Tag Archives: USATF

Big draws to a blazing track

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This past weekend, the USATF Outdoor Championships came to Sacramento. The championships—always fun to watch—also served as the trials to select the US team going to London for the World Championships later this summer.

My husband and I were looking forward to the event until the weather forecast began promising triple digits three of the four days, including a high on Thursday of 110. (Sunday’s high was a relatively cool 97 degrees. Ugh.)

If you’ve followed my blog for long, you know my husband and I love watching track, and I especially love capturing photos of great moments in the competition. But because of the heat, even in the evenings, I left my good camera at home and had to rely on my cell phone’s not-so-great camera. Saturday’s and Sunday’s races took place mid-day, and my phone stayed in my bag. My hands were full of sno-cones, water, and a little misting fan. The relentless sun might have fried my phone anyway. It almost fried me.

Several races were almost as hot as the track, including the men’s 5,000 meters where Paul Chelimo (who runs for the US Army World Class Athlete Program and went to college in North Carolina) took the lead from the gun and won in convincing fashion. One of my favorite runners, Ryan Hill (below, right) of the Bowerman Track Club and a North Carolina native, took third in the men’s 5,000.

The winners of the 5,000 meters men’s race

I love seeing athletes cheer for and support other athletes. Evan Jager, the silver medalist in Rio last year in the men’s steeplechase, stood a few rows down from me to cheer for Hill. He gave him a thumb’s up and then clapped as Hill received his medal. Continue reading →

Patriotic running

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Happy 4th of July! I know some of my non-US readers won’t be celebrating tomorrow, but for most of my readers, tomorrow is all about red, white and blue; hot dogs, watermelon and potato salad; time with family or friends; and fireworks.

For many of you who run, tomorrow is also about racing hard to earn the aforementioned picnic fare without a guilty conscience. I did my “firecracker” race this past weekend, but I know that – at least here in the South – there are any number of July 4 races before the running calendar goes quiet through the worst heat and humidity of summer.

You know who else is racing hard right now? Our US elite runners. The 2013 US Track and Field Championship happened two weeks ago, and we’re in the process of figuring out which of those championship winners and runners-up will represent the United States in Moscow at the World Championships August 10-18.

It’s not a simple road, but for those who earn a spot on the team, it’s an opportunity of a lifetime to do some patriotic running. My husband and I watched a new show called USATF 36, in which gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross talks about putting on the USATF tee shirt for tough workouts: “It’s my inspiration … this is why I do it.” She works hard to represent our country well, and wearing the USA Track & Field jersey reminds her that the end result of representing our country is worth the pain and effort.

There are two other athletes, though, that I want to focus on in particular this week. The first is Leo Manzano.

Leo Manzano carries the flag after making the 1500m U.S. team to the 2012 Olympics

Leo Manzano carries a US flag after making the 1500m US team to the 2012 Olympics

I became a Leo Manzano fan when I saw him run at the 2008 US Olympic Track & Field trials in Eugene, Ore. He runs with heart and with guts. He’s often the shortest guy on the track, but he doesn’t let that hold him back. I’ve forgotten where I read this, but one writer described him as running with “schoolyard abandon.” I can’t tell you often I think of this phrase as I’m out slogging through a run. That expression always makes me smile and makes me try a little harder in my own run. Continue reading →