The South African ultrarunning scene was abuzz last week with the news that American stars Josh Cox, holder of the USA record for 50 km, and Kami Semick, reigning world 100 km champion, have entered the 85th Comrades Marathon, which will be held on Sunday between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. They are part of the 23,565-strong field that will start the world’s largest ultramarathon.

It is the first time in the history of the race that it will be run “down” for two years in a row. Two consecutive “up” runs, from coastal Durban to Pietermaritzburg, have taken place three times – one of these when the 1940 and 1946 races were separated by World War II. It was decided to have the race finish in Durban again because it is one of the host cities for soccer’s FIFA World Cup tournament, which kicks off two weeks later.

The distance for this year’s race is 89.28 km – 110 meters longer than in 2009. The first few kilometres of the route in Pietermaritzburg have been changed to facilitate an easier and faster flow of the runners out of the city.

The last time a top American runner ran the Comrades was in 1994 when Alberto Salazar won the up run on his first attempt in 5:38:39. Second on that occassion was Nick Bester (the 1991 champion), who now manages the elite Nedbank team for which Cox will compete. The only other USA runner to win the race was Ann Trason, who set an up run record in 1996 and won again in 1997 in what is still the second fastest time for the down run.

Cox, one of 171 US runners entered, said in an interview that Salazar’s victory spurred him on to tackle the Comrades and that the 1994 champion helped him with his preparation. “It is the greatest race on Earth,” he said. “I am here to win.”

Cox set a USA record of 2:47:17 in the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona 50 km between Phoenix and Tempe in January 2009. He covered the standard marathon in 2:20:29 and then continued by running 20 laps on a track to complete 50 km. Eleven months later he ran a personal best of 2:13:51 when he finished second in the California International Marathon in Sacramento. He was only 9 seconds behind winner Tesfaye Girma of Ethiopia.

Cox has a PB of 65:09 for the half-marathon (also set in 2009) and can boast a best time of 29:57.06 for a track 10,000 m. A month ago he won the Country Music Half-Marathon in Nashville in 66:47, essentially a training run.

The big question will be whether Cox, 34, can handle the distance and the tough course, on which the downhills tend to play havoc with a runner’s upper leg muscles. On the down run the route drops from 670 metres at the start to sea level – but almost all of it is in the punishing second half. The demands of the Comrades are different than those of a marathon or 50 km, and many talented runners over these shorter distances have found that their bodies cannot handle doubling (or almost doubling) the distance.

One of the exceptions, of course, was Salazar. Comrades experts will tell you that the down run is tougher than the up run, and if Cox has prepared well enough for the pounding of the downhills, he may well emulate his fellow countryman.

Apart from Salazar, only eleven men have ever won the Comrades on their first attempt (including the winner of the very first Comrades in 1921, Bill Rowan).

Cox will be up against a formidable field, led by die defending champion, Zimbabwe’s Stephen Muzhingi, who conquered the seemingly invincible Leonid Shvetsov last year. Muzhingi beat the Russian, who has since retired, by almost 10 minutes in 5:23:27, the second fastest ever on the down run – bettered only by Shvetsov’s record of 5:20:41.

Muzhingi’s victory capped a superb three years of Comrades performances – he was seventh in the previous down run and in the 2008 up run he finished third. On top of that he was fourth in the 2009 Two Oceans, only six weeks before the Comrades. This year he was fourth again, but this time he had an extra two weeks to recover before the Comrades.
The tough 33-year-old Zimbabwean will not give up his title easily and his powerful run over the last 25 km from Field’s Hill in 2009 will certainly serve as a warning to all his rivals.

Charles Tjiane, the first South African in 2009, will be back and will be aiming to improve on his third position. He has prepared with a comfortable 13th place in the Two Oceans and 9th in the Om die Dam 50 km.

Eight South Africans – double the number of 2008 – won gold medals last year, the first time since 1995 that eight local runners had finished in the top ten. Apart from Tjiane, the other seven were Fusi Nhlapo, winner in 2003, Lucas Nonyana, Mncedisi Mkhize, Bongmusa Mthembu, Peter Molapo, Bethuel Netshishefhe and Harmans Mokgadi. They are all back.

Nhlapo has never been out of the top five in his last four runs, while Netshishefhe won the Two Oceans in 2007. Triple Two Oceans winner Marco Mambo has also entered. He failed to finish his debut last year and in this year’s Two Oceans he was 16th.

Nonyana won gold medals in 2007 (9th) and 2009 (5th), was fourth in the Om die Dam ultra and should be a contender again.

But, as usual, there are many more runners who are serious contenders on paper – the problem with the Comrades is its unpredictability and the number of things that could go wrong on the day. Among these men are Sipho Ngomane, winner in 2005, Prodigal Khumalo (ZIM), Josiah Thugwane, the 1996 Olympic Marathon gold medallist, Simon Peu, who had a disappointing run in this year’s Two Oceans, Brian Zondi, Collen Makaza (ZIM), and Fanie Matshipa.

Another foreign visitor should be mentioned: Russian Grigoriy Murzin, who was second in the 2007 down run. He is returning to the race full of determination and has already proven his toughness; he could win another gold.

And then there is debutant Mzwanele Maphekula. The 32-year-old athlete was fifth, third and fourth in the last three SA Marathons and has a personal best of 2:17:14. He was 15th in the Two Oceans – two places behind Tjiane – and has prepared with great care for the longest race of his career. He has the same coach as Lusapho April, who was fifth in the recent Hannover marathon in a huge PB of 2:10:45, and is an entrant to watch.

There is another problem with the Comrades – at least in recent years – and that is that South Africa’s women seem to resign themselves beforehand to the fact that Russia’s redheaded Nurgalieva twins cannot be beaten – at least not by a local athlete.

Over the last seven years Elena and Olesya have taken eleven of the fourteen first and second places on offer. Of those seven races they failed to win only one (Tatyana Zhirkova took the 2005 event) and, when both participated, it has happened only once that there was just one of them in the top three. (Olesya did not run in 2006 and was fourth in 2004.)

It is a fearsome record, and they have also won the Two Oceans five times between them since 2004. Olesya took the honours in last year’s Comrades, as well as the Two Oceans two months ago, but Elena is usually the better one in the longer race; she has scored four wins.

Elena had the flu before the 2010 Two Oceans and afterwards Olesya said, “Today I was stronger than my sister, but she will be stronger in the Comrades.” Unless something goes wrong, this will probably be the case.”

Other Russians in the field are Irina Vishnevskaya, who won the European 100 km title last year and also finished first in the 100 km del Passatore in Italy, and Marina Myshlyanova, fourth in the last two Comrades. Czech mountain running star Anna Pichrtova is also in the field.  She has recovered for a terrible car accident on her way to a mountain race in Africa.

However, one feels that if the twins can be beaten, it will be by Semick, whose ultra accomplishments speak volumes. The American won four major ultras in 2009, topped by her victory in the IAU World 100 km Championships in Torhout, where she took the title in 7:37:24 to beat Vishnevskaya by more than 9 minutes. Semick’s time was the world’s fastest in 2009.

She also won the American 50 km title in 3:29:20, the USA 50 km Trail Championships in 7:57:35, and the American River 50 Miles in 6:45:51. Semick will have no problem with the distance and if she is on form, the twins will have their hands full to keep her from following in Trason’s footsteps.

South Africa’s two best Comrades runners of the past eight years, Farwa Mentoor and Riana van Niekerk, have experience on their side, but that may not be enough this time. Mentoor was the first South African in the Comrades six years in a row, from  2002 to 2007, and again in 2009. She did not finish this year’s Two Oceans, which will not help her confidence.

Van Niekerk, who has tended to over-race in the past, led the locals in 2008, but failed to finish in 2007 and 2009. She is the current SA marathon champion and was sixth in the Two Oceans – and then won the Loskop 50 km a mere two weeks later.

It is very possible that the South African challenge will be led by Lesley Train (fourth last year and second in this year’s Om die Dam ultra), Adinda Kruger (third in the Two Oceans behind the twins and fourth in the Loskop race) and Belinda Waghorn (third in both the Om die Dam and Loskop ultras). Train and Waghorn both had easy runs in the Two Oceans, finishing 11th and 14th respectively.

Other contenders are Lindsay van Aswegen, who was fifth in the Loskop ultra, and Joanna Thomas, the outstanding master runner from Cape Town whose seventh place in the Two Oceans gave her a win in her age category.

And don’t forget Kashmira Parbhoo, who took the last gold medal in the 2009 Comrades amid astonished cries of “Who on Earth is this?!” She was fifth in the Om die Dam race and could fare even better than last year.

Runners from 60 different countries have entered, and the average age for men is 40 and for women 42. The oldest male is Martin Weidemann (79) and the oldest female Kathleen Reid (70). Two entrants have done forty or more Comrades: Dave Rogers will be attempting his 44th and Riël Hugo his 41st. Nine others will earn their triple green number for 30 finishes if they reach the finish line in Durban’s Sahara Stadium before the 12-hour cut-off.

Prize money for the first man and woman is R250,000 (USD 32,500), while second place gets R120,000 (USD 15,600) and third R90,000 (USD 11,700). The first South African citizen (man and woman) will win R125,000 (USD 16,250), while the incentive for breaking Shvetsov’s or Frith van der Merwe’s record (which has stood at 5:54:43 since 1989) is R250,000 (USD 32,500). The first ten men and women receive gold medals, those from position 11 to sub-6 hours Wally Hayward medals, from 6 hours to sub-7:30 silver, from 7:30 to sub-9 hours Bill Rowan, from 9 hours to sub-11 hours bronze, and from 11 hours to sub-12 hours Vic Clapham medals.

This weekend’s NCAA Regionals should feature noteworthy contests in the 1500m.  Here is our exclusive preview:

MEN -

EASTERN REGIONAL -
In the Eastern Region, the 1500m is up for grabs with any one of a handful of competitors able to take the top spot.  Entering the Regional with the top time is Felix Kiboiywo, a senior out of Auburn with a time of 3:40.50.  The SEC Champion in the 1500m, Kiboiywo is looking to improve upon his appearance at last year’s NCAA Championships, where he was unable to advance out of the preliminary round.  University of Maine sophomore Riley Masters, the first sub-4 miler in school history, could pose a threat to Kiboiywo.  Although he has only run three 1500m races this outdoor season, Masters has the experience of a fifth place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships behind him.  Finishing one place behind him at NCAA Indoors was Ohio State’s Jeff See.  See, a senior, also has experience to his advantage; he placed eighth at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships in addition to his sixth place finish at this year’s indoor championships in the mile.  It will be interesting to see how See responds after finishing fourth at the Big Ten Championship earlier this spring.  Other names to look out for are Columbia’s sub-4 minute miler Kyle Merber, and Providence’s trio of Dominic Channon (SO, 3:42.25), Julian Matthews (SO, 3:43.95), and Hayden McLaren (SR, 3:43.95).

WESTERN REGIONAL -
On paper, it looks like the West has a big advantage in depth at this distance.  Four athletes have gone sub 3:41, whereas only one athlete has done so in the East (Kiboiywo).  Leading the group is 2010 NCAA Indoor mile champ Lee Emanuel of New Mexico.  A senior from Great Britain, Emanuel has the second-fastest time of the field (3:38.79), which was run at the Oregon Relays in late April.  More recently, Emanuel won the Mountain West Conference Championship 1500m, while also placing second in the 800m.  Joining Emanuel will be Olympian Andrew Wheating (Oregon), who is entered in both the 800m and 1500m.  Wheating beat Emanuel at the Oregon Relays with a ferocious kick in the last 100 meters, where he ran his qualifying time of 3:37.83, the fastest time of all collegians this year.  Wheating has seemed to focus mostly on the 800m; he has he only ran one 1500m this year.  Will doubling at Regionals impact his chances?  Only time will tell, but my best guess is no.  He doubled at Penn Relays (anchoring the 4×800m and distance medley relay) and looked great, so judging from the past, he will be fine.  Fellow Ducks A.J. Acosta (3:39.44), Matt Centrowitz (3:41.16), and Mac Fleet (3:42.11) are also entered, and all have seemed to be in top shape recently.  Freshman sensation Fleet placed second at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year, while Acosta finished two spots behind in fourth.  Centrowitz has won the PAC-10 Championship, Pepsi Team Challenge, and Oregon Preview meets all this spring.  Any one of these ‘Men of Oregon’ can take the win at Regionals. Also in the mix will be Dylan Ferris (SO, Stanford), Eric Harasyn (JR, Oklahoma), Abdi Hassan (SO, Arizona), and Craig Miller (JR, Wisconsin), all who have made it to the final round of the NCAA National Championship meets in either the 1500m or mile.

WOMEN -

EASTERN REGIONAL -
The Eastern Region is led by Florida senior Charlotte Browning, a Briton.  The SEC and NCAA Indoor Champion in the 1500m and mile, respectively, Browning has proven that she is a big meet runner.  With a time of 4:13.96, Browning tops the start list for the East, but is closely followed by Florida State senior Pilar McShine.  A native of Trinidad and Tobago, McShine has won the ACC 1500m title for two straight years now, and is looking to close out her career on top with a national title.  If she wins, Florida State would have captured the Outdoor 1500m title for three straight years, as Hannah England and Susan Kuijken have won the past two NCAA Outdoor titles.  Like Browning, McShine is coming off of a successful indoor campaign, as she placed third at NCAA Indoors.  Other athletes who have national experience and could be threats include Lucy Van Dalen (JR, Stony Brook/NZL), Keri Bland (JR, West Virginia), Dina Nosenko (SO, Wake Forest), and Heidi Gregson (SO, Iona).

WESTERN REGIONAL -
Like on the men’s side, the West Region seems to have the advantage on the women’s side, too.  Five athletes have recorded times under 4:16.  Washington’s Katie Follett is the favorite coming in –she finished second at the PAC-10 Championship, and is coming off of a third place finish at NCAA Indoors.  With the fastest collegiate time this year by over two seconds, Follett will be tough to stop.  The top returner from the NCAA Outdoor Championship last year is UC Riverside’s Brenda Martinez, who finished second to Kuijken in Fayettville one year ago.  Martinez has run three 1500m races this year, and has a season best of 4:19.66.  With such a deep field, Martinez will likely have to run faster than that to make the NCAA Championship.  Similar to the men, Oregon has a handful of contenders in the women’s 1500m.  Zoe Buckman, Jordan Hasay, and Alex Kosinski all have the ability to take the race.  Buckman leads the group with a time of 4:12.80, and is also coming off a PAC-10 Championships victory.  Freshman Hasay, though, had the best finish of the bunch at the Indoor Championships earlier this year, placing fourth in the mile.  Oregon assistant athletic director Vin Lananna certainly has a squad which can sweep the top three spots at regionals and/or nationals.  Also in the field is Oklahoma State’s Mihaela Susa, who finished fifth at NCAA Indoor’s.

Race director Dave Bedford has recruited a small, but very strong, elite field for next Monday’s third annual Bupa London 10,000.

On the men’s side world road 10-K record holder Micah Kogo of Kenya will take on defending champion and course record holder, Britain’s Mo Farah.  Kogo won the first edition of the race in 2008 in 28:08, then Farah won last year in a national record 27:50.

“I am very happy to be defending my title,” Farah commented through a news release.  ”It was a great race last year and the British record was a real bonus.  But I know it will be even harder this year.”

That’s because Farah, last year’s Spar European Cross Country Championships silver medallist, has to contend with a man who has run 27:01 on the road and 26:35.63 for 10,000m on the track.  Kogo, the 2008 Olympic Games bronze medallist at 10,000m, has broken 27:30 at that distance five times.  However, Kogo was recently involved in a car accident in Kenya on his way to the airport to compete in the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha.  He suffered only minor injuries, but still did not travel to Doha to compete.

Not to be overlooked is Britain’s Chris Thompson, whom Bedford has also invited.  Running for the Nike Oregon Track Club Elite under coach Mark Rowland in Eugene, Ore., Thompson has cut his 10,000m personal best to 27:29.61 and his road 10-K time to 28:02 this year.  He was recently fourth at the Healthy Kidney 10-K in New York City.

“I will have to be on top form again,” Farah concluded.

The women’s race features a tantalizing match-up between two world champions: Kenyans Linet Masai and Mary Keitany.  Masai, just 20, won the world 10,000m title last August in Berlin and is the world junior record holder for 10,000m with a 30:26.50 career best (she’s also run 31:08 on the road).  She finished second at yesterday’s IAAF Diamond League meeting in Shanghai, clocking a personal best 14:31.14 over 5000m.  Keitany, last year’s IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships gold medallist, will come to London after smashing the world 25-K record in Berlin earlier this month.  For 10-kilometers she’s run 32:18.07 on the track and 31:09 on the road.

Bedford, who expects race entrants to top 13,000 this year (last year’s race had 8305 finishers), was very satisfied with his field.

“We are delighted to have such strong elite fields for our third Bupa London 10,000,” Bedford said in a statement.  ”To have world and Olympic medallists and world record holders on the start line alongside our British champions is a great boost for us. Their presence will add to the excitement and enjoyment for the many thousands who will follow them around this fantastic course.”

Haile Gebreselassie added another chapter to his career by playing host to a gathering of athletics luminaries, including his close friend and greatest rival Paul Tergat, to mark the opening of his resort hotel on the shores of Lake Hawassa about four hours drive south of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa over the weekend (see http://www.haileresort.com).

Others attending the festivities were Ethiopian Olympic medallists Tirunesh Dibaba and her husband Sileshi Sihine, AIMS measurement chief Hugh Jones, and New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.

The centerpiece of the weekend was The Every One Race in Hawassa, a full morning of road races starting outside the doors of his luxurious hotel that bears the name “Haile Resort” on Sunday featuring a half-marathon, two 7-k men’s and women’s elite, kids races and a mass participation 7-K.  Runners came from near and far for the races including Kati Bakirtzi, a New York Road Runners member who made the trip with her sister from Athens just for the races.

“It is absolutely special being here,” Bakirtzi told the New York Road Runners’ Richard Finn who was also in attendance.  ”Knowing where Haile came from and what he has made himself into, is really special.”

The hotel, which took three years and millions to build, features a panoramic entrance overlooking Lake Hawassa, a pool, spas for both men and women (the one for women bearing the name of one of Gebrselassie’s daughters Eden) and a full fitness room.  Finishing touches are still being applied, and plans include to add tennis courts and an outdoor track.

Gebrselassie was the proud host throughout the weekend, shaking hands, posing for pictures (always his with famous smile) and looking after all of the last minute details.

“Words can’t express my awe of Haile,” said Wittenberg who skipped the London Marathon but made time to get to the opening.  ”The man is relentless, cheerful and patient with fans and friends, while at the same drive to succeed and impatient with any effort less than the best.”

Gebrselassie had a simple measuring stick for success on the weekend.

“If people are happy that’s the most important thing I need to hear,” said Gebrselassie, who has not yet announced where he will run his next marathon.

NEW YORK (21-Apr) — Reigning ING New York City Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi announced here today that he is forming a charitable foundation which will support varied causes in health, fitness and education.  Called the MEB Foundation, which the Olympic Marathon silver medalist said stood for “Maintaining Excellent Balance,”  the announcement was made at the RUN store by Foot Locker just off of Union Square in Manhattan.

“We like to think he began his running career with us,” said Foot Locker U.S. CEO and president Dick Johnson who introduced Keflezighi today.  Johnson recalled how Keflezighi watched the Foot Locker Championships high school cross country meet in San Diego playing soccer in 1987; he had no interest in running at the time.  But in 1993, he raced those same championships finishing second to Adam Goucher, the true beginning of Keflezighi’s racing career.

“Yes, 20 years ago as Dick mentioned, I was in Morely Field in San Diego playing soccer,” said Keflezighi.  He continued: “There was runners and, I’m like, why are these people running for?  That was 1987 when Marc Davis, who happened to go to San Diego High School, won the race.  I said, well, these people are crazy.  Six years later I was on the starting line.”

Keflezighi said the he does not yet have specific projects where the foundation will be making donations.  However, he said that his connection to his native Eritrea would be an influence.  He also announced that the ING New York City Marathon had granted his foundation 20 charity entry spots in this year’s race where he will defend his title on November 7.

“Our goal is to use those spots to fund raise,” he said.

One guest was so inspired by Keflezighi, who finished fifth at last Monday’s Boston Marathon, that he made a $10,000 pledge on the spot.

In a joint announcement today, the Virgin London Marathon and UK Athletics (UKA) said the Britain’s biggest marathon would provide an annual investment of up to £150,000 (USD 225,000) to support the UKA Endurance Programme “and help to produce world class British distance athletes.”  The program, managed by Olympic medallist Ian Stewart, already receives a “significant investment” from UKA, official said.

The money will be used to finance high altitude training camps in Iten, Kenya, and Font Romeau, France.  Marathoner Paula Radcliffe has used Font Romeau as her high altitude training base for years.

“The mutual expertise in endurance running will form a successful partnership and make a significant impact on endurance running by giving British athletes access to a programme perhaps unrivalled in Europe,” said UKA chief executive Niels de Vos in prepared remarks.  ”London Marathon’s involvement in projects such as this and the laying of Olympic track at the UKA National Performance centre at Lee Valley shows their commitment to the sport.”

This British initiative is modeled after a similar program in the United States where the ING New York City Marathon provides funding to USA Track & Field (USATF) to finance distance running centers of excellence, including the Mammoth Track Club in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., where marathoners Ryan Hall, Deena Kastor, and Meb Keflezighi train.  That program is widely credited with turning around USA distance running which hit a low point in 2000 when only one American man and woman qualified for the Olympic Games marathon.

With the exception of a few stars like Radcliffe, Mara Yamauchi, and Mo Farah, British distance runners have struggled to keep up with the world’s best, especially in the marathon.  In 2009, only Dan Robinson was able to record a marathon time faster than 2:15 (he ran 2:12:14 in Amsterdam).  In the half-marathon, only Andrew Lemoncello broke 62 minutes in 2009 (61:52), and he is coached by an American, Greg McMillan, in Flagstaff, Ariz.  The last British man to win the Virgin London Marathon was Eamonn Martin 17 years ago.

“One of the London Marathon’s founding aims was to help improve the overall standard and status of British endurance running,” commented Virgin London Marathon race director Dave Bedford in a statement.  ”Over the years it has provided the stage for some outstanding performances from British athletes such as Paula Radcliffe and others.  We welcome this opportunity to provide further help to British endurance running by funding altitude training facilities for Britain’s current and future world class athletes.”

The Virgin London Marathon takes place on Sunday, April 25.  Last year’s race had 35,306 finishers, making it Europe’s largest marathon, and the second-largest in the world behind the ING New York City Marathon, which had 43,660 finishers.

NEW YORK (07-Apr) — Olympic marathon medallists Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor, both of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., committed today to run the 2010 ING New York City Marathon, the New York Road Runners announced here today.  Keflezighi will attempt to retain the ING NYC Marathon title he won last year –the first by an American in 27 years– while Kastor will attempt to win her first.

“With Meb’s win last year and Deena’s gutsy efforts over the years, they have become part of the magic and history of our marathon,” said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg in a statement.  ”We are so pleased to welcome them back today, as we warmly welcome runners from around the globe to our ING NYC Marathon 2010.”

For Keflezighi, 34, who will run the Boston Marathon in 12 days, this will be his sixth ING New York City Marathon appearance.  He made his marathon debut in New York in 2002, then finished second in 2004 and third in 2005 before winning a two-man duel with Kenyan Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot in last year’s race, running a personal best 2:09:15.

“The ING New York City Marathon has been the core race in my marathon career,” said Keflezighi in prepared remarks.  ”I came back several times looking for that elusive victory and I finally got it. I hope that my victory on November 1, 2009, teaches us that while we may not accomplish our dreams and goals overnight, we need to stay committed.”

Like Keflezighi, Kastor, 37, began her marathon career in New York.  While the rubble of the fallen World Trade Center still smoldered in 2001, Kastor set a then USA debut record of 2:26:58, finishing seventh overall and winning her first USA marathon title.  Subsequently, she failed to finish the 2004 race (after winning her Olympic Marathon bronze medal less than three months before), and finished sixth in 2006.  She also participated in the race in 2003 as a special pacer for women who were trying to qualify for the USA Olympic Marathon Trials.  Kastor has earned World Marathon Majors victories at Chicago in 2005 and London in 2006; she’s running the Virgin London Marathon on April 25.

“I was brought to tears when Meb won [last year] against a stellar field of the world’s best, and I’m inspired to commit to succeeding in New York come November,” said Kastor through a statement.  ”The ING New York City Marathon is a perfect representation of the diversity that the city is known for, and it’s wonderful to be part of such high-spirited celebration of running.”

On the same day that Keflezighi and Kastor committed to the event’s professional division, the first recreational runners were selected out of a record pool of 120,000 in the marathon’s annual entry lottery (it was the fourth consecutive year that over 100,000 runners had requested entry).  On a live streaming internet broadcast from the Parker Meridien Hotel near the race’s Central Park finish line, the race announced that Victoria Salbu of Oslo, Norway, was the first runner to gain entry.

“A quantum leap in the number of marathon applicants, in the midst of the recession, speaks volumes about the importance of the ING NEW York City Marathon in the lives of so many,” said Wittenberg, who is planning for a starting field of 42,000 to 43,000.

(Photo Courtesy of Iowa State Athletic Department)
Iowa State’s Lisa Koll opened her 2010 outdoor season with a flourish, running a new NCAA 10,000m record at the Stanford Invitational last night in Palo Alto, Calif.

Koll, a senior who won the NCAA indoor title at 5000m earlier this month, clocked 31:18.07, bettering former Texas Tech athlete Sally Kipyego’s mark of 31:25.45 set on the same track in 2008.  Koll won the race easily, beating Hungary’s Krisztina Papp who clocked 31:46.47 in second place.  Koll’s mark was also an early world leader.

“I think the mark speaks for itself,” Iowa State head coach Corey Ihmels told his sports information department.  ”The record was held by Sally Kipyego from Texas Tech (31:25.45), and she is by far one of the best distance runners to run (as a collegiate athlete).  I think it just speaks volumes about what (Lisa) did tonight.  Two years ago (Lisa) set the American collegiate record, and I thought that would be pretty hard to top, but today she went out and ran better.”

Koll was already the fastest USA collegian of all-time, running 32:11.13 at the same Stanford meet in 2008.  She is now the 6th-fastest American of all-time behind only Shalane Flanagan (30:22.22), Deena Kastor (30:50.32), Kara Goucher (30:55.16), Amy Begley (31:13.78), and Jen Rhines (31:17.31).

TFAA stands for the Track and Field Athletes Association. We are a (soon-to-be) not-for-profit organization that was formed by your peers to support the professional track and field athlete. Over the years we expect the support to take many shapes and sizes. However, it’s important that you understand some of the basics.

The Playing Field

There are over 50 men’s and women’s events falling under the jurisdiction of USA Track and Field (USATF). USATF operates independently in some ways, but it is largely influenced by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). Sponsor companies can choose between an individual, a federation – USATF or IAAF, or the USOC (and it’s parent the International Olympic Committee). Managers “create” income streams for the athletes they represent, and meet directors raise additional moneys from other sponsors, negotiate with all the groups, and provide a location to feature the events. Let’s just simplify and say it’s probably the most complex sports environment in the world.

Unfortunately, while all the previously mentioned groups fight for control and influence, no one represents the athletes collectively. This fact allows these groups to continue exploit the helpless individual athlete. The TFAA will attempt to reverse some past oversights and push for new changes that benefit all athletes.

Our Agenda

We have short and long term goals.

First, we need you to push our message outwards. We need you all to look across the event groups and see the strength that we have together. Our diversity has been exploited for years as weakness. It is strength and we need you all to reach across the gaps and offer a hand to your fellow athletes. Understand that we may have different needs, but each is important and needs to be heard.

Second, this is your association. We realize that we don’t have a long history at this point that deserves your blind faith. We want you to ask questions, make suggestions, and help direct your association. Over time we will win your trust by answering those questions, listening to your suggestions, and communicating our direction and initiatives and how this will benefit you.

Third, we’ve already identified some items that require immediate action and with your help we can start the conversations. These items are . . . click here to read the rest