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Quote of the Day:
"
He can set a World record in the marathon, but I would like to emphasize winning over fast time. I like to coach a winner. Sam (Wanjiru) never gives up during the race. Such characteristic is important for the marathon."

-Toyota Kyushu Ekiden coach, Koichi Morishita, the silver medallist at the 1992 Olympic marathon on his pupil Sam Wanjiru. The article is a good read and says that Wanjiru may skip a spring marathon which would prevent him from running the Olympics for Kenya.

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Book Review: Running Within
Want to improve your mental outlook on running? Then Running Within is the book for you. Read our review of this excellent book.
Recommended Reads
Looking for a good running book ? Read our mini-reviews and suggestions

We interview one of our own:
LetsRun.com's Rojo talks about coaching at Cornell

It's Going to Be Harder in Future for British Athletes to Avoid an Olympic Ban for Missed Drug Tests BBC

Italian Doctor Carlo Santuccione Connected to Doping Banned from Life from Italian Sport

Weekend Action:
A New Star Emerging in Kenya?
Sammy Kitwara Wins 4th XC Meet of Winter in Kenya If you win 4 races on your block in Kenya, much less the whole nation, you're probably pretty damn good.
Spain: Ethiopia’s Tadesse Tola and European Champ Marta Domínguez Win in Spain IAAF
Japan: Team Mitsui-Sumitomo Wins 2007 All Japan Women's Ekiden
IAAF

MLB Drug Scandal: Drug Researcher Don Catlin Says He Could Take a Lot of Steroids Without Being Caught Latimes.com We've said for a long time that testing is not that effective unless you 1) Put much, much more into research and/or 2) do sophisticated profiles of athletes' over time.
*Blood HGH Test Supposed to be Completed Soon New York Times
*
Don Catlin Says MLB Was Antsy About Sen. Mitchell Talking to Him Perhaps they didn't want Mitchell to know that their funding for anti doping research is a joke.
*Without HGH Test, Drug Testing in MLB (and Everywhere Else) Is All Academic New York Times

More on Drug Scandal in MLB:
*
Many Details Missing in Proposed Changes to Baseball's Anti Doping Program USA Today
*USADA Willing to Take over MLB's Drug Testing
*
Sports Illustrated Has Excellent Coverage
Previous:
SI Says George Mitchell Got Lucky In Catching Cheats "The guy lucked out. For a year Mitchell was putting together a glorified clip job" We agree. Without 2 guys facing jail time, virtually none of the names in the report would have come out and baseball could pretend it doesn't have a drug problem (like football.)
*
Expect More Names to Come Out as Their Are Some Still O
ngoing Drug Investigations
Thomas Boswell: The Rocket Comes Crashing Down

Des Moines to Host 2010 USATF Outdoor Nationals

$200,007 2007 Footlocker XC Prediction Contest Recap Read about our winners. Order was restored with 2 male winners. link fixed

Ted Corbitt RIP 1919-2007 We knew very little about this man until people on LetsRun started talking about him recently but he is definitely someone we would have loved to meet. An Olympian, an ultrarunner pioneer, the godfather of all course measurers, second president of the Road Runners Club of America, and co-founder and first president of the New York Road Runners, Corbitt definitely had a full life and contribute so much to the sport we all love. The grandson of slaves born on a S. Carolina cotton farm, Corbitt remembered stories of his grandfather being a runner. Corbitt was a true pioneer who will be missed.
*Ted Corbitt Message Board Remembrance Thread
*
Great article from 2002 on him here (He went 300 miles in 6 days at the age of 82)
*Ted Corbitt NYRR Obituary
*
IAAF Obituary

Zatopek Classic Today in Australia IAAF
*
Dan Batman Running 400 in Zatopek

LRC The Week That Was We review the last week in the running world. Of course we cover the big stories like Foot Locker's, Xman's arrest, Honolulu, European XCs, (and the biggest race of the week in terms of money the Lagos Half Marathon) but we also go behind the scenes and tell you of some people you might not be aware of like Sgt. Nathan Pennington and Lineth Jepkirui (get used to seeing her name). Plus we praise the winners and losers of the week and are doing our part to make the 100th finisher at NCAAs All American.

Auburn's Jerry Clayton Named North America, Central America, and Caribbean Coach of the Year He coached high jump champ Donald Thomas (the dude who jumped 7 feet in high tops 2 years ago to get discovered) and decathlete Maurice Smith. He also coached Charles Austin, the 1996 Olympic Gold medallist in the high jump.

Glynis Nunn-Cearns To File Formal Complaint With Athletics Australia for Tongue Lashing by John Steffensen
*Some in Australia are Sick of John Steffensen's Antics

*Steffensen Could Be Suspended for Verbal Outburst

"(Perhaps) Marion Jones isn't a villain or bad person. She just picked the wrong sport. If she was in the NFL or MLB, she could sit out a month, and now come back and train for Beijing while starring in Nike commercials."
-LetsRun.com writing about the MLB drug policy in our well received new feature, "The Week That Was"

Indiana Newspaper Praises Footlocker Champ Mike Fout

Veronica Campbell Is Now Veronica Campbell Brown and She Has Her Eyes on the Beijing Double IAAF

Athens 7th Placer Naoko Sakamoto Out of Osaka Marathon With Injury

"But I also recognise that it's once every four years, things can go wrong and it would not mean there was anything wrong with me. But you have to keep going back as often as you can and hope things come right for you...That's part of racing, especially doing marathons. You spend 14 or 15 weeks building up for one race and hope it goes well on that day. If it doesn't, you are screwed. It's not like you are doing a 100 metres when you can go and do another one two days later. It doesn't happen that way. If you look back at my marathons and ask whether I would swap one of them for my one balls-up, of course I would."
-Paula Radcliffe in an extensive profile in the Guardian as she prepares for her once in every 4 years opportunity next year in Beijing.

Footlocker XC
Boys: 2007 Footlocker Boys Recap: Midwest Champ Michael Fout Wins
Luke Puskedra took it out in a suicidal pace and Fout, the Midwest champ, hung just a few seconds back and stormed to the win as the Midwest Region swept 5 of the top 10 spots. Pre Race Favorite German Fernandez was third.
*Results
Photos:
*2007 Foot Locker Boys Race Photos
*Photos of All 40 Footlocker Boys

*More Post Race Coverage: Dyestat, Milesplit
On the boards: Move Delaware to the South
It and Arkansas have never qualfied anyone for the finals.

Hey Delilah!: USATF Club Nationals XC Recap
Delilah DiCrescenzo of the Hey Delilah song is your 2007 USATF Club National XC Champ. Ryan Warrenburg of Zap Fitness won the men's crown as Zap defended its team town. *Results
On the boards:
After Party Mayhem Apparently, a guy from the ATC got tasered and arrested at the afterparty.

All is Well at Oregon Thanks to AD Patrick Kilkenny and $100 Million from Phil Knight www.registerguard.com

Jeremy Wariner and Asafa Powell Racing in Australia in February

Kenyan News: World 800m Champ Alfred Kirwa Yego to Get Married This Weekend
*Edith Masai's Run in Singapore Has Kenya Back in First Place in Greatest Race on Earth Series

XC This Weekend:
Europe: Britain's Stephanie Twell Trying to Be First Woman to Win Back to Back European Junior Titles
Times of London

USA: ZapFitness and BAA to Defend Club National XC Titles This Weekend in Ohio
*On the boards: USATF XC Club Nationals This Weekend

Xavier Carter Arrested Earlier this year a warrant was put out for his arrest for allegedly stomping on the hood of a woman's car like it was a "trampoline". He definitely seems to hang out with the wrong crowd. This time he was arrested for running from the cops when they tried to arrest his buddies. Maybe Nike should sponsor the cop who caught him instead. His dad is concerned "about (the) choices that he's been making lately. But I know he's a good and he's going to be OK. He's growing up. He's made a few mistakes. It's difficult being in the public eye sometimes and he hasn't handled it well so far.''
*Carter's Dad Concerned and Other Charges Fromer Earlier Incident Are Supposedly Going Away After Xavier Paid for the Car Repaired
*Message board thread

LetsRun.com Contest Recap: Women Dominate 2008 LetsRun.com Men's Marathon Trials Contest
8th Grader Wins Contest and 4 from Her PE Class in the Top 30

Yes, ladies and gentleman an 8th grade girl who does not even do track won our contest. It's a great story. Read up on how a letsrun.com fan, got his PE class to follow the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trails.

British Drug News:
Britain's Mark Lewis Francis Has 2 Missed Tests, Must Avoid a Third for the Next 3 Years
Guardian
*
MLF Says Faulty Doorbell, Laziness Were Behind His 2 Missed Tests
*With Creation of Independent Drug Agency UK Sport Has Done a 180

Running USA Looking for New CEO
According to its IRS documents (2006 here, 05 here) the job pays around $60k a year. Better yet to get a consulting job with them as they paid out around $120k in consulting fees the last two years. We're not sure what those were for or exactly what this group does, but it has some heavyweights on its Board of Directors.

Man Running Around the Perimeter of the US

LRC The Week That Was In what we hope will be a weekly take on the week that was in distance running action, LRC takes a look back at the last two weeks of action (hey it was Thanksgiving). We give big props to young upstart Sammy Wanjiru who could become the man who overcomes Kenya's failure in the Olympic marathon (Kenya has 2 medals ever in the Olympic marathon, all from Japanese based Kenyans. Guess where Wanjiru trains?) We totally break down the NCAA meet and tell you who had the best and worse days and seasons. We give out a slew of Thumbs Ups to everyone from the last-place Stony Brook women to the 3rd-place Oklahoma State men as well as a many Thumbs Downs including one to the entire Northeast Region. Josh McDougal gets official Old School Status andSammy Wanjiru is labelled a Sensation. Wanna guess how many people watched the NCAA XC meet live on the Internet? We tell you the answer. We even tell you how Rojo got a UVA runner All-American honors.
Editor's Note:Updated 9am eastern with story on Devine Racing

Fukuoka Marathon: Sammy Wanjiru Runs 2:06:39 for Win in Fukuoka in His Marathon Debut World half marathon record holder Wanjiru pulled away from Deriba Merga over the final 2k to get the win in the most competitive marathon ever in Japan (2 sub 2:07s, 3 sub 2:07:15). Wanjiru is barely 21 and his marathon future is bright (the marathon debut record is 2:05:50 by Evans Rutto)
*More on Race from Japan Running News Blog
*Fukouka Photos
*200+ Thread With Live Race updates and Impressions

NCAA Men:
LetsRun.com Men's Recap: OREGON and McDougal
McDougal Triumphs in Great Stretch Battle over Rupp on Live TV

Josh McDougal
had won everything in collegiate cross country except for the NCAA championships. That changed on Monday thanks to a thrilling victory over Galen Rupp. Rupp however got some redemption as he put a #1 on the board in team scoring, as Vin Lananna's Oregon Ducks got the NCAA team title, restoring Oregon's XC tradition much quicker than anticipated. Don't underestimate the gutsy performance of Oregon's Mercado twins. Plus we tell you who bombed at nationals, and how some big time streaks in collegiate XC could be coming to an end next year. Article edited to reflect Iona was within 20 poionts at 8k. Photo of McDougal at Finish.

*Results: Men's Team Results
*
Men's Individual Results
*LetsRun.com 2007 NCAA Cross
Country Men's Photo Gallery
*Video Archive of Race
(Once you log in you can skip to any point in the CSTV coverage)
*Photo of the Day: Rupp Celebrates
Earlier we thought it was Salazar as well but not any more.
More: Nice Recap from Terre Haute Paper
: "I think we probably ran right around 14 minutes for that last 5K … that was into the wind and that’s not fast conditions. It was just flat out in the last mile-and-a-half almost. That last 50 meters I almost fell over my legs were so heavy" -Josh McDougal
*Post Race Recap and Quotes from GODucks.com
*CSTV Post Race Recap
*Post Race Interviews

RYAN HALL 2:09:02 Ryan Hall put on one of the most impressive performances ever in American marathoning history, as he destroyed the field and coasted to victory in an incredible 2:09:04 (after a 1:06:17 1st half, yes that's a 1:02:47 2nd half on the hills of Central Park) on the very difficult NYC course. Dathan Ritzenhein ran a very impressive 2:11:07 to get 2nd while Brian Sell got the 3rd Olympic spot in 2:11:40. Former World Record holder Khalid Khannouchi ran a very gutsy race to finish 4th.
Ryan Hall is the real deal in case you didn't know. Here are his 5k splits on the very difficult NY course to prove how incredible he is at the marathon: 16:44, 15:41, 15:27, 15:12, 15:05, 14:48, 14:28. Yes that's right a 14:28 from 30 to 35k. Hall pumped his fist, pointed to the heavens, and waved to the crowd the final mile savoring the incredible run and still ran a 15 minute 5k pace for the final 7.2k (14.56 from 35 to 40k)
*Results
Race Recap From RunnersWorld's Amby Burfoot Amby did an excellent job covering the lead up to the Trials so it is fitting we link to his race article.
*NBCOlympics Recap of 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials: Triumph and Tragedy
*Quotes
*Video: Watch the on Demand (For Free, Skip to Any Crucial Point Instantaneously. Thank you NBC)
*Post Race Press Conference Videos Top 3, Meb, Culpepper, Khannouchi, Lehmkuhle
*Dathan Ritz Quotes
*Brian Sell Quotes

*Khalid Khannouchi 4th at Trials A great great run for Special K. He got 4th hobbling around the park.
*Photos
Excellent ones from letsrun.com message boarders skylon

2007 ING NYC Marathon: Paula Radcliffe and Martin Lel Win With Big Finishing Kicks For the second straight day, there was thrilling action in New York's Central Park. Paula Radcliffe led for nearly 26 miles before Gete Wami took her first lead with less than a half mile to go. That move sparked an amazing finishing kick by Radcliffe who got her second NY title in her first marathon in two years. Wami gota nice consolation prize - the $500,000 world marathon majors title. In the men's race, Martin Lel outsprinted Abderrahim Goumri just as he did in London.
Video:
Highlight Video from NBC Sports (3:47) NBC did a great job on its coverage this weekend. You can watch for free the entire men's trials here on demand (skipping to any point you want). If you paid $3.99 using code RUN2007 you can watch the full NYC marathon on demand.

LetsRun.com 2008 Men's Marathon Trials Preview Radio Podcast-Relive the glory of Wejo picking the top 3 in the Trials perfectly. Now available on demand to listen or download. We give you our genius opinions and break down the incredible field. And until talking to Toni and Matt we didn't realize the blowout profiles/stories/video on Chasingglory.com this week.

Ryan Hall Officially the Favorite
On the Trials preview radio podcast we first revealed the votes and Ryan Hall is the favorite followed by a close second in Abdi Abdirahman. 7 guys are clearly head and shoulders above everyone else in the voting.

More on Woodruff: 1936 800m Champ Olympian John Woodruff Dies New York Times
*
More on John Woodruff from NYTimes Last Year
*More on John Woodruff from ESPN

LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Men
Unvelievable:
Invuti Wins Unbelievable Finish in Chicago
Words don't do it justice just watch the video above.
*Chicago Tribune Recap of Ivuti's Narrow Win

It's hard for words to describe the greatest finish in (Chicago) marathon history. It came down to two time world champ
Jaouad Gharib and former track/xc star Patrick Ivuti, fresh off his 59:27 half marathon. Gharib surged ahead going up a slight incline down the finishing straight. Ivuti then battled back and took the lead on the downhill. Gharib dug back and retoook the lead as they barreled towards the finish and the two guys still standing there with the finish tape which is only about 5 feet wide. Ivuti surged back right at the finish and it was too close to tell but Ivuti got the win. Hot weather took its toll on everyone.
*Video: Patrick Ivuti Talks About His Narrow Win In Chicago

Lengthy Video Interview With Gebrselassie with Sean Hartnett After His World Record Hartnett knows his stuff so we're sure this is a great interview without even watching it. Hartnett knows virtually every top runner in Kenya and Tergat turned to Hartnett for advice prior to moving to the marathon.

Victah Sailer's Berlin Marathon Photos See Geb make history.

Trevor Graham Trial Date Set for March 19th

Allyson Felix Graduates from College Her future is definitely bright.

Steve Cram Super Impressed by 17 Year Old Aussie Ryan Gregson

Track Drug News: Chryste Gaines Trying to Come Back After Drug Suspension, Denies She Took Drugs We don't believe her. For a host of reasons.
1) In ""Game of Shadows" Conte Said He Gave Drugs to Chryste Gaines
2) Tim Montgomery Had Allegations versus Gaines
and she was busted once for a different Balco drug:

3) Chryste Gaines Sanctioned For Using Modafinil Plus, Remi K, the coach busted in Balco, was her coach

Britain's Ron Hill Has Run Every Day for 43 Straight Year His streak  is impressive. He ran the day after a head on car collision, and ran with a boot on. But even more impressive is during his streak he got a  Commonwealth Games Gold in the marathon and ran 2:09 in the marathon. (He's not the founder of SportHill as we said earlier)

Marathon Threads on the Boards:
*Greg Meyer Vs Meb
*Ryan Hall vs Bill Rodgers

Australian News:
*Teen Prodigy Ryan Gregson is Smashing Craig Mottram's Records in Australia
He's starting to generate a lot of fanfare. IAAF

* African Refugees Starting to Star in Australia in Track and Field

USADA Loses It First Case as LaTasha Jenkins Who was Coached by Trevor Graham Gets Cleared to Compete Some are calling this a result of the Floyd Landis case. Floyd may have lost his first round, but he pointed out how many of the labs seem to do careless work.

A Man We Respect: F.P. Santangelo, Named in Mitchell Report, Comes Clean and Admits HGH Use Good read

This Weekend: Venta de Baños Spain XC Preview

Golden League Events Announced for 2008 and Men's 400m is Back

Kenya News: World Marathon Champ Luke Kibet Running XC Race This Weekend
*Youngsters Asbel Kiprop and Ruth Bosibori Have Eyes on Olympics

Rhode Island Marathoner Bobby Doyle Dead from Heart Attack

Thursday's Action:
*
Collis Birmingham
Wins Zatopek 10k in His 10,000m Debut IAAF
*
Deaf Woman, Melinda Vernon Wins Zatopek 10k
*Tamsyn Lewis Wins 400 at Zatopek

World Trials and 2012 Olympic Trials Mean a Boon Financially to Eugene

Eugene Gets 2009, 2011 US Champs, 2012 Olympic Trials So much for seeing how things go this year. Since USATF hasn't gotten many fans elsewhere for nationals we don't blame them. But we don't see any rush to give it to Eugene now either.
*Press Conference Video

Houston Marathon to Stick With Champion Chip after Honolulu Marathon Power Failure

Former Nike Employee Andy Caine To Recruit Athletes for Britain's Great Run Races

Kenyan Newspaper Looks Back at the Year of Kenyan Running 2007 was the year of the Kenyan women at Worlds.

Everyone is Running London Once Again Next Year Top marathoner in the world Martin Lel, World Champ Luke Kibet, Paul Tergat, Moroccans Abderrahim Goumri and Jaouad Gharib, and Stefano Baldini and Meb Keflezighi for good measure. There has to be someone left to run Boston but we can't think of anyone. (Oh wait Wanjiru, Ivuti, and Khannouchi)
*When Will 2 Hours Be Broken in the Marathon? London Director Dave Bedford thinks by 2030. Jos Hermens worries about the motivation of the Aficans as they get richer like the Europeans.

Paula Radcliffe Going to Heat Acclimization Camp in S. Africa in January

Matthew Turnbull Hired to Be New Elite Athlete Coordinator for Elite Racing Before this he did the the BUPA, Great North, Great South, etc races. Those races always seem to have great fields.

London Grand Prix Becoming 2 Day Meet It's a great meet and if any meet is worthy of 2 days this one is.

On the boards Olympic Trials Hotel Prices: Super 8 $259.99 How the hell can Eugene not have enough room for 15,000 spectators?

Christine Ohuruogu Only Got .7% of the Votes for British Athlete of the Year We're really not surprised. A gold in an event without the 2 best runners isn't that impressive.

Drug News: Victor Conte to Meet With Dick Pound in NY Today Supposedly he's going to name names.
*IOC Delays Decision on Awarding Marion Jones' Medals

John Steffensen in Trouble in Australia for Verbal Tirade Against Olympic Gold Medallist in Heptathlon Glynis Nunn-Cearns He's upset he wasn't preselected to the Olympic team and has to run race this winter.
*Australian Track Great Raelene Boyle Calls a "Fool"

More Australian News: Is Distance Running an African Affair? theage.com.au With quotes from Wejo. The Aussies are impressed at American's newfound success.

Footlocker XC
Girls:
2007 Footlocker Girl Recap: Ashley Brasovan Wins
Brasovan the LetsRun.com darkhorse pick for the meet came out on top as she stayed off of the suicidal opening pace set by Jordan Hasay and rallied for the win over the final mile. Next year, the past 3 champs will all be back to race one another for supremacy.

*Results
*
Foot Locker 2007 Webcast Archive
*2007 Foot Locker Girls Race Photos

*Photos of All 40 Footlocker Girls

*More Post Race Coverage: Dyestat, Milesplit

Honolulu: Ambesse Tolossa Wins Honolulu Again Over Jimmy Muindi, Alvetina Biktimirova Wins Women's Muindi vomited over the final miles.

European XCs: Sergey Lebid Gets His 7th European Cross Country Title
*Spain's Marta Dominguez Gets European XC Crown Before Home Crowd
*Stephanie Twell Repeats at European Juniors

*2007 European XC Women's Results
*2007 European XC Men's Results
*More European XC Results Stephanie Twell
repeated in the junior women's race.

PreRace Footlockers:
*2007 LetsRun.com Footlocker Girls' Cross Country Preview: A Battle for the Ages?

The last two champs Kathy Kroeger and Jordan Hasay are going head to head but the favorite is Ohio's Claire Durkin who has dominated this year. Durkin
won the Midwesst Region by 42 seconds.
LetsRun.com Footlocker Poll Predictions
You all are ignoring Durkin and all picking Hasay.
2007 LetsRun.com Footlocker Boys' Preview
Can Chris Derrick stop the German Fernandez juggernaut? We break down the boys race.
*Lengthy Profile on German Fernandez
Modesto Bee
*Claire Durkin Nervous Before Nationals

Great News: Footlocker's Not Going Anywhere

*Move Coverage Milesplit.us, Dyestat

Psycho Rich Con Artist College Student Captivating Philly Claimed She Was a 2004 Olympic Pole Vaulter
*More: More on Bonnie and Clyde Con Artists

Good Read: The Mind May Be Your Biggest Obstacle to Running Fast If you're interested in a book on the mental side of running, Wejo higly recommends Running Within. New York Times

British Olympic Trials to be July 11th in Birmingham They are behind the game as USATF has already announced the standards for the 2012 Olympic Men's Marathon Trials (without a lot of consulation we must ad)

Saif Saaeed Shaheen, Isinbayeva Have Some Impressive Undefeated Streaks Heading Into 2008 IAAF

Ryan Shay Run in Bermuda a Huge Success
Organizers Ashley Couper Estwanik and Chris Estwanik were expecting a handful of people, but instead hundreds showed up.

UK Doping News: Paula a Bit Disappointed Christine Ohuruogu Didn't Do More to Get to Her 2nd Missed Test
*UK May Get an Independent Drug Agency

Cuban Hurdling Star Dayron Robles Only 21

Nike Trying to Buy Adidas (and Reebok)? That's the rumor, but that doesn' t seem to make sense as somehow Asics is in the talks as well and Asics has a market cap of $3 billion, 5 times smaller than Adidas (which owns Reebok) and 10 times smaller than Nike. Nike's purchase of Adidas would face a lot of antitrust scrutiny.

Head of UK Athletics Says Bad Press for Ohuruogu Was Her Own Fault

Brooks #1 in Specialty Running

Nike Team Nationals
Chris Derrick Wins & Leads Team To 2 Point Win - Fayetteville Manlius Repeats On Girls Side
The power of letsrun.com was on full display as letsrun.com fan Derrick got the individual and team title by handing Footlocker South champ Colby Lowe his first loss of the year. The FM girls, who are located less than an hour from LRC headquarters, repeated. Coincidence? We think not.
*Rewatch the Races on Dyestat
*Runnerspace.com the newest running social network site has a lot of Videos
*More Coverage from MileSplit.Us

Footlocker CC Road Race West Regionals
*German Fernandez Wins as Jordan Hasay 3-Peats Fernandez followed up his unreal performance from states last week to make a statement that he may will be tough to beat next week.. The race was run on a road course due to rain. Funny we thought that running in all conditions and all terrain was the definition of xc.

Dreams Become Reality
"Now, when I watch the final mile of the race part of me gets embarrassed at my enthusiasm as it is very uncharacteristic of my nature, but part of me remembers what I was feeling when I was out there. After years of struggle I was realizing my dream. It was overcoming all the hard times that made that moment so sweet and sharing it with my friends, family; and teammates made it even sweeter. I will never forget running through Central Park that fall morning, running through my sanctuary."

-Ryan Hall talking about his stunning run at the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials. To watch it again click here

NCAA Women:
LetsRun.com Women's Recap: Stanford Three peats, Kipyego Dominates Sally Kipyego showed she is still head and shoulders ahead of the competition and Stanford showed there was a reason they were #1 in the country all year. Plus we take a look at next year's NCAAs. The Pac10 is so tough Stanford could go from three peating at nationals to 4th in their conference.
*
Results:
*
Women's Team Results
*
Women's Individual Results
*LetsRun.com 2007 NCAA Cross Country Women's Photo Gallery
More: Sally Kipyego Cruises to Another NCAA XC Crown www.tribstar.com
*
The Oregon Women Hadn't Made NCAAs Since 2000 and They Leave the NCAA Runnerups www.oregonlive.com

Olympic Champ Noguchi Wins Tokyo Marathon in 2:21:37 She booked her ticket to Bejing with the win.

Robert Cheruiyot and Gete Wami Honored With Inaugural World Marathon Majors Titles and Their $500,000 Checks in NYC Both athletes were very humble as they accepted their prizes and were already focused on the future instead of spending their paydays. Cheruiyot is the greatest rags to riches story in sport. Text, photos and video.
*NY Times Article on World Marathon Majors Awarding $500,000 to Cheruiyot and Wami
*London Director Dave Bedford Expects World Marathon Majors to Raise Purse

Pre Race NYC/Trials News:
Friday:
Paula Stronger Than Ever? Paula Radcliffe blew into the press area in advance of Hurricane Noel on Friday and she got the star treatment. Paula indicated that her pregnancy has left her stronger than in the past. That's a scary thought. LetsRun.com story above with photos/video of the press conference.
More Paula:

*
Philip Hersh Profile in LA Times
*
British Article on Comeback
*Brendan Foster:
Paula is Britain's Best Hope for Gold in 2008
Thursday: US Men Ready to Rumble
Abdi and Hall the Favorites

Thursday the majority of the favorites for the US Olympic Trials addressed the media (Brian Sell, Dathan Ritzenhein, Alan Culpepper, Ryan Hall, and Abdi Abdirahman).Sell and Hall looked nervous for sure but that all means nothing on Saturday. It is almost time to forget about the hype and let them lace them up and take to the streets of NYC in the most anticipated Olympic Marathon Trials in ages. The media was out in full force on Thursday and the US stars are getting a lot of press, although not much of note was said.

Hall: Ryan Hall Profile in LA Times: "A silver medal trumps a 2:08" Latimes.com
*Full Video of Press Conference With Amerian Men and International Men
Wednesday:
2008 NYC Media Day 2 (Wednesday): Jelena Prokopcuka, Wami Battling for Half a Million $$$$
American Darkhorses: Jason Hartmann, Clint Verran and Ryan Shay Address the Media, Pete Gilmore Sick
LetsRun.com recaps Wednesday's Media news. Text, photos, video.
Tuesday at the Trials:
Khannouchi, Meb Ready to Go
A candid Khalid Khannouchi addressed the media along with Meb Keflezighi. Khannouchi took on a wide range of issues (the fall trials date, the 1 shot American system, and Haile Gebrselassie's new world record in the marathon) as arguably the greatest marathoner of all time tries to make the Olympics for the first time. Both Khalid and Meb say they're training has been good of late.
*Video of Press Conferences

Spira CEO Writes an Open Letter to Letsrun.com Readers You know the company that is dependent on USATF "banning" it's shoes.
*LetsRun.com Readers Respond With an Open Letter to the Spira CEO

LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Women
Unbelievable
Adriana Pirtea Blows It

Just watch the video above. Shorter video here if you're impatient

*
Chicago Tribune Recap of Ivuti's Narrow Win
Adriana Pirtrea, a runner basically no one has heard of (including ourselves) (she did finish 2nd at an NCAA indoors once), was on her way to winning the Chicago Marathon. She had been clear of Berhane Adere for miles. Pirtrea, as she took the final turn, was high fiving the crowd. She had a 15 second lead with 58 seconds of runing left. Little did she know that Adere had overcome whatever problems she had had and was quickly making up ground. Pirtrea never looked back and was strolling into the finish thinking about her career changing win. Meanwhile, Adere was in an all out sprint on the other side of the road. She flew by Pirtrea and Pirtrea had no chance to respond. A truly incredible turn of events as Adere made up a 15 second deficent in 47 seconds. Watch it to believe it.
*Former Yalie Kate O'Neill 3rd in Her Debut

*Wheelchair Race Decided by 1 Second All the races in Chicago were close.

AL OERTER 1936-2007 The death of this legend basically is being ignored in the US but thankfully the NYTimes gave him the homage he was due in this tremendous article by Frank Litsky on Oerter. And we like Oerter's anti drug stance and honesty (admitting to trying roids in 1976). When he quit competitive throwing he said, "The drug culture had taken over."
*Daily Telegraph in Britain Remembers Al Oerter

*Kansas City Star Remembers Al Oerter

*More Oerter: *
Message Board Thread
*
More on Oerter from Florida Paper
*Article on Oerter and His Painting: "I know this won't sound right but painting is the same dadgum thing I found in training for the Games"

LetsRun.com 2007 World's Coverage:
*Sunday Homepage
Ndereba marathon
*Saturday Homepage
*Friday Homepage Tyson Gay
*Thursday Homepage Lagat
*
Wednesday's Homepage Lagat
*
Tuesday's Homepage Bekele 10k
*
Monday's Homepage Tyson Gay
*
Sunday's Homepage Dibaba/Goucher 10k
*Saturday's Homepage
Kibet Marathon

A Legend Retires: Long Jump Legend Ivan Pedroso Turns 35 Today and He's Retiring from the Sport IAAF

Kenyan Sammy Nyamongo Has Run 3 Marathons in 3 Weeks but He Still Aspires Greatness It's a hard way to eke out a living.

My School Sport: Phillips Idowu

A Different Type of Race: Santa Speedo Run in Boston a Success The run is self explanatory. Get in a speedo, where a Santa hat and  run through Boston.
*Photos from Santa Speedo Run

*Pre Race Article on Santa Speedo Run
*Speedo Run Q&A from Last Year

Save Ohio Track and Field Blog Launched (And They Have a Billboard in Ohio as Well) The blog is pretty interesting. They point out how many schools can axe more $$$ from women's sports (scholarship sports), but more men's #s and then be in compliance with the proportionality test of Title IX. The proportionality test is a joke. If we were advising schools to beat the system, we would put 100 girls in XC/track which counts as 2 or 3 sports.

Survey on Baseball Drug Scandal  You can cast your own vote.
*93% of Survery Participants Want Baseball to Use Blood to Test for HGH
Sports Illustrated

AT&T Austin Marathon To Hold International Team Challenge in 2008

Marion Jones Gone But Not Forgotten High Praise: "She was the greatest sprinter of her generation and, in an age when cheating with drugs was common, she raised her game to use even more sophisticated designer dope to beat other cheats."

Thanou May Sue IOC If She Doesn't Get Marion Jones' Gold BBC

Communism is Dead: China Fines Runners for Not Wearing Sponsors Logo on Bib

Tim Benjamin Missed a Drug Test in 2005 Not sure why this makes news.

Marion Jones Officially Loses Her Medals It's too bsad she wasn't in the NFL. She could be doing Nike commercials instead.
*Victor Conte Did Not Name Names in His Meeting With Dick Pound Yesterday
Today the Mitchell MLB report comes out.

United Arab Emirates Half Marathon Featuring $200,000 Prize Purse This February, Features Patrick Makau IAAF Makau went sub 1:00 3 times last year.

Oscar Pistorius Waiting Decision on Whether He Can Run in Olympics

SEAsian Games Final Day Recap IAAF

13 Year Old Australian Girl Training for Los Angeles Marathon

Witness Statements Needed for Club Nationals Afterparty: Mike Gerber is in Jail on $35,000 Bond If you saw the incident, the ATC coordinator wants you to come forward.

Honolulu Marathon Had Timing Problems They switched away from Champion Chip but if it makes them feel any better NY used Champion Chip and had problems with no rain (and apparently Champion Chip costs a ton more)

IOC to Fine Countries With Drug Cheats $12,000

World Famous LetsRun.com $200,007 Footlocker Prediction Contest Check Your Scores

Article on HCM, Heart Defect That Kills as Many as 6000 a Year in the US, and Can Cause Sudden Death in Athletes Sports Illustrated Still no word on Ryan Shay's autopsy.

We Can't Remember If We Put This up Last Week: IAAF Rejects Plan to Reschedule Track Events so Allyson Felix Could Double in 200, 400

Paula Radcliffe Rips European Athletics Decision to Have European Champs Every 2 Years and 1 Month Before 2012 Olympics

Casey Combest Injured in His Comeback Attempt The great white hope reportedly suffered a hamstring injury after getting off to a blistering start.

More Weekend Road Action:
Lagos, Nigeria:
Rwanda's Dieudonne Disi Wins Lagos Half Marathon, Linet chepkirui Defeats Berhane Adere Before 40,000 People (They won $50,000 each)
Dallas White Rock:
James Koskei Wins Wellstone White
Rock Marathon in Dallas And Gets $35,000 for a 2:15 Koskei is a Kimbia athlete who had tried to run Chicago.
*Emily Samoei Limps Across the Line but Wins White Rock in 2:35

*
6 months after giving birth Jacquline Nyetipei Runs 1:11:45 to win White Rock Half Super Impressive
*White Rock Results
Kenya: World Marathon Champ Luke Kibet Does Pacemaking and Nathan Kosgei Wins Nyeri Half Marathon, Sally Chemtai Wins Women's IAAF
*
More Kenyan Road Action EA Standard

On the Boards: Brits Totally Clasless for Booing During National Anthem at Mayweather Fight

Mushir Salem Jawher is Now Leonard Mucheru Once Again And you guys act like we're racists when we call him Mucheru.

Crazy Rich Con Artist College Student Captivating Philly Claimed She Was a 2004 Olympic Pole Vaulter
*Psycho Rich Con Artist College Student Captivating Philly Claimed She Was a 2004 Olympic Pole Vaulter

OU Shotput Star Kevin Bookout Now Trying to Make NBA

Stockton College Names Track for Olympian Larry James

Cathy Freeman Being Called a Sellout in Australia

Navy's John Mentzer Finished 24th at Olympic Marathon Trials

2007 NCAA XC Contest Recap: We Have a Repeat Winner Tim Goldsack is a genius. He won our 2004 NCAA XC contest and he won our team contest this time as well. Super impressive and so was the guy who picked the top 4 men, the top 2 women and the top 3 women's teams and top 2 men's teams perfectly. Plus we give props to another female winner who we have screwed over for 3 years.

Drug News: New UK Drug Agency to Have $16 Million Budget, Investigators on Its Staff
*25% of Supplements Made My Manufacturers Without Quality Control Have Traces of Steroids

Adidas Trying to Compare Tyson Gay to Jesse Owens How about waiting until after the Olympics for the comparisons.

U Portland Coach and West Coach of the Year Rob "Vegan" Conner Ran 2:39 at CIM

Bruce Jenner Named to USATF Board of Directors

1972, 1976, 1980 Olympic Trials Programs from Eugene Online

22 Year Old Michelle Gallagher Qualified for Olympic Trials at CIM

Coach Weir at Stanford is No Longer on the Website

On the boards: Are ther any NFL guys that could go sub 10 in the 2 mile?

On the boards: USATF XC Club Nationals This Weekend
*Lananna, Wetmore, and McDonnell
*The Week That Was Receiving Good Reviews

"In analyzing American distance running, I have learned what I need to establish as a runner, what steps I must take, and what mind set I must have to become an elite runner. I must have the same attitude as did one of America's best distance runners Steve Prefontaine who once said: "I don't run a race to see who is the fastest, but to see who has the most guts." This is what will make Americans great runners. This is what will make them heroes for eternity."
-Ryan Shay, concluding a 10 page paper he wrote for his freshman English class at Notre Dame
(which Ryan's fathers has graciously shared with the LetsRun.com community).


Reid Coolsaet and Carmen Douma Hussar Win 2007 AGSI Canadan XC Nationals
Don't believe in the power of LetsRun.com (read to the left about the US HS nationals)? Hmm, then why did the man who screamed out "LetsRun.com post-race party" in the middle of the Bad Boy 8k in New York on Nov. 3 win?
*
Discuss The 2007 Candian Cross Country Nationals In Our Forum

Not sure why this wasn't at least discussed publicy before being voted on US Men's Marathon Olympic Trials Tightened Dramatically To 2:19 Tightening the standards might make sense but the reasons they are providing for the change - to make it more manageable for event organizers- doesn't seem to make sense as most marathons are used to hosting 20,000+. What's the difference between 160 and 80 entrants? Discuss the Olympic marathon trials standards changes on our message board.

Ryan Shay Update: Ryan's Dad Clarifies What Money Raised for the Ryan Shay Foundation Will Be Used For His dad is a class act and he instilled good values in his son.
*Memorial Run in Bermuda for Ryan Shay Being Held December 2

Nike is So Good at Marketing They Can Make You Believe Anything An astute visitor to letsrun.com noticed a strange photo of Kara Goucher at a Sports
Authority and figured out it had been photo shopped.

In case you were gone last week: LetsRun.com NCAA Prediction Contest Unofficial Scores See how you stacked up.

German Fernandez Smashes California High School State Record The dude went out in 4:22 at the mile. He ran 49 seconds faster than anyone else in California on Saturday. If he repeats the performance in 2 weeks he'll run away with the Footlocker Champs. This is one of the most impressive hig h school performances ever.
*Message board thread on Fernandez's Run
*Message Board Thread on Footlocker Nationals The big daddy of them all is 2 weeks away.
*More California State Meet Coverage LA Times
*California State Meet Results/Coverage from Dyestat

Videos (You have to download the videos to watch them as Dyestat did not host them on blip.tv)
*Finish and Post Race Interview
*More Video of Race Impressive to just watch him racing the clock.

In Case You Missed It: LetsRun.com Women's Recap: Stanford Three peats, Kipyego Dominates
*
Men's Recap:
OREGON and McDougal
*Tuesday's homepage
*Video Replay of Race
For the first time ever, NCAAs were seen on live tv. Usually they're on in a highlight show 2 weeks later that no one cares about.

Ask Wejo:
Ask Wejo 3: Did You Ever Think "Why Am I Doing This?" A USATF qualifier wonders if Wejo wondered if he would ever be any good.
Ask Wejo 4: Questions From a High Schoooler Trying to Break Through and 5 Hour Marathoner Clearly Wejo must have been bored to write two columns in one day as LetsRun.com reaches out to the masses.

NY Times Looks at Sleep Requirements of Elite Runners Nice article with quotes from Meb, Deena, Steve Spence.
Today's Sign of the Apocalpyse:
Rojo Quoted in the NY Times
It's a separate but related article to the one above. And in it you find out that you that getting sleep 2 nights before the race is BS.

Blue Collar Running: Camp Phoenix Marathon Kabul, Afghanistan

Video of Asafa Powell's 9.74 WR

On the boards: Have the Japanese Perfected Lydiard Training?

Video Race Highlights:
1500
: The Final lap of the men's 1500m
110 Hurdles: *Michelle Perry Storms from Way Behind to Win 100m Hurdles
High Jump: Winning Jump
Video: Men's 100m Final
Video:
Horrendous Fall in Men's Steeplechase Warning this is not for the faint of heart
Video: Video of Tyson Gay's 200m Win
*Video of Saladino's Clutch Winning Long Jump
*Video of Andrew Howe Taking Lead in Long Jump and Then Going Nuts
Yes nuts. Worth a watch.

*Should Lagat Run the 5k?

Training Advice:
Advice from the pros

Top 10 Training Tips

LetsRun.com's Weldon Johnson gives his top 10 training tips in this letsrun.com classic when the site first launched.. They helped him knock 1:22 off his 10k pr in one race and will definitely help you too.
No Shortcuts
LetsRun.Com coaching consultant John Kellogg outlines his basic coaching approach and gives the four principals to correct training for elites. LetsRun.com co-founder Robert Johnson translates Mr. Kellogg's approach so that it is beneficial for the masses.

Wejo Speaks:
Why I Sucked in College
Perhaps Wejo's Most Popular Training Article Ever
"In running however, there are not bonus points for running 'hard.' The point is to run fast. There is a difference. Don't forget that."

-Letsrun.com's Wejo explaining "Why He Sucked in College" but went on to be 4th in the country in the 10k"

Rojo Speaks:
*In Case You Forgot JK is a genius: "John (JK)is the whole inspiration [for] why my brother and I are into running,His philosophy is what we use here at Cornell."- LetsRun.com's Rojo on the legendary JK

JK Speaks: JK Speaks: Progressing To Peak Fitness LetsRun.com coaching guru John Kellogg talks about progression runs and the art of the sport versus the science of the sport.

Learn From a Legend
Arthur Lydiard Quotes:

"
Train Don't Strain"

-famed distance coach Arthur Lydiard
Lydiard Quote:
"Americans arrogantly want it all now, this is why they finish last. Speed must be used in proper proportions. Build and build like the Afrikans. This is the only way to realise your potential."
-famed distance coach Arthur Lydiard

Learn/ Be Inspired from the Stars:
Yet Again The LetsRun.com Training Philosophy Is Proven True:

"Everything has been part of a master plan. Of course we've had to re-focus and re-adjust along the way, like everyone does, but there has always been a plan. [Years] 2005 and 2006 were all about training for 2007 and 2008. The last couple of years, we were trying to build up the strength he needs to win championship medals in the 1,500.''
-Scott Raczko, coach of Alan Webb, talking about how their focus on strength the last two years is paying big dividends in a feature in America's top sports magazine, Sports Illustrated (although we are pretty sure the article appears only online).

Great Read/Advice: Such a Simple Sport:
"I train twice every day except on Sundays and on Christmas Day."

-the great Haile Gebrselassie, on his training over the holidays. He says his New Year's resolution is to win the gold medal at 10k and break the 10k world record. And Gebrselassie is still young as it is only 1996 in Ethiopia (we swear).

Geb:
More Great Advice for the Greatest Distance Runner Ever:

Haile Gebrselassie says work hard, be patient, and take your recovery days seriously.
Good Read.
*
Haile Gebrselassie's Addicted to Running:
"I always have a goal to do something. That way I keep running. It's an addiction to winning. But it's also an addiction to run - it is like a drug. If I'm not sweating I don't feel good."

Cheruyiot
A Must Read
Inspirational Profile of Boston Marathon Record Holder Robert Cheruiyot The life story of Cheruiyot, who is looking for his 3rd Boston title Monday, is truly remarkable
LetsRun.com
R
ojo Speaks: Inspired By a Kenyan Robert Cheruyiot Cheruyiot is a true star in the sport and a truly unbelievable rags to riches story.

Some of the Highlights From Our Archives:
You Know You're a Runner If...
(our reader's fill in the blanks with some hilarious responses on the message boards)

Kenya: LetsRun.com's Wejo went to Kenya for the World XC Championships and then he toured the country and explored the secreats of some of the Kenyan greats. See some of his insights on this incredibley country.
Controlled Chaos
Read about incredible one of kind 2007 World XC Championships in Mombasa, Kenya. Tens of thousands of people packed like sardines, hanging in trees, in opressive heat, all to see the Cross Country Championships for the first time in Kenya. There will never be a party like this one again.
Kenyan Distance Running Part I: Kenya, the Land of Opportunity
You've seen the highly praised photos, read the incredible race recap, now learn about the Kenyan distance phenomenon. In this article, Wejo looks at the motivations of Kenyan runners. "Running in Kenya is by and large about one thing: money opportunity.
Wejo's Kenya Photos:
546 Photos from His Post World XC Trip
See how the Kenyans live and train in Eldoret and Iten. Plus photos of Kip Keino's center, St. Patrick's High School, Singore Girls School, Lornah Kiplagat's, and the Kimbia house. Not to mention photos of Tergat, Tanui, Kiplagat, and many more.

Interviews With Today's Stars on Their High School Careers
A bit old, but we've got to remember our roots.

Rod Dehaven: U.S. Marathon Champ

Juli Henner: U.S. Olympian
Todd Reeser: Top Road Racer Wrestled in High School
Many more
Training Advice
Learn how LetsRun.com running guru, John Kellogg, made a tiny private school in Texas one of the best teams in the state.

And the winner is:
Best Running Movie of All-Time: Fire on the Track
After sitting on the results for months, we're proud to announce that the best running movie of all-time as selected by our viewers is a not an academy award winner, Chariots of Fire, or a highly publicized film produced by Tom Cruise (Without Limits), but rather a running documentary, Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story. Read all about the voting and see the 10 best running movies of all-time as selected by our viewers.
*
Thumbs Up Showdown DVD: Wejo watched the Showdown DVD on the 2007 USA XC Champs in Boulder and was inspired.

Married Thanks to LetsRun.com:
"I don't want to say it. It sounds crazy but it was a dream come true"

-John Stiner, on getting married to his wife, Sarah, who he met on the LetsRun.com message boards. Read about their incredible story.

More isn't always better:
"I had over-trained. I put too much pressure on myself because I wanted that gold medal too much. If I had trained 15 per cent less, I would have won. I was training like a crazy person. There was a lack of self-confidence and a lack of maturity. An athlete does not only train with his body. He trains with his mind."

-Hicham El Guerrouj on why he didn't win Olympic gold in 2000

Inspirational Running Poem