| Return
to top / Return
to main page
Contact: Adam Freifeld, NBC Sports, (212) 664-6772;
adam.freifeld@nbcuni.com
or NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com and MediaZone
Hit Stride with Interactive and Broadcast Coverage of NYC Marathon
Weekend NEW YORK and SAN CARLOS, Calif. - (October 29, 2007) - NBCSports.com and NBCOlympics.com, in conjunction with online sports broadcaster MediaZone, will provide LIVE online coverage of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the Men's Marathon from New York City on Saturday, November 3 and the 2007 ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4. All the latest marathon action can be accessed at NBCSports.com/marathon and NBCOlympics.com. The action kicks off on Saturday as the top American male athletes compete for the chance to represent the U.S. in Beijing next summer with LIVE streaming coverage of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the Men's Marathon. The race is set to begin at Rockefeller Center and will be streamed in its entirety for FREE via the web. The start of the race will be broadcast LIVE nationally on NBC's "Today" at 7:35am ET. This marks the first time ever that an Olympic Trials event is available LIVE online. "NBC Olympics and NBCOlympics.com are excited to broadcast the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the Men's Marathon - the first-ever live streaming of a U.S. Olympic Team Trials event. Over the next year, NBCOlympics.com will continue to cover the Road to Beijing with news, scores and results, feature reporting and live streaming video," said Perkins Miller, Senior VP, Digital Media, NBC Sports & Olympics. On Marathon Sunday, the world will then watch as top runners compete for over $2 million in prize money and the top male and female athletes compete to see who will win the World Marathon Majors crown for an additional $500,000 bonus at the 38th ING New York City Marathon. The online broadcast will begin at 9:30am ET and is set to include LIVE chat features, commentary when watching On Demand and a three-hour world feed. "MediaZone continues to provide sought after events and the most dynamic and interactive consumer experience in online sports. Last year's first-ever LIVE Internet broadcast of the ING NYC Marathon was a groundbreaking event, and this year's Marathon weekend coverage should build on this success, offering expanded coverage and features that can't be found anywhere else," said Chris Ott, sports director, MediaZone. "NBCSports.com and NBCOlympics.com are committed to delivering the best in live broadband sports and we are proud to continue our online coverage of the ING NYC Marathon, one of the world's greatest road races," added Miller. Sunday's race is available LIVE online for only $4.99, while Saturday's race will be broadcast for FREE - both at NBCSports.com/marathon and NBCOlympics.com. COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS: NBC Sports will broadcast highlights of the 2007 ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 4 from 3:00-4:00pm ET hosted by NBC Sports' Jimmy Roberts. The broadcast will feature the 38th running of the 26.2-mile race seen by 2.5 million spectators as runners pace through New York City's five boroughs, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan, and finish at Tavern on the Green in world-famous Central Park. About MediaZone |
|
Return to top / Return to main page Ayalew, Henehan Win 32nd Marine Corps Marathon
ARLINGTON, Va. - (October 28, 2007) - It has been since the mid-1990s since Tamrat Ayalew ran a 2:12 marathon, the Hoffa International Marathon. Now 33, Ayalew has slowed considerably over the years but he was fast enough Sunday to earn the Middendorf Trophy, the top prize for winning the 32nd Marine Corps Marathon. He crossed the finish line ahead of 21,226 starters and over 20,600 finishers in 2 hours, 22 minutes, 20 seconds, exactly two minutes ahead of his nearest competitor, two-time defending champion Ruben Garcia of Mexico City. Ayalew has been racing the roads of America for the past two years as a member of the Foot Solutions Racing Team out of Atlanta as he seeks political asylum from his native Ethiopia. His ultimate goal is to become an American citizen; Sunday's goal was to be triumphant in the nation's fourth-largest 26.2-mile race. "I didn't do well last year," said Alayew, who ended up eighth here last year and became only the second Ethiopian to capture Marine Corps. "I decided after that race that I wanted to win." Kristen Henehan of Silver Spring, Md., meanwhile, approached Marine Corps as more of a fun run. She did turn serious, however, with a half-mile remaining, pulling away from her nearest competitor and friend Lisa Thomas for a 2:51:14 in her marathon debut. Thomas, who said she was "very disappointed," followed her across the line just 26 seconds later in a personal-best performance by more than three minutes. Ayalew spoiled Garcia's three-peat attempt and thwarted the efforts of Carl Rundell of Birmingham, Mich., runner-up to Garcia for the past two years, to finally notch the big win. All three athletes were part of a large pack which did not throw caution to the wind, and there was wind. After some early sharp hills in Arlington, the pack still numbered 15 at nine miles, 10 at 12 miles, seven at the midpoint (1:12:39) and six at 15 miles. Shortly after, in East Potomac Park in Washington, Rundell dropped out of contention when Ayalew surged into a strong headwind. Coming out of the park after 19 miles, it was just Ayalew, Garcia and Garcia's teammate in the Mexican Navy, Jose Miranda, heading onto the 14th Street Bridge. At the other end of the bridge in Virginia, Ayalew made his final surge. "At 21 miles, I looked back and then I went," said Ayalew, who placed fourth in 2:24:41 at the ING Miami Marathon in January. "I felt good. I picked up the pace." Garcia could not respond, he said, as his hamstrings began cramping. Ayalew would quickly pull away, gapping Garcia by 20 seconds at Mile 22 and 42 seconds at Mile 23. "Sad and frustrated," the 36-year-old Garcia said through an interpreter. "That's my whole reason to come here, to three-peat." Rundell, who passed up the Olympic Marathon Trials this coming Saturday in New York City and finished fifth Sunday as he did in 2004, vowed "to return until I win this race." It took Henehan only one shot in the women's competition. The rookie marathoner was no novice runner, starring for Carondelet High in Concord as a California state champion in distance running and for Georgetown University as a three-time All-American on a four-year scholarship as Kristen Gordon. "My goal was to finish and want to run another marathon," said the 28-year-old Henehan, who graduated from Georgetown in 2001 and took a break from running until July when she started training for Marine Corps. Her longest race before this one was the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach eight weeks ago, and before that, a 10-miler. "When I signed up for this, I just wanted to do it for fun," said the lobbyist, who like a pro ran 40 seconds quicker over the second half. "I didn't know what to expect." Will she try to qualify for next year's Olympic Marathon Trials, some four minutes faster? "I'll see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow morning." 32nd Marine Corps Marathon
MEN Top master (40+) WOMEN Full results at: MarineMarathon.com Return to top / Return to main page Vincente, Csomor Win XTERRA Makena Beach Trail
Run 10K MAKENA, MAUI, Hawaii - (October 27, 2007) - At the blast of a cannon, 355 trail runners from 14 different countries and 30 U.S. states took off for the XTERRA Makena Beach Trail Run on Saturday. With a backdrop of bright blue skies and palm trees swaying in the balmy breeze, this trail run is the kickoff event for a weekend of XTERRA adventures. Competitors chose from two off-road courses, a 10K or a 5K - each serving up a plateful of Mother Nature's finest ingredients including loose gravel and lava rocks, soft sand and humid temperatures. XTERRA 10K Right on his heels was local star Paul Hopwood of Paia, Maui in a time of 46:48. Hopwood was followed by Paul Welch of Stowe, Vermont who took third in 48:47. The women's winner of the XTERRA Makena Beach 10K and the Hawaiian Airlines prize of roundtrip airfare from the West Coast to Hawaii was Hungarian triathlete Erika Csomor, who broke the finish tape in a speedy time of 49 minutes and 43 seconds. A few weeks back, she raced in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, finishing 10th place and plans to compete in the XTERRA World Championship off-road triathlon on Sunday. "This was a warm up of sorts; the course was quite nice, the sand hard - I think XTERRA is cool." Rachel Cieslewicz of Salt Lake City, Utah was runner-up in 50:19. Lindsay Krause of Littleton, Colorado had a time of 52:52 to take home third. XTERRA 5K He was followed by Yasuhiro Jojima of Tokyo, Japan who crossed at 23:06, while Mike Irwin of Haiku finished less than a minute later in 23:48. For the women, it was 11-year-old phenom Dakota Grossman of Pukalani, Maui who smoked the rest of the pack, breaking the tape in 27 minutes and 10 seconds, 12th place overall. The next generation of XTERRA, she said "XTERRA is fun! The course was good. The hardest parts were the hills and the rocks." Kula resident Nancy Robberson finished second in 28:29 with Heather Biglow of Boulder, Colorado third (28:54). Proceeds from this event benefit the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Maui County. More information on the world championship weekend can be found at: XTERRAplanet.com Return to top / Return to main page Stricter Drug Policy Adopted by PRRO Circuit
Events Under a new policy adopted by the Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO) Circuit, athletes who are returning to competition after serving a drug suspension will not be invited to compete in any PRRO Circuit event. Athletes deemed eligible by the IAAF after their suspension is served may enter PRRO events through the normal registration process, but without travel, lodging and other hospitality arrangements that are normally extended to top road racers. "Two years ago, all PRRO events agreed to do drug testing at our own cost," said PRRO President Don Kardong, who is also the Race Director of the Lilac Bloomsday Run. "This new policy underscores how seriously we take our commitment to a drug-free sport. Simply being eligible to compete again after serving a drug suspension doesn't mean an athlete has earned the courtesy of an invitation to compete again, at least not at any PRRO Circuit event." The new policy is effective immediately at the five PRRO Circuit events: World's Best 10K in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile in Washington, DC; Lilac Bloomsday Run in Spokane, WA; Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, GA and the Utica Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY. The PRRO Circuit offers world class competition for athletes of all nations in events at less than the marathon distance. Drug testing is carried out by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). For more information, contact: Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director |
|
Recent Wires Click here for recent editions Click here for Archives In this Edition Wire 87, October 29, 2007 (click)
Copyright © 2000-07 Running USA, Inc. |
|
Coming Events
|
| Major Sponsors |
 ING New York City Marathon > |
 Visit Mammoth Lakes > |
| Sustaining Patrons & Partners |
| Atlanta Track Club > MarathonFoto > Chevron Houston Marathon > |
| Active Network > Gen-A Media & Marketing > Runner's World > |