Battle Royale: Bernard Lagat takes on Silas Kiplagat in the inaugural US Open Men's Mile

The new "Chairman of the Boards"

Bernard Lagat will be at Madison Square Garden this Saturday for his annual mile trek around the boards, only this time, it won't be for the Wanamaker Mile. It will be for the inaugural US Open, which has stacked fields in every event, from Asafa Powell versus Justin Gatlin in the Men's 50 to the return of Lolo Jones in the Women's 50 meter hurdles.

In the Men's Mile, Lagat leads the field with Daegu Silver Medalist, Silas Kiplagat, being the top contender to try to take down one of the best indoors runners ever. Also in the field are Ethiopia's Henok Legesse, Kenya's Daniel Kipchirchir Komen and Americans, Anthony "Fam" Famiglietti and Matt Elliott.

In the Women's Mile, it's an All American showdown with Anna Pierce leading the way and Daegu-bound  steeplechaser (before injury), Stephanie Garcia, Lauren Hagans and Brenda Martinez giving chase.

High school phenom Ajee Wilson, who just committed to Florida State, leads the Women's 800 and Bershawn Jackson and Renny Quow face off in their annual dual in the 600 yard dash. 

Full start lists are available here and the event is the first of the four part Visa Championship Series, which will also include the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix next weekend in Boston, the USA Track and Field Classic, which is the following weekend in Fayetteville, AR and the USATF Indoor Championships, which will be held February 25-26 in Albuquerque, NM. Not in the Visa Championship Series, but equally exciting, the "new" Millrose Games (at the Armory), is putting together a nice field, especially in the Men's 5000. More on that next week.

The full schedule for the US Open is available here. The event will air on ESPN2 this Sunday (on tape delay), from 7-9pm eastern.

Below are the qualifying standards for the USATF Indoor Championships:

Follow writing about running on Twitter and Facebook

Road to Houston: Final Trials Thoughts and Fantasy Recap

This will be the final article in the "Road to Houston" series. I hope you enjoyed them!

Final Trials Thoughts
The weekend in Houston was incredible. The trials were staged well and it was fun to watch. Aside from the streaming debacle, I think it was a success. I hope NBC remedies that for 2016. It was exciting to see Meb prevail after his disappointment in 2008, followed by the roller coaster that began with his win in NYC, his move from Nike to Skechers and his PR at NYC just two months ago.

It was also exciting to see fellow Tar Heel, Shalane Flanagan, take the win. Her past year and a half (or so) has been truly amazing and I believe it's safe to say now that her move from John Cook to Jerry Schumacher has been a complete success. It was also inspiring watching Amy Hastings throw down a power move when it looked like she was out of it. (Click here to check out the TwitVids that I recorded while on course)

Myself and Blaine Moore from RunToWin.com
at the Post-Trials After Party

Beyond the racing, it was nice to meet a lot of the athletes and the other kind folks in the running business. The sport of running has some nice people in it, and I'd especially like to the Richard Fannin from the Gate River Run for hosting an excellent after party at the Flying Saucer. Good times were had by all!

Fantasy Recap
The first fantasy draft was this fall for the NCAA Cross Country Championships and the league was stocked full of some of the most knowledgeable minds in track and field (that are readily available on Twitter). The field consisted of Jesse Squire, aka the Track Superfan, Kevin Liao from Spiked Up, Psyched Up, Chris Nickinson from Runnerspace, Ryan Fenton from Flotrack, Kevin Sully from the House of Run podcast, Jim McDannald from TrackFocus and myself. Liao won the Men's (and overall) and McDannald won the Women's. For the Olympic Trials, the tables would turn.

In the NCAA draft, we had seven rounds (of snake drafting) and five scored. For the trials, we also had seven rounds, but only four scored, due to excessive DNF's. For the next trials, we may need to draft eight, as there were even more DNF's than predicted.

Two smart fellows: Fenton was second and
Nickinson took the win

The winner on the Men's side was Chris Nickinson. He had a solid squad whose scorers were Andrew Carlson (picked 6th, finished 6th), Abdi (picked 9th, finished 3rd), Josh Cox (picked 20th, finished 14th) and Drew Polley (picked 37th, finished 21st). Nickinson also took the overall win this year with a strong Women's performance. This was a strong comeback from his sixth place finish for NCAA XC. It should also be noted that Nickinson had prior obligations with Runnerspace the night of the draft, so he emailed me a depth chart. The depth chart delivered. I finished tied for second on the Men's side with the Track Superfan and my scoring squad was Meb (picked 2nd, won), Cabada (picked 13th, finished 7th), Max King (picked 27th, finished 19th) and Zach Hine (picked 41st, finished 31st).

The winner on the Women's side was Kevin Sully (with help from  Jason Halpin). That's correct, the two headed monster that is the House of Run went from seventh overall at NCAA XC to a Women's win at the Trials. Their scoring four were Amy Hastings (picked 4th, finished 4th), Katie McGregor (picked 11th, finished 11th), Linda Somers-Smith (picked 25th, finished 28th) and Camille Herron (picked 39th, finished 26th). I finished fifth on the Women's side with a scoring team of Magda, Zoila Gomez, Jen Houck and Alisha Williams, my steal, who I picked 37th and finished 14th. The Women's side was close though, and I took the overall bronze, two steps down from Nickinson, and one from runner-up, Ryan Fenton. Fenton is the only league member to podium in both competitions. I like forward to the next!

Follow writing about running on Twitter and Facebook

Road to Houston: Meb and Shalane triumph, while Abdi surprises in Olympic Trials Marathon

I had to fly to Houston to watch the live stream

It was an exciting morning in Houston. The weather was excellent and the runners rolled. The Men took off at a furious pace and the early pack consisted of Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Hall, Dathan Ritzenhein, Abdi Abdirahman, Mo Trafeh and former steepler, Brian Olinger. Bit by bit, the Men began to fade off the back, eventually leaving Meb, Hall, Ritz and Abdi to fight for the three spots. Ritz was the first to drop, and was down 35 seconds to Abdi with about a 5k to go. This is when Abdi began to fade and Ritz began to pick it up. As Ritz rounded the last turn, it looked as though he just may catch him. In the end, Meb triumphed (in 2:09:08), with Ryan Hall finishing a strong second (in 9:09:30), Abdi rounding out the podium (in 2:09:47) and Ritz being the first alternate (in 2:09:55). Brett Gotcher ran a strong fifth in 2:11:06. Click here for full Men's results.

On the Women's side, they took it out very, very easy (6:13 first mile) and slowly paired it down. Like the Men's race, in the late stages, it was a pack of four. This pack consisted of Flanagan, Davila, Goucher and Amy Hastings. Hastings was the first to drop, and just as you thought she was done, she put the hammer down and took the lead just before going into the last lap (18.2 miles in). Eventually, the move wore her out and Davila showed her strength. Flanagan hung with her and Goucher stayed a few steps back. Flanagan pulled away over the last 5k and won in 2:25:37, with Davila just a bit back (in 2:25:55) and Goucher just behind her (in 2:26:06). Hastings finished fourth (in 2:27:17) with Janet Cherobon-Bawcom (in 2:29:45) rounding out the top five (Women's full results are here).

More to come later...

Click here for my "fan video" of Meb rounding the last turn with Hall just behind.

Click here for my "fan video" of Shalane rounding the last turn, with Desi and Kara following thereafter.

Follow writing about running on Twitter and Facebook

Road to Houston: First impressions of Houston and Predictions

The Trials Start and Finish

We're finally here. It's the night before the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon in Houston and most of the elites are starting to tuck in; probably watching some terrible television or anything that will help them relax before what will be, for many, a make or break day in their running careers. Few will prosper, but all will move on in and recall this day for the rest of their lives. And after all the 100+ mile weeks, what a ride it has been. I was lucky enough to interview many of them for the  "Road to Houston" series, and enjoyed meeting Drew Polley, Molly Pritz, and Meagan Nedlo in person today at race headquarters. I look forward to meeting the rest tomorrow after the race.

Spirits were high today for everyone, as the weather was near perfect. A little wind, but nothing crazy. I was lucky enough to catch up and hang out with Jordan Kinley from Karhu and Jeff Caron from Saucony, who were nice enough to show me around and introduce me to a few more folks in the running world. I saw Will Leer going for a jog on the course, Sara Hall asking the help desk for information and met recent Club Cross Champ, Jon Grey, and then proceeded to see him all over the place (he's running the half on Sunday).

Kind of harsh?

The setup in Discovery Green Park is awesome and will cater to everyone. The course is very fan-friendly, with the runners taking off on a 2.2 mile inner loop, before circuiting an 8 mile outer loop 3 times. The Men go off at 8am Central and the Women take off shortly thereafter at 8:14 to 8:17 (likely 8:15).

Without further adieu, here are my picks, without comment. If you want more info, look back at the "Road to Houston" series! And if you disagree, feel free to comment or send me an email. I'm all ears and love to be proven wrong!

Men's Picks
1. Meb Keflezighi
2. Ryan Hall
3. Dathan Ritzenhein
Darkhorse: Fernando Cabada
Hail Mary: Brett Gotcher

The Nike machine is in full force!

Women's Picks

1. Shalane Flanagan
2. Desi Davila
3. Deena Kastor
Darkhorse: Kara Goucher
Hail Mary: Amy Hastings

Enjoy the broadcast tomorrow folks! I'll be live tweeting short videos and updates (until my iPhone battery dies) and watch the recap on NBC from 3-5pm Eastern. I'll be wearing a Kelly Green pullover and Carolina Blue Hat, with black compression pants on the course. Hope to see you all out there.

Finally, good looking out to Kevin Liao at Spiked Up, Psyched Up. The community of running bloggers/unofficial press is quite the collection of people that I'm happy to be a part of (and good luck to all of your fantasy teams. I'll have scores posted after lunch).

Follow writing about running on Twitter and Facebook

Road to Houston: 5 Questions with Houston Half competitor and Oregon Duck, Luke Puskedra

The twelfth and final 5 Questions with interview for the "Road to Houston" series is with the University of Oregon's Luke Puskedra. Puskedra won't be running the trials tomorrow, but will be debuting in the Half Marathon on Sunday.

Luke Puskedra has had an excellent college career, and he's not done yet. After finishing in the top ten in Cross Country in three of his four seasons as a Duck, he's gearing up for his final semester in Eugene. He'll change is up this Sunday, where he'll be stepping onto the roads of Houston. Follow him on Twitter here.

5 Questions with Luke Puskedra

1. Writing About Running: You're running the Half-Marathon in Houston on Sunday. What led you to this decision?

Luke Puskedra: My coaches and I sat down and decided that running this race would se me up to contribute to the big team goals we have for the Track and Field team this year. I started my training for Cross Country late because of an injury. Training has been coming along well, so it made sense to take a break in my training after this race.

Puskedra came up big in 2008 to help the Ducks
to the National Championship in Cross Country

2. Writing About Running: How have your workouts changed leading up to this race? and who have you been training with?

Luke Puskedra:  My workouts haven’t changed much. I have always worked best off of more volume in my training, so I only had to change a few key workouts. I stayed in Eugene for a bit longer over the break, to avoid possible weather issues in my hometown, Ogden, Utah. We had a few guys stay in Eugene, so I had a good group of guys to workout with. Believe it or not, I meshed a few workouts with team members who focus primarily on the 5k/10k, all the way to ones that focus on the 800, specifically. That’s the thing that attracted me to Oregon from high school, there is so much talent on the team and all the members are willing to work hard.

3. Writing About Running: Are you planning on running indoors?

Luke Puskedra:  I still have to sit down with the coaches to discuss if running indoors will set me up to be a contributor to the big goals that we have as a team this year in outdoors. It is an exciting time in Eugene right now, with everything going on. Watching the hard work the whole Track and Field team is doing is exciting. Walking to practice everyday, I see the throwers practicing technique and the sprinters moving it along on the track. I’m excited to compete with these guys.

Puskedra is looking to go big outdoors

4. Writing About Running: You had an excellent Cross Country career at Oregon. What are your goals for outdoor?

Luke Puskedra: I feel that I have underachieved on the track compared to results in Cross Country and the workouts I’ve done. I’d like to run fast in the 5000 and 10,000 and win some team titles, whether it be Pac-10’s etc., to finish off my college career.

5. Writing About Running:  What are you hoping to get out of the race Sunday?

Luke Puskedra: I hope just to have fun. I’m doing the race to keep things loose and fresh. I’m going in with no expectations, just hoping to run to my abilities. I know it will be hard and I am excited for the challenge.

Next up will be my picks to make the team, which will publish later this evening.

Follow writing about running on Twitter and Facebook

Road to Houston: Watch out for the Wild Cards

Who will be this year's Brian Sell?

As we are only a few days away now, you've probably heard plenty about Ryan Hall, Dathan Ritzenhein and Meb Keflezighi on the Men's side and Shalane Flanagan, Desi Davila and Kara Goucher on the Women's side. All this is for good reason. They are the favorites. They deserve your respect. They have nice contracts. They'll be ok, even if the trials don't go as planned. On paper, they should be the top three on each side. But as we all know, the marathon is a an animal. It's a wild animal at that. You can have the best training block of your life and then have a bad race day. You can also go through a rough block and find magic in a bottle. That's what this group of competitors will be trying to find on their "Road to Houston." Everyone likes the underdog, and here's a few to root for (in alphabetical order).

Wild Men
Ryan Bak

Nike

Did Bak just get a deal with Nike after his strong performance at CIM? Maybe so. His 2:14 this close to the trials certainly shows promise. Will it be enough of a launchpad to give him the confidence to challenge for a spot? From his recent interviews, it certainly looks as such. Will be interesting to see what he's got in the tank after racing a month ago.

Fernando Cabada
Unattached (Translation: If he can make the team, he'll get paid)
Cabada has been on it for years and seems to be rounding into top form at the right time. Judging by some of his recent workouts, he's primed to rip one. He's seasoned, has a 2:12 PR, an American Record (at 25k) and a National Championship in the Marathon ('08) to his name. Beware the "Cabadass."

Hartmann would love
a Chicago repeat

Jason Hartmann
Nike

Hartmann has proved that he can run well on flat courses and in the heat. His finish as the top American at Chicago in 2010 should give him confidence that he can run something similar (in similar weather) in Houston Saturday. Hartmann was 10th at the 2007 trials and will be looking to put everything on the line as he gets later into his career. Will the 2:11 kind of performance he ran at Chicago be enought to make the London team? It may be a stretch, but he's certainly got the credentials to give it a run (pun intended).

Jason Lehmkuhle
Saucony
Lehmkuhle has put together a group of nice runs over the past few years and will be primed for a spot this year. People may forget that Lehmkuhle was 5th at the 2007 Trials (for the 2008 Olympics). Don't expect him to go out and push the pace, but expect him to finish very strong. This tactic worked very well for Brian Sell in '07 and it wouldn't surprise me if Lehmkuhle developed a similar race plan. (And be sure to check out the very cool "Marathon Road" video about Lehmkuhle and Team USA Minnesota by clicking here)

Mike Morgan
Hanson-Brooks Distance Project
If you've seen any of Flotrack's "Made in Detroit" series, you can see this guy is fit. He's run on the international stage before and looks primed to make a run at it. The Hansons are always in the mix, and between Morgan and Luke Humphrey, one of these guys is going to be up there in the top seven making a run for the podium.

Cherobon-Bawcom would love to
 break the tape Saturday

Wild Women
Janet Cherobon-Bawcom
Atlanta Track Club (Translation: Like Cabada, a top three finish would likely gain a shoe deal)
Cherobon-Bawcom may be the biggest wild card in the field, as no one really knows what she is capable of. She came on strong late in the year to win the USA Running Circuit title and then started Marathon training with the one and only Jack Daniels. It wouldn't surprise me if she finished second, but it also wouldn't surprise me if she finished tenth. We'll see what she's got in the tank Saturday.

Amy Hastings

Brooks

Hastings had an incredible debut, running 2:27 in LA, in the rain (last year). Training in Mammoth certainly suits Marathon training, and 5k training, considering her excellent 2011 outdoor season. With the 5000 at the track trials being her backup plan, I'm sure she'd like to go ahead and punch her ticket to London on Saturday. 

Deena Kastor

Asics

It's hard to think that anyone would consider the American Record Holder at the Marathon a wild card, but that's exactly where she falls. She ran great at the NYC Half, but hasn't done much else in the past few years. That may be exactly how she wants it. She is a former Olympic Medalist, so she's got the mental capacity to will herself to something great. It will be exciting to see if that Deena shows up Saturday. Let's hope so!

Molly Pritz
Asics
It looks as though Ms. Pritz has gotten a new sponsor over the past few weeks, but don't expect her new contract to make her any less of a bulldog on the roads of Houston this weekend. Pritz's first 'thon was NYC and she ran well, but faded a bit, like many do, over the last 5 miles. Expect her confidence to carry her towards the top group Saturday. She's one of the younger competitors of the group, so we could be getting an early look at one of the favorites in 2016.

Rhines would be happy with this outcome

Jen Rhines

Adidas
Rhines is the ageless wonder and continues to perform, year in and year old. Only this June, at the USATF Track Championships, she beat Davila in the 5000 and 10,000, so she'll come in with confidence. The fact that she trains in Mammoth with Hastings and Kastor doesn't hurt at all either. Her experience will come in handy amongst an excellent field.

We're only a few days away! Bookmark the "Road to Houston" Recap page for continued coverage leading up to the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, TX on January 14, 2012.

Follow writing about running on Twitter and Facebook

Road to Houston Recap

We are now in the week of the race and this page will serve as a quick recap of the previews and interviews. I'll add everything to this page as we go along as well. Good news on my end as well, as I just booked my flight, hotel and rental car for the weekend. I will be in Houston! I look forward to meeting everyone. If you'll be in attendance, send me an email.

Early Predictions
Published on December 18, 2011

Check out early race previews before declarations:

Click here for Men's Race early preview

Click here for the Women's Race early preview

5 Questions with Joe Moore
Published on December 20, 2011

"There was a tight turn at the finish, and I saw the clock tick over 1:04:50, and I knew I had it. It was more just a huge relief that I had finally gotten it."

Click here to read the Joe Moore interview

5 Questions with Molly Pritz
Published on December 23, 2011

"Both in training and the race I found an inner strength I never knew I had and I'd like to think that my NYC experience has not only made me a stronger runner, but a stronger person in every aspect of life."

Click here to read the Molly Pritz interview

5 Questions with Addie Bracy
Published on  December 27, 2011

"It took me a year or two to adjust to the difference in training, as well as my training environment. It wasn't until the last 8 months that I really felt that I had a breakthrough."

Click here to read the Addie Bracy interview

5 Questions with Danny Mercado
Published on December 28, 2011

"But after tireless nagging from the guys, Greg decided to give me a shot. From there, everything just clicked."

Click here to read the Danny Mercado interview

5 Questions with Tyler McCandless
Published on December 30, 2011

"How big was Kauai for me? It was really a game-changer. Financially, it was important because I was able to use that money for a down-payment on a house."

Click here to read the Tyler McCandless interview

5 Questions with Meagan Nedlo
Published on December 31, 2011

"It was such an incredible, incredulous offer that I had no choice but to say yes! And so that's how I began my first collegiate track season at the ripe old age of 26."

Click here to read the Meagan Nedlo interview

5 Questions with Brent Vaughn
Published on January 1, 2012

"My goal at the trials is to make the team. I think thats the reason I'm running. Training has gone very well and I think strange things sometimes happen over the marathon distance "

Click here to read the Brent Vaughn interview

5 Questions with Drew Polley
Published on January 2, 2012

"The fact that my training partners and I have handled most of the workouts pretty well doesn’t change the goals we set at the beginning of the segment though. The Hanson bosses will tell you that it is important to stick to your plan and run your own race!"

Click here to read the Drew Polley interview

5 Questions with Fernando Cabada
Published on January 3, 2012

"I have what it takes. I've won 3 USA Championships... and am in better shape now. If I was to run a 2:08 on January 14th, that wouldn't surprise me. I've been due for a performance like that. It's on and I'm ready for any kind of race."

Click here to read the Fernando Cabada interview

5 Questions with Jesse Armijo
Published on January 5, 2012

"I'm more of a racer, but in the marathon, all my pervious performances were calculated failures by going out with a watch and clicking off even splits, until I inevitability faded. At CIM, I decided to just race."

Click here to read the Jesse Armijo interview

5 Questions with Ricky Flynn
Published on January 7, 2012

"I ended up going to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half and had a really good race with some good guys to run with and it worked out really well. It was a huge weight off my chest when I hit the time and I surprised myself a little bit by being that far under 65:00. It was a great feeling."

Click here to read the Ricky Flynn interview

Watch out for the Wild Cards
Published on January 11, 2012

Here we take a look at some of the overlooked competitors and wonder who will be this year's Brian Sell. We feature Bak, Cabada, Hartmann, Lehmkuhle and Morgan, Cherobon-Bawcom, Hastings, Kastor, Rhines and the newly-signed (to Asics) Molly Pritz.

Click here to read the full article

5 Questions with Luke Puskedra
Published on January 13, 2012

"I feel that I have underachieved on the track compared to results in Cross Country and the workouts I’ve done. I’d like to run fast in the 5000 and 10,000 and win some team titles... to finish off my college career."

Click here to read the Luke Puskedra interview

First impressions of Houston and Predictions
Published on January 13, 2012

I give my predictions for who I think is going to make the team for the 2012 London Olympic Games and give thanks for the people that showed me around today and recognize my fellow "unofficial track press."

Read the full article with predictions here

Meb and Shalane triumph, while Abdi surprises in Olympic Trials Marathon
Published on January 14, 2012

The results went pretty much to prediction, with the exception of Abdi Abdirahman beating out Ritz for the third and final Olympic spot. Meb and Hall qualified as well, with Shalane, Desi and Kara on the Women's side.

Read the full article on the race here

Final Trials Thoughts and Fantasy Recap
Published January 16, 2012

Houston put on an excellent show this weekend. The trials lived up to the hype and I also made the podium in the highly competitive fantasy draft.

Read my thoughts and get the fantasy scoop here

Bookmark this page for continued coverage of the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, TX on January 14, 2012.

Follow writing about running on Twitter and Facebook