Running News Daily

Des Linden will race the U.S. Olympic Trials and the Boston Marathon in 2020

Des Linden was undecided whether to race the Feb. 29 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials as recently as a month ago. But now Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon winner, is not only committed to trials but also the April 20 Boston Marathon.

It would be, at 51 days, by far her shortest break between marathons, which has so far included 19 marathons dating to 2007. She’s 36 years old, and it may be her last Olympic cycle.

“I only have so many more chances at Boston. I love being there. Obviously, the Olympics [window] is closing down as well,” she said. “I like the trials and the competitive way we pick our team. I can’t imagine, at this point, watching either of those races and feeling like I had no effect on either outcome.”

If Linden does make the Olympic marathon team — by placing top three at trials in Atlanta — she would be in line to race four marathons over a little more than nine months when including last month’s New York City Marathon.

Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa and American Sara Hall ran the New York City Marathon on Nov. 3, 29 days and 35 days, respectively, after racing the world championships and Berlin Marathon. Neither finished New York, however.

This past August, when Linden committed to the New York City Marathon, she added that she might not race the trials. After her performance in New York — the top U.S. woman in sixth place — she decided she was ready for the trials-Boston double, which she had been considering since placing fifth at this past April’s Boston Marathon.

As far as how it will impact her trials build-up, Linden said her team will re-evaluate the process weekly. She hasn’t committed to a pre-trials half marathon.

“We’re obviously aware of what’s down the line, so we’re trying to get as much quality as we can without going too deep into the well,” she said. “It’s certainly going to be out there, but we’re trying to run well at both and not say, ‘This isn’t going well,’ and just train through it.”

Linden has been treating every marathon as if it could be her last. She has been incredibly consistent, placing no worse than eighth in her last 11 marathon starts dating to 2013.

Neither of Linden’s previous Olympic experiences was especially memorable. She dropped out of her first one in 2012 with a stress fracture in her femur. She was seventh in Rio, missing a medal by less than two minutes. The Kenyan-born gold and silver medalists were later busted for EPO and are serving lengthy doping bans.

“I don’t feel like I have anything to prove and anything unfinished,” at the Olympics, Linden said in August. “Quite frankly, the last experience is a hard sell to get back out there to try to compete for medals when you’re not even really sure what the field is all about. It’s a little bit difficult to be excited about that with the way we are about the [World Marathon] Majors. People investing in anti-doping have really been solving that problem [at the majors]. It’s a little tricky [at the Olympics], but certainly representing your country is special.”

Linden is the most experienced of a deep group of U.S. Olympic marathon hopefuls after the recent retirement of four-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan.

(12/17/2019) ⚡AMP

Gwen Jorgensen announces move to track for 2020

The 2020 US. Olympic Marathon Trials on Feb. 29 were marked on Gwen Jorgensen’s calendar since her Nov. 2017 announcement that she was leaving the triathlon to pursue running full time in hopes of winning the 2020 Olympic gold medal in the marathon.

But now, less than three months out from the event, Jorgensen announced that she will not run the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and instead focus on making the U.S. team for the Summer Games on the track in the 10,000 meters.

“It’s a multitude of emotions,” Jorgensen, 33, says. “I’m disappointed. At the same time, I’m also excited. I’m at a point where I’m running 70 miles per week and training is going well. I just know that if I went to the trials, running 70 miles per week, I’d be hoping that I made a team. That’s not what I want to do at an Olympic Trials.

I want to go in confident and knowing that I have the ability to make a team. My goals in the marathon aren’t changing. My timeline is.”

Heel surgery forced Jorgensen, who converted to distance running after winning the Rio Olympic triathlon, to pass up the Feb. 29 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and focus on the track and field trials in June in the 10,000m and, probably, the 5000m.

She made the decision after recent talks with her coach, Jerry Schumacher, following a difficult recovery from late May surgery to correct Haglund’s deformity.

“I could get bent out of shape and sad about it, but at the end of the day, I’m excited because I know this path that I’m on will not only be a successful route, but I also think it will lead to success long term in the marathon," she says. "I’m confident in my abilities on the track."

Jorgensen’s goal was a lofty one from the onset. No American woman has won gold in the marathon at the Olympics since Joan Benoit Samuelson’s victory in the 1984 inaugural running. The 2020 trials, where the top three finishers qualify for Tokyo, are shaping up to be one of the most competitive races of the year, as American women’s distance running is at its highest level with recent World Marathon Major victories by Shalane Flanagan at the 2017 New York City Marathon and Desiree Linden at the 2018 Boston Marathon.

Even after giving birth to her son Stanley in Aug. 2017, Jorgensen could have returned to the triathlon and arguably been a contender to become the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals. But she and her family decided to move to Portland, Ore., and once settled there, Jorgensen signed a professional running contract with Nike and joined the Bowerman Track Club.

Jorgensen worked her way to the marathon by racing on the track in the spring of 2018 and ran a few U.S.A. Track and Field road race championships. She says her training went well, nailing all but one workout in 12 weeks. But in the three days before she was set to compete in the Chicago Marathon, Jorgesen battled a fever and underestimated the effects of running while sick. She finished in a disappointing 2:36:23 in her professional marathon debut.

Now fully healed, healthy and recovered, Jorgensen is working her way back to train with her Bowerman teammates. Her day sometimes includes a hill sprints, a track workout, pelvic floor therapist treatment, physical therapy exercises for her achilles and then an evening workout before returning to her family.

“I think it’s important not to be afraid when you need to admit that your goal needs to change,” Jorgensen says. “I’m not going to say that I’m failing because I still want to have my marathon goals, but the timeline has changed. It’s still important to have big goals and to share those goals. It holds everyone accountable.”

(12/05/2019) ⚡AMP
by Chris Cahvez

Shalane Flanagan Was Not Surprised by Alberto Salazar’s Ban

One of America’s greatest marathoners has retired to become a coach and a television commentator, and she is speaking her mind about her sport and her top sponsor.

Shalane Flanagan, the four-time Olympian and winner of the New York City Marathon in 2017, called it quits on her running career in October — sort of.

Flanagan, who is 38 and has long trained with Nike’s Bowerman Track Club, is moving into coaching and television work. She will serve as the color analyst for ABC’s telecast of the New York City Marathon on Sunday, and once that is done she will return to Oregon to help coach the elite women who call themselves the “Bowerman Babes.”

There are few women coaching at the highest levels of running, even for female runners, and fewer who can still keep up with the athletes they train. That’s the kind of coach Flanagan plans to be as she moves into the next phase of her career.

“My dream is to become a personal pacer,” she said in a phone interview last week, during which she discussed her decision to hang up her racing shoes, Nike’s connection to the latest performance-enhancing drug scandal and whether, as an analyst, she will criticize runners she is coaching.

So now you are becoming a coach officially. Is that a role you have been playing unofficially for a while?

"Prior to the last year I had always looked at myself as the elder on the team. A little motherly, maybe a bit bossy and mentoring to younger athletes. But ever since I finished my last race in New York a year ago I have known I wanted to coach, and I’ve been observing and watching more with a coaching eye than as a teammate. The last year has been a kind of informal internship," she said.

Why aren’t there more female coaches at the highest levels in track and field?

"I never thought of it as a gender position or role, but having in the last year been in an environment and the arena of the coaching world, it has opened my eyes. At the U.S. championships, there are very few women coaches in the warm-up area, or even agents. It definitely feels strange."

Your sponsor, Nike, which funds your training group, worked closely with Alberto Salazar, who has been suspended from the sport for actions he took as coach of the Nike Oregon Project. Has the company done enough to make you feel that other Nike athletes will not be tainted by all of this?

"They are currently looking at the situation. I am guessing that they are a bit shocked to some degree and they are going to evaluate how they format these teams in the future. It’s a big liability for them. It’s very complicated. I’m proud of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and the efforts they put forth and their commitment to clean sport."

Were you surprised by what you read in the reports about the Oregon Project, that Nike’s chief executive, Mark Parker (who has since left that post), was kept in the loop through emails about experiments with performance-enhancing drugs?

"We train on the Nike campus, but we very much stick to our neck of the woods. We kind of quarantine ourselves. Once Jerry Schumacher broke off with Alberto in 2009, we’ve been very separated. That said, I’m surprised but not surprised by the situation that unfolded. I trained with Kara Goucher sometimes and I was privy to what she was going through, so I am not completely ignorant on the subject. As for Mark Parker’s interactions, I was unaware of those. (Goucher was one of the main whistle-blowers in the USADA investigation.)"

Will you run with the women you are coaching?

"I would love to pace someone like Shelby Houlihan to a 5K record attempt, or really any of our athletes. Being able to do that for them, that’s my motivation."

Did you ever have a coach like that?

"Jerry used to be able to hop in during some sessions. It made it so much more fun. When I was preparing for Boston I would make multiple trips and train on the course for multiple days. Jerry would get on and do workouts with me. I loved so much to have my coach give his body to help me attain my goals.

So what does Jerry say about you commenting on television about runners in your training group?

"Jerry would prefer I not commentate when I have athletes in races. I’m not sure I will change his mind on that aspect."

(11/11/2019) ⚡AMP
by Matthew Futterman

Four-time champion Mary Keitany is on a mission as she targets to win the New York Marathon for a fifth time on Sunday

The all-women marathon World Record holder won the NYC Marathon for the fourth Time last year after beating compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot and USA’s Shalane Flanagan, who came in second and third, respectively, by more than three minutes. Keitany previously won the race in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

In an exclusive interview with Nation Sport, Keitany said she has prepared well and is ready to fight for the title.

“I’m ready to go to New York and fight to defend my title again for the fifth time having won it four times. I know it’s not easy, but I’m certain the three months training I have undergone will enable me to do my best,” said Keitany.

“I’m happy that I have won the race (New York Marathon) several times and again if I’m to win this time it will turn out historical. To me and my family, winning this marathon the fifth time will be a great achievement.”

For the fourth time in five years, Keitany sped past more than 50,000 runners to win the women’s race with a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 48 seconds last year. This made her time the second fastest in the history of the New York race. Kenya's Margaret Okayo holds the course record of 2:22:31 set in 2003.

Keitany joined Grete Waitz as the only woman to win the New York City Marathon four times or more. She will have to win a few more times to beat Waitz’s record, though. Between 1978 and 1988, the Norwegian runner won the marathon nine times.

Keitany said that the secret to prosperity requires athletes to train well and athletes must learn to persevere because nothing comes easy. She said one should have a dream and must be focused. They ought to have an attitude and should be mentally focused so as to fulfil their goals.

For Keitany, discipline and perseverance are key in her sports career. "You must put God first for you to prosper," she said.

The athlete said training may not be easy but athletes must be disciplined if they are to succeed in sports. Some promising athletes have destroyed their careers due to indiscipline.

Keitany set the women-only marathon record when she won the London Marathon in 2017. She has also held records for best half marathon time and best 10-mile time. She also has titles from London Marathon she won in 2012, 2016, and 2017.

(10/30/2019) ⚡AMP
by Bernard Rotich

Shalane Flanagan has announced her retiring from professional running

With happy tears I announce today that I am retiring from professional running. From 2004 to 2019 I’ve given everything that’s within me to this sport and wow it’s been an incredible ride! I’ve broken bones, torn tendons, and lost too many toenails to count. I've experienced otherworldly highs and abysmal lows. I've loved (and learned from) it all.

Over the last 15 years I found out what I was capable of, and it was more than I ever dreamed possible.  Now that all is said and done, I am most proud of the consistently high level of running I produced year after year. No matter what I accomplished the year before, it never got any easier. Each season, each race was hard, so hard. But this I know to be true: hard things are wonderful, beautiful, and give meaning to life.  I’ve loved having an intense sense of purpose.  For 15 years I've woken up every day knowing I was exactly where I needed to be.

The feeling of pressing the threshold of my mental and physical limits has been bliss. I've gone to bed with a giant tired smile on my face and woken up with the same smile.  My obsession to put one foot in front of the other, as quickly as I can, has given me so much joy.

However, I have felt my North Star shifting, my passion and purpose is no longer about MY running; it's more and more about those around me.  All I’ve ever known, in my approach to anything, is going ALL IN.

So I’m carrying this to coaching. I want to be consumed with serving others the way I have been consumed with being the best athlete I can be.

I am privileged to announce I am now a professional coach of the Nike Bowerman Track Club.  This amazing opportunity in front of me, to give back to the sport, that gave me so much, is not lost on me.  I’ve pinched myself numerous times to make sure this is real. I am well aware that retirement for professional athletes can be an extremely hard transition. I am lucky, as I know already, that coaching will bring me as much joy and heartache that my own running career gave me.

I believe we are meant to inspire one another, we are meant to learn from one another. Sharing everything I’ve learned about and from running is what I’m meant to do now.I would like to thank: The 5 coaches who guided me throughout my career, Michael Whittlesey and Dennis Craddock (2004-2005), John Cook (2006-2008), Jerry Schumacher (2009-2019), and Pascal Dobert (2009-2019). Each man was instrumental in developing me into the best version of myself.

Jerry, Pascal and I will continue to work together in this next chapter and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Jerry has been my life coach, running coach and now will mentor me towards my next goal of becoming a world-class coach myself. I’m thankful for his unending belief in me.

My family and husband who have traveled the world supporting my running and understanding the sacrifices I needed to make. Their unconditional love is what fueled my training.My longtime friend, Elyse Kopecky who taught me to love cooking and indulge in nourishing food. Run Fast. Eat Slow. has been a gift to my running and to the thousands of athletes.

My teammates, and all the women I've trained with, for pushing me daily, and the endless smiles and miles. They include: Erin Donahue, Shannon Rowbury, Kara Goucher, Lisa Uhl, Emily Infeld, Amy Cragg, Colleen Quigley, Courtney Frerichs, Shelby Houlihan, Betsy Saina, Marielle Hall, Gwen Jorgensen, Kate Grace.

My sponsor Nike for believing in me since 2004 and for continuing to support my new dream as a professional coach.  I hope I made myself a better person by running. I hope I made those around me better. I hope I made my competition better. I hope I left the sport better because I was a part of it.

My personal motto through out my career has been to make decisions that leave me with “no regrets”.....but to be honest, I have one.  I regret I can’t do it all over again.

(10/21/2019) ⚡AMP
by Shalane Flanagan

Eliud Kipchoge is now the first man to run 26.2 miles in less than two hours as he clocked 1:59:40 today

Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya and the current world record holder for the marathon made history today by running 26.2 miles in 1:59:40.  His splits were amazing.  His fastest kilometer was 2:48 and his slowest was 2:52.  At least 19 of his splits were 2:50 on the dot. 

He hit the first 5k in 14:13 with his pacemakers right out front.  He looked relaxed and smooth.  Just watching him gave me goosebumps because he makes it look so easy.

The course in Vienna, Austria was 90% flat and straight. The temperature was just under 50F and the humidity 90 percent at the start which was a little higher than expected.  But it did not have any visual effects on Eliud.  

Eliud said before the start, “I don’t know where the limits are, but I would like to go there.”

I did a poll on Facebook before the start and all but one person thought he could run sub two hours.  One thought he could run 1:55 but most thought 1:59 something.

No, this was not a race.  It is not a world record because he was the only one racing, he had drinks handed to him from a bike and he had pacers coming in and out. It was a challenge to see if it was possible for a man to run a sub two hour marathon.  And he did it.  

In watching the event it was distracting to always see the pacemakers out front until the end but they certainly did their job. It was almost like watching a new sport as the pacemakers came in and got in their formation.  

I would have rather have watched Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele battle it out in Berlin where I think one of them would have run sub 2:01 but I did enjoy watching this challenge.  Eliud made it look so easy to run 14:10 5k’s.  

Eliud was under an hour at the half way point and finished  very strong in 1:59:40.  The pacemakers helped Eliud run 2:50 kilometers on the dot from 33k to 40k.  

Then with about 500 meters to go the pacemakers let Kipchoge go and he sprinted to the finish line.    Shalane Flanagan who was one of the hosts of the You Tube broadcast said, “No way in my life time did I ever think I would see a man run a sub two hour marathon.”

We have now seen a man run a marathon in under two hours.  His wife Grace and their three children watched him race for the first time.  They were all smiles as was Eliud. 

Eliud Kipchoge is an Olympic Champion, world record holder clocking 2:01:39 at the Berlin Marathon last September and now the first man to cover 26.2 miles in under two hours.  

(10/11/2019) ⚡AMP
by Bob Anderson

Shalane Flanagan went for her first post-surgery run–12 minutes of run-walking on an anti-gravity treadmill

It’s been four months since 2017 NYC Marathon winner and 2018 third-place finisher Shalane Flanagan had surgery to repair her severely damaged right patellar tendon, and yesterday she happily posted a photo of her first post-surgery run–on a Woodway Boost anti-gravity treadmill–on Instagram.

“I still know how to run!” Flanagan posted. She reports that she ran two-and-ones (two minutes running, one minute walking) for 12 “bliss-filled” minutes at 70 to 77 per cent of her bodyweight. “I was soooooooo excited for today that I actually laid out my running clothes last night (just like I would do before the first day of school when I was a kid).”

Flanagan’s surgery was a patellar tendon allograft and chondroplasty, meaning tissue from a recently deceased person (actually from the hamstring of a 21-year-old) was used to repair her patellar tendon, which was then anchored to her tibia with three screws.

The tissue donor’s family was willing to have her know their identity, and Flanagan reached out to thank them with a personal letter. “I’m moved beyond words knowing what a gift I’ve been given,” she posted.

Anti-gravity treadmills are commonly used to aid in athlete rehabilitation. Air pressure technology allows the athlete to reduce impact while running, and they can transition gradually to supporting their full body weight. According to her posts, Flanagan has been walking and doing strengthening workouts in the gym for some time. Looks like it’s too soon to say when we might see her back on the racing circuit.

In 2017 Flanagan became the first American woman to win the TCS New York City Marathon in 40 years. In 2018 she finished third behind Mary Keitany and Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya.

Runners of all varieties can draw some lessons from Flanagan’s experience: one, don’t take your ability to run for granted. Two, don’t give in to discouragement if you’re injured and can’t run. 

(08/14/2019) ⚡AMP
by Anne Francis

Desiree Linden is going to be running the New York City Marathon before Boston

Des Linden says she’s running every marathon as if it’s her last. She could have said goodbye on April 15, finishing fifth in defense of her Boston Marathon title, blowing kisses to the crowd after denying regurgitation.

Instead, Linden plans to race the New York City Marathon for the third time and second year in a row on Nov. 3.

The two-time U.S. Olympian placed fifth in 2014 and sixth in 2018 at the five-borough event. She decided to sign up again after a post-Boston break and a weeklong Hong Kong vacation.

“Just been logging a lot of miles deciding what would be next and got the itch to start doing workouts and getting the longer stuff,” Linden said. “It’s the biggest stage in the world, so it’s hard to pass up on that opportunity. It’s a no-brainer. I like tough, technical courses.”

Linden, 36, could become the oldest female U.S. Olympic marathoner since 2004 next year. But, taking the one-at-a-time mantra that Shalane Flanagan adopted late in her career, she’s not (yet) committing to the Olympic trials on Feb. 29.

Neither of Linden’s previous Olympic experiences was especially memorable. She dropped out of her first Olympic marathon in 2012 with a stress fracture in her femur. She was seventh in Rio, missing a medal by less than two minutes. The Kenyan-born gold and silver medalists were later busted for EPO and are serving lengthy doping bans.

“I don’t feel like I have anything to prove and anything unfinished,” at the Olympics, Linden said. “Quite frankly, the last experience is a hard sell to get back out there to try to compete for medals when you’re not even really sure what the field is all about. It’s a little bit difficult to be excited about that with the way we are about the [World Marathon] Majors. People investing in anti-doping have really been solving that problem [at the majors]. It’s a little tricky [at the Olympics], but certainly representing your country is special.”

Linden did acknowledge that a technical, undulating course like New York could provide ideal preparation for the Olympic trials course in Atlanta that, like New York, is not expected to produce fast times. Linden also dismissed it being too tight of a turnaround from the latest of the fall major marathons to a trials in the winter.

Linden did not race fall marathons in 2011 or 2015 ahead of Olympic trials, though the trials race was earlier each of those years. If she does race at next year’s trials, it would mark her shortest break between marathons of what would be her 20 times contesting the distance.

“There’s ample time to recover and get back at it,” she said. “I don’t need to go and run a fast time or get a qualifier or anything. It was just about picking the race that was going to get me excited.”

(08/06/2019) ⚡AMP
by Nick Zaccardi

Eight life lessons from one of America's best marathoners - Shalane Flanagan on How to Achieve Peak Performance

In 2017, on November 5, I watched the end of the New York City Marathon on television. I got chills as Shalane Flanagan crossed the finish line, becoming the first American woman to win the race in 40 years. I could only imagine the years of dedication, passion, and resolve behind that extraordinary moment.

(Editor Note - Shalane almost did not run the 2018 New York City Marathon because of pain in her patella tendons.  But she was glad she did run placing third.  Since then she has had surgery and her recovery is coming along well.  Brad spoke with Shalane in 2018 and her advice then is still very timely.)

Trust Your Training

“In the 24 hours prior to the New York race, I had a general calmness about me. I was equipped with fitness and a level of training I’d never achieved before. I didn’t feel worried because I knew deep down inside how prepared I was. I’ve always tried to get so fit that I can’t make a bad decision in my racing because my fitness literally won’t allow me to—it will just carry me. I guess what I’m saying is that the more confident you are in your training, the less nervous you’ll be on race day.”

Motivation Is Contagious

“My job is enhanced 100 percent if I’m surrounded by other like-minded athletes who are going to challenge me and hold me accountable to my goals. My teammates inspire me, and I thrive off their energy. I can literally look to my right and left and say to myself, ‘This woman is such a badass.’ I don’t think I’d still be running if not for my training partners. These women support me through both highs and lows.”

Age Is Only a Number

“Even though I’m 36, I decided to come back after New York because I finally felt the accumulation of all the work I’d put in over the past two-plus decades paying off. It’s like I was finally getting to the good stuff, coming around to the type of endurance runner I’d always wanted to be. I feel like I have more to give, and I’m excited by that. I’m in a major competition with myself. I want to explore my limits, to see what I’m fully capable of—and I think I still have a few special performances in me.”

Drive from Within

“When I was a kid, running gave me something to be good at, to build confidence and fit in. I liked the attention that came along with it. However, that’s not at all why I run now. I feel confident in who I am, and I run because I love it and want to pursue self-mastery.”

Skip the Diet

“People think eating healthy is bland and boring, but I want to crush that notion. You can eat exceptionally well, and it can be awesome and enhance your life. There is lots of disordered eating with young women. I want to show that, yes, you should try to eat very healthy, but you also need fat and you should derive enjoyment from great-tasting food. I’m not about diets or counting calories or measuring nutrients. That’s too obsessive.”

Don’t Overcomplicate Recovery

“Recovery, to me, means sleeping and eating well. If I’m not feeling recovered, I’ll sleep and eat more, and that usually does the trick. Maybe I’ll get a massage, but that’s it. I don’t use any fancy gadgets or anything like that.”

Go All In

“I like to go all in on one extreme for a period of time and then shift to another extreme. For me, this means going all in on running, and then taking a vacation where I go all in on things like family and other pursuits. It’s too hard—physically and mentally—to try to do everything at once.”

Have an Outlet

“Though I just said I like to go all in, I do think it’s important for all serious athletes to have a nonathletic outlet, too. For me, that’s cooking, which is like my therapy. It calms and relaxes me. I was an art major in school, so perhaps cooking is how I express that.”

(07/22/2019) ⚡AMP
by Brad Stulberg

Everything you need to know about 2020 US Olympic Marathon trials

The selection policy for the 2020 US Olympic marathon team, cloudy for months after the IAAF announced in March that the qualification process for the 2020 Olympic Games is changing, is quietly beginning to take shape. For those wishing to preserve the best thing about the US Olympic Marathon Trials — top three across the line make the team — there was some good news, but there remains work to be done. After speaking with sources at the IAAF and USATF, here’s where we stand eight months from the Olympic Trials, which will be held in Atlanta on February 29.

The first bit of news trickled out on June 25 in the IAAF Athlete Representative Newsletter, which was promptly shared by agent Dan Lilot on Twitter. The update? After lobbying from USATF, the IAAF Council approved that “national Tokyo 2020 Olympic selection championship/trials in the men’s and/or women’s marathon, held in 2019 or 2020, may be granted Gold Label status if requested by the Member Federations and if the race can meet the Gold Label requirement for number of Gold Label athletes.”

Normally, Gold Label status is awarded to a marathon based on the previous year’s field. So to attain Gold Label status in 2020, the 2019 edition of the race would have to have six men and six women with Gold Label status that year, or seven athletes if it’s a single-gender race (Gold Label status is awarded to an athlete based on their world ranking at the end of the previous year; a marathoner has to be ranked in the world’s top 200 to earn Gold Label status). The 2019 edition of the US Olympic Marathon Trials would normally be the 2019 USATF Marathon Championships, but USATF isn’t holding a marathon championship this year.

So what the IAAF is saying is that USATF doesn’t have to worry about the field at the 2019 USATF Marathon Championships; as long as the Trials has enough Gold Label athletes, it can be granted Gold Label status.

This is good news for American women. Remember, an athlete automatically achieves the Olympic standard by finishing in the top five at a Gold Label marathon. And the women’s race at the US Olympic Trials should have no problem hitting the minimum Gold Label requirements; 11 American women had Gold Label status in 2019, and as of the most recent world rankings, 10 are on track to earn it in 2020. That means that on the women’s side, the Olympic Trials will be able to use the “top three make the team” model. (Also note that Japan, which is holding its first Olympic marathon trials in September, will easily meet the criteria on the men’s and women’s side).

That may not sound like a huge deal, considering nine American women already have the Olympic standard. But consider two women who do not have the standard: Amy Cragg and Shalane Flanagan, both members of the 2016 Olympic team. If it’s a bad weather day on the hilly Atlanta course, it’s not out of the question that third place could be slower than the Olympic time standard of 2:29:30 (Flanagan finished third at the ’16 Trials in 2:29:19). Achieving Gold Label status puts any of those worries to bed. That’s a win for USATF.

On the men’s side, USATF still has some work to do. Only one American man, Galen Rupp, qualified for Gold Label status in the marathon in 2019. And right now, Rupp is the only American man on track to earn it again in 2020 (Scott Fauble and Jared Ward are just outside, at #205 and #210 in the current world rankings).

That means that, based on the criteria the IAAF announced on June 25, there’s no way that the men’s race at the Olympic Trials will qualify for Gold Label status. And the men are the ones who need it: Fauble and Ward are the only Americans with the Olympic standard, and the time standard of 2:11:30 could be tough to hit on the day in Atlanta.

(07/09/2019) ⚡AMP

Fancy Chemutai wins BAA 10k women’s race and sets course record

A course record fell to the wayside at the 2019 B.A.A. 10K, presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Fancy Chemutai of Kenya set a new women’s course record of 30:36. 

Presenting sponsor Brigham and Women’s Hospital was represented by 550 runners, who have raised a combined $250,000 through today’s event.

 Chemutai earned breakaway wins thanks to tactical moves made early in her race. After crossing the halfway mark in 15:25, Chemutai began to leave the rest of the women’s field behind, pulling away as she made her way towards Kenmore Square.

Splitting 8K in 24:33, Chemutai knew she was on course record pace and buckled down for the final minutes of racing. At that point, she had nearly a 25-second lead on countrywoman Brillian Kipkoech and was on pace to shatter Shalane Flanagan’s 30:52 course best.

“I saw it was coming, that the course record was coming,” she said. When asked if that motivated her, she smiled and said, “yeah, sure!”

Triumphantly crossing the finish in 30:36, Chemutai established a new course record. The time also ranks tied for second fastest in the world this year.

“I enjoy being in Boston and enjoyed to win. It was very hot. It was hot,” said Chemutai of her Boston road racing debut. “I was going for the course record, it was in my mind.”

Kipkoech placed second in 31:04, with 2015 Boston Marathon champion Caroline Rotich taking third in 31:58. Top American honors went to Aliphine Tuliamuk, eighth place in 32:27.

The men’s open race was a fierce battle between Kenyans David Bett, Daniel Chebii, and Stephen Sambu, alongside Tanzania’s Joseph Panga. With opening miles of 4:34 and 4:33, the men’s leaders came through 5K in 14:16 and then began to push the pace even more. The quartet broke from the field, and clocked a 4:29 fourth mile, setting up for a final push down Commonwealth Ave. towards the finish.

It was Bett who had the best sprint of the day, making the turn onto Charles Street first and holding off the hard charging Chebii, who would finish a second behind, 28:08 to 29:09. Sambu rounded out the top three in 28:11, followed by Panga (28:14).

(06/23/2019) ⚡AMP

Shalane Flanagan who had surgery to repair a severely damaged patellar tendon in her right knee, will have several months' recovery ahead

2017 TCS New York City Marathon champion Shalane Flanagan had surgery to repair her right patellar tendon at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado yesterday, and described the situation in an Instagram post earlier today.

Torn patellar tendons typically do not heal on their own, and Flanagan posted on Monday that she would be traveling to Colorado for surgery.

She says her right patellar tendon (which connects the kneecap to the shinbone) was 75 per cent detached, leading the surgeon to graft a new tendon from a cadaver into Flanagan’s leg. She had injections of PRP (platelet-rich plasma) and bone marrow concentrate using bone marrow from her hip into both knees in an effort to speed healing. (PRP has been used with various other famous athletes such as Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal, but there has been very little research on its efficacy.)

The surgery was done by Dr. Robert F. LaPrade, a complex orthopedic knee and sports medicine surgeon at The Steadman Clinic in Vail.

In 2017, Flanagan was the first American woman to win the New York Marathon in 40 years. Last year she finished in third place, behind Mary Keitany and Vivian Cheruiyot.

It was just after that that she revealed the extent of her knee pain. She will likely spend the next few months recovering from surgery.

(04/25/2019) ⚡AMP
by Anne Francis

Molly Huddle is set for her London Marathon debut

With her sights set on a return to London in a month, Elmira native Molly Huddle opened the outdoor track season with a runner-up finish in the 10,000 meters Friday night at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, California.

Huddle, 34, posted a time of 30 minutes, 58.46 seconds at Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field. Emily Sisson won in 30:49.59. Sisson's time was the sixth-fastest ever for an American woman, with only Huddle and Shalane Flanagan having run quicker times.

Huddle's time was good enough to top the standard of 31:25 for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, though she would still need to qualify for Tokyo at next year's U.S. Trials. Huddle set the still-standing American record in the 10,000 at the 2016 Rio Olympics with a sixth-place time of 30:13.17.

After the meet, Huddle credited Sisson with helping to push her to a sub 31-minute race.

The meet included both professional and college runners. Allie Ostrander of Boise State took third in 32:06 in the 10K invitational race behind Sisson and Huddle.

Huddle is tuning up to compete in the London Marathon on April 28. It will be the fourth career marathon for Huddle, who finished fourth at the New York City Marathon in November after placing third in her marathon debut there in 2016. She ran the Boston Marathon last year. Sisson, who is Huddle's training parter, will make her marathon debut at London

(04/23/2019) ⚡AMP

Shalane Flanagan is going to have knee surgery to repair tears in her patellar tendons

2017 TCS New York City Marathon champion Shalane Flanagan, who finished third at the same event last year and confessed she almost did not run due to knee pain, posted yesterday that she will need surgery to repair tears in her patellar tendons.

Flanagan has not raced since the 2018 NYC marathon.

Flanagan, who grew up in Massachusetts, sat in the broadcast booth at Monday’s Boston Marathon for WBZ TV, the local CBS affiliate.

Last year, she finished a disappointing seventh, in extremely challenging weather conditions, with a time of 2:46:31, though there was no indication she was dealing with injury until the late fall.

The marathoner has had one of the strongest running careers in American distance history. She began as a high school star, continued her dominance at the University of North Carolina, and then went on to win Olympic and World Championships medals, and set American records which still stand today.

(04/22/2019) ⚡AMP

Ethiopian Worknesh Degefa took command of the women's Boston Marathon race by the 7 mile mark and built it to over two minutes by half way and held on to win as America's Jordan Hasay finished third

Worknesh Degefa, 29, built up a commanding lead and even through Kenya's Edna Kiplagat closed the gap in the last few miles Degefa went on the win clocking 2:23:31 at the 2019 Boston Marathon.  Edna Kiplegat of Kenya started to break away from the rest of the chase pack at about 30K, trying to run the Ethiopian leader down, but the gap was too wide. Edna Kiplagat finished 44 seconds back clocking 2:24:14.  Jordan Hasasy from the US finished third clocking 2:25:20.    

Going into the race Degefa was ready to run well.  This January in Dubai, Worknesh Degefa set an Ethiopian national marathon record with her 2:17:41 second place finish. With that result she became the fourth fastest women’s marathoner in history.

Historically a half marathon specialist, Degefa’s top ten half marathon times (2013-2016) were run with an average time of 67:30. Her personal best was recorded at the 2016 Prague Half Marathon where she finished second in 66:14. She earned the silver medal at the 2015 All African Games Half Marathon. Degefa made her debut in the marathon in 2017 with a win at the Dubai Marathon, which she says is her proudest accomplishment. 

Degefa trains in the Oromia region of Ethiopia in Arsi and Assela because of its altitude and good weather for training. Her coach is Gemedu Dedefo. Her favorite foods are rice and pasta and she enjoys traveling in Europe.

Jordan Hasay finished third again this year.  Choosing Boston to make her debut in 2017, Jordan Hasay ran 2:23:00 to finish third. She set an American women’s debut record by three minutes and recorded the fourth fastest time ever run in the race by an American woman behind Shalane Flanagan, Desiree Linden and Joan Benoit Samuelson.

After Boston, Hasay ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and once again finished third, but improved her time to 2:20:57, becoming the second fastest American woman marathoner of all time. Besides making the podium in both the Boston and Chicago Marathons, Hasay set a half marathon personal best time of 67:55 with her sixth-place finish at the 2017 Prague Half Marathon.

During the race she set a 15K personal best of 48:21 and a 20K personal best of 64:32. She also won the 2017 U.S. national titles in the 20K, 10 Mile and 15K. Hasay was injured during 2018, but after surgery on her foot has made a complete recovery.

Hasay has been running since she was 12 years old and grew up in Arroyo Grande, California. 

Last year's winner Desiree Linden finished fifth clocking 2:27:00.  The weather was not a factor this year unlike last year.  

(04/15/2019) ⚡AMP

America’s Amy Cragg is set to race the Prague Half on Saturday

Success for reigning USA Olympic Trials Marathon champion Amy Cragg did not come easily or quickly.  Indeed, the 35 year-old Nike Bowerman Track Club athlete nearly quit the sport before her true talent really showed through, eventually carrying her to Olympic Trials wins in both 2012 (at 10,000m) and 2016 (marathon), four USA titles, and a 2:21:42 marathon personal best.  It’s been a long, and sometimes bumpy, road.

“Definitely, I’ve made some mistakes along the way,” Cragg told Race Results Weekly in a telephone interview from Prague where she’ll be running the Sportisimo Prague International Half-Marathon on Saturday.  “I’ve learned from them and that’s kind of led me to here.  So, every once in a while I’ve looked back and I’m, like, I should have done this differently or this differently.  But, the reality is that I might not have ended up here.  I think I’m in a really good place.”

Working with coaches Jerry Schumacher and Pascal Dobert and Bowerman teammate Shalane Flanagan since the end of 2015, Cragg has blossomed into one of America’s best at 26.2 miles.  After winning the February, 2016, Marathon Trials on a brutally hot day in Los Angeles, she went on to finish ninth in the Olympic Games Marathon in Rio. 

She backed up that performance a year later with a thrilling, late-race charge at the 2017 IAAF World Championships marathon in London, taking the bronze medal (the first medal for a USA woman at those championships in the marathon since 1983), and only missing the silver by a fraction of a second. 

She recovered from her London race well, then ran the Tokyo Marathon in February, 2018, finishing third in an excellent 2:21:42.  That performance made her the fifth-fastest American of all time behind only Deena Kastor, Jordan Hasay, Flanagan and Joan Samuelson.

"I love where I’m at,” Cragg continued.  “I love my team and my coach.  Just living in Oregon, that’s been incredible.  I think overall, those rough moments, those times when I considered stopping have made me a stronger athlete.  I’m glad I went through that.  It’s hard to say that.  Those times, I think I really learned a lot from them.”

Cragg is at an unusual juncture in her career.  She hasn’t run a marathon in over a year.  She built-up for Chicago last October, but ended up withdrawing from the race after she and her coaches felt that her training hadn’t brought her to the fitness she would need to run her best.  They had intense discussions, she said, about what to do next.

“When I pulled out of Chicago last year the big talk was, OK, what do we really want to get out of the next two years?” Cragg said.  “I’ll probably be in the sport two years and reassess.  The big thing is making another Olympic team and trying to perform well in Tokyo.  Everything we do from here on out, that’s the goal to make that team and we’ve been working back from there.”

Cragg decided not to do a spring marathon this year.  Instead, she worked with her Bowerman teammates Shelby Houlihan, Marielle Hall, Courtney Frerichs, and Karissa Schweizer to get ready for the USATF Cross Country Championships last February where she finished fifth in her first national cross country championships in nine years. 

A month later she ran the special Road to Gold test event in Atlanta where she was able to run on the 2020 Olympic Trials course.  Uncontested, she covered the 8-mile route in 43:23 and won by a minute.  She told Race Results Weekly that the Atlanta race was essentially the kick-off of her Trials training.

“I felt pretty good,” Cragg said.  “I think I’m in a good position and I’m pretty excited to get into the bigger miles.  For me, that makes a huge difference.  I feel ready to start that, which is exciting for me.”

Saturday’s race in Prague is the next logical step on Cragg’s long journey to Atlanta next February for the marathon trials and Tokyo for the Olympics next August.  On Prague’s flat, record-eligible course Cragg wants to race hard with the goal of improving herself as a marathoner.

(04/05/2019) ⚡AMP
by David Monti

Emily Sisson became the third-fastest American in history with her 30:49 10,000m performance at Stanford on Friday

With her 30:49 10,000m on Friday night at Stanford, 27-year-old Emily Sisson is behind only Molly Huddle and Shalane Flanagan in American history. Sisson will next tackle her marathon debut on Apr. 28 in London.

Marathon training is already showing a lot of promise for 26.2 newcomer Emily Sisson. With just under a month remaining until her debut.

The race was executed with teamwork from Sisson, 27, and her training partner Huddle, 34, who are both coached by Ray Treacy. The runners switched off leading every few laps for the majority of the race in Stanford, California, which set the tone for a pace aimed to break the 2020 Olympic qualifying standard.

Both runners competed at the 2017 IAAF World Track and Field Championships together and are currently in the middle of training to compete at the London Marathon in April, which made the return to the track all the more exciting.

(04/01/2019) ⚡AMP

John Hancock today announced its Elite Athlete Ambassador Team for the 2019 Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon champions Meb Keflezighi, Tatyana McFadden, Bill Rodgers, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Greg Meyer and Uta Pippig will join Shalane Flanagan, Ryan Hall, Deena Kastor, Becca Pizzi and Team Hoyt as ambassadors for this year’s race.

“As Patriots’ Day nears, we welcome our 2019 Elite Ambassador Team for the Boston Marathon,” said John Hancock Chief Marketing Officer Barbara Goose.

“Through their mentorship and inclusiveness, these accomplished athletes inspire runners of all ages and abilities during race week and throughout the year at John Hancock sponsored events.

The team has become an integral part of our community.”

Ambassadors will cheer on the 30,000 participants racing from Hopkinton to Boston on Patriots’ Day and attend media, community and race week events, including making appearances at the Runner’s Seminar at the Expo, surprise “meet and greets” near the finish line, and at the John Hancock Elite Athlete press conference on April 12 at 10 a.m. at the Fairmont Copley.

(03/28/2019) ⚡AMP

2012 Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Sally Kipyego, will be running her first marathon as an American at Boston

2012 Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Sally Kipyego, who will be running her first marathon as an American.

We break down the elite fields below, but we start with some analysis of Kipyego, who is returning to racing in 2019 after missing most of the past two years.

When John Hancock announced the 2019 US elite field for Boston last month, we noted that there is currently a “Studly Six” in US marathoning — Amy Cragg, Jordan Hasay, Molly Huddle, Shalane Flanagan, Des Linden, and Sally Kipyego (who has never before run for the US). At the time, only two of those women (Hasay and Linden) were entered in Boston, but the updated field released today included Kipyego’s name, which spices things up quite a bit.

Kipyego, 33, became a US citizen in January 2017 but has only raced once since. She took 2017 off to have a baby, giving birth to daughter Emma in July 2017, but her return to training took longer than anticipated and she did not race again until June 2018, where she was just 10th at the BAA 10K in 34:32. Kipyego was slated to run the NYC Marathon last fall, but was forced to withdraw a month before the race, citing malaria and pneumonia.

But Kipyego remains a monster talent, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her on the plane to Tokyo with Team USA in 2020. At Texas Tech, she became the only woman to win three NCAA XC titles, and after turning pro, she put together a track career more successful than any of her US contemporaries: PRs of 14:30 (four seconds faster than the American record) and 30:26 (only Flanagan and Huddle have run faster among Americans) for 5k and 10k on the track, and a pair of global 10k silvers at the 2011 Worlds and 2012 Olympics. She’s also run 68:31 in the half marathon, and in her only career marathon finish she was 2nd in NYC in 2016, one spot ahead of Huddle.

The question, of course, is whether Kipyego can return to that form after a long layoff. We will learn a lot about her over the next three months, and that begins next weekend in Houston, where Kipyego is entered in the half marathon. Should Kipyego run well there, there will be a lot of hype for Boston.

(01/12/2019) ⚡AMP

Adrianne Haslet a Boston bombing amputee was struck by car

Adrianne Haslet, a professional dancer who lost her left leg in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, was in serious condition in hospital after being struck by a car on Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue on Saturday. Haslet posted the information on Instagram, it was picked up by the Associated Press and retweeted by Haslet’s friend Shalane Flanagan, third-place finisher in last year’s New York City Marathon.

Hasket was in a crosswalk at the time. She says she was “thrown into the air and landed, crushing the left side of my body… I’m completely broken. More surgery to come.”

According to the AP report, the driver claimed he was turning and did not see Haslet because it was dark out and raining, and because she was wearing dark clothing. He was charged for failing to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Haslet was in the crowd near the finish line in 2013 when she was injured in the second blast. She had shrapnel wounds in her right leg, and her left leg had to be amputated below the knee. A highly ranked competitive ballroom dancer, Haslet was able to recover and return to dancing with her prosthetic leg, and in 2015 she performed a dance at the Boston marathon finish line. 

(01/07/2019) ⚡AMP

It would be really neat to have real time tracking in a race says Desiree Linden

Desiree Linden became the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years. On a cold and rainy day in Massachusetts, Linden didn’t have much belief that she could win the 122nd version of the race. She even slowed down early into the race to wait her teammate, Shalane Flanagan, so that they could both catch back up to the elite pack together.  The weather conditions were very bad and the Boston Globe called it “the worst weather in Boston Marathon history.” After Linden and Flanagan caught back up to the pack, a surprising thing happened. 35-years-old Linden who trains in Michigan, began to pull away. She would end up winning the marathon in 2:39:54.  Most recently Desiree was one of four Americans to finished in the top seven at the New York City Marathon.  The website Sport Techie spoke with Desiree about Data Versus Disconnection and other matters.  “Running is still a pure sport where you can go out with just your shoes and kind of disconnect for a long time, which is refreshing in today’s world,” says Desiree. “But then you can implement technology as you go and take as as much data as you want. The range is different for everyone.  It would be really neat to have real-time tracking in the race via a mechanism in clothes or shoes. They could give you splits during the race every 5k or so, and there could be something in the shoe that could real-time track runners so that people could see heart rate and cadence during the race. I think that’d add an interesting graphic during race broadcasts.” How about the Balance Between Innovation and Ability? “A lot of big companies (like NIKE) are attempting to break the two-hour marathon barrier,” she says, “and see the shoe as a place to really make that jump. There’s definitely a movement in shoe technology. I think there’s a lot of brands trying to catch up in that race.  The question is how much do you let it impact your sport? Is the shoe doing the work or is it still the athlete? It’ll be interesting to watch and see how governing bodies decide if and when technology is taking over the actual capacity of the runner.” (11/18/2018) ⚡AMP
by Jen Booton @ SportTechie.com

Kenya's Mary Keitany pulled off her fourth New York City Marathon win crushing the field

Kenya's Mary Keitany opened up a lead after a 4:54 mile at the 20 mile mark.  The 36-year-old with a PR of 2:17:01 while winning the 2017 London Marathon was in control.  Mary won three consecutive TCS New York City Marathons from 2014 to 2016.  In 2016 her 3:34 margin of victory was the greatest in the women's race since 1980.  Last year she was runner-up to Shalane Flanagan clocking 2:27:54.  Today Shalane Flanagan was about a quarter mile back with six miles to go holding on to fifth place.  Molly Huddle (USA) was close behind.  At 35K Mary projected finish time was just 50 seconds off the course record.  The course record of 2:22:31 was set in 2003. Shalane Flanagan moved up to fourth at 35k with Molly in 5th.   Meanwhile Mary Keitany continued pulling further ahead clipping off 5:05 miles.  35-year-old Vivian Cheruiyot who won the 2018 London Marathon (2:18:31) upped her pace to 5:21/mile making a move on Ethiopian's Rahma Tusa who was second at 23 miles.  Mary crossed the finish line first clocking 2:22:48 crushing the field. Vivian Cheruityot was second in 2:26:02.  America’s Shalane Flanagan finished third in 2:26:22 and Molly Huddle was fourth in 2:26:44.  Rahma Tusa faded to fifth clocking 2:27:13.   2018 Boston marathon winner Desiree Linden placed 6th clocking 2:27:51.  Allie Kieffe (US) places 7th clocking 2:28:12.   (11/04/2018) ⚡AMP

Only two American woman have won the New York City Marathon, Miki Gorman was the first in 1977.

Miki Gorman was the first woman to finish the New York City Marathon in 1977, and it took 40 years until another American woman took the title. Miki Gorman was sitting alone at a corner table of a Magic Pan restaurant in Manhattan on Oct. 23, 1976, when her food arrived: not one, but two large crepes stuffed with mushroom and spinach souffle. A couple sitting nearby gawked at her. Gorman, at 5 feet tall or so, weighed only 90 pounds, and the plates of food covered her table. “I’m running the New York City Marathon tomorrow!” she told them. “And I’m going to win.” And so she did, the first woman to cross the finish line the next day. Even more, she won again the following year. No other American woman would take the title for the next four decades. “We’ve gone so long without winning, I can’t believe it,” Gorman told The Washington Post in 2004, long after her retirement in 1982. “My win was a lifetime ago.” Gorman was not around to see Shalane Flanagan’s 2017 victory; she died on Sept. 19, 2015, at 80, in Bellingham, Wash. The cause was metastasized lung cancer, her daughter, Danielle Nagel, said. Despite Gorman’s accomplishments, news of her death was not widely reported at the time. No word of it reached The New York Times. If it had, readers would have learned of record-breaking achievements that landed her in several halls of fame. One feat, in 1978, was a world best for a woman in the half marathon, at 1:15:58. She also won the Boston Marathon in the women’s category in 1974 and 1977, the latter victory coming, remarkably, the same year that she won in New York. She is the only woman known to have won both races twice. “She ran everything, from track races and really quick stuff all the way to these 100-mile races,” said George Hirsch, chairman of New York Road Runners. “There’s no one that I know of to this day who has that kind of a range and excelled in them all.” (11/02/2018) ⚡AMP

America’s Molly Huddle just might be the one to beat at this year’s New York City Marathon

Last year Shalane Flanagan became the first American woman in 40 years to win the New York City Marathon. Desiree Linden followed with a victory in April at the Boston Marathon, the first American woman to win in 33 years. Those achievements motivate Molly Huddle, who finished third at the 2016 NYC Marathon in her debut after a successful middle-distance career. "We have a very talented group of women marathoners," Huddle said. The 34-year-old from upstate New York is among that group. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Huddle broke Flanagan's 10,000-meter American record from the 2008 Beijing Games. In January, Huddle broke Deena Kastor's 2006 American record at the Houston Half Marathon. Kastor, who won bronze in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics, watched Huddle surpass her record in Texas. "Some of the other American women already have the accolades under their belt," Kastor said. "Molly is coming in a little more hungry. So I think we'll see something special out of her on Sunday." Huddle recently trained for two months in Arizona in the high altitude of Flagstaff and Scottsdale. She lives and trains in Providence, Rhode Island, where her longtime coach Ray Treacy is the track coach at Providence College.  The 5-foot-4 Huddle called it a "confidence boost" to finish on the podium in her first marathon. Defending champion Flanagan and Linden are in the field Sunday, along with Kenyans Mary Keitany and Vivian Cheruiyot. Last year, Flanagan brought it home to a cheering crowd against a fading Keitany. "She really captivated everybody watching, the two million people on the streets, those of us glued to our televisions or here at the finish line to welcome her at Central Park," Kastor said. "It was an extraordinary performance." Kastor thinks Huddle has a good chance on Sunday. Huddle aims to make the U.S. team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "Molly has such a great range and she's pushing it into the marathon," said Kastor.  "She could really make the team in whatever event she chooses — 5K, 10K and marathon." Huddle attributes the surge of American women in the marathon to watching the likes of Kastor, Flanagan and others perform at international levels.  She says "once you see it is possible" it helps "shift your subconscious." "It's raised the bar," Huddle said. "It's more encouraging than anything."  (11/01/2018) ⚡AMP

Can Shalane Flanagan do it again two years in a row at the New York Marathon

Last year at the New York Marathon, Shalane Flanagan became the first American woman to win in 40 years, clocking 2:26:53. On Sunday, the 37 year-old will once again face three-time champion Mary Keitany who she dethroned from the top podium spot, along with London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot and Boston Marathon champion Des Linden.  Flanagan has a personal best of 2:21:14, while Kenya’s Keitany clocked a women’s only world record of 2:17:01 to win the 2017 edition of the London Marathon.  A couple of days ago Shalane posted this on FB. "Who is your biggest fan? I say, be your own biggest fan.  Self belief is powerful."  (11/01/2018) ⚡AMP

Emily Sisson wins Reebok Boston 10K in record time but course was 380 meters short

Update: When we first reported this story it was thought that an American Record was set today in Boston as reported by the Boston Globe.  However, the course was 380 meters short, somehow the cones got moved just past the 5k mark. Most likely she still would have run sub 32. Emily Sisson separated herself from the competition early, at the Reebok Boston 10K for Women Monday afternoon. The 26-year-old from Rhode Island pulled away from Buze Diriba of Ethiopia at the 3-mile mark and held on to her lead down the stretch to claim victory in 30:39 — a comfortable 33 seconds ahead of the second-place Diriba. The time at first was thought to be an American record breaking the record set by Shalane Flanagan (30:52) in 2016 in the same event. But the course was short and the race director is trying to find out why cones were moved...The win is Sisson’s second in three years, as she also won in 2016 in 31:46. She becomes the first repeat winner since Huddle, who won the event four times, including three straight from 2008-10. Diriba’s time of 31:12 also broke the benchmark set by Huddle but was not good enough to beat Sisson. Formerly known as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women, the race is the largest all-woman running event in New England and has been a Columbus Day staple in Boston since 1977. Running through the Back Bay and into Cambridge, competitors make their way along the Charles River before finishing on Charles Street between the Public Garden and Boston Common. Other finishers: Diriba, Erin Clark of Arizona (32:19), Dylan Hassett of Rhode Island (32:28), and Holly Rees of the United Kingdom (32:46) rounded out the top five finishers in the open division.   (10/08/2018) ⚡AMP

Gwen Jorgensen added to the 2018 Chicago Marathon field

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced today that defending champion Galen Rupp and American superstars Jordan Hasay, Amy Cragg and Laura Thweatt will be joined by a strong field of American runners at the 41st annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Gwen Jorgensen joins one of the deepest American women’s fields in the history of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Hasay currently ranks second on the list of all-time American marathoners with her 2:20:57 run at last year’s Chicago Marathon. Her time was the fastest American time ever run on U.S. soil. Cragg moved up to the fifth spot in U.S. history earlier this year with her 2:21:42 performance in Tokyo, and Thweatt claimed the ninth spot in London last year after she finished in 2:25:38. The last time three American women finished in the top five in Chicago was 1994, and the last time U.S. women claimed the top two spots was 1992. That could all change in 2018. Jorgensen’s potential in the marathon remains unknown. She debuted at the New York City Marathon just nine weeks after she won gold in Rio in the triathlon. Given her lack of marathon-specific training, she impressed with a 14th-place finish and 2:41:01 time. Jorgensen grew into a legend as a triathlete: in addition to her gold medal (the only Olympic gold in the triathlon in U.S. history), she also won two world titles and an unprecedented 17 ITU World Triathlon Series races. She took most of 2017 off to welcome her first child, and since making the leap into a full-time professional running career, she won the 2018 Stanford Invitational 10,000m in 31:55, she finished fifth in the Peachtree road race, she finished seventh in the 10,000m at the USATF championships, and she finished fourth in her half marathon debut at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in 1:10:58. Jorgensen trains with Cragg and Shalane Flanagan as part of Nike’s Bowerman Track Club. (08/27/2018) ⚡AMP

Five-time U.S. Olympian Bernard Lagat will Make his Marathon Debut in New York City

Five-time U.S. Olympian Bernard Lagat will make his long-awaited marathon debut at this year’s New York City Marathon. At 43 years old, Lagat is remarkably still one of the top U.S. distance runners. He most recently represented the United States at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in March and claimed the U.S. 10K title in July. If he continues racing at the elite level, there may be a chance for Lagat to try and make a sixth U.S. Olympic team in 2020. For now, he’s solely focused on his 26.2-mile debut and possibly making a run at Meb Keflezighi’s U.S. Masters record of 2:12:20. The women’s field for the New York City Marathon is absolutely loaded with the defending champion Shalane Flanagan, Boston Marathon champion Des Linden, London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot and three-time New York champion Mary Keitany. The men’s field already includes last year’s champion 25-year-old Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya. (08/23/2018) ⚡AMP

Molly Huddle is going to run the New York City Marathon again

Elmira native Molly Huddle is part of a world-class elite women's field scheduled to compete in the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon. The list of women's runners also includes three-time race champion Mary Keitany, defending champion Shalane Flanagan, 2018 London Marathon winner Vivian Cheruiyot and 2018 Boston Marathon winner Des Linden. The race is scheduled for Nov. 4. Huddle and several other runners were announced Tuesday. Flanagan and Linden had been previously announced as competitors. This will be the third career marathon for Huddle, who finished third in her marathon debut at the NYC Marathon in 2016, posting a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes, 13 seconds. "Running a marathon is always a special experience, but I’m really excited to line up with such a great group of American women in New York this year," Huddle said Tuesday in a press release from race organizer New York Road Runners. (08/22/2018) ⚡AMP

Three-time champion Mary Keitany of Kenya wants to reclaim her crown this year at the TCS New York City Marathon

Mary Keitany and Virgin Money London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot are joining previously announced defending champion Shalane Flanagan and Boston Marathon champion Des Linden in star-studded field at the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4.  “With Mary, Vivian, Shalane, Des, Tatyana, and Manuela, this year’s TCS New York City Marathon is stacked with some of the most competitive women’s professional athlete fields ever to compete in New York,” said Peter Ciaccia, president of events for NYRR and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. “This is the best group of American women marathoners since the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, and along with Mary and Vivian, the competition will be fierce.” (08/21/2018) ⚡AMP

Shalane Flanagan has been toying with the idea of retirement, but her retirement will have to wait until after this year's New York City Marathon

Shalane Flanagan has been toying with the idea of retirement for several years. But retirement will have to wait until after this year’s New York City Marathon.

She was supposed to retire after last year’s New York City Marathon, where she became the first American woman to win the title in four decades.

Since then, Flanagan faced heartbreak at this year’s Boston Marathon, where she finished in a disappointing seventh place under difficult conditions. Flanagan had hoped to win the race in front of a hometown crowd, as she’s from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Many thought Boston could be her last marathoner ever.

Now she’s announced a return to the New York City Marathon this fall. "When I experienced winning New York last year, it was like when you're sitting on your couch and finally something happens that you didn't realize would happen and it excites you,"

Flanagan said. "But this was my real life! It was the outcome of always wanting it and not knowing if I was going to get it. And suddenly everything I'd worked for was validated. I got it." Flanagan currently trains with the Bowerman Track Club in Beaverton, Oregon.   

The New York City Marathon goes on Sunday November 4th, 2018.

(08/13/2018) ⚡AMP

Boston Marathon Champ Des Linden will Run 2018 TCS New York City Marathon

The New York Road Runners announced 2018 Boston Marathon champion and two-time U.S. Olympian Des Linden will run the 2018 New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 4.

In April, Linden, 34, became the first American woman in 33 years to win the Boston Marathon despite battling rainy and cold conditions. Last year's New York City Marathon was won by Shalane Flanagan, who became the first female American champion in the race in 40 years.

Flanagan, 36, contemplated retirement after her win but decided to run the 2018 Boston Marathon, where she finished sixth. Flanagan has yet to commit to a fall marathon.

Linden is looking to become the first woman to win the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon in the same year since Norway's Ingrid Kristainsen in 1989.

(06/27/2018) ⚡AMP

Shalane Flanagan and Michelob Ultra have teamed up to offer coaching to 95 runners running New York

If you’re already signed up for the TCS New York City Marathon this year, there’s one coach who may be your best bet at snagging a personal best: Shalane Flanagan. The 2017 champion is teaming up with Michelob Ultra to offer 95 runners the chance to train with her this fall. To enter, runners (21+) are invited to tell their story via JoinTeamUltra.com about how their love for beer and running motivates them to the finish line. Open to entries starting today until July 2, Michelob Ultra will “evaluate the stories and select 95 individuals that best embody the ethos of living fit and fun.” Because this is a nationwide contest, members of Team Ultra will be using a dedicated online social hub and training platform to interact with each other and Coach Shalane until race day. Shortly before the marathon, Flanagan and Michelob Ultra will meet the team in-person for a training run and happy hour drinks post-race. Flanagan syas, "I will be helping 95 beer-loving runners as part of Team Ultra and getting them a chance to run The TCS New York City Marathon. I will be helping by giving advice and training motivation and training tips so that they can have the race of their lives and a really memorable experience."  (06/26/2018) ⚡AMP

My Legs got so numb in Boston, it felt like I didn't have shorts on says Shalane

Shalane Flanagan posted this today, "That time I ran the Boston Marathon and my legs got so numb from the cold that it felt like I didn't have shorts on.  And apparently...it looked like I didn't have shorts."  Some of her fans comments: "But those muscles." "If my legs looked like that I probably wouldn't wear pants/shorts ever." “You needed ski pants that day." "Ha ha, at least you can laugh about it now! You lived to tell the tale! Superstar."  Shalane kept running and finished in 7th place. (04/27/2018) ⚡AMP

Boston Marathon Champion, Desiree Linden is returning to Boston for BAA10K

The BAA announced today that 2018 Boston Marathon champion Desiree Linden will return to Boston for June's BAA10K, presented by Brigham Womens. You can join Des and some of the world's fastest runners as the BAA kicks off summer at this fun race through the Back Bay. This year's event will be held on Sunday, June 24, and will have a maximum field size of 10,000 entrants. The women's course record was set by Shalane Flanagan in 2016.  She clocked 30:52 which is also the American Record. (04/27/2018) ⚡AMP

Desiree Linden was wet, was cold and wanted to stop but she didn’t as marathoners do and won Boston and $150,000

The weather Monday in Boston was more than bad, it was terrible. Shalane Flanagan posted, “Those were the most brutal conditions I’ve ever run in.”

One elite woman just kept putting one foot in front of the other faster than anyone else until the end. Desiree Linden even at one point waited for Shalane at a bathroom stop.

This brief break, might have helped Desiree get life back in her legs as well. Desiree caught back up to the lead pack but Shalane couldn’t hang. In the end Desiree won by nearly four minutes and became the the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon since Lisa Rainsberger in 1985.

Afterwards she said there were many moments she wanted to drop out but she kept on going. Was it worth it? For her efforts she was given a check for $150,000. She could have easily not finished.

It is interesting to note that according to the race director 95.5% of those who started finished. Very impressive but then again marathoners are a different breed.

(04/17/2018) ⚡AMP
by Bob Anderson

America’s Desiree Linden beats the weather and is first American to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years.

America's Desiree Linden took the lead at the 35K mark (2:12:22) with Kenya's Gladys Chesir right behind. Mamitu Daska from Ethiopian was elven seconds back in third place. Shalane Flanagan is not handling the weather well but is still hanging in there. There were four American's in the top ten at 35K. Des still lead the pack at the 40K mark of with an elapsed time of 2:31:13 and lead to the finish. Des went on to win in a time of 2:39:54. In the end seven American women finished in the top ten. Shalane Flanagan hung on to finish 7th. Desiree splashed her way through icy rain and a near-gale headwind to be the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon since 1985. The two-time Olympian and 2011 Boston runner-up pulled away at the end of Heartbreak Hill and ran alone through Brookline to finish almost four minutes ahead of second place. That's the slowest time for a women's winner since 1978. (04/16/2018) ⚡AMP

Shalane Flanagan’s Mother once held the World Record in the Marathon

DID YOU KNOW: Cheryl Bridges, now Cheryl Treworgy, once held the American and world record in the marathon. Cheryl Bridges was born December 25, 1947 in Indiana.

She began her running career as a sophomore at North Central High School in Indianapolis. In her senior year in high school, she competed in the national cross-country championships. In 1966, she became the first female athlete in the U.S. to receive an athletic scholarship to a public university — Indiana State University. She graduated in three years with a degree in physical education.

In 1969, she finished fourth in the World Cross Country Championships in Scotland. She set the American records in the 3 mile and 5,000 meter distances. On December 7, 1971, Bridges ran her first marathon, finishing the Culver City Marathon in a world record time of 2:49:40.

She had a lot of ideas and ambitions. She was the holder of a patent on utility sports bras and was the former buyer and part-owner of Frank Shorter Sports stores.

Cheryl, now 70, is a professional photographer for her own company, Pretty Sporty, and was recognized in 2010 as Track and Field Writers of America Photographer of the year.

Cheryl is the mother of Shalane Flanagan, who among other achievements set an American record in the 2008 Summer Olympics Beijing in the 10,000m and won the New York City marathon on November 5, 2017.

Shalane is going after a dream on Monday. This dream is to win the Boston Marathon. Her mom would be proud.

Cheryl Bridges appeared on the March 1969 cover of Distance Running News.

(04/11/2018) ⚡AMP

Boston narrated by Matt Damon on the big screen April 12-19 in Boston

BOSTON is the first ever feature-length documentary film about the world's most legendary running race, the Boston Marathon. A special one-week only engagement is taking place April 12-19 at the Boston Showplace ICON Theatre at Seaport. Narrated by Academy Award winner Matt Damon, produced with The Kennedy/Marshall Company and featuring an original score by Jeff Beal recorded by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, BOSTON chronicles the story of the iconic race as it evolved from a workingman's challenge to welcoming foreign athletes and eventually women, becoming the stage for many firsts and in no small part paving the way for the modern marathon and mass participatory sports. The film features many of running's greatest champions including Shalane Flanagan, Meb Keflezighi, Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter and Joan Benoit Samuelson. (04/04/2018) ⚡AMP

Shalane Flanagan message today is very clear - I have unfinished Business

The Boston Marathon everyone has been waiting for is now just two weeks from Monday. Most everyone running have set goals. Shalane Flanagan has had Boston on her radar for months. She posted this today: “I have Unfinished Business: ...On the road and in the gym. It’s something inside us. Something that refuses to take no for an answer. Something that makes us push through every time, no matter what. 2015 Boston Marathon was a stinker Marathon for me. Ive been training and preparing to go back and conquer it. I have unfinished business.” (04/01/2018) ⚡AMP

John Hancock Releases Pro Athletes’ Running Playlists On Spotify

What do Shalane Flanagan, Molly Huddle, Jordan Hasay and Desiree Linden have in common? Besides being speed demons, they’re also members of the John Hancock Elite Athlete Team who are racing the 2018 Boston Marathon–and, as of this morning, they’ve all shared curated running playlists with fans as part of their race-day buildup. The playlists are available for those interested in listening all the way through or matching music to specific paces or time spent running. Some also feature words of motivation from the athletes themselves. “In our 33 years sponsoring the Boston Marathon, we’ve never had the opportunity to offer this type of personal experience with our elite running team to so many,” said Barbara Goose, the chief marketing officer at John Hancock, (03/25/2018) ⚡AMP

American’s Elite Women Marathoners Are Just About Ready To Race In Boston

The Boston Marathon is just a little more than three weeks from now. 2011 Boston Marathon runner-up Des Linden says, "I can't wait...It's the best group of Americans ever," Women's Marathon pioneer Katherine Switzer says, "We can run with the Kenyans and the Ethiopians. I think that there's a lot of heart now in the women who are running Boston." The 2018 elite American women's team assembled by John Hancock is the most impressive ever. There are savvy race veterans like Linden and Shalane Flanagan, and there are up-and-comers like Molly Huddle and Jordan Hasay. One thing that stands out was Flanagan's 2017 victory at the New York City Marathon which has set the stage for even bigger things. "It raises the bar for everyone," Linden said of Flanagan's triumph. "It makes it more attainable. It's really hard, but it's doable." Flanagan said of her win, "I think it allows Americans specifically, the ability to dream a little bigger now." Her dream has always been to win her hometown race. Shalane placed in the top 10 in each of her three previous Boston Marathons, and her 2:22:02 finish in 2014 set the record for the fastest time ever by an American woman on the Boston course. Her victory in New York renewed her confidence as she was thinking of retiring and raising a family. "I don't know if Boston will be my last or not..." But right now her focus as well as the other America's elites is on one thing...winning the Boston Marathon, period. (03/20/2018) ⚡AMP
by Bob Anderson

Hasay and Huddle are going after Shalane Flanagan’s national 15k Record Saturday

In the women’s race, at the Gate River Run this Saturday, the key number is 47. That’s the time, in minutes, of Shalane Flanagan’s national record 15K time from 2014 (47:03). If everything falls into place with the expected high-octane showdown of Jordan Hasay (photo) and Molly Huddle, the race director believes that mark could go down. Hasay, 25, used last year’s victory as a stepping stone to success at April’s Boston Marathon. There, she placed third with the fastest-ever time (2:23:00) for an American woman in her marathon debut. Her chief challenger is Huddle, who finished second here in 2012 and now enters in the best form of her career. The 33-year-old from Providence, R.I. broke the American half-marathon record on Jan. 16 in Houston, running 1:07:25. That surpassed Gate River Run legend Deena Kastor, whose mark of 1:07.34 had stood for 12 years. (03/09/2018) ⚡AMP

Shalane Flanagan Has captured the hearts of so many after winning New York

“Focused, determined, and stubborn. Let’s crush this week,” posted Shalane Flanagan last week on Instagram.

Then Friday it was announced that Carrie Underwood's new music video "The Champion," showcases a series of inspiring moments in history including footage of Shalane winning the New York City Marathon to Martin Luther King Jr. giving a speech....

Shalane Flanagan then posted, “The lyrics and imagery gives me chills and makes me want to go crush a run and cry at the same time.” Wow, how can you not love her? The Boston Marathon is now only weeks away. There is a lot of pressure on Shalane but one thing is for sure, she is going to give it all she has.

(This photo Jeff Cohen took shows a very determined woman. As they say “a photo is worth a thousands words.”)

(03/05/2018) ⚡AMP
by Bob Anderson

Leonard Korir and Jordan Hasay going after course records at Gate River Run

The 2018 Gate River Run, which also serves as the USA Track and Field 15K National Championship, will be held on Saturday, March 10, in Jacksonville, Florida. The championship will feature $60,000 in prize money with $10,000 awards for the first place male and female finishers. The reigning men’s and women’s champions are returning to defend their titles: Olympian Leonard Korir (43:22), running for the US Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) and Jordan Hasay (49:28), representing The Nike Oregon Project. Other elite runners include Molly Huddle, Sam Chelanga and Ryan Vail. The course records to beat are: men’s 42:22 was set in 1995 by Todd Williams, women’s 47:03 set in 2014 by Shalane Flanagan. (03/02/2018) ⚡AMP

Months of work, time, sacrifice and determination paid off for Amy in Tokyo

Amy Cragg finished third at the Tokyo Marathon in 2:21:42. That is a PR of over five minutes and good for number five on the U.S. all-time list and the sixth fastest time in Tokyo. Amy posted this right before the start on FB: “Months of work, time, sacrifice and determination...here we go!!! She did it. At the press conference Friday she said, “she hoped to run 2:22:59 with the caveat that while she'd like to run a fast time her priority would be placing in the top three.” Amy made good on that promise. Shalane Flanagan posted this before the start, “When (Amy) is about to race I feel like I am too!!! My heart rate is already through the roof and butterflies in my stomach....still have 5hours until gun goes off.” There were a lot of people cheering for Amy thousands of miles away. (02/25/2018) ⚡AMP

She has the heart and desire to Pull off the Boston Marathon Win

Shalane Flanagan (first American woman to win the New York City Marathon in 40 years) posted this on her Facebook page today: "Heading to the mountains soon so I can get stronger and faster. The next 5 weeks will be the most exhausting part of my buildup for the Boston Marathon. So I acknowledge it. Embrace it. I know I will have doubts, but I tell myself daily...do the work, no excises, dreaming baby, no regrets. (02/10/2018) ⚡AMP
by Shalane Flanagan
World Class Runners

Shalane Flanagan in Super Bowl Ad Spot Lip Syncing While she ran with 100 extras

Shalane Flanagan is featured in a 2018 Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra beer. The ad copy says: “Don't Compromise Your Active Lifestyle. Learn More About Michelob ULTRA® Here! The Perfect Fit. Live Fit. Live Fun. Superior Light Beer. 2.6 Carbs. 95 Cals. Go The Extra Mile.” Shalane was the first American woman winner in the 2017 New York City Marathon in 40 years. Shalane told Women’s Health Magazine, "We were kind of lip syncing the entire song as we were running down the road. There were about 100 extras—and Chris Pratt and me." (02/04/2018) ⚡AMP

Flanagan goes back to the track this weekend

The 2017 NYC marathon champion will run both a 3000 meters and 5000 meters this indoor season, as she prepares for the 2018 BAA Boston Marathon. Per our friend, and fellow member of SlapCentral, Paul Merca, noted that Shalane is racing over 3000 meters at the UW Indoor Preview. The UW Indoor Preview always has some amazing races. Paul noted that Lopez Lomong racing the mile and Andy Bumbalough is racing the 3000 meters. Shalane Flanagan is head lining one of the most impressive American fields. (01/11/2018) ⚡AMP

Shalane Flanagan Has To Be The Most Admired Runner Of 2017

Shalane Flanagan Posted this on her Instagram page, “2017 brought me lots of tears, some sad and some happy. I’m grateful for it all and to share it with those I love. My wish for myself and everyone in 2018 is that we all get a moment where we are so overcome with joy and happiness that we are brought to our knees......because our dreams became reality. Everything you want is in front of you. Go get it! (12/31/2017) ⚡AMP