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11/6/09
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PRO
JUNIOR
ULTRA
MASTERS
DATHAN RITZENHEIN
MARCUS ROWLAND
JAMIE DONALDSON
RITA HANSCOM
Portland, Ore. Middle/Long Distance
Auburn, Alabama Sprints
Littleton, Colo. Ultra Running
San Diego, Calif. Track & Field
Donaldson destroyed the 18-year old American record by completing 200,000m on the track in 21 hours 1 minute 28 seconds en route to running 214.487 km in 24 hours. The previous record of 21:08:47 was set by Sue Ellen Trapp in 1991. As the overall winner, Donaldson ended her 24-hour run in dominating fashion, as her next closest competitor, runner-up Andrew McLean of Ontario, ran 202.943 km.
Hanscom won five individual gold medals at the 2009 World Masters Athletics Championships in Lahti, Finland. She amassed gold medals in the W55 age-division in the 300m hurdles, long jump, 80m hurdles, pole vault as well as establishing a new world record in the heptathlon. Competing in the 300m hurdles for only the second time in her career, she took gold in 53.25 seconds. In the heptathlon, Hanscom blew away the competition with a world record 6,382 points, almost 2,000 more points than the second place finisher.
Thirteen years after Bob Kennedy set the American record of 12:58.21 in the 5,000 meters at the Weltklasse Zurich meeting, Ritzenhein smashed that record by almost 2 seconds at the same event, August 28, 2009 finishing third in 12 minutes 56.27 seconds. It was an almost 20 second personal best which makes him the fastest American in history. Also in 2009, Ritzenhein finished sixth in 27:22.28PR in the 10,000m at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany, posting the best time ever by an American at a World Championships.
The 2009 USA Junior champion, Rowland ran the fourth-fastest time ever recorded in the junior men's 100m, crossing the line in 10.03 (+0.7mps) to win the gold medal at the 2009 Pan Am Junior Championships. Rowland then anchored the gold medal winning men’s 4x100m relay to a Championship record 39.06.
RITZENHEIN: VICTAH SAILER; ROWLAND: ERROL ANDERSON; HANSCOM: KEN STONE
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WINNING IMAGES
BERLIN Opening Ceremonies, Berlin Olympic Stadium (l) Chelsea Johnson (r)
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