Running News Daily

Peres Jepchirchir using Great North Run to fine tune for New York City Marathon

Reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir will be competing at the Great North Run on Sunday September 10, as she gets ready to reclaim her New York City Marathon title on Sunday, November 5.

Jepchirchir missed out on last year’s event due to a hip injury but she has now recovered and will be ready to fight and reclaim her title.

She opened her season with a third-place finish at the London Marathon. The 2021 Boston Marathon champion also finished second behind Hellen Obiri at the Great Manchester Run.

The Great North Run will be a perfect place for Jepchirchir to test out her form ahead of the do-or-die assignment.

In a previous interview with New York City Marathon race organizers, Jepchirchir said: “I was so disappointed that I couldn’t defend my title in New York last year due to an injury, and winning again in Central Park has been my main motivation as I begin my preparations for the autumn.

"New York is an important step in defending my Olympic gold medal next summer in Paris, and I will do my best to make my family and my country proud.”

But before the New York City Marathon, she will face tough opposition at the Great North Run where she finished second last year.

She will be up against compatriot Sharon Lokedi who will also be competing at the New York City Marathon. Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba and Great Britain’s Charlie Purdue will also be in action at the event.

(09/06/2023) Views: 856 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wafula

Sir Mo Farah finishes fourth on farewell to London racing at Big Half

Sir Mo Farah bade farewell to racing in London after finishing fourth in his penultimate race at the Big Half on Sunday.

Farah’s last results saw him finish eighth in the Great Manchester Run 10K in May and ninth in the London Marathon the previous month.

The Big Half was Farah’s last race in London, with the final race of his career taking place at the Great North Run on Tyneside next weekend.

Jack Rowe came first in the elite men’s race with a time of 01:01:08, narrowly edging out fellow Briton Mahamed Mahamed who finished in 01:01:16.

Andrew Butchart was next to cross the line before Farah finished with a time of 01:02:43.

Calli Thackery finished first in the women’s elite race, with David Weir earning the top spot in the wheelchair race.

Farah reflected on an “emotional” day as his career approaches its end next Sunday.

He told BBC Sport: “It was quite emotional today because I haven’t been feeling well this week, I’ve got a bit of a cold.

“I didn’t know if I could do the race, then I was thinking about all the people coming out here and I’m not going to get another chance.

“I came out today, gave it my best but you can’t take anything away from Jack, he’s been working hard for the last three years and he’s deserved that win.

“It’s just nice to see youngsters coming along, grabbing that chance and believing in themselves.

“As I said, when you’ve achieved everything it must come to an end at some point. I’m getting on a bit and I’m kind of just looking forward to taking a break and hopefully being involved in sports, but just spending time with my family.

“Honestly, without the crowd and support I’ve had over the years it wouldn’t be the same.”

(09/04/2023) Views: 638 ⚡AMP

Mo Farah eighth in penultimate race of career

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah finished eighth at the Great Manchester Run, the penultimate race of his career.

The 40-year-old Briton completed the 10km course in 29 minutes 11 seconds - 44 seconds behind winner Eyob Faniel of Italy.

Kenya's Hellen Obiri defended the women's title in 31 minutes 14 seconds.

Farah's final competitive race will be the Great North Run in Newcastle on 10 September.

"I'm so proud of what I've achieved throughout my career," he told BBC Sport.

"I was a bit nervous at the start, but this city has some great history and the support I got was amazing."

Farah won 5,000m and 10,000m gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

He has also won six world and five European golds, and was knighted in 2017.

Faniel, who was born in Eritrea but moved to Italy as a child, beat Briton Marc Scott by four seconds, with Australia's Stewart McSweyn a further four seconds back. Britain's Jonny Mellor was 10th.

Obiri, who won the Boston Marathon last month, finished 45 seconds ahead of compatriot Peres Jepchirchir in second.

Calli Thackery was third - 1min 37secs behind Obiri - one of five Britons in the top 10.

Stephanie Twell was fourth, Rose Harvey fifth, Natasha Cockram seventh and Rachael Franklin 10th.

Britain's Commonwealth 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan was absent as she recovers from a knee injury.

(05/21/2023) Views: 630 ⚡AMP

Peres Jepchirchir will compete in the Great Manchester Run 10km race on Sunday

Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir and Hellen Obiri will compete in the Great Manchester Run 10km race on Sunday.

Jepchirchir will be using the race to train for the next marathon season where she is optimistic of good results.

The Kapsabet-based Jepchirchir will battle it out with defending champion Hellen Obiri, who is fresh from winning the Boston Marathon last month in the USA, among other athletes.

“Competing in the race on Sunday is just part of my training as we start another marathon season. I’m still waiting for confirmation from my management on which race I will be competing in next,” said Jepchirchir.

She said that it feels good competing once again after being out for a long period due to injuries. She has set her eyes on performing well in the forthcoming assignments.

“Competing in the London Marathon and finishing on the podium was something sweet for me. I was running to see how my body would react and I was elated by my performance. I believe I will be able to compete well in the forthcoming events,” added Jepchirchir.

Obiri has risen to stamp authority in the road races after graduating from track where she ruled in the 5,000m and 10,000m. She said that she has just resumed her training and prepared for only two weeks. 

“I will be competing on Sunday but I don’t have anything in mind despite having ran a course record last year. I will be eyeing a good race because I have just trained for two weeks,” Obiri told Nation Sport on phone from UK.

Her debut in marathon saw her emerge sixth in the 2022 New York Marathon in a time of 2:25:49 before winning her second marathon race, Boston Marathon in a personal best of 2:21:38.

Also in the mix is Ethiopia’s former world silver medalist in the 5,000m Senbere Teferi, British athletes, Mollie Williams, Steph Twell, Rose Harvey, Lily Patridge among others.

In last year’s race, Obiri ran a course record of 30:15 winning ahead of British Eilish McColgan who clocked 30:19 while Kenya’s Ruth Chepng’etich settled for third place in 30:29.

(05/20/2023) Views: 539 ⚡AMP
by Bernard Rotich

Manchester stage set for speedy 10km contests

Mo Farah set for penultimate race while Hellen Obiri returns to defend her crown on city streets.

Mo Farah will tackle what is set to be the penultimate competitive race of his storied career as the 20th edition of the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run is staged on Sunday (May 21), but it won’t just be the multiple global track champion who will be attracting attention on the city streets.

Last year’s 10km event produced a spectacular women’s race as Hellen Obiri surged to a brilliant win in 30:15, four seconds ahead of Eilish McColgan’s British record-breaking performance.

The Kenyan returns to defend her title this year, fresh from winning the Boston Marathon last month, but the former 5000m world champion and 2022 Great North Run winner won’t be joined by McColgan who is continuing her recovery from the knee problem which prevented her from making her marathon debut in London.

Instead, the strongest challenge is set to come from Peres Jepchirchir, the Kenyan Olympic marathon champion who was third in London, and Ethiopia’s 2015 5000m world championships silver medallist Senbere Teferi.

Steph Twell will lead the home charge as part of a British contingent which also features the likes of Mollie Williams, Monika Jackiewicz, Lily Partridge, Rose Harvey and Natasha Cockram.

On paper, the fastest man in the men’s field is Callum Hawkins, though how close he can come to his 10km road PB of 28:02 remains to be seen following his injury problems in recent years. The Scot, who has twice finished fourth over the marathon at the World Championships, will be looking to make more progress back towards top form.

Fellow Brit Marc Scott, the winner of this event in 2021, has a PB of 28:03 and will want to make his mark in his first outing since coming 12th in the Istanbul Half Marathon at the end of last month. Farah can expect plenty of support again, having last been seen in action when coming ninth in the London Marathon, where he confirmed his intention to retire at the end of this year. The four-time Olympic champion also clocked 30:41 for 10km in Gabon last month.

The home athletes will be up against the Australian duo of Jack Rayner – runner-up in Manchester last year and the current national 10km record holder – plus Stewart McSweyn, the national 1500m and 3000m record-holder who has an identical road PB to Scott.

Last year’s Osaka Marathon champion, Japan’s Gaku Hoshi, plus Uganda’s Commonwealth marathon champion Victor Kaplangat, add to the strength of the international field.

The men’s wheelchair race should be a tight contest, too, featuring Sean Frame, Johnboy Smith and Commonwealth marathon bronze medallist Simon Lawson.

As well as the popular 10km, the event schedule also features a half marathon plus the Mini and Junior Great Manchester Run.

(05/19/2023) Views: 606 ⚡AMP
by Euan Crumley

Mo Farah says Great North Run will be his final race

Britain's four-times Olympic champion Mo Farah said he will end his athletics career at the Great North Run in September.

Farah finished ninth in his final marathon in London on Sunday, clocking 2:10:28 - nine minutes behind winner Kelvin Kiptum.

The 40-year-old will compete at the 10km Great Manchester Run on May 21 before the Great North Run half-marathon on Sept. 10.

"Part of me was wanting to cry," Farah told BBC on Sunday after the London Marathon. "I will miss that feeling, I am emotional today.

"I want to pass that on. The Great North Run is going to be my last ever run and that will be my goodbye.

"My career has been amazing, my wife and kids have been with me throughout this journey and I want to give time to them now, as well as getting involved in grassroots sport and give back to this sport."

Farah has won the Great North Run six times.

(04/26/2023) Views: 560 ⚡AMP

Zane Robertson Popped for EPO

Zane Robertson, the New Zealand record holder in the half marathon (59:47) and marathon (2:08:19) and former record holder in the 10,000 (27:33.67), has been suspended by The Sport Tribunal of New Zealand from competition for 8 years after testing positive for Erythropoietin (EPO) and “providing false documentation in his defence.”

Robertson, who along with his twin brother Jake famously moved to Kenya in 2007 at the age of 17 to try to become one of the world’s best distance runners, had retired in February at the age of 33 but didn’t mention anything about a pending drug bust. Zane tested positive at the UK’s Great Manchester Run in May 2022.

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After his B sample came back positive, Zane Robertson didn’t try to argue that EPO wasn’t in his system. Instead, he said he went to a Kenyan medical facility to get a COVID vaccination but instead was given EPO, and he provided documentation to back up his point, but investigators determined the documentation provided was false.

In addition to it making no sense medically why someone would be given EPO when they came in for a vaccine, a Vice President of the “medical facility Mr Robertson claimed to have attended” provided a statement saying “Mr Robertson was not administered EPO at the facility, that he had not attended the facility on the alleged date, that of the two doctors he claimed had treated him, one was a laboratory technician and the other was not employed at the facility, that the medical notes were not generated at the facility and the patient number on the notes was not Mr Robertson’s.”

The Sports Tribunal of New Zealand’s full decision can be read here (also embedded at the bottom of this document).

Additionally, Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) issued its own press release that can be read here (also embedded at the bottom of this document), but in reading it, appears that Robertson may have been targeted for testing.

“This case benefitted hugely from the sharing of key information and the invaluable support of the Athletics Integrity Unit and Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya. Our global partnerships allow us to collaborate across the anti-doping landscape to detect and deter doping and hold dopers to account, wherever they may be,” said Drug Free Sport New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Paterson.

The press release was unusual in that it contained a lengthy statement from Athletics NZ Chief Pete Pfitzinger, the two-time US Olympic marathoner (and Cornell grad), about how the organization was trying to make sure that Robertson’s mental health was being taken care of.

“As an organisation we take athlete welfare very seriously, so we understand the anxiety and stress that Zane will be experiencing. As soon as he received notification of the positive test for EPO last year, we offered and have provided extensive wellbeing support alongside High Performance Sport New Zealand and we will continue to provide support during this challenging time. We appreciate DFSNZ’s consideration of the athlete’s wellbeing throughout this process,” said Pfitzinger.

It’s worth noting that prior to the 2016 Olympics where Zane Robertson was 12th in the 10,000, Zane, who had relocated to Ethiopia, expressed his frustration as to the amount of doping in the sport and specifically the situation that was going on in Kenya.

“It’s disturbing that I can see these things unfolding before my eyes yet those athletes continue to race on,” said Zane to stuff.co.nz. Robertson also competed in the 2020 Olympics in the marathon where he was 36th.

 

(03/22/2023) Views: 861 ⚡AMP
by Robert Johnson

Eilish McColgan will race Great Scottish Run 10k on October 2

British and European 10km record-holder will take on distance on the streets of Glasgow.

Eilish McColgan will be back on home turf this autumn as she takes on the Great Scottish Run on October 2.

The 31-year-old holds the British and European 10km record – a time of 30:19 which she set at the 2022 Great Manchester Run – and will be confident of another fast time in Scotland’s biggest city.

McColgan was meant to make her much anticipated marathon debut in London on October 2 but after experiencing low blood sugar levels during long training runs – a condition called ‘rebound hypoglycaemia’ – she delayed her first taste of 26.2 miles until April.

The Scottish athlete has had a quite extraordinary year that has seen her set British records over 5km, 10km and the half-marathon, while on the track McColgan also claimed four major championship medals, including a famous Commonwealth 10,000m gold medal for Scotland in Birmingham.

She became the first British distance runner to compete in six championships outdoor finals in the same season and covered an astonishing 31 miles over five weeks on the track.

At the Great North Run (September 11), McColgan was the official honorary starter, setting 60,000 runners on their way from Newcastle to South Shields in the world’s biggest half-marathon.

“It’s been a great year for me, culminating in my medals on the track, the highlight was my Commonwealth Games victory, roared on by the crowd,” McColgan said.

“After postponing my marathon debut until next year and being involved in last weekend’s Great North Run, I feel I have one more race left in me this season.

“I can think of no better place to do that than to come home and take to the streets of Glasgow over 10km on October 2 at the Great Scottish Run.”

“It was a real honour to see Eilish get the Great North Run underway last weekend,” Paul Foster, Chief Executive of the Great Run Company said. “She has been an amazing ambassador for our sport and continues to inspire people around the UK on and off the track.

“It’s an incredibly exciting prospect to have Eilish completing a stellar season with a debut performance at the Great Scottish Run. I’m sure our runners will be delighted to have the opportunity to run alongside her in person.”

“The Great Scottish Run is one of the UK’s premier running events and Scotland’s biggest 10km & half-marathon.

(09/17/2022) Views: 749 ⚡AMP
by Tim Adams

Eilish McColgan sets British and European 10k record at Great Manchester Run

Eilish McColgan set a British and European 10km record as she finished runner-up at the Great Manchester Run.

Dundee's McColgan, 31, took two seconds off Paula Radcliffe's mark from 2003 with a time of 30 minutes 19 seconds, four seconds behind Hellen Obiri.

Obiri's fellow Kenyans Ruth Chepngetich (30:29) and Sharon Lokedi (31:05) were third and fourth.

Charlotte Purdue was seventh (32:55) with fellow Briton Steph Twell (33:12) eighth.

The men's race was won by New Zealand's Jake Robertson in 28:06, ahead of Australian Jack Reyner, with Liverpool's Abdulqani Sharif in fifth place.

More than 20,000 racers took part, with applause before the start for the 22 victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena terror attack, on its fifth anniversary.

(05/23/2022) Views: 1,193 ⚡AMP

Hellen Obiri and Eilish McColgan will renew rivalry at the Great Manchester run

Last September Hellen Obiri beat Eilish McColgan by six seconds in the Great North Run and this Sunday (May 22) the duo renew their rivalry over the shorter distance of 10km at the Great Manchester Run.

McColgan has been in brilliant form, with a UK 5km record at the start of this month followed by victory in the Vitality London 10,000 where she missed Paula Radcliffe’s British record of 30:21 by only two seconds.

Obiri’s achievements make her the athlete to beat, though. As well as winning two world 5000m titles on the track, the Kenyan is the reigning Commonwealth 5000m champion and world cross-country gold medalist.

McColgan chose to give last week’s Night of the 10,000m PBs in London a miss in order to focus on training in the French Pyrenees. She will hope to push Obiri close again but the quality fields assembled for Manchester mean this won’t just be a two-horse race.

Ruth Chepnegetich defied horrendous heat and humidity to win the world marathon title in Doha in 2019 and the Kenyan has clocked 64:02 for the half-marathon, which was a world record when she ran it 13 months ago but has since been beaten by Letesenbet Gidey.

Sara Hall of the United States will be familiar to British fans after her runner-up performance at the 2020 London Marathon. She also held the US half-marathon record until recently, has a marathon best of 2:20:32 and is looking for a strong run in Manchester on Sunday.

Gerda Steyn, the South African ultra-marathon specialist, is also set to test her speed over 10km.

In addition to McColgan there are of course a number of other Brits in the elite women’s race. They include Jess Piasecki, the Stockport Harriers athlete who went No.2 on the UK all-time marathon rankings earlier this year with 2:22:27.

Steph Twell, the Tokyo Olympic marathon runner, is racing in Manchester ahead of the European Cup 10,000m in France a few days later.

After finishing ninth in the Boston Marathon in 2:25:26 in April, Charlotte Purdue also lines up in Manchester. Look out, too, for Lauren Heyes, Lily Partridge and Calli Thackery, the latter of whom is also racing at the Diamond League in Birmingham 24 hours earlier.

Like Thackery, Stewart McSweyn is also racing in Birmingham the day before the Manchester event as he continues to try to race himself into shape following a bout of Covid. He is joined by fellow Australian Jack Rayner plus New Zealand brothers Jake and Zane Robertson and Spaniard Antonio Abadia in the men’s 10km.

Sadly Mo Farah pulled out of the event following his under-par run at the Vitality London 10,000 earlier this month. But the winner that day, Ellis Cross, is set to race in Manchester and all eyes will be on him to see if he can repeat his form.

Mo Aadan, the Brit who finished third at the Vitality London 10,000, is in Manchester too. Further British contenders, meanwhile, include Ben Connor, Chris Thompson, Adam Craig, Josh Griffiths, Ross Millington, Phil Sesemann and Andrew Heyes.

(05/20/2022) Views: 1,061 ⚡AMP
by Jason Henderson

Sir Mo Farah will be targeting his eight victory at the Vitality London 10,000 as his first race back since picking up an injury last year

More than 16,500 people will take part in the Vitality London 10,000 on Bank Holiday Monday May 2, headed by elite races that will see Sir Mo Farah returning to racing for the first time since June 2021 and the event debut of in-form Eilish McColgan, who could threaten Paula Radcliffe’s 19-year-old British and European 10K record.

Sir Mo is the most successful athlete in the history of the Vitality London 10,000, with seven victories to his name, and the multiple world and Olympic champion will use this year’s event as his first race back since picking up an injury last year while trying to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The 39-year-old will face his long-time friend and adversary Chris Thompson, as well as Phil Sesemann, the first British finisher at last year’s London Marathon. Andy Butchart, however, has had to withdraw from the race.

McColgan comes into the elite women’s race in red-hot form having smashed the British 5K record in Malaga, Spain, last Sunday (April 24). The Scottish star is already the owner of the women’s only British 10K record (30:52), which she set at the Great Manchester Run last year.

Only two British women have ever run faster over 10K than McColgan: Radcliffe, whose European and British record stands at 30:21, and McColgan’s mum, Liz Nuttall (formerly McColgan) who is the Scottish record holder with her personal best of 30:39 set in Orlando in 1989.

McColgan said: “I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my 2022 season than to set a new British 5K record in my first race. Now I’m really looking forward to coming back to the UK and running the Vitality London 10,000 and seeing what shape I am in over 10K.”

Joining McColgan in the elite women’s field is two-time Vitality London 10,000 champion Steph Twell and Jess Piasecki, the sixth fastest British woman of all time over 10K. Charlotte Purdue, who was ninth at The Boston Marathon earlier this month and was due to race, has had to withdraw due to illness.

A record 18 wheelchair athletes will take part this year, with the field led by Paralympic stars David Weir and Shelly Woods.

There will be 10 start waves at the Vitality London 10,000, including a Run for Ukraine wave, where the 2,000 entrants are encouraged to wearing blue and yellow and fundraise for the Ukraine relief effort. One hundred per cent of the discounted £15 entry fees for this wave will be donated by organisers London Marathon Events to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Anthony Seddon, 40, from Brighton, is one of those who will be joining the Run for Ukraine wave, as part of a 1,569-mile fundraising challenge to raise money for a cause that means so much to him.

Anthony’s wife Anna is Ukrainian and he is running 10 kilometres for as long as it takes to complete 1,569 miles – the distance between the football grounds of Brighton and Hove Albion, the club he supports, and Anna’s favourite football team in her home town of Dnipro.

Anna’s mother has fled Ukraine to live with the couple in Brighton, but the remainder of her family remain in the war-torn country.

Anthony said: “Anna has many friends and family still in Dnipro, some unable to leave but most wanting to stay in their homes.

I met Anna while watching England play football at the Euro 2012 tournament. As it was football that brought us together, I have committed to run those 1,569 miles, the distance from Brighton’s Amex Stadium to the Dnipro Arena by way of running events like the Vitality London 10,000 and other half and full marathons until I complete the distance.

“Between our fundraising page and money donated by friends and family beforehand we have managed to send more than £16,000 of aid so far and we hope we can send so much more. Every penny we raise is spent solely on medical aid.”

After a successful first edition in 2019, the Celebrate You wave returns to this year’s Vitality London 10,000 to promote the mental health benefits that regular exercise delivers.

The wave of 1,000 participants will be led by Celebrate You co-founder, journalist and author Bryony Gordon who will be running her 10th consecutive 10K as part of her ‘10 days of 10Ks’ challenge to promote the importance of activity for mental health and the peer support group Mental Health Mates that she founded in 2016.

Also running in the Celebrate You wave are theatre star Carrie Hope Fletcher, body positivity influencers and models Shareefa J and Jade Seabrook and Helen Thorn, one half of the comedy duo Scummy Mummies.

The Vitality Westminster Mile, staged in partnership with Westminster City Council, takes place on Sunday 1 May, with thousands of participants taking on a series of mile events throughout the day from 10:00 to 14:30.

Among the 15 waves on the day are the #RunforRuth wave for the Ruth Strauss Foundation, led by Sir Andrew Strauss, and a Special Olympics GB Unified Mile. There are also nine family waves, a parkrun wave and a junior wheelchair athletes wave. Parents or guardians have been able to register children under-12 for free.

The free Vitality Wellness Festival takes place in Green Park on both days, featuring exciting free activities for children on the Sunday and the chance to run on the Vitality Tumbleator, a giant treadmill, on both days.

The events share one of the most stunning Start and Finish Lines in sport, with The Mall providing the setting for an iconic start and Buckingham Palace as the backdrop for a stunning finish.

The Vitality London 10,000 will be broadcast live on BBC Sport Online, iPlayer and Red Button, as well as the Vitality London 10,000 Facebook page, from 09:45 to 11:45.

(04/28/2022) Views: 1,106 ⚡AMP

Mo Farah’s racing comeback gathers pace

After his disappointing season last year he talked about having one last hurrah – a big farewell race somewhere to mark the end of a career that has brought him, among other things, 10 global track titles.

But there is now speculation he could be involved in this summer’s major championships on the track. Who knows, a return to the London Marathon in October could even be on the cards too.

Firstly, let’s stick to what we know. As Farah is racing 10km on the roads of London on May 2 and Manchester on May 22, this means we can pretty much rule him out of racing in the Müller Birmingham Diamond League on May 21.

Farah does not seem afraid of putting his reputation on the line either, incidentally, as the Great Manchester Run is also set to feature Stewart McSweyn, the Australian who holds the Oceania record for 1500m, mile and 3000m in addition to having clocked 27:23.80 for 10,000m on the track.

In addition, Andy Butchart is set to race and has been in good shape recently after having run 27:36.77 for 10,000m in California this month to break Ian Stewart’s 45-year-old Scottish record.

So if Farah’s road races in May go well, what are his options? Surprisingly he has never won a Commonwealth title and with the event on home soil in Birmingham it must be tempting.

The consensus is that he would struggle on the track against the likes of Joshua Cheptegei and Selemon Barega in the World Championships in Oregon in July. But Christian Malcolm, the head coach of the British team, has suggested it is “50/50”.

Speaking as last weekend’s World Indoor Championships in Belgrade drew to a close, Malcolm said: “Sir Mo is working hard and training. We will see how he goes in the summer. But he’s at that age now where you have to take it week-by-week, month-by-month, see where you are at in training.”

On the chances of him competing in Oregon, Malcolm added: “It’s possible. We don’t know at the moment. It’s 50-50 if I am being honest with you. Hopefully we will know a little bit more over the next six weeks.

As for the Great Manchester Run, Farah last took part in the event in 2018 when he outkicked Moses Kipsiro to clock 28:27.

Farah said: “I’m pleased to say the injury problems I had last year are now behind me, training has been going well and I am happy with the shape I am showing.

“Any time I race in the UK it is exciting for me because I love running in front of my home fans and I want to give my best for them.  I had an amazing reception in Manchester when I won the event in 2018 so I’m looking forward to racing on the streets of the city again later this year.”

It will be fascinating to see if Farah’s form during May is close to his best or whether there is little improvement on last year when he struggled at the British 10,000m Championships in Birmingham to clock 27:50.64 before barely improving three weeks later to run  27:47.04 in an invitation 10,000m at the Olympic trials in Manchester.

How will he fare, too, if he comes up against the rising force of Marc Scott, who beat Farah in Birmingham last year despite not being 100% fit himself and has since won the Great North Run, clocked 12:57.08 for 5000m indoors and on Saturday won bronze in the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships?

Distance running legend returns to the roads of London and Manchester in May but what else does the summer of 2022 hold in store?

After signing up to race the Vitality London 10,000 on the roads of the British capital on May 2, Mo Farah has now announced he will be running the Great Manchester Run on May 22.

Despite turning 39 years old March 23 and enduring an injury-hit summer in 2021 which saw him fail to make the British Olympic team for Tokyo, there are signs he could be entering a surprisingly busy racing period.

(03/26/2022) Views: 1,081 ⚡AMP
by Athletics Weekly

Eilish McColgan breaks UK 10 mile national record

Scottish runner breaks Paula Radcliffe’s national mark and Sonia O’Sullivan’s course record on the roads of Portsmouth

Eilish McColgan ended her season in style as she sliced almost half a minute off Paula Radcliffe’s UK record for 10 miles and 17 seconds from Sonia Sullivan’s course record at the Great South Run with 50:43.

The 30-year-old also took nearly a minute off her 51:38 PB as she won the event for the third time on Sunday (Oct 17).

O’Sullvan’s course record of 51:00 had stood since 2002 whereas Radcliffe’s national record of 51:11 was set in 2008 shortly before she won the New York City Marathon.

This is not the first of Radcliffe’s records that McColgan has broken this year either. In August she beat Radcliffe’s UK 5000m mark with 14:28.55 in Oslo. This means her marathon debut will be much anticipated, although she will do well to get close to Radcliffe’s fearsome UK and former world record of 2:15:25.

Like Radcliffe, McColgan seems in her element on the roads. This autumn alone she has won the Great Manchester Run in 30:52 and finished runner-up to Hellen Obiri in the Great North Run in 67:48. All this after a long track season, too, which included finishing ninth in the Olympic 10,000m final in Tokyo in August.

In addition, McColgan also continues to improve on the formidable performances of her mother. Liz Nuttall-McColgan (photo with daughter) won the Great South Run twice in the mid-1990s with a best of 52:00.

(10/17/2021) Views: 1,245 ⚡AMP

Bristol 10K runner disqualified after accidentally winning half-marathon

When Omar Ahmed made a wrong turn in the 10K event of the Great Bristol Run, little did he know that he would run an extra 12km to win the half marathon and then get disqualified.

The two courses diverged at one point and Ahmed, who entered the 10K as an elite runner, went the wrong way to finish the half-marathon with a time of 1:03:08 -- nearly five minutes ahead of the competition.

"Rules are rules and in this case they say we have to disqualify Omar," Paul Foster, chief executive of The Great Run Company, was quoted as saying by the BBC.

"We salute his performance and he has been invited to take part in next week's Great Manchester Run as an elite athlete. Of course, we also look forward to welcoming him back to Bristol for 2022's Great Bristol Run."

As a result, Chris Thompson who finished with a time of 1:07:53 was adjudged the winner of Sunday's race.

The 10K and half marathon are usually held in different months. Both races were cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic

(09/25/2021) Views: 830 ⚡AMP

The Great North Run has been Cancelled

This year’s Great North Run in September has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The iconic half marathon race, which raises more than £25 million for charity, was due to take place on 13 September, but race organisers have now confirmed it will not go ahead due to health risks.

A statement read: “Today, we have confirmed the cancellation of the 2020 Great North Run. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic mean it isn’t possible to stage the event as planned this year.

The 40th Great North Run is now scheduled to take place on 12 September 2021, while the Great Manchester Run on 6 September has also been cancelled, with its next edition of the race set for 23 May, 2021.

Runners who had their place confirmed by the 2020 Ballot or through membership have the option of rolling their entry over to next year. While charity runners should wait to be contacted directly in the coming days or weeks to secure a place at next year’s race.

While the rescheduled London Marathon remains on for now, with 4 October the revised date.

(06/15/2020) Views: 1,211 ⚡AMP

Kenyan Hellen Obiri is aiming for success over 5000m and 10,000m at IAAF World Championships Doha

Hellen Obiri has revealed she will target IAAF World Championships success over both 5000m and 10,000m in Doha this summer as part of her plan to bow out from track competition on a high.

The Kenyan won gold over the shorter distance in London two years ago and is focused on retaining her title in the Qatari capital. She admits, however, that a full-time switch to road running is in the offing after next year’s Tokyo Olympics and, with that in mind, also wants to tackle the 25-lap event for the first time.

“My main target is to retain my title and then most probably I will focus on the double – 5000m and 10,000m,” the 29-year-old said.

“I’ve not done the 10,000m on the track so I’m going to do it at the Kenyan trials (for the world championships). It’s very hard to even make the Kenyan team but of course I want to make it and then from there you can see me doubling in Doha.”

“What made up my mind is that I’m almost done with the track," she says,  "so I think I need to do final, final things. I have never done 10,000m on the track so I wanted to do it before I go to the roads, maybe from next year after the Olympics.

“I will do 10km and the half-marathon on the road from there and then maybe (move up to the marathon) in the coming years.”

Obiri will race over 10km on the roads this weekend as one of the star attractions at the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run, where she will be looking to carry on what, thus far, has been a winning habit in 2019.

There was her impressive and memorable victory at the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus back in March, which followed gold at the Kenyan Championships, while a marker was put down on her first track outing this year thanks to a fine 3000m win over a quality field which included 1500m world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba at the recent Diamond League meeting in Doha in a time of 8:25.60.

(05/18/2019) Views: 2,012 ⚡AMP
by Euan Crumley

Hellen Obiri, Steph Twell, Andy Vernon and Stanley Biwott are among the big names racing the Great Manchester 10km on Sunday

The Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run returns on Sunday, with a number of top elite athletes set to battle for titles ahead of the 30,000-strong mass race.

Kenya’s world 5000m and recent world cross country champion Hellen Obiri is making her debut at the event and will be faced with a field containing Ethiopia’s Tokyo marathon winner Ruta Aga, while two-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat also features, as does Ireland’s Fionnula McCormack.

A healthy British contingent is headed by Steph Twell, who won the Brighton 10km in 31:58 last month, and she is joined by Mhairi Maclennan, Jenny Nesbitt and Aly Dixon, who was recently named part of Britain’s IAU 50km World Championships team for the event in Romania in September.

Ugandan world cross silver medallist Jacob Kiplimo is fastest in the men’s field with a personal best of 26:41, though he will be facing the likes of Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa, Boston Marathon runner-up this year, and Kenya’s 2015 New York marathon winner Stanley Biwott.

Mo Farah is not defending the title he won last year but the British presence will feature Nick Goolab, a man on form and the fastest Briton over 10km so far this year after breaking the course record with a run of 28:22 when winning in Brighton.

He will be joined by compatriots Emile Cairess, Ieuan Thomas and Dan Studley.

(05/17/2019) Views: 2,109 ⚡AMP

Mo Farah and Tirunesh Dibaba win Great Manchester 10K Sunday May 20

Britain's Olympic and world 10,000m champion Mo Farah said he felt "tired" after his first victory in the 10km Great Manchester Run. Farah, who finished third at the London Marathon last month, raced past Ugandan Moses Kipsiro with 100 metres left to win in 28 minutes 27 seconds. Abel Kirui of Kenya finished third, 25 seconds behind Farah. Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba won her third straight women's race, well ahead of Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei.  

Farah, who was appearing in the race for the first time since 2007, took part in a minute's silence before the race in tribute to the 22 people who died in last year's Manchester Arena bombing. For most of the race, the 35-year-old looked comfortable in warm conditions as he kicked past Kipsiro with 100 metres to go. But he said he was still recovering from breaking the British record at last month's marathon - his first event over the distance since switching his focus to road racing.

"I've got great speed and I know that at the end of the races I can use it if the guys haven't hurt me enough, so today was a matter of hanging in there," he told BBC Sport. "I was pretty tired. Having competed in the marathon not so long ago, today was hard work."

(05/20/2018) Views: 1,886 ⚡AMP

Tirunesh Dibaba had to drop out of the London Marathon but is now ready to defend her title in Manchester

The Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run this weekend has a top-class women’s elite field.  Ethiopian superstar Tirunesh Dibaba (pictured) returns to an event she has won no fewer than four times and to the course upon which she was impressively dominant last year. The triple Olympic champion will be in action for the first time since being forced to stop 30km into last month’s London Marathon, however, and will Face fierce opposition. Her toughest opponent will come in the form of Kenyan multiple world record-holder Joyciline Jepkosgei, the only woman ever to run 10km in under 30 minutes. The 24-year-old initially broke the world record for the distance, as well as the marks for 15km and 20km on her way to also smashing the half-marathon world record in Prague in April last year. She clocked 30:04 for 10km on that occasion but returned to the Czech capital in September and lowered it further when she ran 29:43 at the Prague Grand Prix. Jepkosgei also improved on her half-marathon mark by a second when she ran 64:51 in Valencia last October. (05/18/2018) Views: 1,840 ⚡AMP
by Euan Crumley/ Athletics Weekly

Running helped Cameron Jones get his life back after being diagnosed with clinical depression

A film maker who was diagnosed with clinical depression will take part in the Great Manchester Run to raise money for mental health charity Mind. Cameron Jones, from Prestwich, said running has allowed him to get his life back on track after mental ill-health caused him to drop out of university last year. The 20-year-old, who runs OH GOSH Productions, said he felt ‘completely out of control’ when he plunged into depression in October last year, just weeks after starting the second year of his film production degree in London. He said: “I will never know the causes for sure, but I mostly think that it was my university lifestyle which rendered me unable to cope with the stress and suffering of life. “A complete lack of routine, uncertainty surrounding my career in the future, and using substances to produce good feelings, as opposed to feeling good through hard work and achievement. Keen to get his life back on track, Cameron moved home and took up running with his friend Henry Williams. (05/18/2018) Views: 1,594 ⚡AMP

Mo Farah Leads the All-Star Cast At Great Manchester Run 10K

Mo Farah is now a full-time marathoner, his history in the shorter distances gives him an advantage over the field. Stanley Biwott, Feyisa Lilesa, and Abel Kirui are also scheduled to race, making this a battle among some of the most accomplished marathoners in the world.  Less than a month after his third-place finish at the London Marathon, Mo Farah will return to the streets of Great Britain. On Sunday at the Great Manchester Run, the 10-time global champion will race a 10K—the distance that provided him with some of the greatest triumphs of his career. Six-time gold medalist and 5000m world record holder Tirunesh Dibaba makes up one half of a dynamic women’s field. The 32-year-old has made winning the Great Manchester Run a staple of her career. She’s won the race on seven occasions, including last year where she took the victory by over two minutes.  Winning on Sunday will be much more difficult. Waiting for her in Manchester is Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya. Jepkosgei doesn’t have the global championships like Dibaba, but she has fast times. Lots of them. (05/17/2018) Views: 1,791 ⚡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: 1,905 ⚡AMP

A man paralysed from the waist down after the Manchester Arena bombing is taking part in the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run

Martin Hibbert, from Bolton, whose injuries were described as the equivalent of ‘being shot 22 times at point blank range’, suffered a T10 complete spinal injury when he was stood just 30 feet away from the bomb when it detonated. But the 41-year-old football agent has defied the odds and will line up on the start line in Manchester city center this month determined to finish the 10k distance in under an hour. He will take part in a racing wheelchair alongside former Paralympian Richie Powell and best friend Lee Freeman. He said: “Anyone who knows me knows how determined I am. “It’s going to be a huge challenge for me to use my arms to push myself around the course, but I will do it. “Richie and Lee have been a huge support and have been at my side throughout the whole of my training and it will be a proud moment for me personally when we cross the finish line. The Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run will take place just two days before the anniversary of the attack, and a one minute’s silence will be observed as a mark of respect to the victims. (05/08/2018) Views: 1,744 ⚡AMP