Running USA wire 36, May 4, 2011
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In this edition:
Keflezighi to Run 100th Zazzle Bay to Breakers
10K Aces Komon, Kogo Headline UAE Healthy Kidney 10K
Torrence, Pierce to Defend USA Road Mile Titles at Medtronic TC
Freihofer's Run for Women Set to Launch Junior 3K Run
UPCOMING EVENTS
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National Run a Mile Days, nationwide, May 1-8
I-Drive 5K, Orlando, FL, May 7
Wisconsin Marathon, Kenosha, WI, May 7
XTERRA Malibu Creek Xduro, Malibu, CA, May 7
Santa Barbara Wine Country Half, Santa Ynez, CA, May 7
Japan Day Run for Hope 4 Mile, NY, NY, May 8
5th Mother's Day 5K, St. Paul, MN, May 8
Kirkland Half Marathon & 5K, Kirkland, WA, May 8
Medtronic TC 1 Mile, Minneapolis, MN, May 12
USA Men's & Women's Championships
Ragnar Relay New York, Woodstock-NYC, NY, May 13
UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, NY, NY, May 14
AJC Peachtree Jr., Atlanta, GA, May 14
USA 15K Trail Championships, Spokane, WA, May 14
Marine Corps Historic Half, Fredericksburg, MD, May 15
Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, PA, May 15
Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Cleveland, OH, May 15
Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, Green Bay, WI, May 15
Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon, Denver, CO, May 15
100th Zazzle Bay to Breakers 12K, San Francisco, CA, May 15
Keflezighi to Run 100th Zazzle Bay to Breakers
2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist seeks to be first U.S. winner of Bay to Breakers in 18 years
SAN FRANCISCO - (April 26, 2011) - For 100 years San Francisco's famed footrace Bay to Breakers has boasted many national record holders, Olympic medalists and world champions who have tackled the landmark point-to-point course; however, of those who have participated, few are as decorated as this year's 2011 headlining professional, Meb Keflezighi, known to the running world simply as "Meb".
At the 100th Zazzle Bay to Breakers 12K on Sunday, May 15, Meb, a 20-time USA champion, is looking to become the first American male winner of the 100-year-old race since 1986 when Ed Eyestone captured the crown. In 1993, Lynn Jennings was the last American to win the international event.
"The Bay to Breakers race is one I have wanted to run for a long time," stated Keflezighi. "I'm very happy to announce that on May 15, I will finally get my chance. It will be very special to be a part of the 100th anniversary of this historic running event and lead the tens of thousands of runners to the finish line."
The incredibly consistent Meb, who is making this rare California racing appearance, will be one of the favorites for the 100th race title. No stranger to ending the American drought at major competitions worldwide: in 2009 Meb was the first U.S. men's winner of the New York City Marathon since 1982 and he also garnered a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Marathon in Athens, the first time an American man medaled in the 26.2 mile event since 1976.
"Meb's participation in the 100th running of the Bay to Breakers footrace leaves me without words to describe my true excitement," said the general manager of Bay to Breakers, Angela Fang. "Meb is a true star of the sport and a fantastic American champion. This is what Bay to Breakers is truly about: those who have a true passion, and in Meb's case incredible skill and gift, for this race and sport. Whether you are a weekend warrior, or an elite like Meb, I am thrilled for the enthusiasm around this year's centennial race."
Keflezighi, 35, has a lifetime personal best of 2:09:15 for the marathon (New York City) and 27:13.98 (former U.S. record) for 10,000 meters. The UCLA grad will be making his Zazzle Bay to Breakers debut on Sunday, May 15, 2011.
For more 100th running information, go to: www.zazzlebaytobreakers.com
10K Aces Komon, Kogo Headline UAE Healthy Kidney 10K
The two fastest 10K road runners of all-time to compete against strong international field including countrymen Masai and Ndirangu, three-time Olympian Abdirahman and rising stars Curtis, St. Lawrence and Forrest on Saturday, May 14; record $25,000 first-place prize plus $20,000 Zayed Bonus for Central Park record
NEW YORK - (May 4, 2011) - The two fastest men in history at 10K on the road, Kenyans Leonard Patrick Komon and Micah Kogo, will go head-to-head at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K on Saturday, May 14 in Central Park to compete for a $25,000 first-place prize, the biggest winner's purse at any 10K race in the world, it was announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.
"It should be fast times in Central Park with bragging rights between Leonard and Micah at stake along with the $20,000 Zayed Bonus for beating the Central Park record," said Wittenberg. "Add red hot Bobby Curtis and Ben St. Lawrence and one of our favorites, Abdi Abdirahman, to the field and it promises to be a sizzling run."
Kogo, 24, ran 27 minutes and 1 second at the Parelloop 10K in Brunssum, the Netherlands, in 2009 to claim the world record. Komon, 23, broke that mark in 2010, blazing a 26:44 at the Singelloop 10K in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Both men have broken 27 minutes on the track: Kogo has run 26:35.63 and Komon 26:57.08. The two have gone head-to-head 10 times in their careers, with each defeating the other five times and Komon winning the last four matchups.
Pushing Komon and Kogo in New York will be fellow Kenyan stars Moses Masai and Simon Ndirangu. Masai, 24, the 2009 IAAF World Championships 10,000-meter bronze medalist, ran 27:19 to win the World's Best 10K in Puerto Rico in 2010. Ndirangu, 26, ran 27:49 in his victory at the 2010 Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC.
After an injury-shortened 2010 season, Abdi Abdirahman, 34, of Tucson, AZ, returns for his third UAE Healthy Kidney 10K as he continues his comeback season with an eye to making a fourth U.S. Olympic team in 2012. Abdirahman finished sixth in last year's race and won the 2009 U.S. 10K Championship in a time of 28:11.
Leading the challenge from the rising stars will be American Bobby Curtis, 27, of Ardmore, PA. Curtis became the seventh-fastest American of all time at 10,000 meters when he ran 27:24.67 to finish second at the Payton Jordan Invitational last weekend. Currently the third-fastest 5K runner in the world for 2011, the two-time Team USA member for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships won the 2008 NCAA Championship at 5000 meters in 13:33.93.
"I feel I have stepped things up a notch this year and I think that showed at Stanford," said Curtis. "Now I'm looking forward to testing myself against even stronger opposition on the roads of Central Park. Last year, the 10,000 meters at Stanford took a lot out of me and I wasn't able to produce my best in the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, but this year I feel so much fitter and I think I'll be ready to really challenge there."
Ben St. Lawrence, 29, of Australia, currently the second-fastest 5000-meter runner in the world for 2011, will look to improve upon last year's performance when he makes his second start at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K. In 2010, St. Lawrence finished seventh in the race in a time of 28:36. He finished third in the Payton Jordan Invitational 10,000 meters last weekend, a step behind his training partner Curtis, in an Australian record time of 27:24.95.
St. Lawrence's countryman, two-time NCAA 10,000-meter runner-up Shawn Forrest, is another up-and-comer in the star-studded field. No stranger to the streets of New York, Forrest, 27, finished ninth at the 2011 NYC Half.
Also toeing the line will be American distance-running stalwart James Carney. The 32-year-old two-time USA road race champion ran a marathon personal best of 2:15:50 in Rotterdam last year.
All of the athletes will be taking aim at the course record and the $20,000 Zayed Bonus that accompanies it. The time to beat is 27:42, set last year by Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia.
The UAE Healthy Kidney 10K is an open race highlighted by a select field of professional male runners and offers $60,000 in prize money to the top finishers, with $25,000 for the winner.
The race is sponsored by the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates to benefit the National Kidney Foundation, in appreciation of American medical excellence in the kidney transplant field. The late UAE president Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan benefited from American expertise, knowledge and research when he received a kidney transplant in 2000. Among his many honors and accomplishments, he was most proud of being a kidney transplant survivor.
For more information, go to: www.nyrr.org
Torrence, Pierce to Defend USA Road Mile Titles at Medtronic TC
Top U.S. milers to race down Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis on Thursday, May 12; $22,500 overall prize purse plus $10,000 time bonuses (sub-4 and sub-4:32)
ST. PAUL, Minn. - (April 28, 2011) - Two-time race winner David Torrence and 2008 Olympian Anna Pierce will return to defend their USA 1 Mile Road titles at the Medtronic TC 1 Mile in downtown Minneapolis on Thursday evening, May 12. The pair will battle some of the nation's the top male and female milers for $22,500 in prize money, plus a pair of $10,000 time bonuses.
The Medtronic TC 1 Mile, which features an evening of races for runners of all ages and abilities, will host the USA 1 Mile Road Championship for the third-straight year. Racing kicks off at 6:50pm on Thursday, May 12, culminating with the USA Championships races at 7:53pm (women) and 8:03pm (men).
Torrence, 25, the men's record-holder on the Nicollet Mall course, is the lone runner to break four-minutes in the six-year history of the event. The San Francisco, Calif. resident clocked 3 minutes, 59.3 seconds for his victory in 2009. Last year, Torrence confirmed his mastery of the race winning in 4:04.0.
Torrence's 2009 barrier-breaking win in 2009 kept his budding racing career alive, thanks to the $10,000 "Time Bounty" he earned for his sub-4:00 winning time.
"It was probably one of the biggest breaks for my career as a post-collegiate athlete," Torrence said. "At the time, I was unsponsored and living off of prize money from races. By crossing the line first under 4 minutes, I received the generous $10,000 bonus that essentially funded my running career for the next year. The financial security that winning the race brought allowed me to train full time and improve drastically."
To-date, the $10,000 women's time bonus for a winning time sub-4:32.0 has yet to be claimed. Shannon Rowbury, the 2009 USA champion, has come closest, setting the course record at 4:33.4. Defending champion Pierce, 27, however, has her sights set on a both a win and a course record time in 2011. She won last year's race in 4:34.6.
"Last year was my first time running the one mile race in Minneapolis, so I understand the course much better this year," the Mammoth Lakes, Calif. resident said. "I'm anticipating a good race and hope to break the course record. It was a very fun race and I am looking forward to coming back to run it again this year! I was impressed with the waves of runners and the crowds were so supportive."
The professional USA 1 Mile Road Championship races are just two of seven waves of racing taking place on May 12. Starting with the Friends & Family Wave for runners of all ages and abilities and including races for corporate teams and masters runners, the evening offers opportunity for runner of all abilities. The festive Nicollet Mall atmosphere - where people enjoying downtown Minneapolis nightlife cheer runners along the route - makes the Medtronic TC 1 Mile a unique event on the Minnesota and national running calendar.
Visit www.tcmevents.org for more information.
Freihofer's Run for Women Set to Launch Junior 3K Run
Event will act as a bridge between the 3K and Women's 5K; elite athlete mentors to adopt local schools and use weekly web conferences to create positive role models, inspire healthy lifestyles
ALBANY, N.Y. - (April 28, 2011) - Organizers of the Freihofer's Run for Women, one of the world's premier 5K road races, plan to launch a 3K this year for children who have outgrown the Freihofer's Kids' Run, but are not yet ready to tackle longer distances with a competitive field.
Called the "Freihofer's Junior 3K Run", the competitive, timed 1.86-mile road race will be open to girls and boys ages nine to 13. The event will begin at 11:00am on Saturday, June 4th and will use the same start and finish line as the 5K.
"For kids who have outgrown our Kids' Run mile, this distance gives them another option," said Freihofer's Junior 3K Run Race Director Paul Turner. "The new run will also be used as a culminating event for those schools currently using our Freihofer's Kids' Run training program."
The 2011 Freihofer's Junior 3K Run will be a pilot program and will not be open to the general public. Participants will come from the Hudson Mohawk Road Runners' "Just Run Albany" schools program, a fitness initiative currently taught at 12 schools and youth organizations in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. Also eligible will be children at schools that currently use the established Freihofer's Kids' Run training program, as well as those who belong to a USAFT club team.
"We want to make sure kids are properly trained to participate," stressed Turner, who expects a field of more than 600 runners to toe the line on Saturday, June 4th. "We've seen in the 5K that many of our younger entrants get to 800m and then lose steam. By requiring entrants to be properly trained, kids won't get in over their heads. They will be aware of the appropriate pacing and we'll eliminate any safety concerns."
"Helping our students understand the benefits of being healthy and fit is an important part of the work our schools do every day," added City School District of Albany Superintendent Raymond Colucciello, Ed.D. "Just like the skills they learn in ELA, math, science and social studies, these are skills our young people will carry with them throughout their lives. We are excited that Freihofer's has provided our students with the opportunity to be part of this exceptional new Junior 3K Run. It is a great opportunity for our young people to continue to learn how good it feels to be in shape and healthy."
To help motivate youngsters for the new 3K event, organizers will implement a mentoring program featuring elite runners from the Freihofer's Run for Women's 18-year-old Elite Athlete School Visitation Program.
Already signed on to assist with the 3K mentoring initiative is three-time Freihofer's Run for Women champion Benita Willis, who competed for Australia in three Olympic games (2008 marathon, 2004 10,000m, and 2000 5000m). She'll be joined by Tera Moody, a member of the 2009 U.S. World Championship Marathon team, and Team USA Minnesota's Megan Hogan, a Ballston Spa native who earned All-American cross-country honors at George Washington University, and who recently finished 9th at the 2011 Mt. SAC 5000m (15:29.9).
Over the next four weeks, Willis, Moody and Hogan will adopt two local schools each and take part in web conferences using Voxwire software provided by Run for Women technology partner, TurnKey Internet. During the calls, which are slated to take place during the first and third weeks in May, runners will discuss their training schedules, world travel, trips to the Olympic Games, and share healthy eating habits. They then will visit their adopted schools when they come to Albany prior to the Freihofer's Run for Women in early June.
Schools slated to participate in the web conferences include: Green Meadow School, Guilderland Elementary School, Golding Middle School (Cobleskill), Walter B. Howard (New Lebanon), Albany Prep Charter School and New Scotland Elementary School in the City School District of Albany.
"Our 3K mentors are world-class athletes who have tremendous experience with our Elite Athlete School Visitation Program," said Freihofer's Run for Women Event Director George Regan. "They will give our participants a positive role model to connect with and help establish a healthy lifestyle at an early age."
For more information about the Freihofer's Junior 3K Run, 33rd Freihofer's Run for Run for Women, 24th Freihofer's Kids' Run, 23rd Freihofer's Community Walk, and the 9th CapitalCare Health & Fitness Expo, visit freihofersrun.com. From the home page, link to the event's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
Contact Information
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director, ryan@runningusa.org, (805) 696-6232
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