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BOSTON, MA- Five U.S. men placed in the top 10 in the 2006 Boston Marathon, the strongest American showing in years. That momentum is carrying into the 2007 Boston Marathon on April 16. For the first time in Boston history the race has been designated as the USA Women's Marathon Championship, guaranteeing a deep field of American women. Peter Gilmore returns in the men's field, looking to improve again after placing 10th in 2005 and seventh in 2006.
Entrants in the USA Women's Marathon Championship will start in the Elite Women's Start at 9:35 a.m., 25 minutes before the elite men begin. The women will be competing for overall Boston Marathon prize money, as well as a separate U.S.-only prize purse of $70,000. USATF will also award $10,500 of championship funds to the top five qualified athletes in the race. At least two women from the field will be selected to represent the United States at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, on September 2.
"Last year the men showed us that U.S. distance running is on the rise, with five top-10 finishes. This year, the U.S. women are poised to do the same," said Guy Morse, Executive Director of the Boston Athletic Association. "This year's race, which includes the 2007 USA Women's Marathon Championship, launches 12 months of focus on our country's top women, culminating with the selection of the 2008 Olympic Team at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Women's Marathon on April 20, 2008, the day before the 112th Boston Marathon."
Headlining the USA Women's Marathon Championship field will be Deena Kastor, who was announced as an entrant by the Boston Marathon's principal sponsor, John Hancock Financial Services, in January. Kastor was the world's number-one ranked marathoner in 2006, setting an American Record of 2:19:36 in winning the 2006 Flora London Marathon. Kastor has been dominant so far in 2007 as well, capturing the U.S. cross country title in dominant fashion on February 10. Yesterday, she led the U.S. to a second-place finish at the Yokohama International Ekiden in Japan, clocking the second-fastest 10k split (31:09) in the field. Kastor will continue to prepare for Boston by competing in the Gate River Run, the USA 15k Championship, on March 10. Kastor has captured 18 U.S. national titles in her career, including the 2001 marathon championship.
The Boston field will also include another past U.S. marathon champion: Sara Wells, who won that distinction in 2003. Additionally, five of the top seven finishers from the 2006 USA Championship will compete in Boston: Mary Akor (second place), Zoila Gomez (third), Turena Johnson Lane (fifth), Jenny Crain (sixth), and Emily LeVan (seventh). LeVan also holds the distinction of being the top American finisher in the past two Boston Marathons, having placed 12th in 2005 and 13th in 2006.
Of the top 31 entrants in the 2007 field, 22 have already qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Women's Marathon, while the remainder of the field will be chasing either the "A" (2:39:00) or "B" (2:47:00) qualifying standards.
The top entrant in the American men's field will be Peter Gilmore, returning for his third consecutive Boston Marathon. In 2005, Gilmore placed 10th in 2:17:32. In 2006, Gilmore improved to seventh with a personal best time of 2:12:45. Gilmore then placed 10th, in 2:13:13, at the 2006 ING New York City Marathon. He was ranked as the fourth best U.S. marathoner of 2006, according to Running Times. Also confirmed for 2007 are Jason Lehmkuhle and Chris Lundstrom, both members of Team USA Minnesota, a Twin Cities-based training group that also includes Sara Wells. Lehmkuhle placed ninth in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Men's Marathon in a personal best time of 2:16:27, while Lundstrom boasts a 2:17:34 personal best. All three men have already posted qualifying times for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Men's Marathon, to be run in New York City on November 3, 2007.
2007 USA Women's Marathon Championship Top Contenders:
Athlete - PR - OT Qualifier* - Affiliation
Deena Kastor (CA) 2:19:36 ('06) 2:19:26 Team Running USA; ASICS
Heather Hanscom (OR) 2:31:53 ('04) n/a Team Eugene
Sara Wells (MN) 2:33:15 ('04) n/a Team USA Minnesota; ASICS
Sylvia Mosqueda (CA) 2:33:47 ('02) n/a
Mary Akor (CA) 2:33:50 ('06) 2:33:50
Turena Johnson Lane (FL) 2:34:43 ('05) 2:36:15 Brooks
Zoila Gomez (CO) 2:35:26 ('06) 2:35:26
Emily LeVan (ME) 2:37:01 ('06) 2:37:01 Boston Athletic Association
Tamara Lave (CA) 2:37:32 ('02) n/a Mizuno
Jenny Crain (WI) 2:39:07 ('06) 2:39:07 Wisconsin Runner Racing Team
Melissa White (MI) 2:39:21 ('06) 2:39:21 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project
Michelle Simonaitis (UT) 2:40:35 ('01) n/a
Zika Rea (NC) 2:41:06 ('05) 2:41:06 ZAP Fitness
Veena Reddy (PA) 2:41:29 ('06) 2:41:29
Christine Lundy (CA) 2:41:55 ('04) 2:43:14 Impala Racing Team
Janelle Kraus (RI) 2:42:44 ('06) 2:42:44 Boston Athletic Association
Anne Kugler (NY) 2:43:16 ('05) n/a
Dot McMahan (MI) 2:43:27 ('06) 2:43:27 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project
Alvina Begay (AZ) 2:43:30 ('06) 2:43:30
Kasie Enman (VT) 2:44:06 ('06) 2:44:06 Boston Athletic Association
Kristin Price (NC) 2:44:09 ('06) 2:44:09 adidas Raleigh Track Club
Caryn Heffernan (WA) 2:44:18 ('06) 2:44:18 Club Northwest
Sopagna Eap (OR) 2:44:29 ('06) 2:44:29 Team Eugene
Melissa Rittenhouse (OH) 2:44:39 ('04) 2:45:14 Saucony
Yolanda Flamino (MI) 2:45:19 ('06) 2:45:19 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project
Brianna Torres (AZ) 2:45:57 ('06) 2:45:57
Brett Ely (MA) 2:46:12 ('06) 2:46:12 Boston Athletic Association
Lauren Knowles (GA) 2:46:31 ('06) 2:46:31 Atlanta Track Club
Ann Alyanak (OH) 2:48:04 ('05) n/a
Trisha Steidl (WA) 2:48:17 ('04) n/a
Desiree Davilla (MI) Debut n/a Hansons-Brooks Distance Project
*Qualifying times for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Women's Marathon must have been run on October 2, 2005, or on or after January 1, 2006.
[Content provided by race organizers.]
Posted by Alison Wade at 9:56 a.m. | Tags: Press Releases, Event Previews | Comments (4)
"Everyone in this field has run a 4:02," said Alan Webb after winning the men's mile in 4:01.07 on the second day of the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. "In a 4:02 race, every single person is capable of winning it. Even 30 meters can make the difference. I didn't want to leave any doubt."
Even though there were three other former national champions in the field (Rob Myers, Gabe Jennings, and Chris Lukezic), Webb left little doubt who was in charge. From the moment he chopped his stride and forced Mark Thompson to take the early lead, through Gabe Jennings' aggressive move with three laps remaining, Webb had it under control. In the recovery area after the race, Webb approached Jennings, saying, "We were thinking the same thing, man. Three laps to go. If you hadn't gone, I was going to."
From 2:06 at halfway, Jennings knocked the pace down to 55-second 400 pace, and the race was on. "A 55-second 400 is hard off any pace," Webb observed, and the pack behind them scattered. Lukezic attempted to cover the move, with Myers on his heels, but it wasn't until the final lap that Jennings began to crack. When Webb moved by Jennings, Myers got by Lukezic into third and closed on second, finally catching Jennings at the line, 4:01.78 to 4:01.93.
"You made the race," Webb told Jennings, but it was still Webb's day.
Posted by Parker Morse at 9:07 a.m. | Tags: Race Reports, 2007 USA Indoor T&F Champs | Comments (0)
Nikeya Green won the women's 800m on Sunday afternoon at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships as easily as if it had been scripted for her. Frances Santin jumped out to a big lead from the start, passing halfway in 59.39, but the third lap was too much for Santin, and by the time they reached the homestretch Green had closed the gap. Even before she took the lead it was clear that Green had speed she hadn't yet used, and Santin had used hers up. Green went by at the bell, and Santin went out the back, with the remaining three athletes in the race catching her so quickly they almost collided with her.
Christin Wurth-Thomas kicked hard to catch Green, but she was starting from too far back and couldn't close the gap. Green won in 2:02.68, a U.S. season leading time, to Wurth-Thomas's 2:03.70, with Mishael Berger and Lauren Austin third and fourth.
"The third lap was 'stay on it, keep on it,' and the fourth lap was 'go for it.' With my training, I knew I could close fast," said Green. "I've been working on taking risks and taking chances in my racing, and I think today showed the level of maturity I'm reaching in my racing. Our training is very big-picture type training, and 59-second and faster openers are something you have to get used to. Half-milers have to be comfortable with that kind of pace."
Posted by Parker Morse at 9:19 p.m. | Tags: Race Reports, 2007 USA Indoor T&F Champs | Comments (2)
Nick Symmonds has had a lot of attention this indoor season, particularly for an athlete in his first year out of college in an event which often punishes inexperience. Still, he has earned a lot of it. A 3:56 indoor mile clocking, a 1:48 800m win at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, and now a USA Indoor championship at 800m make Symmonds the most consistent winner in the men's middle distances this winter.
Nor is he a runner of only one race plan. In January, he waited until reaching the final homestretch to pass Sam Burley to win the Boston Indoor Games; today, he launched his attack at the bell, and held off a challenge from Burley on the backstretch before winning in 1:48.73 to Burley's 1:49.42.
"I was out of position a little bit, so I had to swing wide," reported Burley. "I'm 0 for 4 against Nick so far. He gets through 600m very smoothly, and really drives with 100m to go. But outdoors is a different sport, and we're going to have four or five guys under 1:45."
"I've been fortunate to race Sam a couple times since the Boston Indoor Games," said Symmonds, "and I knew it would take a big kick to beat him. This season has obviously been the most successful one of my life, and without Khadevis Robinson out here, I gave myself a good chance for the title. That's really what I've been going for all season; the other races have been training."
Posted by Parker Morse at 9:14 p.m. | Tags: Race Reports, 2007 USA Indoor T&F Champs | Comments (0)
Shayne Culpepper has a pair of U.S. indoor championships at 3,000m, and in 2004 she won the Olympic Trials 5,000m against a tough field. But now, in 2007, she's coming back down to the event where she made her first Olympic team, in 2000: the mile and 1,500m. She won the indoor mile title in 4:34.42 Saturday on the first day of the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
Culpepper admitted that the shift might be a little opportunistic. After all, the 1,500m she moved away from was dominated by the 12-year duel between Regina Jacobs and Suzy Favor Hamilton, and since then Jacobs' career has ended in disgrace and Hamilton has been pretty much invisible. But Culpepper also sees unrealized potential. "I feel like I'm so untapped in this event," she said after Saturday's victory. "With my 800m speed and my 5,000m PR, I feel like I can be competitive at the Olympics and the World Championships in this event. I'd like to run close to 4:00 in the 1,500m, if not under. As soon as I say that, it takes it away from me, but I do think my potential indicates that I should be able to run that."
"I'd like to have an 'A' standard in the 5,000m as well, but for Osaka my focus is on the 1,500m. One of the biggest scary things for me is the tactics, and being able to come out and practice that is really important."
Posted by Parker Morse at 7:31 p.m. | Tags: Race Reports, 2007 USA Indoor T&F Champs | Comments (0)
Matt Tegenkamp won his first national title as an open athlete (he won a cross country title as a junior in 2001) by simply outrunning everyone else in the 3,000m, just as he had been expected to do. Tegenkamp, who ran 7:40 earlier in the season, chose to run in the middle of the 14-athlete pack as Kyle King and Thomas Morgan of ZAP Fitness set a honest early pace (2:38 at the first 1,000m split, a 7:54 pace). Then, with Jon Riley (a three-time previous winner of this event) shadowing him, Tegenkamp worked through the pack, eventually breaking in to the lead just after the pack passed the mile mark and the pace threatened to lag.
After that, it was just about wearing out his remaining pursuers. Riley and second-seeded Sean Graham hung on to Tegenkamp as long as they could, but the always-gaunt Graham looked positively haunted as the other pair started to slip away from him. Riley, who has made a career by materializing championship coins from the ears of the people who underestimated him, wore the grim look of someone who knows his tricks aren't going to work. Tegenkamp entered the last lap with nobody on his shoulder; he won in 7:46.08, followed by Riley in 7:49.73 and Graham in 7:52.31 (a PR).
"I wanted to not run hard right from the gun," explained Tegenkamp. "I wanted to work my way up. [The fast seed time] gave me confidence coming in, knowing I could run my own race plan. It went out faster than I expected; I had expected a slower, more tactical race. I was confident that I could run with anybody in this race, and I didn't think anybody was going to get away from me."
"Winning a U.S. championship, no matter what it's in, is always a huge step, and it's a great thing."
Missing from the field was Bernard Lagat, who set the American record with a 7:32.43 just a week earlier in Birmingham, England.
Posted by Parker Morse at 7:28 p.m. | Tags: Race Reports, 2007 USA Indoor T&F Champs | Comments (0)
The U.S. team of Jen Rhines, Deena Kastor, Carrie Tollefson, Amy Rudolph, Katie McGregor, and Elva Dryer finished second to Russia at the Yokohama Women's Ekiden today in Japan. A full report can be found here.
Posted by Alison Wade at 8:34 a.m. | Tags: Race Reports | Comments (0)
It almost feels unfair to mention Shalane Flanagan's winning margin in the 3,000m this evening, on the first day of the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. After all, Lisa Galaviz, placing second in 9:10.75, was within a second of her PR, and did it by fighting a down-to-the-homestretch duel with relative unknown and former University of Texas runner Emily Field (third in 9:11.32). Galaviz, whose 9:11 seed time was a full 38 seconds slower than Flanagan's, admitted after the race, "We expected Shalane to run away with it from the beginning."
That she didn't might be a little to Galaviz's credit—she and Field led the first kilometer—but Flanagan is running spectacularly well, and nobody else in tonight's field is at the same level. After Galaviz and Field took the pack through a 3:05.14 first kilometer, Flanagan simply ran away from them, dropping the pace by two seconds per lap and hitting the second kilometer in 6:03.10 (a 2:58) before finishing in 8:56.74—23 seconds slower than her American Record from last month, but still a time nobody else in the field has approached. And she made it look easy. She admitted afterward, "I got kind of lazy. We were going to work on the last 800, then 400, then 200, but I really only worked the last 200."
"I'm trying out race tactics," Flanagan explained. "I usually don't sit; I'm pretty antsy. But I think my fitness level is allowing me to be a bit more confident about sitting." On the other hand, she also conceded, "I feel like at a championship meet, you need to put on a championship performance." She went on, "I knew my dad was sitting up there, and he hates any type of slow race when people are capable of running faster. I could hear him yelling, 'Faster!' So I really just felt pressure from my dad."
Flanagan sees her improvement at 3,000m this winter as encouragement for her 5,000m prospects outdoors. "For that [8:56] to feel so easy, I feel like I could have run another 2k. And that would have been a sub-15:00 5,000m. I'm looking forward to seeing where the training takes me."
Posted by Parker Morse at 10:45 p.m. | Tags: Race Reports, 2007 USA Indoor T&F Champs | Comments (0)
Episode #5 is available here.
Posted by Alison Wade at 9:27 a.m. | Tags: Web Sites, Movies and Videos | Comments (0)
We're not sure how it took two days for this to start making headlines in the U.S. (we missed it as well), but Bernard Lagat shattered the American record in the indoor 3,000m on Saturday, February 17 in Birmingham, England with a 7:32.43. Tim Broe previously held the record of 7:39.23, which he ran in 2002.
More from USATF | Meet report from the IAAF | Results
Posted by Alison Wade at 1:48 p.m. | Tags: Statistics, Race Results | Comments (0)