Run to Win

I don’t understand the position that some people are taking that Meb Keflezighi is not American enough to be considered the first American to win the marathon since 1982 when Alberto Salazar won.

Which is silly, because even if he had become an American citizen the week before the race he would still be an American. Our country is founded on immigrants and very few of us can trace our roots back more than a few hundred years to this soil.

It’s even sillier because Meb was not a runner when he was 12 years old and moved to the United States. His entire development and running career through high school, college and as a professional has been here in the United States.

What’s even sillier is that these racist morons all mention that an American hasn’t won since 1982 but we shouldn’t rejoice as much because Meb was born in Eritrea. If the criteria for winning as an American is that you were born here, then why not point out that Alberto Salazar was born in Cuba and has only been in the United States since he was 2 years old?

Oh, wait, Alberto Salazar is Hispanic and doesn’t have black skin. Give me a break.

I celebrate Meb’s win in New York City this past weekend the same way that I’d celebrate any other American winning a major competition. He ran a great race and I’m glad to see him win not only because he shares my nationality, but also because the couple of times that I’ve met him he’s been a very nice and humble person that is easy to like.

Want to read more than just my opinion? More information:

• New York Times (discussion)
• CNBC (racist article)
• CNBC (empty and insulting apology for said racist article)
• Sports Illustrated (no racism, just a nice article about Meb & NYC to end on)

Just yesterday, Kara Goucher was considering the London Marathon. It took about a day or so, but her coach, Alberto Salazar, has talked her out of running.

The AP is listing her possible attempt at running London 6 days after Boston as having been unprecedented, but I know that that isn’t true. At least 5 people ran both in 2005, when London fell the day before Boston.

Pam Reed not only ran London and then flew over the pond to run in Boston, but also ran from Boston to Hopkinton before the start to get over 50 miles in on the day.

While it is probably the wiser move for Kara not to run next weekend, it still would have been awesome had she managed to have another great performance in such a short span of time.

(Photo Credit: Roger Morse – Less Info: Associated Press)

Try to imagine that you have an honest chance of winning the Boston Marathon.

You run the marathon, and there are still 8 women in the lead pack past 20 miles because the pace is so slow (remember, you have an honest chance of winning!)

Then imagine that you are outsprinted in the last mile to finish 5 seconds behind the winner and 4 seconds behind 2^nd place. You ran a great race, but you fell a little short of your own expectations.

What is your first thought?

If you said, “Kick back and party, then go run the London Marathon in 6 days,” then you just might be Kara Goucher…(video after the break)
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Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 meter runner Kara Goucher has announced that she is going to make her marathon debut at New York City this year, and that she has been planning on running it since she rode in the media vehicle during last year’s race.

“Last year when I watched the race first hand, I decided I wanted to run in New York,” said Goucher. “The ING New York City Marathon is one of the most prestigious, and the course is challenging, so I’m excited for my first marathon to be this one. I have a strong emotional connection to New York, as it is where I was born, where my family lives, and where my father passed away. This one will be personal for me and my family.”

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This week last year dealt mostly with current news with a the odd random article thrown in.

• Scott started off a discussion on technology and fitness by discussing the sustainable gym. They seem to be getting more popular as time goes on.
• I created a 4^th of July race recap to celebrate the 4561+ people that competed last year.
• In Olympic news, the IOC announced the new Olympic selection process for deciding which sports to include or drop in future games.
• Alberto Salazar was hospitalized after having a heart attack while coaching.
• This week two years ago, I spoke about how one of the best things about the Fourth of July are all of the Fourth of July races you can find in every state. I also did a recap of the 2006 Fourth of July races. I followed that up by describing one of the my favorite runs from preseason in college, the beach run. In running news, Sam Thompson beat out Dean Karnazes as the first person to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.

Maine Running Company will once again bring in a marathon legend during the week of the Boston Marathon. This year, Dick Beardsley will return once again to relive the 1982 “Duel In The Sun” between himself and Alberto Salazar. The Maine Running Company will have copies of “Duel In the Sun” for sale and Dick will do a meet and greet on April 15^th at 6 p.m., followed by a presentation at 6:30 p.m.

Last year, 75 came to hear him speak despite the Patriot’s Day Nor’easter that tore up the area. Dick will once again recount his story of overcoming almost losing his leg, his addiction to prescription drugs and his ability to survive after his historic race with Salazar.

Alberto Salazar was hospitalized yesterday after collapsing this weekend while training runners at the Nike campus. The newspapers are calling it an unknown “heart event” that has not yet been diagnosed. A stent was used to open an artery after he arrived at the hospital yesterday.

I would like to wish him well and I hope that he makes a full and speedy recovery. Alberto Salazar won the New York City Marathon from 1980 through 1982, and the Boston Marathon in 1982. He came back from health problems and rejoined the running community to win the Comrades ultramarathon in 1994. He has set multiple US records and one world record.

(Sources: New York Times – Washington Post)

Update: Not surprisingly, his “heart event” was a euphemism for a heart attack, but he is getting better and has been upgraded from “stable” to “fair”. Apparently, there is a history of heart disease in his family. You can read more about it at ESPN.com.

The Men’s 8k went off this morning but not without a few hitches. The race was originally scheduled for yesterday morning, but the snow caused the race to be delayed for a day. The course was also changed to use the 1.7 mile lower loop, which was cleared of snow and left the road with fine footing.

Anthony Famiglietti won the race in 22:34 after making a move around mile 3. He was 30 seconds off of Alberto Salazar’s 8k record of 22:04 in 1981, but Famiglietti wanted to win and did not try for the record due to the weather. Abdi Abdirahman was six seconds behind him in 22:40.

Two of my former teammates from RIT were running for the Genesee Valley Harriers, and they ran very respectable times and placed 2^nd and 3^rd for their team. Hopefully I will get to race them some time this year in my Dirigo uniform, although I have a feeling that either one could probably smoke me at most distances under 20 miles.

(Full Story: NYRR)