Local group aims for legacy in Twin Cities Marathon
Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune
Matt Gabrielson, 30 of Minneapolis, MN will be among the top runners in the Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday.
Five men from Team USA Minnesota are running today -- all vying to be the first Minnesotan to win the men's title.
By RACHEL BLOUNT, Star Tribune
Last update: October 5, 2008 - 8:36 AM
No Minnesotan has ever won the men's title at the Twin Cities Marathon. Matt Gabrielson wasn't aware of that until he heard it Friday morning, which gave him another distinction to chase in Sunday's 27th edition.
Chris Lundstrom did know about his state's winless streak, and he took the opportunity to tease his Team USA Minnesota teammate and fellow Minneapolis resident about whether Gabrielson has the bloodlines to stake a true claim if he wins.
"He's originally from Iowa,'' Lundstrom said. "Would that count?''
Should anyone in their training group cross the finish line first, no one is planning to split hairs. Team USA Minnesota is sending five men to the race, including longtime members Lundstrom, who will run his 16th marathon, and Gabrielson, competing in his second. Macharia Yuot, a new member of the team, and first-time marathoners Josh Moen and Antonio Vega also will represent the group.
Chances are they will be chasing top seed Dan Browne, the 2002 winner and a 16-time U.S. distance champion, and Fernando Cabada, who made a splash in his 2006 marathon debut with a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, 27 seconds. The locals will have the advantage of in-depth course knowledge, cheering sections packed with friends and the enhanced training that comes within a group, factors that could be meaningful over 26.2 miles.
"I do love running the Twin Cities Marathon, and I love the course,'' said Lundstrom, who finished fourth in the 2006 race in a personal-best 2:17:34. "I have a lot of friends and family here, and it's nice to have the support. Coming up Summit [Avenue], every little bit helps.
"It's been incredible training with these guys. This is the first time our whole group has been able to train together. To have five or six guys putting in the work, supporting each other, has been amazing. I hope we can keep this momentum going for the next few years.''
Lundstrom, Gabrielson and fellow marathoner Jason Lehmkuhle -- who will run the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2 -- have been part of Team USA Minnesota since 2001. Lundstrom said that, when the group started, its runners specialized in a wider variety of distances. With athletes training for everything from 1,500 meters to 26.2 miles, it wasn't always easy to work out together.
The team has since evolved toward longer distances. Six of its seven men will run either the Twin Cities or New York City marathons over the next month, and they regularly train over all or part of the Twin Cities course.
Lundstrom said the group still has a good mix. Training with faster runners has made him more confident in his speed, and he hopes his endurance -- built with 140 miles per week on the road -- has helped his teammates improve their stamina.
Gabrielson said the team knows every square centimeter of the course, including the tricky areas where a savvy runner can gain ground. Their camaraderie and good humor also has helped their training, keeping the mood light as the miles pile up.
"It's a nice feeling to know everyone is working as hard as you,'' Gabrielson said. "Minnesota has an outstanding history of marathon runners: Dick Beardsley, Bob Kempainen, Steve Plasencia, Garry Bjorklund, Ron Daws. We've discussed on our runs that we want to be part of that group of great Minnesota marathoners. We want to start our own legacy.''
This year's Twin Cities Marathon also will serve as the U.S. men's marathon championship. If the temperature stays in the 50s as expected, Browne is predicting a winning time between 2:11 and 2:13.
Phil Coppess' time of 2:10:05 in 1985 remains the course record, while Browne's winning time of 2:11:35 in 2002 is the fifth-fastest time in race history.
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http://www.marathonguide.com/pressreleases/index.cfm?file=TwinCitiesMarathon_060926TWO-TIME OLYMPIAN MARLA RUNYAN, 2003 US NATIONAL CHAMPION RYAN SHAY AND
FORMER OLYMPIAN JANICE KLECKER TO TAKE THEIR MARKS AT THE START OF THE
MEDTRONIC TWIN CITIES MARATHON AND TC 10 MILE RACES
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2006
Competitive Men's and Women's Field Set
(Minneapolis, MN) - Marla Runyan (37) of Eugene, Oregon, hopes to add the
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon to her winning titles Sunday, when she
competes against a strong women's field. "I train with Heather Hanscom
(28) [who] is a great training partner and incredibly tough. She will run
well. Also, I think Zoila Gomez (27) will run well. She was strong in New
Haven. I also think my good friend, Jenny Crain (38), is ready to run a
[personal record]. I am going in conservative, hoping to run 2 hours 30
minutes. Winning would be great, but anything is possible in the marathon,
and nothing is for sure," Runyan said. The three-time U.S. 5,000 meter
champion won the USA 20K title in New Haven, Conn. on Labor Day in 1:08:28.
Runyan took second place at the Guidant Heart of Summer 10K in Minneapolis,
August 19th.
Expect great races out of 2006 25K champion and Minnesota native Turena
Johnson-Lane (31), Maggie Chan Roper (30), Heather Hanscom (28) and 2003 US
National Champion and Team USA Minnesota runner Sara Wells (27).
Returning masters champion Susan Loken (43) takes the start in the women's
masters race. She will be joined by "new" master Michelle Simonaitis (40)
(whose husband Dennis Simonatis (44) will also be a contender in the
masters race). Kim Jones (48), former TCM champ and winner of the
Disneyland Half Marathon Sept. 17th will also be running. Jones has run
Twin Cities Marathon four times, winning twice and finishing second twice.
Mbarak Hussein is the favorite to win on the men's side overall. 2003 US
National Champion Ryan Shay (27) will be pushing him as will Simon Sawe
(32), Team USA Minnesota runner Jason Lehmkuhle (28) and Fasil Bizuneh
(26). Bizuneh is running his debut marathon and is a former All American
runner at Arizona State. Sawe, a former Kenyan, was 2nd at Grandma's
Marathon in 2005.
Returning TCM champion Hussein will compete against 2005 Twin Cities
Marathon (TCM) 2nd place finisher Dennis Simonaitis (44) and 2005 TCM 3rd
place finisher Paul Aufdemburge (41).
Minnesota's own former Olympian Janice Klecker will run the Medtronic TC 10
Mile. Klecker, who is a two-time Twin Cities Marathon champion (1991 and
1992), won the Olympic Marathon Trials in 1992 and represented the United
States at the 1992 Olympics. She will compete against leading favorites
including defending TC 10 champ Katie McGregor (29), who is the 2005 USA
10,000 meter track champion and 10K road champion. Matt Gabrielson (28)
will run against 2005 TC 10 defending champ Moses Waweru (28). Gabrielson
finished 2nd at the 2005 USA Men's Half Marathon Championship and third at
both the 2004 USA Men's 5K Championship and the 2003 USA Men's 10K
Championship.
New this year, a $2,500 bonus for breaking the American 30K (approximately
18.6 miles) Men's and Women's Open Record, both of which were set at Twin
Cities Marathon by Phil Coppess in 1985 and by Kim Jones (Rosenquist) in
1986, respectively.