Kenya’s Linet Masai pulled of an impressive win Saturday morning at New York Road Runner’s Women’s Only Mini 10k, with a time of 30:48. The race is steeped in history and tradition. Run for the first time in 1972, the Mini 10k is named for the miniskirt, which was a symbol of renegade women’s fashion, at the time. The initial rendition of the race had less than 100 participants. Saturday’s iteration had over 5000 ladies participating.

Kara Goucher and Paula Radcliffe, both visibly pregnant, came out to Saturday’s race to show their support for women runners. Paula ran the course, although she was not competing. Kara was not feeling up to the run, though she greeted the runners from the podium at the start line and held the finish line ribbon.

More photos of the event can be seen on the run-nyc.com album page.

In addition to the Linet, the field of Saturday’s elite runners included several Olympic athletes. According to NYRR:

When Linet Masai of Kenya crossed the finish line in Central Park to win the 2010 NYRR New York Mini 10K, she became one of the few runners to have mastered all three of her sport’s disciplines. Already a world champion at 10,000 meters on the track and a two-time silver medalist at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Masai has now added a victory in the world’s original all-women’s road race. And she has done it all by the age of 20.
Just past the race’s halfway point, in the tough Harlem Hills section, Masai broke away from the strongest field ever assembled in this race’s 39-year history. The pack behind her included four-time Mini 10K champion Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands, 36, who had led early; Kenya’s Emily Chebet, 24, who had defeated Masai by one second to win this year’s World Cross race in Poland; 2010 Boston Marathon champion Teyba Erkesso, 27, of Ethiopia; and Werknesh Kidane, 28, also of Ethiopia, a former World Cross champion and a World Championships silver medalist on the track.

Congratulations to all of the participants of the 2010 New York Mini 10k, and to NYRR for organizing such a great event. Full results available on the NYRR event result page.

[Photos: Jacob Breinholt]

Heel Strike Study

Harvard University

The debate about barefoot vs. trainer has been a hot one in podiatry and running communities alike, for quite some time now. Vibram has relied heavily on the theory that barefoot running is less likely to cause running injuries, for their Five Fingers ads. There have been countless books and articles over the past few years, that have also discussed this topic.

February 1, 2010 Science Daily published an article citing data from a study conducted by scientists at Harvard, relating to barefoot vs. trainer-shod running. It appears as though the Harvard Study has concluded that barefoot running, does indeed cause a runner to alter their stride in a way that the heel strike is less forceful than when the runner is wearing padded trainers.

Science Daily explains these findings, stating that:

Scientists have found that those who run barefoot, or in minimal footwear, tend to avoid “heel-striking,” and instead land on the ball of the foot or the middle of the foot. In so doing, these runners use the architecture of the foot and leg and some clever Newtonian physics to avoid hurtful and potentially damaging impacts, equivalent to two to three times body weight, that shod heel-strikers repeatedly experience.

The results of the study, as Daniel E. Lieberman, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University explains, show that when a person is wearing a trainer the brunt of the impact is taken by the heel of the foot. Lieberman contrasts that finding with subjects who were running with no shoes, stating that the shock of each foot strike was absorbed by the entire foot, because of the way that barefoot runners instinctively flatten out their feet before each strike.

Lieberman warns that making a transition from running in trainers, to minimalistic footwear, or bare feet, should not be done hastily. In the article he states:

Running barefoot or in minimal shoes is fun but uses different muscles. If you’ve been a heel-striker all your life you have to transition slowly to build strength in your calf and foot muscles.

It is pertinent to point out that Vibram was one of the sources of funding for the Harvard study. This fact doesn’t necessarily mean that the results are biased. But, to those who view the barefoot running trend as the running world’s equivalent to the latest fad-diet, point to Vibram as evidence. Even the critics of the study would most likely agree that it has shown that runners can safely run distance with minimal or no footwear.

Meb Keflezighi winning the 2009 New York City Marathon (Photo: Jacob Breinholt)

After a 27 year drought, an American won the mens’ New York City Marathon. Meb Keflezighi brought home the title, with a roughly 40 second margin between himself and the second place male finisher. In addition to an American taking first place, Ryan Hall, finished fourth. For the winner, Meb Keflezighi, this race was also a personal best, at 2 hours, 9 minutes and 14 seconds.

It was an amazing sight to watch Keflezighi cross the finish line, kiss the ground and go straight over to his family. Keflezighi, originally from Africa, immigrated in the 90′s to later become a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Meb Keflezighi at the finish line with his family at the  2009 New York City Marathon (Photo: Jacob Breinholt)

The womens’ race took a turn for the unexpected, only a few short miles before the finish, when Paula Radcliffe, 3 time winner of the New York City Marathon, started to fall back, after leading the pack for the majority of the race. Paula, who was favored by most, to win her forth New York City Marathon, this year, ended up finishing off the podium in fourth place, and was visibly upset at the finish.

Women’s winner Derartu Tulu with Paula Radcliffe and NYRR CEO Mary Wittenberg at the finish line of the 2009 New York City Marathon (Photo: Jacob Breinholt)

Derartu Tulu, of Ethiopia won the womens’ race with a time of 2 hours 28 minutes and 52 seconds. Although the womens’ race kept a fairly tight pack until very late in the race, Tulu finished with a solid margin.

Derartu Tulu, of Ethiopia  crossing the finish line as victor of 2009 New York City Marathon (Photo: Jacob Breinholt)

A few fun facts about this year’s New York City Marathon, provided by NYRR:

43,741 runners competed in the 2009 ING New York City Marathon
2:09:15 Keflezighis time as he became the first American man to win since 1982
2:28:52 Tulus time as she became the first Ethiopian to win the NYC Marathon
11,410 pounds of ice were at the ready at marathon medical stations
2.5 million people will read the marathon results section of tomorrows NY Times
For more fast facts about the marathon, click here.

For more photos, click here.

Over 3,000 runners took to the road in Brooklyn, NY on Oct. 24 for the Nike+ Human Race 10K.  Nike hosted Human Race events in 24 cities around the globe as part of the world’s largest one-day running event. (Photos: Nike)

For a lot of New Yorkers, the weather on Saturday was enough to cancel plan, sleep in and order delivery. For some 3000+ dedicated New York area runner, it was a different story. This year’s Nike Plus Human Race was Saturday, October 24th. As Nike explains it:

New York City was one of 24 cities worldwide to host a 10K as part of the second Nike+ Human Race.  Nike also encouraged runners located outside one of the 24 host cities to log their miles online using the Nike+ system, creating a truly global event.  Together, the world ran almost 800,000 miles on 10.24.09

Congratulations to all of those who participated in the world-wide event, especially to those who braved the weather in New York on Saturday, to get out and log some miles.

According to Gothamist, there were 25,000 participants in this year’s Tunnel to Towers Run. The 5k race took place on Sunday morning the 27th. Even though the weather was less, than optimal, the turn-out was incredible. As if the massive turnout was not inspiring enough, the real inspiration comes from the event upon which the race was conceived. The Tunnel to Towers Run is a tribute to the Brooklyn firefighter, Stephen Siller, who on September 11 2001 decided to run through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, wearing 70 pounds of firefighting gear, to the World Trade Center. After arriving at Trade Center, Siller lost his life trying to save victims of the attack on the Trade Center Towers.  The race starts at the Gowanus approach to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and enters Manhattan on West Street.

In addition to the rainy weather, this year had an additional setback, at the UPS truck carrying t-shirts, and other items for the event, caught fire, and was partially destroyed. Management at the Hilton Garden Inn on Staten Island stepped in, as soon as they caught word of the incident, and offered to launder all of the salvageable t-shirts, so that they could be ready in time for the race.

All of the money raised from the event, goes to a charity, called Stephen’s House. The Tunnel to Towers run has raised $5 million so far, with the money going towards to burn victims and needy children. Stephen’s House, a new New York Foundling facility that will house teenagers, is almost complete; here’s information on how to donate.

[photo: Hilton Flores/Staten Island Advance]

It was fantastic weather for running, Saturday morning. The overnight rain kept things cool, and the clouds were still blocking the sun. These conditions made the 2009 NYRR, Fitness Magazine Fitness® Mind, Body, Spirit Games, 4 mile race, even more enjoyable.

The race was a NYRR club points race, and were divided up by gender. The mens’ race started at 9:00 AM, and the women’s at 10 AM. Both heats were had very exciting finishes that came right down to the final stretch.

Before the women’s race, Kara Goucher happened to be out for a run in the park, and Mary Wittenberg of NYRR, noticed her passing by. Goucher was a good sport about giving an impromptu address to the women runners, who were already all lined up in the starting chute.

The winner for the men, was Bado Worku Merdessa, with a scorching time of 19:08. For the Women, it was Aziza Aliyu, beating out Katrina Janosikova by less than a full step. Aliyu scored a 22:22, time.

In total, there were nearly 5000 finishers. As always, NYRR and Fitness Magazine put on a great event. Congratulations to all of the finishers. Full results can be found here.

Click here for the photo gallery.

Sunday morning was a very hot day to be running, even at 7 A.M.. Weather and all, nearly 10,000 runners showed up to compete in the 2009 New York City Half-Marathon. The course remained in the shade, for the majority of the beginning, in Central Park. But, once the runners took to the West Side Highway, it was a very warm stretch to the finish. The male winner of the race was Tadese Tola, of Ethiopia. For the women, as expected, Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain was the winner. Paula was a late entry, announced last week. She has been recovering from a foot problem. This was Radcliffe’s first race of 2009. Full results can be found at the NYRR website.

The NYRR did a great job of organizing the race. It was a complete success. Congratulations to all of the finishers of the 2009 NYC Half Marathon. WABC-7 , will be airing coverage of the race, beginning tonight at 11:30 P.M.. Click here for the photo gallery.

Monday night was beautiful weather for a run on the beach. That is exactly what nearly 2000 people did at Long Island’s Jones beach. It was the Jones Beach 5 Mile Race, part of the New York State Parks Summer Series. The male winner was Peter Hawkins of Malverne New York. He scored a 23:22, pacing a sub-5 minute mile! The female winner was Erin Silvering-Grey of Levittown New York, clocking a very respectable 31:42. Full results can be seen here. Congratulations to all of the finishers.

Torrential rains did not stop dedicated New York City runners from paying tribute to Sgt. Keith A. Ferguson, Sunday morning. According to some of the participants, the ceremony before the race, was very touching. It was also noted that there were some close calls during the race, involving cyclists, and that the number pick-up was a bit disorganized. One participant noted:

The start was a little disorganized. I think they tried to group people by their pace, but it didn’t pan out. It could have improved everyone’s experience if it was corraled properly somehow since the path is so narrow. Also, I couldn’t believe the bridge was not closed off to pedestrians and bicyclists. With hundreds of runners flooding that narrow space, there could have been some dangerous situations. Aside from those 2 points, I thoroughly enjoyed this 5k. It was a great experience and I look forward to running it again next year… hopefully it will be a little bit better organized.

Congratulations to all of those who participated in Sunday’s race.