Running News Daily

Legese and Chepngetich lead Chicago Marathon fields

Ruth Chepngetich heads to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on the hunt for a hat trick, while Birhanu Legese is the fastest in the men’s field for the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday (13).

The women’s race features a clash between Chepngetich, her Kenyan compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei and Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede – three sub-2:17 runners who form part of a field that includes another six women to have dipped under 2:20.

Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion, won in Chicago in 2021 and 2022, and followed that with a runner-up finish to Sifan Hassan last year. She clocked 2:14:18 on that occasion, while her PB of 2:14:18 set in Chicago in 2022 makes her the fourth fastest women’s marathon runner in history.

She ran 2:24:36 for her most recent marathon, in London in April, and placed ninth, but then clocked 1:05:58 to win the 21k Buenos Aires half marathon in August.

Jepkosgei, who won the London Marathon in 2021 and New York City Marathon in 2019, finished fourth in Chicago last year in 2:17:23. 

She improved by one place when returning to marathon action in London in April, setting a PB of 2:16:24.

It’s Kebede who leads this season’s top list, thanks to the PB of 2:15:55 she set to win the Tokyo Marathon in March. That puts her at No.8 all time and she will be hoping to make the most of the fast course in Chicago.

“After seeing what my teammate Kelvin Kiptum did last year, I want to come to Chicago to do something great,” said Kebede, who finished 15th in last year’s race.

Kiptum, who was part of Kebede’s training group, died in a road traffic accident in February, just four months after he set his world marathon record of 2:00:35 in Chicago. This year, the event will honour Kiptum’s legacy with a moment of silence at the start line.

Joining Chepngetich, Jepkosgei and Kebede on that start line will be three more women with PBs under 2:18 – Ethiopia’s Degitu Azimeraw, Ashete Bekere and Hiwot Gebrekidan – plus Kenya’s Irine Cheptai, who ran 2:18:22 in Hamburg in April.

The field also features the second and third fastest ever US women’s marathon runners, Keira D’Amato and Betsy Saina, who have also dipped under 2:20. They are joined in this competitive field by their compatriots Sara Hall and Emma Bates.

Ethiopia’s Legese leads the men’s field with the PB of 2:02:48 he ran in Berlin in 2019. That performance puts him sixth on the men’s world marathon all-time list but since then his highest marathon finish has been a third place, achieved in Rotterdam with a 2:05:16 run in April.

The two-time Tokyo Marathon champion will want to return to winning ways when he heads back to Chicago, where he placed 10th when making his World Marathon Majors debut in 2018, but he faces tough opposition.

Six other men in the field have PBs faster than 2:06, including Kenya’s Amos Kipruto, Vincent Ngetich and John Korir, and Ethiopia’s Dawit Wolde, Amedework Walelegn and Mohamed Esa.

Kipruto, the 2019 world bronze medallist, and Ngetich have matching PBs of 2:03:13. Kipruto won the London Marathon in 2022 and trains with Benson Kipruto, who won that year’s Chicago Marathon, while Ngetich was second in the Berlin Marathon last year, five places ahead of Kipruto. He was also third at this year’s Tokyo Marathon.

Korir ran his PB of 2:05:01 when finishing third in Chicago in 2022, while Wolde ran 2:03:48 in Valencia last year, Esa has a best of 2:05:05 from Amsterdam in 2022 and Walelegn clocked 2:04:50 in Rotterdam in April, finishing runner-up – one place ahead of Legese.

Looking to join them at the front of the field will be Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo, the world 10,000m and half marathon silver medallist who makes his marathon debut. The 29-year-old ran a 59:30 half marathon in Berlin in April, 26 seconds off his PB set in Manama in 2022.

Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer Mekonnen, who finished fourth in the half marathon at last year’s World Road Running Championships behind runner-up Ebenyo, is back in marathon action after his win in Seoul in March.

Among the athletes racing on home soil are USA’s Zach Panning, CJ Albertson and Brian Shrader.

Elite fields

 

WomenRuth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:14:18Sutume Kebede (ETH) 2:15:55Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:16:24Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:17:58Ashete Bekere (ETH) 2:17:58Hiwot Gebrekidan (ETH) 2:17:59Irine Cheptai (KEN) 2:18:22Keira D'Amato (USA) 2:19:12Betsy Saina (USA) 2:19:17Sara Hall (USA) 2:20:32Emma Bates (USA) 2:22:10Buze Diriba (ETH) 2:23:11Sara Vaughn (USA) 2:23:24Susanna Sullivan (USA) 2:24:27Gabi Rooker (USA) 2:24:35Lindsay Flanagan (USA) 2:24:43Stacey Ndiwa (KEN) 2:25:29  Lauren Hagans (USA) 2:25:56Annie Frisbie (USA) 2:26:18Jackie Gaughan (USA) 2:27:08Dominique Scott (RSA) 2:27:31Diane Nukuri (USA) 2:27:50Makena Morley (USA) 2:30:25Anne Marie Blaney (USA) 2:30:43Amy Davis-Green (USA) 2:33:09Aubrey Frentheway (USA) debut

 

MenBirhanu Legese (ETH) 2:02:48Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:03:13Vincent Ngetich (KEN) 2:03:13Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48Amedework Walelegn (ETH) 2:04:50John Korir (KEN) 2:05:01Mohamed Esa (ETH) 2:05:05Jemal Yimer (ETH) 2:06:08Kyohei Hosoya (JPN) 2:06:35Toshiki Sadakata (JPN) 2:07:05Tatsuya Maruyama (JPN) 2:07:50Yuichi Yasui (JPN) 2:08:48Jorge Castelblanco (PAN) 2:09:24Zach Panning (USA) 2:09:28Brian Shrader (USA) 2:09:46CJ Albertson (USA) 2:09:53Tomoki Yoshioka (JPN) 2:10:03Reed Fischer (USA) 2:10:34Nathan Martin (USA) 2:10:45Colin Mickow (USA) 2:11:22Kevin Salvano (USA) 2:11:26Jacob Thomson (USA) 2:11:40Turner Wiley (USA) 2:11:59Shadrack Kipchirchir (USA) 2:13:02JP Flavin (USA) 2:13:27Charlie Sweeney (USA) 2:13:41Ben Kendell (USA) 2:15:49Phil Parrot-Migas (CAN) 2:15:53Aaron Gruen (USA) 2:15:56Daniel Ebenyo (KEN) debutPeter Lynch (IRL) debutAlex Maier (USA) debutAlex Masai (USA) debut

(10/11/2024) Views: 172 ⚡AMP
by World athletics

Abraham Tadesse sets new course record at the 2024 Zurich Marató Barcelona

This Sunday, the 45th Zurich Marató Barcelona started its new course at a record pace.

Fifth male record for the race in five years

For the fourth consecutive year, the men’s and women’s records of the Zurich Marató Barcelona, have been broken. In the men’s category, the Eritrean athlete with Swiss nationality, Abraham Tadesse, managed to beat the previous best time of this race (2:05:01), five seconds below the time set in 2023 by Marius Kimutai (2:05:06). In second place was the Kenyan Collins Kipkurui Kipkorir (2:06:41) and third was his compatriot Edmond Kipngetich (2:07:21). The three athletes who completed the podium ran together at the head of the race until the 35th kilometer. Then Tadesse broke away to enter the finish line alone.

Tadesse said, “I wanted to win Barcelona again and I have achieved it. I won the half-marathon of this city in 2015 and today, nine years later and almost 42 years old, I can assure that nothing is impossible, age is just a number. I was able to set the course record and I would like to come back to this race to try to finish in 2 hours and 4 minutes”.

The women’s race

In the women’s race, Ethiopian athlete Degitu Azimeraw won in 2:19:52, eight seconds behind the course record set last year by Zeineba Yimer Worku (2:19:44). In second place, her compatriot Shuko Genemo Wote, crossed the finish line (2:21:35). Meseret Dinke Meleka, also Ethiopian and athlete of On, was the third finisher (2:22:58). The Ethiopian women led the women’s elite group throughout the race, until just before 30K, when Azimeraw took the lead alone towards the finish line.

Degitu Azimeraw, “I am very happy to have won in Barcelona. I really liked the course. I will try to repeat next year because it is a course that I think can be run even faster and I would like to beat the course record next time”.

Also, this Sunday the 46th Catalan Marathon Championship was celebrated in the 45th Zurich Marató Barcelona. A championship in which Artur Bossy won in the absolute male category (2:19:11) and for the absolute female category the winner was Jessica Tipán (2:48:21).

(03/11/2024) Views: 502 ⚡AMP
by Christopher Kelsall

Kenya’s Bernard Koech will be competing with the hope of making the podium one more time but he faces a stern test from the Ethiopians

The men’s field in this year’s Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday, October 15 promises to be a thrilling show as it has attracted some of the greatest long-distance runners.

Kenya’s Bernard Koech will be competing with the hope of making the podium one more time but he faces a stern test from the Ethiopians. Koech finished second behind Tamirat Tola (the current course record holder) in 2021.

He also recorded the fourth fastest time this year at the Hamburg Marathon last year in April (2:04.09).

The Kenyan will enjoy the company of training partner Kennedy Kimutai to Amsterdam, from whom an interesting debut is expected. With a personal best of 58.28, he already ran a very strong half marathon once, at the Valencia Half Marathon in 2021.

The 28-year-old Birhanu Legese of Ethiopia will hope to stop Kenya’s dominance in the marathons. He is one of the greatest marathoners who is behind three absolute legends, Eliud Kipchoge, Kelvin Kiptum, and Kenenisa Bekele.

He won the Tokyo Marathon in 2019 and 2020 and at the 2019 Berlin Marathon, he finished second in 2:02.48 behind Bekele.

Others in top contention include Lemi Berhanu (2:04.33), Asrar Hiryden (2:04.43), Cybrian Kotut (2:04.47), Barselius Kipyego (2:04.48), and Abdisa Tola (2:05.42), the younger brother of Tamirat Tola.

For three editions in a row now, the women's course record has been broken and the current course record of 2:17.20 is held by the Ethiopian Almaz Ayana.

Degitu Azimeraw, 24, will return to the race circuit after her pregnancy. With her best time, Tiruye Mesfin is not much inferior to her compatriot.

The Ethiopian ran a strong debut of 2:18.47 in Valencia last year and so could also be the first woman to enter the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, October 15.

(09/09/2023) Views: 663 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula

World class athletes Legese and Azimeraw at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon will welcome a strong elite field on Sunday, October 15. Ethiopian Birhanu Legese, who has run the fourth fastest time of all time with 2:02.48, will take a shot at the course record of 2:03.39. Bernard Koech (2:04.09) and Lemi Berhanu (2:04.33) also choose Amsterdam for their fall marathon. Among the women, Degitu Azimeraw is aiming for a second victory as well as a course record. Former winner Azimeraw will face competition from, among others, Tiruye Mesfin.

The 28-year-old Birhanu Legese is an all-time marathon runner behind three absolute legends: Eliud Kipchoge, Kelvin Kiptum and Kenenisa Bekele. The Ethiopian won the Tokyo Marathon in 2019 and 2020. At the 2019 Berlin Marathon, he finished second in 2:02.48 behind Bekele. Amsterdam will be the fifth Platinum Label marathon at which Legese will start.

Besides Legese, there are more candidates for the win. For example, Bernard Koech has been on the podium in Amsterdam before, when he finished second behind Tamirat Tola (the current course record holder) in 2021. Koech recorded the fourth fastest time this year in Hamburg last April: 2:04.09.

Koech will also take his training partner Kennedy Kimutai to Amsterdam, from whom an interesting debut is expected. With a personal best of 58.28, he already ran a very strong half marathon once (Valencia, 2021).

With Lemi Berhanu (2:04.33), Asrar Hiryden (2:04.43), Cybrian Kotut (2:04.47), Barselius Kipyego (2:04.48) and Abdisa Tola (2:05.42), the younger brother of Tamirat Tola, also at the start, it promises to be an exciting race.

For three editions in a row now, the women's course record has been broken. Since last year, the current course record of 2:17.20 is held by the Ethiopian Almaz Ayana. Degitu Azimeraw has fond memories of her debut marathon in Amsterdam: she raced to 2:19.26 in 2019. A time she tightened to 2:17.58 at the TCS London Marathon in 2021. Next month, the 24-year-old runner will return to the race circuit after her pregnancy.

With her best time, Tiruye Mesfin is not much inferior to her compatriot. The Ethiopian ran a strong debut of 2:18.47 in Valencia last year and so could also be the first woman to enter the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, October 15.

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon is holder of the Platinum Label of the World Athletics, which makes the marathon attractive for the fastest long distance athletes in the world. The Platinum Label guarantees a fast course, with a good and tightly organized race. Legese, Azimeraw and Koech, among others, also have the Platinum Label status themselves. Their participation not only ensures an attractive race, but also further sustainability of the event.

Strong Dutch field

Organizer Le Champion previously announced that Nienke Brinkman, Khalid Choukoud, Richard Douma, Roy Hoornweg, Stan Niesten, Luuk Maas, Anne Luijten and Jill Holterman will be at the start. Lucas Nieuwenboer (second Dutchman in Amsterdam last year) and Roel Wijmenga have been added to the list. A strong group is being built around these top athletes so that they can aim for fast times and Olympic limits.

(09/08/2023) Views: 682 ⚡AMP
by Runners Web

Six-time world champion confirms attendance for this year’s Antrim Coast Half-Marathon

Six-time world champion and former Olympic silver medalist Genzebe Dibaba has confirmed she will take to the starting line for this year’s Antrim Coast Half-Marathon.

The 32-year-old Ethiopian, who finished second in the 1500m at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, is the latest elite name to be added to the field for this year’s event, which takes place on August 25-27.

A former World Junior champion, and a two-time junior race winner at the World Cross Country Championships, Dibaba won her first world title in the 1500m at the 2012 World Indoors in Istanbul.

Her second came two years later in the 3000m at the World Indoors in Sopot, Poland, before she added the 1500m title at the 2013 World Championships in Beijing.

She would add another 1500m World Indoor title in 2016 in Portland before claiming gold in both the 1500m and 3000m at the 2018 World Indoors in Birmingham.

Dibaba, whose best half-marathon time is 1:05.18, will face stern competition from the likes of Amsterdam Marathon winner Degitu Azimeraw and former Great Ethiopian Run winner Zeineba Yimer.

However, Dibaba will enter the event as one of the favorites to cross the line first and race director Ruth McIlroy is thrilled they have added another huge name to the line-up.

"Everyone is delighted we have secured Genzebe, she's been someone we have been working towards getting to the event over the last 12 months,” said McIlroy.

"We feel we have one of the fastest half marathon courses in the world and think she, along with some other stars, will run extremely quick.

"Both the men's and women's elite races have a similar calibre to a global final so we could be looking at something very special in August.”

On the men’s side of the event, Ethiopian great Jemal Yimer is going for his third straight win in the event and is boasting considerable form after winning the Los Angeles Marathon and setting a UK & Ireland All-Comers record with a time of 58.33.

However, Yimer is only one of three runners who have broken the 59-minute mark in the field this year, with Kenya’s Daniel Mateiko having set a time of 58.26 and two-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese also competing.

The local challenge will be spearheaded by Irish Olympian duo Paul Pollock and Kevin Seaward, while Scotland’s Callum Hawkins also runs in a star-studded field.

Meanwhile, world junior champion Ermias Girma has been confirmed for the Condor Executive Street Mile to be run on the Friday night, with the Ethiopian eyeing up the first sub-four-minute mile.

Former Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Winnie Nanyondo is also confirmed for the event as she looks to better her personal best time of four minutes and 18 seconds.

Elsewhere, McIlroy is keen to see the Antrim Coast & Belfast bid given the green light to represent the United Kingdom in its bid to host either the 2025 or 2026 World Road Running Championships.

The bid, which has already been endorsed by Northern Ireland’s five main political parties, is Athletics UK’s preferred choice and will be the last to present to World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

"With 50,000 runners from over 160 countries, it would be a truly great way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and showcase the beauty of our province and sporting excellence to the rest of the world,” added McIlroy.

The bid will be heard on Tuesday, July 4, with the winning regions revealed on August 18 at the World Track & Field Championships in Budapest.

(07/19/2023) Views: 718 ⚡AMP
by Adam McKendry

Chepkoech is set to compete at San Silvestre Vallecana 10k road race

World 3000m steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech will be lining up against a competitive field at the San Silvestre Vallecana, a New Year’s Eve 10 km road race in Madrid, Spain.

Chepkoech temporarily leaves the track to compete at the world's best 10K and victory will be another milestones in her many achievements. Besides her 2019 World Championships gold, she is also a nine-time Diamond League winner.

However, the iconic race has also attracted other elite athletes including Africa 10,000m champion Tsehay Gemechu from Ethiopia and Francine Niyonsaba, the 2016 and 2018 World 800m indoor champion.

Brigid Kosgei holds the women's course record with 29:54 from 2019. She set the milestone just a few months before achieving her unbelievable and still-standing world marathon record of 2:14:04.

Gemechu comes to the race to extend the Ethiopian winning streak after Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Degitu Azimeraw won the previous two editions. She placed fourth in the 5,000m at the 2019 World Championships and finished sixth at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships.

Niyonsaba, who has been enjoying road race and cross-country success, will also be looking to shine in Madrid. Most recently, Niyonsaba won the Banos International Sales Cross Country. She holds a very fast 5, 000m personal best at 14:25.34 from last year.

The women's elite field will also have Prisca Chesang, the 19-year-old Olympian from Uganda who won the U20 world bronze medal at 5,000m this year, and Mahlet Mulugeta, the Ethiopian.

(12/29/2022) Views: 842 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula

Obiri and Kwizera are the favorites in Madrid

The 57th San Silvestre Vallecana, a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race and possibly the most prestigious of the myriad of New Year's Eve races around the world, will return to its usual circuit (December 31) after a change last year because of the pandemic.

The women’s race on the slightly downhill 10km point-to-point course – which starts alongside the famous Santiago Bernabeu stadium of Real Madrid and finishes on the pitch of another Spanish first division club, Rayo Vallecano, in the Madrid suburbs – has Kenya’s distance ace Hellen Obiri as the athlete to beat.

The two-time world 5000m champion and Olympic silver medalist finished second in Madrid in 2018 after a thrilling battle with her fellow Kenyan and current world marathon record-holder Brigid Kosgei. Obiri’s outstanding 29:59 time then proved not enough to take the victory, but the 32-year-old will be eager to claim victory in Madrid for the first time on her opening appearance this winter.

Yet the reigning world cross country champion Obiri will face tough opposition provided by Ethiopia’s Degitu Azimeraw, 10 years her junior. Azimeraw is an accomplished road specialist, having recorded the second quickest ever marathon debut when she won in Amsterdam in 2:19:26 in 2019 to also break the course record in the Dutch city.

After another fine performance over the classic distance of 2:19:56 for sixth in Valencia in 2020, the Ethiopian moved to 11th on the world all-time list last October following her runner-up spot in London in a big lifetime best of 2:17:58. Azemiraw boasts a relatively modest 31:03.32 10,000m clocking set in Hengelo a couple of years ago. The NN Running Team athlete will be joined by her teammates Lonah Salpeter of Israel and Haven Hailu from Ethiopia.

The 33-year-old Salpeter holds the European 10km record with a 30:05 time to her credit set in Tilburg in 2019, one year after she won the European 10,000m title in Berlin. She attempted to land an Olympic marathon medal in Sapporo, remaining in a four-unit leading pack until the 36th kilometer, but some stomach problems ultimately hampered her aspirations. After that disappointment, Salpeter bounced back eight weeks later to place fifth at the London Marathon in her second quickest time of 2:18:54, not particularly far from her career best of 2:17:45 run in Tokyo in 2020 which makes her the eighth fastest woman in history.

Watch out too for the 23-year-old Hailu, as she was an unheralded distance runner until this year but clocked 2:20:19 for third in Amsterdam in October. She will compete in the company of her fellow Ethiopian Likina Amebaw Ayel, a 32:20 performer.

The men’s contest is also shaping up well as the classy cast includes the in-form Burundian Rodrigue Kwizera. The 22-year-old is enjoying a fantastic cross country season on Spanish soil, having taken victories at several prestigious events such as Soria, San Sebastian, Atapuerca, Italica and Venta de Banos. While the race record of 26:41 set by Jacob Kiplimo in 2018 seems unreachable, Kwizera should run well under the 28-minute barrier for the first time in his career.

Trying to deny Kwizera top spot will be Spain’s 2021 sensation Mohamed Katir, who broke three long-standing national records in the short space of 33 days. The rising Spaniard began his tally by clocking 12:50.79 for 5000m in Florence on 10 June, continued with a 3:28.76 1500m performance in Monaco on 9 July and concluded in style by taking the win over 3000m in Gateshead four days later, timed at 7:27.64.

In his first appearance at a major championships, Katir finished eighth at the Tokyo Olympics over 5000m. He more recently took the spoils at the Jean Bouin, a 10km road race held in Barcelona on 28 November, when he outsprinted Eritrea’s Merhawi Mebrahtu after a one-month stint at the altitude of Font Romeu. The 23-year-old’s next primary goal is the indoors, where he will try to excel over 3000m.

Kenya’s Shadrack Koech and Uganda’s Boniface Abel Sikowo should also be in the hunt for a podium place on Friday. The former holds a 27:21 10km lifetime best, while Sikowo is an 8:25.91 3000m steeplechase athlete who is tackling the road events and ran a 1:01:44 half marathon debut in Barcelona in October.

Not to be discounted is Kenya’s Emmanuel Kiplagat, as the 19-year-old clocked 28:28.02 for 10,000m last summer at the altitude of Nairobi.

In addition to Katir, Spanish hopes rest on Nassim Hassaous and Abdessamad Oukhelfen as they finished seventh and 12th respectively at the European Cross Country Championships in Dublin to lead Spain to team silver, while marathon runners Ayad Lamdassem (2:06:35) and Yago Rojo (2:08:56) will be aiming for a top 10 spot. The Tokyo Olympics 1500m 13th-placed Ignacio Fontes will also be in contention.

Weather forecasters predict perfect conditions for the race, with a mild and windless night, and temperatures between 12 and 14ºC by the time of the event.

(11/15/2022) Views: 896 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei keen to defend London Marathon title

London Marathon champion Joyciline Jepkosgei will be seeking to defend her title in this edition set for October 2.

Last year, the 2016 Africa 10,000m bronze medalist obliterated a strong field to clinch the title in a personal best time of 2:17:43.

“My main aim is to defend my title and also lower my personal best,” Jepkosgei said.

Jepkosgei revealed she has invested a lot in training and expects this to repay handsomely on the streets of London.

“My main focus this season was on this marathon and I have trained very well for it. I know I will perform well,” she said.

Jepkosgei insisted she is not worried about the competition, where she will face the likes of compatriots Brigid Kosgei and Mary Ngugi, the Ethiopian duo of Degitu Azimeraw (2:17:58) and Ashete Bekere (2:17:58), who finished second and third respectively last year. Bekere finished second at the Tokyo Marathon in March.

Kosgei is the fastest in the field with her world record/personal best time of 2:14:04, ran at the 2019 Chicago marathon. Ngugi has a personal best time of 2:21:32 attained at this year’s Boston Marathon.

Commonwealth Games 10,000m winner Eilish McColgan will make her full marathon debut while another Ethiopian, Yalemzerf Yehualaw (2:17:23), will be making her London Marathon debut. McColgan aims to replicate her mother — Liz McColgan — who won the 1996 edition.

“I enjoy running with elite runners. The race will be tough and that means I can post a good time,” she said.

The 28-year-old said she does not feel any pressure after training under her supportive husband/coach, Nicholas Koech.

“My coach has been a great support system for me and with that, I do not feel any pressure. He is also my adviser,” Jepkosgei said.

Meanwhile, Jepkosgei disclosed she is yet to make a decision on the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“After the marathon, my coach and management will sit down and decide what next,” Jepkosgei said.

Commonwealth Games 10,000m winner Eilish McColgan will also be making her London Marathon debut with the aim of replicating Liz McColgan’s (her mother) win in the 1996 edition.

 

(08/18/2022) Views: 968 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula

Joyciline Jepkosgei, Brigid Kosgei ready to clash in London Marathon

Defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei will confront two times champion and world record holder Brigid Kosgei at this year's London Marathon on October 22 in the British capital.

Jepkosgei, who claimed her maiden victory in the British capital in a personal best and eighth fastest time of two hours, 17 minutes and 43 seconds last year, and Kosgei, the 2019 and 2020 winner, are part of the elite field heading for the race.

Jepkosgei became the 10th Kenyan woman to win the London Marathon on her third appearance in 2019.

In the same year, she won the New York Marathon in 2:22:38 and finished second at the Valencia Marathon (2:18:40).

Kosgei, who set the world record of 2:14:04 at the 2019 Chicago Marathon, finished a surprise fourth last year, but bounced back to win this year’s Tokyo Marathon in a world-lead time of 2:16:02.

Jepkosgei, 28, joined the long list of Kenyan athletes who have won the London Marathon; Joyce Chepchumba (2), Tegla Loroupe (1), Margaret Okayo (1), Keitany (3), Prisca Jeptoo (1), Edna Kiplagat (1), Jemima Sumgong (1), Vivian Cheruiyot (1) and Kosgei (2).

“It was a great achievement for me,” said Jepkosgei on the London marathon website.

“It was not an easy race.There were a lot of strong competitors and I stayed with them until there were only a few kilometres left."

“Then I was on my own. It was hard, but the cheerers around me kept me motivated and got me to the end. I was so happy to get to the finish line.”

Jepkosgei’s delight at winning was hard to miss and stayed with her throughout the night:

“I didn’t sleep at all, I was so happy,” she said.

“This achievement will stay with me forever. It was a great achievement and will last a lifetime.”

The other Kenyan in the race is Mary Ngugi, 33, who for the second consecutive time, came third during the Boston Marathon on April 18, but this time around in a personal best of 2:21:32.

The Kenyans will take on the fastest-ever female marathon debutant Yalemzerf Yehualaw, who leads a horde of Ethiopian runners to the London streets.

The 22-year-old Yehualaw is the current 10K world record holder (29:14) and ran 2:17:23 to win the Hamburg Marathon in April, the fastest marathon debut ever.

Ethiopian duo Degitu Azimeraw and Ashete Bekere, who finished second and third last year, also return.

Bekere finished second behind Kosgei at this year’s Tokyo Marathon in a personal best of 2:17:58.

ELITE FIELD

Brigid Kosgei (Ken) 2:14:04 (WR)

Yalemzerf Yehualaw (Eth)2:17:23

Joyciline Jepksogei (Ken)2:17:43

Degitu AZIMERAW (Eth)2:17:58

Ashete BEKERE (Eth) 2:17:58

Joan Chelimo MELLY ROU 2:18:04

Sutume Asefa KEBEDE (Eth) 2:18:12

Alemu MEGERTU (Eth) 2:18:51

Hiwot GEBREKIDAN (Eth) 2:19:10

Ababel YESHANEH (Eth) 2:20:51

Mary NGUGI (Ken) 2:21:32.

(07/06/2022) Views: 1,022 ⚡AMP
by Ayumba Ayodi

Olympic Medalists Will Headline 2022 Boston Marathon Women’s Field

Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, the 2021 Olympic gold medalist in the marathon, and her countrywoman Joyciline Jepkosgei, who ran the fastest marathon of 2021, 2:17:43, when she won the London Marathon, headline the Boston Marathon elite women’s field for 2022.

American Molly Seidel, who won Olympic bronze last summer, will also line up in Hopkinton on April 18.

The race marks the 50th anniversary of the first official women’s field at the Boston Marathon. This year’s elite women entrants include Olympic and Paralympic medalists, World Major Marathon champions, and sub-2:20 marathoners.

The race will include four Ethiopians with sub-2:20 credentials: Degitu Azimeraw, Roza Dereje, Zeineba Yimer, and Tigist Girma.

Former Boston Marathon champions Des Linden (2018) and Edna Kiplagat (2017) will race, as will Mary Ngugi of Kenya, who was third in Boston last October.

In addition to Linden, Sara Hall, who is the second-fastest woman in American marathoning history, is part of a strong crop of American talent. Nell Rojas, who was the top American finisher at Boston last year, and top-10 2020 Olympic Trials finishers Kellyn Taylor and Stephanie Bruce are also scheduled to run.

Other notable competitors include Canadian Olympian and national record-holder Malindi Elmore, two-time Canadian Olympian Natasha Wodak, and Charlotte Purdue, who is the third-fastest woman in British marathon history.

The Boston Marathon benefits from being the only World Marathon Major race on the calendar in the spring.

“As we look to celebrate the trailblazing women of 1972, we are delighted to welcome the fastest and most accomplished women’s field in the history of the Boston Marathon,” BAA President and CEO Tom Grilk said in a press release. “Though there have been many milestones in the five decades since the women’s division was established in Boston, this field of Olympic and Paralympic medalists, Boston champions, and global stars will make this a race to remember on Patriots’ Day.”

Elite field

Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) 2:17:16Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:17:43Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:17:58Roza Dereje (ETH) 2:18:30Zeineba Yimer (ETH) 2:19:28 Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 2:19:50Tigist Girma (ETH) 2:19:52Maurine Chepkemoi (KEN) 2:20:18Sara Hall (USA) 2:20:32Desiree Linden (USA) 2:22:38Viola Cheptoo (KEN) 2:22:44 Purity Changwony (KEN) 2:22:46Charlotte Purdue (GBR) 2:23:26Kellyn Taylor (USA) 2:24:28Molly Seidel (USA) 2:24:42Malindi Elmore (CAN) 2:24:50Mary Ngugi (KEN) 2:25:20 Monicah Ngige (KEN) 2:25:32Natasha Wodak (CAN) 2:26:19Nell Rojas (USA) 2:27:12 Stephanie Bruce (USA) 2:27:47Dakotah Lindwurm (USA) 2:29:04Roberta Groner (USA) 2:29:09Angie Orjuela (COL) 2:29:12Bria Wetsch (USA) 2:29:50Maegan Krifchin (USA) 2:30:17Elaina Tabb (USA) 2:30:33Lexie Thompson (USA) 2:30:37Kate Landau (USA) 2:31:56

 

(01/11/2022) Views: 1,388 ⚡AMP
by Chris Hatler

Azimeraw and Katir end year on a high in Madrid

Ethiopia’s Degitu Azimeraw and Spain’s Mohamed Katir captured commanding wins at the San Silvestre Vallecana, a World Athletics Elite Label road race, in Madrid on 31 December on a perfect night for running.

Azimeraw, contesting her first race since her 2:17:58 runner-up finish at the London Marathon in October, won in 30:26, the third-fastest winning time in the event’s history. Katir, meanwhile, won in 27:45, becoming the first Spanish man in 18 years to win in Madrid.

Two-time world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri had been due to compete but she tested positive for Covid-19 and had to pull out on the eve of the race.

The women’s race started at a swift pace, the first kilometre being covered in 2:54 by Azimeraw, her fellow Ethiopian Haven Hailu and Kenya’s Edinah Jebitok. Israel’s Lonah Salpeter and Ethiopia’s Ayel Likina were a few strides behind, covering the first kilometre in 3:00.

The pace proved to be too quick for Hailu who lost ground before the third kilometre, covered in 8:46 by the lead group. Azemiraw and Jebitok went through the halfway point in 14:38, the quickest ever split and well on schedule to break the tough course record of 29:54. By then, Haven ran in third 13 seconds behind, Salpeter clocked 15:04 for Likina’s 15:11.

Azimeraw kept pushing hard over the following kilometres, possibly fearful of Jebitok’s finish, but she finally managed to leave the Kenyan behind just before the eighth kilometre at the beginning of the hardest section of the race.

Azimeraw’s cadence dropped significantly in the closing kilometres, missing her chance of breaking 30 minutes, but she still won comfortably in 30:26. Jebitok, recent winner at the Venta de Baños cross country meeting, was second in 30:44 in what was her first ever road race. Further back, the experienced Salpeter finished third in 31:14.

In contrast to the women’s race, the opening downhill kilometre in the men’s contest was covered in a relatively modest 2:46. It soon became clear that Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera, the current leader in the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, had no plans to be a front-runner. Instead, Spanish sub-2:09 marathon runners Daniel Mateo and Yago Rojo were the early leaders.

The lead pack continued at a steady 2:45/2:46 kilometre pace to reach 3km in 8:17 and halfway in 13:46. By then the lead group was still large and led by 40-year-old Spaniard Ayad Lamdassem.

Katir progressively moved to the front and shortly after the seventh kilometre (19:17) made a first serious attack which could be matched only by Kwizera while Kenya’s Shadrack Koech and Spain’s Nassim Hassaous began their own battle for third place.

Once at the uphill section of the race, Katir took command and gradually opened up a gap over Kwizera. By the time Katir crossed the line in 27:45, he had built a 10-second advantage over Kwizera, who in turn was 10 seconds ahead of Hassaous.

“It’s great to win such a prestigious race but I’m not at my peak yet,” said Katir, the Spanish record-holder at 1500m, 3000m and 5000m. “I’m now loading mileage and hope to be in top form in February when I would like to take part in several World Indoor Tour meets.”

 

(01/02/2022) Views: 1,336 ⚡AMP

Kenyan Hellen Obiri, great star of the Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana Internacional

The Kenyan athlete Hellen Obiri, double Olympic runner-up and 5,000 meter outdoor world champion, seeks to be crowned on December 31 at the Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana International, being one of the favorites in the women’s category.

In 2018, in a record race, she could only be second after her compatriot Brigid Kosgei – current world marathon record holder -. Therefore, for this 2021, the objective is twofold: to climb to the top of the podium in the Vallecas Stadium, and snatch the record of the event from Kosgei, of 29:54.

Their biggest rivals for victory will be the trio of African athletes from the NN Running Team. The Ethiopians Degitu Azimeraw and Haven Hailu, and the Israeli Lonah Salpeter, will force Obiri to show his entire class if he wants to add this triumph to his extensive international record.

THE BEST SPANISH FUNDS WILL BE IN LA VALLECANA

Among the Spanish favorites, the Cantabrian Irene Pelayo is postulated as the best positioned. He arrives at the Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana with the best marathon record of the season, with 2:29:16. In addition, you already know what it is to be the best national on December 31, with a seventh place and personal best in 10K in 2019 (32:46).

Laura Méndez is second in the national marathon ranking. The Valencian debuted in that distance in style, with 2:29:28, which earned her a place for the Tokyo Olympics. His best personal record in 10K is 33:01 achieved in Valencia in January 2020.

Another classic athlete in the test is the Olympian in Rio 2016 Azucena Díaz. A three-time national half-marathon champion, once a 10K champion, the 39-year-old veteran will not miss her appointment with Vallecas, where she came fourth in the 2017 edition with a time of 33:06.

But if we talk about the fastest in the test, Clara Viñarás can boast of having destroyed the 33-minute barrier. He did it last year in the 10K in Alcobendas with 32:42. With those credentials, and a best mark of the season of 34:49, we can expect the best of the Madrilenian, current national runner-up of 3,000 meters hurdles.

(12/28/2021) Views: 1,166 ⚡AMP
by George Williams

Creating the bubble, cutting-edge technology, flexible thinking – how the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon is the the only major city marathon to take place since the Covid-19 pandemic struck

The 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 4 October was the first major marathon in the world to take place since the Covid-19 pandemic changed the sporting landscape. It was also the first truly global sporting event in the UK to take place in a non-stadium or venue setting since the country went into lockdown in March. How was it done?

An autumn London Marathon for the first time

The 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon was due to be held on Sunday 26 April – that now seems a lifetime ago. As the Covid-19 epidemic turned into a global pandemic, London Marathon Events announced on Friday 13 March that the event had been postponed to Sunday 4 October, the first time ever the London Marathon would be held in the autumn.

The postponement was announced at a time when hundreds of events across the UK were being cancelled. However, London Marathon Events, unlike virtually all other organisers, was able to announce a new date thanks to the strong relationships and huge support for the world’s greatest marathon and biggest one day annual fundraising event from a multitude of stakeholders and partners.

Speaking immediately after communicating the news to all runners who had signed up to run in the 2020 race, Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the Virgin Money London Marathon, said: “We are extremely grateful for all the support we have received from City Hall, the London boroughs of Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, the City of Westminster and the City of London, Transport for London, the emergency services, The Royal Parks, BBC TV and many others as we worked to find an alternative date.”

Only certainty is uncertainty

When the 4 October date was announced on Friday 13 March, the hope and expectation of Brasher and his team was the event would run in its usual format in 2020, just six months later. But the true scale of the pandemic was only just beginning to emerge. Just 10 days after the postponement announcement, the UK went into a full lockdown. As the country remained in lockdown throughout spring and into early summer, the London Marathon Events team were looking at all options to deliver one of Britain’s flagship sporting events while others fell by the wayside, seemingly on an almost weekly basis.

Brasher spoke to reporters ahead of what would have been the date of the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 26 April and said: “The flame is still burning. And is there hope? Absolutely. But you have to do what’s right for society. You usually have 750,000 people out in central London watching 45,000 runners. Then there’s the medics, the 6,000 volunteers and the transport system. There’s so much to take into account when making any decision.”

London Marathon Events committed to making a final decision on the 2020 event by August and staff continued to work on a range of scenarios as the landscape changed on an almost weekly basis. Scenarios ranged from holding a socially-distanced mass event to an elite-only race. As Brasher said continuously to his team, ‘the only certainty is uncertainty and we have to remain agile’.

Elite race confirmed

A final decision had to be made.

The overall picture in the UK during July and going into August, though improving, did not indicate that an event involving 40,000 people running through the streets of London in October would be possible. Sport had returned but was taking place behind closed doors. Restrictions were lifting gradually but local lockdowns were being implemented and there was a growing sense that once autumn and winter arrived, cases would again be on the rise.

London Marathon Events had been working on plans to deliver a socially distanced mass participation event – either a run or a walk – and were looking to use new technology which would monitor the distance participants were from one another throughout their run (this planning did not go to waste as it would be used for the elite event, more of which later).

Ultimately, however, the challenge of managing spectators, ensuring the emergency services had access across London, the increased likelihood of a second spike and the ongoing concern about the pressure on the NHS, ensured a final decision was made that there could be no mass-participation event on the streets of London.

Instead, the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon would have an entirely new format for 2021: elite races only on a closed-loop circuit in central London and a virtual race for 45,000 people who were encouraged to run the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon – Your Way, the first virtual event in the 40 year history of the London Marathon.

Build it and they will come

When athletes’ agents were first contacted to ask if their runners would be interested in coming to London, the response was unequivocal: if London Marathon Events could build it then the world’s best would come – it was now down to Brasher’s team to hold up their end of the bargain.

How do you put on an elite race for more than 100 of the best marathon athletes on the planet in a safe, secure environment? That would be a challenge given 12 months of planning but for London Marathon Events, the total preparation time amounted to about eight weeks.

The first priority was confirming a course. All other sports that had returned to action during the course of the summer of 2020 had done so in either a stadium (think football and cricket) or in a secure venue such as Silverstone in the case of F1. There had been no organisation that had tried to close down public roads to create an event.

The team’s solution was to create a venue that could be contained and prevent general public access. The organisation has a long-standing and strong relationship with The Royal Parks, the Mayor of London’s Office and Westminster City Council and their support meant the first choice of course could go ahead: the event to be held on a closed-loop circuit around St James’s Park in central London which would ensure the iconic finish on The Mall would remain in the same place as it has done for the past 27 years.

A constant dialogue with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) ensured that the Government gave its blessing to the plans and granted the necessary permissions for athlete travel. With the green light given, a 19.7 lap closed-loop circuit was created which followed the perimeter of St James’s Park, starting and finishing on The Mall. Screened barriers were to be erected on either side of the course to deter people from coming to watch on the day and, in effect, a venue had been created in the heart of London.

The London Marathon Events team was also able to build on invaluable experience from 12 months earlier as an integral part of the delivery team that put on the INEOS 1.59 Challenge, Eliud Kipchoge’s historic sub two hour marathon which took place on a closed loop circuit in Vienna. For that event, the team had carried out detailed research on putting a marathon on a looped course and, furthermore, when searching for a course for the INEOS 1.59 Challenge, had explored the the possibility of staging the challenge on the St James’s Park loop.

Creating a biosecure bubble

Securing a course and a world-class line up in four races (elite men, elite women and men’s and women’s wheelchair) was the relatively easy part – or at least areas of great expertise for the London Marathon Events team. However the team had no previous experience in putting on an event in a Covid-19 world but they learnt fast.

To make the race completely safe and secure for athletes and all staff, the team created a biosecure bubble around the event. Information on the best way to do this was garnered from other sports which had returned to action, as well as from medical and security experts and Government advisors from DCMS.

The biosecure bubble would be created from the moment the elite athletes arrived in the country to the moment they left the UK after the race. In total it amounted to a nine-day window from Sunday 28 September to Monday 5 October.

The first challenge was finding a location where elite marathon athletes could stay for the week leading up to the race. A checklist was drawn up for what was needed: exclusive use of a hotel, within an hour’s travelling distance from the course, grounds large enough for athletes to train in, big enough to create socially distanced eating and relaxation areas, the ability to hold remote press conferences…the list was exhaustive.

Eventually a hotel was found about 60 minutes outside central London. Its identity was kept secret to prevent anyone from turning up to see athletes. Hotel staff were booked in for the full eight days to ensure they were in the bubble and security was booked to man the site 24/7.

Race sponsor Abbott, a life-changing tech company and global diagnostics leader, provided the critically important Covid-19 testing for the elite athletes, staff and everyone else working in the biosecure bubble.

All elite athletes, their coaches and support staff had to undertake a Covid-19 test in their country of origin before flying into London, Anyone who failed a test could not travel. In addition, every single person that went into the hotel from the UK had to return a negative Covid-19 test four days prior to arrival. Everyone was tested again the day they arrived at the hotel and again on Friday 2 October. Absolutely nothing was left to chance.

Of all the athletes and support staff invited to London, only two people, both from Ethiopia, had positive Covid-19 tests prior to travel. Degitu Azimeraw, the 2019 Amsterdam Marathon champion, and Haji Adillio, the coach to the eventual men’s champion Shura Kitata, were the unfortunate pair prevented from travelling. Adillio had been away from home and only in contact by telephone with his athletes for the 10 days prior to the travel window, meaning his athletes could still travel.

Another headache for the London Marathon team was getting the athletes from their countries to London in a safe environment. The majority of the international athletes were coming from East Africa, either Kenya or Ethiopia, so to mitigate against the risk of small groups travelling on different scheduled flights to the UK, a charter flight was booked for all of the East Africans. The plane, containing world record holders Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei, made stops in Eldoret, Kenya, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before heading to London.

Elsewhere around the world, athletes were boarding planes in the likes of Chicago, Melbourne and Amsterdam on their way to London.

On arrival at the hotel, every athlete and support staff member was tested again by the Abbott team and all tested negative. Everyone resident in the bubble was then tested again on Friday 2 October, two days before race day, for a final time. Given all the hard work and effort that had been put in by the organisers to this point, awaiting the final test results was undoubtedly the nerviest time in the entire event.

Extra reinforcement with cutting-edge Bump technology

Though the Friday testing was an anxious time for all, London Marathon staff were reassured by the knowledge that they had done everything in their power to ensure all those in the hotel were Covid free, including introducing new technology to implement social distancing.

The Bump devices, created by Tharsus, were worn by all elite athletes and 500 members of the Virgin Money London Marathon’s operational team both in the athlete hotel and at the venue to help maintain the biosecure bubble for the event.

The Bump devices were attached to a lanyard and worn around the neck like a medal. Bump helped inform effective social-distancing behaviour by using sophisticated Radio Frequency technology to create a 'Personal Motion System' that immediately alerts wearers when they are getting too close to another person. Going within two metres of someone prompted a blue flashing light and within 1.2 metres a red flashing light and loud beeping noise.

Data was downloaded daily which allowed organisers to accurately monitor how often and how long elite athletes and event staff spent in close proximity to each other. If anyone in the bubble tested positive for Covid-19 either during the event or during the two weeks following the event, organisers would be able to trace interactions back to specific wearers and inform them accordingly.

These Bump devices were part of the new normal in the elite athlete hotel as the best marathoners in the world got used to the flashing warning lights and sounds should they get too close to another person.

Away from the hotel, the Bumps were worn by all staff working on the build of the event site in the run-up to and on race day itself as the team prepared to build a venue on the Queen’s front garden befitting The 40th Race in London Marathon history.

Race Day

A quick glance at the BBC television pictures on race day morning and you would have been forgiven for thinking that though it might have been six months later, it looked like the same old London Marathon – with the familiar iconic finish on The Mall. But the reality was very different. Just like the work that went into delivering the hotel bubble, every last intricate detail of Race Day was planned to ensure the bubble, which would travel from hotel to the venue, would remain secure.

From the individual areas (including personal toilets!) provided for each athlete to the socially-distanced media interviews post-race, nothing was overlooked.

The halt to trials of bringing fans back to sport in September extinguished any hope that some spectators would be allowed into the venue which meant staff were brought in to patrol the interior and exterior perimeters of the route – though the awful weather on the day did mean most people were content to watch it in the warmth of their homes.

A very limited number of media was allowed into the venue with London Marathon Events creating their own content service which pushed out interviews and B-roll footage throughout the day. This followed the virtual press conferences held during race week and the daily updates of life inside the bubble in video and photographic form which were produced every day from the athletes’ hotel and made available for free to all media.

The only lack of social distancing that took place for the whole week was when the racing started but women’s world record holder Brigid Kosgei is used to running solo and she proved again that she is streets ahead of the opposition to win the first race of the day, in heavy rain and wind. However Kosgei was the only favourite to come out on top in a year where the unexpected really should have been expected.

Men’s world record holder, sub-two hour marathon man and four-time champion Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) dramatically surrendered his title with Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata triumphing while both Brent Lakatos (Canada) and Nikita den Boer (Netherlands) overturned the form books to win the wheelchair races.

For all the winners, their moments of triumph will be memories they will never forget. But even in the instant triumph of winning the greatest marathon in the world, they were reminded this is 2020 and nothing is as it was. Bumps were returned, celebratory pictures and media interviews were held with social distancing prioritised and the never-to-be-forgotten moment of standing on top of the podium in front of Buckingham Palace, posing for pictures was done while wearing a face mask – an image that will forever capture the London Marathon in 2020.

While Kipchoge – the greatest marathon runner in history - was not on the podium himself this time, he summed up the feelings of all the athletes that had taken part when he said: “I want to thank the organisation of the London Marathon for going the extra mile to make the event possible. It shows what’s possible and gives hope other organisations can incorporate their plans to make sports possible in current times.”

Long after Kipchoge and the other elites had left The Mall, darkness had descended and London Marathon staff were in a race against time to deconstruct the venue they had built for this historic occasion.

In the murky October gloom, hundreds of staff worked in the rain and wind to take down in a matter of hours what had been months in the planning. Amid the usual flurry of work seen while de-rigging a site, there was one recurring and very 2020 sight and sound: the flashing lights and warning beeps of the Bump technology that ensured everyone, to the very end, did all they could to protect one another in a year and an event like no other.

That was The 40th Race.

(10/24/2020) Views: 1,308 ⚡AMP

Ethiopia`s Degitu Azimeraw withdraws from London Marathon after positive COVID-19 test

An Ethiopian runner had to pull out of the London Marathon after she and the coach of two other elite marathoners tested positive for the coronavirus, the race director said Tuesday.

Degitu Azimeraw, who won the 2019 Amsterdam Marathon, and coach Haji Adilo tested positive in Ethiopia.

"As a result (of the positive tests), they didn't get on the plane," London Marathon event director Hugh Brasher said in a conference call ahead of Sunday's race.

Adilo is the coach of Ethiopian runners Shura Kitata and Alemu Megertu, both of whom will remain in the race because there was no "face-to-face contact" with their coach in the past two weeks, Brasher said.

The London race has all the trappings of a 2020 sporting event: hotel bubble for athletes, competition modifications and no spectators. Athletes and their coaches are staying at a hotel reserved only for them outside London.

Protocols required virus testing before athletes left for London and on the day of their arrival. They'll also be tested on Friday.

Instead of snaking along the River Thames, the athletes will compete on a 26.2-mile (42.2 kilometer) closed-loop course consisting of 19.6 clockwise laps around St. James' Park, ending on the Mall. It should be a fast course for defending champions Eliud Kipchoge, Brigid Kosgei and their challengers, but potential wet weather could dampen hopes of world records.

"Heavy rain is not ideal conditions to do a world record in," Brasher said of current forecasts. "You want light winds, you want dry conditions.

"We, whatever the conditions, believe that there will be some incredible racing that will live long in people's memory, and it could be incredibly quick."

Only one other World Marathon Major -- Tokyo -- was held this year as Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York all canceled because of the pandemic. Like Tokyo, London's field was reduced to elites only.

Even with prize money slashed nearly in half, the event has drawn elite runners who have had few opportunities to compete during the pandemic.

(10/01/2020) Views: 1,469 ⚡AMP
by Associated Press

London Marathon releases race day schedule

A series of elite events will take place in St James’s Park on October 4

The race schedule for the elite-only Virgin Money London Marathon has been announced, with a series of events taking place throughout the day on Sunday October 4.

The action will kick off with the elite women’s race at 07:15 before the elite men’s race at 10:15 and the wheelchair races at 13:10.

As announced earlier this month, the 2020 London Marathon will not feature a mass race and the elite racing will take place within a “secure biosphere” in St James’s Park.

As recently confirmed by World Athletics, the times recorded in London will be eligible for Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification.

ELITE RACE SCHEDULE

07:15 – Elite women’s race

10:15 – Elite men’s race

13:10 – Wheelchair races

The elite men’s field features distance running greats Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele in a highly-anticipated clash, together with Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun, who placed second and third in 2019.

Britain’s Mo Farah will be a pacemaker to athletes looking to achieve the Olympic marathon qualifying standard of 2:11:30, with his compatriots Jonny Mellor, Chris Thompson and debutants Ross Millington and Ben Connor all set to run.

World record-holder and defending London Marathon champion Brigid Kosgei leads the women’s field and is joined by five other women who have run inside 2:20: Ruth Chepngetich, Roza Dereje, Vivian Cheruiyot, Valary Jemeli and Degitu Azimeraw.

Among the leading British women confirmed to race are Steph Twell and Lily Partridge.

In the wheelchair races, both Daniel Romanchuk and Manuela Schär will defend their titles.

Athletes will cross the same traditional finish line on The Mall after each completing 19.8 laps of the St James’s Park course, while mass runners will take on their 26.2 miles from home or anywhere in the world as part of the event’s first virtual edition.

(08/28/2020) Views: 1,462 ⚡AMP

London Marathon Elite Fields Released, 2020 elite field will be the best in years

Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele face battle from six more sub-2:05 runners in elite men’s race.

World record holder Brigid Kosgei among six sub-2:20 athletes in elite women’s race.

The Virgin Money London Marathon today confirmed the full fields for the historic elite men’s and women’s races on Sunday 4 October.

The elite men’s race – headlined by the greatest marathon runners in history, Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) and Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) – will include eight athletes who have run sub 2:05 marathons, including Mosinet Geremew (ETH) and Mule Wasihun (ETH) who were second and third respectively at the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon.

Sisay Lemma (ETH), Tamirat Tola (ETH), Marius Kipserem (KEN) and Shura Kitata (ETH) are the other men to have run inside 2:05 while Sondre Nordstad Moen (NOR), who broke the European hour record in Norway earlier this month by running 21.132km, is also included.

The news that World Athletics will lift its suspension of the Olympic qualification system for marathon races from 1 September means there will also be a clutch of athletes racing with the ambition to achieve the Olympic standard of 2:11:30.

Adding yet further superstar quality to the event, the Virgin Money London Marathon can also announce that Sir Mo Farah will be a pacemaker for this group of Olympic hopefuls.

Farah, the four-time Olympic champion, said: “The London Marathon has been so important to me since I was a schoolboy and when they asked me to do this I thought it would be great to help. I am in good shape, I’ll be in London that week and it fits in with my training.

“I’ve been training here in Font Romeu with some of the British guys who are going for that Olympic qualifying time and they are good lads. I know just how special it is just to compete for your country at an Olympic Games and it would be great to help other athletes achieve this. With the current global situation and lack of races, the Virgin Money London Marathon in October is the best chance for athletes to run the Olympic qualifying time.”

Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the Virgin Money London Marathon, said: “This is the greatest Olympian in British track and field history coming to run as a pacemaker to help others achieve their dreams of making the Tokyo Olympic Games. It is a wonderful gesture of togetherness from Sir Mo and I’m sure his presence and support will inspire the athletes chasing that qualifying time on Sunday 4 October.”

At present only two British athletes other than Farah have run inside this time: Callum Hawkins, who has been pre-selected for the Olympic Games marathon, and Jonny Mellor who ran 2:10:03 in Seville in January. Farah himself has opted to run on the track at the Olympic Games.

Mellor is one of a number of British athletes running the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon – The 40th Race – on Sunday 4 October. Other British men joining Mellor on the Start Line are Chris Thompson and debutants Ross Millington and Ben Connor.

Among the leading domestic women confirmed to race are Steph Twell, who ran a personal best (PB) of 2:26:40 in Frankfurt last year to go sixth on the British all-time rankings, and 2018 British marathon champion Lily Partridge.

The elite women’s field is headlined by world record holder Brigid Kosgei (KEN). Confirmed today are five other women who have run inside 2:20: current world champion Ruth Chepngetich (KEN), 2019 Valencia Marathon champion Roza Dereje (ETH), 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN), 2019 Frankfurt Marathon winner Valary Jemeli (KEN) and 2019 Amsterdam Marathon champion Degitu Azimeraw (ETH).

Ashete Bekere (ETH), the winner of last year’s BMW Berlin Marathon, Alemu Megertu (ETH), the 2019 Rome Marathon champion, plus Sarah Hall (USA) and Sinead Diver (AUS) are also included in a star-studded race.

(08/21/2020) Views: 2,204 ⚡AMP

Mo Farah will be the pacemaker for the elite men's race at October's rescheduled London Marathon

Briton Mo Farah, 37, is among the competitors to have achieved the Olympic-qualifying time of two hours 11 minutes 30 seconds.

Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, who won last year's event, leads the men's field with Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia.

Reduced fields of 30-40 athletes will also compete for the elite women's and wheelchair titles on 4 October.

The races will take place on a bio-secure closed course amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"The London Marathon has been so important to me since I was a schoolboy and when they asked me to do this I thought it would be great to help," said Farah, who finished third in 2018 and fifth last year.

"I am in good shape. I'll be in London that week and it fits in with my training."

Ethiopians Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun, who finished runner-up and third respectively in 2019, are among eight athletes who have run marathons in under two hours five minutes.

Brigid Kosgei of Kenya heads up the women's elite field alongside compatriot and world champion Ruth Chepngetich.

Ethiopia's Roza Dereje and Kenyans Vivian Cheruiyot, Valary Jemeli and Degitu Azimeraw are the other picks of the line-up.

The full elite wheelchair fields will be released next week.

The route will consist of laps of about 1.5 miles, taking in The Mall, Horse Guards Parade, Birdcage Walk and Buckingham Palace.

(08/21/2020) Views: 1,433 ⚡AMP

The London marathon has announced a strong women´s field that includes six women who've run under 2:20

The 2020 London Marathon will see one of the most competitive women’s lineups in history. With five of the 10 fastest women of all time and six women with personal bests under 2:20, the race could see the fastest women’s finish ever.

The headliner is Brigid Kosgei, the world record-holder and reigning Chicago champion. The Kenyan ran the women’s marathon world record of 2:14:04 in Chicago last year. Other than her pacers, the runner was completely alone for almost the entire marathon. She shattered Paula Radcliffe’s 16-year-old world record of 2:15:25, which many considered to be nearly unbeatable and one of the toughest records in the books.

Joyciline Jepkosgei, the half-marathon world record-holder, is also in the field. Her 1:04:51 half-marathon record from 2017 was challenged by Kosgei in 2019, but wasn’t ratified due to the point-to-point Great North Run course.

Another runner to watch is masters marathoner Sinead Diver. The Irish-born runner now competes for Australia, where she lives and trains. She’s a member of the Melbourne Track Club and training partner to Canadian World Championship 5,000m finalist Andrea Seccafien.

The advantage to choosing London as a spring marathon for elite runners is the 13 week timeline to the Olympics. Because there are over three months between the two events (late April to early August), runners have time to build again and perform well at the Games.

Those are the women who have run under 2:20:  Brigid Kosgei – 2:14.04, Ruth Chepngetich – 2:17.08, Gladys Cherono – 2:18.11, Roza Dereje – 2:18.30, Vivian Cheruiyot – 2:18.31, Degitu Azimeraw – 2:19.26.

(01/14/2020) Views: 1,751 ⚡AMP
by Madeleine Kelly

Barsoton and Shone smash race records at Kolkata 25K

Kenya’s Leonard Barsoton and Ethiopia’s Guteni Shone ripped up the record book at the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K 2019 as the pair set new event records for the World Athletics Silver Label Road Race – the only 25km race in the world with such a distinction – on Sunday (15).

Barsoton, the 2017 World Cross Country Championships silver medallist, crossed the line in 1:13.:05 to take 43 seconds off the event record set by Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele in 2017 while Shone clocked 1:22:09 to win by more than a minute. She clipped took almost four minutes off the event record of 1:26:01 set by her compatriot Degitu Azimeraw two years ago.

Both of the winning times rank just outside the top 10 all-time marks for the 25km distance.

A large group of 11 runners in the men’s race went through the halfway point at 12.5km together in 37:11 (the 10km split being 29:41). However, over the next 2.5 kilometres several runners dropped off the back of the pack and just six were left at the front as 15km was passed in 44:21.

Despite the Ethiopian pair of Betesfa Getahun and Bayelign Yegsaw surging and pushing hard over the next five kilometres the same six – Barsoton, Getahun, Yegsaw, Uganda’s Felix Chemonges, Ethiopia’s Dagnachew Adere and Tanzania’s Faraja Damasi – were still more-or-less together as 20km was passed in 59:05; but with four kilometres to go Barsoton pushed hard for home and the move proved to be decisive.

Barsoton threw in a final 5km split of 14:00, the fastest 5km of the race, to win in 1:13:05 with Getahun, still with plenty of running in his legs despite his 2:05:28 marathon debut in Amsterdam less than two months ago, second in 1:33:33 and Yegsaw third in 1:33:36.

“It was a tough race and a tough course, and it was a close competition until the 20K mark, after which I broke free from the pack. I have been training hard this year, leading a disciplined life: sleeping early, rising early and training hard,” reflected Barsoton, whose previous credentials also include a half marathon personal best of 59:09 in Valencia in October.

"I had planned to push hard from 20km but looking at the other runners I decided to wait a little bit and then went at 21-k. But to beat a record of Bekele’s is so special. I’m very excited. 

“Next year, for sure I will make my marathon debut, but I don’t know where yet. However, I think I can run 2:03, a crazy time. If I can beat Bekele’s record here, I can run that sort of crazy time,” added Barsoton.

Bekele’s brother Tariku Bekele drifted off the back of the leading pack just after 13 kilometres and eventually finished 10th in 1:15:53 while Kenya’s 2009 and 2011 world marathon champion Abel Kirui, a late addition to the race, was a distant 11th in 1:18.08.

In contrast to the way the men’s race unfolded, Shone was out on her own over the last 10 kilometres.

After a group of seven women had passed 10km in 33:37, Shone started to increase the tempo and by the halfway point just had her training partner Desi Jisa for company.

The Ethiopian-born Bahraini hung on doggedly for another couple of kilometres but by 15km, which Shone passed in 50:03, the 2019 Sevilla Marathon winner was starting to pull away from her rival.

Shone passed 20km in 1:06:00 with Jisa now 42 seconds back and the gap continued to grow over the final five kilometres, which was covered in 16:09, before Shone crossed the line in 1:22:09.

Jisa hung on to take second in 1:23:32 with another Ethiopian-born Bahraini, Tejitu Daba, exactly one minute further back in third. The first five finishers were inside the former women’s event record.

“I have practiced (trained) very hard throughout the year and it is yielding results now,” Shone said.

“The temperature was a little hot and since the running was through the city there were many turns and bents to make the race tough. Moreover, you did not know what kind of surface to expect next, so you had to keep guessing. All of that made the course challenging and worth the run,” she added.

 

(12/15/2019) Views: 1,560 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Ethiopia’s Sutume Asefa going after the Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon title again

Ethiopia’s Sutume Asefa will return to the Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon on Sunday, aiming to retain the title she took from the 2017 edition of the IAAF Gold Label road race.

The 24-year-old landed a 1:10:30 victory at the scenic Chinese city two years ago after winning a duel against fellow Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh in the final kilometre.

After renewing her personal best to 1:07:54 with a victory in Milan last March, she failed to compete at her best level in Yangzhou last month and only finished ninth in 1:12:11.

While Asefa will be keen to bounce back and regain the top honours, she will meet great challenge in front of a loaded field.

Her compatriot Degitu Azimeraw could be the biggest threat. The 20-year-old showed great quality in just her first year in senior level, clocking 1:06:47 in her first international half marathon race last February and winning the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon with another sub-70-minute run last April.

Two months ago, she improved her PB to 1:06:07 to finish fourth at the RAK Half Marathon.

Pauline Kamulu is another woman to watch. The Kenyan achieved a career best of 1:06:56 when taking bronze at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships last year. The 24-year-old bettered 70 minutes for the fifth straight time in March when she clocked 1:08:34 at the Bahrain Night Half Marathon.

With the absence of four-time defending champion Mosinet Geremew of Ethiopia, who set the course record of 59:52 in 2015, Bahrain’s Abraham Cheroben, runner-up last year, is the highest returner with the fastest PB in the line-up.

The 26-year-old will target nothing but the top place of the podium in his third consecutive appearance in Yangzhou.

(04/18/2019) Views: 2,444 ⚡AMP

The RAK women’s race should be as sensational as last year, being one of the world's fastest half marathons

The 2017 champion Peres Jepchirchir, in a then world record of 1:05:06, returns from becoming a mother, and while she may struggle to match the dramatic consistency of her 2016 racing year and the subsequent world record in Ras Al Khaimah, there is justifiable excitement about her return.

Equally keenly anticipated, is the appearance of reigning world half marathon champion Netsanet Gudeta of Ethiopia, whose win in Valencia last March not only gave her global gold but was a world record for a women’s-only race. She also won all three of her half marathon in 2018, and her remarkable consistency over the last four years, suggests there is more to come.

In the field as well is UAE’s own Alia Mohammed Saeed, who’s best time of 1:06:13 came in her debut and her only half marathon in Valencia last October. She was a close runner-up there and her three 10k road wins out of three last year, suggest her competitive instincts are finely honed.

Trying to stop her, from her former home in Ethiopia and only 20 last June, Zeineba Yimer ran five half marathons in 2018, each of them of high quality, and they included a fine fifth place at the world championships in March (1:08:07), followed by much faster times in September’s Copenhagen race (1:06:21 pb) and New Delhi (1:06:59).

Not having raced since that latter outing in October, should see her in fresh and ready-to-race. Throw in Degitu Azimeraw who also has just one half marathon to her name, and the challenge is clear. The winner of her first international race in Kolkata, a 25km just over a year ago, she was sixth in Ras Al Khaimah last year, her one and only half marathon ever, in a fine 1:06:47, to place just outside the world top ten for the year.

The race, traditionally one of the world's fastest half marathons, is this year to be staged partially on the brand-new man-made Al Marjan Island complex, possibly an even faster circuit than in previous years.

(01/30/2019) Views: 2,025 ⚡AMP

Ethiopian´s Netsanet Gudeta takes impressive victory in Bogota

Ethiopians Netsanet Gudeta and Betesfa Getahun produced convincing victories at 19th edition of the Bogota Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race. Gudeta dominated the race through the high altitude streets of the Colombian capital, winning by more than four minutes in 1:11:34, but falling short of the 1:10:39 course record set by Susan Chepkemei back in 2004. It was nonetheless a strong performance by Gudeta given Bogota's setting at 2600m above sea level, and the day's sunny, hot and windy conditions. This was the 27-year-old's third half marathon victory in as many races over the distance this year, following up her 1:06:11 women's-only race world record at the World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia in March, and a dominating 1:07:30 run in Olomouc, Czech Republic, five weeks ago. A turning point in the race came just before the five-kilometre mark. Brigid Kosgei of Kenya, the winner last year, took a tumble and fell to the ground. Gudeta forged on on her own from there to finish unchallenged. Kosgei was second in 1:14:40, with Degitu Azimeraw of Ethiopia third in 1:14:51. (07/30/2018) Views: 2,112 ⚡AMP