Oregon's Max King named USATF Athlete of the Week

(11-11-09) From USATF Press Release - Max King has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after winning the USA Marathon Trail Championships on Saturday in Ashland, Ore.

Only six days after finishing 18th in the ING NYC Marathon, King won his first national title in completing the Lithia Loop Marathon in 2 hours 40 minutes 23 seconds. His time broke Jeff Caba's course record by two minutes. King's finishing time in New York City was 2:19:11.

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.

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; February 24, Dexter Faulk; March 3, Terrence Trammell; March 10, Diana Pickler; March 17, Galen Rupp; March 24, Sumi Onodera-Leonard; March 31, German Fernandez; April 7, Cyrus Hostetler; April 14, Curtis Beach; April 21, Kara Goucher; April 28, Mason Finley; May 5, Chris Derrick; May 12, Natalie Willer; May 19, Will Claye; May 26, Nadine O'Connor; June 2, Tyson Gay; June 9, Dwight Phillips; June 16, Galen Rupp; June 23, Kami Semick; June 30, Dawn Harper; July 7, Raevyn Rogers; July 14, Ryan Crouser; July 28, Anton Krupicka; August 11, Rita Hanscom; August 19, Christian Cantwell; August 26, Trey Hardee; September 1, Dathan Ritzenhein; September 9, Sanya Richards; September 15, Carmelita Jeter; September 23, Tyson Gay; Jamie Donaldson; October 7, Meb Keflezighi; October 14, Dathan Ritzenhein; October 21, Amy Palmiero-Winters; October 27, Sean Quigley; November 3 Meb Keflezighi; November 11, Max King.

Meb Wins ING New York City Marathon, Leads Six Americans in Top 10

(11-1-09) From USATF Press Release - Proudly pointing to the bold "USA" written across his singlet and giving thumbs up to the Central Park crowd, Meb Keflezighi on Sunday became the first American man since 1982 to cross the finish line first at the ING New York City Marathon. He was joined by five additional American men in the top 10 in a banner day for US. men's distance running.

The 2004 Olympic silver medalist ran a brilliant strategic race, pulling away from four-time Boston Marathon Champion Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya in the final two miles to win in a personal-best time of 2:09:15. After finishing, he dropped down for a push-up and broke into tears before being greeted by his mother, wife and two daughters. "The memory of Ryan Shay is what I cried for," Meb said, referring to his American teammate who died in Central Park while running the Olympic Trials two years ago, the last time Meb ran in New York.

The win gave Keflezighi the USA marathon championship and his fourth national title of 2009, and he became the first American man to win in New York since Alberto Salazar's 1982 victory in 2:09:29. He earned a total prize-money payday of $170,000, including $130,000 for the overall win and an additional $40,000 for the U.S. title. He also finished atop the USA Running Series rankings for 2009, earning an additional $6,000.

In one of the strongest men's fields ever in New York, Cheruiyot placed second, 41 seconds back in 2:09:56, with Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco third in 2:10:25. In total, Sunday's field included 14 men with personal bests under 2:10, including two-time New York champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos and 2004 champion Hendrick Ramaala.

Ryan Hall placed fourth overall in 2:10:36 to take second in the USA championship race, with Jorge Torres 7th overall in his marathon debut, in 2:13:00. Among Americans, Nick Arciniaga was eighth overall in 2:13:46, Abdi Abdirahman ninth in 2:14:00 and Jason Lehmkuhle 10th in 2:14:39, putting six Americans in the top 10 for the first time since 1979.

"It's a great day for American running and for USA Track & Field," said USATF CEO Doug Logan. "Based on the consistent upswing in our long-distance performances, we knew it would only be a matter of time until our men won another major marathon. We applaud Meb, and all our athletes today, for a great race. I promise that we will not have to wait 27 years for another victory."

Late-race surge
The men's lead pack went out at a modest pace, running a roughly 5:10 per mile for the first two miles. As the pace gradually quickened, five Americans stayed with the lead pack - Meb, Hall, Torres, Abdirahman and Bolota Asmerom. Meb and Hall led the pack through 11 miles in 54:38 as Abderrahime Bouramdane of Morocco, the 2008 Boston Marathon runner-up, threw in periodic surges that eventually were covered by the pack.

Coming onto Manhattan's First Avenue, at 16 miles, Ramaala led a break of four men that quickly returned to a 10-man pack. Abdirahman briefly took the lead in the 17th mile, after which point the lead pack began to string out.

A 4:37 split for mile 18 whittled the lead group to six, with Meb the lone American as Abdi, Hall and Torres fell back to eighth, ninth and 10th. Past 30 km, it became a four-man race, with Cheruiyot, Bouramdane, Meb and James Kwambai of Kenya, Cheruiyot's training partner and a past runner-up at Berlin, Boston and Rotterdam.

Meb made his move at 35 km, covered in 1:47:20, with only Cheruiyuot following him. The two men first ran shoulder-to-shoulder before Meb tucked in behind the tall Kenyan. A few minutes later, Cheruiyot motioned for Meb to take leading duties, but the experienced American wasn't having it.

Having placed second in New York in 2004 and third in 2005, Meb was running for the win.
When he moved to the lead at mile 24, reached in 1:58:23, he intended not to relinquish it. He had four seconds on Cheruiyot, and that margin only increased as the finish neared.

Running alone for the final stretch in Central Park, Keflezighi celebrated his first career victory at the marathon distance, paid tribute to Shay, and celebrated the return of Americans to the top of the podium.

Tulu wins women's race
In a race that was expected to be little more than another coronation for world record holder Paula Radcliffe, Ethiopia's Derartu Tulu emerged a surprise winner. With a conservative pace from the gun, the women's lead pack eventually whittled down to Christelle Daunay of France, Ludmila Petrova of Russia, Radcliffe and Tulu. It was a quartet of experience, with all four women over 34: Daunay is 34, Radcliffe 35, Tulu 37 and Petrova 41.

Struggling with tendonitis behind her knee , Radcliffe began to flag in the final miles, and it came down to a two-woman race between Petrova and Tulu, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and one-time bronze medalist at 10,000 meters. Shortly before turning into Central Park, with about 600 meters remaining, Tulu pulled away to win in 2:28:52, with Petrova second in 2:29:00 and Daunay third in 2:19:16. Radcliffe was fourth in 2:29:27. Magdalena Lewy Boulet was the top American woman, placing sixth in 2:32:17.

Joan Benoit Samuelson on Sunday became the fastest female marathoner over age 50, finishing in 2:49:09. The 52-year-old's performance came 25 years after she became the first women's Olympic marathon gold medalist at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

For complete results from the ING New York City Marathon, visit www.nycmarathon.org.

For more on USATF and the USA Running Circuit, visit www.usatf.org.

About the USA Running Circuit
The USA Men's Marathon Championships was the final race on the 2009 USA Running Circuit (USARC). The USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from 5 km to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners.

The USARC is a USA Track & Field road series featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon, which attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The 2009 USARC has ten events each for men and women. 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 were 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.

Preliminary 2009 TRI NorthWest Triathlon and Duathlon Rankings Now Posted

(10-30-09) The preliminary TRI NorthWest Triathlon and Duathlon rankings for the 2009 season are now posted online. Congratulations to the athletes from across the Pacific Northwest who competed in this year's rankings.

If you have any questions or feel that your overall rankings score is incorrect, please email jon@racecenter.com prior to November 20. Once all revisions have been made, the final rankings will be posted. The complete 2009 rankings, as well as a lineup of all of the 2010 events included in the rankings will appear in the February/March 2010 EVENT GUIDE issue of RaceCenter Northwest Magazine. Subscribe by December 31, 2009 to ensure you get your copy in the mail in January.

2009 Oregon Fall XC Ski Camp Set for December

(10-23-09) From Press Release - The ninth annual edition of the Oregon Fall XC Ski Camp is enjoying steady advance registration and is ready to go for 2009 featuring an expanded schedule stretching from Friday, December 4 until Sunday, December 13.

As with the past eight seasons, the Oregon Fall Camp features on-snow morning sessions at the Mt Bachelor Nordic Center -- a short, all-weather drive away from beautiful Bend, Oregon. Selected afternoon and evening programs such as training plan workshops, XC ski strength demos, wax clinics, and social events will be added as the 2009 schedule is finalized in early November. Also returning in 2009 is the option to include full ski-specific physiology testing at the Central Oregon Community College Physiology Lab (a very popular camp add-on suitable for all abilities and interests).

The focus of each Fall Camp session is on a progression of skill development developed specifically for high beginner thru advanced adult skiers. Both classic and freestyle technique sessions are available with video analysis offered as often as snow/weather conditions allow. Past campers have raved about the innovative and fun-filled approach of the Oregon Fall Camp with specific attention to individual needs.

Camp Director/Founder J.D. Downing says that the new expanded schedule should only improve what has proved to be one of the most popular camps for master XC skiers found anywhere. "The new schedule allows folks to select from two consecutive weekend options plus any number of weekday combinations in between. Campers can choose any number of days to attend and skiers within easy driving distance can even arrange a non-consecutive schedule if they wish. We are going to set the schedule as of November 6 based on enrollment to that point. So, literally, our early-bird campers will actively determine how exactly the schedule shapes up!"

Downing adds that it is possible that certain dates will completely fill by November 6 based on coach availability. Lab testing slots are also very limited. Thus, early camp registration is strongly encouraged.

Staff for 2009 will once again include Camp Director J.D. Downing (National Director of the American XC Skiers U.S. masters association as well as Coach/Director of the XC Oregon elite race team) joined by members of the XC Oregon team plus talented guest coaches from the Central Oregon ski community.

Mt Bachelor offers spectacularly reliable early December ski conditions with 30-56km of trails open at an modest elevation of 6,300ft groomed daily (trail fee required). For skiers and families that need more than XC trails, Mt Bachelor offers great riding on the alpine side with plentiful back-country options available towards the amazing Three Sisters Wilderness.

Most campers stay in Bend which is reached by daily flights (Bend/Redmond airport, RDM) from six major western hubs. By car, Bend is 7-9 hours from the Sacramento/Bay Area, 5-7 hours from Seattle, 5-6 hours from Boise, and 10-12 hours from the SLC region. Bend is a major regional tourist destination with an array of local attractions including shopping, dining, nightly entertainment, museums, brewery pubs, and incredible outdoor recreation options in any season. As a bonus the next two years, the National Cyclocross Championships will also be held in the heart of Bend (December 10-13 in 2009).

Full information and registration materials for the 2009 Oregon Fall Camp can be found on www.xcoregon.org. Updates will follow weekly until the camp starts.

Portland Runner Ritzenhein Named USATF Athlete of the Week

(10-14-09) From USATF Press Release - Dathan Ritzenhein has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after winning the bronze medal Sunday at the 18th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, in Birmingham, UK.

The men's 5,000 meter American record holder, Ritzenhein clocked 1 hour flat to finish in third place. It is the second fastest U.S. time in history and the first time an American male has medaled at these Championships. Ritzenhein's finish also helped lead the Team USA men to a fourth-place team finish. Ritzenhein was last named Athlete of the Week on September 1, when he broke Bob Kennedy's 13-year-old American record in the 5,000m by almost two seconds, crossing the line in 12:56.27.

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.

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; February 24, Dexter Faulk; March 3, Terrence Trammell; March 10, Diana Pickler; March 17, Galen Rupp; March 24, Sumi Onodera-Leonard; March 31, German Fernandez; April 7, Cyrus Hostetler; April 14, Curtis Beach; April 21, Kara Goucher; April 28, Mason Finley; May 5, Chris Derrick; May 12, Natalie Willer; May 19, Will Claye; May 26, Nadine O'Connor; June 2, Tyson Gay; June 9, Dwight Phillips; June 16, Galen Rupp; June 23, Kami Semick; June 30, Dawn Harper; July 7, Raevyn Rogers; July 14, Ryan Crouser; July 28, Anton Krupicka; August 11, Rita Hanscom; August 19, Christian Cantwell; August 26, Trey Hardee; September 1, Dathan Ritzenhein; September 9, Sanya Richards; September 15, Carmelita Jeter; September 23, Tyson Gay; Jamie Donaldson; October 7, Meb Keflezighi; October 14, Dathan Ritzenhein.

About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.

For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org.

Portland's Ritzenhein Takes Bronze at World Half Marathon Championships

(10-11-09) From USATF Press Release - 2008 Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein (Portland, Ore.) ran the second fastest U.S. time in history to finish third Sunday at the 18th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, in Birmingham, UK. Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea won his fourth world title in 59:35 while Bernard Kipyego of Kenya just outkicked Ritzenhein for the runner-up position, running 59:59. Ritzenhein's 1:00:00, led the Team USA men to a fourth-place team finish.

Other Team USA finishers included a 20th-place finish by Andrew Carlson (Flagstaff, Ariz.) in 1:02:50; James Carney (Boulder, Colo.) 38th in 1:04:00; Brett Gotcher (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 64th in 1:05:43; and Scott Bauhs (Chico, Calif.) in 1:06:07.

Kenya won the team competition with a total time of 3:01:06, Eritrea was second in 3:02:39 and Ethiopia edged out the U.S. for third 3:06:42 to 3:06:50.

Amy Yoder Begley (Portland, Ore.) finished 11th in 1:10:09 to lead the Team USA women to a fifth-place team finish. Begley was followed by teammates Serena Burla (Baldwin, Mo.), who finished 17th in 1:10:55; Amy Hastings (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) finished 33rd in 1:13:20; Heidi Westerling (Acworth, N.H.) was 38th in 1:14:22: and Elva Dryer (Gunnison, Colo.) finished 48th in 1:16:42. Mary Keitany of Kenya dominated the women's field, running 1:06:36.

Kenya also won the women's team competition with a combined time of 3:22:30.

For more information on Team USA at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, visit www.usatf.org.

Matthew Sheeks of Woodinville, WA Brings Home Gold at Duathlon World Championship

(10-7-09) From ITU Press Release - Members of Team USA took home 49 medals from the 2009 ITU Duathlon World Championship at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, September 26.

The total includes 13 gold, 18 silver and 18 bronze medals as USA athletes swept gold, silver and bronze in five different age groups.

The weather was rainy all day, but the mist that was present for the elites early in the day turned into downpours as the age groupers took to the course in the afternoon. That didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the more than 750 competitors from across the globe, including more than 400 U.S. athletes.

Lowe's Speedway provided a unique setting for the event. Athletes started the 10k run on the track's start/finish line, made their way onto pit row and out into the streets surrounding the stadium. Portions of the 40k bike actually circled the track and cut through the infield, with the final 5k run bringing athletes back to the finish along pit row.

Two U.S. athletes produced the day's fastest times overall. Team USA veteran Suzanne Huelster (Riverton, N.J.) turned in a 1:57:09 for the women, while Matthew Sheeks (Woodinville, Wash.) led the men home in 1:43:30.