The physical exercise is just one part of the program. They also have built their  self-esteem on the way. The results are more difficult to quantify than a finishing time in a race. But the skills they have learned could last a lifetime.

Congratulations to Jill Indovino,  Holly Boeger and Denise Daab, who head the program that has spread to 24 elementary and middle schools i n the area.  Congratulations to their volunteer coaches and mentors. But hats off to the girls. The running and the values your coaches have shared can last a lifetime. Treasure the gift.

It’s not too late to join the celebration. Race day registration is $25 per person, $60 per family of four. Call 314-862-6266 for more information, or check the group’s web site.

The Go! calendar contains some events not covered by the St. Louis Track Club’s calendar, the first being the Kids Walking 4 Kids event on Saturday at 5 p.m. On the other hand, the track club’s calendar has many events that have yet to be posted on the Go! calendar. A good example is the Pattonville Wellness 5K and 1-mile events Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

Consider them both must-have bookmarks if you’re a runner looking for a race. And race organizers should consider publishing on both calendars.

We’ll also give a shout-out to Justin Kunz, who finished in 16th overall in 1:08:40. He’s officially listed as living in Terre Haute, Indiana, though he’s a member of Big River Running and was the winner of the Go! 5K last month.

Bryan Glass of the 180 Energy Runners finished first in the Lake Run 12K near Bloomington, Ill. Glass beat a field of nearly 800 runners, finishing in 38 minutes 50.1 seconds. Here’s the full story, courtesy of the Bloomington Pantagraph.

Further afield, Shalane Flanagan and Kim Smith put on a show in the 10,000 meters in the Cardinal Invitational at Stanford University. Flanagan edged Smith, winning in 30:34.49, but both smashed Deena Kastor’s previous American record of 30:50.32.
Ten women matched the Olympic “A” qualifying standard, earning an all-expense paid trip to the Trials June 27 to July 6 in Eugene, Ore.
The pair is still a long way from the world record of 30:13.74, set 22 years ago by Ingrid Kristiansen.

Here’s the whole story from the meet.

And then, you run 13.1 miles only to end up in a dead heat. That’s what happened to  Lamech Mokono and Valentine Orare at the 500 Festival Minimarathon in Indianapolis on Saturday. The two finished in 1:02:53, and race organizers awarded each of them the winner’s prize of $3,500.

Read more here. 

 Take a look at the videos of each of the races.

The week before the championships, Zac was a member of the winning team in the River to River Relay, held in Southern Illinois and stretching about 80 miles from the Mississippi to the Ohio River. At River to River, Zac strained, pulled or did something to his hamstring.

He managed to lead the world championships through the first checkpoint but said the course was tough, traversing three peaks. He felt his hamstring tighten and slowed signicantly on the downhills.

Freudenburg told Bockhorn that parts of the course were ankle-deep or knee-deep in mudd.

“I wasn’t prepared for that,” was Zac’s comment to Bockhorn.

So, he didn’t finish.

Bockhorn reports that Freudenburg will compete in two more mountain challenges this year, one with the USA team and the other on the Pike’s Peak ascent.

Tom Cruise has caught the running bug.

When Lance Armstrong announced that he would take up running for a cause, following in the footsteps on ex-wife Kristin, we sort of shrugged. At least he’d raise some money and be pretty good at it.

But now comes word thatCruise is following his wife, Katie Holmes, and has vowed to break her marathon time. First of all, she finished the New York marathon in about 5 1/2 hours. We’d worry if he couldn’t go faster. Second, Holmes reportedly set a record for most handlers and “people” recording her run. This sort of narcissism is the antithesis of running.

Lance realized that. After surrounding himself with running celebs such as Alberto Salazar and Joan Benoit Samuelson in his first marathon, 2006 in New York, Lance ran among the people last year in New York and last week in Boston. He still created a stir with the TV lapdogs at Versus, but at least he didn’t bring an entourage.

If Katie caused such a stir, we can only shudder at the handlers, coaches, publicists, imagists, videographers and muscle that Cruise will bring to his first race.

Congratulations to Vianney and Mizzou grad Neville Miller, both on his victory Monday and his impressive win over the weekend in the 800 meters at the Drake Relays.

Here are some other tidbits from the race:

Three of the runners in the seven-man field have qualified for the Olympic Trials: Miller, Derek Scott and Jordan Fife.

Master’s Mile winner Jeff Neuschwander broke the 5-minute mark, finishing in 4:56.26.

The wheelchair race was a late addition to the program. When officials with the Disabled Athletes Sports Association heard about the festival last week, they asked if they could participate as well. Big River’s Ben Rosario and Matt Helbig gave an enthusiastic “Yes!” and included them in the program.

The whole Schutzman Clan, minus one, made the trip from Indianapolis for the event. Sitting in the stands were Brigette’s parents, John and Teresa, her sisters Caroline and Nicole an dher brothers Matthew and Brian. The only sibling who couldn’t attend was her sister, Angela, who was taking exams at Xavier University.

Miller still trains in Columbia, where he is a meteorologist. We discovered his day job only after the race. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have let him get away with describing the wind simply as “pretty bad,” and the temperature as “kind of cold.” C’mon, Neville!  Your colleagues at KMIZ, Channel 17, wouldn’t let you get away with that. After all, they refer to you as “the fastest meteorologist in the world.”