The Global Telegraph - June 2004

JUNE 2004 - VOL. 4, N. 6 (N. 35)

Publisher: Run The Planet., Seattle (Usa/Washington). Editor: Indro Neri. Associate editor: Jennifer Walker. All correspondence and suggestions are welcome. Unsolicited articles will be considered. To advertise on "The Global Telegraph", contribute to or reproduce its content please contact us via e-mail at info@runtheplanet.com. "The Global Telegraph" is published 12 times a year. The next issue will close the last day of this month. © by Run The Planet Inc., Seattle.

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This month we feature running news from: Argentina, California (Usa), China, Illinois (Usa), Latvia, Netherlands, Peru, Turkey, Virginia (Usa).  

FEATURED WORLDWIDE RUNNING NEWS

• LATVIA / The Riga Marathon results
These are the results of the 14th edition of the "International Riga Marathon" held on May 15: (men) 1. Slesarenoks Dmitrijs 2:27.08; 2. Saucikovas Dainius 2:29.14; 3. Kaminski Mavciusz 2:29.43; 4. Kundrotas Ceslovas 2:30.16; 5. Balciunas Arunas 2:32.19; 6. Gudaitis Valdas 2:41.37; (women) 1. Drungiliene Modesta 2:58.29; 2. Padleckaite Alina 3:06.40; 3. Ivanova Svetlana 3:14.55; 4. Keliuotiene Gailute 3:16.23; 5. Ozola Baiba 3:25.08. Source: www.arrs.net

• PERU / Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Marathon
Here is a fashinating description of the Peruvian marathon that will be held on June 10, 2004: "The trail crosses the Cusichaca river and follows it upstream on a gradual climb for about three miles leaving behind the Urubamba valley and a magnificent view of snow-capped Mount Veronica, the highest peak in the Cordillera Urubamba. We reach the village of Wayllabamba at 9,100 feet, the last inhabited village on the Inca trail. Penetrating the spectacular Llulluchayoc gorge; the trail becomes steeper as we enter mossy woods and continue our uphill climb through a thick forest, before emerging into a large meadow pampa Llulluchapampa high above tree line at about 12,400 feet. We continue about a mile to Warmiwañusq'a pass (pass of the dead woman) at 13,779 feet, the highest pass in the Inca Trail. A short rocky descent into the valley brings us to the Pacaymayo river. We will have an aid station here. Ascending steps, we begin the climb toward Runkurakay pass. On the way we encounter the Runkurakay watchtower ruins at 12,464 feet. We pass by a small lake before reaching the Runkurakay pass at 13,100 feet. From here, you will have excellent views of the glaciated peaks of the Cordillera Vilcabamba. Most of the climb is behind us; the trail descends rocky slopes and reaches the strategic fortress of Sayacmarca (dominant town) at 12,234 feet. Beyond Sayacmarca the trail enters dense groves and you will find impressive evidence of Inca road construction, with its six feet wide and carefully constructed stone-paved trails. An amazing engineering accomplishment! We will negotiate a 20 meter Inca tunnel with carved steps and soon the trail becomes a magnificent stone staircase leading to Phuyupatamarca (town in the clouds) at 11,674 feet. We summit the third pass and have our first look into the deep gorge of the Urubamba river. Just below you find the ruins of Phuyupatamarca, we will have an aid station here. The trail follows down a series of hundreds of steps, passing by ceremonial Inca baths where mountain water still flows through carved stone channels. As we descend into the cloud forest, we will be surrounded by abundance of exotic varieties of plants, orchids and flowers until reaching the ruins of Wiñay Wayna (forever young). We run down a dirt trail for about three and a half miles to Intipunku (gateway of the sun) at 8,860 feet. Suddenly, the full grandeur of the world's greatest ruins are revealed - the domed peak of Huayna Picchu and the lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu at 7,900 feet". The participants will relax in the evening in Aguas Calientes, enjoying the thermal baths and a celebration dinner. Running the Inca trail in one day is a significant accomplishment, as most hikers take an average of three days. For more details check out Andes Adventures at www.andesadventures.com.

• TURKEY / Osman Atakan Tekin will carry the Olympic torch
The National Olympic Committee of Turkiye declared the names of the Turkish Olympic torch bearers of 2004 "Athens Olympic Torch Run", during a press meeting held in Istanbul Olympic House on May 11, 2004. There are national athletes, businessmen, famous actress-actors and artists among 125 torch bearers. Osman Atakan Tekin - member of the Association of Road Race Statisticians, AIMS PR Manager for Turkiye, and "MaratonTürk" editor - will also bear the Olympic torch in Istanbul on July 6th. Osman Atakan Tekin beared the 1964 Tokyo and 1972 Münich Olympic torches as well. Source: www.maratonturk.com

• VIRGINIA (USA) / Odyssey One Day Adventure Race: a family affair
Team Odyssey took first place in Odyssey's 14th one-day race and their first event of 2004. With a total time of 15 hours and 40 minutes at this 24-hour race on April 24, they crossed the finish line an hour and 25 minutes before the second place winner, solo male Scott Pleban (17 hours, 5 minutes). The two-person coed team, Unsuspected Depth came in a solid third in 17 hours, 34 minutes; with the two-person male team Triangle AR close behind at 17 hours and 43 minutes. The winners are no strangers to these endurance events. Each member of the coed four-person team is a seasoned athlete. Their attitudes and enthusiasm speak of their love for participating in adventure races. Team Members Ronny Angell, Mike Carpenter, Kristen Eddy and Chris Scott credited teamwork and experience as the bonus that put them in first place in this race. Dr. George Worley designed this year's course with the highest gain in elevation of any "Odyssey One-Day Adventure Race" so far - a total 20,000 feet! Camp Bethel, Fincastle was a great place to begin and end this latest adventure racing event. Out of a field of approximately 90 racers, only six racers did not finish. Twenty-one teams finished in the Pro category, 13 teams in the Adventure 1 Class, and 10 teams finished Adventure 2 Class. Julia Pollack, the only solo female competitor and recent graduate from Odyssey's Adventure Racing Academy, finished 16th overall in the Pro category. For more information on Odyssey's events, visit OARevents.com.

• CALIFORNIA (USA) / Free endurance sports newsletter
Veteran journalist and long-distance runner James Raia, who has reported on sporting events around the world and interviewed endurance athletes from Bill Rodgers to Grete Waitz, publishes the free electronic newsletter, "Endurance Sports News". Published weekly, "Endurance Sports News" reports on long-distance running, cycling and other endurance sports and is distributed via e-mail. Raia, who lives and works in Sacramento (Usa/California), is also the author of the electronic book "How to run and enjoy the marathon", a practical guide to the 26.2-mile journey. A series of 15 self-help and service-oriented articles about running marathons, "How to run and enjoy the marathon" examines myriad topics - the proper shoes to running etiquette, experts' training tips to race-day expectations. Raia, the running and cycling columnist for the "Sacramento Bee", has completed more than 70 marathons and ultramarathons. For more information or to sign-up for his free (and spam-free) electronic newsletter, visit Raia's website at www.byjamesraia.com.

• NETHERLANDS / Two thousand women on the run
These are the results of the second edition of the "Marikenloop at Nijmegen" held on Sunday May 23, 2004. This road race was open to women only and saw the participation of 1941 starters, all from the Netherlands: (km 5) 1. Vivian Ruijters 17:28; 2. Susan Kuijken 17:42; 3. Florence van Rijsbergen 17:43; 4. Wendy Mullink 18:32; 5. Annelies Homma 19:38; (km 10,200) 1. Pauline Claessen 36:50; 2. Klaartje van Schie 40:41; 3. Polly Nkambi 41:22; 4. Mirriam Tacken 42:25; 5. Ingeborg Wolfrat 43:05. Source: www.arrs.net

• ARGENTINA / José Luis Luna wins in Córdoba
On May 16th in Córdoba, a 10Km the field experienced a lunar eclipse by José Luis Luna in 29:49, with Oscar Amaya second in 29:52, Gustavo Comba third in 29:56 and Paul Rotich fourth in 29:59. Elisa Cobanea had no other female within two minutes during a 34:15 outing. Reprinted with permission from "Running Stats" (www.runningstats.com)

• ILLINOIS (USA) / Khannouchi commits to LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
U.S. men's marathon record holder and four-time "Chicago Marathon" winner, Khalid Khannouchi and the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon have reached an agreement that will have him compete in Chicago for the next four years. The four-year deal calls for Khannouchi to participate exclusively in Chicago among all fall marathons and will give him the opportunity to compete for the world record. The 2004 "LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon" takes place Sunday, October 10 starting and finishing in Chicago's Grant Park. Last year's race attracted the maximum 40,000 participants. Khannouchi set the then world record of 2 hours, 5 minutes, 42 seconds with his win at the 1999 "Chicago Marathon". For more information on the "LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon" visit www.chicagomarathon.com. Source: www.splittimes.com

• CHINA / Chinese Track & Field Championships
On May 21st and 22nd in Shijiazhuang, the Chinese Track & Field Championships were held. Xing Huina, rather than Asian Games double gold medalist Sun Yingjie, was the star on the first day. In the 5000m Xing eclipsed Sun over the last 200m, winning in 15:23.20 to 15:26.43. Bai Xue, age 16, placed third in 15:39.87. The men's equivalent was won by Chen Mingfu in 13:55.87. On the fourth day, however, Sun began to brighten. Having overcome last December's collarbone injury, Sun kept Xing from adding a third title to that of the 5000 and 1500m. The World Champs bronze medalist zipped to a 31:50.90, beating Xing by more than 57 seconds. Zheng Kai took the men's equivalent in 29:16.91. Reprinted with permission from "Running Stats" (www.runningstats.com)

• KENENISA BEKELE AND PAULA RADCLIFFE LEAD ARRS RANKINGS
The new Ethiopian superstar of track and cross country leads the first edition of the Association of Road Racing Statisticians monthly rankings, as of May 9, 2004. He further consolidated his position with a win in the Ethiopian 5km track championships. Biggest mover in the competitive rankings is Paul Kosgei (Kenya) winning the Berlin 25km in the world record time of 1:12:45. Other significant changes were by Lucy Wangui (Kenya) and Yashiko Ichikawa (Japan) as a result of the IAAF Grand Prix 5km, and by Craig Mottram and Hayley McGregor (Australia), Sonia O'Sullivan (Ireland) and Fernanda Ribeiro (Portugal) from the Bupa 5km. Stefano Baldini (Italy) and Jukka Keskisalo (Finland) moved up following their performances in the Napoli and Finnish championship half marathons respectively. In Eastern Europe, Michal Kaczmarek (Poland) moved up following his performance in the Polish 10,000m championships. These competitive rankings are based on a point exchange system (i.e. if runner A beats runner B, runner A takes points from runner B). The rankings will be released monthly but are available on a weekly basis by subscribing to the "Analytical Distance Runner" ARRS newsletter (contact Ken Young at kcy@inreach.com) or by becoming a member of the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (contact Andy Milroy at AndyMilroy@blueyonder.co.uk).