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Wire 97- November 26, 2000
In this edition of the Running USA wire:
Upcoming Events
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WISCONSIN RUNNER RACING TEAM, BOSTON
ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION WIN USA FALL CROSS COUNTRY
CHAMPIONSHIPS BOSTON, Mass. - (Saturday, November 25, 2000) - Wisconsin Runner Racing Team, led by brothers Matt and Andy Downin, won the men's race at the USA Fall Cross Country Championship, while the host Boston Athletic Association won the women's championship at Franklin Park in Boston on Saturday. Wisconsin Runner placed three harriers among the top nine overall finishers (Matt Downin, first place, 29:01; brother Andy Downin, seventh, 29:23; and Brad Kirk, ninth, 29:26) to beat runner-up Hansons Running Shop of Michigan by one point (60 to 61). The first five runners for a declared team score by posting the lowest point total, and Hansons put five runners among the top 25 scorers, but the New England-raised Downin brothers' low points paved the way for the Wisconsin Runner victory, awarding it the title of the country's best (USA Track & Field Association) running club. Kyle Baker of Indiana Invaders was runner-up to Downin in a time of 29:05 and Chad Johnson of Hansons, was third in 29:06. At last year's championship, Wisconsin Runner was sixth, only one place and two points behind Hansons Running Shop. On Saturday, the Wisconsin team avenged both its mid-West rival and the rest of the field. The Farm Team of California was the 1999 champion when the event was held in its home state at Long Beach and finished third this year. Twenty-seven men's teams, including 238 finishers, contested the men's championship (9855 meters), while 132 finishers and 15 teams battled in the women's race (6017 meters). For the victorious B.A.A. women's team, it was the club's second victory in three years, winning by a 13-point margin over runner-up Indiana Invaders (90 to 103). All five B.A.A. runners finished among the top 30 scorers - something not achieved by any other women's club - but Amy Lyman (seventh overall) was the club's only athlete among the top 10. The victory by the B.A.A. women completed a hat trick of sorts for the club, having won the Mayor's Cup at Franklin Park on October 22 and the New England Championships at Franklin Park on November 12. Kim Fitchen, who resides in Palo Alto, Calif. and trains with The Farm Team, but whose affiliation is with Nike International, won the women's race in 20:04. After sharing the lead for much of the race with Carrie Tollefson of adidas, Fitchen broke away over the last mile to win the individual title by 13 seconds. Tollefson was runner-up in 20:17 and Sarah Hann of Greater Lowell Road Runners, was third in 20:20. In the Masters Division 10K championship, Thomas Dalton of Adirondack Athletic Club and Susan LaChance of Cambridge Sports Union were the individual winners. Reebok Aggies of California and Run to Win of Maine were the respective men's and women's team champions in the 40 and older division. The 2001 USA Winter Cross Country Championship will be contested on February 17 and 18 in Vancouver, Washington. Next year's Fall Championship is scheduled for December 1, 2001 in Mobile, Alabama. For complete results of the USA Fall Cross Country Championships, presented by the B.A.A. and adidas, go to www.usatfne.org USA Fall Cross Country
Championships Partly cloudy. Temperature 36F. Wind from the Southwest at 5 mph. Relative Humidity at 35%. Course conditions: Good, firm footing, partially frozen turf; 99% grass and dirt MEN'S TEAMS MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP (9855 meters) WOMEN'S TEAMS WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP (6017 meters)
MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP (9855 meters)
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 to 44
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 45 to 49
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 to 54
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 55 to 59
MEN'S TEAMS
MALE AGE GROUP: 40 to 44
MALE AGE GROUP: 45 to 49
MALE AGE GROUP: 50 to 54
MALE AGE GROUP: 55 to 59
MALE AGE GROUP: 60 to 64
MALE AGE GROUP: 65 to 69
MALE AGE GROUP: 70 and Over
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JAPAN REPEATS AS CHIBA EKIDEN
CHAMPIONS CHIBA, Japan - (November 23, 2000) - At the Hanji Aoki Cup Int'l Chiba Ekiden, the host country Japan swept both marathon road relays in convincing fashion. For the Japanese men's team, Koichiro Nagata took the lead around 3K and ran the 10K stage (downhill) in 27:40, faster than his track 10,000m PR (28:03.84), and Japan never trailed in their 90 second plus victory over South Africa, 1:59:47 to 2:01:28. The Japanese men won for the third year in a row. Not at full strength as Dave Cullum was felled by a virus, the U.S. men ran 2:05:39 to finish 11th out of 19 teams. Strong legs were run by Abdi Abdirahman (7th fastest leg), Dan Browne (3rd fastest leg) and Tim Broe (4th fastest leg). For the women, Ikumi Nagayama of Japan took the lead after the first stage and the Japanese women who were never challenged finished two minutes ahead of Ethiopia (2:15:30 to 2:17:30) as they won Chiba for the ninth consecutive year. Like the men, the U.S. women were hurt by illness as Kim Pawelek pulled out right before the trip and they too finished 11th overall (2:23:01) out of 16 teams. First 10K leg Milena Glusac ran 32:32 (8th fastest leg), over a minute PR. Hanji Aoki Cup Int'l Chiba Ekiden Road Relay
(42.195K) MEN
Best stages:
Team USA Men (2:05:39) WOMEN
Best stages:
Team USA Women (2:23:01) Chiba Ekiden: USA Team Summary (1990-2000) 2:20:41 (5th) 2:23:05 (9th) 2:24:40 (11th) 2:23:40 (4th) 2:20:43 (7th) 2:23:28 (10th) 2:23:05 (9th) 2:20:55 (5th) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 'BUMBLEBEE' BOULET BUZZES TO 3rd WIN
AT RUN TO THE FAR SIDE Contact: Dave Rhody, race director, (415)
759-2690 SAN FRANCISCO - (November 26) - Richie Boulet is a 3:53 miler who led a portion of the U.S. Olympic Trials 1500 meters last summer, so he's a serious runner. But if there's any race where it made sense for him to wear a bumblebee outfit, complete with dangling antennae, it was Sunday's Run to the Far Side XVI in San Francisco. At America's only road race where runners wearing the wackiest costumes take home more loot than the fastest finishers, Boulet's get-up didn't create much buzz among 12,000 fellow runners. The 27-year-old high school coach from Oakland did, however, win the 5K for the third straight year. "I decided to have a little fun," he shrugged, "although it did get warm under these black sweatpants and the long-sleeve shirt." Boulet's 15:12 was a winner by 34 seconds. Wilhelm Gidabuday, a Tanzanian based in Riverside, California, also claimed his third Far Side title by easily winning the 10K in 30:43. The 26-year-old, who also won a 10K (beating Boulet) three days earlier in Sacramento, has won scores of California road races during the last four years. He noted: "I always like to do this race as my last one before returning to Tanzania for the winter." The women's races also weren't close. Topping the 5K in 17:46 was Ceci St. Geme, a 37-year-old former Stanford track star who still lives a short jog from the campus in Atherton, California. The mother of six (ages 2 to 13) joked: "Most of my running these days is down the block running after the kids." In fact she manages about 30 miles a week, much of it with Betsy Diaz, who placed second behind her in 18:38. Katy Spink, a graduate student in cancer biology at Stanford, won the 10K by over two minutes in 35:58. The 26-year-old's biggest previous win was at another large San Francisco run, the Houlihan's to Houlihan's 12K. As fog yielded to sunshine in Golden Gate Park, the costume winners were announced outside the race-sponsoring California Academy of Sciences. It was the day's only close contest, although no hanging chads had to be recounted. (Among the entries were the "Gush/Bore" gang, who hoisted a sign that read, "Pro-life for Pregnant Chads!") Costumes eligible for contest prizes are required to honor characters depicted in Gary Larson's "Far Side" comics. Edging out the Jellyfish and the Early Vegetarians (cavewomen dragging a giant carrot) for the $500 top prize were the Nervous Little Dogs: three women dressed as dachshunds accompanied by a real dachshund on a leash. Which raises the question: Who let the dogs out? The 16th Run to the Far Side will be telecast on ESPN's "Saucony Running and Racing" in January. Exact dates and times will be posted at runningandracing.com. Run to the Far Side XVI MEN WOMEN 10K MEN 40+ WOMEN 40+
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| Compiled by USATF
Road Running Information Center
Ryan Lamppa, Running
USA Media Coordinator |