Running News Daily

Colley, Kelati push through rain to win 88th Manchester Road Race

Andrew Colley and Olympian and now four-time winner Weini Kelati brought glory to the table for Thanksgiving after coming out on top at the 88th Manchester Road Race on Thursday morning.

Rainfall throughout the morning didn't stop Colley and Kelati from leading the pack in the men's and women's divisions of the historic 4.737-mile loop through downtown Manchester. 

While professional runners typically dominate the results, they're far from the only people that travel to Main Street on Thanksgiving morning.

Organizers declared that the Manchester Road Race's numbers were back to pre-pandemic levels with 12,116 participants signing up for the race by the end of the day on Tuesday, falling just short of the 2018 race's 12,435 registrations and exceeding the 2023 event by more than 1,000.

Two-time winner Mark Carroll returns to Manchester Road Race as honorary chair

Two-time Manchester Road Race winner Mark Carroll recalled his introduction to the annual Thanksgiving Day race on Thursday.

Carroll, an Irish Olympian who is the Boston Athletic Association’s director of performance, is this year’s honorary race director. He will be on the press truck at the 88th edition of the race Nov. 28 on Main Street in Manchester.

In 1995, Carroll had just graduated from Providence College and was competing at the Millrose Games the following year when he was approached by the late Irish native P.J. Tierney, who had been responsible for getting Irish runners like John Treacy and Eamonn Coghlan to run at Manchester.

“He said, ‘Treacy’s won. Coghlan’s won it,’” Carroll said. “They were legends in Ireland. I called my agent (John’s brother Ray) and I said, ‘Hey, I got to go to Manchester in November.’

“The way P.J. put it, it was of national importance.”

So Carroll went. He was in shape to win. But he was beaten in the last quarter mile by Khalid Khannouchi, who went on to run the world record in the marathon. The next year, Carroll finished second again to Aurelio Miti Handanga of Angelo. He kept coming back. Tierney was still on him to win it.

“I started to appreciate everything around the event,” he said. “The pasta dinner. The energy on race day is second to none and I’ve raced all over the world. The start of the Manchester Road Race is very. very special.”

He finally won in 1998 and again in 2000, finishing second for the third time in 1999.

“I can’t believe it’s 28 years since I first ran here,” he said Thursday. “I drove around the course this morning and it brought back vivid memories, some of the fondest memories of my career.

“When you look at the list of names who have won the race, it just speaks to the stature of the race. Professional runners want to come here and win; it’s seen as a feather in your cap to win here.”

Getting ready for potential Main Street changes

Road race organizers are planning to have temporary plastic fencing on the corner of Main and Charter Oaks streets where the course turns at the start of the race to simulate street width if a proposed roundabout is constructed there in the future.

The Downtown Manchester Improvements Project, in part, is intended to shrink the number of lanes on Main Street to make the road safer. The plan has been controversial for some Main Street businesses, who oppose it for a variety of reasons.

But the road race organizers, who have met with planners, say that the race will not be affected, except at the one corner, where the plans call for the road to be 40 feet wide. There are upwards of 10,000 runners at the annual race and concerns about a crush of runners bottlenecking at the turn.

“It’s a very contentious item,” road race president Tris Carta said of the project. “There’s a lot of people, as this goes forward, who will be impacted negatively, so some of the businesses have a real problem with this.

“We had to figure out a way to keep our race. At the meetings, they’ve been very good with us, meeting and showing us the plans.”

So they’re going to give the fencing a trial run to see if the smaller space works. If there is a problem on race day, the fencing can be removed by volunteers who will be holding it.

“We said, ‘If this is what’s going to be, let’s practice,’” Carta said.

That’s the only part of the race that will be impacted, Carta said. Even with a potentially narrower Main Street, the part of the road used by the race will not be affected.

Three-time women’s winner is back

Weini Kelati, who finished eighth in the Olympic 10,000 meters for the U.S. this summer, will return to the Manchester Road Race after winning the women’s race the past three years. Runner-up Annie Rodenfels of Newton, Mass. who finished second last year, is also back as is 2019 winner Edna Kiplagat. On the men’s side, there are three Olympians – Kenyan Edwin Kurgat (seventh in the 5,000 meters), 2021 winner Ben Flanagan, a Canadian Olympian in the 5,000 meters and British Olympian Pat Dever (5,000) – as well as Andrew Colley, who finished fourth in 2022 in the fourth fastest time in Manchester history (21:07).

Elite Field Shaping Up For 88th Version Of Manchester Road Race

This year's Manchester Road race will feature several Olympians and world-class runners, who will join others clad in turkey suits, tutus, college gear and pilgrim costumes in a field expected to exceed 11,000 on Thanksgiving morning.

This year marks the 88th version of the famed race. The annual 4.737-mile run through Manchester's central streets, regarded as one of America's largest and most Turkey Day events, will start at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning (Nov. 28) on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St James Church.

Organizers said large crowds of spectators are expected to view the race, which is one of only 22 in the United States, and 298 in the world, designated as a World Athletics Label Road Race by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of track and field.

Defending champion and Olympian Weini Kelati of Flagstaff, Arizona has entered the race. Kelati has won the MRR women’s title for the past three years, and a fourth victory this Thanksgiving will set the record for most consecutive wins by a female competitor. A 13-time All American runner at the University of New Mexico who finished eighth last summer in the 10,000 meters finals at the Paris Olympic Games, Kelati set the MRR women's course record of 22:55 in 2021 during her first Manchester appearance.

Kelati won the women's race in Manchester last November with a time of 23:21 and finished 19th in the overall competition. She will be joined in the elite field this Thanksgiving by Annie Rodenfels, the 2023 runner-up, and 2019 winner and marathon great Edna Kiplagat.

Former champions Ben Flanagan (2021) and Sam Chelanga (2013), Kenyan Olympian Edwin Kurgat, who placed seventh in the 5,000 meters finals at the Paris Olympics, and Andrew Colley, the fourth place-finisher in Manchester in 2022 with a time of 21:07, are expected to lead the men’s elite field.

As of early Monday morning, more than 9,000 runners had registered for this year's race.

Morgan Beadlescomb Withdraws From Manchester Road Race

Just hours after Manchester Road Race officials announced that Morgan Beadlescomb was set to defend his title, the elite runner withdrew from the 2024 field.

Race officials said Beadlescomb had committed to compete in Manchester several weeks ago, and his entry was announced by race organizers Monday. He notified the Manchester Road Race Committee later on Monday about his decision not to compete in this year's event.

The 26-year-old Beadlescomb ran in the USATF 5-Kilometer Championship in New York City on Saturday and finished in 10th place. He won that race in 2023.

"We've been informed that Morgan consulted with his coach after Saturday's performance at the national 5-K race, and they decided that he would not be able to compete at the required level to give a good showing in Manchester," said Dr, Tris Carta, the longtime president of the Manchester Road Race. "We’ll certainly miss having him with us this Thanksgiving, and we hope that he’ll be back here in the near future."

Beadlescomb, an All-American runner at Michigan State University, won the 2023 MRR in a close race with runner-up Conner Mantz. A year earlier, he finished a close second here behind Mantz, who set the MRR course record of 21:04. Beadlescomb recorded 21:05, the second fastest time ever run on the Manchester course.

Reigning Manchester road race champ Morgan Beadlescomb to defend title on thanksgiving

The reigning Manchester Road Race champion will be defending his title on Thanksgiving morning.

Morgan Beadlescomb, who won the 2023 event with an impressive finishing kick down the Main Street home stretch, has committed to return in 2024, race officials announced Monday. Beadlescomb, of Ann Arbor, MI, will be making his third straight Turkey Day appearance in Manchester. He broke the tape last year with a time of 21:12, edging runner-up Conner Mantz by three seconds.

The 26-year-old Beadlescomb's victory last Thanksgiving reversed the results of the 2022 MRR, when Mantz won with a course record time of 21:04, one second ahead of Beadlescomb, who was the runner-up. Beadlescomb's 21:05 clocking at the 2022 road race is the second-fastest time ever run on the Manchester loop. Beadlescomb was a seven-time All-American runner at Michigan State University, where he holds the indoor and outdoor records for 5,000 meters. His personal best time for the event is 13:03.57.

"We are very pleased that Morgan is returning," said. Dr. Tris Carta, the president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "He is a terrific competitor, and we expect that his presence will mean that we are in store for another exciting road race finish."

Beadlescomb's entry means that both of last year's winners will be competing at the 2024 MRR. Weini Kelati of Flagstaff, AR, who holds the women's course record and has won the race for the past three years in a row, has also committed to the race.

The 88th Manchester Road Race is one of only 22 events in the United States, and 298 in the world, to be designated this year as a World Athletics Label Road Race. World Athletics is the international governing body for the sport of track and field.

The road race will be staged at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28 of this year). The race, which starts and finishes on Main Street in front of St. James Church, is run on a 4.737-mile course through Manchester’s central streets. Last year, 11,060 runners registered to run in the event, which is regarded as one of America’s largest and most popular turkey trots. As of early this morning, 8,096 entrants have signed up to run this year.

The MRR's principal financial sponsors are Pratt & Whitney, ECHN, and Hoffman Lexus. The road race is organized by more than 400 volunteers from the Manchester Road Race Committee, with support from the town of Manchester.

How to train for a marathon no matter how fit you are

If you’re planning a marathon, you’re on the road to becoming part of a select proportion of the global population – 0.01 per cent, to be exact. But that doesn’t mean running one is exclusive to the lycra-clad minority. With the right planning, training and dogged determination anyone can have a go. Here’s what you need to know if you’re gearing up to train for the race of your life.

Which marathon should I choose to run?

The London Marathon is special, with incredible atmospheric and historic appeal, but it’s notoriously tricky to get a place and is far from the only one to consider. All marathons are 26.2 miles, so if you’re a beginner, you might want to choose what seasoned runners call an “easy” marathon – one with a flat and paved course. While the Brighton Marathon is one of the most popular (and mostly flat) UK spring races, the Greater Manchester Marathon is known as the flattest and fastest UK option. The under-the-radar Abingdon Marathon is one of the oldest in the UK and also has a flat route – great for new runners and for those who are keen to beat their personal bests. 

Around Europe, try the Berlin and Frankfurt marathons in Germany, or the Amsterdam Marathon in the Netherlands. More recently, the Valencia and Seville marathons in Spain have grown in appeal. For a great beginner list, visit coopah.com. It’s worth doing your research to ensure it’s a route you’ll enjoy (atmospheric, well populated, flat, historic… whatever piques your interest), as this will pay dividends when things get tough. 

Training

How long does it take to train for a marathon? 

“You need 16-to-18 weeks of training,” says Richard Pickering, a UK Athletics qualified endurance coach. “And if you’re starting from nothing, I think you need closer to six months.” This may sound like a long time to dedicate to one event but a structured plan will help you develop the strength, endurance and aerobic capacity to run longer distances. Not to mention work wonders for your overall health.

“Anyone can run a marathon if they are willing to put in the hard work,’ says Cory Wharton-Malcolm, Apple Fitness+ Trainer and author of All You Need Is Rhythm & Grit . “As long as you give yourself enough time and enough grace, you can accomplish anything.’

Ready to get running? Read on.

Five steps to preparing for a marathon

1. Follow a training plan and increase mileage gradually

“Even if it’s a simple plan, and that plan is to run X times per week or run X miles per week, it’s beneficial to have something guiding you,’ says Wharton-Malcolm. ‘It’s happened to me, without that guidance, you may overtrain causing yourself an injury that could have been avoided. And if you’re injured, you’re far less likely to fall in love with running.”

For authoritative plans online, see marathon event websites (try the Adidas Manchester Marathon or the TCS London Marathon websites) or from a chosen charity such as the British Heart Foundation. Most will consist of the key training sessions: speed work (spurts of fast running with stationary or active rest periods), tempo runs (running at a sustained “comfortably uncomfortable” pace), and long-distance slogs. 

Most marathon plans will abide by the 10 per cent rule, in that they won’t increase the total run time or distance by more than 10 per cent each week – something that will reduce your risk of injury. 

2. Practise long runs slowly 

Long runs are your bread-and-butter sessions. They prepare your body to tolerate the distance by boosting endurance, and give you the strength to stay upright for hours. Intimidating as this sounds, the best pace for these runs is a joyously slow, conversational speed.

“People may think they need to do their marathon pace in long runs,” says Pickering, “but it’s good to run slowly because it educates the body to burn fat as fuel. This teaches it to use a bit of fat as well as glycogen when it goes faster on race day, and that extends your energy window so that you’re less likely to hit the ‘wall’.”

The caveat: running slowly means you’re going to be out for a while. With the average training plan peaking at 20 miles, you could be running for many hours. “When I did lots of long runs, I had a number of tools: listening to music, audio-guided runs, apps or audio books,” says Wharton-Malcom. “I used to run lots of routes, explore cities… You can also do long runs with friends or colleagues, or get a train somewhere and run back so it’s not the same boring route.” 

3. Do regular speed work 

Speed work may sound like the reserve of marathon aficionados, but it’s good for new long-distance runners too. “I think people misunderstand speed work,” says Wharton-Malcom. “The presumption is that the moment you add ‘speed’ to training, you have to run like Usain Bolt, but all ‘speed’ means is faster than the speed you’d normally be running. So if you go out for a 20-minute run, at the end of the first nine minutes, run a little faster for a minute, then at the end of the second nine minutes, run a little faster for a minute.” 

Small injections of pace are a great way for novices to reap the benefits. “The idea is to find the sweet spot between ‘Ah, I can only hold on to this for 10 seconds’ and ‘I can hold on to this for 30-to-60 seconds’,” he adds. 

Hill sprints are great for increasing speed. Try finding a loop with an incline that takes 30 seconds to ascend, then run it continuously for two to three lots of 10 minutes with a 90-second standing rest.

Interval work is also a speed-booster. Try three lots of three minutes at tempo pace with a 90-second standing rest. “The recovery [between intervals] is when you get your breath back and your body recirculates lactate [a by-product of intense exercise, which ultimately slows bodies down],” explains Pickering, “and this means you’re able to do more than you otherwise would.”

4. Run at marathon-pace sometimes 

Every now and then, throw in some running at your chosen race pace. “You need to get used to a bit of marathon pace,” says Pickering, “but I wouldn’t put it into your programme religiously.”

Some runners like to practise marathon pace in a “build-up” race, typically a half-marathon. “It can give people confidence,” says Pickering. “Your half-marathon should be six-to-seven weeks prior to the main event, and have a strategy to ensure you’re not racing it because you need to treat it as a training run.”

5. Schedule in rest and recovery 

Of course, no training plan is complete without some R&R. Rest days give your body a chance to adapt to the stresses you’ve put it through and can provide a mental break. “Active recovery” is a swanky term for taking lighter exercise such as an easy run, long walk, gentle swim, some yoga – crucial because you don’t want to do two hard sessions back-to-back. “A long run would count as a hard day, so if your long run is on Sunday, you could do an easy run such as 30-40 minutes at a conversational pace on a Monday, but don’t do anything fast until Tuesday,” says Pickering.

What about recovery tools? 

Foam rollers, massage guns, ice baths – the list is long. Pickering says to keep it simple: “I would encourage foam rolling [relieving muscle tension by rolling over a foam tube] or sports massage, and they’re kind of the same thing.” 

And Wharton-Malcom swears by the restorative power of a good rest: “From personal experience, sleep is our secret weapon and it’s so underrated. Getting your eight-hours-plus per night, taking power naps during the day… you can do so well with just sleeping a bit more.”

Race day

How to perform your best on race day – what to eat 

“The marathon is going to be relying on carbohydrate loading [such as spaghetti, mashed potato, rice pudding], which should take place one-to-three days before an event,” explains performance nutritionist Matt Lovell. Other choices might include: root vegetables (carrots, beetroot), breads or  low-fat yoghurts. 

“On the day, the main goal is to keep your blood glucose as stable as possible by filling up any liver glycogen.” Which means eating a breakfast rich in slow-release carbohydrates, such as porridge, then taking on board isotonic drinks, like Lucozade Sport or coconut water, and energy gels roughly every 30-45 minutes.

How to stay focused 

Even with the right fuel in your body, the going will get tough. But when you feel like you can’t do any more, there is surprisingly more in the tank than you realise.

“Sports scientists used to think we eat food, it turns into fuel within our body and, when we use it up, we stop and fall over with exhaustion,” says performance psychologist Dr Josephine Perry. “Then they did muscle biopsies to understand that, when we feel totally exhausted, we actually still have about 30 per cent energy left in the muscles.”

How do you tap into that magic 30 per cent? By staying motivated – and this ultimately comes down to finding a motivational mantra that reminds you of your goal and reason for running. 

“Motivational mantras are incredibly personal – you can’t steal somebody else’s because it sounds good; it has to talk to you,’ explains Dr Perry, author of The Ten Pillars of Success. “Adults will often have their children as part of their motivational mantra – they want to make them proud, to be a good role model. If you’re doing it for a charity, it might be that.” Write your motivational mantra on your energy gel, drinks bottle or hand. “It doesn’t just need to come from you,” adds Dr Perry. “I love getting athletes’ friends and family to write messages to stick on their nutrition, so every time they take a gel out of their pocket, they’ve got a message from someone who loves them.” Perry is supporting the Threshold Sports’ Ultra 50:50 campaign, encouraging female participation in endurance running events. 

Smile every mile, concludes Dr Perry: “Research shows that when you smile it reduces your perception of effort, so you’re basically tricking your brain into thinking that what you’re doing isn’t as difficult as it is.”

One thing is for sure, you’re going to be on a high for a while. “What happens for most people is they run the race and, for most of the race, they say ‘I’m never doing this again,’ says Wharton-Malcom. “Then the following morning, they think, ‘OK, what’s next?’” 

What clothes should you wear for a marathon? 

What you wear can also make a difference. Look for clothing made with moisture-wicking fabrics that will move sweat away from the skin, keeping you dry and comfortable. An anti-chafe stick such as Body Glide Anti-Chafe Balm is a worthy investment, or simply try some Vaseline, as it will stop any areas of the skin that might rub (under the arms, between the thighs) from getting irritated. Seamless running socks, like those from Smartwool, can also help to reduce rubbing and the risk of blisters. 

Post-race recovery

What to eat and drink

Before you revel in your achievement, eat and drink something. Lovell says recovery fuel is vital: “Getting carbohydrates back into the body after a marathon is crucial. It’s a forgiving time for having lots of calories from carbohydrates and proteins, maybe as a recovery shake or a light meal such as a banana and a protein yoghurt.” 

Have a drink of water with a hydration tablet or electrolyte powder to replenish fluid and electrolyte salts (magnesium, potassium, sodium) lost through sweat.

“You can have a glass of red later if you want, but your priority is to rehydrate with salts first, then focus on carbohydrate replenishment, then have some protein, and then other specialist items such as anti-inflammatories.” Choose anti-inflammatory compounds such as omega 3 and curcumin from turmeric, which you can get as a supplement, to help reduce excessive inflammation and allow for better muscle rebuilding. 

Tart cherry juice – rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and naturally occurring melatonin – could also be useful, with the latest research reporting that it can reduce muscle pain after a long-distance race and improve both sleep quantity and quality by five-to-six per cent. “And anything that improves blood flow such as beetroot juice, which is a good vasodilator, will help with endurance and recovery,” adds Lovell. Precision Hydration tablets are very good for heavy sweaters.

Any other other good products to help with recovery? 

The post-run recovery market is a saturated one, but there are a few products worth trying. Magnesium – from lotions and bath flakes to oil sprays drinks and supplements – relaxes muscles and can prevent muscle cramps, as well as aiding recovery-boosting sleep. 

Compression socks boost blood flow and therefore the removal of waste products from hardworking muscles, and have been shown to improve recovery when worn in the 48 hours after a marathon. Arnica has anti-inflammatory properties that can help speed up the healing process after a long run, and can be used as an arnica balm or soak. 

Eliud Kipchoge: Control the mind control the body

Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge emphasised the importance of being “psychologically fit” during his educational visit to Manchester United.

Always eager to learn, Kenya’s world-renowned runner spent a day at Carrington to see our facilities, watch training and speak with the coaching staff. He then visited Old Trafford to attend the Reds’ Premier League match against Liverpool. The greatest marathoner of all time, Kipchoge won back-to-back gold medals at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. He has also claimed victories in prestigious marathons around the world, including Berlin, Chicago, London and Tokyo.Kipchoge is best known for being the first person to run a marathon under two hours, clocking a time of 1:59:40 in 2019. His achievement wasn't recognised as a world record, as it was not run under open marathon conditions, but it signified a historic step forward in human performance. 

During his visit to the Theatre of Dreams, the 39-year-old icon explained how mentality is just as important as physicality when it comes to achieving greatness. “Mindset is important for a sportsman and all the footballers,” said Eliud. “You must be physically fit but above all you must be psychologically fit.

“What drives a man, what drives a woman, is the mind. If you are able to control the mind then you can control your body and you are able to consume the right things. Then out of that will come good things.

“In training you must have a strong and a high-profile mind. Playing the game, you need the right mind. The right way. When you are tackling your opponent, if you have the right mind then you can tackle well.

“If you are sprinting for a ball, if you have the right mind then you can sprint further than your opponent. So, the key is to be positive in life, always positive every day. “That's the beginning of good results and that's the beginning of real professionals. If all of the sportsman, or living people, can have positivity with each other then they are successful.”

Asked about other sportsmen or women being receptive to his positive message, Kipchoge admitted that interaction fuels him to continue his illustrious career.  “It is lovely, it gives me more to wake up and to still press on every day. It's a big motivation for me when people are inspired by what I am doing and when people consume the positivity and try to improve their minds. That's my happiness.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Guy Just Broke the World Record for a Marathon in Crocs

This may come as a shock, but until now, no one has ever run a sub-3-hour marathon while wearing Crocs.

Those days are now over.

In his most recent video, YouTuber Chris Howett showed off his latest feat—running the Manchester Marathon with a sub-3 hour time of 2:58:24 … while wearing Crocs. The previous record stood at 3:02.

Not only that, but Howett had previously never run a marathon before in Crocs or any other footwear. 

Sporting a yellow pair of the comfortable footwear adored by chefs and Gen Z alike, and complete with a Lightning McQueen charm for good luck, Howett set off on his run, but not before getting eyed up by his fellow runners, some of whom were wearing the latest and greatest racing shoes for the event.

“I mean, who would be stupid enough to try to run a marathon in Crocs?” Howett asked the camera. “That person would be me.” At least he remembered to use the heel strap.

While Howett had never run a marathon, he was a track athlete before injuries, including multiple Achilles tears, derailed his career. Still, he felt he could run a fast enough marathon in the chunky, brightly-colored shoes.

As the marathon continued, Howett worried that it seemed too easy, logging a 6:50 pace on his first mile, a 6:47 for the second, and 6:36 for mile three. After those first few miles, however, his feet began to fight back against being forced to run in the rubber clogs.

“I was running 30 seconds per mile faster than I needed to, this was just outright stupid,” Howett narrated in the video. “The wheels could fall off at any minute.”

As the race went on, Howett continued to fear he would hit “the wall.” At the halfway point in the race, the runner said that while he felt good, his feet were another story. “It’s like I’m being stabbed in the bottom of the foot. Tough going.”

Howett said that he developed a blister on his left foot that made running in the Crocs unbearable but that the crowd support kept him going. “My left foot is going through pain I didn’t even know existed on the pain spectrum.”

As he neared the finish line, disaster struck. “I was dealing with a cramp for the last six miles, but this I could not continue running,” Howett said, noting that his cramping had gotten too bad to ignore. He was just half a mile from the finish.

Again, he says the crowd lifted him up and helped him continue. “I wasn’t just breaking the world record for myself anymore, I was breaking it for the people,” Howett quipped before finishing.

And finish he did. Howett ended his Croc challenge with a time of 2:58:24. The Guinness World Record team is still verifying the time, but when it is, Howett will have beaten the record by four minutes and 17 seconds. 

British duo win Manchester Marathon

British duo impress at the 2024 adidas Manchester Marathon

Sunday saw over 32,000 runners take the streets of Manchester to cover the 26.2 miles on one of the flattest courses in the UK.

On a day helped by perfect weather conditions, Adam Clarke from Aldershot, Farnham and District AC took the elite men’s title after completing the marathon in 2:16:29.

It was a comfortable race for the 33-year-old as he soared ahead from the leaders at the 18-mile mark, completing the race with a lead of just over two minutes.

The Brit has been training alongside his partner, Charlotte Purdue, who was recently named in the first wave of Olympic marathon selections for the British team ahead of the Paris Games.

Behind Clarke was Marshall Smith from Ashford AC who finished second with 2:18:22 as Alexander Teuten from Southampton AC took bronze clocking 2:18:37.

Charlie Arnell, from MK Distance Project, made her marathon debut as she was the first woman through the finish with 2:37:12. The Brit ran 77:27 at the Bath Half Marathon in March.

Arnell finished almost five minutes clear of Melissah Gibson from Ealing Eagles Running Club (2:42:09) who finished in second with a great run considering she ran 100km just over two weeks ago at the Sri Chinmoy 100km in Perth.

Gibson, who completed 16 marathons last year, finished second at those trials which booked her a place on the IAU World 100km Championship team set to compete in India later this year.

Finishing in third behind Gibson in Manchester was Anna Lawson from Clapham Chasers, clocking an impressive PB of 2:43:32 having not started with the elite field.

Arnell finished almost five minutes clear of Melissah Gibson from Ealing Eagles Running Club (2:42:09) who finished in second with a great run considering she ran 100km just over two weeks ago at the Sri Chinmoy 100km in Perth.

Gibson, who completed 16 marathons last year, finished second at those trials which booked her a place on the IAU World 100km Championship team set to compete in India later this year.

Finishing in third behind Gibson in Manchester was Anna Lawson from Clapham Chasers, clocking an impressive PB of 2:43:32 having not started with the elite field.

Among the notable figures joining the mass field of participants, the event also saw multiple world records set.

Almost impossible to miss were a group of six participants, Marcus Green, Rich Bidgood, Hugh Tibbs, Nick Wright, David Mills and James Bewley dressed as a caterpillar, setting a world record for the fastest marathon in a six-person costume (2:57:31).

Christian Howett ran the full marathon in a pair of crocs, finishing in 2:58:54 which saw him claim the world record.

Mark Armstrong: Why I'm pulling out of the Manchester Marathon

It's the column that I really didn't want to write, but unfortunately I won’t be running the Manchester Marathon this year.

I’ve had to take the difficult decision that due to my calf that I won’t be able to toe the start line in little over a week’s time.

Yet another test run ended with the same discomfort by around 4K that I’ve been experiencing and it’s time to accept that I’m just not going to be ready to do myself justice.

There is of course disappointment and frustration; to some extent I’ve never felt fitter and if my calf was intact then I’d be confident of setting a new PB there.

I needed to stop trying to force this recovery. Hopefully, it’s a relatively minor injury, but it needs time and some concerted work without the impact running has to make it better.

To my mind I’ve got April to really get on top of it before easing back into things in May and kicking on with the rest of the year.

I’ve tried to be proactive and listed all the races I want to run in 2024 with the emphasis obviously on getting to the Berlin Marathon start line in September in the best possible shape.

I’ve learned so much from this training block already and it’s been nice to surprise a few people with the progress I’ve made. 

I’ve run times I’ve never thought I was capable of at 10K and half marathon distances but I also have to accept that at this stage my body doesn’t always cope particularly well with a high volume of running.

That’s obviously relative to everyone but I’ve found that once I get to around 40-45 miles per week in my training that my body starts to complain.

But that’s okay - I can work with that - it doesn’t mean I can’t achieve the goals I’ve got, notably a sub three-hour marathon. It just means I have to be a bit more strategic in how I get there.

I’ve grown to really enjoy the strength and conditioning side of things and I’m more than happy to get on the bike to supplement my training. The heart and lungs don’t know what exercise I’m doing so I’m confident I can build fitness there.

Running is just one part of the build towards a marathon goal; strength and conditioning, nutrition, sleep, stress levels are all other factors that can impact what your body is capable of.

Rather than feel envious of my running friends on the way to the marathon start line, I feel inspired in the knowledge that one day in the near future it will be my time to produce a marathon run that I can feel proud of once again. A run that I can look back on with my children to demonstrate that if you put your mind to something then you can achieve goals you never thought possible.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where people want instant gratification and patience is a dirty word. You can’t expect to be good at something straight away; there are always going to be setbacks when chasing something you really want, tests that will make you question how much you really want something.

But building resilience is a key life lesson - tough times don’t last, tough people do.

That’s why I’m focusing on coming back fitter and faster…

With very strong calves…

Manchester Marathon: Seven Tips for marathon week preparation With Steph Kessell

Event week is fast approaching, which means excitement and nerves are running high!

So, what should you do the week before the adidas Manchester Marathon to make sure you succeed and – most importantly – enjoy the challenge?

We spoke to Team GB Olympic marathon runner and professional adidas athlete Steph Kessell, who shared her 7 tips for marathon week preparation.

So, grab your notes and don’t miss this great advice from Steph!

1. TAPER

“In the final week, your overall training volume and intensity should have dropped to less than 50% so you can get to the start line of the marathon feeling fresh and raring to go. Your last higher intensity session should be 4-5 days before the marathon and include some marathon paced intervals, but not many of them!

2. SLEEP

“Sleep is the most important recovery aid. Hopefully you have been getting plenty of sleep throughout your training block but during this final week prioritise early nights and aim to get your 8 hours. It is common to not sleep very well the night before the challenge but don’t stress! If you’ve been able to sleep well in the build up then this won’t affect your event. If you can’t sleep, try to stay in bed and relax; this is still good rest and recovery”.

3. HYDRATE

“You want to go into race day feeling hydrated, as dehydration has a negative effect on performance, even if it’s not that warm outside! Carry a water bottle around with you to remind you to drink regularly aiming for at least 1.5 litres a day (NHS guidance). If you have some electrolyte tabs handy then take one daily as well as the evening before the event to ensure you are extra hydrated!”

4. PREP YOUR KIT

“If you haven’t worn your event day kit for a run yet then this is your final chance to test it out. You want to feel comfortable, wear the right amount of layers and avoid chafing. From sports bra, socks, heart rate monitor, race belt or hydration pack, try everything that you plan to wear on the big day, so you can feel confident on the start line.”

5. PLAN YOUR STRATEGY

“At the start of event week write out a plan for the event day. What pace will you start at (or do you plan to join a pacing team to reach your target time?) When will you take on fuel? Where are the water, gels and toilet stops?

When you have planned this out in advance and read over it again and again before the day, then it will help you feel more relaxed, in control and confident. A detailed plan can be a good distraction from the nerves as it gives you something to focus on. Break it down into 5-7 stages and take each part as it comes.”

6. CONSIDER YOUR TRAVEL ROUTE 

“Another one that will help ease your nerves! Don’t leave it until the morning of to decide how you are going to travel there. Plan out your route and leave plenty of time to get there. A leisurely start to the day will be more pleasant than a last minute frantic dash trying to find the bag drop and loos! 

7. STAY WARM

“Marathons often require an early start which means it can be cold. To combat this, bring a top or jumper you want to donate to charity to keep you warm at the start line. At the adidas Manchester Marathon, you can keep wearing this until the end of the start chute where you will see signs to show you where to donate it as you get close to the start gantry – just make sure that you don’t drop it too early!”.

Mark Armstrong: Mind games and tapering for Manchester Marathon

For those training for a spring marathon taper time is almost here.  

Tapering typically involves significantly reducing the intensity and distance you run in the final two to three weeks of training. 

Time for a much needed break for your body from the hard training of the past few months. It also involves a huge mental battle gearing up to the big day... Have I done enough? Do my goals need adjusting? Am I even fit enough to run this race?  

This mental game is even tougher when you are hit with illness and have injury niggles during your block and that is what has happened at Armstrong HQ in the past few weeks at a key phase in both mine and my wife Alison’s training blocks.  

Training at a key time has been disturbed, runs rescheduled or abandoned. Marathon paced sections that should have built confidence (and fitness) substituted for easy runs or bike sessions.  

Thankfully, the virus I had after the Cambridge Half Marathon has gone and I’m feeling a lot better. However, the calf that I tweaked towards the end of that event is still grumbling. 

I’m having to be very careful on runs and build it back up again, which isn’t ideal, but I’m at least grateful to be able to run again. 

What that means for the Manchester Marathon in just over three weeks’ time, I don’t know. 

I explored the possibility of deferring my entry but I’m not quite ready to admit defeat yet.  

I know the fitness I built at the start of the year is largely still there; I just need to get my body in a position to execute a decent race. 

I’ve had to temper down goal times a little but perhaps that’s a good thing. I’ve over-reached before and it hasn’t ended well – one of those occasions being at Manchester in 2018!  

I’m trying not to lose sight of why I entered this training block, namely to build fitness and make better life choices and I have already walked away with new 10K and half marathon PBs during this block.  

I am also aware of others who have had to make the tough decision that a spring marathon is a step too far if they want to stay in the running game.  

There is a noticeable relief for those runners who have chosen to defer or target another race. To those in that position, the training done to this point is never wasted, all those training runs are banked, more positive decisions are made surrounding nutrition and recovery and I know all too well that being out for months with an injury, particularly over those glorious summer months, is too steep a price to pay for one marathon.  

For those doubting whether you have done enough, now is the time to look back at that training diary and celebrate your successes. Those tough runs you completed when you didn’t really have time in horrible conditions; don’t give missed sessions any kind of thinking time. 

I also try to recognize that thought processes aren’t always rational during the taper. This is the period when we are most tired and our brains are trying to keep us safe and in our comfort zone. Anyone that has run a marathon before will tell you - ‘Maranoia’ is real. 

The excitement, nerves, an unhealthy obsession for checking weather forecasts, discovering niggles you hadn't previously noticed and avoiding anyone with so much as a sniffle within a five-mile radius. It’s all part of the process and we are in the final stages now.  

Good luck to those running Wymondham 20 this Sunday. This sold out event will see many of the 600 runners completing their final long ahead of the marathon.  

Usain Bolt sparks speculations of making sensational return to sprinting

Fans across the world are speculating that Bolt could make a comeback in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

World’s fastest man ever Usain Bolt has sent tongues wagging over a possible return to the track going by his latest post on his social media platforms.

Bolt was last in action back in 2017 when he competed at the Kingston Racers Grand Prix clocking 10.3 to win the race.

In a post on his Instagram handle, Bolt posted a video of himself going through the paces as he ran up the staircase of a stadium.

The speed demon accompanied the video with the caption, ”What we been through is more than tongue can tell.”

The post left a number of fans speculating whether Bolt is gearing up for the 2024 Paris Olympics after he was a surprise inclusion in the torch-bearing ceremony.

“Come on man! One more Olympics!!,” read one of the comments on the post. “What? Usain bolt coming in 2024 Olympics,” commented another Instagram user.

One of the users pinpointed to financial implications of Bolt’s return to the sport as the user called for the Olympic committee to hand him an active role in the games.

“His return even fa (for) one race would sell out any stadium but a deal would have work out tickets sale would have to split 50/50 plus tv network I believe the Olympic committee should have this man as a commentator are have something to do with sport,”

Bolt became a household name during his 13-year career that saw him etch his name into the annals of history, winning an impressive eight Olympic gold medals and 11 World titles.

The 37-year-old’s maiden World Championship gold medal will forever live in his memory and that of athletics enthusiasts after clocking a 100m record in a time of 9.58.

Since his retirement, Bolt has dipped his toes in a number of sports including football where he haboured the dream of signing for Manchester United.

The sprinter also once played NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game and had an offer to join cricket side Melbourne Stars owing to his love for the sport from a young age.

VO2 Max Just Turned 100. Here’s What It Means.

Over the past century, “maximal oxygen uptake” has turned out to be a valuable marker of both endurance and health.No tidbit of physiological jargon has achieved more popular renown than VO2 max, also known as maximal oxygen uptake. And, for the past century, none has been so consistently misunderstood. A new commentary in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, led by Grégoire Millet of the University of Lausanne, marks the 100th anniversary of the landmark paper by A. V. Hill and Hartley Lupton that first described VO2 max. It’s a big milestone, and it offers a good excuse to take a closer look at what VO2 max really means and why it (sometimes) matters.

A.V. Hill was a 4:45 miler and already had a Nobel Prize for work in muscle physiology when he and Lupton began studying VO2 max. The experiments involved subjects running around Hill’s back garden in Manchester with air bags strapped to their back to measure how much oxygen they used. The faster they ran, the more oxygen they needed—but only up to a certain point. Eventually, oxygen consumption plateaued, even as they continued to accelerate.

Beyond this plateau—what’s now known as VO2 max, indicating the maximum volume per unit time of oxygen (O2)—they had to rely on anaerobic energy pathways, going into what Hill called “oxygen debt.” This debt couldn’t be sustained for long thanks to rising lactic acid, which meant that VO2 max effectively marked the limits of sustainable effort. In other words, VO2 max was an objective measure of endurance.

The current understanding of exercise metabolism has evolved in a few respects since Hill’s time. Physiologists no longer talk about oxygen debt, and lactate (not lactic acid) is considered a marker of fatigue but not its direct cause. But the basic idea remains the same: there’s a limit to the rate at which your body can take in and use oxygen, and having a higher limit augurs well for both performance and health.

The initial understanding of VO2 max was that it was a measure of cardiovascular function, limited primarily by how rapidly your heart could pump oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. For elite endurance athletes, that’s still a pretty good approximation: aerobic monsters are distinguished primarily by a large and compliant heart that can pump huge volumes of blood with each stroke.

But over time, researchers realized that the limits of oxygen uptake are best thought of as a cascade with numerous steps. You have to inhale oxygen into your lungs, diffuse it into your bloodstream, pump it to your muscles, diffuse it into your muscles, and then your mitochondria have to use it to generate ATP. Each of those steps can become a limiting bottleneck in certain conditions, so there isn’t one single path to altering VO2 max.

There are two ways of quantifying your VO2 max. The absolute value is expressed in liters of oxygen per minute: a well-trained endurance athlete, for example, might be able to consume 5 L/min of oxygen. The relative value, which is the more commonly discussed number, is simply the absolute value divided by your weight in kilograms. If that same endurance athlete weighed 70 kilograms, their relative VO2 max would be 71 ml/min/kg.

The standard method of measuring VO2 max, originally developed as an offshoot of the infamous Minnesota Starvation Study during World War II, is a treadmill test (or the equivalent with some other form of exercise like a stationary bike), lasting six to 12 minutes and getting progressively harder in stages until you max out. But what does it mean to max out? There are various criteria: oxygen consumption reaching a plateau, heart rate reaching a plateau, lactate levels exceeding 8.0 mmol/L, perceived exertion greater than 17 on a scale of 6 to 20, respiratory exchange ratio (a comparison of much carbon dioxide you exhale compared to how much oxygen you’re consuming) of greater than 1.1.

The reason for all these criteria is that the idealized picture of a steady increase in oxygen consumption followed by a plateau often doesn’t show up in real life. And even when it does, it’s not an invariant number: your VO2 max when kayaking will be smaller than when you’re running, for example, because you’re using smaller muscles that can’t gobble up as much oxygen. (That’s why rowers tend to have some of the highest absolute VO2 max values, because they’re huge and they’re using both arm and leg muscles. Cross-country skiers have some of the highest relative values, because they’re also using arms and legs but are generally much lighter than rowers.)

There are even a few studies that have found different VO2 max values depending on the details of the treadmill protocol. How can it be the ultimate objective measure of endurance if its value depends on how you test it? Is the apparent plateau just your brain deciding that you’ve had enough and should step off the treadmill? These and other controversies persist. My take: the VO2 max plateau is real and dictated by physiology, but it’s not as clear-cut a threshold as once thought.

If you tested all the runners on the start line of an Olympic distance race, their VO2 max values wouldn’t tell you much about how they’d place. They all have high values, and the race won’t necessarily be won by the runner with the highest value. Eliud Kipchoge, for example, reportedly has a relatively unexceptional value for an elite marathoner. In that sense, VO2 max isn’t a great predictor of running performance. And the cyclist with the highest ever reported VO2 max, Oskar Svendsen, didn’t end up setting the world alight, as I recounted a few years ago.

On the other hand, if I had to predict the race finishing order of 100 people randomly picked from the street, and I was allowed one physiological test, I’d opt for VO2 max. In that diverse population, VO2 max values would be all over the map, and those with the highest values would likely finish at or near the front. So in that sense, VO2 max is a great predictor. To put it another way, a high VO2 max is a necessary but not sufficient condition for endurance success. It’s your ticket into the game.

You could argue that VO2 max has greater value as a predictor of health and longevity than of athletic success. While the relationship between exercise habits and longevity remains a little hazy, with some people arguing that too much is bad for you, the link between VO2 max and longevity is unambiguous: higher is better. In fact, the American Heart Association has argued the VO2 max should be considered a “vital sign” and be regularly measured or estimated by doctors.

Back in the 1990s, the Heritage Family Study trained about 500 people from 100 different families for 20 weeks. On average, they were able to boost their VO2 max by about 20 percent. But they saw a wide range in responses: some people saw more than twice as big an increase, while others basically didn’t increase at all. And that variation seemed to cluster within families. The researchers estimated that about half the VO2 max training response was dictated by genetics.

The idea that some people don’t improve their VO2 max at all even with regular training remains controversial. A few different studies have taken aim at this idea, and shown that if you take non-responders from a study and have them either train more or train harder, everyone will eventually respond. Still, it’s clear that some people can increase their VO2 max more easily than others.

Trained athletes eventually hit a point of diminishing returns, although long-term structural adaptations like the size of your heart and the density of capillaries distributing blood can continue to improve. A meta-analysis a decade ago found that interval training can produce substantial improvements, with the biggest bang from intervals lasting three to five minutes per rep. The highest recorded values tend to be around 90 ml/kg/min in men and 80 ml/kg/min in women, with the sex differences attributable to higher body fat and lower hemoglobin levels in women.

As important as increasing your VO2 max is, the bigger challenge for many of us is slowing its decline. After age 25, it typically drops about ten percent a decade. According to a recent analysis, athletes who keep training can slow that decline to about 5 percent a decade, but those who fall off the wagon might see even steeper declines.

Overall, Millet and his colleagues conclude that VO2 max is “a healthy and active centenarian” that remains important in both endurance sports and as a measure of cardiovascular health. It’s not the ultimate barometer of fitness, but neither is it a meaningless detail. If you get a chance to have yours tested, for example by volunteering for a study at a local university, I highly recommend it. It can be fun to learn about your own physiology—and, during the final stage of the test where you keep pushing until you’re on the verge of being thrown off the back of the treadmill, your psychology.

60-year-old runner sets Spanish masters record with 2:34 marathon

Last weekend, Spanish masters runner Jon Arzubialde, threw down a record-setting performance at his hometown Zurich San Sebastián Marathon, in San Sebastián, Spain. At a spry 60, Arzubialde not only finished inside the top 25 but shattered the Spanish M60+ masters marathon record, crossing the finish line in a jaw-dropping two hours, 34 minutes and six seconds.

Zooming through the 42.2K course, Arzubialde recorded an average pace of three minutes and 39 seconds per kilometer, leaving his M60+ competition in the dust by 18 minutes.

He breezed through the 10K mark at 36:28 and hit the half marathon point in a swift 1:16:46. In a field of 3,000, he was 23rd overall, falling short only to women’s champion Kenya’s Emmah Cheruto Ndiwa, who finished just ahead of Arzubialde in two hours and 31 minutes.

Breaking records is nothing new for Arzubialde. The masters runner holds multiple records in the M55+ category for both the 3,000m (9:20.60) and the 100K (7:34:29) distance, proving he’s a force to be reckoned with across various distances. Arzubialde told local reporters that he has come a long way since he first ran a four-hour marathon at this race when he was 16. His training regimen consists of runs six days a week, averaging around 70 kilometers.

Sunday’s marathon wasn’t just a notch on Arzubialde’s belt; he was just a few minutes shy of the M60+ masters world record of 2:30:02, set by Irish Olympian Tommy Hughes in 2020.

Hughes broke the previous record held by Japan’s Yoshinisa Hosaka of 2:36:30. Since setting the record, he has run sub-2:32 on three separate occasions. And get this—he almost one-upped himself at 62, finishing just three seconds off his mark at the 2022 Manchester Marathon in 2:30:05.

Arzubialde is only the second 60-year-old in history to run a marathon in under 2:35.

Morgan Beadlescomb, Weini Kelati win the Manchester Road Race

 The Manchester Road Race men’s race has a new champion. Morgan Beadlescomb dethroned defending champion Connor Mantz at the line.

Mantz, who won the 2022 Manchester Road Race, came in second place.

"The course was awesome. It's like a cross-country course on the road," Beadlescomb said after the race. "We've got the hills, it's a challenge. The wind was a little bit high today, but it was a great race."

Beadlescomb time on Thursday came in at 21:12, about 6 seconds from the record.

Before the race, Beadlescomb said he wanted to win after coming in second place behind Mantz by fewer than 1 second.

"I am already excited for next Thanksgiving. I love coming here," he said. "I came here last year. I had a great time. The energy is amazing."

In the women’s race, two-time defending champion Weini Kelati won her third consecutive Manchester Road Race, smoking the competition around her.

"This is amazing," Kelati said after the race. "To come back here is amazing."

Much like in her last two races, Kelati went out fast, pacing herself with the elite men’s competition and no other woman could match her pace. She said that as an aggressive racer, she enjoys that the men and women race at the same time because she can use it to her advantage.

"I took the opportunity to follow the guys and it worked," Kelati said.

Kelati won with a time of 23:21, beating her time from 2022. She still holds the record for the fastest course time of 22:55, which she set in 2021.

Annie Rodenfels, of Newton, Massachusetts, came in second place with a time of 23:59. Emily Durgin, from Flagstaff, Arizona, came in third with a time of 24:06.

The race within the race – the King and Queen of the Hill competition – was won by Mantz and Kelati, who won an extra $1,000 each.

Leading ultra-marathon runner banned for using car in 50-mile race

A leading British ultra-marathon runner has been banned for 12 months by a UK Athletics disciplinary panel for using a car during a 50-mile race and then accepting a trophy for third place.

Joasia Zakrzewski admitted that she had jumped into her friend’s vehicle during the 2023 GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool race on 7 April, but claimed she only did so after telling marshalls that she was injured and was no longer competing.

The 47-year-old, who finished 14th in the 2014 Commonwealth Games marathon and set a new world 48-hour distance record of 255.668 miles in February, had also denied deliberately cheating. Instead, she said that arriving from Australia the night before had left her unable to think straight, and had led to her wrongly accepting a trophy at the end of the race.

However, that explanation was rejected by a UKA disciplinary panel who have now banned Zakrzewski from competing in any UKA licensed races, representing Great Britain, or coaching or managing for a year, after finding her guilty of breaching the UKA code of conduct for senior athletes.

In a written decision, the panel said that Zakrzewski’s claims were “contrary to the evidence of the marshals, evidence which the respondent did not seek to challenge or contest, by way of cross-examination at the hearing”.

Evidence showed that Zakrzewski – who has competed for GB numerous times in ultra-distance events, won multiple world 100km medals, and managed GB teams – had travelled around 2.5 miles in a car. According to GPS data, one of those miles was covered in one minute and 40 seconds.

In a letter to the panel, Zakrzewski wrote: “I accept my actions on the day that I did travel in a car and then later completed the run, crossing the finish line and inappropriately receiving a medal and trophy, which I did not return immediately as I should have done”.

However, she continued to insist that she had told the marshalls that she was injured and had decided to keep going on a non-competitive basis. The marshalls, however, told the panel a different story.

They said that while Zakrzewski had talked to them about withdrawing, she had been persuaded to continue “and when doing so … this was on a competitive basis”. They also denied that she had informed them that she had completed part of the course in a car.

The panel also noted that Zakrzewski had only disclosed using the vehicle when challenged by the race organiser. “The respondent sought to defend this by claiming she was embarrassed, but ultimately she chose not to disclose what had happened rather than embarrass herself,” it said.

“Further the claimant had collected the trophy at the end of the race, something which she should have not done if she was completing the race on a non-competitive basis.”

The panel said it had taken Zakrzewski’s claims about her state of mind into account, but pointed out that she “had ample opportunity to remedy the situation which she failed to do”.

“Even if she was suffering from brain fog on the day of the race, she had a week following the race to realise her actions and return the trophy, which she did not do,” it said.

“Finally, she posted about the race on social media, and this did not disclose that she had completed the race on a non-competitive basis.”

Men's Record-Holder To Defend Title At Manchester Road Race

Defending Manchester Road Race men's division champion and course record-holding Conner Mantz will return for the 2023 race. 

Mantz, who won two NCAA Division 1 cross country titles when he ran for Brigham Young University, rocketed around the 4.748-mile course in 2022 with the time of 21:04.  He knocked 12 seconds off the prior mark of 21:16 that Edward Cheserek set in 2018.

Also expected to be at the starting line will be last year’s runner-up, Morgan Beadlescomb.

Beadlescomb, a former Michigan State All-American, shadowed Mantz across the finish stripe last November with a time of 21:05.

Beadlescomb’s time is the second fastest-ever run on the Manchester course. Last year’s elite field was so strong that the first five runners to finish all eclipsed Cheserek’s former record, according to race officials.

“We are extremely pleased that last year’s top two finishers, Conner Mantz and Morgan Beadlescomb, are returning this year,” said Dr. Tris Carta, president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. “It is going to be another very exciting race."

Mantz placed sixth last month at the Chicago Marathon with the personal record and Olympic standard qualifying time of 2:07:47. Beadlescomb, 25, ran a personal best time of 13:08.82 for 5000 meters at a meet in Los Angeles in May and won the USATF national 5-K championship at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5-K in 13:44 on Nov. 4th.

 The 87th Manchester Road Race, which was recognized as a 2023 World Athletics Label Event, will be held on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, at 10 a.m. It starts and finishes on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St. James Church. The road race is organized by 500 volunteers from the Manchester Road Race Committee, with support from the Town of Manchester. 

Record-Holder Weini Kelati looking for 3-peat at Manchester Road Race

Manchester Road Race women's course record-holder Weini Kelati has committed to defend her back-to-back titles this Thanksgiving.

The Manchester Road Race Committee announced today that Kelati's manager recently confirmed that the 26-year-old will be at the starting line when the 87th Manchester Road Race takes place on Thanksgiving Day.

Kelati in 2021 won the women's championship in 22:55 while shredding more than a minute off the prior mark of 23:57 held by Buze Diriba. She ran with the men's leader pack for much of that race and finished in 18th place overall.

An 11-time All-American runner when she competed for the University of New Mexico, Kelati also won the MRR last year. Her time of 23:39 at the 2022 MRR rates as the second-fastest time run by a woman on the 4.748-mile Manchester course.

"Weini is an amazing athlete with exceptional grit, speed and endurance who has had two incredible performances at our road race," said Dr. Tris Carta, the president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "We are very excited that she is coming back to Manchester for the third straight year."

Kelati was born in Eritrea and became a U.S. citizen in 2021. She now calls Flagstaff, Arizona, home. She was the NCAA Division I champion in cross country and the 10,000 meters while in college. Kelati won the 2023 USATF 10K women’s championship in September with a time of 31:57, and earlier this year she ran a personal best time of 31:04 for the 10,000 meters.

The 87th Manchester Road Race, which will take place at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23), has been named a 2023 World Athletic Label Event by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of track and field. It is one of only 238 races in the world, and 15 in the United States, to receive that designation, which recognizes an event’s commitment to anti-doping and clean sport.

The road race is run on a loop course through Manchester's central streets and starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.

Elite women's marathoner Hall to run Manchester Road Race

Sara Hall, who was fifth in the World Marathon Championships last year, has entered this year's Manchester Road Race.  This will be her first appearance in the Thanksgiving Day run.

Hall, 40,  finished in 2:22:10 in the world event in Eugene, Oregon, and was the runner-up at the 2020 London Marathon in 2:22:01.  Her personal-best for the 26.2-mile run 2:20:32, and 1:07:15.

A seven-time All-American when she competed for Stanford, Hall ran the steeplechase before becoming a marathoner. She won the gold medal in the steeplechase at the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico.

Hall is married to retired Olympic marathoner Ryan Hall.  Ryan, who also competed for Stanford, set the United States records for the marathon and half marathon.  In 2017, the couple adopted four young sisters from Ethiopia. The family resides in Flagstaff, Arizona.

 “Sara is a wonderful addition to this year’s race,” said Jim Harvey, the MRRs elite runner coordinator. “She is a very accomplished athlete and a great person.”

The 87th Manchester Road Race, which has been designated a World Athletics Label Event by World Athletics, starts at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day Nov. 23. The 4.748-mile-long road race is run on a loop course through Manchester’s central district that starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.

Kenya’s Alfred Kipchirchir is set to debut at TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Kenya’s Alfred Kipchirchir makes his marathon debut on October 15 at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon and he hopes it goes as well as that registered by one of his training partners.

Kipchirchir, 29, trains in a group which includes Vincent Ngetich who chased two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge along the streets of Berlin last weekend, eventually finishing second in the famed Berlin Marathon in 2:03:13. It was a stunning performance and one that has inspired Kipchirchir.

“I am looking forward to running 2:05 or 2:04 in Toronto,” he reveals. “My training is going well. We run between 180 and 210km in a week.”

According to Coach Peter Bii these two star athletes trained together right up until the last two weeks with Kipchirchir running step for step with Ngetich. Of course, the latter had to back off training to prepare for the Berlin Marathon.

“I want to debut in Toronto because I like what I have heard about the city from Enock Onchari,” says Kipchirchir. A year ago Onchari, another member of the group, finished 4th in Toronto Waterfront.

“We know it’s very cold (in Toronto) from when Onchari was there. I have no information about the course,” he continues.

Kipchirchir has dipped under 60 minutes for the half marathon distance three times in the past three years with his best 59:43 set in the 2021 Madrid Half Marathon. With his current training going well, it is not unreasonable for him to have very high expectations.

All of his life the village of Kapkenu has been his home. It’s about 80 Kilometres from the famed ‘runners’ town’ of Iten. As a young boy he admired the achievements of his neighbour Geoffrey Kamworor who won both the world half marathon and world cross country championships three times and was twice winner of the New York City Marathon. But it was a family member who pushed him to become a runner in his youth.

“My brother introduced me to running. He works as the manager of the High Altitude Training Centre run by Lorna Kiplagat in Iten,” he reveals.

Like many Kenyan athletes, he leaves home every Monday morning and travels to the group’s training camp where he will remain until the following Saturday. He doesn’t own a car and relies upon a ‘matatu’, a publicly shared minibus. Sometimes his brother will drive him though.  It’s a sacrifice he is prepared to make to ensure he achieves his running potential.

At the training camp there is much camaraderie. The shared sense of commitment and sacrifice he finds builds mental fortitude which he hopes to translate into a superb performance in Toronto. But there is also time to relax.

“I like to listen to music, Kalenjin (tribal) songs, when I am home and at camp,” he says. “And I watch football. I am a Manchester United supporter.”

Both he and Coach Peter laugh heartily when the interviewer shakes his head at the current disruption at the club. Among the group there are Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City fans says Peter.

Earnings from Kipchirchir’s running career have helped him take care of his immediate family, his wife Rhoda Jepkemboi Mukche and his 14-month-old daughter Praise Jepkorir.

“I have already bought a small farm,” he says. “It’s two acres. I grow maize and I have goats. My family members are at my home and they look after the farm when I am away at camp.”

The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon course record is 2:05:00 held by Philemon Rono since 2019. On that occasion three runners came home within thirteen seconds of Rono, once again demonstrating fast times can be achieved here.

The transition to the marathon sometimes proves difficult for even some of the best distance runners in the world. But something in his preparation and attitude reveals Kipchirchir will have a memorable debut in Toronto.

Banned Kiwi Olympian Zane Robertson arrested in sexual assault probe

Two-time New Zealand Olympian Zane Robertson, who is serving an eight-year suspension for anti-doping rule violations, was arrested last week in a sexual assault probe at his home in Kenya, where police say they found an unlicensed AK-47 assault rifle and 23 rounds of ammunition.

Robertson—who holds New Zealand’s records in the marathon (2:08:19), half-marathon (59:47) and 10K (27:28), was visited by police at his home in the town of Iten on Sept. 20 to question him about a sexual assault complaint made against the 33-year-old, according to Kenya’s Standard newspaper.

Tom Makori, sub-county police commander, told the Standard authorities arrived at the house to arrest the runner for questioning in a sexual assault investigation, after a woman claimed she was victimized by Robertson at a house party the previous day. “The suspect has been living in Kenya for several years. He has bought land and built his residence. Our preliminary investigations indicate that the AK-47 in his possession was unlicensed,” Makori said.

“Police had gone to arrest him for questioning in relation to a sexual assault complaint, but he declined to open the door. Later, after the police gained entry, they discovered that he was in possession of a gun,” he added.

Police had not released an update on when, or if, Robertson will be officially charged in connection with either the sexual assault probe or the weapons arrest. “We may seek more time to conclude investigations,” said Makori.

The arrest comes exactly one year to the day that the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand provisionally suspended Robertson for anti-doping rule violations.

In May 2022, Robertson tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) during the Greater Manchester Run—a finding later confirmed by B-sample testing. He breached the rules for the presence and use or attempted use of the prohibited substance and for tampering, or attempted tampering, with any part of the doping control process. His attempt to submit fraudulent documents to defend himself led to another charge.

In March, the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand handed Robertson an eight-year suspension for the violations, making him ineligible to compete until September 2030. However, Robertson announced his retirement from professional running a month before receiving the suspension.

In addition to breaking national records, the now-disgraced runner had distinguished himself by winning bronze in the men’s 5,000m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He finished 12th in the 10,000m at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio and 36th in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic marathon, in 2:17:04.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

World champion Jake Wightman out of defending his title in Budapest next month

After sustaining a freak injury to his foot in January during a gym session in South Africa, Jake Wightman’s recovery has not been straightforward and the 28-year-old says he has “run out of time” and is out for the summer.

This means he will be unable to defend his world 1500m title in Budapest in August just 12 months after claiming gold ahead of Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the World Championships in Eugene.

Wightman sustained the injury to the right foot when landing awkwardly doing plyometrics. He spent five weeks in a protective boot and missed the indoor season, but kept fit cross-training and then eased back into running in the spring.

But further injury-related complications have hindered his progress and he has been forced to withdraw from a number of races in recent weeks. He did not have to battle for World Championships qualification by running the UK Championships in Manchester this weekend because he already has a “wild card” entry to Budapest as a reigning champion.

But nevertheless he feels time has run out for him to get fit for the biggest event of the year and he is now looking at a return to running in late August with his sights set on 2024 instead.

“As a result of my injury, I’ve had to deal with several more set backs as I prepared to race this Summer,” he said on Instagram.

“I’ve always felt as though time has been on my side to overcome my problems fully, however it has finally run out. This means I’m sadly going to be unable to compete at Worlds which has been really gutting to come to terms with.”

Wightman, who was also one of the biggest attractions due to compete at the Diamond League in London on July 23, has had to watch in frustration this season as ten men from eight different countries have run inside 3:30 for 1500m so far this summer, led by Ingebrigtsen’s European record of 3:27.95 at the Bislett Games.

He added: “Although I’m very disappointed not be able to try and defend my title, my focus has to be on getting my body rested and ready for 2024, to ensure I’ll be back performing at my best. The are some risks I could’ve taken to be on that Budapest start line, however the potential to jeopardise my Olympic year makes this the obvious decision.

“I’m currently taking some down time before starting my rehab, ready to be back running safely and pain free by the end of August. Big thanks to all my team and British Athletics who have worked really hard to try and give me every chance of competing. I’ll see you back on the start line soon.”

Mo Farah eighth in penultimate race of career

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Manchester stage set for speedy 10km contests

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mo Farah says Great North Run will be his final race

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

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

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

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

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

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

Farah has won the Great North Run six times.

Former world record holder disqualified for taking a car during 50-mile race

Scottish ultrarunning record holder Joasia Zakrzewski has been stripped of a recent third-place finish at a British 50-miler after it was discovered that she rode in a car for about two and a half miles mid-race. Zakrzewski told the BBC that while she did hitch a ride with a friend, her decision to do so “wasn’t malicious.” Zakrzewski is the owner of multiple Scottish and British ultrarunning records, and she ran the 48-hour world record in February (although her distance was bettered by Camille Herron in March). 

Zakrzewski lives in Australia, and she reportedly travelled last-minute to the U.K. for the April 7 Manchester to Liverpool ultramarathon, arriving the night before the race. As she told the BBC, she got lost on the course halfway through the race, at which point she began dealing with leg pain that eventually became too much to handle. She saw a friend on the sidelines and decided to pull out of the run, hopping in his car and riding to tell the race marshals she was done for the day.

“When I got to the checkpoint I told them I was pulling out and that I had been in the car,” Zakrzewski said. “They said, ‘You will hate yourself if you stop.'” Zakrzewski agreed and carried on, later telling the BBC that she only planned to finish the race non-competitively. 

After crossing the line in third place, however, Zakrzewski was given a medal, a trophy and she was asked to pose for podium pictures. She didn’t stop to let anyone know she had cut the course, but Zakrzewski said that was not intentional.  

“I made a massive error accepting the trophy and should have handed it back,” she said. “I was tired and jet-lagged and … I was feeling unwell and spaced out and not thinking clearly.” Zakrzewski’s car ride blip was not noticed immediately, but race director Wayne Drinkwater was eventually tipped off that she had received an “unsporting, competitive advantage during a section of the event.” 

Drinkwater and his team checked the race tracking data and took statements from other competitors, before moving forward with Zakrzewski’s disqualification. As The Guardian reported, a GPS file shows that Zakrzewski covered a mid-race mile in one minute and 40 seconds. 

With Zakrzewski disqualified, a runner named Mel Sykes is the new third-place finisher at the race. “I’m an idiot and want to apologize to Mel,” Zakrzewski said. “I would never purposefully cheat.”

Two-time world champion Kirui clears path for his retirement

Two-time world marathon champion Abel Kirui has revealed he is two years away from hanging his spikes, but not entirely.

The National Police Service officer has outlined his plan for the next two years as he seeks to retire after the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will coincide with his 20th anniversary in distance running.

Kirui, who won the marathon titles at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin and at Daegu two years later, is the proprietor of Grace Joy Educational Centre where, in addition to education, he hopes to churn future athletics prospects.

The 2016 Chicago Marathon champion said: "Having been in the game for 18 years, I feel I should hang my spikes in the next two years and embark on giving back to society."

"It is important for me to help upcoming athletes. I struggled to start my running at Samitui Primary School and, having succeeded in the sport over the years, I feel we must teach children to be patient and love the sport at an early age," he said.

Kirui, the 2008 Vienna Marathon winner, said most young people are always excited when they see him going for morning runs and he wants to capitalise on this to pull as many as possible into the sport.

He said he is already mentoring some pupils at Grace Joy.

"We always sit together. We watch my previous races on Youtube and they are motivated to train harder. I am part of the team. I am always practical to convince them that I am a human being, not an alien from another planet," he explained.

The 2012 Olympic Games marathon silver medalist revealed how he got into Grace Joy.

"I had an idea of establishing a school way back in 2008 when I was in New York. I used to tell my friends that I needed a school and years later, I found this school on sale and I realised my dream," he noted.

"My aim is to create champions at Great Joy Academy, which I refer to as Old Trafford since I am a Manchester United fan."

He said he will use both his resources and influence in the sporting circles to develop the facility into a world-class sporting institution. Kirui said despite being a successful runner, his focus is not just on his sport of choice.

"I have a guy from Nyanza who wants to train these kids in football, a friend from India is keen on making this place a cricket centre while an American friend wants to train them in baseball," said Kirui, who chalked up second place finishes at the 2007 Berlin and 2017 Chicago marathons.

Works have already started at Grace Joy, geared towards the establishment of a running track.

"We will first put murram but in the future, we shall have a tartan track," he said.

The school has six pupils preparing for the Uasin Gishu County Primary Schools track and field championships set for this Friday in Eldoret.

Naomi Jemutai (3,000m), Sarah Patience (100m), Ian Sum (3,000m), Charlotte Talam (5,000m), Mathew Kibet (1,500m) and Eugene Kiplagat will represent the school in the event.

Pius Waliala, a teacher at Grace Joy, observed that the current Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) is all about talent development and that's why they are emphasising on sports.

"Since the founder is a champion, his dream is to empower talented kids. Here, we help the learners explore their talents. We search for talents during game time and expose them through inter-class competitions," said Waliala.

Another teacher/coach, Stella Koech, added: "We have learners who are good in academics, others are good in sports and others are good in both. We always try to make sure that we strike a balance."

Zane Robertson Popped for EPO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adam Craig now setting sights on going the distance at 2024 Olympics

Borders athlete Adam Craig is setting his sights high but keeping his feet on the ground after completing his first competitive marathon.

Craig finished this month’s Valencia Marathon in two hours 13 minutes and 58 seconds and is now intent on improving on that to boost his hopes of qualifying for the 2024 Olympics in France.

“I’d love to be able to run at the Paris Olympics,” the 27-year-old told us. “Those sorts of races are the ones that I want to be in.”

UK Athletics requires athletes to achieve specified times to be considered for Olympic selection and to make it to the French capital, Craig reckons he will need to better his debut effort over 26 miles on the Spanish east coast by about five minutes, though target times have yet to be set for 2024.

Craig remains focused on getting faster as 2023 goes on, however, and isn’t letting himself think about the Olympic Games too much just yet.

“Obviously to think about the Olympics is good to fuel the fire, but I’m also not putting everything on that just because very few people actually get to go to the Olympics and compete on that stage,” he said.

“It’s certainly something that’s on my mind but it’s not always to the forefront.”

Craig is planning to compete in two marathons in 2023 and how he fares in those races will determine whether he’s ready for the Olympics or not.

“If next year goes really well and I get another two marathons and can knock another couple of minutes off that time, then I’d probably go into 2024 thinking ‘right, let’s try and qualify for this’, but it could go really well or it could go the other way,” he said.

Whether they’re trying to qualify for the Olympics or just aiming to cover the distance, a runner’s first marathon is a step into the unknown, so in preparation for the Valencia Marathon – won by Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum in 2:01:53, the fastest debut ever over that distance – Craig asked peers and coaches for advice.

“Everyone that I spoke to kind of said the same thing, which is that I can give you my experience of a marathon but yours will be totally different,” he said.

"Everyone said you get to 20 miles and that’s when the race starts. I saw that 20 mile-sign and I thought ‘OK, yeah, I’m in a position now where I can switch that race head on and start looking to push on, even if it’s just a second or two per mile quicker’.”

Having got that race, held annually since 1981, under his belt, finishing 42nd out of almost 22,000 runners, Craig reckons he’s got plenty of room for improvement.

“In our build-up, me and my coach decided that we’d play it quite safe and leave a few stones to be turned over next time around, so we didn’t go away and use any kind of heat or altitude training or anything like that,” he said.

“There’s room for improvement, which is quite exciting.”

It’s often said by those running them that marathons are just as tough mentally as they are physically, the psychological aspect of keeping running for that long often being daunting even for seasoned athletes, and that’s something Craig agrees with now he’s got first-hand experience of going the distance.

He says he was forewarned and forearmed about the mental strength required before heading over to Spain and decided to break up the race into sections in his mind to give himself a sense of achievement along the way rather than just being faced with a distance close to that from his former home-town of Lauder to Edinburgh as a single sizeable challenge.

Even adopting that strategy, he admits he did have a wobble early on, however.

“About eight or nine kilometers in, I remember thinking ‘I’m not even a quarter of the way through this yet – there is a long way to go’,” he recalled.

“I definitely had dips in the race, but I had lots of little markers along the way, which helped me switch off and almost lose focus of where I was in the race or how far I had to go.”

Craig, currently racing for Team New Balance Manchester, has previously enjoyed success over shorter distances, competing for Great Britain over half-marathon and 10,000-meter distances, but is now looking to play a longer game.

Connor Mantz breaks record, Weini Kelati wins again at Manchester Road Race

Connor Mantz won the Manchester Road Race in record time.

The 25-year-old from Provo, Utah, won the race with a time of 21:04, beating the record set more than four years ago. It's a duel celebration for the runner as he is also celebrating his honeymoon.

In the women’s race, 25-year-old Weini Kelati defended her record-breaking 2021 title, handily winning her second Manchester Road Race. She was named Queen of the Hill.

Much like in 2021, Kelati began her race early and paced with some of the elite male runners. During the race, no other woman could pace with Kelani. For some pockets of the race, Kelati paced by herself, running faster than some of the elite men.

Kelati, an Eritrea-born runner, validated her world-class ambitions by winning two national championships in New Mexico. She turned professional and joined the Dark Sky Distance running club. In 2021, she met the Olympic qualifying standard for 10,000 meters. That year she came to the U.S.  

Wesley Kiptoo, 23 from Kenya, won King of the Hill, which has a $1,000 prize.

Kiptoo came in third place overall, while Morgan Beadlescomb came in second.

Over 10,000 runners were registered for this year's race. It is the final year for longtime race director Jim Balcome, who, with his team, built the race into a world-class event.

The course is a 4.748-mile loop through the town’s central streets. It starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matthew Kimeli (28:38) And Fentyea Belayneh (32:06) Win Beach To Beacon 10k

Beach to Beacon returns after 2-year absence: ‘It’s great to be back!’

A carnival of calves, quads and cowbells came back to this seaside town Saturday, after an absence of 1,099 days.

More than 5,000 runners paraded over the roads of Cape Elizabeth on a warm and cloudless morning in the 24th edition of the venerable TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race. Because of the pandemic, the race was canceled in 2020 and held virtually in 2021.

“It’s great to be back!” said Joan Benoit Samuelson, the race founder who grew up in Cape Elizabeth and went on to win the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon in the Los Angeles Games of 1984.

Along the route, which winds onto Old Ocean House Road before returning to Route 77 and continuing onto Shore Road until entering Fort Williams for the finish along a well-watered strip of green grass in sight of the lighthouse, spectators were abundant if not as thick as in past years.

The folks near the Mile 5 marker who grill bacon were back, enticing runners with mouth-watering scents of breakfast. (Beach to Bacon, reads their sign.) Bands and music added merriment and encouragement.

“It was so fun,” said Amy Davis, a Wisconsin native who placed fourth among all women. “The crowds get into it and the community, and it propels you forward. You feel like you’re never alone. That was really cool.”

Davis, 25, is the daughter of Nan Doak-Davis, a former national marathon champion who competed alongside Samuelson back in the day.

Befitting the 50th anniversary of Title IX legislation that opened doors long closed to female athletes, the women’s field on Saturday featured a dramatic race led for long stretches by Standish native Emily Durgin, a graduate of Cheverus High in Portland and the University of Connecticut.

The 28-year-old Durgin, now living and training in Flagstaff, Arizona, was runner-up by nine seconds to Fentaye Belayneh of Ethiopia. In her American road-racing debut, the 21-year-old Belayneh covered the 6.2 miles from Crescent Beach to the Portland Head Light in 32 minutes, 7 seconds.

No American woman has won Beach to Beacon. The only American man to do so is North Yarmouth native Ben True, six years ago. On Thursday night, True decided for health reasons to remain home in New Hampshire.

True’s absence paved the way for Mathew Kimeli, 24, of Kenya to run away from the men’s field. Hampered only by a brief entanglement with yellow caution tape after he turned onto Shore Road in Mile 4, Kimeli crossed the line with arms upraised in a winning time of 28:39.

Belayneh and Kimeli each received $10,000 for their victories. Durgin took home $5,000 for second place and another $5,000 as the top American finisher.

Because her connecting flight was canceled Thursday night, Durgin rented a car with her boyfriend and drove to Maine from Philadelphia on Friday, stopping at her favorite Connecticut diner (in Vernon) along the way.

“It was less stress because I knew I was coming to a familiar place,” said Durgin, whose parents picked up their luggage from the Portland jetport. “If I was going anyplace else, I probably would have gotten back on the plane and gone back to Phoenix.”

Once on the course, Durgin said she was surprised by the relatively pedestrian early pace – the first mile passed in 5:12 – until she realized her competitors were playing it safe amid hot and humid conditions.

“Then I found myself leading the whole race,” she said. “This is the first time that I’ve seen myself in the lead. It was not a super-familiar feeling.”

Kimeli’s time was the slowest for a men’s champion in race history. Belayneh’s was the slowest winning women’s time since 2011.

“The race was humid, and a lot of slopes,” said Kimeli, who was forced to stop to remove the tape from his leg when he couldn’t shake free from it. “Thank goodness we were not in a group. Maybe I would fall down if we were in a group.”

Twenty seconds passed before the surprise runner-up, Athanas Kioko, passed beneath the final banner. A recent graduate of Campbell University in Georgia, the 27-year-old Kioko registered for the race on Monday, picked up his four-digit bib number Saturday morning after a travel nightmare rivaled only by that of Durgin, and picked off two runners in the final mile to beat every invited elite athlete save Kimeli.

Two flight cancellations Friday morning in Atlanta forced Kioko to accept a diversion to Chicago, endure a four-hour layover, and eventually wind up in Manchester, New Hampshire. After a brief night in a motel, some Kenyan friends from Boston picked him up at 4:30 a.m. on their way to Maine. He got his bib at Cape Elizabeth High School less than an hour before the race, hopped on a bus to the start and enjoyed a 10-minute warm-up before the gun fired.

“Due to traveling, my lower back was a bit painful,” Kioko said. “But right now, I’m not tired.”

The Maine resident category saw a pair of first-time winners. Biddeford native Sam Mills, 21, whooped with joy before crossing the finish line in 31:09. Aly Ursiny of Yarmouth, 34, a mother of two who moved here from Boston last winter, was the fastest Maine woman in 36:17.

Dina Asher-Smith will launch the defence of her 200m title at world championships

Dina Asher-Smith set for 200m defence as part of GB’s World Championships squad. 

The 26-year-old, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Keely Hodgkinson headline the 64-strong team for the competition in Eugene, Oregon, in July.

Asher-Smith won gold in Doha three years ago, having collected 100m silver, before going on to also secure silver in the 4x100m relay, and will look to improve on that haul in the United States.

She is expected to run at the Stockholm Diamond League meet on Thursday in her final race before the World Championships, which were rescheduled from last year after the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Outgoing Olympic head coach Christian Malcolm said: “We’ve seen a number of athletes step up on the global circuit so far this season, which has been really encouraging.

“We are confident that we’ve selected a team that optimises medal success and that have the ability to progress through rounds to reach finals.

“The World Championships is the start of a very busy summer of Championships and Games, so there are a number of opportunities for athletes to represent their country this summer.

“For those who have been selected for the team for Oregon, I wish the athletes and their coaches the best over the next week or so and to keep focus to achieve your goals.”

Daryll Neita, who reached last year’s Olympic 100m final and beat Asher-Smith in Manchester at the weekend to become British 100m champion, is also included for the 100m and 4x100m.

Despite winning the 200m at the British Championships on Sunday, however, 25-year-old Neita does not have the time for 200m qualification, with Asher-Smith joined by Beth Dobbin.

Johnson-Thompson missed the Manchester championships at the weekend but will look to defend the heptathlon world title she won in 2019.

The 29-year-old has been dogged by injury for 18 months since rupturing her Achilles in late 2020 and pulled out of the Olympics having suffered a calf problem in the heptathlon’s 200m.

Hodgkinson, who is expected to challenge American Athing Mu for 800m gold, is included along with Laura Muir, with the Scot aiming for her first World Championships outdoor medal after claiming 1500m silver in Tokyo last year.

Hodgkinson is joined in the 800m by Alex Bell and Jemma Reekie while Holly Bradshaw, who won Olympic bronze last year, will contest the pole vault.

Zharnel Hughes and Reece Prescod are Britain’s hopes in the men’s 100m with Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Adam Gemili in the 200m.

Prescod ran 9.93 seconds in Ostrava last month to leave him 11th fastest in the world this year but he remains well behind world lead Fred Kerley, who posted 9.76 seconds at the US trials at the weekend.

All four are in the men’s 4x100m relay squad, with Hughes and Mitchell-Blake aiming to ease their heartbreak having been stripped of their Olympic relay silver after CJ Ujah’s positive drugs test.

They are joined by Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, new British 100m champion Jeremiah Azu and Jona Efoloko.

Asher-Smith, Dobbin, Neita, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Ashleigh Nelson, Asha Philip and Bianca Williams make up the women’s 4x100m squad.

Max Burgin, the fastest man in the world over 800m this year, won the British title on Sunday to seal his place.

World Athletics will publish its final world rankings ahead of the Championships on Wednesday, meaning there are likely to be a number of additions to the squad based on rankings.

The World Championships sparks a frantic summer with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham starting days after the end of competition in Eugene and then the European Championships in Munich in August.

ESPN and WCVB has signed a deal with the Boston Athletics Association to provide exclusive year-round coverage for all their events including the Marathon

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today that ESPN and WCVB Channel 5 will serve as the exclusive national and local broadcast partners, respectively, for the Boston Marathon beginning in 2023. WCVB will also provide exclusive year-round coverage for all B.A.A. events including the B.A.A. 5K, B.A.A. 10K, and B.A.A. Half Marathon.

“We’re honored to partner with ESPN and WCVB Channel 5, respected market leaders who bring a spirit of innovation and thoughtful storytelling that will propel the mission of the B.A.A. and legacy of the world’s oldest annual marathon forward,” said Jack Fleming, acting Chief Executive Officer of the B.A.A. “Both have established a tradition of broadcasting world-class athletic events, and we are excited to build on this tradition together into the future.”

“The Boston Marathon is one of the world’s most recognizable and best-known sporting events and we’re proud to be able to bring it to ESPN viewers for years to come,” said Burke Magnus, President, Programming and Original Content, for ESPN. “We look forward to working with the B.A.A. and WCVB to present the stories and athletic achievements of this classic race.”

“The B.A.A. and the Boston Marathon are esteemed around the world and beloved by our community, and to be launching this exclusive partnership as WCVB marks 50 years in broadcasting and service to the community is especially fitting,” said Kyle I. Grimes, WCVB Channel 5 President and General Manager. “WCVB has a proud history of covering the market’s marquee events, and the Boston Marathon is the perfect addition to Channel 5’s signature, local programming. We also look forward to working with the B.A.A. year-round to highlight their many other athletic events as well as the great work they do in the community.”

ESPN will broadcast the 127th Boston Marathon, scheduled to take place on Monday, April 17, 2023, on its flagship channel from 8:30 a.m. ET until 1:00 p.m. ET. In addition, ESPN will also have coverage of the race within SportsCenter before the live coverage and later in the day, as well as coverage appearing on other ESPN shows and platforms.

Live coverage of the Boston Marathon will air on WCVB beginning at 4:00 a.m. ET through 8:00 p.m. ET. The race will be exclusively simulcast regionally on WCVB Channel 5’s Hearst Television owned sister-stations WMUR (Manchester, NH), WMTW (Portland/Auburn, ME), and WPTZ (Burlington, VT/Plattsburgh, NY). WCVB and all of its television partners will provide coverage of the marathon on their digital platforms and mobile apps. The Boston Marathon will also be live streamed on Very Local Boston, and the streaming platform will host year-round content featuring the B.A.A. WCVB will also serve as the first-ever exclusive broadcast partner for the B.A.A.’s Distance Medley races and will provide year-round coverage of the B.A.A. and its races, with a focus on the Boston Marathon.

The partnership marks the return of the Boston Marathon to both ESPN and WCVB, with ESPN having aired the world’s most prestigious road race in the early 1980’s and then from 1997-2004. WCVB provided wire-to-wire coverage of the marathon from 1982 through 2006, including the largest Boston Marathon in history—the centennial Boston Marathon in 1996 featured 35,868 finishers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lisa Weightman shatters master's 10k record at Sydney10

In glorious running conditions the 2022 Sydney10 saw record fields and performances. In the women’s, four-time Olympian Lisa Weightman, ran the fastest women’s 10km road time ever in Australia, while in the men’s there was a breakthrough and surprise for Brisbane’s Kieren Perkins.

WOMEN 10KM

In her last race, eight months ago, Lisa Weightman placed a magnificent 26th. In Sydney this morning, Lisa Weightman just carried on from her last race, her fourth Olympic marathon eight months ago in Japan, with a stunning 31:20 10km time. It fell just three seconds short of the Australian record set by Benita Willis in Manchester in 2006, however it was the fastest time ever on Australian soil. It sliced 30 seconds from Lisa’s previous best.

“I’m very pleased and especially after a break and reset post-Olympic Games,” she said. “I would have been happy to get anything with a 31 in-front of it, but to get that close to Benita national record is great.”

Lisa setup the performance on the first lap.

“I passed 5km in 15:30, a PB, and was feeling good and knew I was on for a good run.”

She finished in 32:20, ahead of a tremendous run by Leanne Pompeani clocking 31:43.

The result confirmed some training adjustment are working for Lisa.

“I felt strong from the work I done on the Melbourne university track with the boys.”

Secord placed Leanne Pompeani also entered the record books. Her time of 31:43, was a 43 seconds PB and was the third fastest in Australian history.

She ran hard from the gun and was trailing Lisa.

“After passing 5km in about 15:30, Lisa started to put the foot down and I knew I couldn’t go with that pace,” said Leanne.

“Towards the end, I was definitely feeling it, like you want to stop, but knew I was on for a PB so pushed on. I had ‘banked’ time early as I had run quicker than expected.”

The battle between NSW-based pair of Aynslee van Graan and Jess Noble was terrific. For much of the race Aynslee held the lead, but Jess was able to pass her in the last kilometres to take third in 33:31, from Aynslee with 33:36.

Both claimed satisfying PB. For Jess it removed 80 seconds from her previous best and for Aynslee 16 seconds.

Jess, a fourth-year physiotherapist from Newcastle was very happy.

“I felt I had the potential to run that time,” she said.

“I felt good in the race, except for a 4-5km patch.”

Jess was watching Aynslee closely, knowing she was a threat.

“I could see her most of the way, she is super quick.”

It has been a tremendous 12 months of progress for Jess which she puts down to ‘such a good and positive training group’ under coach Ben Toomey.

But as Jess is still so young, still 20, it does raise the question of how far can she go in the sport?

“I’m not one to think too far ahead,” she said. “I never thought I could run these times.”

Aynslee van Graan only arrived back in Australia from South Africa on Thursday morning after travelling home to see family and friends.

The women claimed the following places on the event’s all-time list: Lisa Weightman #1, Leanne Pompeani #2, Jess Noble #24 and Aynslee van Graan #28.

MEN 10KM

There was a surprise in the men’s 10km with Brisbane’s Kieren Perkins, 29, continuing his amazing rise over the last couple of years. He destroyed his PB clocking 28:57 to destroy his previous best mark of 29:29 set at Launceston in December. Just four years ago he was a 34-35 minute 10km athlete, but under the coaching of Bert Squad led by Peter Bracken, has had enjoyed an amazing rise in the last few years. He has also received some help with his track sessions from Jayden Russ, which assisted him under 14 minutes in the national 5000m championship.

“I shocked myself,” is how Kieren described his performance. “I felt good early and ran with Jacob Cocks (from SA) for 2-4 km, then put my foot down and pull away.”

After he had broken away, defending champion, who had not run for a few months, Kieren Tall was the only remaining danger.

“I felt he (Tall) was there and if I knew if gave him a sniff he could be a problem, so I kept the pressure on.”

“With 2km to go I kicked away. I didn’t want him near with 400m to go should he have I kick.

“I felt strong mentally and physically and felt I could keep pushing throughout.”

Kieren also felt the cool weather in Sydney assisted him.

Can he explain his improvement over the last few years?

“I think taking athletics more seriously and a new squad and positive culture.”

Kieren is an Army logistics officer and has he is full-time runs around 5am daily. No surprise he has little trouble with the six monthly 2.4km Army fitness test.

Defending champion Kieren Tall (Run Crew), was returning to racing and pleased with his second place in 29:16.

“It was better than I expected,” he said. He was a little conservative early ‘so I wouldn’t blow up’.

Next for Kieren is a big training block ahead of concentrating on some road races later in the year.

Third was Queensland’s Liam Boudin in a one second PB time of 29:21, holding off SA’s Riley Cocks (29:25) and Bendigo’s Nathan Stoate (29:30).

The men claimed the following places on the event’s all-time list: Kieren Perkins =#2, Liam Boudin #8, Jacob Cocks #11, Nathan Stoate #13.

The second-ever Cocodona 250 will kick off on Monday, May 2nd, with an alternate course beginning in Prescott, Arizona, and ending in downtown Flagstaff

Over 200 runners will have roughly five days to cover over two hundred miles of some of the Southwest's most beautiful and challenging terrain. 

The race takes place on the current and historic homelands of many Indigenous groups, including the Jumanos, Yagapaiv Apache, Hopitutskwa, Pueblo, Zuni, Hualapai, Hopitutskwa Hualapai, and Hohokam. 

Here's what you need to know about the 2022 Cocodona 250, which athletes to watch for, and how to follow along.

Course Changes for 2022

Due to the Crooks Fire, which started on April 18, race officials rerouted nearly a quarter of the course after the Prescott National Forest was placed under an emergency closure through May 3, for ease of firefighting efforts. As of April 26, the Crooks Fire was 16% contained and burning around 6,400 acres south of Prescott in the Bradshaw mountains.

The new course will start in Prescott, Arizona, rather than Black Canyon City. 

"[The fire] basically broke out less than a mile from the mile 63 aid station," said Jamil Coury, owner of Aravaipa Running and one of the Cocodona organizers. "We've been able to do a reroute of the first 70 miles of the race courseand we're going to be running about 60 miles and then we'll merge back with the course and we'll make up the rest of the miles later on in the race."

As a relatively new race, Coury says there are still some challenges to work through with an event as long as Cocodona. The last-minute course changes proved particularly challenging, but he hopes the event will continue to settle into a routine over the coming years.

"We're trying to work out the kinks for sure. You know, a lot can happen in this length of race," he says. "Everything else is mostly kind of like last year. We're looking to do a livestream of the event again on our YouTube channel until at least the top female podium comes in and we'll see from there, we might try and do some bonus broadcasts with some of our finishers in the last couple of days. It's more like we're trying to test a couple more ideas for the course. We'll get feedback from those and then maybe settle into a more long term route."

Runners to Watch

In its first-ever running last year, Cocodona featured 176 runners, 108 of whom finished. This year the field is considerably larger, with 234 registered runners. Twenty-one of those are finishers from last year's inaugural event: 17 men and four women. 

Those 17 men include 2021 champion Michael Versteeg and three other top-10 finishers (Joshua Locke, Tod Bachman, and Mark Vogel). The women's field includes only two returners from last year's top 10, fifth place finisher Sarah Ostaszewski and ninth place finisher Jodi Semonell.

But alongside those returners comes a strong contingency of newcomers who will look to challenge both the men's and women's course records of 72:50:25 and 85:30:38, respectively.

"For the women, I think the biggest name on the list would be Annie Hughes from Leadville. She won the Moab 240 last year, Leadville 100 last year, and then Coldwater this January," says Coury. "Briana Grigsby from Tucson was fifth at the Black Canyon 100K this year and second at the Javelina 100K last year. And then Sarah Ostaszewski. She finished last year, and she'll be returning."

Hughes, at just 24, will seek to remain undefeated at the 200+ mile distance. She's been training for Cocodona with shorter ultras since winning the Moab 240 in October. She won the Coldwater Rumble 100 in January and the Staunton Rocks Running Up For Air 12-hour event in February. At that race, she racked up 56 miles in just under 11 hours and beat all the other competitors, regardless of gender. She then celebrated her 24th birthday on March 13 by running for 24 hours around her home in Leadville, Colorado, covering nearly 120 miles.

"I feel like with 200s, there's just so much time to go through highs and lows, and you just kind of have to ride the highs when you're feeling good and just go with it," said Hughes. "You can't really plan for these things, so I'm just kind of going into it looking at it as an adventure."

After Cocodona, she will continue a full racing schedule through the summer with three 100s: High Lonesome in July, Run Rabbit Run in September, and Javelina in October, back in Arizona. For Cocodona, she'll focus on carefully scheduling sleep and nutrition, seeing the experience as an opportunity for adventure.

"I think it's really cool that [200s] are becoming more popular and that a brand new race as amazing as this one is now available for runners," said Hughes. "I'm really excited to be a part of this race in one of the first years it's ever been run, because I think it's going to become really big." 

On the men's side, Coury will be watching for 200+ veteran Michael McKnight, who DNF-ed last year's race due to heat struggles, and last year's winner Michael Versteeg, as well as backcountry guide, coach, and pro Brooks athlete Joe McConaughy, who will take his first crack at the 200+ mile distance. McConaughy currently holds the fastest known times (FKTs) for the Arizona Trail (supported), Long Trail in Vermont (self-supported), and Appalachian Trail (northbound, self-supported).

"[McConaughy has a] strong thru-hiking, kind of FKT background," says Coury. "Also really fast at short distance and then even at like the 100-mile distance, he's got some really fast times. He has this interesting mix of super long and short and fast."

McConaughy also brings recent experience with running fast in the area where Cocodona takes place.

"I'm stoked. It's an awesome route. [Aravaipa is] an awesome race organization. There's lots of great runners. So it's kind of like everything you want from an effort," says McConaughy. "I did the Arizona Trail last year and I did it right around the same timeSo it's really cool thinking I did the Arizona Trail and now coming back for another big section of trail. And adventuring in Arizona is really exciting. I just love the desert and the vibes and the whole area. It's just a very, very lovely, fun state."

MEN

Michael McKnight (32, Smithfield, UT): two-time champion of the Triple Crown of 200s (which includes the Moab 240, Tahoe 200, and Bigfoot 200), his record on those three combined races is the fastest ever by nearly 45 hours (162:00:51). He has multiple wins at both Bigfoot and Moab.

Michael Versteeg (Prescott, AZ): Last year's winner, also won the 2020 Fuego y Agua 100K and was fourth at the 2019 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile

Chad Trumbo (39, Columbus, OH): Won the Fuzzy Fandango 50K in November, sixth at the Mohican 100 Miler in 2021.

Joe McConaughy (30, Seattle, WA): Third at Gorge Waterfalls 100K earlier this month, fourth at the 2021 Javelina Jundred, holds numerous thru-hiking FKTs.

Cole Crosby (33, Cranston, RI): Fifth at the USATF 50K championships in 2020, recent wins at the Manchester to Monadnock 55 Miler and MCW Westfield Ultra 9 Hour.

Eric Senseman (33, Flagstaff, AZ): 2017 JFK 50 Mile winner, with top-three finishes at the 2019 and 2021 Black Canyon 100K.

WOMEN

Annie Hughes (24, Leadville, CO): Recent wins at the Leadville 100, Coldwater Rumble 100, and Moab 240.

Rhoda Smoker (35, Elverson, PA): Recent wins at the Conquer the Wall Endurance Challenge 47 hour run, Dogwood Ultras 12 hour, and Green Monster Trail Challenge 50K.

Brianna Grigsby (34, Tucson, AZ): Recent wins at the Sinister Night Runs 54K and McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50K, plus top-five finishes at the Black Canyon 100K and Bandera 100K earlier this year.

Lee Conner (49, Cleveland, OH): Top-five finishes at the Forget the PR Mohican 50K, Run Lovit 100 Miler, Outlaw 100, and Cloudsplitter 100 - all in the last 8 months!

Jodi Semonell (49, Omaha, NE): Second at the 2020 Moab 240, ninth last year at the inaugural Cocodona 250, recent wins at the Dizzy GOAT 12 hour run and Hitchcock Experience Endurance Runs 100 Miler.

Sarah Ostaszewski (30, Beaverton, OR): Fifth at last year's Cocodona, with recent wins at the Bristow 24 hour run, Mogollon Monster 100 Miler, and Across the Years Marathon, plus a top-10 finish at the Javelina Jundred in October.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Becky Briggs and Jonny Mellor take Manchester Marathon victories

Becky Briggs enjoyed a huge breakthrough as she took five minutes off her PB with 2:29:04, while Jonny Mellor was close to his lifetime best with a commanding men’s win in 2:10:46 at the Therme Manchester Marathon on Sunday April 3.

In ideal conditions for marathon running, Briggs and Mellor both smashed the England qualifying standard for the Commonwealth Games of 2:14:00 plus the European Championships mark of 2:14:30 on a day of brilliant racing.

A total of 20 Brits broke the 2:20 barrier with Mellor’s training partner Ross Millington clocking 2:11:38 in his debut marathon in second place, as Kevin Seaward of Northern Ireland was third in 2:11:54.

Behind Briggs, Naomi Mitchell was runner-up in a PB of 2:30:54 while Georgina Schwiening was third in 2:31:37 and Sonia Samuels, 42, fourth in 2:32:32.

All of them were well inside the 2:34:00 women’s qualifying standard for the Commonwealth Games. Although in addition to places in the England team for Birmingham in July and GB team for Munich in August, the race was also a trial for the GB team for the IAU 50km European Championships in Avila, Spain, in October.

In a race packed with top-class performances, the super-vet Tommy Hughes (second photo) clocked a phenomenal 2:30:05 aged 62, although it is not quite as quick as his M60 record of 2:30:02 set two years ago.

Defending champion Matt Crehan enjoyed an early lead in the race but he was caught before halfway – which the leaders reached in 66:05 – and Mellor, who had been helped by pacemakers such as Ben Connor, Omar Ahmed and Charlie Hulson, made a strong move just after 20 miles to break away from his rivals.

Mellor and Millington are both members of Team New Balance Manchester and are coached by Steve Vernon. Millington ran for Britain over 10,000m at the Rio Olympics but Mellor has endured bad luck with major championships qualification, being overlooked by England in the run-up to the 2018 Commonwealth Games and then being forced to miss last year’s Olympic marathon trial due to a freak leg injury caused, he thinks, by compression socks during his sleep.

Briggs only turned 22 last month but looks ideally suited to the marathon. Just three years ago she was the third British athlete in the under-20 race at the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus but ran 2:38:58 on her marathon debut in the Olympic trial last year and then 2:34:34 in London last October.

Here she went through halfway in 74:16, then overhauled long-time leader Mitchell with about 10km to go and finished strongly to smash the 2:30 barrier and to go No.20 on the UK all-time rankings.

Tom Craggs, England Athletics road running manager, added: “We are delighted to see such tight competition today, with the athletes pushing themselves to place within the top three in order to join Team England this year for the Commonwealth Games 2022.

“This year is an incredibly exciting year for home nations athletes with three major championships taking place, and we were delighted to have worked with the team at Therme Manchester Marathon to support athletes to have the best possible experience at the England Commonwealth Games and British Athletics European Championship trials.”

With a rich history dating back to 1908, the Therme Manchester Marathon is increasingly popular due to its fast, flat course, welcoming Mancunian atmosphere – and Sunday saw 24,000 runners taking part.

Next year’s event is on April 16, 2023. 

Ben Flanagan is taking a new career path

Former NCAA champion and professional distance runner Ben Flanagan had a breakout season in 2021, but now as he prepares for 2022, he’s raising the bar to a whole new level.

“I’ll be moving to the high jump,” Flanagan says. “I fell in love with the sport.”

After his win at the Falmouth Road Race in Falmouth, Mass., last August. Flanagan was approached by a famous U.S. high jump coach, Mike Flyte, who currently coaches for the U.S. Airforce Academy. Flyte was at Falmouth to watch his wife race in 2018 and 2021 and noticed Flanagan’s outstanding ‘vert’ as he celebrated into the finish.

Flyte eventually approached Flanagan after the race to congratulate him. “I thought he was making a joke at first, until he handed me his business card,” Flanagan says.

Already having the rest of his season planned for 2021, Flanagan finished the season in impeccable form, taking wins at the Manchester Road Race and Toronto Waterfront 10K.

In February, Flanagan connected with Flyte and made his way to Airforce Academy’s Track and Field Centre in Colorado Springs. “The high jump was love at first sight,” says Flanagan. “What intrigues me about high jump is the idea of reaching new heights.”

Although Flanagan only holds a personal best of 1.06 m, he’s confident that his distance running experience will stand him in good stead for the new discipline.

“High jump and distance running are way more similar than people think,” he says. “I’m shocked more people don’t make this transition, or even compete in both.”

Flanagan’s ultimate goal would be to double in the high jump and marathon in Paris 2024.

The USATF has made the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon the national championship for the distance on May 7

USA Track & Field, whose headquarters are in Indianapolis, will have two of its events in Indianapolis, Ind this year.

Most notable is USATF has made the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon the national championship for the distance on May 7.

The half-marathon championship is a stop on USATF’s running circuit, a series of road races from one mile to the marathon offering $500,000 in prize money. The designation could attract the strongest field of elite runners in the history of the Mini, which debuted in 1977.

In a news release, Max Siegel, CEO of USATF, said:

“We are thrilled to bring our USATF Half Marathon Championships to such an incredible weekend of racing in Indianapolis.”

The 13.1-mile course starts and finishes downtown and features a 2.5-mile loop around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The pandemic caused the Mini to be canceled in 2020 and 2021.

Prize money for each gender is $7,000 for first place, $3,500 for second, down to $600 for 10th. Total prize money per gender is $20,000.

Indianapolis runner Noah Droddy, 31, who has run the second-fastest marathon ever by a native Hoosier, posted on Twitter that timing of the announcement was inappropriate.

"For reference most races assemble their professional athlete field MONTHS in advance," Droddy wrote. "I would have loved to race at home, but how can you plan for something on this timeline?"

Futsum Zienasellassie, a seven-time state champion at North Central High School, also said he will not race the Mini because of a scheduling conflict.

He is coming off two of his best results: fifth in the USA half-marathon in 1:01:21 at Hardeeville, S.C., Dec. 5, and sixth in the USA 15-kilometer race in 43:28 at Jacksonville March 5.  In the latter, he beat seventh-place Galen Rupp, a two-time Olympic medalist. Zienasellassie, 29, who lives in Flagstaff, Ariz., has qualified for the Nov. 13 half-marathon World Championship at Yanzhou, China.

Also, USATF is bringing a street meet to Indianapolis on Sept. 18. It is part of the Journey to Gold Tour, which opens April 9 at Bermuda. A live telecast is scheduled for NBC.

The meet is modeled after similar events held at Boston and Manchester, England. Runners race down a straightaway course on an assembled track surface.

Mo Farah’s racing comeback gathers pace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What are the Fastest Marathons in the UK?

The marathon distance is something that many runners aspire to. It’s a lot more taxing than a half marathon and requires serious mental and physical resilience to complete. Most people can run a 5k or 10k without a lot of training. It’s even possible to get around a half marathon on minimal training, although it won’t be a pleasant experience! But if you want to bag a coveted marathon medal, you’ll need to train hard and long.

Chasing a PB

Completing a marathon isn’t enough for some runners, since they are intent on chasing a personal best. If you fall into this category, a fast marathon course is essential. After all, you have zero chance of achieving a PB if you enter the Snowdonia Marathon, which includes 1,685 metres of ascent. You’re also likely to end up with very sore calves and quads!

Luckily, there are a few flat marathons for runners hoping to smash their personal records over a 26.2-mile course. And if you can’t face the idea of all that training, visit OnlineCasinos and find an online casino where you can place a bet on one of the pro athletes who will be out to break a record or two. OnlineCasinos lists casinos with the best welcome bonuses and rates them too.

Read on to discover which marathon races are the flattest, with the best PB potential.

Edinburgh Marathon

Edinburgh has a flat and very fast course and Runners World voted it the fastest marathon in the UK. If you are chasing a PB, this is the race for you.

Edinburgh Marathon is extremely popular, with both casual runners and elite runners. It attracts more than 30,000 runners each year and is the second-largest marathon after London, so it is a good idea to get your entry in early if you want to compete.

One of the great things about Edinburgh is that the support is excellent. Some less popular marathons have large sections with few spectators, which makes it hard for any runners who are struggling. In a typical year, tens of thousands of people line the route to cheer runners on, and it makes a big difference!

Another reason to sign-up for Edinburgh is that the course is very scenic and takes in a lot of the most famous parts of the Old Town. You will pass Greyfriars Bobby, run along the Royal Mile, and go through the Prince’s Street Gardens. It’s a fantastic course!

Manchester Marathon

Manchester Marathon has a fantastic reputation for being fast, flat, and very well supported. This one takes place in the spring and is an excellent race to target if you don’t get a place at London. In 2015, Manchester Marathon was voted the Best Marathon in the UK for the second time, which goes to show just how amazing this race is. It’s also the fourth most popular marathon in Europe, in a strong field that contains the Rome Marathon, Paris Marathon, and Berlin Marathon.

Why is Manchester so popular? Aside from the speed of the course, with no horrific hills to sap your will to live, there is entertainment around the course, with bands and singers there to keep tired legs going. In addition, the race finishes in Man United’s home at Trafford Park, which is sure to appeal to footy fans.

If you do enter Manchester, keep an eye out for Olympians, as the course usually attracts some of the world’s best elite runners.

Blackpool Marathon

The seaside resort town of Blackpool is famous for its promenade light displays, but it is equally famous for the annual Blackpool Marathon. The course is fast and flat, and you can score a PB running down the iconic promenade.

The Blackpool Marathon is a two-lap course, which might not appeal to everyone. But it attracts thousands of runners and there is lots of support along the course. You get to run along the famous Golden Mile, with amusement arcades on one side and the sea on the other. The course then takes runners out to Lytham St Annes, where there is a turnaround point, all the way back through Blackpool to Cleveleys, before heading back into town again.

Enter this race if you fancy making a weekend of it. You can run the marathon while the rest of your family chills on the beach or blow their pocket money in the arcades.

Milton Keynes Marathon

MK Marathon starts in the city centre, but soon winds out into the countryside. It’s a great race for novices new to the marathon distance, but equally, because the course is fast and flat, the Milton Keynes marathon also attracts more experienced runners.

As well as lovely scenery along the route, which takes runners through country parks, woodland, and past lakes, you can look forward to a fantastic stadium finish. The race is limited to 3,000 runners, so the route won’t be too crowded if you dislike having to fight through the crowds, but there is still plenty of atmosphere to keep runners motivated.

This event is also a qualifier for London and Boston if that’s important to you.

Yorkshire Marathon

The Yorkshire Marathon is one of the newer full-distance races on the racing calendar, with the first event taking place in 2013. Not surprisingly, thanks to a fast course, this marathon has proven popular and each year, the event grows bigger and more prestigious.

The route is very scenic. It winds through some historic parts of York before meandering out into the adjacent villages, along pretty country lanes. There is plenty of entertainment and support along the route, which will distract you from the pain of the last six miles.

If the Yorkshire Marathon is on your bucket list, make sure you enter early, as places usually sell out quickly.

Other flat marathons for PB chasers include Chester Marathon, Abingdon Marathon, and the most iconic of them all, London Marathon. And if a marathon is a step too far, why not enter a half-marathon instead?

Canadian Ben Flanagan signs with On, this is the second professional contract of his career

Just one day before toeing the line at the Chevron Houston Half-Marathon, Ben Flanagan announced he had signed with On Running in the second pro contract of his career. The Canadian 10K champion has been with Reebok since 2018 after finishing his collegiate career at the University of Michigan.

In his time with Reebok, the 27-year-old from Kitchener, Ont. has seen a fair amount of success. In 2021 he dominated the roads, winning his second Falmouth Road Race, covering the 11.2-kilometer course in 32:16 in August.

He followed that performance up with a win at the Canadian 10K championships in Toronto in October, running 28:42 for his first-ever appearance at a road 10K. One month later, he won Connecticut’s Manchester Road Race, completing the unique 7.6-kilometer distance in 21:22.

He kicked off 2022 with his first race as an On athlete at the Chevron Houston Half-Marathon, where he was just 10 seconds off Jeff Schiebler’s former 23-year-old Canadian half-marathon record of 61:28. His compatriot, Rory Linkletter, beat the record, running 61:08 for eighth place.

In an interview with Canadian Running ahead of Sunday’s half-marathon, Flanagan said he was planning on running a few 5,000m and 10,000m races this spring to secure a spot on Team Canada at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore., but may be turning his attention to the marathon next year. “Stepping up to the marathon this year might be a stretch, but I want to give myself a chance to qualify for Paris,” he said.

Flanagan has given Canadian fans a lot to watch in the last year, and with his new contract signed, we hope to see him continue to dominate the roads into 2022.