Regional

Lots of Southern races are RRCA championship events

RJeditor — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:38:30 -0800

There are a lot of a lot of championship RRCA races this year in the 13 southeastern states covered by Running Journal.

THREE NATIONAL CHAMPIONHIPS:

Germantown Half Marathon
Germantown, TN - March 18.

14th Annual NC Roadrunners Club Invitational 1/2 Marathon & 10K
Cary, NC - May 20.

Woodstock 5K
Anniston, AL - August 4.

Louisville Triple Crown series brings runners from the woodwork

RJeditor — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:46:40 -0800

By Tracy Harris, Running Journal columnist

(Editor's note: Tracy Harris is a new columnist for Running Journal in Kentucky. Look for her Kentucky running columns in the pages of Running Journal's monthly print edition.)

It's a typical winter weekend in Louisville, KY — gray, rainy, windy, chilly. Certainly not the conditions our fair-weather running friends prefer.

Heck, I'm not happy about it either, really.

Yet, when I arrive at Seneca Park, there's nowhere to park. I'm weaving around runners and walkers who — inexplicably — are on the road instead of the pedestrian path 10 feet away.

These masses of people were not here last week, or the week before.

Malakwen Nips Bacha at Finish of ING Miami Marathon

RJeditor — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:50:14 -0800

Maraviglia women's marathon champion; Boitt, Mariita win half-marathon; 10th edition draws sell-out 25,000 entrants
Running USA wire
By Gary Ferman, US Road Sports

Samuel Malakwen of Kenya just inched out Teferi Bacha of Ethiopia in a dramatic sprint to the finish line to win the 10th ING Miami Marathon on Sunday through the streets of Miami, Miami Beach and Coconut Grove.

The spectacular finish was the marathon equivalent of a photo finish in horse racing, with both runners literally running shoulder-to-shoulder down the finish-line chute. It was one of the closest endings in marathon history, and both runners were credited with a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, 55 seconds.

Tidewater Striders Running Club

RJeditor — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:51:30 -0800

Almost 40 Years Old and Goin’ Strong
By Jean Phelan
President, Tidewater Striders
Founded by a handful of dedicated runners in 1972 the Tidewater Striders has provided support to the running community for almost four decades. As the club’s leadership speculates on an appropriate 40th anniversary celebration, it is looking at both accomplishments and the road ahead for the 1,600-member club.

Making a Plan For Your 2012 Marathon

RJeditor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:36:24 -0800

By Carolyn Mather
A few years ago, my husband Steve, after smoking three packs of cigarettes a day for more than 30 years and being a very Type A executive who weighed in at more than 225 pounds, decided he needed to get in shape for skiing. He started "sneak" running as he did not want me to know. During a period of several weeks he managed to get injured. He finally confessed as he limped around and asked me for some "coaching." I helped him recover and within a few months he ran his first 5K at age 50 in 28:24, meeting his goal of being under 30 minutes, not walking, and not being last. He continued to improve and in January he told me he wanted to run a marathon.

RRCA: Lynchburg is Runner Friendly

RJeditor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:32:17 -0800

Lynchburg, VA, has been designated the 2011 Outstanding Runner Friendly Community by the Road Runners Club of America.

Lynchburg has shown that it meets, and exceeds, the program’s criteria, which includes community infrastructure, civic backing, and local business support for the sport of running. Their infrastructure fosters physical activity in a safe environment; a proven track record that organizations and businesses work together to promote running as a healthy exercise and sport; and they create and maintain positive relationships between the running community and local government.

“Lynchburg is a shining example of the positive benefits running can bring to a community when everyone is on the same page,” said RRCA Executive Director Jean Knaack. “While we are proud of all of  our Runner Friendly Communities, we feel Lynchburg has provided a blueprint for future communities.”

Nashville Striders

RJeditor — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:26:52 -0800

Active club provides race management, helps community, Tom King races are in March

By Peter Pressman, President, Nashville (TN) Striders

In early 1970, there were 17 original members when the Nashville Striders Club was established with Tom King as President. This group of runners mainly met at the Downtown YMCA or at Percy Warner Park.

The Club remained pretty much low-key for the next few years, with the group adopting the name of Nashville Striders in 1975, with King as president. By late 1976, the club listing included 74 members. The year 1977 marked a major milestone, as the monthly publication, the Funrunner, was established by Larry Wallace.

Needs help finding old marathon results

RJeditor — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:15:28 -0800

Paul Riefberg needs your help finding some old race results, especially the Waynesboro (VA) Marathon of Oct. 8, 1977. Paul, a former Alabamian who lives in Texas, is seeking complete results of every marathon in which he participated – and there wasn’t much publicity given back in those early days of marathoning.

He recently tracked down the results of the 1974 Andrew Jackson Marathon in Jackson, Tennessee, where he finished sixth out of 35 finishers. He did that by obtaining age group results from the Jackson Sun daily newspaper, contacted runners on that list and found one who had the list of all finishers.

He also needs results of the Boston Marathon from April 1974. He placed 347th in 2:51:02 out of, perhaps, an estimated 1700 runners. He found a list of all sub-3-hour finishers but wants the complete finish list.

2012 AJC Peachtree Road Race Registration Lottery Opens March 15

RJeditor — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:22:20 -0800

The Atlanta Track Club, organizer of the AJC Peachtree Road Race which takes place each year on the Fourth of July, announced that registration for the 2012 event will open on Thursday, March 15 through an online lottery at www.ajc.com/peachtree. The Atlanta Track Club first introduced the registration lottery for Peachtree in 2011 as a way to establish a fair registration process for all entrants. Those wishing to be one of the 60,000 participants selected for the 43rd running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race can register for the lottery online at ajc.com/peachtree from 7 a.m. on Thursday, March 15, 2012, to 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, 2012. Regardless of the day or time one enters, all individuals and groups who enter the lottery will have an equal chance of being selected for the 2012 AJC Peachtree Road Race. Entrants will be randomly selected after the lottery closes on March 22. All lottery entrants will receive an email by Monday, March 26, 2012 informing them of whether or not they were selected for the 2012 event. Searchable results of the selection process will also be posted on www.peachtreeroadrace.org and www.ajc.com/peachtree on March 26.

On the Run: Shoe Advice from a Veteran Runner

RJeditor — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:45:45 -0800

By DINK TAYLOR, Owner, Fleet Feet Sports, Huntsville, Alabama
http://www.FleetFeetHuntsville.com

It seems there is not a day that goes by, at some point, the topic of “injury” is brought to my attention. Someone comes into Fleet Feet with a problem, I get emails or it is just the topic of conversation on the run. I believe the word injury is the most hated word in the running world, maybe even in all sports.

While we could talk all day about injuries and which ones we have had, I want to talk about ways to prevent them. I have had just about every ache and pain in the book and, up until now, I have never missed a day of running due to injury. I have been accused of being “a freak of nature” but I like to think I have been given some pretty good genes and have made some wise choices over the years while on the run. I believe I could write all day on injury prevention but today I am going to just talk about my top three ways to prevent injuries.