Short-Cut: Results' Links for September 4-7

It's time to bring our handy results' link package back into action. The high school and collegiate cross country seasons are kicking off, plus there's important local and national road racing action on tap.

To whet your appetites for the Gopher harrier season ahead, check out these University of Minnesota cross country previews for women, HERE, and men, HERE.

This weekend's results ...

Friday:
NDSU Bison Invite: Men's Results * Women's Results
Rosemount Invitational: Results
Update: #11 Prior Lake wins girls' title; #5 White Bear Lake tops boys' teams.
Dakota Classic: Results
Update: #12 St. Thomas Academy wins boys meet; Lakeville South tops girls'.

Saturday:
Augsburg vs. Bethel Dual: Men's Results * Women's Results
Update: Bethel sweeps; Greeno and Borner win.
St. Olaf Alumni/Opener: Results
Update: U of M's Burkstrand tops Ruon.
University of Minnesota Intrasquad Meet: Results
Update: All-American Duwell runs away with win.

Sunday:
Summit Cup: Results
Update: Tommies, Ekstrom win at UST/Mac dual.

Monday:
USA 20K Championships: Results
Update: Lehmkuhle 3rd in 59:04; Carlson 4th in 59:26.
MDRA Victory 10K: Results
Update: Moen and Houck win big a Victory.

How Fast Will Lehmkuhle Run in New Haven?

For U.S. long-distance runners, New Haven’s 20K road race is known as a good tune-up for fall marathons. This may be the reason it always attracts an impressive domestic field. This year certainly won't be an exception; the 32nd annual Stratton Faxon New Haven 20k, held on Labor Day, will be the 2009 USA 20K Championship race.

Patrick Smyth, Jason Lehmkuhle and Kristen Nicolini Lehmkuhle of Team USA MN, which is often well represented at this race, are on the elite start list this year. We'll focus on Jason Lehmkuhle for this week's question:

Yes/No: Will Jason Lehmkuhle run faster than 60:00 at the New Haven 20k on Labor Day?

Jason Lehmkuhle ran collegiately at Drake University and has run for Team USA MN since 2001. He placed third at the 2007 New Haven 20k in a time of 59:42 and was fifth the year before in 59:55. Lehmkuhle has placed well at many USA Championships over the years with possibly his most impressive being a fifth place finish at the Olympic Trials Marathon in 2008. Currently Lehmkuhle is training for the Twin Cities 10 Miler in October and New York City Marathon in November.

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 7:30 A.M. CDT, Monday, September 7th. 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: No

Last week’s question was: Will Barbora Špotáková win the women's javelin competition at the Gateshead Grand Prix meet on 8/31? The correct answer was “Yes.” The world record holder and defending Olympic Champ won with a throw of 65.57. Seven contestants answered correctly this week.

You can find the all the results and leaderboards at DtB Fantasy Corner.

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

It's Been A Good Year for Laura Januszewski

This has been a good year for Laura Januszewski. Who, you might ask? Does the name Laura Hermanson ring a bell? Same Laura, only after a very successful outdoor track season, Laura got married, thus the name change. In this interview she tells about her year, her recent accomplishments, and future plans.

Down the Backstretch: You had a breakthrough year, taking second at NCAA outdoor nationals and fifth at the US championships. At NCAAs you said your goal going into the final was to run 2:02, and you ended up running 2:01. Did that performance open our eyes a bit and make you think seriously about the possibility of making the team for Worlds?

Laura Januszewski: I think it opened my eyes to the possibility of post-collegiate running. I mean, I always considered it, but I never thought people would want to be giving me free stuff and sending me to Europe. I guess, I was still a little in the dark about all that stuff, and still am a little, before that weekend.

For me, and NDSU, it was just a huge accomplishment to finish where I did. I knew coming into the meet that it was going to be tough to get into finals; there were a lot of talented and fast girls, and only eight of them were going to make it to finals. But, to answer the question, not only did it open my eyes, but it made my mouth drop to the ground. I knew I was in good shape, and I have come through the 600 at 1:30/1:31 before, but I have never finished like that, so for me, it was a huge confidence booster.

DtB: The USATF champs race was amazingly close with eight runners bunched together at the finish. Give us your thoughts on that race.

LJ: USAs was a crazy race. I had no idea how close everything was until I talked to Jake, my husband, and he told me what the time difference was between first and eighth place. How often does a race go four lanes wide? I think I ran pretty smart, I got a little boxed in down the backstretch...ha…of the second lap, but other than that, if I learn to lean, I can’t complain too much.

Last year at the Trials, I finished tenth and was pretty excited about that, but to finish fifth this year was pretty awesome. I was able to try on the USA gear and that was a huge motivator for me. I don’t know why, but for some reason, it made me feel fast just wearing it.

I still think I can race a little smarter in some of these races. These races tend to go out faster than what I would want them to go out, so I’m going to have to figure out how to stay in my racing strategy without getting too far out of position.

DtB: This has been a big year for you off the track as well. You were awarded a postgraduate scholarship, and you also got married. Tell us a bit about both of those happy events.

LJ: Well, June and July were some crazy months for me to put it mildly. Between NCAAs, US Champs, and going to Europe to compete for a few days, my life was a hectic mess. I am now Mrs. Laura Januszewski, and I can hardly wait for the announcers to choke on that name…haha.

But, I married a former Bison steeplechaser, Jake Januszewski. We were married in Perham, MN on July 25, and it was a perfect summer day. In fact, you can watch our first dance on www.youtube.com by typing “Januszewski/Hermanson Wedding Dance”…it’s not a sappy first dance, check it out. He’s my new training partner whenever our schedules allow for it, and he’s showing me the big town and best routes of Grand Forks.

I am pretty excited about the post-grad scholarship, however, what I am going to do with it is up in the air. I’ll get back to you on that one…

DtB: You majored in business and German, the NDSU web page says, what do you plan to do with your degree and/or use your scholarship on for a graduate degree? Would have been appropriate if you had made the World team for Berlin as you would have spoken the language :-)

LJ: I think my degree will be put on hold for a while. I have toyed with the idea of going back to school for a Business Education degree and teaching, but things are a little hectic in my life to really put any effort into that. For now, I am working at Beyond Running, a running store in downtown Fargo. It’s the best option right now as far as fitting in time to train and compete goes. I do plan on using my post-grad scholarship. For what, I’m not sure. If anybody has any ideas, let me know. I’m kidding. Either an MBA or for education, if I do go the Business Education route.

DtB: How does running fit into your future? Do you plan on continuing your career? Aim for the 2012 Olympic team? If so, what are your plans for your athletic future?

LJ: I am going to keep running. I actually just started a new training program on Monday, and my body is a little sore. I had a great offer from Team USA Minnesota to join the team, but I have decided to stick with what I know and with what works. Ryun (Godfrey), my coach from NDSU, is going to keep writing workouts for me. We have a great relationship and have made big strides in the past couple years, so I think it is the best choice. Things will be a little different however. My husband is finishing Physical Therapy school in Grand Forks, so we will be there until the end of the semester.

Training in the rival city is a bit different. It’s a bit tough as I don’t have a training room to go to, and I am still looking for a weight room to use, but I’m not going to let that discourage me. We plan on moving back to beautiful Fargo in November/December, so I can train with Ryun. I am learning the trials and tribulations of being a post-collegiate athlete without a shoe deal and without money.

I have also committed to myself to train for the 2012 Olympic cycle. I am very excited to see where things go from here.

DtB: You came out of high school a two sport person. When did running take over from soccer and why?

LJ: Well, I went to college as a naïve high schooler who thought I could do two sports in college. Yeah, right. I think it really hit me my first year of college soccer that soccer just really wasn’t me anymore. Then track rolled around and I liked it my first year, but I definitely didn’t love it, and the work that went along with it.

But, as I got better, and as much as I probably wouldn’t admit this before, once I started the 800, I really started to love it. Now, running is just a part of who I am – it’s a lifestyle, not just a sport. I never thought I would be pursuing it after college, but I can’t imagine not competing right now. I just love the thrill of competition and the feeling of success. I just believe that I have faster times in me, and I can’t wait to see what they actually are.

DtB: What have you learned about yourself as an athlete over the past year? You seem to have done relatively low mileage and noted that you thought one reason for your improvement was the distance work you did during cross country. Have you had any injury problems or have you been relatively healthy as well?

LJ: I think I learned that patience is a virtue,that is for sure. Success in distance running, or anything for that matter, takes time, and the more mileage and training you put in, the better. My times have obviously reflected that these past couple of years, so my mileage will continue to increase in the fall. I plan on getting in some 60 to 65 mile weeks. We’ll see how that goes.

And, as much as I dislike cross country and fall training, I know it’s crucial to my success in track. I’m going to have to learn to grin and bear tempo and long runs. Long runs for me are like 13 miles, so most of you probably don’t feel too bad for me. Other than that, I listen to what Ryun says and do as I am told. He seems to know what he’s doing.

I really never set any goals this past year either as far as times go. It was more about wanting to be All-American and placing well. I think that worked well for me. I know that every race I get into from here on out is probably going to be fast and competitive, and as long as I stick my nose in there, and run a good race, the results will follow.

I have been pretty injury free--knock on wood. I did have some IT Band problems that knocked me out of most of my cross season two years ago. Last year, I had a freak foot problem that lasted a week, but other than that, I have been pretty healthy. I think good nutrition and rest are the keys for that. Sometimes you can’t avoid it, but I think those are pretty good ways to try to prevent it.

Photo by Bob Nelson, NDSU.

Let the Cross Country Season Begin!

The high school cross country season will be in full stride on Friday when six Class AA-ranked teams take to the starting line at the Rosemount Invitational.

Coon Rapids, the #2-ranked Class AA girls team will battle with #5 Chaska, #6 Lakeville North, and #11 Prior Lake, among others for the team title. On the boys' side, #5 White Bear Lake expects to battle #8 Lakeville North.

Defending individual girls' champion Caitlin Hewes of Stillwater, the #4-ranked Class AA individual, returns.

Action begins at 9:00 a.m. at the Rosemount High School campus.

Early Action ... More than a few top teams and individuals have raced already this week. Two-time Class AA boys' champions and #1-ranked Wayzata opened their season with a perfiect 15 point performance at the Apollo Early-Bird Invite, topping Andover and #7 Coon Rapids.

Defending Class AA individual boys' champ Lukas Gemar of #3 Moorhead opened his season by winning by more than a minute over teammate Christian Larson at the Moorhead Rotary Invite.

Maddie McClellan, the #1-ranked girls' individual in Class A topped teammate #10-ranked Abby Anderson for the win at Moorhead.

For More Information ... The Star-Tribune's annual high school cross country preview is HERE. The active members of Minnesota's Dyestat forum are collecting the week's results HERE.

Photo by Charlie Mahler.

Adrian Girls Lead Class A Poll

Adrian High School, the four-time defending MSHSL Class A girls' cross country champions, top the 2009 pre-season poll, released recently.

The Perham boys' team, runners-up at the Class A State Meet last year, top the boys' rankings.

Perham senior Maddie McClellan, 3rd at the State Meet last year, leads the rankings of Class A girls' individuals. Blake School senior Paul Koullick, also 3rd at the big dance in 2008, leads the boys' rankings.

Complete rankings are below.


Girls' Teams
1. Adrian
2. Perham
3. Canby-Minneota/LinHi
4. Farimont
5. Blue Earth Area
6. Staples-Motley
7. LaCrescent
8. Rochester Lourdes
9. Albany
10. St. Paul Academy
11. Esko
12. Park Rapids

Girls' Individuals
1. Maddie McClellan, Perham
2. Kayla Woltz, Chatfield
3. Emily Bakken, Pelican Rapids
4. Adriana Flores, Medford
5. Lauren Friese, Fairmont
6. Andrea Schlagen, Paynesville
7. Victoria Schlangen, Lake of the Woods
8. Taylor Alma, Annandale
9. Amy Mathiowetz, Rochester Loudes
10. Abby Anderson, Perham
11. Lindsey Dahl-Holm, Carlton
12. Megan Sauer, Adrian

Boys' Teams
1. Perham
2. Plainview-Elgin-Millville
3. Pequot Lakes
4. Adrian
5. Albany
6. Staples-Motley
7. Mound Park Academy
8. St. Cloud Cathedral
9. Minnehaha Academy
10. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle
11. Blake
12. Esko

Boys Individuals
1. Paul Koullick, Blake
2. Connor Gjevre, Annandale
3. Jordan Bendson, Staples-Motley
4. Austin Bauer, Milaca
5. Andrew Gerdts, LeSueur-Henderson
6. Byron Schuldt, Nevis
7. Stephen Delwiche, Glencoe-SL
8. Aaron Haley, Plainview-EM
9. Grant Wintheiser, St. Cloud Cathedral
10, Andrew Thies, Sibley East
11. Grant Timm, Plainview-EM
12. Landon Bauer, Albany

Grandma's Early Registration Set to Close

Early registration for the 34th running of Grandma's Marathon is set to close on Labor Day, September 7, race officials are reminding runners.

Early-bird registration for the 2010 Grandma's, to be held on June 19, opened in July. It includes a $10 discount on the race's $85 entry fee and a coupon package for Duluth-area lodging and attractions.

Interested runners can find more information HERE.

So far, 700 runners have taken Grandma's up on the package, according to Grandma's public relations director Bob Gustafson. The event offered the deal after it failed to fill its 9500-runner marathon field for the first time in 15 years.

Registration procedures for the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and the William A. Irvin 5K remain the same as in past years. The half marathon lottery sign-up period is set for February 17 through March 1, while William A. Irvin 5K registration opens March 17.

Gopher XC Teams Report to Camp

In yet another sign that autumn is just around the corner, the University of Minnesota cross country teams have reported to their respective pre-season camps.

After swinging by campus for team photos -- shown HERE and HERE -- and, we're guessing, for the dreaded annual rite of filling out all the paperwork demanded by the NCAA and the University, the teams have headed north.

The Gopher women are training in Ely, while the Gopher men are running from the Belle Shore Resort in Nevis.

Both teams enter the season with high hopes. The Gopher women are the two-time defending Big Ten champions. The squad returns five members of its top-seven from last year's squad, which placed 11th at the NCAA Championships.

The Gopher men, third at Big Ten's and 15th at NCAAs, also return five from the the 2008 team's top-seven. Defending Big Ten individual champion Hassan Mead returns, but the squad will need to fill the spikes of graduated all-American and 2006 Big Ten champion Chris Rombough.

The Gopher women open competition this Saturday with an intra-squad meet at Les Bolstad Golf Course.

The Gopher men also get underway on September 5, at St. Olaf.

Staying Healthy, Sport's Great Challenge

At the introduction of Team USA Minnesota many years ago, coach Dennis Barker was asked about how one handled such talented athletes. He replied that his job was "not to ruin them." It was a tongue in cheek response that basically acknowledged that one of the keys to high level performance is to minimize injuries, a fact even Usain Bolt talked about recently, noting that one of his primary goals for each season is to avoid getting hurt.

Anyone who has coached top level talent will tell you that motivating the athletes to train harder is not an issue, it's getting them to train smart, to not overtrain, that produces the best results. A recent example of that is the new American recordholder in the 5K, Dathan Ritzenhein, who has been a top performer since high school, but has seldom been injury free. For US athletes staying healthy has always been a major challenge.

As the world of distance running has become more competitive, the workload for elite athletes has escalated. That, plus the US high school and collegiate system of racing, has combined to short circuit many careers. Oregon's Galen Rupp, for example, had a brilliant collegiate season, helping his team win the cross country, indoor, and almost the outdoor track championships. Rupp had to double and triple to make that happen, and the effort took its toll as Galen was not 100% going into the World Championships.

Much of the success of the African runners comes down to a sort of "natural selection," Darwinian process where the athletes who can tolerate the highest workload rise to the top of a large pool of genetically gifted athletes. If they don't over race and/or keep their motivation for success high, the Kenyan, Ethiopian, and other top Africans stay near the top of their profession for a long time, just look at Haile Gebrselassie, still setting records as he marches toward his 40th birthday.

In the US, we have access to more sophisticated and costly sports medicine programs that are increasingly utilized to rehab and keep healthy athletes who might otherwise quit their sport in frustration. Zero gravity tredmills, underwater tredmills, and the various technologies used to help heal injured tissue have kept athletes, such as Kara Goucher and Ritzenhein, able to train at a high level year round, instead of constantly struggling to deal with injury layoffs.

We've learned from the Africans that running on soft surfaces, instead of city streets or synthetic tracks, appears to help strengthen the body and reduce injury. Some have suggested that Bolt has also been helped by the fact that much of his training was done on grass tracks and soft surfaces as Jamaica does not have the many modern tracks as we have in the US.

Australian coach Percy Cerutty used to have his runners go barefoot on the beach and run up sand dunes to help strengthen the runners' feet and bodies. Oregon's Vin Lananna had his athletes run barefoot regularly because he thought it helped prevent injuries. The strategies for promoting injury free running are many, and there is no magic formula, as every runner is an experiment of one. Goucher's recent experience with the marathon being a cautionary tale of sorts.

Having had what she and her coach, Alberto Salazar, thought was great training going into Berlin, Goucher was confident that she was ready for a great performance. While the rest of her body was ready, Kara's stomach was not with the result being vomiting up her fuel and falling far short of what she believed she was capable of doing in the race. Now the search is on for training a testy stomach, as well as the rest of the body.

As the saying goes, "if it was easy, everybody would be doing it." Staying healthy sounds easy, but doing it while you push your body to its limit is the great challenge of modern sport.

Dennis Barker's Berlin Memories

Team USA and Augsburg College coach Dennis Barker gives his impressions of Berlin and the IAAF World Championships.

Dennis Barker: The city of Berlin did an amazing job of promoting and executing the World Championships. Beginning at the airport to the buses, subways and boulevards there were posters welcoming the athletes and spectators and advertising the events. The Berliners were very excited about hosting the world championships!

The area around the Brandenburg Gate was closed to traffic the entire week and was the center of activity away from the stadium. A local television station broadcast their show here, interviewing many of the top athletes while a large crowd looked on. There was an area for kids to try track & field events in miniature (pole vault, javelin, discus, 30 meter sprint).

Of course, there was a beer garden along with wurst and schnitzel to eat. There was an adjacent art museum that had a impressive display of athletic photos. The race walks and marathons started and finished in this area. During these events the spectators were thick along the entire route (yes, even for the race walks), as well as loud in their support of the athletes. It was easy to know when a German athlete was coming as a roar followed them the entire way around the course.

Berlin is very easy to navigate. Biking is easy and there are a lot of people who do it. The biking and running paths are all over the city and there are many places that rent bikes. We rented bikes and easily got around to most of the city's historic sites.

The subway goes right to the Olympic Stadium, which is an impressive mix of the old 1936 stadium and the refurbished track and roof. Event tickets were expensive but the Germans came out in force night after night and brought a lot of enthusiam along with noise makers.

Of course, Usain Bolt was a huge draw but I really enjoyed the performances by the U.S. distance runners, who performed very well in most events.
Photo Courtesy of Augusburg College

Lisa Hunter-Galvan Admits Doping

The New Zealand Sports Tribunal met yesterday to rule on the case of Lisa Hunter-Galvan. Today the panel issued its ruling that Hunter-Galvan was found guilty of a doping violation for use of rHuEPO, a blood boosting drug used mainly by endurance athletes. The ruling states that Hunter-Galvan admitted taking EPO.

Hunter-Galvan won the women's race at the 2008 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon. The win helped her earn a trip to Beijing to compete in the Olympic Marathon. It was her second time representing New Zealand in the Games, having also competed for the Kiwi's in Athens in 2004. But Hunter-Galvan had been left off the team for Beijing until she was able to convince the New Zealand selectors that she deserved a spot on the team. Her Grandma's win helped in that effort.

She turned 40 in June, but was tested in San Antonio, where she lives, on March 23, 2009. Once the B sample confirmed the positive test, Hunter-Galvan admitted taking the drug three times this year. The Tribunal's decision can be found here. Reaction to the situation from New Zealand can be found here. Hunter-Galvan talks about her decision here.

Berlin Memories, Part II

Writer/photographer/geography prof Sean Hartnett gives us part II of his Berlin memories.

Sean Hartnett: Now to the track and obvious Berlin headliner, Usain Bolt, and the less obvious historic performances of Kenenisa Bekele. Bolt has become the much needed savior of the sport, and in sharp contrast to some of our recent muscle bound sprints champions, he is a true athletic sprinter along the lines of a Carl Lewis , Michael Johnson, Jesse Owens or Tyson Gay. While the Gay rivalry was dampened by his injured groin, it was ultimately a one man show.

To be fair to Gay, Bolt is something of a physical freak at 6’5” with a sleek athletic build more like a 400-800m runner. It is like you took a top sprinter (be it Gay, Lewis, Johnson and Owens) and copied them at 110% of original size – bigger and better. Once a poor starter, Bolt is much improved such five strides into the 100 (five times that 110% stride length) he already had a meter lead, and the rest was history.

Bolt is obviously a gifted athlete with a solid technical grasp of his events (evident in his flawless relay skills such that he ran the two-pass on the turn third leg of the 4x100), but he is also a virtuoso performer who engages the crowd beforehand, rides the emotional stadium roar through a competition, and salutes the gathered masses with a rock-star encore celebration. Bolt certainly deserved 5-10% of the gate any time he was in the stadium. In almost any other professional sport, he would be rewarded at such a level or higher. From my view, this is a pretty shabby way to treat our sport’s savior. Granted, he has many other income streams (such as record and shoe bonuses), but to award Bolt for his double win less than 10% of PGA champion Y. E. Yang’s take – we won’t have much of a sport to save.

The other end of the track spectrum, produced two historic wins. Admittedly the 5’4” Bekele was almost lost in Bolt’s WR shadow. Bekele first withstood Zerhane Tadese’s persistent pace ratcheting of the second half of the race that systematically dispatched the world’s best distance runners. With a lap to go Bekele burst past Tadese, opening 10 meters on the turn then cruised home to finish off a 26:45 10K, the fastest ever run in a championship competition. Bekele’s 10K win is best viewed from a historic perspective: It was Bekele’s sixth straight World Championship or Olympic gold medal. That is wins in Paris ’03, Athens Olympics ’04, Hesinki ’05, Osaka ’07, Beijing Olympics ’08, and Berlin ’09. No other athlete in any event has amassed such a string of victories. Bekele has now won all twelve 10K races that he has contested in his career.

Bekele also won the 5K on the final day, this time with a very different tactic and a very thrilling stretch-run. With everyone keying on the Ethiopian favorite, Bekele took the lead and ran a rather slow pace until he started to crank up the pace leaving almost the whole field bunched together with a lap to go. A 27 second 200 got rid of most of the competition except defending champ Bernard Lagat. It seemed that Bekele played right into the hands of Lagat when the 1500 meter silver medalist pulled ahead at the beginning of the finishing straight, only to have Kenenisa rally for the win in the final 20 meters. The win gave Bekele the first 5K / 10K double in championship history, adding much to his case as the greatest distance runner of all time.

Not all the track races were as exciting. Both 1500s were rather disappointing with slow pace giving away to a lot of shoving. Two races that exceeded expectations were the men’s steeple where the Kenyan crew pushed a hard pace over the final 2K, and the men’s 110 hurdles which had the dubious challenge of being the race that followed Bolt’s 200 meter WR. While not a super fast time, Terrence Trammell, Ryan Brathwaite and David Payne ran down the center of the track matching stride over all ten hurdles and hit the tape in unison with Brathwaite scoring the win with a deep lean.

Most disappointing was the treatment of women’s 800 winner Caster Semenya. While the South African has competed as in IAAF youth and junior championships, and a month earlier won the African junior 800. My lasting impression of this controversy was 300 meters into Semenya’s victory lap with the South African phenom accompanied by Berlino the show stopping mascot. As they headed up the straight, an IAAF official stood squarely in lane 8 and directed Semenya’s into the inner sanctum of the stadium before she made her rounds with the media. Yes, gender questions have been a part of the sport, but 300 meters into a victory lap was surely not the time or place for the IAAF to step in. This clearly was not the IAAF’s best moment.

Not to be overlooked was the role that the historic Olympic stadium played in creating a memorable championships. This is truly a great sports venue constructed primarily of stone and featuring great sightlines throughout the stadium. The stone architecture triggered thoughts of the 1936 Olympics as much of the structure remained intact. Spared by allied bombers who used the landmark for orientation, the stadium was updated with the requisite luxury boxes and a refreshingly different blue track, but remained much as it was in 1936. This was most apparent when I climbed up the West terrace for award ceremonies and saw the names of the ’36 Olympic champions etched in the stone.

A great venue, large enthusiastic crowds, and captivating competitions made for a great nine days of track & field. Yes, early in the week the meet seemed to drag through endless prelims, but as the meet’s excitement picked up night after night, Berlin 09 will always be remembered as a blur. A 9.58 / 19.19 blur.

Will Barbora Špotáková win the Gateshead Grand Prix Javelin?

With the conclusion of the World Championships in Berlin, the biggest track meet of the year is over, but the heart of the season continues. There are three major meets in the next four days in which almost every major (healthy) international star will compete. The best of the bunch is the Weltklasse meet in Zurich on Friday followed by two Monday IAAF Grand Prix competitions in Zagreb and Gateshead.

We will check in with the Gateshead Grand Prix and former University of Minnesota athlete Barbora Špotáková with this question:

Yes/No: Will Barbora Špotáková win the women's javelin competition at the Gateshead Grand Prix meet on 8/31?

Barbora Špotáková attended the University of Minnesota and was an All-American in 2002. Since her time at the U, she has gone on to become the best female javelin thrower in the world. Špotáková won gold at the World Championships in Osaka in 2007 and an Olympic gold medal in 2008. She is the world record holder and recently finished second at the World Championships in Berlin. Špotáková's main competition at Gateshead will come from Christina Obergfoll. Obergfoll was 5th in Berlin and currently boasts a slightly better season-best throw in 2009 than Špotáková.

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 11:59 P.M. CDT, Sunday, August 30th. 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

Last week’s question was: Will Kara Goucher medal in the Marathon at the World Championships in Berlin? The correct answer was “No.” The Duluth native ran into some fluid/digestive issues but was still able to finish 10th, only 2:16 out of a medal spot. This was another week where the vast majority of contestants answered incorrectly: this time, only 3 people answered “No” correctly.

You can find the all the results and leaderboards at DtB Fantasy Corner.

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

Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor finished 17th in the IAAF World Track and Field Championships 10,000 meters in Berlin. Photo by Sean Hartnett

Katie McGregor answers a few questions about her experience in Berlin.

Down the Backstretch: What was most memorable about the events you saw at the meet?

Katie McGregor: Usain Bolt. Dwight Phillips winning the long jump and getting his medal from relatives of Jesse Owens and Lutz Long. Three US women in the top six for the 1500, Desiree Davila running 2:27.53 for 11th in the marathon.

DtB: What was most memorable about the trip?

KM: Being on a national team and representing the United States is such and honor and always memorable. The stadium was the coolest I have ever seen. The roof was incredible.

DtB: What were your goals going in and how did it all play out in your event?

KM: I didn't have the race I wanted, but it has been a rough year for me overall. I need to make sure I can stay with the pack during the next championship event.

Memories From Berlin

We've asked several locals who competed or were in Berlin for the World Championships to share with us their memories of the trip. Starting off is writer/photographer/geography prof Sean Hartnett. You'll recognize Sean from the pictures he takes that are printed on DtB and elsewhere.

Sean Hartnett: Most memories were track related - but not all. Though having gone to Berlin for five previous Berlin Marathons, I was not as 'impressionable' as I have already developed a good appreciation of the city. Yet, as with any world class city you always see something new and fascinating, and for me what was truly fascinating was the best world championships of this century. The weekend sessions were filled to capacity and the mid-week low ebb still had 40-50,000 track & field fans - and that is sight for sore eyes for any veteran of our sport.

For the German home team it was an incredible field championships with a litany of outstanding performances and enthralling competitions, many decided on final throws or jumps. If Berlin was a throwback to some of the great championships of last century it is because Europe still produces the great majority of medalists and contenders in the field events, and in particular the German athletes rose to the occasion with unexpected placings.

I'd like to think these achievements reflected years of focused preparation and crowd inspired performances. Yes, (drug) testing is much improved and field performances were for the most part down across the board - perhaps the most obvious indictment of the sport's tainted past. Yet, I'd like to give a nod to the influence to the electric atmosphere of an historic Olympic stadium filled with knowledgeable fans and a stretched-out nine-day schedule that let the field events to take center stage rather than the fourth ring of a three-ring circus.

Almost all field events have a ballistic element to it with a prelude technique followed by a ballistic explosion as some object or human is propelled into flight, and I'd like to think that the electric atmosphere helped fuel the moments of ballistic release. I'll have a lasting memory of the whole stadium thumping in the prelude rhythm clapping, than erupting into a boisterous explosion of noise at the release or takeoff point, and soaring along with the object or human flying through the air. This roar would spontaneously spike-up another couple of decibels if the effort impacted standings, and if a German athlete was involved the roar would soar further and longer. A German or medal or win cranked up the volume to a Spinal Tap “11,” a true "futbol" goal roar culminating in the sing-song repetition of the athlete’s name. This was the signature sound of Berlin 09, and for me the big surprise given my track orientation.

Geez - I gotta dash for a 9AM department meeting - I'll get back to the track and the city later this morning.

The B's Have It

For Athletics(track & field to us heathens in the US), this has been the year of Bs. After the Olympics in Beijing, everything centered on the World Championships in Berlin where the stars were Usain Bolt and Kenenisha Bekele. The successes and relative notoriety of the pair illustrate the nature of modern sport.

Bolt is everything the media want in a star. He not only performs spectacularly on the track, but he entertains. He has a signature pose. He goes through a mime routine before lowering himself into the starting blocks, then he turns the competition into one of a man against boys, Superman versus mere mortals. Bekele, however, is from a culture that frowns on self promotion and appreciates him for what he is, potentially the greatest distance runner of all time, an executioner who is comfortable crushing his opposition from the gun or with a last lap sprint worthy of a middle distance champion.

Thus, nearly everyone who follows sport and many who don't know who Usain Bolt is. Only the sport's aficionados recognize Bekele. In the entertainment world, self promotion is an essential piece of an athlete's resume, especially if your intent is to maximize the income you earn. Bolt's agent, Ricky Simms, says he hopes to parlay his charge's athletic talents into $10 million in economic rewards. Bekele runs to win championships and the money derived from that success is merely a bonus.

Nike, which has made good use of its endorsed athletes, doesn't use Bekele heavily in its promotions, while Bolt is the poster boy for the Puma brand. Bolt has been everywhere post Beijing to promote himself, his sport, and his sponsor associations. Interestingly enough he has been largely invisible in the US except for assorted television appearances, which speaks to the Eurocentric nature of the sport at present and the relative invisibility of the formerly potent US Athletics circuit.

Once the crown jewel of Olympic sports within the US, track has shrunk to becoming a niche sport followed almost exclusively by the die hard fans of the activity. Attempts are being made to reverse this decline, but just as the fall was gradual, rather than rapid, the recovery will also not happen overnight. While the US team is still the best in the world, the economic clout of the sport in the US is minuscule.

Some blame the stain of drug use, but that argument falls flat with the current revelations about baseball, which have done little or no damage to ticket sales and revenue in that sport. More likely the answer is in another b word, business. While the vast majority of people are attracted to the sport as a sport, an activity, a social network of people involved in the same pursuit, the business end of the sport does not have the success rate of the athletic side.

Sport in today's society is indeed big business. Athletics has yet to fully and effectively embrace that concept. Efforts are being made to correct that. The success of the sport as a business depends on how effective these efforts are at reaching their goals.

Como Relays Bring Summer to a Close

For most Minnesotans, the State Fair marks the end of summer. It's one last chance to get together while the days are still hot, even though it cools off fast when the sun goes down.

But for the Twin Cities running community, summer comes to a close at the other end of Como Avenue. The MDRA Como Relays are an institution that has remained virtually unchanged over the years. Although race director John Cramer does note that everyone has gotten older. You pay a couple of dollars to run hard on the grass and don't expect anything for your efforts. The post-run watermelon and cookies are a bonus.

The Relays are a race for some and a workout for others. But for most, they're an opportunity to gather with kindred spirits to celebrate summer running in Minnesota.

The 2009 series concludes this evening with the 8 x 1 mile relay. Fall must be right around the corner.

Run With the Africans

In case you missed it, a piece from the Wall Street Journal last week that features Kara Goucher and talks about the success of Africans in distance events is here.

Eden Prairie Tops Pre-Season Class AA Girls Poll

Defending champion Eden Prairie is ranked first in the Class AA Girls' pre-season coaches poll for the 2009 season. Coon Rapids – 7th in the 2008 State Meet – is ranked second.

Alexandria Sophomore Jamie Piepenburg is ranked as the top individual. Piepenburg was third in last year's Cross Country Championships and won the 3200 meters at the MSHSL Track and Field Championships this past spring. Maria Hauger of Shakopee is ranked second.

Class AA Girls' Pre-Season Rankings

Teams:
1. Eden Prairie
2. Coon Rapids
3. Elk River
4. Grand Rapids
5. Chaska
6. Lakeville North
7. Shakopee
8. Winona
9. Centennial
10. Moorhead
11. Prior Lake
12. Hopkins

Individuals:
1. Jamie Piepenburg, 10, Alexandria
2. Maria Hauger, 9, Shakopee
3. Claire Guidinger, 12, Winona
4. Caitlin Hewes, 11, Stillwater
5. Laura Lawton, 11, Eden Prairie
6. Emma Bates, 12, Elk River
7. Julia Harrison, 11, Mound Westonka
8. Alexandra Rudin, 11, Eden Prairie
9. Erica Seidenkranz, 10, Monticello
10. Megan Platner, 11, Eden Prairie
11. Sharmila Ahmed, 11, Burnsville
12. Slaine Kelly, 12, Academy of Holy Angels

USATF Minnesota Annual Meeting: Elections and Pizza

The Minnesota Association of USA Track & Field will hold its Annual Meeting on Sunday, September 13th at Broadway Pizza in Minneapolis. All members are encouraged to attend and participate.

The Annual Meeting will feature election of officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer) for the upcoming year. Nominations will be accepted from the floor. Members will also be asked to vote on proposed changes to the association's bylaws.

There will be a free pizza buffet for all USATF Minnesota members.

Berlin: Goucher 10th in World Marathon

Duluth native Kara Goucher ran 2:27:48 to finish 10th in this morning's IAAF World Championships marathon in Berlin. She was the top American finisher, one place in front of teammate Desiree Davila.

Goucher's best at the distance was her debut 2:25:53 third place finish at the 2008 New York City Marathon. She won the bronze medal at 10,000 meters at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan.

Goucher currently lives and trains in Portland, Oregon, where she is coached by Alberto Salazar as part of the Nike Oregon Project.

More on the Goucher's race from the Los Angeles Times, Duluth News Tribune and Universal Sports. Full results are here. Watch the race here.

Photo by Sean Hartnett.