Sacramento Running News

Enjoying the cooler weather afforded by Rio Del Lago’s new November date, Christopher Wehan and Erika Lindland, 31, of Fairfax, turned in fast times to win the long-running, but newly revamped 100 mile race.

Wehan, 31, of Arcata, was the overall winner, rushing back to the finish at Beals Point in 16:56:46.

Lindland, also 31, of Fairfax, was the women’s champion and 5th overall in 19:04:27.

Kelly Lance, 45, of Pocatello, Idaho, and Ray Sanchez, 46, of Sacramento, were the second and third men with times of 18:30:24 and 18:32:18, respectively.

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There is a growing body of evidence regarding the link between improved brain health and exercise.

Now, there is new research that indicates this benefit extends to babies in the womb.

In a recent study (abstract), the babies of women who exercised through pregnancy were born with more mature brains than those born of sedentary women.

Further study will be required to discover whether this effect continues through the child’s development or if the difference is temporary.

Read more about it in the LA Times.

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Big news in XC!

In addition to the big track meet coming to Sacramento next June, there is also the NCAA Div I West Regional Cross Country Championships happening on Friday, November 15th, at Haggin Oaks Golf Course.

The event is hosted by CSUS.

In addition to CSUS, NCAA West Region teams also include include Oregon, Stanford, Colorado, Washington, Arizona, UCLA, Cal Poly, and UC Davis, among others.

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Leaning for the tape (SRN photo)

On Tuesday, USATF announced the 2014 USA Track and Field Championship would be returning to Sacramento.

“Sacramento has a tremendous track & field culture and we are very pleased to be returning in 2014,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “The fan support in the region is fantastic, and the weather conditions serve sprinters, field event athletes and distance runners alike. We look forward to another successful partnership with the Sacramento Sports Commission.”

Mayor Kevin Johnson was no less enthusiastic.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Track & Field back to Sacramento,” said Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. “Sacramento has some of the most passionate sports fans in the United States and I have no doubt that this community will support the event and the athletes like no other region in the country could.”

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It’s looking more and more likely that Sacramento will be home to the 2014 USATF National Championships.

Specifically, most events will be held at CSUS.

We’re still in the rumor phase, but we’ve been hearing the rumor since June, and local media are starting to chatter about it.

And a press conference is scheduled for this morning at Sac State.

KTXL Fox 40 ran a story last week.

The Sacramento Bee posted an on-line article last night.

Officials with the Sacramento Sports Commission declined comment, but have scheduled a joint news conference with USA Track & Field Tuesday morning for what they describe as a “major announcement.”

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait!

By John Schumacher

Amid the sounds of Johnny Cash, Turlock’s Miguel Nuci and Auburn’s Jane Kibii earned individual honors Saturday in the inaugural Folsom Blues Breakout Half Marathon.

The race, sponsored by the Sacramento Running Association and presented by the city of Folsom, attracted 3,000 runners on a mild, pleasant fall morning.

Cash’s presence was everywhere, from the view of Folsom Prison and the recording of him talking about the grand old flag at the start on Folsom Lake Crossing Bridge to the bands playing his music along the course to the James Garner Johnny Cash cover band at the finish.

Nuci, who runs for the Sacramento Running Association’s Elite Team, took the lead five miles into the 13.1-mile race and pulled away to win the men’s title in 1 hour, 9 minutes and 42 seconds. Auburn’s Brad Poore finished second in 1:09:59 and Rocklin’s Charlie Brenneman, another SRA Elite Team member, grabbed third in 1:10:48.

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In a move guaranteed to anger some and thrill others, the board of directors for the Western States Endurance Run has just announced new, more stringent qualifying standards for the 2015 race.

Noting the exponential growth in applicants (583 in 2000 and 2,295 in 2013) and the fixed number of entries available (270 lottery slots), they have set the qualifying standard to: 100 Km in 16 hours, or an official finish in a 100 mile race.

As before, not just any race will get you in. You need to run one of their selected qualifying races.

For years now, I’ve been telling anyone who would listen that the qualifying standards were too generous. Many locals had become convinced that this local race was essentially out of reach. So I applaud this move by the WSER board to attempt to improve a difficult situation.

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There is a magic place, up on the top of California, where majestic giant redwoods tip-toe down the hillsides to peek at the Eel River as she lifts her skirts and dances out to the Pacific Ocean.

And every year, Northern California’s finest runners, and a bunch of the rest of us, line up there under the canopy of redwoods for the Humboldt Redwoods Marathon and Half Marathon.

The half marathon is part of the PAUSATF road grand prix, so many of Northern California’s top road racers make the long trek up to the great green north for this out-of-the-way event.

If you make the drive to the Humboldt Marathon and Half Marathon, or its spring-time sister race, the Avenue of the Giants, don’t expect cheering crowds or convenient lodging. But you can expect a fast and scenic run through one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

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Inspired by the book Running With the Kenyans, Sacramento runner Conyers Davis decided to use Fundraise.com to bring two of the featured runners to Sacramento so they can run in the California International Marathon.

Read all about it in the Sacramento Bee.

Davis believes others will also fall in love with the story of these runners and decide to contribute. His fundraiser is simple: He’s looking for 250 people to donate $26 each to bring the runners here. The $6,000 or so will pay for travel, lodging and the documents necessary for the athletes to make the trip.

I think I might have $26 lying around here somewhere. What about you?

John Blue will be leading the 1:30 pace group at Urban Cow this year.

I’m excited to announce I’ll be back pacing at the Urban Cow Half Marathon this Sunday, October 6.

If you are looking to run a 1:30 race, I’ll be your guide.

Race Director Rich Hanna says it’ll be the fifth time I’ve paced this event (including a time or two when this race had a full marathon), and I have a history of hitting my goal times quite accurately.

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