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.

Lead Stories: Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Goucher, Hall Both Third at Boston Marathon

Posted April 20th, 2009 at 3:26 PM by USATF

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Kara Goucher was third in the women’s race and Ryan Hall third among the men Monday in the 113th running of the Boston Marathon, marking the first time in 24 years that Americans appeared on both podiums at this historic race.

Olympic fourth-place finisher Deriba Merga of Ethiopia won the men’s crown in 2:08:42, followed by Daniel Rono of Kenya in 2:09:32 and Hall in 2:09:40. Salina Kosgei of Kenya won the women’s race in a dramatic sprint finish, hitting the line in 2:32:16, one step and one second ahead of defending champion Dire Tune of Ethiopia in 2:32:17 and Goucher third in 2:32:25. Kosgei and Tune bumped elbows several times in the final meters, and Tune - who won hereby only 2 seconds in 2008 - collapsed just two steps after the finish.

Goucher was the first American woman to place in the top three since Kim Jones was second in 1993, while Hall matched 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi’s third place from 2006.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Kosgei, Merga Win Boston Marathon; USA’s Goucher & Hall Both Finish Third

Posted April 20th, 2009 at 1:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Kara Goucher led most most of the final five miles, but with a mile to go relinquished the lead to Salina Kosgei of Kenya, who went on to win a tactical women’s race at the Boston Marathon in 2:32:16.

Goucher’s bid to win came up short, she finished nine seconds behind Kosgei. However, Goucher was still successful in becoming the first U.S. women to make it onto the medal stand with a top-three finish in 16 years.

And Kosgei was just one second ahead of Ethiopian Dire Tune, the 2008 champion, who collapsed at the finish.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Boston Marathon 2009:
Live Race Coverage - MEN

Posted April 20th, 2009 at 12:22 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons

OFFICIAL RESULTS:

1. Deriba Merga (ETH) 2:08:42, $150,000
2. Daniel Rono (KEN) 2:09:32, $75,000
3. Ryan Hall (USA) 2:09:40, $40,000
4. Tekeste Kebede (ETH) 2:09:49, $25,000
5. Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:10:06, $15,000
6. Gashaw Asfaw (ETH) 2:10:44, $12,000
7. Solomon Molla (ETH) 2:12:02, $9000
8. Evans Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:12:45, $7400
9. Stephen Kiogora (KEN) 2:13:00, $5700
10. Timothy Cherigat (KEN) 2:13:04, $4200

12:15pm - For his victory, Deriba Merga earns $150,000. This is his second marathon win this year. In January, he also prevailed at the Houston Marathon, taking that race in a course record of 2:07:52.

12:12pm - Deriba Merga’s official time is 2:08:42.

12:10pm - Deriba Merga wins the 113th Boston Marathon in an unofficial 2:08:41. Daniel Rono is second in an unofficial 2:09:32, with Ryan Hall third in an unofficial 2:09:40.

12:06pm - At 25 miles, Merga’s split is 2:02:10 (4:55). At 25.2, with 1 mile to go, his split is 2:03:17, with his win, evidently, in the bag.

Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

USA Sets World XC Squads

Posted March 16th, 2009 at 4:08 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

USA Track & Field has set their senior and junior teams for the 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships to be held at the Bisharat Golf Course in Amman, Jordan, on March 28. Athletes self-selected for these championships based on their order of finish at the USA Cross Country Championships held on February 7, in Derwood, Md.

The teams are as follows, with team member’s towns of residency and finishing position at the USA Championships noted:

SR. MEN -
Bobby Curtis (Ardmore, Pa.), finished 3rd at USA Championships
Ed Moran (Williamsburg, Va.), 5th
Ryan Vail (Gresham, Ore.), 6th
Bret Gotcher (Flagstaff, Ariz.), 7th
Ed Torres (Boulder, Colo.), 8th
Max King (Bend, Ore.), 9th

JR. MEN -
German Fernandez (Stilwater, Okla.), finished 1st at USA Championships
Chris Derrick (Naperville, Ill.), 2nd
Luke Puskedra (Eugene, Ore.), 3rd
Ryan Hill (Hickory, N.C.), 4th
Patrick DuPont (Fairport, N.Y.), 5th
Francisco Medrano (Lafayette, Ind.), 6th
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Note on the News: Ryan Hall Hoping to ‘Run Free’ in Boston

Posted February 20th, 2009 at 1:38 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Award-winning journalist Alan Abrahamson has written a feature for UniversalSports.com on USA marathoner Ryan Hall’s quest to win the Boston Marathon. Hall hopes that he can really get in ‘the zone’ in Boston.

“When I’m in that zone is when special things happen,” he told Abrahamson. “That’s what I’ve been working on in practice.”

You can read the full story via the following abbreviated link:

http://tinyurl.com/aqqnmy

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Boston Marathon Completes Elite Fields

Posted February 19th, 2009 at 11:26 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Organizers of the Boston Marathon announced today that they have completed their elite fields for the 113th edition of the race scheduled for Monday, April 20.

In addition to defending champions, Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot of Kenya and Dire Tune of Ethiopia, and key USA challengers, Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher, who had been previously announced, elite athlete coordinator Pat Lynch has signed an additional group of strong challengers.

On the men’s side, 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion Evans Cheruiyot of Kenya (2:06:25 PB), has been added along with Beijing Olympics fourth-placer and 2009 Chevron Houston Marathon champion Deribe Merga of Ethiopia (2:06:38).
Read the rest of this entry »

3 comments, add yours | Permalink

Sara Hall: The Fine Line
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 21)

Posted February 13th, 2009 at 12:31 PM by Sara Hall

Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall

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/

Nagging pain: It’s something that we distance runners deal with on a semi-regular basis.

The sport itself is one of pain management, where the battle not only lies in how long our bodies can physically exert themselves, but how long our minds can tune out the red light flashing, “Slow down, this hurts!”.

When it comes to injuries, it seems inevitable that things will pop up once in awhile with the amount of pounding our bodies take while logging 80-90 mile weeks. But since we are so used to the general pain in running, it seems natural to ignore even these nagging aches and pains. And to a certain extent we can, and get away with it, but it’s a fine line between what you can run through and what you can’t.
Read the rest of this entry »

10 comments, add yours | Permalink

Hall to Open 2009 Season at Gasparilla Distance Classic

Posted February 13th, 2009 at 9:25 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

USA half-marathon record holder Ryan Hall will open his 2009 season by running the 32nd annual Gasparilla Distance Classic 15-K in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 28, race organizers confirmed today.

“We feel like a gift was dropped into our lap,” said race director Susan Harmeling in a telephone interview.

Harmeling said that she found out about Hall’s interest in the race when elite athlete coordinator Bill Orr forwarded an e-mail from Hall’s manager, Ray Flynn. Since the 15-K only has prize money for regional athletes, the inquiry came as quite a surprise.

“Of course, I was very excited when I saw it,” she said of the e-mail message. “He (Orr) thought it was a prank.”

Hall, 26, who is training for the Boston Marathon on April 20, will use the Gasparilla race to test his fitness and perhaps set a personal best, according to his coach, Terrence Mahon.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Sara & Ryan Hall:
Our Fall Adventures - Part 3
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 20)

Posted December 29th, 2008 at 9:35 AM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, SPOTLIGHT, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall, Sara Hall

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/

The first few miles of the course (of the Run for Clean Water) followed the rutty red dirt “road” through the forest and out onto the main road. I though that surely by the time we hit the road, most of the under-trained and eager young runners would have come back to me. But I once again underestimated the talent of these young Zambians, and though I passed some in the first few miles, I turned onto the road and saw some young men charging down the road in the distance about 400 meters away. The black “tarmac” as they called it was scorching in the heat as we ran straight up a relentless hill. I settled in running next to a guy wearing a sweatshirt and sandals three sizes too big for him. They flapped loudly with each step, and I told myself, Sara, you are a professional athlete, you will not get beat by a guy wearing sandals. We kept a good pace together as we continued to climb, the sun beating stronger with each mile, and I wondered how some of the runners around me were able to run barefoot on the scorching pavement!
Read the rest of this entry »

8 comments, add yours | Permalink

Kara Goucher to Vie for Boston Marathon Victory

Posted December 16th, 2008 at 11:50 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

On the heels of her successful marathon debut in New York last month where she became the first American woman to make the podium there since 1994, Kara Goucher has committed to next April’s Boston Marathon, John Hancock Financial announced today. Goucher will try to break the 24 year USA drought for victory at America’s oldest, continuously contested marathon, founded in 1897.

“I could not be more excited to participate in the 2009 Boston Marathon on the John Hancock Elite Team,” said Goucher, 30, through a news release. “As an American, Boston is an incredible opportunity to run a major marathon,” she continued. “The race has a history like no other and its legacy spans generations. I am so thankful to continue my journey toward my goal of becoming the best runner in the world here in the United States.”

The last American woman to win the Boston Marathon was Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach in 1985, clocking 2:34:06.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink