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Jepkesho favorite to clinch Sunday's Gold Coast Marathon title

Seoul Marathon's second runner-up Visiline Jepkesho will start as the favorite in the elite women’s race on Sunday during the Gold Coast Marathon on the Eastern Coast of Australia.

Jepkesho is competing in her second marathon this year after finishing third in South Korea with a time of 2:22:52 on March 17.

The 34-year-old also boasts victories from the 2018 Rotterdam Marathon, where she clocked 2:23:47 and the 2016 Paris Marathon (2:25:53).

She also placed third in the 2015 edition of the Paris Marathon clocking 2:24:44 and placed second at the 2017 Istanbul Marathon (2:22:40).

Other top performances include the 2019 Nagoya women’s Marathon (2:22:58) and the 2017 Lille Half Marathon (1:08:12).

The seasoned long-distance runner will face stiff competition from Japan’s Rie Kawauchi and Misato Horie.

Kawauchi boasts titles from the Nagano Marathon (2:33:16) and last year’s Tokushima Marathon (2:33:50).

Horie is the 2016 Gold Coast champion, where she claimed the title in a time of 2:26:40. She also holds a title from the 2022 Osaka Marathon (2:32:10).

Jepkesho will be joined by compatriot Irene Jerobon, the Castellon Marathon runner-up (2:30:51).

She is also the Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes Marathon champion with a time of 2:41:18. Milly Clark, the 2021 Melbourne Marathon champion, will be seeking to make a mark for the host nation.

Clark’s achievements include winning the 2021 Launceston Half Marathon (1:11:09) and securing silver at the 2019 Oceania Marathon (2:28:08) and 2017 Gold Coast Half Marathon (1:11:15).

The men’s field will be spearheaded by 2015 Praha Marathon Champion Felix Kandie.

Organizers termed the men’s race as the strongest in the event’s history with 12 athletes having run sub 2:10 times.

“ Twelve male athletes have sub 2:10 performances. This will be the strongest field to ever jump to the starting gun in the 44-year history of the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon,” the statement from the organizers read.

Kandie is a silver medalist in the 2017 Seoul Marathon (2:06:03) as well as the 2016 edition of the Praha Marathon (2:08:14).

He is a bronze medalist at the 2015 Valencia Marathon (2:07:07) and the 2018 Toronto Waterfront Marathon (2:08:30).

Kandie will be joined by fellow Kenyans Timothy Kattam, the 2023 Milano Marathon silver medalist (2:07:53), Geoffrey Birgen and Kenneth Omulo.

Japan’s Yuki Kawauchi, the 2016 Gold Coast runner-up (2:09:01), will provide formidable competition along with Uganda’s Kibet Soyekwo, the 2013 Dronten Half Marathon champion (1:03:45) and Ethiopia’s Belay Tilahun.

(08/01/2024) Views: 225 ⚡AMP
by Teddy Mulei

Timothy Kattam and Yuki Nakamura secured the victory in the Gold Coast Marathon

A diminutive 23-year-old Japanese surprise packet today smashed the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon women’s race record, stunningly in just her second marathon.

Yuki Nakamura came into Sunday’s race at the lower end of the top 10 but turned the form guide upside down with a 2:24:22 run that eclipsed American Lindsay Flanagan’s race record of 2:24:43 set in 2022 by 21 seconds.

It was the third fastest women’s marathon time on Australian soil, the other two fastest achieved by the gold and silver medalists at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Ethiopia’s Kumeshi Sichala (2:25:25) and pre-race favourite Kenyan Visiline Jepkesho (2:26:17) took the minor placings.

Nakamura’s out-of-a-hat record was achieved on a perfect-for-running Gold Coast morning alongside a record 10,000-plus fellow marathoners who competed on the day.

The men’s event was taken by Kenya’s Timothy Kattam in 2:08:52, six seconds ahead of Ethiopian Belay Tilahun (2:08:58) and Japan’s Kiyoshi Koga (2:09:22).

Nakamura said she had a slightly more conservative target time on the start line.

“I was aiming for a 2:26 result, that was my objective, however, to come here and win the race, I am so happy with the result,” she said.

Nakamura said she went with the early pace.

“In the beginning, it was faster than I anticipated but I was feeling great and enjoying the ambiance of the Gold Coast, so I just went for it and then I realised there was nobody else around and I was winning.

“At the 30km mark I wanted to drop off the group, but then it was downhill, so I tried to hang in there and catch up on the speed and when I got to the 35/36km mark it was good and I made my move.

“I have no idea how this feeling is, however later on I will feel the power of standing on the top step of the podium,” she said.

Second place Sichala said she was happy to achieve a personal best at her first ASICS Gold Coast Marathon.

“My race went to plan, it was good, and I am very happy,” she said

“I loved the people cheering along the course and I will come back to the Gold Coast again,” she said.

Jepkesho was happy enough with her debut appearance on the Gold Coast

“It wasn’t my personal best, but I felt good,” she said.

Men’s champion Kattam said he surprised himself with his first run in Australia.

“This is my first time coming to Australia, I am so grateful for today’s race, it was fantastic; I like the course, everything was well, I am very happy for the day. “It was about the win, [and] we were very tight over the ASICS athletes, it was a very tough race.

“[Our team tactics] come out during training and that is what motivates us,” he said.

“The pace was 3:01, 3:02, but then it went to 3:07 and that is when I decided to make a move, to control the speed, “This is a very good season for me; today I wanted to try for a podium, but I didn’t expect to win today’s race and I am very happy, and I am looking to be back in Australia next year,” he said.

Tilahun was happy with his run. “It was a personal best for me, so how can you not be happy with that?”

Third place Koga wanted to do it his way. “The last few races I haven’t done well in the marathon, so I just wanted to run the way it should be and stay steady and this was the result,” he said.

“The winner last year was Japanese, so I was aiming for first place but at least I am on the podium and for that I am grateful.

“Many people were cheering, and it was a really fun and enjoyable run,” he said.

The best Australian in the men’s race was Liam Boudin (2:13:56) who was eighth overall in his debut marathon while Victorian Sarah Klein (2:31:58) was the first Australian woman across the line and fifth overall in the women’s race.

(07/08/2024) Views: 395 ⚡AMP

Yimer and Wereta secure Ethiopian double in Seoul

Jemal Yimer prevailed after a sprint finish in the men’s race, while Fikrte Wereta claimed a clear women’s race win to secure an Ethiopian double at the Seoul Marathon on Sunday (17).

It was a first World Athletics Platinum Label road race win for both athletes, two-time world half marathon fourth-place finisher Yimer continuing his marathon journey with an almost three-minute PB of 2:06:08 and Wereta also running a lifetime best of 2:21:32.

The men’s race saw a big group remain together until after 30km, when Yimer formed part of a breakaway group of seven. The 27-year-old had been happy to sit back in the pack up to that point, passing 10km in 29:43 and 20km in 59:54.

The pace remained consistent as he reached 25km in 1:14:37 and 12 athletes were still running together at the 30km mark, hit by the leaders in 1:29:35.

Yimer’s compatriot Guye Adola, the 2021 Berlin Marathon champion, had looked in control to that stage, as he and Kenya’s Mike Kiptum Boit continued to switch the lead. But Adola couldn’t maintain the pace and he was among the athletes to drop back over the next couple of kilometres.

A group of seven forged ahead and six athletes remained together as 35km was reached in 1:44:27.

Yimer still had four others for company as he hit 40km in 1:59:19 alongside his compatriot Balew Yihunie Derseh plus Boit and his Kenyan compatriots Edwin Kiptoo and Rhonzas Lokitam Kilimo.

But after doing much of the leading, Boit could only watch as Kilimo, Kiptoo and Yimer strode ahead.

Timing his kick to perfection, Yimer waited until the final corner to make his move. Glancing over his shoulder, he left Kilimo and Kiptoo behind and punched the air as he crossed the finish line.

He won in 2:06:08, with Kilimo a second behind him and Kiptoo a further second back.

Boit held on for fourth place in 2:06:20, while Derseh was fifth in 2:06:22.

In the women’s race, a nine-strong group running alongside male runners was on sub-2:20 pace for the opening kilometres but the tempo eased as the leaders reached 10km in 33:28, led by Kenya’s Celestine Chepchirchir.

Bahrain’s Desi Jisa Mokonin, looking to regain a title that she won in 2019, also took turns at the front and led as 15km was reached in 50:25 and 20km was passed in 1:07:29.

The main contenders remained together as an eight-strong group hit 30km in 1:41:05 and like in the men’s race, it was at around this stage that a significant move was made.

Jisa and Wereta were joined by Kenya’s Visiline Jepkesho and Ethiopia’s Betelihem Afenigus Yemer in a breakaway group and Wereta looked comfortable as she took her place at the front, with her challengers in single file behind her.

Wereta, Jisa and Yemer passed the 35km mark together in 1:57:42, with Jepkesho 11 seconds back at that point, and then Wereta attacked. She had built a lead of 23 seconds by 40km, passed in 2:13:54, as she was chased by Jisa (2:14:17), Yemer (2:14:43) and Jepkesho (2:15:01).

Wereta continued to stretch her lead and had an advantage of 47 seconds by the finish, which she crossed in 2:21:32. 

Jisa secured the runner up spot in 2:22:19, while Jepkesho passed Yemer in the closing stages to claim third place – 2:22:52 to 2:23:20. Ethiopia’s Yebrgual Melese was fifth in 2:23:43.

(03/17/2024) Views: 543 ⚡AMP

Competitive fields look to make a statement in Seoul

Ethiopia’s Guye Adola and Bahrain’s Desi Mokonin are among the athletes who will be looking to make a mark when they compete in the Seoul Marathon, this year’s sixth World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (17).

While Adola competes in Korea for the first time, Mokonin has the benefit of race experience, as she returns to an event that she won in 2019.

Adola has the fastest PB among the entries, thanks to the 2:03:46 he ran to finish second when making his marathon debut in Berlin in 2017. The 2014 world half marathon bronze medallist returned to win in Berlin in 2021, running 2:05:45 for the third-fastest time of his career so far.

He is back in marathon action for the first time since October, when he placed third in Frankfurt after finishing runner-up in Paris in April.

There are a number of athletes who will want to challenge him in Seoul, where the men’s field features another six sub-2:06 athletes. The course record stands at 2:04:43, achieved by Mosinet Geremew in 2022.

Kenya’s Philimon Kiptoo Kipchumba has won each of the four marathons he has completed so far, most recently winning the Shanghai Marathon in November in a PB of 2:05:35, but he withdrew when defending his Xiamen Marathon title in January.

His compatriot Solomon Kirwa Yego finished third in Shanghai in a PB of 2:05:42 and then placed eighth in Xiamen, while Joel Kemboi Kimurer ran his PB of 2:05:19 in Milan in 2021 and Laban Kipngetich Korir clocked his best of 2:05:41 in Amsterdam in 2022.

Ethiopia’s Derseh Kindie will be looking to build on the PB of 2:05:51 he set in Valencia in December and he’ll be joined on the start line by his compatriots Gebru Redahgne, who finished second in the 2022 Barcelona marathon in 2:05:58, and world half marathon fourth-place finisher Jemal Yimer.

China’s Feng Peiyou and Olonbayar Jamsran of Mongolia will be among those seeking Olympic qualification.

Ethiopia’s Yebrgual Melese is the quickest in the women’s field when it comes to PBs with the 2:19:36 she ran in Dubai in 2018, but the 2015 Chicago Marathon runner up’s last recorded result was a fifth-place finish in the 2020 Xiamen Marathon.

She’s the sole sub-2:20 runner in the women’s race but she will be joined by four others who have dipped under 2:22.

Those include Mokonin, who won the 2019 Seoul Marathon in 2:23:44 and clocked her PB of 2:20:47 in Doha just over a year ago. She ended 2023 with a 2:22:29 performance to finish seventh in Valencia.

Kenya’s Celestine Chepchirchir opens her 2024 campaign after having raced four marathons last year, topped by the 2:20:46 she ran to finish fourth in Valencia. Like Mokonin, she has previously raced in Seoul and it is where she recorded her PB of 2:20:10 set in 2022, when she finished fourth.

She lines up alongside her compatriot Janet Ruguru, who set a PB of 2:23:00 to finish second in Beijing in October and placed third in the Daegu International Marathon in the April.

Sisay Meseret Gola followed her 2:20:50 PB performance in Seville in 2022 with two 2:22 marathons in 2023 – in Osaka and Amsterdam. She withdrew from this year’s Osaka Women's Marathon in January but now returns to action in a field that also features her Ethiopian compatriot Fikrte Wereta, who ended 2023 with a win and a PB in Shenzhen, clocking 2:22:07.

Former Mongolian record-holder Munkhzaya Bayartsogt will be among those hoping to put themselves in the running for a place at the Paris Olympics.

The course record of 2:18:04 was set by Romania’s Joan Chelimo Melly in 2022.

Leading entries

Women

Yebrgual Melese (ETH) 2:19:36

Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:20:10

Desi Mokonin (BRN) 2:20:47

Sisay Meseret Gola (ETH) 2:20:50

Visiline Jepkesho (KEN) 2:21:37

Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:22:07

Sintayehu Tilahun (ETH) 2:22:19

Janet Ruguru (KEN) 2:23:00

Margaret Agai (KEN) 2:23:28

Sifan Melaku (ETH) 2:23:49

Munkhzaya Bayartsogt (MGL) 2:28:03

Marina Khmelevskaya (UZB) 2:29:28

Ayano Ikeuchi (JPN) 2:33:29

Men

Guye Adola (ETH) 2:03:46

Joel Kemboi Kimurer (KEN) 2:05:19

Philimon Kiptoo Kipchumba (KEN) 2:05:35

Laban Kipngetich Korir (KEN) 2:05:41

Solomon Kirwa Yego (KEN) 2:05:42

Derseh Kindie (ETH) 2:05:51

Gebru Redahgne (ETH) 2:05:58

Mark Kiptoo (KEN) 2:06:00

Felix Kandie (KEN) 2:06:03

Mike Kiptum Boit (KEN) 2:06:08

Ashenafi Moges Weldegiorgis (ETH) 2:06:12

Edwin Kiptoo (KEN) 2:06:52

Kibrom Desta Habtu (ETH) 2:07:05

Balew Yihunie Derseh (ETH) 2:07:12

Timothy Kipkorir (KEN) 2:07:53

Rory Linkletter (CAN) 2:08:01

Feng Peiyou (CHN) 2:08:07

Rhonzas Lokitam Kilimo (KEN) 2:08:08

Olonbayar Jamsran (MGL) 2:08:58

Huang Yongzheng (CHN) 2:10:49

Gantulga Dambadarjaa (MGL) 2:11:18

Jemal Yimer (ETH) 2:11:31

Evans Kipchumba (KEN) debut

(03/16/2024) Views: 701 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Defending champion Brimin Misoi and Buzunesh Gudeta take titles at the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon

Brimin Misoi and Buzunesh Gudeta were crowned champions of what proved to be the highest quality race in the history of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon in terms of combined winning times. Misoi of Kenya retained the men’s title in the 40th anniversary event, crossing the finish line in the Festhalle in 2:04:53, the second fastest performance ever in the race’s history. He became the first man since compatriot Wilson Kipsang won two consecutive Mainova Frankfurt Marathon titles, beginning in 2010. The Ethiopians Mulugeta Uma and Guye Adola finished second and third in 2:06:47 and 2:0:7:44 respectively.

 In windy and wet conditions, Buzunesh Gudeta achieved the second fastest women’s time ever in the event with 2:19:27, missing the course record by 17 seconds. Winfridah Moseti made a big improvement on her own personal best to finish second in 2:20:55 while her fellow Kenyan Sharon Arusho also ran her fastest ever marathon for third place in 2:22:07. Five women broke 2:25, making this one of the best women’s races in terms of strength in depth in the race’s history. The first four all set personal bests.

 The combined winning times of the women’s and men’s champions came to 4:24:20, the fastest aggregate time ever in Frankfurt. The 40th anniversary race had 13,258 participants from 115 countries. Taking into account events held in conjunction with the marathon, the organizers had a total of 24,293 participants.

 “I’m very happy with the anniversary edition and take my hat off to our top athletes. Given the conditions, they’ve produced excellent times,” said race director Jo Schindler, while the new co-ordinator of the elite field, Philipp Kopp, taking over the role from his late father Christoph, reflected on a successful start: “Despite the difficult conditions, we’ve seen top level, international performances. That says a lot for Frankfurt and its fast course. From 35 kilometres it wasn’t easy with a headwind and rain and the road surface was also very slippery.”

 Men’s Race

 Brimin Misoi retained his title as Frankfurt champion: “It’s a great feeling to have won here for a second time. From 35 kilometres it was tough,” commented the men’s winner. Last year’s champion triumphed with a personal best of 2:04:53. He was looking to make a decisive move soon after going through halfway in 61:38. When he increased the pace at 23 kilometres, only the Ethiopian Guye Adola was able to go with him. Five kilometres later, Misoi had also dropped him.

 For a long time Brimin Misoi was on schedule to break the course record of 2:03:42, set by Wilson Kipsang in 2011. But in the final five kilometres the weather conditions with wind and increasing rain took their toll. The Kenyan’s victory was, however, never in doubt. By the time he was on the red carpet in the Festhalle, running towards the finish line, he had a lead of almost two minutes.

 Simon Boch of Germany finished as the best European though also with disappointment. In the first half he was on course to run under the Olympic qualifying time of 2:08:10. He went through halfway in 63:59 but by 30 kilometres he had lost time and was then clearly slowing down. “Unfortunately I never felt really good in the race. Our group had broken up by the 30k mark,” explained Boch, who finished ninth in 2:12:32.

 Women’s Race 

Bizunesh Gudeta ran close to the course record with an outstanding performance in the event’s 40th edition. The 26-year-old took a big slice off her personal best with 2:19:27, an improvement of more than three minutes. “I never thought that I could produce a performance like that. I’ve never been so happy.”

Over the second half she increasingly took charge of a tight leading group. Kenya’s Winfridah Moseti was able to stay with her until 25 kilometres. Gudeta then attacked again and from there was unchallenged in the lead and for a time also had her sights on the course record. Ultimately she finished 17 seconds outside Valary Aiyabei’s performance of 2019. That didn’t quell the celebrations inside the Festhalle. Gudeta led the way by dancing, once across the finish line, still wearing one shoe while waving with the other in her hand. There were also strong performances behind her: Winfridah Moseti finished second in 2:20:55 and fellow Kenyans Sharon Arusho and Viola Jelegat Kibiwott took third and fourth in 2:22:07 and 2:22:57 respectively and all setting personal bests.

For much of the race Miriam Dattke of Germany was running the kind of tempo which would bring her a finishing time of 2:24 to 2:25. She went through halfway in 72:11 and was still on that schedule at 30 kilometres. She then slowed markedly over the last 10km but struggled on to finish eleventh in 2:28:12. As with her compatriot Simon Boch among the men, Dattke finished as the leading European woman.

RESULTS

 Results, Men:

 1 Brimin Misoi KEN 2:04:53

2 Mulugeta Uma ETH 2:06:47

3 Guye Adola ETH 2:07:44

4 Albert Kangogo KEN 2:08:10

5 Dominic Letting KEN 2:08:23

6 Isaac Lelei KEN 2:09:32

7 Frederick Kibii KEN 2:09:33

8 Edwin Tuitoek KEN 2:12:16

9 Simon Boch GER 2:12:32

10 Soufiyan Bouqantar MAR 2:12:44

11 Mario Bauernfeind AUT 2:12:49

12 Tom Anderson GBR 2:12:52

 Women:

1 Buzunesh Gudeta ETH 2:19:27

2 Winfridah Moseti KEN 2:20:55

3 Sharon Arusho KEN 2:22:07

4 Viola Kibiwott KEN 2:22:57

5 Agnes Keino KEN 2:23:44

6 Paskalia Jepkogei KEN 2:26:14

7 Visiline Jepkesho KEN 2:26:20

8 Naom Jebet KEN 2:26:48

9 Magdalyne Masai KEN 2:27:19

10 Medina Armino ETH 2:27:54

11 Miriam Dattke GER 2:28:12

12 Viktoriia Kaliuzhna UKR 2:28:23

13 Matea Parlov Kostro CRO 2:28:37

(10/29/2023) Views: 647 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Frankfurt Marathon this Sunday, Kenyans Brimin Misoi and Selly Kaptich top the field

After a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon returned in 2022 with a vengeance. The 2023 edition is happening this Sunday and organizers want the men to run sub 2:06 and the women sub 2:18. They have put up an additional $18,000 USD for the top finishers under those benchmarks.

Men

Last year, Kenyans Brimin Misoi and Selly Kaptich won the 39th edition. The 33-year-old Misoi was a surprise victory running a personal best of 2:06:11. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Kaptich, prevailed with 2:23:11. With very warm temperatures of around 20C during the final part of the race, almost all elite runners could no longer keep up their pace and lost a lot of time.

Sunday’s forecast calls for race start to be 8C with a high of 12C, very light rain and a slight breeze.

For 2023, Misoi renews his rivalry with runner-up Samwel Mailu, the latter arriving in Frankfurt in outstanding form. Among the challengers to both Kenyans should be Guye Adola. The Ethiopian has a personal best of 2:03:46 which makes him among the fastest ever lining up for the Frankfurt Marathon.

Simon Boch is the top German toeing the line. He owns a best of 2:09:25, which the 29-year-old set in Lint, Austria in April this year. Swedish 27-year-old Archie Casteel looks to improve upon his Seville performance earlier this year that earned him his personal best of 2:10:25.

Women

A close contest is also expected in the women’s race with five contenders showing personal bests of under 2:23:00. It has been a while, but Visiline Jepkesho, a Kenyan with a 2:21:37 personal best from Paris in 2017 will toe the line. Magdalyne Masai ran 2:24:10 in Wien this year. She owns a best of 2:26:16 from the 2019 running of the Toronto Marathon.

Nine women have run under 2:25, five sub-2:23. Miriam Dattke is slated to be the top German athlete competing on Sunday. She ran 2:26:50 in Seville last year. Thirty-four-year-old British Athlete Stephanie Twell ran the Frankfurt Marathon in 2019 in the time of 2:26:40 which is her personal best. She placed fourth that year.The latest additions to the line-ups are homegrown with Simon Boch joining the men’s field and Miriam Dattke, fourth in the European Championships in the women’s event last year, both among Germany’s top distance performers. They have every intention of making good use of Frankfurt’s historically fast course in seeking qualification for the Olympic Marathon in Paris next year. In April she ran the Wien Austria marathon in the time of 2:27:13.

(10/28/2023) Views: 679 ⚡AMP
by Christopher Kelsall

The 40th edition of the Mainova Frankfurt marathon is set for Sunday and the course record of 2:03:42 could go down

When the 30th edition of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon took place in 2011, Wilson Kipsang crowned the anniversary with a magnificent course record of 2:03:42. This performance took the Kenyan to number two in the world all-time lists at the time and was only four seconds outside the world record. Since then, no-one has gone close to threatening the course record. But at the next anniversary on Sunday, 12 years on, given the two years missed because of the Corona lockdown, this course record could at last be broken.

If the weather is favourable for the 40th Mainova Frankfurt Marathon, the leading contenders including last year’s champion Brimin Misoi and Vienna Marathon winner Samwel Mailu want to attack this target. The Kenyans know full well that they cannot afford to disregard Guye Adola of Ethiopia, whose personal best of 2:03:46 makes him the fastest man in the field. The women’s race has the makings of a thrilling contest for the title with seven runners who have run between 2:21:00 and 2:24:00. Two from the home contingent will have their sights set on achieving the Olympic qualifying time. Simon Boch and Miriam Dattke have places in the German team for next year’s Olympic Marathon in Paris as their goal.

The event organizers have so far received 23,726 entries from 115 countries. 13,036 of them will run the marathon while there are also races at shorter distances, held in conjunction with the marathon. The race is an Elite Label Road Race, a distinction awarded by World Athletics, the sport’s governing body.

The press conference in Frankfurt started with a minute of silence in memory of Christoph Kopp. The Berliner had died after a short illness on 28th April aged 75. Christoph Kopp was the elite race coordinator of the Frankfurt Marathon for two decades and guided the race into world-class - as he had done with the Berlin Marathon before and a number of other events. „In Christoph we have lost a true friend and the man who developed and shaped the elite races of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon so successfully“, sagte Race Direktor Jo Schindler. 

Men’s race preview: Course record could be challenged

Christoph Kopp’s son Philipp has taken over the role of Elite Race Co-ordinator in Frankfurt. Three of strongest contenders in the men’s elite field had already been recruited by his father for the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon: Brimin Misoi, Samwel Mailu, both from Kenya and Guye Adola of Ethiopia. The latter had to withdraw from the event a few years ago because of injury so this will be his debut in Frankfurt. “We are working towards a halfway split between 61:50 and 62:00 to give the possibility of a course record,” explained Philipp Kopp.

Samwel Mailu has produced outstanding form recently. He won the Vienna City Marathon in April, breaking the course record with his personal best of 2:05:08. He continued by taking the bronze medal at the World Half Marathon Championships in Riga on October 1, again setting a personal best of 59:19. “The field in Frankfurt is very strong but I think I can run 2:04,” he announced. The celebrations back home in Kenya for his bronze medal at the World Half Marathon Championships have been an added incentive: “The messages of congratulation were simply fantastic.” But that didn’t mean he lost his concentration on the job in hand, he has every intention of being first across the finish line in Frankfurt’s Festhalle on Sunday.

Guye Adola (2:03:46 pb), Brimin Misoi (2:06:11) and the Ethiopian duo of Mulugeta Uma (2:06:07) and Abdi Kebede (2:06:43) will have to be on their best form to prevent Samwel Mailu winning. Adola certainly sounded confident: “I think I can run a very good time. If the pacemakers and other runners run fast, I don’t see any reason why I cannot run 2:03. As for qualifying for the Olympics, there’s not a leading Ethiopian runner who doesn’t have that as their goal – but, ultimately, it depends on the national federation.” Should the 2021 Berlin Marathon winner run in the region of his personal best, he would have a chance of booking his place for the Olympics. Brimin Misoi is also ready for a fast marathon: “I have trained very well and want to beat my personal best.”

The Olympic Games are also the top target for Simon Boch. The leading German male runner has a best of 2:09:25, achieved in winning the Linz title in spring but he needs to run under 2:08:10. “I will either run a high 2:07 or end up on a bench around 35 k,“ said Simon Boch.

Women’s Race: Kenyans are favourites

The compact but high-quality women’s field shows every chance of producing a thrilling contest. “I hope that a big group can stay together for a long time and help each other,” said Philipp Kopp. Among the genuine favourites is Magdalyne Masai of Kenya, who showed plenty of confidence when assessing her prospects: “I have had the best preparation ever for a marathon in my career.” She had more than role model for inspiration in her family. Sister Linet won the 10,000m title at the World Championships in Berlin in 2009 and her brother Moses took the bronze at the same distance in the men’s event.

“I had role models in my family and that gave me confidence. Above all, the performances of my sister because it’s not always easy for a woman in elite level sport. I said to myself, if she can do it, so can I.” Then there was the support from a ten-strong training group. Among them is Rosemary Wanjiru, who won this year’s Tokyo Marathon with an outstanding time of 2:16:28.

Magdalyne Masai, just as her compatriot and Frankfurt rival Visiline Jepkesho, has returned to marathon training and competition this year after maternity leave. “It was hard to come back after having a child,” said Jepkesho, whose youngest of two sons is now two years and three months. “I feel very good and am ready to run in the fastest group,” said the 33-year-old. Her personal best of 2:21:37, set six years ago, makes her the fastest woman in the field. Also in excellent form are two more Kenyans, Agnes Keino and Winfridah Moseti.

A similar form of co-operation may well happen between Miriam Dattke and Matea Parlov Kostro on Sunday. The former, the leading German runner in the field, achieved a surprise fourth place at the European Championships last year. She has a personal best of 2:26:50. Her target in Frankfurt is 2:24. This could secure her a place on the Olympic Marathon team. Parlov Kostro from Croatia, who won a silver medal at the same championships in Munich, improved her best to 2:25:45 with victory at the Hanover Marathon in spring. She is aiming to go through halfway on Sunday in 72:00. “I’m in better form than ever, my performances in training are stronger than before the European Championships,” said Matea Parlov Kostro, who has already achieved Olympic qualification.

Elite runners with personal bests

MEN: 

Guye Adola ETH 2:03:46

Samwel Mailu KEN 2:05:08

Mulugeta Uma ETH 2:06:07

Brimin Misoi KEN 2:06:11

Abdi Kebede ETH 2:06:43

Titus Kipkosgei KEN 2:07:46

Albert Kangogo KEN 2:07:48

Frederick Kibii KEN 2:08:09

Dominic Letting KEN 2:09:16

Simon Boch GER 2:09:25

Yimer Getahun ISR 2:09:27

Bukayaw Malede ISR 2:09:28

Soufiyan Bouqantar MAR 2:09:54

Tesema Moges ISR 2:10:31

Archie Casteel SWE 2:10:49

Tom Anderson GBR 2:12:07

Dominic Kiptarus KEN 2:12:46

Mario Bauernfeind AUT 2:15:34

Thorben Dietz GER 2:19:20

Andreas Vojta AUT 2:19:27

Isaac Lelei KEN Debut

WOMEN:

Visiline Jepkesho KEN 2:21:37

Magdalyne Masai KEN 2:22:16

Buzunesh Gudeta ETH 2:22:38

Paskalia Jepkogei KEN 2:22:47

Meseret Meleka ETH 2:22:52

Agnes Keino KEN 2:23:26

Winfridah Moseti KEN 2:23:38

Naom Jebet KEN 2:24:33

Viola Kibiwott KEN 2:24:54

Sharon Arusho KEN 2:25:20

Matea Parlov Kostro CRO 2:25:45

Medina Armino ETH 2:26:12

Miriam Dattke GER 2:26:50

Viktoriia Kaliuzhna UKR 2:27:05

Tereza Hrochova CZE 2:29:06

Kinsey Middleton CAN 2:29:22

(10/27/2023) Views: 628 ⚡AMP

Elite runners prepare for 40th anniversary Frankfurt Marathon

Guye Adola and defending champion Brimin Misoi join field – Visiline Jepkesho will run too.

Guye Adola has joined the starting line-up for the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday, October 29. The Ethiopian of proven world-class for the event, winner of the Berlin Marathon in 2021 when he left the great Kenenisa Bekele trailing, has a best of 2:03:46 to his credit.

Among his rivals in Frankfurt will be the defending champion Brimin Misoi of Kenya and the latter’s compatriot Samwel Mailu who finished runner-up last year. The fastest woman on the current start list is also a Kenyan, Visiline Jepkesho, with a personal best of 2:21:37.

“I’m expecting a first-class race at our jubilee edition,” said the race director Jo Schindler. Germany’s oldest city marathon will celebrate its 40th edition on Sunday, October 29.

The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon is on course to maintain its reputation for strong performances among the elite and high numbers for the mass field with around 25,000 runners expected to take part on the last Sunday in October. The event holds an Elite Road Race Label, awarded by World Athletics, the sport’s governing body. Entries are still available at www.frankfurt-marathon.com

Guye Adola is the fastest man in the field of the current entries. His personal best of 2:03:46 was all the more impressive since he ran it on his debut at the distance in Berlin in 2017. Increasing his prestige still further, he finished second to the great Eliud Kipchoge and had led the great Kenyan until almost 40 kilometers. The greatest triumph of his career – so far – has also been in Berlin when he won the event two years ago in 2:05:45, a performance of special merit in warm conditions and leaving another all-time great, Kenenisa Bekele, well behind. A spate of injuries has prevented Adola from achieving his obvious aim of improving his personal best and adding to his success.

Brimin Misoi won the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon last year in impressive style, running a personal best of 2:06:11 which took him just over a minute clear of Samwel Mailu on the race to the finish in the Festhalle. The latter, whose entry for this year in Frankfurt had already been confirmed, has shown excellent current form. On April 23 he won the Vienna Marathon in a personal best and course record of 2:05:08. This places him tenth on times for the marathon rankings for 2023.

One of the leading contenders for the women’s title also has a victory in Vienna to her credit: Magdalyne Masai of Kenya ran 2:24:12 to win the title in April but her personal best of 2:22:16 comes from winning in Toronto in 2019. The fastest woman in the field in the current line-up is Visiline Jepkesho, also from Kenya, though her best of 2:21:37 goes back almost a decade to a fourth place in Paris in 2014.

Both will have to keep a sharp eye on Buzunesh Gudeta. The Ethiopian finished fourth in Barcelona in 2:22:38 in March. Another athlete to note is the European silver medalist in the marathon, Matea Parlov Kostro, whose participation has already been announced. The runner from Croatia set a personal best with victory in Hanover in spring with 2:25:45, continuing her upward trend.

(09/13/2023) Views: 715 ⚡AMP
by AIMS

Norway’s Sondre Moen and Visiline Jepkesho of Kenya head the start lists of Vienna Marathon 2023

Fine elite fields have been assembled for the Vienna City Marathon, which will be staged for the 40th time on 23rd April.

Norway’s Sondre Moen and Visiline Jepkesho of Kenya head the start lists of the jubilee edition. The Vienna City Marathon is Austria’s biggest one-day sporting event and the only road race in the country that features a World Athletics Elite Label. Including races at shorter distances organisers have now registered more than 38,000 entries. Over 9,000 of them will run the classic distance.

The men’s field includes eleven athletes with personal bests of sub 2:10. While Sondre Moen features the fastest personal best with a time of 2.05:48 the Norwegian former European record holder will concentrate on running a solid sub 2:10 race to come back from a less successful period. Therefore Abdi Fufa and Bethwel Yegon, who have both been added to the field in recent days, as well as Samwel Mailu and Titus Kimutai are more likely regarded as favorites.

Ethiopia’s Fufa has a PB of 2:05:57 from 2021 and knows the Vienna City Marathon well. He placed tenth here a year ago with 2:10:32. Bethwel Yegon is the fastest Kenyan on the start list and is said to be in fine form. He ran 2:06:14 in 2021 when he surprised with a second place in Berlin. Samwel Mailu looks well placed for a personal best. The Kenyan ran 2:07:19 in Frankfurt for the runner-up position last October. It was an unexpected marathon debut by Mailu since he was originally entered as a pacemaker. Fellow-Kenyan Titus Kimutai ran his marathon debut last autumn as well. He clocked 2:08:31 and was seventh in Linz, Austria. Germany’s Sebastian Hendel is among those athletes looking to break 2:10 for the first time. Andreas Vojta of Austria might also target such a result.

Kenya’s Charles Ndiema and Ser-Od Bat-Ochir of Mongolia as well as Ethiopia’s women only 5k world record holder Senbere Teferi had to withdraw from the race recently. However the women’s elite field of the Vienna City Marathon looks strong. Ten athletes have personal bests of sub 2:30 and four of them have already run faster than 2:23:30.

The former Paris and Rotterdam Marathon champion Visiline Jepkesho is the fastest woman in the field with a PB of 2:21:37. It looks likely that a Kenyan women will win the Vienna City Marathon for a sixth time in a row since the next couple of athletes on the entry list are also from Kenya. Magdalyne Masai (PB: 2:22:16), Rebecca Tanui (2:23:09) and Agnes Keino (2:23:26) should be among the contenders in Vienna. Fellow-Kenyan Caroline Jepchirchir hopes to improve her PB of 2:26:11 and could be among the top finishers. Poland’s Angelika Mach and Branna MacDougall of Canada are the fastest non-African runners on the list with PBs of 2:27:48 and 2:28:36 respectively. Julia Mayer of Austria is expected to perform well and might achieve a time of around 2:30:00.

(04/15/2023) Views: 904 ⚡AMP
by AIMS

Kenyan Magdalene Masai will be going for the win at the Vienna City Marathon on April 23

Fresh from finishing third at the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon, Magdalene Masai will be chasing the Vienna City Marathon on April 23 in Vienna, Austria.

Sharpening her skills in Iten in Elgeyo Marakwet county, the youngest of the Masai running siblings, said she hopes she will run well and earn a slot for Team Kenya at the 2023 World Athletics Championships later in the year in Budapest, Hungary.

“Training is going on well in Iten and I hope to post my personal best in Vienna on my debut in a  race that has been dominated by Kenyans,” said Masai.

Currently enjoying a personal best of 2:22.16 set in 2019 with victory at the Toronto Marathon, Masai said if she runs well, she is likely to land a place in the Kenya team to Budapest.

“I last represented the country in the 2015 Africa Championships, where I finished 4th in the 3,000m steeplechase. This is an opportunity for me to win the confidence of the Kenyan athletics authority,” said Masai.

Kenyans have won Vienna 17 times in the men's cadre and nine in the women's since the inception of the race in 1984.

The title is currently held by Vibian Chepirui, who won both the 2021 and 2022 titles while Cosmas Matolo is the men's champion.

“ Kenyans have in the past performed well in the race and it's because of this that we are always invited for the race. I want to run well on my debut in the race to enter history books,” she said.

The Mount Elgon-born athlete in Bungoma county returned into action last year after maternity leave, where she finished 4th in Toronto Marathon.

She then finished third in the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon where Kenyan Dorcas Tuitoek and Kenyan-born Israeli Lonah Salpeter took the top two positions.

“On my return, I did not manage to run well but at the moment, I have trained well for the championships,” she said.

Masai will be up against fellow Kenyan Visiline Jepkesho as well as Ethiopian Senbere Teferi and home girl Julia Mayer. 

 

(03/21/2023) Views: 802 ⚡AMP
by Emmanuel Sabuni

Senbere Teferi, the 5k world record holder, is among a group of African runners who form a strong women’s elite field at the Vienna City Marathon

Senbere Teferi, the 5k world record holder, is among a group of African runners who form a strong women’s elite field at the Vienna City Marathon. Austria’s major road running event will be staged for the 40th time and it could well be the women who produce the headlines at the jubilee edition on April 23rd.The current course record of 2:20:59 will be a target if weather conditions are suitable on the day. Organisers of the Vienna City Marathon, which is the only World Athletics Elite Label Road Race in Austria, expect to register around 35,000 entries for their event. This includes races at shorter distances staged parallel to the marathon. Registration for all races is still possible at: www.vienna-marathon.com

Teferi brings plenty of promising speed to the marathon. The 27-year-old Ethiopian clocked 14:29 in a 5k race in Herzogenaurach (Germany) in 2021. This time still stands as a world record in a women-only race. So far Teferi could not transform her speed to the marathon. However she is eager to change this in Vienna this spring. “It is my aim to smash my personal best and win the race,“ said Teferi, who will run her third marathon in the Austrian capital. Back in 2018 she ran her debut in Dubai in 2:24:11 and then she clocked 2:25:22 in Tokyo in 2020. However her half-marathon PB of 65:32 indicates that Teferi, who won silver medals at the World Cross Country Championships and in the 5,000m final of the World Championships in 2015, should be capable of running significantly quicker.  

Running a faster time is one thing, winning is another. The Vienna City Marathon will provide quite a challenge for her. There are four Kenyans in the women’s field who have run faster in the marathon than the Ethiopian. Visiline Jepkesho, Magdalyne Masai, Rebecca Tanui and Agnes Keino. They intend to add to Kenya’s Vienna win streak. In the past five editions of the VCM the women’s winner was Kenyan. A year ago Chepkirui broke the course record with a time of 2:20:59. 

Jepkesho is the fastest on the current women’s start list with a personal best of 2:21:37. The 33-year-old has plenty of experience in the marathon and will start a comeback in Vienna after giving birth to her two sons. She ran her PB when finishing fourth in Paris in 2017. Visiline Jepkesho has run four sub 2:23 marathons and took major victories in Rotterdam (2018) and Paris (2016). 

Magdalyne Masai is another athlete who recently came back from maternity leave and who has been successful before the break. In 2019 she took the Toronto Marathon with a personal best of 2:22:16. Little over a week ago the 29-year-old showed fine form, when she clocked a half marathon PB of 67:07 in the Rome Ostia race finishing third. 

Rebecca Tanui and Agnes Keino will travel to Vienna full of confidence, since both of them won their autumn marathon race with personal bests. Tanui triumphed in San Sebastián in 2:23:09 while Keino smashed the course record of the Munich Marathon with 2:23:26, leaving behind the former World Marathon Champion Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia. Keino then also won the Buri Ram Marathon in Thailand in January in 2:28:08, smashing another course record.

(03/18/2023) Views: 868 ⚡AMP
by Christopher Kelsall

Vienna City Marathon's strong women's field set for April 23rd

Women’s field includes 5k world record holder Senbere Teferi

Senbere Teferi, the 5k world record holder, is among a group of African runners who form a strong women’s elite field at the Vienna City Marathon. Austria’s major road running event will be staged for the 40th time and it could well be the women who produce the headlines at the jubilee edition on 23rd April.

The current course record of 2:20:59 will be a target if weather conditions are suitable on the day. Organisers of the Vienna City Marathon, which is the only World Athletics Elite Label Road Race in Austria, expect to register around 35,000 entries for their event. This includes races at shorter distances staged parallel to the marathon. Registration for all races is still possible at: www.vienna-marathon.com

Senbere Teferi brings plenty of promising speed to the marathon. The 27 year-old Ethiopian clocked 14:29 in a 5k race in Herzogenaurach (Germany) in 2021. This time still stands as a world record in a women only race. So far Senbere Teferi could not transform her exciting speed to the marathon.

However she is eager to change this in Vienna this spring. “It is my aim to smash my personal best and win the race,“ said Senbere Teferi, who will run her third marathon in the Austrian capital. Back in 2018 she ran her debut in Dubai in 2:24:11 and then she clocked 2:25:22 in Tokyo in 2020. However her half marathon PB of 65:32 indicates that Senbere Teferi, who won silver medals at the World Cross Country Championships and in the 5,000 m final of the World Championships in 2015, should be capable of running significantly quicker.

Running a faster time is one thing, winning is another. The Vienna City Marathon will provide quite a challenge for Senbere Teferi. There are four Kenyans in the women’s field who have run faster in the marathon than the Ethiopian. Visiline Jepkesho, Magdalyne Masai, Rebecca Tanui and Agnes Keino intend to add to Kenya’s Vienna win streak. In the past five editions of the VCM the women’s winner was always a Kenyan. A year ago Vibian Chepkirui broke the course record with a time of 2:20:59.

Visiline Jepkesho is the fastest on the current women’s start list with a personal best of 2:21:37. The 33 year-old has plenty of experience in the marathon and will start a comeback in Vienna after giving birth to her two sons. She ran her PB when finishing fourth in Paris in 2017. Visiline Jepkesho has run four sub 2:23 marathons and took major victories in Rotterdam (2018) and Paris (2016).

Magdalyne Masai is another athlete who recently came back from maternity leave and who has been successful before the break. In 2019 she took the Toronto Marathon with a personal best of 2:22:16. Little over a week ago the 29 year-old showed fine form, when she clocked a half marathon PB of 67:07 in the Rome Ostia race finishing third.

Rebecca Tanui and Agnes Keino will travel to Vienna full of confidence, since both of them won their autumn marathon race with personal bests. Tanui triumphed in San Sebastián in 2:23:09 while Keino smashed the course record of the Munich Marathon with 2:23:26, leaving behind the former World Marathon Champion Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia. Keino then also won the Buri Ram Marathon in Thailand in January in 2:28:08, smashing another course record.

 

(03/15/2023) Views: 766 ⚡AMP
by David Monti

Kenyans Benson Kipruto and Lucy Cheruiyot reign supreme at Guadalajara Half Marathon

Benson Kipruto and Lucy Cheruiyot began their 2020 season on a high note by taking the top honors at the 34th Electrolit Guadalajara Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label road race on Sunday, although the course records set one year ago remained intact.

With ideal conditions for long distance running, clear skies and temperatures hovering at 10 C, a pack of over dozen men covered the initial 5km in just under 15 minutes. As they hit the 10km mark in 29:40, it signaled the course record of 1:01:48, set by Kenya’s Mathew Kisorio last year, would be hard to beat.

Thirty-five minutes into the race, the lead group was reduced to five: Kenya’s Jeoffrey Kimutai, Kipruto, Cosmas Birech, Peru's Ulises Martin and Mexico’s two-time winner and two-time Olympic finalist Juan Luis Barrios.

Barrios remained with the three Kenyans at 15km, but Kimutai left Kipruto soon after. As they entered the home stretch, Kimutai moved to the front but Kipruto bided his time and launched his sprint in the last 20 meters to secure the victory in 1:02:13, a personal best over the distance for the 2019 Toronto Marathon champion. Barrios completed the podium with 1:02:27 as he prepares for the London Marathon.

In the women’s race, a Kenyan quartet soon made a statement as they moved to the front in the first kilometers. Cheruiyot was joined by her countrywomen Winfridah Moraa, Margaret Agai, Visiline Jepkesho and Ethiopia’s Belaynesh Oljira.

The group remained compact until the 15km marker, when Cheruiyot and Oljira moved away for good, setting the stage for a battle to determine the 2020 winner.

Cheruiyot launched her attack in the last 400m, but Oljira could not respond and was content to settle for second. The 23-year old Kenyan crossed the finish line in 1:10:52, four seconds ahead of the Ethiopian. Moraa completed the podium with 1:11:14.

The course and Mexican all-comers’ record of 1:08:53, set by Ethiopia’s Afera Godfay Berha in 2019, remained intact.

Vianey De La Rosa was the first Mexican to cross the finish line in sixth in 1:12:52, her fastest time in four years, guaranteeing a spot on her national team for the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, on 29 March.

The 34th edition of the race, powered by Granvita, drew close to 14,000 runners in celebration of Guadalajara’s 478th anniversary of its foundation.

(02/17/2020) Views: 1,718 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Course and Mexican all-comers’ records under threat at Guadalajara Half Marathon

Kenya’s Geoffrey Koech, Shadrack Korir, Lucy Cheruiyot and Perine Nengampi lead the Kenyan contingent aiming to rewrite the course and Mexican All-comers’ records at the 34th Electrolit Guadalajara Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday.

Almost a month after running personal bests under 60 minutes in Houston, Korir (59:27) and Koech (59:36) will now target the course record of 1:01:48, set by their countryman Mathew Kisorio last year. The fastest half marathon run on Mexican soil is 1:01:27 by Simon Biwott in 1999.

Two more Kenyans, Benson Kipruto, a 2:05:13 marathoner, and Cosmas Kipchoge, who boasts a personal best of 1:00:06, are also top contenders for the podium. 

Ethiopia’s Haymanot Alewe will try to spoil a Kenyan medal sweep. A 1:00:26 runner over the distance, the 22-year-old showed his fine early season form with a 28:17 10km in Thailand on 26 January. 

Two-time Olympic finalist and two-time winner Juan Luis Barrios (2015-2016) carries the Mexican hopes in the elite race. He finished fifth in 2019.

In the women’s race, Lucy Cheruiyot is well positioned to threaten the Mexican all-comers’ and course record of 1:08:53, set by Ethiopia’s Afera Godfay Berha last year. The 23-year-old has run faster six times in her career, twice in 2017 when she set her personal best of 1:07:23 and more recently last October when winning the Cardiff Half Marathon in 1:08:20.

Her fellow Kenyan Perine Nengampi, a 1:08:04 half marathoner, will join her in trying to regain the top spot on the podium for the country, but Abeba Gebremeskel, who shows a marathon lifetime best of 2:22:29, will try to keep the trophy in Ethiopian hands. 

Three other sub-70 minute Kenyans, Margaret Agai (1:09:43), Visiline Jepkesho (1:08:12) and Winfridah Moseti (1:08:44) should also feature prominently on Sunday.

Mexico’s Madai Perez, the fastest Spanish speaking woman over the marathon distance (2:22:59), returns to Guadalajara after missing the 2019 edition. The 40-year old has stepped on the podium seven times, including wins in 2003 and 2006.

The 34th edition of the race, powered by Granvita, celebrates Guadalajara’s 478th anniversary of its foundation. A Marathon Parade with 21 sculptures representing the race’s 21 kilometres, will also grace the 34th edition. This urban art exhibit will be displayed throughout a month, before moving to other Mexican cities.

(02/14/2020) Views: 1,850 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Kenyan Felix Kimutai set a course record of 2:09:57 at the Istanbul Marathon last year, and this year he aims to retain Instanbul Marathon title

The 30-year-old won the Dongying Marathon earlier this year in 2:09:23, taking more than half a minute off his previous PB set when winning in Istanbul 12 months ago. But he may need to produce another lifetime best if he is to become the first back-to-back men’s winner since 2011.

Former track specialist Yitayal Atnafu of Ethiopia is the fastest in the field, having clocking 2:07:00 in Paris last year. The 26-year-old returned to the French capital earlier this year and recorded a season’s best of 2:08:31.

Based on this year’s times, Turkey’s Polat Kemboi Arikan leads the field. The two-time European 10,000m champion set a PB of 2:08:14 in Paris back in April, finishing just ahead of Atnafu, but earlier this month he withdrew from the marathon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.

Aside from Kimutai, two other men in the field know what it’s like to triumph in Istanbul. 2016 winner Evans Kiplagat of Azerbaijan and 2015 champion Elias Chelimo – both sub-2:08 performers at their best – return to the Turkish city. Kiplagat also recently withdrew from the World Championships marathon, while Chelimo has a season’s best of 2:11:41, set in Hong Kong.

Fellow Kenyans Cosmas Birech, Joseph Aperumoi and Hillary Kipchumba all have PBs inside 2:09 and so have the ability to contend for a podium finish. And watch out for Bahrain’s Abdi Ali Gelchu and Ethiopia’s Musa Babo, who have been in PB form this year, clocking 2:09:44 and 2:09:55 respectively.

Three pacemakers will lead the field through 30km on schedule for a 2:09 finish, so it’s possible that Kimutai’s course record could fall on Sunday.

Visiline Jepkesho has the strongest credentials of the entrants in the women’s race. The 29-year-old has the fastest PB (2:21:37) and season’s best (2:22:58) and outside of major championships has finished in the top four in all of her marathons to date.

Former track specialist Yitayal Atnafu of Ethiopia is the fastest in the field, having clocking 2:07:00 in Paris last year. The 26-year-old returned to the French capital earlier this year and recorded a season’s best of 2:08:31.

Based on this year’s times, Turkey’s Polat Kemboi Arikan leads the field. The two-time European 10,000m champion set a PB of 2:08:14 in Paris back in April, finishing just ahead of Atnafu, but earlier this month he withdrew from the marathon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.

Aside from Kimutai, two other men in the field know what it’s like to triumph in Istanbul. 2016 winner Evans Kiplagat of Azerbaijan and 2015 champion Elias Chelimo – both sub-2:08 performers at their best – return to the Turkish city. Kiplagat also recently withdrew from the World Championships marathon, while Chelimo has a season’s best of 2:11:41, set in Hong Kong.

Fellow Kenyans Cosmas Birech, Joseph Aperumoi and Hillary Kipchumba all have PBs inside 2:09 and so have the ability to contend for a podium finish. And watch out for Bahrain’s Abdi Ali Gelchu and Ethiopia’s Musa Babo, who have been in PB form this year, clocking 2:09:44 and 2:09:55 respectively.

Three pacemakers will lead the field through 30km on schedule for a 2:09 finish, so it’s possible that Kimutai’s course record could fall on Sunday.

Visiline Jepkesho has the strongest credentials of the entrants in the women’s race. The 29-year-old has the fastest PB (2:21:37) and season’s best (2:22:58) and outside of major championships has finished in the top four in all of her marathons to date.

But Jepkesho, who represented Kenya at the 2016 Olympics, contested the marathon at the World Championships just five weeks ago, finishing a respectable 15th in 2:46:38, so she may not be at her freshest on Sunday.

Merima Mohammed’s PB of 2:23:06 was set back in 2010, but the Bahraini runner is still highly competitive. She has a season’s best of 2:27:34 and won the Jilin Marathon in June.

Ethiopian duo Hirut Tibebu and Fatuma Sado are also expected to challenge. Tibebu finished second in Seoul in March, beating Mohammed and coming within 30 seconds of her PB with 2:24:05. Sado, meanwhile, is a 2:24:16 performer at her best and will be keen to improve on her third-place finish from Istanbul last year.

Three other women in the field head to Istanbul off the back of recent lifetime bests. Kenya’s Angela Tanui and Maurine Chepkemoi clocked respective PBs of 2:25:37 and 2:26:16 in Vienna seven months ago, while Ethiopia’s Sifan Melaku ran a PB of 2:26:46 in Seville in February.

The pacemaker in the women’s race will aim to put the leading athletes on schedule for a 2:21 finish.

(11/01/2019) Views: 2,160 ⚡AMP
by IAAF

Two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat will lead Kenya's women team in the Doha world championship

At 39, two-time marathon World Champion Edna Kiplagat is going for gold and nothing less in the forthcoming Doha edition, having narrowly missed the title in 2017.

Kiplagat will lead a strong team that has Ruth Chepng’etich and Visiline Jepkesho in clean podium sweep mission, admitting Doha is not the best place for records but titles.

The London 2017 silver medalist and former New York marathon champion interestingly says she eyes up to 2021 world championships glory, when she will be 41.

The women marathon team will to open Kenya’s medal hunt, when they hit the road shortly after the opening ceremony at the Khalifa International Stadium, on September 27.

The 2017 Boston Marathon champion is set to make history as the first woman to win the world title three times. She is however conscious of the tough conditions expected in Doha.

“We are preparing well so far. We have done a few changes in training our training program because we are told the will be too much heat in Doha. We are therefore training hard in the day to get ready for the conditions there,” said Kiplagat.

With her personal best time of 2:19.50 set during the London Marathon in 2012, the former New York City Marathon champion is however not looking to better her time in Doha.

“In 2017 I tried my best, my target was to make history and win the third gold but fatigue derailed me in the last kilometers. This year I want to bring home the gold medal, the rest can come as a plus,” explained a confident Kiplagat.

The Daegu 2011 and Moscow 2013 marathon queen thinks she has unfinished business at the Worlds, and can do more beyond the Doha edition.

“I still believe I have energy to compete up to 2021, so Doha is not the last stop. If I make it there I can still push further in the next edition,” the decorated runner revealed.

She says a six-year wait for another gold is long enough and hopes to culminate into a glamorous end, after her dream for a third title was quashed by Kenyan born Bahrain’s Rose Chelimo in London.

“I leave it all to God, I believe in this team and with good team work we can conquer the world gain,” concluded Kiplagat, who almost quit after the 2017 loss.

(09/17/2019) Views: 2,474 ⚡AMP
by Philip Muchiri

The allure of a back-to-back win for Geoffrey Kirui and a third win for Edna Kiplagat will inspire the Kenyan team to dominate the World Championships in Doha, Qatar

The final team from Kenya will thus have the defending champion Kirui, Amos Kipruto, Laban Korir and Paul Lonyangata in the men's team while the women's has Kiplagat, Ruth Chepngetich and former Paris Marathon champion Visiline Jepkesho.

After missing out on the title in London in 2017, Kiplagat knows she is on the cliff and she has to get it right on her fifth attempt in Doha.

"We are prepared to do our best as a team during the World Championships. We will be working as a team to deliver the best results. It feels special for me because I will be chasing my last medal at this stage having been part of the team since 2011 in Daegu, South Korea," said Kiplagat on Friday in Nairobi.

For the first time in the history of marathon, the race in Doha will be staged at midnight to limit the damage of extreme heat on the athletes. The average temperatures in October in Doha sees highs of 35 degrees celsius and lows of 25.

The IAAF has sanctioned the event to be pushed back from the traditional start date due to weather (the event is now being hosted in October instead of August) and major action is being taken to ensure that athletes are able to perform in the extreme heat.

Kenya's athletics team manager Joseph Kiget says the marathon team is the best the country has ever assembled and will weather the storm from rivals Uganda, Ethiopia, USA and Japan.

"This team is very strong and we expect good results in Doha," said Kiget, noting that Kenya has selected a strong coaches team and he is confident that they will deliver good results in the championships.

"Kitting of the team has been a problem in the past but this time around, we have been able to deliver on time and we thank the AK for supplying the kits on time," he said.

Kiget also said that Kenyan marathoners will be taken through training in hot climatic conditions enable them to acclimatize to the conditions in Doha.

(08/30/2019) Views: 2,139 ⚡AMP

Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya and Ethiopia’s Mare Dibaba are ready to compete at the Bogota Half Marathon

The favorite in the Bogota Half Marathon women’s race is Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya, who started the year with a win in the Dubai Marathon, setting a course record with the No. 3 performance of all-time, 2:17:08. And just three months before that she shattered the course record at the Istanbul Marathon with a 2:18:35 performance.

Those performances elevated the Kenyan to No.1 in the IAAF’s world rankings in the marathon. Also an accomplished half marathoner, Chepngetich won the Istanbul Half Marathon this April in another course record, 1:05:30, making her the 11th fastest woman of all-time to rank her No.3 currently over that distance.

The main challenge to Chepngetich is likely to come from Ethiopia’s Mare Dibaba, the marathon bronze medalist at the Rio Olympic Games and world champion over the distance in 2015. Also expected to feature at the front of the race are 2:21:37 marathoner Visiline Jepkesho of Kenya, recently announced as a member of the Kenyan squad for the Worlds Championships (along with Chepngetich), and Helalia Johannes of Namibia, who is undefeated in six major international competitions, all of which have seen her lower her own national records at 10km, the half marathon and full marathon distances.

Unlike the women’s race, the men’s competition doesn’t have one overwhelming favorite, and instead should see a tight battle between several evenly-matched competitors. The Ethiopian delegation is led by 20-year-old Betesfa Getahun of Ethiopia, the defending men’s champion, who last year became the youngest champion in the race history.

Next to him will be Feyisa Lilesa, the silver medalist at the Rio Olympic Games marathon and a former winner of this race and Tamirat Tola, a silver medalist in the 2017 World Championships marathon and a bronze medalist in the 10,000m in Rio.

The Kenyan challenge to this Ethiopian trio will be led by Lawrence Cherono, a 2:04:06 marathoner and the No. 5 athlete in the world presently at that distance. He is joined by two strong half marathon specialists, Wilfred Kimitei (59:40) and John Lotiang (1:00:09).

And rounding out the likely lead pack are Eritrean Samuel Tsegay, a past silver medalist at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, and Ugandan Abdallah Mande with a 1:00:14 lifetime best whose strong current form was illustrated by a 27:22 10,000m run just eight days ago.

(07/26/2019) Views: 2,471 ⚡AMP
by iaaf

Defending champion Geoffrey Kirui and two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat are among the athletes named by Athletics Kenya for the marathon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019

Nine athletes have been selected, but two of those will be reserves. As Kirui gets a wildcard entry by virtue of being the defending champion, Kenya will have four men on the marathon start line and three women. The final line-up will be decided nearer to the time of the World Championships.

Kirui, who also won the Boston Marathon in 2017, is joined on the team by Amos Kipruto, Laban Korir, Paul Lonyangata and Ernest Ngeno.

Kipruto, a 2:05:43 performer, finished on the podium in Tokyo and Berlin last year. Korir, a former winner in Toronto, has a PB of 2:05:54. Lonyangata set his PB of 2:06:10 in 2017, the first of his two Paris Marathon victories. Ngeno has reached the podium in nine of his 11 marathons to date, clocking a PB of 2:06:41 last year.

Kiplagat won back-to-back world titles in 2011 and 2013. She finished fifth in 2015 and returned to the podium in 2017, taking the silver medal in London.

The 2:19:50 runner is joined on the Kenyan World Championships team by Ruth Chepngetich, Sally Chepyego and Visiline Jepkesho.

Chepngetich won in Istanbul last year in 2:18:35 and then took the Dubai Marathon title earlier this year in 2:17:08, moving to third on the world all-time list. Chepyego earned the bronze medal at the 2014 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and set a marathon PB of 2:23:15 last year. Jepkesho, a former winner in Paris and Rotterdam, has a PB of 2:21:37.

Men: Amos Kipruto, Geoffrey Kirui, Laban Korir, Paul Lonyangata, Ernest Ngeno

Women: Ruth Chepngetich, Sally Chepyego, Visiline Jepkesho, Edna Kiplagat

(05/15/2019) Views: 2,397 ⚡AMP
by IAAF

Kenya’s Visiline Jepkesho says Kenya must change their tactics if they are to reclaim the title at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar

Under pressure to repay the trust shown in her by the coaches, Jepkesho has been offered another chance to showcase her talent and represent Kenya at the championships after having wasted her opportunity back in 2016 at the Rio Olympic Games.

"It is a major statement by the coaches to give me the ticket to the World Championships. Kenya has many elite marathon runners and this chance will certainly have gone to any of them, but they gave it to me. I must repay it by winning in Doha and that will call for a change in tactics because sometime we are so predictable," said Jepkesho on Saturday in Nairobi.

Jepkesho explained that she failed to finish on the podium at the 2017 World Championships and 2016 Rio Games due to poor strategy.

"This time Kenya has named the team early and this creates time for us to prepare well and even plan as a team," she said. "I am happy that I will represent the country at the World Championships for the third time in a row. We have to work as a team if we are to post good results."

Jepkesho had a stellar season in 2018, winning two marathons, respectively in Rotterdam and Ljubljana Slovenia. But her quest to win the World Marathon Championships title is a higher hurdle and she is ready to take a leap of faith and hope to clear it.

Jepkesho will have the company of two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat, former world championships 10,000m silver medalist Sally Kipyego and two-time Istanbul marathon winner Ruth Chengetich.

Kiplagat won the title in 2011 and 2013 and won silver in London in 2017 and a similar medal in 2012 London Olympic Games.

She also won New York City and Boston marathon in 2014 and 2017 respectively.

(05/11/2019) Views: 2,131 ⚡AMP

Five Japanese runners qualify for MGC through Nagoya Women's Marathon

Namibian runner Helalia Johannes on Sunday won the Nagoya Women’s Marathon, a race through which five Japanese punched their tickets for this fall’s Marathon Grand Championship, which will serve as a qualifying race for the 2020 Olympics.

Johannes broke away from a three-woman lead pack to win in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 25 seconds in the race, which started and finished at Nagoya Dome, while Reia Iwade finished fifth for Japan’s best result.

Iwade, who set a personal best of 2:23:52, had already qualified for the Sept. 15 race in Tokyo, but Kayoko Fukushi (2:24:09), who finished eighth, and Miyuki Uehara (2:24:19), who was ninth, clocked sub-2:25:00 times to meet the qualifying standard for the MGC.

Sairi Maeda (2:25:25), Mizuki Tanimoto (2:25:28) and Ayano Ikemitsu (2:26:07), who placed 10th, 11th and 12th, also earned MGC berths, bringing the entry tally for Japanese women to 14.

“I still had strength in my legs in the end. I think I did well,” said Iwade, who improved her personal best set at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon three years ago by 46 seconds.

Iwade was eight seconds behind Fukushi in eighth at the 40-km point but moved up three places over the final two kilometers. She was the only competitor who entered the race having already qualified for the MGC.

Visiline Jepkesho (2:22:58) and Valary Jemeli (2:23:01), the two Kenyan runners who moved to the front around the 35-km mark, finished second and third.

The Nagoya Women’s Marathon was the last domestic chance for Japanese women to qualify for the MGC.

(03/10/2019) Views: 2,273 ⚡AMP

Four runners go under 2:06 at the Rotterdam Marathon this morning

It was a good day for Kenyans in Rotterdam as Kenneth Kipkemoi and Visiline Jepkesho dominated to win their respective races during the 38th edition of the Rotterdam Marathon in the Netherlands on Sunday April 8. Kipkemoi clocked 2 hours, 05 minutes and 44 seconds to win and locked out Ethiopians Abera Kuma and Kelkile Gezahegn from the top podium place. Kuma, the 2015 winner was forced to settle second in 2:05:50, beating Gezahegn to third place by sevens second in 2:05:57. Kenya’s Laban Korir came in fourth in 2:05:58 followed by the 2016 champion Marius Kipserem in 2:07:22. Under sunny circumstances, the 33-year-old Kipkemoi finished solo on the Coolsingel Street in his European marathon debut. After the start at the Erasmus Bridge, a group of 14 athletes distanced themselves from the rest and halfway, there were 10 leaders left. In the final kilometers, Kipkemoi proved to be the best to edge out Kuma and Kelkile. Jepkesho, the 2016 Paris Marathon champion, ended Kenyan women’s long drought at the championship, winning her race in 2:23:47, missing the course record of 2:23:27 held by disgraced doper Jemima Sumgong by 20 second (04/08/2018) Views: 2,051 ⚡AMP