California Track & Running News Sept–Oct 2013, Volume 39 NUMBER 3 | Página 4

CTRN-SeptOCT2013__Layout 1 9/18/13 7:50 AM Page 4 welcome California Track & Running News I ’ve just returned from the end of the season of track & field. I visited Moscow for the World Champs, where the U.S. won 25 medals, and became the first country to win medals in both the men’s and women’s 800 meters and 1500 meters in the same World Championships. Our sport continues to grow and in Moscow there were 206 of the 300+ countries on our planet. To me, the 800m medal run of Brenda Martinez and the 4th place of Alysia Montaño (by just 0.04 seconds) was indicative of our success. Ajeé Wilson, who was 6th with her 1:58.25, broke the American junior record of Mary Cain. Jenny Simpson’s brilliant silver medal run, behind Sweden’s Abeba Aregawi, should also be complimented. On the guys’ side, Nick Symmonds ran the race of his life and took the silver medal, the first at the 800m for an American man since 1997 when Rich Kenah did it. Duane Solomon finished 4th, and he’ll move up to medal in the www.caltrack.com next few years. Matthew Centrowitz, www.facebook.com/CalforniaTrackRunningNews running the 1500 meters, always stays out of trouble. So proud of him taking Twitter handle: @caltrackrn the silver medal, and with his father, www.runblogrun.com Matt Sr., coach at American University, in the stands. The Golden State continues to astound. Our state has strong cross country programs, track programs, and a plethora of road races. I have to admit, though, that I was saddened to see that the Competitor Group, which puts on 83 events worldwide— 75 in the U.S.—has eliminated elite athlete support from its events. That will mean that local California athletes will have fewer chances to compete against the world’s best. But this can also start a dialogue: I believe it’s okay to have races that are noncompetitive and races that are competitive. The rise of fundraising races seem to indicate that runners agree—competition and finish place aren’t the only reasons people run. On a related note, how do you feel that, at this time, anyone can put on a road race? Maybe there should be some minimum standards. As our sport becomes more lucrative, more people and organizations will be interested in putting on races. Should there be a minimum standard of requirements to put on a race? Tell me what you think at [email protected] Larry Eder 4 ct&rn • September–October 2013 SHOOTING STAR MEDIA Group Publisher Larry Eder Group & Coordinating Editor Christine Johnson [email protected] [email protected] CT&RN Contributing Editors Cregg Weinmann Apparel, Footwear Reviews Dave Shrock Community Colleges Mark Winitz Northern California Photographers Victor Sailer www.PhotoRun.net Arturo Ramos Association Consultants John Mansoor Pacific Lawrence Watson Central Rebecca Trahan Southern San Diego/Imperial Proofreader Red Ink Editorial Services Madison, WI Pre-Press/Printer W. D. Hoard & Sons Co. Fort Atkinson, WI Regards, California Track & Running News (ISDN #10986472), incorporating Pacific Athlete, is the official publication for the four USA Track & Field associations in California and Northern Nevada. It is produced, published, and owned by Shooting Star Media, P.O. Box 67, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. All ad materials and insertion orders should be sent to Shooting Star Media at the above address. Publisher assumes no liability for matter printed. Publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for content of paid advertising and reserves the right to reject paid advertising. Publisher expects that all claims by advertisers can be substantiated and that all guarantees will be honored. =