Running News Daily

The stage is set in Berlin for what promises to be a thrilling edition of the Berlin Half Marathon on March 29, as a formidable lineup of international talent prepares to clash over the fast and flat streets of the German capital.

Leading the men’s field is Kenya’s Gideon Kiprotich, who arrives with an impressive personal best of 58:49, marking him as one of the standout contenders. He will face stiff competition from Switzerland’s Dominic Lobalu (59:12), whose rapid rise on the global stage has turned heads, and Germany’s Amanal Petros (59:31), a home favorite eager to deliver on familiar roads.

Adding further depth to the race is Ethiopia’s Bereket Nega (60:03), alongside Great Britain’s Jake Smith (60:31), both capable of disrupting the expected order if the pace intensifies early.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw leads the entries with a personal best of 64:44, setting the tone for a highly competitive contest. Kenya’s Veronica Loleo (65:46) will be among those aiming to challenge for top honors, bringing both strength and tactical awareness to the field.

Great Britain’s Samantha Harrison (67:10) and Ethiopia’s Melal Siyoum (67:21) add further intrigue, while Kenya’s Daisilah Jerono (67:27) rounds out a diverse and competitive lineup that promises an unpredictable race dynamic.

Renowned for its quick course and ideal racing conditions, Berlin has long been a proving ground for elite distance runners seeking fast times and breakthrough performances. With such a balanced and high-caliber field assembled, this year’s edition is poised to deliver both tactical battles and potentially record-threatening runs.

As the countdown begins, anticipation continues to build—because in Berlin, speed is not just expected, it is demanded.

Esther Pfeiffer isn’t afraid to race. In fact, she races more often than most elite long-distance runners ever dare to. While some athletes carefully pick two or three races a year to peak for, Esther is out on the roads again and again—racing hard, running smart, and often finishing at the front.

The 27-year-old German half marathon and marathon standout is not only the reigning national champion at both distances, but she’s also become one of the most recognizable faces in European road racing. Her 2025 season has already been packed with podium finishes, including a win at the German Half Marathon Championships in Paderborn and a stunning personal best of 1:09:16 at the Berlin Half Marathon. That performance made her the fastest German woman in the race.

But to reduce Esther Pfeiffer to just her times and medals would miss the heart of her story.

A Love for Racing, Not Just Results

What sets Esther apart is her sheer passion for competing. Some critics say she races too often. But Esther doesn’t see it that way. For her, every race is a chance to grow, to test herself, and to stay connected to the joy that brought her into the sport in the first place. It’s not about obsessing over splits or staying within the confines of a traditional training cycle—it’s about doing what she loves, frequently, and fearlessly.

Esther’s approach may not fit the mold, but it’s working. She’s not breaking down. She’s thriving. And fans across Germany have taken notice.

Running and Life, Side by Side

In early 2024, Esther married fellow distance runner Hendrik Pfeiffer, himself a top German marathoner. The two often train and race together, and their bond has become a central part of her life on and off the course. It’s clear they’ve built more than just a marriage—they’ve built a team.

Those who know Esther describe her as focused yet light-hearted, serious about her goals but never too far from a laugh. Her social media posts often show her celebrating with fellow runners, supporting local events, and sharing the ups and downs that come with the sport. There’s no superstar ego—just a down-to-earth competitor who genuinely enjoys the journey.

More Than a Medal Count

Esther’s rise hasn’t been meteoric. It’s been steady, deliberate, and built on consistency. She doesn’t show up just for the glamour races. She runs small events and city half marathons. She enters national championships and world events. She even won the global Wings for Life World Run in 2025, covering 59.03 kilometers—the furthest distance by any German woman that year.

That kind of volume would be unthinkable for many elite runners. But for Esther, it’s what keeps her sharp—and smiling.

Still Just Getting Started

Esther Pfeiffer isn’t waiting for the perfect conditions, the perfect build-up, or the perfect race. She’s already out there—competing, winning, learning, and enjoying the sport on her terms.

And with the way she’s running, don’t be surprised if the best is still to come.

 

Reigning World 10,000m silver medallist Daniel Simiu Ebenyo has officially set his sights on the 2025 Seoul Marathon, scheduled for March 16. Fresh off a series of impressive victories, the Iten-based star is determined to translate his cross-country dominance into success on the streets of Seoul.

Ebenyo, a standout performer this season, recently captured the title at the National Cross-Country Championships held at the Eldoret Sports Club. He quickly followed up that victory with another commanding performance at the Absa Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Continental Tour, hosted at Lobo Village in Eldoret. In a tightly contested race, Ebenyo clocked an impressive 29:57 to claim the win, finishing ahead of Gideon Rono (30:07) and Nicholas Kimeli (30:15).

A National Police Service officer, Ebenyo made his marathon debut at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, where he finished fifth in 2:04:23—an impressive showing for his first 26.2-mile (42.195 km) challenge. Since then, he has successfully balanced his track and road racing career, and now, all eyes are on his upcoming performance in Seoul.

“I strongly believe I will perform well in the race and secure a podium finish,” Ebenyo said confidently. “Nobody knows what tomorrow holds, so let’s focus on the present.”

Ebenyo’s path to the marathon spotlight hasn’t been without challenges. The former African 5000m silver medallist endured a difficult 2023 season, missing out on the Paris Olympic Games after an unfortunate fall during the national trials. He finished eighth in that race, narrowly missing the chance to represent Team Kenya on the world’s biggest stage.

However, the resilient athlete quickly bounced back, proving his mettle both locally and internationally. In early 2024, he claimed victory at the prestigious Berlin Half Marathon, crossing the finish line in a swift 59:30. This win added to his growing list of accolades, including his standout performance at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where he secured the silver medal in the 10,000m.

As the countdown to the Seoul Marathon begins, Ebenyo’s rigorous training regimen in the high-altitude hills of Iten has intensified. He remains laser-focused on achieving his ultimate goal: standing atop the podium in Seoul.

About the Seoul Marathon

First held in 1931, the Seoul Marathon is the oldest continuously held marathon event in Asia and the second oldest in the world, following the Boston Marathon.  The race starts at Gwanghwamun Square, a historic and cultural landmark in the heart of Seoul, and finishes at the Jamsil Sports Complex, offering runners a scenic route that showcases both the traditional and modern facets of the city.  Known for its flat and fast course, the Seoul Marathon has been the stage for numerous record-setting performances and holds World Athletics Platinum Label Road Race status, attracting elite runners from around the globe.

As of now, specific details regarding other elite runners confirmed for the 2025 Seoul Marathon have not been publicly disclosed. However, given the event’s prestigious status, it is anticipated that a competitive field of top international athletes will participate, promising an exciting and high-caliber race.

With his current form and unwavering determination, Daniel Simiu Ebenyo is undoubtedly a contender to watch. If his recent performances are any indication, the streets of Seoul may very well witness another spectacular chapter in the career of one of Kenya’s finest distance runners.

Great success for the 2024 edition of the half marathon that takes place in the city center: 1500 participants in the Trento Half Marathon and Trento 10k del Concilio. President Gianni Valler: "First time that several days before we declare sold out. We are extremely satisfied, everything was beyond the rosiest expectations"

Triumphing in the 2024 edition of the Trento Half Marathon is the Ugandan born in 2000 Hosea Kiplangat, who showed up on the finish line in Piazza Duomo in a brilliant and very valid 1h00'15". The women's race was won by the Ethiopian Yalemeget Yaregal Mekuriaw, who won with a real solo in 1h07'56", just 8 seconds from the course record held by the Ethiopian Worknesh Debele.

Great emotions this morning in Trento, which proves to be the Italian capital of running for a Sunday of sport of the highest technical level: on the second day of the Trento Running Festival - after the thrills and adrenaline of Saturday evening with the 77th edition of the Giro al Sas - it was the turn of the 1500 participants of the Trento Half Marathon and Trento 10k del Concilio, which recorded as many as 20 percent more attendance than in 2023, with 25 nationalities represented and 25 percent female.

Returning to the competitions, the Trento Half Marathon record to beat has been held since 2022 by the multi-titled Ethiopian Tamirat Tola with 59'49", but today it was really fast thanks to Kiplangat who showed up at the finish line with an extraordinary time that for the Ugandan also counts as a personal best.

"I improved my personal best on the half marathon by almost two minutes and I am really happy with the final result - said Kiplangat at the end of the race -. I arrived today inthe best possible physical condition and the race went really well, I thank Trento for the warm affection at the finish line".

Behind Kiplangat, a Kenyan double with the youngclass of 2005 Dennis Kororia and Zacharia Krop: respectively second in 1h01'11", conquering a personal best, while Krop, at his debut on the distance of 21 kilometers, third in 1h01'19".

As for the women's race, despite the triumph, Yalemeget Yaregal Mekuriaw did not get a "personal best" (time at the Berlin Half Marathon 2023 of 1h06'27", ed.) but the Ethiopian athletestill entered a great time, with 15 kilometers run alone where she distanced the runner-up by a good three minutes.

In second place was the Kenyan Nelly Jeptoo in 1h10'58" and on the third step of the podium in 1h11'34" her compatriot Nancy Jepleting.

Sixth place instead for Luna Giovanetti of Atletica Valle di Cembra, already Italian champion Promesse di corsa in montagna, who therefore becomes the first Italian of this Trento Half Marathon stopping the clock in 1h20'35", her first real official result on the certified half marathon distance.

At the same time, the Trento 10k del Concilio was also run, a race that recorded the success of Damiano Casagranda of Atletica Valle di Cembra with 33'53", while among the women the victory went to the South Tyrolean Tanja Scrinzi in a time of 38'19".

To make a final assessment of this Trento Running Festival 2024 is the new president of Asd Città di Trento Gianni Valler: "It is the first time that several days before we declare the sold out of registrations, we are extremely satisfied with this, everything has been beyond the rosiest expectations".

"Great chronometric performances have further rewarded us, gratifying our work and that of over three hundred volunteers who have set up the route impeccably – concluded Valler -. The Giro at the Sas was also a spectacle with a great Yeman Crippa, a home athlete cheered by all the Trento public who loves him and obviously congratulations also to last night's winner Charles Rotich who ran really fast, he will be a great champion in the future, we are sure of it".

Joyciline Jepkosgei, the fourth-place finisher from the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, is returning for the event.

Jepkosgei's most recent race was the 2024 London Marathon, where she earned a new personal best time of 2:16:24. She finished third.

A two-time Abbott World Marathon Majors Champion, the Ethiopian came into the marathon scene with a strong debut when she won the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon.

She followed that up with a second-place finish at the 2022 Valencia Marathon. Following that race, she won both the Berlin Half Marathon (1:05:16) and the London Marathon (2"17:43) in 2021.

Former World Marathon record holder Dennis Kimetto will spearhead an attempt on the Cape Town Marathon course record when he lines up on October 20.

The current course record in the men’s race is 2:08:32 set by 2016 Africa  10,000m silver medallist, Stephen Mokoka during his triumph in 2018.

This year’s edition has drawn a massive 21,000 participants, with race director Barry Van Blerk highlighting the impressive elite field assembled for the men's race.

“This year’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon boasts the strongest elite line-up ever seen on African soil. With a substantial prize pool, we anticipate fierce competition and if conditions allow, course records will likely fall,” Van Blerk remarked.

Kimetto set a world record during the 2014 Berlin Marathon after clocking 2:02:57, to become the first man to crack the 2:03 barrier.

His record stood for four years before two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge shattered it during the 2018 Berlin race when he clocked 2:01:39.

Kimetto brings a wealth of experience to the field including triumph from the 2013 Chicago Marathon (2:03:45), ahead of compatriots Emmanuel Kipchirchir (2:03:52) and Sammy Kitwara (2:05:16).

He also holds wins from the 2012 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon (1:00:40), 2012 Berlin Half Marathon (59:14) and 2013 Tokyo Marathon (2:06:50).

Kimetto is a runner-up from the 2012 Berlin Marathon, where he clocked 2:04:16, behind Geoffrey Mutai (2:04:15). However, he will face tough competition from defending champion Adane Kebede of Ethiopia.

Kebede clocked 2:11:28 to win last year’s race, edging out Mokoka (2:11:33) and Bernard Kipkorir (2:11:51).

The Ethiopian finished third at last year’s Rabat Marathon clocking 2:09:44, behind Yassine El Allami (2:09:27) and Mustapha Houdadi (2:09:34).

Also in the race is 2019 world champion Lelisa Desisa. The Ethiopian claimed the 2019 world title in a time of 2:10:40, edging out Mosinet Geremew (2:10:44) and Amos Kipruto (2:10:51).

He is also a silver medallist from the 2013 edition in Moscow (2:10:12) behind Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich (2:09:51).

His resume also includes triumphs from the 2018 New York Marathon (2:05:59) as well as two Boston Marathon titles 2013 (2:10:22) and 2015 (2:09:17).

Desisa is also a runner-up twice at the Boston Marathon thus —2019 (2:07:59) and 2016 (2:13:32) as well as the 2014 New York Marathon (2:11:06).

A prize pool of Sh6.5 million ($50,000) has been set for the podium finishers with the champions bagging Sh3.3 million ($25,000). Second and third-place finishers will receive Sh1.9 million ($15,000) and Sh1.3 million ($10,000) respectively.

Kenyan long-distance runner Daniel Ebenyo will make his long-awaited marathon debut at the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Ebenyo has yet to run a competitive marathon. But in his most recent race, he won the 2024 Berlin Half Marathon, running a scorching 59:30.

Ebenyo, 29, is the reigning World silver medalist in the 10,000-meter run and in the World Championship Half Marathon.

He's a three-time Kenyan national champion in the 5,000-meter run; he competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the same event, finishing 10th.

He's run a slew of half-marathons. His best time of 59:14 came from the World Athletics Running Championships, where he took second place.

Prague Half Marathon champion Sabastian Sawe is setting his sights on the 42km race as he sets his target on next year's Boston Marathon on April 21.

This comes after the 29-year-old's impressive victory at the Boston 10K Road Race on Sunday, where he clocked 27:42.

Wesley Kiptoo (27:53) and World Half Marathon silver medallist Daniel Ebenyo (27:55) claimed second and third respectively.

In the women's elite race, Ethiopians swept the podium as Melknat Wudu (31:15), Bosena Mulatie (31:16) and Senayet Getachew (31:17) took the top three slots.

Kenya’s Irene Cheptai (31:19), Stacy Ndiwa (31:20), Sarah Chelagat (31:27), and Daisy Jepkemei (31:39) followed in that order. 

After stamping authority in his first race in the United States, Sawe stated he harbours ambitions of taking part in the Boston Marathon.

“My dream now is to take part in the Boston Marathon,” Sawe stated.

Sawe, primarily a half marathon and road race specialist, boasts an impressive resume including the Prague Half Marathon title which he won on April 6 in a time of 58:24.

He also holds a title from last year’s Berlin Half Marathon (59:00) as well as the 2022 Bahrain Half Marathon (58:58). 

Sawe also won the World Road Running Championships half marathon title in Riga, Latvia, where he clocked 59:10. Ebenyo (59:14) and Samwel Nyamai (59:19) finished second and third.

He secured gold at the Adizero Road to Records 10K last April with a time of 26:49 and has a silver medal from the 2022 edition, clocking 27:06 behind Nicholas Kipkorir (27:05).

His other accolades include victories at the 2022 Roma (58:02) and Seville Half Marathons (59:02), and gold at the Gold Gala Fernanda in the 10,000m (27:09.46).

Reflecting on his Boston performance, Sawe said the course was fair despite too much rain.

“The course was not tough. The weather, however, made it difficult but I was able to do my best and come out with the victory,” he stated.

After hitting the halfway mark in 13:52, Sawe broke away from the leading pack of five which included Ebenyo, Kiptoo, Ethiopia’s Yemane Haileselassie and Abel Kipchumba.

“This was my first time running the Boston 10km Road race. The race was amazing and I had prepared adequately for it,” Sawe commented.

In addition to the winner’s trophy, Sawe also took home Sh1.3 million in cash prize money.

Daniel Simiu has finally secured his US visa and will be out to challenge his compatriots in the men's 10,000m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.

The world number one, Daniel Simiu has finally secured his US visa and he will be out to battle for an Olympic slot at the Prefontaine Classic, the Diamond League Meeting in Eugene, Oregon.

Athletics Kenya announced that they will select the 10,000m team at the event and it will be very important for athletes seeking to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Simiu, the world 10,000m silver medallist had issues securing his visa but it was secured and he travelled just in time ahead of Saturday’s event. The world half marathon silver medallist will go up against a formidable field, with the athletes fighting to make it to the top two.

He has since been unbeaten so far, winning the Sirikwa Classic Cross country and proceeding to take the crown at the 67° Campaccio-International Cross Country. He then won the Berlin Half Marathon last month.

Former world half marathon record holder Kibiwott Kandie will also be in the mix, after having a great start to his season when he won the eDreams Half Marathon Barcelona by Brooks.

He had quite a mixed season last year, where he was forced to pull out of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary due to an injury setback. However, this season, he plans to bounce back and take all the glory on the track and roads.

Nicholas Kimeli will also be a top contender as he hopes to make a bounce back from last year’s dismal performance at the Hungarian capital.

Former world 10,000m silver medallist Stanley Waithaka also intends to make a statement on the track he won Kenya a silver medal in 2022. Waithaka has also suffered injury setbacks and he will be hoping to make a comeback this season.

Waithaka has already opened his season, finishing second at the 8th NITTAIDAI Challenge Games where he clocked an impressive 27:21.03 to cross the finish line. Weldon Langat and Daniel Mateiko have also been confirmed for the event.

A new fast German half marathon has emerged in the city of Mainz at the picturesque river Rhine. On Sunday morningboth course records were smashed at the Gutenberg Half Marathon Mainz and the men’s fight for victory ended in a spectacular and very rare dead race.

Debutant Benson Mutiso and fellow-Kenyan Victor Kimutai stormed over the finish line in 61:01 and neither with photos nor with video material it was possible to separate them. While both athletes shared victory Collins Kipkemboi followed in third with 61:38 and made it an all Kenyan podium.  

There was more success for Kenyan debutants in Mainz: Josephine Naukot won the race in 69:26 while Brenda Jepchirchir took second with 69:45. Both ran their first half marathon. Belgium’s Hanne Verbruggen took a fine third place with a personal best of 70:15. Once again she was inside the qualifying standard for the European Championships in Rome next month. 

The new focus on the half marathon distance turned out to be an immediate success for the event that was the former Mainz Marathon. The fine winning times propelled the race up into second place in the current German rankings of half marathons. Only the Berlin Half Marathon produced faster times in 2023 and 2024. “We have achieved the times we targeted and we showed that it is possible to run fast in Mainz. And there is quite some room for improvement,“ said Race Director Jo Schindler, who is also the Director of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon. Including races at shorter distances organisers registered around 11,000 entries for the Gutenberg Half Marathon Mainz.

Benson Mutiso and Victor Kimutai took the lead after the 12k point and it was then mainly Mutiso who ran in the lead. However shortly before the finish Kimutai moved ahead. But Mutiso reacted and once they reached the line they were right next to each other. “I thought I was ahead,“ said Benson Mutiso, who had run a marathon before (2:09:21 in Munich last year), but never competed in a half marathon. “My next goal is to run a fast marathon in October. I would like to go to Frankfurt for that.“ Victor Kimutai as well thought that he was first over the line. “We know each other well since we train together in one group in Iten. So it is fine for us to share victory,“ said Kimutai who ran a personal best in Mainz with 61:01. Behind Collins Kipkemboi (61:38) fellow-Kenyan Patrick Kiprop took fourth place and also ran inside 62:00 minutes with 61:55.

In the women’s race Josephine Naukot already took the lead around the 13k mark. With 69:26 she was then well ahead of fellow-Kenyan Brenda Jepchirchir (69:45). “This was the best race of my career and my greatest victory,“ said Josephine Naukot. “My next goal is to run a time between 65 and 66 minutes. I would like to come back to Mainz next year and further improve the course record. I am not thinking about the marathon yet.“

Belgium’s Hanne Verbruggen showed another fine performance, improving her recent PB of 70:23 to 70:15. “I hoped to run sub 70:00, but I was on my own for large parts of the race. That made it difficult. My big goal is to break the Belgium half marathon record of 68:58“, said Hanne Verbruggen, who is now number three of the Belgium all-time list. Next month she will compete in the European Championships’ half marathon and then in the Olympic Games’ marathon in August. 

The top five women in Mainz all clocked personal bests in good weather conditions. Ethiopians Lelise Wakweya and Hadas Shimuye finished in fourth and fifth places with 71:17 and 72:39 respectively. “My impression after this race is that there is huge potential in Mainz. We can build on this,“ said Elite Race Coordinator Philipp Kopp.

Jake Smith, Dewi Griffiths and Kadar Omar will head the men’s fields at the Cardiff 5km Race For Victory on Sunday May 5, whereas Clara Evans, Jenny Nesbitt and Innes FitzGerald top the women’s start lists, writes Alex Donald.

The ever popular community event held in the leafy Whitchurch suburb of the Welsh capital incorporates the 2024 Welsh 5km Championships and will host teams from the Midlands, North, South and South West of England, along with a team from North Wales and one representing the UK Armed Forces.

Smith (13:59) dipped under 14 minutes with victory here in 2022 and has competed three times so far in 2024 with his best performance a 29:25 clocking at the 10km Valencia Ibercaja in January.

Griffiths (13:43) and Omar (14:02) faced off a week ago with Omar finishing 14 seconds ahead over 10km in Newport. The former also completed a 2:12 marathon at Seville in February.

Richard Allen (13:51) is a former world duathlon champion and a former record-holder at the popular Podium 5km in Barrowford. More recently the Leeds man won the 2023 Trafford 10km.

Jonathan Hopkins (13:54) returns as a previous winner here, claiming the Welsh title on that occasion in 2018. The Swansea man has dipped under 14 minutes on several occasions in the past and most recently in 2021 at Barrowford.

A further challenge is expected from track man James Heneghan (14:35) and the 2023 Nos Galan 5km winner Ben Reynolds (14:05).

Welsh marathon record-holder Clara Evans (15:49) is the defending champion here and is in great shape, recently proven by a 70:11 clocking on a windy day at the Berlin Half Marathon and with a 31:53 PB in third place at the Trafford 10km.

Evans is joined by training partner and clubmate 2019 UK Inter-Counties cross-country champion Jenny Nesbitt (15:41) who set her PB at the recent Podium 5km Festival in Leicester.

Further Welsh interest sits with Emily Kearney-Haggard, who finished second at the Mid-Cheshire 5km last weekend in a new best of 15:44 and 2023 Cardiff 10km champion Alaw Evans (16:33).

European under-20 cross-country champion Innes FitzGerald overcame Nesbitt at the Cardiff Met Open Meeting over 3000m in January. The Exeter Harrier will make a 5km road race debut in Cardiff but has a parkrun best of 16:02 from January.

Molli Lyons (16:47) is another promising young athlete in action, finishing 15th here last year but since making her Great Britain & Northern Ireland team debut at the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels.

Solomon Berihu of Ethiopia and Kenya’s Gladys Chepkurui head a very strong field of elite runners at the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Half Marathon on Sunday. They feature personal bests of 59:17 and 65:46 respectively. The men’s field is really impressive since eight runners have already broken the one hour mark and another nine feature personal bests of sub 61:00.

There are seven women with sub 68:00 PBs and an additional three have run under 70:00. A couple of European runners will try to achieve the qualifying times for the European Championships in Rome in June. Among them are Turkey’s record holder Ali Kaya, who will start a comeback, and Sweden’s debutant Meraf Bahta. The required times stand at 61:40 and 70:30 for men and women respectively.

Organisers of the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Half Marathon, which is a Gold Label Road Race of World Athletics, have registered a record number of 14,200 runners. This includes a 10k race staged parallel on Sunday. Turkey’s number one road race is one of the world’s major half marathons and has a world record course. Three years ago Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich broke the global mark in Istanbul with 64:02. While the world record has been improved since the course record still stands and will likely remain in place on Sunday. 

However there could still be another very fast time from the women’s winner on Sunday. With a personal best of 66:04 Ftaw Zeray is the second fastest on the start list behind Gladys Chepkurui. It was three weeks ago when the 26 year-old ran her first race of the year and finished runner-up in the Berlin Half Marathon. In very difficult conditions with temperatures well over 20 Celsius she still ran 67:22. “I have well recovered from the race in Berlin. I feel I can run a personal best on Sunday,“ said Ftaw Zeray, who was sixth in the World Half Marathon Championships last year. 

With regard to the weather forecast high temperatures will not be a problem for Ftaw Zeray on Sunday in Istanbul. But with six other women who have already run sub 68:00 the challenge is likely to be tougher than in the German capital. While Gladys Chepkurui missed her flight to Istanbul and will now arrive half a day later, she will hardly be delayed when it comes to racing fast. The Kenyan clocked her 65:46 PB in Barcelona a year ago and has run sub 70:00 eleven times.

Ethiopians Betelihem Afenigus and Aberash Shilima are the next fastest on the entry list with PBs of 66:46 and 67:26 respectively. However a debutant could also be in the mix for a place on the podium: Just 21 years old Miriam Chebet showed great form and consistency this year with three sub 31:00 times at 10k. When she won the race in Ibiza, Spain, in January she clocked a fine PB of 30:40.

Another promising debutant is Sweden’s Meraf Bahta. The European 5,000 m champion from 2014 is a late entry to the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Half Marathon. The 34 year-old is the Swedish 10k record holder with a 31:22 PB from 2022. The former Eritrean could qualify for the European Championships if she runs 70:30 or faster in her debut. Due to an injury Italy’s Giovanna Epis had to withdraw from the race in Istanbul.

Solomon Berihu is the fastest runner on the start list with his PB of 59:17. He ran this time back in 2019 in New Delhi and has not raced for almost a year. “I had an injury that kept me away from training. Now, I am feeling better and I am back in shape,“ explained the 24 year-old Ethiopian, who hopes to come back with a bang on Sunday. “My first goal is to win the race, but I am also hoping to run 59:30 or even faster.“ The Istanbul course record stands at 59:15.

Another Ethiopian is among the hot favourites: Dinkalem Ayele has shown great form this year when he improved to 59:30 in Barcelona and then won the Lisbon Half Marathon in very warm conditions with 60:36. “I am in good form and confident that I can go close to 59 minutes if weather conditions are suitable,“ said 23 year-old Dinkalem Ayele.

Solomon Kipchoge will probably be among the athletes who will challenge the two Ethiopians. The Kenyan, who improved his half marathon PB by almost two and a half minutes last year when he ran 59:37 in Lille, chose to come to Istanbul because of the fast course. “I will not start the race with a certain time or placing in mind. It depends on how my body will feel during the race. But I will try to improve my PB,“ said Solomon Kipchoge, who has the same surname as the double Olympic Champion Eliud Kipchoge. “I have no connection to Eliud, I am often asked about this outside Kenya. I am happy to be asked, because Eliud is a legend.“

Having not race since 2020 Ali Kaya surprised the organisers when he asked them to include him on the start list for a comeback race. The 30 year-old former Kenyan, who competed for Turkey since 2013, is a former winner of the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Half Marathon. When he took the race in 2016 he established a national record of 60:16 that still stands today. The 61:40 qualifying time for the European Championships could be a goal for Ali Kaya. Spaniard Juan Antonio Perez, who has a PB of 60:58, will probably also target this time.

Elite runners and personal bests

MEN

Solomon Berihu ETH 59:17

Edmond Kipngetich KEN 59:25

Dinkalem Ayele ETH 59:30

Solomon Kipchoge KEN 59:37

Benard Biwott KEN 59:44

Antony Kimtai KEN 59:45

Tadesse Abraham SUI 59:53

Hicham Amghar MAR 59:53

Hillary Kipchumba KEN 60:01

Abraham Kipyatich KEN 60:03

Gemechu Bute ETH 60:12

Ali Kaya TUR 60:16

Cameron Levins CAN 60:18

Vincent Mutai KEN 60:20

Edward Pingua KEN 60:44

Benard Sang KEN 60:57

Juan Antonio Perez ESP 60:58

Albert Rop BRN 61:05

Mathew Samperu KEN 61:06

Tegegn Tamerat ETH 61:15

Ashenafi Moges ETH 61:22

WOMEN

Gladys Chepkurui KEN 65:46

Ftaw Zeray ETH 66:04

Betelihem Afenigus ETH 66:46

Aberash Shilima ETH 67:26

Anchinalu Dessie ETH 67:30

Zewditu Aderaw ETH 67:44

Betty Kibet KEN 67:44

Ruth Jebet BRN 68:22

Zinashwork Yenew ETH 69:16

Sheila Chelangat KEN 69:38

Meseret Dinke ETH 70:39

Amina Bettiche ALG 71:38

Miriam Chebet KEN Debut

Meraf Bahta SWE Debut

Daniel Simiu is not resting on his laurels as he targets the course record at the Berlin Half Marathon on Sunday.

World Half Marathon silver medallist Daniel Simiu has eyes on the course record as he returns to the Berlin Half Marathon on Sunday, April 7.

The course record currently stands at 58:42 and was set by Eric Kiptanui during the 2018 edition of the event. Simiu has been unbeaten so far this season, claiming wins at the 67° Campaccio-International Cross Country and the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country.

He now heads to the German capital confident and ready to pull off something unique with the course record part of his major plans. However, he faces a stern test from his compatriots since all the six runners that have personal bests of sub 60 minutes are from Kenya.

The 28-year-old has not yet run sub 59:00 and his PB stands at 59:04 which he will attempt to beat when he descends on the course. Last season, he stunned the world to win the Kalkutta 25k race with a world-best time of 1:11:13.

The record he set in India indicates that Ebenyo should be capable of running well under the course record in Berlin. Bravin Kiprop will also be in the mix after taking the Sevilla Half Marathon earlier this year and improving to 59:21, which at that time was a world-leading time.

Simon Boch is the fastest German on the start list with 61:23 while Samuel Fitwi returns to the race where he set his personal record of 61:44 a year ago.

Meanwhile, the women’s race will see Germany’s record holder Melat Kejeta, return to the streets of Berlin. Kejeta has won the race before but when she triumphed in 2018 with 69:04 she still competed for Ethiopia.

“My first goal is to run faster than the 66:25 I ran in Valencia last year. If all goes well during the race then I will try to attack my personal best,” she said.

Ftaw Zeray and Yalemget Yaregal from Ethiopia will certainly be her strongest challengers. Zeray has a PB of 66:04 while Yaregal was third at the Berlin Half Marathon last year in 66:27.

Former world marathon record holder Patrick Makau believes the current generation of athletes in the country will soon run under two hours in the marathon.

The 38-year-old is also notable for his half marathon performances, having won several prominent competitions in Europe in sub-1-hour performances.

Some of the races include the Berlin Half Marathon in 2007, where he clocked 58:56 hours.

Marathons had changed a lot due to technology and were far better than the marathons they ran during his time.

“As I see it, the marathons have changed a lot because it is not like the olden times. We used to view sub-two hours as something unattainable but now with the current crop of athletes like the current world record holder Kevin Kiptum and two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, this looks like a possibility,” he noted.

The signs of an athlete running a marathon in under two hours are already evident if Kipchoge and Kiptum's recent performances are anything to go by.

In an unofficial race in Vienna, Austria in 2019, Kipchoge became the first person ever to run a marathon in under two hours, clocking 1:59.40 during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

Regarded as one of the greatest marathoners of all time, Kipchoge was the world record holder in the marathon then with a time of 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin. His mark was later broken by Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon on October 8, 2023, when he clocked 2:00:35.

The 24-year-old Kiptum is currently the only person in history to run the marathon in under two hours and one minute in a record-eligible race.

Kiptum has won all three of the major marathons he has entered between December 2022 and October 2023 with three of his times among the six fastest in history. Makau revealed that hard work and endurance were the key for him to break the world record in 2011.

“I used to go to train in Iten and Machakos and to the polishing in Ngong. This is because speed work and build-up are two different programs,” Makau noted.

Makau encouraged athletes to find a training routine that would enable them to run a sub-two-hour marathon shortly.

“What Kiptum, Kipchoge and the other athletes can do now is to find the pace that will be able to help them run a sub-two-hour marathon shortly,” he added.

The duo currently occupy the top two positions in the world marathon ranking. Ethiopians Kenenisa Bekele (2:01.41), Sisay Lemma (2:01.48 hrs), Birhanu Legese (2:02.48 hrs) and Mosinet Geremew  (2:02.55 hrs) follow in that order.

The former world record holder, who currently trains the Kenya Police team and other athletes, also cited technology, especially in running shoes as a reason behind the fastest times being witnessed.

“During our time, there was not as much technology as we were accustomed to normal shoes. In today’s era,  running shoe technology plays a key role in determining the pace in a  particular race,” he said.

Innovations in Running Shoe Technology mean shoes are now lighter, more dynamic, and more resilient, thanks to advancements in foams, rubbers, construction, textiles, and other essential components.

Kipchoge's performances during the INEOS 1:59 challenge opened the world's eyes to the condensed foam, carbon-plated super shoes which Nike claimed could increase running efficiency and in particular the amount of oxygen consumed per minute by by 4 percent. 

Makau is optimistic the young athletes under his wings will also go further and make not only him but also the country proud. He said he is looking forward to the national trials in April to see if they get selected.

“We have intensified training in both Machakos and Kitui camps and I am hopeful. I am waiting for the trials in April to see if they will be able to represent Kenya at the Paris 2020 Olympic Games,” he said.

He also tipped Kenya to once again dominate the marathon at the Olympic Games slated for July 26 to August 11.

“I am sure Kipchoge, Kiptum, Peres Jepchirchir and Ruth Chepng'etich will represent the country well in the marathon at the Olympics,” he asserted. 

The duo of Sabastian Sawe and Kibiwott Kandie are bound to face tough opposition as they eye victory at the Valencia Half Marathon.

World Half marathon champion Sabastian Sawe is not resting on his laurels as he eyes more glory at the Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso on Sunday, October 22.

The men’s event has witnessed a world record in the recent past and it will be no surprise when another record is set in the streets of Valencia. The previous world record was set by Kibiwott Kandie, who clocked 57:32 to win the race in 2020.

Sawe is among one of the favourites primed to do well in the Spanish city, owing to his dominant win at the World Road Running Championships in Riga earlier this month.

He clocked 59:10 to win the race and he leads a strong men’s line-up. The Berlin Half Marathon champion is reportedly in the form of his life and is undefeated on the roads this year. His target for this weekend will be to maintain that winning streak while also improving on his Personal Best time of 58:02.

However, he is bound to face opposition from his compatriot Kibiwott Kandie, who goes into the race as the defending champion.

Sawe is among one of the favourites primed to do well in the Spanish city, owing to his dominant win at the World Road Running Championships in Riga earlier this month.

He clocked 59:10 to win the race and he leads a strong men’s line-up. The Berlin Half Marathon champion is reportedly in the form of his life and is undefeated on the roads this year. His target for this weekend will be to maintain that winning streak while also improving on his Personal Best time of 58:02.

However, he is bound to face opposition from his compatriot Kibiwott Kandie, who goes into the race as the defending champion.

Kejelcha won the Valencia Half Marathon in 2019 with a PB of 58:32 and he will be looking to replicate the same performance.

Also, in the deep field is another Kenyan, Matthew Kimeli, who clocked 58:43 in Valencia in 2021. Stephen Kiprop is also in the mix and he will be lining up with a PB time of 58:42 that he set when winning the Ras Al-Khaimah Half Marathon.

Tadese Worku will also be looking to challenge the strong athletes and make an impression since her made a promising half marathon debut in Valencia last year in 58:47.

The Generali Berlin Half Marathon, one of Europe’s most popular half marathons, is joining the SuperHalfs series from next year. This means there will now be six races in the SuperHalfs series.

Previously, the SuperHalfs series consisted of five races in Lisbon, Prague, Copenhagen, Cardiff, and Valencia, where participants had 36 months to complete the series. However, with Generali Berlin Half Marathon, put on by SCC Events, now joining the race line-up, starting in 2024, runners will now have the option to complete all six races, within 60 months from the day of their first race to tick them all off.

All runners will be enlisted on a new six-race SuperJourney, but those who have already begun to race SuperHalfs will have the option to earn a medal after completing the existing five races. Runners who have already completed the series also have the option to extend their racing by running in Berlin should they wish.

2024 SuperHalfs seriesLisbon: Sunday, March 10Prague: Saturday, April 6Berlin: Sunday, April 7 Copenhagen: Sunday, September 15 Cardiff: Sunday, October 6 Valencia: Sunday, October 27

The Managing Directors of SCC Events, Christian Jost and Jürgen Lock, said “We are delighted to join the SuperHalfs series with the Generali Berlin Half Marathon and welcome runners from around Europe to experience the unique charm of the German capital.

“This collaboration will create an even more unforgettable race experience and bring our beloved event to a global audience.”

Managing Director of SuperHalfs, Sasho Belovski, added:”Our goal with SuperHalfs has always been to challenge and inspire runners to achieve their personal best while exploring some of Europe’s most captivating cities.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Berlin Half Marathon into the SuperHalfs family, offering runners an even more diverse and rewarding experience. With six exceptional races, we believe this expansion will ignite even more passion for the sport.”

The SuperHalfs series reports participation of over 20,000 runners, and with the inclusion of the Generali Berlin Half Marathon, this number is expected to grow further.

The last race of the 2023 SuperHalfs series season, the Valencia Half Marathon, will see over 300 dedicated runners complete their fifth and final race, earning them the ‘SuperRunner’ title. However, these runners can opt to continue their journey in 2024 and add the stamp of Berlin into their race collection.

Fresh from leading Kenyans to a clean sweep of the podium in the 21km race at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia, Sebastian Sawe has shifted his focus to the 2023 Valencia Half Marathon.

Sawe, who finished sixth at last year's edition of the Valencia race in 59:06, is hoping to improve on both time and position when the race goes down on October 22.

Nandi-based Sawe, who is the national cross country champion, said he wants to replicate his Riga form in Valencia.

"The experience in Riga was good. I want to try my best and improve on my time and position from last year,” said the reigning Berlin Half Marathon champion.

In Latvia, Sawe clocked 59:10 to edge Daniel Simiu to second in 59:14 as Samuel Mailu completed a Kenyan podium sweep in one hour. This was the third time a team swept the podium after 1995 and 1997.

In 1995, Moses Tanui, Paul Yego, and Charles Tangus swept the podium in France after clocking 61:45, 61:46, and 61:50 respectively. In 1997, Shem Kororia (59:56) led Tanui (59:58) and Kenneth Cheruiyot (60:00) to another sweep.

Meanwhile, Sawe said he also has an eye on next year's Olympic Games, where he will seek a ticket for the 10,000m.

“I will be targeting the 10,000m since I am not ripe for marathons. I only run in half marathons and 10km,” said the Seville Half Marathon champion.

Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa will be aiming for the course record once more in Berlin on Sunday, in the deepest elite field in the race’s 49-year history, including seven runners with  sub-2:20 personal bests.

In 2022, Assefa astounded fans by improving her best by over 18 minutes, taking more than two and a half minutes off the course record with her time of 2:15:37, and earning the unique status of the only woman to break sub-two minutes for the 800m and sub 2:20 for the marathon.

“I’m delighted to be running again in Berlin,” 26-year-old Assefa said at the elite women’s press conference on Thursday. “Last year’s race proved an unexpected success for me. I think I can run even faster on Sunday, a further improvement would be a success,” she said.

Will Assefa be setting her sights on the world record of 2:14:04? She felt that might be too ambitious: “Much can happen so I cannot say at the moment what would be the halfway split,” she said on Thursday. “I want to improve my time but I am not thinking about the world record.”

Assefa will face a serious challenge from Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui, who set a new course record at the 2022 Berlin Half Marathon in a blistering 65:02. She also took third in a speedy Valencia Marathon in 2:17:29, and ran 2:18:51 in London in April for fourth place. “My aim is to break my personal best. I can imagine going through the first half on Sunday in around 68 minutes,” she said.

Challenges could also come from Assefa’s compatriots Tigist Abayechew, third in Berlin in 2022, Hiwot Gebrekidan, second in Berlin in 2021 and Workenesh Edesa, who was fourth last year. “The women’s course record of 2:15:37 is an absolute world-class time,” said the race director Mark Milde. “But, given the strong field, we hope that this can be broken.”

Many of the elite field will simply be hoping to achieve the Olympic standard of 2:26:50.

Canada’s Malindi Elmore will toe the line

Malindi Elmore of Kelowna, B.C. looks to be in fine form to run on the same course where Natasha Wodak broke Elmore’s Canadian marathon record last year. In May, Elmore threw down a gutsy performance at the 2023 Tartan Ottawa International Marathon, where her goal was to get the Olympic standard; she was on pace through 30K and sitting in fourth position. Over the final 12 kilometres, she moved up two spots to finish second, but missed the standard by less than a minute. It seems unlikely she plans to reclaim her Canadian record (which is three minutes faster than the Olympic standard) this weekend, but as all marathon fans know, anything can–and usually does–happen.

A record number of 47,912 runners from 156 nations have entered the 49th edition of the BMW Berlin Marathon. Germany’s most spectacular road race is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) and is also a Platinum Label Road Race of World Athletics. The men’s press conference will be held on Friday, September 22.

Paul Chelio intends to make his marathon debut at Sunday's Berlin Marathon with one goal in mind, to spoil the party.

All roads will lead to the Berlin Marathon on Sunday where Eliud Kipchoge will be planning to lower his time as he races on one of his favourite courses.

However, many athletes will be hoping to stop him from reigning supreme, and in particular, Kenyan-born American Paul Chelimo will be hoping to stop his dominance.

Chelimo is yet to run a marathon and he has shared his thoughts on making his debut in the German capital with a goal in mind.

In a post on his Twitter page, he said: “Might show up to Berlin this weekend and spoil the party.”

Chelimo has had a great season on the track so far but has failed to impress in the road races, finishing 14th at the Berlin Half Marathon and 20th at the Valencia 10km race.

On the track, he has managed to bag wins in the men’s 10,000m at the Night of the 10,000m PB’s and also win the 5000m at the Track Night Vienna.

If he makes up his mind to race at the Berlin Marathon, he will definitely have it rough trying to stop the world record holder over the distance.

Kipchoge started off the season on a low note but he has since bounced back and will be looking to impress in the streets of Berlin. He has won there four times and he will be looking to bag his fifth title.

It remains one of his favourite course since he has also set the world record twice on the same streets. It will surely take concerted efforts to bring him down.

This year's BMW BERLIN-MARATHON will take place on September 24 - the sports event is one of the most prestigious marathons in the world. SCC EVENTS, the organizer of the event, is expecting more than 45,000 runners from about 150 nations. In addition to the huge field of amateur athletes, the top international as well as national athletes will be competing.

As already announced in the press release sent out by SCC EVENTS on July 13, 2023, the world record holder Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) and the winner of the TCS London Marathon 2022, Amos Kipruto (KEN), will be at the start in the German capital. With Tigst Assefa (ETH) as course record holder and winner of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2022 and Sheila Chepkirui, winner of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON 2022, the women's field is just as elite.

The German record holder will be competing

From the ranks of the German starters, Amanal Petros should be the first to be mentioned. The winner of this year's Hannover Marathon holds the German records for both the marathon and half-marathon distances. The MARATHON TEAM BERLIN runner is certainly hoping to achieve a German best time at his race on September 24. At the 2022 European Athletics Championships, Petros won the silver medal in the marathon team classification.

Top German men in Berlin

Amanal Petros stood beside teammates Simon Boch, Konstantin Wedel as well as Hendrik Pfeiffer on the podium in the aforementioned European Championship silver-medal team. All four will be competing at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. Simon Boch (LG Telis Finanz Regensburg) was German runner-up in the half marathon in the spring and secured the German team title for his team with this performance. Hendrik Pfeiffer, who competes for TK Hannover, won the Hannover Marathon last year. And just like his competition, the 30-year-old is hoping to use the race in Berlin to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris.

European marathon champions at the start

The German women's marathon team was even more successful than the men at the 2022 European Athletics Championships. With the line-up of Miriam Dattke, Domenika Mayer (both LG Telis Finanz Regensburg), Deborah and Rabea Schöneborn (both MARATHON TEAM BERLIN) and Kristina Hendel (LG Braunschweig), they won the gold medal. The mentioned European champions will run at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. For the women, too, the race in Berlin is considered to be an important milestone to make it to the 2024 Olympic Games.

Partnerships with great added value

For the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2023, SCC EVENTS announced NORQAIN as its new timing partner. NORQAIN is familiar as a high-quality, family-owned watch manufacturer. The company is based in Nidau, the heart of the Swiss chronograph industry. Christian Jost, Managing Director of SCC EVENTS, is delighted about the commitment of the traditional Swiss watch manufacturer: "Reliability is one of our core values in the mission statement of SCC EVENTS. With NORQAIN, the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON gains a partner whose recipe for success is based on reliability and quality. This partnership has a great added value for us as organiser and for all the participants, who always expect a spirit of innovation and a reliably high standard from the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON."

"As a brand deeply rooted in the world of adventure and exploration, we are thrilled to embark on this multi-year partnership with the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON", said Ben Küffer, Founder & CEO of NORQAIN. "We are honoured to be the Official Timekeeper of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, an iconic event that embodies the values of perseverance, determination, and the pursuit of excellence, which are at the core of NORQAIN's DNA.”

The cashless online payment system PayPal has also been one of the partners of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON for some time. "Anyone competing at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is expecting a high-quality sports experience. A fast, simple and secure payment system makes it easier for runners be able to focus on the essential aspects of the event," says Christian Jost.

"We are very happy about the renewed cooperation with SCC EVENTS. Whether at registration, beverage stands or after the race: For easy and convenient payments during the event, runners can pay with the PayPal app using a QR code Athletes can leave cash or cards at home," explains Jörg Kablitz, Managing Director of PayPal Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Options to secure race entries possibilities and media accreditation

Although registration to participate in the race entry lottery for the 49th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is now closed, there are still opportunities to secure a race entry for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2023: through our charity partners and our official travel agents. Registration is still open for inline skaters. To apply for accreditation for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2023, you must send a request via the press portal on our website, which is now possible.

One year after setting course records at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru, Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli and Irene Cheptai return to the World Athletics Gold Label road race with the aim of becoming back-to-back winners on Sunday (21).

Kipkorir Kimeli won last year in 27:38, while Cheptai clocked 30:35. Kipkorir Kimeli, who has a PB of 26:51, is the fastest in the men’s field, but there are three athletes in the women’s line-up with a PB quicker than Cheptai’s (30:16).

“I’m excited to be defending my title,” said Kipkorir Kimeli, who finished fourth over 5000m at the Tokyo Olympics. “I’ve prepared well and am feeling confident.”

The 24-year-old Kenyan came close to his PB last month in Herzogenaurach, where he finished third in 26:54. Earlier in the year, he finished 13th at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23.

Twelve athletes in the men’s field have a PB quicker than the course record, and Kipkorir Kimeli is one of three runners with a sub-27-minute best.

Sebastian Sawe actually heads to Bengaluru in better form, having beaten Kipkorir Kimeli in two clashes earlier this year. Sawe was seventh at the World Cross, and then won over 10km in Herzogenaurach in a PB of 26:49. In between those races, Sawe also won the Berlin Half Marathon in 59:00 – his fifth sub-60-minute half marathon in just over 14 months.

Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera, one of the winners of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, is the third athlete in the field with a sub-27-minute PB. The 23-year-old finished just behind Sawe at the World Cross, and more recently he won over 10km in Camargo.

Other contenders include Ethiopian duo Gemechu Dida and Birhanu Legesse, and Uganda’s Stephen Kissa.

Legesse is a two-time winner of the Tokyo Marathon, and in 2019 he clocked a marathon PB of 2:02:48 in Berlin, making him the fourth-fastest man in history at that distance. More recently he set a half marathon PB of 58:59.

“I’m feeling very positive but I hope that things fall my way,” said Legesse, who has raced in Bengaluru on five previous occasions, achieving three podium finishes.

Dida won over 10km in Lille in March in a PB of 27:12, while former track specialist Kissa clocked 2:04:48 on his marathon debut in Hamburg last year.

Cheptai, the 2017 world cross-country champion, enjoyed one of her best seasons to date last year. She took silver over 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games, then went on to win over 10km in Prague (30:16) and at the New Delhi Half Marathon (1:06:42), setting PBs on both occasions.

“I’m thrilled to be back in Bengaluru and I have fond memories of India,” said the 31-year-old Kenyan. “I’ve trained well, but a lot depends on how you feel on race day.”

The four fastest runners in the women’s race have PBs faster than the course record.

Jesca Chelangat is still relatively new on the international scene, but she has made a mark already, winning over 10km in Durban last year and finishing runner-up in Valencia in January in 30:01, making her one of the fastest women of all time.

Compatriot Vicoty Chepngeno finished more than a minute behind Chelangat in Valencia, but she is a 30:14 performer at her best, and should be in contention in Bengaluru.

Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu is also one to watch. She finished second at the Tokyo Marathon this year in 2:16:56 who took second place at this year’s Tokyo Marathon in 2:16.56, moving to eighth on the world all-time list.

Other contenders include world 5000m bronze medalist Dawit Seyaum, and fellow Ethiopian Dera Dida, the 2019 world cross-country silver medallist, who won the Dubai Marathon earlier this year in a PB of 2:21:11.

After three decades immersed in athletics, there are not too many times now when Eilish McColgan is stepping into the unknown.

Next Sunday, however, will be one of those unusual occasions when she stands on the start line not knowing quite what to expect as she will make her marathon debut in London.

For all the thousands upon thousands of miles she has run in training over the years, she is treading new ground.

“I’ve never run 26 miles,” she says. “I don’t actually know many athletes who do the full distance in training.

“We coach amateur runners and we advise not to do more than 22 miles in training and that’s what I’ve been doing myself. There is the mental aspect of can you actually get round 26 miles? But I’ve done 22-mile runs and I had no doubt at the end of them I could have run another four-mile loop. So it’s not so much the distance for me that will be tough, it’s going to be the pace of it.

“There’s a big difference between a long run and a hard, hard effort for that long. So for me, that’s what’s unknown and not something I’ve particularly tested in training.

“I think that’s something that only comes with the experience of racing.”

McColgan is certainly not easing herself in gently. London boasts the strongest women’s marathon field ever assembled with defending champion and world 10k record holder Yalemzerf Yehualaw, marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei and Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir all going to be on the start line.

However, with the 32-year-old from Dundee having had the year of her life over the past 12 months, she could not be in a better frame of mind.

McColgan has been on the international scene since 2012, when she competed in her first Olympic Games, but it was in 2022 that she really grabbed the spotlight.

Commonwealth gold in the 10,000m in Birmingham was the most memorable of her performances, but that win was accompanied by a raft of Scottish, British and European records both on the track and on the road.

McColgan has continued her sparkling form into 2023, with her opening appearance of the year a run over 10,000m of 30 minutes 0.86 seconds, breaking Paula Radcliffe’s long-standing national record and smashing her own personal best by 19 seconds.

That was followed by a win at the Berlin Half Marathon two weeks ago in yet another British record and McColgan admits that despite the trepidation that is certainly present about running her first marathon, she is in a confident mood.

“I’m really pleased with my runs. To have come away with British records and such big PBs, I was really happy,” she says. “It’s given me quite a lot of confidence knowing that the training I’m doing is really suited to me.

“I know for sure I can run a good 5k, a good 10k and a good half marathon so now the question is whether or not I can run a good marathon because it’s something I’ve never done. I’m certainly in a better place to run the marathon now than I ever have been but how I actually cope with it, we won’t know till race day.”

The one, and perhaps only, down side of McColgan’s spectacular year is that expectations from observers are now sky-high regarding what she is likely to achieve in London.

However, McColgan is far too pragmatic and too experienced to expect anything spectacular and instead, she sees next weekend’s race as the start of her marathon journey which will, she hopes, lead to the start line of the Olympic marathon in Paris next summer.

“This first marathon is about getting the experience of it,” she says. “I’m in a much stronger position than I’ve ever been and so I’ve given myself the best opportunity to run a good marathon but there’s a lot of things that come into play on the day with regard to the mental side of it, the physical side of covering that sort of distance at that fast pace and the fuelling side of things to make sure I don’t hit the wall.

“There’s a lot more elements that come into a marathon than do on the track or on the shorter road races.

“I know other people maybe expect me to go to London and be competitive but that’s not realistic.

“I’m going into the best marathon field that’s ever been assembled so I have to be realistic with what I can achieve within that. I’m certainly not going in there to win.”

McColgan may not be targeting a podium place but she is not lacking goals for the race.

With the 2024 Olympic Games already in her mind, qualification for Paris is of primary importance – and ideally sooner rather than later – but she also has her mum, Liz’s, one remaining time that is faster than her in her sights over those 26.1 miles in London.

“I have a few goals for London,” she says. “Firstly, I want to get round in one piece. That’s my No.1 goal – to get round and feel like yes, I want to do the marathon at the Paris Olympics,” she says.

“Secondly, this is the final PB that my mum still has of 2 hours 26 mins. Steph Twell took her Scottish record a couple of years ago when she ran 2:25 so I have that in my head as a time target.

“I do feel I’m capable of running faster than my mum and getting that Scottish record and it’d be a triple-whammy because it’d be a qualifying time for the Paris Olympics too.

“I’d like to be competitive against the British girls and if I can do that, I think I can knock those three goals off in the process.

“If I can achieve all my personal goals, that’d be a good day for me.”

Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medalist Daniel Simiu has shifted focus on earning a slot in Team Kenya to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest after his victory at the Absa 10km Run Your City title in Gqebera, South Africa.

Simiu, who represented Kenya at the World Cross country Championships in Bathurst, Australia won the South African race with a course record of 27:21, beating hosts Precious Mashele to second in 27:35 and Thabang Mosiako in 27:51.

Another Kenyan, Dennis Kipngetich, finished fourth in 28:01.

"I came here with the purpose of winning and that has come to pass alongside a course record. Running 27 in 10km is easy for me and this has opened the door as I prepare for the World Championships in Budapest," said Simiu.

However, he said the world record of 26:11 by Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei is not in his plans but could give it a try later in his career.

"These things you don't plan but a time will come and they will be shown to the world. I don't normally have plans for myself but the coaches and management plan for me. I am only told that I have to prepare for a certain race," added Ebenyo.

In the women's race, Ethiopian Bekelech Wariyo won the title in 31:37 ahead of Kenyan Fridah Ndinda (31:41), Ugandan Docus Ajok (32:15) as another Kenyan, Diana Chesang, finished seventh in 33:39.

In China, Kenya's Kenyan Philemon Kiptoo and Meseret Abebayehu of Ethiopia were the winners of the Xiamen Marathon.

Running his maiden race in Xiamen, Kipchumba took the men's honours  2:08.04 ahead of Ethiopian Lencho Tesfaye Anbesa and Moroccan Omar Ait Chitachen, who they timed 2:08.29 and 2:08:59 respectively.

As Alemu won the title in 2:24:42, Kenyan Gladys Chesir was second in 2:25:51 followed by Ethiopian Guteni Shone in 2:25:58.

In South Korea, Ethiopian pair of Milkesa Mengesha and Ayantu Abera were the winners of the Daegu Marathon.

In men's race, Tolosa took the title in 2:06:49 followed by Kenyan Stanley Bett (2:07:00) and Ethiopian Berhane Tsegay (2:07.21).

Abera won the women's title in 2:25:44 followed by compatriot medina Deme Armino (2:27:27) as Kenyan Janet Runguru completed the podium places in 2:28.13.

Kenyans ruled the Ibiza Marathon as William Cheboi and Monica Cheruto emerged winners in men's and women's races in 2:11:31 and 2:35:17 respectively.

In Germany, Sebastien Sawe recorded his fourth half marathon victory at the Berlin Half Marathon.

The Rome-Ostia half marathon champion won the title in 59:01 in a Kenyan clean sweep that had Alex Kibet (59:12) in second and Bravin Kiprop in 59:22.

England's Eilish McColgan won the women's race won the title in 65:43 followed by the Ethiopian pair of Tisigie Gebreselama (66:13) and Yelemget Yeregal (66:27).

In France, Kenyan Helah Kiprop won the Paris Marathon in 2:23:19 ahead of Ethiopian Atalel Anmut in 2:23:19 as another Ethiopian, Fikrte Wereta (2:23:22) was third.

The men's title went to Abeye Ayana in 2:07:15 ahead of compatriot Guye Adolain in 2:07:35 and Josphat Boit was third in 2:07:40.

Victory on the roads of Germany and yet another national mark for the 30-year-old as she continues her London Marathon preparations in style

Eilish McColgan sliced 43 seconds off her own UK half-marathon record of 66:26 as she won the Generali Berlin Half Marathon in 65:43 on Sunday (April 2).

The performance comes just one month after she broke Paula Radcliffe’s long-standing British 10,000m record with 30:00.86 and in Berlin she narrowly missed the fastest-ever half-marathon by a British woman of 65:40 which was set by Radcliffe at the Great North Run – a course that is ineligible for records – in 2003.

That same year Radcliffe ran 2:15:25 to win the London Marathon, so there are natural comparisons with McColgan as she heads toward her marathon debut on April 23 in the British capital.

“I’m really happy,” she told organisers at the finish. “It was a bit breezy and cold but I’m Scottish so I’m used to that weather.

“The pace was super quick at the start so I panicked going through 10km. I got a bit of cramp near the end but I’m glad to get to the finish and run a national record.”

Tsigie Gebreselama had led through 10km in 30:44 with McColgan chasing 12 seconds behind. The Ethiopian, who won silver behind Beatrice Chebet at the World Cross Country Championships in Australia last month, continued to lead by 16 seconds through 15km in 46:24, but soon afterwards McColgan caught and passed her.

Into the closing stages McColgan was away and clear but battling a little cramp in her leg. Slightly worryingly, she was still wearing the same black knee support that she wore during her 10,000m run in California last month. Powering home, she flung her arms up crossing the line as she smashed her best of 66:26 which was set at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon 14 months ago.

McColgan had never run the Berlin Half before but her first European medal had come in the city in 2018 when she took 5000m silver behind Sifan Hassan. The Dutch runner coincidentally holds the European half-marathon record with 65:15 with McColgan now fourth in the European all-time rankings.

Behind McColgan on Sunday, Gebreselama held on for second place in 66:13 as Yalemget Yaregal of Ethiopia was third in 66:27.

Samantha Harrison clocked a 67:19 PB to move into equal fourth place with Jess Warner-Judd on the UK all-time rankings as another Bri, Calli Thackery, shaved a second off her PB with 69:01.

The streets of Berlin almost always see fast times and the men’s race was quick too as Sabastian Sawe broke away from fellow Kenyan Alex Kibet in the closing stages to win in 59:01.

Bahrain Half Marathon course record holder Sebastien Kimaru Sawe will be chasing his 4th half marathon title when he lines up at the Berlin 21km race on April 2.

Sawe is fresh from representing the country at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia where he finished seventh to help Team Kenya to the senior men's team title.

The Rome-Ostia Half Marathon champion said he is preparing for the race at his Kapsabet training base.

Sawe is the fastest on the startlist with a personal best time of 58:02 clocked while winning the Rome-Ostia race.

He will be in the company of compatriots Philemon Kiplimo (58:11), Alex Kibet (58:55) and Dominic Lobalu (59:12) while Ethiopian Gemechu Dida (59:21) will be spoiling for a fight against the Kenyan trio.

Other Kenyans in the men's race include Charles Wanjiku, Simon Ekidor and Patrick Kipngeno while Ludwina Chepngeno and Faith Kimutai will be the only Kenyans in the women's category. 

"It will be my first time to compete at the Berlin Half Marathon and I am preparing well for the race. It's been a few days since running in a major race but I am hoping for good results on Sunday," said Sawe.

Sawe has won four of the five half marathons he has competed in. He is also the national cross country champion.

"I have had a good run in half marathons, winning Rome-Ostia and Bahrain with course records," said Sawe.

He regretted his seventh-place finish in Bathurst, saying the weather was unfavorable and the course hilly to his liking.

"The race was not that easy. It was a tough course and the weather did not favor us much but we tried our best to win the title for Team Kenya," added Sawe. 

British record-holder faces key race in Germany this weekend ahead of marathon debut in London on April 23.

Three weeks before making her marathon debut in London, Eilish McColgan will tackle the Berlin Half Marathon on Sunday (April 2) looking for a confidence-boosting performance.

The 32-year-old has dealt with a number of injury niggles so far this year such as bursitis on her knee and Achilles and calf issues. Despite this she broke Paula Radcliffe’s long-standing British 10,000m record with 30:00.86 in California at the start of March although she subsequently withdrew from last weekend’s NYC Half.

After training in altitude in Colorado, she is now set to travel to Europe this week to run the Generali-sponsored Berlin Half Marathon where her rivals include Tsigie Gebreselama of Ethiopia and Ludwina Chepngetich of Kenya, whereas fellow Brits Samantha Harrison and Calli Thackery are also set to compete.

Gebreselama has run 65:46 – which she ran in Valencia last October behind Konstanze Klosterhalfen – whereas Chepngetich has run 67:30 and McColgan’s UK record is 66:26.

Gebreselama, 22, also won silver behind Beatrice Chebet in the women’s race at the recent World Cross Country Championships in Australia.

You can expect fast times because very much like the city’s annual marathon in the autumn, the half-marathon has seen quick times over the years. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands ran 65:45 here in 2019 with the current course record held by Kenya’s Sheila Kiprotich Chepkirui with 65:02 from 12 months ago.

The men’s line-up meanwhile is led by Sabastian Sawe, whose PB of 58:02, plus fellow Kenyans Philemon Kiplimo and Alex Kibet, the latter being the 2022 winner in Berlin. Up against the Kenyans are Dominic Lobalu of South Sudan and Gemechu Dida of Ethiopia, whose PBs are 59:12 and 59:21 respectively.

American Olympic medallist Paul Chelimo announced on Thursday that he has signed with Kiprun, a French brand owned by the sports retailer Decathlon. He was previously sponsored by Nike, a relationship that dated back to 2018, but he will be sporting a new look as he moves forward with the rest of his season. 

Kiprun is not a big name in the North American running scene, likely due to the fact that Decathlon only has 15 stores across Canada (according to the retailer’s website) and none in the U.S. However, simply because it’s not a household name in Canada and the U.S. doesn’t mean it isn’t a good brand, and Chelimo clearly saw something in the company that he liked. 

As his agent, Riad Ouled, told LetsRun, a lot of different brands were after a partnership with Chelimo. “He had offers from Asics, from On, and Nike wanted to renew him. But the project from Kiprun touched something in him.” Ouled added that a big draw for Chelimo was Kiprun’s willingness to let him have a say in the development of future shoes. 

“He was very interested by … giving feedback,” Ouled said. “All of the brands offered him a lot of money, but Kiprun gave him consideration and said OK, we want to do shoes as you expect as a good runner.” Chelimo’s partnership with Kiprun is currently set to last until at least the 2028 Olympics.

The two-time Olympic 5,000m medallist is Kiprun’s biggest athlete signing to date, as the brand has yet to attract many big names in running. The brand could be in for some big growth in the coming years, however, as there are plans to launch the Kiprun 42 House, which will be a training group for promising Kenyan athletes.

Chelimo will make his debut as a Kiprun athlete at the Berlin Half Marathon on April 2. He has run one half-marathon in his career and owns a PB of 62:19. 

Following a successful outing at the University of Eldoret cross country, Bravin Kiprop's focus has shifted to next month's Berlin Half Marathon.

Kiprop, who won the 7.4km senior men’s title, said he was using the race, part of UoE's 100th anniversary, as part of his preparations for the German race on April 2.

“I came here with the sole purpose of preparing for the Berlin Half Marathon and this victory has added positives to my preparations,” said Kiprop.

Kiprop, who trains in Keiyo South added that running in local races forms the best preparations for any athlete since, due to the competitiveness, they help runners gauge their fitness and endurance ahead of races abroad.

“Competing in these local races gives an individual a good start. I have two weeks to prepare and this race has offered me a good training ground,” said Kiprop, from Elgeyo Marakwet county.

He won the senior men’s race in 16:40.3, beating Ayub Kiptum to second in 16:54.2 while Titus Kiprotich took third place in 16:59.4.

In January, Kiprop finished second at the Discovery Kenya Cross country championships behind Weldon Langat.

Immaculate Anyango was victorious in the senior women's race, ahead of upstart Stella Jepkosgei and Dorothy Kimutai.

Anyango, who won Discovery cross country in January won the title in 25:09.7 while Jepkosgei and Kimutai clocked 25:26.6 and 25:30.5 respectively.

Mathew Kipkosgei and Janet Jepkosgei were the respective winners of the junior men's 5.55km and junior women's 3.7km races.

Kipkosgei led St Francis Kimuron to a clean sweep of the junior men's podium in 16:40.1, followed by Linus Kipkemoi (16:54.2) and Titus Kiprotich in 16:59.0.

Jepkosgei won the junior women's title in 12:38.01 ahead of Maurine Jepkoech and Martha Jelimo, who timed 12:41.0 and 12:45.2 respectively.

The American record holder Keira d’Amato and Kenya’s Nancy Jelagat Meto lead a high quality women’s field for the 48th edition of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on Sunday, September 25. Keira d’Amato improved the US record to 2:19:12 which also gives her the accolade of the fastest in the women’s field, announced by the organisers today. Eight women will be on the start line with personal bests of under 2:21.

The return of Kenya’s double Olympic champion and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge had already been announced some weeks ago as well as the participation of the current BMW BERLIN-MARATHON champion Guye Adola of Ethiopia. Six men on the start lists have personal bests of under 2:06while the organisers SCC EVENTS expect more than 45,000 runners from around 150 countries for Germany’s top road race. The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is an Abbott World Marathon Majors race and a Platinum Label Road Race, awarded by World Athletics, the international governing body of the sport.

“After securing the presence of Eliud Kipchoge and Guye Adola, we are delighted also to have a very strong women’s field on the start line. With the right weather conditions there is certainly a good chance of very fast times,” said race director Mark Milde.

The presence of Keira d’Amato and Nancy Jelagat Meto brings to the event two women who have already run sub-2:20. At the age of 37, Keira d’Amato sprang a major surprise to break the American record with 2:19:12 in winning the Houston Marathon. That led to her late nomination for the World Championships in Eugene where she ran impressively to finish eighth. Sara Hall, who plans to run Berlin and then New York as well, went even better, finishing fifth.

Hall’s best time is 2:20:32. Nancy Jelagat Meto showed fine form in the past year, winning the prestigious Valencia title with a major improvement of 2:19:31. Four months previously she made a strong showing with second place in 65:21 at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON.

Quite a few women runners will hope to put Berlin’s fast course, where Eliud Kipchoge set the current men’s world record of 2:01:39 in 2018, to good use in their bid to break 2:20: Gutemi Shone Imana has a best of 2:20:11 while Workenesh Edesa has run 2:20:24 and a third Ethiopian,  Sisay Gola, has clocked 2:20:50. The Kenyans also have their contenders to break this landmark time in Maurine Chepkemoi, currently with a best of 2:20:18 and Vibian Chepkirui, who won the Vienna City Marathon in 2:20:59 in April.

Nor should marathon debutants be overlooked in the search for potential women winners, given that the Ethiopian Gotytom Gebreslase did just that to win last year’s BMW BERLIN-MARATHON title. Two possible contenders are Rosemary Wanjiru of Kenya and Ethiopia’s Nigisti Haftu. Both have strong performances at half marathon to their credit which could make them realistic challengers.

Ethiopia will again be favored to win when the Ottawa International Marathon returns to an in-person event on Sunday, May 29th.

Indeed, the Ethiopian women are expected to extend their 10-year winning streak as they vye to break the course record (CR) of 2:22:17, set in 2018 by returning champion Geleta Burka. Burka will be challenged by the 2019 defending champion, Tigist Girma, who has since run twice under 2:20

These blistering fast women will be challenged by countrywoman Bruktayit Eshetu who finished 2nd in the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon with a personal best of 2:22:40 and Juliet Chekwel of Uganda, who recorded a national record of 2:23:13 in her marathon debut two years ago.

Returning to Ottawa will be Lanni Marchant who broke the 28-year-old national record in 2013 by running it in exactly 2:28:00. Marchant will be heading off against Dayna Pidhoreski, the 2019 Canadian marathon champion with a personal best of 2:29:03.

Unprecedented depth of field in the men’s event

On the men’s side, Ottawa’s new Elite Athlete Coordinator Dylan Wykes, a 2012 Canadian Olympian, has assembled an unprecedented depth of field on Canadian soil. No fewer than eight of the men lining up on the start line will be boasting personal bests under 2:08, with three of them having recently run 2:06 or faster. The course record, set by fellow Ethiopian Yemane Tsegaye in 2014 is 2:06:54.

Wykes will be looking for return competitor Adugna Takele (2:05:57) and his fellow Ethiopian competitors Tsegaye Getachew Kebede (2:05:11) and Andualem Belay Shiferaw (2:05:52) to compete for that CR. The Ethiopians could see a fight from Kenyan Alex Kibet who recently won the Berlin Half Marathon with a personal best of 58:55, indicating his preparations are going well.

“It’s been an interesting challenge to build this start list with so little in-person competition over the past two years,” said Dylan Wykes, the Elite Athlete Coordinator. “Based on what we’ve seen recently with these athletes, and with how fast road races have been generally, I think we are quite likely to see some very fast times on May 29th. I can’t wait.”

The top Canadian in the men’s field is Tristan Woodfine, who was 10th in the 2018 Ottawa Marathon and will be seeking a top 10 finish.

After a three-year hiatus enforced by the pandemic, with the last edition of the World Athletics Elite Label Race taking place in 2019, race promoters Procam International have pulled out the stops to bring the very best athletes in the world to India’s technology capital.

Edris, from Ethiopia, is the two-time defending world champion over 5000m on the track and will be using the Bengaluru race as part of his preparations to become just the second man to win three consecutive titles in the event at this summer’s World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA.

He is no stranger to India having made his half marathon debut in the 2020 Delhi Half Marathon, where he finished fourth in the stunning time of 59:04.

His arrival in Bengaluru fulfils a promise he made after that run. “And when I come back to India, I will certainly be aiming to win and make a bigger impression,” said Edris in November 2020.

Edris will have some strong competition if he is to fulfil his ambition.

Also announced for this year’s TCS World 10K is the former holder of the world half marathon record Kibiwott Kandie, from Kenya, who has a 10km personal best of 26;51 from last year, almost a minute faster than the course record in Bengaluru.

Ethiopia’s Tadese Worku, who is still only 20, is another man with a 10km best inside 27 minutes, having run 26:56 last September just a few months after he won the world U20 3000m title on the track.

In the women’s race, Kenya’s Obiri will be making her Indian racing debut next month.

Like Edris, she has also won the 5000m at the last two editions of the World Athletics Championships and took silver medals over the same distance at the last two Olympic Games in Rio and Tokyo.

Into the bargain, Obiri can also claim two other world titles to her name after having won the world indoor 3000m crown back in 2012 and, more recently, she was the 2019 world cross country champion.

Both Edris and Obiri will have the TCS World 10K course records as their targets on 15th May.

Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor ran the men’s record of 27:44 in 2014 while the late Agnes Tirop, also from Kenya, set the women’s course record of 31:19 in 2018. Tirop also won the TCS World 10K in 2019.

Joyce Tele comes to Bengaluru having won the Agnes Tirop Cross Country Classic in February – a memorial race in her honour after her tragic death in October 2021 shocked the world – and has produced some outstanding half marathon times since the start of 2021. Tele ran a personal best of 1:05:50 to finish second in the Berlin Half Marathon earlier this month.

A third Kenyan to watch out for in the women’s race will be the 2017 world cross country champion Irene Cheptai, who also triumphed at the 2017 TCS World 10K a few months later.

Cheptai has been in good form recently with two strong second-place finishes in the prestigious New York and Prague half marathons in the last six weeks.

The TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2022 has a total prize fund of US$210,000, with the men’s and women’s winners taking home US$26,000. “It’s a true pleasure to be able to bring some of the world’s leading distance running stars to Bengaluru. The pandemic has meant this race has not happened since 2019 but we were always determined that, when conditions allowed, we would once again stage world-class races for elite runners and amateurs,” commented Vivek Singh, joint managing director of race promoters Procam International.

“Our commitment to getting India running again and helping people pursue a healthy lifestyle has never wavered and now we are back with a bang in Bengaluru,” he added.

In addition to the TCS World 10K for elite runners, there is an Open 10K, the Majja Run (5km) the Senior Citizens’ Race and the Champions with Disability Race (both 4.2km).

The Open 10K and the Majja Run can also be participated in virtual run. See the event website https://tcsworld10k.procam.in/ for details.

The Haspa Marathon Hamburg returns to its traditional spring date on Sunday for the first time since 2019 with probably the strongest elite fields in the history of the event. Last year’s race was held under strict Covid regulations with less than 5,000 runners and almost no elite athletes.

The event on Sunday (April 24) will be the complete opposite: Including events at shorter distances organisers registered over 20,000 athletes from 65 nations and the elite fields boost eleven runners with personal bests of sub 2:08 and seven women who ran below 2:27. However the star name on the start list is not among them: Ethiopia’s 10k world record holder Yalemzerf Yehualaw will run her much anticipated debut at the Haspa Marathon Hamburg.

Germany’s biggest spring marathon, which will see its 36th edition, will be streamed live worldwide on Sunday from 9.20am (European time) at: www.haspa-marathon-hamburg.de 

“We are happy to be back in the spring with a large race and with a very strong elite field. I am really looking forward to some very good performances. We hope to see a women’s course record on Sunday,“ said chief organiser Frank Thaleiser.

The city of Hamburg might well be the place to see a new marathon star emerge on Sunday. And it would not be the first time this happens in the “Hansestadt“: Kenya’s superstar Eliud Kipchoge won his marathon debut here in 2013 with 2:05:30 which is still the course record.

Could Yalemzerf Yehualaw start an extraordinary marathon career in Hamburg as well? The 22 year-old Ethiopian brings all the requirements and characteristics for success in the marathon. With a half marathon PB of 63:51 she is the second fastest ever at this distance. Additionally Yalemzerf Yehualaw smashed the 10k world record this February with 29:14 in Castellon, Spain. 

“Yalemzerf has trained well and we are looking forward to a promising and interesting marathon debut,“ said Jurrie van der Velden, who is the elite coordinator of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg.

Unfortunately Yalemzerf Yehualaw’s flight to Hamburg was delayed so that she missed the press conference on Thursday. The Ethiopian could produce one of the fastest debuts ever and break the course record. Fellow-Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu is the current course record holder with a time of 2:21:54 from 2016. Despite running her debut Yalemzerf Yehualaw must be regarded as the favourite.

While the Olympic silver medallist of the London Games in 2021, Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya, is the fastest on the start list with 2:20:14 there are two women in the field who have won the Haspa Marathon Hamburg. Gadise Mulu is the defending champion and fellow-Ethiopian Dibabe Kuma, who took the race in 2019, is the second fastest on the start list with her PB of 2:23:24.

While the elite women often have their individual pacemakers Jurrie van der Velden hopes that a group of athletes will run together for at least the first half of the race. “The pace for this group will likely be between 70:30 and 71:00,“ he said.

Deborah Schöneborn and Kristina Hendel are the the top German runners in Hamburg. Schöneborn, who achieved a strong 18th place in the Olympic marathon last year, has a PB of 2:26:55. However she carried an injury during the winter months and is probably not yet at her best. Hendel has received German citizenship and hopes to be eligible to compete for Germany at the European Championships. Internationally at the moment she is still registered as Croatian. Kristina Hendel ran a 2:27:31 debut marathon last autumn and hopes to improve to around 2:25 in Hamburg.

Three men will be going to the starting line on Sunday knowing they have run faster than Eliud Kipchoge’s Hamburg course record of 2:05:30. Since Guye Adola had to withdraw due to an injury fellow-Ethiopian Abebe Negewo, who was also known as Abebe Degefa, now heads the start lists with a PB of 2:04:06 which he ran in Valencia in 2019. With Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Mekonnen the winner of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg 2017 returns.

He still is the unofficial world junior record holder with a time of 2:04:32. It was around half a year ago when Barselius Kipyego of Kenya clocked his PB of 2:04:48 in Paris. 

“For a number of athletes this will be their first major international race since the start of the pandemic. We hope that they will do very well,“ said Jurrie van der Velden. “The weather looks good at the moment. If it is like this on Sunday we are optimistic to see times of around 2:05.“

Philipp Pflieger, who has a personal best of 2:12:15, and Johannes Motschmann carry national hopes on Sunday. Motschmann ran 2:12:18 in Rotterdam last autumn and showed promising form recently at the Berlin Half Marathon where he improved to 61:45. As a number of other athletes he hopes to achieve the qualifying standard for the World Championships of 2:11:30 in Hamburg.

Elite runners with personal bests

Men:

Abebe Negewo ETH 2:04:06

Tsegaye Mekonnen ETH 2:04:32

Barselius Kipyego KEN 2:04:48

Dejene Debele ETH 2:05:46

Simon Kipkosgei KEN 2:07:07

Cybrian Kotut KEN 2:07:11

Bernard Ngeno KEN 2:07:18

Amos Mitei KEN 2:07:28

Workineh Tadesse ETH 2:07:42

Abrar Osman ERI 2:07:46

Mustafa Kedir ETH 2:07:49

Alfred Koech KEN 2:09:01

Victor Kiplangat UGA 2:10:18

Bazezew Asmare ETH 2:10:51

Masresha Bere ETH 2:10:55

Arturo Esparza MEX 2:11:04

Philipp Pflieger GER 2:12:15

Johannes Motschmann GER 2:12:18

Gasper Csere HUN 2:14:34

Dario Castro MEX 2:14:51

Marco Salami ITA 2:14:57

Stephen Kissa UGA Debut

Ronald Kirui KEN Debut

Ibrahim Hassan DJI Debut

Filimon Abraham GER Debut

Women:

Priscah Jeptoo KEN 2:20:14

Dibabe Kuma ETH 2:23:24

Carla Rocha POR 2:24:47

Tseginesh Mekonnen ETH 2:24:50

Gadise Mulu ETH 2:26:20

Alice Cherono KEN 2:26:51

Deborah Schöneborn GER 2:26:55

Kristina Hendel CRO 2:27:31

Rosa Chacha ECU 2:28:17

Andreia Hessel BRA 2:34:55

Maria Sagnes Wagan NOR 2:35:34

Camilla Elofsson SWE 2:35:37

Yalemzerf Yehualaw ETH Debut

Alia Mohamed UAE Debut

Sheila Kiprotich Chepkirui produced the performance of the day, breaking the course record of the 41st GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. Despite very cold conditions with almost freezing temperatures at the start she clocked a world-class time of 65:02. It is the 18th fastest half marathon time ever run by a woman.

Fellow-Kenyans Joyce Chepkemoi and Irene Kimais took second and third with 65:50 and 66:34 respectively. For the first time in the history of the race three women broke 67 minutes.

The men’s race was also dominated by the Kenyans, who took all podium places. Alex Kibet was the winner with 58:55, missing the course record by just 13 seconds. Joshua Belet was second in 59:53 while pre-race favourite Abel Kipchumba finished third with 59:58. Including competitions staged parallel to the main race, organisers of the 41st GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON registered a total of 33,336 athletes from 121 nations.

Cold temperatures and even a bit of snow just before the start did not provide good conditions for record attempts. Despite this 31 year-old Sheila Kiprotich Chepkirui stormed away right after the start. Guided by pacemakers she passed 10k in 30:32 and was on course for 64:30 at this stage of the race. “But during the final five kilometers I felt really cold and could not hold on to the pace,“ said Sheila Kiprotich Chepkirui. „I had hoped to break my personal best of 64:36, but at least I won the race with a course record. I am now planning to run my marathon debut later in the year, so maybe I will return to Berlin in September,“ said the Kenyan. She broke the course record of fellow-Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei who had won in Berlin in August last year with 65:16.

While Britain’s Samantha Harrison was the fastest non-African runner with a personal best of 68:12 in fifth place, once again Katharina Steinruck coped very well with cold conditions. She was the fastest German runner in sixth place with a personal best of 69:38. “For me it was fun today,“ said Katharina Steinruck.

As expected Kenya’s elite runners dominated the men’s race as well. Early on they were forming the leading group. After a 10k split time of 28:00 it was Alex Kibet who took the initiative soon after that mark. The 31 year-old broke away and no-one was able to challenge him in the second half of the race. Kibet had entered the race with a PB of 59:06 and was the number two on the start list. The Kenyan increased his advantage to almost one minute and crossed the line at the Brandenburg Gate in 58:55. While he missed the course record Alex Kibet clocked the second fastest time ever run in the history of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON and a personal best. “I hoped to run quite a bit faster, but it was difficult in the cold conditions. I have not broken the world record today, but at least I have won the race,“ said Alex Kibet.

Norway’s Zerei Mezngi and Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland were the fastest Europeans taking fifth and sixth positions in 60:42 and 61:01 respectively. Surprisingly Germany’s national record holder Amanal Petros, who clocked 60:09 last year, was not the fastest German in Berlin. Trying to bring his own record down to a sub one hour time he faded in the cold conditions and finished 15th in 62:21. Johannes Motschmann was the fastest German runner. Competing for the Marathon Team Berlin of race organiser SCC EVENTS he improved to 61:45 and placed tenth.

German double victory by Josie Hofmann and Felix Rijhnen in the skaters' race

A spectacular sprint led Felix Rijhnen (Powerslide) to his third victory at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. He beat Frenchman Martin Ferrié (EOSkates) by a razor-thin margin in 33:49 minutes. A German also won the women's race: Josie Hofmann (Powerslide) from Erfurt in 37:53 minutes. A total of 1,042 inline skaters celebrated the start of the roller season and the GERMAN INLINE CUP 2022.

On the course, a leading group around Valentin Thiebault (FRA/Powerslide) had initially broken away. At kilometer 15 Felix Rijhnen and Martin Ferrié managed to close the gap to the leaders and pull away. Until the finish they extended their lead to almost 50 seconds. In the final sprint to the finish, Rijhnen beat Ferrié by a razor-thin margin. In the mass sprint of the chasing pack sprint specialist Valentin Thiebault (FRA/Powerslide) secured 3rd place in 34:41 minutes. "I am mega happy that I could win after such a long and hard ice season. I'm surprised how well it went today, especially since I couldn't prepare that well due to illness," Rijhnen said after the race. "I was able to make full use of my experience over the many years in Berlin. It's just a pity that Kathi couldn't be there due to her Corona infection," said the Darmstadt native with regard to his wife Katharina Rijhnen (formerly Rumpus), who herself has won the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON four times.

In the women's race, too, a duel on the home stretch decided the race. Josie Hofmann and Marine Lefeuvre (FRA/EOSkates) distanced themselves from the field already at the halfway mark. Until the finish they extended their lead to more than 1:30 minutes. Particularly noteworthy was the spectacular, especially deep finish step with which Hofmann pushed her rollers across the finish line first after 37:53 minutes. After Lefeuvre (37:53 minutes), Belgian Sabrina Gaudesaboos (EOSkates) finished third in 39:25 minutes. "My goal was clearly to win today. But having just switched from the ice back to the road, I didn't know how good I was," Hofmann said. "My long-term goal is clearly the Olympics on ice, but I won't let inline skating out of my sight for that," the winner explained.

Top men:

Alex Kibet KEN 58:55

Belet Joshua KEN 59:53

Abel Kipchumba KEN 59:58

Fastes German men: Johannes Motschmann (Marathon Team Berlin) 61:45

Top women:

Sheila Kiprotich KEN 65:02

Jocye Chepkemoi KEN 65:50

Irene Kimais KEN 66:34

Fastes German woman: Katharina Steinruck (Eintrach Frankfurt) 69:38

Geoffrey Kamworor, Lawrence Cherono and Amos Kipruto are among star athletes set to grace the 41st Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP.

Kamworor (2:06:12), who has previously broken the half marathon world record in 2019 and also won the New York Marathon twice is being seen by many as the hot favorite.

Widely tipped to fit in Eliud Kipchoge's shoes, Kamworor has been preparing exclusively and conscientiously to achieve a great result in the City of Running on December 5.

He will be making a grand return after withdrawing from the 2020 Tokyo Games due to injury.

On the other hand, Lawrence Cherono (2:03:04 in Valencia in 2020) placed fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, and in 2019, he won in Boston and Chicago.

Amos Kipruto, who achieved his personal best at the distance in Valencia in 2020 (2:03:30), will run too.

However, the Kenyan trio will have to fend off intense rivalry from Ethiopians Mule Wasihum (2:03:16), Getaneh Molla (2:03:34), Tsegaye Mekonnen (2:04:32), Kinde Atanaw (2:03:51) and Andamlak Belihu, a 26:53.15 runner over 10,000m and who achieved 58:54 at the 2020 New Delhi Half.

Tanzania's Gabriel Geay (2:04:55) will also grace the race.

Ethiopia's Guteni Shone (2:20:11) will lead a talent-rich pack of women athletes, including Azmera Gebru (2:20:48) and Tadelech Bekele (2:21:40).

They must, however, look over their shoulders for intense rivalry from the Kenyan trio of Bornes Chepkirui (2:21:26), Nancy Jelagat, with a personal best of 2:36:22, but a time of 1:05:21 at the Berlin half marathon in August, Dorcas Tuitoek, who has run 1:06:33 in the half-marathon, and who showed herself to be an outstanding athlete at the 2020 Elite Edition in Valencia.

Germany's Melat Kejeta (2:23:57), who finished sixth at the Tokyo Olympics and clocked 1:05:18 in the half marathon in 2020 (Europe’s record) could pull off a surprise.

Uganda's Juliet Chekwel (2:23:13) and Ethiopia's Rahma Tusa (2:23:46) complete the line up.

The race organisers said they look to make history by going under the course record (2:03:00, fourth world’s best time) and getting closer to the longed-for world record in the men's category and by becoming the best women's race of the year.

Valencia will once again become the epicentre of the running world when it holds the 41st Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP, a race that in 2021 wants to continue making history by going under the course record (2:03:00, fourth world’s best time) and getting closer to the longed-for world record in the men’s category and by becoming the best women’s race of the year.

And to achieve this it will count on some of the best athletes in the world including the Kenyans Geoffrey Kamworor, Lawrence Cherono and Amos Kipruto, and the Ethiopians Mule Wasihun, Getaneh Molla, Kinde Atanaw and Andamlak Belihu.

Kamworor (2:06:12), who broke the half marathon world record in 2019 (later broken in 2020 in Valencia) and who has won the New York Marathon twice, is seen by many as the successor to Eliud Kipchoge and he is eager to show what he can do. Since he had to withdraw from the Tokyo Games due to injury, he has been preparing exclusively and conscientiously to achieve a great result in the City of Running on December 5.

For his part, Lawrence Cherono (2:03:04 in Valencia 2020) is coming off a fourth place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, and in 2019 he won in Boston and Chicago. Amos Kipruto, who achieved his personal best at the distance in Valencia 2020 (2h03:30), will run too.

Joining them will be Ethiopia’s Mule Wasihum (2:03:16), Getaneh Molla (2:03:34), Kinde Atanaw (2:03:51, time of his victory in Valencia 2019) and Tsegaye Mekonnen (2:04:32), as well as Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay (2:04:55), and another exciting newcomer, Andamlak Belihu, a 26:53:15 runner over 10,000m and who achieved 58:54 in the 2020 New Delhi Half. A whole squad of men capable of achieving the event’s objective of getting closer and closer to the fastest world record in history.

In the women’s category, the aim of the race organizers, S.D. Correcaminos and Valencia City Council, wants to go under 2h20 for third year in a row. To achieve this, Ethiopia’s Guteni Shone (2:20:11), Azmera Gebru (2:20:48) and Tadelech Bekele (2:21:40), as well as Kenya’s Bornes Chepkirui (2:21:26) will travel to the City of Running. Completing the line-up so far are Uganda’s Juliet Chekwel (2:23:13) and Ethiopia’s Rahma Tusa (2:23:46).

Although her personal best is not the most impressive, another favorite to win will be Germany’s Melat Kejeta (2:23:57), who finished sixth at the Tokyo Olympics and clocked 1:05:18 in the half marathon in 2020 (Europe’s record). Also watch out for Nancy Jelagat, with a personal best of 2:36:22, but a time of 1:05:21 at the Berlin half marathon in August, which bodes well for her. Finally, we would highlight the debut of the young Kenyan Dorcas Tuitoek, who has run 1:06:33 in the half-marathon, and who showed herself to be an outstanding athlete at the 2020 Elite Edition in Valencia.

For Marc Roig, the coach of the International Elite for the Valencia Marathon, “this year’s marathon is extremely competitive, as we like it in Valencia. I don’t rule out a sprint finish in both the men’s and women’s categories and, in fact, I’m counting on it. The athletes know that Valencia offers one of the best circuits for achieving personal best times. And this, with the level of runners we have, can easily translate into several athletes breaking the course record. By how much? We will see on December 5.”

Joyciline Jepkosgei took the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON with a spectacular course record of 65:16. The 27 year-old Kenyan smashed the mark of Dutch double Olympic Champion Sifan Hassan, who had won the race with 65:45 in 2019. Second-placed Kenyan Nancy Meto was just five seconds behind, improving her PB by more than three minutes. With 65:21 she was also inside the former course record. Valary Aiyabei completed the Kenyan podium with 67:32 for third place.

Kenya’s Felix Kipkoech clocked a world leading time of 58:57. The 23 year-old improved his own world lead by 38 seconds. Fellow Kenyans Josphat Tanui and Philemon Kiplimo followed in second and third with 59:40 and 59:54 respectively.

A total of 15,096 Starters from 130 countries had entered the 40th edition of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. 14,508 of them were runners, 572 Skaters, 14 Handbikers and 2 wheelchair athletes.

Eric Kiptanui is the sole Kenyan contestant  in the elite men's field. The 29-year-old is half marathon specialist and is the sixth-fastest man over the distance, thanks to the 58:42 he clocked  while winning Berlin Half Marathon in 2018.

He won the Barcelona Half Marathon last year  in 1:01.40 and also bagged the 2018 Lisbon Half Marathon in 1:00:05. Kiptanui finished ninth at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in October last year, posting 1:02:23.

He was also one of the pacemakers used by world marathon record holder, Eliud Kipchoge when he broke the sub two-hour marathon mark in Vienna last year.

Kiptanui will have to contend with a strong Ethiopian lineup led by Solomon Deksisa and Seifu Tura. Deksisa has a personal best of 2:04:40 while Tura's PB is 2:04:44.

Despite his relatively young age, the talented Deksisa has built up plenty of experience at the marathon distance after a brief track career.

At 20, he won the 2014 San Diego Half Marathon with a personal best of 1:00:12, then two years later, he moved up to the marathon and ran an impressive 2:06:22 debut in Rotterdam to finish second.

Since then he has fully focused on the 42.195km distance and claimed his first marathon victory in Mumbai in 2018 before winning again in Hamburg a few months later. 

2018 proved to be his best year so far as he ended it with a 2:04:40 PB to finish third in Amsterdam. His life-time best is just one minute outside the Dubai course record set in 2019 by Getaneh Molla. Kenya last won the Dubai Marathon in 2012 through David Barmasai.

In the absence of defending and World champion Ruth Chepngetich, Ethiopia will have the edge in the race with the likes of Worknesh Degefa, Deba Dejene, Alemu Megertu, Dera Dida and Guteni Shone all present.

Brimin Misoi, the Kenyan who made headlines with an emphatic victory last year, will take pride of place on the start line for the 37th edition of the “Athens Marathon. The Authentic” on Sunday, November 10.

In 2018 Misoi ran the third fastest time ever of 2:10:56 on the renowned, tough course from the coastal town of Marathon to the heart of Athens. He crossed the finish line in the Panathenaic Stadium, venue for the 1896 Olympic Games, almost two minutes clear of his nearest rival.

Retaining the title will prove no easy task despite the Kenyan improving his personal best to 2:09:31 in the Vienna City Marathon in April where he was sixth. His rivals will include compatriot Daniel Muteti, whose best of 2:09:25 in finishing second in the Cape Town Marathon was achieved in mid-September.

Adding historic lustre will be the 2004 Olympic champion Stefano Baldini. On his return to the original marathon course the Italian will be running as a “tourist” rather than elite competitor but his Olympic winning time of 2:10:55 was just one second faster than Brimin Misoi’s last year, further proof of the Kenyan’s quality.

The “Athens Marathon. The Authentic” has already broken records in the race build-up with participation limits in the marathon and parallel events now fully booked. A record total of more than 20,000 will run the marathon, a further 12,000 take part in the 10km road race and another 20,000 run the 5km Road Race ZERO WASTE FUTURE (by Coca-Cola), while total numbers of runners in all events has exceeded 60,000, another record. This festival of running is organized as in previous years by the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS). For the first time the 10km road race will be held on Saturday evening in central Athens, rather than all the running events taking place on Sunday, another indication of the tremendous growth of interest in the past few years, including a steep rise in the international entry among mass runners. This year 12,000 runners from more than 120 countries will be represented among the 60,000 involved in total, making the Athens Marathon one of the most international races in the world.

One more record of the event is the attendance of the races at the 13th AIMS Marathon Symposium and the 7th Best Marathon Runners Awards Gala: Race directors and representatives of 80 international marathons from 45 countries will be present.

As for the race for top honors, Brimin Misoi has not raced since the Vienna City Marathon in April where he brought his personal best down to 2:09:31. A rival and fellow Kenyan who knows what it means to run at that level is Daniel Muteti, making his debut on the Athens course. As recently as September 15 he ran his best of 2:09:25 to finish second in Cape Town. He has had a busy year in marathon terms in general, having begun with 2:10:55 for fourth in Mumbai on January 20. Athens and its challenging, rolling hills then descent for the last 10km may test his powers of recovery. Rhonzas Kilimo of Kenya dropped out of his debut marathon in Hamburg in late April but the former steeplechaser finished second in the Berlin Half Marathon with 61:01, an indication of marathon promise, at least. Also known as Rhonzaz Lokitam he clocked a half marathon PB of 60:49 a year ago in Valencia. These runners and others have the potential to put Felix Kandie’s 2014 course record of 2:10:37under pressure.

One outcome already certain is that every marathon finisher in the Panathenaic Stadium will receive their own piece of history in the form of the inaugural medal depicting the history of the race. To be awarded over the next eight years, this debut finisher’s medal, aptly enough, portrays the Battle of Marathon where the legend of the lone Athenian soldier-messenger began.

The 2018 African Championships 10,000m winner and Commonwealth Games runner-up Stacy Ndiwa will challenge the Ethiopians. Three-time Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba is among star attractions.  Three Kenyans must be at their best to stop Ethiopia’s Belihu and Gebresilase. Eric Kiptanui, the 2018 Berlin Half Marathon champion, will be up against his training mate Daniel Kipchumba at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon on October 21. Kipchumba paced Kiptanui during the Berlin race to the 15 kilometer mark and the contest in the Indian capital will no doubt give them an opportunity to size up each other. The two, who are guided by Italian coach Renato Canova, will carry their under 60 minutes best times they posted last year. Yangzhou and Istanbul Half marathons champion Ababel Yeshaneh hope to outclass Dibaba. Yeshaneh had earlier this year set a personal best over the half marathon distance in Turkey where she ran 69:36. She weathered a strong competition to come in second in the 2017 Delhi Half Marathon.

Promising Zimbabwean long distance runner Canisious Nyamutsita (left), will be hoping to carry his fine run of form on the local circuit on to the international stage when he takes part in the biggest race of his career at the Copenhagen Half Marathon in Denmark on Sunday. The 27-year-old Nyanga-born athlete has been in brilliant form on the local circuit, winning almost all the country’s major road races over the last two years, including the recent Old Mutual Westgate Half Marathon. Nyamutsita is set to rub shoulders with some of the world’s finest runners over the distance including Kenyan born Bahraini Abraham Cheroben, who will be seeking to defend his title, having won last year in a world-leading 58:40. Other top runners in the field include Berlin Half Marathon champion Kenyan Erick Kiptanui, who has announced that he will be attacking the world record in Copenhagen. Nyamutsita will be joined by his teammate at the Chitungwiza-based Mr Pace Athletics Club Bertha Chikanga, who will line up in the women’s race of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Gold Label.

Kenya’s Jorum Okombo and Alex Korio will be hoping to improve on their respective second and third finishes at the 2018 Copenhagen Half Marathon on September 16. Organizers have assembled one of the deepest half marathon fields in history of the road race. “An elite field boasting 17 sub-60-minute men, including three of the four fastest half marathon runners over the past six years, is proof of an extremely high level,” says Jakob Larsen, director of the Danish Athletics Federation. Abraham Cheroben will be back to defend his title, having won last year in a world-leading 58:40. His main opposition looks set to come from Berlin Half Marathon champion Erick Kiptanui, Okombo and Korio. Kiptanui has announced that he will be attacking the world record in Copenhagen. The women’s race also boasts superb depth as it contains seven runners with PBs faster than 68:00.

It is said that Copenhagen is the place to run, if you want to set a new world record in the half marathon. When the race takes place on the September 16 the chase for a new world record is set for both men and women ”I am coming to Copenhagen to set a new world record," says Erick Kiptanui. The 28-year old Kenyan is confirmed for the Copenhagen Half Marathon.  His statement could prove to be correct, as earlier this year he ran the distance in just 58.42, at the Berlin Half Marathon. His time was only 19 seconds from the current world record, and two seconds from the fastest time ever run in seven years. This time was set at Copenhagen Half Marathon last year, where Abraham Cheroben clocked 58:40. Cheroben will also be present and he too will be going after the world record. ”In my opinion the Copenhagen Half Marathon is the place to run, if you want to run fast. I had an amazing race last year and I will be back again this year to reclaim the title,” Cheroben says.  The women's race will include the world champion Netsanet Gudate, who also holds the the world record in the women's half marathon and even though she is a good candidate for a gold medal, she will have to battle Joan Melly, who came in second place last year. Joan Melly expects to improve her placement and says that she will come to Copenhagen and set a new world record.  Melly or any other female runner will have to run better than 64:51 to set a new record in a mixed division.  A world record is never guaranteed,everything has to come together, but with a route like the one in the Copenhagen Half Marathon and world class runners, who want to set a new world record, the premises are as good as they get.

Kenya’s newcomer Erick Kiptanui clocked a sensational course record of 58:42 in the Berlin Half Marathon, equalling the fastest time in the world this year. Running only his third race in Europe and winning for the third time, Kiptanui moved to equal fifth in the all-time performances for the distance. His impressive running on Berlin’s fast course left him just 19 seconds short of the world record. Kenyans dominated the event and took the first seven places. Emmanuel Kiprono and Richard Mengich finished second and third with 60:29 and 60:36 respectively. The best non-Kenyan runner was Germany’s Homiyu Tesfaye who took eighth place in 62:13. Ethiopia’s Melat Kejeta won the women’s race in sunny but windy conditions with 69:04. Switzerland’s Martina Strähl was second and set a Swiss record of 69:29, improving her personal best by more than two minutes. Anne-Mari Hyryläinen of Finland took third with 71:04, also setting a personal best. At her second attempt the European steeplechase champion Gesa Felicitas Krause of Germany finished the distance for the first time and placed fifth. Her time of 72:16 was the fastest time by a German woman this year.