Gene Mitchell Not Running Olympic Trials?

Thanks nerd. If I knew about that tool I would have used it.

Kate Fonshell knows about the tool bar.

Alan, You don't have to be such a dick!! What's your problem?

Nice race Gene. Congrats on your finish and I'm sure it was a difficult decision!

phillieboy wrote:

So what was his time?

2:30:23.

How many masters runners - especially AMERICAN masters runners - do you know who can have a "sub-par" day and still clock 2:30 on what we all know to be a somewhat challenging course? Nice job, Gene.

How many masters runners - especially AMERICAN masters runners - do you know who can have a "sub-par" day and still clock 2:30 on what we all know to be a somewhat challenging course? Nice job, Gene.

Navin R Johnson wrote:

phillieboy wrote:

So what was his time?

2:30:23.

That was too hard for Art to type.

It's not my job to do other people's work. Just about everyone here is giving Gene shit for choosing Sunday's race over Saturday's. If they are so obsessed over what he ran then just look it up. A 5 year old can do that.

Alan

Runningart2004 wrote:

It's not my job to do other people's work. Just about everyone here is giving Gene shit for choosing Sunday's race over Saturday's. If they are so obsessed over what he ran then just look it up. A 5 year old can do that.

Alan

What the hell is your job Alan? Hanging on Gene's jock? You responded like an ass then get mad because you got called out on it. Any 5 year old knows to mind thier own business.

Good call douchedouche! Alan has some issues! No need to be such a dick!

Two articles from the Star-Ledger pretty much explain his decision...

26.2 is enough of a run for one

Saturday, November 03, 2007

BY JENNY VRENTAS

Star-Ledger Staff

To start, Gene Mitchell makes it clear that he will not be running back-to-back 26.2-mile races through New York City this weekend.

As the bleachers and banners were raised this week in Central Park, though, the 40-year-old from Franklin Lakes was the only runner registered in both today's U.S. Olympic Trials for the men's marathon and tomorrow's New York City Marathon. On Wednesday he had to make a choice.

"I think everyone has a different opinion," Mitchell said with a laugh.

Qualifying for the Trials -- which Mitchell did with a time of 2 hours, 20 minutes, 48 seconds at the 2006 Chicago Marathon -- is a career road-running highlight. Then again, the Olympic course is up and down the hills of Central Park, which Mitchell describes as "brutal."

And now that he's 40, Mitchell has a good chance of placing very highly in the Masters Division of tomorrow's race -- he finished 47th overall at Chicago's race last year.

He'll run the New York City Marathon, he confirmed yesterday, though deciding was difficult.

"The guys in the trials are world-class athletes," Mitchell said. "I'm probably more suited to compete at this time with people in my age group."

Of course, age group isn't quite the limiting factor for Mitchell. He was one of just two racers 40 and older registered in today's trials, along with 42-year-old Mbarak Hussein. Mitchell is the director of international trade for a Wichita, Kan.-based commodities company and owns three businesses -- a restaurant group near Philadelphia, a construction company and a chain of running stores that originated in New Jersey -- all while training for long-distance road races.

"He's all over the place, and that's the remarkable thing, to still be able to train at the level and the pace he trains at," said Fred Klevan, 46, Mitchell's friend and training partner. "He'll get off a red-eye flight, meet me at the Schuylkill River and run three loops of 8.4 miles. When he gets to the starting line, other guys haven't done that."

Mitchell's home base is split between New Jersey and Haverford, Pa., close to Villanova, where he was the Big East's steeplechase champion in 1990. When he races, he represents the Running Company, the chain of running stores he started 10 years ago. There will be 12 stores open by the end of the year -- four in New Jersey -- and the original store in Princeton was ranked in the nation's top 50 running stores last year by Running Network publications.

"The reason we're so successful, well, Gene is a big part of that. He allowed the company to grow, and he even does this on the side," said Gary Rosenberg, general manager for the Running Company. "He works a lot, he doesn't sleep a lot -- I don't know how."

In the last year and a half, though, training has become more difficult for Mitchell. Recovering from workouts takes longer than it used to, and he allows for more light days. After tomorrow's race, he thinks it will take about two months for his body to feel back to normal again.

Until then, every time he goes out for a run will feel like the last 10 kilometers of the marathon, "a pretty awful feeling," he said.

But he's run the New York City Marathon twice before, in 2004 and 2005, and this is a distance where experience is especially valuable mentally. That's why he was able to qualify for the Olympic Trials this year, but not in 2004, he explained.

"Yeah it's four years later, but it's four years smarter," Mitchell said. "You get over being tired, then it's a great rest of the day to watch football and drink beer."

Jersey runner cracks top 30

Monday, November 05, 2007

BY JENNY VRENTAS

Star-Ledger Staff

NEW YORK -- A few days before yesterday's New York City marathon, the friends of New Jersey runner Gene Mitchell said they'd be shocked if he didn't place in the top 30.

Mitchell lived up to their billing, running a time of 2 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds to finish 27th among the men, seventh among Americans and first among New Jersey runners. He wasn't completely satisfied with the time, about nine minutes off his best, but he has had hamstring problems over the past two months and said the muscles cramped up with two miles left.

"Given everything that I've been training with, I feel I did okay," said Mitchell, of Franklin Lakes, who earlier in the week said he hoped to run around 2 hours, 28 minutes. "I wasn't too excited about it, but I wasn't too much off the time I wanted to hit."

Stefan Kolata of Plainsboro was the next New Jersey finisher, with a 49th-place time of 2 hours, 35 minutes, 10 seconds, and Steven Ryan of Branchville was New Jersey's third finisher, running the race in 2 hours, 37 minutes, 36 seconds for 72nd place among the men. The runners were among the 39,085 who lined up at the starting line in Staten Island yesterday morning.

Mitchell, 40, said he ran the race conservatively, with a half split of one hour, 14 minutes, and was pushed along by another Masters runner in his pack. The hills in New York's five-borough marathon course are always tricky, he said, and this year there was a pretty stiff wind in the runners' faces as they moved north along First Avenue.

A group of his friends watched the race from a bar on First Avenue, though, so when he was able to pick them out in the crowd, it was a welcome boost.

"It was definitely good for me personally," Mitchell said. "Of course, in New York with the crowds, even if you had no one out there, there are still 3 million people out there cheering you. When you come over the 59th Street Bridge, the roar of people is unbelievable."

Until late last week, Mitchell was the only runner entered in both yesterday's New York City marathon and Saturday's Olympic Trials. He chose to race yesterday's marathon, opting not to compete against the elite Trials field given his age and present physical condition.

His decision seems like it was a good one. He still ran a great race!!