Mannozzi Dukes Out Race With 2012 Olympian and Claims 6th Career USA National Title

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Oct. 2, 2014 - PRLog -- Youngstown, OH (October 2, 2014) Youngstown native and current Boardman resident Michael Mannozzi has won his sixth National Race Walking title, winning the 2014 USATF National One Hour Race Walk in Gloucester, Massachusetts on August 10. Manozzi's own account of the race follows:

“"Well, at least you can beat most of the Americans in the field and have a shot at the USA title" was a comment made to me by another domestic competitor before the USA 1 Hour National Championship when Emerson Hernandez was seen entering the track. “

“ The beauty of a 1 hour race is that there is not predefined finish line. Everyone simply stops at the horn sounding the one hour mark, dropping a bag of sand simultaneously. This is a test of one's pace judgment which relies on fitness level, technical ability and confidence based on training leading up to the event.

The vast majority of people who enter 10k races on any given weekend would be thrilled to cover 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) within 1 hour. What is mind boggling is that there are athletes who can cover this distance and more in under an hour...Race Walking. This is exactly what occurred on Sunday August 10th,2014. It was was a humid August morning in America's Oldest (Active) Seaport in the Greater Boston Town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, when 19 men took off at the starting gun.”


“Wasting no time to work their way to the front was Youngstown Native Michael Mannozzi and 2012 Olympian for El Salvador, Emerson Hernandez. Though Emerson is still in the process of improving his English, the two competitors communicated throughout the hour by speaking primarily in Italian and Spanish. "The only 2 words I recall being spoken in English were "ok" and "lap" as in "Uno mas lap?" which was when he or I had one lap to go in leading the kilometer ( 2.5 laps on a standard 400 Meter Track) and we did this to make sure the other was ready to take over the lead for the next kilometer.”

"Emerson received no warnings that I saw from judges while I had 2 and it intrigued me since we were going the same speed and neither of us were out of gas. I was curious as to the cause on my behalf. Being this was a rare opportunity not only to race with an Olympian but also to work WITH one, I observed his technique and then tried to mimic how fluid and seemingly effortless his was.”

“Around 25 minutes in I had the impression that he would soon pick up the pace or that I would drop off but neither wanted to make a move too early and it proved more beneficial for us both to work together. At 44 minutes in I noticed that he did not fill the gap and I just remained focused on keeping the charge on with just over 15 minutes to go. I was well aware that he was capable of blazing past me at any given moment. I did end up covering the most ground being 12.525 kilometers and averaging 7:43 per mile (4:47 per kilometer). Thus winning overall." Also of note is that the Shore Athletic club won the team event for the men, with Mannozzi, Dave Talcott and Bill Vayo as the top 3 scorers.”

“ This served as a great test of pace judgment, even more so than a 10k does for me at this point . There is always something to learn from these competitions and on this day I finally was able to put in practice the importance of starting out conservatively and then working into a rhythm. A second benefit was that I had the rare opportunity to work together with a World Class competitor and Olympian in El Salvador's top Race Walker! Working with World Class athletes is a scarce opportunity for US athletes due to the poor funding and lack of development towards Race Walking which has cost the US athletes in reaching their potential and the USA in International success on every level. I also worked during the race to correct my technique by studying Emerson's. This in addition to pointers from his coach Pam Allie-Morrill and Tom Eastler, father of 2 - time USA Olympian Kevin Eastler, had left me with a few observations that serve as constructive criticism. My technique needs some improvement but this great to know heading into my training cycles this fall is. The Race director, Steve Vaitones, had put on a great event and even presented me with a Boston Marathon Jacket. “

"I attribute a lot of my success to the help I get from Dr. Michael Lyons at Advanced Chiropractic and Physical Therapy in Boardman, Ohio. Race walking is very hard on the body and Dr. Lyons has been a great asset to my training, by helping me to reduce stress injuries, increase my flexibility, and speed up recovery. With his help, I am able to compete at a high level while remaining injury free." Stated Mr. Mannozzi. Mannozzi also gets a lot of help from Mike Rohl, head men's track coach at Mansfield University, who was a 4-time Olympic Trials competitor, finishing 4th in 2000 in the 20k, and Bob Gray, a Race walker from Eugene, Oregon. Bob is also a marathoner and is the only Olympic Trials athlete ever to compete in the both marathon and the Race walks in the same Olympic trials (1972)

Race walking combines the endurance of the long distance runner with the attention to technique of a hurdler or shot putter. It is a sport in which the competitor is required to keep one foot on the ground at all times. Additionally, the supporting leg must straighten from the point of contact with the ground and remain straightened until the body passes directly over it.. This combination results in a shorter stride length, which means the racers’ pace must be quickened, reaching a step cadence comparable to an Olympic 800 meter (half mile) runner, but for hours at a time, due to the length of the race. Race walking became an Olympic sport in 1904.

A 2005 graduate of Boardman High School, Michael was a standout athlete in wrestling before attending and wrestling at Youngstown State University and at Notre Dame College in Cleveland. He currently works as a day camp counselor, while also filling in at the D.D. and Velma Davis YMCA in Boardman. Mannozzi is known as “The Italian Stallion of USA Track and Field” by many, including Olympic legends such as Dan O'Brien. He is currently looking to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as well as the 2020 summer games in Tokyo.

Those interested in sponsoring Mannozzi can reach him on Facebook or by email at italianstallian05@hotmail.com.