How to Determine Your Foot Arch Type

The Cost of a Marathon

Wonder where your money goes??

Syracuse Festival of Races Success a Matter of Course

World champions to first-time racers flock to 19th edition; USA Masters 5K Championship too

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - (September 25, 2011) - With the 19th Syracuse Festival of Races (SFoR) still one week away, runners from 27 states, the District of Columbia and Canada have already registered for either the Men's 5K or the Women's 5K. And when the starting gun sounds outside Syracuse University's Manley Field House on Sunday morning, October 2, Meadowbrook Drive is going to be the destination on the minds of every participant in Syracuse's only national-destination road race.

"Wherever I go in the country, runners ask me about the Festival course and what makes it so fast," says Dave Oja, founder and race director of the SFoR. "It's not surprising, because a fast, record-eligible course is a huge benefit to every runner in a road race - whether he or she is attempting a world record or just hoping to finish in a time a little faster than what he or she ran the week before. In the running sports, a little bit faster is a little bit better."

Since its first use in 1992 for the final edition of the Syracuse Freihofer's Run for Women, the SFoR course has hosted 35 performances that have tied or improved upon various U.S. 5K road records. During those 19 years, no other Syracuse road race has hosted even one U.S. record at any distance.

Further illustrating the drawing power and success of the SFoR course is its having hosted an astounding 24 world class performances (performances age graded at 90% or higher) in each of the past two years. In comparison, Utica's world famous Boilermaker 15K produced 16 world class performances this past July, and all other Syracuse-area road races combine to host no world class performances in most years.

"With far more people finishing 5K races each year than any other distance, and with 5K races far outnumbering road races of any other distance, it's very gratifying that Syracuse resides on the short list of places to go to run really fast at the world's most popular road race distance," Oja admits. "And, of course, it's an extra benefit for local runners of every pace and level of running experience to have both the Festival course and the amazing field of runners it attracts right here in their own back yard."

In addition to the men's and women's 5K races, SFoR events include the non-competitive MVP Health Care 3K Fun & Fitness Run, the Tops Friendly Markets Community Walk and the Fitness Forum / Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists Joint Replacement Run & Walk. Participants in the various SFoR events range from area pre-school children and their families to world class age group athletes as old as 93 competing in the 2011 USA Masters 5K Championship.

Additional information and online entry for the 19th Syracuse Festival of Races is available at: www.festivalofraces.com

this article Courtesy of Running USA wire

King, Arritola Take XTERRA Trail Titles

Age group champions Hildebrand, Stratton, like King, four-peat; other age group trail champions also crowned at Snowbasin Resort in Utah

 By: Dayton Morinaga, XTERRA

OGDEN, Utah - (September 25, 2011) - The trail running kingdom of Max King continues to expand.

King (left, XTERRA) completed an amazing weekend of racing by winning the 2011 XTERRA Trail Run National Championship on Sunday at Snowbasin Resort near Ogden, Utah - it's good to be king.

It was the fourth consecutive XTERRA National Championship for King, but his first at Snowbasin. His previous three titles came when the event was held in his hometown of Bend, Ore.

The recent World Mountain Running champion covered the 21K trail course in 1 hour, 17 minutes, 59 seconds. King, 31, once again dominated the field, beating the other runners by nearly four minutes.

"I love my hometown of Bend, but this was, I gotta say, a great course," said King. "It was a lot more climbing than we get in Bend, so this was tough."

Making it even tougher, King was running on tired legs. Less than 24 hours before the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship, King was competing in even longer state - and in a different time zone.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, King won the USA 50K Trail Championship in Bend, Ore. In essence, the XTERRA Trail Run victory gave him two national titles in less than 24 hours in two different states.

Lagat, Simpson Win Fifth Avenue Mile

First U.S. double win since 2000; more than 4,700 finishers at 31st edition

By: Jim Gerweck, Running USA wire

NEW YORK - (September 24, 2011) - For almost every athlete participating in the Fifth Avenue Mile, the race serves as a celebratory conclusion to a long competitive season. For Bernard Lagat, this 31st edition also allowed the two-time Olympic medalist and 2007 double world champion to finally check off a stubbornly resistant item on his racing bucket list.

"It's been so important to me to win this race," Lagat said after finally turning the trick in his fourth time on Saturday. "I thought it must feel really good to win here, and now that I have, I have to come back to try to do it again."

Lagat, 36, used his patented, and today, unmatchable, finishing sprint to pull away from defending champ Amine Laalou of Morocco over the last 100 meters to notch a decisive 1.2-second win, crossing the line in 3:50.5, equaling the 10th fastest time ever recorded in this road race. Three-time USA road mile champion David Torrence was third in 3:52.4. Of the 18 Open male finishers, 15 broke four minutes in spite of humid conditions that had been predicted to be much wetter.

"I looked at a film of 2008," he said, referring to his debut here when he finished second to Nick Willis by a tenth of a second. "I realized that when I got to 800 and saw the finish line in the distance I took off too early.

Max King to Defend XTERRA Trail Run National Title

 The "King" will be chasing fourth consecutive XTERRA title in Ogden, Utah on September 25

Max King will once again defend his title at the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship, but he will have to conquer some new territory to keep his streak going. This year's XTERRA Trail Run National Championship is slated for Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Snowbasin Resort near Ogden, Utah. The event is moving to Utah this year after three previous years in Bend, Oregon.

King, 31, is the three-time defending champion of the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship. Those three wins all came in his hometown of Bend. This year will be his first racing experience in Utah.

"I know nothing," he said of the new course. "I have never been in the area or raced on any terrain around there."

King, however, is not just a hometown runner. His resume is stacked with notable accomplishments from around the world. Most recently, he won the 2011 USA Mountain Running Championships in New Hampshire, and represented the United States at the World Mountain Running Championships in Albania on Sept. 11 (where he won a gold medal). Earlier in the year, he won prestigious races in Colorado and New York, and also qualified for the World Cross Country Championships in Spain.

King is also the three-time defending champion of the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship, which is held in Hawaii every December.

But the weekend of Sept. 24-25 will be an extreme challenge for King, and not just because of the change of venue for the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship. King is committed to competing in two grueling races that weekend - in two different states. On Sept. 24, he will compete in the USA 50K Trail Championships at Bend, Oregon.

Moments after finishing that race - which should take him about 3 hours, 30 minutes to complete - he will be on a flight to Salt Lake City. He hopes to catch a few hours of sleep before waking the next morning to defend his title for the XTERRA Nationals, which will feature a 21-kilometer course.

King is in training to qualify for the U.S. marathon team for the 2012 Olympics, so he said his body and mind should be able to handle the logistics of the weekend.

"It will just be training as usual," he said. "My current marathon training works pretty well for this type of scenario, since there are days where a long run on Sunday will be followed by a workout on Monday."

Runners of all ages are eligible to compete at the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship, and age-group champions will be crowned in addition to the overall champs.

More than 300 runners from across the country are expected to compete in the race, including more than 40 regional champions from the various XTERRA Trail Run Series held throughout the year.

For more information or to register, go to: www.xterraplanet.com/xduro/nationals.html

this article Courtesy of Running USA wire

A Race of Remembrance: Running Tribute Planned for September 11th Victims

 Tribute bib numbers to be worn by loved ones running for Danielle Kousoulis and Bill Fallon at 2011 Rock 'n' Philadelphia Half Marathon

PHILADELPHIA - (September 8, 2011) - Sunday, September 16th, 2001, was going to be a memorable day for Danielle Kousoulis. She had plans to run the Philadelphia Distance Run, a half-marathon, and later, more than 100 friends and family had planned a big surprise party for her 30th birthday.

She would never make it to the start line.

Five days earlier, on September 11, Danielle had gone to work as a bond broker at Cantor Fitzgerald in New York City. Her office was on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower.

Bill Fallon of Rocky Hill, New Jersey, also perished in the terror attacks of September 11th. He was an avid marathon runner who worked in the Port of Authority and was the only person there who didn't escape, because he stayed to help. His office was on the 62nd floor. He later called his wife from the 64th floor.

In light of the tragedy, race officials carefully weighed the decision of whether to continue with the event. Respect for the lives lost, combined with the logistical issues of police and fire support and the number of participants who would be unable to fly to the event, were the main considerations. Emails and calls from runners overwhelmingly urged them to continue, to not give in to the terror that had struck our country.

"The runners said we needed to stand together. People wanted to be together and continue moving forward and not stand still," said Mark Stewart, Race Director for the event at the time.

The 2001 Philadelphia Distance Run was one of the first major events to take place after the September 11th terror attacks. A moment of silence at the start line honored Danielle and Bill and their race numbers, #5494 and #7147, were retired and have not been issued since.

Now ten years later, the country will remember the attacks of September 11th and the lives that were lost. Philadelphia's premier half-marathon still continues each fall, and is now known as the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon, which will return on Sunday, September 18.

Danielle and Bill will be remembered and honored once again as dozens of their friends and family wear their retired bib numbers proudly, "In Tribute", to their loved ones.

Eric Strobel, a friend and former crew teammate of Danielle's from their college days at Villanova, recalls that much of the half-marathon course will travel the same familiar banks of the Schuylkill River where he and Danielle ran many, many miles together. It was on those early mornings that she developed a love of running that would continue throughout her life.

"At her core, Danielle personified vitality," says Eric. "It is for a number of factors - the race Danielle intended to run, the number she would have worn, the training course so many times traversed, the 10th anniversary, that I plan to pin on a commemorative 5494, run memorable miles in tribute, actively honor one of those we remember so dearly, and attempt to provide a small measure of heartfelt solace to a family that will be marking a heart-wrenching milestone."

Check out a short poignant video of the 2001 Philadelphia Distance Run at: http://bcove.me/3yxz7szj

Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon will welcome more than 20,000 runners to the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday, September 18, 2011. Previously known as the Philadelphia Distance Run, one of the most renowned half-marathons in the United States, the event has been rebranded as part of the nationwide Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series. The 2011 edition will feature live bands and cheerleaders entertaining participants along each mile of the historic 13.1-mile course, the site of five World and three U.S. records.

For more information or to register, visit: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/Philadelphia

this article Courtesy of Running USA wire

USA Strikes Double Gold at World Mountain Running Championship

 Max King, Kasie Enman crowned world champions in Tirana, Albania

By: Nancy Hobbs, USATF MUT

TIRANA, Albania - (September 11, 2011) - At the 27th World Mountain Running Championship, held on Sunday in Tirana, Albania, the USA set the bar with historic gold medal performances by Huntingdon, Vermont's Kasie Enman and Bend, Oregon's Max King.

"In my nine years as team leader, I've never been more proud of our athletes than I am today," said Richard Bolt. "Kasie and Max's performances blew me away. They made winning a World Championship look easy."

"This is the first time I have represented the U.S. in a World Mountain Running Championship," said Enman. "I'm very excited. I did not expect to win."

With her victory Enman becomes the first Senior woman from the U.S. to earn an individual gold medal. She led the Senior women to a fourth place finish. Her time was 40 minutes, 39 seconds over the 8.59 kilometer course. She was followed by Megan Lund in 12th place in 43:56, Michele Suszek in 21st place (44:48) and Brandy Erholtz in 26th (45:56).

"It's an historic day for our women," said women's team manager Ellen Miller. "Kasie's victory honors the past 17 years of U.S. women's mountain running."

For King, this was his second consecutive appearance at the World Mountain Running Championship, and he bettered last year's 16th place performance with a decisive victory today.

"I'm tired, but I feel very good," said King. "This is my first individual medal (last year's Senior men's team took the silver), and I'm proud to have it in an up / down year especially in Albania."

King's gold medal becomes only the second gold for a U.S. male. Jay Johnson, owner of Fleet Feet Sports in Boulder, Colorado, won gold in 1989, and since that time, Johnson has been an ardent supporter of Team USA.

About his gold medal performance King said, "It was a good course for me having both the hard technical uphill and the fast and somewhat technical downhill. I had no idea I was in the lead until I crossed the finish line. The Ugandan runner was 30 seconds ahead of me at the top of the third climb and I passed him with about 800 meters to go. I didn't think that he was the one I was trying to catch, I thought it was a lapped runner."

King led the men's team to a fourth place finish with his time of 52:06 over the 12.7 kilometer course. He was followed by teammates Joseph Gray in 11th (55:33), Ryan Woods 49th place (1:01:51), Matt Byrne in 51st (1:01:58), Tommy Manning in 79th (1:08:10) and Jared Scott 96th place (1:20:21).

"It was strong team finish, but we were obviously disappointed that we didn't finish in the medals," said King.

Before the Senior races, the Junior men and women competed. In the Junior men's 8.59 kilometer race, University of Richmond sophomore Ryan Lee posted an impressive 11th place finish. He was followed by fellow Spider Billy Fayette in 28th place and Oliver Bear Don't Walk IV in 54th place. The Junior men finished tenth.

The Junior women raced 4.49 kilometers. Krisztina Dearborn, a sophomore at Central Connecticut State University, finished in 24th place followed by Johns Hopkins sophomore Lara Shegoski in 29th place and University of Richmond freshman Clare Moretz in 30th place.

"I'm tremendously proud of the efforts of our Junior athletes today," said Paul Kirsch, manager of the Junior team. "They raced against the best in the world and held their own. I'm grateful to their college coaches who realize the tremendous opportunity this gives a collegiate athlete to race on a world stage."

To learn more about the U.S. Mountain Running Team, visit www.usmrt.com or www.usatf.org. For official results, go to: www.wmrc2011.al

this article Courtesy of Running USA wire

Team USA Wins Gold, Silver at IAU 100K World Championship

Calcaterra, Bychkova dominant world champions; Wardian, Henshaw earn silver, bronze medals at 25th edition

By: Roy Pirrung, Running USA wire

 

 

WINSCHOTEN, The Netherlands - (September 10, 2011) - When Winschoten was selected to host the top 100K athletes for the 25th IAU World Championship, the invitation was eagerly accepted. With the most teams ever, at 34, and the most athletes, 230, it was clear the athletes wanted to be here to compete.

Michael Wardian, the day before stepping to the line, was awarded the 2010 IAU (International Association of Ultrarunners) Athlete of the Year Award. He gratefully thanked his wife and family, his sponsors and all the volunteers who continue to improve ultrarunning events. Winschoten is a community-based event, with every neighborhood trying to outdo the others, in decorating their homes and their streets, as well as cheering on passing runners on the 10K loop course.

Wardian, 38, of Arlington, Va. showed his gratitude, in another way, on Saturday, September 10, when he and teammates, Andrew Henshaw and Matt Woods, went out hard, as part of their strategy to shake up the field and put the pressure on the other teams. Their knowledge of the composition of Team USA, and their significant depth, worked. Had one of the top 3 faltered the others would have been close by to fill in the top spots.

The only runner they couldn't catch or intimidate was the eventual men's winner Georgio Calcaterra of Italy, a former 100K world champion. Calcaterra ran away from the field to notch his second victory of the season, having won Italy's famous del Passatore 100K, on May 28, breaking his course record in the process.

Calcaterra, 39, who said he was heat trained, dealt with the unusually high humidity and powered to a 6 hour, 27 minute, 32 second gold medal finishing time, followed by Wardian's 6:42:49 (silver) and Henshaw's 6:44:35 (bronze). Many in the field suffered heat related issues and left the course either at 70 or 80K.

The 100K team gold for the U.S. men was the first-time they topped the Worlds podium. Also appearing on the podium was multi-time team member Chad Ricklefs, taking a gold medal in the 40-44 World Masters Association-segment of the events of the day.

Following their presentation of the awards, the U.S. women were also called to the stage of the Sports Hall in the city's center, led by 50-year-old Meghan Arbogast in 7:51:10, followed closely by Annette Bednosky in 7:54:59 and joined by Amy Sproston in 8:10:11 as scoring members of the silver medal team. Three of the team members also were medalists in the WMA portion of the event. Arbogast took the gold in 50-54, setting a world record as well as a pending 50-54 U.S. record, Bednosky silver in 40-44 and teammate Carolyn Smith silver in 45-49.

The women's world champion was Marina Bychkova of Russia in 7:27:19. Like Calcaterra, she won handily.

Others USA Masters garnering medals were former 100K team members Kevin Setnes, taking home a bronze in the 55-59 age group and Roy Pirrung also a bronze in the 60-64.

Liesbeth Jansen was presented with the Order of Merit, by the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation for her years of service and dedication to the sport. She directed Run Winschoten for ten years as the RD for the 100K, which hosted the championships for the third time. Mayor Peter Smit noted that "Run City" would be interested in bringing the global championships back again.

25th IAU 100K World Championship
Winschoten, NED, Saturday, September 10, 2011

MEN
1) Georgio Calcaterra (ITA), 6:27:32, Gold
2) Michael Wardian (USA), 6:42:49, Silver
3) Andrew Henshaw (USA), 6:44:35, Bronze
4) Pieter Vermeesch (BEL), 6:47:01
5) Shinji Nakadai (JPN), 6:48:32
Other U.S.
6) Matt Wood (USA), 6:50:23
11) Chad Ricklefs (USA), 7:05:53
12) Joseph Binder (USA), 7:17:53

TEAM
1) USA (Wardian, Henshaw, Woods), 20:11:47, Gold
2) Japan (Nakadai, Takada, Takahashi), 21:05:00, Silver
3) France (Bordet, Boch, Jeanne), 21:36:19, Bronze

WOMEN
1) Marina Bychkova (RUS), 7:27:19, Gold
2) Joanna Zakrzewski (GBR), 7:41:06, Silver
3) Lindsay Anne van Aswegen (RSA), 7:42:05, Bronze
4) Irina Vishnevskaya (RUS), 7:45:27
5) Meghan Arbogast (USA), 7:51:10
Other U.S.
6) Annette Bednosky (USA), 7:54:59
11) Amy Sproston (USA), 8:10:11
16) Pam Smith (USA), 8:16:45
26) Carolyn Smith (USA), 8:45:57

TEAM
1) Russia (Bychkova, Vishnevskaya, Aksenova), 23:19:40, Gold
2) USA (Arbogast, Bednosky, Sproston), 23:56:20, Silver
3) Japan (Ochiai, Ito, Katayama), 24:35:13, Bronze

Deeper individual and team results at: www.runwinschoten.nl

this article Courtesy of Running USA wire