Een schijnbaar onbeduidend fenomeen doet mijn hart elk jaar sneller slaan. Het trekken van azuurblauwe strepen op het Berlijnse asfalt. De strepen vormen één lange lijn, opgedeeld in stukjes van een centimeter of vijftig. Een oversized stippelroute van exact 42 kilometer en 195 meter, die de ideale lijn over het parcours van de Berlin Marathon uitbeeldt.

De complete blauwe lijn, hier in rood weergegeven

Dat wordt weer een feestje zondag. Voor de 36ste keer strijden de marathonlopers om records en andere prestaties. Het is een dag die bulkt van energie. Waarop Berlijn bruist en een lint van musicerende en feestende mensen aaneenrijgt. Sport voert de boventoon en alles ademt gezondheid, conditie en de wil om over die blauwe lijn te blijven lopen. En laten we niet vergeten dat 10.000 inline-skaters het trucje op zaterdag al voordoen.

48.740 lopers, handbikers en rolstoelers uit 122 landen zullen op gepaste afstand een selecte groep topmannen en -vrouwen gaan volgen. Een wereldrecord is reëel, vooral omdat Berlijn bewezen heeft een marathon te hebben die zéér snel is. In 1998 (Ronaldo da Costa), 2003 (Paul Tergat), 2007 en 2008 (beide Haile Gebrselassie) werd de nieuwe wereldbesttijd hier op de klokken gezet.

Dit jaar is vooral de mannenwedstrijd sterk bezet. Gebrselassie is opnieuw van de partij met een aantal perfect geprepareerde hazen. Toch zal hij niet, zoals in andere jaren, zich puur op een bovennatuurlijke tijd kunnen focussen. De oorzaak? Duncan Kibet. Deze Keniaan won dit jaar de marathon van Rotterdam in een toptijd van 2.04.27. Dat is minder dan een half minuutje verwijderd van Gebrselassie’s Berlijnse wereldrecord (2.03.59). Kibet gaat voor het eerst Gebrselassie van repliek proberen te dienen. Spanning op twee fronten dus: de klok èn de wedstrijd, met de twee snelste marathonlopers ter wereld!

Het damesveld is minder sterk bezet. Dit wijt de organisatie aan een aantal blessures van toploopsters en krapte in het budget. Het is kiezen geblazen: Gebreselassie èn Kibet uitnodigen laat weinig ruimte over voor de dames. Toch komt met de Ethiopische Askale Tafa Magarsa een blikvanger aan de start. Magarsa was vorig jaar tweede en de op-één-na snelste Ethiopische ooit (achter Berhane Adere).

Alles goed en wel, die wedstrijdlopers, maar uiteindelijk draait het natuurlijk om die reusachtige groep recreanten. Daar zitten de èchte kampioenen. Zij die maandenlang een strak trainingsschema volgden. Zij die op dit moment vooral hopen dat dat kleine griepje niet opduikt. Die extra behoedzaam de trap af lopen. Je zou die laatste trede over het hoofd zien… Voorzichtigheid is geboden om zondag die lange blauwe lijn te kunnen volgen. Succes!

UPDATE: Deelnemers en bezoekers moeten overigens rekening houden met een sterk ingeperkt S-Bahnaanbod. Hier meer info. Voor de regenhaters: het weer zit (ijs en weder dienende;-)) mee. Klik hier.

Waking up at 1.30pm is not something Paul Kibii Tergat fits into his daily routine. But i have an excuse, time differences! Is it my fault that i was still awake at 6am this morning because the boxing hadn’t finished? Yes i think it probably is, but it was worth it for the brutal 12th round turnaround from Carl Froch to keep hold of his belt and make sure he brought it back to GMT waters. It also meant that i missed the live screening of this years London Marathon, if you are reading this and feel I’m not fully committed to this challenge then wow i couldn’t blame you. Just know that i am, but i never miss boxing. If 3 months prior to the marathon i have a choice between boxing and an early morning run then ill reasess it….

I was up in time for the Eastenders Omnibus though and did get to see Heather sweating her head off running, if you are struggling to picture me then i think the struggle is over! I wonder if the Marathon route passes through Albert Sqaure, it seems a very dangerous place to hang around. Good job ill be running!!

If ever there was need for encouragement i was called fat by my girlfriends 8 year old today, not a great feeling but her hearts in the right place. Little does she know she is doing me good in the long run. She also went on a picnic today and bruised her side. Who says karma doesn’t exist!!

Right im off for some tea and to watch the the delayed Carl Froch fight on ITV 4………………….Again!!

Toodlepip

No último do domingo (01/03), o queniano Paul Tergat participou pela primeira de uma Maratona no Japão (na cidade de Otsu) e já faturou o seu primeiro título de 2009.

Como sempre, Paul Tergat ultrapassou no final da prova (1.300 metros finais) e chegou na frente do espanhol, Jose Rios, com o tempo de 2h10m22s (14s antes do espanhol), mostrando que em 2009 vai continuar sua carreira vitoriosa.

foto: Reuters / Blog do Rodolfo Lucena

Paul Tergat tem no seu currículo, nada mais nada menos, que as seguintes marcas:

• Pentacampeão Mundial de Cross Coutry (95 a 99);
• Cinco títulos da São Silvestre (95, 96, 98, 99 e 2000);
• Campeão da Maratona de Berlim, em 2003, com direito a recorde mundial (2h04min55s);
• Campeão da Maratona de Nova York (2005);
• Duas medalhas de Prata, nos 10.000 metros Olímpicos;

Seu grande rival é o etíope Haile Gebreselassie. Ao longo dos anos, travaram grandes duelos, ficando marcada a final dos 10.000 metros das Olimpíadas de Sidney (2000).

Qual será a próxima marca???

Il kenyano Paul Tergat ha vinto la Maratona del Lago Biwa che si è svolta la scorsa domenica a Otsu, in Giappone. Ex primatista del mondo, l’atleta ha concluso la maratona un 2h10′22″. Al secondo posto, dopo circa 14” è arrivato lo spagnolo Josè Rios. Mentre al terzo posto è arrivato l’eritreo Yared Amseron, a 17″ dal primo.

Paul Tergat (Photo : Antony Kaminju)

Après deux longues années, le Kenyan Paul Tergat, ancien recordman du monde du marathon (2:04:55), fait son retour sur l’épreuve connue comme étant la plus dure de l’athlétisme, et longue de 42,195 kilomètres. A 39 ans, Paul Tergat retrouve donc le bitume, cet après-midi lors du prestigieux marathon de New York où l’immense favori reste, néanmoins, le Marocain Abderrahim Goumri.

Reporting here from Tavern on the Green as we begin our second press event of race week.

We had a nice kickoff yesterday with journalists from around New York City. We have a long list of highlights and “what’s new” this year. I started talking over an appetizer and was still talking when they cleared the entrée. The highlight of the lunch was spending time with the fountain of youth of running, Bill Rodgers. We can always count on Bill to light of the room with his energy. It gave me goose bumps to watch him watch the video clip of his first run in NYC, in the race that changed roadrunning forever, the 1976 New York City Marathon.

Got to run. Two all time favorites, tied together in our history, Ramaala and Tergat just walked in – we have been eagerly awaiting their arrival. I also want to say a quick hi to the women I relate to most – five of this year’s “marathon moms” – one from each borough, who will race in our “race within the race” the Foot Locker Five Borough Challenge. I am hoping to get some running tips from them.

I thought of all of our marathoners today while I ran in the rain – a good day for a taper – keep it short and sweet or take the day off as you focus on the big day ahead!

More soon, Mary

On Sunday the city’s main streets get taken over by The New York City Marathon again. I’ll be at my usual spot on Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene looking out for the top African runners like Hendrik Ramaala and Paul Tergat. But one of the thousands of competitors will be a familiar face: Zola Budd. She is not, however, a serious contender in the women’s race. Remember her. But that’s only part of the story as this New York Times profile reminded its readers:

‘… In 1984, a waifish world-record holder at 18, Budd Pieterse skirted the Olympic ban against South Africa by competing for Britain at the Los Angeles Games, receiving accelerated citizenship because she had a British grandfather. To antiapartheid activists, and others who protested her races in England, Budd Pieterse was a remorseless symbol of South Africa’s segregationist policies. To The Daily Mail newspaper of London, which sponsored her move to England, she was a circulation windfall. To her father, Frank Budd, she was, as she put it bluntly, “a way to easy money.” … “I definitely feel I was used by both sides,” Budd Pieterse said. And at 18, she added, “I was just so ignorant and naïve.” “People don’t want to believe it, but growing up in South Africa, we were so isolated, we didn’t have any international news coverage,” Budd Pieterse said. “Nelson Mandela went to prison before I was born. I didn’t know about his existence. His name was never mentioned in any newspaper. For me, it was an eye opener to go to Britain and see coverage about South Africa.” She ignored calls to renounce apartheid until her biography, “Zola,” appeared in 1989, when she wrote, “The Bible tells me that all men are created equal,” and called South Africa’s racial policies “intolerable.” ‘

What happened to her next.

It’s been 24 years. This time I’ll be rooting for her.

First, an apology is in order.

I’m sorry I wasn’t able to bring you yesterday’s “Better Know a Pro;” I realize that many of you probably wasted valuable work hours repeatedly checking and re-checking this blog–wearing a hole in your mouse with fervent clicking of the “Browser Refresh” button–in the hopes that, mercifully, I would bring your moderately-easy trivia fix; distributing tantalizing clues, cultural insight, and nonstop hilarity like some digital Johnny Appleseed. But I also realize that you’re a hearty lot, and trust that in time you’ll come to terms with the fact that it just wasn’t meant to be.

That’s the reality of this time of year, I guess. The days are filled with meetings in our well-appointed conference room, impromptu huddles in spacious hallways, and conference calls with our staff and volunteers already setting up shop out at Fort Wadsworth, in Central Park, or points in-between. Yesterday was one such day, and there was just too much going on to compose the finely-crafted blog posts that you’ve come to expect from me.

That said, we offer our belated congratulations to one Jimmy Manning, who correctly guessed the mystery athlete within minutes of publication. We will be sending him an autographed photo (of the athlete, not ourselves) shortly:

Paul Tergat

I was accused of making the clues too easy for Tergat, but it’s hard to think of little undiscovered nuggets of trivia when you’re talking about one of the greatest and best-known athletes the sport has ever seen. Tergat, as you’ll recall, won the ING New York City Marathon 2005 in the most exciting finish in marathon history, out-leaning defending champion Hendrick Ramaala by 3/10s of one second. The former world record-holder returns to New York after a one-year absence (he was third in 2006) in tremendous shape: he finished second in the RTP Lisbon Half-Marathon a few weeks back in 1:01:34. If the 39 year-old Tergat manages to win in New York next weekend–a definite possiblity–he will be the oldest men’s champion in race history, breaking his own record set with his win three years ago.

On to today’s Mystery Athlete!

1. This athlete’s spouse has also seen success on the international running circuit.

2. This athlete has achieved world class status despite suffering from asthma.

3. This athlete once appeared on a TV game show that gained its name from the lyrics of a 1956 Cole Porter tune.

Good luck to all!

samo.

The Berlin Marathon marked the beginning of the Fall season, it being the first of the three World Majors (Chicago and my NYC follow) that occur in the second half of the year (Boston and London are in the Spring, which you should all already know)… Haile owns this race, having set the world record there last year; and now he’s gone and set another world freaking record while also ensuring himself a spot in history as the first man to run 26.2 miles in under 2:04. Hubba hubba, who needs the Olympics?… I am psyched to see Irina Mikitenko win again, I watched her win London last year on my computer…  The elite field for NYC is nothing short of spectacular, Mary & Corps have really outdone themselves this Olympic year…. As I mentioned earlier, my girl Kara will be debuting her 26.2 mile chops… Also joining will be Paula to defend her title, 2007 World Marathon Majors winner Gete Wami, 2008 Boston Marathon winner Dire Tune, the majestic Catherine Ndereba. Among the male elites, I am most excited about Paul Tergat, Marilson Gomes dos Santos, and Abderrahim Goumri (he came in second after Martin Lel last year)… With each new name the NYRR’s releases, I feel a pang that I won’t be at my usual spot in Queens to watch these inspiring athletes flash by…. I ran my last 20-miler of training on Sunday, actually logging 20.33 miles in 3:09, wow. Ideally October 12th would have been my last 20-miler before taper, but I am determined not only to run the Staten Island Half-Marathon, but to race it… As my training winds down, I can already sense the post-race blues which await me. My friend and colleague EG recommended I read A Race Like No Other to get myself psyched for race day, since oddly I’ve begun to lose enthusiasm for this race I’ve been dreaming about for over a year… Has anyone read A Race Like No Other yet? I know I sent out some free copies… The reviews have been very positive, with an excerpt in this month’s Runner’s World, and an early mention in the New York Post. Library Journal says the book “is poetry for runners; pulsing and energizing in its immediacy, and as raw and persistent as its subject.” Now if only I could get someone to say that about Pigtails Flying… Benjamin Cheever writes in his review in The New York Times that Liz Robbins “packed her book with scrumptious details…” I expect more book coverage as marathon madness heats up in the city; early last week I received my info booklet in the mail, and today I saw my first subway ad as I headed down into the E/V at Fifth Avenue to go to acupuncture… My little G was a perfect running buddy yesterday, it amazed me when I ran past the point in the route I’d always sensed, viscerally, was the 10-mile point. I looked down at little G, who told me: 9.95 miles! See, he and I already have a special connection…One of my industry contacts works support crew in ultramarathons, even though she herself specializes in 5- and 10k’s. She passed me an article by Sunny Blende from the September 2008 issue of UltraRunning magazine that explains why I sweat more now than I ever have before during my runs: “you will sweat sooner and more as you increase your miles and become more fit.” Sweet!… Husband spent the weekend at the Pennsylvania house, leaving me pining away for the mountains’ Fall foliage. Fittingly, Manhattan User’s Guide has raked together all the links we need to get our peep on… And, will someone please give me a massive pile of cash so I can redecorate my apartment entirely from West Elm? Browsing this catalog is like staring at Clive Owen behind glass–he’s right there, and so, so gorgeous, but I just…can’t…touch.

For most casual fans of the Olympics, there is understandably nothing more thrilling than two 100 metres gladiators going head-to head in the final, with the wearer of the laurel wreath being decided by who’s hair is the longest when they dip for the line. It is simply unadulterated chest-thumping, alpha-male drama at its finest.

For distance running fans, this sort of outcome is pure fantasy.

Normally.

If life was fair, Paul Tergat of Kenya would have been the greatest distance runner of his generation. A silkily smooth runner, he won the World Cross-Country Championships an incredible five consecutive times, including through the mud, wind, and rain of Belfast in 1999 (which I had the good fortune to witness). He also set a world record for the 10,000 metres and world best times for the half-marathon and marathon.

However, Tergat had an arch-rival – the even more remarkable Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, who is probably the finest long-distance runner ever, winning ten major titles and setting many world record and world best times.

What made their rivalry all the better was that both were good friends and two complete gentlemen in person.

The First Clash of the Titans

The two first clashed in the Olympics at the 1996 Atlanta Games over 10,000 metres. It was a fine race. Around the half-way mark, the Kenyans, working together, injected some pace and whittled the leading pack down to six athletes over the next two miles. At this stage, Tergat made his move, burning around two laps of the track in just over two minutes. The ploy was successful, as it dropped the rest of the pack.

Everyone that is, except Gebrselassie, who attacked going into the final lap and powered his way to a relatively easy win in the end. It had been a superb race between two giants of men.

The Night Every Step Mattered

Four years later, in Sydney, the two men squared up to each other again over the same distance. It would prove to be the most dramatic 10,000-metre race of all time.

The race had been a tense affair, with no decisive moves getting made prior to the final lap of twenty-five. With 200 metres to go, Tergat went for home, sprinting clear of the pack. Gebrselassie followed him, straining every muscle in his pursuit. He was gaining and gaining, but still Tergat hung onto the lead.

Was Gebrselassie’s record of five straight wins in major 10,000-metre races, stretching back to 1993, about to come to a shuddering halt?

Tergat covered the last 200 metres in an astonishing 26.3 seconds. Gebrselassie produced a time of 25.4 seconds, which would have been world-class finishing speed over 800 metres. He won by a margin of 0.09 seconds. In the 100 metres, at the same Games, Maurice Greene defeated Ato Boldon by 0.12 seconds.

Simply put, it was competitive distance running at its breathtaking finest. However, Tergat would never be Olympic Champion. As remarkable as he was, there was that one man who had the edge on him both times.

It is moments like this that give the right to be Olympic Champion its glorious essence.

Cole Hamels was an injury waiting to happen, I wrote repeatedly during the first half of the 2006 baseball season. In a blog and in regular-styled writing, a stint on the disabled list was inevitable, I mused.

Why not? Throughout his professional baseball career, the delicate left-hander never completed a full season. Injuries to his back, arm and hand always seemed to be lurking despite the once-in-a-lifetime talent the 22-year old had.

But after 23 starts following his call-up from the minors, Hamels never got hurt. His first full and complete professional season came as a Major Leaguer. His chronic back trouble, as well as his arm, elbow, hand and everything else held up under the rigors of a tough season in which the Phillies were in the playoff chase until the bitter end. Oh sure, he did a two-week stint on the disabled list and missed two starts, but that was strictly a precaution. In retrospect, Hamels said, he didn’t need to go on the disabled list.

So in September, after Hamels turned in another winning late-season outing, I asked the kid what the deal was. How was he able to keep himself healthy and from breaking down after struggling with injuries since high school? After all, it was the history of injuries that kept Hamels from being selected with one of the top handful of picks in the 2002 draft instead of falling to 17th. Finally, after all this time Hamels was recovering well enough to be dependable.

What was the deal?

Part of it was an improved diet rich with organic fruits and vegetables, no alcohol, regular massages as well as regular chiropractic adjustments. But the coup de grace was the active release technique (ART) treatments that Hamels said he received twice a week.

Suddenly a light bulb went off. Active release, huh?

I had recently been informed about ART a few weeks prior from a chiropractor who referred me to the web site, which defines ART as, “a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.”

Plus, if it worked for someone as “delicate” as Hamels, why couldn’t it work for someone like me… you know, because I’m so tough.

In a nutshell, the theory is that the layers of muscles form adhesions that can produce scar tissue to an affect area. According to the official ART web site, as scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain.

To free up the muscles and tendons (my word) and alleviate the adhesions, a series of soft-tissue massage and stretching movements are preformed by the chiropractor.

When I developed something others referred to as “runner’s knee,” and regular massage and chiropractic adjustments didn’t lessen the pain, I figured it was time for ART after talking to Hamels.

It’s a good thing, too, because a few months later – after a weekly session with my chiropractors who also work on a bunch of well-known NFL and NHL players – I have not missed a day of running. In fact, my training is much more consistent, my recovery is better than ever and my knee hasn’t hurt ever again.

Better yet, my chronic calf and hamstring soreness is much more manageable. After a week of hard running I typically show up at my sessions with my achy calves and hammys and am as good as new within 20 minutes.

It’s pretty amazing.

No, my consistency and health is not all because of ART. I eat better and pay much more attention to my recovery than in the past, but my flexibility is better and I haven’t had to worry about injuries.

That’s pretty important.

After Friday afternoon’s ART session, I didn’t feel any discomfort in my hamstrings when I sat down. The muscle spasms in my calves were gone, too. Because of this refreshed feeling, I decided Saturday afternoon would be the perfect time for a hill workout. Speed would have been preferable, as in a race or something like that, but high winds and steady made such a plan a battle on Saturday morning. The point of the training is to get strong and fast, and not to beat myself up in the rain and wind.

So I headed for the hills on Saturday, doing climbs and descents on every substantial hill I could find for the first 61 minutes of the run. And no doubt there were plenty of hills on my regular routes through the neighborhood and its outskirts – I suppose that’s the luxury of living in an area called School Lane Hills.

Nevertheless, I ran extra repeats up and down the hills I run regularly and then ran three circuits on North School Lane between Wheatland and Marietta avenues. After the 61 minutes I was legitimately whipped – so beat that I felt a little weak in the knees when I stopped for a quick drink about 12 miles into the outing.

Because of that I took it easy on the back portion of the run, skipping my regular hills in attempt to keep some semblance of pace on the gently rolling roads back to my house.

But that’s also where it got tricky, too. Figuring I was just a few meters short of running 18 miles, I took the wrong way around on the back loop to home. That’s when I looked at my watch and realized that I was either running very, very slow or the loop was longer than I thought.

It was longer.

Final stats: 19 miles in 2:11:59

Despite the tiredness from the hills, I ran miles 12 to 15 in 19:40 as well as one of those miles in 6:27. That’s not blazing, but quick enough for the workout I was doing.

Maybe it’s the ART? Better yet, it was probably the tailwind that pushed me across the Harrisburg Pike stretch near F&M.

Running nugget
Paul Tergat still wants to run fast. At least that’s what a story in The New York Times indicates.