Shalane Announces Retirement And Coaching Career
It’s a day equal parts sad and joyous: Shalane Flanagan has announced her retirement from professional running and transition into professional coaching. She ends her career as one of the greatest- if not THE greatest- US distance runners of all-time. She made four Olympic teams. She won sixteen US titles, a World Cross Country bronze medal, an Olympic silver medal, and the 2017 New York City Marathon. She has been an incredible inspiration to a generation of distance runners and a wonderful leader of our professional team. No short paragraph could do justice to her wide ranging impact on the sport and our club, so we’ve assembled below her announcement as well as a sampling of the many articles on her illustrious career.
A Generation’s Leader Says Farewell: Shalane Flanagan Retires from Pro Running (Women’s Running)
Fans, Teammates, and Friends React to Shalane Flanagan’s Retirement (Runners’ World)
Running Legend Shalane Flanagan Is Retiring (Outside Magazine)
World Championships Recap
The nature of distance running-- particularly when your Coach is Jerry Schumacher-- is that long blocks of training lead into short periods of racing. Day after day, week after week, month after month, athletes train with their eyes pointed towards one peak event. When that event arrives, success or failure will inevitably color the memory of all that came before. A great and enjoyable block of training is marred by a disappointing result. A difficult period is remembered in the fond afterglow of an unexpected success. Every experienced athlete knows this intuitively. It is a process that can’t help but breed tension and nerves.
It’s doubly so when your running is your career and triply so when the peak event is an October World Championships. That is why, all places and times aside, we are so proud of how our athletes ran at the IAAF World Championships in Doha. Each of them confronted the pressure and delivered in the face of it.
The places and times though, they were pretty great!
In the final tally, across 10 athletes, we had 8 top 10 finishes, 5 personal bests, 2 national records, and one big ol’ Bronze Medal.
Below you’ll find all our Instagram recaps for each event, as well as race video where available.
Women’s Marathon
13. Carrie Dimoff, 2:44.35
Women’s 10,000m
8. Marielle Hall, 31:05.71— #6 U.S. All-Time
Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase
6. Courtney Frerichs: 9:11.27
Women’s 5,000m
9. Karissa Schweizer, 14:45.18— #5 U.S. All-Time
Men’s 1,500m
8. Matthew Centrowitz, 3:32.18
Men’s 10,000m
5. Moh Ahmed, 27:59.35— Canadian Record!
6. Lopez Lomong, 27:04.72— #3 U.S. All-Time
Bowerman Men Set for First Ever Race at Nike WHQ
Photos by Cortney White
The Bowerman men are back in action this Tuesday as they compete in their backyard in the first ever sanctioned race on the Michael Johnson Track at Nike World Headquarters. Mo Ahmed will command the pacing duties for BTC teammates Lopez Lomong, Matthew Centrowitz, and Woody Kincaid. Nestled in the woods, the men will be chasing fast times in the 5,000m as Mo, Lopez, and Centro tune up for Doha later this month. The ultimate goal of the race is for the men to hit the Olympic A Standard of 13:13.50 for 5,000m.
Lopez is fresh off his impressive USATF Outdoor Championships double, where he won the U.S. title in both the 5,000m and 10,000m. After recording a runner-up finish in the 1,500m at the U.S. Championships, Centrowitz will test his strength in the 5,000m distance. Woody returns to action after posting a personal best of 13:26.84 and strong 3rd place finish in the 5,000m at the U.S. Championships. Due to USATF not allowing athletes to chase the World Standard of 13:22.50 at the U.S. Championships, Woody will conclude his outdoor season after this race.
The event will be hosted by Portland Track and is free to the public. If you are in the Portland area, we invite you to join us for a special night at the first ever track meet at Nike WHQ. The race will also be available via livestream on RunnerSpace.
Event Overview
When: Tuesday, September 10th at 9:00 pm
Where: Michael Johnson Track at Nike HQ
What: Men 5000 race
Additional Details:
8:30: Track opens for Pre Race festivities
9:00: Men 5000
Free to the public
Livestream on RunnerSpace
5000 Olympic Standard: 13:13.50
PRE-Cap | All you need to know about BTC at the Pre Classic this year.
Women’s 1500:
Sunday was nearly a redux of Shelby’s breakout Pre Classic win from last year. Her and Kate hung back early and had to work hard to move up when the pack began to split with 600 to go. Shelby was in 6th at the bell and began to chase hard in the last 200m. She raised the hopes of the announcers and the BTC crowd at home, but Faith Kipyegon and Laura Muir were able to hold her off. Still, 3:59 isn’t a bad outdoor opener. Behind her, Kate battled really well through the field and came through with a new PR of 4:02! It’s been a long time coming for Kate to lower that mark and we have a feeling this may open the floodgates for the rest of her season..
Next up, Kate will run an 800, race at Azusa Pacific on July 9th. Then it’s on to USAs in the 1500m. Shelby will be back up in Park City until the Championships.
Photo by Cortney White
Photo by Cortney White
Men’s Mile:
The Bowerman Mile was Centro’s first track race in 11 months and his long awaited debut in the Bowerman kit (it looks pretty good on him, eh?). He sat at the back the first two laps and live the savvy vet he is, moved up when the pace slowed on the third lap. At the bell, he showed he’s still got that great kick, as he closed in 55 seconds and moved up to finish in 6th.
3:52 and a tidy World Championship standard isn’t bad for a “rust buster”..
Now that the standard is taken care of, the plan is to run an 800m at Azusa Pacific to get ready for USAs.
Photo by Cortney White
Women’s Steeplechase:
Things got rowdy early in the women’s steeple. Beatrice Jepkoech set off on world record pace and left the pack splintered behind her. Courtney and Colleen had to stay calm, find their own pace, and get to work. With Courtney leading the way they methodically moved up through the field. Courtney came home in 9:09 to take 5th, and Colleen ran 9:11 for 7th. Those are great times for their first steeples of the year nad they are set up really really to make a deep run into championship season!
Racing schedule between now and USAs is still up in the air, but in the meantime they will return to the thin air of Park City.
Photo by Cortney White
Women’s 3000m:
Racing at the World level can be vicious. Karissa stepped into the deep end on Sunday, making her Diamond League debut in what would end up as one of the greatest 3000m races of all time. After going out hard in around 4:32 for 1600m, she hard to hold things together by herself.
She managed beautifully.
8:42 is her new lifetime best and a great sign for her upcoming 5000m race at USAs in three weeks! We’re looking forward to seeing Karissa get more and more comfortable in these high level meets and finish higher and higher!
Photo by Cortney White
Men’s Two Mile:
The Men’s two mile was yet another race that saw an early split in the pack. Moh got caught on the wrong side of the break and had to step into the breach to keep the group going. After the elation of breaking 13 minutes 10 days ago, he might have sat back on his laurels and decided it just wasn’t his day. Instead he drove the rain home and held off all challenges to take 4th in 8:15. It won’t be the highlight of his year, but it’s great to see him scrapping for every place. You never know when that’ll be the line between good and great.
Moh will now get set to try and win his 4th consecutive Canadian title at 5000m.
Photo by Cortney White
The Power of Goal Setting: BTC Elementary School Visit
Watch a recap of a truly special opportunity involving a few of our Olympic athletes, their crazy goals, and the seriously inspiring youth of Atkinson Elementary School, located in SE Portland.
Watch a recap of a truly special opportunity involving a few of our Olympic athletes, their crazy goals, and the seriously inspiring youth of Atkinson Elementary School, located in SE Portland.
Thanks to Premvida, Foon Fu, and Tim Kalkkuhl for capturing this magic on video.
Marielle Hall, Kate Grace, and Evan Jager visited Atkinson Elementary School in April to talk to 400+ youngsters about setting big goals, working hard to achieve them, and getting to live their Olympic dreams. Spearheaded by the lovely mind of Marielle, she shared her journey to the 2016 Rio Olympics and the steps she took (quite literally), along the way. We’ve loved the effect of having our professionals athletes coach in our Youth program, and it is wonderful to see that initiative brought to a wider circle of kids!
Marielle, Evan, and Kate being kids at heart:
Photo by Cortney White
Stickers, autographs, and swapped smiles were clearly quite popular. After Marielle offered her advice on how to breakdown a big goal into smaller more attainable milestones along the way, the athletes got down to their level to hear about the kids’ dreams and how they hoped to get there.
Photo by Cortney White
Photo by Cortney White
Photo by Cortney White
Photo by Cortney White
Photo by Cortney White
Evan Jager brought along his Olympic silver medal he earned in the 3000m Steeplechase at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Needless to say, it was a real big hit.
Photo by Cortney White
Photo by Cortney White
We think this look says it all. Thanks to Atkinson Elementary for having us!
Photo by Cortney White
Lopez Lomong Featured on HBO's Real Sports Tonight; Feature Film Project Announced
Tune in tonight to watch Lopez Lomong’s interview on HBO’s Real Sports.
Bowerman Track Club’s Lopez Lomong will be featured tonight on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, set to air at 10pm. In a fascinating interview, Lomong will reveal a new aspect to his uplifting story, recounting how he helped younger brothers Peter and Alex follow his own path to the US to discover the American dream.
A trailer of his appearance on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel is available here
Lomong signs a copy of his book, “Running for My Life” for a fan in Ireland.
Feature Film Project
The remarkable story of Lopez Lomong’s rise from Sudanese child soldier to US Olympic flag bearer is set to be detailed in a feature-length film, Running For My Life, which is due for release in the spring of 2020.
Kimbia Athletics, in partnership with Brookwell/McNamara Entertainment, Film Roman Productions and Red Heritage Media, will begin production of the feature film on July 7, 2019 as Lomong continues his build-up for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The screenplay will be adapted from Lomong’s best-selling autobiography of the same name.
Lomong’s tale remains one of the most remarkable in world sports, a Sudanese child-soldier who grew up to become the flag bearer for the United States team at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and it is only fitting that his tale would eventually grace the big screen.
“We want to take audiences on a deeply felt emotional journey, with cinematic and musical energy that we hope will remind viewers of Lion and Chariots of Fire,” said Steve Waterman, president of Film Productions, which is known for producing The Simpsons.
Running For My Life will detail Lomong’s journey from unimaginable childhood horror, being abducted at age six by rebel soldiers, to his arrival in the United States as one the Lost Boys of Sudan, where he eventually built a new life and became a decorated athlete of global renown.
“This is not just a story of survival, but of an absolute refusal to be limited by false assumptions and misplaced expectations of others,” said Tom Ratcliffe, Lomong’s long-time manager at Kimbia Athletics. “Lopez’s journey is a clear example of how immigrations strengthens this nation.”
Lomong’s appearance on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on Tuesday night will offer a poignant insight into the 34-year-old’s remarkable life, one which, despite being faced with colossal challenges, has ultimately been defined by his immense courage.
Bowerman Women’s Team Throwdown at US XC Championships
What do you get when you take a Marathoner, a Steepler, a “1500m runner”, and two 10k specialists out on some grass? Something special.
Photo by Justin Britton
What do you get when you take a Marathoner, a Steepler, a “1500m runner”, and two 10k specialists out on some grass? Though this sounds like the setup to a comedic punchline, the reality is a dominating expression of Bowerman TC’s belief in finding depth and strength in the team.
BTC fielded a full scoring team of five athletes at the 2019 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee Florida. Shelby Houlihan, Marielle Hall, Amy Cragg, Courtney Frerichs, and Karissa Schweizer proved to be a formidable quintet of talent against what many called one of the most stacked fields of American distance runners ever assembled at a US XC Championship.
Working together early, the BTC women found strength in numbers.
Photo by Justin Britton
Photo by Justin Britton
With Amy Cragg taking charge, the lead pack broke away and laid down an extremely quick pace over the rolling grass hills in Apalachee Regional Park. Coming down to the final hill however, Shelby Houlihan threw in a dominant move and pulled away with 700m to go, crossing the tape as the National Champion and solidifying her 8th US title in total.
Shelby Houlihan took first in 32:46.8.
What happened next is indicative of the truly special team environment that coach Jerry Schumacher instills at Bowerman Track Club. BTC took five of the top seven spots.
Marielle Hall 3rd in 32:56.5,
Amy Cragg 5th in 33:17.5,
Courtney Frerichs 6th in 33:24.5,
Karissa Schweizer 7th in 33:28.2.
With Molly Huddle (2nd) planning on declining her spot at Worlds, all five are in line to make the team to Aarhus for the World XC Championships. Depending on Jerry’s race plan for the team, BTC has some serious potential to lead the United States to medaling at Worlds.
BTC’s Masters team also had a good showing coming in 4th overall as a team, featuring long-time club talent Mile Blackmore in 8th, Matt Farley in 14th, Michael Gorriaran in 51st, and Steve Kollars in 54th.
High 5’s all around!
Photo by Justin Britton
BTC Pro Summer Racing Schedule
All the info you need to follow BTC Pros this summer!
We know that it can be difficult to follow your favorite track athletes throughout the summer with races in different countries and schedules changing often. We’ve made this Summer Racing Guide to give you some idea of when the big BTC events are. This schedule is incomplete as some races are still be sorting out (and if your favorite athlete is missing that’s probably why). To make sure you stay up to date on all BTC racing, follow @BowermanTC on Twitter and Instagram!
July 4th: Peachtree 10K, Gwen Jorgensen, Lopez Lomong, Chris Derrick
Huge crowds at the AJC Peachtree 10k
Held in Atlanta, GA, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race is the largest 10k in the world with around 60,000 participants every year! The last few years it has doubled as the USATF 10K Road Championships and will do so again this year. Lopez looks to make it a Track/Road double at 10K national championships, while CD will try and add another road title after winning the USATF Half Marathon title earlier this year. Gwen returns to familiar territory: she was dominant in the 10k road races that end Olympic Distance triathlons throughout her career.
How to Watch: Live on NBC Sports Gold (6:50am EDT), Replay on NBCSN (7:00pm EDT)
July 5th: Canadian Championships, Moh Ahmed (5,000m), Matt Hughes (Steeplechase)
Moh winning at the Canadian Championships
Both Matt and Moh look to defend their National titles from 2017 in Ottawa.
How to Watch: There should be a live stream here, along with heat sheets schedule and ticketing information.
July 5th: Lausanne Diamond League, Shelby Houlihan (1500m)
After winning the Pre Classic, Shelby will look to cement her status on the world stage at 1500m in Switzerland. Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 9: Lucerne Athletics Meeting, Kate Grace (800m)
Kate will drive down from the mountains of St. Moritz to run some under distance in Lucerne. This meet is on the smaller side, but has a great atmosphere and usually fairly decent conditions.
July 13th: Rabat Diamond League, Matt Hughes (Steeplechase), Ryan Hill (3,000m)
Diamond League points and fast times are the mission for Matt and Ryan in Morocco. Top 8 in each Diamond League race get points to qualify for the Diamond League final held later in the summer. Ryan is particularly well positioned to score points with this race being a 3,000m, the distance at which he is the 3rd fastest American of all time.
Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 14th: Kortrijk, Josh Thompson (Steeplechase), Vanessa Fraser (1500m)
Kortrijk is a part of the Flanders Cup, a series of races in Belgium that are popular with US athletes. Josh will spend the summer trying to lower his personal best in the steeplechase and gain valuable experience for the future. Vanessa will look to lower her 4:10 personal best at 1500 and tune up her speed ahead of the Huesden 5,00m (see below).
July 20th: Monaco Diamond League, Courtney Frerichs, Evan Jager, Matt Hughes (Steeplechase for all three)
Evan on his way to his first Diamond League win in Monaco, 2017.
One of the jewels of the Diamond League circuit, Monaco was the site of Evan’s first American Record in 2012 and his first Diamond League win (2017). The pace will hopefully be set up to offer a chance at a sub-8 minute clocking. Courtney and Matt will be both be hunting personal bests on own of the fastest tracks in the world.
Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 21-22: London Diamond League, Moh Ahmed and Ryan Hill (5,000m), Kate Grace (mile)
Track returns to the Olympic Stadium in London, which has become one of the best venues in the sport since 2012. The European track circuit will take a break in early August for the European Championships, so this looks to be Moh, Ryan, and Kate's final race before returning to the US for a month of training. They will return in late August to hopefully compete in the Diamond League Final and the Continental Cup.
Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 21st: Huesden KBC Nacht, Marielle Hall, Vanessa Fraser, and Shelby Houlihan (5,000m)
The top meet on the Belgian circuit of races, Huesden is known as the “Stanford of Europe” because conditions are often prime for fast distance racing. A smaller meet compared to the Diamond Leagues, it doesn’t lack for crowds and character. Marielle, Vanessa, and Shelby will all seek fast times at 5,000m and word is they may even have a famous pacemaker…
August 4th: Beach to Beacon 10k, Chris Derrick
Held in Cape Elizabeth, Maine and founded distance running legend, Joan Benoit-Samuelson, Beach to Beacon is one of the classic US road races. It always features a world class field and a world class lobster boil.
August 11st European Championships, Marc Scott (5,000m)
The European Championships will be held in Berlin’s famous stadium, a fantastic setting for the peak of the 2018 season for European athletes. With Mo Farah departed from the track, the door is open for a new Briton to seize the European title.
August 10th-12th NACAC Championships, Lopez Lomong and Marielle Hall (10,000m), Kate Grace (1500m)
The NACAC Championships are a regional championships for the North and Central American countries. This year they will be held in Toronto, Canada.
Dan Huling Announces Retirement From Professional Running
After 12 years of professional running, BTC Steeplechase veteran Dan Huling announces his retirement from the sport.
After 12 years of professional running, Bowerman Track Club steeplechase veteran Dan Huling, has announced his retirement from professional running.
Dan retires as one of the country’s longest-running and most-accomplished steeplechasers. Between 2006 and 2017, he made four global outdoor track teams, finishing a career high fifth at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.
"[2015 World Championships in] Beijing was probably my proudest moment of my career. It felt satisfying to finally put something together after eight years of pro running that I thought I had been capable of for some time.”
Dan began his professional career in 2006 after graduating from Miami University of Ohio and immediately elevated himself to the top of the national scene with a third-place finish in the steeplechase at the 2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. What followed was a string of national podium finishes, claiming a top three spot seven times in his 12-year career, including a US Championship title in 2010. Dan retires with personal bests of 3:37.53 (1500), 3:57.99 (Mile), 8:13.29 (3000SC), and 13:18.42 (5000).
"My entire career I worked as hard as I could to be the best I could. The steeple morphed quite a bit from when I started to when I finished, so to be top 3, to be expected to make each team for so long is kind of cool. I'm extremely proud of my record at USA's and how I hung in after [missing the Olympic Team in] 2012, which was pretty devastating for me."
Since 2013, Dan has been a member of the Bowerman Track Club, providing a veteran voice and experience to the team that included fellow steeplechasers Evan Jager, Matt Hughes and former BTC member Andy Bayer.
Dan and Evan at 2015 US Championships where they went 1-3 in the 3000m Steeplechase to qualify for World Championships in Beijing, China.
“Being part of the Bowerman Track Club was an unforgettable experience. I'll be forever grateful to Nike for giving me an opportunity to represent the best professional club in the world. The guys on the team are truly some of my best friends, and the camaraderie and rapport we have is something special. I don't miss racing or training at all, but "running with the guys" is something I think about almost every day and I miss it a lot.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Jager,
“Dan was an incredible teammate to have for the last 5 years. He joined the group and was able to have an immediate impact on my steeple career. Dan and I did almost every bit of training together and there was never a dull moment spent with him and I think every other BTC member would attest to that. At the end of the day, I wanted Dan to have success in the sport just as badly as I wanted to be successful and I think that says a lot about Dan's character. He is most definitely missed during the day to day grind.”
In his retirement, Dan looks forward to navigating the conventional 9 to 5 at his new career and spending more time at home in Portland, Ore. with his wife Kelly and their two young sons, Miller (3) and Adrian (6 mo.).
"The best thing about retirement is going to be spending time with Kelly, Miller and Adrian. Kelly put up with a lot for 12 years, especially in 2015 taking care of Miller while I was barely ever in Portland. I look forward to doing activities in which I'll have an over 60% chance of tearing my ACL."
Dan holds newborn son Adrian with wife Kelly and son Miller (3)