Marathon/Running News: 1/3/08 - 1/10/08

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News From: Thursday, January 10, 2008
	Boston Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Run, Kate, run (Boston Herald) Celebrity Katie Holmes is rumoured to be running the Boston Marathon following her New York City marathon debut in the fall of 2007. Holmes finished 34,193rd among 39,085 entrants with her time of 5 hours and 30 minutes. BAA spokesman Marc Chalufour told the Track he isnt aware of the celebrity entrant.
		Katie Holmes not gearing up for Boston Marathon (Thaindian News) Despite earlier rumors, Katie Holmes is not running the Boston Marathon. A source had revealed that the star was so embarrassed about her time that she had made up her mind to run another marathon.
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Rumors R Us: Katie Holmes Running the Boston Marathon? (Bostonist) US Magazine has announced that Katie Holmes has been special exemption to the Boston Marathon to be held on April 21. If the rumor holds up, she will join presidential candidate Mike Huckabee as another celebrity runner given exemption to enter a race that once had strict qualifying standards.
	Disney World Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		School adminstrator to run in Disney World marathon for benefit of children with leukemia and lymphoma (Sun Journal) Stephanie Cyrus, assistant principal at Quinn Elementary, has raised $3,800 since she started training for the Disney World Marathon. The money will benefit children with Lymphoma and leukemia in North Carolina. Students of Quinn elementary saved pennies and dollars in the amount of $275 to help Quinn with her fund raising.
	Green Bay Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Kickoff marks start of Cellcom Marathon preparations (Green Bay Press Gazette) Preparation and training begins now for the Green Bay Marathon scheduled for May as many attended a kickoff for the Green Bay Marathon to jump-start that process by registering early, finding training partners and gleaning tips for a faster or further run. The only changes to the marathon course are eliminating De Pere Bridge and the addition of running through the campus of St. Norbert College in De Pere.
	Miami Marathon
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		ING Miami Marathon moving to the big time (Sun Sentinel) In this age of mergers and acquisitions, PR Racing, creators and producers of the Miami Marathon, has been acquired by Dallas-based U.S. Road Sports and Entertainment Group. The main objectives of the new partnership are to increase numbers for South Florida's largest individual road race and attract a worldwide reputation.
		Training/ Health
		Running: Marathon culture growing everywhere (Sun Sentinel) January 2008 sets off South Florida's 2008 marathon mania that includes the ING Miami Marathon, Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon and the Walt Disney World Marathon. Runners are losing weight and changing their lives.
	Odds And Ends
		Human Interest Story
		Globetrotting marathon runner to discuss experiences at ISUS (Dayton Daily News) Fifty-two year old Tony Reed from Texas is one of only 225 people in the world to run a marathon on every continent, and the only black athlete to do so. He will be speaking at ISUS High School and promoting his new book - "Running Shoes Are Cheaper Than Insulin: Marathon Adventures On All Seven Continents."
		Uncertainty Surrounds China's Olympic Marathoners (China Daily) China will it's best chance to bring home marathon gold in the Beijing Olympics. But the team is anything but decided. A decision that was supposed to be made after the results of the Xiamen International were posted. Wang Dawei, vice-director of Chinese Track and Field Administrative Center, stated that he would hold the selected runners names to keep all runners motivated for the Olympic Games. The list or runners includes women's champions from London and Xiamen with world best times of 2:20.38 and 2:22:38
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		CEO Masback to Leave USATF (Race Results Weekly) After ten years Craig Masbeck will leave his post at the USATF for Nike's Global Sports Marketing Division. Masbeck is attributed to cleaning up the organization's financial woes and increasing its budget from $6.7 million to more than $17 million for 2008.
	Olympics 2008 (Women)
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		London Winner Zhou Could Miss out on Beijing Marathon (Guardian Unlimited) Female marathoner Zhou Chunxiu is not guaranteed a place in the Chinese team for this year's Beijing Olympics having not achieved a finish time of 2:20 in 2008. Zhou who was the 2007 London Marathon winner and the silver medallist at the 2007 World Championships had the fastest female performance in 2007.
		Uncertainty Surrounds Olympic Marathoners (China Daily) The Beijing Olympic Games will be China's best chance to win their first marathon gold medal in history, but the Chinese authorities are keeping the name under wraps in order to keep athletes motivated about the Games. Top contenders are Zhou Chunxiu (second at World Championships), Zhu Xiaolin (fourth at World Championships), Zhang Yingying (winner of the Xiamen Marathon). Yet officials are still uncertain whether Zhou will be selected for the team despite her performance.
	Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Political strife causes Kenyans to withdraw from Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (USA Today) Thirteen Kenyans have withdrawn from the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon and Half Marathon due to the political strife in their home country. Wesly Ngetich, who won the 2007 Grandma's Marathon, and Julius Kibet, who won the Philadelphia half marathon in September, are among the runners who will not compete.
	Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon)
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Surf City USA(R) Marathon, Largest Ocean-Front Running Event in California, Nears... (Reuters) The Surf City USA Marathon announced that it has filled all of the slots for the marathon to be held on Feb 3, 2008. Timex has offered a time bonus for elite females which has raised the overall numbers of women runners. Timex joins Crocs, Michelob Ultra, Time Warner, KDOC, Amino Vital, A Snail's Pace Running Shop and Hilton Hotels as sponsors for the event.
	Tiberias International Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Muturi returns to defend Tiberias Marathon title. (The Jerusalem Post) Mugo Samuel Muturi was without a country for 4 months and 2 days after his 2007 marathon victory in Tiberias. His citizenship now restored, he will attempt to claim the forty thousand dollars in prize money by beating the course record of 2:12 and winning his 2nd Tiberias Marathon.
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Kenyan Mucheru wins Tiberias Marathon in record time (Reuters Africa) Defending champion Leonard Mucheru of Kenya won the Tiberias Marathon in northern Israel in a 2:10:30 beating the previous course record by two minutes. He competed last year as a Bahraini national with the adopted name Mushir Salem Jawher and was stripped of his adopted nationality days by the government of Bahrain after discovering he had competed in Israel. Mucheru regained Kenyan nationality in October.
News From: Wednesday, January 9, 2008
	Houston Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Runner Boytim to make 30th straight Houston marathon appearance (Houston Chronicle) At the age of 46 Ray Boytim was twenty pounds over weight and in a high stress job when he ran his first Houston Marathon 30 years ago. His doctor told him he was headed in the wrong direction at his company physical. He made a few changes and 30 years later he has kept up with those changes.
	Little Rock Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Little Rock Marathon Registration Up 85 Percent (Arkansas Sports 360) The Little Rock Marathon is nearing its registration capacity for the March 2nd race. Race organizers are planning for 9,000 participants and 20,000 spectators. The marathon is just one of seven events held over the two day Little Rock festival.
	Odds And Ends
		Human Interest Story
		The race to Beijing under way (Detroit News) Keith Hanson, coach of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, has been busy coaching US Olympics team member Bryan Sell, a few female runners preparing for the US Women's Olympics Trials in Boston and with twenty distance runners who have their 2008 race schedules in place.
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Kenyan Training camps shut down (The Daily Nation) Around seven major athletics training camps have been shut down in Eldoret, Kenya as ongoing violence following the presidential election. Only the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) sponsored High Altitude Training Camp in Eldoret is open and under tight security with at least forty athletes, ten of whom are foreigners.
		Human Interest Story
		Kenyan Violence Causes Worries, Sadness for Lagat (Race Results Weekly) Double world champion track star Bernard Lagat is saddened by the violence in his home country, Kenya. Most of Lagat's extended family has relocated to a safe village, but a few of his friends and neighbors have been killed.
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Ex-Olympic darling Jones faces prison in NY (Reuters) Ex-sprinter Marion Jones awaits sentencing by a U.S. federal court following her guilty plea of performance enhancing drugs three months ago. Jones has been stripped of her five Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medals. She possibly faces six months' maximum jail time.
	Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Ethiopians again head marathon field at P.F. Chang's RNR Marathon. (The Arizona Republic) Adanech Zekiros and Salomie Getnet will return to the RNR Marathon this weekend to battle it out for first place after a one-two finish last year. Ethiopian men and women have won 7 of the last 8 titles. There is also a huge contingent of American women trying to qualify for the women's Olympic trials in Boston by running the seemingly fast course with a time of 2:47.
News From: Tuesday, January 8, 2008
	Disney World Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Jackson woman tries 100th marathon at Disney World (Everything Michigan) Debbie Lazaroff will mark the year by running her 100th marathon at Walt Disney World this coming weekend. She has run in Paris, Caymen Islands and 37 states. She has run up to 11 marathons in a single year and will attempt to complete all 50 states by the fall of 2009.
	Edinburgh Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Edinburgh Marathon has found a new title sponsor (BBC News) Scottish root grower and packer company Albert Bartlett has pledged a five-figure sum to back the Edinburgh Marathon. Over 7,000 runners have already signed up for the May 25th race which closes on January 15th. The money comes on the heels of traffic management fears from years past and should help to provide improved organization to the growing event.
		Edinburgh Marathon already a runaway success (The Scotsman) More than 7100 people have registered for the Edinburgh Marathon and thousands more are expected to register for the relay teams. Organizers are hoping for more than 9000 people. Last year, organisers paid their own traffic management costs. Albert Bartlett, a local vegetable firm, is the title sponsor
	London Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		London Marathon calling for Ryan Hall (London Telegraph) The U.S. Men's Olympic Trials Champion, Ryan Hall has added his name to the list of elites to compete in the Flora London Marathon. Halls 2:08:24 placed him 7th in his marathon debut last year in London. Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya will also compete in the already stacked field.
	Museum of Aviation Foundation Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Aviation Museum Marathon is January 19th (ABC Macon News) The Twelfth Annual Aviation Museum Marathon Registration is underway for the January nineteenth race which includes a half marathon and five kilometer race. Nearly 700 runners participated last year and raised almost twenty thousand dollars for the museum.
	Odds And Ends
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		AK Plans Peace Run to Help Healing (AllAfrica.com) Athletics Kenya will organize a peace run from Nairobi to Kisumu and Eldoret in attempts to heal the country following post-election violence. The peace torch relay will involve athletes from different communities in what is expected to bring common understanding and tolerance amongst them. Olympian Lucas Sang and one other young talented athlete, whose identity AK did not reveal, have also perished.
		Human Interest Story
		IOC raises concerns on situation in Kenya (The Standard) As television pictures showed terrified athletes huddled in the Rift Valley of Kenya, onlookers included members of the IOC who have called the situation "grave". The terrible incidents have sent shockwaves through the most successful distance running country in history and events in recent days have disrupted training altogether in the Rift Valley.