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Olympian Genevieve Gregson posts first marathon win in Melbourne

Genevieve Gregson has scored her first marathon win, two months after running in the event at the Paris Olympics..

The Queenslander won the Melbourne Marathon on Sunday in two hours, 28 minutes and 13 seconds, beating local Sarah Klein by nearly three minutes. Kate Mason, also from Melbourne, completed the women's podium in 2:34:08.

Genevieve's husband Ryan Gregson finished second in the men's race behind Jack Rayner, who clocked 2:11:49 after winning the Melbourne half-marathon for the past three years.

Gregson finished in 2:13:31 to take another step in his transition from middle-distance events, while New Zealander Christopher Dryden posted 2:18:10 for third.

It was the first time the two winners have run the full distance in Melbourne.

Paris was Genevieve's third marathon and she clocked 2:29:56 for 24th place at the Games, after running on the track at the previous three Olympics.

The 46th Melbourne Marathon festival attracted 42,000 runners, with Bendigo's Andy Buchanan winning the men's half-marathon in 1:01:42 after he also ran in the marathon at the Paris Games.

Leanne Pompeani from Canberra took out the women's race, posting 1:09:01 in an exciting finish.

Adelaide's Jess Stenson, one of Gregson's Paris Olympics marathon teammates, was only two seconds behind Pompeani in second.

Only eight seconds separated first from third, with Paris Olympics 5000m runner and fellow Adelaide entrant Izzi Batt-Doyle completing the podium.

How Recreational Runners Get Through UTMB: 'It's All About Digging Deep into Yourself'

Wearing purple shorts, a blue and white tie-dyed T-shirt, a bright pink hat, a light blue Salomon hydration pack, fluorescent yellow-rimmed Oakley sunglasses, and a pair of Hoka Speedgoat 5 shoes, Chaiwen Chou was a vibe as she crossed the finish line of Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) on Sunday afternoon in Chamonix, France.

Chou, who had also freshened up the pink and purple tint of her hair before the race, stood out among the numerous other dusty and weary runners clad in more traditionally colored trail garb as they took their final strides in the epic 106-mile race around the Mont Blanc massif.

But what was most remarkable about the 41-year-old software developer from New York City was the huge smile on her face and expression of pure joy that emanated from her. When she arrived at the finish line after 45 hours and 15 minutes of running-about 75 minutes before the cutoff-she was beaming ear to ear and greeted with big hugs from her mom, brother, partner, and a good friend who helped crew her on her journey.

While her interest in running started on a bit of a whim a decade ago, her continued passion and progression have led her to run more than 30 trail running races, including the biggest and most celebrated one in the world. On Sunday, she was one of 95 American runners to complete the grueling UTMB course.

"So when I turned 30, I had this typical New Year's resolution, like, I want to get fit, I want to learn how to run," said Chou, who grew up in Massachusetts. "And then I met a friend who ran, and I started running with him and doing group runs. And then we started running trails, and we specifically entered The North Face Endurance Challenge, and that's where I ran my first marathon, and fell in love with trail running and then learned about ultrarunning and this whole world that I never even knew existed."For many recreational ultrarunners from around the world like Chou, UTMB sits at the top of their lifelong bucket list. It means starting at the same time as the elite professional runners on Friday evening in Chamonix, and maneuvering through the same rugged and aesthetic 106-mile loop with a daunting 32,000-feet plus of climbing and descending. It's historic, and the crowds and the energy around it are unparalleled.

It's also a monumental challenge to complete.

Trail Running's Infectious Buzz

Ultra-trail running is having a moment right now-especially since the end of the Covid pandemic-but it probably started a decade ago as the urge to run beyond the marathon gained mainstream traction and destination races around the world started to become desirable goal races for recreational runners.The North Face Endurance Challenge began as a singular 50-mile championship-style trail race near San Francisco in 2006 with a $30,000 prize purse, but it evolved into a multi-distance race weekend (from 10K to 50 miles) aimed at encouraging runners of all abilities to immerse themselves in the sport. After a few successful years of the event in Mill Valley, California, it expanded to several locations across the U.S.-upstate New York, Madison, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C., among others-and around the world.

Although The North Face pulled the plug on the series in late 2019 with a suggestion that it was going to reimagine the event format, nothing ever materialized after the Covid-19 pandemic temporarily disrupted the world-and specifically running events-in 2020. But those events played a big role in introducing runners and non-runners alike to the unique aspects of trail running, and many of those who caught the bug-like Chou-have continued to chase their passion in global events like the UTMB World Series.

Chou and her friends returned to The North Face Endurance Challenge four years in a row and she upped the ante each time, going from the marathon to the 50K and finally to consecutive finishes in the 50-miler. She competed in the 50-mile race in San Francisco in 2017 and 2019 and then started traveling to other races around the U.S. and eventually around the world. By 2020, she had completed the Madeira Island 115K race in Portugal and the Tarawera Ultramarathon 100-miler in New Zealand.

Once Covid subsided, Chou set her sights on trying to get into UTMB, which she did by collecting running stones and finishing seventh at the Grindstone 100 amid torrential rain storms last September in northwest Virginia. Her training for UTMB was interrupted in February when, just a week after she found out she secured an entry into UTMB through the lottery, she broke her ankle. Then once she got to Chamonix a week before the race, she smashed her left  knee on a shakeout run and it swelled up pretty badly.

As such, her UTMB experience was rougher than she had hoped-the 80-degree heat and the 32,000 feet of vertical gain and descent pushed her to her limits-as she had challenges fueling consistently and also got sick several times. But she persevered and reached her primary goal of finishing.

Officially, she was the 1,542nd finisher out of 1,760 runners who completed the full loop. (A total of 1,001 runners started but did not finish.) She did whatever it took and she crossed the finish line.

"So this is the first time I've  been in the Alps, and I'm just blown away by how beautiful it is," she said. "Even though I was in pain pretty much the whole race because the climbing and the elevation gain here are insane compared to the East Coast! But it was just so beautiful everywhere. It's pretty crazy. But you get to be out there all day though, so that's fun."Every Runner Has a Story

Becky Convery only started running four years ago in the middle of the Covid lockdown. What started as short, occasional runs turned into a passion for trail running that was fueled, in part, by doing group runs with the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club.

Like Chou, Convery also qualified for UTMB through the Grindstone 100. The 58-year-old Washington D.C. attorney almost quit that race, but she dug deep to finish. During UTMB, Convery dealt with GI issues from early on in the race and couldn't keep any food down. It was so bad, she almost dropped out at the 51.5-mile aid station in Courmayeur, Italy. But then she thought of Wayne Chang, a running buddy from Virginia, who did just that last year and immediately regretted it. With her friend's experience top of mind as she struggled, Convery persevered and finished in 45:27 with an hour to spare."I wanted to quit at Grindtone last fall. I was miserable and just wanted to go to bed, but he wouldn't let me quit," Convery said. "He's like, 'Look, I quit UTMB and I woke up a couple hours later, and I was like, 'Oh my God, what have I done?' So when it got hard out there (during UTMB), I thought of Wayne, and even though I couldn't keep food down, I said to myself, 'What would Wayne do?' He'll kill me if I quit, so I knew I couldn't quit. So I just kept going."

As much as UTMB gets considerable international notoriety for the livestream and media coverage around the elites-and understandably so, it draws many of the world's best runners-at the heart, UTMB is a personal journey of courage, commitment, and hope for most of the 2,800 runners who toe the starting line.

And really, that's what the entire sport of ultra-trail running is all about and what differentiates it from road racing. For many, it's not about racing at all-competing against other runners or even the clock-it's about challenging yourself and the natural terrain in pursuit of a dream that might seem like it's on the realistic edge of your abilities.

"It's all about digging deep into yourself," Convery said. "With this race, it's so international and there are so many nations represented, it's just an amazing time up there. Even though most people don't speak each other's language, everybody gets it. Everyone is pulling for each other. It's a great environment out there. I'm glad I made it."

Going the Distance

That's always been the case for 67-year-old Mike Smith, a retired resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who reached the finish line 15 minutes after Convery. It was Smith's second year in a row finishing UTMB, and because he won his age group at the Canyons 100K in April, he'll likely be back next year.

"The best part about it is always the people," Smith says. "But, oh gosh, chasing the time cutoff at that last aid station, that hike up to the La Flegere ski area, that's always a challenge."Smith relishes in those kinds of ultra-trail challenges. By reaching the finish line in Chamonix, he recorded the 224th 100-mile trail race finish of his career dating back to the mid-1990s. According to an ultrarunning history site, he ranks No. 2 in the world in all-time 100-mile finishes and first among 100-mile trail races. (Last year's UTMB was his 205th finish, which means he completed 18 100-mile ultra-trail races in the interim.

"This is always a spectacular finish," said his wife, Sandra, who wrote a book about what it's like to crew her husband at races. "This is one of the most exciting finish lines there is. The finish lines at smaller races are exciting because there's such a close community of people, but here, there are so many people from around the world, and that's just wonderful."

In all, 2,761 runners started this year's UTMB and 1,760 finished, including 95 U.S. runners who reached the finish line (out of 152 American starters) under the cutoff. Frenchman Vincent Bouillard was the overall winner in 19:54:23 on Saturday afternoon, but 20 hours later there were still about 1,000 runners moving toward the finish line and trying to beat the 46.5-hour cutoff on Sunday afternoon. Among the 95 U.S. finishers, 41 completed the course after the 40-hour mark.

Lamont King, 51, a runner from Roseville, California, has watched and been inspired by runners finishing in the golden hour of the Western States 100 as a fan and as a board member of the race for years. So finishing UTMB on his first try in 45:59-about 30 minutes before the cutoff-was a special moment for him.

"The race was very, very tough. We just don't have that kind of vertical in California where I'm from," said King, who has been trail running for 20 years. "But it's just amazing to be in this scenery in the mountains. It's just fantastic, and it makes up for a little bit of pain. I did have to push a little bit more than I probably would've liked, but I got it done. Coming in with all those people cheering for you in that final finish is almost overwhelming. It's just beautiful."

Seven runners under 2:07 are set for Frankfurt

Seven runners with personal bests of sub 2:07 are on the start list of the 41st edition of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on October 27th.

It looks very likely that the eventual winner will come from one of the two great running nations, Kenya and Ethiopia. While Herpasa Negasa of Ethiopia remains the number one on the list with his world-class personal best of 2:03:40 Elisha Rotich is among the new additions. The Kenyan has a PB of 2:04:21.

Organizers expect a total of more than 25,000 athletes on the last Sunday of October. Among them will be over 14,000 marathon runners which is significantly more than in 2023. The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race. Entries are still accepted at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com

Parts of the men’s elite field were announced today. The women’s field will be released next month. For years Elisha Rotich has produced strong marathon races. His best race so far was at the 2021 Paris Marathon. The Kenyan won the race with 2:04:21 which remains his personal best and still stands as the Paris course record. On the route through the French capital, which is not considered very fast, he ran another strong race this spring. Rotich was third with 2:06:53 in April. Together with Eric Kiptanui (PB: 2:05:47), whose participation had been announced earlier, he looks to be the strongest Kenyan in the elite field of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon. However a surprise might come from Benard Biwott, a Kenyan debutant who has run a 59:47 half marathon this year.

Besides Herpasa Negasa Ethiopia will have four more runners with personal bests of sub 2:07 on the start line: Lencho Tesfaye (2:06:18), Aychew Bantie (2:06:23), Boki Asefa (2:06:46) and Birhan Nebebew (2:06:52) could attack their PBs on the fast Frankfurt course where Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang clocked the 2:03:42 course record in 2011.

“We expect a very open race since there is no major favorite. It is difficult to predict what might be possible with regard to times. But the field surely has the potential for a surprise,“ said Race Direktor Jo Schindler.

While Spain’s Abdelaziz Merzougui is the fastest European runner on the start list with a personal best of 2:08:00 there is a novelty in the history of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon: Married couple Jake Robertson and Magdalyne Masai will be among the elite runners. New Zealand’s Robertson has a personal best of 2:08:26 and could achieve a strong finishing position while his Kenyan wife has a PB of 2:22:16 and will be among the favorites in Frankfurt.

American Katie Schide Shatters Courtney Dauwalter’s Course Record to Win UTMB

She’s now the third woman to win both Western States and UTMB in the same year.

Katie Schide is on a tear.

On Saturday, the American won the women’s race at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) in dominant fashion, finishing the 109-mile race in 22 hours, 9 minutes, and 31 seconds. Her time is 21 minutes faster than Courtney Dauwalter’s course record of 22:30:54 from 2021.

Schide, 32, is undefeated this year, winning the Canyons 100K in April and the prestigious Western States 100 in June. 

Ruth Croft of New Zealand was 39 minutes behind Schide in second place (22:48:37). She passed Canada’s Marianne Hogan—who would finish third in 23:11:15—just after the 100-mile mark. Dauwalter, who won the Hardrock 100 on July 12, did not compete in this year’s edition.

In the men’s race, Vincent Bouillard of France was not favored to win, but he ultimately took the crown. He went to the lead after 48 miles and never relinquished it, crossing the finish line in Chamonix in 19:54:23. His compatriot, Baptiste Chassagne, was next to finish in 20:22:45, while Ecuador’s Joaquin Lopez placed third (20:26:22). 

Last year’s champion, Jim Walmsley of the U.S., withdrew just after 50 miles because of a knee issue, according to a post on his Instagram story. He remains the only American man to win the race.

UTMB has been contested since 2003. The course—which slightly changes year-to-year—starts and ends in the French Alpine town of Chamonix and traverses through Italy and Switzerland along the way, covering over 30,000 feet of elevation gain. 

This is Schide’s second time winning the event after taking top honors in 2022. Originally from Maine, Schide now trains in France and is sponsored by The North Face. 

In the final 7 kilometers, a downhill section, she was over 20 minutes ahead of course record pace, but she started limping. The buffer, however, was enough, and by the end, the hitch in her stride had mostly dissipated.

Schide said in a post race interview on the UTMB broadcast that her main goal was to dip under the 22-hour barrier, followed by a secondary goal breaking Dauwalter’s time from 2021. Schide went out hard in the first half—like she did in 2022—but she said winning two years ago gave her some much-needed context.

“I think this race, I just went in more confident in myself and I wasn’t surprised that I was fast,” she said. “Whereas in 2022, I was kind of freaking out because I was like “Oh, I didn’t really mean to do that.’ But this time, I meant to do it, and I was just focused on trying not to die too hard at the end.” 

Schide now joins Dauwalter (2023) and Nikki Kimball (2007) as the third woman to win both Western States and UTMB in the same year.

USA’s Eli Hemming and China’s Miao Yao Make History at 2024 OCC

It’s the first time an American or Chinese runner has won the prestigious 57K trail race that serves as a de facto global trail running championship. All year, Eli Hemming said his primary focus was charging up and over the La Flégère ski resort on the last climb of the Orsières-Champex-Lac-Chamonix (OCC) race at the UTMB World Series Finals to then break the finish line tape in Chamonix, France, as the champion.

That’s almost exactly how it played out on Thursday afternoon. The 29-year-old runner from Kremmling, Colorado, fended off the world closing in around him as he overheated under a humid, sunny 80 degree day, as well as a hard-charging Francesco Puppi, to win the 57K (36-mile) race in 5 hours, 11 minutes in 48 seconds. In doing so, he not only  claimed a UTMB-Mont Blanc Finals title and the 13,000 euro (about $14,400) prize, he became the first American ever to win the prestigious race that serves as the de facto global championship at the shorter ultra distances.

But the race was a dastardly tilt, and Hemming had to turn himself inside out to get the win. It figured to be a grueling battle, both because of the 11,500 feet of elevation gain and descent but also because of the strong field of international runners and hot, humid weather with sunny skies soaring into the 80s under the early afternoon sun. Hemming went out hard early in the race, but he didn’t feel compelled to challenge for the lead up the first two climbs over the first 9 miles. That’s because fellow American Christian Allen was absolutely flying off the front, as the 26-year-old runner from Orem, Utah, surged to the lead from the gun and led by more than 2 minutes through the 15-mile mark as he passed through Swiss the village of Trient. But that’s where the runners faced the toughest test of the race, a spikey 4-mile, 2,300-foot technical climb to the Chalet des Grands before continuing upward on slightly less steep terrain to the Col de Balme mountain pass. In all, it’s a 3,000-foot ascent over about 6 miles to the 7,200-foot high point on the course.

That was the first crux of the race, and that’s where Hemming took charge. As Allen faded, Hemming surged up the big climb as several other speedy runners gave chase, including Swiss runner Remi Bonnet who is known for his uphill running abilities. But Hemming had been waiting for this all year and specifically trained on long mountain ascents near Breckenridge, Colorado. He continued to surge across the Swiss-French border and up to the pass, building a nearly 7-minute lead over Spanish runner Antonio Martinez Perez.

From there, Hemming extended his lead to 10 minutes on the 7-mile, 3,000-foot descent to the French village of Argentière. But with one more big climb—a 3.5-mile, 2,000-foot technical grind to 6,200 feet atop the ski resort—he was anything but home free. Early in the climb, he slowed from a run to a walk, and even stopped at one point midway through the climb, bent over and rested his hands on his knees. He looked in distress, but eventually gathered himself and started running slowly up the hill again.

Perez had been charging up the mountain behind him and there was a brief moment where it looked like Hemming’s lead might be in jeopardy. But he managed to reach the final checkpoint at the 50K La Flégère aid station in first, and immediately looked better as he began the 4-mile descent down to Chamonix. Although he had gained ground, Perez felt the impact of the climb, too, and was caught by Italian runner Francesco Puppi before reaching the ski resort aid station. After a cordial acknowledgement as he passed, Puppi suddenly had a new spring in his step. He surged up the final 200 meters to reach the checkpoint about 4 minutes after Hemming then began bombing down the rocky, rooty dirt trail in pursuit of the leader.

Up front, Hemming had recovered slightly, running smoothly albeit without the intensity of a couple hours earlier. Puppi was clearly running faster. What had been a 10-minute lead at the 28.2-mile mark had greatly diminished with less than 3 miles to go. But with every stride, Hemming was one step closer to his year-long goal of winning OCC and he wasn’t going to let it slip away.

When he reached the edge of the Chamonix pedestrian village, he was quickly re-energized by the throngs of cheering spectators and increased his pace briefly as he dashed through the winding 200-meter section before slowly slightly on the final blue-carpeted approach to the finish line.

“I was trying to pace it as well as I could, and I knew if I made it over Col de Balme with a good gap, unless I blow up—which I did a little bit—I knew I could hold up pretty well to the end,” Hemming said. “It ended up being a bit of a grind. I knew I had about a 10-minute lead at Argentière, but I was very much overheated and the walls started closing in a bit. I tried to take a little time to cool down, but I knew I had to keep moving and just make it to the top.”

Still running hard, Puppi dashed through the village three minutes later to finish second in 5:14:46, followed by Perez in third at 5:17:56, China’s Juwei Zi in fourth (5:22:17), and Aritz Egea Caceres in 5th (5:27:07). Nick Handel, a 32-year-old runner from San Francisco, was the second American runner in the men’s race, finishing 13th in 5:41:08. The victory is the first big international win for Hemming, who transitioned into trail running  in 2021 after several years as a professional triathlete. Hemming has won several domestic 50K races in the US, including the Canyons Endurance Runs 50K on April 26 in Auburn, California. Last year, he placed second to Bonnet in the Mont-Blanc Marathon and also finished fifth in the Golden Trail World Series Final 20K championship in Noli, Italy. For a while, it looked like Hemming, and his 27–year-old wife, Tabor, might be on the verge of one of the best trail running stories of the year. They decided to part ways with sponsor Salomon, in the offseason, and sign with the Adidas-Terrex team at the start of the year. While they both raced well early in the season—Tabor took third at the Canyons 50K in April and third at the Broken Arrow Skyrace 25K in June—they opted not to race as much this year as they’ve been known to. They also decided not to join their new teammates at an extended Chamonix training camp in late July and instead stay home and train at high-altitude in central Colorado.

Knowing what they’d be facing on the course, they sought out long climbs near Breckenridge and Frisco that topped out between 12,000 and 13,000 feet—including Wheeler Pass between Copper Mountain ski resort and the community of Blue River. “The course is fast and steep, but it’s also very runnable,” Tabor said. “We knew we could get quality training at home, so we used those climbs to train, so we were happy to stay at home and run the places we know best.”

Tabor looked great early in the race, running with a strong pack of lead women that included Judith Wyder of Switzerland, Clementine Geoffray of France, and Miao Yao of China, plus Spain’s Sara Alonso, New Zealand’s Caitlin Fielder, and fellow Americans Dani Moreno and Allie McLaughlin.

Wyder was the early leader and figured to be tough to beat—despite a recent bout of COVID. She had earned the silver medal in the 50K race at last year’s World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Austria, and more recently took second in the 20K mountain running race at the European Championships and first at the Mont-Blanc Marathon in early July. Wyder led Geoffray, Moreno, McLaughlin, and Yao through the initial 4.5-mile climb to Champex, then expanded her lead to the top of the second climb at the 6,200-foot summit of La Giete as Yao and Alonso maneuvered into the second and third spots. But following a similar strategy as her husband, Tabor took the lead on the long downhill into Trient and began to surge on the technical climb up to Chalet des Grands with Yao, Wyder, Alonso and McLaughlin in tow. Hemming ran in the lead for part of the climb, but she paid for the aggressive move. Wyder and Yao overtook her and those two separated from the rest of the field. They dueled back and forth but Yao took the lead over Col de Balme and would never relinquish it. She seemed to get stronger as the race went on and she extended the gap on Wyder to 4 minutes at La Flégère ski resort.

From there, Yao cruised into Chamonix to secure the first win by a Chinese athlete at OCC in 5:54:03. With a 2018 CCC win already under her belt, she also enters the rarified air of having two UTMB World Series Finals championship titles to her name. Wyder was second in 6:00:05, followed by Geoffray in third at 6:02:10, Alonso in fourth (6:05:15), and Fielder in fifth (6:05:46). Moreno, who was third in the OCC in 2022 and dropped out last year, ran a strong second half to finish sixth as the top American in 6:06:59. Tabor Hemming continued up and over Col de Balme but slowed significantly and eventually dropped out at Argentière.

“I’m really happy about my race. It was really fun out there to compete with such strong ladies,” Wyder said, “Miao Yao was flying in the end. I’m so proud of myself to be back and to be able to be racing healthy. I didn’t think about [having COVID recently]. Today I was really happy with my performance and with my legs today.”

New Zealand's Michaela Blyde's gets candid on how Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce transformed her life

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce might have left the Olympic stage without a gold medal but the Jamaican sprint queen surely impacted the lives of many including New Zealand rugby star Michaela Blyde.

New Zealand national rugby sevens player Michaela Blyde has opened up about how Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce impacted her life growing up and how meeting the Jamaican sprint queen at the Paris Olympic Games was a life-changing moment.

Blyde disclosed that growing up, Fraser-Pryce motivated her to dream of winning gold medals on the Olympic stage in the 100m and 200m. In an interview, the 28-year-old added that meeting her idol at the Olympic Games must have been the greatest thing that happened to her.

She added that the three-time Olympic champion going to watch her game against China at the Paris Olympic Games was something she dreamt of and is a memory that will forever be in her mind at the Olympic stage.

“Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is actually the reason why I wanted to win gold in the 100m and 200m at the Olympic Games…that was my initial Olympic dream. When I tell you what it’s like to meet an idol, it’s so hard to explain because for so long, I watched her compete on TV. After all, it’s always about the fastest man on the planet but it's never about the fastest woman,” Blyde said.

“When I saw her in person, my whole soul left my body and was watching me above. And then she said, ‘I’ll come watch you play.’ Even I have said to people that I’ll watch them play…you say that with meaning but you know that deep down you can’t.

“And then all of a sudden, after our China game, I can hear, ‘Michaela’ like from afar, and I was like I can hear my name and so I just kind of looked to my left and there’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, watching us. She came to watch us play,” she added.

Blyde added that Fraser-Pryce sharing on her Instagram stories that she had gone to watch her play was a morale booster at the Olympic Games. She noted that having Fraser-Pryce in the stands changed her life forever.

After exiting the Olympic stage, she explained that it motivated her to be an inspiration to young girls and boys in her home country.

“And then on her Instagram stories, she was cheering on us, she was cheering from little Michaela Blyde who is from Taranaki. It’s just a random to her but to me, she’s someone who made a huge impact on my sporting career,” she said.

“Having her there was unbelievably meaningful. It makes you realise that the job we have as well when we go to club rugby or little Jenny’s school or whatever, they see us on the sideline and they feel just like how I felt there.”

52nd Wharf to Wharf goes down to the wire

The 52nd edition of the Wharf to Wharf road race lived up to its billing, and then some.

Fresno’s Evert Silva surged past four runners over the finishing downhill stretch into Capitola Village and edged Aidan Reed, of Helena, Montana, at the finish line in front of hundreds of cheering fans Sunday.

Silva and Reed both completed the scenic, 6-mile trek from Santa Cruz with chip elapsed times of 27 minutes, 3 seconds on a brisk morning under an overcast sky, perfect for running.

It was Silva’s first time competing in the race. The Oklahoma City University junior student-athlete said he was hoping to perform well in several races this summer to earn some money to help pay for bills. He earned a great payday.

The top male and female finishers each earned $4,000. Silva was also awarded an extra $1,000 for finishing as the top American runner.

“I’ve heard a lot about it,” Silva said. “I know it’s a competitive race, so I wanted to show up when I knew I was in good shape to compete with all the top-level athletes who come here.”

Evert Silva raises his arms in triumph as he is cheered by the crowd at the Capitola finish line after winning the 2024 Wharf to Wharf on Sunday. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Evert Silva, 24, of Fresno, takes a final look back over his shoulder on Sunday before crossing the Capitola finish line to win the men’s title at the 2024 Wharf to Wharf race. Second-place finisher Aidan Reed, second from right, and third-place finisher Matt Baxter finished shortly after Silva. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Women's winner Everlyn Kemboi smiles as she breaks the tape at the Wharf to Wharf on Sunday. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Oliver Chang, of Santa Cruz, exults as he crosses the Capitola finish line with a time of 29:16 to win the local men's title at the Wharf to Wharf race. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Runners, including men’s winner Evert Silva, wearing bib No. 13, get off to a fast start as the Wharf to Wharf begins Sunday morning on Beach Street in Santa Cruz. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Reid Buchanan is splashed by a cup of water that was errantly put in his way by the outstretched arm of a volunteer as the lead pack runs through the Harbor roundabout Sunday morning. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)Dominique Scott crosses the finish line in second place with a time of 30:33 on Sunday, four seconds behind women’s winner Everlyn Kemboi. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Matt Baxter, takes the lead on Beach Street at the start of Sunday’s Wharf to Wharf. Baxter led on-and-off for much of the race and finished in third. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Former Aptos High track standout Trent Nosky is cheered by the crowd as he finishes Sunday’s race with a time of 30:11. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Grace Barnett, of San Diego, crosses the finish line with a time of 31:21, just edging out Alice Wright, at left, for fifth place. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

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Evert Silva raises his arms in triumph as he is cheered by the crowd at the Capitola finish line after winning the 2024 Wharf to Wharf on Sunday. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

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Reed earned $3,000 for second place. Matt Baxter, a two-time national champion from New Zealand, took third in 27:05 and earned $2,000. Ali Abdilmana of Ethiopia took fourth in 27:16 and earned $1,000, and Arturs Medveds of Latvia rounded out the top five in 27:28.

Race organizers expected a competitive race, given the times previously run by athletes in the elite field, and it was a thriller to the final step.

While plenty of the participants in the 16,000-runner field trained for the heralded event — arguably the biggest sporting event held in Santa Cruz County each year — few trained with ferocity of Silva.

Silva usually tries to train in the morning to avoid the suffocating, triple-digit temperatures that are commonplace in the Central Valley during the summer, but he added plenty of afternoon sessions, too. His showing along the coast, with views of picturesque Monterey Bay, was quite literally a breeze.

“I try to run in the morning,” he said. “But every afternoon run it’s 110 (degrees), so I said, ‘A lot of people aren’t training in that, and if I could just do it every week something good is going to come out of it.’ I guess it was being able to run fast in 60-degree weather in Santa Cruz.”

The lead pack featured eight runners for much of the first five miles. The runners traded the lead throughout that stretch. Baxter led at the mile marker, and Kenya’s Shadrack Keter, the third-place finisher at the 2023 Wharf to Wharf, crossed the second mile balloon archway in front.

Kenya’s Peter Mwaniki Njeru moved from second into the lead at the third archway, but he dropped back to fourth place as the lead pack thinned to five runners. Reed jumped in front and led at the fourth- and fifth-mile markers.

All the while, Silva stayed in the hunt, patient and ready to pounce.

“The downhill was extremely steep,” said Silva, of the finishing stretch. “And I’m a sub-4 miler, so I knew I can sprint with anybody. Those guys ahead of me, to my knowledge, they’re not sub-4 milers, so I knew I had some speed. Thankfully, I was able to hold it off.”

It was his second win in as many days. He took first at the Miguel Reyes Elite 5K in Fresno on Saturday.

American Everlyn Kemboi, a Kenyan native who won the 2023 NCAA title in the 10K, earned her second win as a professional. She topped the women’s field in 30:29. She passed Dominique Scott, who has citizenship in both South Africa and the U.S., with 600 meters to go.

“I’m so happy to be here,” Kemboi said. “I love racing in California. I came here last year. I was fifth. That was my first professional race.”

She wanted to come back and improve her showing. Kemboi credited her training for an improved effort. She said she’s running with peace of mind, so much so that she was surprised how quickly the race ended.

“I trust my finish, but today I was feeling great,” Kemboi said. “I was like, ‘Oh, we’re almost at the end. I only have six to seven meters to go. What?!?! I’m feeling good.’ ”

Scott, who was teammates with Aptos native and 2024 Olympian Nikki Hiltz at University of Arkansas, took second in 30:33.

If Scott returns next. year, she’ll have some useful course knowledge to rely upon.

“The girl that won, she made a little surge past me,” Scott said. “I didn’t realize how aggressive the downhill was going to be and that once she was two steps in front of me, I wouldn’t be able to catch her because it’s that aggressive of a downhill. That was definitely a mistake on my behalf. I would’ve loved the win, but I’m also happy with my race today.”

Scott is enjoying the process of training to compete in the next Chicago Marathon.

“It’s a hard course, but a fun course,” said Scott, of the Wharf to Wharf. “It’s cool how the locals come out to support. It was a great day. … They’re aren’t many races this time of year where you can get a perfect morning race. It’s usually pretty hot for all road races during the summer. I really enjoyed the weather.”

Kayley Delay of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, finished in 30:52 to hold off Ethiopia’s Atsede Baysa (30:55) for third place. Grace Barnett of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, took fifth in 31:21.

Santa Cruz’s Oliver Chang (29:16) and Watsonville’s Daniela Salazar (34:38) earned top local honors.

Chang, who grew up in South Pasadena and competed for Pomona College, moved to the area two years ago and used his extra year of eligibility competing for NCAA Division III UC Santa Cruz’s cross country and track programs.

Sunday was Chang’s first competitive race since competing in the San Francisco Half Marathon a year ago to the day. He began training in earnest 10 weeks ago.

“I’m ecstatic,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier with how the day went.”

Sunnyvale’s Daniel Mendez, who purchased a home in Brentwood roughly two weeks ago, competed in the race for the first time and came away with a handsome payday. His bib number, 9948, was drawn in the Golden bib contest, which earned him $5,000. He had no idea of the significance of being awarded a golden bib at the outset of the race, but several runners informed him that he should stick around and attend the awards ceremony.

“This is insane,” he said.

Even in an Olympics year, elite fields are deep for Wharf to Wharf road race Sunday

The 52nd Wharf to Wharf race takes place Sunday, and 16,000 runners will make the annual 6-mile trek from Santa Cruz to Capitola. This time, they'll do so in an Olympic year.

Supportive fans who position themselves along the course route will not only be treated to an up-close view of a blazing quick elite field, and plenty of recreational runners, some of them costumed, they'll also get to take in the traditional array of musical groups that line the course.

Some of the world's best middle distance and distance runners are in Paris for the 2024 Summer Games, but Dayne Gradone, the Wharf to Wharf's elite athlete coordinator, believes the celebrated local race drew a heck of a field.

"On the whole, the fields are solid," said Gradone, of the elite entries for men and women. "There may be less pop at the front, but they're deep fields."

There are plenty of registered athletes whose résumés include 28-minute finishes in the 10K and 13:20 marks in the 5K.

One of the top runners in the field is Peter Njeru.  Earlier in the year he clocked a 27:52 10k.  He was just a 34 minute 10k runner before he joined the KATA (Kenyan  Athletics Training Academy in Thika) training camp in 2020.  Second photo is Peter having lunch with KATA's founder/director Bob Anderson going on his plans for the Race.  Bob recently opened his second KATA location in Portugal. 

As usual, runners will have plenty of incentive to finish in the top four. The top male and female finishers will each receive $4,000. Second pays $3,000, third garners $2,000, and fourth pays $1,000. The top American runner will also receive $1,000.

The women's field is headlined by Dom Scott and Atsede Baysa.

Scott is a two-time Olympian, five-time NCAA champion and two-time national champ. She has dual citizenship (South Africa and U.S.) and is eligible for the top American runner prize.

Ethiopia's Baysa has won three major marathons, claiming the Boston title in 2016, and Chicago title in 2010 and '12.

"The women's field is incredibly deep," Gradone said. "A lot of women have run in the low 15 minutes in the 5K. Those are some serious times."

Gradone is alluding to talents like Bahrain's Bontu Edao Rebitu, and Americans Kayley Delay, Katie Izzo, Grace Barnett, and Paige Wood. Australia's Clare O'Brien isn't far off, and Great Britain's Alice Wright could also be in the mix.

American Everlyn Kemboi, the 2023 NCAA champ in the 10K, was added to the field this week.

Top female locals include Santa Cruz's Amy Schnittger, an Aptos High and Chico State University alumna, and Mari Friedman, a Santa Cruz High and Oregon State University alumna.

Kenya's Shadrack Keter, the third place finisher at the Wharf to Wharf last year, is one of the favorites in the men's field, as are New Zealand's Matt Baxter, a two-time national champion, Kenya's Peter Mwaniki Njeru, Ethiopia's Ali Abdilmana, and Zimbabwe's Bradely Makuvire.

A strong American contingent includes Reid Buchanan, a silver medalist in the 10,000 at the 2019 Pan American Games, Noah Droddy, Sidney Gidabuday, Aidan Reed, Patrick Smyth, Zac Hine and Evert Silva.

Top local males include St. Francis High alum Julian Vargas, who took fifth at the 2024 3C2A State Championships in the 10,000 for Hartnell College, and Aptos native Jack Rose, who took 54th out of 26,469 runners at the 128th Boston Marathon in April.

Vargas (29:28) took ninth at the 2023 Wharf to Wharf and Rose (30:49) took 33rd.

Here’s a new way to keep warm-weather GI distress at bay

You may be able to toss your antacids and emergency Imodium stash—scientists are excited about a new study highlighting the gut-protecting powers of blackcurrant extract, and it could be the latest go-to remedy for the summer GI distress some runners experience. Relief for the dreaded condition, sometimes dubbed “runner’s trots,” might now be as simple as popping a berry supplement, as reported by British media outlet Wales Online.

Berry good news

Researchers found that more than two-thirds of recreational runners, unaccustomed to running in hot weather, experienced reduced symptoms after taking blackcurrant extract. Mark Willems, a professor in exercise physiology at the University of Chichester who has published more than 40 New Zealand blackcurrant extract studies, noted the study’s significance: “It is impressive that the 92 per cent of participants who displayed total GI symptoms were reduced to 25 per cent with blackcurrant. This is really meaningful.”

What exactly are runner’s trots?

For the uninitiated, runner’s trots refers to the gastrointestinal distress runners face in high temperatures, leading to nausea, diarrhea and other uncomfortable symptoms. Exercising in the heat redirects blood flow away from the digestive system to help keep your body cool, which can create havoc in your gastrointestinal tract. Current prevention methods, such as complex heat acclimation training, are often impractical for casual runners.

The research

For this study, runners took 600 mg of blackcurrant extract (the brand CurraNZ was used in this study) daily for seven days before hitting the treadmill in sweltering 34 C conditions. The polyphenol-rich blackcurrant supplement was shown to reduce heat-induced cell damage and “leaky gut” by up to 40 per cent. Not only did the extract alleviate gut distress, but it also proved safe, with no adverse effects, on core temperature or thermoregulation.

Matthew Kuennen, an associate professor at High Point University, N.C., praised its efficacy: “I am impressed with blackcurrant’s ability to reduce markers of gut leak and gastrointestinal barrier function during prolonged endurance exercise under hot/dry conditions,” he said. Kuennen recommends blackcurrant supplementation as a potentially meaningful alternative when heat training is not an option.

The takeaway

Blackcurrant extract may be a game-changer for runners battling heat-induced GI issues. With its ability to provide quick relief and enhance performance, it may be worth considering adding this supplement to your pre-race routine. Stephanie Flippin, a pro ultrarunner, coach and physician who works with athletes and uses blackcurrant extract in her own training, says she is excited about the findings: “There isn’t a runner who hasn’t experienced GI distress,” she explains. “With current strategies limited to heat training itself, any mitigation and protective measure is highly beneficial, and New Zealand blackcurrant extract offers an exciting new supplement for runners.”

“The take-away message is that if you are customarily experiencing mild GI symptoms from running in the heat, they are likely to be resolved by supplementing with New Zealand blackcurrant extract,” Willems said.

Elite Athlete Fields Set for 55th Running of AJC Peachtree Road Race

Two of the top road racers in the world will face off in the 55th Running of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, organizers announced today.

In his first season of competition in the U.S., Sabastian Sawe comes to Atlanta ranked as the #1 road racer in the world, based on distances from 10K to the half marathon. The 29-year-old Kenyan brings a personal best of 26:49, the second-fastest 10K time in the world last year, and the reigning World Half Marathon Champion sits on top of the 2024 leaderboard for fastest half marathon in the world so far this year, 58:24.

In a rematch of those 2023 World Half Marathon Championships, Sawe will face Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo, 28, who earned a silver medal in that race last fall. Ebenyo was leading until Sawe drew even with a few hundred meters remaining, going on to a four-second victory. “We pushed each other to a good result,” Ebenyo said afterward.

Ebenyo, the 2023 World Championships silver medalist at 10,000 meters on the track, is ranked #1 in the world for 10K on the roads. His personal best of 26:58 is second in the Peachtree field only to Sawe. Both will be making their Peachtree debuts.

Among the other top athletes in the field are Mathew Kimeli of Kenya (27:07) and Boniface Kibiwott (27:13) of Kenya and Jake Robertson of New Zealand (27:28). Returning to the Peachtree for the 10th time is American Elkanah Kibet, 41.

In the Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division, course record-holder Daniel Romanchuk of the USA (right) will have a chance to make history as the first athlete in the men’s open division to win the Peachtree seven times. Romanchuk, 25, has won Peachtree for the past six years in a row, but will have to fend off American Aaron Pike, a six-time Paralympian, and Josh Cassidy of Canada, a two-time Peachtree champion.

he field for the women’s footrace is headlined by 24-year-old Emmaculate Anyango, whose 10K personal best of 28:57 makes her the second-fastest woman in history at the distance. The Kenyan is currently ranked as the #4 road racer in the world.

Countrywoman Chelangat (30:01) will challenge her. Anyango and Chepkoech, who is tied for 8th-fastest woman in history, will be making their Peachtree debuts, while Chelangat is back after finishing second here last year.

Also returning will be Susannah Scaroni (left), the 2020 Paralympic gold medalist at 5,000 meters. The 33-year-old Peachtree course record-holder will be seeking her fourth win here since 2018 and third in a row. Scaroni missed the spring marathon season with an overuse injury but is apparently back to form: She set a World Record for 5,000 meters on the track in early June.

The winner of each professional division will receive $12,500.

For the first time, the Peachtree will feature an Elite High School Division, giving the best young distance runners in Georgia the chance to experience professional road racing first-hand. The field is composed of the top 20 boys and top 20 girls from the classes of 2025, 2026 and 2027 residing in Georgia who accepted an invitation from Atlanta Track Club.

The 55th Running of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race will be held Thursday, July 4, in Atlanta, Georgia, with 50,000 runners and walkers making their way from Lenox Square to Piedmont Park in the world’s largest 10K. The event will be livestreamed on AJC.com and on the AJC News app beginning at 6 a.m., with Lewis Johnson, Carrie Tollefson and Amanda McGrory leading the broadcast team.

Sub-4-minute milers live longer, new research shows

Breaking the 4-minute mile barrier is a testament to natural speed and hard work, but could it also predict longevity? Researchers recently tracked the first 200 athletes to break the four-minute mile mark between 1954 and 1974, and discovered a striking trend in terms of the health and longevity of the athletes.

Elite athletes are known to have bigger hearts due to sustained aerobic output, and in the past, some research has indicated the belief that this could negatively impact their health and longevity. This study demonstrated the opposite. The study was released to mark the 70th anniversary of Sir Roger Bannister‘s sub-four-minute mile and revealed that the elite runners outlived the general population by an impressive margin.

On May 6, 1954, Bannister successfully broke the four-minute barrier at Oxford’s Iffley Road track, clocking 3:59.4. Until then, the four-minute mile was considered by many to be impossible. Some runners had come close, but the fastest among them could only muster 4:01. Bannister ushered in a new era of runners with his record-breaking time, and as of 2022, the four-minute barrier had been broken by more than 1,750 athletes.

A team led by scientists from Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Australia who partnered with Canadian researchers gained access to the health records of the first 200 people on record who ran sub-four-minute miles. The list of speedsters included athletes from the U.K., Australia, France, New Zealand and the U.S. The runners (all male) were all born between 1928 and 1955, and most were still alive. These top-tier athletes outlived the general population by an impressive margin.

“Breaking the four-minute mile was an extraordinary achievement 70 years ago and revealed just what the human body can achieve,” said Professor Mark Haykowsky, Research Chair in Aging and Quality of Life in the University of Alberta’s faculty of nursing. “It set off a wave of runners following in Sir Roger’s mighty footsteps. 

“Remarkably, we found that, like Sir Roger, who lived to the ripe old age of 88, most of the first runners also lived well into their 70s, 80s and a majority are alive and healthy today.”

On average, the runners enjoyed nearly five additional years of life over the general population. The researchers also found intriguing patterns across different decades. Athletes who achieved this milestone in the 1950s surpassed their peers by a staggering nine years, on average, while those from the 1970s still boasted an extra five and a half years of life.

With an average age of 77 among the surviving athletes, these findings challenge conventional notions of aging and highlight the remarkable impact rigorous physical training has on longevity.

Edwin Kurgat, Laura Galvan defend Carlsbad 5000 championships on race’s new course

Reigning champions Edwin Kurgat of Kenya and Laura Galvan of Mexico successfully defended their titles in the Men’s Elite and Women’s Elite races to cap Sunday’s Carlsbad 5000.

The annual road race in Carlsbad Village, with events throughout the day for runners of different ages and skill levels, featured an updated course that benefited from the picturesque weather.

Under blue skies with only wispy clouds, competitors ran parallel to the coastline on Carlsbad Boulevard. They were cheered on both by spectators there to take in the “World’s Fastest 5K” and the beachgoers who became impromptu fans.“The new course is way fun,” said Kurgat. “You don’t have to think about much, so I like it better than last (year’s) course.”

Kurgat’s appreciation for the course manifested in a final time of 13:46.11. His 4:26 pace edged him ahead of New Zealand’s Matt Baxter, who finished second at 13:47.74.

“I felt surprisingly good throughout the entire race,” said Baxter, who ran a 4:27 pace. “I just couldn’t quite hold onto Edwin as we came up that last hill … When I saw him in sights coming through his home stretch, I was giving it everything, because I knew if I was even close to Edwin, it was going to be a day I could be happy with.”

With a mile remaining and the runners coming up the slope, the 2019 NCAA cross-country champion from Iowa State Kurgat gained separation.

Kurgat and Baxter pulled away from American Ben Veatch — who, at Indiana University set the USATF American Junior indoor 5K record with a since-broken 13:57.27. Veatch finished third on Sunday with a time of 14:09.39.

His repeat first-place performance at the Carlsbad 5000 continued an impressive 2024 for Kurgat, who in January ran a 12:57.52 in the indoor 5,000 meters at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston.

An Olympic-qualifying time to his credit, Kurgat’s attention for 2024 turns to Paris and the Oymmpics. 

“It’s a big year, Olympic year. I wanted to come here, have some fun, take a quick break and I wanted to use (Carlsbad) as part of my training,” Kurgat said.Likewise, fellow repeat Carlsbad 5000 champion Galvan ran an Olympic-qualifying time during the World Championships last August in Budapest, Hungary.

A native of La Sauceda, Guanajuato, Galvan will represent Mexico in Paris for the 5,000 meters. She has designs on qualifying for the 10,000, as well.

Ahead of competing for the nation this summer, onlookers at the Carlsbad 5000 waved Mexican flags for Galvan on Sunday.

“I really like the atmosphere,” she said. “It was crazier than last year because last year, we had many turns (on the course) ... The crowd was really, really amazing.”An enthusiastic crowd made for a welcoming environment to Galvan amid the intensity of Olympic preparations.

“Stress builds up. Coming here to a race like this makes it fun,” Galvan said. “I said, ‘If I win, great. If I don’t, it’s fine.’ Because what I wanted to do as much as winning was having a good race.”Galvan accomplished her goal of running a strong race, and winning again came with that.

She finished with a time of 15:19, 20 seconds ahead of second-place finisher, Marissa Howard. Carrie Verdon came in third at 15:49.

Each champion’s successful defense ahead of their respective pursuits of Olympic success provided fitting punctuation to an all-around idyllic spring North County day.

San Diego running legend Meb Keflezighi, a part-owner of the race, summed it up this way: 

“Great turnout from the crowd, great turnout from the participants and perfect weather.” 

Portuguese kids 11 and under are not allowed to run a mile race in their own country and Bob Anderson feels this rule should be updated

"It is not fair that kids under the age 12 can not race a mile in Portugal nor kids under 18 can not race a 10k.  These out dated rules need to be updated,"  says Bob Anderson who is setting up a KATA running retreat in central Portugal opening in June.  In 2021 he opened his first KATA Running Retreat just 45 minutes outside of Nairobi Kenya.  Bob posted this on FB: 

As some of you might know, we are setting up our second KATA Running Retreat in Central Portugal.  We are in a small village called Monforte da Beira.  There are only 310 people in our village.  It is a very cool village with cobblestone streets, olive and cork trees nearby and miles of roads and trails for running, hiking and walking.  

We bought our Anderson Manor House Feb 1 of 2024.  It is an amazing three story place of 15,000 square feet with another 12,000 feet of out buildings and caves plus two acres of land with olive, fig, orange trees and a big area of land for our garden and farm animals.  We want to be as sustainable as possible like we are in Kenya and produce at least 50% of our food.  

This is going to be our base in Europe for us personally and the location of our second KATA Running Retreat.  We are welcoming our first guests in June. 

KATA (Kenyan Athletic Training Avademy) Running Retreat Kenya officially opened in Sept 2021. We currently have 22 Kenyan athletes living, eating and training with us.  We have eight rooms for guests and already we have had bookings from England, France, Poland, New Zealand and the US.  

Our training program is Train The Kenyan Way. We currently have five accredited AK coaches on staff.  Already our top KATA runners are running world class times.  Peter, one of our top runners just recently clocked 27:54 for a 10k race in the US. We also stage kids races at KATA.  Kids of all ages.  (Third photo)

Anyway, things are going well for us and we look forward to develope our second location in Portugal.

One thing we do monthly is a time trial plus we regularly stage races.  Our Double Road Race Federation company founded in 2010 is the owner of these projects.  We stage three races in Northern California annually attracting nearly 1500 runners as well. 

One of the events we have been doing since 2010 is the Bob Anderson Kids mile.  It is an event for kids 13 and under. In Palo Alto, California last December we had over 70 kids run our mile, some as young as 2.  We let their parents decide if their child is capable of running (or walking) a mile.  

Each of our kids get  a medal, a t-shirt and a chance to win a raffle prize.  We also give out a special medal for each winner for their age.  2-3-4-5 and so on.  The kids love our event and we have had over one thousand kids participate over the years.  There has never been a problem.  

Let’s get back to the point of this post.  To celebrate the opening of our new retreat in Portugal I asked the Mayor of our village if we could stage a race in conjunction with their summer festival in June.  It would be Monforte da Beira first running race ever. The mayor thought it was a good idea and we started things rolling for our June 23rd event.  Besides the 10k we also would do a 3k hike/walk and our Bob Anderson kids mile (for kids 13 and under).  

So I hired a race director Nuno.  He said he could handle everything.  I did not know at the time that he had never put on a race before.  He said he was very connected to the running scene since he had been running for like 15 or more years.  

Things were moving along fairly well until April 5.    After paying him for a month he informed me that only kids 12-13 could run our mile race and no one under 18 could run our 10k race.  

I told him this was backward. Maybe it was too strong of a word but it reminded me of the time in the US where women were not allowed to run over a half mile and certainly not a marathon. 

I mention that in the US we have thousands of kids under the age of 12 running one mile races and beyond. Plus even more kids under 18 running 10k and beyond.

I found this story from September 2023, 

“Olivia Hawes of Blacksburg (USA) holds world records for running and when she crossed the finish line last week for a 6.15K in Virginia Beach, she topped 200 total miles in her young career. She has run more than 20 5Ks in nine different states and has a goal to run one in all 50 states. The unbelievable fact is that Hawes is only two years old. 

She has the fastest mile and most 5ks for a 1-and 2-years old along with being the youngest and second youngest competitor in the VA Commonwealth Games’ 33-year history.” (First photo)

Now this is an extreme example.  Two is young but there is even more examples of kids not only completing a mile or more race but loving every minute.  My grand kids ran races at age 4 and loved doing so.  I started running races at age 15 way back when and at 76 I still love running 

According to Nuno this is the rules of the Portugal Athletics Federation.  And since he “loves his country” he has to follow the rules.  Sorry but these rules are just not fair for kids under 18 in my opinion, 

So I told Nuno that I can’t endorse these rules.  The Bob Anderson kids mile should be for all kids 13 and under.  Nuno then said we have to follow the rules of Portugal.  

I didn’t agree and even suggested not even doing a kids race as a compromise.  But he did not want to listen to anything I was saying. So he resigned not giving any notice.  Right now I have taken over the duties of race director of our June 23 event.  I simply could not endorse this rule.  We are new to portugal but certainly not new to running.  

Malaysia rejects offer to host 2026 Commonwealth Games

Malaysia has rejected an offer to hold the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to time constraints, costs and an insufficient offer of funding, its government said on Friday, in a major setback for a quadrennial multi-sport event that has struggled to find hosts.

Malaysia was asked to step in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew, citing ballooning costs, with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) offering 100 million pounds ($126 million) in supporting funds.

Malaysia ruling itself out raises the possibility that the Games may not take place for the first time since being cancelled in 1942 and 1946 due to the Second World War.

Malaysia could not commit to hosting the contest at such short notice with cost concerns and little time to assess the potential economic impact, officials said.

"If we had a longer time, we would definitely do it, but because there's such a short time, we definitely can't do it," government spokesperson and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil told a regular briefing.

"When we assessed the viability of hosting the Games, the length of time needed and the cost was seen to be particularly prohibitive."

The CGF expressed disappointment at Malaysia's decision, but said its search for a host was continuing.

"The confidential process to determine a host is continuing with other interested Commonwealth Games Associations," a CGF spokesperson said, without elaborating.

RELEVANCE QUESTIONED

The Games are typically contested by about 70 countries and territories of the former British empire and medals tables have in recent editions been dominated by Australia, England, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa.

Victoria's withdrawal had already placed the future of the event in doubt and raised questions about whether a Games with colonial origins was still relevant in the modern era, and over its place in an already packed global sporting calendar.

TV rights, the main income driver for international sports events, are tiny for the Commonwealth Games compared to other large-scale competitions, meaning national and local governments can face budget deficits if hosting.

Malaysia's youth and sports ministry said the 100 million pounds funding it was offered would not be enough to cover the costs of hosting the Games.

"Additionally, the economic impact could not be identified in this short timeframe," the ministry said.

The Games has struggled to find a willing host in recent years and five of the last six editions have been held in Australia or Britain.

The English city of Birmingham, which had been due to host in 2026, stepped in to save the 2022 event after South Africa were stripped of hosting rights over a lack of progress in preparations.

Birmingham's move led to the CGF scrambling to find another host for 2026 and Victoria had been the only viable candidate after several other cities withdrew from the bidding process over cost issues.

The proposal had received a mixed response in Malaysia, which hosted the 1998 edition, over the lack of preparation time and costs.

The Malaysian Olympic Council had initially proposed holding a downsized Games, with limited spending on athletes' accommodation and smaller opening and closing ceremonies.

Gotytom Gebreslase hopes to break Nahoya course record

In advance of the highly anticipated race scheduled for this Sunday, March 10, 2024, the Nagoya Women’s Marathon held a pre-race press conference for the invited elite athletes today in Nagoya, Japan.

Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH), 2022 Oregon World Champion and 2023 Budapest World Championships silver medalist said, “My goal for Sunday is to run under two hours 18 minutes, and if the weather and pacemakers are good, I will try to break the course record of 2:17:18.” Her competitor Eunice Chebichii Chumba of Bahrain, 2023 Asian Games Champion said, “My preparation has been going well, and my focus will be to improve my personal best of 2:20:02.”

For Japanese athletes, the Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2024 will be the last chance to win a place in the Paris Olympics team by beating the new national record of 2:18:59 just set by Honami Maeda this January.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympians Ayuko Suzuki will aim to break the target of 2:18:59 so she can compete in the Olympics again to show what she really can do, adding that she was ready to turn the support of the local spectators of her hometown Aichi into strength. Sharing the same goal with Ayuko, Rika Kaseda commented that she had prepared for a high-speed race and would challenge herself to keep up with the pace of other fast athletes to grab the last ticket for Paris 2024.

In addition to these top elite athletes, many recreational runners will join the Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2024 from home and abroad, making it an exciting race with 18,000 participants. All finishers will be presented with an event’s exclusively designed Tiffany & Co. pendant and a New Balance T-shirt as the finisher prize.

Sunday’s race will be streamed live free of charge to 37 countries and regions (Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, and United States of America) on the race’s official website at https://womens-marathon.nagoya/en/broadcast.php. Stay tuned for the race to start at 9:10 a.m. on Sunday, March 10, 2024, Japan time.

Jim Walmsley, Mathieu Blanchard will return to UTMB in 2024

2023 UTMB champion Jim Walmsley and 2022 second-place finisher Mathieu Blanchard have confirmed they will appear at this year’s Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) final, which takes place in Chamonix, France on Aug. 30, according to a report by iRunFar. A number of other ultratrail elites have also been announced, including the U.K.’s Tom Evans, who finished third in 2022 and who won Western States 100 in 2023, and Canada’s Christian Meier, the former pro cyclist who won the 145-km TDS race last year. 

On the women’s side, Canada’s Marianne Hogan (who finished second in 2022) is confirmed, as are 2022 champion Katie Schide of the U.S., France’s Claire Bannwarth and New Zealand’s Ruth Croft (who won Western States in 2022). (Three-time UTMB champion and course record holder Courtney Dauwalter does not appear on the list.)

Four-time champion Kilian Jornet and 2023 second-place finisher Zach Miller will also not be returning. After the October, 2023 announcement by UTMB and its minority partner, the Ironman Group, of a new race in Whistler, B.C. in 2024, and the Dec. 1 announcement that UTMB livestream announcer Corrine Malcolm had been fired, the two publicly questioned the organization’s decisions and its treatment of athletes. There was talk of a boycott, though Jornet and Miller dispute this; in the wake of all of this, regular discussions between UTMB and the Pro Trail Runners Association (PTRA), of which Jornet is a founding member, became more frequent, with a view to smoothing relations between athletes and the race. 

Walmsley moved to France for two years to hone his mountain-running skills before finally winning UTMB on his fifth try in 2023 (he Walmsley first ran UTMB in 2017, finishing fifth; he DNF’d in 2018 and again in 2021, then finished fourth in 2022). Blanchard, who has returned to France after living in Montreal for a few years (and taking out Canadian citizenship), finished fourth last year after following Jornet onto the podium in 2022. Hogan has been dealing with injuries for much of the last year and a half since her podium finish in 2022.

New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish shocks field for gold in men’s 1,500m final

Geordie Beamish of Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, pulled off an incredible upset to take gold in the men’s 1,500m on the final day of competition at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

Beamish was not expected to win, with the 1,500m not being his main event. However, he bided his time and entered the final lap in eighth place before surging down the final straight to become New Zealand’s first world indoor champion in the 1,500m event, clocking a personal best of 3:36.54.

“I trusted my closing speed against anyone,” said. Beamish to Canadian Running post-race.

Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler of Team USA claimed silver and bronze, respectively, with times of 3:36.69 and 3:36.72.

The door was open for a new champion in the men’s 1,500m with the absence of Jakob Ingebrigtsen due to injury and reigning world (outdoor) champion Josh Kerr, who ran and won the 3,000m distance instead.  

When asked if Beamish would run the 1,500m in Paris instead of the steeplechase, he declined. “I don’t think I can run a 1,500m in 3:29,” he said. “I enjoy the steeple a lot, and I think I have my best chance to medal in that event.”

Vancouver’s Kieran Lumb finished 13th in the 1,500m final. “I’m disappointed,” says Lumb. “I felt I was going to really do something special today, and that wasn’t the case.”

Beamish’s medal capped off a day to remember for New Zealand after Hamish Kerr earlier won gold in the high jump. The small Oceanic island nation finished with four medals (two gold, two silver), their most ever at an indoor world championship.

In the women’s 1,500m final, it was Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu who came out on top in a time of 4:01.46. This is Hailu’s first global title. Her best finish before Glasgow was a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics in the same event. Americans Nikki Hiltz and Emily MacKay ran personal bests to win silver and bronze. Canada’s Lucia Stafford finished 11th in 4:08.90.

Ethiopian Gotytom Gebreslase will run in world’s largest women’s marathon

The Nagoya Women’s Marathon announced today the world’s top women athletes who will compete in the 13th edition of the race to be held on Sunday, March 10, 2024.

The leading names in the field are Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia, world champion in Oregon in 2022 with a personal best of 2:18:11 and Silver Medallist in Budapest in 2023, and Eunice Chebichii Chumba of Bahrain, Asian Games Champion of 2023 in Hangzhou, who has a personal best of 2:20:02.

The competitor list also includes many outstanding international athletes such as Delvine Relin Meringor of Romania, Violah Cheptoo of Kenya, Giovanna Epis of Italy, Eloise Wellings of Australia, Camille French of New Zealand, and others representing China and Puerto Rico.

The local athletes who will face them from Japan are Ai Hosoda, the third-place finisher in the Marathon Grand Championship, Japan’s domestic qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics, who set a personal best of 2:21:42 in the 2022 London Marathon, the 2020 Tokyo Olympians Ayuko Suzuki in the marathon and Yuka Ando in the 10,000m, and 2023 Budapest World Championship competitor Rika Kaseda, all of whom have personal best records under 2:22 and will be vying for the final spot in Japan’s marathon team for the Paris Olympics.

Anyone who beats the Japanese record of 2:18:59 – just set this January for the first time in 19 years – will qualify for Paris.

The pacemakers driving the high-speed race include Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya, who has a personal best of 2:17:29.

The Nagoya Women’s Marathon is not only one of the world’s fastest elite competitions as a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, but it is also known as the world’s largest women’s marathon and a unique festival to celebrate women runners. All finishers will receive an event-exclusive Tiffany & Co. pendant as a token of their achievement.

The 2024 race will take place in Nagoya, Japan, on March 10 with 20,000 runners, while a virtual race is currently held from February 10 through March 31, which can be participated in anywhere in the world via a running app.

Burnout Is Complicated

Kieran Abbotts is a PhD student at the University of Oregon, studying human physiology. He earned his master's degree in Metabolism and Exercise Physiology at Colorado State University. The lab that he works at now studies exercise and environment and stressors on physiology. In other words, he's an expert on how the chemicals in the body work during exercise, and what happens when things get out of whack. 

"Essentially, there are two kinds of training. There's functional overreaching, which means you stress the body with hard workouts and long runs. Then you provide adequate time to recover, and you induce adaptations," Abbotts said. This kind of training is ideal-your body is getting stronger. "You want to be functionally overreaching as an elite athlete-so that you're making progress and becoming a better runner, but also giving yourself adequate recovery." 

And then there's non-functional overreaching, which can feel the same to many athletes, but it's very different. 

"With non-functional overreaching you're essentially doing the same thing-big workouts, stressing the body-but not giving yourself enough time to recover. And so you start doing damage." That damage might take a long time to show itself, Abbots said, but it eventually will. 

This might be the most important thing to know about being an athlete at any level. Non-functional overreaching is exactly the same as very healthy training, except without enough rest. And rest is different for everyone, which makes it exceptionally easy to slip from functional overreaching into damaging non-functional overreaching without realizing it. Without adequate rest, the body begins to break down instead of build stronger. 

Stress Is Stress

Professional ultrarunner Cat Bradley, 31, living in Hawaii, has experienced fatigue and burnout in various forms, including just after she won Western States in 2017. 

Winning a big race is great, but it also means all eyes are on you-the pressure is high to stay on top. "After winning Western States, I took a month off, but I was still running at a high level. And for lack of a better term, I felt like I had a gun to my back," Bradley said. "I wanted Western States so badly, and after I won, so many things happened and I never shook that gun-to-the-back feeling. After a while, it led to burnout. I had to take a mental break." 

For many athletes, finding success can be the stress that makes non-functional overreaching feel necessary. How can you take an extended break when you're winning and signing new sponsor contracts? 

A second version of burnout for Bradley came when she went through an especially stressful situation outside of running. She was dealing with such extreme daily emotional stress in her personal life that everything else was affected, including running and training. When the body is enduring stress, it doesn't know (or care) what the cause is. We can't put our life into silos. If there's stress in one's life, everything else needs to be adjusted. It doesn't matter if that stress is "just work" or illness, or relationships. 

When you're overtraining, or chronically overstressed, your body is creating higher levels of "catecholamines" hormones released by your adrenal glands during times of stress like epinephrine, norepinephrine, or adrenaline. "Having those chronically high levels of overstimulation and not enough recovery, you wind up with a desensitization," Abbotts said. "Overstimulation also causes decreased levels of plasma cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone, and it plays a very important role in your physiology." 

When you're exercising or stressing the body, cortisol will go up, to help the body deal with the stress. But if you're constantly requiring lots of cortisol, your body will eventually down-regulate. It will adapt and then you'll have low levels of cortisol. This means trouble dealing with physical and mental stress. 

In February, Bradley experienced her most recent version of burnout, and it happened mid-race. Bradley was running the Tarawera 100-miler in New Zealand. Besides training for such a big race, she was also working full-time and planning and preparing for her wedding, which was just days after the race. On top of everything, travel to the event was incredibly stressful. 

"I was in fourth place, I could see third, and at mile 85, I passed out and hit my head on a rock," Bradley said. "We can talk about the reasons that I fainted, but I really think my brain just shut down-it was too much." 

For Bradley, reaching burnout has a lot more to do with outside stressors than the actual running. But now she's aware of that-she continues to work on not reaching the gun-to-the-back feeling. The need to please others. The fear of losing fitness in order to take care of her body. It's an ongoing process, but an important one. 

Overdoing Is the American Way

Professional ultrarunner Sally McRae said, based on her observations, Americans are really bad at taking time off. "I've traveled the world and Americans are really bad at resting," she said. "It's part of our work system. You go anywhere in Europe and everyone takes a month-long holiday. You have a kid and you take a year off. We're not conditioned like that in America. It's like you get one week and then after you work a decade, you get two weeks of vacation." 

For McRae, avoiding burnout and overtraining has a lot to do with creating a life that's sustainable. She started working when she was 15-years-old, so she realized earlier than most that life couldn't just be working as hard as possible to count down to retirement. 

"Perspective is massive when it comes to burnout. My goal every year is to find the wonder and the beauty and the joy in what I do. Because it's my job, but it's also my life," McRae said. "And I really believe we're supposed to rest-it should be a normal part of our life. Whether that's taking a vacation or taking an off-season. I take a two-month offseason and I have for a long time." 

One of the most important parts about rest and not overstressing the body is that everyone is different. An overstressed body can lead to hormonal imbalances, which in turn affects everything. 

"When you're overtraining, you tend to get mood changes and have trouble sleeping," Abbotts said. "Two of the big things that stand out are you're exhausted but you can't sleep. And the other is irritability-mood swings, and depression." When you get to the point that you've overstressed your body for so long that the chemicals are changing, pretty much everything starts falling apart.

And even though everyone is different, you'd never know that from looking at social media. "I know social media makes it seem like ultrarunners are running 40 miles a day, doing a 100-mile race every other weekend," McRae said. "And that's insane. You've got to be in touch with yourself. It's very different to wake up and feel sore or tired, but if you wake up and feel like you have no joy in the thing you're doing, you need a real break from it."

How Can the Running Community Do Better?

Elite ultrarunner and running coach Sandi Nypaver wants runners to get more in touch with how they're feeling and less concerned about numbers or what anyone else is doing. 

"I have to have honest talks with people I'm coaching. I need them to feel like they can tell me how they feel, because sometimes they think they have to stick to the training plan for the week no matter what," she said. "But the plan is never set in stone. It's meant to be adjusted based on how you're feeling. Some weeks we might feel great and not need to change anything, while other weeks we might have to totally crash the plan and do something else." 

It's easy to judge ourselves against everyone else, especially when results and reactions are so public and available. 

"It's easy to say, 'if that person only took three days off after a big race, and now they're already back to training, that must be what you're supposed to do,'" she said. "But even at the highest level, training is different for everyone. Resting is different for everyone." 

"Something that's really, really hard for many runners to understand is that once you're not sore anymore, that you're still not recovered," Nypaver said. "A lot of research says that things are still going on in your body for up to four weeks after, for certain races, depending on the distance." 

Sometimes it's difficult to be aware of subtle signs when the soreness is gone. "Convincing people that they need to chill out for a while, even past the soreness, can be really difficult." But after a huge effort, and before the next, people rarely end up saying things like, "I really wish I hadn't rested so thoroughly." Part of it is actually having a recovery plan. Putting rest days on the calendar, focusing on foam rolling and mobility on days that you're not "doing." 

"And, actually just relaxing. Taking it easy. It's not just a running model, we live in a culture where we're always being asked to do more," Nypaver said. "I wish instead of always thinking about doing more, we'd focus on how we want to be more. A lot of us want to be more relaxed and less stressed and happier and enjoy our lives. We need to put our attention on that instead of trying to do so much. It's something I struggle with all the time."

We don't get validation for resting, relaxing, and being present because there's no tangible thing to show for it. There's no "be really calm often" challenge on Strava. But the bigger rewards are great. You just have to trade in immediate dopamine hits for a much more balanced, happier life. 

Simple, right?

"One thing I'm doing, and asking my athletes to do, is to write down your intentions," Nypaver said. "One of my intentions is to chill out more this summer and enjoy it. I grew up thinking it's all about running, and I have to go all-in on running. But having other outlets, other things that I like to do, is so important."  

When you've reached burnout-an extended period of non-functional overreaching, prolonged rest is the only way to let the body fix itself. 

"Once you are overtrained, you need to stop training," Abbotts said. "It's just kind of the bottom line. Maybe some people can get away with greatly reducing their training load, but most of the time you need to stop. You need an extended amount of time off." 

There's nothing glamorous about rest. There's no prize money in relaxing. But it's the absolute key ingredient in extended performance, and in a much healthier, happier life. 

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.

Beatrice Chepkoech to open her indoor track season against two Ethiopian youngsters

Beatrice Chepkoech will be pitted against two Ethiopian youngsters in the women's 1500m at the ORLEN Copernicus Cup, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting.

Ethiopian youngsters Diribe Welteji, and Freweyni Hailu will be up against Beatrice Chepkoech in the women’s 1500m field at the ORLEN Copernicus Cup, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting, in Torun, Poland, on February 6.

21-year-old Welteji set a world record when winning the mile at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga in October, as she clocked 4:20.98 as her compatriot Hailu finished second with Faith Kipyegon completing the podium.

Welteji and Hailu will team up again in Torun where they will be up against the world 3000m steeplechase record-holder Chepkoech. Other strong opponents in the field include Ethiopia’s world indoor 1500m bronze medallist Hirut Meshesha and Uganda’s 2019 world 800m champion Halimah Nakaayi.

Welteji has proven to be a master in the 1500m and she also doubles up as the World 1500m silver medallist, having finished runner-up to Kipyegon in Budapest in August. She will surely be the one to watch when the race begins.

Meshesha has the quickest short track PB of the quintet, having clocked 4:02.01 in Lievin last year, finishing second and one place ahead of Hailu who set a PB of 4:02.47. Chepkoech ran her national record of 4:02.09 in 2020.

Meanwhile, multiple US record-holder Grant Fisher will take on the already announced world champion Josh Kerr in the two-mile race at the Millrose Games, also a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event.

The race on February 11 is set to be paced with the world indoor two-mile best of 8:03.40 as the target. Joining them on the start line will be USA’s Joe Klecker, Cooper Teare, and Dylan Jacobs. New Zealand’s George Beamish, Australia’s Morgan McDonald, and Ky Robinson will also be in the mix and will be joined by Britain’s Matthew Stonier, Japan’s Keita Satoh, Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu and Addisu Yihune, and Sam Parsons of Germany.

A Marathon Where Victory Isn’t Reserved for the Winners

CJ Albertson and Grace Kahura-Malang won the California International Marathon while dozens more fulfilled lifelong dreams to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in their last chance

If there’s one race where the adage ‘To the victor go the spoils” does not ring entirely true, it’s the California International Marathon (CIM). The commanding wins of CJ Albertson and Grace Kahura-Malang were certainly deserving of celebration. But they shared in the sweet taste of victory with dozens more high-level runners on last Sunday morning.

For several minutes after Albertson stormed from behind to take the men’s race in 2:11:09 and Kahura broke the tape in the women’s race with a personal best of 2:29:00, the finish line exhilaration continued to build as numerous runners sprinted their way to the finish line on M Street, adjacent to the California Capitol Mall in downtown Sacramento. 

That’s because the winning prizes extended far beyond the $10,000 to something money can’t buy. American runners who could get to the finish line in time earned a qualifying berth for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon on February 3 in Orlando, Florida. That event will determine the six U.S. runners who will compete in next summer’s Paris Olympics, but it’s also a quadrennial benchmark of domestic distance running excellence, and the chance to run in it—especially for those who have no chance at making the Olympic team—is a badge of honor that lasts a lifetime.

Sunday’s CIM was the last opportunity to grab that proverbial brass ring, and as the time ticked down to the cutoffs—2:18 for men and 2:37 for women—41 runners realized dreams that had been several years in the making. That’s a considerably smaller number than the 109 runners who qualified four years ago, but the Olympic Trials are four weeks earlier this time around and many runners opted for earlier races.

To reach the lofty Olympic Trials qualifying (OTQ) standards, many runners had to face their inner demons as they accepted the physical, mental, and emotional challenge of running 26.2 miles faster than they ever have.

“It was very hard-fought,” said Mary Denholm, a Colorado runner who lowered her personal best by more than four and half minutes to finish in 2:36:28 and earned the OTQ time. “During the race, I tried to think as little as possible, but you know those little negative thoughts creep in. I kept saying to myself, Well, you’d be happy with a 2:37 or a 2:38, which is true, but I had to not allow myself to accept that and slow down. Marathoning is so hard. It’s a process. You really have to love the journey.” 

Celebrating its 40th year, CIM has developed a reputation as one of the best domestic races for elite and age-group runners seeking personal best efforts, whether that’s chasing an OTQ or Boston Marathon-qualifying time. The race’s point-to-point, net-downhill 26.2-mile course from Folsom to Sacramento amid Northern California’s typically favorably cool, dry early December weather is ideal for running fast for any of the 10,000 participants. But what makes fast times more likely is the communal effort of the large packs of runners at nearly every pace group.

With the Trials-qualifying deadline of December 5 looming, about 200 American runners lined up at CIM to specifically chase the 2024 OTQ marks. While a few have been training with the aid of sponsorships or trying to become professional runners, the majority were amateur runners who work full-time jobs.

For some—like first-time marathoners and twenty-somethings Charlie Sweeney, Christian Allen, Ava Nuttall, and Abbie McNulty—it was the initial opportunity to meet the mark. But it wasn’t the first rodeo for many others who were back after coming up short in previous years, including thirty-somethings Denholm, Noah Droddy, Allie Kiefer, and Chad Beyer. For some who are slowing with age, or on the verge of hanging up their racing shoes for bigger career pursuits, CIM might have been the final shot of their competitive running careers.

In the moments before the race in Folsom, the nervous energy of every elite runner was palpable as they did their final pre-race strides and stretches, each one carrying with them their own long backstory that brought them to the brink of their dreams. After a brief moment of calm on the starting line, the gun went off and the enticing challenge began.

“This was my shot,” said Droddy, a 33-year-old Salomon-sponsored pro from Boulder, Colorado, who had a breakthrough 2:09:09 runner-up performance at The Marathon Project in 2020 but, because of a variety of injuries, hadn’t finished a marathon since. “I qualified on the last day in 2016, and so this was another full-circle moment to try to do it on the last day again.”

For the next two-plus hours, every runner locked into the silent rhythm of their race pace—each with their own goal in mind—holding onto the cadence of the random runners nearby. This is all the while knowing that consistent effort would gradually transition from being smooth and tolerable to eventually becoming extremely difficult by the later miles of the race. 

Allen, a marathon rookie from Salt Lake City eager to make his mark, boldly opted to run off the front from the start with New Zealand’s Matt Baxter and Kenyan Milton Rotich, while Albertson, a Fresno-based runner who has been one of the most consistent elite-level marathoners in the U.S. for the past several years, looked calm and content as he ran just off the lead near the front pack. 

While many OTQ-seeking American women grouped together in the quest for a 2:33 to 2:37 finish, Kahura-Malang, a 30-year-old Kenyan runner who lives near Boulder, started quickly and tagged along with a much-faster group of men with hopes of breaking 2:30 for the first time.

“I really didn’t know how far I was from the other women, but I didn’t want to focus on that,” she said. “I just wanted to keep running fast.”

Achieving success in a marathon can be a fickle task—one that relies on equal parts sufficient training, optimal fueling, and mental tenacity. But the magic of an elite-level marathon, especially CIM during a pre-Olympic Trials year, can be tied to finding confidence running amid the collective rhythm of a pack of like-minded runners, at least until things get difficult at the crux of the race somewhere near mile 20. 

Maintaining race pace and grinding through the final miles is something every runner experiences, each one to varying success. That’s where inspirational mantras, acknowledging motivational words written on an arm, or a variety of other mental tricks come into play.

“We had a great group for a while, and then about 20 miles, it started to thin out,” said Jacob Shiohira, 27, from Bentonville, Arkansas. He sliced seven minutes off his personal best with his 13th-place, 2:16:34 finish to make the OTQ cut. “The last three miles turned into a grind, but everyone’s in the same boat, and that’s what makes it special.” 

The 26-year-old Allen, fresh off finishing an All-American track and cross country collegiate career at Brigham Young University, spent the summer racing shorter distances on roads and trails. He stuck with his gutsy strategy to lead the race until his legs began to tighten up at the 23-mile mark. Albertson had let Allen and Rotich get ahead of him on a few of the later hills in the race but patiently stayed within himself and seized the lead late in the race to open up a two-minute advantage before the finish.

Rotich finished two minutes after Albertson in 2:13:04 for second, followed by Charlie Sweeney, a 24-year-old runner from Boulder, who completed a stunning debut marathon with a third-place, 2:13:41 finish to earn the Olympic Trials-qualifying standard. After that, Baxter, a Kiwi runner who runs for NAZ Elite, put down a new personal best of 2:14:08, followed by Eritrea’s Amanuel Mesel (2:14:11). From there, Robert Miranda (2:14:43), Jerod Broadbooks (2:14:58) and Allen (2:15:01) led a parade of 27 American men who celebrated securing their OTQ times.

Droddy made it too, finishing 17th in 2:16:56, to earn one of the celebratory golden OTQ flags CIM handed out to each of the qualifiers.

“I didn’t care about the time at all, just as long as it was under 2:18,” said Droddy, who also qualified in 2016 and 2020. “I was just happy to get it done. It means a lot because now I know I can join my teammates at the Olympic Trials.”

More than four minutes after Kahura-Malang ran away with the women’s title, Kiefer (2:33:26) led the charge of a long string of American women who cruised in under the OTQ cutoff. Once a top American runner, the 36-year-old from Austin, Texas, hadn’t finished a marathon since she placed seventh in New York in 2018. Like a lot of runners, she’s been through a lot of challenges in recent years, including injuries, races she’s dropped out of (including the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta), relocating to new cities, changing coaches, and general motivation.

“I’m back to the basics of having fun with it,” Kiefer said. “There’s no pressure right now. I just wanted to have a good experience, and it was a great experience. It feels validating to get back to the Trials. It’s just nice to go out there and do the part you love.” 

Nuttall, 22, was perhaps one of the positive surprises of the day. A senior at Miami University in Ohio, where she was the top cross country runner for the Redhawks this fall, she finished her debut marathon in third place in 2:35:09. After that it was Kaylee Flanagan, 28 who earned her first OTQ with a strong 2:35:24 effort to join her older sister and Asics pro Lindsay Flanagan in Orlando. After that it was professional trail runners Rachel Drake (2:35:28) and Peyton Thomas (2:35:42), who finished fifth, and sixth, respectively. (Drake is also the mother to 14-month-old son, Lewis.)

Nine more women earned the OTQ time—14 total—including Denholm, who finished 13th in 2:36:28.

But amid the joy of dreams coming true, there was also the heartbreak of near-misses. Tammy Hsieh sprinted to the finish just in the nick of time, crossing in exactly 2:37:00 to make the women’s cut, but moments later Gina Rouse (2:37:10) and Jennifer Sandoval (2:37:11) narrowly missed it and went home disappointed.

On the men’s side, Duriel Hardy dashed across the line in 2:17:56 to become the final men’s OTQ’er, but then Alexander Helmuth came across the line two seconds too late in 2:18:02. 

After a record 511 women qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta—nearly double the number of male qualifiers—the women’s standard was lowered by eight minutes, down from 2:45 to 2:37. The new mark equates to a hefty 18 seconds per mile faster, down from 6:18 minute mile pace to 6 minutes flat. Denholm, who qualified in 2020 with a 2:42:02 effort at the 2019 CIM, was one of hundreds of women who spent the past several years trying to make that big leap. 

After running a personal best of 2:40:59 at the 2022 Boston Marathon, Denholm hoped to continue her progression and earn her qualifying time months ago. But the marathon is a fickle event because training never goes perfectly and something—injuries, work, life—always gets in the way. And sometimes everything goes right and it’s just not your day on race day.

After dealing with a torn labrum and then going through a divorce, career changes, and a move from California to Colorado, the 36-year-old running coach targeted last summer’s Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota—another domestic race on par with CIM when it comes to providing a competitive platform for elite and sub-elite runners to excel. 

But despite a good training block, Denholm struggled in that race and finished in 2:43:19. After that, she refocused her training with the help of coach and three-time OTQer Neely Gracey and set her sights on the September 24 Berlin Marathon, only to come down with COVID after she arrived in Germany. Not wanting to give up, she retooled her training one more time and registered for CIM as a last-ditch effort.

She was on 2:36 pace the entire way, running near-identical 13.1-mile splits of 1:18:17 and 1:18:11, but needed the encouragement of friend, Sofie Schunk, to get her through the final miles. Schunk, 31, of Albuquerque, finished six seconds ahead of her in 2:36:22.

“I went to a really dark place out there and had to fight through that,” she said. “It was awesome to have other women out there to go for it with and encourage along the way. I split some of my faster miles near the end, and I’ve never been able to do that, so that was a huge victory for me. I hope this can be encouraging to other women because I really think everyone is limitless. I’ve just worked really hard to get where I am and I just want others to feel encouraged.”

Pizzolato donates 1984 New York City Marathon winning shoes to MOWA

At the end of ABC television’s coverage of the 1984 New York City Marathon, there’s a shot of Orlando Pizzolato sitting on a bench in Central Park, retying his well-worn footwear. “Those shoes may have had it,” remarked anchorman Jim McKay.

Not quite. Some 39 years on, the shoes that took the unheralded Italian to the biggest upset victory in the history of the Big Apple’s big race have been generously donated to the ever-expanding Heritage Collection in the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA).

Whatever unfolds in the 2023 edition of the New York City Marathon this weekend, there’s unlikely to be anything as dramatic as the battle of attrition from which the plucky Pizzolato emerged as the unlikely hero in 1984.

As the Italian and the rest of the 18,000 field assembled for the start, it was difficult to pick out the contours of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Such was the heat haze that had descended upon the Big Apple on the last Sunday in October that year.

“The weather is going to be a huge factor,” proclaimed Marty Liquori, the great US miler, working as the expert summarizer on the men’s race for ABC Sports. “We’re looking at the hottest and most humid New York Marathon ever.”

The mercury was already pushing 70°F and the humidity was close to maximum.

“That causes two things to happen at the front of the pack,” continued Liquori, runner up to Miruts Yifter in the 5000m at the inaugural World Cup in Dusseldorf in 1977. “The natural front runners get conservative, so the pack stays tighter. The second thing is the hotter it gets, the greater chance there is for an upset.”

“Yes, look out for the man you do not know in this marathon,” predicted McKay, the distinguished Voice of ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

“This man could be for real”

Not a lot of people were looking out for the runner bearing race number 100, clad in the colors of his homeland – blue and white singlet, red shorts.

Pizzolato, a 26-year-old representing the University of Ferrara sports club from the north of Italy, was no Ferrari of a marathoner.

In seven attempts at the classic 26.2-mile distance, he boasted a best of 2:15:28 - more than seven minutes slower than the world record figures of 2:08:05 set by Welshman Steve Jones in Chicago a week before the 1984 New York race.

Pizzolato’s PB came in New York in 1983, the year Rod Dixon made up a half-mile deficit to overhaul Briton Geoff Smith virtually on the finish line in Central Park. The New Zealander’s winning time was 2:08:59. He finished 6min 29sec and 26 places ahead of Pizzolato.

Twelve months later, Dixon, the Olympic 1500m bronze medalist behind Finn Pekka Vasala and the trailblazing Kenyan Kip Keino in Munich in 1972, returned to New York as favorite for the men’s title – and the $25,000 prize and Mercedes Benz that went with it in that first year of open professional running.

“I’m a lot more confident in my own mind, having run successfully in ’83,” he told Liquori in a pre-race interview. “I think I’m rightly the favorite. I’ve trained well and I’ve got confidence in my own ability. I’ll go out and if I strike it right, they won’t catch me.”

Five miles in, given the exceptional conditions, Liquori and four-time winner Bill Rodgers, following the men’s race from ABC’s on-course buggy, felt Dixon was striking it right – 18 seconds down on home runners Pat Petersen and Terry Baker in a pack that included two-time Commonwealth gold medallist Gidamis Shahanga of Tanzania.

Pizzolato was also among the chasing group, seemingly unknown to any of the experts. His first name check came as he overtook Jose Gomez of Mexico to claim pole position, shortly before reaching halfway in 65:03.

“Could this, Marty, be the man they did not know?” McKay enquired.

“This man could be for real,” Liquori replied. “In the hotel I saw Franco Fava, a great steeplechaser from Italy, and he mentioned that it has been so hot in Italy this summer and fall. So, this is one person who is accustomed to the heat.”

Rodgers was not quite so sure. “I think it’s still anybody’s race,” he said. “The guy from Italy looks good. But we’ll have to see later in the race.”

“The Pope, Reagan and then it was me”

The guy from northern Italy was certainly looking good.

While Dixon seemed ill at ease, struggling to cope with the pace and the conditions some 1:15 behind, Pizzolato appeared to be feeling groovy as he crossed the Queensboro Bridge, the subject of Simon and Garfunkel’s 59th Street Bridge Song.

“Orlando looks very good,” Liquori observed. “He looks to have a style that’s fitting for a marathoner. When you’re looking around, taking in the scenery, you know that the running is coming easy.

“One thing should be pointed out. Steve Jones, who set the world record last week, was a very well-established track runner. He was eighth in the 10,000m at the Olympic Games.

“But Orlando has run a minute slower for 10,000m: 28:22. Were he to win this, it would be just about the biggest upset in a major marathon that I’ve seen.”

By the 20th mile mark, it was clear that Pizzolato himself was somewhat upset. The temperature had risen to 74 degrees and the humidity to 96%. His pace slowed to a 5:26 mile.

Briton Dave Murphy was gathering momentum, moving up into second, and Dixon into third.

“Well, I think we’re entering the last chapter of Orlando,” ventured Liquori. “I think I might have got too excited at 18 miles. Maybe it was the Italian in me.”

Soon after, Pizzolato grabbed his chest and slowed to a temporary halt. Three times he stopped, then started up again. “This man is in trouble,” said McKay.

Entering Central Park, with less than three miles to go, Pizzolato stopped for a fourth time. He clutched his chest, glugged half a cup of water and poured the other half over his head.

Dixon was out of the equation at this point, having stepped off the course suffering from cramps. But Murphy had closed to within 15 seconds.

“It’s like the tortoise and the hare,” said Liquori. “Pizzolato’s running-stopping, running-stopping. Murphy is just taking a steady course. It looks like it’s his race.

“For Pizzolato now, the drama now is how much of his soul he’s going to lay down.”

Thrice more, Pizzolato stopped and started, each time taking on fluid and calmly checking out the gap behind him. Somehow, he managed to lay down enough of his soul to bridge over his troubled water.

The finished line approached with Murphy not yet in sight.

“He has pulled it off,” Liquori pronounced. “He has mentally been able to fight through his form having gone to pieces, through having had so many problems.”

“It was very hot,” said Pizzolato, who crossed the line in 2:14:53, 43 sec ahead of Murphy. “I had cramp in my stomach. It was very terrible, but I am very happy.”

The New York Times the next day concentrated on Grete Waitz’s sixth success in the women’s section, praising Pizzolato in passing for having overcome the heat and the late challenge of Murphy in “a men’s competition that the stifling heat and humidity reduced to a battle of attrition.”

Back home in Italy, the reaction was different. “The first story in the news was the Pope,” Pizzolato reported, “then Ronald Reagan’s election. Then it was me.”

Retained title

Twelve months later, the guy from Italy returned to New York and proved he was no flash in the marathon pan.

This time he was the tortoise, running his steady race while Geoff Smith burned himself out at world record pace, then overtaking Djibouti’s World Cup Marathon winner Ahmad Saleh two miles from home to become the Big Apple’s first overseas two-time winner, clocking 2:11:34.

“Last year I won by mistake, probably,” Pizzolato told The New York Times. “This year was more exciting. I was not in confusion in the last 365 yards.

“All the people seemed to know my name and my number. It was like everyone was a friend of mine. It was a great source of power.”

In an era when the fast men of the track came to dominate the men’s marathon – with the likes of Jones, Dixon and Carlos Lopes, the Portuguese runner who won the Olympic title in Los Angeles in 1984 and succeeded Jones as world record-holder in 1985 – Pizzolato was a great source of power and inspiration to the traditional specialists of the event.

He never broke 2:10. His fastest time was 2:10:23, which he recorded while placing sixth in the World Cup Marathon in Hiroshima in 1985. The following year Pizzolato was third in Boston (2:11:43), then overtook a shattered Jones to claim the European Championships silver in Stuttgart (2:10:57) behind his compatriot Gelindo Bordin, and returned to New York taking third place (2:12:13) behind another Italian, Gianni Poli.

These days the two-time Italian king of New York operates a company bearing his name which offers running camps and a consultation service, and which provides scholarships to athletes aged from 16 to 22.

Banned Kiwi Olympian Zane Robertson arrested in sexual assault probe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beyond Marathons: Uncovering the World’s Most Scenic Trail Runs

For experienced trail runners searching for their next trail marathon and newcomers to the sport who are researching trail run events for the first time, we have compiled a list of the top destinations for trail running 

These races are renowned and provide breathtaking scenery, making them a must-have addition to your race calendar. Our selection deliberately combines well-known races with hidden gems you may not be familiar with. These hidden gems offer a unique sense of adventure and excitement, going beyond the usual races that everyone knows about.

WaitomoTrailRun,New Zealand

The Waitomo Trail Run, a one-of-a-kind event located in New Zealand's North Island, offers a unique and unforgettable experience. Now in its third year, this trail run has quickly become the largest of its kind in the country. 

Participants find themselves immersed in the stunning landscape of Hobbit country, with its picturesque rolling hills adorned with vibrant green grass. As you traverse the course, you'll also have the opportunity to explore captivating limestone caves illuminated by the enchanting glow of glowworms. 

It's important to note that littering is strongly discouraged, as there is a peculiar consequence for those who discard their energy gel wrappers. Participants may find themselves tasked with clearing gorse from the hills above Te Anga road while sporting nothing but jandals, shorts, and a singlet. However, they will be rewarded with warm cordial for sustenance and have the opportunity to partake in the wet Perendales crutching experience for several days.

Lavaredo Ultra Trail, Northern Italy  

Located in central-eastern Italy, the Dolomites showcase breathtaking rock formations that are truly remarkable. The Lavaredo Ultra Trail takes place within this distinctive lunar landscape, ranking as one of the most exquisite races worldwide. Only by participating in this event will you truly grasp why this place holds a magical allure, much like Venice. 

Even the world’s best sportsbooks that cover marathon odds would struggle to conjure up the necessary prices due to the distraction this location's beauty presents.  

As part of the UTWT competitions, the race unfolds amidst the majestic Dolomite mountains, running alongside the picturesque Misurina Lake and at the base of the renowned Tre Cime of Lavaredo, a symbol of global mountaineering. The beauty of this location stems from the striking contrast between the lush alpine forests, the rugged gray rocks, and the vivid blue skies and lakes. 

While the race offers fast sections, it is also technically demanding, requiring attentiveness to the rocky terrain and tree roots along the course. This is an event that should not be missed, although securing a spot through the registration draw is essential. Be sure to mark it on your agenda, as the experience is bound to be unforgettable!

Vallee Du Trail, Chamonix, France

Chamonix, renowned as the valley for trail running and the official host of the prestigious Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, embodies the essence of the trail running community. Chamonix is a paradise for trail runners, as it offers a remarkable collection of 18 well-marked running routes that meander through picturesque mountain trails, enchanting forests, and serene alpine meadows, all while providing breathtaking panoramas of majestic mountains and icy peaks. 

What sets Chamonix apart is its inclusive and hospitable trail running community, which caters to elite athletes and anyone who possesses a deep affection for the mountains and the exhilarating outdoors.

MatterhorUltraks, Switzerland 

The Matterhorn, the ultimate representation of a picturesque alpine setting and alpine skiing, takes center stage for trail running during the summer. In Switzerland's Matterhorn Ultraks event, this majestic peak is visible from all directions and can be encircled through various routes ranging from 16 to 46 km. 

One particularly remarkable feature is the K30 trail, which spans 31.5 km and includes a thrilling highlight: a suspension bridge crossing the glacier gorge. Zermatt serves as the starting point for all the trails. 

By the way, "Ultraks" represents a series of trail running events at the most awe-inspiring mountain peaks across Europe.

X-TerraTrailRunWorld Championship, Hawaii 

The X-Terra Trail Run World Championship is held at Kualoa Ranch, located in Hawaii. This ranch is famously known as Jurassic Valley, as it served as the backdrop for the iconic dinosaur movies. 

The trails used in the X-Terra Trail Run World Championship are typically inaccessible to the general public. Therefore, this race offers a unique opportunity for runners to explore and appreciate the natural beauty of this area. 

The terrain itself is diverse and awe-inspiring. Participants will have the chance to run alongside cliffs and white sand beaches and navigate their way through dense rainforests. 

No prior qualifications are required to participate in the 21-kilometer championship course. This event also includes a 10-kilometer race, a five-kilometer race, and an "adventure walk," making it accessible to runners of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to elite athletes.

Josh Kerr and Jemma Reekie Secure Scottish Sweep at New Balance 5th Avenue Mile

New York, September 10, 2023 – World champion and Olympic medalist Josh Kerr and Olympian Jemma Reekie won the men’s and women’s professional athlete races at the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile on Sunday, making it the third consecutive year it was a Scottish sweep. It was the first title on Manhattan’s famous thoroughfare for Kerr, and the second for Reekie, who also won in 2021.

Kerr, fresh off winning a world title in the 1,500 meters last month, won in 3:47.9, the third fastest time in event history and fastest since 1995. Great Britain’s George Mills was second in 3:49.9, followed by New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish in third in 3:50.0. Vincent Ciattei was the top American, finishing fourth overall in 3:50.3.

“It's a very different effort to run a mile down the street in flats versus running around the oval with spikes,” Kerr said. “I didn't have the performance I wanted to have last year, so I wanted to make that right. It's nice to end the season on a high, and it's difficult to do at any point in anyone's career at the end of the year. I've been training and racing for a long time this year and I was glad to put on a performance like that today.”

Reekie took the tape in 4:19.4, more than two seconds faster than her winning time in 2021, and was followed by Ireland’s Sarah Healy in 4:20.0 and Great Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant in 4:20.6. 

Nikki Hiltz was the top American, finishing fourth in 4:20.7.“Running this mile is always so special to me,” Reekie said. “I won it back in 2021. Last year, I placed well again, and then this year I'm happy to be back winning. It's such a great event and it's always a fun event to come to.” 

The New Balance 5th Avenue Mile – the world’s most iconic road mile race since 1981 – stretches 20 blocks down Manhattan’s most famous thoroughfare.

More than 9,000 runners raced the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile on Sunday. In addition to professional athlete and age-group heats, this year’s New Balance 5th Avenue Mile featured Back to School Mile heats for youth, a New Balance Run Your Way Mile for first-time marathoners using NYRR Coaching Lab, a George Sheehan Memorial Mile for seniors. Due to inclement weather, the NYPD and FDNY Mile, NYRR Road Mile Championships, and the Rising New York Road Runners Stage 1 races were cancelled.

Josh Kerr, Elle St. Pierre, and Nikki Hiltz to Headline Professional Athlete Field at New Balance 5th Avenue Mile

World champion Josh Kerr, U.S. Olympian Elle St. Pierre, and American mile record-holder Nikki Hiltz will headline a world-class professional athlete field that spans 14 different countries at the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile on Sunday, September 10. The New Balance 5th Avenue Mile – the world’s most iconic road mile race since 1981 – stretches 20 blocks down Manhattan’s most famous thoroughfare.

Great Britain’s Kerr will arrive in New York fresh off winning a world title in the 1,500 meters in Budapest; he is in search of his first victory on 5th Avenue in his second appearance in the event. Kerr also owns an Olympic bronze medal in the 1,500 meters from the Tokyo 2020 Games.

“Winning the World Championships was the culmination of every step of running I’ve ever taken,” Kerr said. “Now, my confidence is higher than it’s ever been, and I have some unfinished business to take care of on 5th Avenue.”

Lining up against Kerr will be New Zealand’s 5,000-meter record-holder George Beamish, and an American contingent led by 2023 Falmouth Mile champion Johnny Gregorek, last year’s 1,500-meter national champion Cooper Teare, two-time 5th Avenue Mile podium finisher Sam Prakel, and U.S. Olympian Woody Kincaid.

In the women’s race, U.S. Olympian St. Pierre will make her return to New York for the first time since finishing as runner-up at the event in 2019. It will also be her first race back since giving birth in March.

“My preparation for the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile this time has been different, as I fit training around feedings, nap time, and playing with Ivan,” St. Pierre said. “But my body feels good, and the workouts have been solid. I’m excited to be back on 5th Avenue this weekend.”

She will be joined at the start line by Hiltz, Great Britain’s 2021 New Balance 5th Avenue Mile champion Jemma Reekie, Great Britain’s reigning 1,500-meter champion Katie Snowden, Mexican record-holder Laura Galvan, Australian record-holder Jessica Hull, Japanese record-holder Nozomi Tanaka, and Jamaican record-holder Adelle Tracey. Olympian Courtney Frerichs and four-time NCAA champion Dani Jones will also toe the line for the U.S.

In addition to professional athlete and age-group heats, this year’s New Balance 5th Avenue Mile will feature Back to School Mile heats for youth, a New Balance Run Your Way Mile for first-time marathoners using NYRR Coaching Lab, a George Sheehan Memorial Mile for seniors, an NYPD and FDNY heat for service members, and NYRR Road Mile Championship races.

In partnership with NYRR and USA Track & Field, NBC will broadcast the event nationally from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. ET. The broadcast will feature live coverage of the professional athlete races as well as a recap of the day’s earlier heats. Live coverage of the event will be available internationally on USATF.TV.

Montreal ultrarunner Mathieu Blanchard to join star-studded UTMB field

Montreal’s Mathieu Blanchard has confirmed he will toe the start line at Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc in two weeks, joining an elite lineup that organizers of the 171-km race are billing the strongest elite field since the race began 20 years ago.

Blanchard will be vying for his third consecutive podium finish in Chamonix on Sept. 1. He ran last year’s race in 19 hours, 54 minutes and 50 seconds to finish a close second behind Spain’s Kilian Jornet, who ran 19:49:30 for a new course record. In 2021, Blanchard finished third behind French runners François D’haene (20:45:59) and Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz (20:58:31).

In June, Blanchard ran 15:37:02 to finish sixth in his Western States Endurance Run debut. He told Canadian Running after the race that Western States presented a uniquely difficult challenge: “I pushed through, I fought hard, my body was super painful like never before,” he said, adding he was proud to earn the “mythic buckle” awarded to Western States winners.

Among the giants of trail running Blanchard will be up against at UTMB is British runner Tom Evans, who ran the fourth-fastest time in Western States history (14:40:22) to win this year’s men’s race, and who finished behind Blanchard at last year’s UTMB to place third (20:34:35).

“I’m incredibly enthusiastic about the idea of taking part in the UTMB this year,” Evans recently told UTMB. “I’m coming into the event in a much better position than last year when I was fresh from a knee operation. The race is so full of history and for the 20th anniversary, I want to be part of the story by doing a Western States 100 Endurance Run and UTMB double. It’s a big challenge and with the strength of the peloton, it won’t be easy, but it’s a contest I’m looking forward to and believe I can achieve.”

In addition to Jornet, this year’s men’s field will see the return of American Jim Walmsley, who finished fourth in last year’s race (21:12:12) and who has held the Western States course record (14:09:28) since 2019.

Other notable entries in the men’s field include Swiss runner Jonas Russi (winner of the Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB 2023), fellow Swiss runner Jean-Philippe Tschumi (who shared victory at the 100K Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB with the American Ben Dhiman) and Sweden’s Petter Engdahl.

Arguably the most compelling storyline from this year’s UTMB will be American trail running phenom Courtney Dauwalter‘s quest for the triple crown following her resounding victories at Western States (where she ran 15:29:33 to smash the 16:47:19 course record set by Canadian Ellie Greenwood in 2012) and Hardrock 100 (where she set a new course record in 26:14:08). The Golden, Colo.-based runner won UTMB in 2019 (24:34:26) and again in 2021, when she set the current women’s course record (22:30:54).

She stands to face fierce competition from an elite field that includes New Zealand’s Ruth Croft (who finished second at Western States last year), Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth (winner of this year’s Eiger Ultra Trail by UTMB), Italy’s Martina Valmassoi (winner of the 2022 TDS in Chamonix) and Hungary’s Eszter Csillag, who finished fifth at last year’s UTMB.

Kiwi woman crushes 48-hour treadmill world record

New Zealand’s Emma Timmis has broken the women’s 48-hour treadmill world record after running 340.36 kilometres at a fitness club in Christchurch over the weekend.

With her run, an effort averaging more than seven kilometres an hour, Timmis put a healthy distance between herself and Swedish runner Kristina Paltén, who has held the record since 2014, running 322.93 kilometres.“Well, what a weekend that was!!!! It was everything I expected and more,” Timmis wrote in an Instagram post, in which she shared her motivation for tackling this treadmill world record. “One (reason) was to push my mental strength, and it definitely did!!! I went to some pretty dark places throughout the run, felt it with all my heart and managed to pull myself out of it each time.”

Making Timmis’s feat all the more remarkable was her comment that the 48-hour run was a “practice run” for a much larger challenge she plans on attempting later this year, although she’s keeping details of that “big goal” under wraps for now.Timmis added she “felt 100% loved and cared for every minute of the run. To be able to complete something this huge you have to put full trust in people around you. Each and every person in the event showed me that the trust given was deserved.”

Once ratified, this will be the third Guinness World Record held by Timmis, who is originally from Derby, England, but now lives in the town of Reefton, New Zealand.

In January 2022, she broke the record for the fastest crossing of New Zealand on foot by a female, completing the trek from the northern town of Cape Reinga to the southern town of Bluff in 20 days, 17 hours, 15 minutes and 57 seconds.“Averaging over 100K every day, this run had many, many challenges—it was no walk (run!) in the park,” Timmis said of that run on her website. “I battled extreme heat, heavy, fast traffic, several injuries, one of my support crew being involved in a car accident, and so much more. It takes incredible grit, resilience and determination to achieve something like this.”

In 2017, she set the record for the longest journey by elliptical cycle in a single country, travelling 7,753 km from Denham, Western Australia to Cape Byron in 74 days.

Three years earlier, Timmis completed an 89-day run from the Atlantic Ocean at Henties Bay, Namibia, to the Indian Ocean at Pemba in Mozambique, covering 3,974 km. Her run across southern Africa, which she called “the toughest thing I have done in my life,” was the inspiration for a children’s book, The Girl Who Ran Across Africa, which she published in 2020.

When you consistently stress the body and the mind, you are changing your chemical makeup. Here’s what the latest science tells us about burnout

Kieran Abbotts is a PhD student at the University of Oregon, studying human physiology. He earned his master’s degree in Metabolism and Exercise Physiology at Colorado State University. The lab where he now works studies exercise and environment and stressors on physiology. In other words, he’s an expert on how the chemicals in the body work during exercise, and what happens when things get out of whack.

“Essentially, there are two kinds of training. There’s functional overreaching, which means you stress the body with hard workouts and long runs. Then you provide adequate time to recover, and you induce adaptations,” Abbotts said. This kind of training is ideal—your body is getting stronger. “You want to be functionally overreaching as an elite athlete—so that you’re making progress and becoming a better runner, but also giving yourself adequate recovery.”

And then there’s non-functional overreaching, which can feel the same to many athletes, but it’s very different. “With non-functional overreaching you’re essentially doing the same thing—big workouts, stressing the body—but not giving yourself enough time to recover. And so you start doing damage.” That damage might take a long time to show itself, Abbots said, but it eventually will.

This might be the most important thing to know about being an athlete at any level. Non-functional overreaching is exactly the same as very healthy training, except without enough rest. And rest is different for everyone, which makes it exceptionally easy to slip from functional overreaching into damaging non-functional overreaching without realizing it. Without adequate rest, the body begins to break down instead of build stronger.

Stress Is Stress

Professional ultrarunner Cat Bradley, 31, living in Hawaii, has experienced fatigue and burnout in various forms, including just after she won Western States in 2017.

Winning a big race is great, but it also means all eyes are on you—the pressure is high to stay on top. “After winning Western States, I took a month off, but I was still running at a high level. And for lack of a better term, I felt like I had a gun to my back,” Bradley said. “I wanted Western States so badly, and after I won, so many things happened and I never shook that gun-to-the-back feeling. After a while, it led to burnout. I had to take a mental break.”

For many athletes, finding success can be the stress that makes non-functional overreaching feel necessary. How can you take an extended break when you’re winning and signing new sponsor contracts?

A second version of burnout for Bradley came when she went through an especially stressful situation outside of running. She was dealing with such extreme daily emotional stress in her personal life that everything else was affected, including running and training. When the body is enduring stress, it doesn’t know (or care) what the cause is. We can’t put our life into silos. If there’s stress in one’s life, everything else needs to be adjusted. It doesn’t matter if that stress is “just work” or illness, or relationships.

When you’re overtraining or chronically overstressed, your body is creating higher levels of “catecholamines,” hormones released by your adrenal glands during times of stress like epinephrine, norepinephrine, or adrenaline. “Having those chronically high levels of overstimulation and not enough recovery, you wind up with a desensitization,” Abbotts said. “Overstimulation also causes decreased levels of plasma cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone, and it plays a very important role in your physiology.”

When you’re exercising or stressing the body, cortisol will go up, to help the body deal with the stress. But if you’re constantly requiring lots of cortisol, your body will eventually down-regulate. It will adapt and then you’ll have low levels of cortisol. This means trouble dealing with physical and mental stress.

In February, Bradley experienced her most recent version of burnout, and it happened mid-race. Bradley was running the Tarawera 100-miler in New Zealand. Besides training for such a big race, she was also working full-time and planning and preparing for her wedding, which was just days after the race. On top of everything, travel to the event was incredibly stressful.

“I was in fourth place, I could see third, and at mile 85, I passed out and hit my head on a rock,” Bradley said. “We can talk about the reasons that I fainted, but I really think my brain just shut down—it was too much.”

For Bradley, reaching burnout has a lot more to do with outside stressors than the actual running. But now she’s aware of that—she continues to work on not reaching the “gun-to-the-back” feeling. The need to please others. The fear of losing fitness in order to take care of her body. It’s an ongoing process, but an important one.

Overdoing Is the American Way

Professional ultrarunner Sally McRae said, based on her observations, Americans are really bad at taking time off. “I’ve traveled the world and Americans are really bad at resting,” she said. “It’s part of our work system. You go anywhere in Europe and everyone takes a month-long holiday. You have a kid and you take a year off. We’re not conditioned like that in America. It’s like you get one week and then after you work a decade, you get two weeks of vacation.”

For McRae, avoiding burnout and overtraining has a lot to do with creating a life that’s sustainable. She started working when she was 15-years-old, so she realized earlier than most that life couldn’t just be working as hard as possible to count down to retirement.

“Perspective is massive when it comes to burnout. My goal every year is to find the wonder and the beauty and the joy in what I do. Because it’s my job, but it’s also my life,” McRae said. “And I really believe we’re supposed to rest—it should be a normal part of our life. Whether that’s taking a vacation or taking an off-season. I take a two-month offseason and I have for a long time.”

One of the most important parts about rest and not overstressing the body is that everyone is different. An overstressed body can lead to hormonal imbalances, which in turn affects everything.

“When you’re overtraining, you tend to get mood changes and have trouble sleeping,” Abbotts said. “Two of the big things that stand out are, you’re exhausted but you can’t sleep. And the other is irritability—mood swings, and depression.” When you get to the point that you’ve overstressed your body for so long that the chemicals are changing, pretty much everything starts falling apart.

And even though everyone is different, you’d never know that from looking at social media. “I know social media makes it seem like ultrarunners are running 40 miles a day, doing a 100-mile race every other weekend,” McRae said. “And that’s insane. You’ve got to be in touch with yourself. It’s very different to wake up and feel sore or tired, but if you wake up and feel like you have no joy in the thing you’re doing, you need a real break from it.”

How Can the Running Community Do Better?

Elite ultrarunner and running coach Sandi Nypaver wants runners to get more in touch with how they’re feeling and less concerned about numbers or what anyone else is doing.

“I have to have honest talks with people I’m coaching. I need them to feel like they can tell me how they feel, because sometimes they think they have to stick to the training plan for the week no matter what,” she said. “But the plan is never set in stone. It’s meant to be adjusted based on how you’re feeling. Some weeks we might feel great and not need to change anything, while other weeks we might have to totally crash the plan and do something else.”

It’s easy to judge ourselves against everyone else, especially when results and reactions are so public and available.

“It’s easy to say, ‘if that person only took three days off after a big race, and now they’re already back to training, that must be what you’re supposed to do,’” she said. “But even at the highest level, training is different for everyone. Resting is different for everyone.”

“Something that’s really, really hard for many runners to understand is that once you’re not sore anymore, that you’re still not recovered,” Nypaver said. “A lot of research says that things are still going on in your body for up to four weeks after, for certain races, depending on the distance.”

Sometimes it’s difficult to be aware of subtle signs when the soreness is gone. “Convincing people that they need to chill out for a while, even past the soreness, can be really difficult.” But after a huge effort, and before the next, people rarely end up saying things like, “I really wish I hadn’t rested so thoroughly.” Part of it is actually having a recovery plan. Putting rest days on the calendar, focusing on foam rolling and mobility on days that you’re not “doing.”

“And, actually just relaxing. Taking it easy. It’s not just a running model, we live in a culture where we’re always being asked to do more,” Nypaver said. “I wish instead of always thinking about doing more, we’d focus on how we want to be more. A lot of us want to be more relaxed and less stressed and happier and enjoy our lives. We need to put our attention on that instead of trying to do so much. It’s something I struggle with all the time.”

We don’t get validation for resting, relaxing, and being present because there’s no tangible thing to show for it. There’s no “be really calm often” challenge on Strava. But the bigger rewards are great. You just have to trade in immediate dopamine hits for a much more balanced, happier life.

Simple, right?

“One thing I’m doing, and asking my athletes to do, is to write down your intentions,” Nypaver said. “One of my intentions is to chill out more this summer and enjoy it. I grew up thinking it’s all about running, and I have to go all-in on running. But having other outlets, other things that I like to do, is so important.”

When you’ve reached burnout—an extended period of non-functional overreaching, prolonged rest is the only way to let the body fix itself.

“Once you are overtrained, you need to stop training,” Abbotts said. “It’s just kind of the bottom line. Maybe some people can get away with greatly reducing their training load, but most of the time you need to stop. You need an extended amount of time off.”

There’s nothing glamorous about rest. There’s no prize money in relaxing. But it’s the absolute key ingredient in extended performance, and in a much healthier, happier life.

Ingebrigtsen and Girma go head-to-head in hunt for fast 1500m in Lausanne

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Lamecha Girma both made history earlier this month in Paris, where they set a world two-mile best and a world 3000m steeplechase record, respectively. Now they have the chance to push each other to fast 1500m performances when they return to Wanda Diamond League action in Lausanne on Friday (30).

Norway’s Ingebrigtsen, who broke the world indoor 1500m record by running 3:30.60 in Lievin in February, clocked 7:54.10 in Paris to improve Daniel Komen’s world best for two miles. Despite still having that race in his legs, the 22-year-old improved his own European 1500m record to 3:27.95 in Oslo six days later – a time that places him sixth on the world all-time list.

Although the world record had not been his aim in Oslo, Lausanne’s Athletissima gives Ingebrigtsen another opportunity to take further strides toward Hicham El Guerrouj’s almost 25-year-old world record of 3:26.00.

“I 100% have more left in me,” Ingebrigtsen said after his performance in Oslo. “I just have to keep focused on each race ahead in the build-up to Budapest (World Championships), where it really matters.”

Girma will hope to be up there with him. The Ethiopian 22-year-old stormed to a time of 7:52.11 for his specialism in Paris, taking 1.52 seconds off the world 3000m steeplechase record set by Said Saeed Shaheen in 2004, and then turned his attention to attacking the Ethiopian 1500m record of 3:29.91 at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava on Tuesday (27). He still looked like he had plenty left in the closing stages but having to run wide down the home straight, he focused on the win, running a PB of 3:33.15 that he will aim to improve again in Lausanne.

It will be the first time that Ingebrigtsen and Girma have clashed in any discipline.

In Oslo, Ingebrigtsen led the first eight men under 3:30 for the first time in history, and this time the line-up includes two other men who have dipped under that barrier so far in their careers: Britain’s Olympic bronze medallist Josh Kerr and Australia’s Stewart McSweyn. They are joined on the entry list by Ethiopia’s Teddese Lemi, New Zealand’s Sam Tanner and Britain’s Neil Gourley.

In the 5000m – the discipline in which Ingebrigtsen won world gold last year after his 1500m silver – Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei will take on Olympic 10,000m gold medallist Selemon Barega, world 5km record-holder Berihu Aregawi, Telahun Haile Bekele, Birhanu Balew and their fellow sub-13:00 runner Muktar Edris.

In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, world U20 silver medallist Sembo Almayew is back on the track after her world-leading PB performance of 9:00.71 to win in Florence. The 2021 world U20 gold medallist, Jackline Chepkoech, was second on that occasion and is also racing, along with world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech and world bronze medallist Mekides Abebe.

The world leader also heads the entries in the women’s 800m, where world and Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson – who improved her British record to 1:55.77 to win in Paris – will look to make another statement as she renews her rivalry with Kenya’s Mary Moraa.

World bronze medallist Moraa, who won Commonwealth Games and Diamond League titles ahead of Hodgkinson last year, has run a best of 1:58.72 so far this season and the strong field also features Habitam Alemu, Noelie Yarigo, Jemma Reekie, Catriona Bisset, Natoya Goule and Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who recently ran a world U20 1000m record of 2:34.89 in Nice.

2023 Western States 100 Men’s Race

There’s nowhere to go but up at the start of the Western States 100, and Jia-Ju Zhao from China charged the opening climb. Despite snow, Zhao hit the top in 42 minutes. Slower to the top, Frenchman Mathieu Blanchard (pre-race interview) and Brit Tom Evans (pre-race interview) turned to greet the brilliant sunrise together.

Zhao won the Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji 100 Mile in April 2023 and is a two-time winner of the Doi Inthanon by UTMB 100 Mile in Thailand. He pushed his early lead to five minutes at Lyon Ridge, mile 11, while 2022 fourth-placer Tyler Green led the early chase group. Green had finished as high as second here before, in 2021, but was running more aggressively toward the front earlier than ever before.From mile-15 Red Star Ridge to mile-25 Duncan Canyon, the chase group started to make up time on Zhao. Tom Evans, Chinese runner Jia-Sheng Shen, and Dakota Jones (pre-race interview) were among a group that cut four minutes from Zhao’s lead over just nine miles. Evans was third here in 2019 in 14:59, and Jones had just biked 680 miles from his home in Utah to the race start.

Zhao was quickly swallowed up in the next five miles to Robinson Flat, mile 30, and soon fell out of the top 10. A lead trio of Tom Evans, Dakota Jones, and Jia-Sheng Shen came into aid at 4:45, meeting their crews for the first time. At mile 30 and with Zhao falling backward, Anthony Costales (pre-race interview) was fourth, and then he was with Tyler Green at mile 38 in fourth and fifth. The two would barely separate the rest of the race.Evans and Jones dropped Shen on the climb to Devil’s Thumb, mile 48, and the two leaders came into aid together in 7:03. Four minutes back Costales had caught Shen on the big climb, and Tyler Green, Jeff Colt, New Zealand’s Daniel Jones, Ryan Montgomery, Mathieu Blanchard, and 47-year-old Ludovic Pommeret were inside the top 10. Those six were 14 minutes apart. 2022 third- and second-place finishers Arlen Glick (pre-race interview) and Hayden Hawks (pre-race interview) were back in 11th and 16th, respectively. After earlier moving up, Hawks had just lost several places and would later drop with injury at mile 55. Other top-10 finishers from 2022 Cody Lind, Scott Traer, and Alex Nichols were all noticeably outside the top 10 too.

As the race shifted to its mile-62 Foresthill hub, Evans gained some separation on Jones and entered the aid station first, but as Evans changed shoes and socks, Jones didn’t wait and exited first. Jones was now in the lead by himself for the first time and he was overheard voicing his intention to break Evans. Some 11 minutes back of those two leaders, Green and Costales were again together and in third and fourth. Shen and Jeff Colt were just minutes back of those two, and Colt was remarkably almost an hour faster than a year ago when he finished 11th.Jones and Evans separated leaving Foresthill and anticipation ran high for their next steps. The two had been together for nearly the entirety of the race to this point. Jones wanted to make a move and Evans wanted to keep up with (the) Jones. The duel ended quickly and dramatically though. Tom Evans dropped a 5:54 downhill mile and hit Cal 2, mile 71, in 10:12. That surge pushed Jones eight minutes back at mile 71. It was just nine miles from Foresthill to that split on Cal Street, but the front two had shattered and moved in opposite directions the rest of the race.

Evans ran alone to the river crossing at mile 78, and ultimately to the finish. Tyler Green, Anthony Costales, Jeff Colt, and Jia-Sheng Shen all overtook Dakota Jones on the way to the river too. Forget about Elm Street, Jones was having a bit of a nightmare on Cal Street.

Evans, the 2022 UTMB third placer, continued to put time on the field the rest of the way. He finished in 14:40 and that’s the race’s fourth fastest finish ever. The mark trails only Jim Walmsley and Jared Hazen in 2019, and Walmsley’s 2018 mark too. Evans was a runaway winner, but the rest of the top 10 was much more closely packed.Tyler Green pushed on in second, and held off an Anthony Costales chase over the last 15 miles. Green finished in 15:04. It was his second runner-up finish and a big personal best for the course. He was able to finish with his baby boy on his shoulders. Green’s 15:04 was the race’s 11th-fastest finish ever. Costales was third in 15:09, the race’s 13th-fastest finish ever.

Jia-Sheng Shen and Daniel Jones both finished fast. Shen clocked 15:19 and Jones was fifth in 15:22. Mathieu Blanchard and Ryan Montgomery both overtook Jeff Colt late. Those three — Blanchard, Montgomery, and Colt — finished in 15:37, 15:38, and 15:42, respectively. Local runner Cole Watson bettered his 2022 14th-place finish with a ninth-place 15:54.

In 2019 the top 10 all went under 16 hours. This year’s 10th-place man Janosch Kowalcyzk from Germany just missed matching that feat. He finished in 16:09.

Seven of last year’s top 10 returned, but only Tyler Green was able to again make the top 10. The 2022 top 10 finishers Ludovic Pommeret, Arlen Glick, Scott Traer, Cody Lind, and Alex Nichols finished 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th, and 28th this year, respectively. As earlier mentioned, 2022 runner-up Hayden Hawks dropped.

After running near or in the lead through Foresthill, Dakota Jones finished 17th in 17:00.

Early leader Zhao’s high risk, high reward start ended with a drop at Michigan Bluff, mile 55.

Five elite women to watch in 2023 Grandma's Marathon

Back-to-back defending Grandma’s Marathon champion Dakotah Lindwurm will attempt to become the third woman to ever win the race three times this week, and the first to three-peat since Mary Akor in 2009.

Lindwurm, the former hockey goaltender out of Eagan, Minnesota, is the favorite again in the elite women’s field for the 47th Grandma’s Marathon, which gets underway at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday in Two Harbors. The winner is estimated to arrive at the finish line at Canal Park in Duluth around 10:10 a.m.

Akor, of the U.S., went back-to-back-to-back in 2007, 2008 and 2009, while Lorraine Moller of New Zealand was the first woman to three-peat from 1979-1981.

Here’s a look at the top contenders from the women’s elite field that are vying for the $10,000 first-place prize:

Five elite women to watch at 2023 Grandma’s Marathon

The Defending Champ

Dakotah Lindwurm, 28, United StatesPersonal record: 2:25:01 (2022 Grandma’s Marathon).

Two of Lindwurm’s fastest marathon times have come at Grandma’s, with her winning time last year being the second-fastest time in Grandma’s Marathon history — 33 seconds behind Kellyn Taylor’s record of 2:24:28 set in 2018. Lindwurm, who won in 2021 in 2:29:04, became the first Minnesotan to win Grandma’s Marathon that year since Janis Klecker in 1987. Lindwurm recently finished 26th at the Boston Marathon in 2:33:53.

The Past Champion

Pasca (Myers) Jerno, 36, United StatesPR: 2:33:43 (2014 Grandma’s Marathon)

Jerno is a 2014 Grandma’s Marathon champion, having posted a PR that still stands for her today. The Kenyan-born American beat out then-race record-holder Sarah Kiptoo (whose 2013 time still ranks fourth) for the title that year. Jerno has posted two top-10 finishes since winning in 2014, taking eighth in 2019 (2:36:13) and sixth in 2021 (2:36:48). In 2021, she also posted a seventh-place finish in the Chicago Marathon (2:32:51).

The Contender

Grace Kahura, 30, KenyaPR: 2:30:32 (2021 New York City Marathon)

Whether it’s been Grandma’s Marathon or Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, Kahura has challenged for the podium, but only landed on it once. That was her Duluth debut in 2017 when she finished third in the half. Since then she’s finished fourth in her last three visits — Grandma’s in 2018 and 2021 and the Bjorklund a year ago. She ran Grandma’s in 2:33:34 back in 2021. That same year she set her PR in New York, finishing ninth.

The Up and Comer

Gabriella Rooker, 35, United StatesPR: 2:29:44 (2022 California International Marathon)

Like Lindwurm, Rooker wasn’t always a runner. Rooker is a three-time NCAA Division III individual and team gymnastics champion from Wisconsin-La Crosse. Grandma’s Marathon in 2021 was her running debut. She finished 26th with a time of 2:56:27, but came in 10th last year in 2:34:59. Her PR in California last year is the second best PR in the field behind Lindwurm, but still 4:43 back.

The Sleeper

Anne-Marie Blaney, 29, United StatesPR: 2:31:32 (2023 Boston Marathon)

Blaney bested Lindwurm back in April at the Boston Marathon, finishing two places higher in 24th and 2:21 faster. This will be Blaney’s first time in Duluth running Grandma’s Marathon, where she will need to shave another 6:31 to match Lindwurm’s winning time last year. Recent marathon results for Blaney include a fourth-place finish at the Ottawa International Marathon in 2022 (2:34:38) and 22nd place in the Chicago Marathon in 2021 (2:40:24).

Missoula Half Marathon listed as one of the most beautiful in the world by USA Today

The Missoula Half Marathon course was named one of the most beautiful in the world by USA Today!

Coming in at number 13, the Missoula course ranks among beautiful places which include Queenstown, New Zealand and Jasper, Canada.

"That half marathon course, you can't beat it... and you certainly don't have to train as long. So you can almost always commit to that half marathon," Missoula Marathon Director Trisha Drobeck said.

The half marathon runs alongside the scenic Bitterroot River before heading into downtown Missoula where runners are cheered on as they get closer to the finish line.

"I feel like the half marathon is maybe the younger sibling that doesn't get recognized as much as its older sibling, the signature marathon," Drobeck noted. "So, it's nice to see that. The half marathon... it is beautiful, and twice as many people do it as the marathon, so it's good to see it get a little recognition. It's well deserved."

This year's Missoula Marathon weekend runs from June 23 through June 25 with the half-marathon taking place on June 25. We'll have complete Missoula Marathon coverage right here on KPAX.

Former Champions Highlight Strong 2023 Grandma’s Marathon Field

Several former champions will return to this year’s Grandma’s Marathon, highlighting a field that’s expected to include some of the best American distance runners ahead of next year’s U.S. Olympic Trials.

GRANDMA’S MARATHON

Defending champion and event record holder Dominic Ondoro returns on the men’s side, that after winning his second Grandma’s Marathon last summer. He’s joined by countrymen and former champions themselves, Milton Rotich and Elisha Barno.

Ondoro, who broke Dick Beardsley’s longtime event record with his winning run in 2014, will be trying to become just the second man to win three or more Grandma’s Marathons. The only to have done it so far is Barno, who won four straight titles from 2015-18.

NOTE: Elisha Barno will be officially inducted on Friday, June 16 into the Grandma’s Marathon Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023, making him the first athlete inducted since 2017.

Kevin Lynch not only leads a pack of American men aiming to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, but is also hoping to become the first American men’s winner of Grandma’s Marathon since Chris Raabe did it in 2009.

Minnesotan and fan favorite Dakotah Lindwurm returns on the women’s side as a favorite to win her third-straight Grandma’s Marathon, which would make her the third woman to accomplish that feat.

New Zealand’s Lorraine Moller won three straight women’s races from 1979-81, and American Mary Akor then did it from 2007-09.

Lindwurm’s personal record of 2:25:01, which she ran in last year’s winning effort at Grandma’s Marathon, is more than four minutes better than any other woman in the field, though Gabriella Rooker is back this year after finishing 10th place last summer in her Duluth debut.

 GARRY BJORKLUND HALF MARATHON

Neither the men’s or the women’s defending champion is back in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, but 2016 winner Macdonard Ondara is back this year for his fourth run in Duluth. He will lead a strong group of returners on the men’s side, with each of the top five runners having been here before.

Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon rookie Lydia Mathathi leads things on the women’s side, and the Kenyan’s personal best is a time that, if repeated, would break the storied mark of Duluth native Kara Goucher. Followed by four Americans who are also making their debut in Duluth, Mathathi would be the first Kenyan to win this race since Monicah Ngige in 2018.

Setting running goals when you’re slowing down

Time waits for no one, as those of us who obsess over chip times know too well. Much of the thrill and focus of running boils down to besting ourselves, and that usually means covering the same courses and distances faster than we ever have before.

But there comes a time when we are no longer able to outrun ourselves. Age catches up, and at some point it becomes painfully clear that our fastest days are behind us.

But slowing down doesn’t mean all our PBs are suddenly set in stone or that we’re unable to achieve new firsts as runners. As we mature as runners, so too can the nature of our goals. Stop the clock and consider these alternatives to time-centric goalsetting

Go the distance

Running to set a personal best based on distance can add depth and variety to goalsetting. Going farther than you ever have is a challenge equally suited to longtime runners who have been building their fitness and endurance over years and decades, and fledgling runners who are taking up the activity later in life. The beauty of distance-based goalsetting is that it invites creativity. You might want to challenge yourself to finish your first ultra. Those more inclined to stick to shorter routes might find weekly, monthly or yearly distance goals a better fit. Runners in their retirement years who may now have more opportunities to travel can try smashing their record for most miles run outside Canada in a single year. Couples who have more time to connect can strive for new records for distances run together. Distance goals can be tailored to meet just about any runner’s strengths and schedule.

Get on a hot streak

Being consistent is both one of running’s greatest virtues and steepest challenges. Aiming to see a streak through to a new PB can really test your mettle, but it’s a goal that’s accessible to runners of all abilities. Streak-setting doesn’t exclude the super-speedy, like New Zealand’s Nick Willis, who last year marked his 20th straight year of running a sub-four-minute mile. That said, successful streaks can be a well-earned source of pride for runners who stick with running 1 km every day for a month, or 10 km every month of the year. Like distance-focused goals, streak targets are limited only by a runner’s imagination.

Consider non-performance goals

Slowing down offers us an opportunity to reflect on our relationship with running and to consider ways to make it deeper and more meaningful. An option worth considering is making the shift to a more supportive role. This might mean crewing a friend or family member’s attempt at an ultra-marathon, or dispensing water or medals as a volunteer at an upcoming half-marathon. Volunteering can also be a pathway to becoming a vital part of a world-famous race you always wanted to experience in-person but never got the chance to as a competitor.

Zane Robertson Popped for EPO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Melak and Ayana win Lisbon Half Marathon

Nibret Melak and Almaz Ayana achieved an Ethiopian double at the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon on Sunday (12), clocking respective times of 59:06 and 1:05:30 at the World Athletics Elite Label road race.

Melak was content to sit back as his compatriot Hagos Gebrhiwet and Kenya’s Rhonex Kipruto went through 5km on world record pace, the pair clocking 13:32 for a split eight seconds faster than Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo ran at that point en route to his 57:31 world half marathon record set in Lisbon in November 2021. Melak was 10 seconds behind them.

But they couldn’t sustain that pace and the leaders reached 10km in 28:11.

Melak closed the gap over the next couple of kilometres and with Kenya’s Vincent Ngetich Kipkemoi to the fore, that quartet passed 15km in 41:47.

Kipruto, who set the world 10km record of 26:24 in Valencia in January 2020, was struggling to keep contact by 20km and as the finish line neared, Melak kicked.

Making his half marathon debut, the 23-year-old managed to hold off Olympic and world 5000m medallist Gebrhiwet, winning by one second after a sprint finish. Kipkemoi was third in 59:10 and Kipruto fourth in 59:22.

New Zealand’s Jake Robertson completed the top five, running 1:00:05.

In the women’s race, Ayana ran alongside her compatriot Girmawit Gebrzihair and behind her pacemaker, passing 5km in 15:27. They formed part of an eight-strong group at that point.

They broke away with Kenya’s two-time world track medallist Margaret Kipkemboi and Ethiopia’s Tiruye Mesfin, reaching 10km in 31:06.

The race was down to Ayana, Kipkemboi and Gebrzihair by 15km, which they passed in 46:37, and Ayana continued to move away, eventually claiming victory by 20 seconds ahead of Kipkemboi, who ran 1:05:50 for the runner-up spot.

Gebrzihair was third in 1:06:28, Mesfin fourth in 1:06:31 and Kenya’s Purity Komen fifth in 1:07:08.

110 Ultra Trail Runners Evacuated from Race Course

Heavy rains caused a river to overflow, stranding runners in freezing temperatures during the Southern Lakes Ultra in New Zealand.

A 7-day, 6-stage ultra-marathon on the South Island of New Zealand, was interrupted by severe weather earlier this week, which resulted in several athletes needing to be rescued, according to the New Zealand Herald. Rains quickly became intense, causing the Arrow River to rise in the wee hours of the morning, leaving runners stranded and unable to cross. Temperatures hovered around freezing, which meant athletes started experiencing hypothermia. Rescue efforts included personnel from the New Zealand Police Department, Search and Rescue, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and Queenstown rescue helicopters.All in, 110 racers were evacuated. Seven race participants and one official were flown to Queenstown Lakes Hospital to be treated for hypothermia. According to reports, all have been released and are doing well. The South Island of New Zealand (Te Waipounamu) is known for its stunning glacial lakes and towering mountains. Runners of the event are promised endless breathtaking views before finishing in Queenstown, known as the adventure capital of the world. Participants have the choice between the long course (261 km) or the short course (226 km), and are encouraged to go at their own pace—from hiking to competitive running. The Southern Lakes Ultra spans 6-stages from February 19-25, including a rest day. It’s billed as a race that’s perfect for experienced trail runners and beginners alike. Each stage is between 10 and 70 kilometers. According to the race website, the course requires comfort in the backcountry. “Please, do not take lightly the terrain you will be in. Some of our stages are remote. You will be climbing and descending for hours, potentially some in the dark. You must be confident in the backcountry, on trails.”

Despite the weather conditions and rescue efforts, the race is continuing as planned. Some athletes have voiced disappointment in that decision, saying the race should have been called off and river levels checked more frequently. According to reports, one athlete said, “Conditions on the mountain were treacherous in the dark for an event which was pitched for beginner ultra competitors. ‘Show must go on mentality’ seems tone deaf.” 

Most importantly, everyone is safe and accounted for. Rescue Coordination Centre Operations Manager Michael Clulow said he was grateful for everyone who helped with and supported the rescue effort. 

How I Won the World Cross-Country Championship at Age 83

Seventy years after his first cross-country race and 46 years after competing as an elite runner, the author competes—and triumphs—on a tough Australian course

Last weekend, in Bathurst, Australia, I did something I thought I would never do again: I ran once more in the World Cross-Country Championship. Not the main men’s open race, in which I competed for England in 1966 and New Zealand in 1977. Not at age 83. But for the first time, the World Athletics federation added Masters championships, and—almost like a dream—I not only participated again, but raced at the front of the M80 field and managed to outlast a stubborn Australian for the win.

If you believe that running after eighty is about leisurely slow toddling, wait till you’re up there, racing to your limit, and you make the sharp u-turn at halfway and see that you are being closely stalked by a lean lanky Aussie with M80 on his bib and a threatening scowl like Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. 

He is called James Harrison, and he made me work for it. I have won and lost many hard races over the years, and this was one of the hardest. The only possible tactic was unrelieved pressure. I finally broke him three-quarters through the four-kilometer distance, on the second two-kilometer lap, as we gasped up a big steep rough-surfaced hill that broke many hearts that weekend. At last, I sensed him drop. It took tenacity, months of focused training (including hill repeats), and years of learning the wiles that true cross-country demands. 

This was a course where every decision counted about where you placed your next stride. Every sharp oxygen-draining uphill demanded that you keep momentum over the crest, every downhill was there for attack, not recovery, every tight turn required poise and pace. Those things don’t come easily after age eighty (and on two replaced knees in my case), but it was a World Championship of cross-country running, and we were there to take those tests. 

I won’t claim the sheer thrill of winning the race was the same as ever. But it was real, and it had a private significance. I ran below my best in the senior world championship in the past. Nothing can change those results, but it felt good this time to get it right. And the sense of achievement is something that few things in the last years of life are ever likely to equal.

World Athletics, under President Seb Coe (who learned cross-country in England in his early teens), has grown tired of holding its cross-country championships on boring flat safe horse-race circuits, like those I encountered in my days in the main race. They decided to take some security risks to revitalize the sport. American senior administrator David Katz now acts as course consultant for each World Cross-Country, and insists on the real thing. 

“Cross-country has one distinctive thing, the course. That has to be the talking point, and each one must be unique as the race moves around the world. The media and the public need to understand that cross-country is special in its challenges, not just another long race,” Katz said in Bathurst. 

The previous championships in 2019 in Aarhus, Denmark, set the world chattering about a course that included loops over the steeply-sloping grassed roof of the Moesgaard Museum. This time (after several Covid-related postponements) the Aussies gave us a course that was a raw slice of the Australian outback. On the side of Mount Panorama, it was broken and unpredictable, rusty dirt, grey raggedy scrub grass, and diabolical hills. Scattered blue gum trees provided the only shade. Each morning, you could find fresh kangaroo poop. 

They added some challenges to make it even more uniquely Australian. There was a “billabong,” of treacherous ankle-deep wet mud that caused many runners to skid and flop to a slimy downfall. (Some of the slower kids in the scholastic races lay down and daubed themselves heroically.) There was a dash through the straight vines of a winery, followed by tight turns, and, in honor of Bathurst’s motor-race circuit, a “chicane” where you had to steer through a forest of car tires. 

High on a dry hillside there was a stretch named “Bondi Beach,” deep shifting sand decorated with lifeguard flags and “Beware of Sharks” signs. An Aussie joke, yet for the runners, another testing change of racing rhythm, another response to the challenge of contours and terrain. No other kind of running does that. Cross-country is the closest our sport gets to true interaction with the earth.   

Added to all that was the Outback summer heat, 95 degrees for the main races on the Saturday late afternoon. In the different races, several runners were taken to hospital, and at least four passed out during the race, including, it seemed, the women’s favorite and race leader, Letesenbet Gidey (Ethiopia), who collapsed dramatically and glazy-eyed as she was passed by Beatrice Chebet (Kenya) within strides of the finish. 

As a serious evening storm approached, its clouds like dark riders, the men’s race was hastily moved forward, and 22-year-old Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo had to win his first major title while lightning flashed behind the mountain and brutal wind gusts sent runners staggering. Slower runners were caught in torrential rain.  Australia does nothing by half measures. 

For me and many others, Australia was an unexpected opportunity. Three months before the race, World Athletics and World Masters Athletics announced that they were combining to add masters championships, part of a new and excellent policy to make the event a full cross-country festival, as well as the world’s elite team and individual championships. Hundreds of spectators doubled as competitors. I met so many old friends out there, it was like a global runners’ reunion. 

In addition to the usual competitors from Europe, North America and Africa, there were teams from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and other Pacific nations, none of them obvious participants in a sport that is essentially one of cold winter.

I guess an 83-year-old who last ran the World Cross-Country in 1977 was another less-than-obvious participant. I never imagined it. I gave up cross-country for good, I believed, when my orthopedic surgeon confessed, after he watched me and the knee he had implanted struggle over a muddy course, that it gave him nightmares for weeks. 

But a lifetime of racing has taught me that you have to seize the moment. Before committing, I watched videos of the course, which like a good actor came across looking much more attractive than it was. When I actually saw the steep downhills, I thought I was out of my mind. But another thing I have learned is that in running, only one thing is absolutely certain—you won’t run well if you’re not in the race. 

I registered. I did the work. I seized my moment. I got the sheer thrill of winning a race. I was lucky in that the course’s surface proved (mostly) not too lumpy or too soft, and I was lucky in some top Europeans and South Americans not making the journey. In every race, you can only compete against those who show up. 

Young readers, please note. In January 1953, aged 13, I ran my first cross-country race, in my high school’s inter-house league, well back in the field. Seventy years a runner. You never know what a high school race might lead to. 

Being called world champion at 83 is a nice way to celebrate that small private anniversary—and at this age, I can surely be forgiven a memory lapse, if sometimes I forget to add “over-80.” It could also be a nice way to round off seventy years of running. Round off, except for the next race, that is.

(Roger Robinson ran the world cross-country championship for England and later New Zealand, and set a Masters record of 2:20:15 at the Boston Marathon.  He is regarded as the outstanding historical writer on running. He recaptures history from personal observation in When Running Made History (Syracuse University Press) and he researches vivid and accurate accounts of the sport’s best stories in his new book, Running Throughout Time: the Greatest Running Stories Ever Told (Meyer & Meyer). Available through Amazon and all online outlets and bookstores.)

Australian high schooler runs 3:55 mile, beating pros

At the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet of the 2023 season in Melbourne on Thursday, a Grade 11 student from Canberra, Cameron Myers, became the second-youngest person in history to break the four-minute mile barrier, at 16 years and 259 days, setting a new U16 world record of 3:55.44. 

Myers placed third in the men’s mile at the Maurie Plant Classic, behind 2022 Commonwealth Games 1,500m champion Olli Hoare and New Zealand’s Sam Tanner, and beating a lengthy list of pros, including 2016 Olympic 1,500m champion Matt Centrowitz. 

The 16-year-old is the second youngest runner in history to break four minutes in the mile; the youngest was Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Ingebrigtsen first went sub-four at age 16 years and 250 days, when he ran 3:58.04 at the 2017 Prefontaine Classic in Oregon. Myers, who is only nine days older than Ingebrigtsen was then, produced a quicker time than Ingebrigtsen when he first went sub-4.

Myers’s run stripped an incredible 12 seconds off his previous mile personal best of 4:07.04. His time also broke Ingebrigtsen’s U16 world record of 3:56.29 from the 2017 Bislett Games in Oslo.

“At 16, it’s impressive to see Myers running better than most college athletes in the U.S.,” said Hoare to reporters post-race. “He’s an amazing talent for Australia moving forward, and I’m excited for him.”

Hoare won the mile in 3:52.24, coming off a bronze-medal performance in the mixed relay team event at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst last weekend. Hoare’s time was the third-fastest mile time in history by an Australian. 

Two Canadian athletes also competed in Melbourne–John Gay placed 10th in the men’s 3,000m in 8:03.91, while Erin Teschuk was 13th in the women’s 1,500m. Both athletes represented Canada at the 2023 World XC Championships five days ago. 

Nuguse breaks North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games

Yared Nuguse ran the second-fastest indoor mile in history as three national records fell or were equalled in a thrilling men’s Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games. Alicia Monson also set an area record in the 3000m, while Abby Steiner claimed a US record in the 300m at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in New York on Saturday (11).

In the infield, Ryan Crouser demonstrated his effective new shot put technique and Katie Moon returned to her winning ways in the pole vault before a roaring crowd that also cheered runners in competitions from U8 through high school and college.

As always, the men’s Wanamaker mile culminated the meeting, and Nuguse ran away with the race in a world-leading 3:47.38 to claim his second area record of the season to go along with the 3000m.

Pace setter Erik Sowinski brought the runners through half way in 1:52.99 – just as he had been asked – with Nuguse and training mates Mario Garcia Romo and Olli Hoare in the lead group. But Nuguse turned on the jets and covered the final quarter of the race in 54.23, breaking the meeting record, facility record, and crushing Bernard Lagat’s 15-year-old US indoor record of 3:49.98.

“Running that race the way we did,” Nuguse said, “all three of us right there up for the first half of the race, I felt good knowing I had my closest guys having my back. And then that last part was give it everything I had and I was able to close with something crazy and get it.”

Great Britain’s Neil Gourley ran a PB of 3:49.46 to move to sixth on the world indoor all-time list, and Hoare equalled the Oceanian record with 3:50.83. New Zealand’s Sam Tanner ran a PB of 3:51.70, while Romo’s 3:51.79 was a Spanish record.

Yuguse has now eclipsed Hicham El Guerrouj on the all-time list; only Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha has run faster, clocking 3:47.01 in 2019.

“I’m always excited to see what else I can do next,” Nuguse said. “There was definitely a nice confidence boost. After that 3000m (where he broke the US record), I was feeling pretty confident already, but to do this in the event that I love the most and the one that I feel like I’m going for at the world championships, that makes me feel even better.”

Laura Muir won the women’s Wanamaker Mile in 4:20.15, followed by Josette Andrews in 4.20.88. Muir, the Olympic silver medallist, led for most of the race, then Andrews hit the front with two laps to go. But the Briton kicked again on the final lap and went on to win comfortably.

Sprint sensations

World record-holder Christian Coleman took a bow after winning the men’s 60m in a season’s best of 6.47. “I feel like this is what I do best and I came to put on a show,” he said.

Noah Lyles was charged with a false start and ran the race under protest, clocking 6.53, although the time would not count. Lyles, the US record-holder in the 200m outdoors, admitted a little bit of movement, but said his feet never left the pad. “I got a time that I’m very happy to see,” Lyles said. “Everybody knows I’m just here to play around. I’m not a 60-metre runner, but if I can take some heads, I’m going to do it.”

Jamaica’s Travis Williams was awarded second place with a PB of 6.59, followed by Josephus Lyles, Noah’s younger brother, also with a PB of 6.59. Williams edged Lyles by .003.

Aleia Hobbs set an Armory record of 7.04 to win her fourth straight competition, having clocked a world-leading 6.98 at the end of January. Teenager Tamari Davis was second in a PB of 7.08, followed by Marybeth Sant-Price in 7.11, Mikiah Brisco at 7.13 and 17-year-old Shawnti Jackson in 7.16.

“I don’t think my start was as good as it’s been, but I was patient,” Hobbs said.

In only her second 300m, Steiner broke the US record, clocking 35.54 to easily go under Quanera Hayes’ time of 35.71 from 2017. Steiner held off a spirited challenge from Brittany Brown, who ran 36.13.

“It’s definitely one of those races I think you learn a little bit about every time you run it,” said Steiner, who set the collegiate record in her first race.

Although this 300m is her last of the season, she still wants the world record of 35.45, shared by Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Irina Privalova. “I clean up my start a little bit,” Steiner said, “and I think it’s there.”

World indoor champion Jereem Richards of Trinidad & Tobago ran a season’s best of 45.84 to avenge the previous week’s loss to  Noah Williams, who clocked 46.20. In Boston, they were separated by only .004 as both ran 45.88.

Devynne Charlton won the women’s 60m hurdles in 7.91, while Tonea Marshall ran a season’s best of 7.94 and Sharika Nelvis clocked 7.96 to edge Olympic silver medallist Nia Ali in 7.97.

Giants of track and field prepare for battle at Millrose Games

print showdowns, the world’s greatest shot putters and magnificent mile fields highlight the Millrose Games, this season’s fourth World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting, in New York on Saturday (11).

Fresh off a PB and 60m win in Boston, world 200m champion Noah Lyles takes on 60m world record holder and defending Millrose champion Christian Coleman at The Armory, which boasts the nickname ‘The Fastest Track in the World’.

Shot putters Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs open their 2023 campaigns by resuming their fierce rivalry, essentially picking up where they left off last September in Switzerland. As the women’s shot returns to Millrose for the first time since 2003, the event couldn’t ask for a better field led by Chase Ealey, the world champion and world indoor silver medallist.

According to tradition, the Rudin Wanamaker Miles cap the storied meeting, which was founded in 1908. A national record might be needed to win the men’s race, but which country will take the honours? Defending champion Ollie Hoare of Australia, USA’s Yared Nuguse, Sam Tanner of New Zealand and Mario Garcia Romo of Spain are top contenders. Great Britain’s Olympic and world medallist Laura Muir is the favourite in the women’s mile, having already claimed a New York record on the road.

Straight down the middle

Although The Armory is far from the neon lights of Times Square, it’s still a hop, step and a jump from Broadway – and perhaps no athlete enjoys putting on a show more than Lyles.

At the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Boston, he posted a PB of 6.51, edging Trayvon Bromell by .002. Coleman clocked 6.71 in Fayetteville two weeks ago to open his season, well off his world record of 6.34 set in 2018 when he was also world indoor champion. Lyles, the Olympic 200m bronze medallist, has been working on his start in a bid to double in the 100m and 200m at the World Athletics Championships later this year in Budapest.

Lyles will also attempt to avenge an early season loss to his younger brother Josephus in Florida. Ronnie Baker, the third-fastest 60m runner in history and 2018 world indoor bronze medallist, won this event in 2018 and 2020. Ackeem Blake of Jamaica, Miles Lewis, the Puerto Rican record-holder, and Kendal Williams, who defeated Lyles in Florida but lost to him in Boston, are also in the field.

Aleia Hobbs is seeking her second straight win in the women’s 60m after exploding to a meeting record 7.02 in Boston. She also owns the world-leading time of 6.98, run in Fayetteville in late January. In Boston, Hobbs held off world indoor silver medallist Mikiah Brisco and Celera Barnes, who get another chance to defeat her at Millrose.

Melissa Jefferson, who edged Hobbs in the 100m at last year’s USA Championships; world indoor bronze medallist Marybeth Sant-Price, and English Gardner are also in the field. Shawnti Jackson was third at Millrose last year, setting a national high school record of 7.18, and will look to improve both her placement and her time.

Olympic silver medallist Keni Harrison, the Millrose 60m hurdles winner in 2020, will take on 2019 world champion Nia Ali, heptathlete Anna Hall, and Olympians Anna Cockrell, Devynne Charlton and Cindy Sember.

Ring rivalry renewed

The road to Budapest begins for the top shot putters on the planet. World and Olympic champion Crouser will face Kovacs, a double outdoor world champion and two-time Olympic silver medallist.

While Crouser has won at Millrose three years in a row and holds both the indoor and outdoor world records, he knows his compatriot is always in the hunt to topple him. Kovacs set the world-leading mark in 2022 while moving to second on the all-time list and winning the Diamond league final in Zurich. At the season-ending meeting for both, Kovacs won at Bellinzona with a toss of 22.19m, with Crouser next at 22.00m. Tripp Piperi and Nick Ponzio of Italy round out the field.

Ealey had a dream season in 2022, building on her world indoor silver to take the world title in Oregon and then capture the Diamond League title. Compatriots Maggie Ewen, the 2021 Diamond League champion, and Jessica Woodard will challenge Ealey for the first Millrose crown in 20 years, along with Canada’s Commonwealth champion Sarah Mitton.

The women’s pole vault features Katie Moon (formerly Nageotte) and Katerina Stefanidi, the last two Olympic gold medallists. However, in their previous meeting, the Greek vaulter was third and the Tokyo champion placed fourth in Boston, with Bridget Williams and Gabriela Leon going 1-2. All four athletes will be on the runway at Millrose.

Steiner seeks another record

The rarely run 300m has become something of a specialty for USA’s Abby Steiner. She already holds the NCAA record and is targeting the national record of 35.71 in her first indoor season as a professional. Two weekends ago, Steiner raced to a 400m victory in Fayetteville in 50.59. The world record of 35.45 is shared by Irina Privalova and Shaunae Miller-Uibo, with the Bahamian clocking her winning time in 2018 at Millrose. Jenna Prandini, Steiner’s teammate on the victorious 4x100m relay in Oregon, and 2019 world 200m silver medallist Brittany Brown offer strong competition.

The men’s 400m could be another duel between USA’s Noah Williams and Trinidad & Tobago’s world indoor champion Jereem Richards. In Boston, both clocked 45.88, but Williams surged on the inside to win by .004. Michael Cherry, fourth in the 400m in Tokyo and an Olympic and world gold medallist at 4x400m, opens his season at Millrose, along with the fourth man in the field, Bryce Deadmon, another Olympic and world gold medallist on relays.

Going the distance

The great Paavo Nurmi raced at the Millrose Games nearly 100 years ago and the distance races never disappoint. Of course, the signature event is the Rudin Wanamaker Mile.

After recently setting a North American indoor record over 3000m, Yared Nuguse is in a New York state of mind to break another continental record: Bernard Lagat’s 3:49.89 in the indoor mile. Nuguse and training partners Hoare and Romo are hoping for a fast pace to propel them into the record books. Hoare set an Oceanian record of 3:50.83 in winning the 2022 Wanamaker Mile and is the Commonwealth 1500m champion. Other contenders include Tanner, a three-time New Zealand champion; Great Britain’s Neil Gourley, whose home straight sprint led to a world-leading 3:52.84 in Boston; 2022 US indoor 1500m champion Cole Hocker, Johnny Gregorek, Sam Prakel and Kenya’s Eliud Kipsang.

Muir had a US indoor race debut in Boston, clocking 8:40.34 in the 3000m, and now is dropping back down to more familiar territory. The world and Olympic medallist in the 1500m set a course record of 4:14.8 on the road in the Fifth Avenue Mile in 2022. At Millrose, the record is 4:16.85, set by Elle Purrier St Pierre in 2020, which is the third-fastest indoor mile in history after Gudaf Tsegay’s 4:16.16 in Torun. In a deep field, Muir will be challenged by training partner and Olympic 800m finalist Jemma Reekie, and US champion Sinclaire Johnson.

In the men’s 3000m, Geordie Beamish and Cooper Teare, who went 1-2 last year, return to the Armory track where they will try to fend off Josh Kerr, the Olympic 1500m bronze medallist; Joe Klecker, Guatemala’s Luis Grijalva and Nico Young.

Alicia Monson, defending Millrose champion in the women’s 3000m, faces national indoor 5000m record-holder Elise Cranny with Karissa Schweizer’s national indoor 3000m record of 8:25.70 in their sights. Monson set a Millrose Games and Armory record last year of 8:31.62 en route to a stellar outdoor season. Katelyn Tuohy recently set an NCAA mile record of 4:24.26 in a race won by Monson; she’s primed for another test against the pros. European champion and 2019 world bronze medallist Konstanze Klosterhalfen won the Wanamaker mile in 2019 and has the fastest 3000m time in the field, clocking 8:20.07 outdoors.

Streaks at stake for Wilson

In the 600m, world indoor 800m champion Ajee’ Wilson will attempt to extend some impressive winning streaks.

Since losing to Alysia Montano in the 600m at the 2013 Millrose Games, she has won 17 straight races at The Armory, including seven at Millrose. She also has won 15 straight races indoors, most recently the 800m in Boston with a time of 2:00.45. Wilson is the second-fastest woman in history in the 600m outdoors and could threaten Keely Hodgkinson’s newly minted world indoor best of 1:23.41. The fastest performer in the field this season Shamier Little, the 2015 world silver medallist in the 400m hurdles, who clocked 1:24.65. 

The men’s 800m will be a rematch between world indoor silver medallist Noah Kibet, still just 18 years of age, and world indoor bronze medallist Bryce Hoppel, the defending Millrose champion. The loaded field includes his compatriots Clayton Murphy, the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, world indoor finalist Isaiah Harris, Great Britain’s Kyle Langford, Mexico’s Tonatiu Lopez and Irish record-holder Mark English. Cade Flatt, the second-fastest US high school runner at this distance, is also in the field.

Ollie Hoare to defend Wanamaker mile title at Millrose Games

Organizers of the Millrose Games have announced that Ollie Hoare will defend his Wanamaker Mile title at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in New York on February 11.

Hoare, the Commonwealth 1500m champion, won last year’s Wanamaker mile in an Oceanian indoor record of 3:50.83.

“I’m thrilled to be able to come back and defend my Wanamaker title,” said the Australian. “It will be great to be out there competing at one of my favorite mile races in the world.”

He will take on a field that includes 2021 US 1500m champion and Olympic finalist Cole Hocker, European bronze medalist Mario Garcia Romo of Spain, US Olympian Yared Nuguse, NCAA record-holder Eliud Kipsang of Kenya, 2017 world finalist Johnny Gregorek, three-time New Zealand champion Sam Tanner, world indoor and outdoor finalist Neil Gourley, as well as USA’s Josh Thompson, Sam Prakel and Drew Hunter.

Beamish, Teare, and Kerr will highlight Millrose Games 3000m

The Millrose Games will welcome a stacked 3000m field to the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in New York on February 11.

New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish, who holds the national indoor records for 3000m and 5000m, won last year’s race in thrilling fashion, going from fifth to first on the final lap with a furious kick to win in 7:39.50.

US 1500m champion Cooper Teare finished second in that race, and he will also return to the Millrose stage with revenge on his mind. “I’m beyond excited to be returning to the Millrose Games to experience the electric crowds and fast times,” said Teare.

While the rematch of last year’s tight finish is enticing enough, there are numerous other athletes who are more than capable of winning this race.

Olympic 1500m bronze medalist Josh Kerr finished second in the mile at the Millrose Games last year, then went on to set a European indoor record of 3:48.87 at that distance.

Guatemala’s Luis Grijalva was fourth over 3000m at last year’s Millrose Games, and he repeated that position over 5000m at the World Championships in Oregon.

Joe Klecker, Morgan McDonald, Olin Hacker and Dylan Jacobs – all past winners of NCAA titles – are also in the field, as is Nico Young, who recently finished second at this year’s NCAA Cross Country Championships.

These are the latest stars announced for the Millrose Games, joining the showdowns in the pole vault between Katie Nageotte, Sandi Morris, and Katerina Stefanidi, and in the shot put, featuring Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs.

Olympic 5,000-Meter Champion Murray Halberg Dies at 89

Murray Halberg, gold medalist in one of the most dramatic distance races in Olympic history and a four-time world-record holder, died in Auckland, New Zealand, on November 30. He was 89 years old. 

Halberg achieved victory in the 1960 Olympic 5,000 meters with a decisive surprise attack at three laps to go. The feat is remembered as one of the great tactical triumphs in the history of world-class distance racing. He also showed the sheer speed necessary to run world records at 2 miles (twice), 3 miles, and in the 4 x 1-mile relay for the New Zealand team. He was the first New Zealander to break 4:00 for the mile. 

Sir Murray Halberg became a runner after a rugby injury at age 17 left him with a disabled left arm, and he linked with coach Arthur Lydiard after disappointment in the 1956 Olympic 1500 meters. He was the first runner to attain world stardom under Lydiard’s guidance. 

His first major success was winning the 3-mile title in the 1958 Commonwealth Games. His Olympic win at Rome in 1960 came less than an hour after another Lydiard athlete, Peter Snell, won the 800 meters. The manner of both victories made Lydiard famous, and put New Zealand on the map of world distance running. Both showed the world the combination of pace and endurance attained through Lydiard’s structured high-mileage training. Halberg also finished fifth in the 10,000 meters at the Rome Olympics.

He made successful tours of the American indoors circuit, breaking the world indoor record for 2 miles (8:34.4) in 1961. He claimed wryly that his withered left arm was an advantage on the tight bends of indoors racing. 

Halberg went on to repeat as Commonwealth 3-mile champion in 1962, defeating one of the strongest fields ever, with Ron Clarke, Bruce Kidd, Bruce Tulloh, Albie Thomas, Derek Ibbotson, and Kip Keino behind him. By that time he held the world record for 2 miles (8:30.0) and 3 miles (13:10.0). Athletes as great as 1960 Olympic 1500-meter champion Herb Elliott, Kidd, and Tulloh regarded Halberg as their most feared, competitive, and resilient opponent. He was world top-ranked at 3 miles/5,000 meters every year from 1960 to 1963, but at the 1964 Olympics he was affected by Tokyo’s polluted air, and finished seventh in the 10,000 won by Billy Mills.

Halberg gave his post-competition life to charitable work, creating the Murray Halberg Trust for Crippled Children in 1963, which became the Halberg Foundation, and hosted the annual New Zealand Sports Awards, known as the Halberg Awards. He received a knighthood for services to sport and child welfare, the first New Zealand athlete to receive the honor. 

Halberg is the subject of A Clean Pair of Heels: The Murray Halberg Story by Murray Halberg and Garth Gilmour, and has in-depth profiles in The Lonely Breed, by Ron Clarke and Norman Harris and When Running Made History, by Roger Robinson.

Who Wore Which Shoes at the New York City Marathon?

The running shoe hype train was high in New York City with a few fast yet-to-be-released shoes in the men’s and women’s elite fields.

For a few miles early in the New York City Marathon, Desi Linden surged into the lead of the women’s elite field. The two-time Olympian and 2018 Boston Marathon champion didn’t think she’d run away and win the race that way, but she was just trying to keep the pace honest.

However, hiding in plain sight on her feet as she was off the front of the pack was a yet-to-be-released pair of orange, white and black Brooks prototype racing shoes. A day later, no one is willing to give up any details of the shoe, except that, like all of the other top-tier racing shoes in both the men’s and women’s elite fields, it features a carbon plate embedded in a hyper-responsive foam midsole. And although it’s all in accordance with World Athletics regulations, it won’t be released in Spring 2024 … so we’ll all have to wait a bit to see what that shoe is all about.

Linden’s shoes weren’t the only speedy outliers among the top 25 men’s and women’s finishers. While Nike, Adidas and ASICS shoes were the most prevalent brands among elite runners, there were several shoes that aren’t yet available to the public.

For example, the first runner to cross the finish line of this year’s New York City Marathon, women’s winner Sharon Lokedi, was wearing a pair of Under Armour Velociti Elite shoes. That’s notable for several reasons—because it was Lokedi’s first marathon, because the shoe won’t become available until early 2023 and because it’s the first podium finish at a major international marathon for a runner wearing Under Armour shoes.

There were also three pairs of yet-to-be-released Hoka Rocket X 2 shoes on the feet of three Hoka NAZ Elite runners — two of whom set new personal best times, Aliphine Tuliamuk (7th, 2:26:18) Matthew Baxter (12th, 2:17:15). Those fluorescent yellow shoes with orange, white and blue accents and blue laces were on the feet of Hoka pros at the Boston Marathon in April and Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October, but they won’t be released to the public until late February or early March.

Meanwhile, the winner of the men’s race, Evans Chebet, was wearing a pair of Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3, a shoe worn by four other runners in the top 25 of the men’s race and six among the women’s top 25, making it the second most prevalent model among the elites. Oddly, that was the same shoe worn by Brazil’s Daniel do Nascimento, who went out at record-setting sub-2:03 pace on his own, only to crumple to the ground at mile 21 after succumbing to fatigue and cramping.

The most common shoe among the top finishers was the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2, which was on the feet of 11 of the 50 runners among the women’s and men’s top 25 finishers. There were eight runners wearing either the first or second version of the ASICS MetaSpeed Sky.

Six runners wore Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Flyknit shoes, three wore Nike Air Zoom Alphalfy NEXT% 2. There were two pairs of On Cloudboom Echo 3 in the field, including those worn by Hellen Obiri who finished sixth while running a 2:25:49 in her marathon debut, while three runners wore Puma Fast R Nitro Elite.

And what about actor Ashton Kutcher? He wore a pair of purple Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% Flyknit shoes and finished in a very respectable 3:54:01.

Matt James, the former lead of the Bachelor, finished in 3:46:45 with Shalane Flanagan as his guide wearing a pair of New Balance FuelCell Comp Trainer shoes. Flanagan wore Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% Flyknit shoes, as did Meghan Duggan, an Olympic gold medalist hockey player who ran a solid 3:52:03. Lauren Ridloff, actress from “The Walking Dead,” ran in a pair of Brooks Glycerin 20 and finished in 4:05:48, while Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton finished in 4:20:34 wearing a pair of Brooks Ghost 14 and Tommy Rivers Puzey (aka “Tommy Rivs,” a former elite runner who survived a deadly bout of cancer in 2020, wore a pair of Craft CTM Ultra Carbon Race Rebel and finished in 6:13:54.

Here’s a rundown of what was on the feet of the top 25 women’s and men’s finishers in the Big Apple.

1. Sharon Lokedi (Kenya) 2:23:23 — Under Armour Velociti Elite

2. Lonah Salpeter (Israel) 2:23:30 — Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

3. Gotytom Gebreslase (Ethiopia) 2:23:39 – Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

4. Edna Kiplagat (Kenya) 2:24:16 — Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

5. Viola Cheptoo (Kenya) 2:25:34 — Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

6. Hellen Obiri (Kenya) 2:25:49 — On Cloudboom Echo 3

7. Aliphine Tuliamuk (USA) 2:26:18 — Hoka Rocket X 2

8. Emma Bates (USA) 2:26:53 — ASICS MetaSpeed Sky+

9. Jessica Stenson (Australia) 2:27:27 – ASICS MetaSpeed Sky

10. Nell Rojas (USA) 2:28:32 — Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Flyknit

11. Lindsay Flanagan (USA) 2:29:28 – ASICS MetaSpeed Sky

12. Gerda Steyn (South Africa) 2:30:22 — Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

13. Stephanie Bruce (USA) 2:30:34 — Hoka Rocket X 2

14. Caroline Rotich (Kenya) 2:30:59  — ASICS MetaSpeed Sky+

15. Keira D’Amato (USA) 2:31:31 — Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Flyknit

16. Des Linden (USA) 2:32:37 — Brooks Prototype

17. Mao Uesugi (Japan) 2:32:56 — Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

18. Eloise Wellings (Australia) 2:34:50 — Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

19. Sarah Pagano (USA) 2:35:03 — Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

20. Grace Kahura (Kenya) 2:35:32 — Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

21. Annie Frisbie (USA) 2:35:35 — Puma Fast R Nitro Elite

22. Molly Grabill (USA) 2:39:45 — Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% Flyknit

23. Kayla Lampe (USA) 2:40:42 — ASICS MetaSpeed Sky+

24. Maegan Krifchin (USA) 2:40:52 — Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

25. Roberta Groner (USA) 2:43:06 — Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2

1. Evans Chebet (Kenya) 2:08:41 — Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

2. Shura Kitata (Ethiopia) 2:08:54 — Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

3. Abdi Nageeye (Netherlands) 2:10:31 — Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

4. Mohamed El Aaraby (Morocco) 2:11:00 — ASICS MetaSpeed Sky+

5. Suguru Osako (Japan) 2:11:31 — Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

6. Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Japan) 2:12:12  — Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

7. Albert Korir (Kenya) 2:13:27 — Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

8. Daniele Meucci (Italy) 2:13:29 — ASICS MetaSpeed Sky+

9. Scott Fauble (USA) 2:13:35 — Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2

10. Reed Fischer (USA) 2:15:23 — Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

11. Jared Ward (USA) 2:17:09 — Saucony Endorphin Pro 3

12. Matthew Baxter (New Zealand) 2:17:15 — Hoka Rocket X 2

13. Leonard Korir (USA) 2:17:29 — Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

14. Matthew Llano (USA) 2:20:04 — Under Armour Velociti Elite

15. Olivier Irabaruta (Burundi)  2:20:14 — On Cloudboom Echo 3

16. Hendrik Pfeiffer (Germany) 2:22:31 — Puma Fast R Nitro Elite

17. Jonas Hampton (USA) 2:22:58 — Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

18. Alberto Mena (USA) 2:23:10 — Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

19. Jacob Shiohira (USA) 2:23:33 — Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Flyknit

20. Edward Mulder (USA) 2:23:42 — Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Flyknit

21. Jordan Daniel (USA) 2:24:27 — Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

22. Nathan Martin (USA) 2:25:27 — ASICS MetaSpeed Sky+

23. Jeff Thies (USA) 2:25:45 — Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2

24. Shadrack Kipchirchir (USA) 2:28:15 — Puma Fast R Nitro Elite

25. Abi Joseph (USA) 2:29:16 — Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Flyknit

Japanese runner solves 420 Rubik's cubes during marathon

The Rubik’s cube is known as one of the toughest puzzles, which can be unscrambled in millions of ways. Kei Suga of Japan made deciphering the puzzle a little harder, solving a mind-blogging 420 cubes while he ran a marathon in his hometown of Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture.

Suga had a time limit of five hours to break the previous Guinness World Record of 254 cubes. He took four hours and thirty minutes to finish the marathon while completing a Rubik’s cube every 100m.

“I have been training for this record for 10 years,” says Suga. When he began running with Rubik’s cubes, he found he was able to solve one in 30 to 50 seconds. Since 2013, Suga has competed in several marathons each year.

Suga solved the Rubik’s cube for the first time in 2006. In the same year, he competed in his first World Cube Association event.

“My goal for the marathon was to solve and collect one every 100m on the course,” says Suga. He had a friend filming the challenge, as well as someone running beside him and passing him 30 different Rubik’s cubes on rotation. Suga used 60 cubes in total and ran 14.5 laps of a three-kilometre course. 

“At the end of each lap, I exchanged 30 solved cubes for 30 scrambled cubes,” says Suga.

The previous record of 254 cubes was set by New Zealand’s Blair Williamson at the 2017 Christchurch International Marathon.

“I know I can’t solve the Rubik’s cube as fast as others but I question if I am the fastest runner among people who can solve Rubik’s cube,” Suga said on his motivation behind the record.

Suga’s new world record is currently unofficial and pending certification from Guinness World Records. According to Suga, the record is scheduled to be certified in early 2023.

Antonina Kwambai of Kenya wins TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Antonina Kwambai, 30, of Kenya, won Sunday’s TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2:23:22, a personal best and her first time racing in Toronto, after overtaking all of the leaders late in the race. 

Defending champion and course record holder Magdalyne Masai of Kenya had dropped well back and was presumed out of the race for the podium before coming back to take the lead in the final 10K of the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday; but ultimately Masai ran out of gas, relinquishing the lead with less than 5 km left, and ultimately the remaining podium positions.

Kenya’s Ruth Chebitok finished second, in 2:23:58, and Gelete Burka of Ethiopia was third, in 2:24:31. (Burka set the Canadian soil record with her win at the Ottawa Marathon in 2018, which was broken by Masai in 2019; she had been hoping to run Ottawa again this year, but had passport issues.)

Kwambai’s previous PB was 2:24:20 from the Siena Marathon in 2021. 

Masai’s husband, Jake Robertson of New Zealand, ran the Amsterdam Marathon earlier on Sunday. The couple have a year-old child (also named Jake); this is Masai’s first marathon since giving birth last year.

The men’s race was won by Yihunilign Adane of Ethiopia.

2022 Chicago Marathon Elite Field Updates

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is thrilled to welcome elite athletes from around the world to its start line on Sunday, October 9. In addition to the previously announced field, the following athletes will be competing in 2022:

Bernard Koech (KEN) – Runner-up of the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon in a personal best of 2:04:09. Koech finished fifth in Chicago in 2014.

Shifera Tamru (ETH) – 2022 Daegu Marathon champion and 2019 Seoul Marathon champion with a personal best of 2:05:18 (Dubai, 2019). Tamru finished fifth in Chicago last fall.

Guojian Dong (CHN) – Three-time Olympian (2012, 2016 and 2020 marathon); five-time national champion on the track in the 10,000 and 5000m; marathon personal best 2:08:28 (Berlin, 2019).

Jemal Yimer (ETH) – Ethiopian national record holder in the half marathon, 58:33, and the 12th fastest half marathon runner in history; third place finish in the 2021 Boston Marathon (his marathon debut); marathon personal best, 2:08:58 (Boston, 2022).

Ruti Aga (ETH) – 2019 Tokyo Marathon champion and 2018 Tokyo Marathon and Berlin Marathon runner-up; marathon personal best, 2:18:34 (Berlin, 2018).

Delvine Meringor (ROU) – 2022 Los Angeles Marathon champion, and 2022 Romanian national champion in the 5000m and 10,000m; marathon personal best, 2:24:32 (Siena, 2021); the Chicago Marathon will be her third marathon.

Sarah Inglis (GBR) – 2022 Commonwealth Games competitor in the 5000m and 10,000m; marathon personal best, 2:29:41 (Chandler, 2020).

Elisha Rotich (KEN), Abayneh Degu (ETH), Amanuel Mesel (ERI), Masaya Taguchi (JPN), Jianhua Peng (CHN), Shaohui Yang (CHN), Steven Martinez (USA) have also been added to the 2022 elite open division race. Fidel Aguilar (MEX), Jose Pulido (USA) and Hannah Dederick (USA) have been added to the 2022 elite wheelchair competition.

Previously announced athletes Jeison Suarez (COL), Jerrell Mock (USA), Colin Mickow (USA) and Hiroki Nishida (JPN) have withdrawn from the 2022 event.

Tune into the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Watch Live

NBC 5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago will provide complete live local TV coverage of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in English and Spanish from 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. CST on Sunday, October 9. Expert analysts Ed Eyestone, Carrie Tollefson and Amanda McGrory will join Marion Brookes and Leila Rahimi on NBC 5 Chicago, with Juan Luis Barrios, Luis Posso and Saul Mendoza joining Anabel Monge and Héctor Lozano on Telemundo Chicago.

Covering the leaders and reporting along the course will be U.S. American Marathon Record Holder Keira D’Amato for the women’s elite open division and Olympian Diego Estrada for the men’s elite open division. A talented array of NBC and Telemundo reporters will join the broadcast at the start, finish and along the course.

The 44th running of the race will also be streamed live nationally on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. CST, as well as on nbcchicago.com and telemundochicago.com from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. CST.

International viewers can watch the race via a variety of global broadcast partners, including Eurosport, SuperSport, ESPN Latin America, Sky New Zealand, Astro Malaysia and SMG China. Viewers are encouraged to check their local listings for timing.

Listen Live

670 The Score Sports Radio will provide complete live radio coverage of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on race day from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. CST. Fans of the sport can listen to Chicago’s Josh Liss joined by analysts Greg Meyer, Jenny Spangler, Treniere Moser and Chris Wehrman for a play-by-play of all the action. Listen from anywhere on Sunday, October 9 at 670thescore.com/listen.

About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon welcomes thousands of participants from more than 100 countries and all 50 states, including a world-class elite field, top regional and Masters runners, race veterans, debut marathoners and charity participants. The race’s iconic course takes participants through 29 vibrant neighborhoods on an architectural and cultural tour of Chicago. The 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a member of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, will start and finish in Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 9. In advance of the race, a three-day Abbott Health & Fitness Expo will be held at McCormick Place Convention Center Thursday, October 6 through Saturday, October 8. For more information about the event and how to get involved, go to chicagomarathon.com.