Marathon/Running News: 3/23/08 - 3/30/08

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News From: Sunday, March 30, 2008
	Bataan Memorial Death March
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Bataan Memorial March draws record number (Las Cruces Sun News) The 2008 Bataan Memorial March saw a record number of participants. Though primarily a military athletic event, more than a third of the 4,400 this year were civilians. Two-dozen ex-POWs, all in their late 80s and 90s, came with their families from around the country.
		Human Interest Story
		Marathon honors Bataan survivors (El Paso Times) Bataan Death March is an endurance marathon dedicated to commemorating an event in which troops captured by the Japanese in World War II were forced to march sixty five miles without food or water. Local survivor, ninety-three year old Thomas Foy planned to be on the sidelines today to congratulate those who complete a challenging 26.2-mile marathon, mostly through sandy desert roads. About 70,000 American and Filipino troops who surrendered in April 1942 on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines were forced to march to Japanese prison camps. Those who collapsed along the way were shot or bayoneted leaving fewer than 900 survivors.
	Georgia Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		India's 75 year old marathon man completes his 81st run (The Magalorean) Ashis Roy, India's seventy-five year old marathon man, has completed his eighty first race, finishing the 2008 ING Georgia Marathon. Roy finished fifth in his age group in a 6:21:23. Roy, who ran eight marathons in a span of eight months in 2007, plans to compete in at least three more this year.
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Two Runners Set Race Records and 10,700 Compete in the ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon (Sun Herald) Oleg Marusin won the 2008 Georgia marathon in 2:18:50, shaving twenty-seven seconds off the 2007 course record set by Joseph Chirlee. Chirlee won the men's half marathon in a 1:06:43. Alena Vinitskaya won the women's marathon in 2:41:13. Janet Cherobon successfully defended her title winning the women's half marathon in 1:13:48.
	Knoxville Marathon
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Ellington wins Knoxville Marathon (Go Vols Xtra) Stewart Ellington won the 2008 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon in 2:28:36 and Melissa Gillette won the women's marathon in 3:02.51. Gillette's husband Justin won the men's race in 2007. Ellington had run the half-marathon the past three years, but this year decided to make a hard push at winning the full marathon.
	Ocean Drive Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Cape May sight of Runners and Cyclists along Ocean Drive. (Cape May County Herald) The annual Ocean Drive Marathon will be paired with the first even of the New Jersey Cycling Associations Grand Prix. The marathon begins at 8 am and will run along 26.2 miles of Ocean Drive. The cyclists will pedal off at 9 am and battle for points for the Grand Prix.
	Odds And Ends
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Javornik, Curzi the victors in Treviso (IAAF) Forty-two year old Helena Javornik won the women's race in 2:28:36 and qualified to represent Slovenia at the 2008 Beijing Games. Javornik ran the 1996 Atlanta Games. Defending Champion Denis Curzi won the men's race in 2:13:27.
		Human Interest Story
		Waitz in a race for her life. (Atlanta Journal Constitution) The woman who pioneered woman's running and pushed the revolution toward females in road races is battling cancer. Grete Waitz, in town as a guest of the ING Georgia Marathon and 4 time champion of the race, enjoyed her trip down memory lane as she drove along the course. Having retired 17 years ago after winning an unprecedented 9 New York City Marathons and the first woman to run sube 2 hours and thirty minutes, Waitz faces a different challenge in cancer all together.
News From: Saturday, March 29, 2008
	Georgia Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Soaking up some water at the Georgia Marathon. (Atlanta Journal Constitution) Race director, Victoria Seahorn has stocked enough water and Gatorade for fourteen thousand runners in this Sunday's Georgia Marathon. And if her aide stations do run out, the participants can turn to the skies as a wet and drizzle filled race is expected.
	London Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Roux Training for London: Running, Eating and Smoking? (Telegraph) Michael Roux will run the London Marathon next month in an attempt to beat his arch rival Gordon Ramsay. Roux, the former smoker turned chef and now marathoner is incredibly fit. He is the chef patron at Le Gavroche, the double-Michelin-starred London restaurant and has only beaten Ramsay once before. The two will headline the Chef's Challenge at the London Marathon.
	Olympics 2008 (Men)
		Human Interest Story
		The Marathon Flame to Athens. (China View) Spyros Zagaris, mayor of Marathon, and thousands of spectators welcomed the Olympic Flame into the town center at noon. The flame will leave Greece on it's destination to Beijing to start it's world tour prior to lighting the 2008 Olympic Games Flame
	Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Wardian wins first of double marathon attempt (NBC) Michael Wardian, who has now won all three National Marathons in D.C., had to shower and catch a quick flight to Knoxville, TN to run another marathon there on Sunday. The 33 year old faced some tougher competition this year and responded with a new course record of two hours and twenty five minutes
News From: Friday, March 28, 2008
	Bungay Black Dog Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Bungay Blackdog Marathon set for big field (Beccles and Bungay Journal) The 2008 Bungay Black Dog Marathon is expecting a large field for its full and half marathon distances. The runners will complete one or two laps of the Waveney Valley loop course through Bungay, Mettingham, and Shipmeadow to Beccles and back via Gillingham, Geldeston, and Ellingham before finishing next to the grandstand on Maltings Meadow. All the proceeds of the events go to charity, and as well as the official charity, many runners collect sponsorship for their own causes.
	Hastings Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		100 Years in the Making: The Return of The Hastings Marathon (Sussex Ex;press) With 15 postal entries already secured the century old Hastings marathon will designate one of the most infrequent marathons ever. The first being run back in December of 1908 which marked the first year for the marathon distance being sanctioned at 26.2 miles.
	Houston Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Houston Marathon registration starts Tuesday (Houston Chronicle) The Chevron Houston Marathon will open registration for the Jan. 18, 2009 event on April 1, two months earlier than previous years. Organizers have increased their cap on participants by one thousand and expect a sellout at 18,000. Registration fees are $90 through May 15, $100 through June 30 and $120 from July 1 until the limit is reached. Half-marathon fees will increase from $65 to $85 through the same time frame.
	London Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		An Olympic goal for Gardiner (ICWales) South Wales Police Sergeant Ritchie Gardiner is looking to meet the qualifying standard for the Beijing Olympics as he prepares for the 2008 London Marathon. Winner of the Welsh Cross Country Championships and thirteenth at the 2007 London Marathon, Gardiner believes the Olympic Committees gold standard is 2:15 is tangible. The UK Athletics qualifying time of 2:12 has never been achieved by a British athlete.
	Marathon de Monaco et des Riviera
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		A new departure for the Monaco Marathon (IAAF) The 2008 International Monaco Marathon, also known as the Marathon de Monaco et des Riviera which encompasses no fewer that three countries, will change its start line to the boulevard Albert I which is the start of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. Top elites in the field include Patrick Chumba Kimeli, Henry Tarus, Folisho Tum Tuko and Girmay Ayane Kidanu in the men's field. The women's elite field will see Jeanna Malkova and Maria Fedosseeva challenge the fastest woman in the field, Elizabeth Chemweno.
	Marathon des Sables
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Marathon des Sables: Because 26.2 miles wasn't tough enough! (Typically Spanish) More than 800 participants will line up for this year's Marathon of the Sands. A grueling race of 245 kilometers across the Sahara. Temperatures will soar well into the 100 degree range for the six stage marathon. Each participant will have to carry their own gear of approximately 25 pounds over the grueling terrain.
	Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Blossoms and Runners to fill the streets in DC. (Express) The Annual Cherry Blossom Festival and National Marathon will have people filling the streets of Washington D.C. this weekend. What promises to be a fun filled weekend will also leave motorists in a quandary as to how to maneuver through the busy streets.
News From: Thursday, March 27, 2008
	Georgia Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		ING Georgia Marathon could rival world's largest race someday (Atlantic Journal Constitution) Preparations are underway for the 2008 ING Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon. Expecting 15,000 runners, eighty percent from Georgia, the event has the ability to grow and expand once the word gets about about the high quality of the race. Race Director of the Georgia Marathon, Victoria Seahorn, believes that the race can someday rival the New York City Marathon, a race bearing the same title sponsor ING.
	Kuala Lumpur Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		KL roads to be closed for marathon (The Star Online) Various roads will be closed for the 2008 AmBank KL International Marathon. The marathon is in conjunction with the Federal Territory Day celebrations.
	London Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Marathon man's 300 mile mission from Paris to London (Evening Courier) Iain Lomas, running to raise money for Children with Leukemia, will take on the 2008 Paris Marathon and London Marathon. What makes Lomas' feat slightly different than running back-to-back marathons is that he will take on the Paris Marathon on April 6 and then run the two hundred fifty miles to London for that city's marathon on April 13. This former Royal Marine is no stranger to endurance events having rowed the Atlantic from La Gomera to Barbados in 2004 in just over 36 days as part of a team and running the Kalahari Desert in South Africa.
	Odds And Ends
		Training/ Health
		Dave Heeley Prepares for Marathon Challenge (Birmingham Mail) Visually impaired Dave Heeley departs the UK on March 30 to begin Guide Dogs Seven Magnificent Marathons challenge to become the first blind person to complete seven marathons, on seven continents, in seven days. The first stop will be the Falkland Islands (Antarctica) and the last stop will be the London Marathon. On completion of this feat, fifty year old Heeley would have covered 183.4 miles.
	Olympics 2008 (Women)
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Olympic Marathon Qualifier Runs a Double. (allAfrica) Helaria Johannes raced to a 2 hour and 33 minute marathon in Seoul, Korea on March 15th to remove any doubt that she should represent Namibia in the 2008 Olympic Games. She bettered her own Namibian record by nearly 2 minutes. Her official race in Dublin earlier this year had qualified her for the Olympics, but officials did not recognize the Dublin Marathon as an official qualifying race.
		Human Interest Story
		Namibia: Johannes Qualifies for Beijing Olympics (All Africa) Helaria Johannes qualified for the Namibian Olympic Women's Marathon Team at the 2008 Seoul Marathon where she finished seventh place in a 2:33:06 and made double sure of qualifying for the Olympics after some confusion surrounded her previous qualifying attempt. Last year she debuted in the distance at the 2007 Dublin Marathon finishing fourth in a new Namibian record of 2:35:30; but was shocked to learn that the course was not an official Olympic qualifying event. Beata Naigambo who achieved a B-standard at the 2008 South African Championships with a winning time of 2:38:43 will have to attempt an A-standard qualifying time to make the team. Olympic qualifying rules state that an athlete may only enter on a B qualification time if no other athlete of the same country has qualified with an A qualifying time.
News From: Wednesday, March 26, 2008
	Bataan Memorial Death March
		Human Interest Story
		Hill group will run grueling Bataan Memorial Death March (Salt Lake City Tribune) A group from Hill Air Force Base is preparing to run the 2008 Bataan Memorial Death March marathon at the White Sands Missile Range in Las Cruces, N.M., an event held in memorial of the victims of one of the most brutal POW tragedies in history. The group hopes to finish the 26.2-mile course in about five and a half hours. In 1942, more than 70,000 American and Filipino service members were forced by Japanese soldiers to march seventy miles through the jungles of the Philippines to a prison camp during which they were abused and tortured while others were beheaded, disemboweled, shot and denied food and water leaving the death toll between 6,000-11,000 on the march alone.
	Cork City Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		An Extra Leg Needed to Finish the Cork Marathon. (Reuters) Colin Carroll, and Irish lawyer, will attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Record time for the three legged marathon. The record of 3 hours and 40 minutes is held by identical twins, Nick and Alastair Benbow.
	London Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Irish lawyer hopes to tie up marathon record (Reuters) Irishman Colin Carroll, known for zany antics such as winning a gold medal at the elephant polo championships in Nepal and being Ireland's first wrestler at the world sumo championships, is hunting for the perfect partner to set a Guinness World Record time for the three-legged marathon. The current record is held by identical twins Nick and Alastair Benbow who completed the 1998 London marathon in 3:40:16. Next year, he will be staging the "Paddy Olympics" with evens such as bathtub races, backwards running, an egg-and-spoon 100 meters and as an alternate to discus throwing, mobile phone-throwing.
	Marathon des Sables
		Human Interest Story
		Robert Kent runs the Marathon des Sables: Warmup (National Post) Canadian endurance-runner Robert Kent is preparing for the 2008 Marathon des Sables. With the help of some pros, Kent has reduced the pack he will be carrying to twenty five pounds not including the water he will need to carry for the grueling 243-kilometer foot race across the desert. Cautious about the foods he is eating, he and eight hundred other racers will be transported to the desert on Friday morning for two days in the desert prior to race day on sunday.
	Rotterdam Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Impressive field for the Rotterdam Marathon (IAAF) The 2008 Fortis Marathon Rotterdam has announced their elite fields which include five athletes with a personal best under 2:07. The goal is to break Felix Limo's course record of 2:06:14 set in 2004. Expect top performances by Robert Cheboror, William Kipsang, Paul Kiprop Kirui, Richard Limo, Benjamin Maiyo, Rodgers Rop and Jimmy Muindi.