Best Of Competitor 2009: Texas Region
Every year we ask you to make some serious choices. In your opinion, what are the best local bike shops and running stores? Which short- and long-distance running, triathlon and cycling events give you the best bang for your buck?
Below is Competitor Magazine’s Best of 2009 for the Texas region. Thank you for taking the time and for your feedback!
Click here to see other regions.
Best Running Store
Run On!
Best Bike Shop
Richardson Bike Mart
Best Outdoor Store
REI
Best Brew Pub
The Ginger Man
Best Energy Drink
Fluid Recovery
Best Energy Food
Clif Bars
Best Sports Injury Clinic
Active Spine & Sport Therapy
Hardest Workout Class
Lifetime Fitness
Best Event Swag
Too Hot to Handle 5K & 15K
Best 5K or 10K
Dash Down Greenville
Best Half Marathon
Dallas Running Club Half
Best Marathon
MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon
Best Cycling Event
Driveway Austin Crit Series
Best Running Club
Dallas Running Club
Best Cycling Club
Tough Cookies Don’t Crumble
Best Triathlon Club
Fit2Train
Best Triathlon Shop
Jack & Adam’s Bicycles
Best Triathlon
Ironman 70.3 Longhorn
Best Health Club
Lifetime Fitness
Massage
Tim Tarpley at Active Sports Massage
Tri Expo: Friday’s Report
I’m just going to come right out there and say it: I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect at Friday’s Tri Expo. Sure, I knew top names like Dean Karnazes and Craig Alexander were going to be on hand giving talks about race preparation and competition, but don’t most people have to work on Fridays?
Well, either secretaries around Southern California were bombarded with “I’m out sick today” phone messages or there is some sort of federal holiday nobody bothered to tell me about because Competitor Group’s first annual Tri Expo was officially a hit. While the list of clinics and vendors is massive, let me just give you an idea of some of the highlights I saw and heard while there today:
12 p.m. Sat down to a tasty lunch and Q&A with Olympian Sarah Haskins and the great folks at Mission Skincare. They are rolling out several new and improved products in 2010, including a muscle rub that Haskins had a large role in helping to develop. One of the coolest things about the rub is it’s vanishing menthol scent, because while athletes want to know and feel that their rub is working, they usually don’t want to clear a room with their medicine cabinet-esque scent. Another cool item is the ultra-grip gel, which dehydrates the palms of your hands enhance your grip on everything from bike shifters to tennis rackets (it’s also good before job interviews and first dates).
1:30: Went to check out some of the booths, where I sat the newest Speedplay pedals, Clif Shot Roks (delicious!) and all the newest triathlon bikes from dozens of companies. Were there free samples? Yes. Did I leave with a bag stuffed full of them. Yep.
2 p.m.: I stopped by the Trigger Point booth where company founder Cassidy Phillips sat me down to talk about body alignment (and why mine needs so much work). I’m still in the rehabilitation stages following a bad car accident where I broke my pelvis in several places. Phillips did some active release on my foot, rib cage and calf, and within seconds I could feel my pelvis align and I could lift my knee up toward my chest on my bad side with ease. If you’ve never taken the time to learn about the importance of body alignment and how it can be keeping you from reaching your performance potential, I suggest you visit the crew at Trigger Point yourself.
2:30 p.m.: I stopped by to check out Andy Potts discuss the newest TYR products and his 2010 racing plans as he taped a segment for TriCenter.
3 p.m.: I caught a glimpse of Triathlete senior editor Matt Fitzgerald as he discussed his new book, “Racing Weight” and fielded questions about how to reach one’s peak performance weight to a standing-room only crowd. I made a mental note to lay off the free Clif Shot Roks and continued on my way.
Saturday promises to just as jam-packed, and begins at 7:30 a.m. with a Breakfast Burrito Bike Ride around Mission Bay with Craig Alexander, Chris Lieto, Kristin Armstrong and Chris Carmichael. Later on at 3 p.m. you can hear ultrarunner phenomenon Dean Karnazes discuss what it takes to be an ultra-distance runner. I hope to see you there!
Kastor, Bairu, And Naser Set Course Records At P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona
Three course records set and eight runners qualify for Olympic trials.
Written By: Dan Cruz
American record holder and Olympic Bronze medalist Deena Kastor returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in ten months today at the seventh annual P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon. Kastor set a new Arizona state record with a time of 1:09:43, ending the longest dry spell of her now-legendary career.
Deena Kastor setting a course record in Arizona. Photo: Lester Cacho
“This race solidifies that my training has been going well,” said Kastor, after her victory that smashed the 15-year-old state record of 1:13:39 set by Marie Boyd in Tucson. “Running sub 1:10 off this training makes me excited about my next phase going into the London Marathon in April. Today was the first time in a couple of years I felt like my old self running again.”
Kastor, who broke her foot during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Marathon and spent most of 2009 recovering, ran an aggressive first mile in 4:54 and was on American record pace through four miles before a stubborn headwind and lack of competition slowed her in the second half. Reigning American marathon champion Ilsa Paulson of New York City finished a disappointing second in 1:17:04, well off her 1:13:20 personal best.
“I knew it could go only two ways, really good or really bad,” said Paulson. “I’ve been doing a lot of miles for many months, but the speed is just not there yet, it’s the last thing to come. I felt like I could run a 5:45 pace forever, but when I had to try to run a 5:20 pace to stick with Deena for the first two miles it just fried my legs.”
In the men’s half marathon, American record holder Ryan Hall was upset by Simon Bairu, the 2009 Canadian national champion at 5000 meters on the track and 10k on the roads. Running in only his second career half marathon, Bairu shadowed the more experienced Hall throughout the race. As the route turned right onto Desert Drive at 10 miles, the 26 year-old Bairu dropped the hammer with a 4:42 11th mile that left Hall 26 seconds behind his wake. By the time he reached the finish line at Arizona State University, Bairu’s lead had swelled to 1:21. His winning time of 1:02:47 was a 23 second personal best.
“My coach (Jerry Schumacher) told me to make this a ten mile race and, no disrespect to Ryan, but if we didn’t win it would have been a disappointment,” said Bairu, who bettered the course record by almost 2 minutes. “We knew Ryan would throw everything he had at me, but if I could weather the early storm, I felt that I would have the mental edge in the final miles. He is a world class athlete and I could never count him out.”
A two-time NCAA cross country champion while attending the University of Wisconsin, Bairu’s win makes him a hot commodity on the racing tour. He has his sights set on a debut marathon this fall. Hall, who is signed up for this April’s Boston Marathon, took a philosophical approach to his rare loss.
Simon Bairu setting his own course record in Phoenix. Photo: Lester Cacho
“The goal was to go out fast and practice for the pace I’ll need to run later this season,” said Hall, who passed the 2 mile mark in 9 minuets flat, sub 59:00 half marathon pace. “Boston is the big picture, so this was a test to see where I am and I still have New Orleans to go before Boston.”
Hall, the American record holder in the half marathon, is scheduled to run the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon in six weeks for his final tune up before the Boston Marathon, where he took third place in 2009.
In the men’s marathon, Ethiopia’s Terfe Yea notched his second P.F. Chang’s title, adding the 2010 crown to his ‘07 victory. Yea finished in 2:12:41, 15 seconds ahead of Kenya’s Christopher Kipyego (2:12:56). Flagstaff Arizona’s Jeff Eggleston made a successful marathon debut running 2:14:32, good for sixth place as the top American. Eggleston’s performance qualified him for the US Olympic Marathon Trials.
In the women’s race, fellow Ethiopian Taaybe Naser set a course record with a time of 2:30:39. Arizona’s Alvina Begay was the top American in 2:27:14 good enough for fifth place overall. Begay, who trains with the McMillan Elite in Flagstaff, was one of eight Americans in the marathon who qualified for the Olympic Trials.
Both Yea, 29, and Naser, 23, earned $17,500 for their victory at the race, which attracted more then 32,000 entrants and had live bands, cheerleaders and themed water stations entertaining runners along each mile of the route.
“The Rock ‘n’ Roll events are always so much fun and this event embodies a celebration of fitness and running,” added Kastor. “There are thousands of people here that are so enthusiastic and really put it on the line today; it was an incredible weekend to be a part of.”
The event began at 6:30 am with the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Ultra, a special 50k completion hosted by Dean Karnazes. Senator John McCain started the gun for both the marathon and half marathon.
“The event exceeded my wildest expectations and I think it exceeded everyone’s expectations,” said Karnazes. “I was rapping out for the first 22 miles with a big group and several of the Ultra runners’ spouses had pizzas waiting out on the course. I had a delicious slice at about the halfway point.”
The eighth edition of the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon and Half Marathon is set for Sunday, January 16, 2011.
Marathon Results
Men
1. Terefe Yae, 29, Ethiopia, 2:12:41, $17,500
2. Chris Kipyego, 35, Kenya, 2:12:56, $10,000
3. Meschack Kira, 34, 2:13:06, $5,000
4. Wegayhu Girma, 36, Ethiopia, 2:13:16, $3,000
5. Christopher Torotich, 28, Kenya, 2:13:56, $2,000
Women
1. Teyba Maser, 23, Ethiopia, 2:30:39, $17,500
2. Meseret Legese, 22, Ethiopia 2:33:01, $10,000
3. Olena Shurkhno, 31, Unkraine, $5,000
4. Selomie Getnet, 23, Ethiopia, 2:35:26, $3,000
5. Alvina Begay, 29, USA, 2:37:14, $3,500*
* Includes top American prize.
Flanagan, Vega Win US Half Marathon Titles
Records Tumble, Vega Surprises In Houston
Written By: David Monti
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, used with permission.
HOUSTON (17-Jan) — Three of the four open course records of the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half-Marathon fell here today, made possible by strong fields, beautifully cool and sunny weather and a more than $200,000 prize money purse.
Shalane Flanagan captures half marathon win in her debut. Photo: PhotoRun.net
Shalane Flanagan of Portland, Ore., bagged the first of the three records in women’s 21.1 km contest, which also served as the USA Half-Marathon Championships. Joined by Serena Burla of Ellisville, Mo., the two women were running under Colleen De Reuck’s 1:10:55 course record pace from the gun. They passed through 4 miles (6.4 km) in 21:26, and 6 miles (9.7 km) in 32:05. Making her half-marathon debut, Flanagan was actually running a little faster than she had agreed with coach Jerry Schumacher.
“As soon as I finished I saw my husband and I asked if Jerry was mad at me because I didn’t exactly follow the race plan,” Flanagan told reporters. “I have a tendency to not be very patient.”
Burla, who was the second American finisher in last year’s IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships, showed surprising tenacity, staying so close to Flanagan that she clipped her heels a few times.
“I mean to apologize for that,” Burla said in an interview after the race.
The half-marathon course here has a 180-degree turnaround just before the 15 km mark, and it took that long for Flanagan, the reigning Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist, to finally shake Burla.
“I could hear the pitter-patter of her feet; she has a nice little shuffle,” Flanagan said of Burla. She added: “I think right about the turnaround I didn’t hear her feet anymore.”
Flanagan rolled to the finish adjacent to the massive George R. Brown Convention Center on her own, clocking 1:09:41, more than a minute faster than De Reuck’s record. Burla was not far behind, also breaking De Reuck’s record and her own career best in 1:10:08. Burla said she was inspired to push hard today by memories of her grandfather who passed away earlier this month.
“He was a huge fan,” said Burla. “To get me through those last miles I was thinking about him. At his funeral I was a complete mess. My grandmother said, ‘Don’t worry. Just think of him while you’re running.’”
Amy Hastings (1:11:19) and Renee Metivier Baillie (1:11:51) and defending champion Magdalena Lewy Boulet (1:12:22) rounded out the top-5. Both Hastings and Baillie set career best times.
Unheralded Teshome Gelana of Ethiopia got the next course record, winning the men’s marathon in an improbable 2:07:37. During the 2009 season, Gelana ran 2:14:32 at Barcelona, 2:21:23 at Hannover and 2:12:03 at Warsaw (his personal best was 2:11:58 set in Israel in 2008). After winning the low-key, high altitude Addis Ababa Marathon last December, Gelana said he was pointing specifically for Houston, then potentially even bigger races later.
“As soon as I did the marathon in Addis, I was ready and working for my next marathon,” he said through a translator. “With the help of God I might do better in the future.”
His teammate and compatriot Zembaba Yigeze got second, also setting a personal best (2:08:27). The fastest man in the field coming into the race, Kenya’s Jason Mbote who has a personal best time of 2:07:37, finished third in 2:08:58. American Brett Gotcher made a very solid debut in 2:10:36, finishing seventh.
Teyba Erkesso got the third and final course record, easily defending her title in the marathon and breaking her own course and personal best in 2:23:53, with a little pacing assistance from Kafime Adillo, her husband, who was also entered in the race.
“Everything went according to plan,” said a smiling Erkesso through a translator sporting the Stetson hat organizers present to the race winners here.
Russia’s Magarita Plaksina (2:28:44) and Ethiopia’s Alemitu Abera (2:31:01) rounded out the podium. Paige Higgins, who like Gotcher runs for coach Greg McMillan in the Team USA Arizona program in Flagstaff, finished fourth in 2:33:22, just shy of her personal best.
Antonio Vega takes his first national title in the half marathon. Photo: PhotoRun.net
Although he didn’t set a course record, Antonio Vega’s win in the men’s half-marathon, his first national title, may have been the most noteworthy performance of the day. Since Vega lives in cold and snowy St. Paul, Minn., he did all of his training for this race (except for three sessions) on a treadmill.
“Yeah, 120 miles a week,” he said, commenting on how refreshing it was to be able to run outside.
Running against two debutants at the distance, his Team USA Minnesota teammate Patrick Smyth and University of Colorado alum Brent Vaughn, Vega surged just after the turnaround, setting unofficial personal best times for 15-K (43:45) and 10 miles (46:55).
“When we hit the turnaround, I was in the lead,” Vega said just after finishing. “I decided that was the time to go. I tried to hang on as long as I could.”
Vega slowed to a 4:52 in the 11th mile, and Smyth and Vaughn worked together to catch him.
“I thought I was going to catch Antonio downtown,” said Smyth, who won last month’s Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in New York City.
But Vega had enough in the tank to hold them off and get the win in 1:01:54, a personal best by a full minute. Smyth, who just signed with a management company but doesn’t yet have a sponsor, got second in 1:02:01. Vaughn finished third three seconds back, greeted by his wife Sara at the finish line who is expecting their second child. Tim Nelson, who also made his half-marathon debut, finished fourth in 1:02:11, and Stephan Shay, a younger brother of the late Ryan Shay, set a personal best 1:02:26 in fifth. Pre-race favorite Josh Rohatinsky ran with the leaders early, but faded to finish 12th.
This edition of the Chevron Houston Marathon was the 38th, and managing director Steve Karpas said that the event counted over 30,000 entrants in the marathon, half-marathon, 5-K and children’s races for the first time. Newly elected mayor Annise Parker called the event the “best and most anticipated event in all of Houston” which raised nearly $1.5 million for charity.
Hall, Kastor Headline P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona
The men’s and women’s American record holders ready for 2010 debut.
Testing fitness is an important part of any training cycle, and that is exactly what we will see American record holders Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor do this Sunday at the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon. The Mammoth Lakes Track Club teammates came down from altitude for a chance to see how their training is progressing and find out if they are on track for their spring marathons.
Women’s Half Marathon
Kastor is by far the fastest woman in the field with her 1:07:34 personal best from Berlin in 2006. With the London Marathon her main goal for the spring season Kastor is hoping to run aggressively and see where she is at with her training. Looking to challenge the American record holder is 2009 US women’s marathon champion Ilsa Paulson from nearby Flagstaff, Ariz. Paulson has a personal best of 1:13:20, but will certainly look to lower that this weekend, especially if she wants to be anywhere near Kastor in the later stages.
Men’s Half Marathon
Hall, the American record holder at the distance with his 59:43 mark from Houston in 2007, will look to take the lead early and push the pace on his own. Although he is focusing on the Boston Marathon in April, Hall is using this race as a benchmark for his push towards new American record at the half marathon distance in New Orleans at Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras on February 28th. Looking to challenge Hall will be Canadian, and former Wisconsin Badgers star, Simon Bairu and American Luke Humphrey. Bairu has run 27:50 for 10,000m on the track and has competed on the international stage for Canada on multiple occasions. Humphrey, a member of the Brooks/Hanson’s Distance Project, has a personal best of 1:04:05 for the distance and will look to lower that in Arizona. Also in the mix will be American Olympian triathlete Matt Reed, who is known as a strong runner and should find himself in the top-10 overall.
Women’s Marathon
Defending champion Olena Shurkhno of Ukraine is the defending champion, and will look to add another title to her resume in 2010. Shukhno also holds the fastest personal best in the field with her 2:30:18 from the Toronto Marathon in 2008. Selomie Getnet of Ethiopia has been runner-up in Arizona for the past three years, and hopes her fourth time is a charm. The young 23 year old Ethopian set her personal best of 2:33:08 here last year. American Sally Meyerhoff, a resident of Flagstaff, Ariz., was 5th at this race in 2009 and is the reigning US 25K champion. Meyerhoff set her personal best for the marathon at the 2009 US championships, where she clocked a 2:35:49, finishing 5th.
Men’s Marathon
Christopher Torotich of Kenya, the recent winner of the 2009 Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, should be considered the favorite here. Countryman Meschack Kirwa and Ethiopian Terefe Yae will be Torotich’s biggest threats. Kirwa has a personal best of 2:11:45 and won the 2008 Rock ‘n’ roll San Antonio Marathon. Yae was the 2006 runner-up and 2007 champion at Arizona and took second to Torotich in Las Vegas this past December. Looking to make a mark on the scene is American Jeff Eggleston, who will debut for the marathon in Arizona. Eggleston has a personal best of 1:03:58 for the half marathon, and has run sub-30:00 for 10K on the roads.
We will be live all morning from Arizona, with full coverage of all the races. For all of your race day coverage, including our live stream and commentary, race recap, results and photos, be sure to check back to Competitor.com.
Meet Terrence Mahon, Coach Of Ryan Hall And Deena Kastor
Mammoth Track Club coach has two star athletes racing in P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon.
Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor are not just the favorites to win Sunday’s P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon. They are also teammates on the Mammoth Track Club based in the remote mountain town of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. In addition to the men’s American record holder in the half marathon (Hall) and the women’s American record holder in the half marathon and marathon (Kastor), the team’s ranks also include three-time Olympian Jen Rhines, 2009 New York City Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi, multiple NCAA Division II national champion Scott Bauhs, multiple NCAA Division I national champion Alistair Cragg, 5K national champion Sara Hall, seven-time NCAA All-American Amy Hastings, 2008 Olympian Anna Willard, and steeplechaser Jonathan Pierce.
Mahon with Mammoth Track Club members Sara Hall and Deena Kastor. Photo: PhotoRun.net
The Mammoth Track Club is coached by former UCLA cross-country and track coach Bob Larsen and former 2:13 marathoner Terrence Mahon, who is also married to Jen Rhines. Mahon spoke to Run Now from his home in Mammoth Lakes shortly before leaving to Phoenix to watch Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor race P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon.
Run Now: How did the Mammoth Track Club get started?
Terrence Mahon: It was right after the nonprofit organization Running USA was created [in 2000]. At that time U.S. distance runners were doing very poorly internationally. We had sent only one woman and one man marathon runner to the Sydney Olympics. So this group saw that as a call to arms to try to put together a project to bring back U.S. distance running.
The model they looked at was what worked well in the ‘70s and ‘80s with all of the clubs and post-collegiate support systems that were out there. This was around the same time that coach Vigil had retired from Adams State [College in Alamosa, Colo.] and Bob Larsen had retired from UCLA. They were asked if they would be willing to coach such a program and that’s how it started.
You began coaching the team in 2005, after Joe Vigil retired. What was that transition like? I imagine that you and Vigil have many similarities in terms of coaching styles, but also some differences.
As an exercise physiologist, coach Vigil taught me all of that stuff and that’s still what we use to this day. What I brought to the table was that at that time I was doing a lot of strength and conditioning and sports therapy, so I started to integrate that more into the system than we had in the past. Then over the past couple of years I have started to bring biomechanics into the mix.
Right now the big difference with us is that I integrate all of that into the program, whereas it was sort of contracted out in the past—Deena had her own personal trainer, Meb had his own personal trainer, and so forth. It’s much easier for me to oversee everything because I know what’s going on and how to cycle all those different components from a stress standpoint.
The biggest rivals your athletes face on an international level are the East Africans. There are a million different explanations for their dominance, one of which is their group training system. Do you see your team as an answer to that advantage?
Yes, but the difference is that the Ethiopian and Kenyan training camps are very federation driven. So if you want to go anywhere and do anything you need the federation’s permission. But at the end of the day you have large groups of athletes training under one system, and that’s what drives the bus and leads to continued success year in and year out.
In our group you see the same thing. The young athletes are learning from the older athletes. There’s a camaraderie in training, and they push each other, so that everyone is getting just a little more out of it every day.
What special advantages does your location in Mammoth Lakes offer the team?
Mammoth is very unique in the United States in terms of elevation. Mammoth [elevation 7,900 ft.] is a little higher than the other training sites in the country. Flagstaff is a little bit lower [7,000 ft.], Boulder is significantly lower [5,200 ft.]. We have to deal with things like snow, but we are uniquely situated so that we are able to get to lower altitudes where there is much better weather very quickly. We can do our own “high-low” model based on an individual athlete’s need or just on what’s going on with the weather. We don’t have to move all the time, like, “OK, it’s wintertime, now we have to go to Florida.” We can just go up and down the mountain.
The other part of it is that, at least at this point, Mammoth is a very secluded town. There’s not a lot to do: one movie theater, one grocery store. So when athletes are here, they know they are here to train. Coming off the mountain takes a little bit of work, so when they go to race, they don’t race just for fun, or just to get one in; it’s because they’ve trained for it and they’re ready and it’s serious. It makes them think twice before planning some random race, because it’s often a two-day trip to get there.
It’s similar for the Ethiopians and Kenyans, where they are flying to the U.S. or London or wherever. You’re talking about an 18- or 20-hour plane ride, so you leave home only when you mean business.
You alluded to the benefits of your athletes pushing each other in training. But is there also some risk of their overcooking themselves by racing in training?
That’s a combination of two things: one is athlete maturity and the other is coaching. The job of myself or Bob Larsen as a coach is to control the athletes when we see that’s getting a little out of hand. At the same time, as the athletes get a little older and more mature and self-confident, they know what they need to do to get from A to B. Sometimes that means competing a bit and other times it’s letting the other guy go or sitting in behind the guy who’s stronger that day and getting pulled along.
There’s a transition with every new athlete that comes in. Typically they were the best athlete wherever they were—in college, their prior club or wherever. They’re not used to getting beaten in practice. So the transition over the first year is getting used to that and finding how they can work within the system so they don’t feel like they’re racing every day.
I imagine one of the other challenges you face is balancing group training that takes advantage of the team environment with individualized training that meets the needs of each individual athlete. Is that a tough balance to strike?
Yes and no. It’s just a little more time consuming from a coaching standpoint. Each one of our athletes has an individual training program. But 70 or 80 percent of the time, they are training with one another. It may mean that one runner does segments of some other runners’ run, or they do one interval or two intervals together that fit their common need and then do their own thing for the rest of the workout.
I think most of the athletes would say that it’s a good combination—they get the benefits of individual and group training at the same time.
Besides performance, what other factors do you consider when selecting new athletes to join the team?
We take a look at the [athlete’s specialty] event, and how that fits in the scheme of what we have here. Sometimes it gets a little redundant if you have six people running the same event. That doesn’t make much sense. I like little clusters of people running the same event.
Age is also an important factor. I’m a big one for a mentoring system. I like to have athletes of different ages in the same event.
Other than that, it’s two things: A) Does this person have the talent to be a world-class runner? Because our orientation is definitely toward not just developing national-class runners but runners who can get on the podium internationally. And B) Does this person work well within the dynamic of our team? We have to make sure that everybody there knows what the overall goal is for everybody. Because they spend so much time together, if there’s not a good harmony there it’s bad for everybody.
How is your team funded, and can paying the bills be a headache for you?
Our goal with the program from the get-go was to be an outside-the-box type of program. What I look at particularly is that athletes have a limited number of years to earn an income in this sport. The typical career is four to six years, and you get the unique ones that are eight- to 12-year careers. Some of the other teams are sponsored by a shoe company. You’ve got the group in Oregon that is sponsored by Nike and the Hansons’ group that is sponsored by Brooks. We never wanted to limit an athlete’s ability to earn an income in a free market society. So we didn’t want to lock ourselves into working with only one company. The downside to that is that it’s much harder to get sponsorship because we can’t offer opportunities to have sponsor logos on an athlete’s uniform because that’s driven by the athlete’s contracts.
So we’ve had to look elsewhere. The town of Mammoth Lakes has been tremendously supportive of us for the past four years. And we’d probably be nowhere without all the help of the New York Road Runners. While we have athletes like Ryan, Deena, and Meb who make a good living in the sport, we do have trouble luring a sponsor in to see that our goal is to produce many great athletes. That’s a three- or four-year process for the new athletes. Look at where Ryan was when he first came out of college. He needed assistance. Scott Bauhs—a new kid like him needs assistance. If we’re only looking at the top guys we’re missing the big picture, that this is a long-term plan.
We want to keep this going for years and years to come, and that’s where the funding is needed, to create both the infrastructure for our group and to create a scholarship system for the young ones to get up to the level where Deena is now.
***
Find out how your company can sponsor the Mammoth Track Club at mammothtrackclub.com.
Terrence Mahon Interview
Mammoth Track Club coach has two star athletes racing in P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon.
Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor are not just the favorites to win Sunday’s P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon. They are also teammates on the Mammoth Track Club based in the remote mountain town of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. In addition to the men’s American record holder in the half marathon (Hall) and the women’s American record holder in the half marathon and marathon (Kastor), the team’s ranks also include three-time Olympian Jen Rhines, 2009 New York City Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi, multiple NCAA Division II national champion Scott Bauhs, multiple NCAA Division I national champion Alistair Cragg, 5K national champion Sara Hall, seven-time NCAA All-American Amy Hastings, 2008 Olympian Anna Willard, and steeplechaser Jonathan Pierce.
Mahon with Mammoth Track Club members Sara Hall and Deena Kastor. Photo: PhotoRun.net
The Mammoth Track Club is coached by former UCLA cross-country and track coach Bob Larsen and former 2:13 marathoner Terrence Mahon, who is also married to Jen Rhines. Mahon spoke to Run Now from his home in Mammoth Lakes shortly before leaving to Phoenix to watch Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor race P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon.
Run Now: How did the Mammoth Track Club get started?
Terrence Mahon: It was right after the nonprofit organization Running USA was created [in 2000]. At that time U.S. distance runners were doing very poorly internationally. We had sent only one woman and one man marathon runner to the Sydney Olympics. So this group saw that as a call to arms to try to put together a project to bring back U.S. distance running.
The model they looked at was what worked well in the ‘70s and ‘80s with all of the clubs and post-collegiate support systems that were out there. This was around the same time that coach Vigil had retired from Adams State [College in Alamosa, Colo.] and Bob Larsen had retired from UCLA. They were asked if they would be willing to coach such a program and that’s how it started.
You began coaching the team in 2005, after Joe Vigil retired. What was that transition like? I imagine that you and Vigil have many similarities in terms of coaching styles, but also some differences.
As an exercise physiologist, coach Vigil taught me all of that stuff and that’s still what we use to this day. What I brought to the table was that at that time I was doing a lot of strength and conditioning and sports therapy, so I started to integrate that more into the system than we had in the past. Then over the past couple of years I have started to bring biomechanics into the mix.
Right now the big difference with us is that I integrate all of that into the program, whereas it was sort of contracted out in the past—Deena had her own personal trainer, Meb had his own personal trainer, and so forth. It’s much easier for me to oversee everything because I know what’s going on and how to cycle all those different components from a stress standpoint.
The biggest rivals your athletes face on an international level are the East Africans. There are a million different explanations for their dominance, one of which is their group training system. Do you see your team as an answer to that advantage?
Yes, but the difference is that the Ethiopian and Kenyan training camps are very federation driven. So if you want to go anywhere and do anything you need the federation’s permission. But at the end of the day you have large groups of athletes training under one system, and that’s what drives the bus and leads to continued success year in and year out.
In our group you see the same thing. The young athletes are learning from the older athletes. There’s a camaraderie in training, and they push each other, so that everyone is getting just a little more out of it every day.
What special advantages does your location in Mammoth Lakes offer the team?
Mammoth is very unique in the United States in terms of elevation. Mammoth [elevation 7,900 ft.] is a little higher than the other training sites in the country. Flagstaff is a little bit lower [7,000 ft.], Boulder is significantly lower [5,200 ft.]. We have to deal with things like snow, but we are uniquely situated so that we are able to get to lower altitudes where there is much better weather very quickly. We can do our own “high-low” model based on an individual athlete’s need or just on what’s going on with the weather. We don’t have to move all the time, like, “OK, it’s wintertime, now we have to go to Florida.” We can just go up and down the mountain.
The other part of it is that, at least at this point, Mammoth is a very secluded town. There’s not a lot to do: one movie theater, one grocery store. So when athletes are here, they know they are here to train. Coming off the mountain takes a little bit of work, so when they go to race, they don’t race just for fun, or just to get one in; it’s because they’ve trained for it and they’re ready and it’s serious. It makes them think twice before planning some random race, because it’s often a two-day trip to get there.
It’s similar for the Ethiopians and Kenyans, where they are flying to the U.S. or London or wherever. You’re talking about an 18- or 20-hour plane ride, so you leave home only when you mean business.
You alluded to the benefits of your athletes pushing each other in training. But is there also some risk of their overcooking themselves by racing in training?
That’s a combination of two things: one is athlete maturity and the other is coaching. The job of myself or Bob Larsen as a coach is to control the athletes when we see that’s getting a little out of hand. At the same time, as the athletes get a little older and more mature and self-confident, they know what they need to do to get from A to B. Sometimes that means competing a bit and other times it’s letting the other guy go or sitting in behind the guy who’s stronger that day and getting pulled along.
There’s a transition with every new athlete that comes in. Typically they were the best athlete wherever they were—in college, their prior club or wherever. They’re not used to getting beaten in practice. So the transition over the first year is getting used to that and finding how they can work within the system so they don’t feel like they’re racing every day.
I imagine one of the other challenges you face is balancing group training that takes advantage of the team environment with individualized training that meets the needs of each individual athlete. Is that a tough balance to strike?
Yes and no. It’s just a little more time consuming from a coaching standpoint. Each one of our athletes has an individual training program. But 70 or 80 percent of the time, they are training with one another. It may mean that one runner does segments of some other runners’ run, or they do one interval or two intervals together that fit their common need and then do their own thing for the rest of the workout.
I think most of the athletes would say that it’s a good combination—they get the benefits of individual and group training at the same time.
Besides performance, what other factors do you consider when selecting new athletes to join the team?
We take a look at the [athlete’s specialty] event, and how that fits in the scheme of what we have here. Sometimes it gets a little redundant if you have six people running the same event. That doesn’t make much sense. I like little clusters of people running the same event.
Age is also an important factor. I’m a big one for a mentoring system. I like to have athletes of different ages in the same event.
Other than that, it’s two things: A) Does this person have the talent to be a world-class runner? Because our orientation is definitely toward not just developing national-class runners but runners who can get on the podium internationally. And B) Does this person work well within the dynamic of our team? We have to make sure that everybody there knows what the overall goal is for everybody. Because they spend so much time together, if there’s not a good harmony there it’s bad for everybody.
How is your team funded, and can paying the bills be a headache for you?
Our goal with the program from the get-go was to be an outside-the-box type of program. What I look at particularly is that athletes have a limited number of years to earn an income in this sport. The typical career is four to six years, and you get the unique ones that are eight- to 12-year careers. Some of the other teams are sponsored by a shoe company. You’ve got the group in Oregon that is sponsored by Nike and the Hansons’ group that is sponsored by Brooks. We never wanted to limit an athlete’s ability to earn an income in a free market society. So we didn’t want to lock ourselves into working with only one company. The downside to that is that it’s much harder to get sponsorship because we can’t offer opportunities to have sponsor logos on an athlete’s uniform because that’s driven by the athlete’s contracts.
So we’ve had to look elsewhere. The town of Mammoth Lakes has been tremendously supportive of us for the past four years. And we’d probably be nowhere without all the help of the New York Road Runners. While we have athletes like Ryan, Deena, and Meb who make a good living in the sport, we do have trouble luring a sponsor in to see that our goal is to produce many great athletes. That’s a three- or four-year process for the new athletes. Look at where Ryan was when he first came out of college. He needed assistance. Scott Bauhs—a new kid like him needs assistance. If we’re only looking at the top guys we’re missing the big picture, that this is a long-term plan.
We want to keep this going for years and years to come, and that’s where the funding is needed, to create both the infrastructure for our group and to create a scholarship system for the young ones to get up to the level where Deena is now.
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Find out how your company can sponsor the Mammoth Track Club at mammothtrackclub.com.
Flanagan To Make Half Marathon Debut In Houston
Shalane Flanangan will make her half marathon debut in Houston. Photo: PhotoRun.net
HOUSTON (Dec. 9, 2009) – American Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, N.C.), who won a bronze medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Olympics, will make her half-marathon debut in January at the 2010 USA Half Marathon Championships hosted by the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.
The 28-year-old Flanagan has been one of the best middle-distance runners in the U.S. over the past six years, making two Olympic teams and setting American records on the track at 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Flanagan was the USA champion at 5,000 meters in 2005 and 2007, before winning the USA Olympic Trials at 10,000 meters in 2008. That victory sent her to Beijing, where she became only the second American woman in history to medal in the event at the Olympic Games. Her American Record of 30:22 run in China still stands.
“Having an athlete with Shalane’s credentials run in Houston is a tremendous boost to our race,” said Brant Kotch, race director of the Chevron Houston Marathon and companion Aramco Houston Half Marathon. “We have a long history of hosting competitive and exciting national championship races, and we believe the women’s and men’s half marathon events next month will be no exception.”
Joining Flanagan on the starting line January 17, 2010 will be the top two finishers from the 2009 national championships. Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.), who crossed the finish line in 1:11:47, will be back to defend her title. Runner-up Kelly Jaske (Portland, Ore.) will also be among the top seeds in the race.
Among the men currently committed to run in the national championship race are 2008 half marathon champion James Carney (Lafayette, Colo.), along with Josh Moen and Patrick Smyth (both Minneapolis, Minn.), who finished second and third, respectively, in the 2009 USA 10 Mile Championships.
Gotcher steps up to marathon
Brett Gotcher (Flagstaff, Ariz.), who finished third in the 2009 USA Half Marathon Championships, will return to Houston in January but move up in distance. The 25-year-old Gotcher will make his marathon debut as one of the top seeds in the 38th running of the Chevron Houston Marathon.
The former Stanford University All-American at 10,000 meters won his first national road title in September, claiming the 20K crown in 58:57 in New Haven, Conn.
Houston is hosting the men’s half marathon championships for the sixth consecutive year, while the city is home to the women’s title race for the fourth straight time.
The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA founding member, is the nation’s premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and more than 20 foreign countries. In 2009, more than 26,000 runners participated in four marathon weekend events (marathon, half marathon, 5K run and children’s run). The Houston Marathon has been ranked among the top five in the nation by Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston’s largest single-day sporting event.
More information is available at www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com or 713-957-3453.
Footlocker South Regional Recap
Sveinsson and Lutz capture regional titles in Charlotte, N.C.
Source: Kenny Fried/Footlocker Cross Country Championships
Chelsey Sveinsson of Dallas, Texas, and Craig Lutz of Highland Village, Texas, won the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships (FLCCC) South Regional today. In the girls’ race, Sveinsson, a junior from Greenhill High School, Kathryn Fluehr from Naples, Fla., and Rachel Johnson from Plano, Texas, ran a tight race until Sveinsson took a 100-meter lead late in the race to secure the win in 16:53. Sveinsson qualifies for the National Finals for the third consecutive year, with her second South Regional title.
In the boys’ race, Lutz, a junior at Marcus High School, took charge early on and maintained his lead throughout the entire race, finishing in 14:34. Kirubel Erassa from Grayson, Ga., and Jake Hurysz from Mebane, N.C., followed to claim second and third place respectively.
The top ten boys and the top ten girls in today’s seeded races qualified to compete against runners from the Northeast, Midwest, and West Regional meets in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals, on Saturday, Dec.12 at Morley Field, Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif.
Boys Qualifiers
Place Name Hometown High School Time
1) Craig Lutz Highland Village, Texas Marcus High School (11) 14:34
2) Kirubel Erassa Grayson, Ga. Grayson High School (12) 14:43
3) Jake Hurysz Mebane, N.C. Eastern Alamance High School (12) 14:46
4) Matthew Mizereck Tallahassee, Fla. Leon High School (12) 14:51
5) Brandon Lord Hixson, Tenn. Baylor School (12) 14:51
6) Blake Williams Durham, N.C. Northern Durham (11) 14:52
7) Parker Stinson Austin, Texas Cedar Park (12) 14:53
8) Colin Barker Atlantic Beach, Fla. Bishop Kenny (12) 14:53
9) Kevin Dowd Fairfax, Va. Fairfax High School (12) 14:54
10) Brian Atkinson Melbourne Beach, Fla. Melbourne High School (12) 14:57
Girls Qualifiers
Place Name Hometown High School Time
1) Chelsey Sveinsson Dallas, Texas Greenhill School (11) 16:53
2) Kathryn Fluehr Naples, Fla. Community School of Naples (11) 17:09
3) Rachel Johnson Plano, Texas Plano High School (11) 17:10
4) Megan Ferowich Caryville, Tenn. Knoxville Catholic (10) 17:12
5) Shelby Hayes Orlando, Fla. Winter Park High School (12) 17:12
6) Wesley Frazier Raleigh, N.C. Ravenscroft High School (9) 17:17
7) Amanda Russell Cedar Park, Texas Vista Ridge High School (12) 17:19
8) Erika Fluehr Naples, Fla. Community School of Naples (11) 17:20
9) Paige Kvartunas Springfield, Va. West Springfield High School (12) 17:22
10) Grace Tinkey Macon, Ga. First Presbyterian Day School (9) 17:24
Ironman Arizona Press Conference Quotes
A few of the top athletes racing at Sunday’s Ironman Arizona gathered at Tempe Beach Park to answer a few questions from moderator Michael Lovato. Athletes in attendance include Canadian Samantha McGlone, Australian Kate Major, Great Britain’s Leanda Cave, South Africa’s Raynard Tissink, American Jordan Rapp and Australian Richie Cunningham.
Leanda Cave, Kate Major and Samantha McGlone waiting for the next question from Michael Lovato.
Canadian Sam McGlone on choosing to race Ironman Arizona after a successful race in Kona (fifth place): “I was very happy with my performance in Kona, but I had not raced a whole lot this year because I was dealing with injury the first part of the year. It took me a long time to get back. I felt like I did all that training just for one Ironman. So, I figured I would for the two for one and get another race out of it. I really didn’t do too much training in between the two. I sat around for the first couple of weeks, then worked hard for two weeks, and then sat around again. Hopefully that plan will serve me well on Sunday.”
Australian Kate Major on coming back to Arizona after winning the inaugural race in 2005: “Well I’m a little older since I won here in 2005. But, hopefully like a glass of wine I’ll get better with age. We got in early and checked out the course and I remember certain parts, but I was amazed by a couple of the hills. Everyone says this course is flat, but its challenging. The course has changed a little bit since I won, and so have I. It’s always nice to come back to a place where you have some good memories.”
American Jordan Rapp on his charity efforts leading up to the race: “I’ve decided to work with World Bicycle Relief. They send bicycles to students in Africa. My goal was initially to raise $15,000 to sponsor an entire school, which is made up of 100 kids and the time to train two mechanics to take care of the bikes. I thought that would be a huge reach, but I reached it pretty early. I had a donor offer to match all of my donations up to a million dollars. Now were trying to get to $22,500 so that we can double that and sponsor three entire schools. I’ve had some sponsors help out with donating things to give away. It’s very exciting. The donations keep coming in.”
Rapp on his tightly contested third place finish at the April 2008 Ironman Arizona: “It was a good lesson for me. I gave that race away on the swim. I swam about two minutes slower than I would in most of the races I’ve done. If you would have added two minutes to my time I would have had a pretty comfortable win, especially given out late everything happened. Most people think the swim is just a pre-cursor to an epic day on the bike and run, but that’s really where I gave the race away. It’s really forced me to become more tactical about my swim. It was a hard one to lose, but I think it made me a better athlete.”
Great Britain’s Leanda Cave on her second place finish last year: “Last year was a bit of a strange race because Joanna Zeiger was leading throughout the race. She pulled out early in the run and left me in the lead. I held onto that lead for quite some time and everyone thought I was going to win. Heleen (Bij De Vaate) came out of nowhere and passed me with about six miles to go. I have to say she was moving about twice as fast as me. I really couldn’t do a whole lot to fight. I’m excited to be here again this year. This is my last race of the year, which is great incentive to have a good day. “
Richie Cunningham, Jordan Rapp and Raynard Tissink at Friday's Ironman Arizona press conference.
Australian Richie Cunningham on racing his first Ironman in a number of years: “I’ll probably go out pretty conservative. I did Clearwater last weekend and I’m still a little sore. I’m going to take it as easily as I can and hopefully hold onto to the front group as long as possible, and see what happens at the end of the race.”
Raynard Tissink on competing in back-to-back Ironmans twice in one year. (Ironman Louisville and Wisconsin, and Ironman Florida and Ironman Arizona): “My training is geared towards the second Ironman. The first one is tough because you basically have to train through it. I finished eighth in Florida and had a pretty tough day. I trained right up to the race. Hopefully it will work again (like it did with Lousville and Wisconsin), but I must admit that I don’t feel the same as I did between Louisville and Wisconsin. You never know. It doesn’t really matter how you feel leading up to the race. It all really depends on how you feel in the last part of the run.”
