Talking Trials: Hurdling barriers on and off the Track

Steepling into London are Shay, Franek and Coburn
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

This is the ninth installment of "Talking Trials." There will be more to come every day during the 2012 USA Olympic Track and Field Trials from Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, OR.Full results for the trials are here.

Prelims and semis filled the day Friday, with the one final on the track being the Women's 3000 meter Steeplechase. Emma Coburn looked great and would win her second consecutive national championship, but the story was the race behind her. 2010 NCAA Outdoor Steeplechase champion, Bridget Franek, had a rough day at the Prefontaine Classic. Would she recover on the same track that didn't cooperate a few weeks back? Yes. She ran a smart race, conserved enough energy to have a strong last 400 meters and found herself on the podium as the national runner up. Read Franek's account of the race here. Right behind her, 2012 NCAA Outdoor Steeplechase champion, Shalaya Kipp, would fight off New York-New Jersey Track Club's Ashley Higginson for the third and final spot for London. Tom Nohilly, an 8:16 steepler in his day, told me earlier this week that he'd been working with Higginson and that she was ready. He was correct. She looked great and would run a big personal best and the A Standard, which will come in handy for next year. Despite her record run, Kipp was up to the challenge and would join her Colorado teammate, Coburn, on the squad. The last three NCAA Steeplechase champions are now all Olympians, as Coburn won in 2011. Speaking of Coburn, David Monti took the words right out of my mouth at the press conference and asked her point blank, with all her success, had she given thought to going pro? A prepared Coburn answered "I owe it to my coaches and Shalaya Kipp to finish out my eligibility at Colorado." Watch the race here.

Picked this up at the Brooks run
this morning. Fitting, huh?

Off the track, things started to get strange as the news began to trickle in that Brooks' Gabriele Anderson had been disqualified from the Women's 1500 semifinal and would not run the final. The story was that with 300 meters to go, she made contact with Amy Mortimer (click that link for a short video of the contact from crtside). Mortimer would finish seventh in the heat. Her protest would advance the next in line, Alice Schmidt, and not Mortimer, to the final. Anderson's coach, Team USA Minnesota's Dennis Barker has appealed. Here's David Monti's story on the topic.

NEWS FLASH: Gabe just tweeted at 3:30 pm eastern: "THANK GOD I'M BACK IN THE FINAL!"

This brings up the question of what is disqualification-worthy contact? In the prelim heats of the 1500, US Army's John Mickowski, was pushing anyone that got in his way, and that included multiple shoves of Jordan McNamara. Rubbing is racing? I don't know. But I imagine both the finals will have some pushing and shoving, so get ready. There are Olympic berths on the line.

In North Carolina news, it was all smiles for Greensboro’s Calesio Newman. “I feel good. I just wanted to get through the rounds smart,” stated a pleased Newman after his first round of the Men’s 200 meter run. After a tough turn of events in the 100 meters earlier in the week, he would return to run a personal best time of 20.28 seconds. He won his heat in the process and would take the second best overall time into Saturday’s semifinal, trailing only heavy favorite, Wallace Spearmon. Luckily for Newman, both Walter Dix and Justin Gatlin have withdrawn from the event. He'll be back on the track tonight. Watch a short video of the interview I did with him here.

Finally, off the track, the Oiselle "Totally Trials" Fashion show had a special guest DJ. Who you ask? The one and only MC Hammer. It was a fun affair and the only event I've attended thus far where the women outnumbered the men. This week was the first I had heard of the Seattle-based company, but I would expect to hear more about them over the coming year, as they have a great group working for them and some nice clothing to match!

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37 years after the death of Steve Prefontaine, the Pre Classic lives on

What was originally staged as the "Hayward Field Restoration Race" in 1975, the Prefontaine Classic, now in it's 38th year, continues to live on as the premier track and field event in America.

I was lucky enough to attend last year (and kept a journal my time in Eugene) and couldn't pass up the return trip to Eugene (via Portland) for the 2012 edition. If you're a track fan, this is something you need to see in person.

The distance action heats up Friday night with "Hollister Night at Hayward." The event is free to attend and will be webcast starting at 7:25pm Pacific (10:25pm Eastern) at PreClassic.com.

The Women's 800 kicks things off at 7:30pm with Molly Beckwith, Heather Kampf, Gena Gall, LaTavia Thomas, Alysia Montano and Maggie Vessey leading the way. This is the race that put Vessey on the map. Her win in 2009 out of nowhere paved the way to where she is now. Expect her to challenge for the win. This will also be an excellent chance to see where Montano's fitness is, as we haven't seen much out of her this year (yet).

The Men's International Mile is up next, at 7:37pm, with a stellar field of Americans, including Russell Brown, Matt Centrowitz, Will Leer, Jeff See, Dorian Ulrey and American Record Holder, Alan Webb (who set the American High School Record in 2001 here). Alfred Kirwa Yego, Nicholas Kemboi and Mohammed Shaween lead the foreign contingent. This event has become a new standard at Pre and expect the winner to be close to 3:50.

Vessey, Schmidt and Montano will
take on the world's best
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The Women's 1500 goes off at 7:46 with another excellent American field of Gabrielle Anderson, Katie Mackey, Lauren Johnson, Brenda Martinez, Treniere Moser, Anna Pierce, Shannon Rowbury, Jenny Simpson and Phoebe Wright. Sheila Reid, Jemma Simpson and Tizita Bogale will lead the foreign contingent. Simpson will try to regain the form that found her running 3:59.90 here in 2010, as much of the rest of the field will take aim at the Olympic A Standard of 4:06.00.

The Women's 10,000 is up next at 7:56pm. Expect Tirunesh Dibaba to go away with this one, but pay attention to Lauren Fleshman. She's been injured and is rabbiting. It will be a good chance to see what kind of form she's in before the trials. Alisha Williams will take aim at the Olympic A Standard of 31:45. She has the B right now and will want to get this out of the way before the Olympic Trials in 3 weeks. (Nevermind, she was just rabbiting through 3000)

Closing out the night is the ballyhooed Kenyan Olympic Trials in the 10,000. Athletics Kenya decided to stage it here due to the similarity in elevation to London and it should be quite a run. The top two will qualify, with the last choice going to the committee. 10 of the Men entered have run under 27 minutes and I would expect this race to be won in the 26:45 range. Micah Kogo and Eliud Kipchoge seem to be the favorites, but it's Kenya. There are new stars emerging yearly. Expect the unexpected. I'll be pulling for "36 year old" Mark Kiptoo.

The 38th Annual Prefontaine Classic goes off Saturday, as usual, with excellent sprints, distance and field events. It will be broadcast at noon Pacific (3pm Eastern) on NBC. The Women's Steeplechase kicks off the distance events at 11:46am with Emma Coburn, Bridget Franek and Sara Hall lining up against the best in the world. Milcah Chemos looks to be the ace of the field. Coburn and Franek went 1-2 last year at USA Outdoors and look to be the favorites to make the team once again. Hall has yet to show the form that she showed towards the end of the 2011 season. This will be her chance to show whether or not she's a threat to make the team.

The Women's 3000 goes off at 12:11pm with Jackie Areson, Angela Bizzarri, Brie Felnagle, Sally Kipyego, Molly Huddle, Lisa Uhl and Amy Hastings duking it out. Talk about an American distance fans dream race. This one should be a lot of fun.

Symmonds won in 2007 and would love
 to win Pre again
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The Men's 800 is next at 12:24pm with Nick Symmonds taking on the world's best (sans David Rudisha). Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Abubaker Kaki, Adam Kszczot, Mohammed Aman and Boaz Lalang will make it a tough one. Add Americans Khadevis Robinson and Tyler Mulder to the mix and you've got a very strong 800. Matt Scherer will lead them around.

The Men's 5000 is at 12:50pm with Matt Tegenkamp and Galen Rupp taking on an incredible field of Mo Farah, Kenenisa Bekele, Craig Mottram, Collis Birmingham, Isiah Koech, Sam Chelanga, Yenew Alamirew and Augustine Choge. Will Rupp go under 13:00 finally? and on American soil? He's gonna have to if he wants to compete in this field!

Closing out the classic will be the Bowerman Mile at 1:19pm. The American contingent will be comprised of Andrew Wheating, Leo Manzano, Lopez Lomong, David Torrence and Bernard Lagat. Silas Kiplagat, Asbel Kiprop Amine Laalou and Nick Willis will lead the world challengers. Kiprop's been tough here, but Kiplagat recently got the better of him in Doha. Expect a scorcher!

All in all, an event that Pre would be proud of!

I'll be tweeting and running around all over Eugene from Thursday night on... with stops at Track Town Pizza, Ninkasi Brewing, Pre's Trail, Rogue Public House, Morning Glory and of course, Hayward Field!

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5 Questions with Bridget Franek

Bridget Franek at World Outdoor in Daegu
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Today we have 5 Questions with the 2010 NCAA Steeplechase Champion and 2012 Team USA Member. She recently ran her first steeple of the year and was under the Olympic A Standard (and is the current World Leader).

Bridget Franek moved from the east coast to the west in 2010 after her All American career at Penn State. Since her NCAA Championship, she's finished second at the 2011 USA Championship and competed at the World Outdoor Championship in Daegu. She'll take aim at an Olympic berth this summer in her current home, Eugene, OR. Follow Bridget on Twitter, check out her blog "Steepling Barriers, Chasing Dreams" and her club profile (where results and race videos are posted).

5 Questions with Bridget Franek

1. Writing About Running: You had an excellent debut at the Oregon Twilight this weekend, running under the Olympic A-Standard in 9:39.77. How’d the race go in your opinion and were you able to execute the way you wanted?

Bridget Franek: I was really happy with my race this weekend. I definitely feel like I have a much faster time in me, but it was a good start. It felt so easy, I had no idea I was cruising so fast until I heard the announcer say the projected time! This part of the season is fun- where we are all getting to see hard work paying off!

2. Writing About Running: You’ve got a history in softball, basketball, volleyball and soccer. Do you think the athleticism that those sports require has helped you excel in the steeple?

Bridget Franek: Yes, because I did those sports through high school, I am young in terms of running years, but I definitely believe that I gained strength and body awareness from them.

3. Writing About Running: You’re now a few years into training out in Eugene. How have you enjoyed your time training with the Oregon Track Club Elite so far?

Franek ran the 5000 at Payton Jordan
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Bridget Franek: The Oregon Track Club is something really special. I now see that it would be very difficult to find the amount of support and commitment we receive from the community and our coaching staff anywhere else in the country. Coach Rowland is unlike any Coach I have ever had and operates on a very professional level, pushing us athletes harder than I have ever been asked to go. It has all taken me time to adjust, but I am very confident that once I do, I will be at a very high level and have the best shot of finding my true potential in the sport. My transition has been made easier with all my help from my sponsors- Nike, PowerBar, and SkinCareForAthletes- all of which make training less painful and much more fun! It has also been an incredibly inspirational and beneficial experience to be able to train with some of the best athletes from all over the world.

4. Writing About Running: With many track fans coming out west this summer for Prefontaine and the Olympic Trials. Do you have any “must” recommendations in Eugene for food, coffee, etc?

Bridget Franek: I love Eugene for all the great places to get good breakfasts- Glenwood, Studio One, Morning Glory, Keystone, and Original House of Pancakes to name a few! There are some really 'healthy' and creative spots for lunch and dinner as well- Laughing Planet, Holy Cow, and PRI are great if you are willing to try something different!

5. Writing About Running: The trials coming up in about 6 weeks, what else do you have planned between now and then?

Bridget Franek: I am hoping to run two more steeplechases- one in Oxidental, CA and then Prefontaine. Coach is happy there are still 6 weeks so that we can get in some more work between now and then too! Yikes!

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If you're interested in sponsoring writing about running (and other great sites like TrackFocus, Track Superfan, Paul Merca and the House of Run podcast) in the future, check out The Relay Network. You can also support the site by buying something on Amazon.com through this link