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CHIBA, Japan - (November 23, 2006) - At the Hanji Aoki Cup International Chiba Ekiden Road Relay, as expected the Kenyan team of Martin Mathathi, Gideon Ngatuny, Josephat Ndambiri, Sammy Korir, Mekubo Mogusu and Cyrus Njui dominated the men's division, while the Kenyan women's team of Ongori Philes, Evelyne Kimwei, Selly Chepyego, Catherine Ndereba, Jane Wanjiku and Lucy Wangui won the women's division. Although the expectation of another world record for the 6-leg marathon relay was high for the Kenyan men's team, they fell short by 52 seconds. The Japanese men's team finished runner-up for the second straight year. Last year, they set the Asian record, but this year, the Japanese men's team fell short by a minute and three seconds. The men's Team USA repeated their bronze medal performance from the last year, but they too could not improve the U.S. record from 2005. Last year, four teams broke the two hour barrier in the men's race, but this year only Kenya bettered the magical barrier. |
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How the men's race unfolded:
In the 10K second stage, Gideon Ngatuny of Kenya increased the Kenyan's lead. He started out very fast covering the kilometer in 2:25, and then kept sub 2:40 pace for the following 1000 meters. He passed the half-way (5K / 3.1 miles) in 13:07. He passed the 9K point in 24:04 and ran the 10K second stage in an incredible 26:51. Last year, Mathathi ran this stage in 27:12. Out of the chase pack, Hideaki Date of Japan surged away in the last 2K to move into the second place. After the second stage, 15K into the race, Kenya (40:04) led Japan by a minute and 49 seconds, followed by Japan Collegiate team in another 17 seconds. The Australia was in fourth place followed by Team USA, who was 2 minutes, 32 seconds behind Kenya. Last year, when the Kenyan team set the world record, they covered the first 15K in 40:36, so the Kenyans were 32 seconds ahead of the world record pace. In the 5K third stage, Josephat Ndambiri of Kenya continued to run alone at front as he the fastest leg in 13:29. 20K into the race, Kenya (53:33) was two minutes 25 seconds ahead of the second place Japan. The Japan Collegiate team was in third 2 minutes, 52 seconds behind Kenya, followed closely by the USA as Fasil Bizuneh of Bristol, Va. moved his team into medal contention with the second fastest leg (13:50). Nearing half-way, the Kenya was now over one minute ahead of the record pace (54:35 at 20K last year). However on the next 10K stage, Sammy Korir, the second fastest marathon runner in history, could not deliver what the Kenyan team needed to continue on the record pace. He took over 3 minutes for the second K. Passing the 5K mid-point in 14:47, Korir took 29:46 for the 10K. The Kenya passed 30K point at 1:23:19, and was now 48 seconds behind the world record pace. Meanwhile, with the 28:28 10K stage (fastest) by Atsushi Sato, Japan sat only a minute and seven seconds behind Kenya. The USA - with Josh Moen of Rochester Hills, Mich. producing the second fastest leg (29:23) - was now in third, two and a half minutes behind Kenya. After the 5K fifth stage, the Kenyan team was back in the hunt for the world record. Mekubo Mogusu, who earlier this month ran a brilliant anchor leg for his college team, covered the hilly, penultimate 5K stage in a record 14:01. His intermediate time at 2K was 5:11, while Shirayanagi of Japan passed 2K in 5:30. Patrick Tarpy of Yarmouth, Maine kept the U.S. in third with a solid 14:46, third fastest leg. At 35K into the race, Kenya (1:37:20) was a mere 13 seconds behind record pace. In order to set a record, Cyrus Njui had to cover the hilly 7.195K sixth and final stage in 19:46. Unfortunately, Njui took 20:38 for the stage and fell short of the record. Although the Kenyan men won easily in 1 hour, 57 minutes, 58 seconds, the time was 52 seconds short of the world record they set last year. Finishing second in the race (2:00:01) was Japan two minutes and three seconds behind Kenya with Team USA third (2:01:56), which tied the highest U.S. men's finish ever at the event. Women's race summary:
In the 10K second stage, Evelyne Kimwei of Kenya extended the Kenyan's lead. Passing the half way, 5K, in 15:20, Kimwei covered the 10K in 31:20, 42 seconds faster than Mihaela Botezan of Romania. The European 10,000m champion Inga Abitova of Russia was another sixteen seconds behind. 15K into the race, Kenya (46:31) was a minute and 13 seconds ahead of the second place Russia, who in turn was 14 seconds ahead of Japan. In the 5K third stage, another Kenyan was the fastest runner in the stage as Selly Chepyego covered the 5K in 15:31. Behind Kenya, Mizuho Nasukawa (15:50) of Japan slowly cut into the Russian's lead and at the end of the third stage, she was only two seconds behind Olesya Syreva (16:02) of Russia. 20K into the race, Kenya (1:02:02) led by a minute and 44 seconds over Russia and Japan a mere 2 seconds behind Russia. In the 10K fourth stage, 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Catherine Ndereba of Kenya continued to extend the lead over the Russian team. She covered the 10K in 32:02, while Lidia Grigoryeva took ten seconds longer for the distance. Grigoryeva was confused of the exact location of the turn-around point, 3.5K into the stage and lost about 5 seconds. After the fourth stage, Kenya (1:34:05) was a minute and 54 seconds ahead of Russia, who in turn was eleven seconds ahead of Japan. Time was running out for the Russian team to make up the distance. In the hilly 5K fifth stage, Galina Bogomolova of Russia finally cut into the Kenyans lead, albeit only by six seconds. Bogomolova covered the 5K in 16:16, while Jane Wanjiku of Kenya took 16:22 for the same stage. In the 7.195K sixth and the final stage, Russia made up further distance, but Kenya won by a minute and 16 seconds. The winning time by Kenya, 2:13:35 was two seconds short of the time they recorded last year. The Russian team in second place was three seconds short of the time they recorded last year. Team USA was 10th (2:23:20) out of 14 teams. Hanji Aoki Cup Int'l Chiba
Ekiden Road Relay MEN Fastest Stages WOMEN Fastest Stages |
Return to top / Return to main page O'Brien, Jennings, Young Lead 2006 Inductees to National Track & Field Hall of Fame INDIANAPOLIS - (November 21, 2006) - Track & field legends Dan O'Brien, Lynn Jennings and Kevin Young headline an impressive group of inductees for the National Track & Field Hall of Fame Class of 2006. The inductees, announced on Tuesday by USA Track & Field also include legendary Veteran athletes Rex Cawley, Ben Eastman, Matt McGrath and Bill Nieder, as well as former USATF Executive Director Ollan Cassell in the Contributor category. The Class of 2006 will be inducted Saturday evening, December 2, at the Jesse Owens Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held in conjunction with USATF's 2006 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. "I congratulate our tremendous Class of 2006 on their induction into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame," said USATF President Bill Roe. "These highly accomplished individuals have made invaluable contributions to the betterment of track and field in our country, and they are all most deserving of this high honor." One of the greatest all-around athletes in history, Dan O'Brien earned the title of "world's greatest athlete" by setting the world record in the decathlon, along with winning the Olympic gold medal and three world titles in the grueling 10-event challenge. O'Brien ended his remarkable career having earned the #1 ranking in the world from Track & Field News on six occasions. The 1992 Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000 meters, Lynn Jennings will always be remembered for her remarkable career in women's cross country. Jennings captured an amazing nine USA cross country titles during a career that was capped off with three consecutive World Cross Country Championships, from 1990 to 1992. One of the most unforgettable performances in Olympic history occurred at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain when Kevin Young won the gold medal in the men's 400m hurdles in the world-record time of 46.78 seconds - a mark that still stands. The two-time NCAA champion and 1993 world champion, Young is the first and only man in history to crack the 47-second barrier in that event. One of the greatest hurdlers in track and field history, Rex Cawley set the world record in the men's 400m hurdles in 1964 and also won the gold medal at the Olympic Games that summer in Tokyo, Japan. A star at the University of Southern California as a collegian, Cawley won the NCAA 440-yard hurdles national title in 1963. One of three Americans to hold the men's 400m and 800m world records, Ben Eastman was a dynamic competitor who held world records on 14 separate occasions. The silver medalist in the 400 meters at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Eastman won the national 800m crown in 1934. A former New York City policeman and known as one of the famous "Irish Whales", Matt McGrath competed in four Olympics, including the Games of 1908, where he toiled on the U.S. Tug of War team and won the silver medal in the hammer throw. McGrath won the gold in the hammer in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm and added another silver hammer throw medal to his collection in 1924. Part of the legacy of great American shot putters, Bill Nieder earned that classification by setting the world record on three occasions and winning Olympic gold in 1960 and silver in 1956. A collegiate star at the University of Kansas, Nieder won the NCAA men's shot put title in 1955. The track and field administrator for the Amateur Athletic Union from 1965-1970 and that organization's Executive Director from 1970-1980, Ollan Cassell served as the executive director of The Athletics Congress / USA Track & Field from 1980-1997. First elected to the International Association of Athletics Federations Council in 1976, Cassell, a 1964 Olympic gold medalist, is a former Vice-President of the IAAF. Hall of Fame Class of 2006 interviews at: USATF.org Return to top / Return to main page Technology Allows Fans to Track Progress of Runners in Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon HOUSTON - (November 20, 2006) - Keeping tabs on runners in the 2007 Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon - slated for Sunday, January 14 - is just a text message away. The Chevron Houston Marathon Athlete Tracking System enables fans to register on the event website (ChevronHoustonMarathon.com) to receive text messages throughout the race providing updates on a runner's progress. Spectators receive messages on their mobile phones or other handheld devices. In addition, with the system's mapping function, fans can use the website to see a graphical view of where the runner is located on the race course. "The Athlete Tracking System allows us to create an interactive experience for spectators and runners alike," said Michael Gnoinski, technology chairman of the Chevron Houston Marathon. "During the race, the technology provides family and friends a way to be actively involved and even see runners cross the finish line with our streaming video page. After the race, our graphic results make it possible for runners to view their results and measure themselves against the rest of the field." Each runner's personalized results page displays per-mile pace, overall and age-group results and a graphical representation of the runner's finish. Runners also have the option of turning their graphic results into a certificate suitable for framing. Also available for viewing after the race is a 30-second video clip of each runner's finish. The clip, accessible by a runner's last name or bib number on the race website, will be available online two days after the race. The finish-line video memento will be available for purchase. "Technology is part of what makes the Chevron Houston Marathon experience unique," said race director Brant Kotch. "The tracking system allows fans to be more involved in the race and the dynamic results provide runners with a way to thoroughly evaluate their performances." All components of the interactive technology are utilized in both the marathon and the accompanying Aramco Houston Half Houston, which will host the 2007 USA Men's and Women's Half-Marathon Championship races. Nearly 18,000 runners are expected to participate in the Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon and Houston Press / Smart Financial Credit Union 5K, all scheduled for Sunday, January 14, 2007. The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA Founding Member, is the nation's premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and several foreign countries. In 2006, nearly 20,000 runners took part in four marathon weekend events (marathon, half-marathon, 5K run and children's run). The Chevron Houston Marathon offers the only closed marathon course in Texas and is ranked among the top five in the nation by the Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston's largest single-day sporting event. Contact: Steven Karpas, Director of Marketing and Race Development, (713) 957-3453; skarpas@chevronhoustonmarathon.com Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director |