Running USA wire 65, August 14, 2011

Running USA advances the growth and success of the running industry in America.


Partners: The Active Network, Ashworth Awards, Leslie Jordan, Inc. and
MarathonFoto help make this wire possible.




In this edition:
Rotich, Lewy Boulet Win New Balance Falmouth Road Race
McNamara Sets New Balance Falmouth Mile Record
20,000 Runners Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Style
Brooks Sports Earns Gold for Service, Product and Work Environment

UPCOMING EVENTS

Join Running USA today and have your event listed here, as well as on www.RunningUSA.org
Ragnar Relay Great River, La Crosse, WI, August 19
Runstock 5K, Quantico, VA, August 20
Madison Mini-Marathon & 5K, Madison, WI, August 20
Pikes Peak Ascent, Manitou Springs, CO, August 20
13.1 Marathon: Minneapolis, MN, August 21
Divas Half Marathon, Vail, CO, August 21
Pikes Peak Marathon, Manitou Springs, CO, August 21
Race for Research 5K, Denver, CO, August 21
America's Finest City Half-Marathon, San Diego, CA, Aug 21
Big Wild Life Runs, Anchorage, AK, August 21
Toronto Women's 5K/10K, Toronto, CAN, August 27
Continental Divide Trail Run, Laurel Springs, NC, August 27
USA 10K Trail Championship
35th Crim Festival of Races, Flint, MI, August 27
Challenge Arthritis 5K, St. Paul, MN, August 27
AT&T Giant Race, San Francisco, CA, August 27
IAAF World Championships, Daegu, KOR, Aug 27-Sept 4
La Sportiva Berry Picker Trail Run, Vail, CO, August 28
Santa Rosa Marathon, Santa Rosa, CA, August 28


Rotich, Lewy Boulet Win New Balance Falmouth Road Race

39th edition draws nearly 11,000 starters for Cape Cod summer classic
By Steven Nearman, Running USA wire



FALMOUTH, Mass. - (August 14, 2011) - For some time now, it has been a rare occurrence for an American runner to win a prestigious U.S. road race.

The last American woman to win here was Jen Rhines in 2003 and the last American man to cop top prize was Mark Curp way back in 1988.



This fact has not been lost on new title sponsor New Balance, which has been bolstering emerging U.S. elite distance runners for the past several years.



It paid off here today, as New Balance pumped nearly $45,000 of new prize money - for Americans only - into the 39th running of the legendary Falmouth Road Race.

And Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Lakewood HS 1993; California 1997), a 2008 Olympian in the marathon, sprinted away with a $20,000 paycheck, a significant amount for a non-marathon event. She earned $10,000 for the overall victory and another $10,000 for top U.S. woman.



As well, rising U.S. star Brian Olinger, a veteran steeplechaser looking to focus on the roads now, grabbed fourth for an $11,500 reward.



In fact, Americans filled the top 10, an unusual situation in Falmouth for many years. Eight U.S. women and six U.S. men all earned money for top 10 finishes.



But it was Lewy Boulet, 38, who highlighted the show in her debut. She nearly came to Falmouth in 2004 but cancelled when she found out she was pregnant. At the end of her season before a break prior to buildup for the January 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, Lewy Boulet said the 7-mile distance here fit well into her schedule.

The U.S.-only money, she said, was an added incentive for a cross country trip from her residence in Oakland, CA.



Hitting six miles in 31:39 with two other Olympians and the champ of this year's Azalea Trail Run 10K, Lewy-Boulet made a key decision to bolt for the finish.



"I went exactly at 6 miles," said Lewy-Boulet, the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials runner-up. "With a mile to go, I told myself 'you have to commit, you have to commit' and I made a surge." Her long surge took her to the finish and stopped the clock at 36 minutes, 58 seconds.



She left a talented three-some in her wake, including Burundi Olympian Diane Nukuri-Johnson (37:13), Kenyan two-time Olympic silver medalist and four-time Falmouth champion Catherine Ndereba (37:24) and fellow American Janet Cherobon Bawcom (37:37) who is enjoying success this year on the road race tour.



"I am not doing a full marathon at this time so the distance was right for me," explained Lewy Boulet. "That the race put out the incentives for Americans certainly helped. In 2013, I'm going to come back and triple dip (win Open, American, Masters money)!"

The next six women were Americans.



For the men, Olinger was one of six Americans who were able to double-dip, earning Open and U.S. cash. It was a gutsy performance for a guy who focused on steeplechase for many years but has backed off because of injury.



He got right out there from the start out of Woods Hole, cruising in a pack which passed the first three miles in 4:38, 4:28 and 4:29. By mile 3, he clung to three Kenyans with major credentials - 2007 Falmouth champ Micah Kogo, who just won the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K in Maine eight days ago, Lucas Rotich who was second to Kogo at Beach to Beacon and Edward Muge, who was fifth here last year and third the year before.



They passed three miles in 13:35, nearly a personal best for Olinger but not nearly so for the other three. Once on the flat coastal Surf Drive, Kogo and Rotich separated themselves from Muge and Olinger and slowly pulled away. Kogo and Rotich were all alone and chatting to each other when they covered the 10K mark in 28:05, and it was a two-man rush to the finish at Falmouth Heights.



Today, it was Rotich's day to best Kogo, exacting revenge from his close loss to Kogo in their first-ever head-to-head competition at Beach to Beacon.



Rotich, in his Falmouth debut, finished in 31:37, the third-fastest winning time ever here, and 29 seconds off the course record set in 2004 by three-time race champ Gilbert Okari, who was 26th this year.



""I was trying not to let him go," said the 27-year-old Rotich, the bronze medalist at the 2008 World Cross Country Championships, after his debut Falmouth. "I was trying to push the pace at six miles. [The day before] I ran up the finish line and I knew there was a downhill at the end."



Right behind him and Kogo (31:41) was Muge, third again in 32:02 and then it was Olinger, hampered by a stitch but firmly in fourth in 32:16.



"I wish I hadn't cramped up at 10K," said the 28-year-old Olinger, who was third at the USA 10K Champs at the Peachtree Road Race 10K last month. "I think I got so excited by the crowd that it caused a cramp in my right side. I think I would have had third if I hadn't cramped."



He had dropped out of the 2009 race, again with a side stitch, after a 12th place effort in 2007, good for fourth American. This year, he was first American, earning a total of $11,500.



Behind him for the Americans were three-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman of Tucson (5th in 32:43), Ben True of North Yarmouth, ME (6th in 32:48), Ed Moran of Williamsburg, VA (8th in 32:50), Sean Quigley of Philadelphia (9th in 32:51) and Brett Gotcher of Watsonville, CA (Aptos HS 2002; Stanford 2007) (10th in 32:53).



James Koskei of Kenya (34:41) and two-time Falmouth overall champion Colleen De Reuck of Boulder, CO (39:12) defended their Masters titles (40 and older), pocketing $2500 apiece.



Some 10,696 official starters participated, including Olympian and three-time Falmouth winner Bill Rodgers (age 63), two-time winner as well as Olympic Marathon gold and silver medalist Frank Shorter (62) and 1984 Olympic Marathon gold medalist and six-time race titlist Joan Benoit Samuelson (54), while the legendary father-son team Dick and Rick Hoyt celebrated their 32nd Falmouth finish.

39th New Balance Falmouth Road Race
Falmouth, MA, Sunday, August 14, 2011



MEN
1) Lucas Rotich (KEN), 31:37, $10,000
2) Micah Kogo (KEN), 31:41, $5000
3) Edward Muge (KEN), 32:02, $2000
4) Brian Olinger (USA / OH), 32:16, $11,500
5) Abdi Abdirahman (USA / AZ), 32:43, $6000
6) Ben True (USA / ME), 32:48, $2800
7) Samuel Ndereba (KEN), 32:49, $650
8) Ed Moran (USA / VA), 32:50, $2100
9) Sean Quigley (USA / PA), 32:51, $1450
10) Brett Gotcher (USA / CA), 32:53, $1150
12) Patrick Smyth (USA / CA), 33:08, $650
13) Fernando Cabada (USA / CO), 33:12, $600 (Buchanan HS, Clovis 2000)
14) Jason Lehmekuhle (USA / MN), 33:18, $450
15) Chris Landry (USA / MI), 33:25, $350



WOMEN
1) Magdalena Lewy Boulet (USA / CA), 36:58, $20,000
2) Diane Nukuri-Johnson (BDI), 37:13, $5000
3) Catherine Ndereba (KEN), 37:24, $2000
4) Janet Cherobon-Bawcom (USA / GA), 37:37, $6500
5) Kim Conley (USA / CA), 37:47, $3000 (Montgomery HS, Santa Rosa 2004; UC Davis 2008)
6) Emily Brown (USA / MN), 37:49, $2300
7) Jeanette Faber (USA / OR), 38:01, $1650
8) Blake Russell (USA / CA), 38:02, $1400
9) Kathy Newberry (USA / MI), 38:03, $1100
10) Clara Grandt (USA / AL), 38:18, $950
11) Adriana Nelson (USA / CO), 38:21, $450
12) Heather Cappello (USA / MA), 38:24, $350



For complete results and more, go to: www.falmouthroadrace.com





McNamara Sets New Balance Falmouth Mile Record

Edwards Sifuentes defends women's crown



FALMOUTH, Mass. - (Saturday, August 13, 2011) - On a picture postcard New England summer evening, at the 16th New Balance Falmouth Mile on the Falmouth High School James Kalperis Track, Jordan McNamara, 24, Auburn, WA held off Jeff See, 25, Middletown, OH for the event record-setting victory, 3:54.89 to 3:55.24. The top four men bested the previous record of 3:56.45 by Jon Rankin (Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley; UCLA) set in 2008. In one of the deepest miles on U.S. soil, ten men broke the noted sub-4 minute mile mark (good for bonus money).



In the women's mile, Nicole Edwards Sifuentes, 25, of Canada defended her race title in 4:31.98 over rising star Brenda Martinez (Rancho Cucamonga HS, CA 2005; UC Riverside 2010), 23, Alamosa, CO, who clocked 4:32.29.

At the second edition New Balance Falmouth Scholastic Mile, featuring top Bay State high school talent, Alex Jagelsky, Rutland, MA and Madison Granger, Belchertown, MA also set event records with their respective victories in 4:26.39 and 5:22.52.



The Falmouth Mile was a prelude to the 39th New Balance Falmouth Road Race held on Sunday.



16th New Balance Falmouth Mile
Falmouth, MA, Saturday, August 13, 2011



MEN
1) Jordan McNamara (WA), 3:54.89*, $3000
2) Jeff See (OH), 3:55.24, $1500
3) A.J. Acosta (CA), 3:55.30, $1000 (El Camino HS, Oceanside 2006)
4) Adrian Blincoe (NZL), 3:55.47, $750
5) Craig Miller (WI), 3:56.90, $500
6) Matt Elliot (SC), 3:58.06, $500
7) Liam Boylan-Pett (NY), 3:58.19, $500
8) Will Leer (MI), 3:58.41, $500
9) Jack Bolas (NC), 3:58.56, $500
10) Christian Hesch (CA), 3:58.68, $500 (Cuesta College/ Cal Poly)
11) Robert Novak (CA), 4:02.73
*event record (previous record, 3:56.45, Jon Rankin (CA), 2008)



WOMEN
1) Nicole Edwards Sifuentes (CAN), 4:31.98, $2000
2) Brenda Martinez (CO), 4:32.29, $1000
3) Erin Donohue (NJ), 4:32.52, $500
4) Gabrielle Anderson (MN), 4:33.57, $250
5) Maggie Infeld (DC), 4:33.95
6) Sara Vaughn (OR), 4:34.29
7) Stephanie Reilly (IRL), 4:36.02
8) Nicole Schappert (NJ), 4:37.40
9) Stephanie Garcia (VA), 4:40.06



Visit www.falmouthroadrace.com/mile for more information.






20,000 Runners Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Style

Glaab, Hallissey win half-marathon; celebrity presence includes TODAY Show's Al Roker, Five For Fighting's John Ondrasik, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, three-time 49ers Super Bowl champion Roger Craig, Access Hollywood's Jayde Donavan and the Weather Channel's Stephanie Abrams at XSport Fitness Rock 'n' Roll Chicago 1/2 Marathon


By Dan Cruz, Competitor Group



CHICAGO - (August 14, 2011) - Under cool, ideal running conditions on Sunday morning more than 21,000 entrants took to the streets of downtown Chicago for the third XSport Fitness Rock 'n' Roll Chicago 1/2 Marathon benefiting the American Cancer Society.



The sky opened up after most of the runners crossed the finish line, but Josh Glaab of Superior, Colorado opened up a big lead by the 5-mile mark to win in 1 hour, 9 minutes, 3 seconds on an overcast, 60-degree day in the Windy City.



Glaab, 28, a high school science teacher and cross country coach at Fairview High School in Boulder, separated himself from fellow Coloradoan, and friend, Curtis Begley of Boulder by mile 4 and stayed clear of the field all the way to the finish line.



"The goal was to try and run a little faster than we ran," said Glaab, who won with a 55-second victory over runner-up Brendon Moody of Van Wert, Ohio. Begley held on for third in 1:10:46. "Every time I would turn a corner someone would be yelling and that really kept me going. My buddy and I have been training together so we took it out together and tried to go after it."



In the women's race, Great Britain's Claire Hallissey ran away from the field, crossing the finish line in 1:14:34 to win in dominating fashion. Kristin Fryburg Zaitz of Broomfield, Colorado finished second in 1:19:07, while Suzanne Ryan of Chicago was third (1:19:51).



"My plan was to go out there, see how I feel and get to the finish," Hallissey said after the race. "[The time] was around what I thought what I'd run."



Hallissey, also 28, who has a personal best of 1:12:02 for 13.1 miles, is in the midst of training for October's Bank of America Chicago Marathon. She was making her first trip to the Windy City this weekend and using Sunday's race mainly as a scouting mission for a 2:30 attempt at the marathon distance this fall.



There was a notable celebrity presence amongst the 21,000 entrants at the event. The fastest was NFL Hall of Famer Roger Craig, who crossed the finish line in 1:48:49. The TODAY Show's Al Roker ran here for the second year in a row, finishing in 3:02:06, improving his time by over 18 minutes. John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting crossed the line in 2:06:42 and was followed closely by the Weather Channel's Stephanie Abrams in 2:09 flat, while Jayde Donavan from Access Hollywood rounded out the female celebrity finishers in 2:55:48.



XSport Fitness Rock 'n' Roll Chicago 1/2 Marathon
Chicago, IL, Sunday, August 14, 2011



MEN
1) Josh Glaab (CO), 1:09:03, $1000
2) Brendon Moody (OH), 1:09:58, $500
3) Curtis Begley (CO), 1:10:46, $250
6) Neal Naughton (IL), 1:12:11, $500*



WOMEN
1) Claire Hallissey (GBR), 1:14:34, $1000
2) Kristin Fryburg Zaitz (CO), 1:19:07, $500
3) Suzanne Ryan (IL), 1:19:51, $750*
*Includes top state of Illinois finisher prize



For complete results, photos and more, go to: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/chicago




Brooks Sports Earns Gold for Service, Product and Work Environment

Strengthens #1 position in specialty run channel; leading running brand expects upcoming PureProject launch to further accelerate record-setting pace for brand



BOTHELL, Wash. - (Aug. 4, 2011) - Brooks Sports, Inc. continues to spread the Run Happy spirit with its specialty run channel partners, reinforced by the recently released Sports Marketing Surveys Running Specialty Store Sales Survey for spring 2011. In it, Brooks received top honors for Market Strength Forecast, Dealer Confidence, 14 of 17 Brand Ratings and Unweighted Footwear Market Share.



"Two years ago Brooks announced a 10-year vision to own the run and become the next billion dollar brand in performance running. The growth we are experiencing puts us ahead of plan and is largely fueled by our strong partnerships in specialty run," said Jim Weber, president and CEO of Brooks Sports, Inc. "Brooks PureProject will add yet another gear to our brand by delivering a unique running experience to avid runners and those new to the sport."



Business highlights include:
* Brooks total footwear sales in the U.S. are up 30 percent year-to-date, fueled in part by three shoes experiencing triple-digit growth: Ghost (up 232 percent), Trance (up 110 percent) and Ravenna (up 109 percent).
* Brooks footwear backlog is up 55 percent year-over-year, driven by strong growth in the Brooks Core line and retailer enthusiasm for the upcoming Brooks PureProject lightweight running line.
* Brooks has strengthened its lead in total brand market share over all competitors at SRA for the eighth straight month since taking the top spot from ASICS in November 2010, according to Leisure Trends Group.
* Brooks was named to Outside Magazine's fourth annual "Best Places to Work" list. Brooks was ranked No. 40 out of 50 selected companies and is the only performance running footwear and apparel manufacturer on the list.
* In 2011, Brooks took home three consecutive "Editor's Choice" awards from worldwide authority on running, Runner's World. Most recently the Ghost 4 won top prize in the Fall Shoe Guide (second year in a row), and the Ravenna 2 and Defyance 4 earned awards in the Summer and Spring Shoe Guides.
* Brooks was crowned the 2011 Fleet Feet Sports Supplier of the Year in June "for providing excellent product, support, and services," at the annual Fleet Feet National Franchise Conference. Fleet Feet also noted last year Brooks became the first brand to do more than $20 million in sales across its 90-store franchise network.



Sports Marketing Surveys conducted in-depth phone interviews with 70 specialty running storeowners and managers throughout the U.S. to determine rankings. Panelists rated a variety of brands relative to quantitative sales data and diverse qualitative attributes.



The Sports Marketing Survey found Brooks as the definitive leader in:


* Market Strength: 29 points separate Brooks from the pack, formulated by each brand's predicted strength as reported by all running specialty stores, regardless of whether they carry the brand in question.
* Dealer Confidence: Brooks took top billing in a measure of retailers' overall impressions of each brand and the company it represents.
* Brand Rating (number one in 14 of 17 categories):
- Performance Technology
- Credibility with Serious Runners
- Overall Product Appeal New Line vs. Current Line
- In House Customer Service
- Accuracy of Delivery (At-once)
- Product Availability (At-once)
- Accuracy of Delivery (Advance)
- Product Availability (Advance)
- Speed of Delivery (At-once)
- Speed of Delivery (Advance)
- Profit to Dealer
- Sales Rep Support
- Company's Terms / Policies
- Overall Mean Rating



For more information about Brooks' other performance running footwear, apparel and accessories, go to: www.brooksrunning.com







Contact Information


Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director, ryan@runningusa.org, (805) 696-6232




Quick Links to RunningUSA.org
Go to our conference

New events calendar

More member news

Runners of Interest




Forward email


This email was sent to keithconning@aol.com by ryan@runningusa.org |
Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.

Running USA | 1631 Mesa Ave., Suite B | Colorado Springs | CO | 80906