Runnerville

Runnerville has laid low since the summer. I know many of our readers have been disappointed and I receive emails from friends and fans of the site at least once a week about when the site is coming back. Well, I am not sure when the site will kick back up to the same level it was running at earlier this year, but I figured it is time to start posting up ideas and creating dialogue once again.

My first post back will be in response to Toni Reavis’ speech he gave at the Road Race Management Race Directors Meeting last month. Toni’s speech was simply fantastic, as I’ve read it at least a dozen times since he posted it up on Runnerville. The thoughts and ideas running throughout the piece continue to motivate and inspire deeper thinking towards improving the sport, and I applaud Toni for laying out his thoughts in such a dynamic way. Read more…

INDIANAPOLIS - The USA Track & Field Board of Directors on Thursday approved top sports executive Doug Logan, the former Commissioner, President and CEO of Major League Soccer, as its next CEO. A bilingual sports and entertainment leader with a proven track record of generating long-term sponsor partnerships, television outreach and high fan attendance, Logan and MLS in 1996 were named Sports Industrialist of the Year by Sports Business Daily. Read more…

A full debrief of the Olympic Trials with special guest Coach Vin Lananna (co-chair of the Eugene ‘08 organizing committee and director of track & field at the University of Oregon). Toni and Matt kick off the show with their assessment of the Trials - the highs and lows, surprises and disappointments - before bringing on Coach Lananna, who gives a candid recap of the show.What lived up to his expectations? What can be improved for 2012? How do we make the sport more professional? Can USATF succeed in Indianapolis? This and more on the Toni & Matt Show.

USATF board member Stephanie Hightower discusses the state of of our sport AND our governing body. The LA Marathon is sold; Chris Devine apologizes. Tiger Woods does it again. Meb is ready. Athlete values rise and fall at NCAA Champs. It’s all on today’s episode of the Toni & Matt Show.

The Big Story - Stephanie Hightower joins us in the “studio” from Ohio. The four-time U.S. 100m hurdles champion and 1980 Olympic Team member, Hightower currently serves on the board of USATF and is the chair of USATF’s Women’s Track and Field Committee. In today’s discussion she responds to the demand from USOC for USATF to restructure. Is this a chance to split the organization into different governing bodies (e.g., race walking, track & field, youth, masters, ultra, etc)? Yes, but no. We find out where things stand in the CEO search. Will we have a new one by June 27th, the start of the US Olympic Trials? Sounds doubtful. And Matt digs in about the presentation of our sport on television and in person. What happens in the board room - are their conversations about what the fans want? A great conversation, and some great insight into the challenges facing USATF in this CEO-less Olympic year.

Quick News: The LA Marathon is sold. Tiger wins on Monday, which Toni loves. But Matt argues that the US Open got really, really lucky. Toni puts an end to the LetsRun rumors - Meb is healthy and ready to go, according to his brother and agent, Merhawi. And what athletes gained and lost value at this year’s NCAA meet?

Major Russ Stewart calls in from Tikrit, Iraq. If you listen to only two-minutes of the show, these are the two minutes you want to listen to. The Tikrit Running Club is up and running (who wants a t-shirt?), Russ roots for Webb and laments people who don’t consider Bernard Lagat an American. Thanks Russ. Stay safe!

What do you think? Call us at 206-888-0346 or email to comments (at) runnerville (dot) com.

[Music is “Keep on Running” by The Trojans.]

Track visionaries have been saying it for years: the sport of track & field is stale and requires massive change to elevate its status to that of other professional sports. Those who voiced such opinions, pleading for change, ran up against brick walls. Then proceeded to bang their heads against said brick walls. Years of banging resulted in severe apathy - track is track; it is what it is. Except among a select few who kept the movement alive and inspired the next generation. So here we are today, witnessing a perfect storm of BALCO, the internet, world-class U.S. performances, a second running boom, and the chronic underperformance of our governing bodies. Finally someone has taken notice.

In a stern letter from Jim Scherr, USOC chief executive, to Bill Roe, USATF President and our guest on The Toni & Matt Show #13, track’s governing body was given an ultimatum: change your structure or else risk sanctions and possible decertification. USATF has until June 24 to submit a plan. If the USOC chooses decertification, it will actually take over USATF until a new federation can be formed. Although rare, it has happened in modern pentathlon, team handball, and taekwondo. (click “read full article” for the rest of this story) Read more…

Gearing up, the world comes tumbling down. With the Olympic Trials and the Games in sight, the athletes have stepped fully into the spotlight. Okay world, try harnessing Usain Bolt, who electrified NY, Jamaica, and even ESPN with a 9.72 WR in the 100m.  In California teen sensations German Fernandez and Christine Babcock continue to re-write history.  We’ll talk with Dyestat.com’s Rich Gonzalez, and USATF President Bill Roe joins us live for a penetrating interview about the sport and the search for a new CEO.  It’s all on this episode of the Toni & Matt Show.

The Big Story - USATF President Bill Roe joins us in the studio. We find out where USATF is in the CEO selection process (hoping for an announcement before the Trials), what types of candidates are still in the hunt (ones from the running industry and ones from outside the industry), and whether Hilary Clinton is a candidate (he never really answered, did he?). Bill also talks about the current challenges facing USATF (attendance, drugs, non-profit vs for-profit) and gives us his ideal TV deal.

Fernandez and Babcock on Fire - DyeStat.com’s Rich Gonzales joins us in studio to discuss the historical performances by German Fernandez and Christine Babcock. We get the inside scoop on their training and what races are up next.

Usain Bolt is the World’s Fastest Man - With his blistering 9.72, Usain Bolt becomes the world’s fastest man at the age of 21. A phenom at age 15, Bolt has finally reached what many saw coming. A new breed of sprinter for sure. But more importantly — one with a personality. Matt goes on a rant about the drug suspicions.

What do you think? Call us at 206-888-0346 or email to comments (at) runnerville (dot) com.

[Music is “Jammin’” by Bob Marley.]

Credit where credit is due: USATF catches a lot of flack on here for its laissez faire event promotion and uninspired website (multimedia-free since 1993!) but they’ve really got a great thing going on with their Pick ‘N Win game.  So much so that the IAAF is now launching one as well. Read more…

What a difference one day makes. Before Sunday’s men’s 800m dash, the rivalry between Nick Symmonds and Khadevis Robinson was nearly not existent. While a few knowledgeable individuals may have labeled the duo a quality tandem that could really make an impact on the world stage, few were pitting the two against each other.

Now, in less than four news cycles, Symmonds and Robinson are being touted as the greatest rivalry in our sport. Whether or not you agree with these two being matched up, I completely agree with the idea of creating rivalry in our sport. Any type of sport, anywhere in the world, thrives off of rivalry. Duke v. North Carolina in basketball, Boston v. New York in baseball, Chicago v. Green Bay in football. Match ups between rivals get the most media exposure each time they face off because of the great battles between these groups in the past and what fans hope to see the next time they face off. Read more…

Cross Nationals are easily my favorite National Championship each year (NCAA Cross Country, notwithstanding). In the past few years we’ve had Messrs. McDougal and Withrow make auspicious in-roads toward elite senior status as college kids. Max King had everyone asking “Who’s Max King?” in New York. A photo finish on frozen tundra in Indianapolis, and a local guy making good in the long-course race. (I forget his name; I just remember the gist of the story.) Ryan Hall claiming the mantle of Best American Distance Runner in 2006 (though we didn’t know, at the time, that this one dominating race was only the beginning). Last year, Boulder’s best defending their home turf — er, home mud. Read more…

I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way…– Whitney Houston, Greatest Love of All

I work part-time at a youth center in my neighborhood. Today, I noticed one of our teens — Fabian, a Hollister-wearing, soccer-loving, girl-chasing teenage boy — looking up Olympics information on the Web. I asked him what he was up to, and he said his teacher had given him an assignment of some kind to gather and report information about various Olympic track & field events, from sprints to middle distance to the marathon. Athletes to watch, records, past results, etc. He didn’t remember all the details of the assignment because he’d forgotten his paper at school, but nevertheless –

I was beaming!

I want to kiss the teacher who gave her students this assignment. The Angel of Track, maybe? I pointed him away from the dead-end site he was looking at and told him to peruse the USATF site for information on the athletes, records, etc. I told him how excited I was that he was doing this project, because track is pretty much the greatest sport in the world. He asked me if I’d help him with his project when he brought his paper back tomorrow, and I answered way too quickly and eagerly. I was like a kid in a candy store.

A few minutes later, I looked over and Fabian was looking up track races on YouTube. I told him to punch in “Michael Johnson” and “1996″, and he was amazed that a human being could run under 10 seconds for the second 100 meters of a 200-meter race. He was hooked.

Whitney might have been right all along. Could it really be that easy?