Talking Trials Final Report: Tarmoh-geddon, A Tale of Two Fourths and that Men's 1500

Jeneba Tarmoh hugs Allyson Felix after the 200
(all photos: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

What a week (and a half)! The 2012 Olympic Track and Field Trials have now come and gone and were filled with highs for some and lows for others, but an overabundance of excitement for all; on and off the track. Here are my final thoughts in eleventh and final edition of "Talking Trials." Full results for the trials are here.

Tarmoh-geddon
When I woke up this morning, I heard ESPN's Mike and Mike (and again at lunch on the Jim Rome Show) discussing the Jeneba Tarmoh forfeit to Allyson Felix, and how could someone give up the once-in-every-four-years opportunity to be an Olympian. I'm not quite sure, but I respect Ato Boldon and his explanation that Tarmoh was just too exhausted physically and mentally to go through with it. Seems plausible, but I'll always think there is something else there. As I mentioned on Twitter last night, I believe Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated's final article on the topic is where we should leave it. And then I watched Tarmoh's interview on SportsCenter. Mind boggling. Watch that race again.

A Tale of Two Fourths
Aside from my coverage here at writing about running, I covered local athletes for the Charlotte Observer, the Greensboro News & Record and the Raleigh News & Observer at the trials. Two of those athletes finished in the first spot that you don't want to finish at the trials, fourth.

Calesio Newman starts his run
towards the 200 final

For Greensboro's Calesio Newman, fourth was a huge jump in his career. He had failed to make the 100 meter final earlier in the week and would bounce back and look excellent through the rounds. When the 200 meter final came, he looked great. He would have a tough road ahead, starting out of lane eight, with eventual champion, Wallace Spearmon and 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, Shawn Crawford, starting in lanes six and seven, respectively, using him as a personal rabbit. He would run the race of his life. That race would prove to be a mere .01 seconds off of his first Olympic team. He was the slowest out of the blocks and looked over about 10 meters too early at the finish. A tough day, but no one expected him to compete for the spot, so he had something to smile about. Read my final piece in the Greensboro News & Record on him here and watch part of my interview with him here. Watch the Men's 200 meter final here. 

For former Charlottean and NC State standout Julia Lucas, fourth was a bit tougher. In the Women's 5000 meter final Monday night, Lucase mad a strong move with three laps to go and looked to have the win in the bag. That changed with a lap to go. She slowed and would be passed by Julie Culley and American Record Holder, Molly Huddle, with 200 meters to go. It looked like she would hang onto the third and final Olympic spot. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the case, as a hard charging Kim Conley would nip her at the line by .04 seconds. Despite the tough loss, Lucas answered questions for over ten minutes and faced her disappointment head on. It was incredible to watch and I take my hat off to anyone with that kind of toughness that makes a move like she did, have it backfire, and then standby it. Watch the agonizing race here.

Leo Manzano outkicks Centro down the stretch

That Men's 1500
The toughest team to make had to be the Men's 1500 meters. From the gun, it was exciting. The Jordan McNamara-Will Leer-John Mickowski plan of attack to try and get the Olympic A Standard almost worked, but they would have had to beat an excellent crowd to make the team; standard or no standard. In the end, the cream rose to the top with the year in, year out, world team lock, Leo Manzano, pushing by Matt Centrowitz in the last 50 meters to take the title and Andrew Wheating doing the same to Robby Andrews for that third final spot. It was a sea of carnage at the finish and Andrews was the face to pure exhaustion as he had to be helped off the track and then back to the warm up area. David Torrence was in second with 100 meters to go and would fade to sixth. That was just a very hard team to make. I wonder how many will drop down to the 800 or move up to the Steeplechase or the 5000 for next year's World Championships in Moscow. Watch the 1500 Final here.

Amy "Hasty" Hastings

The Eugene Scene
The town was electric for the trials. I met so many great people that it would be impossible to list them all. The people inside, outside and around the sport are some of the most interesting and introspective people I've ever met. I had the fun of meeting lots of great writers, athletes, shoe company employees and of course, the two groups that have helped every track and field fan see more of sport in real time, Flotrack and RunnerSpace. Both of these groups work relentlessly and quite frankly, I don't know how they have the energy to do it. I'm happy they do. Some highlights from talks with athletes were speaking to Lauren Fleshman and Matt Scherer late Saturday night about the sponsor game, speaking with Amy Hastings about her breakthrough and of course, hanging with my old friend Steve Edwards and the 3 Non Joggers, while his wife, Shalane Flanagan, ran the 10,000. 

I truly hope that the trials come back to Eugene, as it was easy to navigate everywhere and was very reasonable financially. Not to mention, a packed house of knowledgeable track and field fans every day. I was unsure if I'd understand all of the field events, but Kevin Sully of the House of Run podcast, educated me on them and I thoroughly enjoyed the nuances the exciting atomosphere that the fans loved. I fully expect this team to well in London and can't wait to watch them try.

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Wesley Frazier and Edward Cheserek win New Balance Outdoor 2 Mile Titles

The New Balance Outdoor Nationals once again returned to the beautiful Irwin Belk Track at Aggie Stadium this weekend. Greensboro, North Carolina would once again host the best high schoolers from across the country. The featured distance events of the evening would be the Boys and Girls Championship 2 Mile Runs.

Leading the boys would be St. Benedict Prep's Edward Cheserek. Would he challenge German Fernandez' meet record of 8:34.40, which was set in 2008? Would he challenge Lukas Verzbicas' 8:29.46 set last year at Pre? Those were the questions stirring through the stadium as the 80+ degree day started to cool into the mid 70's at sunset approached.

The day got off to a rough start for the Newark, NJ Senior, as he lost control and dropped the baton during the Sprint Medley Relay. This is coming off a disappointing 12th places finish at the Adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile, where he "only" ran 4:07.29. How would he respond in quite possibly he last race of his season?

Of course, Cheserek isn't the only story. The 2 Mile would be the last high school race for Cary, NC standout, Thomas Graham, before heading out west in the Fall to join the powerhouse that is the Stanford Cardinal. Graham's career as one of the top distance runners in North Carolina history includes multiple state titles, two trips to Foot Locker Nationals, an 8:56.21 for 3200 meters at the storied Arcadia Invitational and most notably, a 14:11.23 for 5000 meters at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. How would he fare against King Edward and the rest of an excellent field that spanned from coast to coast.

Last night, Winona Lake, Indiana's Ashley Erba ran a meet record of 16:18.21, distancing herself from last year's champ, Raleigh Ravenscroft's Wesley Frazier. Frazier has had another excellent year, most recently running an impressive 4:42.78 at the Adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile. She would have her hands full tonight with Wilmington, Delaware Tatnall's Haley Pierce coming in with the strongest run of the year at 10:16.35 for 3200 meters.

The girls would go off first at 8:10pm and Wesley Frazier would bide, a the field was tightly bunched the whole way and went through the mile in 5:07. Frazier came on strong over the last 100 meters to take the win in 10:13.43, outkicking Salt Lake City's Natalie Shields in the process. 

Edward Cheserek on the last lap

The guys would follow at 8:40pm. Edward Cheserek would play it cool and not take the lead until about 400 meters to go. When he went, Thomas Graham bided his time and got up on his shoulder with 200 meters to go. It wasn't until the last 100 meters that the speedier Cheserek would pull away and take the win in 8:55.12. Graham would PR in the process with a strong 8:56.56 for the 2 mile distance.

Although the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships would be going on this weekend as well and there would be an obvious divide of talent, the New Balance Outdoor Nationals is always an excellent event, and is a great place to see some emerging talent. I know I had a blast in 1995! Come back tomorrow for the mile and plenty more.

Make sure and check out RunnerSpace's videos of the races here

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5 Questions with Matt Scherer

Matt Scherer paces the 1500 field at Payton Jordan
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Today we have 5 Questions with the self-proclaimed "best 800 meter pacer/rabbit in the world." With what he's done on the track lately, how can we argue? As Canadian Olympian Marathoner Reid Coolsaet recently tweeted "the guy is a billboard for 400-500 meters in every important 800."

Matt Scherer is that guy. The one you keep seeing leading high profile races for a lap or two. The guy barking back at the guy behind him to speed up or stay calm. He's fast, even keeled and wide bodied; perfect for blocking wind. He was asked to go through an 800 recently in 50.50. His FAT split? 50.50. Solid as a rock. He's also sponsorless. He'll be running in Diamond League London, and probably more. He'll be pacing the 800 at the  Victoria International tonight. Check it out live on Flotrack. Check out his website SchererSpeed.com and follow him on Twitter @mscherer

5 Questions with Matt Scherer

1. Writing About Running: You were a part of the fastest 800 meters on US soil Saturday. What does it feel like to be involved in something so historic?

Matt Scherer: To be honest, I'm not even sure I appreciate the magnitude of it yet. I've been busy as of late with a lot of races and travel, so I've had to stay very focused on just doing what I'm supposed to on the track. This was the first time I'd paced for Rudisha, and at the very least, I didn't want to screw anything up for him, that was the main objective. Past that, hitting the 400 meter split at a consistent pace was the only thing on my mind.

I was beyond excited to see the clock stop on 1:41 when he crossed the line. In the past, Rudisha has always had his friend/training partner Sammy Tangui pacing him, so I hope that he liked me enough to request me for more races later in the season and I can help him do something even more special.

2. Writing About Running: On Sunday, you were pacing the 800 on the other side of North America (Harry Jerome in Canada), which has become the norm for you of late. How difficult is it to bounce back and perform on target, when so many are expecting you to hit a time?

Matt Scherer: After having a decent amount of success pacing last year, I prepared myself this year, mentally and physically, for an increased work load. I've always been good at going with the flow and not getting stressed out over little things. That has come in particularly handy with all the things that never go right when traveling. The back-to-back New York and Vancouver races haven't even been my toughest turnaround this year. A couple weeks before that, I paced in Shanghai on Saturday, flew to Phoenix via Chicago and paced again on Monday. That was about a 26 hour travel day. But just like most athletes do, when it's show time, you put on a game face and go do your job and perform. You can't let travel ever be an excuse.

Pacing Kaki at Prefontaine in 2011
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

3. Writing About Running: The 600 you ran against Nick Symmonds at Hayward in 2008 was a great showcase of quite possibly the perfect distance for you. Did this race give you an idea that you might be pretty good at pacing longer races?

Matt Scherer: At the time of that 600 with Nick, pacing wasn't on my radar as a career. But what that race has done for me since I became a full-time pacer is give me a solid credential on my resume. (#6 All-Time) Now when meet directors see PB's like 45.1, 1:14.4, and 1:46.1 it doesn't hurt in getting jobs.

4. Writing About Running: Do you prefer Rabbit or Pacemaker? Does it matter?

Matt Scherer: It doesn't matter to me. It seems like in the US it's usually rabbit and most everywhere else it's pacer or pace maker. You usually can get better jokes with rabbit, which I always appreciate. Sometimes my friends introduce me as a professional quitter.

5. Writing About Running: You've been very busy in pre-Olympic action. What do you have on the schedule coming up?

Matt Scherer: It's still early, but I have the London Diamond League 800 meters on my schedule. I think fields will solidify a bit more once country's national meets and the European Championships are over. I would love to continue pacing at Diamond League and World Challenge meets as much as I can. And am hoping that Rudisha liked me enough to maybe use me for a world record attempt later in the year. For a pacer there isn't anything bigger than being part of a world record.

Watch Scherer pace David Rudisha to the fastest 800 on US soil (1:41.) below:

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Road Rage: There's a new baller in town; Janet Cherobon-Bawcom is her name

Janet Cherobon-Bawcom will eat your bagels
(courtesy Facebook)

It looks like there may be a shake up in the predicted top three finishers at the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon in January. Why is that? There's a newcomer on the US scene that is staking her claim on that podium. Her name is Janet Cherobon-Bawcom. Today, Cherobon-Bawcom annihilated the field at the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women by almost 30 seconds for the win in 32:47. The race served as the USATF Women's 10k Championship. The win also locked in the overall title for the Women's 2011 USA Running Circuit. Oh yeah, she won the BAA Half Marathon yesterday (by over 2:30 in 1:11:58). This all comes just 8 days after winning the USATF 10 mile Championship as well.

The biggest question on American distance running fans minds right now is "Who is Janet Cherobon-Bawcom?" and "Is she eligible to compete for an Olympic spot?" Well... the answer to the latter question seems to be yes, per the New York Road Runners' David Monti and her sponsor, MarathonGuide.com. Per the IAAF, her marathon PR is 2:37:27 from 2008 (in Albany, GA), but judging by her recent success, and her USATF 20k win in September, mid to high 2:20's seems more predictive of her current fitness. As who who is Janet Cherobon-Bawcom? She's from Kenya, has lived in the United States for years and got her citizenship this year. She currently lives and trains in Rome, GA and is finishing up a degree at Jacksonville State in 2012. Here's a link to her post-race interview today with Kevin Ullman from Runnerspace.

What does this mean for the Olympic Marathon Trials in January. If Cherobon-Bawcom can indeed run, it throws another big name in the mix with the three favorites; Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher and Desi Davila, along with Deena Kastor, Stephanie Rothstein and Amy Hastings and Magdalena Lewy-Boulet. Here's the list of all the qualifiers.

Congrats to Janet on her recent success and be on the lookout for her on January 14, 2012 in Houston!

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Road Rage: Ben True seals 2011 USA Running Circuit victory in Minneapolis

True wins in Providence

It's been quite a 2011 for Ben True. In 2010, True left Oregon Track Club Elite and headed back east, closer to home, to train with Tim Broe's new group, In The Arena. It has proved to be an excellent move, with True finishing second today at the USATF 10-Mile Championship in Minneapolis, MN, and more importantly, securing the overall 2011 Mens's USA Running Circuit Championship.

In 2011, True qualified for the USA World Cross Country team, was runner-up at the Gate River Run (15k Championship), won the BAA 5k, ran a 10,000 PR of 28:16 on the track (qualifying him for 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials and 2012 Track Trials), ran a 5,000 PR of 13:24, won the USATF 10k Road Championship at Peachtree, won the USATF 5k Road Championship in Providence and capped it off by securing the 2011 USA Running Circuit Championship today with the runner-up finish in the 10-Mile Championship to Mo Trafeh.

True ran a smart race, staying with his main competition, Aaron Braun, and then kicked when he needed to. For his efforts, True will pick up $20,000; $12,500 for the USA Running Circuit Championship and an additional $7,500 for his runner-up finish today. 

True's win also brings more attention to Tim Broe's "In the Arena" team. Broe spoke with Let's Run in June 2010 about the formation of the group (iTunes link here). True's success this year should bring even more talent into an already expanding group of talented male runners. They've got a nice, well-kept blog as well!

On the Women's side, Janet Cherobon-Bawcom ran away from the field early, and didn't see anyone else until about mile nine, when Mo Trafeh passed her to earn the $10,000 equalizer bonus. Cherobon-Bawcom's win makes her the front runner for the 2011 USA Running Circuit Championship, with the Women's finale in 8 days. New York New Jersey Track Club's Julie Culley ran a strong race for second, and former North Carolina Tar Heel, Blake Russell, rounded out the podium with a strong run in 54:44.

The Women's Championship will wrap up next Monday (October 10) in Boston with the 10k Championship, hosted by the Tuft's Health Plan 10k for Women. As usual, Runnerspace will provide live coverage.

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Road Rage: Anthony Famiglietti is back for the USATF Road 5k Champs in Providence

Have you seen this man?

It's been a while since Anthony Famiglietti has competed. What better place to return than one where he has won before? Fam won the 2008 USATF Road 5k Championships and will start his drive towards qualifying for a third consecutive Olympic team with another run through the streets of Providence, RI tomorrow, in search of another National Championship at the CVS Caremark Downtown 5k. He's written a blog post about his return as well.

Fam's recently been training in Davidson, NC (right outside of Charlotte) and recently returned to the roads with a tune-up win at the Sunset 5k in Salisbury. Fam also attended Appalachian State for two years (before transferring to Tennessee) and leads a charge of runners with NC ties at Providence. USATF 8k Champion, Bobby Mack, will be among the favorites as he continues to have a breakout season. My friend, Sandy Roberts, will be making his USA Running Circuit debut. Both Mack and Roberts run for The Athlete's Foot Racing, out of Raleigh, NC (my team). Also out of Raleigh is Duke Law student, Lauren Bonds. Bonds has had a great past few years and will be representing Adidas Raleigh TC. All will be skipping out on the Mag Mile tomorrow (NC USATF Road Mile Championship in which Mack is a multiple time winner). Finaly, Stephanie "Pezz" Pezzullo, trained in Charlotte for a while, before relocating to Flagstaff, AZ.

Robert Cheseret, who is Bernard Lagat's brother, will be defending on the Men's side, as he kicked down Ben Bruce last year in the final steps to take the National Championship. An excellent field will challenge for the win, as many have traveled to Providence for the shot at the $30,000 purse. Aaron Braun and Ben True will be favorites, along with Fam, Mack and Cheseret, as Braun is currently 1st in the overall USA Running Circuit standings with True a close second.

Conquering one barrier at a time
(TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Sara Hall will look to improve on her second place performance from 2010 on the Women's side, and has a Fam connection as well, as she's spent some time with him working on her steeplechase technique. She'll likely choose that event to try to qualify for the 2012 London team. Hall is currently ranked fifth in the USA Running Circuit standings and could make a big jump with a win in Providence. An injured Molly Huddle won't be defending her title, but Hall will get plenty of competition from the likes of Julie Culley, Emily Brown, Pezz, Bonds and a strong field from all over. If the Runnerspace race coverage team team remains the same, Chris Nickinson will have the call on the Women's side.

Runnerspace will be streaming the race live tomorrow at 11:05am eastern and more information and interviews are available at http://www.runnerspace.com/USA-5km

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Things I Like: Flotrack's new show, Run Junkie

There's a new running show on the block from the excellent team over at Flotrack. My twitter account was greeted to a tweet (from Flotrack) this morning, introducing their new show, Run Junkie. Hosts Ryan Fenton and Alex Lohr do an excellent job of keeping the news brief and exciting and interject some true track dork comedy. While there are other excellent recap shows like Runnerspace Live and the House of Run podcast, in my opinion, there's always room for more. Here's to the newcomer! Check out the first episode below:

Watch more video of Run Junkie on flotrack.org

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Road Rage: The Black Cactus is back! Abdi Abdirahman wins USATF 20k Championship

Abdi after winning 2008 Olympic Trials 10,000
(TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Abdi Abdirahman aka "The Black Cactus" won his first National Championship in over two years today (last was 2009 10k at Peachtree) in breaking away from a strong field, with a 4:36 fifth mile at the Stratton Faxon New Haven Road Race in New Haven, CT. For his USATF 20k National Championship, Abdirahman will take home the $8000 first place prize. His winning time was 1:00:13.

Finishing second, in 1:00:34 was Team USA Minnesota's Jason Lehmkuhle. Finalizing the podium was Boulder, CO's Fernando Cabada in 1:00:58.

On the Women's side, new American citizen (via Kenya), Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, took the title in 1:08:30 over Clara Grandt, who finished in a near personal best of 1:09:06. USA Running Circuit veteran, Katie McGregor, was third in 1:09:56.

Here are the results, courtesy of Runnerspace. Kevin Ullman and Chris Nickinson did an excellent job covering the race this morning with no finish line mishaps!

Next up will be the 5k National Championships in Providence, RI on September 18th.

For more on the USA Running Circuit, check out: http://USARunningCircuit.com

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Road Rage: Ryan Hall leads strong field at Peachtree

America #1!

This July 4th, Ryan Hall will make his return to the USA Running Circuit at one of the largest races in the United States, the Peachtree Road Race. Peachtree serves as the USATF Men's 10k National Championship and always attracts an excellent field. This year is no different. Lining up with Hall will be defending 10k road champ, Ed Moran, recent USATF 8k Champion Bobby Mack, recent track 10,000 bronze medalist Scotty Bauhs, and the always enigmatic Black Cactus (aka Abdi Abdirahman). Also fighting for the win will be the always strong group of James Carney, Fernando Cabada, Patrick Smyth, Ben True, Aaron Braun, USA Running Circuit vet Josh Moen and many others looking to take aim at the 15-deep prize money.

Peachtree always brings in a strong international field as well. Leading that group will be a trio of Kenyans, including the favorite, Sammy Kitwara, former Galen Rupp pacer, Matthew Kisorio and cross country specialist Joseph Ebuya. Expect them to push the pace and string out the Americans.

Runnerspace will be broadcasting the race live, starting at 7:30am eastern (on July 4). Go here for pre-race interviews and to view the live stream

Update: Sammy Kitwara takes the overall win in 28:05 over Matthew Kisorio. Here's the video replay of the race and below are the top 15 results for the Americans (click their names for their Runnerspace post-race interview):

1. Ben True 28:28 
2. Ed Moran 28:29 
3. Abdi Abdirahman 28:35 
4. Brian Olinger 28:35 
5. Christo Landry 28:52 
6. Patrick Smyth 29:06 
7. Scotty Bauhs 29:15 
8. Ian Burrell 29:16 
9. Ryan Hall 29:16 
10. Aaron Braun 29:17 
11. Josh Moen 29:20 
12. Justin Young 29:26 
13. James Carney 29:36 
14. Bobby Mack 29:43 
15. Lex Williams 29:54

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Things I Like: Runnerspace Live's Nationals Recap Raps

Runnerspace Live has always been an excellent weekly recap show. It comes out every Wednesday and has all the information you could want in a quick 10 minute package. One of the highlights every year is their zany nationals recap rap. Although not much of a presence on the show anymore, former host Matt Barnhart looks to be bringing the weird back for a 2011 nationals recap, which is now embedded below. For fun, check out their 2009 nationals recap and 2008 Olympic Trials recaps below as well:

2011's "Welcome to Tracktown"

2009 Nationals Recap Rap:


2008 Olympic Trials Recap Rap:


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