High Schooler Mary Cain Wins National Indoor Mile Title

May Mary Cain become who Mary Decker never became. Decker started with excellence, but injuries and other matters pulled her career to a halt.

Runner's World:
High Schooler Mary Cain Wins National Indoor Mile Title:
16-year-old defeats field of pros in tactical race.
By Peter Gambaccini
read here

 Fan of the mile race? See Bring Back the Mile on Facebook.

Zola Budd to run in ultra marathon

Zola Budd was one of my heroes in high school. Unlike many runners, she was not flashy or whiny, like high maintenance Mary Decker (Tabb and later Slaney).

She disappeared for years, only reappearing in public long after she was past her elite prime. Humble, loves running and now, is going to run a 56-mile race.

Read the ESPN piece: Zola Budd to run in ultra marathon

Marathoner Samuel Wanjiru Has Died

Marathoner Samuel Wanjiru Has Died(more Wikipedia and Universal Sports)

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (November 10, 1986 – May 15, 2011) was a Kenyan athlete who specialized in long distance running. He became a professional at a young age and broke the world record in the half marathon when he was 18 years old. In 2007, he broke the 20 km road running record and improved the half marathon record by over twenty seconds.

He moved up to the full marathon and won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32; becoming the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon. The following year, he won both the London Marathon and Chicago Marathon, running the fastest marathons ever recorded in the United Kingdom and United States, respectively. He retained his Chicago title in 2010 in a season fraught with injury.

Contents [hide]
1 Running career
1.1 Early career
1.2 World records and Olympic gold
1.3 London and Chicago wins
2 Personal life
3 Death
4 Achievements
5 Personal bests
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Running career[edit] Early careerWanjiru started running at the age of 15. In 2002, he moved to Japan and went to Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School in Sendai. He had success on the Japanese cross country circuit, where he won the Fukuoka International Cross Country at sixteen years old in 2003. He went on to win in both Fukuoka and at the Chiba International Cross Country consecutively in 2004 and 2005.[1] After graduating in 2005, he joined the Toyota Kyūshū athletics team, coached by 1992 Olympic marathon silver medalist Koichi Morishita.[2]

Wanjiru has a 5000 metres best of 13:12.40, run as a 17 year old in April 2004 in Hiroshima, Japan. At the age of only 18, Wanjiru broke the half marathon world record on September 11, 2005 in the Rotterdam Half Marathon with a time of 59:16 minutes, officially beating Paul Tergat's half-marathon record of 59:17 minutes. This was preceded two weeks earlier by a bettering of the 10,000 meter world junior record by a margin of almost 23 seconds in the IAAF Golden League Van Damme Memorial Race on August 26. His WJR time of 26:41.75 was good enough for third place in the race behind Kenenisa Bekele's world record of 26:17.53 and Boniface Kiprop's 26:39.77. It was Kiprop who held the previous world junior mark (27:04.00 minutes), set at the same meeting the previous year.[3]

[edit] World records and Olympic goldWanjiru took back the half marathon world record, which Haile Gebrselassie broke in early 2006, with 58:53 minutes on February 9, 2007 at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon[4] and improved it to 58:33 on March 17, 2007 in the City-Pier-City Loop in The Hague, The Netherlands. While improving his own record, he recorded an unofficial time of 55:31 for 20 km, which was faster than Haile Gebrselassie's world record but was never ratified due to the timing methods in the race.[5]


Wanjiru approaching the finishing line at the 2008 Summer OlympicsWanjiru made his marathon debut at Fukuoka Marathon on December 2, 2007, winning it impressively with a course record of 2:06:39.[6] He started 2008 by winning the Zayed International Half Marathon and receiving a prize of US $300,000.[7] In the 2008 London Marathon, he came in second, breaking 2:06 for the first time. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wanjiru won the marathon gold medal in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32, smashing the previous record of 2:09:21 set by Carlos Lopes of Portugal in the 1984 Olympics.[8] He received the AIMS World Athlete of the Year Award that year in recognition of his performances.[9]

[edit] London and Chicago winsAt the Granollers Half Marathon in February 2008, in which Wanjiru won, the Kenyan stated his intent for the future, saying, "in five years' time I feel capable of clocking a sub 2 hours time for the marathon."[10] In April 2009, Wanjiru won the London Marathon in a time of 2:05:10, a new personal record and also a new course record. He was pleased with the achievement and stated that he hoped to break Haile Gebrselassie's world record in the near future.[11] At the Rotterdam Half Marathon, Wanjiru clocked a 1:01:08 on 13 September, which was won by Sammy Kitwara with a time of 58:58.[12] In October 2009, Wanjiru won the Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:05:41, setting a new course record for the city and the fastest marathon time ever run in the United States.[13] The wins in London and Chicago helped him reach the top of the World Marathon Majors rankings for 2009, earning him a jackpot of US$500,000.[14]

He signed up to defend his title at the 2010 London Marathon, but he encountered knee trouble at the midway point of the race and decided to drop out to avoid further injury – the first time in six marathons that he had failed to finish.[15] He chose to run at the 2010 Chicago Marathon in October, but a stomach virus before the race had harmed his preparations and he entered the competition with the lesser aim of reaching the top three. Tsegaye Kebede took the opportunity to forge a lead, but Wanjiru (despite a lack of peak physical form) persevered with the pace and caught up with the Ethiopian. He took the lead in the final 400 m to defend his title in Chicago with a time of 2:06:24. "It was the greatest surprise I have ever seen in my life", remarked his coach, Federico Rosa, on the performance.[16][17]

[edit] Personal lifeHis cousin Joseph Riri is a world-class marathon runner,[18] and Wanjiru's younger brother Simon Njoroge is also a long distance runner. Wanjiru was mentored by Stephen Ndungu, a marathoner and a pace maker.

He was arrested by Kenyan police at his house in Nyahururu in December 2010 and charged with threatening to kill his wife and illegally possessing an AK-47. He denied both the accusations and claimed that he was being framed.[19][20] Because of these troubles, Wanjiru did not compete in any spring marathons in 2011. Sammy passed away May 15th, 2011.

[edit] DeathOn May 15, 2011, it was reported that Wanjiru died from a fall after jumping from a balcony at his home.[21]

Run to Overcome: An American Story of Marathoner Meb Keflezighi's Life

American marathoner Meb Keflezighi's last name is hard to say. Talk among runners, and mention, "Meb," and that's usually enough. "Run to Overcome" is likely to help it become a household name.

His claim to fame is his Silver Medal for the marathon, won at the 2004 Olympics, or his 2:09:15 time while winning the 2009 New York City Marathon. But that's not why this book matters. Other runners have run faster. Haile Gebrselassie owns the world record in 2:03:59. Cheering on Meb comes easier once you know the back story. In the midst of being all about a runner's life, it isn't about running. It is a Horatio Alger type story of rags-to-riches, full of hard times, hard work, and the blessing of God.

Like many immigrants, Meb's family left home to remain safe from war, and to find a better life. And like those families, things were difficult. And in the face of adversity, he found motivation.

When Tyndale House Publishers sent me this book, asking for a review, I wondered suspiciously if it would be like so many autobiographies with a "look at all I have achieved" attitude. Better written than expected, Meb humbly relates his life. He takes us through his childhood in Eritrea, a country not quite twice the population of Chicago. He describes facing soldiers and war, and how he saw death as a young boy. He tells how his parents taught him to trust God despite all of this.

After emigrating through Italy to the United States, his his American teachers made an impact, he says, as he mentions a note he still owns from a teacher encouraging him as an excellent student. His seventh grade PE class teacher had him run a mile, and his first time out, Meb ran a 5:20.

Meb enters UCLA, relating running and academic struggles, though ultimately succeeds at both.

Challenges continued, however, after college. First, does represent America or his home country? Injuries. Bad races. Psychologically beat up, he learns to dig deep and beyond whatever froze him, train smart to stay healthy, and find a way to win.

He admits when he ran one televised 10,0000 meter final, his girlfriend would be watching, "I wanted to impress her." He won by 19 seconds. He eventually marries her.

More races, more ups and down are found as Meb matures in his running career. His beloved friend Ryan Shay dies while racing. Eritrean friends are murdered just before he visits them. A grocery store he owned with his family was robbed by armed thieves. His racing doesn't go well, and his income drops. His faith grew just the same.

He applauds the many people he competes against, and recognizes his friends. Throughout the pages are pullout quotes by coaches, friends and runners who all repeat the quality of his character. Olympic legend Joan Benoit writes similarly in her brief foreword, reiterating it is an honor to call Meb her friend.

Overall, "Run to Overcome" is honest and inspiring. Runners will appreciate the race and training details, but nonrunners will find it readable. I fully recommend "Run to Overcome" by Meb Keflezighi.

Anthony Trendl

I Am On Meb Keflezighi's Blog Tour

I have just been added to Meb Keflezighi's 'blog tour'. His publisher, Tyndale House Publisher, connected with me via Twitter, knowing I blogged about running and reviewed books.

What exactly this entails besides getting a copy of the book, and a few pictures appropriate for online/blog use, I don't know. Will Meb come to my blog?

Joan Benoit Samuelson, a hero of mine when I was in high school, wrote the forward, so I am curious what she has to say. Though both great runners (she won the 1984 marathon just 17 days after knee surgery), I thought her world view would be significantly different than his, but I don't know either person in real life. As a person of character and diligence in running, Benoit is Class-A.

---

Run to Overcome: The Inspiring Story of an American Champion's Long-Distance Quest to Achieve a Big Dream 
When Meb Keflezighi won the New York City Marathon in 2009—the first American to do so in 27 years—some critics questioned whether the Eritrean-born runner was “really” an American despite his citizenship status and representing the USA on two Olympic and several World Championship teams. Yet Meb is the living embodiment of the American dream. His family came to the U.S. to escape from a life of poverty and a violent war with Ethiopia; Meb was 12 at the time, spoke no English, and had never raced a mile. Yet he became an A student and a high school state and national champion. And when he stood on the platform as a silver medalist in the 2004 Olympics, Meb knew his hard work and determination had paid off. How could life be any better? 

Then it all came crashing down. Meb, a favorite for the Beijing Olympics, fractured his pelvis during the trials and was left literally crawling. His close friend and fellow marathoner suffered a cardiac arrest at the trials and died that same day. Devastated, Meb was about to learn whether his faith in God, the values his parents had taught him, and his belief that he was born to run were enough to see him through. 

Run to Overcome tells the inspirational story of a man who discovered the real meaning of victory, and who embodies the American spirit of overcoming the odds.

The book will be released November 1, 2010. 

Meb's site.
http://www.runmeb.com/

Not Exactly a Runner, Holden Caulfield's Author Passes Away - RIP JD Salinger

"I don't even know what I was running for - I guess I just felt like it." - Holden Caulfield, Catcher in the Rye by the recently deceased JD Salinger. RIP.

John "The Penguin" Bingham

I found John "The Penguin" Bingham on Facebook. He writes a colum for Runner's World. Below is a slightly edited version of what I wrote him:

John, I'm a fan.

New/not new runner here. 43, used to run in HS. Ran here and there in until I was 40, decided to get somewhat serious and began the slow crawl to fitness. Was 107 lbs in the 1980s, but at 40, weighed 145 or so. Hardly the 240 you weighed, but none of my 38 new lbs were muscle.

In HS, I was obsessive. In a good way, it helped me keep my grades up (I was a struggling student), but on the downside, I made it far more than it should be. Burned out along the way.

Ran into Olympian Jim Spivey, meeting him through a friend, just as I decided to run again, found out he has a weekly running club here in Wheaton, IL, and showed up one evening. That day's workout was 3x3x400s. I couldn't last halfway, and he pulled me out. Not only was I exhausted, but the meager zip I had in HS was no longer around. My 400s were 30 seconds slower. What was up with that?

I had the audacity to declare that I wanted to run a 20:00 5K. How hard could that be? After all, even well into college, I ran local 5Ks in semi-shape in the 17s. How hard? Very hard. I haven't yet. Squeezed out a 21:35, then ran aground of scheduling, and lost focus. Now, back at it, hoping to have a solid base for a change, run a half, then whole marathon, and find out if, at 43, that sub-20 5K is elusive, or achievable.

All that to say is, your articles are part of that experience. They keep me smiling, but also, I know you've fought through weight loss in your 40s and notched more than a few races. You tell you story well, and it helps.

Runner's World (1-year)

Valerie Bertinelli to Run 2010 Boston Marathon

As reported here, we know Valerie Bertinelli can run. But a half marathon is not a marathon. She's registered to run the Boston Marathon April 19.

Good for her. She has lost a lot of weight by eating right and exercising smart.

Pick your favorite picture of Valerie Bertinelli.

John Stephen Akhwari: Heroic Runner

John Stephen Akhwari

Sometime when I was young, maybe in the mid-1970s, I saw this video. Few stories have inspired me as much -- both as a runner, and as a person. He ran the marathon for Tanzania in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Famously, he explained why, though battered, bleeding, and broken, he finished a grueling race in last place, "My country did not send me 5000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5000 miles to finish the race."