February 2008 Track and Field Articles

Texas Longhorn Leo Manzano recently ran the mile portion of a world record effort by his Distance Medley Relay team. He is doing conferences this weekend and will be competing at the NCAA Indoor Championships, March 14-15.

DMR World Record, How did that feel?
Well, at first we didn't really know what we had done. Now looking back...it's pretty cool.

Do you think you can go any faster with that time?
Yeah, I definitely think we could take a few seconds off of that time.

How's your training going… more »

Marilyn Arsenault (Mar) is a transplanted easterner by way of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec (collective gasp) who now lives in and loves the west coast, specifically Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island. Mar is a Soprano who studied at McGill University and le Universitie de Montreal in Montreal, Quebec and is now looking forward to completing her Masters degree at the University of Victoria. For now though she is full-time in the political science department at UVic, undertaking serious running training, and committed to vocal studies with renowned teacher, Selena James. Twice recently, I have been blessed to steel… more »

The 23rd annual Division II National Championships, to be held at Minnesota-Mankato’s Myers Field house, is less than three weeks away. As excitement builds for this event, I thought I would take a break from my weekly interviews in order to highlight the teams and athletes to watch at the upcoming conference meets. (Three conferences have already finished their meets: Central intercollegiate Athletic association, Great Northwest Athletic Conferance, and Northwest 10.)

Great Lake Intercollegiate Athletic Conference -According to U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches association, Ashland should easily sweep this conference on the men’s side.… more »

Kim Smith broke the New Zealand indoor track record in the mile with her 4:24.14 performance at the Boston University Valentine Invitational, February 8, but she already has her sights set on a marathon this fall.

Smith, 26, plans to run her first marathon at the ING New York City Marathon on November 2, 2008. American 10000-meter runner Kara Goucher is also expected to run her debut marathon at that race. Smith said that she and Goucher both surveyed the course last November.

Smith is a versatile runner, but specializes primarily in the… more »

After a fourth place finish at NCAA XC, Villanova's Bobby Curtis opened up his Indoor season with a 7:50 3k. Training under legendary Coach Marcus O'Sullivan, Curtis is already looking outdoors and towards the Olympic Trials.

That 7:50 3k, how did that one feel?
It felt really good. It was my first race of the year and I'd really only done three track workouts before it. I've been doing more strength stuff. Like 16 miles long runs, tempos, and threshold type work outs. It's kind of hard to gauge where my fitness was. I knew the… more »

Say you want a revolution/Well you know /We all wanna drink your beer. ~JL You see people out on their daily walk or jog. They carry their water bottles or have affixed an apparatus around their middle to store it. You know the contrivance, the ones which resemble the Atlas Missile Silo. Or more fascinating is the propensity to garnish oneself with a bat utility belt. Loading the contraptions to the hilt, which are manufactured so they may contain enough armaments to fuel the entirety of the Chinese army, during a Russian Vodka revolution. Okay I will wear one, but… more »

The 2008 Indoor Track and Field season has just crested the hill and starting to come to an end. This weekend and the next will be huge in determining who is the fastest in the country. In the professional circuit this weekend will be the last stop of the Visa Championship Series. “The Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College will host the 2008 AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 23-24. The concluding event of USATF's Indoor Visa Championship Series, the AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships is the world's oldest indoor track… more »

I sat silently in the cafeteria, waiting to give a tour to potential students. These were not just any normal students; they were the future signees for our football program. The school had rolled out the red carpets for this forty-odd group of high school seniors. I was currently sitting in the back of the small cafeteria listening to the Clearinghouse rules. I was not paying much attention until the minimum ACT/SAT and GPA were mentioned. The numbers shocked me. To participate in Division II sports, all one needs is an ACT score of 17 or a SAT score of… more »

British runner Lucy Hassell dominated the hilly course at the 2008 AT&T Austin Marathon this weekend, winning the race with a personal best time of 2:36:26.

“I’m stoked to have gotten my PB on this course,” she said.

Hassell joined a pack of men who pushed her through most of the race. She said it was a nice change from running alone at the front of the pack in a women’s elite race.

The weather was ideal Sunday morning, clear and 40 degrees. However, the terrain was a challenge to… more »

Georgetown Hoya junior Andrew Bumblaough has been through the thick and the thin of running. After fighting through injuries he has already posted top marks in the country this indoor season, with a 3:58 mile and a 7:53 3k. With Andrew in great shape and a big outdoor season rapidly approaching…the two could be a deadly combination.

IMAGE of Andrew Bumbalough Courtesy Imageofsport.com.

How much are you running outdoors compared to indoors?
Almost entirely outside. I guess we only come in once a week to do strides or unless it’s really REALLY cold.… more »

Rod Dixon holds court 5 minutes from downtown Victoria in a rain-soaked, gravel parking lot at the back of the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre. He has an enraptured audience; a handful of early-arrival runners who have come to spend 6 hours listening to him talk about the finer details of training. He is here as a representative of the Lydiard Foundation, along with co-founder Nobuya, 'Nobby' Hashizume. On first meeting Rod Dixon at 6:30 a.m., one would be remiss to blame him for being a bleary eyed guest however, he is anything but that. After all, he is a much… more »

I want to recap a few times Kim Smith’s 4:24 mile and Yelena Soboleva’s 1.56:49 800m and 3.58:05 1500m WR are just amazing! This year will be one for the record books. Look for more of these top performances in the near future.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go down to Tallahassee, Florida to interview Zap Fitness and other pro runners. Listening to what they had to say about running was amazing and inspiring at the same time. Here is a group of men and women coming together to keep the dream alive and three… more »

Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia started his indoor season at the Valencia's World Champs dress rehearsal meet held in Valencia, Spain which will host the 2008 world indoor championship in March. Kenenisa Bekele who raced in the 3000 meters looked like he had a chance at breaking Daniel Komen’s World indoor 3000 meter record of 7:24.90 but after the race unraveled the world recorded started to slip away. Bekele asked for pacemakers who could bring him through 2000 meters under 5:00 minutes. However the pacemakers dropped out at 1600 meters and forced Bekele to take control of the race. The lead… more »

It is tough being a freshman runner. It is hard enough to adjust to harder classes, odd cafeteria food, a new campus, living in a dorm room and tons of new people, but as an athlete you add to this mix new coaches, harder practices, and faster teammates. For Stonehill College’s Kevin Gill, it is even tougher since his older brother, Keith Gill, castes a large shadow. As I reported last week, Keith is a senior at Stonehill and has been setting school records. In fact, this past weekend Keith ran an impressive 4:03 mile at Boston University’s Valentine’s Invitational.… more »

Morgan Uceny is off to a great start to her professional running career. Uceny, a 2007 Cornell University graduate now running for Reebok, won the women’s mile in 4:38.87 this past weekend at the Meyo Invitational in Notre Dame, Ind. She also won the women’s 800-meter run at the 2008 Reebok Boston Indoor Games in 2:05.75, January 26.

“Any professional race is going to be exciting,” Uceny said about the elite competition. Her main goal this season is to make the 2008 Olympic team.

Uceny, 22, currently trains with Mike McGuire’s group in Ann… more »

Pittsburgh senior Sam Bair, who has run close to going sub-4 in the mile so many times, has another great opportunity this weekend at Notre Dame’s Meyo Mile. If he goes sub-4 he and his father, Sam Sr., will be the first father and son combo in the prestigious club. Flotrack will be there! Good luck to Sam!

So, you’ve got a meet this weekend, where are you going?
Yeah, I’m going to Notre Dame this weekend to run the Meyo mile.

Do you know who else is going to be in the… more »

Six year old Eric is playing basketball in his backyard, he takes a few wobbly shots, some actually hit the backboard, while most graze the net and make it whiff as if the wind caught it. None go in, but Eric keeps trying, because Simon said it was a good idea. One shot deflects off the edge of the backboard and caroms into the cedars, it wedges firmly between branches; I help him retrieve the ball. Suddenly in a spasm of joy, he remembers what happened at school earlier in the day. He looks up at me as I hand… more »

This past week was filled with action in all of the levels of track and field. The Millrose Games were a hit with Adam Nelson and Bernard Lagat stealing the show in to completely different fashions. Lagat took his six consecutive Wanamaker title, while Adam Nelson entertained as always and threw a meet record of 72ft 5in. On the women’s side Kara Goucher out lasted Sara Hall in the women’s mile to prove she is the whole package. If this stuff doesn’t get you excited than I don’t know what would. From the look of things from these first couple… more »

The United States has produced the most prestigious shot putters in the world. Adam Nelson a 2-time Olympic silver medalist, 3-time World Outdoor silver medalist and an amazing entertainer on and off the track. Nelson who competed at the 101st Millrose Games last weekend set a Madison Square Garden record in the shot put. Nelson started off throwing 69' 8" on his first throw. Nelsons second throw was well over the 70 feet mark but fouled. On his third throw Nelson was the first person over 70 feet throwing 70 feet 6 inches. But that wasn’t far enough for Nelson.… more »

Stonehill College’s Keith Gill has set the bar high for his younger brother, Kevin Gill, who also runs for Stonehill. Two weekends ago, Kevin set a school record for the fastest mile ran by a freshman. Not to be outdone, Keith responded by setting a school record at the Terrier Classic, running a 4:06.73 mile. Not only did this time set the school record in the mile, but it is one of the fastest times this indoor season.

Running comes naturally to Keith. About his first experience with the sport, he recalls, “I was always one of… more »

Three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton, 39, retired from professional track and field after a lengthy running career, but remains involved in the sport. Since she began running at age 9, Favor Hamilton’s drive has brought her a lot of success.

“I took running to a great obsession. I had to make it my obsession,” Favor Hamilton explained. “Whatever I do, I want to be the best at it. My drive is incredible”

At Stevens Point Area Senior High School, in Stevens Point, Wis., Favor Hamilton won 11 state titles, three U.S. Junior 1500-meter titles,… more »