THE BROOKS BLOG

Kevin Hanson, long time runner, coach of the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project (ODP), and owner of Hansons Running Shops, Michigan, talks about evolving shoe technolgies, barefoot running as a training tool, and how he decides which shoes to put on his wall.

>>Read Kevin’s full statement on minimalistic running here.

KEVIN HANSON THE RUNNER

I began running in 1975 as a high school cross-country runner. [...] I am certain that 90% of our team had stress fractures, or at the very minimum, a stress reaction. [...] As the shoe technology changed, so did the frequency of our aches and pains. Lower leg issues became less and less. Shoes became softer and provided much needed relief. This, however, led to more and more knee problems. These cleared up once dual density technology became part of the running shoe industry. Fast forward to today: The better understanding of the foot has allowed the shoe companies to both control foot fall and allow the foot to respond in a natural state.

KEVIN HANSON THE COACH

I work with athletes of all levels, from high school kids who are new to the sport to Olympic level runners. I believe that there are some definite advantages to both running and walking barefoot. However, I would not recommend doing more than six to eight 100-meter strides, twice a week. This will enable the athlete to strengthen the plantar fascia and all of the soft connective tissues.

KEVIN HANSON THE RETAILER

I would be happy to bring in a training device that would protect the foot while doing strides a couple days a week. The problem is that the misinformation that is being generated by the minimalists makes it nearly impossible to protect our customers. I feel that this type of product being on our wall adds legitimacy to using it on a daily basis. This would not be in the best interest of our customers’ health.

Hansons-Brooks runner Desiree Davila chats about training for and racing the 3k in the 2010 Boston International Games.

Olympic marathoner and Brooks-sponsored athlete Brian Sell rendered in pasta:

Here we see the finer details of the pastafication: Please note the mustache.

The Brian Sell macaroni sculpture/shrine is housed in "The Beastro," our Brooks HQ employee dining area. An Adrenaline™ candelabra provides just the right lighting.

Melissa White

Kudos to Hanson-Brooks runner Melissa White , who finished eighth at 2:32:55 in the 2009 Chicago Marathon on Sunday. White shaved five minutes off her personal record and was the second U.S. woman to cross the finish line.

Hansons teammate Patrick Rizzo finished tenth in the men’s field. He also achieved a PR with a time of 2:15:48.

>>Read the Detroit Free Press story

Desiree Davila of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project finished 11th overall and was the 2nd American at the IAAF World Championships last weekend in Berlin!  With her time 2:27:53, Desi now has the second fastest marathon time for US women in 2009. Check out her interview below and take notice: Desi has cemented her spot as a favorite for the 2012 London team with this performance….Go Desi!

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

ATLANTA, GA. – Melissa White and Nick Arciniaga each had strong showings for Hansons-Brooks at the 40th running of the Atlanta Track Club Peachtree 10-kilometer road race. The Peachtree 10km also served as the 2009 United States men’s 10km road championships and drew a star-studded field of America athletes.

White finished an impressive 17th overall and was the 5th American female to cross the finish line in a time of 33 minutes and 37 seconds.

Arciniaga had a breakthrough performance finishing the race in 29 minutes 45 seconds for a new 10km personal best, bettering his old mark by a full minute. Arciniaga finished 30th overall in the deep men’s field and was the 17th American to finish.

The Hansons Luke Humphrey also had a solid performance, finishing as the 20th American in the field in a time of 29 minutes and 51 seconds.

Sammy Kitwara of Kenyan ran away with the overall title in his Atlanta debut. Kitwara covered the 6.2-mile course in 27 minutes and 21 seconds.

Abdi Abdirahman won the U.S. Championship in a time of 28 minutes and 11 seconds. Abdirahman was seventh overall.

The top seed in the women’s field, Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya, won her first Peachtree race in 31 minutes and 19 seconds.

With more than 55,000 registered participants, the Peachtree race is the largest 10km race in the United States. Participants from 47 states and the District of Columbia competed in this year’s event.

The normally balmy race began at 7:30 a.m. with temperatures in the upper-60’s with low humidity. The coolest starting temperature recorded since the event’s inception was 62 degrees in 1986 and 1989.

Joseph Kimani, of Kenya, holds the course record of 27:04 in 1996. Lorhan Kiplagat holds the women’s course record of 30:32, from her 2002 Peachtree victory.

Former Hansons-Brooks runners Nick Cordes and Leigh Daniel, now Brooks athletes, are racing three other couples to the altar on NBC’s “TODAY Throws a Wedding.”

You can help them win their dream wedding by voting for them: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30370935/. But hurry, voting ends Friday!

One online vote not enough to convey your best wishes for Nick and Leigh? Text the number 4 to 46833. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Hansons-Brooks athlete, Ryan Sheehan, won the eighth annual Papa John’s 10-Miler Saturday morning in Louisville, Ky. Sheehan led the field of over 6500 runners, covering the 10-mile course in 48 minutes and 37 seconds.

Sheehan’s teammate, Nick Arciniaga, placed third in the road race with a time of 49 minutes eight seconds, just 15 seconds from the second place finisher, Tommy Neal of Colorado.
Sheehan, who led the race from the gun, was satisfied with his performance but still sees room for improvement.

“I would have liked to have run a little faster; I’m happy to have run under 49 (minutes) but was hoping to run 48:20.” Sheehan said.

The Papa John’s course, which finished inside of Papa John’s-Cardinal Stadium, had served as the United States Track and Field Men’s ten-mile Road Championship for four years, from 2003 through 2006. Although the race did not host the 2009 US ten-mile Championship, Papa John’s presented prize money to the first three male and first three female finishers.

For more information please contact David Jankowski at hansonsbrooks@gmail.com

Hansons-Brooks (powered by Saturn) athletes Desiree Davila and Ryan Sheehan will race in the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon this Sunday.

Davila will be racing for first time since her fifth place and top-American performance at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, where she ran a six-minute personal best of 2:31:33.  Her half marathon best is 1:12:10 from her runner-up finish at the USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston last January.  The time from Houston is currently the third fastest time by an American this year.

Sheehan returns after running to a fourth place finish and a personal best 1:03:36 at the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon last year.  It will be his first race back after a debut marathon at the USA Marathon Championships in the Twin Cities last October.

The race will begin at 8:00 a.m. CST on Sunday.  Track Desiree and Ryan during the race at the Dallas White Rock results page on Active.com.

The Hansons-Brooks (powered by Saturn) team will be chasing their fifth team title in six attempts, at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships this Saturday in Spokane.

Olympian Brian Sell, who raced in all four team titles, will lead the Hansons-Brooks squad.  Sell will be accompanied by teammates Chad Johnson, Kyle O’Brien, Patrick Rizzo, Mike Kilburg, David Jankowski, and Paul Jellema.  The Project has tallied team victories in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005.  They were runners-up to the now defunct Farm Team in 2004—the only other year they sent a scoring team.

Chad Johnson en route to an eighth place finish at the 2005 Club XC Championships.

Among the forty-three teams that will be competing, the Hansons can expect a formidable challenge from the Oregon TC Elite (Portland, Oreg.), McMillan Elite (Flagstaff, Ariz.), and Bowerman Athletic Club (Beaverton, Oreg.) squads.  The North Carolina based and reigning two-time champion ZAP Fitness team is not expected to field a scoring team.

The race will take place at Plantes Ferry Recreation Park in Spokane Washington.  It is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. PST on Saturday.  For a complete list of team and individual entries, visit the USATF Club Cross Country web page.