The Week That Was In Running - February 21-27, 2011

To read last week's LRC Week That Was, click Here.
To read any 2010
LRC Week That Was, click Here
.

By LetsRun.com
March 1, 2011

Let's Start Things Off With A Haile G Joke

A lot to talk about from last week, but we'll start with a joke to lighten the mood. The joke comes at Haile Gebrselassie's expense, but even he loved the joke. And, honestly, the fact that he loves the joke shows us why he is beloved throughout the world. Not too many men or women can laugh at their own expense.

 

Now we know some of you refuse to watch videos as you don't have time, so we'll give you a text version of the joke (which we've edited slightly so it sounds better in English), which was told to Haile by an Ethiopian journalist and appears on Ethiotube.net.

Haile G Laughs At His Own Expense
A robber enters Haile's (Gebrselassie's) house ... and Haile wakes up from sleeping. Since Haile has a military background (he was a member of the Police Sports Club) and since Haile received an honorary military rank of Major, Haile goes outside to try to defend his property.

The robber flees and Haile runs after him, but can't catch him ...

Haile stops running and shouts, "I know who you are. Kenenisa, come back."

*****

2011 USA Indoors - Jenny Barringer (Simpson) Is Back? ... Where Did She Go?

"Take that everyone who thought I wasn't going to be back. ... Whenever you have any bump in the road, whether it's two weeks or two years, there are so many naysayers. … Let it fuel you. Don't take it personally. Go out and prove them wrong."

- Jennifer Simpson talking to the Colorado Springs Gazette after completing the mile/3,000 double at 2011 USA indoor meet. As fans, LetsRun.com is certainly excited to see Simpson, who is one of just five American women to ever have broken 4:00 for 1,500, to be back racing at a high level. However, doubling up on a watered-down field at USAs doesn't prove to us that she's back in a big in a world-class way.

The real news at USAs would have been if Simpson hadn't completed the double. The fact of the matter is in the 3,000, not a single woman had a PR within 10 seconds of Simpson, and in the mile, only two women in the final at USAs had a PR within 10 seconds of Simpson's, with the closest being 8.65 seconds slower.

3,000 PRs Of 3k Finalists At USAs
(Runners listed in order of finish at USAs)
1.  Jenny Simpson       New Balance 8:42.03
2.  Sara Hall       Asics   8:52.35
3.   Allie Kieffer       Sun Elite   9:08.13
4.   Mindy Sullivan      unattached  9:25.73
5.  Stephanie Pezzullo      unattached  9:19.00
6.   Erin Dromgoole      New Balance Boston  9:18.71

1,500 PRs Of Mile Finalists At USAs
(Runners listed in order of finish at USAs)
1. Jenny Simpson, New Balance, 3:59.90
2. Heidi Dahl, New Balance, 4:09.75
3. Gabriele Anderson, TmUSA Mn/Brooks, 4:12.06
4. Sara Hall, Asics, 4:08.55
5. Lauren Bonds, adidas Raleigh Track Club, 4:14.29
6, Karly Hamric, RIADHA, 4:13.54
7. Frances Koons, New Balance, 4:12.6h
8. Annick Lamar, NYAC, 4:21.38

Imagine if we'd started this section by telling you that a 4:17/9:22 high school boy was racing a 4:25/9:30 high school boy in a 3,000,  you'd certainly expect the 4:17/9:22 boy to win nearly every single time, as he's got a better 3,200 time and is way faster at the mile as well. Well, that's exactly what the matchup between Simpson and Sara Hall was like in the 3,000. If that same runner came back the next day and won the 1,600 against a field that included no one with a PR faster than 4:25, you wouldn't be amazed.

Our point? It's great to see Simpson back in good form and it's even better that she didn't just blow off USAs like so many top pros, but her double doesn't yet prove she's truly back at world-class level.

However, the real question might be, "Who thought Jenny wouldn't be back?" As message board poster edumacator said, "Even on this site, where everyone loves to declare an athlete 'done' after a couple bad races, I don't recall a log of people saying Barringer/Simpson was never going to be back. I mean she's what, 23? Why would she not get back?"

More: *LRC MB: Does Jenny Simpson (Barringer) Really Think She's Back?

The Rest Of USA Indoors - Rupp And Lagat

The other big story coming out of USA indoors was the fact that reigning world indoor champ Bernard Lagat easily dispatched Galen Rupp in the men's 3,000. Lagat seems basically unbeatable indoors at 3k. Last year, when Lagat won World Indoors, we said he was "utterly brilliant." This one was "utterly smooth." In case you were busy following the NCAA action last weekend, we present to you the mid-d and distance final results in the table below.

As for Rupp, we commend him for trying to take down the indoor king. We also feel a bit sorry for him. After all, last week he was planning on taking a crack at the American 10,000-meter record in New Zealand before that meet was cancelled due to the earthquake. What a bummer.

Rupp could have called it a season; instead he flew 8,000 miles back to the US to take on Bernard Lagat. On the homepage of LetsRun.com, upon hearing Rupp was racing Lagat, we quickly published "We know how this one ends 10 times out of 10." After reading that headline, one of the co-founders of LRC became enraged and yelled at his computer. Phone calls were placed and the headline was changed to "Galen is going to have a real tough time matching Lagat over the last 200m." After watching the race, perhaps we should have kept the original headline. Bernard Lagat is absolutely stunning at the end of his races, especially the 3,000m, and he made it look super-easy (to watch the last lap, click here, hit play, and go to the 7:30 mark of the video).

A more interesting question is why didn't Rupp stay in Australia for the 5,000m this Thursday with Lagat, Solinsky and Tegenkamp? It's impossible to argue with Rupp's success the last three years. However, his approach is far from traditional. He raced in Germany three weeks ago for 5,000m, three weeks ago in the UK for 5,000m and was supposed to race this last weekend in New Zealand for 10,000m. He was already in Australia when the 10,000m was cancelled. When Rupp decided to fly back to the US mid-week and race Lagat at 3,000m, we assumed he was doing so just because he wanted to get one more race in to take advantage of his fitness before taking a long break to gear up for the outdoor season. However, now apparently Rupp will announce on Wednesday he is racing the NYC half marathon next month. If his winter season is being extended, staying in Australia to race 5,000m would seem to be the more logical decision. If you've got any theories on this, either email us or post them in this thread.

MEN
800m:
Final (27):
 1. Duane Solomon, Saucony                   1:48.03
 2. Tetlo Emmen, unattached                  1:48.35
 3. Mark Wieczorek, unattached               1:48.38
 4. James O'Brien, Indiana Invaders          1:49.09
 5. Mark Husted, unattached                  1:50.42
DQ Jacob Hernandez, Nike
Mile (27):
 1. Jeff See, Saucony                        4:04.63
 2. Aaron Braun, McMillan Elite              4:04.83
 3. Garrett Heath, Saucony                   4:04.91
 4. Rob Myers, Saucony                       4:07.18
 5. Kyle Miller, Nike                        4:09.34
 6. Tommy Schmitz, Wisconsin RRT             4:14.29
 7. Joshua McAdams, New Balance              4:23.32
3,000m (27):
 1. Bernard Lagat, Nike                      7:57.17
 2. Galen Rupp, Nike/Oregon TC Elite         7:59.91
 3. Aaron Braun, McMillan Elite              8:02.59
 4. Brent Vaughn, Nike                       8:09.45
 5. Scott Smith, McMillan Elite              8:18.45
 6. Jeremy Johnson, Brooks                   8:21.52
 7. Jeff See, Saucony                        8:23.29
 8. Derek Scott, Puma                        8:25.22
 9. Trevor Dunbar, Portland                  8:29.85
DNF - Kyle Alcorn, Nike
DNS - Chris Barnicle, New Balance

WOMEN
800m:
Final (27):
 1. Phoebe Wright, Nike                      2:02.27
 2. Erica Moore, unattached                  2:02.92
 3. Heather Kampf, TmUSA Mn/Asics            2:04.30
 4. Lindsey Schnell, unattached              2:06.31
 5. Laura Januszewski, Brooks                2:07.91
 6. Melanie Hardy, unattached                2:08.69

Mile (27):
 1. Jenny Simpson, New Balance               4:34.96
 2. Heidi Dahl, New Balance                  4:36.35
 3. Gabriele Anderson, TmUSA Mn/Brooks       4:36.64
 4. Sara Hall, Asics                         4:38.47
 5. Lauren Bonds, adidas Raleigh Track Club  4:41.59
 6. Karly Hamric, RIADHA                     4:44.06
 7. Frances Koons, New Balance               4:50.59
 8. Annick Lamar, NYAC                       4:51.87
 9. Lesley Higgins, Brooks/NYAC              4:55.28
10. Dana Mecke, unattached                   4:56.47
11. Catherine Beck, Central Park TC          4:58.06
12. Mason Cathey, unattached                 5:03.18
DNS - Sara Vaughn, adidas
DNS - Heather Kampf, TmUSA Mn/Asics

3,000m (27):
 1. Jenny Simpson, New Balance               9:02.20
 2. Sara Hall, Asics                         9:03.91
 3. Allie Kieffer, Sun Elite                 9:35.89
 4. Mindy Sullivan, unattached               9:41.22
 5. Stephanie Pezzullo, unattached           9:42.16
 6. Erin Dromgoole, New Balance Boston       9:57.34

More: 2011 USA Indoors - Results: *Day 2 One Page *Day 1 *Ind. Race Results *Day 1 Photos *Day 2 Photos
Day 2: Jenn Suhr's American Record, #2 Performer All-Time And Jillian Camarena-Williams AR In Shot Highlight Suhr got a rare 4th attempt to get the record due to an official error. The distance races saw Jenny Simpson complete the mile-3k double, Jeff See win the mile, Phoebe Wright continue her fine form by winning the 800, and Duane Solomon get the men's 800m crown. All in all, there were 7 world leaders at the meet.
*Jenny Simpson Wins 3k To Complete 3k/Mile Double And Says, "Take that everyone who thought I wasn't going to be back." Co Gazette *MBoard: Jeff See wins USATF indoor mile *Jenn Suhr Sets American Record On Her 4th Attempt (With Video) Trackfocus *Mike Rodgers Runs 6.48 To Win His Third 60m National Title *Day 2 Photos
Day 1: LRC Bernard Lagat Wins 3,000m At USA Indoors And Makes It Look Easy Galen Rupp tried his best to beat Bernard Lagat on Saturday night, but Lagat ran away from Rupp with ease on the final lap, reminding us how damn good he is at 3,000m. Last year, when Lagat won World Indoors, we said he was "Utterly Brilliant." This one was "utterly smooth." Jenny Simpson ran away from Sara Hall on the last lap to win the women's 3,000m. More Sunday. *On The Boards: USATF 5000m: Lagat, 7:57.17, Rupp 7:59.91

*****

Performance Of The Week - Maybe Year?

Most of the people who visit LetsRun.com are runners or ex-runners. And the vast majority of runners like to dream - and most dreams are very similar.

Runners dream that one day they'll have an amazing breakthrough. Runners also dream that in the future they will not give in to doubt and push harder - push their bodies to the absolute maximum.

Well, let us introduce you to the ultimate embodiment of that dream - Japan's Yuki Kawauchi.

Josephat Menjo was a letsrun.com cult hero in 2010, but in 2011 Kawauchi is our new hero. And the 23-year-old may keep that status for eternity.

Kawauchi is a guy who couldn't keep up with the very best in workouts in high school so he dropped out of the Japanese system. He went to an academically-oriented school and trained on his own. After college, he got a full-time job which he still has and which only allows him to train once a day.

In 2009, the 13:59/29:02 guy ran 2:17:33 in the marathon. The next year, he chopped almost four minutes off as he ran 2:12:36 last year in Tokyo. Last week, amazingly he chopped almost another three minutes off to run 2:08:37, passing out just after he crossed the finish line.

You absolutely must read Japan Running News accounts of Kawauchi's exploits:

*Mekonnen Wins Tokyo Marathon, Amateur Kawauchi 3rd In 2:08:37
*"The Rocky Of The Marathon World" - Saitama Governor Praises Kawauchi
*Japanese Federation And Corporate League Feel Stinging Impact Of Kawauchi's Run

Also please enjoy the last 6.5 km of Kawauchi's inspiring run. The best part is between minutes 6 and 9 minutes, when his shocking pass of two more accomplished runners draws a gasp from the announcers and slow-motion replays. Well, that and the last minute when he loses consciousness at the finish line.

 

If you don't read or watch the stuff above, at least take home some words of wisdom below from Kawauchi - who is now being called the "Rocky" of the marathoning world.

Kawauchi On Not Being Able To Keep Up In High School
"Even in high school," he says, "I couldn't keep up with the workouts, so I dropped out of the Japanese system. I want to do things the way I like, and it works for me. I showed them that even as an amateur you can still get it done."

Kawauchi On Not Being Afraid To Run Himself To Death
"This was my sixth marathon, and the fifth time I've ended up in the medical area," he smiles. "Every time I run it's with the mindset that if I die at this race it's OK."

More: *Mekonnen Wins Tokyo Marathon, Amateur Kawauchi 3rd in 2:08:37  *"The Rocky Of The Marathon World" - Saitama Governor Praises Kawauchi  *Japanese Federation And Corporate League Feel Stinging Impact Of Kawauchi's Run

*****

PR Of The Week - Edison Pena Returns

As good as Yuki Kawauchi's performance was in Japan, it was nowhere near the biggest marathon PR of the week. The biggest PR of the week belongs to former Chilean miner Edison Pena, who ran 32-minute best by running 5:08:19 in Tokyo, smashing his previous best of 5:40:51 from New York.

As good of a story Pena's marathoning naturally makes, one thing that makes it even better is the fact that Pena - unlike so many charity runners in the US - is actually concerned with trying to cross the finish line as fast as possible and run the whole marathon.

Gallowalkers take a look at this quote that Pena gave the AP:

"It was not like the New York Marathon. I didn't walk; I ran the entire time."

*****

Alan Webb's Struggles Continue/Quote Of The Week #1 (That Wasn't Quote Of The Day)

"I have told Alan, 'You're no different than any of my other runners.' We don’t worry about losing some races. The goal is to compete well and win the big races.

But that also means we’re not scared to run some races where we might be at a disadvantage because we're training through it, or we're not quite ready to run against guys who are more ready. It's better than a workout, but it still is a workout type of situation."

- Alberto Salazar, talking in a Track and Field news piece that came out last Monday (2/21/11) about his plans for Alan Webb. In our minds, the advice is right on the money. The advice came in handy, as Webb later in the week went on to run only 1:52 for 800 in New Zealand. Yes, we'll admit it may be hard intellectually to understand how a 1:43 800 runner can only be running 1:52 (one thing to realize is it was apparently very windy in New Zealand), but Webb fans need to realize that in the end, it doesn't really matter what Webb runs in February. Webb needs to be great in August, not February. Remember last summer? Webb began his post-injury comeback with a 1:52 800 on August 15th and just over two weeks later, he ran 1:48 for 800 and just a week after that, he ran 3:36.21 and just a couple of weeks later, he ran 3:53 for the mile.

Webb's Rapid Comeback In 2010
August 15th - 1:52.32
Sept. 3 - 1:48.34
Sept. 9 - 3:36.21
Sept. 26 - 3:53.72

In that same meet that Webb ran 1:52 in New Zealand, Nick Willis won the mile in 3:58.4 after he received his Olympic silver medal. Even better than Willis' win was how all of the milers who pitched in last week and worked together to help raise money for the Earthquake victims in New Zealand. The competitors on the track got together off of it to make a nice earthquake relief video. Also in the race, some of the guys helped break the wind for Willis. Well done to Nick, all the athletes involved, and the organizers of the Earthquake relief meet! If you'd like to donate to the cause, you still can here.

More: Earthquake Relief Meet *Results *Donate
Willis Wins Mile Gets Olympic Silver, Alan Webb 3rd In 800
On an emotional afternoon, an hour after being presented with his Olympic silver medal, Nick Willis won the mile in 3:58.4 over Will Leer's 3:58.8.  Brandon Bethke was 3rd.  Lee Emanuel went down hard with 220-250 meters to go and did not finish. Afterwards, Willis was grateful to his American competitors for helping lead and break the wind. Alan Webb was third in the 800m in 1:52.2 and then paced the mile. *MB Thread *NZrun.com Thread
*Christchurch, New Zealand Hit By Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake *First-Hand Account Of The Quake *Nick Willis To Compete In Charity Race To Benefit Quake Victims Nick Willis was scheduled to receive his Olympic silver medal from Beijing before the meet (explanation here), but now will receive it at a track meet fundraiser in Wellington which he has planned to raise money for the people of Christchurch. *MB: Big Earthquake Hits New Zealand

*****

Quote Of The Week #2 (That Wasn't Quote Of The Day)

"A drama queen? Bryan English, the British team doctor back then, told me (Paula Radcliffe) could have died that day if she had carried on."

- Ian Chadband writing a column in The Telegraph where he talks about his desire to see Paula Radcliffe win Olympic gold in 2012. Radcliffe is actually seen by some in Britain to be a drama queen, as her DNF in Athens is viewed by them as being overly melodramatic. Those that doubt and/or criticize Radcliffe don't know her as - trust us - we've spent some significant time around her and there is no one tougher, as shown by the doctor's comments above.

*****

Labor Crisis Hits The NFL World Of Track & Field

We're not sure where we stand on the NFL labor dispute but we know where we stand in the dispute in Kenya, where Athletics Kenya (AK) is clashing with many of its top runners. We stand firmly behind the runners.

Last week, AK dropped Leonard Patrick Komon from the World Cross-Country team because rather than stay and train for World Cross in AK's camp, which is famous for burning people out, he decided he'd rather go to Puerto Rico and chase $30,000 at the World's Best 10k. In the end, Komon ended up 4th in 28:05 and netted $6,000, which is a bit more than he would be likely to take home at the World Cross Championships unless he placed in the top 5 individually (unless the Kenyan government kicks in some extra cash). At World XC,  the winning team of 6 splits $20,000 ($3,333.33 per person) and only the top 6 individuals get individual money (1st gets $30,000, 6th gets $3,000).

Track world champions Linet Masai and Vivian Cheruyiot backed down to AK's demands that they not race in Puerto Rico. We wish stars like Masai and Cheruyiot had raced, as they are so good it would have been interesting to see what AK did then. Are they really going to suspend their two best runners and send a totally sub-par team to Worlds?

We stand behind Komon even though we here at LetsRun.com think that one of the problems with track and field is that it's basically a free agent affair 365 days of the year where no one really has control over the runners except maybe the shoe companies, as no governing body pays the bills (look at all of the star US runners that skipped USA indoor last week). It is LetsRun.com's position that track and field needs more structure, but the idea of governing bodies controlling the runners while not paying the bills is ridiculous.

Athletics Kenya's notion that people not chase dollars prior to a major championship is a well-intentioned one. However, the runners are likely to know what is in their best interest better than Athletics Kenya. The thing that we really are upset about is the idea that AK wants all Kenyan runners to forsake their individual coaching and training and join their training camp before major championships. That idea is just totally antiquated. A reasonable compromise would be no races between the Kenyan Trials and the World Champs in exchange for being allowed to train on their own.

And we'll repeat again our foolproof solution to AK's current problems, which we've offered in the past. AK, you can save face by just holding the Kenyan Champs as late as possible - like two weeks before the World Champs (the IAAF may want the names earlier so this late may not be possible) - and get rid of a training camp all together. Add the money spent on the training camp to the prize money at the national champs.

So you just have the trial race and then let the athletes rest up and race again at Worlds. No training camp needed. They'll get themselves in great shape for the Trials and it will carry over to Worlds.

In the near future, we may see who is winning the battle - the runners or AK - as Kenya's national champ Geoffrey Mutai still hasn't showed up for camp, nor has he officially been kicked off the Worlds team.

But the fact that Kenya is a bit screwed up and not operated like your typical Western country isn't all bad for running fans. After all, if it were operated like the US, there is little chance that Sammy Wanjiru's attempted murder charges would be dropped like they were last week in Kenya.

2011 World's Best 10k Results - Men
 1. Sammy Kitwara, 24, KEN           27:35   $20,000 + 10,000i
  [8:14 / 21:59]
 2. Dejen Gebremeskel, 21, ETH       27:45 PB 12,000 + 10,000i
  [8:14 / 22:06]
 3. Lelisa Desisa, 21, ETH           28:02 PB 8,000
  [8:14 / 22:18]
 4. Leonard Patrick Komon, 23, KEN   28:05    6,000
 5. Joseph Ebuya, 23, KEN            28:07    4,000
 6. Moses Masai, 24, KEN             28:28    3,000
 7. Wilson Chebet, 25, KEN           28:36    2,500
 8. Yakob Yarso, 23, ETH             29:00    2,000
 9. Shadrack Kosgei, 26, KEN         29:02    1,500
10. Hicham Bellani, 30, MAR          29:25    1,000
11. Shawn Forrest, 27, AUS           29:51
12. Luis Soto, 32, PUR               31:06
i = Earned time bonus for sub-28:00

2011 World's Best 10k Results - Women
 1. Sentayehu Ejigu, 21, ETH         31:50 DB $20,000 +
  [9:27 / 25:28]
 2. Dire Tune, 25, ETH               31:51     12,000
  [9:27 / 25:27]
 3. Atsede Habtamu Besuye, 23, ETH   31:54      8,000
  [9:27 / 25:27]
 4. Grace Momanyi, 29, ETH           32:06      6,000
 5. Risper Gesabwa Biyaki, 22, KEN   32:35      4,000
 6. Zhor El Kamch, 37, MAR           33:02      3,000
 7. Amane Gobena, 24, ETH            33:17      2,500
 8. Tigist Tufa, 23, ETH             34:04      2,000
 9. Kebebush Haile, 24, ETH          34:20      1,500
10. Beverly Ramos, 23, PUR           34:40      1,000
11. Berhane Adere, 37, ETH           34:56
12. Malika Mejdoub, 28, MAR          35:17
13. Maria Del Pilar Diaz Padro, 29   36:24

More: *World XC Update: Geoffrey Mutai Still Not In Camp, More On Leonard Komon's Sacking From The Team *Sammy Kitwara Wins World's Best 10km World XC champ Joseph Ebuya pushed early, but another LRC favorite, Sammy Kitwara, came out on top. *Leonard Komon Kicked Off World XC Team *2nd Recap *Only Three More Missing From Kenya XC Camp, But Komon Won't Be One Of Them *10k Road World Record Holder Leonard Komon To Defy Athletics Kenya And Race In World's Best 10k (Vivian Cheruiyot And Linet Masai Pull Out) *Sammy Wanjiru's Attempted Murder Charge Is Dropped In case you missed it, Wanjiru and his wife reconciled very publicly on Valentine's Day as shown by this video newscast. *Article From Kenyan Paper On Charges Being Dropped *Having Marital Difficulties? Read This: Olympic champ discovers love is truly a marathon.

*****

Recommended Reads

*Recommended Read: Once Neighbors Who Met At An Ice Cream Shop, Russell Brown And Andrew Wheating Now Are World-Class Training Partners The only difference is now Wheating is the more studly of the two, as when they met, Brown hammered Wheating into the ground.
*Fitness Gym Manager Tries To Sell Hicham El Guerrouj Personal Training Sessions
*Mekonnen Wins Tokyo Marathon, Amateur Kawauchi 3rd In 2:08:37
*"The Rocky of the Marathon World" - Saitama Governor Praises Kawauchi
*Japanese Federation And Corporate League Feel Stinging Impact Of Kawauchi's Run

*****

Other Happenings Of Note

Last week, most of the major NCAA power conferences held the conference indoor track and field meets. Some results appear below, more results available here.

SEC: Results *Florida Men, LSU Women Win SEC Indoor Titles *James Kirani Runs 44.80 World Junior Record At 400m
Big 12: *
Results *German Fernandez Is Back Fernandez dominated the men's mile and came back for 2nd in 3,000m. Nebraska women and Texas A&M men won the meet.
Big 10 Results:
Men, Women The Ohio State women won their first-ever championship and Minnesota men won their third straight.
Day 1: Andy Bayer
won the 3k and got 2nd in the mile. ACC: Results The Virginia Tech men and Clemson women dominated.
Heps:
Men, Women The Princeton men crushed it as Cornell was a strong second, but the rest of the league combined would have lost to Princeton. The Princeton women edged Columbia.
MPSF (pseudo PAC-10):
Results The big news was Oregon's 9:26.78 DMR, the #2 time in NCAA history. Elliott Heath 4:00 mile, Jordan Hasay 4:35.

Stockholm: World Junior Records Galore *Results
Abubaker Kaki
(2:17) went out too fast in his world record attempt (25.5) but still won in the 1k (2:17.55) as Meseret Defar (8:36.91) triumphed in the 3,000m, as American Shalane Flanagan 8:39.18 (#3 time for an American) came up short in her AR attempt. In the 1500, Abeba Arigawi crushed the reigning world indoor champ with a 4:01.47 and moved up to #10 all-time and announce herself as a potential future star as Morgan Uceny ran 4:05.35 (#4 all time US). The junior records belonged Angelica Bengtsson in the pole vault (4.63).
*MB Thread

AP: Haile Gebrselassie Injured Again - Pulls Out Of This Week's Tokyo Marathon The marathon world record holder was due to run his first race since his brief retirement after New York, but an injury to both knees will keep him out at least six weeks. *AFP  Release On Geb/Tokyo
LRC MB: Haile G out of Tokyo!!

*****

Looking Ahead (Time To Start Getting Excited For ...)

This Weekend: NCAA Last Chance Meets, European Indoors
Next Weekend: NCAA Indoors, National Scholastic Indoors
Two Weeks From Now: World Cross-Country, NYC Half Marathon

*****

Quotes Of The Day From Last Week

Monday: "Going all out, Japanese amateur (Yuki) Kawauchi was barely staying on his feet and nearly fell rounding the final corner (at the Tokyo Marathon), but he kept going to ... (become) a legend. He fainted a few steps across the line and was taken away to the medical area in a wheelchair, unavailable for a post-race interview."

- Brett Larner describing the amazing 2:08:37 3rd-place finish by AMATEUR runner Yuki Kawauchi Sunday at the 2011 Tokyo Marathon. Kawauchi, a 13:59 5k guy and 29:02 10k guy, has a full-time job and has purposely avoided the Japanese collegiate and corporate Ekiden system. Message board thread on him here.


Sunday: Rupp: "We thought a little about it (the move at 550m) going in. I was trying to get a little bit of a jump on him, but he's really good at the end. And that's something that I need to continue to work on."

Lagat: "I didn't have a lot of strategies. I wanted to sit back and watch the race and feel the race. I wanted to stay near the front position so I wouldn't get boxed in. If Galen or somebody else wants to go. I was waiting to go fast."

- Galen Rupp and Bernard Lagat talking about their pre-race strategies for the US Indoor Champs 3k, which Lagat won, putting 2 seconds on Rupp in the last 200m. Rupp planned to make a move and Lagat's plan was to go with him.


Friday/Saturday: "Please don't write him off."

- Haile Gebrselassie's manager Jos Hermens, who flew to Japan to announce Gebrselassie would not be running this weekend's Tokyo Marathon because he fell last week in training and injured his knee.


Thursday: Stat Of The Day

1

- Number of winners of the men's Kenyan Cross-Country Trials over the last five years that have gone on to finish as the top Kenyan runner at the World Cross-Country Championships. It's clear to us that the Kenyan training camps just wear people out, but no one in Kenya seems to listen. Read this type of analysis in our weekly recap each and every week, only on LetsRun.com.


Wednesday: "I needed a race like that for my career. I wanted to believe that this year was going to be different, and it gave me confidence. I feel like I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, with exactly who I should be doing it with, and that race was the beginning."

- Russell Brown talking about his mile win against a stud field at the New Balance Grand Prix earlier this month. His 3:54.81 gave him the world lead, put him No. 8 on the US all-time indoor list, and gave him the confidence to continue on with what had previously been a frustrating professional career.


Tuesday: "The secret in Iten is that, when you see everybody running a lot of mileage, 400 athletes on track, very fast long runs, and you discover this is the normal life of these champions, that are very normal persons, you start to think it's possible running fast for you, too.
The secret is to make in your mind possible what was not possible before.
The secret is to make easy what was difficult, instead to make difficult what really is easy."

- Renato Canova, famed coach of many of the top runners in the world, but not the hottest runner in the world, Geoffrey Mutai, who is self coached (we reported erroneously yesterday that Mutai was coached by Canova). Canova's quote above was recommended by two different people, including a prominent American coach, as Quote of the Day, which has never happened before on LetsRun.com. Canova also had the Quote of the Day yesterday. We don't think anyone has ever had the Quote of the Day three days in a row.

*****

Last Week's Homepages
*Mon (Feb. 28) *Sun (Feb. 27) *Sat (Feb. 26)*Fri (Feb. 25) *Thu  (Feb. 24) *Wed (Feb. 23) *Tue (Feb. 22)

Quantcast



Tell a friend about this article
(Dont worry we won't email your friend(s) again. We send them a 1 time email)
Enter their email address(es), separated by a comma.
Enter your name:

Don't Worry: We
Back to Main Front Page
Questions, comments or suggestions?Please email the LetsRun.com staff at suggestions@LetsRun.com.



Runner's World &
Running Times


Combined Only $22

a Year
Save $87



Running & Track and Field Posters


Search the Web
or LetsRun.com
Google

Web

LRC


Offers of interest: Nike Lunar Glide Discount
Discounting on this shoe not allowed until recently.


Back To Top