Results from Thursday Night Split the Pot 5km Race Series

Results from April 21:


Geoff 17:45

Simon 18:38

Bryce 18:48

Ryan 19:14

Brad 20:20

Rhonda 20:23

Jason 21:41

Shelley 22:19

Mike 23:47

Kathryn DNF
 
Next Race May 19.

Paula Findlay wins in London!!!!

Twenty-one-year-old Canadian Paula Findlay takes the women’s field at the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship London, running away with the win in a time of 1:51:48.

Amazing splits:

Swim 00:19:43 T1 00:00:32 Bike 00:57:17 T2 00:00:27 Run 00:33:51


What about cycling and Tour de l'Abitibi.... check it out as Craig Logan is in second after 5 of 6 stages and Alberta's own Kris Dahl is in 13th. Sweet!

1 115 AUS19920102 MORTON, Lachlan Team Holowesko Partners 08:48:47
2 24 CAN19920219 LOGAN, Craig Canada 08:49:26 +0:00:39
3 182 USA19921015 FRANCK, Eamon Team Specialized Racing Juniors 08:49:30 +0:00:43
4 196 USA19921107 NOONAN, Zack Young Medalists/Team Dual Tem 08:49:44 +0:00:57
5 44 NZL19930617 J ORAM, James Nouvelle-Zélande 08:49:46 +0:00:59
6 63 USA19920723 JONDALL, Thomas USA National Team 08:49:55 +0:01:08
7 193 USA19920620 CARPENTER, Robin Young Medalists/Team Dual Tem 08:50:00 +0:01:13
8 172 USA19930902 J LIPSCOMB, Mathew South Eastern Regional 08:50:07 +0:01:20
9 94 USA19920214 TURNER, Edison DIY Music 08:50:10 +0:01:23
10 41 NZL19930522 J CREIGHTON, Scott Nouvelle-Zélande 08:50:13 +0:01:26
11 183 USA19930701 J LABERGE, James Team Specialized Racing Juniors 08:50:13 +0:01:26
12 46 NZL19921212 WRIGHT, Louis Nouvelle-Zélande 08:50:15 +0:01:28
13 22 CAN19920707 DAHL, Kris Canada 08:50:19 +0:01:32
14 185 USA19930126 J PHILIPP, Torey Team Specialized Racing Juniors 08:50:20 +0:01:33
15 23 CAN19920325 DESHAIES, Jean-Samuel Canada 08:50:20 +0:01:33
16 21 CAN19930901 J CATAFORD, Alex Canada 08:50:25 +0:01:38


World Junior Track and Field Championships in Moncton

Men's 5000m Final
Ross Proudfoot, 14th, 15:03.13
"The field is deep, those guys are in a whole other league. I see where this type of competition stands, which will prepare me for future competitions."

Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final
Geneviève Lalonde, 6th, 9:57.74 New pending Canadian Junior Record & New Americas Junior Record
"It’s really cool - a totally amazing feeling after this race. I didn’t know if this was going to happen at the first of the year but to finally bring it all together in my hometown at the end of the year, it’s a great feeling. I was a little worried about trying to keep up with them, but I thought I would try something new and it worked out very well for me. It was a wave of noise every time I came by the crowd and it’s what you need when you are trying to run a race like this."

Women's 5000m Final
Victoria Hanna, 14th in 17:28.99
"Love the home crowd, I started strong but as you could see I struggled at the end."

Women's 800m
Carly Paracholski, 5th in semi final #1, 2:05.99 PB - Pending Canadian Youth Record - does not advance to final
Annie LeBlanc, 4th in semi final #3, 2:05.17 PB - does not advance to final

World Junior Athletics Opening Highlights and Tour de l’Abitibi Junior Cycling Competition Stage 1

World Junior Athletics

Women's 3000m

Kenya's Mercy Cherono defended her 3000 metres title by winning in a World leading time for the year of 8:55.07. She was followed by blistering finishes from Emebet Anteneh who clocked a personal best 8:55.24 and Layes Abdullayeva who set a Azerbaijan record of 8:55.33.

Men's 10000m



Dennis Masai became the seventh Kenyan winner of the IAAF World Junior Championships 10,000 metres. Masai's won in a teime of 27:53.88, a World leading mark for the year and a personal best by over 32 seconds. He was chased down by in a highly competitive race as he defeated Gebretsadik Abraha of Ethiopia and Lonyangata who also recorded lifetime fastest marks of 28:03.45 and 28:14.55.

By the way, Masai is the younger brother of Linet, the 10,000m World champion from Berlin.

Someone asked me what the entry standards are for World Juniors, here is an example of how tough they are:

Women's 3000m - 9:35:00
Women's 5000m - 16:30:00
Women's 3000m Steeplechase - 11:00:00

Men's 5000 Metres - 14:15.00 or 8:15.00 (3000 Metres)
Men's 10,000 Metres - 31:00.00

Tour de l’Abitibi Stage 1



The first stage of this traditional junior cycling competition has been completed. The first stage was a 94.6km route from Preissac to Val-d’Or.

Jean-Samuel Deshaies, a member of the Canadian National Team, was second and Philippe Nadon from the Québec team was third.

The 17-year-old Laberge claimed the brown, orange and blue jerseys. The second stage of the Coupe des Nations will take place on Wednesday afternoon with a 106.7km race beginning in Amos, the native town of seven of the riders taking part in the competition, and will finish in Val-d’Or.



Up until a month ago I did not know anything about Le Tour de l'Abitibi. However, after having the opportunity to be on the coaching staff for Junior Nationals, I learned what an amazing event and opportunity this event is for the junior male riders. Maybe one day it will include females!

Le Tour de l'Abitibi first took place in 1969. Throughout the years, the Tour has earned a solid reputation for the excellence of the organisation, as well as the festivities surrounding the event.

The Tour is the only North American stage of the International Cycling Union Junior World Cup. 6th of 12 stages, the Tour de l'Abitibi is the most important, longest and most popular stage. For cyclists, the Tour is a preparing event for the World Championship, scheduled at the end of September. The success of the Tour gives it its world-wide notoriety and each edition brings the best junior riders in the world.

" A Tour de France for juniors" is what the cyclists and team technical directors compare the Tour de l'Abitibi to each year.

More than 30 countries have participated so far and many contacts have been made to attract more. Many international teams compete every year along with other clubs from the United-States and Canada, making it a peloton composed of approximately 25 teams.

This international presence ensures an important media coverage for the Tour de l'Abitibi.

Three champions of the Tour de l'Abitibi, who have moved on to become world-class senior cyclists, Michaël Zanoli (Holland), Laurent Jalabert (France) and Alex Steïda (Canada), declared one day that Tour de l'Abitibi was " the biggest win of their career ".

Stage 1 Results

1. James Laberge (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors 2:12:54
2. Jean-Samuel Deshaies (Can) Team Canada
3. Philippe Nadon (Can) Team Québec
4. Robin Carpenter (USA) Young Medalists/Team Dual Temp
5. Louis Wright (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
6. Juan Carmona (USA) Young Medalists/Team Dual Temp
7. Chandler Knop (USA) Team Holowesko Partners
8. Mathew Lipscomb (USA) South Eastern Regional
9. Wataru Mutsumine (Jpn) Japanese National Team
10. Craig Logan (Can) Team Canada
11. Dion Smith (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
12. Wesley Kline (USA) Young Medalists/Team Dual Temp
13. Raphaël Massé-Viau (Can) Team Québec
14. Benjamin Swedberg (USA) USA National Team
15. Paul Lynch (USA) USA National Team
16. Eamon Franck (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors
17. Graham Dewart (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
18. James Oram (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
19. Jeffrey Perrin (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional
20. David Kessler (USA) Team Holowesko Partners
21. Brandon Feehery (USA) Borah Development
22. Peter Taylor (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors
23. Andrew Ramage (USA) Mid-South Regional
24. Edison Turner (USA) DIY Music
25. Félix Côté-Bouvette (Can) Team Québec
26. Nathaniel Beams (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
27. Nate Geoffrion (USA) USA National Team
28. Jacob Arnold (USA) Team Holowesko Partners
29. Jean-Michel Naud (Can) Team Québec
30. Tanner Putt (USA) South Eastern Regional
31. Jordan Brochu (Can) Team Québec
32. Angelo Ramon (USA) South Eastern Regional
33. Benjamin Salibra (USA) Colavita Racing
34. Lachlan Morton (Aus) Team Holowesko Partners
35. Nick Sutton (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
36. Kris Dahl (Can) Team Canada
37. Andrew Hemesath (USA) Team Holowesko Partners
38. Alex Cataford (Can) Team Canada
39. James Bird (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team
40. Michael Dalterio (Can) Espoirs Saputo
41. Frédéric Poisson (Can) Team Canada
42. Koji Nagase (Jpn) Japanese National Team
43. Ryan MacDonald (Can) Team Canada
44. David Novak (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional
45. Philippe Vézina (Can) Équipe Atrium CC2-R
46. Scott Creighton (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
47. Simon-Pierre Maltais (Can) Nippour/ Devinci
48. Jason King (Can) Team Ontario
49. Daniel Farinha (USA) USA National Team
50. AJ Snovel (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional
51. Thomas Jondall (USA) USA National Team
52. Zack Noonan (USA) Young Medalists/Team Dual Temp
53. Colt Peterson (USA) USA National Team
54. Thomas Folly (Can) Nippour/ Devinci
55. Michael Dziedzic (USA) Mid-South Regional
56. Jacob Gorke (USA) Colavita Racing
57. Ben Barthel (USA) Mid-South Regional
58. Olivier Delaney (Can) Team Québec
59. Torey Philipp (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors
60. Gabriel Murray (USA) Mid-South Regional
61. John Tomlinson (USA) Borah Development
62. Neal Shepherd (USA) South Eastern Regional
63. Jonathan Merritt (USA) South Eastern Regional
64. Nicholas Hand (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
65. David Benkoski (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors
66. Booey Hottenstein (USA) Hotel San Jose
67. William Rader (USA) Hotel San Jose
68. Paul Kumm (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team
69. William Zellmer (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional 0:14
70. Sirironnachai Sarawut (Tha) Thailand National Team
71. Taylor Gaines (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
72. Seehabuntong Poompat (Tha) Thailand National Team
73. Jess Neufeld (Can) Team Alberta 0:21
74. Sanikwathi Thanawut (Tha) Thailand National Team
75. Alexandre Tremblay (Can) Équipe Atrium CC2-R
76. Émile Jean (Can) Espoirs Saputo
77. Daniel Choto (Biz) Belize National Team
78. Wei Chen (USA) Colavita Racing
79. David Onsow (Can) Équipe régionale Abitibi
80. Evan Wynn (USA) DIY Music
81. Nicholas Roeder (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional
82. Shogo Ichimaru (Jpn) Japanese National Team 0:24
83. Masaru Nakazato (Jpn) Japanese National Team 0:31
84. Milo Del Bigio (USA) Team Alberta 0:52
85. Thomson Remo (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team 1:17
86. Ohko Shimizu (Jpn) Japanese National Team 1:20
87. Sianglam Satjakul (Tha) Thailand National Team 1:45
88. Michael Pincus (USA) Hotel San Jose 1:51
89. Jos Chalmers (USA) Florida Velo Junior Development 2:01
90. Julien Langlois (Can) Espoirs Saputo
91. David Goodman (USA) South Eastern Regional
92. Max Kaplan (USA) Colavita Racing
93. Scott Stern (USA) Équipe Atrium CC2-R
94. Noah MacCallum (Can) Team Ontario 2:04
95. Alexander Spook (USA) Florida Velo Junior Development 2:07
96. Samuel Geyer (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team
97. Benoît Lantagne (Can) Équipe régionale Abitibi
98. Christopher Bernard (Can) Espoirs Saputo
99. Jukrapech Wichana (Tha) Thailand National Team
100. Neal Forbes (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
101. Jimmy Lapointe (Can) Équipe régionale Abitibi
102. Ryan Gadow (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional
103. Thomas Desjardins (Can) Équipe Atrium CC2-R 2:42
104. Kiernan Orange (Can) Espoirs Saputo
105. Jeffrey Alpert (USA) Young Medalists/Team Dual
106. Brian Trafford (Can) Team Ontario
107. Andrew Jr. Lanier (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors 3:07
108. Alexander Meyer (USA) Borah Development 3:11
109. Simon-Pierre Gauthier (Can) Espoirs Saputo 3:13
110. Blaise Limoges (Can) Équipe régionale Abitibi
111. Sean Lynch (USA) Colavita Racing
112. Alex Battles-Wood (USA) Hotel San Jose 3:14
113. Ian Mcgauvran (USA) Florida Velo Junior Development
114. Tony Wieczorek (USA) Borah Development 3:16
115. Ty Andrews (Can) Team Alberta 3:28
116. Darren Williams (Biz) Belize National Team
117. Christopher Bennette (USA) Florida Velo Junior Development 3:35
118. Ryan Burns (USA) Colavita Racing 4:22
119. Graham Courtney (Can) Team Alberta 4:28
120. Jacob Bouchard (Can) Nippour/ Devinci 4:48
121. Austin Armstrong (Biz) Belize National Team 5:14
122. Luke Lininger (USA) Borah Development 5:16
123. Cody Tapley (USA) Hotel San Jose 6:19
124. Ian Sullivan (USA) DIY Music 6:38
125. Greg Brown (USA) Borah Development
126. Marc-Antoine Labelle (Can) Équipe Atrium CC2-R 9:13
127. Brian Lark (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
128. Jérémie Lavoie-Doyon (Can) Nippour/ Devinci 9:15
129. Kyle Gentle (Biz) Belize National Team 10:07
130. Rhys Rathbun (USA) Team Holowesko Partners
131. Melvin Tillett (Biz) Belize National Team 10:23
132. Charles Matte (Can) Nippour/ Devinci 14:37
133. Taylor Warren (USA) Florida Velo Junior Development 16:02
134. Charles Chazz Martin (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team 16:44
135. Robert Chorost (USA) Mid-South Regional 17:30
136. Bryce Mouneyres (Fra) Nippour/ Devinci
137. Johnathan Freter (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
138. Naoto Yokoya (Jpn) Japanese National Team
139. Mackenzie Garvin (Can) Team Alberta
140. Chris Balestrini (Can) Team Ontario
141. Vance Fletcher (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team
142. Alex Parks (USA) Hotel San Jose
143. Francis Desbiens (Can) Équipe Atrium CC2-R
144. Maxwell Robb (USA) DIY Music 17:35
145. Mackensie Carson (Can) Team Alberta 17:38
146. Dominic Proulx-Fournier (Can) Équipe régionale Abitibi 17:39
147. Gabriel Charlton (Can) Team Ontario 20:34
148. Richard Vera (Biz) Belize National Team 21:38
OTL Patrick McGinley (Can) Young Medalists/Team 28:33
OTL Christopher Flanagan (USA) Mid-South Regional
OTL Michael Raynor (USA) DIY Music 30:47
DNF Bradley Gordon (USA) Florida Velo Junior Dev
DNF Connor Williams (USA) DIY Music
DNF Brandon Spencer (Can) Team Ontario

Helly Vissier gets inducted in Cdn Masters Hall of Fame

Calgary Herald
Today is Tuesday July 20, 2010
Visser heads for the Hall
By Keith B. Fri, Jul 16 2010 Calgary Runner

If Helly Visser has proved one thing, it’s that it’s never too late to start running.

"I didn’t run until I was 50," says Visser, a 76-year-old retired kindergarten teacher.

"You have your family and your work. I was a mother, so you don’t have time — at least I didn’t think I could take time."

On Saturday, Visser will be one of 10 athletes inducted into the Canadian Masters Athletic Hall of Fame — the only one from Alberta.

She is being recognized for an outstanding career as a Masters runner, one that has brought her a total of 14 Canadian and world records and a trophy cabinet full of medals from eight world masters championships.

"I never thought I would be competitive but I was," says Visser. "You do something and you really try your best and that, I think, is what you get with running. There’s some measurement there. I started training, of course, and that’s how it all started."

Visser joined the Calgary Roadrunners in 1985 and nine years later she experienced her ‘Aha moment.’

"In 1994 I went to Las Vegas and did the half marathon and had the North American record for that," she says of her time of one hour, 36 minutes.

"That really encouraged me so I started to look at what people were doing in the world masters championships for athletics and I thought, ‘Oh, well, I can run there.'

"Buffalo in 1995 was my first worlds masters athletics championships. It was a big learning curve but it was very interesting. I had never run on the track and I had to learn an awful lot. I came away with a gold in the 1,500 metres and a silver in the 5,000. From then I have gone to all of them. it’s a wonderful way to travel and it’s so good to have a goal in mind."

Visser, a mother of three and grandmother of two, credits the Natural Posture Running technique she now teaches with not only sustaining her career, but helping her to run faster.

"You run better, you run more efficiently. It’s easier on your body," she says. "If you relax your body, it works the way it’s supposed to work. If you watch the Olympics and see the (athletes’) movements, it looks so (relaxed)."

Visser says the highlight of her running career came in the fall of 2008, when she was part of the four-woman team (alongside Diane Palmason, Louise Reed and Mary McCarron) that set a 4x400 metres world record in the 70 to 75 age category, with a time of 6:12:25.

"The championships were in Saskatoon but someone made a mistake and we were disqualified, so we organized for the relay to be in Calgary," she says. "It was a world record. That was the event that was really exciting."

The other athletes being inducted in Toronto this weekend are Sverre Hietanen, Lenore Marvin, Maurice Tarrant and Palmason, all of B.C., Judith Kazdan, Robert Moore and Art Obokata, of Ontario, Emil Muller of Quebec and Alex Oakley of Newfoundland.

Visser, who is part of the Hall’s selection committee (and admits to voting for herself), left for Toronto Friday to take part in the small ceremony, in which she will be presented with a photo and recognized on the CMAA Hall of Fame website (www.canadianmastersathletics.com).

"I don’t think I’ll ever be in another hall of fame," she says, laughing.

"I’m at a time in my life now, I’m 76, where I’m sure I will be active now for another 10, 15, 20 years. But still, you have to do the things that you want to do now."

Semenya cleared by IAAF, could run in Moncton

Caster Semenya was cleared to return to competitive athletics by the IAAF. This ends an 11-month layoff while she underwent gender verification tests after becoming the 800-meter world champion.

It is possible that she could return to competition at the world junior championships in Moncton, Canada, starting July 19.

This situation, in my opinion, was horrible for everyone. I cannot imagine what her family and her have gone through. Even for "the powers" this must have been a difficult time.

Hopefully, noone else ever has to go through this again!!!

BC Woman Wins Legendary Western States 100 Miler

For the first time ever a Canadian woman, specifically a woman from Vernon, British Columbia, has won the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run.

Tracy Garneau, who is 41 years of age won the event in 19 hours 1 minute and 55 seconds, beating out a very competitive women’s field.
Another BC runner, North Vancouver’s Gary Robbins, placed a very respectable 6th overall on the men’s side that saw Alaskan Geoff Roes win with a record-breaking time of 15 hours, 7 minutes and 4.5 seconds.

A big congratulations to these two runners as well as everyone else from north of the border who gutted it during the race.

Malindi Elmore on Competition

From the Edmonton Journal:

"I just see that sport has become really narrowly focused on podium performances and anything outside of top-three finishes are no longer being supported," she said.

"And sport is still a lot more than winning. It's about competing and doing your best and encouraging people to be active and healthy. I'm concerned that with such a narrow podium-finish focus in the elite sport funding scheme, we are losing focus of what it means to participate and be at championships and be an all-around good athlete."

In a sport like track and field, she said, where competition across the globe is fierce, support from the governing bodies shouldn't stop with a bronze medal.

"On the one hand, we do want to have a culture of excellence and we do want people to do their best," she said. "It is good to win and it is good for the country when we do have Vancouver results and our record gold medals.

"I think track and field, being a finalist in the Olympic Games is an extremely impressive thing, but from a sports funding or a national sport focus, that seems to not be good enough anymore. I think that sends a wrong message." ............

"It's finding that sweet spot of being excited but still being relaxed and not letting it overwhelm you."

Mohammed Ahmed Wisconsin 4th 10k in Canadian Junior Record 2010 NCAA Outdoor Champs

Mohammed Ahmed Wisconsin 4th 10k in Canadian Junior Record 2010 NCAA Outdoor Champs | 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Flotrack

NCAA Division I 2010 Outdoor
Track & Field Championships
Eugene, Or - 6/9/2010 to 6/12/2010

Event 8 Men 10000 Meter Run
================================================================
Final only. Random draw. Double waterfall. 2/3 on main
American: A 26:59.60 5/1/2010 Chris Solinsky, Nike
College Best: C 27:08.49 5/1/2010 Sam Chelanga, Liberty
NCAA Meet: M 28:01.30 6/1/1979 Suleiman Nyambui, Texas-El Paso
Hayward: S 26:25.97 2008 Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia
Name Year School Finals
================================================================
Finals
1 Sam Chelanga JR Liberty 28:37.40
2 John Kosgei SR Oklahoma State 28:55.93
3 Jake Riley JR Stanford 28:57.41
4 Mohammed Ahmed FR Wisconsin 28:57.44
5 Kiel Uhl SR Iowa State 28:58.55
6 Joe Bosshard FR Colorado 28:59.87
7 Ben Cheruiyot SO Auburn 29:09.09
8 Alfred Kipchumba SO Portland 29:09.63
9 Matt Llano SR Richmond 29:10.27
10 John Beattie SR Tulsa 29:16.48

Morrison wins her first Ironman on the toughest course

Catriona Morrison overturned one of the biggest deficits in triathlon history, staging what will rank among the most dramatic sporting recoveries ever as she won the Lanzarote Ironman on Saturday.


Scotland’s three-times world duathlon champion spent 45 minutes stranded, waiting for a mechanic, after her bike chain snapped. She had battled to establish a lead of more than eight minutes but was impotent at the roadside as it haemorrhaged away, reduced to a spectator’s role as five rivals rode past.

The three-discipline event is arguably the hardest in sport, and the Lanzarote Ironman rivals Hawaii as the toughest: a 2.4-mile open water swim in the Atlantic, 112-mile bike ride involving 8365 feet of climbing, and concluding with a marathon.

“I picked them off one by one and took the lead with around two kilometres to go,” said Morrison. She finished in 10hr 03min 53sec, winning by 88 seconds. Her marathon leg was 3hr 04 min 46sec, a time that would have placed her among the first 100 UK women in the London Marathon and eighth among Scots. The third man on the podium yesterday ran slower.

Louise Collins, a former GB rowing medallist, finished in 10:05.21, with German Nicole Woysch third (10:11.18), and Aberdeenshire’s defending champion, Bella Bayliss, fourth in 10:16:47.

They all gasped as my chain snapped. If it had happened out in the country I’d have been running around headless. Catriona Morrison

“Nothing remotely like this has happened to me before,” said Morrison, her back blistered in the 70-degree heat. On her only other Ironman, Hawaii last year, she made the fastest ever debut. But she has won two ITU long distance duathlon world titles and one over the short distance.

“I was lucky where the chain broke,” she said. “It was in the town of Teguise and people were cheering me as the first woman. They all gasped as my chain snapped. If it had happened out in the country I’d have been running around headless. But somebody phoned a mechanic, and I just got some water, some food, and tried to keep calm in the shade. But it was hard watching everyone go past.”

Her husband, Richard, confirmed yesterday that she had been at the roadside for 45 minutes. Otherwise she would have been comfortably inside the course record.

Back in the saddle, Morrison rode with controlled frenzy. “The race climbs a volcano to over 8000 feet. There are four long, brutal drags as you go up, but you must come down again, and these descents are scary. One guy crashed right in front of me. I was so frightened it made me shake.

“He took a corner too fast and went over the Armco crash barrier at the side of the road. I was so close that I was past him before I could do anything to help. There was an ambulance attending to another crash victim barely 100 metres further down the hill. I yelled at them to go back up.”

It turned out to be David Deak, a Canadian racing for the first time since donating a kidney to save his father’s life last summer. He broke a bone in his hand and sprained an ankle.

“By the time I got on the bike I was so far behind that I was going to abandon, but I started playing the numbers game,” added Morrison. “I thought that eight-minute plus lead before halfway on the ride might have meant I was pushing a wee bit too hard.”

Hillary Biscay of the US had been first out of the water in 52min 40sec, with Morrison 1:59 behind, just a second ahead of double defending champion Bayliss. The Aberdonian (formerly Comerford), who was 2008 World champion, was bidding for a third successive victory. She managed to claw her way into the lead when her compatriot was stalled, but after Morrison passed her in the final six miles, she faded to fourth.

England’s Louise Collins was second. “She is not even a professional triathlete,” said Morrison, “so she is ineligible for any prize money. It was a fantastic performance, and I really felt bad about catching her so close to the end. It was a real shame.”

Brought up in Scotstoun, and a Commonwealth Games triathlete in 2002, the 33-year-old Morrison collected €8500 for victory, second biggest win of her career.

This qualifies Morrison for this year’s world championship in Hawaii . She is determined to improve on 16th last year, when she had swine flu but refused to pull out. So she paid her $550 Hawaii entry fee in Lanzarote yesterday morning.

Unlike the marathon’s prima donnas (average: two races per year) Morrison will be back in action next weekend. “I’ve a sprint event in Spain,” said the iron woman, “then a half Ironman in the Basque country a fortnight later.

“After that I will be putting in some serious training for Hawaii and the World Duathlon Championships in Edinburgh in the autumn.”


I am so darn proud of you, Cat!!!!!

Colleen De Reuck - never ceases to amaze me!

Some of you youngsters may no even know this name, Colleen De Reuck, but she has been around for a long time and is one of the best distance runners of her time.

At age 45, De Reuck ran a world record time of 1:07:21 for the fastest-ever 20 kilometers by a woman over 45 by some seven minutes. She also won the USA 20-K title, beating Serena Burla --19 years her junior-- by 17 seconds.

Eleven years ago, Colleen De Reuck, at age 34 years(then a South African citizen) won her first New Haven Road Race 20-K, setting a world record time of 1:05:11.

Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans / California 70.3/ Glencoe Icebreaker 10 km

My good friend Cat Morrison tore it up in New Orleans today finishing second in a blistering time! Looks like the trip from Scotland was well worth it! Prior to the race Cat was worried that her bike and run were not as strong as she would like. I guess she does not need to worry too much about that now!

Magali Tisseyre from Canada also had a great race.

Professional Women Top Ten

Natasha Badmann - 4:17:50 - Course Record
Catriona Morrison - 4:18:43
Joanna Zeiger - 4:22:25
Caitlin Snow - 4:22:51
Nina Kraft - 4:23:17
Magali Tisseyre - 4:24:40
Linsey Corbin - 4:26:28
Kate Major - 4:28:02
Lisa Bentley - 4:28:57
Jessica Myers -4:31:34

Yesterday at Ironman California, Speed Theory teammate and Olympian, Lisa Mensink of Calgary rocked to a 6th place finish. Lisa had an awesome run off the bike!

Top 10 Professional Women

1. Mirinda Carfrae 04:25:02
2. Sarah Groff 04:25:23
3. Leanda Cave 04:25:43
4. Erika Csomor 04:28:31
5. Tine Deckers 04:31:12
6. Lisa Mensink 04:32:17
7. Samantha Warriner 04:32:57
8. Dede Griesbauer 04:32:58
9. Mary Beth Ellis 04:33:53
10. Kim Loeffler 04:37:08

Locally, it was the Glencoe Icebreaker 10km. Fitting name given some of the ice on the roads and paths. It was a sunny day and slightly cool. But fun was had by all. Most of Kronos raced today. This was the first 10km for the club and everyone was excited by the easy week providing for fresh legs. Those fresh legs resulted in personal best times with some individuals running 2 to 3 minutes faster on this course over last year. It is great to see a program working and the confidence of the athletes increasing. Bart and I are very proud! I too raced to a 6th place finish (41:30 min). This was my tune-up race for the Vancouver Sun Run in two weeks. I am excited to race in two weeks at sea level and on a flat course! I am feeling strong and now just need to rest and do some sharpening work.


My niece, Faye (19 yrs old) ran as well. She has only ran one 10km previously; this one last year. She rocked to a third place finish running 38:56 and 25 seconds faster than last year. She dresses just like me for these cooler days.

Favourite Workouts this Week and Kudos

First and foremost kudos:

Martin Lautsch, who is coached by me, achieved a personal best over the marathon distance on a tough course. Martin ran the Lost Dutchman race in Arizona posting a time of 3:21:07, over 4 minutes off his previous best time in Vancouver. Nice work Martin!

It was a tough year for Martin with the passing of his father and lots of travel. Proud of you!!

Martin commented: "It was the strongest I felt at the end of a race and I did not go through the usual HE** from 30 - 40 km. My times did fall off from km 25 - 40 compared to the rest of the race but not compared to other races. This part of the race was for the most part up hill. Bottom line I am pleased with my performance."

Training partner, Syl Corbett travelled to the central Canada to run the National Snowshoe Race and claimed the National title. Syl had to train heavily on the bike over the last several weeks due to a broken toe. She was a good sport and endured some heavy duty bike workouts in my garage. Nice work Syl.


Training this past week was awesome. I had some great workouts and feel my fitness took a huge jump forward. So as promised here are my favorite workouts from this past week:

Run: 15 minutes easy; drills/strides/ (2x200, 2x1000, 2x200) x2. 200s were hard and 1000s were at 10km race pace less 10 seconds per km. Recovery was 90 seconds after the 200s and 2 minutes after the 1000s.

Bike: 85 min total time
w-up: 15 min easy spin;

Big Gear / Low Heart Rate:

6 X 5:00 in big gear while maintaining a low heart rate. The objective was to tax the muscle fibers, not the heart; thus keeping the heart rate relatively low. Each interval was followed by a 5 minutes easy spinning recovery.

cl-dwn: 10 min easy spin


Train hard my friends and continue to do it cause you love it!!

Calgary's Helly Visser named to CAAWS Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity List for 2008

From the Beijing Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games to the organization and preparation for the 2010 Games in Vancouver, the impact of the Olympics and Paralympics is evident on the 2008 list of Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity.

The list is compiled by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS).

Twenty women were named to the 2008 version, which recognizes women who have made a significant impact as academics, athletes, administrators, advocates, broadcasters, coaches, executives, fundraisers, managers, officials, psychologists and volunteers. Their selection to the list reflects their influential activity in the calendar year 2008.

This is the seventh time CAAWS has announced its Most Influential Women list.

Fredericton, NB’s Nicole Smith, Chair of the CAAWS Board of Directors outlined how the list reflects the significant sport and physical activities in Canada, “Women were very involved in Canada’s successful athletic accomplishments in Beijing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. And, as we prepare to host the 2010 Games in Vancouver, we see many influential Canadian women leading the way. It is also interesting to see the spectrum of women who are named to the list, from young athletes, to women still competing at the Masters level and those who contribute in many other aspects of sport and physical activity. Because of the depth of women who have chosen to be involved at both the national and international level, Canadian women are leaving an indelible mark on the world stage as well.

Women associated with the Beijing games include: gold medallist Carol Hunyh; Canadian athlete of the year, Chantal Petitclerc, fencing competitor and coach Jujie Luan, sports psychologist Penny Werthner, the COC’s Executive Director of Olympic Preparation Carol Assalian, COC Chef de Mission Sylvie Bernier, official Slava Corn, and broadcasters Robin Brown and Marie-Josée Turcotte. Named to the list with a direct involvement with the 2010 Games include Cathy Priestner Allinger, the Executive Vice President - Sport, Paralympic Games and Venue Management for VANOC; and Donna Wilson, Executive Vice President – Workforce and Sustainability, for VANOC.

New names on the list this year are Newfoundland’s Mary Bluchardt who is working on the Long-Term Athlete Development expert panel; Ottawa’s Abby Hoffman for her work to have women sit on International Association of Athletics Federation’s committees; and Calgary’s 74-year old Master’s runner, Helly Visser.

Returning to the list were Melody Davidson, General Manager and Coach of the National Women’s Hockey Team; Sheryn Posen, the Chief Operating Officer of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame; Carla Qualtrough, the President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee; skier and climate change advocate Sara Renner; fundraiser Jane Roos who continues to encourage financial support for Canada’s elite athletes; and Beckie Scott who contributes through her work on boards of directors.

Young women whose influence is being noticed were named as “Ones to Watch”. The Canadian Women’s Ski Jump Team were cited for their legal fight to have their sport included in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. As well, freestyle skier Kristi Richards of Pemberton, BC was included as a result of her work to help others through her Supporting the Dream Legacy Fund.

The 2008 Most Influential Women (in alphabetical order) are:

Carol Assalian, Ottawa, ON
Sylvie Bernier, Rosemère, Quebec
Mary Bluechardt, St. John’s, Nfld.
Robin Brown, Toronto, ON
Slava Corn, Toronto, ON
Melody Davidson, Calgary, AB
Abby Hoffman, Ottawa, ON
Carol Huynh, Calgary, AB
Jujie Luan, Edmonton, AB
Chantal Petitclerc, Montreal, QC
Sheryn Posen, Toronto, Ontario
Cathy Priestner Allinger, Vancouver, BC
Carla Qualtrough, Vancouver, BC
Sara Renner, Canmore, Alberta
Jane Roos, Toronto, Ontario
Beckie Scott, Panorama, British Columbia
Marie-Josée Turcotte, Montreal, QC
Helly Visser, Calgary, AB
Penny Werthner, Ottawa, ON
Donna Wilson, Vancouver, BC

About Helly Visser:
Active and competitive at the age of 74, Helly Visser mentors other master runners through running camps and weekly training sessions. Radiant and tireless, she trains on the streets of Calgary before travelling to local, national and international competitions. She regualarly breaks her own national and world records, both indoor and outdoor. An advocate for healthy active living, she presents talks and demonstrations to seniors groups and clubs. She i scurrently fundraising and promoting for a proposed Calgary fieldhouse to house 20 sporting associations from athletics to soccer to tennis. This year she participated in We Run, a feature-length documentary scheduled on running, and travelled to Finland to advise Finnish committee on hosting the World Masters Athletics Championships in 2009.

California International Marathon

Well I just had a look at the California International Marathon Results. This is one of my favorite races. It is a a course with lots of rolling hills from about mile 6 to 16 and has an overall downward elevation. It is not an easy course as most people would think. Anyway, I started to look at the results and my eyes began to widen as I saw that 9 out of the 30 top women were over 40. All of these women went under 3 hours and 5 of them went under 2 hours and 50 minutes. Crazy!

For a 46 year old woman a time of 3 hours is equal to 2 hours and 41 minutes when age-graded. It continues to amaze me as to how many women are running well over the age of 40.

BTW, there was one male in the top 30 that was over 40 years of age. He ran 2:29 which is amazing as well.

Invitation to Presentation by Joshua Riker-Fox, 2008 Olympian.

What: Reflections of Beijing 08 – Living the Olympic Dream. Join Joshua Riker-Fox as he shares his story about the physical and mental preparation required to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games (Modern Pentathlon). This interactive presentation is perfect for athletes of all ages and abilities and for those who just enjoy a great story!

Who: The only male athlete to compete for Canada at an Olympic Games in Pentathlon since 1992 and one of the youngest athletes in the field in Beijing, Joshua Riker-Fox will be talking about his Olympic experience

When: NOVEMBER 6TH, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

Where: Calgary Winter Club, 4611 14th Street NW, Calgary

Note the public are invited to this event. Tickets are 12$ per person and are available from the Calgary Winter Club, call 403-289-5511. Light snack included.

For more information call Joshua Riker-Fox at 403-807-1737, or pentajosh@yahoo.ca,
or visit www.riker-fox.com

BIO

Joshua RIKER-FOX
Born: September 6, 1983 in Calgary, Alberta
Height: 6’1” / Weight: 176 lb
Hometown: Delacour, Alberta
Residence: Calgary, Alberta
Coach: John Hawes

In 2008, Joshua was the first Canadian man to qualify for an Olympic Games since 1992. One of the youngest competitors in the field and competing against the 36 best pentathletes in the world, Joshua finished 24th. He now has his eyes on London 2012! Joshua is the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Canadian Men’s Champion and captured a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. He represented Canada in the individual event at the 2008, 2007 and 2006 World Championships. In 2006, he finished fifth at the Open Polish Championship, eighth at the USA Open National Championship, 12th at the Pan American Modern Pentathlon Championship and 14th at the African Open Championship. Represented Canada in the individual event at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, finishing seventh.

Top Ten Women at Duathlon Worlds

Fernandes defends Duathlon title (September 27, 2008 )
Olympic silver medallist Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal successfully defended her ITU Duathlon World Championship today in Italy. It was a commanding victory for Fernandes who finished ahead of 2-time Long Distance Duathlon World Champion Catriona Morrison of Great Britain and double Olympian Ana Burgos of Spain.

Fernandes opened the race with the fastest 10-kilometer run among the women, taking a 44-second lead heading out onto the 40-kilometer bike course. One of the most powerful cyclists in the sport, the defending champion extended her lead with the fastest bike split. Glasgow's Catriona Morrison cut the deficit to put herself in medal contention but no one challenged Fernandes who coasted to victory and won by more than 90 seconds.

"Today I could do a good run and a good bike, it was a surprise for me but I think it was a good way to finish the season so I'm happy," said Fernandes. Since taking silver at the Beijing Olympic Games, Fernandes won her 9th European title with the under23 championship and now her second Duathlon world title.

Morrison, who only started her season last month due to knee surgery in April, has come back strong and adds the silver medal to her long distance world championship in August. Beijing Olympian Burgos out-ran Alexandra Louison of France and home favourite Laura Giordano of Italy in the final run leg to take the bronze.

Fernandes Vanessa POR 02:00:51
Morrison Catriona GBR 02:02:29
Burgos Ana ESP 02:04:27
Louison Alexandra FRA 02:04:51
Giordano Laura ITA 02:05:09
Vodickova Radka CZE 02:05:16
Dederko Ewa POL 02:05:35
Janssen Eva NED 02:05:42
Van der Meijden Ruth NED 02:05:52
Jimenez Tome Beatriz ESP 02:05:59

How close is this for Fernandas versus Morrison:
Fernandes Vanessa POR 02:00:51 00:33:13 00:01:21 01:06:56 00:01:09 00:18:08
Morrison Catriona GBR 02:02:29 00:34:10 00:01:25 01:07:25 00:01:13 00:18:12

Awesome result for Catriona!

Jeannie Longo of France

French cyclist competes at her seventh Olympics
By Paul Lewis
Monday, 11 August 2008

It passed almost forgotten. One of the great Olympians and international competitors, Jeannie Longo of France, finished 24th in the women's road race.

She finished four places ahead of New Zealand's Jo Kiesanowski who was well in the hunt until the last third of the race. No big deal, you might think - except Jeannie Longo will be 50 in October and no-one has dared to ask her if this, her seventh Olympics, will be her last.

Almost certainly not. Longo is a very different character, you see.

Let's get the sporting achievements out of the way first: In road cycling, nine world championship gold medals, three silver and two bronze. In the Olympics - one gold (in the road race, in 1996), two silvers and a bronze.

In track cycling, four world championship golds (most in Sarah Ulmer's event, the 3000m individual pursuit), three silvers and three bronze.

In mountain - yup, that's right, this woman so dominated cycling she was even world-class in this crossover event, one world championship silver medal at her one and only go at it, in 1993.

That is a quite astonishing CV. Twenty-nine world championship or Olympic medals over a 27-year career.

And it hasn't finished yet. Even more remarkable is the fact that Longo is here at all. She attributes her longevity to her organic lifestyle. Allergies to chemicals and additives have seen her pursue a relentlessly puritanical approach to life.

She chose her house in the French alps, because of the clean air, she keeps goats, keeps a garden and bikes off every day to get fresh organic milk from the local organic farm. She travels with her own organic carrots, filters her water and has a de-ioniser.

It is this lifestyle that has powered her remarkable career, she says.

She is also a considerable personality. She doesn't take prisoners. You are either with Longo or against her and the scrapes she has had with French cycling authorities over the years are countless. She has outspoken political views - she doesn't think China should have been awarded the Games and she is pro-Tibet - and has been known to shun other places on the grounds they are not healthy.

So why is she in Beijing? Because she can - that's all. Nearly 50 years old and still competing credibly in a sport which requires huge fitness and stamina - the women's road race was 126km done at a fierce clip (three and a half hours) -- Longo is still a force to be reckoned with.

So she will now finally retire this year, won't she? Longo routinely retires after every Olympics only to emerge again and take on another one.

"I am not a liar," she said this week. "But every time the urge comes back and I resume training and I feel fine. London could be fun and it's not far from home."

Jeannie Longo, aged 53, Olympic road race cyclist? Don't bet against it.

This story was sourced from The New Zealand Herald


BTW
The 1996 road race gold medallist and nine-time world champion Longo-Ciprelli, who turns 50 in October, almost captured her sixth Olympic medal, but with a time of 35:52.62 fell less then two seconds short of bronze.

US Natonal Duathlon Championships

Looks like the top 10 age group men and women were capable of competing with the Elite category. Given that the Elites can draft and the Age Group Athletes cannot, I wonder how the results would change if the playing field was changed.

Age Group Women

1. Suzanne Huelster 2:16:26
2. Gail Kattouf 2:19:09
3. Julie Deery 2:22:05
4. Andrea Myers 2:23:25
5. Jax Mariash 2:24:37
6. Christine Corey 2:24:45
7. Amy Gray-Smith 2:25:06
8. Kristine Kuss 2:25:32
9. Angela Thatcher 2:25:42
10. Janelle Renschler 2:25:49
11. Marlo McGaver 2:26:08
12. Jana Severson 2:26:39

Elite Women

1. Anne Curi Preisig, 40, Falmouth, MA, 2:20:52
2. Bianca Simpson, 33, Chester Springs, PA, 2:22:38
3. Nik Vogler, 29, Calgary, Alberta, CA 2:25:46
4. Jenifer Martin 2:28:05
5. Becky Keller 2:30:19


Age Group Men

1. Chris Ganter 2:02:08
2. Rick Fesler 2:02:27
3. Nathanael Glackin 2:03:10
4. Stephen Dupree 2:04:13
5. Jeff Miller 2:04:28
6. Jimmy Parrott 2:04:31
7. Casey Williams 2:04:49
8. Adam Ostot 2:04:51
9. Mike Marsteller 2:05:12
10. Austin Jackson 2:05:19
11. Zakary Noles 2:05:34
12. Cyrus Severance 2:05:53


Elite Men

1. Matthew Russell, 25, Boulder, CO, 1:58:02
2. Ryan Guiliano, 24, Schaumburg, IL, 1:58:58
3. Ryan Ignatz, 30, Boulder, CO, 1:59:13
4. Tom Jeffrey 1:59;28
5. Derek Kite 1:59:54
6. Josh Beck 2:03:12
7. Jimmy Archer 2:03:47
8. Billy Edwards 2:06:33
9. Kevin Smith 2:08:40

2008 US Women's Olympic Marathon Trials

Well the United States was able to show just how deep Women's Distance running is becoming by putting together a flat course under perfect conditions in Boston. I would love to have been in Boston for today's trials and for tomorrow's Boston Marathon. The City is surely the place to be this weekend.

A total of 171 women broke the 3 hour mark- yes that is correct 171! REMARKABLE! Deena Kastor(cancer survivor)won the trials in 2:29:35. Susan Loken (age 44) ran 2:42:55 to place 40th, and Joan Samuelson (age 50) ran 2:49:08 to place 90th.

Full results can be found at http://bostontrials2008.com/bostontrials2008/leaderboard.cfm

About Samuelson:

Joan Samuelson will forever be remembered for her dominating performance in the inaugural Olympic women's marathon in 1984 when she beat a field that included other marathon legends such as Grete Waitz, Rosa Mota, Ingrid Kristiansen and Lisa Martin. Remarkably Samuelson had qualified at the US Olympic Marathon Trials just two and a half weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery, winning the race where she had to place in the top three to earn an Olympic berth.

She was considered one of the '84 Olympic favorites off her sensational 2:22:43 at the 1983 Boston Marathon. Blitzing the first half in 1:08:23, Samuelson went on to run nearly three minutes faster than any other woman had ever run at the time.

Samuelson began her marathon career rather inauspiciously with a 2:51 second place in Bermuda in January 1979 but then set an American best three months later at Boston (2:35:15). She added two American records at the '80 Choysa Marathon and '82 Nike OTC Marathon.

She only won one more marathon after the '84 Olympics but it was another stellar performance. Although Kristiansen had become the new world record holder by the 1985 America's Marathon Chicago, Samuelson prevailed in a dramatic showdown there to win in 2:21:21, the second fastest time in history and an American record that lasted until 2003.

Sameulson's Personal Bests:
10K: 31:37 (1983)
Half Marathon: 1:08:34 (1984)
Marathon: 2:21:21 (1985)

Trials to be last hurrah for Samuelson, 50

My hero will run the the US Olympic Trials in Boston. I recall watching on TV the Olympic marathon in 1984. This was the first year women were allowed to run the 10000 meters and the Marathon distance at the World level. It was the the most memorable event I have of sport. I recall thinking how crazy it was that women were not allowed to compete before this in distance events because it may damage their ability to rear children.

It was Samuelson's gold medal in LA that made me decide that I would run a marathon one day and attempt to win a gold medal. I did not begin running until 10 years later (other sports came first back then) but when I did I gave it my all. An Olympic opportunity never came my way but I was able to compete at a World class level and win medals. It was because of the imprint of Samuelson forever in my memory.

These days when I coach, I talk about Samuelson and anyone under the age of 35 years has no clue who she is. When you read this article you will no doubt agree that she should be regarded amongst the best female distance runners to have ever competed.

At age 50 and to be able to run in your Country's Olympic trials.............need I say more!


Article by:
By Aimee Berg / Special to WCSN.com

Joan Samuelson is the only woman to have qualified for all seven U.S. Olympic marathon trials, and at age 50, she will be the oldest runner in the field when more than 160 women line up in Boston on April 20 to vie for a berth in Beijing.
Admittedly, Samuelson won't be trying to finish in the top three to make the Olympic team, but the 1984 gold medalist may just steal the show.

But why now, after skipping three other Trials that she had been eligible to run (in 1988, 1992, and 2004)?

"Because it's there," said Samuelson, quoting the late British mountain climber George Mallory. But Samuelson was not only referring to the Trials' existence.

"The fact that it's in Boston was an incentive for me," she told WCSN.com in a phone interview from her home in Freeport, Maine, where she works as a consultant and raises a daughter and son with her husband, Scott. "I believe this will be my last competitive effort. To begin and end my career there made sense."

In 1979, contesting just her second marathon (after qualifying three months earlier in Bermuda), the 21-year-old Bowdoin College senior defeated the pre-race favorite by three minutes to win the Boston Marathon in 2:35:15. "I had no idea what I was doing," she recalled.

She slept on the floor of her friend's apartment the night before, ran the race in a Bowdoin tank top, and finished by breaking the American record in a Red Sox cap worn backwards.

Samuelson went on to lower the world-best marathon time twice before winning the inaugural Olympic marathon trials in 1984, as well as the gold medal at the Los Angeles Games that August. Later, in a riveting battle with Norway's Ingrid Kristiansen, she tried to be the first woman to break 2:20 but the closest she came was 2:21:21 en route to winning the 1985 Chicago Marathon. It would remain an American record for almost 18 years.

"When 2:20 was broken and I didn't achieve it, I needed another goal," said Samuelson, who finished 13th at the 1996 trials and 9th at the 2000 trials. "I decided to qualify for these Trials and run 2:50-something at age 50."

To prepare, Samuelson has been running an average of 70-80 miles a week since the beginning of the year - mostly on the back roads of Maine despite record snowfalls - and supplementing her mileage with downhill and Nordic skiing. She hasn't hired a coach.

"I'm doing it by the seat of my pants, catch as catch can," she said.

"Naturally, I'll be trying to run my own race [on race day] as I always did. I'm not going to set a pace like I did in 1984, but my hope is that I can maintain my pace and maybe reel some people in at the end."

"I'm going to run just under a 3-hour pace," Samuelson said.

"I don't think I have to prove anything to anyone, except to myself."