April 24, 2008
C   O   N   T   E   N   T   S

THE MYOMED RAGNAR RELAY SERIES EXPANDS TO SEVEN EVENTS--THREE MORE VENUES FOR 2008
[ A word from our sponsor ]

Three more overnight relays, and three more opportunities in different regions of the USA; 200-mile relays ending in Washington, D.C., Daytona Beach, and Austin, Texas are now forming teams.

The MyoMed Ragnar Relay Series is growing, and rapidly! Three new events will bring the total to seven, and will target three new regions of the country. The MyoMed Ragnar Relay Del Sol in Arizona ran February 29 to March 1st. The MyoMed Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back in Utah, the original, runs June 20-21. Beginning with that one there will be one per month for six consecutive months with the new additions. This is an enormous undertaking considering the logistics involved in point-to-point 200-mile events. But they have been tremendously successful, and growth has been phenomenal. So Ragnar Events, LLC will be pleased to bring their concept to three new regions, allowing even more people to participate in this fast-growing overnight relay experience.

MyoMed Ragnar Relays now run in the following regions: The Mountain West, Upper Midwest-Mississippi Valley, Pacific Northwest, Mid Atlantic, the South--Texas, Southeast, and Desert Southwest.

The relay series has excellent sponsorship with MyoMed and others. It is exceptionally well planned and well orchestrated. And it will be just about as much fun as runners can have--challenging, yet remarkably enjoyable, the epitome of camaraderie and teamwork. Enjoy life, Run a MyoMed Ragnar Relay!

> Click for more information

SPIRIT OF THE MARATHON
Film goes on 16-City Tour

"Spirit of the Marathon," an inspirational journey to the finish line, returns to the big screen in a 16-city tour in anticipation and celebration of runners and their participation in marathons and running races from the Boston Marathon to the Bolder Boulder. More than a sports event, "Spirit of the Marathon" is an extraordinary theatre event with unique, theatre-only features that has been embraced by runners and non-runners alike.
To find out when the film will be showing in your area, click here:

> Spirit of the Marathon Tour

BOSTON MARATHON
Cheruiyot & Tune Win Titles

The 112th running of the Boston Marathon cemented Robert Cheruiyot's place in the record books with his fourth win in 2:07:46. And the women's race also held something for posterity as it showcased the closest women's finish in the history of Boston, Dire Tune's 2-second victory over Alevtina Biktimarova (2:25:25 to 2:25:27).
For a full race recap, click here:

> Boston Marathon Recap
> 2008 World Marathon Majors Series Continues

HEALTH AND FITNESS
To Stretch or Not to Stretch?

The truth is that after dozens of studies and years of debate, no one really knows whether stretching helps, harms, or does anything in particular for performance or injury rates. Yet most athletes remain convinced that stretching helps, and recently more and more have felt a sort of social pressure to show that they are limber, in part due to the popularity of yoga. Flexibility has become another area where many athletes want to excel. So, will stretching benefit or hurt you? Click here to find out:

> Stretching

WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ethiopia Sweeps all Four Individual Golds

In Kenya last year the women's senior team title had been the only success for the green vested runners from the Ethiopian highlands; otherwise they had been routed by their Kenyan hosts, Eritrea's Zersenay Tadese and the Netherlands' Lornah Kiplagat. This year though, Ethiopian flags were enthusiastically unfurled over the course in Holyrood Park in late March as a large community among an estimated overall crowd of over 20,000 spectators, celebrated their country's first ever sweep of the four individual race titles in the slippery muddy conditions of the heavily rain and wind swept grass circuit.
To read about how the races unfolded, as well as who took the individual titles, click here:

> World Cross Country Championships Recap
> Gits, Torres score top-20 finishes for Team USA

RYAN SHAY
Autopsy Finally Finished: Enlarged Heart

More than four months after Ryan Shay collapsed in Central Park during the United States Olympic marathon trials, the New York City medical examiner determined that his death was caused by an irregular heartbeat that stemmed from an enlarged and scarred heart.
To read more about Shay, click here:

> Ryan Shay

LONDON MARATHON
Lel & Mikitenko Win Titles

At the 28th Flora London Marathon Martin Lel of Kenya defended his title with a stirring and fast win over countryman Sammy Wanjiru and Morocco's Abderrahim Goumri. Lel, 29, effortlessly pulled away at the end to finish in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 15 seconds, a course record, with Wanjiru and Goumri following 9 and 15 seconds later. Team Running USA's Ryan Hall of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. ran another impressive marathon to finish 5th in 2:06:17, only former course and world record holder Khalid Khannouchi has run faster (twice) as an American. In the women's race, Irina Mikitenko of Germany in only her second marathon beat Russian Svetlana Zakharova, 2:24:14 to 2:24:39.
For full results, a Ryan Hall interview, and to watch the on-demand broadcast, click here:

> London Marathon Recap

USA MEN'S 10K CHAMPIONSHIP
Abdirahman Repeats

Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.) successfully defended his 2007 title at the USA Men's 10K Championship in Richmond on April 5. Abdirahman, 31, out-ran fellow Olympian Dan Browne (Portland, Ore.), running 28 minutes, 32 seconds for his second consecutive 10K road title.
To read about how the race unfolded, click here:

> USA Men's 10K Championship Recap

NEWSLETTER SPONSOR
The Third Annual Need for Speed Relay Against Domestic Violence

Get your team together to run from Bear Mountain to New Rochelle, New York in this fantastic relay event. The Avon Foundation is sponsoring this terrific relay for a vitally important cause--helping children and families who are victims of domestic violence. It runs on June 8, and you and your friends can be part of it. One of the most enjoyable and satisfying of running events, this team relay covers 50 miles in nine legs on roads and trails through the beautifully scenic Hudson River Valley. It is celebration and commitment, and just plain fun. You won't want to miss it.

Additionally, the Avon Foundation is teaming up with seven other relay events around the country in support of this cause. There are three other June events: The Madison (WI)-Chicago Relay June 6-7); Reno-Tahoe Odyssey (June 6-7); and the illustrious Green Mountain Relay in Vermont (June 21-22). The Black and Blue Double Century (cycling) will be held on July 19 in Virginia and North Carolina; The spectacular Wild West Relay (Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs, Colorado) run August 1-2; with the Blue Ridge Relay September 5-6. And lastly the famous Reach the Beach Relay will run in New Hampshire (September 12-13). For more information on the Need for Speed Relay, click here:

> Need for Speed Relay

NEWSLETTER SPONSOR
Lake Champlain Women's Running Camp

Kids have opportunities to go to camp--why not adult women runners! This is not fantasy; its real, it's beautiful, it is unique. Women runners, go to a place free from traffic jams and e-mail, where the most taxing decision after your morning run is whether to swim now and paddle later, or the other way around. A place where your most pressing responsibility is to choose between locally grown strawberries on pancakes or fresh maple syrup. This is limited to only 30 women, so to insure your place, act now! It runs June 8 to 14 the Basin Harbor Club on beautiful Lake Champlain.

It is the perfect "take-me-away" vacation. It's a place for women who like to run--a place to bond and share with others. The Lake Champlain Women's Running Camp in Vergennes, Vermont, provides programs for all ages and abilities. It is organized by the folks at RunVermont, the same group that grew the Key Bank Vermont City Marathon into one of the premier running events in the Northeast.

The Basin Harbor Club is 20 miles south of Burlington and west of Montpelier. The secluded facilities sit on about 700 relatively flat acres sandwiched between the Adirondacks west of the lake and the Green mountains to the east. The facilities include the lodge and cottages, communal dining, tennis, golf course, spa, and other amenities. Camaraderie, jump start for training with planning and guidance, coaching, counseling, individualized attention (5 to 1 ratio), advice on nutrition and injury prevention, group runs through gorgeous scenery, lectures, hiking, kayaking, relaxation--its all here. This is a beautiful place to discover or re-discover the joy of running. For more information, click here:

> Lake Champlain Women's Running Camp

PARTING WORDS

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