American Track & Field

Summer 2009 $5.95 Volume 16, Number 3

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ATF_Summer 09:ATF_Summer09 7/8/09 11:28 PM

c o n t e n t s

6 Publisher’s Note

8 Starting Blocks

14 Track Construction

30 Exit

10 Track Spikes for 2009

16 Coaching the 400-Meter Hurdles

20 Edwin Moses Talks About Life in the Fast Lane

28 Best Shoes for $80 or Less

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Cover: Taylor, Clement and Sanchez at the 2009 addidasTrack Classic.


05 GTM:Layout 1 7/9/09 9:41 AM Page 1

p u b l i s h e r ’s n o t e

A s you get this issue, school will be getting out and many of us will be head-ed for the U.S. Championships in Eugene, OR, June 24–28 (complete

schedule at www.vsathletics.com).If you're in Eugene, make sure you visit the Villard Street Pub each and

every night, because just as in 2008 during the Trials, the folks from VS. Ath-letics, American Track & Field, Villard Street Pub, and our various sponsors willbe hosting parties, coaching clinics, etc. Face it, this is just track geek heaven,and if you read American Track & Field, you are a track and field geek, proba-bly also a coach.James Dunaway, our editor, has focused on the 400 meter hurdles in this

issue. He has a monumental interview with Edwin Moses, which is our majorfeature. Our Resource Guide issue, coming in July, will be focused on the sprints.We hope that you enjoy the issue!Edwin Moses was one of our most remarkable athletes in the ’70s and ’80s.

After his 12-year career at the top in the 400 hurdles, Moses has spent muchtime campaigning for a drug-free sport. He recently was given an honorary doc-torate from UMass–Boston for his work (see above).A few notes about what you will also find inside: Saucony, for the second

year in a row, has sponsored our Summer 2009 XC Training program, 12 weeksof training suggestions, in print and on the web, for the beginning, intermedi-ate and advanced cross country runner. ASICS is sponsoring a 12-week train-ing log, which they have done for several years. We hope that you like these, aswell.One final note—you can get your daily fix on our sport at

www.runblogrun.com by signing up for a free subscription. Remember also tofollow us on Twitter at twitter.com/runblogrun, and make sure that you checkour videos and updates at www.american-trackandfield.com and www.coachingathleticsq.com.Have a great summer!

Larry Eder, Publisher

Group PublisherLarry Eder, [email protected]

Group EditorChristine Johnson, [email protected]

Advertising Larry Eder, [email protected]

Writers/Contributors Walt Murphy, Dick Patrick,

Mary Helen Sprecher, Gary Winkler

Circulation Changes [email protected]

PhotographersLisa Coniglio/PhotoRun, Victah Sailer/PhotoRun

Layout/DesignKristen Cerer

EditorJames Dunaway

[email protected]

Pre-Press/PrinterW. D. Hoard & Sons Company, Fort Atkinson, WI

Publisher’s Reps Peter Koch-Weser

[email protected]: 310-836-2642; fax: 310-836-7093

Special ProjectsAdam Johnson-Eder

[email protected], 608-957-2159

Special Thanks To Tim Garant, Alex Larsen

Tom Mack, Mary Atwell, Julie Wells

In loving memory of Violet Robertson, 1913–2003

www.american-trackandfield.comph: 608-239-3785; fax: [email protected]

American Track & Field (ISSN 1098-64640) is produced,published and owned by Shooting Star Media, Inc., POBox 67, Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538-0067, ChristineJohnson, President, Larry Eder, Vice President. Copyright 2008 by Shooting Star Media, Inc. All RightsReserved. Publisher assumes no liability for matter print-ed, and assumes no liability or responsibility for contentof paid advertising and reserves the right to reject paidadvertising. Opinions expressed are those of the authorsand not necessarily those of the Publisher. No part of thispublication may be reproduced or stored in any formwithout written permission of the Publisher.

American Track & Field is not related to or endorsed byany other entity or corporation with a similar name andis solely owned by Shooting Star Media, Inc.

Publisher recommends, as with all fitness and healthissues, you consult with your physician before institut-ing any changes in your fitness program.

Left to right: University of Massachusetts–Boston Chancellor Keith Motley , EdwinMoses and University of Massachusetts President Jack Wilson


W hen Olympic authoritiesre-tested urine and bloodsamples from the Beijing

Olympic Games, 1500 championRashid Ramzi of Bahrain was thehighest profile athlete of the threetrack athletes caught.

That’s assuming his B samplecomes back positive for CERA, aderivative of endurance-boostingEPO. The B tests for EPO have beenproblematic over the years — BernardLagat and Marion Jones were amongthose whose B samples came backnegative.

If the B confirms the A, Ramziwill lose his medal and serve a 2-yearsuspension. The B sample test isscheduled for June 8, as is an IAAFhearing on the matter if the result ispositive.

It will be interesting to see howstrongly Ramzi might contest a posi-tive. Will he challenge the validity ofthe CERA test? Could he claim thatthe samples weren’t stored properly,leading to a positive?

He’s probably facing an uphillbattle in the court of public opinion.In a letsrun.com poll, more than 60%of voters said Ramzi was a cheater.

The native of Morocco hasinspired such suspicion ever since hecame on the international scene sud-denly in 2005, winning the 800 and1500 at the world championshipswithout a large body of work on theworld-class level. In 2004, he reducedhis 1500 from 3:39 to 3:30, too dra-matic an improvement for manyobservers. Last year he was virtuallyabsent from the European circuit untilshowing up in great shape in Beijing.

All that is circumstantial. It’s upto the tests now. If the positive isupheld, Asbel Kiprop of Kenya will bethe champion, followed by NickWillis of New Zealand and MehdiBaala of France.

“This step shows that athleteswho cheat can never be comfortablethat they will avoid detection andsends a strong message of deterrence,”the IAAF said in a publicity release.

The news did not register strong-ly in the U.S. Ramzi is not wellknown here, nor were any U.S. ath-letes upgraded to medals.

Still, the re-test should send astrong message to athletes — assum-ing the B is positive. If it’s not, thenthe testers have a credibility problem.

Logan names performance chiefWhen Benita Fitzgerald Mosley wasworking on the Project 30 Task Forcelast winter, she didn’t realize she washelping write a future job description.The committee, formed by USATFCEO Doug Logan to fulfill his goal of30 medals at the 2012 London Gamescompared to 23 in Beijing, recom-mended the appointment of a generalmanager for elite sport.

On May 21, Logan namedMosley as USATF’s first chief ofsports performance — in charge ofUSATF’s high performance and sportsscience programs, relays, nationalteam management, athlete develop-ment, coaching education and man-agement of meet officials.

Logan said he considered 21 can-didates before settling on Mosley, 47,the 1984 Olympic 100 hurdle champi-on, who spent several years with theU.S. Olympic Committee, includingdirecting its training centers from1977–2000, and spent the last eightyears as CEO of the nonprofit Womenin Cable Telecommunications.

“It’s a unique opportunity to takeadvantage of all the experience I’vehad professionally — on the track andin the boardroom — and apply it tomy passion, track and field,” Mosleysaid. “We all have a lot of pride inbeing the #1 track team in the world.

We want to continue that tradition.”Her first duty, she said, would be

to conduct a “listening tour” with ath-letes, coaches and agents. Early prior-ities will be strengthening the relaysprocess plus targeting technical eventssuch as jumps and throws, areas thatwere disappointments in Beijing.

“No single individual on theadministration side will have a biggerimpact on the fortunes of Team USAthan Benita,” Logan said. “I have nodoubt that our high performance pro-grams will be revolutionized underher leadership.”

Mile dream dies hardYou can take the marathoner out ofthe mile, but can you take the mileout of the marathoner?

It isn’t always easy. Just ask RyanHall, who finished 3rd in April’sBoston Marathon, his fifth attempt atthe 26.22-mile distance.

Hall is a confirmed marathonernow, with a best of 2:06:17. But it tookhim a while to give up the sub-fourdream after he ran a 1500 in 3:42.70,equivalent to just over 4:00 for themile, as a senior in high school in2001. The time remains his PR, eventhough he often ran the 1500 or mileduring his four-year Stanford careerbefore moving to longer distances.

“I wanted to be a miler so bad,”Hall said. “That was my big dreamgrowing up. Watching Jim Ryunfootage, reading about Steve Scott,watching Sebastian Coe in Born toRun. I was convinced I was a miler.You watch the Prefontaine movie andyou’re like ‘No one’s going to tell meI’m not fast enough. I’m going toprove you wrong.’

“My PR in the 1500 is still frommy senior year in high school. It tookme a while to be like ‘All right, I’mdone with this. I’m not throwing inthe towel. I’m not saying I’m not fast

s ta r t i n g b l o c k s

Olympic doping follow-up


enough. I’m just going to an event I’mmore suited for.’ It was really stupid ittook me so long. It took years of dis-appointment at Stanford.”

Now that he’s a success at themarathon, Hall still has mile fantasies.His plan was to spend the weeks afterBoston recovering and helping withthe training of his wife Sara Bei Hall,a 1500/5000 runner. “I’ll be doingsome pacing,” he said. “One thingthat keeps kicking around in my headis that I’d like to break 4 (in the mile)sometime. I might try to do somequarters and then try to dip underfour some time this summer.”

Hall, who anticipates running afall marathon, realizes his currentevent is evolving, especially after tworelatively unknown Kenyans wentsub-2:05 in the Rotterdam Marathon.

“What I think of as possible isalways changing, especially when you seesome 2:07 guys rolling out 2:04s,” Hallsaid. “The world of marathoning ischanging and it’s exciting to be part of it.

“It’s exciting to think of 2:06 asnot that fast any more. I’m thinking2:05, 2:04, 2:03. You’ve just got to gofor it. It’s easier to go for it when oth-ers have already done it. That inspiresme to come to that level.”

As far as his dreams of a sub-fourmile are concerned, perhaps Hall cantake comfort in the fact that he’s notalone. A year or two after winning the1972 Olympic marathon, Frank

Shorter confided wistfully to areporter, “I’ve always wanted to breakfour minutes for the mile.”

Future Dukie in the decCurtis Beach obliterated the nationalhigh school record in the decathlon inApril, scoring 7,909 points, almost500 points better than the 7,417scored by Ryan Theriault in 1993.

Beach’s marks: 10.99 in the 100,22-81⁄2 in the long jump, 44-8 in theshot put, 6-91⁄2 in the high jump, 48.16in the 400, 14.42 in the 110 hurdles,133-4 in the discus, 14-11⁄4 in the polevault, 155-9 in the javelin and 4:09.48in the 1,500.

The Albuquerque Academy sen-ior took a shot at 8,000 early in Juneat the Great Southwest InvitationalAlthough he fell short with7,719 , healso used the senior shot and discusand ran 42-inch hurdles with theother seven events to score 7,466,breaking Craig Brigham’s 1972 seniormark of 7,359 (which was set in thesame manner). Later in the same meethe ran relay legs of 1:50 and 46.45.

Beach comes from a middle-dis-tance background, beginning crosscountry at 8. In the pentathlon at theNational Scholastic IndoorChampionships in New York, he ran2:30.90 in the concluding 1,000 tofinish with 4,127 points, the No.2score in prep history.

“He’s got good speed and greatendurance, which is rare,” saiddecathlon historian Frank Zarnowski.“He’s one of those kids unafraid ofevents. He just goes out and scorchesthe 1,500. What he might do ischange the nature of the dec becausehe’s so good in the final event. Thisguy could really be something.”

Beach will attend Duke, whichhas never been a power in track andisn’t fully funded with only about halfof the maximum 12.6 scholarshipsallowed for men’s teams. Beach madehis decision because of academics andnew Duke assistant coach ShawnWilbourn, a former 8,200 decathletewho competed at the 1997 worldchampionships.

“I felt coach Shawn Wilbourn was

the best fit for me,” said the 6-0, 166-pound Beach, 18, who also hadOregon, California , Texas A&M andBaylor in his final five. “I know he’svery knowledgeable and I see myselfhaving a lot of success there. In theend, it was a clear choice even if on thesurface it looks terrible because histori-cally Duke hasn’t had a great track pro-gram. They’re definitely on the rise.”

One reason why Beach wants aDuke education: “My dream jobwould be CEO of USA Track & Field.I want to get into marketing and real-ly help the sport.”

A Life in TrackPayton Jordan, a competitor andcoach in the sport for most of his life,died in February of cancer at 91.

Jordan was best known as a coach,winning two NCAA small collegetitles at Occidental before moving toStanford, where he coached for 22years and produced seven Olympians.He coached the 1968 Olympic men’steam, considered by many to be thebest team in history.

Jordan was a star sprinter andfootball player at USC but lost hisbest years to World War II. In his lat-ter years, he again became a star, thistime as an age-group sprinter, setting a100 meter world record of 14.65 atage 80.

“I had so much respect for thatman,” said ex-UCLA coach Jim Bush.“He was not only one of the greatestcoaches our sport has ever know, hewas a great human being. I lovedeverything he stood for, which wasfairness and hard work.”

Jordan used to have a sign in hisoffice with four questions: Is it safe? Isit popular? Is it politic? Is it right?

“The only one that matters to meis the last one,” he said. “If it’s right,I’ll do it. If it’s not, I won’t.”

Jordan practiced what hepreached. Jim Ward, who ran forJordan during the 1960s when steroidshad not yet been banned, told the SanJose Mercury-News that he finished7th in the 400 at the NCAA meet andthat all the runners ahead of him hadused steroids. Ward wanted to use

Continued on page 14Photo: Victah, www.photorun.NET



R e v i e w s

Track & field competition is approaching and, depending on your event, there are many choices available this season. The fol-lowing write-ups describe what we think are the best offerings from each shoe company. This is a sampling of what we haveseen, but there are even more choices available—especially in the event-specific shoes, though it may be a bit tough to find

a dealer that carries the full lines.

Track Spikes for 2009

Mizuno Tokyo 5 $95 The Tokyo has anchored Mizuno’s sprint

line-up for more than a decade.Version 5 has improved

the materials anddesign of the midsole-

outersole-spike plate combination that

has served the shoe well,and it continues to provide both the power and traction requiredfor sprint performance. The upper veers from the previous mesh

and strapped overlays to a primarily synthetic leather upper, with amesh-and-foam tongue for comfort. The foot is secured via web-bing loops that thread through eyelets and attach via hook-and-look tape to cinch the midfoot effectively. The fit offers the sameadjustability with improved security to keep the foot lined up for

rapid transfer from the start to the finish line.

UPDATED Sizes: unisex 5–13 Weight: 7.4 oz. (w/spikes, men’s 11) Spikes: 6, replaceableUpper: mesh, synthetic overlays Innersole: sheet EVA Midsole: full-length CM-EVA Outersole:full-length thermoplastic spike plate Recommended for: 100–400 meters on synthetic surfaces

Nike Zoom Mawler $150The Mawler returns Nike’s sprint focus to

power. A new spike plate—full-length articulated

Pebax with a second3/4-length carbonfiber plate under-

neath—maximizes flexion.The midsole is a thin layer of

Phylon that provides just enough cushioning while maintaining a lowprofile. The upper is a shroud-covered, stretchy mesh monosock that

offers a supportive, skin-tight fit. It’s not easy to get into, but very secureonce it’s on. The goldtone plate and sleek, low-profile design make a

statement even standing still.

NEW Sizes: unisex 4–13,14,15 Weight: 8.3 oz. (w/spikes, men’s 10) Spikes: 7, permanentUpper: mesh, synthetic shroud Innersole: CM-EVA Midsole: full-length CM-EVA

Outersole: full-length Pebax spike plate Recommended for: 100–400 meters on synthetic surfaces

Reebok Kuai SmoothFit Sprint $110The Kuai SmoothFit Sprint combines the spikeplate that was introduced last season with

the upper construction Reebokcalls SmoothFit. Theupper is a seamless,welded fabric (a per-

forated synthetic with aventilating mesh insert over

and behind the toes) with a soft sueded interior.The full-length Pebax spike plate and CM-EVA midsole offer a com-bination of cushioning, flexibility, and structure to the sprinting foot.The aggressive 8-spike plate provides excellent traction, and the

aesthetics are aggressively eye-catching.

UPDATED Sizes: unisex 4–12,13,14,15 Weight: 6.7 oz. (w/spikes, men’s 9) Spikes: 8, replaceable Upper: mesh, synthetic overlays Innersole: sheet EVA

Midsole: full-length CM-EVA Outersole: full-length Pebax spike plate Recommended for:100–400 meters on synthetic surfaces

Saucony Crescent 2 Sprint $65The second round of the Crescent Sprint adds

some new touches to the successful design of the original. The effec-

tive, proven midsoleand spike plate witha sharkskin heel areunchanged—a testa-

ment to good design. Theupper adopts a smooth, synthetic, shroud-

like overlay across the toes and over 3/4 of the medial side, and isaimed at reducing drag to gain fractions of a second. The interior is

nicely finished with sueded microfiber providing a smooth feel, which isespecially important if you wear them without socks. Its ability to man-age a variety of track surfaces at a reasonable price makes it well

worth checking out.

UPDATED Sizes: men’s 7–13,14; women’s 5–12 Weight: 6.7 oz. (w/spikes, men’s 11) Spikes: 7,replaceable Upper: mesh, synthetic overlays Innersole: sheet EVA

Midsole: full-length sheet EVA Outersole: TPU heel, thermoplastic spike plate Recommended for: 100–400 meters on synthetic surfaces

VS Athletics Youth Alpha Multi $35VS Athletics footwear provides economical value and performance. The Youth Alpha Multi is suitable fordistances, hurdles, jumps, or even sprints, and is available beginning with youth size 13, making it small

enough for the younger age-group athletes. The upper is breathable mesh with well-supportedsynthetic leather overlays. The thermoplastic spike plate and rubber outersole easily handleall track surfaces except asphalt, and are durable enough to see more than one season.

CARRY-OVER Sizes: Y13; unisex 1–6 Weight: 4.9 oz. (w/ spikes, size 2.5) Spikes: 7, replaceable Upper: mesh, syntheticoverlays Innersole: sheet EVA Midsole: full-length sheet EVA Outersole: rubber heel, thermoplastic spike plate

Recommended for: 800–3000 meters, jumps, and hurdles on all surfaces except asphalt


R e v i e w s

ASICS Hyper MD $60ASICS’ Hyper series is among the mostdurable multi-surface shoes available.

This update features thecushioning and trac-tion that make newathletes competitive

and work well for bothtraining and competition. The

midfoot has a supportive thermoplastic shank, and the midsolewedge provides the middle distance platform that makes these shoes

so versatile. Minor changes to the upper freshen the look withoutaffecting performance, and the price tag maintains the value.

UPDATED Sizes: unisex 1–13,14,15 Weight: 7.7 oz. (w/spikes, men’s 11) Spikes: 5, replace-able Upper: mesh, synthetic overlays Innersole: sheet EVA Midsole: full-length sheet EVA

Outersole: rubber heel, thermoplastic spike plate Recommended for: 400–1500 meters, jumps,and hurdles on all surfaces

Puma Complete TFX Miler $60Puma has introduced a new entry-priced

series called TFX. Based on amodified version of itsall-round plate, theTFX offers sprint,middle distance,

and distance models.The TFX Miler is the middle

distance offering, which features the 6-spike, 3/4-length spike platecombined with a healthy midsole wedge for support and cushion-

ing. The upper features asymmetrical lacing and fairly minimal over-lays to provide a secure fit while keeping the shoe light. The interiorhas a velour tongue, archband, and heel for comfort. Available inmen’s and women’s versions, this is a well-executed, versatile shoe.

Combined with its modest price, the value is even better.

NEW Sizes: men 4.5–12,3,14; women 5.5–11,12 Weight: 6.8 oz. (w/spikes, men’s 9)Spikes: 7, replaceable Upper: mesh, synthetic overlays Innersole: sheet EVA

Midsole: full-length sheet EVA Outersole: rubber heel, thermoplastic spike plate Recommended for: 400–1500 meters, jumps, and hurdles on all surfaces

Brooks Z3 $85The Z series has shown gradual and subtle

improvement with each update.Round 3 maintainsthe effectiveness ofthe midsole andoutersole/Pebax

spike plate pairing.The upper receives the

attention: overlays at the heel, toe, andwhere the spike plate rolls up laterally are the only synthetic

leather used. The midfoot and eyestays benefit from weight-savingHF-welds without sacrificing support. The mesh is a more closely

woven microfiber that has a smooth, supportive feel, and the interi-or offers soft, sueded microfiber to improve comfort.

UPDATED Sizes: unisex 5–13,14,15 Weight: 5.9 oz. (w/spikes, men’s 9) Spikes: 5, replaceable Upper: mesh, synthetic overlays Innersole: sheet EVA

Midsole: full-length CM-EVA Outersole: TPU heel, Pebax spike plate Recommended for:800–10,000 meters on synthetic surfaces

adidas adiZero Cadence $100The adiZero Cadence is a high-quality, long-

distance competition shoe adjusted forthe lightning-fast tracks on

which championshipmeets are often held.These tracks are fast

because they have mini-mal cushioning in their lay-

ers of synthetic rubber, rendering them more similar to a road sur-face than you might imagine. The Cadence begins with the profileof a road racing shoe and adapts it to the track. Beginning with an

ultralight upper (an adiZero strength), then adding a responsivelayer of cushioning, and finishing with a grippy DS outersole with 6spike wells to ensure traction, the Cadence solves many of the per-formance shortfalls of other distance spikes. It’s also well-suited tothe multiple rounds necessary at large championships held on less-

than-forgiving surfaces.

NEW Sizes: men 6.5–13,14,15; women 5–12 Weight: 5.9 oz. (w/spikes, men’s 9) Spikes:6, replaceable Upper: mesh, synthetic overlays Innersole: sheet EVA Midsole: full-length CM-EVA Outersole: TPU/Polyester Recommended for: 800–10,000 meters on synthetic surfaces

New Balance Jav 1010 $95Over the last five seasons, New Balance’s track & field line has progressed from just a few spikes to a completeline. The quality of its specialty shoes has improved to a high level, thanks to hard work and some development

“magic.” The Jav 1010 is representative of the quality of the New Balance specialty shoes—event-specific modelsdesigned for the rigors of the field events. The upper is synthetic suede and leather with a padded mesh tongue

and a plush interior. The midfoot is secured by a well-placed hook-and-loop strap, while a friction-resistantlayer and toecap provide the additional durability required by the javelin throw. The Abzorb midsole

provides a measure of cushioning without bottoming out, and the full-length spike plate hasgood rigidity and traction to allow maximum effort in competition.

UPDATED Sizes: unisex 6–13,14,15,16 (D,2E) Weight: 11.6 oz. (w/spikes, men’s 9.5) Spikes: 11, replaceable Upper: meshtongue, synthetic vamp Innersole: CM-Abzorb Midsole: full-length CM-Abzorb Outersole: full-length thermoplastic spike plate

Recommended for: javelin throw on synthetic surfaces

CREGG WEINMANN is footwear and running products reviewer for Running Network LLC. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected] © 2009 by Running Network LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be stored, copied, or reprinted without prior written permission

of Running Network LLC. Reprinted here with permission.


them too.Jordan talked him out of it, he

recalls. “He was afraid of all the long-term health aspects of steroids,” Wardsaid. “I know three or four runners …who are dead now because they usedsteroids. Coach Jordan helped me staydrug-free.

“Payton was very calm and gentlein enforcing rules. He didn’t allow usto lie or fudge. And he didn’t have aracial bone in his body.”

Bolt’s rocky startUsain Bolt may have learned how toget out of the blocks on the track, buthis 2009 got off to a rocky start.

The Olympic 100 and 200champ from Jamaica was lucky hewasn’t injured seriously after an acci-dent on a rainy road totaled his BMWin May. The windshield was smashedand the chassis severely damaged, butthe only injury to Bolt came fromstepping on thorns after he and twofemale passengers exited the vehicle inSpanish Town, Jamaica.

Then there was a Bolt commentthat attracted negative attention: “InJamaica, you learn as a child how toroll a joint. Everyone here has tried it.I did, too — but I was real youngthen,” Bolt was quoted as saying,adding. “My family and my friendsdon’t smoke and I don’t hang out anylonger with people who smoke.”

Bolt has said he wants to becomethe first track athlete to earn $10 million

a year in endorsements, appearance fees,prize money and bonuses. His agentsmight want to approach Guinness andRed Bull for sponsorships.

That’s what the German maga-zine Bild reported Bolt was mixing ata disco in Kingston.

Bell Lap• Lolo Jones, the #1 ranked 100 hur-dler in the world, suffered a night-mare for a world-class athlete whilecompeting in her hometown of DesMoines, IA at the 100th Drake Relaysin April. On a rainy day with tem-peratures in the 40s, Jones ignored abalky right hamstring in her lead legto compete.

She pulled up after hitting theeighth hurdle with — yes, a hamstringinjury. “It’s a slight tear, not an all-outinjury, where I’ll be out for months ormy season is over,” she said. “Even upto the last minute, I was like, ‘Oh, mygosh — am I going to run, am I notgoing to run?’” she said. “I felttremendous pain warming up. Butthen when I went out there, the adren-aline took over. The crowd was cheer-ing my name and I was like, ‘I don’tcare, I’m going for it.’”

• After a career-best year in 2008, NewZealand ‘s Nick Willis wasn’t as luckywith an early season injury. Willis hadhip surgery in April to repair a tornlabrum, an operation that could jeop-ardize his appearance at the WorldChampionships in August in Berlin.

Willis was hoping to be able to start jog-ging in late May. Willis said if he com-petes in Berlin, it may be in the 800.

• Colorado senior Jenny Barringerrecorded her fifth collegiate record ofthe past year with a 15:07.64 in win-ning the 5000 meters May 2 in Stan-ford, CA. Barringer, who has run15:01.70 indoors, was hoping tobreak 15:00 but fell off the pace early.

“I am used to running PRs. Yeah,I’m disappointed,” said Barringer.Five weeks later at Pre, she made upfor it with a stunning collegiate 1500of 3:59:90, just 0.01 behind 2008No. 1 Gelete Burka of Ethiopia.

• Stanford freshman Chris Derrickhooked up with Oklahoma State’sGerman Fernandez in a race-within-the-race 5000 at the Payton JordanCardinal Invitations meet. Derrick,who finished 3rd, set a U.S. juniorrecord of 13:29.98; Fernandez was4th in 13:31.78. Both broke GalenRupp’s 2004 mark of 13:37.91.

• Oregon redshirt freshman MatthewCentrowitz ran a world-leading timein the 1500 of 3:36.92, equivalent toa 3:52.5 mile. Centrowitz is gettingclose to the family record in the event,3:36.7, which his father, Matt, a two-time Olympian, recorded in 1976.

• Chris Bucknam, in his first year atArkansas after the retirement of leg-endary coach John McDonnell,signed his biggest blue-chip distancerecruit for the Razorbacks withSolomon Haile. The native ofEthiopia who lives in Silver Spring,MD, won the FootLocker cross coun-try title in the fall and took two cham-pionships at the National ScholasticIndoor Championships in personalbests, the 2-mile (9:02.67) and the5000 (14:22.88).

“He adds great depth in crosscountry and in the distance events onthe track,” Bucknam said. “He hasraced against some of the best highschool runners in the country and hasproven to be successful. Our2009–10 freshman class is turninginto a very well-rounded group of stu-dent-athletes and they will bring a lotto our program.”



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13 VS MAILER:Layout 1 7/10/09 10:54 AM Page 1

There comes a time when everytrack coach, meet director orathletic grounds manager

looks at the facility and says, “Who’sbeen running on my track?”

Whoever it is, they’ve been doingit while you’re not around. The surfacelooks like it has been chewed on byskate wheels, bicycle tires, or perhapseven athletes wearing cleats. Thebleachers show evidence of a late-night picnic, with fast food wrappersand empty cans scattered around. Andsomeone has been using the field astheir personal off-leash dog park.

Track and field facilities that areopen to the community can be a prob-lem. And while most people using thefacility are athletes who simply want aworkout, there are far too many whoeither carelessly or deliberately caninflict real damage on a track and itsattendant facilities.

So—what are the best ways toprevent it?

Be proactive, say those in theindustry. Try to anticipate the prob-lems (and the temptations) that mightbe lurking. Then do your best to headthem off. While no facility withoutsupervision is 100% safe, it is possibleto reduce the risk.

On the surface The fact that it’s a running track does-n’t stop kids from coming in withbikes, scooters, skateboards and otherequipment, including mopeds andother gas-powered vehicles.

If you ask the kids, they might saythey’re not hurting anything. The sur-face of the track, however, would begto differ.

A track surface, while resilient,can be damaged by improper use.Latex, polyurethane and pre-fabricat-

ed rubber tracks, for example, canwithstand a lot of pounding, but onlyby the kind of users they weredesigned to accommodate—runners.Even asphalt tracks need to be treatedaccordingly. Every year, track buildersare called on to repair damage tobrand-new facilities—damage thatcould have been prevented.

One cause, says Norm Porter ofOmnova Solutions, Inc. in Chester,SC, is the late-night picnic.Carbonated soft drinks spilled on atrack, he notes, can definitely causedamage.

Kristoff Eldridge of Cape &Island Tennis & Track agrees. “Sometypes of tracks are built with certainbinders that can be broken down bythe acid in soft drinks.”

Certain surfaces can withstandabuse better than others. Many things,however, will determine which surface

Protecting Your Track from Abuse (without locking the gate) – Part One

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is right for a particular installation: siteconditions, amount and type of use,local weather and, of course, budget-ary considerations. Anyone thinkingof having a track resurfaced (or built)should consult with track builderswho have experience in their geo-graphical regions, and with projectssimilar to theirs.

A track that’s open to the publicwill likely get considerable wear on theinside lanes from recreational walkersand joggers. Unfortunately, thoseinside lanes are also the most used partof the track during competitions andworkouts, and therefore should be theleast used for recreation.

Signs of the times Mike Butler of Schwab-Eaton, P.A. inManhattan, KS, suggests some coun-termeasures that managers can take.“We like to post signs asking that thewalkers and joggers use the outsidethree lanes,” Butler states, “and toencourage this, the laps per mile areposted for those lanes.”

Signs with decent graphics can beplaced in the inside lane to discouragewalkers, joggers and baby strollersfrom using lane one, according to CarlAiken of Aiken Engineering in EastGreenbush, NY. “A (few) tasteful stan-dard 48" tall signs on a weighted basecould be used. During a meet, thesigns are simply moved to the inside afew feet.

“There are other devices such asmetal gates but they can be expen-sive.” However, Aiken adds,“Considering that public tax dollarsare the source of funds for most trackjobs, it’s not out of the question toconsider an extra lane outside thetrack oval for the public. Certainly noton all sites but maybe on those withenough room and with a large publicpopulation that uses the facility.”

Often, just spelling out the rulescan make a big difference (many “civil-ians” just don’t know what’s expectedof them). Some builders recommendputting up signs stating in no uncer-tain terms that no food or drink is

allowed on the track. They also say thesign should state that the facility is forrunners and walkers, and that noinline skates, roller skates, skateboards,bicycles, tricycles or other vehicles,

except for properly equipped wheel-chairs, are permitted. (As a side note,wheelchair-bound athletes have equip-ment with soft pneumatic orpolyurethane tires that do not chewthe track the same way skates, motorscooters or other vehicles will.)

If athletes wear spiked shoes,some builders recommend a sign stat-ing that the maximum spike length beno more than ¼", although many pre-fer a maximum of 3⁄16". (Those whowant to know the recommendationfor their specific surface should asktheir contractor; some contractors alsoadvocate soft spikes, and some wantnone at all.)

Child’s play Something many facility managerscomplain about is the sad state ofjumping pits, according to Sam Fisher,of Fisher Tracks, in Boone, IA.. In thiscase, it’s not so much an abuse issue asit is simply an oversight.

“The sand from the jumping pitsoftentimes is out on the turf and theend result over time is a very sloppylooking area,” says Fisher. “The realproblem I have found is not the sandgetting out of the pit during activitiesbut the sand being taken out of the pitby children who are using it as a sand-

box while their parents are using thetrack for exercise. I recommend sandcatchers of some type. There are manygood ones available. The less expensivesand catchers are very easy to take on

and off and serve notice basically thatthis is not a play area or sandbox. Withmaintenance and upkeep, I don’t thinkthe sand is really a problem nor shouldthis small amount of rubber in thesandpit from the synthetic turf field bea problem either. Like everything else,it does require some attention andmaintenance.”

Some builders have mentionedthe possibility of installing lockingcovers over the top of sand pits—among other things, an excellent wayto keep animals such as feral cats fromusing the sand boxes in ways that ath-letes don’t appreciate.

(To be continued)

Note: The American Sports BuildersAssociation (ASBA) is a nonprofit asso-ciation helping designers, builders, own-ers, operators and users understandquality sports facility construction. TheASBA sponsors informative meetingsand publishes newsletters, books andtechnical construction guidelines for ath-letic facilities including running tracks.Available at no charge is a listing of allpublications offered by the Association,as well as the ASBA’s MembershipDirectory. Info: 866-501-ASBA (2722)or www.sportsbuilders.org.

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Gary Winckler has been called “the bestsprint and hurdles coach in the world.”Here are his thoughts on the key elementsof the race and how to develop them inyoung athletes.

The 400 meter hurdles is one ofthe most interesting events intrack and field. For both male

and female athletes, the event presentsgreat challenges in many areas—especially coordination, strength,endurance and psychology.

In this article, I’d like to offersome ideas regarding this uniqueevent, and to lay out some areas you asa coach might consider in construct-ing programs to develop the 400mhurdle athlete.

In the United States, most 400mhurdle specialists gain their early expo-sure to this event via the 300m hurdlesevent in high school. This a usefulprogression for development in this

event, because in terms of the growthand development of most young peo-ple, I feel it is unfair to impose the400m hurdle event on them while stillin high school. I am sure some willdisagree with this assessment; onecould argue that not enough is done interms of providing a better develop-mental progression to encourageyoung athletes to stay in hurdling.

Certainly, in my opinion, per-formances in the intermediate hurdles,even at the elite level, are not particu-larly impressive. When one considersthe depth of talent in the flat 400mevent and compares results for the400m hurdles events it would seemthat not only should our records befaster, but also that we should have agreater depth of high level performersin these events.

Why is this the case? I think it isa result of one or more of the follow-ing reasons:• Some of the best 400m runners arenot encouraged to enter the event.

• Lack of coaches wanting to investtime in the event.

• Lack of attention to the develop-ment of better hurdling skill.

• Coaching the event primarily froma strength perspective and not view-ing the event from a technical per-spective.

Development of the 400m hurdlesathleteTo develop athletes for an event we ascoaches must understand the event’srequirements. Some of the mostimportant requirements are (1) theability to run a good 400 meters with-out hurdles, (2) efficient runningtechnique, (3) good hurdling skills,with either lead leg and (4) good men-tal focus during the race.1.Ability to run a good 400m. Early inthe process of young athletes learningthe 400 hurdles, I believe it is vitallyimportant to teach them good 400mflat racing management skills. We seea lot of very good 400m runners inour country who handle race man-agement quite well. They run gooddistribution patterns and consistent-ly perform at very high levels.

But this is not always what we seein 400m hurdle racing. I see many400m hurdlers who tend to run the1st half of their races much too fast,resulting in a poor race distributionpattern. This is due in part to the factthat either there is a lack of experiencein 400m running or that the athletedoes not view the event as a 400mevent.

I’m often surprised to discover intalking with athletes and coaches thatmany do not think of the 400m hurdles event as a 400m event withhurdles. They should.

Coaching the 400 meter hurdles


2.Efficient running technique. Run-ning efficiency (or technique, if youprefer) is very under-coached at alllevels.

Many coaches and athletes viewthe short sprint events as the “techni-cal” events and think that sprintingtechnique is more important in thoseevents. I would not deny that it is ofmajor importance to short sprintersbut in my view it is probably moreimportant the longer one runs on thetrack.

Ultimately, the longer the event,the more steps one must utilize tocover the distance. If one can be moreefficient on each step, one has moreto gain in the course of a longer run-ning event. In all track events, per-formances have a higher likelihood ofconsistent year-to-year improvementvia improvement in technique.

This shows up quickly in an eventlike the 400m hurdles where one has10 barriers to interrupt the 400m run.If the efficiency of the running tech-nique is lacking then the task of clear-ing the 10 hurdles becomes more tax-ing and detracts from theperformance exponentially.

The basis of good hurdling tech-nique is solidly grounded in well-developed running technique. Witha good command of sprinting the taskof teaching good hurdling skills ismanifestly easier and merely an exten-sion of good running.

3.Technically good hurdle skills(preferably with both legs). Hurdlingcan be a very demanding technicalskill, even with a basis of good sprintmechanics. This is particularly true inthe 400 hurdles, since the athlete hasthe added demand of having to hur-dle in a fatigued state as well as a non-fatigued state.Acquiring the ability to hurdle with

either leg at a young age is important.Young athletes who have not fullymatured do not know what they willultimately require of their bodies tobe successful hurdlers. Even with eliteathletes who have the ability to run13 steps for the entire race, having theability to hurdle with the other leg

may prove invaluable in dealing withless than ideal racing conditions pre-sented by strong head winds or otherinclement environmental conditions.It is not unusual for an athlete who

has undergone a peaking process, iswell rested, and is in an importantrace with high levels of arousal to findthat he or she takes one less step thanusual to the first hurdle. I once saw afemale athlete do this resulting in hertaking the first 8 hurdles with hernon-preferred leg and go on to win anational championship. Had she notbeen prepared to deal with the situa-tion it could have been disastrous.

4.Good mental focus for decision-making during the race. This lastexample leads into my final point; theneed for good mental focus and deci-sion-making. Athletes in this eventneed to be able to make decisionsregarding step patterns and adjust-ments necessary to meet changingconditions.

This is a primary reason I teachthe event as a 400m run with hurdles.We run the 400m and deal with thehurdles as required. By developingthis mind-set, the athlete is not over-ly distracted by pre-set step patternsand his or her ability to either makethose patterns or not.

OK, so much for philosophizing. Howdo I approach some of these issues indeveloping athletes in this most excit-ing event?

My program is pretty basic:1.Prepare the athlete to be a good400m runner.

2.Allocate training time toward con-tinually and consistently building abetter sprinter.

3.Allocate training time to perfectingthe technique of hurdling with bothlegs.

4.Train athletes to hurdle in a fatiguedstate.

I will not delve into the whole area of400m training as that is beyond thescope of this paper. I will provide someexamples of how I attempt to train the

other three points I have listed.In every training cycle I spend

time teaching acceleration mechanicsand good sprinting skills. This isaddressed at least two to three times ina 7-day cycle. I emphasize good pos-tures and coordination exercises tohelp the athlete produce effectiveground forces resulting in good sprint-ing. I would highly recommend abook by Ronald Klomp and FransBosch entitled Running which does anexemplary job of explaining how we ascoaches can help our athletes becomebetter sprinters.

Throughout the entire trainingyear, in each 7-day cycle we hurdle ontwo to three occasions. In the earlypart of the year I use 4–5 hurdlesspaced at a consistent spacing of19–24m allowing the athlete to take8–10 steps between the hurdles. Thisspacing is individualized for the ath-lete and is consistent so as to allow theathlete to become comfortable withthe hurdle spacing and thereby be ableto better focus on the task of hurdling.The run is done with the same lead legfor the entire run and then we switchlead legs every other run. I usuallydemand that more runs are performedwith the non-preferred leg to help theathlete gain a greater comfort withthat leg.

As we progress later in the year Iincrease the demands of this exerciseby varying the spacing of the hurdles.For example, spacing may allow for 8steps between the first two hurdles, 9steps between the next two, 8 stepsagain, then 10 steps. This means theathlete will have to alternate on somehurdles and not on others. The ath-lete’s charge is to make the transitionsas smooth as possible and to not decel-erate anywhere during the run. Theseruns are always done at competitivevelocities (as are all hurdle runs).Hurdling at half to three quarterspeeds just enforces poor mechanicsand has no training value.

I want to emphasize again theimportance of maintaining hurdle skillwork throughout the entire

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year…even during competition. Whathappens too often is that athletes whorace primarily with one lead leg (i.e.,they take 8–9 out of 10 hurdles withone lead in a race) fail to continue totrain the non-preferred lead. If we arenot using that leg in racing but for 1-2 hurdles and at the same time are nottraining that lead leg in practice wesoon lose the skill. This could be dis-astrous, since, as we all know, it onlytakes one bad hurdle in a race to sealone’s doom. For this reason I willincrease the number of hurdle clear-ances with the non-preferred leg intraining during the competition sea-son.

Hurdling in a fatigued state canbe challenging. I want to have my hur-dlers experience this phenomenon intraining so they can develop somecoping strategies. Again, the velocityof the exercises should be similar tothat they will use in the 2nd half of therace. Use touchdown charts as well astouchdown results for your athlete to

help you determine the proper veloci-ty range.

The basis of the exercises is againquite simple. I select a portion of therace and ask the athlete to run thatportion at race pace and repeat the runwith short recovery to simulate theassociated fatigue. For example: Runover hurdles 6-7-8-9 using a 25m run-ning start to hurdle 6. Record the timefrom the touchdown off of hurdle 6 tothe touchdown off of hurdle 9. Theathlete jogs or briskly walks back tothe start again and repeats the run.The same time segment is recordedand compared with the expected racetime for that portion of the race. Thisprocess continues until the athletecannot meet the time requirement.This may occur in as little as 2 runs ormaybe 4–6 runs. This routine is notfor the faint of heart but does accom-plish the objective.

I hope some of this informationwill prove useful to those of you wholove this event as I do. There are so

many variables that we can address toimprove performance levels in thisevent that the future for 400m hur-dling should be brighter than ever.

Gary Winckler recently retired as headwomen’s track coach of the Unversity ofIllinois. 13 of his hurdlers from Illinoisand Florida State have competed in theOlympic Games, including TonjaBuford-Bailey, 1996 Olympic Bronzemedalist in the 400-meter hurdles, andPerdita Felicien, 2003 world championin the 100 meter hurdles. Winckler isjust as proud of his athletes’ off-the-trackaccomplishments: since 1985, 97% ofhis athletes have graduated. He is theauthor of Coaching Hurdlers:Planning Guide for Success, and co-author of Sport Specific Speed. Inaddition, the versatile Winckler, whogrew up on a cattle ranch, in easternWashington, is an expert in thepainstaking craft of making customstock saddles.

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Edwin Moses talks about life in the fast lane

Edwin Moses was the world'sdominant 400m intermediatehurdler for more than a decade.

As a young physics major atMorehouse College in Atlanta, thelong-striding Moses quickly developeda new technique, taking an unprece-dented 13 steps between hurdlesthroughout a race instead of the usual14 or 15. Totally unknown as an ath-lete until the spring of 1976, he burstinto prominence with a string of vic-tories which ended with an OlympicGold medal and a world record. A yearlater, he began an undefeated streak of107 victories (122 if you include qual-ifying races) over a period of nearly 10years, including a second Olympicgold medal in 1984 and WorldChampionships in 1983 and 1987.The last of the four world records heset (47.02 seconds in 1983) endureduntil 1992, and it is still the secondfastest 400 hurdles ever run.

Moses was not just an innovator

in his event. He was a seeker for thebest way to do things: the best way totrain, the best way to race, the bestway to win. How many sprinters andhurdlers would go on hour-long cross-country runs throughout the year? Onthe track, how many would go intooxygen debt in repeat after repeat withshort rest intervals at distances from1,000 meters down to 200 meters?Many of the training techniques heconceived and polished were devisedfrom lessons he had learned in hismath, physics and biology studies, andothers from his willingness to try newthings and see if they worked.

Today Edwin Moses is chair ofthe Laureus World Sports Academy,an organization funded by major cor-porations to promote sporting activi-ties for youth worldwide for the pur-pose of social change. He is alsoinvolved with a number of philan-thropic activities in the United Statesand around the world.

Moses spoke with American Track& Field by telephone in early May of2009.

ATF: How did you start out in sports? Were youa hurdler from the beginning?

Moses: At Fairview High in Dayton.The first sport I did was gymnastics; Idid trampoline and floor exercise.That was my freshman year. And Iplayed freshman football, and I was onthe reserve team on the varsity my sec-ond year. I quit playing football afterthat.

In track and field, I started outdoing long jump, I did the triple jumpone year, it was my junior year, and Idid quite well at that. And believe it ornot, I was a pole vaulter my freshmanyear; I won the freshman city meet inthe pole vault at 9 feet 6 inches with ametal pole, my first year in highschool. But one time I caught the lipof the box with my pole, and Iwhiplashed my back, and that was the


last time I pole vaulted.

Q: How did you get into the hurdles?

A: It must have been my sophomoreyear, we had a shuttle hurdles relay,and one of the guys got injured, andthe coach asked if anyone wanted totry it. He was the long distance andcross country coach, which really ben-efited me later on, because I learnedhow to — I wasn’t afraid to — to run600s and 500s and 300s. So I jumpedinto that relay team, and I think Istruggled that first year because no-one taught me how to do hurdles; Ikind of learned by doing.

And that’s how I got started, byvolunteering to be a substitute — andI think the next year and the followingyear we had one of the best shuttlehurdles teams in the area, in Dayton.

Q: But you were doing just the 120 hurdles?

A: I was running 180s, too, and thequarter. How I got started on that wasthat I was on the 880 relay and run-ning 220s and long jumping, and oneday the coach said, “Why don’t youjump into the quarter – you’ve got along stride.” And I ran 56.4 the firsttime out. That was during my fresh-man year. After that I was a quartermiler all the time.

Q: Did you run any 330 hurdles? Or did theyhave them in those days?

A: We had 180s – and after I got goodin the shuttle hurdles, I actually ranthe highs and the low hurdles, the 180low hurdles. And I was pretty good atthe low hurdles; I think my best was21.1 or 21.3. But we had guys in thearea who were running 19.8, low 20 –so I was just, a second-tier guy. I couldalways get from the district meet tothe city meet, you know, that kind ofthing: one of the fastest in the city, oneof the top three or four…

Q: But you were pretty much a jack of alltrades, and the other guys were specialists?

A: Yep, the other guys were specialists.We had a guy, Earl Richardson, he wasrunning in the 47s on dirt. We had allthese guys right in our city league, so Ialways grew up running against verygood competition, and the same thing

happened at Morehouse, because weran against Dr. (Leroy) Walker’s teamat North Carolina Central, againstpeople like James Coleman, whoended up being a punter for theMinnesota Vikings—he was a highhurdler who was running like 13.3s, inour conference, and Roberto Ouko,and Julius Sang, and all those guys. SoI was always the young guy who hadthe benefit of running against muchbetter competition — great highschool competition and great collegecompetition. That’s how I got better –the old-fashioned way.

Q: So, when did you start running the 400 hurdles?

A: I think I ran one race in 1975, soph-omore year. I remember running it,but I don’t remember anything aboutit, because I was just running forpoints in the conference champi-onships. I think I ran about a 56, orsomething like that. First time out, Ihad no idea. It was probably about 54something, I doubt if it was as slow as56 – 54, maybe even a 53. I have noidea — I’m trying to get someonewho’s got the records over atMorehouse from that meet.

In my freshman year (1974), Ithink I ran 48.6 or 48.9 in the open400, and at the end of my second yearI ran 47.5. And in the following year,in ‘76, in the first race of the year, atthe Florida Relays, I came out and ran46.1, in lane 9. So I knew I was on myway.

In the hurdles, I came from a 15.1out of high school to about a 14.3 myfreshman year, my second year of col-lege I was down to about 13.8 or 13.9and during the Olympic year, again atthe Florida Relays, I think I ran – Idon’t know – 13.7 or something likethat. I don’t remember.

But between my second and thirdyears, my quarter times dropped 1.4seconds, my HH dropped consider-ably, and that’s when I my coach,Lloyd Jackson, put me in the 400meter hurdles race, also at the FloridaRelays, and I ended up running a 50.1.But I was in great shape and knew howto hurdle, so that was the key.

Q: How did you come to go to Morehouse?

A: Academic scholarship. I got rejectedat Ohio State. They said, you know,“Come for a year and come out fortrack, and if you’re good enough, we’llthink about it.”

I was not a standout. I was good,but I wasn’t nationally ranked. But Ihad the potential. And I discovered iton my own through the school of hardknocks. I just love track and field. It’slike guys have basketball joneses; I wasa track jones.

Q: How did you develop the 13 steps betweenhurdles? That was pretty much unheard of inthose days, wasn’t it?

A: Well, when I ran that race in theFlorida Relays, I just started running.The only thing I knew for certain inrunning that race was that I had to hitthe first hurdle correctly. So from thenon, virtually the only thing I workedon in terms of steps was from the star-tling blocks to the first hurdle andbeing able to come up to the first hur-dle leading with my left leg. After that,the 13 steps, that was just a freak ofmy natural rhythm and my naturalstride length. I’m pretty sure I ran 13steps the entire race; I didn’t countthem, but I can’t remember runningwith the opposite leg at all.

It’s something that happened; Iknew I was a left leg lead hurdler, andI was running, and the hurdles came

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up pretty close to where they shouldhave been, and that’s what happened.But I accepted that the shortest dis-tance was by staying close to theinside, and in order to do that I had tobe a left-leg hurdler, and everythingelse just kind of worked out. I think Iworked on the first three hurdles onlybefore that first Florida race, and thenafter the Florida Relays, after I ran50.1. Coach Jackson and I came upwith this mechanism, and Dr. Walkergave me some really good workoutsfor the final 200. One thing that hetold me was that it’s all in the last hun-dred, it’s not who’s out in front at the5th or 6th hurdles, it’s what happensfrom hurdles 7 to 10. So I did myworkouts to cover that area. And Dr.Walker was right; I put in the workand everything worked out.

So after I ran that 50.1 at theFlorida Relays race that first time, Isaid to myself, “I think I can rununder 49.” I knew that, based on con-ditioning and developing a technique.I was a good high hurdler – I’d alreadyrun 13.6 or 7 hand timed – so I knewthat if I could approach the hurdleproperly, so that I’d get over it withouta problem, that I could run under 49.And I ran 49.8 at the Penn Relays, and48.8 at Tennessee, and went back upto Tennessee for a second meet andran 48.6, and when I did that I said, “Ithink I can run under 48.” So I justkept my training program up, and Iknew it was all about endurance atthat point.

Q: I remember in Kingston, in 1977, you beatthe 2nd, 3rd and 4th finishers from Montreal inthe highs – and I always wondered if you everthought about running the highs seriously.

A: I always wanted to run the highs,but for me, the training was so differ-ent. I was so used to running 1000s,600s, and 500s. And in order to reallyimprove in the highs I would have hadto shift a lot of focus away from the400 hurdles. And when I broke myown world record and ran 47.45 inL.A., in 1977, I was so excited aboutthe idea of running under 47 that Ijust decided to stay with my event.

They also wanted me to runagainst Juantorena. So I was kind ofcaught between – what do you want todo, do you want to run the highs and

become a world-class high hurdler, ordo you want to go up against the guysin the 800. And coach Jackson said,“Just stick with your event. Don’tchange anything. You could getinjured doing the high hurdles, andrunning that 800 will take away yourspeed, and your technique for the hurdles.”

But I trained with the highs. I usu-ally did high hurdles at least two days aweek. I was always sharp for the highhurdles, but I just never competed. Ithink I could have run 13.2 or 13.3 – Iknow that for sure—but I just neverwanted to get my focus away fromwhat I knew was a winning formula.

Q: But the high hurdling you did was obvious-ly helpful to you in your regular hurdling…

A: Oh, yeah, in my whole career Ialways concentrated on high hurdlesat least one day a week.

I was training like RogerKingdom or anybody else, specificallyon high hurdles.

Q: Could you give us a rough sketch of yourfall training, your winter training, taper train-ing, and in-season training for a year?

A: The fall training was mostly dis-tance, up until January or February.And then I did two workouts a day. Ihad the benefit of living and trainingwith Henry Rono in ’78 and ’79,when we both lived in Laguna Hills. Iused to run lots of cross-country withthose guys – up to an hour. We woulddo an hour run at 6 o’clock in themorning, and then I would come backin the afternoon and do a 21⁄2 mile runup and down hills. I had a course thatI measured. I took a roller out thereand measured the whole thing, so Iknew exactly where I was in time andspace.

I did lots of cross country run-ning; that was how I started the firstthree months of every year. I also didsome training at the beach in softsand, and then I started running 1000meters, 800 meter repeats on grass,not really fast, but with 30-secondrecoveries. And I would do that upuntil about March – about 6 weeksbefore Mt. SAC, something like that.

And then I’d start on the track.And I’d be in shape: I never condi-

tioned myself on the track. I’d start onthe track with 1000s and 600s, andthen move to 500s. I conditionedmyself through cardiovascular (i.e.,anaerobic) training. I was probably inthe same kind of shape as Seb Coe. Iwas doing more cross country, andprobably in better condition, than 9out of 10 of the 800 meter runners ofthose days.

Q: And then when you got onto the track, youstarted with the 1000s and 800s – and whatwould be a typical workout in the early to midseason?

A: I would run over hurdles – 600meters, with the final 200 meters overhurdles – the last five hurdles. Andtwo or three of those a day, and thenfinish up with a 500, or a 500 and a300. I’d do about five runs a day.Q: How hard were they?

A: Probably between 57 and 60 for 400meters, run in lane one, and then Iwould stop the watch while I joggedout to the 200 starting line in lane 4,and then start the clock again andmeasure the time to the touch-downover the fifth hurdle.

Q: I’ve heard it said that there’s no point indoing hurdle practice unless you’re doing itpretty near all out.

A: Well, the 60-second quarter wouldsimulate the first 200 meters of therace – and I would do those in about12- to 15-minute intervals. So by thetime you got to the third one, the final200 meters, you pretty much feel likeyou’re in an Olympic final.

So therefore, I knew what it feltlike all the time, and I was never afraidto go into the cardiovascular zone(oxygen debt), and to stay in thatzone. So running those 200s, at theend of every one of those, I felt like Iwas in a race — and I would have toexecute the hurdling and maintainthose 13 strides as though I was in arace. After, in a race, there was neverany question about what would hap-pen, because I’d be breaking down atthe end of those things, every day inpractice.

Q: What is the difference between the 110sand the 400s in hurdling at the championshiplevel?

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A: In the 400 hurdles you have to over-come fatigue, and you never knowwhat’s going to happen. You can be inthe best condition, and still have alousy race, because when you get tothe 10th hurdle things are not pro-gressing the way you think. In the110s, you don’t have to consider that.If you can’t go 110, you don’t need tobe out on the track anyway.

Q: You had a 12-year career at the top. How didyou stay motivated during that whole time –to be as good as you could?

A:That wasn’t a problem, because I didit every day in practice. I was the onlyone out there; I managed myself. I waslucky if someone was out there to dothe timing. When I was in Irvine,Danny Williams used to help me outa lot. He used to do the timing, andthat made it easier for me, because Ihad a wrist stopwatch on that I had touse to do all my times. So havingsomeone there to do the times kind offreed me up from the timing activityyou had to do – you know when hit-ting a certain line and stopping thewatch, and then starting it again.

But I had it down — I knewexactly what to do, and I had to moti-vate myself in practice and go into thecardiovascular zone in almost everyone of my runs. So to me, the raceswere easy. I’d go in fully rested andhad an unlimited interval in between(races), and that was nothing to whatI was doing in practice.

So the whole motivation partwasn’t even a factor from my point ofview. I didn’t even think about that. Iwas doing it every day. Just to moti-vate yourself when you’re tired andhave to wait 12 to 15 minutes til thenext run, and there’s no coach outthere telling you to get on the line andgo, and all you’ve got on is a watch to

check the intervals. I motivatedmyself.

Q: So after the first couple of years, you didn’thave a coach?

A: Nope, I didn’t. My last year of col-lege, I went out to California to coachAthletes in Action. I didn’t haveNCAA eligibility, but nonetheless thatwas even more pressure, because I hadto get into world-class condition withno coach, no track, no nothing. So thewhole process of finding a track, ofbeing out of school with no track, Iovercame the motivational part.Looking back at what I had to do tocompete at the world-class level, it’salmost incomprehensible.

Q: How did you train for speed?

A: In a typical speed workout, I woulddo a 500 or an 800 to warm up (aftermy regular warm-up). The first run ofthe day was always warm-up; minimaltime constraint, just a good warm-up,not go into oxygen debt or anything.And then I’d get a complete recoveryafter that—like 15 or 20 minutes—and then I’d start the workout. Butthat first run of the day was just towarm up. And then once I did that Icould do 300s. Sometimes I’d do thosenot so fast but 8 or 9 in a row with aminute rest in between, in 35 or 34seconds. And some days I’d do 200s;that was my real speed work.

Q: What did you say the times were in the300s?

A: 34, 35.

Q: That’s pretty fast…

A: That was like a minute, minute-and-a-half intervals. I’d do 6 or 8 ofthose in a row, and the times would

always decrease. I would never start at34 or 35 and go up; it would alwaysgo down. So you have to keep yourselfmotivated and focused to be able todo that. And I think that when I wasdoing those kind of workouts, it was-n’t just about speed—about straightspeed and power—but it was reallyabout technique. Because I reallyfocused on technique and being veryefficient in my running. Not having torely on forcing myself the last 100meters, but really establishing properrunning technique and to be able tofinish the workout in a proper timewithout burning yourself out. So Ibecame very interested in the techni-cal aspects of running.

Q: How did you learn about that?

A: I’m a physicist (laughs). I studied allthat stuff. Read a lot of papers. Theydidn’t have digital video back then.That’s just something that I wasblessed with—my studies in science.Not only that but the biology andphysiology of it, that played a big partof it.

Q: So you figured out that there’s a most effi-cient way to pick up your feet and put themdown?

A: Not just feet. Everything—armplacement, foot placement, how longyour foot’s on the ground, all theangles and everything, I had that pret-ty much down. That was my forte.

Q: And that came out of a physics textbook,not a track textbook…

A: Well, the principles did come out ofa book but it took me hours andhours, and years and years of actuallyrunning and training to be able to doit. It was biomechanics, and that whatI wanted to study at the time. That

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was what I was academically veryinterested in, so I had all the classesand theoretics behind me, and then Iwent over to the Georgia Tech libraryand read a lot of papers from Russiaand Germany. And they were writing(about the biomechanics of running),and they had a lot of sequence photo-graphs of athletes running. There wereno videos then; so I just learned bydoing. And a couple of my classmateswere physicists as well, and we’d justsit there and talk about that.

Q: Did you ever do plyometrics?

A: Yep. I learned that at UC Irvine,working with Danny Williams. Thatwas after college.

Q: So your whole career you were looking fornew ways to improve…

A: Yep. I started with the weights in ‘82and ‘83. Started doing plyometrics,and really honed my workouts down.But the basic six or seven elements Ikept the same all the time.

Q: What about physios and physiotherapy, didyou get into that?

A: Yeah, that was an extension of mytraining program. I met a gentlemanby the name of Ken Yoshino, and hewas down there in Irvine, and I usedto go to him every day after practice,injures or not, for ice baths, P and Fstretching, muscle balancing, massageand any kind of therapy that I needed.I’d be over there in Dr. Yoshino’s officefor 2 hours — every day. So, I’d startat 8:30 in the morning, and I would-n’t get home until 6 o’clock at night.

Q: And that was all working out? And recovery.

A: And recovery. You know, when Istarted using ice baths back in 1983,none of the NFL teams, none of theprofessional sports were using it, andeverybody thought I was crazy to sit inice for 20 minutes. Everybody said,“Oh, I can’t do that, I can barely putmy arm in ice, or put on the ice pack.”But I would sit in cold water, and nowthat’s a common, everyday techniquethat everyone uses. And I think it has alot to do with me, because it was wellpublicized back then, through televi-sion, interviews, documentaries and allthat.

Q: How did you manage to stay in shape whenyou were racing in Europe for weeks ormonths at a time?

A: I did 1000s, 600s, during the courseof the summer. I would work out afterthe track meet; if I’d run a fantasticrace, I’d be out on the track the nextday doing cardiovascular work. Thecross country that I did, 3 months ofthat, and even when I was doing speedwork and hurdles work in May andJune before the national champi-onship and everything, I would runcross country at least three days aweek.

Q: And that’s what kept you in shape in Julyand August – going from Zurich to Lausanne toRome and so forth?

A: Yep. And I wasn’t afraid to do1000s, and 600s; I would keep myselfin shape.

And after the race, the quality ofmy endurance training, on the trackjust shot up. And I was able to pro-duce training results sort of like whatSeb Coe was experiencing.

I had seen his workouts for the800 and the 1500—they were highlypublicized—and I was doing the samething that he was doing. So that keptme in shape. It was very important forme to not just race and forget aboutconditioning. So even in August, likein ’87 before the WorldChampionships, I spent about 10 daystraining, and half of those days wereover-endurance work. Because I knewI had the speed at that point, it was amatter of maintaining the endurancebase—to keep from being injured andto be able to sustain that kind of speedafter 3 days of competition.

Q: What kind of mental preparation wouldhave been involved in getting ready – for anyrace and for big ones? Did you do anythingspecial?

A: Nothing special. I did everything Idid in practice. What I did in practiceprepared me for all the races. Raceswere the easiest part, you know—except for the fact that you couldmake an error in a race. That was myonly concern—the conditioning,technical aspects, anything like that,that was all covered in practice. Therewas never a problem, so I never had todo anything for a race, except rest up.

Q: So, basically, you went into a race saying,“I’m prepared. I’m ready.”

A: Period.

Q: “And I like to race and beat guys.”

A: That’s right.

Q: Did you have a feeling about winning, aboutbeating people? Is that important? Is that theobject?

A: Absolutely. That’s what I was therefor. I was in such great condition thatin my mind it wasn’t possible to getbeaten, unless I made multiple errors.

In that race in Spain, when I lostthat race in Spain (the race whereDanny Harris ended his 107-race win-ning streak), I was sick as a dog andready to pull out, and they begged mefor 2 days not to pull out, and I stillran 47.69. In fact, it was one of myfaster races for that early in the year,and if you look at the video—it’s onmy website—I should’ve won the raceanyway, because I came back betweenthe 8th and 10th hurdles and then Iclipped the 10th hurdle, and that’s theonly reason I lost that race. I had a ter-rible case of food poisoning; I shouldnot have run, I was ready to pull out,but I ran anyway.

Q: Did you have one basic strategy for runninga race, or did you take each one as a separateproblem?

A: I think before every race, betweenthe lane draw and everything, I kindof knew what it would take to win,and sometimes I would pace myselfbased on that, and sometimes I wouldjust run—run hard, and not evenworry about it. Sometimes it’s easy tojust run hard and not worry about it.But you know, if you race 20 times ayear, you can’t afford to do that.

So I was really good at pacingmyself and understanding that Icouldn’t run hard every time. And Ididn’t run hard every time, not as hardas possible. But I had to run hardenough to win by a significant margin.I didn’t like winning by 2 or 3 meters.In most of my races you didn’t see mewinning by a margin that small. So ifI knew I’d that the other guys had run48.2 or 48.3, I’d say, “Okay, I’ve got togo out at a pace to run 47.8 right offthe bat. And then if things change

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during the race, I can always relax a lit-tle bit.”

Like in the 1987 WorldChampionships in Rome (Ed.: whenMoses beat Danny Harris andGemany’s Harald Schmidt), wheregoing in you don’t know what it’sgoing to take, you just say “Bleep it,”and you go for it, and you just hopeyou’ll feel good at the end of the race.My strategy there was to get out fast,and put a margin on those guys andforce them to catch up. I wanted toput pressure on them and force themto run as hard as they could, and hope-fully outlast them. That was the worstfeeling I ever had after a race.

Q: You didn’t really ever have a problem withsteps, did you?

A: Nope.

Q: It was natural for you to run 13.

A: Yep. Actually, probably closer to 121⁄2if the hurdles had been spaced out. I’dget closer, and closer…

Q: Did you count the steps as you ran?

A: No. I never counted.

Q: Did you learn at some point to alternatelead legs?

A: When I started running hurdles I

was actually a right-leg hurdler. Then Iswitched to the left.

Q: Because of the intermediates?

A: No, I don’t know why. In highschool I remember one day going outto the long jump it, and the coach wastrying to figure out which was mystronger leg, and the coach saw I keptjumping off my right leg, and thecoach said, “That’s your strong leg,and why don’t you learn to hurdlewith that leg,” and I switched.

Q: Did you ever have to use a right-leg lead ina 400 hurdles race?

A: Only if I made a mistake. I don’tthink I could have hurdled with a

right lead leg in the high hurdles, butthe 400 hurdles were no problem.

Q: What was your warm-up for competition?

A: Same thing I did every day in train-ing. I would be at the track 2 hoursbefore the race. And I’d start about 2hours before and I’d do everything alittle more slowly and deliberately, buteverything was pretty much the same.

I’d just jog a mile and a half, anda mile stretch, and jog up and downthe field, and then do my exercises –the exercises everybody does, highknee lifts and so forth, and lots ofstretching, and then I’d do two 200meters, very slow, probably around 30

seconds. By the time everybody elsewas coming out, I was halfwaythrough my warmup.

Q: Did you ever watch other races going on?

A: I would concentrate on what I wasdoing. Typically, they used to have,sometimes a 100 meters first, or an800, and I would see what I could see,but generally I wasn’t concerned aboutwhat anybody else was doing.

Q: When you missed a step, or stumbled, or hita hurdle, how did you get back into your steppattern?

A: I’d do it in practice, so I didn’t haveto think about it. I never even thoughtabout what would happen in thoseconditions. It was just automatic.

Q: Coming up to a hurdle, did you have kind ofa radar that made you know if any adjustmentwas needed?

A: Yep. By the time you’re six or sevensteps away from the hurdle, I wouldalready know what needed to happen.

Q: That was something you did in practice?

A: That’s something you learn as a hur-dler. Especially in the 400, becauseyou have more time to process infor-mation than you do in the highs. Youknow, it’s part of the subconsciousprocess that goes on. For me, by thetime I got within four or five steps ofthe hurdle it was almost too late tomake an adjustment. I would try tomake my adjustments between thehurdles, so I could exactly hit 13 steps,because if I was running hard, I wouldhave to regulate my steps. I couldn’trun all out between the hurdles, whichwas probably a limiting factor.

Q: And what about the weather? What werethe weather factors that would affect you?

A: Well, you know, every track inEurope is different. They have tracksthere with 75 meter straightaways, 80meters, 85, 90, 95—so the first thingI would do is try to figure out the dif-ferences in the track, and that’s easy todo, because you measure from thestart of the 100 meters to where thecurve comes in, and you know theradius of the track.

And the second thing I would

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Left to right: University of Massachusetts–Boston Chancellor Keith Motley , EdwinMoses and University of Massachusetts President Jack Wilson


think about would be the wind. Iwould always go on the back stretchand check the wind, for every race,which no one else would ever do. Iwould always know, which way thewind was coming from, so I wouldalways know how to adjust—howmuch it would slow you down orspeed you up. It wouldn’t always be aheadwind. With a sidewind (on thebackstretch), you could be runninginto a headwind at the start.

Q: How many steps did you take to the firsthurdle? 23 steps? 21?

A: 19.

Q: And as you said earlier, the important thingfor you was to get to the first hurdle right onit.

A: No matter what type of race I wasrunning, I came out of the blocks likeit was an Olympic final. That wouldset up my speed and everything, andafter that I could regulate it—whatev-er I needed to do.

Q: So your warmup for competition and yourwarmup for workouts were pretty much thesame.

A: Yep, pretty much the same. Theonly difference was I was either run-ning in training, or running at a meet.Everything else was the same. So Ididn’t have to make a whole lot ofadjustments. I took as much chanceout of the whole scenario as possible.

Q: What would you tell a young athlete whowas just getting into the 400 meter hurdles?

A: I’d always say conditioning, crosscountry running. Of the hurdlers oftoday, the coaches are really into 200,300—they’re into a speed type ofset—which is the reason that I thinkmost of these hurdlers are so inconsis-tent. Because there’s a certain point in

the year when all that comes together.But they peak a lot earlier, and theycan’t maintain their performance. Andalmost none of them do any type ofcross country running. Not even 2miles—at no point during the year.

I just think that they can’t be con-sistent. And if you look at all the 400hurdlers, no one has been consistentfor a long period. None of them.Maybe for 2 or 3 years, maybe 4, butnone of them longer than that.

Q: What particular workouts do you thinkhelped you the most?

A: Everything. It all went together. Ihad to do everything.Q; Did you do stretching before, or after, aworkout?

A: Extensive stretching before andafter. That’s why I never got injured.Never had any muscle injuries. I had afew strains, things every now andthen, and your leg hurts from aninjury from years ago for 2 weeksevery year, but other than that I didn’thave any injuries—no catastrophicinjuries, no muscle pulls, anythinglike that. I was the Master ofStretching.

In fact, what they call Pilatestoday, it’s like someone came to myworkouts and watched everything Idid, ands then made a package out ofit. All of that stuff that they’re doingtoday, no one was doing back then.

Q: How did the streak come to affect you overthe years?

A: It didn’t. I think the pressure camefrom other coaches trying to pushtheir athletes. It didn’t affect me at all.

Q: Thank you, Edwin.

A: Thank you.

Photo: Victah, www.photorun.NET

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Camps At-A-Glance


r e v i e w s

The 2009 season offers good news if you find yourself looking for running shoes in the economy price range.Even though prices have been escalating industry-wide, there are numerous shoes with very reasonable pricesand good performance. We’ve looked for the best new or updated shoes, and there are more in the perform-

ance range—nice and light—than we have seen in many seasons. There’s something here for nearly everyone,whether you’re heading out for training, trails, or racing, and they’ll all give you your money’s worth.

adidas adi Kanadia TR $65adidas has a long history of success in

the trail shoe category, so itsnew Kanadia TR hasplenty of company.Designed to providetraction and per-formance, the

Kanadia’s attractive pricemight cause it to be dismissed, but

that would be a mistake. Though not as durable as the full- featured(and higher-priced) models, it does a surprisingly creditable job ofcushioning, and the traction is as good as most of the better trail

shoes, thanks to adidas’ Traxion tread design. The midsole is a low-profile, single-density CM-EVA with a small adiPrene crashpad forgood cushioning both on the trail and the roads. The upper is cool

airmesh that’s tailored to provide a nice snug fit.

TRAIL Sizes: Men 6.5–13,14; Women 5–12 Weight: 12.0 oz. (men’s 11); 9.6 oz. (women’s 8) For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

ASICS Gel-Phoenix $75 The Gel-Phoenix is a new shoe, but the

niche it occupies—PerformanceStability—is an ASICS hallmark, here

at an economical price.The air mesh upper isroomy in the forefootwith a secure fit in the

heel, a family trait thanksto its familiar ASICS last. The

SpEVA midsole is durable, cushioned,and offers the good stability for which this configuration is known.The AHAR outersole is an effective blend of traction and durability. The Gel-Phoenix is not the equal of its more expensive sibling, theGel-DS Trainer, but it does feature a comfortable, stable, resilient

ride at a good value.

PERFORMANCE STABILITY Sizes: Men 6–13,14,15,16; Women 6–12 Weight: 11.1 oz. (men’s 11); 9.3 oz. (women’s 8) For: medium- to high-arched feet with mild to moderate overpronation

END Stumptown 10 oz. $75END (Environmentally Neutral Design) is anew brand with a new target audience.Aimed at the value-minded runner who

expects quality for their cash, theStumptown delivers. The 10

oz. is the most perform-ance-oriented of threeversions of the shoe,and it also featuresthe most shoe for the

money. The upper is minimal,with well-placed synthetic overlays, and

a pared back design to eliminate unneeded materials and theirassociated waste. A high-friction toe cap protects on the trail whilethe lower profile is perfect for nimble trail running. The midsole issingle-density EVA topped by an additional layer of EVA in the

Strobel board for good cushioning and a responsive ride. A fore-foot protection plate adds a little foot armor without hindering flexi-

bility, and the outersole tread provides excellent traction.

PERFORMANCE TRAIL Sizes: Men 7–12,13; Women 5–11 Weight: 10.9 oz. (men’s 11); 8.9 oz. (women’s 8) For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

Mizuno Wave Nexus 3 $80The Wave Nexus has undergone a number of

subtle changes. The upper is a more openairmesh, with overlays reduced in num-

ber and many replaced by HF-welds. The Alpha Polymer

midsole has seen aminor adjustment inthe molding, and

the Wave plate hasreceived minor

tweaks through theshank, but the ride and perform-

ance haven’t been altered to unfamiliarity. The outersole has a sig-nificant chunk of lateral blown rubber which may account for acushier feel, but the X-10 heel maintains the durability necessary

for high mileage. These thoughtful improvements are well-executed,and the value in the Nexus 3 is the tangible result.

STABILIZING CUSHION Sizes: Men 7–13,14,15; Women 6–11 Weight: 12.4 oz. (men’s 11); 10.0 oz. (women’s 8)For: medium- to high-arched feet with mild to moderate overpronation

Best Shoes for $80 or Less


R e v i e w s

New Balance 737 $80New Balance has often produced effectiveshoes in the economy range. The 737 isthe latest, and perhaps the most versa-

tile, of the neutral shoes NewBalance has placed inthis price range. Theupper makes gooduse of airmesh andminimal overlays to

support the foot and letit breathe. The midsole is a

fairly generous slab of ACTEVA Lite, which is quite responsive,though the firm Abzorb crashpad and fabric Strobel board makethe shoe a little less cushy for longer runs. The midfoot support is

good, and the minimal outersole keeps things light without compro-mising durability or traction.

PERFORMANCE NEUTRAL Sizes: Men 7–12,13,14,15; Women 5–11,12 Weight: 11.2 oz. (men’s 11); 8.4 oz.(women’s 8) For: low- to medium- high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

Reebok Premier Phoenix $75Best Motion Stabilizing

Economy ShoeThe Premier Phoenix is Reebok’s lat-

est quality economy runningshoe. The dual-density,

injection-moldedmidsole offers a

durable, stable, andresponsive ride,

aided by the DMX Strobelboard beneath the insole. The

upper features a PlayDry lining to keep the foot cool and dry, withwell-spaced overlays (there’s a little extra on the medial side) forexcellent midfoot support. The combination of supportive upper,multiple layers of cushioning, and good stability make it a solidchoice for budget-minded runners; it’s our Best Motion Stabilizing

Economy shoe.

STABILIZING CUSHION Sizes: Men 7–12,13,14; Women 5–12 Weight: 12.5 oz. (men’s 11); 10.1 oz. (women’s 8)For: medium- to high-arched feet with mild to moderate overpronation

Saucony ProGrid Jazz $80Best Neutral Economy Shoe

Saucony has offered good quality runningshoes in the economy range; the best of

these is the ProGrid Jazz. TheJazz features the tradi-tional Saucony tailor-ing—wide toeboxand snug heel—for

runners with medium-high to lower-arched feet. The

single-density midsole offers good cush-ioning and the ProGrid layer adds considerably to the comfort. Thelight weight is attributable to minimized overlays coupled with HF-welds for good support without bulk, and the foam formulation

combined with the foam layer in the Strobel board is light withoutlosing its high-mileage cushioning. The successful XT-900 carbonrubber heel and blown rubber forefoot round out the versatility of

our Best Neutral Economy shoe.

PERFORMANCE NEUTRAL Sizes: Men 7–13,14; Women 5–11,12 Weight: 11.4 oz. (men’s 11); 9.0 oz. (women’s 8)For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

Venue Sports Vroom $60Venue Sports entered the footwear fray with

spikes and throwing shoes, and it nowmoves onto the roads. The Vroom is a

versatile lightweight trainerthat can handle a little

racing, somespeedwork, and themileage requiredby efficient young

runners looking for asolid shoe. The upper is

airmesh supported by synthetic leather and HF-welded overlays inthe heel. The midsole is low-profile, single-density EVA with a sup-portive, ventilated shank. The outersole is grippy, high-traction rub-ber that’s durable without reducing flexibility. The weight makes

them suitable to tempo runs and track work, as well as racing, andthe price tag makes them even more attractive.

PERFORMANCE NEUTRAL Sizes: Unisex 4–13 Weight: 9.4 oz. (men’s 11) For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics for faster-paced running

CREGG WEINMANN is footwear and running products reviewer for the Running Network LLC. A competitive runner for the past 44 years, he also has coached runners at all levels for almost 30 years. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

Copyright © 2009 by Running Network LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be stored, copied, or reprinted without prior written permission of the Running Network LLC. Reprinted here with permission.


E x i t

In November 1997, Dennis Mitchell, an experienced4x100 relay runner, spoke to Track & Field Newsabout the frequent U.S. 4x100 problems at the inter-

national level, “We…have to develop a system that’s moreconsistent year after year. Consistent with our coachingstaff, our athletes, our ideas about running the relay. “Every year, we get a brand new coaching staff (with)

its own style of coaching – and the athletes have to learnhow to adapt to it. Practice isn’t the problem we have; it’sjust that we need a more consistent system.”

AT&F believes the U.S. should adopt a national sys-tem for the 4x100. It should be taught in grade school and kids’ meets

and made standard for junior high teams, for senior highteams, for college teams—so by the time a sprinter earnsa spot on the national team, he or she knows exactly whatto expect when passing or receiving the baton. Thatwould probably solve 90% of the problems we’ve had inOlympic and World Championships races.

Stan Huntsman described an optimum baton-passingsystem in an article he once wrote for us: The entire strategy of the 4x100 is built around the batonexchanges. The object is to keep the baton moving toward thefinish line at as close to full speed as possible.

Each runner carries the baton in the same hand for theentire distance of the leg. The lead-off runner carries thebaton in his or her right hand. At the exchange, the baton ishanded to the left hand of the outgoing runner. This second-leg runner passes the baton to the right hand of the third run-ner, who carries it in the right hand and passes it to the lefthand of the anchor runner.

The first and third runners run on the inside part of theirlane. The second and fourth runners run on the outside halfof their lane. That makes it easier for the first runner, on theinner half of the lane and with the baton in the right hand,to lay it in the outstretched left hand of the second runnerwho is accelerating in the outer half of the lane.

The second runner arrives running on the outer half ofthe lane with the baton in the left hand and places it in theoutstretched right hand of the third runner, who is positionedon the inside half of the lane.

The exchanges are ‘blind’ passes – meaning that the out-going runner does not see the baton during the exchange.Instead, he or she concentrates on accelerating into theexchange zone.

Each runner in the exchange has certain responsibilities.

Duties of the incoming runner:

1.Run all the way through the zone, staying in your lane. 2.Carry the baton holding the near end of the stick, givingthe outgoing runner plenty of baton to get hold of.

3. Approximately 15 meters before you reach the zone, give averbal command to the outgoing runner. Usually ahard-sounding word such as “hand” is shouted.

4.Extend your arm with the baton to the outstretched handof the outgoing runner, and then simply place (do not slap)the baton in the open hand of the outgoing runner. Stay inyour lane until all the other exchanges have been made.

Duties of the outgoing runner: 1. Place a marker (usually tape) at a spot on the track thatyou can easily see. This is called the “acceleration point.”When the incoming runner reaches this point, the outgo-ing runner stops looking at the incoming runner and startsrunning.

2. Stand in a crouching position and look over your shoulder,waiting for the incoming runner to reach your accelerationpoint. To help you see, your rear leg can be slightly open,but the foot of your front leg must be pointed in the exactdirection of your intended run.

3. Run as fast as you can in your acceleration. 4. When you hear your teammate say “hand,” extend yourhand in an open, palm-up position with your arm straightback (parallel to the ground).

5. When you feel the baton touch your hand, close your fin-gers around it firmly. Once you have secured the baton,run to the next runner or the finish line.

Follow these fundamentals, and practice them constant-ly, and you’ll be able to execute your 4x100 baton exchangesperfectly every time.

You can argue about the details (palm up or palm down,etc.), but a few top coaches could get together and workthem out. And that would be the end of our 4x100 dis-asters at the Olympics and the Worlds.

How about it, coaches? How about it, USATF?

— James Dunaway

It’s time for a national system for the 4x100

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