Marathon/Running News: 2/20/08 - 2/27/08

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Training/ Health
	Odds And Ends
		News From: Wednesday, February 27, 2008
		Olympians face tough opponent: pollution (Guardian.co.uk) As the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games approach, some of the strategies suggested to athletes in order to cope with the pollution problem plaguing the city have been to eat an orange, wear a face mask or train elsewhere and fly in at the last possible moment to compete. U.S. teams expect Beijing's air to reach a "safe and suitable standard for elite competition" and will not wear activated carbon filtration masks. Another issue to contend with will be the severly hot weather temperatures of 80 degree sixty percent humidity.
		News From: Monday, February 25, 2008
		Chinese Athletes psych up for Games (China Daily) China will offer its top athletes multimedia materials on sports psychology, interactive communication tools between users and mental health experts as well as access to off-line psychologists in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. The consulting squad was set up just before the 2004 Athens Games and the newly reshuffled group includes 22 experts from leading local institutes, including the Institute of Psychology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Department of Psychology at Beijing Normal University. The country believes that mental fitness helped China finish second to the United States on the medal tally with 32 golds at the Athens Olympics, its best performance to date.
		News From: Wednesday, February 20, 2008
		Achilles Tendon Surgery Advances Speed Recovery (Earth Times) New procedures are helping achilles tendonitis patients get back on their feet faster. New arthroscopic techniques can provide a minimally invasive option to removing bone spurs and bursas without significant damage to the Achilles tendon. Normally, fixing these problems can require invasive surgery and weeks to months of recovery; but modern technology is offering less invasive treatments and speedier recovery times.
Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
	Boston Marathon
		News From: Wednesday, February 27, 2008
		John Hancock Financial Announces Top Male Contenders for 2008 Boston Marathon (Fox Business) The 2008 Boston Marathon has an elite roster that includes three-time champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, 2007 Chicago Champion Patrick Ivuti and 2007 Boston runner up James Kwambai. Cheruiyot is attempting his fourth win, something a Kenyan has never done. Also in the field are Gashaw Asfaw, Christopher Cheboiboch, Abderrahime Bouramdane and Shadrack Kiplagat.
	Odds And Ends
		News From: Wednesday, February 27, 2008
		Marathon Year for Otago Runner (Taranaki Daily News) Sarah Chisnall finished second in the women's race at last year's Taranaki Mountain to Surf marathon. Since that time she has run a few more miles including the win at the Christchurch Marathon with a personal best of 2 hours 43 minutes and 17 seconds. A win in New Zealand on a mountain course earned here a travel pass to the world championships. Last year she finished two degrees and is looking forward to the mountain marathon this Saturday.
		Prokopcuka Leads Paris Half Marathon Field (Race Results Weekly) Two-time champion of the New York City Marathon, Jelena Prokopcuka, prepares for the 2008 Paris Half Marathon before heading to the 2008 Boston Marathon. With a personal best of 1:08:11 from the 2005 Great North Run, Prokopcuka will be going up against Linah Cheruiyot and Genet Getaneh. The men's field include Wilson Chebet, Shadrack Kiplagat, John Kales, David Langat and Jackson Kirwa.
	Napa Valley Marathon
		News From: Wednesday, February 27, 2008
		Queen of marathons (Napa Valley Register) Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson who will be a keynote speaker at the 2008 Napa Valley Marathon has advice for those running the race to get a qualifying time for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Womens Team Trials. She advises to run within yourself, to pass rather than be passed and to have a strong finish. Benoit Samuelson will run in her seventh consecutive Womens Olympic Marathon Trials race in Boston. Instead of competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, however, Benoit Samuelson will aim for a 2:50 finish.
	Odds And Ends
		News From: Monday, February 25, 2008
		Tergat and Kiplagat tipped for Zayed Half Marathon success (Gulfnews) Former men's half marathon record holder Paul Tergat and current women's world record Lorna Kiplagat (1:06.25) are in Abu Dhabi for the costly two million dollar Zayed Marathon Both runners will be hoping to set a new half marathon record and pick up an additional $200,000 for the record on top of the $300,000 prize money for the win. This will mark the richest prize purse in the half marathon with over half a million possible for each winner.
	City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon)
		News From: Monday, February 25, 2008
		Runners: Get ready, get set for the L.A. Marathon (LA Times) As the marathon approaches, author of "The Marathon Method", Tom Holland, and legendary Katherine Switzer give their advice on what to do in the last week leading up to the big race. Along with taking rest days and sleeping more than usual, stretching and the beginning of carb loading are ultimately key. Switzer also reminds one to clip their toenails before the big day.
	Napa Valley Marathon
		News From: Monday, February 25, 2008
		Last chance tag makes NV Marathon first-rate (Napa Valley Register) The thirtieth annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon has a field of women running for a last chance qualifying attempt to make the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Womens Marathon. Of the 2,300 runners entered in this years Napa Valley Marathon, forty five percent are women. Legendary Joan Benoit Samuelson plans to accompany Napa Valley Marathon participants partway through the race as a training run in preparation for her last Olympic Marathon Trials.
	Little Rock Marathon
		News From: Sunday, February 24, 2008
		Little Rock Marathon field almost filled to limit (Arkansas Democrat Gazette) Race organizers of the Little Rock Marathon, Gina Pharis and Geneva Hampton have a record number of 1, 513 entrants to their 2008 marathon. The Little Rock Half Marathon has reached its limit of 2,840 registratants. Pharis said eventually she would like to see thousands more entered in the Little Rock Marathon and the other events.
	Trinidad & Tobago Marathon
		News From: Sunday, February 24, 2008
		Champs out CLICO T&T Marathon (Trinidad and Tobago Exprss) Neither defending champions Victor Ledger from St. Lucia nor Mary Akor from America is expected to be among the starters in the 2008 CLICO Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon. Ruth Metivier, runner-up in the 2007 race, is injured and will not compete either. Athletes who will be participating are 2007 runner-up Ronnie Holassie, 2005 champion Curtis Cox, Richard Jones and Brian Maynard.
	Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend)
		News From: Sunday, February 24, 2008
		Ottawa Race Weekend keeps on growing (Ottawa Citizen) With three months to go the 2008 Ottawa Race Weekend is already expecting 10,000 particpants in its various running events. Organizers want to see the event grow in more than just size. Race Director John Halvorsen says he would like to see an escalation in the stature of the event, especially the marathon. To that end, organizers just announced a partnership with Athletics Canada and the Toronto Waterfront Marathon that will see both races serve as qualifying runs to send a team of Canadians to the 2009 World Marathon Championships in Berlin.
	Hyannis Marathon
		News From: Sunday, February 24, 2008
		4,000 expected for Hyannis run this morning (Cape Cod Times) Nearly 4,000 runners will be competing in four road races this morning when the 28th annual Hyannis Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10K and Marathon Team Relay. Hall of Famers Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers are the featured runners and are expected to compete in the marathon relay.
	Napa Valley Marathon
		News From: Saturday, February 23, 2008
		Trials Hopefuls To Converge on Napa Valley Marathon (Race Results Weekly) With the 2008 US Olympic Trials Women's Marathon less than two months away, there is more on the line at the women's race at the 2008 Napa Valley Marathon. Two former Stanford University athletes, Shaluinn Fullove, Ginger Reiner and Dr. Kari Bertrand are working toward this goal. Fullove is a thyroid cancer survivor with a 2:51:06.
	Trinidad & Tobago Marathon
		News From: Saturday, February 23, 2008
		Holassie tries again at the T&T Marathon (Trinidad Express) The 2008 CLICO Trinidad & Tobago International Marathon will see the return of three time runner-up and Trinidad native Ronnie Holassie. Holassie has competition with 2007 champion St Lucia's Victor Ledger and 2005 champion Curtis Cox in the field. In the women's race Kenyan based in Venezuela, Caroline Katan Chemwolo will be possibly joined by defending champion American Mary Akor who has been having a difficult time getting out of Kenya.
	Nagoya Int'l Women's Marathon
		News From: Friday, February 22, 2008
		Knee injury to keep Osaki out of Nagoya Marathon (Daily Yomiuri) Chisato Osaki, a promising runner expected to debut in the marathon distance at the 2008 Nagoya International Women's Marathon, will not be racing due to the lack of training in the wake of a knee injury. Osaki, who was seventh at the world road running championships, had been hoping to join Reiko Tosa on Japan's team to this summer's Beijing Olympics seeing that this was the last of the Olympic Qualifiers. Mizuki Noguchi and Tomo Morimoto are competing in the elite field.
	Napa Valley Marathon
		News From: Friday, February 22, 2008
		Distance runner, triathlon competitor Reiner to run in Napa Valley Marathon (Napa Valley Register) Ginger Reiner, a Princeton graduate and high school math teacher, wants to achieve an Olympic Trials qualifying mark at the 30th annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon. The B qualifying standard which Reiner is gunning for is a time of 2:47:00. Reiner's current personal best was a 2:49:18 at the 2006 Chicago Marathon.
	Odds And Ends
		News From: Friday, February 22, 2008
		Kiplagat returns to Puerto Rico 10km (IAAF) The Worlds Best 10K known for having a starting line-up of the world's top elite athletes each year will feature four-time winner Lornah Kiplagat in the 2008 race. Dutch-based Kenyan Kiplagat had suffered an injury to her right calf at the 2008 Dubai Marathon in January; but her coach and husband, Peter Langerhorst, feel that she is ready to race. The women's field will also include Ethiopia's Eligayehu Dibaba and Romanias Luminta Talpos among others.
	Knoxville Marathon
		News From: Thursday, February 21, 2008
		Knoxville Marathon's route tweaked for a safer finish (Knoxnews.com) The 2008 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon will see record numbers and a few changes to their course for the fourth anniversary of their race. The marathon will still start at the Clinch Avenue Bridge and end at the 50-yard line inside the University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium; but slight tweaks to the route will be beneficial to participants. A few minor changes are an out-and-back section on the west end of the course will be more of a turnaround and the entry into the stadium will be asphalt paved Gate 25.
	Odds And Ends
		News From: Wednesday, February 20, 2008
		37th Hafa Marathon Set for March 1 (Marianas Variety) Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo will be the staging ground for the 2008 Hafa Marathon and consist of a half and a full marathon. Organized by the Guam Running Club, the race course will start at Andersen Air Force Base's front gate and head out to Ypao beach in Tumon. The entry fee for the race is $10.
	Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon
		News From: Wednesday, February 20, 2008
		Shami to run Lake Biwa Marathon (Japan Times) World silver medalist Mubarak Hassan and two-time winner Jose Rios of Spain will be running the 2008 Lake Biwa Marathon. The Japanese roster includes Satoshi Osaki, sixth at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Tomoyuki Sato and Mitsuru Kubota will be formidable competition. This is the last of the qualifiers for the Beijing Olympics for Japanese men's marathon runners.
	Olympics 2008 (Men)
		News From: Wednesday, February 20, 2008
		Beiing will not reschedule Summer Olymics marathon (WSLS) Olympic chief Jacques Rogge said last summer that endurance events, such as the marathon might have to be rescheduled due to the high levels of pollution in Beijing. Official announce today that the marathon would start at 7:30 am despite the pleas of many top marathon athletes who insisted on a 6am start.
	Trinidad & Tobago Marathon
		News From: Wednesday, February 20, 2008
		Cox in winning form ahead of TT Marathon (Antigua Sun) In his attempt to regain his title at the Trinidad and Tobago Marathon, Curtis Cox ran a winning time of 32 minutes, 29 seconds in his latest ten kilometer race. In 2005 Cox had finally secured a win in the gruelling 26.2-mile marathon run, clocking two hours, 24 minutes, 21 seconds, to defeat Venezuelas Jefferson Davis and the seven-time champion Pamenos Ballantyne.
Post-Race Review/ Results
	Malta Marathon
		News From: Wednesday, February 27, 2008
		Marathon of Records: Jonathan Balzan is Malta's fastest ever (Di-ve Sports) The 2008 BMW Malta Marathon and Half-Marathon saw a number of records from a record number of registrants to Joshua Kipchumba's new course record win in 2:19:08. It was also a record for local Jonathan Balzan who garnered the fastest time of any Maltese athlete with his finish of 2:26:29. Women's race winner Carmen Hili won in a personal record of 3:01:48.
	Odds And Ends
		News From: Monday, February 25, 2008
		Kiplagat retains 10km title at San Juan (IAAF) Four-time winner of the World's best 10K women's race, Lornah Kiplagat, could not be deterred by competitor Mestawet Tufa as Kiplagat edged out Tufa to win in a 31:02. In the men's race Silas Kipruto outsprinted 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships bronze medalist, Deriba Merga; but Kipruto took a wrong turn which cost him the win. Merga won in 28:03.
		Idris wins Bahrain Marathon (Gulf Daily News) MOHAMMED Idris won the 31st annual Bahrain marathon with a time of three hours and 48 seconds. He outlasted the field from start to finish and defeated second place by nearly fifteen minutes. Myrna Saliba was the quickest woman of the two women field. She finished 11th overall in 4:01:48. Riana Rousseau was her challenger finished 17th in 4:36:14.
	Five Points of Life Marathon
		News From: Monday, February 25, 2008
		Russian wins Five Points of Life Marathon (The Gainesville Sun) 27-year-old Russian Denis Zhalybin moved to Gainesville two months ago. Originally from southern Russia, Zhalybin moved to the U.S. to run marathons. His plan seems to have worked well as he cruised to the victory in just over two hours easily besting Brett Howell of Gainesville who ran the 26.2 mile race in two hours thirty-six minutes and fifty-seven seconds.
	New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon
		News From: Monday, February 25, 2008
		The Mardi Gras Marathon offered a new course... (Times Picayune) The 2008 New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon celebrated its forty-fourth running with a new course that took runners for the first time into the heart of the French Quarter down Bourbon Street, Rampart Street and St. Charles Avenue. 2005 and 2007 champion Meyer Friedman won the men's race in 2:25:52. Autumn Ray won the women's competition in 2:58:42.
	Odds And Ends
		News From: Monday, February 25, 2008
		Success and pain for Lakeside runner (Times Newspapers Online) Simon Riley ran the 100-mile 2008 Great Lake Relay race solo and surprised himself with a winning finish in 9:56:00. Riley also received the 2008 New Zealand 100km title. Whats even more amazing about his achievement is the lack of preparation he had before the event, which included a bout of pneumonia and a calf pull and a night out on the town one day before the race.