A few of us from Ludus Tours just returned from a series of events in Houston, Texas: the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon (where the 1^st six USATF athletes qualified for the London Summer Games) and the 9^th annual RunningUSA conference. The energy and passion for the sport we experienced in Houston makes us even MORE ecstatic for this summer’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track and Field in Eugene, Ore., and the 2012 Summer Games in London, UK! By the way running and field fans, we still have room for you on both our Eugene and London tours. For more information:

info@trackandfieldtours.com

(619) 202-0065
www.trackandfieldtours.com

Trials

The trials course in Houston was designed to represent the London Summer Games course both in design and elevation. From a spectator’s point of view, it was awesome! We saw the runners approximately 15 times over the course of their 26.2 miles on Saturday morning because of the narrow loop, flat layout and timeframe between the men and women’s start. Over 40,000 spectators were said to be in attendance. Amazing efforts were shown in both the men and women’s races as Olympic trials marathon course records were shattered and some of those who beat the record unfortunately still did not secure one of the top three spots on the team to go to London. We send our congrats to all the participants over the weekend, but especially to Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Hall, Abdi Abdirahman, Shalane Flanagan, Desi Davila and Kara Goucher, the six named to Team USA. The road to London has begun and we can’t wait for all that is in store this summer!

Conference

After the Trials, we were fortunate to rub elbows with some of the most prominent folks of track and field  at the 9^th annual RunningUSA conference from athletes, to race directors, to top running publication editors, to thought leaders within the sport, to shoe company reps, to agents, etc. On Sunday night, the conference held its Hall of Champions ceremony, where Ludus Tours donated a marathon-focused package to the London Summer Games to the live auction. It was great to watch the rapid bidding and to see 100% of the proceeds go to this year’s Allan Steinfeld Development Award recipient, the Mammoth Track Club.

Tomorrow morning in Houston, TX, the first 2012 Olympic Trials for USA Track & Field athletes will commence with the Marathon Trials. Three women and three men will be the first athletes named to the USA team for the 2012 Summer Games, which take place in London, UK, this summer.

At 8am CST the gun goes off for the men and 15 minutes later for the women, as approximately 400 qualified athletes start their battle for PRs and Olympics births. A favorite definitely exists in both the men’s and women’s race but anything is possible in 26.2 miles. Around 10:45am tomorrow, the top three for both should be known! One interesting element to the design of this course is that parts of it resemble the London Olympic Marathon Course both in shape and elevation and allows spectators a glance of the runners twice per every loop.

Houston Weather Forecast during Jan. 14 Marathon Trials

High: 55 degrees F

Low: 40 degrees F

Local Viewing Information

You may find out some of the best viewing spots and parking lots at www.houston2012.com

TV Viewing Information

-Check out http://flashmediazone.com and Flotrack.org for some LIVE Mile By Mile Updates/Recaps and Twitter streams. Broadcast rights are exclusively reserved for NBC and they are planning to air a delayed two-hour broadcast of the trials to begin at 2pm CST on Jan. 14.

Here are some links to a few of our favorite articles written about the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon.

12 Fun Facts About the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials:

http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_news_frameset.html?http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news_2012/rw_news_20120109_RWire_Houston.html

U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials: 12 Runners To Watch

http://running.competitor.com/2012/01/races/olympic-marathon-trials-12-runners-to-watch_44573?utm_medium=whats-hot

Shoe Companies Release Some Sweet Kicks For Olympic Trials Marathoners

http://spikeduppsychedup.com/2012/01/09/shoe-companies-release-some-sweet-kicks-for-olympic-trials-marathoners/

Weather, Unfamiliar Course, Resembles London Course

http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/01/rain-cold-front-set-picture-perfect-stage-for-u-s-olympic-marathon-trials/

Welcome back everyone! We are so excited at Ludus Tours/Track & Field Tours to have 2012 upon us. The highlight of 2012, the Summer Games in London, kick off in just over 200 days (206 to be exact)!

This means that the pros are done recovering from the 2011 season and are training hard in the blistering cold and soon to be competing this spring to rev up for the ultimate prize: The London 2012 Olympics!

For everyone based in the U.S., a LOT of important events are happening this month, which you should mark on your calendars, leading into the spring track & field season, including:

-Jan 14 – U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials – Houston, TX – hundreds of men and women vie for a spot on the London 2012 Team

-Jan 21 – New Balance Games – Boston, MA – 400M and Mile elites set to compete

-Jan 22 – U.S. Olympic Team Trials 50K Men’s Racewalk – Santee, CA (inland San Diego)

-Jan 28 – VISA Championship Series U.S. Open @ Madison Square Garden – NYC

February doesn’t slow down the pace one bit, it too holds a handful of highly anticipated elite track meets including the 2012 USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, NM. Then hits March, which features the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. The pros will still be training hard and many competing at various meets in April and May, but it’s all to prepare for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field in Eugene, Oregon, from June 22-July 1!

The Road to London has officially begun. We welcome 2012 and all it has to offer! Please contact us at info@trackandfieldtours.com or (619) 202-0065 or check out www.trackandfieldtours.com for more information about any of the events above and to book your next trip! We would love to host you all in 2012.

We will be back in Eugene again this summer for the Olympic Trials, can’t wait! Check out the press release below for more info and feel free to contact our Ludus track staff with questions at info@trackandfieldtours.com or (619) 202-0065. We would love to host you all!

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – November 10, 2011 – Ludus Tours, a travel and hospitality company that focuses on major global sporting and cultural events, is offering track and field fans tour packages to Eugene, Ore., to attend the 2012 U.S. Team Trials this summer. The Olympic Trials will take place from June 22 through July 1, 2012, at Hayward Field and serve as USA Track & Field’s (USATF) qualifier for the 2012 London Summer Games. Over 1,000 athletes, 350,000 fans and 1,000 members of media are expected to be in Eugene for the meet.

Ludus Tours’ 2012 Eugene Track Fan Packages are priced from $1,050 per person and include hotel accommodations within walking distance of the track, tickets to all sessions, access to special parties and events, 24/7 concierge service, gift bags and more. To view full package details, visit www.trackandfieldtours.com/eugene_packages.html.

“Ludus Tours was founded by former track athletes and this iconic track meet is what fueled our desire to start a company designed to help as many families, friends and fans as possible get to witness dreams turn into reality,” said Adam Dailey, Managing Director of Ludus Tours. “We are excited to take another group back to Eugene to watch their favorite athletes qualify for London.”

In addition to 2012 Eugene Track Fan Packages, track and field fans can book their trip with Ludus Tours to watch the London 2012 Summer Games and Moscow 2013 IAAF World Championships, among other events. For more information on any of these tours, please visit www.trackandfieldtours.com.

ABOUT LUDUS TOURS
Ludus Tours provides complete travel, tour and hospitality packages to the world’s premiere sporting and cultural events, including the 2012 Summer Games in London, the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, and more. In addition to their travel services, Ludus Sports offers corporate branding, marketing and retail opportunities within each of their events. Ludus Tours is based in San Diego, CA with offices in London, UK. For more information, please visit www.trackandfieldtours.com.