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Lead Stories: Sunday, November 23, 2008

Podcast 78: Olympic hopeful &
“Steeplechic” ANN GAFFIGAN

Posted September 11th, 2007 at 4:07 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

Episode 78 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with Olympic 3000m steeplechase hopeful, former University of Nebraska star and steeplechics.com developer ANN GAFFIGAN.

In the interview, Ann talks about her current health, overcoming nagging injuries, the “relief” of not competing at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships because she knew she was unable to give her best efforts, and cutting her weekly mileage from 100 to about 55 to get back on track.

Download the podcast to hear Ann discuss these topics, as well as, thoughts of competing in the marathon, the need for more, post-collegiate track & field running groups, admiring the success of her fellow, American female steeplers, and much more!

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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Ann Gaffigan
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File Size: 17.4 MB | Length: 25:23 MIN

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

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Steeplechase popularity increasing among American women

Posted August 2nd, 2007 at 12:15 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Running & Training, Track & Field, Training Tips

ann gaffigan steeplechaser runner track and field The 3000m Steeplechase never has had as much of a following as have other track events. In fact, only recently did it become an official Olympic sport for women. (The inaugural women’s 3000m Steeplechase will be held in Beijing, China in 2008.) All of that is beginning to change, however, especially for women in the United States.

For you ladies interested in becoming steeplechasers, there’s a great resource for you over at Steeplechics.com, a website that “provides a medium for a growing body of information, about steeplechase for girls and women.”

The site is run by Ann Gaffigan, a steeplechaser and 2004 University of Nebraska graduate. Gaffigan was the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials champion in the 3000m Steeplechase. Gaffigan has been hindered for some time by a mysterious ailment that has kept her from performing at her best.

When I caught up with her recently, she mentioned that she was finally on her way back to top form, saying:

“I am beginning to feel better, not only physically, but mentally, which is key. Beijing is the ultimate goal, so here goes nothing!”

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Interview with professional steeplechaser Ann Gaffigan (Part II)

Posted June 5th, 2007 at 10:15 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Interviews

ann gaffigan steeplechaser runner track and field HerActiveLife.com (HAL), a new member of The Final Sprint Network, published the second installment of a two part interview with professional steeplechaser, Ann Gaffigan. In Part I, Ann discusses how she got into the steeple, who inspires her, her training, and her most recent and widely read blog entry from her site, steeplechics.com. In Part II, Ann offers some incredibly insightful remarks about eating disorders and body image, how she handles disappointment, her Olympic goals, and her personal life philosophy.

Ann graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2004, and quickly made her mark in the professional ranks by setting a then American record of 9:39 in the 3,000 m steeplechase at the 2004 US Olympic Trials. She followed that performance in 2005 by finishing 5th in the USA championships. Before becoming a professional runner, Ann was an Illinois state champion, an NCAA All-American, a Big 12 champion, and Nebraska’s female student-athlete of the year in 2004. Under the direction of Nebraska coach Jay Dirksen, and with her sight firmly set on the 2008 Olympic Trials, she trains upwards of 100 miles per week. The Beijing Olympics marks the official inauguration of the women’s steeplechase as an Olympic event.

In addition to her running accolades, Ann is a computer programmer/web systems developer with a degree in Computer Science, and she is webmaster for the popular site, steeplechics.com.

PART II

HAL: The Final Sprint published an article about NCAA runners and eating disorders. How much of a problem do you think eating disorders and body image are in the NCAA, or in elite running in general? Where do you draw the line as an athlete between healthy and unhealthy?

AG: I think it’s a major problem because it’s very under the radar and a lot of athletes may have an issue, but not to the point where they need to be hospitalized. So it’s very hard to tell; someone might seem very healthy, you might see her eat healthy meals, and she continues to run well so you think she must be fine. You usually only think someone has a problem if she is collapsing or if she needs to be taken to the hospital. But it’s hard to see when someone has a problem if she is doing a good job of hiding it, and if she is eating enough to still get by.

Read the rest at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Interview with professional steeplechaser Ann Gaffigan (Part I)

Posted June 4th, 2007 at 12:11 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Interviews

ann gaffigan steeplechaser runner track and field HerActiveLife.com (HAL), a new member of The Final Sprint Network, published the first installment of a two part interview with professional steeplechaser, Ann Gaffigan. In Part I, Ann discusses how she got into the steeple, who inspires her, her training, and her most recent and widely read blog entry from her site, steeplechics.com. In Part II, Ann offers some incredibly insightful remarks about eating disorders and body image, how she handles disappointment, her Olympic goals, and her personal life philosophy.

In addition to her running accolades, Ann is a computer programmer/web systems developer with a degree in Computer Science, and she is webmaster for the popular site, steeplechics.com.

Her Active Life (HAL): Before getting into your upcoming season and your goals for 2008, I am sure a lot of people wonder about this, and I am sure you get asked this question a lot, but how did you gravitate toward running the steeple – which is arguably one of the toughest races on the track?

Ann Gaffigan (AG): When I arrived at Nebraska my coach, Jay Dirksen, articulated that I was an all around athlete and he thought that I could do really well in it, and I said “okay.” It was pretty rocky at first.

HAL: Do you consider yourself a steeple pioneer?

AG: I’ll consider myself that if I make the 2008 Olympic games. There are a lot of women steeplers that deserve recognition, but they are very under the radar, like Lisa Nye, Elizabeth Jackson, and Karen Harvey. Those women were really the pioneers.

Read the rest at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Inspiring words from professional steeplechaser Ann Gaffigan

Posted May 12th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results

The following post is written by professional steeplechaser Ann Gaffigan, who blogs about her athletic career at Steeplechics.com. Gaffigan’s post is titled “No News Isn’t Always Good News.” Gaffigan took the track and field world by storm in 2004 when she became the US steeplchase champion in a personal best time of 9:39. Below she reflects on her most recent race at the Drake Relays.

annsteeple They say no news is good news, but I beg to differ. I would give anything for some news right now to send me in some kind of direction: Your iron is low, you need to take more iron. You have mono. You have some other virus. You are overtrained. You are overstressed. It’s all in your head, snap out of it.

But in reality it could be any of these or something new and cool that I don’t even know about. Except for the iron, which has been tested and is fine, and mono, which you can only get once and I’ve already had. But something is definitely wrong. I hope. I hope I don’t just all of a sudden suck at the thing I used to be best at. Hopefully I am not just doomed to be a 10:42 steeplechaser and that’s it. Where’s the meaning in that?

Read the rest at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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