We added a new feature that allows anyone (must be logged in) the ability to submit videos to us. Once you do so, they are instantly posted on the meet page. This allows you to help us supplement our coverage by shooting some video at the meets you attend, show off your creativity, and share your videos with the flrunners.com community.

In this second episode of The Fit Runner our host is Tara Gidus, aka the "Diet Diva" and nutritionist to the Orlando Magic. She gives us some solid meal and hydration ideas for before, after, and during a run. This is the latest episode in our series on being a fit runner.

The boys race at Foot Locker Nationals has the potential to be a very special event.  The course record of 14:36 at Balboa Park has been held by Reuben Reina since 1985.  This record is in serious jeopardy as both Edward Cheserek (NJ) and Futsum Zenasellassie (IN) have been consistently under 15 minutes this year.  Photos by Victah Sailor/Photorun.net.  Center Photo by Don Rich.

Click on the “Nike Cross National Qualifiers, from Heartland Regional” title for more.    

Futsum Zeinasellassie is in at NXN, now to qualify at Foot Locker before beginning the quest to win both titles. (Photo by Paul Everett)

US#1 Julie Macedo and US#8 Haley Pierce battled each other relentlessly in Delaware this past weekend, with Haley collapsing and Julie finishing 2nd after staggering close to the finish.  US#4 Grace Tinkey is back and won a state title with the only sub-18 time on the day.  US#6 Erin Finn won her state title in MI and looks poised for a great championship season ahead.  US#7 Katie Knight blasted a 17:10 5k in WA to win a state title and run the fastest time in the state by far.  Full updates on each athletes recent accomplishments are below.  Be sure to click on each athletes name to see times, articles, photos and interviews of each athlete if available.  

Click on the “Charting the NXN Heartland Regionals, 11/13” title for more.  

Fort Bluff Camp is known for championship tournaments with many of the fall sports, but November 12th will mark the first ever NACA Cross Country Championship meet.

Mt. SAC was this past weekend and Sarah Baxter (Simi Valley CA) proved herself in a big way, entering the rankings at #12 after winning the Team Sweeps race with a time of 16:59, the fastest on the day.  Erin Finn (West Bloomfield MI) ran an impressive 17:43 to win by a huge margin at her league meet.  Kelsey Braithwaite (Box Elder UT) moved up to #17 after winning a state title and breaking a 12 year old record with a time of 17:36.4.  Full updates on each athletes recent accomplishments are below.  Mary Cain (Bronxville NY) moved to #19 with her top-10 all-time finish at Bowdoin Park with a 18:05.96 clocking.  And Abbey Leonardi (Kennebunk ME) ran 18:05.59 to set the course record at her Regional meet despite muddy conditions, moving up one spot to #9.  Be sure to click on each athletes name to see times, articles, photos and interviews of each athlete if available.

Many athletes were idle, but there were a few big changes in the rankings this week.  US#1 Julie Macedo (DE) continues to assert her dominance as she won the Joe O'Neill Invite by 42 seconds over US#9 Haley Pierce (DE) with a time of 16:55.26.  US#19 Kelsey Braithwaite (UT) moves into the rankings with her course record setting performance to win the 4A title in 17:36.4.  Also in the rankings for the first time is US#20 Amanda Fox (IL) who ran 16:35.8 for 3 miles at her conference meet.  A lot is going on this weekend with 5 state championships taking place and the big Mt. Sac Invite in CA.  Full updates on each athletes recent accomplishments are below.  Be sure to click on each athletes name to see times, articles, photos and interviews of each athlete if available.

Julie Macedo (DE) blasted a 17:26 5k in PA to run the 3rd best time on the Paul Short Invitational course to settle into the #1 spot.  Grace Tinkey (GA) goes to the number two spot while Molly Seidel (WI) retains the third spot.  Haley Pierce (DE) rockets up the rankings as she proves she is healthy with a win at the Great American XC Festival.  Other newcomers to the rankings include New Yorker Mary Cain at #18, Maria Hauger (MN) at #22 and Sarah Fakler (AZ) at #23.  Full updates on each athletes recent accomplishments are below.  Be sure to click on each athletes name to see times, articles, photos and interviews of each athlete if available.

Ideal tool for track & field coaches and athletes. Convert marks/times/pace. This is a nice, easy tool for any fan, coach, or athlete of cross country running, road racing, or track & field.

Josh Ripley didn't have to stop. Running in a recent cross country meet for Andover (Minn.) High, the junior varsity runner was making his way through the trail at the Applejack Invite when he heard a loud scream during the first mile of a two-mile race. Most of the other kids running didn't pay much attention to Lakeville South runner Mark Paulauskas, who was writhing in pain at the time, as they passed by. (via Yahoo! Sports)

This first episode covers core training techniques. These workouts will apply to you whether you are already on an elite level or just the beginning. For beginners they may serve as an intense workout to build your core muscles. If you're already in shape they are crucial for you to maintain and sharpen that core strength and to prevent injury by helping you stabilize your movement.

We're proud to introduce the "The Fit Runner," a new series from MileSplit. Each month a new episode will be published related a fitness or wellness topic geared towards the runner.

Wesley Frazier (NC) left little doubt as to who the best runner in the country is after the 2011 outdoor track season.  The Ravenscroft harrier created her own form of history at the 2011 NBON meet by winning two events and finished an impressive third in another.  Frazier won the 5000 meter run with a sophomore record of 16:24.83 after taking control of the race late.  She then came back in the 2 mile and finished third with an impressive 10:10.86 clocking.  She could have stopped right there and cemented her legacy as a super-soph, but Frazier was also entered in the mile.

Jake Leingang (Jr., Bismarck) leads the state as the top runner.  Last year he placed 4th at the Nike Heartland regionals.

Universal Sports has complete coverage of the 2011 World Track and Field Championships from Daegu, South Korea. Watch all of your favorite athletes, including Jamaica's Usain Bolt, Americans Bernard and Allyson Felix and Croatia's Blanka Vlasic. Sign up now to watch livestreams of both sessions on all nine days of the competition.(via www.universalsports.com)

  INDIANAPOLIS, IN (August 23, 2011) — Participation in high school sports increased for the 22nd consecutive school year in 2010-11, according to the annual High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Based on figures from the 50 state high school athletic/activity associations, plus the District of Columbia, that are members of the NFHS, sports participation for the 2010-11 school year reached another record-breaking total of 7,667,955 participants. Boys and girls participation figures also reached respective all-time highs with 4,494,406 boys and 3,173,549 girls participating in 2010-11 – an overall increase of 39,578 participants from 2009-10. “While the overall increase was not as much as we’ve seen in the past few years, we are definitely encouraged with these totals given the financial challenges facing our nation’s high schools,” said Bob Gardner, NFHS executive director. “The benefits of education-based athletics at the high school level are well-documented, and we encourage communities throughout the nation to keep these doors of opportunity open.  

 Joe Newton, at 82 years old, is still coaching cross-country today.  Since 1956, at Elmhurst York High School in Illinois, Newton has been the architect of the greatest high school sports dynasty in history.He remains the only high school cross-country coach to ever be selected onto the United States Olympic track and field staff when he was awarded a position in 1988.  KYTrackXC.com caught up with Coach Newton this afternoon as he was working in his office for the upcoming cross-country season. (Picture from coachnewton.com)  

  Award-winning journalist Marc Bloom has been compiling high school cross-country rankings for more than 20 years. His most recent books are “God on the Starting Line” (Breakaway, 2004) and “Young Runners” (Simon & Schuster/Fireside, 2009).

Todd Grasley interviews author Gary Cohen in the MileSplit Studio about the dangers of dehydration and how to keep yourself safe. They also discuss a "disorder" facing runners that Gary calls CDS, cumulative dehydration syndrome, that can have a great impact on your ability to train at a high level.

The people on this cross country starting line don't belong to teams. They're simply taking advantage of an open race at a cross country meet. Colorado Track XC file photo.

FARGO, N.D. - Head coach Ryun Godfrey today announced the addition of six student-athletes to the North Dakota State women's track and field program. (via www.gobison.com)

Dr. Gideon J. Lewis and physical therapist Cayce Hurley discuss hamstring injuries and the best way to prevent them. Winter Park High School senior Kira Soderstrom demonstrates stretches.

Track Chat with Ciarra Brewer, James Logan CA, who boasts a 43-04.25 PR for the Triple Jump, good for US#7 All-Time.

 Sign your team or individual up now to have a chance to complete for a spot in the meet in June!

   The top ten times are getting quicker as the season advances.  This week we filtered out the wind aided marks in a few events.

The outdoor season is in full swing.......please send results in a flat html format to the webmaster in your state (located at the bottom of the home page).  We do not want to leave anyone out of the rankings!

 Each week Milesplit will be highlighting the top athletes across the nation.  Please make sure the results from meets in your area are sent to your state webmasters so we can keep our rankings accurate and up to date.  We don't want to leave anyone out!

  The series continues with Part 3: Defining the Moment.  This week Aron Taylor spotlights Craig Virgin, Thom Hunt, Greg Meyer, Ed Eyestone, Steve Plasencia and George Malley.

Each week Milesplit will be highlighting the top athletes across the nation.  Please make sure the results from meets in your area are sent to your state webmasters so we can keep our rankings accurate and up to date.  We don't want to leave anyone out! 

  Each week Milesplit will be highlighting the top athletes across the nation.  Please make sure the results from meets in your area are sent to your state webmasters so we can keep our rankings accurate and up to date.  We don't want to leave anyone out! 

 The first in a 4 part series by Aron Taylor.  Part 1 spotlights Andrew Bumbalough, Molly Huddle, Blake Russell, Hannah Valenzuela (Apple Valley, CA), Ammar Moussa (Arcadia CA) and Craig Lutz (Flower Mound, TX).

  In a re-affirmation of its longstanding opposition to national championships in high school sports, the membership of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) defeated a proposed amendment to the NFHS Bylaws that would have allowed the NFHS to conduct national championships in golf and cross country.

 Many athletes sometimes get anxious when they play against a tough opponent. They get nervous on who they are competing with and they get so worked up that they lose focus on playing their sport. In the end, they make mistakes and end up beating themselves up if they do not win. As a result, here is a list of techniques that an athlete can use to help manage the stress of playing against the competition.     The first step is to learn as much as you can on your opponent. Although this may seem obvious, some athletes may think they already know what they need to know. Remember there is always something to learn about your competition. Read the reports about your opponent and watch him or her performance. Try to figure out an angle on how you can beat your competition. The more you know about your competition the better your chances are you will win. This will also help to reduce your worries in the future.    

 At times, our worries and anxieties can overwhelm us. In addition, our worries can distort our perception of what is reality and what is not. As a result, this may interfere with your sport of track and field. Here is a brief list of techniques that a track and field athlete can use to help gain a better perspective on things during their anxious moments.   Sometimes we get stressed out when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could read the newspaper, listen to some music or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things. This is a great technique to use right before your next game.  

  Lukas Verzbicas, IL, has clearly established himself as the best high school XC harrier of 2010 with an impressive Nike XC Nationals win in the mud and a dominating win in the sun at the Foot Locker Nationals.  Lukas became the first harrier to win both the NXN and Foot Locker titles in the same year and just the 3rd harrier ever to win 2 Foot Locker titles.  These stats should establish a foundation for considering him as one of the best high school harriers of all-time.  

  MileSplit US coverage team of Brandon Miles, Jason Byrne, Geoff Decker, and Margot Kelly provide in-depth analysis and pre-meet insight into the 2010 Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego, California. Broken down into a total of eight preview video shows discussing the top runners and qualifiers from each of the four regions.

The 2010 Foot Locker Nationals are in the books!  Aisling Cuffe and Lukas Verzbicas have put their stamp on history with equally dominating performances with winning times of 16:53 and 14:59.

   We are now one of the most widely used online registration system for high school meets in Nation. Wanna know why? Because we provide a convinient way for coaches to enter right from the MileSplt calendar and save meet directors HOURS of time.    

Manlius XC Club (Fayetteville-Manlius, NY) made history by winning their 5th straight NXN girls title with a mere 27 points!

Participate and vote in our polls on who will win the 2010 Nike Cross Nationals individual and team titles this weekend at Portland Meadows in Oregon. The Fayetteville-Manlius girls are heavy favorites, while American Fork boys appear to be a very slight favorite in most pre-meet predictions and rankings. Meanwhile, Foot Locker Midwest and NXN Midwest champions Lukas Verzbicas (IL) and Allie Woodward (WI) are the top ranked individuals heading into Saturday's national championship race.   NXN Boys Team Poll NXN Girls Team Poll NXN Boys Individual Poll NXN Girls Individual Poll

    The 7th annual Nike Cross Nationals will be held on Saturday, December 4th, at Portland Meadows on the north side of the city of Portland, Oregon. The meet has served as the unofficial yet virtually legitimate national high school cross country team championships since NXN's inception in 2004. A total of 22 of the nation's best cross country teams representing nine regions across the country will be racing alongside each other on the three loop course inside the horsetrack within the infield area of Portland Meadows.  The 5K course layout has traditionally been muddy and slick footing as a result of the area's regular rainfall. The Nike experience is an unforgettable few days for the athletes and coaches starting with the all-expense paid trip to Oregon as well as plenty of free gear and other perks showered upon them as they arrive on the Nike Campus.

A virtual meet preview of the championship girls' race for the 2010 Nike Cross Nationals based on current season best 5K performances in the MileSplit database. No individual qualifiers are included in this virtual meet preview and only runners on the 22 team qualifiers. Any corrections or missing times, please email to bmiles@milesplit.us.

A virtual meet preview of the championship boys' race for the 2010 Nike Cross Nationals based on current season best 5K performances in the MileSplit database. No individual qualifiers are included in this virtual meet preview and only runners on the 22 team qualifiers. Any corrections or missing times, please email to Brandon Miles at bmiles@milesplit.us.

 The 10th release of the MileSplit XC Super 50 rankings comes amidst the thick of the post-season.  The NXN Nationals are held this weekend in Portland, Oregon and the Foot Locker West Championships are held in Walnut, California.  The following weekend in San Diego the best individual harriers take to the historic stage of the Foot Locker National Championships to crown a new girls and boys champion.  We are getting ever closer to seeing who the best harriers truly are, the only way possible, through head-to-head racing!

A list of all team and individual qualifiers for the 2010 Nike Cross Nationals to be held Saturday, December 4th at Portland Meadows in Portland, Oregon. Includes links to team pages and athlete profile pages on MileSplit. At-large team berths were announced on Monday by meet management. Davis (UT), Loyola (CA), The Woodlands (TX), and Neuqua Valley (IL) were selected as the at-large teams for boys. North Shore (NY), Great Oak (CA), La Costa Canyon (CA), and Wheaton Warrenville South (IL) were selected as the at-large teams for girls.

New harriers make rank, while the top of the guys rankings is as tight as ever!  Here comes the post-season!

Three years after hiring its first editor to provide weekly coverage from a national perspective, MileSplit.US–-the national portal of the 50-state MileSplit Network-–has received a long-overdue makeover.

A few changes and a few editions, but look for the action to heat up in the coming weeks!

Few changes as most are idle, but there are a handful of new editions to the national roster.

One of the most hotly debated discussions on any cross country discussion board (including our own) is the accuracy of courses.  This article will not attempt to dive into that debate or the exact method you should use to measure the course. We will debunk one thing and one thing only: why GPS readings have no place in the discussion.

What aspects are unique to the world of men's track and field scholarships?

  Participation in high school sports increased for the 21st consecutive school year in 2009-10, eclipsing the 7.6 million mark for the first time. Based on figures from the 50 state high school athletic/activity associations, plus the District of Columbia, that are members of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), participation for the 2009-10 school year reached a record-breaking total of 7,628,377 participants, according to the 2009-10 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the NFHS.

 

What considerations are unique to the world of women's track and field scholarships?

... or several important facts you should know about the availability of college track and field scholarships.

In this installment, we take a look at a few questions to help you dig inside what the personality of your potential college coach is like.

An updated look at several issues the college-bound athlete wants to take into consideration.

 Photo Above:  Aron Taylor, left and David Taylor, right.  

MileSplit has a huge database of performances nationwide that numbers in the tens of millions.  We love to utilize this data to generate various rankings, virtual meets, and scoring systems.  Many people feel that time-based cross country rankings are worthless. I would disagree with those people and feel it is a valuable tool when used in context.  However, obviously is is hard to get an accurate picture by just looking at times with so many variations between courses.  We are in the process of deriving a scoring system, the first step of which is to design a statistically sound rating system of thousands of courses nationwide.

 

Kendall Baisden, MI, and Kamaria Brown, LA, set AAU National Records in the 400's.  (Photos by John Herzog, MileStat.com)

ArmoryTrack.com's Christopher Hunt and Tim Fulton went to Warwick, NY to sit in on The Hudson Valley Flying Circus Pole Vault Camp on July 21, 2010.

  Several of the 15 new rules changes approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Committee have more lenient penalties than in the past, including a team warning for the first jewelry violation when observed during competition. The changes, which were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors, will take effect with the 2010-11 school year.

Historic Hayward Field, Home of the 2010 Nike Track Nationals.  (Photos by Margot Kelly)

 NIKE ANNOUNCES 24 QUALIFYING CLUBS TO COMPETE IN FIRST EVER “NIKE TRACK NATIONALS” COMPETITION

Final Nike Elite story on Bryan Clay continues our Elite coverage as we get closer to the Nike Track Nationals on June 2nd.  One more video interview to go! (Photo by Vic Sailer, PhotoRun.net)

Kenny Krotzer, Auburn Riverside WA, has run 4:07 for the 1600 meters.  But he has plans for a much faster result by season's end.  Read on to learn more about this talented athlete...

In addition to the video interviews, Reese Hoffa kicks off a series of stories on Elite Nike athletes as we get closer to the Nike Track Nationals. (Photo by Vic Sailer, PhotoRun.net)

Galen Rupp and Chris Solinsky both went under the old US record with Solinsky the victor in 26:59.60.  (Photo by Andrew McLanahan, PhotoRun.net) 

4/28/10 Weekly Update

Enjoy our first installement in a series of interviews & stories leading up to the 2010 Nike Track Nationals in Eugene, OR on July 2nd. (Photo by Victah Sailor, PhotoRun.net)

4/21/10 Weekly Update

Gunnar Nixon, Sante Fe OK, won the boys decathlon with a US#2 A-T 7573 pts.  Jake Hurysz, Eastern Alamance NC, won the boys 3200 with a time of 8:49.76.  (Photos by Margot Kelly)

  Today Nike opened registration and announced details for the Nike Track Nationals competition, the first ever national championship competition to name the best high school track and field program in the United States.

  Starting with the 2010-11 school year, student athletes participating in NDHSAA sanctioned sports programs will be required to file a pre-participation health history screening and physical examination with their school office prior to their participation on a yearly basis.

       

 

The UK HS Invite and the Simplot Games will feature talent from all over the country.  Stay tuned for previews!

                     

The nerves usually don’t kick in too much for Lizzie Powell.   The senior from Patrick Henry High in Virginia, and a nationally-ranked pole-vaulter, does get a little nervous. She does get that excited anticipation that one normally experiences before competition.   This time, though, it was different. (Lizzie and her sister Annie, a vaulter for UNC Wilmington)

NEW YORK – It seemed perfect. Bernard Lagat sat exactly where he needed to be with Asbel Kiprop of Kenya taking on all the work while he drafted and Great Britian’s Andy Baddeley kept him honest from behind. (Photo by Mary DiBiase Blaich/wingedfootfotos.com)  

 

Photo courtesy of ArmoryTrack.com

     

  Manage your meets, or just prepare & distribute your meet results, with RaceTab. Click on the “RACETAB, Free Meet Management Software” title for further information.