L STREET Running Club
LSRC NEWS
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                                                                         Carol Keane's Birthday
                                                                   Her eyes they shone like diamonds

                                                                     You think was Queen of the land
                                                                        With hair that hung down to her shoulders
                                                                           Tied up with a black velvet band

                                                        
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September 28: Gebrselassie Sets World Record Of 2:03:59 In Berlin Marathon;
 Mikitenko Is Women's Winner In 2:19:19 // Sara Slattery Takes USA 8K Crown

Gebrselassie Sets World Record of 2:03:59 in Berlin Marathon
Perhaps we should never doubt Haile Gebselassie, The Ethiopian legend seemed a bit dinged up as he
Gebrselassiehaileaberlin08_2 approached Sunday's Berlin Marathon, and the prospect of his breaking his own world record of 2:04:26 seemed uncertain. "I'm so happy," Gebrselassie commented right after setting his 26th career world record. "Everything was perfect, the weather, the pacemakers.  Two weeks ago, I had a little problem, I ran 20K 40 seconds faster than in my preparation last year.  But I had some cramps, and missed a week's training.  I started again a week ago, and had some doubts today, but in the end, everything was fine. This really is my lucky city." James Kwambai, who actually gave Gebrselassie a race for more than 20 miles, finished second in 2:05:36. In the women's race, Irina Mikitenko coupled her London victory in April with a Berlin triumph in 2:19:19, a German national record, with Askale Tafa of Ethiopia second in 2:21:31. Gebrselassie and Mikitenko both "negative split" the course. More and More (photo by Victah Sailer)

In Akron, Sara Slattery Is USA 8K Champ
Slattery, a former NCAA 10,000-meter titleist at the University of Colorado and a 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist in the 10,000, won her first national road championship on Saturday with a 25:54 at the USA Women's 8K in Akron Ohio. She was two seconds ahead of Katie McGregor of Team USA Minnesota. Slattery had a ten-meter lead on an uphill past the three-mile mark and began extending it; McGregor closed the gap somewhat in the final mile but it was not enough. Slattery's victory was worth $7,500. Amy Rudolph and Molly Huddle were third and fourth, respectively, in 26:01 and 26:06. Renee Metivier-Baillie, who had been running with Slattery and McGregor in the first half, finished fifth.
More (photo of Sara Slattery by Victah Sailer)

German Fernandez Helps Lift Fortunes of Oklahoma State Cross Country
The Californian was one of the most celebrated high school runners of the last track season, as he broke a national scholastic two-mile record that had endured for four decades. Now he's part of an extraordinary incoming class at Oklahoma State, and his cross country season opens with the Cowboy Jamboree at home on October 4. "I've been averaging 80-85 miles a week. That's the most I've ever done in my life. In high school I'd do like 60-65," Fernandez explains. "I've adapted to the workouts really fast. I was happy with that. Summer training has really paid off." He's already talking about goals - a top ten NCAA Cross Country finish this year, and a 5000 faster than 13:05 by the time he graduates.
More

California International Relays Move from Modesto to Sacramento
The event was once called the Modesto Relays, the "Biggest Little Track Meet In The World." The meet will be at Sacramento State's Hornets Stadium on May 9; that venue has hosted Olympic Track & Field Trials and NCAA Championships. Attendance was sagging in Modesto, and an official release from Relays officials noted "it is felt that the move into a larger population base along with the benefits of recent intensive sports marketing of track and field by the Sacramento Sports Commission, which began in 2000, will significantly improve attendance and sponsorship enabling the event to improve and evolve." As you can imagine, there are people in Modesto who are not pleased by this development.
More and More

She's Now Double Olympic Gold Medalist AND Chief Superintendent Dibaba
The 10,000 and 5000-meter gold medals Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia earned in Beijing are the latest in
Dibaba_tiruneshportrieti08 a long list of running honors she's amassed at the age of 23. Add to that the rank of Chief Superintendent she's now been given by her club, Prisons Police. There is now also a Tirunesh Dibaba Hospital being built on the outskirts of Addis Ababa. Her Ethiopian male counterpart Kenenisa Bekele, who also won 10,000 and 5000-meter golds, is now honored by the naming of "The Kenenisa Avenue" through a major section of Addis Ababa. More (photo of Tirunesh Dibaba by Victah Sailer)

Manchester Road Race Honors Former Champion Ray Crothers
The top men's 60-and-over runner at the Thanksgiving Day race in Connecticut will now receive the Ray Crothers Memorial Trophy. Crothers, who died in February, won the race's high school division in 1959 and 1960 and was the overall champion in 1965. He was the 40-and-over age division winner in 1984. While gravely ill, he walked last Thanksgiving's 4.78-mile race. Crothers was a co-owner of "Run In," an athletic footwear store in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. "Ray loved this race, and did so much for it," states Race Director Jim Balcome. "I have to b
elieve that he would be pleased to be remembered in this fashion." Details about the race and on-line registration are available at

ING Georgia Marathon Offers 'Every Runner Has a Story' Discounts
Those who have inspirational and encouraging running-related stories to tell can earn entry fee discounts of 26.2 percent for ING Marathon and 13.1 percent for the half marathon, both of which are in Atlanta on March 29. "What we find rewarding is that our event provides a finish line for so much more than just a race, but a compelling reason to achieve personal goals of fitness, well-being and teamwork. And this is just a small way we can say 'thank you' in return for making the ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon a special event," says Race Director Victoria Seahorn. Click on "more" to learn how to earn these discounts, and visit 
www.INGgeorgiamarathon.com



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The L Street barbeque outdid itself with all the food which included Chicken, Me

                                

                                    Tina              Carol                            
 Susan           Monica         Gail            Nancy
 

 


                                  
                           Under Construction
                                 











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Fitness

When Iron Is a Precious Metal

Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

PRICEY Even at $525, slots sell out for Ironman races with the M-dot logo (on the banner above).

 
Published: September 11, 2008
CONSIDER it the Jaguar of recreational athletic pursuits.
 

The triathlon is a sport that has grown increasingly expensive in the last five years. Entry fees for the sport’s premier Ironman-branded events have risen 40 percent since 2003. But even at $525 for a standard Ironman entry, the price has not put a dent in demand.

In July, thousands of people traveled to Lake Placid, N.Y., to wait in line to register for an Ironman that will take place there next summer. The 2,200 entries were snapped up in just a few hours, before online registration had even begun.

While a handful of Ironman-branded triathlons still may take days or weeks to fill, the mad rush for entries to the most popular ones (the Lake Placid event and the Ironman Canada) means that would-be racers must line up on-site usually a year before the event to secure a spot.

In the last decade, the triathlon has become an obsession for athletic multitaskers with disposable income — a luxury hobby that does not seem to lose its luster even in an economic downturn.

“It’s a recession-proof thing,” said Richard Izzo, 42, the president of the Westchester Triathlon Club. “The people who do this sport are wealthy type-A personalities.”

Participants in Ironman-branded events report an average household income of $161,000, according to the World Triathlon Corporation, which licenses the Ironman brand.

A recent post about race costs on the message board of Slowtwitch.com elicited 32 responses. Some said that they planned to stick to short, relatively inexpensive races, choose used instead of new gear, or race closer to home. But most posters said they would sacrifice triathlon expenses only as a last resort.

“I only let my kids eat once a day to save on groceries,” one person joked. “It takes a lot to feed a triathlete during the season and someone has to cut back!”

While anyone can hold an Ironman-distance triathlon (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon), only races that pay a licensing fee can use the official Ironman name.

One race organizer discovered this in 2006 when he received a cease-and-desist order from the World Triathlon Corporation demanding that the words “Iron race” or “Iron-distance” be removed from a race he planned in New York City.

“That event was shut down due to the trademark infringement,” said Blair LaHaye, the communications director for World Triathlon Corporation, which licenses the Ironman brand.

What began three decades ago in Hawaii as a humble wager to determine the fittest among a group of friends has grown into an international series of 22 Ironman events and 31 half-Ironman races, dubbed 70.3 events (for the races’ mileage) when branded with the Ironman name.

Today the Ironman logo (a symbol called M-dot) can be found on baby strollers, suitcases, organic Kona coffee and even tattooed on the bodies of race finishers.

Entry slots for the original Hawaiian Ironman race (now called the Ford Ironman World Championship, to be held Oct. 11) are so coveted that last year, more than 8,000 people entered a lottery for 200 slots; the handful of entries sold through a race-sponsored charity auction on eBay regularly go for more than $40,000 each.

The lottery and auction are the only ways for athletes who are not the fastest in their age group to race the Kona event; organizers reserve most of the 1,800 entries for athletes who qualify throught all the hoopla. You want the M-dot.”

This year more than 88,000 people will take part in M-dot races worldwide, up from 40,000 in 2003.

“T

OR DAY WEEKEND


Carol Keane          Joe Foley          Bob Pugsley        Tina Karas
After completing the Plymouth Ironman

Great job by e
very