Other Top Weekend Action: Mo Aman Going For 600 WR vs Erik Sowinski

• Sunday: IAAF Preview Competitive Fields At Russian Winter Meeting: Ethiopia’s Mohammed Aman Going For 600 WR In Race With Erik Sowinski The record is 1:15.12 from 1999 by Germany’s Nico Motchebon. Aman ran 1:15.60 here last year and this year will face Sowinski and Poland’s Adam Kszczot who has ran 1:15.26. In the women’s 800 Pamela Jelimo takes on a deep field that includes Russia’s Olympic bronze medalist Yekaterina Poistogova. And another WR attempt will go down in the HJ with Russia’s Olympic champ Ivan Ukhov.
• Ethiopia’s Hiwot Ayalew Will Look To Extend Her Winning Streak At Sunday’s Algarve Almond Blossom XC Race In Portugal The race also serves as the European Club XC Championships and will see Spain’s 2013 Euro XC champ Alemayehu Bezabeh take on Italy’s 2012 champ Andrea Lalli.
• Deena Kastor forced to withdraw from Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon with Flu
  
• Saturday: Nick Symmonds Headlines Elite Fields Set For Camel City Hilton Garden Invitational In Men’s And Women’s 800, Mile And 3k Tons of US elite mid-d runners will compete including Symmonds, Cas Loxsom, Miles Batty, Mark Wieczorek, Paul Chelimo, Maggie Vessey and Brie Felnagle.

US Distance News

• After 2:30:41 Marathon Debut Becky Wade Signs With Asics
• Nick Symmonds Gets Front Page Attention On CNN.com Telling Russia To Scrap It’s Anti-Gay Laws ” The Russian government will be faced with two choices: Ignore those that break the law and face ridicule from its own people, or enforce its laws by punishing the lawbreakers and challenge the International Olympic Committee to enforce its own charter.”
• Jenny Simpson’s Talks To RW About Competing In The Historic Cinque Mulini XC Race In Italy Last Week Where She Finished 3rd Simpson talks about the unusual course which takes you through buildings and up stairs.
• Ken Goe Questions Why USATF Waited To Announce Olympic Marathon Trials Site The Same Week As The Super Bowl We doubt it would have got much mainstream media attention anyway, but maybe it would have been gotten more hype with LA local media.

The Guardian Asks “Will anyone ever run a sub-two-hour marathon?” Some interesting quotes from David Epstein (bestselling author of The Sports Gene) who says “right now it seems really unlikely.” Also an over-optimistic quote from Stephen Kiprotich who thinks someone will definitely run 2:02 before Rio 2016. Did doesn’t he remember London last year when the best in the World went out at 2:03:08 pace and died?
*LRC The Myth Of The Sub-2-Hour Marathon

Top Weekend Indoor Action *All Weekend NCAA Action

• Results: PSD Bank Meeting Dusseldorf Highlights included Kenya’s Bethwel Birgen going from rabbitting Rupp last week to winning the 1,500 (3:39.05) over Nixon Chepseba and Silas Kiplagat (3rd and 4th). Erik Sowinski was 4th in the 800 (1:46.84) where Poland’s Adam Kszcot won in 1:45.42 over GB’s Andrew Osagie. Caleb Ndiku won the 3K in 7:38 over Albert Rop; Augustine Choge was 5th and Edwin Soi 7th. Hellen Obiri won the women’s 1,500 in 4:07.01.
  *UPDATED: IAAF Recap: World Leads For Shot Putters David Storl and Christina Schwanitz
  *European Athletics Recap
• 2014 UW Dempsy Invitational Heat Sheets: Chris Solinsky Vs. Lawi Lalang In Men’s 3,000 Evan Jager, German Fernandez, Dan Huling and Alan Webb (Webb also in 800) are in the mile. High schooler Alexa Efraimson, Kate Grace, Emma Bates and Lauren Fleshman (also listed in mile) lead the women’s 3k. Women’s 5K has Betsy Saina, Bates, Megan Goethals and Alexi Pappas.
• Solid Mid-D Races On Tap For Saturday’s Karlsruhe Indoor Meet: Bernard Lagat Vs. Edwin Soi, Augustine Choge And Yenew Alamirew Over 3,000m Steepler Conseslus Kipruto is also in the field. Bahrain’s former 1,500m World champ Maryam Jamal is in the women’s 3K. SA World 1,500 bronze medalist Johan Cronje takes on Nixon Chepseba in the 1,500. Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba is in the women’s 1,500.
• Next Weekend: Olympic 5,000m Silver Medalist Dejen Gebremeskel, Cam Levins And Garrett Heath Added To Loaded 3K Field For Next Week’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Field includes Hagos Gebrhiwet, Sam Chelanga, Ryan Hill and Andrew Bumbalough. Also announced: Jenny Simpson, Sally Kipyego and Jordan Hasay in the 2-mile, Lopez Lomong in the mile, Ajee Wilson vs. Mary Cain in the 1,000. *Full Start Lists

• Press Conference Highlights From Japan’s Retiring 25-Year-Old Moscow 10,000 5th Placer Hitomi Niiya Talking about her early retirement, she said plantar fasciitis diagnosis was her main reason and said, “When I found out the situation with my foot I was so relieved. At that moment I thought, ‘Now I can get down off this stage and finally quit this sport.'”
• Japanese High School Girls’ Head Coach Suspended For Using Corporal Punishment
• Weekend Preview: 2:08 Man Kazuhiro Maeda Going For Yuki Kawauchi’s 2:08:15 CR At Beppu-Oita Marathon At the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon Martin Mathathi faces Aussi Collis Birmingham and Ethiopia’s 2:04:48 marathoner Yemane Tsegaye.
• Elite Fields Release For Feb. 9th Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon

2016 Trials Go To LA *2016 US Olympic Marathon Trials Coverage

RRWLos Angeles To Host 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials

*Meb Keflezighi’s Comments On LA’s Bid Victory
*Cincinnati Still Wants To Bid For Olympic Marathon Trials In Future
*LA Times: Move “… could boost the city’s efforts to bring the Summer Games back here in 2024.”

LRC 2014 Dubai Marathon Photo Gallery *Full Dubai Marathon Coverage