Racing Action this Weekend

This is the first big weekend for USA distance running on the roads.

Houston is hosting the Aramco Half Marathon and Marathon on Sunday January 17, 2010.  The Half Marathon serves as the USA Championships for the 13.1 mile distance.  This is the race that Ryan Hall burst on the scene in 2007 with a 59:43. 

The women’s race features Bay Area Olympian Magda Lewy (the defending champion with a 1:11:47 last year).  Ready to challenge her, though, (and getting most of the publicity) is Shalane Flanagan.  This will be the half marathon debut for Flanagan, who had a tumultous 2009 year.  After twice setting the American record for 10,000 meters and capturing the bronze medal in the 10,000 at the Beijing Olympics, Flanagan changed coaches and suffered through a rough 2009 season.  Now coached by Jerry Schumacher in Oregon, Flanagan has hinted strongly that she wants to make the jump to the marathon (her mother, Cheryl (Bridges) Treworgy set a then world record in the marathon in 1971 – 2:49:40).  Many believe a successful race on Sunday in Houston will be the impetus Flanagan needs to commit to a spring marathon debut in Boston.

In the men’s marathon, Brett Gotcher is making his marathon debut.  After placing 3rd in the half marathon last year, Gotcher is jumping up to 26.2, where he will battle two Kenyan runners with sub-2:09 PR’s.  Gotcher has Northern California ties, having attended Aptos High School and Stanford University.  Remeber, not a lot of people knew who another Stanford alum was at this time three years ago — but everyone knew Ryan Hall’s name after the race three years ago.

And speaking of Hall, he will be in action on January 17, is the Rock ‘n Roll Arizona Half Marathon.  In fact,  Hall and Mammoth Track Club teammate and fellow Olympian Deena Kastor are both running this half marathon in .  Hall and Kastor share one other thing in common – they both hold American records in the half marathon.  Hall set his mark with the above mentioned 59:43 in Houston in 2007 and Kastor set her mark with a 1:07:34 in Berlin in 2006.