LRC Exclusives From World XC In China World XC Special Section *TV/Stream info

 LRC World XC Track Talk Preview Show Podcast Available for Download With Rojo live in China, the LRC team broke down the men’s and women’s races with audio from Chris Derrick and Renato Canova on Kenenisa Bekele and Mo Farah.

LRC Team USA’s Chris Derrick Talks Medals, Belief, Kicking, And Even Supplements As He’s  Ready To Lead Team USA And Challenge For Individual Medal The top US returner is coming off a solo stint in Flagstaff, AZ.

LRC Renato Canova Speaks From China On Derrick, Bekele And Farah Says both Derrick and Team USA have realistic shots at medals. Plus, Bekele’s training & whether Mo Farah would win World Cross.

Week That Was

LRCMo Farah Answers The Critics, David Rudisha Goes Sub-1:45, Road Racing Returns To TV, And The South Koreans Want To Import An EPO Cheat

Rojo Goes To World XC

LRC Burger King And Budweiser, 33 Hours 41 Minutes 56 Seconds Of Travel, What Happens To The Kenyans If It Rains? Rojo World Tour #1 Our intrepid journalist Rojo is off to Guiyang, China to cover World XC. On his last world tour, he rode camels in Jordan. In Guiyang installment #1, he breaks down his 33 hours 41 minutes and 56 seconds of travel, how rain will effect the Kenyans, and Burger King and Budweiser together.

Gatlin And Nike Making Waves

• Justin Gatlin Lands New Controversial Sponsorship Deal With Nike Gatlin was sponsored by Nike in the past before his second drug ban in 2006, but since returning in 2010 he’s been with Chinese firm Xtep.
• Sorry, Paula, But Where Have You Been? Paula Radcliffe Criticizes Nike For Giving Justin Gatlin Sponsorship Deal She tweeted: “I don’t believe it truly reflects the core values of the Nike that I am proud to represent …” Is she talking about the same company? The Nike we know defended Lance Armstrong until the very end.
• MB: Nike Won’t Sign Tyson Gay, But He’ll Still Get Paid To Run In Nike Gear Gay’s contract is with his coach, John Smith. So technically Nike isn’t paying Tyson Gay … at least directly.
• British Athletes Speak Out Against Nike For Sponsoring Justin Gatlin Sprinter Darren Campbell: “If young kids look at the spikes he is wearing and say they want them then how can a parent explain why they are not comfortable buying those shoes?” Unfortunately we’re pretty sure he gave that way more thought than 99% of parents.

Drug (Russian) News

• Thank You: IAAF Appeals Six Recent Russian Drug Ban Decisions The IAAF disagrees with the “selective disqualification of results applied by RUSADA.” Athletes received bans that conveniently let them keep championship medals.
  *IAAF Release The athletes are 5 race walkers and Olympic steeple champ steepler Yuliya Zaripova
• Great New Tool For Race Directors: Road Race Management Unveils Online List Of Convicted Drug Cheats An online searchable list of all convicted drug cheats. If an athlete is on this list, RDs should think twice about having them at their event.
  *See The List Here We just bookmarked this page. RDs, you should too.
• New Russian Head Coach, 2004 Olympic 800 Champ Yuriy Borzakovsky, Says Russia Has Turned Over A New Leaf “The guys now understand that the past should stay in the past. Now we have a new team and everyone in it is clean.”

• April 19: 2-Time Reigning Champ Deena Kastor To Return To NY For MORE/FITNESS/SHAPE Women’s Half Marathon
• May 3: Clara Santucci Eyes Event Record At DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon On May 3rd Santucci faces 9-time Wichita State All-American Aliphine Tuliamuk-Bolton, who is making her  debut.

Drug / Trial News

• Despicable: Drug Cheat Vadim Devyatovsky Was Actually Elected President Of Belarus Athletic Federation As He Faces A Lifetime Ban From The Sport The former Olympic hammer thrower tested positive at the 2000 Olympics, the 2008 Olympics (had ban overturned) and then in a re-test of 2005 World Champs samples. IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said, “We were not impressed to see he had been elected as president.” Devyatovsky’s lifetime ban case will be decided by CAS.
• Indian Sprinter Dutee Chand Starts Her Appeal Against “Gender Test” Ban Chand failed a gender test last year and was kept off the Indian team for Commonwealth Games when she refused medical treatment that would make her eligible.
  *Read More About Chand In The LRC Archives
• Terrorism Expert Says Boston Bomber’s Note Left In Boat Uses Jihadi Themes

2014 #1 Jairus Birech, Olympic/World Champ Ezekiel Kemboi And Evan Jager Lead Steeplechase Field For Pre Classic On May 30th Paul Kipsiele Koech (7:54), Olympic bronze medalist Abel Mutai, Dan Huling and former NCAA champ Matt Hughes are also in the field.

Sergey Bubka Says He Will Publish His Manifesto Soon As Part Of His Campaign To Be The Next IAAF President

More Weekend Action *All NCAA Results

• Asbel Kiprop Runs 1:44.4 800 At Athletics Kenya Relay Series Meet He says he wants to run the 800 leg of the DMR at World Relay Champs. National champ Ronald Kwemoi won the 1,500 in 3:38.3.
  *Kiprop Also Talks About Running 4 X 800 At World Relays
• Laura Roesler Opens Her Season With A Slow (By Her Standards) 2:03.99 Win
• Kenyan Alfers Langat Wins Venloop Half Marathon In CR 60:33 (Translated From Dutch)
• Ethiopians Abebe Negewo Degefa (2:12:23) And Meseret Kitat Tolwalk (2:30:25) Win Rome Marathon
• South African Sprinter Akani Simbine Runs 10.04/20.27 The 10.04 came in the semis before a thunderstorm disrupted the final.
• Lanni Marchant Runs 26:44 8k In Canada
• Kenyan Eliud Kiplagat Bargnetuny Wins New Taipei City Wanjinshi Marathon In 2:13:41 In Windy Conditions Gladys Kipsoi won the women’s race (2:39:32).
• Results For 2015 US Masters Championships Meet website with on-demand video.

News From Boston

• Meb Keflezighi And Bill Rodgers Unveil 2015 Boston Marathon Street Banners
• AP Interview: Boston’s Olympic 2024 Chief Confident In Bid – “We have to dream big.”
• Alan Abrahamson Reacts To Fact That Only 36% Of Bostonians Support 2024 Bid PR experts are getting $44k per month but have yet to talk to the expert Abrahamson for advice.
• Boston Marathon Runner Reflects On Testing Against Tsarnaev In Terrorism Trial She purposely wore a skirt to show off her prosthetic.

Previous 2015 World Cross-Country News

• Ethiopian Team Is Studly And Includes 2013 World XC Jr. Gold Medalist Hagos Gebrhiwet They have 4 guys who have gone sub-13:00, 27:00, 60:00 or 2:07:00.
• Kenyan Team 2015 World Cross-Country Released The top 6 from the Trials, plus defending champ Japhet Korir.
• Two-Time Medalist Teklemariam Medhin Leads Eritrean Team He won silver in 2010, bronze in 2013 and wants gold in 2015.
• Ugandan Team For 2015 World Cross-Country Released Uganda is hoping to get a medal after missing out in 2013 after medaling in 5 straight World XCs.

Elite Distance News

• Great Read: Toni Reavis Talks About How The “BIG 3” From 2000 Foot Locker Champs (Dathan Ritzenhein, Alan Webb, And Ryan Hall) Are “Down To 1” Reavis talks about the rise of the internet and how it put a lot of pressure on these three from an early age. Mostly, though, he analyzes Hall’s recent DNF in LA and the direction his career is going.
  *MB: The BIG 3: Only one remains
• 39-Year-Old Blake Russell Talks To Runners World About How She Shocked Many By Winning The US Marathon Champs In La In 2:34:57 She hadn’t even finished a marathon (despite three attempts) since 2008. Russell added more mileage, longer workouts and did more on the road vs. track.
• Athletics Kenya Expected To Announce Final World XC Squad Soon Apparently even though he ran absolutely terrible at the trials (and all year for that matter), defending champ Japhet Korir is being considered for a wild card spot along with others like Geoffrey Kipsang and Bedan Karoki.
• UW’s Baylee Mires Ran Most Of 1,200 Leg Of NCAA DMR With One Shoe She handed off in 7th and UW finished 5th.
• Weekend Video Highlights: LA Marathon, NYC Half, Seoul Marathon And Sydney Track Classic Philip Kangogo won the Barcelona Marathon in 2:08:16.
• Watch Video Replay Of NYC Half Marathon Men and women’s finishes are in part 9.