Running USA wire 74, September 4, 2012

Running USA wire 74, September 4, 2012
Running USA advances the growth and success of the running industry in America.


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




In this edition:
Team USA Strikes Gold, Bronze at World Mountain Running Championships
Star-Studded Field Looking to Light Up Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia
Saucony Launches iPhone App to Fight Obesity
California Beach Cities Challenge Extends Series Through 2014

UPCOMING EVENTS

Join Running USA today and have your event listed here, as well as on www.RunningUSA.org


Inaugural Ragnar Relay Colorado, Aspen, CO, September 7
9th World 24 Hour Championships, Katowice, POL, Sept 8-9
FASB Fitness Festival 5K, Denver, CO, September 8
HOPE Center 5K, Stapleton, CO, September 8
Alta Peruvian Lodge Downhill Dash 8K, Alta, UT, September 8
Bronx 10 Mile, Bronx, NY, September 9
Atlanta Eikiden Team Relay, Atlanta, GA, September 9
Air Force Marathon Weekend, Dayton, OH, Sept 14-15
Autumn Rock n' Run, Casselberry, FL, September 15
20 Miler, Elk Grove Village, IL, September 15
CVS Caremark Downtown 5K, Providence, RI, September 16
USA Men & Women's Championships
35th Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon, PA, September 16
La Sportiva EverGold Trail 5K & 10K, Vail, CO, September 16
Hells Canyon Relay, Baker City, OR, September 21
Inaugural ZOOMA Cape Cod Half-Marathon, Falmouth, MA, Sept 22
Miracle Miles 5K & 15K, Orlando, FL, September 22
Singleton 5 & 10 Mile, Atlanta, GA, September 22
Great Prostate Cancer Challenge, Carmel, IN, September 22
Inaugural Brewers Mini-Marathon, Milwaukee, WI, September 22
20th St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration 5K, Boise, ID, Sept 22
Flagline 50K & Trail Festival, Bend, OR, September 22
USA 50K Trail Championships




Team USA Strikes Gold, Bronze at World Mountain Running Championships

Morgan Arritola earns women's individual bronze medal in Ponte di Legno, Italy; Mamo, Mayr world champions; Eritrea men's team champion

By Nancy Hobbs, American Trail Running Association (ATRA)



At the 28th World Mountain Running Championships held on Sunday, September 2, 2012 in Ponte di Legno, Italy, the four-member U.S. Women's Mountain Running Team took the gold medal with a dominant score of 18 points to best the second-place Italian team by 11 points. Switzerland claimed the bronze medal with 58 points.



Overcast skies with temperatures in the 50s with just a slight breeze at the 10:30am start were welcomed by the nearly 90 runners who competed in the Senior women's race. With rain for two days prior to the race, it was a nice change to see the sun breaking through the clouds from time to time during the 8.8-kilometer mostly-uphill course that featured 760 meters of elevation gain.



Leading the U.S. women was 26-year-old Morgan Arritola, Fairfield, ID, who finished third to take the bronze medal in a time of 47 minutes, 26 seconds over the 8.8-kilometer, mostly uphill course. "It was hard," said Arritola. "It's always good, but it's always hard. I like mountain running because it's a chance to see who can suffer the most. The team result was great. Individually, I did all I could today. And today, two people were better than me and that's how it goes."



Those two women were Austria's Andrea Mayr, who posted a time of 46:35 to take the gold medal win, and Italy's Valentia Belotti who ran 47:04 for silver.



Second for the U.S. women was 28-year-old Stevie Kremer, Crested Butte, CO, who recently moved to Italy to teach for one year. Kremer finished in seventh place with a time of 48:54. Finishing in third for Team USA was Melody Fairchild, 38, Boulder, CO, who was three seconds behind Kremer to finish eighth overall.



The top three finishers for USA were all first-time team members. They joined veteran Brandy Erholtz who has been on every team since 2008. Erholtz, 35, Evergreen, CO, had an admittedly off day finishing in 40th position with a time of 53:13.



Said women's team manager Ellen Miller, "The women delivered what we thought they could. A gold medal. They elevated the American women back on the podium. It's a dream come true."



There were 19 teams competing in the Senior women's division.



This was the third gold medal for the U.S. women's team with the first in 2006 and the second in 2007. The women's team also won bronze in 2004 and 2009. Individually, the U.S. women now have two bronze medals, the first won in 2007 by Laura Haefeli.



Added to the medal count is the gold medal performance by Kasie Enman at last year's world championships.



The six-member U.S. Men's Mountain Running Team finished in fourth place at the Worlds, repeating last year's team finish. However, their combined team score this year was 88 compared to 112 in 2011.



Winning gold this year was Eritrea with 17 points, followed by Italy in silver position with 31 points, and Russia scoring 75 to take the bronze medal.



The men's course was 14.1-kilometers and featured 1,150 meters of elevation gain starting at the village of Temu and finishing in the village of Tonale. Although this was considered an uphill year for the World Championships - the event alternates in odd-numbered years to an up / down format - there were significant downhill portions in the course this year including a steep and technical downhill section of about 400 meters between the three and four kilometer marks and a 200-meter very fast downhill finish.



There were also sections of flat running through the village of Ponte di Legno crossing two wooden bridges before heading up a steep grassy section of switchbacks which led into a rolling section of single track through the forest. And of course there were some steep sections of climbing, some on rocks, others on grassy areas.



For Team USA, three men finished in the top 20. The first finisher was newcomer to the team, Glen Randall, 25, Mesa, CO, who posted at time of 1:05:48 for ninth overall.



"I went through a major rough patch. I had a side stitch at 6 kilometers into the race. I just stayed totally within myself then managed to go better. I was hoping it (the side stitch) wouldn't last long and it didn't," recounted Randall. "I've been working on my finishes and I'm really happy with my finish and I'm definitely pleased with my race."



Fellow newcomer to the Team, Sage Canaday, 26, Boulder, CO, was only seven seconds behind Randall and finished in 12th place. Just two places behind Canaday in 14th position was five-time team member Joe Gray, 28, New Castle, WA, with a time of 1:06:20. In the final scoring place for the men's team was Eric Blake, 33, New Britain, CT, a six-time team member.



There were 138 finishers in the men's race led by Petro Mamo, Eritrea with a time of 1:01:34. He was followed by his countryman Aziria Teklay (1:02:47), with Russian Andrey Safranov rounding out the top three, clocking 1:03:06.



There were 21 full teams in the men's division and a record 40 countries participating in the four events at the World Championships - Senior men, Senior women, Junior men and Junior women.



28th World Mountain Running Championships
Ponte di Legno, ITA, Sunday, September 2, 2012



MEN - 14.1K (1,150m elevation gain)
1) Petro Mamo (ERI), 1:01:34, Gold
2) Azeria Teklay (ERI), 1:02:47, Silver
3) Andrey Safronov (RUS), 1:03:06, Bronze
4) Debesay Tsige (ERI), 1:04:04
5) Gabriele Abate (ITA), 1:04:53
6) Alex Baldaccini (ITA), 1:04:59
7) Marco De Gasperi (ITA), 1:05:10
8) Yuriy Chechun (RUS), 1:05:41
9) Glenn Randall (USA), 1:05:48
10) Atoy Estifanos (ERI), 1:05:50


Other U.S.
12) Sage Canaday (USA), 1:05:55
14) Joseph Gray (USA), 1:06:20
53) Eric Blake (USA), 1:10:00
60) Tommy Manning (USA), 1:10:38
89) Tim Chichester (USA), 1:15:00



MEN'S TEAM
1) Eritrea, 17, Gold
2) Italy, 31, Silver
3) Russia, 75, Bronze
4) USA, 88
5) France, 106
21 teams



WOMEN - 8.8K (760m elevation gain)
1) Andrea Mayr (AUS), 46:35, Gold
2) Valentia Belotti (ITA), 47:04, Silver
3) Morgan Arritola (USA), 47:26, Bronze
4) Burcu Buyukbezgin (TUR), 47:36
5) Sabine Reiner (AUT), 48:07
6) Mateja Kosovelj (SLO), 48:27
7) Stevie Kremer (USA), 48:54
8) Melody Fairchild (USA), 48:57
9) Q. Rodriguez (COL), 49:08
10) C. Frumuz (ROU), 49:24
Other U.S.
40) Brandy Erholtz (USA), 53:13



WOMEN'S TEAM
1) USA, 18 points, Gold
2) Italy, 29, Silver
3) Switzerland, 58, Bronze
4) Great Britain, 66
5) Austria, 66
19 teams



Complete results at: www.wmrc2012.it




Star-Studded Field Looking to Light Up Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia

Boston Marathon champion, ING New York City Marathon champion, Olympic 5000m gold medalist among favorites in women's race; prestigious half-marathon road race to celebrate 35 years running in the City of Brotherly Love; special I-95 one-day registration discount available on Sept. 5 at RunRocknRoll.com



PHILADELPHIA - (September 4, 2012) - If the half-marathon was an Olympic event, the top five entries in the women's race for the 2012 Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon would make it one of the Games' premier events. That's how strong they are.

Lined up to compete in the race's 35th anniversary running on Sunday, September 16, are Ethiopia's Meseret Defar, the Philadelphia winner in 2010, the London Olympics 5000 meter gold medalist and multiple world record holder; Ethiopia's Firehiwot Dado, winner of the 2011 ING New York City Marathon; Kenya's Sharon Cherop, winner of the 2012 Boston Marathon and a bronze medalist at the 2011 World Championships; Ethiopia's Mare Dibaba, the Ethiopian record holder for the half-marathon and a 2012 Olympian; and Ethiopia's Buzunesh Deba, winner of the Honda LA Marathon and Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon in 2011, and runner-up at the 2011 ING New York City Marathon.



Their presence puts in jeopardy the world record of 1:05:50, set by Kenya's Mary Keitany on Feb. 18, 2011, and the race record as well as U.S. all-comers mark of 1:07:11 set by New Zealand's Kim Smith last year.



"The race could be the fastest in the U.S. this year," said Matt Turnbull, manager of the professional athlete fields for Competitor Group, owner of the Philadelphia race. "It's tough to pick a winner from that group. Of course, Defar is coming off her Olympic success and she won this race two years ago in her half-marathon debut. So she will be tough to beat. She has the strong finishing kick of a 5000 meter runner."



The scenic and historic Philadelphia course, which traverses Market Street, the Schuylkill River, the Falls Bridge and ends at the front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has produced five World Records, three U.S. marks and numerous U.S. all-comers records.



In her debut half-marathon two years ago, Defar set the all-comers mark of 1:07:45 before Smith obliterated it at Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans on Feb. 13, 2011, running 1:07:36, before breaking it again at Philadelphia last year. Defar's blistering finishing speed helped her also win the 5000m Olympic gold medal in 2004, the 5000m Olympic bronze medal in 2008 and set the world 5000 record twice. She also has won the Carlsbad 5000 three times, setting the current world road record of 14:46 in 2006.



Dado is very upbeat about running in the Philadelphia Half-Marathon, which Turnbull calls "one of the best races in the world."



"I'm very excited about returning to the U.S. to race in the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon," Dado said. "I have heard many great things about the event and have seen some great performances there over the years. I will be returning to defend my New York City Marathon title in November, so this race fits perfectly into my schedule."

Cherop, who will be battling the four Ethiopians for superiority, is also elated about competing in Philadelphia.



"I'm happy to be returning to Philadelphia," she said. "I ran there in 2007 and finished in fourth place. I'm looking forward to my first Rock 'n' Roll experience. I've had a great couple of years, claiming bronze at the World Championships and then winning in the heat at the Boston Marathon. I'm excited to race again in America."



Dibaba's Ethiopian record for the half-marathon is 1:07:13, just two seconds off Smith's Philadelphia course record. She also ran a 2:19:52 marathon in Dubai this year, before finishing a disappointing 23rd in the marathon at the London Olympics.



Deba has recovered from a foot injury that forced her to withdraw from the Boston Marathon in April and is anxious to get back into prime form like last year, when she produced three of her finest races.



"I think we drew such an outstanding field because of Philadelphia's reputation and because we have a world class venue," Turnbull said. "It's a wonderful field so I wanted the best athletes in the world. Whether it's a fast or a tactical race, I won't mind because of the athletes we have. I'm grateful they will all be joining us in Philadelphia."

About Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia


Proudly, and rightfully so, the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon has become one of the world's most prestigious road races. Known as the Philadelphia Distance Run for 32 years, the historic event enters its third year rebranded as part of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series on Sunday, September 16, 2012. The 2012 race will feature live bands and fanfare entertaining participants along each mile of the route course, the home of five World Records and three U.S. marks and the current men's and women's U.S. all-comers records.



Event weekend kicks off Friday, September 14 with a free two-day Health & Fitness Expo at Philadelphia Convention Center, which is open to the public. The Expo, where all participants pick up their race number, will feature more than 100 exhibitors with free samples, the latest in running apparel and a full schedule of interactive clinics.



For more information, visit Competitor.com or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.






Saucony Launches iPhone App to Fight Obesity

Free Run4Good™ app - available September 5 - to support National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month; brand challenges community to do good by doing what they love: running


LEXINGTON, Mass. - (August 29, 2012) - Today, a third of American children are overweight or obese, posing a serious health threat to the future of our kids. This September, in support of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, Saucony, Inc., a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel is issuing a national challenge to runners everywhere to help reverse this trend: Download Saucony Run4Good™, the running industry's first-ever iPhone app dedicated to battling childhood obesity...and go run. With every mile, runners will be earning money for community youth running programs, putting kids back on the fast track to health.



An emerging triad of running, charity and technology is the driving force behind Saucony's powerful new app. According to Running USA's 2012 State of the Sport, Americans are running in record numbers and the rise in charity runners is fueling a second running boom. Likewise, the survey reports that the U.S. running community is fast becoming an app nation unto itself, with running apps set to increase more than tenfold by 2016 according to market research firm ABI Research.



Recognizing the confluence of these trends, Saucony developed the GPS-enabled app, opening the door for runners everywhere to join the fight against childhood obesity without having to enter a charity race or open their wallets. Simply by running, the Saucony Run4Good app allows people to support the cause by earning donations for miles run. Each month, when a predetermined mileage goal is reached, Saucony will double its donation to selected youth running programs, inspiring individual runners to both unite over their passion for running and combat the childhood obesity epidemic. On the app's monthly leader boards, runners can challenge friends and join teams that compete together to accumulate mileage toward the monthly goal. Starting on September 5th, the free app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or by going to: www.saucony.com/run4good



"At Saucony, our brand mission is to inspire others to run - and that includes our kids," said Chris Lindner, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of commerce for Saucony. "This is an extraordinary opportunity for the community to do good by doing what we love: running. As a brand focused on runners, innovation and social responsibility, we believe the Saucony Run4Good app offers a new world of possibilities to engage with our community in a relevant, innovative and meaningful way while inspiring a strong unity of purpose to make a difference for our kids."



"Delivering the first app in the running industry that address childhood obesity underlines our continued commitment to this issue," said Richie Woodworth, president of the Saucony Run For Good Foundation Board of Directors and Saucony, Inc. "We started the Saucony Run For Good Foundation seven years ago to help in the national effort to eradicate this epidemic. Since that time, we've awarded nearly $1 million in grants to over 100 organizations nationwide, all dedicated to getting more kids active. The Saucony Run4Good app is an impactful way for more people to connect as a community and take action."



Five non-profit organizations were recently awarded a grant from the Saucony Run For Good Foundation™. For the next five months, beginning in September, a community mileage challenge will be set, and one of the recent award winners will be profiled. If the community mileage goal is reached during that month, Saucony will double its contribution to the featured organization.



The American Diabetes Association® New England Division is the highlighted organization for the September launch of the Saucony Run4Good app. ADA New England is launching Run For Your Life!, a clinical weight loss program for overweight and obese youth in the Greater Boston area. The ADA's program will use running as the foundation of physical activity to facilitate significant lifestyle changes in the program's participants.



The complete list of the Saucony Run For Good Foundation grant winners to be featured on the Saucony Run4Good app in the coming months is as follows:



American Diabetes Association® New England, Boston, Massachusetts
Eric Thomas Foundation, Houston, Texas
Mount Desert Island YMCA®, Bar Harbor, Maine
Marathon High, Austin, Texas
United Way® of Northeast Florida, Jacksonville, Florida


In the future, Saucony plans to invite the community to nominate and select future Run For Good grant winners. The brand also welcomes like-minded organizations and corporations to gain access to the Saucony Run4Good app, allowing their employees to join Saucony in the fight against childhood obesity.



For more information on how the Saucony Run For Good Foundation can help local youth communities nationwide, visit: www.sauconyrunforgood.com





California Beach Cities Challenge Extends Series Through 2014

Registration deadlines for Long Beach & Surf City are fast approaching while OC is now open


NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - (August 29, 2012) - Race organizers for the OC Marathon, Surf City USA Marathon and Long Beach International City Bank Marathon have announced an extension of their popular Beach Cities Challenge racing series through 2014.



"We have had tremendous success with the Beach Cities Challenge and are excited to keep the series going at the upcoming Long Beach International City Bank Marathon," said Bob Seagren, CEO of Run Racing. "We are proud to be a part of the series that showcases the beautiful coast of Southern California."



Runners that participate at each of the three events in the series consecutively are rewarded for their commitment with an exclusive medal. Participants may run any combination of full or half-marathons, and can start with any of the three races in 2012 or 2013.



"The Beach Cities Challenge was originally scheduled to end with the Surf City Marathon in 2013, but the success of the series has been overwhelming, with nearly 75 percent of participants that run two of our events signing up to run the third," said OC Marathon Race Director Gary Kutscher. "We anticipate a new medal release for 2013 later this year"



Since the series was launched at Surf City in 2011, nearly 4,500 people have completed their challenge by running all three of the events in a row. As many as 500 runners may accomplish a "repeat" of the challenge (participating in six consecutive races) at the upcoming Long Beach International City Bank Marathon on Oct. 7, 2012.



With more than 60,000 combined participants, all three races in the series are growing in popularity and runners are encouraged to sign up early in order to guarantee a slot. Prices for Long Beach increase on August 31, while preferred entry pricing for the 2013 Surf City Marathon ends next week. Registration for the 2013 OC Marathon is now open.



For more information, go to: www.runlongbeach.com, www.runsurfcity.com or www.ocmarathon.com





Contact Information


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




Quick Links to RunningUSA.org - visit our new website today!


Running USA 2013: 10th Industry Running Conference

New events calendar

More member news

Runners of Interest




Forward email


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

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