"For the first time in race history, a team from Eritrea will compete
hoping to end the Ethiopian and Kenyan stranglehold on the individual wins.
"Eritrean athletes rarely race in the United States and they are
competitive in the world racing scene, which should make for a very
exciting men's and women's race," Bolder Boulder professional athlete
coordinator Don Janicki said this week when the field was announced"
http://www.dailycamera.com/Sports/ci_25823854/Trio-of-teams-to-represent-US
Trio of teams to represent U.S. in Bolder Boulder
Bolder Boulder adds third American squad on men's, women's side of
International Team Challenge
*By Kyle Ringo*
BuffZone.com Writer
POSTED: 05/24/2014 05:51:49 PM MDT | UPDATED: A DAY AGO
The Americans are coming in droves to this year's Bolder Boulder.
Sure, the pro team challenge always has featured a team from the good ole
USA. How could it not on Memorial Day? But this year there will be three
teams of American runners in both the women's and men's races, the red,
white and blue teams. The blue team on each side will feature Colorado
runners.
You might be thinking it's an attempt by race organizers to give the
Americans better odds of overcoming the powerful Ethiopian and Kenyan teams
that so often dominate the races. Strength in numbers so to speak.
But race director Cliff Bosley said with it being a non-Olympic and
non-World Championships year, there was greater interest in participating
among elite American runners. Bosley said if the prestigious Prefontaine
Classic in Oregon wasn't in the same week as the Bolder Boulder, there
would have been an even larger group of American runners from which to
choose this year. He said several runners who were originally committed to
the Bolder Boulder pulled out when they received their first invitations to
the Prefontaine Classic.
"As we look at this we think it's kind of a big deal that there is that
kind of interest in the Bolder Boulder," Cliff Bosley said. "That it's
attractive to high-level international as well as USA athletes mostly who
are marathon or altitude trained."
Ryan Hall, Shalane Flanagan, Deena Kastor, Sara Hall, Brent Vaughn, Luke
Puskesdra, Sean Quigley and Steven Pifer and others will provide plenty to
watch on the American side of the race, but the Ethiopian and Kenyan
runners will be formidable as usual.
And they will have some competition beyond the American teams.
For the first time in race history, a team from Eritrea will compete hoping
to end the Ethiopian and Kenyan stranglehold on the individual wins.
"Eritrean athletes rarely race in the United States and they are
competitive in the world racing scene, which should make for a very
exciting men's and women's race," Bolder Boulder professional athlete
coordinator Don Janicki said this week when the field was announced.
The last time a man from a country other than Ethiopia or Kenya won the
men's pro race at the Bolder Boulder was when Ridouane Harroufi of Morocco
won back-to-back races in 2007 and 2008. It's the only time a men's runner
from another country other than Ethiopia and Kenya has won since 1994.
An American man hasn't won the race since Herb Lindsay captured the title
in 1984.
It's been slightly longer on the women's side since a runner from a country
other than Ethiopia or Kenya has won. Sara Slattery's 2006 victory for Team
USA was the last by a woman from a country other than the two powerhouses.
Kenya's Allan Kiprono, who considers Boulder a home away from home, is back
to defend his title on the men's side, but Merima Mohammad of Ethiopia did
not make it back to defend her title.
The last time both defending champions returned to race the following year
was 2010.
Contact BuffZone.com Writer Kyle Ringo at ringok_at_dailycamera.com or on
Twitter: _at_kyleringo.
Received on Sun May 25 2014 - 20:26:04 EDT