Not How, But 'Y': Sex-Determination Testing Still on Olympic Docket

A nice piece in today's New York Times on the continuing quest to weed out cheating athletes at the Olympics, this time focusing on chromosomal men trying to compete as women (story). What quickly comes to the fore in the article, though, is that gender is a murky issue that no lab in the world can easily disentangle. When all is said and done, the old school "visual inspection" may work as well, or as poorly, as anything.

Radcliffe's Stress Fracture Puts Olympic Marathon in Question

A hip injury diagnosed as a femoral stress fracture has put Paula Radcliffe's Olympic marathon in doubt, as reported by Eurosport.com (story). The injury to the large bone in her thigh has been painful enough to keep the marathon world record holder on crutches and working out in a pool. With a diagnosis finally in the books, Radcliffe hopes proper treatment will help her complete a build-up to Beijing in August but appears resigned to the distinct possibility that her plans to return to the Olympic marathon in 2008 may ultimately be scuttled. Her injury puts her in esteemed company. Reigning Olympic men's marathon champion, Stefano Baldini, is also suffering from a stress fracture that's put his Olympic preparations in doubt, though not to the same extent as Radcliffe's (previous post).

(Photo by Alan Cordova, used under Creative Commons)

Top and Bottom Marathon Cities

Fun little piece in the May issue of Running Times that looked at marathon finishing times and census data to come up with the top and bottom marathoning cities in the United States. Top three for marathon finishers per capita were Alexandria, VA; Salt Lake City, UT; and Minneapolis, MN. Leading the bottom was Gary, Indiana, which has a population of over 100,000 but had only 5 marathon finishers in 2006. Looking at best marathon times, Cambridge, Massachusetts came out on top with an average time of 4:03:34. Next best was Pocatello, Idaho with 4:05:26. Third was Portland, Maine with 4:06:31. California swept the bottom ten cities for marathon times, with El Monte leading the leisurely with an average time of 6:03:19. To read the article you'll have to find a hardcopy of the issue. True to form, it's not yet available on runningtimes.com.

Buying and Selling Illicit Entries Into the Boston Marathon

With the waves from Monday's Boston Marathon turning to small ripples, the New York Times ran a neat little follow-up piece today on slow would-be Boston runners poaching entries from athletes who had actually met the BAA qualifying standards (story). The story weaves tales of illicit eBay auctions, vigilante justice (runner style), and deep yearning to run the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to the Boston Public Library. With only ten percent of all marathoners on certified courses meeting Boston qualifying times, it's understandable that some would go to great lengths to gain entry. This piece, though, may make both buyer and seller think twice.

Run Junkie's 2008 Boston Marathon Blogroll

Everything that's needed to be said about the 2008 Boston Marathon has already been said, so there's not much left for us here at Run Junkie, except our quick blogroll on the eve of the 112th running.

Track a Runner During the Race
BAA Official Site
WCSN Free Live Race Video
Boston Globe Video Tour
Runners' World Videos
Runners' World Boston Marathon Blog
The Lance Plan
2008 Boston Marathon Qualifying Times

Today's NY Times: Ryan Hall's Rookie Hubris in London; Maurice Greene's Possible Doping

At Run Junkie we love all the standard running mags, but our fondness for the Gray Lady is hard to hide as well. And today she didn't disappoint, with two good pieces. One on Ryan Hall's London Marathon, where he had the temerity to ask the pace-setters to pick it up at mile 16...and then immediately get dropped (story). And another piece on retired sprinter and former world champion Maurice Greene's apparent implication in the Trevor Graham doping case (story).

Postscript: (4-15-08) In a surprise move, the IAAF puts full support behind Greene, despite some pretty damning evidence (story).

Lel, Mikitenko Win London Marathon. Ryan Hall Fifth.

Martin Lel of Kenya was the first man across the line at the London Marathon today in a personal best of 2:05:15. Irina Mikitenko of Germany won the women's race in 2:24:14. It was only her second marathon. American Ryan Hall yo-yo'd with the lead pack after 30k, eventually finishing fifth in 2:06:17 - a personal best by over two minutes (previous post). (CNN.com story.)

Ryan Hall Toes Line at London Marathon on His Way to Beijing

Nice profile of marathoner Ryan Hall in today’s New York Times (story) as he gets ready for this weekend’s London Marathon (race site), a key waypoint on his way to Beijing this summer. The piece has some nice background on the 5’10” 140 pound former NCAA standout from Stanford; a good review of his past results; and a dash of insight into his recent training sessions (10 mile tempo runs at 4:48/mile!). With his current trajectory, Olympic hardware seems a real possibility.

Suicide Bombing at Sri Lankan Marathon

Tragedy struck a marathon near the commercial capital of Sri Lanka today when a suicide bomber detonated himself just moments before the start (The Independent story). The bombing was thought to be the work of the Tamil Tigers. Scores were hurt, and several people were killed, including a government official.

Ethopian, Kenyan Win Paris Marthon

Continuing the trend set at the World Cross Country Championships (previous post), Ethopians placed well at the Paris Marathon today, taking first in the men's race and a close second in the women's (race site). Tsegaye Kebede won the men's race in 2:06.33. Martha Komu of Kenya won the women's race in 2:25.29, pipping favorite Worknech Tola in the final 200 meters.

Doctor in (Endurance) Training: bonking, blood chemistry, and the sleep monster

From the never-too-late-to-write-about-it file, comes a neat little piece from the venerable British Medical Journal (BMJ). Written in 2004 by then medical student Akbar Lalani, the piece, titled Endurance (pdf), chronicles his training for the ultra Marathon Des Sables, the 2008 edition of which is going on right now and finishes April 2 (race site). With his detailed yet fairly digestible approach, Lalani discusses topics like sleep, bonking, glycogen storage, and blood biochemistry in a manner quite different, and in many ways more illuminating, than that of most marathon and ultra pieces. One notable quote: "Based on blood results alone, a marathon runner might be admitted to a coronary care unit as creatine kinase concentrations rocket to 10 times normal."

RJ Review: Asics Gel-DS Trainer 13

Long a Run Junkie favorite, the Gel-DS Trainer from Asics has spawned a 13th generation, which recently received a very favorable review in the March issue of Running Times (review). With a great mix of stability, cushioning, and lightness, the DS Trainers are a hard shoe to beat for big mileage runners with a need for speed (Asics' specs).

More shoe reviews on Run Junkie (shoe reviews).

Beyond 26.2: Beginners' Guide to the Ultra-Marathon

See also:  Run Junkie's Your First 50 Miler

The April issue of Runner's World has a nice collection of articles for runners looking to see what's on the other side of 26.2 miles. Meant for the newbie but an interesting read for others as well, the collection includes a 50 mile training plan (link), a primer on surviving your first ultra with minimal effort (link), and, of course, a number of stories of personal triumph. The articles seem a bit scattered online. For a nice soup -to-nuts read, you may want to grab the hard copy (on newsstands now!).

Gebrselassie Not Running 2008 Olympic Marathon

Haile Gebrselassie, citing concerns about the pollution, heat, and humidity of August in Beijing, says he won't be running in the upcoming Olympic marathon (NY Times story). The Ethiopian and current world record holder in the marathon (2:04:26, Berlin), will, however, still compete in the 10,000 meters, an event where he's twice won Olympic gold (Atlanta '96 & Sydney '00). A noted asthma sufferer, Gebrselassie seemed to conclude that it would be too much of a risk to run 26.2 miles in the frequently smog-choked city. While asthma medication is permitted under doping controls, too much use can still trigger positive controls and the career-breaking sanctions that go with it.

(Photo by kevindooley, under Creative Commons)

Injury Keeps Radcliffe Out of London Marathon

Eurosport.com reports today that marathon world record holder, Paula Radcliffe, won't be toeing the line at the London Marathon on April 13 (story; race site) The reason? Her toe, actually, which she injured in training in February. She would have been vying for her fourth London Marathon title.

See previous post on Radcliffe's plans for Beijing 2008 (post)

Taking Things Too Far: Overtraining

If you've ever been there, you know it: the bone-crunching fatigue, the trouble sleeping, the lack of sex drive, the slow times. Yep, it's in the air: overtraining. And while many of us can wear its symptoms like a crown of motivation and dedication, overtraining really has no performance benefits, except for telling us it's time to cut back and get on track. Of course, this is tough for many of us, largely because optimal training can dance on the edge of overtraining, and it's hard to know when you cross over the line and your miles start to work against you rather than for you. In the periodic Play Magazine, put out by the New York Times, a great article talks about the ins and outs and biochemistry of overtraining (story). A key quote from the article by Bob Larsen, the co-coach of Team Running USA (link), seems to capture the training conundrum for most of us:

“You can avoid overtraining by undertraining, but then you don’t win medals.”

Paula Radcliffe: Athens behind, Beijing full steam ahead

The last summer Olympics was a tough patch in Paula Radcliffe's storied career as a standout runner. Beat by the Athens heat and humidity - reaction to which was possibly made worse by some anti-inflammatories - she dropped out of the marathon at mile 20. She had another go in the 10,000 meters a few days later, but that race didn't come together either. Now in 2008, on the heals of winning the New York City Marathon, she's keeping her Athens performances in perspective and using the experience to build toward Beijing this August. Read Eurosport.com's interview with Radcliffe about her Athens races and views on Beijing 2008 (story).

Postscript: (3-6-08) Injury keeps Radcliffe out of London Marathon (post)

(Photo by Alan Cordova, used under Creative Commons)

No Finishing Times for Most Runners in Dec. Honolulu Marathon

It seems time really does stop in paradise. Directors for the Honolulu Marathon have finally given up on getting exact finishing times for the vast majority of its 23,000 participants (race release; AP/NY Times story). Heavy rains at the December 9, 2007 start supposedly wreaked havoc on the timing system, which seemed to fail at multiple points during the race. The race was timed by SAI Timing System (company site), which used a new type of disposable timing chip. The new chip is supposed to unburden race staff, since volunteers no longer need to clip chips off of runners' shoes after the finish. Of course, this didn't quite work out as planned at Honolulu, as race staff had to painstakingly review race day video to try to calculate finishing times - ultimately deemed an impossible task. Hopefully, SAI's tag line simply seems ironic at this point, rather than prescient: "the next step in the evolution of transponder timing."

World Record Holders and Huge Prize Money at Zayed International (Half) Marathon

Although it's really a half marathon, the Zayed International Marathon in Abu Dhabi (UAE) - set for February 28 - brings a full prize purse and talented field (race site). Both of the current world record holders at the half marathon distance are set to toe the line: Samuel Wanjiru (58:33) and Lorna Kiplagat (1:06:25). And the prize money is nothing short of astounding. Total purse is $ 2 million, with $300,000 going to the first place male and female - plus a cool $200,000 bonus for a new world best time (prize list). Eurosport story on the Zayed (story).

Postscript: (2-29-08) As expected, Wanjiru and Kiplagat take first place in the half. See Khaleej Times piece on the race (story).

(Photo by jonrawlinson, used under Creative Commons)

NYC Marathon Starts Accepting Applications

The contest to get into the Nov 2, 2008 New York City Marathon started yesterday (race site). Applications for the lottery are being accepted now through June 1 for US residents, May 1 for international runners. Guaranteed entries exist for some: See criteria (link). The best way to assure entry, of course, is simply to run fast. Here are the qualifying times for this year:

	Open (Age 18-39)		Masters (Age 40+)
	Marathon	Half-Marathon	Marathon	Half-Marathon
Men	2:55:00	1:23:00	3:10:00	1:30:00
Women	3:23:00	1:37:00	3:38:00	1:44:00
	Veterans (Age 50+)		Veterans (Age 60+)
	Marathon	Half-Marathon	Marathon	Half-Marathon
Men	3:30:00	1:40:00	3:45:00	1:48:00
Women	3:52:00	1:50:00	4:13:00	2:00:30