Man of the weekend: Kilian Jornet Burgada

OK, Geoff Roes won this years Western States in a brutal fast new course record of 15:07:04. But what really stoked us was the 3rd place finisher.

A spaniard named Kilian Jornet Burgada. He is only 22 years old and went out to score a unbelievable time of 16:04:49.

Jornet is truly our man of the weekend! And there is way more to come in 2010: Sierre Zinal, Giir di Mont, Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, La Diagonal de Fous...

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Sprints coach Mwaniki to steer Kenya

By CHRIS MUSUMBA

Sprints coach Stephen Mwaniki has been named Kenya’s head coach for the championship.

David Okeyo, the Athletics Kenya secretary-general, confirmed Mwaniki to lead a team of 13 coaches who will manage the 142-strong squad named on Saturday.

“This is a big team and three coaches will handle sprints, hurdles and relays, two middle distance, two long distance, two walk race, two combined, and two field events,” Okeyo stated.

The athletes and their coaches report on July 5 for a three-week training camp at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, where AK are making their accommodation arrangements.

At the same time, Okeyo disclosed that some changes in the team, particularly in men’s pole vault and women’s walk race would be announced on Thursday.

“Some mistakes were made during selection and coaches during the trials since this is a large team and coaches are coming up with recommendations,” Okeyo added.

Kenya Team bench

Coaches: Stephen Mwaniki (head coach), Andrew Chepkwony, Martin Oitangor (sprints, hurdles and relays), Kitoo Kororia, James Mutisya (middle distance), Joseph Chelimo, Peter Kigunda (long distance), George Kariuki, Paddy Okello (race walking), Caroline Kola, Joseph Musonik (combined events), Elizabeth Olaba, Benjamin Kemboi (field events).

Medical - David Langat, Audi Sanga (team doctors), Japheth Kariakim, Peter Nduhiu, Mary Karanja, George Amayo (physiotherapists) and Florence Omundi (chaperone)

A Brief Chat With Lindsay Allen

By Peter Gambaccini Photos by 1) Josh Biggs courtesy of McMillan Elite; 2) SportsImageWire.com

Lindsay Allen, who turns 24 – hey, Happy Birthday today, Lindsay! – was third in the 3000-meter steeplechase at last weekend's USATF Championships in Des Moines behind Lisa Aguilera and Nicole Bush in 9:59.19. Earlier this season, she won the steeple at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford in 10:02. 66. Allen, a member of the Flagstaff-based McMillan Elite, set her personal best of 9:40.83 in 2009. While a student majoring in human biology at Stanford, she was second in the steeplechase at the Pac-10 Championships twice and was fourth in the 2008 NCAA Championships. She was a USA Junior Champion while a college freshman in 2005 and was third in those Championships in 2004 while still in high school. Allen represented the USA at the 2009 Chiba Ekiden in Japan; the Americans placed fifth. She has run 15:48.97 for 5000 meters. She was tenth in the 2009 USA 5km Road Championships.

In the USATF steeplechase final, did you feel like first place was still up for grabs at the last water jump?
Lindsay Allen: Yeah, honestly, I thought I had a good chance at it. Obviously, I didn't know I would have that kind of physical shutdown in the last 100 meters or so. But I was just really excited to find myself in that position so late in the race, to be in contention.


Did the "shutdown" come after the last water jump?
LA: That was probably the beginning of it. I had a fair amount of trouble over that last water jump, and then it kind of set in after that.


We heard of the humid conditions in Des Moines. Was it draining to be doing a steeplechase on a day like that?
LA: Yeah. I think I'd prepared for the first. I'd run in Des Moines at NCAAs in 2008, so I kind of knew the hot and humid. Honestly, I just tried not to think about it too much. I didn't want to get it in my head.


Were you surprised to see Bridget Franek (the NCAA champion who went from first to fifth) melt down in front of you?
LA: I really didn't know. I remember with 300 to go or something, we passed her. And I didn't know if she went way off the back. I still thought it was a group of four of us. I didn't know until right after the race.


All told, running in the 9:50s this early in the season and finishing in the top three in the nationals, you must come away from the meet feeling pretty good, right?
LA: Yeah. My top goal was to win, but I just wanted top three, a medal, and so I was very happy with top three.


In the spring, you won in 10:02 at the Payton Jordan meet. Was that just as fast as you needed to run to win?
LA: Yeah, because this season we were really trying to delay things (until later in the year) but I did want to get a steeple in before USAs. So going there (Payton Jordan) was more about racing the competition than trying to get a fast time. It was pretty much a sit-and-kick kind of race.


You're leaving for Europe on Wednesday (ie, today). What are the first meets you'll be doing over there?
LA: On July 3, I'm going to do a 1500 in Belgium. And then I'm trying to get in a steeple on July 9. We actually come back on the 12th, so ideally, I would do a 5k on the 11th in Brasschatt (Belgium). I definitely won't be going back to Europe for anything after that. This is my first year ever racing past NCAAs or USA. I'll do those few races and hopefully get a feel for Europe for the future. And than I'm going to do the USA 7 Mile on the roads at the end of July (in Davenport, Iowa on July 24).


Is seven miles a pretty long race for you? What are the longest races you've done up to this point?
LA: Oh, that's definitely the longest. I've done two road 10ks.


What's the thinking on doing that race?
LA: Well, for the (European) trip, we got the grant from the USATF. Jordan Horn) and myself from our team were selected (along with seven other runners). The trip flies you back on the 12th. We kind of decided "okay, that's a natural ending for the track season." But I just feel like my fitness is improving now, so that (the USA 7) is just good opportunity to race and earn some money and help set me up for the fall.


And in the fall, what would you be trying to do.
LA: A lot of roadracing. Last year, we did the USA 5km and the 10km, and hopefully we'll have a (McMillan Elite) team at the 10k and a team at Club Cross Country again (The USA 5km is September 19 in Providence, the USA Women's 10km is October 11, USATF National Club Cross Country is December 11 in Charlotte).


Last year, your first year out of college, you dropped your best steeplechase time by 20 seconds. Besides not having collegiate obligations, what would be some of the reasons for that huge improvement?
LA: Greg's training works very well and I don't think I really meshed well with the program in college. I guess it just wasn't ideal for me. And being at altitude is huge. Everything you do, you're just building so much more strength and aerobic capacity. I'm increasing mileage. I think it was just pretty much everything, and making running the priority.


Were there a couple of things about Greg's program that were new to you?
LA: A big thing, which is still my weakness and something I'm really trying to work on, is tempo or what you call steady state runs. In college, we never did over three miles at a steady state pace. I'm trying to get it to six and eight and ideally a ten-mile hard effort. The other things is probably running twice a day pretty much every day and building strength.


You were already a USA Junior medalist when you were in high school. Obviously, you discovered early on that the steeplechase was your event.
LA: Yes, definitely. In my freshman year in high school, we went to a running camp up in Humboldt County (in northern California). Kevin Searles was in charge of that and he ran a steeplechase clinic. At the time, it was just really fun because we all got to jump over things and land in water and everybody just got a big kick out of it. I really liked it. I think it came a little bit more naturally. I decided to try it at (USA) Juniors and I became a steeplechaser then.


The steeplechase for women is still a fairly new event. Lisa Aguilera is a bit older (she's 30), but some of the other top people – Nicole Bush, Bridget Franek, and Jenny Barringer, when she wants to do the event – these are the same people you were running against in college, right? You could be going at this together for a lot of years.
LA: I think we've already seen, with the American record dropping consistently, that it's an emerging event, so the athletes are emerging athletes in a sense. It's going to be really good for the event, to make it more competitive, as the years go on, as we get older, especially on the world sense.


Yeah, when you ran 10:01 in 2007, that was still considered a really good steeplechase time.
LA: Yeah. The depth every year just gets a lot better.


In the steeplechase you'll do in Barcelona, we'd assume everyone's interested in a fast time, so it won't be a sit and kick race.
LA: Oh yeah. I think Europe is all just about fast times and getting in fast races and not about where you finish in the race, at least not this year.


What time do you think you can hope to get over there?
LA: I think I could break 9:30 if put in the right race. My goal pace this year was 9:25, so we've been training quite a bit at that pace with barriers. I don't think that's too far out of the realm of possibility.


Do you have suspicions that Jenny Barringer is probably going to come back to the steeplechase as her main event?
LA: I do. Seeing how the race went this weekend (Barringer was third in the 5000 at the USATF Championships), I wonder if maybe the steeple is a little more comfortable. She can run any event, really, but I think there might be some more draw to go back to it (the steeplechase)


Besides being a runner, do you have a job or are you studying?
LA: I have two part-time job's. I work at a print shop in town (Flagstaff) and then I'm also Tracy McMillan's, Greg's wife's, personal assistant. Between that and running is usually a pretty full day.

Erick Wainaina wins 25th Lake Saroma 100k in blistering 6:39:52

Brett Larner reports for JapanRunningNews
In his first attempt at the distance, two-time Olympic marathon medalist Erick Wainaina (Kenya) won the 25th anniversary Lake Saroma 100 km ultramarathon in Hokkaido on June 27. Wainaina, the 1996 Olympic marathon bronze medalist and 2000 silver medalist, covered the certified course in a time of 6:39:52, with runner-up Noriyuki Araki (Wings AC) a short distance behind in 6:41:07. Tokyo-based Emi Matsushita, formerly Emi Iwasaki, took her second-straight and third-ever women's Saroma title with a time of 7:49:31.

Between the 50 km and 100 km divisions 3656 runners started the race. With temperatures reaching 30 degrees, only 1949 were able to complete their distance.

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Living in Japan - He's Running in Japan, Training for the Gold
by Takahashi Hidemine

"I'm happiest when I'm running. And I'm most miserable when I can't run because of a cold or injury. When I can run I feel great."
Eric Wainaina is speaking in Japanese, and obviously enjoying life. He ran the marathon for Kenya at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and at the next Olympic Games in Sydney, in 2000. He won the bronze, then the silver—he's one of the best marathon runners in the world. He works for the Japanese camera manufacturer, Konica, in the corporation's General Affairs Department. He's also a member of Konica's track and field team. "I think of myself as being almost Japanese."
Eric (28) was born in the city of Nyahururu, Kenya, and came to Japan in 1993, when he was 19. He was a track and field athlete at his high school in Kenya, and caught the attention of Konica's club. That led to a trip to Japan.

"Kenyans are not really interested in the marathon. I wasn't either, so when people would praise me for running fast I didn't think much of it. But I knew another runner from Kenya, a little older than me, who made a name for himself in Japan—so I thought, if I can get to Japan, maybe I can do well as a runner there, too."
At the time, Eric knew next to nothing about Japan. "The movies and TV programs I watched showed the Japan of the samurai. I thought everyone lived in old wooden houses, and that the men shaved off most of the hair on the top of their head and tied the rest in a topknot!"
"Almost as soon as I got to Japan, I was sent to a training camp in Chiba Prefecture. When they served sashimi at the lodge we were staying in, I was really surprised—I'd never eaten raw fish before, and when I saw everyone wearing informal kimono called yukata, I thought, 'I guess I'm in the land of the samurai after all!'" He grins.
It didn't take long before he was used to the different culture. The next year, he won the marathon in Hokkaido, northern Japan. The company's track and field team immediately saw his potential.

He's so fond of Japanese food, especially udon noodles and miso soup, that he took some with him from Japan to the Olympic Games. "I like Japan a lot. For one thing, people here respect each other. Yes, sure, they get angry sometimes, but basically they like people and are good to them. For example, even if I don't buy anything in a store, they'll probably say, 'Thank you for coming.' That would never happen in Kenya. Whatever Japanese people do, they try to do it as well as they can. Japan's the best place for me!"
He lives a bachelor life in Konica's dormitory in Hachioji, Tokyo. At six in the morning, he goes jogging for about an hour. After that, he's off to work. The office where he works administers various aspects of company operations, including the management of salary payments for all company employees. By three o'clock, he's running again, training at a track operated by the metropolitan government. During his time off, there's a good chance he's giving tips in marathon running at a nearby elementary or junior high school.
At the company they have an affectionate name for him—Wai-san. At the track, people from the neighborhood call out, "When's your next marathon?" After he came back from the Olympics with his medals, he says that so many people shook his hand, his shoulder hurt. Eric is a hero in his adopted city, Hachioji.

"The most important thing is to enjoy each moment. While you're running a marathon you can get really tired, but if you stay in a good mood you'll get through it OK. You can keep doing anything if you can convince yourself that it's fun."
Eric says his favorite Japanese word is akiramenai, which means "never give up." His next aims are to win Olympic gold, and to take a course to polish up his Japanese.

Running Times: Weekly Racing Recap for June 28, 2010

Course record smashed at WS 100; Fleshman thrills at USAs 

By Peter Vigneron

Something weird is happening this morning: U.S. outdoor nationals were this weekend, and we're finding ourselves strangely compelled to open this the column with something about the Western States Endurance Run.

In fact, we're going to do it, and not just to make a point about how terrible USAs were (they were quite enjoyable). The men's race at Western States was just more significant. In terrible ultra running conditions (it was above 90 degrees on some parts of the course), Alaska's Geoff Roes won in 15:07:04, taking 29 minutes off Scott Jurek's 15:36:27 course record. Running Times blogger Anton Krupicka was second in 15:13:53. The race pre-event exceeded expectations, which were high—both Roes and Krupicka brought strong 100-mile resumes into Saturday's event, and both delivered. A couple of further points: 1) 29 minutes, even in a race that lasts over 15 hours, is a massive margin by which to cut any record; 2) Scott Jurek is about as good an ultra runner as the United States has ever seen, and his best time on a course that helped make his career was just blown out of the water. We claim no real expertise in ultra running. Can anybody tell us why this isn't by far the best run of the weekend?

USAs weren’t all bad, and, as is often the case, it was the presentation of the meet, not the athletes, that soured things in our eyes. We're jumping on this bandwagon late, but the television coverage was disgraceful. It was insulting to American distance running and to actual American distance runners—ESPN's announcing crew repeatedly misidentified athletes, including one series of mistakes in which they showed pictures of Jenny Barringer in place of Bridget Franek. The worst offense, of course, was cutting away from the men's 5,000m for a long intro to a no-hitter in progress on Friday night. The coverage was so outrageous this time around that we're actually beginning to wonder if somebody at ESPN has a thing against distance running. We hate to whine, but we're not sure that we could find worse television coverage of a sporting event if we tried. Again, if we're missing something here, we'd love to know what it is.

The races themselves were tactical masterpieces, fine examples of championship racing. Lopez Lomong's win over Leo Manzano in the men's 1500m on Sunday, after the race crawled for the first 1,000 meters, was stirring. Lomong won in 3:50.83 after a tremendous duel with Manzano, who was second in 3:50.91, over the final 100m.

Likewise, we were thrilled with the brazen moves in the women's 5,000m and 1500m, where Jen Rhines and Erin Donohue tried to steal wins over fitter runners with big mid-race surges. (Rhines ended up fourth in the 5,000m; Donohue came quite close to winning the 1500m but just lost to Anna Willard at the line, 4:13.65 to 4:13.87.) Bernard Lagat's tactical 13:54.08 win in the men's 5,000m was pretty much forgone, but Aaron Braun and Tim Nelson kept it honest for far longer than we expected.

Steeplechase results were surprising on the women's side, where Franek led and then faded badly over the final 600m, giving way to a very surprising and resurgent Lisa Aguilera in 9:53.59. Dan Huling was the favorite in the men's race and won easily in 8:27.87. For those who missed Thursday's 10,000m races, Amy Yoder Begley and Galen Rupp sat-and-kicked to victory over Lisa Koll and Ed Moran, which, considering the match-ups, was probably both the smartest and most entertaining strategy.

The race of the meet, though, was the women's 5,000m, which Lauren Fleshman took in 15:28.70. Coming off a two-year injury hiatus, Fleshman got the jump on a great 5,000m field with 600m to go and surprised everyone: the women she beat, and, we assume, everybody who watched it too. Full results are here.

Otherwise, it was a slow weekend. Kenyan Jynocel Basweti won the Seattle Marathon in 2:18:19 and Andrew Letherby and Mari Ozaki the Seattle Half Marathon in 1:04:55 and 1:10:52, respectively.

There was also some good mid-distance action in Zhukovskiy, Russia, and Kenyan trials for the African Championships later this summer.

Mont Blanc Marathon

by Helen McGrory

Phew, what a weekend! Blazing sunshine, scorching temperatures and hardly a cloud in the sky; just the sort of weather that I like to kick back in a lounger, Pimms in one hand, ice cream in the other and a spot of Wimbledon on in the background..... It’s certainly not the kind of weather that makes me want to put my trainers on and run a full or half mountain marathon which is exactly what 3500 people decided to do this weekend.

Saturday was the day of the Cross du Mont Blanc – the 23km half marathon that has been held in the Chamonix valley for the last 32 years. The course took the runners up past Argentiere on the north side of the valley to Montroc (via le Planet), before crossing over to the balcon sud at Tre-le-Champ for the climb to Flegere and the finish line at Plan Praz on Brevent. The 1500 available places filled up in a flash, such is the popularity of the race, and aided by the fabulous weather, the runners certainly had no shortage of supporters to cheers them on their way.

Participants had a maximum time of 5 hours to complete the course and for safety reasons, anyone falling behind the minimum pace was stopped at the control posts at Tre-le-Champ or Flegere. However, this year’s winner, Candide Pralong from Switzerland, romped across the finish line in 1h58m09s and the winner of the women’s race was Pascale Aymon from France in 2h10m33s. Both times were very similar to last year’s winners despite the scorching temperatures faced by the runners.

Unfortunately for those taking part in the marathon, today was even hotter than yesterday making conditions on the trail even more demanding. Setting off bright and early at 7am, the runners were at least able to make good headway on the course before the heat of the day really built up.

This was the 8th edition of the Marathon du Mont Blanc, an event that was created back in 2002 due to the huge popularity of the Cross. The 2000 places were again snapped up months ago and there were many people who’d been training for weeks, hoping for last minute drop outs so that they could claim a place at the last second.

Following the same route as the Cross as far as Tre-le-Champ, the runners then continued over the col des montets to Vallorcine where the 1000m vertical climb up to the Aiguillette des Posettes (2201m) loomed dauntingly above. For many, the heat and exertion took its toll by this point and this is where the largest percentage of people called it a day. This year’s winner was Nicolas Pianet who completed the 42kms in 3h56m57s, followed a minute later by David Pasquio in 3h57m54s. Third place went to whippersnapper, Charles Dubouloz, in 4h00m44s. Two of the three top spots in the women’s race went to the same athletes as last year; 1st place - Maud Giraud (2009 winner) in 4h41m40s, 2nd - Isabelle Jaussaud in 4h54m08 and 3rd – Michelle Leservoisier in 5h13m00s, 12 minutes faster that her 3rd place time last year.

As well as receiving a well earned medal when they crossed the finish line, runners were also offered a refreshing home brewed beer from the MBC to celebrate their achievement and reunite body and soul. At the prize giving in the tourist office square, it was announced that over 7500L of beer had been served to competitors during the event which makes me think that all those wobbly legs we can see around town this evening might not be entirely due to exertion!!

Huge congratulations go out to all of this year’s runners and if you fancy taking part in either the Cross or the Marathon next year, the subscriptions usually go on-line at the beginning of September so get in quick to bag your spot.

Harbour Capital Marathon: Weather was the winner on the day

Icy winds and driving rain weren't enough to put off the capital's hardy amateur athletes at the weekend.


About 4400 runners turned out for the Harbour Capital Marathon, half-marathon and 10-kilometre runs yesterday – 400 fewer than those who registered.

Rugby matches, including Marist St Pat's v Old Boys University, turned to mudbaths as up to 30 millimetres of rain fell in parts of Wellington at the weekend. Temperatures fell as low as 8 degrees celsius, exacerbated by the wind.

"If you have got a gale southerly, you'll get wind chill on top of that," MetService's Heath Gullery said.

Conditions were "pretty windy", with a peak gust of 100kmh in Kelburn on Saturday, and gusts of up to 95kmh around the rest of the region.

Other parts of the country was also affected, with flooding in Coromandel and rainfall warnings for much of eastern North Island and the top of the South Island.

Conditions would begin to ease today and tomorrow, but showers were expected this morning and this evening, with northerly winds. Temperatures could sink to 7C in the next few days.

Marathon organiser Michael Jacques said many runners chose to stay in bed because of the weather.

But despite miserable conditions, Rotorua's Steve O'Callaghan won the half-marathon in a record time of 1h 8m 2s. "It [the weather] obviously makes things difficult, particularly for the longer distances," Mr Jacques said.

One runner was taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia and a few others were treated for mild hypothermia symptoms on the course.

NYC: 5k in Prospect Park July 31st - sign up today!

Not to be missed, enter HERE !

Sights now trained on Diamond League

With selection of the national team for African championships settled, Kenya’s elite athletes fanned out to different parts of the world to seek glory at the IAAF Diamond League races abroad and to prepare for next month’s continental track meeting.

All the top Kenyan athletes confirmed they will be either heading to Eugene (USA) on Saturday, in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 8, or in London for the Gateshead two days later for IAAF Diamond League.

Jepkosgei was able to register her victory in style in the trials with over five metres to clock 1:58.95 with Chebet gaining the second automatic slot in 2:00.88 while Jepkosgei’s training mate Eunice Sum was third in 2:02.55. Only three of Kenya’s gold medal winners from Addis Ababa 2008 will be stepping up to defend their titles when the country hosts the Senior Africa Athletics Championship.

Richard Mateelong (3,000m SC), Grace Wanjiru (race walking) and David Rudisha (800m) are the only champions in the Kenya team after the national trials at Nyayo Stadium over the weekend. They are also looking to use the Africa championship to prepare for the October Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Both Africa 1,500m champion Haron Keiyany and Pamela Jelimo, the Olympic 800m champion , were kept out by injuries. Jelimo pulled out just 300m into the 800m final on Friday with an ankle injury while Keitany is still nursing a hamstring strain he picked up in Doha in March during the World Indoor Championship.

World’s fastest time

Rudisha, who holds the world fastest time this season of 1:42.04 got in Oslo early this month is also keen to maintain his consistence over the 1:42 time and would have clocked the same time during the Kenyan trials had he got the opposition as he was timed at 1:44.23 to beat World and Olympic bronze medallist Alfred Kirwa Yego 1:45.50 and Jackson Kivuva of the Armed Forces was third in 1:45.75.

Rudisha said he controlled the race throughout and is now more experienced than last year when he could not sustain the pressure at the World Championship in Berlin. “The weather was also not good for me. But I have leant my lesson and it will be good to see the opposition in Nairobi. I think we are ready,” he said.

He singled out Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, the world champion from South Africa and World Indoor Championship winner Abubakar Kaki as the men to watch during the championship. Vivian Cheruiyot, the world champion over the 5,000m distance, threw down the gauntlet to the Ethiopians.

“Catch me if you can,” she said after shaking off a thigh strain to win in her speciality. In what was her first race after her silver medal at the world indoor championship in Doha in March, Cheruiyot showed her class to stop the watch at 15:31.39. Armed Forces’ Iness Chenonge15:32.73 was second ahead of Esther Chemtai 15:38.53 while Margaret Wangare 15:45.87 and Gladys Chemweno 15:46.50 finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Blog Roll - Andrew Lemoncello

I haven't blogged in a little while as I have been busy with training, work, racing and house arrangements. Everything is calming down a little but it is going to get busy again as we close on our home next week and I will have to start moving everything into the new house. I also head off to Atlanta on next Friday for the famous Peachtree Road Race (10km) which takes place on Sunday 4th of July.

Training has been going well and my speed is coming around now. Its funny how all the marathon training I did has translated into giving me a lot of speed. I guess the saying that your strength is your speed is totally true. We have been more track based workouts as Greg and I had discussed as I would like to be in good 5km/10km shape before I go into the next marathon training phase.

I had my first race back since the marathon last week in Peoria, Illinois at the Steamboat Classic 4 mile road race. I travelled over a couple days before the race and was taken back by how bad I felt when I got there. I was wanting to run for around 60 mins when I got there but it ended up being 20 mins and a walk back to the hotel as my body wasn't responding. I decided not to push it and figured it was just reacting to the high heat and humidity. Luckily, I felt ok the next day and ran around the course with Ian. The race itself went well as I placed 5th in 18.04. I was 3rd with 100m to go but a couple of Africans had sat behind me and took off to beat me by a second in the end. It felt good to run well in my first race as I usually don't run too well on my first outing. I did think it wasn't going too well during the first mile though as the start is on an uphill and I was breathing incredibly hard. I realised everyone else was too so I wasn't too worried as we passed the mile marker in 4.26. I felt more and more comfortable as the race went on and passed 5km in 14.09. I decided to push the pace with 800m to go and it almost worked out well but it wasn't enough to shake the 2 guys off my back. The race brochure said that the Scottish record was 18.33 before so I guess that would be my first (unofficial) Scottish record. It was a good weekend as we were treated to a baseball game on the evening after the race with all we could eat and drink. The night was concluded with Jorge Torres and I pairing up to be unstoppable at the pub game, Bags. I left the next day to head back to Arizona but I got back late so I stayed in Phoenix with Julie's parents and left in the morning after an easy 40 min run.

READ ON...

Blog Roll - Hugo van den Broek

This article is automatically translated with Google Translator.

Hugo van den Broek was the first athlete of the marathon team for the European Championships qualifying definiteve in my pocket. His preparation went well until this spring, Van den Broek had heel problems. The marathon runner can train with them but must weigh exactly what can and can not. With a sophisticated program with the necessary training alternative, Van den Broek it for each other that his heel symptoms decrease its load and its level rises. On his website he gives an update: "The road to BCN 2010 starts to look a little better. The heel complaint is still present and no less, but my levels are rising and that is the key! More than two weeks ago I did a training 1-2-3-2-1 km, where I ran 3km in 9'48. Last week it was already quite a lot better: I did 5 x 3km (with a break of 3 minutes) in an average of 9'30.

Today was the provisionally, heaviest training program. I got up at 7:00 and walked three kilometers apart - that was not the hardest course, that was what Gerard 'pre-warming "calls. Barcelona is very hot and soon you'll want no long warm-up, the body is not unnecessarily to run. An early warm-up just hours before the race, is suitable. You make the legs a bit loose and then have the race itself sufficient to a very short warm-up. After fifteen minutes they stumble, I took my breakfast, consisting of three slices of white bread with avocado, honey and apple, three strong cups of tea and some water. Hilda sat in the milking cow of Lornah because the employees who would normally always do, had a day out (and also Lornah).

At 9:30, I was picked up by Koen Raymaekers, with his new Subaru. Koen, his girlfriend, Florence, our driver Cornelius and I were driving twenty minutes to Kaptuli where we are on a sloping road between corn and wheat fields began our training: 30 'quiet (about 4.00 per km), 30' at 3.30 per km , 5 'quiet, 30' of 3.20 per km, 5 "quiet, 15 '3.20 per km, 5" quiet, 10' 3.15 per km, 20 'runs. 2:30 in total, just over 40km. The training went well. It was pretty hot and that was exactly the intention. We both had a lot of sports drink taken and Florence gave us a bottle of each quarter. "

Runner dies after collapsing during marathon

G. PRAKASH

KUALA LUMPUR: It proved to be two kilometres too far yesterday for Lim Ji Wei, 25, who collapsed during the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2010 and was later pronounced dead at Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

He was declared to have died of a cardiac arrest.

Lim is said to have just returned from UK to take part in the 10km fun run, together with his sister and her boyfriend yesterday morning, aiming to get another finisher medal and certificate.

Having also taken part in last year's run, those who knew him were surprised when Lim difficulties breathing near Jalan Tun Razak about 2km from the finish line and stopped at the road pavement.

His sudden death was not the only thing to jolt the other walkers who claimed medics only arrived 20 minutes later.

One of the runners, Yit Ming, himself trained in Emergency First Response, who stopped by collapsed Lim said: "There were three City Hall personnel who were watching the incident." Yit Ming stopped together with another medical student and a doctor to help Lim by giving him CPR for about 20 minutes.

"I even asked one of other runners to get the medics as soon as possible." Yit Ming was disappointed at this slow response, telling the The Malay Mail the race guide stated there would be medics on standby every 4km. He claimed throughout his run, he spotted none.

"The runners guide said the response time for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was three minutes. If it's supposed so, why did it take them 20 minutes to arrive?"

"I saw him when he just collapsed all of a sudden. I rushed near him to see if I could help."

KL Marathon main sponsor Standard Chartered told The Malay Mail this morning that they were aware of the tragedy and have requested the event organisers Golazo Sdn Bhd for a report on the incident.

"For about 20 minutes, we tried to resurrect him while waiting for medics to arrive. The medical student was constantly checking his pulse while placing him in recovery position and started on CPR procedures."

When the medics arrived, Lim regained his pulse but was weak. He was then rushed to Hospital Kuala Lumpur together with the doctor who assisted him, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Yit Ming and the doctor who helped Lim were further shocked when they asked the medical staff of the ambulance if they had an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).

"They told us they don't have it. When I asked them if they at least had a face mask with an air pump, they did not have it either."

Yit Ming said the organisers could have done a better job in taking proper safety measures for runners.

His sister and boyfriend, who had taken part in a longer distance run in the same event, became aware of Lim's difficulties only much later and rush to the hospital.

Lim's body was claimed by his family members.

Kent man, 75, to run Death Valley ultra-marathon

A 75-year-old grandfather from Kent is aiming to beat his own record of being the oldest person to finish an ultra-marathon in the United States.

Jack Denness, of Rochester, will take part in the 60-hour, 135-mile race through California's Nevada desert on 12 July.

The part-time school caretaker has run the race so many times that he has been nicknamed Death Valley Jack.

Runners in the Badwater Ultramarathon face temperatures of up to 55C (130F).

Mr Denness is already the oldest person to have finished the event and has completed it 11 times.

He said: "You have to go through all sorts of stuff, like hallucinations, but it makes it more interesting.

"I'm not an elite runner, I'm just an ordinary bloke who, as it turns out, has been quite successful at running.

"I don't train by the book or run religiously, just when I feel like it."

Continue reading the main story
I definitely won't do another one - I can't afford to push my luck too much at my age

Mr Denness took up jogging at the age of 45 when he gave up smoking, but has since run more than 150 UK marathons, including 14 London Marathons.

In 2005, he became the first 70-year-old to finish the Badwater Ultramarathon.

He said: "I do it for a challenge. I look around and see that most of the people I went to school with are either dead or seriously ill and think how lucky I am."

Mr Denness said this year's race would be his last.

He said: "I definitely won't do another one. I can't afford to push my luck too much at my age."

Mr Denness has raised more than £100,000 for charity since he began running.

This year he will be raising funds for Kent-based organisation Cerebral Palsy.

In Picture: Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle

Thanks to Narrows Bridge Running Club for the pictures! 

Meanwhile in Seattle...

...Andrew Letherby, Chad Johnson, Patrick Rizzo, Drew Polley and Luke Humphrey drilling it just before the 9 mile mark at Seattle Half.

The Western States Endurance Run 2010: Roes Wins Epic Battle in Record Time

Ultrarunning.com reports

Geoff Roes of Juneau, Alaska took the lead at mile 89 in breaking the course record at the 37th annual Western States 100, posting a 15:07:04 winning time. Anton Krupicka of Boulder, Colorado and Kilian Jornet of Spain ran neck and neck throughout the day, with Roes biding his time a few minutes back. He reached the river crossing (mile 78) in third, 15 minutes back, and began his final charge. Krupicka dropped Jornet by Auburn Lake Trails, but was caught by Roes four miles later. The two ran within a minute of each other through the Highway 49 crossing (mile 93.3), before Roes pulled away on the stretch to No Hands Bridge (mile 96.7) and opened a six-minute lead, which he maintained to the end. Krupicka, in finishing second, was also under Scott Jurek's previous course record.

Tracy Garneau of Vernon, British Columbia was the women's winner, leading most of the race. She posted a 19:01:55 winning time despite fighting Achilles tendon issues the last 20 miles. Meghan Arbogast was second, in an impressive performance at age 49.

The weather was not an ally of the runners, with the high temperature in Auburn reaching 93 degrees F.

Men
1. Geoff Roes, 34, Juneau, AK, 15:07:04 (new course record, old record 15:36:27 by Scott Jurek, 2004)
2. Anton Krupicka, 26, Boulder, CO, 15:13:53
3. Kilian Jornet Burgada, 22, Puigcerda, Spain, 16:04:49
4. Nick Clark, 36, Fort Collins, CO, 16:05:56
5. Zach Miller, 34, Bozeman, MT, 16:55:17
6. Gary Robbins, 33, North Vancouver, BC, 17:06:21
7. Glen Redpath, 44, New York, NY, 17:10:06
8. Ian Sharman, 29, Scaldwell, Great Britain, 17:26:19
9. Andy Jones-Wilkins, 42, Ketchum, ID, 17:31:24
10. Dan Barger, 44, Auburn, CA, 17:36:34

Women
1. Tracy Garneau, 41, Vernon, BC, 19:01:55
2. Meghan Arbogast, 49, Corvallis, OR, 19:15:58
3. Nikki Kimball, 39, Bozeman, MT, 19:23:09
4. Rory Bosio, 25, Soda Springs, CA, 19:32:07
5. Caren Spore, 42, Davis, CA, 19:34:29
6. Becky Wheeler, 35, Casper, WY, 19:58:40
7. Joelle Vaught, 35, Boise, ID, 20:19:36
8. Annette Bednosky, 43, Jefferson, NC, 20:43:04
9. Angela Shartel, 36, San Diego, CA, 21:28:06
10. Pam Smith, 35, Salem, OR, 21:36:04

W100 Record Holders

Official Site

mzungo says: History is written again with another WS100 in the books. Keen mzungo.org reader Ian Torrence finished the 100.2 miles course at 01:48am today in 48th place in a fantastic time of 20:48:01. Well done Ian!!!

Nike shares drop as it sees increased costs

By Andria Cheng, MarketWatch

Athletic-gear giant Nike Inc. shares fell Thursday after the company's fiscal fourth-quarter sales fell short of Wall Street expectations and it forecast increased cost pressures.

Nike (NKE 70.12, +0.49, +0.70%) shares fell 4.5% to $69.27 in late trading.

"Currency changes and input cost inflation will put significant pressure on our reported top and bottom line results for fiscal 2011," said Chief Financial Officer Don Blair on a call with analysts Wednesday afternoon.

He said costs for product components such as oil, labor and freight will put "significant" pressure on gross margins, which could be as much as 1 percentage point below the rate last year. He also forecast higher air freight costs to meet stronger-than-expected demand for running products. Some analysts had expected gross margin would widen instead.

Analysts have said rising materials costs as well as higher labor wages and an appreciating yuan in China will likely hurt Nike. As uncertainty over the European economy lingers, that also may hurt consumer demand in the region while a declining euro may dent sales after they are translated back to the U.S. dollars, they said.

"The cautionary tone on input cost inflation is concerning," said Sterne Agee analyst Sam Poser. Still, he said Nike has relatively light China manufacturing exposure, 35% versus as much as 80% for its footwear rivals. Nike also is in the midst of a multiyear lean manufacturing/global supply chain initiative that should help alleviate pressures, Poser wrote in a note.

Nike has consolidated factories to help lower source costs.

Nike's warning helped send down shares in the retail stocks and others in the consumer discretionary sector. See full story on retail stocks.

Athletic-shoe retailer Foot Locker Inc. (FL 13.32, -0.16, -1.19%) shares fell 2%. Apparel company VF Corp. (VFC 75.33, +0.61, +0.82%) was down 1.8%. Jones Apparel Group Inc. (JNY 17.55, +0.39, +2.27%) fell 5.3%. Liz Claiborne Inc. (LIZ 4.57, 0.00, 0.00%) declined 3.2%.

The forecast overshadowed the company's report that fiscal fourth-quarter profit jumped 53%, helped by gains in China and other emerging markets.

Net income rose to $521.9 million, or $1.06 a share, from $341.4 million, or 70 cents, a year earlier, when it had $145 million in restructuring charges. Sales in the quarter ended May 31 rose 8% to $5.08 billion, the Beaverton, Ore.-based company, which also owns brands including Umbro, Cole Haan, Hurley and Converse, said after the close of regular trading. Excluding the impact of currency translations, sales would have risen 4%, Nike said.


Nike's $27 Billion Sales Plan
Nike plans to increase sales by more than 40% to $27 billion in five years. MarketWatch's Andria Cheng talks to Nike brand President Charlie Denson about how apparel and retail expansion fit into that growth plan and how Nike aims to increase its soccer share in this year's World Cup.

Analysts, on average, estimated Nike (NKE 70.12, +0.49, +0.70%) to earn $1.05 a share on sales of $5.13 billion, according to FactSet.

Worldwide orders of shoes and apparel for delivery between June and November rose 7% to $8.8 billion. Excluding currency impact, orders, a gauge of future demand, would have jumped 10%.

Orders in North America rose 8%. They rose 19% in Greater China and surged 30% in emerging markets. They declined 2% each in Western Europe and in Central and Eastern Europe, hurt by the impact of currency translations. Without the currency impact, orders would have been up 11% and 3% separately in the each of the European regions.

Nike has counted on aggressive expansion in developing markets, led by China and also including Brazil and India, as part of Chief Executive Mark Parker's goal to increase sales by more than 40% to $27 billion in five years. Nike's growth goal: $27 billion in 5 years.

Amid the World Up furor in South Africa, Nike also has launched a "Write the Future" marketing campaign, featuring soccer stars including Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, which analysts have said helped the company, not an official World Cup sponsor, generate publicity and buzz against its top rival Adidas AG. (DE:ADS 41.36, +0.18, +0.44%) .

Soccer related sales were up about 40% in the quarter with futures orders up at least 10% through the holiday time period, Nike Brand President Charlie Denson said on a call Wednesday.

Benson Loshareng wins Lewa Marathon

By Oscar Pilipili

Benson Loshareng, 20, from Kapenguria is the winner of men’s 42km race at this year’s Safaricom Lewa Marathon.

The winner, who was running his debut marathon, clocked 2:20.23 to pocket Sh150,000 plus 42-inch LG LCD television set, courtesy of LG Electronics.

Loshareng not only won the race but also improved on the previous time of 2:24.16 recorded by Benson Kaptikou last year. Titus Kariuki crossed the line second and timed 2:22.04, with Stephen Kariuki (2:23.24), Joseph Ouko (2:27.38) and Mark Macharia (2:27.56) finishing third, fourth and fifth. The women’s honours in the 42km race went to Zeddy Rere, who completed the dirt and winding course of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in 2:50.16. Rere also pocked Sh150,000 and 42-inch LG LCD television set.
Emily Chepkorir came second in 2:53.46, followed by Ruth Mbogo (3:01.41), Dorice Todopus (3:05.50) and Eunice Lelei (3:07.36). Besides contributing towards prizes in the race, LG Electronics set up giant screens within the Conservancy to ensure football fans catch live action of FIFA World Cup from South Africa.

Whereas most athletes conceded that the course was a big challenge, Loshareng said it really favoured him during the race. Bernard Mutwiri of Karimba Primary improved from fourth position last year to win children’s 5km race sponsored by Glaxo Smithkline Kenya in 20.41.

Lucozade Brand Manager Liz Gichagi said the company is committed to supporting talent development in the country. Mutwiri’s school mate, David Mutuma, came second in 20.52 followed by Elijah Mutuma of Munanda Primary (20.54), James Lenderop (21.01), and Joseph Gitonga both of Lewa Primary (21.03).

This year’s event saw the introduction of wheelchair race, where lone athlete Jennifer Warren featured in the 21km race.

Kenyan runners sweep KL Marathon

By Natalie Heng

Over 16,500 runners took over the streets of the city during the wee hours of this morning as each put mind over matter to complete the Standard Chartered KL Marathon.

There were several categories namely, the full marathon, a half marathon of 21km, a 10km and corporate challenge, a 5km fun run, and a 3km and 950m ‘Kid‘s dash’, which were all flagged off from Dataran Merdeka.

Predictably, Kenyans romped home winners in the men’s open division full marathon. The first to complete the 42km route was last year’s runner up, Kenyan elite athlete Nelson Kirwa Rotich who was happy with his time of 2:16:44.

“Everyone in Kenya runs, it’s our national past time,” he said after receiving his winner’s prize from the prime minister’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansur.

Second and first runners up were Lilan Kennedy Kiproo and Luka Kipkemboi Chelimo with a time of 2:46:53 and 2:46:57 respectively.

“Out of every family, usually three out of four brothers are runners and we have active sports departments in most workplaces,” said Nelson, a policeman.

Another policeman, Shaharudin Hashim, won the Malaysian division in the marathon. The 35-year-old works with the sports complex in one of the police’s personal training centres.

The experienced runner, who was also first runner up last year, beat 2009 winner Muniandy Ramadass with a finishing time of 2:39:3.

“I train almost everyday by waking up at 3am in the morning and can run anything up to 20km before I start my day,” said Shaharudin who said he runs to help relax and free his mind.

For the women’s category all three of the top spots for the open divisions were taken by Ethiopians, with Goeitetom Haftu Tesema bagging first place with a time of 2:46:44.

Tan Bee Kiang, 26, was a darling with the crowd as she won the first prize for the Malaysian division, with a finishing time of 3:36:36.


This year’s prize money totaled US$100,000 (RM325,150), with the 1st place prize winners getting US$17,500 (RM55,275) each.

“I am going to use the money to go for the Chicago marathon next year,” said Tan who works as a bank consultant.

Charity proceeds from the run, which is in its second year, will go towards the five official event charities which are the Standard Chartered Trust Fund, the Malaysian AIDS Foundation, the National Cancer Society of Malaysia, the Malaysian Association for the Blind and the Children’s Environmental Heritage Foundation.

Seattle Marathon

By Terry Wood of The Seattle Times

Jynocel Basweti almost took the weekend off. Instead, the Kenyan native chose to enter the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon at nearly the last minute, and in cool, cloudy conditions Saturday morning broke away from a front-running, all-Africa foursome at the 21st mile to claim the lead and eventually top honors in Seattle's second-annual mashup of music and endurance.

Sopagna Eap of Eugene, Ore., took first place in the women's marathon, all part of an event (marathon and half-marathon) that attracted more than 27,000 runners, 45 musical acts, dozens of cheerleading squads and hundreds of volunteers.

None was swifter than the 23-year-old Basweti, a member of the AmeriKenyan Running Club who trains in Santa Fe, N.M. His current high-mileage training regimen initially dissuaded him from running in Seattle.

"I decided on Wednesday that I was coming," he said.

The winning time of 2 hours, 18 minutes, 19 seconds gave Basweti his fourth marathon victory in 2010 (two in Georgia, one in Mississippi) and his fifth win in his last six marathons.

Following a 7 a.m. start in Tukwila, Basweti, fellow Kenyans Mark Chepses, 34, and David Cheruiyot, 29, and Ethiopian Kassahun Kabiso, 26, ran in a tight pack for the first 16 miles. Kabiso faded first. Cheruiyot dropped back before the 20-mile mark and Basweti shook Chepses a mile later as the pair emerged from the Battery St. tunnel.

"I had to make a move to see if I could drop these guys," said Basweti, who ran the 21st mile in 5 minutes, 9 seconds to pull away from Chepses. Chepses placed second at the Qwest Field finish line 32 seconds behind Basweti. Cheruiyot took third (2:21.58).

No surprises on first day of trials

By CHRIS MUSUMBA

There was no major upsets on the first day of the national athletics championship with elite runners starring in their races held at at Nyayo National Stadium.

USA based Anderson Mureta, Janeth Jepkosgei, Nancy Jebet Lagat and Asbel Kiprop all returned good performance to sail through to the second round in their respective specialities.

Jepkosgei, answered her critics with a strong performance over the shorter 400m distance winning in an inspiring 54.06 seconds. The trials are being used to select Kenya’s team for the Senior Africa Athletics Championship from July 28 to August 1.

In 1,500m race, Olympic Champion Nancy Jebet Lagat, clocked 4:22.2 to beat by over five metres Ann Karindi 4:22.4 and Jane Mwikali 4:22.6.

In the other heat, World Youth Champion Nelly Chebet won in 4:14.2 beating veteran Irene Jelagat 4:14.5 and Margaret Wangare 4:16.5. In the men races, Olympic 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop was beaten by Daniel Kipchirchir Komen.

Selected Results

1, 500m Heat 1 - Daniel Komen 3:43.0, Asbel Kiprop 3:43.3, Collins Cheboi 3:43.5, Cornelius Chirchir 3:44.1, David Makalla 3:44.3, Gabriel Leseketet 3:44.7, Timothy Kiptanui 3:45.2, Kibet Barngetuny 3:46.0.

Heat 2 - Charles Kandie 3:41.6, Gideon Gathimba 3:42.0, Caleb Mwangangi 3:42.3, Josphat Kithii 3:42.6, Fredrick Musyoki 3:43.0, Bethwel Birgen 3:45.1, Raymond Choge 3:45.3, Vincent Kibet 3:47.2.

Heat 3 - Silas Kiplagat 3:46.0, Bernard Kiptum 3:46.2, Nickson Chepsepa 3:46.3, Geoffrey Rono 3:46.6, Nicholas Musyoki 3:46.8, Jonathan Komen 3:47.1, Cornelius Ndiwa 3:47.5, Vickson Polonet 3:48.7.

400m Heat 1 - Anderson Mureta 46.52, Julius Kirwa 47.20, Moses Kertich 47.60, Isaac Kiberenge 48.36, Timothy Kilonzo 48.94, Jude Lei 49.58, Aden Abdi 51.71.

Heat 2 - Jonathan Kibet 46.65, Sylvester Kirwa 47.50, Enock Ameka 49.11, Sila Kogei 49.17, Richard Pararia 49.81, James Anyona 51.15.

Heat 3 - Mark Mutai 47.23, Gibson Ledama 48.08, Linus Ogao 48.27, Amos Omeka 49.16, Samuel Muchiri 49.88, Dickson Saitoti 53.42.

Heat 4 - Geoffrey Ngeno 46.67, Solomon Buoga 46.95, Robert Kemei 47.39, Kennedy Chepsiror 48.20, Stephen Musyoka 48.33.

100m Heat 1 – Stephen Okach 10.97, Brenan Simiyu 11.03, Emmanuel Wafula 11.34, Naftali Muriithi 11.40, Ugas Bakal 11.55, Ibrahim Muiya 11.69.

Heat 2 - Wellington Nyakundi 10.96, Simon Kimaru 10.97, Tonny Chirchir 11.01, Saitoti Lentirwa 11.37, Robert Kiprugut 11.63, Yusuf Yasula 11.71, Ali Bashir 11.91.

Heat 3 - Kipkemoi Soi 10.7, Jackson Mwaura 10.98, Japhet Baya 11.06, Duke Ogoti 11.19, Douglas Kanuri 11.33,

Western States 100 runners battle agony of the feet

By Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer

Long runs like the Western States 100 mean lost toenails and painful blisters for the feet of participants.
Hamstrings may howl, glutes stab and stomachs churn. But the agony of the feet is perhaps the most nagging concern for Western States 100 runners this weekend.

In the world of ultra-endurance running, it’s not unusual to lose two or three toenails by the end of the run from Squaw Valley to Auburn.

That’s on top of painful blisters – the byproduct of all that rubbing and chafing over more than 100,000 footsteps for finishers.

Auburn runner Pete Korn has developed his own strategy to keep his feet from blowing out along the trail. Like most other runners, it’s evolved over time and hundreds of miles of training.

He’s packing a pair of Asics trail shoes and merino wool hiking socks from REI. Korn will be wearing his shoes loose on his feet – so loose that he’ll be able to pull them off like he would a pair of slippers.

On Saturday, Korn will be making multiple sock changes to keep his feet as dry as possible and avoid blisters.

Korn will also be packing Super Glue, duct tape and a needle for when those blisters crop up.

“I pop ‘em, glue ‘em shut and tape ‘em up,” Korn said. “Then I keep going.”

The course isn’t a flat one by any stretch of the imagination. Runners climb more than 18,000 feet and descend a bone-rattling 22,000 feet in total, crossing mountains along the way. This year, they’ll have the added torture of slipping through the snow the first few miles.

Runners have to also come to grips with the raw fact that their toenails will be lost.

Auburn’s Tim Twietmeyer, a five-time Western States 100 winner, said the big toe is particularly vulnerable as the top of the shoe rubs against it, forming a blister underneath.

“You can’t do much about it,” Twietmeyer said. “It’s not super painful until you go through the river.”

Twietmeyer said that Bag Balm – a lanoline-based cow-udder lubricant – helped ease his journeys. He slathered the lubricant over his feet during 25, under-24-hour finishes in the run.

“It’s like Vaseline but it doesn’t break down in the heat,” Twietmeyer said.

Nonetheless, runners along the route develop blisters but soldier on.

Eight-time Western States finisher John Trent said there’s a definite trial-and-error period associated with mastering foot-pain-prevention during a race like the Western States 100.

Body Glide – a lubricant sold at running stores that looks like stick deodorant – and Injinji brand socks (runner’s toe socks made to prevent blisters – are two of Trent’s blister preventatives.

Even so, Trent said the heat and the mileage can gang up on even the most protected toes.

“In 2003, we had a 100-degree day – I’ll always remember that year,” Trent said. “I ran 20 hours and 58 minutes but my feet took a terrible beating, even with all the Body Glide I could find. I ended up losing nine of 10 toenails that year.”

All that gluing, wrapping and general babying of feet seems to be paying off. Dr. Marty Hoffman, the race’s medical director, said a survey last year of Western States and Vermont 100 endurance run participants found that while they're an annoyance, blisters don’t generally keep runners from finishing.

Of those who finished either of the two runs, blisters or “hot spots” were reported by 40.1 percent to be an issue adversely affecting race performance.

For Korn, any blisters or foot pain will be on top of the heat, the hills and whatever else the Western States 100 can dish out.

“I’m contemplating agony,” Korn said. “I’m pretty well going to be dealing with at least 50 miles of pain.”

Paige Higgins Marathon Makeover

VIA RUNNINGTIMES

In Part 1 of this series, I explained the situation: Paige Higgins, a world championship marathoner, wants to run a much faster marathon, but her current running form limits her performance. In this edition, Paige begins the process of changing her form, and the results have been exciting (and a little surprising).

In my analysis of Paige’s pre-makeover form, I noticed a few key faults:

1. She, like many of us, overuses her arms. They cross her body instead of moving forward to backward in the classic runner’s arm swing.

2. Her shortened, shuffling stride is at least partially due to a very, very high stride rate. Most experts suggest that 180 steps per minute is optimal.



Reviewing video (above) of Paige training, racing a 5K, and competing during the World Championship Marathon last August revealed that her stride rate totaled 200-215 steps per minute. That’s a lot of steps with very little “flight” within the stride. The result, as you would expect, is a very short, shuffling stride.

3. Due to her quick leg turnover, she has very little back kick and squats while she runs. To further complicate things, she not only squats but also runs with her butt sticking out. These two faults lead to a reduced knee lift and a lack of leg extension (the rear leg at toe off should be close to straight, but her rear leg is still bent at toe off).

From this analysis, I devised a weekly series of exercises to address these faults. Paige and I met once per week for the first month to implement the exercises and to track her improvements. Her “homework” after each session included implementing the ideas learned in each technique session.

Technique Sessions, Month One

In the first month of technique sessions, I wanted to get a baseline of the issues I found in the slow motion video analysis in order to establish proper movement patterns. I also wanted to get an idea of whether her nervous system was adaptable.

Some runners have a highly adaptable nervous system. These runners can pick up new motor skills very quickly. Ask them to learn to juggle and they’ll get it in no time. Ask them to stand on a fitness ball and they can do it after just a few tries. Other runners have a nervous system that is slow to learn new skills. Juggling is nearly impossible and takes lots and lots of practice to see small improvements. Standing on a fitness ball, which requires a lot of neural activation and coordination, becomes dangerous, as the body just can’t learn the use of different muscle groups to balance on the ball.

Lastly, I wanted to see what her basic speed (fastest time over 100m) was, and if we could improve it by changing her form. It’s hard to shuffle through a fast 100m, so this is a great (and exaggerated) way to see how form changes.

From the outset, my fear was that Paige’s nervous system would be slow to adapt after literally millions of short, shuffling strides. How hard would it be to make even the smallest change? After all, we only needed to gain an inch or so of increased stride length to make a significant difference in her time over the 26.2 miles. And, could we make this form change without causing injury?

The Warm-up (and Cadence Evaluation)

Each weekly technique session started with a four-lap warm-up around the track. I had Paige count her strides during the warm-up. Even at a slow jog, her cadence (steps per minute) was 200!

You can do this test at home as well. While running, count the number of steps for your right foot in 15 seconds. Multiply that by four and then double it and you’ll have your cadence. At a slow jog, you’d expect it to be 160-180, but certainly not 200.

READ ON...

Rupp wins again in men's 10,000m

Former University of Oregon great Galen Rupp won his second consecutive U.S. national men's 10,000m title in a spirited battle with 2007 Pan Am Games 1,500m gold medalist Ed Moran.

Moran, who finished fourth in the 10,000m at the 2008 Olympic Trials and fifth last year at Nationals, held a slight lead over Rupp over the final three miles until Rupp turned on the afterburners with 600 meters to go before crossing the finish line first in 28:59.29 in adding to an expanding resume that includes an eighth-place finish at the 2009 World Outdoor Championships in Berlin. Rupp posted the fourth-fastest time in the world this year with his 27:10.74 clocking in Palo Alto, Calif., on May 1.

Moran finished as the runner-up in 29:03.07, with Patrick Smyth third in 29:18.13 and Ryan Sheehan fourth in 29:18.55.

source: usatf.org

Running, not running, running, not running,...: Brian Sell

Written by: Mario Fraioli for CompetitorRunning
Olympian Brian Sell, who was slated to race Saturday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half Marathon alongside three of his Hansons-Brooks teammates, announced on Thursday that he will not be competing at this weekend’s event.
“I had plans for it but the last month hasn’t been up to snuff for me,” Sell said via telephone from the pre-race expo, where he was signing autographs for fans. “I’m going to grad school in the beginning of August, so everything is on hold right now. I might get out and just jog it, but we’ll see.”
Sell, who finished 22nd overall at the Olympic Marathon in Beijing, was the 2006 USA Half Marathon Champion and has also been the USA 25K champion on three different occasions. After a successful professional career as the poster boy for the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, he decided to enroll in dental school at Penn State this fall. Rumors of retirement surfaced, but he recently told competitor.com, “I took the winter off in Detroit and now I’m having a lot more fun with running. It is much more fulfilling now that the pressure is off and I’m just going to have fun and see what I can do.”

Sapporo Half on 4th of July: stacked field!

by Brett Larner for JapanRunningNews, your expert on all things Japanese Running

If the preliminary announcement is to be believed, the organizers of the Sapporo International Half Marathon have done an outstanding job in setting up a strong field for this year's 53rd edition to be held July 4. Last year's race was expected to include Beijing Olympics marathon gold medalist Samuel Wanjiru (Kenya), but his listing turned out to be only the empty promise of a promoter. This year's men's field is slated to include a handful of big names, and if all show Sapporo could be one of the best races of the summer.

Topping the overseas men's field are Berlin World Championships marathon gold medalist Abel Kirui and 2:05 marathoner Vincent Kipruto, both of Kenya, along with their Japan-resident sub-hour countrymen Gideon Ngatuny (Team Nissin Shokuhin), the 2009 Sapporo winner, and Mekubo Mogusu (Team Aidem), the course record holder and 2007-08 winner. Somewhat of a non-sequitur, American Antonio Vega rounds out the overseas men's field.

The domestic field will be vying for a spot on the Japanese national team for this fall's World Half Marathon Championships. The strongest is 13:18/27:41 man Yu Mitsuya (Team Toyota Kyushu), who has fallen short of his 2010 goals of a strong marathon debut and the 10000 m national record but has recently show himself to be rounding back into peak form. Veterans Tsuyoshi Ogata (Team Chugoku Denryoku) and Toshinari Suwa (Team Nissin Shokuhin) are also on the invite list but are unlikely to figure into the action. It's one of the quirks of Sapporo management that the complete elite entry lists are not usually publicly released before the race, and thus there are always a few surprises come race day. One runner in this group who may challenge Mitsuya for the top Japanese spot is independent Arata Fujiwara, who became the first Japanese man since 1987 to win an overseas marathon with a sub-2:10 time when he set the course record at last month's Ottawa Marathon.

With no women being brought in from overseas the domestic women's field is deep and competitive. Japan resident Mara Yamauchi (U.K.) will be a solid contender against 2009 winner Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) and 2008 winner Yuri Kano (Second Wind AC). Other top Japanese women in the field include Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren), Yoshiko Fujinaga (Team Shiseido), Chika Horie (Team Universal Ent.), Ryoko Kizaki (Team Daihatsu), Tomo Morimoto (Team Tenmaya), Mizuho Nasukawa (Team Universal Ent.), Miki Ohira (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo), Chisato Osaki (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) and Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC).

Click here for a complete invited elite field listing. The race will be broadcast live nationwide. Overseas viewers should be able to watch live online for free through Keyhole TV.

Drew Polley: "I’ve had my sights set on Seattle for a while"

Written by: Mario Fraioli for competitorgroup
At last year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle half marathon, Drew Polley found himself playing the role of the lone wolf.
Having just graduated from Washington State University after a successful cross country and track career, Polley was making his first foray into post-collegiate road racing – a scary scene for a 23-year-old who had never before raced beyond 6.2 miles, and who no longer had teammates to call his own.
“Man, it was pretty tough mentally,” recalled Polley. “The last four miles or so I was all by myself out there.”
Despite being forced to fly solo into uncharted territory, Polley soldiered on, eventually finishing fourth in a 1:06:44, less than a minute-and-a-half behind the winner, Elija Nyabuti of Kenya. It was an impressive debut for the former Cougar, whose biggest collegiate claim to fame was qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country Championships as individual in 2007.

“Last year at this time I didn’t think I’d be running professionally,” Polley said. “A year ago in Seattle was where I got my foot in the door with elite running community, so it’s nice to come full circle and it’s just a fun place for me to be.”
This weekend, the native of Port Orchard, Washington returns home to The Evergreen State as part of a pack of runners from the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, a professional running team based out Rochester Hills, Michigan aimed at developing Olympic-level athletes. Polley will again run the half marathon, this time alongside three of new teammates.

“I’ve had my sights set on this race for a while,” Polley said. “The pressure’s off a little bit this time around. I’d love to come to Seattle and see how fast I can run, see how much faster than last year I can run and have some fun. I feel like I can be a little more relaxed and a little less conservative and go out there and take some chances and just have some fun. I’m really excited for this next year of racing.”

While Polley’s next year of racing is certainly worth looking forward to, his last year of racing is certainly worth reflecting upon as well. After a successful start to his road racing career in Seattle last June, Polley made his marathon debut at San Antonio in November, finishing as top American and eighth overall in 2:20:59. Shortly after San Antonio, Polley decided to put his graduate studies in environmental engineering on hold for a while to join the Hansons-Brooks team – a move, so far, that has more than paid off.
In April, just a few months after moving out to Michigan, Polley made his big-race debut at the Boston Marathon, exceeding even his own expectations by finishing 16th overall and fifth amongst Americans in 2:16:36, a personal best by over four minutes.
“Boston was a pretty nice surprise,” Polley admitted. “The idea was to run conservatively and just get under 2:19 to get a qualifier for the (Olympic) trials. I ended up running a negative split. It’s one of those few races where I’ve had a lot of fun even though I was hurting at the end.” [check out mzungo's post race interview with Drew]

Polley’s performance at Boston easily qualified him for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon, which will take place in Houston on January 14, 2012. Hitting the sub-2:19 qualifying time so soon before the race is a huge weight off the shoulders of Polley, who will use the next year-and-a-half to take a break from the monotony of marathon training and focus on getting faster over shorter distances.
“The plan now is to focus on some shorter races,” Polley explained, “just to work on my speed a little bit. My coaches are trying to mix up the training so it doesn’t get too monotonous. It keeps things fun. If it ever stops being fun or if I stop seeing improvement then I can move on, but right now that’s not at all in my thoughts. I want to see where I can take it in the next few years. I’m pretty excited. I think I still have a lot of untapped potential, so it might be a while.”

Polley has started tapping into that potential in a big way since landing in Michigan just a few months ago. The energy of his new environment, along with the support of his coaches, teammates and sponsor, has helped Polley establish himself amongst a pack of runners who are collectively focused on the same goal – running fast.
“It’s great to have teammates every day that you’re living with and training with,” Polley said. “The best part is you’re with these guys who have run some pretty intimidating times for the marathon and other races but you train with them every day and it starts to make you realize that you can do it too and it’s not that insurmountable of a task to start running well.”

About the Author:
Mario Fraioli is the web producer at Competitor Running. He is a former cross country All-American at Stonehill College and has run 2:28 in the marathon. He can be reached at mfraioli@competitorgroup.com

Blog Roll - Andrew Lemoncello

Thursday – It was another early morning on Thursday so that I could get down to Sedona before it got really hot. I managed to get there for 8.30am but it was already hot so I ended up sweating quite a bit when I was doing my stretching as the fake turf was getting up to cooking point. The warm up wasn’t too bad as the warm up trail was under the shadow of a big hill. I wasn’t feeling too perky when I was getting on with the first rep but as I was going to be on the track for a while, I knew I would start to feel better. The session was 8*800 with 400m rec (in about 3 mins), starting at 10km pace and working down to 5km pace. I ran the first rep in an easy 2.14 but the legs just weren’t used to it yet so the next one in 2.10 helped me to get my body into a good rhythm for the hard efforts. From here on out the workout got pretty hard and I had to use a lot of mental tricks to get me through it. I ran 2.08s for the remaining reps and it was surprising how tough it got towards the end. There was no problem with breathing but my legs were getting tired very quickly. All in all, it was a good workout and I had a really nice sit in the creek afterwards before I headed back up the road to Flagstaff.

I missed my evening run as we were at Home Depot for close to 3 hours picking out lights and fans for the house. This process was a lot tougher than I imagined with all the choices and budget restrictions. We came away with some nice stuff so I just hope it looks good in the house.

Friday – I only had a couple of easy runs on the cards today so I could recover well from yesterday and run well on tomorrows long run.

Every first Friday of the month, there is a downtown art walk and tonight was the busiest I had ever seen. It was simply packed so we let Julie’s parents walk around while we caught up with some friends and had some drinks out on the patio of one of the central restaurant patios. The weather was gorgeous so it made the evening really nice. We had dinner at Mountain Oasis and it was amazing. I got a Prime Rib that was fantastic (I always order this whenever I see it on a menu) and everyone else was really happy with their choices. With the amount of wine we had that night, we simply passed out once we got back to the house!

Saturday – We met out a A1 mountain road at 8am for the long run and the temperature was already creeping up. Luckily, no one was going super long so we wouldn’t suffer too much. I ran with the guys for first 9 miles and then picked the pace up for the last 7 miles. The first 9 miles were in around 61 mins and I ran the last 7 miles in 37 mins. It felt good to be running quickly on this run and I was really able to open my stride up in a few sections.

We all headed to out breakfast afterwards which did a great job of filling me up and then I headed back home while everyone else went down to the creek for the day. I can’t actually remember what I did for the rest of the day but I do know it was a hot day.

In the evening, Julie, me and her parents went to a wine tasting and then had dinner at a Greek restaurant. It was a really nice evening and a good way to finish off the weekend with Julie’s parents (they were leaving early the next morning).

Sunday – I woke up pretty early on Sunday and drove out to Country Club and met Lee Troop and Craig Mottram for their long run. We headed into the trail system out there and just ran easily. I was finishing after 60 mins so we went back by their apartment to drop me off and so that they could grab a drink before heading off for the rest of the run.

Julie and I went back out to the furniture store to try and haggle the price of a sectional down but weren’t too successful in getting the guy to budge on the price so we are going to try again later on in the week.

Monday – We met at one of the high school tracks so we could all do our workouts. It was quite strange that all of had workouts to do but only 2 people had the same one to do so we were pretty spread out. Greg must have had quite the time trying to time everyone. I was just doing a short speed workout of 14*200m hard with 200m easy. I ran 30, 30, 29, 29, 28, 28, 28, 28, 27, 27, 27, 27, 26, 27. It felt pretty easy and relaxed so hopefully that will set me up for a good workout on Thursday.

I didn’t do too much for the rest of the day apart from sleep and recover! Its been pretty tough to be in the house as we don’t have air conditioning and its been getting pretty warm during the day. This is the case even more at night and Julie and I are now sleeping with 2 fans on while we sleep! Its pretty noisy but we’re used to it now so it doesn’t bother us at all.

Tuesday – Today was a good and busy day. I was late to the run as I thought it was at 8.30am but I hadn’t realised that it had changed to 8am. I just ran alone on the Fort Tuthill trail and was feeling pretty good so ran at a decent pace. I went out for the first 5 miles in 32 mins and came back in 28 mins. We then headed over to the Pro Formance training facility so we could do some core and strength training. For some reason I couldn’t sleep after this so just got on with a lot of chores around town before I headed out to Greg’s house for a meeting with him. I was really tired for the second run so I just ran very easily from the apartment up to Buffalo park, one lap of it and back.

Blog Roll - Steve Osaduik

I GOT NOTHING BETTER TO DO (and no time for spell check)

This last week built on everything I did in the previous week. I have continued to recover from the marathon I ran two weeks ago and build on the routine I want to follow through the summer. I was able to get in two good workouts this week, a good progression run( which was supposed to be just an easy run but somebody wanted to race) and an easy/controlled long run all while maintaining my weight routine, leg strengthening exercises and medicine ball work.

I got in a run each day this week and for most days I headed out for two runs. Aside from my workout on Monday I did all my runs from my house which cut down on commute time and saved on gas. Tuesday I had a decent workout considering I was ready to do something different that day and most likely quite a bit easier, however I ran 1600x1200x800x800x1200x1600 off 3 minutes rest. I split 4:39/3:26/2:15/2:13/3:22/4:36.

Thursday I got out for 6.5 miles in the am and in the afternoon I headed out for 10 miles. I ran both runs at an easy pace and was satisfied to just accumulate a good mileage day.

Friday I had planned on another workout and to keep it simple I just started from my house. The plan was a fartlek with a good warm-up and cool down. The workout was 12x 2minutes on and 1 minute jog. I was able to cover 11 miles in 66 minutes and I was starting to feel stringer towards the end of this workout and the end of this week.

Saturday was the day where I may have got carried away a bit but in my defence I felt good and I ran the first half at a controlled pace. The run was a 12 mile run, 6 miles out and 6 miles back. I had some company for this run, Karen biked along with me, which made the pace seem easier at the quicker pace and being a week end she was able to ride up ahead and get people to move out of my way as I ran past. The first half of the run I ran out at a 6:11 mile pace and just before the turn around Karen and I past two people doing the same thing we were, one guy running and a girl riding along on a bike. They said something to us as they went by in the opposite direction that I didn’t quite catch but it didn’t matter the chase was now on.

When I hit the turn around I could just see the two off in the distance going around the corner so I picked up the pace, but just a bit , and decided to see how long it would take to catch them. Along this trail there is a road that follows the trail basically the entire way but it is shorter than the trail; I know because I have run both and measured both and I now stick to the trail because it is nicer to run on and I’m out there to run further not shorter. As I got to the trail gate I noticed that the two I was chasing were taking the road which was good because it would by them some time and make the chase a bit more interesting. The chances that these two were running the same route as us were slim as well. It would take 2 miles till I finished the trail section and was back running on the road 3.5 miles from home. Back on the road Karen said that I needed to pick it up if I wanted to catch those two, I didn’t see any one but two sharp corners later they were back in my sights. I put in a surge and could feel them coming back to me. Half a mile later I had pulled even and not long after they were left in my dust. With two mile left to get home the catch was a bit anti-climatic and I reeled back my pace a bit and finished the second 6 miles in 5:49 mile pace.

Sunday I was determined to run a bit longer than I did last week and get in 15 miles with the pace feeling as comfortable as possible. The weather was overcast and a bit wet in the morning and a few miles in the rain started to pour. I was going to have Karen ride this run too but instead She and Ari drove along side with the car and I opted to run 15 miles straight out. I did my usual long run route but made one change and ran along a Dyke that comes about 200 meters from a main road but the trail led to an old farm house and there was an old sign that said keep out, I considered running through for about half a second and ran back to a road access a few hundred meters back. Better to be safe then end up pig food on some farm out in the boonies. I ran back and when I hit the road I had a mile left so I ran straight out on this road i was on and ended up running just into the outskirts of Abottsford. So my run took me from Walnut grove to Fort Langley and into Abottsford, not bad for a Sunday Long run.

Track star Flanagan ready to hit the road with marathon debut

By David Leon Moore, USA TODAY

DES MOINES — Shalane Flanagan, who has steadily progressed toward track stardom and currently holds American records for women in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters, is about to race a few more times and then disappear.

From racing, not from running.

She'll actually be running more than ever — so much, in fact, it scares her a little.

After racing the 1,500 and 5,000 this week at the U.S. track and field championships and competing next weekend at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., Flanagan will start what she calls the "lengthy apprenticeship" of marathon training.

As much as the wispy (5-5, 113 pounds) strider from Marblehead, Mass., cherishes her track records — and her Olympic bronze medal in the 10,000 two summers ago — she has said that she considers the ultimate test of a distance runner to be the 26.2-miler.

Flanagan, 28, announced last week that she would make her marathon debut at the Nov. 7 New York City Marathon.

So, after next week, the marathon quest she set for herself as a little girl begins in earnest. "We're going to pony up to some real serious training," she says of the goals being laid out by her coach, Jerry Schumacher.

Flanagan ran 100-plus miles a week heading into her half-marathon debut in Houston in January. That resulted in a course record of 1 hour, 9 minutes, 45 seconds.

"Now we're going to take a bigger step," Flanagan says. "We're going to go up to 120-mile weeks ... if I can take it."

The New Englander was tempted to make her marathon debut in Boston, but she was swayed to choose New York because of timing and also because of a strong relationship with the New York Road Runners, the organizers of the race.

By running a fall marathon this year, Flanagan can still compete on the track circuit next spring and summer and try to qualify for the 2011 world championships in South Korea in the 10,000. Then she can get back into marathon training for the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in Houston in January 2012.

Her Olympic goals for London 2012 could include either of those events, depending on how she performs between now and then.

"On the world level, the 10K could still be my best event," she says. "I want to create as many opportunities for myself as I can."

Eventually, though, she will be a full-time marathoner.

"I've always just felt naturally gifted and drawn to the longer distances," she says.

Distance runners have a successful track record making their marathon debuts in New York. The three fastest marathon debuts by U.S. women have taken place on the streets of New York: Kara Goucher in 2008, Deena Kastor (2001) and Marla Runyan (2002).

New York Road Runners race director and CEO Mary Wittenberg thinks Flanagan has a chance to break Goucher's U.S. women's debut record (2:25:53).

"I firmly believe Shalane will hold every distance running record there is for an American woman before she is finished," she says.

As Flanagan begins her transition into a marathoner, she won't have any shortage of advisers. Her mother, Cheryl Treworgy, is a former marathon world recordholder (2:49:40, in 1971), and her father, Steve Flanagan, competed in cross country and marathons with a personal record of 2:18. "I chose my parents well," she says. "They are a wealth of knowledge about marathoning. They have so much passion for the event."

Gay sidelined: Sprinter Tyson Gay is skipping nationals to try to mend a balky hamstring and ready himself for two head-to-head 100-meter races against Jamaican Asafa Powell in England in July and August.

Gay and Powell, both of whom are trying to challenge Usain Bolt for sprint supremacy, haven't raced each other since September. Gay leads 8-7.