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Indoors: A Column By Len Johnson

posted by rtross on March 11, 2010, 2:35pm

By Len Johnson

In Australia, athletics is something that happens in the summer, sun-drenched tracks, hot winds, all that sort of stuff.

Views on indoor athletics range from something that happens somewhere else _ in the northern hemisphere mainly; to something that is not discussed in front of the children. When you are blessed with a climate that allows you to train outdoors all year round, why bother with athletics under a closed roof.

As the IAAF World Indoor Championships get under way in Doha, such contradictions are front of mind. It’s hot outside _ touching 30 degrees on championships eve _ cool, almost cold, inside the Aspire Dome.

Doha’s Dome reflects both the emirate of Qatar’s mania for sport and its can-do attitude. Why else build a state-of-the-art facility in a country where temperatures are 40 degrees and above for more than half of the year. Because you have the resources to, and you can, seems to be the attitude here. Qatar is serious about sport, and serious about attracting major events. There are signs everywhere promoting the bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a bid which will feature modular stadia that can be deconstructed after the Cup and shipped off to other countries.

As far as the world indoors is concerned, this will surely be the first time that competitors have been able to swim or sunbathe between sessions. Most training is being done on one of the outdoor tracks in the complex.

Surprising? More like amazing, really. Delving into Australia’s background in indoor athletics may not unearth anything to amaze, but it does reveal some surprises. If you’re under 25, you could be forgiven for thinking our involvement goes no further back than the 25-year history of the IAAF championships.

Those a little older may recall the ill-fated indoor track series in the early 1990s which brought Carl Lewis to Australia, purportedly for meetings in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne but which crashed spectacularly after just one meeting in Brisbane. Lewis, who wanted his money upfront because of previous dealings with the promoter, never budged from his hotel suite.

Those with still more years on the clock may recall the successful indoor tours of North America by Ron Clarke, Ralph Doubell and others, but few would realise that the history of Australian indoor athletics goes back even further than that _ another 30-40 years, in fact.

Back in the 1920 and 1930s, indoor meetings were irregularly conducted in Melbourne (and perhaps Sydney as well), in attempts to promote the sport. The heritage-listed Melbourne Exhibition Building staged some meetings; others were held in, or near, the old St Moritz ice-skating rink on St Kilda’s Esplanade. In collaboration with Athletics Australia historian and statistician Paul Jenes, and others, I tracked down some of this history in my other lifetime at The Age.

But it never took off. The ill-fated 1990s effort is the only one I’m aware of which had the aim of establishing a regular series of meetings. Promoter Ken Elphick, who had had great success with outdoor meetings in the late 1970s, signed up a national sponsor, commissioned construction of a demountable track and lured several big names _ Catherine Freeman as well as Lewis and other internationals.

The wheels were already falling off by the time the first meeting got under way in Brisbane. The track was something like 12-14 laps to the mile, making it difficult to generate enough momentum to avoid running off into such infield as there was. The sprinters ran headlong into padded bags at the end of the straight _ leaving an imprint sort of like Wile E. Coyote trying to run through a wall.

The concept imploded even before spectators had got back to their homes. The Sydney and Melbourne meetings never happened. The track was seized by the transport company contracted to drive it to Sydney and left to rot in a yard.

Australia’s involvement with the IAAF event has been more conventional. It seems incongruous to send teams when we have no indoor athletics, but half the world is doing exactly the same thing. Mostly, the team self-selects: those who want to go, go.

Mike Hillardt kicked off our gold medal history by winning the 1500 at the first World Indoor Games in Paris in 1985 _ reminiscent of Edwin Flack, really.

Dave Smith won a bronze medal in the 5k walk, a success that was emulated three times by Kerry Saxby Junna. She won the gold medal in the 3k walk in 1989 and took silver in 1991 and 1993.

Toronto in 1993 returned the biggest medal haul _ four, but none of them gold. In addition to Saxby Junna, Damien Marsh and Melinda Gainsford-Taylor took silver medals in the 200 and Darren Clark a bronze in the 400.

Gainsford-Taylor went one better in Barcelona in 1995, taking the gold in the 200. There would be no more gold until Tamsyn Lewis’s delightful and delighted win in the 800 in Valencia in 2008, but Emma George took a silver in the pole vault in Paris in 1997, a Catherine Freeman-led women’s team (with Susan Andrews, Tania Van Heer and Lewis) won a silver in the 4x400 in Maebashi in 1999, Andrew Murphy got a bronze in the triple jump in Lisbon in 2001 and Steve Hooker a bronze in the pole vault in Valencia.

What will Doha bring?

Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on March 11, 2010, 5:38pm

Houston 2012: The Right Choice

posted by rtbryan on March 8, 2010, 8:26pm

	Houston	London
Avg High	15 C (59 F)	21 C (70 F)
Avg Low	6 C (43 F)	12 C (54 F)
Avg Rain	84mm (3.3 in)	56mm (2.2 in)

By Bryan Green

The 2008 US Olympic Trials were an unqualified success. The men's race--forevermore remembered as the Ryan Shay Trials--were held in New York City the day before the NYC Marathon on a criterium course in Central Park and saw Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenhein--two of America's brightest young stars--qualify for Beijing, as well as blue-collar working-man's man Brian Sell nab 3rd to the delight of underdogs, mustache aficionados and dramatically-inclined NBC television producers everywhere.

In Boston, Deena Kastor ran down an early charging Magdalena Lewy-Boulet to take the title, with Magda finishing a gutsy 2nd and Blake Russell hanging on for a solid 3rd. Both events likely benefited from their association with America's two premiere marathons, adding a boost to the already incredible experience held by the tens of thousands of participants in those races. Had USATF decided to adopt the same approach for the 2010 Olympic Marathon Trials, I don't think we would have heard many complaints. It seemed to work.

With that said, I have to applaud the choice of Houston for the men's and women's Olympic Marathon Trials. Without even getting into the money Houston is bidding to host the Trials, I think there are six solid reasons why Houston was the right choice. All of these should be considered heavily when deciding a future OT marathon venue as well.

1. The 2-for-1 Special: I love that both races are going to be held on the same day on the same course. There are potential issues with this, especially if one race is finishing while a major move is made in another, but these should be solvable. Hopefully it's enough to get major TV coverage, but as long as they stream it over the web and follow my Marathon Coverage Manifesto from last year I'll be happy.

I don't have any numbers in front of me to back up this assertion, but I believe it hurts the women's race to NOT have it in conjunction with the men's. On the men's side, there is a deeper field, more established names, and a general sense of unpredictability. On top of that, men benefit from the fact that they simply run faster. This isn't an issue for educated fans who can put women's races into context, but like many other women's sports, I think they suffer from the relative difference in absolute performance marks.

For the 2008 trials, there were ten men people thought might qualify and no one knew how the race was going to unfold. Many suspected Hall would win (equally many predicted Meb, Ritz, Abdi, Khannouchi...), but everyone knew Kastor was going to win hers. By having both races on the same day, people who might have tuned in for the men's but not the women's races will have a reason to watch both. In 2012, the women's field--likely to have Kastor, Kara Goucher, Shalane Flanagan, one or two more surprise newcomers, maybe even a recently nationalized African star (Sally Kipyego?)--may be more exciting than the men's. If so, everyone will be tuning in to see it.

There are a few other nice aspects of this. All qualifiers will be at the same press events and discussed in the same articles. Strategies and tactics across genders can be dissected. I also like the fact that both the men's and women's qualifiers will be on the same schedules. It never really made sense to me that the women had four months to prepare for Beijing, while the men had nine. Which brings me to the second point.

2. Timing is Everything: I like the idea of having the race in January. It allows more than enough time for the Olympians to do a complete build-up for the London Games, while also allowing the non-qualifiers to participate in cross country, run Boston, or build up for a summer track season. Athletes like Shalane Flanagan may even pursue a spot on the 10k squad to increase their options in London.

There is a valid argument that holding the race in January limits the top runners from running a fall marathon in 2011 or a spring marathon in 2012, but I think that's a fair trade-off. The lack of a fall marathon is obviously the biggest hit, but had the trials been awarded to New York, that wouldn't have been possible anyway. And I personally think it's too risky to be running a spring marathon prior to the Olympics. A half maybe, but not a full. April marathons should be discouraged for any qualifiers anyway.

And I'm not sure that the NYC marathon is completely out of the question for the Olympians anyway. In 2004, Meb came back from Athens and placed 2nd in NYC. Ultimately, though, it's not the timing itself that might bother the elites, but the lack of money they will earn by skipping the major marathons. But is that really an issue?

3. The Prize Money: Houston is giving out a very generous prize package. $250,000 dollars in prize money for each race is quite a lot, and one can bet that the prizes will go at least ten deep, if not fifteen. The Olympic qualifiers may earn less money than if they were the top Americans at a major marathon (despite Meb's victory in NYC, one can't assume any American would be taking home that kind of money from a major). But the money they will earn through bonuses, sponsorships, and future appearance fees as Olympians will more than compensate for that.

As for the other runners in the field, there are two points worth mentioning. First, if you don't believe you have a chance of being an Olympian and you know you can win some big prize money in another race, you can always skip the trials. If you think you can pull a Brian Sell--and I'd be shocked if 90% of the field didn't think they could--then the potential rewards from a 3rd place finish far outweigh the opportunity cost of entering the Trials. And, if a runner finishes in the top 10-15, they are still going to be taking home money, in many cases more than what they'd get for finishing 10th behind eight East Africans at a major.

For the top few marathoners in the country, money is a legitimate issue. If Hall or Ritz or Goucher or Meb decided to skip the Trials to pursue the appearance fees at NYC or Boston, I wouldn't begrudge them one bit. But they are really the only ones who stand to lose, and they'd be the first to tell you that they also stand to gain the most should they medal in London.

4. The Course, Of Course: Houston's course is going to be flat and fast. I know this because both the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon are smokin' fast, and the biggest hill in the region is on a highway overpass. Why is this good? Because London's course promises to be similarly flat and fast.

Why should we select our Olympic qualifiers from a course like Boston or New York when both of those courses would be significantly different from what the athletes will run in London? If there is one event where the type of course matters, it's the marathon. It's why Meb can run three minutes slower than Hall on London's flat course but win a slow, hilly, tactical course like New York. Houston gives us the opportunity to select based on the factors that will matter in London, and that's a good thing.

This should absolutely be a factor when deciding where to host the 2016 trials prior to Rio de Janeiro, too.

Houston London

Avg High 15 C (59 F) 21 C (70 F)

Avg Low 6 C (43 F) 12 C (54 F)

Avg Rain 84mm (3.3 in) 56mm (2.2 in)

5. The Weather: Surprisingly, Houston in January is not all that different from London in August. And it's closer to London's temperatures than either Bostonor New York. This is a smaller point than any other in my opinion, but it is worth mentioning. Again, we will be taking qualifiers from a race that more closely resembles the conditions in which we are hoping the athletes will excel in the summer. This is a good thing.

6. A Houston Boost: This is actually the biggest reason I like the choice of Houston. Marathoning continues to gain in popularity around the world. The big five marathons (Boston, New York, Chicago, London and Berlin) dominate the marathon world and hold a special place in most fans' (and elite athletes') minds. A few others, like Fukuoka, Dubai, Paris and maybe Rotterdam have established semi-major status. But there are plenty of other marathons that are superb events and have the potential to become just as important if we give them the opportunity. They are on the cusp. I believe Houston is one of those marathons.

Houston already has 20,000+ participants. It already has course records that are on par with both New York and Boston. It already hosts the USA Half Marathon Championships and has a reputation for fast times. And it already has a storied history that few fans know about (but that will no doubt be brought front and center when the Trials are held there). Most importantly, it has the desire to become the next Chicago or Boston or New York. It's pulling out all the stops.

By holding the Olympic Trials in Houston, USATF is giving a great event an extra boost in its efforts to go from a minor marathon to at least a semi-major. Sure it might not happen. But the simple fact that Houston is making these strides means it deserves the USATF's support. And now that they have it, it's up to them to execute on their promises and blow the roof off this Olympic Trials. When they do, it will be a very good thing for US marathoning.

Read more | Comments (3) | Updated on March 8, 2010, 10:21pm

Two Davids-Lelei And Rudisha: A Column By Len Johnson

posted by rtross on March 5, 2010, 2:55pm

By Len Johnson

The amazing thing about many amazing performances is that they look amazingly easy.

Pardon me for overworking the ‘amazing’ word, but it was hard to suppress that feeling watching David Rudisha run 1:43.15 in Melbourne on Thursday night.

Rudisha went through 400 metres a step behind his pacemaker, Sammy Tangui, who split 50.00. Two things were apparent _ three, actually, if you count the fact that Tangui was not going to last much longer; the two salient points, however, were that Rudisha was running very fast, and that he looked totally relaxed doing so.

After his 1:42.01 in Rieti last year, Rudisha has only three men ahead of him on the 800 all-time list: world record holder Wilson Kipketer (1:41.11), former world record holder Sebastian Coe (1:41.73) and 1984 Olympic champion Joaquim Cruz (1:43.77).

Kipketer was the only one of the three whom I saw at his absolute top. That was in 1997 when he won his second world championships and then, having previously equalled Coe’s time, took sole ownership of the world record in Zurich with a 1:41.24 (which he improved 11 days later to the current mark).

It was a privilege. Although I am prepared to say that no-one will ever look as smooth as Kipketer in full flight, Rudisha conveys that same impression of running very fast while looking totally relaxed. It convinces you there is more to come.

Behind Rudisha in Melbourne Ryan Gregson improved his best by another second to 1:46.04 and Tristan Garrett and James Gurr ran ‘pbs’ of 1:46.66 and 1:46.77, respectively. Maurie Plant said on the PA that Rudisha had pulled them to their best times, which I reckon was only partly right.

Lachlan Renshaw actually did the towing as he stayed as close as he could to the flying Kenyans through the first 400. He paid for it, finishing fifth in 1:47.26, but he gave the chasers an unwitting target when they could not even see Rudisha. So Rudisha dragged Renshaw who, in turn, dragged the rest through to personal bests.

Rudisha’s time slashed 0.82 seconds from the Australian all-comers’ record, a record given a touch of poignancy by the fact that the man who set it in Melbourne in 2000, David Lelei, died on 17 February in one of the all-too-frequent accidents on Kenya’s notorious roads.

Lelei was widely hailed for his contribution to Kenyan athletics, first as an athlete and latterly as a local administrator and organiser. He gave of his best in Kenya, and he gave Australia his best performance. The 1:43.97 he ran in Melbourne remained his fastest time.

It was difficult to grab the headlines that night. Among the other highlights were the titanic battle between William Chirchir and soon-to-be-Olympic champion Noah Ngeny over 1500, won by the former 3:32.55 to 3:33.45, an 8.30-metre long jump by Peter Burge, Luke Kipkosgei beating Daniel Komen over 3000 metres, and a pulsating battle in the women’s 400 won by a certain Catherine Freeman over Mexico’s Ana Guevara, 50.31 to 50.41.

Over that summer, thought, the 800 was supreme. Lelei was but one of many big names racing Down Under over two laps.

Atlanta Olympic Games bronze medallist Fred Onyancha (‘pb’ 1:42.79) was top of the bill, but there was also Andre Bucher of Switzerland, a regular visitor for summer training in that period, Djabir Said-Guerni of Algeria and David Kiptoo of Kenya. In addition, Ngeny and Chirchir both stepped down to 800.

It was a challenge for any Australian to step up to that level. Grant Cremer was not racing, but a newcomer named Kris McCarthy broke through, first in a solo run in Canberra, then by chasing the likes of Lelei, Bucher and Said-Guerni.

To give some idea of how the season went, Martin Byron just nipped McCarthy (1:47.56 to 1:47.59) at the Zatopek meeting in December, 1999. With the injection of international competition, McCarthy slashed two seconds off this to get down to 1:45.57 by season’s end, while Byron ran 1:46.45. Both remained their lifetime bests.

Olympic year opened with McCarthy breaking through to 1:45.77 in Canberra to avenge his Zatopek loss to Byron (1:46.45 pb).

launceston 10km

Lelei made his first appearance in Hobart at the end of January, defeating Byron 1:47.15 to 1:48.75.

In Brisbane on 11 February, Said-Guerni had his first race, a 1:45.16 to 1:45.59 win over Lelei. Two days later in Sydney, Said-Guerni was beaten by Ngeny, 1:45.74 to 1:46.00. Bucher was third in 1:46.42 ahead of Kiptoo and McCarthy.

At the end of February, the national championships were the test event for the Sydney Olympic Stadium. Said-Guerni beat Lelei, 1:44.28 to 1:44.58, with both men breaking Peter Bourke’s Australian all-comers’ record of 1:44.78. McCarthy took the national title with 1:45.91 in third.

A few days later in Melbourne, Lelei found another half-a-second to win in 1:43.97, another all-comers’ record. Bucher’s excellent 1:45.20 left him a distant second, a couple of metres ahead of McCarthy’s 1:45.57. Kiptoo, Onyancha, New Zealand’s Shaun Farrell and Byron followed, the first seven going sub-1:47.

The final of the domestic grand prix in Adelaide the following week saw Chirchir step down. He won in 1:45.15, 0.20 ahead of Bucher, with McCarthy just missing a fourth 1:45 for the season with 1:46.05 in third.

Eight weeks brought two Australian all-comers’ records (the previous one having survived almost 18 years) and the three fastest 800s ever run in this country, a big break-through for a local talent, and many thrilling races. In addition, Tamsyn Lewis ran 1:59.21, the second-fastest 800 by an Australian woman.

At the end of it all, however, it was David Lelei who stood top of the heap. He stayed there until Rudisha’s great run.

Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on March 6, 2010, 5:19pm

Ben Offereins - Oozing with Talent

posted by rtsam on February 24, 2010, 7:44pm

Ben Offereins is currently in career best form and was recently been tipped by Australian High Performance Manager, Eric Hollingsworth, as an athlete to watch leading up to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi later in 2010.

After running a Commonwealth Games A-Qualifying time and Personal Best of 45.53 in the 400m at an inter-club meet in Perth on Friday 15th January 2010, Ben backed up with a winning time of 45.32 at the Australian Athletics Tour meet in Canberra on 30th January 2010. A member of the Bronze-medal winning 4x400m IAAF World Championships Team in Berlin in 2009, Ben beat a quality field in Canberra that included Clay Watkins (45.95) and 2008 Beijing Olympian Joel Milburn (46.63).

We caught up with Ben for a quick chat before he flew out to Sydney for the Sydney Track Classic.

Coach: Lyn Foreman
Manager: Sam Maxwell from Sam Maxwell Sports Management
Event: 400m
Sponsors: Mizuno
Hometown: Perth, Western Australia

RT: Ben Offereins, thanks for speaking to us at Runners Tribe.

BO: No problem, thanks for having me.

RT: You have had a great last couple of weeks. You ran 45.53 in an inter-club in Perth and backed that up with a new PB of 45.32 in Canberra, which was also a new meet record. Tell us about these races and what you are looking forward to in the upcoming Grand Prix’s in Sydney and Melbourne.

BO: The results were obviously good and I was really happy. Any time you run a PB you can never be annoyed about it. But, as an athlete, I guess you criticise your own performances all the time. If you don’t do that, you’re not looking to improve.

Running the 45.3 was good. It was a good confidence booster knowing that I can do it. I ran from an outside lane, which I have seemed to get a lot lately. I couldn’t see anyone for the whole race and was just running scared, but it would be interesting to see what I can do if I do get a middle lane or an inside one, and have to run off other people.

My coach, Lyn Foreman and I sat down and looked at the splits and we think that we can cut a bit of time off the 45.3 without doing anymore work as it’s more of an acceleration thing. This is obviously encouraging and positive so we’ll just see how it all goes with the 400m.

After Canberra I then went up to Brisbane and ran 21.1 in the 200m. While I would have liked to have gone quicker, position-wise I was happy. I took a few good scalps which I was pretty pleased with! So yeah, overall it was a pretty good trip.

RT: You’ve now run two A-qualifying times. Since then, you’ve had quite a bit of media attention; a lot of people are writing about you and you have had Eric Hollingsworth, the High Performance Manager of the Australian Flame come out and say that you are one to watch come the Commonwealth Games later in the year. Does this add any additional pressure?

BO: Not really I don’t think. I guess of all the other 400m runners, I am the only one to comment on as the others haven’t run yet. But it’s always nice to get that little bit of recognition; there are people who are obviously watching and I’m not really used to that. It is definitely a different feeling knowing that people are following you and watching your performances and taking a real interest in you, which is of course really nice. To come from Eric is also a big thing. I know Eric, and he’s not one to give away compliments too easy, so to get that from him was really good and very rewarding.

RT: On the back of this success, we hear that you have just signed a deal with Mizuno?

BO: Yeah, I’m really happy that I’m on board with Mizuno. My manager, Sam Maxwell, has been doing some great work for me and was able to secure that deal. Without doubt it will definitely help me as an athlete. Mizuno have a great range of shoes and apparel, all of which is now going to be sold in Australia too. I’ll be racing in Sydney for the first time in their clothes and really looking forward to it. Of course I am grateful for their support and I hope that I can repay Mizuno back by running well over the next few months.

RT: Let’s fast-forward a few weeks and suppose you do qualify for the Commonwealth Games. We know about your success in the 4 x 400m Relay in Berlin last year, but what would it mean to run in an individual event in New Delhi?

BO: Individual would be nice! You know, I have only ever watched it on TV, and when I was at Worlds I watched it in the stands and just wished that I was the one out there that everyone was watching. It would be a dream come true to be out there at Comm Games running for my country. Having my family and friends back home, being able to watch me on TV, would be great. It is something that I want to push to do. I want top 3 at Nationals. I don’t want to be known as just a relay runner. I want to step up into the individual spot, but I know that it is going to be very hard to do as there are so many guys trying to fight for it as it’s such a competitive event. But I will definitely give it my best shot and run as hard as I can and just make it as hard as possible for those other guys to get the spot over me. If they run faster than me, then they run faster than me and I can’t help that. But I’m going to make sure that they are going to run very fast to do it.

RT: Stepping aside from the track for a minute, what else do you do outside Athletics and what is a “normal week in the life of Ben Offereins”?

BO: Well, it’s a bit hectic at times and I definitely don’t have much spare time! I’m off to work at 6.30am in the morning every day. I’ve just started TAFE again to do some extra study for work through a civil engineering course. I’m at work from 6.30am to 12.30pm then off to TAFE for a few hours before training in the afternoon. I obviously go to training, go home, rest for a bit, go to sleep, then do it all over again!

RT: Congratulations on the last couple of weeks, Ben. We look forward to watching you race in Sydney, Melbourne and later in Perth at the Commonwealth Games trials. Should you make the team, we will hopefully catch up for another chat before you head away!

BO: Thanks for all your support.

View Ben's Runner's Tribe athlete page HERE

Read more | Comments (1) | Updated on March 3, 2010, 2:19am

Zoe Riikonen: RT Journals

posted by rtchris on February 22, 2010, 3:13am

by Zoe Riikonen

With only three weeks to go until the big race, (Australian Junior Championships 11`-14^th of March) it is set to be a big one! I am very excited for these championships as they are also selection trials for the World Junior Championships in Canada. I am looking forward to the opportunity to racing my fellow competitors at this major meet, since I didn’t compete at the National Championships in December last year.

Recently I decided to run two gift races for something different and a bit of fun. The Australia day gift race was over 120m on grass track at the Gold Coast. I thought it would be a good speed workout. I progressed to the final on a handicap of 6m and placed 3^rd. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience so I decided to enter another one two weeks later, which was part of the Brisbane Classic at the QE2. The 400m handicap was men and women combined with everyone starting in lane 1 and no block starts. It was pretty tough with approx 10 competitors in each heat and only two to go through to the final and the next fastest. I unfortunately did not make it through to the final, although neither did any of the women.

At the Queensland State Championships on the following weekend (13^th & 14^th Feb) I competed in the 400 and 200. There was some great competition in both events and I enjoyed being back competing with my Queensland colleagues. I placed 3^rd in the 400m (which was a close finish) and placed 4^th in the 200m. At the moment I am feeling mentally good, and I know the next few weeks I will have to put in 110% into training to see the results.

Note: In the lead up to the Australian Junior Championships, I will be competing in the Glynis Nunn Shield (ed: Zoe placed 2nd in the 400m in 57.60s and also ran 12.78s for the 100m and 25.80s in the 200m) and possible the Garry Brown Shield as well. I will be looking to compete at most meets in the lead up to Sydney to be in the best competition form. The weeks are going past fast, so the plan is to stay injury free, look after my body and keep healthy.

I am looking forward to the next challenge!

Zoe Riikonen

Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on February 22, 2010, 3:19am

Gregson: A Column By Len Johnson

posted by rtross on February 19, 2010, 6:01pm

By Len Johnson.

Thursday was a blue sky kind of day at Falls Creek _ a gorgeous sunny morning, with not a cloud to be seen.

To Ryan Gregson, it would hardly have mattered had it been clouded in and raining. Pretty well every day is a blue sky day for the talented youngster at the moment.

On 6 February, Gregson ran a personal best 1:47.06 for 800 metres in Newcastle. Six days later he smashed Beijing Olympic representative Mitch Kealey over the last lap of a 1500 in Hobart, winning by over two seconds in a near personal best 3:37.24.

Now he is training in Falls Creek with others including Collis Birmingham, Kealey, Andy Baddeley, Jeff Riseley and Benita Willis. He may not turn 20 until April, but Gregson already looks at home in such company.

Gregson is obviously very good. The inevitable next question is how good he can be. Precocious Africans aside, few young men in the world are running, or have run, better.

The funny thing is, Australians tend to take this in a rather matter of fact manner. American track and field fans rave over German Fernandez, the sporadically brilliant Allan Webb still has many fans, so too the permanently flaky Gabe Jennings. Americans also seem to be a lot keener on creating a Gregson v Fernandez thing. LetsRun almost invariably refers to the putative rivalry in reporting Gregson’s performances.

Maybe we should be jumping up and down then, but I suspect we won’t. Perhaps this will help Gregson keep his feet on the ground, perhaps not. Maybe when you are running that fast short of your 20^th birthday, it doesn’t matter whether your feet stay on the ground or not.

One thing to say, as my first coach used to tell me, is that if Ryan Gregson doesn’t do any better than his current performances, he already has done quite a bit. He has broken the Australian U20 record formerly held by Mike Hillardt, a world championships finalist, Olympic Games rep and gold medallist at the first World Indoor Games, the forerunner to the world indoor championships. He has represented at a world championships.

But he wants more. In his post-race remarks in Hobart, Gregson said he wanted to be the best in the world and managed to work the names of both John Landy and Herb Elliott into the conversation. Both these men were, at some stage, the best in the world. Both did it at a young age, too. Elliott was world record holder at the mile and 1500 metres before his 21^st birthday and Olympic 1500 metres champion at the age of 22. He had effectively retired before he turned 23.

Landy was 22 when he made the Helsinki Olympic team and ran 4:02.1 for the mile and still only 24 when he became world record holder for the mile (and 1500 en route) and the second man to break four minutes. Landy was a relatively late starter, so had his career as a ‘young’ athlete in terms of experience.

In addition, Ralph Doubell was all of 23 when he won the 1968 Mexico City 800 metres. If Ryan Gregson is a young man in a hurry, he is in good company in that regard, too.

In assessing what Gregson might achieve it is important to acknowledge one fact. As fans, we think of progress in straight lines, extrapolating from where Gregson is now to where he should be in four years time as if it were pre-ordained.

Real progress, alas, follows a much more erratic path and for any number of reasons. For juniors, there is the transition from dominating against their peers to getting beaten by older and stronger opponents. As Gregson has already been running open events for a couple of years, he appears to have dodged this one.

Motivation levels have to stay as high. How many years can you take, as Brendan Foster once put it, of ‘getting up tired, going to bed even tireder,’ before the enthusiasm wanes? You have to continually set new goals as old ones are attained and pursue those new ones with the same vigour.

History provides examples either way for prodigious young talents. Some _ Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele come to mind _ achieve young and keep right on achieving; others hit the heights as juniors and go right over the top and down the other side just as quickly.

Turning to Australian examples, Herb Elliott did it all by the time he was 22; Ron Clarke was a top junior and re-defined distance running as a senior athlete, but he had a time virtually out of the sport in between; Carolyn Schuwalow was an outstanding junior and continued to achieve as a senior (national records, Olympic finalist), but more sporadically; Georgie Clarke has followed a similar trajectory.

Which way will Ryan Gregson go? Hopefully towards a long career as an outstanding athlete _ but it’s just as important to enjoy and acknowledge what he is doing right now.

Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on February 20, 2010, 5:42pm

Eloise Wellings: The Brilliance is Back

posted by rtross on February 16, 2010, 2:07pm

By Cindy King.

I have been following the career of Eloise Wellings (nee Poppett) since the late 1990s. I remember in 1999 when, as a 16-year-old, she ran 15:18.60 for 5,000m in a mixed interclub race in Sydney. I remember being fascinated by her speed, her prodigious ability, and her obvious love of running. I was probably a bit blasé when I heard that she got her first stress fracture – after all, don’t most young, thin females end up with ‘stressies’? At the time, I did not know that she was diagnosed with osteoporosis – yes, at 16. As the years went on, and the injuries and comebacks continued, I started to develop a new respect for her – and curiosity.

Pictures: Thanks to jonathanwellings.com

How could she keep getting injured, and keep coming back? Didn’t she think that all of the injuries were a sign that she was not made for running, and perhaps should do something else?

One of her best friends and sometimes training partner, former Australian Ekiden representative Belinda Wilshire, was able to shed some light on this. Belinda says Eloise’s (or “Elzy” as she calls her) greatest strength is her determination. “It is heart breaking seeing her get injured, especially as most of her injuries have come at really bad times….She does get down, especially in the first few weeks of having the injury but it is in these times that she really relies on God and his strength to get her through the challenging times.” On a lighter note, she says that “I have never met anyone that needs to go to the toilet whilst running more than Elzy does. Once on a 50min run she had to stop over 5 times! I always tell her she would never make a good marathon runner, or end up pulling a Paula Radcliffe on the side of the road! Must be those compression socks that do it!”

Eloise’s running career has been characterised by flashes of brilliance and injury. It took her 7 years to improve upon her 5,000m personal best that she ran at the age of 16. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games she finished fourth in a time of 15:00.69, and later lowered her 5,000m personal best to 14:54.11. The injuries returned for the next few years, but a 32:19.08 in December 2009 to win the Zatopek 10,000m showed her ability once again. I caught up with her to see what the journey as been like – and my respect continues to grow for this prodigiously talented teenager who has turned into a well-rounded professional who relies not only on her love of running but her faith in God to get her through her challenging times.

Those of us who have been following your running since you were a standout as a 16-year old in 2000 know that you have suffered a number of injuries. Can you summarise the injuries you have had over the years?

I have mainly been susceptible to bone injuries. I have had quite a few stress fractures over the years. I haven't had a serious injury that wasn't bone related so my muscles and tendons are quite strong, I have just had to work hard to increase my bone density.

How have you managed to keep your obvious love of running alive after all the disappointments?

There have been times in my running career that I have thought, “I could be doing something that is a lot less stressful, a lot less painful and a lot more consistent.” I think a good example of this was in 2008 when I was over in Portland, Oregon training. I was recovering from a stress fracture in my foot and hoping to qualify for the Beijing Olympics but then suffered another stress fracture in my shin. At this point I had had enough and needed a break, so my husband and I took off to Hawaii for two weeks. When we got back to Portland, we decided we weren’t ready to get back into training yet, so we flew to Germany, hired a campervan and took a road trip around Europe for 7 weeks. I had never had a proper holiday where I just went away and did nothing because even when I have had injuries I had still always cross trained a lot and tried to stay focussed. The holiday was probably the best thing I have ever done in terms of totally allowing myself to rest, rejuvenate and realize that I do still want to run but there would need to be changes to how I went about training.

How much do you credit your faith with enabling you to persevere through your injuries?

My faith in Jesus is what has helped me have perspective and hope when I've been through disappointment through injuries. Many times, especially my first injury when I was 16, I believe the only way God could get my attention and receive salvation was to take running away for a period of time so that I could grow close to Him and learn to trust and rely on Him rather than find my identity or confidence in running. I realize now that it's a dangerous place to be when you're living for something as inconsistent as a sport.

Until I found God my confidence and identity were all wrapped up in running and when I got injured it was like I didn't even know who I was, like I had lost my identity. It might sound strange to some people but if I was in control and could take back my injuries, I wouldn't. The things that I've learned about myself, about God's faithfulness and about perseverance have refined me in a way to accomplish what I believe God has planned for the future.... and God definitely hasn't finished refining me!

Tell us about your business - Live It Personal Fitness Builders. Does it take up a lot of your time?

Live it Fitness is a private personal training studio in the Sutherland Shire that I own with my older brother Ben. We started it about 7 years ago and it's going really well. We have 6 trainers and the business is growing to a point where we would like to franchise. My younger brother Lindsay has recently taken my position as manager to give me more time for training. Lindsay had the same type of management role in a studio in London so he is well qualified and it was an easy handover. Initially it did take a lot of time, money and long hours to establish the business but in those early years that can make or break a small business we were blessed with supportive friends, family and other good business people that we could gain valuable advice from. Right now as director, my role in the business is to help with the marketing plan. I enjoy this because it gives me something else to focus on other than just running all the time, and it's exciting when there are more and more people coming to lose weight and get fit and healthy with us because our marketing has been effective.

In your post-Zatopek interview, you mentioned that you have been doing a lot of strength training. What specifically have you been doing, and how has it changed your body?

I'm doing a little less mileage and a bit more strength work in the gym which mainly involves core strength exercises. My younger brother sets my strength programs and it is keeping me healthy. I also have my osteopath, Kay MacPherson, watch videos of my training and racing so that she can pick up on any weaknesses before they become a problem. I've found that to be really helpful.

Who are you coached by now? Who are your training partners and sponsors?

Nic Bideau sets my running programs and my younger brother Lindsay sets my gym programs. Julius Achon, a Ugandan Olympian, has been training with me for the past 2 months or so and hopefully he will be able to do a lot more with me this year in Australia and then in Europe. Long runs I go with some guys from my running club and triathlete Chris McCormack is there every now and then too. My sponsors are Nike, Southern Sports and Health massage, Kay MacPherson Osteopathy, Shire Podiatry, Cloud Nine Hair and Beauty Gymea, Sportswell Tours and Phiten.

A number of runners, especially females, struggle with their weight and eating disorders. Was this ever the case for you, and how are things now? What advice do you have for runners out there who are obsessed with their diet and/or weight?

I'm aware that there are a lot of female distance runners who struggle with their weight and eating disorders. This is something that I've struggled with in the past and even though I know I'd never go down that road again, to be honest I think it's something that might always be a weakness just because of my personality type, my discipline and drive to get the most out of myself. This has come against me in the past because what I thought were just habits of a strict, disciplined athlete were actually leading to destructive behaviour. Now I make sure that my thought patterns are aligned with what I want to achieve because my thought patterns and how I perceive myself will always result in either making wise or unwise decisions about my training and nutrition. I know that if my thought patterns are negative and fearful, this can lead to making unwise decisions about my nutrition and my training.

A lot of girls (including me when I was younger) fall into the trap of thinking that lighter will be faster, and it will be, for a very short period of time, before your body breaks down. I don't know one girl who has ever flirted with lack of calories and gotten away without getting injured. Not one. It's important for girls to know that sure it's good to be lean, but lean doesn’t mean skeletal, it means strong and robust. At the end of the day if you watch all of the big championship races, it's the ones who have the strength and power to kick at the end of a race who will win! But the only way you're going to be able to kick is if you have strength and power and the only way to achieve that is to give your body what it needs to achieve the muscle you need to have that change in pace.

I would encourage any athlete who is struggling with this (and there is no shame in it by the way; it is very common) to see a psychologist and a dietician. Making yourself accountable to people is super important to turning the corner in any bad habit you have developed as result of negative thought patterns or disillusions about what it takes to improve in running.

Pictures: Thanks to jonathanwellings.com

What is a typical training week for you?

Monday- 2 easy runs plus gym

Tuesday- AM easy cross training (usually bike or elliptical)

PM-Track session

Wednesday- AM 60-70mins recovery run

PM. gym

Thursday- 2 easy runs or one longer run

Friday- threshold run with a few hill strides at the end

PM- gym

Saturday- rest

Sunday- long run -90mins -1hour 45

Anything else you think that runnerstribe readers might be interested in?

A team of people are setting up a foundation on behalf of Ugandan athlete Julius Achon who is training with me over the next few months. Julius grew up in war torn Northern Uganda and was kidnapped at the age of 12 by the LRA rebels. He escaped and overcame all odds to become a two-time Olympian and five time world championship representative. We are now setting up a foundation called "Love Mercy Uganda" to help support his efforts to rebuild his village in Northern Uganda after 20 years of war. Our work will include fundraising for a clinic and a school in the village and sponsoring orphans and children in the village to be clothed, fed and educated. Keep a look out for a new website coming soon with more information, events, and ways to support the fund.

Read more | Comments (3) | Updated on February 18, 2010, 9:02pm

Aaron Pulford: RT Journals

posted by rtross on February 14, 2010, 2:31pm

So Far this Track Season has gone well.

My First race of the season was at the New Zealand Secondary Track and Field Champs Held on December 12th /13^th. I ended up winning the senior boys 3000m in 8mins 19.54 and narrowly missed the New Zealand schools record of 8.18.53. After that I carried on with hard training and raced in the New Zealand 10000m champs held on the 5^th January. I ended up finishing 2^nd overall and running 30min 02. I was really happy with the time as it was my first ever 10000m. For the next few days after the 10000m I struggled to jog as my calf had taken a bit of a hammering so I did a bit of mountain biking and swimming to try and get them right. Two weeks after the 10000m I lined up in the NZ senior men 3000m champs. Nick Willis was also racing. I ended up finishing 3^rd which was a good effort.

Right now training is going well. I have a 3000m race lined up this Saturday then after that I will have a few low key 1500m/800m races over the next few weeks. Then in March I will race in the international track meet, will race the 5000m and am hoping to qualify for world juniors. The standard is 14mins 15.

Aaron

Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on February 15, 2010, 3:48am

Hunt In Japan: A Column By Len Johnson

posted by rtross on February 11, 2010, 6:01pm

By Len Johnson.

With the fastest debut marathon by an Australian male athlete, Jeff Hunt once again proved that Japan is an excellent place to go marathoning.

Hunt iced a cake he and his coach, Ken Green, have been some time preparing when he ran third in 2:11:00 in last Sunday’s Beppu-Oita marathon.

More than that, he gave watchers a thrill _ and sent the Japanese television commentators scurrying for their fact sheets _ when he came from far back in the pack to loom as a possible winner just before 40km. Marathon great Shigeru Soh, who nowadays coaches some of Japan’s best, said that Japanese runners could learn a lot from Hunt’s performance.

Jeff Hunt has been preparing for his marathon debut for two years _ though he himself really only focused in on the goal in the last six months or more. He has run with versatility over a number of events and distances _ an 8.41 3000 metres steeplechase, first, second and second in the last three national cross-country titles.

Most importantly, Hunt has not missed a long run in two years. And all this really came together over the last few months _ a 62:44 half-marathon on the Gold Coast and selection in the world half-marathon championships, second in the cross-country, a personal best 28:19 in the Zatopek (breaking the Randwick Botany Harriers record formerly held by 1956 Olympic bronze medallist Al Lawrence), a good training stint at Falls Creek, and selection in the world cross-country team after a strong fifth place in the trial.

As has been noted often about break-through performers, Jeff Hunt has worked hard to become an overnight sensation.

There was another great performance by an Australian in Japan on Sunday. That was Nikki Chapple’s win in the Marugame half-marathon in 68:37, a time placing her behind only Kerryn McCann, Benita Willis, Susie Power and Lisa Ondieki on the Australian all-time list.

Chapple, too, is reaping the fruits of consistency, though it has taken her a little longer to find it. A very good junior, the first phase of her career was marked by injuries. Since linking up with Box Hill club coach Chris O’Connor, and now Nic Bideau, she is going from strength to strength, highlighted by a third place in the Great North Run (70:03), a win in the Great Australian Run, a personal best in placing fifth in the Zatopek and second behind Willis at the cross-country trial.

Common as it is with Kenyans and Ethiopians, success in pairs comes rarely to other nations’ distance runners. With their same-day triumphs in Japan, Hunt and Chapple join the likes of Garry Henry and Rod de Castella running 2.10.09 and 2.10.44 for fourth and eighth, respectively, in the 1980 Fukuoka marathon, ‘Deek’ and Lisa Ondieki winning the 1986 Commonewalth Games marathons and 1987 Great North, Steve Moneghetti and Jackie Perkins placing fourth and fifth in the world cross-country championships in 1989 and _ well, not a hell of a lot of others that come readily to mind.

As for success in Japan, well Australians benefit from a double whammy there. It’s a relatively short trip for us, with virtually no time change. For Africans, Europeans and North Americans, it’s the opposite.

Australian successes in Japan include Derek Clayton’s first world best (2.09.36 at Fukuoka 1967), Dave Chettle’s 2.10.20 at Fukuoka in 1975, Deek’s world record win there in 1981 and personal bests by a host of others including Bill Scott, Chris Wardlaw and Garry Henry. Steve Moneghetti won the Tokyo half-marathon twice and the Tokyo marathon in 1994.

Kerryn McCann set the current Australian half-marathon record in Tokyo in 2000, Lisa Ondieki set a long-standing national marathon mark (broken by Benita Willis in 2006) in winning at Osaka in 1988.

Darren Wilson won the 1997 Tokyo half in what remains an Australian record 60.02. Pat Carroll and Lee Troop ran sub-2.10 at Beppu (a win for Carroll) and Lake Biwa.

In Australia last weekend, Ryan Gregson ran a personal best for 800 metres in Newcastle, while Lachlan Renshaw ran impressively in Brisbane, as did Trychelle Kingdom. Mitch Kealey is well on the way back to join Jeff Riseley and Jeremy Roff in the 1500; Bridey Delaney and Kaila McKnight stand out in the women’s 1500 so far. We’ve had two competitive and deep Zatopek 10,000 metres races, led home by Collis Birmingham and Eloise Wellings.

There are still a couple of holes _ the depth in women’s steeple has dissipated, whether temporarily or permanently remains to be seen _ but overall, middle and long-distance running is looking in a lot healthier state than at the corresponding time in the lead-up to the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on February 11, 2010, 6:38pm

2010 USA XC Preview

posted by rtbryan on February 9, 2010, 1:35am

By Bryan Green

Spokane 2010 logo

As I wrote in last year's USA Cross Country Preview, I've always kind of liked cross country more than track and field. Once track season gets underway, athletes get more and more locked into their specialties. You don't get to see top steeplers, milers and 10k runners going head-to-head all that often.

On top of that, the course itself is a major factor. The track is designed for speed, but cross country is designed or strength. To be a great cross country runner you have to be more than just a kicker or a pace-runner or a beast on the hills. You need to be a tactician, tweaking your strategy to suit the course and the competition. Cross country victories don't just go to the best, they go to the best prepared.

On the world level this is pretty much understood. Most fans acknowledge that the World Cross Country meet is the toughest distance race in the world to win. You have to beat the best of the best to be a world champion in cross country, not just the subset of the best who happen to focus on your event, like in track. Given that, the USA Cross Country Championships must be the toughest distance race in the US to win, right?

Um, no. Unfortunately, the majority of our country's best distance runners treat cross country like the proverbial "red-headed stepchild". They begrudgingly make time for it in their schedules every once in a while, but they don't really pay it the attention it deserves.

It's not hard to understand why, really. In high school and college, there is an entire season of races culminating in both a team and individual championship (or two). The pros have no such season, at least not domestically. Cross country consists of signing up to run one race (USAs), and then if you're good enough, skipping the world championships for something more lucrative. The only people who focus on cross country are those who aren't yet making money on the track or the roads.

As a result, fans have to settle for making the best of what they get. There are always a few top names each year--this year is no exception, with Ritz and Flanagan in attendance--but the question "Will Ritz/Shalane win by 30 seconds or just 15?" doesn't exactly get the average fan emotionally tied to the outcome.

And with no team competition--let's be honest, the real team competition for USA XC is the club championships, not USAs--the only other point of interest is who will finish in the top six. It's like a battle of AAA baseball players vying for a September call-up to the majors. It'll be great experience for them, but as a fan you're still a bit disappointed that they are taking at bats away from the stars.

It's a shame we've let it come to this. Especially in a year when there is no global track championship being held. If anything, this is the year that the IAAF and USATF needed to be providing whatever incentives they could to get America's best and brightest stars out on the turf and, eventually, over to Bydgoszcz for the World Cross Country Championships. That would have had to happen long ago, however, so unfortunately we won't be seeing most of America's best this weekend.

(Seriously, though, what can we do to get the top Americans running USA XC and eventually World XC? Is it hopeless? We must be able to fix this, right? I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments. Okay, back to your regularly scheduled preview column.)

What we will see this weekend are a bunch of very good runners who probably don't get their due. After all, the gap between AAA and the majors isn't that wide. Could one of them break out and become a star in "the majors"? Absolutely, and maybe that breakout will start this Saturday. In the meantime, let's get a little background on who's actually running in these races.

Men's Open 12k Championship

The men's race looks to be the Ritzenhein Romp this year. Ritz is arguably the best distance runner in the country right now and cross country is arguably his best event. If he's fit--and let's be honest, even if he's not--he's got to be the favorite to demolish the field. As he's already stated he hopes to go to World Cross and contend for a medal, we can expect he'll be ready to go in Spokane.

The rest of the field is a little harder to peg. There are some very strong runners, including 2009 WXC top finisher Ryan Vail (33rd), 3-time WXC qualifiers Max King (40th, 2009) and Matt Gabrielson (79th, 2005), Olympic steeplechaser Billy Nelson (8:21), D-2 champ Scott Bauhs (13:28/27:48), 2:13 marathoner Nick Arciniaga, and recent Houston half marathon winner Antonio Vega (61:54). It's probably worth bringing up steeplers Ben Bruce (8:26/13:36) and Mike Spence (8:31), as well as Olympic triathlete Jarrod Shoemaker, too.

The real question is when Ritz will go and who, if anyone, will go with him. I can see Bauhs making that move, and wouldn't be surprised if Vail or Gabrielson used it as an opportunity to gain separation from the other runners. On the other hand, it could be a big risk if these guys aren't ready to run this entire race by themselves. King will likely run tough, as he's shown repeatedly he knows how to get himself into the top six. I think Nelson and Arciniaga are a little out of their elements, and I think Bruce, if healthy, is probably the next tier-two runner ready to break out.

My predictions: Ritz wins by 36 seconds, cruising the last 2k. Bauhs holds off Gabrielson for 2nd, with a hard-charging Antonio Vega taking 4th ahead of Ryan Vail. Max King and Bruce battle it out for 6th with Bruce nipping him at the end. Max King will be the alternate.

Complete men's field here.

Women's Open 8k Championship

There are some similarities to the men's field in how it stacks up, but also some important differences. Shalane Flanagan is the Ritz of the field, the clear favorite to win. Not only does she project to be America's greatest distance athlete ever, she's just debuted at the half marathon in a stellar 1:09:41 time that puts her 6th all-time in the US. Unlike Ritz, however, she showed a chink in her armor last year and it remains to be seen whether Shalane v2008--the Shalane that smoked everyone at USA XC in San Diego--is back and ready to roll.

After Shalane, the women's field is comprised of a number of veterans. 2009 champ Emily Brown returns (15:19 5k), as well as Olympic marathoners Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (2:30:19) and Blake Russell (2:29:10). Katie McGregor is a five-time WXC qualifier and boasts strong track PRs (15:22/31:21). Molly Huddle, the US Jr 5k record holder, recently ran 15:20 indoors, so she's certainly fit as well. On the fringe are other solid runners like Sara Hall (4:08/15:20), Amy Hastings (71:19 half in Houston) and 2009 WXC qualifiers Delilah DiCrescenzo (33rd) and Kathy Newberry (40th).

With a lot of strength runners in this field, I think there's a good chance the race will go out hard and stay that way. That doesn't mean it will be close, as any betting man would have to wager on the field getting strung out early (as all women's races do). Still, it's hard to bet against athletes like McGregor and Brown given their recent successes and Huddle's solo performance makes her a strong favorite as well.

My predictions: Flanagan wins running away. Is it possible someone will give her a go of it? Sure, perhaps Huddle will be feeling frisky, but Shalane is simply too good if she's on her game. I think Huddle will finish a strong 2nd, with McGregor beating Brown for 3rd. I think we'll see Magda run a strong race for 5th, but the real battle will be between Kathy Newberry and Amy Hastings for 6th, with Newberry taking it.

Complete women's field here.

Men's Junior 8k Championships

We were treated to a once-in-a-decade field at last year's USA's, where German Fernandez, Chris Derrick, and Luke Puskedra all went toe-to-toe, making it the race of the day. This year is back to normal, with a number of college freshmen and a few top high school athletes taking part.

The biggest name is probably Trevor Dunbar of Portland (2nd at Foot Locker, 2008). He's most famous for his 9:01 two-mile on ice and snow in Kodiak, Alaska, but he was the 4th frosh at NCAAs and his program at UP should have him primed and ready to go in this race. Top high school harriers Shane Moskowitz (9th FL 2009) and Ammar Moussa (4th NXN 2009, 4:14i mile at BIG) stand out slightly, but this is simply not a field that's going to make you say, "I was there to see them throw down".

To be honest, I have no idea what to expect from this race. The NCAA freshman class was less than inspiring during cross country, and the nation's top high school athletes (Verzbicas, Lutz, Gedyon, Rosa, McElroy, Meddles) are all skipping the event. I'm going to say Dunbar wins it, and that both Moskowitz and Moussa qualify. The other spots will be taken by college freshmen whom I've still never heard of.

Complete junior men's field here.

Women's Junior 6k Championships

Could this be even less intriguing than the men's race? Um, yeah... With no Jordan Hasay, Allie McLaughlin, Kathy Kroeger, Ashley Brasovan, Megan Goethals or Chelsey Sveinsson, the women's junior race will have none of the top athletes we've come to know over the past two years. On the plus side, there's also no Neely Spence favored to win the race easily. I enjoyed watching Spence last year, but I like the unpredictability of not having a clear favorite.

The top collegiate athlete might be Shelby Greany of Providence, who had an up-and-down cross season that saw her 2nd in the Northeast Regional but only 89th at NCAAs. Emily Jones of Georgetown was a FL Regional champ and 13th place finisher in 2008 but was only 99th at NCAAs in 2009. There are two top high schoolers competing in the event in Foot Locker 3rd placer Emily Sisson and FL West Region champion Molly Grabill (8th in this race last year), but outside of them, the field isn't all that well known.

This race is a total crapshoot. I'm going to go with my old motto of "go big or go home" with my predictions and I'm going to pick the high schooler to win it. Emily Sisson and Emily Jones make it a big day for Emilys as they go 1-2. Molly Grabill runs a solid 3rd and Shelby Greany takes 4th. Fifth and sixth places go to ... (closing eyes and throwing darts) ... 16-year old Rolonda Jumbo (9th last year as a 15-year old!) and Lacey Nation (love these names!).

Complete junior women's field here.

There is no indication that the meet will be streamed live on USATF's official meet home page, but hopefully Runnerspace and Flotrack will be there to capture some of the action!

Read more | Comments (5) | Updated on February 10, 2010, 10:16pm

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