Run The Roads

The New York City Marathon will host the 2009 U.S. Men’s Marathon Championships. While this news was released earlier this year, what was released today were details on prize money, as well as the first American professional runner to commit to the race. Olympian Brian Sell officially announced he’ll be running in the November 1 event.

Along with the announcement of Sell, came news of the prize money offered. The NYRR will dish out a total of $150,000 in prize money, including $40,000 to the winner. Athletes will be able to earn money from both the U.S. Championships and the NYC Marathon, which they’ll also be taking part in. Unlike the Olympic Trials, the race will be combined with the NYC Marathon.

Run the Roads will be in Eugene starting Wednesday, covering the U.S. Track and Field Championships (Thursday-Sunday).  With some great distance action on the horizon, we’ll offer plenty of pre-event coverage over the next few days, while posting videos, interviews, a few photos, race summaries and news & notes during the Championships.  Keep checking back every day, as we’ll post numerous pieces throughout the week.

Also, we’ll be providing Twitter updates throughout the week, including race results as they happen.  Check us out on Twitter.

NETWORK COVERAGE DOUBLES FOR ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

NEW YORK (15-Jun) — Network television coverage of the ING New York City Marathon will double under a new three-year agreement reached between the New York Road Runners, NBC Sports and WNBC.

Under the terms of the new deal, the same-day tape-delay coverage of the marathon on Sunday, November 1, will be expanded to two hours from one hour, broadcast on NBC Sports from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  The tape-delayed show will follow five hours of live coverage on WNBC, the local NBC affiliate here.

“The ING New York City Marathon is one of the iconic sporting events in our country,” said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports through a statement.  ”We are looking forward to continuing this great partnership with New York Road Runners and our flagship station WNBC and expanding the network coverage to two hours.”

This two-hour same-day coverage is the only national TV network coverage of any major marathon outside of the Olympics, the Road Runners said.

The WNBC show will air from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 1, the date of this year’s marathon.  There will also be companion coverage on NBC Local Media New York’s new digital channel, New York Nonstop, and on nbcnewyork.com.

The ING New York City Marathon, part of the World Marathon Majors series, is the world’s largest marathon.  Last year’s edition recorded 38,096 finishers, but the event’s record field was in 2007 when 38,607 runners crossed the finish line.  This year’s race will be the 40th edition.

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NOTE ON THE NEWS - KASTOR TO RUN CHICAGO MARATHON

Several news outlets are reporting that 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor has committed to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 11.  Kastor won the race in 2005 in 2:21:25, one of her two World Marathon Majors victories (she also won London in 2006).

You can read the Associated Press story here:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2009-06-16-722751755_x.htm

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BIG WIN FOR ROSE KOSGEI IN NEW YORK
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results weekly, all rights reserved

NEW YORK (07-Jun) — Rose Kosgei got arguably the biggest win of her career here today, winning the 38th NYRR New York Mini 10-K in Central Park.  The 27 year-old mother broke the tape in 32:43, becoming the first Kenyan to win the Mini, the oldest all women’s road race in the world, since Tegla Loroupe in 2000.  Loroupe was on hand to see Kosgei finish and gave her a congratulatory hug.

Aggressive from the start Kosgei, and Ethiopian Ashu Kasim, broke away from the field just after the gun, striding up Central Park West in five minutes and four seconds for the first mile.  The pair built up a 100 meter lead over the field by mile-2 (10:06/5:02), just before the start of the biggest climb on the course, Central Park’s notorious North Hill.  Kosgei attacked, quickly dropped Kasim, and crested the hill with a commanding lead.

About 30 seconds back, a chase group had formed to catch Kasim, led by American Serena Burla from Ellisville, Mo., and Ethiopian Hirut Mandefro.  Two-time world marathon champion, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, and 2008 Olympian, Rene Kalmer, were also in that group.

Kosgei had a 31 second lead through 5 km (15:52), but the Burla group could see she was slowing.  In the tough uphill fourth mile on the park’s east side, they sliced ten seconds off of Kosgei’s lead, who looked behind her several times.  Burla then broke from Mandefro and began to chase Kosgei.  Burla, who has a five month-old son at home, got the gap down below 20 seconds, but Kosgei surged in the final (uphill) 400 meters to the line to lock in the victory.  Burla finished second in 33:04, a personal best on the road, and Mandefro hung on for third (33:13).  Ndereba and Kalmer finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in 33:21 and 33:29.  It was Ndereba’s fourth appearance at the Mini, one of the few races she has never won.

Kasim paid for her fast start, fading badly in the second half and finishing 18th in 35:22.

For Kosgei, she picked up the largest winner’s check ever in her career: $10,000.  Burla also won $10,000 for finishing second overall ($5,000) and for being the first American ($5000).  In all, $35,000 in prize money was paid.

American marathon record holder and Olympic bronze medalist, Deena Kastor of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., also ran the race, but because of a toe injury chose to run at a slower pace, accompanying race director and New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.  The pair finished in 43:46.

The Mini had nearly 6000 entrants this year, the largest field since 1999, and the runners enjoyed a beautiful sunny and warm (but not hot) day.  The race was founded in 1972 with 78 entrants.

Top-10 Finishers:
1. Rose Kosgei, 27, KEN, 32:43
2. Serena Burla, 26, Ellisville, MO, 33:04 PB
3. Hirut Mandefro, 23, ETH, 33:13
4. Catherine Ndereba, 36, KEN, 33:21
5. Rene Kalmer, 28, RSA, 33:29
6. Magdalena Lewy Boulet, 35, Oakland, CA, 33:32
7. Buzunesh Deba, 21, ETH, 33:32 PB
8. Kelly Jaske, 32, Portland, OR, 33:39 PB
9. Yuri Kano, 30, JPN, 33:43
10. Stephanie Rothstein, 25, Eugene, OR, 33:48
[19 women sub-36:00]

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This Sunday, the Prefontaine Classic will take place at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The annual showcase of top world talent is certainly living up to its billing as the top American track and field competition once again, as many fields are stacked with Olympians and Olympic medalists. See who the top five U.S. distance runners to watch are this weekend.

5. Alan Webb - Men’s 1,500m - While all eyes will be on the leaders of the men’s 1,500m run at the Pre Classic Sunday, my eyes will be focused on the back of the pack, seeing if Webb can show he has what it takes to still be competitive this season.LetsRun .com stated quite clearly that they believe Webb is finished for the 2009 season, but I am not ready to give up on him just yet. If Webb can come back Sunday, finish in the top five, and run a seasonal best, he’ll be right back in the mix.

4. Nick Symmonds - Men’s 800m - I was going to put Khadevis Robinson in this spot after he beat Beijing 800m dash fourth place finisher Gary Reed last weekend, however, Symmonds has yet to really open up his outdoor season, which gets me even more excited. Symmonds has shown the past few years that when his season gets rolling, he is ready to race, and I anticipate much the same this Sunday. Plus, I love the potential match up betweenSymmonds and Robinson, as both athletes have the talent and personalities to create a special rivalry.

3. Kara Goucher - Women’s 2,000m - With many of the top American middle-distance runners running the women’s 1,500m, this leaves Goucher plenty of chances to shine in the spotlight once again. While 2,000m is much shorter of a distance than she’s been successful at over the past few years, it will be a great opportunity for her to test her speed. She built up to the Boston Marathon with some early indoor speed work, so this seems to fall in line with her build up to the World Championship marathon.

2. Matt Tegenkamp - Men’s 3,000m - It’s been a nearly non-existent season for Tegenkamp so far in 2009. Coming off an injury during the winter, which held him out of training for weeks, Teg bounced back to place second to Olympian Alistair Cragg at the Payton Jordan Invitational, running 13:22. With four more weeks of training under his belt, Teg should be in much better shape, and a top three performance would not be out of the question here.

1. Women’s 1,500m - This race is loaded with talent, making it hands down the race of the day! Anna Willard v. Shannon Rowbury v. Christin Wurth-Thomas v. Shalane Flanagan v. Jenny Barringer v. Shayne Culpepper v. Erin Donohue. The story lines are magnificent, and that’s even discounting all the international stars in the field, including Olympic gold medalist Nancy Lagat. So guess what, we’re doing a mini-top 5 for this race…stay tuned.

MINI 10-K COMPLETE FIELD RELEASED
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

The New York Road Runners released the bib number listing for Sunday’s 38th NYRR New York MINI 10-K.  The all-women’s race, which has attracted about 6000 entrants, begins on Central Park West and finishes inside of the park adjacent to Tavern on the Green at the finish line of the ING New York City Marathon.

Top-seeded Deena Kastor said in a conference call with reporters on Monday that she may not be able to start the race due to soreness in her right foot (the same foot where she broke a bone in the Beijing Olympic Marathon).  She’s still checking with her medical team on her status.

Here’s the field with both track and road personal bests times.  Biographies on the athletes are at the official race website at this link: http://www.nyrr.org/races/2009/mini/09bios.asp.

Bib, Last, First, City, State, NAT, Affiliation, DOB, Age, 10,000m PB, 10-K PB
1. Kastor, Deena, Mammoth Lakes, CA, USA, Asics, 14-Feb-1973, 36, 30:50.32 (Palo Alto, 2002), 31:44 (Mini, 2004)
2. Ndereba, Catherine, Nairobi, , KEN, Nike, 21-Jul-1972, 36, 32:17.58 (Mito, 2000), 31:02 (Budapest, 2001)
3. Kosgei, Rose, Santa Fe, NM, KEN, Brooks, 22-Aug-1981, 27, 33:08.20 (Nairobi, 2008), 32:14+ (Ras Al Khaimah, 2009)
4. Kasim, Ashu, Addis Ababa, , ETH, Nike, 20-Oct-1984, 24, 31:46:05 (Utrecht, 2007), 32:30+ (Ras Al Khaimah, 2009)
5. Kano, Yuri, Tokyo, , JPN, Second Win AC, 27-Oct-1978, 30, 31:53.07 (Niigata, 2004), 32:17 (Cape Elizabeth, 2008)
6. Lewy Boulet, Magdalena, Oakland, CA, USA, Saucony, 1-Aug-1973, 35, 32:33.02 (Palo Alto, 2008), 33:13 (Mini, 2003)
7. Aliyu, Aziza, Bronx, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 20-Oct-1985, 23, NA, 32:43 (Jersey City, 2008)
8. Kalmer, René, Johannesburg, , RSA, Mr. Price, 3-Nov-1980, 28, None, 32:28 (Stellenbosch, 2007)
9. Rudolph, Amy, Providence, RI, USA, TBD, 18-Sep-1973, 35, 31:18.96 (Stanford, 2005), 32:04 (Boston/Tufts, 2002)
10. Slattery, Sara, Phoenix, AZ, USA, Nike, 2-Oct-1981, 27, 31:57.94 (Helsinki, 2006), 33:12 (Sheffield, 2008)
11. Kosgei, Salome, High Falls, NY, KEN, Westchester TC, 30-Sep-1980, 28, NA, 32:28 (Sacramento, 2008)
12. Burla, Serena, Ellisville, MO, USA, Riadha, 27-Sep-1982, 26, 32:47.48 (Palo Alto, 2008), NA
14. Deba, Buzunesh , Bronx, NY, KEN, Westchester TC, 8-Sep-1987, 21, NA, 33:39 (Ridgewood, 2009)
15. Rothstein, Stephanie, Eugene, OR, USA, NYAC, 14-Jan-1984, 25, 33:08.37 (Stanford, 2008), 33:26 (Boston/Tufts, 2007)
16. Hastings, Amy, Mammoth Lakes, CA, USA, adidas, 21-Jan-1984, 25, 32:18.72 (Palo Alto, 2008), 33:54 (Tufts/Boston, 2007)
17. Paulson, Ilsa, New York, NY, USA, Westchester TC, 8-Nov-1988, 20, 34:02.61 (Mt. SAC, 2008), 34:32 (Peachtree, 2008)
18. Jaske, Kelly, Portland, OR, USA, NYAC, 30-Oct-1976, 32, None, 34:35+ (Houston Half Mar, 2009)
19. Antablin, Abbi, New York, NY, USA, NYAC, 25-Aug-1981, 27, NA, 35:01 (Healthy Kidney, 2009)
21. Anderson, Cheryl, Branford, CT, USA, NYAC, 9-Jul-1981, 27, NA, 34:28 (Richmond, 2008)
22. Lenihan, Stephanie, New York, NY, USA, NYAC, 19-Jan-1986, 23, 35:54.80 (Heps, 2008), 35:43 (Healthy Kidney, 2009)
23. Bierbaum, Caroline, New York, NY, USA, NYAC, 7-Nov-1983, 25, 32:44.51 (New York Heps 2005), 35:23 (NYC/Kleinerman, 2008)
24. Maxwell, Jane, New York, NY, USA, NYAC, 11-Nov-1980, 28, NA, 35:41 (Healthy Kidney, 2009)
25. Flynn, Erin, New York, NY, USA, NYAC, 17-May-1979, 30, NA, 35:49 (Scotland Run, 2009)
26. Irvin, Kate, New York, NY, USA, Central Park TC, 31-Jan-1979, 30, 37:06.16 (Olathe, 2007), 35:59 (Kleinerman, 2007)
27. Guiney, Maggie, New York, NY, USA, NYAC, 3-Nov-1980, 28, NA, 36:07 (Kleinerman, 2008)
28. Esposito, Lauren, New York, NY, USA, Central Park TC, 28-Feb-1979, 30, NA, 36:14 (Scotland Run, 2009)
29. Sutherland, Jamie, New York, NY, USA, NYAC, 21-Sep-1977, 31, NA, 36:17 (Scotland Run, 2009)
30. Chelanga, Emmily, Sleepy Hollow, NY, KEN, Westchester TC, 25-Sep-1980, 28, NA, 36:49 (Kingston, 2007)
31. Hirata, Mari, Tokyo, , JPN, Second Wind AC, 20-Jul-1979, 29, NA, NA

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For Immediate Release
Tuesday, June 2, 2009

U.S. to celebrate National Running Day

INDIANAPOLIS - Everyone across the U.S. is invited to participate in the first-ever National Running Day on Wednesday, June 3, where running will be celebrated as a healthy, easy and accessible form of exercise. National Running Day is an initiative that promotes the benefits of running as part of a healthy and active lifestyle aimed at combating some of today’s most pressing health issues.

Through a grassroots effort, the foremost road racing and track and field organizations from major U.S. cities–including New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Denver, Eugene and San Diego-in addition to national running organizations USA Track & Field and Running USA, are encouraging Americans of all ages and fitness levels to get out and run by hosting a variety of National Running day activities, including professional athlete appearances, free running events, group runs and clinics.

From a 16-hour run/walk challenge in Creswell, Ore., that begins at 4:30 a.m., to a 1,000-kid Mighty Milers Fun Run/Walk at Icahn Stadium in New York City, to a post-work Family Night event (complete with Texas BBQ) in San Antonio, the day will celebrate the benefits of running as part of a healthy and active lifestyle. Additionally, nearly 5,000 people have already committed to individually participating via the “Will You Run National Running Day?” Facebook page.

Interested parties may post their events and search for events at www.runningday.org (click on Participate to create an event and view listings). If there isn’t an event scheduled in a specific area, all runners are invited to create their own. No event is too big or too small to be recognized as a National Running Day initiative.
Highlights of National Running Day around the USA:

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue will issue Atlanta Track Club (ATC) executive director Tracey Russell a proclamation declaring June 3 National Running Day in Georgia. Additionally, the ATC will host at least seven group runs of various distances throughout the day in metro Atlanta.

* The Chicago Area Runners Association will host a post-work event along Lake Michigan.
* Houston Mayor Bill White will officially proclaim June 3 Houston Running Day at a City Council meeting on June 2.
* In Indianapolis, a representative of Governor Mitch Daniels will present USA Track & Field CEO Doug Logan with a proclamation at an event at the Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis track with IUPUI’s day campers and children from all over the city. Local Olympians Bob Kennedy and Joann Grissom will also participate in the event, which is free and open to the public.
* The Little Rock Marathon is hosting a free early-morning National Running Day Fun Run/Walk, followed by continental breakfast.
* Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Mayor RT Rybak of Minneapolis and Chris Coleman of St. Paul will sign state and city proclamations announcing June 3 as Minnesota Running Day in conjunction with National Running Day. A series of six evening group runs around the city will feature appearances from Team USA Minnesota runners.
* In New York City, Olympians Deena Kastor and Lornah Kiplagat will host the Mighty Milers Fun Run/Walk, an event at Icahn Stadium with approximately 1,000 kids from Manhattan and the Bronx. Additionally, the New York Road Runners will host group runs in all five boroughs and runners stations in Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Kastor and Kiplagat will lead the Central Park group run on Wednesday evening.
* In Eugene, Ore.-otherwise known as “Track Town USA”- The Oregon Track Club will hold an evening National Running Day community run. Local Olympians will join in the event, which is free and open to the public.
* The Marine Corps Marathon will host a one-mile run on the National Mall, starting and finishing at the Lincoln Memorial. Runners will include local elected officials like Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, area running club presidents and running store representatives, Marines, local journalists, and other race directors.
* The Boston Athletic Association and USA Track & Field - New England have invited runners and non-runners alike to have the opportunity to run at 6-minute per mile pace with running icon and four-time Boston Marathon champion Bill Rodgers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s outdoor track facility in Cambridge, Mass.

For more information on National Running Day, visit:  www.runningday.org.

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About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.

For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org

EL BOUMLILI & GROMOVA RUN AWAY WITH ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MARATHON WINS
By David Monti
(c) 2009, Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

Khalid El Boumlili of Morocco and Yuliya Gromova of Russia scored runaway victories at today’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon in San Diego, Calif., the race which began the entertainment revolution in marathon running.

El Boumlili, who finished third at the 2008 Boston Marathon, was part of a large lead pack at 10 km (31:42), but soon set out on his own to try for victory.  By the half-way mark (1:05:43), El Boumlili had built up a one minute and 18-second lead over the main field.  Although Kenya’s Samuel Mugo finally broke from the main field in an effort to reel in El Boumlili, it was too late.  By 34 km, El Boumlili had nearly two minutes on the main field and about a minute and one-half on Mugo.  The Moroccan made it to the finish alone in 2:11:16 (unofficial), with Mugo second (2:12:37) and Ethiopia’s Tesfye Tola third (2:13:02).

American Olympian Dan Browne was in the main elite group at half-way (1:07:02), but was not in the top-10 at the 34 km checkpoint.  He was not listed in the top-10 finishers through 2:18:21, so he may have dropped out.

Gromova’s race was similar to El Boumlili’s.  The defending Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon champion was in the main field through 10 km (35:11), and at halfway (1:14:44) was one of the four contenders left for victory: Romania’s Nuta Olaru (who dropped out of the Los Angeles Marathon last Monday), Kenya’s Hellen Kimutai, and Russia’s Albina Mayorova.  By the time the 34 km checkpoint was reached, Gromova had built up a nearly one-minute lead, which would grow to nearly two minutes by the finish line.  Her final time, a career best of 2:27:37, was well ahead of Kimutai’s (2:29:32) and Olaru (2:30:40).

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