Running News Daily

By Toni Reavis 

There have been many historic firsts in the long history of the Boston Marathon. This coming Monday, 21 April, 2025, 28-year-old John Korir of Kitale, Kenya, will attempt to become the first brother of a Boston champion to match his sibling on the Boylston Street winner‘s platform. Older brother Wesley won Boston in the notoriously hot year of 2012. 

History To Write 

The Korir brothers have already written their first chapter of running history when John won the BofA Chicago Marathon last fall in 2:02:44. That gave each brother one World Marathon Major on their ledger. And both have won twice the Los Angeles Marathon, too, Wesley in 2009 & 2010, John in 2021 & 2022. Now John looks to join Wesley as a Boston champion.

STRONG FIELD

But it won’t be easy as John will have, among others, two former Boston champions to contend with, defender Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia and 2022-2023 champ, Evans Chebet of Kenya.

All three competed last year, so there won’t be any surprises like we saw in 2024 when Lemma struck out early, opened a commanding lead—posting the fastest first half in Boston history, 60:19—and then hung on to win.

BOSTON TACTICS

So accustomed are today’s runners to pacesetters, that a tactic like hard early front running can catch competitors off guard. Remember Meb Keflezighi in 2014? It worked again ten years later. 

Despite Lemma slowing to a near 66-minute second half, his cushion was substantial enough for a relatively easy win in 2:06:17. Chebet finished third, Korir fourth. 

1. Sisay Lemma: 2:06:17 (Ethiopia)

2. Mohamed Esa: 2:06:58 (Ethiopia)

3. Evans Chebet: 2:07:22 (Kenya)

4. John Korir: 2:07:40 (Kenya)

Odds are that Lemma won’t employ the same strategy this Patriots’ Day. And if he does, the others won’t be caught on their back foot.

FAITH IN & FROM COACH MANN

I spoke with John Korir‘s coach, Ron Mann, two days ago after he finished nine holes of golf at his home course in Louisville, Kentucky. We discussed both John and brother Wesley, who Ron also coached at the University of Louisville and then throughout his professional running career.

I pointed out to Coach Mann that Boston 2025 will be the 12th marathon of John’s career. He began with two late race falters in his first three marathon attempts, Ottawa 2018 and Los Angeles in 2019. On both occasions, he moved hard at 20 miles and opened what looked to be winning margins. 

EARLY HARD LESSONS

But in Ottawa, course record holder Yemane Tsegay of Ethiopia caught him at 40k, and won by 22 seconds. In Los Angeles, it was even more cruel, as John faded significantly on Ocean Avenue in sight of the finish line in Santa Monica. With less than 30 seconds of running left, Elisha Barno flew by the exhausted Korir to snatch the win by 7 seconds. 

“Early in his career, when he was running well, but not great, he was only running about 70 miles a week,” explained Coach Mann. “He didn’t have a bottom under him. Gradually, over a period of four years, we are now at the point where he is running big mileage. He first did it before Chicago last fall and now even a little bit more for Boston. I don’t know how well the others are prepared, but John is all ready to go.”

This will be John‘s third attempt at Boston. In 2023 he finished ninth in 2:10:04. Last year he was fourth in 2:07:40.

“So he knows the course,” confirmed Coach Mann. “And if we go back to Geoffrey Mutai’s record in 2011 (2:03:02), everything happens at Heartbreak Hill. Two years ago, John charged up Heartbreak Hill with Eliud Kipchoge. They ended up eighth and ninth. So you gotta ask if that’s the wise thing to do.”

BOSTON SPECIFIC PREP

John has prepared on a variety of terrains back home for Boston’s tricky route. 

“Like golf, you try to look at the course you’re playing,” explained Mann, who visited John in Kenya in January. “If the last hole is over water, then you practice that. So the last 4 miles in Boston are downgrade with big crowds.  So you have to be ready for that.

“I told him, ‘you have as much speed as anyone. You’ve run a 58:50 for the half-marathon. So if you feel like you wanna go, go. But if you feel like you wanna wait, then wait.”

There is a 14-year gap between Wesley and John. And their attributes as runners are different as well.

2012 Boston Marathon champion Wesley Korir (third photo) 

“John has more speed,” said their coach. “But Wesley had more endurance. He was able to withstand more early on in his career. But we needed to put speed on to his endurance. But when he decided to campaign for and won his seat for parliament in 2013 (as he simultaneously prepared to defend his Boston title), we never got a chance to do that. So we never saw the end of his career where he could’ve maximized his speed. John already has the speed. We just needed to put endurance beneath it.”

LEARNING HOW TO WIN

Another of Korir’s opponents will be American Olympian, Connor Mantz. Like John, Connor is 28-years-old, and just entering his prime. While still dangerous, Sisay Lemma (34) and Evans Chebet (35) are on the back nine of their careers. 

Though Connor Mantz has a half marathon PR close to Korir’s—59:15 to 58:50—he has yet to finish on the podium of a major marathon, much less tasted victory.

“John has learned how to win,” said Coach Mann. “That’s why the wins in the Boilermaker 15k (Utica, N.Y.), Falmouth Road Race, and Chicago Marathon in 2024 were so important. Now he is expecting to win. 

“He already has two marathon victories in Los Angeles and one in Chicago. He also has a world class personal best (2:02:44). Now it’s consistency over a long period of time. Boston is one step along that route. Will he win this year? I don’t know. But he will win Boston in his career. I tell him, you’re as prepared as you can be, and I’ve never trained an athlete to your level before. So, it’s yours to take now.”

CONSTRUCTING YOUR FITNESS

Runners know that reaching peak form is a slow building process. People refer to building your aerobic house. I liken it to constructing a house of cards. You can build a very strong house, but you must build it assiduously, and gradually, or the whole thing will come tumbling down.

“Between Boston last spring and Chicago last fall, John’s stride tempo went up by five per minute,” explained Coach Mann. “And his average heart rate went from 184bpm in Boston to 173 in Chicago. That tells me he’s even fitter that he was.”

HOME IN THE CHERANGANY HILLS

John lives and trains in the Cherangany Hills about 40 minutes northwest of Eldoret, Kenya in the famed Central Highlands. It’s 15 minutes from Kitale, where the Transcend Academy is located. 

Transcend Academy is a non-profit school sponsored by the Kenyan Kids Foundation USA that provides full scholarships to talented students from needy backgrounds. Its mission is to leverage running to develop holistic individuals for the progress of Kenya. It’s an offshoot of Wesley Korir’s political sensibilities.

The school was founded by Wesley and his wife, Tarah, who met while both were students at the University of Louisville. John also contributes financially to Transcend. 

While John lives and trains in Kitale, his wife and three girls moved to Eldoret because that’s where his kids go to school. But John built a second home in Kitale with his Chicago winnings, so his family can come stay with him on weekends. John and Wesley’s mom and dad live about 600m from the school, too. 

“We have a very close-knit, well-oiled family around him,” said Coach Mann, “to make sure that he gets it right.”

The field for Monday’s marathon is very strong and experienced. The weather forecast suggests benign conditions, so it will be the athletes, alone, who decide the outcome. 

IN THE HANDS OF GOD

“I tell John, ‘the gift is your responsibility to use," said Coach Mann. "So use it well and give the glory to God’. He did that in Chicago. He crossed himself after he crossed the line.”

Maybe another cross in Hopkinton might not be a bad idea come Monday morning. Brother Wesley will be waiting with Coach Mann at the finish line on Boylston Street, praying like mad, one would assume. 

Believing the Boston!

 

 

The 41st annual California International Marathon is this Sunday, Dec. 8 bringing some 10,000 runners and spectators to Folsom and the Sacramento region. Along with the many participants comes a number of road closures the day of the event. 

The marathon begins at the intersection of Folsom Auburn Road and Folsom Lake Crossing at 7 a.m.The course continues through Orangevale, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, and Sacramento, and concludes at the State Capitol. Road closures include Folsom-Auburn Road from Folsom Dam Road to Greenback Lane, Folsom Lake Crossing Road from East Natoma Street to Folsom-Auburn Road, and Oak Avenue Parkway from Folsom-Auburn Road to Santa Juanita Avenue. Closures begin at 3 a.m. and roads are planned to reopen at 10 a.m. Detours will be clearly marked.

The CIM was founded in 1983 by the Sacramento Running Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The event brings an estimated 10 million dollar to the Sacramento County economy each year.The event is certified and sanctioned by USATF and is a Boston Marathon and U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier. Learn more at runsra.org. For a complete listing of road closures, schedules, and courses, visit the CIM website or see a summary at the conclusion of this article.

With good weather in the forecast, participants and organizers are excited about this year’s event and according to the Sacramento Running Association the event will feature 2024 Paris Olympian Calli Hauger-Thackery and defending 2023 CIM champion CJ Albertson, alongside a mix of returning veterans and first-time participants, setting the stage for potentially record-breaking performances.

The elite men’s and women’s fields will compete for a combined $100,000 prize purse, with additional bonuses for breaking course records. The current records stand at 2:10:27 for men, set in 1993 by Jerry Lawson, and 2:26:02 for women, set in 2022 by Paige (Stoner) Wood.

Hauger-Thackery, representing Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics, holds the fastest personal best in the women’s field—2:21:24, achieved at the 2024 Berlin Marathon earlier this fall. She will make her CIM debut, joining her husband, 2:12 marathoner Nick Hauger, who is also competing.

“I’m excited to do this race for many reasons,” Hauger-Thackery said. “The main one being that my husband has had only fond experiences here over the past two years. I’m also excited because my dad raced CIM in the ’90s, and California is my favorite place! CIM has been on my radar for quite some time now.”

Hauger-Thackery will face stiff competition from four other women who have run sub-2:30 marathons: Laura Thweatt of Superior, Colo., with a personal best of 2:25:38; Jackie Gaughan of Boston, 2:27:08; Stephanie Bruce of Flagstaff, Ariz., 2:27:47; and Allie Kieffer of Austin, 2:28:12, who was the 2023 CIM runner-up.

Bruce returns to CIM with a strong record, having placed second in both the 2016 (2:32:36) and 2018 (2:29:21) editions. Since then, she has achieved milestones such as running her personal best of 2:27:47 at the 2019 Chicago Marathon and placing sixth at the 2020 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials.

“Returning to CIM feels like an awesome homecoming because it was the first marathon I ran postpartum with my two boys in 2016,” Bruce said. “Now, eight years later, I’m coming back after giving birth to my third baby. I love the city, the energy, and the people who make this race so special.”

The men’s field includes three notable returners: defending champion CJ Albertson (Fresno, Calif.), 2023 runner-up Milton Rotich, and 2019 champion Elisha Barno. Joining them is CIM newcomer Tsegay Tuemay Weldlibanos, a 2:09:07 marathoner currently training in Flagstaff, Ariz., who is expected to push the pace.

“To race at CIM is very special for me,” Weldlibanos said. “Many of my teammates have found success here, and I hope to do the same. I want to make my family, team, and coach proud.”

Albertson has enjoyed a standout year, placing fifth at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials (2:10:07), seventh at the Boston Marathon (2:09:53) and Chicago Marathon (2:08:17), and tenth at the New York City Marathon (2:10:57). Another CIM victory will likely require a course record performance.

Barno, who won the 2019 CIM, has a personal best of 2:09:14. Rotich, last year’s runner-up, boasts a 2:08:55 personal best. Both are strong contenders to challenge Albertson and Weldlibanos for the win and the 2:10:27 course record.

“We’re thrilled about the 2024 elite field at CIM,” said Scott Abbott, executive director of the Sacramento Running Association. “This year has a unique homecoming feel, with so many ‘CIM alumni’ returning. It’s further evidence that CIM is a favorite among elite runners. We expect a strategic race between these battle-tested veterans, and we hope to see both course records fall.”

The Sacramento Running Association, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to encouraging people of all ages and abilities to run. The SRA focuses on developing quality running events that appeal to a wide range of participants.

Former champions and countrymen Dominic Ondoro and Elisha Barno will dominate the headlines in the Grandma’s Marathon men’s field, together having accounted for seven wins in the past nine years at this race.

Barno won for a record fifth time in his career last year, which came just one day after he was officially inducted into the Grandma’s Marathon Hall of Fame. Ondoro, meanwhile, still owns the event record of 2:09:06, a time he ran in 2014 that broke the longstanding record of Minnesotan Dick Beardsley.

The women’s field may be the most wide open of all this year’s events, with two-time Belarus Olympian Volha Mazuronak seemingly the pre-race favorite. She has top five finishes at both the Tokyo and Rio Olympics on her resume, as well as a runner-up finish earlier this year at the Los Angeles Marathon.

 The country’s 12th largest marathon represented by 56 different countries was welcomed back into the Northland on Saturday morning, Grandma’s Marathon.

During the full marathon in the elite men’s division, Elisha Barno continued to bring his best to the race earning his fifth, first place finish at Grandma’s Marathon with a PR of 2:09:14.

Barno shaved 18 seconds off of his previous time and currently owns three of the top four finishes at Grandma’s Marathon.

The Kenyan is now also the winnigest men’s runner in the history of Grandma’s Marathon.

Several former champions will return to this year’s Grandma’s Marathon, highlighting a field that’s expected to include some of the best American distance runners ahead of next year’s U.S. Olympic Trials.

GRANDMA’S MARATHON

Defending champion and event record holder Dominic Ondoro returns on the men’s side, that after winning his second Grandma’s Marathon last summer. He’s joined by countrymen and former champions themselves, Milton Rotich and Elisha Barno.

Ondoro, who broke Dick Beardsley’s longtime event record with his winning run in 2014, will be trying to become just the second man to win three or more Grandma’s Marathons. The only to have done it so far is Barno, who won four straight titles from 2015-18.

NOTE: Elisha Barno will be officially inducted on Friday, June 16 into the Grandma’s Marathon Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023, making him the first athlete inducted since 2017.

Kevin Lynch not only leads a pack of American men aiming to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, but is also hoping to become the first American men’s winner of Grandma’s Marathon since Chris Raabe did it in 2009.

Minnesotan and fan favorite Dakotah Lindwurm returns on the women’s side as a favorite to win her third-straight Grandma’s Marathon, which would make her the third woman to accomplish that feat.

New Zealand’s Lorraine Moller won three straight women’s races from 1979-81, and American Mary Akor then did it from 2007-09.

Lindwurm’s personal record of 2:25:01, which she ran in last year’s winning effort at Grandma’s Marathon, is more than four minutes better than any other woman in the field, though Gabriella Rooker is back this year after finishing 10th place last summer in her Duluth debut.

 GARRY BJORKLUND HALF MARATHON

Neither the men’s or the women’s defending champion is back in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, but 2016 winner Macdonard Ondara is back this year for his fourth run in Duluth. He will lead a strong group of returners on the men’s side, with each of the top five runners having been here before.

Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon rookie Lydia Mathathi leads things on the women’s side, and the Kenyan’s personal best is a time that, if repeated, would break the storied mark of Duluth native Kara Goucher. Followed by four Americans who are also making their debut in Duluth, Mathathi would be the first Kenyan to win this race since Monicah Ngige in 2018.

The next time Elisha Barno crosses the finish line of Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth’s Canal Park, he’ll not only be the winningest marathoner in the race’s history, but a Hall of Famer as well.

Barno, who won Grandma’s Marathon four straight times from 2015-18, is among three inductees to the Grandma’s Marathon Hall of Fame this year along with volunteer Dan Dock and board member Barb Korte. All three will be enshrined during the Grandma’s Marathon Awards luncheon at noon on Friday, June 16 at The Garden Event Center.

Barno owns three of the top 10 times posted by a man in Grandma’s Marathon, with his winning time of 2 hours, 10 minutes, 6 seconds in 2018 being the fourth-fastest ever for Grandma’s Marathon.

Back again in 2023 to run Grandma’s at 37 years old, Barno is coming off a fourth-place finish in which he posted his second-fastest time at Grandma’s, 2:10:22. That’s good for eighth all-time among Grandma’s finishers.

The Grandma’s Marathon Hall of Fame honors those who make longstanding and meaningful contributions to the race and community.

Dock has been volunteering at the Grandma’s Marathon finish line in various capacities for 37 years. Before the race started using chips to time runners, he was part of the crew that helped manually time finishers.

Korte has served on the Grandma’s Marathon Board of Directors since 1994 and has chaired the board twice. Korte has worked the finish line on race day and coordinated the spaghetti dinner on Friday nights. Her biggest claim to fame, according to Grandma’s Marathon, is organizing the annual cleanup of a section of the racecourse along Scenic Highway 61 between Two Harbors and Duluth.

The Grandma’s Marathon Hall of Fame now includes 91 individuals, organizations and municipalities since inducting its first class in 1996.

Award of Excellence named in honor of Welles

First given to Chester Keenan in 2001, Grandma’s Marathon has renamed its Award of Excellence in honor of longtime employee and volunteer Mac Welles, who died in December 2022.

This year’s recipient of the Mac Welles Award of Excellence is Tom Rovinsky, who since the early 2000s has been one of the lead racecourse water delivery drivers, fueling the 15 water and aid stations along the 26.2-mile course between Two Harbors and Duluth.

Not every water station along the race course has nearby sources to draw from, as some are located in remote areas along the shore of Lake Superior. Rovinsky begins on Friday, delivering water to those locations and continues into the morning on Saturday.

Law enforcement officers recognized for public service

A pair of long-serving northern Minnesota law enforcement officers — Pete Goman and Mike Tusken — are the recipients of this year’s Rudy Perpich Public Service Award from Grandma’s Marathon.

The award is presented annually to elected officials or public employees who help out with Grandma’s Marathon weekend, and is named after former Minnesota governor Rudy Perpich.

Merachi won in Houston in 2020 in 2:23:29, finishing more than a minute ahead of the rest of the field. She went on to win the Taipei Marathon later that year in 2:28:31, but hasn’t raced since then, so her form going into this weekend’s race is relatively untested.

She will face stiff competition from compatriot Biruktayit Eshetu Degefa, a three-time winner in Houston who is aiming to become the race’s first four-time winner. She finished runner-up to Merachi in 2020, clocking 2:24:47. Her PB stands at 2:22:40, set in Toronto in 2019, while her fastest time in Houston is the 2:23:28 she ran to win three years ago.

Two-time Chicago Marathon winner Atsede Baysa has the fastest PB of the field with 2:22:03. A sub-2:25 time may be required to make the podium on Sunday, but the last time the 34-year-old Ethiopian bettered that barrier was back in 2012.

Ethiopian women have won the past 14 editions of the Houston Marathon, but that streak could be under threat on Sunday as Keira D’Amato aims to become the first US woman to win the Houston Marathon since 2005.

The 37-year-old, who took a complete break from running between 2009 and 2016, has been racking up impressive performances on the roads in recent years. She set a marathon best of 2:22:56 and a North American 10-mile record of 51:23 in 2020, finished fourth at last year’s Chicago Marathon, and clocked a half marathon PB of 1:07:55 last month. If conditions are good, the course record of 2:23:14 – set by Alemitu Abera in 2012 – could be under threat.

Ethiopian marathon debutante Tsige Haileslase and USA’s Robert Groner, who finished sixth at the 2019 World Championships, are among the other contenders.

Gezahegn, the defending men’s champion, won with 2:08:36 two years ago and finished two minutes clear of his nearest rivals. His only race since then was the 2021 Boston Marathon, where he finished 15th in 2:12:37. A 2:05:56 runner at his best, the 25-year-old will be keen to use this weekend’s race as an opportunity for redemption.

If John Langat can reproduce his form from 2019, when he won in Eindhoven in a PB of 2:07:11, he could contend for the victory on Sunday. Japan’s Kenta Uchida will also be a formidable opponent. He has a lifetime best of 2:08:12 and will be keen to earn his first marathon victory.

Bahrain’s Abdi Abdo, Ethiopia’s 2008 world indoor 3000m champion Tariku Bekele and US marathon debutant Frank Lara are others to watch out for.

Vicoty Chepngeno will start as the favourite for the Houston Half Marathon, held concurrently with the marathon. The 28-year-old Kenyan has an impressive record in US road races; she has won nine of her past 10 half marathons on US roads, and her lifetime best of 1:07:22 was set in her most recent outing over the distance, in Philadelphia two months ago. Despite her extensive racing experience, though, this will be Chepngeno’s first Houston Half Marathon.

Compatriot Monicah Ngige, meanwhile, will be making her third Houston Half Marathon appearance. The 28-year-old set her PB of 1:07:29 there in 2019. More recently, she finished fourth at the Boston Marathon in October on her debut over the distance, clocking 2:25:32.

Sara Hall leads the US entrants. The 38-year-old has focused more on the marathon in recent years, achieving podium places at the 2020 London Marathon and the 2021 Chicago Marathon, also clocking a PB of 2:20:32 in between those outings. But she has also won her two most recent half marathons, setting a PB of 1:08:18 in 2020.

Shadrack Kimining Korir returns to Houston after finishing third in 2020 in a personal best of 59:27, just two seconds shy of the winner. His most recent outing was at the Lisbon Half Marathon in October, where he finished fifth in 1:02:42.

Wilfred Kimitei also competed in Lisbon towards the end of last year, albeit in a different event to the one where Korir raced, and finished 11th in 1:00:03 – just 23 seconds shy of the PB he set in Ras Al Khaimah in 2018.

Ethiopia’s Milkesa Mengesha also heads to Houston in good form. The 2019 world U20 cross-country champion, still only 21, finished ahead of Kimitei in Lisbon in November, clocking a PB of 59:48 in what was just his second half marathon to date. Earlier in 2021 he set a 5000m PB of 12:58.28 and finished 10th in the Olympic final at that distance.

Kenya’s Raymond Magut, who clocked a PB of 1:00:00 in Herzogenaurach in September, should also be a strong contender, along with Ethiopia’s Bayelign Teshager and Eritrea’s Tsegay Tuemay.

Elite fields

WOMEN Half marathon

Vicoty Chepngeno (KEN) 1:07:22

Monicah Ngige (KEN) 1:07:29

Sara Hall (USA) 1:08:58

Caren Maiyo (KEN) 1:09:20

Sarah Pagano (USA) 1:09:41

Emily Durgin (USA) 1:09:47

Maegan Krifchin (USA) 1:09:51

Andrea Ramirez Limon (MEX) 1:10:20

Dominique Scott (ZAF) 1:10:42

Elaina Tabb (USA) 1:10:44

Nell Rojas (USA) 1:10:45

Julia Griffey (USA) 1:11:04

Emily Setlack (CAN) 1:11:41

Dakotah Lindwurm (USA) 1:11:43

Maor Tiyouri (ISR) 1:11:50

Paige Stoner (USA) 1:11:53

Jessica Judd (GBR) debut

Fiona O’Keeffe (USA) debut

Maddie Alm (USA) debut

Marathon

Atsede Baysa (ETH) 2:22:03

Biruktayit Eshetu Degefa (ETH) 2:22:40

Keira D’Amato (USA) 2:22:56

Askale Merachi (ETH) 2:23:29

Roberta Groner (USA) 2:29:09

Kathya Mirell Garcia Barrios (MEX) 2:34:46

Militsa Mircheva (BGR) 2:35:03

Tsige Haileslase (ETH) debut

Maggie Montoya (USA) debut

Emily Kearney (GBR) debut

Alice Wright (GBR) debut

MEN Half marathon

Shadrack Kimining Korir (KEN) 59:27

Wilfred Kimitei (KEN) 59:40

Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) 59:48

Raymond Magut (KEN) 1:00:00

Bayelign Teshager (ETH) 1:00:31

Tsegay Tuemay (ERI) 1:00:50

Patrick Tiernan (AUS) 1:01:22

Reed Fischer (USA) 1:01:37

Rory Linkletter (CAN) 1:01:44

Reid Buchanan (USA) 1:01:45

Colin Mickow (USA) 1:01:47

Matt Llano (USA) 1:01:47

Harvey Nelson (USA) 1:01:48

John Raneri (USA) 1:01:51

Brogan Austin (USA) 1:01:52

Zouhair Talbi (MAR) 1:02:00

Kirubel Erassa (USA) debut

Marathon

Kelkile Gezahegn (ETH) 2:05:56

John Langat (KEN) 2:07:11

Kenta Uchida (JPN) 2:08:12

Abdi Abdo (BRN) 2:08:32

Elisha Barno (KEN) 2:09:32

Tariku Bekele (KEN) 2:09:33

Augustus Maiyo (USA) 2:10:47

Jesus Arturo Esparza (MEX) 2:11:04

Birhanu Kemal Dare (ETH) 2:12:21

Tyler Jermann (USA) 2:12:40

Frank Lara (USA) debut

James Ngandu (KEN) debut

Luke Caldwell (GBR) debut

Kongin, Kiptoo, and Myers Could Join Prestigious Group of Repeat Winners at Duluth Race, former champions are expected to be on the starting line for the 2021 Grandma’s Marathon and will have the chance to join some very rare company if they can add another victory to their running resume.

Defending men’s champion Boniface Kongin is slated to return after outdueling the field in 2019, running a 2:11:56 to beat out four-time champion Elisha Barno and event record holder Dominic Ondoro. Kongin ran much of that 2019 race in record pace, but he was slowed in the final 10K as he dealt with severe cramping.

Not only will the Kenya native try to become the first back-to-back men’s winner at Grandma’s Marathon since Barno won the first two of his four titles in 2015-16, he would be just the seventh man to win multiple Grandma’s Marathons titles.

Sarah Kiptoo is also expected to return this year, and she will be trying to join Mary Akor (2007-09) and Lorraine Moller (1979-81) as the only three-time women’s winners of Grandma’s Marathon. The Kenya native won titles in 2013 and 2016 and also finished third in 2014 and 2015. She finished 10th the last time out on this course in 2019, finishing with a time of 2:38:46.

Kiptoo’s 2013 winning time of 2:26:32 was then an event record and only recently broken when Kellyn Taylor ran a 2:24:28 in 2018.

2014 champion Pasca Myers is also expected to compete in the women’s elite field, and she will be trying to become just the eighth woman to win at least two Grandma’s Marathon titles. She also ran here in 2019, finishing in eighth place with a time of 2:36:13.

With a reduced field for the 2021 Grandma’s Marathon, there are 29 men and 29 women expected to be in the elite field on Saturday, June. 19. The 45th annual Grandma’s Marathon is scheduled to start at 7:45 a.m. and can be followed live on our radio and TV partners, The Northland FAN 106.5 FM and WDIO-TV.

For more information, please call our office at (218) 727-0947 or visit grandmasmarathon.com.

Ethiopia’s Bayelign Teshager won the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday after finishing in 2:08:26.57, while Kenya’s Margaret Muriuki topped the elite women’s field with a time of 2:29:27.68, according to the marathon’s leaderboard.

John Langat of Kenya had the lead until Teshager made his move down the stretch to win by 40 seconds.

Teshager turns 20 years old on Monday. (The L.A. Marathon listed his age Sunday as 20.)

Wilson Kwambai Chebet, 34, also from Kenya, placed in third, L.A. Marathon’s website said.

Last year’s winner Elisha Barno, 34, came in ninth place.

In the women’s field, Muriuki won with her personal best time. It’s her second marathon victory in three months after the 33-year-old won at Honolulu in December.

She was in control of the women’s race throughout and kept a strong pace, eventually pulling away from 23-year-old Almaz Negede of Ethiopia with seven miles remaining to win by 3:01.

Jane Kibii, a 34-year-old runner from Kenya, placed in third.

 

His obstacle Sunday morning will be 26.2 miles winding up, down and through Los Angeles, from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica.

Given the hurdles Zane Robertson cleared in reaching the starting line of the 35th L.A. Marathon, a little more road work shouldn’t be too discouraging.

“I want to see what talent and a very hard mind-set can get me on Sunday,” said Robertson, 30, a New Zealand native and one of the race favorites.

He’ll be joined in an elite field that includes a pair of two-time L.A. winners — Elisha Barno and Weldon Kirui of Kenya — and nine runners who have broken 2 hours, 10 minutes.

The event is expected to be staged as planned despite growing concerns throughout the country regarding the coronavirus.

Organizers are attempting to maintain as much normalcy as possible, while they acknowledged that the size of the field — more than 26,000 runners are registered — and spectator turnout could be affected.

“I’d encourage everyone to go out and enjoy the race,” Robertson said. “Don’t stress about the things you can’t control. It’s only extra stress. Your body follows your mind. I’m not even worried about it. I think we’ll be fine.”

An accomplished track athlete, Robertson competed for New Zealand in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and set a national record while he finished 12th in the 10,000 meters.

This will be his second marathon, after his debut came in July when he ran a 2:08:19 in Australia’s Gold Coast Marathon.

“I’m here to try and win,” Robertson said. “I’ll run my own rhythm and run my own race and see what happens. It’s all about position, not time.”

The winners were joined by an estimated 13,000 marathon and marathon relay registered runners who started in Folsom and ran the downhill course to finish in front of the State Capitol in Downtown Sacramento.

Rain was not falling, but clouds were forming as runners took their places in corrals at the starting line. Cool, but mostly dry weather is one of the hallmarks of the annual race.

Barno, of Kenya, finished with the day’s top time of 2:13:36 to take the men’s race, in which the three top finishers pushed one another. When one felt good, he brought the others along.

At the 24th mile, the three were running strong together at a 5:01 per mile pace.

“At 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) I tried to move and I saw, like, these guys, they are very strong,” Barno said. He made his final move in the penultimate mile, he said.

Both race winners, Kibii and Barno, take home $12,000 in prize money, plus performance bonuses.

The 37th annual California International Marathon returns CIM top performers, 2015 CIM Champion Elisha Barno and 2014 runner-up Jane Kibii, while also serving as one of the last opportunities for American athletes to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

“This should be a unique and exciting year at CIM with a mix of steady vets returning to ‘The Fastest Course in the West’ as well as a flood of ‘dream chasers’ entering the ‘OTQ Factory’ for a last chance at earning a trip to the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta in February,” said SRA Executive Director Scott Abbott. 

Favorites to win the men’s race include Kenyan natives Elisha Barno and Denis Chirchir. Barno holds a personal best marathon time of 2:09:32 set in 2018, and has had past success at CIM, winning the race in 2015 and finishing runner-up in 2016. Denis Chirchir, who ran 2:13:50 earlier this fall, will be making his first appearance at CIM and is expected to battle up front with Barno. 

Barno and Chirchir will likely be challenged by American runners C.J. Albertson, Colin Mickow, and Patrick Smyth, who are currently in the midst of breakthrough seasons. Albertson of Fresno, Calif and Mickow of Naperville, Ill. ran personal best marathons earlier this fall with 2:14:49 and 2:14:55 finishes, respectively. Smyth, who hails from Santa Fe, N.M., ran a personal best half-marathon time of 1:02:39 in early November of this year. 

The women’s race is headlined by local athlete Jane Kibii, who represents Kenya in international competition and lives in Auburn, Calif., less than twenty miles from the CIM start line. Kibii returns to CIM with the goal of capturing her first CIM title. Like Barno, Kibii has proven herself on the CIM course, with finishes of 2nd (2014) and 3rd (2015) to go along with her personal best marathon time of 2:30:01. 

“I love running in my hometown and feeling the local support,” said Kibii. “I have raced CIM twice and this time around I want to go for a win.” 

Other women to look for up front on December 8 include Obsie Birru from Phoenix, Ariz. who ran a personal best 2:35:51 at the Twin Cities Marathon in October and Katja Goldring (Flagstaff, Ariz.) who holds a personal best time of 2:35:21. Two marathon debutants, Kaitlyn Peale (Portland, Ore.) and Ivette Mejia (New York), could also be factors up front with personal best half-marathon times of 1:13:09 and 1:13:36, respectively.

Beyond the competition for the $70,000 prize purse available to the men’s and women’s fields, hundreds of American runners will toe the line at the 2019 CIM hoping to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials. Men need to run 2:19:00 or faster and women need to run 2:45:00 or faster to qualify.

In 2018, CIM had a record number of U.S. athletes run an Olympic Trials Qualifier (OTQ), with 99 American women and 53 American men running under the qualifying standards. With the qualification window closing in January, the 2019 CIM will be many athletes’ last shot.

“The past few years have shown that CIM is the perfect place to chase an OTQ,” said Olympic Trials hopeful Peter Bromka. “Not only the course and the weather, but every detail of the race is carefully considered by the organizers to help athletes run fast. Once the gun goes off, packs of hopefuls form and work together every mile to the capitol.”

Athletes who run a qualifying time will compete for a spot on the 2020 USA Olympic Marathon team on February 29, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. The top three men and top three women finishers in Atlanta will compete for Team USA at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Between them, the pair has won the last four editions of the event, with Barno entering this year’s race as the defending champion, but Ondoro still possessing the event record.  A wide-open women’s race will crown a new champion this year, with 2018 champ Sinke Biyadgilgn of Kenya racing elsewhere this fall.

Among the top women’s contenders are former Grandma’s Marathon record-holder Sarah Kiptoo of Kenya, 2014 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon runner-up Heather Lieberg of Helena, Mont., and Team USA Minnesota rising star Dakotah Lindwurm of Burnsville.

The men’s and women’s marathon favorites will be racing for $5000 winners’ checks and $25,000 course record bonuses.

In the Medtronic TC 10 Mile, set for earlier Sunday morning, balanced men’s and women’s fields will race for USATF titles, $12,500 winners’ checks and a $10,000 “Equalizer Bonus for the first champion – female or male – to cross the finish line in a competition where the women start the race ahead of the men.

With defending champions Shadrack Kipchirchir and Sarah Hall not in the field this year, attention is focused on Josef Tessema of Castle Rock, Colo., last year’s 5th place finisher, Scott Fauble, a USATF Championship runner-up at 25K and half marathon, and local favorite Tyler Jermann of Burnsville, who represents Team USA Minnesota.

The women’s field is headlined by Katy Jermann, (spouse of Tyler) runner up at the recent USATF 20K Championships, Anne-Marie Blaney of Rochester Hills, Mich., 6th here last year, and 2019 Grandma’s Marathon champion Nell Rojas of Boulder, Colo.

The Medtronic TC 10 Mile with its more than 13,000 runners will start at approximately 6:54 a.m. Sunday, with the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and its more than 8,700 participants starting at 7:55 a.m.

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend kicks off at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 4, with the opening of the Health & Fitness Expo at Saint Paul RiverCentre. 

Kenyan Boniface Kongin, who entered in the citizen field after the elite field filled up, won his first Grandma's Marathon men's race Saturday by overcoming hamstring and Achilles problems to win in  2 hours, 11 minutes and 56 seconds.

Kongin, who has stayed in West Duluth and trained in town since arriving April 19, stopped several times during the 26.2-mile race and walked across the finish line while pointing to the sky and dropping to his knees.

Kongin won the Pittsburgh Marathon on May 5 in a personal-best time of 2:10:34 but injured his left hamstring and right Achilles in the process. Running a 2:06 pace nearly halfway through the race, he slowed down several times in the last half of the race as his ailments worsened.

He beat runner-up Andrew Colley of Blowing Rock, N.C., by 17 seconds. Harbert Okuti of Uganda was third, 1:05 off the pace.

Four-time defending champion Elisha Barno and course-record holder Dominic Ondoro each finished outside the top 10.

 

Already the only man to win four consecutive Grandma's Marathons, Kenya's Elisha Barno will strive for No. 5 at the 43rd installment of Minnesota's oldest marathon on June 22.

And he'll bring along his buddy and countryman, Grandma's record-holder Dominic Ondoro. Their New Mexico-based agent, Scott Robinson, confirmed both are planning to race in Duluth. And while that could change, it's an exciting prospect.

In winning for the fourth straight year last June, Barno produced the third-fastest time in event history — 2 hours, 10 minutes and 6 seconds. Speedy as that was, it's a minute slower than the 2:09:06 Ondoro unleashed in 2014 when he bumped Dick Beardsley from the top spot.

Barno will arrive in the Northland riding a swell of success. Following three straight runner-up finishes (all to Ondoro), he finally broke through, and broke the tape, at the Twin Cities Marathon last October. And on March 24, he won the closest Los Angeles Marathon ever contested, nudging John Korir by seven seconds.

Barno and Ondoro will headline what figures to be a loaded field of elites.

"It's going to be an exciting year," Grandma's executive director Shane Bauer said. "I think we're all looking forward to what's going to happen at the finish line this year."

While the defending champ and fastest finisher return to the men's race, the same won't be true on the women's side. Kellyn Taylor, who blew away the competition at Grandma's in 2018 by coming through in an event-record 2:24:28, won't be back.

Twenty miles into the 34th Los Angeles Marathon Sunday morning Kenya’s Elisha Barno had already conceded the race to his countryman John Korir.

Korir had reduced a lead pack of 15 to three with a 4:39 19th mile. When Korir followed that with a 4:35 20th mile he was flying solo, his sizable lead growing with each step.

“I was already thinking ‘let him win,’” Barno recalled.

Then Barno turned left onto Ocean Avenue for the race’s postcar final mile along the Pacific coast.

“And I see John,” Barno said.

Barno passed Korir in the final 150 meters to win the closest and most dramatic race in the event’s history that saw the top three runners finish within 14 seconds of each other.

Barno claimed the $23,000 first prize and his second Los Angeles victory in three years with a 2 hour, 11 minute, 45 second victory. Korir staggered across the finish line in 2:11:52 with Mexico’s Juan Luis Barrios third in 2:11:59.

“I knew I was going to win from the beginning,” Merachi said. “This morning.”

Indeed Merachi seemed to be in a hurry almost from the moment the race left Dodger Stadium at dawn. Merachi dropped out of the New York City Marathon last fall with hamstring and shoulder injuries was clearly restless through the early stages Sunday, pushing the pace.

By the fourth mile, Merachi’s aggressiveness had thinned the lead group from nine to three, only Kenya’s Cynthia Jerop and Lucy Karimi keeping pace. Karimi was the big pre-race question mark. She won the 2016 Prague Marathon in 2:24:46 but beset by injuries had not finished a marathon since.

Two years since he braved hot and humid conditions to win in Houston, Dominic Ondoro will lead Kenyan charge and this time most likely in the cold. 

Ondoro had a torrid start to the 2018 season losing his title last year to Ethiopian challenge. He developed complication midway the race and had to be carried out in an ambulance.

He also failed to finish in his second race of the season in Los Angeles. However, he recovered from his condition and was seventh at the Ottawa Marathon in 2:15:16 and in October he was second at the Melbourne Marathon (2:16:55).

However, he faces stiff challenge in his bid to reclaim the Houston Marathon crown with Ethiopians Abayneh Ayele (2:06:45) and Yitayal Atnafu (2:07:00) leading the elite list.

"My aim this time round, of course, is to win the race," said Ondoro on Thursday in Eldoret.

"I think the weather affected me last year, but despite all that I am ready to challenge for the honors irrespective of who else is running."

The Kenyan believes he catapulted on the global scene when he won in Houston and will always feel indebted to the city.

"Winning Houston Marathon was one of my most favorite moments in road running," said Ondoro. "I am optimistic about running a personal best time. I also see a potential of breaking the course record."

Other Kenyans in the race include Albert Korir (2:08:17), Justus Kimutai (2:09:29), Elisha Barno (2:09:45) and Henry Lelei, who will be making his debut in marathon.

"Once again, our elite team continues to draw a competitive international field," said Chevron Houston Marathon Race Director Brant Kotch.

Former Standard Chartered Marathon winners will be eyeing to reclaim the title when the event gets underway on Sunday in Nairobi. The 2014 champion Reuben Kipruto Siwa and Joshua Kipkorir winner in 2016 and will be back with an aim of setting a record of emerging as the first athletes to win it more than once. The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon champion, Elisha Barno (2:11:58), 2017 Amita Health Fit America Half Chicago bronze medalist Calvin Chemoiywo and Vincent Krop a 14th place finisher at the Singapore Stanchart marathon in 2009 (2:16.15) are in the field as well. 

A familiar name finally claimed victory at Sunday's Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. After finishing as runner-up the past three years, Elisha Barno broke through and won the men's title with a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, 58 seconds. Sinke Biyadgilgn won the women's marathon title with a time of 2:33:04. Race officials reported that more than 6,800 runners finished the 37th annual marathon, while a record 10,896 runners finished the accompanying 20th annual Medtronic TC 10 Mile race. Runners took to the two course on a cool, calm morning, with temperatures in the 40s. Barno, who is from Kenya and trains in New Mexico, also has won the past four Grandma's Marathons in Duluth. On Sunday he finished 14 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, fellow Kenyan Boniface Kongin. Race officials reported that Barno took the lead at Mile 25. "I tried to push and I saw Boniface was very strong," Barno said in a post-race news release. "Boniface put on a surge and I was right with him. I feel very happy and feel like I want to cry — to be a champion is not easy." Biyadgilgn, of Ethiopia, won the women's marathon title with a time of 2:33:04. That's six seconds ahead of second-place finisher, Ethiopia's Serkalem Abrha.

Just 61 days after dropping out of the Boston Marathon, Kellyn Taylor of Flagstaff, Ariz., found the 42nd Grandma's Marathon much more to her liking, crushing the Grandma's women's record by more than two minutes — winning in 2 hours, 24 minutes, 29 seconds.

This was a PR by four minutes.  American women Marathon Runners are on fire.  In the men’s race, Kenya's Elisha Barno became the first runner in the 42 years of Grandma's Marathon to win four straight men's titles. Taylor, 31, a U.S. Olympic marathon hopeful for the 2020 Summer Games, really didn't have any competition over the 26.2 miles from south of Two Harbors to Duluth's Canal Park.

Kellyn earned $20,000 from a $100,000 prize money purse. Askale Merachi, 31, of Ethiopia was second for a second straight year, in a personal-best 2:30:18. Serkalem Abrha, 31, of Ethiopia was third in 2:33:44. Kenyan Sarah Kiptoo set the Grandma's women's course mark of 2:26:32 in 2013. Until Saturday, East African women had won eight straight titles. 

A year ago, Elisha Barno became the first man ever to three-peat at Grandma's, finishing in 2 hours, 12 minutes and 6 seconds, his slowest winning time but 86 seconds faster than second-place Geoffrey Bundi. Barno's fellow Kenyan and last year's women's champ, Hellen Jepkurgat, similarly plans to return. Jepkurgat won her Grandma's debut in 2017, covering the Two Harbors-to-Duluth course in 2:32:09. Sarah Kiptoo, the female course record-holder, is expected back, as well. Kiptoo, also of Kenya, ran a 2:26:32 while winning in 2013, then nabbed her second victory along the North Shore in 2016 (2:33:28).

Champions from the last three years are set to compete, eyeing to set fast times and beat the standing course record of 2:06:35 set in 2011 by Markos Geneti. The 2017 winner Elisha Barno, Weldon Kirui, who won in 2016 and the 2015 champ Daniel Limo all from Kenya will be the men to beat as they return to put claim to the title and test their experience against a deep international field. "It was a good run last year and looking at the rivals I have against me this time round, I need to be on top form to be able to retain the medal. We will see how the race progress after the 30km mark and decide if I will need to push for fast time," Barno said on Friday. The Kenyans will be seeking to dominate the Los Angeles marathon for the 15th time. Last year, Barno clocked 2:11:53 after battling with Daniel Limo for most of the race. Limo finished 24 seconds behind Barno, while Wily Koitile was the third Kenyan on the podium.