Marathon/Running News: 3/29/08 - 4/5/08

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News From: Friday, April 4, 2008
	Boston Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Cape Breton winter helped local group prepare for Boston Marathon. (The Cape Breton Post) A group of five Cape Bretoners have been meeting regularly in the high winds and icy conditions to prepare for the Boston Marathon. The groups runs seem to make the time fly by. Last years Boston Marathon fed runners very high winds and slightly cooler than normal temperatures.
	Bungay Black Dog Marathon
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Cancer and Lymphoma only motivates Illingworths to run more! (Beccles and Bungay Journal) Simon Illingsworth, the proud father of three, will attempt to run 100 marathons in the next 5 years as a way of raising money for Cancer Research. Illingsworth has been diagnosed with testicular cancer and non Hodgkins lymphoma. This news only adds to the 45 year old's motivation. He will compete in London on April 12th and run another 26.2 miles less than one week later.
	Hogeye Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Hogeye Marathon organizers say flatter is better for runners (Arkansas Democrat Gazette) The Hogeye Marathon will see the thirty second edition of their event. A small marathon of about eighty three participants has an updated course with less hills and more trails. The race director stated that there are few stretches of Fayetteville that are flat, although the course should be less grinding on runners than the previous course
	Jamaica Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		A Party of a Marathon! (Leader Post) What do the majority of runners do at the end of a marathon? Drink beer and relax. Only this is not acceptable behavior for a trip focused on training a group of "high-risk" adolescents to run a marathon. The "Dirty Dozen" group raised public funds to send groups of people to the Jamaica Marathon. One of the members videotaped the drinking and smoking party that occurred at the end of the marathon. The number of complaints about the group has been "dizzying"
	London Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Maasai Warriors set for marathon are given London warning (Mirror.co.uk) Six Maasai warriors are leaving their Tanzanian village of Eluai to run in the 2008 London Marathon. The tribesmen have been given a guide on how to cope with running in London versus the African bush. The Maasai will not be able to rely on the sun for the time.
	More Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Runner Keeler Ramacier is 'poster grown-up' for Sunday's women-over-40 marathon (Minnesota Post) The More Marathon will kick off this Sunday morning in Central Park. Keeler Ramacier will headline the race. She is a fast, over 40 runner from the Twin Cities area and will enjoy the race that is touted as the only all women's over 40 race.
	Odds And Ends
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		2009 IAAF Championship Venues Announced (Race Results Weekly) Great Britain is set to host the World Half-Marathon Championships for the third time in a row. Birmingham, England will be the host in 2009. Also, of note, the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics will be held in Berlin, Germany, and the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships will be held in Amman, Jordan.
	Olympics 2008 (Men)
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Geb pulling out of Olympic 10,000 in Beijing (allAfrica) Haile Gebrselassie has made the decision to pull out of the Beijing Olympic 10,000 meter race. The Ethiopian Athletic Federation stated that he could not pull out of the marathon, but the IOC overruled that decision and accepted his withdrawal for health concerns. Geb's coach, Coach Woldemeskel Kostre, said the Geb would be unable to compete with the younger runners in the 10,000 meter event despited having won four previous world championships.
	Olympics 2008 (Women)
		Human Interest Story
		O'Sullivan Dismisses Beijing Bid (SportingLife) Thirty-eight year old former Olympic 5,000 meter silver medalist, Sonja O'Sullivan, has dismissed suggestions she is planning to enter this summer's Olympic marathon, despite competing in the 2008 Boston Marathon. Her goal is to run under three hours, rather than achieve an Olympic qualifying mark. O'Sullivan had been training in Flagstaff with Craig Mottram and Benita Johnson.
	Paris Int'l Marathon
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Takaoka & Tola Lead Paris Marathon Fields (Race Results Weekly) The 2008 Paris International Marathon will have elite fields led by Japanese record holder Toshinari Takaoka and Ethiopian Worknesh Tola respectively. Also in the men's field will be sub 2:08 marathoners Tesfaye Tola, James Rotich, Philip Manyim, Joseph Ngolepus and Oleksandr Kuzin. The women's race will include Shitaye Gemechu, Mindhaye Gishu, Linah Cheruiyot and Alice Timbilil who will be debuting in the marathon distance.
		37,000 runners for 32nd Paris Marathon (European Athletics) Last year's Vienna Marathon Champion (2:07.33) Oleksandr Kuzin of Ukraine will lead the European field at the 32nd annual Paris Marathon. Kuzin can expect tough international competition from 37-year-old Toshinari Takaoka of Japan who finished fourth at the 2005 World Championships and has a personal best of 2:06:16. The women's field will prove equally challenging with three women who have all raced under 2 hours and 30 minutes for the marathon.
	Yakima River Canyon Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		A 78 year old Dolphin Running Marathons! (KNDO) Bob Dolphin heads up the Yakima River Canyon Marathon with over 500 Runners each year. He not only directs the race, he runs in it as well. He also runs nearly 20 other marathons through out the year. An average year of running for the 78 year old.
News From: Thursday, April 3, 2008
	Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Flying Pig Marathon trumps gypsy moth plans (The Enquirer) The Ohio Department of Agriculture have postponed their original plans to spray for gypsy moths in eastern Cincinnati due to the Flying Pig Marathon.
	Gold Coast Airport Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Marathon snub by Premier (Gold Coast News) Premier Anna Bligh will next week launch the 30th anniversary of the Gold Coast marathon; but not on the Coast. The launch will be at Parliament House in Brisbane since it was a State Parliament sitting day. Many detractors feel that this is a snub by the premier considering 10,000 of the 16,000 competitors in the race came from outside Queensland and it was important she be represented at the main launch.
	Marathon des Sables
		Pre-Race Review/ Lineup
		Ahansal leads Marathon des Sables (Press TV) Moroccan runner, Mohamad Ahansal, is still leading after completing the first half of stage four in the 2008 Marathon des Sables. This stage of the marathon, known as the "the main course" by the competitors, includes plains, dune fields and El Oftal Jebel to tackle, a summit with a twenty-five percent incline. The vast majority of runners will have to continue through the night to reach Oued Ahssia. The runners are being guided by lasers marking out the course and all the competitors have luminous nightsticks and carry emergency flares in their kits.
	Miami Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Ted Metellus succeeding Robert Pozo as Miami Marathon race director (Sun Sentinel) Logistics expert Ted Metellus has been named race director to succeed Robert Pozo, the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon race co-founder and only race director of the six-year event. Metellus, a logistics expert, was event manager for Eventage and also managed dozens of large scale competitive road races for the New York Road Runners Club, including the New York City Marathon. Pozo and other marathon co-founders, wife Gaby Pozo, and Frankie Ruiz, remain with the company in major roles.
News From: Wednesday, April 2, 2008
	Boston Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Putting the "me" in the Boston Marathon! (Wicked Local North Attleborough) Nick Giordano proposed to his wife after completing one of his marathons. He has even run several others in honor of his parents, grandparents and for various charities. In 2005 he ran for the American Liver Disease Foundation. Shortly after the race Giordano would be running a race against the very same disease.
	Friendly Massey Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		Friendly Massey Marathon hoping to increase friends with 10K! (The Mid North Monitor) Chairperson Elizabeth Gamble hopes to attract more youth for her Friendly Massey Marathon. She has contacted multiple local high schools from Michigan to Ontario to whip up the numbers for the inaugural 10 kilometer race the will be held in conjunction with the marathon on July 19th and 20th.
	LEADING LADIES' MARATHON
		Human Interest Story
		Katherine Switzer to Lead Leading Ladies Women on the Move Conference. (The Earth Times) Women's running pioneer Katherine Switzer will lead the Women on the Move conference that will take place in conjunction with the Leading Ladies Marathon in Spearfish, North Dakota on August 17th. Switzer is well known for challenging the all-male notion of the famed Boston Marathon.
	Marathon des Sables
		Human Interest Story
		Marathon des Sables might be won on attrition. (National Post) Robert Kent is on day three of the 243 kilometer race through the Sahara. With temperatures reaching easily into the 100's and people dropping out daily, Kent, hopes to test his strenght on the 75 kilometer day on Thursday.
	Odds And Ends
		Human Interest Story
		Dubai supports blind runner's challenge magnificently (Arabian Business) Soon to embark on his journey, blind Dave Heeley will attempt to become the third person in the world to run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. Dave who lost his sight due to a hereditary eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa will be running with his sighted guide Malcolm Carr. Heeley has a local charity partner as the aim of his challenge is to benefit people who are blind and visually impaired. Dubai is rolling out the red carpet with Jumeirah Golf Estates sponsoring, an event created for him called the Dubai Night of Marathons in which the public can join in in part or all of his charity run and a bit of luxury and pampering UAE style.
		Non-Marathon/ Other Running
		Kibet and De La Ossa look for Turkish Delight (European Athletics) The Netherlands' Hilda Kibet and Spain's Juan Carlos De La Ossa, Europe's leading senior woman and man at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, have both confirmed they will run at the European Cup 10,000m in Istanbul. Kibet has been training with her cousin Lornah Kiplagat. De La Ossa is looking to run a fast time there to get an Olympic qualifying mark.
	Olympics 2008 (Men)
		Training/ Health
		Beijing pollution risky for endurance athletes (International Herald Tribune) The stage for the 2008 Beijing Olympics is already marred by heavy pollution expected to hurt endurance athletes among other things. The International Olympic Committee said endurance events at the Beijing Olympics could pose a health risk if they are staged on heavily polluted days and there was a small chance of athletes suffering some damage to their health if they took part in events lasting longer than an hour. Some events would be rescheduled, but organizers face problems if on the final day of competition pollution levels are too high to stage the men's marathon.
		Human Interest Story
		Boycott in Beijing. (Kiplinger) The recent civil unrest in Tibet and the pollution problems have raised such a concern with other countries that safety and the health of the athletes is now a major concern. The poor air quality has already cause Gebrselasie, world record holder in the marathon, to drop out of the running for the gold.
	Olympics 2008 (Women)
		Human Interest Story
		When the heat is on, U.S. will stay cool. (Washington Post) The tell of the tape was the heat in the 2004 Athens Olympic Marathon and stories are just now surfacing about the cooling vest that Deena Kastor wore just moments before the race start while multiple other athletes were heating themselves in the 90 degree heat. Beijing, with most people focusing on the pollution, will offer similar circumstances.
News From: Tuesday, April 1, 2008
	2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		39 And Doing Fine! Ackerly Qualifies for Olympic Trials (Richmond Times Dispatch) At 39 years of age most would think that the Olympics is something your children dream about. Maureen Ackerly has given her children, ages 2 and 4, something to shoot four. Last month she won the Napa Valley Marathon in 2 hours 44 minutes and 25 seconds and qualified for the U.S. Women's Olympic Trials to be held on April 12th in Boston.
	London Marathon
		Human Interest Story
		One year later, London Marathon still setting records (Newham Recorder) Guinness World Record for The Largest Annual Fundraising Event in the World goes to the 2007 Flora London Marathon. More than 46 million was raised for the 2007 event and the total raised since the races inceptions exceeds 361 million.
		Marathon Veteran hits milestone at London (Advertiser and Times) Miss Kitty Garnett will finish her 21st London Marathon on Sunday the 13th of April. By completing the race she will have toured just over 550 miles around the town of London and raised money each year for various charities. This year the 70 year old Garnett chose The Alzheimer's Society as her charity.
	Marathon des Sables
		Human Interest Story
		Sun. sand and suffering (Melton Times) Edmondthorpe man Toby Baker is just inside the top 250 and among the fastest British runners after the first and second stages of a gruelling desert marathon. At nineteen years of age, Baker, s the youngest British competitor and the second youngest in the entire event.
	Odds And Ends
		Training/ Health
		Stopping Colds: Fact vs. Hype (gayWired.com) With springtime around the corner, many are coming down with various colds and illnesses as the temperatures change from one extreme to another. Does washing hands, the flu shot, zinc, vitamin c and echinacea help to battle the common cold or flu?

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Marathon/Running News: 3/29/08 - 4/5/08