RunningTimes reportsBesides being one of the most prolific and successful road racers of the running boom of the early ’80s, Bill Rodgers might be considered something of a Johnny Appleseed when it came to running events. If Rodgers showed up at a race, it gained instant legitimacy, as well as garnering front page coverage that generally insured a long and successful future.
The list of major races that first made a big splash when Rodgers won there is long and legendary, from the Bix 7 in Iowa to the New York City Marathon. Another event that Rodgers “made” takes place Monday when the 31st edition of the New Haven Road Race takes place in Connecticut. In its three decades, the generally flat and fast course, which circumnavigates the Elm City from its start on the city green in the shadow of Yale University, has witnessed numerous world and American bests set there.
While the half marathon distance has become the growth event of the running world, the metric equivalent is still a relatively rarely contested distance, especially in this country. But it’s that rarity, as well as the fact that it serves as the USA men’s and women’s championships for the distance, that continually draws the best American distance runners to New Haven the first Monday in September, year after year. In addition to the prize money and national championship medals, the top finishers will be vying for spots on the U.S. team for the World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham, England, on October 11. And this year, the men will enjoy a unique, one-day opportunity for to qualify for USA Men's Marathon Championship at the ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 1. The New York Road Runners and USATF agreed that all men running 1:01:30 or better at the race would be eligible for entry to the national marathon championship, even if they had not run at least 2:24:00 for a full marathon, or 1:05:00 for a half-marathon, from Jan. 1, 2008, through July 1, 2009, the original qualifying standards. At last year's edition of the New Haven 20-K, ten men broke 1:01:30.
James Carney, who led that pack last year in 59:11, will be back to defend his title, as will Jill Swope, who won last year in 68:48 when she was Jill Steffens, fresh out of college and just a few weeks prior to her wedding. Swope’s biggest challenges will come from 2008 Olympic marathoner Magdalena Lewy Boulet, Ilsa Paulson, third in New Haven last year and fresh off a 1:13 half marathon ahead of Deena Kastor, Kelly Jaske, the 1009 USA half marathon runner-up behind Boulet, and a couple of New Haven veterans: Colleen De Reuck, who set a then-WR 65:11 in winning in 1998 and repeated in 2002, and Elva Dryer, who hopes to finally crack the winner’s circle after three consecutive second-place New Haven finishes.
Carney figures to be pressed by USA half marathon third-place finisher Brett Gotcher, 2009 USA 25K runner-up Jason Hartmann, and Jason Lehmkuhle, third in 2007. An intriguing entry is 20K debutant Scott Bauhs, who hopes to follow in the footsteps of Mammoth Track Club teammate Ryan Hall, who used his victory here in 2006 as a springboard to a new career as America’s top marathoner
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