Running
A bird’s eye view of the JFK 50
by Andrew Mason on Oct.19, 2009, under Running
If you think the annual JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon in Washington County sounds tough, you should see what it looks like (here).
Blue Storm in fast company
by Andrew Mason on Sep.25, 2009, under Running
What is it with these Mercersburg Academy runners?
First, James Finucane runs with Alan Webb in Sweden (story here). Then Neb Osman goes and hangs out with the greatest distance runner of all time, Kenenisa Bekele, in Ethiopia. Learn more about Neb’s adventures here.
Bolt vs. Bekele?!?!
by Andrew Mason on Sep.03, 2009, under Running
Now this is a race I’d love to see. At 600 meters, I’d probably put my money on Bolt. At 700, probably Bekele. Here’s the AP story:
BRUSSELS (AP) — Who is track’s greatest runner? Long-distance star Kenenisa Bekele wonders what it would be like to race sprinting great Usain Bolt.
“If Usain agrees, if someone wants to organize this, I am ready,” Bekele said Thursday, a day before the Memorial Van Damme Golden League meet.
Bolt, of Jamaica, is the reigning world and Olympic champion and world record-holder over 100 and 200 meters. Bekele, of Ethiopia, is the reigning world and Olympic champion and world record-holder over 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
The idea would be to find a middle ground — between 600 and 800 meters.
Spences on the cover
by Andrew Mason on Aug.01, 2009, under Running
Below is the cover of the new September issue of Running Times magazine.
The two runners are our area’s own Steve and Neely Spence.
Pretty cool, huh?
(continue reading…)
Summer racing schedule
by Andrew Mason on Jun.16, 2009, under Running
Here is the schedule for the summer’s local road, cross country and track races:
June 20
Vince Tantillo/Jack E. Barr Memorial 5K, Hagerstown, 8:30 a.m., 301-739-3990
June 23
Wright Memorial All-Comers Track & Field Series meet, North Hagerstown High School, 6 p.m., 301-739-7004, mspinnler@cvac-md.us
June 25
Greencastle Flyers Summer Series meet, Greencastle High School, 5 p.m., 717-360-7557, richsecrest@hotmail.com
June 30
Ausherman Cross Country Series, 1-mile and 2-mile races, Waynesboro High School, 7 p.m., 717-263-0168
July 4
Run For Freedom 5K, Williamsport, 8:30 a.m., 240-313-2808, jdick@washco-md.net
Firecracker 5K, Waynesboro, 8:30 a.m., 301-514-2515, dneterer@comcast.net
Local athletes at NCAA track championships
by Andrew Mason on Jun.11, 2009, under College Sports, Running
Two of the Tri-State area’s all-time greats qualified for the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships, which currently are under way in Arkansas.
Louisville’s Tone Belt — who set the Tri-State record in the boys long jump at 24 feet as a senior at Berkeley Springs in 2005 — competed in the preliminary rounds of the long jump and high jump on Wednesday. He qualified for Friday’s finals in the high jump with his leap of 6 feet, 10 3/4 inches — the exact same mark of all 14 finalists. But he failed to make the finals in the long jump, finishing 18th at 25 feet, 1 1/4 inches. Only the top 12 advanced. Belt won an NCAA indoor title in the long jump in 2007.
Villanova’s Sarah Morrison — a 2007 Chambersburg grad who set Tri-State records in the girls 800 (2:14.10) and 1,600 (4:52.44) — finished 22nd Wednesday in the preliminaries of the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:37.14. Only the top 14 advanced to Friday’s finals.
Complete results can be found here.
Back from Boston
by Andrew Mason on Apr.22, 2009, under Running
On Monday, I ran the Boston Marathon for the seventh time, but first since 2006.
Over the last three years, I’d almost forgotten why I ran Boston every year from 2001 to 2006.
It truly is the Super Bowl of running.
It all starts here … tomorrow
by Andrew Mason on Apr.19, 2009, under Running
The Boston Marathon is less than 24 hours away.
Mike Spinnler, Bret Mower and I traveled up here together yesterday. Mike, our CVAC team leader, did the driving (and most of the talking).
I’m now sitting here in my room at the Red Roof Inn, killing time, relaxing, watching the O’s-Sox game on TV, drinking some water and surfing the web. … In a few hours we’ll head out for a big pasta dinner to load up on carbs for tomorrow’s 26.2-mile journey. … It’s hard to believe that by tomorrow at this time it will all be over.
Boston Marathon
by Andrew Mason on Apr.14, 2009, under Running, Uncategorized
Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain showers. Highs in the lower 50s. Chance of rain 50 percent.
While that might not be the best weather forecast for a picnic, it’s not a bad one for this Monday’s Boston Marathon — which will be anything but a picnic.
I’m one of four Hagerstown runners and 17 from the Tri-State area who are entered to run the 113th edition of the world’s oldest and most fabled marathon.
I’ve run 15 marathons, including six straight Bostons from 2001 to 2006. This will be my first time back since 2006, and I’m just slightly more excited than I am nervous about it.
