Running News Daily

At a time when elite marathon success is often built around professional coaching teams, corporate sponsorships, altitude camps, and carefully managed race schedules, Vincent Mauri has rewritten the script in the most astonishing way possible.

The 25-year-old American stunned the distance-running world last month when he clocked a breathtaking 2:05:54 in his very first marathon — the fastest marathon debut ever recorded by an American athlete. What made the performance even more extraordinary was not just the time itself, but the unlikely path behind it.

No coach. No sponsor. No major professional backing.

Just relentless discipline, intelligent preparation, and a belief that bordered on fearless.

When Mauri crossed the finish line, disbelief spread almost instantly across social media and running forums. Many initially assumed the result had to be incorrect. A 2:05 marathon is already world-class territory. Producing it on debut, with virtually no public profile entering the race, felt almost unreal.

But the performance was no accident.

Behind the scenes, Mauri had quietly built himself into one of the most dangerous emerging talents in American distance running. While much of the spotlight remained fixed on established stars, he focused on consistency — stacking together weeks of demanding mileage, carefully structured workouts, and meticulous recovery habits without the luxury of a professional support system.

Those close to his training revealed sessions that bordered on outrageous: long runs at near-marathon pace, brutal threshold workouts, and remarkable solo efforts that hinted something special was brewing long before race day arrived.

Yet perhaps the most impressive aspect of Mauri’s rise is the independence with which he achieved it.

In an era where athletes often rely heavily on sports science teams and sponsorship infrastructure, Mauri trusted his own instincts and commitment. He trained largely outside the traditional elite system, proving that raw determination and attention to detail can still compete with the sport’s biggest resources.

His breakthrough has now sparked excitement across American distance running, with many already wondering how fast he can ultimately become. A debut of 2:05:54 immediately places him among the nation’s elite marathoners and signals the arrival of a serious contender on the international stage.

More importantly, Mauri’s story resonates because it feels authentic.

It is the story of an athlete who succeeded before the contracts, before the headlines, and before the spotlight found him. In a sport increasingly shaped by commercial expectations, Vincent Mauri delivered a reminder that extraordinary performances can still emerge from pure grit and self-belief.

America may have just discovered its newest marathon sensation — and he did it entirely on his own terms.

A stunning performance in Toledo has introduced a new name to the global marathon stage.

Running his first-ever marathon, Vinny Mauri clocked an extraordinary 2:05:54 at the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon, winning the race and breaking the course record by an astonishing 13 minutes.

The performance immediately places Mauri among the best American marathoners ever:

Fastest U.S. marathon debut

#3 all-time U.S. performer on a record-eligible course

From NCAA Standout to Marathon Star

Mauri is not a complete unknown—but this level of performance is a major leap.

He competed collegiately at Notre Dame, where he developed into a strong distance runner across track and cross country.

Recent highlights from his NCAA career:

13:34.03 for 5000m (one of the top marks in program history)

7:50.33 for 3000m

3:59.05 for the mile

All-ACC honors in cross country (8K in 23:44)

These are very solid marks—but not typically the kind that predict a 2:05 marathon debut.

A Breakthrough Unlike Most

Most elite marathon debuts are cautious. Athletes test the distance, learn pacing, and aim to finish strong.

Mauri did something entirely different.

From early in the race, he committed to a pace well under 2:06—and held it. Instead of fading late, he surged, turning what could have been a strong debut into one of the most surprising performances in recent U.S. distance running history.

A 13-minute course record improvement underscores just how dominant the run was.

What This Means

This performance raises immediate questions—and excitement.

Has Mauri found his true event in the marathon?

Is this the start of a new American star at the distance?

How fast can he go on a major stage?

At 2:05:54, he is instantly relevant on the world stage.

The Bottom Line

Vinny Mauri came into Toledo as a promising but relatively unheralded distance runner.

He left as one of the fastest American marathoners of all time.

Debuts like this are rare. When they happen, they usually signal something much bigger ahead.

Hawi Feysa took the 41st Mainova Frankfurt Marathon with a superb course record: The 25 year-old Ethiopian ran 2:17:25 to improve the former women’s record by 1:45. It was also the 12th fastest performance this year. Second-placed Kenyan Magdalyne Masai ran a big personal best of 2:18:58 and also finished inside the former course record of 2:19:10. Ethiopia’s Shuko Genemo was third with 2:22:37.

The men’s race had its surprise as well: the 22 year-old Kenyan debutant Benard Biwott triumphed to cross the line in 2:05:54 in Frankfurt’s Festhalle. The Ethiopians Gossa Challa and Lencho Tesfaye took second and third with 2:07:35 and 2:08:02 respectively. The combined winning times of the women’s and men’s champions came to 4:23:19, the fastest aggregate time ever in the history of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon. Organisers registered 13,939 runners from 113 nations. Adding events at shorter distances, the total was 25,616 athletes.

“To have such as fantastic course record is so satisfying for all of us involved. You can prepare a great deal in elite sport but nothing is guaranteed. We had ideal conditions, many personal bests and many wonderful scenes of celebration at the finish,” said the Race Director Jo Schindler. The Elite Race Coordinator Philipp Kopp added his thoughts: “Once again we’ve shown that you can run fast in Frankfurt.” The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon had 13,939 runners from 113 countries and, taking into consideration events held in conjunction, had in total 25,616 participants.

Women’s Race: Feysa’s breakthrough, Schwiening fastest European

Hawi Feysa achieved a sensational breakthrough in the marathon by running 2:17:25. The Ethiopian had shown highly creditable performances at shorter distances and finished sixth in the World Cross Country Championships in 2023. Winning the marathon in a course record took her to a new level. “The record was my goal and everything went perfectly. After 25 kilometres I had enough energy left to run away from the group. I was very happy with my race plan. The atmosphere along the course helped me a lot. You can certainly run 2;16 on this fast course,” Hawi Feysa reflected.

Right from the start the fastest runners set out to make a concerted attack on the course record of 2:19:10. Although no runner had a personal best faster than 2:21:17, the pace was consistently aimed at breaking the record. “I wanted originally to run at my own pace alone at the head of the field. But the organizers planned that we ran together as a group until 25 kilometres. The tactic proved very good,” said Feysa, in praise of sporting director Philipp Kopp.

Five women went through halfway in 69:19, among them Hawi Feysa and the two sisters, Magdalyne and Linet Masai from Kenya. When Feysa increased the pace after 25 kilometres, only Magdalyne Masai followed her. Until just before 40 km, Masai was still in contention with the gap a few seconds. But Hawi Feysa proved unbeatable and ran a clearly faster second half of the race to finish in triumph in the Festhalle. Magdalyne Masai was a highly creditable second in 2:18:58.

While it was the first time that two women ran below 2:20 in Frankfurt a large number of elite runners achieved personal bests: Four women from the top 5 and six from the top 10 ran PBs. British runners achieved a string of great results in Frankfurt: Georgina Schwiening was the fastest European with a strong PB of 2:25:46 in eleventh place. A staggering number of seven British women finished inside the top 25 in the „Festhalle“.

Men’s Race: A day for the debutants

The men’s elite field, featuring talent spread evenly throughout, set off at a pace which made the target finishing time of under 2:05 a real possibility. Split times of 29:38 for 10km and 44:30 at 15km pointed to a time in the region of just under 2:05. Subsequently the pace dropped somewhat, despite the excellent weather conditions with temperatures between 12 and 15 degrees, overcast and almost no win. But with a number of kilometre splits around 3 minutes, halfway was reached in 62:52. For much of the time, the 13-strong leading group then stayed compact and there was little change.

The first serious attack came only after 30 km but it proved decisive: Bernard Biwott went to the front and only Gossa Challa proved capable of going with the marathon debutant. But when the Kenyan forced the pace again between 35 and 37 kilometres and covered the single kilometres in around 2:50, the Ethiopian had no reply. Biwott, who previously had shown highly promising form at half marathon, achieving a best of 59:44, won with over a minute and a half to spare. “I’m so happy because I didn’t expect that I could win on my debut. I want to thank the organizers and my manager Gianni Demadonna for their support,” said Bernard Biwott who had achieved a rare win here on debut. The last occasion in the men’s race in Frankfurt was in 2008 when a fellow Kenyan, Robert Cheruiyot, won in what was then a course record of 2:07:21.

To add to the surprises, a marathon debutant was also the fastest runner from Germany in the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon. Jan Lukas Becker finished 17th in 2:15:20 and had been on course for a finishing time of under 2:11 for much of the race. 

Results, Men:

1. Benard Biwott KEN 2:05:54

2. Gossa Challe ETH 2:07:35

3. Lencho Tesfaye ETH 2:08:02

4. Gerba Dibaba ETH 2:09:03

5. Aychew Dessie ETH 2:09:22

6. Workneh Serbessa ETH 2:09:30

7. Christopher Muthini KEN 2:09:31

8. Ebba Chala  SWE 2:09:35

9. Tim Vincent AUS 2:09:40

10. Mulat Gebeyehu ETH 2:10:07

Women:

1. Hawi Feysa ETH 2:17:25

2. Magdalyne Masai KEN 2:18:58

3. Shuko Genemo ETH 2:22:37

4. Catherine Cherotich KEN 2:22:42

5. Agnes Keino KEN 2:22:53

6. Kidsan Alema ETH 2:23:27

7. Linet Masai KEN 2:23:52

8. Judith Kiyeng KEN 2:24:41

9. Betty Chepkwony KEN 2:25:13

10. Aberash Korsa ETH 2:25:43

Two-time Boston Marathon champion Evans Chebet will gauge his readiness for November’s New York Marathon at Sunday (September 8) when he lines up at the Great North Run, England.

The Great North Run is the largest half marathon in the world, and it is staged in North East England.

Chebet revealed he is looking to test his body as he aims for positive results ahead of the New York Marathon.

 “I want to test my body in England and see how it responds. This race will be part of my preparations for the New York Marathon. I am confident of positive results in both races,” Chebet revealed.

Chebet sustained a tendon rapture during the Boston Marathon in April, dashing his hopes of a historic hat-trick.

Despite the injury, he managed to secure a third-place finish with a time of 2:07:22, trailing Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma (2:06:17) and Mohamed Esa (2:06:58).

Before that, he had picked up last year’s title with a time of 2:05:54,  beating Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay (2:06:04) and Olympic bronze medalist Benson Kipruto (2:06:06).

He also led an all-Kenyan podium sweep during the 2022 edition—cutting the tape in 2:06:51 to lead Lawrence Cherono (2:07:21) and Kipruto (2:07:27) to the podium.

Now fully fit, the 35-year-old is determined to reclaim his winning form.

“My body feels great. I’m ready for the Great North Run and I am looking forward to positive results. I am also well prepared to win a second title in New York,” Chebet noted.

Chebet won the 2022 New York Marathon in 2:08:41 ahead of Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata (2:08:54) and the Netherlands' Abdi Nageeye (2:10:31).

Chebet’s resume also includes victories from the 2020 Valencia Marathon (2:03:00), the 2019 Buenos Aires Marathon (2:05:00) and the 2020 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon (2:07:29).

He placed third at the 2016 Berlin Marathon (2:05:31) and second at the 2016 Seoul Marathon (2:05:33) and 2019 Generali Milano Marathon (2:07:22).

Chebet is set to renew his rivalry with Lemma as he looks to assert revenge on the Ethiopian after he beat him to the Boston title.

The 2021 Valencia Half Marathon champion Abel Kipchumba will join Chebet on the start line as they look to secure a Kenyan 1-2 finish.

Other key competitors include Marc Scott, who will be representing the host nation. Scott clinched the 2021 title in 1:01:22, beating Edward Cheserek (1:01:31) and USA’s Galen Rupp (1:01:51).

In the women’s race, Rio 2016 Olympic 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot leads a strong Kenyan contingent, including 2022 Commonwealth 10,000m bronze medalist Sheila Chepkirui and 2014 World Half Marathon silver medalist Mary Ngugi.

Their competition will come from 2015 World 5,000m silver medalist Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia and Britain’s record holder in the 10km Road race Eilish McColgan.

Two-time  Boston Marathon Champion Evans Chebet has his sights set on reclaiming the  New York City Marathon crown after failing to defend his  Boston title.

The  New York City Marathon, the largest marathon in the world, is slated for November 3.

The 35-year-old secured a third-place finish with a time of 2:07:22 at the 128th edition of the  Boston Marathon on April 15, with Ethiopians Mohamed Esa (2:06:58) and Sisay Lemma (2:06:17) taking the top spots.

Chebet is confident of a stronger performance at the New York Marathon and boldly declared that his intention to clinch the title.

“I have intensified my training ahead of the  New York Marathon and my target is to clinch the title. I hope to be ready before the event,” he noted.

In 2022, Chebet stormed to victory in 2:08:41 to secure the  New York title. He, however, was forced to pull out of the 2023 edition, where he was poised to defend his crown, due to injury.

Reflecting on his  Boston performance, Chebet attributed his third-place finish to a tendon rupture but expressed satisfaction with his result.

“Before we went to the  Boston Marathon I got an injury during training.  My tendon raptured and I couldn't perform to the best of my ability, finishing third.”

He added: “It was a tough race. Of course I would have loved to retain my title but I am still happy with my performance,” he stated.

In 2022, Chebet clocked 2:06:51 to claim his first  Boston title, leading a Kenyan podium sweep. Lawrence Cherono (2:07:21) placed second with Benson Kipruto (2:07:27) settling for third.

 

He returned to the Massachusetts capital in 2023, where he defended his title after clocking 2:05:54. Chebet emphasised his commitment to smooth training, working closely with physiotherapists to ensure his recovery.

“I started training two days ago. Right now, I feel my leg is okay. I have been working with my physiotherapist to ensure I get back on the road as soon as possible,” he noted.

With light 12km morning runs and careful monitoring, Chebet aims to avoid overexertion and potential setbacks.

“With the advice from my coach and doctors, I have been running 12km daily in the morning. I want my leg to adjust and heal first before I add more kilometres to my daily run,” he stated.

He also pointed out that he would not push himself because he feared a repeat of what happened last year before the  New York Marathon, where he was set to defend his crown.

“Last year, I pulled out of the marathon because of injury. I am taking things easy to ensure I am fit for  New York. I am hungry to reclaim my title,” Chebet stated.

Evans Chebet and Gabriel Geay, the top two finishers at last year’s BAA Boston Marathon, will return to the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on April 15, to take on recent Valencia Marathon winner Sisay Lemma.

Chebet successfully defended his Boston title last year in 2:05:54. In fact, the Kenyan has won six of his past seven marathons.

Lemma won in Valencia last month in 2:01:48, making him the fourth-fastest man in history. The Ethiopian, who also won the 2021 London Marathon, is the fastest man in this year’s Boston Marathon field, which features 20 men with sub-2:10 PBs.

Tanzania’s Geay, runner-up in Boston last year, has an identical PB to Chebet – 2:03:00 – and, like Chebet, it was also set in Valencia.

Other men in the field with sub-2:05 PBs are Kenya’s Joshua Belet (2:04:18), Ronald Korir (2:04:22), and Cyprian Kotut (2:04:34), as well as Ethiopians Haftu Teklu (2:04:43) and London and New York City runner-up Shura Kitata (2:04:49).

New York Marathon champion Albert Korir, former Japanese record-holder Suguru Osako, and Norwegian record-holder Sondre Moen are also in the field, as are Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi, winner of last week’s Houston Marathon in a course record 2:06:39, and multiple NCAA champion Edward Cheserek.

Elite field

Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:01:48

Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:03:00

Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:03:00

Joshua Belet (KEN) 2:04:18

Ronald Korir (KEN) 2:04:22

Cyprian Kotut (KEN) 2:04:34

Haftu Teklu (ETH) 2:04:43

Shura Kitata (ETH) 2:04:49

John Korir (KEN) 2:05:01

Mohamed Esa (ETH) 2:05:05

Suguru Osako (JPN) 2:05:29

Sondre Moen (NOR) 2:05:48

Filmon Ande (ERI) 2:06:38

Zouhair Talbi (MAR) 2:06:39

Isaac Mpofu (ZIM) 2:06:48

Albert Korir (KEN) 2:06:57

Kento Otsu (JPN) 2:08:15

Ryoma Takeuchi (JPN) 2:08:40

Segundo Jami (ECU) 2:09:05

Tsegay Tuemay (ERI) 2:09:07

Matt McDonald (USA) 2:09:49

David Nilsson (SWE) 2:10:09

Tristan Woodfine (CAN) 2:10:39

CJ Albertson (USA) 2:10:52

Chris Thompson (GBR) 2:10:52

Edward Cheserek (KEN) 2:11:07

Yemane Haileselassie (ERI) debut

Gabriel Geay, Moses Kibet, Angela Tanui and Judith Korir will be among the athletes in action when the Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS, a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race, takes place on Sunday (17).

The field’s experience in global and major marathon racing will make it the fastest marathon pack ever assembled in Australia, with homegrown and international talent battling it out on the event’s new course.

In the women’s field, Kenya’s 2022 World Championships silver medalist and Paris Marathon champion Korir makes her Australian debut. The 27-year-old, who finished sixth in the London Marathon in April, ran her PB of 2:18:20 when finishing runner-up to GotytomGebreslase on the global stage in Oregon last year.

She faces six other sub-2:22 women, including her compatriot Tanui, who ran 2:17:57 to win the Amsterdam Marathon in 2021. She went on to place fourth in the Tokyo Marathon the following year and then secured sixth place in Oregon.

Haven HailuDesse is among the seven Ethiopian athletes in the field and she will look to complete her first marathon since winning in Osaka in 2:21:13 in January. Her PB of 2:20:19 was also set in Amsterdam in 2021.

Eritrea’s NazretWeldu finished fourth and then eighth in the past two World Championships marathons, while SiraneshYirgaDagne has a best of 2:21:08.

Australian marathon record-holder Sinead Diver, who broke the national marathon record last year in Valencia with a time of 2:21:34, will lead the local elite field, making her Sydney Marathon debut.

The field also features USA’s Betsy Saina, a 2:21:40 marathon runner at her best.

Tanzanian record-holder Geay leads the men’s field with his PB of 2:03:00 set in Valencia last year. The 27-year-old went on to finish second in the Boston Marathon in April, clocking 2:06:04 behind winner Evans Chebet (2:05:54), and he placed seventh in the World Championships marathon in Oregon in 2022.

But Kibet has more experience when it comes to racing in Australia as he won last year’s Sydney Marathon, setting an Australian all-comers' record of 2:07:03 to beat his Kenyan compatriot Cosmas Matolo Muteti by just two seconds.

Oceanian record-holder Brett Robinson, who broke his Australian compatriot Rob de Castella’s long-standing area record in Fukuoka last year by running 2:07:31, will lead the domestic contenders.

The field features a total of nine sub-2:06 men, with Geay and Kibet joined by Ethiopia’s Getaneh Molla (2:03:34), Kenya’s Jonathan Korir (2:04:32), Ethiopia’s Abayneh Degu (2:04:53), Kenya’s Abraham Kipkemboi Kiptoo (2:05:04), Morocco’s Othmane El Goumri (2:05:12), Ethiopia’s Amedework Walelegn (2:05:27) and Kenya’s Laban Korir (2:05:41).

World Marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has prioritised recovery before making a decision on his next marathon.

Kipchoge, who flagged off the the London marathon men's elite race last Sunday that was won by Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum, said he is firmly focused on the challenges ahead.

"Thank you London for having me. I felt inspired to meet so many runners from around the world. Their energy motivates me for the challenges ahead. I'm heading back to Kenya to recover and make plans for my next marathon," Kipchoge posted on his twitter account.

Kipchoge has won the London and Berlin Marathons four times apiece.

Speaking on BBC One before flagging off the race, he said: "I love being in London. The crowd is always wonderful and it's great to see how the running community is coming together. London is like home to me and it is the place to be for a marathon.

On Sunday April 16, Kipchoge finished sixth in the Boston marathon where he was making his debut. The 38-year-old who is a two-time Olympic champion, failed to sparkle in the much-hyped marathon.

Defending champion Evans Chebet won the Boston Marathon, surging to the front at Heartbreak Hill to cut the tape in a time of 2:05:54.

Eliud Kipchoge came to Boston seeking to add the world’s most storied annual marathon to his unrivaled trophy case. He will leave with a sixth-place result and questions about whether he can achieve two outstanding, unprecedented goals.

“I live for the moments where I get to challenge the limits,” was posted on Kipchoge’s social media four hours after he finished. “It’s never guaranteed, it’s never easy. Today was a tough day for me. I pushed myself as hard as I could but sometimes, we must accept that today wasn’t the day to push the barrier to a greater height.”

Kipchoge was dropped in the 19th mile in his Boston Marathon debut in the middle of the race’s famed hills. He finished 3 minutes, 29 seconds behind fellow Kenyan Evans Chebet, who clocked 2:05:54 and became the first male runner to repeat as Boston champion since 2008.

“I did not observe Kipchoge,” Chebet said of what happened, according to the Boston Athletic Association. “Eliud was not so much of a threat because the bottom line was that we trained well.”

It marked just Kipchoge’s third defeat in 18 career marathons, a decade-long career at 26.2 miles that’s included two world record-breaking runs and two Olympic gold medals.

Kipchoge, 38, hopes next year to become the first person to win three Olympic marathons, but major doubt was thrown on that Monday, along with his goal to win all six annual World Marathon Majors. Kipchoge has won four of the six, just missing Boston and New York City, a November marathon that he has never raced.He skipped his traditional spring marathon plan of racing London to go for the win in Boston, the world’s oldest annual marathon dating to 1897.

Kipchoge has yet to speak to media, but may be asked whether a failed water bottle grab just before he lost contact with a leading pack of five contributed to his first defeat since he placed eighth at the 2020 London Marathon. Boston’s weather on Monday, rainy, was similar to London in 2020.

Kipchoge’s only other 26.2-mile loss was when he was runner-up at his second career marathon in Berlin in 2013.

He is expected to race two more marathons before the Paris Games. Kipchoge will be nearly 40 come Paris, more than one year older than the oldest Olympic champion in any running event, according to Olympedia.org. Kenya has yet to name its three-man Olympic marathon team.

“In sports you win and you lose and there is always tomorrow to set a new challenge,” was posted on Kipchoge’s social media. “Excited for what’s ahead.”

Kenyan Hellen Obiri won Monday’s women’s race in 2:21:38, pulling away from Ethiopian Amane Beriso in the last mile.

Obiri, a two-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist in the 5000m on the track, made her marathon debut in New York City last November with a sixth-place finish. She was a late add to the Boston field three weeks ago after initially eschewing a spring marathon.

“I didn’t want to come here, because my heart was somewhere else,” said Obiri, who is coached in Colorado by three-time U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein. “But, my coach said I should try and go to Boston.”

Emma Bates was the top American in fifth in the second-fastest Boston time for an American woman ever, consolidating her status as a favorite to make the three-woman Olympic team at next February’s trials in Orlando. Emily Sisson and Keira D’Amato, who traded the American marathon record last year, didn’t enter Boston.

“I expected myself to be in the top five,” said the 30-year-old Bates, who feels she can challenge Sisson’s American record of 2:18:29, if and when she next races on a flat course.

The next major marathon is London on Sunday, headlined by women’s world record holder Brigid Kosgei of Kenya, Tokyo Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya and Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands in her 26.2-mile debut.

The big sub-plot of the race, however, was the performance of Eliud Kipchoge, who headed to Boston in the hopes of taking one step closer to completing his set of World Marathon Majors victories but trailed home in sixth place in 2:09:23, the slowest time of his glittering career and more than three minutes behind the winner.

But the day belonged to Chebet and Obiri, both of whom dropped their final opponents in the last few minutes of the race, winning in 2:05:54 and 2:21:38 respectively. Chebet’s mark is the third-fastest winning time ever recorded in the men’s race in Boston and Obiri’s performance is the fourth-fastest women’s winning mark.

Kipchoge looked comfortable in the early stages and was part of a lead pack of 11 men that passed through 10km in 28:52 before reaching the half-way point in 1:02:19.

Chebet and Kipchoge were still together in the lead group through 30km, reached in 1:29:23, but the double Olympic champion and world record-holder started to lose contact with the leaders just a minute or two later, having missed picking up his bottle at a water station.

At 35km, with 1:44:19 on the clock, the lead pack was down to five men – Chebet, 2021 Boston winner Benson Kipruto, Tanzanian record-holder Gabriel Geay, Kenya’s John Korir and Ethiopia’s Andualem Belay. Kipchoge, meanwhile, was more than a minute behind the leaders and no longer in contention for a podium spot.

 

Evans Chebet wins the 2023 Boston Marathon (© Getty Images)

With three miles to go, and Korir and Belay no longer in the running, the race was down to three men: Geay, Chebet and Kipruto. They ran together as a trio for the best part of two miles before Geay’s challenge eventually faded, leaving the Kenyan duo out in front. Chebet then gradually pulled ahead of his compatriot and training partner Kipruto, going on to cross the finish line in 2:05:54.

Geay recovered enough to pass Kipruto in the closing stages, claiming the runner-up spot in 2:06:04, two seconds ahead of Kipruto. 2021 New York winner Albert Korir finished strongly to take fourth place in 2:08:01 and Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi was fifth (2:08:35). Kipchoge followed a further 48 seconds in arrears.

 

“I train with Benson; he’s my friend and like a brother to me,” said Chebet, who became the sixth man to win back-to-back Boston titles. “With one kilometre to go, I said to him, ‘let’s go’.”Obiri wins in final mile thriller

Five months after making her marathon debut with a sixth-place finish in New York, two-time world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri triumphed in her second race over the classic distance.

In an incredibly close race that wasn’t decided until the final few minutes, Obiri disposed of one of the strongest women’s fields ever assembled for the Boston Marathon.

In contrast to the men’s race, the women’s contest started off at a cautiously steady pace and gradually picked up as the race went on. A large lead pack of more than 20 runners passed through 10km in 34:46, but they had been whittled down to 11 contenders by the half-way mark, reached in 1:11:29.

By this point, the lead pack still included Obiri, world marathon champion Gotytom Gebreslase, Ethiopian record-holder Amane Beriso, Amsterdam course record-holder Angela Tanui, 2020 Tokyo champion Lonah Salpeter, Eritrean record-holder Nazret Weldu and 2021 London champion Joyciline Jepkosgei.

Gebreslase and Weldu had fallen out of the pack with five miles to go, and the lead pack was reduced further to just six women at 23 miles: Obiri, Salpeter, Beriso, Jepkosgei, Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh and USA’s Emma Bates.

Jepkosgei and Bates started to fade in the last few miles, while Yeshaneh tripped and fell, only to rejoin the lead pack soon after. Salpeter was the next to fade, leaving just Obiri, Beriso and Yeshaneh to battle it out for the victory.

 

Hellen Obiri wins the 2023 Boston Marathon (© Getty Images)

With 2:17 on the clock, Obiri and Beriso had broken free from Yeshaneh. About 90 seconds later, Obiri embarked on a long drive for the finish line. With occasional glances over her shoulder, the Olympic silver medallist maintained a healthy gap ahead of Beriso and went on to finish in 2:21:38.

Beriso took second place in 2:21:50 and Salpeter overtook Yeshaneh in the closing stages to claim third place in 2:21:57, three seconds ahead of the Ethiopian. Bates was fifth in 2:22:10, making her the top US finisher in either of the races.

“I’m so happy,” said Obiri. “I was undecided about which marathon to do this year, but eventually I decided to do Boston. My coach (Dathen Ritzenhein) told me, ‘you have trained well, you’re ready to do Boston’. I’m very, very happy I chose to do it.”

Leading results

 

Women1 Hellen Obiri (KEN) 2:21:382 Amane Beriso (ETH) 2:21:503 Lonah Salpeter (ISR) 2:21:574 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:22:005 Emma Bates (USA) 2:22:106 Nazret Weldu (ERI) 2:23:257 Angela Tanui (KEN) 2:24:128 Hiwot Gebremaryam (ETH) 2:24:30

Men1 Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:05:542 Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:06:043 Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:06:064 Albert Korir (KEN) 2:08:015 Zouhair Talbi (MAR) 2:08:356 Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:09:237 Scott Fauble (USA) 2:09:448 Hassan Chahdi (FRA) 2:09:46

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday (16) will bring together three winners of global titles. Almaz Ayana and Genzebe Dibaba will be making their marathon debuts at the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race, while 2017 world champion Rose Chelimo is also in the field.

The incredibly deep men’s field, meanwhile, includes nine men with PBs faster than 2:06, led by 2016 Boston Marathon champion Lemi Berhanu.

Ayana and Dibaba, who won the world 5000m and 1500m titles respectively back in 2015, have battled injuries in recent years but have still managed to make a promising transition to the roads. Ayana, the 2016 Olympic 10,000m champion, clocked 1:07:12 on her half marathon debut when winning in New Delhi in 2017. And since returning this year after a three-year break, she has placed fifth in Madrid in 1:08:22 and third at the Great North Run in 1:07:10.

Dibaba, meanwhile, hasn’t raced on the roads since 2020, but her performances then were impressive. The world 1500m record-holder won the Valencia Half Marathon on her debut at the distance in 1:05:18, then three weeks later won over 5km in Barcelona.

The Ethiopian duo have never raced one another on the roads, but they have clashed 12 times on the track. Dibaba has the upper hand, 8-4, but Ayana won their more significant duels, including the 2015 World Championships, 2015 Diamond League Final, and 2014 African Championships.

The marathon is another beast entirely, though, and experience can count for a lot. Chelimo has plenty of experience on the roads, having won 2017 world gold and 2019 world silver, but the 33-year-old from Bahrain has always been more of a championship performer than a big city marathon runner. Her most recent marathon was in Rotterdam earlier this year, where she placed 19th in 2:44:22.

Celestine Chepchirchir is a late addition to the field, following her withdrawal from last week’s Chicago Marathon. The Kenyan set a PB of 2:20:10 in Seoul earlier this year, making her the fastest entrant for this weekend’s race.

Ayana and Dibaba aren’t the only notable marathon debutants lining up in Amsterdam. Their compatriot Tsehay Gemechu, the fourth-place finisher over 5000m at the 2019 World Championships, has a strong record at the half marathon and heads to the Dutch city in good form. A two-time winner in New Delhi and Lisbon, Gemechu recently reduced her half marathon PB to 1:05:01 when finishing second to Yalemzerf Yehualaw in Antrim.

Fellow Ethiopian Azmera Gebru will be returning to Amsterdam, following her third-place finishes there in 2018 and 2019. Compatriot Gebeyanesh Ayele also returns, following her fourth-place finish last year, while Sintayehu Tilahun could be one to watch, following her recent PBs over the half marathon (1:07:41) and marathon (2:22:19).

After nine successive men’s victories in Amsterdam, Kenya’s winning streak came to an end last year. But Cybrian Kotut hopes to kick-start the trend on Sunday.

The 30-year-old has won his past three marathons, his most recent victory coming in April in Hamburg, where he set a lifetime best of 2:04:47. The Kenyan challenge is strengthened by the likes of Titus Kipruto, who won this year’s Milan Marathon in a PB of 2:05:05, Norbert Kigen, runner-up in Amsterdam in 2017 and winner in Prague earlier this year, and Laban Korir, who will be making his sixth appearance in Amsterdam.

But 2016 Boston Marathon champion Lemi Berhanu leads a strong Ethiopian contingent. Berhanu’s PB of 2:04:33 dates back to 2016, but his runner-up place in Boston last year shows he is still competitive.

He will be joined on the startline by compatriots Tsegaye Getachew, winner in Riyadh earlier this year and owner of a 2:05:11 PB, Adeladlew Mamo, who ran 2:05:12 on his marathon debut earlier this year, and 2:05:52 performer Adugna Takele.

Other contenders in the field include Eritrea’s Afewerki Berhane, Japan’s Shuho Dairokuno, and marathon debutant Victor Chumo.

Leading entries

WomenCelestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:20:10Azmera Gebru (ETH) 2:20:48Gebeyanesh Ayele (ETH) 2:21:22Sintayehu Tilahun (ETH) 2:22:19Rose Chelimo (BRN) 2:24:14Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:26:15Almaz Ayana (ETH) debutGenzebe Dibaba (ETH) debutTsehay Gemechu (ETH) debut

MenLemi Berhanu (ETH) 2:04:33Cybrian Kotut (KEN) 2:04:47Titus Kipruto (KEN) 2:05:05Tsegaye Getachew (ETH) 2:05:11Adeladlew Mamo (ETH) 2:05:12Norbert Kigen (KEN) 2:05:13Afewerki Berhane (ERI) 2:05:22Adugna Takele (ETH) 2:05:52Laban Korir (KEN) 2:05:54Masreshe Bere (ETH) 2:06:44Abraham Kiptoo (KEN) 2:06:59Shuho Dairokuno (JPN) 2:07:12Bazezew Asmare (ETH) 2:07:13Josphat Boit (KEN) 2:07:20Godadaw Belachew (ISR) 2:07:54Yuki Sato (JPN) 2:08:17Jake Robertson (NZL) 2:08:26Akira Tomiyasu (JPN) 2:08:55Deribe Tefera (ETH) 2:09:15Bekele Muluneh (ETH) 2:09:51Khalid Choukoud (NED) 2:09:55Victor Chumo (KEN) debutHuseydin Mohamed (ETH) debut

Milano Marathon champion Titus Kipruto and the 2019 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Celestine Chepchirchir have confirmed participation in the Amsterdam Marathon on October 16.

Chepchirchir will be Kenya’s sole representative in the women’s field and she is bound to face stiff competition from top Ethiopian athletes. Chepchirchir is the fastest in the field with a personal best time of 2:20:10 which she ran at this year’s Seoul Marathon to place fourth.

Ethiopians Azmera Gebru, Gebeyanesh Ayele, Sintayehu Tilahun and the 2016 Olympic 10,000m champion Almaz Ayana will also be in the race for top honours. Gebru has a PB of 2:20:48 which she attained when she placed third at the 2019 Amsterdam Marathon.

Ayele and Tilahun have respective PB times of 2:21:22 and 2:22:19 respectively. Ayana will be debuting in the distance after dominating track and half marathon.

Bahrain’s Rose Chelimo is also one of the athletes to watch. Chelimo is the 2017 world marathon champion and also the 2016 Seoul Marathon champion.

The men’s strong field has attracted the 2014 Zurich Marathon champion Lemi Berhanu, Tsegay Getachew and Adeladlew Mamo, all from Ethiopia. Berhanu has a personal best time of  2:04:33, a time he ran to place second at the 2016 Dubai Standard Chartered Marathon.

Getachew kicked off his season with a win at the Riyadh Marathon in 2:06:27 and has a personal best time of 2:05:11. Mamo, who has a PB of  2:05:12 ran to place second at this year’s Zurich Seville Marathon.

Kipruto is the fourth fastest in the field with a personal best time of 2:05:05. Other Kenyans in the field include Cybrian Kotut (2:04:47), Laban Korir (2:05:54), Josphat Boit (2:07:20) and debutants Charles Mneria, Victor Chumo and Bernard Soi.

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon men’s course record could be challenged on Sunday (17) when the likes of Tamirat Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Ayele Abshero and Amdework Walelegn line up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race.

Eight women with sub-2:25 PBs, meanwhile, are also set to clash in what looks set to be a highly competitive race in the Dutch capital.

Tola’s PB, set in Dubai in 2018, is equal to the Amsterdam course record and Dutch all-comers’ record (2:04:06). The Ethiopian earned Olympic bronze over 10,000m in 2016 and world silver in the marathon in 2017, having won the Dubai Marathon earlier that year in 2:04:11.

“I was preparing for the Tokyo Marathon (before it got cancelled), but I’m happy to be here,” said Tola. “I love the country. It’s my first time here, and the weather forecast is perfect for a good performance, so I’m hoping to run a personal best on Sunday.”

The past nine editions of the Amsterdam Marathon have been won by Kenyan men, but that streak could end on Sunday as the five fastest entrants are from Ethiopia.

Tola’s compatriot Gebresilase has the fastest PB of the field. The 29-year-old Ethiopian clocked 2:04:02 on his debut at the distance in Dubai three years ago to finish second, four seconds ahead of Tola. He followed it later in the year with a 2:04:31 victory in Valencia, and he equalled that time earlier this year in Milan.

Abebe Negewo Degefa, Chalu Deso Gelmisa and Ayele Abshero all have sub-2:05 PBs. Degefa, now 37, set his PB of 2:04:51 in Valencia just two years ago. Gelmisa produced a similar clocking of 2:04:53 in Valencia last year, but more recently he raced in Chicago, finishing 29th, and so his legs may not have recovered in just one week. Abshero has a faster PB of 2:04:23, but it was set back in 2012.

But perhaps the strongest Ethiopian entrant is Amdework Walelegn, who’ll be making his marathon debut. The 22-year-old took bronze at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships, having finished second in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships just three years prior. He set a half marathon PB of 58:53 when winning in Delhi last year, and he came close to that last month with his 59:10 victory at the Copenhagen Half Marathon.

Kenya is still well represented for this year’s race in the form of Laban and Jonathan Korir (no relation).

Laban Korir has competed at the Amsterdam Marathon four times. The 35-year-old, who is a training partner of Eliud Kipchoge, made his marathon debut in the Dutch city back in 2011, clocking 2:06:05 to place second. He improved on that when he returned to Amsterdam in 2016, finishing fourth in 2:05:54. Winner of the 2014 Toronto Marathon, Korir represented Kenya at the 2019 World Championships, where he finished 11th.

Jonathan Korir, another friend and training partner of Kipchoge’s, will also be returning to Amsterdam. He set a PB of 2:06:51 during his last outing at this race, which he went on to improve in Berlin in 2019 (2:06:45) and then in Enschede earlier this year (2:06:40).

Competitive clash in women’s race

While Kenyan men have dominated recent editions of the Amsterdam Marathon, the women’s race has typically gone in Ethiopia’s favour over the past decade.

Ethiopian women make up seven of the nine fastest entrants for Sunday’s race, but the outcome could be largely dictated by whether Kenya’s Angela Tanui makes it to the startline. The 29-year-old, who clocked a PB of 2:20:08 in Ampugnano back in April and is undefeated in three races this year, had been due to compete at the Boston Marathon earlier this week, but was unable to make it to the US due to visa issues. If she succeeds in making it to Amsterdam, she’ll start as the favourite.

But if Tanui is unable to make the start line, an Ethiopian victory would appear highly likely as the likes of Besu Sado, Shasho Insermu, Genet Yalew, Gebeyanesh Ayele and Haven Hailu are raring to go.

Sado, a former 1500m specialist who reached the Olympic final in that event in 2016, set her PB of 2:21:03 when finishing fourth in Amsterdam in 2019. She has a best this year of 2:27:06, set in Milan in May, but more recently set a half marathon PB of 1:08:15 in Herzogenaurach.

Insermu also set her PB in Amsterdam, clocking 2:23:28 when finishing second in 2018. She hasn’t raced this year, but her last marathon was a victory in Madrid in April 2019. She has previously won marathons in Copenhagen, Cologne, Nagano and Marrakech.

Yalew has contested just three marathons to date and has a best of 2:24:34 so far, but her pedigree suggests that time could be due some revision. She finished fifth at the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships just a couple of months after clocking a PB of 1:06:26.

Ayele set a PB of 2:23:23 this year. She has yet to win a marathon, but has made it on to the podium in four of her nine races to date.

Hailu, meanwhile, is keen to make amends for her DNF two years ago. “I love racing in the Netherlands,” said the 23-year-old, who set a PB of 2;23:52 earlier this year. “Two years ago, I raced the Zwolle Half Marathon and I placed second in a personal best time of 1:09:57. I was also here two years ago for the Amsterdam Marathon, but it didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted. I learned from my mistakes and I’ve prepared accordingly for Sunday. I’m hoping to run a very fast time.”

Kenya’s Maureen Chepkemoi could also be in contention for a podium finish. She has a 2:24:16 PB from the 2019 Istanbul Marathon and she came close to that with her 2:24:19 victory in Geneva earlier this year.

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon course record of 2:04:06 is expected to come under threat on October 17, when Tamirat Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Laban Korir and Jonathan Korir line up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race.

Tola’s PB, set in Dubai in 2018, is equal to the Amsterdam course record. The Ethiopian earned Olympic bronze over 10,000m in 2016 and world silver in the marathon in 2017, having won the Dubai Marathon earlier that year in 2:04:11.

His compatriot Gebresilase has the fastest PB of the field. The 29-year-old Ethiopian clocked 2:04:02 on his debut at the distance in Dubai three years ago to finish second, four seconds ahead of Tola. He followed it later in the year with a 2:04:31 victory in Valencia. He equalled his Valencia time earlier this year at the Milan Marathon.

Laban Korir has competed at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon four times. The 35-year-old, who is a training partner of Eliud Kipchoge, made his marathon debut in the Dutch city back in 2011, clocking 2:06:05 to place second. He improved on that when he returned to Amsterdam in 2016, finishing fourth in 2:05:54. Winner of the 2014 Toronto Marathon, Korir represented Kenya at the 2019 World Championships, where he finished 11th.

Jonathan Korir, another friend and training partner of Kipchoge’s, will also be returning to Amsterdam. He set a PB of 2:06:51 during his last outing at this race, which he went on to improve in Berlin in 2019 (2:06:45) and then in Enschede earlier this year (2:06:40).

When Lawrence Cherono set his course record of 2:04:06 in 2018, it made the Amsterdam Marathon the fastest marathon in the Netherlands. At the most recent edition in 2019, more than 45,000 participants from 140 countries took part. A large mass turn-out is also expected for this year’s race.

Twente Airport in the Netherlands on Sunday will see the Kenyan stretch his legs over 26.2 miles ahead of the defence of his Olympic title in Tokyo

Over the years the Twente Airport near the city of Enschede in the eastern Netherlands has been used by famous airplanes such as the Hawker Hunter and Gloster Meteor. But on Sunday (April 18) the world marathon record-holder Eliud Kipchoge will take to the runway in the NN Mission Marathon.

The airport course was chosen after the original venue of Hamburg was ruled out due to the pandemic. It will be Kipchoge’s first race since he finished a disappointing eighth in the London Marathon in October and he is looking forward to getting back to winning ways.

“Sunday, personally, I will be running a very beautiful race,” he said in a pre-race press conference. “I call it beautiful because we are in need and tough times during the pandemic.

“I want to run a beautiful race to show the world that actually we are on a huge, huge transition towards a great future.”

Kipchoge, 36, will tackle an eight-lap, spectator-free course and his rivals include 2012 Olympic marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda, who has a PB of 2:06:33.

Laban Korir of Kenya is also in the field and has a best of 2:05:54, while Filex Chemonges holds the Ugandan record with 2:05:12.

In addition, Augustine Choge, the 2006 Commonwealth 5000m champion, is hoping to complete his first marathon after DNF’ing in Chicago in 2018.

In total around 50 athletes from 20 different countries will be attempting to gain the Olympic qualifying standards of 2:11:30 for men and 2:29:30 for women in an event organisers have dubbed ‘the fastest way to Tokyo’.

In the women’s race, former New York Marathon podium finisher Sara Moreira of Portugal takes on Kenyan Gladys Chesir. Moreira’s PB of 2:24:49 is slightly quicker than Chesir’s, although the fastest woman in the race is Mexican Madai Perez, who has a best of 2:22:59 but is now aged 41.

The race begins 8.30am (local time) and is due to be shown on the BBC website for fans in UK and Ireland.

So, can Kipchoge return to his best form? Was his defeat in London part of a decline or merely a blip? His sub-two-hour marathon in Vienna unfolded in autumn 2019 but in London five months ago he finished eighth in 2:06:49 in a race won by Shura Kitata. Later he blamed an ear blockage for his under-par run.

Set to run in the Netherlands on April 18, Eliud Kipchoge will headline the race of about 60 athletes.

The fields for the NN Mission Marathon have been released, and the world finally knows who will toe the start line with Eliud Kipchoge. The races are set to be run in Enschede, the Netherlands, on April 18, and fields of 23 women and 35 men will line up to compete. Kipchoge is the clear favourite for the win, but second place in the men’s race and first place in the women’s are both anybody’s to claim, which will make for a couple of exciting and dramatic competitions.

The men’s race

In the men’s race, the pre-race seed times aren’t even close, and there’s really no debate as to who is most likely to win. Kipchoge owns the world record in the marathon with his PB of 2:01:39, and he has also run an unofficial record of 1:59:40. While many of the other runners racing the NN Mission Marathon are looking to qualify for the Tokyo Games or prove that they deserve to be chosen for their national Olympic teams, Kipchoge has a simpler and less stressful reason to run: he needs to bounce back from his poor race at the London Marathon last fall.

He’s still a heavy favourite heading into the Tokyo Games, but his poor 2:06:49 showing in October proved that he is human, and for the first time in years, his competitors might seriously believe they have a chance to beat him. A great race in the Netherlands can boost Kipchoge’s confidence while also knocking down that of his rivals ahead of the Olympics.

The next fastest PB in the men’s field belongs to Felix Chemonges, who owns the Ugandan national marathon record of 2:05:12 (which he ran at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2019). Chemonges hasn’t raced since March 2020, though, and his last result was a sub-par 2:10:08 run at the Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan.

Only one other man in the field, Kenya’s Laban Korir, has run a sub-2:06 marathon in his career, and his 2:05:54 PB puts him at third-best in the men’s race. Out of the 35 men set to race the NN Mission Marathon, 17 have run faster than the Olympic standard of 2:11:30, and 11 runners from that group have broken 2:10.

It’d be safe to bet on Kipchoge for the overall win in the Netherlands, but with so many other runners hovering around the same seed times, the battle for second and third place — plus the mad dash to cross the finish before the clock hits 2:11:30 — will produce must-watch coverage.

The women’s race has the potential to be much more competitive than the men’s when it comes to the overall win. Mexican marathon record holder Madai Perez has the fastest PB of any of the women in the field. The only thing is that she ran her national record of 2:22:59 all the way back in 2006, and the last time she broke 2:30 came in Chicago in 2017, when she ran 2:24:44. She certainly could take the win in the Netherlands, but her seed time is a bit misleading considering how long ago she ran it.

Next up are Jessica Augusto and Sara Moreira, a couple of Portuguese runners. Augusto owns a PB of 2:24:25, just ahead of Moreira’s career best of 2:24:49. Both of these women have posted tremendous times in the past, but neither has completed a marathon in recent years. Augusto’s last finish came in 2017, and she has one DNF since then.

Moreira has had an even worse few years, and her last finish came in 2015. Since then, she has DNFed three times, including in the marathon at the Rio Olympics. In 2015, though, she placed second at the Prague Marathon and fourth at the New York City Marathon. The next athlete on the start list is Kenya’s Gladys Chesir, who has a PB of 2:24:51, but like her Portuguese competitors, she hasn’t completed a marathon in years, and her last official finish was in 2017.

In total, nine of the 23 women in the field have beaten the Olympic standard of 2:29:30, with several others knocking at the door of sub-2:30 results. Like the men’s race, the women’s run should be an exciting affair, and it’s an event no running fan will want to miss.

If recent history is any guide, the men’s marathon title is likely to go to an African runner with Kenya entering four runners led by defending champion Geoffrey Kirui who will be out defending the title at midnight.

Despite the race starting at midnight in an attempt to avoid the brutal heat of the day, temperatures are still expected to be 30C as marathoners take on the course along the waterfront of Doha’s famous Corniche connecting Doha Bay and Doha City Centre, set against the capital city’s towering skyline.

Unlike track and field being staged in an air-conditioned Khalifa International Stadium, marathoners have to endure the unforgiving Qatari heat as witnessed on day during the women’s race where also half the field failed to complete simply because you can’t air-condition 42km of road.

Kirui who is also the 2017 Boston Marathon winner will partner with Laban Korir who has wealth of experience on the roads having won Setúbal Half Marathon in Portugal, and another followed at the 2009 Pombal Meia Maratona.

At the 2011 Amsterdam Marathon, he finished second with his run of 2:06:05 behind his compatriot Wilson Chebet. Korir then won the 2014 Toronto Waterfront Marathon with a time of 2:08:15. He holds a personal best of 2:05.05 from Armsterdam Marathon in 2016.

Paul Lonyangata is another member of the squad that holds personal best of 2:06.1.

Amos Kipruto is the fourth member of the team, he made his marathon running at the  2016 Rome Marathon with a victory. In 2017, Kipruto won the Seoul Marathon in 2:05:54, before finishing fifth in the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:05:43. He was runner-up at the 2018 Berlin marathon.  

Away from the Kenyans Mosinet Geremew tops the entry list with a PB of 2:02:55, set as he followed home Kenya’s Olympic champion and world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge as he won the London Marathon.

Mule Wasihun was one place behind in London in a personal best of 2:03:16 that places him third in this season’s list also.

Laban Korir is hopeful to end the year with victory at the World Marathon Championships in Doha, Qatar.

The 34-year-old has thrown down the marker and hopes his persistence, perseverance and patience will pay off as he makes his debut for Kenya team in the world championships.

"After I got the message from Athletics Kenya (that I was in the team) I was very happy. It is not easy to make the Kenyan team in the marathon," he said on Tuesday.

"You dream of making the Kenyan team but you think, no, it is not possible. I was so proud to be selected. I want to represent my country well."

After a sixth place in Boston - in baking hot temperatures which soared to a high of 31 C - and a respectable 11th in the Chicago Marathon (2:09:52), Korir is ready to face the heat in Qatar.

In 2014, Korir entered the marathon winners' circle for the first time with victory in the Toronto clocking 2:08:15, and he has had impressive consistency over the past three or four seasons.

In 2016 he placed second in the Paris Marathon in 2:07:29 before running a personal best of 2:05:54 for fourth in the Amsterdam Marathon later that year.

In Doha, he will team up with defending champion Geoffrey Kirui, Amos Kipruto, Paul Lonyangata and Ernest Ngeno.

"If you are disciplined, work hard and are serious about every workout then this can lead to good results," explains Korir.

At the Barcelona Marathon in February a back injury, picked up a week prior, badly compromised his efforts to produce his best, but once again showing an indomitable spirit he battled to finish ninth.

"In my mind, I wanted to finish the race because I wanted to race at the World Championships. I have such a passion to represent my country," said Korir.

Training with two world and Olympic champions Eliud Kipchoge and Stephen Kiprotich, Korir knows he is learning from the best and will want to stand out as the best in Doha.

"The one thing I have learned is never to lose hope in your life. Anything can happen at any time and anything is possible. I'm very happy after all these years I will finally get the chance to represent my country," he said.

Nine athletes have been selected, but two of those will be reserves. As Kirui gets a wildcard entry by virtue of being the defending champion, Kenya will have four men on the marathon start line and three women. The final line-up will be decided nearer to the time of the World Championships.

Kirui, who also won the Boston Marathon in 2017, is joined on the team by Amos Kipruto, Laban Korir, Paul Lonyangata and Ernest Ngeno.

Kipruto, a 2:05:43 performer, finished on the podium in Tokyo and Berlin last year. Korir, a former winner in Toronto, has a PB of 2:05:54. Lonyangata set his PB of 2:06:10 in 2017, the first of his two Paris Marathon victories. Ngeno has reached the podium in nine of his 11 marathons to date, clocking a PB of 2:06:41 last year.

Kiplagat won back-to-back world titles in 2011 and 2013. She finished fifth in 2015 and returned to the podium in 2017, taking the silver medal in London.

The 2:19:50 runner is joined on the Kenyan World Championships team by Ruth Chepngetich, Sally Chepyego and Visiline Jepkesho.

Chepngetich won in Istanbul last year in 2:18:35 and then took the Dubai Marathon title earlier this year in 2:17:08, moving to third on the world all-time list. Chepyego earned the bronze medal at the 2014 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and set a marathon PB of 2:23:15 last year. Jepkesho, a former winner in Paris and Rotterdam, has a PB of 2:21:37.

Men: Amos Kipruto, Geoffrey Kirui, Laban Korir, Paul Lonyangata, Ernest Ngeno

Women: Ruth Chepngetich, Sally Chepyego, Visiline Jepkesho, Edna Kiplagat

Kenya marathon team for the 2019 World Athletics Championships will be selected next week Athletics Kenya president Jack Tuwei has said

The biennial athletics showpiece event will be held in September and October in Doha, Qatar,

London Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge will forfeit his spot in the Kenya team for the World Championships and instead opt to defend his title at Berlin later this year.

Kipchoge will miss out on the Kenya team said he shall defend his title in Berlin with another new record next year.

"Berlin forever," said Kipchoge when he set the world record at 2:01:39.

This year's Berlin Marathon will be held on Sept. 29, just one week before the World marathon championships in Doha, Qatar on Oct. 5.

Tuwei told Nation Sport that the team will be named early so that they can start early preparations for the race that will for the first time in the championships history start at midnight.

“The first marathon season has come to an end and we will be using the races of that season to select a strong team,” said Tuwei. 

The AK president also said that the team that will be selected will thereafter head to residential camp.

“Doha is very hot and the selected team will have to train in hot conditions as one way of adapting,” added Tuwei.

Meanwhile, Berlin Marathon runner-up Amos Kipruto will be the man to watch in the Prague Marathon this Sunday.

Kipruto who has been training in Kapsabet, Nandi County pulled out of the Tokyo Marathon after picking up an injury in training.

“I’m fully healed and my preparations for the Prague Marathon has been good,” said Kipruto.

“When I ran with Kipchoge in Berlin, he inspired me so much especially after he broke the world record and I finished second behind him,” added the athlete. 

Kipruto emerged the winner in Rome Marathon in 2016 which was his debut before finishing in 12th position in the Amsterdam Marathon, where he clocked 2:09:06 the same year.

In 2017, Kipruto won the Seoul Marathon in 2:05:54, before finishing fifth in the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:05:43.

Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio, who recorded a lifetime best of 2:04:53 in Valencia last year starts as the fastest in the men’s field, but he may still be feeling the effects of the Eldoret Marathon, which he won two weeks ago in 2:12:38.

Al Mahjoub Dazza finished just half a minute behind Kisorio in Valencia in December, clocking a Moroccan record of 2:05:26 in what was just his second marathon to date.

He contested the Birell Grand Prix in Prague in 2017 so will be vaguely familiar with the streets of the Czech capital.

Kisorio’s brother, Peter Kimeli Some, is the third athlete in the field whose PB is quicker than Prague’s course record of 2:05:39. Some clocked 2:05:38 to win the 2013 Paris Marathon and came just a minute short of that mark when finishing third in Daegu last year in 2:06:49.

Amos Kipruto reached the podium at two World Marathon Majors last year, placing third in Tokyo in 2:06:33 and then clocking 2:06:23 to finish second to Eliud Kipchoge when the Kenyan set the world record of 2:01:39 in Berlin.

One year prior, Kipruto won in Seoul in 2:05:54 and followed it with a PB of 2:05:43 in Amsterdam.

Solomon Kirwa Yego also set his PB in Valencia last year, clocking 2:06:24 for eighth place. This will be his second marathon in Prague, following his 2016 run – his debut at the distance – when he finished third in 2:08:31.

Other strong Kenyans in the field include Paul Maina and 2009 world half marathon silver medallist Bernard Kiprop Kipyego.

Ethiopia’s Aychew Bantie, the runner-up in Kosice last year in a PB of 2:08:15, will also be on the start line alongside Ukrainian Olympian Oleksandr Sitkovskyy and Spain’s Hamid Ben Dauod

The Zurich Marathon de Barcelona course Record was set in 2010, when Jackson Kotut clocked 2:07:30. 

Anthony Maritim, winner in 2018, wants to retain the crown.  Anthony clocked a PR in the Condal City 2:08:08 last year and will now try to improve on it.  The course this year is an easier circuit, with less curves, wider streets and less unevenness.

Laban Korir, with the second best mark of all the participants, 2:05:54 achieved in Amsterdam 2016. Last year he clocked 2:05:58 in Rotterdam, a record that suggests that he has many options to reduce the top of Barcelona.

Eliud Kiptanui is the one with the best mark of all the participants: 2:05:21, achieved in Berlin 2015. Also in the field is Kenya’s Laban Mutai who clocked 2:07:38 a PR in Eindhoven last autumn.

The Ethiopians look very strong too, Adebe Negewo Degefa is in good shape after his great second place at the eDreams Mitja Marató in Barcelona, ​​just one second behind the winner, Eric Kiptanui. His compatriot Limenih Getachew with 02:06:49, also aspires to beautiful things. 

The Xiamen marathon, the third biggest race in China after Beijing and Shanghai, will be staged on January 6 while Tokyo marathon is scheduled for February. However, Kipruto has already competed in Tokyo last year where he claimed the bronze medal. "I want to rest and hopefully return stronger and focus on my next race. Tokyo or Xiamen are very good races. I have not raced in China and this may be my time," said Kiruto on Thursday in Eldoret. In Berlin, Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge was the star focus after he clinched the gold in world record time of 2:01.39, which was almost five minutes faster than what Kipruto posted 2:06:20 in second place. But Kipruto believes he has what it takes to stage his own conquest and Xiamen marathon in China will be an attractive destination should his management team 2 Running Club get an incentive offer. "I have run the last two races without a win. I was third in Tokyo and second in Berlin. It is an improvement but I have a chance to ascend to the winner's podium in my next race," he said. Kipruto made his marathon debut back in 2016 and defied the odds to win the Rome Marathon. However, he was given a rude shock four months later when he finished in position 12 at the Amsterdam Marathon clocking 2:09:06. Last year, he returned stronger mentally and triumphed at the Seoul Marathon timed at 2:05:54. He returned to the Netherlands and was fifth at the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:05:43. "Next year I would love to go back to Berlin. I went there hoping to finish third, because we had tough runners in Kipchoge and Wilson Kipsang. But I was happy to finish second. My management team are already working on a deal and we will see what happens," he said.