THE BROOKS BLOG

Hansons-Brooks (powered by Saturn) athlete David Jankowski will compete in Chiba, Japan as an alternate for Team USA in the 2008 Chiba International Ekiden on Monday.

Jankowksi earned an invite to the Chiba team with his strong showing at the USA 5km Championships, where he placed fourth with a 14:08.4 in his professional debut.

The Chiba International Ekiden will again feature the mixed team format, with six athletes (3 men, 3 women) alternating relay legs for the marathon distance. Team USA is comprised of Dan Browne (Portland, Oreg.), Ed Moran (Williamsburg, Va.), Sean Quigley (Braintree, Mass.), Carrie Messner Vickers (Vail, Colo.), Tera Moody (Boulder, Colo.), and Allison Grace (Blowing Rock, N.C.).  Jankowski and Teresa McWalters (Cambridge, Mass.) will serve as the team alternates.

Team USA finished fourth in the International Chiba Ekiden last year, with the help of Hansons-Brooks athletes Ryan Sheehan, Melissa White and Desiree Davila.

For an official press release with a complete listing of all athletes and countries entered in this year’s race, follow the link below.

2008 International Chiba Ekiden Team Rosters

One of the things we’re most excited about at Brooks–besides our running shoes and gear!–is the Brooks I.D. Program.

Brooks I.D. is made up of over 800 athletes who are active in their running communities, share a passion for Brooks, and inspire people around them to run and be active. Members of the program get discounts on Brooks gear, connect with other members online and at events, and get the inside scoop on what’s happening in Brooks-land.

It’s a truly motley crew… including ultrarunners, marathoners, Olympic Trials participants, masters champions, cancer survivors, and runners like Brian Becker who inspire by virtue of their personal stories. We’ll be introducing more of their stories on this blog soon.

In the meantime, to learn more about the Brooks I.D. program visit the website or watch the video!

Congratulations to Brooks’ own Steve DeKoker, who won this past weekend’s Seattle Half Marathon! While most of us were still digesting turkey, Steve cranked out a 1:11:50 on a hilly course. Along with running (a lot), Steve otherwise keeps busy by heading up our Brooks I.D. Program. He’s also known as a snappy dresser around the office.

Congrats Steve!