Welcome to the winter issue of the B-FIT newsletter.  Thankfully, there is good news to report in this issue.  Sixty-six athletes have now been randomized, with 36 in the control group and 30 in the treatment group.  We are finally almost half-way to our goal of 150 athletes.  Thanks to everyone who has made this upsurge possible.
Progress has been aided by the addition of non-collegiate athletes to our subject pool.  In January, we sent a mass-mailing of flyers to 2000 Bay-area women distance runners aged 18-25 years.  The enthusiastic response to these flyers has helped to boost our numbers.  Special thanks is due to Kyla Kent and Geetha Gopalakrishna, our Stanford-area bone technician and physician, respectively; they have sacrificed several Saturdays to measure the recent onslaught of new study subjects from the Bay-area.  As soon as we get official permission, we will also be recruiting non-collegiate athletes in the LA-area; this should help bring us closer to our necessary sample size.
We again apologize to the collegiate athletes in New York who have been patiently waiting since the fall to have their bone densities measured.  Unfortunately, we are still going back and forth between the lawyers at the Army and the lawyers at the Helen Hayes Hospital (where the bone density tests will be conducted). We never anticipated that it would take this long; we are being held up due to a policy change at the Army.  We hope that they will be able to work out the legalese, but we are in limbo at this point.  Thanks again for your considerable patience and for your continued enthusiasm for the study.  Hang in there; we will keep you updated!
The next important item of business is to remind those athletes who joined the study last year that their second year bone density appointments are on the horizon.  Some of you have already received your second-year packets, and the rest of you will be receiving them shortly.  Please, please, schedule your appointments as soon as possible.  It is crucial to the success of the study that EVERYONE returns for their second bone density test.  We cannot lose anyone at this point!!  We want to know how your bones have changed in the last year.  As extra incentive, we've created a fun raffle for you.  Everyone who returns for their second bone density appointment on-time will be entered into the raffle, to win cool prizes.  Winners will be notified at the end of  May.  You have a great chance of winning, as there are only about 30 of you who are in this first batch of subjects.  We appreciate your commitment to B-FIT.  You have all been wonderful volunteers.  Keep up the good work, and schedule those bone density appointments!
 Congratulations to all those who participated in the recent NCAA Championships in indoor track.  We delayed publication of this newsletter so we could include the results from last weekend.  Scroll down for the full results of all three division nationals, as well as the USATF indoor nationals, the World Cross Country Trials, and the Olympic Marathon Trials.  Unfortunately, I was not able to participate in the Marathon Trials myself, due to injury.  Read the letter to the editor, submitted by Jody Hawkins, to hear more about struggling against injuries.
 As always, I encourage you to send news, writings, suggestions, or questions for future publication.  We like to hear from you.  Have a fun Spring Break!

 

Mailbox Running Choices: Training and Family

Dear Kristin,

I am a 33-year old professional distance runner who has had 6 stress fractures in the last four years.  I have had two boys, one in 1996 and one in 1997. Twenty days after giving birth and 10 days after returning to running, I had a left tibial head stress fracture. Then my second son came in July 1997.  Again, 20 days after birth, and 10 days after returning to running, I  had two more tibial head stress fractures, one in each leg.  Then in May 1999, I joined the Army to participate in their World Class Athlete program, which requires you to go through basic training as well as advanced training.  Twenty days after basic training, they found a femoral head stress fracture in my left hip.  It took 24 weeks to heal and then they did an MRI which cleared me to run again.  I had been doing pool stuff to stay in shape.  I ran 20 minutes slowly and then off the next day, followed by 20 minutes and off the next day, and then 15 minutes; by that run, my knees were both hurting.  I thought, no way can it be another stress fracture, but to my disbelieve I now have two tibial head stress fractures, one in each tibia.
I am at a loss, as are the doctors!  They want me to start the birth control pills, but are they for sure a help?
I have had regular periods since arriving at Ft. Benning due to the lack of running I’ve done.  But prior to this I have had only a handful of periods on my own.    I had only one period prior to the birth of my first son, and three prior to the second, and then I have been regular since September of 1999 because I have gained 10 pounds from being injured.
I don’t think that anybody other than another distance runner can understand the drive behind the desire to run.  It is something that cannot be replaced!  It consumes me my mind daily, but I know that what God wants, God gets.  I prayed for the opportunity to race at that level just one more time while I was pregnant and God gave it to me.  One year after giving birth, I made the World Championship team in the ½ marathon.  Although I didn’t PR, I was the first American (28th overall) on a strong American team with Shelley Steely, Trina Painter, Kim Pawelek, and Christine McNamara.  When I look back at that now, I know that God had His hands in it all the way, and He answered my prayers.  If the future never brings me another opportunity like that, it’s OK.  I had my turn; now I need to give my children the mother that they deserve.  I’ll try to turn all of my running focus on them.
I feel truly blessed to have been a part of the running circuit for the last 10 years, and still walk away with a loving husband and two great, healthy boys.
The research you’re doing is very important for the thousands of young girls out there like ourselves that could be spared the long term effects of distance running without periods.  Thanks for doing it, as I’m sure it will bring answers to many future Olympians of tomorrow.
My chance of making an Olympic team are gone for this year, but if you have any literature or advice that could help me at this point, I would be grateful.  I would love to hear the results of your present study.
 

Thank You,
Jody Hawkins (4 time U.S. Road Champ)

Do you have questions for Jody?  You can email her at happyrunners@cs.com.
 

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B-FIT athletes in Year Two:  Make your second-year bone density appointments TODAY! For Boston-area athletes: Call Sarah Zhang at 617-726-3839 For LA-area athletes: Call Roz Ushigome at 310-515-5717 For Stanford-area athletes: Call Kyla Kent at 650-493-5000 x 22028 For Michigan-area athletes: Call Priscilla Marbury at 734-483-3997 If you would like assistance in scheduling or if you are going to be delayed in making your appointment, call Katrina Mogielnicki or Kristin Cobb at 1-877-RUN-BFIT (or email kcobb@leland.stanford.edu).

 
 

Research News: Menstruation, Injury, and Illness in Women Runners

Strenuous exercise by women is associated with menstrual dysfunction, eating disorders and osteoporosis. Intensive training may also increase the susceptibility to infections. In this study, the investigators examined the relationship of menstrual dysfunction with (1) musculoskeletal injuries and (2) upper respiratory tract infections in women middle/long-distance runners.
      A questionnaire was mailed to 127 Swedish female runners of whom 75% answered.  There was a higher frequency of menstrual disorders (25%) in runners than in the general population.  Furthermore, almost half of the athletes (46%) were classified as at risk of developing eating disorders.  Women athletes with menstrual dysfunction were found to have had a longer interruption of training due to musculoskeletal injuries than those with regular cycles.  Irregularly menstruating women lost on average 34 days of running due to injury, whereas regularly menstruating women lost only 9 days.  However, no relation was found between susceptibility to infections and menstrual status.
Gynecologic & Obstetric Investigation. 49(1):41-6, 2000.

 
 
 
 
 

Movie Notes Life is Beautiful Directed by Roberto Benigni Reviewed by Kristin Cobb Here's a movie that doesn't have anything to do with running but is inspiring just the same.  If you haven't seen it yet, run out and rent it today.  Life is Beautiful is an Italian film with English subtitles.  The movie centers around 3 characters, an endearing Italian waiter named Guido (Roberto Benigni), his wife Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), and their son Joshua.  The movie is divided into two contrasting parts.  The first half of the movie is light-hearted, as Guido woos his wife-to-be with non-stop antics.  The second half abruptly shuttles us into one of the darkest episodes of human history, the Holocaust.  Because Guido is Jewish, he and his family are sent to a death camp in 1945.  This is the extreme in human pain, suffering, and indignity.  Yet, out of this bleakness, the beauty of Guido's character is magnified.  Guido fabricates an elaborate pretense to comfort and protect his son.  He tells his son that they are part of a daring game; the first one to get 1000 points in the game wins a real-life tank.  Joshua must hide, be silent, and survive to win.  Every act of endurance wins him points; every act of cowardice is a deduction.  Despite his exhaustion and despair, Guido remains comical and alive for his son.  He makes endurance possible by whim and wit.  We are all faced with challenges in our life, and most of our challenges will never be nearly as tremendous as Guido's.  Our ability to find, or, if necessary to create, happiness in the worst of situations, this is the definition of hope.  The story-line and the film itself are testimonies to human ingenuity and spirit. Life is Beautiful gets my vote for Best Film of 1999.

 

Book Notes Finding Their Stride Harcourt-Brace, 1999 by Sally Pont Reviewed by Kristin Cobb Finding Their Stride is the latest running novel to join the small section of running books at Barnes and Noble.  This book chronicles a single season of cross country at a small private high school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  Written by the team's coach, Sally Pont, the book is unpretentious and poetic, much like running itself.  The season is not spectacular and the kids are not extraordinary.  The story isn't about glory or victory.  Rather, Pont attempts to answer the philosophical and psychological question, "Why do they run?"  She is surprised by her observation that most of her runners don't run out of a desire to win.  In her exploration of this mystery, she reveals and begins to appreciate the uniqueness of the individuals on her team.  For example, she writes of one athlete: Oliver runs, often very well, but winning is inconsequential.  If it happens, it will, no doubt, be accidental.  Whoever set the standards-devised the grading system for schools, drew the tapes across finish lines- did not anticipate Oliver and does not have methods with which to accurately measure or adequately reward him.  This book is apparently simple but actually subtle.  You'd need to read it twice to appreciate all the layers.  Pont's portrayal of the essence of running is beautiful:  Some might say that depth is mind, some soul.  But I say depth is the place in the body where pain resides, because that is the place with no bottom.  If you can accept that pain without being swallowed up by it, then you have depth. This is the first running novel that has been written from a woman's perspective.  Whereas male authors have tried to dissect running, this author tries both to dissect it and also to appreciate its mystery.  Running here is simple and profound.  Pont says, "It's not his fault that no one understands running.  It is a secret sport, one of leaving and returning."  I doubt that this book has a wide audience, so I was happy to contribute to its success by actually buying a copy.  I encourage you to do the same.  This is one that deserves a place on your bookshelf.

 

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No looking back... Interview with Kim Fitchen,  US World Cross Country team

On February 12th, 1999, Kim Fitchen took 5th at the National Cross Country Championships in Greensboro, NC.  This earned her a coveted spot on the US team for the 2000 World Cross Country championships (to be held in Portugal this March).  Kim began running competitively after college, and now runs for the Nike Farm Team in Palo Alto, CA.  She has qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 10,000m with a time of 33:17.  She also recently won the Redondo Beach Superbowl 10k in a PR time of 33:02, and, following this interview, ran a 9:18 PR in the 3000m. Kristin: Tell us about the race. Kim: It was on a golf course in Greensboro, NC.  The course was very muddy from all that the snow that had melted. It rained most of the morning for all the races preceding my race.  Most people were 2-3 minutes slower than they would normally run an 8k X-C race.  Kristin: Do you think the mud was to your advantage? Kim: I think so.  I definitely feel that it favored people who don’t run on their toes.  Probably the greatest advantage is that running in the mud increases the time you’re out there.  And I’m a more solid 10k runner.  I came through the 5k in the race, and I was happy as can be because I knew no one would be able to pass me in the second half.  Kristin: How did the race progress? Kim: The course was 4 loops of 2k.  The third loop, coming through the 5k, I thought I was in 6th place. Being in 6th place is scary because you know that everyone wants that 6th spot [only 6 make the team].  But I kept hearing people cheering that I was in 5th place.  I was thinking, “No, I’m in 6th place.  I know exactly who’s in front of me.”  What had happened is, Joan Nesbitt had dropped out.  So I was in 5th place.  Because I was running scared in 6th place, I had actually closed a huge gap on the woman in front of me; I almost caught her.  The people behind me were almost 200m behind.  Kristin: At what point did you know you had made it? Kim: On the last lap my coach said, “You’re in 5th place.  All you need to do is to finish.  You’re going to make the team.”  I probably had 1000m left at that point.  But, even so, I was so nervous, because it was finally this dream come true, I was going to make this World Cross Country team.  I couldn’t believe it until I crossed the finish line. Kristin: What else were you thinking about during the race? Kim: I was thinking mostly about what an honor it would be to make the team and about how badly I wanted it and how hard I’ve worked.  But also, my massage therapist [Mark Fadil] told me the week before, “You know Kim, if you make the world team your [massage] rates go down.”  And if I go to Portugal, I’d have enough frequent-flyer miles for two round trip tickets to Hawaii in the Spring.  So I was thinking about those things too!  Kristin: What does making the team mean to you? Kim: It really feels good to make other people proud.  I have received so much help from family and friends, and my team, my coach.  I read an ad in Sports Illustrated once, and it asked the question: When you make an Olympic team, is it really the athlete who makes it, or is it the friends and the family that carried them there on their shoulders?  I know that the athletes have to do it.  But sometimes I wonder if it’s possible without help from other people. Kristin: Who are some of the people that have helped you? Kim: My coach Jeff, I owe so much to him. I don’t think anything would be possible without him.  And certainly my family and friends. Kristin: Who coaches you? Kim: The Farm Team is coached by Jeff Johnson.  He started Nike back in its early days with Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman. He was a huge part of making the company a success.  I’ve only been running competitively in the last 5 years, and Jeff’s been my only coach during that time. Kristin: What’s a typical workout for you? Kim:  Yesterday I did 3x2400 on the track.  The first one was at 5:12 mile pace (10k

pace); the second and third were at 5:08 pace (between 5k and 10k pace).  I had a 400 jog after the first one and an 800 jog after the second.  Most of my workouts are longer, 6xmile or 20x400.  But once or twice a year my coach will have us do this workout which is a speed workout for me; we do an all-out 1-mile, 1000, and 600. Kristin: How fast? Kim: 4:50 for the mile, 2:59 for the 1000, and 1:43 for the 600.  Kristin:  Tell us about the Farm Team. Kim: The Farm Team was started in ’95.  [Olympians] Jeff Atkinson and Patti Sue Plumer were some of the first athletes that helped get the group going.  It’s typically a lot of Stanford graduates that want to run post-collegiately.  But people have started to move here from all over the country. Kristin: What are the advantages to training with the Farm Team? Kim: For most people, unless you’re really at the top, you can’t get put on any type of [shoe-company] budget.  I mean, once you graduate college, you’re done.  You’re not being supported by any other resources because you’re out of school.  It’s very difficult to be able to run and train and have the resources to do it properly.  But, with the Farm Team, we get travel money to races; we get shoes; and we get limited gear from Nike.  It’s really enabled a lot of people to pursue running outside of college. Kristin:  You recently got some individual sponsorship from Nike, right? Kim: I was just put on their gear budget.  It’s not really a contract or anything yet.  It took a while to get it.  Actually, I had almost just decided to go to another shoe company because I was getting a little bit frustrated. Kristin: Do you feel like you've finally proven yourself to Nike? Kim:  I think that last year I had a small break-through, and I made it to US Nationals on the track.  But, still I was kind of on the fringe.  I pretty much in the past had proven myself as a one-dimensional runner.  I’m somewhat good at the 10k, but in the shorter distances, I haven’t really run that fast.  Making a mark like this in cross country, making a World team, just gives me another dimension. I think that now they can see I have potential in other areas.  Kristin: It seems like you’re an overnight success story. Is this true? Kim: Actually, it’s still to my advantage that no one knows who I am. When I go out to big races, most people, if I'm in front of them, will think, “She’s not going to last.”  But I do.  So maybe those people are starting to know who I am.  It’s not overnight, but it may come across that way.  Kristin: When did you become serious about the running? Kim: I was involved in a full time career right out of college.  It's only the last two years that I’ve been focussing entirely on running.  I’ve been working very little and living very frugally and really putting all my eggs in one basket.  It's pretty scary to do that.  Kristin: You gave up your career to run? Kim: Yes, it was actually in 1997.  I was working in medical sales for DuPont.  I had a business meeting on the East Coast and I wanted to race at Mt. Sac [in LA] on Friday night.  The business meeting ended Friday afternoon, and I wouldn’t have been able to fly out and make it to the race.  It was a big deal at the time, because I was running about 34:30 and I needed to break 34 minutes to go to Nationals.  I had talked to my company ahead of time and they had said, “You can’t leave. It’s a mandatory meeting."  They wouldn’t let me take vacation time or sick time.  I went to the meeting, but it was eating me up the whole time.  It really helped fuel my fire.  What happened is, I just up and left in the middle of the meeting on Friday and took an earlier flight home.  I just up and quit. Kristin: That took a lot of guts. Kim: Somehow, I just knew it was right.  It helped me believe in myself.  It’s kind of like jumping off a cliff, or diving into something.  Once you take that step, there’s no looking back.  I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do Kristin:  What’s your progression been? Kim: In 1994, I was running about 40 minutes in the 10k. Spring of 96, I ran a 10k on the track in 35:56, and my coach [Jeff Johnson] was just ecstatic.  I didn’t know what it meant.  In 1997, I ran 34:38.  Then I was hurt, so the next year I only ran 34:30.  In 1999, it was 33:17.

Kristin: What are you hoping for this year? Kim: I’ve done a road race in Redondo Beach on Superbowl Sunday every year  for the past 8 years.  Pretty much every year, I come back from Redondo Beach and run a minute faster on the track.  Last year, I ran 34:15 at Redondo Beach, and then in March I ran 33:17.  This year I ran 33:02 at Redondo Beach, so my goal is to go under 32:30.  32:30 is the World standard for the 10k, what you need to do to go to the Olympics. Kristin: How many American women have hit the standard? Kim: Only 4.  Out of them, a couple are going to do the marathon trials this weekend.  One of them is going after the 5k instead of the 10k for the Olympics.  So potentially there would be a few spots open for people who get the World standard. Kristin: How do you support yourself? Kim: It’s really month-to-month lately.  I typically will win about $1000 a month from running.  That’s been the main source of my income.  Maybe I’ll make $10,000 from running from road races and Ekidens, but that’s certainly not enough to support yourself in this area.  I had some money saved up from my career, but most of that’s gone by now.  I do a little bit of child care for my family.  And my family’s helped me out a little bit as well.  Kristin: Do American distance runners suffer because they have to work? Kim:   Definitely.  It’s only mid-February and I’ve probably done 6 100-mile weeks already this year.  To do that kind of mileage, you need to sleep a lot, 8-10 hours a night.  I take an ice bath 3 times a week.  I get a massage twice a week.  I do weight lifting twice a week for injury prevention.  All these things take time.  If you have to work full-time, it’s nearly impossible to run high mileage, get adequate rest, and do all the other little things.  The people who do do it are really amazing. Kristin:  Have you been injured much? Kim: In 1995, when I joined the Farm Team, I did a cross country race.  It was a pre-season check-point meet.  It was the first time I’d met my coach.  It was coming up to 1996; people on the team were serious about going to the Olympic Trials, and here I am with absolutely no background, and I throw myself into it. I fractured my femur in the race. Kristin: So you were a complete novice? Kim: The funny thing is when I started practicing again, even in 96, I didn’t know exactly how many laps were in 1000m.  I didn’t really understand intervals.  When I did a 5k race, I didn’t know that you start on the other side at the 200, so I almost missed my race.  I was very, very naïve.  And it took a while to get used to it all.  Most of these people had been running since junior high. Kristin: What were your other injuries?  Kim: Total injuries, I’ve had three fractures,  two in the femur and one in the tibia, and those were all from 95-97.  I think it was just over-training and working full time.  I think now I have more of a background in running so I can handle it.  And I’m able to do everything right. Kristin:  What advice do you have for young women runners? Kim: If you really have a dream to make an Olympic team or a World team, then go after it.  I’ve had many chapters of my life: college, career, and this is another chapter.  There are a lot of other things I want to do.  But you only get one chance to make it. It's worthwhile to make as many sacrifices as you need and do it.  Kristin: What sacrifices have you made? Kim: When I was working full-time, I could go shopping whenever I wanted, I always bought fresh flowers for my apartment, and I used to get pedicures.  Money wasn’t an issue.  I was very comfortable; I had a company car.  I bought expensive suits.  It was never an issue when I went out to eat.   I didn’t have to look at the menu and think, “I only have 6 dollars, so I have to get the least expensive thing on the menu.”  Kristin: What other advice can you offer? Kim: Have fun with it.  If you’re not happy, it’s tough to run well.  You have to really love it and not feel like you’re being cheated in other areas.  Certainly, you have to earn a living and be able to buy your groceries, but I think it’s worth taking a risk for a year or two.  Hopefully, in American distance running, the future will be better and there will be more money and opportunities.  But if you love it enough, you should make it happen regardless.

 

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Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients 8 cups white flour (unbleached)  3-4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature  1 tsp salt  2 tsp baking powder  1.5 tsp baking soda

8 cups white flour (unbleached) 3-4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature  1 tsp salt  1 cup currants (optional)  1 tsp butter or oil

Instructions Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Preheat the oven to 350?.  Stir in buttermilk, a cup at a time. You should make a fairly soft dough that will nonetheless hold its shape.  Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board.  Knead until it is smooth and soft, probably about 7 minutes. You should have to keep adding a little flour to the board for the first few minutes to keep the dough from sticking.  Are you using currants? Knead them in, then. Or don't, accordingly.  Tear the dough in half. Form each half into a ball. With a knife, slash a cross in the top. Place the balls, cross up, well apart, on a greased baking sheet. Put this sheet, bread side up, into the oven. Bake for 35 or 40 minutes. The loaves are done when they sound hollow at a knocking hand. They should also get to be a nice light brown color.

 
 
 

NCAA Division I  Women’s Indoor Results: Fayetteville, AK; March 11-12, 2000 800m  1.  Chantee Earl   SR Pittsburgh 2:02.19  2.  Svetlana Badrankova JR UTEP    2:03.19  3.  Tytti Reho   JR SMU          2:03.38 1-mile 1.  Carman Douma SR Villanova  4:39.91  2.  Autumn Fogg  SR Georgetown 4:42.72  3.  Sherida Rogers  SO BYU  4:46.03 3000m 1.  Carrie Tollefson SR Villanova 9:13.68  2.  Amy Mortimer FR Kansas State  9:16.59  3.  Jessica Dailey  SR Arkansas   9:17.01 5000m 1. Amy Yoder  JR Arkansas  15:46.89  2.  Carrie Tollefson SR Villanova 15:51.3  3.   Elizebeth Jackson  SR BYU  15:56.83 DMR 1.   Stanford          11:01.56  2.   BYU                    11:11.45  3.   Kansas State       11:12.45  Women's Team Scores 1.   UCLA                           29 2.   Brigham Young            22  3.   South Carolina              21

NCAA Div II Women’s Results: Boston, MA; March 10-11, 2000 Women's Team Scores 1. Abilene Christian, 48  2. North Dakota State, 47  3. St. Augustine's, 44 800m 1. Lana Jekabsone  SO Lewis    2:08.56  2. Florencia Hunt  JR St. Aug.  2:10.38  3. Lori Schmidt SR Minn.-Duluth  2:12.57 1-mile 1.  Sarah Parkey  SR Adams State      4:50.05 2.  Becky Leppard  JR North Dakota      4:51.36 3.  Jodi Smith  SR So Dakota St     4:54.06 5000m 1.Kim Jackson   SR   Adams State      17:00.41 2.Sarah Davey   JR   N. Florida        17:08.99  3. Kim Bosen    JR    Adams State  17:13.32

NCAA Div III Women’s Indoor Results: Bloomington, Illinois; March 10-11, 2000 800m 1.  Caitlin Murphy, Sr, Tufts University  2:12.15  2.  Heather Stone, Sr, University Of South  2:13.61  3.  Leah Juno, Jr, Wisconsin Stevens Pt  2:14.48 7.  Suzanne Custer, Sr, Springfield College 2:16.44 1-mile 1.  Heather Stone, Sr, University Of South  4:34.52  2.  Heidi Wolfsberger, So, Moravian College  4:36.86  3.  Tara Crowley, Sr, Williams College  4:37.38 5000m 1.  Rhaina Echols, Sr, Chicago      16:41.49  2.  Noel Whitall, Sr, New Jersey    17:01.26  3.  Barbara Swallow, Jr, Springfield College 17:07.33

 
 
 

Women's Olympic Marathon  Trials  Columbia, SC; Feb 26, 2000 1. Christine Clark  AK  2:33:31  5:52  2. Kristy Johnston  WV  2:35:36  5:57  3. Anne Marie Lauck NJ 2:36:05  5:58  4. Susannah Beck  OR  2:36:46  5:59  5. Liz Wilson  OR  2:37:27  6:01  6. Ann Schaefers-Coles IL  2:38:47  6:04  7. Kim Pawelek  FL  2:39:16  6:05  8. Libbie Hickman  CO  2:39:57  6:07  9. Joan Samuelson  ME  2:39:59  6:07  10. Jennifer Tonkin WA  2:40:31  6:08  11. Jacquie Merritt  PA  2:41:44  6:11  12. Maria Trujillo  CA 2:42:10  6:12  13. Christine McNamara SC  2:42:12  6:12  14. Jenny Crain  CA 2:42:12  6:12  15. Rachel Hopkins Cook GA  2:43:12  6:14  16. Rosa Gutierrez CA  2:43:33  6:15

Atlanta, GA; March 4-5, 2000 3000m  1.   Marla Runyan, Asics 9:01.29  2.   Cheri Kenah, Adidas  9:01.66  3.   Amy Rudolph, Reebok  9:03.14  1-mile 1.   Regina Jacobs, NYAC  4:25.92  2.   Collette Liss, Indiana Invader  4:33.28  3.   Mary Jayne Harrelson, Unatt  4:34.75  800m 1.  Hazel Clark, Nike     2:03.40  2.  Michelle Ave, Asics      2:05.57  3.  Miesha Marzell, Fila      2:05.58

 

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Controversy: Women's Olympic Marathon Trials What do you think?      It is an IAAF rule that a country may send to the Olympics either 3 representatives who have met the "A" Olympic qualifying standard or 1 representative who has met the "B" standard.  This past December, the USATF ruled that if the winner of the US Olympic Trials did not have the Olympic qualifying "A" standard (2:33.00), then only the winner would go to the Olympics for the US.  Only two US women have met the "A" standard, Kristy Johnston and Libbie Hickman.  Kristy Johnston finished second in the Olympic Trials on February 26, 2000, but she will not represent the US at the Sydney Olympics.  Only Christine Clark, who ran 2:33:31, will represent the US in Sydney.  Is this a fair ruling? Craig Masback is the CEO of USA Track and Field. His comments on the situation: "The race today was both extremely fair and extremely unfair. Given the rules that apply, I don't know any other system that would have produced a better result. I'm very confident that our women's long distance running committee made the right decision about the qualifying policy. We have an Olympic Trials system, and the Trials race determines the team. "The big story today is that the Trials winner ran a 7-minutePR, and that she's the mother of two, and she's a working physician, and she's symbolic of the great women's running movement in this country. I think if we tried to say that she shouldn't be going to the Olympics, we'd be raising many more questions than the ones that were raised today."

 
 
 

Italian Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients: 2 medium eggplants 2 T. olive oil 2 eggs, beaten (or 2 eggbeaters) ¼ c. freshly grated parmesan cheese ¼ c. bread crumbs 2 T. oregano 1 tsp. Italian seasoning pinch of parsley, pepper, and tarragon ¼ c. raisins Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash eggplants.  Cut the eggplants in half length-wise.  Carefully scoop out the pulp, leaving the shell intact.  Place the empty shells aside for later.  Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan.  Sauté the eggplant, chopping into finer pieces with the spatula as it cooks.  Cook until soft, adding water or vegetable broth as necessary for moisture.  When tender, add the eggs, grated cheese, bread crumbs and spices.  Mix until blended into a thick stuffing.  Then add a handful of raisins.  Fill the waiting eggplant shells with stuffing.  Bake at 350? for 50 minutes.  Serve in the shells.  Hint: This dish is wonderful re-heated the next day in a sandwich or with spaghetti sauce.  Serves 4.

 

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