2008 Drake Relays In Review

The Drake Relays has grown to one of the best track meets for college and pro runners. The 99th running was no different. Saturday’s session drew a crowd of 18,000, marking the 43rd straight year of selling out the final day.

At the Drake Relays, Lolo Jones started the outdoor season in the same manner she ended the indoor season: rolling! The reigning 60-meter hurdles champ won her second outing this season at the Drake Relays in 12.74, breaking her own meet record. For her effort, Lolo was named top female athlete of the Drake Relays. It comes as no surprise from observers that she won the prestigious meet in her hometown, running in front of her people despite swirling, gusting winds.

Drake fans were also provided a treat by witnessing two of the world’s top shot put throwers. World Indoor champion Christian Cantwell won his sixth Drake title with a toss of 68 feet, 6 inches. That effort was well ahead of Jamaican Dorain Scott and Reese Hoffa, the reigning world outdoor champion.

The first trip to Drake Relays did not go so hot for hurdle legend Allen Johnson. The 1996 Olympic champion clipped a hurdle midway through the race finishing in a distance fifth place. The winner Anwar Moore crossed the line in 13.14, winning his second Drake title in a row.

Another Olympic hopeful Shareese Woods won the 400 in 51.75. April Steiner was the only athlete to clear a height and won the pole vault in 14 feet, 2 inches despite gusty winds.

Jay Hicks

Simply Legendary: Ted Corbitt, "Father of American Long-Distance Running"

In the midst of a marathon season that includes majors that pay millions in prizes, PreraceJitters.com would be remiss if we didn’t give proper respect to Ted Corbitt, a man who deeply affected modern running around the globe. He was a reserved figure who did not seek fame, however he greatly affected running as much as, if not more than, any other single figure.

There are almost too many words to describe Ted Corbitt: Olympian, training pioneer, author, leader and inspiration among them.

Many may recall that Ted Corbitt passed away December 12, 2007, in a Houston hospital after a battle with cancer. At the age of 88, Corbitt had prostate and colon cancer and died of respiratory failure.

Corbitt was ahead of his time. He began running really out of necessity as a way to get to and from school. He was born on a cotton farm in South Carolina under the Jim Crow laws and segregation, during a time when there was school transport available only for white children. Corbitt was never bitter and developed a love for his daily runs.

He later ran at the University of Cincinnati, and was sometimes not allowed to compete in meets against white runners. Corbitt graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a masters’ degree with honors in physical education and then studied to become a physical therapist.

Corbitt debuted at the marathon at the age of 32 with a 15th place finish in the 1951 Boston Marathon. After two more marathons was selected for the Helsinki Olympic team.

As a runner, he pioneered ultra-marathoning (anything longer than a traditional marathon) in the United States when most people thought the marathon was the absolute limit of human endurance. Corbitt would run for hours, even days, connected to electrodes to study the effects of running on the human body. He has held American records for 25-, 40- and 50-mile marathons.

Corbitt helped found the Road Runners Club of America in 1957 and was later its president. He was a co-founder and the first president of the New York Road Runners Club.

He was a member of the inaugural class of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica, N.Y., in 1988 and was inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame in April 2006.

Largely responsible for the movement to adhere to strict measurement criteria and course certification, Corbitt’s 1964 book, Measuring Road Running Courses, became the benchmark for certified road race courses at the time and is the foundation upon which accurate road racing rests today.

He persevered, evolved, and excelled at life. Ted Corbitt is example of everything good about running. As the sport goes through a difficult time, it is then to look back and see where we come from to know where to go.

Jay Hicks

Former Olympian Bryan Clay Is In Vogue Magazine

We think the women are gonna enjoy this more than the men!

This month’s Vogue Magazine features that American decathlete Bryan Clay with model Raquel Zimmermann. The magazine will be on the shelf all month. Vogue’s controversial cover with Gisele Bunchen and Lebron James leads into a series of short interviews with famous Olympic athletes and fashion models including Bryan Clay, Jared Rome, and Allyson Felix.

The former Olympian appears to be over the injuries that kept him from finishing at the ’07 U.S outdoor championships.

Photos courtesy Vogue Magazine.

Olympic Hopeful Jared Rome Graces Vogue

The big men deserve some credit. It’s not all about size, it’s also about using speed to deliver a huge shot or discus performance.

Discus champion, Jared Rome, held his own in the April edition of Vogue Magazine featuring Hard Bodies Unite. He is featured holding supermodel Raquel Zimmermann rocking Nike gear. Vogue’s controversial cover with Gisele Bunchen and Lebron James leads into a series of short interviews with famous Olympic athletes and fashion models including Bryan Clay, Jared Rome, and Allyson Felix.

Photos courtesy Vogue Magazine.

Hurdlers Come Through Quickly At Penn Relays!

In perfect weather conditions Friday at the Penn Relays, a Team USA quartet of hurdlers stamped their mark on the track record books in the men’s 4×120 yard shuttle hurdle relay.

Competing in the Olympic Development division and wearing Team USA jerseys, 2008 American indoor champion David Oliver, 2005 USA indoor champion Joel Brown, 2001 NCAA indoor champion Aubrey Herring, and 2006 NCAA champion Aries Merritt teamed up to run 53.31. The time was announced as a world best - the fastest time ever recorded by a national team in the event. Team USA Blue was second in 55.55, with DC Capitol third in 59.67.

The race was part of the National Relay program that will be featured in Saturday’s USA vs. The World events at Penn.

“Since we’re having such great luck with the sprinters and 400m people in our national relay program, the idea was to broaden it with the hurdles,” said USATF high performance chair Brooks Johnson. “Our women’s hurdlers had to run a 4×100 relay, but hopefully in the future we will be able to duplicate for our hurdlers what we do for our sprinters.”

Jay Hicks

Courtesy USA Track & Field.

Men’s 4 x 400 Relay: USA vs. The World

The United States has arguably the top eight one lap runners in the world, and it showed at the Penn Relays at the US fielded two all-star teams. The USA Blue team had LaShawn Merritt, Wallace Spearmon, Darold Williamson, and Jeremy Wariner. However, the USA Red team extremely good as well, with Xavier Carter, Bershawn Jackson, Kerron Clement, and Angelo Taylor.

Merritt blasted out the hole with a 44.9 leg to give the Blue team the lead. A strong second leg by Bershawn Jackson put the Red team close again with Jamaica just back in third.

The most exciting part of the race was on the third leg as Kerron Clement tried to pass veteran relay runner Darold “D Will” Williamson. Clement couldn’t seal the deal. Williamson made him swing wide and then rolled pass Clement to hand off to Jeremy Wariner in the lead. Wariner ran an unconscious 43.88 anchor leg with a comfortable lead to secure victory for the Blue team at 2:59.71. A stupid time ran in the cold April air!

Click here for the final results.

Jay Hicks

Women’s 4 x 400 Relay: USA vs. The World

The USA Blue was comprised of the following : Mary Wineberg, Allyson Felix, DeeDee Trotter, Sanya Richards.

Wineberg ran well out the hole and handed off to Allyson Felix in the lead. Felix blew the race open with a 50.1 split-the race’s fastest split. Hastings and Richards kept the lead to finish in an impressive 3:22.16.

Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica held off a strong late surge from the USA Red’s Lashinda Demus to hold second, 3:27.96—3:27.98.

Click here for the final results.

Jay Hicks

Men’s 4 x 100: USA vs. The World

The men’s relay pool at Penn Relays is a preview of the Olympic Games. The race included national teams from the United States, Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, and Great Britain.

The historical relay woes continued for the U.S. as the heavily favored Team Red in Lane 7 had a disastrous hand off between Leroy Dixon and Wallace Spearmon. It appeared that Dixon was hit in the face near the exchange. Spearmon was poised and slowed to get the stick before handing off to Tyson Gay. Gay was able to bring the Red team to fourth place in 39.38.

Team Blue made up of John Capel, Xavier Carter, Michael Rodgers, and anchored by Shawn Crawford placed second in 39.14.

The Jamaican’s won in 39.04, without 100 world record holder Asafa Powell. The Jamaican national team passed the stick along very well in their victory in front of an estimated 10,000 Jamaican fans.

Click here to view the final results.

Jay Hicks

Women’s 4 x 100: USA vs. The World

There was a lot riding on the women’s relay competition today at Penn Relays. The relay pool members are preparing to compete for six relay spots on the women’s Olympic team.

The match up between Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards realized at anchor leg. Sanya Richards had a slight lead at the hand off. However, Allyson Felix over powered Richards down the homestretch to win the race to led USA Red to victory in 42.57. Richards led USA Blue to a second place finish in 42.64. Jamaica was third in 43.31.

For the Red, it was Lauryn Williams, Miki Barber, Lisa Barber, and Felix. The USA Blue’s line-up was Muna Lee, Torri Edwards, Carmelita Jeter, and Richards.

Click here for the final results.

Gay & Hoffa On Cover Of Sega Olympic Video Game

Track and field gamers will be happy with the latest news. Sega grabbed rights to the 2008 Beijing Games. The game will feature top U.S athletes Tyson Gay, Reese Hoffa, and Amanda Beard to appear on the cover of the upcoming video game Beijing 2008™ - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system. Beijing 2008™ for Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3 and the PC is set for release in the summer of 2008.

Beijing 2008™ – the Official Mobile Phone Game of the Olympic Games is also in the works and will be available summer 2008. For further information please go to http://www.olympicvideogames.com/.

Jay Hicks

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