Meseret Defar, photo by PhotoRun.net
The calendar conundrum? No World Outdoor champs, but, as Elliott Denman can attest, there are many events to focus on for 2014!
By ELLIOTT DENMAN
INDIANAPOLIS – No World Outdoor Championships to aspire to in 2014? No Summer Olympics?
No problem, all you would-be or already-are world class athletes, and all you dedicated fans out there.
Sure the new year will be the one year in four with no global outdoor title meet on the calendar.
But fret not, everybody. A world of major-league opportunities will still be out there, all kinds of meets on every level, to sink your teeth into, to train your heart out for, to give you the stage
to run PRs, jump to the heights, throw to the limits. Or to do some world-class spectating.
The 2014 calendar came into focus as delegates to the USA Track and Field Annual Meeting at the
J.W. Marriott Hotel were clearing up the final items of business and celebrating the five latest additions
to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, then heading to the exits after rubber-stamping approval of the last of the decisions made over the previous four days.
Weight great John Godina, sprint superstar Steve Williams, triple-threat Kenny Harrison, high-jump standout Eleanor Montgomery and celebrated coach Bob Larsen were added to the Hall.
Future Hall aspirants will have a world of platforms to prove their potential in 2014.
Willing and able to travel? Big meets loom everywhere. Major action runs virtually non-stop, January through December.
Here’s a sampling of the 2014 menu:
Jan. 24– New Balance Games at The Armory Track Center, NYC.
Feb. 7-8 – Armory Collegiate Invitational, NYC.
Feb. 8 – New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at the Reggie Lewis Center, Boston.
Feb. 8 – New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at the Reggie Lewis Center, Boston.
Feb. 15 – NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory Track Center, NYC.
Feb. 22-23 – USA National Indoor Championships, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Feb. 24 – Eastern States High School Championships, at The Armory Track Center, NYC.
March 7-8 – National Junior College Championships, at The Armory Track Center, NYC.
March 7-9 – IAAF World Indoor Championships, Sopot, Poland.
March 14-15 – NCAA Indoor Championships, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
March 14-15-16 – New Balance High School Indoor Nationals, at the Armory Track Center, NYC.
March 14-15-16 – USATF Masters Indoor Championships, Boston.
April 21– The Boston Marathon.
April 24-26 – The Penn Relays, Philadelphia.
April 24-26 – The Drake Relays, Des Moines, Iowa.
May 3-4 – IAAF World Racewalking Cup, Taicang, China.
May 16-18 – IC4A and ECAC Outdoor Championships, Princeton.
May 24-25 – IAAF World Relay Championships, Nassau, Bahamas.
May 29-31 – NCAA Regionals.
May 31 – The Prefontaine Classic, Eugene, Oregon.
June 7 – The New Jersey International Meet.
June 11-14 – NCAA Championships, Eugene, Oregon.
June 13-15 – New Balance High School Outdoor Nationals, Greensboro, NC.
June 14 – The Adidas Grand Prix, Icahn Stadium, NYC.
June 26-29 – USA Outdoor Championships, Sacramento, California.
July 11-12 – USATF National Club Championships, Tacoma, Washington.
July 17-20 – USATF National Masters Championships, Winston-Salem, NC.
July 21-27 – USATF National Junior Olympics, Houston.
July 22-27 – IAAF World Junior Championships, Eugene, Oregon.
Aug. 16-28 – The World Youth Olympic Games, Nanjing, China.
Aug. 28 – Weltklasse Diamond League Meet, Zurich, Switzerland.
Sept. 5– Memorial Van Damme Meet, Brussels, Belgium.
Sept. 13-14 – IAAF Continental Cup, Marrakech, Morocco.
Nov. 2 – The NYC Marathon.
Dec. 14- USATF National Club Cross Country Championships, Bethlehem, Pa.
And lots more to be announced. As ever, check your local listings
