Sacramento Running News

You may have heard there was a marathon in Los Angeles, yesterday.

I only mention the LA Marathon in this Sacramento publication because a lot of locals run it.

There are a few interesting things to report:

Deena Kastor, running her first marathon as a masters runner, finished third in 2:32:38. She was bested by Aleksandra Duliba, 27, of Belarus, who finished first in 2:26:07, and Zemzem Ahmed, 28, of Ethiopia, who finished second in 2:30:31.

Kenyan men swept the top three positions. Erick Mose, 26, was the winner in 2:09:43. Mose was followed in by Julius Keter, 24, in 2:10:30, and Nicholas Chelimo, 30, who finished in 2:10:42.

The top local man appears to be Christopher Malenab, 33, of Sacramento, who finished in 3:12:14. Curt Casazza, 41, of Cameron Park, who finished in 2:55:34. (Editor’s note: Multiple people contacted me to let me know that Curt Casazza was the first local finisher. We apologize for the error. This is not to take anything away from Christopher Malenab who ran a 20+ minute PR and should be very proud of himself.)

(more…)

Kim Conley leading the field. at this year’s XC Nationals (Photo by Clay Shaw)

By John Schumacher

Olympian Kim Conley, who runs for the Sacramento Running Association’s Elite Team, earned a spot in the World Cross Country Championships with a second-place finish Saturday in the U.S. Cross Country Championships in St. Louis.

Conley, a former UC Davis standout, ran with winner Shalane Flanagan for six kilometers in the 8k race before Flanagan pulled ahead in the final 2,000 meters. Flanagan finished in 25 minutes and 49 seconds, with Conley crossing the line in 26:06 and Deena Kastor grabbing third in 26:41.

“It was very fun to race Shalane for as long as I did as she is someone I have looked up to for many years,” said Conley, who joins the U.S. team heading to Bydgoszcz, Poland for the world championships on March 24.

(more…)

If you are sitting around the house, this would be a great time to be watching some live video from the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational track meet at Stanford.

The fastest heats of the 5000 are starting right now, and the 10,000 meters are scheduled to start now.

Highlight: Deena Kastor is going to be running the 10,000 meters in search of a Olympic Trials qualifying time.

Lloyd Levine

By Lloyd Levine, Special to the SRN

Quick! Name the second fastest (ever) female U.S. Marathon runner.  The answer will probably surprise you.

Recently, I wrote about Ryan Hall and the state of men’s marathon running in the United States.  Given that, it seems only fair to look at the status of women’s marathon running in the U.S. as well.  The women don’t have a Ryan Hall type figure (i.e. fast times but no wins) who draws praise, and scorn in equal measures, but the status of women’s marathon running in the U.S. is not much different from that of the men. There are a few women marathon runners who draw praise and generate excitement but, except for Deena Kastor, have little to show in the way of meaningful results or times. Additionally, like the men, there is really very little depth in the talent pool.

Most serious marathon runners in the United States probably know that Deena Kastor holds the American Record, but do you know who the second and third fastest are?  After analyzing the 1,875 (which is how many times the 2:30 mark has been broken) fastest women’s marathon times of all time it appears that the United States has only had two, legitimate, top-level marathon runners, Deena Kastor and Joan Benoit–who is still the second fastest U.S. woman of all time, despite having run her best time 1985. (Editor’s Note: The list, updated today, now includes 1,917 names but the analysis of the standing of the US women has not changed materially.)

Deena Kastor and Joan Benoit are the only U.S. women to have won major marathons, posted times competitive with the best in the world, and won Olympic medals.  Deena Kastor has a PR of 2:19:36, good for 11^th place on the all time list (and fifth on the all time list of women not named Paula Radcliffe). Deena won the bronze medal in the Athens Olympics, and has won London and Chicago (as well as many other top finishes).  Joan Benoit has a PR of 2:21:21, won the Olympic Gold medal, held the world record, and won numerous marathons.

(more…)