indianapolis marathon

a little less than two years, the International Olympic Committee will select the site of the 2016 Olympic Games.


Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, says Chicago trails other contenders. However, calendar, geography and organization make Chicago a viable candidate, according to Ed Hula of Around the Rings, a newsletter and Web site that covers the Olympic movement.
Tokyo will be a formidable contender, Hula said, and Rio de Janeiro might be attractive to the IOC. Other cities bidding are Madrid; Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar; and Prague, Czech Republic.
"The novelty factor certainly has to be considered for Chicago and Rio," Hula said. "Maybe more strongly for Rio because South America has never hosted the Olympic Games."
With the Olympics going to Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012, speculation is that the IOC wouldn't go to Asia or Europe in 2016 because of a preference for rotating the Olympics.
Rio was host for the recent Pan American Games, and despite some early glitches, earned a passing grade. Crime was less of a problem than expected, Hula said, and Rio's transportation system worked well. There were fewer problems in Brazil than in recent Pan Am Games, he added.
"Things were not quite on the Olympic level. For a Pan Am Games, they were satisfactory," Hula said. "And they will have to do some things differently if they are going to do an Olympic Games."
The difference in Chicago's bid, compared with New York's unsuccessful 2012 bid, is a closer relationship with the USOC. The IOC will look upon that favorably, Hula said.
Chicago's proposal for a main stadium that would be temporary is "a little bit radical," Hula said, but it's a move toward economy that might be favorably viewed by the IOC.
Dale Neuburger, former president of the Indiana Sports Corp. and a vice president of FINA, the world governing body for aquatic sports, has praised Chicago's compact plan of lakefront venues.
Indy skater wins regional

Indianapolis figure skater Danielle Seitz, 15, won the junior women's division in the recent Eastern Great Lakes Regional at Louisville, Ky.
She and other Indiana/World Skating Academy athletes qualified for next month's Midwestern Sectional at Rochester, Mich. Pairs teams did not compete in the regional.
Also advancing were Nicholas Anderson, Nashville, Tenn., first in intermediate men; Lee Keller, Carmel, third in novice ladies, and Zach Szabo, Cleveland, fourth in novice men.
Sports of all sorts

Fencing: The Indysabre club produced its first national male medalist when Sam Hine, 15, Greenwood, finished eighth out of 109 entries in the Division II men's sabre event of the North American Cup, Tucson, Ariz. Emerson Woerner, 16, Carmel, was 11th in cadet men's sabre.
Martial arts: Indianapolis resident Vanessa Smith won a title in the blue belt adult female division of the world Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament at Long Beach, Calif.
Running: Indianapolis resident Collette Douglas was 19th in the Tufts 10K, a national championship, in 35 minutes, 11 seconds at Boston on Oct. 9. . . . Jackie Dikos, Indianapolis, was the 15th female finisher in the Oct. 7 Chicago Marathon in 2:51:58. Thomas Frazer, Indianapolis, was 16th among men in 2:30:19. . . . Dan Schramm, 42, Indianapolis, was the top masters finisher and fifth overall in the Race For The Taste 10K at Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. His time was 37:26.
Soccer: The No. 16 Indiana University men (8-4-1) stayed atop the Big Ten at 3-0 by beating then-No. 6 Northwestern 1-0 Sunday. . . . Butler's men have been shut out in four consecutive games but managed a 0-0 tie in two of them.
Saturday's forecast for Terre Haute is for a high of 67. That might be hot for runners, but it will be a relief compared to the 80ish weather that plagued Sunday's Chicago Marathon.


Heat will be generated by the 18 top-10 teams in men's and women's college cross country traveling to the pre-nationals on Indiana State's LaVern Gibson Championship Course. The meet is annually held at the site of the NCAA Championships, which will be Nov. 19.
"The number of nationally ranked or recognized teams racing this year is staggering, and the competition only seems to get better each and every year," coach John McNichols said in an Indiana State news release.
Entries feature both No. 1 teams, the Oregon men and Stanford women.
Oregon ascended to No. 1 by winning its own invitational over previously top-ranked Wisconsin. And the Ducks ran without Galen Rupp, who is delaying cross country after finishing 11th in the 10,000 meters at August's World Championships.
The Stanford women include Carmel's Katie Harrington, their No. 5 runner in the Sept. 29 Stanford Invitational. Stanford's No. 6 men are led by Nef Araia (Lawrence North), the NCAA runner-up last year. He was fourth at the Stanford Invitational.
There are so many teams -- 85 men's and 81 women's -- that there are three races per gender. The first is the men's 8-kilometer Blue race at 11 a.m.
Sports of all sorts

Cycling: In the track national championships at Carson, Calif., Indianapolis cyclist Guy East teamed with Cody O'Reilly, Santa Barbara, Calif., for fifth place in men's Madison.
Diving: Fishers resident John Wingfield received the Benjamin Foundation Coaches Performance Award, presented to coaches whose divers medal in the Olympic Games or World Championships, at the recent aquatics convention. The award came with a $2,500 prize. Also, Todd Smith, former executive director of Indianapolis-based USA Diving, received the Glenn McCormick Award for contributions to the sport.
Running: Registration for the Oct. 20 Indianapolis Marathon and Half-Marathon ends today. Entry information is at indianapolismarathon.com. . . . Kara Goucher bettered the women's American record with a time of 1 hour, 6 minutes, 57 seconds in winning a Sept. 30 half-marathon in England. She defeated Britain's Paula Radcliffe, the marathon world record-holder, who raced for the first time in 21 months. Goucher's time won't erase the 1:07:34 record by Denna Kastor because of the downhill course.
Soccer: Butler goalkeeper Nick Hegeman (Zionsville), a last-minute substitute for injured Fabian Knopfler, made nine saves in preserving the Bulldogs' 0-0 tie against Horizon League leader Wisconsin-Green Bay on Sunday. Butler is 4-5-3, 1-1-1. . . . Indiana University's Kevin Alston is the men's Big Ten Player of the Week. He scored the first two goals of his career in a 2-0 victory over previously unbeaten Michigan State. IU is 7-3-1, 2-0 in the Big Ten. . . . IU's women (9-1-2, 3-0-1) extended their unbeaten streak to 11. Lindsay McCarthy scored the Hoosiers' only goals in two games and was chosen Big Ten offensive Player of the Week. A scoreless tie against Michigan ended a school-record 11-game winning streak by Purdue (11-1-2, 3-0-1).
Track and field: Kansas hired Wayne Pate as an assistant coach. Pate, who was IU's interim head coach last season, was not retained. . . . Purdue freshman sprinter Shane Crawford (Winamac) was the only Indiana athlete selected to the Track & Field News high school All-America team.
New registrations will be accepted until the marathon field reaches 5,000, said race coordinator Sue Bozgoz. Registration reopened at 12:01 a.m. today. Now, about 3,000 have entered and those on the waiting list will be placed in the field, she said.
Bozgoz said about 12,000 people have registered for the full- and half-marathons, and the 5K race and total registrations will be capped at 20,000.
DeAnn Milliken, special events manager for the city of Indianapolis, said Wednesday that she issued a special event permit for the races on Monday. They were postponed just three weeks before the original Sept. 8 date, after city officials had concerns about adequate police and medical personnel.
�hey�e turned around and gotten everything done that they needed to get done,?said Milliken. �e needed to make sure the event was safe and everything looks pretty good now.?br>
She said organizers have submitted their medical and public safety plans, showing adequate water stations, medical personnel and tents, course marshalls and ambulances. Disappointed LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon runners have another chance to reach a finish line. If you can get to Denver by Sunday, Denver Marathon officials will waive your entry fee.

The offer is only good if you were registered in the Chicago Marathon but unable to finish because race officials closed the course prematurely due to excessive heat and a water shortage. (And if you did finish and are not named Sam Thompson or Dean Karnazes, you shouldn't run another marathon so soon.)

This offer beats the $15 discount offered by Des Moines Marathon officials to lure Chicago runners.

Those registered for the Chicago Marathon can register online and enter the online referral code ChicagoRunner. Or you can register in person on Friday or Saturday, October 12 or 13, at the Denver Marathon EXPO located at the Adams Mark Hotel, 1550 Court Place.

The Denver Marathon race course is flat and has little to no elevation change and will be certified by USA Track & Field as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

Here are some other options:

Oct. 20- Indianapolis Marathon and Half Marathon in Indianapolis, Ind. Boston qualifier for both 2008 and 2009, USATF sanctioned. Runners must maintain a pace of 14 minutes per mile (About a 6 hour finish); those who fall behind are offered a ride back to the start. (Stubborn runners can keep going at their own risk.)
Course description: Starts and finishes in historical Fort Benjamin Harrison and takes participants on a scenic loop of the State Park during the peak of the fall foliage spectacle. Course is mainly flat with some early rolling hills around miles 3 and 5 and a doozy of an incline just past mile 10 in the State Park.
Entry fee: $70. Distance from Chicago: 180 miles. Entrants: 3,500; indianapolismarathon.com; 317- 826-1670

Oct. 21 � IMT Des Moines Marathon, Des Moines, Iowa. Boston qualifier, USATF sanctioned. One of the most walker-friendly races in the country; Sign up an early bird start time (7 a.m.) to get a leisurely eight hours to finish the race on a closed course. (Otherwise, the race closes in seven hours.) Course description: Fairly flat, with hills at miles 3 through seven.
Entry fee: $90. Distance from Chicago: 306 miles. Capacity: 3,500 entered. 515-288-2692. Email the race director to get registration instructions.

Oct. 28 -- Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon in Grand Rapids, Mich. Certified distance, chip-timed, Boston qualifier, USATF sanctioned. The course doesn't close until the last runner has finished. "Enjoy the cool fall weather. Eat right, train smart...work your plan. Be amazing!" says race director Don Kern, who says the "personal touch" is the best part of the race. Course description: Mostly flat with a few miles between three and six miles. Entry fee: $60. Distance from Chicago: 129 miles. Capacity: 1,250 runners, but about 400 more slots are expected to open. 616-293-3145.