The inaugural Ragnar Relay Los Angeles had its share of first year growing pains. On the day before the start, participants were informed that Leg 4 was canceled due to safety concerns, and Legs 13-18 were canceled due to permitting issues with the City of Malibu. Once the race got underway, I felt that course markings were confusing or ambiguous in some areas. The post-race setup felt rather low-key compared to the Ragnar Relay Del Sol in Arizona… no live band, and a minimal beer garden. The overall experience felt more chaotic than other road relays I’ve done.

On the other hand, it’s hard to beat running on the strand through Venice Beach at midnight. Moreover, the primary reason for running a road relay is to bond with one’s teammates. In those respects, I believe most participants had an amazing experience!

*** Click here to view photos from the 2009 Ragnar Relay Los Angeles ***

Despite cold and rainy conditions, the Sun Angel Track Classic celebrated its 30th edition in style. Meet honoree, former Sun Devil and 2004 Olympic long jump gold medalist Dwight Phillips participated in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. Fireworks punctuated the start of the Premiere (evening) session, and sparkling pyrotechnics lined the runway for Matt Turner’s final long jump. The meet concluded with fans lining the track for the Premiere heat of the men’s 1,500 meter run.

*** Click here to view photos from the 2009 Sun Angel Track Classic ***

The 2009 Carlsbad 5000, also known as the World’s Fastest 5K came down to sprint finishes to decide the winners of both the men’s and women’s elite invitational races.

*** Click here to view photos from the 2009 Carlsbad 5000 ***

U.S. Olympian Anthony Famiglietti missed Marc Davis’ 13-year-old U.S. record (13:24) by four seconds, finishing in sixth place overall in 13:28.

Aheza Kiros (F2) of Ethiopia won the women’s race, edging out 2008 U.S. Olympian Shannon Rowbury (F1) and Lara Tamsett (F3) from Australia.

On March 28, the Arizona State University Track and Field program hosted its second meet of the 2009 outdoor season, the ASU Invitational. The meet produced 17 NCAA regional qualifying marks for the Sun Devils, 120 total NCAA regional qualifying marks, seven meet records, and one stadium record. Kara Patterson, the 2008 US Olympic Trials champion competing for Purdue, established the new stadium record when she tossed the javelin 58.41m to win the women’s competition. Local track fans also had a chance to see former Arizona high school state champions Kristin Phillips and Natalie Johnson compete for their respective out-of-state schools.

*** Click here to view photos from the 2009 ASU Invitational ***