Protesters filled the streets of Dublin to speak out against the government’s handling of the economy and austerity plans. 

The International Chiba Ekiden is an annual team road running competition held in Chiba, Japan in late November. The marathon relay race, or ekiden as it is known in Japan, is one of the prominent annual races of its kind. The competition is split into six legs which combine to make up the marathon distance of 42.195 km.

2010年　国際千葉駅伝　第2中継所

I needed to start somewhere. The Dublin Intermediate Cross Country Champs in Tymon Park were the ideal place to get back into racing after the injury.

For my first ever Cross Country race i did not expect to much. I am not a big fan of excuses so i wont start here with pointing out a very busy week in work with nearly no training 😉 Anyway – i wanted to run. I needed that kick in the ass and an eye-opener.

Crusaders had a team of 11 men lined up. The turnout for the Dublin Champs was overall good and the 8K course in Tymon Park was varied and challenging enough.

No surprise that the whole race was tough for me. With nearly no speedwork and no cross country specific training it was a hard run. I made the best out of it. Got stuck in and fought my way through the park. At the end i was delighted to had a pain free run. I did not check the time or the overall result. I just kept the positive feeling of beeing back…

Another positive side of the day was the overall win for Crusaders. Lots of delighted faces in the Cru and “Bonfires in Dublin 4″ as Pat “2:17:46” Hooper was joking at the award ceremony. First cross country title for the club in years!

PICTURES

“Run unleashed” is a philosophy of running in which on top of performance itself comes the pleasure of getting in touch with the surrounding space. In this spirit, in the film directed by Lorenzo Fonda, Andrew Howe runs a metropolitan path and while he runs, his body and the city mix, merge and join each other. Every corner, every wall, every meter of concrete become his own. The city is a mirror on which is imprinted his image, conveying the idea that he who runs uleashed will never stop.

Andrew Howe (born 12 May 1985) is an Italian athlete who specializes in the long jump. He won this event as well as the 200 metres at the 2004 World Junior Championships. He was successful at senior level at a young age, winning a long jump bronze at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships before becoming the European Champion later that year. In 2007 he become the European Indoor Champion and won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics.

A combination of injuries ruled him out for most of the 2008 and 2009 seasons, but he returned to action in 2010, becoming the Italian champion.

SOURCE – runranrun.com

Haile Gebrselassie is retiring from competitive running – the sport will never be same!

One of the greatest sportsmen ever decided to call it a day.

A more than impressive career came to an end shortly after the 16th mile mark on the Queensboro Bridge this Sunday.

Thanks for Sydney 2000
Thanks for 2:03:59
Thanks for numerous unforgetable sporting moments
Thanks for all the inspiration
Betam amesegënallô Haile