Wednesday, August 31, 2016

NCAA DIII Preseason XC Coaches Rankings

NCAA DIII Preseason XC Coaches Women's Rankings HERE. Men HERE.

NCAA DII Preseason XC Coaches Rankings

NCAA DII Preseason XC Coaches Women's Rankings HERE.  Men HERE

West Central Tribune Story on the Shocky Strand and MCA Invitationals with Results

West Central Tribune Story on the Shocky Strand Invitational and the MCA Invite with partial Results HERE

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Matt Tegenkamp Griak HOF Feature

NCAA DI Preseason Coaches Rankings

NCAA DI Preseason Coaches Rankings for men HERE.  Women HERE.

NCAA DI Preseason Regional Rankings

NCAA DI Men's Preseason Regional Rankings HERE. Women HERE.

Apollo Early Bird Invitational Meet Results

Apollo Early Bird Invitational Results  HERE

Monday, August 29, 2016

Minnesotans Competing in NYRR 5th Avenue Mile Elite Races

Heather Kampf, Ben Blankenship, and Mason Ferlic running in the Elite races at the NYRR 5th Avenue Mile HERE

What Does It Take to Run a World Record in the Women's 100m Hurdles?

What Does It Take to Run a World Record in the Women's 100m Hurdles? Analysis is HERE.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

DyeStat Preseason XC Individual HS Rankings

DyeStat Preseason Individual  HS Girl's Top 100 HS Rankings HERE. Boy's HERE.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Two New Staff Hired for Gopher Women's Track Team

Lance Elliott's Rebels Northwoods Invitational Photo Album

Lance Elliott's Rebels Northwoods Invitational Photo Album  HERE

Melissa Gacek 3rd in USATF Masters Mile

Melissa Gacek 3rd in USATF 40-44 Masters Mile. Results HERE.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Need to Do Something with Your Race T Shirts? Try Making a Tote Bag out of Them

Need to Do Something with Your Race T Shirts? Try Making a Tote Bag out of Them HERE.

Rebels Northwoods Invitational Results

Rebels Northwoods Invitational Results HERE


NHS Rules Change in 2017 for Assistance to Injured/ill Competitors

National Federation of of State HS Associations Rules Change in 2017 for Assistance to Injured/ill Competitors HERE

Rochester Mayo Team Time Trials Results

 Rochester Mayo Team Time Trials. Boy's  Results HERE. Girl's HERE

The Tale of an Ultramarathoner and the Dog that Adopted Him

The Tale of an Ultramarathoner and the Dog that Adopted Him HERE
Today is National Dog Day...

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Gabe Grunewald Hopes to Go Three for Three Against Cancer

Gabe Grunewald Hopes to Go Three for Three Against Cancer HERE

Barbora Špotáková 2nd in Javelin in Lausanne

Barbora Špotáková 2nd in Javelin in Lausanne Diamond League Meet. Result HERE.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Edina Boy's XC Team Mile Time Trial Results

Edina Boy's XC Team Mile Time Trial Results HERE.
Photos HERE

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Wayzata Alumni Meet Results

Wayzata Alumni Boy's Meet Results HERE. Girl's results HERE.

Edina Alumni Meet Results and Photos

Edina Alumni Meet Results and Photos. Boy's Results HERE.  Photos HERE.
Girl's 2-mile results HERE. 1-Mile HERE.  Finish line photos HERE

Martin Smith Griak HOF Feature

Monday, August 22, 2016

Emma Bates 9th in Falmouth Women's Race

Emma Bates 9th in Falmouth Women's Road Race.  Results HERE

Sunday, August 21, 2016

MN High School Coaches Association Girl's AA XC Rankings

Teams
1, Edina
2. Willmar
3. Wayzata
4. Farmington
5. Shakopee
6. Marshall
7. Red Wing
8, Forest Lake
9. Eden Prairie
10. Minnetonka
11. Duluth East
12. Lake South
13. Hopkins
14. WBL
15. Mpls Washburn
16. Sartell
17. STMA
18. Montecello
19. Bloom Jefferson
20. Henry Sibley
21. Anoka
22. Moorhead
23. Eastview
24. Mankato West
25. Prior Lake
26. Waseca
27. East Ridge
28. Lake North
29. Buffalo
30. Rosemount 


Individuals
1     Claire Boersma, 12, Marshall            
2     Lauren Peterson, 10, Farmington          
3     Sophie Whicher, 11, Minnetonka          
4     Emily Covert, 10, Minneapolis Washburn
5     Anna Fenske, 8, Farmington          
6     Maria Rickman, 10, Edina               
7     Brianne Brewster, 8, Lakeville South     
8     Jessa Hanson, 12, Willmar             
9     Emily Kompelien, 11, Edina                
10   Sadie Hamrin, 11, Bemidji             
11   Liesl Schreiner, 10, Edina               
12   Anastasia Korzenowski, 12, Chanhassen          
 Others:  Amanda Mosborg, 12, Edina; Tess Misgen, 12, Shakopee; Natalee Sample, 9, Marshall;        Renae Anderson, 12, Hopkins        

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Heather Kampf 3rd; Garrett Heath 5th in Falmouth Elite Miles

Heather Kampf 3rd; Garrett Heath 5th in Falmouth Elite Miles. Results HERE.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJWrc8wANPf/

Mead 11th, Farah Gold, Chelimo 2nd, Lagat 4th in 5K

Results HERE
Three DQs for "Lane infringements" being reviewed.  Chelimo one of the athletes charged.  Could push Lagat to 3rd  if upheld.
Two of the three DQed reinstated(Chelimo and Canada's Mohammed Ahmed)

Blankenship 8th, Willis 3rd, Centrowicz Gold in Men's 1500

Kicker's race with a blanket finish as less than two seconds separate the top 12. Blankenship 8th, Willis 3rd, Centrowicz Gold in Men's 1500.  Results HERE.

MN Native Bob Larsen Talks Strategy and Technique Meb Keflezighi Employs in the Marathon

MN Native Bob Larsen Talks Strategy and Technique Meb Keflezighi Employs in the Marathon HERE

Gwen Jorgensen Wins Triathlon Gold


Friday, August 19, 2016

Blankenship and Mead On a Mission

Hassan Mead and Ben Blankenship are both gifted, dedicated, and intense.  Both are on a mission to see how far they can go with their talents, and on Saturday they face the challenge of testing themselves against the very best in their profession.

The journey to this milestone has not been easy.  For Mead especially the road to Rio has had a number of potholes.  While running for the Gophers, out on a routine training run along the River Road, Mead's lung suddenly sprung a leak.  Not only was the physical breakdown scary it came seemingly out of nowhere and, though he was able to recover from it, his doctors had no explanation why it happened and/or if it could ever happen again.  The condition was rare, he was told, and tended to happen to ectomorphs like him.

Lagat, Mead, and Chelimo at the Olympic Trials.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia
His body type wasn't going to change, so Mead put fear in the rear view mirror and gradually worked back into his regular program.  He not only recovered from the River Run surprise, but has steadily improved as his "comeback" progressed. Over the past few years, Mead set personal bests in nearly all the distances he runs.  He broke through last year on the international scene by making the US team for the World Championships.  Blankenship has made similar progress.  In 2015 in the midst of his breakout season he anchored the US team to a World Record, defeating the Kenyans, as the anchorman on the US Distance Medley Relay team.

While Blankenship and Mead excelled in both high school and college, neither had been a world beater, someone tagged by those ranking talent as a potential world champion and/or Olympic medalist.  When each graduated from the University of Minnesota their coach, Steve Plasencia, had to "sell them" to the folks running post-collegiate development/support programs.  Each ended up getting spots in the Nike OTC Elite Track Club team in Eugene.  Their development was passed from Plasencia to former UK steeplechase Olympic medalist Mark Rowland, who is one of the coaches in the Nike programs.

In 1988 Rowland demonstrated his prowess as an athlete by winning a medal in the Seoul Olympics in the steeplechase, an event that had been the possession of Kenyan runners who often swept the medals in that event.  As a coach Rowland's task is to develop underdogs like himself.  One of the ways he has done that is to collaborate closely with his athletes who respond to such an approach.

Neither Mead nor Blankenship experienced immediate success.  The training program was similar to that at the U of M, but the competition was more challenging.  Instead of collegiate competition, both Gopher alums were now facing the best in the world.  Searching for what the right event would be for them and how to exploit the gifts they had to climb the ladder of success.

Both Blankenship and Mead credit the collaborative approach Rowland has taken to help them in their quest.  Last year Blankenship noted that at least part of his development was due to his  increased involvement in his training program.  Rowland was letting him be more in charge of his workouts.  One of the favorites to make the 2015 US World Championship team in the 1500, Blankenship was outkicked by Leonel Manzano.  Thus the goal for this year was to either change events or get ready for this year's Olympic qualifying in the 1500 so that it didn't happen again.

Ben Blankenship winning the Medtronic TC 1-Mile
Photo by Gene Niemi
Blankenship worked on increasing his training volume with the possibility of moving up in distance, but that didn't pan out, so he found himself in a similar spot in the homestretch of the 2016 1500 final.  This time Blankenship won the battle with Manzano for the final spot on the Olympic team in the 1500.

Mead faced a different challenge.  If he wanted to repeat and better his qualifying for the US Worlds team by repeating that feat in an Olympic year, Mead raced at shorter distances, running fast 1500s and in the 5K.  In the Olympic Trials he was overcome by the heat and unable to finish the 10K, the event he had qualified forWorlds  in 2015, the challenge of duplicating his top three finish in the 5K was not seen as an exercise in  last minute desperation.  Mead was confident of his ability to make the team.  All he had to do was execute on race day.

In Rio, Mead tried to duplicate his Olympic Trials performance in the heats of the 5K.  As the racers approached the last 200 meters of that race, Mead was in prime position to gain a qualifying spot for the Olympic final when he was tripped and ended up flat on the ground as the other runners were accelerating to the finish.  Unable to scramble to his feet and finish fast enough to get a qualifying mark for the final, Mead was deemed to be worthy of a "second chance" by the IAAF appeals panel.  It's a chance doesn't want to waste.

For Mead the challenge of another "comeback"  is not foreign.  It's a spot he's been in before and he's demonstrated that he is up to the task.  Will he be the "comeback kid" again?




Thursday, August 18, 2016

Barbora Špotáková Wins Bronze in the Javelin

Barbora Špotáková Wins Bronze in the Javelin Results HERE.
IAAF summary HERE.

Mead and Blankenship Ready for Saturday


Ben Blankenship Qualifies for 1500 Finals

Ben Blankenship Qualifies for 1500 Finals.  Results HERE

MN XC Coaches Association Class A Preseason Rankings

STATE CROSS COUNTRY COACHES’ ASSOCIATION
CLASS A RANKINGS
PRESEASON POLL 

BOYS’ TEAMS: INDIVIDUALS:
1. Perham Zack Emery LaCrescent
2. Mora Michael Schwinghamer Mora
3. LaCrescent Carl Kozlowski Lake City
4. Pequot Lakes Mike Mitchell Blake
5. Jordan Alec Sanbeck Mora
6. Trinity of River Ridge Ryley Nelson       West Central Area
7 Lake City Michael Suda      Pipestone Area
8. West Central Area         Jake Paron       Cook  County-Two Harbors
9.   Lac Qui Parle Valley-DB  Hunter Kjelshus        Perham
10.     Annandale Mitchell Mund Lake City
11. Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin  John Schwinghamer  Mora
12.   Glencoe-Silver Lake Matt Steiger  LaCrescent


GIRLS’ TEAMS: INDIVIDUALS:
1. Perham         Morgan Ritcher Breck
2. Fairmont                       Erika Fox        Carlton
3.     Luverne                 Tierney Wolfgram    Math&Science Acad.
4. Trinity of River Ridge Maria Pake Dilworth-Glydon-Felton
5. Annandale       Anna Donnay     Eden Valley-Watkins/K
6. Lanesboro/Fillmore Central Kayla Christopherson Austin Pacelli
7. Lac Qui Parle Valley-DB Grace Ennis     Trinity of River Ridge
8. Proctor Ellyssa Peterson      Greenway/N-K
9. Pine City Brynnan Covington        Perham
10 Blake         Brook Wedin Mora
11. Ely         Ellie Morgan        Frazee
12. United North Central Madison Schandelmeier         Luverne        


Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Bulletin: IAAF Reconsiders Hassan Mead's Petition to be able to run in the 5K Final

Read more HERE.

MCA Boy's XC Pre Season Rankings

Minnesota Coach’s Association Boy's AA Cross Country Rankings   

PRE SEASON (released 8/17/2016) 
Teams
1 Wayzata
2 Edina
3 Centennial
4 Stillwater
5 Prior Lake
6 Hopkins
7 Willmar
8 Mounds View
9 Maple Grove
10 Bemidji
11 Rosemount
12 Minnetonka
Other Teams receiving votes: Minneapolis Washburn, Sartell

Individuals:
1 Patrick Roos, Edina
2 Seth Eliason, Hopkins
3 Alex Miley, Maple Grove
4 Innocent Murwanashyaka, St. Paul Como Park
5 Khalid Hussein, Wayzata
6 Reed Kurak, Centennial
7 Matt Wilkinson, Minnetonka
8 Gemechu Meskele, Wayzata
9 Kevin Dado, Totino Grace
10 Tyler Moore, Little Falls
11 Cole Streich, Waseca
12 Zachary Miller, Edina
Other Athletes receiving votes: Isaac Boedigheimer, Cloquet; Colin Dwyer, Prior Lake; Joseph Minor, Minneapolis Washburn; Mohamed Noor, Willmar

Splits from the Leaders of the Women's 1500

Splits from the Leaders of the Women's 1500  HERE.

Hassan Mead Falls in 5K Prelims.

Hassan Mead Falls in 5K Prelims HERE  and HERE. IAAF denies Hassan Mead's appeal to be allowed to run the 5K final.
Strib story HERE.

Matt Conly Selected as New Gopher Men's Throws Coach

Gopher men's track team welcomes new coach.

Splits for 400 meters Top Times

How records are broken.  Splits for 400 meters Top Times HERE

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Barbora Špotáková Qualifies for Javelin Finals

Barbora Špotáková qualifies for Javelin Finals. Results HERE.
Summary HERE.

Emmanual Matadi 5th in 200 Heats

Emmanual Matadi 5th in 200 meter  Heats. Doesn't qualify for the next round
Results are HERE
MPR story HERE.

The Olympic Spirit

The Olympic Spirit HERE

Ben Blankenship through to the Semis

Ben Blankenship through to the semis. Results HERE

Monday, August 15, 2016

Ben Blankenship Opens with the 1500 Heats Tuesday, Hassan Mead in the 5K on Wednesday

In Rio Ben Blankenship Opens with the 1500 heats Tuesday, Hassan Mead in the 5K heats on Wednesday. Details HERE.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Strib story on what Minnesota athletes did competed in during the summer.  Wayzata/LSU's Ruby Stauber talks about going for a PR HERE.

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Heather Miller-Koch 18th in Heptathlon

Heather Miller-Koch finishes 18th in heptathlon
Results HERE.

Olympic Women's 10K Splits

For the statisticians, Olympic women's 10K splits HERE.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Heather Miller-Koch 19th after Heptathlon Day 1

Heather Miller-Koch 19th after Heptathlon Day 1 Results HERE.

The Fate of Doping in Sports

COMMENTARY
By Jim Ferstle
The fastest Women’s 10K Olympic final ever run has been transformed from what it was, a great race where the top competitors actually raced for the full distance, into a Did They or Didn’t They Dope question.  In the past this performance by the top runners at least would have been hailed as a historic event, a new era in women’s distance running.  Instead it has become a headline item for doping in sports.  Instead of celebrating the world, country, and/or personal records people want to know how many of them doped.
                What it illustrates is the fact that organizations, such as the IOC, see the doping problem within sports as a public relations issue. It's a problem that requires more effort to contain instead of rhetoric that attempts to misdirect those who ask legitimate questions of why the necessary resources have not been raised for anti-doping organizations, such as WADA, which the IOC created for the express purpose of tackling the doping problem.  Yes, the IOC contributed an extra $10 million during the past four years to help with research on discovering ways to detect dopers.  

That seemingly large sum is about a tenth of what should have been allocated within the budget.  As it is, that tenth has been effective as the retest of stored samples from the 2008 and 2012 Games showed.  Record numbers of dopers were caught, but the IOC admits that the exercise is primarily to attempt to minimize the number of athletes who fail a drug test during the Games, not as a strategically planned use of the resources and funds to make testing a viable tool to deter athletes from giving in to the temptation to dope.
                As the Russian doping scandal has grabbed headlines and drown out much of the traditional pre-Olympic rhetoric much time and energy have been wasted in counterproductive finger pointing and posturing by the IOC and WADA about whose fault it is that doping is becoming more of a problem, not less, as the days, months, and years pass. 

There is enough blame to go around, not only for the two agencies, but to other actors in the equation, such as the athletes themselves.  But when some athletes became pro-active by being openly critical of athletes who have doped and are returning to competition the IOC basically tells them to shut up even though the athletes have a legitimate concern as to what the proper punishment is needed to deter the tempted.  To establish a new motto about doping.  

Right now the mantra is that athletes have to dope because “everybody is doing it.” Everybody doesn’t dope, but nobody really knows who is or isn’t.  It would be safe to say that there are more dopers now than there were when WADA was created, and continues to be "handled" as a public  relations problem, not as it is a public health issue.
The IOC has ordered WADA to hold a meeting to talk about the problem and what can be done.        Who will fund this?  What is the agenda?  How transparent will the process be, and who gets to take part in this exercise?  

Will it just be more of a finger pointing and a blame fest, or will the participants be able to define the tools necessary to really address what needs to be done?  If so, where will the money come from to fund this transformation? All serious and necessary questions that must be answered.  

There is little trust in the system right now, and that trust must be restored.  It won’t be solved with press releases and rhetoric.  It won’t be solved by the athletes calling each other names.  All the “stakeholders” have to leave their vitriol at the door and come prepared to draft an action plan that is properly funded and able to develop the systems to combat what has become the “cancer” in sports.  

Will Rio be seen years down the road as the beginning of being able to deal with doping, or the tipping point toward turning sport into a freak show rather than a stage for the World’s best athletes? 

Thursday, August 11, 2016

The Path to Clean Swimming

The Path to Clean Swimming
By John Leonard 

       We see admirable courageous stances by athletes from multiple nations in Rio with regard to the immediate and important need to protect our sport.
        This comes about because the IOC and its subsidiary International Federation Puppets such as FINA in our sport, have abdicated their moral responsibility to protect and preserve the sanctity of Olympic Ideals and Values. They have revealed themselves as simply a financial machine generating BILLIONS of dollars while sharing pittances with the Athletes on whose backs those dollars are generated, AND THEN, they are so arrogant as to ask the athletes to protect their private money generating circus by not  protesting the prostitution of clean sport, as FINA and the IOC have done by allowing the dopers to swim.
      Which leaves us with “WHAT TO DO”?

Here are the SIMPLE (not easy, but SIMPLE) steps:
1) The real power in sport is with the athletes. Read that again three times. As athletes, you have become so used to the mindset of “big brother IOC will take care of all” that now that that trust has been betrayed, you have not realized ITS ALL ABOUT YOU. Your heart, soul, passion and BODY are what the IOC is getting rich on, and all the IF’s underneath them as well, (Read FINA, with their 100 Million in the bank while you starve.)

2) ATHLETES MUST UNITE, form your own organization and TELL THE IOC under WHAT CONDITIONS YOU WILL PARTICIPATE IN THEIR CIRCUS. (Suggestions on conditions to follow.)


3) And PS. You can run your own Swim Circuit without them, earn REAL money, and be in control of your destiny. See GOLF and TENNIS. I am here to help you do it, when you are ready and I have a team in place to help you do it. And I won’t accept an American nickel to do it. No money for me.
This is about you and generations to follow.  I want my children who coach, to be able to coach CLEAN ATHLETES and aspire to win in the generations ahead. That’s my personal motivation for the cynics to understand.

4) Once you have a viable option to the IOC and their Circus, you are in control. Yes, keep the Olympics, but have it drug free, have it the way you dreamed of it when you were a child and emerging elite athletes. Not the cynical freak show of today, all marketing, no soul. Value your Dreams. They can be real. They can be real. They can be real.

5) What conditions do you want? Here are “suggestions”.

A) WADA must be rebuilt with a REAL anti-doping reformer at the helm. (I suggest Travis Tygert, of USADA, the ONLY administrator in all sport to truly SPEAK UP for you. He’s real. He’s at odds with the USOC because they are just more fakers hiding behind nonsense like “Zero Tolerance.”
The only ZERO TOLERANCE they recognize is for anything that threatens their bank account. Note to the USOC – why hold an Olympics in Los Angeles when it’s just another corrupt operation serving no clean athletes…..? When you cave in to the IOC on everything, to get the Games in LA, YOU STAND FOR NOTHING!  ATHLETES, DEMAND A REBUILD of WADA. And real power for WADA to set rules, test for doping and ENFORCE RULES FOR ALL OF OLYMPIC SPORT.

B) A thing called “HIGH THROUGHPUT TESTING” which exists TODAY, can find the doping needle in the haystack that current testing can’t. It can immediately create CLEAN SPORT. Why don’t “they” use it now? Because they don’t want clean sport, they want the charade of “Zero Tolerance” rhetoric.  The Science EXISTS NOW. ATHLETES, INSIST WE USE 2016 Science to catch 2016 cheats, NOT 1950’s technology which is what is used now.

C) MONEY – It’s all about the money right now, isn’t it? Why are the IOC making BILLIONS while you struggle to get the money to eat and keep a roof over your head? ATHLETES, insist on a fair distribution of revenue to keep YOU at the center of the picture. How? See number two above.

Athletes, every problem that frustrates you and your coaches and the entire world that wants CLEAN SPORT, can be solved by YOU. Unite. OWN YOUR SPORT.  Many of us are here to help you. Fix swimming for your generation and hundreds of generations to come. You have the power to do it. Use it. Please.

John Leonard
American And World Swimming Coaches Association.
JLeonard@swimmingcoach.org

Physiological Profile of Chris Froome, Tour de France Champion

 Physiological Profile of Chris Froome, Tour de France Champion HERE

Barbora Špotáková seeks Another Olympic Medal

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Tyler Sigl's Griak Hall of Fame Feature

Monday, August 08, 2016

Effect of Hand Cooling on Performance in the Heat

 Effect of Hand Cooling on Performance in the Heat HERE

Bethel's Andrew Rock Recalls Gold Medal Performance from 2004

Sunday, August 07, 2016

MDRA 15K/USATF MN Championships Results

MDRA 15K/USATF MN 15K Championships Results HERE

Saturday, August 06, 2016

KARE 11 Talks to Van Nelson and Amanda Smock About Their Olympic Experiences

KARE 11 Talks to Van Nelson and Amanda Smock About Their Olympic Experiences HERE

Heather Miller-Koch Talks About the Seven Events of the Heptathlon

Heather Miller-Koch Talks About the Seven Events of the Heptathlon HERE

Beach to Beacon 10K Results

Beach to Beacon 10K Results HERE
Patrick Smyth 9th Open men in 29:21
Maddie Van Beek  9th women open in 33:23
Emma Bates 11th women open in 33:56

Friday, August 05, 2016

Heather Kampf 3rd in Sir Walter Miler

Heather Kampf PRs for third in Sir Walter Miler. Results  HERE

Minnesota Carpet Cleaner challenges USOC

Minnesota Carpet Cleaner challenges USOC on ban of Olympic mentions on social media  HERE





Thursday, August 04, 2016

Ben Blankenship on the Road to Rio

Ben Blankenship on the Road to Rio HERE  And "gratuitous male objectification at the Olympics

In an Era When Track and XC Programs are Being Dropped, San Jose State is Bringing Back Track

In an Era When Track and XC programs are being dropped, San Jose State is Bringing Back Track HERE

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Doping Humor

UPDATED: Research on Sweat and Salt

Research on sweat and salt. Interindividual variability in sweat electrolyte concentration in marathoners HERE

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

Jo Rider Griak Hall of Fame Feature