Running News Daily

Legese and Chepngetich lead Chicago Marathon fields

Ruth Chepngetich heads to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on the hunt for a hat trick, while Birhanu Legese is the fastest in the men’s field for the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday (13).

The women’s race features a clash between Chepngetich, her Kenyan compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei and Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede – three sub-2:17 runners who form part of a field that includes another six women to have dipped under 2:20.

Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion, won in Chicago in 2021 and 2022, and followed that with a runner-up finish to Sifan Hassan last year. She clocked 2:14:18 on that occasion, while her PB of 2:14:18 set in Chicago in 2022 makes her the fourth fastest women’s marathon runner in history.

She ran 2:24:36 for her most recent marathon, in London in April, and placed ninth, but then clocked 1:05:58 to win the 21k Buenos Aires half marathon in August.

Jepkosgei, who won the London Marathon in 2021 and New York City Marathon in 2019, finished fourth in Chicago last year in 2:17:23. 

She improved by one place when returning to marathon action in London in April, setting a PB of 2:16:24.

It’s Kebede who leads this season’s top list, thanks to the PB of 2:15:55 she set to win the Tokyo Marathon in March. That puts her at No.8 all time and she will be hoping to make the most of the fast course in Chicago.

“After seeing what my teammate Kelvin Kiptum did last year, I want to come to Chicago to do something great,” said Kebede, who finished 15th in last year’s race.

Kiptum, who was part of Kebede’s training group, died in a road traffic accident in February, just four months after he set his world marathon record of 2:00:35 in Chicago. This year, the event will honour Kiptum’s legacy with a moment of silence at the start line.

Joining Chepngetich, Jepkosgei and Kebede on that start line will be three more women with PBs under 2:18 – Ethiopia’s Degitu Azimeraw, Ashete Bekere and Hiwot Gebrekidan – plus Kenya’s Irine Cheptai, who ran 2:18:22 in Hamburg in April.

The field also features the second and third fastest ever US women’s marathon runners, Keira D’Amato and Betsy Saina, who have also dipped under 2:20. They are joined in this competitive field by their compatriots Sara Hall and Emma Bates.

Ethiopia’s Legese leads the men’s field with the PB of 2:02:48 he ran in Berlin in 2019. That performance puts him sixth on the men’s world marathon all-time list but since then his highest marathon finish has been a third place, achieved in Rotterdam with a 2:05:16 run in April.

The two-time Tokyo Marathon champion will want to return to winning ways when he heads back to Chicago, where he placed 10th when making his World Marathon Majors debut in 2018, but he faces tough opposition.

Six other men in the field have PBs faster than 2:06, including Kenya’s Amos Kipruto, Vincent Ngetich and John Korir, and Ethiopia’s Dawit Wolde, Amedework Walelegn and Mohamed Esa.

Kipruto, the 2019 world bronze medallist, and Ngetich have matching PBs of 2:03:13. Kipruto won the London Marathon in 2022 and trains with Benson Kipruto, who won that year’s Chicago Marathon, while Ngetich was second in the Berlin Marathon last year, five places ahead of Kipruto. He was also third at this year’s Tokyo Marathon.

Korir ran his PB of 2:05:01 when finishing third in Chicago in 2022, while Wolde ran 2:03:48 in Valencia last year, Esa has a best of 2:05:05 from Amsterdam in 2022 and Walelegn clocked 2:04:50 in Rotterdam in April, finishing runner-up – one place ahead of Legese.

Looking to join them at the front of the field will be Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo, the world 10,000m and half marathon silver medallist who makes his marathon debut. The 29-year-old ran a 59:30 half marathon in Berlin in April, 26 seconds off his PB set in Manama in 2022.

Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer Mekonnen, who finished fourth in the half marathon at last year’s World Road Running Championships behind runner-up Ebenyo, is back in marathon action after his win in Seoul in March.

Among the athletes racing on home soil are USA’s Zach Panning, CJ Albertson and Brian Shrader.

Elite fields

 

WomenRuth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:14:18Sutume Kebede (ETH) 2:15:55Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:16:24Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:17:58Ashete Bekere (ETH) 2:17:58Hiwot Gebrekidan (ETH) 2:17:59Irine Cheptai (KEN) 2:18:22Keira D'Amato (USA) 2:19:12Betsy Saina (USA) 2:19:17Sara Hall (USA) 2:20:32Emma Bates (USA) 2:22:10Buze Diriba (ETH) 2:23:11Sara Vaughn (USA) 2:23:24Susanna Sullivan (USA) 2:24:27Gabi Rooker (USA) 2:24:35Lindsay Flanagan (USA) 2:24:43Stacey Ndiwa (KEN) 2:25:29  Lauren Hagans (USA) 2:25:56Annie Frisbie (USA) 2:26:18Jackie Gaughan (USA) 2:27:08Dominique Scott (RSA) 2:27:31Diane Nukuri (USA) 2:27:50Makena Morley (USA) 2:30:25Anne Marie Blaney (USA) 2:30:43Amy Davis-Green (USA) 2:33:09Aubrey Frentheway (USA) debut

 

MenBirhanu Legese (ETH) 2:02:48Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:03:13Vincent Ngetich (KEN) 2:03:13Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48Amedework Walelegn (ETH) 2:04:50John Korir (KEN) 2:05:01Mohamed Esa (ETH) 2:05:05Jemal Yimer (ETH) 2:06:08Kyohei Hosoya (JPN) 2:06:35Toshiki Sadakata (JPN) 2:07:05Tatsuya Maruyama (JPN) 2:07:50Yuichi Yasui (JPN) 2:08:48Jorge Castelblanco (PAN) 2:09:24Zach Panning (USA) 2:09:28Brian Shrader (USA) 2:09:46CJ Albertson (USA) 2:09:53Tomoki Yoshioka (JPN) 2:10:03Reed Fischer (USA) 2:10:34Nathan Martin (USA) 2:10:45Colin Mickow (USA) 2:11:22Kevin Salvano (USA) 2:11:26Jacob Thomson (USA) 2:11:40Turner Wiley (USA) 2:11:59Shadrack Kipchirchir (USA) 2:13:02JP Flavin (USA) 2:13:27Charlie Sweeney (USA) 2:13:41Ben Kendell (USA) 2:15:49Phil Parrot-Migas (CAN) 2:15:53Aaron Gruen (USA) 2:15:56Daniel Ebenyo (KEN) debutPeter Lynch (IRL) debutAlex Maier (USA) debutAlex Masai (USA) debut

(10/11/2024) Views: 202 ⚡AMP
by World athletics

Ruth Chepngetich leads Chicago Marathon elite line-ups

The Kenyan will be targeting her third victory in Chicago whilst Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese leads the men’s field.

This weekend, all eyes will be on Chicago as the city hosts the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday (October 13), promising a thrilling showdown amongst top-tier athletes.

In the women’s competition, Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, a former Chicago Marathon winner in 2021 and 2022 and the fourth-fastest woman in marathon history, is set to return to the course, which winds through 29 neighborhoods.

The 30-year-old enters as the fastest woman in this year’s line-up after winning the title in 2022 by running her fastest time of 2:14:18. At the time, she was 14 seconds short of Brigid Kosgei’s world record of 2:14:04, before Tigist Assefa (2:11:53) and Sifan Hassan (2:13:44) went quicker in 2023.

The 2019 world champion secured a second-place finish in Chicago last year behind Sifan Hassan.

Yet, it will not be an easy run to victory for Chepngetich. Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede, fresh off her Tokyo Marathon win, arrives with the fastest marathon time of 2024, having ran 2:15:55 in Tokyo.

Kebede has had a stellar year, setting a record time of 64:37 at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon – the fastest-ever women’s half marathon time on US soil.

Chepngetich and Kebede will be joined by Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, who has previously taken titles at the New York City Marathon in 2019 and London Marathon in 2021. Jepkosgei finished third this year in London where she clocked her personal best of 2:16:24.

American athletes Keira D’Amato (2:19:12) and Betsy Saina (2:19:17) join the list of athletes. D’Amato, a former American record holder in the marathon, is making a comeback as a competitor after working as a commentator. Meanwhile, Saina, who had to withdraw from the Chicago Marathon in 2019 due to illness, returns to make her mark.

The men’s race will also feature a highly competitive field with Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese leading the charge. Legese, who recorded an impressive 2:02:48 at the 2019 Berlin Marathon is the fastest on paper.

A two-time Tokyo marathon champion, this will be his second time tackling the Chicago course after finishing 10th in 2018 with a time of 2:08:41. Most recently, Legese took third place at the 2024 Rotterdam Marathon.

Legese will be up against strong competition, particularly from Kenya’s Amos Kipruto and Vincent Ngetich, who both hold personal bests of 2:03:13.

Kipruto, a bronze medallist at the World Championships in Doha 2019, claimed victory at the 2022 London Marathon. Ngetich won bronze in the Tokyo marathon earlier this year.

(10/10/2024) Views: 173 ⚡AMP
by Jasmine Collett

Six American runners to watch in the 2024 Chicago Marathon

Excitement is building for this year’s Chicago Marathon that takes place on Sunday 13 October. Once again, a stellar field has been assembled including some of the best American runners operating today. Read on to find out which US athletes will compete in the 2024 Chicago Marathon. 

It’s been seven years since the last American was victorious in the Chicago Marathon, with Galen Rupp crowned winner of the men’s race in 2017. In the women’s race, you need to go back almost 20 years to find the last US winner, when Deena Kastor became the first female American to claim victory on the streets of Chicago in almost a decade.

But with this year’s Chicago Marathon just days away, a strong group of elite American runners will take on the challenge of the 42.195km race, bringing with them experience, pedigree and the hopes of a nation as they battle for glory on home soil.

Read on to discover the top American athletes competing in the 2024 Chicago Marathon.

Top Americans in the 2024 Chicago Marathon women’s race

Keira D’Amato

Keira D'Amato, the former fastest female American runner of all time, has an exceptional track record in long-distance events. The 39-year-old still holds the fastest US women’s time in the half marathon at 1:06:39, set in the Gold Coast, Australia in 2023, while her best in the 42.195km race is an impressive 2:19:12, which she achieved in Houston in 2022.

This year, D’Amato will have speedy support by her side, as she revealed her pacer for the Chicago Marathon will be none other than Rio 2016 Olympic 1500m gold medallist Matthew Centrowitz. Can the addition to her race-day crew catapult D’Amato to glory in the Windy City? All will be revealed on Sunday.

Betsy Saina

Born in Kenya, Betsy Saina has since received her US citizenship and will be one of the favourites to hold the title of fastest American in this year’s Chicago Marathon women’s race. Saina became a mother in 2021 but has gone from strength to strength since then, becoming the fastest female American marathoner in 2023. While her dreams of making the Olympic team for Paris 2024 were not realised, she comes into this year’s Chicago Marathon showpiece with one of the fastest times among all US runners with a personal best of 2:19:17 set at the 2024 Tokyo Marathon.

Sara Hall

A fan favourite and former American marathon record holder, Sara Hall has vast experience in elite marathon running, which includes a third-place finish in the 2021 Chicago Marathon.

Perhaps her most memorable performance was in the 2021 London Marathon where she produced a stunning all-out sprint finish to claim second-place in Britain’s capital.

At 41 years old, Hall will be among the older members of the elite field but she is showing few signs of slowing down. She finished fifth in the 2024 Olympic marathon trials and in April this year ended the Boston Marathon as the second-fastest American finisher in a time of 2:27:58.

Top Americans in the 2024 Chicago Marathon men’s race

Zach Panning

During the US marathon trials for the last Olympics, Zach Panning sent the crowd into a frenzy with a courageous run where he led from the front for almost three-quarters of the race. Panning eventually fell off the pace to finish the trials in sixth place, with only the top three nominated for the team.

However, the fearlessness of the 29-year-old, who holds a personal best of 2:09:28, makes him one of the most exciting runners in the field.

Brian Shrader

Following his 10th-place finish in the 2024 London Marathon, Brian Shrader is back on home soil hoping to impress on the streets of Chicago, where he finished 11th last year in a personal best time of 2:09:46.

While a DNF in the Olympic trials shattered Shrader’s dreams of going to Paris 2024 he enters this race with real aspirations of finishing as the top American and perhaps challenging the front-runners in the elite men’s race.

CJ Albertson

Perhaps best known for his exploits over distances that trickle into the category of ultrarunning, CJ Albertson’s pace over the legendary 42.195km distance makes him one of the top three American men in the Chicago Marathon field.

The former world record holder over 50km enters Sunday’s race with a best marathon time of 2:09:53 set at the 2024 Boston Marathon, where he finished seventh.

Albertson finished fifth in the 2024 Olympic trials but his recent form shows just why he is one of the most talked-about US athletes operating in the marathon today.

 

(10/09/2024) Views: 190 ⚡AMP
by Athletics

Sutume Kebede: Inspired by former training teammate Kelvin Kiptum's historic win ahead of 2024 Chicago Marathon

After missing selection the for Paris 2024 Olympics, the reigning Tokyo women's marathon champion - and fastest marathoner this year - is set to compete in Chicago on Sunday October 13th. You can watch the race on the Olympic Channel via Olympics.com.

As a world-leading marathoner, Sutume Kebede has accumulated training volumes of up to 700 hours weekly on forest paths and dirt roads around the world.

But there are some brief stints of her workouts that have stayed with her over the last few months.

The Ethiopian chose Chicago, where she trained last year in a group that included the late world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum. It was a routine experience that is now etched forever in her memory.

She is hopeful that the utterly incredible run that changed the men’s marathon can inspire her to achieve her greatest marathon win.

“After seeing what my teammate Kelvin Kiptum did last year, I want to come to Chicago to do something great,” she said on setting her sights on winning a first World Marathon Majors in the U.S.

The fastest woman over the marathon distance this year headlines the Chicago Marathon on Sunday  October 13, looking to continue making history with every stride.

Sutume Kebede looks to extend her strong form in Chicago after Tokyo win

When Kebede chose to race competitively, she looked up to one of the greatest track distance runners ever, Tirunesh Dibaba. She based herself at the legend’s Athletics Training Academy, training as a 5000m and 10,000m athlete.

And when she was ready for the international stage, the budding Ethiopian runner, who grew up as one of ten siblings, decided to forego the track and head straight to the roads.

In May 2015, the then 21-year-old achieved the world's best performance in the 25km with a time of 1:21:55, which was also an Ethiopian record.

This was a pivotal moment that gave her the courage to stay on the roads and make her debut at the Dubai Marathon in 2016.

A few years, and lots of half marathons and several marathons later, Kebede, now 29, has carved her name among the best marathoners. She is coached by her husband Birhanu Mekonnen, a retired roadrunner who prematurely ended his career to fully support hers. She is always quick to credit him as one who helped her reach this position.

Kebede has achieved a new level this year. She ran the fastest women’s half marathon on US soil when she won in Houston last January, beating a strong field that included Olympic silver medallist Hellen Obiri. Her unexpected victory of 1:04.37 set her up for her biggest win yet.

She returns to Chicago to run again, though with a heavy heart, but at the pinnacle of her career after winning the 2024 Tokyo Marathon in 2:15:55, the eighth-fastest woman of all time.

“I am extremely happy to come back to Chicago and run on a course that has proven to be very fast,” said Kebede, who is motivated to try again in Chicago, where she last met Kiptum. They were both managed by Marc Corstjens at Golazo Talent. The flashbacks of their training sessions around the Windy City and their ensuing races are still very fresh in her mind.

It’s been a year of highs and lows for the East African runner. As the fastest woman marathoner this year, she was banking on being an automatic pick for the Paris 2024 Olympics. But after missing out on selection, she opted to give the Chicago Marathon another shot. She was 15th last year when Olympic champion Sifan Hassan raced to the second-fastest time of the year.

"All the races I've won bring me joy, but my victory in the Tokyo Marathon, one of the world's major marathons, stands out as a highlight,” she told Ethiopian press.

She will face a strong field led by the two-time Chicago Marathon winner Ruth Chepngetich, runner-up last year, and 2021 London champion Joyciline Jepkosgei, who is coached by her husband Nicholas Koech and trains with American Betsy Saina. Saina is among the local stars tipped to shine alongside former American marathon record holder Keira D’Amato.

The races will also be broadcast live on Olympics.com in a number of territories.

(10/02/2024) Views: 198 ⚡AMP
by Evelyn Watta

Betsy Saina the fastest American marathoner this year, is set to race Chicago Marathon

Besty Saina, the fastest American marathoner this year, is racing in the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Saina set a new marathon personal best in the 2024 Tokyo Marathon, running 2:19:17 and taking gold. Her time represents the third-fastest time in American history and the fastest this year.

Saina, 36, has won four of her last six races, including the River Bank 25-kilometer run, the Sydney Marathon (2:26:47), the USA 25-kilometer Championship (1:24:32) and the Seville Half Marathon (1:08:23).

She didn't initially take to the marathon distance in her career. She dropped out of her first two attempts in 2017. In her third attempt at the 2018 Paris Marathon, she won, running 2:22:56.

(09/26/2024) Views: 190 ⚡AMP
by NBC Sports Chicago Staff

Could the women's American marathon record fall at this year's Chicago Marathon?

The 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 13 poses an exciting opportunity for elite runners to capture record-breaking times -- and this year is no different. Could a women's record fall during the race?

The lineup, which was released earlier this summer, is highlighted by two of the "10 fastest women of all time" and the the second and third fastest American women of all time.

“We are accustomed to making history at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon,” Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski said in a statement. “With some of the fastest athletes in the world joining us this fall, we are hopeful to build on the tradition of great performances this year.”

For the Americans, Keira D'Amato and Betsy Saina headline the country's best.

D'Amato, the former American marathon record holder, will return to the starting line after being part of the broadcast team for the past two years.

“I have a special history with the Chicago Marathon,” said D’Amato who finished fourth in 2021. “The past two years I’ve run my mouth in the lead vehicle for NBC. I’m excited to get back to running my legs.”

D'Amato first broke the American marathon record in 2022 in Houston, topping a time that had stood for 16 years.

Emily Sisson broke that same record shortly after during the 2022 Chicago Marathon. D'Amato was among the long line of legendary female runners celebrating Sisson at the Chicago finish line that year.

Saina, who placed fifth in this year’s Tokyo Marathon, will look to record her first Chicago finish after dropping out of the race in 2019 due to illness. She's run the third-fastest marathon time of any American woman, one spot behind D'Amato.

Sara Hall and Emma Bates are also in the field for the Americans. Hall's best time of 2:20:32 comes from Chandler in 2020. Bates ran her best time in 2022 at the Boston Marathon with a 2:22:10 finish.

Among the most notable names at the starting line will be Sutume Kebede, of Ethiopia, who holds the fastest marathon in the women's field and whose finish at the 2024 Tokyo Marathon made her the eighth fastest of all time.

“I am extremely happy to come back to Chicago and run on a course that has proven to be very fast,” Kebede, who had a disappointing finish in the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, said in a statement. “After seeing what my teammate Kelvin Kiptum did last year, I want to come to Chicago to do something great.”

Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich will also return to the start line in October. She won the race in both 2021 and 2022 while finishing runner-up during last year's 2023 race. Her 2:14:18 from the 2022 Chicago Marathon stands as the fourth-fastest time by a woman in history.

Here is the lineup for the women's elite division.

Bank of America Chicago Marathon Professional Field – Women’s Open Division

The Chicago Marathon is not immune to seeing record-breaking times.

Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum obliterated the men's marathon world record at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, running it in 2 hours and 35 seconds. He overcame Eliud Kipchoge's previous record by 30 seconds with his time. Tragically, Kiptum later died shortly after in a car accident in February. He was 24.

At the 2022 Chicago Marathon, Emily Sisson defeated the women's American marathon record in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 29 seconds. She finished second place in the race to Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich, who ran 2:14:18; the second-fastest marathon time by a woman in history.

Let's not also forget Joan Benoit Samuelson broke the women's American marathon record in 1985 with a time of 2:21:21. The time still stands as the seventh-fastest time by an American woman today.

Three of the four fastest marathon times in women's history were run at the Chicago Marathon. Will spectators see another on Oct. 13?

(09/12/2024) Views: 231 ⚡AMP
by NBC Sports Chicago Staff

Why Ethiopian marathon star wants to clinch Chicago Marathon victory in honor of Kelvin Kiptum

The reigning Tokyo Marathon holder has explained why she will be doing everything to win in Chicago to honor the fallen former marathon star Kelvin Kiptum.

This year’s fastest women’s marathoner, Sutume Kebede of Ethiopia, has revealed her real motivation ahead of the 46th Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Kebede's remarkable 2:15:55 victory in the 2024 Tokyo Marathon makes her the eighth fastest woman of all time. 

This achievement came just two months after she set the record for the fastest half marathon ever completed in the United States at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January, with a winning time of 1:04:37.

Kebede is part of a training group that once included the late Kelvin Kiptum, who was tragically killed in a car crash this past February, just four months after setting the marathon world record at the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Returning to Chicago with a strong motivation to win, Kebede expressed her excitement: “I am extremely happy to come back to Chicago and run on a course that has proven to be very fast.”

Kedebe has revealed her real motivation to make amends from last year’s shortcomings.

“After seeing what my teammate Kelvin Kiptum did last year, I want to come to Chicago to do something great.” Kebede had a disappointing finish in the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, but she is determined to make a significant impact this year.

Kebede will face fierce competition, including the fourth fastest woman in history, Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya. 

Chepngetich, the 2021 and 2022 Chicago champion, was runner-up last year and is eager to reclaim her title. Another top contender is fellow Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei, a TCS London and TCS New York City Marathon Champion who placed fourth in the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

Joining these East African stars are the second and third fastest American women of all time. Former American marathon record holder Keira D’Amato, who has been part of the broadcast team for the past two years, will return to the start line this year.

 D’Amato, who finished fourth in Chicago in 2021, is eager to compete again. Betsy Saina, who placed fifth in this year’s Tokyo Marathon, will also compete, aiming for her first Chicago finish after dropping out in 2019 due to illness.

The 46th Bank of America Chicago Marathon promises to be an exciting race, with some of the fastest women in the world vying for the coveted title.

(07/25/2024) Views: 299 ⚡AMP
by Mark Kinyanjui

World champions to headline 2024 Chicago Marathon

As we inch toward the fall road racing season, the 2024 Chicago Marathon is the first Abbott World Marathon Major (AWMM) to announce its men’s and women’s elite list. Last year’s elite races in Chicago saw two course records and one world record set by the late Kelvin Kiptum—something that will be hard to beat. But the 2024 field does not lack talent or potential, with former world champion and fourth-fastest marathoner in history Ruth Chepngetich headlining the women’s field and world 10,000m silver medallist Daniel Ebenyo making his marathon debut in the men’s field.

The men’s race

Ebenyo has had a successful career on the track, winning multiple medals at World Championships and Commonwealth Games, but never individual gold. He is currently ranked by World Athletics as the top 10,000m runner in the world, holding a personal best of 26:57.80, which he set in 2023. The 28-year-old was not selected for the 10,000m by the Kenyan Olympic team for Paris 2024 after an eighth-place finish at the Kenyan Trials.

Although the Kenyan star has had success on the track, he has also flourished in his short career on the roads, winning silver in the half-marathon at the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia. He holds a personal best of 59:04 for the half distance and a world best over 25 km (1:11:13).

Ebenyo’s potential over 42.2 km will be hard to predict; many people had high expectations for three-time world 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, but he struggled in his marathon debut last December in Valencia, clocking 2:08:59 for 37th place.

Joining Ebenyo in the men’s field is 2022 London Marathon champion Amos Kipruto, who has the fastest personal best in the field (2:03:13 from the 2022 Tokyo Marathon). Kipruto has podiumed at three of the six AWMMs and is known as one of the best tactical marathoners in the world. Chicago will be Kipruto’s first marathon since his seventh-place finish in Berlin last year.

The lone Canadian in the men’s field is Phil Parrot-Migas of London, Ont. This will be the third marathon of his career. He holds a personal best of 2:15:53, set in Hamburg in April.

The women’s field

At the 2022 Chicago Marathon, Chepngetich was on a world-record pace until the final kilometre, ultimately missing it by 14 seconds (2:14:18). This capped off her second-straight Chicago victory, following in the footsteps of her compatriot, Brigid Kosgei. Last year, Chepngetich was second to Sifan Hassan’s course record-setting run, in 2:15:37. Her personal best is the fastest in the field by a minute and a half, and with her experience on the flat and fast course, she’s going to be a tough athlete to beat come Oct. 13.

Besides Chepngetich, there’s a strong American contingent, consisting of three of the country’s top five fastest marathoners: Keira D’Amato, Sara Hall and Betsy Saina. D’Amato had a rough go at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, and was unable to finish, due to injury. Months later, she announced a coaching change and a planned move to Utah to train under distance running guru Ed Eyestone, the coach of U.S. Olympic marathoners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young. D’Amato, who will turn 40 in October, told Runner’s World she made the switch because she wanted a different perspective on her training and a chance to learn from someone new.

Saina comes into the race as the strongest American athlete, placing in the top five of her last three marathons, including a win at the 2023 Sydney Marathon. Sydney is currently a candidate to be added as the seventh AWMM, joining Tokyo, Berlin, London, Boston, Chicago and NYC.

(07/18/2024) Views: 364 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickison

Kenyan-born runners see dust at US Olympics trials as all of them miss tickets to Paris

It was a nightmare outing for all six Kenyan-born American runners at the US Olympics trials as none of them managed to secure a ticket to the Paris 2024 Games.

Kenyan-born runners who were seeking to represent the United States of America at the Paris 2024 Olympics all ended up empty-handed at the just-concluded trials.

At the weeklong trials that started on June 21 and ended on June 30, six Kenyan-born runners had signed up in a bid to represent their adopted country in various disciplines at the Paris Olympics.

However, none of them could finish among the first three to secure the coveted tickets.

Sam Chelanga and Paul Chelimo, Olympics bronze medallist in 5,000m, were the first to miss out on the first day of the trials when they finished seventh and 10th respectively in the men’s 10,000m race.

Grant Fisher, fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, clinched first place in the race, followed by Woody Kincaid with Nico Young claiming the final ticket.

The story was the same for three Kenyan-born athletes in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase. Anthony Rotich, who had already hit the Olympic qualifying standard, could only manage eigth place, followed by Bernard Keter in ninth, while Hillary Bor was 13th in the final.

Kenneth Rooks, Mathew Wilkinson and James Corrigan are the athletes who will be competing with Kenyan trio of Simon Koech, Amos Serem, and Abraham Kibiwott in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Olympics.

In the men’s 800m, Jonah Koech was the last man standing among the Kenyan-born contingent at the US trials heading into the final day on Sunday but he also met his waterloo.

Koech finished fifth in the final which was won by Bryce Hoppel, followed by Hobbs Kesler and Brandon Miller in second and third positions respectively.

It has been a horrible year for the Kenyan-born runners as only Leonard Korir managed to secure an Olympics slot after earning a late lifeline when qualification rules for the marathon were altered last month.

Korir had finished third at the marathon trials in February but had to wait for months to know his fate.

It was double disappointment for Chelimo who had also missed out on a place on the marathon team after dropping out of the race at the trials while Betsy Saina, Caroline Rotich and Elkanah Kibet also failed in their quest in February.

A number of them such as Saina, Koech and Chelimo has pitched camp in Kenya to train for the Olympics trials but it was still not enough.

(07/03/2024) Views: 250 ⚡AMP
by Joel Omotto

Betsy Saina, Diego Estrada win Amway River Bank Run 25K

Betsy Saina, now a back-to-back champ, crossed the finish line first to win the 47th annual Amway River Bank Run women’s 25K Saturday, followed by the record-breaking men’s winner Diego Estrada.

Saina finished with a time of 1:22:31.61. Estrada had a time of 1:13:09.51, breaking the American record. Each earned the $10,000 first prize and Saina got a $2,500 bonus for winning the ‘race within a race’ that pits the men against the women.

After winning the River Bank Run for the second year in a row, Saina said Grand Rapids has a special place in her heart.

“Last year, when I came, I won the race, and I felt like it was a special place for me. Honestly, I love Grand Rapids. It’s one of the best cities I like to be in. The people are so nice. Everything is just so perfect for me. That is why I am here,” she said.

Saina, who has a 2-year-old boy, had a message for her fellow mothers.

“I just want to let them know that no matter what, when you have a child, it’s not the end of the career, it is the beginning of it,” said Saina.

At this year’s race, Estrada broke the course record and set a new American record for the 25K. After finishing the race, Estrada fell at the finish line out of exhaustion.

“I was very exhausted. I made sure to put everything I had so there was nothing left in the reserves. So when I finished, I was like I hope it does not hurt because I’m going down,” said Estrada.

He said that he pushed himself hard during the last two miles of the race.

“Well, to be completely frank, when you are broke and this is how you eat, you can’t leave it up to chance,” said Estrada. “I knew I kind of had to suffer and put it down and that is what I did. I made a move.”

The 25K is the largest road race of its kind in the country and the national championship event for USA Track and Field. It has included the “race within a race” since 2015: The elite women get an 10:30 head start on the men to compensate for the average difference in finish times between sexes. If the women hold their lead and finish first, they win. If the men make up that difference and finish before the women, they win.

Tom Davis, from Fremont, Indiana, won the 25K handcycle race. He is a retired two-time Paralympian who started handcycling after he was injured while serving in Iraq.

“I started doing handcycling for therapy. A couple of years after that, I felt like God was telling me to get my bike out, start riding it, and race it and do it to glorify him. I did. It has been about eight years racing at the top level in the world,” said Davis. “I’m out here doing it for fun now.”

Miguel Jimenez-Vergara, from New Jersey, won the 25K wheelchair race. It was his first time participating in the Amway River Bank Run.

“It’s a really, really, really cool course. I have never done it before. It’s my first time coming out. It’s a really cool course with smooth roads and rolling hills. It was really cool,” said Jimenez-Vergara.

He plans to take part in the U.S. Paralympic Trials in Florida in July in hopes of joining the U.S. Paralympic Team this year in Paris.

(05/13/2024) Views: 466 ⚡AMP
by Michael Oszust, Rachel Van Gilder

Men and women course records set at Tokyo Marathon

The Tokyo Marathon—the first World Marathon Major of 2024—took place Sunday morning in Japan. In near-perfect conditions, with a starting temperature of about 42 degrees, more than 37,000 runners took to the streets in Japan’s capital city. Course records fell, although several notable pre-race favorites fell short.

Benson Kipruto wins men’s race in a course record

It was a Kenyan sweep in the men’s race: Boston and Chicago Marathon champion Benson Kipruto, 32, of Kenya, won in 2:02:16, a course record by 24 seconds. Timothy Kiplagat, 30, placed second in a personal-best 2:02:55, while Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich, 25, was third in 2:04:18.

Led by a trio of pacers, a pack of seven men blazed out at world record pace, traveling the first 5K in 14:16 (4:36 pace). By 15K, the pace had slowed, but only four men (and two pacers) remained: Kipruto, Kiplagat, and Ngetich, and Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, 39, the two-time Olympic champion and former world record holder.

Unlike the men, the women started more conservatively, then picked up the pace. The lead pack covered the first 5K in 16:16, a 5:12 pace. Shankule led much of the race as competitors dropped off; the pack thinned to seven by 15K, four by 25K, and the top three by 30K as the pace ratcheted down (Shankule, Wanjiru,and Kebede covered 25K to 30K in 15:59, 5:09 pace).

Just before the 40K mark, Shankule fell back. Then, at the fluid stop just after the 40K mark, Kebede pulled ahead of Wanjiru, battling to the clock to better the 2:16:02 Brigid Kosgei ran here in 2021. 

Sifan Hassan, 31, of the Netherlands, was fourth in 2:18:05—it was her third marathon, and her first loss. However, her time was still faster than the 2:18:33 she ran in her victorious London debut.

Saina shines after disappointment at Trials

Four weeks ago, American marathoner Betsy Saina, 35, who had been a favorite to make the U.S. Olympic team, dropped out of the Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, Florida, after the 21-mile mark of the race. Even though Saina had been in contention for the third spot, she suddenly pulled off the course and flopped in the grass at the side of the road, a victim of the rising temperatures.

Saina quickly regrouped and was a late addition to the field for the Tokyo Marathon on March 3. In much cooler weather, Saina finished fifth in 2:19:17. It was a PR by 2:23, the third-fastest time by an American woman (behind Emily Sisson and Keira D’Amato), and some measure of redemption after the disappointment of the Trials. She averaged 5:18.7 per mile.

Benson Kipruto and Sutume Asefa Kebede both won in course records, and American Betsy Saina ran a big PR to take fifth.

 

(03/03/2024) Views: 598 ⚡AMP
by Runner’s World

Kenyan-born American runner seeking redemption at Tokyo Marathon after US Olympic trials heartbreak

Kenyan-born American runner Betsy Saina is seeking a comeback at the Tokyo Marathon after missing out on the US Olympic marathon trials.

Kenyan-born American runner Betsy Saina will seek redemption at the Tokyo Marathon after a heartbreaking run at the US Olympic Marathon trials.

Saina exuded confidence ahead of the Olympic trials in Orlando but unfortunately failed to finish the race after the hype surrounding her. She now heads to the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, March 3 where she hopes to bounce back to winning ways.

Follow the Pulse Sports Kenya WhatsApp Channel for more news.

Two days ahead of the marathon trials, Saina had opened up on how her son motivates her to do better and she was optimistic of representing the US at the Olympic Games.

In a post on her Instagram, she said: “My little man has taught me to be resilient and brave. Everything I do he is the priority before anything else comes.

On Saturday I will be running for him, He has changed my life in many ways, I am the happiest woman in the world.”

She has now put the setback behind her and is looking forward to bouncing back at the Tokyo Marathon where she will be up against some of the greatest marathoners.

Defending champion Rosemary Wanjiru will be returning with the hope of bagging another title. During last year’s edition of the race, Wanjiru destroyed a strong field to claim the top prize, cutting the tape in 2:16:28. She enjoyed her 2023 season and will be looking to continue the hot streak to 2024.

Wanjiru also represented Kenya at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary where she finished sixth in the marathon.

2023 London Marathon champion Sifan Hassan will also be in the mix, hoping to notch up her third marathon victory since her debut in London last year. The Dutch woman has proven what she can do both on the track and the full marathon.

Hassan made her full marathon debut at the London Marathon and won most dramatically. She clocked 2:18:33 to beat marathon experts including Peres Jepchirchir, the reigning Olympic marathon champion.

She extended her winning streak to the Chicago Marathon where she stunned defending champion Ruth Chepng’etich to second place.

Hassan will be eyeing the Olympic Games and the Toyo Marathon is a better place for her to build up for the event.

Kenyan-born Israeli Lonah Salpeter has also been invited and she will be out to challenge the double Olympic champion and Wanjiru for the top prize. The Ethiopian charge will be led by Sutume Kebede and Tigist Abayechew who will be out to reclaim the title they lost to Kenya last year.

Magdalena Shauri of Tanzania will also be hoping to continue soaring high after her dominant exploits in Berlin last year where she finished third.

(02/21/2024) Views: 493 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula

Emily Sisson, Olympic Marathon Trials favorite, is ready for Saturday

Emily Sisson is the American record holder (2:18:29) in the marathon and the pre-race favorite to win the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials.

At the time of publication, 64.2% of you are picking her to win the Trials in the LRC $20,024 Prediction Contest Sponsored by Relay.

Sisson talked to LRC this week via video conference, and by all accounts her buildup for Orlando has gone very well.

“Everything’s been better, all the long runs, all the tempos, and actually my long interval workouts, those have actually been better than they’ve been before.”

When Sisson was asked to compare her fitness and buildup to the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon where she broke the American record, she said:

Everything’s been better, all the long runs, all the tempos, and actually my long interval workouts, those have actually been better than they’ve been before.

The workouts like on paper, like the times they’re all better. I think like I get confidence from that, but also just I’m feeling good and I’m feeling strong. So the training’s been good.

Sisson ran a 30:52 time trial on the roads in Arizona, which is just slightly slower than her official track PB of 30:49. Sisson, unlike Trials #2 contender Betsy Saina who ran a workout with 12 male pacers in Kenya, ran the workout all alone although her husband Shane was next to her on a bike. Sisson wasn’t blown away by almost setting a 10k PR in practice, as she said her track PR should be much faster. But she was pleased she could run that pace by herself. “I was happy that I was able to push myself that hard on my own,” she said.

Lessons from Chicago 2023

Chicago 2023 didn’t go as well as Chicago 2022 for Sisson, as she developed a side stitch later in the race and ran 2:22:09 for 7th place.

Sisson now views the Chicago 2023 setback as a positive experience as she learned from it. “We found some videos early on in Chicago and I just looked a little less fluid this past fall than I did in my 2022 Chicago.  It was really subtle, like there was a little bit more movement in my upper body. So, we’re trying to like stay on top of that a bit more this time just to make sure nothing like a side stitch or anything else breaks down again,” she said, adding she worked with chiropractor John Ball.

Respect for the competition and the marathon distance

Sisson enters the Trials not only fit but healthy. When asked whether she worries about the other competitors in the race, she said, “It’s not that I don’t worry about my competitors. It’s not that I don’t think about them, but, I just feel like the marathon’s different than like a half marathon or a 10k. When I go into those races, I’m just trying to be as fit as I can and try to be fitter than my other competitors. But in the marathon, you are racing your other competitors, but you’re also racing the marathon itself. So it doesn’t matter, what your competitors are doing.”

“I feel fit and I feel healthy. With a marathon, that’s not everything, but those are two big parts of it. So I am happy with that. I’m happy with how training went,” Sisson said.

Getting a Real Olympic Experience

While Sisson made the 2020 Olympic in the 10,000m, she,  like Aliphine Tuliamuk, said she missed out on the traditional Olympic experience because of the Covid protocols.  She’d like to get another shot at it. “Being an Olympian is like the biggest dream,” she said of a goal that started when she watched Olympic gymnastics with her mom as a kid.

“I was so thankful they happened in 2021, but it was definitely a different Olympic experience than Olympics prior. So I’d love to get back there.”

Of Sisson’s 5 marathons, the only one that went poorly was the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta where she dropped out.

Now with some time to reflect, Sisson has a better picture of what she think went wrong. “I think I went too hard in the buildup. I think my body, when I was standing on the start line,  I think I was tired and, and I just didn’t realize it at the time because I was so new to the marathon, I thought it was just so normal to be tired,  but there were things afterwards that I looked back on and there were signs that maybe I’d pushed it too hard in training.”

Sisson has backed off a little in her training this time. “So we did try to focus this time on getting good training in, getting in a good buildup, but just not overdoing it.  I don’t wanna leave my race in training,” she said.

Sisson does believe she can do well in a hilly marathon. If she qualifies for Paris, she’ll get the chance as the Olympic course has a massive uphill heading to Versailles.

(02/02/2024) Views: 499 ⚡AMP
by Weldon Johnson

Molly Seidel withdraws from Olympic Marathon Trials due to injury

Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel announced she is withdrawing from Saturday’s U.S. marathon trials for the Paris Games due to a knee injury.

Seidel, 29, said in a video posted Thursday that she suffered a knee injury a month ago, couldn’t run on it and got an MRI that revealed a broken patella and a partially torn patella tendon.

“I have done everything in my power over this last month to try and get myself to the (starting) line,” she said. “I’ve had just the most incredible physios and doctors doing everything in their power to help me. I’ve been cross-training my (butt) off, but ultimately I got to this week, and my knee had not healed up enough, and I knew that I could not race a marathon hard on it in its current state without really, really injuring myself.”

The trials are Saturday at 10 a.m. ET from Orlando, airing live on Peacock with coverage on NBC, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app at noon.

Four years ago, Seidel placed second in the trials in her marathon debut to make the three-woman Olympic team.

After the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the Tokyo Games by one year, Seidel finished third in the Olympic marathon held in Sapporo.

She became the third U.S. woman to win a marathon medal after Joan Benoit Samuelson, who won the first Olympic women’s marathon in 1984, and Deena Kastor, the 2004 bronze medalist.

After Tokyo, Seidel dealt with a hip injury and anemia, plus took time to focus on mental health after an eating disorder relapse.

Then last Oct. 8, Seidel finished a 26.2-mile race for the first time in two years. She was the second-fastest American woman at the Chicago Marathon, running a personal best and re-establishing herself as a prime candidate to make the Paris team of three at trials.

Seidel is the second contender to withdraw in the lead-up to trials.

Emma Bates, the third-fastest U.S. female marathoner of 2023, bowed out Jan. 7, saying then, “There’s just not enough time to be where I need to be.”

The field still includes three of the four fastest American women in history — American record holder Emily Sisson, former American record holder Keira D’Amato and Sara Hall, No. 4 on the all-time list.

Plus, former Iowa State teammates Betsy Saina (the fastest American in 2023) and Aliphine Tuliamuk (Tokyo Olympic Trials winner).

(02/01/2024) Views: 433 ⚡AMP
by Olympic Talk

For Betsy Saina, the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon Presents a Chance to Represent Her Son

For much of last year, Betsy Saina had a plan. She would race the Chicago Marathon in October, eager to run alongside Emma Bates (who placed fifth at last year’s Boston Marathon in a new personal best of 2:22:10) in pursuit of breaking Emily Sisson’s American record of 2:18:29, set the previous year at that same race.

Saina, 35, a naturalized U.S. citizen who represented Kenya in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro—she placed fifth in the 10,000 meters 30:07.78—had reason to be confident. Last spring, she set a new personal best of 2:21:40 with her fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Marathon, which wound up being the fastest marathon by an American woman in 2023 and made her the eighth-fastest U.S. female marathoner of all-time, solidifying her position as a top U.S. Olympic marathon team contender.

The Chicago Marathon had assured Saina’s agent, Tom Broadbent, that she was in for the race. But when the elite field was announced in August, Saina learned she had not been accepted, which not only threw a wrench in her fall training plans, but made for a lot of stress as she was planning her U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials buildup.

“I was shocked and spent three days looking at myself and trying to find any mistakes I made to not make the field, especially after running 2:21 in Tokyo,” Saina says. “I had never been rejected from a race before, and never got a response or an explanation as to why I didn’t make it. Being denied to run in Chicago honestly was one of the most disappointing things I’ve experienced in my career.”

Saina looked into entering the Berlin Marathon the following month, but had no such luck getting in with it being so late in the game. She was ultimately accepted into the Sydney Marathon (which shares its sponsor, ASICS, with Saina) on September 16. Unlike Chicago—with its fast, flat course that ended up having ideal racing conditions with temperatures in the 40s—Sydney has a hilly course and race-day weather was on the hotter side, with a starting temperature of 68 degrees.

Despite the conditions, Saina proved herself once again, winning the race in 2:26:47. This sealed her confidence as she began to look ahead to the Olympic Trials in Orlando on February 3. If she’s one of the top three finishers in the women’s race in Florida, she’ll earn a spot on the U.S. team that will compete in the marathon at the Paris Olympics on August 11.

“Challenges make people strong, and running a good marathon on a harder course made me come back feeling motivated,” she says. “[Even though it wasn’t the faster time I originally wanted], it didn’t stop me from being a better version of myself.”

Transcendent Transplant

Despite her impressive performances in 2023, Saina has remained largely under the radar in terms of media coverage and fan predictions leading up to the Trials in Orlando, similarly to what fellow Kenyan-born marathoners Aliphine Tuliamuk and Sally Kipyego (both of whom made the last Olympic marathon team) experienced in 2020. The lack of attention relative to her competitors hasn’t fazed Saina, however.

“I know how to deal with pressure, having been in the sport since 2013, so as long as my training is going well, I don’t pay too much attention to what people say,” Saina says. “I’m just more excited to see many of the U.S. women [who are also] my friends, like Emily Sisson, Sara Hall, and Keira D’Amato, and to be racing so many amazing U.S. athletes for the first time.”

Saina’s result in Tokyo was only about a minute faster than her debut at the distance at the 2018 Paris Marathon, which she won in 2:22:56 (after dropping out of the 2017 Tokyo and New York City Marathons). It was also a confidence boost for Saina because it was also her first marathon since giving birth to her son, Kalya, now two, in December 2021, after previously running 2:22:43 and 2:31:51 at the 2019 Toronto Waterfront and Honolulu Marathons, respectively.

Saina—who originally came to the U.S. to attend Iowa State University where she trained alongside Tuliamuk and was a three-time individual NCAA champion and 11-time NCAA All-American—has remained in her hometown of Iten, Kenya, for the majority of the time since having her son, as her husband, Meshack Korir, is a doctor completing his postgraduate education there.

Although Saina became a U.S. citizen in late 2020 and has a home base in Colorado Springs, she made the decision to return to Kenya to have additional family support and childcare as she worked to come back from pregnancy and childbirth to prepare for the Olympic Trials, which she’ll return for just a few days before the race. Saina also keeps busy managing a couple of guesthouses, which she regularly rents out to visiting athletes and tourists. She also works with Cross World Africa, a nonprofit that sponsors underprivileged children in pursuing secondary and higher education.

“Before I came from Kenya, my family was struggling and we had to fundraise for my flight ticket to come to the U.S. Being here has changed my family in a different way—I have two sisters who are now nurses in the U.S., and my parents can now more easily fly to visit us, and while it is not where I began running, the U.S. where I began competing at such a high level,” she says. “My son also gives me so much motivation and is my inspiration. When I see him, I see beauty in myself and see myself getting better when I’m running. So I am excited both to compete and represent my son, and to hopefully wear the U.S. uniform because it has so much meaning for me.”

Back in Iten, Saina has been training in a group with personal pacemakers alongside 2019 New York City Marathon champion Joyciline Jepkosgei, which she describes as game-changing for her progress in the marathon. Both Saina and Jepkosgei, who is also the former world-record holder in the half marathon and Saina’s best friend from high school, are coached by Jepkosgei’s husband, Nicholas Koech.

“Sometimes you will train with people who don’t want to help someone else get better, but [Jepkosgei], who has run 1:04 [in the half marathon] and 2:17 [in the marathon] is unique in that she has sacrificed a lot, which I don’t think a lot of women will ever do for each other, and I don’t think I would either,” Saina says. “But she has been pushing me a lot since the first day I joined her, and I think that’s the reason I came back and I’ve had better races. I have someone to chase and it’s like competition in training, but in a good way.”

American Original

Saina returned to the U.S. twice last year, to race the USATF 25K Championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan, (where she took the win in 1:24:32 for her first U.S. title, narrowly beating D’Amato) and to be inducted into Iowa State’s Athletics Hall of Fame in September. Saina had planned to do some shorter U.S. races, including the Bolder Boulder 10K in May and the NYRR Mini 10K in June, following her national championship title in the 25K. However, she ultimately decided she couldn’t bear to be away from her son any longer.

“As a mom, when you’re away, you are so worried because you’re like, ‘How is he doing right now? How can I handle the pressure, being away from him?’” Saina says. “This year, it’s really different for me because the only race I want to travel to without Kalya is the Olympic Trials. He is growing now and getting better, so I want to travel with him afterward to compete in the USATF circuit. That’s the biggest goal for 2024, to travel with my son.”

Later this year, Saina hopes to also run the April 7 Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in Washington, D.C., the Mini 10K on June 8 in New York City, and a fast spring half marathon to pursue the current American record (which was broken yet again by Weini Kelati on January 14 in Houston), before running another marathon in the fall. In the meantime, she noted that she is especially eager to compete in one of the deepest fields ever assembled for the Trials.

Although Bates withdrew from the Trials, Saina figures to be one of the favorites in Orlando along with Sisson, Hall, Tuliamuk, D’Amato, and Seidel. However, Lindsay Flanagan (ninth in last summer’s world championships), Sara Vaughn, Susanna Sullivan, Gabriella Rooker, Dakotah Lindwurm, and Nell Rojas are all sub-2:25 marathoners, and thus top contenders, too.

“The U.S. is no longer small and non-competitive. Look at Molly Seidel. She got bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, and I remember when Amy [Cragg] was a bronze medalist at the 2017 World Championships. If you put that in perspective, it has changed even more right now compared to that time,” she says. “The competition [to make the U.S. team] is no longer as easy as the way some people [thought], and I’m super excited to be competing with a lot of solid women. There is no difference between the U.S. and other countries right now—it’s not just to go compete at the Olympics; they’re going to compete for the medals, just like other countries.”

(01/25/2024) Views: 524 ⚡AMP
by Emilia Benton

Ethiopians Jemal Yimer (60:42) and Sutume Kebede (64:37) won the overall titles in Houston Half

In what is becoming an annual tradition, Weini Kelati ran 66:25 on Sunday to break the American record at the 2024 Aramco Houston Half Marathon. It was the third straight year the record was broken in Houston as the 27-year-old Kelati, making her half marathon debut, followed in the footsteps of Sara Hall (67:15 in 2022) and Emily Sisson (66:52 in 2023) to become a record-breaker in Houston. Sunday marked the third time the record had been broken in the past year as Keira D’Amatolowered Sisson’s record to 66:39 at the Asics Half Marathon in Australia in July.

Kelati finished 4th overall as Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede, a late addition to the women’s field, upset Hellen Obiri to win in 64:37, a US all-comers record that moves her into a tie for 9th on the all-time list. The time was a pb of more than three minutes for Kebede, who was previously best known for finishing 3rd at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon and running 2:18:12 at the 2022 Seoul Marathon. Obiri, who was with Kebede through 10k (30:28) faded over the second half and wound up a distant 2nd in 66:07.

The men’s race came down to a five-man sprint finish with Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer, who won in Houston in 2020 and was 4th at the World Half Marathon Championships in October, prevailing in 60:42. Wesley Kiptoo of NAZ Elite and Kenya was 2nd for the second straight year in 60:43 with 2022 champ Milkesa Mengeshaof Ethiopia 3rd in 60:45.

Biya Simbassa was the top American man in 60:45 in 4th, just ahead of a resurgent Diego Estrada, who led for the first 20 minutes and finished 5th in a pb of 60:49. Galen Rupp, tuning up for the Olympic Marathon Trials three weeks from now, hung back from the leaders and finished 14th in 62:37.

In the Chevron Houston Marathon, contested simultaneously, former NAIA star Zouhair Talbi of Morocco won the men’s race in 2:06:39 to boost his chances of Olympic selection. 2016 NCAA XC champion Patrick Tiernan, now training as part of Alistair and Amy Cragg’s Puma Elite Running team in North Carolina, was 4th in 2:07:45, hitting the Olympic standard and moving to #2 on the all-time Australian marathon list.

Ethiopia’s Rahma Tusa, the runner-up behind American Betsy Saina in September’s Sydney Marathon, won the women’s marathon in Houston in 2:19:33.

The races featured temperatures in the low 40s with 10 mph winds and gusts up to 17 mph, which made for a challenging end to the half marathon as miles 9, 10, and 11 were run directly into the teeth of the wind.

Below, six takeaways from the day’s racing in Houston.

2024 Houston Half Marathon men’s top 51. 60:42 Jemal Yimer, Ethiopia2. 60:43 Wesley Kiptoo, Kenya3. 60:45 Milkesa Mengesha, Ethiopia4. 60:45 Biya Simbassa, USA5. 60:49 Diego Estrada, USA14. 62:37 Galen Rupp, USA

2024 Houston Half Marathon women’s top 51. 64:37 Sutume Kebede, Ethiopia2. 66:07 Hellen Obiri, Kenya3. 66:24 Buze Diriba, Ethiopia4. 66:25 AR Weini Kelati, USA5. 67:36 Mestawut Fikir, Ethiopia

(01/14/2024) Views: 542 ⚡AMP
by Jonathan Gault (Let’s Run)

Betsy Saina explains what it will mean to represent USA at Paris Olympics

Kenyan-born American marathoner Betsy Saina has revealed what is motivating her to represent USA at the Paris Olympics after ditching her motherland in 2021.

Kenyan-born American marathoner Betsy Saina believes she is representing her whole family by running for the United States.

Saina switched allegiance from Kenya to the US in 2021, having represented her country of birth in 10,000m at the 2016 Rio Olympics before later moving to the marathon.

The 35-year-old is gearing up for her first Olympics trials with Team USA set to be held in Orlando, Florida and she has explained what it would mean to don the American colours at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“I'm really excited. Like I said, things have changed a lot,” Saina told CITIUS Magazine.

“The U.S. has become my home because it's been over ten years since I moved there. That makes me feel really emotional. My heart is full.

“I'm so grateful to be able to represent the U.S., after all I've gained in living there: to my two sisters living there, my son being born in the U.S. – it's a family thing for me. So I'm running for the whole family now.”

Saina moved to the US when she joined Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, later earning an agriculture and life sciences degree with a focus on nursing.

She has continued to shuttle between the US and Kenya, mostly training back home, including now as she prepares for the 2024 Olympics, alongside her long-time friend Joyciline Jepkosgei.

Saina admits it is much easier to train with Kenyan runners now knowing that she will not be competing with them for a ticket.

“I went to high school at the same time as her (Jepkosgei), so I knew her from back in 2005,” she added of her friend and training partner.

“When I made the decision [to switch allegiance] I really wanted to train with her because we have had a long-time friendship. But I was a little bit like, ‘oh my gosh, she's run 64!’

“But I looked at myself and I was like, ‘I need to challenge myself every day.’ When you're running with someone who is better than you, it's a privilege.

“I remember when I was training for Sydney and we were doing the same workouts, and my coach could use the time [difference between us] like, ‘hey, for this long run you still have like one or two minutes, you know, that you need to improve on.’ And I remember when I started maybe it was like four minutes and then by the time I was going for the race, I was closing down to like a minute."

Saina says unlike other runners, she enjoys training with Jepkosgei as she does not see her as a rival which makes things easier.

“It's been a big challenge, in a good way,” said Saina. “She's been helping me so much for the last month. She's not super competitive in training. Like, I know some people, when you're training with them, they can start saying, no, I don't want her to be close to me.”

“But for Joyciline, she really wants me, you know, to be on the same caliber with her, especially knowing that she's not in the same team with me. I love training with her. And when I come back from the Trials, I'll be able to keep training with her, whatever happens,” added the Sydney Marathon champion.

(01/12/2024) Views: 473 ⚡AMP
by Joel Omotto

The Road to the Paris Olympics and here is What You Need to Know.

American runners are about to begin training for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon

It’s early October, which means it’s the peak marathon season for many runners. But with an Olympic year on the horizon, it also means America’s top marathoners are about to hit the road to Paris.

More specifically, the men’s and women’s 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon races—scheduled for February 3 in Orlando, Florida—are just four months away. And that means the top U.S. runners hoping to represent their country at  next summer’s Olympics are about to begin preparing for the all-or-nothing qualifying race that decides which six runners will represent Team USA next summer on the streets of Paris.

Although several top American runners are racing the Chicago Marathon on October 8, even they have their eyes on a much bigger prize next February.

“There’s nothing in my mind that compares with being an Olympian and being in the Olympic Games,” says 26-year-old Utah-based Nike pro Conner Mantz, who returns to Chicago after finishing seventh last year in 2:08:16 in his debut at the distance. “So putting that first has been the plan for a long time. We’re just putting that first and we’re working backwards through the season with other races.” 

Registration will open for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in early November for runners who have surpassed the qualifying times in the marathon (2:18:00 for men, 2:37:00 for women) or half marathon (1:03:00 for men, 1:12:00 for women). The qualifying window extends through December 3—the race date of the last-chance California International Marathon, which for decades has been one of the most popular Olympic Trials qualifying races.

In 2020, a record 708 runners—465 women and 243 men—qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. But USA Track & Field lowered the women’s qualifying standard by eight minutes from the more attainable 2:45:00 plateau, which means there will most likely be a much smaller women’s field this year.

But even so, amid the handful of runners who have a legitimate shot at making the Olympic team, there will also be dozens of dreamers, wannabes, and just-happy-to-be-there elite amateurs who have worked hard, put in the miles, and earned the chance to be on the start line of the deepest and most competitive U.S. distance-running races that only happen once every four years.

The men’s and women’s races will run simultaneously with the men beginning at 12:10 P.M. EST. and the women starting 10 minutes later. Runners have complained that a high noon start means they will be forced to race in hot, humid conditions. Over the past decade, the average temperature on February 3 in Orlando has been 69.6 degrees Fahrenheit at noon, rising to 73.3 at 4 PM. But actual temperatures have varied drastically, from 81 degrees Fahrenheit at 2 P.M. last year to 56 at the same time the year before. USATF officials have responded by saying that the start times are to accommodate live coverage on NBC and to match the expected conditions in Paris.

Here’s an update and overview of what’s next, who the top contenders are, the course, and what to expect in the next four months.

The 26.2-mile U.S. Olympic Trials course runs through downtown Orlando and consists of one 2.2-mile loop and three eight-mile loops. The marathon course will run through several neighborhoods, main streets, and business districts in Orlando, including Central Business District, City District, South Eola, Lake Eola Heights Historic District, Lake Cherokee Historic District, Lake Davis Greenwood, Lake Como, North Quarter, Lawsona/Fern Creek, SoDo District, and the Thornton Park neighborhood. It will then head east to and around The Milk District neighborhood and Main Street. (Notably, the course will come close to Disney World, which is about 15 miles to the southwest.)

Unlike the Olympic Marathon course in Paris, which will challenge runners with significant hills in the middle, the Orlando course is mostly flat. Each loop has a few minor variations in pitch, but only 38 feet separate the high and low points on the course. Ultimately, though, it’s a spectator-friendly route with chances for family, friends, and fans of runners to see the action several times. 

The top women—based on personal best times and recent race results—are Emily Sisson, Emma Bates, Keira D’Amato, Betsy Saina, and Lindsay Flanagan. But the U.S. Olympic Trials races almost always produce surprises with a few great runners having off days and a few good runners having exceptional days, so there is reason to expect the unexpected.

Sisson lowered the American record to 2:18:29 last year when she finished second in the Chicago Marathon. She’s running Chicago again on October 8 along with Bates, who has said she’s hoping to break the American record. In January, Sisson, 31, chopped her own American record in the half marathon in Houston with a 1:06:52 effort, and most recently won the U.S. 20K Championships (1:06:09) on September 4 in New Haven, Connecticut. Bates, also 31, hasn’t raced at all since her sterling fifth-place effort at the Boston Marathon in April, when she slashed her personal best to 2:22:10. 

While Chicago will be another good place to test themselves, both have unfinished business after Bates was seventh at the 2020 Trials and Sisson dropped out near the 21-mile mark.

The same goes for Flanagan, 32, who has been one of America’s best and most consistent marathoners for the past five years. She placed 12th at the trials in 2020. She had a breakthrough win (2:24:43) at the Gold Coast Marathon in 2022 followed by a strong, eighth-place finish (2:26:08) at the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year. In August, she ran perhaps the best race of her career, when she finished ninth (2:27:47) at the world championships in Budapest amid hot, humid conditions.

The 38-year-old D’Amato, meanwhile, just capped off another strong season with a 17th-place showing (2:31:35) at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, a year after finishing eighth in the world championships and setting an American record 2:19:12 at the 2022 Houston Marathon. She was 15th at the Trials in 2020 in 2:34:24, just two years into her competitive return to the sport after having two kids and starting a career in real estate in her early 20s.

“It’s such a huge goal of mine to become an Olympian,” says D’Amato, who lowered Sisson’s U.S. record in the half marathon with a 1:06:39 effort at the Gold Coast Half Marathon on July 1 in Australia. “It’s really hard for me to put words into this because my whole life, wearing a Team USA jersey has been like a huge dream. And when I left the sport (temporarily), I felt like I said goodbye to that dream and I kind of mourned the loss of being able to represent my country. I feel like it’s the greatest honor in our sport to be able to wear our flag and race as hard as possible.”

Saina, a 35-year-old Kenya-born runner who ran collegiately for Iowa State University, became a U.S. citizen in late 2021. She placed fifth in the 10,000-meters at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro while competing for Kenya. She’s spent the past several years splitting time between Kenya and Nashville, Tennessee, where she gave birth to a son, Kalya, in December 2021.

She’s returned with a strong fourth-place 1:11:40 result at the Tokyo Half Marathon last October and a fifth-place 2:21:40 showing at the Tokyo Marathon in February. In May, Saina won the U.S. 25K Championships in Michigan. Two weeks ago she broke the tape at the Blackmores Sydney Marathon in Australia in 2:26:47.

Other top contenders include but are not limited to Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Molly Seidel (who’s personal best is 2:24:42), 2022 U.S. Olympic Trials champion Aliphine Tuliamuk (2:24:37, 11th in Boston this year), Susanna Sullivan (2:24:27 personal best, 10th in London this year), two-time Olympian and 2018 Boston Marathon winner Des Linden (2:22:38), and Sara Hall (2:20:32, fifth at last year’s world championships), plus Kellyn Taylor (2:24:29), Nell Rojas (2:24:51), Sarah Sellers (2:25:43), Lauren Paquette (2:25:56), Dakotah Lindwurm (2:25:01), Annie Frisbie (2:26:18), Sara Vaughn (2:26:23), Tristin Van Ord (2:27:07), and Jacqueline Gaughan (2:27:08).

The list of potential men’s top contenders isn’t as clear-cut, partially because there are so many sub-2:11 runners and several fast runners who are relatively new to the marathon. But all that suggests a wide-open men’s race where more than a dozen runners are legitimately in the mix for the three Olympic team spots. That said, the top runners on paper, based on both time and consistent results over the past few years, are Scott Fauble, Jared Ward, Galen Rupp, Conner Mantz, Leonard Korir, Matt McDonald, and C.J. Albertson.

The 31-year-old Fauble, who was 12th in the Olympic Trials in 2020 and owns a 2:08:52 personal best, has finished seventh in the Boston Marathon three times since 2019 and also finished seventh in the New York City Marathon in 2018. Ward is a 2016 U.S. Olympian and has three top-10 finishes at the New York City Marathon and a 2:09:25 personal best from Boston in 2019. He’s 35, but he just ran a 2:11:44 (27th place) at the Berlin Marathon in late September.

Rupp, who won the past two U.S. Olympic Trials Marathons and earned the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2016 Olympics, is nearing the end of his competitive career. He boasts a 2:06:07 personal best and has run under 2:10 more than any American in history, including when he finished 19th at the world championships (2:09:36) last year. He’s a bit of a wild card because he’s 37 and hasn’t raced since his lackluster 17th-place showing at the NYC Half Marathon (1:04:57) in March, but the world will get a glimpse of his fitness in Chicago this weekend.

Mantz followed up his solid debut in Chicago last fall with a good Boston Marathon in April (11th, 2:10:25) and solid racing on the track and roads all year, including his recent runner-up showings at the Beach to Beacon 10K in August and the U.S. 20K Championships in September.

McDonald, 30, who was 10th in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, has quietly become one of the best marathoners in the U.S. while serving as a postdoctoral associate in chemical engineering at M.I.T. His last three races have clocked in at 2:10:35 (Boston 2022), 2:09:49 (Chicago 2022), and 2:10:17 (Boston 2023). The only other runner who rivals that kind of consistency is Albertson, 29, who has run 2:10:23 (Boston 2022), 2:10:52 (Grandma’s Marathon 2022) and 2:10:33 (Boston 2022) in his past three marathons and was seventh in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2020 (2:11:49).

The men’s race will likely have a mix of veteran runners and newcomers who have run in the 2:09 to 2:10 range since 2022. Among those are 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials runner-up Jake Riley (2:10:02 personal best), who is returning from double Achilles surgery; 2016 U.S. 10,000-meter Olympian Leonard Korir (2:07:56), who ran a 2:09:31 in Paris in April; Zach Panning (2:09:28, plus 13th at the world championships in August); U.S. 25K record-holder Parker Stinson (2:10.53); Futsum Zienasellassie who won the California International Marathon last December in his debut (2:11:01) and then doubled-back with a new personal best (2:09:40) at the Rotterdam Marathon in the spring; Abbabiya Simbassa, who ran a solid debut marathon (2:10:34) in Prague this spring; and Eritrean-born Daniel Mesfun (2:10:06) and Ethiopian-born Teshome Mekonen (2:10:16), who both received U.S. citizenship within the past year; and solid veterans Nico Montanez (2:09:55), Elkanah Kibet (2:10:43) and Nathan Martin (2:10:45).

Additional sub-2:12 runners who will  be in the mix are Andrew Colley (2:11:26), Clayton Young (2:11:51), Brendan Gregg (2:11:21), Josh Izewski (2:11:26), Jacob Thompson (2:11:40), and Kevin Salvano (2:11:49).

As noted previously, some top contenders will season their marathon legs one final time at the flat and fast Chicago Marathon on October 8. An even more select few will opt for the New York City Marathon on November 5. After that, nearly every American with eyes set on an Olympic berth will double-down over the holiday season for that one final, critical marathon training cycle. Expect to see a wide range in heat training, from sauna protocols, to warm weather training trips, to simply an adjusted race day strategy.

Of course, with the Olympic Marathon falling under the purview of World Athletics, qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Marathon team is not quite as simple as finishing on the podium in Orlando. Any American looking to have a breakout performance and finish within the top three at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon will need to have run under 2:11:30 for men and 2:29:30 for women within the qualification window, which spans from November 1, 2022 to April 30, 2024. Given the possibility of oppressively hot and humid temps on February 3 in Orlando, they’re best bet is to secure that time now.

These qualification standards are in accordance with a new rule from World Athletics, which allows national Olympic committees to circumvent the typical Olympic qualification process of running under 2:08:10 for men and 2:26:50 for women, or being ranked among the top 65 in the world on a filtered list of the top three athletes from each country. The catch, though, is that three other runners from said country must have met one of these two standards. If this sounds complicated, that’s because it is.

For the hundreds of elite amateurs on the cusp of hitting that coveted U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying time, it’s do or die mode. While a few made the cut at the Berlin Marathon on September 24, one of those opportunities was lost when the Twin Cities Marathon was canceled on October 1 because of excessive heat. Temperatures are shaping up for an auspicious day in Chicago this weekend, and many more will give it a final shot at the Columbus Marathon on October 15; Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on October 28; the Philadelphia Marathon on November 18; and the last-call California International Marathon, a point-to-point race ending in Sacramento, California on December 3. 

Ultimately, only six American runners will likely continue on along the road to Paris and earn the chance to run in the men’s and women’s Olympic marathons next August 10-11. For a handful of younger runners, the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials will be a motivation to reinvigorate the Olympic dream or keep a faint hope alive, at least until the 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials that will determine the team for the Los Angeles Olympics. But for many runners, the journey to the U.S. Olympic Trials in Orlando will lead to the end of their competitive road running careers as new jobs, young families, a switch to trail running, and other priorities will take hold. 

“I think the Olympic Trials is an important part of American distance running,” says Kurt Roeser, 36, a two-time U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier who works full-time as a physical therapist in Boulder, Colorado. “I’m glad that they kept it the same event for this cycle and hopefully for future cycles because it gives people like me a reason to keep training. I’m older now and I’m not going to actually have a chance to make an Olympic team, but for somebody that’s fresh out out of college and maybe they just barely squeak in under the qualifying time, maybe that’s the catalyst they need to start training more seriously through the next cycle. And maybe four years from now, they are a serious factor for making the team.” 

(10/07/2023) Views: 614 ⚡AMP
by Outside Online

Focus shifts from track as road racing season heats up

As the international outdoor track and field season draws to a close, we now look forward to the feast of top-class road racing that will be on offer throughout the final four months of the year.

In just 11 days’ time, the focus of the sport will be on the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23, where the best distance runners on the planet will compete for global honours in the mile, 5km and half marathon.

The likes of world champion Faith Kipyegon, world record-holder Berihu Aregawi and Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir are among the stars set to compete in the Latvian capital. Recreational runners from around the world, meanwhile, will run on the same courses as the greats when they take to the streets of Riga for the associated mass races.

There are also eight Platinum Label road races between September and December, the first of which was held last weekend with Betsy Saina and Othmane El Goumri winning the Blackmores Sydney Marathon. Of the seven other upcoming Platinum events, three of them form part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors (WMM) series: the BMW Berlin Marathon, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the TCS New York Marathon.

Platinum Label road races, Sep-Dec 2023

8 Oct – Chicago Marathon (WMM)

15 Oct – Amsterdam Marathon

5 Nov – New York Marathon (WMM)

26 Nov – Shanghai Marathon

3 Dec – Valencia Marathon

17 Dec – Bang Saen Half Marathon

The Chicago Marathon two weeks later will be highlighted by a clash between defending champion Ruth Chepngetich and London Marathon winner Sifan Hassan.

Two-time Tokyo Marathon champion Birhanu Legese, the fourth-fastest marathon runner of all time, headlines the men’s field for the Amsterdam Marathon. Defending champion Evans Chebet will take on two-time winner Geoffrey Kamworor at the New York City Marathon in November.

For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Shanghai Marathon in late November will welcome an international elite field.

Just one week later, multiple global champion and world record-holder Joshua Cheptegei will make his long-awaited marathon debut in Valencia. In recent years the event has established itself as one of the highest-quality marathons in the world, and this year’s edition will surely be no exception.

Towards the end of the year, the Thai coastal area of Bang Saen will host one of the newest additions to the Platinum Label calendar, the Bangsaen21 Half Marathon. Since the pandemic, it has been largely a domestic affair, but it will be back with a bang this year with a high-quality elite line-up.

Hundreds of road races each year are granted a World Athletics Label, ranging from ‘Platinum’, for the top tier of road events, to Gold, Elite and Label. There are still more than 100 World Athletics Label road races due to take place between now and the end of 2023.

(09/24/2023) Views: 690 ⚡AMP

Saina and El Goumri win Sydney Marathon titles

USA’s Betsy Saina held off a late challenge from Ethiopia’s Rahma Tusa to take the women’s title, while Othmane El Goumri claimed the men’s race win at the Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (17).

Saina, who finished fifth at the Tokyo Marathon in March, clocked 2:26:47 to win by six seconds ahead of Tusa, while Gladys Chesir claimed third place in 2:28:41.

El Goumri’s winning time was 2:08:20 as he triumphed by 23 seconds ahead of Kenya’s Laban Kipngetich, with Ethiopia’s Getaneh Molla placing third in 2:11:22.

Racing on a hot morning, Saina formed part of a pack that passed 10km in 34:57 and the half way mark in 1:14:23 – with Kenya’s Angela Tanui to the fore at that point.

They reached 30km in 1:46:22, with a number of athletes still in contention.

Then Saina and Tusa started to make a move. As they left their rivals behind, they were together through 35km in 2:02:49, with Tanui back in third in 2:03:35.

Saina was still clearly feeling good and she pushed again to create a gap on Tusa, passing the 40km point in 2:19:30, 16 seconds ahead of the Ethiopian. But Tusa wasn’t content to sit back and watch the title run away, so she made a late charge. While she was able to close the gap to six seconds by the finish, it wasn’t quite enough, and Saina secured the crown, with Tusa taking second place and Chesir coming through for third.

Tanui finished fourth in 2:28:52, while Ethiopia’s Bekelech Borecha was fifth in 2:29:13. Australian record-holder Sinead Diver won the national marathon title in 2:31:27, finishing eighth overall.

In the men’s race, El Goumri made a move ahead of the 30km mark, but he had formidable company in the form of Tanzanian record-holder Gabriel Geay, who set his PB of 2:03:00 in Valencia last year.

After a half way split of 1:03:56, they passed 30km together in 1:30:58 but Geay could not maintain the pace and he dropped to third by 35km – with El Goumri ahead in 1:46:11 and Kipngetich overtaking Geay to pass that point in 1:46:28 to Geay’s 1:46:58.

Geay dropped out from the race after that point, with El Goumri forging ahead to win in 2:08:20 and Kipngetich claiming second place in 2:08:43. Molla, who had reached 35km in 1:47:31, claimed third place in 2:11:22.

He was followed over the finish line by his Ethiopian compatriot Limenih Getachew, who finished fourth in 2:12:34. Kenya’s Moses Kibet, who was defending his title after winning last year in an Australian all-comers' record of 2:07:03, was fifth in 2:13:28, while Oceanian record-holder Brett Robinson won the Australian title in 2:23:05, and like Diver he finished eighth overall.

With more than 17,000 entrants, the event was the largest marathon to ever take place in Australia.

(09/17/2023) Views: 879 ⚡AMP

Geay, Korir, Kibet and Tanui headline fastest Sydney Marathon field

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(09/15/2023) Views: 681 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

SAINA VICTORIOUS and KORIR REPEATS AT THE USATF 25 KM CHAMPIONSHIPS

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — It was a thrilling morning of racing in Grand Rapids on Saturday, as both the women’s and men’s races came down to the final mile, with Betsy Saina earning her first USATF title and Leonard Korir repeating as champion at the USATF 25 km Championships.

The USATF 25 km championships was hosted by the Amway River Bank and is the sixth stop on the USATF Running Circuit.

The women started first Saturday morning in Grand Rapids, and as the gun sounded it was USATF Running Circuit veteran Dakotah Lindwurm jumping to the early lead and setting a pace that immediately strung out the field. Lindwurm, along with other top competitors, would eventually pack up and run much of the front half of the race together.

 As the lead pack passed the 10 km split, Lindwurm continued to drive the pace, while the remaining athletes in the group, Saina, Keira D’Amato, Jessa Hanson, Jeralyn Poe, and Nell Rojas all seemed content letting Lindwurm pace the way up front. 

By 15 km, the trio of Lindwurm, Saina, and D’Amato were the remaining three runners up front, with Hanson and Poe running together a few seconds back. Eventually, D’Amato put in a surge to jump to the lead, as Lindwurm dropped off pace and connected with Hanson and Poe.

The move put D’Amato and Saina up front, claiming valuable seconds between themselves and the chase group as the final stages of the race were now upon them. D'Amato and Saina started to work together, and while Lindwurm and Hanson worked to try to maintain contact, their effort eventually couldn’t match that of the front running duo. 

With just under a mile and a half to go, Saina put in a surge that D’Amato simply couldn’t match. Saina charged forward, never looking pack, working hard to create crucial space between her and D’Amato. As the finish came into view, Saina nearly missed the final turn, allowing D’Amato to regain a few seconds on her rival, but ultimately Saina held off D’Amato, claiming her first USATF title as she crossed the line in 1:24:32. 

D’Amato claimed the runner-up spot at the USATF 25 km Championships for the second year running, this time crossing the finish in 1:24:39, adding another strong result to her young 2023 campaign. Behind the leading duo, Hanson held off Lindwurm for third, crossing the finish in 1:25:33, while Lindwurm held on over the final miles to claim fourth overall in 1:25:58. Rojas and Poe stayed close to the chase, as well, taking home fifth and sixth place in 1:26:19 and 1:26:32. With their third and fifth place finishes, Hanson and Rojas leapt Emma Hurley in the USATF Running Circuit overall standings, as the duo are now tied for first with 29 points.

Hurley now sits third with 22 points, having not raced Saturday in Grand Rapids. Breanna Sieracki took home seventh in 1:28:43, Mackenzie Caldwell claimed eighth in 1:29:19, Katrina Spratford-Sterling earned ninth in 1:30:13, and Joanna Stephens finished tenth for the second consecutive year with a 1:30:49 finish. 

As the men’s race got underway, reigning champion Korir and Thomson jumped to the lead immediately, pushing the early pace and dropping the majority of the field within the first 5 km, leaving a small group of only eight men in the lead pack. 

Over the next 5 km, Korir and Thomson would continue to lead, with USATF Running Circuit veterans Brian Shrader and Joel Reichow, along with Connor Winter, making a top group of five runners. Rolling along, the lead pack passed through 15 km, with Reichow dropping off the group, leaving four men to race the final 10 km in Grand Rapids. Winter would eventually fall off pace, making it a three-man race to the finish with less than 5 km to go. 

With a mile to go, Korir started to push the pace, one that both Shrader and Thomson couldn’t match. Korir used his experience in Grand Rapids, picking it up around the curves of the final stages of the race, putting enough space on his competition to hold on to victory, repeating as USATF 25 km champion in 1:14:45. 

Thomson was able to hold off Shrader over the final quarter mile of the race, taking second place in 1:14:49 to Shrader’s third place effort of 1:14:53. Korir’s finish pushed him into the top spot in the USATF Running Circuit overall rankings with 46 points. Thomson’s runner-up effort kept him in second, but moving ahead of Hillary Bor in points, totaling 43 points through six races on this year’s circuit. Shrader’s third place effort moved him up to fourth, five points behind Bor’s 31-point total with 26 points. 

Winter held on to fourth place, running a magnificent race from start to finish, crossing the line in 1:15:30. John Dressel and Reichow finished fifth and sixth overall in 1:16:06 and 1:17:12 respectively. Rounding out the top ten, Jarrod Ottman ran to seventh in 1:18:58. Adam Walker and Will Norris both ran under 1:20:00, with 1:19:06 and 1:19:21 eighth and ninth place finishes. Brendan Gregg took home tenth in 1:22:27, outlasting two-time USATF 25 km champion Fernando Cabada, who took eleventh with the same time. The seventh and eighth stop on the 2023 USATF Running Circuit are the USATF Women’s 6 km Championships in Canton, Ohio, and the USATF Men’s 8 km Championships in Kingport, Tennessee, both events taking place on July 15.

(05/14/2023) Views: 468 ⚡AMP

Who Will Run the World Championships Marathon for the U.S. This Summer?

The three men and three women are selected by a descending order time list. But not everyone accepts their spot. Over 9 days in August, the World Athletics Championships will take place in Budapest, Hungary. The women’s marathon is scheduled for August 26, and the men’s is August 27, the last day of competition. 

USA Track and Field (USATF) uses different selection procedures for this event than it does for the Olympic Games. Instead of using a Trials race, as it does for the Olympics, USATF offers spots to athletes using a descending order time list for certain marathons run between December 1, 2021, and May 30, 2023, as long as those athletes have met the qualifying criteria set by World Athletics. (The rules are complicated. For instance, the Boston Marathon is not on the list of “World Athletics approved” courses, but USATF is allowing times run at Boston in 2022 and 2023 for the descending order list.)

Not every American athlete will accept a spot, if offered. Some instead will choose to focus on a fall marathon, where they can earn substantial appearance fees and prize money that aren’t offered at worlds. Others won’t race at all this summer or fall, and instead they’ll train for the Olympic Marathon Trials in February 2024. How is it likely to shake out? Runner’s World reached out to the top seven men and women currently on the list or their coaches or agents to inquire about their plans. The window to run a qualifying time, however, remains open until the end of May. So a top performance in the next month could shake up the list. 

Here’s what they said: 

Women

Emily Sisson, 2:18:29, 2022 Chicago Marathon: Not likely, per her agent, Ray Flynn

Keira D’Amato, 2:19:12, 2022 Houston Marathon: Yes, if offered a spot 

Betsy Saina, 2:21:40, 2023 Tokyo Marathon: No, she is focusing on a fall marathon 

Sara Hall, 2:22:10, 2022 World Championships marathon: Has not yet decided

Emma Bates, 2:22:10, 2023 Boston Marathon: Not likely, per her agent, Ray Flynn

Susanna Sullivan, 2:24:27, 2023 London Marathon: Yes, if offered a spot 

Aliphine Tuliamuk, 2:24:37, 2023 Boston Marathon: Will consider if offered a spot, per her agent, Hawi Keflezighi

Wild card: Will Molly Seidel run a May marathon? 

Men

Conner Mantz, 2:08:16, 2022 Chicago Marathon: Not likely, per his agent, Ray Flynn

Scott Fauble, 2:08:52, 2022 Boston Marathon: No Elkanah Kibet, 2:09:07, 2022 Boston Marathon: Yes, currently deployed with the U.S. Army in Poland but will accept a spot if offered 

Zachery Panning, 2:09:28, 2022 Chicago Marathon: Yes, per coach Kevin Hanson

Leonard Korir, 2:09:31, 2023 Paris Marathon: Did not immediately respond to a message from Runner’s World 

Galen Rupp, 2:09:36, 2022 World Championships marathon: No, will run a fall marathon, per his agent, Ricky Simms

Futsum Zeinasellassie, 2:09:40, 2023 Rotterdam Marathon: Will consider if offered a spot, per his agent, Hawi Keflezighi 

Wild card: Biya Simbassa runs the Prague Marathon, his debut, on May 7. 

(04/30/2023) Views: 830 ⚡AMP
by Runner’s World

Wanjiru and Gelmisa triumph in Tokyo Marathon

Rosemary Wanjiru surged to No.6 on the women’s world marathon all-time list, while Deso Gelmisa prevailed in a men’s race sprint finish at the Tokyo Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (5).

Kenya’s Wanjiru ran 2:16:28 for the seventh-fastest women’s marathon performance in history, winning by 28 seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu who also dipped under 2:17, herself becoming just the eighth woman to ever achieve the feat. Gelmisa, meanwhile, held off a strong challenge from his compatriots Mohamed Esa and Tsegaye Getachew to lead an Ethiopian top three in 2:05:22.

Contesting the second marathon of her career after a 2:18:00 debut for the runner-up spot in Berlin last year, long-time Japan based Wanjiru was always among the leaders.

A seven-strong pack went through 5km in 16:19, Wanjiru running with last year’s runner-up Ashete Bekere and her Ethiopian compatriots Tigist Abayechew, Worknesh Edesa and Gemechu, as well as Japan’s Mizuki Matsuda, through 10km in in 32:34.

Japan’s woman-only national record-holder Mao Ichiyama, who ran 2:20:29 in Nagoya in 2020, had explained at the pre-event press conference that she fractured a rib in December and she dropped back by 10km, running 23 seconds behind the leaders.

Matsuda was the next to lose touch but was still on Japanese record pace as the speed picked up again, a sub-16:00 5km split taking the leaders to 15km in 48:32.

The women’s race was down to four by 20km, the tempo having eased slightly as Wanjiru, Edesa, Bekere and Gemechu reached that point in 1:04:44. Matsuda was just over a minute behind them, clocking 1:05:52.

The leading quartet remained together behind the two pacemakers through 25km in 1:21:07, but a few kilometres later that group of four, led by Wanjiru, decided to leave the pacers behind.

The tempo had slipped to 2:17 pace at 30km, reached in 1:37:25, but Wanjiru and Gemechu forged ahead over the next couple of kilometres.

Wanjiru was running solo by 39km but upped her pace to a projected 2:16:20 finish at the 40km mark, passed in 2:09:14, and she had a 19-second lead over Gemechu.

Wanjiru continued to glance over her shoulder during the closing kilometre but she had nothing to worry about and she crossed the finish line well clear, evidently elated with her victory and big 2:16:28 PB.Gemechu also broke 2:17, finishing 28 seconds back in 2:16:56, while Bekere was third in 2:19:11 and Edesa fourth in 2:20.13.

The 2016 Olympic 10,000m fifth-place finisher Betsy Saina, racing her first marathon as a US citizen and as a mother, worked her way through the field to finish fifth in a PB of 2:21:40, while Matsuda was sixth in 2:21:44 and the top 11 all dipped under 2:30. One week after finishing fourth in the Osaka Marathon in 2:23:15, Australia's Lisa Weightman clocked 2:31:42.In the men’s race, a huge group featuring all of the favourites was led through 5km in 14:45. The field started to break up as the pace picked up slightly, 10km reached in 29:21 and 15km in 44:03, but 30 runners remained together, the group spread by five seconds, as 20km was hit in 58:54.

Those 30 athletes remained on 2:04 pace through half way.

The tempo maintained through 25km in 1:13:45 and 30km in 1:28:39, with athletes at the back of the pack unable to stick with it.

Japan’s Ichitaka Yamashita moved to the fore around 33km into the race and by 35km, reached in 1:43:47, the lead group was down to 12.

A group of six – Kenya’s Titus Kipruto and Canada’s Cameron Levins, plus Ethiopia’s Gelmisa, Getachew, Deme Tadu Abate and Esa – broke away by the final turnaround point at around 37km and Levins hit the front a short while later. He took the leaders through 40km in 1:58:54 but was unable to hold on as Gelmisa, Esa, Getachew and Kipruto started their surge for home.

Gelmisa, Esa and Getachew kicked again and in a three-way sprint to the finish it was last year's Paris Marathon winner Gelmisa who had the strongest finish.

Leaving himself just enough opportunity to celebrate on his approach to the tape, he won in 2:05:22, narrowly pipping Esa, who recorded the same time.

Getachew was three seconds back to complete an Ethiopian top three, while Kipruto finished fourth in 2:05:32.

In fifth, Levins took two seconds off the North American record, clocking 2:05:36 to improve a mark set by Khalid Khannouchi in London in 2002. Levins’ previous best had been the Canadian record of 2:07:09 he set when finishing fourth in last year’s World Championships marathon in Oregon.

Abate finished sixth in 2:05:38, while Yamashita was the leading Japanese finisher in a PB of 2:05:51 for seventh place as Japan’s Kenya Sonota also dipped under 2:06 and a total of 20 athletes went sub-2:10.

(03/05/2023) Views: 731 ⚡AMP

Koech, Wanjiru spearhead Team Kenya in Sunday's Tokyo race

Bernard Koech will lead a strong Kenyan contingent for the Tokyo Marathon this Sunday. 

Koech, who has a personal best of 2:04:09 set at the Amsterdam Marathon in 2021, where he finished second.

Kenya's Mike Kipruto Boit, Brimin Misoi and Vincent Raimoi are also contenders for the title.

The Kenyan quarter will, however, face a stern test from 2021 London Marathon champion Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia.

Lemma won the London Marathon in 2:04:01 and will have compatriots Tsegaye Getachew, Mohamed Esa, and Deme Tadu Abate for the company as he seeks to add another feather to his hat. 

Getachew has a personal best of 2:04:49 posted while winning the Amsterdam Marathon last year while Esa's PB is 2:05:05 recorded while placing fifth in Amsterdam in  2022. Abate's PB of 2:06:28 was achieved in Berlin, where he placed third last year.

Japan had entered the last three national record holders, Kengo Suzuki, Suguru Osako and Yuta Shitara but the withdrawal of Suzuki last month leaves two to battle for the honours. 

Osako is the fastest Japanese man in the field with a 2:05:29 set in Tokyo three years ago. 

Hidekazu Hijikata, Kyohei Hosoya, Ryu Takaku and Hiroto Inoue have all run 2:06 and another nine Japanese men on the list have run 2:07.

At the pre-race press conference, Japan's most consistent marathoner over the last few years, Hosoya said he is in great shape and will be going for the Japanese NR and at a minimum the top Japanese spot.

In the women's category, Rosemary Wanjiru will spearhead Kenya's quest for glory in the Japanese capital.

Wanjiru has a personal best of 2:18:00 posted when she finished second in the Berlin Marathon last year.

She will have fellow Kenyan and 2022 Toronto Marathon champion Antonina Kwambai for the company. Another Kenyan Betsy Saina will be among the athletes to watch. Saina is back from maternity leave and ran a promising 1:08:25 for the win at the Seville Half Marathon earlier this year.

Ashete Bekere of Ethiopia is the race favourite with a personal best time of 2:17:58 when finishing second at the event in 2021.

Others to look out for the title include compatriots Tigist Abaychew and Worknesh Edesa.

(03/04/2023) Views: 1,037 ⚡AMP
by William Njuguna

Ichiyama clinches final spot on Japan’s Olympic marathon team in Nagoya

Going into the Nagoya Women’s Marathon on Sunday (8), the goal for Japan’s leading distance runners was clear: run faster than 2:21:47 at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race and secure a spot on the national Olympic team.

Mao Ichiyama, who had finished sixth at last year’s Marathon Grand Championship, Japan’s main trial race, broke away from the two fastest runners in the field at 30km to go on to win in 2:20:29, claiming the third and final spot on Japan’s Olympic marathon squad.

Before this race, Mizuki Matsuda – who had won the Osaka Women’s Marathon in January in 2:21:47 – was in line to take the third place on the team, but she will now be entered as a reserve after being supplanted by Ichiyama.

The pacemakers, aiming for a finishing time of 2:20:30, led a huge pack through 5km in 16:41 and 10km in 33:19. Nancy Kiprop was the first big name to drop out, stopping at 11km. Betsy Saina, who finished fifth in the 10,000m at the 2016 Olympic Games, did likewise one kilometre later.

After 15km, reached in 50:12, Olympic team contenders Reia Iwade and Kayoko Fukushi started to falter. 11 runners passed 20km in 1:06:50 and only Ai Hosoda had drifted out of the group by 25km (1:23:30). After passing 30km in 1:40:31, Ichiyama made a decisive move, covering the next five-kilometre segment alone in 16:14.

By 35km Ichiyama was 25 seconds ahead of Rionoripo. By the time she reached the finish line in 2:20:29, a PB by four minutes, the 22-year-old was more than two minutes ahead of the next finisher.  

Yuka Ando, who passed four runners in the final seven kilometres, finished second in 2:22:41, the second-fastest time of her career. Rionoripo, who was in second at 40km, finished third in 2:22:56, while Ethiopia’s Hirut Tiberu was fourth in a PB of 2:23:17. Marathon debutante Sayaka Sato was fifth in 2:23:27.

Ichiyama is now the fourth-fastest Japanese woman in history, behind Mizuki Noguchi, Yoko Shibui and Naoko Takahashi, all legendary runners in Japan. Her winning performance is also the fastest time by a Japanese woman on home soil, replacing Noguchi’s 2:21:18 from Osaka in 2003.

“I had been dreaming of a day like this,” said Ichiyama. “The weather was bad, so I thought it would look great if I ran fast today. My goal was to run under 2:21:47, so I am very happy to run much faster.

“I trained to run alone from 30km on, so I am happy that the race went as planned. However, my time is still not world class, so I am going to train at a higher level for the Olympics and produce a great performance at the Games for my country.

“Last year at the Tokyo Marathon the weather was even worse, but that was a good rehearsal for today,” she added. “My only concern today was my time, so I was not worried about my overseas opponents. The race went exactly as I imagined. At about 37km, I was sure I could run under 2:21. But after 40km, it was starting to get tough.”

(03/08/2020) Views: 1,699 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

A quintet of sub-2:23 runners will be gunning for the course record at the Nagoya Women's Marathon on Sunday

Traditionally, the Nagoya race is the largest women's-only marathon in the world, with 24,000 runners entered to run this year. But due to concerns over the outbreak of Coronavirus cases in Japan, organizers restricted entry to this year's race to elite athletes only. 

Among those are five sub-2:23 runners who set their career bests in 2019 who will be eying the 2:21:17 course record set by Eunice Kirwa in 2017. 

Purity Rionoripo is the fastest in the field at 2:20:39 from the 2019 Valencia Marathon, but also has a 2:20:55 to her credit from the Paris Marathon in 2017.

Helen Tola was second in the 2019 Tokyo Marathon with 2:21:01 and also ran 2:21:36 in Berlin later in the year. Tola also has two additional 2:22 performances under her belt, both from Berlin.

Helalia Johanness is the defending champion, clocking a personal best of 2:22:25 last year. Shen has a strong championships records having won the 2018 Commonwealth Games title and taking bronze at last year's World Championships.

If the favorite falters, then Nancy Kiprop, Stella Barsosio, Betsy Saina, Birke Debele and Hirut Tiberu could emerge.

Kiprop ran 2:22:46 in Frankfurt in 2018 and then ran a personal best of 2:22:12 in Vienna the following year. Barsosio clocked 2:23:43 in Paris two years ago and 2:23:36 in Rotterdam last year. Saina won the 2018 Paris Marathon with 2:22:56 and ran 2:22:43 in Toronto last May. Debele ran 2:23:19 in that Toronto race while Tiberu has a best of 2:23:35. Tiberu has run 2:25 or faster in all her completed marathons since 2017.

The race also provides the final chance for Japanese women to make the Olympic Marathon team. They'll have to faster than 2:21:47, the winning time at the Osaka Women’s Marathon, which may prove to be a tall order.

Yuka Ando is the fastest among Japanese with a 2:21:36 personal best set in this race in 2017. The best she's run since is 2:26:47.

Kayoko Fukushi is vying to make a fifth Olympic team. The 37-year-old, who has a 2:22:17 personal best which dates to 2016, started but dropped out of January's Osaka Marathon to focus on Nagoya.

Others to watch include Mao Kiyota, who comes armed with a 2:23:47 best; Reia Iwade, who's clocked 2:23:52; and Mao Ichiyama, with a best of 2:24:33. 

(03/06/2020) Views: 1,919 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Titus Ekiru shatters Honolulu Marathon course record

On Sunday morning, Titus Ekiru of Kenya shattered the Honolulu Marathon course record, running a 2:07:59 to defend his title and win the race by more than five minutes. Second place went to Wilson Chebet in 2:13:13 and third place to Edwin Koech in 2:14:19.

Kenya’s Margaret Murikui was the women’s winner, in 2:31:09. Betsy Saina, who was third at the Toronto Marathon (where she ran her personal best of 2:22), and 10th in Boston this year, was second on Sunday clocking 2:31:51. Third place went to American Renee Metivier in 2:43:17 who, with that time, has secured her spot at the US Olympics Trials.

Titus Ekiru of Kenya broke the course record in repeating his victory of last year, winning the 47th Honolulu Marathon.

Ekiru now owns two of the three fastest Honolulu times. The previous record of 2:08:27 was set by Lawerence Cherono two years ago.

Humberto Baeza (2:36:26) and Polina Carlson (2:57:38) were the top Hawaii male and female resident finishers. Maui’s Matt Holton (2:42:36) and Malia Crouse (3:12:25) claimed the kama‘aina awards for runners born and residing in Hawaii.

In the wheelchair division, Masazumi Soejima won his 13th Honolulu Marathon and seventh in a row with a winning time of 1:35:37. Megan O’Neil won the women’s race in 2:48:08.

Around 19,500 people started this year’s race, with another 5,900 taking part in the “Start to Park” 10k race and another 2,700 participating in the Honolulu Marathon’s “Merrie Mile” run on Saturday.

(12/09/2019) Views: 1,749 ⚡AMP

Shalane Flanagan has announced her retiring from professional running

With happy tears I announce today that I am retiring from professional running. From 2004 to 2019 I’ve given everything that’s within me to this sport and wow it’s been an incredible ride! I’ve broken bones, torn tendons, and lost too many toenails to count. I've experienced otherworldly highs and abysmal lows. I've loved (and learned from) it all.

Over the last 15 years I found out what I was capable of, and it was more than I ever dreamed possible.  Now that all is said and done, I am most proud of the consistently high level of running I produced year after year. No matter what I accomplished the year before, it never got any easier. Each season, each race was hard, so hard. But this I know to be true: hard things are wonderful, beautiful, and give meaning to life.  I’ve loved having an intense sense of purpose.  For 15 years I've woken up every day knowing I was exactly where I needed to be.

The feeling of pressing the threshold of my mental and physical limits has been bliss. I've gone to bed with a giant tired smile on my face and woken up with the same smile.  My obsession to put one foot in front of the other, as quickly as I can, has given me so much joy.

However, I have felt my North Star shifting, my passion and purpose is no longer about MY running; it's more and more about those around me.  All I’ve ever known, in my approach to anything, is going ALL IN.

So I’m carrying this to coaching. I want to be consumed with serving others the way I have been consumed with being the best athlete I can be.

I am privileged to announce I am now a professional coach of the Nike Bowerman Track Club.  This amazing opportunity in front of me, to give back to the sport, that gave me so much, is not lost on me.  I’ve pinched myself numerous times to make sure this is real. I am well aware that retirement for professional athletes can be an extremely hard transition. I am lucky, as I know already, that coaching will bring me as much joy and heartache that my own running career gave me.

I believe we are meant to inspire one another, we are meant to learn from one another. Sharing everything I’ve learned about and from running is what I’m meant to do now.I would like to thank: The 5 coaches who guided me throughout my career, Michael Whittlesey and Dennis Craddock (2004-2005), John Cook (2006-2008), Jerry Schumacher (2009-2019), and Pascal Dobert (2009-2019). Each man was instrumental in developing me into the best version of myself.

Jerry, Pascal and I will continue to work together in this next chapter and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Jerry has been my life coach, running coach and now will mentor me towards my next goal of becoming a world-class coach myself. I’m thankful for his unending belief in me.

My family and husband who have traveled the world supporting my running and understanding the sacrifices I needed to make. Their unconditional love is what fueled my training.My longtime friend, Elyse Kopecky who taught me to love cooking and indulge in nourishing food. Run Fast. Eat Slow. has been a gift to my running and to the thousands of athletes.

My teammates, and all the women I've trained with, for pushing me daily, and the endless smiles and miles. They include: Erin Donahue, Shannon Rowbury, Kara Goucher, Lisa Uhl, Emily Infeld, Amy Cragg, Colleen Quigley, Courtney Frerichs, Shelby Houlihan, Betsy Saina, Marielle Hall, Gwen Jorgensen, Kate Grace.

My sponsor Nike for believing in me since 2004 and for continuing to support my new dream as a professional coach.  I hope I made myself a better person by running. I hope I made those around me better. I hope I made my competition better. I hope I left the sport better because I was a part of it.

My personal motto through out my career has been to make decisions that leave me with “no regrets”.....but to be honest, I have one.  I regret I can’t do it all over again.

(10/21/2019) Views: 2,280 ⚡AMP
by Shalane Flanagan

Philemon Rono won the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon for the third time on Sunday

The Kenyan, nicknamed ‘Baby Police’ for his role as a policeman, smashed his own Canadian all-comers’ record with a time of 2:05:00 at the IAAF Gold Label road race.

Behind him, Lemi Bernahu of Ethiopia, who had been leading until the final kilometer, took second in 2:05:09, Uganda’s Felix Chemonges third in 2:05:12 and defending champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya fourth in 2:05:13.

“It was important to win three times, because Toronto is like my home,” said Rono. “When I come here, I enjoy myself. I have a lot of friends from Kenya here. I am really, really happy to win today.”

While Rono achieved an incredible record, earning CDN$30,000 for the victory along with CDN$50,000 for the all-comers’ record, it was his compatriot Magdalyne Masai-Robertson who claimed the women’s victory with an enormous personal best of 2:22:16. That beat the course record set by Mimi Belete last year by 13 seconds and improved the Canadian all-comers' record by one second.

For the first time in its 30-year history, conditions were near perfect (8C and 5km/hr wind at the start).

A trio of pacemakers took a pack of six men through the halfway point in 1:03:08 and 30 kilometers in 1:29:24 before Lemi Berhanu hinted that the tightness in his legs, which had bothered him in the days immediately preceding the race, had vanished. By 38 kilometres he had surged to a lead of more than 15 seconds. But incredibly Rono closed the gap in the final two kilometres to snatch victory.

“I was running at my own pace,” Rono explained. “The pace at the front was really moving so I maintained my own pace. At 38km when he ran away I said ‘let me maintain my pace’. And I knew I could catch him.”

For his part, Berhanu, who was the 2016 Boston champion, complained of a stitch in his right side and was in distress. Disappointment registered on his face at the finish where he sat alone on the ground for 10 minutes before his coach Gemedu Dedefo collected him for the awards ceremony.

“I was thinking when I made the break I could run sub 2:05 and keep pushing, but after 40km I could not really move because of a stitch,” he explained.

Felix Chemonges took four minutes off his personal best to break 2012 Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich’s Ugandan record with his 2:05:12.

The women’s race was equally compelling as eight women ran together through 30km. Five survived Birktuyat Eshetu’s surges up until 35km including Kenya’s Betsy Saina, Rachel Mutgaa and Masai-Robertson and then the race blew up. The latter took off, fearful of being caught. At 40km she spared a look over her shoulder and realised her nearest pursuer was Eshetu and quite a distance separated them.

(10/21/2019) Views: 1,970 ⚡AMP
by IAAF

Kenyan Brigid Kosgei has set her sights on a second straight Chicago Marathon title

Kenya's Brigid Kosgei will on Sunday return to Chicago eyeing to be third time lucky as she battles to defend the marathon title she won last year.

Kosgei, 25, was second in 2017 on her debut, but she made an even bigger splash last year when she won the race with the third-fastest time in Chicago's history of 2:18:35.

While Kosgei, the seventh fastest woman in the history of marathon running, has been unbeatable in 2019, American marathon debut record holder Jordan Hasay and 2018 Paris marathon champion Betsy Saina should make for an exciting trio up front.

"The Chicago marathon is a tough race. I struggled up to my maximum, and then I won," said Kosgei on Tuesday ahead of her departure to Chicago.

Kosgei has literally been unbeatable in 2019, and her dominance extends to winning a 10-kilometer race, three half marathons, a 5km, and the London marathon.

"I was happy I have been able to run well this season. It has not been easy," she added.

Kosgei has won the Honolulu marathon twice and finished eighth in Boston at 2:31:48. Overall, she has finished first or second in nine of her ten career marathons. But she is aware the past record will only count on paper and her legs have to do the actual fight for her to retain her title and boost her chances of leading Kenya team to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

"I would like to compete in the Olympics. But there are hurdles to be cleared before thinking of the Olympics. For now, winning in Chicago will be important and then we will see how 2020 turns out," she added.

Saina, the former Paris marathon runner says she has returned to shape after injury concerns that limited her cruise in Boston in April. Saina, a 2016 Olympian in the 10,000m, enjoyed a flash of brilliance in the marathon when she won the 2018 Paris marathon in 2:22:56.

After spending her career on the track, she experienced a rocky transition to the marathon in 2017, failing to finish both the Tokyo and New York City marathons. However, she delivered in Paris and a few months later, she finished eighth in Frankfurt at 2:24:35.

This year, she finished 10th in Boston at 2:30:32 and defended her title at Japan's Marugame half marathon clocking the best time of 1:07:49.

The men's field includes four-time Olympic gold medalist and defending Chicago marathon champion, Mo Farah, Olympic marathon bronze medalist and 2017 Chicago marathon champion Galen Rupp and 2015 Chicago marathon champion, Dickson Chumba.

Throw in Boston marathon champion Lawrence Cherono and the quartet will certainly be spoilt for a fight as they seek to improve the course record on Sunday.

(10/08/2019) Views: 1,751 ⚡AMP

Kenyan Betsy Saina will face a strong women field for medals at the Chicago Marathon

Betsy Saina will face a strong challenge from the Americans, though the Kenyans stand out stronger owing to their past performances.

Her compatriot Brigid Kosgei, who is coming off a 2:18:20 personal best run in London, has opted out of the Kenya team to the World Championships to defend her title in Chicago, where she is the obviously favorite.

"Chicago is the next stop for me," said Kosgei on Thursday. "It is a fast and good course that inspires athletes to run fast time. But it will enforce my resolve to make the Olympic team next year."

Kosgei won the Chicago race last year clocking 2:18:35 and will want to run faster and see if she can improve on her best time from London attained in April.

But she will be cautious of the never-say-die attitude that compatriot Saina carries.

There is also the potential threat from Jordan Hasay, who ran 2:20:57 in Chicago two years ago and just finished third in Boston. She has shown that she is in great shape.

But the two other sub-2:24 performers are hardly consistent.

Saina may have failed to finish the race in her first two marathons before winning 2018 Paris in 2:22:56. Since then, she's run 2:24:35 for eighth spot in Frankfurt and 2:30:32 for tenth in Boston.

Critics say the women's field in Chicago is one of the weakest ever assembled at a World Marathon Major.

Though there are two Kenyans entered - and no Ethiopians - and while that's not the only measure of quality, the personal bests in this field won't blow anyone away.

The return of champion Kosgei will give the race and the organizers some credence of another potential battle for fast time.

Kosgei is the top female marathoner in the world right now after wins in Chicago and London. But Jordan Hasay is the only other woman in the field who has run faster than 2:22:56 - and one of only four women in the field to have broken 2:25.

 

(08/29/2019) Views: 2,092 ⚡AMP

Kenyan Caroline Rotich is hoping to do something only one other female runner has done, win both the Boston Marathon and the BAA 10K this Sunday

Kenyan Caroline Rotich will try to accomplish something only one other female runner has done: win both the Boston Marathon and the Boston Athletic Association 10K.

Rotich, who won the Marathon in 2015, came close to the tandem victory last year but finished second in the 10K.

She will have another chance as she joins a multitude of runners on the 6.2-mile course through the Back Bay. The race will start and end on Charles Street, and runners will see Boylston, Arlington, and Babcock streets as well as Commonwealth Avenue along the way.

A total of $48,500 will be handed out in prize money, with $10,000 going to the first-place finishers.

Competing against Rotich will be fellow Kenyan Fancy Chemutai, whose personal-best 10K time of 30:06 stands at the top of the women’s elite field. Other noteworthy runners in this group include 2016 Olympian Betsy Saina, reigning BAA 5K champion Monicah Ngige, and Sharon Lokedi, the 2018 NCAA 10,000 meters champion. Mamitu Daska of Ethiopia, who has twice won the BAA 10K, also will compete.

On the men’s side, two two-time champions of the BAA 10K will compete in Stephen Sambu (2013, 2014) and Daniel Chebii (2016, 2017). Neither has the best personal time in the field, however. That belongs to Geoffrey Koech, whose 27:18 tops the 21-person elite group.

Also running will be Abdi Abdirahman, a four-time US Olympian who finished first in the 40-44 age group at this year’s Boston Marathon.

(06/19/2019) Views: 2,402 ⚡AMP
by Nick Kelly

Sineard Diver improved her 40 Plus world record at Marugame Half Marathon clocking 1:08:55

Betsy Saina pulled away from Ayuko Suzuki in the final kilometer of the Marugame Half Marathon to successfully defend her title at the IAAF Silver Label road race in 1:07:49 on Sunday Feb 3.

Abdi Nageeye, meanwhile, caught front-running Simon Kariuki just before the 20-kilometer point and went on to win in 1:00:24, taking 46 seconds off the Dutch record set 20 years ago by Greg van Hest.

Saina and Suzuki ran together, passing five kilometers in 16:02, 10 kilometers in 32:06 and 15 kilometers in 48:15. They were still together at 20 kilometers, reached in 1:04:25, but Saina then made her move and pulled away from Suzuki to win in 1:07:49, smashing her previous best of 1:09:17 set in Marugame last year.

The Kenyan became the fifth woman to win back-to-back Marugame Half Marathon titles, joining Eunice Kirwa (2016 and 2017), Tiki Gelana (2012 and 2013), Kayoko Fukushi (2006, 2007 and 2011) and Yasuko Hashimoto (2003 and 2004). Her time is also the third fastest time in Marugame.

Despite missing out on victory, Suzuki was still pleased with her 1:07:55 half marathon debut.

“I am bit disappointed to be out kicked at the end of the race, but it was good that I was able to keep the steady pace all the way,” said Suzuki.

41-year-old Sinead Diver finished third in 1:08:55, improving her own world W40 best by 25 seconds. Charlotte Purdue was fourth in 1:09:46, her first sub-70-minute performance. Mao Ichiyama, who will be running the Tokyo Marathon in four weeks, was sixth in 1:10:49, about a minute shy of her PR.

Before Diver, American marathon record holder Deena Kastor held the record at 1:09:37. 

The lead group in the men’s race went through five kilometers in 14:16 and then Japan-based Kenyan Simon Kariuki pulled away from the pack. He went through 10 kilometres in 28:24, about 20 seconds ahead of the chase pack, and managed to maintain that lead up to 15 kilometres, which he reached in 42:46.

Nageeye then started to reel in Kariuki and took the lead just before 20 kilometres, which he passed in 57:18. The 29-year-old continued to pull away from his competitors in the closing stages to win in 1:00:24, improving his PB by one minute and 44 seconds.

Kariuki finished second in 1:00:43, a PR by 42 seconds. Australia’s Jack Rayner was third in 1:01:36, while fourth-placed Takato Suzuki was the first Japanese finisher, just ahead of Masao Kizu, both credited with PRs of 1:01:45.

(02/04/2019) Views: 2,275 ⚡AMP

Defending Champions Betsy Saina and Edward Waweru will defend their titles at Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon

Last year's winners Betsy Saina and Edward Waweru, both of Kenya, return to the Feb. 3 Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon, but in both cases they have tough competition.

Ranked #1 in the women's race is Mao Ichiyama with a 1:09:14, three seconds better than Saina's winning time last year. Three seconds slower is Sinead Diver with a 1:09:20 on home ground last year.

America's Sara Hall, isn't far behind, and with track star Ayuko Suzuki, making her debut off a brilliant run at last weekend's National Women's Ekiden it should be a solid pack up front.

In the men's race, 2017 marathon world champion Geoffrey Kirui leads the way, his best recent time a 1:00:04 in New Delhi two years ago. Only two seconds behind is Shadrack Kiplagat, with Evans Cheruiyot and the Japan-based Waweru just over 20 seconds back.

Waweru's condition is a question mark after an injury at the New Year Ekiden. Kenta Murayama leads the home crew, with an interesting duo from Chuo University, Ken Nakayama and Kensuke Horio, hoping to improve on their sub-62 bests.

Jack Rayner is another interesting addition, while Germany's Richard Ringer will be making his debut off a 27:36.52 track 10000 m best.

(01/15/2019) Views: 1,569 ⚡AMP

Ethiopia’s Meskerem Assefa breaks course record at Frankfurt Marathon

Having finished on the lower steps of the podium at last year’s Mainova Frankfurt Marathon, Ethiopia’s Meskerem Assefa and Kelkile Gezahegn topped the podium at this year’s edition of the Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday. In a high-quality women’s race in which the first seven athletes finished inside 2:23, 33-year-old Assefa triumphed in 2:20:36 to take 25 seconds off the course record set by compatriot Meselech Melkamu in 2012. Ethiopian athletes swept the women’s podium as Haftamnesh Tesfay finished second in 2:20:47, also inside the previous course record, and Bedatu Hirpa placed third in 2:21:32. After a thrilling duel, Gezahegn won the men’s race by just four seconds from Kenya’s Martin Kosgey, clocking 2:06:37. Marathon debutant Alex Kibet was third in 2:07:09, while Mark Kiptoo took 48 seconds off the world M40 masters best with 2:07:50 for sixth place. Assefa wins battle of the Ethiopians, leading a group of 12 women reached the half-way point in 1:09:55, it was obvious that something special was possible. The group was on course for a sub-2:20 finish and although weather conditions were far from ideal, the leading women maintained the swift pace until late in the race. Their 30-kilometer split of 1:39:30 suggested a sub-2:20 time was still possible, but the group later faced a stiff headwind for several kilometers and their pace suffered slightly. At 35 kilometers there were still five women in the lead group: Ethiopians Assefa, Tesfay, Hirpa and Dera Dida as well as Kenya’s Betsy Saina, the Paris Marathon champion. Saina struggled in the closing stages and eventually finished eighth. Hirpa and Dida also dropped back, leaving Tesfay and Assefa to battle for victory. It was only in the final kilometer when Assefa, who finished third in Frankfurt last year, moved ahead and build a decisive lead before going on to win by 11 seconds in 2:20:36. “I did not really feel the wind,” said Assefa, a former 1500m specialist. “I prepared for Frankfurt for five months because I wanted to run 2:22 and win the race. Now I had to run a little bit quicker for first place.” (10/29/2018) Views: 1,854 ⚡AMP

Kenyans Betsy Saina and Wilson Chebet are the latest entries for the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon

The addition of these top flight athletes completes the event's elite entries, ensuring that a high quality field will once again be on the start line beside the River Main on the last Sunday in October for the 37th edition of Germany's oldest marathon. Twelve men on the start list boast sub-2:10 personal bests while 10 women have broken 2:25. With a strong personal best of 2:05:27, Chebet is now the fastest on the Frankfurt start list as unfortunately Guye Adola of Ethiopia had to withdraw due to a health issue. The 33-year-old Kenyan, who achieved a hat-trick of wins at the Amsterdam Marathon from 2011 to 2013, is aiming to regain top form on Frankfurt’s fast course after a period short of his best. One of Chebet’s rivals is Ethiopia’s Kelkile Gezahegn, who has a PB of 2:05:56 and was second in Frankfurt last year. As previously announced, a woman with a personal best of sub-2:20 will be on the start line for the first time in Frankfurt, with the presence of the 2015 world champion Mare Dibaba. The Ethiopian showed good form last Sunday in winning the Glasgow Half Marathon in 1:09:15 and has a marathon best of 2:19:52. Although a group of world-class Ethiopians with personal bests under 2:22 will pose a strong challenge, Saina should also be a contender. The 30-year-old finished fifth in the 10,000m at the 2016 Olympic Games and in April this year achieved her marathon breakthrough with victory in Paris in 2:22:56. Her target is now to break 2:20. Given good conditions, the women’s course record of 2:21:01, set by Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu in 2012, should come under pressure. (10/04/2018) Views: 1,796 ⚡AMP

Commonwealth marathon champion Mike Shelley will make his debut at the Great north Run

Commonwealth marathon champion Mike Shelley will make his debut at the world’s biggest half marathon on Sunday, while British interest will come in the shape of Great Britain’s Olympian Andy Vernon and Jonny Mellor. Daniel Wanjiru, who won the London Marathon in 2017, will take on Farah and Robertson on Tyneside, while 2012 New York Marathon winner Stanley Biwott has also been added to the field. Just as Farah aims to strengthen his hold over the competition, Vivian Cheruiyot is pursuing her second victory at the race in three years. Joyciline Jepkosgei, the world record holder over the half marathon distance, is, on paper, her main rival, although Betsy Saina, fifth in last year’s race, could pose a challenge. Lily Partridge, Gemma Steel, Charlotte Purdue and Aly Dixon are also in the line-up. (09/06/2018) Views: 1,785 ⚡AMP

Joyciline Jepkosgei and Vivian Cheruiyot set for battle at the Great North Run Sunday

Joyciline Jepkosgei and Vivian Cheruiyot lead the entries as Britain’s best Lily Partridge, Gemma Steel, Charlotte Purdue and Aly Dixon battle. The world’s fastest ever woman over the half marathon will be looking to spoil Vivian Cheruiyot’s plans to make it two Simplyhealth Great North Run wins in three years on Sunday September 9. Joyciline Jepkosgei, the world record holder over the half marathon, has been added to the field for one of the world’s biggest half marathon this weekend and will be the main competition for Olympic champion Cheruiyot in the iconic race. Kenyan Jepkosgei clocked her record time of 64:51 in the Prague Half Marathon last year where she also broke the world 10km, 15km and 20km records. She went on to beat her own 10km world record time back in Prague three months later when she clocked 29.43 to become the first woman to ever break 30 minutes over 10km. Betsy Saina, who finished fifth in last year’s race which was won by Mary Keitany, will also be in contention, with British hopes lying with Lily Partridge, Gemma Steel, Charlotte Purdue and Sunderland athlete Aly Dixon. (09/05/2018) Views: 1,757 ⚡AMP

The strongest field in it’s eight year history is set for the 2018 B.A.A. 10K June 24

The 2018 B.A.A. 10K will feature one of the strongest fields in its eight-year history, bringing together Boston Marathon champions, Olympians, and global medalists on the roads of Boston. The race will be held on Sunday, June 24, at 8:00 a.m., starting and finishing on Charles Street adjacent to Boston Common. The event will showcase Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, as nearly ten thousand participants compete on one of the fastest courses in the world.  2018 Boston Marathon champion,Drs Linden Des Linden returns to the roads of Boston for her B.A.A. 10K debut. Linden became the first American woman since 1985 to win the open division at the Boston Marathon. A two-time Olympian, Linden will look to become the first woman to win both the Boston Marathon and the B.A.A. 10K in the same year since 2011.   In addition to Linden, fellow Boston Marathon champions Meb Keflezighi, Buzunesh Deba, and Caroline Rotich will also be running, as will this year’s Boston Marathon Masters winner Abdi Abdirahman. Deba is the Boston Marathon course record holder, having run 2:19:59 in 2014. Now retired from elite racing, Keflezighi will run among the masses.  Other familiar faces set to compete are defending B.A.A. 10K champions Joan Chelimo and Daniel Chebii, as well as past winners Stephen Sambu, Daniel Salel, Mamitu Daska, and Mary Wacera. Chelimo and Chebii earned resounding victories a year ago, finishing in 31:24 and 27:58; with a win this year, Chebii could become the first runner in race history to earn three titles.  Two-time B.A.A. 5K winner Buze Diriba will aim for her first B.A.A. 10K crown and look to improve upon her third-place finish at last year’s race. Olympic silver medalist Sally Kipyego, NCAA champion Betsy Saina, and road racing ace Lineth Chepkurui are all also entered. On the men’s side, last year’s third place finisher Teshome Mekonen returns to Boston. (06/15/2018) Views: 1,991 ⚡AMP

Sir Mo Farah heads a field of superstars as the world's best go head to head in Europe's biggest 10k

British marathon record holder and four-time Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah heads a field packed with road-running superstars as the world's best go head to head in Europe's biggest 10k. The Great Manchester Run, established in 2003, is an annual 10K run through Greater Manchester in the UK. Sir Mo's greatest threat is Kenya's 2017 world marathon champion Geoffrey Kirui. The African nation are also well represented in the women's race with 10k and half marathon world record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei taking on 2015 champion Betsy Saina. But it is not just the world's elite taking to the streets of Manchester. Over 30,000 competitors line up for the 10k and half marathon routes to raise money and awareness for many good causes. One year on from the bombing, the city, united, runs together. (05/14/2018) Views: 2,028 ⚡AMP

Lonyangata becomes the first man to win back-Back titles at Paris Marathon in recent times

Paul Lonyangata and Betsy Saina ran to victories at the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race whose 42nd edition took place today April 8. Lonyangata clocked 2:06:25 to become the first man to win back-to-back titles since Briton Steve Brace in 1989 and 1990. Saina clocked 2:22:55 to take the win in the first marathon she's completed. In the men’s race, a large group detached itself from the gun with 20 athletes, including all the favourites, reaching five kilometres in 14:54. They maintained a steady tempo, hitting the 10km marker in 29:51, suggesting a possible finish time of 2:06:00. Midway through the 40th kilometer, Lonyangata decided to put in a surge, leaving Kisorio behind for good. Lonyangata then took advantage of having the lead women in sight –-the women’s race had begun 16 minutes and 26 seconds before the men’s-- to continue his quest for a successful title defence. He eventually caught the leaders before crossing the line in 2:06:25, 15 seconds outside his personal best set last year in Paris. “It’s a wonderful day for me. I love Paris so much,” said a delighted Lonyangata, who led a Kenyan sweep. Kisorio held on to finish second in 2:06:36 with Ngeno third in 2:06:41. (04/08/2018) Views: 1,830 ⚡AMP

The best Half Marathon time in the last 12-months on US soil is 1:00:04. Can that change Sunday?

Kenyan Olympic 5000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot said that she expects to run a fast time at the New York Half marathon on Sunday. The elite men's field looks strong. Kenyans Wilson Chebet (59:15) and Stephen Sambu (60:41), Ethiopia's Teshome Mekonnen (60:27) with Dathan Ritzenhein (60:00), Abdi Abdirahman (60:29) leading the American charge and also Ben True who will be running his first half. But it is the women's race that has the real top names. Cheruiyot, 34, is stepping up her campaign in marathon after graduating from the track competition and will be using the race in New York as part of her preparations for the London marathon on April 22. "It is always a pleasure to race against some of the world's best runners because it brings out the best in you. I know the organizers in New York have assembled a big team of elite runners and I am excited to run the New York Half Marathon this Sunday,” she said before her departure on Thursday night. She will face Ethiopians Mamitu Daska and Buze Diriba and her compatriot Betsy Saina. (03/16/2018) Views: 2,128 ⚡AMP

Kenyans Double at Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon today

Kenya’s Edward Waweru and Betsy Saina took top honors at the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon, winning the IAAF Silver Label road race in PBs of 1:00:31 and 1:09:17 respectively on Sunday. Waweru, who lives in Japan and runs for NTN Track and Field Club, took 97 seconds off his previous best. The former track specialist had contested just one half marathon before today, clocking 1:02:08 at the 2014 Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon. Shitara was second in 1:01:13, falling nearly one minute short of his national record. “I am happy to be the first Japanese finisher, but I really wanted to win the race,” said Shitara, who will be targeting the Japanese record at the Tokyo Marathon in three weeks. (02/04/2018) Views: 1,749 ⚡AMP
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