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Dominic Ngeno, Stacy Ndiwa celebrate after winning 2024 L.A. Marathon

Upon breaking the tape on a pristine St. Patrick’s Day morning in the City of Angels, Dominic Ngeno dropped to his knees and kissed the ground in celebration of winning the 39th Los Angeles Marathon.

The 26-year-old Kenyan separated from countryman Cosmas Kiplimo with a little more than three miles to go on the 26.2-mile route that started at Dodger Stadium and ended on the Avenue of the Stars in Century City. Ngeno prevailed by five seconds in 2:10:20 — almost three minutes faster than last year’s winner, Jemal Yimer of Ethiopia.

“I watched the race the last couple of years and my coach gave me a plan in training,” Ngeno said. “I wanted to go 2:08 but it was a little humid the last three kilometers and that reduced our speed. In my mind it was about setting the right pace.”

Ngeno clocked a personal-best 2:07:26 to place third at the Eindhoven Marathon in the Netherlands in October and was ninth in 2:11:23 at the Milan Marathon in Italy in April. Ethiopian Markos Geneti set the L.A. Marathon men’s record of 2:06:35 in 2011, but Sunday was about the Kenyans — Ngeno, Kiplimo and Stacy Ndiwa, who repeated as the women’s winner in a personal-best 2:25:28.

“Last year I didn’t know the course but this year I prepared well for the hills and the weather was better,” said the 31-year-old Ndiwa, who pulled away from runner-up Volha “Olga” Mazuronak in the last mile to win by 20 seconds and shave 5:32 off last year’s effort. Ndiwa received an additional $10,000 for winning the Marathon Chase.

“People cheered us from the start until the last minute,” she said. “At 40 kilometers I increased my pace. I was worried [Mazuronak] would catch me.”

Askale Merachi of Ethiopia set the women’s record of 2:24:11 in 2019.

The elite women started on time at 6:43 a.m. and were supposed to have a 17-minute head start in the Marathon Chase, a feature unique to the L.A. Marathon in which the first runner to reach the finish line, either male or female, is awarded a $10,000 bonus. Due to a miscommunication, however, the men were sent off at 6:55, only 12 minutes behind the women, lessening the drama of the “battle of the sexes.”

In 13 previous Chase competitions the women won the race-within-a-race nine times, but their “early” start enabled Ngeno and Kiplimo to overtake the top three women in Mile 22. However, Ndiwa was still declared the winner because the men would not have caught her had they started on schedule.

“When the men passed us and I saw who they were I thought ’no problem!’ ” Ndiwa said.

“She trains not far away and we see each other on the track a lot,” Ngeno said of his fellow winner. “Last week, we wished each other the best. We’re proud to have won.”

The L.A. Marathon debuted in 1986 and a Kenyan has won the men’s race eight times and the women’s race six times since 2015.

Mazuronak, who finished fifth in the Olympics twice, was running her first marathon in three years. In September, the 34-year-old from Belarus relocated to Irvine with her son and gained membership in USA Track & Field after not being able compete as a result of her protesting election fraud in her native country.

(03/17/2024) Views: 568 ⚡AMP
by Los Angeles Times

Elite Runners Gear Up for Thrilling Showdown at 2024 Los Angeles Marathon

Event organizers are optimistic about witnessing one of the fastest men's races in the history of the Los Angeles Marathon.

The spotlight will be on Kenya's Dominic Kipyegon Ngeno when the 2024 edition of the Los Angeles Marathon takes place on March 17.

Ngeno clinched the third spot at the Eindhoven Marathon in the Netherlands last October, achieving a personal best of 2:07:26 and is set to lead the elite field  in what promises to be a thrilling race.

Ngeno's compatriot, Moses Kiptoo Kurgat, arrives in Los Angeles boasting a personal best of 2:08:40, following his recent triumph at the 2022 Kuala Lumpur Marathon, where he clocked an impressive 2:11:05. The duo's presence adds an extra layer of excitement to the event, showcasing Kenya's dominance in long-distance running.

Eritrean runners Tsegay Tuemay and Tesfu Weldegebreal, who have been honing their skills in Flagstaff, Arizona, are also set to make their mark. Tuemay, with a personal best of 2:09:07, claimed victory at the McKirdy Micro Marathon in New York last October in a time of 2:11:04. Meanwhile, Weldegebreal, with a half marathon personal best of 62:48, is gearing up for his marathon debut.

Other contenders vying for the top spot include Cosmas Kiplimo from Kenya, boasting a 2:09:44 personal best and a third-place finish in the Geneva Marathon (2:10:44) in Switzerland last October. Sammy Rotich, a Kenyan who secured victory at the Austin Marathon (2:14:25) and achieved a personal best of 2:10:08 at Grandma's Marathon in 2022, will also be a force to be reckoned with. Ethiopia's Belay Tilahun Bezabh, winner of the 2019 NYC Half Marathon and with notable performances in Hamburg and Dalian Marathons, completes the formidable lineup.

Given the impressive credentials of these elite runners, the event organizers are optimistic about witnessing one of the fastest men's races in the history of the Los Angeles Marathon. 

The current fastest time ever recorded in Los Angeles is Ethiopia's Markos Geneti's remarkable 2:06:35 effort in 2011 on the Stadium to Sea course. The Stadium to Stars route's course record is held by Ethiopia's Bayelign Teshager, who clocked 2:08:26 in 2020, setting the stage for an exciting showdown among these elite athletes.

(03/08/2024) Views: 436 ⚡AMP
by Michezo Afrika

Former winners Agnes Kiprop and Aberu Mekuria will both return to the Chinese city of Hengshui to compete for the women’s title at the Hengshui Lake International Marathon

The 36-year-old Ethiopian, Mekuria clocked a course record of 2:26:07, her personal best time at that time, to win in 2013. Two years later Kenyan, Kiprop claimed the tile in 2:25:43, which has stood as the course record until now.

However, the 39-year-old Kenyan, whose PB of 2:23:54 was set in Frankfurt back in 2011, hasn’t come close to 2:26 since her 2015 Hengshui victory. She clocked 2:29:04 to finish fourth at the Dongying Yellow River Marathon in April, which was her fastest time in more than four years.

Mekuria, on the contrary, has been enjoying a second wind in her decade-long career, achieving a PB of 2:24:30 to break the course record at the 2019 Chongqing International Marathon. It will be her third race in Hengshui as she also clocked 2:32:53 to finish eighth in 2015.

The organizers have assembled the deepest women’s field in the eight-year history of the race, as other race favorites also include Marta Megra of Ethiopia, who set her PB of 2:22:35 last year in Toronto, as well as her compatriot Tirfi Tsegaye, the fastest woman toeing the line with a PB of 2:19:41 from her massive victory in Dubai in 2016.

The men’s field also contains a former champion. 24-year-old Ernest Ngeno of Kenya took the top honors in Hengshui four years ago with a winning mark of 2:07:57, which was his PB at the time and 12 seconds shy of the course record set by Markos Geneti in 2014.

Last year, he improved his PB to 2:06:41 when finishing third in Paris, which makes him the second-fastest entrant in the field.

Although Ngeno is keen to end a three-year title drought following his victory in Milan in 2016, he could face a serious threat from Aychew Bantie.

The rising Ethiopian, who turned 24 this month, trimmed more than two minutes off his career best to finish third at the Prague Marathon in 2:06:23 four months ago and is still pursuing his first title since debuting over the classic distance in 2017.

Bantie’s compatriot Fikadu Kebede, who turns 33 on Friday, also arrives in Hengshui in high spirits. He set a PB of 2:08:27 in Dubai in January and came close to that mark three months later with a second-place finish in Dongying in 2:09:38.

The men’s field also includes Kenyan duo Dominic Ruto and Ismael Boshendich Chemtan

(09/21/2019) Views: 1,993 ⚡AMP
by Vicent Wu

Leading contenders for this year’s NN Marathon Rotterdam will try to break the course record of 2:04:27

Kenya’s Marius Kipserem will start as the slight favorite. He won the Abu Dhabi Marathon in December in 2:04:04, but his time cannot be counted as an official PB because it was later found that the course was slightly short. That in itself, though, will act as a huge motivating factor for the 30-year-old as he seeks to improve on his fifth-place finish from Rotterdam last year.

Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Mekonnen and Markos Geneti have sub-2:05 PBs, while Emanuel Saina and Woldaregay Gezahegn Kelkile are also strong competitors. Josphat Kiptoo Boit, who burst on to the road-running scene last year with half-marathon clockings of 59:19 and 59:42, will be making his marathon debut.

Dutch record-holder Abdi Nageeye and European champion Koen Naert of Belgium will be aiming to break their respective PBs of 2:08:16 and 2:09:51 or at least secure the Olympic qualifying mark of 2:11:30.

Three world records had been set in the Dutch city: Carlos Lopes’s 2:07:12 in 1985, Belayneh Dinsamo’s 2:06:50 in 1988 and Tegla Loroupe’s 2:20:47 in 1998. The men’s course record of 2:04:27 was set – and shared – by Duncan Kibet and James Kwambai in 2009 with the pair moving to equal second on the world all-time list at that time.

Having won the Valencia Marathon last year in 2:21:14, Ethiopia’s Ashete Bekele Dido will start as favorite in the women’s race. Compatriot Sentayehu Lewetegn and Kenya’s Stella Barsosio are both sub-2:24 performers and are expected to challenge for top honours.

USA’s Kellyn Taylor, Ethiopia’s Betelhem Moges and Portugal’s European half marathon champion Sara Moreira should also be in contention for the podium places.

Approximately 17,000 runners will take to the Erasmus Bridge for the start of the race on Sunday.

(04/05/2019) Views: 2,264 ⚡AMP

Kenyan runners are set to dominate the LA Marathon Again

Champions from the last three years are set to compete, eyeing to set fast times and beat the standing course record of 2:06:35 set in 2011 by Markos Geneti. The 2017 winner Elisha Barno, Weldon Kirui, who won in 2016 and the 2015 champ Daniel Limo all from Kenya will be the men to beat as they return to put claim to the title and test their experience against a deep international field. "It was a good run last year and looking at the rivals I have against me this time round, I need to be on top form to be able to retain the medal. We will see how the race progress after the 30km mark and decide if I will need to push for fast time," Barno said on Friday. The Kenyans will be seeking to dominate the Los Angeles marathon for the 15th time. Last year, Barno clocked 2:11:53 after battling with Daniel Limo for most of the race. Limo finished 24 seconds behind Barno, while Wily Koitile was the third Kenyan on the podium. (03/16/2018) Views: 1,949 ⚡AMP