Running News Daily

By Toni Reavis 

There have been many historic firsts in the long history of the Boston Marathon. This coming Monday, 21 April, 2025, 28-year-old John Korir of Kitale, Kenya, will attempt to become the first brother of a Boston champion to match his sibling on the Boylston Street winner‘s platform. Older brother Wesley won Boston in the notoriously hot year of 2012. 

History To Write 

The Korir brothers have already written their first chapter of running history when John won the BofA Chicago Marathon last fall in 2:02:44. That gave each brother one World Marathon Major on their ledger. And both have won twice the Los Angeles Marathon, too, Wesley in 2009 & 2010, John in 2021 & 2022. Now John looks to join Wesley as a Boston champion.

STRONG FIELD

But it won’t be easy as John will have, among others, two former Boston champions to contend with, defender Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia and 2022-2023 champ, Evans Chebet of Kenya.

All three competed last year, so there won’t be any surprises like we saw in 2024 when Lemma struck out early, opened a commanding lead—posting the fastest first half in Boston history, 60:19—and then hung on to win.

BOSTON TACTICS

So accustomed are today’s runners to pacesetters, that a tactic like hard early front running can catch competitors off guard. Remember Meb Keflezighi in 2014? It worked again ten years later. 

Despite Lemma slowing to a near 66-minute second half, his cushion was substantial enough for a relatively easy win in 2:06:17. Chebet finished third, Korir fourth. 

1. Sisay Lemma: 2:06:17 (Ethiopia)

2. Mohamed Esa: 2:06:58 (Ethiopia)

3. Evans Chebet: 2:07:22 (Kenya)

4. John Korir: 2:07:40 (Kenya)

Odds are that Lemma won’t employ the same strategy this Patriots’ Day. And if he does, the others won’t be caught on their back foot.

FAITH IN & FROM COACH MANN

I spoke with John Korir‘s coach, Ron Mann, two days ago after he finished nine holes of golf at his home course in Louisville, Kentucky. We discussed both John and brother Wesley, who Ron also coached at the University of Louisville and then throughout his professional running career.

I pointed out to Coach Mann that Boston 2025 will be the 12th marathon of John’s career. He began with two late race falters in his first three marathon attempts, Ottawa 2018 and Los Angeles in 2019. On both occasions, he moved hard at 20 miles and opened what looked to be winning margins. 

EARLY HARD LESSONS

But in Ottawa, course record holder Yemane Tsegay of Ethiopia caught him at 40k, and won by 22 seconds. In Los Angeles, it was even more cruel, as John faded significantly on Ocean Avenue in sight of the finish line in Santa Monica. With less than 30 seconds of running left, Elisha Barno flew by the exhausted Korir to snatch the win by 7 seconds. 

“Early in his career, when he was running well, but not great, he was only running about 70 miles a week,” explained Coach Mann. “He didn’t have a bottom under him. Gradually, over a period of four years, we are now at the point where he is running big mileage. He first did it before Chicago last fall and now even a little bit more for Boston. I don’t know how well the others are prepared, but John is all ready to go.”

This will be John‘s third attempt at Boston. In 2023 he finished ninth in 2:10:04. Last year he was fourth in 2:07:40.

“So he knows the course,” confirmed Coach Mann. “And if we go back to Geoffrey Mutai’s record in 2011 (2:03:02), everything happens at Heartbreak Hill. Two years ago, John charged up Heartbreak Hill with Eliud Kipchoge. They ended up eighth and ninth. So you gotta ask if that’s the wise thing to do.”

BOSTON SPECIFIC PREP

John has prepared on a variety of terrains back home for Boston’s tricky route. 

“Like golf, you try to look at the course you’re playing,” explained Mann, who visited John in Kenya in January. “If the last hole is over water, then you practice that. So the last 4 miles in Boston are downgrade with big crowds.  So you have to be ready for that.

“I told him, ‘you have as much speed as anyone. You’ve run a 58:50 for the half-marathon. So if you feel like you wanna go, go. But if you feel like you wanna wait, then wait.”

There is a 14-year gap between Wesley and John. And their attributes as runners are different as well.

2012 Boston Marathon champion Wesley Korir (third photo) 

“John has more speed,” said their coach. “But Wesley had more endurance. He was able to withstand more early on in his career. But we needed to put speed on to his endurance. But when he decided to campaign for and won his seat for parliament in 2013 (as he simultaneously prepared to defend his Boston title), we never got a chance to do that. So we never saw the end of his career where he could’ve maximized his speed. John already has the speed. We just needed to put endurance beneath it.”

LEARNING HOW TO WIN

Another of Korir’s opponents will be American Olympian, Connor Mantz. Like John, Connor is 28-years-old, and just entering his prime. While still dangerous, Sisay Lemma (34) and Evans Chebet (35) are on the back nine of their careers. 

Though Connor Mantz has a half marathon PR close to Korir’s—59:15 to 58:50—he has yet to finish on the podium of a major marathon, much less tasted victory.

“John has learned how to win,” said Coach Mann. “That’s why the wins in the Boilermaker 15k (Utica, N.Y.), Falmouth Road Race, and Chicago Marathon in 2024 were so important. Now he is expecting to win. 

“He already has two marathon victories in Los Angeles and one in Chicago. He also has a world class personal best (2:02:44). Now it’s consistency over a long period of time. Boston is one step along that route. Will he win this year? I don’t know. But he will win Boston in his career. I tell him, you’re as prepared as you can be, and I’ve never trained an athlete to your level before. So, it’s yours to take now.”

CONSTRUCTING YOUR FITNESS

Runners know that reaching peak form is a slow building process. People refer to building your aerobic house. I liken it to constructing a house of cards. You can build a very strong house, but you must build it assiduously, and gradually, or the whole thing will come tumbling down.

“Between Boston last spring and Chicago last fall, John’s stride tempo went up by five per minute,” explained Coach Mann. “And his average heart rate went from 184bpm in Boston to 173 in Chicago. That tells me he’s even fitter that he was.”

HOME IN THE CHERANGANY HILLS

John lives and trains in the Cherangany Hills about 40 minutes northwest of Eldoret, Kenya in the famed Central Highlands. It’s 15 minutes from Kitale, where the Transcend Academy is located. 

Transcend Academy is a non-profit school sponsored by the Kenyan Kids Foundation USA that provides full scholarships to talented students from needy backgrounds. Its mission is to leverage running to develop holistic individuals for the progress of Kenya. It’s an offshoot of Wesley Korir’s political sensibilities.

The school was founded by Wesley and his wife, Tarah, who met while both were students at the University of Louisville. John also contributes financially to Transcend. 

While John lives and trains in Kitale, his wife and three girls moved to Eldoret because that’s where his kids go to school. But John built a second home in Kitale with his Chicago winnings, so his family can come stay with him on weekends. John and Wesley’s mom and dad live about 600m from the school, too. 

“We have a very close-knit, well-oiled family around him,” said Coach Mann, “to make sure that he gets it right.”

The field for Monday’s marathon is very strong and experienced. The weather forecast suggests benign conditions, so it will be the athletes, alone, who decide the outcome. 

IN THE HANDS OF GOD

“I tell John, ‘the gift is your responsibility to use," said Coach Mann. "So use it well and give the glory to God’. He did that in Chicago. He crossed himself after he crossed the line.”

Maybe another cross in Hopkinton might not be a bad idea come Monday morning. Brother Wesley will be waiting with Coach Mann at the finish line on Boylston Street, praying like mad, one would assume. 

Believing the Boston!

 

 

Jakob Ingebrigtsen brought his remarkable 2026 season to a fitting close on home soil, winning the men’s street 1500m at the inaugural Runfest Norway in Sandnes on Friday.

Competing in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd, the Olympic and world champion took control of the race from the early stages and maintained his authority through the finish, stopping the clock at 3:40.7.

Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen followed in second in 3:43.3, while Sigurd Tveit completed the podium in 3:47.8.

The unusual street race added another dimension to the occasion, with 273 runners taking part on the same road and sharing the course with one of Norway’s most accomplished distance runners. For the recreational participants, it offered a rare opportunity to compete alongside Ingebrigtsen in an event that brought elite athletics and mass participation together.

The victory also provided a fitting final chapter to a season that began with significant uncertainty for Ingebrigtsen. After undergoing major Achilles surgery in February, the Norwegian was forced to miss a substantial portion of the summer campaign as he worked his way back to full fitness.

His return, however, quickly developed into another championship-winning chapter. In Birmingham, Ingebrigtsen captured European 5,000m gold before adding another major title at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, where he won the 5,000m.

Those performances transformed what could have been a disrupted season into another year defined by championship success and a determined return to the highest level.

Now, with the Sandnes victory added to his 2026 record, Ingebrigtsen closes the year exactly where it began in spirit — overcoming adversity, rebuilding his form and once again competing at the front.

From Achilles surgery in February to major championship victories and finally a 1500m win before his hometown crowd, the Norwegian has given his 2026 season a memorable final scene.

Olympic 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell has announced her engagement to longtime partner Robert “Robbie” Springfield, adding a major personal milestone to the remarkable journey of one of America’s leading track and field stars.

Russell shared the news with her followers, revealing that Springfield had proposed and that she had accepted. Reflecting on their relationship, the Olympic champion described him as her best friend and expressed her excitement about spending the rest of her life with him.

The couple’s relationship dates back to their college years at the University of Kentucky, where both were student-athletes and competed in track and field. Russell established herself as a standout hurdler, while Springfield competed in the long jump, giving them a shared understanding of the demands, sacrifices and pressures that come with pursuing success in athletics.

Springfield has since transitioned from competition into coaching. A former collegiate long jumper, he is now part of the coaching staff at Morehead State University, where he works with the programme’s sprinters and jumpers.

Their relationship has developed alongside Russell’s rise to the top of the sport. The defining moment of her career came at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she captured gold in the women’s 100m hurdles, securing her place among the sport’s Olympic champions.

Away from competition, Springfield has remained a familiar part of Russell’s journey, sharing in the demanding periods of training and competition that accompanied her pursuit of Olympic success. Their connection has consequently grown from a college athletics relationship into a long-term partnership.

The engagement now marks another significant chapter for Russell, this time away from the track. After reaching the pinnacle of her sporting career in Paris, the 100m hurdles champion is beginning a new phase of her personal life alongside a partner who has been part of her journey since their university days.

From competing on the same collegiate stage to building a future together, Russell and Springfield’s story has evolved alongside two careers shaped by track and field. The Olympic champion will now balance this new personal chapter with her continuing ambitions in athletics

The women’s race at the 2026 TCS Amsterdam Marathon is shaping up to be one of the most competitive editions in recent years, with a deep international field set to take on the fast Dutch course on Sunday, October 18.

At the centre of the contest will be four Ethiopian athletes who have already broken the 2:20 barrier, creating the prospect of a fascinating battle for victory and a possible assault on the course record of 2:16:52.

Defending champion Aynalem Desta will return to Amsterdam looking to retain her title after producing the biggest performance of her career at last year’s 50th edition. Desta won in a personal best of 2:17:37, establishing herself among the leading marathoners in the field and setting the benchmark for this year’s contenders.

Standing in her way will be fellow Ethiopian Meseret Belete Tola, a former Amsterdam champion who knows exactly what it takes to succeed on the course. Belete Tola captured the 2023 edition in 2:18:21, and her return adds another layer of experience and proven quality to an already formidable lineup.

The field also includes Mestawut Fikir Truneh, who arrives with an impressive marathon pedigree. Truneh finished runner-up at the 2024 Berlin Marathon in 2:18:48, demonstrating her ability to compete at the highest level on one of the world's major marathon stages.

Completing the quartet of sub-2:20 Ethiopians is Buze Diriba, whose personal best of 2:19:34 places her firmly among the leading contenders. With four athletes possessing credentials below 2:20, the race is likely to develop into a tightly contested battle from the opening kilometres.

The depth extends well beyond the leading quartet. Desi Jisa Mokonin, representing Bahrain, Yeshi Kalayu Chekole of Ethiopia and Nazret Weldu Gebrehiwet of Eritrea have all established themselves as serious marathon competitors with performances approaching the 2:20 mark.

Another major name to watch is Abeba Aregawi, the former 1500m world champion representing Sweden. Aregawi has successfully transferred her talents to the marathon and made headlines earlier this year by setting a Swedish national record of 2:23:12 on her debut. Her presence adds another intriguing dimension to an already high-quality field.

Amsterdam’s marathon course has consistently provided an opportunity for elite athletes to produce fast times, and this year’s women’s lineup has the depth to turn the race into a genuine test of both championship racing and outright speed.

With four athletes already inside 2:20, two former Amsterdam champions returning to the start line and several other accomplished marathoners ready to challenge them, the battle is expected to remain open deep into the race.

The ultimate target will be the Amsterdam women’s course record of 2:16:52. Whether the leading contenders can threaten that mark remains to be seen, but the quality assembled for October 18 ensures that the record will be firmly in the spotlight when the race reaches its spectacular finish inside the Olympic Stadium.

The 2026 Valencia Half Marathon is shaping up to be a thrilling contest of speed, endurance and tactical brilliance, with some of the world’s finest road runners set to converge in Spain on October 25.

Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo and Alex Matata will be among the leading contenders, facing a formidable Ethiopian challenge spearheaded by Jemal Yimer and Tadese Worku. The field also features Rodrigue Kwizera, who boasts the fastest personal best among the leading entrants at 58:16.

Ebenyo arrives with a personal best of 59:04, placing him firmly among the athletes capable of sustaining a demanding pace over the 21.1-kilometre distance. Matata, who owns a 59:11 best, adds further Kenyan strength, while Andrea Kiptoo brings another sub-60-minute credential to the race.

Yimer has already established himself as one of the fastest athletes in the field with a 58:33 personal best, while Worku has clocked 58:35. Kenya’s Owen Korir, with a best of 58:58, further underlines the remarkable depth of the men's lineup.

Valencia Half Marathon 2026 Entries

1. Rodrigue Kwizera (Spain) — 58:16

2. Jemal Yimer (Ethiopia) — 58:33

3. Tadese Worku (Ethiopia) — 58:35

4. Owen Korir (Kenya) — 58:58

5. Daniel Ebenyo (Kenya) — 59:04

6. Alex Matata (Kenya) — 59:11

7. Andrea Kiptoo (Kenya) — 59:11

8. Thierry Ndikumwenayo (Spain) — 59:42

9. Said Mechaal (Spain) — 1:00:24

10. Adel Mechaal (Spain) — 1:02:30

Kwizera, who finished second in Valencia last year, leads the field on paper and will be seeking another standout performance on the famously fast Valencia course. With several athletes carrying sub-60-minute credentials, the race has the ingredients for an aggressive battle from the opening kilometres.

Beyond the headline names, the men’s field is deep and highly competitive, bringing together a strong collection of experienced international athletes with proven ability over the half-marathon distance. With so much quality packed into the lineup, the race promises an intriguing battle in which tactics, endurance, positioning and finishing speed could all play a crucial role in determining the eventual champion.

Yet personal bests will count for little once the gun goes off. The title could ultimately be decided by patience, positioning and the ability to respond when the pace begins to rise in the closing stages. Every surge, every tactical move and every second saved could prove decisive on the road to the finish.

With Kenya, Ethiopia and Spain represented by athletes of exceptional quality, Valencia promises a high-octane men's showdown in which the leaders are likely to be separated by only a handful of seconds. The final kilometres could provide the defining moments of a race packed with speed, ambition and anticipation.

On October 25, the question will be simple: who has the strength to command the streets of Valencia and claim the coveted half-marathon crown?

 

April 19, 1982. The Boston Marathon unfolded under unusually warm, sunny conditions, and by the closing stages, the race had become a private battle between two very different American runners: Alberto Salazar, already one of the biggest names in distance running, and Dick Beardsley, the Minnesota runner who had emerged as a serious marathon contender.

For roughly nine miles, from the Newton Hills toward the finish, Beardsley did much of the leading, with Salazar tucked close behind. Neither man could shake the other. They ran deep into Boston locked together, trading surges and refusing to surrender an inch as the crowds along the course grew louder.

Salazar finally made his decisive move with less than a mile remaining. He opened a small gap, but Beardsley refused to disappear. The Minnesota runner chased him through the final streets, closing again as they approached the finish.

Then came the final sprint.

Salazar held his form and reached the finish first in 2:08:52, with Beardsley only two seconds behind in 2:08:54. It was an extraordinary result: both men broke 2:09 in the same Boston Marathon, and both shattered the previous course record.

The race became known as the “Duel in the Sun,” and it remains one of the most celebrated head-to-head battles in Boston Marathon history. Beardsley had not won, but his performance established him as one of America's elite marathoners.

For Salazar, however, victory came at an enormous physical cost. Immediately after crossing the finish line, he collapsed and required emergency treatment, including several litres of intravenous saline. The combination of heat, dehydration and an all-out effort had pushed his body to the limit.

Salazar's marathon career would never again produce quite the same kind of performance. His celebrated 1981 New York City Marathon victory had produced what was initially considered a world record, although the course was later found to be short. His Boston triumph therefore became one of the defining victories of his career.

Beardsley's story would take an even more difficult turn. Injuries disrupted his career, and after returning to the highest level, he suffered a devastating farm accident in 1989. Further accidents, surgeries and severe physical pain followed, eventually leading to a long battle with painkiller addiction.

He eventually overcame that struggle and transformed the darkest chapters of his life into a story of recovery, resilience and redemption.

That is what makes the 1982 Boston Marathon more than a two-second victory.

For one extraordinary afternoon, Salazar and Beardsley produced a marathon duel in which neither man was willing to give way. One crossed the finish line first. The other finished only two seconds behind him.

Two seconds separated them at Boston. Decades later, their legendary duel remains one of the greatest chapters in marathon history.