Rookies Kibet, Ayalew Win Quad-City Times Bix 7
Keflezighi finishes 4th at Midwest summer classic
By Jim Gerweck, Running USA wire

DAVENPORT, Iowa - (July 28, 2007) - "No Experience Necessary" might have been the watchword at the 33rd running of the Quad-City Times Bix 7 as two rookies came away with top honors Saturday morning.

Kenyan Duncan Kibet, who was also making his 2007 debut on the American roads, and Ethiopian Wude Ayalew, who opened the month by winning Peachtree in her first appearance there, displayed beginner's luck - or pluck - in leaving racers with far more Bix experience behind in their wake.

The Bix 7 mile course is considered one of the more challenging on the U.S. circuit, with its constant up and downhills in the first six-plus miles taxing a runners pacing sense to the max. The consensus is it takes at least one run, and often several more, over the course before you learn how to properly ration your energy over the challenges.

Both victors turned that notion on its head. Kibet, in spite of seeming to labor on each of the course's four major climbs, was able to restore enough of his lead on the subsequent descents to hold on for a five-second victory in 32 minutes, 15 seconds. Thomas Nyariki, whose return to competition last year after losing an eye in a carjacking in his native Kenya, was one of the feel-good stories of 2006, outsprinted Morocco's Karim El Mabchour and American Meb Keflezighi on the final flat straightaway to take second in 32:20, with the other two finishing two and six seconds back, respectively.

For Keflezighi, Bix 2007 was not only his fourth run in Davenport (the Team Running USA athlete won here in 2002 when the race served as the American-only national championship), but the 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist's return to competition after dropping out of the Flora London Marathon due to a severe blister on his left foot.

Keflezighi, 32, had some last-minute hesitation in coming to Davenport; not because of questions about his fitness, which he answered in the positive during the race, but because competing would force him to miss the funeral of Mike Long, the professional athlete coordinator for Elite Racing who passed away last week.

"I thought about it, but then realized Mike would have wanted me to go race," said Keflezighi, who dedicated his effort to Long. After the race, he felt pleased with his performance.

"I made a bid to get second, and I was right there, but when those guys started to sprint when we hit the flats I just couldn't go with them," he said. "I don't have those wheels just yet."

With an ambitious schedule that includes East Coast stops at Beach to Beacon and Falmouth in the next two weekends, Keflezighi, who trains at high altitude in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., should quickly hone his racing sharpness.

Ayalew, 20, obviously still has a racing razor's edge, running virtually unchallenged from the gun to best Luminita Talpos by 20 seconds, 36:57 to 37:17. Talpos, tuning up for the World Championships next month, overtook Ogla Kimaiyo in the second half of the race and held on for a 10-second edge. Cassie Hintz, who recently completed her freshman year at Wisconsin, was the only U.S. woman to crack the top 10, placing 10th in 39:00. Ann Alyanak, another World Champs-bound marathoner, was one place and 57 seconds behind.

This marked the first year that Bix used ChampionChip technology for finish results; with Bloomsday, Bolder Boulder and Bay to Breakers having switched earlier, there are now no major races left in the U.S. using tear-off pull tags to score their events. 11,331 finished the Midwest summer classic under cooler than average conditions (73 degrees and 75% humidity).

Davenport's Christy Lazaridis used a 2.7-mile headstart to win the fourth Rhythm City Casino Race for the Jackpot. Lazaridis crossed the finish line 78 seconds ahead of men's champion Kibet and pocketed $3,300 for her "victory".

33rd Quad-City Times Bix 7
Davenport, IA, Saturday, July 28, 2007

MEN
1) Duncan Kibet (KEN), 32:15, 2007 automobile or $10,000
2) Thomas Nyariki (KEN), 32:20, $4000
3) Karim El Mabchour (MAR), 32:22, $2500
4) Meb Keflezighi (USA / CA), 32:26, $1500
5) William Chebon (KEN), 32:57, $1000
6) Linus Maiyo (KEN), 33:02, $900
7) Nelson Kiplagat (KEN), 33:09, $800
8) Evans Cheruiyot (KEN), 33:10, $700
9) Reuben Chebii (KEN), 33:13, $600
10) Solomon Molla (ETH), 33:34, $500

WOMEN
1) Wude Ayalew (ETH), 36:57, 2007 automobile or $10,000
2) Luminita Talpos (ROM), 37:17, $4000
3) Ogla Kimaiyo (KEN), 37:27, $2500
4) Deribe Alemu (ETH), 37:33, $1500
5) Galina Aleksandrova (RUS), 37:43, $1000
6) Nuta Olaru (ROM), 38:01, $900
7) Genet Getaneh (ETH), 38:19, $800
8) Leah Kiprono (KEN), 38:46, $700
9) Maryna Dubrova (UKR), 38:51, $600
10) Cassie Hintz (USA / WI), 39:00, NCAA
11) Ann Alyanak (USA / OH), 39:57, $500

Complete results at: Bix7.com

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Cook, Flamino Win The San Francisco Marathon™
Record field - over 17,000 - celebrate the Bay area event
From Mark Winitz

SAN FRANCISCO - (July 29, 2007) - Running in San Francisco's natural mid-summer air conditioning, Andrew Cook of Denton, Texas and Yolanda Flamino of Rochester Hills, Mich. won convincing titles at The San Francisco Marathon on Sunday, as more than 17,000 runners celebrated the 30th birthday of the venerable race. The 26.2-mile run, which included two companion half-marathons and a 5K run / walk, made history as the largest marathon event ever held in San Francisco.

Cook, 26, successfully defended his 2006 SFM title in 2 hours, 25 minutes and 57 seconds, while Flamino, 30, scored a first victory on the hilly SFM course in 2:43:41.

Both victors ran away from their competitors early in the race. Cook was accompanied by Michael Wardian (Arlington, Va.) for the first nine miles, but could not match Cook's strong pace on the return leg of an out-and-back tour of the Golden Gate Bridge.

"After I got the lead, I tried to stay calm, and just maintain 5:20 to 5:30 (per mile) pace," said Cook. "I tried to conserve my energy at the end and not push too hard. My dad was here watching. He said 'you're bib number one; you better go out there and perform.' I'm happy it worked out for me today."

In overcast and relatively cool conditions, Cook bettered his winning time from last year by 49 seconds. He has a personal best of 2:19:48, set last year, which qualified him for the upcoming U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials in New York City on November 3.

Wardian, 33, finished second in 2:28:50. He is also headed to New York City to compete in his second Olympic Marathon Trials. Justin Zanotti, 23 (East Lansing, Mich.) was third in 2:32:18. Zanotti, a 2006 conference 10,000 meter champion at Michigan State, was competing in his first marathon.

Competing in only her second marathon, Flamino won the women's race by maintaining the lead wire-to-wire. The Hansons-Brooks athlete recorded a personal record, bettering her previous best of 2:45:19 set at last year's LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

"My strategy was to use the flat over the first two miles to get on pace," said Flamino. "Then I tried to keep it up in the hills. We did a lot of hill work leading up to this race. My goal was to try to get a little more marathon experience before the Olympic Marathon Trials."

Chloe Glare (Menlo Park, Calif.) was the women's runner-up for the second consecutive year. Glare's finishing time was 2:57:21 and Alyssa Shaw (Coeur d' Alene, Idaho) placed third in 3:08:14.

The masters winners (40 and over) were Mike Moore, 44, of Walnut Creek, Calif. and Carolyn Koszalka, 43, of Collierville, Tenn. in 2:32:49 and 3:13:44 respectively.

Linda Somers Smith, age 46, (Arroyo Grande, Calif.) won the accompanying "elite" half-marathon, which covers the second half of the full marathon course in 1:18:21. Kelly Fermoyle, 21, (St. Paul, Minn.) was the male half-marathon victor in 1:08:08.

Somers Smith, a 1996 U.S. Olympian and five-time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, used the race as a tune-up for October's Chicago Marathon, where she hopes to qualify for her sixth Trials with the Trials "A" standard (2:39:00).

"It was a test," said Somers Smith. "I figured if I could run 6-minute pace here, I was on pace with my Chicago training."

Somers Smith ran her very first marathon in San Francisco in 1983.

"There sure were a lot more people out here than the last time I ran it," she commented.

A record number of people to be sure.

"We've worked hard to get where we are today," said Race Producer Peter Nantell of West End Management. "Participants from all over the country and around the world tell us that they love our event. That's our guiding light."

30th San Francisco Marathon
San Francisco, CA, Sunday, July 29, 2007

MEN
1) Andrew Cook (TX), 2:25:57
2) Michael Wardian (VA), 2:28:50
3) Justin Zanotti (MI), 2:32:18

WOMEN
1) Yolanda Flamino (MI), 2:43:41
2) Chloe Glare (CA), 2:57:21
3) Alyssa Shaw (ID), 3:08:14

More results at: RunSFM.com

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Contact: Nancy Hobbs, Manager, Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team, (719) 573-4133; trlrunner@aol.com

2007 Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team Announced for Worlds

COLORADO SPRINGS - (July 25, 2007) - Seventeen athletes representing eight states make up the 2007 Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team for the 23rd World Mountain Running Trophy in Saillon, Ovronnaz, Switzerland on Saturday, September 15.

The women's team includes gold medalists from the 2006 team: Rachael Cuellar, 25, Albuquerque, NM and Chris Lundy, 36, Sausalito, CA and 2004 bronze medalists Laura Haefeli, 39, Del Norte, CO and Anita Ortiz, 43, Eagle, CO. The top three finishers score for the team.

The men's team will be led by eight-time team member Paul Low, 33, Belchertown, MA. Joining Low will be six-time team member Simon Gutierrez, 41, Alamosa, CO, two-time team members Rickey Gates, 26, Boulder, CO and Shiloh Mielke, 27, Weaverville, NC and newcomers Clint Wells, 32, Boulder, CO and Payton Batliner, 23, Boulder, CO. The top four finishers score for the team.

Juniors must be at least 16 and not yet 20 in the year of competition. The USA squad includes 2005 team members Jonny Stevens, 18, Vail, CO and Christian Thompson, 19, Candor, NY, 2006 team member Zach Rivers, 17, Victor, NY and newcomer Alex Jodidio, 17, a U.S. citizen living in Grimentz, Switzerland. The top three score.

The Junior women's team includes 2005 team member Katherine Helmerick, 18, Cheyenne, WY and newcomers Anna Lieb, 19, Golden, CO and Maria Dalzot, 19, Morgantown, WV. The top two score for the team.

Team manager Nancy Hobbs, Colorado Springs, CO; team leader Richard Bolt, Portland, Oregon; team manager for the juniors Dave Dunham, Bradford, MA and women's team manager Ellen Miller, Vail, CO will accompany the team to Switzerland.

This year's Trophy races are up / down events (as opposed to even-numbered years when the events are held on uphill courses) with the Senior men running three loops of the 4.050 kilometer course for a distance of just over 12K, the Senior women and Junior men running two loops of the 4.050 course for a distance slightly over 8K, while the Junior women run one loop of the course at 4.050K.

For more World Mountain Trophy 2007 info, visit: www.coursedes2bains.org/presentation-wt07-fr.html

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Contact: Josephine Parr, Rodale, (212) 808-1358; josephine.parr@rodale.com

Runner's World Picks Top Running Shoes for Fall with 5 Award Winners among 27 Notable Pairs

NEW YORK - (July 23, 2007) - Runner's World magazine, the world's leading authority on running information, spotlights and reviews 27 of the top new running shoes for fall in its 2007 Fall Shoe Buyer's Guide, part of the September issue of Runner's World on newsstands everywhere.

Five of the 27 shoes profiled - all of which were put through rigorous testing by Runner's World editors, its 350 "wear-testers" and its one-of-a-kind Runner's World Shoe Lab, supervised by the Department of Sports Medicine at Michigan State University - were cited as the very best of the group, in categories including Editor's Choice, Best Update, Best Debut and Best Buy.

Criteria guidelines for awards in each category, and winners in those categories for Fall 2006, are as follows:

* Editor's Choice (Brooks Trance 7) represents an outstanding shoe that successfully combines the highest-quality design and technology. The shoe receives high marks from the RW Shoe Lab, from wear-testers and from the editors.

* Best Update (New Balance 1223) recognizes a significant improvement made to an existing model. The shoe features a better overall fit and feel, a materials update or new technology.

* Best Debut winners (adidas Adifusion MC and Saucony Grid Sinister) highlight new product releases that receive high marks from the RW Shoe Lab, wear-testers and the editors. Although the products are unproven over the long haul, they represent a promising new addition to the category.

* Best Buy (Mizuno Wave Precision 8) acknowledges the shoe that offers the best fit and function for its price.

Every shoe reviewed by Runner's World is first bench-tested at the RW Shoe Lab at Michigan State, under the supervision of Runner's World's Technical Editor. All shoes are flexed, pounded and prodded to see how well they perform. Then, the shoes are each matched to one of 350 wear-testers in San Diego, California; East Lansing, Michigan and Allentown, Pennsylvania, based on fit and performance characteristics.

Testers, who must log a minimum of 25 miles per week, run in the shoes for a month before submitting their evaluations, noting their total mileage run in each shoe and rating it for qualities including weight, traction, cushioning, lacing system and upper material comfort, among other categories.

Runner's World is the only magazine in the world to independently test running shoes in this way, in order to give its editors the most objective means necessary to determine which shoes are most deserving of award status. Because Runner's World only tests and reviews the best products available, shoes that have been tested may use the "Tested by the Runner's World Shoe Lab" label.

To read the entire Runner's World Shoe Buyer's Guide Awards, check out the September 2007 issue of Runner's World, or visit: RunnersWorld.com

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232
Ryan@RunningUSA.org | www.RunningUSA.org