Run to Win

Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebrselassie, and Paul Tergat have written an open letter to IOC President Jacques Rogge in an effort to return cross country running to either the Summer or Winter Olympics. Here’s a copy of that letter:

AN OPEN LETTER to the

President of the IOC, Mr. Jacques Rogge and president of the IAAF, Mr. Lamine Diack

We the undersigned global champions and record breakers would like to invite your two highly esteemed federations to consider the re-introduction of cross country running into the Olympic Games programme, either as a summer or a winter sport.

Cross country running is of course the most natural, indeed elemental of all sports. It is a fascinating discipline whose roots are lost in the earliest history of mankind.

In the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, cross country running was so far seen for the last time with the victory of one of the greatest ever Olympians, Finland’s Paavo Nurmi.

The official report at the time noted that a combination of unseasonal hot weather and the effects of the heat of a near-by industrial chimney - yes we had global warming in those days too! - meant that the air temperature on the course was as high as 36 degrees Centigrade (96.8 Fahrenheit). As such, of the 38 starts, 23 failed to finish. The problems of 1924 were certainly unique.

So we humbly and respectfully ask, what is your opinion about returning cross country running to a future Olympic Games, either on the programme of a summer or winter celebration?

We think it would be wonderful to give the worlds best cross country runners the chance to compete in the greatest of all sporting festivals, and are hopeful of a positive response.

Yours in sport,

Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Paul Tergat

I would love to see cross country in the Olympics, as well as some event such as a 24 hour or 100 mile trail race. I think that those sorts of sports lend themselves well to not only the Olympic Spirit but also to the Olympic Marketing Machine. Right now, the only foot race off of the track is the marathon, and I would love to see some other races that took to the streets (or preferably, the fields and woods.)

Realistically, I don’t expect to see an ultra- event in the Olympics, but I could see cross country being added in 12 or 16 years or so. I certainly hope to see it, and would make it a point to watch as long as whoever is providing the coverage deigned to allow it.

(More Info: Original Letter [PDF] - Hat Tip: Runner Vision)

This week last year covered a lot of news, and I answered quite a few reader questions.

• This week last year started off with The Running Shoe FAQ, which explained why runners wear specialty shoes and what makes them different from normal walking shoes.
• I answered a question from an aerobics instructor about how to treat posterior shin splints, including what they are, how to best treat them, and how to prevent them from coming back.
• I was asked “What is the difference between swiss balls and medicine balls?” by Susan. Swiss balls are the large inflatable balls that you can sit on, while medicine balls are the small weighted balls that you can use in place of dumbbells. For good measure, I also explained what a bosu ball was.
• Some friends of mine ran the Vermont 100 mile race last year for the first time, and all three have continued on for their ultramarathoning endeavors. In fact, there were 5 guys who went to Vermont last weekend to compete in this year’s event from our training group.
• On the news front, the IAAF finally agreed to work with Oscar Pistorius to determine whether or not his prosthetics give him an advantage. I also provided a new wrap up that covered stories about new Junior American records, doping at the Tour de France, Disney’s move to ban smoking in their movies, and a study that found that obesity is contagious.
• This week two years ago, I continued my series on how to ice sore muscles by explaining how to give yourself an ice massage and how to use an ice bath. I spent a little time exploring the cost of racing and how much race registration fees can cost. I also discussed how gastrointestinal problems are affected by running.
• This week three years ago, Lance Armstrong won his final Tour. I also gave some tips about proper hydration and how to time rest intervals while lifting weights.

• This week last year, I offered some advice on what to wear to a race to prevent “severing your leg at the thigh” from chafing.
• I tried to decide if it was worth running in an ultramarathon a few weeks before my next marathon. Ultimately, I decided that yes, it was a good idea.
• I shared what I learned about velomobiles after attending a Bike Commuters’ Meetup. They look like fun toys.
• On the news front, Oscar Pistorius had some troubles after running out of his lane and getting persecuted by the IAAF. There also came down the first cyclists to get charged with doping after signing the UCI charter. The Yarmouth Clam Festival had 917 finishers and went off without any problems last year
• This week two years ago, I continued my series on icing with a description of how to ice w/an ice bag. and shared my thoughts on why you should not use weightlifting gloves or belts when you work out. I shared why it was important to determine how much you should be sleeping every night. One of my more popular articles over the past couple of years explained the differences between running on a track versus running on a treadmill.
• This week two years ago, there was some trouble in the UK with cyclists getting pushed off of their bikes by passing motorists. Three years ago was even worse, when an 88 year old hit some cyclists after ignoring the police who were controlling traffic at the Clam Festival. (Along with a 5 mile run, there is a bike race.) In Germany, a 16 year old killed one of Australia’s top cyclists when she drove into the whole team while they were training.

Track coach Trevor Graham has been banned for life from any competition sanctioned by USATF, IAAF, or the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Graham is the person that broke open the BALCO scandal by mailing a syringe of “the clear” to USADA. Numerous athletes that he has coached have been caught doping or have admitted to doping in the past, and all claim that they got their drugs from Graham. He has been convicted in a federal court and is still awaiting sentencing.

“There has been a belief out there that coaches, doctors and other people who support athletes were somehow outside the long arm of the rules,” USADA CEO Travis Tygart said in a phone interview. “This is a strong reminder that they’re not, and that we’ll use our authority to hold coaches accountable if they assist and aid athletes in doping.”

Graham has been operating under a temporary ban for the past couple of years, but I can not imagine any athlete wanting to work with him even had he not received a lifetime ban. There have been numerous race organizations, especially in Europe, that have refused to allow athletes coached by him into their events for the past few years.

Hopefully this sets a good precedent for following the rules and competing cleanly, both from an athlete perspective and from their coaches and trainers.

(More Info: USATF - ESPN)

This week last year saw a varied range of topics on the site with a good mix of tips and news.

• I began the week by looking at dancing as an alternative exercise. Unfortunately for my wife and I, we haven’t been out dancing too often since she went to law school.
• The UCI came out with an anti-doping charter, and I felt that cyclists would be foolish to sign it. On the surface, anything to discourage doping is a good thing. I just felt that this particular measure took away too many of the athlete’s rights.
• In running news, the IAAF changed their stance on Oscar Pistorius so that he could compete until they decided if he had an advantage or not.
• On the track and in a headwind, Tyson Gay ran the 2^nd fastest all-time 200m race in 19.62 seconds, about 3-tenths of a second behind the 1996 mark set by Michael Johnson.
• I reviewed Trails.com and put together a video demonstration of what you get with the website.
• This week 2 years ago, I suggested that you never go to bed hungry. During the Western States 100 (which was unfortunately canceled this year), Brian Morrison was disqualified for receiving some help from the crowd near the end. I also discussed research about whether or not bonking during training was a worthwhile pursuit or not. Two years ago was centered on marathoning, such as a book review and a website review, my list of marathon candidates for Autumn, and my discovery that I was near meeting the requirements to join the 50 States Marathon Club. I also won the Literacy 5k, which I believe has since folded.

There is a lot happening this week in the world of running, so today I have a quick round up for you rather than providing a series of short articles on each one.

Trevor Graham found guilty of lying to investigators

Things are not looking good for Trevor Graham, a track coach who has had multiple athletes admit or found guilty of cheating. He has so far been found convicted of lying to federal investigators about his interactions with a known steroid dealer and his facilitation of providing drugs to his athletes. The jury was not able to come to a consensus about 2 other charges against him.
(Source: ESPN)

California Dreamin’ Racing Series

The San Francisco, Long Beach and Surf City marathons in California have teamed up in a combined marketing effort to create the California Dreamin’ Racing Series, which will have a “competition within a competition” for competitors that want to run either the full or half marathons in each of the 3 races from this August through next February. There will be separate prizes and awards, and each finisher of all 3 races will receive a jacket and a large finishers medal with the logos of the 3 races. It is acting as a miniature Grand Prix type of race series.
(More Info: Press Release (pdf) - Home Page)

ING New York City Marathon Lottery closes on Sunday

Still considering paying the exorbitant fees to run a marathon in New York City? Well, if you want a chance to get through the lottery then Sunday is your last day to put your name in the hat. Guaranteed entry applications had to be in on May 1^st, so there is no way to get a spot in the marathon now without passing through the lottery. I enjoyed running the race, but the fees are just too high for me to consider running it again, unfortunately.
(Click here to apply)

Fantasy Track Meets » This Weekend

There are two track meets this weekend that will be counted towards your fantasy teams if you are participating. The IAAF meet in Berlin on Sunday will kick off the series at the international level, and the Reebok Grand Prix on Saturday is the 2^nd event in the USATF Visa Championship Series outdoor meets (it is actually the 3^rd meet in the Series but only the 2^nd fantasy meet.)
(Click Here for more information - Set up your teams: IAAF - USATF)

Fitness for Moms Carnival

I have been featured in the latest edition of the Fitness for Moms Carnival, which includes a short description of my article about how to find people to run with. The latest edition casts a spotlight on various articles about health, mothers, and working out.
(More Info: Go Workout Mom)

Summer Track Meets

Summer is almost upon us, which means that the high school and college track meets are just about done wrapping up and there will be time for us old fogies to get out there and burn up the track! The USATF lists over 200 open and masters track meets in the country over the next 3 months, and there are a series of 5 races being put on by the Maine chapter of the USATF. See if there are any near you and then dust off your track spikes! Looking at the dates for the Maine races, I don’t think that it is very likely that I’ll be competing too much this year. I already have commitments for all of the Wednesday night races and I will likely be running a different race the weekend of the championship meet.
(More Info: USATF Event Search - Maine » Summer Series (pdf) - Track Championships (pdf))
http://www.meusatf.org/

Last year, the IAAF put on a fantasy track & field league for the Osaka world championships. This past Winter, the USATF put on an event for the Visa Championship Series of races. I really enjoyed taking part in both leagues last year.

Well, this Summer the fun begins again. Both the USATF and the IAAF are providing an outdoor Fantasy Track series.

The USATF is going to center around it’s popular Visa Championship Series of races again, with the first meet happening this weekend at the Adidas Track Classic. There are two deadlines for making your picks. The 800m and the 5000m events are tomorrow night (Saturday) so those picks need to be made by 10:55 PM Eastern Time tomorrow. All other picks need to be made by 1:55 PM EDT on Sunday. A cool new twist on this season is that you can see who the favorites are based on who has already picked which athletes to win in each event. The entrant list sorts each athlete by their fantasy popularity.

The IAAF Fantasy Track game will begin with the June 1^st meet at the Golden League meet in Germany. The rules are a little different than they were for the Osaka games or for the USATF games. Rather than picking the athletes in individual events, or choosing a full complement of athletes with a maximum of 1 athlete from each country, you choose 4 captains that follow you from meet to meet and then you choose 5 additional athletes for each meet. If you choose athletes who score in the top 8 of their events, you score points.

Both leagues are free to join, although you are of course welcome to wager locally with your friends. Speaking of which - is anybody interested in a little friendly competition? Time is short for the start of the first USATF meet, but we could certainly get something together for the additional meets in the season and for the entire IAAF season. Let me know if you have any interest.

Oscar Pistorius was found to have a mechanical advantage over able-bodied athletes last December. In January, he was banned from international competition by the IAAF, Track & Field’s governing body.

Oscar challenged the ruling before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. They felt that the rule that was in question (IAAF Rule 144.2(e): use of any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides the user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a devise) was enacted specifically with Pistorius in mind and that the results of last year’s study were biased against him.

CAS did not feel that there was enough evidence one way or the other to justify banning Pistorius from competition, which means that he is free to run in the Olympic Games this Summer if he can run a fast enough qualifying time.

IAAF President Lamine Diack has made the following comment:
“The IAAF accepts the decision of CAS and Oscar will be welcomed wherever he competes this summer. He is an inspirational man and we look forward to admiring his achievements in the future.”

I still feel that he probably does have a mechanical advantage from his “Cheetah” blades, but I also doubt that that advantage offsets the disadvantage that he has from 20% to 25% less blood volume than folks who have both legs.

If he does run, and does manage to win a medal or even set a record, then how do you handle the situation? If it takes 2 or 3 years to determine any advantages that he may or may not have, can you retroactively reach back from that point to award the proper person their honors? Or do you withhold those honors from Pistorius while you continue to do the research? Which is the more problematic situation?

For myself, I hope that he does do well. I don’t want him to beat any Americans, of course, but I’d like to see him do well behind us, if only to force the IAAF and the research scientists to come to a definitive conclusion and to stop dragging this out.

Of course, the real question now is whether or not he can even qualify to run in the Olympics or not. What are your predictions?

(More Info: IAAF)