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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Be True To Your School

Posted May 18th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, College

“I got a letterman’s sweater
With a letter in front
I got for football and track
I’m proud to wear it now
When I cruise around
The other parts of the town
I got a decal in back

So be true to your school now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to your school now
And let your colors fly
Be true to your school”

I did not go to a track meet this afternoon.

This is an unusual situation for me on a Saturday in May. There’s always a meet going on somewhere, and my previous blog wasn’t written under the name of “The Track & Field Superfan” for nothing. But this wasn’t just any Saturday, and not just any track meet that I didn’t attend.

I ran at Bowling Green State University in the early 90s, and while I wasn’t particularly good for a college runner I thoroughly enjoyed taking on the extreme physical challenge of training and competing in the NCAA’s highest division. I liked my experiences in Bowling Green so much, I remained in the town for fifteen years after graduation, only leaving six months ago when my wife’s career took us away. I bled burnt orange and seal brown.
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TFS Running Podcast 139: Gatorade XC Runner of the Year CHRIS DERRICK

Posted May 1st, 2008 at 1:30 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, High School

On Episode 139 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, I had the pleasure of being joined by Chris Derrick of Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois.

In January Derrick was named the 2007-2008 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. He also finished second behind TFS Elite Athlete Blogger Michael Fout at the national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships and most recently ran the fastest 5k ever (13:55:96) in a high school race at the Arcadia Invitational.

In the interview, Derrick talks about his recent successes and why he’ll head to Stanford this fall instead becoming an Illini. Download the podcast to hear Derrick discuss these topics, as well as, whether the current crop of elite high school runners (Derrick, Fout, Puskedra, Lowe, Fernandez, etc) could match the level of success already achieved by Hall, Webb, and Ritz, his answers to our new “Rapid Fire Questions” segment, and much more!

TO DOWNLOAD: Right click here and select “Save As”

Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Chris Derrick
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 13.6 MB | Length: 00:19:56

Episode Sponsored By: U.S. Army Special Forces

If your measure of success goes way beyond the mainstream, if you think limits are something to be pushed, if your greatest motivation is doing the impossible, we may have a career for you.

U.S. Army Special Forces.
Visit goarmy.com/specialforces.

There’s strong and then there’s Army Strong.

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Lane 8? No problem!

Posted October 17th, 2007 at 12:30 PM by Jimson Lee

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

The first thing I did before my 200m heat at the 2007 World Masters Athletics Championships in Riccione, Italy was check the track surface to determine which spikes and spike needles to use. The second thing was to check is the size of the curve, or where the curve meets the straightaway.

Initially, they had me in Lane 1. I measured the track and discovered that the curve was 122 meters with a 78 meter straightaway. That’s a pretty “fat” track, so Lane 1 did not bother me. (I would later be reassigned to Lane 2.)
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World records likely in Osaka?

Posted August 23rd, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Drugs In Sports

The Osaka track is extremely fast, as evidenced by Jeremy Wariner’s early-season 44.02 back on May 5th, 2007 at the Osaka Grand Prix. That bodes well for the sprints, obviously, which means that most of the distance records are probably safe. Hard tracks are best for sprinting, while soft tracks are best for distance races. So which world records are safe and which ones could be broken in Osaka?

The two safest records are undoubtedly Jarmila Kratochvílová’s 1:53.28 in the women’s 800m and Marita Koch’s 47.60 in the women’s 400m. These records were set way back in 1983 and 1985, respectively, and will probably be safe for some time to come. The 2007 world’s best for the 800m, set this week by Ukraine’s Yuliya Krevsun in Bangkok, Thailand, is 1:57.63, nearly 4 1/2 seconds slower than Kratochvílová’s controversial mark.

Rumors of drug use by both Kratochvílová and Koch persist, their best marks having come during the heyday of the Cold War when nationally-sponsored doping programs within the Iron Curtain were rampant. It should be noted, however, that neither neither athlete ever tested positive for PED’s and both records are still considered to be official by the IAAF.
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ASK FLASH: Wind and Native American Indians and Racing?

Posted July 16th, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Joshua Flash Gordon

Section: Running & Training, Columns, Training Tips, Ask Flash

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK FLASH!
ASK FLASH is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK FLASH — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Q. Need to get in some repeat 800s tomorrow. What do you think with strong 25-30mph winds? Track or Treadmill?
~ Windstopper from Chicago

A. Seriously?!? Unless there is some risk of power lines or tree limbs striking fury upon your head…ummm, run outside. Or if you have the ability to only race in climate controlled environments than maybe the treadmill would be sufficient?

If you are nervous about how to run in the wind…
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Death of young runner linked to over-use of muscle creams

Posted June 12th, 2007 at 1:01 PM by Courtney Albon

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Track & Field, Sports Medicine

The sudden death of 17-year-old Arielle Newman, a cross country runner at Notre Dame High School in Staten Island New York, has been linked to a chemical contained in common muscle creams such as Ben Gay and Icy Hot.

Doctors said that the award-winning cross country runner died from absorbing too large an amount of methyl salicylate, an anti-inflammatory found in muscles creams that many athletes use to reduce pain before and after an event.

The medical examiner claimed that the level of Methyl salicylate found in Newman’s body at the time of death was six times the safe amount. Because Newman was running, her body absorbed the chemical at a faster rate.
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VIDEO: Muscle creams blamed for tragic death of teenage track star from Staten Island

Posted June 11th, 2007 at 3:07 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Track & Field, Sports Medicine

CBS reports that a rare and toxic combination of common non-prescription muscle creams, such as IcyHot and BenGay, are being blamed for the death of 17-year-old track star Arielle Newman of Staten Island, NY.

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VIDEO: Kikaya upsets “X-Man” Carter on wet track

Posted June 5th, 2007 at 1:13 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Gary Kikaya scored a thrilling victory in the men’s 400 meters in wet and cold conditions at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Glasgow on Sunday. The 29-year-old Congolese star held off the American Xavier “X-Man” Carter; edging him to the finish by a one-hundredth-of-a-second.

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VIDEO: Newport athlete not relishing newfound fame

Posted June 2nd, 2007 at 9:06 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Allison Stokke, a pole vaulter from Newport, has found excessive fame on the Internet after her track photo was posted on a blog… and it’s not exactly what the 18-year-old wanted.

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ASK FLASH: Running Ethics and Etiquette

Posted April 8th, 2007 at 2:41 PM by Joshua Flash Gordon

Section: Columns, Ask Flash

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK FLASH!
ASK FLASH is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK FLASH — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Those who know me well recognize (but may not necessarily understand) my obsession with common courtesy. I try to be the model citizen - I open doors, let people off the train before I get on, say “thank you” and “please”, and generally try to adhere to “The Golden Rule.”

In today’s column I respond to a few ASK FLASH-ers whose questions touched on these favorite subjects: ethics and etiquette. For example, is the Boston Marathon truly just for those who qualify? How do I deal with a walker on a track? Is it OK that I spit like a llama?

Read on as FLASH tackles the social etiquette side of things…
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