News Archive

There is a something afoot in American long distance running today that is

renewing the faith of fans here and is making these days very exciting ones for

everybody involved in the sport.

Fueled by last years disappointments when for the first time in recent

memory only one American woman and man qualified for the Olympic Marathon,

national and private and corporate interests are now joining forces to get

American long distance back on the right foot. Everybody involved is no longer

hiding their heads in the sand to say that things are all right for long

distance running in this country.

The days when Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Alberto Salazar, and Joan Benoit

Samuelson were winning Olympic medals and setting world records are now just

distant memories. Its true that with emerging opportunities for African, Asian,

and former Soviet-bloc runners, distance running is truly an international

sport, and Americans have failed to keep up.

While we recognize that reversing the American decline is a long and complex

process, we believe that a key component is creating opportunities for our

countrys best runners to shine on the world stage.

Here in New York, we put on the worlds most celebrated road race, the New

York City Marathon, offering runners unprecedented media and fan exposure. So

we have decided to take a leading role in the giant undertaking by giving this

countrys best men and women marathoners the opportunity to test themselves

against the worlds best by hosting the United States Mens and Womens National

Marathon Championships as part of the 2001 NYC Marathon on Sunday Nov. 4.

Each of these events will be a "race within a race," with the top

American male and female runners lining up alongside the best in the world and

competing for more than $100,000 in American-only prize money, as well as the

overall prizes.

We e counting on top American runners to respond by committing to run New

York, and to rise to the occasion with the best U.S performances weve had here

in years. (Historical fact: The NYC Marathon hosted the U.S. Womens National

Championships twice, in 1975 [Kim Merritt], and 1978 [Marty Cooksey]; the race

has never hosted the Mens National Championships.)

To help get more and more American runners to the starting line of our race

and other major marathons around the world, we at the NYRRC are working closely

with the Running USA group, which is part of our national governing USA Track

and Field body, to give them the proper coaching and opportunities to get

better. We are doing this with the Team USA program. This national program

features marathon and long distance running camps in several locations for our

top prospects to come in and train together as a group with some of the best

coaches available in this country. This system has proven to be a winning one

already for Japanese and Kenyan runners so there is no reason not to believe

that we should have similar success in this country.

On a local level here at the NYRRC we are seriously exploring the idea of

beginning a running camp to help encourage and give similar opportunities to

the best runners from

We are not the only ones doing something. The private sector is taking an

active role in developing and encouraging new, young American long distance

runners with the Discovery America program featuring the world famous coach Dr.

Rosa at the helm. Under Dr. Rosas teachings, groups of young American runners

have gone into marathon training camps both here and in Kenya with results of

his work already showing up in the results.

For the first time in a long time, it is good to be an American in the sport

of long distance running!

Allan Steinfeld

Race Director

New York City Marathon