Ryan Hall: More Precious Than Gold (Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #9)

published 21 hours, 31 minutes ago, submitted by brad 1 day, 9 hours ago

With three months to go before the Olympics begin I am now putting the finishing touches on a vision that birthed 10 years ago during a long, slow, painful, fifteen-mile run around the lake. Now, after all I have been through I have just 105 days to pour myself into my training and prepare for the biggest opportunity of my life. All the training, all the discipline, all the depression, all the sacrifice, all the joy, it was all part of the journey that has prepared me for August 24th. read more...

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A Brief Chat With Dathan Ritzenhein

published 3 days, 21 hours ago, submitted by brad 3 days, 23 hours ago

Dathan Ritzenhein, who is a 2008 U.S. Olympic marathoner after his second place 2:11:07 at the U.S. Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials in New York in November, had won the 2007 Healthy Kidney 10K in New York in a course record 28:08 and was expected to defend his title in that race on May 17. But for reasons he details below, he has withdrawn from the race to focus on his Olympic preparation. Ritzenhein became the 2008 USA Cross Country champion in February in San Diego; he’d also won that title in 2005. read more...

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The mystery of fatigue and the limits to performance

published 5 days, 21 hours ago, submitted by brad 12 days, 23 hours ago

Here's one of the million dollar questions in sports sciences today: How is it possible for a 10km runner to SPEED UP in the final 400m of his race? And if he had that "reserve capacity" all along, why did he not speed up 800m before the end? Or 2km? The whole way? As you read that, you're probably thinking "Big deal, what a ridiculous question. It's obvious that you can't speed up, because....um, well, you see, it's the....why was that again?" read more...

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Feature: Deep Fields Chase Fast Times At Cardinal Invite

The Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational track meet (list of entries), which takes place Sunday at Stanford University, is a crucial stepping-stone on the calendars of many top American distance runners in this Olympic year. Why? Because it's widely considered the best meet for achieving an Olympic "A" qualifying standard, one of two hurdles a runner must cross to get to the Olympics. The other, of course, is a top 3 finish in the USA Olympic Track Trials, to be held in Eugene, Oregon, in late June and early July. read more...

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Mountain bikers wheel with wedded bliss

published 12 days, 21 hours ago, submitted by brad 12 days, 23 hours ago

First came love, then came marriage. Now comes Olympic mountain bike qualifying. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Heather Irmiger, both Colorado natives, met and fell in love while they were members of the University of Colorado's elite-level cycling team in the late 1990s. read more...

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TFS Podcast 136: Drake Relays Teleconference

published 13 days, 21 hours ago, submitted by brad 24 days, 22 hours ago

Today on Episode 136 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, I participated in the USATF-hosted, Drake Relays Media Teleconference which featured 110m hurdler Allen Johnson. In his distinguished career, Johnson has won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games, 4 golds and 1 bronze in the World Outdoor championships and 3 gold and two silvers in the Indoor world championships, including his 2nd place finish this year in Valencia, Spain. read more...

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Boston Marathon features closest-ever women's finish

Monday's 112th Boston Marathon featured perfect weather, an exciting finish in the women's race and a familiar face atop the men's podium. Dire Tune of Ethiopia won the women's race by just 2 seconds, while Robert Cheruiyot won his fourth Boston in the men's division. For complete results and reports, visit www.bostonmarathon.com read more...

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Video - Men Mile - 3:58 - Oregon Relays 2008

published 14 days, 23 hours ago, submitted by brad 14 days, 23 hours ago

Finals 1 Wheating, Andrew SO Oregon 3:58.16 2 Leer, Will Oregon TC Elite 3:59.46 3 Woolhouse, Jason New Balance NZ 4:01.58 read more...

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