Gopher Women Try For "Triple Crown"

The University of Minnesota's Women's track team will be trying to win a "triple crown" of titles this year at the Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships in Jesse Owens Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University. After winning the Big Ten titles in cross country and indoor track the last three years, the Gopher women hope that the third time is the charm. Coach Matt Bingle has provided some insight into what it will take to make that dream a reality.

DtB: Three seems to be the magic number this year. You won your third straight indoor title, this is the third year you’ve won two of the three Big Ten team titles, and you’re going for a “triple crown” of all three titles. Did you anticipate being in this position at the beginning of the year?

Matt Bingle: I felt like we had shot to be because we returned the core of our group, and we had a good recruiting class coming in. The key has been that some of our freshman and sophomores have stepped up right away. We thought that they could help us now, and they have done that!

DtB: What did you see as the team’s biggest assets in going for this sweep? What has developed on this team that allows you to be in this position?

MB: Right now are biggest assets are that we have depth in a lot of events. We may not win the event, but we can score a lot of points in that event. We feel like we can score two to four people in a lot of the events. This is what we have to do to have a shot. If we don’t do this we just will not have a chance to win the meet. We need to score ten to fifteen points in some key events to make a push to win.

DtB: What has been the highlight or highlights of the season thus far? The most challenging aspect of the season?

MB: There are lots of highlights, but some would be: Winning the indoor title when I thought it would be rough to do. Our young people really stepping up and performing well. Our seniors ability to keep doing what they have been doing the last few years.

The most challenging part has been to keep fighting, and to always feel like we have something to prove. I am always trying to make sure people are hungry, and that we are having a lot of fun along the journey!

DtB: Extrapolating from the national rankings, Michigan would be considered the favorites to win with Minnesota and Penn State battling it out for second and third, but those rankings only take into account the athletes who are in a position to place high at the NCAA meet. Doesn’t take into account team depth and strength, which are more important in conference competition. What components of the team figure to be most important in the Big Ten Championships? What are the key elements/scenarios that need to happen for the team to be able to win the title?

MB: The national polls are deceiving, like you say, due to it being based on a few national caliber athletes. The Big Ten meet is based on depth in many ways. Some teams may have the winner and score ten points in that event, but we may score ten to twenty points in that event with three or four people. We scored ten points or more indoors in the 60, pole vault, 800 meters, mile, and 600, and it had a huge impact. Another key is having people everywhere. Not having zeros in very many events. If you have a complete team with people in the sprints-jumps-hurdles-distance-throws you have a shot as well. This is how we have been successful.

DtB: You talked before about the importance of allowing the athletes to enjoy the competition, to have fun as well as be competitive. How do you keep them “loose,” help them enjoy the event rather than get absorbed in the pressure?

MB: We try and stay loose by just being loose as coaches and leading by example. We do lots of team building things and lots of girl activities! We are always saying: "Just be yourself!"

DtB: Charlie wrote about Gabriele Anderson’s battle with cancer. She will be there to cheer the team on in Columbus. This sort of challenge puts things in perspective and has provided and incentive for her teammates. What have you noticed of the impact on the team and the courage Gabriele has displayed?

MB: It was hard to take with Gabe coming down with cancer because she is so important in many ways. But she is traveling with us and will be right there in the battle with our team and will not miss a beat! She is a prime example of what this team is about!

Kara Goucher Comes "Home," Prepares For World Champs

Kara Goucher returned to Duluth last weekend to visit family and friends and give a talk at a Duluth Fit-n-Fun event. The Duluth News Tribune story is here. She also talked with Universal Sports about Boston and the decision to run the IAAF World Championships in Berlin in August here. The US team that will run in Berlin, which includes Goucher, was also interviewed by Runner's World here.

Photo Courtesy of Photo Run

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon More Than 75 Percent Full

Participants from all fifty states and thirteen countries have registered for the 28th Annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. Registration demographics are trending similarly to years past, with the majority of the participants coming from Minnesota, followed by Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the rest from around the nation and the world.

Ludwig Cavallar will travel from Switzerland for his fifth TCM. A business trip here ten years ago introduced him to friends and a new found passion for running. Lutz Strohback is coming from Germany fifteen years after his first visit to see relatives in Minnesota. He said the beauty of running in “Indian Summer” and the course through the “parks and nature” also motivated his decision to return.

Registration is on track with many recent non-anniversary years with over 75 percent of the field filled, according to race officials. “We are honored that runners continue to come to Minnesota to take part in our marathon,” said Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. executive director Virginia Brophy Achman. “This year we are adding a special opportunity for one registered runner to win the ‘Best Seat in the House’ contest, giving the winner many of the same experiences professional runners are given when they come for the weekend to participate in a championship event here at one of our races. We continue to look for ways to make this marathon an event people look forward to taking part in year after year."

This year, the ING Neighborhood Cheer Zones will return along the course for spectators to gather and celebrate the race with an “International” theme featuring a special international cheer zone to encourage ethnic communities in the Twin Cities to come out and welcome runners from around the world. The marathon was ranked ninth largest in the nation in 2008 based on the number of finishers.

Visit mtcmarathon.org for more information.

Grandma's Marathon Registration Closes June 1

Registration for Grandma's Marathon will remain open through Monday, June 1. The 26.2-mile race is more than 85 percent to its field capacity of 9,500 participants. Registration for the nation’s 13th largest marathon opened January 15. Runners can sign up by visiting www.GrandmasMarathon.com. The entry fee is $85.

Grandma's Marathon weekend also features the 19th annual Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and the 16th annual William A. Irvin 5K. The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon is Saturday, June 20 at 6:30 a.m. and the William A. Irvin 5K is Friday, June 19 at 6 p.m. Registration for those two events is closed.

In all, more than 16,000 runners and 50,000 race fans from around the world will participate in the 33rd annual Grandma's Marathon weekend, which is presented by Target, Toyota and Wells Fargo Bank Duluth.

For more information on any of Grandma's Marathon’s races or events, visit www.GrandmasMarathon.com or call (218) 727-0947.

Ethiopian Refugee Thrives on the Track

In keeping with today's African theme, the St. Paul Pioneer Press has a story here on Fridley's Harun Abda. One of the top 800 meter runners in the state, Abda and Buffalo's Zach Mellon could end up waging a memorable dual at this year's MSHL Championships.

Minnesota Sprinter with an "Extra Motor"

Jordan sprinter Cameron Boy is featured in a Strib Q&A here

I Met Some Men in Africa….

As Charlie has noted, he’s off to Kenya and I’m in the editor’s chair while he’s gone. I thought I’d start off my time here with some recollections from the past.

Ten years ago several journalists were invited to take a trip to Kenya to visit the country and the runners. For those who covered the sport of long distance running, not to mention being curious about Africa, it was a dream opportunity. I had met Kenyans in this country. We competed against them in college when I ran for Bowling Green State University back in the 1970s. At that point they were like an exotic species. Talented, mysterious visitors from another world. They were just beginning to emerge on the world stage in athletics. They came to America on athletic scholarships to get an education both in the classroom and on the running track.

They had the as yet untapped talent. We had the knowledge base of coaching expertise and a high school and collegiate system to help our athletes develop. They had the ability, and they’d come to the US to learn how to use it. Our first encounter with the Kenyans came at a collegiate relay meet in the Carolinas. We were on a spring trip in 1972 that took us through North and South Carolina to the Florida Relays and back. On a cider track in North Carolina we were running a medley relay with our soon to be Olympic champion Dave Wottle running the anchor leg. It was 800 meters and Dave got the baton at least 50 yards behind a team from North Carolina that was anchored by Robert Ouko, a 400/800 meter runner who was one of the best in the world. We stood by the track cheering Dave on, all the time thinking that the best we could do was hold on to second place.

The first lap of the race did nothing to change that view as Ouko maintained his lead with Dave trailing well behind as the bell sounded for the final lap. Then, much like things would happen months later in the Munich Olympic final, Wottle began to gain ground. By the home stretch, we were jumping up and down, yelling incredulously at Dave, who had made up the gap on Ouko and was fast approaching the Kenyan. A few strides before the finish, Dave shot past his exhausted rival and won the race. We didn’t know it then, but what we saw was almost a carbon copy of the Olympic final. The Kenyans, at that time, only knew one way to run, from the front and fast from the start.

It would happen again in the ’72 Olympic final as Mike Boit and Ouko took the field out at a blazing pace with Dave trailing in last place coming off the first turn. As the pace took its toll on the rest of the field Dave inched his way to the front, and by the home straight was again in position to run down his rivals in the homestretch. Dave ran the Olympic final with nearly even splits, so the appearance of a blazing kick in was really a reflection of the carnage the fast early pace left behind on the front runners and those who followed. They all tied up and were unable to resist as Dave went past them and dipped at the line to defeat the diving Russian for the gold medal. In a way, Dave had the Kenyans to thank for helping him win. They had the talent, but had not yet learned the tactics and training necessary to mold that raw talent into places on the medal stand. One who had was Kip Keino.

Keino had traveled the world picking up information and tips from the best. In Mexico City he had run multiple events from the 10,000 to the 1,500, which he won, employing team tactics in that race where he had teammate Ben Jipcho go out fast in the rarefied air of Mexico City to set a pace that he was more suited to handle than his sea level trained competition. Not long after, in the summer of ’73 I was at a meet at UCLA and encountered Steve Prefontaine, who was watching in the stands after having set an American record at 10K earlier at a meet in Northern California. We were talking about that race when Pre looked up and waved to a man standing at the top of the stands, dressed in his running gear, as was Pre. It was Keino. The pair was going on a training run together, each picking each other’s brains on training routines, race strategies, and life in general.

When I met with Keino in his store in Eldoret In 1999 he talked about that process, those intelligence gathering missions. “We learned from you,” Keino said. He talked about he and other Kenyan athletes would watch and listen, figuring out what other athletes were doing and what might work for them. Developing a mental arsenal to go along with their physical talent that allowed them to get the most out of themselves and adapt to the racing scene to the point where, prior to when I left for Kenya, I’d had a conversation with Vin Lananna, who was then coaching at Stanford, about what we might learn from the Kenyans. Africans were not the dominant distance running community in the world. What were they doing that we could learn from, Lananna wanted to know. Do they have some hidden secret? Is there something they are doing that we aren’t?

I didn’t find any hidden secrets. I saw a host of talented runners who worked very hard every day and were motivated to succeed by both economic and social rewards. Kenyan athletes could become financially secure through success on the track or roads. The money they could earn there was enough to allow them to become independently wealthy back home, take care of their families, and live well. The flip side of this was that athletes were often targets of the huge social disparity in the country between the rich and the poor. Robberies, often in broad daylight in the center or Nairobi or populous areas, more often in the dark of night or along the roadways, were common and athletes who were known to have profited from road racing were the targets.

Life in Kenya was hard. It was my first visit to a Third World country and though you read about how different life is, it doesn’t really hit home until you see it. Nairobi then had the resemblance of a US city with some modern hotels, office buildings, and stores, but more of the look of a Wild West town than a metropolis. Outside of Nairobi and into the countryside or small towns, such as Eldoret, there were fewer and fewer of what we would call “modern conveniences.” Most of the homes were more like huts with no hot or cold running water. Paved roads were few and an adventure. Most of us in the van that transported us from place to place were reduced to “white knuckling” as the vehicle sped down the pothole strewn roadway, weaving between the holes and swaying busloads of people with their suitcases and belongings on the tops and sometimes people hanging off the sides.

Downtown Eldoret had a main street lined with one story shops with stucco exteriors and minimal interior decoration. Amusingly, one of the few “western” products on the grocery store shelves were cans of Pringles potato chips. Keino’s “athletic store” in the middle of downtown had more books and school supplies than running shoes or athletic equipment. There was more need for the school stuff than athletic things at that time of year, said Keino, when we talked to him in his small one-room office in the back of the store, which contained not much more than a desk, chairs, a few bookcases, and some posters on the wall. A large “flea market” adjoining the downtown took up more space than the traditional businesses along the main street. The reaction of the people in and around town was mixed. The children often looked at us musunga, the Kenyan name for white people, with wide eyed wonder.

When Amby Burfoot and I went on a run through a shanty-like neighborhood near our hotel, the kids often ran along side us, laughing and reveling in the sight of these strange visitors. The adults viewed us differently. When I took a taxi ride back from Eldoret to Nairobi, the driver stopped about midpoint along the route and picked up a white plastic canister of gas to fill his tank. As we were sitting by the side of the road, a woman came up to the side of the taxi and pleaded with me through the window to take her with me back to America. In Eldoret the men often stared at us with a mixture of fear or contempt. We were outsiders. I remember thinking this is what it must be like to be an African in a European or American city and how it is to be viewed and evaluated primarily by the color of your skin. In Kenya we were the outsiders or the remnants of a colonial past that was not viewed with pleasant memories. The divide in the society was great. You were either rich or poor, one tribe or another, nothing in between. We were warned not to go out at night and told stories of how thieves would hijack people driving at night by throwing tacks onto the pavement to puncture the car tires. When the occupants got out to change the tires, the thieves would ambush them. And not only foreigners were targeted. Anyone with money or driving a nice car was a prime target.

Thus, many athletes attempted to hide their wealth and avoided media attention or other notoriety in their home communities because of the potential consequences of being targeted by thieves. When we visited marathoner Moses Tanui at his house near downtown Eldoret, we were met at the large iron door that allowed entry through the wall surrounding his property by a guard. He looked at us and talked through a peephole in the door, much like one might expect to find in an illicit gambling joint in a major European or American city. It was a stark recognition of the price of fame in a country where the government was corrupt and the law was more “Wild West.” You lived by your wits, guile, and force—the law of the jungle.

The way to wealth was through a career in athletics. Some used their athletic talent to get an education and pursue a career outside of Kenya. Most, however, took the knowledge and money gained outside the country and “reinvested” it back in Kenya. The bought cattle. They bought land. Tanui and Tergat started companies and an athletics magazine. They and other former top level athletes attempted to gain some control within the sports establishment and agents, who would often prey on athletes, stealing from them or skimming off portions of their winnings for themselves. Instead of developing talent, those in charge of Kenyan athletics were often accused of attempting to benefit from the accomplishments of the athletes through their positions in the athletics establishment.

For most of the athletes, the goal was to earn enough money to be able to invest in land or a business in Kenya that would support their families. Most didn’t have long careers. They retired before they had reached their peak because they had made enough money and didn’t like the lifestyle of a world class athlete that involved long hours of intense training and time away from their families. Some fell victim to alcohol and a lifestyle of excess. Henry Rono’s battle with the bottle is the most well known, but when we were in Kenya you could hear stories of others who reportedly succumbed to the temptation. If there is any secret to the success of Kenyan distance runners, however, it’s the depth of the talent pool. For every athlete who falls off, there are several others ready and waiting to replace them.

We were guests at a cross country meet in Eldoret where several races were held with wave after wave of talented runners—some outfitted in shoe company sponsored shoes, shorts, and singlets, others barefooted and wearing hand me down running outfits—tried to outrun each other in highly competitive battles. The competition for the top spots was intense. Just as the US Olympic track trials are said to be often more competitive than the Olympics, the Kenyan cross country trials is viewed by many as a more competitive event than the IAAF World Cross Country Championship. In fact, the few foreign runners who ran in the Kenyan XC meet ended up placing higher in the IAAF championships than they did in the Kenyan championships. In wasn’t until years later when I attended a retirement party for one of my college teammates that I realized that what we can learn from the Kenyans is that what is necessary to succeed at the highest level in athletics is this depth of competition. Runners at the top of the sport pushing themselves just to make their country’s team.

It was the secret to the success of our cross country team at BG. We were a group of talented runners who competed hard, not only on the track but everywhere else. As Wottle recalled we competed in everything, whether it was against one another in a bowling match or a game of pool. Wottle was the most competitive of us all. Bob McOmber, who would go on to run a 2:17 marathon, remembered playing pool with Wottle. Dave was losing the match as it reached it’s best two out of three limit when Wottle declared that they weren’t going to stop until he got back on top. Eventually he did. In Kenya the competition is equally intense and the depth of talent is large. All you have to do is look at the marathon. For a variety of reasons it was an event where the Kenyans had only modest success until recently. Now, the current generation of Kenyan men’s marathoners has begun to dominate the event as much as the cross country team has that segment of the sport.

Sammy Wanjiru won the Olympic marathon by virtually breaking every rule in the marathon racing manual. He led the first mile at world record pace on a hot day in a smoggy city in the Olympic final. He pressed the pace throughout and broke the Olympic record by three minutes on a day that was not conducive to fast times. He showed the world a new way of championship racing. It caused me to think back to a talk we had with Tanui in his living room in Eldoret. Moses had run under an hour for the half marathon at that point, won the Boston Marathon, but had not run the blisteringly fast times that we see today. Was it possible, I asked, to run a sub two hour marathon? Without hesitation he said yes. Why do you believe that, I asked? Because I know what it felt like to run a half marathon in under and hour and I believe I can keep that pace up for a full marathon, he said.

It is that fearlessness, that lack of limits in what is possible that has been the hallmark of the Africans’ rise to distance running prominence. Much of the reason fast times have not come in the marathon has been that the financial reward is most often greater in winning or placing high in a race, so race tactics are evolved around winning, not risking blowing up by going fast early, but as more and more Kenyans are running 2:04 or better for the marathon the concept of what is fast is redefined. In may have to come in the sort of time trial setting that Haile Gebrselassie has turned into an art form for setting records. Where the risk of losing is outweighed by the chance to go where no man has gone before, but Tanui’s claim that ten years ago seemed an idle boast, now doesn’t seem so far fetched. Those are my stories and memories from Kenya. It will be fascinating to read what Charlie observes during his travels there.

DtB Editor/Publisher Heading to Kenya

Hi readers!

I'm writing this short personal post to let you know that I'll be Kenya for the next two weeks. I got a plum assignment from Track & Field News to join an IAAF media tour of the country where we'll meet the likes to Pamela Jelimo, Janeth Jepksogei, Asbel Kiprop, and Paul Kipsiele Koech.

I'll be away until May 23, but you shouldn't notice much different on your favorite Minnesota track and running web-site. Jim Ferstle will be manning the Down the Backstretch tiller as he has done before in my absence. If you need to reach him, write him at Downthebackstretch [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

Until I'm back from my trip, enjoy running and track from Minnesota without me!

Gabriele Anderson Faces Cancer Challenge

It’s one of the facts of being an athlete: You can never be sure which particular challenge will test you in a given season.

One year, when you’re completely healthy, say, the sport challenges you to train at the highest level. Your test is to work hard.

In another season, nagged by this injury or that, the test is to work smart, to walk the line between fitness and injury.

At still other times, when the body fails, the challenge is to endure a lost a season, the test is one of character rather than strength.

Life itself randomizes its challenges too. Just ask Gabriele Anderson.

In early March, the University of Minnesota fifth-year senior was the runner-up in the mile at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and was eying her final outdoor season in maroon and gold. By mid-March, however, she was caring for her mother who was about to have a tumor removed from her ovary and bracing for bad news about the nature of her mother's growth.

Then, when her mother’s tumor was found to be benign and Anderson thought she might be able to return to the familiar challenge of being a student and an athlete again, the real test came. Anderson , herself, was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, an uncommon and persistent cancer that arises in the secretory glands. The challenge was a test of endurance, in the most literal sense, and the test was all hers.

So now, instead of preparing for this weekend’s Big Ten Outdoor Championships with her team or, gathering with her family to care for her mother, Anderson -- with her family and her team supporting her -- is taking measures to fight her disease and, she hopes, to return to the track again next year for her final Gopher season.

A Small Lump

The big challenges that test Anderson today began with something small she discovered last fall.

“I started noticing a small lump below my ear and near the top of my jaw, which sometimes hurt when I woke up in the morning after sleeping on it or when I applied some pressure to it,” Anderson recalled. “I’m not sure exactly when I first noticed it, but in October I talked to our trainers and began the process of figuring out what exactly what was going on."

Anderson saw a doctor about the lump in December, but it wasn’t until March that a specialist suggested using fine needle aspiration to sample the tumor. In early April she had the test. On April 10, while in Arizona for an early-season outdoor meet, Anderson got the diagnosis: cancer.

“My reaction, at first, was shock,” she confessed. “I knew during that week that there was about a 20% chance that my biopsy results would come back positive for cancer, so I wasn’t completely blindsided. 20% actually seemed like a pretty big chance to me during that week. I started to try to prepare myself for the upcoming weeks and the possibility of my season ending after my next race, which was probably the hardest thing for me to deal with."

In Arizona, Gopher distance coach Gary Wilson gave the Anderson the chance to opt out of the race, but she, remarkably, preferred to run.

“It’s one of those situations where you really don’t have anything to lose, or gain, really, so the pressure was eliminated from the race in that sense,” she explained. “The thought of having cancer popped into my mind a few times right before the race, but I was really happy to be racing. It was a beautiful night and I kind of knew that racing would be able to give me some peace of mind. Also, I had no idea if I’d ever race again this season or as a Gopher, so I really wanted to take advantage of the opportunity."

Anderson ran a PR 4:22.87 for 1500m.

The race, however, would indeed be the end of Anderson’s outdoor season. She had surgery to remove the tumor on April 16. The procedure removed Anderson’s parotid gland along with the tumor itself.

“The surgery went well, even though it is incredibly tedious to remove a tumor in that part of the neck,” she said. “Even though my tumor was pretty small, the surgery took nearly five hours because the facial nerve runs though the area. I also had a tough recovery from the anesthesia, so my poor parents were waiting to see me for 8+ hours."

A common side-effect of the procedure is for patients to lose some control over their facial muscles. According to Anderson, she retained nearly 100% of her facial movement shortly after surgery, and expects to regain the rest in time.

“There aren’t really too many long-term side effects from the surgery itself,” Anderson said. “Even though they removed my parotid gland, there are other salivary glands that can do the job – so there won’t be any effects there."

“Most people don’t realize that the parotid gland (since it’s pretty big) makes up the appearance of a person’s jaw, so my left jaw line/neck does look a little different,” she explained. “I just have a small indent below my ear, but most people probably wouldn’t even notice it. My surgeon did an awesome job in my opinion!"

Surgery, though, is only the start of Anderson’s treatment.

“Unfortunately, they weren’t able to remove all of the cancer as it has a tendency to spread along the facial nerve, and my surgeon didn’t want to remove the nerve.” she said. “If he would have, I wouldn’t be able to move the left side of my face."

Anderson will need to undergo radiation therapy in the coming weeks to kill the caner that remains.

Patches and the “Gabe Face"

The Gopher track season, or course, hasn’t stopped just because Anderson’s season has ended. By the same token, Anderson’s teammates aren’t exactly moving on without her, either.

At the Drake Relays last month, a meet where Anderson has been a member of three winning relays squads – including the Gophers’ 2007 Drake Relays record-setting 4 x 800 meter team – Minnesota competed with shoulder patches that read “Gabe,” Anderson’s nickname on the squad.

In addition, some of her teammates designed warm-up T-shirts that honored Anderson’s penchant for transforming the look on her face in the final stages of a race. The shirts sported THIS late-race photo of Anderson and asked: “Are you this tough?"

“When my mom and I first saw the pictures of the girls wearing the shirts, we were emotional because it was so thoughtful and it meant so much to still be a part of the team that weekend, albeit from a distance,” Anderson said. “It was just really special to know that they were thinking of me while I was missing racing and being with them so much."

Wilson, who has coached Anderson for five years, thinks her toughness will be a critical factor in her battle with cancer.

“She is a VERY, VERY though kid,” Wilson wrote. “She is extremely determined as a student and as a runner and if anyone can beat cancer it is her. I have seen her have some very poor races and the next time she runs she bounces back and will have the race of her life. I think that any setbacks that she might have will be quickly overcome because of her ‘tough mindedness.’ Simply put she is a FIGHTER!!!!!!!!!!!"

Wilson and the Gophers know something about battling cancer, too. Long-time Gopher equipment manager Jack Johnson fought the disease in 2006. Johnson’s attitude about the disease that ultimately took his life became a rallying point for the Gopher’s 2006 Big Ten Champion Outdoor team.

“What I learned with Jack is that being positive and having people around you that are positive REALLY helps as one fights the challenges that cancer brings,” Wilson said. “[Gabriele] has a very supportive family at home and a very supportive and positive team family here, so the positive energy that surrounds her will really help as she fights this disease."

The support Anderson has gotten from the team is no small thing, the former team captain says.

“They’ve been so great. I can’t even begin to describe the outpouring of support I’ve felt from my entire team and their families,” she said. “So many people have gone out of their way to make me feel loved and supported, through cards, letters, emails, gifts, and flowers – anything. These small gestures have gone a long way to helping me get through the scary part of this, and gear up for the treatment I’ll start in a few weeks. I am so appreciative of being a part of this group of warm, caring people."

Anderson recently attended the Gopher home track meet on Friday, May 8th and plans to be on hand this weekend when the Gopher seek the Big Ten “triple crown” in Columbus, Ohio. As a member of this year’s conference champion cross country and indoor track teams, she’d love to cheer her teammates to an outdoor crown.

Radiation Treatment

The next big event in Anderson’s effort to rid her body of cancer will be radiation treatment, which she’ll begin shortly after the semester ends for the English/Political Science double major who has already begun graduate studies.

“Since the cancer did spread along my nerve,” she explained, “I will undergo radiation therapy starting in a few weeks. I haven’t met with the radiation oncologist, so I’m not sure what the details are just yet. From what they’ve told me, I’m expecting about six weeks of radiation, five times per week, with about six additional weeks of recovery until I’m feeling 100% again."

Adenoid cystic carcinoma is known for its persistence. While the disease has a nearly 90% survival rate in the first five years after diagnosis, according to a study cited by the Oral Cancer Foundation, the survival rate drops to 40% after 15 years.

“I’ll never know for sure if all of the cancer cells are gone post-radiation, but by carefully monitoring the area we’ll hopefully be able to deal with any recurrences before they get too serious,” Anderson explained. “Adenoid cystic carcinoma has a high-rate of late metastasis to other parts of the body, like the lungs and liver. I’ll never be able to say I’m “cured” because of that high-risk of the cancer eventually spreading to other areas, however, I’ll be able to live my life pretty normally and fully, despite getting checked often."

Anderson seems both realistic and optimistic about her future.

“It is hard to look 20-30 years down the line and know that I have a good chance of having to deal with this again,” she admitted. “In the first few days after my surgery, I was pretty upset as I looked to the future. Since then, I’ve been able to see things more rationally."

“Every single day is truly a gift – I know that is incredibly cliché, but it is true,” she continued. “I think I had somewhat of a grasp on that concept before all of this, but cancer has certainly brought a new perspective to my life. The truth is that God can take life at any point, and there is no way to know if I would even live long enough to see the cancer come back. I plan to go forward and live my life without reservation, and without constantly thinking about what I could have to face or miss in the future."
The Future

One thing Anderson wants in her future is her senior track and field season – the one she had to stop just two meets into this spring.

“I was planning on this season being my final season of competing as a Gopher,” she said. “At this point I’m hoping to apply for a medical hardship waiver to get a sixth-year and run my last outdoor season in 2010."

Anderson says people who know her won’t be surprised that she wants to race in maroon and gold one more time.

“Through all of this, I have realized just how important it is to do things that you love while you have the opportunity to do them,” she said. “I love racing and being a part of this team, and dealing with cancer doesn’t affect that."

And, after the unexpected challenges in her life this spring -- and those still to come this summer and beyond – you can bet Anderson will look forward to the simpler challenges of an outdoor track and field season – whatever those challenges turn out to be.


Photo credits: Top, courtesy of the University of Minnesota; middle, by Gene Niemi; bottom, by Sean Hartnett.

Oh Yeah, Small College Track & Field ...

We admit to being a little remiss last week in our coverage of Minnesota's NCAA Division II and III schools.

Both the NSIC and MIAC Outdoor Championships took place over the weekend, but there was barely a peep out of us about them. We've got nothing against those folks -- most of use here at DtB were those folks back in the day! -- there was just so much else going on last week.

To make amends, though, here's our wrap up of the NSIC and MIAC Championships ...

Duluth Women top Mankato ... Powered by double victories from NSIC Athlete of the Year Liz Palkie (800, 1500) and Newcomer of the Year Morgan Place (5000, 10,000) the University of Minnesota - Duluth women defeated Minnesota State - Mankato 156 to 132.5 at the NSIC Championships at Wayne State.

The Bulldogs took four of the top six places in the 800m and went 1-2-6-8 in the 1500 to nail down the title and earn an NSIC Women's Coach of the Year award for John Fulkrod. Mankato got individual wins in the meet from Brittany Henderson (100, 200), Katelin Rains (pole vault.)

Full Results are HERE.

Mankato Men Romp ... Led by Double-winners Denise Mokaya (800, 1500) and Dana Schmidt (5000, 10,000) the Minnesota State - Mankato men completed their sweep of NSIC crowns in cross country, indoor, and outdoor track. The Mavericks scored 193 points, nearly double those or runner-up UMD.

Mark Schuck earned NSIC Men's Coach of the Year accolades. Mokaya was named Men's Track Athlete of the Year.

Full results are HERE.

Find a wrap-up of the NSIC meet and a listing of all the conference's award winners HERE.

Tommie Women win 5th Straight ... The University of St. Thomas won its 24th women's outdoor title with a 207 to 173 win over Gustavus Adolphus College at the MIAC Outdoor Championships in Northfield.

Joe Sweeney's team got wins from Nikki Arola (200, 400), Erin Sprangers (800), Katie Theissen (steeplechase), Jenna Lewis (hammer), Alyssa Salomone (high jump), and and all three relays.

Results of the meet are HERE.

The conference will name its award winners later in the week.

Tommie Men Repeat ... The St. Thomas men won their 28th MIAC Outdoor Title with a 182 to 125 win over 2007 champs St. John's.

Steve Mathre's Tommies got victories from James Ewer (100, long jump), Joe DeFrance (200), Brian Sames (800), Matt Griswold (400H), Andrew Brueggan (hammer), and in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays.

Complete results of the meet are HERE.

Short-Cut: Results' Links for May 8-10

This is Conference Meet weekend for Division II and Division III teams in Minnesota. The NSIC Meet is underway in Wayne, Nebraska, while the MIAC Meet is taking place at Carleton.

Friday:
Minnesota Open: Results
MIAC Conference Meet: Men's Results * Women's Results
NSIC Conference Meet: Men's Results * Women's Results

Saturday:
New Prague 1/2 Marathon: Results
MIAC Conference Meet: Men's Results * Women's Results
NSIC Conference Meet: Men's Results * Women's Results
River Bank Run - U.S. 25k Championship: Results

Torrence, Rowbury Win USA Road Mile;Torrence Earns $10,000 Sub-4:00 Bonus

Shannon Rowbury and David Torrence won Thursday night's inaugural USA Road Mile Championship held in conjunction with the Medtronic TC 1 Mile.

Torrence (pictured), the USA Indoor champ at 3000 meters this winter, earned the race's $10,000 bonus for a men's sub-4:00 clocking with 3:59.3.

Early leader Jon Rankin was runner-up in 4:01.7; Bobby Curtis 4:02.0.

You can watch the men's race HERE.

Rowbury (pictured leading Sara Hall), the Olympic Trials champion at 1500 meters, clocked 4:33.4, missing the women's sub-4:28 time bonus, but earning a $4000 winner's check.

Hall, the only runner to match Rowbury's early pace, was 2nd in 4:39.1; Sara Vaughn was 3rd in 4:41.3

Team USA Minneseota's Meghan Armstrong was 5th at 4:43. Teammate Carrie Tollefson was 8th in 4:47.

Team USA Minnesota's Emily Brown, who withdrew and re-entered the race during the week due to a slight foot injury, did not compete in the end.

You can watch the women's race HERE.

Find results of the races HERE.

Post-Race Audio ...

David Torrence ...



More David Torrence ...



Jon Rankin ...



Shannon Rowbury ...



Sara Hall ...



Carrie Tollefson ...




Photos by Gene Niemi (Torrence) and Paul Phillips/Competitive Image (Rowbury and Hall.)

Kara Goucher to Continue Racing in 2009

Kara Goucher, who originally intended to make last month's Boston Marathon her final competition of 2009, has announced that she intends to run the marathon at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Berlin this August, according to the Portland Oregonian, HERE, and Track & Field News, HERE.

Goucher (pictured) and her husband Adam had planned to start a family later this year.

The Duluth native now plans to compete in several track races -- including the USA Championships in Eugene, Oregon -- before running at the World Championships. Goucher was a shock bronze medalist in the 2007 World Championships at 10,000 meters.

Goucher’s eagerness to continue racing showed itself immediately after her 3rd-place finish at Boston. Then, Goucher pleaded with coach Alberto Salazar for the opportunity to race at the London Marathon, which followed Boston by merely a week.

Also Changing Her Mind ... is Emily Brown.

Yesterday, Team USA Minnesota announced that the former Big Ten steeplechase champion had withdrawn from the Medtronic TC 1 Mile, the USA Road Mile Championship. Today, Brown is back in, having quickly recovered from the ailment that prompted her to pull out earlier.

Photo by Victor Sailer/Photo Run.

How can a national-class track and field athlete fly under the radar in Minnesota?

The answer: Throw the javelin and compete at a Division III college.

Lisa Brown is closing out her remarkable career at Gustavus Adolphus College by throwing at the MIAC conference meet at Carleton this weekend, followed by the D3 national meet in Marietta, Ohio, two weeks later. The Lake Crystal native will start this weekend by competing in her specialty on Friday afternoon and then move to the shot put and finish with the discus on Saturday.

This week we will shine the spotlight on Lisa Brown with the question ...

Yes/No: Will Lisa Brown break her own conference javelin record of 158-5 at the MIAC Championships on Friday afternoon?

Note: Lisa Brown is a 2-time D3 National Champ in the javelin and was the runner-up in 2007. Brown threw 174-5 in 2008 which made her the 11th best thrower in the United States that year. She qualified and competed in the Olympic Trials last year and has already qualified for the USA Championships in 2009. Brown's best throw so far in 2009 has been 161-0 when she placed 3rd at Drake Relays. She is the 3-time defending MIAC champ in the javelin.

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 2:00 p.m. CDT Friday, May 8th. Please put your answer in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail. We will continue to offer a bonus for participants making their debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for any first-time players.

Please note the early deadline this week due to the javelin starting Friday afternoon.

My Answer: No.

Yes/No contestants were split last week in answering the question "Will a Gopher break the men’s outdoor school record of 13:44.30 in the 5000m at Stanford on Saturday?" Hassan Mead proved the affirmitive as he took an astonishing 16 seconds off his school record.

You can find the Y/N leaderboard HERE.

Good luck and thanks for playing Yes/No on DtB!

Late Scratches Thin Medtronic TC 1 Mile Field; Famiglietti, Jennings, Brown, Deatherage Out

Recent scratches by top contenders in the Medtronic TC 1 Mile have thinned fields and opened opportunities in tomorrow night's race up the Nicollet Mall.

Since Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. officials last week announced (HERE) the elite entrants in the 5th-annual event that this year hosts the first-ever USA Road Mile Championship, seven racers have withdrawn.

Absent from the men's race through downtown Minneapolis are: favorite Anthony Famiglietti, 2000 Olympian Gabe Jennings, 5000 meter specialist Thomas Morgan, and former Team USA Minnesota runner Brad Lowery.

Out of the women's race are: Team USA Minnesota's Emily Brown, fellow Minnesotan Jenelle Deatherage, and two-time Olympian Jen Rhines.

Racheal Marchand, a former University of Iowa star, is a late addition to the race, however.

The remaining racers -- including women's favorite Shannon Rowbury and 2004 Olympian Carrie Tollefson -- will vie for the $22,500 Medtrontic TC 1 Mile prize purse which includes $4000 for race winners.

An additional $10,000 awaits race winners who break 4:00 (men) and 4:28 (women.)

Racing commences at 6:50 p.m. tomorrow; the starting guns fire for the USA Championship races just before 8:00 p.m.

Watch Hassan Mead's KARE 11 Feature

Click HERE to see last nights' KARE 11 piece on Gopher star Hassan Mead.

The station's Eric Perkins spent some time with Mead and coach Steve Plasencia at the University of Minnesota track.

FLASH: Hassan Mead on KARE 11 Tonight

Hassan Mead, the Gopher sophomore who scored a 13:28 5000m win at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford on Saturday, will be featured on KARE 11's 6:00 p.m. news tonight, the U of M sports media team announced.

Mead's time broke his own school record in the event and ranks him #3 in the NCAA this season.

Carleton Alum Hooley Wins, Qualifies in Eugene

Carleton College alum Matt Hooley was a big winner at Oregon's Eugene Marathon on Sunday, taking the 3rd-annual event by a full eight minutes.

The Madison, Wisconsin resident clocked 2:18:38, which qualified him for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon. Hooley (pictured racing the Human Race 8K) needed to run 2:19:00 or faster to achieve the standard.

The NCAA Division III all-American was paced for 19 miles by his Team Strands teammate Mike Reneau, the long-time Minnesota road race regular originally from Hudson, Wisconsin.

Hooley was the runner-up at St. Paul's Human Race 8K in March.

The Eugene Register-Guard has a nice story about Hooley's race HERE.

Complete results from the event are HERE.

Lots of Marathon Action ... Hooley wasn't the only Minnesotan racing a long one last weekend. 2008 Olympic Trials qualifier Melissa Gacek won the Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha in 3:04:38. Former Duluth and Twin Cities resident Pat Russell won the Eau Claire Marathon in 2:34:03. And, Sharon Stubler returned to her hometown (and mine!) to win the La Crosse Marathon in 3:16:16.

Photo by Gene Niemi.

Watch Hassan Mead Run 13:28

Got 13 minutes, 28.45 seconds to spare?

If so, we suggest you watch the Flotrack video, below, of Hassan Mead's Univeristy of Minnesota record 13:28.45 5000m win in the "college heat" of the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford on Saturday night.





If you have another 1:56 to spare after that ... check out Mead's happy post-race interview, too.




If you still have time after that -- c'mon, you've got all week to get your work done! -- take a gander at Garrett Heath's 3:37.57 1500m PR, below.




Find all the Flotrack videos from the meet HERE.

Complete results from the meet are HERE.

Short-Cut: Results' Links for April 29 - May 2

Find this weekend's important results below ...

Wednesday:
Tommie Twilight: Results

Thursday/Friday:
MIAC Multi-Events: Men's Results * Women's Results
Howard Wood Dakota Relays: Results

Saturday:
IT5K: Results
Payton Jordan Stanford Invite: Live Results
Update: Gophers' Hassan Mead runs 13:28.45
Hamline Meet of the Unsaintly: Results
MSU-Moorhead Invite: Results
Howard Wood Dakota Relays: Results

Sunday:

Lilac Bloomsday 12K (Lehmkuhle): Results

Rowbury, Famiglietti Headline TC 1 Mile

2008 Olympic 1500 meter finalist Shannon Rowbury and last year's Olympic Trials steeplechase champion Anthony Famiglietti headline next Thursdays' Medtronic TC 1 Mile, the inaugural USA Road Mile Championship.

The pair and two solid fields of elite competitors will race for a $4000 winner's check as well as a $10,000 "bounty" for sub-4:00 men's performance or a sub-4:28 women's time.

The races run up the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.

Rowbury, (pictured) a San Francisco resident and a Duke University graduate, is coming off a breakthrough year in 2008 where she established a new 1500m PR of 4:00.33, won the Olympic Trials 1500m title, and was highest finishing American woman ever at 1500m with her 7th-place 4:03.58 effort in Beijing.

Rowbury is coming off a 15:12.95 clocking over 5000m meters at last weekend's Brutus Hamilton meet.

Rowbury's primary challengers look to be a pair of fellow Californians and a handful of local favorites. Sarah Hall, who has clocked 4:25 for a road mile and who finished a place behind Rowbury at Brutus Hamilton and 2004 and 2008 Olympian Jen Rhines, both of Team Running USA, will compete. Team USA Minnesota athletes Carrie Tollefson, herself a 2004 Olympian, Emily Brown, 3rd in the TC 1 Mile last year, and Meghan Armstrong will be in the dozen runner elite field.

Minnesotan Jenelle Deatherage, a former TC 1 Mile champion, will also compete.

Men's favorite Famiglietti, has shown remarkable range in his long career. The 30-year-old new Yorker is a two-time USA steeplechase champion, a USA champ on the roads at 5K and 8K, and possessor of PRs of 3:55.71, 8:17.34, 13:11.93, and 27:37.74 in the mile, steeplechase, 5000m and 10,000m, respectively.

Famiglietti comes to Minnesota and the mile distance off a 27:39.68 10,000m effort at the Brutus Hamilton meet.

"Fam" will face a field of ten fellow sub-4:00 milers, including 2000 Olympic finalist Gabe Jennings and 2007 Falmouth Mile champ Jon Rankin, who sports the fastest mile PR in the field at 3:54.24. Blake Boldon, who won the 2007 TC 1 Mile also competes.

While the men's field lacks a true local favorite, former Team USA Minnesota athletes Ryan Kleimenhagen and Brad Lowery return to Minnesota for the race.

A full evening of road miling gets underway at 6:50 p.m. on Thursday with the "Mass Wave" of the TC 1 Mile. Following that are races for masters, runners 30-39 years-old, runners under 29-years, corporate challenge competitors, and USATF-Minnesota Team Circuit squads.

The elite races commence at 7:53 (women) and 7:59 (men.)

Find the official Medtronic TC 1 Mile media release and complete elite field listing HERE.


Photo by Victor Sailer/Photo Run.

Fresh off their speed work at Drake Relays last weekend, Chris Rombough and Hassan Mead will head to Stanford University on Saturday for a fast 5000 meter race at the Payton Jordan Invitational. You can find heat sheets for the meet HERE.

So, we ask you ...

Yes/No: Will a Gopher break the men’s outdoor school record of 13:44.30 in the 5000m at Stanford on Saturday?

Note: Chris Rombough is a 3-time all-American in cross country as well as a Big Ten champ. Rombough has run 13:51.71 for 5000m. Hassan Mead was a superstar at Minneapolis South before joining the Gophers in 2007. The sophomore all-American and Big Ten champ is well on his way to being one of the most decorated Gopher distance runners ever. Mead currently owns the 5k school record of 13:44.30.

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 10:00 p.m. CDT Saturday, May 2nd. Please put your answer in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail. We will continue to offer a bonus for participants making their debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for any first-time players.

My Answer: Yes

Yes/No Update ... The question from two weeks ago -- "Will Carrie Tollefson run 4:35.00 or faster in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile" was answered correctly by 16 contestants. Tollefson encountered a very windy day and still ran a very solid 4:45 in Boston.

You can find the full Yes/No leaderboard HERE.

Good luck and thanks for playing Yes/No on DtB!

Conference Awards for Hermanson, McGinnis

Burnsville alum Laura Hermanson of North Dakota State University was named The Summit League’s Female Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year in a vote by the league’s head coaches. Hermanson received a unanimous seven votes,

Hermanson (pictured) completed the indoor season with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2:05.44. Hermanson had an excellent indoor season as she set school records in the 600m, 800m, and mile . She led The Summit League in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:04.44. She also posted a league-best mile time of 4:41.96 and helped the Bison capture The Summit League Indoor crown for the second straight year.

Hermanson was the winner of the women's 800 meters at the Drake Relays last Friday.

McGinnis is Athlete of the Week ... Minnesota junior R.J. McGinnis was named the Big Ten Field Event Athlete of the Week after posting the third-best decathlon total in the NCAA this season at the Drake Relays last week.

McGinnis enjoyed career-best performances in five of the 10 decathlon events as he tallied 7,626 points to finish second in the competition. His mark ranks #3 in University of Minnesota decathlon history.

McGinnis was the Big Ten heptathlon champion indoors this year.

Twin Cities Marathon More Than Half Full

The field for the 2009 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon is more than half filled after eleven days of on-line registration, race officials announced yesterday.

Registration for the October 4 event opened on Friday, April 17 and so far more than 5500 runners have registered for a spot in the race's 11,000 runner field.

"Continued interest in the marathon distance is exciting to see," Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. executive director Virginia Brophy Achman said in a media release. "In its 28th year, the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon continues to draw participants from around the world. Not only do they say they come back for the great shared experience, but also because the enthusiastic community support in the Twin Cities."

Entries do appear to be coming in more slowly than in recent years. Last year, entries for the race hit the half-full benchmark after only four days of registration, as opposed to the eleven it has taken in 2009. Last year, TCM filled in 31 days.

TCM officials noted that entrants to the race hale from 49 states and eleven countries.

TCM Awards Scholarships ... Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. awarded $5000 scholarships to two Twin Cities area high school seniors. Weiming (Vivian) Hou of Eastview High School and Samuel Seehof of Minnetonka High School are the 2009 Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. $5,000 College Scholarship winners. Hou and Seehof were chosen from a field of more than 85 candidates, based on running accomplishments, academic performance, community service, and a personal essay.

Hou is a four-year letter recipient on Eastview’s cross country team, and captain of the 2008 team that qualified for the MSHSL State Meet. She has been on the varsity cross country team for three seasons, and participated in track for two years. Hou is a member of the National Honor Society, a National Merit Finalist, an AP Scholar with Honors and is ranked first academically in her class of 556 students. Hou has not yet decided on a university, but plans to study biology and neuroscience.

Seehof is a three-year varsity letter recipient in cross country and two-year recipient in track, in addition to carrying a 4.412 GPA in the International Baccalaureate program at Minnetonka High. He is editor of the school newspaper, an Executive Cabinet Member of the Student Government, co-captain of the Math Team and a member of the National Honor Society -- all while holding down two jobs throughout his high school career. Seehof will be attending Dartmouth College after he graduates from high school.

Carleton Alum on Cross-America Run

2007 Carleton College graduate Katie Visco went out for a long run on March 29 ... and is still running.

Visco (pictured) is attempting to become the youngest female to run across the United States. She's doing so, she says, to inspire people to follow their passion, to empower individuals to connect to what gives them life, and to fund-raise for and promote Girls on the Run, a charity that empowers young girls through running

Visco, who is on Day 31 of her endeavor, plans to run from Boston to San Diego. Her route has taken her through Providence, Rhode Island, New Haven, Connecticut, and New York City and will continue through Cleveland; Chicago; Salina, Kansas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Flagstaff, Arizona before reaching San Diego.

Visco hopes to reach Sand Diego by mid-December.

There's lots of interesting information about Visco's run on her web-site, HERE, including video clips from her conversations with local media.

Local Fundraising Run ... Visco's former Carleton teammates are organizing a fun run in Northfield to raise money and show support for Visco's cause. The Pave Your Lane Run/Walk will take place Sunday, May 17 at 1:00 p.m. in the Carleton Arboretum. Proceeds from the 3-mile run will be donated to the Girls on the Run non-profit organization.

Cost to participate is $10 ($8 for students) and T-shirts will be given to the first 50 registrants. Registration is on-site at Carleton's West Gym starting at noon on May 17th.

Also ... The Northfield News just ran THIS story on another Northfield-affiliated mega-miler: Stan Hup. Hup was featured for running 15 or more marathons a year and using his marathoning passion to take him across the globe for marathoning opportunities.

Photo by Sara Rubenstein, courtesy of Carleton College.

Drake Relay Photo Gallery -- By Gene Niemi

Laura Hermanson (#5) en route to a women's 800 meter victory. Also pictured (second from left) Gopher Jamie Dittmar.

The third leg of the Men's 4 x 1600m Relay: The Gophers' Chris Rombough, Stanford's Chris Derrick, and Notre Dame's Jordan Carlson.

Ladia Albertson-Junkans passes to Gopher teammate Heather Dorniden in the Distance Medley Relay.


Gopher Elizabeth Yetzer anchoring the Gophers' 4th-place DMR.


Stanford's Garrett Heath tracks Wisconsin's Craig Miller in the DMR, while Rombough works his way toward the leaders.


The Drake Relays 4 x 1600m Relay Champions: Albertson-Junkans, Yetzer, Nikki Swenson, and Dorniden.

Photos by Gene Niemi.

Minnesotans are Key Players at Drake Relays

There was no shortage of Minnesota news coming out of the Iowa capitol city of Des Moines at last weekend's Drake Relays.

The Gopher women won two relays, Aaron Studt won a second straight shot put title, and Burnsville High grad Laura Hermanson of NDSU was the runaway winner of the 800 meters at "America's Athletic Classic.".

But the men's 4 x 1600m and Distance Medley Relays were, perhaps, the most intriguing of the Minnesota stories. The Gophers won the 4 x 16 and finished runner-up in the DMR in races that featured Minnesota runners playing important role for each of the top-three teams.

In Friday's 4 x 1600m, the Gopher anchor Ben Blankenship held off Winona High School grad Elliott Heath of Stanford (pictured above) in a furious kick for the title. The Gopher team of Hassan Mead, Andy Richardson, Chris Rombough, and Blankenship edged Stanford 16:29.74 to 16:29.85.

The Des Moines Register featured the Minnesotans in THIS feature story. You can watch video highlights of the race as well as an interview with Hermanson HERE, thanks to the Register.

In addition to the Blankenship/Heath battle, 2008 Rosemount High School grad Jordan Carlson ran the third leg of the Notre Dame's thrid-place squad which clocked 16:44.95.

In Saturday's DMR, Stanford returned to top the Gophers -- but needed two home-staters to pull off the feat. Elliott Heath ran the 1200m opener for the Cardinal and brother Garrett anchored in the 1600m leg. Wisconsin led early in the anchor leg -- thanks in part to Mounds View grad Quinn Evans' 400m leg -- and Rombough put the Gophers into the lead, but Garrett Heath's finish was the difference for Stanford.

Stanford clocked 9:36.14, edging the Gopher squad of Blankenship, Logan Stroman, Richardson, and Chris Rombough. Wisconsin, which could field a DMR that includes Evans, Burnsville grad Rob Finnerty, and Buffalo High School senior Zac Mellon in the coming years, was third in 9:45.26.

Complete Drake Relays results are HERE.

Find great Drake Relays coverage HERE, from the Des moines Register.

Read about the Golden Gophers' exploits HERE (men) and HERE (women).


Photo by Gene Niemi.

Short-Cut: Results' Links for April 24-26

While we've been busy covering the Hamline Elite Meet -- see below! -- the rest of the track and field world has continued apace.

Find results of this weekend's action below ...

Friday:
Drake Relays: Results
Update: Hermanson, Gopher 4x800 (w), 4x1600 (m), Studt win.
Hamline Elite Meet: Results
Brutus Hamilton Invitatiional: Results
Update: Moen 28:26, Gabrielson 28:44; Tollefson 15:35, Brown 15:37.

Saturday:
Get in Gear: Results
Update: Malakwen defends, Vega 3rd; Misganaw wins again, Lyons 2nd.
Drake Relays: Results
Gustavus Drake Alternative: Results
Sooner Invite: Results
Hamline Elite Meet: Results

Elite Meet: Boys' 4x400m

Act III of the Zach Mellon show: Buffalo wins again -- this time in the 4 x 400m in 3:25.33 -- thanks to come-from-behind stick-work by Mellon.

Elite Meet: Girls' 4x400m

Another relay, another win for Hopkins -- 4:02.46 winners of the 4 x 400m.

Elite Meet: Girls' 3200m

Jamie Piepenburg of Alexandria pulled away in the late-going for a 11:06.66 3200m win.

Elite Meet: Boys' 3200m

Wayzata's Jeremy Drenkhahn motored to a win in the 3200m in 9:23.50.

Elite Meet: Girls' 200m

Paige Kuplic of Prior Lake screamed to a 200m win in 25.34.

Elite Meet: Boys' 200m

Cameron Boy was the man in the 200m, winning in a run-away in 21.71.

Elite Meet: Girls' 800m

State champion as an eighth-grader, Elite Meet winner as a frosh, Haylie Zenner of Fergus Falls takes the 800m in 2:18.96

Elite Meet: Boys' 800m

Act II of the Mellon-drama, Zach Mellon of Buffalo, the fastest Minnesota high school 800m runner ever, runs down Winona's Sam Miner for a third-straight Elite Meet 800m crown, clocking 1:55.60

Elite Meet: Girls' 300m Hurdles

Bree Woelber of Pipestone scored a win for Class A with a 45.98 300m hurdle win.

Elite Meet: Boys' 300m Hurdles

Greg Kufahl of Hopkins wins the 300m Hurdles in 39.38.

Elite Meet Girls' 400m

Sophie Charlton of Rochester Mayo raced to the 400m title in 58.15.

Elite Meet: Boys' 400m

Harun Abda, the #5-ranked Minnestoa prep 800m runner all-time, is now the Elite Meet 400m champ at 49.40.

Elite Meet: Girls' 4x100m

Another relay, another relay victory for the Hopkins girls, who clocked 49.30.

Elite Meet: Boys' 4x100m

Andover speeds to an Elite Meet title in the 4 x 100m in 43.80.

Elite Meet: Girls' 1600m

Mara Olson of St. Louis Park, the reigning Class AA champ, won the 1600m in 5:06.84.

Elite Meet: Boys' 1600m

Moses Heppner of far-away Warroad takes the 1600m title in 4:17.74.

Elite Meet: Girls' 4x200m

In the western suburbs, speed is spelled H-O-P-K-I-N-S -- the 4 x 200m winners in Elite Meet record fashion with 1:42.91

Elite Meet: Boys' 4x200m

Brainerd makes a long trip worthwhile with a 1:31.01 victory in the 4 x 200m.

Elite Meet: Girls' 100m

Robbinsdale Armstrong's Sid'Reshia Floyd stormed to the 100m victory in 12.32.

Elite Meet: Boys' 100m

Irondale's Chichi Ojika speeds to victory in the 100m in 11.04.

Elite Meet: Girls' 100m Hurdles

Kayla Sawtell of Mounds View defended her Elite Meet title in the 100m Hurdles with a 15.09.

Elite Meet: Boys' 110m Hurdles

Brooklyn Center's Loquone Robinson sets a new Elite Meet record in the 110m Hurdles running 14.72.

Elite Meet: Girls' 4x800m

Prior Lake tops Eagan and Mounds View in the 4 x 800, running 9:41.74.

Elite Meet: Boys' 4x800m

In Act I of the Zach Mellon show, the Buffalo 4 x 800m sqaud wins in 8:13.87