Hope for US RWing?

[MJR]

Today in Santee, CA...

Trevor Barron walked 1:37:50 for 20km, a new US Jr Record. He is 16.

Tyler Sorensen walked 47:05 for 10km, a new PR. He is 14.

Both young men are coached by 2x Olympian & US record holder Tim Seaman.

[gh]

phew.... for a minute there the subject line had me thinking it was a misplaced political thread.

I see USATF hasn't yet posted the results of the National 50K

[MJR]

The Media Dept doesn't send anyone to cover it. Rightfully so, in this case. The field was crap. Philip Dunn defended easily in 4:28:xx. He was the only one w/ a B standard and no one was going to challenge, so he basically did a workout. The youngsters were there as part of a multi-distance event in conjunction w/ the 50. Also, Canadian Rachel Lavallee followed her Millrose win w/ a nice season opener PR of 1:38:30, just off the IAAF B, but still aways from the Canadian standard for Berlin which is 1:36:xx.

[MJR]

News & Notes, Volume 9, Number 6

Dunn wins, Barron sets American junior record

Three-time Olympian Philip Dunn won his fifth men's national 50 km title and Trevor Barron set the U.S. junior 20 km record Sunday at the 2009 USA 50 km Race Walk Championships in Santee, Calif.

The championships served as the qualifying race for Team USA for both the 1st Americas Cup in El Salvador, April 28-29, and the 2009 World Track & Field Championships August 15-23 in Berlin, Germany. The only U.S. qualifier for both events is Philip Dunn, who won the U.S. 50 km title in 4 hours 28 minutes 53 seconds. Theron Kissinger was the runner-up in 5:04:33, with Steven McCullough finishing third in 7:00:21.

The men's 20 km Western Regional title was won by two-time Olympian Tim Seaman, who crossed the finish line in 1 hour 37 minutes 49 seconds. Finishing in the identical time was 16-year-old runner-up Trevor Barron, who shattered Philip Dunn's American junior record time of 1:42:15, set when he was a freshman at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. Barron, who is coached by Seaman, competes for South Park Track Club and resides in Bethel Park, Pa.


Other winners on Sunday included Karen Karavanic in the women's 50 km (6:24:22), and Rachel Lavalee of Canada won the women's 20 km in 1:38:30, with Solomiya Login capturing the U.S. Western Regional Championship with her runner-up finish in 1:48:43.Mike Tarantino won the men's 10 km title in 44 minutes 43 seconds, with 13-year-old Nicolette Sorensen capturing the women's 20km crown in 55:10.

The next stop on the USA Race Walk Grand Prix is the 2009 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Feb. 28-March 1 in Boston, where Tim Seaman will try to win his 11th career national indoor crown, and seven-time champion Teresa Vaill will look to defend her 2008 title.

[eldrick]

Re: News & Notes, Volume 9, Number 6

The only U.S. qualifier for both events is Philip Dunn, who won the U.S. 50 km title in 4 hours 28 minutes 53 seconds. Theron Kissinger was the runner-up in 5:04:33, with Steven McCullough finishing third in 7:00:21

shit !

a 2"30 marathoner ( a woman ! ) coud walk 50k faster than that !!!

[eldrick]

we shoud start a campaign :

find a regular poster/reader here who has 1y to start from scratch to enter next year's 50k & break 7"00 for 3rd !!!

where's Taffy !!!

( actually i bet MJR coud cross the divide from judge to competitor & beat that )

[Run DMC]

find a regular poster/reader here who has 1y to start from scratch to enter next year's 50k & break 7"00 for 3rd !!!

A couple of years ago, I saw the qual times for 20K and thought "I could kill that running. How much harder could racewalking be?" Well, I went out to the track and tried some repeat 200s. I was killing myself to do 8min pace. My delusions evaporated faster than my sweat. However 7hr is 13+min pace...

[polevaultpower]

Hope to see the younger athletes RWing for NAIA schools in a few years

[MJR]

We definitely need more athletes doing this. BUT:

1. USATF has shown little interest in giving RWing more than lip service level support. I'm not expecting to be included in the HP report focus on technical event funding & development, even thought we should be.

2. The NCAA absolutely forbids $ to be spent on it (= an NCAA violation).

3. The Bible of the Sport rarely acknowledges its existence outside of the a few Champs results written by Elliott Denman & absolutely refuses to include the HS performance in its HS Rankings (yet they include Jav & HT which are equally obscure).

Not much of a chance of developing a program when you're outflanked by 3 separate armies.

P.S. - No way I try a 50 unless I can train injury free long enough to finish under 5:00. I don't even like going to work for 7 hrs, why would I consider walking in circles that long?

P.P.S. - If you know any dedicated runners who want to make the US Team, have them contact me. I can have them on the podium in 12-18 months in the US & there is a good chance they go to London in 2012 if they start now.

[unclezadok]

Question: is the 50 km RW the worst American event in any sport?

Not counting that thing in Thailand where they play volleyball with their feet?

[polevaultpower]

3. The Bible of the Sport rarely acknowledges its existence outside of the a few Champs results written by Elliott Denman & absolutely refuses to include the HS performance in its HS Rankings (yet they include Jav & HT which are equally obscure).

Definitely more high school javelin throwers than high school racewalkers in the US. I think there are 13 states that have jav? And that's going to get a higher turnout than RW.

HS hammer throw is debatable. I know it's surprisingly popular in WA despite the WIAA's refusal to even make it an exhibition event. But I suspect most other states don't offer kids any kind of opportunity.

I think the RW is great, and it would be nice if T&FN gave it a nod in their HS rankings. Maybe there are too many different distances being competed to have meaningful rankings at that level.

[racewalker]

we shoud start a campaign :

find a regular poster/reader here who has 1y to start from scratch to enter next year's 50k & break 7"00 for 3rd !!!

where's Taffy !!!

( actually i bet MJR coud cross the divide from judge to competitor & beat that )

It is really upsetting if you are a RW fan, as am I.

Hell, back in the day, in less than a year, I went from zero to a 4:50-ish 50km. It can be done.

[Powell]

Just to put your hopes in perspective:
http://www.iaaf.org/WRC09/news/kind=100 ... 49527.html

Can any of the US junior men come close to Mineyeva's 42:36?

[MJR]

The entire russian progam is pharmacologically enhanced, so no, they can't. That coach has had more athletes fail tests than trevor graham did, but has yet to get banned.

[gh]

Yes, normally I'd yank the preceding, but after the Russian RW program's rash of hits last year, I'll let it stand. Like MJR, I find it stunning that coach/administrator has taken the fall.