A-Maze-ing Race, I Wish (Updated)

Photo: CARA Hall of Famer Dick Lamermeyer hits the finish mat in DeKalb.
I drove west into the heavy fog of DeKalb this morning and ran the Corn Fest 10K. While my race didn't go quite as well as planned in the 95 percent humidity, I have to accept that others in my age group dealt with it a little better than I did. I clocked 43:35, which doesn't exactly bring home the hardware. I'm licking my wounds from a sixth-place finish, which was five seconds away from a third-place finish. Four of us 55-59ers hog the results from 67th-70th places. Oh, for a little more gas and a better kick! Enough about me. Fellow Elmhurst Running Clubber Charlie Kern, 39, of Elmhurst, who coaches us on Tuesday nights, grabbed the overall win in 32:44. Yeah, Charlie! Way to go. Chad Ware, 22, of Deerfield (DeKalb? in the results), was second in 32:53, and Chris Setzler, 35, of Wonder Lake, took "bronze" in 33:42. Charlie told me he moved into first in the last half-mile. He was quite elated. Well-known Tera Moody, 27, a St. Charles native living in Boulder, Colo., won the women's race in 35:22. Amanda Domich, 23, of Algonquin, placed second in 37:46, and Pam Blair, 27 of Chicago, took third in 38:52. I want to thank all of the people who cheered me on this morning. The race organizers also did a great job. I always love this race because it's a confluence of talent from Chicago, Rockford and other points north and south. Here's to everyone who raced today, including those who went to Sullivan's tap for a couple of brews after the event's conclusion!

Baton Passing 101

I don't know about you, but as much as I try not to go nationalistic and rah-rah, sis-boom-bah for the USA, I can't help rooting for our athletes when they are up against strong opposition, put in tough circumstances and and forced to do their best when the odds are tough. Running a preliminary heat in an event in which you should get silver and maybe gold does not warrant a lot of cheerleading. What rooting I do also gives me the right to boo and be critical. The dropped batons by the U.S. men's and women's 4X100 relays were a disgrace and a perfect metaphor for what's going on in American track and field. We have a bunch of individuals who are pretty good, but not as good as they think they are. They also think they are too good to practice, practice, practice with relay teammates to get it right on the practice track so they'll get it right in front of millions of people. When is the last time we didn't have a baton exchange distaster in the Olympics? It's ridiculous, and it reflects on the team leadership as well as the athletes. When I was a freshman in high school, our relays made better passes than the U.S. Olympians. Oh well. Let's hope we get something great from one of the Americans in the men's marathon. But I'll be rooting for everyone, starting with Kenya's Martin Lel. Chapter 2: The Jamaicans and Brits do the same baton drop in the final. What's going on?!

Outtakes: Accenture Chicago Triathlon

Updated a bit from Thursday
Australian Greg Bennett, the defending champ, Andy Potts, the tough-luck American who just missed making the Olympic team, Matt Reed (maybe . . . he competed on Tuesday in Beijing), Aussie Craig Alexander, a two-time Chicago winner, American David Thompson, and other top-shelf talent highlight a strong men's field in Sunday's Accenture Chicago Triathlon. The women's field stars Liz Blatchford and Julie Dibens of Great Britain, U.S. Olympic alternate Becky Lavelle, American Sam McGlone and two-time winner Joanna Zieger, a sentimental favorite from her days as a Chicago resident.
Here is a story I wrote in this morning's Sun-Times:
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/1120720,CST-SPT-tri22.article
This Andy Potts quote about not watching the Olympic tri was edited out for space:
“I saw a bit of it, but it was pretty hard for me to watch it,” Potts said. “I ended up actually bailing out after a while and went out and rode my bike.”
Here are a few Chicago 2016 quotes I couldn't get in:
Potts -- "I would love to see Chicago get the Olympics. With it being on Lake Michigan and with a great infrastructure in place to get the people to and from . . . there are so many positives about Chicago as a cultural city and what it can offer the world. I would love the city to get the Olympics. I would be 40 then, but I'd give it a try (making the team)!"
Race founder Jan Caille -- "The Accenture Chicago Triathlon, the world's largest triathlon, has hosted many Olympic triathletes. We are known as a great competition and THE place to be if you are a top triathlete racing the international distance.
"Chicago is one of of triathlon's greatest stages, and with the Windy City vying as a finalist to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, our world-class event is definitely the one to watch!"

Constantina Running Chicago?

From what information I've gleaned since Constantina Tomescu-Dita won the Olympic women's marathon, an effort will be made to have her in the starting field for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 12. If anyone can pull off the quick turnaround of World Marathon Majors events, Constantina certainly can. She is known for brutal race schedules, including one year when she ran Chicago one week after winning the World IAAF Half-Marathon title. Plus, she's a fan favorite here and at the Steamboat Classic in Peoria. Stay tuned. Remember the men's marathon at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Chicago time. Robert K. Cheruiyot's withdrawal from the race adds some intrigue for Chicago on the men's side as well. He has been replaced in Beijing by Luke Kibet.

Stanford Study Proves Running Works!

A 21-year study conducted at the Stanford University Department of Medicine confirms what most of us older runners have smugly known all along. Running is helping us remain healthier and live longer. "This study demonstrates that participation in long-term running and other vigorous exercise among older adults is associated with less disability and lower mortality over two decades of follow-up," was a comment made by those who did the study, Eliza F. Chakravarty, MD, MS; Helen B. Hubert, PhD; Vijaya B. Lingala, PhD and James F. Fried, MD. A group of runners age 50 and older was compared to a control group throughout the study. For those of us who just happen to be runners, and older runners in particular, this is good news.
Nothing is simple. This is a very detailed study. Here is a link to a boiled-down summary: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/168/15/1638
Thanks to fellow Fossils Chris Nemeth and Keith Holzmueller for pointing this my way.

Tomescu-Dita, Flat-out Fast

That women's Olympic Marathon sure had a Chicago flavor. In addition to Beijing champ Constantina Toemscu-Dita of Romania and runner-up Catherine "The Great" Ndereba of Kenya, both past winners at the LaSalle Bank (now Bank of America) Chicago Marathon, Great Britain's Paula Radcliffe, running with a whole lot of pain, and American Deena Kastor, an early casualty to a foot injury, also claim Chicago titles on their resumes. Radcliffe, in particular, got a lot of TV time as she struggled to stay in the race. In fact, Ndereba and Radcliffe both set world records in Chicago, although neither stands today. Radcliffe holds the standard at 2:15:25, set in London in 2003. There's one more Chicago tie. Beijing's Olympic course was flat as a pancake. While the U.S. women qualified on a somewhat level course in Boston, what the heck was USATF doing having the men's trials on that ridiculously hilly layout in New York? I'd take flat-course specialist Khalid Khannouchi (4th in the hilly trials) in a heartbeat for this course. We'll find out how the men do next week. I think we can forget how our women did.

Hello, NBC! Flanagan third in 10,000

Although the late-night coverage was close to pathetic, Shalane Flanagan of the USA brought home the bronze last night in the Olympic women's 10,000. Let's all hope there are replays or enhanced looks at this race inbetween the gymnastics soap opera and Michael Phelps' swim exploits.