Run The Roads

On Monday, 19 year old Ethiopian Feyisa Lilisa won the Dublin Marathon in near course record time, on his way to winning 15,000 euros.  Lilisa ran 2:09:11, missing the course record by a mere four seconds, while showing that the future of marathoning has another star to watch.

The winner of the women’s race was Ukrainian Katerina Stetsenko, who won in 2:32:45.

Over 12,500 runners took part in this year’s marathon, as the event has quickly become one of the premier marathons in Europe.

For results click HERE.

Dublin City Marathon Official Website

Strands has done a lot over the past 18 months or so for American distance running.  The company started a post-collegiate squad, sponsoring athletes that weren’t necessarily getting the attention from shoe companies, providing them with salaries, gear and travel.

This past weekend, Strands took another step forward in their influence on American distance running, by hosting the inaugural Strands 5k.  The 5,000m road race brought in many professional runners, as the top athletes competed for a portion of the $13,000 prize purse.

The men’s race was dominated by Oregon-based talent, as the top five spots went to runners training in Eugene and Portland.  Former Dartmouth standout Ben True kicked home strong for the win in 14:04, edging Carlos Trujilo and Jonathon Riley, who finished a half stride back in 14:04 and 14:05 respectively.

On the women’s side, Team USA Minnesota member Meghan Armstrong won in 16:23, beating out fellow Strands sponsored athlete Elva Dryer for first.  Dryer finished nine seconds back in 16:32, while Portland runner Lauren Johnson finished third in 17:00.

Full results can be found HERE.

Video of Strands 5k Finish (Runnerspace)

Fast Finishers in Strands 5k (Gazette Times)

Flash Result: Jason Hartmann continued his successful 2009 road race season, winning the Twin Cities Marathon Sunday morning in 2:12:09. Ilsa Paulson won the women’s race in 2:31:48, winning the U.S. Women’s Marathon Championships.

Twin Cities Marathon Website

More information forthcoming.

The Minnesota distance running faithful were in for quite the finish Sunday morning, as the TC-10 Mile hosted the U.S. Men’s 10 Mile Road Championships.  A stacked field of competition featured many of the top U.S. professional runners, including Olympians Abdi Abdirahman and Anthony Famiglietti.

Over the final miles of the race, Abdirahman and Team USA Minnesota’s Josh Moen broke away from the field, with Abdi pulling slightly ahead in the final 400 meters to win 46:35-46:38.  Moen’s finish was a big breakthrough for the former Wartburg College standout.

Team USA Minnesota saw even more success, as Moen’s teammates Patrick Smyth and Jason Lehmkuhle finished 3-4 in 47:09 and 47:16, while Ian Burrell rounded out the top five in 47:41.

Top Ten Results: 1. Abdi Abdirahman 46:35, 2. Josh Moen 46:38, 3. Patrick Smyth 47:09, 4. Jason Lehmkuhle 47:16, 5. Ian Burrell 47:41, 6. Max King 47:58, 7. Anthony Famiglietti 48:09, 8. Michael Spence 48:13, 9. Craig Curley 48:15, 10. Josh Eberly 48:26.

Full Results HERE

Run the Roads was on-site at the 35th annual Bix 7 in Davenport, Iowa, where the USATF 7 Mile Road Championship took place.  From the start, both the men’s and women’s fields spread out, with the pre-race favorites grabbing the lead.  In the end, Meb Keflezighi won the men’s race in 32:25, while Molly Huddle won the women’s race in 37:39, both athletes taking home $10,000 in prize money.

Bix 7 Official Website / USATF Championship Page

*See our live updates on Twitter - RtR Twitter Page

Men’s Race Summary

A fast early pace set the tone for a great race.  With the first mile of the Bix 7 being straight up hill, the men’s field, which was vying for $22,500 in prize money Saturday morning, stayed rather packed up, as they hit the first mile mark around 5:03.  The next mile was blazing, stringing out quite a bit, as Meb Keflezighi, Anthony Famiglietti, James Carney and Dan Browne ran between 4:08-4:12.

At the 2.5 mile mark, Meb gapped the field just a bit, with Famiglietti hanging back off his shoulder, as the two continued to push the pace.  At the 3.5 mile turn around, Meb had a ten meter lead on Fam, while Carney (pictured left) and Browne remained 3-4.  The next 2.5 miles were a gradual climb, as Meb continued to increase his lead, building it to nearly 30 seconds heading into the final mile.

On the final mile, which let the runners really stretch out their legs, as it was completely downhill, Meb held his lead, cruising to victory in 32:25.  Fam finished strong over the final 800m, placing second in 32:56, while James Carney finished third in 33:17.  Brian Olinger (33:30) and Antonio Vega (33:35) finished 4-5 respectively.

Men’s Top Ten Results

1. Meb Keflezighi (San Diego, CA) - 32:25
2. Anthony Famiglietti (Knoxville, TN) - 32:56
3. James Carney (Boulder, CO) - 33:17
4. Brian Olinger (Columbus, OH) - 33:30
5. Antonio Vega (Saint Paul, MN) - 33:35
6. Josh Moen (St. Louis Park, MN) - 33:36
7. Bret Schoolmeester (Portland, OR) - 33:41
8. Dan Browne (San Diego, CA) - 33:44
9. Forest Braden (Spokane, WA) - 33:50
10. Ian Burrell (Flagstaff, AZ) - 33:56

Women’s Race Summary

A quick early pace strung out the competitive women’s field, leaving a trio of women up top for over half the race, battling it out for the women.  Those three women were Olympian Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, Molly Huddle (pictured right) and Serena Burla.  The three runners battled for the majority of the race, running stride for stride and every so often exchanging leads.

In the end, Huddle used the steep last mile to pull slightly ahead, crossing the finish line in a victorious 37:39.  Burla shocked the field just a bit, beating Lewy-Boulet, and finishing second in 37:44, while Lewy-Boulet earned third with a 37:46 finishing time.  Ilsa Paulson (37:54) and Sally Meyerhoff (38:04) finished fourth and fifth.

Women’s Top Ten Results

1. Molly Huddle (Providence, RI) - 37:39
2. Serena Burla (Ellisville, MO) - 37:44
3. Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (Oakland, CA) - 37:46
4. Ilsa Paulson (New York City, NY) - 37:54
5. Sally Meyerhoff (Eugene, OR) - 38:04
6. Jill Steffens (Athens, GA) - 38:42
7. Rachel Marchand (Valparaiso, IN) - 38:45
8. Kristen Lehmkuhle (Minneapolis, MN) - 38:54
9. Meghan Armstrong (Minneapolis, MN) - 39:06
10. Kelly Jaske (Portland, OR) - 39:17

Video Interviews

Meb Keflezighi

Anthony Famiglietti

Molly Huddle

While much of the attention in the distance running world focuses on Europe, where many of the top American distance runners are running their best marks of the season, the U.S. road racing scene is certainly not laying dormant.  Next weekend, in Davenport, Iowa, the Bix 7 takes place for the 35th time.  Well known by the performances of such notable runners as Joan Benoit Samuelson and Bill Rodgers, this year’s edition will feature the U.S. 7 Mile Road Championships.

Bix 7 Event Website / USATF 7 Mile Road Championship

Loaded fields will compete for a prize purse of $45,000, with prize money running ten deep and the winners bringing home $10,000 a piece.  The strong prize money amounts have attracted quite the fields, with Meb Keflezighi, Brian Sell, Dan Browne, James Carney and Anthony Famiglietti on the men’s side, while Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, Sally Meyerhoff, Kelly Jaske, Amy Rudolph and Elva Dryer headline the women’s field.  Run the Roads will be on-site covering the race, providing interviews, race summaries, live updates and much more.

Men’s Field

Meb Keflezighi, San Diego, Calif.
Anthony Famiglietti, Knoxville, Tenn.
Dan Browne, San Diego, Calif.
James Carney, Boulder, Colo.
Ian Burrell, Flagstaff, Ariz.
Michael Kilburg, Rochester Hills, Mich.
Jason Lehmkuhle, Minneapolis, Minn.
Josh Moen, St. Louis Park, Minn.
Brian Sell, Rochester Hills, Mich.
Forest Braden, Spokane, Wash.
Celedonio Rodriquez, Alamosa, Colo.
Bret Schoolmeester, Portland, Ore.
Jason Hartmann, Boulder, Colo.
Antonio Vega, St. Paul, Minn.
Josh Eberly, Gunnison, Colo.
Stephen Furst, Raleigh, N.C.
Nick Arciniaga, Rochester Hills, Mich.
Brian Olinger, Columbus, Ohio

Women’s Field

Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, Oakland, Calif.
Serena Burla, Ellisville, Mo.
Sally Meyerhoff, Eugene, Ore.
Kelly Jaske, Portland, Ore.
Amy Rudolph, Providence, R.I.
Elva Dryer, Gunnison, Colo.
Molly Huddle, Providence, R.I.
Kate O’Neill, Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Zoila Gomez, Alamosa, Colo.
Kassi Andersen, Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Meghan Armstrong, Minneapolis, Minn.
Kathy Newberry, Williamsburg, Va.
Jill Steffens, Athens Ga.
Racheal Marchand, Iowa City
Michelle Lilienthal, Minneapolis, Minn.
Kristen Fryburg, Boulder, Colo.
Kristen Lehmkuhle, Minneapolis, Minn.
Caroline White, Colorado Springs, Colo.

One of the largest races in the United States took place earlier today, as 55,000+ runners took to the streets of Atlanta for the Peachtree 10k.  The annual bash not only celebrates running and the national running community, but the United States’ Independence Day as well.  This year, as in years past, the Peachtree 10k also serves as the U.S. Men’s 10k Road Championships, with many of the top road runners in the U.S. taking their talents to Georgia to compete for $30,000 in prize money.

Peachtree 10k Road Race Website

Less than a week and a half removed from the U.S. T&F Championships, Abdi Abdirahman bounced back from his disappointing track 10k performance to win the U.S. Men’s 10k Road Championships over the final mile in 28:11.  Abdi powered away from front running competitors Anthony Famiglietti and James Carney just after the five mile mark, kicking home for this third U.S. 10k road title and a sixth place finish overall against many of the top road races in the world.

Abdirahman’s first place finish also marked a $10,000 victory, while Famiglietti finished second in 28:15 to take home $6,000, which should take some of the sting out of fading in the men’s 5k track championship last week in Eugene, Oregon.  Meanwhile, Carney’s performance showed once again that he’s quickly establishing himself as one of the top distance runners in the U.S., as he took home $4,000 in 28:19 after finishing fourth in the U.S. 10k track final nine days ago.

U.S. Men’s 10k Road Race Championship Website

U.S. Men’s Top Ten Finishers: Abdi Abdirahman 28:11, Anthony Famiglietti 28:15, James Carney 28:19, Ian Burrell 28:42, Patrick Smyth 28:49, Ed Moran 28:50, Andrew Carlson 28:53, Forest Braden 29:04, Jason Hartmann 29:04, Stephen Furst 29:05.

Peachtree 10k Road Race Results

Men’s Overall Top Ten Finishers: Sammy Kitwara (KEN) 27:22, Ridouane Harroufi (MAR) 28:02, Gashu Ibrahim Jeilan (ETH) 28:02, Tadese Tola (ETH) 28:05, Boaz Cheboiywo (KEN) 28:05, Tesfaye Bekele (ETH) 28:08, Abdi Abdirahman (USA) 28:11, Robert Letting (KEN) 28:14, Anthony Famiglietti (USA) 28:15, James Carney (USA) 28:19.

Women’s Top Ten Finishers: Lineth Chepkurui (KEN) 31:30, Meseret Mengsitu (ETH) 31:31, Alice Timbilili (KEN) 31:33, Abebu Gelan (ETH) 31:44, Amane Gobena (ETH) 31:52, Irene Limika (KEN) 32:11, Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 32:17, Belianesh Gebre (ETH) 32:35, Nadia Ejjafini (BRN) 32:43, Neriah Asiba (KEN) 32:51.

Wrapping up our coverage of the U.S. T&F Championships, we point out the top five performances of the long weekend.  From the women’s 10,000m race, to the men’s 1,500m final, all the races produced some amazing highlights.  See who caps our list of most notable achievements at this year’s U.S. T&F Championships.

5. Lopez Lomong - Heart and soul is what it takes to be national champion at the professional level.  Everyone works hard, everyone is world-class, but few ever win races.  Lomong showed why a big season could be in store, as he won the men’s 1,500m run on the final day of the U.S. T&F Championships.  Lomong made his move to the finish with 200 meters to go, but frontrunner Leo Manzano stayed right with him, both athletes pushing each other time and again over the final 100 meters.  In the end, Lomong outlasted Manzano (which is rare), winning his first outdoor track title in 3:41.68.

4. Dathan Ritzenhein - While Galen Rupp stole all the headlines in the men’s 10,000m race, Ritzenhein showed that he’s going to continue to be a force on the track, despite spending much of the past two years focusing on the marathon.  Ritzenhein led for much Thursday evening’s race, pushing the pace.  While he didn’t win the race (Rupp won in the final 400 meters), Ritz showed he still has his leg speed, winning in 27:58.59.  Also over the weekend, Ritzenhein stated that he chose Alberto Salazar as his coach.  Ritz had been training by himself over the past six weeks after dropping Brad Hudson after his London Marathon performance.

3. Shannon Rowbury - the women’s 1,500m/mile event has easily been the top event in U.S. distance running this year.  Last year, Rowbury proved she was the top American at the distance, winning the Olympic Trials 1,500m event, then finishing seventh at the Olympics.  While getting a slower start to her season, Rowbury was constantly overlooked all season, as athletes like Jenny Barringer, Anna Willard and Christin Wurth-Thomas ran remarkable times.  Rowbury came into the final completely overlooked, but came away in the end as a champion once again.  Rowbury ran a gutsy race, bridging an incredibly large gap to front runner Wurth-Thomas over the final 250 meters, kicking home to win in 4:05.07.

2. The Schumacher Gang - On the second evening of the championships, the men’s 5,000m race took place, with many of the most notable U.S. distance runners in the field.  With Anthony Famiglietti setting the tone early, the pace was quick, stringing out the field, but proving that a pack of nine athletes had what it took to be in contention for a top three finish.  Heading into the final lap, six athletes remained, all looking strong.  However, with 200 meters to go, it seemed that coach Jerry Schumacher was going to pull off a miraculous trifecta, and when his athletes Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky and Evan Jager crossed the line, Schumacher proved once again why he’s a world class coach.  Schumacher and his crew pulled a 1-2-3 finish, showing that group training does indeed work at the highest levels.

1. Amy Yoder-Begley - The first evening of the championships is always a special time, especially in Eugene, Oregon.  This year, the talked about race of day one was easily the women’s 10,000m run, which saw Amy Yoder-Begley capture her first U.S. track title, while beating Olympic bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan in the process.  Yoder-Begley ran a smart race, trading leads with Flanagan for much of the race, as the two were easily the best in the field.  However, heading into the bell lap, many though Flanagan would simply cruise to a win, but Yoder-Begley had other thoughts.  She pushed the pace, pulling away from Flanagan over the final lap, winning in 31:22.69.  Yoder-Begley’s performance was cheered on by the Oregon faithful, who’ve adopted the Alberto Salazar-coached runner.  Her mark also set a Hayward Field record.

Day four, the final day of the U.S. T&F Championships, showcases the final distance events of this weekend’s festivities.  The men’s 3,000m steeplechase, the men’s and women’s 800m and the men’s 1,500m headline, with the top three finishers in each race making the Berlin-bound squad.  We’ll bring you the top highlights from around the track today, so keep checking back.

We’ll also be providing live updates from the track on the RtR Twitter Page.

Saturday (Day 3) News & Notes

Day 1 News & Notes / Day 2 News & Notes / Day 3 News & Notes

Results: Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase Final / Men’s 800m Final / Women’s 800m Final / Men’s 1,500m Final

- Four day attendance was 38,000+, a new World Championship qualifying U.S. T&F Championships.  Eugene shows once again why they earn the title “Track Town, USA.”

- The men’s 1,500m race was the final senior distance race of the weekend.  From the gun, Leo Manzano took the lead and set the tone.  Through 800m, the runners came through in a pedestrian 2:03.88, all packed up.  However, with 500m to go, Stephen Pifer took the lead and made it a race, pushing hard and spreading out the field dramatically.  With 200m to go, Lopez Lomong and Manzano took back the lead from Pifer, pushing hard to the finish, with Lomong holding off Manzano 3:41.68-3:41.82.  University of Arkansas standout Dorian Ulrey placed third in 3:42.84, while Pifer placed a disappointing fourth in 3:44.28.

- Running in front of his hometown crowd, Nick Symmonds won yet another men’s 800m final at Hayward Field.  Running his typical race, Symmonds started in last, working his way up to about fifth with 400m to go, Then exploding into the top two with 200m to go.  Heading into the final stretch, Symmonds led, but Khadevis Robinson closed hard, passing Symmonds for a second, before Symmonds fought back and took home the win in 1:45.86.  Robinson placed second in 1:45.97, while Ryan Brown snuck in to third with a 1:46.67 finish.

- Experience and youth served notice in the women’s 800m final.  Seasoned veteran Hazel Clark took home yet another national title, this time winning in a quick 2:00.79.  Clark led from the gun, showing why she’s been on top of the American 800m rankings for years.  Recently graduated Geena Gall placed second in 2:01.01, while Tennessee’s Phoebe Wright placed third in 2:01.12.  Pre-event favorite Maggie Vessey finished a disappointing fourth, sitting in last for much of the race, before kicking hard the final 200m, however, it was too little, too late.

- The women’s 3,000m steeplechase team heading to Berlin will be quite strong.  Jenny Barringer, Anna Willard and Penn State’s Bridget Franek will make up the three-person squad.  Barringer led from the gun, pulling away from the pack with three laps to go and never looking back, finishing in 9:29.38.  Willard seemed content to sit back and push hard the final 200m, outkicking Franek to the line for second 9:35.01-9:36.74.

- The top news around the stadium today is Alan Webb scratching out of the men’s 1,500m final due to an injury he sustained during his warm-up before the prelim race earlier in the week.  This news was reported by Race Results Weekly’s David Monti.

- Fan favorite Lolo Jones did not finish her semi-final of the women’s 100m hurdles.  Jones locked arms with Michelle Perry over the fourth hurdle and was never able regain her rhythm.

Championship Information

US T&F Championship Results

US T&F Championship Homepage

USATF Championship Homepage

FloTrack Live Video

Before the men’s 5,000m final Friday evening, questions floating around the stadium didn’t ever mention if coach Jerry Schumacher would have an athlete qualify, but rather how many of his athletes would qualify.  The men’s 5k field saw star after star line up at the start line, including such notable athletes as Anthony Famiglietti, German Fernandez, Bolota Asmerom, Sean Quigley, Brent Vaughn and of course the Schumacher quartet of Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky, Evan Jager and Jonathon Riley.

From the gun, the pace was fast, as Famiglietti jumped to the lead and ran a smoking first lap of 61 seconds.  While the pace settled down a bit, Famiglietti made sure the pace was honest, as he seemingly wanted to take the kick out of everyone else in the field.  Few athletes show a constant flair for trying to simply run away from everyone else, but Famiglietti is one of those rare runners.

With such a quick early pace, Famiglietti, Tegenkamp and Solinsky broke from the rest of the field, running in a single file line for a few laps.  However, the pace slowed enough that the chase pack, which consisted of all the other chief competition (Jager, Fernandez, Asmerom, etc.) caught up.  A pack of nine runners then continued to shift position, running together until 600 meters to go.

With a lap and a half to go, Asmerom shifted gears a bit, dropping Famiglietti and another runner or two.  At the bell, Solinsky and Tegenkamp shifted gears and took over the lead, with Jager, Asmerom and Fernandez right on their heals.  With 200m to go, Jager took over the lead briefly, until Solinsky took it back over and the trio of Schumacher athletes sprinted towards the finish.

As the finish line approached, Tegenkamp pulled slightly ahead of Solinsky, winning his first U.S. Outdoor T&F title in 13:20.57.  Solinsky finished second in 13:20.82, as both he and Tegenkamp ran 53-point over their final lap.  Jager held off the rest of the field to nab the third spot in 13:22.18, giving the Portland-based Jerry Schumacher contingent a 1-2-3 finish.

While Tegenkamp’s and Solinsky’s finishes were outstanding, Jager’s finish was perhaps the most inspiring.  Racing his second 5,000m race ever, as well as competing in his first U.S. Track and Field Championship event, Jager showed why he’s one of the talented athletes in U.S. distance running currently.

Finishing fifth, and not to be overlooked, was Oklahoma State runner German Fernandez, who broke the U.S. junior national record for 5,000m.  Fernandez ran with the lead pack for much of the race, kicking hard over the final 400m to finish in 13:25.46, closing out his long season with yet another amazing performance.

Moving forward, Schumacher’s trio of talent will have to chase marks.  While Chris Solinsky has the World “A” standard, Tegenkamp and Jager still need the “A” standard (need to run under 13:20).  If Tegenkamp runs the “A” standard, which he should in a few weeks at a high-profile meet in Paris, then all three will get to compete for the U.S. in Berlin.

Few coaches have had the success of Jerry Schumacher.  His decision to leave Wisconsin seems to be the right choice.  He’s taken his athletes to another level, establishing a system that works.  With top resources from Nike, including a few funded stints at altitude, Schumacher’s group shows no signs of slowing down.

(photos courtesy of Tim Fulton/ArmoryTrack.com)

Men’s 5,000m Final Results

An Interview with Matt Tegenkamp

An Interview with Evan Jager