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Marathon great Kipchoge mentors refugee athletics team in Kapsabet

Renowned for his extraordinary athletics accomplishments and for being an inspiration, Kenya’s two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge dedicated his time on Sunday (13) to mentor World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team members in Kapsabet.

“I came here to tell you that being a refugee is not the end of life. In fact, it is the beginning of life, because as a refugee you have a lot of fruits hanging in this world,” said Kipchoge. “Do not treat yourself less because you are refugees, we are all equal as human beings, we are all athletes.”

The athletes sat with their pens and notebooks open, ready to jot down the nuggets of wisdom on the fundamentals of a successful life shared by the marathon great. They listened intently.

“The whole world has recognised you as a country, are you happy?” Kipchoge asked.

The athletes responded with a resounding ‘yes’ and clapped.

“Being recognised means you are the best,” he added. “Have faith in yourself, in your school and your coaches. Have respect.”

The seven student-athletes in attendance at the Eliud Kipchoge Sports Complex included Perina Nakang, Mfite-Umukiza Jules, Estherina Julius and Zinad Akulang, who are part of the World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team, and Peter Lotino Akileo, Peter Lopeyok Michael and James Lokibich, who are athletes sponsored by the school. Coaches were also present.

They looked at Kipchoge with admiration; meeting him was a dream. They were surprised and inspired by the simplicity and humility of Kipchoge, who was accompanied by his fellow athlete Jonathan Korir.

“Finally, I have met him. He is somebody like me,” said Lopeyok Michael.

Jules added: “I didn't expect that he could talk like he did. I thought he was a different person, but I realised that Kipchoge is a very good person. He is a parent; he is very encouraging.”

It was a class, with Kipchoge writing out key points and explainers. The theme focused on empowering, inspiring and encouraging the athletes to take education and sports seriously.

The marathon legend emphasised self-discipline, making firm decisions and being consistent, as well as building confidence – all elements that provide a strong foundation in life. 

“For me, it is very important because when you have education and talent, you can be somebody,” explained Lopeyok Michael.

The day was not about how many Olympic medals or world records Kipchoge has achieved – in fact, those did not feature at all. Instead, Kipchoge was keen on changing the mindset of the athletes and shifting their perspective on life.

“In their faces I saw the future of the refugee team, I saw the future of their countries, I saw the future of sport” he said. “I am positive about the refugee team, they have a great future. In the whole world we have 206 countries participating in the Olympics, but we have plus one which is the Refugee Team, to make 207 countries – they have a big opportunity to grab.”

It was the reminder this team needed, having experienced extremely difficult and traumatic lives. But Kipchoge views their experience as the perfect springboard for mentorship.

“They are hard to mould and easy to mould at the same time,” he said. “Hard to mould because they have passed through hard life but all in all they are easy to mould because they understand tough life more than anybody else. So, you bring that tough life to education and sport here in Kenya, they are ready to move in.”

Posing questions to each athlete about their plans, Kipchoge discovered that they all harbour the ambition of becoming a legend, just like the man in front of them.

“To be like you, to succeed and help my family, respect others, to stay humble, respect my teammates, work on school assignments and work hard in athletics,” Julius answered.

“To focus on education, to love each other and share,” responded Lokibich.

The session was interactive and engaging. There were shared aspirations, along with moments of seriousness and laughter. 

“Do you want to be successful; own a car, a house, have money and a good life, or do you want to be a legend?” Kipchoge asked.

“Aim to become the legends of the refugees – being legendary is to make an impact on behalf of the refugees. It is a real success. But you have to study, train well and remain focused.

“Being successful does not happen in one night. Success takes time. If you love your life and sports, avoid drugs. True champions are winning by their own sweat, blood and hard work,” he added.

“The longer you are in sport, the more opportunities you secure. You must know what you want, and where you want to go in your education and athletics. You must fight for opportunities.”

The athletes were accompanied by their head coach Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2007 world 800m champion, and two other coaches.

“The mentorship session was important; these kids have been longing to meet Eliud,” said Jepkosgei. “The team will see their lives differently. They are motivated and encouraged and believe that education and athletics can change your life and community, and it's an inspiration for them.”

Giving a message to the coaches, Kipchoge said: “You have to develop cohesiveness; these athletes must be free to speak to you. You know how to mentor, nurture and make talent propel.”

Then it was time for the athletes and coaches to ask Kipchoge some questions.

“My dream to meet you has come true. You have told us to know ourselves and believe we can. In your career, have you ever hit a wall with no results, yet you trained well and wanted to give up?” Jules asked.

Kipchoge replied: “The moment you perform, you have gone through challenges people do not know. I have been through a lot, but I keep pushing. You have to experience pain and frustrations so that you know how to handle success when it lands on you.”

He was also asked: “How do you feel when lining up with other champions, like (Kenenisa) Bekele?”

“Treat yourself as the best one,” Kipchoge responded. “At the start, tell yourself you have trained better than everybody else and during exams tell yourself that you have studied more than everybody else. Compete with yourself.”

Kipchoge’s remarkable athletics career, which spans 22 years, is older than the refugee athletes he mentored, as they are aged between 17 and 21 years. By sharing his experience, Kipchoge reminded them that despite his athletics triumphs, he has navigated challenges and even inner turmoil.

“He has given me and the team a lot of advice, including that I have to respect myself, my coach, my teachers and my teammates. He has been through a lot of challenges in his career, but he did not give up. Even us, we have experienced a tough life, but we are holding on,” said Nakang, who competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Mentorship is something that Kipchoge takes seriously. In 2023, he became mentor to the U20 World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team. Through this role, Kipchoge inspires the upcoming generation.

“I treat the U20 athletes as the next generation,” he said. “I want to inspire them to run for the next 20-plus years because I want them to proceed beyond 2045, in the future promoting sport, competing for their countries, loving the sport, promoting education and bringing development and exposure to their countries.”

The 39-year-old, who holds five of the 11 fastest marathon times in history, has given a seal of approval to the World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team programme, which has been running since 2016.

“It is a plus; a firm and positive decision by World Athletics,” he said. “Let this project continue, let it flow. These are the flowers of World Athletics, what they are injecting in the form of finance and infrastructure to refugee athletes, they have shown these are real flowers of what they have been doing.”

(10/16/2024) Views: 189 ⚡AMP
by Michelle Katami for World Athletics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(09/15/2023) Views: 683 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui under no pressure ahead of marathon debut at Valencia

Commonwealth Games 10,000m silver medallist Sheila Chepkirui insists she is under no pressure ahead of making her full marathon debut at the 42nd edition of the Valencia Marathon this Sunday. 

Chepkirui said she is aware of the tough competition that awaits her but insists that she is not worried.

The women’s field has attracted some of the best athletes who will be targeting to break the course record which currently stands at 2:03:00.

“I am not afraid of the competition. I am making my debut and I don’t want to put pressure on myself. My main goal is to cross the finish line,” Chepkirui said. She will be in the company of compatriots Monicah Ngige and Fancy Chemutai.

The Kenyan trio is bound to face tough competition from Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, who is the world-record holder in 5000m, 10,000m and the half marathon.  

She is one of the women in the spotlight as she will also be making her debut over the distance after successfully ruling the track and half marathon.

Other Ethiopians in the race are— Sutume Kebede (2:18:12) and Etagegne Woldu (2:20:16). 

Chepkirui said her training is going on well and she is ready for the race.

She added that Chemutai, who is also her training mate, has played a key role in motivating her ahead of D-day. “We train together and she always encourages me,” Chepkirui said.

In the men’s field, the Ethiopian trio of Getaneh Molla (2:03:34), Tamirat Tola (2:03:39) and Dawit Wolde (2:04:27) head the field.

Kenya’s Jonathan Korir lines up as the fourth fastest with a lifetime best of 2:04:32 and will have the company of Geoffrey Kirui, Ronald Korir, Simon Kipkosgei and debutants Alexander Mutiso, Philemon Kiplimo and Kelvin Kiptum.

(11/29/2022) Views: 902 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula

2022 - the year when international road racing got back to normal

There have been big city races with mass participation, high-profile clashes between the world’s elite distance runners, and numerous records broken across a range of distances.

Road running is back in a big way.

While some World Athletics Label road races in 2022 still had to be postponed or adapted in the face of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, road running as a whole is almost back to normal.

Nine Elite Platinum Label marathons have been held already this year, with the 10th and final one due to take place in Valencia on 4 December.

World Athletics Elite Platinum marathons in 2022

Tokyo – 6 March

Winners: Brigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:16:02 CR, Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:02:40 CRWorld record-holders Brigid Kosgei and Eliud Kipchoge got their years off to a great start, winning in the Japanese capital with course records.Finishers: 18,272

Nagoya – 13 March

Winner: Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:17:18 CRAfter an enthralling tussle with Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, Ruth Chepngetich prevailed in 2:17:18, breaking the course record in the world’s largest women-only marathons.Finishers: 8698

Seoul – 17 April

Winners: Joan Chelimo Melly (KEN) 2:18:04 CR, Mosinet Geremew (ETH) 2:04:43 CREventual winners Joan Chelimo Melly and Mosinet Geremew were pushed all the way to course records in the Korean capital in two close races. Geremew won by six seconds, while Melly finished eight seconds ahead of her nearest rival.

Boston – 18 April

Winners: Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) 2:21:01, Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:06:51Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir maintained her winning streak to win in one of the world’s most prestigious races, finishing just four seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh. Evans Chebet enjoyed a more comfortable victory in the men’s race.Finishers: 24,607

Berlin – 25 September

Winners: Tigist Assefa (ETH) 2:15:37 CR, Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:01:09 WROlympic champion Eliud Kipchoge returned to the site of his last world record-breaking performance and improved on the mark by 30 seconds, setting a world record of 2:01:09. Meanwhile, Tigist Assefa smashed the women’s course record – and Ethiopian record – with her 2:15:37 victory.Finishers: 34,879

London – 2 October

Winners: Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 2:17:26, Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:04:39Yalemzerf Yehualaw got the better of defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei in an enthralling duel, while Amos Kipruto made a similar late-race break to take the men’s title.Finishers: 40,578

Chicago – 9 October

Winners: Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:14:18 WL, Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:04:24Ruth Chepngetich came within seconds of the world record to win in 2:14:18, the second-fastest time in history. Benson Kipruto, winner in Boston last year, added another US big city marathon win to his collection.Finishers: 39,420

Amsterdam – 16 October

Winners: Almaz Ayana (ETH) 2:17:20 CR, Tsegaye Getachew (ETH) 2:04:49Ethiopia’s 2016 Olympic 10,000m champion Almaz Ayana ran the fastest marathon debut in history to win in the Dutch capital, holding off former track rival and compatriot Genzebe Dibaba. Tsegaye Getachew made it an Ethiopian double, winning by just five seconds from Titus Kipruto.Finishers: 12,669

New York City – 6 November

Winners: Sharon Lokedi (KEN) 2:23:23, Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:08:41Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi pulled off one of the biggest road-running surprises of 2022, winning the New York City Marathon on her debut at the distance and beating many established stars of the sport. Evans Chebet added to his Boston win from earlier in the year.Finishers: 47,839

Valencia – 4 December

Elite field: includes Letesenbet Gidey, Sutume Kebede, Tiki Gelana, Tigist Girma, Etagegne Woldu, Amane Shankule and Tadelech Bekele in the women’s race, and Getaneh Molla, Tamirat Tola, Dawit Wolde, Jonathan Korir, Hiskel Tewelde, Chalu Deso and Gabriel Geay in the men’s race.Places: 30,000

For the masses

It’s not just elite runners who have been able to enjoy top-quality road racing. Events in most corners of the world have been able to stage mass races of some sort in 2022.

That looks set to continue in 2023 too, not just with Label road races but also at World Athletics Series events.

(11/27/2022) Views: 729 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey is set to make marathon debut in Valencia

The Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso announces its elite international line-up for its 42nd edition on December 4.

Some of the best athletes on the international scene will take to the streets of Valencia “Ciudad del Running” with the aim of improving the course record (2:03:00) and seeking the best women’s debut in the history of the event.

Tamirat Tola (2:03:39), the reigning World Marathon champion, heads the men’s line-up alongside his Ethiopian compatriots Getaneh Molla (2:03:34) and Dawit Wolde (2:04:27) in a preliminary list with up to seven athletes with fastest times under 2:05 over the Marathon distance.

Kenya, a world power in the marathon, will be well represented not only by Jonathan Korir (2:04:32), but also by a trio of important debutants over the distance: Alexander Mutiso, Philemon Kiplimo and Kelvin Kiptum. Attention will also be focused on another athlete who will be initiated at 42,195 metres: the Ethiopian Milkesa Menghesa, the winner of the Copenhagen Half Marathon.

In the women’s category, the spotlight will be on the long-awaited debut of Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey (currently world record holder in the 5000, 10000, 15K and half marathon, two of which were achieved in Valencia), who will make an eye-catching debut in a marathon on 4 December with the realistic ambition of beating the time of 2:17:23 (world record for a debutant), but also of getting as close as possible to the women’s world record of 2:14:04 (Brigid Kosgei, Chicago).

The Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui, also a debutant, could become the other female star of the Valencia Marathon in 2022, without forgetting some of the other runners included in this line-up with excellent times: Sutume Kebede (2:18:12) and Etagegne Woldu (2:20:16), who achieved second place last year in this marathon.

Marc Roig, international elite coach for the Valencia Marathon, assesses the line-up: “We are very proud that Letesenbet Gidey has chosen Valencia to make her marathon debut. It is a clear demonstration that we are an attractive marathon and of the very strong links between Gidey and the city of Valencia. But, as ever, the Valencia Marathon is not based on a single name: fifteen of the women have run under 2h26 and fourteen of the men under 2:07. And let’s not forget the three debutants with 58 minutes and another one with 57 minutes in the half marathon”.

(11/24/2022) Views: 800 ⚡AMP
by AIMS

Valencia Marathon elite line-up has ambitious goals for 2022

The Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso elite line-up for its 42nd edition on 4 December, when some of the best athletes on the international scene will take to the streets of Valencia Ciudad del Running with the aim of improving the course record (2:03:00) and seeking the best women’s debut in the history of the event.

Tamirat Tola (2:03:39), the reigning World Marathon champion, heads the men’s line-up alongside his Ethiopian compatriots Getaneh Molla (2:03:34) and Dawit Wolde (2:04:27) in a preliminary list with up to seven athletes with fastest times under 2:05 over the Marathon distance. Kenya, a world power in the marathon, will be well represented not only by Jonathan Korir (2:04:32), but also by a trio of important debutants over the distance: Alexander Mutiso, Philemon Kiplimo and Kelvin Kiptum. Attention will also be focused on another athlete who will be initiated at 42,195 metres: the Ethiopian Milkesa Menghesa, the winner of the Copenhagen Half Marathon.

Valencia will also witness an interesting European battle between Germany’s Petros, Sweden’s Tsegayand the Swiss runner Wanders. Overall, the final line-up includes over 150 runners with accredited times under 2:20:00 for the marathon or 1:06:00 for the half marathon.

Gidey: the most eagerly awaited debut

In the women’s category, the spotlight will be on the long-awaited debut of Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey(currently world record holder in the 5000, 10000, 15K and half marathon, two of which were achieved in Valencia), who will make an eye-catching debut in a marathon on 4 December with the realistic ambition of beating the time of 2:17:23 (world record for a debutant), but also of getting as close as possible to the women’s world record of 2:14:04 (Brigid Kosgei, Chicago).

The Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui, also a debutant, could become the other female star of the Valencia Marathon in 2022, without forgetting some of the other runners included in this line-up with excellent times: Sutume Kebede (2:18:12) and Etagegne Woldu (2:20:16), who achieved second place last year in this marathon.

Overall, the final line-up contains over 80 athletes who have run sub 2h45:00 in the marathon or sub 1:17:30 in the half marathon.

(11/11/2022) Views: 1,044 ⚡AMP

Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui to make marathon debut at Valencia Marathon

The Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medalist Sheila Chepkirui has expressed her excitement about making her full marathon debut at the Valencia Marathon on December 4.

Chepkirui has had a successful career on track and the half marathon and thinks it was time for her to try the 42km distance.

“I am happy to be making my debut in Valencia…I just think it’s time for me to try this new journey. I have had some great moments on the track and I am hoping I will be able to register the same in the marathon,” Chepkirui said, adding that she is praying for good health on the race day. 

Chepkirui said she looks up to 2018 London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot because of her hard work and remarkable races both on track and roads. She said her body is responding well to training so far and her goal is to finish the race. 

“After the Commonwealth Games, I had a slight injury but it got better. The training has been going on well and I am happy my body is responding well,” she said.

Meanwhile, the race has attracted 11 elite Kenyan athletes with Jonathan Korir being the fastest among his male compatriots with a PB of 2:04:32 posted last year in Amsterdam, where he placed fourth. 

Korir participated in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August and placed fifth in the marathon in 2:14:06. He was a distance  12th in Tokyo Marathon in 2:08:04 back in March.

The 2017 World marathon champion Geoffrey Kirui will also be in the mix. Kirui has a personal best time of 2:06:27. He placed fourth in 2:19:28 at this year’s Juarez International Marathon.

Others in the field are 2020 Santa Pola Half Marathon champion Alexander Mutiso, 2021 Bahrain Night Half Marathon champion Philemon Kiplimo and Kelvin Kiptum. Mutiso, Kiplimo and Kiptum will be making their debut in the 42km event. 

Bethwell Kipkemboi will be returning to Valencia with the hope of improving on his 17th-place finish during last year’s edition. He has a personal best time of 2:07:41. Others in the race will be Ronald Korir (PB 2:07:29) and Simon Kipkosgei (PB 2:07:07).

This will be Korir’s third race of the season after winning the BP Castellón Marathon in February and a fifth-place finish at the Volkswagen Prague Marathon.

Other Kenyan women in the field will be Monica Ngige who has a PB of  2:22:13 posted in Boston in April and Fancy Chemutai (PB 2:24:27). 

(11/11/2022) Views: 1,117 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula

Kipchoge and Kosgei race to Japanese all-comers' records in Tokyo

World record-holders Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei recorded another two of the fastest marathons of all time in Tokyo on Sunday (6), running 2:02:40 and 2:16:02 respectively on their return to Japan.

Back in the country where they claimed their respective Olympic gold and silver medals seven months ago, they both used their great experience to leave their rivals behind in the closing kilometres and break the Japanese all-comers' records in the Tokyo Marathon, the first World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race of the 2022 calendar.

Kipchoge’s performance is the fourth-best ever behind his own world record of 2:01:39 set in Berlin in 2018, while Kosgei’s is a time that only she with her world record of 2:14:04 from Chicago in 2019 and Paula Radcliffe with her 2:15:25 from London in 2003 have ever beaten.

Kenya’s world bronze medallist Amos Kipruto had remained with Kipchoge until 36km and continued running solo to a PB of 2:03:13 in second, while Ethiopia’s Olympic and world medallist Tamirat Tola was third in the men's race in 2:04:14.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s 2019 Berlin Marathon winner Ashete Bekere was runner-up this time in a PB of 2:17:58, while another winner in Berlin – 2021 champion Gotytom Gebreslase – was third, 20 seconds behind her compatriot, in a PB of 2:18:18.

Although missing his targeted own Japanese record, Kengo Suzuki had another strong performance, running 2:05:28 to finish fourth as 22 athletes went sub-2:09. A total of 50 runners, including 43 Japanese athletes, dipped under 2:15, while in the women’s race the top five went sub-2:20, 13 went under 2:30 and Mao Ichiyama with 2:21:02 in sixth led the list of 13 Japanese athletes to go sub-2:40 on a sunny and cool morning.

Despite all he has achieved in the sport so far, marathon great Kipchoge has set himself another aim of winning each of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors. After four London wins, three Berlin victories and one Chicago triumph, he added Tokyo to the list on Sunday and will now aim for Boston and New York City at some point in the future to compete the set.

With his winning time in Tokyo, Kipchoge also extended his list of all-comers’ records, having now run the fastest ever marathons on German, British and Japanese soil with some of those majors wins. Only he with his world record and 2:02:37 run in London in 2019, plus Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele with 2:01:41 in Berlin in 2019, have ever gone faster than the Kenyan’s winning time in Japan’s capital.

The race had been fast from the start and the leaders – with Kipchoge in control at the front of the pack behind the pacemakers – were well under world record pace as they passed 5km in 14:17. That pointed to a predicted 2:00:13 finishing time, but one based on a first 5km featuring a substantial downhill. At 10km the clock showed 28:37, with Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata dropped by that point, the 2020 London Marathon winner having struggled to keep in touch from 8km. A course mishap that saw runners go slightly off track just after 10km gave Kitata the chance to close the gap but he was soon dropped again from a lead group that featured Kipchoge, Kipruto and Tola, together with Ethiopia’s world silver medallist Mosinet Geremew and Kenya’s Jonathan Korir.

That five-strong pack remained together through 15km in 43:16, 20km in 57:53 and half way in 1:01:03, with the world record looking less of a target.

Geremew had been right on Kipchoge’s shoulder up to that point but he dropped back slightly at around 23km and one kilometre later the world silver medallist – who sits fourth on the world marathon all-time list with the 2:02:55 he ran in London in 2019 – pulled up and started to walk, with his hands on his head.

When the final pacemaker stopped at 27km, Kipchoge continued to push ahead and the race was down to three: Kipchoge, Kipruto and Tola, who started to lose touch 2km later. Kipchoge led through 30km in 2:02:09 and at this point a determined Suzuki had caught Kitata and was a couple of minutes behind the leaders.

Kipchoge and Kipruto were side-by-side through 35km in 1:41:30 and then Kipchoge began to make his move. He was a stride ahead at 36km and that increased to around five seconds over the next kilometre as the athletes made a turn and began running into a headwind. But he hung on to record the fastest marathon ever run in Japan by over a minute and claim a 33-second victory.

“I am really happy,” said two-time Olympic marathon winner Kipchoge. “I am excited to be here in Japan, especially after winning the Olympic Games in Sapporo. I really appreciated the crowd.”

Before the race Kipchoge had written 'ST:RO:NG' instead of numbers on his finish time prediction card and the 37-year-old felt he had achieved his aim.

“I said I wanted to run strong in Japan and I did, I ran a course record,” he said. “I am really happy I won another major marathon.”

Kosgei, too, has multiple major marathon wins to her name, having triumphed twice in London and twice in Chicago. After securing silver at the Olympics behind her compatriot Peres Jepchirchir, she finished fourth in London just two months later but was back on top in Tokyo.

The women's race record had been held by Lonah Chemtai Salpeter with the 2:17:45 she set on a slightly different course in 2020 and that time always looked under threat. The leaders were on 2:15:44 pace for the first downhill 5km and then passed 10km in 32:14.

By that point, Kosgei was running as part of a larger mixed group along with fellow women’s race leaders Gebreslase and Bekere, plus Kenya’s Angela Tanui and Ethiopia’s Hiwot Gebrekidan. A chase group featuring Ichiyama and her compatriot Hitomi Niiya, who won the first Tokyo Marathon in 2007, plus Ethiopia’s Helen Bekele and the USA’s 2020 London Marathon runner-up Sara Hall was 30 seconds back.

The same group of five led through 15km in 48:21 and reached half way in 1:08:06. At 25km, passed by the leaders in 1:20:48, chase group athletes Ichiyama and Hall remained on national record pace but those aims began to move out of reach a short while later.

Kosgei was still in control with Gebreslase tracking her, and the pair had broken away by 35km, with 1:53:08 on the clock. Kosgei missed her drink at that point but she didn’t seem to mind as she forged ahead while Gebreslase dropped off the pace. Kosgei had broken away by 37km and went on unchallenged to record another magnificent mark.

Bekere – who ran 2:18:18 when finishing third at last year’s London Marathon – came through to claim the runner’s up spot and improve her PB by 20 seconds while Gebreslase also had the run of her life to match her compatriot’s former PB of 2:18:18, building on her 2:20:09 debut performance in Berlin.

Tanui was fourth in 2:18:42 and Gebrekidan fifth in 2:19:10, while Ichiyama secured sixth in 2:21:02, Niiya seventh in 2:21:17 and Hall eighth in 2:22:56.

With their respective 2:05:28 and 2:21:02 performances, Suzuki and Ichiyama achieved a combined time of 4:26:30 – the fastest recorded combined result for a married couple running in the same race.

Before the race, Kosgei had said her target time was “a secret” and although she went on to record the third-fastest ever women's marathon, she later explained how she felt the wind in the latter stages of the race had prevented her from again attacking 2:14.

(03/05/2022) Views: 1,292 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Tanui and Tola smash Dutch all-comers’ records in Amsterdam

Angela Tanui and Tamirat Tola produced the fastest ever times on Dutch soil with their victories at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, clocking 2:17:57 and 2:03:39 at the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on Sunday (17).

Tanui, who was a late addition to the field after her plans to compete in Boston fell through due to visa issues, bided her time for much of the race before breaking away in the closing stages to win by more than two minutes, covering the second half in a swift 1:07:50.

Running as part of a lead group of six, Tanui covered the first 10km in 33:00. Shortly after, Ethiopia’s Shasho Insermu dropped back from the lead pack, leaving Tanui, fellow Kenyan Maureen Chepkemoi and Ethiopia’s Haven Hailu, Gabiyanesh Ayele and Worknesh Alemu out in front.

They covered 15km in 49:48 before reaching the half-way point in 1:10:07, suggesting a sub-2:20 finish was possible with a slightly faster second half.

Alemu was the next to drift off the pack, and she trailed the leaders by 24 seconds at the 25km point, which was covered in 1:23:02. Tanui, Hailu, Ayele and Chepkemoi stuck together through 30km (1:39:37), but Tanui then put in a surge and covered the next five-kilometre section in 15:51, giving her an 11-second lead over her opponents at 35km.

She continued to pull away from her pursuers in the closing stages and went on to cross the finish line in 2:17:57, smashing the previous course record of 2:19:26. She also chopped more than two minutes from her previous best of 2:20:08 set earlier this year, and now moves to 10th on the world all-time list.

Chepkemoi came through to take second place in 2:20:18, overtaking Hailu shortly before the finish. Hailu finished one second adrift in third, while Ayele was further behind in fourth (2:21:22). Ruth van der Meijden was the top Dutch finisher, placing sixth in 2:29:55 to secure the national title.

Tola, like Tanui, displayed great patience and waited until the final few kilometres before making his move in the men’s race.

The opening pace was relatively swift as a large lead pack covered the first 10km in 29:10 and 15km in 43:58. The pace settled down slightly then, with the half-way point reached in 1:02:11 and 25km in 1:13:49, putting them just outside course record schedule (2:04:06).

After going through 30km in 1:28:33, some of the runners in the lead pack – namely Edwin and Abraham Kiptoo and Ethiopia’s marathon debutante Amdewerk Walelegn – started to drift off the pace. Just six men – Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Eritrea’s Hiskel Tewelde and Afewerki Berhane and Kenya’s Jonathan Korir and Bernard Koech – were left in the pack at the 35km point (1:42:59).

Tola then started to pick up the pace and, having covered the previous 10km section in 28:53, had a nine-second gap on his opponents at the 40km point with the leading contenders now strung out.

Tola continued to extend his lead and crossed the line in a 2:03:39, winning by 30 seconds from Koech (2:04:09). Tola’s winning time took almost half a minute off the previous course record (2:04:06) and elevates him from 23rd to 16th on the world all-time list.

Gebresilase took third in 2:04:12, 20 seconds ahead of Korir. In fifth, Tewelde set an Eritrean record of 2:04:35.

 

(10/17/2021) Views: 1,343 ⚡AMP

Tola, Walelegn, Tanui and Sado set for exciting clashes in Amsterdam

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon men’s course record could be challenged on Sunday (17) when the likes of Tamirat Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Ayele Abshero and Amdework Walelegn line up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race.

Eight women with sub-2:25 PBs, meanwhile, are also set to clash in what looks set to be a highly competitive race in the Dutch capital.

Tola’s PB, set in Dubai in 2018, is equal to the Amsterdam course record and Dutch all-comers’ record (2:04:06). The Ethiopian earned Olympic bronze over 10,000m in 2016 and world silver in the marathon in 2017, having won the Dubai Marathon earlier that year in 2:04:11.

“I was preparing for the Tokyo Marathon (before it got cancelled), but I’m happy to be here,” said Tola. “I love the country. It’s my first time here, and the weather forecast is perfect for a good performance, so I’m hoping to run a personal best on Sunday.”

The past nine editions of the Amsterdam Marathon have been won by Kenyan men, but that streak could end on Sunday as the five fastest entrants are from Ethiopia.

Tola’s compatriot Gebresilase has the fastest PB of the field. The 29-year-old Ethiopian clocked 2:04:02 on his debut at the distance in Dubai three years ago to finish second, four seconds ahead of Tola. He followed it later in the year with a 2:04:31 victory in Valencia, and he equalled that time earlier this year in Milan.

Abebe Negewo Degefa, Chalu Deso Gelmisa and Ayele Abshero all have sub-2:05 PBs. Degefa, now 37, set his PB of 2:04:51 in Valencia just two years ago. Gelmisa produced a similar clocking of 2:04:53 in Valencia last year, but more recently he raced in Chicago, finishing 29th, and so his legs may not have recovered in just one week. Abshero has a faster PB of 2:04:23, but it was set back in 2012.

But perhaps the strongest Ethiopian entrant is Amdework Walelegn, who’ll be making his marathon debut. The 22-year-old took bronze at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships, having finished second in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships just three years prior. He set a half marathon PB of 58:53 when winning in Delhi last year, and he came close to that last month with his 59:10 victory at the Copenhagen Half Marathon.

Kenya is still well represented for this year’s race in the form of Laban and Jonathan Korir (no relation).

Laban Korir has competed at the Amsterdam Marathon four times. The 35-year-old, who is a training partner of Eliud Kipchoge, made his marathon debut in the Dutch city back in 2011, clocking 2:06:05 to place second. He improved on that when he returned to Amsterdam in 2016, finishing fourth in 2:05:54. Winner of the 2014 Toronto Marathon, Korir represented Kenya at the 2019 World Championships, where he finished 11th.

Jonathan Korir, another friend and training partner of Kipchoge’s, will also be returning to Amsterdam. He set a PB of 2:06:51 during his last outing at this race, which he went on to improve in Berlin in 2019 (2:06:45) and then in Enschede earlier this year (2:06:40).

Competitive clash in women’s race

While Kenyan men have dominated recent editions of the Amsterdam Marathon, the women’s race has typically gone in Ethiopia’s favour over the past decade.

Ethiopian women make up seven of the nine fastest entrants for Sunday’s race, but the outcome could be largely dictated by whether Kenya’s Angela Tanui makes it to the startline. The 29-year-old, who clocked a PB of 2:20:08 in Ampugnano back in April and is undefeated in three races this year, had been due to compete at the Boston Marathon earlier this week, but was unable to make it to the US due to visa issues. If she succeeds in making it to Amsterdam, she’ll start as the favourite.

But if Tanui is unable to make the start line, an Ethiopian victory would appear highly likely as the likes of Besu Sado, Shasho Insermu, Genet Yalew, Gebeyanesh Ayele and Haven Hailu are raring to go.

Sado, a former 1500m specialist who reached the Olympic final in that event in 2016, set her PB of 2:21:03 when finishing fourth in Amsterdam in 2019. She has a best this year of 2:27:06, set in Milan in May, but more recently set a half marathon PB of 1:08:15 in Herzogenaurach.

Insermu also set her PB in Amsterdam, clocking 2:23:28 when finishing second in 2018. She hasn’t raced this year, but her last marathon was a victory in Madrid in April 2019. She has previously won marathons in Copenhagen, Cologne, Nagano and Marrakech.

Yalew has contested just three marathons to date and has a best of 2:24:34 so far, but her pedigree suggests that time could be due some revision. She finished fifth at the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships just a couple of months after clocking a PB of 1:06:26.

Ayele set a PB of 2:23:23 this year. She has yet to win a marathon, but has made it on to the podium in four of her nine races to date.

Hailu, meanwhile, is keen to make amends for her DNF two years ago. “I love racing in the Netherlands,” said the 23-year-old, who set a PB of 2;23:52 earlier this year. “Two years ago, I raced the Zwolle Half Marathon and I placed second in a personal best time of 1:09:57. I was also here two years ago for the Amsterdam Marathon, but it didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted. I learned from my mistakes and I’ve prepared accordingly for Sunday. I’m hoping to run a very fast time.”

Kenya’s Maureen Chepkemoi could also be in contention for a podium finish. She has a 2:24:16 PB from the 2019 Istanbul Marathon and she came close to that with her 2:24:19 victory in Geneva earlier this year.

(10/15/2021) Views: 1,268 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Tamirat Tola, Leul Gebresilase and Laban Korir will be targeting course record in Amsterdam

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon course record of 2:04:06 is expected to come under threat on October 17, when Tamirat Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Laban Korir and Jonathan Korir line up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race.

Tola’s PB, set in Dubai in 2018, is equal to the Amsterdam course record. The Ethiopian earned Olympic bronze over 10,000m in 2016 and world silver in the marathon in 2017, having won the Dubai Marathon earlier that year in 2:04:11.

His compatriot Gebresilase has the fastest PB of the field. The 29-year-old Ethiopian clocked 2:04:02 on his debut at the distance in Dubai three years ago to finish second, four seconds ahead of Tola. He followed it later in the year with a 2:04:31 victory in Valencia. He equalled his Valencia time earlier this year at the Milan Marathon.

Laban Korir has competed at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon four times. The 35-year-old, who is a training partner of Eliud Kipchoge, made his marathon debut in the Dutch city back in 2011, clocking 2:06:05 to place second. He improved on that when he returned to Amsterdam in 2016, finishing fourth in 2:05:54. Winner of the 2014 Toronto Marathon, Korir represented Kenya at the 2019 World Championships, where he finished 11th.

Jonathan Korir, another friend and training partner of Kipchoge’s, will also be returning to Amsterdam. He set a PB of 2:06:51 during his last outing at this race, which he went on to improve in Berlin in 2019 (2:06:45) and then in Enschede earlier this year (2:06:40).

When Lawrence Cherono set his course record of 2:04:06 in 2018, it made the Amsterdam Marathon the fastest marathon in the Netherlands. At the most recent edition in 2019, more than 45,000 participants from 140 countries took part. A large mass turn-out is also expected for this year’s race.

(10/01/2021) Views: 1,283 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Kipchoge now focuses on Olympics after comeback win in Twente

World men's marathon record holder, Eliud Kipchoge has set his sights on a second Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics after a win at the NN Mission Marathon in Enschede in the Netherlands. 

Kipchoge was competing for the first time after a disappointing eighth-place finish at the London Marathon in October last year. 

"This was a real test and quite the preparation ahead of Tokyo. The focus is now on the Olympics. I will consult with the coach and technical team to see what next in preparing for Tokyo," Kipchoge said. 

The Olympics marathon champion clocked 2:04:30 to finish first ahead of training partner, Jonathan Korir, who timed second in 2:06:40 with Eritrean Goitom Kifle ,  third in 2:08:00. 

Kipchoge said he is feeling confident and relieved following the win after ear problems and a hamstring complication denied him a third London Marathon at last year's event in which Ethiopia Shura Kitata clinched first place. 

"Yes indeed, it is mission accomplished. For the organisers to hold this event successfully under the current circumstances, it is a great achievement and I  thank them for that. The conditions were good although it was a bit windy. However, there were other athletes who ran under the same condition and so I can't complain too much about that. I do not always want to complain," he said. 

Kipchoge is part of the four-man team named by Athletics Kenya to lead the country's charge for a podium finish at the Olympics. 

Other members of the team include Boston Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono, Vincent Kipchumba and world marathon bronze medalist Amos Kipruto. 

(04/20/2021) Views: 1,341 ⚡AMP
by Omondi Onyatta

Kipchoge clocks world-leading 2:04:30 in Enschede

Eliud Kipchoge waited until the final 30 minutes of the NN Mission Marathon to make his winning move as the Kenyan great kicked on to win the World Athletics Label road race in 2:04:30 at Twente Airport in Enschede on Sunday (18).

The Olympic champion had little to prove; his place on Kenya’s team for Tokyo had already been confirmed, as has his status as one of the all-time greats. But following a rare defeat at the London Marathon last year, the world record-holder was keen to produce a confidence-boosting performance ahead of the Olympic Games.

He did exactly that on Sunday, despite having to contend with some late changes to the race plans as the event had originally been set for 11 April in Hamburg.

Unlike many of Kipchoge’s previous marathon races, today’s event was never intended as an opportunity to chase record times. Nevertheless, the pace was swift as a lead group of four reached 15km in 43:46, just outside 2:03 pace.

After going through half way in 1:01:43, with Kipchoge running alongside pacemakers Philemon Kacheran and Jonathan Korir, the pace settled in the second half with each five-kilometre segment being covered in just outside 14:50.

By the time Kipchoge and the pacing duo reached 30km in 1:28:10, the chase pack was more than two minutes adrift but still on course for Olympic qualifying times. Shortly after, with 1:35 on the clock, Kipchoge left his pacemakers behind.

His tempo didn’t actually increase in the closing stages, but he maintained his sub-three-minute kilometre pace, which brought him to the finish line in a world-leading 2:04:30.

Korir held on for second place in 2:06:40 with Eritrea’s Goitom Kifle coming through to take third in 2:08:07. A little further behind, Uganda’s 2012 Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich placed fifth in 2:09:04.

“Mission accomplished,” said Kipchoge. “The conditions were really good, a bit windy, but I had no complaints. The race was perfect. This was the real test towards Tokyo. It’s good to have a marathon a few months before the Olympics to test my fitness.”

The leading contenders in the women’s race were paced by a small group of men, reaching 10km in 34:39 and half way in 1:12:58. Kenya’s Gladys Chesir, Sweden’s Hanna Lindholm and German duo Laura Hottenrott and Katharina Steinruck were all still in contention at this point, but Lindholm started to fade as they embarked on the second half.

Chesir was next to drop back, doing so after about 90 minutes of running, leaving Steinruck and Hottenrott as the lead duo. Steinruck (nee Heinig) began to edge ahead of her domestic rival in the final seven kilometres and the race was finally decided.

Steinruck reached the finish line in 2:25:59, elevating her to sixth on the German all-time list, just three places and 84 seconds adrift of her mother, Katrin Dorre-Heinig, the 1988 Olympic bronze medallist.

Portugal’s Sara Moreira finished strongly to take second place in 2:26:42 with Germany’s Rabea Schoneborn placing third in 2:27:03.

(04/18/2021) Views: 1,305 ⚡AMP

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge travels to Netherlands for NN Marathon

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge will compete in the NN Mission Marathon in Dutch city of Enschede on Sunday.

“NN Mission Marathon will go ahead as planned on April 18 and will be moved from Hamburg to Enschede, The Netherlands, on the specially designed course on Twente Airport which will be closed for general audience,”  race organisers said yesterday in a statement.

The race which was initially planned for April 11, was pushed forward by a week due to Covid-19 restrictions in Hamburg.

And on Tuesday, Kenyan competitors started their journey to Nairobi from Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County via road due to Covid-19 restrictions which have forced suspension of local flights. In Nairobi, the athletes boarded the KLM Airlines flight and were expected in Enschede at 7.00am.

Another group of pacemakers will leave Kenya on Thursday for Enschede.

Kipchoge will be joined by up to 70 elite athletes who are seeking to qualify for the 2020 Olympics Games. The notable athletes include 2012 Olympics Games marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich from Uganda, his training mates Laban Korir and Jonathan Korir, Uganda’s Filex Chemonges,  and Ethiopia’s Tadese Abraham.

Kiprotich, who used to train with Kipchoge at the Global Sports Communication camp in Kaptagat but has since changed his training to Kapchorua in Uganda, said his focus is to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“The virus has really demoralised many athletes because even if they train, where are they going to compete? I have trained well and my focus now is to qualify for the Olympics Games and join my compatriot Fred Musoba who has already qualified,” revealed Kiprotich.

(04/14/2021) Views: 1,422 ⚡AMP
by Bernard Rotich

Can pacemaker and three-time Toronto Marathon champion Philemon Rono help Kipchoge hit another milestone?

Pacemaker Philemon Rono is all fired up for the ardours task of pacing a strong field, led by world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge, at Sunday's NN Mission Marathon in Enschede.

Rono, who clinched the 2016, 2017 and 2019 Toronto Marathon titles will link up with another Toronto Marathon champion Laban Korir, former Olympic and world marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich, Augustine Choge and Jonathan Korir.

The race — initially set for April 11 in Hamburg, Germany — is set for Enschede in the Netherlands and an upbeat Rono is confident he has what it takes to cap off Kipchoge's glittering career with another feather.

“As a pacesetter, you have a lot of mathematics to do in a race, unlike the athlete. You need to be tactical, timely and stay focused on the laid down rules,” said Rono.

He proved his mettle during his stint at the Global Sports Communication training camp, where he set up Wilson Kipsang for a 2:03:38 world marathon record at the 2013 Berlin Marathon.

Rono's exploits also saw him fire up three-time world half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor to a decent fourth finish at the Rotterdam Marathon.

“With such experience in pace-setting, I will do my best to achieve the results as demanded by the race organisers,” added Rono, nicknamed 'junior police' because of his short stature.

(04/13/2021) Views: 1,496 ⚡AMP
by Emmanuel Sabuni

Eliud Kipchoge must wait to return as Hamburg race postponed

Initially, the NN Running Team in conjunction with Global Sports Communication had scheduled the race for April 11, but had to postpone it by a week due to the deadly coronavirus.

“The NN Mission Marathon race in Hamburg will be postponed to April 18. Due to the current local Covid-19 situation, the organisation is also forced to find an alternative location for the race," read the statement.

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge was set to take part in the race alongside former Olympic marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich from Uganda. Others who will run include Jonathan Korir, Laban Korir, Augustine Choge, Gladys Chesir and Ethiopia's Haven Hailu.

“The NN Mission Marathon in Hamburg will be postponed to April 18. Over the past months we have learned that we need to be flexible and stay positive. With this in mind, I thank everybody involved, keep working hard with positive minds to find a good alternative," posted Kipchoge on Twitter Wednesday.

Kipchoge is using the race as part of preparations ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games where he is set to defend his Marathon title.

In an earlier interview, he stated that his training has been going on well and is looking forward to run a race that is going to inspire the world at this hard time.

“I want to run a beautiful race to inspire the world which is in huge transition into the bright future after a long break due to the pandemic. It feels good to be back where I started my marathon career, it’s the greatest memory in my life,” he said.

Last week, the team released names of the pacemakers for the race led by Victor Chumo and Philemon Rono.

Other pacers include Philemon Kacheran, Gideon Kipketer, Noah Kipkemboi, Paul Pollock, Victor Kiplangat, Alex Kibarus, Jackson Kiprop, Moses Koech, Sylvester Kiptoo and Bernard Cheptoch.

The traditional annual Hamburg marathon, which was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic, is scheduled to take place on September 12.

(03/31/2021) Views: 1,110 ⚡AMP
by Bernard Rotich

Kenya's Gideon Kipketer will lead the hunt for gold at this Sunday's Amsterdam Marathon in the Netherlands

Kipketer, who was fourth in Amsterdam last year, is yet to win a marathon this season.

He failed to finish the Tokyo and London Marathons, but hopes his return to the Dutch capital will be another chance to redeem himself.

Kenya´s Gideon Kipketer, Laban Korir and Jonathan Korir, the trio will, however, face stiff competition from Kenyan-born Kaan Ozbilen of Turkey - formerly known as Mike Kipruto Kigen - and Ethiopia's Mule Wasihun.

"The forecast is promising, with temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees, not much wind and comfortable humidity levels. A tight regime in terms of mid-course times won't work. We will have to tailor the strategy during the race," said race director Cees Pronk.

Last year, Kenya's Lawrence Cherono set a new course record, winning his first Amsterdam Marathon in 2:05:09, also establishing a new personal best time. He has since gone on to win in Boston and last weekend won in Chicago.

"I was thrilled with last year's win. It was a good race on a flat course and the crowd was great," said Cherono.

(10/16/2019) Views: 1,805 ⚡AMP

Zhengzhou Marathon bronze medalist Jonathan Korir will hope to land his first win in his Berlin marathon debut

Jonathan Korir,  who was eighth at this year's Hamburg marathon in Germany, has had his best performances in China and now hopes he will extend the same to Europe as he puts his best foot forward for the German capital road race in a week's time.

"It will be the first time for me to compete in the Berlin Marathon and I want to leave a mark. I have raced well in China and want to exploit the chink in Europe and win. I am preparing well for the race which will be very competitive as a hope to improve on my time," said Korir.

Korir, who trains with Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge in Eldoret, says he has been inspired by his mentor and hopes he will succeed him as champion in Berlin. Last year, Kipchoge won in Berlin in a world record time of two hours, one minute and 39 seconds.

While that time is much higher for Korir to break, he hopes to improve on his personal best in Berlin. His best time is 2:06.51 posted at the 2018 Amsterdam Marathon, where he placed eighth with Lawrence Cherono winning the race in a course record of 2:04.06.

"With my personal best pegged at 2:06.51, I want to try my best to lower that mark," he said. He said depending on the weather, he wants to run at least a 2:04.00.

Last week he was happy for another teammate Geoffrey Kamworor, who set a world half marathon record in Copenhagen, Denmark clocking 58.01 minutes.

"I also want to make a difference and Berlin will be my race," he said. "I may not be famous among Kenyans but I am keen to make a mark in Berlin."

The bronze medal he earned in Zhengzhou, China last year clocking 2:14:25 remains the only one he has in his collection. However, the 33-year-old is hopeful to do well in the German capital.

Ethiopians led by Kenenisa Bekele will be the top contenders. Others are Guye Adola, who finished second in Berlin two years ago, as well as Leul Gebrselassie, Sisay Lemma and Birhanu Legese.

(09/20/2019) Views: 1,980 ⚡AMP

Past Olympic champion Uganda´s Stephen Kiprotich is set to run the Haspa Marathon Hamburg April 28

Stephen Kiprotich, the 2012 Olympic and 2013 world marathon champion, will return to the northern German port city for the third time, after finishing second in 2017 and fifth one year ago.

The 29-year-old, who is the national record holder at 2:06:33, clocked sub-2:08 performances in both of his Hamburg appearances.

Ezekiel Kemboi meanwhile, a two-time Olympic and four-time world champion in the 3000m steeplechase, will be making his eagerly-anticipated marathon debut.

The fastest runner in the field is Ayele Abshero, who clocked 2:04:23 in his marathon debut at the 2012 Dubai Marathon. The Ethiopian returns after finishing third last year.

World half marathon record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei, who will also be making her marathon debut, and two-time world marathon champion Abel Kirui were previously announced.

Abel Kirui, the world champion over the distance in 2009 and 2011, has already announced his intention of chasing the course record of 2:05:30, set by Eliud Kipchoge in his marathon debut in 2013. Compatriots Jonathan Korir and Amos Mitei, who have personal bests of 2:06:51 and 2:07:28 respectively, are expected to join the hunt.

Japan's Taku Fujimoto, who clocked his personal best of 2:07:57 in last year’s Chicago Marathon, will also be in the race.

(03/14/2019) Views: 2,337 ⚡AMP

Lawrence Cherono shattered the course record at Amsterdam Marathon

Kenyan’s Lawrence Cherono shattered the course record at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, clocking 2:04:06 at the 43rd edition of this IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Sunday October 21. Running in nearly ideal conditions with cloudy skies and very light winds - Cherono clipped more than a minute from the 2:05:09 course record and lifetime best he set last year. The 30-year-old also broke the Netherlands' all-comers record of 2:04:27 set by Duncan Kibet in Rotterdam in 2009. A lead group of 14, including Cherono and Kenenisa Bekele, sped through the opening five in 14:33 and 29:08 through ten, in range similar to the 14:29 and 29:01 splits that propelled Eliud Kipchoge to his world record run in Berlin last month. The leaders reached 15 in 44:03 and 20k in 59:00, well inside the 59:52 course record pace that guided Cherono last year. When the half was reached in 1:02:11, 11 men still remained in contention.  But after 25 kilometers (1:13:48) the lead group slowly began to unravel. The last remaining pacesetter, Edwin Kiptoo, completed his chores just before the 30 -mark, with Bekele, Özbilen and Alamirew falling back soon thereafter. Cherono switched gears near the city's Filmmuseum before pulling away for the decisive victory. "I am happy with my race," said Cherono, whose performance squalled the fourth fastest run of 2018. "Today the weather that was very good: little wind and an ideal temperature. That made it possible to run harder this year. My goal was to run 2:04 and that worked." Wasihun and Deksisa were next, clocking 2:04:37 and 2:04:40 respectively, also under the previous course record. There was good depth behind them. Kipketer was fourth in 2:06:15, Özbilen fifth in 2:06:24 and Laban Korir sixth in 2:06:33. Abate (2:06:47) and Jonathan Korir (2:06:51) also broke 2:07. Bekele meanwhile didn't finish, dropping out near his hotel at about 40 from where he chose to walk back to his room. (10/21/2018) Views: 1,831 ⚡AMP