Flanagan blazes to course record, Vega takes men’s title

Press Release by USA Track & Field.

HOUSTON - Olympic Bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, N.C.) smashed the course record at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon to win the women’s USA Half Marathon Championship. Running 1:09:41, Flanagan broke the previous record by one minute, 14 seconds. Antonio Vega (Minneapolis, Minn.) won the men’s race in 1:01:54 to win the first U.S. title of his career.

Running her debut for the distance, Flanagan lived up to her status as pre-race favorite, taking control of the race from the first mile with defending champion Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.), Serena Burla (Ellisville, Mo.), Renee Metivier Baillie (Boulder, Colo.) and Kelly Jaske (Portland, Ore.) trying to keep pace.

Just before four miles, Boulet began to drop off the pack and Jaske and Baillie began to fade just after four. Running a pair of 5:16 miles for the sixth and seventh miles, Flanagan and Burla continued to pull away from the field. As Flanagan churned out a third 5:16 for mile eight, Burla missed a water bottle and faltered briefly, allowing Flanagan to gain a 15 meter advantage.

Over the final miles, Flanagan extended her lead to win the championship by 28 seconds. Amy Hastings (Flagstaff, Ariz.) overtook Baillie to take third place in 1:11:19. Baillie was fourth in 1:11:51 and Boulet took fifth in 1:12:22.

In the men’s race, a pack of about twenty men passed the first mile in a leisurely 4:53 before Vega and his Team USA Minnesota teammates, Matt Gabrielson (Apple Valley, Minn.), Josh Moen (Saint Louis Park, Minn.) and Patrick Smyth (Minneapolis, Minn.) pushed the pace to 4:38 for the second mile.

As Vega, Smyth and Moen continued to control the pace, Tim Nelson (Portland, Ore.), Stephan Shay (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Brent Vaughn (Black Hawk, Colo.) began to open a gap on the field.

By eight miles, Vega and Smyth were running side by side with Vaughn trailing by about five meters. Shortly after the eighth mile, Vega made his break and by ten miles, had a 20 meter lead as Vaughn rejoined Smyth and looked to close the gap slightly but Vega held on to win the title by seven seconds.

Smyth won the duel for second, running 1:02:01 to Vaughn’s 1:02:04. Nelson rallied to take fourth in 1:02:11 as Shay rounded out the top-five in 1:02:26.

About the USARC

The Aramco Houston Half Marathon is the first stop on the 2010 USA Running Circuit (USARC), and featured a total championship prize purse of $59,500 plus potential bonuses. Flanagan and Vega each earned $12,000 for their championship victories.

The 2010 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners, including Olympians Deena Kastor, Ryan Hall, Shalane Flanagan and Anthony Famiglietti. The 2010 USARC has ten events each for men and women.

The 2010 USARC will once again see a record amount of circuit prize money for a non-Olympic year with total prize purse of $623,850 offered by host events. U.S. athletes will also have the opportunity to qualify for various Team USA events, including the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and the Chiba International Ekiden.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6,000, $4,000, and $2,500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. The USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled.

The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support, and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $6 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.

Preview: Houston Marathon 2010

Going into a new year and decade with the advent of 2010, American distance running could sharpen its edges and gain more momentum, as the sport of running increases in popularity nation-wide.

The Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon in Houston, TX, provides a microcosm of the running boom in this country. Every year, the field grows by thousands as more people lace up their running shoes and tackle their personal goals for the new year.

Houston will once again host the USA Half Marathon Championships. Last year in 2009, we saw Meb Keflezeghi beat Dathan Ritzenhein on the men’s side in 1:01:25. Magdalena Boulet dominated the women’s field in 1:11:47, but not without newcomer Kelly Jaske nipping at her heels. Jaske, who once before considered herself a “jogger,” ran an outstanding half marathon performance in 1:12:06.

Once again in 2010, Houston will not disappoint in providing an excellent race. This year, Shalane Flanagan, 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist in the 10,000m, will vie for the win in the women’s USA Half Marathon Championships. Houston will be Shalane’s first half marathon.

“Houston’s got good weather, a fast course and a good crowd. I’m really
excited to toe the line in Houston and tackle a whole new event,” said Flanagan.

Magdalena Boulet returns to defend her title in the women’s half marathon. Colleen De Reuck, the 2004 winner and course record holder (1:10:55), will also return to Houston. They will be joined by Serena Burla (Ballwin, Mo.), Heidi Westover (Walpole, N.H.), seeded 4th and 5th respectively.

On the men’s side, Josh Rohatinsky (Portland, Ore.) and Tim Nelson (Portland, Ore.) are now the highest seeded runners in the USA Half Marathon Championships, since James Carney unfortunately dropped out due to injury. Carney won the race in 2008.

In the full marathon, Teyba Erkesso of Ethiopa returns to defend her title. Erkesso won the women’s marathon in 2009, where she ran a course record in 2:24:18. Paige Higgins of McMillan Elite, who ran the half marathon last year in 1:14:24 (13th), is the second highest seeded runner for the women in the full marathon.

Jason Mbote of Kenya, who ran a 2:07:37 personal record at the 2008 Seoul Marathon, will be the highest seeded elite runner in the marathon field. Charles Kibiwott, also from Kenya, will be competing in the full marathon.

Brett Gotcher, who placed third in the USA Half Marathon Championships in 2009 (1:02:09), will debut in his first marathon performance.

“I’m definitely not going to just go out there and run 2:15 or 2:14 or something. I’m definitely going to be aggressive and try to go for it. My whole thing is that I’m hoping on a good day, I can run with the lead pack,” said Gotcher.

Deriba Merga of Ethiopia, who won the event last year and set a new course record in 2:07:52, will not be competing in Houston in 2010. Merga has his sights set on the Boston Marathon this April, where he hopes for a win.

PreRaceJitters.com will be covering the 2010 USA Half Marathon Championships and Chevron Houston Marathon this weekend. Stay tuned for the latest news!

Blog preview written by PreRaceJitters staff writer Cheryl Lowe.

Rupp named Athlete of the Week

The University of Oregon’s Galen Rupp has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after setting the American Indoor record in the men’s 5,000 meters Friday at the 2009 Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.

A 2008 Olympian, Rupp’s time of 13 minutes, 18.12 seconds in the men’s 5,000m broke four records, the American indoor record, the collegiate indoor record and the American collegiate and Oregon record. The previous American record of 13:20.55 was set by Doug Padilla in 1982, four years before Rupp was born. The previous collegiate record of 13:20.4 was set in 1981 by Suleiman Nyambui.  In that same race, Rupp’s coach, Alberto Salazar, set the American collegiate and Oregon record of 13:22.6.

Elsewhere, Trevor Barron smashed the American junior record in the men’s 20 km Race Walk, crossing the line in 1:37:49. The previous record of 1:42:15 was set in 1990 by Philip Dunn.

Now in its eighth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2009 USATF Athlete of the Week Winners: January 6, Mason Finley; January 13, Amber Campbell; January 20, Josh Cox; January 27, German Fernandez; February 3, Ashton Eaton; February 10, Shalane Flanagan; February 17, Galen Rupp.

Courtesy of USA Track & Field.

Flanagan Named USATF Athlete of the Week

INDIANAPOLIS - Shalane Flanagan has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week setting the American Indoor record in the women’s 5,000 meters Saturday at the 2009 Reebok Boston Indoor Games.

Already the owner of three American records and the 2008 Olympic 10,000m bronze medalist, Flanagan crossed the line in the women’s 5,000m in 14 minutes 47.62 seconds smashing Marla Runyon’s previous record of 15:07.33, set in 2001. It is the sixth-fastest time ever run indoors and a 2009 world leader. Her record brought Flanagan a $25,000 bonus check, gave her the lead in the Visa Championship Series (1,212 points) and the Team USA Athlete of the Meet award presented by Visa.

Now in its eighth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2009 USATF Athlete of the Week Winners: January 6, Mason Finley; January 13, Amber Campbell; January 20, Josh Cox; January 27, German Fernandez; February 3, Ashton Eaton; February 10, Shalane Flanagan.

BEST MARKS WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 8

MEN

60 - 6.52 Jacoby Ford (Clemson) - Blacksburg, VA 2/7
200 - 20.65 Greg Nixon (Asics) - Eaubonne, FRA 2/6     World leader
400 - 46.41 Jeremy Orr (Michigan State) - Notre Dame, IN 2/7
800 - 1:48.79 ot Tyler Mulder (Northern Iowa) - Notre Dame, IN 2/7
1500 - 3:39.60 er Chris Lukezic (Reebok) - Boston, MA 2/7
Mile - 3:56.04 Chris Lukezic (Reebok) - Boston, MA 2/7
3000 - 7:35.41 Bernard Lagat (Nike) - Stuttgart, GER 2/7     World leader
5000 - 14:00.07 Patrick Smyth (Notre Dame) - Notre Dame, IN 2/6
60H - 7.45 David Oliver (Nike) - Stuttgart, GER 2/7     World leader
HJ - 2.34/7-8 Jesse Williams (Nike) - Arnstadt, GER 2/6
PV - 5.76/18-10.75 Jeremy Scott (unat) - Linz, AUT 2/5
LJ - 8.03/26-4.25 Matt Turner (unat) - Albquerque, NM 2/7
TJ - 16.43/53-11 Zuheir Sharif (Texas A&M) - New York, NY 2/7
SP - 20.58/67-6.25 Reese Hoffa (NYAC) - Malmo, SWE 2/3
WT - 22.84/74-11.25 A.G. Kruger (Nike) - Allendale, MI 2/6

WOMEN

60 - 7.19 Lisa Barber (adidas) - Boston, MA 2/7
200 - 23.17 Shalonda Solomon (Reebok) - Boston, MA 2/7
400 - 52.06 Francena McCorory (Hampton) - New York, NY 2/7
800 - 2:03.05 Alice Schmidt (adidas) - Boston, MA 2/7
1500 - 4:10.96 er Lindsey Gallo (Reebok) - Boston, MA 2/7
Mile - 4:27.90 Lindsey Gallo (Reebok) - Boston, MA 2/7     World leader
3000 - 8:46.65 Kara Goucher (Nike) - Boston, MA 2/7
5000 - 14:47.62 Shalane Flanagan (Nike) - Boston, MA 2/7     AMERICAN RECORD
60H - 7.85 Lolo Jones (Asics) - Stuttgart, GER 2/7     World leader
HJ - 1.86/6-1.25 Chaunte Howard (Nike) - Blacksburg, VA 2/7
PV - 4.82/15-9.75 Jenn Stuczynski (adidas) - Boston, MA 2/7 AMERICAN RECORD
LJ - 6.54/21-5.5 Hyleas Fountain (Nike) - Lexington, KY 2/7
TJ - 13.02/42-8.75 Sherita Williams (GBTC) - New York, NY 2/7
SP - 17.41/57-1.5 Karen Shump (unat) - Norman, OK 2/7
WT - 21.59/70-10 Sarah Stevens (Arizona State) - Flagstaff, AZ 2/7

Courtesy of USA Track & Field.

Flanagan Earns Bronze & American Record in 10,000-meters

-Beijing, China-Day 1 Analysis

Competition on the track opened up with a couple surprises.

It was a historical night in Beijing and a moment that signals progress tof American distance running on the international scene.

American Shalane Flanagan’s third place finish in the women’s 10,000-meters on Friday, marks only the second time in U.S. history that the country has medaled in this event. Her time of 30:22.22 established a new American record.

The winner, Ethopia’s Tirunesha Dibaba won gold, setting an Olympic record in 29:54.66, and Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey captured the silver.

The unpredictable nature of the Olympic Games was on display Friday in Beijing. Proving that nothing is guaranteed and anything is possible at the Olympic Games.

The Americans were heavily favored coming into Beijing and many thought that Reese Hoffa, Christian Cantwell, and Adam Nelson would pull off a 1-2-3 sweep of the event.

With that, Tomasz Majewski of Polland won an upset victory by throwing a career best 70 feet, 61/2 inches.

Christian Cantwell (61 feet, 2 ½ inches) was the lone U.S. athlete to medal in the event, walking away with a silver medal.

The favorite Reese Hoffa, the reigning World champion finished in a distant seventh place at 67 feet, 4 ¼ inches. Adam Nelson, did not register a mark in the final after three fouls.

The Amy Begley Show!

While at the Olympic Trials, the 10,000 meter run was a final event.  Amy Begley was arguably the story of the night. Not only did she have to place third to make the Olympic Team, but she also had to run the ‘A’ standard.

The top two finishers in Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher had left her behind earlier in the race.

With a lap and half to go, she left nothing to spare. She accomplished the A standard and third place with just 1.4 seconds to spare, leaving her race on the track in the process.

At the press conference she said, “I looked in the stands, and my husband had a worried look on his face,  I decided that I had to go now or regret this the rest of my life.”

Gouche and Begley are lifetime friends, and both train under the Nike’s Oregon Project with coaching sensation Roberto Salazar in Portland. This morning Begley has no regrets at all.

By Jay Hicks.