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Wire 54, July 9, 2000 In this edition of the Running USA wire:
Upcoming Events
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DeMar, Salazar, Prefontaine and Waitz Enter Distance Running Hall of Fame By Jim O'Brien, Running USA wire UTICA, N.Y. - (Saturday, July 8) - The Stanley Theater in downtown Utica, NY was alive with running illuminati this evening. The occasion was the third annual induction ceremony for the National Distance Running Hall of Fame and as one might have expected, it was all but impossible to turn around without crossing paths with an illustrious member of the running community, among them "Runner's World" publisher George Hirsch, Hall of Fame alumni Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Nina Kuscsik and Kathrine Switzer, Mary Wittenberg Executive VP of the NYRRC and Carey Pinkowski director of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. The spotlight shone brightest, though, on the true stars of the evening: the inductees. This year's ceremony, conducted in a packed auditorium, differed from previous editions in that two inductees - Clarence DeMar and Steve Prefontaine - are deceased and another - Grete Waitz - is from overseas. None could argue, though, that the contributions made by these three to U.S. distance running, in addition to that by the fourth inductee, Alberto Salazar, have been such that they all stand as icons of the sport. At the Boston Marathon few names are more revered than that of DeMar who won the event an unprecedented seven times and who, but for the misguided advice of his doctor at the height of his career, might have pushed that tally into double figures. Accepting the Hall of Fame plaque on behalf of his father, Robert DeMar, emphasized the importance of running - most particularly running the Boston Marathon - on the elder DeMar's life. So too it was on the life of Alberto Salazar, the man who won in New York three times and who claimed the laurel wreath in Boston in 1982 after an unforgettable duel with Dick Beardsley. "I don't look back on my career that often," commented Salazar who, in 1994, also won the 52 mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa. "Whatever we accomplish in life, if it's solely for our own good then it doesn't mean that much. The things you do that affect others in a positive way, those are the things that count. Whatever facet of life you're in, God has given you a gift; do the best you can with that gift." Salazar might have been speaking for Prefontaine, the multi-U.S. record holder (at one time he held every U.S. record from 2000m to 10,000m) and with whom Salazar shared an intense competitive nature rarely seen in any distance runner. Prefontaine died in an automobile accident in 1975 at the age of 24; in Utica, his sister Linda touchingly accepted his award. Recalling the effect her brother had - and still has - on runners of all ages and abilities, she encapsulated his life with one of his most oft repeated quotes: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. That," she proffered, "is a quote from Steve Prefontaine." That, indeed, may have been the theme of an evening that saw an almost tangible empathy among talented athletes who refused to sacrifice their gift. Grete Waitz may have been the most gifted of them all, in addition to being a competitor of peerless tenacity. From her days as a world leading track racer at 1500m and 3000m, to her five World Cross Country titles and her nine New York City Marathon victories, the 1984 Olympic Marathon silver medalist may simply be the greatest female middle and long distance runner of all time. Her performances in New York, in addition to those in other races across the USA, were more than sufficient to confirm the Norwegian native's election into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. "I'm so grateful for everything running has given me," Waitz commented. "I look at my career and I ask myself in what other career could I have been world class and have a good effect on so many people. I may have been a little of the inspiration for so many people beginning to run, but I've learned just as much from all those people who have run with me." Waitz, Prefontaine, Salazar and DeMar join Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Amby Burfoot, Kathrine Switzer, Joan Samuelson, Nina Kuscsik, Billy Mills and Francie Larrieu Smith as members of the Distance Running Hall of Fame. Their enormous accomplishments define them and have left an indelible impression on their sport. In Utica's National Distance Running Hall of Fame, fittingly, their names are literally cast in stone. The Hall of Fame also presented its George Sheehan Memorial Award to Bert Rosenthal, the longtime Associated Press track and field writer. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nike Inc. Partners with National Distance Running Hall of Fame UTICA, N.Y. - (July 8, 2000)- The National Distance Running Hall of Fame has a new partner. Nike, Inc. will partner with the Hall of Fame for a five-year relationship. "When you think of national sponsorship you think of companies like Nike," said John Petrone, Chair of the Hall of Fame Founders Club. "This relationship shows Nike's commitment to the sport their company's founders were so involved in. We are honored to be working alongside Nike." In addition to a significant financial contribution, Nike will sponsor an annual award which will be announced at the Hall of Fame's 2000 Induction Ceremony this Saturday. "It's very important for Nike to be involved with the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. Our roots are in running and as big as we've grown, we've never forgotten those roots," said Dave Mingey, Nike USA Communications. "We think it's a great fit and we are really excited about this partnership." Juliet Moran, vice president of Global Running and Alberto Salazar, Nike Sports Marketing and inductee, represented Nike at the Induction Ceremony. The Hall of Fame inducted its third class on Saturday, July 8 at the Stanley Performing Arts Center. Cheruiyot, Ndereba Continue Winning Ways at Utica Boilermaker 15K By Jim O'Brien, Running USA wire UTICA, N.Y. - (July 9, 2000) - On a perfect day for distance running - temperatures in the low 60s at the 8am start with plenty of cloud cover - the only certainty about the outcome of the men's Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY was that there could be no certainties. That notwithstanding, one could make one or two informed guesses based on recent performances. And the best projection was that the race would come down to some if not all of those who had enacted a thrilling finish at the Peachtree 10K in Atlanta, GA just five days previously. The gentlemen in question were Joseph Kimani, a past two-time winner in Utica, Reuben Cheruiyot, an emerging force on the U.S. roads and Ethiopia's 1998 World Junior Championships 10,000m bronze medalist, Alene Emere, who had taken the Peachtree laurels by just one second in his first ever appearance on the U.S. roads. While these three were the focus of most speculation among the men, Catherine Ndereba was an overwhelming favorite among the women, even despite the presence of Hellen Kimaiyo-Kipkoskei and Yuko Arimori. As things transpired, the projections proved almost entirely correct; Ndereba did dominate the women's race, cruising to a front-running 48:47 course record victory, while Kimani and Cheruiyot - having dropped Emere and the rest of a stellar men's field - engaged in one of the most thrilling home-straight battles ever seen in Utica, with the 26 year-old Cheruiyot scoring the win by three seconds in 43:07. "I decided to push it," asserted Kimani, "but in the last 400m, I didn't have a kick." Actually, he had a blistering kick; it was just that Cheruiyot had a better one. The opening uphill mile of the 2000 Boilermaker gave indication that this race would be tactical, with 5:03 appearing on the clock at the first mile marker. That was merely a temporary state of affairs. South Africa's Gert Thys soon forced his way to the front, opening a 20m lead that everybody - most likely, even he - knew was similarly temporary. It did serve to up the ante, however, and as the field charged through the hills of Valley View Golf Course between 2.5 and 3.5 miles, the true contenders moved quickly to the forefront. In addition to Kimani and Cheruiyot, these included Emere, Lazarus Nyakeraka, 1999 winner John Korir and last year's runner up, David Makori. With the major hills behind them, the race became a war of attrition. As the six mile marker neared, only Kimani, Cheruiyot, Nyakeraka and Emere were left in contention. One mile later, it was down to just Kimani and Cheruiyot, with the latter injecting a surge, seemingly intent on deciding matters with more than two miles still remaining. Kimani, virtually unbeatable three years ago, was not about to be dispatched so easily, however; assuming control of the race in the last mile, he hammered along in a valiant but vain effort to drop Cheruiyot. Only in the final 100 meters did the outcome become clear. Seeing the finish line, Cheruiyot swung wide to unleash his kick. Kimani sensed the move and unleashed one of his own. But Cheruiyot--who this year has won many top U.S. road races like Lilac Bloomsday and Examiner Bay to Breakers 12Ks--still had cards left to play; he shifted up to still another gear, blasted into the lead and left Kimani no option but to settle for second. "I was trying to open a gap," Cheruiyot said, almost apologetically. That he did. Ndereba allowed for no such late-race nail biting. She simply dismissed all in the field within the first two miles and raced to the smoothest 48:47 by a woman ever seen in Utica. That time improved her own course record, set in 1999, by five seconds. Comfortably beaten, but still impressive, was Kimaiyo-Kipkoskei, second in 49:35 with Arimori third in 51:51. "I was happy to win by that much," stated Ndereba, who had also claimed the Boston Marathon victory in April. "I was competing against my time (from 1999). If I beat my time, I would know I was improving. If I didn't beat my time I would say, 'What's the problem?'" She beat her time, no problem. Speaking of beating times, Andrew Masai, former four-time top 10 finisher at the World Cross Country Championships, literally destroyed the over-40 course record set by John Tuttle in 1999. The latter had scored his win in 46:17. Masai raced to a scarcely believable 44:56, defeating Simon Karori by 64 seconds, and stated, "After Peachtree (which he won in 29:37) I didn't train. I wasn't expecting that I would break a record. It was very hard, but I'm very happy." Similarly happy was Russia's Marina Belyaeva who won the women's over 40 race in 53:47, consigning defending champion, Diane Legare from Montreal to third. Sabrina Robinson from Tempe, AZ stole in for second. At the country's largest 15K road race, over 9500 runners, the second largest field in the race's history, entered the Boilermaker. Significantly, 820 signed up for the inaugural 5K, more than registered for the first Boilermaker 23 years ago. Utica Boilermaker 15K MEN
MASTERS
Over 50
WOMEN
MASTERS
For complete results, go to www.run-time.com/results/results.cgi. To watch a video of the race go to www.TrackMeets.com. The race website is www.boilermaker.com.
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| Compiled by USATF
Road Running Information Center
Ryan Lamppa, Running
USA Media Coordinator |