Running News Daily

The Buenos Aires Marathon is set for an exciting edition on September 20, with a strong international field preparing to take on the 42-kilometre challenge through the streets of Argentina’s capital.

Kenyan marathoner Bethwel Kibet Chumba has been highlighted as one of the major international stars arriving in Buenos Aires, where he will headline a highly competitive men’s field featuring athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

Chumba will be joined on the start line by fellow Kenyans Felix Kiptoo Kirwa, Kipkemoi Kiprono, Gevin Kipkurui Kerich, Vincent Kibor Raimoi, Kelvin Kiptoo Kororia, Vitalis Kibiwott and Zacharia Krop.

The Ethiopian challenge will feature Deribe Robi Melka, Dechasa Alemu Moreda, Embay Goitom Dimtsu and Tilahun Amsalu Beyene, while Rwanda will be represented by John Hakizimana.

With such depth across the field, the men’s race promises to produce a fascinating battle from the opening kilometres, as experienced marathoners look to position themselves for a shot at victory on one of South America’s most prominent road-racing stages.

The women’s race is equally intriguing, with Kenyan star Rodah Jepkorir Tanui set to headline the international field. Tanui arrives with a clear target: to claim her fourth Buenos Aires Marathon title, adding another chapter to her impressive record in the race.

Tanui will face strong opposition from a group of international contenders led by Ethiopia’s Sintayehu Lewetegn Hailemichael, Lomi Muleta Tefera, Agere Adera Tamir, Alem Tsehay Birm Zerihun and Tadelech Bekele Nedi.

Kenya will also have Rebecca Kangogo Chesir and Emmah Cheruto Ndiwa in the women’s elite field, setting up another potentially gripping contest over the classic marathon distance.

The presence of Chumba and Tanui gives the Buenos Aires Marathon two major Kenyan figures to watch, but neither race is expected to be a straightforward affair. The depth of the international line-up means that the leading contenders will have to manage the pace carefully, conserve energy and produce their best efforts when the race enters its decisive stages.

As Buenos Aires prepares to welcome the international running community, attention will turn to September 20, when the elite athletes take to the streets for 42 kilometres of racing, with victory, prestige and another major marathon title on the line.

Buenos Aires is ready. The international stars are coming—and the battle for the 42K crown is set to be one to watch.

China's marathon runner He Jie improved the national record to 2:06:57 at the Wuxi Marathon, marking the third new national record in a year.

He Jie set China's new national men's marathon record at the 2024 Wuxi Marathon on Sunday, while Tadu Abate Dedm of Ethiopia and Kenya's Veronicah Njeri Maina won the men's and women's races respectively.

25-year-old He clocked two hours, six minutes and 57 seconds to finish fourth in the men's race, 39 seconds shy of Dedm, who set a new event record. Abay Alemu Lesa of Ethiopia and Nicholas Kirwa of Kenya finished second and third respectively.

"I'm more than satisfied with myself today, it's a result of our hard work from the training camp in Kenya," He reflected on the race. "The international athletes raced at a very high level today and I almost collapsed in the final kilometers. But the result showed that the better my opponents are, the stronger I am."

He had improved the national record by 46 seconds at last year's Wuxi Marathon, which was lowered by another 21 seconds by Yang Shaohui at the Fukuoka International Marathon last December.

"My goal was to break into two hours and six minutes for China. The new record doesn't belong to myself, but is a result of collective efforts from marathon runners of my generation," said a modest He.

Looking ahead to the Paris Olympics, both He and his coach Xiao Li have high expectations, aiming to bring Chinese marathon to a new height. "He won all 10 races that he competed in last year, including the Asian Games. A top eight finish will be our goal in Paris, which will be a historic result for China," Xiao added.

On the women's side, Maina also broke the event record with a time of 2:24:46, sweeping the podium with her compatriots Rodah Jepkorir Tanui and Monica Chebet Chepkwony.

As the Wuxi Marathon marks its 10-year anniversary, the event also serves as the first leg of this year's National Marathon Championships and the trials for the Paris Olympic Games.

He, Yang and Sangji Dongzhi finished top three in the men's domestic race, while Zhang Deshun won gold in the women's domestic category with 2:27:12, followed by Li Dan and Bai Li.

According to the qualification criteria of the Chinese Athletics Association, the Wuxi Marathon and several international marathons with World Athletics points held between January 1 and May 5 are counted as the Paris Olympic trials. Three athletes with the best finishes from the above-mentioned events will qualify for the Paris Olympics.

As of now, He, Yang and Wu Xiangdong lead the men's squad, while Xia Yuyu, Zhang and Bai top the women's list.

The Buenos Aires International Marathon takes place on Sunday, September 24 having attracted strong fields in both the men’s and women’s races.

Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Paul Tanui will be making his long-awaited debut over the distance and he will definitely be bracing up for a tough test. 

The 32-year-old intended to make his debut at the Daegu International Marathon but failed to finish the race and he will be hoping to have a better outing in Argentina.

Tanui has only competed once this season, at the Bogota Half Marathon where he finished fourth in a time of 1:05:02.

In the men’s race, there are four other runners who already have records under 2:10, led by Kenyan Cornelis Kibet. Edwin Kibet Kiptoo, runner-up of the 2022 Buenos Aires Marathon, will also be in the hunt for victory this time around.

The list of Argentines includes several of the most notable marathon runners in recent times such as David Rodríguez, Martín Méndez, Miguel Maza, José Félix Sánchez, and Pablo Toledo.

The men's record was set at 2:05:00 by Kenyan Evans Chebet in 2019 and no one has gotten closer to it since then.

Chebet went ahead to become one of the best marathoners in the world by winning major events such as Valencia (2:03:00), New York, and Boston.

In the women’s category, the circuit record was also achieved in 2019 by Rodah Jepkorir Tanui, with 2:25:46. Tanui now returns in search of her third consecutive victory (she also triumphed in 2022).

She will have strong rivals such as her co-patriot Pamela Jepkosgei and Sharon Jemutai Cherop, a former winner of the Boston Marathon, who arrives for the third time in the country

Defending champion Derara Hurisa is back to where his marathon journey began — the prestigious Tata Mumbai Marathon — as he eyes a winning return from injury in the upcoming 18th edition on Sunday, January 15.

The 25-year-old Ethiopian clinched the 2020 crown with a blistering course record of 2:08:09 and went on to win both his outings over the classic distance in 2021 — Vienna and Guadalajara Marathon (Mexico) — but was disqualified in Austria due to a shoe technicality.

He spent 2022 recovering from a hip injury.

“I’ll try to defend my title, but the competition here is really good,” Hurisa told a news conference on Saturday. “My training was nice, with the focus on the Tata Mumbai Marathon,” he added.

In the men’s field, 10 runners hold personal bests under the course record, including Hurisa’s compatriot and training partner Hayle Lemi.

The 28-year-old is a winner of seven marathons, including the Boston Marathon in 2016 and Dubai in 2015. “The conditions here look good for me,” said Lemi, a.k.a. Lemi Berhanu, runner-up in the 2021 Boston Marathon in 2:10.37 and with a preference for warm weather.

Leading the Kenyan charge in the men’s International Elite field of 16 is Philemon Rono, the training partner of marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge. “My training has been good, I just got to go out there and express myself,” said the 31-year-old, who finished an impressive sixth at the 2019 Boston Marathon and won the Toronto Marathon for the third time that year in 2:05:00.

The women’s International Elite field will feature 2019 winner Worknesh Alemu of Ethiopia and the 2020 runner-up from Kenya, Rodah Jepkorir Tanui, and six runners with personal bests under the course record (2.24.33), headlined by the experienced Kenyan Sharon Cherop.

The 18th edition of the USD 405,000 prize fund World Athletics Gold Label Road Race takes place after a two-year pandemic-forced break and will also witness over 55,000 amateurs across six categories on its much-awaited return.

The elite men’s and women’s winners will take home USD 45,000 each. The runners will be further incentivized by a Course Record Bonus of USD 15,000.