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In this edition:
U.S. All-Comers Records Fall at Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon
True, Culley Win USA 5K titles at CVS Caremark Downtown
Minnesotan Andrew Carlson to Debut at Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
AJC Peachtree Road Race Earns Council for Responsible Sport's "Green" Certification
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Fifth Avenue Mile, New York, NY, September 24
Road Runner Akron Marathon, Akron, OH, September 24
Women's Half-Marathon: Nashville, TN, September 24
St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration 5K, Boise, ID, Sept 24
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Marian House 5K Run, Baltimore, MD, October 1
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Running USA Regional Summit, Richmond, VA, October 22
U.S. All-Comers Records Fall at Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon
Mathew Kisorio defends title running 4th fastest time in history; Kim Smith shatters previous U.S. record; Villanova grad Bobby Curtis runs second fastest U.S. half in 2011; sixteen Americans run under 2012 Olympic Trials qualifying time; event record field of 20,866 entrants at 34th edition
By Bert Rosenthal
PHILADELPHIA - (September 18, 2011) - History was made at the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon on Sunday morning, not once but twice, as Mathew Kisorio of Kenya and Kim Smith of New Zealand set U.S. All-Comers Records, winning the men's and women's Open titles with late surges.
At the 34th race edition, Kisorio fought off a challenge from one of his best friends, countryman Sammy Kitwara, winning in 58 minutes, 46 seconds, smashing the mark of 58:55, which was then a world record when set by Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia in Phoenix in 2006. Smith also beat back a challenge from Werknesh Kidane of Ethiopia, winning in 1:07:11, breaking the previous U.S. record of 1:07:36 she set at New Orleans in February.
"The times were unbelievable," said Rod Dixon, 1972 Olympic medalist and 1983 New York City Marathon champion. "As we keep moving on in history, the bar keeps getting lower. Pretty soon, if you put up one or two million dollars in prize money, you'll see someone run a marathon under two hours." Dixon won this historic Philadelphia race twice, setting a world record here in 1981.
"The times were fantastic," stated Jim Ryun, the great U.S. distance runner and 1968 Olympic silver medalist. "It was so beautiful to see. Their strides and their form were wonderful. They were very strong at the finish."
Kisorio, who plans to run his first marathon in New York in November, was excited about his race.
"I was looking to run my fastest ever," said Kisorio, who also won the Philadelphia race last year in a then course record 1:00:16. "I've been training hard in Kenya for the last two months."
The 22-year-old running sensation kept looking at his watch during the race. "When I saw my watch at 10K, I knew I could run under 60 (minutes). This course is fantastic." Kisorio improved his personal record by one minute, 17 seconds.
Kisorio and Kitwara broke away from the field near the three-mile mark and continued running stride-for-stride until the final hill, shortly before the finish. Then, Kisorio made a move and Kitwara just couldn't keep up.
"Going up the hill was hard for me," Kitwara said, after finishing two seconds behind his compatriot in 58:48 but also under Gebrselassie's old mark. Kisorio's time was also the fourth-fastest in world history and Kitwara's was fifth.
Bobby Curtis, former Villanova All-American, was the first U.S. finisher, placing ninth in 1:01:53 in his first half-marathon, also becoming the second fastest American half-marathoner for the year. 2000 Olympian Adam Goucher, in his first race in some two years, also dipped under the Olympic Trials qualifier of 1:05:00, finishing in 1:04:52. He was one of seven men and nine women who qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston at today's race.
Smith, 25, entered the race with much trepidation. What caused her psychological concern was her performance in the Boston Marathon in April. There, she had a huge lead after 10 miles when she developed a torn calf muscle and had to drop out.
"It was nice to have this race," Smith said. "I needed this for motivation. I was struggling with Boston. Physically, it didn't take me long to recover, but mentally it did. I was just trying to run hard and be relaxed and feel comfortable. I knew I was running fast, but I wasn't sure what my times were translating to."
History, it turned out.
Smith and Kidane ran together until about the final mile. Then, Smith took the lead and Kidane couldn't keep up.
"I wore her down," Smith said. "She was tough. To beat her is something. She's a world champion."
Kidane, winner of six medals at the World Championships including a gold, finished in 1:07:28, also under the old U.S. All-Comers Record. The best American was Maegan Krifchin of Ithaca, NY who placed fifth in 1:11:04, bursting onto the U.S. distance running scene with the third fastest half-marathon time by an American woman this year.
Smith also set pending U.S. All-Comers Records for 10 miles (51:04) and 20 kilometers (1:03:38), while Kisorio set a pending all-comers mark of 55:44 for 20K, making for a historic day in Philadelphia.
A race record of 20,886 entrants were scheduled to start in perfect weather, 56 degrees and a slight wind as the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon once again solidified its reputation as one of the world's great races. Among the runners was Dana Jacobson of ESPN, who completed the half-marathon in 2:19:49, under the careful eye of her trainer Bart Yasso of Runner's World. A pumped up crowd celebrated their accomplishment with a hard rocking performance by Bret Michaels.
Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series co-founder Tracy Sundlun remarked on a banner day for the record books: "The reason everyone ran so fast was to get a front row seat to listen to Bret Michaels."
34th Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia ½ Marathon
Philadelphia, PA, Sunday, September 18, 2011
MEN
1) Mathew Kisorio (KEN), 58:46, $9500*
2) Sammy Kitwara (KEN), 58:48, $2000
3) James Mwangi (KEN), 1:00:43, $1500
4) Peter Kamais (KEN), 1:01:07, $1000
5) Julias Koskei (KEN), 1:01:22, $750
*Includes Event Record and All-Comers Record Bonus (previous course record, 1:00:16, Mathew Kisorio (KEN), 2010; previous U.S. ACR, 58:55, Haile Gebrselassie (ETH), Phoenix 2006)
MASTERS MEN (40 and older)
1) Vyacheslav Shabunin, 41, Russia, 1:03:52, $1000
2) Christopher Carr, 49, Garnett Valley, PA, 1:09:22, $500
3) Thom Little, 40, New York, NY, 1:09:26, $250
WOMEN
1) Kim Smith (NZL), 1:07:11, $9500*
2) Werknesh Kidane (ETH), 1:07:28, $2000
3) Bizunesh Deba (ETH), 1:09:55, $1500
4) Jane Kibii (KEN), 1:10:25, $1000
5) Maegan Krifchin (USA / NY), 1:11:05, $1250#
*Includes Event Record and All-Comers Record Bonus (previous course record, 1:07:45, Meseret Defar (ETH), 2010; previous U.S. ACR, 1:07:36, Kim Smith (NZL), New Orleans 2011)
#Includes Top U.S. Prize Money
MASTERS WOMEN (40 and older)
1) Peggy Yetman, 43, Leesburg, VA, 1:20:21, $1000
2) Abby Dean, 40, Philadelphia, PA, 1:22:37, $1500^
3) Nnenna Lynch, 40, New York, NY, 1:23:34, $250
^Includes top City of Philadelphia prize money
2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifying times
MEN (1:05:00)
Bobby Curtis, 26, Philadelphia, PA, 1:01:53, $1500^
Chris Barnicle, 24, Newtonville, MA, 1:02:45, $400
Jason Hartmann, 30, Boulder, CO, 1:03:39, $300
Michael Eaton, 24, Bowling Green, KY, 1:04:37, $200
C. Fred Joslyn, 27, Syracuse, NY, 1:04:38, $100
Adam Goucher, 36, Portland, OR, 1:04:53
Paul Hefferon, 25, Rochester Hills, MI, 1:04:54
^Includes top City of Philadelphia prize money
WOMEN (1:15:00)
Dot McMahan, 34, Rochester Hills, MI, 1:13:00, $400
Adriana Nelson, 31, Boulder, CO, 1:13:01, $300
Melissa White, 30, Rochester Hills, MI, 1:13:13, $200
Wendy Thomas, 32, Windsor, CO, 1:13:49, $100
Teresa McWalters, 27, Cambridge, MA, 1:14:23
Brianne Nelson, 30, Fort Collins, CO, 1:14:38
Amanda Rice, 27, Bethesda, MD, 1:14:39
Mattie Suver, 34, Lake Tapps, WA, 1:14:56
Complete results, photos and more at: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/Philadelphia
True, Culley Win USA 5K titles at CVS Caremark Downtown
Men's champion True takes over USA Running Circuit lead
Summary by Ryan Lamppa, Running USA wire
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - (September 18, 2011) - At the USA 5K Championships hosted by the CVS Caremark Downtown in Providence on Sunday morning, Ben True (Hanover, NH) and Julie Culley (Lebanon, NJ) won national road titles and the Open races overall in 13 minutes, 44 seconds and 15:42 respectively. For True, it was his second USA title for the year (also 10K) and for Culley her first U.S. title.
In the men's race, True, Sam Chelanga of Kenya and Aaron Braun (Flagstaff, AZ) battled to the end before True secured the victory by two seconds over Chelanga and Braun, both timed in 13:46. Defending national champion Robert Cheseret (Colorado Springs, CO) finished 5th overall and 4th American in 13:51.
With the win (worth $8000 and 15 USA Running Circuit points), True, 25, moved into first place in the USARC standings with 48 points followed by Braun just one point back.
For the women, Culley, 30, handily captured the U.S. crown by 8 seconds over Kim Conley (Montgomery HS, Santa Rosa 2004; UC Davis 2008; West Sacramento, CA) who ran 15:50 as national runner-up. Three-time Olympian Jen Rhines tops the women's USARC with 30 points.
Video highlights of the USA 5K Championships are available in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com at: www.USARunningCircuit.com
22nd CVS Caremark Downtown 5K: USA Men & Women's Championships
Providence, RI, Sunday, September 18, 2011
MEN
1) Ben True (NH), 13:44, $8000
2) Sam Chelanga (KEN), 13:46, $2000
3) Aaron Braun (AZ), 13:46, $4000
4) Kevin Chelimo (KEN), 13:50
5) Robert Cheseret (CO), 13:51, $2000
6) Harbert Okuti (UGA), 13:52
7) Stephen Pifer (OR), 13:52, $1500
8) Simon Ndirangu (KEN), 13:55
9) Bolota Asmerom (McAteer HS, San Francisco 1996; California 2001; CA), 14:02, $1000
10) Anthony Famiglietti (NC), 14:05, $900
Other U.S.
11) Bobby Mack (NC), 14:05, $700
12) Christo Landry (MI), 14:08, $500
14) Jordan Horn (AZ), 14:10, $300
15) Christian Hesch (Cuesta College; Cal Poly; CA), 14:14, $100
WOMEN
1) Julie Culley (NJ), 15:42, $8000
2) Kim Conley (Montgomery HS, Santa Rosa 2004; UC Davis 2008; CA), 15:50, $5000
3) Emily Brown (MN), 15:58, $3000
4) Sara Hall (Montgomery HS, Santa Rosa 2001; Stanford 2005; CA), 16:00, $1500
5) Meghan Peyton (MN), 16:00, $1000
6) Stephanie Pezzullo (NC), 16:09, $900
7) Nicole Schappert (NJ), 16:09, $700
8) Amy Mortimer (KS), 16:10, $500
9) Cassie Slade (CO), 16:23, $300
10) Kellyn Johnson (AZ), 16:24, $100
Deeper results and more at: www.cvsdowntown5k.com
Minnesotan Andrew Carlson to Debut at Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
Carlson to face competition from strong international field at 30th edition
ST. PAUL, Minn. - (September 15, 2011) - As organizers of the 30th Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon count down the days until their October 2 race, an intriguing storyline emerging for the event is the possibility that for the first time in the event's storied history a Minnesotan could win the men's marathon title. The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon men's title that has been claimed by Kenyans, Russians, Mexicans, a Dane, and even an Iowan, but never a home-state runner.
University of Minnesota alumnus Andrew Carlson of Chaska, a USA champion at 15K and 25K in his career and a member of Team USA Minnesota, will make his much-anticipated marathon debut in this year's race. Carlson, 29, a two-time cross country All-American for the Gophers, recently finished 6th at the USA 20K Championships while in the middle of his training for Twin Cities.
Carlson, of course, will not only face the unique challenge of negotiating the 26.2 miles connecting the Twin Cities, but also the competition from a strong international field that is expected to include runners from across the country and around the world.
The battle for the women's title at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon could prove to be a duel between Russian women. Nadezhda Leonteva, a 2:31:56 marathoner who placed 7th at the Russian marathon championships in 2010, and Elena Nagovitsyna, a 32:08 10,000-meter runner who will make her marathon debut at the race, currently headline the event.
The 2011 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon will feature a weekend of races. Once again, the event will host the USA Masters Marathon Championships, open to American runners over 40-years-old. Defending USA Masters champions Mbarak Hussein and Susan Loken are slated to return.
Marathon Sunday will also include the Medtronic TC 10 Mile which will host the USA 10 Mile Championships for men and women. The event will feature a men-vs.-women equalizer format that will see America's top male and female 10-milers race one another for a $10,000 bonus.
On Saturday, October 1 the finish-line area around the state capitol will host Medtronic TC Family Events including the Diana Pierce Family Mile and the always entertaining Diaper Dash and Toddler Trot. Also slated for Saturday are the TC 5K and TC 10K runs.
Visit www.tcmevents.org for more information.
AJC Peachtree Road Race Earns Council for Responsible Sport's "Green" Certification
Atlanta 10K event becomes the largest CRS Certified race to-date
ATLANTA - (September 12, 2011) - The Atlanta Track Club has announced that the AJC Peachtree Road Race has earned certification as a sustainable athletic event from the Council for Responsible Sport (CRS). With more than 55,000 timed finishers, the event is the largest race yet to achieve this certification, and the Atlanta Track Club, organizer of more than 25 running events each year, is the largest race organizer to receive CRS certification.
"The Atlanta Track Club is elated that the AJC Peachtree Road Race has been awarded CRS Certification," said Tracey Russell, executive director of the Atlanta Track Club. "We've worked hard to create a sustainable event that minimizes the impact on our environment and we're excited our efforts have been recognized by the Council for Responsible Sport."
The CRS aims to provide "independent, third-party verification of the social and environmental sustainability of sporting events." CRS Certified events earn credits across six categories: waste, climate, materials and equipment, community and outreach, health promotion and innovation. Events qualify for one of four levels of certification, depending on the number of credits earned. The certification levels are: Certified, Silver, Gold and Evergreen. The AJC Peachtree Road Race achieved 24 credits, earning "basic" CRS Certification.
To achieve certification, the 2011 AJC Peachtree Road Race increased the total recycled waste from 22,802 pounds in 2010 to 41,873 pounds. Increased recycling efforts included collecting all water cups along the course, gathering approximately 12,000 D-tag timing tags after the race and leftover food was distributed at local shelters. The increase in recycled materials brought the weight of trash per participant sent to the landfill to 0.52 pounds, down from 0.61 pounds per participant in 2010.
Continuing the green initiative, the Atlanta Track Club teamed with GreenSneakers, a program developed to provide environmentally friendly fundraising opportunities, to collect approximately 900 pairs of running shoes to be distributed in low-income countries. In addition, 2011 also marked the first year that all 60,000 entries for the event were paperless with individuals entering the event through an online registration system.
The AJC Peachtree Road Race will hold the Certified level of sustainability until 2013 when event recertification will be required. A complete listing of CRS Certified events can be found at: www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/certification/certified-events
For more information on the AJC Peachtree Road Race, go to: www.atlantatrackclub.org
Contact Information
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director, ryan@runningusa.org, (805) 696-6232
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