Running News Daily

2024 USATF 5K: Ahmed Muhumed And Annie Rodenfels Win

Annie Rodenfels went back-to-back while Ahmed Muhumed claimed his second US title of the year at the 2024 USATF 5K Road Championships on Saturday morning in Central Park. Rodenfels, who runs for the B.A.A. High Performance Team, broke away from Emily Venters and Emma Grace Hurley in the final mile to win in 15:20.

Muhumed, who won the US 8k road title in July and was the runner-up here last year, dropped the field with a hard move at 2 miles and held off a late charge from Sam Prakel to win in 13:38 to Prakel’s 13:39.

Top 10 results

Men

1. Ahmed Muhumed, HOKA NAZ Elite 13:38

2. Sam Prakel, adidas 13:39

3. Brian Barraza, Roots Running Project 13:42

4. Kirubel Erassa, unattached 13:44

5. Hillary Bor, HOKA One One 13:45

6. Anthony Rotich, US Army 13:48

7. Drew Bosley, unattached 13:49

8. Afewerki Zeru, McKirdy Trained 13:52

9. Abbabiya Simbassa, Under Armour 13:57

10. Morgan Beadlescomb, adidas 13:59

Women

1. Annie Rodenfels, B.A.A. 15:20

2. Emily Venters, Nike 15:25

3. Emma Grace Hurley, Asics 15:31

4. Bailey Hertenstein, Nike 15:32

5. Susanna Sullivan, Brooks 15:36

6. Abby Nichols, HOKA NAZ Elite 15:41

7. Paige Wood, HOKA NAZ Elite 15:41

8. Taylor Roe, Puma 15:43

9. Natosha Rogers, Puma 15:45

10. Molly Born, Puma 15:47

(11/04/2024) Views: 140 ⚡AMP
by Jonathan Gault

Hillary Bor sets national record at the New Haven 20K, Keira D’Amato wins women’s race

Two-time Olympian Hillary Bor fell in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the steeplechase and did not make it to Paris.

Neither did Keira D’Amato, who dropped out of the Olympic Marathon Trials after running with

Hilary Bor and Keira D'Amato won USATF national titles in the 20K Monday by winning the men's and women's races at the 47th Faxon Law New Haven Road Race.Bor finished the 20K (12.4 miles) race in 58 minutes, 9 seconds, while D'Amato crossed the finish line in 1:06:25.

Bor's time set the national championship record. He pulled away from Nathan Martin (58:26), Biya Simbassa (59:29) and Aidan Reed (58:31).

Bor, from Colorado, was a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic team and competed in the steeple chase.

D’Amato, from Virginia, also won the Faxon Law New Haven 20K in 2022 when she set the course record. She held off Jess McClain (1:06.50), Savanah Berry (1:07:03) and Annie Frisbie (1:07:19).  

Both earned the Ryan Shay Memorial Award, given annual in honor of the 2004 Faxon Law New Haven Road Race winner who died while participating in the 2007 Olympic Trials Marathon in New York City. The award is presented in recognition of Shay’s hard work and dedication to the sport, as well as longtime support of the New Haven Road Race, which he ran four times. 

Connecticut's top finisher in the male division was West Hartford's Grant O'Connor, who placed 23rd in 1:02:54. The top state performer in the female division was Glastonbury's Alyssa Natario, whose time of 1:14:41 was 13th.

Other Connecticut residents to place in the top 25 in the female division were: Fairfield's Megan Connolly, Wallingford's Katie Overstrum, Woodbridge's Laura Pierce, Manchester's Olivia Mondo, Colchester's Alayna Bigalbal and East Lyme's Rebecca Snielson

The race, which drew more than 5,000 participants, also included a 5K, half marathon, half marathon relay and kid's fun run.

Benjamin MacDonald of Susbury, Mass. won the half marathon in 1:10:01, with Tabea Themann of Hamburg, Virginia winning the female division in 1:18:11. Westport's Clare Kutnick was second in the division in 1:21:48.

Prospect's Colin Slavin won the 5K title in 15:31 for the men, while Milford's Courtney Kitchen won the female division in 17:46.

(09/02/2024) Views: 228 ⚡AMP
by Lori Riley

U.S. Olympians highlight field in 2024 Faxon Law New Haven Labor Day Road Race

Three U.S. Olympians highlight a competitive field set to run on Labor Day in the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race, the host of the USA Men's and Women's 20K Championship.

There's one Olympian competing in the women's field: Rachel Smith represented America at the Tokyo Olympics in the 5,000 meters and became this year's 15K National Champion.

Jess McClain finished fourth at this year's Olympic Trials Marathon.Virginia's Keira D'Amato leads the women's field. She set the course record when she won the race in 2022.

The 2021 race champion, Erika Kemp, will also be competing.

Moving over to the men's field, there are two runners with Olympic appearances. Woody Kincaid represented the U.S. in the last two Olympics. He ran the 10,000 meters in Paris and the 5,000 meters in Tokyo. This marks Kincaid's first 20K.

Hillary Bor is the other Olympian. He represented America in the 2016 Steeplechase. Another challenger will be Sam Chelanga, who has finished in the top three in five appearances in New Haven's 20K. Also competing is West Hartford's Ben Lanza, who is one of Connecticut's top distance runners.

The female and male 20K winners will receive the Ryan Shay Memorial Award. Shay passed away while participating in the 2007 Olympic Trials Marathon in New York City. The award is in recognition of Shay’s hard work and dedication to the sport, as well as longtime support of the New Haven Road Race.

"We're very excited about having many of the country's top runners compete in New Haven," said John Tolbert, Elite Athlete Coordinator in a release. "We have very deep Men’s and Women’s race fields. With a cool day, the men’s and women’s 20K American records could be in jeopardy.”

Labor Day is Sept. 2. The race will begin on the New Haven Green. The Kids Fun Run starts at 8:10 a.m. The 20K, Half Marathon and 5K all start at 8:30 a.m.

(08/27/2024) Views: 265 ⚡AMP
by Christine Butterfield

Muhumed, Smith win USATF 8K road titles at Crazy 8s 8K Race

The Crazy 8s 8K Race has been a staple in Northeast Tennessee for decades. Saturday night, however, marked the first time it would serve as the USA Track & Field 8K road race championship for both men and women.

The competition did not disappoint in the humidity of the Model City.

Warren, Bayless inducted into Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

The elite start went off just after 9 p.m. ET, with the finish remaining just as tight as the starting line. Ahmed Muhumed crossed the finish line first, arms outstretched, in a time of 22:26 to claim the men’s 8K road race championship.

The former Boise State and Florida State star missed out on the 2024 Summer Games, but earned a confidence-boosting win in Tennessee.

“I haven’t won any national titles – I came second in the 5K in New York,” he said. “The time – when I saw it I said ‘no way I just did that.’ It’s something that I can only dream of in terms of it being up there. But I didn’t really – I talk about splits on my watch, but I did not care about what pace I was running. It was all about competing and staying with the front guys.”

Isai Rodriguez finished just one second behind (22:27) in second place, while Hillary Bor claimed bronze with a time of 22:34.

In the women’s competition, former U.S. Olympian and World Championships participant, Rachel Smith, earned herself an 8K road race title with a time of 25:40.

“Any time you can win a national championship title, it’s so special,” she said. “I definitely don’t take any of these for granted, especially as I’m getting older. It’s always an honor to win a national championship title.”

Emma Grace Hurley took the silver on the women’s side with a time of 25:58, as Natosha Rogers turned in a 26:11 for third place.

Muhumed and Smith claimed a $5,000 prize and the title for their efforts, but said running in the Model City is a memory they’ll take with them, as well.

“This is one of the best environments I’ve been in, in terms of racing,” Muhumed said. “Just grateful for the City of Kingsport and the Tri-Cities and everybody who is out here supporting.”

“The hospitality and the event was so, so awesome,” Smith said. “I really enjoyed being here and I hope to come back again.”

(07/22/2024) Views: 461 ⚡AMP
by Nick Dugan

Defending champions return to Bix

Kellyn Taylor and Biya Simbassa each ran the Quad-City Times Bix 7 for the first time last year.

They clearly loved the course, the atmosphere and just about everything about the annual race through the streets of Davenport.

Both Taylor and Simbassa held off late challenges from other runners, both ran the sixth best Bix 7 times ever by a U.S. athlete of their gender and both plan to return to defend their championships when the race is held for the 50th time on July 27.

It marks the first time in 12 years that both the men’s and women’s champions are returning to defend their Bix titles.

Simbassa admitted he wasn’t really sure how he felt about the Bix 7 course last year when he first saw the endless array of ups and downs in the course. But after holding off Olympian Clayton Young to win, he liked it.

“I mean, now I do,’’ he said after his victory. “It’s a course that’s all about strength and I train for this."

Taylor went through a similar transformation.

“When I saw the course, I was like, ‘Oh, no. What did I get myself into?’ ” she said. “That’s a super substantial hill right at the beginning and then it rolls all the way through. It’s certainly not easy by any means. I think that works to my favor since I’m more of a strength runner.”

Taylor appreciated more than just the hills.

“The crowds were amazing,” she said. “It’s not what I expected at all — the streets were completely lined, and a race that isn’t a huge marathon, I don’t feel like you see that that often. The crowds were incredible.”

Taylor and Simbassa will be bidding to repeat as Bix 7 champions, something that has been done only seven times in the race’s history, four times by men, three times by women.

Both runners failed to land berths on the U.S. Olympic team, which would have precluded a return to Bix, but they’ve still used their 2023 victories as a springboard to additional success.

Taylor briefly led the New York City Marathon last November before placing eighth, making her the top American finisher in the race. It was the third time she has been in the top eight at New York.

The Wisconsin native, who will turn 38 a few days before the Bix 7, then focused her attention on making the U.S. Olympic team and made a respectable showing in the trials in the marathon, finishing 15th, and the 10,000 meters, placing sixth.

Simbassa, a 31-year-old native of Ethiopia who now lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, attempted to earn an Olympic spot in the marathon but placed 11th in the trials.

However, he has followed that with an ambitious schedule on the U.S. road racing circuit, recording top-five finishes in the Bolder Boulder 10k (5th), Cherry Blossom 10-miler (5th), Gate River 15k (4th), Amway River Bank 25k (3rd) and Houston Half-marathon (4th).

Also included in the field are four former Olympians and nine other runners who have placed in the top 10 at the Bix 7 in the past. Elite athlete coordinator John Tope said even more top runners could be added between now and race day.

Among the top men’s entries are two former Iowa State University standouts.

Wesley Kiptoo of Kenya was the 2021 NCAA indoor 5,000-meter champion and a seven-time All-American for the Cyclones. He was seventh in the Bix 7 two years ago and won the Cherry Blossom 10-miler earlier this year.

Hillary Bor, a Kenya native who is now an American citizen, also attended Iowa State before representing the U.S. in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Olympics in both 2016 and 2021. He also is the U.S. record-holder in the 10-mile run.

Other former Olympians in the field are Morocco’s Mohamed El Aaraby and Americans Jake Riley and Shadrack Kipchirchir. Riley and Araby both competed in the marathon in Tokyo in 2021 and Kipchirchir ran the 10,000 meters in 2016.

Riley also is a Bix 7 veteran along with Kenya’s Reuben Mosip and Americans Frank Lara, Andrew Colley and Isai Rodriguez. Lara was second in the Bix 7 in 2021 and eighth a year ago.

Rounding out the men’s field are Raymond Magut of Kenya; Tsegay Tuemay and Tesfu Tewelde of Eritrea; and Americans Nathan Martin, Ryan Ford, JP Trojan, Merga Gemeda and Titus Winders.

The most recognizable name in the women’s field is 41-year-old Sara Hall, the wife of two-time Olympian, U.S. half-marathon record-holder and 2010 Bix champion Ryan Hall. Sara Hall was fifth in the U.S. Olympic marathon trials earlier this year and has two strong Bix 7 efforts on her resume, placing second in 2014 and third in 2017.

She and Taylor will be challenged by three up-and-coming runners from Kenya — Emmaculate Anyango Achol, Grace Loibach Nawowuna and Sarah Naibei. Achol has run the second fastest women’s 10k ever (28:57) and Naibei won the Lilac Bloomsday 12k in May.

Also in the field are Bix 7 veterans Kassie Parker, Jessa Hanson, Carrie Verdon and Tristin Van Ord along with Americans Annmarie Tuxbury and Stephanie Sherman, Ethiopia’s Mahlet Mulugeta and Kenya's Veronicah Wanjiru.

The elite field also includes four legendary runners who have helped build the Bix 7 into the international event that it is. Two-time champion Bill Rodgers, who has run the Bix 7 43 times, will be joined by four-time women’s champion and 1984 Olympic gold medalist Joan Samuelson, two-time Olympic medalist Frank Shorter and Meb Keflezighi, who has two Bix titles and an Olympic silver medal on his resume.

(07/22/2024) Views: 341 ⚡AMP
by Don Doxsie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hillary Bor Smashes His American Record at Cherry Blossom 10-Miler

Ugantda's Sarah Chelangat (51:14) broke the women's course record as American Emily Durgin (51:26) ran fast to finish second.

Two-time Olympic steeplechaser Hillary Bor enjoyed a triumphant return to the nation’s capital, winning his second consecutive USATF 10-mile championship title this morning at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Miler and lowering his own national record by a healthy 15 seconds in the process.  Bor, 34, who was coming off of a strong half-marathon debut in New York City three weeks ago, finished third overall behind Kenyans Wesley Kiptoo (45:54) and Raymond Magut (45:55), clocking 45:56.  Another American, Nathan Martin, also ran under Bor’s previous record of 46:11, stopping the clock at 46:00.

“Last year when I ran this race I ran 46:11 and it shows the fitness,” Bor told Race Results Weekly while wrapped in an American flag.  “I went to Rabat for my steeplechase.  I broke my foot and still ran 8:11.  Last summer I was really, really struggling with the injury; I was just rehabbing from June to September.”

But today Bor –who represents Hoka, and like last year wore bib 13– felt healthy mile after mile.  In cool and sunny conditions he was in the lead pack of seven at 5-K (14:14), and was the race leader at 10-K (28:36) where eight men remained in contention for the overall title including Kiptoo, Magut, Kenya’s Shadrack Kimining, and Americans Teshome Mekonen and Biya Simbassa.  The leaders were averaging 4:38 per mile, but Bor felt the pace slow a little bit past the 10-K mark.

“Between 10-K and 15-K, we slowed down,” Bor continued.  “We kind of wait and look at each other.”

With less than a mile to go, four men still had a chance for the win: Bor, Kiptoo, Magut and Martin.  The race wouldn’t sort itself out until the final 800 meters where the course goes uphill, turns left, then goes back downhill for the finish line adjacent to the Washington Monument.  Bor thought he could take the overall win, but Kiptoo had other ideas.

“The last 800 I was just kind of waiting,” said Kiptoo, who runs for Hoka Northern Arizona Elite.  “I was like, everybody is making a move and I was like just good to wait until that last 600, and that’s where I knew I was going to win.”

Kiptoo streaked to the finish line to take the overall title, but only had a second on Magut and two seconds on Bor in the end.  On the financial front Bor was the big winner, earning $10,000 for the USATF title and another $2,000 for finishing third overall.  Kiptoo earned $6,000 for the overall win plus a $1,000 bonus for running sub-46:00. Magut won $3,750 for finishing second overall and running sub-46:00 (time bonuses were only available for the first and second place finishers).

“The fitness is there,” said Bor, who will move back to the track where he hopes to make his third consecutive Olympic team in the steeplechase.  “Ten miles has been good to me.”

Today’s race was bittersweet for Martin.  The 34-year-old, who finished seventh at the Olympic Trials Marathon in February, ran an excellent race, breaking the national record, but still ended up second in the national championships.

“I was going for the win,” Martin told Race Results Weekly.  “A mile to go I tried to take off and gap people and it didn’t work out.  But, it was an awesome time.”

In the separate early-start elite women’s race, Uganda’s Sarah Chelangat repeated as overall champion in a new course record of 51:14.  The 22-year-old led from gun to tape, and her time was a whopping 50 seconds faster than last year.  She earned a total of $7,000: $6,000 for the win and $1,000 for breaking 52 minutes.  She said that she had come to win.

“I’m happy,” said Chelangat, who represents Nike.  “It is hard when you are running alone, but I’m happy because I won the race.”

Behind her, American Emily Durgin was running the race of her life.  Durgin, 29, who represents adidas, moved from a chase pack of three at 10-K (31:45), where she ran with Ethiopians Kasanesh Ayenew and Tegest Ymer, to running alone by the final mile.  She was too far behind Chelangat at 15-K to try for the overall win, but she kept pushing because she wasn’t sure if Rachel Smith (Hoka), the recently crowned USA 15-K champion, was catching up.

“The last mile I was more like, I hope Rachel doesn’t come from behind again,” Durgin said, referring to the USA 15-K Championships on March 2 where Durgin finished third.  “At that point I was still trying to maintain a good time, and coming into this race I was like, I really want to win a national title, but I also wanted to run a fast time.”

Indeed she did.  Durgin’s time of 51:26 was only three seconds slower than Keira D’Amato’s USATF record for an all-women’s race set in 2020 at a special event here in Washington during the pandemic.

“If I ended up second here today and still ran fast I was going to be happy with it,” Durgin continued.  “Thankfully, I think I gapped Rachel enough so she wasn’t able to out-kick me this time.”

(04/08/2024) Views: 504 ⚡AMP
by David Monti

Grovdal, Kipchumba Take Victories At United Airlines NYC Half

Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal and Kenya’s Abel Kipchumba won this morning’s hilly and chilly United Airlines NYC Half in 1:09:09 and 1:00:25, respectively.  Grøvdal, 33, a three-time European Athletics cross country champion, became the first European woman to win the race since Britain’s Mara Yamauchi in 2010. 

Kipchumba, 30, last November’s B.A.A. Half-Marathon champion in Boston, was the race’s ninth Kenyan male champion over its 17-year history.  Both athletes won $20,000 in prize money.

The two dozen women in the elite field were in no hurry to establish a fast pace when the race set off from Prospect Park in Brooklyn just after sunrise.  Calli Thackery of Great Britain, recently named to her country’s Olympic Marathon team, was the early leader and a pack of seven went through the 5-K checkpoint in a gentle 17:07.  Grøvdal was in that pack along with Kenya’s Gladys Chepkurui, Edna Kiplagat and Cynthia Limo; the Netherlands’ Diane Van Es; and Switzerland’s Fabienne Schlumpf.  The two top Americans, Des Linden and Jenny Simpson, were five seconds back.

The next five kilometers would be critical.  As the leaders ascended the Manhattan Bridge to cross the East River, the pace became too difficult for Thackery, Van Es and Schlumpf who all slid back.  At the 10-K mark on the Manhattan side (33:26) the race was down to four: Grøvdal, Chepkurui, Kiplagat, and Limo.

Limo, the reigning Honolulu Marathon champion, was next to lose contact after Chepkurui pushed the pace up the FDR Drive along the East River. By 15-K, Limo was nearly 20 seconds behind and would finish a distant fourth in 1:11:54.

Grøvdal Comes Back

But Grøvdal was also hurting.  In the tenth mile (17th kilometer) as the race went up Seventh Avenue past Times Square, Grøvdal began to lose contact with Chepkurui and Kiplagat.  It looked like she would finish third for the third year in a row.

“I was so tired then,” Grøvdal told reporters.  “Just thinking, it’s third this year also.  But then, I don’t know.  I just tried to don’t get the gap too big.  Suddenly, I was just behind them again.”

The final seven kilometers of this race are particularly tough.  The race climbs about 30 meters from 15-K to the finish, and the finish straight itself is uphill.  Grøvdal knew the course well and was ready.

“Then something in me just, OK, now it’s the finish,” Grøvdal explained.  “It’s 3-K left, so I was planning to have a strong finish the last 2-K and I did that.”  She added: “I just went for it.”

The men’s race began much more aggressively than the women’s.  By the 5-K mark (14:23) Kipchumba and Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi had already reduced the lead pack to four.  Along for the ride were two Olympic steeplechasers, American Hillary Bor and Eritrean Yemane Haileselassie.  The four stayed together through 10-K (28:38), but then Kipchumba and Talbi began to trade surges.  That kind of racing was too punishing for Haileselassie, who drifted off the pace.  Bor, running in just his first half-marathon, hung on.

“I wanted a fast race and I think the same for him,” said Talbi, who is observing Ramadan and had to fast in the days leading up to today’s race.  “He (Kipchumba) wanted to push… so both of us keep pushing from the start.  I pushed until the end, basically.”

By 15-K (42:54) Bor was 12 seconds back and Haileselassie was 32 seconds in arrears.  It would be either the Kenyan or the Moroccan who would take the victory today.  Kipchumba was determined and recognized Talbi as a formidable opponent.

“Today was not easy,” Kipchumba told Race Results Weekly.  “The guy was strong.”

Kipchumba finally shook off Talbi in the race’s final stages, leading by 10 seconds at 20-K (57:18) and, ultimately, 17 seconds at the finish.  His time of 1:00:25 was the fastest since 2017 when the race was held on a different –and much easier– course from Central Park to lower Manhattan.

“I tried my best; I won the race,” Kipchumba said.  “(With) three kilometers remaining I said it’s time to win.”

Talbi was second in 1:00:41, and Haileselassie passed Bor in the final kilometer to take third in 1:01:37 to Bor’s 1:01:47.  Another American, Reed Fischer, rounded out the top 5 in 1:03:06.

(03/19/2024) Views: 516 ⚡AMP
by David Monti

Kenenisa Bekele, Connor Mantz & Clayton Young To Headline 2024 United Airlines NYC Half

The New York Road Runners (NYRR) has announced that the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half, taking place Sunday, March 17, will feature 11 Olympians, seven Paralympians, and several more professional athletes who have their eyes on the Paris 2024 Games this summer.

Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, fresh off finishing first and second, respectively, at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, will headline the men’s open division at the United Airlines NYC Half, while two-time U.S. Olympian Hillary Bor will race 13.1 miles for the first time in his career and the world’s most-decorated distance runner, Kenenisa Bekele, will return to New York for his second NYRR event. The women’s open division will be chock-full of established contenders, including Olympians Des Linden, Jenny Simpson, Edna Kiplagat, Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal, and Malindi Elmore, in addition to World Championships marathon bronze medalist Fatima Gardadi.

These athletes will lead more than 25,000 runners during the United Airlines NYC Half, the world’s premier half marathon, organized by NYRR, which runs from Brooklyn to Manhattan, passing historic landmarks, diverse neighborhoods, and sweeping views of the city along the way before finishing in Central Park.

Men’s Open Division

Mantz and Young, training partners from Provo, Utah, will line up together at the start in New York less than two months after finishing one-two at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando and qualifying for the Paris 2024 Games. Mantz was fifth in his first United Airlines NYC Half in 2022, and last year became the seventh-fastest American marathoner in history when running 2:07:47 to finish sixth at the Chicago Marathon. Young finished right behind him in seventh in 2:08:00 and will be making his United Airlines NYC Half debut.

“I think I have a lot of room to improve in the halfs,” Mantz said on the latest episode of NYRR Set the Pace, Feb. 22, 2024. “I want to get these halfs in so I can have more confidence heading into Paris. I ran [the United Airlines NYC Half] in 2022…which was probably one of the most special experiences and it was a huge learning [experience]. It was probably my first race where I was competing against a big international field…so it was a really good experience for me, and I think it’s one I want to repeat and take what I’ve learned in the last two years and use it.”

Ethiopia’s Bekele, a four-time Olympic medalist, 16-time world champion, and the third-fastest marathoner in history, will challenge the American duo, racing with NYRR for the second time after finishing sixth at the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon. He will be joined at the starting line by Kenya’s Abel Kipchumba, the reigning champion of the B.A.A. Boston Half Marathon who owns one of the top-10 half-marathon times in history.

(02/24/2024) Views: 580 ⚡AMP
by Letsrun

Ednah Kiplagat confirms next race as she chases more history

Forty-four-year-old Edna Kiplagat has opened up on where she will compete next, giving the impression that she is not hanging her spikes anytime soon.

More than 25,000 runners have confirmed participation at the New York City Half Marathon scheduled for Sunday, March 17 from Brooklyn to Manhattan, finishing in Central Park.

One of the headliners in the women’s field is 44-year-old Kenyan runner Edna Kiplagat who will be using the race as part of her preparations for the Boston Marathon.

Kiplagat is one of the most successful long-distance runners and from her records, she is a two-time Boston Marathon champion and former London and New York City Marathon champion.

Kiplagat will be up against compatriots Gladys Chepkurui, the reigning Tokyo Half Marathon champion, and Cynthia Limo, a World Athletics Championships half-marathon medalist. The duo has the two fastest times in the women's open division.

Two-time US Olympian and 2018 Boston Marathon champion Desiree Linden will return as the top American finisher from last year's race, having recently finished 11th at the US Olympic Marathon Trials.

Olympic and World Championships medalist Emily Simpson will make her United Airlines NYC Half debut but she is no stranger to NYRR races as an eight-time winner of the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile.

Lindsay Flanagan and Annie Frisbie, both of whom finished in the top 10 at the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials, will also be ones to watch.

Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele, a four-time Olympic medalist, 16-time world champion, and the third-fastest marathoner in history, will challenge the Kenyan charge in the men’s race. He will be competing in the streets of New York for the second time after finishing sixth at the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon.

The Kenyan charge will be led by, Abel Kipchumba, the reigning champion of the B.A.A. Boston Half Marathon who owns one of the top 10 half-marathon times in history.

Morocco's Zouhair Talbi will return to the event after taking third in his United Airlines NYC Half debut last year, which he called "the race of his life."

Since then, he finished fifth at the Boston Marathon and broke the Houston Marathon course record in January.

Tanzanian Olympian and marathon record-holder Gabriel Geay, who was the runner-up at last year's Boston Marathon, will race the United Airlines NYC Half for the first time.

An American contender to watch will be Hillary Bor, a two-time U.S. Olympian and five-time national champion who will be making his half-marathon debut.

(02/23/2024) Views: 442 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula

2023 US Outdoor Track and Field Championships preview from Chris Chavez

Last night was the deadline for athletes to declare their event for the 2023 U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will take place in Eugene from July 6-9. At USAs, athletes are allowed to enter multiple events and then make a decision about which event(s) they wish to contest once entries are in, which allows those who’ve achieved multiple qualifiers to be strategic about where they want to concentrate their efforts. The top three in each event who meet the qualifying standards for the World Athletics Championships will go on to represent the United States in Budapest in August.

Reigning World champions have a “bye” to the next year’s Worlds, which means the country they represent gets to send four athletes, not three. Similarly, reigning Diamond League and World Athletics Continental Tour champs earn a bye, but if there is both a World and other champion in the same event, their country still only gets to send one extra athlete.

These complex rules lead many American World champions to make interesting choices about what events they wish to contest at USAs and how hard they want to push while still in the middle of the championship season.

MEN’S SPRINTS

– 100m world champion Fred Kerley has the bye to the world championships and will only run the 200m. Last year, he qualified for the World Championships in the 200m with a third place finish behind Noah Lyles and Erriyon Knighton. He injured his quad in the semifinal of the 200m and was unable to run the 4x100m relay for Team USA. Kerley has a season’s best of 19.92 from his win at the Doha Diamond League.

– 200m world champion Noah Lyles has the bye to the world championships and will only run the 100m. He ran a season's best of 9.95 in his outdoor opener in April. The last time he ran the 100m at a U.S. Championship, he finished seventh at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials final.

– 400m world champion Michael Norman is declared for the 100m and 200m at the U.S. Championships. He ran a wind-aided 10.02 (+3.0m/s wind) at the Mt. SAC Relays in April. He has not raced since a last place finish in the 200m at the Doha Diamond League in 20.65 on May 5.

WOMEN’S SPRINTS

– Sha’Carri Richardson is running the 100m and 200m. She is looking to qualify for her first World championship team. Her season’s best of 10.76 from her victory at the Doha Diamond League is the second-fastest performance in the world this year. Her season’s best of 22.07 from the Kip Keino Classic at altitude in Nairobi is No. 4 on the world list.

Only Gabby Thomas’ 22.05 from the Paris Diamond League is faster this year by an American woman. Richardson, the 2019 NCAA champion, attempted the double at USAs in both 2019 and 2022, where her highest finish was 8th in the 100m in 2019. She has yet to make a U.S. final in the 200m.

– Reigning U.S. champion Abby Steiner is only running the 200m despite qualifying in both the 100m and the 400m as well. She just ran her season’s best of 22.19 to win the NYC Grand Prix.

– As previously announced, 400m hurdles Olympic champion, World champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is running the flat 400m. She plans to make a decision after the U.S. Championships whether she will run the flat 400m (if she qualifies) or defend her 400m hurdles title in Budapest.

– NCAA record holder Britton Wilson, who ran 49.14 to become No. 4 on the U.S. all-time list, will only run the 400m and not the 400m hurdles. She hurdled at last year’s World championships and participated in the 4x400m relay.

MEN’S DISTANCE

– This year’s men’s steeplechase team should have a new look. 2016 Olympic silver medalist Evan Jager is not entered in the steeplechase. He has raced just once this outdoor season. Hillary Bor, the reigning U.S. champion who also owns the fastest steeplechase time by an American this year in 8:11.28, broke his foot earlier this spring and will miss the U.S. Championships. This is the first U.S. team he has missed since 2015. The top returner is Benard Keter, who made the Olympic team in 2021 and the World team in 2022, but he is only the fifth-fastest entrant by seed time.

– For the first time, 2021 U.S. 5000m champPaul Chelimo is entered in both the 5000m and the 10,000m. Chelimo, the 3x global medalist at 5000m, has typically only focused on the shorter event, but after his 27:12.73 performance at the Night of the 10,000m PBs in the U.K. earlier this season, he has decided to contest both events. He’s seeded No. 4 by qualifying time in both events behind Grant Fisher, Woody Kincaid, and Joe Klecker (all also double-entered).

WOMEN’S DISTANCE

– 800m Olympic and world champion Athing Mu entered the 1500m, as previously announced with coach Bobby Kersee. She has the bye to the world championships in the 800m. Her personal best of 4:16.06 is well outside the automatic standard of 4:05.00 and was achieved outside the qualifying window for the championships, but USATF rules allow for significant discretion in accepting entries from the Sports Committee chair.

– Josette Norris and On Athletics Club coach Dathan Ritzenhein have decided to focus solely on the 5000m. Norris ran 14:43.36 at Sound Running’s Track Fest in early May. That’s the second-fastest time by an American woman on the year behind her teammate and training partner Alicia Monson’s 14:34.88 at the Paris Diamond League. Monson is entered in both the 5000m and 10,000m after choosing to only contest the 10,000m last year.

– NC State’s NCAA record holder Katelyn Tuohy will only run the 5000m. Tuohy qualified for NCAAs in both the 1500m and the 5000m but ended up only running the 1500m after an uncharacteristically disappointing performance in the final.

– The Bowerman Track Club’s Elise Cranny has declared for the 1500m, 5000m and the 10,000m. The first round of the women’s 1500m is 19 minutes before the final of the 10,000m on Day 1 of the competition, so Cranny will likely scratch one or more events at a later point.

 

(06/30/2023) Views: 984 ⚡AMP
by Chris Chavez (Citius magazine)

SAINA VICTORIOUS and KORIR REPEATS AT THE USATF 25 KM CHAMPIONSHIPS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(05/14/2023) Views: 469 ⚡AMP

USA Record For Hillary Bor Yields $59,000 Payday At Cherry Blossom 10 Mile

The 50th edition of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile here this morning ended with a bang when Olympic steeplechaser Hillary Bor not only won the men’s division of the USATF 10 Mile Championships, but also claimed a $50,000 bonus for breaking Greg Meyer’s 40-year-old national record by just two seconds. 

Bor, 33, who represents Hoka One One and wore bib 13, clocked 46:11, three seconds behind overall race champion Tsegay Kidanu of Ethiopia.  Including his prize money, Bor collected a total of $59,000.

“I came here to break the record and the weather wasn’t going to stop me,” Bor told Race Results Weekly, referring to the unusually cold temperatures and  strong winds.  “It’s something I’ve been working for since October last year.”

Last October Bor won the USATF 10 Mile Championships in St. Paul, Minn.  He ran 46:06 in that race, a championships and course record, but that course was 31 meters downhill and not eligible for record setting.  However, Bor and coach Scott Simmons realized that breaking Meyer’s mark was within his capabilities, especially because a faster time run by two-time Olympic medalist, Galen Rupp, was never ratified by USATF.  Rupp ran a 10 mile split of 45:54 at the Row River Half-Marathon in Dorena, Ore., in October, 2020, but the paperwork for verifying that record was never completed or approved.

“My coach knew I was in really good shape to run 45 (minutes),” Bor said.  “But, the weather’s not good today.  The last two miles was just the wind on our face the whole time.”

Indeed, it was in those last two miles that Bor and Kidanu did their best to push each other.  Kidanu, who represents Asics, was just trying to keep up the pressure on Bor.

“The wind was very strong and it made it very tough,” Kidanu told Race Results Weekly through a translator.  He continued: “At the beginning there were a lot of us, but later only a few of us.  But the wind made it very difficult.  Two of us were able to prevail and we battled one another.  In the end, I was able to win.”

In the final sprint to the line, Bor wasn’t really sure where he stood against the clock.  The wind was so strong that the 9-mile marker blew down, despite being weighted with sandbags.  Also, Bor started the race without his watch.

“Today, I didn’t have my watch so that was not really good because I didn’t know the splits,” Bor said, looking slightly embarrassed.  “When I saw the split at 8 miles I knew I needed to run 4:45, but the wind was too much.  I just put my head down and just grind, and grind, and grind.”

Biya Simbassa (Under Armour) finished a distant third in 47:09 and finished second in the national championships division.  Kenya’s Charles Langat (Asics) was fourth in 47:25, and Jacob Thomson (Under Armour) took fifth –and third in the national championships– in 47:27.

Bor, who will return to the steeplechase during the track season, said that today’s race was all about self-belief.

“It shows if you put something in your head you can accomplish it,” he said.

The women’s competition was a tale of two races.

In the overall competition, Uganda’s Sarah Chelangat (Nike) surged away from the field just before the five mile mark.  Her six-mile split was a snappy 4:56, and that put her 22 seconds ahead at that point.  Despite running directly into the wind (and alone) in the final miles, she was able to extend her lead to 30 seconds by the ninth mile, and 33 seconds by the finish.  Her winning time of 52:04 was excellent given the conditions, but she fell well short of the 51:23 world best for an all-women’s race which would have given her a share of the race’s $50,000 bonus pool.

Behind Chelangat, there was a heated battle for both second place overall and the USATF title.  In the ninth mile, Emma Grace Hurley (Atlanta Track Club Elite), Sara Hall (Asics), Nell Rojas (Nike), and Molly Grabill (Unattached) separated themselves from the rest of the pack, all of them trying for the national title.  As they crested the final hill before the course turns slightly downhill to the finish line, Hall and Rojas were locked in a sprint for the win.  Hall, who is running the Boston Marathon in 15 days, got the best of Rojas, 52:37 to 52:38.

Hall, who turns 40 on April 15, almost skipped today’s race.  She just returned from a family trip to Ethiopia where her training didn’t go well because she got sick.

“Honestly, I feel so thankful for today because four days ago I wasn’t going to race,” Hall told Race Results Weekly.  “I had COVID last week and training was just so rough.  I had a fever.  I had two different viruses back to back.”

But like Bor, Hall had the power of self-belief working for her today.

“I think my whole career I’ve just chosen to show up,” Hall said, wrapped in an American flag.  “So, just today I decided to show up and I’m really glad I did, especially with Asics sponsoring this event.”

While the wind –which Rojas called “nasty”– was a challenge, Hall saw it as an opportunity to prepare mentally for Boston where conditions can be difficult, too. She thought about the 2018 race where temperatures were just above freezing and athletes had to run through a driving rain storm.

“I was thinking about Boston because, you know, 2018 with that headwind and the storm,” Hall said.  “I have Boston in two weeks, so this is just a good time to practice.

Like Bor, Hall had thought about trying for a share in the record bonus pool, but discarded that idea when she felt the power of the wind.

“Normally, I would have wanted to go for the record out here, but with the significant wind I didn’t know if that was going to be in the cards, so I just chose to compete,” she said.  “I think this was a great opportunity to do that with Boston coming up.”

With her win here today, Hall has won a total of 12 national titles, four at 10 miles (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023).

Hurley finished fourth (third American) in 52:41, and Grabill got fifth (fourth American) in 52:42.  Defending champion Susanna Sullivan, who led most of the first half of the race, finished seventh (sixth American) in 53:25.  She’s running the TCS London Marathon in three weeks and has been doing heavy mileage.

“I’m ready to run a marathon,” she said, smiling, as she changed into warm clothes in the athlete recovery area.

Some 16,000 runners competed today after about 6,000 ran the companion 5-K yesterday (which took place in the rain).  Several former race champions were on hand to celebrate the 50th edition, including Kathrine Switzer (1973), Greg Meyer (1983), Eleanor Simonsick (1982 and 1983), and Bill Rodgers (1978 through 1981).  Race director Phil Stewart reflected on how the race had endured for so many years and through so many cultural and political changes.

“Through Watergate, gas crises, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the invention of the internet, the first and second Iraq Wars, the 2008 financial crisis, America’s first Black President, two impeachments, an insurrection and the War in Ukraine, runners have returned each spring for what is known as the ‘Runners Rite of Spring,'” Stewart said at last night’s pre-race dinner.

(04/03/2023) Views: 1,226 ⚡AMP
by David Monti

Abdihamid Nur Dominates, Runs Off Course, & Still Wins, Kelati Gets Record

The day before 50,000 runners cross the finish line in Central Park at the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon, some of America’s fastest pros did the same at the USATF 5K Road Championships — though the fastest of them all, men’s champion Abdihamid Nur, almost missed it. Despite a very late wrong turn, Nur, 24, won his first US title in a course record of 13:24 after kicking away from US steeplechase champion Hillary Bor (13:29) in the final mile.

On the women’s side, Weini Kelati rolled to her second straight title in 15:16, gapping the field thanks to a quick first mile and running unchallenged from there to lower her own course record of 15:18. The B.A.A.’s Erika Kemp (15:30) was second, improving on her 2021 finish by one place, while Emily Infeld (15:30) was third in her first race as a member of Team Boss. Both Kelati and Nur claimed $12,000 for the win.

Four thoughts from a beautiful morning for racing in New York.

Abdihamid Nur wins his first national title…but how the heck did he make a wrong turn 15 meters from the finish line?

It’s always tricky knowing who is in shape for this race as most pro runners aren’t in top shape in November. Based on 5k personal best and 2022 form, however, Abdihamid Nur should probably have been the favorite and he looked great throughout the race, hanging onto Hillary Bor early as Bor pushed the pace before making his move in Central Park and opening up a cushion.

That cushion would prove necessary. It’s not uncommon to see an athlete make a wrong turn when the lead vehicle pulls off the course near the finish line, but I can’t ever remember someone doing it as late in the race as Nur. The finish line was in clear sight and only about 15 meters away when Nur veered to the left and tried to follow the lead car. It was a chaotic sight.

"The finish line was right there, but I just knew it,” Nur said. “They told me to follow the car, so I didn’t know that the car wasn’t going to the finish line. I’m glad Hillary wasn’t too close, because it was a mistake I could afford.”

Chalk it up to a rookie mistake — this was Nur’s first road race as a pro.

Nur’s time of 13:24 was very quick considering the undulating New York course. He smashed Paul Chelimo‘s course record of 13:45 and was just four seconds off Ben True‘s American record of 13:20 from the 2017 B.A.A. 5K. Nur’s wrong turn definitely cost him a second or two, but he didn’t know if it cost him the record.

“Maybe, who knows?” Nur said. “But I’m still happy with the win.”

(Note: David Monti points out that Grant Fisher‘s 13:01 at the Diamond League 5k final in September is considered the American road record because it came on an irregular 563-meter track, though that record has yet to be ratified by USATF. As far as LetsRun is concerned, you shouldn’t be able to set a road record on a track so True still has the record.)

The win capped a banner year for Nur, who won a pair of NCAA titles indoors, set the collegiate 5k record, made the Worlds team outdoors, and signed a pro deal with Nike. He’s still based in Flagstaff and even though the NAU men have struggled more than usual this year, he’s predicting a national title for them and his former teammate Nico Young at the NCAA XC champs in Stillwater in two weeks.“Coach Smith’s gonna have them ready for NCAAs,” Nur said. “I think they’re going to win and my boy Nico’s going to take the individual title.”

Weini Kelati is never that far from fitness

If it seems like Weini Kelati is always in shape, that’s because it’s true. She took a month off after the track season, but returned to training in September and quickly found herself in good shape. Today she ran 15:16 to win by 14 seconds and break the course record by two seconds — one set by Kelati in this event last year.

“What’s interesting about my body is it’s just not hard to build,” Kelati said. “I can get in 10 days, 80% of my fitness.”

Kelati, 25, has already found a lot of success on the roads in her young pro career. With her cross country background (Foot Locker and NCAA champ) and front-running style, she seems a natural fit for the half and, eventually, full marathon, but so far she has yet to race beyond 10k. When will we see her in the half?

“I’m not sure how soon,” Kelati said. “But I’m looking forward [to it]?”

Could we see her in a half in 2023?

“Let’s see, I don’t know,” she said with a smile. “Maybe.”

What we know for sure is that Kelati is not done racing on the track. After just missing out on a spot at Worlds in 2022 (she was 4th in the 5,000, 5th in the 10,000 at USAs), Kelati wants to make the team next year.

“I’m really excited to run road races and half marathon and stuff, but I have unfinished business on the track and I want to clear it up first,” Kelati said.

Kelati also said that during her break from running this summer, she got the opportunity to see her mother for the first time since she defected from her native Eritrea in 2014. The two were able to visit Uganda together, where they spent three weeks together.

“We were both in shock,” Kelati said. “For a week, we couldn’t believe [it]. She just [kept] touching me like, I can’t believe this is real. We both cried happy tears in the airport.”

Though Kelati had been able to talk to her mother over the phone since her arrival in the US, their conversations were never very long. In Uganda, they made up for lost time, often staying up until 4 a.m. catching up on all they had missed in each other’s lives the last eight years.

“The first 14 days, we just talked,” Kelati said.

Kelati said she emerged from the trip feeling renewed.

“That makes me feel like it’s a new beginning, a fresh start for me,” Kelati said.

 

 

(11/06/2022) Views: 1,271 ⚡AMP

Conseslus Kipruto leads Kenyan quartet in quest for steeplechase gold

Kenya's dominance in the 3,000 metres steeplechase faces a stern test when the World Championships start on Friday in Oregon, USA.

Defending champion Conseslus Kipruto, Olympic Games bronze medallist Benjamin Kigen, 2017 World Under-18 2000m silver medallist Leonard Bett and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Abraham Kibiwott are carrying the nation's hopes of keeping the title the country has won in every World Championship since 1991 except in 2001 and 2005.

Kenyan-born Qatari Saif Shaheen, who holds the world record of 7:53.63 in the race, bagged gold in 2001 Saint-Denis and 2005 Helsinki World Championships.

Bett and Kibiwot are in the first heat where they will be seeking to make the final scheduled for Monday.

The top three athletes in each semifinal plus the six fastest losers will qualify for the final.

Bett and Kibiwott face an uphill task as they face Olympics champion Soufiane El Bakkali from Morocco in the first heat. Bakkali has a personal best time of 7:58.15 which is also the world-leading time.

Bett told Nation Sport that the plan is to safely navigate through the heats before they can hatch a plan on how to claim the medals in the final.

“We started our preparations early by joining the camp before the trials because the initial plan was to make sure we tackle the stiff competition especially from the two athletes (Girma and Bakkali) who have been on top form this season," said Bett.

“I won’t tell you who will win the gold medal but we have to work as a team to make sure we redeem our name as a country,” added Bett.

The second semifinal will see the Kipruto square it out with Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, whom he narrowly beat during the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Djibouti’s Mohamed Ismail, Canada’s Ryan Smeeton, USA’s Hillary Bor are also in the field.

Kigen, Ethiopia’s Hailemariyam Amare, Tunisia’s Mohamed Amin, USA’s Evan Jager, Norway’s Jacob Boutera are in Heat Three.

Kipruto, who has been battling injuries after his triumph in Doha in 2019, is seeking to atone for lost time after missing the Olympic Games last year.

Kipruto finished fifth during the Athletics Kenya Track and Field Championships which acted as the trials for the Africa Senior Championships after clocking 8:32.24, before emerging in the same position during the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi last month.

“Kenyans should not be worried because this is a championship and you can’t compare it with the Diamond League races. It will be a tight contest in the final and I will be doing my best to make sure we bring back our glory as Kenyans,” Kipruto had said in an earlier interview before leaving for Oregon.

In the 2019 worlds, Kipruto won gold in 8:01.35 ahead of Girma who clocked 8:01.36 while Bakkali settled for bronze in 8:03.76.

(07/14/2022) Views: 1,117 ⚡AMP
by Bernard Rotich

USA names 151-strong team for World Championships in Oregon

A team of 151 athletes will represent the USA on home soil at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 on July 15-24.

Multiple global champions and world record-holders feature in the squad as Eugene’s Hayward Field gets ready to welcome the world for the first-ever outdoor World Athletics Championships to be hosted in the USA.

World record-holder and Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin will take on the former world record-holder and reigning world champion Dalilah Muhammad as they look to further cement the US women’s global dominance in the 400m hurdles final on July 22.

In the men’s shot put on July 17, world record-holder and Olympic champion Ryan Crouser will go after the one title that has so far eluded him – that of world champion – and will take on two-time world champion Joe Kovacs.

Such is the strength of the women’s 800m squad of Athing Mu, Ajee Wilson and Raevyn Rogers, as well as the men’s 200m team of Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton, Fred Kerley and Kenny Bednarek, that athletes will be aiming for USA medal sweeps.

Returning to defend the titles they won in Doha in 2019 are Nia Ali (women's 100m hurdles), Donavan Brazier (men's 800m), Christian Coleman (men's 100m), Grant Holloway (men's 110m hurdles), Kovacs (men's shot put), Lyles (men's 200m), Muhammad (women's 400m hurdles), DeAnna Price (women's hammer) and Christian Taylor (men's triple jump).

Making her 10th World Championships appearance will be Allyson Felix, who has 18 world medals, including 13 golds, to her name and will be in the mixed 4x400m pool.

“I couldn’t be prouder to lead this amazing team for this once-in-a-lifetime event,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “We have been given the unique opportunity to impact the track and field landscape in the US, and we’ve put our best team forward.”

USA team for Oregon

Women

100m: Aleia Hobbs, Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry

200m: Tamara Clark, Jenna Prandini, Abby Steiner

400m: Talitha Diggs, Kendall Ellis, Lynna Irby

800m: Athing Mu, Raevyn Rogers, Ajee Wilson

1500m: Sinclaire Johnson, Cory McGee, Elle St. Pierre

5000m: Elise Cranny, Emily Infeld, Karissa Schweizer

10,000m: Alicia Monson, Natosha Rogers, Karissa Schweizer

Marathon: Emma Bates, Keira D’Amato, Sara Hall

3000m steeplechase: Emma Coburn, Courtney Frerichs, Courtney Wayment

100m hurdles: Nia Ali, Alia Armstrong, Keni Harrison, Alaysha Johnson

400m hurdles: Shamier Little, Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, Britton Wilson

Heptathlon: Michelle Atherley, Anna Hall, Kendell Williams, Ashtin Zamzow-Mahler

High jump: Vashti Cunningham, Rachel Glenn, Rachel McCoy

Pole vault: Gabriela Leon, Sandi Morris, Katie Nageotte

Long jump: Quanesha Burks, Tiffany Flynn, Jasmine Moore

Triple jump: Tori Franklin, Jasmine Moore, Keturah Orji

Shot put: Adelaide Aquilla, Chase Ealey, Maggie Ewen, Jessica Woodard

Discus: Valarie Allman, Rachel Dincoff, Veronica Fraley, Laulauga Tausaga-Collins

Hammer: Brooke Andersen, Annette Echikunwoke, Janee Kassanavoid, DeAnna Price

Javelin: Ariana Ince, Maggie Malone, Kara Winger

20km race walk: Robyn Stevens, Miranda Melville

35km race walk: Stephanie Casey, Miranda Melville, Maria Michta-Coffey

4x100m: Celera Barnes, Tamari Davis, Gabby Thomas (plus athletes named in individual sprints)

4x400m: Wadeline Jonathas, Jaide Stepter, Kaylin Whitney (plus athletes named in individual sprints) 

Men

100m: Marvin Bracy, Trayvon Bromell, Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley

200m: Kenny Bednarek, Fred Kerley, Erriyon Knighton, Noah Lyles

400m: Champion Allison, Michael Cherry, Michael Norman, Randolph Ross

800m: Donavan Brazier, Bryce Hoppel, Jonah Koech, Brandon Miller

1500m: Johnny Gregorek, Cooper Teare, Josh Thompson

5000m: Grant Fisher, Woody Kincaid, Abdihamid Nur

10,000m: Grant Fisher, Joe Klecker, Sean McGorty 

Marathon: Elkanah Kibet, Colin Mickow, Galen Rupp

3000m steeplechase: Hillary Bor, Evan Jager, Benard Keter

110m hurdles: Devon Allen, Trey Cunningham, Grant Holloway, Daniel Roberts

400m hurdles: Trevor Bassitt, Rai Benjamin, Khallifah Rosser

Decathlon: Steven Bastien, Kyle Garland, Zach ZiemekHigh jump: Darius Carbin, JuVaughn Harrison, Shelby McEwen

Pole vault: Andrew Irwin, Chris Nilsen, Luke WinderLong jump: Marquis Dendy, Steffin McCarter, Will Williams

Triple jump: Chris Benard, Will Claye, Donald Scott, Christian Taylor

Shot put: Josh Awotunde, Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, Tripp Piperi Discus: Andrew Evans, Sam Mattis, Brian Williams

Hammer: Daniel Haugh, Rudy Winkler, Alex Young

Javelin: Ethan Dabbs, Tim Glover, Curtis Thompson

20km race walk: Nick Christie, Dan Nehnevaj

35km race walk: Nick Christie 

4x100m: Kyree King, Josephus Lyles, Elijah Hall-Thompson (plus athletes named in individual sprints)

4x400m: Bryce Deadmon, Vernon Norwood, Elija Godwin (plus athletes named in individual sprints)

Mixed

4x400m: Allyson Felix, Kennedy Simon, Ismail Turner, Noah Williams (plus athletes named in individual sprints).

(07/06/2022) Views: 1,116 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Highlights from the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships June 26

The USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon have finished and the athletes set to represent Team USA at the World Athletics Championships have been decided. Over four days, there was a world record set and plenty of great battles for the limited spots on the world team.

The World Athletics Championships will be back at Hayward Field from July 15 to July 24. It will be the first time the United States is hosting the meet.

Here are the highlights from the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships.

Cranny wins a close one in the 5,000 meters

After a schedule change to avoid hot conditions, the women’s 5,000 meters opened the final day of the USATF Outdoor Championships. Unfortunately, the women couldn’t completely escape the heat—the temperature on the track read 82 degrees.

As a result, the women dawdled, running most of the race in a tight pack. With 1600 meters remaining, Karissa Schweizer—who placed fourth in the 1500 meters on Saturday—picked up the pace. With two laps, four women separated themselves: Schweizer, indoor American record holder Elise Cranny, world championships bronze medalist Emily Infeld, and Weini Kelati. Kelati fell off the group by the bell, and the top three were set. Now, it was a battle for place.

Schweizer, Cranny, and Infeld battled down the final straightaway, trading leads multiple times. When the dust settled, Cranny earned the victory, with Schweizer and Infeld less than a half second behind in that order.

Each woman completed their own unique narrative coming into the race. Cranny scratched from the USATF 10,000-meter championships on May 27, saying in an Instagram post she hadn’t been feeling like herself in training. Schweizer, who did qualify for the 10,000 meters, also placed fourth in the 1500. With this 5,000-meter performance, she completed one of the best championship runs in U.S. history. Finally, after just missing out on qualifying for the 10,000-meter world team, Infeld earned a spot on her first global championship team since 2017.

Fisher takes down 5,000 meet record, Kincaid unleashes furious kick for second

Conversely to the women’s race, the men’s 5,000 meters went out hard. Hillary Bor, who qualified for the steeplechase team on Saturday, kept checking his watch—apparently pacing the race. Multiple time global medalist Paul Chelimo and Bowerman Track Club teammates Grant Fisher and Woody Kincaid held position right behind Bor.

Bor dropped out at 1800 meters after splitting 4:12 for the mile. Evan Jager, who also qualified for the steeplechase world team, led the men for another mile. Fisher, Emmanuel Bor, and NCAA indoor 5,000-meter champion Abdihamid Nur of Northern Arizona quickly separated from the group after Jager dropped out.

Over the final 1200, Fisher put on a clinic, squeezing the pace over each lap until he was all alone. He won the race in 13:03.86, a meet record.

The most exciting portion of the race occurred offscreen. After trailing the top three by five seconds with 400 to go, Kincaid unleashed a monstrous 54.24 final lap to take silver in a time of 13:06.70. Nur held on to earn his first world championship berth, running 13:08.63. Emmanuel Bor faded to fifth.

Coburn claims eighth straight U.S. steeplechase title

After a moderate first 1,000 meters, four women were clear of the pack in the women’s steeplechase: recent NCAA champion Courtney Wayment, Gabi Jennings, six-time U.S. champion Emma Coburn, and Olympic silver medalist and American record holder Courtney Frerichs.

That group whittled down to Wayment, Coburn, and Frerichs by 800 to go. Half a lap later, Coburn quickened her pace. Wayment and Frerichs, perhaps surprised by the move, didn’t go with Coburn, who put more and more distance on them over the final lap. Coburn notched her eighth consecutive U.S. title in a season best of 9:10.63. Wayment finished second, and Frerichs took third.

Ajeé Wilson nearly upsets the defending Olympic champion The women’s 800 meters promised to be the event of the meet, and it didn’t disappoint.

Athing Mu, defending champion, jumped off the line hard to take her traditional spot in the lead. Olivia Baker and indoor world champion Ajeé Wilson were right on her heels while Olympic bronze medalist Raevyn Rogers hung around mid-pack.

All of the women were still together with 200 to go. The broadcast commentators predicted that Mu would break the race open before the end of the bend, but spectators were treated to something more interesting: Wilson was right on Mu’s shoulder with 100 to go. With gritted teeth, the two athletes dashed neck-and-neck down the straightaway. It looked as if Wilson had the upper hand, but the Olympic champion pulled through in the final meters to snag the victory in 1:57.16. Rogers slingshotted out of the pack to pass three runners for third.

Bryce Hoppel earns first outdoor national title

The men’s 800 meters featured a consequential last 100 meters. Texas A&M’s Brandon Miller set a fast early pace, crossing the 400-meter mark in 51.62. He fell to second as Hoppel took control on the final bend.

It wasn’t over yet, as the entire field was still in striking range with 100 left. But Hoppel and Jonah Koech surged ahead, while Miller duked it out with a late-charging Clayton Murphy for the third qualifying spot. Miller overtook the two-time Olympian with a dramatic dive at the line, securing a trip to worlds. Hoppel’s winning time was 1:44.60, a season best, while Koech’s ran a personal best of 1:44.74.

Noah Lyles charges late to overtake 18-year-old star Erriyon Knighton

After 100 meters, it looked like 18-year-old Erriyon Knighton was on his way to his first national championship. But that’s why there’s another 100 meters in this event, because defending world champion Noah Lyles found another gear. With a smile and finger pointed at Knighton, Lyles broke the tape first in 19.67. Knighton finished second, while 100-meter national champion Fred Kerley nabbed another world team spot. Because Noah Lyles has a bye to the world championships, fourth-placer Kenny Bendarek also qualified.

NCAA champion Abby Steiner becomes U.S. champion

With defending U.S. champion Gabby Thomas in poor form this year, the gate was open for a new women’s 200-meter champion. Abby Steiner, who won the NCAA title two weeks ago, capitalized on that opening. She won the title with a world lead and personal best of 21.77. Tamara Clark and Jenna Prandini qualified as well with their respective second and third place finishes.

(06/27/2022) Views: 1,445 ⚡AMP
by Runner's World

USATF 2022 Championships finals results through June 25

There has already been a lot of a action during the 2022 USATF Championships in Eugene Oregon.  Sydney McLaughlin set a new world record in the 400m hurdles (Second photo).  Michael Norman won the 400m (first photo) and Fred Kerley won the 100m (third photo). Photos  by Jivko

Women’s 100m

1. Melissa Jefferson — 10.69 2. Aleia Hobbs — 10.72 3. Twanisha Terry — 10.744. Tamari Davis — 10.785. Tamara Clark — 10.826. Celera Barnes — 10.86

Women’s 400m 

1. Talitha Diggs — 50.22 2. Kendall Ellis — 50.35 3. Lynna Irby — 50.674. Wadeline Jonathas — 50.845. Kennedy Simon — 50.906. Allyson Felix — 51.307. Jaide Stepter — 51.308. Kaylin Whitney — 51.31

Women’s 1500m 

1. Sinclaire Johnson — 4:03.29 2. Cory McGee — 4:04.52 3. Elle St. Pierre — 4:05.144. Karissa Schweizer — 4:05.405. Heather MacLean — 4:06.40

Women’s 10,000m (from May 27)

1. Karissa Schweizer — 30:49.56 2. Alicia Monson — 30:51.09 3. Natosha Rogers — 31:29.804. Emily Infeld — 31:30.045. Weini Kelati — 31:39.90

Women’s 100m Hurdles 

1. Keni Harrison — 12.34 2. Alaysha Johnson — 12.35 3. Alia Armstrong — 12.474. Tonea Marshall — 12.555. Tia Jones — 12.59DNS. Nia Ali (has bye onto world team)

Women’s 400m Hurdles 

1. Sydney McLaughlin — 51.41 WR 2. Britton Wilson — 53.08 3. Shamier Little — 53.924. Anna Cockrell — 53.985. Shannon Meisberger — 55.39

Men’s 100m 

1. Fred Kerley — 9.77 2. Marvin Bracy-Williams — 9.85 3. Trayvon Bromell — 9.884. Micah Williams — 9.905. Elijah Hall-Thompson — 9.906. Kyree King — 9.96DNS. Christian Coleman (has bye onto world team)

Men’s 400m 

1. Michael Norman — 43.56 2. Champion Allison — 43.70 3. Randolph Ross — 44.174. Elija Godwin — 44.345. Vernon Norwood — 44.356. Bryce Deadmon — 44.547. Noah Williams — 45.048. Ismail Turner — 45.56

Men’s 1500m

1. Cooper Teare — 3:45.86 2. Jonathan Davis — 3:46.01 (doesn’t have standard)3. Josh Thompson — 3:46.07 (doesn’t have standard)4. Eric Holt — 3:46.15 (doesn’t have standard)5. Reed Brown — 3:46.28 (doesn’t have standard)6. Johnny Gregorek — 3:46.36 (has standard)11. Yared Nuguse — 3:47.46 (has standard)

Men’s 10,000m (from May 27)

1. Joe Klecker — 28:28.71 2. Grant Fisher — 28:28.81 3. Sean McGorty — 28:29.574. Dillon Maggard — 28:30.755. Shadrack Kipchirchir — 28:30.79

Men’s 3000m Steeplechase 

1. Hillary Bor — 8:15.76 2. Evan Jager — 8:17.29 3. Benard Keter — 8:19.164. Duncan Hamilton — 8:20.235. Anthony Rotich — 8:23.15

(06/25/2022) Views: 1,248 ⚡AMP

130 athletes named on the team to represent the United States at the Tokyo Olympic Games

World outdoor record-holders Sydney McLaughlin, Ryan Crouser and Keni Harrison are among the 130 athletes named on the team to represent the United States at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The squad includes 13 medalists from the 2016 Games in Rio and six defending world champions from Doha. Experienced headliners include five-time Olympians Allyson Felix in the 400m and Abdi Abdirahman in the marathon, while the youngest athlete on the team is 17-year-old Erriyon Knighton, who twice broke the world U20 200m record last month at the US Olympic Trials.

JuVaughn Harrison won both the long jump and high jump at the Trials in Eugene and he will be among the athletes contesting two events in Tokyo as he has been selected for both disciplines.

Other athletes announced on the team include world indoor 60m hurdles record-holder Grant Holloway, who was just 0.01 shy of breaking Aries Merritt’s world 110m hurdles record of 12.80 in Eugene, plus former world 400m hurdles record-holder Dalilah Muhammad, the second-fastest ever 200m sprinter Gabby Thomas and multiple global long jump gold medalist Brittney Reese.

USA team for Tokyo 

WOMEN

100m: Teahna Daniels, Javianne Oliver, Jenna Prandini

200m: Anavia  Battle, Jenna Prandini, Gabby Thomas

400m: Allyson Felix, Quanera Hayes, Wadeline Jonathas

800m: Athing Mu, Raevyn Rogers, Ajee' Wilson

1500m: Heather MacLean, Cory McGee, Elle Purrier

5000m: Elise Cranny, Rachel Schneider, Karissa Schweizer

10,000m: Alicia Monson, Karissa Schweizer, Emily Sisson

Marathon: Sally Kipyego, Molly Seidel, Aliphine Tuliamuk

3000m steeplechase: Emma Coburn, Val Constien, Courtney Frerichs

100m hurdles: Christina Clemons, Gabbi Cunningham, Keni Harrison

400m hurdles: Anna Cockrell, Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad

20km race walk: Robyn Stevens

High jump: Tynita Butts-Townsend, Vashti Cunningham, Rachel McCoy

Pole vault: Morgann LeLeux, Katie Nageotte, Sandi Morris

Long jump: Quanesha Burks, Tara Davis, Brittney Reese

Triple jump: Tori Franklin, Jasmine Moore, Keturah Orji

Shot put: Adelaide Aquilla, Jessica Ramsey, Raven Saunders

Discus: Valarie Allman, Kelsey Card, Rachel Dincoff

Hammer: Brooke Andersen, Gwen Berry, DeAnna Price

Javelin: Ariana Ince, Maggie Malone, Kara Winger

Heptathlon: Erica Bougard, Annie Kunz, Kendell Williams

4x100m: English Gardner, Aleia Hobbs, Gabby Thomas (plus others selected in individual events)

4x400m: Kendall Ellis, Lynna Irby, Kaylin Whitney (plus others selected in individual events)

MEN

100m: Ronnie Baker, Trayvon Bromell, Fred Kerley

200m: Kenny Bednarek, Erriyon Knighton, Noah Lyles

400m: Michael Cherry, Michael Norman, Randolph Ross

800m: Bryce Hoppel, Isaiah Jewett, Clayton Murphy

1500m: Matthew Centrowitz, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse

5000m: Paul Chelimo, Grant Fisher, Woody Kincaid

10,000m: Grant Fisher, Woody Kincaid, Joe Klecker

Marathon: Abdi Abdirahman, Jake Riley, Galen Rupp

3000m steeplechase: Hillary Bor, Mason Ferlic, Benard Keter

110m hurdles: Devon Allen, Grant Holloway, Daniel Roberts

400m hurdles: Rai Benjamin, David Kendziera, Kenny Selmon

20km race walk: Nick Christie

High jump: JuVaughn Harrison, Shelby McEwen, Darryl Sullivan

Pole vault: Sam Kendricks, KC Lightfoot, Chris Nilsen

Long jump: Marquis Dendy, JuVaughn Harrison, Steffin McCarter

Triple jump: Chris Benard, Will Claye, Donald Scott

Shot put: Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, Payton Otterdahl

Discus: Mason Finley, Reggie Jagers, Sam Mattis

Hammer: Daniel Haugh, Rudy Winkler, Alex Young

Javelin: Michael Shuey, Curtis Thompson

Decathlon: Steven Bastien, Garrett Scantling, Zach Ziemek

4x100m: Kenny Bednarek, Cravon Gillespie, Micah Williams (plus others selected in individual events)

4x400m: Elija Godwin, Vernon Norwood, Trevor Stewart (plus others selected in individual events)

MIXED

4x400m: Shae Anderson, Bryce Deadmon, Wil London, Taylor Manson (plus others selected in individual events).

(07/07/2021) Views: 1,782 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics