The Illinois Marathon is a for-profit race that is owned by the same company that owns the legendary Fargo Marathon (sarcasm). Despite this, I expect this to be one of the finest marathons around. The people of Champaign Urbana are some of the nicest you’ll ever meet. The local students support all the athletic events and will certainly show up to watch, volunteer, and run. Local businesses are also supporting the event. Body and Sole, the local running store, will make sure that all runners within 100 miles know about the event. This race could soon be in competition with Indianapolis, Chicago, and St. Louis to become the biggest spring marathon in the Midwest after Grandma’s.

A few highlights of the course: flat as a pancake because we don’t even have a hill in Champaign Urbana. The only way you’ll see a hill is if they make you run a parking garage. You’ll also get to finish at the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium. Not quite the Speedway of Indy or running the bases at Wrigley but still going to be a great finish.

A date has been set for this year’s Las Vegas Marathon. Fireworks will start the race at Mandalay Bay on Sunday, Dec. 7th at 6:00am.

Registration is already underway. The race will be broadcast live in several regions that morning.

For Midwest runners and those who are forever scared of the Chicago Marathon heat, there is good news. Indianapolis, IN is going to host a new fall marathon. Those who have run the Mini Marathon know that the city can handle big crowds and does a great job as host. The half marathon usually has over 30,000 runners in the spring.

The inaugural marathon and half marathon will be held on November 1st, 2008. This race is not affiliated with the ill-fated Indy Classic Marathon, which was delayed and then canceled last fall.

Total entries for the first year will be limited to 5,000 runners. Registration is now open and costs $60 for the full marathon and $50 for the half before June 30th.

The Indianapolis Monumental Marathon will benefit local public schools and offer a total purse of $10,800 in cash prizes.

Just a quick reminder that registration for the Chicago Marathon starts today. The Chicago Marathon is very popular event and traditionally a fast course, so Boston hopefuls often try to qualify there. Other details:

• Race Date: Sunday, October 12, 2008
• Start Time: 8:00am (CST)
• Participant Capacity: 45,000
• Registration Fee: $110 for U.S. participants; $130 for participants outside the U.S.

Update: The race has reached its 45,000 runner capacity and general registration is now closed. That was fast!

For many runners, walking is a sign of failure; they only walk when they literally can no longer run. We have all walked at some point. In fact, a good method to build up mileage when you first start training is to alternate running and walking. You run a mile, walk a bit, and then run another mile and repeat. As we progress into our running career we tend to work more on time because we can run virtually any distance we need. But what if you could run a faster marathon by walking strategically?

For people who are completing a marathon in 4 hours or more, mixing some brief walks into your marathon can actually cut your time. What you do is plan to walk for 60 seconds after every few miles you run, even if you don’t really feel like you have to. Although this is counterintuitive, here are some reasons it’s not as crazy as it sounds:

• Walking 60 seconds doesn’t actually lose you 60 seconds. The real loss is significantly lower because you are still covering ground while you walk.
• Run-walkers tend to go slightly faster in the run segments than they would if they ran without stopping. For instance, you may find yourself being passed by someone while you walk but then you actually pass them and gain ground on them while your run.
• Run-walkers tend to hold their pace longer. That one minute rest can save your legs and energy and push “the wall” deeper into the race.
• Psychologically, you know you get a break at certain intervals so those 26.2 miles don’t seem quite so daunting anymore.
• Many runners have tried this and reported decreased finishing times. In particular, 4-hour marathoners and above see great improvements.

Think of those terrible last 5 miles where you walked at a 15-minute pace, barely able to stand up. Wouldn’t it be better to walk a little throughout than to limp home?

After reading this press release that the San Diego Rock n’ Roll Marathon just sent out I think I may run a marathon. Ok, I’ve run plenty but this one sounds pretty fun.

On Sunday, June 1, 2008, the original Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego begins a new decade as one of the world’s premiere marathons. Produced by Elite Racing, Inc., the 11th annual event is known as a 26.2-mile block party with a live band at every mile along the course, hundreds of cheerleaders, themed water stations, and a post-race concert, which featured Seal in 2007.

Now is the time to set training plans and begin preparing for the entertaining fitness experience. For 20,000 runners and walkers, race weekend offers a unique opportunity to take an active vacation, accomplish personal goals, team up with friends and family, raise funds for charity or race like the King.

Rookie Marathoners Welcome

Running or walking a marathon is a great lifetime achievement and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon’s miles of scenery, entertainment and extensive on-course support has made it a favorite race for runners of all abilities, including first timers.

First-timer Facts:

• About half of the participants running the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon are running their first marathon. Rookies are bound to meet many people with the same experience.
• Over 90 percent of the first-time marathoners said their experience at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon encouraged them to return to run another race in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series.
• The national number of runners has increased to 40 million. Now has never been a better time to join a race that is charged with group support and energy.
• More than 50 percent of Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathoners are female, making race weekend an ideal girl’s getaway.

Registration and additional information is available at the race website.

The field for the 2008 Grandma’s Marathon is nearly three-fourths full. Since registration opened eight days ago, 6,900 runners have signed up for the event’s 32nd annual running. The race was half full just 24 hours after registration opened.

The marathon field has reached its capacity for 13 consecutive years and is limited to the first 9,500 participants. Runners looking to secure one of the remaining 2,600 spots should visit the race website.

Cheruiyot setting Boston course record

Robert Cheruiyot, winner of the 2007, 2006, and 2003 Boston Marathons, will be back again to race on April 21, 2008. Cheruiyot is seeking to join the ranks of only 3 other four-time male winners, Canadian Gerard Cote and Americans Bill Rodgers and Clarence DeMar.

Cheruiyo set the Boston course record, 2 hours 7 minutes 14 seconds, in 2006. His win last year helped him lay claim to the World Marathon Majors series and a $500,000 prize.

Cheruiyot said in a press release, “I have had much success on the Boston course because the more difficult and competitive a race is, the more I commit myself to do my best.”

Update: Cheruiyot won the 2008 Boston Marathon with a time of 2:07:46, taking home the $150,000 purse.

Expectations had been set high for Gebrselassie this week. Along with the world record, a ton of money was on the line. Fueling the fire was Gebrselassie himself. In a time when most people give the “If I have a good day, there is a chance I could break the record” answer, he replied with a “I should break this” type. There’s nothing wrong with confidence, but as we all know in running, you can’t have your best day each and every day.

Amazing to me is the fact a man runs a 2:04 marathon and there is a feeling of disappointment in the air. Here is the official report of the race :

Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie won the Dubai Marathon on Friday and prize money of 250,000 dollars, although he failed to beat the world record time of 2:04:26 he ran in Berlin in September.

His failure by 27 seconds to better that record meant Gebreselassie, a former double Olympic 10,000m gold medalist, missed out on a bonus of one million dollars.

Kenyan duo Isaac Macharia and Sammi Korir netted 100,000 and 50,000 dollars respectively after finishing in second and third positions behind Gebrelassie on the flat course around the streets of Dubai.

There was an Ethiopian clean sweep of the podium in the women’s race, with Birhane Adere finishing first in 2:22:42 to also scoop the winner’s pot of 250,000 dollars.

Adere, a two-time Chicago Marathon winner who has one world gold and two silvers over 10,000m, also missed out on the women’s world record currently held by Britain’s Paula Radcliffe.