Article by LetsRun, wejo

Three of America's top distance runners, American record holder in the mile, Alan Webb, American record holder at 5000m, Shalane Flanagan, and Olympian Carrie Tollefson addressed the media on Thursday in advance of Saturday's Central Park Challenge 8000m which also serves as the US Men's 8k Championships.

Since we talked to Webb for nearly an hour and the women much less (call us sexist pigs or incapable of talking to 3 people at once), we'll start with the women.

Shalane Flanagan and Carrie Tollefson enter the Central Park Challenge 8k in tremendously different circumstances. Flanagan had an incredible 2007. She started off by breaking drug cheat Regina Jacob's US 3000m record indoors and then broke Jacob's US outdoor 5000m record at the Mt. Sac Relays. Flanagan finished behind American Jen Rhines in Osaka, but if an 8th place finish at Worlds is considered disappointing, clearly Flanagan came a long way in 2007. Flanagan began 2008 by showing 2007 was no fluke, as she completely and utterly dominated the 8k US Cross Country Champs in San Diego, winning by 70 seconds.

Shalane Flanagan

Shalane Flanagan Showing the Benefits Of Altitude Training
The cross country victory came after Shalane's first extended stint of altitude training which was in Mexico where she was under the watchful eye of two time (1994, 1995) NYC Marathon Champ German Silva. While Silva does not coach Flanagan, he was there to provide guidance, a cheerful smile at every workout, and even a workout partner, as Flanagan said Silva did most of her workouts with her.

Flanagan went back to Mexico for some more altitude training after US Cross and came back down to sea level this week for the 8k. She said "German was a pleasure to work with" and said he has given her "words of wisdom" she kept in her head while racing US Cross Country.

The rest of the women in the field likely will be in trouble on Saturday as Flanagan will be racing the same 8k distance where she destroyed the rest of the field at US Cross. Flanagan had this to say of her preparations for US Cross, "I had some good indicators I would run decent...." Clearly, Flanagan is at another level in 2008,if her training only pointed to a "decent" run, yet she beat everyone else in America by over a minute.

Tollefson Back After Being Sidelined in 2007
Tollefson meanwhile had a horrendous 2007, as she was sidelined the entire year with problems related to her stomach muscles being detached from her pelvis. She had surgery, (pelvic floor repairs with adductor releases, more on that here) and this will be her second race of 2008 after she ran the mile at the Tyson Invite.

Tollefson said of last year, "It's been a tough year but I'm excited to be back. I hope I can wear the USA jersey with these 2 guys again. (Webb, Ritz and Flanagan were all on the US Olympic team in 2004)."

Tollefson put her 2007 year in perspective, "You know life can be tough. And in our sport when you're hurt, that's when it's tough... There was nothing that was going to hold me back (from coming back to racing)."

Tollefson, Webb, and Flanagan were all excited to be racing in America's...  READ MORE