Photo by Julianne Whitelaw.
Written by: Bryon Powell
The American ultrarunning season kicked off in earnest this past weekend with the Way Too Cool 50k (WTC) in Cool, California. This race is the most competitive trail 50k in North America, if not the world.
The start list for this year’s WTC showed a world-class field. Among those toeing the line were Ultrarunning Magazine’s 2009 Ultrarunners of the year Kami Semick and Geoff Roes; a multiple-time American representative at the IAAF Cross Country World Championships, Max King; past Way Too Cool champions, including Leor Pantilat (2009) and Joelle Vaught (2006); and many other laudable trail runners.
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Gebrselassie and Kastor headline strong fields.
Written by: Sean McKeon
The 2010 edition of the New York City Half Marathon will feature marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia and American half-marathon record holder Deena Kastor. Both men’s and women’s fields are stacked and both races will prove to be important indicators for the upcoming spring marathon season.
Gebrselassie will look to reclaim his 2007 title, which he won in a course-record 59:24. Gunning to take down the former half-marathon world record holder will be two-time New York City Marathon champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil and Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam. Gomes dos Santos comes in with designs on improving upon his personal best 59:33 and Gebremariam hopes to add a title in NYC to a resume that also includes a 2009 world cross country championship victory. Also ready to challenge up front will be Irish 10,000m record holder Alistair Cragg and American Olympians Abdi Adirahman and Anthony Famiglietti.
On the women’s side Kastor will seek to improve upon her 1:09:42 win at January’s P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon. The 2004 Olympic marathon bronze medalist will have her hands full with Britain’s newest star, Mara Yamauchi. Kastor and Yamauchi are both preparing for the Virigin London Marathon, where the Brit finished second last year. Also in the field are 2009 Hokkaido Marathon champion Kiyoko Shimahara of Japan and and 2008 New York City Half Marathon runner-up Madaí Pérez of Mexico. Other Americans to keep an eye on include US 25K champion Sally Meyerhoff and Olympic trials qualifier Heidi Westover.
The NYC Half Marathon will be streamed live on Universal Sports and a full recap and photos will be available here on Competitor.com following the race.
About the Author:
Sean McKeon is the editor for Competitor Running. He is a former NCAA All-American at Stonehill College (MA) and is still actively competing in road races. He can be reached at smckeon@competitorgroup.com
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Gender challenge offers $100,000 bonus to winner.
Written by: Sean McKeon
Kenyan Wesley Korir will look to defend his Los Angeles Marathon title this weekend on the all-new “stadium-to-the-sea” course. Korir set a personal best 2:08:24 winning last year, and in the process took home $188,705 for winning both the men’s race and the “gender challenge.
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Relive the excitement of 2010 Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas.
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Defar set the standing world record at the 2006 Carlsbad 5000. Photo: PhotoRun.net
2009 champions will return to defend their crowns.
Written by: Sean McKeon
Ethiopian great Meseret Defar will look to lower her world record at the 2010 Carlsbad 5000 on April 11th in Carlsbad, Cali. The recently crowned world indoor 3000m champion set her current world record of 14:46 at the 2006 Carlsbad 5000. Defar will square off against 2009 champion Aheza Kiros of Ethiopia. Kiros defeated American Shannon Rowbury 15:38 to 15:41 in 2009.
When asked about racing in Carlsbad again Defar said, “”I have so many great memories of Carlsbad. It will be very special to run there for the 25th anniversary of the race. Everyone knows how fast the course is and if we get a good day it would be great to try and challenge my world record.”
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A big weekend of track and field and running wraps up with impressive an unexpected results.
Written by: Matt Fitzgerald
If any indoor track and field world records were going to be set this weekend, surely they would be set at the IAAF Indoor World Championships in Doha, Qatar, right? Nope. The University of Oregon’s Ashton Eaton set a new world record in the heptathlon Saturday at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. His total of 6,499 points surpassed American Bryan Clay’s previous mark of 6,476 points. It also would have put him well ahead of Clay and another American, Trey Hardee, who captured the gold and silver medals, respectively, in the heptathlon in Doha.
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Keating takes home his third consecutive half marathon win.
Written By: Dan Cruz
The inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas Half Marathon, benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, held this morning on a clear sunny day, was highlighted by 28-year-old Texan Westly Keating’s 1:03:31 victory and Kansas City’s Melissa Todd’s championship in the women’s field.
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Hard-luck Lolo Jones wins gold in record style at indoor track world championships.
Written by: Matt Fitzgerald
American hurdler Lolo Jones has had so many setbacks (chief among them her fall in the 100m hurdles in Beijing) that, in reporting on her victory Saturday in the 60m hurdles at the IAAF Indoor World Championships in Dohar, Qatar, letsrun.com mistakenly implied that it was her first victory in a major final. In fact, Jones won the same event last year. Only this time she broke the American record in the process, blazing a 7.72 to move up to third on the all-time list.
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Both winners dominated their fields.
The 2010 Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida played host to the US 15K Championships for the 17th year. In the men’s race it was Mohamed Trafeh who took the men’s title, winning in 42:57. The women’s race was won by former runner-up Katie McGregor who clocked in at 49:50.
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Lagat appears sharp in 3000m qualifying.
Written by: Sean McKeon
The opening day of the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Doha, Qatar was a positive one for the American distance contingent. Here are some of the highlights in the distances on day one:
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