Mary Cain, photo by PhotoRun.net

We wrote about earlier in the week. Alberto Salazar, the man who told TAFWA writers several years ago that he wanted to give American distance runners a fighting chance at medaling in the World Champs and Olympics has decided to coach, via long-distance, Mary Cain.

Mary Cain is the young phenom who wowed all of us in Eugene in the 800 meters. Think of these personal bests: 2:03.34 for 800 meters, 4:11.01 for 1,500 meters, and 4:39.28 for the mile. And those were run at the age of sixteen!

Okay, the LoLo Jones update. Here is my deep thoughts: LoLo worked the digital world pretty well. She picked up 329,000 or so, last time I checked twitter followers. Her fans are pretty loyal. That she took 4th in an Olympic final, when many of us thought she might not make the final was pretty amazing. So, she is fourth in the world, not 1,2,3. Her sponsorship value has gone up, continues to do so. The bobsled journey is an example of just how good 100 meter hurdlers are-the are some of the best athletes in sport. But the next time I see some tweet that says she choked taking fourth in an Olympic final, I will shake my head and wonder, how can you be serious?

SOPOT IN PREPARATION

SOPOT (POL): IAAF delegation visited Sopot, the site of World Indoor Championships in 2014. IAAF Council member Jose Maria Odriozola praised the preparation of the organisers and is hoping the event will be staged at highest possible level. The dates are March 7-9, 2014. The budget of the event is at 20 millions of Polish zloty what is more than 6 millions USD. In the Ergo Arena also Polish Championships will be held that year (February 21-23). The track will not be permanent, but installed for the necessary period. In the hall currently top local teams from basketball and volleyball are playing. Informs PZLA website.

INVITED RELAYS FOR GOTEBORG 2013

GOTEBORG (SWE): For the European Indoor Championships in Goteborg next winter according to the 2012 lists following countries will be invited for the relays. Men of Great Britain, Russia, Belgium, Germany and Poland. On the women side Russia, Ukraine, Great Britain, France and Czech Republic. Both home teams of Sweden will be the 6th squads in the start list. In combined events (heptathlon and pentathlon) 15 athletes will be invited. Eighth from 2012 lists and seven from 2013 indoor lists. But here only 2 per country are allowed. In all other events no standards are set and 3 athletes per event and per country will be able to compete. National federations are informing.

PEREC ELECTED

LES ABYMES (FRA): Olympic winner Marie-Jo Perec was elected president of the regional athletics federation of Guadeloupe in Caribbean area. She got 84 percent of votes and will be new president of the Ligue dÂ´athlÃ© Guadeloupe. She is replacing Camille Elisabeth, her first coach. Informs LÂ´Ã‰quipe.

TOP GERMANS RETURNING TO TRAINING

FRANKFURT (GER): Leichtathletik.de lists names of athletes who because of injuries missed top events in 2012. In the current situation sprinter Aleixo Platini-Menga started with light jogging after knee injury before Helsinki. Back in full training is another sprinter Daniel Schnelting who injured his achilles in January. Pain-free training reports also the 2009 high jump world medalist Raul Spank, the same for German 1500 m champion from 2008 Stefan Eberharter who plans already the indoor season 2013. Two hurdlers Willi Mathiszik and Jens Werrmann are also hoping for competitions in 2013 as they missed 2012 due to injures. In good situation also world heptathlon medalist Jennifer Oeser, olympic medalist Lilli Schwarzkopf who heavily injured her achilles in Talence will have a long rehabilitation period and her 2013 season is under question. Back in training is 2011 javelin world champion Matthias de Zordo.

DOBRYNSKA TRYING TO FIND MOTIVATION

KYIV (UKR): “Athlete Career Programme” organized by National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and Adecco Company was presented and started in Olympic House in Kyiv according agreement signed by both sides earlier this year. Project should support former athletes in making the transition from sport to the labour market. First audience included 12 sportsmen among which Long Jump bronze medalist from Sydney Roman Shchurenko and Beijing Olympic champion in Heptathlon Nataliya Dobrynska attended the event. “I like everything new, I like to study and research unknown branches of knowledge” Dobrynska said to EME News. “I’m sure all athletes will get many pieces of good advice during this education program. But my participation in the project is not meaning my retirement from athletics.” After very difficult year and failure at London Olympics where she didn’t finish Heptathlon Dobrynska refused from annual Combined Event’s competitions in Talence and took a full rest. “I began my trainings recently. Now I have light lifting twice or three times a week just for keeping my usual physical shape. Definitely I’ll miss next winter season completely. I didn’t lose motivation for future achievements but I have lost desire to compete. I need time to accumulate energy and life’s power for continuing my performances. I need time to miss athletics. Only then I’ll come back to the stadium for new competitions, new victories and new records. But I cannot say for sure when it’ll happen” Nataliya added.

OTHER NEWS

LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics informs that coaches and athletics enthusiasts have just a short while to make their bookings for the second edition of the European Sprints and Hurdles Conference, hosted by UKA and England Athletics, with limited availability for places remaining. This event, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday the 10-11 November at the University of Warwick, forms part of the European Athletics Coaching Summit Series. Among the speakers for example Carl Lewis coach Tom Tellez, another US expert Loren Seagrave (currently coaching LaShawn Merritt), Dutch relay coach Wiggert Thunnissen and French coach Pierre-Jean Vazel.

HEERENBERG (NED): The 17th edition of Montferland Run at 15 km informs that recent Berlin marathon winner Geoffrey Mutai will compete there on December 2. The fastest marathon runner of 2012 will for first time compete at this distance. Organizers are hoping he will attack the current course record of Philip Langat 42:34 last year. Women course record is 48:32 Bezunesh Bekele from 2005.

NEW YORK (USA): Forbes Magazine published 40 worlds most valuable sports brands. In the businesses category Nike leads ahead of ESPN and adidas. In the events category Super Bowl is number one ahead of Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. Tiger Woods is the leader in athletes category, here Usain Bolt gets position seven with brand value stated at 17 millions USD level. New York Yankees ahead of Manchester United and Real Madrid are the top teams.

INZIGKOFEN (GER): Pole Vault Diamond League winner and German record holder Silke Spiegelburg has married her long time partner in a ceremony for over 100 people. Spiegelburg will keep her name in the future reportsleichtathletik.de.

KINGSTON (JAM): Jamaica’s first ever female Olympic champion Deon Hemmings-McCatty has accepted an invitation to run on Dr. Warren Blake’s slate for the upcoming Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association (JAAA) elections. The position she will contest is not yet known reports trackalerts.com.

NEW YORK (USA): Popular hurdler and olympic finalist Lolo Jones told media she is taking another shot at doing the bobsled. Jones place second in the first round of the US team selection races and confirmed she is continuing with the selection races.

LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics informs that French middle-distance runner Mehdi Baala put in a surprise appearance at the French Clubs’ relays recently after recovering from the plantar fasciitis that ruined his Olympic preparation. In Parilly, just outside Lyon the former European champion helped his club, Lille Metropole AthlÃ©tisme, win the 4x800m title. But the big news was that Baala had finally donned his spikes in competition after a frustrating summer and was looking forward to running this winter: â€žI am going to run one or two indoor meetings and then we will see,” Baala told athle.com.

CAPE TOWN (RSA): South African federation website informs that Andries van der Merwe, the 2011 World Youth champion in the 110 m hurdles, has decided that athletics, rather than rugby, is the sport for him. The 18-year-old Van der Merwe took a break from athletics this season to play rugby for the Afrikaanse HoÃ«r Seunsskool (Affies) in Pretoria. “I really missed my running and I now realize that I prefer individual sport to team sport,” he said. He clocked as best at youth hurdles 13.39 and windy 13.32. For 2013 he targets the African Junior Championship and the World Student Games as the two meetings in which he wants to excel. If everything goes according to plan, Van der Merwe hopes to be able to better the world junior record (13.12), which is currently held by China’s hurdling legend Liu Xiang.

NEW YORK (USA): Runnersworld.com informs that for Mary Cain, it began with a hero-worship photo-op at the Olympic Trials last June. For Alberto Salazar, it began later in the summer, when he watched a YouTube video on his laptop computer. From these seemingly humble seeds a potentially mighty tree has sprouted: Cain, a 16-year-old high school junior from Bronxville, New York, and the most promising U.S. female distance runner since Mary Decker emerged 40 years ago, is now coached by Salazar, head of the Nike Oregon Project, the man who guided Mo Farah and Galen Rupp to Olympic glory last August at the London Games. Cain at age of 16 clocked 2:03.34, 4:11.01 and 4:39.28 bests and was 6th at World Junior Championships in Barcelona at the 1500 m.

AMSTERDAM (NED): Ken Nakamura informs about marathon stats after the weekend. The course record for the Amsterdam marathon was improved by 3 sec to 2:05:41 but it is still 13th fastest in the world. Chebet covered 35 to 40 km in 14:19; it is the fastest known 5 km lap time in Amsterdam marathon. Abrha Gebretsadik (2:06:21) and Bentayehu Assefa (2:06:22) recorded 13th and 14th fastest marathon debut time. Top 10 average for Amsterdam marathon has improved to 2:06:06 from 2:06:12, but it is still 8th fastest (did not move up in the list). Mereset Hailu improved the course record to 2:21:09, 10th fastest course record in the world. Mariko Kipchumba, Abrha Gebretsadik, Bentayehu Assefa, Feyisa Bekele, and Abrahma Gi
rma became 112th, 113th, 114th, 115th and 116th to break 2:07. With 2:06:05, Mariko Kipchumba Kiplagat became the fastest 37 years old (he was born in 1975) marathon runner. In fact, he is faster than any 38, 39, 40 years old etc. Meseret Hailu and Eunice Kirwa became 39th and 40th marathon runner to crack 2:22 in women stats. Kirwa is also the record 100th runner to break 2:24, so currently 100 women have broken 2:24. In Valencia Joel Kimurer became 98th runner in history to go under one hour in the half marathon.

RESULTS

COLUMBUS (USA, Oct 21): Craig Curley of Tucson captured the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon with 2:19:01. Best woman Lauren Woodring was timed with 2:45:29. Both winners will get 5000 USD. Joseph Koskei of Kenya was the best in half 1:03:44. Katie McGregor set a course record in winning the women’s half marathon in 1:13:32.

DES MOINES (USA, Oct 21): Kenyan James Kirwa raised three fingers as he approached the finish line of the Des Moines Marathon. He won for third time in a row with 2:16:54. His prize is 6000 USD. Mary Akor as top woman got 2:35:01.

DETROIT (USA, Oct 21): Russian runners won the 35th edition of the Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank Marathon. Former miler and currently masters marathoner Vyacheslav Shabunin achieved 2:25:26 and Lyubov Denisova (41) 2:46:33. For them 3000 USD each.

ST. LOUIS (USA, Oct 21): Romanian born veteran Nuta Olaru won the St. Louis Rock and Roll Marathon in 2:49:29. Top male did not went under 2:30. In total 15 000 runners participated in all races.

DRESDEN (GER, Oct 21): Kenyan winners were registered at the 14th Morgenpost Dresden Marathon. Agnesius Maiyo clocked 2:16:39 and Prisca Kiprono 2:45:40. Best Germans Matthias Raffelt as 5th 2:20:04 and Constanze Boldt second in 2:48:50.

CASABLANCA (MAR, Oct 21): Home winners for the 5th Grand Marathon Casablanca. Laalaui Charkaui achieved 2:18:42 and Meriem Khali 2:54:25.

ST. DENIS (FRA, Oct 21): Solid times for Kenyan winners at St. Denis La Voie Royale half marathon. Alfred Cherop achieved 1:02:51 ahead of Nicholas Togom 1:02:54 and Evans Kiplagat 1:03:13. Cynthia Jerotich as top woman was timed with 1:11:00.

KUNMING (CHN, Oct 20): First Kunming Plateau International Half-Marathon saw Hillary Kipchumba of Kenya winning in 1:04:07, in women race Pamela Lisoreng 1:15:43. From RRW.

GENT (BEL, Oct 21): Belgian CC series Lotto CrossCup started its 31st edition with relays. Vilvoorde AC won both men and women competitions. Next race will be in Mol on November 4.

GEORGETOWN (GUY, Oct 21): South American road race circuit started this weekend with wins by Cleveland Forde from Guyana (33:35 at 10 km) and Tony Nero of Trinidad and Tobago (38:06 at 10 km). Next weekend the series continues in Paramaribo, Surinam.

SLOVENJ GRADEC (SLO, Oct 21): Slovenian 10 km road champions are Mitja Krevs 30:28 and Daneja Grandovec 37:28.

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
View all posts