News Archive


Irvette van Blerk Wins Final 2012 Spar 10K in South Africa

Irvette van Blerk (Nedbank/adidas) comfortably won today’s Spar Women’s Challenge 10K in Johannesburg in 34:34, her first win on this year’s circuit after three 3rd-place finishes. The victory boosted her to 2nd-place in the final overall standings behind Nedbank and adidas teammate Rene Kalmer (Nedbank/adidas). After four straight wins this year, Rene had been seeking to become the first woman in the Spar circuit’s illustrious history to sweep all five races, but a bothersome Achilles in the aftermath of last weekend’s world half-marathon championship prompted her to withdraw a day before the race.

At the post-race press conference, Irvette commented, “I’m glad about my time as it shows my fitness is coming back. I rested for a month after the Olympics [and also got married on September 29th] and training is a battle right now, and I’m doing a lot of catching up. It was a lucky race for me. I almost decided not to run, but…I pushed on.”

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Colorado Running News Chats with Kenyon Neuman

Colorado Running News interview with Kenyon Neuman (Nike). On Saturday, Kenyon continued his strong season on Colorado’s roads, taking 2nd in 66:28 just behind Scotland’s Andrew Lemoncello at the Sports Authority Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Half-Marathon at 5300 feet altitude.

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Adriana Nelson Named to Team USA for World Half-Marathon Championships

Adriana in last year's NY Mini 10K (All rights reserved, PhotoRun, Inc.)

Adriana Nelson (ASICS) was officially named this week to her first-ever USA national team, getting the nod to represent America in the October 6th IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships to be held in Kavarna, Bulagria. Adriana has been having a strong year following her shift to the coaching of Brad Hudson, as well as a move to Boulder as her new training base. Top-five finishes in both the US 15K and 20K national championships and an 8th place finish at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Bolder-Boulder 10K, as well as an improvement in her 10,000m to 32:38.95 and a berth in the US Olympic Trials 10,000m, have been the highlights of her year’s successes.

This will be Adriana’s third appearance at an IAAF half-marathon or road race world championship. She twice represented her native Romania, finishing an impressive 10th at the 2005 World Half-Marathon Championships in Edmonton, where she also won a  team gold medal; and 29th at the 2006 World Road Race (20K) Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.

Adriana is joined on the USATF  women’s team by Shalane Flanagan, Maegan Krifchin, Michelle Frey, and Alvina Begay.

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31:51.91 PB for Yuriko Kobayashi

Fresh off a month of Boulder training, Toyota’s Yuriko Kobayashi (Toyota/Mizuno) chopped 30-seconds off her 10,000m PB this evening at the All-Japan Corporate Track Championships, taking 2nd overall behind Kenya’s Sally Chepyego (31:33.76) and finishing as top Japanese in the event. It was only the second 10,000m of Yuriko’s career, following her 32:21.03 debut at a Hokuren meeting this summer in Japan. Earlier in her career, Yuriko was the world’s fastest 1500m junior in 2006 (with her 4:07.86 PB) and has been slowly moving up in distance since her graduation from college.

In her first race since the Olympics and also on the heels of a Boulder training camp, Kayoko Fukushi (Wacoal/adidas) finished a half-second back in third in 31:52.54. Kayoko was announced this week as part of the invited field for the November 4th  ING New York City Marathon, which has assembled a spectacularly deep field of many of the world’s top women.

Fukushi’s fellow 5000m/10000m Olympian, Mika Yoshikawa of Panasonic, another recent Boulder trainee, took 5th overall in 32:09.10.

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Edna Kiplagat 2nd, Rene Kalmer 6th, Freya Murray 9th at Today’s Great North Run, All in PBs!!!

Edna Kiplagat (Nike) bounced back from her Olympic disappointment with a massive PB of 67:41 at this morning’s Great North Run half-marathon, finishing second to Tirunesh Dibaba’s 67:35. Edna crushed her former PB by 1:19 while going on-on-one with Olympic 5/10 champion Dibaba over the final few hundred meters.

Reigning South African Half-Marathon champ Rene Kalmer (Nedbank/adidas) also followed up her Olympic marathon with a PB today, running a very nice 70:13 for 6th place.

 

And Freya Murray (adidas) made it three-for-three for our trio of Olympic marathoners today, running a PB also, with 72:23 for 9th place, very impressive in the midst of her wedding planning!

 

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Freya Murray Added to UK Olympic Team!!!

Freya Murray Added to UK Olympic Team!!! July 30, 2012 – For immediate release   Scotland’s Freya Murray was today officially named to the UK Olympic Marathon team, taking the place of the injured world record-holder, Paula Radcliffe. While reports have surfaced on and off the past fortnight about Radcliffe’s condition, she did not make …

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Diane Nukuri Johnson Shares a Few London Pics

Diane (2nd from right) and her teammates showing off their traditional dress in the Olympic Village. Tonight’s Opening Ceremonies wear?

Diane and Lidia Simon, who will run a record fifth Olympic Marathon, at the Victoria Memorial fountain in front of Buckingham Palace last Sunday after a training run together on the Olympic marathon course

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Constantina, Diane, Irvette, and Rene Hang Out at St. James Palace

(Left to right) Irvette van Blerk, Rene Kalmer, Constantina Dita, and Diane Nukuri Johnson at St. James Palace last night.

Always up for a party and a palace, and with more than ten days still until the Olympic women’s marathon, last night four of our Olympic women attended the “Olympians Gala 2012” at St. James Palace. Constantina Dita (ASICS), Diane Nukuri Johnson (ASICS), Irvette van Blerk (Nedbank/adidas), and Rene Kalmer (Nedbank/adidas) got together for the reception, which was hosted by the World Olympians Association with Prince Albert II of Monaco. The WOA is an ‘alumni association’ for some 100,000 athletes worldwide who have achieved Olympic status in their careers.

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Constantina Dita Opens ASICS’ “Home of True Sport” in London

Olympic Marathon champ Constantina Dita was the featured star of the opening ceremonies at ASICS “Home of True Sport” at the University of East London yesterday afternoon. The Stratford location will be the site of ASICS hospitality for all sports and all guests throughout the Olympic Games. “It was really a great ceremony and I really enjoyed the day with ASICS. I stayed there for 4 or 5 hours with my sister, Irina. Mr. Hijikata, Jacques [Valentin], [Tatusya] Nagoshi-san, Akiko [Nagata] and a lot of my ASICS friends were there. We always have a lot of fun together. This year the Romanian Olympic team uniforms and casual clothing are also from ASICS.”

Constantina is in her tenth year of sponsorship with ASICS. In addition to Constantina, three other Boulder Wave Olympic marathoners this year are sponsored by ASICS: Lidia Simon and  Diane Nukuri Johnson on the women’s side, and Lee Merrien for the men.

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Lidia Simon Heads to London for Record Fifth Olympic Marathon

Lidia Simon Heads to London for Record Fifth Olympic Marathon July 19, 2012 (For immediate use) Romania’s Lidia Simon travels today from her home in Boulder, Colorado, USA, to London to compete in her fifth Olympic Marathon, which will become the most Olympic Marathon appearances ever by a woman. Since entering the world stage with …

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