Big news in track!
Rumors are flying about Sacramento hosting the 2014 USATF Nationals.
The Sacramento Business Journal has an article about the possibility of a Sacramento event.
The Letsrun discussion includes a few “I spoke with a USATF official” comments confirming Sacramento as the chosen location.
Jenny Capel
Special report by Gordon Ainsleigh
Monday, July 29, 2013
WHILE WE WERE SLEEPING… sweet Jenny Capel was running, and running, and running.
Starting at Tahoe Rim Trail Echo Summit trailhead on US 50 at first light on Saturday, she started the weekend off by getting lost for an hour or so in Desolation Valley Wilderness.
Jenny called out “Hi Gordy,” to me as she ran through Tahoe City at about 2 PM, looking like she had run about 10 miles (as I was airing up some tubes to float the Truckee River).
So all Saturday, and Saturday night, and Sunday, and Sunday night, and all of this morning, Jenny and her pacers were running, and running and running.
Plan to age like these guys: Ronald Gross (R) and Gary Hollinger were 1st & 2nd in the M 75-79 division at the Fab 40s 5K. (SRN photo)
A recent nationwide study of seniors showed a striking disconnect between people’s expectations of health and what they are doing about it.
When asked: “How confident are you in your ability to maintain a high quality of life throughout your senior years?” Eighty-six percent of seniors (60+) nationally and 90% of seniors in Los Angeles replied “somewhat or very confident.”
Kevin Cimini gets chased to the finish by Carol Parise. (SRN photo)
As I sat through the long awards ceremony after the Fab 40s 5K, the question that kept running through my mind was “Where are all these fast people coming from?”
For a 5K in flat-as-a-pancake Sacramento, it’s a somewhat challenging course–not just because it starts and finishes on the highest hill in Sacramento.
There are deceptive, rolling hills on that East Sac course, and yet, Saturday’s times were still quite fast.
Alan Abbs on the Bench of Despair. (Courtesy Alan Abbs)
A couple of months ago, I was talking to Alan Abbs and he was jokingly urging me to join him for his run of the Last Annual Vol State Road Race, a race across the State of Tennessee.
Having been in Tennessee in July, I wasn’t feeling a strong urge to take him up on the suggestion, but it sounded kind of fun.
“I’m doing it unsupported,” he said. “So a lot of it is figuring out how to get all the aid you need from mini-marts.”
Your author feeling a little worked after passing the “baton.” (Photo by Abe Underwood)
Each summer, about the time it gets really, really hot in Sacramento, I start to wonder where all these crazy bicyclists on the Parkway have come from. Then someone usually reminds me that Eppies Great Race is around the corner.
Eppies bills itself as “the worlds oldest triathlon.” I can’t tell you if this is true, but I can tell you it is easily the oldest in the area. Non-swimmers love it and traditionalists loathe it because instead of swimming, contestants must paddle a kayak (or some other boat) down the American River from Sunrise to River Bend Park (6.35 miles).
You can do the race as a relay team or “ironperson” style and competitors range from elite to “just off the sofa.” Some individuals and teams come back year after year, for decades on end.
Parkway at Watt (SRN photo)
Due to a levee improvement project, runners, walkers and bicyclists wishing to access the American River Parkway from Watt Avenue and American River Drive will find the way obstructed nightly after 6 PM beginning Monday, July 8th through Friday, July 12th, and again Monday, July 22 through Thursday, August 8th.
Additionally, there will be full day closures will beginning Friday, August 9th and continuing for five weeks through Wednesday, September 11.
Ramp closures will also affect access for those wishing to cross the Watt Bridge from the south side–to get to the north bank of the Parkway trail–using the pedestrian/bicycle bridge lanes.
Cross some more off the list.
US sprinter Tyson Gay tested positive for a banned substance and is withdrawing from the World Championships.
His tearful non-apology (“Someone let me down.”) is starting to sound familiar.
More info here.
Meanwhile, Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson have each tested positive for banned stimulants.
More on that here.
After placing 2nd behind Shalane Flanagan in the 10,000 meters at the USA National Championships, the only thing standing between Jordan Hasay and the World Championships in Moscow was a qualifying time.
Running on a high school track in Portland this evening, Hasay earned the “B” standard and came within one tantalizing second of the “A” with a 31:46.
Read more about it here.
Runners finishing five miles in the heat. (SRN photo)
One of the longest-running traditions in the Sacramento running community is the Free Fourth of July 5 Miler. The race through River Park, hosted by the Buffalo Chips, has been celebrating America’s freedom with free running for the past 37 years.
This year, despite the heat, nearly 1,000 hardy souls showed up to take part–including representatives of most of the area’s running clubs and training groups.
This is a low-budget affair so there is no chip timing–just good old fashion stop watches. Here are the top finishers:
