Running News Daily

Kebebe and Gudeta triumph in Xiamen

Ethiopian duo Asefa Boki Kebebe and Bekelech Gudeta were victorious at the C&D Xiamen Marathon on Sunday (7), winning the World Athletics Platinum Label road race in 2:06:46 and 2:22:54 respectively.

Kebebe upset a quality field that contained three sub-2:05 runners, outracing Kenya’s Felix Kirwa in the final seven kilometres to take the men’s title, falling just 27 seconds shy of the course record.

A leading group of more than 10 runners passed through 10km in 29:28 and 15km in 44:20. After the leaders hit the 20km mark in 59:08, defending champion Philimon Kiptoo Kipchumba and fellow Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie, the fastest entrant with a personal best of 2:04:48, both withdrew.

The pace decreased slightly after 20km but the leading group continued to shrink. At 25km there were only five runners left in the leading pack: Kebebe, Kirwa, Solomon Kirwa Yego of Kenya, Ethiopai’s Adane Kebede Gebre and Moroccan record-holder Othmane El Goumri.

Gebre dropped out of contention just before 30km, which the leaders reached in 1:29:13. After another kilometre, 31-year-old El Goumri tried to make a move. Although the Moroccan’s attempt went in vain, Yego failed to keep up. After the leading trio hit 35km in 1:44:43, El Goumri gradually faded away as well.

Kirwa stayed in the pole position as Kebebe followed closely behind. Kebede’s patience paid off as the Ethiopian made a decisive surge in the final kilometre to pass Kirwa, notching his third marathon title in China following victories in Changchun and Tianjin last year.

Kirwa – who has marathon titles in Yichang, Stockholm, Macao, Singapore and Antwerp – took second place in 2:06:52. El Goumri finished third in 2:07:18.

Like Kebebe, 26-year-old Gudeta also emerged victorious from a stacked field, but her victory was more comfortable.

An Ethiopian trio of Gudeta, Aberu Ayana Mulisa and Ftaw Zeray led the women’s race to 15km in 55:09 with the closest chaser, Morocco’s world bronze medallist Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi, lagging more than 40 seconds behind.

Zeray soon fell behind before the leading duo passed 20km and Mulisa, who achieved her PB of 2:21:54 last year in Seville, also failed to keep up with Gudeta near the halfway point.

Gudeta continued to extend her lead and went on to win in 2:22:54, shaving two seconds from the PB she set when winning in Prague two years ago.

Gardadi finished second in 2:24:12 taking almost a minute off her PB in what was her second race in Xiamen in five weeks following a 1:11:14 victory at the Xiamen Half Marathon.

China’s Zhang Deshun was third in 2:26:53.

(01/07/2024) Views: 261 ⚡AMP
by Vincent Wu for World Athletics

Purity Komen upsets Ruth Chepngetich and Daniel Ebenyo wins in Istanbul

Purity Komen was the surprise winner of the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon. Overtaking fellow-Kenyan and race favourite Ruth Chepngetich the 24 year-old stormed to her biggest career win with a personal best of 66:30. Course record holder Chepngetich followed in second with 67:18 while Evaline Chirchir made it an all-Kenyan podium with 67:31. Stella Rutto of Romania was the fastest European, finishing 10th with 70:05.

In partly windy conditions hopes for a course record faded in the men’s race as well after a fast first section. 27 year-old Daniel Ebenyo of Kenya was the winner of Turkey’s best quality road race with 59:52. Marokko’s Hicham Amghar took second place in 59:58 and Haftu Teklu clocked 60:03 for third. Britain’s Marc Scott was the best European runner in 63:17 for 12th place.

A record number of 12,300 runners competed in the 18th edition of the half marathon and the 10k race staged parallel. Many athletes ran for charity, collecting money for the victims of the devastating earthquake that shook southern Turkey earlier this year. The N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon is a Gold Label Road Race of World Athletics. 

"It was a nice race and especially the men’s elite was very competitive. We are happy that we continue to register record fields. It is always exciting to experience the historic atmosphere here in Istanbul and we are now inviting everyone to be back for our marathon on 5th November,“ said Race Director Reynar Onur.

The women’s race began as expected. Ruth Chepngetich sped away from the field right after the start and was so quick that even the TV cameras missed her on a few occasions early on. Passing the 5k mark in 15:16 the Kenyan was almost on course for breaking her Kenyan record and her Istanbul course record of 64:02, which in 2021 was a world record as well.

However once the 2019 Marathon World Champion came off Galata Bridge and had to run against the wind for almost four kilometers she slowed considerably. At the 10k point her 31:09 split time then indicated a 65:45 finish and her lead had shrunk to only four seconds. Purity Komen, Evaline Chirchir and Ethiopia’s Bosena Mulatie caught her a few minutes later. Then it was  Komen, who had only been number nine with a PB of 67:08 on the final start list, who moved ahead before the 15k mark. Chepngetich tried to follow her in a bid to make it six wins from six races in Istanbul, but today she was unable to do so. Purity Komen won the race with 66:30 and became the first woman to beat Ruth Chepngetich on the historic roads of Istanbul. 

“My body did not respond after the early part of the race. I don’t know why, but I assume that may be the race came a bit too soon after the Nagoya Marathon in March,“ said Ruth Chepngetich. “I have not yet decided if I will run the World Championships’ marathon or an autumn race. The big goal is the Olympic Games next year and I hope to be selected for the team.“

While Ruth Chepngetich is an experienced marathoner the victory in Istanbul may well have brought Purity Komen closer to her debut at the classic distance. “This victory was unexpected. I was surprised when I suddenly saw Ruth in front of me and was then able to pass her,“ said Purity Komen. “I had hoped to achieve a 65 minutes’ time, but it was too windy today. I now plan to run my marathon debut next year.“

The men’s race began very fast as well with the first couple of split times indicating a finishing time of around 58:00. But as in the women’s competition the pace then dropped considerable once the leading group hit the wind. A group of around ten athletes passed the 10k mark in 28:22, which is sub 60 minutes’ pace.

Two athletes were pushing the pace at the front: Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo and Hicham Amghar of Morocco, who have PBs of 59:04 and 59:53 respectively. Soon after the 15k point (42:33) Ebenyo took the lead, covering the 16th kilometre in 2:46. Only Amghar was able to follow him, but when Ebenyo indicated to him to help pushing the pace the Moroccan stayed right behind him. Ebenyo then kept pressing ahead and opened up a decisive gap with around 4k to go. 

“I hoped to catch Daniel but I am happy with my result. I was going for a PB, but it was not possible in the wind,“ said Hicham Amghar, while Daniel Ebenyo was happy about his first major half marathon victory. “I am excited to have won this race. My aim was to run 59:00 minutes but it was too windy for that,“ said the Kenyan. “I will probably run my marathon debut next year. May be I come back to Istanbul for that.“

Results, Men:

1. Daniel Ebenyo KEN 59:52

2. Hicham Amghar MOR 59:58

3. Haftu Teklu ETH 60:03

4. Charles Langat KEN 60:07

5. Vincent Kipkemoi KEN 60:09

6. Boniface Kibiwott KEN 60:23

7. Benard Biwott KEN 60:47

8. Ashenafi Kiros ETH 61:21

9. Alfred Ngeno KEN 62:24

10. Alene Mekonen ETH 62:32

 

Women:

1. Purity Komen KEN 66:30

2. Ruth Chepngetich KEN 67:18

3. Evaline Chirchir KEN 67:31

4. Bosena Mulatie ETH 67:43

5. Tigist Gezahagn ETH 68:49

6. Betelihem Afenigus ETH 69:04

7. Beatrice Cheserek KEN 69:14

8. Bekelech Gudeta ETH 69:35

9. Shamilah Kipsiror KEN 69:38

10. Stella Rutto ROM 70:05

(04/30/2023) Views: 609 ⚡AMP

Ruth Chepngetich returns for another fast race in Istanbul

Both course record holders will return to the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon on 30th April: Organizers from Spor Istanbul announced today that Ruth Chepngetich and fellow-Kenyan Rodgers Kwemoi will head extraordinary strong elite fields next month. The marathon world champion from 2019 has established a unique win streak at the Bosphorus, which she will try to build on further: Ruth Chepngetich won the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon three times and triumphed in the N Kolay Marathon twice.

In total she competed five times in these races and broke the course record on all occasions. When Ruth Chepngetich established the current half marathon mark of 64:02 in 2021 this was a world record as well. Rodgers Kwemoi will compete in Turkey’s best quality elite road race for the second time. He improved the course record to 59:15 a year ago.

Currently, nine men are on the start list of the Istanbul Half Marathon who have already broken the hour mark and nine women feature personal bests of sub-67 minutes. Istanbul 2023 offers one of the strongest line-ups in half marathon racing this year. The 18th N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon is an Elite Label Road Race of World Athletics.

Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich has shown superb marathon form earlier this month, when she took the Nagoya women’s race with a world-class 2:18:08. Seven weeks later the 28-year-old hopes to be ready for another fast performance in Istanbul.

“I am super excited to come to the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon for the fourth time and to defend my title. I have always performed well in Istanbul and I am hoping to run another fast race if the weather cooperates,“ said Ruth Chepngetich, whose course record of 64:02 still is the Kenyan record while the world record now stands at 62:52. 

To build on her Istanbul win streak Chepngetich is mixing with a top-level field on Sunday, April 30. A group of Ethiopians could challenge the Kenyan.At just 21 years of age Bosena Mulatie already has a strong personal best of 65:46. She ran the time in Ras Al Khaimah (United Aarab Emirates) last year, where she finished fifth. In the summer, she achieved qualification for the World Championships and placed eighth in the 10,000 m final. Ethiopians Ftaw Zeray and Bekelech Gudeta feature personal records of 66:04 and 66:35 respectively. Gudeta ran her PB last year in Istanbul when she was third. Gete Alemayehu has been in fine form earlier this year, when she finished 12th in the challenging World Cross Country Championships. The Ethiopian has a half marathon PB of 66:37.

Additionally, there is Evaline Chirchir, she ran 66:01 in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) in 2020 when taking fourth. The 24-year-old did not compete for some time internationally, but ran a solid race in RAK last month with 67:15 for fifth place.

Rodgers Kwemoi is not only the course record holder but also the fastest athlete on the start list. The 25-year-old ran 58:30 when he was runner-up in RAK last year. After that race he broke the Istanbul course record by 20 seconds with 59:15 despite windy conditions. “My next goal in the half marathon is a time of 58:00,“ said Rodgers Kwemoi after this impressive win. He had no opportunity yet to reach that goal, so the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon could be the place for him to chase such a world-class time. 

Among Rodgers Kwemoi’s competitors there will be Amedework Walelegn, who has good memories of the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon as well. The Ethiopian was the winner in 2018 and at that time became the first runner to break the one hour barrier at the Bosphorus with a time of 59:50. Since then he has improved this PB to 58:40. The 24-year-old was in great form recently, when he first took the Sevilla Half Marathon with 60:28 and then won the Seoul Marathon in 2:05:27. 

Recent road race results from Kenyans Charles Langat and Daniel Ebenyo have been impressive as well and suggest that they could be in contention for victory in Istanbul as well. Langat won the Barcelona Half Marathon in February with 58:53 and Ebenyo, who has a very fast 10k PB of 26:58, was runner-up in the Manama Half Marathon in Bahrain in December with 59:04. 

Britain’s Marc Scott is the fastest European runner on the start list. The 3,000 m bronze medalist from the World Indoor Championships 2022 ran 60:39 in Larne (Northern Ireland)  three years ago for a runner-up spot behind Mo Farah. 

(04/05/2023) Views: 647 ⚡AMP
by Christopher Kelsall

Taiwan’s Wan Jin Shi Marathon concludes in wet conditions

World Athletics gives marathon gold-label designation for excellent course planning and execution

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — More than 11,000 runners competed in the 2023 New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi (WJS) Marathon on Sunday (March 19), drawing 300 competitors from 33 countries.

The road race is Taiwan's first World Athletics certified “Gold Label” event, indicating that the running surface and route meet top-quality international conditions and the event is supervised by properly trained medical staff, per UDN.

The WJS Marathon was held in Wanli’s Emerald Bay with a series of warm-up activities before the 6:00 a.m. start. New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) had the honor of firing the starter’s pistol and both domestic and foreign competitors took off on the 42-kilometer marathon race. Afterwards, a shorter 10km race also commenced

Later at a press conference, Hou said he was proud that the WJS Marathon became the first event in Taiwan to be certified with the “Gold Label” by World Athletics.

Previously, the group went under the name International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and is recognized as the main governing body for athletic competitions such as track and field, road running, cross-country racing, and marathons.

Hou added that approximately 11,000 runners participated in today's marathon. Among them, 300 runners came from 33 countries, such as Bahrain, Spain, Ethiopia, and Kenya. He was also proud that many marathoners wore clothing made from coffee grounds and PET bottles, which promoted his future vision for sustainability.

Race organizers are planning to apply for a special green certificate next year to make the road race more sustainable. This year, LED screens at the start and finish of the race replaced PVC signage, and even race result certification was provided electronically instead of being printed.

In the end, it was Kenyan athlete, Barnabas Kiptum, who won the race in 2:11:57 with the top Taiwan male finisher being Chiang Chieh-wen (蔣介文) who crossed the finish line in 2:23:06, per UDN.

As for the women's competition, it was won by Ethiopian Bekelech Gudeta Borecha in 2:29:25. The top Taiwan female finisher was Lisa Reis (雷理莎) in 2:46:24.

(03/19/2023) Views: 528 ⚡AMP

Obiri and Kwemoi claim half marathon crowns in Istanbul

Hellen Obiri ran the 10th fastest ever women's half marathon and Rodgers Kwemoi broke the course record to win the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon, a World Athletics Elite Label road race, on Sunday (27).

Both races got off to a blistering start and while the early world record pace could not be maintained on a sunny and breezy morning, Kenya's Obiri and Kwemoi held on to triumph by a big margin, beating two stong fields.

Two-time world 5000m champion Obiri ran 1:04:48 to win the women's race by more than a minute ahead of Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu and Bekelech Gudeta, while Kwemoi improved the men's course record to 59:15 to beat his training partner Daniel Mateiko (1:00:05) and Emmanuel Bor, who had started the race as a pacemaker.

The N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon was one of the few international races that went ahead last year during the pandemic and it ended with a world record by Ruth Chepngetich, the world marathon champion running 1:04:02. Since then, that women's world record has been improved to 1:02:52 by Letesenbet Gidey in Valencia and it was that mark the leaders were on target for in the early stages.

Running with a male pacemaker, Obiri was joined by Gemechu as they passed 5km in 14:45, putting them on a projected pace of just outside 62 minutes, with Ethiopia’s Bekelech Gudeta and Kenya’s Vicoty Chepngeno running together 10 seconds behind them. Turkey’s Yasemin Can was another 10 seconds back.

Speeding up further still, it was no surprise to see Obiri open a gap on Gemechu, but that pace could not be sustained in the windy conditions and the world cross-country champion had slowed by the 10km point, although that was still passed in 30:01. By that stage she was half a minute ahead of Gemechu, who had been caught by Chepngeno and Gudeta.

Obiri continued to forge ahead, passing 15km in 45:27 and 20km in 1:01:16 to eventually win in 1:04:48, improving both her time and position from the event 12 months earlier, when she was third behind Chepngetich in 1:04:51 – the fastest debut half marathon in history. Obiri currently sits fifth on the world all-time list with the 1:04:22 she ran to finish second at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon last month.

Gemechu, who won last year’s Copenhagen Half Marathon in a PB of 1:05:08, battled the challenge posed by Chepngeno and Gudeta and solo ran her way to second place in 1:05:52. Gudeta was third in 1:06:35, Chepngeno fourth in 1:06:58 and Can fifth in 1:07:57. The top 11 finished inside 70 minutes, while Moira Stewartova was just outside that and broke the Czech Republic record with 1:10:14 to finish 12th.

The men’s race leaders were also on pace to break Jacob Kiplimo’s world record of 57:31 set in Lisbon last year in the opening kilometres and Kwemoi, Mateiko and their compatriot Bor were just off that tempo through 5km in 13:40.That trio remained together as 10km was passed in 27:35 but then Kwemoi began to move away. The tempo was easing but he was still well in control, with a 20-second lead at 15km, which he passed in 41:34. That advantage had grown to 44 seconds by 20km (56:07) and he ran unchallenged to the finish line in 59:15 to improve the course record of 59:35 set by the then world record-holder Kibiwott Kandie last year.

Bor was 15 seconds behind runner-up Mateiko, running 1:00:20 for third place, while Kenya’s Edmond Kipngetich and Brian Kwemoi finished fourth and fifth with respective times of 1:00:30 and 1:00:50.

The top 10 were all under 62 minutes, with Ramazan Ozdemir being Turkey’s top finisher in 14th (1:04:02).

The event featured a record number of around 10,500 participants.

(03/27/2022) Views: 944 ⚡AMP

Hellen Obiri goes for another PB and possibly the Istanbul course record

Hellen Obiri is back in Istanbul where strong elite fields were assembled for the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon on Sunday.

Both course records could be threatened at the Bosporus. Six women are on the start list with personal bests of sub 67:00 and Kenya’s reigning World Cross Country Champion and 5,000 m World Champion is the fastest of them: Hellen Obiri has improved to 64:22 earlier this year.

Fellow-Kenyans Daniel Mateiko and Rodgers Kwemoi head the men’s start list with personal bests of 58:26 and 58:30 respectively. The N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon produced a world record a year ago when Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich won the race in 64:02. 

A year ago the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon was one of very few international races that went ahead during the pandemic. 4,000 runners participated under strict hygiene regulations. Now the organizers of the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon are proud to announce that the race bounced back: Including races at shorter distances a record number of over 10,000 runners were registered for the 17th edition. Around 8,000 of them will run the half marathon.Turkey’s biggest spring road race is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race. 

“We have worked for a long time to improve our 16 year-old course and to make it one of the most historic and enjoyable courses in the world, as well as one of the fastest. We succeeded in developing the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon further and even had a world record here a year ago,“ said Renay Onur, the Race Director of the event which is staged by Spor Istanbul.

With regard to Sunday’s race he said: “Our elite field is of high quality. With two men having recently achieved sub-59 times, we have a chance that our course record will fall. On the women’s side, I am happy that Hellen Obiri is back. I believe she can go even faster since weather conditions seem to be fine on Sunday. We invite all sport lovers to enjoy this race.“

Hellen Obiri is ready for another very fast race. "If weather conditions and pacemaking are good then I will try to break my personal best. Whenever I come to such a race it is my goal to run well and improve my time,“ said the 32 year-old who improved to 64:22 when she was second in the Ras Al Khaimah half marathon in the United Arab Emirates in February. Since then she has been training in the Ngong hills near Nairobi.

“I am in much better form now than I was before Ras Al Khaimah,“ said Hellen Obiri. Asked about the course record, which is also the Kenyan record, she answered: “The course record will be a tough challenge. But we have a very strong field, so we will definitely give it a try.“ 

Hellen Obiri will indeed face very strong competition in Istanbul. Fellow-Kenyan Vicoty Chepngeno has an outstanding half marathon record. She ran 14 half marathons since 2018 and won eleven of them.

The 28 year-old is undefeated in her past six races at the distance and improved to a world-class time of 65:03 when she took the Houston half marathon in January.

Ethiopian trio Tsehay Gemechu (PB: 65:08), Nigsti Haftu (66:17), Bekelech Gudeta (66:54) and Turkey’s multiple European long distance champion Yasemin Can (66:20) are the other women who have already run below 67:00. Tsehay Gemechu has a very strong half marathon record as well.

She has won four of her five races and is the reigning champion of the Copenhagen half marathon where she clocked her PB last year.

In the men’s race there will be an attack on the course record, which was established last year by Kenya’s Kibiwott Kandie with 59:35.

“We will both be going for the course record and a personal best,“ said Daniel Mateiko and Rodgers Kwemoi, who are training partners and belong to the group of Eliud Kipchoge based at Kaptagat. Mateiko improved by almost a full minute to 58:26 when he was third in Valencia in 2021 while Kwemoi was runner-up in Ras Al Khaimah in February with a strong PB of 58:30.

“I am now in better form than I was in Ras Al Khaimah,“ said Rodgers Kwemoi.

Two other runners in the field have already broken the one hour barrier: Kenyans Josphat Tanui and Edmond Kipngetich have personal bests of 59:22 and 59:41 respectively.

Elite runners with personal bests

Men

Daniel Mateiko KEN 58:26

Rodgers Kwemoi KEN 58:30

Josphat Tanui KEN 59:22

Edmond Kipngetich KEN 59:41

Hillary Kipchumba KEN 60:01

Vestus Chemjor KEN 60:47

Moses Too KEN 60:56

Philimon Kiptoo KEN 61:47

Daniel Kiprotich KEN 62:09

Gerald Vincent KEN 62:27

Ramazan Özdemir TUR 63:10

Women

Hellen Obiri KEN 64:22

Vicoty Chepngeno KEN 65:03

Tsehay Gemechu ETH 65:08

Nigsti Haftu ETH 66:17

Yasemin Can TUR 66:20

Bekelech Gudeta ETH 66:54

Pauline Esikon KEN 67:15

Stella Rutto ROU 67:45

Ayinadis Teshome ETH 68:18

Daisy Kimeli KEN 68:34

Medhin Gebreslassie ETH 68:38

Ludwina Chepngetich KEN 70:34

Moira Stewartova CZE 71:08

Fatma Karasu TUR 71:30

Kristina Hendel CRO 71:34

(03/25/2022) Views: 1,051 ⚡AMP

Double 5,000m world champion Helen Obiri turns attention to Istanbul Half Marathon

Hellen Obiri has no time to rest as she gears up for her next assignment at the Istanbul Half Marathon on March 27 in Turkey.

The 31 year-old made her half marathon debut here in 2020 where she ran an exceptional time of 1:04.51 that made her the fourth-fastest Kenyan of all-time over the distance.

Obiri has gained experience in half marathon running since her debut. She has put her focus on road races, she won the Great North Run in last September with a time of 1:07.42 and recently she displayed her great form when she finished second at the Ras Al Khaimah half marathon that was held last month, where she also improved on her personal best to 1:04.22.

The World Cross Country Champion is now ranked the fifth fastest half marathon runner of all time. “I am so happy to be returning to Istanbul. I ran my half marathon debut in this race last year and I hope I can improve both my position and my time on this occasion,” Obiri said.

The race organizers have lined up for Ethiopians who have personal best of sub 1:07.00 that will also face Obiri in the coming three weeks time.

The 2021 Copenhagen half marathon champion, Tsehay Gemechu leads the four athletes as she comes to this race with the second fastest time on paper of 1:05.08.

The 23 year-old has an impressive half marathon record with four wins out of five races. Hawi Feysa was second behind Gemechu in Copenhagen in September, when she ran a personal best of 1:05.41 in her debut.

Nigsti Haftu and Bekelech Gudeta are the other title contenders and they come to this race with their personal best of 1:06.17 and 1:06.54. Haftu got her all time best at last year’s Valencia Half Marathon where she finished in sixth place while Gudeta got her lifetime best at this race in last year’s edition where she finished in position seven.

The two times Olympic 5000m silver medallist is ready to battle the four and she is looking forward to the challenge on the flat course.

“My training has been going on well but I know it will be a tough challenge as the field is very strong. I look forward to an exciting race in a beautiful city, “said Obiri.

The four athletes have been put together by the race organizer to chase the race course record of 1:04.02 that was set last year by Ruth Chepngetich from Kenya. This time still stands as the world record because it has been ratified by the World Athletics.

The current world half marathon record holder is Letesenbet Gidey from Ethiopia who broke the previous mark by more than a minute in 2021 in Valencia.

 

(03/01/2022) Views: 969 ⚡AMP
by John Vaselyne

Ethiopia’s Bekelech Gudeta Borecha will make her Debut at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

A first-time marathon requires a great leap of faith as any distance runner can attest. And so it is that Ethiopian distance star Bekelech Gudeta, who will turn 22 nine days before the race, enters the unknown at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon tackling one of the strongest women’s fields assembled on Canadian soil. Though she has no experience at the classic marathon distance she has performed admirably these past two years in the half marathon, running under 1:08 on three occasions, most recently on September 15th. That time of 1:07:21 earned her 6th place in the Copenhagen Half Marathon, which, like Toronto, is an IAAF Gold Label race. A year ago, she recorded her personal best 1:07:03 on the same course.

"I am really happy to start the marathon," she reveals. " have run some half marathons and I think I can run a (good) marathon as a half marathon is a quicker pace than the marathon. I started preparation for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon from June. My target is to run a fast time in Toronto."

The women’s course record in Toronto is 2:22:29 and was set a year ago by Mimi Belete the Ethiopian who now runs for Bahrain. This doesn’t seem to faze Gudeta.

"My coach is Dawit Hiluf and he is telling me that I can run sub 2:22 in my first marathon," she says. "He is telling me the athletes with 1:07 in the half marathon have run 2:19 to 2:21 in the marathon and he is telling me it is possible to run fast in the first marathon. He is telling me that the Toronto marathon has a fast course. We expect to see me on the Toronto marathon podium with a fast time."

What gives her more confidence is that she has increased her training volume significantly this year but did not reduce it for her Copenhagen appearance. Training through Copenhagen and still coming away with a time just 18 seconds slower than her best must have been satisfying to her and her coach.

"Last year I was doing 100km per week now it’s 160 - 170km. So, I was expecting to run 1:05 (in Copenhagen) but this year there was too much wind. We ran against the wind. Especially when I dropped from the leading group it was difficult. But I am happy as I ran sub 68 for my third time."

Gudeta is a member of a training group put together by Volare Sports, a Netherlands based sports management company. It includes Hiwot Gebrekidan (2nd in Ottawa in both 2017 and 2018) Betelhem Moges (2nd in Ottawa 2019) and Abeba Gebremeskel (2nd place Seville marathon 2019). Like other runners she lives in the Ararat area of Addis, Ethiopia’s capital and shares a ride to training sites outside the city.

"Our training is in different places around Addis most of time we train in Sululta, Sendafa, Kaliti, Entoto, Sebeta and around Ararat inside Addis," she continues.

"We have a Volare team bus and we meet 3-4 times per week training program with a team. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and sometimes Sunday we train together with the team and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday we have easy training separately. When we are not with the team I train around Ararat."

Bekelech has not always lived in Addis. She was born in Shona just 50 kilometers outside the capital. After being introduced to running at school and having some success one of her brothers encouraged her to move to Addis and become a serious runner. She credits him with her success.

In Toronto she will face her experienced compatriots Dibaba Kuma, Eshetu Biruktayit and Hiwot Gebrekidan as well as Kenya’s Magdalyne Masai and Ruth Chebitok.

While the Toronto Waterfront Marathon signifies a dramatic change in direction for Bekelech Gudeta she sees it as a step towards meeting her ultimate goals.

"My goal is be a world class athlete like (Kenya’s four-time New York Marathon champion) Mary Keitany and Tirunesh Dibaba (three-time Olympic champion from Ethiopia)," she declares. " have represented my country during the World Half Marathon Championship last year in Valencia and I was 8th place. I want to represent Ethiopia again in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics or in other Olympics. It is my dream as a runner."

(09/25/2019) Views: 1,903 ⚡AMP
by Paul Gains

Nengampi and Taegu are the winners at the Yangzhou Jianzhen half marathon in China

Kenya’s Perine Nengampi enjoyed a convincing victory in the women’s race of the Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon while Berehanu Tsegu of Ethiopia clinched the men’s title with a powerful home stretch run at the IAAF Gold Label road race on Sunday (21).

The 29-year-old Nengampi upset a deep field that contained several sub-1:08 runners and took the victory with a career best time of 1:08:04, the second fastest winning time ever in Yangzhou after the course record of 1:07:21 set by fellow Kenyan and world champion Peres Jepchirchir in 2016.

Nengampi stayed in a leading group of eight runners in the early stages and pulled clear for the sole lead near the halfway mark. She kept widening the gap and never looked back, crossing the line with a margin of nearly one-and-a-half minutes.

Birhan Mhretu of Ethiopia clocked a PB of 1:09:33 to finish second, bettering her previous career best by 53 seconds. Bekelech Gudeta of Ethiopia, the eighth-place finisher from the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships, took the third place in 1:09:45.

Nineteen-year-old Tsegu, in his first year as a senior athlete, outraced Kenya’s Moses Kibet in the last 500 metres to break the tape in 59:56 in what was only his second international half marathon to date.

Last month Tsegu stormed to 59:41 on his half marathon debut to finish second in Lisbon and his winning time in the scenic Chinese city was only four seconds shy of the course record set by four-time champion Mosinet Geremew.

A crowded leading group of some 20 runners paced the race to five kilometres in 14:08 but only 10 were left when they hit the 10-kilometre water station in 28:21. At 15km in 43:01 there were just seven runners.

Kenya’s John Lotiang, who improved his PB to 1:00:09 last month, launched his charge first after 17km. Tsegu and Kibet managed to keep up and the trio soon built a lead of 10 seconds from the chasers.

Lotiang faded away after 19km. Tsegu waited for another kilometre before breaking clear to wrap up the first title of his career.

Kibet lagged two seconds behind Tsegu to finish second. Lotiang finished third in 1:00:22.

(04/21/2019) Views: 2,263 ⚡AMP
by From IAAF

World champion Netsanet Gudeta will be the one to beat at the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon

The 28-year-old Ethiopian set the women's-only race world record at the World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia last year, clocking 1:06:11.

But she's run even faster since, clocking 1:05:45 to equal the Ethiopian record at the RAK Half on 8 February, where she finished second. More recently, she ran 1:06:49 at the Bahrain Night Half Marathon on 15 March to finish third.

She'll face Ruth Chepngetich, who set the Istanbul course record of 1:06:19 in 2017. She was second in the Bahrain race last month, clocking 1:06:09 to clip ten seconds from her personal best.

Chepngetich began 2019 with a bang, winning January's Dubai Marathon in 2:17:08 to become the third fastest marathoner in history.

Other standouts include Ethiopians Bekelech Gudeta and Helen Tola, who have 1:07:03 and 1:07:47 lifetime bests to their credit; and Kenyan Delvine Meringor, another sub-1:08 runner.

(04/05/2019) Views: 2,286 ⚡AMP

Ethiopia team ready for IAAF Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships

Ethiopia’s fastest man and woman over 13.1 miles this year have been named on the national team for the IAAF Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018. Men: Dawit Fikadu, Betesfa Getahun, Getaneh Molla, Jiksa Tadesse, Jemal Yimer Women: Ruti Aga, Meseret Belete, Bekelech Gudeta, Zinash Mekonnen, Zeineba Yimer (02/16/2018) Views: 1,614 ⚡AMP
Ethiopia Running