Running News Daily

This Saturday Jennifer Zayas along with two friends will lace up for the 27th annual Hartford Marathon.

Unlike past years, she won’t be starting at 8 a.m. and she won’t finish under the Arch in Bushnell Park, steps away from the State Capitol. She expects to see just one fan on the course.

Zayas will be heading out the door an hour early, running the entire 26.2 miles on the Farmington Canal Trail and relying on her husband for water, fuel and encouragement the entire way.

“Originally, I was signed up for the Chicago Marathon on the Autism Speaks team. In order to be on that team I had to raise money and I had so many people donate to me,” she said.

Because of COVID-19, Zayas’ race in Chicago was deferred until 2021, “but I felt overwhelmed by the support for the cause. I said I still have to run a marathon.”

Zayas is by no means the only athlete competing in the fall classic, even if she won’t see the more than 4,300 runners who are currently registered.

Adam Osmond, the co-founder of Run 169 Towns, will also be lacing up on Saturday.

“Every year I used to put together a relay team in the Hartford Marathon and I’m not stopping this year. Me and some of my coworkers are doing the virtual run and meeting in Hartford for it,” Osmond said. “We will keep our tradition alive.”

Planning races in the time of a pandemic

The Eversource Hartford Marathon is one of the largest races in the state, hosting more than 10,000 runners annually, second only to the Thanksgiving Day Manchester Road Race.

When it became clear that the pandemic was not going to allow for the usual spectacle, the nonprofit started brainstorming on how to keep the running community connected and motivated during this unusual season.

“Obviously being an event management company we have had to reassess everything. We started with our first virtual challenge – We Run CT event in April … but every event can’t just be a virtual event,” said Elizabeth Cowles, the Hartford Marathon Foundation Marketing Director. “Running for a cause that is important and relevant right now has been something that is imperative to race planning. It helps people feel good about what they’re doing and motivates them to sign up.”

All the proceeds from this year’s Hartford Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and 5k will be donated to charity, including Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Connecticut Food Bank, Red Cross, Girls on the Run, Hospital for Special Care and others.

“With our Hartford Marathon being such a community event we couldn’t just let this year pass,” Cowles said. “We decided the best solution was movement with purpose, making every penny of registration fees a donation.”

Virtual racing, however, is just not the same.

“A lot of people miss their friends. They miss the fans,” Osmond said. “I used to run in a race every week, it’s like missing my family. Running is not just the actual race, it’s what happens before and after.”

Zayas, on the other hand, said she is excited for the intimate feel of a virtual race with just her two running buddies.

“It feels more intimate that I have my two running partners and I’ll be right there with them as they finish their first marathon,” she said.

Finances of Road Racing

Charity fundraising requires the continued support of sponsors – especially Eversource – during this year where the companies will not get nearly the same amount of publicity.

“It’s only because of our sponsors we are able to mail out medals, shirts and still donate all the money to charity,” Cowles said.

Other races, however, have not been as lucky.

According to Dani Kennedy, a member of the Manchester Road Race executive committee, the historic race will need to have at least 4,000 registrants for this year’s virtual event in order to break even.

“If you love the Manchester Road Race sign up and pay your $20, we need it,” she said. “Anyone who says they love a race needs to support their race.”

Although the Manchester Road Race is more than likely to make it through this challenging year, Kennedy said she is very concerned about other races not coming back.

“I’m concerned about a lot of other races. A lot of sponsors may not have the money they may have had previously to support events,” she said. “Even if COVID is over, it doesn’t mean financially everyone is back to normal.”

Keeping the momentum going

The Manchester Road Race attracts between 12,000 and 15,000 runners every Thanksgiving Day, so to connect them together the race’s executive committee developed a novel way for competitors in a virtual race to experience the course.

Instead of receiving a shirt and bib in the mail and encouraging participants to send in their self-recorded times like many other races – including the Hartford – are doing, Manchester Road Race has developed an app that will allow racers to track their mileage on the typical course.

“When you press start Jim Balcome will say ‘This is Thanksgiving in Manchester,’ just like usual. As you run, the app will show you moving along the traditional course with sounds bites at key locations of what you would usually be hearing,” Kennedy said. “It will give you splits and tell you when you are done. Then it will upload your time automatically.”

Racers will have from the Friday to the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to complete the race to avoid any large crowds gathering on Thanksgiving morning.

“We are trying to help the town to not have hordes of people showing up,” Kennedy said. “If we allowed racing on Thanksgiving day we could easily have 5,000 people show up.”

Although some runners will certainly be gathering in Hartford this weekend to toe the line on Capitol Avenue, Cowles said the race is trying to strike the right balance of maintaining the community feel without the crowds.

“We have a mobile medal that has moved around the region so individuals can take photos,” Cowles said. It will start off in Bushnell Park on Saturday morning, but will be moved to Simsbury for the afternoon after spending Thursday at Fleet Feet Running Store and Friday in Glastonbury Center.

“We will definitely see people running the course, especially the half marathon course, but we aren’t encouraging it,” she said. “We want people to understand there is a reason we can’t.”

Opening of smaller races

Although many runners have continued running and competing during the pandemic, Osmond said the move to almost all virtual races has been especially challenging for his organization.

Virtual races do not count toward gaining entry according to Run 169 Towns rules.

“Each race to count has to be an officially timed, in-person race,” he said. “It was a little tough for people who have been close to finishing.”

This summer several smaller races have been held in person, including a Riverfront Scramble by the Hartford Marathon Foundation.

“We had one person finish the 169 towns since the start of the pandemic,” Osmond said.

Cowles said the Hartford Marathon Foundation is planning to hold at least a couple of in-person, holiday races later this fall which will include a staggered start in order to maintain social distancing at the events.

For those who are struggling to stay motivated to train or compete in a virtual race this fall, Zayas had one simple piece of advice.

“Remember why you signed up in the first place,” she said. “The work and effort you put into it, whether or not it’s in a large crowd or solo, it still takes the same amount of energy.”

Most Olympic marathoners spend their youth focused on running. They join track clubs, compete in national championships, and pursue the sport from an early age.

Julia Mayer’s journey was very different.

Today, Mayer is Austria’s marathon record holder, a multiple national record holder on the roads, and an Olympian. Yet for much of her athletic life, running was not her primary sport.

For 16 years, she played soccer.

Then she discovered something that would change her life.

“I noticed that I was really fast in the fun runs and that it was really, really fun,” Mayer said when reflecting on her transition from soccer to distance running.

What began as curiosity quickly became a passion. She eventually made the bold decision to leave soccer behind and focus entirely on running. It was a move that surprised many people around her, but Mayer believed she had found her true athletic calling.

The decision proved to be the right one.

Within a few years, Mayer developed into one of Europe’s top marathon runners. Her steady improvement carried her from local races to the international stage, where she began rewriting Austria’s record books.

She now holds Austrian records in the marathon, half marathon, and road 10K. Her marathon best of 2:26:08 established her as the fastest female marathoner in Austrian history. Her performances in the half marathon and 10K have further cemented her place among the country’s all-time great distance runners.

Her rise culminated with qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Competing in the Olympic marathon represented the realization of a dream. On one of the most challenging marathon courses ever used for the Olympics, Mayer ran courageously against the strongest field in the world and finished 55th in her Olympic debut.

Behind the scenes, success has come through extraordinary dedication. During marathon preparation, Mayer trains twice a day and covers approximately 200 kilometers, or 124 miles, each week. The workload demands discipline, patience, and a deep commitment to continuous improvement. 

What makes her story especially inspiring is not simply the records or the Olympic appearance.

It is the fact that she found her greatest talent later than many elite runners.

In a sport where athletes are often identified at a young age, Mayer’s journey serves as a reminder that potential does not always reveal itself early. Sometimes it takes years of experience, a willingness to try something new, and the courage to follow a different path. 

The former soccer player who once chased a ball across a field is now chasing history on the roads of Europe.

And according to those closest to her, her best performances may still be ahead.

For runners of every age and ability, Julia Mayer’s story delivers a powerful lesson: it is never too late to discover what you are capable of.

From soccer player to Olympian, her journey proves that remarkable achievements can begin when least expected.

Megan Keith produced the performance of her career in Oslo on Thursday night, shattering one of Scotland’s longest-standing distance running records and cementing her place among Britain’s greatest female 3000m runners.

The 24-year-old clocked a sensational 8:28.35 over 3000m, breaking the Scottish outdoor record that had stood for nearly four decades. In doing so, Keith eclipsed the previous mark of 8:29.02, set by Scottish legend Yvonne Murray back in 1988, ending a record reign that had lasted 38 years.

Keith’s breakthrough run was more than just a national record. The performance also propelled her to third on the UK outdoor all-time list, placing her behind only two of Britain’s most celebrated distance runners — Paula Radcliffe, who leads the rankings with 8:22.20, and Laura Weightman, whose 8:26.07 remains the second-fastest outdoor mark by a British woman.

The significance of Keith’s achievement is amplified by the calibre of athletes she now joins in the record books. For decades, Murray’s mark stood as one of Scottish athletics’ most untouchable records, surviving generations of elite competitors. Keith has now succeeded where many outstanding runners have fallen short, announcing herself as one of the leading distance talents in British athletics.

Her time also compares favourably with the best performances produced indoors. Olympic medallist Laura Muir ran 8:26.41 indoors in Karlsruhe in 2017, underlining just how exceptional Keith’s outdoor effort in Oslo truly was.

The run continues a remarkable rise for the Scottish star, whose progression over recent seasons has transformed her from a promising prospect into a genuine force on the international stage. Running with confidence and composure against elite competition, Keith demonstrated both the speed and endurance required to challenge the very best in Europe and beyond.

With the World Championship season gathering momentum, Keith’s record-breaking display sends a powerful message. Not only has she etched her name into Scottish athletics history, but she has also established herself as a serious contender in one of the sport’s most competitive events.

In Oslo, Megan Keith did far more than break a record. She ended a 38-year wait, climbed into the upper echelon of British distance running, and delivered a performance that may prove to be a defining moment in her career.

British middle-distance talent Phoebe Gill took another significant step forward in her return to top form, producing a determined victory over 800 metres at the Meeting de Marseille in France on Wednesday.

Competing in challenging, wind-affected conditions, the 19-year-old demonstrated both resilience and composure as she held off a late charge from Switzerland's Veronica Vancardo to secure the win in 2:00.81. Vancardo finished just three hundredths of a second behind in 2:00.84, underlining the fiercely contested nature of the race.

While the margin of victory was narrow, the result represented another encouraging milestone for Gill as she continues to rebuild momentum following her injury setback. The young Briton showed impressive race awareness and strength in the closing stages, maintaining her advantage despite the difficult conditions that made fast running a challenge throughout the evening.

The Marseille triumph adds to a growing body of evidence that Gill is steadily progressing toward her best form. Earlier in her comeback campaign, she clocked 2:01.50 for 800m in Bydgoszcz before demonstrating her versatility with a strong 4:05.53 performance over 1500 metres at the BMC Grand Prix meeting in Trafford.

Those performances have highlighted not only her improving fitness but also her ability to compete across multiple distances as she carefully builds her season. The Marseille victory now provides further confirmation that the European junior star is moving in the right direction.

Gill emerged as one of Britain's most exciting middle-distance prospects through a series of breakthrough performances as a teenager, earning widespread recognition for her fearless racing style and remarkable maturity. Injury temporarily interrupted that upward trajectory, but her recent results suggest she is steadily rediscovering the form that made her one of the sport's brightest young talents.

With each race, the signs of progress become increasingly evident. Winning in difficult conditions and under pressure from a quality field is often a stronger indicator than a fast time alone, and Gill's latest success demonstrated exactly those qualities.

As the summer season gathers pace, the Marseille victory offers another confidence boost for the British teenager, whose return continues to gain momentum. If her recent progression is any indication, Gill could soon find herself back among the leading names on the European middle-distance circuit. 

The NCAA Track and Field Championships delivered a moment few could have predicted as Ja’Kobe Tharp produced one of the most astonishing performances in the history of sprint hurdling, rewriting the record books in spectacular fashion.

Competing in the opening round of the men’s 110-meter hurdles, the Auburn star stunned the athletics world by clocking an incredible 12.75 seconds, becoming the first athlete ever to break the 12.80-second barrier. In doing so, he eclipsed the long-standing world record of 12.80 set by Aries Merritt in 2012, a mark that had stood as one of the sport’s most revered achievements for more than a decade.

What makes Tharp’s breakthrough even more remarkable is the scale of his improvement. Entering the championships, the defending NCAA and U.S. champion had recorded a season-best of 13.05 seconds. Yet under the brightest spotlight, he unleashed a performance that exceeded every expectation, slicing an extraordinary 0.26 seconds from his personal best in a race that instantly became one of the greatest ever run.

The achievement sent shockwaves throughout the track and field community. While Tharp arrived in Eugene as one of the leading contenders for the NCAA title, few envisioned a performance capable of redefining the limits of the event. Instead, the American hurdler delivered a race for the ages, combining flawless technique, explosive speed, and impeccable rhythm from the first hurdle to the finish line.

The historic run not only secured his place in athletics history but also transformed the outlook of the championship. With the world record now in his possession, Tharp advances to the final as the overwhelming favorite, carrying momentum that could make an already unforgettable weekend even more extraordinary.

For years, the 12.80 barrier appeared untouchable. On a stunning day at the NCAA Championships, Ja’Kobe Tharp proved otherwise, producing the kind of performance that reminds fans why sport remains so unpredictable. In a matter of seconds, he turned a routine qualifying round into a landmark moment that will be remembered for generations.

The world record no one saw coming is now a reality—and Ja’Kobe Tharp is the man who changed history.

A new chapter in middle-distance running may have begun in Oslo after American teenager Cooper Lutkenhaus produced one of the most remarkable performances of the season, narrowly defeating reigning Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi in a thrilling men's 800m contest at the Diamond League meeting.

The 17-year-old sensation shocked a world-class field by crossing the finish line first in a race that came down to the smallest of margins. After an intense battle over the final metres, Lutkenhaus held off Wanyonyi by just one hundredth of a second, producing a dramatic finish that left the packed stadium in disbelief.

From the opening lap, the pace was relentless as the leading contenders positioned themselves for a fierce showdown. As the athletes entered the home straight, Wanyonyi appeared poised to unleash his trademark finishing kick. However, Lutkenhaus refused to be intimidated, matching the Olympic champion stride for stride before producing a perfectly timed lean at the line to secure a historic victory.

The result marks a breakthrough moment for the young American, who continues to establish himself as one of the brightest talents in global athletics. Defeating an Olympic champion at a Diamond League event is a feat many athletes spend entire careers pursuing, yet Lutkenhaus achieved it before reaching adulthood.

For Wanyonyi, the narrow defeat does little to diminish his status as one of the world's premier 800m runners. The Kenyan once again demonstrated his exceptional class and competitiveness, pushing the race to a world-class standard and forcing his young rival to deliver the performance of a lifetime.

Beyond the result itself, the race offered a glimpse into what could become one of the sport's most exciting rivalries in the years ahead. With established stars and emerging talents now pushing each other to new heights, the men's 800m continues to evolve into one of athletics' most captivating events.

On a memorable night in Oslo, the spotlight belonged to Cooper Lutkenhaus. At just 17 years old, he stood toe-to-toe with an Olympic champion and emerged victorious, announcing himself to the athletics world in spectacular fashion.