Nike+ heart Rate Monitor iPod Accessory for June 1 Release

Guys at Engadget caught up with an anonymous forum post from either a long-time forum dude or an eager Nike employee indicating the release of th much-awaited Nike+ heart rate monitor iPod accessory this June. It says, and I quote:

“I have a U.S. launch date for the Nike+ compatible heart rate monitor. It will officially launch on June 1, 2010, although it may reach some retail outlets slightly sooner. It will reach Canadian markets in June and will launch internationally in summer 2010, exact date to be determined.”

This will surely send fans queue-ing a little bit earlier to get their hands on those gizmos. Me? Not that interested, though.

Bomb Scare at the Pittsburgh Marathon

It was supposed to be a fun and exciting run at the Pittsburgh Marathon last Sunday morning, but tensions mount when there was a bomb scare that briefly stopped the event.

Packed in a microwave oven, the suspected bombed sitting on a sidewalk next to the Greyhound bus station was spotted by local police and identified with components similar to a bomb. And since the parts checked seemed to be the ‘real thing’, cops immediately cleared the area for 10-12 minutes with the use of a robotic machine to disable the device after race leaders have finished the course.

“At this point, we believe it was not an actual explosive device, but we are still evaluating the microwave and its contents,” said Lt. Kevin Kraus. He added that surveillance cameras in the area were being examined to try to find out who put the device there.

With the rain pouring throughout the event, Kipyegon Kirui of Kenya won the men’s race with a time of 2 hours, 17 minutes, 12 seconds while Alena Vinitskaya of Belarus won the women’s race with 2:42.33.

Police are now investigating if it has any connections with last Saturday’s car-bomb scare at New York’s Time Square where thousands of tourists and pedestrians were cleared off for 10 hours.

Payton Jordan Invitational Results

Over at Stanford California where the Payton Jordan Invitational is being held, records and personal bests abound as headlined byChris Solinsky by being the first non-African to run uder 27 minutes in the 10,000 meter run. His 26:59.60 time broke Meb Keflezighi’s record of 27:13.98 during the 2001 event.

Meanwhile, the women’s race has another hero in the form of Shannon Rowburry who bolted past 5,000 amd 10,000 meter American record holder Shalane Flannagan in the 5,000 race. Flannagan led most of the way when Rowburry strided past her in the final lap. Her time was 15:00.51.

On the 400-meter hurdles, Amaechi Morton, a Stanford native, broke his school record with a time of 50.03 seconds. It puts him to third in the NCAA list. Other Stanford athletes who rose to the occasion were Dylan Ferris winning the top section of the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:40.07, ranking him ninth in Stanford history and fourth in NCAA. Jack Riley and Brendan Gregg set personal bests for themselves in the 5,000 meters while JT Sullivan competed in the steeplechase with a personal-best 8:47:35. For more highlights, click on the Caltrack’s website.

Texas Gov Shoots Coyote while Running

I never thought that carrying a gun could be a legit gear as wearing a new running watch. What more for a high-profile political figure like Texas Governor Rick Perry. I know that treading uncharted terrain could pose hazardous  scenarios, but isn’t it dangerous to carry it while running in the first place?

Here’s a bit of a Q&A with the governor from RW’s Mark Remy on how the politician shot a coyote with a .38 laser-guided caliber pistol in February. Associated Press says that he shot the dog because it is threatening to harm his daighter.  The tone is rather entertaining, which makes you think that the governor shot the dog out of protection and paranaoia, or just being plain trigger happy. Read on for more.

Kebede, Shobukhova Win London Marathon

 

With the favorites fading away from the punishing race, a diminutive competitor rose to the occasion to snag this year’s crown for the London Marathon. Tsegaye Kebede outpaced Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya and even World Champion Abel Kurui (who finished only fifth), to time in at 2:05:19. The 2008 Olympic Bronze Medallist winning finish is just nine seconds behind Wanjiru’s course record.  

Meanwhile, 2009 Chicago Marathon champion and European 5000-meter record holder Liliya Shobukhova of Russia won the women’s division. Her win came fromm a three-way battle breakaway with compatriot Inga Abitova and Ethiopian Aselfech Mergia. Shobukhova time of  2:22:00 was her career best.

 

Mile Long Run in a Bomb Suit

 

Practically everyone has already seen Kathryn Bigelow’s testosterone-induced Iraq War drama “The Hurt Locker.” It deserves to be Oscar’s Best Picture since every scene filled with tension and roller coaster excitement.

And I guess you have noticed that super-heavy bomb suit used for detonating those scary explosives in the country. But what if you are to wear that and run like a wolf for a mile? That’d surely be difficult, like dragging a piece of luggage in a busy airport while trying to catch up your plane about to board. But for Owen Duff, that would only be a walk in the park.

And he did in just 9 minutes and 22 seconds! How? Duff is a hard-training Air Force Staff Sergeant and Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician based in Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq. Just last year, he broke the world record for running the full mile with an 80-pound bomb suit. The previous record was 10:13. Now, that’s mind-blowing! Get it? Mind-blowing.

So, what gives? He could have just done with weights, instead of looking funny like some douche wearing a Gumby mascot suit. Aside from “having fun,” he did the gig to raise funds for the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation. Asked on how he developed the habit of running wearing that suit, he said: “”[My friend] and I would wear the suit for an hour every Sunday.” He added wasn’t into running until he got into the military. “I started running regularly and enjoyed it. I have done a few 5-k races and a few half-marathons but am hoping to get into a full marathon later this year by completing the Seattle Marathon.” 

Now what? He said he was planning some sort of a variation. “I would like to do a mile relay with three other people, or even get distance into it and get a bunch of EOD guys and gals in bomb suits running a marathon relay.”

Good thing Duff admitted that running with that kind of loadisn’t that easy, “Individually, I would never want to run farther than a 5k wearing that suit. It really takes its toll on your body.”

Cheruiyot Shatters Boston Marathon Record, Other Results

Looks like the young gun’s time is at hand. Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot of Kenya, ten years younger than four-time winner Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, shattered the course record in the recently concluded 114th Boston Marathon. It turned out to be one for the books, indeed.

With a time of  2:05:52, the younger Cheruiyot broke the older one’s 2:07:14 by almost two minutes. Ethiopia’s Tekeste Kebede was second in 2:07:23. Defending champion Deriba Merga, who battled it out with Cheruiyot for much of the race, was third in 2:08:39.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Teyba Erkessoheld off Russian Tatyana Pushkareva by three seconds with a time of 2:26:11. Defending champion Salina Kosgei of Kenya was third in 2:28:35. In the master’s division, Kenya’s James Koskei finished the race as a repeat champion running 2:17:28 for 18th overall. The female master accolade belonged to Canada’s Denise Robson with a time of 2:43:16 for 24th place overall.

Read on Runners World for more details on the results.

Nation’s Top Amateur Athlete is a Lower Leg Amputee

And what determination and perserverance can do for you. Amy Palmiero-Winters, the 37 year old mother, singer and accomplished runner just received the 2009 AAU Sullivan Award for being the best amateur athlete in the country.

The 1997 freaky motorcycle accident led to 27 surgeries and eventually amputating her left leg below the knee. She was unfazed by her predicament as she became a single-leg below-the-knee amputee world record holder in over a dozen events, including the marathon and Ironman distance triathlon.

Clad in a sexy white mini-dress to show off her prosthesis, Palmiero-Winters said “this means a lot. It shows that what I do and how hard I try actually is making a difference. The people who believe in you and stand by you help you do better things.”

As the first amputee to be ever named to the USA National Team, Palmiero-Winters just finished the “Race to the Future” event during New Year’s Eve, beating all able-bodied male and female runners. With 130.4 miles covered during the 24-hour race, she qualified for the national team at the 2010 International Association of Ultrarunners’ 24-hour Run World Championship to be held in France on May 13-14.

More images and videos of Palmiero-Winters accepting the award at the recently concluded 2009 AAU Sullivan Award at their site.

Iceland Volcano Eruption Affects Boston Marathon

Though it may be thousands of miles from where the eruption was coming from, specifically in Iceland, the Boston Marathon is gravely affected by this natural phenomenon.

Although there are participants who already arrived for the competition, there are still many who will be coming late—or not at all. This signals the Boston Athletic Associations to work double time for their accommodation.

Earlier in the week,flights in and out of many of Europe’s major airports were canceled because of the atmospheric disturbance caused by the volcanic eruption underneath Iceland’s  Eyjafjallajokull glacier

However, Guy Morse, the Executive Director of the Boston Athletic Association said that the travel snarl won’t affect the elite field for the marathon or the elite 5K and mile races scheduled for Sunday since many of the athletes have arrived or already en route with no major issues.

Morse added that BAA is now in coordination with its 30 partner hotels  in the vicinity to insure the reservations are held for the stranded/delayed runners. And for those who won’t be able to make it to Boston at all, they are being given the chance to get the accommodation in next year’s race.

This pretty sad on a runner’s part since all preparations for the race has been made. But you can’t contest with Mother Nature.

Runners Caught by Hail Storm

If there’s one ‘ouch’ that would aptly describe an injury, it would be this.

Four Grinell Collge students were caught during a hail storm in Iowa. According to the report by KCCI, Pat Crawford and her husband were driving near the school when they found one of the students along the road. She said: “We saw right up here, there was a kid in the road looking like he was flagging things down. And you could tell he was a runner because he had the running shorts on, he was barefooted, and he looked pretty beat up.” The student told her that his fellow runners (two women and a man) were hiding under a ditch.

And when the couple brought the students to a nearby hospital, she took picture of the gruesome injuries they incurred. “That’s why I took the picture. It was unbelievable. I’ve never seen a human body that looked that beat up and they were still walking around.”

Wow. All the while I thought they were stung by bees.