March 2008 Track and Field Articles

I first met Jasper Blake when it was suggested I get him out to speak at a learn-to-run clinic. My contact said, "he is funny, speaks well and the chix dig him." Even though getting a hold of Jasper was tougher than swatting a fruit fly in a gale, with a straw. I did manage to get him out to speak and the chix did dig him for sure. I think a guy or two dug him as well, which really cramped the whole 'let's focus on our form today,' speech I delivered. Since then Jasper has only been visible… more »

Irishman Paul O'Callaghan competed in six World Cross Country Championships, qualified for the Olympics and wore the green from 1982 to 2003 on the road, track and in cross country. As his website indicates, in 2006 he continued to run well, smashing the Irish Master's 10, 000m record with a time of 30:38. That year, Paul emigrated to the west coast of Canada to Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island. Since then he has focused on coaching others and is starting to see signs of success. The coach Recently I have had the opportunity to observe Paul coach his athletes. I… more »

Maddie McKeever, a Duke Blue Devil, is a five time All-American distance runner. She recently placed third at the NCAA Indoor Meet. She is heading into outdoor track and will open up at the Stanford Invite in early April.

You grew up in Littleton, Colorado. Why did you choose Duke University?
The choice was pretty simple. I guess I was just looking for a school with strong academics and also a place where I could fulfill my athletic potential. Duke was the closest school that could offer the environment I was looking for.

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The Hills are Alive. "Cross-country has always been a vital part of my training program. You can develop fine muscular endurance and suppleness in your stride by running cross-country. It also develops good running form and strengthens your muscles. In cross country the pressure is put on your muscles because of hills and uneven and slippery footing, your overall general conditioning can be developed without taxing your body too much anaerobically. So cross-country is one of the best forms for general conditioning." ~Arthur Lydiard In heavily forested Thetis Lake Park, 10 minutes from downtown Victoria, the rolling trails are where… more »

The Week Ahead will end one season and will continue an already fast outdoor season. The 2008 Team U.S. World Cross Country squads will be heading to the 36th annual IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Great Britain. There our top runners will face the greatest cross country runners in the world and with names like Zersenay Tadese, Kenenisa Bekele, and Craig Mottram its sure to be a tough job. So, I would like to once again announce the U.S. qualifiers on there great accomplishment. Please bare with me as I announce all of the names.

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Is March Madness driving you mad? Are you yearning for some track and field action? Well, don’t fear, the outdoor season is here. With the indoor championships still burning in our recent memories, the outdoor season has begun. Most of us move gleefully to outdoor track, with its promises of warmer weather and, hopefully, faster times. Many of us are aiming for qualifying times that will deliver us to Walnut, California, where the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships will be hosted by Cal Poly Pomona at Mt. San Antonio College, May 22 through 24.

At the 2007… more »

Cheryl Murphy has no time for small talk and less time for interviews, she's a busy woman. To engage her in rambling soliloquies of yesteryear is akin to a Martin Scorsese, jacked full of dark Americano, writing his Masters Thesis on the migratory patterns of Giant Aldabran tortoises. Suffice to say, I sped-emailed her in machine-gun, rapid-fire succession, only to wait three days for each bare bones response. So it was with her next-to-final message (probably a reluctant one) that I didn't even read, but clicked 'reply' and typed, "while you are on the PC at this very moment, can… more »

In last week’s article, I made predictions for the DII Indoor National Championships hosted by Minnesota Mankato. It might be best if I skip the lotto, since my sixth sense is clearly defective. Last weekend was packed full of action and excitement, filled with close races and surprising upsets. For those who were not lucky enough to be there, or had a poor internet connection, I will recap many of the meet’s highlights, which included exciting finals and record breaking performance.

By scoring points in all but one running event, the Adams State College Grizzlies won… more »

Wisconsin Badger Brandon Bethke has had a remarkable indoor season so far and looks for success at the NCAA Divison I Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend.

Image Courtesy of Mensracing.com

You finished 98th at XC this year, and then you come to the indoor season and run a 3:59 and a 7:51 3000-meter run, would you say it's been a breakout indoor season for you?
I don't know about “breakout”. Everything has kind of come together. In the past, I'd been running well over the years. But this year, everything has… more »

The week ahead will be action packed with six major events the NCAA Division I, II, & III Indoor Track & Field Championships, USA 8k Championships, National Scholastic Indoor Track & Field Championships and Nike Indoor Nationals. Basically if you' re a fan of running there will be something this weekend for you.

For those that are ready for the collegiate outdoor season to begin hold your horses, because this weekend will officially wrap-up the indoor season. On the Division I side it truly will be an exciting event to watch with both the men's and women's… more »

Next weekend, March 14-15, the 2008 indoor track and field season will come to a close. This year’s indoor meet will be hosted by Minnesota State University-Mankato at Myers Field House. More than 500 participants are expected (student-athletes, coaches and administrators). This will be the first time that MSU has held an indoor track and field championship, and the first time in eight years that the meet has occurred outside the city of Boston. Perhaps, what is most exciting is that the meet will be streamed live, free of charge, on msumavericks.com. In keeping with the idea of March Madness,… more »

Jen Rhines ran the 3000 this past weekend at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships, in Valencia, Spain, after her second-place 8:59.98 finish at the U.S. Championships on February 23. Unfortunately her time of 9:03.66 did not qualify her for the World Championship finals, but her goal was to gain racing experience in preparation for the 5000 at the Beijing Olympics.

Rhines plans to run the 5000 at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, and possibly the 10000 as well. If she qualifies, this will be the third time that Rhines, 33, represents the U.S. at… more »

Cal Bear sophomore Michael Coe, a former high school mile juggernaut, has set his goals high and looks for this big outdoor track season to reach them. Training under Coach Tony Sandoval he looks to make the 1500-meter final at the US Olympic Trials.

Did you do anything other thing other than the 3K this past weekend?
Yeah, I ran Friday night in the DMR. I anchored and ran the mile relay leg.

Did you guys hit the provisional time?
We hit the provisional time, 9:38. We were a little disappointed with… more »

The B$ factor explodes this time of year; wicked fulminations of unadulterated bovine excrement are disgorged, exciting the masses. Myths are created, lies are spewed and the marketing that festered all year in the advertising cesspool, may now be leeching into your television set, internet, radio, billboards, magazines, competitive events, newspapers, buses, windows of mini-vans (as tax write-offs) and anywhere, where messaging may be promulgated. I am fully in support of creative advertising methods and stimulating marketing concepts, it's become a bit of an art, Andy Warhol notwithstanding. For all of you who made a New Years resolution a couple… more »

All of the Division II conferences wrapped up their indoor meets this past weekend. These meets were one of the last chances athletes had to tune and hone their skills before the Indoor National Championships on March 14, 2008. Below, I have highlighted some of the more note worthy match-ups. I have provided the link with complete results for every meet, which follow my recaps.

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association The CIAA conference meet was held at Christopher Newport University in Virginia on February 10. The St. Augustine’s men and women teams won the team titles.
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