Kastor and Keflezighi Know Their Way Through San Jose
Meb Keflezighi won the Dodge Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Half Marathon for the third straight time on Sunday, clocking a 1:02:17 to finish more than two minutes ahead of runner-up Giliat 
Ghebray (1:03:38). Sergio Reyes was third in 1:04:20. Keflezighi, who began to separate himself from a pack in the third mile, noted "it is kind of tough to run on your own sometimes, but I am happy to be here and get a good tuneup (for the ING New York City Marathon on November 6) . It couldn?t have been any better. A lot people were cheering ?Go Meb!? and it was just awesome. My Mom is here and my brother lives here."(photo of Meb Keflezighi by Victah Sailer)
Deena Kastor, on the comeback trail after giving birth in February, won the women's race in San Jose quite handily in 1:12:23.? "I thought I could run around 1:11 or 1:12 today and I felt good out there. It didn?t take too much out of me so it will be good to get 
back into training this week and use this as a stepping stone for the Olympic Trials in January," explains the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist. "The running community is really special in that we can all be a part of this together?from the elite runners trying to post qualifying times for the Olympic Trials to the people just out enjoying the bands. We all know how to have a good time out there," she said. The Bay Area Track Club's Clara Peterson was second to Kastor with a 1:15:23 and Brooke Wells was third in 1:16:15. (photo of Deena Kastor by Victah Sailer) More
Trafeh, Cherobon-Bawcom Are USA 10 Mile Champs
Mo Trafeh won his third USA road title of 2011 on Sunday in Minneapolis, taking first in the USA 10 Mile (held in conjunction with the Medtronic TC 10 Mile) in 46:46. Janet Cherobo-Bawcom's 54:15 enabled her to add the women's crown to the USA 20K she'd won in New Haven on Labor Day. The $10,000 "Equalizer" bonus for a gender challenge in which the women had a seven-minute head start went to Trafeh. The men's race was a remarkably fast ten mile in the U.S., with five men under 47:00. Ben True was just two seconds behind Trafeh, followed by Brett Gotcher in third in 46:51, Ed Moran in fourth with the same time, and James Strang fifth in 46:54. Julie Culley was 13 seconds behind Cherobon-Bawcom in the runnerup spot, followed by Blake Russell (54:44), Katie McGregor (55:00), and Sarah Porter (55:01). More
Malakwen and Ethiopia's Yeshimebet Tadesse Bifa?Win Twin Cities Marathon
Sammy Malakwen of Kenya earned his first career 26.2-victory on Sunday with a 2:13:11 at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. His countrymen Joseph Mutinda (2:13:24) and Weldon Kirui (2:13:31) were second and third, respectively. Yeshimebet Tadesse Bifa of Ethiopia took the women's laurels in 2:28:24. She was alone for the final nine miles, as Nedezdha Leonteva of Russia finished next in 2:32:53, with Emily Harrison of Flagstaff, Arizona third in 2:32:55. More
The USA Masters Marathon was part of the Twin Cities race, and the top three men's spots went to Tracy Lokken (2:24:44), Malcolm Campbell (2:25:58), and Tony Torres (2:27:08). For the masters women, Sherri Piers' 2:37:42 gave her an Olympic Trials "A" qualifying standard while second and third place Susan Empey (2:45:27) and Shannon McHale (2:45:48) achieved the "B" standard. More
Today's Brief Chat ?
? is with Carey Pinkowski, the Race Director of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9 and, as you'll learn, quite an extraordinary runner in his day. Click Here to read the Chat
Florence Kiplagat Starts Thinking About a World Record
Kiplagat triumphed in the Berlin Marathon in 2:19:44 on September 25 and then got to witness the hoopla surrounding the men's champion, Patrick Makau, who'd set a world record of 
2:03:38.? She joins two other Kenyan women who won World Marathon Majors in 2011 ? Mary Keitany in London, Caroline Kilel in Boston -? and the reigning New York City champ and World Championships gold medalist, Edna Kiplagat. "We can break the world record and bring it back to Kenya just like Patrick did in Berlin," Florence Kiplagat, a 2009 World Cross Country titleist, asserts.? About her reaction to her Berlin victory, she pronounces herself? "still confused. My target was just to cross the finish line then I won. I cannot explain the happiness, it?s too much."(photo of Florence Kiplagat by Jean-Pierre Durand/Photo Run) More
'The Marathon Is Still Scary,' Says Kim Smith
"It is a weird distance but I'm starting to feel more comfortable on the road," states Smith, who has the New Zealand national record of 2:25:51. She had a huge lead at 18 miles in April's Boston Marathon before a calf injury forced her out of the race. "You've got to be 100 percent healthy on the start line. At Boston, I felt a minor twinge a couple of days beforehand, then it became a big problem during the race," she recalls. In September in Philadelphia, she set a U.S. All-Comers record of 1:07:11 for the half marathon. Looking ahead to the ING New York City Marathon on November 6,? Smith hints "this time, I'll try to be more conservative in how hard I go out, but you've got to take the Kenyans into account. They have been dominant this year and they are tough to beat, especially as a unit. It is daunting running against them." More
Before His Races, Bernard Lagat Doesn't Feel So Great
The silver medalist in the 5000 at the World Championships in Daegu and the winner of the recent Fifth Avenue Mile reveals "before the race my body feels like I?m so tired ?. I?m feeling like 
so tired, I can?t even walk, I can?t do anything ? that?s a good day." But it gets better when, perhaps 90 minutes before the start, "I just run the race in my head," reports Lagat. "I have to work on strategy before the race. And by the time I go in there, I?m already prepared." Lagat, who says his favorite competitive venue is Monaco, adds "what inspires me is the fact this sport track and field is the sport of my family. And every time I run, I see my siblings running, I was inspired by my sister to run. And even to inspire my siblings ? that is something that keeps me going." (photo of Bernard Lagat by Andrew McClanahan/Photo Run) More
Gebrselassie Hopes Brits Don't Put Too Much Pressure on Mo Farah
Haile Gebrselassie's myriad honors include two Olympic gold medals. He's probably Ethiopia's most revered living athlete, so he knows a lot about carrying the athletic expectations of a nation. Of Mo Farah, whose home country of Great Britain is hosting the 2012 Olympics, Gerselassie says "he is amazing, this athlete. He is so strong, this year especially. He will be the only one to challenge the Ethiopians and the Kenyans come the Olympics." But Gebrselassie warns "don't pressurize him. I know the British media. For an athlete, if it's too much it's very difficult. I know, I've been to different Olympic Games. Look at Paula (Radcliffe) in Athens and Beijing. I don't want to criticize the media, but one of her problems was that you pressurized too much." More
Oklahoma State Men and Women Prevail at Cowboy Jamboree
The host OSU men came out on top in this cross country invitational in Stillwater. The overall winner of the men's 8k was Diego Estrada of Northern Arizona in 23:34 but Oklahoma State's 
Colby Lowe was second in 23:47 and his teammates Shadrack Kipchirchir, German Fernandez, and Tom Farrell were fourth, fifth, and seventh, respectively. Oklahoma State had 54 points to 89 for second place Indiana (low score wins in cross country). "It?s more than anything I could ask for from the guys, just coming out here and proving they?re working hard and their work is paying off," exclaimed Lowe. "Everybody is ready to get back in there and get racing again and they?re really pushing hard." In the women's 5k, first place went to Lauren Kleppin of Western State in 17:09 while Natalja Piliusina's fourth place 17:26 led Oklahoma State to a narrow 73 to 81 triumph over Indiana. "It?s a good push for all of the girls for motivation to keep going, keep winning and make our way to nationals," surmised Piliusina. (photo of Colby Lowe by Victah Sailer) More
Does Marketing Marathons Lose Out to Rules and Regulations?
Well, in a discussion about the IAAFs new ruling ? with retroactive repercussions ? that times run by women in races with men cannot be considered world records, former 'New Your times" sports editor Neil Amdur opines "too much energy has been expended in recent years on rules and regulations at the expense of marketing the sport" and argues "if more effort were spent promoting the unique personalities of world-class runners and the glories of the sport, if more energy were utilized to extol the healthy benefits of running, the IAAF and other governing bodies could really be providing a service." And most pertinently, Amdur submits "if a top woman can finish a marathon in under 2:15, whether she was running with men or women is irrelevant. It's 26.2 miles start to finish, uphill, downhill, whatever, and if the course is certified, it should be a record. Period. No asterisks. No discussion." Okay then. At "More," there's plenty more from Amdur and British commentator Tim Hutchings. More
New Course Records Are Set at Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon ?
Moses Kigen Kipkosgei of Kenya broke away from defending champ Derese Deniboba of Ethiopia three miles in and ended up taking more than two minutes off Deniboba's event record as he reached the National Harbor, Maryland finish in 1:02:37. Deniboba was next in 1:02:56 in the race that began in Mount Vernon, Virginia. "The first 3k was a little bit slow," observed Kipkosgei. "But from 5k, I decided to just go for time. The course was good ? I like the ups and downs." Four American men -Jordan Horn (third, 1:03:53), Danny Mercado (fifth, 1:04:03), Bobby Mack (sixth, 1:04:13), and Ricky Flynn (seventh, 1:04:15) ? successfully used this half marathon to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Bekelech Bedada, a 19-year-old New York City resident from Ethiopia, ran 1:12:44 to break Catherine Ndereba's Bridge Half Marathon women's record by 33 seconds. Kenyan Gladys Asiba was a distant second in 1:15:58. More
? and Records Are Set at 13.1 Atlanta Marathon, Too
The race is indeed a half marathon. Emmanuel Ngatunyi, an 18-year-old residing in Marietta, Georgia, set the new men's mark of 1:03:59, a course best by more than four minutes. Reuben Mwei was second in 1:04:33. Women's champ Lilian Maritta, 23, also of Marietta, lowered the women's standard for the race by more than four minutes with her 1:17:28. Justyna Mudy was next in 1:17:46. All results are available Here .
Pat Butcher Authors 'The Destiny of Ali Mimoun'
We know the legendary French competitor as Alain Mimoun, who labored in the shadow of Czechoslovakian star Emil Zatopek in the 1950s until winning his own gold in the marathon in Melbourne in the 1956 Olympics. Pat Butcher, "The Globe Runner" known for his book "The Perfect Distance" about the Steve Ovett-Seb Coe rivalry, now offers up this biography of Mimoun. "Enlisting as a teenage soldier, he suffered acute hunger and freezing cold, escaped an explosive death on at least two occasions, was saved from amputation by a storm," notes Butcher. "And then when he began running, (he) had to confront perhaps the greatest distance runner in history (Zatopek). But Mimoun?s persistence pays off." Sounds like a worthwhile read. More
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