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: Saturday, September 6, 2008

TFS Running Podcast 130:
Matt Tegenkamp

Posted March 11th, 2008 at 1:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

Today on Episode 130 of The Final Sprint Podcast, I had a chance to speak with Matt Tegenkamp, the American record holder in the two-mile run and two-time US Indoor champion in the 3000m who competes for Nike and KIMbia Athletics.

In the interview, Matt talks about his repeat victory in the 2008 US Indoor Championships 3000 meters, why he’s staying home while his KIMbia Athletics teammates Chris Solinsky and Jonathon Riley (who finished 2nd and 3rd) are heading to Valencia for the world championships while he’s staying home. He also talks about what’s in store for him in 2008 leading up to the Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR and the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Download the podcast to hear Matt discuss about his plan to assault the American record in the 5000m, his long-term goals for running and beyond, and much, much more!

TO DOWNLOAD: Right click and select “save as”

[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Jimmie Markham
Guest: Matt Tegenkamp
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 13.2MB
Length: 00:19:17

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

Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Oregon shoots for Pac-10 repeat on conference championship weekend

Posted October 23rd, 2007 at 12:15 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

Top-ranked Oregon defends its title at the Pacific-10 Championships as other nationally ranked Division I teams also prepare for conference meets this weekend.

Oregon, the top-rated team in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll, will be challenged Saturday by eighth-ranked California, No. 14 Stanford, No. 19 UCLA and 25th-ranked Arizona State. The Pac-10 Championships will be held in Corvallis, Ore.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Podcast 88: KATHY BUTLER on the 2007 Chicago Marathon

Posted October 4th, 2007 at 3:45 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, 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 88 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my interview with former University of Wisconsin star KATHY BUTLER (who now competes for Great Britain) just days before she competes in the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

In the interview, Kathy talks about bouncing back from a DNF at last April’s Flora London Marathon, the keys to her success at Sunday’s Chicago Marathon, qualifying for the Beijing Olympics, and which events she’ll focus on in 2008.

Download the podcast to hear Kathy discuss these topics, as well as admiring the work ethic of runners like Bob Kennedy, wanting to compete in the 2008 World XC Champs in her hometown of Edinburgh, and how moving between America, Canada, and Great Britain has helped her to feel at “home” when racing in different countries, but also made her yearn for stability when she decides to eventually retire.

Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)

[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Kathy Butler
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 12.9 MB | Length: 18:49 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!

Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

Interview with Matt Downin

Posted September 14th, 2007 at 8:28 AM by Jeanie Rebb

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

Cecil Harris of Mensracing.com, a member of the New York Road Runners (NYRR) family of websites, recently did an interview with four-time All-American and Olympic Marathon hopeful Matt Downin about the November 3 U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials in New York City and much more.

Here is an excerpt from the interview:

MensRacing.com: This may be unfair to ask, but if you don’t do as well at the Trials as you would like, would you second-guess yourself about not having a coach?

Matt Downin: No, not about that part. I would second-guess a lot of other things I did. Every athlete who doesn’t meet his expectations might second-guess his training and preparation whether he has a coach or not. I’m never going to look back and say that not having a coach was a mistake. I’m sure there will be people who say that’s a bad approach to take in sports, and they may be right, but it’s a decision I’ve made.

To read the interview in it’s entirety, please visit: MensRacing.com

Comment on this post | Permalink

Wisconsin #1 In 2007 Pre-Season Men’s Cross Country Rankings

Posted September 11th, 2007 at 7:29 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

If the first Division I men’s poll of the season is a reliable indicator; this should be a very interesting cross country season at the national level.

Wisconsin claimed the top spot in the poll released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Badgers received five first-place votes to tabulating 379 points.

Second-ranked Colorado picked up four first-place votes. Third-ranked Iona and fourth-ranked Oregon received one and three first-place votes, respectively.

Rounding out the top 10 are Arkansas, Stanford, UTEP, Oklahoma State, Texas and North Carolina State.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Interview with former Wisconsin Badger star
Chris Solinsky

Posted September 8th, 2007 at 3:35 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Special Features, Interviews

Former Wisconsin Badger, Chris Solinsky, who now runs for Nike, is a 5-time individual champion in the NCAA and has personal bests of 3:57, 7:36 and 13:12.

Q. Can you explain how you first got starting in the sport of track and field?

A. I got started in running through some persuasion from my parents after some early signs of success in running. I was a soccer player all my life and really enjoyed it, but showed some glimpses of ability in running during the gym class mile. I ran somewhere around 6 minutes when I was in 4th grade and won the district track meet mile in 6th grade. I ran track in middle school but never really trained as I would practice my high jump when the rest of the distance guys would run. I would get beat a lot. My first 5k was something like 19:40 or so in the 8th grade my parents had me try cross country and actually train for running and I had pretty good success and fell in love with the sport. Our team was great as we were all real close, so that helped a lot too.

To read the rest of this interview conducted by our friends at Joffroi Running, pleaseCLICK HERE.

Comment on this post | Permalink

Accustomed to winning, University of Wisconsin may be on the verge of losing Schumacher

Posted August 6th, 2007 at 11:05 AM by Jessica Galvano

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

The University of Wisconsin has long been reputed as a cross country powerhouse. Much of the Badger’s athletic distinction is owed to head coach and former All-American, Jerry Schumacher. Once a celebrated distance runner at UW, Schumacher’s now off-the-course contribution has garnered further successes for his alma mater. With five consecutive years of nationally acclaimed cross country and a 2005 NCAA title, the UW dynasty could now be in jeopardy of possible defeat: losing Schumacher.

Recently, the University of California has offered Schumacher the opportunity to replace Chris Huffins as director of the University’s track and cross country programs. A move to California, while not entirely devastating to a solid Wisconsin team, would nonetheless, negate the momentum Schumacher has brought to UW during his nine years as head coach.
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Interview with Wisconsin XC standout STUART EAGON

Posted August 6th, 2007 at 8:40 AM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Special Features, Interviews

Wisconsin’s Stuart Eagon, has finished 17th as a freshman, 11th as a sophomore and looks for another high finish at the NCAA D-1 National Championships in the upcoming 2007 XC season.

Q. Can you explain how you first got starting in the sport of track and field?

A. In 6th grade I ran a few decent mile times in PE class, but at that point I was so into basketball, running seemed like an afterthought. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school after a year of running to get in shape for basketball that I really figured out that I loved running and competing and that it was what God had made me to do. By the middle of my sophomore year I was pretty serious about running and from that point forward my passion for the sport has only continued to grow!

Q. When did you first realize your running was some of the most elite in the country?

A. It probably wasn’t until after my junior year in High School at the AOC Outdoor Meet when I finished 4th. It was a little bit of a shock, because I knew that I could be in the top tier but I remember moving from 8th to 4th over the final 200 meters and finishing and being pleasantly surprised. It was always my personal goal and expectation from when I was younger that I should be able to at the very least compete with any person in my (high school 04/ college 08) class nationally and it is still is.

To read the rest of this interview conducted by our friends at Joffroi Running, please CLICK HERE.

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

Podcast 53: Interview with University of Wisconsin star Chris Solinsky

Posted May 29th, 2007 at 2:25 PM by Adam Jacobs

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

Episode 53 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with Chris Solinsky; the University of Wisconsin’s incredible, young talent and the reigning NCAA Indoor and Outdoor 5,000m Champion.

After winning the 5,000m last week at the Mideast Regional Championships (believe it or not, his first individual win in a regional final), Chris is getting ready to defend his 5k crown at what will be his final NCAA Outdoor Championships and preparing for the fiercely competitive USA Outdoor Championships on June 20-24 in Indianapolis.

In the interview Chris reflects on how he and the Wisconsin Badgers performed at the Mideast Regionals, his strategy and outlook (and how they may differ) for the upcoming championship events, and his media dubbed “rivalry” with Oregon’s Galen Rupp.

Download the podcast to hear Chris discuss these topics, as well as, his plans to train with Matt Tegenkamp and the growing number of talented, post-collegiate athletes who have remained in Madison after graduation, his strong desire to compete at the World Championships, and much more!

Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)

[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Chris Solinsky
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 11.1 MB
Length: 16.18

Check out every episode of TFS’s Podcast in iTunes!

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

Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

WEEK 2 XC Rankings: Oregon & NC St Men, Princeton Women on the Rise

Posted October 3rd, 2006 at 11:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

The Wisconsin men and Stanford women retained their #1 rankings according to the the Week 2 USTFCCCA polls.

The new poll demonstrated some notable changes following this past weekend’s cross country action:

• The Oregon men rose from 17th to 6th and the Arkansas women moved up four spots on the heels of their big wins at the Bill Dellinger Invitational.
• The Michigan women claimed the #2 spot and the men of NC State jumped to 13th after their victories at the Notre Dame Invitational. NC State had been left off of the Men’s D-I Top 30 in Week 1.
• The Princeton women climbed to 7th as a result of their showing at the Paul Short Invitational.
• The Texas men took a big hit, falling from 6th to 23rd.

For complete rankings, go the to official USTFCCCA Division I site.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink