Colorado Runner

When Aaron Braun lines up for Thursday’s 10,000m at the USA Championships in Des Moines, he’ll be putting everything on the line to try to make his first-ever USA team for an IAAF World Championships. He was fifth at last year’s Olympic Trials in Eugene, has a 27:41.54 personal best, and definitely has a shot of making the team with other favorites like Galen Rupp, Dathan Ritzenhein and Chris Derrick. “My big goal for the whole season is to do USA’s, just like in the Trials last year,” Braun told Race Results Weekly in a telephone interview last Sunday. “All [...]

Growing up in Marblehead, Mass., about 20 miles (32 km) north of here, Shalane Flanagan saw herself running, and winning, the Boston Marathon. Different scenarios ran through her head, especially how she would react if she actually broke the tape on Boylston Street. “It’s funny. In any sport, someone winning NBA championship they visualize what they do,” Flanagan told reporters here this morning at a press gathering. “Will it be a fist pump? What would they do? I’ve been thinking, if I were to win what would I do? You don’t know until you’re in that moment.” Flanagan, 31, is [...]

One month ago, when Race Results Weekly spoke with Jason Hartmann prior to the NYC Half, the 6′-3″ (191cm) American was primed and focused on April 15th, the date of the 117th Boston Marathon. On that morning, the 32-year-old said he would determine whether his professional running career would see another starting line. Now, less than 72 hours from the start of the race –or test, as Hartmann once referred to it– the Michigan native who lives and trains in Boulder remains cool, and confident in his philosophy. “The one thing I have focused on is training,” said Hartmann, who [...]

At home in Golden, Colo., Brianne Nelson’s two daughters just want to run with Mommy. Riley, 4, and Reese, 2, get their “fast shoes” and beg Nelson, a contender at today’s USA 10 mile championship, to run with them. “I swear, people in the neighborhood think I’m training my kids at two and four,” said Nelson, in an interview with Race Results Weekly here today. “They put on what they call their ‘fast shoes,’ their little tie-shoes, and they take laps. I tell them they can run with me when I come home, and I’ll jog with them around the [...]

It’s hard to believe that Nicole Chyr didn’t get into distance running until her college years.  What’s possibly even more surprising is that Nicole has a 6-year old son, works a full-time job, and still has time to put in 75-mile weeks and garner top honors in Colorado’s top races. Maybe it’s Nicole’s Colorado nativity, or possibly the incredible support she has from her family, but after reading through Nicole’s interview, I tend to lean towards her positive attitude and raw approach to running: hard work, healthy living, and a deep determination to the sport she loves. Quick Stats Name: Nicole [...]

Post originally appeared on RunBlogRun. Sarah Brown is one of the top milers in the U.S. That, is a fact. In high school and college, Sarah Bowman was one of the top middle distance runners in the country. As an elite middle distance runner for the Team New Balance, Sarah Brown has raced across the country, indoor and outdoor, as well as in some of the major meets around the world, chasing fast times and looking to run that perfect race. Her best at 800 meters is 2:02, for 1,500 meters is 4:05 and for the mile is 4:29. In [...]

On March 24, 2013, Ben True (@bentrue) put together one of those dream races in a distance runner’s life, and took sixth in the World Cross Country Championships. On a tough course, with cold, snow, a tough hill and terrible footing, True, along with Chris Derrick, finished in the top ten and lead the US team to the silver medal, and a huge upset of the Kenyan WC team, which finished third. Ben True is a distance coach’s dream, with a background in cross country skiing, cross country running and track and field. Last year, in 2012, Ben ran Personal bests [...]

Post originally appeared on RunBlogRun.   It was mid-August of 2010, on windy walk in London, I believe, that I met Molly Huddle. I had seen her at many events over the years, but, with an introduction from Mark Bossardet, VP of Sports Marketing at Saucony, I met Molly after her race at the AVIVA London meet. She was a little frustrated, knowing that she could run fast, but things just had not been working out. So, she decided to spend another two weeks in Europe to get in a fast 5,000 meters.    I had noted that Molly Huddle [...]

American Jason Hartmann finds himself in an interesting position coming into the NYC Half tomorrow and the Boston Marathon on April 15. Unsponsored and in the latter part of his career, the 31-year-old knows the clock is ticking on how much more time he has in the sport. “For a guy at my level, it’s very difficult to stay in the sport,” said Hartmann, who has a marathon personal best of 2:11:06. “It’s a top heavy sport and the gap is starting to grow a lot more. Unfortunately you’ll probably see less guys sticking around in the sport just because [...]

When the career of a track and field athlete comes to a close, few can accurately state they ever performed at a world-record level. It’s as exclusive of a group as you will find in the sport and Libby James has been able to place her name next to elite company well into her 70s. Age-grading is popular among masters distance runners. A process similar to a handicap in the sport of golf, age-grading evens the playing field by combining a runner’s age and performance to determine a final number that is an athlete’s age-grade percentage. That percentage indicates the [...]

Running aficionados will see a new name among the top ranks of distance runners these days, as elite speedster Michele (formerly Suszek) Yates recently tied the knot.  Her familiar face and top finishes, however, will stay the same. Upon initial review of Michele’s recent accomplishments (2012 USA 50 Mile Trail Champion, 2013 USA 100K Trail Champion, 2011 USA Mountain Trail Teammate, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier, to name a few), it was clear that this dominating road, trail and ultra runner had something up her sleeve. That something, after further review of Michele’s interview, was a clear list of goals set [...]

Aaron Braun had one of the best seasons of any American distance runner last year, taking runner-up spots at two national championships, winning the Manchester Road Race and tying the course record, and twice running sub-27:55 for 10,000m, including a 27:41.54 personal best at the Olympic Trials where he finished fifth. But many of those performances went unnoticed by both fans and the media alike because Braun didn’t win a national title or make the Olympic team.  However, they put the 25 year-old athlete, who grew up in Fort Collins, Colo., and ran for NCAA Division II powerhouse Adams State, [...]

The Mountain/Ultra/Trail running council has spoken, and in its anticipated announcement named the 2012 USATF Mountain Runners of the year, Ultra Runners of the Year, Trail Runners of the Year, Trail Championship Series winners and Contributor of the Year.  Four of those winners hail from Colorado and will be recognized at the USATF Annual Meetings in Daytona Beach on December 1st. Mountain Men Open: Sage Canaday, Boulder, Colorado Canaday is the recipient of the Lyndon Ellefson Memorial Award and Runner of the Year in the Mountain Men Open category.  Canaday’s 2012 accolades include: Winner of the 2012 USA Mountain Running [...]

Ron Wayne came up to me during the days before the Chicago marathon and introduced me to several of his athletes: Patrick Rizzo, Craig Leon and Renee Metivier Baillee.  Ron Wayne is a pretty calm character. The longest tenured employee for Mizuno in the US ( thirty-one years, I believe), Wayne is one of the top US marathoners from the 1970s. His debut marathon was a 2:27.03 at Boston in 1972. In 1974, he battled down to the final lap on the track for the US marathon championships. Wayne was also 4th in the 1974 Boston Marathon, being the first [...]

You could here the Norris Penrose Events Center crowd buzz Saturday when Pine Creek’s Heather Bates enter the arena for the final 100 yards of the Class 5A girls cross country championship.

Even as a teenager, Ashi Geberkidane doesn’t blink or panic when forced to make decisions. He understands it’s part of approaching adulthood.

Dathan Ritzenhein had a superb end to 2012: he placed ninth with a two minute and five second personal best at the Bank of America Chicago marathon on October 7, 2012. Running a very calculated race, Dathan Ritzenhein ran 2 hours, seven minutes and 47 seconds, placing ninth. His two minute plus improvement gives just a hint of the talent that Ritz has in the marathon. Ritz told us that both he and his coach, Alberto Salazar, are now convinced , that due to his relatively light training and his 2:07:47, the marathon should be a focus for him in [...]