Blanka Vlasic in Stockholm 2007. She won gold in the IAAF World Championships in Berlin two weeks ago.
If you missed the IAAF Track and Field World Championships in Berlin, you can watch all the events demand-online at http://www.universalsports.com/ . There were quite a few surprises as well as some expected results from certain athletes. Here a few highlights.
Usain Bolt coasted to yet more world records including 9.58 seconds in the 100m, 19.19 in the 200m, as well as a Jamaican win in the 4 x 100m relay. After being inspired by world record holder, Mike Powell, in the long jump, Bolt has mentioned that he would someday compete in that event. Tyson Gay ran away with silver in the 100m in 9.71 seconds. Blanka Vlasic (pictured) cleared 2.04 meters--the equivalent of one large Shaquille O'Neal--to take the gold; a week later, she posted an outdoor high jump world record of 2.08 in native Croatia.
One of the biggest shocks was when Yelena Isinbayeva, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Championships winner, failed to clear any height in the pole volt! Despite the failure in Berlin, it was reassuring last week in Zurich when she cleared a world record height of 5.06 meters!
Another big shock occurred when the Cuban world record (12.87 seconds) 110 meter hurdler, Dayron Robles, failed to qualify for the finals. He was looking strong, winning in all of his races this year. But disaster struck when he inured himself during the semifinals and began to crash into the first few hurdles and DNF'd.
Adidas stars: Allyson Felix won the 200 meter event after a bunch of disappointing 2nd places while Jeremy Wariner ran a season best of 44.60 seconds in the 400 meter, winning the silver medal.
Local favorite and San Francisco native, Shannon Rowbury ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon_Rowbury ), won bronze in the women's 1500 meter event after an arbitration was decided that Spanish winner Natalia Rodriguez be disqualified for moving toward the inner side of the lane and pushing front runner, Gelete Burka of Ethiopia, out of the way and quite possibly out of gold medal contention in the last 200 meters. We admit she's not sponsored by adidas, but we're all proud to have her as a local champion!
Okay, without further ado, the following is the schedule for September and October 2009:
September 7 : Pier 39 4 Mile
Due to Labor Day Monday, we are having a short run:
• Start at the adidas Sport Performance store
• Right on Market Street
• Left on Embarcadero
o Turnaround at Pier 39 (Embarcadero @ Bay St.) for 4 mile run
• Return onto Embarcadero
• Right on Market Street
• Finish at the adidas Sport Performance store
Follow link to course map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1678599
September 14: Duboce Park 5 Mile
-Start at adidas Sport Performance Store
-Powell St.
-Left on Post St.
-Left on Scott St.
-Left on Waller St.-Right on Carmelita St
-Through Duboce Park
-Left onto Duboce Ave
-Continue on Duboce via bike path (Do not run into streetcar tunnel!) :)
-Left onto Market St.
-Finish at adidas Sport Performance Store
Follow link to course map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2069072
September 21: AT&T Park 4.8 miles
-Start at the adidas Sport Performance store
-Right on Market Street
-Right on The Embarcadero (later King Street)
-Turn around at the corner of King and 3rd Street (Willie Mays statue at the AT&T Park)
-Left on Market Street
-Finish at the adidas Sport Performance store
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1141173
September 28: Dogpatch/Pot Hill 5.2 mile run
-Start at adidas Sport Performance Store
-Right on Market Street-Right on 3rd Street
-Right on 18th Street-Right on Kansas Street
-Run around roundabout and continue on Townsend Street!
-Left on 4th Street-Left on Market Street
-Finish run at adidas Sport Performance Store
Follow link to course map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2558126
October 5: Alamo Square 5 Mile- UPDATED
Note—We will start at 6:30PM. Due to earlier sunsets, we've decided to have everyone turnaround at the Painted Ladies @ Alamo Square around mile 2.5. *Remember that as this is an out and back course, you can shorten the route according to feel.
Usain Bolt coasted to yet more world records including 9.58 seconds in the 100m, 19.19 in the 200m, as well as a Jamaican win in the 4 x 100m relay. After being inspired by world record holder, Mike Powell, in the long jump, Bolt has mentioned that he would someday compete in that event. Tyson Gay ran away with silver in the 100m in 9.71 seconds. Blanka Vlasic (pictured) cleared 2.04 meters--the equivalent of one large Shaquille O'Neal--to take the gold; a week later, she posted an outdoor high jump world record of 2.08 in native Croatia.
One of the biggest shocks was when Yelena Isinbayeva, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Championships winner, failed to clear any height in the pole volt! Despite the failure in Berlin, it was reassuring last week in Zurich when she cleared a world record height of 5.06 meters!
Another big shock occurred when the Cuban world record (12.87 seconds) 110 meter hurdler, Dayron Robles, failed to qualify for the finals. He was looking strong, winning in all of his races this year. But disaster struck when he inured himself during the semifinals and began to crash into the first few hurdles and DNF'd.
Adidas stars: Allyson Felix won the 200 meter event after a bunch of disappointing 2nd places while Jeremy Wariner ran a season best of 44.60 seconds in the 400 meter, winning the silver medal.
Local favorite and San Francisco native, Shannon Rowbury ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon_Rowbury ), won bronze in the women's 1500 meter event after an arbitration was decided that Spanish winner Natalia Rodriguez be disqualified for moving toward the inner side of the lane and pushing front runner, Gelete Burka of Ethiopia, out of the way and quite possibly out of gold medal contention in the last 200 meters. We admit she's not sponsored by adidas, but we're all proud to have her as a local champion!
Okay, without further ado, the following is the schedule for September and October 2009:
September 7 : Pier 39 4 Mile
Due to Labor Day Monday, we are having a short run:
• Start at the adidas Sport Performance store
• Right on Market Street
• Left on Embarcadero
o Turnaround at Pier 39 (Embarcadero @ Bay St.) for 4 mile run
• Return onto Embarcadero
• Right on Market Street
• Finish at the adidas Sport Performance store
Follow link to course map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1678599
September 14: Duboce Park 5 Mile
-Start at adidas Sport Performance Store
-Powell St.
-Left on Post St.
-Left on Scott St.
-Left on Waller St.-Right on Carmelita St
-Through Duboce Park
-Left onto Duboce Ave
-Continue on Duboce via bike path (Do not run into streetcar tunnel!) :)
-Left onto Market St.
-Finish at adidas Sport Performance Store
Follow link to course map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2069072
September 21: AT&T Park 4.8 miles
-Start at the adidas Sport Performance store
-Right on Market Street
-Right on The Embarcadero (later King Street)
-Turn around at the corner of King and 3rd Street (Willie Mays statue at the AT&T Park)
-Left on Market Street
-Finish at the adidas Sport Performance store
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1141173
September 28: Dogpatch/Pot Hill 5.2 mile run
-Start at adidas Sport Performance Store
-Right on Market Street-Right on 3rd Street
-Right on 18th Street-Right on Kansas Street
-Run around roundabout and continue on Townsend Street!
-Left on 4th Street-Left on Market Street
-Finish run at adidas Sport Performance Store
Follow link to course map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2558126
October 5: Alamo Square 5 Mile- UPDATED
Note—We will start at 6:30PM. Due to earlier sunsets, we've decided to have everyone turnaround at the Painted Ladies @ Alamo Square around mile 2.5. *Remember that as this is an out and back course, you can shorten the route according to feel.
-Start at adidas Sport Performance Store
-Powell Street
-Left on Post-Left on Steiner
- (Use pedestrian foot path to cross Geary Blvd.)
-Continue on Steiner St. (Remember to use Buddy System)
o Turnaround at Steiner and Hayes for 5 mile option.
-Finish at adidas Sport Performance Store
Follow link to course map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3127487
October 12: Japantown 3.7 Mile
-Start at adidas Sport Performance Store
-Right on Market Street
-Left on Montgomery St
-Left on Sutter St.
-Left on Buchannan St.
-Left on Post St.
-Right on Grant Ave.
-Right on Market St.
-Finish at adidas Sport Performance Store
Follow link to course map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3127451
October 19: Coit Tower 3.7 Mile run
-Start at adidas Sport Performance Store
-Left on Sansome Street
-Left on Filbert Street and up the Filbert St. steps
-Right on Telegraph Hill Blvd and go around Coit Tower roundabout
-Descend on Telegraph Hill Blvd, which turns into Lombard Street
-Left on Mason Street
-Left on Columbus Street
-Right on Grant Ave
-Right on Market Street
-Finish at adidas Sport Performance Store
Follow link to course map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2558246
October 26: SHOE RAFFLE NIGHT
ROUTE - Broadway-Grant (2.8 miles)
-Start at the adidas Sport Performance store
-Right on Market Street
-Left on The Embarcadero
-Left on Broadway
-Left on Grant Ave
-Right on Market Street
-Finish at the adidas Sport Performance store
Follow link to course map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1419015
Remember--only adidas Urban Run members are entitled to a 15% discount! It's FREE, all you have to do is run with us on Monday nights!
