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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Constantina Tomescu-Dita Wins Olympic Marathon

Posted August 16th, 2008 at 10:30 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Constantina Tomescu-Dita has won the 2008 Olympic Marathon, using a bold mid-race surge to pull away from the field and then courageously holding on for gold in 2:26:44. The performance earned the first Olympic medal for the 38-year old Romanian, who became the oldest winner of an Olympic Marathon.

Taking silver behind Dita was Kenya’s Catherine “The Great” Ndereba, who outsprinted China’s Zhou Chunxiu by a second, 2:27:06 to 2:27:07. China’s Xiaolin Zhu placed fourth while Kenya’s Martha Komu placed fifth. Also notable were Great Britain’s World Record Holder Paula Radcliffe who overcame a lack of conditioning caused by injuries to finish 23rd and American Record Holder Deena Kastor, who dropped out early with an apparent foot injury.
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Tomescu-Dita Continues to Lead at 21 Miles, Chase Pack More Than 1 Minute Behind

Posted August 16th, 2008 at 9:10 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Constantina Domescue-Dita Romania’s Constantina Tomescu-Dita has reached the 21 mile mark of the Women’s Olympic marathon in 1:58.00 with about a 1:00 lead. Thus far she has resisted the urge to look back to gauge the distance, giving her competition little hope that she may be tiring.

The chase pack has been whittled to 7 including China’s Zhou Chunxiu and Zhu Xiaolin, Kenya’s Catherine Ndereba, Ethiopia’s Irina Timofeeva, and Souad Ait Salem. Thus far, they have not been able to put a dent in Tomescu-Dita’s lead, and it appears that time is beginning to run out.
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Tomescu-Dita Takes Lead 25k into Olympic Marathon

Posted August 16th, 2008 at 8:47 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Constantina Domescue-Dita world half-marathon champion Romania’s Constantina Tomescu-Dita has made the first serious move of the 2008 Olympic Marathon, opening up a 34 second lead at the 25 km mark over Britain’s Paula Radcliffe and about 15 other challengers.

Tomescu-Dita made her move slightly after the 10 mile mark and has been methodically pulling away since. She has used such impressive moves in the past to win races such as the 2004 Chicago Marathon, and with her 2:21:30 marathon PB she must be seen as a serious contender.
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Large Pack Still Together at 10 Miles

Posted August 16th, 2008 at 8:09 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

A large lead pack is still intact 10 miles into the 2008 Women’s Olympic Marathon. Romanian Constantina Tomescu-Dita (Pictured) was the leader of the 40 woman pack at the 10 mile mark, reaching it in 57:49. The pace thus far has been sluggish but consistent, with opening 5k splits of 18:24, 17:46, 17:42.

Britain’s Liz Yelling has assumed most of the pacing duties despite a nasty spill around a tight corner, undoubtedly caused by the light rain that has begun to fall on the course. Also at the front of the lead pack is World Record Holder Paula Radcliffe and fan favorite Zhou Chunxiu of China.
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Britain’s Yelling Leads Large Pack Through 5 Miles

Posted August 16th, 2008 at 7:58 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

liz yelling 2007 flora london marathon The field has passed the 5 mile mark in the Women’s Olympic Marathon tightly bunched in about 29:20. Britain’s Liz Yelling has assumed most of the pacing duties and has kept the pace relaxed as almost all the main competitors are still together.

The only notable casualty was American Deena Kastor (the reigning Olympic Bronze medalist), who dropped out of the race around the 5k mark after “hearing something pop” in her foot. Also notable are the surprisingly favorable conditions, as the temperature is about 72-73 degrees with only about 80% humidity.
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Kastor Injures Foot, Drops Out of Olympic Marathon

Posted August 16th, 2008 at 7:50 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Deena Kastor 2004 athens olympics bronze medalist Deena Kastor has dropped out of the 2008 Olympic Marathon right around the 5k mark. The pace to that point was pedestrian and the competitors were approaching the first water stop when Kastor pulled up lame. Deena apparently injured her foot, as she immediately grabbed it after limping to the side and seemed to say “something popped” into the TV camera.

Kastor is the American record holder in the marathon and was America’s foremost medal hope in this race after her bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Games.

UPDATE: According to Runner’s World, Deena Kastor just made the following statement about having to drop out:
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Olympic Women’s Marathon Begins in Beijing

Posted August 16th, 2008 at 7:31 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

paula radcliffe after another victory The women’s marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics has begun with the 82 runners from 46 countries competing for the gold medal. The weather is mostly cloudy and 72 degrees Fahrenheit, with 88% humidity. Among the favorites are 2007 Berlin Marathon champion Gete Wami (ETH), world champion Catherine Ndereba (KEN), 2004 marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor (USA), Zhou Chunxiu (CHN), Zhu Xiaolin (CHN), and Reiko Tosa (JPN).

World record holder Paula Radcliffe (GBR) is also in the race and should not be counted out, but it’s impossible to predict how she’ll perform because a stress fracture in her foot significantly shorten her training build-up. Radcliffe has run 8 marathons in her life and won seven of them; most recently the 2007 ING New York City Marathon.

Joining Kastor on the Team USA marathon squad are Magdalena Lewy-Boulet and Blake Russell.

TheFinalSprint.com will be providing regular updates throughout the race so check back often at http://olympics.thefinalsprint.com

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2008 Beijing Olympic Preview: Women’s Marathon

Posted August 16th, 2008 at 2:45 PM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Women’s Marathon

The Schedule: Sunday, Aug 17 (live on NBC, Saturday Aug 16 at 7:30 p.m. EDT)
The Americans: Deena Kastor, Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, Blake Russell
The Contenders: Zhou Chunxiu (CHN), Catherine Ndereba (KEN), Gete Wami (ETH), Paula Radcliffe (GBR), Zhu Xiaolin (CHN), Reiko Tosa (JPN)
The Stats: Records, 2008 List, 2007 Worlds, 2004 Olympics
The Medal Picks: T&FN - Zhou, Ndereba, Wami;
SI - Zhou, Wami, Ndereba
The Story: Big recent news: Defending champ Noguchi is not running. Less big, less recent: Paula Radcliffe is in.

The universal favorite is China’s own Zhou Chunxiu, and personally I don’t see anyone else jumping out at me as someone else to pick. On the other hand, Ndereba beat her at last year’s Worlds where both had to deal with the same kind of heat and humidity nearly guaranteed in this year’s race. And her recent win in the NYC Half Marathon can either be viewed as proof of top condition or an energy-sapping effort too close to the big race. I just don’t know what to think.
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Podcast 66: Female running pioneer and Lydiard protégé LORRAINE MOLLER -Part 2/2

Posted July 20th, 2007 at 9:51 AM by Adam Jacobs

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

Episode 66 of The Final Sprint Podcast features the second and final installment of a two-part, in-depth interview with the legendary female running pioneer and passionate Lydiard protégé LORRAINE MOLLER. (Click here to listen to part 1 of this interview featured in Episode 65).

Lorraine began an unprecedented, 28-year international career by running barefoot in her native New Zealand. At the age of 41, she concluded her running her career with her fourth Olympic marathon, becoming the only woman in the world to have completed each of the first four Olympic marathons for women. Her multitude of other accomplishments include the longest debut winning marathon streak in history, a Boston Marathon title, and an Olympic bronze medal.

In part 2 of the interview, Lorraine talks about her upcoming autobiography “On the Wings of Mercury”, her decision to retire and her life since, coaching, the advent of the women’s marathon and the special relationship between herself and fellow women’s running pioneers: Kathrine Switzer, Grete Waitz, and Joan Benoit Samuelson.

Download the podcast to hear Lorraine discuss these topics, as well as, helping to create the Arthur Lydiard Foundation, her charity efforts 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: Lorraine Moller
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 13.9 MB
Length: 20:16

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

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Podcast 65: Female running pioneer and Lydiard protégé LORRAINE MOLLER -Part 1/2

Posted July 18th, 2007 at 6:24 PM by Adam Jacobs

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

Episode 65 of The Final Sprint Podcast features the first installment of a two-part, in-depth interview with the legendary female running pioneer and passionate Lydiard protégé LORRAINE MOLLER.

(Note: Part two will be published on Friday in Episode 66).

In part 1 of the interview, Lorraine talks about the development and progression of her career, being driven by that “pioneering kiwi spirit”, the metamorphosis of female athletics, her bond with iconic running coach Arthur Lydiard, misconceptions about his training philosophies, and why her regimen so seamlessly prepared her for the marathon.

Download the podcast to hear Lorraine discuss these topics, as well as, the special meaning of being inducted to the Colorado Running Hall of Fame and her belief that running is a personal and spiritual journey that enabled her to develop the often under-appreciated, but yet crucial element to success in both athletics and in life: self-understanding and the mental framework of a champion.

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: Lorraine Moller
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 17.3 MB
Length: 25:15