Ryan Hall Will Do Chicago Marathon on October 9
You can never know whos going to be healthy, but things being as they are right now, Hall, who ran 2:04:58 at the Boston Marathon 
in April, is a heavy favorite to repeat as U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials champion in January. And apparently hes confident that that status will not be affected by running a marathon in October.
I wouldn’t run if it would compromise my ability to make the Olympic team, Hall, who is currently doing altitude training in St. Moritz, Switzerland, told Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune by telephone. All my decisions are based on my long-term goals. In Boston, Hall ran the fastest 26.2-mile time ever by an American but he placed fourth. My focus in Boston was being able to go with moves off the front, Hall notes. I learned I need to be the one coming off the front rather than the one answering the call. That requires practice, and the more you do it, the more comfortable you are. Chicago gives me another practice at racing the word’s major players in the marathon before the Olympics, if I am blessed enough to qualify again. Hall adds I think of myself as a 2:04 marathoner now. I feel like I’m at the best part of the story when it comes to my marathoning career.(photo of Ryan Hall by Victah Sailer) More
In an earlier interview, Hall talks about his decision to do a variety of shorter races after Boston, how being at St. Moritz has been on my bucket list forever, and how his training is now based on listening to my body rather than being a slave to my schedule. More
What Do Tank, Bomb, Waterloo, and Bataan Mean to Shannon Rowbury?
Those are the names of some of the strength exercises the 2009 World Championships 1500-meter bronze medalist does under the 
guidance of Dan Pfaff, a coach who is close pals with Rowburys own coach, John Cook. After a lower leg injury in the fall of 2010 and a leg length discrepancy, Rowbury has had to rely on drills and work in the weight room to an extraordinary extent as she builds to the 2012 London Olympics with a stop first at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, for which she barely qualified with her third place USATF Championships finish. Rowbury is meticulous and diligent; she, more than her peers, does every little thing, observes steeplechaser and occasional training partner Tom Kloos. Leo Manzano, wholl also be running 1500 meters in Daegu, says of Rowbury I dont think Ive ever seen somebody work so hard to maintain her body, really take care of it in every aspect. Shes so methodical about almost everything, from her sleeping habits to her eating habits to the way she goes into the training room. She knows what shes doing, she knows what she wants, and she gets it done. Click on More to see what Rowbury herself has to say. (photo of Shannon Rowbury by Victah Sailer) More
Mo Farah Could Be a Marathoner After 2012
The headline to the article from the UKs Express linked at More says something more definitive, but we dont want to make too much of this because the only actual direct quote in the article from Mo Farah, whos pretty much been the top 5000 and 10,000-meter runner on the track in 2011, is I’ll probably move up to the marathon from 2013. You have to keep progressing. Getting medals on the track is also progress. More
Lukas Verzbicas Has a Mission Left in the Triathlon
The greatest American high school middle distance and distance runner of his time, a lad whose 3:59.71 in New York in June made him only the second U.S. scholastic runner to break 4:00 for a 
high school only mile, has a distinguished career awaiting him at the University of Oregon. But hes a brilliant triathlete, too, and hes altered his schedule a bit now. I wasn’t supposed to do triathlon this year but my long time friend, Kevin McDowell, was just diagnosed with cancer, Verzbicas explains My goal is to win him the gold medal at the ITU World Championships because I am confident he would have won it. He adds Kevin’s diagnosis happened very unexpectedly and it took everyone by storm. I thought I was done and ready to move on from triathlon and go on to Oregon when this happened. It was very emotional time and my parents and I decided I would come back for one more year. Oregon is very supportive of my decision. It’s not just something I’m doing for myself but for someone else so it makes it far more meaningful. The goal is to win him a gold medal. (photo of Lukas Verzbicas by Lisa Coniglio/Photo Run) More
What Are Our Ten Most Iconic Running Events?
Blogger Ed Ayres, whos been competing for 54 years and was a third place finisher in the first New York City Marathon in 1970 and was also the founding editor of Running Times - comes up with a second ten, too. Of the thousands of running events we have now, I think the most iconic ones are those that have given us some of the most lasting memories and insights into what life can be when people get together to do something hard, writes Ayres. Just in case you think all of this sounds overly familiar, Ayres wraps up by telling us about a 100-mile race in an ominously named place called Frozen Head, Tennessee, that is so abominably difficult that only a handful of the hundreds of runners whove tried it over the years have ever actually finished it. More
What Is the Real Secret to Jamaicas Sprint Success?
In what appears to be a serious article, Prof. Errol Morrison of Jamaicas University of Technology submits that along with, umm.an anatomical feature Im not going to stipulate here but which you can read about at More, the answer may indeed be yams and green bananas. This is a hypothesis. This is not gospel 
and fixed in stone. It is a hypothesis based on a lot of biochemical research and anatomical research, states Morrison, who claims the yams produce Hypo Steroids (not the illegal kind), which have a stimulating effect, while green bananas produce an energy replenisher called phytate. Morrison explains our young people who are using these staple crops are being exposed to these anabolic steroids from very early and Jamaica is the only country with organized programs from infancy; so you are putting up a stress and demand on these muscle groups which is being further pushed by these anabolic steroids . They are going to have an advantage and they are going to grow with that and by the time they are hitting the late teens you should be seeing some responsive muscle mass. Lets be clear that by anabolic steroids he does not mean actual anabolic steroids. Hey, by any chance does April Fools Day fall in late July in Jamaica? (photo of Asafa Powell, a successful Jamaican sprinter, by Giancarlo Colombo/Photo Run) More
Can David Rudisha Run Sub-1:40 for 800 Meters?
The lanky Kenyan was the 2010 Male Track Field Athlete of the Year and has the 800-meter world record of 1:41.01, and unless a foot problem acts up, hes a likely gold medalist at the World Championships in Daegu. Can he break the formidable 1:40 barrier? Unlike other distances, 800s are rarely evenly paced; top athletes usually run the first 400 faster, hang on, and close with what theyve got left. Our RW colleague Amby Burfoot sites an article by physiologists who estimate that Rudisha would have to run the first lap in under 47.50 to get that sub-1:40. That hurts just to think about. But Rudisha has True Grit. More
Russia Names 36 Men and 47 Women to World Championships
The Russians arent the track and field power they once were, and theyre not even sending anyone to Daegu for the mens 1500, 5000, or 10,000. But the 2004 Olympic 800-meter gold medalist Yuriy Borzakovskiy will be going, and the strong womens running corps includes Mariya Savinova, Yuliya Rusanova, and Yekaterina Kostetskaya in the 800, Yekaterina Martynova, Olesya Syryeva and Natalya Yevdokimova in the 1500, and Yuliya Zaripova in the 3000-meter steeplechase. More
Flight 93 Family Members Will Run NYC Marathon
To mark the tenth anniversary of the plane hijacking that became a thwarted terrorist act but cost the lives of all on board, 24 members of the Families of Flight 93 Runners charity will run the ING New York City Marathon on November 6 to remember the flights heroes and to raise awareness and funds for the Flight 93 National Memorial site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Two other charities at the five-borough marathon, Tuesday’s Children and the Nicholas Rossomando 9/11 Memorial Scholarship Fund, will also honor victims of the events of September 11, 2001.
In 2002, just 14 months after the September 11 attacks, a small group honored their loved ones by running the New York City Marathon wearing shirts emblazoned with Flight 93 Family Runners: They Never Gave Up and Neither Will We. That occasion reinforced my belief in the innate kindness and generosity of humanity,” says team spokesperson Kiki Homer, sister of LeRoy W. Homer, Jr., copilot of Flight 93. “The ING New York City Marathon is a positive and moving experience; it inspires us to challenge ourselves and celebrate life. To cross the finish line this year will demonstrate in a powerful and tangible way the strength of collective determination and action, symbolic of the efforts of our loved ones. Several members of the Families of Flight 93 Runners embarked on their inspirational journey to the Marathon starting line by taking part in the ING New York City Marathon Long Training Run in Central Park on July 23.
Theres a New Name for National Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
The Washington DC race will now be called the SunTrust Rock n Roll USA Marathon CareFirst Rock n Roll USA Half Marathon operated by Competitor Group Inc., which is a mouthful, and the next edition will be on March 17, 2012.
Berea, Ohio Hosts USA Masters Championships
The Championships commence on Thursday at Baldwin Colleges George Finney Stadium. World champions entered include jazz great Nolan Shaheed, who played lead trumpet with Count Basie, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Marvin Gaye; Lisa Ryan, 41, who has run sub-7:00 minutes in the 2000-meter steeplechase; and Kathy Martin, 55, a Long Islander who is a former USATF masters athlete of the year. More
Junior Olympians Compete in Wichita
The USATF National Junior Olympic Track Field Championships are underway through July 31 at Cessna Stadium at Wichita State University. Other 6,500 athletes will compete, including those in a newly added sub-bantam age group (ages 8 and under). Entry for this championship is based on athlete performances at preliminary, association, and regional levels in order to advance to the national level. Nnenya Hailey, a World Youth champion in the 400-meter hurdles, is racing in Wichita. Paige Peschel is a top contender in the intermediate girls 1500- and 3000-meter runs. More
Register Early for Fox Cities Marathon Weekend
The September 16 to 18 Community First Fox Cities Marathon weekend in Wisconsin includes a marathon, half marathon, relay, and 5k run/walk. Rates are lower for those registering by August 1. More
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