Changes Afoot at Down the Backstretch ...

A note from Down the Backstretch Editor/Publisher Charlie Mahler … 

There’s going to be a change at our web-site for the coming months. I’ve taken a temporary, full-time position with Twin Cities In Motion, the organizers of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. I’m contracted to work there until November as a Media and Communications Assistant.

In order devote myself fully to the TCM job – and make sure the quality of coverage remains high at DtB -- I’ve hired Jim Ferstle to handle the day-to-day reporting on the web-site until I return to its helm later this year. Jim has carried the reporting baton at DtB before, and, as a nationally respected running journalist, will do fine, fine work.

If you need to reach DtB in the coming months, please contact Jim at jferstle [AT] gmail [DOT] com. If you need to reach me, my e-mail address remains cmahler22 [AT] yahoo [DOT] com.

I hope you enjoy following the rest of the Olympics, the upcoming cross country season, and this fall’s marathon action through Down the Backstretch and Jim Ferstle.

 I know that’s what I’ll be doing!

Carleton's Funke-Harris to Coach at Amherst

Former Carleton College cross country All-American Cassie Funke-Harris has been named the new women's cross country and track and field coach at Amherst College, the Massachusetts school announced recently.

Funke-Harris (pictured), has served as an assistant coach at Carleton for the past six years, after graduating with honors from the Northfield school in 2005.

“I have always had tremendous respect for Amherst College, and to be a part of the Athletics department is exciting for me,"  Funke-Harris, a Partridge, Kansas native said in an Amherst media release.  "It’s the type of school and the type of program at which I’ve always envisioned myself.”

Funke-Harris takes over a program that has seen a lot of success in the last decade.  The Lord Jeffs, who finished 11th at last year's NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, were national champs in 2007 and the D3 runners-up in 2006.

In 2007, the Amherst women's track team finished a trophy-winning fourth at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships.  In 2006, the team finished third at the D3 Indoor Championships.

During her coaching tenure at Carleton under head coach Donna Ricks, Funke-Harris helped the women’s cross country team capture a pair of MIAC titles and three NCAA berths. She helped develop ten all-conference honorees, 13 all-region performers, and a pair of All-Americans.

Working with the women’s track and field program, Funke-Harris helped guide Carleton athletes to 19 individual MIAC titles, 34 all-conference selections, 19 NCAA provisional qualifying marks, and nine All-America performances.

Funke-Harris also served as an assistant coach at Rosemount High School prior to assisting at her alma mater.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Carleton in 2005, Funke-Harris earned her master’s in kinesiology and exercise physiology from the University of Texas-Austin in 2008. She holds a USATF Level I Coaching Certification, having also participated in the National Distance Running Summit in Grinnell, Iowa in 2011.

Photo courtesy of Carleton College.

Booklet Aims to Help Young Runners Train

Aspiring young distance runners need look no farther than their local running shop -- or the Internet -- to find free advice about training.

Former Eden Prairie High School and Carleton College distance runner John Davis has published a booklet called Basic Training Principles for Middle and Long-Distance Running that is available in paper form in limited quantities at TC Running Company, Marathon Sports, Startline, Gear, Gear West, and both Run N Fun locations.

The booklet is also available for download from Davis' web-site, HERE.

The booklet offers an introduction to basic training concepts told through the story of Peter Snell, New Zealand's gold medalist and world record-holder at 800 and 1500-meters in the early 1960s.

The booklet was prompted by the success Davis, a chemistry major, found from an informal training group he was part of in high school and college.

"Everyone in the group made big gains in fitness, and the younger high school guys got to learn a lot about training," Davis told DtB.  "That experience, along with my own misadventures as a young high school runner, spurred me to write a short booklet that could explain the most important points about distance training to a young runner."

Davis' training ideas are heavily influenced by those of Aurthur Lydiard, Snell's coach and a universally recognized pioneer of modern long distance training theory. 

"There's something appealing about an "old school" story, where an underdog makes it big by training smart, being dedicated, and focusing on long-term development instead of short-term results," Davis explained.  "The message of the booklet is, of course, the importance of aerobic development in track and cross country training, a philosophy which has its roots in the training philosophy of Peter Snell's coach, Arthur Lydiard."

The booklet is one of many fruits that have grown out of Davis' interest in running and training.  His web-site, Running Writings, begun a year ago collects Davis' thoughts about the physiology and biomechanics of distance running.

Davis is also finishing work on a long, follow-up book to Basic Training called Modern Training and Physiology that he plans to sell locally and on-line.

"Modern Training takes a look at advances in training since the 1960s, explaining concepts like the aerobic and anaerobic thresholds and how they can be used in training,: Davis outlined.  "While Basic Training is free, I'll be selling Modern Training, probably though my website and hopefully at local running stores too." 

Davis also plans a third booklet, tentatively titled Overcoming Injuries and Setbacks, that will discuss injury, illness, and over-training in runners.

Boston's McGillivray to Run, Speak Locally

Boston Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray will run and speak at the Life Time Fitness Crosstown in Eden Prairie on Thursday.

He'll participate in a run at 5:30 p.m. and give a presentation at 6:30 p.m.  Both events are open to the public.

McGillivray (pictured), who manages more than 30 major road races and charitable events via his company, Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises, has been the technical director and race director at the BAA Boston Marathon since the 1980s.

Aside from being a respected event director -- McGillivray is a former Road Race Management, Inc. Race Director of the Year and member of Running USA’s Hall of Champions -- he has completed a number of long-distance charity runs, including one from Medford, Oregon to his hometown of Medford, Massachusetts.

There's a great Runner's World profile of McGillivray by Sports Illustrated columnist (and Minnesota native) Steve Rushin, HERE.

Read McGillivray's biography HERE. 

Thursday's event is free and open to both Lifetime Fitness members and non-members. Space for this presentation is limited. If you plan to attend, please email PMiller [at] lifetimefitness [dot] com.

Photo courtesy of DMSE Sports.

Border Hop Needed for Level 1 Schooling

Coaches looking to earn USA Track and Field's Level 1 coaching certification will need to leave Minnesota to do so this summer, but only just.

While none of the 13 Level 1 coaching education schools will be held in Minnesota, one will be conducted just over the bridge in La Crosse, Wisconsin this August.  The program will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse from August 3 through August 8.

Early registration for the school closes on July 20.  Details on registration will be posted HERE.

USATF's Level 1 schools teach all track and field events in a basic manner by emphasizing fundamentals, rules, safety/risk management, and instruction techniques, according to USATF.

The Level 1 Course prepares an individual to coach at the junior high school, high school, club, and junior age division level.

Learn more about USATF's coaching eduction program HERE.

Relay to Honor Kevin Dare, Seek World Record

A relay team honoring Kevin Dare, the Penn State pole vaulter who died at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Minneapolis ten years ago, will run from the U of M Fieldhouse to State College, Pennsylvania to raise money for the Kevin Dare Foundation and attempt to set a 1000-mile relay world record.

A ten-man team of runners -- including Stillwater High School alumnus Luke Watson -- plan to make the journey from August 26th and end August 30th. The Life Back on Track Relay will raise money for the Kevin Dare Foundation’s scholarship program that helps severely injured and ill high school student athletes to attend college.

“It’s been ten years since Kevin Dare passed away, so we wanted to do something special to mark that and honor Kevin and the type of guy that he was,” event organizer and run participant Ryan Foster said in a recent media release.

Dare died during the pole vault competition at the Big Ten Championships at The University of Minnesota after he suffered a fatal head injury on a vault gone horribly wrong.

The runners will depart from the exact spot of Kevin’s accident, and attempt to run to the track facility at Penn State University faster than the current world record of 99 hours, 3 minutes, and 27 seconds. In order to break the current World Record, the runners will have to maintain a pace of five minutes and 57 seconds for each mile.

“We’re planning on each runner covering five miles in turn, which will allow us a bit over four hours to recover before we have to run again,” said Foster, a 2009 Penn state grad.

Find more information on the effort HERE.

Happy Holidays and Thanks from DtB

Happy Holidays everyone!

On behalf of our little operation, let me wish all of you a happy, healthy, and relaxing holiday season from Down the Backstretch. As much as we all love cross country, track & field, and road racing, it's now time to turn our focus to family and friends rather than results and performances.

As we've done in the past, DtB is going to enjoy a little holiday vacation. We'll return to action after the New Year, of course, getting you back on top of the sport and the budding indoor season. If big news happens to break during our "vacation," you can bet we'll at least note it on our Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Before we go, let me take a moment to thank some of the folks that made 2011 another fine year for DtB. First off, special, heart-felt thanks go to Adam Lindahl of TC Running Company and the Board of Directors at USA Track and Field - Minnesota for their support of DtB as its presenting sponsors. Without their generous investments in our site, DtB would likely not still exist.

We'd also like to thank everyone who has advertised with us during the year -- folks like Twin Cities in Motion, Grandma's Marathon, the Minnesota Distance Running Association, the University of Minnesota Track and Field Camps, the Autism 5K, and the SISU Foundation. your business is truly appreciated!

I'd also like to thank anyone and everyone who has contributed to DtB. Special thanks go to co-founder Pete Miller, fantasy contests director Doug Cowles, photographer Gene Niemi, commentator and pinch hitter Jim Ferstle, ultra-running maven Alex Kurt, throws contributor Kevin Holubar, photographer Sean Hartnett, and high school lists' statisticians Kevin Moorhead, Bill Miles, and Tim Miles. Without the generous contributions of those folks and others, DtB wouldn't have been all that it was this year.

Finally, allow me to thank you, our readers, for making DtB an important part of your enjoyment of the greatest sport on earth. Your continued loyalty to DtB makes the job of covering all the track, road, and cross country action fun and rewarding.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Longest Running Streak by Female Ends

Julie Maxwell, a Kasson, Minnesota resident, who had not missed a day of running since July 5, 1978, fell and broke her ankle on December 10, ending the streak after nearly 34 years.

Read about it HERE. Find a current listing of active running streaks -- including some that have lasted more than 40 years! -- HERE.

Camp Features Olympian, Olympic Trials

A running camp sponsored by Minnesota-based Life Time Fitness will feature Olympian Carrie Tollefson and front row seats at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials in Houston.

The four-day Life Time Run Camp, scheduled from January 12 to January 15 in Houston, Texas, will be a warm-weather getaway that aims to teach "the core essentials it takes to be a great runner." As an added bonus, campers will have the opportunity to watch the Olympic Trials Marathon on January 14.

"We thought watching the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials would be an awesome reason to get out of Minnesota for some warm weather training, learn more about the sport, and watch one of the best races in American history take place right in front of us," Tollefson, a 1500-meter Olympian in 2004, told DtB.

The camp also features guided workouts; yoga; seminars on nutrition, strength training, injury prevention, and race preparation; guest speakers; and professional athlete "meet-and-greets."

"We had our first camp here in Minnesota last year and it went great so we thought this year lets do it bigger and better," Tollefson said. "Running camps are fun for anyone at any age and running level. Our Life Time Run Camp will once again bring the running community together and sort of bring back the fun of what it was like when we were kids training hard and dreaming big!"

Details on the camp can be found HERE.

Series Invites Runners to Explore Minnesota

A new running series is inviting runners to explore Minnesota through their sport.

Anderson Race Management and Explore Minnesota Tourism, the travel promotion office of the State of Minnesota, recently announced the launch of a new statewide running series called the "Explore Minnesota Challenge."

The series of more than 25 races in locations around the state encourages runners and walkers to participate in at least eight of the events, including one in each of four different areas of the state.

Participants will be awarded Explore Minnesota Challenge lapel pins representing the region where they have completed a race. An Explore Minnesota Challenge medal will be awarded to those who complete a total of eight events including one in each of the four designated areas. Participants who register for the series will also receive membership in the Minnesota Distance Running Association.

"This new race series includes a variety of great events around our state," Anderson Race Management owner Mary Anderson said in a media release. "We are thrilled to partner with Explore Minnesota on the Explore Minnesota Challenge as we work to bring walkers and runners out to enjoy the unique offerings of each of the wonderful regions of this state."

Details on the series can be found HERE and a list of races in the series is available HERE.

"Minnesotans are known for their active lifestyles," John Edman, director of Explore Minnesota Tourism said. "Partnering with Anderson Race Management on this race series is a great way to promote Minnesota as a destination for runners and walkers. The series is an innovative way to let people know about the fun events Minnesota communities offer year-round."

Happy Thanksgiving from Down the Backstretch!

Gobble, gobble Minnesota running and track fans!

It’s once again time for the storied athletic tradition that is the Down the Backstretch Thanksgiving poll – our 5th annual contest to determine DtB readers’ preferred holiday food.

We each have our favorite portion on the plate, and over the years Stuffing (2007, 2008), Mashed Potatoes (2009), and Pumpkin Pie (the defending champ) have won our coveted Thanksgiving Championship. And, while Turkey, the holiday's signature dish, has historically made strong showings in the contest, cranberries and gravy have had little to be thankful for when it comes to late November.

There’s no clear favorite this year ... some sage observers are picking Stuffing, other think Turkey will be a real animal, there are even a handful that think Gravy might pour it on this year. In the end, of course, it will be you, the DtB readers, who will decide!

So, while DtB takes a little holiday down time, please take a moment from your own holiday festivities to vote in our poll, found on the right sidebar. Voting in the poll is open until the end of the day Sunday, November 27.

We’ll be back on Monday with the results, and, of course, the latest on the sport from Minnesota.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Olympic Jumps' Coach Headlines Track Clinic

Boo Shexnayder, the USA jumps' coach at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, will headline the Minnesota Track Coaches Association's annual Track and Field Clinic to be held January 26-28 at the Double Tree Hilton in Bloomington.

Shexnayder, a former LSU coach and now the director of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Track and Field Academy, is part of stellar line-up of speakers that also includes Don Babbitt, the University of Georgia Throws coach, Dr. Donald Chu, a Stanford University plyometric training expert, and Holly Thompson, a noted high jump specialist.

Cost of the clinic is $90. More information on the clinic can be found HERE.

Registration details are HERE.

Kara Goucher to Train with Schumacher

Duluth native Kara Goucher, who left long-time coach Alberto Salazar earlier this fall, will be trained by former University of Wisconsin coach Jerry Schumacher, the 2008 Olympian announced via her blog last night.

"I am honored and excited to have been welcomed by Jerry Schumacher to join his group of the OTC Elite," Goucher said HERE. "I feel so lucky to be able to train under an incredible coach and alongside two of the best female runners the US has ever produced."

Goucher (pictured), the bronze medalist at 10,000-meters at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in 2007, will join marathon rival Shalane Flanagan in Schumacher's stable of elite athletes, which also includes Lisa (Koll) Uhl and male runners Chris Solinsky and Matt Tegenkamp.

In her blog post, Goucher also expressed her thanks to former coach Salazar had given her during their partnership.

"I have had my best years under Alberto and after 7 years together he certainly knows me better as an athlete than anyone besides my husband," she said. "I have blossomed under him, going from an often injured nobody to a World Championship bronze medalist and Major Marathon podium finisher. To say that Alberto has helped me find myself and my career would be a massive understatement. He has forever changed my life and I feel eternal gratitude toward him."

Goucher is pointing toward the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, to be held in January in Houston.

Photo by Sean Hartnett.

Kara Goucher Splits with Coach, Alberto Salazar

The Portland Oregonian is reporting that Duluth native Kara Goucher has left the Nike Oregon Project and coach Alberto Salazar.

Find the full story HERE.

Under Salazar's tutelage, Goucher won a bronze medal at the 2007 IAAF World Championships at 10,000-meters and finished third in the 2009 Boston Marathon.

According to a Facebook post she made today, quoted HERE, Goucher has not yet settled on a new coach.

Winona State Runner Dies in Kayak Mishap

Winona State University cross country runner Kevin Dammen died Tuesday while kayaking in the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior. The cause of death was reported as hypothermia.

The Duluth News-Tribune covered the accident HERE.

Dammen, a college freshman, was paddling with his brother Kyle, their Winona State cross country teammate Travis Hawley, and Grant Schlicter of Winona. The Dammens and Hawley were Austin High School graduates.

Kevin Dammen's kayak capsized in rough water while he and two other members of the party were attempting to assist a fourth kayaker whose boat had taken on water during a paddle from Little Sand Bay to Sand Island.

Last fall, Dammen was Winona State's 4th-man at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Cross Country Championships, finishing 53rd overall in 28:40.

KAAL Channel 6 has a story on Dammen HERE.

The Thorntons: Northfield Track's First Family

We wanted to draw your attention to THIS recent story in the Northfield News about that city's "First Family" of Track and Field -- the Thorntons.

Bill Thornton, the father, was the long-time St. Olaf College men's coach. Sons Mark, the boys coach at Northfield High School, and Paul, a men's assistant for the University of Minnesota, ran for their dad at St. Olaf and followed in his coaching footsteps.

Northfield News reporter Shane Kitzman put together a nice piece about trio, all three of whom continue to live in the town famous for "cows, colleges, and contentment."

Wednesday is National Running Day

Memorial Day isn't the only important holiday this week ... at least not for runners.

Tomorrow is officially National Running Day, celebrated annually on the first Wednesday of June as a day when runners everywhere declare their passion for running.. National Running Day is a collaborative effort of the nation's major running organizations, including the Boston Athletic Association, New York Road Runners, Oregon Track Club, USA Track & Field, and Twin Cities In Motion.

Twin Cities in Motion and the TC Running Company will host an all-day event on Wednesday at the TC Running Company store (6405 City West Parkway, Eden Prairie) beginning with a group run at 6:00 a.m.

Additionally, the day will feature: hourly giveaways and drawings for prizes; free group runs, every hour, on the hour led by various TCM staff members, runners from Team USA Minnesota, and other special guests; free snacks and beverages; and discounts at TC Running Company.

Find more information about National Running Day HERE.

Olympians Converge on Duluth This Week

A pair of U.S. Olympic distance runners will make separate appearances in Duluth in the next two days.

Duluth native Kara Goucher, fresh off her fifth-place finish at the Boston Marathon in a PR 2:24:50, will offer a presentation based on her new book Kara Goucher's Running for Women. The presentation, which is limited to 150 attendees, will take place at 7:00 p.m. tonight in the Spirit of the North Theater of the Fitger's Brewery Complex.

Tickets for the presentation, which can be purchased at the Duluth Running Company, are $5, with proceeds going to the Young Athletes' Foundation. A book signing will follow the presentation -- it is free and open to the public.

Find complete details HERE.

On Wednesday, three-time Olympian and seven-time USA champion Suzy Favor Hamilton will be the featured speaker at the Essentia Health Fit-n-Fun Middle School Assemblies in Duluth.

Hamilton, a U.S. Olympian at 1500-meters in 1992, 1996 and 2000, will give presentations to Duluth students Wednesday at Woodland Middle School and Thursday at Morgan Park Middle School.

“We are thrilled to have Suzy joining us for this youth program,” said Scott Keenan, executive director of Grandma’s Marathon. “She is an American running star and she will have a great message for the students.”

Hamilton’s running career started in Stevens Point, Wis., where she won 11 state high school titles and went on to run at the University of Wisconsin. She won four Big Ten Athlete of the Year Awards and was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Decade for the 1990s.

Hamilton, 42, resides in Madison, Wis., and travels across the country giving motivational speeches.

Find more information on Favor Hamilton HERE.

Tollefson to Get Cold, Wet for Special Olympics

2004 Olympic 1500-meter semi-finalist Carrie Tollefson will brave the elements for a good cause next Saturday.

The 13-time Minnesota State High School League champion will participate in the Polar Plunge to raise money and awareness for Special Olympics on February 26. Tollefson (pictured) will brave the icy waters at Crystal Beach in Burnsville along with her husband, Charlie Peterson, and the video production crew for her podcast C Tolle Run.

"I’ve never done a Polar Plunge before and what a great way to do it," Tollefson said in a media release. "Knowing that these athletes will benefit from me freezing my buns off is awesome! It is just another way to spread the word about what athletics and physical fitness means to each and every one of us.”

The local Polar Plunge consists of 14 different plunge events held across the state, in which participants plunge into a frozen lake. Plungers raise a minimum of $75 to participate, with the proceeds benefiting the Special Olympics. In its fourteenth year, the Polar Plunge last year raised $1.4 million and had more than 7000 participants.

As part of the Polar Plunge, Tollefson will be documenting the experience for an episode of C Tolle Run, a new video podcast about Tollefson and her racing comeback targeting the 2012 Olympics. The podcast features “Day In the Life” episodes about Tollefson and her family, as well as informative videos about running and other endurance sports.

Videos are available at www.CTolleRun.com. The Polar Plunge episode will air Wednesday, March 2, 2011.

Photo by Victor Sailor/Photo Run.

Favor-Hamilton, Winckler Key Coaches' Clinic

Three-time Olympian Suzy Favor-Hamilton and three-time NCAA Coach of the Year Gary Winckler will headline the revamped Minnesota Track & Field Coaches Association Clinic set for Friday and Saturday, January 28-29 at the Bloomington Sheraton Convention Center.

Favor-Hamilton, a Stevens Point, Wisconsin native who raced to nine NCAA middle distance titles for the University of Wisconsin, will discuss motivation at a clinic session, make the keynote address to the Minnesota State Track and Field Coaches' Association meeting and banquet, and lead a fun run during the weekend.

Winckler, who has mentored 13 Olympians and coached USA teams at the IAAF World Indoor and World Outdoor Championships, will give four separate talks on hurdling and sprinting during the clinic.

More than three-dozen coaches and athletes will offer their insights at the clinic, including Olympic shot putter Ron Backes, University of Minnesota men's throws coach Lynden Reder, and U.S. Military Academy coach Troy Engle.

General information on the coaching clinic can be found HERE.

A roster of speakers and their biographies can be found HERE.

A clinic schedule is HERE.