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Articles tagged #Leonard Korir
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ASICS has committed to a multi-year title sponsorship of the Falmouth Road Race, one of America's most iconic summer running events. The 7-mile road race, held each August on a coastal route from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights on Cape Cod, had New Balance as its title sponsor from 2011 through 2019. The event was not held as an in-person road race in 2020 due to the pandemic.
"This partnership represents so much more than a sponsorship," explained ASICS Fitness Apps' general manager Alex Vander Hoeven through a statement. "It is a true example of how a world class event such as the Falmouth Road Race can collaborate with ASICS's global suite of products and digital services. We look forward to being on the course come race day and are honored to be part of the greater Falmouth Road Race community."
The Falmouth Road Race was founded in 1973 by the late Tommy Leonard, a bartender at the old Eliot Lounge in Boston. About 100 runners started that year in front of the Captain Kidd restaurant in Woods Hole and finished at old the Brothers 4 club in Falmouth Heights adjacent to Falmouth Heights Beach. Organizers use the same course today.
Some of the greatest distance runners in history have won the Falmouth Road Race including Khalid Khannouchi, Catherine Ndereba, Lynn Jennings, Benson Masya, Joan Samuelson, Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, and Grete Waitz. The 2019 champions were Leonard Korir of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Sharon Lokedi of Kenya. The 2019 race had 11,534 finishers.
"Our partnership is new, but we have long played host to ASICS athletes who have added much to our events," added Scott Ghelfi, president of the Falmouth Road Race, Inc., board of directors. "We look forward to having ASICS as a title partner that shares our commitment to health, wellness, and giving back to our community."
The 2021 ASICS Falmouth Road Race is scheduled for Sunday, August 15, pending approval from the Town of Falmouth.
(01/15/2021) Views: 53 ⚡AMPThe Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an international field of Olympians, elite runners and recreational runners out to enjoy the scenic 7-mile seaside course. The non-profit Falmouth Road Race organization is dedicated to promoting health and fitness for all in...
more...Galen Rupp and Aliphine Tuliamuk booked their spots to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after churning out impressive victories at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon in Atlanta on Saturday (29).
Contested in chilly and windy conditions on a challenging undulating course, the goal was straightforward: finish in the top-three and an Olympic berth would be yours.
Rupp, who won the 2016 trials race in his debut over the distance and then went on to take Olympic bronze in Rio, used that experience to his advantage.
The Portland, Oregon, native broke from early leader Brian Shrader in the 16th mile, with Augustus Maiyo, Atlanta Track Club member Matt McDonald and Abdi Abdirahman in tow. That leader's group remained intact until mile 20 where Rupp put in a surge that created a three second cushion on Maiyo and McDonald, with Abdirahman another four seconds back.
Soon thereafter, the battle for the win was over as Rupp surged away, first to a 17 second lead after 21 miles, a lead he extended to 29 a mile later. He was a solitary figure when he crossed the line in 2:09:20, forced to wait nearly a minute to see who'd be joining him in Tokyo.
Jacob Riley, running sixth and 11 seconds behind the chase group at mile 23, fought his way into contention over the next two miles to eventually finish second in 2:10:02. Abdirahman held off Leonard Korir to finish third in 2:10:03 and punch his ticket for a fifth Olympic appearance at age 43.
"It's incredible. I feel relief almost more than anything," said Rupp, who has raced just twice since his fifth place finish at the Chicago Marathon in October 2018. Sidelined by a major foot injury, he returned to action in Chicago last October but didn't finish. "It's been a long year and a half.
Tuliamuk wins the waiting game. In contrast, 11 women were in contention for win when they reached the half in 1:14:38 before the pack began to string out by mile 16. There, Kellyn Taylor, debutante Molly Seidel and Tuliamuk formed the leading triumvirate, with Laura Thweatt, Des Linden and Sally Kipyego running another second back.
That pack remained until the 21st mile when Tuliamuk and Seidel decided to take command. Running together, they built a seven second lead over Kipyego a mile later, and extended it to 22 seconds by mile 23. Tuliamuk then broke away in the 25th mile to finish unchallenged in 2:27:23, seven seconds ahead of Seidel.
Kipyego, who won Olympic 10,000m silver for her native Kenya in 2012 and becames a US citizen last year, took the third spot in 2:28:52, 11 seconds ahead of one of the pre-race favourites, Des Linden.
"It was amazing," said Tuliamuk, a native of Kenya, who became a US citizen in 2016. "When we broke away, I kept saying 'Molly, let's go'. I knew it wouldn't happen by itself."
Seidel, who qualified for the trials by virtue of a 1:10:27 win at the Rock ’n’ Roll San Antonio Half Marathon in December, suffered from eating disorders and injury during and since her successful college career at Notre Dame where she took NCAA titles in cross country and indoors and outdoors on the track. She wasn't an unknown in Atlanta but was considered a long shot.
"I didn't think I was going to be here," she said. "I'm still in shock right now."
(02/29/2020) Views: 440 ⚡AMPThe Tokyo Marathon is an annual marathon sporting event in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. It is an IAAF Gold Label marathon and one of the six World Marathon Majors. (2020) The Tokyo Marathon Foundation said it will cancel the running event for non-professional runners as the coronavirus outbreak pressures cities and institutions to scrap large events. Sponsored by Tokyo...
more...The U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon are the second stop on the 2020 USATF Running Circuit. The top three finishers Saturday will represent the United States as the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer. Fans can tune-in for the live broadcast beginning at 12:00pm ET on NBC or NBC Sports Gold, with the men’s race beginning at 12:08pm ET and the women’s race starting at 12:20pm ET.
While Rupp had to drop out of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October, he still enters Saturday’s race as the prohibitive favorite. Rupp ran the top qualifying mark at the Prague Marathon in 2018, finishing in 2:06:07, while earning fifth at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon that fall in 2:06:21. In addition to earning bronze in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Rio, finishing second at the Boston Marathon in 2017 and winning in Chicago in 2017, Rupp has unmatched big-race experience against the field.
The Portland-based runner recently ran a tune-up half marathon in Arizona, finishing in 1:01:19, proving he’s in excellent shape. Not to be outdone, Ward also has some impressive finishes to his name after finishing third in Los Angeles four years ago.
The Utah-based standout placed sixth at the Olympic Games in Rio and has consistently shown his ability to finish well up the results at major events.
Ward ran to an eighth-place effort at the Boston Marathon last spring, finishing in 2:09:25, while earning top American status at the TCS New York City Marathon in November with a sixth-place effort. Recently running 1:01:36 at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon and finishing as the top American gives Ward plenty of momentum heading into Atlanta. On paper, Leonard Korir is the next top challenger.
While Korir has only run one marathon, it was a great performance. At the Amsterdam Marathon last fall, Korir ran the second fastest qualifying mark of Saturday’s field, placing 11th overall in 2:07:56, making him the top American performer over the distance in 2019. Along with his success on the USATF Running Circuit, as well as on the track, Korir certainly has the ability to push for the win. Next up is Scott Fauble.
The HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite star has proven himself time and time again the past two years, quickly rising the ranks of American marathoning. Fauble placed seventh at the TCS New York City Marathon in 2018, finishing only four seconds behind Ward, while placing as the top American at the Boston Marathon in 2019 in 2:09:08, while beating Ward.
The trio of Jacob Riley, Jerrell Mock and Parker Stinson are also prime to put themselves in contention over the final miles, pushing for a spot on the Olympic team. The trio finished ninth, tenth and eleventh at the 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Riley has the most experience of the group and his 2:10:53 effort in Chicago rank him as one of the top five fastest in the field Saturday.
Two other notable top contenders are Elkanah Kibet and Shadrack Biwott. Kibet has quietly become one of America’s best marathoners, having placed 11th at the Boston Marathon in 2019 and eighth at the 2018 Boston Marathon. Owning a personal best of 2:11:51, he ranks well in Saturday’s field.
The trio of Matt Llano, Andrew Bumbalough and Chris Derrick are also looking to make an Olympic-sized result Saturday. Bumbalough enters with a 2:10:56 best coming at the 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Another trio of incredibly experienced veterans are also entered and will be looking to make one more push for an Olympic berth. Bernard Lagat, Abdi Abdirahman and Dathan Ritzenhein are all American distance running legends. Each has qualified for at least three Olympics and represented the United States extremely well on the world stage.
(02/26/2020) Views: 414 ⚡AMPThe 2020 US Olympic Trials for both men and women took place in Atlanta, Ga on Sunday Feb 29. Runners had to qualify by running certain standards beforehand. The trials are hosted by the Atlanta Track club. The course runs through the heart of Atlanta and past monuments from the 1996 Olympic Games Most countries around the world use a...
more...The three Olympic women’s berths from next Saturday’s US marathon trials in Atlanta look to be up for grabs among at least five challengers. Besides Desiree Linden, who placed seventh in Rio, there are Jordan Hasay, who was third in Boston last year, Emily Sisson, who was sixth in London in her 26-mile debut, Molly Huddle, a two-time track Olympian, and Sara Hall.
Amy Cragg, who placed ninth in Rio and would have been a contender, has been battling Epstein-Barr virus and withdrew this week.
Linden, the former Boston Marathon victor who’s bidding to make her third team, already has committed to competing here in April. If she qualifies for the Games, she’ll be running three marathons in just over five months.
On the men’s side, Galen Rupp, who won bronze in 2016, is the decided favorite, with Jared Ward (sixth in Rio), Leonard Korir, and Scott Fauble, last year’s top domestic finisher in Boston, also in the mix.
The Atlanta loop course, which will finish in Centennial Olympic Park, is a hilly challenge and will be more so if the midday temperature is in the 70s, as it often is on that date. That’s still cooler than it’s likely to be in Sapporo (average temperature 78), the former Winter Games site where the races were moved to avoid Tokyo’s sauna (87).
(02/23/2020) Views: 801 ⚡AMPThe 2020 US Olympic Trials for both men and women took place in Atlanta, Ga on Sunday Feb 29. Runners had to qualify by running certain standards beforehand. The trials are hosted by the Atlanta Track club. The course runs through the heart of Atlanta and past monuments from the 1996 Olympic Games Most countries around the world use a...
more...The U.S. Olympic Trials are less than three weeks away. The fields are finalized, the tapers are starting soon and runners and fans are anticipating one of the most exciting trials yet.
Here’s a look at which runners we think are most likely to place in the top three and be named to the U.S. Olympic squad after the February 29 race in Atlanta.
Women’s field.- The favorites to make this Olympic team are Sara Hall (Asics), Des Linden (Brooks), Molly Huddle (Saucony) and Emily Sisson (New Balance). Hall has been extremely consistent over the past year, running personal bests in both the marathon and the half (a 2:22:16 in Berlin and a 1:08 in Houston just a few weeks ago). Linden is a gamer and someone who shows up no matter the conditions. She’s also an Olympic marathon veteran.
Huddle and Sisson are training partners who have helped each other improve over the marathon distance. Huddle has been a staple on the American distance scene for years (she’s a multi-time American record holder) and Sisson is the rising star who has flourished alongside Huddle. The pair own 2:23:08 (Sisson) and 2:26:33 (Huddle) marathon personal bests and know how to show up on race day. But the knock on Sisson is that she’s only run one (albeit, fantastic) marathon, and inexperience could be her downfall.
Our best bet for the top three, in order, is: Hall, Huddle, Linden.
The dark horses.- Jordan Hasay (Nike) and Amy Cragg (Nike) are the dark horses. We just haven’t seen enough to know where these two runners are at. Hasay’s most recent result is a DNF from the Chicago Marathon. Admittedly, her training group had just folded and her former coach was charged with doping infractions, so her racing conditions weren’t ideal. But Hasay hasn’t even gotten on a start line since then.
As for Cragg, she’s the 2017 World Championship medallist and 2016 Olympian over the distance. Cragg’s results are few and far between over the past two years, but she put it all together at the Tokyo Marathon in 2018 to run a 2:21:42–one of the fastest American times in history. Both Hasay and Cragg boast the best personal bests of the bunch, but with no indication of fitness, it’s impossible to predict where they’ll end up in 20 days’ time.
Men’s field.- The favorites in the men’s race are Galen Rupp (Nike), Leonard Korir (Nike), Scott Fauble (Hoka) and Jared Ward (Saucony). Rupp was almost a dark horse, due to his poor resume from the past year, but on Saturday he clocked a 1:01:19 in a tune up half-marathon in Arizona. So he’s in good shape.
As for the other three, all hold personal bests from 2019 around the same time. Korir’s is 2:07:56 from Amsterdam and Fauble and Ward’s are both from Boston 2019 at 2:09:09 and 2:09:25. Among these three it’s really a toss-up, based on past performances, as to who makes the team.
Our best bet for the top three, in order, is: Rupp, Ward, Korir.
The dark horses.- The dark horses in this event are the masters men: Bernard Lagat (Nike) (45) and Abdi Abdirahman (Nike) (42). Like in women’s marathoning, the men are also proving that age is just a number on the race course. Lagat and Abdirahman have both recently clocked 2:11 and 2:12 marathons and are in the conversation for the team if they have a good day in Atlanta.
(02/11/2020) Views: 592 ⚡AMPThe 2020 US Olympic Trials for both men and women took place in Atlanta, Ga on Sunday Feb 29. Runners had to qualify by running certain standards beforehand. The trials are hosted by the Atlanta Track club. The course runs through the heart of Atlanta and past monuments from the 1996 Olympic Games Most countries around the world use a...
more...A few weeks ago, Leonard Korir became the first American man in three decades to win the Falmouth Road Race.
He’s still on a roll – on Monday, Korir pulled away after the third mile at the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race to win his third 20K USATF championship on a cooler than usual Labor Day in 59:06.
Korir, 32, of Colorado Springs won the race in 2016 and 2018 and was edged by Galen Rupp, an Olympic bronze and silver medalist, in 2017.
“I’m feeling very, very good,” Korir said. “I had a good race in Falmouth. That gave me motivation that my fitness is good, so I said, ‘Let me go again to this race and maybe push myself to know if I’m consistent.’”
Sara Hall of Flagstaff, Ariz., defended her women’s title, winning the 12.4-mile race in 1:06:47.
“It was so fun to be out here again,” said Hall, 36. “This race is really tough. Last year, I couldn’t even run marathon pace. It’s really encouraging to be able to run a good amount faster. I have my sister and her kids out there cheering, they live right on the course. That gave me a big boost.”
It wasn’t as humid as it usually is for the day of the annual race, with temperatures in the low 70s.
“Compared to last year, today was better,” Korir said. “It was just windy.”
Moath Alkhawaldeh of Amman, Jordan won the accompanying half-marathon (1:08:48) and Myriam Coulibaly of New York City was the women’s winner (1:31:33). Glastonbury’s Matthew Farrell won the 5K in 15:07 and Emily Stark of New Haven was the women’s winner (18:03).
Everett Hackett of Hartford was the top state finisher in the 20K (14th, 1:01:45) and Annmarie Tuxbury of New Hartford was the top female finisher (12th, 1:11:15).
Luke Puskedra, who retired from running competitively in the spring to open a real estate business in Eugene, Oregon but decided to come and run New Haven, and Parker Stinson, the national 25K record holder, led a large pack in the 20K early on but Korir took the lead after the pack went through the third mile in 14:11 and he just kept extending the lead.
“I saw them take off and it was like, ‘All right, I’ll see you guys,’” Puskedra said, laughing, who finished 23rd in 1:03:06.
Korir went through the halfway point in 29:21 and the trailing pack was over 30 seconds behind him but although he had a big lead, he was still not on pace for the race record (57:37 set by Khalid Khannouchi in 1998).
“It’s tough,” Korir said of the record. “You have to have good weather and no wind coming on your face.”
(09/02/2019) Views: 781 ⚡AMPHome of the Men’s & Women’s USATF 20K National Championship.The New Haven Road Race has again been selected to host the U.S. Men’s & Women’s 20K National Championship. The event expects to feature a number of past champions and U.S. Olympians.The New Haven Road Race is the LONGEST RUNNING USATF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! The race has been selected as Runner’s World...
more...They are on the same running team in Minnesota. They run the same races. They are a little competitive with each other.
“We get a little competitive with our times,” Tyler said.
Tyler gives Katy a 35-second-per-mile handicap.
“If it’s anything under a half-marathon, she wins, usually,” he said. “Anything longer, I win.
“We’ve been doing it for a year or two. Katy had a big injury two years ago but she’s on the comeback. We had to adjust the conversion. It started off as a minute [per mile] but now it’s not fair anymore.”
So Katy, 27, may have the edge at Monday’s Faxon Law New Haven Road Race, which is the 20K USATF national championship (8:30 a.m. start, New Haven Green).
“I’m usually stronger at the marathon distance,” said Tyler, 27, who won the 50K national championship in 2017. “20K is a bit out of my wheelhouse.”
Both are training for the New York City Marathon in November and both have qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials Feb. 29 in Atlanta.
Katy qualified in her marathon debut in Houston in January, running a negative split (78 minutes the first half and 75 the second) to go under the “A” standard (2:37) for the trials, finishing in 2:33:41. It turned out to be a great day for the Jermanns as Tyler also ran under the men’s “A” standard (2:15) with a personal best of 2:13:29. Both finished ninth in their respective races.
“It was great,” Katy said. “I loved it. I was very conservative. I wanted to make sure I could walk away from the marathon knowing that I loved it and wanted to do more and felt confident about the distance.”
It was Tyler’s 13th marathon and his fifth attempt at trying to get the “A” standard.
The two met while running at Iowa State, where Katy was a Big 12 champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, but they didn’t really become friendly until after graduation. They reconnected at a training camp in Flagstaff, Ariz., started dating in January of 2017 and were married last summer.
They live outside of Minneapolis and train with Team USA Minnesota.
“We have the same running schedules and the same workouts,” Katy said. “We can do our warmup together with the team. Then he goes and does his run and I do mine.
“It’s neat to be able to share our stories. If I was tired and he was also, it’s nice to have that camaraderie – like it’s normal to feel tired today. It’s nice to go through that together.”
Tyler’s half-marathon personal best is 1:03:31; Katy’s is 1:10:27. She hopes to be in the top three at New Haven. Last year’s winner Sara Hall is the favorite in the women’s field, while two-time men’s winner Leonard Korir is the favorite to win the men’s title. Korir became the first American since 1988 to win the Falmouth Road Race earlier this month.
(08/31/2019) Views: 799 ⚡AMPHome of the Men’s & Women’s USATF 20K National Championship.The New Haven Road Race has again been selected to host the U.S. Men’s & Women’s 20K National Championship. The event expects to feature a number of past champions and U.S. Olympians.The New Haven Road Race is the LONGEST RUNNING USATF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! The race has been selected as Runner’s World...
more...History was made this morning when Leonard Korir became the first American since 1988 to win the men’s division of the Falmouth Road Race. It was an exciting end to the 47th annual race that saw plenty of fog and muggy temperatures.
Four-time winner Stephen Sambu came in second and Edward Cheserek placed third.
In previous races at the event, Korir finished second in 2016 and 2017 and third last year and 2015.
Leonard Korir pulled ahead of four-time champion Stephen Sambu with less than two miles to go.
Korir, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, finished second behind Sambu, of Kenya, in 2017. This year, Korir dominated the end of race and completed the 7-mile course in 32 minutes, 11 seconds.
Sambu finished second in 32:29, while Kenya's Edward Cheserek, a former 17-time NCAA champion with Oregon, was third in 32:30.
In the women’s elite division, Sharon Lokedi, a recent Kansas graduate from Kenya, crossed the finish line first and America’s Sarah Hall came in second. Sharon, the 2018 NCAA champion at 10,000 meters clocked 36:29, holding off American Sarah Hall (36:34). Kenya's Margaret Wangari, the 2012 Falmouth champion, was third (36:43).
(08/18/2019) Views: 1,011 ⚡AMPThe Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an international field of Olympians, elite runners and recreational runners out to enjoy the scenic 7-mile seaside course. The non-profit Falmouth Road Race organization is dedicated to promoting health and fitness for all in...
more...After coming up a little short in his bid to become the first person to ever win five Falmouth Road Race titles after claiming four in a row from 2014 to 2017, Kenyan Stephen Sambu aims to make history once again on Sunday, August 18, in the 47th running of the Falmouth Road Race.
Sambu fell shy of the feat when Canadian Ben Flanagan shocked the field last year to become the first North American to win the race in 30 years. Sambu faded to a fourth place finish in the 2018 race.
With Flanagan out of action with an injury, Sambu is considered the favorite, along with his friend Leonard Korir, of the United States, to take the crown. Sambu and Korir battled in one of the most memorable finishes in race history in 2017, with Sambu edging his buddy down the final hill in the Falmouth Heights to take the crown.
Americans Sara Hall and Des Linden will return for the 47th running of the New Balance Falmouth Road Race to highlight the women's field.
Sambu won the New Balance Falmouth Road Race every year from 2014-2017, becoming the first four-time winner of the men’s open division in race history. The runner-up in two of those victories was Korir, a 2016 Olympian at 10,000 meters, who will represent the US this fall at the IAAF World Championships. In 2017, Korir nearly denied Sambu his place in the history books in a fight to the finish that saw both athletes awarded the same time.
Sambu and Korir will be challenged by a tough international field that includes Thomas Ayeko of Uganda, who finished seventh in the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships; David Bett of Kenya, who won the B.A.A. 10K in June; and Silas Kipruto of Kenya, winner of the 2019 Cooper River Bridge Run.
Massachusetts native Colin Bennie, who was the top American at the AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4, and Scott Fauble, a top contender to make Team USA at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in February and the Falmouth runner-up last year, should be in the hunt.
(08/14/2019) Views: 925 ⚡AMPThe Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an international field of Olympians, elite runners and recreational runners out to enjoy the scenic 7-mile seaside course. The non-profit Falmouth Road Race organization is dedicated to promoting health and fitness for all in...
more...Stephen Sambu of Kenya and Leonard Korir of the U.S., who together staged an epic battle to the finish line in 2017, and Americans Sara Hall and Des Linden will return for the 47th running of the New Balance Falmouth Road Race, organizers announced today.
The fields for the Wheelchair Division presented by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod and the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile will be announced next week.
Sambu won the New Balance Falmouth Road Race every year from 2014-2017, becoming the first four-time winner of the men’s open division in race history. The runner-up in two of those victories was Korir, a 2016 Olympian at 10,000 meters who will represent the U.S. this fall at the IAAF World Championships. In 2017, Korir nearly denied Sambu his place in the history books in a fight to the finish that saw both athletes awarded the same time.
Sambu and Korir will be challenged by a tough international field that includes Thomas Ayeko of Uganda, who finished seventh in the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships; David Bett of Kenya, who won the B.A.A. 10K in June; and Silas Kipruto of Kenya, winner of the 2019 Cooper River Bridge Run. Massachusetts native Colin Bennie, who was the top American at the AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4, and Scott Fauble, a top contender to make Team USA at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in February and runner-up here last year to Canadian Ben Flanagan, should be in the hunt.
Flanagan’s season has been cut short by injury, but he will return to Falmouth to speak on a Past Champions panel at the Health & Fitness Expo, hand out gift bags at bib pickup and run with a group of local youth.
In the women’s open division, Hall – who finished second here in 2015 – comes in as the reigning USA 10K champion, and in her long career has won U.S. titles at distances ranging from the mile to the marathon. Fellow American Des Linden, a two-time OIympian and the 2018 Boston Marathon champion, will make her Falmouth competitive debut after running with the pack here last year in celebration of her Boston victory.
“It’s beautiful,” said Linden of the course after her 2018 run. “It helps you forget it’s really hard. Some really impressive things have been done on this course. It’s cool to cover it, and it would be really fun to race it.”
They will face a deep women’s field, highlighted by a trio of Kenyans: 2012 New Balance Falmouth Road Race Champion Margaret Wangari, 2018 NCAA 10,000-meter champion Sharon Lokedi and Iveen Chepkemoi, who recently finished second in the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, N.Y. Also challenging will be two athletes from Great Britain: Lily Partridge, the 2018 national marathon champion, andTish Jones, who will compete in the marathon at the 2019 World Championships.
Allie Kieffer, who finished fifth in the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon; Melissa Dock, the top American woman here last year who competed for Team USA at the 2019 Bolder Boulder;Molly Seidel, the 2015 NCAA 10,000-meter champion; and Nell Rojas, winner of the 2019 Grandma’s Marathon and daughter of Ric Rojas, who competed for Harvard and at one time held the 15K world record, round out a solid American lineup.
Three-time winner Caroline Chepkoech of Kenya will not return to defend her title.
First prize in the men’s and women’s open division is $10,000, part of a total $126,000 prize purse for Race Week events, which include the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile the evening before the 7-miler. In addition, the men’s and women’s winners will seek to prevail in “The Countdown.”
A beat-the-clock handicap race, “The Countdown” features a finish-line clock that starts when the first woman breaks the tape, counting down the number of minutes and seconds the winning man has to beat, according to a pre-determined formula. If the clock runs out before he crosses the line, the victorious woman wins a $5,000 bonus; if it doesn’t, the winning man takes home the money. The time to beat this year is 3 minutes and 35 seconds.
(08/08/2019) Views: 917 ⚡AMPThe Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an international field of Olympians, elite runners and recreational runners out to enjoy the scenic 7-mile seaside course. The non-profit Falmouth Road Race organization is dedicated to promoting health and fitness for all in...
more...Last year, for the first time ever, a male runner from Ethiopia won the Quad-City Times Bix 7, overcoming the legion of Kenyan runners who always populate the field.
This year it might be time for a break-through from another African nation: Tanzania.
Gabriel Geay, a 22-year-old runner from the country directly to the south of Kenya, must be regarded as one of the favorites to prevail in the annual 7-mile jaunt through the streets of Davenport.
He already has had a phenomenal year on the U.S. road racing scene, winning the Lilac Bloomsday 12k and Bay to Breakers 12k in May and crossing the finish line first in the Utica Boilermaker 15k little more than a week ago. He also had top-five finishes in perhaps the two biggest 10ks around: The Peachtree Road Race and Bolder Boulder.
Geay first came to U.S. as a 19-year-old in 2016 attempting to run Olympic qualifying times for 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters. He narrowly missed in both but decided to stick around and run a few road races, and claimed his first big victory at Peachtree. He came back the following year to win Bolder Boulder and Lilac Bloomsday.
With the withdrawal of three-time Bix 7 champion Silas Kipruto from the field, there now is only one runner entered in the men’s field who has competed in the Davenport race as an elite invitee.
Kenya’s Kenneth Kosgei placed 12th in his only visit here a year ago.
Kipruto was seeking to break the Bix 7 record for most top-five finishes by a men’s runner — he has done it six times — but he informed race officials last week that he would not run because of a lack of fitness.
The Bix 7 men’s championship has been won seven times by a runner named Korir.
John Korir won a record five times (in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2004) and Leonard Korir did it twice (2013 and 2015).
This year’s race will include Kenya’s Dominic Korir. Korir (no relation to the previous Bix champs), who may be better suited to the hilly course than almost anyone.
Dominic Korir trains at high altitude in Colorado Springs and in April he won the Horsetooth Half-marathon, a race that begins with a grueling 1.8-mile climb up something called Monster Mountain.
It sounds even more imposing than the Brady Street Hill.
Jarius Birech will be among the most experienced Kenyans in this year’s Bix 7 field.
He’s just not that experienced in races in which he isn’t required to leap over hurdles and bound across small pools of water. Birech, 26, was the top 3,000-meter steeplechase runner in the world in 2014, winning the African championships and taking the silver medal in the Commonwealth Games that year. He twice has run the steeplechase under eight minutes, a feat that’s only been accomplished 38 times in history.
But he just now is starting to become more involved in events other than the steeplechase.
He has shown promise, however. Birech won a major cross country race in Italy earlier this year and also won the Crescent City Classic 10k on a very flat course in New Orleans.
(07/26/2019) Views: 873 ⚡AMPThis race attracts the greatest long distance runners in the world competing to win thousands of dollars in prize money. It is said to be the highest purse of any non-marathon race. Tremendous spectator support, entertainment and post party. Come and try to conquer this challenging course along with over 15,000 other participants, as you "Run With The Best." In...
more...On a cool, damp Sunday morning in the City of Champions, Leonard Korir, 32, from Colorado Springs, CO and Stephanie Bruce, 35, from Flagstaff, AZ won the USATF Half Marathon titles, clocking 1 hour, one minute, 53 seconds and 1:10:44, respectively. Against top U.S. fields, Korir earned his 9th national title and second USATF Half Marathon title, and Bruce earned her second national title.
In the men’s 32nd national half marathon championship, Stanley Kebenei, Korir and Andrew Colley took an early lead with fast mile splits of 4:41 and 4:42 at Miles 3 and 4. At nine miles, Korir made his move and took a lead, followed slightly behind by Kebenei.
Korir kept a 4:45 minute per mile pace until the end, breaking the tape four seconds ahead of Kebenei at 1:01:53 and securing the 10th fastest half marathon championship performance of all time. Colley finished in third at 1:03:11.
“I like how Stanley pushed the pace early on and kept the race honest,” said Korir, a 2016 U.S Olympian. “I knew I had a good push at the end. We are teammates, so I was glad to help him get a personal best.”
In the women’s 23rd national half marathon championship, the leading pack of six runners included Sara Hall, Bruce, Katy Jermann, Bethany Sachtleben, Samantha Palmer and Emma Bates.
At mile 5, Bruce, Hall and Bates pushed the pace and broke from the pack. At Mile 12, Bruce made her move and with her final push was able to finish in 1:10:44, the 9th fastest female half marathon championship performance of all time. Hall finished in second with a time of 1:11:04, and Bates took third with a time of 1:11:13.
“Running with Sara and Emma today, we made it like a boxing match,” Bruce said. “Everyone took turns at the lead, and we were pushing each other.”
(05/06/2019) Views: 920 ⚡AMPThis race is your game - however you decide to play it. As a competitor. A fund raiser. An enthusiast. A veteran. A team player. It's whatever you want it to be. It's whatever you make it. It's YOUR game..... Run it. Play it. Own it. Love it. Runners will race on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, cross each of...
more...The redemption portion of the event was delivered by Kipchirchir, who had paid his dues in the run. He finished second twice, 2016 and ’18, beaten by the two men who he edged Saturday.
"I mean those guys … I was sick of them," Kipchirchir said. "Three years ago. Kebenei beat me by a microsecond. Then two years ago, Lenny outkicked by microseconds. Today I wanted to come and knock them in their head. That was my main aim."
Kebenei won the 2016 run in 44:37, just 2 seconds in front of Kipchirchir. Korir (43:23) won the 2018 Gate by 1 second over Kipchirchir. Korir was trying to become just the fifth male runner to win the event three consecutive years.
Six elite runners were within two seconds of each other with a mile to go on the Hart Bridge, Martin Hehir, Frankline Tonui, Kipchirchir, Kebenei and Korir.
Six elite runners were within two seconds of each other with a mile to go on the Hart Bridge, Martin Hehir, Frankline Tonui, Kipchirchir, Kebenei and Korir.
(03/09/2019) Views: 1,109 ⚡AMPThe Gate River Run (GRR) was first held in 1978, formerly known as the Jacksonville River Run, is an annual 15-kilometer road running event in Jacksonville, Fla., that attracts both competitive and recreational runners -- in huge numbers! One of the great running events in America, it has been the US National 15K Championship since 1994, and in 2007...
more...The two-time defending champion headlines the elite men’s field entering Saturday’s 42nd annual Gate River Run through downtown Jacksonville, the national 15-kilometer championship for USA Track and Field.
With one more victory, the 32-year-old Leonard Korir can join a select club as winners of three straight men’s titles. Only Todd Williams (1994-96), Meb Keflezighi (2001-04) and Ben True (2013-15) have previously accomplished the feat.
Race director Doug Alred said he’s hoping to see a tight contest, and he feels the odds this year are good.
“It’s not that exciting when one person just runs away with it,” he said. “If the leaders can just stay together onto the Hart Bridge, that would be great.”
So far, that’s been the case in Korir’s past two victories. His 2017 win was the event’s closest finish ever, edging Shadrack Kipchirchir to the finish line by a fraction of a second.
Despite his record in Jacksonville and his international achievements at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, there’s reason to believe that Korir is far from a lock to repeat Saturday.
Unlike 2017 and 2018, he did not win the USATF cross country championships, held this time in Tallahassee on Feb. 2. Instead, he took third, while Kipchirchir beat him out by five seconds.
In addition to Kipchirchir, 2016 champion Stanley Kebenei returns, coming off a fifth-place finish in the cross country finals.
(03/08/2019) Views: 1,132 ⚡AMPThe Gate River Run (GRR) was first held in 1978, formerly known as the Jacksonville River Run, is an annual 15-kilometer road running event in Jacksonville, Fla., that attracts both competitive and recreational runners -- in huge numbers! One of the great running events in America, it has been the US National 15K Championship since 1994, and in 2007...
more...The 2018 Faxon Law New Haven Road Race, host of the USATF 20K National Championship, boasts a number of the country’s top runners. The event takes place on Labor Day, Sept. 3, on the New Haven Green.
Some of America’s top distance runners will compete for a prize purse of over $40,000. New Haven has hosted the USATF 20K National Championship since 1992. Past Faxon Law New Haven 20K champions Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, Meghan Peyton and Aliphine Tuliamuk head the women’s race field.
Georgia’s Cherobon-Bawcom won the 2011 race and finished 12th in the 10,000 meters at the 2012 Olympics. New Mexico’s Tuliamuk, the 2016 20K champion, will also be competing for the top spot. She now holds nine national road race titles. Peyton (Tualatin, OR.) was the 20K winner in 2013.
She has competed at the 2012 and 2016 USA Olympic Team trials and has been a member of four USA National Teams. Another notable athlete competing on Labor Day is California’s Sara Hall. Hall is a 2017 USATF Marathon champ and placed third at last year’s New Haven 20K.
New York’s Allie Kieffer is also expected to finish near the top. She was sixth in last year’s Faxon Law New Haven 20K and was fifth in last year’s New York City Marathon.
Currently, Colorado’s Leonard Korir is the men’s favorite. He won the 2016 race and lost in a lean to Galen Rupp in last year’s race. Korir competed in Rio Olympics in the 10,000. Korir will be challenged by Colorado’s Sammy Kosgei, Connecticut’s Donn Cabral, North Carolina’s Christo Landry and Massachusett’s Tim Ritchie.
(08/25/2018) Views: 1,680 ⚡AMP