2014 NCAAs Start Wed. In Eugene *Men’s Start Lists *Women’s Start Lists *Schedule *TV/Streaming Info *TFN’s Men’s Picks *TFN’s Women’s Picks*Event-By-Event “Info Sheets”

LRC 8 Takeaways From The Pre-Meet Press Conference At NCAAs The leading coaches tell you why the NCAA meet is special, Oregon’s Robert Johnson tells you why the Ducks had to disappoint the Oregon faithful and not running super-frosh Edward Cheserek much at home, and Pat Henry tries not to think too much about last year’s 4 x 400: “You drop the ball in the end zone, you have to let it go and get back into the game.”

LRC Men’s Long Distance Preview: Cheserek Aims For NCAA Titles #4 And #5; Can Seniors Kithuka And Lalang Stop Him? Edward Cheserek has never lost at an NCAA championship, but if the frosh phenom wants two more NCAA titles, he will have to take down two titans in Kennedy Kithuka and the fastest man in NCAA history, Lawi Lalang.

LRC Men’s Mid-D/Steeple Preview: Mac Fleet And Anthony Rotich Look To Repeat; Indoor Champ Brandon McBride Favored In 800 Oregon’s Mac Fleet is looking to become the first NCAA 1,500 repeat champ since Seneca Lassiter in 1998 but last year’s 10,000 champ Lawi Lalang wants to end his storied NCAA career with yet a 1,500 crown. In the steeple and 800, Anthony Rotich and Brandon McBride want to continue winning.

3 Great Distance Athlete Profiles:
*Register-Guard: Edward Chesrek Anchors Oregon’s NCAA Title Hopes Profile piece that follows Cheserek from when he was a boy in Kenya who had to once run 60 miles to take his final exams to get a scholarship to go to school in the US.
*Shelby Houlihan Aiming To Become First ASU 1,500 Champ Houlihan deals with a hereditary blood disorder and says having constant trips to the hospital when she was younger gave her her mental strength and “toughness” now.
*Idaho Statesman: Emma Bates’ Coach, Cory Ihmels, Says She’s “Starting To Believe She’s Really Good” Bates has been putting in 80-90 mile weeks and her “big goal” is to win the 10K.

*Mac Fleet Eying 1,500 Repeat At NCAAs “I’m definitely not going out to get second or third.”
*Providence Sophomore Julian Oakley, Who Just Ran 3:58 Last Week And Beat Manzano, Only Started Running At Age 16 Somehow he was only 33rd in the East regional and isn’t at NCAA finals.

• Latest Sub-10-Second Brit Chijindu Ujah (9.96) Looking Forward To Having The Credentials To Actually Run In The Same Race As Usain Bolt The only time he’s met Bolt previously was when he took an “awkward selfie” with him in 2012.
• Score One For The Media? Glasgow 2014 Backs Down On Internent Charges For Media After Worldwide Protest They were going to charge a ridiculous $158 for wifi for journalists, but now they’ve cut it by 50% to $79. Still crazy and they’re still charging photographers $440. What if the media just decided not to go?
• GB Names Squad For European Team Championships: TJer Phillips Idowu A Surprise Inclusion Idowu had announced last year that he was taking a break from track for the “foreseeable future.” The team also includes Greg Rutherford, Adam Gemili and distance women Jenny Meadows, Hannah England, Kate Avery and Julia Bleasdale.
• 2:28 Scottish Marathoner Freya Ross Pulls Out Of Commonwealth Games With Injury
• Ireland’s 1:44 800 Man Mark English Looking For Coaching After Amicable Split With Longtime Coach Teresa McDaid
• Northern Ireland Names 14 Athletes For 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Sunday Distance Action: Lagat And Brenda Martinez At FBK Games, Mo Aman Wins Again And Josh McDougal Races For First Time Since 2009

• FBK Games: Cornelius Kangogo Wins 3K In World-Leading 7:41.27, Beating Augustine Choge (7:41.57) And Bernard Lagat (7:41.94); Brenda Martinez Takes 800 In 1:59.24 The top 3 in the women’s 800 went sub-2 with Caster Semenya way back in 9th with 2:06.35. Kenya’s Robert Biwott won the 800 in 1:44.75, the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan won the 1,500 in 4:01.79 as GB’s Laura Muir was 2nd (4:02.91). Ashton Eaton ran a big PR of 49.07 in the 400H to finish 2nd to Worlds silver medalist Javier Culson (48.66).
  *British Sprinter Chijindu Ujah Runs 9.96 Seconds To Become Only The 5th Brit To Crack The 10-Second 100 Barrier He finished 2nd in this race, losing to Trinidad and Tobago’s Richard Thompson (9.95) and now ranks 3rd on the all-time British list.
  *Full Results
• Bohdan Bondarenko Breaks African All-Comers HJ Record And Misses In 3 Attempts At WR In Morocco He cleared 2.39 to beat Russia’s Ivan Ukhov (2.33). In distance action, Dawit Seyaum PRed by almost 10 seconds and set an Ethiopian Jr. record to win the 1,500 in 3:59.53, Mohammed Aman beat Abubaker Kaki by .03 to win in 1:45.58 as Erik Sowinski was 5th (1:46.95). Lolo Jones won the 100H (12.74) over Kristi Castlin (2nd) and Kellie Wells (6th). *Full Results
• Full Results From 2014 Music City Distance Carnival: Josh McDougal Makes Comeback To Racing With 4:10 Mile McDougal was 4th in his heat while the fast section was won by Nate Brannen in 3:55.65 over Cory Leslie (3:57.20). Natoya Goule won the 800 (2:01.29), Nicole Bush the steeple (9:34.76) and Christy Cazzola the women’s mile (4:36.99).
  *MB: Josh McDougal comeback? Coach Steve Magness?

Kenya Names Its Commonwealth Games Team: No Kiprop Or Kiplagat

• Kenya Names Its Team For Commonwealth Games As Trials End With Slew Of Upsets Joseph Kitur was a surprise winner in the 5,000, beating a field that included Isaiah Koech and Caleb Ndiku. Ronald Kipkemboi won the 1,500 in 3:34.6 as Asbel Kiprop was a DNF. Eunice Sum beat out Janeth Jepkosgei (2:01.5 to 2:01.8). Hellen Obiri won the 1,500 in 4:04.8 as World Jr XC champ Faith Kipyegon was 3rd (4:05.4). Mercy Cherono took the 5,000 (15:19.1). Purity Kirui won the steeple over world silver medalist Lydia Chepkirui.
• David Rudisha And Ezekiel Kemboi Get Kenyan Commonwealth Games Wild Card Spots Neither competed at the trials. Asbel Kiprop and Silas Kiplagat are not on the team as Kiplagat didn’t compete.
• Kiprop On DNF: “My body was tired and after the bell, I felt a slight strain in my left calf and decided not to risk further damage. I’m disappointed …”
• Road News: Goeffrey Kipsang Wins Mattoni Ceske Budejovice Half Marathon In The Czech Republic In 60:09

Catching Up With NZ’s 19-Year-Old Shot Put Star Jacko Gill, Who’s Recently Been Overshadowed By Tom Walsh, Who Won NZ Champs And Got A Bronze Medal At World Indoors Gill says his prep for Commonwealth Games is going well and he’s fit and healthy.

Article/Interview With Galen Rupp From Norwegian Newspaper (In Norweigian) “Galen Rupp has killed the myth that you have to be African to run fast at medium to long range. But he slept in altitude tent since he was 14 years old.”

Running Times Looks At The Top Running Meccas In The US: Flagstaff, Boulder And Eugene Top Their List These 12 cities are popular with elites for their great trails and running communities.