MICHIGAN RUNNING NEWS

December 20, 2002

AMBER SMITH IS FIFTH AT FOOTLOCKER CROSS COUNTRY, FIRST-TEAM > ALL-AMERICAN

> Amber Smith, a junior at Westwood High School in Ishpeming, Michigan, > placed fifth at the Footlocker Cross Country Nationals in San Diego on > December 14 with a personal best time of 17:48. Smith's fifth place finish > earns first-team All-American honors. In an interview with the "Mining > Journal, the Upper Peninsula's largest daily newspaper", Smith said that > "the cool conditions were ideal compared with the national race last year > in humid Orlando, Florida." Smith also called the course with the "pretty > big hill" in San Diego's Balboa Park "not that tough". Smith, named "UP > Runner of the Year" by the Upper Peninsula Cross Country Coaches > Association, is probably used to the hills of Ishpeming-- home of the U.S. > National Ski Hall of Fame. >

> > Zoe Nelson of Kalispell, Montana, won the Footlocker girls title in 17:30 > and Chris Solinsky of Stevens Point, Wisconson won the boys title in > 14:40.5. > >

> WHERE ARE THE COUNTRY'S BEST RUNNERS? >

> Last week we were just a little annoyed with USA Track & Field's question > "Where are the country's best runners? Boston, Indiana, California, > Wisconsin, your state?" > >

> The question failed to mention Michigan: the home state of the Fall Cross > Country men's defending champions: Hansons Running Shop Olympic > Development Team. > >

> Brian Sell (3rd), Jeff Campbell (5th), Justin Young (7th), Richie Brinker > (9th, Donnie Franzen (11th), Martin Rosenbdahl (14th), Kevin Doyle (26th), > and Mike Fox (41th) won the USATF Fall Cross Championships in Rocklin, > California on December 14th. The Hansons team came out on top for the > second year in a row -- handily defeating the Nike Farm Team 35-57. > Although 14th place Martin Rosendahl didn't score, it was only because the > strong Hanson team didn't need him. Rosendahl finished ahead of Nike's > 3rd, 4th, and 5th place runners. Not only that, Richie Brinker managed to > finish ninth in spite of losing his shoe early in the race. For details > see http://www.usatf.org/events/2002/ > USAFallXCChampionships/schedule.shtml. >

> > BELLE ISLE NEW YEAR'S EVE FAMILY FUN RUN/WALK, DECEMBER 31, 2002 >

> The Belle Isle Runners and the Downtown Runners and Walkers with the > Michigan Runner will be hosting the 33rd annual Belle Isle New Year's Eve > Family Fun Run and Walk. This event is a tradition with generations of > Michigan runners. Bill Smith will no doubt be running in his tuxedo and > others will show up in costume. Every single kid who runs in the kids' 1 > mile gets a trophy. You can pre-register Friday, December 27 from Noon to > 4pm at the US Marine Corps Training Center, 7600 East Jefferson in > Detroit, 1/4 mile from the MacArthur/Belle Isle Bridge. Late registration > on Race Day begins at Noon at the Center. Parking is available at the UAW > Headquarters on East Jefferson. Proceeds benefit My Sister's Place. A > printable race entry form is available online: > http://michiganrunner.com/belleisle/ > >

> ANN ARBOR ARCTIC CHALLENGE >

> The Ann Arbor Arctic Challenge is a three-month event cooked up by the > Running Fit stores. Participants are challenged to run/walk all the > streets of Ann Arbor between 2pm January 1st and sundown, April 1st, 2003. > Runners and walkers try to design their routes with the fewest number of > repeat roads. Winners are those who finish in the fewest number of days. > Sign-up any time during the event; just make sure you leave enough days to > finish. E-mail in your mileage every week. More information is available > at the Running Fit website at http://runningfit.com. Weekly mileage > updates will be posted there, too. >

> > NO MORE PIETRO'S RUN FASTA EAT PASTA >

> Pietro's Run Fasta Eat Pasta was a popular April 5K in Grand Rapids for > fifteen years, but folks at Pietro's restaurant say the 2002 race was the > last one. The death of Mark Nader in January 2002 ultimately meant the > death of the race he founded. According to Scott Sullivan in the May/June > 2002 "Michigan Runner": "Nader, founding director of the Pietro's Run > Fasta Eat Pasta 5K, built that event from nothing 15 years ago into one of > America's top 100 road runs, according to 'Runner's World' magazine. He > introduced kids runs and diaper dashes to West Michigan, held pre-race > pasta fests and expos, split men's and women's races so each would receive > attention, recruited Kenyans, Russians and U.S. Olympic hopefuls." > >

> One fun aspect of Pietro's was the separate races for men and women. You > could run in one and watch the other. Perhaps some other 5K could carry on > that Pietro tradition. > >

>CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S RACES >

> Saturday, December 21 >
> . Calvin College Candy Cane Run, 6MR, 3MR, 1MR, Grand Rapids, > 616.669.3077, http://www.grandrapidstrackclub.org > >

> Sunday, December 22 >
> . Jingle Bell Run, 5KR, Traverse City, , 231.941.8118 >

> > > Tuesday, December 31 >
> . New Year's Eve Fest Run, 5K, Holland, 616.392.2282, > http://gazellesports.com
> . New Year's Resolution 8K Walk & Run, Flint, 2:00 pm, 810.659.6493, > http://riverbendstriders.com
> . Midnight Special 5K, Whitehouse, OH, 11:45 pm, 419.8967.1490, > [email protected]
> . New Year's Eve Family Fun Run/Walk, 1 MR, 4MR, 3:30 pm, Belle Isle Park, > Detroit, 313.886.5560, http://michiganrunner.com/belleisle/
> . New Year's 5K, 12:00 pm, Jackson, 517.788.4376, > http://[email protected] >

> > Wednesday, January 1 >
> . New Year's Resolution Run, 5KR, 10:00 am, Lake Orion, 248.693.9742 >
> . John Daley Memorial One One Run, 2.4 MR, 4.4 MR, Kalamazoo, 1:00 pm, > 269.342.5996, http://www.gazellesports.com
> . Sergeant Preston, Yukon King Run, 6MR, 5KR, 11:00 am, Muskegon, > 231.744.8957, [email protected]
> . Hangover Classic, 5KR, Whitehouse, Ohio, 2:00 pm, 419.867.1490, > [email protected].
> . Hangover Classic, 10MR, Louisville, Kentucky, 10:00 am, 812.284.2712, > http://cherokeeroadrunners.org.
> . Wolverine Resolution Run, 4MR, 9:00 am, East Grand Rapids, 616.485.7888, > classicrace.com

Coaches and Race Directors:
E-Mail us Your Press Releases!!

Send to [email protected]