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12/15/2018

Kenya’s Marius Kipserem smashed his PR and won the inaugural ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon clocking 2:04:04

Kenya’s Marius Kipserem and Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh smashed their PBs to secure victories at the inaugural ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon. In a close race, Kipserem won in 2:04:04 to take more than two minutes off the PB he set when winning the 2016 Rotterdam Marathon, moving him to 12th on the world all-time list. During the week in which his recent world half marathon record was ratified, compatriot Abraham Kiptum finished second in 2:04:16 to also enter the top 20 on the world all-time list. Yeshaneh, meanwhile, won the women’s race in 2:20:16 to finish comfortably ahead of Bahrain’s Eunice Chumba, who clocked 2:20:54. As was the case in the men’s race, the top two finishers set lifetime bests. (12/07/18) Views: 242

America’s Camille Herron sets a new world 24-Hour track record

Camille Herron set the women’s world 24-hour track record today December 9 at the Desert Solstice Invitational Track Meet in Phoenix, Arizona.  She ran 162.8 miles in 24 hours and broke the previous record of 161.55.

Camille also set a new American women’s 100 mile track record (13:25) and American women’s 200k track record. She also won the race outright. Hard work and believing in herself paidoff.

Camille is exhausted but is already talking about running 170 miles in her next 24-hour race! She ran sub 9 minute pace for five consecutive 50ks.  And she was still smiling every lap.  

The Desert Solstice is a pure endurance challenge.  Only 30 of the top American endurance runners are invited, and in order to qualify, runners must have run at least 124 miles (198.4K) in 24 hours, or 100 miles in under 17:30.

The race is a qualifier for the 24-hour national team. According to the iRun4Ultra site, 11 world records and 60 US national records had been set here before this weekend.  

Camille won a $2000 and a $1000 bonus for setting the records and hopefully a lot more from her sponsors. But she does not do this for the money. 

(12/09/18) Views: 178

It is important to understand that we are not bullet proof as runners - Larry Allen on Running File 4

I went out for a slow, difficult three mile run the evening prior to my pacemaker being implanted.  My heart, although not functioning properly, was thankfully strong enough for that one last run without artificial help.

My friend, a nurse, probably saved my life by getting me into a walk-in clinic that next morning.  Everything went fine and I am now running again but with a pacemaker (recent photo in NY Central Park). 

Let me share some advice. There is a fine line between being tired or feeling weak from a hard workout or thinking maybe fatigue or weakness is “just” natural decline with age making things harder  vs. something feeling “off” enough to seek help.

It’s a blurry line but I guess my best advice is to be keenly observant of your own physical traits and patterns and when anything falls outside of a normal range for you, again, see someone. I think it’s very important to understand that we aren’t “bullet proof” as runners.

I remember in the 70s Dr. George Sheehan wrote and in lectures said that we, as marathon runners, were essentially immune from having a heart attack. It wasn’t long after that Jim Fixx died of a sudden heart attack while running on an easy training run.

Almost every day when I run in Central Park in NYC I run right by the spot where Ryan Shey died suddenly of an undiagnosed cardiac condition early in the 2007 Olympic Trials Marathon, on a downhill section, it was a cool day and the pace early in the race was conservative (for him).

A friend, physician and Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon from Maine has a sad but growing list of lifelong runners from northern New England alone that have met similar fates without knowing they had a health issue.

We have to understand that even as very fit runners we are vulnerable, and that goes hand in hand with understanding the importance of listening to your body.We all have to be our own best advocate and our own best piece of medical monitoring equipment.

It’s easier with all of the new technologies however, as runners, we have intuitive ability that puts us in touch with our own bodies. We must listen carefully to all of it and also try to overcome another trait we have as runners, our stubbornness, which can certainly be our strength and our weakness at the same time. 

Recovery has been tricky. After my pacemaker was  functioning I was diagnosed with intermittent (paroxysmal) Afib which is treatable with medication. At first I didn’t quite understand that Afib progressively becomes more persistent or permanent and that treatment options become less effective or sometimes completely ineffective as it goes along. 

I ran again for a bit over a year but my Afib was gradually getting worse and eventually the stronger medications needed weren’t easily tolerable. It got harder to run yet again. My remaining option was a cardiac ablation. After careful consideration I had it done early this past summer.

The good news is that my Afib has not reoccurred since. The bad news is that it’s a lengthy healing process. I am six months into it and have probably walked about 600 miles. I’ve gradually added short stints of jogging into my walks and only recently a few miles of continuous very slow running.  

I’m told that it will take perhaps 3-5 months to fully heal and hopefully then I’ll be able to run more normally.

(Larry Allen on Running is a regular MBR feature sharing the wisdom of Larry Allen, a 50 year accomplished runner and artist.  He is currently participating in the third Run The World Challenge.)

(12/13/18) Views: 150

Colby Mehmen will make his marathon debut at Sunday's BMW Dallas Marathon

Colby Mehmen hopes to earn an Olympic trials qualifying standard and capture his hometown marathon title in the process. "I think they go hand in hand," Mehmen said of needing a sub-2-hour, 19-minute finish. "I'm probably going to have to hit the standard to win it." Mehmen, 24, has spent the last five months living and working in Boulder, Colo., training at altitude to put himself in position to run well. He's been living in his camper van and working at the Boulder Running Co. He considers two-time defending champion Keith Pierce the favorite. "He has so much experience," Mehmen said. "He's the seasoned veteran. Speed doesn't always translate into the marathon. I might have it in the shorter races, but the marathon is a whole different game."   (12/08/18) Views: 109

Rick Rayman marks 40 years of running every day, and he’s planning his next marathon, the Miami Marathon

Yesterday in Toronto, Rick Rayman, 72, marked 40 years of running every day. He celebrated with his friend Steve DeBoer, 64, of Rochester, Minn., who travelled to Toronto to mark the occasion with him, with–what else?–a short run. Both men occupy high positions on the Streak Runners International site–Rayman is #2 on the international list, and DeBoer, 64, who has a 47.5-year streak going, is #3 on the US list. 

(Rayman is considerably ahead of the next person on the international list, Tyler Brett Forkes, who is also Canadian, and whose streak is at 27.9 years.)

Rayman’s streak began in 1978, but not with any real intention behind it. Then his friend Brian Williams, at the time a sportscaster with CBC television, commented on the air one evening that his friend Rick Rayman had run every day for 278 days. 

”That’s what made me think, why don’t I keep going?” says Rayman, who is Director of Student Life at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Dentistry, and still teaches three days a week. So what constitutes a streak? How far do you actually have to run every day for it to count?

According to the streak site, the answer is one mile. Rayman’s personal standard slightly higher: 30 minutes minimum. But he often runs for an hour or more, and longer on weekends.

More impressive than that is the fact that he has run every edition of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, which celebrated 29 years this year–and that was Rayman’s 365th marathon. (And his 13th in 2018 alone.)

“I remember when there were only 600 runners, and it finished at the Flatiron building,” says Rayman. He’s planning his next marathon, the Miami Marathon. Rayman tells us that many streakers plan when to end their streaks, so they aren’t forced to stop due to injury. Not him.

“I plan to run until I can’t any more.”

(12/11/18) Views: 80

Yuki Kawauchi and Desiree Linden will return to defend their titles at the Boston Marathon

Yuki Kawauchi and Desiree Linden battled through dismal conditions last year, running in freezing rain and driving winds to claim their dramatic victories.

Known for his high-volume, high quality racing, Kawauchi has won over 30 marathons, holds the Japanese 50K national best time and has competed on three IAAF World Championships Marathon teams. But it was his victory in Boston that was his biggest to date. 

”My victory in Boston was a moment in my marathon life that I will never forget,” Kawauchi said.

“I look forward to meeting all my fellow runners in Boston and running together with them.” Linden, a two-time U.S. Olympian, captured headlines across the US with her victory, the first by an American woman in 33 years in the race.

“In 2007, I ran my first Boston Marathon; I absolutely fell in love with the event, the course, the city, all of it,” Linden said.

“I thought I had every experience imaginable racing in Boston, but in 2019 I’m thrilled and proud to have another first as I’ll start the race as the defending Boston Marathon champion.”

(12/10/18) Views: 62

Keri Mandell, is planning to run seven marathons on all seven continents in seven days

She’s really gearing up to run 183.4 miles in a week, including in Australia, Africa and Antarctica. Something only 103 people have ever done.

For comparison, 536 people have been to outer space. And yet the only thing that scares her about any of this is the airplane. “I don’t really like to fly,” she said. But while that might be true, this 36-year-old yogi, CrossFit coach, marathoner, Ironman triathlete and businesswoman is not really the type to not do what she sets her mind to.

To that end, Mandell is in the process of raising funds so she can participate in the 2020 World Marathon Challenge—a grueling contest.  When the specifics aren’t yet known for the 2020 event, locations for the 2019 challenge are: Novo, Antarctica; Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Dubai in the UAE; Madrid, Spain; Santiago, Chile; and ending in Miami.

Self described as “wicked competitive” when she wants something and “so Type-A” all the other times, Mandell is no stranger to pushing past limits she used to have.

(12/12/18) Views: 55

Running 655.48 laps on a 400m track was mind boggling but I did it in 24 hours

We did it! 1. 24 hr World Best- 162.919 mi at 8:50 per mile 2. 100 mi Track American Record- 13:25 3. 200K Track AR- 17:07:27  

I’m grateful to be back on the horse and to finish a tough year on a very positive note! I credit my PT Laurie Massey Cain for helping me get my body back together and feeling good.  

It was really hard (to say the least hahaa)! 655.48 laps on a track was mind boggling.  I mentally and physically prepared myself to work through any road blocks, hydrate and fuel well, maintain structural integrity, and keep moving.

I changed my shoes twice to keep my feet happy. I had an amazing crew of Conor, Ron Foster, and my friend Gretchen Connelie from NYC keeping me going! I hit a low point around 2-3am and had to get some Taco Bell and beer and walk a few laps. Slowly but surely I got going again.

It was really fun to run through the night and then anticipate seeing the sunrise! There was an overwhelming amount of support out there of people cheering us on throughout the 24 hrs- thank you very much for coming out.

There’s a lot of great photos and moments, esp Howie Stern and Jubilee Paige.    Desert Solstice Invitational Track Meet - 100 Miles & 24 Hour Track Run is such a well run event, and I can’t say enough positive things about how much attention to detail Aravaipa Running w/ Hayley Pollack and Jamil Coury put into it and all the record keeping.

It was incredible to share the track with so many talented athletes. Our US 24 hr teams will be rock solid! The showdown next Oct. in France will be epic!   I’m pretty tired now! I think I’ll take it easy for a while and enjoy the moment!  

(Camille Herron posted this on her Facebook account today.  She finished her epic run on Sunday Dec 9 in Phoenix, Ariz) 

(12/10/18) Views: 52
Camille Herron

Olympic steeplechaser Donn Cabral is going to make a Surprise Marathon Debut In Honolulu tomorrow

Through the mud and over the hills, Donn Cabral pressed forward along the trail at Reservoir #6 in West Hartford, Conn. The Olympic steeplechaser was in the middle of a workout that consisted of 22 miles with 18-19 of them at 5:20 pace, a monumental training session for a marathon runner. While most track athletes wouldn't even think of attempting such a challenging run, Cabral felt like he was home. "It just felt great. I wasn't able to get into a rhythm because of the course, but I just knew that I was so strong and my body was working the way it was supposed to. This is the way running is supposed to feel," Cabral told Race Results Weekly over the phone on Thursday. He went on to complete the early November workout with 19 miles run at 5:15 pace which, if maintained for 26.2 miles, would equate to a 2:17 marathon. The workout is one of many that have given Cabral confidence heading into his surprising marathon debut at the Honolulu Marathon here on Sunday. At this point in the 28-year-old's career, he has accomplished a great deal in the steeplechase: two eighth-place finishes at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, two NCAA titles, and a 10th-place finish at the 2015 IAAF World Championships. While Cabral still feels that he has unfinished business in his primary event, the decision to run a marathon now came as a result of listening to his body and the training that he responds to. "A big reason that I wanted to run a marathon was that I think it's the best way for me to run my best steeplechase," Cabral said. "I look back at my training in 2015, the year that I ran my 8:13 personal best, and I think it was a week before the USA prelims, I did a hard 10-mile run at 5:15 pace in really humid weather and I ran 90 miles two weeks before. Nothing about that is crazy, it just shows that I do run well with that type of work."  (12/08/18) Views: 51

Meb Keflezighi has fond memories of the Carlsbad 5000 and teamed up with a group to purchase it

Meb Keflezighi teamed up with San Diego-based Groundwork Endurance to purchase The Carlsbad 5000 race as we reported earlier this week.  Since its founding in 1986, the Carlsbad 5000 has attracted top talent to the coastal roads of Carlsbad, less than an hour north of San Diego. In fact, the so-called “World’s Fastest 5K” hosted the standing world records for both men and women in the event. Sammy Kipketer of Kenya posted a 13:00 WR in 2000, and Meseret Defar of Ethiopia set the women’s record of 14:46 in 2006. Fourteen additional world records and eight U.S. records have been set there, among other records. At 43 years old, Keflezighi has deep roots in the region.  He recalls watching the Carlsbad 5000 as a young runner before racing it as a professional. The first time Keflezighi attended the Carlsbad 5000 was in high school, when he went to watch Steve Scott race, the then-holder of the American Record for the mile. Later, he chased the 5K American record there as a pro. In 2001, he took it out on the heels of Kipketer (who ran 3:59 for the first mile). Keflezighi recalls thinking during his 4:08 first mile split, “Oh no, what have I done?” but held on to finish in 13:34. In 2002, his pacer ran too slowly through the first mile, so Keflezighi hammered the next 2.1 miles to finish in 13:34.  Meb grew up with the Carlsbad 5000 and is excited to now be part of the ownership group. (12/08/18) Views: 50