Marathon/Running News: 12/29/07 - 1/5/08

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News From: Saturday, January 5, 2008
	North Pole Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Ready to run the North Pole Marathon (Grantham Journal) Jeremy Clay, 45, who works for a wealth management company, will run in memory of his colleague who completed the marathon in 2006 and died a year to the day later in a quad biking accident. He will be running over icy terrain and temperatures of minus 30 Celsius.
	Odds And Ends
		Human Interest Story
		Top Kenyans run the gauntlet of bloody violence (The Age) Twenty-seven kilometres outside the city of Eldoret, elite runner Lornah Kipligat's training regime has been difficult since the violence following the Kenyan presidential election. Vigilante groups, wielding knives and automatic weapons, are constantly on patrol. Several calls to the home of Paul Tergat went unanswered and Catherine Ndereba's agent received Ndereba was okay.
		Steven's Marathon Task for Hospice (Bolton News) To honor his sister-in-law Kim Coucill who died from skin cancer last November, Steven Livesey plans to complete a race a month this year in her memory. The 36-year-old will be running two marathons as part of the challenge to raise money for Bolton Hospice.
	Olympics 2008 (Women)
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Olympic marathon to begin at Tiananmen Square (Hindstan Times) 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing will begin from central Tiananmen Square, site of brutal police beatings of protesters in 1989. The women's marathon is set for August 17, while the men will compete on August 24.
	Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Kit Carson teachers to run marathon for a good cause (The Richmond Register) Laura Kidd, a special education teacher, and Emily Soard, a speech pathologist, joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societys Team in Training to run their first 26.2 miles at the P.F. Changs Rock-n-Roll Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona. The teachers have been learning to use a run-walk method. The run in Arizona will not be the last for Soard and Kidd as the duo plan on running in the Louisville marathon.
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Rock 'n' Roll Marathon AZ kicks into high gear (AZCentral.com) P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon & 1/2 Marathon celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2008. The race staged by Elite Racing has grown to almost 30,000 entrants in its marathon.
	Xiamen International Marathon
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		2:22:38 World Junior Marathon Best By Zhang Yingying in Xiamen (IAAF) 18-year-old Zhang Yingying won the Xiamen Marathon and ran a World Junior's best in a finish time of 2:22:38. Zhang had beat her previous record at the 2007 Beijing Marathon in a 2:27:20. Since the Chinese Federation promised the third Olympic team spot to the Xiamen Marathon winner if the time was under 2:24, Zhang has qualified for the team. She is also 5000m and 10,000m as well.
News From: Friday, January 4, 2008
	Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		A1A marathon adds 5K race (Sun Sentinel) The Feb. 17 Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon will include a half marathon and starting this year a 5K road race as well. Fleet Feet Sports of Boca Raton will set up the 5K inside-the-park race for the third annual event. A1A has partnered with the Feb. 16 United Way of Broward County Races held at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek.
	Gasparilla Distance Classic
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Floridians Have Shot To Share Gasparilla Marathon Purse (Tampa Bay Online) In order to promote competitive distance running Tampa's Gasparilla Marathon officials will offer prize money for the top three Florida finishers. This is in response to the abscence of Floridians in the recent U.S. Olympic men's marathon trials and only three qualifiers from the state competing at the women's trials.
	London Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Good cause seeks marathon runners for Flora London Marathon. (Eastbourne Today) The Agape Family Care Trust, based in Hellingly, is looking for entrants to the 26-mile race to raise funds for the Christian charity, which aims to provide a purpose-built home for profoundly disabled young people. But time is running out as January 6th is the deadline for race entry.
	Mississippi Blues Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Put on those shoes and chase down the blues (Clarion Ledger) The inaugural Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half-Marathon will focus on the unique music history of the Mississippi blues and will kick off this Saturday in Jackson, MS at 7am. The Mississippi Marathon, an event started by the Mississippi Track Club in 1976, is being redesigned with foreign athletes, prize money and guest speakers.
	Odds And Ends
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Kenyan Athletes Trying to Cope With Unrest (Race Results Weekly) With continued violence in Kenya, top athletes and their managers try to make contingency plans. Catherine Ndereba and her husband Anthony Maina are housebound in Nairobi. Linus Maiyo is unable to train and is staying indoors. Stephen Kiogora, Evans Rutto and Ben Maiyo are hesitant to go out for training.
		Training/ Health
		Athletics camps are engines of success (Nation Media) Kenyan athletes have had incredibly strong performances in 2007. The secret perhaps can be found in their training camps. Several high altitude-training camps in the Rift Valley and central Kenya attract many international athletes.
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Linet Masai Stranded in Kenya (Sporting Life.com) With continued violence in Kenya, elite runners are desperate to depart the country, but are meeting difficulty. World junior champion Linet Masai unable to leave riot torn Iten will miss racing at the Belfast International Cross Country after failing to get a flight. The airport only uses twenty-five seater planes and yesterday 800 passengers trying to escape at the same time. Government and army personnel have been given priority on these flights.
		Training/ Health
		Paula Radcliffe On Her Olympic Hopes (The Daily Record) Paula Radcliffe remains hopeful as the 2008 Beijing Olympics approaches. She finds that her daughter Isla has made her a stronger runner and better balanced.
		Human Interest Story
		A Runner's Place (Oxford American) Brian Pope from Oxford, Mississippi is a top American Masters runner who has collected awards in a number of championship 3K, 5K and 8K races. Pope prescribes to an almost solitary life and a regimen of high mileage and intense training.
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Röthlin Makes Difficult Exit from Kenya (Race Results Weekly) World marathon championships bronze medalist Viktor Röthlin of Switzerland has returned home safely after leaving the high altitude training camp in Eldoret, Kenya. Röthlin was with Martin Lel and a group of other athletes managed by Federico Rosa, preparing for next month's Tokyo International Marathon. He is uncertain where he will continue the remainder of his training.
		Training/ Health
		Marathon runners beware of drinking too much water (Science Centric) Runners are aware that hydration is important during the race, but now they need to be aware or over hydration also known as hyponatremia. This is caused by low sodium in the body. Symptoms include vomiting, loss of appetite, headache, restlessness/fatigue, abnormal mental status (hallucinations, confusion, change in personality, etc.), muscle weakness and convulsions.
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Fears increase for Kenyan runners after death of Lucas Sang (The Times Online) With the violence growing in Eldoret, Kenya, a city which has produced many top distance runners in the past and the location of their training camps, athletes are refusing to leave their families to face the danger alone. Athletes have been advised to stay at home and to train only if they are absolutely convinced it is safe.
		Wanjiru Takes Overwhelming 59:26 Half Marathon Win in Granollers (IAAF) Kenyas Samuel Wanjiru, the current World Half Marathon record holder, won the 21st Mitja Marató de Granollers in 59:26 beating Haile Gebrseassie's previous course record of 60:08 from the 2006 race. Wanjiru's next big race is the 2008 London Marathon where he will compete against some of Kenya's best in order to qualify for the Kenyan Olympic Team. Kenyan Rahab Ndungu won the women's race in a 71:20.
News From: Thursday, January 3, 2008
	2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Sample passes first pre-Olympics test, prepares for USA Marathon (Madison Daily Leader) Marie Parker Sample is taking a bit of a rest from running. She will beging running for her chance to make the Olympic Team headed to Bejing. Her time of 2:45 in the California International Marathon on Dec. 7 earned her a spot to compete with 124 other women in Boston in April.
	Antarctica Marathon
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Antarctic marathon tests runners patience (The Chiefain) Mark Andresen of Shawnee and Mike Ketchmark of Leawood, battled snow, wind and Antarctic temperatures to run a marathon and raise money for the Leukemia
	Boston Marathon
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Boston Marathon Executive In Personal Cancer Fight (Race Results Weekly) Executive director of the Boston Athletic Association, Guy Morse, announced that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Morse, 56 years old, will begin an aggressive six month treatment program under the direction of The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
	OC Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Surviving and enjoying the OC Marathon (OC Register) The 4th annual OC Marathon kicks off this Sunday and people should be prepared for the course, the crowds, and the congestion. David Whitting guides readers to the inside details of the marathon.
		13,000 runners expected at OC Marathon (OC Register) Orange County Marathon expects more than 13,000 runners to participate in the marathon, half-marathon, a 5K race and a kids' run. Rain is expected this weekend, but will have little effect on the marathon.
	Odds And Ends
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Olympic athlete murdered in Kenyan electoral chaos (International Sports Press Association) The Kenyan running community has been affected as violence continues following the disputed presidential elections. Former Olympian Lucas Sang, a member of the Kenyan 4x400m relay team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, was murdered alongside twenty others. World Marathon Champion Luke Kibet is lucky to have survived the attack. Elites at Lornah Kipligat's high altitude training center are also in danger with the riots and violence occuring in Eldoret and near Iten.
		Training/ Health
		But First, Doctor, What Was Your Marathon Time? (The New York Times) Physicians rated by their physical abilities might be the answer for active people with health issues. The pro's and con's of the fit physician are taken into consideration but studies are inconclusive to date.
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		World Champion Luke Kibet Suffers Head Wound (Race Results Weekly) Kenyan marathoner Luke Kibet has suffered a deep head wound following an encounter with an angry mob outside of Eldoret. Following hospitilization Kibet is in no condition to return to training. On the recommendations of his doctor Kibet has cancelled participating in Egmond Half-Marathon in the Netherlands in a few weeks. The 2007 Marathon World Champion is still signed up for the London Marathon.
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Radcliffe Pictures a Perfect Future (Daily Express) Paula Radcliffe, 34, is at the peak of her running career. Beijing will be her fourth Olympics, but she has yet to win a medal. She will not be a competitive runner in the 2012 London Olympics.
	Olympics 2008 (Men)
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Viktor Rothlin's Marathon Journey To Be Europe's best (European Athletics) He is the World Bronze and European Silver Medalist and his goals just went from a smalltime job into a full time career aiming for the GOLD.