C, low 63°F/17°C
Weather.com: Partly cloudy, high 76°F/24°C, low 61°F/16°C
Weather.gov: Mostly sunny, high 75°F/24°C (Saturday night low of 59°F/15°C)
The humidity will also be high at the 8:00 a.m. starting time, between
80% and 90%.
TFS ElectionCast 2008:
USA Track & Field Presidential Candidate BOB BOWMAN
Posted October 7th, 2008 at 3:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, Drugs In Sports, Trail / Ultra, Masters, Road Racing
Welcome to the first episode in TheFinalSprint.com Running Podcast’s special-edition series: “TFS ElectionCast 2008: Interviews With The USATF Presidential Candidates”. This series will introduce you to the candidates for president of the governing body of track & field in the United States: USA Track & Field (USATF). Today’s episode is the first of three that be published one per day on consecutive days and will feature interviews with all three candidates: Bob Bowman, Stephanie Hightower and Dee Jensen.
Today’s interview is with Bob Bowman, who is a past vice president of USATF and is involved with the Pacific Association. He also competed as an athlete in race walking and long-distance running and is a former American record holder.
Check back on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 for our interview with Stephanie Hightower and on Thursday, October 9, 2008 for our conversation with Dee Jensen. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed to be notified when these interviews, as well as, all of our other articles and podcasts are published.
TO DOWNLOAD: Right click here and select “Save As”
Host: Jimmie R. Markham | Guest: Bob Bowman
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 19.0 MB | Length: 00:27:48
To You By:Degree Women Clinical Protection
Prescription strength wetness protection without a prescription. Check out DegreeClinical.com for more info!
Who had the more impressive Boston Marathon debut?
Recent Comments
Page 2 Articles
- Freihofer’s Threepeat Bittersweet For Johnson
As she crossed the finish line with her third consecutive victory at today’s 30th Freihofer’s Run for Women in Albany, N.Y., Benita Johnson raised her arms in victory, her smile showing nothing but pure joy.
But the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships gold medalist was carrying a heavy weight throughout the race, the knowledge that […] - El Scorcho 50K/25K Ultra Races in Fort Worth, TX
The 2nd annual El Scorcho “Dos” 50K and 25K races are being held in Fort Worth, Texas on July 20, 2008 at midnight. Runners will complete a 3.1-mile crushed gravel loop on the Trinity Trails a total of five times for the 25K (15.5 mile) race, and ten times for the 50K (31 mile) […]
- What To Watch: Running & Track Events on TV, Webcast
Here are the running and track & field events coming your way on TV and/or through online webcasts. All times EDT. If I’ve missed anything, put it in the comments section. Check your local listings and enjoy!
NCAA Midwest Regional Track & Field Championships
Huskers.com, Friday and Saturday
Free live coverage of the national championships qualifier from Lincoln, […] - What To Watch: Running & Track Events on TV, Webcast
Here are the running and track & field events coming your way on TV and/or through online webcasts. All times EDT. If I’ve missed anything, put it in the comments section. Check your local listings and enjoy!
Big Ten Track & Field Championships
Big Ten Network, 7-10 p.m. Thursday
replays at 11 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. Friday, 3 […] - What To Watch: Running & Track Events on TV, Webcast
Here are the running and track & field events coming your way on TV and/or through online webcasts. All times EDT. If I’ve missed anything, put it in the comments section. Check your local listings and enjoy!
Adidias Track Classic
ESPN, 4-6 p.m. Sunday (live!)
The first major U.S. professional invitational of the year will take […] - What To Watch: Running & Track Events on TV, Webcast
Here are the running and track & field events coming your way on TV and/or through online webcasts. All times EDT. Check your local listings and enjoy!
Secrets of the Dead: Doping For Gold
PBS, 8-9 p.m. Wednesday
Most local stations will re-air throughout the week
Season 8 of the series begins with a documentary about the […] - What To Watch: Running & Track Events on TV, Webcast
This week’s television broadcasts and webcasts of track & and road running events (all times EDT):
Big East Conference Championships
Live at BigEast.tv:
Friday at 10:50 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Saturday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Sunday at 10 a.m.
Fee: $7.95 for the whole weekend
The men’s title should come down to Georgetown and […] - Negative and Even Splitters in Olympic Trials Marathon Deserve “Runner Know Thyself” Award
Of the 124 women who finished the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Women’s Marathon, only 4 had negative splits. The most notable one, of course, was Deena Kastor who ran the second half of her race 2.28% faster than the first half. The other three were Megan Hepp (-0.48%), Casey Smith (-0.24%) and third place […]
- Sara Hall: Success in London for Ryan, Now On To Mt. Sac (Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #7)
Welcome to the official blog of U.S. middle-distance runner Sara Hall. Sara’s list of running accolades include being a former NCAA All- American at Stanford, the 2006 USA 5K road champion, and the 2006 champion at the Continental Fifth Avenue Mile. Check back every other Friday for her latest entry at http://sarahall.thefinalsprint.com/
It’s over. […] - Three Ways to Run Injury-Free
Among those who call themselves runners, there seems to be a shared sense of community and understanding. We smile knowingly at tales of windy 20-milers or sunrise jogs on the water. We compare black toenails and favorite Clif Gel flavors.
Unfortunately, we can also sympathize and relate to stories of injury or woes from those […]
The Final Sprint
On March 15, 2010
SDrunner said:
Great review, I wrote one on the Ironman Road Trainer HRM, which is similar to this one, without the...