Where Your Dreams Become Reality

He's Human After All:
"It's a bad thing to miss all that money"
-Haile Gebrselassie, still smiling, but thinking about missing out on the $1 million world record bonus at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon. Geb did pick up the richest first place prize in the sport, $250,000, as a consolation prize.

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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

Sad News: Wesley Ngetich, 2 Time Grandma's Marathon Champ, Killed by Arrow in Kenyan Vioence He was also runner-up in Houston and had hoped to run Rock N Roll Arizona last week but the violence in Kenya kept him from leaving. If he had successfully defended his title in Grandma's this year he would have been the first three time winner.
Video:Wesley Ngetich's Death Gets Picked up on Minneapolis News

*Arizona article on Ngetich's death
*Message Board Thread on Ngetich's Death
Kenyan Political News Update:
*5 More Die in Kenyan Violence, Kofi Annan Arriving Tuesday to Try and Resolve Situation
BBC
Video: 30 More Die in Violence over Weekend
Running/Political News: Good: Some Kenyan Regions Stage Regional XC Champs
Bad: Kenyan District Champs in Rift Valley Champs Called Off

Seville XC World 5k Bronze Medallist Moses Kipsiro Edges Reigning World XC Champ Zersenay Tadese In Epic Duel The two threw the hammer down and put on a show for the fans. It came down to a near photo finish. In the women's race, the Osaka 5k bronze medallist, Priscah Jepleting, also got the win.

Post Dubai Gebrselassie News

Looking Ahead To Bejing
Haile G Is A 'Little Worried' About Beijing Pollution And May Not Run Marathon If It's Really Bad
The 10k is a possiblity
*Jos Hermens Discusses Geb's Pollution Concerns: He says 10k/Marathon double is also a possibility

Looking Back At The Race
*
LetsRun.com's Rojo Talks for 7 Minutes on NPR (National Public Radio) About Pacemaking and Haile's Failed WR Attempt

World's Richest Prize Pool $500,000
Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon
*Geb 2:04:53 - 2nd Fastest Time Ever!! Geb failed to stick to the pre-race plans of going for a negative split and the fast opening pace cost him dearly as he ended up just 27 seconds shorts of a world record and a $1 million bonus. Only with Haile could the 2nd fastest time ever be a disapointment. The opening 10k was 28:39 which is 100% suicidal. Not sure how the rabbits could make the mistake of going 8 secs per mile too fast. In the women's race, Berhane Adere picked up $250,000 by winning. Dubai Marathon Message Board Race Thread
*Martin Fagan Qualifies For Beijing The Irishman overcame visa problems which kept him from running last week in Houston and a hip injury which caused him to stop several times to qualify. Additionally, he didn't wear a watch and there were no clocks on the course. Irish Athletics Gives Much Praise To American Coach Greg McMillan or Fagan's Qualification

Pre-Race News
Gebrselassie Hoping for Negative Split, World Record and $1,250,000 in Dubai
The great one knows that the negative split is the way to go. He's looking to feel good at 30k after an opening 62:15 1st half. IAAF Article Says Haile Is Very Relaxed His main challenger is expected to be the 3rd fastest man ever, Sammy Korir, who is healthy once again.
*Message board thread on race
Internet Coverage: We believe it is possible to watch the race in Arabic for $9.95

Carmen Douma Hussar, Jen Rhines and Sara Hall Squaring Off at New Balance Mile This Weekend in NY Douma Hussar will be looking for her 2nd victory in 6 attempts on Saturday but the favorite on paper may be former world indoor 3k record holder Liliya Shobukhova. Jen Rhines, age 34, seems to be continuing her succesful move down in distance as she gets older. In the men's race, Alan Webb will not defend his crown in the race whre he first went sub-4.

LetsRun.com:
Olympic Trials/NYC Television Ratings
The men's Olympic Trials were a great success in terms of performance but how did they do in terms of television ratings? We break down the numbers.

NY Times: Masback Looks Back at His Career, Sara Hall Wants to Run World Indoors
Washington Times: USATF Needs a More Visible, Less Guarded CEO Than Masback

Former Oklahoma State Coach Ralph Tate Dies

LetsRun.com: The Week That Was
It was a big week on and off the track. Masback going, going gone; Bekele over Tadese; Ritzenhein, Carney and Hudson; the emergence of the "next Paula Radcliffe"; Marion Jones goes to the slammer; our solution for world peace; Rock N Roll gets sold; and much more.

Scotland's David Jenkins, Olympic 4*400 Silver Medallist, Went to Jail for Smuggling Millions of $ in Steroids, Now He's a Multimillionaire He peddles supplements such as one like a Snickers on steroids.

It's Official: Oscar Pistorius Banned from Olympics
*Technical Details on Oscar Pistorius Being Ruled Out of OlympicsIAAF

XC Action:
Edingburgh:
Bekele Defeats Tadese, Gelete Burka Wins Womens in Edingburgh
Bekele pulled away on the final climb and the Amercians Dathan Ritzenhein and Jorge Torres did well. Ritz stayed close to the leaders until the final lap, and finished 14 seconds back in what Bekele said was a "very fast race" and Torres was 18 seconds behind Ritz.

18 Year Old Stephanie Twell Was Drawing Comparisons to Paula Radcliffe Priot to Saturday, But She Earned Them With Her Stunning Performace in Edinburgh She finished 4th but halfway through took the lead on Gelete Burka, Vivian Cheruiyot, and Linet Masai Guardian

Spain XC: Unknown Wilson Kiprop Wins over World Steeple Bronze Medallist Richard Matelong in Rovereto, Italy XC

Monday: Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius Likely to Learn Today He Can't Run in the Olympics
*Graphic Explaining Pistorius' Advantage

Craig Masback Steps Down As CEO Of USATF To Take Job At Nike Ten years after taking over, Masback has decided its time to move on to a new challenge. He leaves USATF in a significantly better financial situation than when he started as he took over an organization that was near bankruptcy and almost $3.5 million in the hole. Now USATF has almost $3.5 million in the bank. Masback's departure for Nike is going to raise questions in regards to USATF awarding the 2012 Olympic Trials to Eugene before the 2008 Trials have taken place. That aside, the fact Nike hired Masback is perhaps the best testament Masback could get of his tenure at USATF.
*Indianapolis Star Story on Masback Resigning
*
Philip Hersh's LA Times Article on Masback Leaving
*
Vin Lananna Talks About Craig Masback Leaving and It's Impact on the Olympic Trials (video) He says Craig has done a "marvelous" job. And kudos to runnerspace for asking Vin about the Nike relationship.
*USATF Release On Masback's Departure
*Message Board Thread on Masback's Departure/Legacy

LetsRun.com Editorial:
Ryan Hall's Making The Correct Choice In Deciding To Run In 2008 Flora London Marathon
We support Ryan's decision and upset sports fans in Boston by asking the Boston Marathon to get with the times. Boston fans will be even more upset when the Patriots lose in the playoffs.

Ryan Hall (and Samuel Wanjiru) Running 2008 London Marathon This is big new. Hall is perfectly suited for the marathon and we're glad to see him facing the world's best again. This also confirms a lot of people's belief that the Olympic Marathon Trials don't have to be in the fall. Oh yeah and in case you didn't know the London field is sick. Top marathoner in the world Martin Lel, World Champ Luke Kibet, Paul Tergat, Moroccans Abderrahim Goumri and Jaouad Gharib, Olympic champ Stefano Baldini and Meb Keflezighi, and now the top 2 young marathoners in the world in Wanjiru and Hall. Boston seems like it has to get Cheruiyot or it won't have ANY of the top guys in the world. Maybe hosting the Women's Trials and not having a title sponsor is making it cut back on its other races.
*Message board thread

*BBC article

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.

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.

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.

USATF Fresno Meet:
*Recap Amy Acuff had good attempts at the Aemrican record in the high jump.
*Results (Not up yet)
*Fresno Bee: Meet a Disappointment at Turnstiles

More Weekend Action:
Italy:
Sergiy Lebid Edges by Inches Martin Lel in 10.6km Race in Italy Lel will run the Libson Half then go for glory once again at the London Marathon. Lel won London and NY last year and is currently the top marathoner in the world.

France:
Linet Masai, Driss El Himer Win Le Mans XC Races (All in all the races had 15,000 runners. Pretty impresive for cross country)
Russia: Yuriy Borzakovskiy Gets 400, 800 Double in Russia
Carlsbad: Dirba, Fulton Win Carlsbad Marathon
But the story for us is the return of Janko Bensa, a friend of ours from Flagstaff, who had not raced in probably 4 years.

New Balance Meet From The Armory Meet Results
*Liliya Shobukhova Runs World Leading 4:31.90 To Win Women's Mile - Andrew Baddely Wins Men's Race In 3:59.29 The women's race was very deep as six women broke 4:35. In the men's, only Baddely and Adrien Blincoe went sub 4. Men's Race Video
*Chanelle Price Smashes US HS Record at 500m The HS star who ran 2:02.38 last year ran 70.30 and broke the old record by more than a second. Race Video

Mumbai Marathon: Mulu Seboka 3-Peats as John Kelai Repeats The win for Seboka was a course record (2:30.03), impressive considering the race finished in hot 85 degree temps. Kelai's win moved his team to the top of the Standard Chartered Bank multi-race standings. T

Visa Championship Series To Kick Off With Run For The Dream Meet On Monday The meet director is trying to get track and field to return to its glory days where indoors had a 3-ring circus feel to it. The meet is supposed to be broadcast live online at 10 pm, check USATF.org for details.

The Dual
Michigan - Ohio State Rivlary Returns To Track With First Dual Meet Since 1993 - Michigan Wins
The meet was fan friendly and a big success. We only wish copetition instead of marks were emphasized more often. Michigan - Ohio St. Dual Meet Results
*Message Board Thrad On How Successful The Meet Was
*Great Pre-Meet Michigan-Ohio State Dual Meet Article On The History Of The Meet and Why It's Being Brought Back. The author sums things up perfectly with the following line: "In a sport that has become too focused on qualifying times and distances, this weekend's iconic meet, "The Dual," returns track and field to its roots in a fan-friendly setting."

Zimbabwe’s Wirimai Juwawo Edges Hendrick Ramaala,To Capture Nedbank Half-Marathon The margin of victory was less than 10 secs. Full results here.

British Sprint Hope, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Returned To 1st Action After 11 Months Off Due To Injury The former youth superstar is back and Britain is ready to pump him up. His comeback started with a loss as an atrocious start resulted him being 3rd in the final with a 6.72 for 60m.

Bekele Looking To Break World 2 Mile Indoor Record On Feb 16 In Birmingham, England
The race will be his last before world indoors.

Ana Guevera Retires You may ask why a distance site thinks a foreign, female 400 meter runner retiring is big news. Well it is. We've spent a lot of time in Mexico and know Guevera is a big, big deal there. She told the president about her retirement before the press. She is retiring as she says the head of the Mexican athletics, Mariano Lara, is corrupt. She said 6 months ago - either he goes or I do and she's sticking to her word right at the start of an Olympic year. Shockingly the IAAF gave Lara its support.

A Good Concept
Olympians, National Record Holders Headline This Weekend's USA vs the World Meet a Fresno State
The meet kicks offs USATF"s Visa Championship Series for 2008. We like the fact that it will be a scored meet as the death of scored meets in college has led to a decline in popularity of track.

More on Paula Running London: Paula Radcliffe and Geti Wami to Square off Again in London London never sits on its laurels or its cash and that is why it is the best marathon in the world. Dave Bedford secured the top marathoner ever in Radcliffe and the World Marathon Majors Champ Wami.
*
Radcliffe to Use London Marathon as Warm-up for Beijng Dave Bedford, the London director, is expecting that Radcliffe will abandon her front-runing style and practice running tactically in London. Interesting.
*Dave Bedford Was Hoping for a Long Term Deal with Radcliffe But Only Got This Year Guardian

Biggest Overreaction In History
South African Long Jump Record Holder Has Sent Letter To South African Athletics Asking That She Not Be Selected To the Olympic Games Apparently her training hasn't been perfect but they are 7 months away. "In all the years that I have been involved in athletics I have never received a request from an athlete not to be selected for an Olympic squad."

CEO Masback to leave USA Track & Field at End of January The search firm likely won't start interviewing replacements until mid-February.

The Pro Indoor Season is Fast Approaching:
Things kick off in Fresno next week at some new meet.

*
Kara Goucher, Jenn Stuczynski, Reese H
offa, Khadevis Robinson and Nick Symmonds Set for 2008 Reebok Boston Indoor Games
*Reese Hoffa vs Adam Nelson, Brad Walker vs Toby Stevenson at 2008 Millrose

More On Kate O'Neill's Win at Women's US Half Champs in Houston Defending champ Elva Dryer dropped out at mile 9.

Paula Radcliffe Running Flora London Marathon Seriously they must have an endless supply of money in London.

Drug News: Dwain Chambers Trying to Make another Comeback Guardian
*
Sue Mott Editorial on Marion Jones and Dwain Chambers

Houston: US Half Champs: James Carney and Kate O'Neill Win First USA Titles at 2008 Aramco Houston Half-Marathon Another good run for Carney at the 20k/half marathon distance. But you shouldn't be surprised by either winner as Carney has run 27:43 for 10k and Kate O'Neill made the Olympics in 2004.
*Results
Full Marathon: Dire Tune,
2:24:40, David Cheruyiot Wins for 3rd Time Impressive run for Tune that netted her $35,000. Cheruyiot was upset the rabbits didn't let him get under the 2:10 barrier.
*Results

Arizona: Michael Aish Wins PF Chang's Rock N Roll, Adanech Zekiros Repeats as Champ in 2:31 Course Record $20,000 for the winners
*2008 Rock N Roll Arizona Marathon Results

Drug/Legal News: *Justin Gatlin Hires Floyd Landis' Legal Team for Appeal of His Decision
*
Torri Edwards Doesn't Want to Comment on Marion Jones' Suspension
*
Michael Johnson on Marion: She's Finally Paying for Poor Decisions
*
Seb Coe Hopes Marion's Situation Means American Track and Field is Finally Taking Drug Problem Seriously
*
Fl
oyd Landis Appeal to Be Heard in March

Leonard Mucheru Wins Tiberias Marathon in Israel in Record Time for 2nd Time and $40,000 He's the guy who got stripped of his Bahraini citizenship for winning this race last year.

Blade Runner Pistorius Says He Will Appeal if IAAF Bans Him from Olympics

400m Hurdler Star Bershawn Jackson Runs 1:55.47 800

Marion Jones Gets 6 Months in Prison Once America's hero, her life is now in shambles. She got a harsh sentence. 6 months, 2 years, supervised probation, and 400 hours of community service. But she did lie to the feds 3 years apart and for the American public for years. "Athletes in society have an elevated status. They entertain. They inspire. And perhaps most importantly, as role models for children around the world."
-Judge Kenneth Karas before sentencing Marion Jones to 6 months in prison on Friday
*IAAF Wants Marion Jones to Preach to Kids about Drugs When She Gets Out of Jail

*Denise Lewis Says Marion Jones' Punishment is Fair

*NY Times Article on Jones Before Sentencing "It is sad, but people like Marion Jones and Barry Bonds
are also victims of an establishment that not only allowed drug use but quietly condoned it. They allowed the idea to spread that everyone else is doing it." -coach Pat Connoly
*Message board thread on sentence

Window Dressing: Baseball, NFL, USOC, USADA Come Together to Give $10 Million to Fight Doping It's sounds impressive until you realize it is $3 million per organization over 4 years. So MLB and NFL, which bring in $6 billion a year, are contributing $750,000 a year which is the price of a 1 player who sits on the bench all year and an amount equal to .0125% of annual revenue (yes 1/100th of 1 percent). A total joke. Meanwhile they take in hundreds of millions of dollars a year in government subsidies and both have antitrust exemptions.

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

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

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

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

Boston Gets Another (Celebrity) Mike Huckabee Running Boston Marathon

Rotterdam: Past Champs Joshua Chelanga and Jimmy Muindi Running Rotterdam This Year on a Faster Course

Great White Hope Casey Combest Wins In 1st Full Race In Nearly 7 Years Combest ran a respectable 6.27 for 55 meters which would be .01 off the NCAA provisional mark. He said afterwards, ""I got the cobwebs out. We made the comeback today. We're back in business. My confidence is back. It was just like old times."

On The MessageBoard
*
What do you REALLY think of women's basketball?
*How Would Dibaba and Defar Due at NCAA Men's XC?

Boston Finally Gets An Elite Male Athlete Lance Armstrong To Run 2008 Boston Marathon It's great that Lance is brining publicity to marathoning but it's a joke the Boston's field is so bad they have to trumpet Lance's participation as being a sign that Boston is one of the "biggest things in sport."

From TheOnion.com (Satire/Comedy site)
Olympic Runners Feeling Stupid For Cutting Off Legs Before Finding Out About Prosthetic Ban

LetsRun.com: The Week That Was
Edited: PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon, Elite Racing Being Sold Added
In the letsrun.com editing process (yes we know that may seem to be an oxymoron for some of our readers), our views on Elite Racing being sold (indications are that Elite Racing wants to increase the quality of its pro fields) and the Rock N Roll Marathon got accidentaly left out. They have been added to the first part of page 2 of our recap here.

Everyone Reads LetsRun.com:
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World Champs Shot Putter, NCAA Champ Dan Taylor Likes the Gossip on LetsRun.com

A Little Over Year Ago: 59:43

Fired Hawaii Athletic Director Herman Frazier's Name is Being Floated for USATF Job He'd even get a pay raise. Frazier is well connected in USOC circles and won Olympic gold in the 4*400 in 1976.

TopCollege Action:
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Pablo Solares Runs 3:59 Mile - 2nd place 4:26
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Half Mil
er, Miler Daniel LaCava Runs 8:05 3000m in His First 3k at Arkansas
*Top Weekend Results

18 Year Old Stephanie Twell Was Drawing Comparisons to Paula Radcliffe Priot to Saturday, But She Earned Them With Her Stunning Performace in Edin

Sunday Kenya Update:
*United States Wants Both Sides to Acknowledge Election Irregularities

Previous:

*Paul Tergat Speaks About Violence in Kenya

*Athletics Kenya Has to Fly Athletes from Eldoret to Nairobi as Road is Too Dangerous to Drive

*Reconciliation Talks Fail

Portland Track Coach Rob Conner to Donate His Kidney so His Mother Can Get One From Someone Else

Nice Profile on Alicia Shay in Arizona Republic

They're Playing My Song - Time To Work Out - The New York Times examines what songs are best to work out to
Message Board Thread: Best Song to Workout To

LetsRun.com Message Boarder Auctioning Off a Week in Flagstaff (Jan 26 - Feb 2nd) With Proceeds Going to Ryan Shay Fund Where else can you hit the Grand Canyon, go snow skiing, and take in the Arizona sun, all in the same week.

Think You're Obsessed? Think Again
" People criticize me for the way that I live, but it’s my life and I alone bear the consequences."

-Master's runner Brian Pope in an interesting article on whether you can love a sport too much. Message board thread on this article here.

In Case You Missed It: LetsRun.com Women's Recap: Stanford Three peats, Kipyego Dominates
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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
Video:
Horrendous Fall in Men's Steeplechase Warning this is not for the faint of heart
Video: Video of Tyson Gay's 200m Win

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.
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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.
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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