Track and Field Articles By Stephanie Lowe

Four years of preparation led up to a 2:32:40 race for Beijing this Sunday at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Marathon Olympic Trials in Boston, Mass. Blake Russell crossed the finish line with that 3rd place time behind fellow qualifiers Deena Kastor (1st place - 2:29:35) and Magdalena Lewy Boulet (2nd place - 2:30:19).

Without 2004 Olympic Trials qualifiers Colleen De Reuck and Jen Rhines in the race, the women almost finished in the same order as four years ago. In 2004, Kastor placed second, Russell fourth, and Lewy Boulet fifth.

Russell was determined to… more »

Two-time Olympian Amy Rudolph, 34, will utilize her experience for the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials. After competing in the 5000 at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, she will move up to the 10000-meter distance this year. First, she plans to attain the “A” standard of 32:45.00 this outdoor track season. Rudolph has a personal-best time of 31:18.96 in the event, which she ran in 2005. In 2006, she was the 10000-meter USA outdoor champion.

Rudolph has been building her base mileage since she returned from a stress fracture last year. In her first major race… 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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

This past Friday at the Dubai Marathon, Haile Gebrselassie barely missed his own world record in the marathon by less than 30 seconds. It was an exciting race for track and field fans, but evidently not significant enough to be televised in the United States. Despite Gebrselassie being arguably the greatest runner in the world, he is not the biggest name in the sport right now – at least not big enough for Oprah. What’s wrong with this picture?

Former sprinter Marion Jones will begin a six month prison sentence this March for lying to federal agents… more »

The USA Half-Marathon Championships were held at the 2008 Aramco Houston Half-Marathon this past Sunday morning, January 13. Kate O’Neill led the women’s race with a time of 1:11:57, which earned her the national title.

“I’m really excited to have won my first national championship,” O’Neill said at the post-race press conference. She was presented with a cowboy hat and belt buckle by Aramco president and CEO, Mohammed Al Qahtani, and a medal by USATF president, Bill Roe.

O’Neill said that the beginning of the race was slower than the previous year. She… more »

The McMillan Elite running team provides coaching, resources and an ideal training environment in Flagstaff, Arizona, for post-collegiate athletes. The team is coached by Greg McMillan and currently has seven members.

Brianna Torres, 27, has been the sole female on the team. Torres heard about McMillan Elite from her husband, Carlos Paradelo, who read about the team on a LetsRun.com message board thread. Since the team is relatively new, she said they are always looking for new members, especially women.

"If women are interested, they should apply," she said. "We're looking for people… more »

Seven stress fractures are enough to make a runner give up the sport, but not Camille Herron. She thought she was finished competing by her sophomore year of college, but Herron, 26, recently ran 2:45:40 at the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, December 1. The performance qualified her to run the 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon in Boston, April 20.

Herron's athletic career began with basketball when she was 3 years old. She had dreams of excelling at basketball like her father and grandfather, who both played for Oklahoma State. Growing up, Herron was always active.

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While most teenagers are still in bed, Ashley Brasovan, from West Palm Beach, Florida, awakes early each morning to run up to 50 miles each week. She especially enjoys long runs of 10-12 miles. Brasovan’s talent and dedication have set the Wellington High School junior apart since her 7th grade gym teacher noticed her knack for running.

Earlier this month in San Diego, California, Brasovan won the high school girls 2007 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship meet, with a time of 17:20. After winning the Florida State cross country title this fall, Brasovan knew she… more »

Who is Julia Rudd? Some know her as "Alan Webb's girlfriend," but she is a lot more than that. Rudd, 24, from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is a member of the Indiana Invaders elite track and field team and 10:15.76 steeplechase runner.

Rudd and the Indiana Invaders recently competed at the 2007 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships, December 8, in West Chester, Ohio. Rudd placed 16th at the meet and described the conditions as wet and muddy, which was an advantage for her.

"I was pretty confident with my training going in," Rudd said. "The… more »

Nicole Blood led the University of Oregon women to a second-place team finish at the 2007 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships last month in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was eighth overall, with a time of 20:18 for the 6000-meter race.

“Cross country was just a great season,” Blood said. “We have a really great team. We got better with every meet.”

Last year, Blood missed most of the cross country season due to a sacral stress fracture. She said missing the first eight weeks of practice her freshman year was tough, but… more »

The past year has been plagued with injuries for Victoria Jackson, but she is not going to let that bring her down. If anyone knows how to make a comeback, it’s her.

November was a down month for Jackson, 25, while she recovered from her latest stress fracture. She has recently suffered stress fractures in her ankle and metatarsal, as well as chronic plantar fasciitis. She said her injuries are caused by overcompensation due to biomechanical issues. Jackson also admitted that she tends to try to run through injuries.

“I keep running on… more »

Brian Sell recently qualified for the 2008 Olympics, but for his coach, Keith Hanson, there is one more stop before Beijing - the Women's U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

Keith and his brother, Kevin, coach the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, a post-collegiate elite training group in Rochester Hills, Mich. While the brothers started the team in 1999, it was not until 2003 that there was a women's team, after Brooks Sports, Inc. became the team's sponsor. Financial support from Brooks and Saturn now allow them to offer incomes up to $100,000 to athletes who run specific times.
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Marla Runyan is well-known for overcoming obstacles to accomplish her dreams. Legally blind since the age of 9, Runyan, 38, inspired athletes of all abilities when she became the first Paralympian to ever compete in the Olympic Games.

Despite her success with distance running, Runyan began her track career in the high jump at San Diego State University. She then progressed to the heptathlon, in which she competed at the 1996 Olympic Trials. After her 800-meter time of 2:04.7 in the heptathlon, she realized her talent for mid-distance running. Runyan left California for Eugene, Oregon, to… more »

Almost anyone can run a marathon. Siri Terjesen just ran her 99th this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas. Terjesen, 32, from Akron, Ohio, is a professional ultrarunner who routinely runs marathons every few weeks as part of her training.

“I find it difficult to get out of bed for anything less than a marathon,” Terjesen joked.

Ultrarunning is underrated in the serious running community, often associated with slow jogging, insanity and publicity stunts.

“There are people who promote themselves over the sport,” Terjesen said, but she described most ultramarathoners as… more »

American track and field athletes now have many opportunities to run competitively beyond college. In the past several years, groups such as the Brooks-Hansons Distance Project, Team Running USA, McMillan Elite, and Nike’s Oregon Project, provide elite athletes with an opportunity to train full-time with a team.

“I feel like it’s getting better and better,” Molly Huddle said.

Huddle, 23, could have gone to medical school after she graduated from the University of Notre Dame this year with a degree in biology. Instead, the nine-time NCAA All-American chose to postpone that plan and… more »

The 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon was not an ideal race. The extreme heat and humidity caused many to drop out, over 300 runners to be hospitalized and one death that prompted the cancellation of the event. For Olympic hopeful Kate O’Neill, 27, it was her first marathon experience.

O’Neill, a 2004 Olympian in the 10000-meter run, from Milton, MA, finished third in her debut marathon with a time of 2:36:15. This performance qualified her for the 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team Marathon Trials, April 20, in Boston, MA.

“I think it worked out… more »

Jack Daniels, head distance coach at the Center for High Altitude Training at Northern Arizona University, trains and consults runners from all over the world. Prior to coming to Flagstaff, Daniels was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Century, three-time NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year, and was named World’s Best Coach by “Runner’s World” magazine. Throughout his career, Daniels has worked with many successful athletes, including Jim Ryun, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Peter Gilmore, Amy Hastings, Ryan and Alicia Shay, the McMillan Elite Team and many others.

Had Daniels been born a talented runner,… more »

For an elite runner, it can be tough to find a guy who can keep up. Fortunately for Sara Gorton-Slattery, this was no longer an issue when she married fellow professional runner, Steve Slattery. Despite their competitive natures, the Slatterys are a team when it comes to their marriage.

“I’ve learned a lot from Steve. I think we help each other,” Sara said, “There is never a dull moment in our relationship.”

The Slatterys have been each other’s biggest supporters since they were teammates at the University of Colorado. Sara, 26, began dating Steve,… more »

Over the past 50 years, women’s distance running opportunities have drastically improved. Since the 800-meter race returned to the Olympic Games in 1960, equality is finally being reached with the gradual inclusion of women’s distance events. Until now, one hurdle remained. Next summer in Beijing, women will compete in the Olympic steeplechase for the first time, an event available only to men for over a century.

The steeplechase, which combines strength, speed and endurance, originated in England in the mid-1800s. According to Simon Vroemen’s Web site, the idea evolved from the equestrian sport in which men rode… more »

In order to achieve optimum performance, running requires physical and mental strength. Arthur Lydiard designed a training system to develop both. Lydiard discovered that by individualizing a periodic plan based on aerobic development, any athlete can reach his or her potential and have a lasting running career. The Lydiard method is not an exact regimen, but rather a framework of principles that can be modified to fit the needs of every runner.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Lydiard gained popularity by coaching Olympians such as Peter Snell. Soon, other coaches used Lydiard's teachings for their own athletes,… more »

Four-time NCAA National Champion and All-American, Sally Kipyego, is used to handling a busy schedule. Kipyego, 21, from Marakwat, Kenya, is a cross country and distance track runner for Texas Tech University, where she is a nursing major.

Kipyego is one of many Kenyan runners who attend college in the United States. When she transferred to Texas Tech from South Plains College in 2006, Kipyego joined fellow Kenyans All-American Irene Kimaiyo, from Nairobi and manager Chepleting Boit, from Eldoret.

Kipyego, Kimaiyo and Boit all started running in primary school, but did not compete until… more »

Every Monday there will be a new women’s running article. I will talk with other female runners about the different issues and challenges we face, as well as what it takes to succeed in the sport. I hope to inform, entertain and encourage fellow runners.

My name is Stephanie Lowe, but a lot of you may know me as txRUNNERgirl from the LetsRun.com message board. I love to run and am a huge fan of Track and Field. Growing up, I failed at any sport I tried. When I got to high school, I was cut from… more »