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RUNNER'S NICHE
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Vol. 3 No. 10 November, 1998
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NOTES FROM THE EDITOR
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It was as unexpected as a lightening strike out of a clear
blue sky. Top distance runner Chris Severy of the
University of Colorado died in a bicycle accident on
Flagstaff Mountain on Monday, October 12. Severy was the
number two runner on the highly ranked CU men's cross-
country team, and the death of their friend and teammate
shocked the team and the close-knit Boulder running
community.
On October 31 the CU mens team rallied back from their
emotional devastation to take the mens Big 12 title. Adam
Goucher, who ran 23:45.7 on the 8-kilometer Pioneers Park
course in Nebraska, won the event by fifty seconds and set
a new course record. Coach Mark Wetmore was quoted in the
Boulder Daily Camera after the meet, saying, "Chris' death
pretty much ripped our guts out for two weeks. We only went
back to work a week ago."
Chris' brother, Jon, a senior at Aspen High School, won the
Colorado state cross-country title on the same day.
It is miraculous that the CU team and Jon Severy were able
to accomplish such feats so soon after Chris' death. The
tragedy is that Chris was not there to celebrate his team's
victory and his brother's state title. We at Runner's Niche
send our most sincere condolences to Chris' family, friends
and teammates.
- WG
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RUNNER'S NICHE / MARATHON AND BEYOND TRIVIA CONTEST
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Nobody answered last month's trivia questions correctly, so
we will try again this month. We are happy to announce that
Marathon and Beyond Magazine has agreed to be our trivia
contest sponsor. Winners of each month's trivia contest
will receive a free issue of the magazine.
When answering, email your answers with the subject "trivia
contest" and answer the questions in the order they appear
below. Mail to: woodyg3@netone.com. Good Luck!
1 - 5. In what individual event did each of these athletes
win an Olympic gold medal?
1. Frank Shorter
2. Joan Benoit
3. Fermin Cacho
4. Venuste Niyongabo
5. Lee Evans
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6. Where will the 1999 US National Track and Field
Championships be held?
7. What former Villanova miler has recently been hired as
the new head track coach at his alma mater?
8. Who is the only 40-and-over athlete ever to run a sub-4
minute mile?
9. What track did he accomplish his sub-4 on?
10. During what meet was this mark set?
(Thanks to Mike Morrisey for the last three questions.)
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The October Issue Questions and Answers:
1. Pseudophedrine is a banned substance, which is a drug
that is considered illegal and performance enhancing, by
the IAAF. What common over the counter drug contains this
banned substance?
A: Sudafed and similar cold medications.
2. Epoetin, the synthetic form of a natural substance
called erythropoietin, is usually abbreviated to what
three-letter phrase?
A: EPO
3. The ratio of testosterone to its "twin,"
epitestosterone, is used as evidence of the use of
artificially increased levels of testosterone. Why?
A: The human body naturally produces similar amounts of
each substance. Unnatural increases in testosterone are not
accompanied by an increase in epitestosterone.
4. The IAAF considers Androstenedione, which is a legal
over the counter supplement in the United States, an
illegal substance. What performance enhancing affect does
"andro" have on the body?
A: It temporarily increases testosterone levels.
5. Where were the 1998 World Cross-Country Trials for US
athletes held on January 31 - February 1?
A: Orlando, FL
6. Where will the 2000 US Olympic Trials for Track and
Field be held?
A; Sacramento, CA
7. Where will the 1999 World Track and Field Championships
be held?
A: Seville, Spain.
Questions 8-10 were "rolled over" to the November contest,
so you'll have to wait for the answers.
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LONDON MARATHON TOUR
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The American Lung Association Running Club has an 8 day or
13 day tour package to the London Marathon available. These
tours would depart on April 14 and return either April 21
or April 26. For more info Contact Ted Esau at:
ALARC
7300 France in Edina
Minneapolis, MN 55435
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GOING OFF ON A TANGENT
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By Woody Green
If you have been running races or hanging around those who
do for any length of time, you have probably heard the term
"running the tangents." The concept is to run the shortest
distance possible on a race course by hugging the turns and
running straight from the tangent on one turn to the
tangent on the next.
For example, let's say you have just turned right, running
close to the curb on a road race course, and ahead you see
an upcoming left-hand turn. Ideally you would want to run
as straight as possible to the curb of the upcoming turn,
running diagonally across the street to reach that point.
Some people understand the concept, but don't put it into
practice so well. As an example, in an 800-meter race on
the track, runners normally run the first turn in a lane,
then they are permitted to cut to the inner lane. All too
often the runner in the outside lane zips quickly across
the track into lane one, thinking they are quickly getting
into position to run the shortest distance. Any geometry
student can tell you, however, that the shortest distance
between two points is a straight line. That means a runner
in an outside lane should point themselves in a straight
line for lane one AT THE END OF THE STRAIGHTAWAY. The
correct approach is to slowly make their way across the
lanes and only get to lane one as the track bends at the
end of the straight.
The same concept applies to turns in road races. Still,
there are exceptions. Sometimes there are so many runners
in a race that there is a traffic jam on the inside path of
the turns. At these times it may be best to run a little
farther by going wide around the turn and thus missing the
human pile-up. Also, consider the surface. It is often
faster to run a little farther and stay on a firm, dry
surface rather than to take a shorter route that is slick,
muddy or unstable.
Try not to "zone out" when running a race. Many runners
forget what they are doing and simply run right down the
middle of the street. Running the tangents and avoiding
obstacles can mean many precious seconds cut from your
final race time.
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ROAD RACE EARNING ESITAMTES FOR 1997
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This information came from USATF's ON THE ROADS publication
and is used here with their permission.
MEN -
1. Khalid Khannouchi* MAR $178,000 (15 road races)
2. John Kagwe* KEN 142,850 (11)
3. Eric Kimaiyo* KEN 124,200 (4)
4. Antonio Pinto* POR 113,000 (1)
5. Abel Anton* ESP 110,000 (5)
6. Moses Tanui* KEN 109,000 (6)
7. Stefano Baldini* ITA 96,440 (4)
8. Lameck Aguta* KEN 75,000 (1)
9. Joseph Kimani KEN 66,000 (13)
10. Elijah Lagat* KEN 60,250 (2)
11. Fred Kiprop* KEN 55,400 (4)
12. Shem Kororia KEN 51,700 (5)
13. Peter Githuka KEN 50,175 (22)
14. Joseph Chebet* KEN 47,750 (3)
15. Josiah Thugwane* RSA 47,500 (2)
Top U.S.
Ed Eyestone* UT 24,950 (11)
Craig Young (40+) CO 23,250 (14)
Jerry Lawson* FL 20,750 (8)
John Sence OH 19,200 (7)
Todd Williams TN 19,000 (4)
WOMEN -
1. Colleen De Reuck* RSA $104,500 (10)
2. Joyce Chepchumba* KEN 95,200 (13)
3. Franziska Rochat-Moser*SUI 78,000 (2)
4. Fatuma Roba* ETH 77,000 (3)
5. Tegla Loroupe* KEN 69,750 (9)
6. Irina Bogacheva* KGZ 69,750 (14)
7. Lidia Simon* ROM 67,500 (4)
8. Lornah Kiplagat* KEN 63,000 (11)
9. Elana Meyer* RSA 61,600 (13)
10. Hiromi Suzuki* JPN 60,600 (3)
Top U.S.
Kim Jones* WA 45,500 (11)
Libbie Hickman CO 43,250 (12)
Jane Welzel (40+) CO 39,150 (19)
Christine McNamara* CT 36,700 (14)
Regina Jacobs CA 23,225 (2)
NOTE: The above totals only reflect road race winnings, and
are somewhat inflated for the IAAF World Championships
Marathon and the large time bonuses earned at the Chicago,
New York and London Marathons last year.
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THIS AND THAT
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<#1> Ten Boulder Road Runners, 5 men and 5 women, set a new
world best for the mixed 10 x 10-kilometer relay on
Saturday, October 31. Under gray skies and occasional
drizzle, the team brought the baton across the finish line
in 6:03:48, bettering the previous record of 6:30:01 by the
USC Bochum club from Germany in September of 1994. The race
was held at Frank Potts Field at the University of
Colorado.
Listed below are the participants in the order they ran
with their individual times:
Kristi Jordon 39:56
Steve Richards 33:26
Patty Murray 37:05
George Zach 34:24
Kirsten Russell 36:27
Rick Bruess 35:36
Laura Bruess 39:52
Barry Logan 33:52
Sarah Krakoff 39:47
Andrew Crook 33:23
(For a listing of several mass relay world records, visit
the web site at:
http://www.imn.htwk-leipzig.de/~saxonia/list/relay.html)
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WEB SITES OF INTEREST
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*Philly Marathon*
The Philadelphia Marathon Website is at at
www.philadelphiamarathon.com
AND AS ALWAYS:
RUNNER’S NICHE at:
http://home.netone.com/~woodyg3/runiche.html
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LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
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*Giggling Gaiters*
Dear Runner's Niche,
I run with a great club from Abbotsford B.C. a called the
"Gaiters" composed of both whippets and clydesdales. The
club balances the solitude of the majority of the training
we do with some good rowdy road and track action. If you
get the opportunity to mention them they would get a giggle
out of it.
Cheers,
Daryl Anderson
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