18  Jul 2011

‘Blade Runner’ Qualifies for Worlds

Posted by Kane Peterson | Tags: Blade Runner, Qualifies

Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius Qualifies for World Championships
In what amounted to a last chance situation before a cutoff date, South Africas Pistorius, who runs with carbon fiber blades in place of amputated lower legs, ran and won a 400-meter race in 45.07 seconds in Lignano, Italy on Tuesday. He thus achieved the World Championships A standard and will be on his countrys team in Daegu, South Korea. Pistorius himself wrote Feels kind of surreal.. To have an A-qualification time in the bag for next yrs Olympic Games! Thank you all the your support! His agent Peet van Zyl said of Pistorius I spoke to him literally as he was coming off the track and all he said was I did it. (photo of Oscar Pistorius by Photo Run) More

Morgan Uceny and Khadevis Robinson Win 800s in Lignano, Italy
Uceny, wholl be running the 1500 for the U.S. at the World Championships, continued her mastery of the middle distances in Europe by leading five Americans under 2:00 in the womens 800 in Lignano on Tuesday. Her 1:58.37 put her ahead of Alice Schmidt (1:58.61), Molly Beckwith (1:59.12), Maggie Vessey (1:59.17) and Geena Gall (1:59.62). Khadevis Robinson won his third 800 on Italian soil this year, with a dominating 1:44.45, consigning David Torrence to second place in 1:45.98. The womens 5000 featured a 1-2-3 sweep by Liz Maloy (15:15.34), Jen Rhines (15:17.83), and Amy Hastings ( 15:29.84). Ethiopian Henok Legesse won the mens 1500 in 3:36.45, followed by Americans Jordan McNamara (3:37.19)  and Dorian Ulrey (3:37.68). More (Results) and More (Womens 800 Video)

David Rudisha and Silas Kiplagat Will Tune Up in Monaco
Rudisha and Kiplagat are the 2011 Kenyan champions in the 800 and 1500, respectively and could be considered the favorites for gold medals at the World Championships in Daegu (Rudisha certainly will be). Their final races prior to the Championships will come on Friday at the Herculis meet in Monaco. Kiplagat won the fastest 1500 of 2010, a 3:29.27, at Monaco. Rudisha, whos run quite well despite an ankle problem, says the injury is almost gone and I am hoping to stay injury-free until Daegu. More

Ryan Hall Heads to St. Moritz
The 2:04:58 marathoner blogs from a train headed to St. Moritz, which has become a favorite altitude training site for Americans hanging out in Europe. Hes left Leuven, Belgium, a town where the ease of access to tracks, trails, and races makes it ideal for a summer European track base camp. As for St. Moritz, Hall writes from what I’ve seen, is much like the Mammoth Lakes or other resort towns in California that I call home. Its picturesque mountains look stunning. I can’t wait to breath in the crisp thin air and hit some trails. He and wife Sara are both itchy to get our mountain fix. (photo of Ryan Hall by Photo Run) More

Is Running on Soft Surfaces Worse For Your Body?
In a word, no. No it isnt. There is much in the article linked at More that suggests soft surfaces are not better for the body than hard ones, and may be in fact be worse. Weve linked up the article for you to read, but just because its from the The New York Times doesnt mean it isnt utter nonsense, or that it isnt highly selective in the evidence it presents.  More Our RW colleague Amby Burfoot has his own take on the Times column; you can read it Here.

Stephanie Twell Is Desperate to Recover From a Broken Ankle
I am constantly treading a fine line between pushing my body to see how good it can be, or going too far and getting injured, says the young British distance running phenom, who went well over that line when she broke her ankle in three places in February. At this point, her biggest problem is the ankles stiffness. Its been a tough road to recovery for a woman who asserts the day-to-day training is what I wake up for. To be fit and healthy and to see what I can achieve every day is something that every athlete enjoys. The runner who says  when you are training well you feel an elevated sense of happiness became the patient for whom during the early stages of my rehabilitation even the smallest of functions such as twiddling my toes felt like such an effort. Twell is able to train on an  Alter G treadmill, with an eye toward running on land next month. (photo of Stephanie Twell by Photo Run) More

Dont Mention the Olympics, Pleads Britains Jessica Ennis
Ennis, the 2009 World Champion heptathlete, is pretty much the poster girl for British track and field in advance of the 2012 London Olympic. But for right now, shed like her focus to remain on defending her World title in Daegu. I don’t let it consume me or make me worry or panic she says of her nations inevitable Olympic pressure. I’ve got so much going on in my head anyway with this year. She adds you could definitely send yourself into a panic thinking about all the people who will be watching you (in London). I wouldnt ever start thinking like that, I think it would drive anyone crazy. When you step out into the stadium you have to really be total tunnel vision . If I stopped and thought about all the people at home watching, or the fans in the stadium, Id probably crumble. I dont ever let those thoughts creep into my head. More

Delilah DiCrescenzo Will Answer Your Questions
The New York-based athlete, wholl do the steeplechase for the U.S. at the World Championships, is responding to queries at Pumas website. Despite her proximity to Central Park, DiCrescenzo states I prefer Van Cortlandt Park (in the Bronx) because I can tailor the run to my needs. I usually start on the Yonkers flat trail, and if I am feeling up to it on a particular day, I can hop on the infamous backhills and Cemetery Hill for some killer climbs. Then, if I need to finish the run with some strides or drills, I can head over to the Van Cortlandt Park track. It is great to have so many options in one place. Plus, with fewer runners and wide, shaded trails, running here feels like a respite from city life. This is why Vanny is legendary, andstill the site of so many championship high school and college races. More And Episode Four of Pumas video series is at More. Its mainly a fashion thing. More

Whos Looking for Flat Fast Inexpensive 5ks in NYC on Thursdays?
Well, there will be three of them, on July 21, August 25, and September 15. Theyre the Sunset and Suds 5k Summer Series, out and back races from the Hudson Beach Cafe at 105th Street and Riverside Park, all at 7 p.m. Theyre $30 each ($75 for all three), but thatll get you free beer (until 9 p.m.), a monogrammed beer glass, Feetures socks, and a $25 gift certificate towards full-priced adidas shoes. Sign up at Urban Athletics (1291 Madison Avenue) or at the race site until 6:45 p.m. There are also 800-meter races for kids ages eight to 12 at 6:30 p.m.

American Juniors Prepare for World Mountain Running Championships
Four men and three women will compete at the Championships in Tirana, Albania on September 11. The Americans include Oliver Bear Dont Walk, the U.S. junior 50k recordholder (3:10.07) wholl attend Stanford in the fall; Chase Caulkins of the University of Portland, who was the top American junior at the 2010 Championships; Billy Fayette, who ran 9:09:96 for 3200 meters in high school and is a University of Richmond freshman in the fall; and Ryan Lee, whos going to be a Richmond sophomore. The women are Krisztina Dearborn of Central Connecticut State University; Clare Moretz, who qualified for her Virginia state high school championships in four events and is headed to the University of Richmond in the fall (I detect a trend); and Lara Shegoski of Johns Hopkins University.  I’m really excited about this year’s junior team, exclaims Paul Kirsch, their team manager.  “The course in Tirana is a fast one and the combination of strength and speed that our juniors have this year gives them a good shot at being on the podium.

After Further Review, Central Park TC and Shore AC Tie for Club Title
A thorough review of scoring at the recently completed USATF National Club Track Field Championships in New York shows that the men’s team competition concluded in a tie with Shore Athletic Club of New Jersey and Central Park Track Club New Balance each finishing with 163 points.  It had originally been reported that Central Park TC had won the title, 167 to 164.5. After reviewing the results in the high jump, 4800m relay and pole vault it was determined that the originally announced scoring in those events was incorrect, thus altering the team scoring. Wow. How embarrassing.

“We are extremely disappointed that we were not able to have the correct team scoring announced at the conclusion of the competition,” stated Andy Martin, USATF Director of Grass Roots Program. “We want to congratulate both teams on a hard fought battle and thank the staff and athletes from each of the teams for their patience and understanding as we worked to review and correct the error. Obviously, it is regrettable that the athletes from the Shore AC were not afforded the opportunity to celebrate their title at the awards ceremony in New York. Both teams will receive the first place prize money of $2,000.  More

Heres Todays Running Song of the Day
This is the third of four versions were posting of this well-known tune. This rendition is so popular look, its got almost seven million YouTube hits that a lot of people think its the original. It isnt, but its decent. Incidentally, this is our 100th Running Song of the Day. Yeah, it doesnt just feel like that many, it is that many.  More

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