One That Got Away

Dick Geiger tipped me to this item today.  Thanks! We all knew about it, but the repetition of the apologies speaks volumes.  Myles would have made a great Nittany Lion.

Myles Marshall to attend Hah vahd.

 

She Never Ran A Single Step

With ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek's conquest of the Appalachian Trail's unofficial record through-hike this week, it should be noted that the previous holder of the record didn't run a single step.  She merely walked every day from 5:00AM to 9:00PM, and finished just 2 or 3 hours slower than the new record holder. Both Scott and Jennifer Pharr Davis get my double thumbs up anyway.

Scott Jurek holding Mt. Katahdin in his hand.

Jennifer Pharr Davis

More Physics For Sprinters: And A Trip Back In Time

Distance runners and throwers alike have probably never used starting blocks.  So what's the physics behind their use?  An unlikely answer comes from the Huffington Post.

Why do sprinters start from the crouching position?

And Michael Gross made it back to Happy Valley for the Arts Festival with his family.  He jumped in the Arts Festival 10-Miler, leaving with his second place age-group award.  The problem is, he won the division!  Oops.  Way to go Mike!

He also took his kids to the Rec Hall Track for some "elbow-slamming" laps!

 

Some Flotrack Videos of Nittany Lions In Europe

 

Kovacs commanding in shot put

After losing out to Germany’s in-form David Storl at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on Thursday, shot put world leader Joe Kovacs bounced back quickly with a 21.22m (69 ', 7 1/4") fifth attempt in Madrid.
 
Watch more videos on Flotrack


Watch more videos on Flotrack

Diamond League Update

The latest Diamond League Track and Field Meet was in Lausanne, CH (Switzerland), a place I have actually been!  Several Nittany Lions were there.

Bridget Franek was 10th in the 3000M SC in 9:40.53

Joe Kovacs was second in the Shot Put with 21.71M (71 feet, 2 3/4 inch)
Ryan Whiting was sixth in the Shot Put with 20.83M (68 feet, 1/8 inch)

Physicist Unravels Key Detail Of Crime: Long Due Physics Update

The iconic photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt is known by just about everyone.  It shows a Navy member kissing an unsuspecting woman in Times Square in celebration of VJ Day.  Although official word of the victory didn't come until 7:00PM, word had leaked out earlier and the party began.

In today's world, the man would possibly be taken in for rape.  This second angle of the same event gave Physicist Donald Olson the information he needed to deduce that the event occurred at 5:51PM. What would we do without Physicists?

And now that the CERN Facility is back up and running at increased power (and we all are still here!), we will be getting some new and strange Physics information soon.

One Nittany Lion In And One Out Of The Pan-Am Games, All Because of Paperwork

In my profession paperwork has taken over as never before, even if it all mostly online now.  But it also has taken over a lot of the Track and Field World, apparently.

Tyler McCandless will be lacing his shoes up in the marathon at the Pan-Am Games in Canada.  He was selected as the #2 marathoner.  There is a big controversy over the selection as another runner ran faster.  Possibly, he failed to fill out the required paperwork ahead of time.  LetsRun.com isn't a good source for anyone looking for "The Truth" but here's a link anyway.

The other side of the same coin has Fawn Dorr excluded from running the 400M Hurdles despite being the #2 at the National Championships.  She forgot the paperwork...

I'm Always Going To Be Outdone By The Youngsters

My vacation in nearby Harpers Ferry was scenic and tranquil (miserable internet sees to that!), but leave it to our younger set to outdo my vacation in a big way. Here are my favorite vacation spots for running.

Tim Johnson, Owen Dawson and Kyle Dawson headed west to meet Dennis Pollow for a tour of the western states.  Here's some of their photos I have stolen from various sources.  I don't think they will mind.

Kyle Dawson, Owen Dawson and Tim Johnson. Apparently they have been running!

While I Was Away

Some of you may note by the relative lack of posting lately that I have been away for my annual vacation to West Virginia, the land of no internet.  Well, bad internet anyway.  I barely tried this year.  Here is some pics of my 2 dogs who went on the trip and got to hike the Appalachian Trail and the C&O Canal Trail.

Pooky checks out the cool Shenandoah River after a hike.

Harpers Ferry From Virginia.

Pooky and Spott after hiking 10 miles.

But others were even more active:

• Fawn Dorr placed 2nd in the Canadian Track Championships in the 400M Hurdles in 56.52
• Penn State was well represented in the Brentwood Firecracker 5K (Pittsburgh) (Thanks to our Chief Laundry and Morale Officer)

1. Mark Fuller  was 9th in 16:31
2. Scott Munro was 10th in 16:40
3. Natalie Bower was 37th in 18:12
4. Mark Hawkins was 65th in 19:22 (2nd in age group)
5. Don Ziter was there too, but I can't find his results.

Have A Nice Trip, See You After The Fall

An American record in the 3000M Steeplechase despite falling at the last barrier!  Evan Jager is rather amazing.  8:00.43!  Do any of you have memories of a steeplechase accident?

"I can't believe how fast I was running."

-Evan Jager.

Only once in my life did I ever say that (to myself).  During a workout in my Freshman year, Coach Groves had us run a 3/4 mile "pick-up" which was to be near maximum.  This ended on the downhill stretch leading to the western entrance to Toftrees back when there wasn't much there except for Toftrees.  I remember, and noted a 3:03 3/4 mile time, as barked out by Coach himself. I don't care by how much he may have mismeasured, it was still the fastest I ever ran for that far. It was downhill, but that feeling of going that fast for so long was seared into my memory.  Never to be repeated, may I add!!

Our 00 Agent Delivers The Goods Even With Numerous Obstacles

008, our insider at the USATF Championships delivered numerous photos despite being the target of nefarious forces, including illness and injury.  The delay in posting was secondary to my vacation in West Virginia, the internet-deprived paradise I visit yearly.  This year, I didn't even try to use the internet, driving my readership to the lows of 2008!  Welcome back readers!  And thanks to Kay Warfel, our 00 Agent for bringing us the slide show.

Will A Member Of Our Group And Holder Of An Alumni Singlet Become The Grand Poobah Of Nike?

We previously chipped in and bought Alumni Singlets for Mark Parker '77 and his wife Kathy (Mills) Parker '78.  These were delivered to them by Olympian Bridget Franek.

When Phil Knight steps down from the company soon, he relates he wants Mark Parker to succeed him.  HERE may be why.  With all the different titles held by all the upper echelon of people of Nike, I suggest that they just utilize the moniker Grand Poobah, from the leader of the Loyal Order of Buffaloes Lodge of Bedrock and Gilbert and Sullivan's Mikado.

It's all hats nowadays.

"Knight said he wants Nike president and CEO Mark Parker, who has held those positions since 2006, to succeed him. No specific date was set for Knight's departure, though he said he plans to stay involved in the business. Nike Inc. said it expects to name a new chairman in 2016."   -ESPN