Bernard Lagat: "I come back [to the Fifth Avenue Mile] until I win."

How'd you feel about your positioning as you neared the finish on Fifth Avenue?
Bernard Lagat: Finishing fourth today was not something I wanted. I just wanted to win. I came here really hungry for the win. I came close to winning last year, but I lost to a good guy, too, last year..... I''m not going to stop until I win. I'll come until I win this race. That fuels my hunger for next year.

When the track season ended in Thessaloniki (Greece, where Lagat was second in the 3000 at the World Athletics Final on September 12), did you still feel you had some lift in your legs?
BL: Yes. The last week has been really tough because of the long flights from Thessaloniki to Germany, and Germany to the U.S. And then I had only one night in my house (in Arizona) and then I went to Washington State for the Hall of Fame induction, and then coming back (to New York) again. I'm not really resting. It's more like flying all the time and then resting on planes. Sometimes I feel like I'm tired all over. Yesterday was the first time that I felt "wow, I'm really feeling good." I was running in the park. All the other days, I felt tired. I don't know if that has anything to do with how I felt today but, you know, I don't want to blame anything. I really ran all out. I gave my all the last 400 meters. It's just the way it was.

Did you have a clear route the whole way on Fifth Avenue ? Andy (Baddeley) found an open route on the left.
BL: I had an unobstructed way all the way, so nobody obstructed me. It was clear the entire way. Boaz (Lalang) was running on my left. Leo (Manzano) was the one who came on the outside, on my right. Nobody messed with me at all. It was clear. Nobody got tangled in there. It was a fantastic clear race. It was very nice.

Now that two more Americans (Dathan Ritzenhein and Matt Tegenkamp) have broken 13:00 for 5000 meters, and next year has no international championships for Americans, what would be the chances of getting a very high quality 5000 in this country where everyone agreed to shoot for 12:50. Is that something everybody could get together on?
BL: Of course. It is really possible. I look at the Reebok (NYC) meet earlier this year. I ran 13:03. I think we were actually on pace to run 12:55, but the wind was unbelievable. (Haron) Lagat, who was here today, was our second pacemaker and he was struggling the entire way. There was so much wind. So it can be organized. I look at that race in Icahn Stadium (New York) and it's possible to organize it..... It's a matter of just bringing the best guys in to the meet. Like you bring the Kenyans, the Ethiopians, and of course you bring our own local athletes like Matt and all these guys who have the potential of running under 13:00 anytime

Do you think the Diamond League (an expanded version of the current Golden League) would help that?
BL: I think so. But I might not get the best out of that race because (Kenenisa) Bekele's not running the race that I want to run. But hopefully Bekele's going to be running most of the fives (5000s) and I get into a race like that and there are attempts to run fast. It's just a matter of getting into a race with the guys that are always better than you.

The first one (Diamond League meet) is in Doha, I think. And the guys from Kenya go through (directly) from training, and they all run 7:28 (for 3000 meters). I cannot understand that. They all run hard. While if I was to go there I'd say "whatever, it's my first meet," and if I was to run 7:33, it's okay. But those guys all run 7:27 or 7:28 in the 3k.

Were you present for your induction into the Washington State Hall of Fame?
BL: It was so fun. It was amazing. It was really nice. Peter Koech (was there), and there were two coaches and there were athletes - football, basketball, two track athletes and one swimmer. It was unbelievable. It was an honor. It was well-organized. The president (of the university) was there, the AD (athletic director), and my former coaches were there as well.

When had you last been there?
BL: I was there in 2007 when they invited me to go to a basketball game. It was after Osaka (where Lagat won two World Championships), and in December they declared Bernard Lagat Day. It was really fantastic. The mayor of Pullman did that.

THX RunnersWorld

Quote — Marilson Gomes dos Santos

"Training to win for a third time is exciting," ...

"I believe that I will be ready to defend my title and claim my third victory"

Sep 16, 2009

Prokopcuka and Fagan out at NY Marathon

US standouts Meb Keflezighi and Abdi Abdirahman joined the entry list for the New York Marathon on Tuesday while Irishman Martin Fagan and two-time winner Jelena Prokopcuka dropped out.

Organizers announced the changes ahead of the November 1 race, losing Fagan to an Achilles injury and Latvia's Prokopcuka, the 2005 and 2006 winner, because she is pregnant.

Keflezighi, 34, was the runner-up in the 2004 Athens Olympic marathon and 2004 New York Marathon and third in the New York race in 2005.

Abdirahman, 32, is a three-time Olympian whose best showing in three New York starts was fifth in 2005.

No US man has won the New York Marathon title since Alberto Salazar in 1982 while no US woman has won the event since Miki Gorman in 1977.

The men's field includes defending champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil and prior winners Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, Paul Tergat of Kenya and Martin Lel of Kenya.

Wiitenberg and Yuri Kano discuss NYC

The New York Road Runners held a press conference at Tokyo's Conrad Hotel on Sept. 28 to formally announce the ING New York City Marathon debut of World Championships women's marathon 7th place finisher Yuri Kano (Second Wind AC). Kano, her coach Manabu Kawagoe and, via conference call, NYRR CEO and NYCM race director Mary Wittenberg took part in the press conference with JRN editors Brett Larner and Mika Tokairin serving as the interpreters between Wittenberg and Kano, Kawagoe, and the Japanese media. Below is a transcript of comments and responses.

For clarification of the questions regarding Second Wind AC, most Japanese teams are corporate-sponsored and exist largely removed from and invisible to the everyday world of amateur runners and running fans. Second Wind is trying to operate on a new model in which amateurs can run in the same club with elite athletes such as Kano and 2009 Hokkaido Marathon 1-2 finishers Kiyoko Shimahara and Akemi Ozaki, training with them and receiving coaching tips and advice while at the same time helping to support the elites who lack the funding provided by the corporate team structure. The Sept. 28 press conference took place just before a party to celebrate Kano, Shimahara and Ozaki's successes last month. Among those in attendance alongside the club's supporter members were other elite athletes and top Rikuren officials.

Wittenberg: I'm so glad to join you and to announce today that we are pleased to welcome to New York City for the 40th running of the ING New York City Marathon our best Japanese contender to win or stand on our podium in years. No Japanese man or woman has ever won the New York City Marathon. Today we announce a woman who is no stranger to the streets of New York City, having run three of our last four New York City Half Marathons and having run our New York Mini. She'll be celebrating her 31st birthday here in New York City during race week on October 27th. Today we welcome Yuri Kano back to New York City and to the ING New York City Marathon for the first time. We're so pleased to welcome Yuri back and we hope it's the beginning of a new generation of Japanese runners running in New York.

Q: Would you be able to tell us some of the competition Kano will be facing in New York this year?

Wittenberg: I sure can. We will have the top two finishers from Boston this year in their closest finish ever, Salina Kosgei and Dire Tune. We will have Lyudmila Petrova, a former champion of course, Tatiana Petrova, the winner of Los Angeles, and Christelle Daunay from France. It's a long list, but of course the athlete not yet announced who we're very hopeful will join is Paula Radcliffe. She is not signed yet but we are hopeful to say that soon.

Q: Ms. Kano, why did you decide to run the New York City Marathon and what is your target in the race?

Kano: The decision to do it had been made before I ran the World Championships. There wasn't really a special reason. People usually say it's hard to do another major race two months after a serious effort, but last year most of the top international women from the Beijing Olympics ran in New York, so I wanted to be in that circle too. I know the course is hard and it's not one where you can really focus on time, so instead of setting a time goal I'm looking to be at least in the top three.

Q: When you hear that there's a good chance Paula Radcliffe will run how does it affect your thinking about the race, and what kind of impression do you have of her?

Kano: I just want to see what it's like to run with her more than actually competing with her. When I think of Radcliffe I remember watching her at last year's New York. She looked like someone from another world. She went through the hills in the second half like they were nothing. I don't know how she can do that. It was amazing. To run like that every moment of her life must be dedicated to the marathon.

Q: In terms other than just her overall placing, Ms. Wittenberg, what kind of race would you like Kano to show to the people of New York City?

Wittenberg: In New York City we're famous for our fabulous finishes. In New York it's all about the race much more so than the time. We would like to see a great race to the finish among some of the top stars of the sport.

Q: When you invite overseas athletes do you usually do an international teleconference like this?

Wittenberg: We do it where we have a top athlete and where it's a country of great importance to us, and certainly that is the case in Japan. We have a great commitment to bring Japanese athletes here and as I said hopefully this is the beginning of doing that. I'd be very happy to get up very early or go to sleep very late to turn out the Japanese athletes. They'll appreciate that I'm going out for my morning run right after this [appr. 5:00 a.m. New York time - general laughter].

Q: It's been a month since the Berlin World Championships. What have you been doing since then, Ms. Kano?

Kano: I took two weeks easy after Berlin, then I've been getting my body used to training again over the last three weeks. If you let your body go too long it's hard to come back, so having the next goal already in sight helps you focus, make the best recovery and get back into training after a big race. Things are going really well right now.

Q: Coach Kawagoe, after the World Championships do you have a different view of Kano as an athlete than you did before?

Kawagoe: During the qualification period it wasn't clear until the very end whether Kano would be on the team, so she was feeling unstable and insecure the whole time. There was also some uncertainty because her physical condition wasn't very good and we weren't sure whether she'd be ready in time for the World Championships. We had some blood tests done and found that she had problems with anemia. That was the lowest point, but did our best to work from there and she ended up 7th. I would say that's pretty good. There wasn't really enough time when she was in a condition to do the kind of training we wanted, so I can't help wonder what would have happened if she had been in the shape she was in at the Tokyo International Women's Marathon last year, for example. I'm sure she can be competitive against a top international field if she does the right training. World-level races these days are tricky. Sometimes they are strategic but often it's about pure speed like a track race. The quality of the field worldwide is getting higher and we want to be ready for Kano to perform in that kind of high-level race.

Q: New York will be just over two months after the World Championships. Back in the '70's doing that kind of thing was common, but these days it's unusual to race twice in such a short span. How is it going to be possible?

Kawagoe: Well, there are a lot more pro runners around these days, so from a business standpoint it makes sense to do it. At Second Wind we are following this worldwide trend, but we think about quality, not just quantity. For example, where many top athletes train up to 1200 km in a month, we barely do half of that. We pay attention to speedwork all the time and try to train in a way that doesn't damage the body. We do marathon training all year round, but we don't break the year up and say, "OK, this is when we are focusing on base mileage and this in when we are working on speed." Our athletes are ready to race at any time and we're constantly trying to raise the level at which this is possible. Since we're dealing with the human body it can't always take everything that's on the training plan, but doing it this way we can avoid major injuries and keep consistency. That's why two months isn't impossible.

Q: Where and what kind of training will Kano be doing to get ready for New York?

Kawagoe: As Kano said, she took about a week or two off after the World Championships and then built back up, so after just four or five weeks she's back to the point where she can train seriously again. On October 1st she's leaving for a month at our training camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico to get ready. From there we plan to go straight to New York and race.

Q: What was the reaction among the Second Wind club supporters when you came back from the World Championships?

Kano: I came back on August 25th and there was a Second Wind practice session with all the supporter members that night, so I went there right after I arrived. I was a bit nervous about meeting everyone. Even though I felt good about things, at the same time inside I was feeling kind of disappointed with my performance so I wasn't sure how I should act. When I saw all the supporters, though, they were really happy and proud. I didn't feel as good about my race as they did, but seeing everyone around me so pleased and warm it made me feel like I can still compete at the world level.

Q: I heard that you raised quite a bit of money from your club supporters to help pay for your World Championships training. How do you feel about that?

Kano: When I heard about that I wasn't really expecting very much, and I actually doubted whether we'd be able to raise any money at all. Actually, though, there were a lot of people who weren't relatives of mine or anything who just said, "Good luck!" and sent some money. Way more than I expected, so again I feel like a lot of people helped me. Because of all this money I had the kind of feeling I think soccer or baseball players feel, where they're supported by fans and their supporter clubs. That's how I felt this time. Second Wind is not exactly like a soccer or baseball team, but it's getting more team spirit and dedicated fans supporting it, and I hope it keeps growing that way.

Q: With the World Championships behind you now, what do you see for yourself looking ahead over the long term to the London Olympics and beyond?

Kano: In terms of the selection process for the Olympic team, the best thing would be to get a medal at the next World Championships. Next year there's the Asian Games too. I want to run more races like that where the emphasis is on winning instead of just concentrating on fast times, and also the high-level races like New York where I can go against the best. Doing these kinds of races will give me the kind of career experience I want before London.

THX JapanRunningNews!

NEDBANK LIMPOPO MATHA SERIES - HALF MARATHON

Athletics South Africa (ASA)’s last half marathon race of the year, the Nedbank Matha Series returns to Polokwane in Limpopo this Saturday, 03 October.
“With its beautiful and contrasting landscape, South African runners will again have an opportunity at the Limpopo event to finalise their preparations for the flagship event of the Nedbank Series – the Nedbank Soweto Marathon, which will take place on the 1st of November 2009. We are looking forward to some more blazing performances on this relatively fast course, and happy to be returning to Polokwane for the 3rd time,” said Patrick Baransky, Nedbank Sponsorship Manager.

The 21.1 km race starts at 07h00, while the 5km Fun Run begins at 07h15 at Van Riebeek Cricket Field in Suid Street.

This is also ASA’s last half marathon tune-up event before the IAAF’s World Half Marathon Championships, which will be held on 11 October 2009 in Birmingham, UK.

And according to ASA Events Manager, Phiwe Mlangeni-Tsholetsane, ASA and its partners have had breakthrough year of Matha Series events. “Performances in the 2009 Nedbank Matha Series have shown a marked improvement than in the previous editions. Similarly, participation figures have increased significantly during the current season.

“The introduction of incentives has seen more SA runners winning these races, including the outstanding performances in the national Nedbank SA Half Marathon Championships, where for the first time a full squad was selected for the World Champs in Birmingham,” explains Mlangeni-Tsholetsane.

GEORGE MOFOKENG MADE A DRASTIC COME BACK IN THE MARATHON CIRCLES

George Mofokeng made his come back into the top class, when he took the tape in Nedbank Cape Town City event to record a time 2:14:20 seconds.

Early leader Odwa Tunyiswa used the ideal racing conditions to pull a large bunch through the first 10km in 32 minutes 27 minutes. The sustained pace saw the pack whittled down to six including Tunyiswa, George Mofokeng, Mike Fokoroni, and David Ngakane by half way which they completed in 1:08.

At this stage the defending Champion Motlokoa Nkhabutlane and his Lesotho colleagues remained in the chasing pack.

As the pace eased Mofokeng and Zongamele Dyubeni, a training partner of Hendrick Ramaala, put in a series of surges to break free as the race headed back towards the Salt River circle.

Sensing an opportunity to take the race by the scruff of the neck, Mofokeng prized free on the way through the City centre and opened a lead of 200 metres over Dyubeni as he went through the Waterfront.

Nkhabutlane initiated his typical late charge from 31 kilometres putting Mofokeng’s one and a half minutes under pressure from the hard chasing Lesotho athlete.

Fokoroni, who had caught Dyubeni with five kilometres left, was unable to hold off the rampaging Nkgabutlane who finished only 31 seconds adrift and bettered his 2008 winning time by 18 seconds.

Whereas previous years had been dominated by foreign athletes, Nkgabutlane was the only non South African to make the top ten which was closed in under two hours 19 minutes.

“I’m very pleased. The last two years I’ve struggled with injury, the new training has paid off,” said Mofokeng explaining, “I’m a front runner, when the pace eased I knew if I took the lead they would not catch me.”

“We will definitely be inviting George to join the performance squad in the preparation for the 2012 Olympics,” said Molatelo Malehopo the ASA General Manager following Mofokeng’s victory.

Sharon Tavengwa defended her title but not without a few anxious moments. The Zimbabwean was the main instigator in the large group that opened their racing on a two hour 40 minute schedule. Despite a slowing in pace many were shed from the pack leaving only six to go through half way in a more realistic one hour 24 minutes. By Salt River, Tavengwa and Powerade’s Mpho Mabuza were replicating the men’s stratgey to ease away from the competition going through the 27km mark.

The Zimbabwean had the lead by the Waterfront and seemed to have it sewn up, but the fast early pace came back to haunt her as the covered the final four kilometres. Nedbank’s Tshifhiwa Mundalamo first overhauled Mabuza before upping her pace to hunt down Tavengwa who was forced to checked behind as her lead was being etched away. A dogged kick for the line secured the Zimbabwean her title in two hours 47 minutes and eight seconds, nearly five minutes slower than her 2008 win while Mundalamo simply ran out of distance to finish only 16 seconds later.

To the local crowd’s pleasure Bulelwa Mtshagi from the Celtic Harriers club secured third in 2:47:38, with Mabuza hanging on for fourth nine seconds later.

“The incentives are there to assist South Africans improve their performance. Clearly this is having an effect” continued Malehopo in regards to the top performances which saw all the top ten women finish under two hours 55 minutes.

The Cape Town event attracted just under 3000 runners including Germans, Japanese and a group of more than 40 businessmen from Rotterdam Running Ambassadors.

Kitwara seeks redemption in Birmingham

Sammy Kitwara wants to exorcise the ghosts that saw him miss out of the World Championships in Berlin by breaking Kenya’s duck at the World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham on October 11.

Kitwara and Ngatuny back from the cold

Hounded out of Kenya’s team to the Berlin World Championships for running in a race in Atlanta without Athletics Kenya’s approval, Kitwara has a point to prove as he seeks to silence his critics as he features for Kenya for the first time in an international championship.

“I was rightly denied the ticket to Berlin. But that was then and I have another chance and intend to utilise it to the maximum. I want to win the individual title,” he said.

Kitwara sprinted to a 58:58 minutes victory at the Rotterdam Half-Marathon on September 13 to catch the eyes of the selectors and believes he is in his best form to end the domination of three-time reigning champion, Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea.

59-minute barrier

In Rotterdam, the 22-year-old policeman’s performance was the fourth fastest ever making him just the sixth man to dip under the magical 59-minute barrier.

In March, Kitwara won the City-Pier-City Half Marathon in The Hague, beating the emperor of the road, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, to second place.

“Depending on the weather and how flat the course will be, you should be ready for another sub-60 minute run. It is a race for Kenya to lose, if we stick together like pacemakers and run tactically, we will claim both the team and individual titles,” he said.

Another runner keen to improve on the silver medal she claimed in 2007 is Mary Keitany. With record-breaking Dutchwoman Lornah Kiplagat absent in Birmingham, Keitany is relishing the prospects of victory

Dathan Ritzenhein runs faster than U.S. record for 10 miles in a workout

By Doug Binder, The Oregonian

Dathan Ritzenhein exceeded the U.S. record for 10 miles on Monday in a workout.

The U.S. record holder in the 5,000 meters is gearing up for the World Half-Marathon Championships in Birmingham, England on Oct. 11.

Ritzenhein covered the 10 miles in 45 minutes, 3 seconds -- running 4:30.3 per mile. He did half the workout on the track and half of it on the road. Alberto Salazar administered the workout.

How good is that?

Consider that Deriba Merga's world record for 15K was recently ratified at 41:29. That was en route to a half-marathon. Ritzenhein ran 41:45 for his final 15K on Monday's 10-miler.

The quality of that workout indicates that Ritzenhein is still rolling after a summer that saw him place sixth in the World Championships in the 10,000 meters and then set the U.S. record in the 5,000.

A week ago, Ritzenhein went through an ambitious track workout in which he did 9 x 1,600 meters in 4:21 with a 400 meter recovery between each interval.

Meanwhile, some new details emerged about 2010 plans for Ritzenhein and Galen Rupp.

After the World Half Marathon, Ritzenhein will set his sights on the World Cross Country Championships, look for a few suitable races to run fast in June on the track and then probably take on a fall marathon.

Rupp, who is in Eugene taking classes again this fall after a recent trip to Michael Johnson's training center in Dallas, will not race again until the indoor season in January. He will probably try to peak in early May for a 10,000 race at Stanford, and then train for another peak in August for the heart of the European racing season.

mzungo.org calls... BS!

Blog Roll ~ Jason Pyles

Week 15
99miles in 6days on 9 runs:

M: off tired/sick feeling (had ran 99 of last 100days)
T: 13miles at KSF/ 6miles
W: 10miles with SW 15x80-100m/ 6miles
T: 18miles(MP+60) at KSF (last mile at MP effort uphill 5:33)
F: 9miles with SW 10x150 on SA Track/ 7miles
S: 8miles early before XC Meet travel (rained all day so skipped 2nd run)
S: 22miles with last 15@MP+60(went a little to quick was around 6:19 pace)

Recap: Basically after being really worn down last Friday-Sunday I knew I had to be careful this week. I took Monday off and then just ran steady paced easy running with a couple Stride Workouts thrown in to just keep the legs moving. Felt really relaxed on basically every run so that was a great sign that I think I got recovered from what ever had me down at the end of last week. Next week I will look for mileage with workouts, one being a very important(confidence wise) MP-5sec 2x5mile type workout. Feeling solid were I'm at right now aerobically. Need some more work at or below MP to make sure I can have that pace feeling comfortable on race day. I think I'm at 12 weeks of 100mile average so for me that is a huge base based off previous builds to half marathons or Chicago Marathon back in 2006. Pretty anxious to take a run at a Marathon and see what happens. Crazy event so who knows, but I think I'm at least putting myself in a good position to give it a try.

UCXC: Team finished 3rd out of 6 complete teams but 10 teams in total attended the meet. Our top girl ran a extra loop so around 1.5miles she was 3rd overall before the extra loop but came out of it back in the 20's(only 5 girls went long), she fought back to 13th place. It didn't change team results for us, but I did hate seeing it for her with her family making a 4+ hour trip to watch her run. But hey these things happen and I was pumped to see her fight back instead of throwing in the towel. Honestly I didn't know if I would love coaching college as much as this, but it has been a lot of fun and I look forward to a long future of Marian and me coaching on the college level.

Marian: She was hit harder with getting sick and had Monday off as well and light Tues/Wed but she got her leg's moving on Friday and then had a nice solid Long Run this morning at 7:10 pace for the majority of the run and then cut down last 4miles in 6:50, 6:30s, 6:20s, 6:00's. We are passing on the marathon this fall and aiming for a solid Columbus Half only now and then USA Half Champs or RnR Phoenix in early January with goal of 1:18 by that time. After talking with Matt Downin about it we feel if she can get to 1:16-18 for the half then Oly Trials qualifier is possible in the next few year's. So Marian's next Marathon will be Boston this spring with hopes of a solid women's overall finish!

Blog Roll ~ Ryan Hall

The Power of Outward Focus

Today as I was out running the last 20 miles on the NYC marathon course I felt like I re-learned a very important lesson and fulfilled my purpose for coming to New York City this week. I was having one of those days where I was tired and my run wasn’t going as well as I hoped. All I could think about was how off my body felt, how tired I was from getting up at 5:30 am, how hard it was for me to navigate the city roads and traffic, how I wished I was back home in the forest. Really I was reaping frustration because I had let my heart become too self-focused. As I ran along, God was telling me this is what it is like to be running with an inward focus, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Though I heard Him, it didn’t make it from my head to my heart until after the run, as I lay on the massage table, still irritated by the morning, God impressed on my heart, get outside yourself.
It’s ironic that I am writing about lacking an outward focus less than two days after Sara and I launched our foundation, the Hall Steps Foundation. Its goal is taking small steps towards the marathon goal of ending poverty. The vision for the foundation came from one of my personal heroes, Mother Teresa, who said, “I can do no great things, just small things with great love.” Out of this quote our slogan was born, “small steps, great love”. Marathoners know best about taking lots of small steps towards accomplishing a seemingly impossible goal, whether it’s to break 2 hours or 8. Through the Hall Steps Foundation our aim is to encourage runners to take their own “small steps” by focusing outside themselves on others both in their community and around the world living in poverty.
Yet, despite my excitement about starting this endeavor and belief in its mission, somehow I had lost focus. This morning I woke up with the wrong perspective and forgotten my life and running is not all about me. I had forgotten that the truly special moments that I have experienced in running are all when I was outwardly-focused. When I set my mind on God and praising Him through my running, thinking about my wife, family, and all those who I love, and remembering the people I am impacting produce a positive force in my running and is how God designed me to ideally function. The more I reach out to positively impact others, the more my motivation and focus changes when running. After visiting Zambia with World Vision in the fall of 2008, the faces of the kids we were to bring clean water to became burned in my mind’s eye. I often go there when I am hurting on a run finding new strength that I couldn’t find in myself.
The goal of today’s run was to preview the last 20 miles of the NYC marathon course, but I accomplished so much more than that. I learned an important lesson about what enables me to really fly: focusing outside myself by focusing on others I love. Come marathon day, rather than thinking about the bridges I will have to climb or my competitors beside me, I will think about the kids impacted by the Hall Steps Foundation. I will think of kids I met last Thursday on the South Bronx’s Team Jaguars and the other Young Runners programs in low-income areas of each of the five boroughs that will experience the joy of running. I will think of the children forced into slavery or prostitution that will be freed by funding a lawyer through International Justice Mission. I will think of the youth of Kenya and Zambia that now have clean water through World Vision. And these images will spur me on as I keep looking outward to them.
I’d like to challenge you all do the same, to focus outside yourselves and commit your running to loving others. If you don’t already have a cause to run for, join me in running for The Hall Steps Foundation and combating poverty in the US and abroad. Check it out at www.TheStepsFoundation.org.

Blog Roll ~ Nate Jenkins

Nate Jenkins: Training September 21 to 27 September 28

Monday AM 3+ easy to track, 25:31, 8×100m strides with jog back rest on track, bit more than a mile back to house(went long way), 8:54, tot. 5++

PM 5+ shakeout w/ Melissa, then 3×60m exercises for running technique with jog back rest, 8:31 jog back to house, tot. 6++

XT exercises for running technique 3×60m each(springing, high knees, buttkicks, bounding, skipping), glute activators, water pumps10 each leg, prayer hammy curls

Tuesday AM 3.5+ warm up, 27;07, light stretching, couple strides, on track (windy but not as bad as Saturday was), goal 20min tempo at 3:20 a K, 1k-3:17.4, 2k-6:35.4(3:18.1), 3k-9:52.5(3:17.1), 4k-13:12.2(3:19.7), 5k-16:30.6(3:18.4) 6k- 19:50.11(3:19.6)- stopped about 50m later at 20:00.7- hammy barked pretty good the last K but it didn’t go. light stretching for a couple minutes then 3.5+ cool down- 26:57 tot. 11

PM rd. 5+ shakeout with Melissa, 41:26 tot. 5+

XT stretching, glute activators, waterpumps, prayer hammies

Wednesday AM Road and trail 6+ out and back, holt hill trails, 47:20 tot. 6+

2PM Mika for chiro and treatment

PM same out and back as AM also shakeout, this time with Melissa, 50:49 tot. 6+

XT stretching, glute activators-including two new exercises from Mika

Thursday AM 3+ easy to track 25:05, 8×100m strides on track, jog back rest, mile plus back to house, 7:58 tot. 5+

PM spent rest of day traveling to Northport, NY, should have done second run before I left house at 2pm but I didn’t, then I got stuck at the airport for a bit and didn’t get to my homestay until after 9pm and I called it a day

XT glute activators, stretching

Friday AM 8? - about 7 of it with Jason Lehmkuhle, who stays a couple blocks away- mostly on course, 52:14, tot. 8

PM 4+ with Jason Lehmkuhle and Tommy Neal, fun run, 30 mins or so, tot. 4+

XT stretching and glute activators,

Saturday 4:30AM -2 mile shakeout, 16:00 tot. 2

7:30 AM 3 warm up with Tommy Neal and Jason Lehmkuhle, strides, including a hard one of 30 seconds, Race Cow Harbor 10k- 11th place, 31:00.5, splits -4:36, 9:48, 14:43, 19:32, 24:51. Ran pretty hard but the results weren’t very good, got out in the lead group, dropped back a few places on the climb at the end of mile 2. Then rallied a bit chasing Levassiur, we worked up to about 6/7 at 4 and a half miles and then I lost contact, faded back from there to finish. I ran 29:44 here last year in slightly tougher conditions. So this isn’t a good race. But sadly this is probably the best run I have had since I initially moved to Colorado Springs at the end of February. I ran 30:47 back in April at Crescent City but that is far and away the fastest road 10k course I have ever been on. Cow Harbor is a tough little course. Then I was horrid at Bloomsday, got beat by Kim Smith and ran over 20mins in at steamboat, barely held off the women at Boilermaker, and then 2:30 plus at worlds. Not a good stretch. I had hoped for more, I really would have liked to run about 30 flat or under but I guess I’m not there yet. It is very frustrating just because when I laid out my goals for the year my first goal was to fix the hammy problem, which I didn’t, and my second goal was to work on my other areas of fitness to get into great shape without bother the hammy, which I did until I went to CO, and it has been a shit show ever since. I’m glad to be moving in the right direction at last but frustrated thinking about what could have been. I ran 14:04, 8:08 off of 130 plus mile weeks back in January and February and just gave it away. I may do a local race for $ over the next couple weeks but my next real test will be the Mayors Cup Cross Country Race at Franklin Park on October 25. I had originally hoped to run sub 30 at Cow harbor and then look to run in the 23:30 range at Mayors Cup. Conditions have a lot to do with time there, but I’m thinking now that if conditions are good I’ll have to be very very happy if I’m around 24:00. Anyway, 47:28 cool down, first 30mins with a big group that included Katie McGregor, all of it with Lehmkuhle, tot. 15+

PM 5+ solo, 38:37, mostly on course, tot. 5+

Sunday AM woke up in the night congested and with a sore throat so I opted to sleep an extra hour plus and skip the AM 10 I was going to do.

8AM to 3PM travel home

5PM 10++ mile shakeout with Melissa, 1:24:41, I had intended to go for 10 more after she finished up but honestly I felt like total shit and figured it wouldn’t do any good. tot. 10+

Summary 88 miles for week, 1 workout, 1 race. I pretty much already did a summary in my race description so I don’t have a whole lot else to say. The cold is very light today so hopefully I’ll be through it quick not miss anything else. It’s good to be moving in the right direction a little but frustrating anytime you put out a poor performance like that. Hope everyone had a good week.

More Yanks joining the show on Nov. 1 in NYC

Catherine Ndereba running Great South Run 10 miler

Portsmouth, UK - Two-time World Marathon champion and twice Olympic marathon silver medallist Catherine Ndereba will bid for the Bupa Great South Run title in this year's race on Sunday 25 October.

Ndereba, one of the world’s greatest ever distance runners and currently in great form, will bring her vast talent to the 10 miles road race in Portsmouth for the first time. The Bupa Great South Run is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

The 36-year-old Kenyan proved her competitiveness at the recent Philadelphia Distance Run when outpacing a high class field to win the Half Marathon race in an impressive time of 1:09:43.

Her victory in the American city, where she has lived for 15 years, was a clear indication she can challenge for the Portsmouth crown won last year by Paula Radcliffe, who posted a British record of 51:11.

"Ndereba’s ran several of our events in the Great Run Series in previous years and it's great news she’s accepted the opportunity to compete in Portsmouth," said Peter Riley, the Elite Athletes Manager.

"Of course she'll be stepping down in distance but her remarkable seventh victory in Philadelphia, one of the USA's top road running events, was achieved in a speedy fashion including a fast finish. I think the flat course will suit her style of running and I know she is looking forward to becoming the third Kenyan winner in succession to Esther Kiplagat (1999) and Rose Cheruiyot two years ago."

Ndereba, who rarely runs over 10 miles, has a personal best of 52:25 which was set over a decade ago but given she went through 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) in Philadelphia clocking 49:48, that time will almost certainly be under threat.

The presence of Australia's former World Cross Country champion Benita Johnson, the 2004 Great South Run champion who loves forcing the early pace in any race, should also ensure a fast time.
Riley, with the Bupa Great South less than a month away, will announce the men's elite field in the next 10 days and add names to the women's race.

Organisers for the IAAF

Frankfurt Marathon Oct 25 - the Ladies

Frankfurt, Germany - The women’s field for the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon on 25 October has grown considerably grown in strength with the addition of the Kenya’s Agnes Kiprop and Ethiopia’s Firehiwot Dado, both winners of big spring marathons this year. While Kiprop took the Turin Marathon Dado won in Rome.

The Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon, which boosts a new title sponsor, is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Regarding the depth of the elite field assembled so far the women’s race will have the best quality ever in the history of the event. And it is expected that there will be further additions to both the women’s and men’s event soon.

Kiprop comes to the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon unbeaten this year. The 29-year-old Kenyan has won her two major races in 2009 and produced personal bests in both. First she took the Turin Marathon in spring with a fine 2:26:22 and five weeks before her race in Frankfurt she also won the Turin Half Marathon. There she ran 1:09:54.

Dado clocked a personal best in the Marathon this year as well. When she won the Rome Marathon in March she achieved a massive improvement from a previous PB of 2:37:34 to a fine 2:27:08. She will also be aiming to further improve on the fast Frankfurt course. The 25-year-old has not raced since her surprise win in Rome and has fully concentrated on preparing well for her autumn Marathon.

Besides Kiprop and Dado three more runners have been added to the women’s field: Irene Limika (Kenya), Shitaye Debella Gemechu (Ethiopia) as well as Germany’s Luminita Zaituc.

Limika ran her marathon debut in Frankfurt in 2008 and had done well, finishing fourth in 2:28:31, still her personal best. This year she was second at the Nagano Marathon in 2:30:00. Gemechu is an experienced marathon runner, who improved her personal best by five seconds in 2008 when she placed fourth at the Paris Marathon with 2:26:10. This year she was fifth at the Tokyo Marathon. Luminita Zaituc is still the fourth fastest German woman marathoner ever. She clocked 2:26:01 when winning the Frankfurt Marathon in 2001.

Kenyans Rose Cheruiyot and Ruth Wanjiru had been signed earlier for the race. In 2008 the 33-year-old Cheruiyot was fourth in the Dubai Marathon with a personal best of 2:25:48. Later in the year she placed fourth again in Berlin. The 27-year-old Wanjiru was seventh in Osaka this year and has a personal best of 2:27:38.

At the 28th edition of Germany’s oldest city Marathon organisers expect a record entry of up to 13,000 runners. Online entry is still available at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com

Organisers for the IAAF

Athletics Kenya has threatened to call off 2010 Africa Champs

Athletics Kenya has threatened to call off the 2010 Senior Africa Athletics Championship if the government fails to release Sh250 million it pledged by December.

AK chairman Isaiah Kiplagat opened the lead over the undercurrent dealings that have been happening between his federation and the government, which has left them behind schedule for the games that were first to be held at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, in April but pushed back to July.

“If by December we have got no green light or we realise we are not making any headway, then the event will be called off,” said Kiplagat. Almost two years since Kenya won the bid to stage the championship, the government only assented to it a fortnight ago through an official gazette notice by Sports Minister Hellen Sambili.

However, the Treasury has declined to release the funds, starting with the initial Sh30 million meant for hiring staff and for operations at the secretariat. Not even the event website is working.
“We need a secretariat, its staff, prepare a sponsorship package for the corporate world, source equipments and refurbish the stadium at Kasarani,” said Kiplagat.
With the first batch of inspectors from Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) expected in the country next month, Kiplagat said the Local Organising Committee (LOC) was running behind schedule and much work need to be done to show seriousness.

“We have to host a successful championship. But our hands are tied, the initial money (Sh30 million) from the government has not been released, we need to order for equipment which might take seven months. Realistically, for us to organise this championship in April was not logistically viable. That is why we pushed it to July,” he said.

Besides the secretariat and event website getting launched, Kiplagat noted that they need to refurbish the stadium at Kasarani, change the VIP stand and renovate the changing room, medical room and mixed zone area. A warm-up track at the stadium also needs to be worked on.
“Some of the equipments have arrived. But we need more, which are not just picked off the shelf. They must be ordered for and be made specifically for the championship. Things like a large screen, timing equipment,” said Kiplagat.
Sports secretary Wilson Lang’at was at pains to explain the government’s delay.

He said: “No money has been released. It is not because money for 2007 World Cross Country Championship in Mombasa was misappropriated. AK did not have anything to do with that money then. Not even now, this money will go directly to LOC account, not AK.
“But we are working round the clock to see that the secretariat gets operational by Monday. We have seconded workers from the ministry to help set it [secretariat] up. But the delay in funding is caused by Treasury, who have not disbursed money to ministries.”

Lagat concentrates on 5k to catch up with Bekele

NEW YORK -- Bernard Lagat began the year as the defending world champion at both 1500 and 5000 meters, and fancied ending 2009 with possession of both titles again.
As the summer arrived though, and with it the proving ground that is the European circuit, it became evident that the American's reign was going to end.
And it did, at the World Championships in Berlin in August.

Lagat was gracious in defeat, tipping his hat to Yusuf Saad Kamel after the Bahraini's victory in the 1500m, and calling Kenenisa Bekele "a great champion" after the Ethiopian's win in the 5000m. But Lagat is the ultimate competitor and - he made this clear after a fourth-place finish here in the Fifth Avenue Mile on Saturday - does not like to lose.

So after he was beaten by Bekele at the World Championships in the 5000m and at the World Athletics Final in the 3000m by an excruciating .45 seconds combined, Lagat didn't go off on an expletive-laced tirade or come up with a litany of excuses for his failures. He looked in the mirror and decided he needs to get better.

"I realized, ‘You know what? Losing twice is not bad for me, especially to this guy who is training specifically for this kind of event,'" Lagat said. "At the end of those two races, I felt strong but I also felt that there was something lacking. It's not speed. I have that. It's something more in the training that I need."

So with 2010 not being a major championship year, Lagat has decided to use the upcoming season to begin what he said will be a gradual transition away from the middle distances and into the longer-distance races.

"I think as we go forward, I will be doing the 1500m but my emphasis will be more moving into the distances and doing something there," Lagat said. "There is a territory that I haven't been into very much and that is the long distances, and I would love to try that. I want to move into the distances this year. Those are the races that I think might be good for me going forward in my career."

Such a move would put him squarely into events currently owned by Bekele, a man who has won 15 consecutive finals in the 5000m over the last three years on top of having never lost a 10,000m race. But the idea that Bekele never loses and can't be beaten is quite exaggerated. Lagat has actually done it.

At the London Grand Prix in 2006, Lagat ran 12:59.22 to Bekele's 13:00.04 to win the 5000m and join Bob Kennedy as, at the time, the only American men ever to break 13-minutes at that distance. This summer, Dathan Ritzenhein (AR 12:56.27) and Matt Tegenkamp (12:58.56) also joined that exclusive sub-13 club.
Lagat considers his 2006 triumph one of those races that could have easily gone another way.

"It was one of those things where the race was really tailored for you," he recalled. "People were going crazy in London when I beat Bekele and them. But they could have taken me to a good time or they could have burned me and I end up running thirteen-O-something."

Although Lagat went on to win the World title at 5000m in Osaka in 2007 while Bekele focused solely on the 10,000m, he is quick to acknowledge that his Ethiopian rival is clearly the man to beat.

In July, the talent gap between the two runners appeared to be significant. The much-anticipated duel between the two runners in the 3000m at the Paris Golden League meeting quickly turned into a rout as Bekele hammered a blistering pace for seven and a half laps to score a nearly five-second victory in 7:28.64. Lagat was second in 7:33.15 (watch video).

But Lagat was nipping at Bekele's heels a month later. At Worlds, Lagat was right on Bekele's shoulder rounding the final turn of the 5000m and held a brief lead late in the race before succumbing in the final 25 meters. Bekele won in 13:17.09 while Lagat crossed in 13:17.33 (watch video).

The two reprised their rivalry in Thessaloniki, Greece on Sept. 12 when Bekele held off Lagat's charge at the end of the 3000m at the World Athletics Final. Bekele won again in 8:03.79 to Lagat's 8:04.00. It was after that race that Lagat realized it was time he incorporated more distance workouts into his future training.

"They came down to the workouts that I do," Lagat said of the two narrow losses. "I was able to do this with Bekele, follow him in the 5K, follow him in the 3k, always being close. I'm thinking, ‘You know, I'm really only training for the 1500 and I can do this.' Think about Bekele. He's training for his specialty, which is 5K and 10K and I'm getting close. Think about what happens if I add more to what I am doing or cut what I am doing for the 1500 and put more on the 5000-meter training."

Lagat said his long-time coach James Li is quite equipped at handling such a change, and has already mapped out a future course of workouts. "I think now, in order for me to be good in the 5K, in order for me to be able to run as fast as Dathan or Matt or guys from Kenya and Ethiopia, I need to really do a different type of workout," Lagat said. "I need those hard repetitions at 1000m, at 800m, a lot of 400s that are more intense than what I've done. I also need to race over more longer-distances. Normally we do one of those and that's the end for the season but we will be doing more moving forward."

And Lagat figures 2010, a year in which he will only have to peak for the USA Outdoor Championships on June 23-27 in Des Moines, Iowa, to be the perfect time to experiment. Lagat said his schedule for the indoor season will remain virtually unchanged. He will likely open at the Norwich Union International meet in Glasgow in mid-January followed by the Millrose Games on Jan. 29, when he will attempt to become the first man ever to win the Wanamaker Mile eight years in a row. After that, he will compete at the Aviva Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham England on Feb. 2 before coming home for the U.S. Indoor Championships in Albuquerque on Feb. 27-28 and then heading to the World Indoor Championships in Doha on March 12-14.

Lagat said he has not mapped out the entirety of his outdoor season, but said it will definitely include some Diamond League events and other races selected specifically to yield fast times in the 3000m and 5000m.

"I want to have three races to focus on so I can run a PB or a really good time," Lagat said. "I'm going to look at the calendar and say, ‘How about we go to Zurich or go to London and get a good run in.' I want to spread it that way so that I will be able to train for something rather than train for nothing. Winning is a necessity but I'm not looking at that necessarily. I want to have an objective just to run fast and get some good times."

One thing is for certain. Lagat's days of doing the 1500m/5000m double are over.
"I know, I'm not going to do the double," he said. "I have to say that early now. If I had to do one race, it would be either the 1500m or the 5000m, depending on what kind of shape I'm in."
Ultimately, thought, Lagat said his goal is regain his place atop the world rankings in the 5000m.
"I feel like I can actually, legitimately say, that I can challenge Bekele or anybody if I train for it," he said. "It's not going to be easy, but I will try. Sometimes I might not get him in this first year, but it could be the next year in Daegu. By then, I hope to be running the 5K very, very well."

Team Ethiopia - hairstyle and running style go hand in hand

Let's talk!

The day before Saturday's Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile in New York, we had the opportunity to sit down with four of the men's entrants and cover a range of topics. Nate Brannen of Canada, a former NCAA champion at the University of Michigan, was the 2006 Commonwealth Games 1500-meter silver medalist and a semi-finalist at the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships; he was third in the Fifth Avenue Mile in 2008. Leo Manzano, a former University of Texas star, was second in the 1500 at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and 2009 USATF Championships and 12th at the World Championships in Berlin. He was second at this month's World Athletics Final in Greece. Matt Tegenkamp's successful September include his first sub-13:00 clocking in the 5000, a 12:58.56 in Brussels, and a victory at the USA 5K in Providence; he was eighth in the 5000 at the World Championships and he was third in the Fifth Avenue Mile in 2006. Tegenkamp holds the American two-mile record of 8:07.07. Chris Solinsky, who is Tegenkamp's training mate in Portland, Oregon, won five NCAA titles at the University of Wisconsin; he was 12th in the 5000 at this year's World Championships.In Saturday's Fifth Avenue Mile, Manzano was third, Tegenkamp seventh, Solinsky eighth, and Brannen 14th.


How much of being a good miler involves being able to deal with the traffic on the track, knowing where to position yourself and how to get out from the inside when you have to. One would imagine you've been in races where you don't get free of the traffic, right?
Nate Brannen: When it comes to championships racing, it's not who on paper is the fastest. It's positioning, where you are at the bell, how much traffic you ran into for the first 1200 and if you had a clean run, as opposed to someone else who was in the pack getting bumped around. The nice thing about championships racing is you can have a guy who's ranked 12th, 13th going in who finishes top three. That's why you race, to see who's the best in those conditions and those circumstances on that day.

Leo, have you had experiences when you can't get out of traffic on the track?
Leo Manzano: Yes sir. My prelim and my semifinal in Berlin, I thought went really really well. I was able to get in and out of traffic and just move around. I thought I had pretty good tactics. I made it to the final and I think I was just forcing it to much and got into some really tight traffic. It's kind of tough when you're running against the best in the world and there's all this pressure on you to perform. Usually, with 400 meters to go, everybody just wants to be up towards the front, and everything has to go into play to have good positioning and make a good move.

Do you prefer that kind of racing or a pace Grand Prix type race (in which runners tend to be strung out in a line, one behind the other)?
LM: It really depends.If I'm looking to run a good time, I'd really like to have a rabbit or get going. But I think in championships racing, it's very important for it to BE a race. Everybody has a different tactic. I don't want to say it's kind of like playing poker - who's going to go next, or when am I going to go? And everybody kind of keys off of everybody else.

Is the emphasis on times a matter of diminishing returns? If people go to races and they don't see a fast time, they'll say "ah, that kind of sucked." What do you guys think about that?
Matt Tegenkamp: There should be more of an emphasis on racing. It's great to see fast times. The world records now are so ridiculous. It's going to be few and far between, when you see those really improved, and it shouldn't be set up to go for it every single time, 'cause it's not going to happen. A fast time is great, but if you make it more of a championship style event in the Golden League or in the Diamond League next year, it's still exciting if you've got five guys with a quarter mile to go trying to battle it out. The crowd will still get into it quite a bit.

It's interesting how exciting the middle distance and distance races were at the world. They were fast, but they weren't super fast. But that ought to be enough for people. For the mile, there was a period when a 3:58, just because it was below 4:00, was noteworthy. But now, how many people really know what's the difference between a 3:49 and a 3:45 mile?
MT: Unless it has a WR in the paper the next day, they don't now how it's really related (ie, they can't relate to it). I don't care which way it goes, but actually competitive just RACING still has a lot of incentive.

Leo, you just took second at the World Athletics Final in Greece. It seems like you've been able to remain sharp until the end of the season.
LM: This year, the beginning of the year, my training was (designed) to maintain fitness throughout the year. We've done a lot of base work and strength worth so it would be possible to carry on into the finals and the Fifth Avenue Mile

Chris, how'd you feel when you walked away from your track season after Greece (Solinsky was sixth in the 3000 at the World Athletics Final)?
CS: It was a good capper on the track season. It was a season of ups and downs from me. It was a season of pretty good highs and mediocre lows. To finish off pretty well there was satisfying. It let me know that there's still more to come. It was a kicker's race, and that gave me a little bit of confidence coming in here (to Fifth Avenue)

How will you guys approach next year? It's a non-Championship year.
NB: For these guys (the Americans) it is. We (Canadians) have Commonwealth Games (in India).

And that's late in the year?
NB: Mid to late October, yeah. I don't know, that could really change things. This year's not done. We haven't really talked about next year. It could really change when we start racing and training.

Not that you need to, but have you really settled the issue of whether you're an 800 or 1500-meter runner?
NB: Yeah. You can't train the eight and the 15 together. It's one or the other. Even in college, I trained for the 1500/3k and ran the eight., just to keep me and Nick (Willis) separated. But, yeah, it's 1500 (now) with the odd eight in there.

Matt, What's your outlook for next year?
MT: I'm not sure about the winter yet. We may choose between indoor and cross (country). And then in the outdoor season ,there's the U.S., Championships, but it not being an (international championship) year, we don't have to run our primary event. We can choose to drop down if we want. Going into the season. We can try and get comfortable running fast over and over again. That 13:00, we can do it three times over the summer.... And we don't have any defined points we necessarily have to peak for. If we can get more comfortable running fast races, it's only going to help us when championship races come along.

Could there be talk between the various camps in this country, yours and Dathan Ritzenhein's and Bernard Lagat's, saying "why don't we set up an American race where we try to shoot for 12:50?"
MT: I think next year, because of the Diamond League, New York will end up having a five (5000) and Pre will have a three. So there will be some great races here in the U.S. next year, especially with Pre being a week after U.S. nationals.

Have any of you given thought to going down to Australia and New Zealand for what is their summer season?
NB: Yeah, I was supposed to last year and tore my plantar and missed that. That's the plan me and Nick (Willis) and Rob Myers, our training partner, had, to go there for two months and do some racing but most of all get the warm weather training there instead of going somewhere south in the U.S. Nick had that plan just because he's from New Zealand and wanted to go back each there. He's trying to get a bunch of us there, to have a bunch of American-based guys go there and get some good races in.

Can you fill us in on Nick's progress? At one point, he said he wanted to come back and run the 800 at the Worlds because he calculated he wouldn't be ready for the 1500, just a few days earlier. And then he said he wanted to come back for this Fifth Avenue Mile.
NB: Nick gets all these ideas in his head, way before he should be thinking about that stuff. It's good, though, because it gives him something to keep going for. But about four weeks ago, he decided not to do this race. I think he's fit enough (that) he could come here and challenge for a good place. He's running up to 15 miles a day. He's basically fully back painfree. He just hasn't done any workouts (ie intervals or speedwork) though. He's getting his mileage up. He's ready to go. He's fit and he'll be good to go for next year.

Leo, How does training with Shannon Rowbury work out for you?
LM: It's a bundle of fun every day. She's just very positive about everything. She's a great person and we keep ourselves motivated and always look forward to working together. Both of our workouts are always different, but we always finish our workouts with cooldowns or strength sessions in the gym.

Her flexibility drills are pretty impressive. Can you do all that stuff?
LM: Probably not. I don't think I'm as flexible as she is.

To counteract tightness in hips and back that are inevitable from all of this straight ahead running, what do you you do?
NB: Physio, massage, chiro (chiropractic). It's really a 24/7 thing. Proper sleeping and eating, that sort of thing. Everything to help recover ultimately helps your range of motion.

And Matt and Chris, you must have more opportunities for that kind of support now in Portland.
MT: We were doing a lot before in Madison. Pascal Dobert (a former USATF steeplechase champion) had been working with a physical therapy group in Indianapolis and he came back to Madison and worked with us.Just strength work using your own body weight, similar to Pilates. It combines Yoga and a whole bunch of different stuff. Yeah, we've definitely increased it (in Portland)

CS: We can get to the (Nike) campus at 9:00 (a.m.). I've gone there all day to 4:00. You do stuff and grab lunch and have another session and then go for your run and then you head home.

Would there be any reason you'd go on the Alter-G treadmill even during a healthy period, when you weren't rehabbing an injury?
CS: Supplemental mileage. If you want to increase your mileage but somehow not beat yourself up so much, you can jump on there and get an extra five miles in where it doesn't completely beat up your legs so much.

THX RunnersWorld!

Kenya + Netherlands = speed. Komon runs 27:10

Utrecht, The Netherlands - Leonard Komon won the 59th edition of the Utrechtse Singelloop 10Km on Sunday clocking 27:10, the third fastest performance on the roads in 2009.

The performance by the 21-year-old Kenyan, who was ninth at the World championships in the 5000m and the silver medallist at the World Cross Country Championships earlier this year, was the sixth fastest ever.

Running in ideal conditions in this central Dutch city, Komon, a relative new kid on the block on the roads, was until the waning portion of the race on target for an assault on Micah Kogo's 27:01 World record, but faded in the final stages.

Komon is the third athlete this year to produce a fast time in The Netherlands. Kogo set his World record in Brunssum on 29 March and earlier this month, another Kenyan, Peter Kamais, clocked 27:09 in Tilburg on 6 September.

In this race through the streets of Utrecht, four athletes broke the 28:00 barrier. Vincent Yator, also of Kenya, finished second in 27:34 while Boniface Kirui came home third in 27:41. The fourth man under 28 minutes was Ethiopian Shume Gerbaba in 27:53.

Pre-race favourite Eliud Kipchoge finished sixth in 28:11, seven seconds behind Ezekiel Chebii. Kipchoge, the 2008 Olympic silver medallist in the 5000m, was with the leaders through the midway point before dropping back.

In the women's race Nadia Ejjafini of Bahrain was in a class of her own. She won handily in 32:37 and was nearly half a minute faster as Rasa Drazdauskaite (LTU), who finished second in 33:01. Kenyan Emily Chemutai was third in 34:03.

Wim van Hemert for the IAAF

Leading Results -
Men -
1. Leonard Komon, KEN 27:10
2. Vincent Yator, KEN 27:34
3. Boniface Kirui, KEN 27:41
4. Shume Gerbaba, ETH 27:53
5. Ezekiel Chibii, KEN 28:04
6. Elius Kipchoge, KEN 28:11
7. Abraham Kiplimo, KEN 28:22
8. Youssef Banniz, MAR 28:54
9. Mourad Marofit, MAR 29:13
10. Alexei Reunkov, RUS 29:14

Women -
1. Nadia Ejjafini, BRN 32:37
2. Rasa Drazdauskaite, LTU 33:01
3. Emily Chemutai, KEN 34:03
4. Merel de Knegt, NED 34:33
5. Alena Berasniova, BLR 34:43

Soi outkicks Kogo in Sicily 10k

Sicili, Italy - He won in 2008, and made it double victory on Saturday (26) night. Kenya's Edwin Soi took the honours for the second time in a row in the Memorial Peppe Greco, the famous 10km road race held in Sicilian city of Scicli, ahead of a strong field.

The World record holder over the distance on the roads, Kenya's Micah Kogo, was second at the finish line, while third place was taken by a surprising Daniele Meucci, whose rush for the podium pleased the southern Italian crowd. Another home hero, former Olympic Marathon champion Stefano Baldini, who won in Scicli in 2005, was 10th.

Before Soi, only Haile Gebrselassie and Martin Lel had been able to win in Scicli on consecutive years. Athletes such as Paul Tergat, Kenenisa Bekele, Charles Kamathi, Hailu Mekonnen and Sileshi Sihine are other luminaries who have won here since the race was created in 1990 by Giovanni Voi to bring it to the international level.

"It was a very tough race, as Micah pushed fast. I knew to be in very good condition," said Soi. His winning time was 29:01.
The usually difficult course, comprised of 10 one-kilometre laps with a 300 metre uphill stretch over cobblestone in the middle, was even tougher because of the rain that fell during the day, making it quite slippery.
The first lap (3:04) was only about studying the course, as the pack was still formed by almost all the runners, but from the second (2:53) circuit Kogo took the lead and started pushing hard. "I like a fast pace, so I tried to do it," he said .
During the third lap (2:56) Baldini lost ground from the leaders. At halfway eight men led: Kogo; Soi; Meucci; Kenya's Ezekiel Kemboi, the reigning 3000m Steeplechase World champion; Richard Mateelong, the runner-up in the same race in Berlin; Ethiopia's Imane Merga (fourth in the World Champs 10,000m),; Habtamu Fedaku Ashaw; Abraham Cherkos; and Tanzania's Dickson Marwa.

The 14:35 midway split made an attack the course record impossible, which still belongs to Gebrselassie with his 28:22 win from 1997.
During the sixth lap Kemboi slowed down, while Kogo kept pacing sub-3:00 laps.
In the ninth lap, with 200 metres to go, someone made a big mistake and started sprinting, believing it was the last lap. Soi made a strong change of speed and crossed the line in the first position, while organizers made it clear that another lap remained.

The pack started running again and Soi won also the second sprint ahead of Kogo and Meucci. "I won two times, in the wrong and in the right finish," Soi joked. "I was pacing and I knew that it wasn't the last lap, but I didn't know what to do," Kogo added. "When I saw the time on the clock, I had the confirmation of the mistake."

The winner had already shown in the last month to be in very good shape, as he closed second in the 5000m in Zurich behind Kenenisa Bekele with 12:55:03 and then ran his PB 7:31:48 in Rieti in the 3000m. The win in Scicli ahead of some of the best long distance runners increased his regret for missing the World championships, where he would have defended his 5000m Olympic bronze medal.

"I did a miscalculation in my training and arrived at the Kenyan Trials in not perfect conditions," he explained. He was fourth and missed a team spot. "I'm sure that if I had been in Berlin, I would have fought for a medal like in Beijing."

"Soi was stronger than me, he runs shorter distance so his speed is better than mine,” said Kogo, who set the 27:01 world record in Brunssum on March 29. “I'm a little tired after such a long season. Now I'm going to take some rest and then I'll start again my training for cross country."

"When I saw the start list, I thought to be eighth or ninth at the finish," an excited Meucci said. "I like road races very much because of the crowd." Meucci confirmed that he will run in Birmingham at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships on 11 October.

"I knew to be in not good conditions and such a field doesn't permit it," Baldini said. "At the beginning it was very difficult, then I found my pace and ran in a regular way until the end." With two laps to go he had caught Kemboi, who out-sprinted him in the final.

Alberto Zorzi for the IAAF

Leadin Results (10km) -
1. Edwin Soi Cheruiyot, KEN, 29:01
2. Micah Kogo, KEN, 29:02
3. Daniele Meucci, ITA, 29:03
4. Abraham Cherkos, ETH, 29:04
5. Richard Mateelong, KEN, 29:08
6. Imane Merga, ETH, 29:11
7. Habtamu Fedaku Ashaw, ETH, 29:13
8. Dickson Marwa, TAN, 29:14
9. Ezekiel Kemboi, KEN, 30:28
10. Stefano Baldini, ITA, 30:30

Munguru 2:08:31 in Toronto

Toronto, Canada - Kenneth Munguru successfully defended his Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon today and in doing so ran the fastest time ever recorded on Canadian soil.

Under extremely humid conditions and temperatures hovering around 17 degrees C. the 36-year-old stopped the clock in a time of 2:08:31, roughly one hundred metres ahead of Ethiopia’s Chala Lemi. Lemi’s time of 2:08:48 also beat the record of 2:09:30 in the 20th anniversary of this IAAF Silver Label Road Race.

“I didn’t believe the clock,” Munguru admitted. “It was a surprise. My manager (Dereke Froude) said I could run 2:08.He said ‘you can make it.’ I didn’t believe him. Now I have made it.”

The victory was worth CAD $20,000. He earned another $35,000 in bonuses, $25,000 for beating the all-comers record and another $10,000 for dipping under 2:09.

Munguru finished third in the Prague Marathon in May despite a nagging knee injury which limited his training for the Toronto race. It was only two months ago that he realised he would be in good enough form to compete here.

“I was hoping to run 2:10 here because I was injured in May,” he disclosed. “I couldn't go very fast because of my knee injury in Prague. When I was behind I didn't worry. I was going slowly because of my knee.”

Munguru and Lemi were amongst a group of eight athletes who followed three handpicked pacemakers through the early stages passing 10km in 30:04 and the half way point on this pancake flat course in 1:03:34. Two of the rabbits dropped out at 25km having done their job while the third, Paul Kimugul of Kenya, who conducted similar chores in London earlier this year, kept the pace going a few more kilometres until he slipped on a patch of slick pavement and fell.

Lemi and his countryman Gashaw Asfaw, seventh in the Beijing Olympics, made a bid to break open the race between 32 and 35 km opening a small gap on Munguru. But Lemi was visibly tiring and looked over his shoulder a couple of times, a dead giveaway he was concerned. This seemed to inspire Munguru and he passed both Ethiopians and opened up an impenetrable margin.

Asfaw who has a personal best of 2:08:03 held on for third place in a time of 2:09:23.

Moments after crossing the finish line the winner accepted a congratulatory telephone call from the pastor of the Kenya Global Church in Toronto. Following the awards ceremony he planned to join fellow Kenyans for a special service.

Gobena takes down women’s course record as well

The women’s race also resulted in a new course record as 23-year-old Amane Gobena upset the defending champion, Mulu Seboka, with a time of 2:28:30. Both athletes come from Ethiopia.

“I’m very happy with my race,” the winner announced, “I knew after 40km I would win. I was hoping to run around 2:22 but I had trouble with my stomach.”

Seboka had broken away midway through the race thanks to a series of surges that troubled Gobena who was running in only her third Marathon. At one point there was almost two hundred metres separating the pair but Gobena battled back into contention at 39km.

Haile Kebebush made it an Ethiopian sweep crossing the line in 2:30:47 for third place. The Ethiopians were greeted at the finish line by the 1980 Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion Miruts Yifter who is in Toronto visiting his son.

Canadian hopes had rested upon Lioudmila Kortchaguina but the 38-year-old Russian-born resident of Toronto twisted her ankle on a streetcar track just three kilometres into the race and stopped.

The day’s success left race director Alan Brookes glowing and the good news was enhanced by the announcement that $1.8 million had been raised for various charities.

“We copied the Flora London Marathon, unashamedly, in their charity format,” Brookes said. “Now we are up to 99 local charities this year.”

Paul Gains for the IAAF

Celebrating the Fifth Avenue Mile winners

VIDEO: 29th New York Road Runners Continental Airlines 5th Avenue Mile 2009, New York

Watch Rowbury and Baddeley winning the 5th Avenue Mile 2009.

For more info on this years race click HERE

Face the book: Brad Hudson

Brad Hudson Congratulations to Marathon Performance athlete Tera Moody ( 10sec.p.r.) 16:14 5km 1st female(5th overall)today in Chicago in preperation for the Chicago Marathon and Mo Trafeh new U.S. citizen and Marathon performance athlete winning Cow Harbor 10km 29:16 in New York.

Mind Over Matter

We’ve all heard the old adage about running being 90% mental. Turns out it might be true, and scientifically proven to boot. Tim Noakes, M.D., author of Lore of Running, has long argued that it is the brain that allows or limits endurance performance rather than the body. His “central governor” theory postulates that “the brain is there to look after you and to make sure whatever you do, you do it safely,” as he puts it.

Noakes says that the brain holds us back from pushing past a certain point. “There’s a control mechanism to make sure that you reach the finish line not in a completely, utterly wilted state,” he claims. “You always have a little reserve.” Or as some would interpret this, you can always push a little harder.

While past running research was preoccupied with the physiological side of endurance performance, a small group of researchers recently set their sights on examining the role of the brain. Not only does this research emphasize the idea of mind over matter, it also demonstrates that the brain can be trained to allow the body to physically handle more. After considering the research, we went in search of examples of competitive runners who have figured out ways to overcome the limits our brains put on our bodies. They offer sound advice on methods to coach your mind, not just your muscles.

Confusing Mental Fatigue and Physical Fatigue

Consider the following scenario. You’ve had a long, hard day. Your kids are nagging you, your boss is riding you, and there’s a sink full of dirty dishes and a mile-high pile of bills waiting for you at home. Managing to get in a run, much less a track workout or tempo session, seems like a monumental task.

Researchers at Bangor University in the UK set out to examine why it is that mental fatigue can lead to the perception of physical fatigue during exercise. Dr. Samuele M. Marcora and colleagues compared two groups. While both groups were to complete a high-intensity cycling exercise, one group was given a challenging, but sedentary, 90-minute computer test beforehand. The other watched “emotionally neutral documentaries” for 90 minutes.

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Watch the Toronto Waterfront Marathon LIVE

Watch the Toronto Waterfront Marathon LIVE TODAY click HERE

Click HERE to read the race preview!

Book Review: “From Last to First” by Charlie Spedding

In 1984 I finished second in a race won by Ireland’s John Treacy. I was so far back that the Times’ headline was “Treacy Wins By A Mile.”

In 1984, Charlie Spedding finished a race one place behind Treacy. He was quite a bit closer. Two seconds. The race was the Olympic Marathon in 1984, a race won by Carlos Lopes of Portugal. Both Lopes and Treacy had the pedigree, each having won the World Cross-Country Championships twice. Spedding’s finish was a surprise.

He has written an autobiography, and however unknown he was to me before, his Los Angeles finish remains stunning. But the book, “From Last To First,” goes well beyond I Trained/I Raced. It has a core lesson from which all serious runners can learn.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Because, you see, Spedding is perhaps the greatest Jekyll/Hyde runner of recent years. He was a self-described mediocrity in most of his races (well, among the elite), particularly on the track where he always lacked closing speed. His history of racing on the track, on the roads, and in cross-country is good but not great. And he’d be the first to admit it. (In his first race, in school in Durham, outside of Newcastle, he was given a head-start because he was short and still ended up last. Hence the title.)

Bedeviled by injury, especially in his left Achilles tendon (early on he came within seconds of dying when he had an allergic reaction to an anesthetic while being prepped for surgery on that tendon), how did he win a bronze medal in Los Angeles? How did he get, and still hold, the English best in the Marathon. How, after barely making the British team after injury and dismal result after dismal result did he end up sixth, and the first Brit, in the Seoul Marathon?

The core of the book, and what makes it more than I Trained/I Raced, is Spedding’s ability to peak. The flip-side to this was his relative inability to be competitive in other races. He spent a chunk of time in the U.S., chiefly in the Boston area, and appeared at some of the top races of the time, Peachtree, Gasparrilla, Falmouth, always running well but not great.

Yet his career included the following:

•Third in the TAC 10,000 in 1981, behind Salazar and Duncan McDonald
•England’s Amateur Athletics Association (AAA) 10,000 Champion in 1983
•1st, Houston Marathon, 1984, debut in 2:11:54 (his first, won by a hair)
•1st, London Marathon, 1984 in 2:09:57 (to make the Olympic team he had to be the first Brit, which he obviously was)
•3rd, LA Olympic Marathon, 1984, 2:09:58
•2nd, London Marathon, 1985, 2:08:33 (setting the still-standing English best, to Steve Jones)
•6th, Seoul Olympic Marathon, 1988, 2:12:19

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29th New York Road Runners Continental Airlines 5th Avenue Mile: Shannon Rowbury, Andy Baddeley win 5th Avenue Mile road race in NYC

In a close race for both the women and men's division, two-time 1500 meter US Champion Shannon Rowbury triumphed in the women's field of the Continental Airlines 5th Avenue Mile, and Andy Baddeley has been announced the winner in the men's division. Rowbury finished in 4:24; Baddeley ran a 3:52 mile.

The 29th New York Road Runners Continental Airlines 5th Avenue Mile race drew many amateur and professional runners to a starting line in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Upper East Side of Manhattan this morning. The course headed from East 80th Street along Central Park down 5th Avenue to East 60th Street.

Rowbury and Baddeley were among 15 Olympic athletes, including Americans Christin Wurth-Thomas, Matt Tegenkamp, and Lopez Lomong, who crowded the professional field, which was the last of several heats that comprised this race.

The race kicked off with the wheelchair/handcycle race, followed immediately by the children's run at 9 a.m. The morning continued with heats divided by gender and age group and was rounded off with the NYRR Road Mile Championships and Professional categories shortly after noon. Mzungo.orgs America CEO Uli cruised the mile in 04:42!

5th Avenue Mile Video History

Watch the 2008 Race HERE
Watch the 2007 Race HERE
Watch the 2006 Race HERE
Watch the 1981 Race HERE

Click HERE for pictures on RunnerSpace.com

Fifth Avenue Mile

The Fifth Avenue Mile is an annual mile road race in New York City. The race begins at East 80th Street and heads straight down Fifth Avenue to East 60th Street. Founded in 1981, the race is currently organized by New York Road Runners and has attracted big-name sponsors including Continental Airlines and Reebok.

1981 Sydney Maree 3:47
1982 Tom Byers 3:51
1983 Steve Scott 3:49
1984 John Walker 3:53
1985 Frank O'Mara 3:52
1986 Jose-Luis Gonzales 3:53
1987 Peter Elliott 3:53
1988 Steve Scott 3:53
1989 Peter Elliott 3:52
1990 Peter Elliott 3:47
1991 Matthew Yates 3:56
1992 Itamar Da Silva 4:00
1993 Ron Harris 3:58
1994 Jason Pyrah 3:52
1995 Isaac Viciosa 3:47
1996 Isaac Viciosa 3:53
1997 Isaac Viciosa 3:53
1998 Isaac Viciosa 3:55
1999 Ben Kapsoiya 4:05
2000 Jason Lund 4:03
2001 John Itati 4:02
2002 Leonard Mucheru 3:55
2003 John Itati 3:56
2004 Elarbi Khattabi 4:10
2005 Craig Mottram 3:49
2006 Kevin Sullivan 3:54
2007 Alan Webb 3:52
2008 Nick Willis 3:50

Great Moments in Mile History

There is no unit of measurement in the world that holds as much mystique and history as the mile—and no event in track and field that has sparked so much enthusiasm and folklore. A look at some of the great moments in the history of this great event.

1592—British Parliament defines the mile to be exactly eight furlongs (or 80 chains, 320 rods, 1760 yards, or 5280 feet) in length. Originally, the mile derived its name from the Latin mille, or “thousand,” because it was the approximate distance a Roman soldier could march in 1000 paces.

1850—With the introduction of exact standards for measuring running tracks, record keeping became possible.

August 19, 1865—At a meet in Manchester, England, 15,000 spectators came to watch the world’s best milers compete for the title of Champion Miler of England. Englishman William Lang and Welshman William Richards finished in a tie, each timed in 4:17 ¼. Their record time remained untouched for 21 years.

August 23, 1886—Before 20,000 Londoners, Englishman Walter George stopped the clocks in 4:12 ¾, a record that would stand for a shade under 29 years.

1896-1900—With the advent of the modern Olympic Games, many races were contested at the “metric mile” or 1500 meter distance. In those early days, the idea of Olympic Glory was not as compelling as it is today, and many of the world’s best milers chose not to compete. American hopeful John Cregan withdrew from the 1500 meters of the 1900 Olympics because he refused to race on a Sunday.

July 16, 1915—In a race specifically set up to be an attempt at the world record, American Norman Taber knocked a split-second off George’s record, clocking 4:12 3/5. Three years earlier, Taber had won the bronze medal in the 1500 meters at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm.

August 23, 1923—“The Flying Finn” Paavo Nurmi sanded the record down to 4:10.4 in Stockholm. Competing on the same track the very next day, Nurmi broke the world three-mile record. Nurmi would finish his career with seven Olympic gold medals, and at one time held every world record between 1500 and 10,000 meters.

October 4, 1931—Frenchman Jacque Ladoumegue became the first man under the 4:10 barrier with a 4:09.2 clocking in Paris. He then became the first man to run under 3:50 for 1500 meters with a 3:49.2 effort the very next day.

1933-1941—In the run-up to World War II, New Zealander Jack Lovelock, American Glen Cunningham, and Englishman Sydney Wooderson all took turns holding the record, with Wooderson eventually bringing it down to 4:06.4. In 1941, two Swedish athletes—Arne Andersson and Gunder Hägg—showed potential by both coming within two seconds of Wooderson’s record.

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