Running News Daily

Elite Field Shaping Up For 88th Version Of Manchester Road Race

This year's Manchester Road race will feature several Olympians and world-class runners, who will join others clad in turkey suits, tutus, college gear and pilgrim costumes in a field expected to exceed 11,000 on Thanksgiving morning.

This year marks the 88th version of the famed race. The annual 4.737-mile run through Manchester's central streets, regarded as one of America's largest and most Turkey Day events, will start at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning (Nov. 28) on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St James Church.

Organizers said large crowds of spectators are expected to view the race, which is one of only 22 in the United States, and 298 in the world, designated as a World Athletics Label Road Race by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of track and field.

Defending champion and Olympian Weini Kelati of Flagstaff, Arizona has entered the race. Kelati has won the MRR women’s title for the past three years, and a fourth victory this Thanksgiving will set the record for most consecutive wins by a female competitor. A 13-time All American runner at the University of New Mexico who finished eighth last summer in the 10,000 meters finals at the Paris Olympic Games, Kelati set the MRR women's course record of 22:55 in 2021 during her first Manchester appearance.

Kelati won the women's race in Manchester last November with a time of 23:21 and finished 19th in the overall competition. She will be joined in the elite field this Thanksgiving by Annie Rodenfels, the 2023 runner-up, and 2019 winner and marathon great Edna Kiplagat.

Former champions Ben Flanagan (2021) and Sam Chelanga (2013), Kenyan Olympian Edwin Kurgat, who placed seventh in the 5,000 meters finals at the Paris Olympics, and Andrew Colley, the fourth place-finisher in Manchester in 2022 with a time of 21:07, are expected to lead the men’s elite field.

As of early Monday morning, more than 9,000 runners had registered for this year's race.

(11/11/2024) Views: 118 ⚡AMP
by Chris Dehnel

Bernard Ngeno headlines strong men's field for Boston Half Marathon

Thousands of athletes, including top contenders like Bernard Ngeno and Melknat Wudu, will compete in the Boston Half Marathon on November 10, with elites aiming for records and personal bests.

Thousands of athletes will be looking to make an impression at the Boston Half Marathon on Sunday, November 10.

The men’s race boasts four men who have clocked personal bests under one hour. Headlining the field will be Bernard Ngeno who has a personal best time of 59:07 minutes. Isaac Kipkemboi (Kenya, 59:17), Bravin Kiptoo (Kenya, 59:37) and American Leonard Korir are also some of the headliners of the field.

Bernard Ngeno is fresh from racing at the Principality Cardiff Half Marathon where he finished 15th. He is one of the most decorated road runners and has won eight international half-marathons. On his part, Leonard Korir has represented Team USA at two Olympic Games, including at the Paris Olympic Games.

Others confirmed for the event include Ben Flanagan of Canada and Yemane Haileselassie from Eritrea and they are both familiar with the roads. Flanagan finished second at the 2023 Boston 5K while Haileselassie was third at last year’s Boston Half Marathon.

Others confirmed for the race include Sam Chelanga who was third at the 2012 Boston Half Marathon and seventh last year. Daniel Mesfun finished 15th at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon.

The women’s race is headlined by Ethiopia’s Melknat Wudu who is fresh from winning the 10km title and she will be back to make her half marathon debut. Wudu ran 31:15 to win the race and is a two-time World Junior Championships silver medalist on the track.

She will be up against fellow Ethiopians including Mestawat Fikir and Bosena Mulatie, the duo who finished second and third at last month’s Berlin Marathon.

Uganda’s Sarah Chelangat, Ethiopians Fentaye Belayneh and Mebrat Gidey, and Britain’s Calli Hauger-Thackery will also be in the race. Chelangat placed 12th at the 2024 Olympic 10,000m, while Belayneh was runner-up at the Boston Half Marathon in 2023 and she will be out to go one place better.

Gidey placed 10th at the 2024 World Cross Country Championships while Hauger-Thackery set a lifetime best 2:21:24 at the Berlin Marathon this year, finishing seventh.

“Nearly 9,000 athletes will take part in this year’s Boston Half, and at the front of the field will be fan favorites striving for event records and personal bests,” said Jack Fleming, President and CEO of the B.A.A.

“We’re eager to welcome competitors from more than 40 countries to the roads of Boston, ranging from the world’s best to those looking to complete their first half marathon.”

(10/22/2024) Views: 160 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wafula

Kenya’s John Korir claims dominant men’s win at Falmouth Road Race, while Fentaye Azale takes women’s in sprint finish

Kenya’s John Korir flirted with the course record at the Falmouth Road Race on Sunday, dominating the men’s field to win by 51 seconds in 31 minutes, 15 seconds over the seven miles.

Korir took control early and never relented, opening a 23-second gap by the 5K mark. That lead stretched to over a minute through 10K, and the field closed ever so slightly as Korir missed the course record, set last year by Wesley Kiptoo, by just seven seconds. Korir ran the third-fastest winning time in the race’s 52-year history.

“I was confident. I knew I was going to win because I am in very good shape,” said Korir. “I was feeling good, so I decided to go and see how it went.”

It was an entirely different race on the women’s side, where Ethiopia’s Fentaye Azale needed every yard from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights to put away the competition. In the end, Azale edged countrywoman Melknat Wudu by just a second with a winning 36:10. The two came flying down the final hill side by side, but Azale had an extra gear in the final steps.

Emma Bates, the top American woman at back-to-back Boston Marathons, was just six seconds behind the dueling Ethiopians. Another American, Emma Grace Hurley, led a trio across the line just behind Bates.

“It’s always so welcoming here,” said Bates. “People were shouting ‘Emma’ the entire way and I was running with Emma Grace Hurley, so both of us were just soaking up the energy from the crowd.”

Morgan Beadlescomb was the top American on the men’s side, finishing fifth, 66 seconds behind Korir. Three-time champion Ben Flanagan of Canada was seventh.

More than 11,000 runners participated in both races this year.

(08/19/2024) Views: 297 ⚡AMP
by y Amin Touri

Moh Ahmed dazzles in Canadian 5,000m final with championship record

Canada’s greatest men’s distance runner, Moh Ahmed, had his hands full on Thursday night in the men’s 5,000m at the 2024 Bell Canadian Olympic Track and Field Trials in Montreal, with Quebec’s Thomas Fafard chasing the Olympic standard of 13 minutes and five seconds from the start. Ahmed stuck with the pace and dazzled as he won the men’s 5,000m title in a new championship record time of 13:10.99.

Ahmed’s finishing time is the fastest ever by a domestic athlete on Canadian soil, breaking the previous record by two seconds.

The men’s race went out at a 13-minute pace, with Fafard needing a time of 13:20 or faster to improve his Paris 2024 qualification spot in the rankings. He was paced by his teammate and newly crowned national steeplechase champion, Jean-Simon Desgagnés, for 2,000m. Once Desgagnés stepped off, Fafard kept the pedal to the metal but was unable to hold off Ahmed’s momentum in the final 1,000m.

“I love this racing style,” says Ahmed. “Thomas made it an honest race.”

Moh Ahmed signs the Air Canada ticket to Paris 2024 after winning the men’s 5,000m at the 2024 Bell Canadian Track and Field Olympic Trials. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

This is the 21st time in Ahmed’s career that he has finished a men’s 5,000m under the 13:12.00 mark—a feat every other athlete but Ahmed has only achieved six times. This is the second event he’s qualified for in Paris; he’s already been named to Team Canada in the 10,000m event.

Fafard crossed the line for second place ahead of Ben Flanagan in 13:18.02—the second-fastest time of his career. Flanagan rounded out the podium in 13:29.42. Earlier this season, Fafard missed the Olympic standard in the 5,000m by seven one-hundredths of a second, running 13:05.07. He currently sits inside the World Athletics Paris 2024 selection quota, but things can still change between now and when the window closes on Sunday, June 30.

(06/28/2024) Views: 299 ⚡AMP

Ben Flanagan breaks his national record at Canadian 10K

It wasn’t obvious from the start that he was going for the Canadian record, but Ben Flanagan made a move halfway into the Canadian 10K Championships at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (also known as the Ottawa 10K, putting distance between himself, marathoner Rory Linkletter and Jeremy Coughler, and held on for the win, squeaking past his Canadian record by two seconds, to finish in 28:09. (The previous record, held jointly with Canadian marathon record holder Cam Levins, was 28:11.)

“I wanted to stay on the gas and in that final kilometre I gave it everything I had,” Flanagan told Canadian Running post-race. His final kilometre was a split of two minutes and 38 seconds. Linkletter finished second in Ottawa, in 28:40 (a new personal best) and Coughler third, in 28:55 (also a personal best).

It was overcast and about 18 C in Ottawa Saturday–slightly warmer than ideal for racing, but less hot than it has been in recent years, which was a relief for the runners and made fast times possible. The race began with a fairly sedate 2:57 split, but got progressively faster (the third-kilometre split was 2:45). Flanagan took advantage of the hard downhill turn where the race crosses the canal, to make his move. It was a $6,000 payday for Flanagan, who will get $5,000 for the win and an additional $1,000 bonus for the national record.

Linkletter will be disappointed not to take the national championship, something he has yet to accomplish in his career; he is Canadian, but lives and trains in Flagstaff, Arizona, under former American marathoner Ryan Hall. Linkletter has been named to the Canadian marathon team for the Paris Olympics, along with Levins. Flanagan is also qualified for the Olympics (in the 5,000m), but has not yet been officially selected.

Coughler won his third consecutive Spring Run-Off 8K in Toronto’s High Park in April; in 2023, he won the Canadian 10,000m Championships. 

For Flanagan and Linkletter, Saturday’s race was almost a repeat of the 2022 event, which Flanagan also won (in 28:40), with Linkletter finishing second. 

(05/27/2024) Views: 427 ⚡AMP
by Anne Francis

Natasha Wodak returns to Ottawa in search of a three-peat

For the past nine years, the last weekend of May has been a significant date on the calendar for many of Canada’s top distance runners, who head to Ottawa to battle it out on the roads for the Canadian 10K Championship. Last year, Moh Ahmed came close to beating Ben Flanagan’s national record on the banks of the Rideau Canal, surging past Canadian record holder Cam Levins in the final kilometre to win his first national title on the roads.

Two-time Olympian Natasha Wodak dominated from gun to tape to win her second consecutive title on the women’s side. Now, Wodak is aiming for a third straight Canadian 10K title, which would put her in a league of her own and make her the only woman to three-peat in championship history.

Wodak is coming off her third marathon build in the last 12 months. Four weeks ago, she took her final shot at the Paris Olympic standard of 2:26:50 (at the Hamburg Marathon), but came up three and a half minutes shy. After a few days off, Wodak returned to training in hopes of winning her third consecutive 10K title. “It feels like my training for this has been brief,” laughs Wodak. “I’m hoping there’s some residual fitness in the legs.”

The Canadian record holder in the marathon has competed at the last seven editions of the 10K and won on four occasions. “It’s our national championships and I come here every year to compete,” says Wodak. “I have no false expectations of winning, but I know I’ll fight hard for a top-five spot.”

The women’s field this year is deeper than it has been in recent years, with (soon-to-be) three-time Canadian Olympian Malindi Elmore also dropping down in distance to challenge Wodak for the national title. Elmore made it clear at Friday’s press conference that she’ll be racing on a full week’s training load and using the race to kick off the next stage of her Olympic marathon build.

Outside of Elmore and Wodak, former national champion Lanni Marchant returns to Ottawa, coming off a solid performance at the Night of the 10,000m PBs in London last weekend, where she ran 33:24. Marchant last won here in Ottawa in 2016. Eliyah Brawdy of Smithers, B.C., could also be a surprise winner. Two weeks ago in Coquitlam, B.C., Brawdy won her first national title over 10,000m (on the track), clocking an impressive 33:37.

Rory Linkletter vs. Ben Flanagan

Calgary’s Rory Linkletter had two goals for his 2024 season, and he’s already accomplished one of them: punching his ticket to the Paris Olympic Games (his second Olympics). Now, he aims to achieve his second goal: winning his first career Canadian national title. Linkletter came close two weeks ago at the Canadian 10,000m Championships in B.C., finishing second to Toronto’s Andrew Alexander in a wild sprint finish, but now he’ll get that chance once again on Saturday night in Ottawa, with only a few men standing in his way—including one of Canada’s best road racers and the 10K record holder, Ben Flanagan.

These two men know each other very well, having competed against one another for the last 10 years (dating back to their collegiate days in the NCAA). Being just one year apart in age, their careers have taken different paths. Flanagan has racked up several national titles over 5K and 10K and found success on the track over 5,000m. In contrast, Linkletter jumped up to the marathon, lowering his personal best by eight minutes since his debut in 2019. “The Ottawa 10K will be a good test of where I’m at,” says Linkletter. “I look forward to racing more than anything, and I love doing it—I always want to win.”

Flanagan has won the Ottawa 10K in his last two appearances and dominated the race from start to finish when he won two years ago in 28:39. “This is my first road race of the season before gearing up for the Canadian Olympic Trials,” says Flanagan. “I’m excited and eager to see where my fitness is at. I want to put on a show.”

(05/25/2024) Views: 498 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

Ben Flanagan and Rory Linkletter to headline Canadian 10K

On Monday, Run Ottawa revealed the headliners for the 2024 Canadian 10K Championships, which is part of the Ottawa Marathon weekend on May 25-26. This year’s 10K race promises to be one to remember, with two of Canada’s best road racers and upcoming Olympians gearing up for a head-to-head matchup on the banks of Ottawa’s Rideau Canal—Ben Flanagan and Rory Linkletter.

Flanagan, who holds the the Canadian 10K record, returns to Ottawa after missing last year’s epic showdown between Cam Levins and Moh Ahmed due to a scheduling conflict. This will be Linkletter’s third consecutive year competing in the Ottawa 10K. This time he is coming off a marathon personal best 2:08:01 performance in Seville and looking for his first Canadian national title.

“I love Ottawa race weekend and I think the organizers and city put on an amazing event, says Linkletter. “So long as it fits my schedule, I intend to make it a tradition.” 

Both Flanagan and Linkletter have qualified to represent Canada at the Paris Olympics this summer, and the Canadian 10K Championships at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is an opportunity for the two to face off in the lead-up to the Games. Their last appearance together in the nation’s capital (the 2022 Canadian 10K Championships) saw Flanagan run away with first in 28:40, Linkletter second in 29:02.

“I’m excited to compete against Ben in Ottawa. He’s one of Canada’s greatest distance runners—especially at the 10K distance,” says Linkletter. “I would consider Ben one of my greatest rivals and friends in Canadian running. It’s an honour any time we can compete head to head.”

For Canadian fans, seeing two of Canada’s Paris Olympians compete on home soil is a rare treat. The Ottawa 10K, with its rich history and enthusiastic crowd, provides the perfect stage for such a showdown. The women’s elite race kicks off at 6:15 p.m. ET, followed by the men’s start at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 25.

For those who want to be part of the action, registration is open to join Canada’s fastest distance runners at this year’s Canadian 10K Championships. As Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend celebrates its 50th year of running in 2024, don’t miss the chance to be a part of it!

(05/09/2024) Views: 554 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

More Than 100 Professional Athletes to Race Boston 5K

Fast fields featuring Olympians, Paralympians, rising stars, and recent B.A.A. event winners will take center stage at the Boston 5K presented by Point32Health and B.A.A. Invitational Mile on Saturday, April 13. The deepest professional field in race history will include more than 100 accomplished athletes from 19 nations, set to square off for prize money and awards in the open, wheelchair, and Para Athletics Divisions. 

“More than 40,000 athletes will take part in B.A.A. races across Boston Marathon weekend,” said Jack Fleming, President and Chief Executive Officer of the B.A.A. “Saturday’s Boston 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile fields feature some of the fastest American and international stars, many who are aiming to compete at the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris.”

A new champion will be crowned and the stage is set for another close race at the Boston 5K. Ben Flanagan (Canada), Edwin Kurgat (Kenya), and Alex Masai (Kenya) – all top-five finishers a year ago – will return. They were at the front of an exciting finish a year ago that saw the top 13 men come across the line within ten seconds of the winner.

Top Americans Cooper Teare, Zach Panning, and Drew Hunter look to be at the front of the field. Teare is the reigning U.S. club cross country national champion, while Panning led a majority of February’s USA Olympic Team Trials – Marathon and Hunter is a former national champion indoors at 2 miles. B.A.A. High Performance Team members Eric Hamer and Barry Keane will be racing their hometown event.

Also on the start line will be Ben Kigen, an Olympic steeplechase bronze medalist in 2021; Simon Koech, last year’s Diamond League winner in the steeplechase; and Merhawi Mebrahtu, the 5,000m World Junior Championships silver medalist. Ethiopians Getnet Wale and Addisu Yihune are the two fastest men in the field, having gone sub-13:00 on the track for 5,000 meters.

Leading the women’s field is USATF 5K National Champion and B.A.A. High Performance Team member Annie Rodenfels. Joining her are 2024 Team USA Olympic marathoner Dakotah Lindwurm, former American marathon record holder Keira D’Amato, perennial top-American Boston Marathoner Nell Rojas, as well as Team B.A.A. runners Abbey Wheeler, Bethany Hasz Jerde, and Megan Hasz Sailor.

Uganda’s Sarah Chelangat, the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile champion in 2023, and Mercy Chelangat, a former NCAA Cross Country and 10,000m winner, are both entered. Reigning B.A.A. Half Marathon champion Fotyen Tesfay of Ethiopia also comes back to Boston seeking another win.

In the wheelchair division, course record holder and six-time Boston Marathon champion Marcel Hug (Switzerland) will square off against Americans Daniel Romanchuk and Aaron Pike. Brazil’s Vanessa de Souza – the 2018 Boston 5K winner – is the women’s wheelchair division favorite. Perennial Para Athletics Division contenders El Amine Chentouf (T12, vision impairment), Brian Reynolds (T62, lower-limb impairment), and Marko Cheseto (T62, lower-limb impairment) will vie for prize money and podium placings. This will be the largest professional Para Athletics Division field in event history.

Nearly 10,000 participants will take part in the Boston 5K, serving as the first race of the 2024 B.A.A. Distance Medley series.

KRISSY GEAR LOOKS TO REPEAT IN B.A.A. INVITATIONAL MILE

Krissy Gear earned a hard-fought B.A.A. Invitational Mile win last year and now comes in with the target on her back as defending champion. Four of the top five finishers from 2024 return, including Susan Ejore (Kenya), Jazz Shukla (Canada) and Taryn Rawlings (USA). Micaela Degenero, the 2022 NCAA Indoor Mile champion, and 4:23.94 Helen Schlachtenhaufen are entered as well.

Massachusetts high school standout Ellie Shea will take on the professionals. The Belmont High School student-athlete finished 10th at last year’s B.A.A. Invitational Mile.

Massachusetts native and 3:52.94 miler Johnny Gregorek leads the men’s field of competitors. Melkeneh Azize of Ethiopia, the world junior champion at 3000m in 2022, and Harvard’s Vivien Henz, a national champion in Luxembourg, will each make their B.A.A. road racing debuts.

In addition to the professionals, student-athletes from each of the eight cities and towns that make up the Boston Marathon route will compete in a Scholastic Mile and Middle School 1K.

(03/20/2024) Views: 631 ⚡AMP

Joshua Cheptegei withdraws from 5,000m with foot injury

Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, a three-time world champion in the 10,000m as of Sunday, has announced he will be pulling out of the 5,000 meter race. Cheptegei addressed fans on social media: “I am proud and happy to have won another gold medal on the 10,000m,” he wrote. “I would have loved to compete in the 5000m as well, but unfortunately I had to decide not to start.”

Cheptegei has opted to rest a foot injury, alluded to by his coach Addy Ruiter after Cheptegei’s 10,000m victory. “He is having little injury under his foot. It was already there the past couple of weeks,” Ruiter said to the media, explaining that Cheptegei would have to see how his body felt before toeing the line at Thursday’s prelims. The 5,000m final will be held on Sunday, the last day of championship competition.

Cheptegei is the reigning Olympic champ in the 5,000m and holds the world record in the distance (12:35.36, set in 2020) as well as the world record in the 10,000m event. He is only the 10th man in history to hold both those records concurrently. At the 2022 Worlds in Eugene, Cheptegei attempted the double and finished ninth in the 5,000m after sustaining a hamstring injury, while his compatriot Oscar Chelimo ran to third. Fans will be looking to 21-year-old Chelimo to make it through to the final round while keeping an eye on Cheptegei in the future–the athlete is set to make his marathon debut on Dec. 3 in Valencia.

Joining Chelimo on the start line will be Canada’s Ben Flanagan in his first world championship race. Flanagan has shifted his focus to the 5,000m this season, and his efforts have paid off, breaking the 13:20 mark on three occasions. He took gold at the Canadian championships in 13:39.36, and shared on Instagram that he was “ready to capitalize” upon arrival in Budapest earlier this week, after wrapping up a solid training camp in Spain.

Canada’s Moh Ahmed will be hoping for redemption in the 5,000m event after what he felt was a disappointing repeat sixth-place finish in the 10,000 on Tuesday. It was Ahmed’s fourth consecutive sixth-place finish in the men’s 10,000m at a major championship, after finishing sixth at the 2022 Worlds in Eugene, sixth at the Tokyo Olympics and sixth at the 2019 Worlds in Doha, Qatar.

“I had high aspirations this year, and I’m very disappointed to be sixth, again,” Ahmed shared after the race. The athlete has previously won a silver and bronze over 5,000m, finishing fifth last year behind Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigsten.

The 2023 World Athletics Championships are taking place from August 19-27 at the National Stadium in Budapest, Hungary. All the action will be brought to you by Canadian Running and Asics Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.

(08/24/2023) Views: 638 ⚡AMP

Ben Flanagan shatters Canadian record at B.A.A. 5K

For the second year in a row, the men’s Canadian 5K record was shattered at the B.A.A. 5K in Boston. Ben Flanagan of Kitchener, Ont., placed second in the race and broke the previous Canadian record by ten seconds in 13:26.

There was a lot of buzz around the Canadian 5K record heading into Saturday’s race, with Charles Philibert-Thiboutot of Quebec City coming in as the national record holder and defending B.A.A. 5K champion, while Flanagan came into the race as the reigning Canadian 5K champion, holding the second-fastest 5K time in Canadian history. 

The men’s elite race got out quickly, going through the first mile in four minutes and 12 seconds (13:00-flat pace). Flanagan and Philibert-Thiboutot found themselves in the chase pack after Ethiopia’s Tsegay Kidanu was off to an early lead. Philibert-Thiboutot drove the chase pack to catch Kidanu at the 3K point. 

In the final mile, a large pack of 15 runners was still in contention, lining up for a sprint finish on Charles St. through the Boston Common. Flanagan made a move with his Very Nice Track Club training partner, U.S. miler Morgan Beadlescomb,with 300 metres to go, and held on to finish second behind Beadlescomb in 13:26. Kenya’s Edwin Kurgat finished third in 13:27. 

Flanagan took a glance over his shoulder with one mile to go and couldn’t believe how many guys were in the lead group. “When Morgan made his move, I knew I had to keep myself close to him,” says Flanagan. “He and Charles are 1,500m guys, so you know they are explosive.”

“The race was awesome,” says Flanagan. “Even though I ran there four years ago, it well exceeded my expectations.”

This 5K record is the third Canadian road record Flanagan has broken in the last 12 months. Last June, he broke the long-standing Canadian 10K record at the B.A.A. 10K in Boston, finishing fourth in 28:11. Four months later, he ran the Canadian half-marathon record of 61-flat, beating Cam Levins by four seconds at the Valencia Half Marathon. Levins later took the half-marathon record back, running 60:18 at the Vancouver First Half in February. 

“My goal is to make a world’s team,” says Flanagan. “It annoys me that I haven’t been able to do it yet.”

Flanagan and Philibert-Thiboutot will head back to the track to chase the 2023 world championships 5,000m standard of 13:07:00 at the Sound Running Invitational in Los Angeles on May 6.

Canada’s Julie-Anne Staehli finished 13th in the women’s 5K, in 15:50. The 2022 world championship steeplechase bronze medallist, Mekides Abebe of Ethiopia, won the women’s race in a sprint finish ahead of Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich, in 15:01. American Annie Rodenfels of Boston finished third in 15:12.

(04/17/2023) Views: 1,003 ⚡AMP

Olympic Steeple Bronze Medalist Benjamin Kigen And World XC Champ Beatrice Chebet Lead Fields For BAA 5k

Patriots’ Day Weekend will kickoff with exciting competition, as international and U.S. stars take to the roads for the 2023 B.A.A. 5K presented by Point32Health, and the 2023 B.A.A. Invitational Mile on Saturday, April 15.

Among the professional athletes entered in the B.A.A. 5K are reigning champions Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (Canada), Marcel Hug (Switzerland), and Jenna Fesemyer (USA), while recently crowned world cross country champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya will make her Boston road racing debut. Local Bay State stars Johnny Gregorek and Ellie Shea will compete in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, a three-lap race starting and finishing on Boylston Street.

“This year’s professional fields blend together experience with up-and-coming stars for the B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile,” said Mary Kate Shea, B.A.A. Director of Professional Athletes. “Participants, spectators, and running enthusiasts will get to witness world class competition at shorter distances two days before the 127th Boston Marathon."

International standouts will be at the front of the B.A.A. 5K, led by Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen – an Olympic bronze medalist in the 3000m steeplechase from 2021—and Philibert-Thiboutot, who set a Canadian national record at the 2022 B.A.A. 5K en route to winning in 13:35. Philibert-Thiboutot’s countryman Ben Flanagan, a three-time Falmouth Road Race winner, as well as reigning B.A.A. Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Koech of Kenya, are also entered. Leading the American contingent is Olympian Mason Ferlic, two-time World Cross Country participant Emmanuel Bor, U.S. Road Mile champion Eric Avila, and NCAA All-American Morgan Beadlescomb.

On the women’s side, 2023 World Cross Country champion Beatrice Chebet and bronze medalist Agnes Ngetich (Kenya) will take on World Athletics Championships 3000m steeplechase bronze medalist Mekides Abebe (Ethiopia), all racing the B.A.A. 5K for the first time. The United States will be well represented in the women’s professional ranks, with reigning USA 5K national champion Weini Kelati, defending B.A.A. Invitational Mile winner Annie Rodenfels, 2022 USA Club Cross Country champion Bethany Hasz, Olympian Marielle Hall, and 2022 USATF 10,000m bronze medalist Natosha Rogers all racing. Rodenfels and Hasz are members of the B.A.A. High Performance Team, training in Boston under coach Mark Carroll.

International standouts will be at the front of the B.A.A. 5K, led by Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen – an Olympic bronze medalist in the 3000m steeplechase from 2021—and Philibert-Thiboutot, who set a Canadian national record at the 2022 B.A.A. 5K en route to winning in 13:35. Philibert-Thiboutot’s countryman Ben Flanagan, a three-time Falmouth Road Race winner, as well as reigning B.A.A. Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Koech of Kenya, are also entered. Leading the American contingent is Olympian Mason Ferlic, two-time World Cross Country participant Emmanuel Bor, U.S. Road Mile champion Eric Avila, and NCAA All-American Morgan Beadlescomb.

On the women’s side, 2023 World Cross Country champion Beatrice Chebet and bronze medalist Agnes Ngetich (Kenya) will take on World Athletics Championships 3000m steeplechase bronze medalist Mekides Abebe (Ethiopia), all racing the B.A.A. 5K for the first time. The United States will be well represented in the women’s professional ranks, with reigning USA 5K national champion Weini Kelati, defending B.A.A. Invitational Mile winner Annie Rodenfels, 2022 USA Club Cross Country champion Bethany Hasz, Olympian Marielle Hall, and 2022 USATF 10,000m bronze medalist Natosha Rogers all racing. Rodenfels and Hasz are members of the B.A.A. High Performance Team, training in Boston under coach Mark Carroll.

(03/23/2023) Views: 1,063 ⚡AMP

Eilish McColgan (30:00.87) and Alicia Monson (30:03.82) Break National Records At The TEN

The British and American records in the women’s 10,000 meters both went down late Saturday night in California as Eilish McColgan outdueled Alicia Monson over the final lap of The TEN in San Juan Capistrano. McColgan, the Commonwealth Games champion at 10,000 who is building up for her marathon debut in London on April 23, was only added to the field this week but felt confident in her fitness after five weeks of altitude training in Colorado. It proved an inspired decision as she ran 30:00.87 to narrowly break Paula Radcliffe’s British record of 30:01.09 set in August 2002.

A few seconds behind McColgan, Alicia Monson nabbed her second American record of 2023, running 30:03.82 to smash the previous record of 30:13.17 set by Molly Huddle in the 2016 Olympic final in Rio. Three weeks ago, Monson ran 8:25.05 at the Millrose Games to break the American indoor (and overall) record for 3,000 meters.

Both women were also safely under the 30:40 standard for the 2023 World Championships and 2024 Olympics on a good night for running fast (50-degree temps, still conditions).

Monson and her camp had billed the race as an American record attempt and they enlisted her On Athletics Club teammate Josette Andrews (a 14:51 5k runner) to handle pacing duties, along with Eleanor Fulton. When Andrews dropped out at 5k (15:09 for McColgan and Monson), they were actually a few seconds behind AR pace, but Monson took over and righted the ship, dropping the pace from 73-second laps to 72’s, then 71’s. By the bell, which Monson reached in the lead thanks to a 70.45 penultimate lap, the question was not whether the AR would go down, but whether either woman would break 30:00 – and of course, who would win the race?

McColgan, who had clung faithfully to Monson throughout the race, finally went wide on the backstraight of the bell lap and passed Monson, and the American had no response as McColgan powered to victory with a 64.87 last 400m. Monson could not match that speed, closing out her effort in 67.99, and though she did not win, her American record was very well-deserved after so much grinding from the front.

No one else earned the World/Olympic standard, but a trio of Americans earned big personal bests in 3rd-4th-5th. Running just her second 10k, 2021 NCAA 5k champ Elly Henes won the battle for 3rd in 30:48.26 to edge 2022 Worlds team member Natosha Rogers (30:48.69) as both women moved ahead of Emily Sisson (30:49.57) and Deena Kastor (30:50.32) into 6th and 7th on the all-time US list. Rogers’ Puma Elite teammate Fiona O’Keeffe also got a pb in 5th, running 30:55.05 to become the 11th American woman to go sub-31.

Results (Analysis at bottom)

1 Eilish McColgan Asics 30:00.86 #$WRLD

2 Alicia Monson On Athletics Club 30:03.82 #$WRLD

3 Elly Henes Adidas 30:48.26

4 Natosha Rogers Puma Elite 30:48.69

5 Fiona O’Keeffe Puma Elite 30:55.05

6 Laura Galvan Hoka 31:04.08

7 Dominique Scott Adidas 31:14.00

8 Carrie Verdon TEAM Boulder 31:52.94

9 Susanna Sullivan unattached 31:55.80

10 Amy Davis-Green Hansons-Brooks ODP 32:10.59

11 Katie Izzo Adidas 32:22.47

12 Jeralyn Poe Tracksmith 32:39.10

Men’s race

The men’s race came down to a battle of the last two US 10,000-meter champions: Woody Kincaid and Joe Klecker. Just as he did five weeks ago over 5,000 meters in Boston, Kincaid earned the victory, though he made his move slightly earlier this time around, taking the lead with 900m to run and holding off Klecker on the last lap, closing in 55.96 to Klecker’s 56.92 as Kincaid ran 27:06.37 to Klecker’s 27:07.57. Both men ran personal bests (they now sit #5 and #7 on the all-time US list) and both hit the 2023 World Championship standard of 27:10, but neither was able to earn the Olympic standard of 27:00.

Klecker and Kincaid both went in with the aim of hitting the Olympic standard and joining Grant Fisher, Galen Rupp, and Chris Solinsky as the only American members of the sub-27:00 club. Klecker’s OAC teammate Ollie Hoare was the main pacemaker (though there were several: Ehab El-Sandali, Amon Kemboi, and Athanas Kioko all helped out) and he took them through 5k in 13:35, at which point British Olympian Sam Atkin, running with the lead pack, surprisingly dropped out.

When Hoare stepped off after covering 6400m in 17:23.90 (27:11 pace), sub-27:00 was within striking distance. But Klecker, despite working hard, could not increase the pace, and Kincaid showed no interest in sharing the lead despite Klecker motioning for him to do so.

By a mile to go, Klecker and Kincaid had dropped everyone else, and Kincaid, sensing the World standard slipping away, hit the front with 900 to go. Klecker stuck right with him, however, and it wasn’t until the final turn that Kincaid was able to gain real separation as both men closed well to get under the World standard – though not the Olympic standard.

Kioko, who stayed in the race, was the best of the rest, running 27:23.84 for 3rd, holding off Conner Mantz, who ran 27:25.30 in the midst of his Boston Marathon buildup (just .07 off his personal best from this meet last year).

Results (analysis below results)  *Lap by lap splits

1 Woody Kincaid Nike 27:06.37 WRLD

2 Joe Klecker On Athletics Club 27:07.57 WRLD

3 Athanas Kioko pacer 27:23.84

4 Connor Mantz Nike 27:25.30

5 Jonas Raess On Athletics Club 27:26.40

6 Ren Tazawa Komazawa Univ 27:28.04

7 Nils Voigt Puma 27:30.01

8 Sam Chelagna US Army WCAP 27:38.02

9 Luis Grijalva Hoka 27:42.56

10 Alex Masai Hoka NAZ Elite 27:42.80

11 Wesley Kiptoo Hoka NAZ Elite 27:45.81

12 Ben Flanagan On Running 27:49.67

13 Kanta Shimizu Subaru 27:51.23

14 Benjamin Eidenschink unattached 27:51.74

15 Tatsuhiko Ito Honda 27:54.64

16 Aaron Bienenfeld unattached 27:55.96

17 Ahmed Muhumed unattached 27:56.99

18 Frank Lara Altra/Roots Running Project 28:00.75

19 Emmanuel Bor unattached 28:01.09

20 Alberto Gonzalez Mindez Guatemala 28:30.63

21 Zach Panning Hansons-Brooks ODP 28:35.52

(03/06/2023) Views: 975 ⚡AMP

Two-time Canadian Olympian Lucas Bruchet hangs up his track spikes

On Feb. 14, two-time Canadian Olympian and multi-time national champion Lucas Bruchet announced on Instagram that his journey in track and field is over. The 31-year-old schoolteacher and third-fastest Canadian over 5,000m will retire from competitive racing–but he has plans to stay in the sport.

Bruchet posted on Instagram:

“It’s been no secret to many, but to everybody else that’s followed my journey in athletics it’s time I tell you it’s over. I mean it’s not totally over, I’ll always run, but it’s no longer the thing that drives my life.

The goals will be different and I hope to continue to inspire the Canadian running community and explore ways to continue growing this awesome sport. I am looking forward to connecting everything I’ve learned to teaching and coaching.

Much love and thank you to my team of people who guided me and helped me achieve every goal I ever set. To all those who have supported me over the years, I appreciate y’all, these were some damn good times.”

Bruchet represented Team Canada in the men’s 5,000m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he finished 19th in his heat. At the 2021 Harry Jerome Classic in Vancouver, Bruchet ran a 12-second PB to become the third-fastest Canadian of all time, which earned him a spot on the Tokyo Olympic team alongside Moh Ahmed and Justyn Knight.

Bruchet ended up placing 12th in his 5,000m heat in 13:44.08. He also collected several national championship titles over the 5,000m, 10,000m and cross-country. Until 2022, Bruchet never finished lower than fourth at the Canadian XC Championships (ACXC), and he is the only male athlete in the last decade with more than one ACXC win.

He finished his career with personal bests of 3:58.60 (mile), 7:46.89 (3,000m), 13:12.56 (5,000m), 27:56.12 (10,000m) and 63:12 for the half-marathon.

Many icons in the Canadian running community paid homage to Bruchet in the comment section:

“Congrats on a great career Luc. Had a lot of fun races lining up next to you and was inspired by all the times you stepped up with big performances when you needed them. All the best moving forward!” – Cam Levins (Canadian marathon record holder and Olympian)

“You’re an inspiration man… congrats on an exceptional career. Good luck on your next chapter!” – Ben Flanagan (Canadian 10K record holder)

“Mudtruck, we love ya! what a career. Now let’s go coach some athletes and ride some bikes.” – Rob Watson (Mile2Marathon Coach and Olympian)

Bruchet plans on continuing to coach with Mile2Marathon’s Vancouver group, which offers services and training communities to runners and endurance athletes of all abilities.

(02/16/2023) Views: 821 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

Ben Flanagan snags Canadian record at Valencia Half Marathon

Two Canadians ran to national records and personal bests at the Valencia Half Marathon on Sunday morning. Ben Flanagan, 27, continued his winning ways on the roads, setting a new Canadian record in the half-marathon in 61 minutes flat. Fellow Canadian and national record holder in the marathon, Cam Levins, 33, finished right on Flanagan’s heels in a new personal best of 61:05.

Levins’s time was the second fastest in Canadian history, and the two athletes finished in 18th and 19th places, respectively. The previous Canadian half-marathon record of 61:08 was set by Rory Linkletter in January, besting a national record that had held for 22 years. Valencia’s record-breaking run was also a 38-second personal best for Flanagan, who became the 2022 Canadian 10K champion in May and 5K champion in September.

The Valencia Half Marathon is known for its fast course and deep elite fields, and heading into the race, speculation abounded about a possible new world record. The men’s race kicked off slightly slower than expected, with unseasonably high temperatures (17 C) and humidity.

Kenyan’s Kibiwott Kandie and Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen captured the overall victories in the half-marathon. Kandie, who broke the world record here two years ago, broke away from the lead pack to finish in 58:10, followed by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in 58:32 and last year’s third-place finisher, Daniel Mateiko in 58:40.

Klosterhalfen finished with a kick in the last kilometer, winning her half-marathon debut in 65:41.The European champion and 2019 world bronze medalist over 5000m told World Athletics: “I chose Valencia because of the fast times set over the previous years and my decision proved to be right today.” She was followed by Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama in 65:45 and Hawi Feysa (also from Ethiopia) in 66:00.

(10/24/2022) Views: 1,302 ⚡AMP
by Running Magazine

Ironman World Championship champion's "chunky" shoes spark controversy

Last week at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, Norway’s Gustav Iden ran a 2:36 marathon after a 180-kilometre bike and 3.8 km swim, earning his first world championship title. Iden ran a new marathon record on the Kona course in a unique pair of On’s carbon-plated running shoes, the Cloudboom Echo 3, which have a reported stack height of 50 mm, which is outside of World Athletics legal stack height rule of 40 mm for road-running events.

Iden was allowed to wear these shoes in competition, since professional triathletes do not have to comply with any rules over their choice of running shoes, World Triathlon has confirmed.

Despite regulations in athletics governing shoe technology–such as limiting the sole thickness–World Triathlon stated they will not follow World Athletics standards and no checks are being made on any of the footwear being worn.

Some fans of the sport are calling for World Triathlon to follow suit in controlling stack height for competition. The second-and third-place finishers, Sam Laidlow of France and 2020 Olympic champion Kristan Blummenfelt, both wore the WA-legal shoes Nike Alphafly Next% and Asics Metaspeed Sky 2.

Iden said this in a post-race interview with his sponsor On:

World Athletics rules state the sole must be no thicker than 40 mm and that the shoes must not contain more than one rigid or embedded plate that runs the full length of the shoes. The Cloudboom Echo 3 has a single carbon plate that runs the full length of the shoe.Canada’s Ben Flanagan also wore the Cloudboom Echo 3 during his win at the 2022 Falmouth Road Race.

Since the seven-mile road race is not sanctioned by World Athletics, elites are allowed to wear shoes which are normally not allowed at national championship road races.

Iden won in the Ironman World Championships in his Kona debut with a time of 7:40:24, taking 11 minutes off the previous course record time from 2019. On, who signed Iden in the week leading into the race, was given a green light from Ironman for the Norwegian to wear the shoe.

(10/22/2022) Views: 1,422 ⚡AMP
by Running Magazine

Ben Flanagan wins his third Falmouth Road Race

Kitchener, Ont. native Ben Flanagan has done it again, winning his third Falmouth Road Race in four years. Flanagan finished the seven-mile (11.3 km) course in 32:25, outlasting runner-up Biya Simbassa (32:32) for a second straight year in Falmouth, Mass.

With two Falmouth victories to Flanagan’s name, and his partner, Hannah, growing up in Falmouth, he was the race favourite heading in and was keen to defend his 2021 title. In a pre-race interview, Flanagan chatted about his familiarity with the course and how he was already dreaming of his celebration when he won his third.

Like in previous years, the 27-year-old broke the tape by jumping into it, holding up the “number three” with his hand. 

Flanagan again made his attack at the top of the Scranton Ave. hill at the 5.5-mile marker. Simbassa, who lives and trains in Flagstaff, Ariz., followed Flanagan’s move along with David Bett of Kenya. The Canadian 10K record holder ousted Bett and Simbassa on the final downhill to win, nine seconds shy of his personal best on the course: 32:16 from 2021.

Flanagan now joins an exclusive group of six runners to successfully defended their titles at Falmouth. The group of six features: Alberto Salazar (‘81 and ‘82), Frank Shorter (’75 and ’76), and David Murphy (‘84 and ‘85). Next year, he will have the chance to join Kenya’s Gilbert Okari as the only men to win three straight (2004-06)

The American women’s marathon record holder, Keira D’Amato, won the women’s 11.3 km race in a nail-biting finish (36:14). She managed to hold off a surging 2017 Boston Marathon champion Edna Kiplagat (36:28) to claim the women’s title in her Falmouth debut.

This race was a quick bounce back for the 37-year-old, who placed eighth at last month’s 2022 World Athletics Championships marathon for Team USA in 2:23:34. Earlier this year at the Houston Marathon, D’Amato set the U.S. marathon record of 2:19:12.

D’Amato will take another stab at breaking her American marathon record on Sept, 25. at the Berlin Marathon.

Daniel Romanchuk won the men’s wheelchair title in 22:02, and Susannah Scaroni won the women’s division in 25:30.

 

(08/21/2022) Views: 1,238 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

Americans Leonard Korir and Keira D’Amato Sweep Titles at 2022 B.A.A. 10K

It was an American sweep at the 2022 B.A.A. 10K presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, with Leonard Korir (28:00) and Keira D’Amato (31:17) winning the professional open divisions and Susannah Scaroni and Hermin Garic capturing the wheelchair crowns. The pace was as hot as the weather, with the wily veteran Korir setting a personal best and Scaroni shattering the wheelchair world record for the distance.

“It feels really nice!” said Scaroni, who won a gold medal at 5,000 meters in the 2020 Paralympics but two weeks later was struck by a car while training. “It’s always great to be at a race where they’re trying to make it world-record eligible.” Scaroni broke the tape in 21:56, shattering Tatyana McFadden’s previous mark of 23:34.

As pleased as she was with the record, Scaroni was also excited to win the race outright. Asked if she had ever been the first wheelchair athlete, man or woman, across the line, she beamed. “Oh no, never! I didn’t expect that at all.”

Winning the men’s wheelchair race was Boston Marathon veteran Hermin Garic, in 22:07. “It feels awesome, coming back to Boston.”

In the men’s open division, a pack of 17, led by Bravin Kiptoo, went through the first mile in a scorching 4:21.

“When I saw the first people were so fast, I knew they were going to pay,” said Korir, a 2016 Olympian who has already won national titles this year at the half marathon and 25K. “It was like suicide. I said, ‘let me just hang in there and strike when the time comes.’”

The men ran the second mile in 4:24, but had slowed to 4:37 by the fifth. By that time, it was Kennedy Kimutai and Korir running neck-and-neck. “With a mile to go, I realized I was feeling so strong. I said, ‘let me just go now.’”

He would surge ahead to win in 28:00, nine seconds faster than the personal best he set on this course in 2014. Kimutai would finish second in 28:07, with Philemon Kiplimo third in 28:09. American Ben True was fourth in the same time; Ben Flanagan, fifth in 28:11, set a Canadian 10K record and also set a national mark through 8K in 22:30.

In the women’s race, D’Amato said that her goal was to race aggressively and go after the pace. Mission accomplished: A pack hit mile 1 in 5:05, but by mile 3 (reached in 15:08) she and Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi were gapping the field. As they battled, they ran mile 4 in 4:29, 30 seconds ahead of their chasers.

“We were battling it out,” said D’Amato, who in January broke the American record for the marathon when she ran 2:19:12 in Houston. “That was a fierce duel. With 1200 [meters] to go, she was breathing really hard and I just went by her.” Lokedi succumbed to the heat and humidity on Charles Street roughly 200 meters from the line and would not finish.

American Emily Sisson finished as runner-up in 32:03, with the 42-year-old Edna Kiplagat, the 2017 Boston Marathon champion, third in 32:09.

Claiming the inaugural B.A.A. 10K Para Athletics Divisions were Adrianne Haslet (1:15:19) and Marko Cheseto Lemtukei (35:44) for T61-T64 (lower limb impairment) classification and Erich Manser (50:49) and Jennifer Herring (45:41) in the T11-T15 (vision impairment) classification. Haslet earned the title on her birthday, and was exuberant at the opportunity to win on the road of Boston.

“To not just be invited to run a race, but invited to compete means that we’re being included among some of the world’s best runners with the world-class B.A.A. as hosts. It can’t get much better than that,” said Haslet.

Approximately 5,146 participants crossed the finish line of today’s B.A.A. 10K. Brigham and Women's Hospital, the B.A.A. 10K’s presenting sponsor and exclusive fundraising partner, fielded a team of more than 350 fundraising runners. Since 2016, more than 2,100 runners and 180 teams have raised $1.2 million to fuel life-giving breakthroughs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital through the B.A.A. 10K.

The third and final event of the 2022 B.A.A. Distance Medley will be the B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fun on Sunday, November 13. Registration is currently open within the B.A.A.’s online platform, Athletes’ Village.

(06/27/2022) Views: 1,157 ⚡AMP

Ben Flanagan and Leslie Sexton will defend Canadian 10k titles in Ottawa on May 28th

Ben Flanagan and Leslie Sexton will now defend their 2021 crowns on May 28th, 2022, at the Ottawa 10k presented by Otto’s Ottawa.

Owing to COVID restrictions – which delayed in-person racing – the Athletics Canada Canadian Championships were held in October 2021 in Toronto rather than in Ottawa last May. Flanagan raced to a 28:42 victory on the waterfront and Sexton, although crossing the line second on the day, was also crowned national champion.

Scottish guest runner Sarah Inglis finished first but was ineligible for the prize money and the title. Sexton, who has relocated to Vancouver following several years in Kingston, Ontario, ran a personal best of 32:04. A month later she significantly lowered her best marathon time to 2:28:35 when she won the Philadelphia Marathon.

This time around Flanagan will face stiff competition from not only Luc Bruchet, a two-time Canadian Olympian at 5,000m, but also from Rory Linkletter, who is having a stellar season.

After breaking the Canadian Half Marathon record with a 1:01:08 clocking in Houston on January 16th – and finishing 20 seconds ahead of Flanagan – Linkletter ran 28:43 at the Cooper River Ridge Run 10k on April 2nd. In between those fine performances, he confirmed he has the speed to match Flanagan with an indoor 3,000m personal best of 7:49.13. That was recorded in Louisville, Kentucky on February 12th.

Linkletter, who lives and trains in Flagstaff, Arizona, parted ways with Hoka’s Northern Arizona Elite group last December to train with American marathon great Ryan Hall.

Bruchet was runner-up in that 2021 Toronto championship race with a time of 28:49. On April 24th, the 31-year-old from Vancouver set a new personal best of 28:29 in winning the Vancouver Sun Run 10k, which is a result that should cause Flanagan some concern.

Complicating his title defense a little further, Flanagan is coming back from six weeks of rehabilitation on a broken toe. But with a month of solid running, he surprised many by successfully completing a 1,500m/5,000m double at the Jesse Owens Track Classic in Ohio. He ran 3:44.98 and 14:10.07 with just ninety minutes between. 

(05/19/2022) Views: 1,171 ⚡AMP
by Christopher Kelsall

Ben Flanagan is taking a new career path

Former NCAA champion and professional distance runner Ben Flanagan had a breakout season in 2021, but now as he prepares for 2022, he’s raising the bar to a whole new level.

“I’ll be moving to the high jump,” Flanagan says. “I fell in love with the sport.”

After his win at the Falmouth Road Race in Falmouth, Mass., last August. Flanagan was approached by a famous U.S. high jump coach, Mike Flyte, who currently coaches for the U.S. Airforce Academy. Flyte was at Falmouth to watch his wife race in 2018 and 2021 and noticed Flanagan’s outstanding ‘vert’ as he celebrated into the finish.

Flyte eventually approached Flanagan after the race to congratulate him. “I thought he was making a joke at first, until he handed me his business card,” Flanagan says.

Already having the rest of his season planned for 2021, Flanagan finished the season in impeccable form, taking wins at the Manchester Road Race and Toronto Waterfront 10K.

In February, Flanagan connected with Flyte and made his way to Airforce Academy’s Track and Field Centre in Colorado Springs. “The high jump was love at first sight,” says Flanagan. “What intrigues me about high jump is the idea of reaching new heights.”

Although Flanagan only holds a personal best of 1.06 m, he’s confident that his distance running experience will stand him in good stead for the new discipline.

“High jump and distance running are way more similar than people think,” he says. “I’m shocked more people don’t make this transition, or even compete in both.”

Flanagan’s ultimate goal would be to double in the high jump and marathon in Paris 2024.

(04/02/2022) Views: 798 ⚡AMP
by Running Magazine

Kenyan Hellen Obiri to move up to the marathon with On

Over the weekend in Northern Ireland, two-time Olympic silver medalist from Kenya, Hellen Obiri, surprised the running world by winning the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Silver event, but not while wearing a Nike singlet. She was instead representing On – a brand that has recently been taking the world of athletics by storm, growing their team of elite-level sponsored athletes, including Canada’s Ben Flanagan.

A year and a half ago, On launched its first professional team, called On Athletics Club, coached by American distance runner Dathan Ritzenhein. “You need world-class athletes to build world-class products,” says Steve DeKoker, On’s head of global sports marketing. “Our goal is to build On as a global brand, and we need world-class athletes to help us develop.” Obiri’s signing is a huge acquisition for the Swiss sporting brand – she is the only athlete ever to win a world indoor, world outdoor and world XC title.

Ben Flanagan signs with On

“We want people that will fit the brand’s competitive values,” says DeKoker. “Both Obiri and Flanagan checked those boxes.” In her debut race wearing On product, the defending world cross country champion won the 8K easily in 26:44.

Obiri will head to the World Athletics Memorial Agnes Tirop XC race in Eldoret, Kenya on Feb. 12, before taking a shot at another 5,000m medal this summer at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore. “She will move up to the marathon distance in the fall of 2022,” DeKoker says. “And we will have our new premium-plated racing shoe on display for her debut.”

“The full expectation is to develop and supply our athletes with the top-of-the-line product to enhance their performance,” says DeKoker. “There are multiple On super-spikes scheduled to be released this year, with Alicia Monson racing in a pair this weekend at the NYC Millrose Games.”

Both Monson and Flanagan are two recent NCAA champions that DeKoker had his eyes on since they won their titles in 2018 and 2019. “When we found out Flanagan’s contract was up with Reebok, we knew we wanted to support him,” DeKoker says. “We feel he will have the Canadian half-marathon or marathon record in no time.”

For now, the brand plans to go all in to be competitive with the top distance brands on the roads and track, then dipping their feet in the sprint distances for the 2028 LA Olympics.

(01/26/2022) Views: 1,322 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

Canadian Ben Flanagan signs with On, this is the second professional contract of his career

Just one day before toeing the line at the Chevron Houston Half-Marathon, Ben Flanagan announced he had signed with On Running in the second pro contract of his career. The Canadian 10K champion has been with Reebok since 2018 after finishing his collegiate career at the University of Michigan.

In his time with Reebok, the 27-year-old from Kitchener, Ont. has seen a fair amount of success. In 2021 he dominated the roads, winning his second Falmouth Road Race, covering the 11.2-kilometer course in 32:16 in August.

He followed that performance up with a win at the Canadian 10K championships in Toronto in October, running 28:42 for his first-ever appearance at a road 10K. One month later, he won Connecticut’s Manchester Road Race, completing the unique 7.6-kilometer distance in 21:22.

He kicked off 2022 with his first race as an On athlete at the Chevron Houston Half-Marathon, where he was just 10 seconds off Jeff Schiebler’s former 23-year-old Canadian half-marathon record of 61:28. His compatriot, Rory Linkletter, beat the record, running 61:08 for eighth place.

In an interview with Canadian Running ahead of Sunday’s half-marathon, Flanagan said he was planning on running a few 5,000m and 10,000m races this spring to secure a spot on Team Canada at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore., but may be turning his attention to the marathon next year. “Stepping up to the marathon this year might be a stretch, but I want to give myself a chance to qualify for Paris,” he said.

Flanagan has given Canadian fans a lot to watch in the last year, and with his new contract signed, we hope to see him continue to dominate the roads into 2022.

(01/18/2022) Views: 1,185 ⚡AMP
by Brittany Hambleton

Rory Linkletter breaks the Canadian half-marathon record at Houston, Linkletter ran 1:01:08 for eighth place

The Houston Half-Marathon took place Sunday morning as part of the Houston Marathon weekend, and Rory Linkletter lowered Jeff Schiebler’s 23-year-old Canadian half-marathon record of 61:28, crossing the finish line in 61:08 for eighth place. His compatriot, Ben Flanagan, was only half a minute behind him, finishing 12th in 61:38.

Going into the race, both athletes had their eyes on Schiebler’s record, which hasn’t been touched in more than two decades. Linkletter recently left the NAZ Elite track club to train with American Marathon record-holder, Ryan Hall, citing stagnation in training as his reason for making the change. His decision seems to have paid off, and he ran a huge PB Sunday morning to become the new Canadian record-holder. The 25-year-old’s previous record of 61:44 was also run on the Houston course just last year.

Linkletter has enjoyed plenty of success lately, and his most recent result was a second-place finish at the California International Marathon in a new personal best time of 2:12:52.

Flanagan was also on the hunt for the Canadian record this Sunday, and came agonizingly close, running just 10 seconds behind Schiebler’s time. The 27-year-old has also had a lot of success recently, winning the Canadian 10K championships in Toronto in October and taking the title in the Manchester Road Race in November. “I am looking forward to competing,” he told Canadian Running ahead of the race. “The plan is to run conservatively to tackle the Canadian record. It’s engraved in my head.”

While he didn’t achieve his goal, Flanagan ran a very strong race and we will have plenty more opportunities to watch Flanagan on the roads. He will be running a few 5,000m and 10,000m races this spring to secure a spot on Team Canada at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore., but tells us that he will be stepping up to the marathon in hopes of qualifying for the Paris 2022 Olympics.

Ethiopia’s Milkesa Tolosa won the race in 1:00:24, followed by Kenya’s John Korir in second in 1:00:27 and Wilfred Kimitei of the U.K. in third in 1:00:44.

(01/17/2022) Views: 1,172 ⚡AMP
by Brittany Hambleton

Canadian Ben Flanagan is after one thing at the Houston Half Marathon, I have my eye on the Canadian half-marathon record of 61:28, he says

The 2022 Houston Half Marathon is set to take place this Sunday, drawing many of the world’s top elite to the event. In the field is Kitchener, Ont’s., Ben Flanagan, who ended his 2021 season on a winning note, looking to continue his string of solid performances into the new year. He is heading to this weekend’s half marathon with one thing on his mind: Jeff Schiebler’s 23-year-old Canadian half-marathon record of 61:28.

“I am looking forward to competing,” Flanagan says. “The plan is to run conservatively to tackle the Canadian record. It’s engraved in my head.” The 21.1 km distance isn’t foreign for the former NCAA 10,000m champion. In 2020, he ran 1:03:19 to win his half-marathon debut in South Carolina. His debut time was the 10th fastest ever by a Canadian male, and on Sunday he has the chance to better his result on one of the fastest courses in North America.

“My results at the Scotiabank Waterfront 10K and Manchester Road Race gave me a lot of confidence in the fall,” Flanagan says. He won both races skillfully, breaking away from his competition in the mid-stages of the race and not looking back.

Flanagan made his decision to run Houston in late November. “The timing of this race fit in perfectly in my training,” Flanagan says. “I had a lot of strength built up after Manchester, so we focused on building endurance over the past month and a half.”

Although Flanagan has shown a lot of success on the roads, he isn’t quite done with the track yet. He will be running a few 5,000m and 10,000m races this spring to secure a spot on Team Canada at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore.

When asked about when he was going to step up to the marathon, Flanagan mentioned he would love the opportunity to represent Canada in the marathon at the Paris Olympics. “Stepping up to the marathon this year might be a stretch, but I want to give myself a chance to qualify for Paris.”

Flanagan won’t be the only Canadian elite in the race Sunday. Alberta native Rory Linkletter, who was second at the California International Marathon a month ago, is in search of another personal best in Houston. In 2020, Linkletter ran 61:44, only 16 seconds off the Canadian record.

In the women’s elite field, Calgary’s Emily Setlack returns to Houston following the 1:11:40 PB she ran in 2020.

(01/13/2022) Views: 1,343 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

Ben Flanagan wins 85th Manchester Road Race, Weini Kelati wins women's race and sets new record

What a dominating performance by Weini Kelati!

The 24-year-old runner native of the African country of Eritrea shattered the course record with a time of 22 minutes 55 seconds to win the women’s division of the Manchester Road Race. Kelati, who lives in Flagstaff, Ariz., finished 18th overall.

“It’s amazing!” Kelati told FOX61 News after crossing the finish line on Thursday morning. “The energy … When I hear the people cheering, it helps me to run fast.”

Kelati, who won the women’s national 5K road championship in New York City on Nov. 6, started off the race strong. She quickly got away from the pack in the women’s division and ran the 4.748 miles practically by herself.

She beat the previous course record of 23 minutes 57 seconds in the women’s division – set by Buze Diriba in 2017 – by more than a minute.

Second place in the woman’s race was Keira D’Amato from Midlothian, Virginia. Edna Kiplagat from Longmont, Colorado rounded up the top three.

“Thank you to the people cheering for us,” Kelati said. “It’s amazing.”

In the men’s race, winner Ben Flanagan, 26 of Canada, clocked in at a time of 21 minutes 23 seconds, beating second-place Leonard Korir by more than 12 seconds.

Flanagan, who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, took the lead after the Highland Street hill, at about the 2-mile mark, and ran alone the rest of the way.

“I feel amazing,” he told FOX61 News after the race. “I knew I was in pretty good shape, but this time of year, you really don’t know what to expect, it’s so early in training. So, to come out here and take the win at a historic race like this is a huge privilege. I am so happy.”

He was about six seconds off the pace of the course record for the men’s division (21:15) set by Edward Cheserek in 2018.

Flanagan, who is a two-time winner of the Falmouth Road Race (2019, 2021), was running his second Manchester Road Race. He is the first Canadian male to win since Christian Weber in 1990.

Sam Chelanga, the 2013 Manchester winner, won the King of the Hill title at the top of Highland Street hill. He came in third overall.

“You do it right here (in Manchester),” Flanagan said of the crowds. “It was electric. As soon as I took the lead, the last two miles, the crowd just fueled me the whole time … it was so exciting.”

More than 8,700 runners hit the racecourse this year. The race was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(11/25/2021) Views: 1,621 ⚡AMP
by Lucia Suarez Sang

Drew Hunter and Weini Kelati Will lead fields for Thursday’s Manchester Road Race

The elite fields for Thursday’s Manchester Road Race in Manchester, Conn., have been finalized, race organizers reported this morning.  The classic Thanksgiving Day race, founded in 1927, will return to its usual 4.748-mile, hilly loop with the start and finish on Main Street after being held virtually last year.  Among the hundreds of “Turkey Trots” to be held in the United States on Thursday, Manchester is the only event with a truly top-class elite field.  Organizers expect 8,700 runners to answer the starter’s gun at 10:00 a.m. EST.

“Our elite runner coordinator, Jim Harvey, has done a brilliant job of assembling excellent fields of elite runners for our return to Main Street and the celebration of our 85th Manchester Road Race this year,” said Dr. Tris Carta, president of the Manchester Road Race Committee, through a statement.  “It is going to be a very exciting road race.”

The women’s contest will feature an interesting match-up between USA 5-K champion Weini Kelati and 2:22 marathoner Keira D’Amato.  Both American women will be running Manchester for the first time.

Also likely to contend for the win are Kenyans Edna Kiplagat, the two-time world marathon champion, and Monicah Ngige, most recently fourth at the Boston Marathon.  Also entered are Britain’s Amy-Eloise Markovc, the 2021 European indoor 3000m champion, and Americans Taylor Werner, the 2019 NCAA Championships 5000m runner-up, and Katie Izzo, fourth at the 2019 NCAA Championships in the 10,000m.  In all, ten women have track or road 5-K personal bests under 16 minutes.  Kiplagat was the Manchester winner in 2019.

Drew Hunter, the newly-crowned USA 5-K road running champion, leads the men’s field and will be making his Manchester debut.  Hunter’s biggest challengers will likely be 2:07 marathon Leonard Korir, veteran Sam Chelanga, and two-time Falmouth Road Race champion Ben Flanagan, a Canadian.  A total of 14 men have sub-14:00 5000m personal bests.

Thursday’s race has a generous $47,800 prize money purse, and the top-3 men and women will receive $7,000, $4,000 and $3,000, respectively.

Behind the elites, 75 year-old Amby Burfoot will run Manchester for the 59th consecutive year (he ran virtually in 2020 using the race’s traditional course).  Burfoot, the 1968 Boston Marathon champion, won the Manchester Road Race nine times from 1968 through 1977.  Should he finish the race on Thursday he will earn sole ownership of the record for most total Manchester finishes at 59.

Thursday’s races will be broadcast on the Connecticut Fox affiliate, Fox 61.  Their coverage will be streamed live and free globally at fox61.com at 10:00 a.m. EST.

The complete elite fields are below with 5000m personal bests.

WOMEN

–Weini KELATI (USA), 14:58.24

Amy-Eloise MARKOVC (GBR), 15:03.22

Aisling CUFFE (USA), 15:11.13

Taylor WERNER (USA), 15:11.19i

Katie IZZO (USA), 15:13.09i

Monicah NGIGE (KEN), 15:16 (road)

Edna KIPLAGAT (40+/KEN), 15:20 (road)

Sarah INGLIS (GBR), 15:24.17

Fiona O’KEEFFE (USA), 15:31.45

Tristin VAN ORD (USA), 15:53.44

Emeline DELANIS (FRA), 16:02.54

Keira D’AMATO (USA), 16:09.86

Annmarie TUXBURY (USA), 16:17.45

Emily SETLACK (40+/CAN), 16:26.31

Whitney MACON (USA), 35:36 (road 10-K)

MEN

–Sam CHELANGA (USA), 13:04.35i

Leonard KORIR (USA), 13:15.45

Drew HUNTER (USA), 13:17.55

Ben FLANAGAN (CAN), 13:20.67

Donn CABRAL (USA), 13:22.19

Jordan MANN (USA), 13:27.68i

Blaise FERRO (USA), 13:31.54

John DRESSEL (USA), 13:36.29

Alex OSTBERG (USA), 13:42.44

Mo HREZI (LBA), 13:42.80

Matt McCLINTOCK (USA), 13:47.68

Alfredo SANTANA (PUR), 13:48.10

Joey BERRIATUA (USA), 13:49.16

Julius DIEHR (USA), 13:56.79

Tai DINGER (USA), 14:09.41

Brendan PRINDIVILLE (USA), 14:10.96.

(11/24/2021) Views: 1,573 ⚡AMP
by David Monti

Everything you need to know for the 85th Manchester Road Race

The 85th Manchester Road Race (MRR) is almost here and runners from all over the country are lacing up their running shoes.

The race was forced to be held virtually in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But with vaccinations, and efforts made by the state and race officials, the race will happen in person for the 2021 race.

Here's what you need to know:

How to Watch

The race will be held on Thanksgiving Day. 

FOX61 and CW20 will broadcast the race entirely. Fans who cannot make it out to Manchester on the day can watch it live on TV or stream it on FOX61.com, FOX61 News App, ROKU and Amazon Fire TV apps and on the FOX61 Youtube page from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. 

The race will be rebroadcast in its entirety on CW20 starting at 4 p.m. 

The race will start at 10 a.m. sharp. It will begin and end on Main Street at Oak Street. From there, runners will head onto Charter Oak Street where they will hit the first mile.

At the second mile, runners will head onto Highland Street before turning onto Porter Street where they will hit the third and fourth mile. 

The length of the course is 4.748 miles. 

COVID-19 Safety Measures

With COVID-19 still impacting the community, race officials have implemented safety measures.

Officials strongly urged everyone participating to be fully vaccinated before race day, which includes athletes, volunteers, and fans. 

Additionally, officials mandated that all of the elite runners, many of whom are coming from out of state, provide proof of vaccination. 

Masks must be worn at all of the MRR indoor events and on shuttle buses transporting runners and spectators to the race. 

The MRR canceled its indoor Spaghetti Supper and Charlie Robbins Luncheon this year due to the mask requirement. 

While masks are not required outdoors, race officials are asking runners, volunteers, and spectators to still wear masks and follow social distance protocols as much as possible at the race and all the associated events.

Elite Runners

Sam Chelanga, winner of the 2013 MRR, and Edna Kiplagat, who won the women's title at the 2019 race, will return this year.

Other world-class male athletes who have entered this year’s 4.748-mile Turkey Trot include Ben Flanagan, who won the Falmouth Road Race in August and finished eighth at the 2019 MRR; Drew Hunter, the 2019 USA indoor two-mile champion who won the national 5K road championship in New York City on Nov. 6; and Olympian Donn Cabral, who was second at the 2015 MRR and has had seven top-10 finishes in Manchester.

Cabral, a graduate of Glastonbury High School who was the NCAA champion in the steeplechase when he competed for Princeton, was the fastest runner (23:00) in last November’s Virtual Manchester Road Race.

Weini Kelati, who won the women’s national 5K road championship in New York City on Nov 6th with a time of 15:18, and Monicah Ngige, the fourth-place finisher at this year’s Boston Marathon who had a fourth-place finish here in 2018 (25:02), are also expected to make strong showings in the women’s race.

(11/22/2021) Views: 1,698 ⚡AMP
by Jennifer Glatz

Ben Flanagan and Edna Kiplagat Win the 49th Annual ASICS Falmouth Road Race

Organizers of the 49th Annual ASICS Falmouth Road Race, one of America’s premier running events of the summer, officially brought road racing back to the streets of Falmouth today with Canadian, Ben Flanagan, winning the Men’s Division for a second time in 32:16 and Kenyan, Edna Kiplagat winning the Women’s Division in 36:52. 

Flanagan set up his strategy in advance. “I was out with my family at the Black Dog Café and I took a run on the course,” said Flanagan. “I noticed a crosswalk just before the final turn and decided I would make my move there. I knew, if I could hold off the pack until we got to the final downhill there was no way they could catch me.” 

The men’s race began with Frank Lara going to the front coming out of Woods Hole to post a 4:28 first mile. An accomplished pack of 18 men lined up behind Lara, as he held the lead through most of the race. By mile six, the men started to sort themselves out. Biya Simbassa, a University of Oklahoma graduate -- who recovered from a fall at the halfway mark -- stayed in the hunt, as did Emmanuel Bor, fresh off his fifth at the U.S. Olympic Trials 5000m. 

Flanagan made a determined push at the base of the final hill before driving over the top to seal his victory over Simbassa, Bor and Lara - all finishing within 6 seconds of each other.  

The women’s race broke early with a pack of 30 dropping to seven by the second mile. Iveen Chepkemoi, a young 24-year-old talent from Kenya, who trains in Colorado Springs, put a gap on Edna Kiplagat, Emily Durgin, Fiona O’Keeffe and past Falmouth champion Diane Nukuri. By the halfway point, the race was between Kiplagat, a Boston, London and New York City Marathon champion, and Chepkemoi, with the second pack fading by 20 seconds. At mile four, Kiplagat pulled away as Chepkemoi got caught by the chase pack.  

“This was a fast race, and I needed it at this point in my training because I’m running the Boston Marathon in October,” said Kiplagat. “Once I saw the finish, I focused on keeping away from second place.” 

Durgin edged O’Keefe by one second to secure her third runner-up finish of the summer. “This is a beautiful course. We were all working together feeding off each other,” O’Keefe said. She was second at the U.S. 10K and 6K Championships. O’Keefe, a six-time All American at Stanford now coached by Olympian Amy Cragg,  finished third.  

In the Wheelchair Division, Hermin Garic, a veteran of eight Falmouth Road Races, took his first win with a 25:40. “I worked my butt off for this win,” said Hermin, who will be wheeling Utica Boilermaker the day before he heads to the 125th Boston Marathon. Emeilia Perry took the women’s wheelchair race in 37:39. “I’m really excited. This is my first Falmouth Road Race and I wasn’t expecting that last hill, ” Perry said after the race. 

Additionally, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Marathon bronze medalist, Molly Seidel, served as the official race starter and joined the ASICS Falmouth Race field of nearly 8,000 registered participants as its very last runner. For every runner that she passed along the 7-mile course, the Falmouth Road Race pledged to donate $1 to Tommy’s Place, a vacation home in Falmouth for kids fighting cancer. Tim O’Connell, founder of Tommy’s Place, announced an additional dollar-for-dollar match. While Seidel officially ran past 4,761 runners along the way, the Falmouth Road Race is pleased to announce that it will double its pledge, bringing its donation to $9,522.00 in appreciation of Seidel’s participation in this year’s event and to celebrate her victory in Tokyo. Combined with O’Connell’s match, that brings the grand total to $19,044. 

About Falmouth Road Race, Inc. The Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an international field of Olympians, elite and recreational runners out to enjoy the iconic 7-mile seaside course. The non-profit Falmouth Road Race organization is committed to promoting health and fitness through community programs and philanthropic giving.

(08/16/2021) Views: 1,263 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

Olympians, champions and top americans will lead fields for 2021 Asics Falmouth Road Race

Falmouth Road Race, Inc., organizers of the 49th Annual ASICS Falmouth Road Race, one of America’s premier running events of the summer season, today announced the men’s, women’s, and wheelchair open fields for this year’s race. Defending champions Leonard Korir and Sharon Lokedi lead an accomplished field of Olympians, World Champions and top Americans participating in the August 15, 2021 race.

WOMEN’S OPEN DIVISION

Lokedi, a Kenyan elite and 10-time All American at the University of Kansas, will race 2019 runner-up Sara Hall, who has won 11 U.S. national titles from the mile to the marathon. Hall recently finished sixth at the U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000m and won the AJC Peachtree Road Race, which hosted the National 10K Championships. The duo is joined by Edna Kiplagat, a Boston, London and New York City champion as well as a two-time World Athletics Marathon Championships gold medalist. 

Twelve-time All American and NCAA DI 10,000m champion Emma Bates and 2021 Olympic marathoner Molly Seidel will also participate. Bates is gearing up for a fall marathon and Seidel will run, alongside her sister Isabel, as a post-Olympic celebration.  

Accomplished women racing the leaders include Jordan Hasay, an 18-time All American and multiple podium finisher at the Boston and Chicago Marathons; former Falmouth champion and three-time Olympian Diane Nukuri; NCAA 10,000m champion Natosha Rogers; young talent Iveen Chepkemoi; Emily Durgin who finished runner-up at the AJC Peachtree Road Race with a 31:49 personal best, and Taylor Werner the recent USATF National 6K champion.

Many of the women in the field raced in the 5,000m and/or 10,000m at the recent U.S. Olympic Track Trials including Rogers, Durgin, Werner, Erika Kemp, Makena Morley, Jaci Smith, Fiona O’Keefe,  and Paige Stoner.

MEN’S OPEN DIVISION

The 2019 podium of Leonard Korir, Stephen Sambu, and Edward Cheserek return. Korir, an Olympian, became the first American man to win the Falmouth Road Race since 1988. He has 10 USATF national titles and holds the fastest-ever marathon debut by an American (2:077:56). 

Sambu looks to add an impressive fifth Falmouth Road Race title to his name. A road running star, Sambu set the 8K world record at the B.A.A. 10K, a race he has won twice. He is also a four-time champion of the Shamrock Shuffle. Edward Cheserek, the most decorated NCAA distance runner of all time with 17 NCAA Division I titles, ran for the University of Oregon. At Boston University in 2018, Cheserek ran the indoor mile in 3:49.44, which at that time was the second fastest indoor mile in history.  

Chasing the trio are 2018 Falmouth Road Race champion and 2018 NCAA 10,000m winner Ben Flanagan, of Canada, and Ben True, who holds five national titles, set a 5K national record at the 2017 B.A.A. 5K and recently finished fourth in the 10,000m at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Fresh from a two second 1-2 finish at the 2021 AJC Peachtree Road Race, Sam Chelanga, a six-time USATF National Champion, and Fred Huxham are in the field, as are B.A.A. 10K champion David Bett, 2018 Falmouth runner-up Scott Fauble and top 5,000m runner Emmanuel Bor. 

Many of the men running the ASICS Falmouth Road Race competed at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Track Trials including Korir, Chelanga, Bor, True, Biya Simbassa, Jacob Thomson and Frank Lara.

(07/27/2021) Views: 1,465 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

Canadian Ben Flanagan wins debut half-marathon in 1:03:19 one of the fastest times in Canadian history

Canadian Ben Flanagan ran his debut half-marathon on Sunday at a small race in South Carolina, and he posted one of the fastest times in Canadian history to take the win.

Despite never having raced a full 21.1K, Flanagan — an Olympic hopeful in the 5,000m and 10,000m — ran to a blazing-fast time of 1:03:19, which puts him in 10th all-time among Canadians.

Flanagan has only raced twice since February, but his brief transition to the road couldn’t have gone better, and he looks to be in great shape heading into 2021. 

 Flanagan, a former University of Michigan runner and NCAA 10,000m champion, may have won the race by a healthy margin of 19 seconds, but his victory wasn’t a sure thing until the late stages of the run. The course followed a 6.4K loop, and very early on, Flanagan and eventual second-place finisher Matthew McClintock of Maine were dropped by Kenya’s Athanas Kioko. Flanagan and McClintock ran together for much of the race before the 25-year-old Canadian pulled away for sole possession of second place. Not long after that, Flanagan overtook Kioko (who was also eventually caught by McClintock) and carried on to take the win. McClintock took second place in 1:03:38 and Kioko held onto third in 1:03:47.

Trying something new 

After the race, Flanagan posted on Instagram, writing, “Tested out the half-marathon this weekend and am happy to walk away with a W and by-default PR. Really pleased with the decision to get creative during a year with limited racing opportunities and fully intend to return to the track a stronger athlete.”

While Flanagan won’t be making a career of road racing just yet, he has certainly shown the running world that he has promise at the longer distances. With his time, he sits just behind Olympian Reid Coolsaet (1:03:16) on the all-time Canadian list, and he will have plenty of opportunities in the future to climb higher than 10th place. 

(12/10/2020) Views: 1,144 ⚡AMP
by Ben Snider-McGrath

Almost 10,000 participants are expected in the New Balance Falmouth Road Race At-Home Edition Kicks Off on Saturday

Almost 10,000 participants are expected in the New Balance Falmouth Road Race At-Home Edition, which begins Saturday – the birthday of late race founder Tommy Leonard – and continues through August 29.

As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, 9,482 people had registered, from 45 states plus the District of Columbia and nine countries – England, Ireland, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Australia and Spain as well as the U.S.

“Although the road from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights will be quiet this year, being able to share our race with those who otherwise might not get to experience the Falmouth spirit is definitely a plus,” said Scott Ghelfi, president of the Falmouth Road Race, Inc. board of directors.

Among those entered are 719 families of three or four, and 45 wheelchair athletes. The oldest registrant is 97-year-old Helen Richards, of Coral Gables, Florida, who is running for The Boston House, a nonprofit. As of Wednesday, the 1,629 participants in the race’s Numbers for Nonprofits Program had already raised $1.2 million for Massachusetts-based charities.

“We’re especially proud to be able to continue helping nonprofits in these difficult times, when other fund-raising avenues have narrowed even as the needs have grown,” said Ghelfi.

Wearing Bib #1, which is usually awarded to either the defending champion or the fastest pro runner in the field, this year will be worn by Phil Svahn of Austin, Texas, for being the top fund-raiser in the race’s Numbers for Nonprofits Program. Svahn has raised $7,850 for the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation.

Also taking part in the At-Home Edition will be Ben Flanagan, the 2018 New Balance Falmouth Road Race champion; Abdi Abdirahman, a five-time Olympian and longtime Falmouth competitor; Diane Nukuri, the 2015 Falmouth champion and a fan favorite here; and Molly Seidel, who recently made the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team. The four will also square off in a Zoom scavenger hunt.

And on August 23 at 10 a.m. EDT, wheelchair athletes will participate in an event to be streamed on Facebook Live. Details on both the scavenger hunt and wheelchair event will be announced soon.

The 48th running of the New Balance Falmouth Road Race will be celebrated as a virtual event beginning on Saturday and concluding on August 29, with runners covering 7 miles in their own neighborhoods any time in that period. Registration will be available at falmouthroadrace.com throughout the event.

(08/14/2020) Views: 1,452 ⚡AMP

Nick Willis, Emma Coburn, Cory McGee, Ce’Aira Brown And Morgan McDonald Among Those Competing At The Music City Distance Carnival

Putting on an invitational track meet in the United States is hard in the best of times, but is nearly impossible during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting the USA Track & Field requirements for a COVID-safe meet are very difficult, never mind getting adequate sponsorship in the middle of a recession, attracting the attention of top athletes who are hunkered down at home just trying to stay safe, and having to stay within state and local regulations for in-person gatherings. Large crowds aren’t permitted anywhere, so you can forget about revenue from ticket sales.

But Dave Milner of the Nashville Track Club is an especially determined meet director. The 49 year-old coach and former athlete, originally from Leeds, England, was determined to hold the 18th edition of the Music City Distance Carnival this year, and do it at a high level despite the crisis. After several delays, countless hours of work, and a little bit of good luck, his meet is set to go this Saturday in Nashville and will feature top-level athletes with Olympic or World Championships credentials like Ben Flanagan of Canada; Nick Willis of New Zealand; Edose Ibadin of Nigeria; Morgan McDonald of Australia; and Emma Coburn, Cory McGee, and Ce’Aira Brown of the United States.

Milner started the process of re-thinking the meet when the COVID crisis first struck in March.

“The meet is typically end of May, beginning of June,” Milner told Race Results Weekly in a telephone interview today. He continued: “When all of this stuff happened in early March I was still optimistic that I could get it done that weekend. Nobody knew then how bad it was going to be.”

But as the virus spread in the United States, especially in the south, keeping the meet on it’s normal date became impossible. Milner first tried for a one-month delay, thinking at the time that it would be adequate.

“I pushed it back to the end of June, still thinking, yeah, we can have the meet,” Milner said. He was in communication with USA Track & Field about the new requirements for battling the spread of COVID and thought that staging the meet was doable in that time frame. He had a core set of training groups which had traditionally sent athletes to the meet including Team Boss in Boulder, the Atlanta Track Club, and the Under Armour District Track Club in Washington, D.C., and he felt he could count on those athletes for 2020.

But Milner had another big problem: securing a venue. The meet had usually been staged at Vanderbilt University, but that wasn’t an option this year.

“I was having a hard time trying to find a venue,” Milner said. “Vanderbilt, where the meet usually is, didn’t really want to have anything to do with it. I foresaw that early and started speaking to other venues as early as April.”

Eventually, Lipscomb Academy agreed to host the meet, and Milner decided to push the date back much further to increase the chances that athletes would be in shape and that he wouldn’t have to delay it again. He also wanted his meet to fall into a sequence with the two other meets planned for the southern region, Sir Walter Miler in Raleigh, N.C., (scheduled for August 7, but ultimately cancelled), and the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis (scheduled for August 22).

Milner also caught another break. Swiss shoe company On, which just launched a new USA training group in Boulder under coach Dathan Ritzenhein, decided to come on board as a sponsor. To give his new sponsor the best exposure, Milner wanted the meet to have a free, live broadcast. Working with timing and meet production consultant Cody Branch from PrimeTime Timing, the meet will be broadcast live via YouTube with commentary (link to be posted on the meet website at runmcdc.org).

“We really felt there was an opportunity to hit this out of the park from a production stance,” Milner said enthusiastically. He added: “It will be live and free, which I think people will be thrilled about.”

On Saturday, access to the track will be tightly controlled. The athletes (except high school athletes) have to demonstrate that they have had two negative COVID tests since August 8 in order to compete, and the tests have to be at least 24 hours apart. Athletes must present proof of the negative tests before they will be allowed to compete, and most are emailing those results in advance of their arrival to the track at Lipscomb. Event staff and officials will have to wear masks at all times, and the athletes will have to wear masks while they are not warming up, competing or cooling down. The races are spaced out wider than usual on the schedule because competitors must leave the track completely before athletes running the next race are allowed onto the track. Milner also has to follow state guidelines to control the total number of people who are in the stadium.

“As far as the total number of people at the event, we’re allowed 250 at any given time,” Milner said. “We’re asking people not to show up for their event more than 90 minutes beforehand. And we’re asking people after they run to leave, please. We’re not encouraging people to stick around and watch the meet.”

Milner has organized some excellent races for Saturday, despite the lack of prize money. Many athletes will be trying to earn qualifying marks for next year’s USA Olympic Team Trials (standards are here: https://bit.ly/3kDXDlb). The two 1500m races may be the best with top athletes like McGee, Yolanda Ngarambe of Sweden, Coburn, Katie Mackey and Emily Lipari in the women’s section, and Abraham Alvarado, Willy Fink, Sam Prakel, Ollie Hoare and McDonald of Australia, and Carlos Villarreal of Mexico in the men’s. Milner is hoping for the fastest time on U.S. soil for this year (currently 3:34.53 by Britain’s Josh Kerr in Newberg, Oregon, on July 31).

“That race is stacked,” said Milner of the men’s 1500m. “We’re pacing it for 3:33-high pace.”

(08/14/2020) Views: 1,168 ⚡AMP
by Let’s Run

Scott Fauble is dealing with the flu and won’t be running Falmouth

After dealing with the flu, Scott Fauble was pulled from Sunday's Falmouth Road Race, a 7-mile event that takes place in Falmouth, Massachusetts, annually. He took second place last year, crossing the finish line as the first American male, with Canada's Ben Flanagan taking the 2018 title.

"Bad news, you guys," Fauble tweeted on Thursday. "I won’t be running Falmouth this weekend. I got sick earlier this week and it just wasn’t going to be the right call to race this weekend. I’m disappointed to miss this iconic event. I expect to be healthy and to crush at the USATF 20K champs in a few weeks."

This year's USATF 20K Championships take place Monday, Sept. 2, in New Haven, Connecticut.

Fauble has laced up for just one race since taking seventh place at the 2019 Boston Marathon in April, where he was the first American to finish. Boston was the third marathon of his career, and he set his PR of 2:09:09 there.

(08/17/2019) Views: 2,197 ⚡AMP

Despite Injury, Ben Flanagan is set to return to the Falmouth Road Race

History was made in Falmouth when Flanagan ran a nearly perfect strategic race and shocked the field to capture the Falmouth Road Race. Unfortunately there will be no repeat of that smile crossing the finish line in the Falmouth Heights. The affable University of Michigan grad, who is now running professionally for Team Reebok, will not get the chance to defend his title.

A stress injury to Flanagan’s leg has knocked him to the sideline for this year’s race. He recently was informed by his medical team that he would be unable to run for six weeks. After that will come rehabilitation, which potentially could knock out most, if not all, of the remaining competitive racing for him this year.

“It’s an unfortunate thing. I was really looking forward to coming back and racing Falmouth again,” he said. “I’m excited to still be able to be here and be involved, but it would have been nice to be on the line again.”

The best-case scenario is that Flanagan could be back racing by late in the fall. That would be all of the major events for 2019, but he is setting his sights squarely on 2020.

As the 2018 Falmouth champ works his way back toward being healthy and fast, his aim is to peak in time for the 2020 Canadian Olympic trials. If he qualifies for a spot in the Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo, that would be at the top of his priority list for next year.

“That would just be amazing. That’s a thing I’ve wanted to be a part of since I was nine years old, since I first started doing sports,” he said. “It’s been such a long journey... it’s really just so special. It would be a dream come true.”

As for this year, Flanagan will be involved in the presentation of Road Race weekend. He spoke to a group of youngsters on behalf of the FRR yesterday,, August 15, then today Friday, August 16, Flanagan is set to speak at the annual press conference in the morning before handing out bibs and numbers at the Road Race Expo later in the day. Tomorrow On Saturday he will be part of the Champions meet-and-greet at the Expo and also plans to be at the Mile Races at Falmouth High School later in the day. He will attend the Road Race on Sunday, but was unsure of where he’d be.

Flanagan said he was excited to help in any capacity. He has become very fond of Falmouth, and not just because his win helped launch his professional career.

He also met his girlfriend here. Because he hails from the University of Michigan, Flanagan stayed with the Ghelfi family last year. Hannah Ghelfi is a rising senior at the U of M, where she is one of the top golfers for the Wolverines. With their school in common, the pair hit it off and began to see one another during the fall semester. Ben graduated in December and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, to train professionally. He was in Falmouth around Christmastime, and said that he plans on being in Falmouth, or at Michigan, whenever he can.

“It’s just funny that Hannah and I spent a number of years together at Michigan and never met until the race,” he said.

He said that he has become more and more familiar with the town through his visits, and has come to really enjoy being on Cape Cod. With his prime racing years still ahead of him, there’s every reason to believe that Flanagan and Falmouth could go together hand-in-hand. It’s a budding relationship that got off to a fantastic start. The future looks bright.

(08/16/2019) Views: 2,049 ⚡AMP
by Rich Maclone

Kenyan Stephen Sambu will be looking for his fifth Falmouth Road Race title this Sunday

After coming up a little short in his bid to become the first person to ever win five Falmouth Road Race titles after claiming four in a row from 2014 to 2017, Kenyan Stephen Sambu aims to make history once again on Sunday, August 18, in the 47th running of the Falmouth Road Race.

Sambu fell shy of the feat when Canadian Ben Flanagan shocked the field last year to become the first North American to win the race in 30 years. Sambu faded to a fourth place finish in the 2018 race.

With Flanagan out of action with an injury, Sambu is considered the favorite, along with his friend Leonard Korir, of the United States, to take the crown. Sambu and Korir battled in one of the most memorable finishes in race history in 2017, with Sambu edging his buddy down the final hill in the Falmouth Heights to take the crown.

Americans Sara Hall and Des Linden will return for the 47th running of the New Balance Falmouth Road Race to highlight the women's field.

Sambu won the New Balance Falmouth Road Race every year from 2014-2017, becoming the first four-time winner of the men’s open division in race history. The runner-up in two of those victories was Korir, a 2016 Olympian at 10,000 meters, who will represent the US this fall at the IAAF World Championships. In 2017, Korir nearly denied Sambu his place in the history books in a fight to the finish that saw both athletes awarded the same time.

Sambu and Korir will be challenged by a tough international field that includes Thomas Ayeko of Uganda, who finished seventh in the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships; David Bett of Kenya, who won the B.A.A. 10K in June; and Silas Kipruto of Kenya, winner of the 2019 Cooper River Bridge Run.

Massachusetts native Colin Bennie, who was the top American at the AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4, and Scott Fauble, a top contender to make Team USA at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in February and the Falmouth runner-up last year, should be in the hunt.

(08/14/2019) Views: 2,299 ⚡AMP
by Rich Maclone

Stephen Sambu of Kenya and Leonard Korir of the U.S., Sara Hall and Des Linden will return for the 47th running of the New Balance Falmouth Road Race

Stephen Sambu of Kenya and Leonard Korir of the U.S., who together staged an epic battle to the finish line in 2017, and Americans Sara Hall and Des Linden will return for the 47th running of the New Balance Falmouth Road Race, organizers announced today.

The fields for the Wheelchair Division presented by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod and the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile will be announced next week.

Sambu won the New Balance Falmouth Road Race every year from 2014-2017, becoming the first four-time winner of the men’s open division in race history. The runner-up in two of those victories was Korir, a 2016 Olympian at 10,000 meters who will represent the U.S. this fall at the IAAF World Championships. In 2017, Korir nearly denied Sambu his place in the history books in a fight to the finish that saw both athletes awarded the same time.

Sambu and Korir will be challenged by a tough international field that includes Thomas Ayeko of Uganda, who finished seventh in the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships; David Bett of Kenya, who won the B.A.A. 10K in June; and Silas Kipruto of Kenya, winner of the 2019 Cooper River Bridge Run. Massachusetts native Colin Bennie, who was the top American at the AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4, and Scott Fauble, a top contender to make Team USA at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in February and runner-up here last year to Canadian Ben Flanagan, should be in the hunt.

Flanagan’s season has been cut short by injury, but he will return to Falmouth to speak on a Past Champions panel at the Health & Fitness Expo, hand out gift bags at bib pickup and run with a group of local youth.

In the women’s open division, Hall – who finished second here in 2015 – comes in as the reigning USA 10K champion, and in her long career has won U.S. titles at distances ranging from the mile to the marathon. Fellow American Des Linden, a two-time OIympian and the 2018 Boston Marathon champion, will make her Falmouth competitive debut after running with the pack here last year in celebration of her Boston victory.

“It’s beautiful,” said Linden of the course after her 2018 run. “It helps you forget it’s really hard. Some really impressive things have been done on this course. It’s cool to cover it, and it would be really fun to race it.”

They will face a deep women’s field, highlighted by a trio of Kenyans: 2012 New Balance Falmouth Road Race Champion Margaret Wangari, 2018 NCAA 10,000-meter champion Sharon Lokedi and Iveen Chepkemoi, who recently finished second in the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, N.Y.  Also challenging will be two athletes from Great Britain: Lily Partridge, the 2018 national marathon champion, andTish Jones, who will compete in the marathon at the 2019 World Championships. 

Allie Kieffer, who finished fifth in the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon; Melissa Dock, the top American woman here last year who competed for Team USA at the 2019 Bolder Boulder;Molly Seidel, the 2015 NCAA 10,000-meter champion; and Nell Rojas, winner of the 2019 Grandma’s Marathon and daughter of Ric Rojas, who competed for Harvard and at one time held the 15K world record, round out a solid American lineup.

Three-time winner Caroline Chepkoech of Kenya will not return to defend her title.

First prize in the men’s and women’s open division is $10,000, part of a total $126,000 prize purse for Race Week events, which include the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile the evening before the 7-miler. In addition, the men’s and women’s winners will seek to prevail in “The Countdown.”

A beat-the-clock handicap race, “The Countdown” features a finish-line clock that starts when the first woman breaks the tape, counting down the number of minutes and seconds the winning man has to beat, according to a pre-determined formula. If the clock runs out before he crosses the line, the victorious woman wins a $5,000 bonus; if it doesn’t, the winning man takes home the money. The time to beat this year is 3 minutes and 35 seconds.

(08/08/2019) Views: 2,467 ⚡AMP

Ben True, Justyn Knight and Ben Flanagan, Two three and four at B.A.A 5K

Justyn Knight was third Saturday at the B.A.A 5K in a time of 13:46. He was third in a very respectable field, losing to Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia (13:42) who’s an Olympic bronze medallist in the 5,000m and Ben True, one of the best American distance athletes on the roads.

True was sixth at the 2015 World Championships in the 5,000m.

After what Knight describes as a lack-lustre indoor season, he’s had a very solid opener. Knight only ran one race in the 2019 indoor season and says he wasn’t in his ideal race shape through the winter.

“My indoor season was what everyone saw, I was out of shape. I knew I wasn’t as fit as I would’ve like to be, but I still wanted to race and see where I was at relative to my fellow competitors. I wasn’t ready to run fast then, but I feel I’m in a completely different spot now.”

Training partner Ben Flanagan was fourth in Saturday’s race just behind Justyn in 13:49. Flanagan and Knight train together with the Reebok Boston Track Club. Knight’s next race will be Payton Jordan on May 2 in Palo Alto, California.

(04/13/2019) Views: 2,792 ⚡AMP

Ben Flanagan and Justyn Knight will be facing a very deep field at the B.A.A 5K race on Saturday

Ben Flanagan and Justyn Knight will both race the B.A.A 5K on Saturday. They will face a very deep field including World Championship top six finisher Ben True and 2019 USATF Indoor 2-mile champion Drew Hunter.

Both Flanagan and Knight run for the Reebok Boston Track Club out of Charlottesville, Virginia.

We asked Flanagan and Knight how they thought they would do if on Saturday they were told they had to run a marathon instead of a 5K. Flanagan joked that, “I mean, I could finish it.” He continued, “I think I would try and run around 5:30 miles for as long as possible.

I would hope to finish around the 2:30’s. It’s so hard to say.” Flanagan hasn’t done a long run longer than 14 miles recently and says that the marathon is a distance he really respects. “It would be impossible to go out there and do a good job without months of preparation.”

Knight took a slightly more aggressive approach saying he would aim for high teens or low twenties. “Oh my gosh, I mean I hope that I’d run between 2:18 or 2:20 but I don’t even know what a minute means in the context of a marathon.”

Knight only ran one race in the 2019 indoor season and says he wasn’t in his ideal race shape through the winter. “My indoor season was what everyone saw, I was out of shape. I knew I wasn’t as fit as I would’ve like to be, but I still wanted to race and see where I was at relative to my fellow competitors. I wasn’t ready to run fast then, but I feel I’m in a completely different spot now.” Knight says he always races to win and that’s the mindset he has heading into the weekend.

Both runners are starting their 2019 outdoor seasons with the World Championships in mind. Neither Flanagan or Knight are certain of which distance they would ideally qualify at, but they know they’d like to be there.

(04/10/2019) Views: 2,372 ⚡AMP

Ben Flanagan has signed with Rebook, and becomes the second Canadian to join coach Chris Fox and the Reebook Boston Track Club

The newly formed team will be based out of Charlottesville, Virginia and will use the University of Virginia track for their workouts. Earlier this summer, fellow Canadian track runner Justyn Knight became the club’s first major signee. After Ben Flanagan won the NCAA 10,000m this June, things changed for him. “Since NCAA’s the opportunities that became available to me changed enormously. After singing with Dan Lilot, we decided that the best approach for choosing a company was to be as open minded as possible. I didn’t want to make any impulsive or emotional decisions.” Flanagan continued, “Dan and I contacted every major company. As the process went on, I started to discover what my best fit would be.” Flanagan is excited about joining Reebok, “I’m excited to work with Reebok as a company as well and the athletes and staff in the Boston group. The coaching staff is phenomenal, I know what they’ve done in the past and I know I’ll fit in pretty seamlessly.” Fox is the former Syracuse coach, and has worked with Knight throughout his NCAA career. (09/05/2018) Views: 2,194 ⚡AMP

Canada’s Ben Flanagan pulls off the win in a crazy sprint to the finish at the New Balance Falmouth Road Race

It was a crazy sprint to the finish as 23-year-old Ben Flanagan (photo) wins the New Balance Falmouth Road Race this morning.  Scott Fauble (US) was second clocking 32:23, Leonard Korir was next in 32:28.  Stephen Sambu who keeps coming back to defend his men’s title in the 7.1 mile race finished fourth with 32:32.  The lead pack passed 10k at 28:50.  But Ben’s speed gave him the win.  On June 7th the University of Michigan senior won the 10000m at the NCAA Championships clocking 28:34 taking 39 seconds off his PR.  His last 400 meters there being 56.9 seconds.  Last year’s winner Stephen Sambu, from Kenyan who last year became the first man to win Falmouth four times, always sends Snapchat pictures of himself with the ocean backdrop to friends. He also spends some downtime on the beach. But above all, he said the camaraderie with the community, especially host families, keeps him giddy to return each year. “I feel like I’m home,” Sambu said during Friday morning’s media event. “They take you in like they’re your own kids. “I’ll be coming back even if I lose.” When asked about going for five straight wins and another $10,000 first prize, Sambu said he’s feeling some pressure, knowing that it won’t be easy. “Everybody is expecting me to win,” said Sambu.  “I’m ready, I’m feeling good. I don’t give up. I just fight until the end. I can lose, but I don’t lose easily.”  He was close but not close enough this year.  We are sure he will be back.  He just loves it too much!  (08/19/2018) Views: 2,175 ⚡AMP

Belay Tilahun wins the Bix 7, the first time an Ethiopian has won this race

Belay Tilahun of Ethiopia wins the Quad-City Times Bix 7. Tilahun finished second in 2016. Margaret Muriuki of Kenya captured the 2018 women's Quad-City Times Bix 7 on Saturday.  Belay Tilahun pulled away in the final mile to claim the victory, In a winning time of 32:37, Tilahun became the first runner from Ethiopia to win the Bix 7. “I’m very happy,” Tilahun told KWQC after beating NCAA 10K champion Ben Flanagan and 2016 U.S. Olympian Leonard Korir down the final stretch. Kipruto finished fifth and Mekonen crossed the line a few seconds later in sixth-place. Tilahun became the first Ethiopian man ever to win the Bix 7 after several near-misses in the past. Reigning NCAA 10,000-meter champion Ben Flanagan recorded the highest finish ever by a Canadian in the race, crossing the line in second place. Andrew Colley of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, took fourth, the highest an American has placed in an international field at Bix since Meb Keflezighi was third in 2013. It’s the highest a native-born American has finished since Ken Martin won the race in 1991. Colley was one of four Americans in the top 10. It’s the first time that has happened since that same 1991 race. But all of them were mere footnotes to Tilahun, who showed interviewers with hand gestures how he navigated the incessant hills of the course and was able to convey the fact that it helped him to have run Bix once before. Ethiopians have been very close to winning the Bix 7 in the past. Tilahun was second behind three-time winner Silas Kipruto in 2016 and Solomon Deksisa took second the year before that. In one of the strangest episodes in Bix history, Ethiopia’s Maregu Zewdie was leading coming down 4th Street in the 2008 Bix but stopped after crossing under the skywalk at the Davenport RiverCenter, thinking that was the finish line. Kenya’s Edward Muge zoomed past him to win. He had a small lead on Flanagan and the rest of the pack coming down Kirkwood in the fifth mile of the race when he decided to just take control. In what seemed little more than a blink of the eye, he opened about a 7-second margin over Flanagan. Stream TypeLIVE Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 0:00 Fullscreen   00:00 Mute“I don’t know if surprised is the word but I was impressed,’’ said Flanagan, who just completed his college career at the University of Michigan last month. “I knew coming in here there was a lot of really experienced runners who knew the course well. That was very evident by that move. (07/30/2018) Views: 2,085 ⚡AMP

NCAA champ Ben Flanagan may be the underdog at the Bix 7 but don't count him out

Ben Flanagan will be a decided underdog when he steps to the starting line in Saturday’s 44th annual Quad-City Times Bix 7. After all, the 23-year-old Canadian hasn’t run a road race of any distance since he was in the ninth grade. He certainly hasn’t run a race full of steep hills in the sometimes suffocating heat of late July against a field filled with battle-hardened Kenyans and Ethiopians, many of whom are very familiar with a course he’s never even seen before. But you get the feeling Flanagan kind of likes being the underdog. And he often responds positively when placed in that role. You needn’t look any further than the 10,000-meter race at the NCAA Division I track and field meet about seven weeks ago. Flanagan, a fifth-year senior at the University of Michigan, was seeded 19th in the race. He hadn’t even qualified for the NCAA meet the previous year because of a litany of injuries. He ran in the wake of Alabama star Vincent Kiprop the entire way but on the 25th and final lap, he found the strength to surge past Kiprop and spring one of the biggest upsets in recent NCAA history. He admitted he probably even surprised himself that day. (07/26/2018) Views: 1,714 ⚡AMP