Ryan Hall's Blog, page 355

2016 Boston Marathon Registration is Coming; Here’s What You Need to Know

Photo: PhotoRun.net

For those interested in running the 2016 Boston Marathon next April (and qualified to do so), here’s what you need to know:

Registration opens on Monday, Sept. 14 but on a “rolling admission” schedule beginning with the fastest qualifiers.

The breakdown is as follows:

Those who meet the qualifying standards for their age group by 20 minutes or more more can register starting Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. ET.
Those who meet the qualifying standards for their age group by 10 minutes or more can register starting Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. ET.
Those who meet the qualifying standards for their age group by 5 minutes or more can register starting Friday, Sept. 18 at 10 a.m. ET.

Registration will then close on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 10 p.m. ET.

If space remains after the first week of registration, then registration will re-open for all qualifiers from Monday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. ET to Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 5 p.m. ET.

Neither of these registration periods are first-come, first-serve. Instead, the fastest qualifiers in their gender and age group will be granted entry first. But if there is still space after the first two registration periods, a third registration will open on Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. ET and will be first-come, first-serve to anyone meeting the qualification standard.

The registration fee for the 2016 race is $180 for U.S. residents and $240 for international residents.

The qualifying standards for the 2016 race is the same as the 2013, 2014 and 2015 races (and can be seen here), but it does not guarantee entry. Due to demand, last year’s cutoff ended up being 1:02 below the initial qualifying standard.

The 2016 Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 18.

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Published on September 08, 2015 10:57

Running Tech Buzz: Garmin Vívoactive

Photo: Scott Draper

Garmin’s latest smartwatch is an ultra-thin, light, multisport GPS watch with outstanding battery life. Practical beyond workouts, the watch connects to your nearby phone to display notifications and can control your music player. Tired of multiple watches and charging? With 4 days of notifications from phone to watch, sleep and activity tracking, plus 3.5 hours of accurate distance GPS running, the vívoactive still had 40 percent battery life left, all in a stylish package suitable for everyday use. The only knocks: Screens outside of workout modes were hard to see in dim light or with sunglasses, and there is no configurable interval mode beyond “Walk/Run.”

Breakdown

Expandable

Limited but growing selection of watch faces, additional data fields, heart rate charts and more in the Connect IQ Store.

Golf and swim too

GPS shot distances and stats for 38,000 golf courses. The onboard accelerometer tracks swim workouts as well.

Sleep and activity tracking

The activity and automatic sleep time and sleep movement logs are very useful for tracking a full day’s routine.

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Published on September 08, 2015 10:56

Photos: 2015 New Haven Road Race and USATF 20K Championship

The New Haven Road Race, a Labor Day tradition in New Haven, Conn., features some of the fastest 5K and 20K races in the country. In 2015, the 20K once again doubled as a U.S. national championship race, attracting a star-studded American field that included Dathan Ritzenhein, Jared Ward, Sam Chelanga and Fernando Cabada on the men’s side, and Molly Huddle, Blake Russell, Neely Spence-Gracey and Janet Bawcom on the women’s side.

The big winners were Ward (59:24), who outlasted a tight pack of five and beat Chelanga by one second; and Huddle, who bounced back after a disappointing fourth place finish in the 10,000-meter run at the recent IAAF World Championships by cruising to the women’s 20K title in 1:06:26, nearly a minute ahead of Bawcom. (Results can be found at this link.)

Here are photos from the race, taken by Kevin Morris:

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

Amy Cragg, Brooks pro athlete, and soon-to-be Portland, Ore., resident, warms up before finishing in 71:22, race weather was warm but not humid, and runners finished before the temps rose to 90+ later in the day

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

Bright sunshine on the New Haven Green made for lovely Labor Day road racing conditions, with 15,000 spectators turning out in support of runners.

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

Consistent 4:45 miles slowly but surely strung out the lead pack of elite men as many struggled to maintain the pace in warm conditions, and all but five were dropped before the sprint to the finish line

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

High-flying legs of the leading pack of elite men, barely touch the road surface, as they race at 4:47 mile pace

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

Near the 5 mile mark, while other front runners check each other out , Jared Ward (16) of Provo, Utah, takes his own path en-route to the victory, his third in a row in the USATF series

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

Troop of clowns add to the family-friendly and festive atmosphere of the community race, this year marking the 38th year of the race

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

The race course winds through the college town of New Haven, with many right-angle turns, here at mile 3 taken at high speed by the elite men. Defending champion Girma Mecheso (2) faded early while Abdi Abdirahmin (5) hung tough until mile 10.

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Dathan Ritzenhein of Belmont, Michigan leads pack of elite men as they enjoy a stretch of tree-covered relief from the hot sun in East Rock Park at mile 10.

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

Jared Ward (16), pro Saucony runner from Provo, Utah, puts the hammer down near mile 10 as a pack of 5 runners hold on to the pace.

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

Molly Huddle, of Providence, Rhode Island, dominated the women's open race, winning by a full minute in a time of 66:26 and pocketing $10,000 in prize money

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

Blake Russell, Pacific Grove, California, was the best runner 40-and-over on the day (women and men), finishing in 68:59 in fifth. She won the USATF marathon earlier in the year.

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

Jared Ward of Provo, Utah, crosses finish line first in 59:24 to win $10,000 prize, and solidify his lead in the 10-race USATF Road Race Championship series, with three more races to go.

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New Haven Road Race, USATF 20K Road Championship

Dathan Ritzenhein, pro Nike runner from Belmont, Michigan, drips sweat and water after finishing third in a five-man sprint for the win, in a time of 59:27.

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Published on September 08, 2015 09:43

Photos: The Rut Mountain Runs, 2015

Runners looking for a challenge headed to Big Sky, Mont., over the weekend to take part in The Rut Mountain Runs. The weekend of events, part of the Skyrunner World Series and the U.S. Skyrunner Series, consisted of a vertical kilometer race, an 11K, 25K and a 50K. The longest race featured 10,000 feet of elevation gain, and had 315 finishers. The winner was Italy’s Franco Colle’ in 5:16:58, while Sweden’s Emelie Forsberg won the women’s race in 6:25:44.

Here’s our gallery showing off the stunning scenery and challenging terrain that runners tackled. All photos by Myke Hermsmeyer (see more of his work on his website and Instagram)

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Race director Mike Foote overseeing the first annual Rut Runt Run held after the 25K on Saturday.

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The Rut race director Mike Wolfe sounds the elk bugle to start the 50K.

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Cristofer Clemente Mora leads Franco Colle at Headwaters Ridge early in the 50K.

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20-year-old Remi Bonnet from Charmey, Switzerland put together dominating performances on Friday and Saturday finishing first in the Vertical Kilometer and 25K.

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The Rut had a strong European presence this year but Montanan David Powder Steele represented the U.S. well by running the entire 25K with an American flag.

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Loose chossy rocks abound around The Rut course causing racers to be cautious both ascending and descending.

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Kaitlin McDonald from Bozeman, Mont., traversing Headwaters Ridge.

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Montana native and current Alaska resident Matt Shryock suffers his way up to Headwater's Ridge on his way to 3rd place.

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Kristina Pattison from Missoula, Montana descending on Headwaters Ridge on her way to 4th in The Rut 50K.

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Missoulian John Fiore running below Lone Peak after the first climb during The Rut 50K.

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Racers making a technical descent down Headwaters Ridge.

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Racers climb Bone Crusher Ridge to reach the high point of The Rut on Lone Peak (11,166') above Big Sky Resort.

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Spectators cheer on racers along Bone Crusher Ridge.

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Racers descend off the backside of Lone Peak during The Rut 25K.

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11-year-old Felix Hahn leads his parents up Bone Crusher Ridge during The Rut Vertical Kilometer.

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A racer scrambling up Lone Peak during The Rut 50K.

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The North Face athlete Hillary Allen had a rough start but pushed through to finish in 2nd place under the previous course record and behind Emelie Forsberg.

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A racer heads toward the finishing chute.

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Matt Shryock collapses at the finish line in third place.

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Max King struggles to get up at the finish line after finishing 6th in the 50K.

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Top three females at The Rut 50K: Emilie Forsberg (1st), Hillary Allen (2nd), and Martina Valmassoi (3rd).

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Top three males:
Franco Collé (1st), Cristofer Clemente Mora (2nd), and Matt Shryock (3rd).

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Max King making his best Luke Nelson (7th) impersonation.

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The winners, Franco Collé and Emilie Forsberg, donning their Skyrunner World Series jersey's.

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Photos: The Rut 50K Trail Race

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Published on September 07, 2015 22:05

Laura Thweatt, Elkanah Kibet Win Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach

Ever since 2001, the scenic town of Virginia Beach, Virginia has played host to one of the most popular running events: the half marathon. At this year’s 15 anniversary, Laura Thweatt was crowned the women’s champion. The 26-year-old broke the tape that was literally on the beach on 15th Street, in one hour, 12 minutes, and 59 seconds.

Thweatt said she enjoyed the rain and the cooler-than-average temperatures out on the course in the race’s beginning miles. “It was great,” she said of her performance. “I kept on trucking. The crowds and the course were awesome.”

Thweatt, a Colorado resident, said she loved running along the ocean. “I’m all about the beach,” she admitted with a chuckle. Thweatt is a U.S. Cross-Country champion and led Sunday’s race from wire to wire. The 26-year-old said her main focus out on the roads was the catch groups of male runners ahead of her. “I didn’t want to be all out there by myself,” she said. Thweatt was using the Virginia Beach race to tune up for her debut marathon later this fall.

RELATED: Why I Run: Laura Thweatt

Second and third place in the women’s race was awarded to Yuko Wantanabe (1:20:13) and Natalie Lawrence (1:21:18) respectively.

Elkanah Kibet won the men’s race, coming across the finish line in 1:05:22. Over 30 seconds behind Kibet was defending Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach champion Jeffrey Eggleston, who ran 1:06:01 for the 13.1 miles.

After the race, Eggleston, a University of Virginia graduate, recalled the challenging windy conditions. “It was really treacherous out there,” he said of the gusts.

The 30-year-old just returned from the World Championships in Beijing where he competed in the marathon, but didn’t finish. “I had a disappointing performance there,” he said of the World Championships. “I went out a little over my head in Beijing. I was in search of a breakthrough and didn’t go out conservative, so I was looking for a rebound here in Virginia Beach to defend my title. I put in all this hard work over the summer, and it’s never easy. You got to respect the race, and you got to respect the competition.”

Eggleston said he tried to say with Kibet from the start, and despite his second-place showing, he admits he had a great time out on the Virginia Beach course. “I look forward to what’s next,” he said. Isaiah Bragg finished third well behind Eggleston in 1:09:25.

A 5K was held in conjunction with Sunday’s race. Sixteen-year-old Josh Spare, a Virginia Beach resident, won in 16:47, while Audrey Perlow Verdirame was the women’s champion (22:12).

Virginia Beach has always been a welcoming and fun destination for runners. At this year’s event, 15,000 competitors from all 50 states and 15 countries took part in the race that winds throughout scenic beach town. Grammy-award winner Sheryl Crow serenaded runners at the 5th Street Beach Stage at the race’s finish-line concert.

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Published on September 06, 2015 12:42