Track and Field Articles By David Monti

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedAdam Jacobs, the founder and editor of TheFinalSprint.com and an enthusiastic supporter of American distance running, died unexpectedly last night.  He was 24 and lived in Jersey City, N.J.The death was confirmed by his mother, Jodi Jacobs, who called the Race Results Weekly office this morning to report her son's death.Jacobs founded TheFinalSprint.com while a first year law student to provide both coverage of elite distance running and to build ties in the running community for athletes of all abilities.  A natural salesman, Jacobs quickly found sponsors for the site and… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedNEW YORK (07-Apr) -- The inaugural NYRR Distance Carnival, hosted by the University of California at Berkeley on Friday, April 24, has attracted 16 Olympians, the New York Road Runners announced today.  Part of the two-day Brutus Hamilton Invitational, the meet represents the first ever formal partnership between the New York Road Runners, America's largest road race organizer, and a university track and field program.  The meet will feature professionally-paced distance races designed to help athletes achieve IAAF World Championships qualifying times at 5000 meters, 10,000 meters, and the 3000-meter steeplechase.Shannon… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedIn what could be called a battle of the generations, Irishman Martin Fagan will take on Kenyan legend Paul Tergat at Sunday's Great Ireland Run 10-K in Dublin.Fagan, 25, who starred for Providence College in the NCAA system, has developed rapidly under American coach Greg McMillan.  Based in Flagstaff, Ariz. at 2121m (6955 ft.), Fagan has taken to longer distances on the roads with excellent success.  On March 14, in The Hague, Fagan clocked 1:00:57 at the Fortis City-Pier-City Half-Marathon to become the Irish record holder for the distance.  An Olympian,… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedThe fastest-ever American miler, Alan Webb, will open his outdoor season at the Kansas Relays on April 18, in Lawrence, Ks., the University of Kansas reported today.Running in the Glenn Cunningham Invitational Mile, Webb's goal is to to run the first sub-four minute mile at the Kansas Relays since Paul McMullen accomplished the feat in 1997 (3:59.88), organizers said.   Webb, 26, who set the American record of 3:46.91 in Belgium in 2007, has broken four minutes for the mile 18 times during his career in track competition (plus two times… more »

By Bob Ramsak(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly and Track Profile Report, all rights reservedSally Kipyego will be chasing a record 10th national title at this weekend's NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas.The 23-year-old nursing student and native of Marakwet, Kenya, has captured eight NCAA titles during her career at Texas Tech University, three in cross country, and five on the track. Her march towards 10 begins tonight with the qualifying round in the mile and, three hours later, with the final of the 5000m where she'll be defending her title.The current record of nine individual titles is… more »

BOSTON MARATHON RELEASES FINAL ELITE FIELDSBy David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedOrganizers of the Boston Marathon have released their final elite fields for the 113th running of America's oldest marathon set for Monday, April 20, shown below with career best times:MEN -Ryan Hall, USA: 2:06:17 (London, 2008)Evans Cheruiyot, Kenya: 2:06:25 (Chicago, 2008)Deriba Merga, Ethiopia: 2:06:38 (London, 2008)Daniel Rono, Kenya: 2:06:58 (Rotterdam, 2008Benjamin Maiyo, Kenya: 2:07:09 (Chicago, 2005)Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, Kenya: 2:07:14 (Boston, 2006) CRRobert Kiprono Cheruiyot, Kenya: 2:07:21 (Frankfurt, 2008)Gudisa Shentema, Ethiopia: 2:07:34 (Paris, 2008)Gashaw Asfaw, Ethiopia: 2:08:03 (Paris, 2006)Stephen Kiogora, Kenya: 2:08:24 (Frankfurt, 2008)Solomon Molla, Ethiopia:… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, alll rights reservedAmerican distance runners will continue to enjoy strong financial support from the New York Road Runners this year, president and chief executive officer Mary Wittenberg announced today.  The leading not-for-profit race organizer in the United States will contribute $190,000 this year to support the USA Distance Project, a collection of training groups throughout the country, and will provide direct financial backing to post-collegiate track races at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational at Cal Berkeley next month."Our goal is to get people running worldwide, and to build our sport," said Wittenberg in a… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results weekly, all rights reservedNEW YORK (27-Feb) -- Running in a small invitational college meet at the Armory Track & Field Center in Upper Manhattan, New Zealander Kim Smith rolled to the second-fastest 5000m in the world this year: 14:39.89.  Shattering her own national record by more than ten seconds, she is now #4 all-time at the distance indoors, displacing Romania's Gabriela Szabo."It was a PB for me so I'm really excited," said the 27 year-old athlete who finished ninth in the Beijing Olympics at the 10,000m.  "I wanted to post a time before World… more »

MILLROSE GAMES INFORMATIONWhat: 102nd Millrose Games (America's oldest indoor track meet)Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA (7th Ave at W. 33rd St)When: Friday, January 30, 5:45 p.m.Official Website: http://www.millrose-games.com (be sure to put in the hyphen) Flotrack Coverage: http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/234562-2009-millrose-gamesTickets (priced from $15 to $100):General Public: http://www.ticketmaster.com, 212-307-7171, or Madison Square Garden box office2009 USATF Members ($10 discount): https://www.usatf.org/members-only/index.asp?page=/members-only/benefits/fulfillment.asp (enter 2009 membership number and password)High School and College Teams: Exclusive discounts available.  Contact Jamie De Four at 212-923-1803 (ex. 15) or  jamie@armorytrack.com (be sure to ask for $10 tickets)Schedule of Events:http://www.millrose-games.com/events-results/ (Wanamaker Mile at 10:15 p.m.)Key Athletes Competing:Bernard Lagat, Nick Willis, Kara Goucher, Terrence Trammell, Shawn Crawford,… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedAfter two-time Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat won the Wanamaker Mile last year for the sixth time, he immediately shifted his attention to the 2009 race where a seventh victory would tie him with Irish legend Eamonn Coghlan for the most Wanamaker titles in meet history.  As his manager, James Templeton looked on, Lagat issued --and accepted-- his own invitation to the 2009 Millrose Games."We'll share the Chairmanship of the Boards," said Lagat of Coghlan.  "I'm confirming it.  Right now, it's official."Templeton winced, then smiled.  He knew that Lagat had to fulfill… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedNEW YORK (24-Jan) -- Reigning USA indoor 1500m champion Rob Myers got his season off to a solid start with a come-from-behind victory in the invitational mile at the 14th annual New Balance Games at the Armory Track & Field Center here in Upper Manhattan.Myers was well off of the lead as pacemaker Max Smith took his New Zealand compatriot Adrian Blincoe through the first quarter in about 57 seconds.  The pair quickly built a 20 meter lead, and were on pace to break Mark Carroll's meet and Armory record of… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedThere is sure to be some fast running at the World's Best 10-K in San Juan, P.R., on Sunday, March 1, as organizers have signed both three-time IAAF world road running champion Lornah Kiplagat and Olympic bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan to this year's race.Kiplagat and Flanagan are both represented by their husbands, Pieter Langerhorst and Steve Edwards, respectively, and each man has confirmed their wife's participation in the race.  Held on an out-and-back course on the Teodoro Mosco Bridge, the race is the home of the women's world record of 30:21… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedNEW YORK (20-Jan) -- Nick Willis's storybook Olympic year ended here last September when he outleaned Bernard Lagat to win his first Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile.  Willis, 25, a New Zealander who lives in Ann Arbor, Mich., will begin his 2009 campaign here at the 102nd Millrose Games on Jan. 30, and is looking for the same result in the meet's signature Wanamaker Mile.  Lagat has won the Wanamaker six times and will be trying to tie Eamonn Coughlan's meet record of seven Wanamaker victories."I'm really, really exited to open… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedMarathoners Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor were re-signed by their primary sponsor, the Asics America Corporation, through 2012, the company announced yesterday.In the case of Hall, 26, it's a particularly critical signing for Asics because the 2:06:17 marathoner will be running the Boston Marathon on April 20, a huge media exposure opportunity for the shoe and apparel company based in Irvine, Calif.  Industry insiders had reported to Race Results Weekly that Adidas, the shoe company sponsor of the Boston Athletic Association and the Boston Marathon, had shown serious interest in signing… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedAlthough Track & Field News ranked her as the #1 USA marathoner in 2008 after her American debut record at the ING New York City Marathon last November, the reigning USA 5000m champion has decided to defend her title in the mile at the 102nd Millrose Games one week from tomorrow.Goucher, 30, used this event to open her season in 2008, the best of her career.  Running on a banked track for the first time since 1999, she went low and inside on the final turn to narrowly defeat race leader… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedOrganizers of the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on Saturday, Feb. 7, announced today that the fastest prep milers from both the 2008 outdoor and 2009 indoor seasons would be running their Boys' Junior Invitational Mile.Andrew Springer (Westerly H.S./Westerly, R.I.), is the top entrant with a 4:10.61 to his credit during the 2009 indoor season.  Brett Johnson (Ocean City H.S./Ocean City, N.J.), who ran 4:11.22 at the Nike Outdoor Nationals last year, is also entered, along with Trevor Dunbar (Kodiak H.S./Kodiak, Aka.), who finished second at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedIn a speech today in Scottsdale, Ariz., at a gathering of the dietary supplement and healthy food industries, USA Track & Field CEO Doug Logan took a hard line with supplement makers over performancing enhancing drugs."Performance-enhancing drugs are threatening to choke the life out of the sport that I serve and love," said Logan.  "And in many ways, the supplement industry has been assisting in braiding the noose."Logan explained that unlike professional U.S. sports like baseball and football, where fans and journalists go lightly on doping offenders, athletics can't afford drug… more »

By David Monti(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedSeveral top Americans, including defending men's champion Dathan Ritzenhein, have entered the U.S. Cross Country Cross Country Championships in Agriculture Farm Park in Derwood, Md.  The meet is scheduled for Saturday, February 7.Ritzenhein, 26, romped to victory at last year's championships, covering the 12 km course in San Diego, Calif., in 35 minutes and 3 seconds."I have a knack for cross country after these years," Ritzenhein told Race Results Weekly in a recent telephone interview.  "I've kind of figured out what my race effort is there.  I think that I just… more »

Here are the complete invited fields for Sunday's ING New York City Marathon, courtesy of the New York Road Runners:MEN - 2, Goumri, Abderrahim, M, MAR, 21-May-1976, 32, 2:05:30, London, 2008, Nike 3, Ramaala, Hendrick, M, Johannesburg, RSA, 02-Feb-1972, 36, 2:06:55, London, 2006, adidas 4, Gomes dos Santos, Marilson, M, BRA, 06-Aug-1977, 31, 2:08:37, London, 2007, Pão de Açucar / Nike 5, Tergat, Paul, M, Nairobi, KEN, 17-Jun-1969, 39, 2:04:55, Berlin, 2003, Nike 6, Abdiraham, Abdi, M, Tucson, AZ, USA, 01-Jan-1977, 31, 2:08:56, Chicago, 2006, Nike 7, Rono, Daniel, M, KEN, 12-Jul-1978, 30, 2:06:58, Rotterdam, 2008, adidas? 8, Kirui, Abel, M, KEN, 04-Jun-1982, 26, 2:06:51, Berlin, 2007, 9,… more »

SLATTERY WINS U.S. WOMEN'S 8-K TITLEBy David Monti(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved Sara Slattery of Lafayette, Colo., won today's U.S. Women's 8-K Championship in Akron, Ohio.  For the 26 year-old athlete, who won the Pan Am Games 10,000m title in 2007, it was her first ever U.S. open title on any surface. Slattery went for victory early, sharing the lead with race favorite Katie McGregor.  They passed the first mile in 5:05, while a chase pack of eight women, including Amy Rudolph, Molly Huddle, Renee Metivier-Baillie and Lindsey Anderson, kept them in sight.  On a gradual uphill… more »

GEBRSELASSIE ACHIEVES FIRST SUB-2:04 MARATHON IN BERLINMikitenko Joins Sub-2:20 ClubBy David Monti(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved Haile Gebrselassie became the first man in history to break the two hour and four minute barrier when he won today's real,- Berlin Marathon, shattering his own world record set on the same course one year ago.  The 35 year-old Ethiopian, who now owns the three fastest marathon times in history, clocked 2:03:59 under sunny skies accompanied by comfortably cool temperatures (10°C to 12°C). "I'm so happy," Gebrselassie told race organizers immediately after the race.  "Everything was perfect, the weather, the… more »

FIFTH AVENUE MILE ANNOTATED START LIST   MEN Bib No., Gender, First Name, Last Name, City, State, Nat., Affiliation, Age, PB Mile, PB 1500m1, M, Bernard Lagat, Tucson, AZ, USA, NIKE, 33, 3:47.28 , 3:26.342, M, Kevin Sullivan, Talahassee, FL, CAN, Reebok, 34, 3:50.26, 3:31.713, M, Nick Willis, Ann Arbor, MI, NZL, Reebok, 25, 3:52.75 , 3:32.174, M, Nick Symmonds, Eugene, OR, USA, Oregon TC Elite, 24, 3:56.72i, 3:40.915, M, Nate Brannen, Ann Arbor, MI, CAN, Reebok, 26, 3:55.11i, 3:34.656, M, Adrian Blincoe, Philadelphia, PA, NZL, New Balance, 28, 3:54.40, 3:35.507, M, Jon Rankin, Chula Vista, CA, USA, NIKE, 26,… more »

By David Monti(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedNEW YORK (10-Sep) -- Following in her coach's footsteps, 2007 IAAF World Championships 10,000m bronze medalist Kara Goucher will make her marathon debut at the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 2."Last year when I watched the race first hand, I decided I wanted to run in New York," Goucher commented.  "The ING New York City Marathon is one of the most prestigious, and the course is challenging, so I'm excited for my first marathon to be this one."Goucher's coach, Alberto Salazar, made his marathon debut in New York… more »

By David Monti(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedOrganizers of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, which plays host to the 2008 USA Women's 10 Mile Championship, announced today that Kara Goucher will challenge Katie McGregor for that title on Sunday, Oct. 5., in Minneapolis, Minn.Goucher is back in training after doubling at the Beijing Olympics in the 5000 and 10,000 meters last month.  She made the final in the shorter event, finishing ninth, and placed tenth in the longer event in a personal best 30:55.16.  This will be her first 10 mile road race, but at last year's Great… more »

By David Monti(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedBEIJING (16-Aug) -- Competing in her sixth Olympic Games and in her final year of elite competition, Maria Mutola will compete in her fifth Olympic 800m final next Monday here in Beijing's National Stadium, the Bird's Nest.In tonight's semi-finals, Mutola survived some rough stuff on the final turn of the first heat, when Tetyana Petlyuk stumbled, extended her right hand and contacted Mutola's chest."It's very hard work to get into the final," said Mutola after the race.  "I almost fell over there.  I just struggled to finish it."Mutola, 35, has compiled… more »

DESPITE BUMPY START, WEBB CONFIDENT PRIOR TO OLYMPIC TRIALS By David Monti (c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved When Alan Webb finished 16th at the U.S. 8-K Championships last March, then stepped off the course with about 800m to go at the Carlsbad 5000 three weeks later, alarm bells went off amongst America's track fans. A panic practically ensued when he withdrew from the mile at the Drake Relays a week after the Carlsbad race. Was Alan Webb in trouble in this all-important Olympic year? Not according to Webb or his coach, Scott Raczko. With the opening of… more »

DUTCHWOMAN KIBET IS FIRST AT 37TH MINI 10-KBy David Monti(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reservedNEW YORK (07-Jun) -- In hot and sticky conditions, the Netherlands' Hilda Kibet won the 37th edition of the NYRR New York Mini 10-K, adding her name to the list of stars who have won what is the oldest and most famous all-women's road race in the world.Kibet, who just qualified for the Dutch 10,000m team for the Beijing Olympics at a race in Utrecht last Saturday, was in a group of four women through the half-way mark on the winding and hilly course… more »