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Kenyan trio of Peter Mwaniki, Emmaculate Anyango and Bravin Kipkogei headline the 16th edition of TCS World 10K Bengaluru

The Kenyan trio of Emmaculate Anyango, Peter Mwaniki and Bravin Kipkogei headline the 16th edition of TCS World 10K Bengaluru on April 28.

The World Athletics Gold Label Road Race is a Sh27m prize money event featuring some of the world's most accomplished road and track athletes.

Anyango, the world's second-fastest woman over 10K, clocked 28:57 in Valencia while finishing behind compatriot Agnes Ngetich, who posted a 28:46 world record.

A silver medalist at the 2019 African Junior championships in 3000m, Anyango barely missed the podium at this year's World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.  

“I am very excited to be in Bengaluru for the first time for this incredible event, which has gained a worldwide reputation for being one of the best 10K races. I have heard so much about the events hosted in India and the running revolution they began nearly two decades ago," said Anyango.

"I am looking forward to being there and doing my best. The field of runners in the women’s category is quite strong this year and I love a good challenge."

She will be joined by Lilian Kasait (29:32), Faith Chepkoech (29:50), Loice Chemnung (29:57), Cintia Chepngeno (30:08) and Grace Nawowuna (30:27). 

Two Ethiopians, Aberash Minsewo, this year's Tata Mumbai Marathon winner, and Lemlem Hailu, 2022 World Indoor 3000m champion, add further shine to the women's start lists.  

Mwaniki is the fastest among the men with a time of 26:59 he achieved while finishing third in Valencia earlier this year. He is the 19th runner in the World to run 10K in under 27 minutes. 

Kipkogei, the 2019 African junior champion over 10,000m is credited with 27:02 from Madrid last year while Kiprop, clocked an impressive 27:16 this February at Castellon, Spain.

They will keep the race interesting.   

Two more Kenyans, Hillary Chepkwony, last year's third-place finisher, and Patrick Mosin, the runner-up in Castellon the previous year, are expected to provide the necessary boost to return fast times.

Two young runners, John Wele from Tanzania and Boki Diriba from Ethiopia may also threaten the Kenyans.  

Kenyans Nicholas Kimeli (27:38) and Irene Cheptai (30:35) have held the course records in Bengaluru since 2022.

The winners in the men's and women's categories will each take home Sh3.3m.  A course record bonus of Sh1m is also up for grabs.

Three key workouts to PB your next marathon

Mastering the art of a half marathon or marathon can take many years of consistent training. These diverse workouts should be added to your repertoire–they’ll help you nail pacing, build speed for hilly courses (that also translates to strength on the flats) and boost your confidence prerace. If you have an area you need to work on, you’ll notice it after running these sessions and can make it a focus. Consistency (and fun) are essential.

1.- 3K-2K-1K ladders

A great workout to pop into your training regime when your legs are feeling slow or sluggish, these ladders will inject some speed and help you tune in efficiency and race day pacing.

Warm up with ten minutes of easy running and some drills and strides.

2 x 3K at half marathon pace, 2K at 10K pace, 1K at 5K pace, with 2 minutes of recovery between reps and 4 minutes of recovery between sets.

Cool down with ten minutes of easy running.

2.- Marathon to half marathon pace progression repeats

This session is all about the negative splits. Start slightly slower than you marathon pace and increase your speed each repetition, working down to half marathon pace. You’ll boost confidence with each repetition and practice pushing harder toward the end of your race.

Warm up with 10 minutes of easy running.

3 x 10 minutes at half-marathon pace, with 3 minutes of easy recovery between each.

Cool down with 10 minutes of easy running.

3.- Three-minute hill repetitions

Warm up with 10-15 minutes of easy running.

8 x 3-minute hills at marathon pace (moderate grade hill of 4-6 per cent), run easily down the hill for recovery.

Cool down with 10 minutes of easy running.

This workout is a great confidence booster and can be done near the end of your marathon training cycle. A three-minute hill is a long one–you won’t be running full-out and will gain strength and endurance by powering through.  Work on maintaining a steady pace up the hill, and embrace the discomfort of this workout–it’s a great reminder of how uncomfortable marathons are.

Irene Cheptai bags Devolution title, shifts focus to Copenhagen 21km race

Fit-again former world cross country champion Irene Cheptai has revealed next month's Copenhagen Half Marathon remains top of her priorities this year.

Speaking in Eldoret on Tuesday after winning the Devolution 5km Road Race, the Commonwealth Games 10,000m silver medalist said she wants to mark her return to distance racing with a win in the Denmark capital city as consolation for missing the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia through injury.

“Despite making the team to the World Cross, I had to leave the camp due to an injury," said Cheptai.

"And now that I am finally fit again, I want to mark my return in Copenhagen on September 17.”

She said that the Devolution race was part of her speed and endurance training.

“This race is part of endurance and speed training. It was my first race since I sustained that injury and I feel like I am good to go,” added Cheptai.

The West Pokot-born runner won the title in 17:04.6 ahead of Sophia Jepchirchir (17:05.5) and Winnie Jemutai (17:16.1) in a race that had attracted over 500 athletes.

Cheptai said the race proved a real struggle in the initial stages especially after they were put on the starting point alongside the men.

“It was a real struggle at the start but I thank God I came home victorious,” she said.

Peter Mwaniki from Nyandarua County won the men's race in 15:09.1 ahead of Weldon Langat (15:12.5) and Charles Rotich (15:13.3).

Mwaniki, winner of Nairobi City 10km race said: “This year has been good for me, winning Nairobi 10km, Belgut 10km and last Sunday’s Uasin Gishu half marathon. These are blessings."

He said he was pushed to victory after race favorite Langat faded in the last few minutes.

“I have been pushed to run well since I have a family — children, wife and grandmother — who have been motivating me to continue exploiting my talent, especially after winning in Nairobi,” he said.

Sheila Chepkirui over the moon after making Team Kenya to Budapest

Kenyan marathon runner, Sheila Chepkirui, has expressed her delight at being selected for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Chepkirui, 33, comprises the stellar list of headliners unveiled by Athletics Kenya (AK) last week to hold forte for the country in the flagship global extravaganza set for August. 

The Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medalist said she has already begun her preparations in anticipation of a monumental conquest in the central European nation. 

"I'm overjoyed to have made the team. It is always a wonderful honour to be given the rare opportunity to represent the country on such a stage. "I'm hoping to do well," Chepkirui said. 

She said she plans to participate in the Boston 10k race on June 25 as part of her training program."Right now my focus is to prepare adequately for the World Championships. I'll be traveling to the US to battle out in the Boston 10k race to evaluate my speed," Chepkirui remarked.  "I don't intend to compete in any major marathon events until then," Chepkirui said. 

Budapest will be her third marathon attempt after she clocked 2:17:29 to wrap up sixth on her debut over the distance in Valencia last year.

She heads into the championships buoyed by her impressive show at the 2023 London Marathon on April 23, where she placed fourth behind Holland's Sifa Hassan, Ethiopian Alemu Megertu, and compatriot Peres Jepchirchir respectively.

  The Kenya Defence Forces officer said she is currently on vacation in Kericho county, where she is perfecting her act for the herculean task. I am currently on leave, so I am training alone at home in Kericho. I usually work out with the KDF team in Ngong," she stated. 

Chepkirui will be heading to Budapest strengthened by a recent heartwarming report that ranked her fourth in the 10 km road race on the world all-time list.

A natural trailblazer, Chepkirui defeated Japan's Yuriko Kobayashi over 1500m at the 2005 World Youth Championships to storm her maiden global title after posting a championship record of 4:12.29. 

After enrolling with Kenya Defence Forces around 2012, she secured a spot on the plane to the 2016 African Cross Country Championships, where she bagged the silver in a Kenyan podium sweep alongside compatriots Alice Aprot and Beatrice Mutai.

Chepkirui will, however, first have to fend off a stiff challenge from 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medals Brigid Kosgei who won the 2018 and 2019 Chicago Marathons, the 2019 and 2020 London Marathons, and the 2021 Tokyo Marathon. 

She won the Paris Half Marathon title in France after clocking 66.00 minutes ahead of Ethiopian Betelihem Yemer (66.45) and Kenyan Marion Kibor (66.45). Unforeseen visa gremlins saw her painfully miss out on this year's Boston Marathon as well as the Oregon22 World Athletics Championships.  

She nonetheless secured a place in Team Kenya for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games last year, where she blazed to the 10,000m bronze podium behind Scot Eilish McColgan and compatriot Irene Cheptai.   

Teferi and Scaroni Headline One of the Fastest Fields in History at the 54th running of the Peachtree 10k

The two defending women’s champions of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race will return to Atlanta to defend their titles next month. Atlanta Track Club, organizers of the annual 10K, announced the Susannah Scaroni (Ubrana, IL) will headline the Shepherd Center Wheelchair division while Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia tops the list of contenders in the women’s open division at the 54th Running of the race on July 4.

Teferi – who out leaned Irene Cheptai at the line last year to claim victory before crumpling to the ground in exhaustion – will have to fend off an all-star field including  two of the fastest 10K runners of all time − if she wants to retain her title. Six-time world-record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya has a personal best of 29:43, third on the all-time list. The winner of the New York City and London marathons, is making her Atlanta debut this summer, in her first 10K road race since 2019. Fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui, who will also be making her Peachtree debut, is the fourth-fastest 10K runner of all time and coming off a fourth place finish at the London Marathon in April.

“I am excited to defend my title in the 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race,”  said Teferi, the 5K world-record holder for a women-only race. “I look forward to the challenge from the best athletes in the world and am praying for cooler weather than last year; as the heat and humidity was very difficult in 2022″

Another top contender will be 2022 TCS New York City Marathon winner Sharon Lokedi of Kenya. Lokedi will return to racing this summer in a string of 10Ks that include the Peachtree. She was the upset winner in New York last fall, winning her marathon debut by seven seconds.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race course record in the women’s open division is 30:22, set by Brigid Kosgei in 2019. In the Shepherd Center Wheelchair division, that record is held by Scaroni who won the race in 21:14 to claim a $53,000 bonus. Scaroni said she looks forward to seeing how fast she can race the course in 2023.

“I am really looking forward to competing at Peachtree this year,” said Scaroni, the 2023 Boston Marathon winner. “I am always pushed to have a fun and fast race and plan to give this year’s everything I have.”

Registration for the 54th Running of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race is open through June 4. 

Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli and Irene Cheptai will defend titles against quality fields in Bengaluru

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

World record holder Rhonex Kipruto to vie for honours at 15th TCS World 10K Bengaluru on May 21, 2023

Men’s field includes defending champion & world’s 4th fastest marathoner

Bengaluru, 8 May: Rhonex Kipruto, the men’s world 10K road race world-record holder, will go for gold at the landmark 15th edition of the World Athletics Gold Label, TCS World 10K Bengaluru on Sunday, May 21, 2023.

The Kenyan set a world mark of 26:24 in January 2020 in Valencia (Spain), a year after claiming the 10,000m track bronze at the World Athletics Championship in Doha.

The 23-year-old, a former World U-20 10,000m champion, headlines an exciting field in the USD 210,000 prize fund race that includes 14 runners with personal bests under the course record of 27:38 set last year by defending champion Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli of Kenya.

The race promises to be a treat for running aficionados given the talented mix at the men’s start line that includes, apart from Kipruto and Kipkorir Kimeli, Gemechu Dida (winning the 10K in Lille, France in March), Birhanu Legese (the world’s fourth fastest male marathoner), Stephen Kissa (2:04.48 on his debut Haspa Marathon in Hamburg in 2022), and Sabastian Sawe (who finished seventh at this year’s World Cross Country Championships in Australia).

The women’s field is equally exciting, with defending champion Irene Cheptai (Kenya), Ethiopia’s Dera Dida, the 2019 World Cross Country silver medallist), and the talented Tsehay Gemechu (who took second place at this year’s Tokyo Marathon in 2:16.56).

The Elite winner takes home USD 26,000, and the athletes are further incentivized by an Event Record bonus of USD 8,000.

Kipruto came fourth with a time of 27:09 in the Adizero Road to Records event in Germany last month, which was won by Sawe in 26:49 to move to fifth position on the men’s world 10km all-time list. Kipkorir Kimeli was third in the race in 26:54.

“Considering the quality of the field there is big chance a new course record will be set this year. I hope that will be me!  I’m thrilled to be coming to India. I’ve heard so much about this event and the field is truly exceptional,” Kipruto said.

“This elite athlete field is amazing. Its like a World Championship taking place here in Bengaluru. It’s going to be exhilarating, both for the Elites and the amateurs. Can’t wait for May 21," said Vivek Singh, Jt MD of race promoter Procam International.

Defending champions Nicholas Kimeli and Irene Cheptai set to return for TCS World 10K Bengaluru

The Tata Consultancy Services World 10K Bengaluru is set to witness a fierce competition on Sunday, May 21, 2023, as Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli and Irene Cheptai return to defend their titles in the men’s and women’s categories respectively.

The event, which holds a prestigious World Athletics Gold Label Road Race status, boasts of a prize fund of USD 210,000 and saw the two athletes shatter the course records last year. Kimeli clocked a remarkable 27:38, while Cheptai stormed to victory in 30:35.

The event will feature an impressive International Elite field and enthusiastic amateurs from all over India and the world, converging on the Garden City to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the race. Kimeli, who won last year’s edition, said, “I’m excited to be defending my title. I’ve prepared well and am feeling confident.” The men’s field is set to be highly competitive, with the top 12 runners holding personal bests under the course record and the top 3 having timed below 27.

In the women’s section, Cheptai will face tough competition from several other runners. The top four runners have personal bests under the course record. “I’m thrilled to be back in Bengaluru, and I have fond memories of India. I’ve trained well, but a lot depends on how you feel on race day,” said Cheptai.

Ethiopians Gemechu Dida and Birhanu Legese, Ugandan Stephen Kissa, and Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe are among the top runners in the men’s category. Legese, who is the world’s fourth fastest male marathoner, has finished on the podium a few times but is yet to secure the top spot at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru. “I’m feeling very positive, but I hope that things fall my way,” said Legese.

Dida, who won the 10K in Lille, France, in March, and finished fourth in the RAK Half Marathon in the UAE in February, is in excellent form. Kissa, who represented Uganda in the Tokyo Olympics over 10,000m, brings years of track speed to the road, and clocked an impressive 2:04.48 on his debut Haspa Marathon in Hamburg in 2022. He was also a third-place finisher at the 2020 Delhi Half Marathon in 58:56.

On the women’s side, Ethiopia’s Dera Dida, the 2019 World Cross Country silver medallist, ran a personal record and took home her first marathon victory in 2:21:11 at the Dubai Marathon in February this year. Among the favourites for the women’s honours is the talented Tsehay Gemechu, who finished second at this year’s Tokyo Marathon in 2:16.56.

Commonwealth 10,000m silver medalist Irene Cheptai took the honors at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon

Cheptai claims Vedanta Half Marathon title  a World Athletics Elite Label Race when she crossed the line in a new personal best time of 1:06:42 on Sunday.

By contrast, the women’s race was a one-woman show from the halfway mark. A group of 10 women went through 5km in 15:40 and, despite a slowing down the pace over the next five kilometers, there were still six together at 10km, which they covered in 31:42.

However, Cheptai made a decisive move just after 12 kilometers and was never headed before reducing her personal best by one second.

Cheptai finished more than a minute in front of Ethiopia’s World 5000m bronze medalist Dawit Seyaum, who finished second in 1:08:02, while Stella Chesang set a Ugandan record of 1:08:11 in third place. Another Kenyan in the race was Faith Chepkoech who placed ninth in 1:10:34.

In the men’s race, Ethiopia’s Chala Regasa won the race in 1:00:30 edging out Felix Kipkoech to second place in 1:00:33. Debutant Boki Diriba, the Ethiopian U20 5000m champion, settled for third place in 1:00:34.

Other Kenyans in the race were Joshua Belet, Moses Koech and Michael Kamau who placed fourth (1:00:43), sixth (1:00:56) and seventh (1:01:02) respectively.

Regasa, 25, came out on top of a thrilling three-man battle over the final kilometre on a misty morning in the Indian capital, sprinting away from Kipkoech and Diriba with 400m to go to take the US $27,000 first prize.

A relatively sedate early pace in the men’s race saw a large group of the elite international field go through 5km in 14:21 and then 10km in 28:48.

This meant that the course record— 58:53 set by Ethiopia’s Amedework Walelegn in 2020—was unlikely to be challenged despite the classy field with 11 men who had run under one hour and who had gathered to contest one of the world’s leading half marathon races.

Koech made a noticeable surge just before the 12km checkpoint and was accompanied by Kipkoech, who was frequent to the fore of the main group but couldn’t shake off any of the main contenders.

Nine men were still in contention as 15km was passed in 43:22, guaranteeing a thrilling finale over the final quarter of the race. Shortly after 15km, Kipkoech increased the tempo which splintered the leading pack as one-by-one runners drifted away from the front.

One of the first to be detached was Ethiopia’s two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris, who came home eighth. By 19km, the leading group was reduced to just four men, with Kipkoech still doing the majority of the work.

Regasa and Diriba, both looking comfortable, watched Kipkoech's every move, with Belet also gamely hanging on before having to relinquish his place on the podium just before 20km.

The leading trio passed 20km in 57:31 and dueled almost all the way to the finish line at the famous Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Great Britain's Eilish McColgan took women's 10,000m silver at the European Championships as Turkey's Yasemin Can claimed a superb win in Munich

Eilish McColgan, 31, won her first major title as she triumphed in the event at the Commonwealth Games 12 days ago.

Having also finished second in the 5,000m at Birmingham 2022, the Scot earned another silver as she ran clear of Israel's Lonah Chemtai Salpeter.

Can kicked clear with seven laps to go to win in 30:32.57. 

"I'm pleased. I'm obviously disappointed, I would have loved to become European champion tonight - but tired, tired legs," McColgan told BBC Sport.

A fortnight of soaring glories continued for Eilish McColgan as she fought off her extreme post Commonwealth Games fatigue, and the attentions of a high-class field, to claim a brilliant European 10,000m silver in Munich. The 31-year-old had been so weary before this race that she had spent the day in a deep slumber. Yet fuelled by caffeine and a desire for her third medal in 12 days, she produced another performance of immense grit and steel.

In blustery conditions, McColgan applied the template that had served her so well in Birmingham, pushing to the front early and applying a cobra-like squeeze for lap after painful lap. But this time the Kenyan-born Turkish athlete Yasemin Can proved to have a powerful antidote.

With seven laps remaining Can made a decisive move, breaking away before coming home the winner. But McColgan had enough in the tank to beat Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter for silver.

 “I felt very tired all this week,” McColgan admitted afterwards. “I hadn’t slept for several nights after the 10,000m in Birmingham and then I had to do it again in the 5,000m. And then all the media the following day when you’re up at the crack of dawn and on your feet all day – I’m not used to that.

“All I did today was sleep. My roommate just thought I was dead. And even though the housekeeper came in, I didn’t even hear it. I was just totally knocked out.”

However McColgan still packed a punch when it mattered. After a sedate opening kilometre, she decided enough was enough and kicked on. Soon the field was strung out and screaming. With 18 of the 25 laps remaining, only four athletes were left in contention. And while gold ultimately proved beyond her, this was another impressive performance.

“I didn’t want a last kilometre burn-up,” McColgan said. “But when the pace went up, I just didn’t quite have that zip. But it was probably to be expected. I’m not a superhuman and I have to respect that my legs were going to be tired.

“And I knew it was going to be tough with Can. I knew she was the one to beat tonight and she just was super strong. I couldn’t stay with her.”

Fellow Britons Samantha Harrison and Jessica Judd finished sixth and 10th respectively.

McColgan followed in the footsteps of her mother Liz - Commonwealth 10,000m champion in both 1986 and 1990 - as she recorded the biggest win of her career on 4 August.

In a hugely impressive season, McColgan also broke the European 10km, British half-marathon and Scottish 10,000m records earlier this year.

Though illness and injury hindered her World Championships medal aspirations in July, the 2018 European 5,000m silver medallist has returned to form emphatically - delivering one of the key moments of Birmingham 2022 as she out-kicked Kenyan Irene Cheptai in front of a packed Alexander Stadium.

In Munich's Olympia stadion, McColgan took it upon herself to increase the pace after a relaxed opening kilometre and by halfway only Can, defending champion Salpeter and Germany's Konstanze Klosterhalfen were able to remain in touch.

But Can, champion in 2016, made her stunning bid for gold with over a quarter of the race remaining, surging away from the competition to leave McColgan and Salpeter to chase.

While they could not close the gap, McColgan was able to move clear of Salpeter on the final lap, finishing in 30:41.05.

Rhonex Kipruto and Kibiwott Kandie Added to Fastest Field in Peachtree History

Rhonex Kipruto is returning to Atlanta for two reasons: Vindication and to protect his event record at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. The 10K world record-holder was announced Thursday by Atlanta Track Club, organizers of the Peachtree, as a late addition to the elite field at Monday’s 53rd Running of the race.

The 2019 Peachtree champion isn’t the only Kenyan superstar joining the field: Also making the trip to Running City USA will be Kibiwott Kandie, whose personal best of 26:50 gives him the second-fastest 10K in the world this year and fifth fastest all time. Kandie, the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon champion and 2022 Kenyan 10,000m champion, will be making his Peachtree debut.

Kipruto’s winning time of 27:01 here in 2019 is not only the Peachtree record but also the fastest 10K ever run in the United States. To hold on to his event record – and perhaps be the first man to ever break 27 minutes on American soil – he’ll have to battle five other men with road personal bests under 27:15. In addition to Kandie who defeated Kipruto when they raced on the track earlier this month, that speedy group includes Bravin Kiptoo, who was the runner-up to Kipruto, his brother, in 2019.

Kipruto was not planning to race the Peachtree this year. As one of the top-ranked 10,000- meter runners in the world, he was expected to make the Kenyan team for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, later in July. However, he finished a disappointing sixth in the Kenyan Championships and now hopes to redeem himself by making history on the Fourth of July.

“Chasing after the course record, weather permitting, is on my mind, especially as I failed to make Team Kenya this past weekend,” said Kipruto. “What comes after the defeat is always more important than the defeat itself.”

Kirpruto’s 2019 course record came with a $50,000 bonus for the 50th Running of the Peachtree. This year, the bonus is $53,000 to be split among any men or women in the footrace or Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division who set a record. With two other division record-holders returning – Brigid Kosgei in the women’s footrace and Daniel Romanchuk in the men’s wheelchair division – anyone who sets a record this year may find themselves sharing the purse. There will be plenty of competition. For Kosgei – whose 30:22 course record is also the fastest time ever run in the U.S. – the path to victory has become slightly easier, as Sheila Chepkirui withdrew after finishing second in the 10,000 meters at the Kenyan Championships. However, Irene Cheptai, the 2017 World Cross Country champion who finished 6th in the 10,000m in Tokyo last summer, has been added to the field.

There have been several other notable withdrawals from the elite field. Eight-time Peachtree winner Tatyana McFadden, 2017 Peachtree winner Leonard Korir and 2022 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon winner Nicholas Kosimbei are no longer racing on Monday.

Kenya’s Irene Cheptai and Nicholas Kipkori break course records in Bengaluru

Irene Cheptai and Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli ran course records of 30:35 and 27:38 respectively at the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) World 10K Bengaluru 2022 – a World Athletics Elite Label road race – on Sunday (15).

Cheptai took 44 seconds off the women’s course record which had stood to the late Agnes Tirop at 31:19 since 2018.

After a super-fast opening two kilometers of 3:02 and 3:04, a quick time was always likely and the race was soon down to just three women at the front: Cheptai, two-time world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri and fellow Kenyan Joyce Tele.

Tele started to lose contact with her compatriots in the fifth kilometer before Obriri, pushing the pace with Cheptai running in her slipstream, passed the halfway point in 15:15.

Obiri led the race for the next two kilometers, going through 6km in 18:23 and 7km in 21:32, before Cheptai took her turn to push at the front for a kilometer as Obiri briefly went through a bad patch. However, Obiri soon recovered her poise and regained the lead just after embarking on the penultimate kilometer.

The Kenyan pair carried on their enthralling head-to-head battle, but with just 250 meters to go Cheptai darted past Obiri and was never headed before crossing the line in a personal best of 30:35, her first time inside 31 minutes.

Obiri eased off once she knew the race was lost but still came home in an outstanding 30:44, also inside Tirop’s former course record, while Tele was a distant third in 31:47 to complete an all-Kenyan podium.

“When we raced through an inclined patch on the route [just after 7km], I felt like Hellen’s pace reduced, that’s when I tried harder to take lead,” said Cheptai. “But even when I entered the stadium for the final lap, I was fearing Hellen and kept pushing my speed to win.”

The men’s race unfolded in a very different fashion to the women’s. Kipkorir Kimeli, fourth in the Olympic 5000m final last year, took the lead with a kilometer to go and pulled away from Ethiopia’s world U20 10,000m champion Tadese Worku to reduce the men’s course record by six seconds from the previous mark set by his compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor in 2014.

The race started off in an unusual manner with Kenya’s Reynold Kipkorir – who was to eventually finish ninth – out on his own for much of the first 5km, passing the halfway point in 14:00 with the rest of the elite field staying about 70 meters in arrears.

However, shortly after going through 5km, Worku changed gear and started to rapidly tow the leading men back to Kipkorir before going past him just before the 6km point and then increasing the pace further.

Kipkorir Kimeli continued running just behind Worku for the next three kilometers, letting his Ethiopian rival do all the hard work as the pair gradually got back on to course record pace as they also put daylight between themselves and the rest of the men’s field.

Worku still looked fresh as they reached the final kilometer but could not respond when Kipkorir Kimeli took the lead, with the latter almost sprinting like a middle-distance runner over the final 300 meters as the finish line approached in Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

Kipkorir Kimeli crossed the line in 27:38 with Worku also inside the old record with 27:43 while the Kenyan pre-race favorite, and former world half marathon record-holder, Kibiwott Kandie made up three places in the final two kilometers and came through for third in 27:57.

By contrast, Ethiopia’s two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris was never in contention for the podium and finished back in seventh.

“Honestly, I was not expecting to get the course record,” said Kipkorir Kimeli. “When we reached 5K, we didn’t think we will get the course record, in fact, even when we crossed the 7K-mark, I didn’t think we will make the record. But only when Worku pushed ahead, I picked up pace towards the end.”

TCSW10K Bengaluru 2022 elite fields packed with talent

The 14th edition of one of the world’s top road races over this distance will be held this coming Sunday 15 May.

Prestigious additions to those already named – Muktar Edris, Kibiwott Kandie and Tadese Worku in the men’s race; Hellen Obiri, Irene Cheptai and Joyce Tele in the women’s race – include Kenya’s Rio 2016 Olympic Games 10,000m silver medallist Paul Tanui and his compatriot Nicolas Kipkorir Kimeli, who was fourth in the 5000m at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last summer.

Tanui’s road racing record is rather modest, his personal best of 28:39 was when he finished sixth in the 2019 TCSW10K, but on the track the Japan-based runner has an outstanding record and has a best of 26:49.41. In addition to his Rio silver medal, Tanui has three World Athletics Championships 10,000m bronze medals to his name as well as a World Cross Country Championships silver medal.

His younger compatriot Kipkorir Kimeli was the 2017 African U20 10,000m champion on the track and will arrive in Bengaluru in very good shape after running 12:55 for 5km on the road last month.

Fellow Kenyan Bravin Kipkogei succeeded Kipkorir Kimeli as the African U20 10,000m champion in 2019 and made a big impression when he finished sixth in the famous 2020 Valencia Half Marathon, in which Kandie set a world record of 57:32, despite having been originally employed as a pacemaker.

Kipkogei has raced sparingly in 2021 and 2022 but has the pedigree to make an impact in Bengaluru.

A third notable Kenyan addition to the men’s field is Matthew Kimeli, who ran 58:43 for the half marathon last year and has already had three outings over that distance in 2022, culminating in a win in Herzogenaurach, Germany in 59:30 just nine days ago

Another man in great shape at the moment is the 2015 world U20 cross country champion Yasin Haji, from Ethiopia who has twice run 27:00 for 10km in recent weeks, firstly in the French city of Lille in March and then in Herzogenaurach.

In total eight men in this year’s TCSW10K have run faster – either on the track or the roads – than Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor course record of 27:44 that dates from in 2014

In the women’s race, a number of young and very talented road runners from Kenya and Ethiopia have been added to the elite field to challenge the three well-known names that have already been announced.

Faith Cherono, from Kenya is just 19 and had a sensational international debut less than two months ago when she stunned onlookers with a superb win over 10km in Lille in 31:06. She followed that up by improving to 30:50 in Herzogenaurach.

Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Nigsti is only two seconds slower than Cherono over 10km and has been in good form in half marathons recently, clocking a personal best of 1:06:17 in Valencia last October and going close to that mark twice in March, her only two races in 2022 before the TCSW10K.

Seven women in this year’s TCSW10K have personal bests quicker than the course record of 31:19 set by Kenya’s Agnes Tirop in 2018.

The TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2022 has a total prize fund of US$210,000, with the men’s and women’s winners taking home US$26,000 and course record bonuses of an additional US$8,000 on offer. “The world has had to wait three years because of the pandemic since the last TCS World 10K. This is the 14th edition of this fantastic race, and I am feeling very honoured because many of the world’s best distance runners have committed to coming back to India to make this one of the best events in the world over this distance,” commented Vivek Singh, joint managing director of race promoters Procam International.

TCSW10K Bengaluru 2022 elite fields (with 10km personal best times) Men Muktar Edris (ETH) 27:17 Paul Tanui (KEN) 26:49 (10,000m on the track) Kibiwott Kandie (KEN) 26:50 Tadese Worku (ETH) 26:56 Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli (KEN) 26:58 Yasin Haji (ETH) 27:00 Bravin Kipkogei (KEN) 27:12 Mathew Kimeli (KEN) 27:11 Abel Sikowo (UGA) 27.47 Telahun Bekele (ETH) 27:53 Reynold Kipkorir (KEN) debut Emmanuel Kiprop (KEN) debut

Women Hellen Obiri (KEN) 30:24 Irene Cheptai (KEN) 30:44 Faith Cherono (KEN) 30:50 Tesfaye Nigsti (ETH) 30:52 Joyce Tele (KEN) 30:59 Esther Borura (KEN) 31:02 Faith Chepkoech (KEN) 31:03 Pauline Esikon (KEN) 32:17 Lomi Muleta (ETH) debut Tariku Alemitu (ETH) debut Yitayish Mekonene (ETH) debut

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

Reigning world champions Muktar Edris and Hellen Obiri headline World 10K Bengaluru 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazing Wins and an Event Record at the 2022 United Airlines NYC Half

The United Airlines NYC Half made a spectacular return to the streets of New York City today as the first major NYRR race back at full scale since the onset of the pandemic.

This year’s event featured the strongest professional athlete field in event history, including 23 Olympians, eight Paralympians, six half-marathon national record holders, and the defending wheelchair division champions. In ideal racing conditions, the pro races played out thrillingly over 13.1 miles of New York City streets.

In the men’s wheelchair division, Daniel Romanchuk of the United States defended his title in a time of 49:22, more than two minutes faster than his winning time from 2019 and four minutes up on the rest of the field today. “I’m really happy to be back in New York racing and see the city so alive,” said Romanchuk a two-time Paralympic medalist and two-time TCS New York City Marathon winner.

 For the women open race,  Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia and Irene Cheptai of Kenya pulled ahead early and ran shoulder to shoulder in Brooklyn, across the Manhattan Bridge, and through Manhattan.

Teferi prevailed in the end, setting an event record of 1:07:35 and breaking Molly Huddle’s record by six seconds. Cheptai was also under the old record in a time of 1:07:37. “I was being very careful throughout the race and watching my pace,” said Teferi through a translator. “I’m very happy to have won.” Her victory is all the more remarkable given that she briefly took a wrong turn in the race’s final 100 meters. Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal of Norway was third in 1:08:07. 

The men’s open division saw 22-year-old Rhonex Kipruto outlast a lead pack of four runners and break the tape in 1:00:30, just over a minute off the event record of 59:24, held by Haile Gebrselassie. Edward Cheserek of Kenya was second in 1:00:37 and Teshome Mekonen of Ethiopia finished third in 1:00:40.

“I feel good because I’ve come back again to win, and my first win was in New York,” said Kipruto, referring to his 2018 victory in the Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park. “It was not an easy win today because the course was very hilly. It was about the win, not about the time.”

Today’s events also included the return of the Times Square Kids Run at the United Airlines NYC Half for hundreds of youth ages 8–18. 

Rhonex Kipruto will lead Kenyan cast for New York Half Marathon

Rhonex Kipruto will be hoping for a bright start to the season when he lines up for the New York Half Marathon in United States of America on Sunday.

He is among elite athletes who will be battling it out for top honours in the prestigious race which has attracted a good number of entries.

The race will begin in Brooklyn at Prospect Park before taking runners across the East River via the Manhattan Bridge then head to Lower East Side, up to Midtown, through Times Square and conclude at Central Park.

Kipruto, who has been training in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County will be competing against his compatriots who include Edward Cheserek who has been training in Kaptagat and Stephen Sambu who is also in the US.

The trio will face stiff competition from Ethiopians Tariku Bekele, Birhanu Dare and Ashenafi Birhana, Galen Rupp and Shadrack Kipchirchir from USA among other top athletes.

In an interview with Nation Sport, Kipruto said he has trained well and since this is his first race this season, he wants to gauge his performance as he sets his eyes on the World Championships slated for July 16-24 in Eugene, USA.

“The race will be competitive but I will be out to gauge my performance as we start another season where I’m looking forward to a better one compared to last year. I have trained well but I can’t say that my training is 100 percent,” said Kipruto.

He revealed that last year he participated in various races but this year he wants to concentrate on preparing for the World Championships thus he will reduce the number of races he will feature in.

“Last year I participated in many races and I came to realise they were not of help and that’s why I want to run few races as I prepare to make the team that will be participating in World Championships in July,” he added.

Kipruto was a late inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics team for the 10,000m race after withdrawal of Geoffrey Kamworor which led to his dismal performance where he finished ninth in 27:52.78.

In the women's category, Irene Cheptai will be joined by two-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat, Sharon Lokedi and Grace Kahura.

Cheptai, who is also starting her season revealed that she has been training well in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet and she just wants to run a good race as she also sets her sights on World Championships.

“I’m going into the race to just see how I will perform and with such a good field of athletes, I will be eyeing a good race. This is part of my preparations for global events like World Championships and Commonwealth Games,” said Cheptai who finished sixth at Tokyo Olympic Games in the 10,000m after timing 30:44.00.

The Kenyan athletes will be competing against Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi, USA’s Sara Hall, Charlotte Purdue among others. 

Kenya’s Philemon Kiplimo and Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase win Bahrain Half Marathon

Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase and Kenya’s Philemon Kiplimo claimed victory at the Bahrain Royal International Night Half Marathon – a World Athletics Label road race – when the event returned for its second edition on Sunday (12).

After running 2:20:09 to triumph when making her marathon debut in Berlin in September, Gebreslase achieved another impressive result as she improved her half marathon PB to 1:05:36 in Manama to win by 11 seconds ahead of home favorite Kalkidan Gezahegne – the Olympic 10,000m silver medalist who was making her half marathon debut after breaking the world 10km record with 29:38 in Geneva in October.

The men’s race was much closer, with Kiplimo outsprinting his compatriot Collins Koros to the tape – both athletes recording a time of 1:00:01.

The women’s race had got off to a blistering start, with Gebreslase and Gezahegne both part of a group which passed the 5km mark in 14:53, well inside world record pace. The race also featured Kenya’s former world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich, who had run 1:04:02 in Istanbul in April and won October’s Chicago Marathon in 2:22:31, but she ran to around 17km in Manama and did not finish.

Following the fast start, Gebreslase and Gezahegne maintained their pace through 10km, with the clock showing 29:49 – four seconds off the split recorded by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey en route to the 1:02:52 women’s half marathon record she set in Valencia in October.

The wind had been behind them during the first half of the race and as they looped back the pace dropped, with Gebreslase passing 15km in 45:47 and Gezahegne following five seconds behind her. Chepngetich’s race came to an end a couple of kilometers later.

Gebreslase had increased her lead to 11 seconds by the finish, with the top two clear ahead of the rest of the field. Sheila Kiprotich secured third place in 1:07:01 and was followed by her Kenyan compatriots Irene Cheptai, who was four seconds back, and Daisy Cherotich, who ran 1:07:11, with a total of 11 athletes finishing inside 68 minutes.

Kiplimo led a Kenyan top five in the men’s race and had formed part of a lead group which followed the pacemakers through 5km in 13:58 and 10km in 27:35.

A seven-strong pack passed 15km in 42:24 and things remained close until the final stages, with Kiplimo edging ahead to deny Koros, and Mathew Kimeli finishing third just three seconds back.

Titus Mbishei finished fourth in 1:00:23, one second ahead of Geoffrey Koech, while Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer was sixth in 1:00:29.

World Athletics, with assistance from Alberto Stretti

Leading results

Women1 Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) 1:05:362 Kalkidan Gezahegne (BRN) 1:05:473 Sheila Kiprotich (KEN) 1:07:01 4 Irene Cheptai (KEN) 1:07:055 Daisy Cherotich (KEN) 1:07:11

Men1 Philemon Kiplimo (KEN) 1:00:012 Collins Koros (KEN) 1:00:013 Mathew Kimeli (KEN) 1:00:044 Titus Mbishei (KEN) 1:00:235 Geoffrey Koech (KEN) 1:00:24

More details about the Delhi Half Marathon Record performances

t was a great morning for the 2020 World Half Marathon bronze medallists as Ethiopians Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Amedework Walelegn both picked up $37,000 wins ($27k for 1st, $10k for event records) in event record time today at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon.

The headline performance came in the women’s race where Yehualaw, the 21-year old who just missed out on winning in Delhi by 1 second last year in 66:01, ran an unofficial 64:46, the second-fastest women’s half marathon in history on a records-eligible course.

The 5 Fastest Women’s Half Marathons Ever1 64:28* Brigid Kosgei KEN 2019 Great North Run 08.09.20192 64:31 Ababel Yeshaneh ETH 2020 RAK Half 21.02.20203 64:46 Yalemzerf Yehualaw ETH  2020 Delhi Half 28.11.20194 64:49 Brigid Kosgei KEN 2020 RAK Half 21.02.20205 64:51 Joyciline Jepkosgei KEN 2017 Valencia 22.10.2017*Not records eligible

In the men’s race, the Walelegn, also 21, won a three-way sprint finish in an unofficial 58:52 as two-time defending champion Andamlak Belihu of Ethiopia and Stephen Kissa of Uganda also broke 59:00 to finish second and third respectively. The order of finish today was the same as it was at World Half last month as in Poland Walelegn was third, Belihu was 5th and Kissa 19th. 2017 and 2019 world 5000 champion ran Muktar Edris of Ethiopia also ran very well today in his debut as he was in fourth in 59:04 .

The course this year was different than in years past due to Covid-19 but the event record coming in was 59:06 for the men and 66:00 for the women.

Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw produced a stunning run over in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon  2020, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, to clock the second fastest  women’s time ever over the distance when she crossed the line in the  Indian capital in 64:46. 

The 21-yearold, who had to settle for third at the World Athletics Half  Marathon Championships last month when she slipped around 80 metres  from the line, bounced back with aplomb to take the $27,000 first prize and  an additional $10,000 as an event record bonus. 

In the men’s race, the event record – with the course having been  changed significantly from previous years – also fell when Amdework Walelegn outsprinted his Ethiopian compatriot and two-time defending  champion Andamlak Belihu to win in 58:53, the latter coming home in  58:54 and just missing out on an unprecedented third title. 

A blistering pace from the gun was set in the women’s race by the  Kenyan male pacemaker Alex Kibarus and several of the elite field were  quickly dropped. 

Six women – three Kenyans: Irene Cheptai, 2019 world marathon  champion Ruth Chepngetich and marathon world record holder Brigid  Kosgei; and three Ethiopians: two-time defending champion and event record holder Teshay Gemechu, world record holder Ababel Yeshaneh and Yalemzerf Yehualaw – followed Kibarus through 5km in 15:27. 

World marathon record holder and recent London Marathon winner  Kosgei was forced to drop out midway through the eighth kilometre, holding her leg as she limped to the side of the road. 

A kilometre later, Gemechu also started to suffer and lost contact with the  leaders although she hung on to eventually finish fifth.

Chepngetich, Cheptai, Yehualaw and Yeshaneh went through 10km  together in 30:49 as a thrilling race started to take shape. 

Cheptai was the next to fall away, becoming detached in the 12th kilometre with the remaining trio going through 15km in 46:15. 

With just three kilometres to go, and within the space of a few hundred  metres, first Chepngetich and then Yeshaneh found themselves unable to  stay with the pace. 

However, Yehualaw continued to follow Kibarus, and once he dropped  out with two kilometres to go it was just a question of how much she would  take off Gemechu’s 2019 course record of 66:00. 

In the end, she improved the mark by more than a minute, aided by a  strong run over the final quarter of the race. 

Yehualaw won in 64:46 but Chepngetich also ran the race of her life to  finish in a personal best of 65:06 and move up to equal-sixth on the world  all-time list.  

“My training since the world championships told me that maybe I could  break the course record as I ran 65:19 there, but this was more than I  expected, and I hoped for a win here after just losing by a second a year  ago,” said Yehualaw. 

“My plan was to push hard with two kilometres to go and that helped my  fast time, and it was also very nice weather,” she added, with early  morning temperatures in Delhi around 12-14 degrees Celsius. 

In the men’s race, three pacemakers took field through 3km in 8:22 and  then 5km in 13:57 – well under 59-minute pace – with Belihu always to the  fore. 

The main pacemaker, Uganda’s Abel Sikowo, continued to forge ahead  and passed 8km 22:17 and then 10km in 27:50, with eight men still directly  in the wake of Sikowo who was doing an admirable job in keeping the  tempo high and sub-59 times definitely in sight. 

Just after 12km Sikowo dropped out and Belihu, along with Kenya’s  Leonard Barsoton, dictated matters at the front for the next two kilometres  although, as he was later to admit, this decision might have cost the  defending champion dearly in the later stages of the race. 

Eight men were still in contention at 15km, which was passed in 42:00. By  18km the leading group had slimmed just slightly to six men: the Ethiopian  quartet of Belihu, Walelegn, 2017 and 2019 world 5000m champion Muktar  Edris who was making his competitive debut over the distance, Tesfahun  Akalnew, Barsoton and Uganda’s Stephen Kissa. 

Akalnew started to falter shortly afterwards and with two kilometres to go,  Edris and Barsoton also started to drop off the back of the group as their  challenge for a place on the podium began to evaporate. 

Belihu, Walelegn and Kissa passed the 20km checkpoint in 55:59, and just  a hundred or so metres later, Walelegn threw down the gauntlet. 

However, Kissa was still full of running and darted between the two  Ethiopians with 500m to go and held the lead for the next 300 metres  before Walelegn found another gear and passed the Ugandan on his  right as he sprinted for the line. 

Walelegn finished in 58:53, the third fastest time of the year and an event record by 13 seconds as well as a personal best by 15 seconds. Belihu was  just one second in arrears and Kissa two seconds further back, both men also setting personal bests. 

“I had a few bad patches but in the final kilometre I felt strong. I was  second in Delhi in 2018 and this is a much faster course which has less  sharp turns,” commented Walelegn, reflected on the new circuit which  incorporated two six-kilometre loops. 

“I have to be happy as I ran a personal best. After the pacemaker  dropped out I pushed the pace but I think this might have left me with a  bit less energy when we sprinted in the last kilometre,” reflected Belihu,  who just fell short in his bid to be the first three-time winner in Delhi. 

In fourth place Edris ran 59:04, the second fastest debut over the distance  ever, while Avinash Sable smashed the Indian record by more than three  minutes when he ran 60:30 in tenth place.

2020 Delhi Half Marathon (Nov 29th) Is Loaded As Usual – 12 sub-60 men and 9 sub-70 women will compete

Race promoters Procam International are happy to announce that defending champions Andamlak Belihu and Tsehay Gemecu will return to the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon for the 16th edition of this prestigious World Athletics Gold Label Road Race on Sunday 29 November.

The Ethiopian pair will both be aiming for an unprecedented third successive victory in the Indian capital.

“I have been training well in (the Ethiopia capital) AddisAbaba for the last couple of months and I am very thankful to have the opportunity to race in Delhi, a city I always enjoy returning to and racing in,” commentedBelihu, who will turn 22 just over a week before race day.

“This has been a difficult year, for everyone around the world, not just professional athletes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and I have been training alone much more than that I am normally used to but my fifth place at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Poland last month has assured me that I am in good shape and I am confident I can put up a good defence of my title,” he added.

Belihu’s compatriot Guye Adola still holds the ADHM course record with 59:06 that the latter clocked in 2014 but Belihu has gone very close in the last two years with 59:18 and a personal best 59:10 in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

He will be aiming to finally go into new territory on the streets of Delhi, perhaps even going under 59 minutes, and confirm his place as the most successful runner in ADHM history after having also placed second in his race debut in 2017.

An unprecedented 13 men in the ADHM 2020 elite field have run under the world class benchmark of one hour, and five of them have actually run faster than Belihu in their careers including Adola who returns to Delhi for the first time since his record run six years ago.

The fastest man in the field is Bahrain’s 2018 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships silver medallist Abraham Cheroben, who holds the Asian record for the distance with 58:40.

Two other men to watch will be the Ethiopian pair of Amdework Walelegn, who was second in Delhi last year and also took the bronze medal at 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships last month, and 2017 and 2019 world 5000m champion Muktar Edris, who will be making his half marathon debut.

Last year, Tsehay Gemechu improved her own women’s course record from 2018 by no less 50 seconds when she ran a stunning personal best of 66:00

Ideally, Gemechu would like to go even faster this year but, like so many runners around the world, her training and racing this year have been hugely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID-19 is a disaster which has affected everyone’s life all over the globe and, definitely, it has affected my training, not least in the early stages of the pandemic when we were all fearful of infection. Later, my coach and I decided to take care of ourselves, taking into account all the advice from the World Health Organisation, and I started my own individual training programme with my main goal of coming back to Delhi, although since September I have had some races on the track,”reflected Gemechu, who will turn 22 in December.

“Like all the athletes who will be coming to Delhi, I’d like to express my thanks to the race promoters Procam International who have committed their time and effort and invested their money in making sure this race goes ahead while we all respect the appropriate health measures,” sheadded.

Gemechu will have a host of outstanding rivals in this year’s race, arguably the strongest women’s field ever seen in the history of the ADHM with seven women having run under 67 minutes.

Among them are two of her compatriots, Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Netsanet Gudeta.

The in-form Yehualaw finished second in the ADHM 2019, just one second behind Gemechu, and showed she’s a rising star of women’s distance running by finishing third at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships last month in a personal best of 65:19. Gudeta, the 2018 world half marathon champion. was eighth in Poland but helped Ethiopia to team gold.

Both the men’s and women’s races have a first prize cheques of US$27,000 with a total prize money purse (combined men and women) of US$233,270.

The ADHM 2020 will be unlike any previous edition with an estimated 60 elite international and Indian runners in action on the Delhi roads, with the traditional start and finish still in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The event will follow the highest level of safety and hygiene standards with bio-secure zones to ensure a COVID-19 free race.

Non-elite runners of all abilities will have the chance to participate virtually from any location, running at any time between 25-29 November via the ADHM App. Details of how to download and use this app can found on the ADHM 2020 website airteldelhihalfmarathon.procam.in

Procam International Pvt. Ltd. A-262, 1st Floor, Defence Colony, New Delhi – 110024. India, Tel. +91112433 5984/85/86 Fax +911141634836

Elite fields for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2020 (with personal bests)

Men

Andamlak Belihu (ETH) 59:10

Abraham Cheroben (BRN) 58:40

Guye Adola (ETH) 59:06

Amdework Walelegn (ETH) 59:08

Leonard Barsoton (KEN) 59:09

Solomon Berihu (ETH) 59:17

Josphat Boit (KEN) 59:19

Edwin Kiptoo (KEN) 59:26

Stephen Mokoka (RSA) 59:36

Abrar Osman (ERI) 59:47

Aron Kifle (ERI) 59:51

Dawit Wolde (ETH) 59:58

Women

Tsehay Gemechu (ETH) 66:00

Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 65:19

Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 65:30

Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) 65:45

Evaline Chirchir (KEN) 66:01

Brillian Kipkoech (KEN) 66:56

Irene Cheptai (KEN) 67:39

Mimi Belete (BRN) 68:16

Failuna Matanga (TAN) 69:36

Nazret Weldu (ERI) 70:51

Tsigie Gebreselama (ETH) debut

Hawi Feysa (ETH) debut

Eva Cherono (KEN) debut

Former world cross country champion Irene Cheptai is set for Prague half marathon

Former world cross country champion Irene Cheptai will be seeking her first international title after maternity leave when she lines up at the Prague Half Marathon later this month.

Cheptai, who won the 4th edition of Maria Soti cross country last weekend in Elgeyo Marakwet, said her plan was to run well in local races as part of her build-up for the upcoming races that include the Prague.

“I used the Maria Soti race as part of my speed work and endurance ahead of  Prague. This will be my first international race this year and I am hoping for good results,” said Cheptai.

After Prague, she said she will be seeking to make a cut in the  Team Kenya to the Tokyo Olympics during the national trials in June.

“I want to gain a slot into the team ahead of the Olympic Games. It has been a while since I represented my country in major races and this year, I want to show the world of what I am made of,” said Cheptai.

She said she will be competing in 5,000m because she has been consistent in the race especially on the local front where she has won a few races. 

Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu smashes her own Airtel Delhi Half Marathon course record

Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu retained her Airtel Delhi Half Marathon title in 1:06:00 on Sunday (20), taking 50 seconds off the course record she had set 12 months ago at the IAAF Gold Label road race.

Gemechu’s compatriot Andamlak Belihu also retained his title, clocking a PB of 59:10 to finish within four seconds of the course record.

The women’s race came down to a thrilling head-to-head duel over the final five kilometres between the 21-year-old defending champion and her compatriot Yelamzerf Yehualaw.

A large pack went through 5km in 15:43 before the male pacemakers brought the leading group of six past 10km in 31:22, indicating that the course record was very much under threat. One by one, runners became detached until only Gemechu and Yehualaw remained as they went through 15km in 47:05.

Coming into the final kilometre, Yehualaw – who won the African Games half marathon title in August – edged in front and briefly looked like she was going to cause an upset. But with the finish line approaching, Gemechu dug deep and managed to claw her way past her rival to notch up a personal best while becoming just the second woman to retain a title in Delhi.

“I was tired after Doha (where she finished fourth in the World Championships 5000m two weeks ago) but I wanted to come here and fight for the course record. I knew I was mentally strong,” said Gemechu, who becomes the sixth-fastest Ethiopian woman for the distance.

Yehualaw, even younger than the winner having turned 20 in August, took more than three minutes off her previous best for the distance when finishing just one second behind Gemechu in 1:06:01.

Zeineba Yimer, who started to lose contact with the leading pair just before 15km, held on to make it an Ethiopian 1-2-3 when she crossed the line in third place in 1:06:57, the same position as she had finished in 2018. Kenya’s 2017 world cross-country champion Irene Cheptai had a solid half marathon debut to finish fourth in 1:07:39.

The men’s contest also saw a thrilling head-to-head battle over the final few kilometres.

Six men passed 10km in 28:08. Belihu was still accompanied by another Ethiopian, Solomon Berihu, and the Kenyan pair of Kibiwott Kandie – who had made much of the pace in the middle stages of the race – and Alfred Barkachas.

The lead quartet reached 15km in 42:11 but between 17 and 18 kilometres firstly Barkach and then Kandie couldn’t stay with the relentless momentum and surges from the two Ethiopians and drifted backwards.

Berihu pushed again at 18km and Belihu looked in trouble for several minutes but recovered his poise and reeled in his rival with little more than a kilometre remaining before pulling away for victory.

“At about 18km I started to suffer some back pain; that possibly cost me the course record,” said Belhiu, who still managed to take eight seconds off his PB to move to seventh on the Ethiopian all-time list. “I have been mainly focusing on the track season in my training until recently but I always knew I was going to come here and so I had that in mind.”

Berihu, just 20, posted one of the fastest half marathon debuts ever when he came home second in 59:17 while Kandie hung on for third in 59:33.

Berihu wins Dam tot Damloop, Dutchman Ali finishes fourth

Solomon Berihu won the Dam tot Damloop on Sunday. One week after setting a big PB at the Copenhagen Half Marathon, Kenya’s Evaline Chirchir was the first athlete to cross the line at the Dam tot Damloop on Sunday (22), finishing just one second shy of the long-standing course record at the IAAF Silver Label road race.

The 10-mile race starts in Amsterdam and finishes in Zaandam. As is tradition, the women’s field set off 6:04 – the difference between the men's and women's course records – ahead of the men’s field, then the first three finishers are awarded bonuses of €5000, €3500 and €2500 respectively.

In sunny and warm weather (16-18C) with relatively low humidity and a moderate tailwind, Chirchir ran with compatriot Irene Cheptai and Israel’s Dagnechew Selamawit to break away as a lead trio.

Chirchir reached the finish line in Zaandam in 50:32, three seconds ahead of Cheptai. Selamawit was third in 50:48. Chirchir narrowly missed out on breaking the 50:31 course record set back in 1987 by Norwegian distance legend Ingrid Kristiansen.

Chirchir’s winning performance is the third-fastest time ever recorded by a woman over 10 miles, but the point-to-point course means times aren’t record-eligible.

Half way through the men’s race, Ethiopia’s Solomon Berihu, Kenya’s John Langat and Uganda’s Joel Ayeko detached themselves from the rest of the lead pack. Berihu accelerated at 12km and broke away from Langat and Ayeko.

In the hunt to be the overall first finisher, Berihu wasn’t close to catching Chirchir, who finished 1:21 ahead of the Ethiopian, but he was a comfortable winner of the men’s title in 45:49. Langat was second in 46:20 and Ayeko third in 46:40.

The bonuses for the first three overall finishers went to the top three women.

Mohamed Ali was the first Dutch finisher, clocking 46:51. Michel Butter, who is currently preparing for the New York City Marathon on 3 November when he hopes to finish in a qualifying spot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, was 13th in 48:59.

Evaline Chirchir hopes to cross the finish line first at the Dam Tot Damloop

This year’s Dam tot Damloop, could be one of the few races in the long history of the IAAF Silver Label road race in which a woman crosses the finish line first.

As has been tradition at this 10-mile race between Amsterdam and Zaandam, the women’s field sets off 6:04 – the difference between the men's and women's course records – ahead of the men’s field. The first athlete to finish, man or woman, will receive a €5000 bonus.

Following her 1:06:22 PB at the Copenhagen Half Marathon last week, Evaline Chirchir will start as the favorite. The Kenyan has also clocked some impressive times at 10km this year, including 30:43 in Valencia and 31:17 in Brunssum, and will be keen to improve on her fifth-place finish from last year.

Irene Cheptai, the 2017 world cross-country champion, recently clocked a season’s best of 31:27 over 10km, while Jip Vastenburg carries the Dutch hopes.

The women’s race record of 50:31 has been held by Ingrid Kristiansen since 1987, but last year’s winner Lonah Salpeter came close to it with 50:45.

Former 1500m specialist Chala Regasa of Ethiopia set a 10km PB of 27:23 earlier this year and will be making his Dam tot Damloop debut. Compatriot Solomon Berihu, aged 19, is another strong contender and has set PBs of 13:02.08 for 5000m and 27:02.26 for 10,000m this year.

Ethiopian Olympian Ayele Abshero, a 2:04:23 marathon runner, finished third in this race back in 2010 in a PB of 45:33, but doesn’t seem to be in that same kind of form this year. Kenya’s John Langat also returns to Amsterdam in a bid to do better than his 12th-place finish last year.

The weather forecast for Sunday morning seems ideal with temperatures between 16-18C and the wind on the runners’ backs.