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Why world 10km record holder Agnes Jebet prefers running against male athletes

Record breaker Agnes Jebet has opened up on the unique reason why she loves training and competing against male athletes.

World 10km record holder Agnes Jebet has revealed the unique reason why she loves training and racing against male athletes.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Maurten, the Kenyan noted that she is a strong athlete and most of the time, it’s hard to find women who can match her energy levels. The 23-year-old added that some men also find it difficult to compete against her during training with some always begging her to reduce the pace.

Maurten also observed some men struggling and were unable to match her prowess during training. “You saw them…behind me, asking to reduce the pace. Running is like food for me — you don’t miss food, I don’t miss running,” Jebet added.

Meanwhile, Jebet has managed to maintain her status as one of the greatest road runners, being crowned the world record holder in the 10km road race, at her young age.

During the 2023 Transylvania 10km, Jebet set a new World Record but her result was not recognised after World Athletics re-measured the course and found it to be 25 metres short. She officially became the first woman to run under 29 minutes for 10,000 metres — ratified, at the race in Valencia earlier this year.

Podiums and victories have been her portion, but this season, after her world record and threatening the late Agnes Tirop’s women-only world record, she has not been in her greatest shape.

However, she remains strong despite the hurdles and she has managed to always brush off moments of disappointment.

"I fought for this record. When the course was short, maybe I was not ready for it. When the weather is bad, I understand. I had to make my mind strong and not let it discourage me," she added.

"Patience and discipline... you train hard and then you go and win easy. Let it be painful today and then the fruits come next week."an say, I’m a fighter. It’s hard to find strong women who can go with me, so I train with the guys. I like to try and go with their speed,” Jebet said.

Cross-country guru Lucy Mawia slapped with a three-year doping ban

Lucy Mawia has been banned for three years by the Athletics Integrity Unity for the presence of three banned substances in her body.

The 2022 Belgrade Half Marathon Lucy Mawia has been slapped with a three-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit for an anti-doping rule violation.

Mawia, popularly known for her cross-country prowess, will be eligible to compete once again from March 27, 2027. Her results from March 10 this year, will also be disqualified.

As per World Athletics, athletes representing a foreign Member Federation or other Areas are regarded as out of competition participants (OC).

Earlier this year, the Italian Anti-doping tribunal suspended Mawia following a violation of an anti-doping rule.

As per the Italian anti-doping agency, Mawia’s sample was found positive for the presence of Efedrina, Oxycodone, and its metabolite Oxymorphone. The substance is an active metabolite of oxycodone produced via CYP2D6-mediated metabolism.

Her career was taking shape and in 2022, she won the 2022 World Cross Country Tour. In 2022, Mawia dominated the races at the start of the tour, winning in Bydgoszcz in October and in Soria and Alcobendas in November.

Mawia kicked off the 2023 cross-country campaign with a third-place finish in Amorebieta and sixth place in Atapuerca. The 2023 15K Nocturna Valencia Banco Mediolanum champion was also third in Atapuerca in November and second in San Vittore Olona in January in 2023.

This means her results from the 5km Route de Lille and the Italian Cross-Country Championships have been disqualified. In France, she finished fifth in the road race before clocking 27:50 to cross the finish line in her cross-country race in Italy, competing as an out of competition participant.

Rath and Vinuelas take top honors in 2024 Fontana Days Half Marathon

Nathan Rath came all the way from Chandler, Arizona to participate in the Fontana Days Half Marathon, and he was certainly pleased with the outcome of his journey.

The 42-year-old Rath took first place with a time of 1:10:16 on the pleasantly cool morning of June 1.

“The day was beautiful,” he said. “Great weather, great course — it was a good experience.”

Traversing the 13.1 miles down Sierra Avenue from Lytle Creek, Rath was able to pull away from tough competitors Helio Carrillo (who came in second place in 1:10:29) and his friend Erik Chazin (who was third in 1:10:51) and cross the finish line at Fontana City Hall.

“I had a good push at the end,” he said. “I was here with my friend Erik and we pushed each other. Without that, it would have been a lot tougher.”

The first-place female finisher (and 13th place overall) was Abbey Vinuelas, a 38-year-old resident of the Northern California city of Fairfield.

Vinuelas was all smiles after receiving her award.

“What a beautiful course,” she said. “It really energized me all the way down, and I absolutely loved it.”

It was the third half marathon that Vineulas had entered in the past two months, and she took top honors each time.

More than 1,000 runners took part in the Fontana Days Half Marathon this year.

German Hendel dominated the Mattoni Ceske Budejovice Half Marathon

This year’s half marathon in České Budějovice was newly held under the brand Mattoni Running Festival. The winner was German Sebastian Hendel. Among the women, Ukraine’s Maryna Nemchenko triumphed, improving the European record. Patrik Vebr and Hana Homolkova were the best Czech runners, which carries the World Athletic Road Race Label.

The race

The winner in the České Budějovice Half Marathon was Sebastian Hendel from Germany. From the start he was in a large lead pack, but before the halfway point he was running alone. Hendel ran the South Bohemia half marathon well and on pace to break the European record. However, he missed it by half a minute, finishing in the time of 1:03:38.

“I’m really happy that my winning streak in RunCzech races continues. I tried to break the time under one hour and three minutes. It was good at the tenth kilometre, but as time went on it got worse and my legs were hurting. It was a great experience, I enjoyed my first start in České Budějovice,” said Hendel. “When I was running back to the square, many people were cheering my name. It was a really great atmosphere,” added Hendel.

The second place went to Italian Daniele D’Onofrio, and third was Ukrainian Mykola Mevsha, who improved his personal best significantly. The best Czech runner was Patrik Vebr (1:08:38), bettered Petr Pechek and Tomáš Křivohlávek.

“Although I don’t really like to run races in training pace, I chose this strategy for today. My coach and I decided to do it mainly for health reasons and also because of the upcoming track races. But the overall assessment is positive and I am glad that especially my health is holding up,”  Vebr summed up.

The fastest woman was Maryna Nemchenko from Ukraine, who ran a significant part of the race alone trying to catch some men to help her pace. “If I had run with another female competitor, it would have been easier, running alone is hard. I always tried to catch up with whoever was ahead of me, I’m satisfied,” Nemchenko assessed after the race.

The Ukrainian surpassed the best European race time of Tereza Hrochova from 2022 by half a minute. Her compatriot Nataliya Semenovych finished second, while Moldova’s Lilia Fisikovici finished third. Hana Homolkova succeeded in a close battle between the Czech competitors, beating Aneta Císařová. Tereza Jagošová finished third.

The Research on Beetroot Supplements and Exercise Is Kind of Awesome

Beetroot powder is available as a standalone product, though it also pops up in a bunch of other supplements, such as pre-workout energy boosters and heart health chews, as an added ingredient.

Supplement companies claim beetroot powder boosts energy, increases athletic performance, and promotes heart health by improving blood pressure and circulation. Often, these companies will cite beets’ ability to boost nitric oxide, a molecule that helps blood vessels expand and contract. 

Let's get to the root of those claims.

What Is Beetroot Powder?

IT'S BEETS, BUT in powder form.

And know that beets, as in the root vegetable, are good for you—no debate there. “Beetroot contains two types of bioactive constituents, betalains (which give the purple color) and nitrate (which also occurs in similar amounts in some other common vegetables, like celery and lettuce),” says Kirsten Brandt, Ph.D., senior lecturer at the Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre at the UK’s Newcastle University. Betalains have heart-protecting properties, and your body converts nitrate into nitric oxide to help regulate your circulatory system and reduce inflammation. 

More good news: These compounds stay mostly intact when beets undergo processing into powder or even juice. Concentrations vary by beet variety and processing method, but research suggests both powders and juices can both hold onto in those beneficial compounds. (Fun fact: Often, beetroot powder is just freeze-dried beet juice). 

What Is Beetroot Powder Good For?

IN SUPPLEMENT FORM, beets might:

Moderately Reduce Blood Pressure

A study review published in Frontiers in Nutrition showed that people who consumed beetroot juice daily for anywhere from three to 60 days reduced their systolic blood pressure by five more points than the control group. The reason: Nitric oxide helps blood vessels relax.

Make Hard Workouts Easier

A study review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports and Nutrition suggests that beetroot juice supplements might boost power and improve performance during high-intensity exercise. Again, nitric oxide comes into play by helping your muscles maintain phosphocreatine, a building block that otherwise depletes during a hard workout. Beets also improve the release and use of cellular calcium to help you contract muscles faster.

Improve Muscle Recovery

A study review published in Sports Health suggests that a few days of beetroot supplementation can speed recovery from post-workout muscle soreness. One theory is that nitric oxide reduces muscle inflammation and aids regeneration.

Assist Your Memory

In a recent study in the European Journal of Nutrition, people who consumed three grams of chewable beetroot powder tablets 90 minutes before taking memory tests scored 21 percent higher on a test of short-term memory than they did after taking a placebo. A beet-induced boost in nitric oxide might increase cerebral blood flow, temporarily boosting brain power, the researchers say.

So the benefits of beets are promising, but don’t get too excited yet: Beet supplement studies have small numbers of participants (just five to 80 in the studies cited above) and lack the rigor of drug trials, says Brandt. (A phase III drug trial would likely have 1,000+ participants.)

That means it’s hard to generalize the results and conclude whether the benefits shown in these supplement studies would apply to all or most of the population, including you.

And don’t count on beetroot supplements to save your heart in the long run. There’s no evidence that the acute benefits of beetroot powder, for your heart or elsewhere, add up over time.

Without high-quality long-term studies, any claims implying long-term benefits can’t be verified. And since the good-for-you compounds in beets can’t be patented, “there is little economic incentive for the industry to carry out large well-controlled trials,” says Brandt.

Should You Take Beetroot Supplements?

YOUR BEST BET is eating more beets in their whole vegetable form, says Brandt. 

Whole beets contain beneficial fiber, which some supplements lack. Now if you hate the taste or can’t bear the chore of peeling beets, the powder can be an easy substitute–just make sure you consume other foods rich in fiber, like whole grains, says Brandt.

What Should You Look for in a Good Beetroot Supplement?

WHEN SHOPPING FOR beet powder, avoid capsules and opt for a loose powder or chewable option instead. The process of converting nitrate to nitric oxide begins in your mouth, thanks to an assist from bacteria on your tongue, says Brandt. Capsules bypass this process and land further down in your digestive tract. And skip antibacterial mouthwash before you take your beets—it can interfere with nitrate’s conversion to nitric oxide, she says.

Who Should Not Take Beetroot Supplements?

AVOID BEETROOT SUPPLEMENTS if you already have hypotension and don’t need your BP to go any lower. And steer clear of beetroot powder if you know you have a high risk of kidney stones, because beets contain a lot of stone-forming oxalate.

If you have high BP and already take medication for it, talk to your doctor before buying a beet supplement. If it works, your doctor might need to adjust your medication, says Brandt. 

Check your balance-Improve your stability with this simple, equipment-free test

01/ Stand on a hard surface, your hands crossed on your shoulders.

02/ Lift one leg off the ground and don’t touch the other leg.

03/ Hold for up to 45 seconds, or until loss of balance and the raised foot hits the ground.

04/Compare your time to the averages below. Aim to get to at least the average time. To make it harder, close your eyes.

BALANCE, LIKE MUSCLE MASS, NATURALLY DECREASES WITH AGE. That’s something that can lead to less efficient running and, more worryingly, injury. Fortunately, older runners can arrest the decline with some targeted exercises. Test and improve your balance with this simple move. 

The thighs have it

Strong quad muscles can do more than power you uphill. Keeping your quads in top condition with squats and lunges can also prevent the need for a knee replacement in later life. And that’s some serious motivation, as knee osteoarthritis – which is often a precursor to a knee replacement – affects some 5 million people in the UK. A recent study* found that people who regularly do exercise that strengthens their quads were less likely to need knee replacement surgery. Consider that a polite reminder to start doing your step-ups, squats and lunges. 

High-speed recovery

Here’s a sentence we thought we’d never write: a new paper* found that HIIT was superior to traditional rehabilitation programmes ‘for accelerated recovery from musculoskeletal injuries’. That’s right: high-intensity exercise trumped traditional rehab for injury recovery. Who knew? A total of 80 injured subjects were assigned to either six weeks of a HIIT programme or more traditional rehab. Both groups improved after six weeks. However, the HIIT group reported greater pain reduction and performance on several objective tests of muscle function. This led the researchers to conclude, ‘Incorporating [HIIT] into rehabilitation protocols may offer an efficient approach for expedited recovery and enhanced muscle function.’ 

This Girl Scouts CEO Plans to Run a Half Marathon on Every Continent

“Running plays an important role in my professional life as training for a race requires strategy, discipline, and accountability—so does leading an organization.” Reason for Running: I love how much running affects me mentally, physically, and emotionally! I love running by myself and with others.

Most Saturdays I can be found on a long run with my twin sister or my daughter (or both). It is our treasured time to catch up and the miles fly by!Growing up, I never played any sport aside from a short stint with soccer in middle school. I often joked that I would only run if a bear was chasing me and even then, it would depend on the size of the bear! As I was approaching 40, my husband said, “Wouldn’t it be fun to do a half marathon together.” I reluctantly agreed. 

I had zero running gear and only knew how far a run was by tracking the miles when I drove the same route in my car. He loves to tell the story that after a few weeks of my run/walk training, I came home elated that I had run from the school near our home to our neighborhood without walking or stopping. I was so proud of myself. Only much later did I realize that was less than a quarter of a mile!

Soon after, I crossed the finish line of that first race, signed up for my next, and have been running ever since—19 years! I used the Jeff Galloway training schedule for beginners to run that first half marathon. 

After that, for many years, I would run two half marathons in the spring and two in the fall and signed up for many 5Ks and 10Ks in between. The first few years, when my kids were young, most of my runs were local. As the years went by, I started combining my love of travel with my love of running. Some of my favorite United States races include the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon and Nashville Rock n’ Roll.

In 2018, I joined the Seven Continent Club and have run half marathons in Australia, Iceland, Patagonia, Antarctica, and many in the States. I have Africa and Asia planned for 2025 and 2026. If all goes as planned, I’ll complete the seven continents when I turn 60.

After more than 70 half marathons, I decided to train for a full and since fall 2019, I have completed eight full marathons. 

A friend once told me that he sets three goals each year—one personal, one professional, and one health. I decided to do the same, and this habit is the reason for so many positive things I’ve done in my life, including earning my MBA, becoming a business owner, and saying yes to my husband when he suggested training for that first half marathon many years ago. 

In 2012, I joined Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri as their chief operating officer and then CEO. I am honored to now serve as the national CEO for Girl Scouts of the USA. Running plays an important role in my professional life as training for a race requires strategy, discipline, and accountability—so does leading an organization. I come up with some of my best ideas on long runs. I think my team rolls their eyes when I have a 20-miler—they probably wonder what ideas I might come back with.

I want our Girl Scouts to find what they enjoy most that best supports their mental, physical, and emotional health. Many of our Girl Scout councils sponsor their own run/walks. I love to see our girls introduced to running through these events.

I now run three to four times a week, cross-train two days a week, and have one day of rest. As soon as I finish one training schedule, I move to the next. 

Running has changed my life—the people I’ve met, the goals I’ve achieved, the places I’ve seen—all made possible because of that simple question: “Wouldn’t it be fun to do a half marathon together?” I know I am stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally because of running.These tips have made my running journey a success:

1. Go for just one mile

This habit has served me well so many times when I don’t really feel like going out—especially when it’s too hot, too cold, too windy, too hilly, too late, too early. Just tell yourself “I can run one mile!” It rarely ends up being only one mile!

2. Track your runs

With all the amazing apps out there, I still print my running schedule, I highlight each completed run. The feeling of accomplishment is the motivation for the next day. 

3. Support yourself

Positive self-talk is important. Whether it was the best run/race or not so good, own the fact that you showed up. I’m a personal fan of the sign I see at races that says, “Be proud! You’re out here!” And, when you fall off your schedule, don’t throw in the towel until the next week, the next month, or the next race—pick it up the next day. 

4. Know it’s never too late

Finally, there’s no time limit on when to begin! Pick your distance and find a training plan. There are fabulous training schedules and wonderful training groups out there. Do your research, choose what works for you, and just start.

Keira D'Amato wins Run for Women

Keira D'Amato of Richmond, Va. led from start to finish to win the 46th Delightful Run for Women on Saturday morning in Albany.

D'Amato, former American record-holder in the marathon and half-marathon, prevailed in a time of 15 minutes, 41 seconds on the 5-kilometer course that begins and ends on Washington Avenue next to the state Capitol.

D'Amato held off a late challenge from Amy Davis-Green of Madison, Wis., who came in second in 15:45, followed by Jessie Cardin of Sutton, Mass. in third at 15:51. Davis-Green and Cardin are teammates with the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project.

Freihofer’s Run for WomenTop finishers

1. Keira D’Amato, 15:41

2. Amy Davis-Green, 15:45

3. Jessie Cardin, 15:51

4. Anne-Marie Blaney, 15:57

5. Regan Rome, 16:39

6. Whitney Macon, 16:47

7. Emma Eastman, 16:54

8. Annmarie Tuxbury, 17:00

9. Kathryn Munks, 17:02

10. Amanda Chambers, 17:30

Masters division (40 & over)

1. Sascha Scott, 19:04

2. Meg Versteegen, 19:13

3. Margaret McMahon, 19:38

Double Kenyan victory at the Stockholm marathon

On Saturday, the classic Stockholm marathon ran for the 45th time - and then it was a double Kenyan victory.

Fredrick Kibii was first to finish on the men's side in 02.14.17 and on the women's side Marion Kibor finished in 02.31.46 to complete the double.

First Swede in the finish line and SM winner on the men's side was Ebba Tulu Chala, and SM gold on the women's side went to Carolina Wikström.

Brian Komen promises to deliver 1500m medal at Paris 2024 Olympics

In his bid to stop Norwegian and British dominance in the 1500m, Brian Komen has promised to deliver a medal for Kenya at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

African Games 1500m champion Brian Komen has promised to deliver a medal for Kenya if he makes the cut to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Komen, the latest 1500m runner to emerge from Kenya, has managed to cement his name and track and field fans cannot wait to see what the athlete is capable of as he gears up to take on the creme de la creme of track and field this season.

The Kip Keino Classic champion has been in great shape so far, crediting all his wins to training well and working hard. Many might wonder where he has been following the faulty performances from Team Kenya in the 1500m.

“I was in school, now I’m back and I’ve been training very hard and that’s why I’m here. I was studying at Egerton University pursuing a course in Microbiology," Komen said.

“When I feel like I want to go, I just decide to go all in. I feel like my body is doing okay and I’ve been training very hard. I can’t say I’m going to win a gold but God knows that. I’m going to fight for a medal, that’s my goal.

“I’m focusing on Paris and I want to win a medal and if I manage to win gold, that’s well and good. My coach used to run and he really motivates me."

The 25-year-old has been unbeaten in the 1500m so far this season, starting from the African Games where took gold before dominating the Kip Keino Classic.

He was also in action at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha, making his long-awaited debut, and managed to stun the world once again with his tactical run. Komen later stole the show at the National Championships, owing to the fact that it was his first time competing there.

He’s Running 900 Miles to Every Premier League Soccer Stadium for Suicide Prevention

When Matthew Smith was a child, he lost his brother to suicide. Now he’s running throughout England to raise money for mental health services in a region that has the highest rates of suicide in the entire country. 

Matthew Smith was only 10 years old when he lost his brother, Daniel O’Hare, to suicide. Daniel was 19 and had no history of mental health problems, nor had he shown any outward signs of his intention to end his life. His family was devastated by the sudden and unexpected loss, and they are still struggling to understand his choice. 

Now 29, Smith is an advocate for mental health, and he’s on a mission to run 900 miles to every Premier League stadium in England to raise money for the region’s services. The northeast region, where Smith lives, has the highest rate of suicides in the country, and he and his supporters are determined to change that. He plans to take on this ultrarunning challenge in his brother’s honor in August, and he has the goal of raising £135,000 ($171,882) and spreading awareness of suicide prevention. He told Chronicle Live that along the way, he’ll be delivering the message that “it’s okay to not be okay,” and that there is “always a way.” 

After losing Daniel in 2005, Smith and his younger brother and cousin started a nonprofit in his memory called If U Care Share, because they wanted to do something positive and prevent other families from going through the same kind of loss. They sold wristbands at soccer clubs that said “if u care share,” and raised over £50,000 ($63,655) for mental health charities.

In 2011, the charity was officially registered with three main objectives: prevention, intervention, and support for survivors of suicide loss. For more than a decade, If U Care Share has offered support to people who have lost loved ones to suicide and provided advice and assistance to people who are at risk of killing themselves. 

Two years ago, Smith ran 250 miles from the charity’s headquarters in northern England to Downing Street in London to hand deliver a letter asking the U.K. government to include suicide prevention in the Levelling Up White Paper, a moral, social, and economic program.

This latest initiative came about because of Smith and his If U Care Share colleagues’ love of soccer and longstanding partnerships with the Premier League, the League Football Education, and the Women’s Super League. 

“It’s no secret that suicide prevention and mental health services have struggled recently due to significant funding restrictions, so I can’t thank everyone enough for believing in the charity, our mission, and myself,” Smith told Chronicle Live. “The money raised at the launch event will not only enable the challenge to go ahead, it will also save lives, support communities, and prevent suicide in a region that needs our help more than ever.”

Have an Upcoming Race? You Don’t Need To Run the Full Distance During Your Training (Seriously)

I’d been her go-to person for running advice and positive reinforcement during her training block. She didn’t really need me— she was crushing her long runs and felt good about the progress she had made, so her frantic call was unexpected. I asked what was wrong.

“Well, I felt like I needed to do the full 13.1 miles,” she said. “So I did. Now my butt hurts.”

How long should long runs actually be when training for a race? Well, we'd talked about how most training plans didn’t go up to the full race distance and that it was by design. There was no need to go over 10 miles to have the fitness necessary to complete the half marathon.

Christine Conti, running coach and fitness specialist 

Katherine Campbell, CPT, DPT, physical therapist, personal trainer, and running coach 

So why did my friend go totally against her plan and all practical advice? Her reason: “Just to make sure I could.”

Christine Conti, a running coach and fitness specialist, is familiar with the need to instill confidence in runners throughout the training process and recognizes the fear first-time racers face.

“They're doing their training and they really believe that if they don't try it first, they'll never make it,” she says. “And we're told in life, ‘practice, practice, practice.’ You don't want the first time you do something to be the big show, right? But you really shouldn’t do it.”

When I think back to my first half marathon, I remember the doubt and fear. How can you know you can reach the finish line if your longest long run is only 10 miles?

Well, good news: There's proof you can finish a race without running the full distance first, so you don’t have to try it—and you can avoid a literal pain in the butt.

Why don’t training plans go the full race distance?

Contrary to popular belief, most training plans are designed to go just short of the full mileage of the race you're running, according to Katherine Campbell, CPT, DPT, a physical therapist, personal trainer, and running coach.

“Typically most general half marathon plans only go to 10 to 11 miles because they're made for beginners,” Campbell says. “As a beginner or even intermediate runner, you want to make sure you're recovering enough from your long runs where you can get the aerobic benefits without actually putting too much load through your musculoskeletal system to cause injury.”

This is the same reason your marathon training plan usually only goes up to a 20-mile long run—not the full 26.2 miles.

A more advanced half marathon training plan can go above 13 miles—sometimes up to 16 miles. But the thing is, many runners using this type of plan are faster than beginners who are sometimes running a double-digit-mile long run for the first time and should be conservative with their pace.

“Running faster paces would equal out to the same time on feet as most beginners running 10 to 11 miles,” Campbell says.

That’s the key: time on your feet. Especially when it comes to marathon training where slower runners could potentially be slogging through long runs for hours.

“Anything after a three-hour long run doesn't have a drastic aerobic benefit, but it does drastically increase your risk of injury,” Campbell says. “As a physical therapist and coach, I will usually cut runners off at about 3.5 hours as a peak long run. A typical ‘average’ pace is usually around a 10-minute mile, and 3.5 hours at that pace is usually 20 miles.”

Half marathoners could go up to 13 miles in under three hours, but every mile out there while you’re tired is a chance for your form to break down. Unless you have excelled in your base training and have already tackled seven miles for your long run, it’s not worth going above 10 or 11 miles for your longest long run.

What's the risk of running the full distance before the race?

The more you’re running on tired legs after a log training block, you might subject yourself to overtraining.

“Running a full distance before the race dramatically increases your risk for injury,” Campbell says.

In addition to sore and tired muscles, there are other systems in your body that go a little haywire following 26.2 miles. Your cardiovascular system is amped, your kidneys are working overtime to filter waste from your blood during and after your marathon, and your immune system weakens in the hours following such a long distance.

“There's so much happening on a physiological and musculoskeletal level that if you ran more than 26 miles before the race, you're risking not giving yourself enough time to recover to actually perform on race day,” she says.

You must tell your brain to stop doubting the structure of the plan, according to Conti.

“Beginners might look at these training plans without understanding the science behind it,” she says.

A well-made plan—meaning one made for you by a coach or designed by an expert—will bring you up to your physiological edge to help prepare your body for the aerobic challenge of a long distance and then back off just before race day.

What is ‘tapering’—and how will this strategy help you run your full race distance?

The point is you don’t want to be out on the road for too long lest you get hurt or sick. You might be wondering w

During the taper phase in half marathon and marathon training, your body recovers from the high demand of the training weeks before. By reducing training volume and intensity in the weeks leading up to the race, tapering alleviates accumulated fatigue, repairs muscle damage, and replenishes energy stores. Because you're racing on healed legs, you’re less likely to face injury.

“A nice taper two to three weeks before the race will make your legs fresh,” Campbell says. “Trust that the training, optimal recovery, and fresh legs will get you there.”

How to embrace the unknown of the last few miles

So you don’t want to get hurt. You don’t want to get sick. You’ve decided to follow your plan and have vowed not to go the full distance. But you’re still nervous. Mentally, how should you deal in the weeks leading up to the race?

It’s about trusting yourself and the training you’ve already done. As many old-school coaches will say, “The hay is in the barn.”

“I remind my clients that you should be looking at the amount of miles you run per week,” Campbell says. “You've trained your body to run the distance if you have been averaging over 26 miles per week for a marathon and 12 miles per week for a half marathon.”

If you can convince yourself that you’re physically prepared, you’re mind should settle down.

“For me, my first marathon was a bucket list item. I thought the people who ran these races were superhuman. I had no idea your body could actually run or perform for that amount of time without dying. But I trusted that if I followed the plan, I would do it.”

For her first half marathon, Conti never ran more than a nine-mile long run.

How to mentally preparing for the final stretch of your race

There are some tricks to help the last miles fly by. First, ask other runners about their experiences in the last couple miles of a race. For me, the last two miles of my first half marathon were exhilarating. I celebrated each step I took after the 11-mile mark because every step represented the farthest distance I had run in my life.

My first marathon was a little different. The last three miles were a total pain cave, but there was no freaking way I was going to give up. You’ll feel the same way.

Aside from sheer determination, here are other tactics to pull you to the finish:

1. Use the crowd

At big races, crowds will line the street leading up to the finish. Their cheering will create an electric atmosphere.

“A fun tip I like to give my runners is to have your friends and family scattered throughout the last few miles to give you that extra energy boost, too,” Campbell says.

2. Break up the distance

You might be doing this throughout the race, but it’s especially useful in the last few miles.

“It’s all mental,” Conti says. “Think about it like, ‘Oh my gosh, all I have is a 5K left. I've done this a million times.’ Or ‘I have six miles. That’s two 5Ks. That’s easy.” You're almost done. And if you have to give yourself some grace and walk a little bit, you're still going to make it. You're going to be fine.”

3. Repeat a mantra

Both Conti and Campbell say mantras are a proven way to keep your mind right as you go into the last miles of a race.

“I am all about mantras,” Campbell says. “Find one, practice it, and keep saying it.”

Campbell also suggests writing down one win each week throughout your entire training cycle.

“Read all of them and come up with three positive reasons before your race that remind you that you're prepared for the race,” she says.

Why the "Norwegian Method" Training Craze Is Here to Stay

In a highly anticipated race at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic, Jakob Ingebrigsten pitted his revolutionary "Norwegian method" of training against some of the best milers in the world.

The “Mile of the Century”—of the twentieth century, that is—was a duel between John Landy and Roger Bannister at the 1954 Empire Games in Victoria. The two men were, at the time, the only two sub-four-minute milers in the world: Bannister had beaten Landy to the punch by 46 days, but Landy was the reigning world record holder. Their end-of-season clash was as heavily anticipated as any heavyweight boxing duel. Landy led until the final bend, at which point he famously glanced over his left shoulder at precisely the moment that Bannister surged past on his right.

The mile of the current century, at least in terms of pre-race hype and intriguing storylines, took place on Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic track meet in Eugene. It was a gigantic multidimensional grudge match between Jakob Ingebrigsten, the blunt-speaking Norwegian wunderkind who won the 2021 Olympics at the tender age of 20 and whose training methods have sparked wholesale upheaval in the endurance world, and almost every runner who has beaten him or come close to it in recent years—most notably Josh Kerr, the Scotsman who upset him at last summer’s World Championships and has been engaged in an increasingly testy war of words with him ever since.

What gave the race an extra layer of significance, beyond the usual battle for personal supremacy, was that clash of training ideas. Ingebrigtsen is the foremost exponent of what has come to be known as the “Norwegian method” of endurance training. Its hallmark is carefully controlled workout intensities, pushing just hard enough to stimulate adaptation without incurring fatigue that would compromise the next workout. In Ingebrigtsen’s hands, that involves twice-a-week double threshold sessions: workouts like ten times a kilometer with one minute recovery in the morning and evening, with regular ear pricks to check lactate levels and keep the intensity in the right zone, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

A similar approach has also taken Norwegians to the top of the podium in other sports like triathlon and cross-country skiing, and athletes from other countries have begun emulating it. Norwegian-style training is “the big, sexy thing,” as U.S. miler Hobbs Kessler put it. It might even be “the next step in the evolution of distance running training,” as a group of sports scientists suggested in an academic paper last year (which I wrote about here). It’s very hard to do controlled studies of entire training philosophies, as opposed to specific workouts. So the best litmus test, I suggested, would be clashes on the track leading up to the Paris Olympics. Saturday in Eugene was the first such test.

Sexy new things don’t stay sexy and new forever, and it’s fair to say that some of the shine of Norwegian training has worn off since last year. The most notable reputational hit was Kerr’s 1,500-meter win at last summer’s World Championships, kicking past Ingebrigtsen in the final lap after the Norwegian had led most of the race. One loss could be blamed on bad luck, but that made three times in a row: another Scottish runner, Jake Wightman, had outkicked Ingebrigtsen in strikingly similar fashion at the 2022 World Championships, and Ethiopian star Samuel Tefera did the same at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. That starts to look like a systemic flaw in the training approach. While Ingebrigtsen was carefully monitoring his moderate-intensity threshold intervals, Kerr and Wightman and Tefera were presumably ripping off all-out sprints—and they had a racing gear that he seemed to lack.

In Eugene, a rabbit led the field through a quick first half-mile. When he stepped off, it was Kenyan runner Abel Kipsang who pushed onward, with Ingebrigtsen following patiently behind. This was already a surprise: Ingebrigtsen is usually the one pushing the pace. Then, with a lap and a half still remaining, it was the fast finisher Kerr who surged into the lead and made an early bid for victory. Each man, it seemed, was playing the other’s game. The last lap ticked by in slow motion, Kerr unable to pull away and Ingebrigtsen unable to close the gap. That’s how it finished: Kerr in 3:45.34, Ingebrigtsen in 3:45.60, and then seven more men under the once-impregnable 3:50 barrier. In 11th place was Cam Myers, a 17-year-old from Australia, with a time of 3:50.15—two seconds faster than Ingebrigtsen himself ran at Pre as a 17-year-old in 2018.

It would be as foolish to give up on Norwegian training based on a few individual losses as it would be to anoint it the “next step” on the basis of a few individual wins. But if Ingebrigtsen keeps losing, that’s going to reinforce doubts about whether his approach is as effective for head-to-head racing as it is for time trials. There are plenty of caveats: for example, an Achilles injury disrupted Ingebrigtsen’s training for several months over the winter. But there are also other questions. What has happened to his older brothers Henrik and Filip? Both were world-class milers in their own right, but both have been struggling in recent years, as have other prominent Norwegian athletes like Olympic triathlon champion Kristian Blummenfeld, raising questions about the sustainability of the Norwegian approach.

And then there’s the fact that, despite all the hype about the mile, the real marquee event at Pre turned out to be the women’s 10,000 meters, where Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet became the first woman to dip under 29 minutes with a world-record clocking of 28:54.14. Kenyan runners (and their Ethiopian rivals) have been at the top for so long that it’s easy to take their dominance for granted. When I was in college in the 1990s, we were all fascinated by “the Kenyan Way.” That was the subtitle of Toby Tanser’s 1997 book, Train Hard, Win Easy. The secret, of course, was that there was no secret. There was a famous (and almost certainly apocryphal) anecdote about a Kenyan coach who was asked what separated his top runners from the merely good ones. All of them had grown up running to and from school each day, he explained; the champions also went home for lunch.

Part of the current fascination with the Norwegian training method is the suggestion that there is, in fact, a secret—a quantifiable formula, expressed in milimoles per liter of lactate in your blood, to optimize your training, rather than simply an admonition to work hard. But that’s a reductive view of what Ingebrigtsen and his Nordic peers are aiming for. The underlying philosophy of Norwegian training is that a harder workout isn’t always a better one, because it will take too long to recover from. This is hardly a new insight, but in the great merry-go-round of training fads, it was perhaps overdue for a resurgence.

In fact, the original Mile of the Century had a similar subtext. Bannister was the light-training amateur who ran on his lunch hour; Landy was a workout hero with “an insatiable appetite for interval running,” as Bannister wrote. “The great contrast in our training methods was not lost of the Press.” Bannister won the race, but it’s Landy’s training approach that proved to be more influential on subsequent generations. As Ingebrigtsen’s final showdown with his rivals in Paris looms, that’s worth remembering: even if he loses, and even if we decide that lactate meters are unnecessarily complicated, we might still have something to learn from his unorthodox training.

A champions diet! Sha'Carri Richardson reveals her favorite go to meal for breakfast

Sha'Carri Richardson has shared the best meal she prefers having for breakfast mostly on race day.

Reigning world 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson has disclosed her go to breakfast meal when preparing for major races.

The world’s fastest woman in 2023 told Eating Well that she is certainly a foodie and she loves trying out different meals but she never goes back to eating what she doesn’t like.

Speaking of her typical breakfast, the American noted that it depends on timing but she spoke of her love affair with eggs on race day or any regular day.

She recently signed an ambassadorial deal with the Oikos Pro Drink and she seems to be loving it already since she emphasised that she on days when she doesn’t feel the need to have heavy breakfast, she usually goes for the drink.

“I'm a big foodie. I like to eat a little bit of everything when it comes to food. I like to try everything at once—no, I may not eat it again if I don't like it, but I'm very open to trying any type of food once before cancelling it out.

“I would say in the morning, it depends on timing and if I have time to get up and make something, but I definitely am a big fan of eggs. Eggs are something I really like to eat in the morning on race day or any regular day.

“And when I'm on the go and I don't want something too heavy starting the day, I definitely like my Oikos Pro Drink that contains 23 grams of protein.

“That is something convenient that I like to include. I'm able to drink it really quick and I do still feel like I'm putting the nutrients in my body that I can have going into practice on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

Richardson added that after training or a race, she usually prefers ice bathing or getting into a hot tub to decompress from the long day.

“I would say recovery has just been being attentive to doing my ice bathing or hot tub, as well as just decompressing from the day later on in the evening.

“It's something I like to do. I'll be talking to my family or getting in the pool doing some stretching and some abs. That’s how the day ends for me,” she said.

Speaking of her favourite snacks, the 24-year-old said: “I like dried fruits a lot, specifically dried mangoes, as well as peanuts and almonds. I keep it very light and straightforward when it comes to snacking.”

How to get back into speedwork after your half-marathon

Well, you’ve done it—you’ve completed a half-marathon! After a well-deserved few days or a week off, you’re probably already planning your next race. While it’s good to be enthusiastic, stepping back into speedwork after a half-marathon can be tricky. It’s crucial to ensure you’re doing the right workouts to avoid injury or overtraining.

Let your body recover 

After running a half-marathon, it’s essential to give your body adequate time to recover. The amount of recovery time varies among runners, but at least one or two days off all exercise is recommended, regardless of whether you are a beginner or a seasoned veteran. For runners coming off their first half, it could take at least a week to fully recover. Pay attention to any lingering soreness or fatigue. If you’re still feeling sore or overly tired, extend your recovery period for a few more days.

Ease back into things

The easiest way to get injured is by overdoing an activity while your body is still sore. When it’s time to begin running again, start with a gradual re-introduction. Begin with short, easy runs, maybe every other day, and slowly increase the distance and intensity. This is the best and safest way to regain your fitness so you can resume your regular weekly programming. If you feel you’re losing fitness but aren’t ready to start running yet, activities like swimming, cycling, brisk walking or yoga can help you build strength and endurance while aiding in recovery.

Before you begin your first couple of speed sessions post-race, you’ll want to have built your weekly mileage back up to around 40-50 per cent of your regular training load. For most runners, this can take two to four weeks. Doing this also builds up your aerobic endurance, providing a solid base for when you resume speedwork. After a week or so of running post-half-marathon, start incorporating strides into the end of your easy runs. Strides are short, controlled (20-30 seconds) bursts of speed that help re-introduce your legs to faster paces without the intensity of a full speed workout.

Start small

As tempting as it might be to immediately pick up where you left off with speed workouts, starting with shorter, interval-based sessions is the easiest and most effective way to re-introduce speedwork into your training. You can gradually increase the duration and intensity as you progress.

Here are some easy interval sessions to get your body acclimated to speedwork again.

five reps of 2 mins @ 10K pace with 90 seconds jog rest.

three reps of 1K @ half-marathon pace with two minutes rest

8-10 reps of 30 seconds on, 60 seconds jog. 

Is Beatrice Chebet Kenya's best bet for double gold at Paris Olympics?

With Olympic glory beckoning, is Beatrice Chebet Kenya's smart bet for double gold?

Two-time World cross country champion Beatrice Chebet is one of the Kenyan long-distance runners who are always known to show up when it matters and she stunned the whole world this past weekend with her world record.

Chebet, the world 5000m bronze medallist, competing in her second 10,000m event since she started her career, became the first woman in history to run under 29 minutes over the 25-lap race.

The 24-year-old stopped the clock at 28:54.14 to shatter Letesenbet Gidey’s world record time and automatically earn herself a spot in the women’s 10,000m team to the Paris 2024 Olympics where she has expressed interest in doubling in the 5000m and 10,000m.

After her world record feat at the Prefontaine Classic, the Diamond League Meeting in Eugene, Chebet said: “I came to run the 10,000m in order to get qualification and a great position for Paris because I want to double. I’m happy because it’s my first time to be on an Olympic team and with good health and hard work, I will medal again in Paris and that will be my favourite medal.”

The former world silver medallist will be making her debut at the Olympics and as far as things stand, she might just be the surprise winner in the two distances.

She has been in impeccable form this season, following her world record on the New Year’s Eve at the Cursa dels Nassos where she clocked an impressive 14:13 in the 5km road race.

The Commonwealth Games 5000m champion then proceeded to successfully defend her cross-country title in Belgrade, Serbia going up against a strong field that included world 10km record holder Agnes Jebet and Sirikwa Classic Cross-Country champion Emmaculate Anyango.

She opened her track season at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha, Qatar, flooring a strong Ethiopian contingent to win the women’s 5000m race. So far this season, it is evident that Chebet is a strong contender for the top prizes in Paris and no one is going to stop her.

Double world record holder Faith Kipyegon is yet to open her season following a slight injury setback and she might pose as Chebet’s closest challenger, but until then, the National Police Officer is in the right shape to carry the day in the city of love.

Timothy Cheruiyot shares key reason why he loves competing against Jakob Ingebrigtsen

Timothy Cheruiyot has explained why he loves running against his track rivals, singling out Jakob Ingebrigtsen as one of his favourite.

Former world 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot has opened up for his love competing against track rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

Cheruiyot and Ingebrigtsen were in action at the Diamond League Meeting in Oslo, where they went head-to-head to the finish line with the Norwegian middle-distance runner dramatically diving over the line to take the top prize.

The two-time world 5000m champion crossed the line in a world leading time of 3:29.74 ahead of Cheruiyot who came in close second in 3:29.77. Frenchman Azeddine Habz sealed the podium, clocking an astonishing season best time of 3:30.80 to cross the finish line.

Cheruiyot, the Olympic Games silver medallist, noted that he loves competing against talented athletes like Ingebrigtsen who usually push him to the limit. Going into Oslo, Cheruiyot had high expectations to win the race but expressed satisfaction with his second-place finish.

He has been out with an injury bout but is slowly coming back to competing and will certainly be a force to reckon with.

“Racing with my compatriot, Jakob - it makes me happy, he's a strong guy and he finished fast today. I'm glad to be here in Oslo for the second time, the track is amazing.

“I was expecting the win but I'm satisfied I managed to run under 3:30 today. Now, I'm going home to prepare for the Kenyan trials - I need to finish in the top three.

“For the last nine months, I've been injured so I need to focus on training more to improve my fitness ahead of Paris, where I hope to get another medal for my country,” Cheruiyot said.

He opened his season with a second-place finish at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha before doubling in the 1500m and 800m at the National Championships.

High school girls are clocking some very fast miles this season

Never before has a national high school record been broken in back-to-back races. 

Well, until Thursday May 30. 

Just 10 minutes separated two historic efforts at the mile distance between high school girls at the Festival of Miles in St. Louis, Missouri, with Virginia native Allie Zealand getting things started under the lights with a time of 4:30.38. 

However, it wasn't long before Ventura junior Sadie Engelhardt, whose own national record of 4:31.72 was broken by Zealand, got her own crack at it in the women's professional mile that followed. 

Roughly 10 minutes later. 

Engelhardt's patience was played to perfection, as she bided her time in the pack before working her way up over the last 200 meters and hitting for a 63-second final lap to score a new national record in 4:28.46. 

Her finish only paled Jenn Randall's winning time of 4:28.23.

Engelhardt's performance was just 0.21 seconds shy of Mary Cain's longstanding overall national record of 4:28.25, which was set indoors in 2013. 

Engelhardt put together laps of 68.9 over 409 meters, 68 seconds over the second 400 meter frame, 68.3 in the third quarter and 63.2 in the closing lap. 

Zealand, meanwhile, went 69.23, 68.94, 67.38 and 64.81. Cuthbertson's Charlotte Bell was second in 4:35.70 while Allison Ince was third in 4:35.96. 

Five girls finished under 4:40 and six more were under 4:50.

An amazing fast 5k in Oslo

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia ran the second-fastest 5,000 meters of all time in winning at the Diamond League meeting in Oslo on Thursday.

Gebrhiwet ran a final lap of 54.99 to finish in 12 minutes, 36.73 seconds — 1.37 seconds off the world record set by Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei.

 Gebrhiwet's time is not only the second fastest time ever it was also a new national record for Ethiopia. New personal bests for the top eight finishers and new National records for Guatemala, Switzerland, Sweden, France and South Africa!

Also at the Bislett Games, home favorite Jakob Ingebrigtsen dived for the line to win the men's 1,500 just ahead of Timothy Cheruiyot in a world-leading 3 minutes, 29.74 seconds.

More details: Hagos Gebrhiwet produced the standout performance of the Bislett Games – and one of the biggest surprises of the year so far – when winning the men’s 5000m in 12:36.73 at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Oslo on Thursday (30).

It was one of three meeting records and five world leads set on an enthralling night of athletics action in the Norwegian capital, just two months away from the Paris Olympic Games.

Going into the men’s 5000m, many eyes were on world record-holder and Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei, two-time world cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo and last year’s Bislett Games winner Yomif Kejelcha. But Gebrhiwet – who produced the first sub-13-minute run of his career on this track as a teenager back in 2012 – ensured his name won’t be forgotten in the lead-up to the Olympics.

The early pace was strong but not spectacular as the field was paced through the first 1000m in 2:33.13 and 2000m in 5:07.05. Addisu Yihune maintained that tempo through 3000m, reached in 7:41.05, with all the big contenders still in contention.

Kejelcha took control soon after and started to wind up the pace. Gebrhiwet stayed close to his fellow Ethiopian with Ugandan duo Kiplimo and Cheptegei close behind as 4000m was reached in 10:11.86, the previous kilometre being covered in 2:30.

Cheptegei was unable to hold on for much longer and started to drift back. Kejelcha continued to drive the pace but the challenge from Gebrhiwet and Kiplimo wasn’t fading, despite the increase in pace. Gebrhiwet struck as the bell sounded and moved into the lead, kicking past his compatriot and pulling away with each stride.

With a final lap of 54.99, Gebrhiwet charged through the line in 12:36.73 to win by more than two seconds from Kejelcha (12.38.95) – the first time in history that two men have broken 12:40 in the same race.

Gebrhiwet’s winning time is just 1.37 seconds shy of the world record Cheptegei set in 2020 and moves him to second on the world all-time list, one place ahead of Kenenisa Bekele, whose Ethiopian record Gebrhiwet broke.

Kiplimo held on for third, setting a PB of 12:40.96, while Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo (12:48.10) and Yihune (12:49.65) also finished inside 12:50.

It was just the second time in history that 13 men have broken 13 minutes. Along with Gebrhiwet, there were national records for Guatemala’s Luis Grijalva (12:50.58), Switzerland’s Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu (12:50.90), Sweden’s Andreas Almgren (12:50.94), France’s Jimmy Gressier (12:54.97) and South Africa’s Adriaan Wildschutt (12:56.67).

“I’m really happy with my time,” said Gebrhiwet, the world road 5km champion. “I set a PB when I first ran in Oslo, and now it’s even better. The conditions and the crowd were great. It was a very fast race and it wasn’t easy for me, but it went very well. I’ll now try to qualify for the Olympics in the 10,000m too.”

There were notable performances in two other endurance events in Oslo.

Australia’s Georgia Griffith continued her breakthrough to win the 3000m in an Oceanian record of 8:24.20. The field had been paced through 1000m in 2:50.34, then that pace was maintained through 2000m in 5:40.73.

The field became more strung out over the final kilometre as the pace increased. Griffith made a break in the closing stages and Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw tried to come back, but her challenge was in vain as the Australian won in a meeting record of 8:24.20, 0.09 ahead of Amebaw in a race where the top six women finished inside 8:30.

In the closing event of the night, Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen was made to dive for the line to ensure a home victory for the Norwegian fans.

He controlled the pace in the second half, but still had 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot for company on the final lap. The Kenyan challenged the Norwegian down the home straight and appeared to have timed his kick to perfection, but Ingebrigtsen collapsed over the line to get the verdict in a world-leading 3:29.74, 0.03 ahead of Cheruiyot. The first 11 finishers all set either season’s or personal bests.

Meet the 91 year-old competing in the Missoula Half Marathon

A few weeks ago, Missoula Marathon Director Trisha Drobek stopped by our offices to record a few on-air interviews regarding the upcoming race. Drobek provided some great advice on running the marathon that you can find below.

On a topic off-air, I mentioned to Drobek that I was running the Half Marathon (please hold your applause) with a good chance I'd finish dead last. Drobek chuckled and said I would be just fine at 28 compared to the 91-year-old competing in the race.

I HAD to track her down. Myrtle Miller at 91 years young is gearing up to participate in another Missoula Half Marathon. She began competing in the Half 12 years ago at the young age of 79 and has participated every year since, minus the COVID years.

"The year before I saw two of my friends doing that [participating in the Half Marathon] and I thought 'Oh I want to do that too'" said Miller. "I was closer to do this type of thing," Myrtle explained after she and her husband moved into town.

Miller won't be alone at this year's Missoula Half Marathon on June 30th. She'll be joined by her son Brian.

"My son's done it with me every year. He's a runner, in fact, he's running a 30K down in Idaho or someplace, but he's walked with me every year."

Some people will never compete in a race setting over their entire life but not Myrtle. She relishes the opportunity every spring to get back out there.

"It's just a goal I have each spring. I think 'Oh, I want to do this again,' so it's just kind of a goal, you know? I know the beginning of March we start training."

Myrtle is a pro at this point. She knows her training route and she knows what it will take to tackle the Half Marathon. This year Myrtle is looking to complete the the 13.1 miles in 4 hours and 30 minutes. 

"I think I did it in 4:15:00 last year, so I think it will be 4:30:00 this year. Looking back, I've been keeping track, looking back over the years each year I'm about 15 [minutes] to half an hour slower.

Timothy Cheruiyot outlines comeback strategy with main focus on Paris 2024 Olympics

Former world 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot has opened up on his comeback strategy after injuries almost threatened to end his career.

Olympic 1500m silver medalist Timothy Cheruiyot is slowly gaining his confidence as he outlines his comeback plan to where he feels he rightfully belongs, the top.

Cheruiyot suffered an injury bout that cost him since 2022 where he failed to defend his world title at the Oregon World Championships and also faltered at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The former world champion is now plotting a great comeback and he has already started competing after his exit from the World Championships in Budapest.

He opened his season with a second-place finish at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha before doubling in the 1500m and 800m at the National Championships.

He now heads to the Diamond League Meeting in Oslo, where he will be up against a strong field, but he can’t be downplayed since he is also an able athlete.

Cheruiyot also disclosed that his main focus is on the Olympic trials where he intends to shine and go to Paris to improve his silver medal from the delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.

“I feel good…the races were good and I was well prepared. I decided to do two races, the 800m and 1500m, and it was really good because we are focusing ahead,” he said.

“I feel so great because last year I was having an injury but now I’m getting better. For now, I’m focusing on the Diamond League races and then the trials,” he said.

The Olympic silver medalist also noted that at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha, his body was about 85 per cent and fired warning shots at his opponents.

“At the Diamond League Meeting in Doha, my body was about 85 per cent because that was my first race after nine months, since Budapest. So, it was about gaining confidence and now, I’m ready to go. The confidence is coming back,” he added.

Relief for Comrades Marathon runners

The 97th Comrades Marathon — an up run — will be held over 85,91 km between Durban and Pietermaritzburg on June 9.

Runners will feel some relief after receiving a bit of respite from Comrades Marathon organizers, with another adjustment being made to the cut-off times for next week’s ultra-marathon in KwaZulu-Natal.

With cut-off times having caused some controversy after runners were alleged to have been taken off the course earlier than necessary at last year’s race, this latest move announced yesterday would give participants another 10 minutes to reach the last cut-off before the finish.

The cut-off at the 79,1-km mark, at the top of the notorious Polly Shortts climb, had been shifted from 11 hours 10 minutes (11:10:00) to 11:20:00, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) confirmed.

According to organizers, this was “in response to runner requests and ongoing efforts to ensure that participants have the best possible chance of finishing this year’s race”.

This latest announcement followed a decision by the CMA earlier this month to scrap the first cut-off point, at St Johns Avenue in Pinetown, reducing the total cut-off points to five, excluding the finish. Cut-off times were also revised for Winston Park and the halfway point at Drummond.

The 97th Comrades Marathon — an up run — will be held over 85,91 km between Durban and Pietermaritzburg on June 9.

Meanwhile, since 2015, the CMA has been awarding “Winners Jackets” to male and female winners of the race.

The year 2016 saw the retrospective awarding of Winners Jackets to three previous winners at the official Comrades race day prizegiving ceremony; with this becoming a celebratory facet to race week festivities until all surviving former Comrades Marathon winners have been honored with their very own Winners Jackets.

Two remarkable individuals will receive the grand acknowledgement at this year’s Comrades Champions Prizegiving Breakfast on Monday, June 10.

They are Rae Bischoff and Sipho Ngomane, both of whom in their own right have made their mark on The Ultimate Human Race.

In 1998 Bischoff made South Africa proud when she took the women’s title, a long break since 1993, when fellow South African Tilda Tearle was crowned the women’s champion.

Bischoff, a veteran contender during that up run, had Valentina Liakhova close on her heels, with a mere 19 seconds between them. But Bischoff managed to cross the finish line in 6:38:57, taking first position.

Ngomane ran his first Comrades Marathon in 2003. In 2005 — a down run — he surprised the world when he won in 5:27:11, with Oleg Kharitonov close behind.

What made the victory even sweeter is that Ngomane had to run in borrowed shoes after his had been stolen. He was only 23 at the time when he claimed the victory.

Comrades Marathon cut-off times:

Winston Park (Caltex Garage) – 29,6 km in, clock time 4:45:00

Drummond (Halfway) – 42,6 km in, clock time 6:20:00

Cato Ridge (N3 Subway) – 56,6 km in, clock time 8:10:00

Umlaas Road – 67,5 km in, clock time 9:40:00

Mkondeni (Top of Polly Shortts) – 79,1 km in, clock time 11:20:00

Finish line – 85,91 km in, clock time 12:00:00.

Lokedi, Kiplagat and Chepkirui Headline New York Mini 10K Run

Three Kenyans headlined by Boston Marathon second finisher Sharon Lokedi are among the top athletes entered for the 2024 New York Mini 10K set for Saturday, June 8.

Veteran and consistent Edna Kiplagat as well as Sheila Chepkirui, who finished second at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.

The race also features four past champions, five Paris 2024 Olympians, and seven of the top 10 finishers from the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

Produced by the New York City-based nonprofit for more than five decades, the 52nd running of the event will also be competed by event-record holder and two-time race champion Senbere Teferi and two-time race champion Sara Hall, who will join the previously announced 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Marathon Team – Fiona O’Keeffe, Emily Sisson, and Dakotah Lindwurm – at the start line in Central Park.

Teferi, a two-time Olympian and two-time World Championships medalist from Ethiopia, has won the last two editions of the New York Mini 10K, breaking the event record in 2023 with a time of 30:12.

Also, in New York, she won 2019 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K and in her 2022 United Airlines NYC Half victory recorded the second-fastest time in the history of the event.

“I’m very happy to return to New York for the Mini, and I will try my best to win the race for a third time,” Teferi said. “It is such a special race because there is a bond that exists with thousands of women also running. Even though we are not related, I feel supported like we are all sisters in running.”

Hall is a 10-time U.S. national champion who won the New York Mini 10K in 2021 and 2022. Earlier this year, she finished fifth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. She is also the former national record-holder in the half marathon and the only athlete in history to have won the New York Mini 10K, New Balance 5th Avenue Mile, and Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K in New York.

“It’s very cool that this year’s New York Mini 10K falls on the fifth anniversary of my first win at the race, and I can’t think of any place I’d rather be that weekend,” said Hall.

Four dynamic drills to finesse form and turnover

Mastering these simple drills will help you hit the sweet spot in your speed session.

Drills are the icing on the cake of a gentle, easy warmup pre-speedwork. Just like icing levels up your tasty treat to make it the best dessert it can be, tacking a few simple drills onto the end of your warmup sets your legs up to fire like never before, leading to a bigger improvement in performance and a more efficient workout. Try picking three drills to focus on, and feel free to do fewer repeats if these movements are new to you.

1.- High knees

Practising high knees helps us learn to lift our knees up when we run and emphasizes remaining light on our feet.

In this drill, focus on driving the foot down and letting it spring back up off the ground, instead of lifting it using the knees. Use the same arm motion during this drill as you use while running.

Work on keeping the upper half of your body leaning slightly forward (bend at the hips, but not crouching over), avoiding the urge to lean back while lifting your knees high. Forget speed in this drill—your aim is to stay tall and light on your feet, creating a quick vertical force, while moving forward. Try 3 sets of 15-20 seconds of high knees.

2.- Single-leg snap-downs

Running is a series of single-leg squats in a forward-moving direction, and any way you can improve co-ordination, balance and strength on one leg with help prevent injuries and maximize forward propulsion.

Begin by standing on both feet (if you feel balanced, come up onto your toes) with arms reaching above your head.

Once you find your balance, quickly drop onto one leg while pulling your arms down (into a running position) to create momentum. Release and begin again. Try 3 sets of 5 to 10 snap-downs on each side.

3.- Backward running

Backward running helps stretch hip flexors while activating hamstrings, and builds leg strength while minimizing stress, making it a useful tool when returning from injury.

It’s important to keep safety in mind when you add backward running to your routine, and to start with a walk, rather than a run. If you’re outside, opt for a large open area free of obstacles, and ask a forward-walking friend to serve as your eyes.

If you are walking backward on a treadmill, begin by holding the handrails and walking at a low speed. As you become more accustomed to going backward, you can steadily increase the speed setting until you’re safely and slowly running backward. A five to 10-minute backward walking or running session several times a week is enough to get started and can be easily tacked on to the beginning or end of your regular running session.

4.- A-skip

When doing the A-skip, pay attention to maintaining an upright posture and driving your arms forward, as when running. The idea is to skip while keeping knees high.

Practise in place by driving the knee up high above the hip and bringing it down fast. Once comfortable, a skip can be added in between steps.

While these drills are perfect to run through before a speed session, they can be slotted into the middle or end of an easy run. Remember to take a rest or easy running day after any harder workout or speed session.

World record holder, endurance sport pioneer Chris Nikic to Run 2024 Grandma’s Marathon

2-time ESPY award winner and Guiness world record holder Chris Nikic will be at the starting line of the 2024 Grandma’s Marathon, the organization announced today.

Nikic was born with Down syndrome and was unable to walk well until age 4, but recently he became the first person with Down Syndrome to complete each of the World Marathon Majors (New York City, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, London, and Tokyo) and earn the coveted Abbott Six Star medal.

In 2020, before completing any of his running-only marathons, Nikic became the first person in the world to ever complete an Ironman Triathlon – that competition consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run.

Nikic beat his own time two years later at the 2022 World Championships, and that mark of 16 hours, 31 minutes still stands as an official Guiness world record.

After accomplishing a goal that once seemed out-of-reach, Nikic co-wrote a book with his father, Nik, titled 1% Better: Reaching My Full Potential and How You Can Too.

The book chronicles Nikic’s journey from childhood to his teenage years, when after high school he was an admitted “overweight, out-of-shape” 18-year-old. As he slowly developed an affinity for exercise, Nikic also slowly changed his perception of what was possible in his life.

“That’s when he wrote on the wall that he was going to be a ‘world champ’,” his father Nik said. “We didn’t dismiss what he was telling us as impossible, we took it to heart and believed him. Then, we got to work helping him achieve that goal.”

Chris will speak at the Essentia Health Fitness Expo at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, June 21, and Nik will follow that at 1:00 p.m. as a guest for a panel discussion on the inclusion of neurodivergent and disabled athletes in endurance sporting events like Grandma’s Marathon. Both presentations are free and open to the public.

The Nikics will also be visiting Northwood Children’s Services west campus on Thursday, June 20, with Chris set to speak to the kids and lead them through the “1% Better Challenge.”

“We’re honored to have Chris as part of our 2024 Grandma’s Marathon weekend,” Marketing & Public Relations Director Zach Schneider said. “We met Chris and his dad two years ago in Denver, and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place after Chris had given his presentation. He’s exactly the type of person we want at our starting line, and we’re excited to continue the conversation about how those doors can be opened to other athletes like Chris.”

Down syndrome is a chromosome disorder caused by an extra chromosome 21, which prompted the creation of the Runner 321 initiative aiming to welcome more neurodivergent athletes into endurance sports. On race day in Duluth, Chris will wear race bib No. 321 as a symbol of that initiative.

ABOUT GRANDMA’S MARATHON

Grandma’s Marathon began in 1977 when a group of local runners planned a scenic road race from Two Harbors to Duluth, Minnesota. After seeing just 150 participants that year, the race weekend has now grown into one of the largest in the United States and welcomes more than 20,000 participants for its three-race event each June.

The race got its name from the Duluth-based group of famous Grandma’s Restaurants, the first major sponsor of the marathon. In addition to the 26.2-mile race, the organization has now added the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and William A. Irvin 5K to its weekend offerings.

As the popularity of Grandma’s Marathon has grown, our mission has stayed the same – to organize, promote, and deliver annual events and programs that cultivate running, educational, social, and charitable opportunities to our communities.

Munyao to exploit underdog status in hunt for Olympic title

London Marathon champion Alexander Munyao says he will exploit his underdog status in the hunt for the men’s marathon title at the Paris Olympic Games.

Two-time Olympic Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele are front runners.

The duo have won numerous championships and major marathons while Munyao only has last month's  London Marathon title to boast of. 

Tokyo Marathon champion Benson Kipruto will be the other Kenyan athlete in the race. But undaunted by the challenge, Munyao is determined to pull off a surprise in the French capital.

“I’m targeting nothing less than gold in Paris. I know Kipchoge will be chasing his third Olympic title and Kipruto is an equally serious contender but I’m ready for the challenge,” Munyao stated.

 The London Marathon London Marathon champion envisions a Kenyan sweep on the podium and expects the trio to push each other to victory. 

“A Kenya 1-2-3 finish is very possible. We’ll be pushing each other hard, and I believe Kenya will dominate in Paris,” he added.

Beyond winning gold, Munyao is keen to lower his personal best (PB). “I aim to reduce my PB to 2:01 or 2:02,” he added.

The 27-year-old  boasts a PB of 2:03:11 set in December 2023 during the Valencia Marathon, where he placed second.

Last week, the Ethiopian Athletics Federation announced its three male representatives for Paris, headlined by three-time Olympic track champion Bekele. He will team up with Valencia Marathon champion Sisay Lemma and Beijing Marathon champion Deresa Geleta.

Despite acknowledging the strength of the Ethiopian team, Munyao views his Kenyan compatriots as his main rivals.

“Ethiopia have a strong team no doubt but I don't see them posing any threat to us. I have run with Bekele and Lemma before and I know their techniques. However, I haven't run with Kipchoge or Kipruto before and that makes them more competitive unlike the Ethiopians,” he noted.

During his triumph in London last month, Munyao beat Bekele to the title, clocking 2:04:01 with Bekele, who was the pre-race favorite, settling for second place in 2:04:15.

At the 2023 Prague Marathon, Munyao clinched the title in 2:05:09, beating Lemma to second place in 2:06:51. Looking ahead to Paris, Munyao plans to stay with the leading pack and make his decisive move close to the finish. 

“My strategy will be simple! I have to stay with the leading pack and make my move a few kilometres to the finish as was the case in London,” Munyao noted.

However, Munyao tempered expectations for a new world record in Paris, citing the challenging nature of the course.

“I have not run the Paris course before but from what I have heard from athletes, it is a tough course. Breaking a world record there will not be easy. What will be important for us athletes is a medal,” he added.

Munyao resumed full training last week at Ngong Hills under the guidance of his coach Peter Muteti, running 30km daily.

“I resumed full training for the Olympics last week at Ngong Hills. I do 30km daily runs, 20km in the morning with light 10km runs in the evening,” he added.

Calgary Marathon becomes first marathon to have an on-course beer station

The Calgary Marathon celebrated its 60th anniversary on Sunday, and for the first time in event history, the race featured an on-course beer station for the marathon and half-marathon runners.

Calgary-based brewery One for the Road Brewing Co., founded by Graham Matheos, approached Calgary Marathon race director Kirsten Fleming earlier this year with the idea of the race becoming the first North American marathon to have non-alcoholic beer stations.

Officially referred to by organizers as a “hydration station serving non-alcoholic beer,” it was essentially a beer aid station. The beer was offered in addition to water and electrolytes at the 18 km and 36 km marks. “People loved it,” said Fleming.

The local non-alcoholic brewery was also a sponsor of the race’s inaugural 60K distance, which was extended from the usual 50K to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Calgary Marathon.

This year’s race saw the second-largest field in event history, with just over 13,600 participants taking part in one of the six race weekend festivities. In the half-marathon, Calgary’s Blaine Penny and his team of 11 runners set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest half-marathon as a tethered team, raising over $30,000 for the charity MitoCanada.

The marathon (the weekend’s main event), was won by Great Britain’s Jordan Clay in 2:35:59. According to CTV News Calgary, Clay did not expect to win the race, as this was his first time visiting the city. Calgary’s own Emily James won the women’s race in 2:49:16.

Bolder Boulder: Conner Mantz surges to second consecutive victory in pro race

Conner Mantz sure knows how to put on a show at Folsom Field.

A year after a dramatic finish to win the Bolder Boulder, he did it again on Monday. Mantz surged past Yemane Haileselassie of Eritrea in the final 250 meters to claim the title in the International Pro Team Challenge for the second year in a row.

Mantz, running for the USA Red team, finished the 10K race in 29 minutes, 12.51 seconds to outlast Haileselassie by just 1.8 seconds.

“I think it’s a big deal for me just because this is such a prestigious race and getting the body to dig that deep is something I’m really trying to work on,” said Mantz, who had a strong final kick to win by only four seconds in 2023. “So this is a race that was good to get the best out of myself.”

Mantz’s USA Red squad finished second in the team standings, behind the USA White team, which was led by third-place finisher Sam Chelanga (29:21.16). This is the first time since 2017 that a USA squad finished atop the team standings.

Biya Simbassa (fifth, 29:37.39) and Reed Fischer of Boulder (eighth, 29:41.97) teamed with Chelanga on the USA White team. Mantz ran with fellow BYU alums Clayton Young (seventh, 29:38.47) and Jared Ward (14th, 32:05.50).

Mantz was at or near the lead throughout the race but had a tough time pulling away.

“I just started out really quick and it felt pretty easy, and I was, like, running fast,” he said. “But then as the race went on I started slowing down and I couldn’t speed up, which was getting a little frustrating because I kept trying to take the lead and kind of break that pack open. Every time I took the lead to push I couldn’t get anybody to break out that pack.”

Heading up the final hill on Folsom Street, Haileselassie took the lead

“I trailed all the way behind the group,” he said. “I tried pushing the uphill.”

As the race went into the downhill into Folsom Field, however, Mantz found a new gear.

“I could hear (Haileselassie) struggling breathing, really hard,” Mantz said. “So I was like, ‘I’m gonna stay as close as I can and try and get him on the inside of the stadium, but by the time he crested going to the left, I made a hard move down that little hill and I could tell he was not landing right. So I was like, ‘OK, maybe I need to go now.’ His form was kind of dying. He didn’t slow down that much, though.”

It was enough of a slowdown, however, for Mantz to take advantage and become the first repeat champion since Allan Kiprono of Kenya in 2012-13. He’s only the fifth male to win back-to-back titles.

“It was good race for me,” Haileselassie said. “He led all the way and I tried to push him. He’s strong. He caught me. He’s good in downhill.”

The final kick wasn’t easy, though.

“I was surprised how hard it hurt,” Mantz said. “I had a good workout on Friday and a good one on Tuesday last week. So I was pretty confident I could kick really hard. When I tried to kick, it didn’t feel as good as I would have thought. I expected to feel a lot better at the end.”

The result felt pretty good, though. Mantz will complete at the Olympics in the marathon later this summer, but it meant a lot to him to win the Bolder Boulder again and to feel the electricity of the Folsom Field crowd.

“It’s a blast,” he said. “The crowd was so loud and it was just fun to be in such a special environment. It’s tough, though, like trying to kick and you’re out of breath. It’s tough to really enjoy the crowd 100% but I enjoyed it as much as I could.”

Although he came up short, Haileselassie was in awe of the environment, as well.

“Amazing,” he said. “I’m so excited to see these people. I was hearing about this yesterday. It’s really nice. I like it. It’s a lot of people. Really amazing.”

Bolder Boulder: Kenya’s Grace Loibach Nawowuna cruises to win in women’s pro race

Emily Durgin came to the 44th Bolder Boulder on Monday to try to defend her title. She had to tip her cap to Kenya’s Grace Loibach Nawowuna, however.

The 20-year-old Nawowuna got off to a fast start and never let up in winning the women’s title of the International Pro Team Challenge. She finished in 32 minutes, 45.3 seconds — the ninth-fastest time in race history and the best since Mamitu Daska of Ethiopia in 2018 (32:36).

“In this race, if you get to mile four and you’re separated, you’re pretty much home free,” said Durgin, who finished fourth, in 33:34.15. “Once she got to mile four, I kind of knew. I mean, that woman is a 29-minute 10K runner.”

Nawowuna posted a 10K time of 29:47.42 — the 11th-best in history — almost a year ago, on June 3, 2023, in The Netherlands. On Saturday, she was in Eugene, Ore., posting a 10K time of 30:34.86 at the Prefontaine Classic.

Nawowuna didn’t arrive in Boulder until Sunday night. She went to the medical tent immediately after her race and was not available for comment on Monday, but she sent a message with her legs.

She posted the fastest split of the day in the opening mile (4:51) and pulled away quickly. Ethiopia’s Siranesh Yirga was second, in 33:19.60.

“I knew (Nawowuna) was going to be able to go out in 4:40 and it not crush her, whereas all of us going under 5:00 at altitude, it does take a little bit more from us,” Durgin said. “She was honestly like an elite, high level athlete. So yeah, it was fun to at least go head to head with those women.”

Led by Nawowuna, Kenya won the team title for the first time since 2016. She teamed with Sarah Naibei (seventh, 33:53.62) and Daisy Kimeli (ninth, 34:30.96) to score 17 points.

Ethiopia, led by Yirga and fifth-place finisher Mulugojam Birhan (33:48.21), was second in the team standings, with 20 points. The United States team, led by Durgin, was third.

Durgin was only nine seconds off her pace from last year (33:25) but said this year’s race was a tough one, because of the pace set by Nawowuna, Yirga and Mexico’s Anahi Alvarez, who was third (33:25.52).

“It was hard this year,” Durgin said. “It was really windy and (the competitors) spread out really, really early. So, we were all running alone and all had a headwind.

“(Nawowuna) separated herself enough and then (Yirga), she was looking back. I knew she was dying, but we were all dying.

“Every year is a little different.”

Durgin was joined by Sarah Hall (10th, 34:35.19) and Nell Rojas (11th, 35:02.02) on the United States team.

In addition to the USA team, there was a team of University of Colorado alums that placed fourth in the team standings. That group was led by sixth-place finisher Makena Morley, who posted a time of 33:49.64.

Also running for the CU team was Carrie Verdon (eighth, 33:54.69) and Sara Vaughn (15th, 36:32.37).

Kibor and Melaku set to clash at the Stockholm Marathon

Two-time La Rochelle Marathon champion Marion Kibor will go head-to-head with Stockholm Marathon defending champion Sifan Melaku this Saturday (June 1) in a thrilling showdown in Sweden's capital.

Melaku claimed the title last year after clocking 2:30:44 in a race where she led an Ethiopian podium sweep. Compatriots Amente Sorome (2:33:31) and Yenenesh Dinkesa (2:35:44) placed second and third 

Kibor boasts a personal best (PB) of 2:22:35 set during last year’s Haspa Marathon, where she placed fifth.

The 30-year-old first seized the La Rochelle title in 2019 with a time of 2:29:51 and reclaimed it in 2022 with an impressive 2:25:15.

Her accolades also include a bronze in the Paris Half Marathon (1:06:46) and a silver at the 2022 Geneva Marathon (2:28:30).

Joining Kibor is Flomena Chepkiach, the Tunis Marathon champion, Lina Jepkemoi, the Linz Marathon silver medalist and Sarah Kiptoo, the 2014 Cleveland Marathon champion. 

Melaku will be flanked by her formidable Ethiopian teammates, last year’s runner-up Sorome and 2019 Leiden Marathon champion Zenebu Bihonegn.

In the men’s race, Fredrick Kibii, the 2023 Hannover Marathon bronze medalist, will lead the Kenyan charge. Kibii has a PB of 2:08:09 set in Hannover.

He will be supported by Robert Ngeno, Buenos Aires Marathon bronze medalist, who placed fourth at last year's Stockholm Marathon with a time of 2:13:52.

Also in the mix is Bernard Kipkorir, the 2020 Houston Half Marathon silver medalist. He has a PB of 2:07:18 from the 2021 Valencia Marathon where he finished in position 15.

Kipkorir has an impressive record in the half marathon including a title in the 2019 Istanbul Half Marathon (59:56) as well as silver medals during the 2019 Valencia (59:07) and Copenhagen (59:16) Half Marathons.

Rounding out the Kenyan squad are Kennedy Kipyeko, the La Rochelle Marathon champion with a PB of 2:10:49 and Abednego Cheruiyot, the 2022 Azpeitia Half Marathon bronze medalist.

Morocco’s Mohamed El Talhaoui will pose a significant challenge for the Kenyans. El Talhaoui, who has a PB of 2:08:03 from the Seville Marathon, is expected to be a strong contender.

Former Geneva marathon champion slapped with 7-year doping-ban for repeat offense

The Kenyan road runner was nabbed with prohibited substances in her system and will pay dearly for her second infraction.

The Athletics Integrity Unit has slapped Josephine Chepkoech with a seven-year ban for the the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Testosterone) from May 7, 2024.

Chepkoech’s results from February 18 this year have also been disqualified. The 2019 Geneva Marathon champion was provisionally suspended by the AIU on May 9, 2024, being served with a Notice of Allegation for violating Article 2.1 and Article 2.2 of its anti-doping regulations.

The AIU explained that on February 18, Chepkoech provided a urine sample during her competition at the Seville Marathon where she finished second in the race and after her urine was tested, it was found to have substances banned by the World Athletics Anti-doping Agency.

It was further noted that the athlete was not exempted from the use of the substance, popularly known as the Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).

The athlete accepted the ruling but this was the second time she had found herself on the wrong side of the law, having violated the anti-doping rules. She had previously served a period of ineligibility for two years from 2015 to 2017.

The athlete was required to serve a ban of eight years but after she accepted the ruling and responded in good time, she will serve the ban for seven years.

Meanwhile, Chepkoech made her marathon debut in 2018 at the Nairobi Marathon, dominating the women's race and winning in a time of 2:33:11. Last season, she competed in the Chengdu Marathon and ended up finishing fifth.

She has enjoyed a great marathon running career after her debut, where she finished second in both the 2019 Sydney Marathon and Zurich Marathon. In 2020, she finished fourth in the Zurich Marathon before her two marathons in 2023 and 2024.

Scottish runner, Josh Kerr aiming for Paris Olympics gold after shattering 39-year record

It is nearly a decade since Josh Kerr made the decision to turn his back on home comforts and fly thousands of miles across the Atlantic to begin a new life courtesy of an athletics scholarship at the University of New Mexico.

He was only a teenager at the time and left behind a close-knit family in Edinburgh, But never at any point did he have any doubts about the sacrifices involved in upping sticks to Albuquerque, or the ultimate goal.

“It was a big leap of faith, to be honest,” he recalled last year. “I hadn't taken a visit. But if you're not pushing your boundaries, you're just going to get a little bit stale. They said they had 307 days of sun, so I was there.”

Still only 26, the Scot’s boundaries have shifted considerably since then. He is increasingly regarded as one of Scotland’s top medal prospects for the coming Paris Olympics, a status consolidated by his remarkable victory in the Diamond League, where he triumphed over Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and smashed Steve Cram’s near 40-year-old British mile record.

In a quirk of fate, Cram, one of the leading lights in the golden era of British middle-distance running, was part of the BBC commentary team for the meet. “Josh Kerr is getting better and better and better, that was phenomenal, and you know this is a man full of confidence heading to the Olympic Games,” he said.

Kerr’s victory represents the latest step in his journey to the summit of his sport. He first came to national prominence thanks to his 1,500m bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. And in August last year, he shocked Ingebrigtsen to win the 1,500m title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, before breaking the indoor two-mile world record in February.

Such victories are the highlights of a running career that began when Kerr joined Edinburgh Athletics Club aged eight. At the time, his older brother, Jake, was pursuing a successful track career, but later followed in the footsteps of their father, John, by taking up rugby. The younger Kerr stayed on the track, honing his skills under the tutelage of coaches Eric Fisher and Davy Campbell before heading stateside. He is now based in Seattle, part of the Brooks Beasts team trained by Danny Mackey.

But Kerr has always credited the crucial role played by Edinburgh Athletics Club, regularly returning to help give advice to its next crop of youngsters. “Those from the club that have reached the big stages before me have shown that it can be done, and in turn we can show it to the next generation,” he previously explained.

His rapid rise in world athletics represents the latest glowing endorsement of Edinburgh’s coaching. Indeed, Kerr, used to race alongside Jake Wightman, a 1,500m gold medallist at the 2022 World Championships.

Both men were trained by Fisher, now 77. In the wake of Kerr’s gold win in Budapest, he gave an insight into how, during Kerr’s early years, he could give too much respect to his brother, and lacked the confidence to see himself as being at the same level as top athletes. “Things have changed now,” he added.

Cheptai to compete in two 10k races in United States

Former world cross country champion Irine Cheptai will compete in two 10km road races in the United States in preparation for her second career marathon.

The reigning Commonwealth Games 10,000m silver medalist, who last month won the Hamburg Marathon in her 42km debut, said she will be competing at the Boston 10km on June 23 as well as the Peachtree 10km race on July 4.

“I want to use the two races as part of my preparations for the next marathon,” said Cheptai.

The former track queen said she has to work on her speed because the tempo in the 10km race is different.

“Right now, I am training for the 10k,  which has a different program unlike in marathons,’” she said. She said her victory on her marathon debut took her by surprise.

" It was like a miracle beating bigwigs in the marathon after switching from track and cross country to marathon," she noted. 

Chepati said: “I want to build up on my victory in Hamburg and win more major races,” said Cheptai.

The 2008 world junior cross country silver medalist won the Hamburg in her personal best time of 2:18.21 ahead of compatriot Winfridah Moset (2:18.24) and Ethiopian Gotytom Gebreslase (2:21.18).

“After competing on track and cross country, I feel I am ripe for the marathon,” said Cheptai.

Ben Flanagan breaks his national record at Canadian 10K

It wasn’t obvious from the start that he was going for the Canadian record, but Ben Flanagan made a move halfway into the Canadian 10K Championships at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (also known as the Ottawa 10K, putting distance between himself, marathoner Rory Linkletter and Jeremy Coughler, and held on for the win, squeaking past his Canadian record by two seconds, to finish in 28:09. (The previous record, held jointly with Canadian marathon record holder Cam Levins, was 28:11.)

“I wanted to stay on the gas and in that final kilometre I gave it everything I had,” Flanagan told Canadian Running post-race. His final kilometre was a split of two minutes and 38 seconds. Linkletter finished second in Ottawa, in 28:40 (a new personal best) and Coughler third, in 28:55 (also a personal best).

It was overcast and about 18 C in Ottawa Saturday–slightly warmer than ideal for racing, but less hot than it has been in recent years, which was a relief for the runners and made fast times possible. The race began with a fairly sedate 2:57 split, but got progressively faster (the third-kilometre split was 2:45). Flanagan took advantage of the hard downhill turn where the race crosses the canal, to make his move. It was a $6,000 payday for Flanagan, who will get $5,000 for the win and an additional $1,000 bonus for the national record.

Linkletter will be disappointed not to take the national championship, something he has yet to accomplish in his career; he is Canadian, but lives and trains in Flagstaff, Arizona, under former American marathoner Ryan Hall. Linkletter has been named to the Canadian marathon team for the Paris Olympics, along with Levins. Flanagan is also qualified for the Olympics (in the 5,000m), but has not yet been officially selected.

Coughler won his third consecutive Spring Run-Off 8K in Toronto’s High Park in April; in 2023, he won the Canadian 10,000m Championships. 

For Flanagan and Linkletter, Saturday’s race was almost a repeat of the 2022 event, which Flanagan also won (in 28:40), with Linkletter finishing second. 

Okpekpe 10km Race: Kenyans Dominate Race

Though no new record was set at the 10th Okpekpe International 10km Road Race on Saturday, but expectedly Kenyan Men and women dominated the race that was held in Okpekpe town, near Auchi in Edo state.

In the men, Kenyan  Pingua Zak ayo Edward returned a time of 29.31 minutes to win the top price of $15,000, while his compatriot, Isaac Kimpemboi placed second in 29.36 minutes and won $8,000. Alex Olotiptip placed third in 29.37 minutes to cart home $5,000.

The women event was dominated by the Kenyans. Gladys Kwanbuka blaize the trail in 33.05 minutes with Regina Wambui second in 33.38 minutes, while Sheila Cherotick placed third in 34.27 minutes. 

The women won the same price money as their male counterparts.

In the Nigerian category, Francis James Musa won in 30.46 minutes and won half a million Naira as price money with Israel Sadjo, the defending champion, placing second in 31.51 minutes and won N300,000. Dung Elijah Emmanuel was third in 32.20 minutes to cart home N200,000.

The Nigerian women were led by Patience Daylop Mwavwang, who successfully defended her title in 37.07 minutes. Yilmunen Nicholas Gokun placed second in 37.23 minutes while Blessing Shambo Solomon placed third in 37.28 minutes.

A Guy Just Broke the World Record for a Marathon in Crocs

This may come as a shock, but until now, no one has ever run a sub-3-hour marathon while wearing Crocs.

Those days are now over.

In his most recent video, YouTuber Chris Howett showed off his latest feat—running the Manchester Marathon with a sub-3 hour time of 2:58:24 … while wearing Crocs. The previous record stood at 3:02.

Not only that, but Howett had previously never run a marathon before in Crocs or any other footwear. 

Sporting a yellow pair of the comfortable footwear adored by chefs and Gen Z alike, and complete with a Lightning McQueen charm for good luck, Howett set off on his run, but not before getting eyed up by his fellow runners, some of whom were wearing the latest and greatest racing shoes for the event.

“I mean, who would be stupid enough to try to run a marathon in Crocs?” Howett asked the camera. “That person would be me.” At least he remembered to use the heel strap.

While Howett had never run a marathon, he was a track athlete before injuries, including multiple Achilles tears, derailed his career. Still, he felt he could run a fast enough marathon in the chunky, brightly-colored shoes.

As the marathon continued, Howett worried that it seemed too easy, logging a 6:50 pace on his first mile, a 6:47 for the second, and 6:36 for mile three. After those first few miles, however, his feet began to fight back against being forced to run in the rubber clogs.

“I was running 30 seconds per mile faster than I needed to, this was just outright stupid,” Howett narrated in the video. “The wheels could fall off at any minute.”

As the race went on, Howett continued to fear he would hit “the wall.” At the halfway point in the race, the runner said that while he felt good, his feet were another story. “It’s like I’m being stabbed in the bottom of the foot. Tough going.”

Howett said that he developed a blister on his left foot that made running in the Crocs unbearable but that the crowd support kept him going. “My left foot is going through pain I didn’t even know existed on the pain spectrum.”

As he neared the finish line, disaster struck. “I was dealing with a cramp for the last six miles, but this I could not continue running,” Howett said, noting that his cramping had gotten too bad to ignore. He was just half a mile from the finish.

Again, he says the crowd lifted him up and helped him continue. “I wasn’t just breaking the world record for myself anymore, I was breaking it for the people,” Howett quipped before finishing.

And finish he did. Howett ended his Croc challenge with a time of 2:58:24. The Guinness World Record team is still verifying the time, but when it is, Howett will have beaten the record by four minutes and 17 seconds. 

Cheating or an Honest Mistake: Should Marathoners Be DQ’d For Receiving Extra Bottles?

Race organizers say it’s to keep ensure fairness—some runners think a disqualification is taking it too far.

Esteban Prado trained for the Orange County Marathon for months. He told NBC that he was running 100-mile weeks over a 3-4 month period. On race day, he broke the tape, crossing the finish line in 2:24:54. But within an hour of his would-be victory, the 24-year-old runner received a phone call from race director Gary Kutscher. 

Kutscher asked him to confirm or deny the news he’d received that Prado had been receiving fluids and nutrition from someone on a bicycle, which is against USA Track and Field rules number 144 and 241—only “authorized persons” at official stations along the course can provide liquids. And the fact that Prado received the liquids from someone on a bike was a further violation.

“No official shall under any circumstances move beside an athlete while he is taking refreshment or water,” the rules say. Also: “A competitor who collects refreshment from a place other than a refreshment station is liable to disqualification by the referee.”

He was disqualified, and the runner-up, Jason Yang, who finished 17 seconds behind Prado, was named the official winner of the 2024 OC Marathon. 

The situation riled people up. Some said that what Prado did was cheating, while others felt that it was an honest mistake and that he shouldn’t be punished for it. However, while taking water from someone during a race may seem pretty harmless, as Kutscher pointed out in a phone call with Runner’s World, “The rules are there for a reason. We have to ensure fairness to all the people who are competing for those top spots. And I think we made the right decision.”

Complicating matters, several participants took to social media to express their disappointment with how the race was organized this year. Runners like Brandon, a man from Irvine in his mid-30s, who said the water stations along the course were not prepared. 

“The aid station situation was okay in the first half,” he told Runner’s World. “Sometimes there weren’t enough volunteers handing out water, which was probably terrible for elite runners where every second counts.” 

Brandon said he doesn’t recall seeing any official aid stations past mile 20, but after mile 23, “there were plenty of spectators handing out water.” However, while “this is okay for somebody just trying to make it through the race,” he added, “I don't understand how elites were supposed to adhere to the rules in this situation unless they got lucky and brought their own water.”

Ann, another participant in her 30s, says she only saw one water station that didn’t have water available. But, “It seemed like they weren’t pouring cups out fast enough to replace the ones grabbed by runners,” she told Runner’s World.

Participant claims notwithstanding, it’s hard to ignore the video footage that shows Prado running right past an aid station. It was also later confirmed that not only did his dad offer him water, but he rode alongside him on a bicycle for the majority of the race, pacing him and giving him coaching advice. It was an unfair advantage. 

Kutscher said he doesn’t think Prado was intentionally breaking the rules—“I don’t think that was his intention at all,” he said. “I don’t think he understood the rule. And I would have preferred that he just said that he didn’t understand the rules, and ‘I’m going to be a better runner as a result,’ but he mentioned that aid stations weren’t prepared and he’s even made some statements against Jason, our first place winner, now, that I think are unfortunate.” 

Whomever you believe in either situation, there’s no arguing that a DQ is an unfortunate thing. But the rules exist for a good reason, to keep the playing field fair and to give every athlete an equal opportunity to win. 

Ann, one of the OC Marathon mass field participants, said she’s glad when officials take the rules seriously. “As an amateur, I know they’re in place for my health and safety on course,” she says. “For the elites, I’m sure it’s also confidence in a fair race.” 

‘You Stole!’ Running World Divided Over ‘Bandits’ Who Crash Races

The Miami Marathon is contemplating facial-recognition tech to curtail interlopers; at a popular San Francisco race, bandits, who have included Gov. Gavin Newsom, are gods.

During the 2023 Miami Marathon, Frankie Ruiz, an event founder, spotted a bandit and pounced. He interrogated a runner wearing a comically bad counterfeit racing bib pinned to her shirt. She claimed she and pals had paid for entry to the race, and were told to print out their bibs at home.

“Who did you give the money to?” Ruiz asked

“My friend,” the woman answered vaguely. “That’s not a friend,” Ruiz replied. “You’re not registered.” Her run was done. She left the course, just 300 meters from the finish line.

As the public face of the marathon’s surveillance group, aka the “bandit busters,” Ruiz posts videos of his team catching bandits—runners who crash events without signing up. 

I n “bandit reel” videos, he’ll intercept interlopers or his crew will strip medals from bibless finishers. Excuses fly: “It fell off, bro, it fell off.” One man unzips his jacket, feigning surprise at the missing bib. Caught red-handed, many sheepishly surrender their medals without a word. 

As running booms, some races burst at the seams. Sold-out events and increasing fees, which can top $150, spur some bandits to sneak in, while others simply see no harm in crashing the course. 

Last month, influencer Alexa Curtis bandited a sold-out New York City race, like a party she wasn’t invited to.

“I just ran 13.1 miles for the Brooklyn half marathon at a 7.43 minute pace,” she humblebragged in a tearfully triumphant Instagram message, mentioning her “fearless” journey. “I didn’t sign up for this race. I just asked the security where it started and where it ended and jumped in.” She didn’t know what was about to hit her.

To critics, Curtis committed the cardinal bandit sin: crossing the finish line.

“You are a bandit and you stole from this race,” one commenter wrote. A defender retorted, “if there was a line that was marked as ‘finish line’ and she walked over it, that doesn’t cost anything to anyone.”

C urtis initially was confused. “I literally googled, ‘What is a bandit,’” she said in an interview.

In the running world, among peers and in online forums, the bandit debate rages like a nasty blister. Are bandits happy runners harmlessly enjoying public roads? Or narcissistic resource-hogs using up porta potties and guzzling ill-gotten Gatorade?

Race banditry has a rich history. Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, crashed it in 1966 when women couldn’t register. 

Tolerance varies. The Miami Marathon, a qualifier for Boston and other prestige races, takes a hard line. But San Francisco’s anarchic Bay to Breakers 12k? That’s a different story altogether.

If race banditry had an Olympics, it would be this race. California Gov. Gavin Newsom bandited Bay to Breakers in 2010. Organizers reported 21,000 registered participants this year, but anticipated as many as 10,000 additional crashers.

‘The salmon’

“Bandits are a part of Bay to Breakers,” said race director Kyle Meyers. “Do they all finish? No.”

The most notable bandits are “the salmon,” die-hard mostly-unregistered runners who show up yearly, dress as salmon, and run in the wrong direction. This past Sunday, a dozen plunged into a crowd of about 30,000 participants, heading not to the finish line but to the Chieftain, an Irish pub near the start.

The lead runner, who gave his name as Uncle Milty, wore four old race bibs. “One of those was official,” he said when asked. “The rest were ones we made up.” As he waited to jump into the race, just a block from San Francisco’s famous Painted Ladies Victorians, he spied a fifth bib on the ground, and nonchalantly pinned it on.

After consulting with Michelle Kaye Fitzgerald, a legitimately registered salmon, to ensure the serious runners had passed, Milty rallied his school into Hayes Street. They approached advancing racers, shouting: “Spawn! Spawn! You’re going the wrong way!”

While Meyers says bandits shouldn’t cross the finish line, race staff happily handed cups of water to salmon along the course, and other amenities treasured by runners were open to bandits. “We probably have the most portable restrooms of any 12k on the planet,” Meyers said, with a hint of pride.

The salmon are the brainchild of Rob Schmitt, who hatched the idea more than 30 years ago after discussing salmon-spawning habits with his girlfriend. He repurposed old carpet into salmon costumes, and then relayed his plans to friends at the Cacophony Society, an underground group known for pranks and chaotic events. 

To run with the salmon, as this reporter discovered Sunday, is to experience many things at once. Setting off downhill with some trepidation, you view thousands of participants, flowing toward you for block after block, like sparkly crawling ants, and feel an initial grim sense of awe at the thought of navigating through them. But that fades as passing racers greet you with glee. 

You high-five 125 sweaty hands in a single block, including crabs, cows, bananas, banana slugs, furbys, Cybertrucks and nudists. You stop and dance every time there is music, especially if there are bubbles. You scream in mock terror when a bear runs by.

Meanwhile, in Miami

Frankie Ruiz began wrangling bandits a decade ago when the Miami Marathon ran out of medals for nearly 1,500 finishers, despite having ordered enough. 

Ruiz is now known—and revered by some—for his bandit videos. He’s even nabbed bandits at Thanksgiving turkey trots. “I’ve had entire families showing up without paying.”

The Miami Marathon now uses holograms on bibs to prevent counterfeiting, and Ruiz is looking into facial-recognition technology.

What does he think of San Francisco’s salmon-suited bandits? “I’m glad you guys didn’t show up to my race,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d do.”

Why women-only run clubs are dominating the scene

Amid 2024’s run-mania, with races frequently selling out across Canada, female-exclusive run clubs are gaining momentum. In honour of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we’re discussing how the sport has evolved, with women’s run clubs paving the way for female runners to feel seen, safe and empowered. 

Run clubs are in

Women’s running has been on the rise since the ’70s, when recreational jogging first became popular. However, the recent surge in gender-exclusive running clubs is a significant development. According to Reddit, this is not just a passing trend. Women’s run clubs have become especially attractive to women who’ve experienced gender-based discrimination or sexual harassment in mixed-gender clubs.“As a woman that has participated in many mixed-company athletic pursuits, [I feel that] men often react poorly to women being skilled or successful in a sport, in addition to the usual perils of being harassed or bothered,” said one Reddit user. Another pointed out that “this obnoxious masculinity is woven into the history of run clubs.”

Confronting patriarchy

Running, like many other sports, was designed by men for men. Women in France began challenging this norm in 1903 with a race in Paris known as “The Race of the Midinettes” (a 12-km walking race for seamstresses or assistants in the Paris fashion industry). While the French press called these midinettes derogatory names like “streetwalkers” (sex workers), feminist scholars such as Florys Castan-Vicenet (in her 2023 report in Front Sports Act Living) strongly argue otherwise, considering them pioneers. Amsterdam’s 1928 Olympic Games marked a revolutionary moment in women’s running. For the first time, female runners were invited to participate in the 800m. This feat was short-lived however, as the event was immediately banned, and would remain so until 1960. In 1967, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon with an official bib (though she was physically assaulted by the race manager for doing so).

“Female runners were spearheading a revolution, changing common beliefs about the limits of women’s physical endurance,” shared Louise Wood in her story “Into the Boys’ Club”. By the turn of the 21st century, feminist movements were changing the landscape of women’s running.

Women supporting women

During this time, feminist thinkers like Sara Ahmed confronted topics like gender inequity and female objectification that commonly deterred women from joining the sport. “What I hate is, for example when someone comments on your run,” wrote Ahmed in her 2000 novel Strange Encounters. “They mean it as a compliment, but for me, it just emphasizes, ‘I don’t expect this from someone who looks like you.'” As female runners and feminists continued to reshape the narrative, gender-exclusive run clubs emerged, reflecting a significant rise in women’s participation in running. A report by International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health says between 1953 and 2017, sex differences decreased dramatically in 100-mile ultras worldwide. By 2020, according to RunRpeat, 57 per cent of Canadian runners and 23 per cent of ultramarathon participants identified as female, marking a significant increase.

Strength in numbers

Today, women are choosing to forgo late nights on the town for a good night’s sleep and morning run club with the girls. These clubs are not just about running; they are about women sprinting together through life’s challenges, forming strong bonds and a sense of community that extends beyond the club. Women-only run clubs across Canada, such as Switzer’s 261 Fearless (which has chapters in 14 countries; the Canadian chapter is in Toronto), and runs celebrating women, like Lululemon’s Further 6-day ultra (based in Vancouver), are surging in popularity. Still, in a 2023 study by Adidas, it was reported that 38 per cent of women have experienced physical or verbal harassment while running, with more than half receiving unwanted attention (56 per cent), sexist comments or unwanted sexual attention (55 per cent). According to a 2024 study by Asics, a startling number of Canadian women have cited “lack of safe spaces” as a barrier to running. 

Chix Run (located in Toronto and Calgary) has been dedicated to offering women this safe space. Since founding the club four years ago, Amanda Richardson, 42, has observed a significant improvement in the sport’s female representation. “Toronto run clubs used to be focused just on performance, but now it’s all about community, where women are out there connecting on topics like motherhood, marriage or their love of coffee—a post-run highlight.”

The club strives to take the emphasis off competing and winning to make running more about having fun, being active with other women and creating friendships. “Many people have noticed running is advertised as a place to date,” Richardson laughs. “Turning up to a running club where you know it’s all women there, free to say what you want to say, be who you want to be, they don’t have to worry about how they look; there is no hidden agenda.”

Girlhood and good vibes

According to Strava, women under 25 are the fastest-growing community using the app today, promising a more balanced and inclusive future for running. The Girls run the 6ix run club has quickly become a regular hotspot for young female runners in Toronto. The club was founded in December by Jill Amirault, 26, and Claire Milburn, 23, and already has 5,000 Instagram followers.“I think for someone new to running, it can be really intimidating to go to a gender-diverse run club, because men are typically competitive,” says Amirault. “Some women need that safe space, similar to a gym with a ‘women only’ section.” The club embarks once a week on a 6-km route through the city, in which its members can be found swapping stories about dating misadventures and connecting about girlhood. For a long time, there was a lack of female-exclusive run clubs in Toronto, says Amirault.

“Now, with more female run clubs and influencers, people are certainly beginning to notice that this is an environment where women can succeed,” says Amirault. “Pace doesn’t matter; what’s important is that we motivate, connect and celebrate our womanhood.”

Josh Kerr beats 39-year-old British mile record and rival Ingebrigtsen in Eugene

Josh Kerr smashed Steve Cram’s 39-year-old British record to claim victory in the mile race at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon. The Scottish runner won a highly anticipated showdown with his Norwegian rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen thanks to a remarkable world-leading run of 3min 45.34sec.

Cram, who was commentating on the race for the BBC, had held the British record since 1985 with a time of 3:46.32.

The Olympic 1500m champion, Ingebrigtsen, who was stunned by Kerr in that event at last year’s world championships in Budapest, finished second, with the Britons Neil Gourley and Jake Wightman in fourth and fifth respectively.

Earlier, Keely Hodgkinson produced a dominant display to win the women’s 800m. The 22-year-old clocked a world-leading time of one minute 55.78 secs, while compatriot Jemma Reekie was third – behind Kenyan Mary Moraa – in a time of 1min 57.45sec.

Sha’Carri Richardson, the world champion won in her first women’s 100m of the Olympic year in a time of 10.83sec ahead of St Lucia’s Julien Alfred (10.93) and Dina Asher-Smith, whose time of 10.98 was a season best for the Briton.

Laura Muir continued preparations for this summer’s Olympics in Paris with fourth place in the women’s 1500m in a season’s best 3min 56.35sec. The Tokyo 2020 silver medallist said: “I want to be in the best shape I can for August, so it’s a step towards that to run 56 [seconds] in May. It’s very promising.”

Elsewhere, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet set a new world record of 28min 54.14sec to win the women’s 10,000m. Chebet bested the previous record of 29.01.03 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey at FBK Stadium in the Netherlands on 8 June 2021.Chebet finished ahead of Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who finished in 29min 5.92sec in cloudy and cool temperatures. Chebet started to pull away with three laps to go, then poured herself into the final lap. “My body was responding good and I felt strong,” she said. “I felt like I was very comfortable.”

It was her first 10,000m race since 2020, in Nairobi. Chebet, 24, won the silver medal at the 5,000m at the world championships at Hayward Field in 2022. She won the bronze in the event at the worlds last year.

The finish qualified her for her first Olympics this summer in Paris. She said she hopes to double in the 5,000m and 10,000m. “But my target is to run 5,000m first, then 10,000m comes second,” she said. “Because this is my first 10,000m outside the country to run, and I’m so happy to run 28, a world record.”

The Prefontaine Classic is the lone American stop on the international Diamond League series.

Beatrice Chebet broke the women’s 10,000m world record at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday

Kenyan Beatrice Chebet broke the women’s 10,000m world record at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday.

Chebet, 24, clocked 28 minutes, 54.15 seconds at Hayward Field in her first 10,000m race since March 2020.

She became the first woman to break 29 minutes in the event, beating Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey’s previous world record of 29:01.03 from 2021.

Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay placed second on Saturday in 29:05.92, the third-fastest time in history.

Ferdinand Omanyala, Christian Coleman to go head-to-head in Eugene

Ferdinand Omanyala has his work cut out as he continues his Olympic build-up campaign at the Prefontaine Classic this weekend.

Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala is not resting on his laurels as he will be in action this weekend, at the Prefontaine Classic, the Diamond League Meeting in Eugene, Oregon.

Omanyala will be competing in his third 100m race of the season, hoping to bag his first win in 2024, but that is not the main priority at the moment.

The Commonwealth Games champion had a great indoor campaign, finishing fourth in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. He then kickstarted his 100m campaign at the Kip Keino Classic, finishing fifth in the race that was won by America’s Kenny Bednarek.

The 28-year-old then proceeded to the Atlanta City Games last weekend where he finished second behind South Africa’s Akani Simbine who set a world leading time of 9.90 seconds.

He now heads to the Hayward Field in Eugene, hungry for more and will be up against a formidable field of sprinters who will also be looking to impress.

One athlete to look out for will be Christian Coleman, who will be looking to bounce back following his second-place finish at the Diamond League Meeting in Shanghai. He started his 100m campaign at the Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen with a win.

Another athlete to watch will be Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake who has been turning heads with his great form. Blake finished second at the Miramar Invitational before finishing third in the Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen.

The 22-year-old faltered and was forced to finish fifth at the Diamond League Meeting in Shanghai and then shone on home soil with a second-place finish at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational Meet.

Others included in the field are Benjamin Azamati, the American duo of Brandon Hicklin and Brandon Carnes with another Jamaican, Sandrey Davison, also included in the field.

Natasha Wodak returns to Ottawa in search of a three-peat

For the past nine years, the last weekend of May has been a significant date on the calendar for many of Canada’s top distance runners, who head to Ottawa to battle it out on the roads for the Canadian 10K Championship. Last year, Moh Ahmed came close to beating Ben Flanagan’s national record on the banks of the Rideau Canal, surging past Canadian record holder Cam Levins in the final kilometre to win his first national title on the roads.

Two-time Olympian Natasha Wodak dominated from gun to tape to win her second consecutive title on the women’s side. Now, Wodak is aiming for a third straight Canadian 10K title, which would put her in a league of her own and make her the only woman to three-peat in championship history.

Wodak is coming off her third marathon build in the last 12 months. Four weeks ago, she took her final shot at the Paris Olympic standard of 2:26:50 (at the Hamburg Marathon), but came up three and a half minutes shy. After a few days off, Wodak returned to training in hopes of winning her third consecutive 10K title. “It feels like my training for this has been brief,” laughs Wodak. “I’m hoping there’s some residual fitness in the legs.”

The Canadian record holder in the marathon has competed at the last seven editions of the 10K and won on four occasions. “It’s our national championships and I come here every year to compete,” says Wodak. “I have no false expectations of winning, but I know I’ll fight hard for a top-five spot.”

The women’s field this year is deeper than it has been in recent years, with (soon-to-be) three-time Canadian Olympian Malindi Elmore also dropping down in distance to challenge Wodak for the national title. Elmore made it clear at Friday’s press conference that she’ll be racing on a full week’s training load and using the race to kick off the next stage of her Olympic marathon build.

Outside of Elmore and Wodak, former national champion Lanni Marchant returns to Ottawa, coming off a solid performance at the Night of the 10,000m PBs in London last weekend, where she ran 33:24. Marchant last won here in Ottawa in 2016. Eliyah Brawdy of Smithers, B.C., could also be a surprise winner. Two weeks ago in Coquitlam, B.C., Brawdy won her first national title over 10,000m (on the track), clocking an impressive 33:37.

Rory Linkletter vs. Ben Flanagan

Calgary’s Rory Linkletter had two goals for his 2024 season, and he’s already accomplished one of them: punching his ticket to the Paris Olympic Games (his second Olympics). Now, he aims to achieve his second goal: winning his first career Canadian national title. Linkletter came close two weeks ago at the Canadian 10,000m Championships in B.C., finishing second to Toronto’s Andrew Alexander in a wild sprint finish, but now he’ll get that chance once again on Saturday night in Ottawa, with only a few men standing in his way—including one of Canada’s best road racers and the 10K record holder, Ben Flanagan.

These two men know each other very well, having competed against one another for the last 10 years (dating back to their collegiate days in the NCAA). Being just one year apart in age, their careers have taken different paths. Flanagan has racked up several national titles over 5K and 10K and found success on the track over 5,000m. In contrast, Linkletter jumped up to the marathon, lowering his personal best by eight minutes since his debut in 2019. “The Ottawa 10K will be a good test of where I’m at,” says Linkletter. “I look forward to racing more than anything, and I love doing it—I always want to win.”

Flanagan has won the Ottawa 10K in his last two appearances and dominated the race from start to finish when he won two years ago in 28:39. “This is my first road race of the season before gearing up for the Canadian Olympic Trials,” says Flanagan. “I’m excited and eager to see where my fitness is at. I want to put on a show.”

This U.S Olympic medallist is boycotting race bibs for the 2024 season

An American hurdler is creating buzz in the track and field world in an unconventional way by boycotting race bibs for the 2024 track and field season. The Olympic silver medallist in the 400m hurdles, Rai Benjamin, has not worn a bib in either of his races to start the season, and plans to continue.

After winning the 400m hurdles event at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix over the weekend in 46.64 seconds, Benjamin told Citius Mag in a post-race interview that he considered the use of bibs a waste of money and felt they ruined the appearance of the uniform. “I’m not wearing that thing. It’s a waste of money and the uniform looks too good to wear a bib, so I’m continuing my no-bib campaign here today,” said Benjamin.

Benjamin is not the only professional athlete to speak out against wearing race bibs. Former U.S. Olympic champion Michael Johnson was quoted by The New York Times in 2023 as having similar beliefs: “When an athlete is trying to focus on performing at their best, the bibs are a distraction. The fastest, most efficient athletes in the world compete with a piece of paper safety-pinned on. It just reeks of amateurism.”

Race bibs are a mandatory staple of every runner’s race-day attire. While their main purposes are live-tracking and identifying runners, they also generate significant race-day revenue through sponsorships.

Per World Athletics competition rules, all athletes competing at a World Athletics sanctioned meet are required to wear a race bib. According to technical competition rules 5.8-9, “no athlete shall be allowed to take part in any competition without displaying the appropriate bib(s) and/or identification. These bibs must be worn as issued and may not be cut, folded or obscured in any way. If any aspect of Rule 5 of the technical rules is not followed, a disqualification may follow.”

Benjamin’s first two races of the season have been at low-key events; it will be interesting to see if race officials will follow the World Athletics rulebook and disqualify him at future events like the U.S. Olympic Trials in late June and the Olympic Games in August if he does not comply.

The 26-year-old is one of the favourites to medal in the 400m hurdles event in Paris. He has medalled at the last four major championships in the event, dating back to the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

What your socks say about you as a runner

It might sound strange, but the type of socks you wear can say a lot about you as a runner. Whether you’re a fan of no-shows, ankle socks, quarter-length, crew length, mid-calf, or knee-highs, each type has its own unique running personality. Check out what your socks are saying and why you might want to consider a sock switch-up before your next race.

No-shows

You like to show off. You ran for your university track team, but now you race half-marathons. Your shorts are just long enough to be legal, and you have contemplated shaving your entire body. You’re currently wearing a hydration vest.

Ankle

You’re fast, but humble. Running isn’t your primary sport, but you’re constantly speeding past your friends. You will stop and pet every dog you see on a route. You don’t care what colour your runners come in, as long as they’re Hokas.

Quarter-length 

You’re not sure why you signed up for a marathon. You’re always overdressed for the weather and hate running in the rain. Races aren’t your thing, but you’ll do it if your co-workers are. You always treat yourself to a big meal afterwards.

Crew length

You’re a bandwagoner and hopped on the running train. People frequently mistake you for a film star; you’ve acted in one commercial. You will only run with headphones and branded apparel. You sweat a lot, but you make it look pretty.

Mid-calf

You love to trail run. You’ve never bought your own running apparel, because that’s what Christmas is for. People always mistake you for a nomad because you live out of your backpack. You’re addicted to energy gels and eat them at work.

Knee-high 

Running isn’t your forte, but Instagram doesn’t know that. The only dogma you subscribe to is stopping for water at every aid station. Your warmups resemble jazzercise classes, and you often flake on your running club. You always buy your race photos.

Is Running a Four-Minute Mile the Secret to Longevity?

A new study shows that running may increase your longevity and that elite runners live longer than their peers.

The 200th person to break four minutes for the mile, according to the National Union of Track Statisticians, was a Swiss runner named Rolf Gysin. On August 16, 1974, Gysin clocked a 3:56.88. It wasn’t a big surprise: he had already run 3:37 for 1,500 meters the year before, which is equivalent to about a 3:54 mile, and had competed in the Munich Olympics a few years earlier. He was 22 when he broke four; he’s now 72—and still kicking, so to speak.

Gysin was the last guy to make the cut in a new British Journal of Sports Medicine study assessing the longevity of the first 200 runners to break four minutes in the mile, timed to coincide with the seventieth anniversary of Roger Bannister’s famous run. Sub-four doesn’t have the cachet it used to—Track and Field News announced last year that they would stop tracking American sub-fours because the barrier was no longer relevant, though it later reversed the decision—but it’s still a big deal now and was even more so a few generations ago. So did the rigors of pushing their bodies past a once impassable barrier shave years off the lives of these supermen? In a word, no. The study adds another data point to the general finding that elite endurance athletes—Olympians, Tour de France riders, runners—are rewarded with increased longevity. What this finding actually means, though, is perhaps less obvious than it seems.

The study was led by Stephen Foulkes and Mark Haykowsky of the University of Alberta along with André La Gerche of St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne in Australia. Its set-up is straightforward. Take the first 200 sub-four milers, and hit up Google to see when they were born and when or if they died. Overall, 60 of the 200 men had died, at an average age of 73.6. Those still alive had an average age of 77.6 and counting. The researchers weren’t able to obtain causes of death for everyone, but of the seven who died before the age of 55, six were traumatic deaths or suicide and one was cancer.

For each runner, they then calculated their life expectancy on the day they broke four. For Bannister, the relevant comparison was how long a 25-year-old Englishman would be expected to live in 1954; for Gysin, it was a 22-year-old Swiss in 1974. Then they aggregated the results to see whether the runners had greater longevity than their age- and sex-matched countrymen.

Here’s what the survival curve looks like, with the x-axis showing years since first sub-four mile:

On average the runners outlive the matched general population by 4.7 years. There’s a generational effect: those who broke four in the 1950s outlived their peers by 9.2 years, while those who did it in the 1960s or 1970s had an edge of 5.5 or 2.9 years, respectively. That could be because the health of the general population is improving thanks to better medical care. But a bigger factor, I assume, is that most of the milers are still alive. Check back in another decade or two, and Rolf Gysin and his 1970s peers will (touch wood) have added to their longevity stats.

The main spur for this study was the long-running debate on whether “extreme” levels of exercise can damage your health—and lead to heart problems in particular. You may think that running a mile isn’t very extreme. But training to run a sub-four-minute mile is definitely extreme: this analysis from a few years ago found that top milers generally run between 75 and 105 miles a week, with around 20 percent of it at very high intensities. So it’s good news to find that barrier-breaking milers aren’t dropping like flies.

Still, there are a bunch of caveats to this kind of study. One is that outliving the average person is a pretty low bar to clear. How do athletes fare compared to someone doing the modest amount of exercise recommended by public health guidelines? One estimate found that the equivalent of just five hours of brisk walking per week extends your life expectancy by 4.2 years. Other estimates, to be fair, are less optimistic—but a comparison of sub-four milers with, say, 5:00 or 6:00 milers rather than the average couch-potato would be interesting.

The other big question is how much of the milers’ longevity is a result of genetics. I’m of the opinion that breaking four is something that only a small fraction of the world’s population can achieve, regardless of how hard they train, how healthily they eat, how fervently they believe in themselves, and how springy their shoes are. Perhaps the traits that make a four-minute mile feasible—strong heart, robust metabolism, great immune system—also favor longevity. Maybe Bannister would have lived just as long even if he had never run a step.

These are tricky problems to solve: you can’t randomly assign people to follow one lifestyle or another for decades, so every dataset has weaknesses. This particular study is also, yet again, all men. The women’s mile record is Faith Kipyegon’s 4:07.64, set last summer. At first I was thinking you could pick an alternate benchmark to study in women, like sub-four for 1,500 meters. But that barrier wasn’t broken until 1976, and by 2000 only 64 women had done it, most of whom are presumably still alive. Even if you pick lower thresholds, there simply weren’t that many women competing until longer track events were added to the Olympic program in the 1970s. Unfortunately, this sort of longevity analysis for female endurance runners will likely have to wait a few more decades.

But even if you could tease out the effects of genetics and training, I suspect there might still be something missing from the analysis: the mystique of the four-minute barrier. I’d love to see a comparison of those first 200 sub-four milers with their contemporaries who ran between 4:00.0 and 4:01.0 in the same era—the near-misses. Back in 2018, a Dutch economist named Adrian Kalwij studied the longevity of U.S. Olympic medalists between 1904 and 1936. All the medalists lived longer than the general population, but silver medalists lived about three years less than gold or bronze medalists. There was something about being “first loser” that was even worse than coming third—an observation that has been confirmed by facial expression analysis on the podium, which finds that silver medalists are the least likely to smile.

Kalwij is interested in the effect of socio-economic status (SES) on health: why do rich people live longer than poor people, and by how much? But his theory is that it’s not just about resources; it’s also about the psychological effects of winning and losing—whether it’s a race, or a spot at an elite college, or a job promotion. In a follow-up study in 2019 (which I wrote about here), he found that the effect of SES on the longevity of Dutch Olympians has been growing, from no effect in the earliest cohort to a difference of 11 years between high- and low-SES athletes in the most recent cohort. That reflects, he believes, an increasingly winner-take-all society in which we all have more opportunities to succeed but also more opportunities to fail. Those who accrue loss after loss in these micro-competitions pay a price in our health.

Whenever I see a study about the longevity of athletes—or, say, Oscar winners, who live longer than Oscar nominees—I’m reminded of Kalwij’s work. I have no doubt that physical activity is the single most powerful lever we have to improve health. I’m fairly confident that those benefits accrue even to those who train really hard, even if the new miler study doesn’t prove it. But I also wonder how much you benefit from the transcendent experience of reaching the top of the mountain—perhaps because my own best 1,500 time, according to World Athletics scoring tables, is equivalent to a 4:00.03 mile. Ouch.

The Keys to Courtney Dauwalter’s Continued Dominance

During a recent press conference, Dauwalter dished oUltrarunner extraordinaire Courtney Dauwalter has picked up in 2024 right where she left off last year. After famously winning three of ultrarunning’s most epic races  during the span of about nine weeks last summer—Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc—the 39-year-old athlete from Leadville, Colorado, defended her Transgrancanaria 126K title in a decisive wire-to-wire win in late February and won the Mount Fuji 100-miler for the second time on April 27, placing third overall.

She’s now gearing up to go for a third straight win at the Hardrock 100 on July 12-13 in Silverton, Colorado. After Hardrock, she’ll be crewing and pacing her husband, Kevin Schmidt, at the Leadville 100 on August 17-18, and then tackling a yet-unannounced trail running project in September.We caught up with Dauwalter to talk about her fueling and training in a virtual press conference, where she announced the May 20 release of her signature flavor of Tailwind Nutrition Endurance Fuel—Dauwaltermelon with Lime—as a permanent part of the brand’s lineup. Since she’s emerged as one of the world’s top trail ultrarunners, she’s been known for having a sound approach to nutrition and fueling, never shying away from eating whatever she wants, admitting her soft spot for candy and pastries, or having a beer every now and then if she feels like it.

COURTNEY DAUWALTER: I am still eating all of my favorite things whenever they sound good in quantities that sound good, and I am not intending to change that part of my life, because it just gives me a lot of joy to live that way. I guess it’s got to be partly my upbringing, and also with Kevin and I, our idea of how we want to live our lives is to enjoy it to its fullest while it’s here. We just want to enjoy food, enjoy meals out, enjoy the cravings that we have, and not worry about it. But I would say in the past couple of years I do more consistently do a recovery drink after a long run or after putting in big efforts, and that’s something that I was a little more lax with originally, so I feel like that’s a step in the right direction.

When I first got into ultrarunning, I had no nutrition plan. I didn’t know what I was doing. My first race was a 50K, and I remember not knowing that these aid stations would be buffets. My mind was blown when I got to them—all the options were overwhelming. I just started filling my pockets with jelly beans. In those first years, I did a lot of mimicking of what the people around me were doing. So if I came to an aid station and someone was grabbing pickles and drinking Mountain Dew, then that’s what I would do. If they were grabbing pretzels and cheese cubes, that’s what I would go for. It was just kind of roulette for me on what I would end up eating—if it would work, or if it wouldn’t work.

Initially, I never had a fueling plan at all. But then in 2017, I went to the Run Rabbit Run 100 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Tailwind was available on course at all of the aid stations. I had a buddy who had started using it that year, and I remember just loving it and suddenly not having all the stomach issues and energy dips that I often had. I was like, ‘Oh, maybe this is what it’s like to have something reliable.

'At this point we’ve gotten pretty dialed on the race nutrition plan for those 10-to 24-hour efforts or the events of 100 miles or below. I’m not a person who has my watch beeping at me ever to remind me to eat. I don’t get those kinds of reminders, and I don’t want to eat every 15 minutes or 30 minutes during a race. I’m going to just slow drip the calories I have as often as possible—basically it’s an eating contest on the move. Now I know my body functions pretty well with about 200 calories per hour during those efforts. So, depending on the distance between aid stations, I can rely solely on a bottle of Tailwind and then supplement with some chews or waffles or gels, because usually I get actually hungry feeling and having something solid helps with that. But mostly, I’m relying on Tailwind as my backbone to the whole plan and generally aiming for that 200-calorie-per-hour benchmark.The past couple years (working with a nutritionist friend), we’ve been better at creating A, B, C and D plans—because sometimes the perfect nutrition plan that you have relied on isn’t going to work. Our approach is that’s fine, and here are some things you can start subbing in during a race that can cover your needs. I view race nutrition like a puzzle piece, and sometimes it fits into the puzzle right where we want it to, and sometimes we have to kind shift things around a little bit. I think one of the reasons a lot of us love ultrarunning is because, when things just aren’t going to plan, we have to problem-solve it.

That’s one thing I’m hoping to focus on a little bit more on in this buildup and this prep for Hardrock, because in the past couple times I’ve run it, I’ve struggled a little bit with taking stuff in. I would love to just try to intentionally train my stomach to be better at taking in those calories while pushing hard at 12,500 feet or 13,000 feet just to see if we can make some strides forward. So stay tuned on if that works or not.

Not specific things. I think I want to just keep finding the challenges that intrigue me and fire me up to keep putting in the work, the training, the time, the effort to go after them. And so whatever that is, there’s not a list of things I want to check off necessarily, but, I’m continuing to pour myself into this sport and see what’s possible while every one of my systems [muscular, digestive, endocrine, cognitive, emotional, etc.] is allowing that to happen. The Leadville 100 is on my short list of races I would love to do as soon as I can, but as far as a bucket list in general or what intrigues me, I’m still very interested in exploring the longer stuff and how our brains and our bodies can work together to take us over 100 miles. What does that look like to move efficiently for 200 miles or 500 miles? So that’s where I am putting a lot of my attention into—just finding ways to test myself on stuff that’s really long.I am interested in trying a road marathon again at some point because that was what led me to ultrarunning.. I didn’t think I could make that distance, but I finished without dying and then wondered, ‘What else is out there that sounds too hard that I could try?’ And then I stumbled into the ultrarunning world. In those first marathons, I was a casual runner.

I ran every day before work because it made me feel better to start the day, but I wasn’t doing huge miles or running quickly.  So circling back to run a road marathon would be kind of fun.I definitely didn’t invent it, and I don’t know who did originally, but I know that for me that phrase just became this imagery that I really grabbed onto—as opposed to the struggle bus or the hurt locker or the many other terms. That one for me was visually something I could see, and it was something that I could work with to be productive. Back in high school, I had a cross country skiing coach who was big on the mental side of the sport and would always remind us and believe in our capacity to push past that moment when it feels like you have nothing left. He was huge on just the idea that there’s always one more gear. So I just crank the knob and believe that it can be cranked a little bit more. Having someone who believed in me so wholeheartedly that I could trust to keep pushing was important because it’s hard to do that when you’re any age, but for sure it’s hard to do when you’re a teenager.

The idea that you feel like you’re about to die and yet you’re telling me there’s more to push past that? That’s hard to learn. So I feel really lucky that I had that coach and to learn about that mental side of sports and digging deeper than you think.

That was so special,  a highlight of my life for sure. We ran together through the desert in Arizona, side by side the whole time through all the highs and lows, and made it to that finish line. I’ll remember that forever, and that gift that she gave me of doing this thing with me and the sport I love and spending so much time preparing for it. She was training hard back home in Minnesota, trying to learn how to run trails, trying to power hike hills, and learning how to use all of the gear because she had never really run trails before. I think the domino effect is that you can start anything at any age. She was 66 when we ran this race together and 64 when she started this journey into trail running. I had told her my dream was to run an ultra with my mom, and now that she has completed a 100K, she has found a lot of joy in the trails. Even though we don’t have a race on the calendar together yet, she is still just finding that peace that the trails bring her, and it’s something she incorporates into her weekly life. I think that’s really cool, and it’s why I hope more people can find out about trail running—not necessarily even ultrarunning—but just getting out on the trails and exploring a little bit because that feeling of moving with your feet surrounded by nature and feeling so small in a big landscape is really, really cool.

My hope is that people hearing about the stuff that I’m doing or that the ultrarunning community is doing helps them believe they could go after something that sounds too hard or something that sounds crazy. Whether that’s running 100 miles or 200 miles or not. We can all find that thing in our lives that we can go after with a little more gusto and raise the bar for ourselves on what we’re actually aiming for. I also hope I can be a small example that you can work really, really, really hard at something and have a lot of fun doing it. Those things can happen at the same time and there’s no reason to separate them. I never predicted this chapter in my life, but I feel grateful every day for it. I’m just trying to squeeze as much living out of this period of life as I can.

n her approach to nutrition and fueling, early-career bonks, and more.

Sadjo, Mwavwang set to defend Okpekpe race titles

The duo of Ismael Sadjo and Patience Mwavwang will be seeking to successfully defend the Okpekpe international 10km titles they won last year.

Sadjo ran 31:53 to win the event last year but will need to be at his very best and prepare to break 31 minutes for the first time in his career to ward off the challenge that will be posed by Francis James who ran 30:47 to win the 10km race at the Lagos Access Bank marathon in Lagos in February.

Gang James Boyi (30:51) also ran inside 31 minutes in Lagos will also be in Okpekpe to challenge for the title.

Sadjo’s best in Okpekpe was the 31.06 he ran to win at the inaugural edition of the race in 2013 (before the label status) and a repeat performance could earn him the title for the second straight year.

For the women, David Abiye will challenge Mwavwang for the title but the defending champion will hope to get the better of her in-form challenger just like she did in Lagos last February in the 10km race at the Lagos Access Bank marathon.

Mwavwang ran a new 34:43 lifetime best (probably a new Nigeria record) in the race and will hope to become the first Nigerian woman to break 34 minutes over the 10km when she runs in Okpekpe.

Multiple winners, Deborah Pam will not be available this year as she has taken a leave off the road for procreation.

Stephen Nuhu, a long distance running coach who will accompany the athletes to Okpekpe is confident Nigerian athletes can get over the 30 minutes line and become internationally recognized very soon.

“The athletes have been training very well and I am confident they will soon become recognized as international elite athletes very soon which will make them available for other label road races around the world,” he said and praised organizers of the Okpekpe road race for always having the welfare of the Nigerian elite athletes among their top priorities.

“Okpekpe race organizers offer our athletes accommodation and transport subsidy, something we don’t get in some of the other races in Nigeria except the 10km road race we ran in Ilesha about two years or so ago,” he revealed.

There will be over a N100million  on offer as prize money at the race for the top five finishers in each gender category for the international elite field as well as for the Nigerian elite runners will battle for the prize money.

Winners in each gender category will go home with $15,000 while second and third place finishers will be rewarded with $8,000 and $5,000 respectively, with fourth and fifth going home with $3,000 and $2,000 respectively.

For the Nigerian elite athletes, a top prize of N500,000 will go to the winners of each gender category. Second to fifth place will be rewarded with N300,000, N200,000, N120,000 and N80,000 respectively.

Okpekpe road race, run over hills and tarred roads, starting from Apana Road and ending in Okpekpe town is the first road race in Nigeria to have its course measured by a World Athletics certified course measurer and the first to be granted a label status (bronze in 2015) by World Athletics.

This means Okpekpe road race is the first internationally recognized road running event in West Africa. It was upgraded to a silver level label staus in 2018 before it moved to gold in 2023. 

It is thus the first gold label 10km race ever run on Nigerian soil.

Chris Balestrini: Run Your Way, for the Canadian 50K record holder, running is a reward at the end of a challenging day

Chris Balestrini does it all: trail running, road running and track running. “Pretty much all types of running,” he laughs. “I guess I could say, I’m an outdoor enthusiast.” That downplays his accomplishments: Balestrini is a New Balance-sponsored athlete who holds the Canadian 50-kilometer record, but also runs a smoking fast 10K (29:22). He just finished second at the Vancouver Marathon. And he’s getting his PhD while training as a pro athlete.

“My first memory of running was Grade 3 cross country,” he says. “I remember I wanted to be on the team because all my friends were on the team. I absolutely did not love running at that point.”

A stress fracture early in his high school running career led him to cycling, and he grew to love life on two wheels. But the time commitment for being a pro cyclist was too much once he entered university, so he made the shift back to cross-country running. The engine he built from cycling and the strength built from a few years off to let his bones recover and develop allowed him to make the cross-country team at Western University (but just barely); then he was off and running.

“From there, my love of running kind of came back and grew,” Balestrini says. “I realized that, maybe if I keep if I keep pursuing this, I can do something positive with it.”

Running even lends itself to chasing a doctorate degree, he says: “With running, there’s quite a bit of flexibility in training, when you’re doing experiments and when you’re writing,” he says. “You can find those nice parts of the day to get out and run, compared to when I was in medical school, and it was much more time-consuming. Then, it was harder to fit in training. Sometimes we’re sleeping at the hospital two to three nights a week, and working quite often. So you really have to prioritize running to make it happen. Luckily, I always viewed running as the the treat at end of the day, not something I had to do. That helped my mental health and my energy levels in the hospital. Viewing running as a reward makes a big difference in your outlook.”

He was good at short distances, but as a cyclist, longer durations were intriguing—and that’s where the 50k came in. “From my background in road cycling, the races were always longer than two and a half hours, which is the marathon time,” he says. “I naturally looked at the trails and got my feet a little wet going into the 50K races, then started looking at the 50-milers. The Squamish 50 miler was my debut in that distance last summer and I enjoyed being out all day. I enjoy the more the undulating terrain and not knowing exactly if you’re on pace. On the road, you have splits every kilometer and you have a more strict race plan. If you’re falling off, then it might be a bad day. But on the trails, you can have a bad 10 kilometers and then come back in the next stretch. And I think that really appealed to me, because it’s more of a long-term battle within your body, and also your mind, as well as with the competitors on the course.”

“When I’m looking for a race, I typically want it to be competitive,” he adds. “I want to be able to have not only the course push me, but to have competitors push me too, to explore those deep dark places within yourself.”

“I think “run your way” means to run any surface, any distance, and just go out and put forth your best effort,” Balestrini says. “In the last five years, I’ve raced a 1,500m on the track. I’ve raced marathons. I’ve raced 50-milers on the trails. And when I when I think about those events, I’ve gained experience and I’ve gained happiness. I think it’s important to not pigeonhole yourself into to one event or one distance, or even one type of running, and to just explore everything that running has to offer.”

Gudaf Tsegay: Eyes on olympic glory at Paris 2024

Gudaf Tsegay’s medal haul is already impressive.

Three world titles outdoors, a world indoor crown, and an Olympic bronze. Plus two world records.

But the Ethiopian track athletics star is just getting started.

She still has many world record plans and has set sights on multiple podiums at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.

Tsegay not only wants to top her races, ranging from the women's 1500m to the 10,000m, but wants to dominate by breaking world records as well.

Her latest target is lowering the 10km world record on Saturday (25 May) at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. That would mean bettering her personal best by nearly half a minute to surpass Letesenbet Gidey’s current mark of 29:01.03.