January

The proposed Somerville First Nite 5K meets with legal 
ramifications from a high powered Boston law firm 
representing Boston's First Night 'Festival.' It all boils down 
to this: Pay us and you can borrow the title. The 
inaugural Somerville "Last Nite" 5K is run in 22? 
temperatures with gusting winds.

Saucony rep and Greater Lowell athlete Chris Teague, 31, 
returns to the Walt Disney World Marathon on Jan. 
7-site of his debut marathon in 1999-and gaps defending 
champion Jose Silva of Brazil at 21 miles to win in 
2:26:38.

On Jan. 12, former Newburyport HS (MA) and UConn star 
Travis Landreth, 24, collapses and dies while on a run with 
his Farm Team mates near Stanford University in California.
On Jan. 20 at the New Balance Games in NY's Armory Track 
& Field Center, 18-year-old Alan Webb, a senior at 
South Lakes High School in Reston, VA, runs 
3:59.86 to become the first prep runner to break 
four minutes in the mile since Marty Liquori did it (outdoors) 
in 1967.

February

Regionally, February is a miserable month. In gale 
force winds and plummeting temperatures at the Polar 
Wrap US National Snowshoe Championships in 
Plattsburgh, NY, Elizabethtown, NY's Nikki Kimball and 
Bradford, MA ace Dave Dunham secure gold, Kimball at 5K 
and Dunham at 10K.

It was white knuckle driving to the Jones Town and Country 
10M in Amherst, MA on Feb. 25 with snow, sleet and ice the 
weather menu. Conditions were no better on the Cape for 
the revitalized Sheraton Hyannis Marathon/Half 
Marathon. Dan Verrington of Bradford, MA, stays the 
course through rain, freezing rain, snow and slush, finally 
running uphill on ice to win in 2:39:49.

Indoors at NY's Armory, Marla Runyan sets a new 
American 5,000 meter record of 15:07.33, breaking 
by 15 seconds the indoor record set by Lynn Jennings in 
1990.
The New York Road Runners Club fetes Stratford 
Connecticut's Zofia Wieciorkowska as its 2000 
Women's Runner of the Year.

March
Boston College's Shannon Smith is the upset winner of the 
3,000 (9:11.25) at the NCAA Div. I Indoor Championships at 
the U. of Arkansas on March 9-10.

On March 11, the USATF-New England Grand Prix circuit 
begins with the Law Enforcement Half Marathon in Melrose, 
Ma., won by Reebok Boston's Jack Dwyer (1:07:52) and 
Greater Lowell's Grace Tucker (1:21:14) among a field of 
2,000.

A week later, the venerable New Bedford Half 
Marathon enjoys its 24th running. Kenya's Daniel Kirwa 
is the men's winner in 1:06:05 with RI's Beth Whitney 
(1:16:53) and Jill Gaitenby (1:17:09) going 1-2 among 
women.

New York's Shore AC senior squad of Pete 
Reinhart, Rich Lapp, Harry Nolan and Mark Sepkowski set a 
national senior record of 8:55.3 in the 4 x 800 meter relay in 
New York City on March 18.

Boston plays host to the National Indoor Masters 
Championships on March 23-25. Pending American 
records are set by Plaistow, NH's Craig Fram in the 
40-44 3,000 (8:32.52), Carlisle, MA 65-69 competitor 
Carolyn Cappetta in the 400 (World record 1:11.89) 
and NY's Carolyn Smith-Hanna in the 50-54 800 (2:29.61) 
and mile (5:33.70).

Jim Garcia, 42, of Westford, MA wins the US 100K 
Championships in Pittsburgh, PA by over six minutes 
on March 24. Garcia's time is 7 hours 5 minutes 58 
seconds, while Elizabethtown, NY's Nikki Kimball 
places 2nd among women in 8:36:10.

Moved to Belgium to allay fears of foot and mouth 
disease in Ireland, the World Cross Country 
Championships witnesses Michigan high schooler Dathan 
Ritzenhein posting up 3rd in the Junior Men's 8K to claim 
the first US Junior medal since Keith Brantley in 
1981. Led by Bob Kennedy the US Senior Men place 4th 
overall.

April

South Korean Lee Bong-Ju halts the Kenyan streak 
at 10 in the Boston Marathon with a 2:09:43 victory. Kenya's 
Catherine Ndereba is the easy victor in the women's race, 
winning her second straight Boston in 2:23:53. First 
American is Rod Dehaven, 6th overall in 2:12:41 and 
the first woman is former Merrimack Valley Strider Jill 
Gaitenby in 2:36:45.

On the local front, Vladimir Krivoy of Halifax, MA 
wins the senior division in 2:39:30. NYC's Gordon Bakoulis 
is 2nd among female masters, the Bay State's Sue 
Gustafson is 2nd among female seniors and the Cape's Bill 
Riley is 3rd veteran. The Central Park TC wins the men's 
master team competition while the Central Mass Strider 
women are tops among female masters.

In Paris, Morocco's Mohammed Ezzher sets a new 
masters world marathon best of 2:10:32. The 
month also sees Kenya's Sammy Kipketer set a new 
world 10K road best of 27:18 in the Netherlands.
The 2001 New England Runner Pub Series kicks 
off at the Winner's Circle Spring Fling 4M with course 
records set by Whirlaway's Craig Fram and the BAA's 
Jennifer Rappaport. The duo repeat their record breaking 
performances one week later at the Foam tour's next stop, 
the Doyle's Cafe Emerald Necklace 5M.

Dave Dunham, of Bradford, MA, sets a US 50K 
record of 2:57:29 in Chicago.

Former Lynn Tech standout Franklyn Sanchez 
lowers Steve Prefontaine's American Junior 5000 
meter record of 13:39.6 to 13:38.39 at the Stanford 
Invitational.
Molly Watcke, of W. Newbury, MA, wins a hard fought 5,000 
title in 16:05 at the 107th Penn Relays.