Marathon/Running News: 3/26/08 - 4/2/08

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News From: Wednesday, April 2, 2008
	Boston Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Putting the "me" in the Boston Marathon! (Wicked Local North Attleborough) Nick Giordano proposed to his wife after completing one of his marathons. He has even run several others in honor of his parents, grandparents and for various charities. In 2005 he ran for the American Liver Disease Foundation. Shortly after the race Giordano would be running a race against the very same disease.
	Friendly Massey Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Friendly Massey Marathon hoping to increase friends with 10K! (The Mid North Monitor) Chairperson Elizabeth Gamble hopes to attract more youth for her Friendly Massey Marathon. She has contacted multiple local high schools from Michigan to Ontario to whip up the numbers for the inaugural 10 kilometer race the will be held in conjunction with the marathon on July 19th and 20th.
	LEADING LADIES' MARATHON
		Human Interest Story
		Katherine Switzer to Lead Leading Ladies Women on the Move Conference. (The Earth Times) Women's running pioneer Katherine Switzer will lead the Women on the Move conference that will take place in conjunction with the Leading Ladies Marathon in Spearfish, North Dakota on August 17th. Switzer is well known for challenging the all-male notion of the famed Boston Marathon.
	Marathon des Sables
		Human Interest Story
		Marathon des Sables might be won on attrition. (National Post) Robert Kent is on day three of the 243 kilometer race through the Sahara. With temperatures reaching easily into the 100's and people dropping out daily, Kent, hopes to test his strenght on the 75 kilometer day on Thursday.
	Odds And Ends
		Human Interest Story
		Dubai supports blind runner's challenge magnificently (Arabian Business) Soon to embark on his journey, blind Dave Heeley will attempt to become the third person in the world to run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. Dave who lost his sight due to a hereditary eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa will be running with his sighted guide Malcolm Carr. Heeley has a local charity partner as the aim of his challenge is to benefit people who are blind and visually impaired. Dubai is rolling out the red carpet with Jumeirah Golf Estates sponsoring, an event created for him called the Dubai Night of Marathons in which the public can join in in part or all of his charity run and a bit of luxury and pampering UAE style.
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Kibet and De La Ossa look for Turkish Delight (European Athletics) The Netherlands' Hilda Kibet and Spain's Juan Carlos De La Ossa, Europe's leading senior woman and man at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, have both confirmed they will run at the European Cup 10,000m in Istanbul. Kibet has been training with her cousin Lornah Kiplagat. De La Ossa is looking to run a fast time there to get an Olympic qualifying mark.
	Olympics 2008 (Men)
		Human Interest Story
		Boycott in Beijing. (Kiplinger) The recent civil unrest in Tibet and the pollution problems have raised such a concern with other countries that safety and the health of the athletes is now a major concern. The poor air quality has already cause Gebrselasie, world record holder in the marathon, to drop out of the running for the gold.
		Training/ Health
		Beijing pollution risky for endurance athletes (International Herald Tribune) The stage for the 2008 Beijing Olympics is already marred by heavy pollution expected to hurt endurance athletes among other things. The International Olympic Committee said endurance events at the Beijing Olympics could pose a health risk if they are staged on heavily polluted days and there was a small chance of athletes suffering some damage to their health if they took part in events lasting longer than an hour. Some events would be rescheduled, but organizers face problems if on the final day of competition pollution levels are too high to stage the men's marathon.
	Olympics 2008 (Women)
		Human Interest Story
		When the heat is on, U.S. will stay cool. (Washington Post) The tell of the tape was the heat in the 2004 Athens Olympic Marathon and stories are just now surfacing about the cooling vest that Deena Kastor wore just moments before the race start while multiple other athletes were heating themselves in the 90 degree heat. Beijing, with most people focusing on the pollution, will offer similar circumstances.
News From: Tuesday, April 1, 2008
	2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		39 And Doing Fine! Ackerly Qualifies for Olympic Trials (Richmond Times Dispatch) At 39 years of age most would think that the Olympics is something your children dream about. Maureen Ackerly has given her children, ages 2 and 4, something to shoot four. Last month she won the Napa Valley Marathon in 2 hours 44 minutes and 25 seconds and qualified for the U.S. Women's Olympic Trials to be held on April 12th in Boston.
	London Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		One year later, London Marathon still setting records (Newham Recorder) Guinness World Record for The Largest Annual Fundraising Event in the World goes to the 2007 Flora London Marathon. More than 46 million was raised for the 2007 event and the total raised since the races inceptions exceeds 361 million.
		Marathon Veteran hits milestone at London (Advertiser and Times) Miss Kitty Garnett will finish her 21st London Marathon on Sunday the 13th of April. By completing the race she will have toured just over 550 miles around the town of London and raised money each year for various charities. This year the 70 year old Garnett chose The Alzheimer's Society as her charity.
	Marathon des Sables
		Human Interest Story
		Sun. sand and suffering (Melton Times) Edmondthorpe man Toby Baker is just inside the top 250 and among the fastest British runners after the first and second stages of a gruelling desert marathon. At nineteen years of age, Baker, s the youngest British competitor and the second youngest in the entire event.
	Odds And Ends
		Training/ Health
		Stopping Colds: Fact vs. Hype (gayWired.com) With springtime around the corner, many are coming down with various colds and illnesses as the temperatures change from one extreme to another. Does washing hands, the flu shot, zinc, vitamin c and echinacea help to battle the common cold or flu?
		Breaking through the wall (MailTribune.com) The wall near mile twenty of a marathon is the bane of long-distance runners and endurance athletes, but can be avoided with the consumption of carbohydrates during the race. The feared episode occurs when the body uses up its stockpile of glycogen, a stored form of glucose that's kept in the liver and muscles. Glycogen is the main fuel used during sustained exercise and largely comes from carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, fruits and vegetables. When hitting the wall, runners should slow their pace and immediately take in carbs in the form of sports drinks, gels, energy bars or fruit.
		Human Interest Story
		IAAF to follow suit with USATF's iPOD ban. (The UK Register) Nike and Apple have been eying up the London Marathon as a venue to display their MP3 wears but the IAAF may soon be passing their version of the USATF rule that bans the use of headphones in all races. David Bedford, race director for London, stated that rule would not be passed in London.
		Naoko Takahashi means crazy in Japan. (Daily Yomiuri) At the end of March the former Olympic Chanmpion, Naoko Takahashi, announced that she will run in another marathon. After missing the Olympic Team for Beijing Takahashi seemed to jump ship after turning forty and announced her plans to run 3 marathons in a five month period. Not really news until she stated that she would win them all.
News From: Monday, March 31, 2008
	Detroit International Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Detroit Marathon Open for Business (Freep) Registration for the October 19th Detroit Marathon began on Sunday. The race, which runs through Windsor and Detroit, will host approximately 16,000 participants.
	Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Training run leads to win at Olathe Marathon (Kansas City) Jaime Elgas crossed the finish line at the Olathe Marathon in 3:24:16 without the reception of one who had won the women's race. Elgas, who planned to drop out at the twenty mile mark because this was a training run for the 2008 Boston Marathon, finished more than four minutes ahead of Jamie Wilson who was second at 3:28:37. Marla Rhoden was third in 3:30:43. Tony Kocanda won the men's race in 2:47:58.
	Georgia Marathon
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Forty Four Degrees Considered Balmy for Georgia Marathon Winner (Atlanta Journal Constitution) Oleg Marusin of Russia won the Georgia Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 50 seconds. Many of the runners took advantage of the cooler weather while Marusin, who trains in negative 20 degrees used the relative warmth to propel him nearly 5 minutes ahead of second place
		Human Interest Story
		Roy finishes 81st marathon in Georgia at age 75. (Thaindian News) The former cardiologist Ashis Roy of India finished his 81st marathon at the Georgia race in just over 6 hours. The retired doctor said the his time was slow but considering the cold temperatures and the somewhat hilly course he was pleased.
	Knoxville Marathon
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Knoxville Local Takes the Marathon Prize (Associated Press) Stewart Ellington won the Knoxville Marathon in 2 hours 28 minutes and 36 seconds. Second place was Justin Gillette of Niles Michigan whose wife won the women's event in 3 hours and 3 minutes. Michael Wardian who won the National Marathon on Saturday placed third in 2 hours and 29 minutes and 50 seconds.
	Kuala Lumpur Marathon
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Course Record and PR for Rotich at Kuala Lumpur Marathon (Malaysian National News Agency) Nelson Kirwa Rotich captured the Kuala Lumpur Marathon title in 2 hours 15 minutes and 32 seconds smashing the course record and crushing his personal best by nearly 8 minutes. Kenyans have won the Kuala Lumpur race 7 of the past 8 years.
	Loch Ness Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Baxter supporting a monster of a marathon at Loch Ness (MAD) Baxter Food Group has signed on for three more years with the Loch Ness Marathon. The company has supported the efforts of the marathon since the inaugural event in 2002.
	London Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		The Chicken or The Egg? London Marathon to answer the question. (Christian Today) The chicken and the egg will toe the line at the April 13th London Marathon to answer the age old question of which one came first. Hannah Miller will don a specially designed egg suit and race Therese Whitcomb-Eriksson, who will be dressed as a chicken for the 26.2 mile marathon. They will raise enough money to send 330 hens that will produce 40,000 eggs per year for impoverished families. The two are raising money for the Be A Good Egg Foundation.
	Marathon de Monaco et des Riviera
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Kenya dominates Forty Country Race at Monaco Marathon (IAAF.org) Sunday's 11th Annual Monaco Marathon was won by Geoffrey Mutai from Kenya with a time of 2 hours and 12 minutes. Over forty countries were represented in the race with Kenyans claiming the top three mens spots and Russia claiming the top three womens spots in a race that dashed through France and Italy.
	Ocean Drive Marathon
		Post-Race Review/ Results
		Ott Wins Ocean Drive on His Hands (The Press of Atlantic City) Mark Ott won his first marathon at the Ocean Drive Marathon in 2 hours 56 minutes and 16 seconds. The last several steps across the finish line were done on his hands. Second place was nearly 3 minutes back. Ott claimed to have blown a lead in a previous race and was worried up until the final few meters.
News From: Sunday, March 30, 2008
	Bataan Memorial Death March
		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.
		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.
	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.