RunBlogRun

The Golden League has had a see saw relationship with US television. Some years, it is one, some years, it is off. This year, Versus, formerly the Outdoor Life Network, has done a fabulous coup and is running the Golden League series, hosted by Tim Hutichings and Tim Story. This commentator found them perfect, but a question persists, why no publicity from USATF, the governing body of the sport in the United
States?

As your writer has been travelling, he has been struck at the bad days that baseball, the Tour de France and professional basketball are all going through, for various reasons. The Tour de France, which has truly tightened its drug testing is damned if it does,
damned if it doesn't. You know one thing, the powers that be in track and field are sure happy it is not them on the front pages!

On the warm afternoon of July 27, 2007, many of Mike's long friends and family gathered at Mission Point Park to pay their respects, and to have a little party. The weather was clear, the sun was bright, and the gathering, estimated at over 150,
gathered to pay respects to a man who has touched so many of us.

The World Shoe Association is one of the trade organizations that represents many of the players in the global footwear business. This show is held in February and August of each year. Trade shows were a huge part of this business and many other businesses over the past thirty plus years. But, times have changed...

In this article, I will try and give you a bit of a view into my job, selling advertising, and promoting our publications. For this, I go to about a half dozen trade shows, twenty or so running events around the world. Some of the events are glamorous and for a track and field fan, the meets are, well, like the Superbowl would be to a football fan! But the travel, well that will be another column.

In the past four years, I have flown an average of 100,000 miles a year. In viewing about two dozen road races, track events or marathons a year, six trade shows, and dozens of meetings with various ad agencies and advertisers, I am what one might call a frequent traveler. In this column, I will share with you some of the tactics that I use to survive on the road....

Reviewing products is part of the publishing business that can be problematic. Our system, which requires a) editor who is super focused and b) reviewer who is product geek, has worked for a dozen years now. As the publisher, I try and watch the process from afar, but as we get into production, that is just not possible.

At the current time, I oversee seven publications under the aegis of Shooting Star Media, Inc., where I am partner and group publisher. I am also President of the Running Network LLC, where I represent 34 of the finest regional and national running publications in North America. So, what is my job?

In my family, when I tell the folks a story from childhood, especially something that they did not remember or witness, it was called a confession. As someone brought up in the Catholic tradition, I find that quite ironic, but true. This series of Publishing confessions, will come and go during the year, but this is the twenty fifth anniversary of my first job in publishing, at Runners' World in Mountain View, California. Remember, this is colored by twenty five years, so beg with me. It is hard scaring up the old memories.

The following commentary was written by James Dunaway, the editor of American Track & Field and Athletes Only. James loves our sport: he has been credentialed for fifteen Summer Olympics, going to his first on a tramp steamer in 1956. He is also a keen observer of our sport. I learn from his everytime we speak, he is my mentor, he is my friend, he is a fine editor. It does not mean that we agree always, we actually have some pretty colorful arguements. I always know it is not going well we James starts the conversations off with, " Well, you are probably going to fire me now..."

One of the points we wholeheartedly agree on is how Title IX, while well meaning, is being used to destroy minor sports, which also tend to be Olympic sports. In the Wall Street Journal of August 9, 2007, a column on the destruction of six of Rutger's University's athletic traditions, including crew, was printed.

Rutgers University has produced nineteen crew Olympians. Several attempts have been made to fund the programs, yet the University board threatened to refuse the money. The seven sports cut will save $795,000. Yet, the athletic director just gave both the men's football and the women's basketball coaches raises of over $500k each-so it is not about money.

Football has become mass entertainment. Schools derive their identities from
football programs. But, in my mind, universities are supposed to be places of higher learning, where both the body and mind are educated. I remember my college football coach, the late Pat Malley, a man who won 500 football games in his career, letting football players out of practice to study, and be real students.

Please read the commentary by James Dunaway and tell me what you think!

As trade shows go, the Outdoor Retailer, in its 30th year, has evolved. This is my third time here in ten years, and each time, the show finds new ways to interact with the vendors and the buyers. Brilliant breakouts in the large Salt Palace, in downtown Salt Lake City, a city made for sports and fitness. There were Endurance sports areas, new products, even an Organic cafe for the show cognescenti! In this monograph, I will give you a view of the show, plus a true treat, a little out of the way, Euro Style dining restaurant, with wonderful service, tucked into a little hideaway in Salt Lake City!

Dear readers,

There is a song by one of my favorite songwriters, Jesse Colin Young, called, " When the Morning comes", this would have been an appropriate title for my evening.

In the spirit of giving many of my readers a first hand experience of night life in Osaka, I became a satyr for an evening of bachnalian fun. If some of my older readers remember Goteborg, and my experience at the rave, well, this should give you a bit of my experiences last night. At the age of 48, however, this type of evening will probably not be repeated, at least until Sunday night, before my departure... I hope that you enjoy the spirit with which this is shared..

This summer has been one of the best summers on record for track and field on television in North America. Combine that with WCSN.com, the Iaaf's radio and video clips, and if you have not seen a great track meet on TV this summer, then you are just plain, blind!

Every Fall and Spring, the Running Network LLC announces its award winners for the Fall and Spring Shoe Reviews. It is done with little fanfare, but it is signifigant. Cregg Weinmann and his merry band of wear testers influence over 750,000 runners and walkers and infuriate store owners in 500 running stores across the U.S. Many stores will tell you that they have very little use for the shoe review.

Yet, besides the obvious ad sales garnered as revenue from the shoe reviews, this writer, who is the person who sells those ads, thinks that there is another value from the reviews.....

Ever since Mr. Gutenberg invented movable type, the paradigm has changed. No longer were books the rights of the wealthy and priviledged. Until the mid fifteenth century, books were, for the most part, laboriously copied, letter by letter, page by page, either in some monestary or for some grandee land owner who wanted his own copy of the Bible. Gutenberg changed all of that!

In the U.S. today, there are over 12,000 special interest magazines published! Now, sixty percent of them will be gone before the end of year one! That is why, starting magazines on the web has proved so lucrative! However, lets' take a different tact for a moment? How does the web help an already established magazine? Read on!

If we agree that thare are tens of thousands of road races, cross country meets, track events held in this country each and every year. The LSB Chicago Marathon has put this issue into the news with the event from two weeks ago But what should a runner expect when they go to an event?

Over the past thirty years, I have interviewed Olympic gold medalists, Olympic coaches, athletes young and old to name a few. My first real interview after leaving Runners' World taught me much. I compare it to the main character in Johnny Cash's song, "A boy named Sue,".

Michigan Runner was one of the first regional running magazines in the U.S. Along with New England Runner, RunOhio and Running Journal, among others, Michigan Runner blazed a trail in the regional running business that should be addressed and respected.
One of the trails that Jenn and Art McCafferty have blazed is the area of web based television shows....

On Friday night, needing a break, I journeyed to Madison, Wisconsin, forty-one miles from my home of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. I wanted to see a movie at the Sundance Movie Theatre, the first of a would be chain of theatres to be built by Mr. Robert Redford. The movie I choose to see was Lars and the Real Girl and I am glad I saw it...here is why...

USA Track & Field has a rule about stopping the use of earphones on Ipods, Mp3s during sanctioned running events. Certian events have now come out and said they will not honor the rule..USATF is getting hit with questions on their policy...I think the point has been missed....

The following letter is my publishers' column for the Winter issue of American Track & Field, which mailed recently. It is on Role Models. Just last week, my sisters, my brother and I had a surprise fiftieth anniversary party for our parents in San Jose, CA. The grandkids were all there (four of them) and they were mesmerized by the stories our parents friends told them about our parent's lives...

I am now over 160 days of blogging, one hour or so a day, at least. One of my most prolific topic is Marion Jones. Earlier this week,I suggested that clearing the records and life of Marion Jones from the record book, while perhaps good to fellow competitors, allows the sport to forget who she was. I also suggested that the IAAF deleting here records was similar to Mr. Josef Stalin in the good old Soviet Union and his rewriting of
history....reader Chris Lundstrom did not agree and here, in his letter to me, which he allowed to be published, is his reasoning:

After a year of playing with the Nike plus technology, I have become addicted. It is a good addiction, as it is getting me outside more, even in this inclement weather. Sunday night,
December 9, was just such a night. I purposely picked an evening walk, so to check my neighbor's Christmas lights...the snow was cleared pretty well, and we were just about to get hit again....in snowy, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Come and join me on my walk...

Victor Conte has a fascinating past. Nearly fifteen years of not filing income taxes, guru to elite athletes on "nutrition" as early as 1989, Conte has seen it all. The former bass player for Tower of Power, Mr. Conte seems to have had a conversion, much like St. Paul on the way to Damascus...is this guy for real? And the big question we need to ask ourselves,
does the end justify the means?

It is about five pm on Wednesday, December 19. I am about 35,000 feet above the great state of Kansas as Adam, my son, and I head to Las Vegas. We are taking a few days break to celebrate my neice, Adams' cousin Tess's graduation from UNLV in accounting. Tess worked her way through college, and has achieved her goal. She was hoping we would all come out for graduation and she will have a twenty person cheering section, in english and en francais!

Pat Butcher, our world correspondent of athletics, concerns himself with Haile Gebrseslassie and his quest to break his own world record in Dubai early in
2008. Can anyone beat the man? A world record holder 23 or 24 times over,
the little Emperor showed his stuff at this past real,-Berlin marathon when he
set the new world record....

Track & field, road running, race walking and cross country are collectively known as athletics around the world. A major sport in most of the world, athletics has not been part of the revolution in media over the past decade..or has it just been overlooked?

The IAAF press release from December 20, 2007 noted that the IAAF was recongnizing
major races for their professional standards. These standards include certification of courses, media services, safety and medical standards.

This blogger welcomes the IAAF standards and sees this as a way for the IAAF and the ....

Vic Navarra was one of the grand characters that make up the tapestry called the ING New York City Marathon. Like all big city marathons that followed, the late Fred Lebow invited, cajoled, begged many of the good souls and hearts that make up the five boroughs. Vic was one of them. I met Vic through my favorite former fireman, Victah Sailer. I remember just saying hello to Vic Navarra at the various events over the years. He was unassuming, but again, one of the guys who made the event go smoothly.

When Victah told me that Vic had cancer a few years ago, I was stunned. He also told me how Vic would still be involved in the Marathon and other races, year in, year out. I felt that it was appropriate to celebrate Vic's life with a thoughtful tribute from Victor Sailer, so here it goes:

The WDW marathon is over. It is Monday morning as I take my walk over to Pleasure Island and enjoy the quiet morning. Runners are seen everywhere, wearing their WDW shirts, and their proud limping as the legs begin to recover from the weekend of pounding. The special shirts from team Goofy runners-those who did the half and the full marathons-are seen as well. 3,000 of the team Goofy runners registered!

The Running USA Meeting started on Sunday, February 10, 2008. The opening reception, sponsored by realbuzz.com, Gen A Media and Active Network was telling. Over 350 people were in attendance. Most of the attendees were race directors, companies marketing to race directors and potential sponsors of the sport.

By any standards, this was a successful opening. However, the future of the organization does hang in the balance. Is Running USA a trade organization? Does it stay patient and continue to grow at 20-25 percent a year, offering a series of meetings that are attractive to running sponsors and race directors, or does it try to be everything to everybody and dilute the attraction it is building to a certian segment of the sport?

The WSA Show is one of the most important trade shows in the footwear business. I come to this show each year, in Feb and August, with my footwear editor, Cregg Weinmann to look at new product, catch up on news in the industry and put a face with my new clients.

The WSA show is in transition. While I am always impressed with it's effort to bring in the media, it is not keeping the athletic footwear business, which has always been a small part of the business. But the show is important, and there are always some...surprises..

In a copyrighted story in USA Today, dated February 26, Peter Ueberroth, the chairman of the U.S. Olympic committee considers US athletes representing their country in the Beijing Olympics as "invited guests and not China's would be reformers." according to the story.

A direct quote from Ueberroth, " We expect and are sure that the athletes are going to respect their own country, respect their flag, respect the flag of every other countrya and operate as we all will, under the IOC rules of the Olympic Games..."

The Olympics in Beijing will be one of the great moments in modern Olympic history. The Chinese have been remaking Beijing for nearly a dozen years now, in anticipation for the coming August.

In a must-read article in April 2008 issue of Vanity Fair, William Langewiesche wrote Beijing's Olympic Makeover for VF's China Dispatch. If Langewiesche's hypothesis are right, those foreigners will find a homogenized Beijing, hiding much of the truth about a Modern China.

Nike previewed their product for the 32 Olympic federations and some amazingly innovative products at their Beijing 2008 Global Summit. Over 300 media and 60 plus public relations staffers met on the Beaverton campus to drool over one amazing innovation after another. From weightlifting and taekwondo, to track & field and running, plus basketball and swimming, we in the media were treated to a sensory overload of products and innovation.

Dear readers,

Second, in less than 48 hours, I have tried the Nike sportsband in Portland, in Chicago Airport and in London, and very much like it. Here is are my notes:

Some final observations on the sport, and the marathon weekend in London. I will see you all in Boston this coming weekend!

So, I am sitting in an airport. On my way to Boston to see the Olympic Trials marathon and also the BAA Boston marathon. For fans, the Trials on Sunday and the Marathon on Monday is like running geek karma.
But, think about this for a moment, why would anyone in their right mind host an Olympic Trials? Read on...brave readers.....

As most of our readers remember, Ryan Shay was running the Olympic Trials marathon in Central Park when he collapsed and subsequently died at the age of 28. A former US marathon champion, and an NCAA champion, Ryan was one of the most popular members of the moving road show called the elite running community. He was also sponsored by Saucony.

Ryan was involved with the Saucony brand. He had spent time with the design team, cajoling them and encouraging them to develop a new cross country shoe. Upon his untimely death, the management at Saucony, from Richie Woodworth, President to Tom Carleo, Senior VP of Product, to Sharon Barbano, VP, Public Relations, considered the following question: how to memorialize an young athlete who had made such a footprint at Saucony?

Dear readers, As you know, my weekend is not complete without the Financial Times Weekend edition. Normally, I get the paper, retire to my nearest biker bar, Fat Boyz, sit down in the back booth and have a) excellent mugs of black coffee, b) breakfast, and c) no phone calls for two hours.

Rogge's comments are a warning to the West to lay off the Chinese, plus some astute historical observations on Western hypocrisy and Chinese evolution-several good points. Read one dear readers, and send me your thoughts. After my long walk on Sunday, I will respond on this very important topic, a topic that will never, ever go away: politics and the Olympics.

By all standards, the world protest over the Olympic Torch Relay was a success. The Beijing government is speaking to the representatives of the Dalai, a man they have tried to supress for nearly fifty-five years. In return, they hope, their Olympics will be viewed as the global coming out party that 1.5 billion Chinese hope for.

How should the media respond to the Beijing Olympics? Here are some of my thoughts on the process and the minefields in reporting and chronicling a different culture or
cultural experience.....

Pat Butcher, one of the most important writers in our sport, has established his blog, http://www.globerunner.org/. I think his blog is a must read and we will link to upcoming stories in the future! I review the site below.

It was about a month ago that I previewed the Saucony site with Mary O'Brien, the VP of Marketing Communications at Saucony. While the folks had waited a while to update their site, the wait was for good. Like the brand, Saucony.com is easy to navigate, well designed, illustrated well, with easy to follow links, and images that are easy to download...

adidas decided to take the promotion of their athletes into their own hands and has developed a nifty web site, www.roadstobeijing.com, which is a perfect example of how to answer the needs of media and fans. Read on for our complete review:

Here is the news bit that got me off on my newest rant:

PENSACOLA (USA): Sprinter Justin Gatlin will be not allowed to compete at US Olympic Trials starting this weekend. As Pensacola News Journal informs, he got support but no relief Tuesday from a federal judge who rescinded his order allowing the defending 100-meter champion to compete in this weekend's Olympic track and field trials. Judge Lacey Collier said that while he believed Gatlin, a graduate of Woodham High School in Pensacola, "is being wronged," he lacked jurisdiction over the U.S. Olympic Committee to determine who is eligible for the trials. The former world 100- and 200-meter champion's only recourse appears to be with the Swiss Federal Court, Collier wrote in his seven-page order. Because the Swiss based CAS made the final ruling on him two weeks ago and IAAF confirmed his ban until July 24, 2010. But per latest informations, Gatlin's lawyer said his client will go to the federal circuit court in Atlanta on Wednesday to attempt to have the latest ruling against him overturned.

And if you have not gotten enough on Day one, an absolutely thrilling start to the 2008 Olympic Trials, please check out our daily RN TV program, featuring Paul McMullen and myself. We're not Katie Couric & Bryant Gumbel, but we are okay....

I remember it well. In February 1974, my three sisters, my brother, our dog, Cromwell and my parents, moved from the relative serenity of Bridgeton, Missouri to San Jose, California. We took the train from St. Louis to Kansas City, then from Kansas City to Los Angeles, where we saw the ocean for the first time. Our final train excursion was from LA to San Jose, California.

Running kept me alive..

The Nike women's marathon and half marathon in San Francisco is in its fifth year. It is a moving street party, a celebration of women in sport, women running and 20,000 plus women in fact. I went out last year and was amazed. The feeling, the excitement, the women, all make the event unique.

Arien ran with the large group of marathoners, not the so called elite start that Nike had provided for serious racers. The elite start was Nike trying to please everyone, and quite frankly, in this race, they have come pretty darn close to doing that. Ms. O'Connell got into a groove just after the 7 AM start. She started running sub seven minute miles and it felt good!

A hearty congratulations to Horste Milde, who has given so much to the sport in Germany and has had the visionary power to see what running could be. In his new role, Horste will be able to encourage marathons, big and small, to evolve and see what the future holds for our sport!

Photo:
AP, Jeff Holmes

I remember the Men's Olympic Trials marathon in New York last year with

The ad noted above was sent out just after Radcliffe's win in the Big Apple by Nike.

It is Wednesday, November 12, 2009, and I am at the Running Event-blogs on this superb event to come, but now, my cranium is full of deep thoughts on the road racing lovefest call Road Race Management Expo and Clinic, which was held last weekend in Florida!

How times have changed. For most of the 1980s and 1990s, I spent a week in Atlanta, Georgia at the Super Show. It was the show to be at. At that show, as I developed magazine projects, I would write most of my ad sales for the year. The show was much more than that though..it was the meeting place of manufacterers, buyers, store owners, and sports media.

(Please note, next year's TRE is November 9-12, 2009 in Austin, Texas).

The career that I have been lucky enough to have over the past nearly three decades has been influenced by many people. Key were Bob Anderson, who founded Runners' World, Stan Singer, the RW New York Sales manager, who taught me how to sell, George Hirsch, who founded the Runner and combined RW and The Runner magazine, and Fred Lebow, who challenged me to focus on my job at Runner's World.

It was December 1985, and I was at a reception at the USATF Convention. Fred and I were chatting about what I wanted to do with my life. I had told him that I was considering finishing my master's/Phd studies in Holocaust studies. I had told him that I was not sure that the running business was for me. Fred listened intently...

The most important convention, perhaps in the history of USA Track & Field began this morning in Reno, Nevada. I am not in Reno, Nevada, but in the snow covered city of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, where I live and work.

As the group publisher of Shooting Star Media, Inc. and the President of the Running Network, LLC, I have been fortunate enough to see many of the great moments in our sport around the world. As a former athlete, coach, I have always been a track fan. My agenda, which sounds simple, is this: I love our sport of athletics, from prep track & field to local road races and the big city marathons. Each year, I visit most of the major marathons, most domestic major indoor and outdoor track meets and the major trade gatherings. That is part of my job.

Back by popular demand, a potpourri of products that should make someone in your life happy!

Now what does this have to do with my blog today? Read on, gentle readers....

As Gebre gets ready for the Dubai marathon and Usain Bolt plans for his first 400 meters of the year, which will be February 14-part of his season build up to racing at 100 and 200 meters, (he will move up, possibly in 2010), there are two real stories today: Home Depot is pulling out as USOC sponsor and Oscar Pistorius is again challenging the world of sport to run in the World Champs and Olympics.

With Yoko Shibui's victory at the Osaka Ladies Marathon, Shibui finally wins a major race. Here, K Ken. Nakamura, a great friend of the sport, and the reason why the world knows so much about Japanese athletics, writes about how the Osaka marathon developed....

In a recent article on Money magazine's website, http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/20/technology/mehta_underarmour.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009012613it was evident that the folks at Under Armour are gearing up for the new launch: going after the running business. It was the natural next move for Under Armour.

Women's UA Apparition™


The running shoe business is a very competitive and very profitable business. It is one of the few sports business areas that sees more competition and growth in 2009. At this time, we identify 35 running shoe brands, with a dozen of them making very good shoes and ten making excellent shoes. In this type of environment, the consumer is the winner, as they should be able to find the perfect shoe for their foot, and their amount of activity.

The interview that Mark Bossardet gave runblogrun last week was so well received that we are trying to convince him to write a weekly column on the running business! He has not agreed as of yet, but this new essay that he provided to me today was quite thought provoking! I hope that you like it as much as I did....

I have not missed the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, if my memory serves me, since 1997. Each year, the team at Global Athletics & Marketing puts together almost three hours of the finest, most exciting and most competitive performances in our sport! 2009 will not be an exception! A few words on my predictions and also, a few honest words about a major footwear company and sponsoring major events...

The meet management has offered $25k prize for breaking the world mens's indoor record at the pole vault, the American or Wolrd Indoor women's record at the pole vault and the Women's American record at 5,000 meters! Jenn Stuczynski, shown above, is my pick to break the American indoor pole vault, and possibly the world indoor tonight!

Coaching Athletics Quarterly is one of the eight titles published by Shooting Star Media, Inc. The magazine has a focus of sprints in the Spring, Throws in Summer, Jumps in the Fall and Distance in the Winter. In the recent Winter 08/09 issue, we have some tremendous interviews with Chris Solinsky, Kara Goucher and Bernard Lagat. My two favorite pieces are on training however. There is a piece on 10k training by Danny Grimes, former coach and 1987 World Championship Marathon team member. There is a tremendous interview with Valeriu Tomescu, husband and coach of Constantina Tomescu-Dita, the 2008 Olympic marathon gold medalist.

Valeriu shows, that like all good training programs, one must experiment and one must work hard over a long time to develop strong distance runners. Special thanks to Brendan Reilly for the very nice release ( shown below). I encourage all to read the article.

One of the wonders of our Guttenberg Galaxy is the speed by which information can be disseminated. This morning, a writer from RN Central.com, a web sites for RNs, sent me this very nicely done piece on Fifty Sports Applications for Runners with I-Pods. Special thanks to Kelly Sonora for sending me the link!

Usain Bolt came out of Beijing as the track & field version of Micheal Phelps. As his management team has made sure that the global fans have a realistic view of the young man, chicken McNuggets and all, Bolt continues to roll.

Usain Bolt now has actor in his resume, photo by PhotoRun.net.

Dwain Chambers won the European Indoor Championships last weekend with a time of 6.42 for 60 meters-the fifth fastest on record. Chambers is constantly drug tested, and claims to be running clean. However, faster than his sixty meter race, has been the outpouring of vitriol and condemnation from writers, coaches and former athletes in the UK over some of Chamber's allegations in the book, Race Against Me, My Story, by Dwain Chambers.

In my mind, it was time for a some verbage from Pat Butcher. Butcher, the sports columnist for the Financial Times, and an writer and observer of our sport for the past forty years. Butcher wrote a very thoughtful column, In my mind, it was time for a some verbage from Pat Butcher. Butcher, the sports columnist for the Financial Times, and an writer and observer of our sport for the past forty years. Butcher wrote a very thoughtful column, In my mind, it was time for a some verbage from Pat Butcher. Butcher, the sports columnist for the Financial Times, and an writer and observer of our sport for the past forty years. Butcher wrote a very thoughtful column, http://www.globerunner.org/blog/?p=117.

The SGMA is one of the major organizations that has championed sports participation and the sports industry in the sports community. We have provided the full release below because there are some very important concepts to get down. The key is this: running, our sport, revolves around a dedicated participant. Whether the person races or not, they buy shoes, socks, apparel, and as their sporting activity is one thing that they can control in their life-running is not going away.

Happy race finishers can be found the world over, this photo from RAK half marathon, courtesy of PhotoRun.net.

The way the first running boom SHOULD have started was from health clubs. People with core fitness, some strength work, adding running to their regimen. Not merely guys running as many miles as possible (remember the 1970s?) for as long as possible, before many were chronically injured. Health Clubs are a great way to get started on the road to personal fitness.

No, this is not a diorama from someone kept in fifth grade for twenty-five straight years. This is the digital shrine to running as developed by Carl & Karl Underwood, running's number one superfans! As a favor to the Brooks company
( and with tremendous help from the creative agency, Great Society), Randy and Jason Sklar, hosts of ESPN's Cheap Seats, portray their alter egos, Carl & Karl Underwood in this digital universe dedicated to keeping running fun. Done with total tongue in cheek, and ripping to shreds every part of our running culture, the Sklar brothers make us laugh until we cry. Nothing is sacred, and that, ( to use the phrase used by a formerly incarcerated domestic goddess), is a 'good thing." (If you look real close at the little TV screen, you can see one of the Carl & Karl Underwood brothers' faces.)

David Oliver took the bronze in Beijing last year. I had watched him race for years, but finally got a few minutes with him the day after his race. Articulate, thoughtful, with a good sense of humor, Oliver epitomizes the type of athlete who competes on the professional circuit. Check out David's comments on Project 30: he makes some very good points.

Bob Ramsak is an athletic troubadour. Bob's main base is Slovenia, yet he was raised in Cleveland. If you have spent time on the excellent iaaf.org site, or read his Track Profile.com blogs, then you know. Bob provides us with a strong piece on Oliver plus an update on sprints and hurdles, must mean, you guessed it, Outdoor season is on!

Photo courtesy of Bob Ramsak, from Berlin Press conference, 2008.

Imagine my surprise when, walking home from the office, I found these three creatures in my yard. Please note that each creature, A Christmas tree with gifts, A Rabbit wishing all Happy Easter and A Frankenstein, are about eight feet tall and glow, yes, glow in the dark (hence the photo below).

A couple of very special friends did this. They also had, in their possession, an Area 51 Love Doll, all purple, with three, yes, three breasts. Common decency, plus the recent arrest of one of my pretend neighbors for showing a bit too much of his true self, kept the Area 51 creature off my porch.

Note the glowing Rabbit. This met me as I finished my walk last evening. I have decided to keep the ornaments up in the yard, and have told neighbors that I may keep them up until next year. In any case, they are up until I return from Boston in a week.

It is late Tuesday night, the week of the Boston marathon. For myself, as the president of the Running Network, this is one of the busiest weeks of the business year. And for someone in media, where the first thing most companies cut during bad economic times is advertising, this winter and spring has been, shall we say, anxious. Boston could tell us if the sport will continue to grow.

Okay, there is some nudity in this commercial. It is tastefully done. The WK team has taken Nike Free and taken it to the nth degree-running supernatural, meaning, in this exercise, running au natural except for shoes on one's feet. David Olds, a top marathoner in the 80s ( I remember him at San Francisco with Pete Pfitzinger from about 1986-7), is the camp coach/counselor/guru. The truth is, David Olds is just being David Olds.

Laura Fleshman, with a guitar on her lap, does her best hippie impersonation, noting that there are some tough trails in the camp. Nudity is not really spoken of, but the scene on the barbeque, and a question by an inquiring runner on size fifteen shoes does get in all the scatalogoical humor, with some semblance of taste. Note the qualification of semblance.

Nick Symmonds does a nice job about giving it one's all, but the award goes to the totally constrained performances of Kara and Adam Goucher. Kara speaks very non chalantly about how they love the Nike SuperNatural Running Camp, and how it takes Adam, who is sitting next to Kara, very naked and very relaxed, " a little longer to come down" from the camp.

Enjoy, you have been warned.

As I was minding my own business today, a short piece in SI.com jumped out at me. It noted that Kara Goucher had commented that she felt as if she had run a twenty miler, then a hard 10k at Boston. That's fine. Then it said that she was considering racing London on Sunday. Her coach, Alberto Salazar noted that, while not impossible, it was probably not that likely.

Here is a bit of a reminder to our gentle readers: A marathon is supposed to be a twenty mile run, and then a hard 10k. Kara ran her heart out yesterday, she did just everything that she could have done to win, well just about everything. Be confident that Kara, her coach, Alberto Salazar and her team will go over every piece of that race to learn from it. Why? Because the goal is not to win just Boston marathon, the goal...

For three years now, at my brothers' thoughtful suggestion, I have spent one hour a day, 355 days a year (I take off ten), and write about the sport that I not only love, but also, as luck would have it, from which, I have been fortunate enough to make a living. I do not take it lightly, as a magazine publisher, nor do I take it lightly as a blogger. At the end of the day, I try, my hardest to be a responsible journalist.

Your favorite blogger is off to FLORA London and will begin updates on Saturday morning.. Note that I will update London via twitter live as well on Sunday and update you on what I see in my travels....Note that Dathan Ritzenhein and Meb Keflizighi might be seen working on a 2:07.30 pace on Sunday. Good luck to both Dathan and Meb !

Not a good day in Herzo. However, adidas Group has been quite clear in their first quarter report: Reebok and adidas North America have to be focal points if the adidas Group is to pull out of the nightmare first quarter.

Mr. Hainer speaks of the 'unrivaled consumer experience' provided by the adidas Group. When the brands are firing on all cylinders, that is true-look at the Boston Marathon and London marathon sponsorships. The challenge, for now, is to take the consumer experience that is found in Boston and London, and take it around the world.

This year's BAA Boston Marathon jacket for 2009. adidas special apparel at Boston is a nearly complete sell out at the event.

This is one of my favorite pictures. The baby in my Grandmother's arms is me. My grandmother's name is Violet, and that is my mom, Marilu, next to her. I was about six months old and the year is 1959. I am the oldest of five children, two boys and three girls.

I have a slight remembrance of Mom taking me, my twin sisters, Beth & Lou and little sister, Kathy on a city bus to visit Grandma. I would have been four, at the time. Mom made it an adventure, which is what she would do with most of the stuff that should have stopped her cold in her tracks. By the time my Mom was twenty-four, she has had five children.

When the City of Los Angeles Marathon was established in 1986, the race had a tremendous start. I ran the first two years and was fascinated with Bill Burke and Marie Patrick and their team-they had actually brought a race to Los Angeles. That Burke won the political battle over the marathon with the LA city council should have suggested then how formidable a character Burke was.

We wish the new LA Marathon team the best this weekend and will follow up with reviews, comments and interviews next week!

The video above is courtesy of Runnerspace.com, and shows Jenny Barringer on her last stretch run, nearly catching Geleta Burka of Ethiopia, 3:59.89 to 3:59.90. For the nationals, Jenny Barringer was planning to run the 5,000m/steeple at the US champs, in Eugene, Oregon, June 25-28. . Anna Willard, who finished fourth in the 1,500 meters, is planning to double at the US champs in the steeple and 1,500 meters. Should be some amazing races!

Yelena Isinbayeva opens for outdoor 2009 with a new major sponsor, as she dropped adidas for the Chinese brand Li Ning. Isinbayeva is at the top of her game, and she does not see any true competition. While it is understandable, as Ms. Isinbayeva just won the Laureus World Sportswomen of the year and she is defending World Champion and Olympic champion as well as holder of twenty-two world record holders, Yelena should be cautious. As all athletes know, on any given day, there are always surprises. Track & Field is not WWF, we are in a sport, and in truth, no one in athletics is exempt from the refrain, "We are only as good as our last race."

Photo by PhotoRun.net.

Victah's surprise fiftieth was June 13, 2009. Photo courtesy of Lisa Coniglio/PhotoRun.net.

The Portland Mile festival had some awesome performances for prep milers this past weekend. YouthRunner magazine, our partners in the Running Network, sent us this link with pictures, video and a great story on the second year of this fine meet: http://news.youthrunner.com/news/story/portland-track-festival-the-story.

To learn more about youthrunner, check out http://www.youthrunner.com

To learn more about the other 23 partners in the RunningNetwork, check out
http://www.runningnetwork.com

To reach RBR, email runblogrun@gmail.com

The Diamond League will arrive in 2010. Fourteen events, around the globe and track fans able to plan on TV, digital coverage, world class competition and a consistent season should be pleased... the DL will be fourteen sites in 2010...

Look, I think Josh McAdams is a great young runner, who runs the steeple well. But 8:29 in a national race makes it hard for these guys to race in Europe and get a chance to get that 8:20, then break 8:20. Here are my thoughts on the race and the state of US steeplechasing for males--females is a different story:

Photograph of Josh McAdams from the rounds, by PhotoRun.net.

Sanya Richards is one of the most determined athletes I have ever met. She emotes positivism. Combine that with complete confidence that she has in her coach, her health in control, Sanya went through the rounds here with no issues.

Photo from finals, US 400 meter finals, 2009, by Photorun.net.

Shannon Rowbury is one of the most underrated athletes in our sport. She is also, one of the most dangerous women middle distance runners in the US, capable of racing world class not only at 1,500 meters, but also 800 and yes, although she is not real excited about it, for now, the 5,000 meters.