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Lead Stories: Friday, August 29, 2008

Podcast 85: SARA HALL on the Fifth Ave Mile, Olympics, parenthood, faith and more!

Posted October 1st, 2007 at 4:37 PM by Adam Jacobs

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

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years BR 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 85 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast features my interview with SARA HALL.

Hall capped off her 2007 running campaign with a third place finish at the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile and heads into the off-season with hopes of an Olympic bid – for both herself and her husband Ryan.

In the interview Sara talks about the Fifth Avenue Mile, racing in Europe, bouncing back from the disappointment of missing the U.S. World Championship team by less than a second and being inspired by Ryan’s breakthrough year.

Download the podcast to hear Sara discuss these topics, as well as, her NCAA career, how the recent birth of Dathan Ritzenhein’s first child has affected her own thoughts of parenthood and plans to adopt a child, the newest addition to the Hall family (a miniature Siberian Husky named Kyla), the importance of faith in her life & career, and much more!

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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Sara Hall
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File Size: 9.03 MB | Length: 13:09 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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New ‘Chasing Glory’ Pre-Marathon Trials Video

Posted September 20th, 2007 at 5:07 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

As part of the New York Road Runners’ unprecedented promotional and media build-up to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon race on Saturday, November 3, “Chasing Glory,” a seven-week series of web videos offering exclusive athlete and coach interviews and insight will premiere today on the NYRR website, it was announced by NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.

Leading Olympic Trials contenders Dathan Ritzenhein, Abdi Abdirahman, Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflezighi, Brian Sell, and Ryan Hall, along with top coaches Brad Hudson, Keith and Kevin Hanson, and Terrence Mahon will be among those featured in the weekly videos. Other segments will highlight behind-the-scenes footage of the challenging Olympic Trials course in Central Park, facts and figures about the race, and a glimpse of how the USA’s runners compare with those of the rest of the world.

The five- to seven-minute videos will be launched every Tuesday and Thursday from September 17 to October 26. The videos are produced by videographer Matt Taylor, whose other credits include “Chasing Kimbia” and “Chasing Tradition.” The videos will be supplemented by three text-based commentaries each week, written in conjunction with television analyst Toni Reavis.
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Note on the News:
“Chasing Glory” Series Debuts

Posted September 18th, 2007 at 2:12 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

The New York Road Runners, who are hosting the USA Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon on Saturday, Nov. 3, have co-produced a web documentary series entitled “Chasing Glory” about the men who hope to place in the top-3 of that race and make the USA Olympic Team.

A trailer for the series is now posted at www.nyrr.com and regular updates will begin tomorrow, posted every Tuesday and Thursday.

The series, which is narrated by Toni Reavis and shot and edited by Matt Taylor and Tessa Olson, features both top athletes and their coaches and was shot on-site where the athletes train.

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Podcast 77: 2004 Olympian DAN BROWNE on his third 20km U.S. title and more!

Posted September 10th, 2007 at 3:30 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, 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 77 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with DAN BROWNE, a 2004 Olympian, on earning his third 20km U.S. title.

In the interview, Dan discusses his championship performance, why experience will be key at the Nov. 3rd U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials, and his recent decision to leave Alberto Salazar to run in Mammouth Lakes with Coach Larsen, Deena, Ryan, Meb and the rest of Team Running USA

Download the podcast to hear Dan discuss these topics, as well as, the role of faith in his athletic career, his thoughts on triple-jump superstar Jonathan Edward’s renunciation of faith, why an “attitude change” has been the most significant factor in the U.S. distance running revival, and how being a member of the U.S. military affects his opinion of Oscar Pistorius and amputee runners competing against able-bodied athletes.

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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Dan Browne
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File Size: 10.1 MB | Length: 14:45 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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Other news, editorials and links of interest . . .

Posted September 4th, 2007 at 9:56 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics

2008 Boston Marathon Registration to Open on Wednesday, Sept. 5th
– Boston Athletic Association (BAA)

Chicago makes run for Olympics official
– Chicago Tribune

Tim Layden’s World Track & Field Championships Wrap-Up
– Sports Illustrated

Highlights Aplenty, if Largely Unseen
– New York Times

WCSN.com Reaches Distribution Agreement w/ FOXSports on MSN
– Press Release via BusinessWire

Khalid Khannouchi Healthy Enough To Fight For Last Shot At Olympics
– Runner’s World

USATF 20km Champs: Women’s race recap
– EliteRunning.com

Last Marathon with LaSalle name will go out with a bang
– Chicago Sun Times

Men’s Olympic marathon trial appears to have deep field
– SignOnSanDiego.com

Another day, another marathon: Engle wins HOA to cap busy weekend
– ColumbiaTribune.com

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Note on the News: U.S. Men’s Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials Course Measured

Posted August 9th, 2007 at 10:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Two of my favorite people in the sport, David Katz and Hugh Jones, are featured in an article in today’s New York Times.

This pair of internationally recognized course measurers spent two hot and sticky nights this week measuring the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon course in New York City. It’s a rare look at the painstaking work of course measurement, so critical to ensuring that competion results in road races are meaningful.

You can read the story at this link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/09/sports/othersports/09measure.html

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Podcast 71: South African distance-running legend HENDRICK RAMAALA

Posted August 8th, 2007 at 7:46 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode 71 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast features my interview with South African running legend HENDRICK RAMAALA.

Hendrick, the 2004 ING NYC Marathon Champion and a two-time IAAF World Half-Marathon silver medalist, finished 12th at last Sunday’s NYC Half-Marathon and is set to compete at the World Champs in Osaka and then return to NY on November 4th for the Marathon.

In the interview Hendrick talks about his disappointing performance at the NYC Half and the sleep issues he had leading up the race, having the chance to get to know and bond with American marathoner Peter Gilmore and his admiration for the NYRR.

Download the interview to hear Hendrick discuss these topics, as well as, being disappointed that the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials will prevent America’s best from competing in the NYC Marathon his belief that Americans runners are just as talented and train just as hard as those from any other country (including African nations), why he feels he can continue to compete for another five years, and much more!

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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Henrick Ramaala
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 9.07 MB
Length: 13:12

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Podcast 68: PETER GILMORE NYC Half-Marathon preview interview

Posted August 4th, 2007 at 4:48 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode 68 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast features my interview with American marathoner PETER GILMORE as he prepares for tomorrows NYC Half-Marathon presented by Nike.

(Note: TFS’s LIVE coverage of the race will begin at 7am EST!)

Tomorrow’s race, which will be Peters first since the Boston Marathon, will feature one of the most competitive professional fields in recent distance running history, including: Haile Gebrselassie (who has never been defeated at this distance), World Marathon Majors leader Robert K. Cheruiyot, Hendrick Ramaala, Abdi Abdirahman and Alan Culpepper.

In the interview Peter talks about his battle with the plantar fasciitis that he developed in Boston, what it will take to race against this field of legends, shaking off the rust from his nearly four-month abstention from racing, getting to know and learning from Hendrick Ramaala, and jokes about his streak as the “Top American Finisher”.

Download the podcast to hear Peter discuss these topics, as well as, his special relationship with and love for NYC, his summer and fall training regimens, preparing and strategizing for this fall’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, and much more!

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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Peter Gilmore
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 13.6 MB
Length: 14:55

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

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McGlynn and Wallace hope for U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifiers at Napa Valley Marathon

Posted February 27th, 2007 at 10:00 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Tom McGlynn of Burlingame, C.A., and his training partner, Mike Wallace of Menlo Park, C.A., hope to score a fast time at the 29th Annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon on Sunday, March 4, that will qualify them for the U.S. Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials on November 3, 2007, in New York City. The Trials race will select the U.S. men’s team that will compete in the 2008 Olympic Games men’s marathon in Beijing, China next year.

To qualify for the men’s 2008 Trials, U.S. men must run 2:22:00 or faster. Coincidentally, 20 years ago at the 1987 Napa Valley Marathon, Dick Beardsley set the men’s course record of 2:16:20 on NVM’s certified course in a successful outing to qualify for the 1988 U.S. Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials.
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