Running USA wire 32, April 15, 2012
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In this edition:
True, Kidane Crush Course Records at B.A.A. 5K
Birmingham, Uceny Win B.A.A. Mile
Course Records Fall at GO! St. Louis Events
Thomas, Raitter Win XTERRA Lake Las Vegas Trail Run

UPCOMING EVENTS

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116th B.A.A. Boston Marathon, Boston, MA, April 16
World Marathon Major
Ragnar Relay SoCal, Huntington Beach, CA, April 20
Romp Thru the Woods 5K, Decatur, GA, April 21
Challenge Obesity 5K, St. Paul, MN, April 21
Central Market Thrill of the Grill 5K, Dallas, TX, April 21
Earth Day 10K, Carlsbad, CA, April 21
Inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Madrid, Madrid, ESP, April 22
Flying Pirate Half Marathon, Outer Banks, NC, April 22
Inaugural San Luis Obispo Marathon, San Luis Obispo, CA, April 22
American Odyssey Relay Race Adventure, Gettysburg, PA, April 27
Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon Weekend, Champaign-Urbana, IL, Apr 27-28
Run for the Trees, Winter Park, FL, April 28
Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon & Half, Louisville, KY, April 28
St. Jude Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon, Nashville, TN, April 28
FirstMerit Bank Lakefront 10 Mile, Chicago, IL, April 28
35th Get in Gear 10K, Minneapolis, MN, April 28
Eugene Marathon, Eugene, OR, April 29
Big Sur International Marathon, Carmel, CA, April 29


True, Kidane Crush Course Records at B.A.A. 5K

Race record 5,254 finishers at 4th edition

By Jim O'Brien and Barbara Huebner



BOSTON - (April 15, 2012) - A 60 degree Sunday morning with light winds meant that the scene was set for some fast running at the fourth B.A.A. 5K, held the day before the 116th Boston Marathon. With the celebrated Marathon finish line as the backdrop - and serving also as the finish line for this race - there was anticipation aplenty that this year's men's race would be as thrilling as it had been 12 months previously.



On that occasion, Dartmouth grad, Ben True, had unleashed a blistering home straight finish to steal the win in a course record time of 14 minutes, 7 seconds. One could hardly expect the same again this time around - enthralling tactics, a rocket-launched sprint finish, a record time; an absorbing race would be good enough. In the end, the vocal crowd all around the course got all of the above, and more - a repeat winner.



"A lot of people forget how long that finishing straight is," proffered True, drawing on his experience of 2011 and moments after blowing away the field and the record. "I just bided my time."



That was the defending champion's tactic throughout the race. While Lani Rutto of Kenya, Ali Abdosh of Ethiopia, Sam Chelanga also from Kenya and a group of others took turns at the front, pushing the pace, True held fast in the pack, rarely drifting to the front, but always remaining within striking distance.



It was close to the halfway mark, that Rutto decided to up the ante still further. Making the left turn off Commonwealth Avenue onto Berkeley St and the right off Berkeley onto Boylston, Rutto pressed all the harder, opening inches of daylight. At two miles, the clock showed 8:58, with Rutto's advantage increasing with every stride.



By 2.25 miles, the Kenyan had opened a five meter lead on a pack that included Chelanga, Abdosh, True, Kenyan Allan Kiprono and Adrian Blincoe of New Zealand, and it appeared as though the writing was appearing on the wall, but making the left turn off Hereford back onto Boylston, six men wound into that oh-so-long home straight almost shoulder-to-shoulder. The finish line was visible, but still a long way away. Rutto led the pack, but Kiprono injected a surge that brought him into the lead. Then Chelanga wound it up and bolted for the line. But they were all preamble. True, 26, had been through this before and knew the moment to strike.



Having covered every move without making one of his own, the Yarmouth, ME native picked his spot perfectly. With 100 meters or so remaining, he blasted past Chelanga, opened an immediate two strides and hammered through the tape in a shattering course record of 13:41, also claiming the $4000 first place prize money. Chelenga held on for second in 13:43 ($2000), with the valiant Rutto claiming third in 13:46 ($1500) and Blincoe clocking the same time for fourth ($1000).



"I was a little worried with a mile to go that I didn't have the legs today," revealed the happy winner. "But that finish line is very long and I just bided my time. I'm pretty confident in my kick."



The top 11 men broke the previous course record revealing the depth of the 2012 field.

In the women's race, Werknesh Kidane of Ethiopia, whose eight medals in the World Cross Country Championships are the most of any woman in history, took the lead early and held it in a blistering 15:12. Her time demolished the course record of 15:51 set by Kenya's Lineth Chepkurui just last year.



"It was a bit windy, but good weather," said Kidane, 31, unlike the conditions her husband Gebre Gebremariam expects to face for Monday's Boston Marathon.



Finishing second to Kidane was countrywoman Aheza Kiros (15:21), with New Zealand's Kim Smith third (15:26). The top six women - rounded out by Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, Diane Johnson and Sarah Porter - all dipped under the previous course record.



Desiree Davila (Hilltop HS, Chula Vista, CA 2001), the American who last year came within two seconds of winning the Boston Marathon, was 10th in 16:03. Davila, who made her first Olympic team in January when she was runner-up at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, rarely races at short distances on the roads: her last 5K was two years ago, and Sunday's time was a personal best by 12 seconds.



Her Boston Marathon education will continue on Monday, when she rides the women's press truck, calling in reports to the press room at the finish line.



Among the other notable finishers were three-time Boston Marathon champion Uta Pippig, 45 (20:06); Nina Kuscsik, 73, celebrating her 40th anniversary as the first official women's winner of the Boston Marathon, in 1972 (43:08) and Val Rogosheske, 65, another of the eight original "Class of 1972," (39:06).



4th B.A.A. 5K
Boston, MA, Sunday, April 15, 2012



MEN
1) Ben True (USA / NH), 13:41*, $4000
2) Sam Chelanga (KEN), 13:43, $2000
3) Lani Rutto (KEN), 13:46, $1500
4) Adrian Blincoe (NZL), 13:46, $1000
5) Allan Kiprono (KEN), 13:48, $750
6) Aaron Braun (USA / AZ), 13:49, $600
7) Bobby Curtis (USA / KY), 13:52, $500
8) Ben St. Lawrence (AUS), 13:59, $400
9) Ali Abdosh (ETH), 14:00, $300
10) Brett Gotcher (Aptos HS 2002; Stanford 2007) (USA / AZ), 14:00, $200
*course record (previous record, 14:07, Ben True (USA), 2011)

WOMEN
1) Werknesh Kidane (ETH), 15:12*, $4000
2) Aheza Kiros (ETH), 15:21, $2000
3) Kim Smith (NZL), 15:26, $1500
4) Janet Cherobon-Bawcom (USA / GA), 15:41, $1000
5) Diane Nukuri-Johnson (BDI), 15:41, $750
6) Sarah Porter (USA / NC), 15:50, $600
7) Stephanie Rothstein (USA / AZ), 15:59, $500
8) Jelliah Tinega (KEN), 16:00, $400
9) Kellyn Johnson (USA / AZ), 16:01, $300
10) Desiree Davila (USA / MI), 16:03, $200
*course record (previous record, 15:52, Lineth Chepkurui (KEN), 2011)



For deeper results, visit: www.baa.org

Birmingham, Uceny Win B.A.A. Mile

Groleau, Heffernan B.A.A. Scholastic Mile champions

By Jim O'Brien and Barbara Huebner



BOSTON - (April 15, 2012) - A field of elite male milers - just five - lined up in near perfect conditions to contest the fourth B.A.A. Mile. Defending champion, Andy Baddeley from Great Britain, was not among them; but, even so - with such weather and such a tightly knit field - sparks were certain to fly on Sunday morning.



There was no distinct pre-race favorite, although Australia's Collis Birmingham was the fastest man in the field on paper, with a 3:53.9 road PB on his resume. Already selected for his country's 2012 Olympic team for 5000 meters, he has based himself in Philadelphia for his pre-Games preparation and viewed this race as speed-work that would serve him well as the Games drew nearer.



Birmingham surged to the lead from the gun and, literally, never looked back. "It's a compact course," he stated of the three laps and 12 turns that the field had to negotiate. "It's important to be in a good position at every turn. And there's no better position than being out in front. That was my plan, right from the start."



It was a good plan. A first lap of 1:25 saw Birmingham holding the pole position, though with Boston College alum and assistant coach, Tim Ritchie, just inches behind, and a further three meters to the remaining three. With two laps completed, the clock read 2:47, with the tall Australian owning just a little more daylight on Ritchie. Ben Bruce (Mt. Carmel HS, San Diego 2000; San Diego Mesa CC 2002; Cal Poly SLO 2005), Kyle Miller and Ireland's Aidan Walsh filed through next, in that order.



The last lap told all the tales. Birmingham unleashed all of his Olympian's track speed, opening a full five seconds and showing precisely why he is on his way to London in July. At the finish line, he stopped the clock at 4:06.0, breaking Baddeley's 2010 course record by more than two seconds. Miller surged through for second in 4:11.4 and Bruce edging the fading Ritchie, 4:11.7 to 4:13.5, while Walsh closed out the field at 4:23.2.



In the women's Mile, Morgan Uceny, ranked #1 in the world, became the first two-time race winner, leaving behind her three rivals on the final lap for victory in 4:43.8.



Defending champion Marina Muncan of Serbia was runner-up, in 4:44.5, with Americans Gabriele Anderson (4:46.3) and Treniere Moser (4:48) close behind.



Since her first victory here, in 2010, Uceny, a 2007 graduate of Cornell University, has steadily climbed to the top rung of the international ladder. Last year, she became only the second American woman in history to receive a #1 world ranking at 1500 meters / mile.



After the first lap of the three-lap race, Uceny had a step on the pack; by the second lap Moser, a three-time U.S. champion at 1500 meters, had pulled even, with Muncan and Anderson both on their heels. But by the time the women rounded the last turn off Exeter Street and onto Boylston and the Boston Marathon finish line, the Mammoth Track Club athlete was clearly on the way to victory.



The 27-year-old Uceny, who finished fourth at 1500 meters and sixth at 800 meters in the 2008 Olympic Trials, will be looking to make her first Olympic team this year and said that her training has been, to say the least, coming along well for the upcoming track Trials in Eugene, Oregon.



B.A.A. Scholastic Mile champions were returning champ Ben Groleau of Framingham and Evelyn Heffernan of Newton, in 4:27.2 and 5:23.1, respectively. An athlete from Newton has won the girls' mile every year in its four-year history, but this year Hopkinton took the team title when Shelby Aarden and Melissa Lodge teamed up for second (5:24) and third (5:24.8).



4th B.A.A. Mile
Boston, MA, Sunday, April 15, 2012



MEN
1) Collis Birmingham (AUS), 4:06.0*, $3000
2) Kyle Miller (USA / TX), 4:11.4, $2000
3) Ben Bruce (USA / AZ), 4:11.7, $1000
4) Tim Ritchie (USA / MA), 4:13.5, $750
5) Aidan Walsh (IRL), 4:23.2, $500
*course record (previous record, 4:08.6, Andy Baddeley (GBR), 2010)



WOMEN
1) Morgan Uceny (USA / CA), 4:43.8, $3000
2) Marina Muncan (SRB), 4:44.5, $2000
3) Gabriele Anderson (USA / MN), 4:46.3, $1000
4) Treniere Moser (USA / TX), 4:48.0, $750



Full results and more at: www.baa.org






Course Records Fall at GO! St. Louis Events

Kosgei, Pirtle-Hall marathon champions; Kirwa, Blake half-marathon winners; Saturday events canceled due to severe weather

By Jeff Trammel, GO! St. Louis



ST. LOUIS - (April 15, 2012) - On Sunday morning, Kenyan Julius Kosgei, 32, from Searcy, AR captured his first GO! St. Louis Marathon title in 2 hours, 28 minutes, 38 seconds. On a day when start temperatures were above 67 degrees and runners fought strong winds, Kosgei edged Jerry Faulkner, 30, from Edmond, OK by 15 seconds.



On the women's side it was another first time GO! St. Louis champion - Jackie Pirtle-Hall, 29, from Saint Charles, MO, who established a new course record, posting a time of 2:42:03, eclipsing Megan Earney's record of 2:51:20, set in 2009. Beth Woodward, 36, from Orrville, OH finished second in 2:59:11.



In the Half Marathon, Kenyan Daniel Kirwa, 25, from Searcy AR also set a new course record, clocking 1:05:01. Kirwa broke Mario Macias' record of 1:05:09, set in 2010. He was followed by runner-up and countryman Benson Chesang, 29, who posted a 1:08:54 mark. Chesang is the brother of two-time half-marathon champion Mathew Chesang (2007-08). Finishing third was Kenyan Abraham Rutto, 29, from West Des Moines, IA, who ran 1:09:05.



In the women's 13.1 mile race, Alexandra Blake, 29, from Tucson, AZ was the first woman to cross the line in 1:20:52. Blake finished ahead of local Sunny Gilbert, 33, from Ellisville, MO, who posted a 1:24:24 time. Third place was captured by Jessica Koster, crossing the line in 1:25:13.



In the 12th running of the GO! St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend, more 8,700 finished the half-marathon and more than 1,500 finished the marathon. The event also included a 4-person marathon relay, with more than 500 teams competing. In all more than 25,000 participants, had registered in 10 different events, over the two-day weekend of fitness races. The GO! St. Louis 5K, Read, Right & Run Marathon, Children's Fun Runs and Mature Mile, which were set to take place on Saturday, were canceled due to severe weather in the area.



The GO! St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend is Missouri's largest fitness event.



12th GO! St. Louis Marathon
St. Louis, MO, Sunday, April 15, 2012



MEN
1) Julius Kosgei (KEN), 32, Searcy, AR, 2:28:38, $1500
2) Jerry Faulkner, 30, Edmond, OK, 2:28:53, $750
3) Magnus Holmstron, 32, Jefferson City, MO, 2:33:03, $500



WOMEN
1) Jackie Pirtle-Hall, 29, Saint Charles, MO, 2:42:03, $2000*
2) Beth Woodward, 36, Orrville, OH, 2:59:11, $750
3) Heather Backer, 37, Crest View Hills, KY, 2:59:29, $500



10th GO! St. Louis Half-Marathon
MEN
1) Daniel Kirwa (KEN), 25, Searcy, AR, 1:05:01, $1500*
2) Benson Chesang (KEN), 29, Lawrence, KS, 1:08:54, $500
3) Abraham Rutto (KEN), 29, W Des Moines, IA, 1:09:05, $400



WOMEN
1) Alexandra Blake, 29, Tucson, AZ, 1:20:52, $1000
2) Sunny Gilbert, 33, Ellisville, MO, 1:24:24, $500
3) Jessica Koster, 24, St. Louis, MO, 1:25:13, $400
*includes course record bonus ($500)



Complete results and more at: www.gostlouis.org






Thomas, Raitter Win XTERRA Lake Las Vegas Trail Run

2,000-feet of climbing over desert half-marathon course

By Trey Garman, XTERRA



HENDERSON. Nev. - (April 15, 2012) - Former XTERRA triathlon pro Justin Thomas and the reigning F35-39 XTERRA Trail Run National Champ Sarah Raitter, both from Reno, Nevada, won the XTERRA Lake Las Vegas Trail Run half-marathon on a beautiful morning in the desert of Henderson, Nevada on Sunday.



Thomas, 37, was always known for his speedy run splits in the decade he raced as an elite in the XTERRA U.S. Pro Series, and he needed every bit of that speed, and endurance, to hold off PowerBar elite runner Brandon Mader of Hunstville, Alabama.



While Thomas put a gap on Mader and Fernando Ramirez from Kamas, Utah in the middle stretch of the grueling desert scramble that included more than 2,000-feet of climbing, Mader worked his way back to within 15 yards by the last big climb at mile 11.

"When I saw Brandon behind me I started running scared," said Thomas.



For Mader, who is nursing a stress fracture in his tibia that kept him out of speed work for the last two weeks, fell victim to leg cramps at the exact moment he wanted to strike.



"I had him, and was feeling good and then I just cramped up and all I could do was watch him run away," said Mader.



Thomas, with wife, baby, and toddler in tow, crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 24 minutes, 21 seconds, nearly two minutes ahead of Mader.



"I had to come support XTERRA in my home state," said Thomas.



In the women's race, Raitter led seemingly from start-to-finish and crossed the line in 1:42:43, more than six-minutes ahead of runner-up Stephanie Weigel from Las Vegas.

Age group champions in every division in the 21K race were awarded free entry into the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship to be held December 2, 2012 at Kualoa Ranch on the Hawaiian island of Oahu; below are the winners.



XTERRA Lake Las Vegas 21K Champions


MEN
Division / Name / Hometown / TIME
25-29
Brandon Mader, Hunstville, AL, 1:26:04
30-34
Brett Long, Carson City, NV, 1:33:26
35-39
Justin Thomas, Reno, NV, 1:24:21
40-44
Ricardo Rodrigues, San Diego, CA, 1:33:16
45-49
Chris Mitchell, Las Vegas, NV, 1:43:31
50-54
David Pauwelyn, Las Vegas, NV, 1:49:11
55-59
Ed McDonald, Chittenango, NY, 1:52:20
65-69
Ken Howard, Phoenix, AZ, 2:43:49



WOMEN
15-19
Dagny Signorelli, Las Vegas, NV, 2:03:43
25-29
Nicole Mather, San Diego, CA, 1:52:12
30-34
Stephanie Weigel, Las Vegas, NV, 1:49:12
35-39
Laura Ankrum, Crivitz, WI, 1:52:11
40-44
Sarah Raitter, Reno, NV, 1:42:43
45-49
Sophia Hsu-Zic, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, 2:16:02
50-54
Amy Lange, Leucadia, CA, 2:31:39



In the XTERRA Lake Las Vegas 10K race hometown boy Colin Corrigan from Henderson and Marina Reynolds from Vancouver, Canada took top honors in 39:35 and 54:30, respectively, while Jared Sweet from Las Vegas (23:16) and Michelle Chow from Calgary, Canada (27:25) took home the 5K crowns.



More than 425 runners from 20-plus states and Canada took part in today's races, and the Paul Mitchell Cut-a-thon was packed all day and raised more than $1000 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.



For complete results and more, go to:www.xterraplanet.com/xduro/lakelasvegas.html







Contact Information


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




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