Running News Daily

Mo Farah catches a moving vehicle after thieves steal his phone

Typically, runners are confident they can outrun anyone (or anything) in a non-race scenario. Missed the bus? No problem–you’ll catch it at the next stop. Someone snatched your purse? They won’t get far. Last week, four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah confirmed this theory–while on foot, the athlete reportedly pursued and caught thieves who drove away with his phone.

A year of retirement from competition seems to have had little impact on Farah’s top-tier fitness. While jogging with his wife, Tania, through his estate in Surrey, U.K., Farah set his phone down by the side of the road to collect it at the end of his run. (Farah and his family reside in a 964-acre gated community with extensive security.)

According to the Daily Mail, two men in a white van somehow slipped by the guarded entrance and nabbed the phone. Farah sprinted after the trespassers as they drove away, successfully catching them and taking back his device. Sources say he is angry about the security breach and an investigation has been launched.

This isn’t the first time Farah has faced members of the public in a “race.” Last year, he competed in a 100m dads’ race at one of his kids’ schools. But in that instance, even wearing track spikes, he finished third, losing to a dad who was wearing jeans.

Alongside his four Olympic golds, Farah has six world championship titles in the 5,000m and 10,000m events, and was the second runner in history to win the 5,000 and 10,000m at back-to-back Olympic Games. In 2016, he moved up to the marathon, winning the Chicago Marathon in 2018 and finishing third in London the same year. The British athlete retired last September; the 2023 Great North Run in Newcastle, U.K., marked his final competition.

Etienne Daguinos sets European 10km record in Lille

The distance runner clocks 27:04 and takes three seconds off Jimmy Gressier’s mark with super run in French city

Etienne Daguinos set a European 10km record with a sensational performance at Urban Trail de Lille (November 16).

Daguinos, who was part of the French under-23 team that claimed silver at the 2022 European Cross Country Championships, went into the 10km off the back of a personal half-marathon best of 59:46, which put him joint-10th on the European all-time list over 13.1 miles.

“I cannot believe it,” Daguinos said. “Some people might have predicted it [10km record] but I didn’t believe it. I knew that I was in good shape after my half-marathon in Valencia. I wanted to run faster than 27:30 and I am still in shock.”

Not only did Daguinos defeat a strong and deep field in Lille but he did so by running identical 5km splits of 13:32.

World 1500m bronze medallist Narve Gilje Nordas broke the Norwegian 10km record with 27:31, while Mohamed Abdilaahi clocked 27:40, the fastest time by a German in history.

That put the pair seventh and joint-10th on the European 10km all-time list respectively.

It means that Mo Farah, who ran 27:44 in 2010 and held the European 10km record until Julien Wanders recorded 27:32 in 2018, is now 13th on the rankings.

With six out of the eight fastest 10km times by European male athlete occurring this season, expect the record books to tumble once again next year.

Daguinos, who occasionally trains in Font Romeu and also has a background in trail running, is now in prime position to be the first European athlete to break the 27-minute barrier in the 10km.

Only 29 athletes have ever achieved the feat and they are all from Africa.

50 Motivational Running Quotes About Racing

Find Inspiration from Running Icons and Legends

Even the most motivated among us occasionally has a challenging time wanting to lace up our shoes and hit the pavement running. Bookmark this page for the next time motivation is waning for you. Read on for inspirational race quotes to pump you up before your next run.

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." —John Bingham, running speaker and writer

"Fear is gradually replaced by excitement and a simple desire to see what you can do on the day." —Lauren Fleshman, American distance runner

"It doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." —Fred Lebow, co-founder of the New York City Marathon

"When you put yourself on the line in a race and expose yourself to the unknown, you learn things about yourself that are very exciting." —Doris Brown Heritage, women's distance running pioneer

"Good health, peace of mind, being outdoors, camaraderie: those are all wonderful things that come to you when running. But for me, the real pull of running—the proverbial icing on the cake—has always been racing." —Bill Rodgers, winner of four Boston Marathons

"Big occasions and races which have been eagerly anticipated almost to the point of dread, are where great deeds can be accomplished." —Jack Lovelock, environmentalist and futurist

"I also realize that winning doesn't always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself." —Meb Keflezighi, 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist

"Why race? The need to be tested, perhaps; the need to take risks; and the chance to be number one." —George Sheehan, running columnist and writer

RELATED: A Beginner's Guide to Becoming a Runner

"Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine." —John Trautmann, Olympic runner

"I'm always nervous. If I wasn't nervous, it would be weird. I get the same feeling at all

"My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple. I tell myself: 'Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. If you run your race, you'll win.'" —Carl Lewis, nine-time Olympic gold champion

RELATED: How to Plan a Running Route Using Map Apps on Your Phone

"I love controlling a race, chewing up an opponent. Let's get down and dirty. Let's fight it out. It's raw, animalistic, with no one to rely on but yourself. There's no better feeling than that." —Adam Goucher, U.S. Nationals 5K race champion

"I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it." —Steve Prefontaine, legendary American long-distance runner

"Let's just say it and be done with it. Racing hurts. But here's another truth: having put in the effort to prepare for a race and then not giving it your all hurts even more. The first kind of hurt goes away in hours or a day. The second kind of hurt can last a lifetime." —Larry Shapiro, author of Zen and the Art of Running

"Different people have different reasons for racing, but

"Running is in my blood—the adrenaline flows before the races, the love/hate of butterflies in your stomach." —Marcus O'Sullivan, Irish middle-distance runner

"It's just as important to remember that each footstrike carries you forward, not backward. And every time you put on your running shoes you are different in come way than you were the day before. This is all good news." —John Bingham, American marathon runner 

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about." —PattiSue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

"You didn't beat me. You merely finished in front of me." —Hal Higdon, American writer and runner

"Fast running isn't forced. You have to relax and let the run come out of you." —Desiree Linden

"No marathon gets easier later. The halfway point only marks the end of the beginning." —Joe Henderson, famed running coach

RELATED: Race Day Tips for Running Your First 5K

"No matter how old I get, the race remains one of life's most rewarding experiences." —George Sheehan

"If you feel bad at

"What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the days gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate." —John Bingham, running writer and speaker

"For me, races are the celebration of my training." —Dan Browne, National Champion 5K and 20K runner

"Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up." —Dean Karnazes, ultramarathon runner

"Every race is a question, and I never know until the last yards what the answer will be. That's the lure of racing." —Joe Henderson

"It's amazing how the same pace in practice can feel so much harder than on race day. Stay confident. Trust the process." —Sara Hall, American long-distance runner

"Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up." —Amby Burfoot, American marathon runner

"Your goal is simple: Finish. Experience your first race, don’t race it." —Bob Glover, author of The Runner's Handbook

"Don't dream of winning, train for it!" —Mo Farah, Olympic long

"Nothing, not even pain, lasts forever. If I can just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I will eventually get to the end." —Kim Cowart, runner and journalist

"The real purpose of running isn't to win a race. It's to test the limits of the human heart." —Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike

"Our running shoes have magic in them. The power to transform a bad day into a good day; frustration into speed; self-doubt into confidence; chocolate cake into muscle." —Mina Samuels, author of Run Like a Girl 

"There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner." —Dean Karnazes

"Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running." —Julie Isphording, American Olympic runner

Antrim Coast Half Marathon: Yehualaw returns despite 2021 world record blow

Yalemzerf Yehualaw returns to the Antrim Coast Half Marathon a year after seemingly breaking the women's world record only to learn weeks later that the course had been 54 metres short.

Race director James McIlroy is guaranteeing there will be no repeat of last year's hiccup which meant the Ethiopian's time could not be ratified.

"You don't want to blame Covid but it certainly was a factor," says McIlroy.

"The protocol is to measure the course twice but we were unable to do that."

"We couldn't get anyone to fly here before the race to do the measurement [because of the Covid situation] so we had to do it post the race.

"The frustration is that with 50 metres short, if you add 10 seconds on, 65% of the elite race would still have run a personal best and Yalemzerf would still have been the first woman to run under 64 minutes.

"But she's back again in good shape and the course is ratified and measured correctly."

Course even faster this year - McIlroy

Indeed, McIlroy believes course tweaks this year could lead to Yalemzerf going even faster than the 63 minutes and 44 seconds she clocked last year - although the 23-year-old will have to go some to break the world mark of 62:52 set by compatriot Letesenbet Gidey in Valencia last October.

Yalemzerf's own time of 63:51 set as she finished runner-up that day remains the second fastest time in history but the 59 seconds to Gidey's world mark is a huge amount - even in half marathon terms.

McIlroy admits the UK all-comers half marathon record of 65:52 set by Kenyan Edith Chelimo in Cardiff five years ago will be a more realistic target for Yalemzerf and several of other leading ladies.

"We think we've made the course even faster," added former Great Britain Olympic 800m athlete McIlroy.

"We've taken out the section in the harbour so we've taken out one tight turn and going around the roundabout clockwise instead of anti-clockwise should also help the athletes."

While Yalemzerf, 23, will be a strong favourite, the presence of her compatriots and training partners Tsehay Gemechu [PB 65:08] and Gete Alemayehu [PB 66:37] should ensure that she has competitive company in the early stages as opposed to merely her male pacemakers.

Last year, Yehualaw finished more than six minutes ahead of Kenyan runner-up Vane Nyanamba.

2021 men's winner Jemal Yimer is also back in the Larne field and will again be the man to beat give his outstanding personal best of 58:33 set in 2018, which is 49 seconds quicker than the next fastest competitor, compatriot Tesfahun Akalnew.

Yimer was three seconds outside Sir Mo Farah's course record of 60:27 set in 2020 when he triumphed 12 months ago.

Akalnew finished one second behind his compatriot 12 months ago and is again back in the field along with last year's third placer Shadrack Kimining of Kenya.

With the field also including sub-60 minute men Ethiopians Huseydin Mohamed and Gizealew Ayana, organiser McIlroy is very optimistic that the one-hour barrier will be broken for the first time on Irish soil, with Geoffrey Kamworor's UK all-comers mark of 59:10 from 2016 possibly also in danger.

Englishman Marc Scott finished only five seconds behind Yimer in fourth spot 12 months ago and will be joined in the field by fellow British Olympian Callum Hawkins, whose has a half marathon best of exactly 60 minutes.

With Ireland's Tokyo competitor Stephen Scullion a late withdrawal from Sunday's race, Irish male hopefuls David Mansfield and Paul O'Donnell will both be aiming to improve their respective personal best of 63:23 and 63:37.

The women's event could see a good domestic battle for top-10 finishes between Emma Mitchell, Fionnuala Ross and Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games competitor this summer, Hannah Irwin.

The Eamonn Christie-coached Mitchell is the fifth fastest in the women's field on lifetime bests behind the African contingent with a 72:28 mark set in Valencia in 2019, while Ross has clocked 73:08 and Irwin 73:23.

The mass race in the event which starts and finishes in Larne will have around 6,000 competitors with McIlroy delighted to report "entrants from 19 countries this year".

Kenya's hopes rest on Daniel Mateiko, Nicholas Kimeli & Bernard Kibet to win 10,000m gold since 1968

Daniel Mateiko, Nicholas Kimeli, and Bernard Kibet will have the pressure to deliver Kenya's gold medal since Naftali Temu's exploits at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

The trio of Daniel Mateiko, Nicholas Kimeli and Bernard Kibet are tasked with a daunting task to reclaim Kenya’s 10,000m title once they toe the line at the Stade de France on Friday, August 2.

The men’s race starts at 10:20 p.m. East African Time with the trio taking on one of the strongest fields in history with the main aim to reclaim Naftali Temu’s title won at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

Kenyans have had a rough time of winning the gold medal following the emergence of Ethiopians and Ugandans who have dominated the race. Kenenisa Bekele, Mo Farah, Joshua Cheptegei have dominated the global stage with Bekele and Farah winning two titles each.

Selemon Barega won the title at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games with Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo taking second and third place respectively.

Mateiko made headlines, winning the Prefontaine Classic to secure his slot to the Olympic Games with Kimeli and Kibet finishing second and third respectively. The trio has the much-needed confidence to impress following their training sessions that have been extensive so far.

Mateiko and Kimeli train with Eliud Kipchoge and they certainly draw inspiration from the two-time Olympic champion who will also be chasing his third Olympic title.

However, they will not have an easy task in title reclamation as they go up against very strong opponents. Defending champion Barega will be out to defend his Olympic gold with Cheptegei also in the mix.

Being the world record holder and a three-time world champion, Cheptegei will going for the only title missing in his decorated CV. The Ethiopians have fielded their best, with world leader Yomif Kejelcha and Berihu Aregawi also in the mix. Paris marks the first Olympics for Kejelcha who will have the pressure on him after the world lead.

Cheptegei has raced sparingly, making it difficult to gauge his shape. He will be competing for the first time since end of May when he finished ninth in the 5000m at the Diamond League Meeting in Oslo.

The American duo Grant Fisher and Nico Young have also been entered and they will also be chasing history for the US. Young will b debuting at the Olympics and the race will just be his third 10,000m race on a track.

On his part, Fisher has great experience racing on the global stage and after finishing fifth at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he will be out to improve on that.

Retired British track icon predicts the medal Eliud Kipchoge might win at Paris Olympic Games

The retired British star noted that Kipchoge might win a medal at the Olympics but it will definitely not be a gold medal.

Retired British long-distance Mo Farah has predicted the medal Eliud Kipchoge will win at the Paris Olympic Games, and it’s not a gold medal.

The four-time Olympic champion disclosed that the quality of the field is strong, hence making it difficult for Kipchoge to win his third successive Olympic marathon title.

Kipchoge won the title at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and defended his title at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The five-time Berlin Marathon champion looks to make history in Paris and win his third successive marathon title.

Farah explained that there are many youngsters in the race, admitting that the race will be a battle between Kenyans and Ethiopians, with a winner coming from either of the two countries. He added that Kipchoge might win a medal, but was not sure of the medal it would be, either the silver and bronze medal.

“Eliud Kipchoge…I think the marathon is going to be tough, honestly, there is a lot of Kenyans and youngsters. He could get a medal, but I think it’s going to come from the Kenyans or Ethiopian new guy to win that race,” Farah said in an interview with Olympics.com.

Kipchoge will be joined by Tokyo Marathon champion Benson Kipruto and the reigning London Marathon champion Alexander Mutiso.

The Ethiopian contingent will be led by legendary marathoner Kenenisa Bekele, who will be racing his final Olympic Games.

Sisay Lemma had also been selected in the team but was forced to withdraw due to an injury and he was replaced by Tamirat Tola, the 2022 world champion. Deresa Geleta completes the Ethiopian team.

The Kenyan and Ethiopian rivalry will once again be witnessed on the Olympic stage with the Ethiopians looking to reclaim their title after Kenya’s reign in two consecutive Olympic Games.

Tamirat Tola aims to follow New York success with victory in London Marathon

Tamirat Tola feels a carefully planned build-up will give him every chance of adding the London Marathon title to his success in New York.

The 32-year-old Ethiopian – world champion from 2022 in Oregon – clocked a new course record of two hours, four minutes and 58 seconds when he won in Manhattan during November last year.

Tola hopes his meticulous preparations will allow him to again hit top form as he aims to be the first over the finish line on the Mall on Sunday afternoon, having come third last year.

Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia is the men's open-division winner, setting a course-record time of 2:04:58. #TCSNYCMarathon pic.twitter.com/VZRtRRrZxa

— TCS New York City Marathon (@nycmarathon) November 5, 2023

“(Winning in) London is not easy, but I worked hard to win New York and my training has all been OK since then, so I am ready,” said Tola, who also took the 2023 Great North Run title.

“Everything is good with what my coaches have prepared for me to win, so we can hope for a good result on Sunday.”

The late Kelvin Kiptum, who was killed in a car accident in February at the age of 24, set a new London Marathon record with victory last year.

While that mark of 2hrs 1min and 25secs is unlikely to be tested on Sunday, Tola is still confident of a swift pace.

“If we go together to help each other, then we will run with a better time,” Tola said.

“It depends on a pacemaker, but it is OK for me to go fast, and if it is a normal (pace) then that is also OK for me.”

Emile Cairess will lead Britain’s hopes in the elite men’s race, having finished sixth on his debut last year.

Cairess is aiming to better the Olympic qualifying mark to join training partner Phil Sesemann in the Team GB squad for Paris.

The 26-year-old, though, also has one eye on a long-term target of breaking Sir Mo Farah’s six-year-old British marathon record, which was set in Chicago.

“I have a time in my head. I will be trying to run maybe about three-minute kilometres,” Cairess said.

“Mo’s British record is something I definitely want to beat in the near future, but I am not looking at that this weekend.”

Scottish marathon record-holder Callum Hawkins will make his return in London following a number of injury setbacks, which included ankle surgery after the Tokyo Olympics.

Marc Scott, winner of the Great North Run in 2021, is set for a marathon debut, along with Mahamed Mahamed.

Lisbon offers 150K EUR bounty for new records

Bonus for new world records in the half marathon.

Scheduled for March 17, the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon remains one of the world’s leading and fastest long-distance races and this year it will once again reward fast times with an attractive cash prize.

Therefore, as an incentive for the elite, the race organisers Maratona Clube de Portugal today announced a bonus of 150,000 Euro (162,500 USD) for new world records in this year’s race.

Lisbon already holds the best men’s mark – 57:31 (Jacob Kiplimo, in 2021) – and now, as well as wanting to improve on that stratospheric record, it also wants to add the women’s record, which is currently held by Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey, with 1:02:52 in Valencia, the same year.

In addition to Kiplimo’s time, Lisbon has been the scene of other world and European records in the past, such as Zersenay Tadese’s world record in 2010 or Mo Farah’s continental record in 2015.

Carlos Moia, president of the Maratona Clube de Portugal (MCP) says: “This bonus of 150,000 EUR for a possible world record, both female and male, reflects our unwavering commitment to promoting talent and inspiring athletes to reach new heights of success and overcoming. We will continue our tradition of recognizing and rewarding excellence. Lisbon, with all its light and good energy, provides the perfect setting for moments of great achievement.”

Sunday’s races will be broadcast directly on RTP1 and RTP Internacional to more than 200 million potential viewers around the world.

RAS AL KHAIMAH HALF MARATHON IS ON SATURDAY AND IT SHOUlD BE A FAST ONE

New regime, new course, but with Olympic and world champions and the usual array of speedsters, Saturday’s Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is virtually assured of the sort of fast times that have been a feature of the event throughout its 17 year history, including three women’s world records.

Pride of place both on the start list and at this morning’s press conference in one of the smaller emirates in the UAE were Olympic marathon and three time world half-marathon champion, Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, and keeping the balance in the long-term East African distance running rivalry, world marathon champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia heads the men’s entry. The wild card, hoping to gatecrash the party is Konstanze Klosterhalfen of Germany, who surprised the East Africans when she beat a dozen of them to win her debut half-marathon in Valencia in 2022.

Jepchirchir may neither be the fastest marathoner or half-marathoner among current women long distance runners, but she knows how to win races, an asset far more valuable than fast times. In the seven months between late August 2021 and mid-April 2022, she won the Olympic, New York and Boston Marathons, a rare collective achievement. In her comeback marathon following an injury, she finished third in last year’s London Marathon. And she has won 12 of her 16 half-marathons. She is loath to admit her plans yet, but this RAK ‘half’ is perfectly scheduled as a springboard, to going back to London in April, to upgrade that third place.

Tola was similarly annoyed that an injury preventing him successfully defending his 2022 world marathon title in Budapest last summer, but a speedy recovery saw him break the long-standing New York Marathon record with 2.04.58 three months later. He is one of the few elites to be making his debut in the RAK ‘half’ and the scale of his task may be judged by the fact that on paper there are 15 men faster than his best of 59.37 set seven years ago in Prague. But he suggested that is due for drastic revision. ‘I’d like to think I can do under 59 minutes if the race turns out to be fast,’ he said at the press conference. Fastest man in the field is Daniel Mateiko of Kenya with 58.26, but his colleague Benard(sic) Kibet has the advantage of having won last year in 58.45.

Klosterhalfen, ‘Koko’ to her pals may prove to be not only the wild card, but the joker in the pack in the women’s race. A world bronze medallist on the track and European 5000 metres champion, the German called a halt to her summer season last year when a foot injury caused her to reassess her career. She had changed her shoe sponsor, left her coach and long-term training venue in the USA already. She then switched again and has teamed up with Gary Lough, latter-day coach to Mo Farah and spouse of former world record holder Paula Radcliffe (here in RAK as a TV commentator). Klosterhalfen has also switched her altitude training venue to Addis Ababa, where she has just spent six weeks, coming directly to here. ‘Road running is still a bit of an adventure for me’, she said this morning. ‘I still want to run on the track, but I want to more road races’.

The roll-call of winners since the race began in 2007 is a ‘Who’s Who’ of distance running over the last two decades; beginning with Sammy Wanjiru and Berhane Adere in the inaugural race, via luminaries such as Patrick Makau, Geoffrey Mutai, Elvan Abeylegesse, Mary Keitany, Geoffrey Kamworor, Lelisa Desisa, Samson Kandie and Hellen Obiri. Add to that Jepchirchir herself who won in 2017 in a then world record of 65min 06sec.

The promoters of the successful marathon down the road in Dubai have been invited this year to give the RAK ‘half’ a makeover, and they began by introducing a 10k race for locals and altering the half-marathon course. ‘It’s faster and better than any route before here in Ras Al Khaimah; we’ve cut out some of the sharp turns,’ said race director Peter Connerton, ‘so we’re hoping for at least similar times and hopefully better. But with a couple of good races into the bargain’.

ELITE CONTENDERS

MEN

Daniel MateikoKEN58:26

Kennedy KimutaiKEN58:28

Seifu TuraETH58:36

Amdework Walelegn ETH 58:40

Benard Kibet KoechKEN58:45

Alex Korio KEN 58:51

Birhanu Legese ETH 58:59

Haftu Teklu ETH 59:06

Tamirat TolaETH59:37

WOMEN

Ababel YeshanehETH64:31

Margaret KipkemboiKEN64:46

Peres JepchirchirKEN65:06

Catherine Amanang’ole KEN 65:39

Konstanze KlosterhalfenGER65:41

Tsigie Gebreselama ETH65:46

Evaline ChirchirKEN66:01

Vivian Kiplagat KEN 66:07

Yalemget YaregalETH66:27

American sprint legend claims top athletes are avoiding each other at major meetings due to low pay

Sprint legend Michael Johnson feels top athletes have been skipping meetings pitting them against their bitter rivals because there is not enough incentive to entice them.

American sprint legend Michael Johnson believes top athletes would not be skipping meetings against their bitter rivals over some flimsy reasons if the pay was good.

Johnson has been an advocate of better pay for athletes, calling on World Athletics to improve on their welfare, while also urging runners to speak out so that they can be taken seriously by the powers that be.

While commenting on sentiments made by multiple world champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who claimed he could beat his bitter rival Josh Kerr while blindfolded, a fan said it was highly unlikely that the two runners will clash any time soon because athletics authorities ‘do not like the idea.’

“One of them is definitely pulling out with an “injury” bc [because] there is no way we are going to get this good of a moment from the track and field gods,” said the fans.

Replying to the comment, Johnson said: “If the money goes up, the “injuries” will go down.”

It is another dig aimed at those in charge of the sport, ramping up the pressure on the need for athletes to get better pay so that fans have an opportunity to witness the best competing against each other.

Johnson, who won four Olympic Gold medals and eight World Championship titles, fired one of his many salvos last month when fans appeared to casually dismiss track and field athletes as amateurs.

“The number of people in the replies who think a track & field Olympic and World Champion is an amateur athlete is a major indictment of those in charge of the sport,” Johnson posted on social media after Pole vault Olympic and world champion Katie Moon had questioned why the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission had never nominated a female athlete for the Athlete of the Year award.

Ingebrigtsen stocked the fires on Friday when responding to Kerr’s impressive outing at the 2024 Millrose Games.

Kerr of Great Britain set a new indoor two-mile world record, running 8:00.67 to take down Mo Farah’s time of 8:03.40.

However, Ingebrigtsen seemed to dismiss his performance, claiming he could have beaten him in the two-mile “blindfolded” despite the fact that Kerr defeated him to claim 1,500m gold at the 2023 World Championships.

The mysterious death of Kenya's marathon world-record holder: Kelvin Kiptum's father calls for a police probe as he reveals four strangers came 'looking' for his son, 24, days before fatal car crash

Kiptum's death is thought to be an accident but his father (pictured with Kelvin wife and children) suspects foul play

He urged authorities to investigate circumstances surrounding his son's death 

The shocking death of Kenyan marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum this weekend has left his family wracked with grief - and suspicious that their superstar was killed in circumstances tainted by foul play. 

Kiptum, 24, died in a brutal car accident, which also killed his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana, in the heart of the high-altitude region of Kaptagat in Western Kenya, long renowned as a training base for the best distance runners the world over.

His death prompted an outpouring of grief and heartfelt tributes from family, friends, fellow competitors and sporting greats, including the likes of Sir Mo Farah, who spoke of his 'amazing, special talent' and said the world record holder had been robbed of 'an incredible career'.

The fatal smash was quickly chalked up as an accident by the authorities, who said the dad-of-two had lost control of his car and veered off the road, hitting a tree.  

But now Kiptum's father has called for an investigationinto the circumstances surrounding his son's death, claiming a group of unidentified men had come looking for the athlete not long before the horror car crash.

Speaking to Kenya's Citizen TV, Kiptum's father Samson Cheruiyot said four men descended on his house unannounced one day and said they were looking for the runner.

'There are people who came home who were looking for Kiptum but they refused to identify themselves,' Cheruiyot said.

'I asked them to provide identification, but they opted to leave. It was a group of four people.'

The suspicious father said the men refused to say why they were looking for his son, and left when they realised Cheruiyot would not provide any details until they revealed their identities. 

He is now pushing the authorities to investigate his son's death, believing the two incidents may have been linked - though he has given no evidence to explain why the men may have been looking for his son. 

Horrendous images showed the extent of the damage to Kiptum's car following the collision with a tree. 

The front of the blue Toyota Premio was completely crumpled and the windscreen smashed in, while the roof had been torn in two, such was the force of the impact. 

According to Kenneth Kimaiyo - one of the first responders at the crash site - via Nation, Kiptum's body was found under the vehicle with the runner already dead.

Coach Hakizimana had managed to climb free of the wreckage and had crawled to the top of a nearby mound in an attempt to attract attention, but he later died of his injuries. 

The car has now been towed to a police station for further investigation while the bodies of Kiptum and Hakizimana undergo post-mortem examinations.  

However, a third passenger named Sharon Chepkurui Kosgei, somehow survived the incident with relatively minor injuries. The 24-year-old, who works in Civil Aviation Management according to LinkedIn, was taken to nearby Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret for treatment, and according to Kenyan press has now been discharged.

But it is unknown why she was in the car with the athlete and his coach, and she is yet to issue a statement to the press about the incident. 

Kiptum's wife, Asenath Cheruiyot, said her husband had planned to take her to Rotterdam in April, where he hoped to become the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours under standard race conditions. 

She added that Kiptum was also financing her business ventures, and was in the process of renovating the family home. 

'At times I would tell him he's working out too much,' she said. 'He loved his children so much, I don't know what I would tell them.'

Revealing the pair's last phonecall prior to the crash on Sunday just hours before his death, Asenath said Kiptum had promised to buy their children new watches after he had to cancel a planned family day out.

Having gone to bed, she was later awoken around 11pm by her mother-in-law frantically knocking on the door and was informed of her husband's death. 

'He hoped to run in sub-two hours. He was working hard and sometimes I told him he trained too much and when the time comes he will be too tired,' she said.

'But he would say 'no, it's fine' and that he is supposed to go 10 laps. I used to tell him to rest on Sundays, but he would refuse.

'We had planned to go with him to Rotterdam in April - and now it is not possible,' Asenath told African outlet Nation. 

While the world awaits to see more details of Kiptum's death unravel, tributes continue to pour in for the fallen athlete.

Kelvin Kiptum death: Seb Coe, Eliud Kipchoge and Mo Farah lead tributes to marathon star after horror crash

The world of athletics has come together to pay tribute to Kelvin Kiptum after he died in a horrific car crash in Kenya.

Kiptum died alongside his coach Gervais Hakizimana, 36, on Sunday after the car he was driving came off the road and hit a tree. Police said he had "lost control [of the vehicle] and veered off-road entering into a ditch on his left side" before he “drove in the ditch for about 60 metres before hitting a big tree”. A young woman was rushed to hospital after being injured in the crash.

The 24-year-old Kenyan is the men’s marathon world record holder, having run a staggering time of two hours and 35 seconds in Chicago in October. Kiptum had only run his first marathon in 2022 yet had rapidly emerged as a world-class talent to challenge the great Eliud Kipchoge.

His loss has left the sport reeling and Sir Mo Farah was among those to pay tribute to the immensely gifted runner. "Kelvin was an amazingly talented athlete and had already achieved so much," Farah said.

"He truly had a special talent and I have no doubt he would have gone on to have had an incredible career. I send all my sympathies and condolences to his and Gervais' family and friends at this tragic time."

British running great and World Athletics president Seb Coe wrote on Twitter : “We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana. On behalf of all World Athletics we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation.

“It was only earlier this week in Chicago, the place where Kelvin set his extraordinary marathon World Record, that I was able to officially ratify his historic time. An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly.”

Kipchoge is widely considered the greatest marathon runner of all time, yet Kiptum broke his world record in Chicago last year. The 39-year-old wrote: “I am deeply saddened by the tragic passing of the Marathon World record holder and rising star Kelvin Kiptum.

An athlete who had a whole life ahead of him to achieve incredible greatness. I offer my deepest condolences to his young family. May God comfort you during this trying time.”

Kiptum was a natural marathon runner and showed his talent right from the off when he ran fourth fastest time on record (2:01:53) to win the Valencia Marathon in 2022. He then set a course record of 2:01:25 at the London Marathon in April 2023 before taking a gigantic 34 seconds of Kipchoge’s world record time six months later.

London Marathon event director, Hugh Brasher, said: “Kelvin had the sport of marathon running in his feet and at his feet. He was a 'once in a generation' athlete who was set to redefine the boundaries of our sport.

“Three marathons, three wins. The fastest marathon debutant in Valencia, London's course record holder and the world record holder in Chicago, all within the space of less than 12 months. His was a flame that burned so bright and last night was tragically put out.

“As a sport we mourn for a life so tragically cut short, a talent and a work ethos that was only starting to be appreciated and a man that we had only just started to know. Our thoughts are with his family and friends and those of his coach Gervais. We hope that Sharon Chepkirui Kosgei, who was travelling with them, makes a full and speedy recovery.”

Kiptum had only recently announced his intention to run the marathon in under two hours in Rotterdam in April. Kipchoge has run a marathon in one hour 59 minutes 40 seconds, but that time does not count as an official record as it was in a specifically arranged sponsored event with pacemakers.

British marathon runner Emile Cairess said Kiptum could have become "Usain Bolt-esque" as a "figurehead of athletics". He told the BBC : "It's a massive blow because at his level, someone can really capture the attention of people outside of the sport.

"Many people thought they would never see a sub two-hour marathon in their lifetimes but since he came along, it's like it was just a given that he would do it because of his exceptional performances so far. It was almost certain that he would have done it. It's terribly sad and a real shame that we won't get to see him again or to attack that barrier."

Josh Kerr breaks Mo Farah's indoor two-mile record at Millrose Games Feb 11

Great Britain's Josh Kerr broke Mo Farah's world two-mile indoor record as he won at the Millrose Games in New York.

World 1500m gold medallist Kerr ran eight minutes 0.67 seconds to beat Farah's mark of 8:03.40 from 2015.

"It was always going to be really tough, small margins," Kerr, 26, said.

Kerr's fellow Scot Laura Muir set a new British indoor record as she won the women's two-mile race after Ethiopia's Medina Eisa was disqualified.

Eisa was first home in New York but cut in too early on the opening lap.

Muir, 30, was promoted from second to first after finishing in nine minutes and 4.84 seconds.

The Olympic 1500m silver medallist, who won the Wanamaker Mile at last year's Millrose Games, will look to win the world indoor title in Glasgow next month.

In the men's two-mile race, Kerr charged at the finish to defeat Grant Fisher, who set an American national record of 8:03.62.

Farah set the previous world indoor best at Birmingham nine years ago.

"I had to roll with the punches at the start of my career - pretty good but not world class," said Kerr. 

"And then to be world class and now world champion... I'm having fun with it, creating big goals to get myself out the door and prove I'm not all talk."

Josh Kerr puts Jakob Ingebrigtsen's beef aside as he focuses on next assignment

Scottish middle-distance runner Josh Kerr is not focusing on Jakob Ingebrigtsen's comments about him as he is eyeing another major assignment where he will attempt to attack the two-mile world record.

Reigning World 1500m champion Josh Kerr is not focusing on track rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s sentiments as he gears up for the Millrose Games on Sunday, February 11.

Kerr and Ingebrigtsen started their beef last year after the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary where the Scottish man bet the Norwegian to second place in the 1500m.

Kerr then rekindled the beef saying that Ingebrigtsen has a lot to work on when it comes to his manners on and off the track.

The Scot emphasised that the Norwegian has a “high ego” and is used to being surrounded by “yes men”, making it difficult for him to understand that there is a difference between respect and antipathy.

The reigning World 5000m champion, Ingebrigtsen has been out of competition due to an injury and he just made a comeback to the limelight announcing that he is expecting a child with his wife.

As per Letsrun.com, Ingebrigtsen also addressed Kerr, noting that he thinks the latter is just looking for attention ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris, France.

He said: “I realized that there was “something,” but I can’t quite say what it was. Let’s call it a desperate attempt. And I don’t think that was so smart. It might look silly at some point.”

However, Kerr seems unshaken by his sentiments and he is firmly eyeing his next assignment where he intends to make history.

He will tackle the two miles with Mo Farah’s world record of 8:03.40 in his sights. Kerr will be up against US 5000m and 10,000m record-holder Grant Fisher and Olympic 1500m sixth-placer Cole Hocker, New Zealander Geordie Beamish, and former US 1500m champion Cooper Teare.

“In February, I’m still coming off really high base training and I still want to be toward 5000m at that time of year. A two-mile just fits in perfectly where it is a bit speedier, but it’s not the mile,” he said as per Athletics Weekly.

Britain’s world 1500m champion Josh Kerr returns to New York targeting fast two miles

Britain’s world 1500m champion Josh Kerr will headline the men’s two mile field when he returns to the Millrose Games, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event, for the fifth time on February 11.

Kerr, the Olympic bronze medallist, ran 3:48.87 for the mile in Boston in 2022 and sits fourth on the world indoor all-time list for the discipline. He will look to make a similar statement in the two-mile event when he races at The Armory in New York in February.

He won the 3000m at this year’s Millrose Games, his season opener, in 7:33.47 and went on to take the world 1500m title in Budapest. Kerr was second in the Millrose Games mile in 2022, while he was also second and fourth in that discipline in New York in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The world indoor two-mile best is 8:03.40, set by Britain’s Mo Farah in Birmingham in 2015.

“There's going to be a fantastic field and it will be paced at the two-mile world record,” Kerr told CitiusMag. “Currently, I'm in fantastic shape. I'm having an amazing fall and dealing with everything new and everything that's exciting, amazing and also terrible about being a world champion. I'm very excited for it.”

More than 50 meetings feature on the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Tour calendar, including seven Gold level events, in a season that culminates with the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24.

Other athletes already confirmed for next year’s Tour include world gold medallists Noah Lyles, Jake Wightman and Gabby Thomas, who will all compete at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on February 4.

Nike and Alberto Salazar settle $20 million lawsuit with Mary Cain over alleged abuse

On Monday, Nike, disgraced coach Alberto Salazar and distance runner Mary Cain reached a settlement in the $20 million lawsuit filed by Cain, as reported by The Oregonian.

The lawsuit accused Salazar of emotional and physical abuse towards Cain and highlighted Nike’s alleged failure to provide adequate oversight during her time with Salazar. Cain, who ran for Nike’s Oregon Project from 2012 to 2016, spoke out in 2019 about abuse within the program, exposing broader cultural issues at Nike, including a reported “boys’ club” atmosphere.

Salazar, once celebrated for coaching Olympic medallists Mo Farah, Galen Rupp and Matt Centrowitz, faced a permanent ban from working with U.S. track and field by U.S. SafeSport for alleged sexual assault and a doping scandal. Nike disbanded the Oregon Project in 2019, and Salazar’s name was removed from a building on the company’s campus following the ban.

Cain’s allegations against Salazar included controlling behavior, inappropriate comments about her body and humiliating practices, which led to depression, an eating disorder and self-harm. Nike was implicated in the lawsuit for allegedly not taking sufficient action to protect Cain, a sponsored athlete. Salazar denied the allegations, emphasizing his commitment to athletes’ well-being. Cain filed the $20 million lawsuit in 2021.

Numerous runners have come out and criticized Nike for its lack of support for female athletes. In 2018, U.S. Olympian Allyson Felix called out the brand for allegedly asking her to take a 70 per cent pay cut during her pregnancy, prompting Felix to leave Nike and join the female-powered brand Athleta before the Tokyo Olympics.

24 Hours with One of the World’s Best Marathoners

As the 2023 Boston Marathon winner and Olympian Hellen Obiri puts final touches on her build for the NYC Marathon, she’s aiming to become the seventh woman ever to win two majors in one year

Four weeks out from competing in the 2023 New York City Marathon, one of the world’s most prestigious road races, an alarm clock gently buzzes, signaling the start of the day for 33-year-old Hellen Obiri.

Despite having rested for nearly nine hours, Obiri, a two-time world champion from Kenya, says the alarm is necessary, otherwise she can oversleep. This morning’s training session of 12 miles at an easy pace is the first of two workouts on her schedule for the day as she prepares for the New York City Marathon on November 5.

The race will be her third attempt in the distance since she graduated from a successful track career and transitioned into road racing in 2022. Obiri placed sixth at her marathon debut in New York last November, finishing in 2:25:49.

“I was not going there to win. I was there to participate and to learn,” she says, adding that the experience taught her to be patient with the distance. This time around in New York, she wants to claim the title.

Obiri drinks two glasses of water, but she hasn’t eaten anything by the time she steps outside of her two-bedroom apartment in the Gunbarrel neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado.

In September 2022, the three-time Olympian moved nearly 9,000 miles from her home in the Ngong Hills, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, to Colorado. She wanted to pursue her marathon ambitions under the guidance of coach and three-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein, who is the fourth-fastest U.S. marathoner in history. Ritzenhein retired from professional running in 2020 and now oversees the Boulder-based On Athletics Club (OAC), a group of elite professional distance runners supported by Swiss sportswear company On.

Obiri, who was previously sponsored by Nike for 12 years before she signed a deal with On in 2022, said that moving across the world wasn’t a difficult decision. “It’s a great opportunity. Since I came here, I’ve been improving so well in road races.”

In April, Obiri won the Boston Marathon. It was only her second effort in the distance, and the victory has continued to fuel her momentum for other major goals that include aiming for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and also running the six most competitive and prestigious marathons in the world, known as the World Marathon Majors.

Obiri says goodbye to her eight-year-old daughter Tania and gets into a car to drive six miles to Lefthand trailhead, where she runs on dirt five days a week. She will train on an empty stomach, which she prefers for runs that are less than 15 miles. Once, she ate two slices of bread 40 minutes before a 21-mile run and was bothered by side stitches throughout the workout. Now, she is exceptionally careful about her fueling habits.

Three runners stretch next to their cars as Obiri clicks a watch on her right wrist and begins to shuffle her feet. Her warmup is purposely slow. In this part of Colorado, at 5,400 feet, the 48-degree air feels frostier and deserving of gloves, but Obiri runs without her hands covered. She is dressed in a thin olive-colored jacket, long black tights, and a black pair of unreleased On shoes.

Obiri’s feet clap against a long dirt road flanked by farmland that is dotted with horses and a few donkeys. Her breath is hardly audible as she escalates her rhythm to an average pace of six minutes and 14 seconds per mile. This run adds to her weekly program of 124 miles—some days, she runs twice. The cadence this morning is hardly tough on her lungs as she runs with her mouth closed, eyes intently staring ahead at the cotton-candy pink sunrise.

“Beautiful,” Obiri says.

Her body navigates each turn as though on autopilot. Obiri runs alone on easy days like today, but for harder sessions, up to four pacers will join her.

“They help me to get the rhythm of speed,” Obiri says. For longer runs exceeding 15 miles, Ritzenhein will bike alongside Obiri to manage her hydration needs, handing her bottles of Maurten at three-mile increments.

After an hour, Obiri wipes minimal sweat glistening on her forehead. Her breathing is steady, and her face appears as fresh as when she began the run. She does not stretch before getting into the car to return home.

The remainder of the morning is routine: a shower followed by a breakfast of bread, Weetabix cereal biscuits, a banana, and Kenyan chai—a mix of milk, black tea, and sugar. She likes to drink up to four cups of chai throughout the day, making the concoction with tea leaves gifted from fellow Kenyan athletes she sees at races.

Then, she will nap, sometimes just for 30 minutes, and other times upwards of two hours. “The most important thing is sleeping,” Obiri says. “When I go to my second run [of the day], I feel my body is fresh to do the workout. If I don’t sleep, I feel a lot of fatigue from the morning run.”

Obiri prepares lunch. Normally she eats at noon, but today her schedule is busier than usual. She cooks rice, broccoli, beets, carrots, and cabbage mixed with peanuts. Sometimes she makes chapati, a type of Indian flatbread commonly eaten in Kenya, or else she eats beans with rice.

The diet is typical among elite Kenyan athletes, and she hasn’t changed her eating habits since moving to the U.S. Obiri discovered a grocery store in Denver that offers African products, so she stocks up on ingredients like ground corn flour, which she uses to make ugali, a dense porridge and staple dish in many East African countries. She is still working through 20 pounds of flour she bought in June.

Obiri receives an hour massage, part of her routine in the early afternoon, three times a week. Usually the session is at the hands of a local physiotherapist, but sometimes Austin-based physiotherapist Kiplimo Chemirmir will fly in for a few days. Chemirmir, a former elite runner from Kenya, practices what he refers to as “Kenthaichi massage,” an aggressive technique that involves stretching muscles in short intervals.

Ritzenhein modifies Obiri’s training schedule, omitting her afternoon six-mile run so she can rest for the remainder of the day and reset for a speed workout tomorrow morning. Last fall, he took over training Obiri, who was previously coached by her agent Ricky Simms, who represented Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, an eight-time gold medalist and world record holder, and British long distance runner Mo Farah, a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Ritzenhein has programmed Obiri’s progression into the marathon with more volume and strength training. The meticulous preparation is essential to avoid the aftermath of her marathon debut in New York City last fall, when she was escorted off the course in a wheelchair after lacking a calculated fueling and hydration strategy. Obiri had averaged running 5:33-minute miles on a hilly route that is considered to be one of the most difficult of all the world marathon major races.

“It’s a real racing race. You have to make the right moves; you have to understand the course,” Ritzenhein says of the New York City Marathon. “We’ve changed some things in training to be a little more prepared. We’ve been going to Magnolia Road, which is a very famous place from running lore—high altitude, very hilly. We’ve been doing some long runs up there. In general, she’s got many more 35 and 40K [21 and 24 miles] runs than she had before New York last year.”

In New York, Obiri is aiming to keep pace alongside a decorated elite field that will include Olympic gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir, former women’s marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei, and defending New York Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi, all of whom are from Kenya. In fact, Kenyan women have historically dominated at the New York City Marathon, winning nine titles since 2010 and 14 total to date, the most of any country since women were permitted to race in 1972.

“They are all friendly ladies,” Obiri says. “But you know, in sports we are enemies. It’s like a war. Everybody wants to win.”

While Obiri is finishing her massage, her daughter returns from school. Though Obiri arrived in Colorado last fall, her husband Tom Nyaundi and their daughter didn’t officially move to the U.S. until this past March. The adjustment, Obiri says, was a hard moment for the family.

“We didn’t have a car. In the U.S. you can’t move [around] if you don’t have a car. We had a very good team that helped us a lot,” Obiri says of the OAC, whom she refers to as her friends. “The athletes made everything easier for us. They were dropping my daughter to school. Coach would pick me up in the morning, take me to massage, to the store. I was lucky they were very supportive.” Now, Obiri says she and her family have fully adjusted to living in the U.S.

Obiri returns home and makes a tomato and egg sandwich before taking another nap. Usually she naps for up to two hours after lunch. Today, her nap is later and will last for two and a half hours.

Obiri doesn’t eat out or order takeaway. “We are not used to American food,” she says, smiling. “I enjoy making food at home.” Dinner is a rotation of Kenyan dishes like sukuma wiki—sautéed collard greens that accompany ugali—or pilau, a rice-based dish made with chicken, goat, or beef. This evening, she prepares ugali with sukuma wiki and fried eggs.

Before bed, Obiri says she can’t resist a nightcap of Kenyan chai. She will pray before falling asleep. And when she wakes up at 6:00 A.M. the next day, she will prepare for a track session, the intervals of which add up to nearly 13 miles: a 5K warmup, followed by 1 set of 4×200 meters at 32 seconds (200 meter jog between each rep); 3 sets of 4×200 meters at 33 seconds  (200 meter jog between each rep); 5×1600 meters at 5:12 (200 meter jog between each rep) and finishing with a 5K cool down.

The workout is another one in the books that will bring her a step closer to the starting line of the race she envisions winning. “I feel like I’m so strong,” Obiri says. She knows New York will be tough. But “when I go to a race I say, ‘you have to fight.’ And if you try and give your best, you will do something good.”

Kelvin Kiptum believes he can break world record at 2023 Chicago Marathon

It’s Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and that means one thing to marathon fans: it’s time for the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. This year’s elite field will be one to remember, with the great Sifan Hassan competing in her second career marathon against the 2019 world champion and the third-fastest marathoner in history, Ruth Chepngetich. The men’s side is just as exciting, with the relatively unknown Kelvin Kiptum on the verge of greatness, targeting Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09 on Sunday.

The young star

At 23 and with only two career marathons to his name, Kiptum has quickly established himself as one of the best distance runners in the world. Although, despite his achievements in London, he remains relatively unknown on the major marathon scene. Kiptum is self-coached and did not enter marathoning from a prolific track career like Kipchoge, Mo Farah, or Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele.

Kiptum made his marathon debut last December at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, taking a commanding victory in 2:01:53, the fastest debut in history. He continued his dominance at the 2023 London Marathon, where he shattered Kipchoge’s course record and came within 16 seconds of the world record, with a 2:01:25 finish.

In June, Kiptum was selected for Team Kenya in the 2023 World Athletics Championships marathon. However, he declined the invitation to focus on a fall marathon instead. He settled on Chicago, which is widely regarded as the fastest marathon major in North America. 

In a pre-race interview with Olympics.com, Kiptum said he is well-trained for the Chicago course and believes he can become the first man in history to run a 2:00 flat on Sunday. Kiptum’s choice of Chicago over the other fall majors, Berlin and NYC, indicates his eagerness to chase the world record. Chicago’s primarily flat course, with only 70 meters of elevation gain, makes it an ideal setting.

Kiptum’s competition

If Kiptum intends to hit the halfway mark around 60 minutes, there are not many in the field who can keep up with him. The 2020 Olympic marathon bronze medallist, Bashir Abdi, is listed as the second fastest athlete in Chicago with a personal best of 2:03:36. Abdi finished fifth here in 2019 and will be looking to improve on his time of 2:06:14.

Kiptum will also face off against one of the best tactical marathoners in the world and the reigning champion, Benson Kipruto. Kipruto comes off a second-place finish at the 2023 Boston Marathon, where he was runner-up to his training partner, Evans Chebet. Ethiopia’s Seifu Tura knows the Chicago course well, having won the race in 2021 and finished as runner-up to Kipruto last fall. If the race becomes a tactical affair, it’s hard to look past these two as the favourites but they don’t quite have the sub-2:02 speed to hang with Kiptum early.

American men chase Olympic standard

Another entertaining race within the race to watch will be the battle between top Americans Galen Rupp, Conner Mantz and Leonard Korir as they aim to achieve the 2024 Olympic marathon standard of 2:08:10. The only American to break that mark since 2020 is Rupp, who did so at the 2021 Chicago Marathon where he finished second. Currently, no American men have met the Olympic qualifying mark for Paris, and the U.S. Marathon Trials are just four months away in February 2024.

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.”

Great North Run men's elite runners in full

Elite field of 50 runners includes half-marathon world champion Geoffrey Kamworor, making his Great North Run debut, and 5,000-meter world champ Muktar Edris - who named his son after Sir Mo.

With just days to go before the world-famous Great North Run kicks off from Newcastle, organizers have revealed the full line-up of the elite male athletes from around the world who are set to lead the way.

Among the top runners on September 10 will be Sir Mo Farah taking part in his last-ever competitive event. And it's set to prove an emotional occasion for the four-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time World Champion who has won the Great North Run six times.

Sir Mo, who also will be out supporting young runners at Super Saturday events the day before the half-marathon, will be retiring from professional competition once its complete. He said: "It will definitely be emotional but I’m so happy to have the opportunity to celebrate the end of my professional career on that famous finish line.”

And the event promises to give him a good send-off as he will be in some top company. The line-up for this year's elite men's race now has been revealed and it includes an impressive roster of international athletes.

Among them will be 30-year-old Kenyan Geoffrey Kamworor: a three-time World Half Marathon Champion who has won the New York Marathon twice and came second earlier this year at the London Marathon.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to taking on my first Great North Run in Newcastle - I’ve heard many good things about the event. Sir Mo Farah - he has had such an incredible career, it’s exciting to be a part of his last ever race but I’m obviously here to win and add my name to the list of champions.”

Another big challenger is set to be Muktar Edris from Ethiopia - and he is such an admirer of Sir Mo that he even named his son after the Olympian. Edris is a two-time World Champion over 5,000 meters and has a personal best time of 58.40.

He says: “I’ve raced Mo on the track but this is the first time we have met on the roads. I have great respect for him - after we raced in London 2017 World Championships, I named my son after him."

He adds: "I look forward to renewing our friendship and rivalry." Spectators will be able to watch them in action alongside the other elite runners - and the rest of the 60,000 participants - when the 42nd half-marathon gets under way in Newcastle on September 10, following its traditional route to South Shields where it will be all eyes on the finish line 13.1 miles later.

This year's run, which is due to be broadcast live on BBC1 from 10am until 2pm, is expected to raise around £25m pounds for charity.

Edris and Kamworor take on Farah at Great North Run

Tough opposition for the Brit on his final competitive appearance on September 10.

Mo Farah will renew his rivalry with two of his old adversaries – Geoffrey Kamworor and Muktar Edris – in his last competitive appearance in the AJ Bell Great North Run next week.

Kamworor is a three-time world half-marathon champion and two-time winner of the New York City Marathon in addition to finishing runner-up in the London Marathon five months ago.

The Kenyan says: “I’m really looking forward to taking on my first Great North Run in Newcastle, as I’ve heard many good things about the event.

“Sir Mo Farah he has had such an incredible career, it’s exciting to be a part of his last ever race, but I’m obviously here to win and add my name to the list of champions.”

Edris, meanwhile, won the world 5000m title in 2017 ahead of Farah and then successfully defended his title in 2019. Over half-marathon he has a best of 58:40 and says: “I’ve raced Mo on the track but this is the first time we have met on the roads.

“I have great respect for him. After we raced in London 2017 World Championships, I named my son after him and I look forward to renewing our friendship and rivalry.”

One week before the Great North Run, Farah, who is now 40, races in the Big Half in London (September 3) with the event acting as the half-marathon trial for the World Road Running Champs in Latvia on October 1.

Joshua Cheptegei: It’s time to transition to the marathon

Three time World 10,000m champion Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei has announced his intention to transition from track events to marathon races, saying that the time has come for him to embrace a new chapter in his athletic career.

Cheptegei’s decision comes after securing his third consecutive world title in the challenging 10,000-meter race at the prestigious stage of Budapest.At 26 years, Cheptegei, who holds world records for both the 10,000-meter and 5,000-meter distances, displayed incredible determination despite sweltering temperatures, completing the race in 27 minutes and 51.42 seconds.

His exceptional performance saw him outshine competitors like Kenya’s Daniel Simiu Ebenyo, who finished with a time of 27:52.60, and his long-time rival, Selemon Barega from Ethiopia, who crossed the line in 27:52.72.Speaking after his gold-winning race, Cheptegei mentioned that it was a special moment for him to defend his title, especially considering his return from an injury.

He expressed his belief that it’s time for him to transition to marathons, as he feels his journey in the middle-distance races has been a successful one.

Cheptegei’s return to the 10,000-meter race marked his first participation since 2022, a year in which he faced an injury setback during the 5000-meter event.

However, this did not diminish his ability to outcompete a strong field of 27 athletes in Budapest. Prior to his victory in Budapest, Cheptegei encountered an unexpected challenge when his fellow athlete Jacob Kiplimo, a prominent figure on the track, had to withdraw due to a hamstring injury.Despite the increased pressure, Cheptegei rose to the occasion and emerged triumphant.

This latest gold medal signifies Cheptegei’s remarkable achievement of securing three consecutive world titles in the 10,000-meter race, a distinction previously attained by legendary athletes like Great Britain’s Sir Mo Farah and Ethiopian icons Haile Gebrselassie and Kennenisa Bekele.

This accomplishment solidifies Cheptegei’s status as one of the foremost athletes of his generation.Benjamin Njia, the coach of the Uganda Athletics Federation, expressed his support for Cheptegei’s decision to venture into marathons.

He explained that while Cheptegei will be using a marathon race in December to assess his potential, this doesn’t immediately mark his departure from track events.Cheptegei will still have two more years to compete, including the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where he aims to win gold in the 10,000-meter race while continuing to excel in the 5,000-meter event.

Cheptegei joins all-time greats after winning third world 10,000m title in Budapest

As in Oregon last year, and as in Doha in 2019, there was no stopping Joshua Cheptegei when it came to the crunch in a World Championships 10,000m final.

The fastest man in history over 5000m and 10,000m might have been outfought by Selemon Barega on the final lap of the Olympic final in Tokyo two years ago, but when the bell sounded in Budapest Uganda’s golden boy found his Midas touch to land the decisive blow in a gripping East African slugfest.

Cheptegei had already made what proved to be the decisive move by then, overtaking the Ethiopian wind-up merchant Berihu Aregawi with 600 metres to go.

Aregawi, who finished one place ahead of him as the silver medallist at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst in February, had upped the pace with a succession of 64-second laps from six laps out but was burned off when Cheptegei launched his pre-emptive strike.

In Oregon he struck at the bell and stayed there, resisting a challenge from Barega, who ultimately faded to fifth. This time the Olympic champion was his prime chaser again, closing down the back straight and cutting the gap to a metre with 200 metres left.

Gritting his teeth as he rounded the final turn, the Ethiopian prepared to launch a grandstand finish but Cheptegei pulled clear up the home straight, crossing the line a clear winner in 27:51.42.

Such was Barega’s sense of deflation, the wind evacuated his sails. Easing down as the line approached, he was pipped for second place by Daniel Ebenyo, the Kenyan claiming a silver to match his Commonwealth runners-up prize of last year in 27:52.60.

Barega took bronze in 27:52.72, followed home by compatriot Aregawi, fourth in 27:55.71, and Kenyan Benard Kibet, fifth in 27:56.27. Canada’s Mo Ahmed came next in 27:56.43, a lifetime best.

For Cheptegei, who closed with a 53.46-second final lap – near identical to his Eugene split of 53.42 – it was as momentous as any of his growing number of victories. At the age of 26, he entered the record books as the fourth man to claim a hat-trick of world 10,000m titles, following in the spikemarks of the Ethiopian greats Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele, who both won four, and Britain’s supreme championship performer, Mo Farah.

“I am very excited and proud that I have succeed in winning my third world title in a row, “said Cheptegei, who has had to contend with injury since his Oregon victory. “This was the best possible way to end the season.

“This might be my last championships on the track. That's why this gold medal means even more.”

With a marathon debut to come in December in Valencia, the city where he set his 10,000m world record three years ago, who knows what the future might hold for the man who has broken the traditional East African distance running stranglehold of the Ethiopians and Kenyans?

For the time being, he can content himself on a job well done in a curious race that was clearly dictated by clammy, humid conditions reminiscent of Osaka in 2007.

Cheptegei and the rest of the leading lights kept their powder dry as his Ugandan teammate Joel Ayeko set off on his lonesome in the phoney war of the opening 3km.

Passing 400m in 62.86 and 1km in 2:46.69, the 30-year-old was more than five seconds clear at one stage before Cheptegei steadily whittled it down, with Ebenyo and Kibet in his slipstream.

Kibet and Aregawi traded places at the front before 5km was reached in a pedestrian 14:21.75. The cat-and-mouse continued, Kibet also taking a turn in pole position.

All the while, Cheptegei kept his cool, literally and metaphorically. Having run out of gas at the end of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships on home ground in the humidity of Kampala back in 2017, he veered out to collect a sponge at a water station – then bided his time when Aregawi started injecting some meaningful pace.

In the end, it was his class that told. Once again. In three seasons, he has run just three 10,00m races. He has won Olympic silver and two more world golds.

Brit who once beat Mo Farah jailed for stealing from bed and breakfast

Ricky Stevenson, who in 2010 beat fellow Brit Mo Farah to the finish line on the short course of the Great Edinburgh Cross Country International, was recently sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for stealing nearly C$70,000 from a bed and breakfast he was managing.

Stevenson, 34, of Skelton-in-Cleveland in North Yorkshire was handed the sentence in late June after admitting in February to stealing from the business in the village of Hinderwell in northeast England to fund his addiction to cocaine and gambling, according to North Yorkshire Police.

In a statement, police say the thefts, which occurred in 2020 as businesses were struggling to survive during COVID-19 pandemic, left the business “on the brink of collapse”  as it continued to scrape by with the help of government-backed pandemic loans. In December of that year, the owner of the B&B started to receive warning letters from utility companies and other businesses over unpaid bills.

Police say Stevenson initially blamed shortfalls in the business’s bank account on guests not showing up due to COVID restrictions. In January 2021, however, Stevenson broke down and admitted to stealing the money to fund his addiction to cocaine and gambling.

Stevenson stole the money through unauthorized transactions from the business account to his personal account, cheques made out to himself, cash withdrawals using the business’s bank card and taking cash payments directly from guests who were told the card machine was out of order, said Police Staff Investigator Rob Henderson.

“Ricky Stevenson was a close acquaintance of the owner who placed him in a position of trust to manage the holiday business and even let him live rent-free on the site where he worked. He breached this trust in a most outrageous and calculated way for his own selfish gain,” said Henderson. “Stevenson’s actions almost brought about the collapse of the business and caused untold upset and stress for the owner.”

In 2010, Stevenson pulled off a dramatic win over Farah at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country International, when he and Steve Vernon passed Farah in the final section of the snow-covered course to take first and second place respectively.

Athletics Weekly reports Stevenson shifted to music after failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, pursuing a career as a DJ. Farah, of course, famously went on to take gold in the 5,000m and 10, 000m at the 2012 London Games.

“I could have chosen to get my head down and done it all again for the next Olympic cycle,” Stevenson told Athletics Weekly at the time. “But for me it was a case of: ‘Do I really want to put all that effort in for something that can be taken away so quickly?’”

Sir Mo Farah confirms final race in London before Olympic hero's retirement

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Sir Mo Farah has announced the Big Half will be his last race in London before retiring.

Farah, who won back-to-back Olympic golds in the 5,000m and 10,000m, revealed ahead of the London Marathon in April that 2023 would be his final year as a competitive athlete. The 40-year-old cited injuries as the reason behind his decision, admitting: "My body is not allowing me."

And it has now been confirmed his final competitive race in London, the city where he won his first two Olympic golds in 2012, will be the Big Half on September 3. It is an event he has won three times, most recently in 2022.

"I'm excited to run my last ever London race at The Big Half," Farah said. "It will be bittersweet, knowing it will be the last time I race competitively in my hometown but it's always such a great day and I know the London crowds will be cheering me on, as they always do. I look forward to being back in London and hope to bring home the win one final time."

Spencer Barden, Head of Elite Athletes at London Marathon Events which organises the Big Half, added: "It's fantastic to have Sir Mo leading the field at this year's The Big Half. Mo has had a phenomenal career and everyone at London Marathon Events wishes him all the best in his retirement.

"Before that though, we hope he signs off his racing career in London with another record-breaking win at The Big Half." However, the Great North Run on September 10 will be Farah's final race altogether.

"I have so many incredible memories of racing at the Great North Run, my first ever race there in 2013 was billed as one of the greatest men’s half marathons in history," he said. "It was a special experience to line up against Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele and the iconic Haile Gebrselassie.

"Kenenisa took the top spot that day, but there was so much support for me all along the course. Even at the finish line in the pouring rain, all I can remember was people shouting my name, it made me even more determined to come back and do them proud.

"From 2014 onwards I won the event in front of that incredible crowd six times. There were some really tough races, but the phenomenal support always saw me through.

"It's fitting the AJ Bell Great North Run will be my last ever race as an elite athlete. It will definitely be emotional, but I’m so happy to have the opportunity to celebrate the end of my professional career on that famous finish line."

Going for the Two mile world record on June 9th

Jakob Ingebrigtsen doesn’t like talking about world records. But many others in the world of athletics are doing just that as the Norwegian prepares to compete in the non-Olympic distance two-mile event at the 2023 Paris Diamond League on 9 June.

Everything is set up for Ingebrigtsen to attempt to beat Daniel Komen’s time of 7:58.61 - a record that has stood since 1997. Not only will an elite field of pacers set the tempo, but the athletes racing will also have the benefit of Wavelight technology, which uses lights on the inside of the track to show the pace of the world record in real time.

If Ingebrigtsen breaks the record, he will have succeeded where many other of the world’s most celebrated distance runners have failed.

Mo Farah, Eliud Kipchoge and Joshua Cheptegei are just some of the big name athletes to have attempted the distance yet failed to beat Komen’s mark, with the nearest time an 8:01.08 set by the great Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie less than two months before Komen’s historic run.

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.

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.

Five ways to improve your 5k time

The 5k is an often underestimated challenge and with the rise of parkrun it has become one of the most popular distances for runners with thousands lacing up each week.

While some will say time isn’t important, deep down 99% of runners, regardless of ability, all want to get faster – whether that is breaking 15 minutes or 25 minutes for the Olympic distance.

When coaching I get asked quite a lot about improving 5K times, what are the secrets? what training sessions should I do? Truth be told there are numerous things you can do to take a slice of your previous best and equally it depends on the individual too.

However, there are five key pieces of advice that I pass on to everyone; get race experience, practice at race pace, don’t be afraid to run less, train with a group and lastly, find a fast race.

1) Get race experience

The beauty of the 5k distance, compared to something like a marathon, is you can race again a lot sooner between your last and next event.

This will allow you to experiment and learn what gives you the best push, maybe a certain season suits you better or racing at a different time of the day. Also, everyone races differently and motivates themselves in alternative ways, so you could be a natural front-runner like Steve Prefontaine or love chasing other runners down in the final sprint like Mo Farah. It can be a bit of trial and error, but finding what works can make a big difference in your results.

2) Practice at race pace

Speed Intervals can be a key part of your 5k training, but don’t just go out as hard as you can and hang on until you can’t go any longer. Target the pace you want to run your 5k at and break it down into sections.

A good rule of thumb is to have 5k worth of intervals at 5k pace or 10k worth of intervals at 10k pace, so 5 x 1km at your goal 5k pace, reducing the rest as your training progresses, would be a great session.

Matt Clowes, a runner who has a 13:58 5K personal best also advises about training beyond the 5k distance.

“Training to run a fast 5k requires a good mix of speed and endurance,” says the Cardiff AAC runner. “Going over and under the distance gives a wider scope to crack the distance.

“A typical track session I do when training specifically for a 5k is 6x1k @5k race pace with 90 seconds recovery between each interval.”

3) Don’t be afraid to run less

While it’s important to develop your endurance base, like Matt advises, do not simply on miles to the detriment of your quality sessions, and always pay attention to how you feel and your level of fitness.

With 5k running coming under the VO2 Max bracket of training it’s not all about endless miles, but about the quality as well. If you need to reduce the mileage a little bit to really hit your key sessions then don’t be afraid to.

4) Train with a group

If you are not currently a member of a club, have a look online for a running club in your area or group from your local parkrun.

Find a group that has a similar goal. This can help keep the motivation high, whether it’s getting out on a recovery run and keeping the pace sensible or just pushing the pace to where you want to be on your speed intervals. If you have to suffer, might as well have company.

5) Find a fast race

Not all races are created equal and if you’re running a parkrun with two muddy hills and a hairpin bend on every lap or a road race with more hills than you can count on one hand, then it might not be a PB course.

Investigate where fast times are run or go to a certified 5k road race.

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.

London Marathon Men — Kiptum Blinder With Boggling Splits

Kelvin Kiptum found a way to better his marathon debut world record as he dashed away from a quality field, blitzing a stupefying 59:45 second half to win the London Marathon with a 2:01:25 clocking.

“I am so happy with my performance in my first World Marathon Majors, and to run the second fastest time in history,” Kiptum beamed. “The secret is hard training, and my preparation was very good. Everything was going one way, and I was expecting good results.”

Race day certainly went Kiptum’s way as the 23-year-old not only pared 72 seconds off Eliud Kipchoge’s London course record, he scared Kipchoge’s 2:01:09 global standard, and moved past Kenenisa Bekele to No. 2 on the all-time list.

Left far behind was the competition as Geoffrey Kamworor ran a PR 2:04:23 to finish 2nd as Tamirat Tola filled out the podium with a 2:04:59 effort.

Kiptum picked up right where he left off last December in Valencia when he ran a stunning 2:01:53 marathon debut, closing the second half in 60:20. Having logged that impressive sub-2:02 debut, this run was less stunning than it was spectacular as Kiptum hit speeds seldom seen on a marathon course.

While the runners set off on wet pavement, the expected steady rain did not materialize and the light wind, 50-degree (10C) temperatures and a crisp 38-degree dewpoint combined for some fast running. Well at least for Kiptum.

Defending champ Vincent Kipruto and Kiptum were ready for a fast getaway, clipping at the pacers’ heels through the downhill opening 5K (14:30) before settling into a steady 2:56K pace.

Crossing 20K on the Tower Bridge in 58:31 (2:03:27 pace), Kiptum seemed to egg on the trio of pacers as they upped the tempo to pass halfway in 61:40. The move also yielded a generational change of sorts as the 40-year-old Bekele slipped out of contention while Kiptum sped on in an effort that would supplant the Ethiopian’s 2:01:41 Berlin ’19 win.

The ensuing 5K segment in 14:22 between 20 and 25K pared the pace down to a 2:03:01 clip, and the lead group to 6 contenders. Kenyans Kiptum, Kamworor and Kipruto led the charge, a stride ahead of the Ethiopian trio of Tola, Seifu Tura and Leul Gebrselassie.

Covering the subsequent 5K in 14:30 pushed the tempo down to 2:02:57 at 30K (1:27:23) when Kiptum’s obvious exuberance could no longer be restrained.

Kiptum’s break came after he missed his 30K fluid grab. “My plan was to catch a water,” he said. “But unfortunately, I missed and I said, ‘Let me make a move,’ so I try.”

Kiptum’s try was a sharp acceleration covered at first by Kamworor and Tola, but soon they were left behind.

After facing Kiptum in Valencia, Tola was ready for the move but discovered one of his legs wasn’t: “When he was moving, I start with him but my leg was not OK, so I kept on my pace to finish.”

Kamworor clung to the radical speed a bit longer before coming to his senses: “When Kelvin made a move, that was a crazy pace and I couldn’t go with it because that was insane, so I said, let me go with my pace.” Note that this perspective comes from an athlete who knows something about insane pace as he closed out his 2018 World Half-Marathon Championship in Valencia with a blistering 13:01.

Once cut loose, Kiptum covered ground effortlessly, with a little side-to-side shoulder movement in his arm swing, but from his bib number on down he ran as smoothly as Kipchoge. Looking well within his comfort zone Kiptum’s breakaway was sealed with a 13:49 split to hit 35K in 1:41:12 — 2:02-flat pace.

The sub 2:50 kilo pace continued all the way down the Thames Embankment with a 14:01 split through 40K, and running 6:12 over the final 2195m.

Kiptum admitted, “It was difficult between 30 and 40K, and at 41 and 42 I was so exhausted I had no energy.”

The 58:42 half-marathoner’s transition to the full distance seems complete as for a second race in a row, after some 30km of running, Kiptum was able to shift back into the 2:48 pace of a sub-59:00 HM.

Scant few marathoners split a sub-2:50 kilometer; Kipchoge recorded 8 in the first half of his WR run last October, and 4 in his 2:01:39 record run. Kiptum ran 6 consecutive sub-2:50s between 31 and 37K in Valencia, and went even faster here, averaging 2:47.5 over the final 12,195 meters.

That’s 1:57:48 marathon pace.

Kiptum’s improbable finishing speed and rise to the top tier of marathoners over the short span of 5 months and two competitions is a rare achievement. The Kenyan phenom has impacted the marathon world like an unassuming rookie pitcher hitting the big leagues and pounding the strike zone with 105mph fastballs.

Managed by Marc Corstjens, the soft-spoken Kenyan is based in Chepkorio, 6km east of Kipchoge’s Kaptagat camp. Kiptum is self-coached, often trains alone with a preference for long, hilly runs in the forest — reminiscent of Sammy Wanjiru’s ’08 Olympic year training.

“My focus now is marathon,” Kiptum said. “I have done some half-marathons, I have run 59 or 58 seven times, so I said, ‘Let me try to shape up for the marathon.’”

As for chasing Kipchoge’s WR, Kiptum demurred with the patience evidenced in his opening 30K: “I will go home and see, but not now. Maybe in 2 or 3 years with good preparation.”

Among the field’s highly decorated veterans, Kamworor was happy to run his best race since his ’19 motorbike accident: “The race was good, and I am happy that I have come back after a long time struggling with injuries.”

Mo Farah closed out his marathon career finishing 9th in 2:10:58, while Bekele was less fortunate, perhaps closing out his stellar career with a DNF.

Top 10 Men Finishers

1. Kelvin Kiptum (Kenya) 2:01:25

2. Geoffrey Kamworor (Kenya) 2:04:23

3. Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia) 2:04:59

4. Leul Gebresilase (Ethiopia) 2:05:45

5. Seifu Tura (Ethiopia) 2:06:38

6. Emile Cairess (Great Britain) 2:08:07

7. Brett Robinson (Australia) 2:10:19

8. Phil Sesemann (Great Britain) 2:10:23

9. Mo Farah (Great Britain) 2:10:28

10. Chris Thompson (Great Britain) 2:11:50

London Marathon 2023: Kelvin Kiptum and Sifan Hassan win with superb runs

Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum smashed compatriot Eliud Kipchoge's course record to win the men's London Marathon in the second-fastest time ever.

The 23-year-old was just 16 seconds outside Kipchoge's world record, finishing in two hours one minute 25 seconds.

Sifan Hassan also produced a remarkable run to win the women's race.

The Dutch Olympic track champion, 30, suffered with a hip injury but battled to win on her debut at the distance.

“It was really amazing,” she says. She never thought she could win, so can’t believe that she did. The crowd are amazing, she says, and every single kilometre she was grateful to be there.

She’s so happy and it’s beautiful to see; she explains she has a pre-existing hip problem, hence the stretching, and because she was fasting she didn’t practise so didn’t know where to stop for drinks.

At 20km she felt she wasn’t tired and was thinking about getting experience for her next marathon and at every moment she was grateful. She didn’t have confidence because she didn’t practise drinking and she found it really tough; she realised she didn’t have to have as much as she should.

Living in the States, she used to set her alarm to watch this race, and now she’s won it she’ll never forget it. She’d been told she’d hurt, but felt much better after 35km than she thought, and when she saw the line she thought it that really it?!

She needs to decide what race she’ll run at the Paris Olympics next summer but she’s so grateful. What an incredible racer and lovely person.

Kiptum produced the fastest marathon debut in Valencia in December, where he finished in 2:01:53 - the third-fastest time in history.

He went faster still on the streets of London, knocking one minute and 12 seconds off Kipchoge's previous course record to beat second-placed compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor by almost three minutes.

Ethiopia's reigning world champion Tamirat Tola was third, while Britain's Mo Farah finished ninth in what he says will be his last marathon.

Emile Cairess, 25, produced a superb run to finish as the first British man home, taking sixth in 2:08:07 on his marathon debut. 

It was the third-fastest marathon time by a British man - behind Farah and Steve Jones - and the second fastest by a Briton in the London race. 

Four British runners finished in the top 10 in total, with Phil Sesemann eighth and Chris Thompson 10th.

In the women's race, Hassan, who won the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, appeared out of the race after dropping back early on with a hip problem, but gradually fought back.

She then produced a sprint finish to win in two hours 18 minutes 33 seconds.

Ethiopia's Alemu Megertu was second and Kenya's previously unbeaten Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir third. 

Kenyan world record holder Brigid Kosgei looked to be limping from the start and dropped out after just three minutes, while Ethiopia's defending champion Yalemzerf Yehualaw was fifth. 

Sam Harrison, 27, was the first British woman home, clocking a new personal best of 2:25:59 for the 26.2-mile distance as she claimed 11th. 

It was the fifth-fastest time by a British woman in the event. 

Switzerland's Marcel Hug knocked 50 seconds off his own course record to win a third consecutive London Marathon men's wheelchair race - and fifth in total.

Hug, 37, finished in one hour 23 minutes 48 seconds, well ahead of the Netherlands' Jetze Plat in second, with Japan's Tomoki Suzuki third and the United States' Daniel Romanchuk in fourth.

Britain's David Weir, 43, finished his 24th London Marathon in fifth place.

Australia's Madison de Rozario held off Manuela Schar, of Switzerland, in a sprint finish to win the women's wheelchair race for a second time.

The four women's favourites made it on the Mall together before De Rozario and Schar pulled away.

De Rozario won in one hour 38 minutes 52 seconds, with defending champion Catherine Debrunner, of Switzerland, in third and the United States' Susannah Scaroni fourth.

Eden Rainbow-Cooper, 21, who was third in 2022, was the first Briton home in seventh.

The event has returned to its traditional date in the calendar, in April, for the first time since 2019 after being moved during the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than 47,000 runners are taking part, with huge crowds lining the streets of London despite damp conditions.

Geoffrey Kamworor ready to glide on London roads

Two-time New York City Marathon winner Geoffrey Kamworor declares he is in his best shape ever and promises fireworks in England.

Kamworor, fondly referred to as the man of all surfaces, was hit by a motorcycle while training in Kaptagat on June 27, 2020, fracturing a tibia. He underwent surgery to mend the injury.

Things suddenly changed for Kamworor as his career in athletics turned upside down.

He was then gunning for his fourth consecutive World Athletics Half Marathon Championships title, but injured he failed to defend the crown on October 17, the same year in Gdynia, Poland.

Kamworor, who had the previous year recaptured the New York City Marathon title he had won in 2019, would embark on a frustrating long period of recovery. He eventually bounced back after 18 months to claim silver at the Istanbul Half Marathon on April 4, 2021.

Amidst a series of injuries Kamworor, the 2014 world 10,000m silver medalist, was still good enough to  run the fastest time on Kenyan soil as he won the Kenyan Olympic Games trials 10,000m in 27 minutes and 01.06 seconds at the Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani.

The man of all surfaces’ dream of returning for the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games went up in smoke with an ankle injury.

The fighter he is, he returned for the Valencia Marathon on December 5, 2021 where he finished fourth in a personal best  time of two hours, five minutes and 23 seconds.

He opened the 2022 season with an 18th place finish in the Boston Marathon on April 18 as a recurring ankle injury put paid to his title ambitions.

Kamworor still earned a place in the Kenya marathon team for the World Athletics Championships held on July 17 in Oregon, United States where he battled to a credible fifth place.

“For sure the last two years have been frustrating for me since the accident, injury after another crept in,” said Kamworor, as h3 announced that he was back into his best shape and ready for his debut in the London Marathon on Sunday.

“I am now running and conducting my training without any discomfort. I feel like I am back to the shape I was in 2017 to 2019 before all these misfortunes happened,” said Kamworor,  the 2015 and 2017 world cross country champion.

He went through his last speed work on Tuesday in Eldoret ahead of his departure to London yesterday.

Kamworor said that it’s a dream come true for him to finally compete in the London Marathon.

“I want to thank the organizers for giving me this opportunity. I can promise a beautiful race in the British capital,” said Kamworor. He predicted a tough race owing to the quality entries.

“It will depend on how you wake up but I am ready for any weather conditions,” said Kamworor.

He said he is ready for any pace and whatever tactics that will be thrown into the race by his opponents

Among the top cream of athletes Kamwowor will battle on the streets of London are fellow countrymen Amos Kipruto, who is the defending champion, and Kelvin Kiptum, 23, who produced the fastest marathon debut in history when he claimed victory in Valencia in 2:01:53 in December.  This is, in fact, made him the  third fastest man in history.

The Kenyans are up against home athlete Mo Farah and Ethiopian legendary distance runner Kenenisa Bekele among others.

Mo Farah expects his final London Marathon to be emotional

Mo Farah expects there to be tears on Sunday when he runs the marathon in the city he calls home for one final time.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist turned 40 last month and has confirmed this weekend’s London Marathon will be his last race over that distance. He then plans to run in just two more events before he retires at the end of this year.

This will be Farah’s fourth marathon in the capital, after finishing eighth in 2014, third in 2018 – when he broke the British record - and fifth in 2019.

And he thinks it will be an emotional farewell in the city he was smuggled to from Somalia aged eight – and where he enjoyed his greatest glory by winning golds in the 5,000m and 10,000m at London 2012.

‘This is it. It will be my last marathon,’ said Farah in London on Thursday. ‘When you know it’s the end of the road, you always get emotional. I think it will get to me. Maybe after the race there will be tears.

London is my home. This is where my journey started as a young boy who took part in the mini marathon, won that, and watched the senior race thinking, “One day I’m going to run the London Marathon”.

‘Also the memory of 2012 and that Super Saturday. That still motivates me to keep going. All the people in the UK have been a big part of my career and I owe them.’

Farah, who has been training in Ethiopia and finished seventh in a 10km race in Gabon earlier this month, has not run a full marathon in three years and pulled out of last year’s race with a hip injury.

‘I don’t know if my body can do it but I have to finish,’ he said. ‘It has definitely been quite emotional these last couple of years. As an athlete, you always want to go out there and do the best you can, but my body hasn’t allowed me to do what I needed to do in training.

‘That’s been the hardest thing. For many years, I tended to take it for granted. As you get older, that totally changes because you can’t do what you did. That is the most frustrating thing. Age does catch up with you and your body.’

Farah’s legacy has, of course, been tarnished by his relationship with his former coach Alberto Salazar, who was banned for four years in 2019 for doping violations. The American has since been banned for life for sexual and emotional misconduct.

Asked if he had any regrets in his career, Farah insisted: ‘Not at all. I wouldn't have done anything different. I just took that journey and kept going and kept grafting. As an athlete you go out there and deliver and win races. That’s what I’ve done.’

Six Best Marathon Runners of all time

The marathon is one of the toughest running events.  This event is set at 26.2 miles or 42.195 kilometers, as presented by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) in 1921.

It's a significantly long-distance race that most  people could not complete.  It takes lots of training.  One of the most famous marathon is Boston coming up Monday April 17.  And one of our top six will be running, Eliud Kipchoge.  So here are our six  marathoners as the best of all time. What are your top six? 

Eliud Kipchoge

Eliud Kipchoge easily tops this list as being the GOAT (greatest of all time!) in marathon history. He's a Kenyan runner that participated in marathons and used to specialize in the 5000-meter distance. Kipchoge has already made history and set a world record last September 2018 in Berlin after he completed the distance set for the Olympic men's race with 2:01:39.

No one else was able to defeat the record for several years until Eliud Kipchoge himself broke his own record at his fifth Berlin marathon last year, September 2022 with 2:1:9. It's a 30-second gap from his initial world record, which is a significant improvement already as a runner.

Not only that but he's also been a three-time London and Berlin champion since 2015! At 38 years old, he's already achieved so much, and he's not stopping just yet. Kipchoge also informed everyone that he'll be aiming for the Paris 2024 games, so you should also wait for that and check the updates on FanDuel Sports online.

Haile Gebrselassie

Next on the list is truly one of the marathon legends who dominated the industry when he was still active. Haile Gebreselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who retired last 2015 after over 20 years of long-distance running. He's been active from the late 90s to the early 2000s, and a few of his astonishing achievements include consecutively winning the Berlin Marathon four times and the Dubai Marathon three times.

He also has four World Championship titles (1993 Stuttgart, 1995 Gothenburg, 1997 Athens, and 1999 Seville) and two Olympic golds (1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney) in a 10,000-meter distance run. Although he's no longer in the running scene, his legendary achievements will live long.

Abebe Bikila

If you're a huge fan of marathon events, you should already know about Abebe Bikila by now. He's a pioneer marathon runner that made significant feats in the history of the marathon. To start, he's the only athlete who ran barefoot during the Rome 1960 Olympics. He faced the cobblestones head-on, won a gold, and even set a world record. Bikila became the first Black African that ever topped at the Games in a 42.195km race.

Furthermore, his amazing barefoot run made it to the Guinness World Record as the fastest marathon run in bare feet at the 1960 Olympic Games with 2:15:16.2. Additionally, Abebe Bikila was also the first runner to win two Olympic marathon events after he grabbed another gold at Tokyo 1964

Mo Farah

Mo Farah is a British marathon runner who's only the second athlete to win 10,000-meter and 5,000-meter titles at successive Olympic Games. Throughout his athletic career, he accumulated 19 gold with nine silvers and two bronzes.

Moreover, he initially planned to retire but then changed his mind and participated in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and was even tipped by the excellent Eliud Kipchoge. He's still active to this day, but Farah shared with everyone that 2023 will be his final year after confirming that he will be participating in the London Marathon this April and giving it "one more shot."

Catherine Ndereba

Catherine, the Great Ndereba, is the first woman on this list, and she deserved it. She's one of the marathon runners that other athletes should recognize. The Olympics even regarded her achievement as one of the great.

In 2005, she was even awarded by the former Kenya president Mwai Kibaki with the Order of the Golden Aware due to her excellent accomplishments. Not only that, but she was also awarded 2004 and 2005 Kenyan Sportswoman of the Year.

Although she couldn't bring home gold from participating in the Olympic Games, she got to win silver awards for the 2004 Athen Games and 2008 Beijing Games. Additionally, she also has eight gold wins in World Championships and World Marathon Majors combined.

Paula Radcliffe

Paula Radcliffe is also one of the marathon runners that overcame her health issues as a child and became a successful athlete as an adult. Growing up, she struggled with anemia and asthma, but these were just a few bumps in the road as she continued to work hard and brought home several gold awards.

This British long-distance runner was the women's world record holder for over 16 years (2003 to 2019) for being the fastest female marathon runner with 2:15:25 until Brigid Kosgei broke it in 2020. Aside from that, she's also able to win New York City and London marathons three times and won 15 gold awards in total.

Final Thoughts

Marathon is an exciting sport, and no regular person can participate. It takes great understanding that a marathon is more than just running. Being as powerful as the runners mentioned above takes months of training and endurance. Although there are still other remarkable marathon runners, these six, in particular, made significant achievements in this field.

Ruth Chepngetich returns for another fast race in Istanbul

Both course record holders will return to the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon on 30th April: Organizers from Spor Istanbul announced today that Ruth Chepngetich and fellow-Kenyan Rodgers Kwemoi will head extraordinary strong elite fields next month. The marathon world champion from 2019 has established a unique win streak at the Bosphorus, which she will try to build on further: Ruth Chepngetich won the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon three times and triumphed in the N Kolay Marathon twice.

In total she competed five times in these races and broke the course record on all occasions. When Ruth Chepngetich established the current half marathon mark of 64:02 in 2021 this was a world record as well. Rodgers Kwemoi will compete in Turkey’s best quality elite road race for the second time. He improved the course record to 59:15 a year ago.

Currently, nine men are on the start list of the Istanbul Half Marathon who have already broken the hour mark and nine women feature personal bests of sub-67 minutes. Istanbul 2023 offers one of the strongest line-ups in half marathon racing this year. The 18th N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon is an Elite Label Road Race of World Athletics.

Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich has shown superb marathon form earlier this month, when she took the Nagoya women’s race with a world-class 2:18:08. Seven weeks later the 28-year-old hopes to be ready for another fast performance in Istanbul.

“I am super excited to come to the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon for the fourth time and to defend my title. I have always performed well in Istanbul and I am hoping to run another fast race if the weather cooperates,“ said Ruth Chepngetich, whose course record of 64:02 still is the Kenyan record while the world record now stands at 62:52. 

To build on her Istanbul win streak Chepngetich is mixing with a top-level field on Sunday, April 30. A group of Ethiopians could challenge the Kenyan.At just 21 years of age Bosena Mulatie already has a strong personal best of 65:46. She ran the time in Ras Al Khaimah (United Aarab Emirates) last year, where she finished fifth. In the summer, she achieved qualification for the World Championships and placed eighth in the 10,000 m final. Ethiopians Ftaw Zeray and Bekelech Gudeta feature personal records of 66:04 and 66:35 respectively. Gudeta ran her PB last year in Istanbul when she was third. Gete Alemayehu has been in fine form earlier this year, when she finished 12th in the challenging World Cross Country Championships. The Ethiopian has a half marathon PB of 66:37.

Additionally, there is Evaline Chirchir, she ran 66:01 in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) in 2020 when taking fourth. The 24-year-old did not compete for some time internationally, but ran a solid race in RAK last month with 67:15 for fifth place.

Rodgers Kwemoi is not only the course record holder but also the fastest athlete on the start list. The 25-year-old ran 58:30 when he was runner-up in RAK last year. After that race he broke the Istanbul course record by 20 seconds with 59:15 despite windy conditions. “My next goal in the half marathon is a time of 58:00,“ said Rodgers Kwemoi after this impressive win. He had no opportunity yet to reach that goal, so the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon could be the place for him to chase such a world-class time. 

Among Rodgers Kwemoi’s competitors there will be Amedework Walelegn, who has good memories of the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon as well. The Ethiopian was the winner in 2018 and at that time became the first runner to break the one hour barrier at the Bosphorus with a time of 59:50. Since then he has improved this PB to 58:40. The 24-year-old was in great form recently, when he first took the Sevilla Half Marathon with 60:28 and then won the Seoul Marathon in 2:05:27. 

Recent road race results from Kenyans Charles Langat and Daniel Ebenyo have been impressive as well and suggest that they could be in contention for victory in Istanbul as well. Langat won the Barcelona Half Marathon in February with 58:53 and Ebenyo, who has a very fast 10k PB of 26:58, was runner-up in the Manama Half Marathon in Bahrain in December with 59:04. 

Britain’s Marc Scott is the fastest European runner on the start list. The 3,000 m bronze medalist from the World Indoor Championships 2022 ran 60:39 in Larne (Northern Ireland)  three years ago for a runner-up spot behind Mo Farah. 

Mo Farah will race 10km in Gabon as part of London Marathon preparations

Mo Farah will race the Port-Gentil 10km in Gabon two weeks before what is expected to be the Briton's final London Marathon appearance.

The four-time Olympic champion, 40, announced in January that he expects 2023 to be his final year of racing before retirement.

Farah is currently training in Ethiopia as he continues his preparations for the London Marathon on 23 April.

He is unsure if the marathon will be his last competitive event.

In a short video, the British marathon record holder said he has been "preparing well" in Ethiopia, adding he is "really excited" to test his fitness over 10km on 8 April in Gabon, 15 days before he takes to the streets of his home city.

A hip injury prevented Farah from taking part in last year's London Marathon, with the 2023 race set to be his first full marathon since 2019.

The six-time world track champion won the Big Half - a half marathon race - in London in September but he has raced just seven times since October 2019.

Farah's personal best over 10km on the road is 27 minutes 44 seconds, however that time was set in 2010 and he was surprisingly beaten by club runner Ellis Cross in his last outing over the distance at the Vitality London 10,000 last year.

The 2018 Chicago Marathon winner's highest London Marathon finish was third in 2018. He will face a stacked field in the 2023 race, which features four of the five fastest runners in history.

The 2023 London Marathon will be broadcast live on BBC TV, iPlayer and online.

Defending champion Kipruto to take on Bekele, Kamworor, Farah, Tola and Kiptum at London Marathon

The 2023 TCS London Marathon elite men’s field will be a landmark occasion when, for the first time in history, two men who have run inside 2:02 will be together on the same start line at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on 23 April.

Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest man ever with a PB of 2:01:41, and Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum, the winner of the 2022 Valencia Marathon and the fastest marathon debutant in history (2:01:53) have both been confirmed for the race.

With Ethiopian duo Birhanu Legese (2:02:48) and Mosinet Geremew (2:02:55) also in the field, it means this year’s London Marathon will have four of the five fastest men in marathon history on the start line.

In addition, the defending champion Amos Kipruto of Kenya and world champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia will also return to London, along with multiple world and Olympic champion Mo Farah and two-time New York Marathon winner Geoffrey Kamworor.

Kipruto’s win at last year’s London Marathon was the biggest victory of his career and his first Abbott World Marathon Major triumph. “Winning last year’s TCS London Marathon was an incredible experience for me,” said the 30-year-old, who was second at last year’s Tokyo Marathon behind world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge and third in the 2019 World Championships. “I am now preparing hard for this year’s race and I can’t wait to return to London as the champion.

“London always has a really strong field and this year is the same so I know I will face a battle to defend my title, but I’m confident and looking forward to it.”

Tola, who won the world title in Oregon last year, will be one of several men aiming to prevent Kipruto from winning back-to-back titles. Tola, 31, is in a fine run of form over the 26.2-mile distance, winning the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon and finishing third at the 2022 Tokyo Marathon (behind Kipchoge and Kipruto) before winning his world title last summer.

Also in the field is last year’s runner-up Leul Gebresilase of Ethiopia, and the second-placed finisher in London in both 2020 and 2021 Vincent Kipchumba.

The new holder of the Oceanian marathon record Brett Robinson, who ran 2:07:31 in Fukuoka last year, returns to London after finishing eighth in 2022. Japan’s 2018 Boston Marathon champion Yuki Kawauchi is making his London Marathon debut in what will be his 114th marathon. By finishing in London, Kawauchi will be eligible for his Abbott World Marathon Majors six star medal for finishing all six major marathons: London, Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York.

The elite women’s field will be announced tomorrow.

Elite men’s field

Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 2:01:41

Kelvin Kiptum (KEN) 2:01:53

Birhanu Legese (ETH) 2:02:48

Mosinet Geremew (ETH) 2:02:55

Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:03:13

Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:03:39

Kinde Atanaw (ETH) 2:03:51

Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:02

Vincent Kipchumba (KEN) 2:04:28

Seifu Tura (ETH) 2:04:29

Mo Farah (GBR) 2:05:11

Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) 2:05:23

Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:07:27

Brett Robinson (AUS) 2:07:31

Dewi Griffiths (GBR) 2:09:49

Rory Linkletter (CAN) 2:10:24

Chris Thompson (GBR) 2:10:52

Tom Gröschel (GER) 2:11:03

Ben Connor (GBR) 2:11:20

Joshua Griffiths (GBR) 2:11:28

Frank Lara (USA) 2:11:32

Luke Caldwell (GBR) 2:11:33

Weynay Ghebresilasie (GBR) 2:11:57

Emile Cairess (GBR) debut.

Kenenisa Bekele leads list of all-stars in London

Four of the five fastest marathon men in history go head-to-head in mouth-watering race in London on April 23.

The TCS London Marathon has pulled out all the stops to put together one of the greatest men’s line-ups of all time. When it comes to the best marathon runners on the planet, only Eliud Kipchoge, is missing.

Kipchoge is racing in Boston instead but he would have his work cut out if he had chosen to race in London as the field includes:

» Kenenisa Bekele – No.2 on the all-time rankings with 2:01:41, former world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder and multiple winner of Olympic and world titles on the track and country.

» Kelvin Kiptum – the fastest debutant in history with a best of 2:01:53 from Valencia in December.

» Amos Kipruto – defending London Marathon winner from last October.

» Tamirat Tola – reigning world champion from Eugene last summer.

» Mo Farah – British record-holder and 10-time global track champion.

In addition to this the field boasts Ethiopians Birhanu Legese and Mosinet Geremew, who have both run 2:02 marathons, plus last year’s London runner-up Leul Gebresilase, the 2020 and 2021 runner-up Vincent Kipchumba and two-time New York City Marathon winner Geoffrey Kamworor.

Kipruto, the Kenyan who won last October, said: “I am now preparing hard for this year’s race and I can’t wait to return to London as the champion.

“London always has a really strong field and this year is the same so I know I will face a battle to defend my title, but I’m confident and looking forward to it.”

Brett Robinson, the Australian who ran an Oceania record of 2:07:31 in Fukuoka late last year, will hope to improve on his eighth place from London last October. Sean Tobin, who earned headlines recently for his Antarctic marathon exploits, makes his road marathon debut in London.

Yuki Kawauchi, the Japanese runner who prevailed in terrible weather to win the 2018 Boston Marathon, is also in the line-up.

TCS London Marathon – elite men’s field

Amos Kipruto (KEN, PB 2:03:13)

Kenenisa Bekele (ETH, 2:01:41)

Kelvin Kiptum (KEN, 2:01:53)

Birhanu Legese (ETH, 2:02:48)

Mosinet Geremew (ETH, 2:02:55)

Tamirat Tola (ETH, 2:03:39)

Kinde Atanaw (ETH, 2:03:51)

Leul Gebresilase (ETH, 2:04:02)

Vincent Kipchumba (KEN, 2:04:28)

Seifu Tura (ETH, 2:04:29)

Sir Mo Farah (GBR, 2:05:11)

Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN, 2:05:23)

Yuki Kawauchi (JPN, 2:07:27)

Brett Robinson (AUS, 2:07:31)

Dewi Griffiths (GBR, 2:09:49)

Rory Linkletter (CAN, 2:10:24)

Chris Thompson (GBR, 2:10:52)

Tom Gröschel (GER, 2:11:03)

Ben Connor (GBR, 2:11:20)

Joshua Griffiths (GBR, 2:11:28)

Frank Lara (USA, 2:11:32)

Luke Caldwell (GBR, 2:11:33)

Weynay Ghebresilasie (GBR, 2:11:57)

Phil Sesemann (GBR, 2:12:10)

Charlie Hulson (GBR, 2:13:34)

Andrew Heyes (GBR, 2:13:52)

Adam Craig (GBR, 2:13:58)

Alex Monroe (USA, 2:14:15)

Ross Braden (GBR, 2:14:32)

Nick Earl (GBR, 2:14:38)

Nigel Martin (GBR, 2:15:19)

Ronnie Richmond (GBR, 2:16:59)

Nicholas Bowker (GBR, 2:17:35)

Alex Milne (GBR, 2:17:40)

Josh Lunn (GBR, 2:17:59)

Fraser Stewart (GBR, 2:18:40)

Matthew Dickinson (GBR, 2:19:23)

Emile Cairess (GBR, Debut)

Sean Tobin (IRL, Debut)

Ryan Forsyth (IRL, Debut)

The men’s and women’s wheelchair fields will be announced on Wednesday afternoon (Feb 1) while the elite women’s field will be announced on Thursday (Feb 2).

Mo Farah confirms he will be on the elite start line for the TSC London Marathon in April

Britain’s most successful track athlete has confirmed he’ll be on the entry list for this year’s men’s elite race around the capital.

Sir Mo Farah, who missed last year’s event due to a hamstring injury, says he is now recovered and looking forward to racing in his hometown again.

Farah has signalled that 2023 will be the final year of his athletics career after confirming he will give the TSC London Marathon "one more shot" in April.

“It’s been an amazing career and taking part in the London Marathon is a very big deal,” he said. “I was gutted not to race last year, and I just want to give it one more shot.“It depends on my body.

I just want to get to the start line and see what I can manage. I’m just taking one race at a time.“I’m not a spring chicken anymore. You can’t keep coming back in the right shape and, for me, I’d love to be able to finish it at home.“We are getting closer to the end of my career, for sure.”

Farah has ruled out a fourth Olympics next year but hinted that with the World Athletic Championships in August, he could still be tempted to put on the GB vest one last time.“I’m not going to go to the Olympics, and I think 2023 will be my last year,” he added.

“But if it came down to it towards the end of the year and you did get picked for your country, I’d never turn that down.“But like I say, I’m just taking it one race at a time and getting ready for the London Marathon, which is a big one.”

In 2018 Farah finished third at the London Marathon, setting a new British record, which he later went on to beat again when he won the Chicago Marathon that same year in a time of 2:05:01.

This April will be his first-time racing over the marathon distance since 2019 where he came 5th in the London Marathon.Last year he raced just twice, winning The Big Half and coming second in a shock defeat to club runner Ellis Cross in the Vitality 10km.

“It’s been a little different,” he said.“Throughout my career I’ve always approached every race knowing you’ve got to do the right training. “So, it’s been a little while. But I’ll be preparing well, I’ll head out to Ethiopia and put in a lot of solid training and see what I can do when it comes to April.”

Woody Kincaid (12:51) and Yared Nuguse (7:28) Break American Records on Historic Night in Boston

The Boston University Track & Tennis Center has been hosting meets for 20 years. In that time, it has seen collegiate records, American records, and two world records.Inarguably, it was BU’s fastest night in the men’s 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs. At 5:30 p.m. ET, Yared Nuguse ran 7:28.24 to break Galen Rupp’s 10-year-old American record in the 3,000. Nuguse’s time was also faster than the 7:28.48 outdoor record Grant Fisher set last summer in Monaco.

Barely two hours later, Woody Kincaid used a brilliant 26.27 final lap to run down Joe Klecker and win the men’s 5,000 in 12:51.61, shaving more than two seconds off Fisher’s American indoor record of 12:53.73 set on this track in 2022.

This time last year, no American had ever run 12:51, indoors or out. Now we have to debate whether it was even the best run by an American that day. Heady times for American distance running.

Nuguse and Kincaid weren’t the only men to run fast. Klecker’s 12:54.99 made him the 11th American under 13:00 and moved him to #4 on the combined US indoor/outdoor list. Sam Atkin, unsponsored a year ago, ran 7:31.97 to break Mo Farah’s British record (his time was faster than Farah’s 7:32.62 outdoor record, too). Northern Arizona’s Drew Bosley took almost two seconds off Nuguse’s collegiate record by running 7:36.42. And 19-year-old American Hobbs Kesslerran 7:39.00.

Any of those performances could have been a headline on another day. But tonight belonged to Nuguse and Kincaid, two record breakers entering new phases of their careers.

Mo Farah: Nine Running Tips

Mo Farah – Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion (twice), World 5,000m and 10,000m champion (twice) and 2:05 Marathoner. Someone we could all get a few running tips from.

The Sweat Elite team spent a month training in Sululta, Ethiopia in January 2019, whilst Mo Farah and Mudane Team were training towards the London Marathon 2019.

Here are 9 basic running tips from Mo Farah:

For A Quick Energy Boost… “Chocolate – usually dark chocolate – is good for an energy boost. There are all manner of sports snacks that pretend to do wonderful things, but I mostly like to stick to the basics.”

How to Keep Motivated… “When you’re competing, keep reminding yourself how much work has led to that moment. The training you’ve done means you deserve to perform well. That gives a huge confidence boost.”

How Important Are Recovery Days? “The day after a tough workout, you never want to push your body again. The most you should do is a comfortable run (or two) and/or cross training. Don’t have your heart rate up high again.”

Should you carry water during a race?“Drink immediately before or after a 5K or 10K run, but not during it. Running with a bottle puts more pressure on whatever side of your body it’s weighing down, and running well is all about balance.”

Keeping Warm Before The Race… “The morning before a race, I always have to wear my leggings to warm up my muscles. It’s weird, but if I don’t wear leggings in the morning, then I can’t compete in the afternoon. It’s a psychological thing. My coach once said: ‘It’s hot, it’s 80 degrees, take the leggings off!’ But I couldn’t.”

Increase Your Mileage Gradually… “Do not increase your weekly mileage by more than 10 per cent every month. No matter how good you feel, be very gradual. You won’t know you’re overdoing it until it’s too late.”

Strengthen Your Whole Body… “Good runners condition their whole bodies. The arms drive the legs. Keep your upper body and core toned with a lot of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and back raises. Stay away from machine weights and stick to Pilates, climbing, and dynamic flexibility work like yoga.”

Think About Your Posture… “Every motion your body makes should propel you directly forward. If your arms are crossing or you are over-striding, you’re losing force. Your posture should be straight, and your striding foot should land directly underneath you.”

Stay On The Trails If Possible… “Pavement damages joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles. The more you can run on grass, woodchips or dirt, the better off you are. My athletes run 90 percent of their workouts on soft surfaces.”

Istanbul Marathon will be targeting Turkish Allcomers' Record

The course record and the Turkish allcomers’ record will be targeted at the N Kolay Istanbul Marathon on November 6. To achieve these goals for the men’s race organizers have put together an elite field with very good strength in depth. Seven men are on the start list who feature personal bests of sub 2:08. Bahrain’s Marius Kimutai heads the current list with a time of 2:05:47.

In the women’s race Kenyan Agnes Barsosio is the fastest on paper with a PB of 2:20:59. Turkey’s premier marathon race, which uniquely starts on the Asian side of the Bosphorus and then leads the runners over the July 15 Martyrs Bridge into the European part of the city, will be staged in Istanbul for the 44th time. A total of 60,000 runners are expected to take part including races at shorter distances.

“The world's only intercontinental marathon is being conducted for the 44th time. In the race which starts in Asia and ends in Europe with the bridge connecting two continents, the participants enjoy Istanbul, the Bosphorus, and the historical peninsula of the 2000-year-old city with its finish in Sultanahmet Square, the historical center of Istanbul. A fast race is anticipated among the elite athletes competing in the race,“ said Renay Onur, the Race Director from Spor Istanbul. His organizing team achieved a remarkable feat by staging the N Kolay Istanbul Marathon and its sister race, the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon, throughout the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 with an exceptional effort. Both events are Elite Label Road Races of World Athletics, the international athletics federation.

Back in 2019 Kenyan Daniel Kibet established the current record of 2:09:44 while Turkey’s allcomers’ record currently stands at 2:09:27. These are the times organizers had in mind when they assembled the men’s elite field. Former Kenyan Marius Kimutai ran his PB of 2:05:47 when he was third in Amsterdam in 2016. On two more occasions the 29 year-old achieved times faster than 2:07. Competing for Bahrain for the first time he took the Rotterdam Marathon with 2:06:04 in 2017 and a year ago he finished sixth in Barcelona with 2:06:54.

Two other athletes on Istanbul’s start list have run sub 2:07 times: Kenya’s Samuel Kosgei, who is the former 25k world record holder (1:11:50 in Berlin in 2010), won the 2021 Barcelona Marathon with 2:06:04 and Ethiopia’s Abayneh Ayele clocked 2:06:45 in Dubai where he was sixth in 2016. In the same year Ayele was fourth in the World Half Marathon Championships, where he just missed out in the fight for the bronze medal against Britain’s Mo Farah. Both were given the same time of 59:59.

Tadesse Mamo is a runner who has shown very promising form earlier this year. The Ethiopian ran the best race of his career when he took second in Rome with 2:07:04, which was his first sub 2:10 time. Meanwhile Robert Kipkemboi returns to the N Kolay Istanbul Marathon where he was the runner-up a year ago. Showing one of his best performances he clocked 2:10:23 in 2021 while his personal best is 2:07:09 from Seoul in 2019. The other two runners with PBs of sub 2:08 on the start list are Ethiopia’s Alemayehu Mekonen and Evans Kiplagat of Azerbaijan with 2:07:23 and 2:07:46 respectively.

In contrast to the men’s race Istanbul’s world-class course record of 2:18:35 set by Ruth Chepngetich in 2018 will most likely remain unchallenged. Fellow-Kenyan Agnes Barsosio is the fastest runner on the women’s elite start. She clocked 2:20:59 when she finished second in Paris in 2017. While this was five years ago and she turned 40 earlier this year Barsosio showed excellent form this spring: She won the Nairobi Marathon, running 2:24:45 despite the high altitude.

Three other athletes with personal bests of sub 2:27 have achieved strong results and PBs this spring: Sechale Dalasa was the winner of the Rome Marathon with 2:26:09 while fellow-Ethiopian Melesech Tsegaye clocked 2:24:47 for fourth place in Milan. Despite her age of 34 Judith Jerubet is still a newcomer in international road running. She ran her first major race in 2021 and this year improved to 2:26:17 when she was third in Daegu, South Korea.

Trying a comeback Turkey’s national record holder Sultan Haydar surprisingly entered the N Kolay Istanbul Marathon more than six years after competing in the Rio Olympic Marathon where she finished in 111th position.

The 35 year-old established the current national record of 2:24:44 back in 2015 in Dubai. It will be interesting to see what Sultan Haydar can achieve on home soil in Istanbul after such a long break.

Running couple Lily Partridge and Ben Connor take wins at the Great South Run

Pro long-distance runner Lily Partridge and partner Ben Connor, an Olympic marathoner, both took victory in their respective women's and men's races at the Great South Run on Sunday.

Partridge, who was the first British woman at the London Marathon in 2018, crossed the finish line of the 10-miler in 54:29, while Connor won the men's race in 47:19.

Welsh athlete Natasha Cockram was just behind Partridge in 54:35, while Steph Twell, who has competed at three Olympics including the marathon in Tokyo 2020, took third in 54:51.

Afterwards, Partridge said: 'It was a great race, the three of us were together up to about eight miles. I hit the front at about six miles.'

'It wasn’t really planned, so I thought I’d just try and make it a hard run race. It was a good opportunity for me to put myself under pressure and gain some confidence and it really paid off.'

In the men's race, Ellis Cross, the Aldershot, Farnham & District runner who beat Sir Mo Farah at the London Vitality 10,000 earlier this year, came in second in 47:32, while Birchfield Harrier’s Omar Ahmed took third in 47:49.

It's Connor's third time running the Great South Run, having finished third and then second in the past. Afterwards, the Tokyo 2020 marathoner said: 'I’m really pleased. It’s my thirtieth birthday tomorrow, so I’m off to Barcelona tonight and will be celebrating the win.'

In total, 20,000 people took part in the event in Portsmouth on a gloriously sunny day.

What should to eat before running any distance

WHAT SHOULD I EAT THE NIGHT BEFORE A LONG RUN?

Have you ever been on a run and felt lacking in energy? Dizzy or weak? An urgent need for a bathroom stop? If any of these feelings are familiar, then it sounds like you need some help on what to eat before a run. Importantly, you want to ensure you’re eating the right thing the night before a race and remove any risk of hitting the wall during a half marathon or marathon.

When it comes to running, what we eat is important. The “right” food gives us the energy we need to keep going, but the “wrong” foods could cause an upset stomach or make us feel lethargic. So, it’s important to make sure you fuel up correctly before a competitive race – especially if you’re aiming for a PB. In this article, we’ll break down competitive races and suggest what to eat before running them.

GENERAL ADVICE

Before we get into specifics, there are a few things to know about running and food. While runners might think that breakfast matters more than their meal the night before, what you eat the night before a run is absolutely vital because it’ll be your main energy store.

Generally, runners should focus on the four main areas for their pre-race evening meal: carbohydrates, protein, fats and vitamins and minerals. Let’s break them down.

Carbs: Arguably, these are the most important. Stored in the muscles and liver, carbs will help keep your energy high, prevent your blood sugar from dropping and help replenish glycogen levels. Whole grain carbohydrates like brown rice or pasta get the best results.

Protein: Protein intake is important because it reduces the likelihood of injuries by accelerating muscle growth and helping to rebuild muscle fibres. Choose protein that’s low in fat, such as eggs, fish and poultry.

Fats: That being said, a small amount of fat is essential in a healthy diet, and runners need this valuable metabolic fuel for energy. Polyunsaturated fats are best, such as sunflower seeds, fatty fish like mackerel and salmon, and avocados.

Vitamins and minerals: All runners need vitamins and minerals to turn food into energy, maintain bone strength and repair muscle tissue. Get vitamin A from sweet potatoes and kale, and find valuable calcium in milk and spinach.

So, how can you apply each of these food groups to your pre-race evening meal? 

WHAT TO EAT BEFORE A 5K RACE

5K races are great for beginners. They are a short and sweet runs which mean you can really enjoy the whole process. While a 5K running race might not need too much preparation, it’s still important to eat well the night before. We’re talking complex carbohydrates, protein and a little fat to give your body enough energy to perform at it’s best.Suggestion: Grilled salmon, brown rice and steamed veg such as broccoli or spinach.

WHAT TO EAT BEFORE A 10K RACE

A 10K race is more challenging, but a great distance for runners who are training for longer races or who enjoy the speed of a 5k run, with that extra challenge. Your pre-10K meal should provide you with plenty of energy for the next day, so think about what you might eat for a 5K and increase the protein and veg. You could also fuel up on carbs gradually in the run up to your race.Suggestion: Grilled or oven-cooked chicken breast, roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus.

WHAT TO EAT BEFORE A HALF MARATHON

Now we’re onto the big ones, where what you eat before the run becomes even more important. A half marathon is when running starts to get really challenging. You’ll need to train for a few months and watch your diet throughout the process so your body is well fuelled for longer distances. Your pre-half marathon meal should be carb heavy without overloading. Either of the 5K or 10K meals would do it (but you might want a slightly larger portion), or you could follow in Jessica Ennis-Hill’s footsteps and go for something a tad more interesting like a pasta bake.

WHAT TO EAT BEFORE A MARATHON

Running a marathon is a huge achievement, and it takes dedication. This doesn’t just mean in terms of training – it also means in terms of your diet. You’ll need to avoid fizzy drinks, fast food and alcohol during training, and eat nutritious dinners during the week in the run up to your race. The evening before, we recommend Mo Farah’s staple meal of pasta, steamed vegetables and grilled chicken. You might also want to bring some running snacks with you on race day such as energy drinks or gummies – but practise with these beforehand as they could upset your stomach. 

TIPS FOR PRE-RACE DAY EATING:

#1 – Go light on fibre: Whether you’re running a 5K or a marathon, too much fibre could upset your stomach and cause an unwanted bathroom break.

#2 – You don’t need a carb overload: Yes, carbs are great for runners, but you don’t need to eat them in excess. Watch your portion size so you don’t feel lethargic or sluggish.

#3 – Enjoy your meal: Eating healthily is important before race day, but the chances are you’ll be nervous. Cook something you enjoy and want to eat to help with the nerves.

#4 – Stay hydrated: Hydration is key when it comes to running, no matter the distance. Your evening meal should be accompanied with plenty of water, and go easy on the salt.

#5 – Listen to your gut: What to eat before running can vary – and you know your body better than anyone. If you have any underlying health conditions or intolerances, listen to your gut and go with what you know it can handle.

I’m still the best, insists Kenenisa Bekele before London Marathon

Kenenisa Bekele insists he still deserves to be considered the greatest distance runner in history despite Eliud Kipchoge’s brilliant world marathon record in Berlin last week.

The 40-year-old Bekele, who will run the London Marathon on Sunday, paid tribute to his great rival’s achievements over 26.2 miles but he also made it clear that if performances on the track, cross-country and world records were taken into account, he should be considered without equal.

During his storied career, Bekele has won an extraordinary three Olympic gold medals, 17 world titles over cross-country, track and road, and held the world 5,000m and 10,000m records for 15 and 16 years respectively – until the arrival of “super spikes” allowed Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei to finally break them in 2020. However even now the legendary Ethiopian remains the second quickest athlete ever over 5,000m, 10,000m and the marathon.

Asked about whether Kipchoge’s 2hr 1min 9sec run in Berlin made the Kenyan the greatest, Bekele replied: “From my side, I don’t want to put in myself [in the conversation]. But what I did in world championships, Olympics, cross countrys and the world records – for those competitions of course I am the best.

“With the marathon I couldn’t achieve what everybody hoped,” he added. “Somehow I failed with some marathon races. But, on the other hand, my marathon times also tell you something. I am second overall behind Eliud Kipchoge. And it was very close. It was only two seconds until last week.

“So this tells everyone: it doesn’t matter if I win a marathon 10 times or 20 times, how many athletes can run this time? Of course I’m not perfect. I’ve not really achieved all the spectators or my fans wanted from me. But, on the other hand, those results were not easy to achieve.”

Bekele has not produced many sparkling performances in recent years, but his marathon personal best of 2:01.41 came in Berlin in 2019 after a similar spell of mixed results.

And he appeared optimistic ahead of Sunday’s race, telling reporters: “My fitness is really good now and I am expecting to get a good result. Of course, I am here to win. You never know because this is not an easy race, but my wish and plan is to win the race.”

He also dismissed suggestions that it could be his last race, adding: “My mind tells me not yet. I follow the feeling in my mind. Someday maybe my mind will tell me this is enough, stop here, but now is not my time.”

Bekele offered his sympathies to Mo Farah, who was forced to pull out of the London Marathon this week due to a hip injury. “I faced many years of injuries and I know how it feels, especially at his age,” he said. “It’s not easy to come out from that, but if he is mentally and physically strong, especially mentally, I am sure he will do better in the future, for a couple of years.”

London Marathon preview: will we see two course records broken?

For the third straight year, the TCS London Marathon is set to take place on the first Sunday of October (Oct. 2). Many of the world’s top marathoners have made their way to London for a shot at USD $55,000, plus added incentives for time bonuses and course records.

If anyone were to break Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09 in Berlin last weekend, they would earn a huge payday of USD $400,000+, between prize money and bonuses.

A number of the top athletes have scratched from the marathon this week due to injury, including the British Olympic champion of years past, Mo Farah, who is out with a hip injury; 2022 world championship silver medallist Mosinet Gemerew; and the women’s world record holder, Brigid Kosgei, who suffered a hamstring injury in the lead-up to the race.

Both the men’s and women’s fields are still loaded with former Olympic medalists and Abbott World Marathon Major champions. Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele headlines the men’s race, returning to London for the first time since 2018, after second-, third- and sixth-place finishes in his past three attempts. Bekele, 40, has not been in top form since he ran the second-fastest marathon of all time to win the 2019 Berlin Marathon (2:01:41).

His challenges will come from his Ethiopian compatriot and defending champion Sisay Lemma and two-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese, who holds a personal best of 2:02:48 and is the third-fastest man in history.

Another name not to ignore is Bashir Abdi of Belgium, who earlier this year became the first Belgian to win a medal at both the world championships and the Olympics in the marathon. Abdi won bronze in Tokyo and followed it up with another bronze in Eugene. 

Amos Kipruto of Kenya has been quiet this season after his PB and second-place finish to Kipchoge at the Tokyo Marathon in March. 

Women’s preview

With the two-time London Marathon champion and world record holder Kosgei out, her compatriot, Joyciline Jepkosgei, is the favourite. Jepkosgei brings experience and consistency to the field, having won this race last year in 2:17:43.

The dark horse is Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw, who previously held the half-marathon world record and ran the fastest debut marathon in women’s history, clocking 2:17:23 at Hamburg in April. She has gone undefeated in her last four road races and reached the podium in her last seven. 

Ashete Bekere of Ethiopia also has the experience, winning Berlin in 2019 and finishing third in London last year. Earlier this year, she was second to Kosgei at the Tokyo Marathon, where she ran her personal best of 2:17:58.

Judith Jeptum Korir of Kenya, the 2022 world championship silver medallist and reigning Paris Marathon champion, was originally planning to pace the leaders on Sunday, but has been a late addition to the elite list. London will be Korir’s third marathon in six months, but she has reached the podium in her last two. 

Mo Farah out of London marathon due to injury

Mo Farah has been forced to withdraw from Sunday's London marathon due to a hip injury with this latest setback raising doubts over the 39-year-old's future in competitive racing.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist was due to run the race for the first time since 2019 after making a return to the track in a failed attempt to compete at last year's Olympics in Tokyo.

Farah did return to form on the road by winning the "Big Half" -- a London half marathon -- earlier this month.

"I've been training really hard over the past few months and I'd got myself back into good shape and was feeling pretty optimistic about being able to put in a good performance," said Farah in a statement issued by London marathon organizers on Wednesday.

"However, over the past 10 days I've been feeling pain and tightness in my right hip. I've had extensive physio and treatment and done everything I can to be on the start line but it hasn't improved enough to compete on Sunday."

He added: "It's really disappointing to have to withdraw after a good last few months and after my win at The Big Half but also because I love racing in front of my home crowd in London who always give all of us athletes such amazing support."

Farah has never won the London marathon in three previous attempts, with his best finish coming in 2018 when he was third.

Ethiopian reigning champion Sisay Lemma and his compatriot Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest marathon runner of all time, are among the favorites for the men's race.

Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge is not running after smashing his own world record by 30 seconds at the Berlin marathon last Sunday.

London Marathon chief urges Mo Farah to take inspiration from Kipchoge

Mo Farah has been urged not to make any hasty decisions about retirement and to take inspiration from the world record holder Eliud Kipchoge when he returns to run the London Marathon on Sunday.

Farah, who turns 40 in March, has looked a shadow of his best over the past couple of seasons. However the London Marathon’s event director, Hugh Brasher, said it would be wrong to write him off after a couple of poor performances.

“I think Eliud is proving aged 37 and running a PB that the age barriers that we used to think existed do not necessarily now exist,” Brasher said.

“I think that what we should be doing is allowing Mo time to decide what he wants. One bad performance, a couple of bad performances, do not mean that people should write somebody off. He is an absolutely superb athlete and he will always be welcome back.

“I hope he runs fantastically well but you never can tell because marathon running is the hardest thing. If you’re 99% not 100% you won’t get away with it – it’s really, really hard.”

Farah has given no indication he plans to retire yet, despite failing to qualify for the Olympics last year or any major championships in 2022. And Brasher made it clear he would be delighted for him to run in London next year – and also promised him a special retirement send-off when he decided to finally quit.

“The door will always be open to Mo – he is Britain’s greatest endurance athlete in terms of number of Olympic gold medals and world championship gold medals. We have a long history with him, going back to the mini marathon through the fact that we supported him through his university time, which is something that’s not publicised.

“When you look at what happened with Paula Radcliffe, her final run was in the London Marathon in 2015. It was the most incredible send-off that I think that the British crowd were ever able to give any athlete and they came out in their droves. Whenever Mo decides to do his last marathon we would absolutely love it to be London. I think the crowd would love it. He should be celebrated.”

Eilish McColgan storms to course-record-smashing win at The Big Half in London

Eilish McColgan has done it again. At The Big Half 21.1K in London on Sunday, McColgan determinedly chased down victory in 67 minutes, 34 seconds, knocking over two minutes off of Charlotte Purdue‘s course record of 69 minutes, 51 seconds. McColgan was followed by Purdue in 70:15 and Samantha Harrison in 70:22.

Scotland’s McColgan, who withdrew on Friday from a much-anticipated 2022 London Marathon debut due to a condition called rebound hypoglycemia, left fans with no doubt as to her running ability. Her victory caps off a remarkable season for the athlete, including Commonwealth Games gold at 10,000m and a new British half-marathon record of 67:26.

The 2023 London Marathon returns to its regular timing in April, so McColgan will not have to wait an entire year for her London Marathon debut.  “It is disappointing and if it was up to me I would probably try and batter on, muscle through, but I know that is my heart speaking. The sensible decision is to get everything right for April,” she told press.

Legendary British athlete Sir Mo Farah ran to his third win at The Big Half in 61 minutes, 49 seconds, in what was only his second race of the season. In May, Farah lost a 10,000m race to amateur runner Ellis Cross, sparking rumours of retirement.

He announced his intention to return to the TCS London Marathon in July, and quelled some of the talk around his career with Sunday’s performance, breaking away from the pack with three miles to go. Farah was followed by Jack Rowe in 62:04 and defending champion Jake Smith in 62:10.