The show will go on in NYC.

The show will go on this Sunday in New York City. Some hate it, some love it. I fall somewhere closer to the latter. Many are disappointed that their travel has been disrupted. That's tough. I've been flying in and out of LaGuardia every Monday and Thursday for the past seven months and know first hand how best laid plans can go awry. My 3:30-turned-11:30 departure last Thursday seems pretty small in comparison to the desolation that Sandy has inflicted on the biggest and best city in America. I also know how good it felt to run this great race in 2009.

While being the financial capital of the world, New York is also the most resilient city in the world. Many have been displaced, but the city will come together and recover. As much as I feel for those that are in dire straits right now, I'm happy that the race will be run. The New York City Marathon is as good as it gets. Mary Wittenberg and the New York Road Runners will do everything in their power to put on the best race they possibly can for those all over the world on this first Sunday in November.

Whatever your opinion, set your DVR and/or watch the marathon this Sunday at 9am eastern on ESPN. (A program called "Marathon Morning Across America: 2012 ING New York City Marathon" will air at 7am on ESPN 3). The better the ratings, the more likely it will be that more major running events are carried by ESPN. And I think we can all agree that this would be a good thing!

writing about running predictions:

Men
1. Moses Mosop
2. Martin Lel
3. Wilson Kipsang
Darkhorse: Meb Keflezighi
Next American: Jason Hartmann

Women
1. Bizunesh Deba
2. Kim Smith
3. Tatyana Arkhipova
Darkhorse: Edna Kiplagat
Top Americans: Amy Hastings & Molly Pritz

Prep for Sunday with two great podcasts:

House of Run - Jason and Kevin are joined by Jesse Squire and Dan Rubenstein

The Trailer - The guys are joined by Lauren Fleshman

...and the always excellent LetsRun.com Men's and Women's preview


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Daily Daegu: Kenyan Women dominate and is Kenenisa Bekele back?

Will Kenny B hoist the flag in Daegu?

The first day at Daegu was the won by the Kenyan Women. Edna Kiplagat led the sweep in the Women's Marathon and Vivian Cheruyiot led another sweep (including a the 4th spot) in the Women's 10,000. Tera Moody led the Americans in the Marathon with a 17th place finish in 2:32:04. Shalane Flanagan led much of the 10,000, but ended up 7th in 31:25.57 (with a strong 9th by Jen Rhines). Oregon Track Club got their first ever World Championship medal with Sally Kipyego taking the silver in the 10,000 in 30:50.04, just over a second off the win.

Day 2 brings on the first Men's distance final. It's been awhile since we've seen the king of distance running, Kenenisa Bekele. And until he's on the line Sunday morning at 6:30am eastern (7:30pm Daegu), I won't be 100% convinced he's actually running. Kenny B hasn't toed the line since January 2010, when he finished fourth in a cross country race in Edinburgh. Whether he shows up or not, he and the field will have their hands full with the star of 2011, Mr. Mo Farah. As strong as Farah has looked all season, it's going to be hard to pick against him, although it will be very fascinating to see what kind of shape Bekele shows up in.

Beyond the two superstars, in America, we'll be cheering for Galen Rupp, as he's got a legitimate shot at a podium finish. Standing in his way will be the bruising Ethiopian, Imane Merga, the up and down Sileshi Sihine, as well as Eritrea's Half Marathon World Record Holder, Zersenay Tadese. This isn't even speaking of the always strong Kenyan contingent. Rupp will have his hands full, but if he runs to his capability, he should be in the mix with a mile to go. Also in the mix for America is the 10k newcomer, Matt Tegenkamp, and Mammoth Track Club's Scotty Bauhs.

Day 2 also brings on the semifinal heats for the Men's 800, as Khadevis Robinson and Nick Symmonds qualified out of the opening round. The Women's 1500 heats start as well with Morgan Uceny, Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury taking the stage. Finally, day 2 brings on the 100 meter final. Not a distance race, but always exciting to see Usain Bolt go against the world!

As usual, Universal Sports will have coverage on television and online. Full results are on the IAAF Daegu page here.

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Daily Daegu: Women's Marathon starts the party tonight

2 different Dreams in Daegu

We're finally here. After plenty of talk and speculation, the dance starts tonight (at 8pm for us east coasters) as the 2011 Women's World Championship Marathon kicks things off in Daegu. First things first, if you want to watch the Women's Marathon and the rest of the championships live, get access for $14.99 from Universal Sports. They have a deal now where if you enter the code "trackc2l" you get full Daegu access, plus the 2011 Diamond League package. That package includes on-demand replays of all the previous meets, plus live coverage of Zurich on September 8th (aka the Olympics in a day) and Brussels on September 16th. You can also get my coverage/opinions/predictions every day here on the Daily Daegu and via twitter.

2010 New York City Marathon winner, Kenya's Edna Kiplagat, leads the way in the Marathon this evening with many top names missing, as there isn't any appearance fee money at the World Championships. It is an excellent place to earn some for the future though! What will be exciting is the team title that will likely come down to Kenya vs. Ethiopia (shocking I know). The Kenyan stars are Kiplagat, Sharon Cheprop, Priscah Jeptoo and Caroline Rotich. The Ethiopian stars are Aselefech Mergia, Bezunesh Bekele, Atsede Baysa, Aberu Kebede and 2008 Boston Winner Dire Tune. My money's on Kenya, but I would be surprised if Ethiopia won in a landslide either. The American team is comprised of five women looking to cut their teeth a little more on the international level. Leading the team is the master, Colleen De Reuck. Tera Moody ('09) and Zoila Gomez ('07,'09) also bring experience, with Kathy Newberry and Zap Fitness' Alisa McKaig rounding out the team (I write this a few miles from Zap en route to the USATF 10k Trail Championships). A podium finish may be a stretch for my fellow Americans, but I'm pulling for you ladies!

Tomorrow morning at 8am eastern, Shalane Flanagan leads the charge for a medal in the Women's 10,000. Making the podium will be tough, but definitely not impossible. Kenyan Sally Kipyego, who trains with the Oregon Track Club, has the best time in the world this year at 30:38 and has gotten the better of Flanagan of late, but will likely be a must beat for Flanagan to get on the stand. Vivian Cheruiyot and Meseret Defar will be duking it out up front with defending champion, Kenya's Linet Masai, in the mix as well. Finally, Ethiopia's Meselech Melkamu will be pushing the pace in the Flanagan/Kipyego and possibly Masai. If Flanagan can run like she did at World Cross and bide her time until the last 2k, she should be in the position she needs to be to bring home some hardware. It will also be interesting to see how the recently injured Kara Goucher and 5-time World Championship team member, Jen Rhines, do. If either crack the top 7 or 8, it should be deemed a success.

Again, the festivities begin at 8pm eastern tonight on Universal Sports. IAAF World Championship central is here with startlists, etc. And finally, the Let's Run prediction contest is here.

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