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Written by Dave Hunter

Category: Track

Published: 24 December 2016

Huddle_MollyWideF-NYC16.JPGMolly Huddle, photo by PhotoRun.net

Versatile Distance Star Finds Peace, Sets American Record

One of the more frequently-cited quotations of the Dalai Lama - a gentle man of many observations - notes that "not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck." Deep thinker, the Lama. And perhaps no person better personifies the Tibetan Buddhist's wise saying than American distance star Molly Huddle.

It's been over 16 months since Huddle's premature celebration in the final strides of the Beijing's World Championship 10,000m final allowed her USA teammate Emily Infeld to nip her at the line, costing Huddle the bronze medal. The commission of a horrific mistake in front of a capacity stadium crowd, a vast television audience, and countless more who viewed the virally-transmitted video would have been enough to devastate a lesser person. But Huddle found a way to transform crushing misfortune into a positive force in her life. What did she do? Among other things, she went on a road race tear in the fall of 2015 - winning national road championships at 5K, 10K, 12K, and 10 miles. She rode that momentum on into 2016 by ringing up a second place performance at the Millrose Games 5000 meter run, nipping Joyce Chepkirui at the line to successfully defend her New York Half Marathon title, and grabbing the laurel wreath with a victory in the B.A.A. 5K on Patriot's Day weekend. "I don't think I'll ever get over it," explained Huddle earlier this past summer. "I just want to move past it, not dwell on it, and not let it steal anymore from me by fixating on it."

Read more: Molly Huddle's Inner Strength

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Written by Dave Hunter

Category: Track

Published: 16 December 2016

Dwight Stones by Jonathan Jude Kainas.jpgDwight Stones, photo by Jonathan Jude Kalnas

High Jump Legend, TV Commentator Calls It As He Sees It

When older followers of track & field first think of Dwight Stones, they often recall "the Rookie" - the brash young high jumper who embraced the revolutionary Fosbury Flop, was the youngest member the 1972 USA Olympic track & field squad, captured the bronze medal in Munich, and went on to author a truly outstanding high jump career. Yet younger fans see Stones in a different way - as a passionate, informed track & field commentator who does his homework and has earned respect as a true professional from all corners of the sport. Both assessments are right on target.

Raised in southern California, Stones was at the vanguard of the first wave of athletes to tackle the vertical jump as it was undergoing an event-changing transition. "I pretty much showed up when the event was at the very early transitioning point in the high jump with Dick's ['68 gold medalist Fosbury] success in Mexico City," offers the two-time Olympic bronze medalist. "A lot of athletes - who had no business - were trying to switch to the flop. They weren't built for it. They tried to switch to it without much success. There were other guys who probably should have, but didn't." But the young Stones was intrigued by what he saw and the unexplored possibilities the new jump technique might provide. "I embraced it in my high school years and just got it. I can't explain why. It made sense to me. And the very first day I started working with it, it made sense to my coach. And in the absence of any materials or film, we took it apart and put it back together. I added some stuff I thought was workable from the straddle, the double arm approach, and it all seemed to work." For Stones - aided by his superb technical prowess - the progression was stunning. "I quickly went from being a 6' high jumper to a 7'1½" high jumper. I broke the high school national record. A year later I was on the Olympic team and won an Olympic medal. And a year later I was the world record holder."

Read more: Dwight Stones: The Conscience Of Track & Field

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Written by Dave Hunter

Category: Field

Published: 06 December 2016

Crouser_RyanWide-Rio16.jpgRyan Crouser, photo by PhotoRun.net

Olympic Shot Put Gold Medalist Has Upside Potential

A favorite, accurate, and often-used sports saying declares, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." So true. Ah, but when talent does work hard you have, well, Ryan Crouser - a young, gifted, and dedicated athlete who is the reigning Olympic gold medalist and Olympic record-holder in the shot put.

Read more: Ryan Crouser: Is The Best Yet To Come?

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Written by Dave Hunter

Category: Cross Country

Published: 19 November 2016

2016 NCAA Div. I Women’s Cross Country Championships

Terre Haute, Indiana

With only 1 kilometer remaining in the NCAA women’s cross country championship race, an icy wind whipped across the Terre Haute race course, and Missouri junior Karissa Schweizer – 20 meters behind race leader Anna Rohrer and working hard to hold her 5th place position – faced a moment of truth as she reflected on her progressive race day goals. "Honestly, I really just wanted to be in the top 10. But I knew if I was there, I could be in the top 5. And I knew if I was in the top 5, I would have a kick,” explained the Urbandale, Iowa native. “And I trust my kick."

At that moment, Schweizer went all in. Tearing into the final kilo, Schweizer soon dropped Sharon Lokedi and passed Brenna Peloquin to move into 3rd. "I knew I had a kick,” she explained. “3rd is nice, but I wanted to win." With third-year Mizzou coach Marc Burns exhorting her onward – "You can win this thing!" – Schweizer dug down deep. "I just knew I had another gear. So I just went for it. It was unbelievable. It was just crazy. I was catching them. Coming up the final straight, I just kicked into another gear." And in doing so, she sailed past highly-touted Anna Rohrer and Erin Finn on her way to a most improbable national championship victory.

"I thought she could be in the top 5,” a beaming Marc Burns explained afterwards. “Our goal was to be top 10, give ourselves a chance to be in the top 10 somewhere. We just talked about being in position to beat somebody who – on paper – you're not supposed to beat. I don't think she even thought she had a chance to win, honestly. I wanted her to know that she could do it.” The Mizzou coach analyzed the keys to Karissa’s victorious championship run. “She was really smart early. She was relaxed, fought the wind. The big early pack, suggesting a modest pace, may have helped her a little bit,” noted Burns. “As the race whittled down, she looked good and gave herself a chance.

With Schweizer – who finished 3rd in last spring’s NCAA outdoor championship 5000m – breaking through with a stunning upset win in Terre Haute, Burns is looking forward to cultivating further progression with his new champion. “She's obviously got wheels. We're going to keep plugging, focus on the process, and keep her healthy," offered the Missouri coach. Following a pause, Burns added, "After today, it is going to incredible to see what she can do on the track.” Those who witnessed Schweizer’s national championship upset win can’t help but share those same sentiments.

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Written by Dave Hunter

Category: Cross Country

Published: 19 November 2016

2016 NCAA Div. I Women’s Cross Country Championships

Schweizer, Oregon Are Upset Victors

Terre Haute, Indiana

The 2016 women's NCAA cross country championship competition kicked off a race day that was full of surprises and underscored the often-overlooked importance of total team performance.

With temperatures in the mid 30's and stubborn, powerful gusting driving wind chills into the teens, some 250 finalists answered the gun at Terre Haute's Lavern Gibson Championship Course. Leading a tightly-bunched field, Michigan senior Erin Finn and Notre Dame sophomore Anna Rohrer hit 1K in 3:10. At 2K, Rohrer – always striving to push the race pace – was up front, with Finn a half step back, and the New Mexico duo of Alice Wright and Calli Thackery rounding out the top four. After racing past 3K in 9:50 and stringing out the field, Rohrer – who placed 6th in last year's championship race – soon signaled the start of earnest racing as she tossed in a downhill surge just before 5K [passed in 16:20] in an effort to break away, leaving Finn and Boise State sophomore Brenna Peloquin 10 meters back with another duo – Kansas sophomore Sharon Lokedi and Missouri junior Karissa Schweizer – back yet another 10 meters. After the leaders turned into a biting headwind for the long final drive to the finish, Midwest Regional Champion Schweizer – who had moved into 3rd yet still down 20 meters with 300m to go – began her drive. Witnessing Rohrer and Finn beginning to falter against the gale energized Schweizer as she caught and promptly passed the struggling duo with just 100 meters remaining. Neither could respond to the Tiger’s finishing sprint. The exuberant surprise winner crossed the line in 19:41.6 – #9 on the course’s all-time list. The new champion was followed by her spent competitors – Finn [19:44.2] and Rohrer [19:44.6].

Meanwhile, the women's team race created its own surprising drama – ultimately affirming that a fully-performing squad is the key to a national team title. Favored Colorado – which had handily won the Mountain Regional with a cruise-control tight-pack strategy – came up short when Erin Clark, 11th in last year's championship, had a bad day at the office, struggling home 105th as the Buffaloes' final finisher. Simply an expected performance in the top 24 by its senior leader would have secured the team title for the Colorado women who totaled 134 points – 9 behind team champion Oregon.

An analysis of the team victory by Oregon [4-9-16-47-49=125] – a 1 point win over runner-up Michigan [2-13-24-37-50=126] – reveals not only how close the team battle was, but also the importance of every one of each team's scoring members. After a 6000 meter battle and buried in a covey of finishing athletes, Maggie Schmaedick – the Ducks fifth finisher – capped a maniacal race-ending sprint by crossing the finish line to just edge the Wolverines' final scorer by only 1/10th of second. Had that 1½ foot blanket finish been reversed, Michigan takes the team title by a point.

"I thought we could break 200 points and get a trophy,” proclaimed an ecstatic Maurica Powell. “Going into the race we had three really good front runners. I hoped we'd be top 4, but 125 points blows my mind," said the Oregon women’s assistant coach. “I saw them at 2K and told them, 'Guys, we're winning. Just stay where you are. We're in great position. Just stay calm.' At 4K, I think I yelled, "Guys, we're winning. Don't do anything stupid,'" laughed Powell.

"We were 5-for-5. I mean every kid we lined up today had an incredible race,” explained Powell who relished the win by her 12th ranked Ducks – the lowest-ranking team in NCAA history to win a national title. “I couldn't be prouder of these kids." Before turning to join her celebrating athletes, the Duck coach added, “We were only 4th in the PAC-12 and 4th in our region, but if you have three front-runners at this meet, it gets you something.” And on a championship day full of surprises, that something proved to be an unexpected NCAA cross country team championship for the women of Oregon.

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Written by Dave Hunter

Category: Track

Published: 18 November 2016

WC_FEA_RALLY_008_r600x400.jpgUniversity of Arkansas T&F team, with Coach Lance Harter, photo by Andy Shape for WholeHogSports.com

Back in the late-70's when Lance Harter began his collegiate coaching career, he was wise enough to observe and listen to older, more experienced track & field coaches knowing he could pick up valuable pointers from them. "When I was getting started, I was the young buck at the Cal Poly SLO. And everybody would call me "kid' or 'son'", laughs Harter. "I'm very blessed that I've had the opportunities that I've had. And I attribute a lot of it to the mentors that I've had. I was very fortunate to have mentors that said, 'You're the young buck. But let's do it the right way.' And I'm very appreciative of that." Now the roles are reversed as Harter - one of the most respected and decorated college track& field coaches in the game - is the one from whom advice is sought.

Read more: Lance Harter: A Pioneer In Our Sport

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Written by Dave Hunter

Category: Track

Published: 15 November 2016

usainbolt.jpgUsain Bolt, adidas GP 2015, photo by Kevin Morris

Sprint Legend Makes Unmatched Greatness Appear Commonplace

Having earlier stepped up with my evaluation of the elite women and unveiled my selection of the 2016 Track & Field Female Athlete of the Year [Polish hammer thrower Anita Wlodarczyk], it is high time I followed up with my analysis of this past season's exceptional track & field men and declare my pick for this year's Track & Field Male Athlete of the Year.

Using the subjective metrics of progression of marks, head-to-head competition, and honors won, here is how I see the top track and field men for 2016:

Read more: Usain Bolt: Male Athlete Of The Year

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Written by Dave Hunter

Category: Field

Published: 12 November 2016

Anita Wlodarczyk goes airborne, Rio 2016, photo by PhotoRun.net

Polish Hammer Thrower Did It All

Now that the 2016 track & field season has concluded and while memories of the many electrifying performances of this Olympic year still linger, it is the perfect time to look back on a terrific year for our sport on the track and in the field and determine who is worthy to be named the Track & Field Female Athlete of the Year.

And before we begin to assess the credentials of the best candidates, we would do well to remind ourselves of the generally-accepted evaluation criteria: (i) Progression Of Marks: How fast an athlete ran, how far an athlete threw, and how high an athlete jumped - and the progression achieved throughout the season - are given influential, but not overwhelming weight; (ii) Head-To-Head Competition: More important than mere marks, did the candidate compete against the world's best? And how well did the athlete compete against world class peers?; and (iii) Honors Won: Most importantly, how did the athlete perform in the year's most celebrated and important competitions? Did the athlete perform best on the world's biggest stages when it counted the most?

Read more: Anita Wlodarczyk: Female Athlete Of The Year

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Written by Dave Hunter

Category: Road Racing

Published: 07 November 2016

Ghebreslassie_Ghirmay-Rio16.JPGGhirmay Ghebrselassie, Rio Olympics to New York, photo by PhotoRun.net

USA's Huddle, Abdi on the Podium

Marathon legend Frank Shorter has a phrase to describe a marathon competition day that dawns with bright, crisp, windless conditions. Race day for the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon was the '72 Olympic marathon champion's "no excuses day" - perfect road racing weather in which to celebrate the 40th anniversary of New York's first 5-borough race and the first of 4 NYC Marathon victories for Bill Rodgers.

Read more: Keitany, Ghebrselassie are NYC Victors

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Written by Dave Hunter

Category: Road Racing

Published: 26 October 2016

gerrit-van-der-veen-and-wilson-kipsang-addressing-press-in-eldoret.jpg

Gerard van de Veen with Wilson Kipsang

Dutch Manager Handles The Greats

The spectacle of international road racing at the elite level is so grand as to sometimes be overwhelming: picture several dozen exquisite and exactingly prepared thoroughbred men and women, positioned on starting lines in front of huge teeming fields of tens of thousands and prepared to race for life-changing prize money over the streets of some of the world's greatest global capitals. Against this backdrop, it is often easy to overlook a key player in all of this: the elite athlete's agent or manager, the person who toils alone in anonymity to ensure that all non-racing aspects of the athlete's life run smoothly, that the annual race calendar is wisely assembled to include the proper progression of races against the appropriate opponents, and that the overall trajectory of an athlete's career is arcing properly to pinnacle, career-capping - even world record - performances. It is a daunting task which requires superior multi-tasking skills, an engrained knowledge of how to select and develop road racing talent, a nuanced yet important relationship with the athlete, and a keen sense of mother wit. Many aspire to become managers on the road racing circuit, but only a select few truly excel.

One of the more successful managers who presides over a stable of world-class road racers is Amsterdam-based Gerard van de Veen.

Read more: Gerard van de Veen: Cultivating Road Talent