Chanelle And Leo Get Paid, Kara Goucher Gets Injured, Sub-4 Alert For Blake Haney, Free Marathon Tips From Kipchoge And Kipsang, And Haile G Says 18 Is Too Young
by LetsRun.com
April 15, 2014
Previous versions of the Week That Was can be found here.
Questions? Comments? Email us.
This week, in a take on our old thumbs up and thumbs down, we spend a lot of time playing “Those Who Had A Good Week” and “Those Who Had A Bad Week.”
The big news of the week was the 2014 Virgin London Marathon, the most competitive marathon in the world, and the debut of Mo Farah. We covered everything London extensively during the week so we won’t touch on it here. You can find all of our 2014 London Marathon coverage here in our special section.
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Those Who Had A Good Week Included…….
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Chanelle Price
The 2014 World Indoor 800m champ started her outdoor season on a good-note with little fanfare last week. At the Sea Ray relays, she ran a 1500 meter pb of 4:16.52 and edged Rebecca Addison for the win (4:16.56). Her previous pb was 4:20.29 in a race she lost at the Raleigh Relays. Indoors, Price started her great season off with a 4:43.64 campaign.
Last Monday, Price gained financial stability through the 2016 Games as she signed a deal with Nike: Chanelle Price Signs 3-Year Deal With Nike.
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Deena Kastor
Three weeks after coming up short in the wind in Dallas, Kastor broke Colleen De Reuck‘s 71:50 USA masters (40+) half-marathon record on a hilly course in Central Park at the by running 71:38 at the nation’s largest all female half-marathon, the More Fitness/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon, where Kastor was lapping slower runners.
More: Deena Kastors Sets US Half-Marathon Masters Record – Runs 71:38
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Leo Manzano, Hawi Keflezighi and John Hayes
Manzano, the Olympic silver medallist, had somehow been sponsorless for 16+ months until he signed with Hoka One One last week. Imagine having the best year of your life at work only to find yourself getting a pink-slip at the end of it. Getting a sponsor was huge for Manzano. He also got a coach, John Hayes, and an agent, Hawi Keflezighi. Teaming up with coach Hayes was a good move. The idea of being a self-coached 1500 runner isn’t a good one.
Manzano wasn’t the only one having a good week. Hayes got a stud athlete and Hawi, Meb’s brother, was able to do something that super agent Ricky Simms (Usain Bolt, Galen Rupp’s agent) wasn’t – get Leo a contract that he’d sign.
LRC Leo Manzano Talks Excitedly About The Future, His New Deal With Hoka One One And His New Coach – John Hayes
LRC: Leo Finds A Sponsor (And An Agent) – Signs Multi-Year Deal With Hoka One One
MB: Leo Manzano signs with Hoka One One
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South African Sprinter Simon Magakwe
He became the first South African man (or woman) to break 10.00 in the 100 as he won the South African champs in 9.99. A great accomplishment for sure although short of the 9.87 time that his coach dreamed three times that he’d run. Caster Semenya won the 800 women’s race in 2:03.05 and Andre Olivier won the men’s race (1:47.65)..
More: SA Champs Recap: Simon Magakwe Becomes The First South African To Run Sub-10 In The 100
*Zarck Visser Jumps 8.31 On Day 1 Of South African Champs – Simon Magakwe Nearly Breaks 10.00Zarck Visser Jumps 8.31 On Day 1 Of South African Champs – Simon Magakwe Nearly Breaks 10.00
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Eri MacDonald
At the 3rd Hapalua Half-Marathon in Hawaii, Macdonald took home a cool $5000 by running 85:21 for a half-marathon. How is that possible? Well Race Results Weekly explains:
Macdonald, 33, a Honolulu attorney, took full advantage of a 21-minute head start on two Kenyan male professionals, Peter Kirui and Patrick Makau. Battling blustery winds and occasional rain, she crossed the finish line first ahead of about 4500 other runners. Macdonald, a four-time Hawaii state prep cross country champion whose father, Duncan, is a three-time winner of the Honolulu Marathon (1973, 1976, 1980), took home the $5000 first prize.
The fastest outright time was put up by Kenya’s Peter Kirui but he and former marathon world record holder Patrick Makau started 21 minutes behind. Showing you how difficult the conditions were, Kirui, who ran a 59:22 half marathon in Prague last weekend, only managed a 65:44 given the conditions. That being said, he didn’t run all out as Toni Reavis reported he ran slowly at the start, trying to help Makau who is on the comeback trail. “I only ran 80% until 15km today, then 90% to the finish,” said Kirui to Reavis. “I think it is possible to run 61 minutes or 62 minutes on this course.”
For the record, Makau ran 1:08:42.
More:*Reavis:Eri MacDonald 2014 HAPALUA, THE CHASE
*Peter Kirui, Who Paced Patrick Makau To A World Record While Sleeping On The Floor, Now Hopes To Set The World Record Himself Now That He Can Train Since He’s Finished The Police Academy
*Peter Kirui PRs at 59:22 To Win 2014 Prague Half Marathon)
Flanagan and Goucher Last Year at the Boston Finish
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Shalane Flanagan (& Jerry Schumacher)
Runner’s often toil their entire careers in obscurity. Flanagan, a Massachusetts native, had her preparations for this year’s Boston Marathon featured on 60 Minutes – America’s biggest news program with Anderson Cooper doing the story. You can watch it here: Watch “60 Minutes” Segment On Shalane Flanagan And Her Buildup For The Boston Marathon
The segment is focused on Flanagan, a Boston native, possibly winning Boston the year after the horrible bombings.
Deadspin put it best when it said, “Now… it’s cool to care about the Boston Marathon again” and we’re seeing a lot more mainstream press about Boston this year because of last year’s bombing.
60 Minutes even got Flanagan’s coach Jerry Schumacher to talk to the media. Schumacher doesn’t do many interviews, but if you’re going to do one, it doesn’t get much better than 60 Minutes.
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LetsRun.com: We thought a guy with a 1500 pb of 3:28 would find the marathon less than easy and were right: Sorry, Mo Farah Fans: Five Reasons Why Mo Isn’t Winning The 2014 Virgin London Marathon.
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The ABN AMRO Rotterdam Marathon Pace-Maker John Mwangangi
On a weekend, where many believe the pacemakers came up short in London, in Rotterdam, pace maker John Mwangangi was exceptional. He lasted 35km in the race where 2003 world 5000 champion Eliud Kipchoge got the win in 2:05:00.
And notice how he did it. A too fast start is fatal. Instead, Mwangangi hit halfway in 62:41 as Kipchoge ran a negative split.
Mwangangi is a name you might want to keep an eye out for as he looks like a future star. Only 23, he won bronze at the World Half in 2012. Earlier this year he won ABN AMRO City Pier City Half-Marathon over the likes of Dennis Kimetto and Atsedu Tsegay. While Mwangangi only ran 2:09 and 2:10 in his first two marathons last year, we certainly wouldn’t write him off yet as Geoffrey Mutai didn’t exactly rock his first two marathons either (see the next point).
Eliud Kipchoge has transitioned really well from the 5000 to the marahton
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Stat of The Week
With his 2:05:00 win in Rotterdam, Kipchoge now has run three marathons and all of them have been of very high quality. The 12:46 5000 man has run 2:05:30 in Hamburg last April (victory), 2:04:05 in Berlin last September (second to Kipsang’s WR) and now a 2:05:00 win in Rotterdam.
His three races average out to be 2:04:52, which according to Ken Nakamura is the the fourth fastest in history for top three marathon race average which Kipsang leads at 2:03:55, Geoffrey Mutai is second at 2:04:08 and Moses Mosop third 2:04:35. In terms of top 3 fastest debut marathons, Kipchoge is #2.
Average Time Of First 3 Marathons
1) Moses Mosop – 2:04:35.6 (2:03:06*, 2:05:37, 2:05:03)
2)Eliud Kipchoge – 2:04:52 (2:05:30, 2:04:05, 2:05:00)
NA) Wilson Kipsang – 2:06.07.7 (2:07:13, 2:04:57, 2:06:13).
NA) Geoffrey Mutai – 2:10:25 (2:12:40, 2:07:50, 2:10:45 (ignoring a DNF)).
*wind-aided
(Note: Kipsang and Mutai aren’t #3 and #4 We just know that Mosop and Kipchoge are #1 and #2)
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Those Who Had A Bad Week …..
Those that had a bad week included:
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The 9 Minute Barrier:
Remember two years ago, when the messageboard went nuts because 16 boys broke 9:00 for 3200 at Arcadia?
MB: It’s Official – 9:00 Is What 9:15 Was 20 Years Ago – 16 Boys Break 9:00 At Arcadia
Well this year 19 boys broke 9:00. One high school – Brentwood TN – had four guys on the same team at 9:12 or better.
The 19 were led by Blake Haney who won by a ton 3.77 seconds in 8:46.80, an improvement over the 8:48.58 he ran last year at Arcadia.
It’s officially time to put Haney on the sub-4 alert. It’s been way to long since an American born athlete has broken 4:00 in high school (13 years). Haney, who was 5th at the World Youth champs last summer has a 3:44 1500 pb.
On the girls side, some of you may think the girls race winner, Alexa Eraimson had a bad day, but not us. Yes, indoors, she ran 9:00.16 for 3k. That converts to 9:39.98 for 3200 according to LetsRun.com coaching, stat and wind guru John Kellogg.
At Arcadia, she ‘only’ managed a 9:55.82 for 3200 which meant she failed to beat Kim Mortensen‘s US 3,200 HS record of 9:48.59 from 1996 (it should be pointed out Cain has run 9:38.68 for 2 full miles but that was indoors). There was one huge difference. Indoors, she was running in an open race and didn’t win it – she was fourth. Thus she had competition the entire race. We thought she’d still break it but it’s totally different. It’s like asking someone to go break 13:00 without a rabbit.
*2014 Arcadia Talk on the MB:Efraimson vs. Baxter vs. Maxwell vs. Knights at Arcadia
*Arcadia 2 mile results with splits
*Brentwood TN four guys 9:12 or faster at Arcadia
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Oscar Pistorius
Pistorius took the stand in his own trial and repeatedly broke down in tears and had inconsistencies in his testimony. It got so bad for him at one point, the judge, who by the way decides solely herself whether he’s guilty of murder or not, asked him if he was too tired to continue. On Monday, an article on his testimony began as follows, “Oscar Pistorius appears to have two legal defense strategies. And both seem to be failing.”
More: Oscar Pistorius Trial Day 22: Blade Runner’s strategies crumbling under intense interrogation
*Prosecutor Rattles Pistorius So Badly And He Makes So Many “Mistakes” On Stand, Judge Asks Him If He’s Too Tired To Continue *ESPNProsecutor Tries To Get Oscar To Admit He Lied About Going Out On Balcony As Photos Clearly Show It Was Blocked By A Fan
*Video With Audio Of Aggressive Cross Examination Where Prosecutor Tries To Force Oscar Pistorius To Look At Pictures Of His Dead GirlfriendProsecution Scrutinizes Oscar Pistorius’ Testimony In Cross Examination And Accuses Him Of Giving Scripted Answers
Goucher and Family Moving Back to Colorado
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Kara Goucher
The 35-year old announced last week that the beginning of her second act with Mark Wetmore as her coach and her first act as Oiselle her sponsor is going to be delayed a while as she’s out with a sacral stress fracture. Let’s hope she gets healthy in time to train for a Fall Marathon. This spring, she won’t be able to work on her speed and get reacquainted with coach Wetmore. Goucher blogged:
“I cannot believe that this has happened, this injury came out of nowhere. Gone is the track season and the sub 31 minute 10,000 meters I’ve been dreaming of. Gone is the trip to Europe to try to scare the 15 minute barrier in the 5,000 meters. All gone. But what isn’t gone is the feeling of limitless possibility I’ve been feeling since I moved to Boulder.”
The move to Boulder definitely has rejuvenated Goucher because going sub 31 and sub 15 are very difficult tasks. Goucher’s pbs are 14:55/30:55 and were achieved in 2007 and 2008. We figured the days of dreaming of sub 31 and sub 15 were over. However, for a website whose motto is “Where Your Dreams Become Reality”, it is refreshing to see pros dreaming big and surprising us. Here’s some extra motivation for Kara as she comes back from the injury. If Kara can 15:00 or 31:00 again, LetsRun.com will donate $3,000 to the charity of her choice.
More: Kara Goucher Out With Sacral Stress Fracture She says her training had been going well and she was dreaming of running a sub-31 10K and sub-15 5K this summer.
*MB Thread
The Great Ones
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The Sport Of Running
It’s not a good week when a legend like Haile Gebrslesassie says to the AP that running is a bit boring: “Athletics has to change a little bit, bring in new ideas, new concepts. Otherwise it’s going to be just a bit boring to watch,” and then one realizes that everyone agrees with him whether it’s Toni Reavis, Ken Goe or the European Broadcasting Director of Sports Right, Marc Jörg.
Well that’s not entirely true, Jörg actually spoke about the need to spice up track and field before Geb was interviewed last week. Speaking at the 9th European Athletics CEO Conference 30-31 March in Copenhagen, Denmark, Jörg said:
“The finger on the remote control button does not care about how things were done in the past or complicated regulations or calendar constraints or sport politics. If athletics can provide a product that is understandable and people want to watch, the partnership between athletics and television will be successful.”
Or as Goe wrote:
“I think his criticisms are on the money. As a mainstream sportswriter with no background in track & field before I began covering it for The Oregonian, I marvel at how ingrown the sport is. It’s run by insiders for insiders, who apparently have little concept about how difficult it is for casual sports fans to understand.
At its essence, it should be a simple. The athlete who runs fastest, jumps highest, throws furthest, wins. But the numbers, conversion factors, wind allowances, lack of head-to-head competition between stars, an over-reliance on meets built around time trials, make it anything but simple.”
More: Jörg: CEOs address ‘Your Sport for Life’ delivery in Copenhagen
*Gebrselassie worried about future of athletics
*Reavis: HAILE CHALLENGES THE SPORT
*Goe: Haile Gebrselassie says track & field is in trouble, and he’s right
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Weekly Free Training Advice – Marathon Tips From Eliud Kipchoge and Wilson Kipsang
Given their wins in London and Rotterdam last week, and their impressive past success, there is zero doubt that Wilson Kipsang and Eliud Kipchoge know the marathon very well.
And they both separately gave out some very good advice last week on how to be successful at 26.2 miles.
| Eliud Kipchoge:“I do one long run every week, that’s all…..The marathon is not about magic. It is all about mentality. You have to prepare very well and you have to focus, and I believe that a long experience on the track and in the cross is the best way to run a fast marathon.” | Wilson Kipsang:“What I can say, is when you’re running you find that despite the fact that you are feeling pain, you find that if you try to show the physical appearance of happiness you find this generation of energy inside your body. So, even if you are feeling a lot of pain, try to feel happy.” |
Kipsang, while talking to David Monti, reminded us that in all sports tension is bad. Force yourself to relax and smile, and often that will make you feel better. As Arthury Lydiard said, “relaxation is the key to running fast.”
More: ‘Old School” Eliud Kipchoge and his training mates Bernard Koech and Bernard Kipyego are ready to rock Rotterdam
*Wilson Kipsang Wins His Second London Marathon, Sets New 2:04:29 Course Record
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The Greatest Quote Ever About PEDs
Can we give a mega thumbs up to 2003 100m world champion Kim Collins for calling a spade a spade to the BBC last week? Check out what he said after Asafa Powell’s 18-month doping ban was announced last week but Powell responded by saying the “ruling is not only unfair, it is patently unjust” because he claims he took a legal supplement given to him by a therapist he trusted, but the supplement was contaminated:
Whenever these tests come out, people have some really strange excuses. Very few people man up, and I think that’s why Dwain (Chambers) ended up in so much trouble – for saying the truth.
In track and field, when it comes to cheating, you do not tell the truth. You lie, lie, lie. And everybody says, ‘Oh, he really didn’t do it.’ Come on, we all know.
Man up. Man up. Man up. When I’m out there losing to you, or anyone else is losing to you, man up. If you’re a woman, the same thing applies: man up.
As for Powell unknowingly doing something, Collins had a great quote as well, “You say you trust this guy, and he got you into this trouble. What can you say? You trusted him…..you cannot put the blame on anybody else by saying, ‘I trusted people.'”
More: *Asafa Powell: Kim Collins says drugs cheats must ‘man up’
Statement from Asafa Powell – “This ruling is not only unfair, it is patently unjust.”
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Quotes of The Week (that wasn’t quote of the day)
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#1 British record holder Steve Jones (2:07:13) on why Americans and Brits suck at the marathon
“I think people have thought about the event too much instead of going out and actually racing it. For the most part, and it’s not only here but in America too, but it seems like people know how to train for the marathon but they don’t know how to race it.”
– Jones’ words to eightlane.org were a bit prophetic as the double Olympic and three-time world champion Mo Farah later in the week failed to break his British record after deciding he shouldn’t go out in the lead pack despite his credentials.
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#2 We Like The Optimism/A Reminder That Everyone Starts Their Careers Undefeated
“I’m looking to keep my unbeaten marathon run going. I don’t know why people are making these guys favorites; they’ve never beaten me in the marathon. 200-1? Ridiculous.”
– 31-year old British runner Scott Overall, talking last week to Eightlane.org about his betting odds before making his debut in the marathon in London. Overall isn’t undefeated anymore as he was 19th in 2:19:55.
More: GB double-act Thompson & Overall talk training & 2:10-pace ahead of Sunday’s London Marathon
Tsegaye Mekonnen After Winning $200,000 in Dubai (click for photo gallery)
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#3 Gebrselassie Says The Age Of Consent Should Be Higher Than 18
“When I heard that age I was very shocked. Can he win again? There’s a question mark. He’s killing his body; we are breaking his bones by sending him in the wrong competition,”
– Haile Gebrselassie talking about world junior record holder Tsegaye Mekonnen, who won Dubai in 2:04:32 in January, and the recent phenomenon of people moving to the marathon at younger and younger ages.
More: Gebrselassie worried about future of athletics
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#4 Racing On The Roads Is Fun
“I don’t think he ever planned to do that (be a road racer). I think he thought when he moved away from the track he would retire.”
– Jerry Schumacher talking to The Oregonian’s Ken Goe about 12:58.56 5000 meter runner Matt Tegenkamp, who once vowed he didn’t do the 10k but is now a 2:12:39 marathoner, as that’s what he ran at the 2013 Chicago Marathon.
More: Two-time Olympian Matt Tegenkamp has gone all in on road racing
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Recommended Reads
Toni Reavis – Having Rabbits In London Ruins The Whole Excitement Of Racing We 100% agree that most marathons should not have rabbits.
Kim Collins Says Drug Cheats Must “Man Up ” And Accept Responsibility
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Quotes Of The Day & Last Week’s Homepages:
Note: To see a particular day’s homepage, click on the hyperlink of the date. The hyperlink below the date on the quotes will take you to that particular article – not that day’s homepage.
– Mo Farah after finishing eighth in the 2014 London Marathon in 2:08:21 – a time that failed to break Steve Jones‘ 2:07:13 British record.
– Mo Farah accurately describing what he’s attempting to do on Sunday. The 3:28 1,500 runner is taking on the world’s best over 42.2 km in a race that seems like a real-life version of fantasy track and field.
– Mo Farah accurately describing what he’s attempting to do on Sunday. The 3:28 1,500 runner is taking on the world’s best over 42.2 km in a race that seems like a real-life version of fantasy track and field.
– Geoffrey Mutai and Stephen Kiprotich talking about why they think the king of the track, Mo Farah, shouldn’t run Sunday’s Virgin Money London Marathon.
– Haile Gebrselassie talking about how track and field needs to change in order to create more interest and a bigger fan base. He also talked about what he sees as a problem with runners going to the marathon too early.
– Mo Farah talking about the pre-London Marathon press conference comparing his debut this Sunday to Kenenisa Bekele‘s 2:05:03 debut in Paris last weekend.
– Alberto Salazar talking about Mary Cain‘s 2014 racing schedule and how they have to plan it around AP tests and proms. He says that she is “completely healthy” and will definitely race the Pre Classic at the end of May. Drake Relays, Payton Jordan, World Relay Champs and World Juniors are all on the table.
Questions? Comments? Email us.