Running USA wire 27-03-13

Issue 27-03-13 March 31, 2013


Upcoming Events
Cooper River Bridge Run 10K, Charleston, SC, April 6
Hollywood Half-Marathon, 10K, 5K, Hollywood, CA, April 6
XTERRA Power to the Tower Trail Run, Kingsport, TN, April 6
New York Colon Cancer Challenge, New York, NY, April 7
Carlsbad 5000, Carlsbad, CA, April 7
San Luis Obispo Marathon + Half, San Luis Obispo, CA, April 7
Atlantic City April Fool's Half-Marathon, Atlantic City, NJ, April 7
US Half 2 - The Other Half, San Francisco, CA, April 7
Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, Knoxville, TN, April 7
Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K, Richmond, VA, April 13
ZOOMA Texas Half-Marathon & 5K, Austin, TX, April 13
Flying Pirate Half Marathon & 5K, Kitty Hawk, NC, April 13
ATC Spring Has Sprung 8K & 15K, Atlanta, GA, April 13
Half Marathon Unplugged, Burlington, VT, April 13
XTERRA Cheyenne Mountain State Park 12K, 24K, Colorado Springs, CO, April 13
The Cookie Chase 5K and 1K, Denver, CO, April 13
Feel the Energy Family 5K, Denver, CO, April 14
ZOOMA Texas Half-Marathon and 5K, Bastrop, TX, April 14
Murray Half-Marathon, Murray, KY, April 13
Eisenhower Marathon, Abilene, TX, April 13
More Magazine / Fitness Magazine Women's Half-Marathon, New York, NY, April 14
XTERRA Lake Las Vegas Trail Runs, Henderson, NV, April 14
Austin 10/20 10 mile, Austin, TX, April 14
Race for Fetal Hope, Seattle, WA, April 14
GO! St. Louis Marathon Weekend, St. Louis, MO, April 14
117th B.A.A. Boston Marathon, Boston, MA, April 15
Find the full Running USA events calendar here.




Running USA Annual Half-Marathon Report
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - (March 31, 2013) - Over the past decade, the half-marathon has become America's most popular distance by virtually any metric: by finisher growth, by debut half-marathons, by "buzz" and by survey, and numbers and tables compiled by Running USA for its annual report further reinforce the 13.1 mile's impact and influence. In short, it is the Usain Bolt of the U.S. road race world.

Last year, U.S. half-marathons had an estimated 1.85 million finishers (a new high), an impressive 14.9% increase from 2011 (1,610,000 to 1,850,000), but lower than the historic 24% rise in both 2009 and 2010. Also, in the same 1,136 U.S. half-marathons for 2011 vs. 2012, there was a 5.1% finisher increase (1,522,637 vs. 1,599,838).
More half-marathon fun facts reflecting its dynamic growth:

Since 2003, the half-marathon has been the fastest growing road race distance in the United States, and for seven consecutive years (2006-12), the number of 13.1 mile finishers has grown by 10% or more each year. No other U.S. road distance comes close to this growth rate during the Second Running Boom (circa 1994).
Since 2000, the number of half-marathon finishers in this country has nearly quadrupled (482,000 to 1,850,000), an impressive increase of 284%.
For the first time in history, 60% of U.S. half-marathon finishers were females (approximately 1,110,000, a record).
Although the male U.S. half-marathon percent has declined to 40%, in absolute terms, last year, there were a record 740,000 male finishers in U.S. 13.1 mile races.
Also, in 2012, there were a record number of 36 U.S. half-marathons with 10,000 or more finishers. This data point has more than doubled since 2009 when there were 17 with 10,000-plus finishers; in 2000, there was only one.
For the year, there were a total of 43 half-marathons that make up the Top 100 U.S. timed road race list for 2012 with 16 of them from the nationwide Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series.
Find the full Running USA Half-Marathon report at RunningUSA.org

Kastor to Compete in 10th Anniversary of More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women's Half Marathon
NEW YORK - American record-holder Deena Kast

or, coming off a strong third-place finish recently at the ASICS LA Marathon, will compete in the 10th-anniversary running of the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women's Half Marathon on Sunday, April 14, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.
The country's largest women-only half-marathon, which is open to women runners and walkers of all ages, takes participants on a 13.1-mile tour of scenic Central Park. The race attracts women from all 50 states and of every level, from first-time runners to elite athletes. Each year, the sold-out event provides thousands of women the opportunity to gather for competition, celebration, and camaraderie. The race champion will win $1,000 and receive "The Meyerhoff," an award named in honor of 2010 champion and NYRR member Sally Meyerhoff, who died in a tragic cycling accident in March 2011.

Read the rest of the story at RunningUSA.org
Olympian Lisa Uhl to Make Competitive Debut at 2013 Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K
CHICAGO - The
Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K announced that U.S. Olympian
Lisa Uhl will lace up her racing shoes for her first competition in Chicago. Uhl, along with fellow Team USA member
Dathan Ritzenhein, will lead the way for 40,000 runners in Chicago's 34th annual kickoff to the running season on Sunday, April 7.
Uhl (right, image via PhotoRun) finished 13th in the 10,000-meters in her first Olympic appearance at the 2012 London Games.

As the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K prepares to host the inaugural USATF National Club Team 8K Championships in conjunction with the April 7 race, the top USATF-member racing teams from across the country are setting their sights on Chicago. Forty-five elite teams from 10 states will fight for a national title and a share of the $20,000 prize purse. Club members range from competitive post-collegiate athletes to top American runners who continue to pursue their athletic goals with the structural and financial support of registered USATF clubs.
Read the rest of the story at RunningUSA.org

Defending Champions Returning to Medtronic TC 1 Mile




ST. PAUL, Minn.
- Hometown star Heather Kampf and University of Wisconsin alumnus Craig Miller will return to downtown Minneapolis to defend their titles and race for a pair of $10,000 course record bonuses at the 2013 Medtronic TC 1 Mile on Thursday, May 9.
The event will draw more than 3,000 runners to Nicollet Mall for a full evening of racing culminating with the professional runners competing for $25,000 in prize money.

Last year, Kampf (above, image courtesy Twin Cities in Motion), a Rosemount native who trains with Team USA Minnesota, outran the Medtronic TC 1 Mile field for her first victory at the event. Kampf, who would go on to finish 7th in the 800-meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials later in the year, clocked 4-minutes, 36.9 seconds while running in the shadow of Minneapolis' skyscrapers.

In the men's race, Miller ran 4:04.3 against a stiff headwind to claim his first Medtronic TC 1 Mile title after finishing in third-place in 2011. Miller, who sports a 3:56.41 personal best in the mile, finished 8th in the finals of the Olympic Trials 1500-meters last year.

Read the rest of the story at RunningUSA.org





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In case you missed it on RunningUSA.org







Joan Samuelson, Greg Meyer, and Amby Burfoot to Run 2013 Boston Marathon

BOSTON - With less than one month until the 117th
Boston Marathon, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced that several former champions of the Boston Marathon will return to Boston to participate in events surrounding this year's running of the historic race. The 117th running of the world's oldest annual marathon will take place on Monday, April 15, 2013.

Inaugural Olympic gold medalist
Joan Samuelson will run this year's Boston Marathon. Samuelson, 55, won the 1979 and 1983 Boston Marathons before winning the Olympic Games Marathon in Los Angeles in 1984. She will return to Boston on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of her 1983 victory, the race in which she established a world record (two hours, 22 minutes, 43 seconds). Samuelson has run the previous two Boston Marathons (2:51:29 in 2011; 3:28:08 in 2012), including last year under challenging conditions (i.e., extremely warm weather) while starting with her daughter, Abby. She is a member of principal sponsor John Hancock Financial Services' Elite Athlete Team and is one of the sport's most recognizable and popular personalities. Samuelson has remained competitive for more than three decades. Also returning to run this year's Boston Marathon are Greg Meyer and

Amby Burfoot. Like Samuelson, Meyer will mark the 30th anniversary of his 1983 Boston Marathon victory and will also be a member of John Hancock's Elite Athlete Team.


Find the rest of the story at RunningUSA.org



Kelfezighi is Keynote Speaker for the 55th RRCA National Convention

ALBUQUERQUE, NM - Since 1958, the
Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) has gathered in different cities around the country for the RRCA National Convention. Each year, hundreds of runners, club leaders, event directors, and corporate supporters attend the RRCA Convention. The 55th RRCA Convention will be hosted in Albuquerque, NM from Thursday through Sunday, May 2-5, 2013.

The RRCA Convention is a great opportunity for running club leaders, race directors, fitness professionals, RRCA Certified Coaches, sponsors, running industry professionals and runners to come together to share information about best practices and to contribute to the national mission of the RRCA.

The RRCA is proud to present Meb Keflezighi as the featured speaker for the Saturday Luncheon on May 4.

On November 1, 2009, during the 40th running of the New York City Marathon,
Mebrahtom Keflezighi, better known as just Meb, secured a place in history by becoming the first American since
Alberto Salazar in 1982 to win the largest marathon in the world. His journey to the pinnacle of distance running has been called one of the best illustrations of the American Dream.


Read the rest of the story at RunningUSA.org









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