• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Track & Field

The Hardest Team to Make-Day 1 is about to begin

Larry EderbyLarry Eder
June 27, 2008
0
0 0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


The trip to Eugene, Oregon from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin was a bit of an odyssey. For the past several weeks, as many know, the Midwest has been in the midst of a so called five hundred year flood. All I can say is that it was too much water. Water in my basement, several feet in my backyard, and water and mud everywhere else. But, I am the lucky one, because it is a mess to cleanup, but my home is safe.
The trip to Eugene, which started on Wednesday afternoon just shows how much trouble US airlines are in. Sitting in Denver for several hours, we were told that the originally planned plane for us, fitting 80, was canceled due to mechanical difficulties..


We were then supplied with seventeen seater. Seeing the problem with the math, and my first interview of the day being cancelled for Thursday, I was first in line to offer my seat for a) trip to Eugene instead of Portland-long story, b) free round trip, c) hotel, and some sleep. Three hours later, i was on my way to Eugene, Oregon.
I arrived in Eugene at the Hilton just as the USATF press conference was starting. Sanya Richards, Lauryn Williams, Wallace Spearmon and Allyson Felix were on the podium. It is hard to think of four more articulate athletes in our sport, but these four do a nice job and kept the media, from all over the world, about the women’s 100 meters and men’s first rounds as well.
” There are no favorites here, ” noted Lauryn Williams, ” there are probably eight to ten women who could make this team. It depends on the day” noted Lauryn. Lauryn is one of the favorites in my mind: she has the amazing ability to get better in the rounds and she commented on that: ” I tell myself that I am getting better and better and the focus is there.” One reporter asked her if she does something in her training, and she said no, she is just a better round runner.
Sanya Richards was, as always, well prepared and poised. She seemed a bit nervous, as she should be, as any athlete should be in running in the Trials. Names mean nothing, reputation means nothing. Make it or break it. If you do not make the top three, you are more than likely not on the team. That simple. Sanya seems to have recovered well from her illness, although her and coach Clyde Hart are not taking any chances. She has two days rest between the semi and the final. ” I still get nervous before races. The big difference between this year and last year is that I missed very little training this year, in 2007, I missed a lot training and this( year’s training) is helping me.
Wallace Spearmon and Allyson Felix are in a different place. Both are 200 meters specialists who dabble more than others in the 100 meters.
” It does allow me to relax, as the 100 is not like the 200 meters for me, ” noted Allyson Felix, who had the entire European media surrounding her. ” The 200 meters is my focus, and I have not run as well as I have wanted in the 100 meters this year.” Allyson is poised and, at her young age, one of our most talented and popular athletes. (We will feature a piece, courtesy of adidas on Allyson’s new spikes and the plans to move the shoe to the consumer marketplace).
Wallace Spearmon has come of age. He is relaxed, knows how to play with the media and the fans and is one of our most dynamic long sprinters. But, do not give up on him over 100 meters, ” Tyson is like my big brother, and I have followed him into events. I am learning about the 100 meters. ”
The press conference did get me thinking about the absolute pressure on the athletes and the level of competition that we are about to see in Eugene over the next ten days.
The first final of the Olympic Trials will be the women’s 10,000 meters. Olympic Trials crowds love a good distance race, and this one should get the heart pumping. The 10,000 meters will pit Shalane Flanagan, new American record holder against bronze medalist from Osaka, Kara Goucher, with former American record holder, Deena Kastor, using Eugene to prep for her marathon run in Beijing. Also making this a brutal race will be Jen Rhines, who ran well over 5,000 meters this season, and should make the pace honest. Molly Huddle and Katie Macgregor will add enough surprises to this race to insure that only Shalane is a sure bet on this event.
My picks for the women’s 10,000 meters: Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, Blake Russell, Kate O’Neil -winner-Kara Goucher. My reasoning-Goucher is a championship racer, and her 4:06 1,500 meters is an indication of her fitness. Shalane could blow the field away, but with a double on her agenda, so, she has to manage her energy. Watch Magdelena Lewy in the 10,000 meters as well.
In the women’s 100 meters, you have Lauryn Williams, Torri Edwards, Carmelita Jeter, Lisa Barber, and Allyson Felix, as well as Muna Lee. The racing in the rounds will be tough, but my first team pick of the ten days, for the Women’s 100 meters is
Muna Lee, Lauryn Williams, Allyson Felix, Torri Edwards.
So, there we go, I have started the prognostication. I could pick them all ( hardly), or miss them all, but the key is to enjoy and celebrate the next ten days in Tracktown USA withe the Hardest Team to Make–and that is the U.S. Olympic Trials.
A final introductory note. The Eugene O8 folks have some amazing things planned to celebrate the sport around Hayward, and we will update you on those! Four blocks from Hayward, at the Villard Street Pub, the man who has never missed a party, the man that time forgot, Peanut Harms, has nine days and nights of fun planned. I went by last night and hooked up with several of my former coaches and friends. Don’t miss it, as we all know, talking about track and field with your friends is part of the fun!

RelatedPosts

Birmingham 2022 Diary: Laura Muir wins the CG 1,500 meters!!!!

Birmingham 2022 Diary: Two 400 meter finals…

Birmingham 2022 Diary: The Women’s 100 meter hurdle final….

Author

  • Larry Eder

    Larry Eder has had a 50-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself."

    View all posts

Previous Post

U.S. Olympic Trials Kick Off Today in Eugene, by Bob Ramsak

Next Post

2008 Top World & U.S. Marks, courtesy of USA Track & Field, Day 1 Comments by Larry Eder

Larry Eder

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 50-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself."

Similar Post

2022 RunBlogRun Summer Cross Country Mileage Program, Week Six, Day One
Cross Country

2022 RunBlogRun Summer Cross Country Mileage Program, Week Six, Day One

August 8, 2022
Birmingham 2022 Diary: Laura Muir wins the CG 1,500 meters!!!!
Commonwealth Games

Birmingham 2022 Diary: Laura Muir wins the CG 1,500 meters!!!!

August 8, 2022
Birmingham 2022 Diary: Two 400 meter finals…
British Athletics

Birmingham 2022 Diary: Two 400 meter finals…

August 8, 2022
Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: My Deep Thoughts on Eugene 2022
Commonwealth Games

Birmingham 2022 Diary: The Women’s 100 meter hurdle final….

August 8, 2022
Birmingham 2022 Diary: Oliver Hoare wins the CG 1,500 meters!
Commonwealth Games

Birmingham 2022 Diary: Oliver Hoare wins the CG 1,500 meters!

August 8, 2022
COROS Athlete Watch, #9: Redemption for Lonah Salpter as she wins Bronze for Israel in the Women’s Marathon at the World Championships
2022 World Championships Oregon

COROS Athlete Watch, #9: Redemption for Lonah Salpter as she wins Bronze for Israel in the Women’s Marathon at the World Championships

August 8, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

Recent Stories

Track & Field

Zuzana Hejnova to compete in Doha DL over 400m hurdles, from EME News (source:IAAF)

by Alfonz Juck
April 4, 2022
0

Zuzana Hejnova, photo by PhotoRun.net Hejnova opens in DohaDOHA (QAT): World 200m champion Dafne Schippers will go head-to-head with world...

Zuzana Hejnova runs 38.16 All time best for 300m hurdles, by Alfons Juck, note by Larry Eder

April 4, 2022

Zurich’s Grand Venue: Letzigrund Stadium Inspires Exceptional Performances

April 4, 2022

Zurich Weltklasse, the Olympics in One Night, by Bob Ramsak, Notes by Larry Eder

June 23, 2022

Recent Tweets

RunBlogRun Follow

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. RunBlogRun is the voice of the sport.

RunBlogRun
Retweet on Twitter RunBlogRun Retweeted
eilishmccolgan Eilish McColgan @eilishmccolgan ·
5h

Distance girls ready for the closing ceremony! 💙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Reply on Twitter 1556694587883798530 Retweet on Twitter 1556694587883798530 266 Like on Twitter 1556694587883798530 10844 Twitter 1556694587883798530
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
53m

2022 RunBlogRun Summer Cross Country Mileage Program, Week Six, Day One , by RunBlogRun, https://www.runblogrun.com/2022/08/2022-runblogrun-summer-cross-country-mileage-program-week-six-day-one.html,... #crosscountry, #trainingtips, #runblogrun,

Reply on Twitter 1556753597970497537 Retweet on Twitter 1556753597970497537 Like on Twitter 1556753597970497537 Twitter 1556753597970497537
Retweet on Twitter RunBlogRun Retweeted
tajaihmarson ‘My Word for 2022 is Grow/th’ @tajaihmarson ·
6h

#BREAKING: 🇯🇲 Rasheed Broadbell has beaten the World Champion Grant Holloway in the 110mh! (13.12s) #ContinentalTourGold #GyulaiIstvan #GyulaiMemorial

Reply on Twitter 1556678421920780289 Retweet on Twitter 1556678421920780289 190 Like on Twitter 1556678421920780289 636 Twitter 1556678421920780289
Retweet on Twitter RunBlogRun Retweeted
worldathletics World Athletics @worldathletics ·
7 Aug

History for Pakistan!

Arshad Nadeem wins the men's Commonwealth javelin title with a championship record of 90.18m.

Incredible 🇵🇰

Reply on Twitter 1556391263003447297 Retweet on Twitter 1556391263003447297 106 Like on Twitter 1556391263003447297 630 Twitter 1556391263003447297
Retweet on Twitter RunBlogRun Retweeted
mattvanstan Track Stanley @mattvanstan ·
7 Aug

Just in case u need reminding how amazing an athlete Laura Muir is:

At 1500m

Olympics🥈
Worlds🥉
WIC 🥈
Euro 🥇
CWG 🥇
EiC 🥇🥇
💎💎
🇬🇧 NR

Plus
WIC🥈3000m
EIC 🥇3000m
...CWG 🥉800m

All that’s left are global upgrades🥇

+ she makes animals better 💊 🐕 🐢 🦢 🐡 🐸 🕷 🌡

Reply on Twitter 1556397445000699913 Retweet on Twitter 1556397445000699913 95 Like on Twitter 1556397445000699913 1604 Twitter 1556397445000699913
Load More...
Next Post

2008 Top World & U.S. Marks, courtesy of USA Track & Field, Day 1 Comments by Larry Eder

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Select a password for yourself. (minimum length of 8)

Paste here the user biography.

Provide here the twitter screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the instagram screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the facebook profile URL. i.e. http://www.facebook.com/RunBlogRun

Provide here the linkedin profile URL. i.e. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-eder-5497253

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist