Running USA wire 51, June 17, 2012

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In this edition:
Abdirahman, Goucher Win USA Half Marathon Titles
Canaday, Dobson Dominant at USA Mountain Running Championships
Top Runners with Local Ties Return to Boston for B.A.A. 10K
Run for Heroes Marathon Medal an Historical Keepsake

UPCOMING EVENTS

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U.S. Olympic Trials - Track & Field, Eugene, OR, June 21 - July 1
2012 London Olympic Games qualifier
Sports 4 Emilie's 5K Run for Women Only, Ottawa, CAN, June 23
Summerfest Rock 'n' Sole Run, Milwaukee, WI, June 23
Undy 5000, Denver, CO, June 23
Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon & 1/2 Marathon, WA, June 23
B.A.A. 10K, Boston, MA, June 24
Inaugural NY Giants Run of Champions 5K, NY, NY, June 24
Packard Summer Scamper 5K & 10K, Palo Alto, CA, June 24
Stadium Stampede, Denver, CO, June 24
Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5K, CAN, June 24
Harvard Pilgrim Finish at the 50 - 5K & 10K, Foxborough, MA, July 3
Firecracker 5000, Seattle, WA, July 3
Watermelon 5K, Winter Park, FL, July 4
AJC Peachtree Road Race, Atlanta, GA, July 4
4th of July - Free to Run 4 Miler, St. Paul, MN, July 4
Red, White and Boom! TC Half-Marathon, Minneapolis, MN, July 4
Liberty 4 Mile Run, Denver, CO, July 4
Liberty Dash 5K, Lone Tree, CO, July 4
Surf City 4th of July Run 5K, Huntington Beach, CA, July 4







Abdirahman, Goucher Win USA Half Marathon Titles

National championship prize purse exceeds $107,000; Goucher sets course record

By Jim Estes, USATF, and Bob Gustafson, Grandma's Marathon



DULUTH, Minn. - (June 16, 2012) - 2012 Olympic Marathon team members Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.) and Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore.) lived up to their pre-race favorite status, taking the respective men's and women's titles at Saturday's USA Half Marathon Championships in Duluth, Minnesota. Abdirahman, 35, scored his tenth USA road title in 1 hour, 2 minutes, 46 seconds, while Goucher, 33, took her second crown in a course record 1:09:46. This was the third time the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon has hosted the women's national championship and the first time the event hosted the men's.



Under ideal conditions, a field of 99 men started the day of racing with Abdirahman leading a large group through the mile in 4:37. At three miles, Abdirahman and Brett Gotcher (Flagstaff, Ariz.) broke away from the field and looked to be setting up a two man race for the title.



By 10 miles, Burrell had managed to break away from Eaton and Ritchie and joined Abdirahman and Gotcher, and even managed to take a brief turn in the lead. The move served to jumpstart the tempo with Abdirahman surging to the lead again at 11 miles. Burrell lost contact as Abdirahman and Gotcher began the duel to the finish.



Over the final mile, Abdirahman regained his slight edge over Gotcher and hit the line for a three second win. Gotcher was timed in 1:02:49 as Burrell closed slightly to finish a strong third in 1:02:51.



The women's race started with 69 entrants but quickly became a three woman race as Lindsey Scherf (Fayetteville, N.C.) pressed the pace with Goucher and Maegan Krifchin (Dewitt, N.Y.). The 13.1 mile road race would soon turn into a duel between Goucher and Krifchin as Scherf began to fade, eventually finishing in 10th place.



After passing 10K together in 33:23, Goucher started to increase the tempo and by 10 miles, the hometown favorite enjoyed a 19 second lead. Over the final miles, the 2007 World Championships 10,000m bronze medalist would extend her lead to over a minute on her way to a course record (old mark, 1:10:00, Colleen De Reuck, 2003) and the second fastest ever for this national championship. Krifchin finished runner-up, clocking a 1:10:56 as Michelle Frey (Minneapolis, Minn.) worked her way through the field to finish third in 1:11:45.



The event paid out $107,500 with nearly $80,000 guaranteed in national championship prize money plus time bonus monies. The national champions - Abdirahman and Goucher - took home $13,250 and $14,000 respectively.



Video highlights of the USA Half Marathon Championships are available at www.USARunningCircuit.com in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com.



22nd Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon: USA Championships
Duluth, MN, Saturday, June 16, 2012



MEN
1) Abdi Abdirahman (AZ), 1:02:46, $13,250
2) Brett Gotcher (AZ), 1:02:49, $9250
3) Ian Burrell (AZ), 1:02:51, $6250
4) Michael Eaton (KY), 1:03:16, $5000
5) Tim Ritchie (MA), 1:03:57, $4000
6) Mike Morgan (MI), 1:04:08, $2750
7) Jason Hartmann (CO), 1:04:18, $2250
8) Patrick Rizzo (CO), 1:04:20, $1750
9) Nick Arciniaga (AZ), 1:04:26, $1550
10) Michael Reneau (MN), 1:04:37, $1450
11) Matt Gabrielson (MN), 1:04:42, $1250
12) Joe Moore (MN), 1:04:43, $1000
13) Jimmy Grabow (CA), 1:04:53, $750
14) Zachary Hine (CO), 1:05:01, $500
15) Scott Wietecha (TN), 1:05:02, $500
16) Craig Curley (AZ), 1:05:10, $500
17) Jeremy Criscione (FL), 1:05:12, $500
18) Stephan Shay (CA), 1:05:16, $500
19) Josh Moen (MN), 1:05:25, $500
20) Ricky Flynn (VA), 1:05:28, $500
21) Jason Ordway (OH), 1:05:29, $500
22) Matthew Llano (MN), 1:05:38, $500
23) Tyler Sigl (WI), 1:05:48, $500



WOMEN
1) Kara Goucher (OR), 1:09:46*, $14,000
2) Maegan Krifchin (NY), 1:10:56, $9500
3) Michelle Frey (MN), 1:11:45, $6250
4) Melissa Johnson-White (MI), 1:12:05, $5000
5) Alvina Begay (AZ), 1:12:25, $4000
6) Emily Brown (MN), 1:12:44, $3000
7) Wendy Thomas (CO), 1:12:56, $2500
8) Jeannette Faber (OR), 1:13:27, $1750
9) Stephanie Pezzullo (NC), 1:13:43, $1550
10) Lindsey Scherf (NC), 1:14:03, $1200
11) Sheri Piers, 41, ME, 1:14:19, $1000
12) Brianne Nelson (CO), 1:14:29, $750
13) Nuta Olaru, 41, CO, 1:14:43, $500
14) Erin Vergara (IN), 1:14:45, $500
15) Mattie Suver (WY), 1:14:49, $500
*course record (previous record, 1:10:00, Colleen De Reuck (CO), 2003)



For complete results and more, go to: grandmasmarathon.com






Canaday, Dobson Dominant at USA Mountain Running Championships

Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race hosts national championships; a record 952 runners complete the 7.6 mile all-uphill footrace

From John Stifler



PINKHAM NOTCH, N.H. - (June 16, 2012) - Sage Canaday, a marathoner with little previous experience in uphill racing, blew away the field on Saturday at the 52nd Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race, a 7.6-mile all-uphill grind to the summit of the highest peak in the northeastern United States. Starting conservatively, then moving to the lead after the first two miles, the 26-year-old Canaday pulled away from the pack and reached the 6,288-foot summit in 58 minutes, 27 seconds, the third-fastest time ever recorded here.



For the women, Kim Dobson, who won this race in her first attempt last year, returned even stronger and faster this time, dropping her strongest challengers and running up the Mt. Washington Auto Road - 4,560 feet of vertical gain, at an average grade of 12 percent - to win the women's race in 1 hour, 9 minutes, 25 seconds.



Dobson, 28, became only the second woman ever to break the 70-minute barrier on Mt. Washington. Her time is one minute and five seconds slower than the course record set in 2010 by Ethiopian runner Shewarge Amare (1:08:20).



The men's record is 56:41, set in 2004 by world mountain running champion Jonathan Wyatt of New Zealand. Neither Amare nor Wyatt entered the race this year. The only other man ever to run here faster than Canaday was Daniel Kihara of Kenya, who completed 1996 race up the Auto Road in 58:21.



Canaday, who moved from his native Oregon to Boulder, Colo., two weeks ago, and Dobson, of Denver, Colo., both faced formidable competition. The men's field was particularly strong, since this year's Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race served as the selection event for the U.S. men's national mountain running team, which will compete at the World Championships in Italy on September 2. The women's field included two-time Mt. Washington winner Brandy Erholtz of Evergreen, Colo. and Kasie Enman of Huntington, Vt., the reigning women's world mountain running champion.



At the start, 25-year-old Glenn Randall, a former NCAA Nordic skiing champion, seized the lead, followed by a large pack of other American men hoping to finish in the top six and thereby be selected for the national team. With them was Marco deGasperi, 35, of Bormio, Italy, himself a six-time world mountain champion and in most eyes the pre-race favorite.



"I started conservatively," said Canaday afterward. "I saw a couple of other guys hanging back who had won here before, and I figured they knew what they were doing. Then, around mile two, I went ahead."



The only man who went with him was Joe Gray, 28, of Newcastle, Wash. A former All-American steeplechaser and U.S. mountain team veteran, Gray had finished 4th and 3rd in two previous Mt. Washington appearances and was determined to retain his place on the national team.



"Last time I was here, I sort of dogged it," said Gray. "This time I tried to stick it." Canaday's gap over Gray extended steadily through the race, but no one else could come close to Gray, who finished in 1 hour, 33 seconds.



Looking comfortable and hardly out of breath at the summit, Canaday, who formerly trained as a marathoner with the Hanson-Brooks summed up the experience. "I love this race! I was hoping I'd be good at uphill running."



Defending champ Dobson finished exhausted but pleased by her victory and her improvement on her 2011 time. "The hill wasn't as steep today as last year!" she quipped. "I felt good. Brandy and Kasie are very strong, so I was nervous, but I kept my focus. I knew from recent training that I'd be faster than last year."



Erholtz, 34, who had led Dobson for the first five miles in their 2011 meeting here, held no similar expectations this time. "Usually I feel good from the starting gun," she said, "but this year was harder. I started feeling stronger around the treeline."



Finishing in 1:12:27, Erholtz was second to Dobson for the second year in a row. She said she would have liked to stay closer, but she pointed out that Dobson also claims the second-fastest time among women ever in the Pike's Peak Ascent in Colorado.



Enman placed third in 1:14:55, completing a duplication of last year, when she was also third after Dobson and Erholtz. "I was a little faster than last year," she said, "but for me a paved course is tough!" Enman's world championship victory last year in Albania came on trails and followed an up-and-down route.



Dobson, Erholtz and Enman expect to meet again in three weeks, when the U.S. women's mountain running team selection race will take place at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, N.H. They may be joined there by 46-year-old Laura Haefeli of Del Norte, Colo. who placed fourth overall and won the women's Masters title in 1:15:10.



Top finisher in the men's Masters division was veteran mountain runner and three-time Mt. Washington winner Simon Gutierrez, 46, of Colorado Springs, Colo., who placed ninth overall in 1:02:24. The oldest finisher was George Etzweiler, 92, of State College, Pa. in 2:52:35.



Overall, a record 952 runners completed the race - 672 men, 280 women.



52nd Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race: USA Mountain Running Championships
Gorham, NH, Saturday, June 16, 2012



MEN
1) Sage Canaday, 26, Boulder, CO, 58:27, $1000
2) Joseph Gray, 28, Newcastle, WA, 1:00:33, $600
3) Eric Blake, 33, New Britain, CT, 1:00:54, $400
4) Glenn Randall, 25, Mesa, CO, 1:00:58, $200
5) Marco deGasperi, 35, Bormio, ITA, 1:01:38, $100



WOMEN
1) Kim Dobson, 28, Denver, CO, 1:09:25, $1000
2) Brandy Erholtz, 34, Evergreen, CO, 1:12:27, $600
3) Kasie Enman, 32, Huntington, VT, 1:14:55, $400
4) Laura Haefeli, 44, Del Norte, CO, 1:15:10, $500 (first female Master)
5) Carolyn Stocker, 19, Westfield, MA, 1:18:58, $100



Full results and more at: www.mountwashingtonroadrace.com






Top Runners with Local Ties Return to Boston for B.A.A. 10K

Americans Hartmann, Barnicle, Ritchie, Sanca and Scherf join stellar international field for June 24 road race


BOSTON - (June 12, 2012) - The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced that four noteworthy distance runners with ties to Boston will compete among the world's best at the second B.A.A. 10K on Sunday, June 24. The race will start and finish on Charles Street between the Public Garden and historic Boston Common. A partial list of the top athletes entered in the race is attached to this release.



After a breakthrough performance in which he placed fourth at this year's Boston Marathon, Jason Hartmann leads the American contingent at the B.A.A. 10K. At the 116th Boston Marathon in April, Hartmann passed runners one by one in the second half of the race to take fourth place in 2 hours, 14 minutes, 31 seconds. The Boston Marathon was a redemption race for Hartmann, who bounced back from a difficult 32nd-place showing at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Now on the upswing, the six-time NCAA All-American will use a similar strategic approach as he looks for continued success in Boston.



Joining Hartmann will be a local favorite Chris Barnicle. Born in Boston and raised in Newton, MA, Barnicle is a 2005 graduate of Newton North High School. At Newton North, Barnicle was a USA Today All-USA Track & Field team honoree and a Track & Field News All-American. Competing collegiately for the University of Arkansas and the University of New Mexico, Barnicle was a two-time NCAA All-American, specializing in the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters. He now lives and trains in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 25-year-old recently ran 13:42 for 5000 meters at Stanford University's Payton Jordan Invitational in April.



Also with local ties are Tim Ritchie of the B.A.A. and Ruben Sanca. A sub-4 minute miler, Ritchie placed fourth at the B.A.A. Invitational Mile in April and finished tenth at last year's B.A.A. 10K. Sanca, a University of Massachusetts-Lowell graduate originally from Boston, has competed on the world stage before, running the marathon at last year's IAAF World Championships in South Korea.



Returning to Boston for this year's B.A.A. 10K will be 2008 Harvard graduate Lindsey Scherf. At Harvard, Scherf had a standout career, setting a school record at 10,000 meters (32:51). Scherf then went to the University of Oregon for graduate school, where she helped the Ducks to a runner-up finish at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Now based in Fayetteville, NC, Scherf placed fourth at the USA 15K Championships in 51:08 in March, and then in May finished runner-up at the USA 25K Championships. On May 26, Scherf won the Ottawa 10K in 33:11 over a strong field of Kenyans, Ethiopians and Moroccans.



Four fellow Americans from the North Carolina-based ZAP Fitness Team will join Hartmann, Barnicle, Scherf and Sanca on the start line. Esther Erb, who placed 12th among women at the B.A.A. 5K, will be joined by her male teammates Chris Clark, Cole Atkins and Landon Peacock.



Among the international entrants are Kenyans Samuel Ndereba and Simon Ndirangu, both of whom had success at last year's B.A.A. 10K, finishing fifth and seventh, respectively. Their countryman Philip Langat comes into the race boasting a 27:28 personal best for 10K. The Kenyans will square off against a pair of Moroccans in Abderrahime Bouramdane, runner-up in the 2008 Boston Marathon, and Ahmed Baday. Great Britain's Kate Reed, a 2008 Olympian, is also entered.



This year, the B.A.A. 10K marks the second leg of the inaugural B.A.A. Distance Medley, a three-race series which combines the B.A.A. 5K on April 15, the B.A.A. 10K on June 24, and the B.A.A. Half Marathon on October 7. The overall male and female winners of the three-race series, determined by the lowest cumulative time, will each receive $100,000.



Several of the world's best runners who are competing in the B.A.A. Distance Medley will line up on Charles Street for the second annual B.A.A. 10K. Among the B.A.A. Distance Medley entrants are 14-time NCAA All-American Sam Chelanga, recent Bolder Boulder 10K champion Allan Kiprono, B.A.A. 5K third place finisher Lani Rutto, and 2011 B.A.A.



Half Marathon champion Ali Abdosh. On the women's side, 2011 B.A.A. 10K runner-up Kim Smith returns, as does Ethiopia's Aheza Kiros, who was second at the B.A.A. 5K. American Janet Bawcom, last year's B.A.A. Half Marathon champion, and Kenyan Jelliah Tinega, who finished eighth at the B.A.A. 5K, also will return to Boston's Back Bay.



Rounding out the highly competitive B.A.A. 10K field will be several recent Boston Marathon champions and contenders. The B.A.A. previously announced that Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai, the world's fastest marathoner, will seek to defend his B.A.A. 10K title against this talented field, which includes 2012 Boston Marathon runner-up Levy Matebo, also of Kenya. Mutai won the 2011 Boston Marathon in 2:03:02, the fastest marathon ever run under any conditions. On the women's side, 2012 Boston Marathon champion Sharon Cherop will challenge compatriot Caroline Kilel, the 2011 Boston Marathon champion and reigning B.A.A. 10K winner, for the women's title.


The second B.A.A. 10K begins at 8:00am on Charles Street in Boston, as the top athletes compete for a prize purse of nearly $30,000. The 6.2-mile course is a scenic tour through Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Starting on Charles Street, the race winds down picturesque Commonwealth Avenue and Bay State Road as far west as Babcock Street near Boston University, before heading back on Commonwealth Avenue, around the Public Garden, and finishing on Charles Street.



Registration for the B.A.A. 10K remains open at: www.baa.org/races/10k




Run for Heroes Marathon Medal an Historical Keepsake

Event commemorating the War of 1812 Bicentennial celebration between Canada and the United States; to benefit Alzheimer Society of Windsor Essex for Caregiver


AMHERSTBURG, Ontario - (June 15, 2012) - The World Alzheimer's Day Run For Heroes Marathon (RFH Marathon), the official run commemorating the War of 1812 Bicentennial celebration between Canada and the United States, has released the medal design that successful racers will receive upon completion of their race. The event, with full marathon, half-marathon, 10K and 5K, will be held on September 22-23, 2012.



The unique medal design features the official logo designed by the 1812 Committee of the Southern First Nations Secretariat. This logo was designed after much consultation and research. Both the British and American flag are tattered and surround the Eagle Staff. The South West was considered a "no man's land" following the Battle of the Thames and throughout the war; both sides experience gains, victories, loses and defeats.



The Eagle in the center honors the roll the First Nations had in the entire conflict and especially in the South West. The overarching blue circle is a reminder that, surrounded by water, the highways of 1812, the region was integral in the transportation of the goods, information and armies in the war. The medal is adorned with a full color sublimated ribbon and depending on the distance completed, is gold, pewter, bronze or a smaller version of the gold.



"Medals are something that interest most runners, whether they keep them in a box or proudly on display, a well-designed medal is always a hit at race expos where runners go through booths selecting what their next race will be" says Chris Uszynski, race director and founder of the event. "Each runner in every distance will receive the six-colored commemorative medal at the finish line."



More information and registration for all races can be found at: www.runningflat.com







Contact Information


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




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