Sacramento Running News

It seems we’ve gone nearly full circle in terms of running shoes, with this article in the Sacramento Bee about the rise of the “Maximalist Running Shoe.

The hot trend now is the opposite of minimalism – shoes pumped up with additional cushioning that is meant to provide stability and absorb shock. On the frontier of that movement is a brand called Hoka One One, a line of “maximalist” road and trail shoes with more than twice the midsole material of a standard model.

It’s not really a return to the gigantic, heavy running shoes of a decade ago. The Hoka One One shoes at the basis of the article are actually quite light. It could be seen as a the convergence of technology and a market need.

I think the key point here is to figure out what kind of shoe works for you and your feet, and use those.

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Matthew Oliver, of Lakeside, CA (red shirt) races to a 3:08:54 finish in the 2013 CIM (Photo courtesy of the USABA Facebook page)

By John Schumacher

The USA Blind Athletes National Championships return to the California International Marathon this year with more runners and an enhanced reputation as a destination event for visually impaired athletes.

A field of 43 is expected for the sixth annual USABA National Marathon Championships, part of the 32nd annual CIM on Dec. 7. That’s nearly a 25 percent increase from last year.

The CIM, a 26.2-mile test from Folsom to the state Capitol, is put on by the Sacramento Running Association.

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Davis High School’s Fiona O’Keeffe is absolutely dominant in the Team Sweepstakes event at Mt. Sac, where she joins a very small club of sub 16:30 finishers. (FYI, the audio is dorked up in this video. It’s not your computer.)

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Tim Tollefson powers up the hill for the win. (Photo by www.painani.org)

The Pacific Association’s cross country series started last weekend in Santa Cruz, but the first local race of the season was at Ancil Hoffman on Saturday.

Runners at the 4th Annual Rebels XC Challenge–hosted by the River City Rebels–enjoyed picture-perfect weather and a classic turf and trail course through the rolling hills around Ancil Hoffman Park.

As usual, the PA series event included three races: women, masters men (40+), and open men.

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Tim and Lindsay Tollefson before the 2012 Trials (Photo courtesy Tim Tollefson)

By John Schumacher

Tim and Lindsay Tollefson headed into the 2013 California International Marathon hoping to record qualifying times for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

The couple might have achieved something else last December during the 26.2-mile race from Folsom to the state Capitol: a Guinness World Record.

The Tollefsons’ combined time of 5 hours – he ran 2:18:29, she finished in 2:41:31 — appears to be the fastest marathon run by a married couple in the same event. Guinness lists Kenta and Norika Soto of Japan as the current record holders for fastest married couple, aggregate time, with a 5:28:23 mark.

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Simpson wins in 4:04.96! (Photo courtesy of painani.org)

Quiet has settled on Hornet Stadium. The fans are gone. The races and jumps are over. Now the post-event analysis can commence.

All in all, I think the event was a tremendous success. USATF is reporting final attendance numbers of 32,700, which doesn’t include the crowds that showed up for the shot put at the State Capitol. This far exceeded the promised minimum 22,500 that Event Director John Mansoor had promised to USATF in pitching Sacramento as host for the event.

The race of the weekend would have to be the women’s 400 meters, where Francena McCorory  edged out Sanya Richards-Ross in the last 100 meters and won in 49.48, which is the 5th fastest time by an American.

Or maybe it was the Women’s 1500, where we got to watch a super talented women’s field duke it out, Morgan Uceny fall down again, and Jenny Simpson win decisively, but not easily, over the surging Mary Cain and the tenacious Katie Mackey.

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Huddle wins! (Photo courtesy of Painani.org)

It was another exciting day at the USA Outdoor Nationals!

As with yesterday, about half the fans left at the conclusion of the sprints and deprived themselves of seeing the most exciting race of the day.

It was the women again, this time in the 5,000 meters, who had the crowd on it’s feet with a fast, exciting, and close race. Molly Huddle led the race from the beginning and tried to shake all contenders, especially Shannon Rowbury and Marielle Hall, by accelerating through the miles and closing with a final 4:34 1600 meters.

The only person on Huddle’s heels by the final 200 was Shannon Rowbury, who shouldered past and started driving for the win. Huddle would have none of it and dug deep to pass a weaving Rowbury and take the win by 0.25 seconds.

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“When I was still in contact with 100 to go, I knew I could do it. When I really need to do it, an emotional moment for me, very important, I can pull it out.” Awesome photo courtesy of Painani.org.

By John Schumacher

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The USA Track and Field National Championships went off with a shot yesterday, with an unusual hosting of the shot put on the west side of the State Capitol building.

It was a brilliant idea and brought large, enthusiastic crowds to this often overlooked field event.

Michelle Carter and Joseph Kovacs came out on top, with Kovacs wowing the crowd with a world leading throw of 22.03 meters.

The remainder of the championship events move to California State University Sacramento starting today, and a schedule can be found here.

Complete results of yesterdays competition can be found here.

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Mo Bartley takes home a sweet, sweet plaque for her effort. (SRN photo)

On Saturday, several hundred runners kicked off the Memorial Day weekend with a run of the No Excuses 5K, Sacramento’s long-standing, age-graded race.

The key to winning this event is to be unusually fast for your age, and this year it was Mo Bartley, 59, of Auburn, who hit that sweet-spot and trounced all comers with a 20:44 finish that age-graded to 14:11.

Finishing in second place was Janice Kesterson, 60, of Oakdale, with a 21:07 that age-grades to a 14:15.

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