A group of Floridians has migrated to Tennessee and it's not just for the milder climate. These girls are going to Vanderbilt University in Nashville for its renowned academics and increasingly successful athletics.
It seems impossible to me that anyone can be a runner but not have seen the movie Chariots of Fire. It's a true classic not only of the sports film genre, but also of film as a whole. If you don't believe me, believe the experts at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Chariots was nominated for seven Oscars in 1982 and won four of them, including the coveted "Best Picture" award.
On my first day interning at MileSplit headquarters in Longwood, the head honcho Jason Byrne showed me the office's "Wall of Fame" -- a hallway lined with signed photos of famous runners. I shook my head, feeling pretty silly, as he pointed to each photo and asked if I knew about that athlete. Justin Gatlin? No. Jim Ryun? Nope. Prefontaine? Sounds familiar...not.
Dathan Ritzenhein didn't waste time when he returned home from London. Dissatisfied with his Olympic performance, the distance runner took a trip to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute to take several tests and learn more about his body.
Adult runners in Florida who miss the competition and hype of running in high school or college may soon get another chance at the glory of competitive running.
It's said that pain is weakness leaving the body; when there's no pain there's no gain; that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. If all this is true, Jill Hardies has become a veritable Super Girl since she began running.
It seems impossible to me that anyone can be a runner but not have seen the movie Chariots of Fire. It's a true classic not only of the sports film genre, but also of film as a whole. If you don't believe me, believe the experts at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Chariots was nominated for seven Oscars in 1982 and won four of them, including the coveted "Best Picture" award.
Depending on what city they live in or what school they go to, middle school cross country runners can often be an underserved population in the world of athletics. Laura Fredrickson of the Florida Youth Runners Association is trying to change that. The creation of a middle school cross country league is her goal, and it could bring huge improvements to the sport for young runners.
When you think of famous Native Americans, Pocahontas and Sacagawea are usually the first that pop up in your mind. But there's one American Indian who made his mark on the world of distance running forever; his impressive story is told in the 1983 film Running Brave.
While on a mission trip this summer, Columbia City High School junior Samantha Roush suffered a foot injury that could hamper her in the upcoming cross country season. Though it has slowed her down it didn't stop her from finishing her week-long mission trip, and it isn't stopping her from trying to make a full recovery.
For runners who don't have the time or money to take a pilgrimage to the Rockies for elevation training, a controversial product has been designed to bring the feeling of high elevation right to your face.
The transition from middle to high school can be an intimidating rite of passage. When you're a middle school cross country star moving on to be a 4A high school freshman, it can be even tougher. But Brandon Marquez is taking it all in stride.
Connor Sorrells finished 22nd at last year's cross country state meet, but is coming off a very impressive outdoor season. The Barr Reeve senior placed second in the 3200 meters with a time of 9:01.40. He is hoping that success carries over to his final year of cross country. See how he got started in the sport, thinks the notoriety is changing, and his goals for the 2012 season.
Kaylee Flanagan was on the swim team in middle school, but there was a problem: all that pesky water.
The Sunshine State is a beautiful place to live and to run, but it presents a special problem for athletes trying to train in the southern paradise -- the whole "sunshine" part can get very overwhelming when you're an endurance runner.
When Wendy Thomas began running, she just wanted to lose some extra weight. Four years and more than a few pounds later, she got 12th place in the Olympic marathon trials. Though she won't be going to London, her story is a surprising one, and she owes much of her success to her training with the American Distance Project.
Since graduating from the University of Miami in 2011, T'erea Brown has been doing nothing but training. The five-time All-American hurdler is used to hard work, and now it has all paid off-- she's on her way to represent the United States in the London Olympics.
For endurance runners, it's what's inside that counts -- inside the body, and even inside the blood cells. That's what Scott Simmons of the American Distance Project taught attendees of FACA's annual conference last weekend in his session about managing athletes' diets and intake of iron.
For many athletes, interest in their sports began when they were young, and upcoming senior Grant Nykaza is no exception. Cross country is for him a family affair.
Coaches who attended the conference had plenty of opportunities to learn how to improve their teams. Florida Runners wants to make it easier for those who didn't attend. That's why we'll be posting overviews of some of the conference's sessions, so that you can implement new and old ideas alike into your coaching regimen.
After a debate in June ended in her favor, University of Florida student Genevieve LaCaze will be running for her home country of Australia in the 2012 Olympics. For her, the road from Australia to Florida to London has been long but well worth it.
When athletes step onto the field to compete in Olympic events, everyone knows that they have been training for this moment for years. But behind every athlete is someone who has helped him or her get to this point -- the coach. (via MileSplit)
When athletes step onto the field to compete in Olympic events, everyone knows that they have been training for this moment for years. But behind every athlete is someone who has helped him or her get to this point -- the coach.
If Steve Prefontaine needed more glorification, the 1997 film Prefontaine has risen to the task of further immortalizing this hero of track. Part biographical drama, part documentary-style narrative, this film tells the story of Prefontaine's journey from cocky high school graduate to cocky Olympian. Award-winning documentary director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) brings "Pre" back to the spotlight, telling the story of a life that is both inspirational and somewhat disappointing.
An athlete must be incredibly talented to make it to the Olympic games. To run in those games three times takes an even more extraordinary amount of skill, and Florida has its own Olympic Super Girl in University of Miami alumna Lauryn Williams.
A typical day for most high school students can be stressful. Before she graduated, a day in the life of Jamika Glades involved going to school, doing homework and attending track practices. She managed to get good grades and achieved great success on the track. On top of it all, she has a baby boy to take care of. (via MileSplit)
A typical day for most high school students can be stressful. Before she graduated, a day in the life of Jamika Glades involved going to school, doing homework and attending track practices. She managed to get good grades and achieved great success on the track. On top of it all, she has a baby boy to take care of.
When a trouble-making Catholic schoolboy's cancer-stricken mother falls into a coma, he believes that he needs a miracle in order for God to heal her. So begins the journey of Ralph Walker, the main character of the 2004 film "Saint Ralph." After being forced to join his school's cross-country team as punishment for, let's just say, certain impure actions, Ralph decides that winning the Boston marathon would be the kind of miracle he needs.
When T'ierra Brown left Hampton High School for the University of Miami in 2007, Brown was a state champion and All-American hurdler. She was a national leader during her senior year of outdoor track in the 300 meter hurdles (41.62) and established a AAA state meet record in the 100 meter hurdles at 13.67. She has only continued to progress since her accomplished prep career for the Crabbers as a collegiate at the University of Miami winning NCAA titles in the hurdles and now as a professionally sponsored athlete for adidas. Brown punched her ticket for the 2012 Olympic Games in London last week after finishing third in the finals of the Olympic Trials in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 54.81. An intern for MileSplit affiliate flrunners.com, Amy Simpson, recently did an interview and story on Brown who is currently training and residing in Florida as she prepares for her first Olympic Games.
On a windy day in Oxford, England, one man and one distance were elevated to a level of fame previously unattained by any track athlete. In 1954, when Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes, the world was inspired to achieve the impossible and "The Mile" gained a romantic luster that remains to this day.