2012 Tuesday Night at the Races, Meet # 2 RESULTS

MEET # 2

Portland / USATF Oregon Tuesday Night at the Races

University of Portland Indoor Track at the Chiles Center 

January 31st, 2012

****** OFFICIAL RESULTS  ******

                                
Women 800 Meter Run
==================================
    Name                                  Finals
==================================
Section  1 
  1 Rice, Paige                         2:27.93 
  2 Cox, Lori                           2:36.52 
  3 McChesney, Lindsey          2:38.46 
  4 Ballard, Leah                      2:46.53 
  5 Smith, Colleen                    2:56.29 
  6 Waller, Makayla                  3:02.33 
  7 Roberts, Emery                  3:11.53 
  8 Barnett, Emily                     3:14.90 

Men 800 Meter Run
==================================
  Name                                  Finals
==================================
  1 Clark, David                       1:57.98 
  2 Kirkov, Roman                   2:00.61 
  3 Riley, Jonathan                     2:02.13 
  4 Bauman, Ahrlin                    2:02.82 
  5 Ansberry, Colton                 2:05.72 
  6 McChesney, Jessie               2:06.20 
  7 Baker, Jackson                    2:11.08 
  8 Clancy, Chris                       2:22.25 
Section  2 
  1 Packham, Jackson                2:04.43 
  2 Mumo, Ephrem                    2:07.48 
  3 Jacob, Simon                       2:08.86 
  4 Hazlehurst, Fletcher             2:11.73 
  5 Lemberg, Zach                    2:15.45 
  6 Petitt, Colin                         2:16.39 
  7 Durant, Chris                      2:16.47 
  8 Wilson, Devon                     2:19.02 
  9 Howell, Jordan                    2:40.95 
Section  3 
  1 Barnett, Jacob                     2:19.76 
  2 Crocker, Simon                   2:20.64 
  3 Lindley, Cortier                    2:22.33 
  4 Sussman, Mark                    2:24.48 
  5 Dille, Tyler                           2:27.52 
  6 Lacey, Al                            2:29.54 
Section  4 
  1 Parsons, Jonathan                2:18.21 
  2 Benson, Morgan                   2:21.20 
  3 Burnett, Sam                        2:25.37 
  4 Heal, Ryan                           2:27.24 
  5 Erikson, Christian                  2:27.82 
  6 Thompson, Daniel                  2:28.49 
  7 Michales, Jacob                     2:33.58 
  8 Schindlback, Matthew            2:35.65 
Section  5 
  1 McCartin, Matt                      2:38.37 

Women 300 Meter Dash
==================================
Name                                  Finals
==================================
Section  1 
  1 Cox, Lori                            43.63 *** NEW SERIES RECORD***
  2 Sofley, Caitlyn                     44.50 
  3 Reynolds, Gracia                 44.83 
Section  2 
  1 Sullivan, Dannika                   47.97 
  2 Sullivan, Lauren                    48.01 
  3 Spencer, Abigale                   56.65 
Section  3 
  1 Bridge, Lael                         49.47 
  2 Main, Sarah                          50.82 
  3 Alameida, Kyra K.                55.21 
Section  4 
  1 Smith, Colleen                       53.19 
  2 Seaholm, Mealnie                 53.89 

Men 300 Meter Dash
==================================
Name                                  Finals
==================================
Section  1 
  1 Clark, David                       36.56  *** NEW SERIES RECORD***
  2 Cody, Elton                         36.84 
  3 Bates, Chris                        41.43 
Section  2 
  1 Brown, Marquese                38.06 
  2 Yungeberg, Nick                  40.66 
  3 Debord, Jesse                      41.63 
Section  3 
  1 Kindell, Jaleel                       37.69 
  2 Pope, DJ                             39.84 
  3 Moore, Collin                      42.94 
Section  4 
  1 Clancy, Chris                      39.87 
  2 Barnett, Jacob                     40.23 
Section  5 
  1 Parsons, Jonathan                42.43 
  2 Howell, Jordan                     42.53 
  3 Heal, Ryan                           44.40 
Section  6 
  1 Hoult, Sam                           40.38 
  2 Hernandez, Daniel                40.66 
  3 Erikson, Christian                 42.68 
Section  7 
  1 Martin, Michael                    44.67 
  2 McLeod, Aiden                     48.24 
  3 Ying, Richard                        52.57 
Section  8 
  1 Shimabukaro, Daniel             44.39 
  2 Brock, Woody                     1:07.00 

Women 2000 Meter Run
==================================
Name                                  Finals
==================================
Section  1 
  1 DuPont, Jean-Marie             7:02.83  *** NEW SERIES RECORD***
  2 O'Neill, Kelly                       7:04.36 
  3 Martin, Kennedy                 7:09.12 
  4 Knigge, Nicole                     7:09.42 
  5 Cox, Lori                            7:25.08 
  6 Fahmy, Sarah                       7:34.04 
  7 Smith, Colleen                     7:38.33 
  8 Martin, Mckenna                 7:40.65 
  9 Buricke, Michelle                7:43.94 
 10 Lemon, Heidi                     7:46.29 
 11 Nizer, Erica                        7:46.96 
 12 Davis, Greer                      7:49.06 
 13 Waller, Makayla                 7:51.14 
 14 Leavy, Katie                       7:51.81 
 15 Roberts, Emery                  8:37.27 

Men 2000 Meter Run
==================================
Name                                  Finals
==================================
  1 Clancy, Chris                    5:37.25 
  2 McChesney, Jessie            5:40.19 
  3 Chakisso, Tahir                 5:41.09 
  4 Young, Michael                 5:46.31 
  5 MacPherson, Kevin           5:50.03 
  6 Shakalia, Karim                  5:51.16 
  7 Baur, Matthew                    5:54.83 
  8 White-Duong, Han             5:57.44 
  9 Ishenin, Slavic                    6:13.79 
 10 Fry, Zach                          6:13.82 
Section  2 
  1 Hazlehurst, Fletcher            5:46.49 
  2 Bauman, Oscar                   5:52.20 
  3 Heninger, Julian                   5:52.93 
  4 Tecley, Jeon                       5:54.95 
  5 Bursell, Zack                     6:01.49 
  6 James, Ty                          6:14.35 
  7 Laughlin, Bradley                6:15.60 
  8 Collins, Sam                       6:20.27 
  9 Durant, Chris                     6:35.02 
 10 Dille, Tyler                        6:38.86 
Section  3 
  1 Parsons, Jonathan               6:14.78 
  2 Goman, Charlie                  6:19.72 
  3 Petitt, Colin                        6:25.40 
  4 Sussman, Mark                  6:26.67 
  5 Robertson, Robert               6:30.33 
  6 Thompson, Daniel                6:30.94 
  7 James, Ken                         6:32.18 
  8 Hernandez, Daniel               6:43.56 
  9 Schindlback, Matthew         7:15.99 
Section  4 
  1 Benson, Morgan                6:26.99 
  2 Wilson, Devon                   6:34.78 
  3 Nizer, Dean                       6:41.49 
  4 Burnett, Sam                      6:44.73 
  5 Heal, Ryan                         6:49.97 
  6 Davis, Luke                       6:50.20 
  7 Lacey, Al                           7:07.54 
  8 Michales, Jacob                  7:09.34 
  9 Davies, Samuel                   7:18.10 
 10 Humble, Delelak                7:39.15 
Section  5 
  1 Chavez, Ubaldo                  7:20.30 
  2 Saire, Jonas                        7:35.16 
  3 Crocker, Rick                     8:12.29 
  4 Edwards I, Kevin R.            8:51.19 
  5 Giddings, Alex                     9:25.30 

Women Shot Put
==================================
Name                                  Finals
==================================
Flight  1 
  1 Dixon, Gabi                     12.86m 
  2 Wentz, Breezy                 10.58m 
  3 Naulu, Elaine                   9.30m 
  4 Rabing, Maddie               8.83m 
  5 Barick, Qyana                  8.62m 

Men Shot Put
==================================
Name                                  Finals
==================================
  1 Moses, Nathaniel              15.10m 
  2 Osorio, Ishmael                 14.51m 
  3 Aker, Michael                    12.67m 
  4 Martin, Michael                 11.63m 
  5 Hesselgesser, Justin            11.54m 
  6 Bausnan, Blaiso                  9.08m 

Any questions or concerns please contact the Meet Director, Jonathan Marcus at marcus@up.edu

2012 Tuesday Night at the Races, Meet # 1 RESULTS

MEET # 1 

Portland / USATF Oregon Tuesday Night at the Races

University of Portland Indoor Track at the Chiles Center 

January 24^th, 2012

****** OFFICIAL RESULTS  ******

 Please note:
1) SHOT PUT RESULTS have been posted! See picture below. 
2) Finish times for Section 1 of Mens 800 was lost. The order of finish is correct. - Sorry!

                    
Women 1600 Meter Run
==========================================================
    Name                                Team                                  Finals
==========================================================
  1     7 Todd, Gracie                Unattached                     5:26.74 
  2    55 Manuel, Becky            Unattached                     5:26.94 
  3    68 Griffiths, Nicole           Unattached                     5:35.31 
  4    10 Mardin, Kennedy        Unattached                     5:44.37 
  5    38 Cox, Lori                    Unattached                     5:45.27 
  6    84 Smith, Colleen            Unattached                      5:47.56 
  7    11 Martin, Mckenna        Unattached                      5:52.70 
  8    72 Peterson, Anna           Unattached                      6:02.63 
  9    61 Winkle, Kayla             Unattached                      6:05.98 
 10    49 Leevey, Katie            Unattached                      6:11.35 
 11    54 Nizer, Erica                Unattached                      6:14.42 
 12    62 Hicks, Ericka            Unattached                      6:28.37 
 13    97 Winn, Emily               Unattached                      6:36.64 
 14    69 Roberts, Emory         Unattached                      6:49.47 

Men 1600 Meter Run
==========================================================
    Name                                Team                                  Finals
==========================================================
Section  1 
  1    42 Lizier-Zmuddinski,      Unattached                      4:29.82 
  2    75 Clancy, Chris              Unattached                      4:29.86 
  3    77 Baker, Jackson           Unattached                      4:33.91 
  4    46 Peters, Kellen             Unattached                      4:36.65 
  5    43 Alcaraz, Eric               Unattached                      4:36.83
  6    86 Hazlehurst, Fletch       Unattached                      4:38.37
  7    52 Obletz, Nick              Unattached                      4:40.29
  8    83 Packham, Jackson      Unattached                      4:40.81 
  9    40 Shipley, Tyler              Unattached                      4:42.37 
 10   74 Walker, Andre            Unattached                      4:46.79 
 11   30 Stevens, Ian                Unattached                      4:49.37
 12    76 Edel, Josh                 Unattached                      4:50.07
 13    82 Hilts, Dane                Unattached                      4:51.91
 14    70 Goman, Charlie         Unattached                      4:52.76 
 15    66 Kimura, AJ               Unattached                      4:57.23
 16   94 Laughlin, Bradley        Unattached                      5:02.58   
 17    45 Pitt, Connor               Unattached                      5:03.47 
 18    41 Berdahl, Seth              Unattached                      5:04.41 
 19    95 Dille, Tyler                  Unattached                      5:07.53
 20    44 Kennedy, Camden      Unattached                      5:11.27 
  

Section  2 
 1    35 Thompson, Daniel       Unattached                      5:09.15 
 2    66 Kimura, AJ                 Unattached                      NT
 3    12 Benson, Morgan         Unattached                      5:11.33 
 4    71 Watson, Cole             Unattached                      5:13.42 
 5    91 Durant, Chris              Unattached                      5:15.29 
 6    81 Leonard, Noah          Unattached                      5:15.71
 7    80 Burnett, Sam              Unattached                      5:15.94
 8    67 Cruz, Bryan                Unattached                      5:17.45 
 9    78 Lindley, Cartier           Unattached                      5:19.16 
 10    47 Davis, Luke              Unattached                      5:20.11 
 11    99 Smith, Peter              Unattached                      5:21.21
 12    98 Heal, Bryan               Unattached                      5:24.95
 13    96 Howell, Jordan          Unattached                      5:25.05 
 14    73 Peterson, Henry         Unattached                      5:28.72
 15    85 Michaels, Jacob         Unattached                      5:34.81   
 16    34 Drickson, Christia      Unattached                      5:59.17
 17    50 Humble, Deklan         Unattached                      5:59.43 
 18     4 Edwards, Kevin          Unattached                      6:58.04
   

Women 240 Meter Dash
==========================================================
    Name                                Team                                  Finals
==========================================================
Section  1 
  1    14 Bomber, Marcia         Unattached                        36.00 
  2    29 Lovat, Katie              Unattached                        36.75 
  3    39 Dribbe, Lael              Unattached                        36.90 
Section  2 
  1    37 Reynolds, Gratia       Unattached                        34.53 
  2    23 Phillips, Linda            Unattached                        40.20 
Section  3 
  1    38 Cox, Lori                  Unattached                        34.56 
  2    28 Main, Sarah               Unattached                        39.91 
  3    27 Seaholn, Melanie       Unattached                        42.32 
Section  4 
  1    17 Hallinan, Alexande     Unattached                        39.77 
  2    16 Job, Cassandra          Unattached                        40.57 
  3    84 Smith, Colleen           Unattached                        42.89 

 Men 240 Meter Dash
==========================================================
    Name                                Team                                  Finals
==========================================================
Section  1 
  1    26 Frank, Isaac              Unattached                        29.77 
  2    15 Weinert, Regen          Unattached                        31.77 
  3     9 Page, Jesse                 Unattached                        32.02 
Section  2 
  1    33 Moore, Collin             Unattached                        32.69 
  2    20 Argueta, Anthony       Unattached                        33.81 
  3    98 Heal, Bryan                Unattached                        35.23 
Section  3 
  1    75 Clancy, Chris               Unattached                        31.87 
  2    59 Guzman, Anthony        Unattached                        32.36 
Section  4 
  1    31 Shimabukuro, Danie     Unattached                        33.79 
  2    13 Huaretaya, Luin            Unattached                        35.10 
  3    51 Splitsdoser, Conno       Unattached                        37.39 
Section  5 
  1    22 Ying, Richard               Unattached                        39.93 
  2    25 Spetan, Walt                Unattached                        48.84 
Section  6 
  1    36 Brock, Woody            Unattached                        52.59 

Women 800 Meter Run
==========================================================
    Name                                Team                                  Finals
========================================================== 
  1     7 Todd, Gracie              Unattached                      2:31.28 
  2    38 Cox, Lori                  Unattached                      2:31.90 
  3    55 Manuel, Becky          Unattached                      2:35.18
  4    100 UNKOWN            Unattached                      2:35.32                
  5    68 Griffiths, Nicole         Unattached                      2:37.52
  6    79 UNKOWN               Unattached                      2:37.54
  7    92 McChesney, Lindsay  Unattached                     2:40.10
  8    84 Smith, Colleen           Unattached                      2:57.28
  9    69 Roberts, Emory         Unattached                      3:10.72 
  10   28 Main, Sarah              Unattached                      3:10.92 
  11   29 Lovat, Katie              Unattached                      3:22.53 

Men 800 Meter Run
==========================================================
    Name                                Team                                  Finals
==========================================================
  Section  1
 1    46 Peters, Kellen             Unattached                        NT - Lost Data
  2    90 McChesney, Jesse       Unattached                      NT - Lost Data  
  3    88 Bauman, Ahrlin           Unattached                       NT - Lost Data
  4    87 Bauman, Oscar           Unattached                       NT - Lost Data  
  5    42 Lizier-Zmuddinski,       Unattached                      NT - Lost Data
  6    65 Slaughter, Daniel         Unattached                       NT - Lost Data  
  7    86 Hazlehurst, Fletch        Unattached                      NT - Lost Data  
  8    83 Packham, Jackson       Unattached                      NT - Lost Data  
  9    89 Kirkov, Roman            Unattached                      NT - Lost Data  
 10    75 Clancy, Chris              Unattached                      NT - Lost Data  
Section  2 
  1    64 Fujita, Ryan                Unattached                      2:10.01 
  2    58 Kindell, Jaleel             Unattached                      2:11.78 
  3    60 Cody, Elton                Unattached                      2:12.03 
  4    57 Lape, Keegan             Unattached                      2:13.55 
  5    94 Laughlin, Bradley        Unattached                      2:14.71
  6    40 Shipley, Tyler              Unattached                      2:16.27
  7    53 Barnett, Jacob            Unattached                      2:19.32 
  8    32 Dabies, Sam               Unattached                      2:23.97 
  9    66 Kimura, AJ                 Unattached                      2:23.98 
  10   96 Howell, Jordan            Unattached                      2:31.11 
  11   99 Smith, Peter                Unattached                      2:32.83 
Section  3 
  1    91 Durant, Chris              Unattached                      2:17.89 
  2    56 McCartin, Sean          Unattached                      2:19.43 
  3   102 Young, Paul               Unattached                      2:20.10 
  4    67 Cruz, Bryan                Unattached                      2:20.85 
  5   101 Unkown, Unkown      Unattached                      2:22.30 
  6    93 Lacey, Alexander        Unattached                      2:24.23 
  7    98 Heal, Bryan                 Unattached                      2:28.71 
  8    33 Moore, Collin              Unattached                      2:32.23 
  9    26 Frank, Isaac               Unattached                      2:45.07 
Section  4 
  1    30 Stevens, Ian               Unattached                      2:16.10 
  2    45 Pitt, Connor               Unattached                      2:22.56 
  3    80 Burnett, Sam              Unattached                      2:23.26 
  4    81 Leonard, Noah           Unattached                      2:24.22 
  5    95 Dille, Tyler                  Unattached                      2:24.38 
  6    44 Kennedy, Camden      Unattached                      2:26.92 
  7    63 Miller, Justin                Unattached                      2:27.03 
  8    41 Berdahl, Seth              Unattached                      2:27.92 
  9    47 Davis, Luke                Unattached                      2:32.36 
 10    34 Drickson, Christia      Unattached                      2:32.61 
 11    48 Schafer, Bob              Unattached                      2:50.16 


COMBINED SHOT PUT RESULTS




Any questions or concerns please contact the Meet Director, Jonathan Marcus at marcus@up.edu

Portland / USATF Oregon Tuesday Night at the Races

University of Portland Tuesday Night at the Races 2012

January 24: 1600m, 240m, 800m, Shot Put
January 31: 2000m, 300m, 800m, Shot Put
February 7: 1500m, 200m, 800m, Shot Put
February 14: 1 Mile, 150m, 800m, Shot Put
February 21: 3000m, 400m, 1000m, Shot Put


Race Registration: 5:45pm - 6:45 pm
Races: Starts at 7:00pm

Shot Put Registration: 5.30pm - 6.00pm
Shot Put competition: Starts at 6:00pm

University of Portland Indoor Track at the Chiles Center  
5000 N. Willamette Blvd. Portland, Oregon, 97203 

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

Galen Rupp says he will withdraw from the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

(c) Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian -- Galen Rupp

Galen Rupp, the U.S. record-holder in the 10,000 meters, said Saturday he was withdrawing from the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

The marathon trials will be held next Saturday in Houston.

Rupp, who never has run a marathon, said he entered originally because he felt confident in his training and wanted to keep his Olympic options open.

But after thinking about it, he concluded that competing in a marathon now would limit his ability to run his best 10,000 at the Olympic Games in August. Rupp said he thinks his best chance at an Olympic medal is in the 10,000.

"In the 10k now, you have to be able to run really fast," Rupp said. "You have to sprint at the end. It would be difficult to do all the speedwork for that, and still train for the marathon."

Rupp placed seventh in the 10,000 in the 2011 World Track & Field Championships.

He and Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar believe if he hones his speed a little more, Rupp will be in the mix for an Olympic medal.

The recovery period from a hard marathon would delay that.

"If he runs a marathon now, he won't be able to run in any indoor meets," Salazar said. "It's going to take a long time to recover. We wouldn't be able to get back to work on his speed until March or April."

Now, Rupp and Salazar can begin focusing on the necessary speedwork during the indoor season.

Rupp said he believes he could make the U.S. team in both the 10,000 and marathon, and even compete in both this summer in London.

"it's a doable double at the Olympics," Rupp said. "It would be hard, but they're a week apart."

The effort it would take to do both, though, might hamper his chances to do well in either. In the end, Rupp and Salazar decided to concentrate on the 10,000.

"I'm close," Rupp said. "I'm ready to put all my eggs in one basket."


Ken Goe: 503-221-8040
kgoe@oregonian.com
twitter.com/KenGoe

View original article here

10 things retired athletes know that active ones don’t

From AthleticsWeekly.com

 * Note: This article originally appeared on Athletics Weekly website here.


10 things retired athletes know that active ones don’t

Former world champion Ato Boldon posted on his twitter page a list of 10 sage pieces of advice for his fellow professional track and field athletes.

For posterity’s sake, Boldon was happy for AW to compile all 10 points here. “I put these out, not because I followed them all perfectly, not to preach, but because I didn’t in some cases,” said Boldon. “I had my time, maximize yours.”

10. Save some of all that free gear you constantly give away. It will end.

9. No one ever remembers the pain, but medals are forever. Push! No pro track athlete ever died from a workout. Post-career regret sucks.

8. No one from that shoe company you love so much loves you. Romance with no finance is a nuisance. The more in love you are, the less you make.

7. The competitors you think you hate so much now will be your friends when you are retired. Dont take it that seriously. Compete without hate.

6. Figure out what job you will do next, in early or mid-career, not post career. Few get to decide when they retire, most get forced out.

5. One day you’ll awake and won’t be fast anymore. Does your career define your whole life or existence? It shouldn’t! Have a life so you dont have to go get one after.

4. Make use of the best thing about being a track athlete – the travel. Years in exotic locales, but all you know is hotels and McDonald’s is pointless. Get outside, take pictures, learn something. Experience other lands.

3. Your career is infinitely more fun with a good training group. Choose your training group wisely. Chances are if you hate your career after, it’s because you hated your training partners, bounced around to several, or had none.

2. Europe can be wild and crazy and fun… and it can also shorten your career drastically if you are incapable of not acting a damn fool there. Euro “wine and men/women” have prematurely ended many a promising career.

1. Save your money like your life depends on it (it does) and make it earn more while you are earning a lot of it. And yes, get a pro to do this. “Your cousin who’s good with money” doesn’t count.

Follow Ato Boldon on twitter @AtoBoldon.

Frank Horwill RIP

From Irish Milers Club...

The IMC has regretfully learned of the death of Frank Horwill (renowned coach and founder of the BMC). His influence on athletics has been tremendous. Brendan Hackett (founder of the IMC) has written the following….

Frank Horwill (c) runningforfitness.org

It is with great sadness that I learned of Frank Horwill’s passing. He was unique in the true sense of the word. He was a one off and they definitely threw away the mould after Frank. He is probably the last of the great generation of great British coaches that included the likes of Peter Coe and Harry Wilson. They were at the root of a golden era of middle distance running when athletes like Coe, Ovett, Cram and Elliott ruled the world.

I first came across Frank through his writing. As a young athletics coach hungry for knowledge his articles made complete sense to me. He presented a method that followed sound principles and could be adjusted to suit all types of athletes. He was a practical coach who got results. He was logical, yet innovative and he wanted to share his ideas. He loved athletics and you could see he was a bit special from his writing. He was what we affectionately say in Ireland “a character.

I began to apply his methods and the rewards were quickly reaped. All of the athletes I coached were improving, from the 800m runners to the 5k specialists. I began to investigate the British Milers Club and I arranged to bring two athletes over to the Wythenshawe meet in 1997. I hoped I might meet Frank and I bought a bottle of Irish whiskey at the airport on departure just in case.

I heard Frank before I saw him. This guy with a cap was roaring times at every athlete in every race at the 300m mark. I was fascinated how he was calculating the times. Had he a special watch?

“If you run a 68 lap you will break 9 minutes”. “You need to increase the pace by 1 second to break 3.50”.
It didn’t matter what grade or what distance the race was, he seemed to be at ease with times. I asked somebody who he was and was delighted to finally put a face to the man who was inspiring me. The two athletes that I had travelled with ran pb’s so we were all in good form. I went looking for Frank after the last race. I introduced myself, presented him with the whiskey and so began a fascinating friendship.

We were staying at the same hotel and after a late night I knew all of the BMC officials as Frank introduced me to everybody as his Irish friend. We were the only Irish athletes who had travelled to that meet. We came to every BMC Grand Prix after that and more and more Irish followed us. They were great nights. The athletes would run fast times and I would spend a great evening with Frank and his colleagues. A couple of years later at the BMC Grand Prix in Watford I stood at the 300m mark with Frank as race after race flashed past. I turned to Frank at the end and told him that there were over 50 Irish athletes there that night. Later in the hotel he told me it was time to start the Irish Milers Club.

The Irish Milers Club began as an idea in 2000 and Frank got as much kick out of its development as we did. I would invite Frank to Dublin to stay with me for a few days and he loved those visits. He would go to Irish races and he would enjoy meeting athletes. He would quiz them on all of their PB’s and then predict what times they should be running for each distance. It was amazing how many of his predictions came true. He would tell stories of the early days of the BMC and he couldn’t get over how history was repeating itself 40 years later in Ireland. He relished the battles and we were kindred spirits.

These visits showed the many sides to Frank’s character. He would get down on his hands and knees and play with my children for hours. He would pick up the phone every time it rang and say in his grand posh voice,

“The Hackett residence, the butler speaking”

He would visit pubs and invariably start chatting up groups of girls. It didn’t seem to matter what age they were. Everybody enjoyed his company. He would then introduce me as his driver and order me to fetch the car as he offered to drive these young ladies to a nightclub. He loved animals and he would get distressed if he saw a stray dog or an animal that looked undernourished. I would have to take him off to buy food for dogs he encountered.

In 2006 I became the Chief Executive of the Irish Athletics. He called me up and announced that he couldn’t talk to me anymore as I was now part of the establishment. He had spent most of his life fighting against authorities for his ideas. We laughed about this. It gave me a great kick when Peter Thompson asked me to write a letter of support for Frank as he sought to get recognition for him on the Honours List. I relished the task. It was with great pleasure that I was able to phone him a few months ago and tell him that I was no longer speaking with him as he was now part of the establishment and I had since resigned my position. Frank was awarded an MBE in September.

I spent a day with him in August and he was in great form; inquisitive, witty, provocative, caring, flirty (with the waitresses in the restaurant) and he still had that twinkle in his eye. That’s how I will remember him.

Francis was much more than an athletics coach. He was a loyal friend, an innovator, a teacher, a shrewd judge of character, a joker, intelligent, courageous, caring, a man with a childlike enthusiasm and an inspiration. It will be some fun in the next world when he teams up with his old friends and adversaries. So long comrade and on behalf of my family, his friends in Ireland and all of the athletes he helped directly and indirectly we would like to thank you and wish you well in the next life.

Keep it simple in 2012

 Portland Runners log miles on Lower Macleay trail in Forest Park (c) Robbie McClaran

From Athletics Weekly blog by Jason Henderson 

I took time out over Christmas to study a few rival magazines and was surprised at how ridiculously easy they make achieving world-class fitness sound. Front cover headlines in one magazine alone included: ‘Get drunk, lose weight’, ‘Never get flu again’ and ‘Slash 2kg with a bacon sandwich’.

On the flipside, I read on Twitter how Paula Radcliffe and Scott Overall nailed two-hour runs on Christmas Day ahead of a year that includes racing the Olympic marathon in London in August. Mo Farah, meanwhile, spent Christmas in Kenya, training hard for the 2012 Olympics.

You can probably guess which approach left me feeling more inspired.

I am not an elite athlete. Neither am I a coach. But if there is one thing writing for Athletics Weekly has taught me, it is that there are no short cuts to success.

Magazines that run headlines and articles promising a quick and easy route to success are duping their readers. (My all-time No.1 crazy headline is ‘Olympic fitness, no pain’ by the way). After all, if something sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.

Instead, if you want to get the most out of your potential, you do as much training as you can, as hard as you can, as often as you can without getting injured. Those final three words are vital by the way, especially for young athletes reading this column. It took, of course, several years for Radcliffe to build up to two-hour runs and 140 miles per week. It cannot happen overnight. Or even in the space of 12 months.
The ‘no short-cuts to success’ theory holds true whether you are an Olympic hopeful, teenage athlete or aging veteran hoping to fend off Father Time. Training also has to be specific.

There is nothing wrong, for example, in doing zillions of press-ups and sit-ups, but the best training of all is tailored specifically to the event you do. As the supermiler Steve Cram once said: “If you want to be a better runner, do a lot of running.”

In a similar fashion, all the gymwork in the world won’t help if Roger Federer is about to hit a tennis serve at you. Doing lots of squats in the gym won’t stop cyclist Mark Cavendish whizzing past you either. Playing tennis or cycling for four or five hours a day, however, might give you a fighting chance.

It reminds me a bit of one of Athletics Weekly’s readers, Ian Macmillan, who writes to me regularly to stress that “everything you need to know about training to be a distance runner can be put on one sheet of A4 paper”.

He has a point. Radcliffe knows that there is no substitute for putting in the hard miles. In fact, every top distance runner in the world – from Haile Gebrselassie to world marathon record-holder Patrick Makau – follows a schedule that involves at least 100 miles per week of running mileage with two or three hard sessions at race pace or quicker thrown in.

So when you draw up your new year’s resolutions for 2012, do not overcomplicate things. Keep it simple, work hard and remember there are no short cuts.

Not surprisingly, the ‘fitness experts’ who write articles entitled “six weeks to a six-pack” and other such nonsense have probably not competed in the Olympics themselves.

» Jason Henderson edits AW and tweets at @Jason_AW