Running News Daily
Top Ten Stories of the Week
11/24/2018

Due to air quality concerns resulting from the Camp wildfire, the 2018 North Face Endurance Challenge has been cancelled

The 2018 North Face Endurance Challenge Championship, scheduled for Saturday, November 17 in the San Francisco Bay area, has been cancelled due to poor air quality from the surrounding wildfires. The event included a trail marathon, 50K and 50-mile (80K) championship race. The region has been experiencing low air quality from the Camp fire in Butte County, 260K northeast of the race site, which has now caused at least 63 deaths and displaced 52,000 people from their homes.  The entire town of Paradise, Califonria (22,000 population) was totally destoryed.  The fire is still only 40% contained. The race has a cash prize of $30,000 USD. The organizers have decided to donate the prize money, prize clothing, and food and drinks to firefighting relief efforts. (11/16/18) Views: 115

Runing is very important to me, it fits right in with eating, brushing my teeth and sleeping - Larry Allen On Running Intro

I am Larry Allen. I am 64-year-old, a 50 year runner and doing the Run The World Challenge for the third time.  

In 1965 I was living in Maine, Great Cranberry Island.  A small, isolated, offshore island adjacent to a national park with only 80 residents.  I started running there and achieved some success and in 2016 I was inducted into the Maine Running Hall of Fame.  

Running is very important to me. Without intending to overstate it, running fits right in with eating, brushing my teeth and sleeping. Obsessed is another word although I think over the years the obsession has been moderated to a healthier place.

My mental health depends on it to an extent. My creativity, well being, problem solving, peacefulness and certainly my ability to stay centered and in balance with life itself have always been better when I’m running. 

"He is a New York City artist, who retired as the director of publishing for the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, “painted” in many different styles and left a truly remarkable body of work," a friend wrote. 

I keep busy as an artist and as a part-time manager of the business affairs of my still very active wife Kristen Blodgette. She’s a professional musician, Musical Director, Conductor and Musical Supervisor, principally having been associated with Andrew Lloyd Webber for his Broadway and worldwide productions for over 30 years.  

We live in New York City and in Fairfield County Connecticut.  "Larry has run some impressive times over a wide range: 440 (51.7), 4:34 mile, 15:58 5k, 33:26 10k and a 2:46:20 marathon.  He has directed many races, coached and written a lot about the sport. 

When Larry turned 60 he wanted to run one more marathon," wrote Bob Anderson.  I had a good year, a steady 60 miles per week. I was going to run Philly in November but about three weeks prior I tore a calf muscle severely and that was that. When I started running again about six weeks later I felt a profound fatigue and weakness that I didn’t recognize.

I assumed it was age but it was unsettling and very difficult.  An old running friend and ER nurse saw the significant dip in my ability on a social media running tracking app and called me. She essentially did triage over the phone from 500 miles away and asked (told) me to immediately go the nearest walk-in clinic and to tell them she had sent me. After an EKG the doctor came into the exam room and said 'I don’t want to alarm you but you are in complete heart block and and we’ve called an ambulance.'  I didn’t quite understand what heart block was but learned later that it was electrical in nature and not blocked arteries.

After emergency surgery suddenly I had a pacemaker.  My cardiologist is Dr Paul Thompson, who in addition of being an esteemed physician is also an accomplished runner (15th at the 1976 Boston Marathon).  

Dr. Thompson isn’t sure whether my heart block was as a result of damage done by a lot running for many years or a genetic predisposition or both but ironically he feels the strength of my heart and general health of the rest of my entire cardiovascular system as a result of years of running probably allowed me to survive the condition. 

My goal today is to find the right clothes for a cold windy day and to run four miles in the woods. My goal for this week is to do it again on Friday and hopefully Sunday too. In between my goal is to briskly walk five or six miles on rest days and at a tempo that lets me recover enough to run the next day.

My goal this winter is to stay off the treadmill as much as I can and to get outside six days per week, to cover about 30 miles weekly and to enjoy every single mile. My goal for next spring is to be running the majority if not all of my miles. My goal for next summer and fall is to have it all be easier than it was this year. My goal for the year after that is to do another lap....and the same for every year. 

(Editor's note: Larry's wisdom and knowledge of running is impressive and we are happy to announce that Larry will be contributing to My Best Runs on a regular basis - Larry Allen on Running.  He also posts most days in the RTW Feed about his road to recovery.)

(11/19/18) Views: 113
Bob Anderson

Actor Will Smith ran the Marabana Half Marathon through Havana, Cuba to honor his 50th birthday

For his next great achievement since turning 50 in September, Will Smith traveled to Havana, Cuba to complete the city’s Marabana Half Marathon event. According to NBC Miami, around 6,000 participants sought to make it to the finish line on Sunday. In a quick statement to eager spectators, the award-winning actor said this moment has always been on his bucket list. Since finishing the run, Smith’s able to check off another longtime goal. “I’m excited,” the father-of-three said. “The energy is ridiculous in this place.” The annual Marabana Half Marathon was first established in 1987. Other countries that were greatly represented during this year’s edition included France, the United States, and Mexico. Cuba’s very own Henry Jaen finished the full marathon in first place. Smith clocked 2:30 for the half marathon.   For 2018, the Independence Day star sought to do things that frighten him the most. From bungee jumping in the Grand Canyon to skydiving in Dubai, the veteran entertainer reassured fans that they must conquer their fear in order to reach life’s better parts. “You realize at the point of maximum danger is the point of minimum fear. It’s bliss. Why were you scared in your bed the night before? What do you need that fear for? Everything up to the stepping point, there’s actually no reason to be scared,” he said. “It only just ruins your day. The best things in life are on the other side of terror, on the other side of your maximum fear, are all of the best things in life.” (11/20/18) Views: 82

Matty Gregg was a SF Bay Area engineer at Apple who quit his job to run across the country

Long-distance running is a lonely sport, and Santa Clara’s Matty Gregg is running a long way!. "Oh you're crazy! That’s what I get,” said Gregg.  The 40 year old Apple Engineer left his job of 13 years on election day in Cupertino to embark on a 5,000 plus mile run across America.  275 days on his feet!  The 22 mile a day trek will take him through 25 states as he tours much of the Southern U.S. with his final stop in his home state of New Hampshire in July of 2019.  “It’s a bucket-list item for me and I just turned 40.  It’s something completely out of the norm.  Something very different,” said Gregg. It’s different alright, but not for Gregg who has run over 40 ultra-marathons and pounded out nearly 4,000 road miles. The difference on this 9 month journey is that it marks the beginning of his new political career.  His goal is to meet the U.S. voters head on and find out why our country is so divided.   Gregg says we need change. “It seems like we don’t lead anymore as a nation with kindness.  I would just like to see us take a step back and assume positive intent a bit more, and start with that premise.”  The wisdom he gleans from town to town Gregg says will energize him along the way and ultimately mold his platform for office in New Hampshire where he hopes to create positive change.  “I think it will be very important for me to meet people in remote towns in America in general.  And I think they are going to make a difference in my life as much as I hope to someday make a difference in their's.”       (11/17/18) Views: 77

Mo Farah says he is entertaining the idea to return to the track for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo

The European and British marathon record-holder implies we shouldn't be surprised to see him in the starting blocks of the 10,000m as early as next year's world championships. Farah spoke to Britain’s Guardian newspaper yesterday, confirming he will return to London next year (he is considered the hometown favorite), and did not quash speculation that he could still dominate in the 10,000 meters. Farah, 35, has two Olympic golds in the 10,000m, as well as three world championships, and though he officially retired from the track after the 2016 Olympics, he’s quoted as saying that he missed the track, and that he felt he could still perform well. And further, that he would compete at whatever distance he felt would be most likely to win him a medal for Great Britain. (11/21/18) Views: 64

Joshua Cheptegei sets a new 15K world record clocking 41:05 in Nijmegen Netherlands

Joshua Cheptegei, 22, set a new world record for 15k.  The Ugandan distance athlete ran the 15K Sunday morning in 41:05 in Nijmegen, Netherlands at the Seven Hills Run. This is the third men’s world record to fall on the roads in 2018. Eliud Kipchoge clocked 2:01:39 for the marathon world record in Berlin, then Abraham Kiptum’s set the half-marathon world record of 58:18, and now Cheptegei’s 15K world record. Cheptegei took 8 seconds off of the previous mark. The Ugandan runner took the lead from the beginning, tiring his pacers out before the 5K mark, but managed to finish strong on his own. This was the runner’s fourth win at the Seven Hills Run. He closed his race in a solo 2:37 kilometre and averaged 2:44 for the entire run. (11/20/18) Views: 55

It would be really neat to have real time tracking in a race says Desiree Linden

Desiree Linden became the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years. On a cold and rainy day in Massachusetts, Linden didn’t have much belief that she could win the 122nd version of the race. She even slowed down early into the race to wait her teammate, Shalane Flanagan, so that they could both catch back up to the elite pack together.  The weather conditions were very bad and the Boston Globe called it “the worst weather in Boston Marathon history.” After Linden and Flanagan caught back up to the pack, a surprising thing happened. 35-years-old Linden who trains in Michigan, began to pull away. She would end up winning the marathon in 2:39:54.  Most recently Desiree was one of four Americans to finished in the top seven at the New York City Marathon.  The website Sport Techie spoke with Desiree about Data Versus Disconnection and other matters.  “Running is still a pure sport where you can go out with just your shoes and kind of disconnect for a long time, which is refreshing in today’s world,” says Desiree. “But then you can implement technology as you go and take as as much data as you want. The range is different for everyone.  It would be really neat to have real-time tracking in the race via a mechanism in clothes or shoes. They could give you splits during the race every 5k or so, and there could be something in the shoe that could real-time track runners so that people could see heart rate and cadence during the race. I think that’d add an interesting graphic during race broadcasts.” How about the Balance Between Innovation and Ability? “A lot of big companies (like NIKE) are attempting to break the two-hour marathon barrier,” she says, “and see the shoe as a place to really make that jump. There’s definitely a movement in shoe technology. I think there’s a lot of brands trying to catch up in that race.  The question is how much do you let it impact your sport? Is the shoe doing the work or is it still the athlete? It’ll be interesting to watch and see how governing bodies decide if and when technology is taking over the actual capacity of the runner.” (11/18/18) Views: 52
Jen Booton @ SportTechie.com

Mo Farah confirmed that he will run in next April’s London marathon

Mo Farah made his martahon debut in London in 2014 and he is set to compete at the London Marathon next year. The four-time Olympic gold medalist over 5,000m and 10,000m is coming to the end of his first full year as a dedicated marathon runner, which saw him set a European record of 2:05:11 at the Chicago Marathon in October. That result was an improvement on the 2:06:21 he had run in London six months previously, at the time a British record. (11/20/18) Views: 45

Sub-2:20 runners Sarah Chepchirchir and Yebrgual Melese will face one another in the women’s race at Shanghai International Marathon

Ethiopia’s Melese trimmed more than three minutes off her PB to finish third in Dubai in 2:19:36. She also clocked 2:27:47 to finish second at the Yellow River Estuary International Marathon in Dongying, China. Sunday’s race will be her third marathon of the year. The 34-year-old Chepchirchir of Kenya is the second-fastest woman in the field. Following a solid season in 2017 when she registered her big PB of 2:19:47 from her victory at the Tokyo Marathon and successfully defended her title in Lisbon, Chepchirchir will be keen to continue her winning streak in her first race in 2018. Kenya’s Flomena Cheyech, 36, is the other title contender whose PB is faster than the 2:21:52 course record in Shanghai set by Tigist Tufa of Ethiopia three years ago. Cheyech clocked a PB of 2:21:22 to finish third in Paris last April and finished fourth over the classic distance at the IAAF World Championships in London. Her most recent performance was a 2:33:01 clocking at the Nagoya Women's Marathon in March. Helen Tola Bekele, who will celebrate her 24th birthday next week, is another woman to watch. The rising Ethiopian has improved her PB each season since making her marathon debut in 2015, recently reducing it to 2:22:48 in Berlin. (11/16/18) Views: 37

Turkey Trots On Thanksgiving, Is one of the most popular days of the year to race

If you think about it, the Turkey Trot makes perfect sense. It unites the caloric extravaganza that is Thanksgiving with the calorie-torching activity that is running. Perhaps that’s why in 2015, Thanksgiving eclipsed the Fourth of July as the most popular day to run a race, drawing nearly a million participants to more than 1,000 different events across the country. But while the Turkey Trot’s popularity is a modern phenomenon, its origins stretch all the way back to 1896. The inaugural trot took place 122 years ago in Buffalo, New York. The 8K cross-country race, hosted by the local YMCA that Thanksgiving Day, drew just six participants, and only four of them made it to the finish line. This year, more than a dozen turkey trots are taking place on Thanksgiving in Colorado. From Durango to Greeley to Colorado Springs, it’s a hugely popular day to run. The state’s biggest race, the Mile High United Way turkey trot, attracts more than 8,000 runners and walkers each year.  One of the largest is the Turkey Trot in San Jose California.   (11/21/18) Views: 36