The latest Final Sprint podcast profiles recent US Half Marathon champion James Carney. It’s been a great year for Carney, including a 27:43 10,000m, a disappointing (his words) 2:16 marathon debut, and the recent Half Marathon win, his first US title.
Next up: The Olympic Trials 10,000 meters.
Listen to the podcast here.
Kathy Butler returns to Austin, Texas this Sunday to defend her title at the 3M Half Marathon. Butler won last year’s race in a time of 1:11:12, just off her personal best. Reports from Nederland, Colorado, where Butler has been training with Nicole Aish and Colleen De Reuck, indicate that training has been going well. To challenge Butler this weekend will be Magdalene Mukunzi, a Kenyan who trains down the canyon from Nederland, in Boulder.
Not sure why Nike chose this week to highlight Michelle Sikes (she hasn’t raced since the Falmouth Mile last August), but she is their Athlete of the Week. Our favorite part? Read her answer to, “What do you do to relax away from the track?”
Sikes will be running the US Indoor Championships in Boston before turning her attention to the outdoor season and the US Olympic Trials.
Last July Scott Douglas wrote about Matt Tegenkamp’s core routine for RunnersWorld.com. The article was one of the most-viewed stories of the summer. This winter the editors at Runner’s World asked if Matt would highlight certain aspects of the routine on video. The result is this four-part series, which has already been viewed over 30,000 times.
Part I: The Warm-Up
Part II: Floor Routine
Part III: Dumbbell Routine
Part IV: Balance & Glute Routine
KIMbia’s newest athlete, James Carney, won the 2008 US Half Marathon Championships in Houston, Texas on Sunday. Carney, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Division II Millersville University, set the tempo from the beginning, cruising along at 4:45 pace, breaking the tape at 1:02:21, 11 seconds ahead of runner-up Jason Lehmkuhle. It was Carney’s first US Championship and a positive indicator for things to come. Last spring he ran 27:43 for 10,000 meters at the Cardinal Invite - a time that used to raise eyebrows, but has less impact today - and at this year’s US Olympic Marathon Trials, his debut marathon, Carney finished 14th in 2:16:54. In that race he finished one spot and seven seconds behind KIMbia’s other new member, Fasil Bizuneh. (Fasil trained with KIMbia’s marathon group in Boulder leading up to the US Olympic Marathon Trials, but was not represented by KIMbia at the time.) Fasil finished 2nd at last year’s US Half Marathon Championship with a similar time to Carney’s - 1:02:20. Both Fasil and Carney plan to run the 10,000 meters at this year’s US Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
In the women’s race, Kate O’Neill continued her impressive move to the roads with a 13-second victory over Desiree Davilla. KIMbia’s Nicole Aish had a great race, finishing 4th in 1:12:30. Elva Dryer, last year’s winner and this year’s favorite, did not finish.
Back in November we received an email from Tracy Arambula (now Najera) that said, “My fiancé and I are having a 5K the weekend of our wedding to raise money for your Foundation.” After a few emails were exchanged, Tracy sent me to a page on their wedding website detailing the race. It read:
We first heard about the KIMbia Foundation while listening to NPR one evening. The story prompted us to find out more. Once we started researching, we discovered that for just $500, we could sponsor a young adult to attend one full year of high school.
Given our shared passion for education and running, holding a race to benefit the KIMbia Foundation seemed like the perfect way to celebrate our marriage and to give back to the running community and to the world.
So on a cold evening in late December, fifty runners took to the streets of Austin, Texas for a good cause and an even better couple. The race generated $1,000, which will be used to sponsor two students in Kenya. Our most special thanks go out to Raul and Tracy Najera for organizing this event and for sponsoring two students in Kenya.
Find out more about the KIMbia Foundation.
[Update x2]: A great article in today’s NY Times with quotes from Toby Tanser, who is currently living at Lornah’s camp in Iten. [End of Update]
[Update x1]: More details on the death of Olympian Lucas Sang, including quotes from Moses Tanui. Plus, World Champ Luke Kibet lucky to be alive, close call at Lornah Kiplagat’s High Altitude Training Center in Iten, and Athletics Kenya cancels National Cross Country race. more [End of Update]
Violence continues to spread across Kenya since last week’s presidential election. Incumbent Mwai Kibaki won the election, but reports of ballot-rigging, including a statement from the European Union, have caused an uprising among Raila Odinga supporters. Sadly, the violence seems to fall along tribal lines - Kikuyu (Kibaki supporters) versus Luo (Odinga supporters).
The most recent and violent attack occurred in Eldoret, home to most of Kenya’s best athletes, where a mob attacked and burned a church, killing at least 50 people. The victims were Kibaki supporters seeking refuge from the violence. Total deaths across Kenya have risen into the hundreds. We can only hope for a swift and peaceful resolution.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all Kenyans.
Related Stories:
Mob Burns a Church in Kenya as Hundreds Shelter inside
Electoral Violence Kills Several at Church in Western Kenya
Kibaki Kinsmen Flee Reprisal Attacks in Kenya
