Running News Daily

60-year-old Yoshitsugu Iwanaha runs 33:39.52 world record 10000m for 60-64 age group in Japan

At the Saga Long Distance Time Trials November 30 at Saga Sunrise Park Field, Aritacho resident Yoshitsugu Iwanaga, 60, ran 33:39.52 to break the 10000 m world record for the men's 60-64 age group. Running alongside athletes bound for the National High School Ekiden and New Year Ekiden his pace was fast from the start. Sustaining a pace around 3:20 per 1000 m, with a last surge he took over 18 seconds off the previous 60+ record of 33:57.6 set in 2013 by a British runner.

"I haven't run that fast before so it was challenging, but I'm glad I was able to get the world record," Iwanaga said afterward. At age 50 when he broke the Japanese men's 50+ national record for 10000 m Iwanaga set out on an enthusiastic pursuit of a world record. In September he broke the 60+ world record for 3000 m and earlier this month did the same for the 5000 m world record, making this his third world record once the certification process is completed. Asked about his future goals Iwanaga said, "To break my own record."

Chebet wins the Valencia Elite Edition Marathon with 2h03:00 and puts Valencia in the world’s Top 3

The Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP Marathon has taken another step towards its goal of continuing to improve its global position, becoming the third fastest marathon in the world thanks to the 2h03:00 mark of the Kenyan Evans Chebet. (behind Berlin and London) and starring in a historic day in Valencia City of Running.

Three more men have run under the previous record of the event which was last set at 2h03:51, and in doing so completed a spectacular podium. Lauwrence Cherono (2h03:04) was second, Birhanu Legese (2h03:16) third and Amos Kipruto (2h03:30). In addition, there were 30 sub 2h10 athletes.

The great athletic day did not stop there because in the women’s category, Peres Jepchirchir has broken the record of the event with her 2h17:16; Ayad Lamdassem did the same with the Spanish record with her 2:06:35. Besides which, 61 runners have achieved the Olympic minimums they were looking for.

The women’s podium was completed by Joyceline Jepkosgei (2h18:40) and Helalia Johannes (2h19:59).

Thus, with the success of its Elite Edition (in which only professional athletes have run), the Valencia Marathon is confirmed as one of the biggest in the most complicated year for its organization due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ethiopia's 5,000m world record holder Letesenbet Gidey will miss Sunday's Valencia half-marathon due to the conflict in her home region of Tigray

On her last visit to Valencia she set the new mark of 14 min 06.62 sec in a specially arranged 5km race featuring flashing lights on the track perimeter to guide the athletes' pace.

And on Sunday the Spanish city is hosting a marathon and half-marathon as part of the Tokyo Olympics qualifying process.

Elite athlete coordinator Marc Roig explained that the situation in Tigray had made Gidey's journey too complicated "with a war that prevents her from leaving".

The United Nations said Friday that fighting continued "in many parts" of Ethiopia's Tigray, complicating efforts to deliver humanitarian aid despite a deal granting the UN access to territory under federal control.

The conflict has claimed thousands of lives, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank, and tens of thousands of refugees have streamed across the border into Sudan.

Jordan Hasay is set to get back on track at Valencia Marathon

No American marathoner has experienced more ups and downs during this Olympic cycle than Jordan Hasay. When Hasay first transitioned to the roads full-time at the start of 2017, she was a sensation, much like her high school days when a teenage Hasay, long blonde ponytail bobbing in the wind, won two Foot Locker Cross Country titles and dazzled the crowd at the 2008 Olympic Trials at just age 16. Fast half marathons early in 2017 in Houston (68:40) and Prague (67:55) set expectations for her first marathon at 2017 Boston through the roof, and somehow, she exceeded them: her 2:23:00 broke Kara Goucher‘s US debut record by almost three minutes.

That fall, Hasay knocked 2+ minutes off her pb, finishing third in Chicago in 2:20:57, the second-fastest marathon ever by an American woman. The sky seemed to be the limit.

But Hasay was brought back to Earth the following year: she didn’t run a single marathon in 2018, withdrawing on the eve of the Boston Marathon due to a stress reaction in her heel; a fracture in the same heel forced her out of Chicago that fall as well. 2019 brought highs and lows: a third-place showing in Boston set Hasay up as a prime contender for a spot on the US Olympic team, only for her coach Alberto Salazar to be banned from the sport in September, just two weeks before Hasay dropped out of Chicago after just 5k with a hamstring injury.

Hasay still wasn’t at 100% for the Olympic Trials in February 2020, where she gutted out a 2:37:57, 26th-place finish on a brutal day in Atlanta.

Post-Trials, 2020 has offered a chance for Hasay to reset. Now working with former marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe, Hasay took a chunk of time off following the Trials to heal the back and hamstring issues that plagued her in Atlanta and has reduced her training volume in an effort to stay healthy. With limited racing opportunities and no major marathons until the fall of 2021 (at the earliest), the pressure of expectations has momentarily paused. Hasay doesn’t need to rush back to race.

Hasay is racing on Sunday, though, traveling to Spain as one of just two Americans entered at the Valencia Marathon (Emily Sisson will also be racing the half). But Radcliffe is hoping Hasay approaches it differently than her last few marathons.

“She is healthy and looking forward to getting back out and enjoying racing again,” Radcliffe wrote in a text message to LetsRun.com. “We think this year of all years, if you are healthy and have an opportunity to get out and race, you should go and have fun.”

Hasay has never been one to shy away from big goals. Within hours of finishing third in Boston last year, she declared that she would chase the American record in Chicago in the fall. Injured there, Hasay rushed back for the Trials and ran them at less than 100% because she had to run the Trials — giving up on her Olympic dream was simply not an option. Radcliffe can relate, perhaps better than anyone. In 2004, just two weeks before her best shot at Olympic gold, Radcliffe developed a leg injury. She ran those Olympics in Athens anyway, but the injury, stress, and pressure left her a shell of herself. She dropped out of both the marathon and 10,000 meters.

Radcliffe’s hope is that Hasay’s return on Sunday is more about “rediscovering her love of racing” than dealing with the stress of expectations.

“We don’t really have a time goal,” Radcliffe wrote. “I really want her just to get back to racing without stress and enjoying it, so have deliberately said to just enjoy the race and not look at splits too much.”

New York Road Runners Parts Ways With C.E.O. Amid Workplace Complaints

Michael Capiraso led the organization that puts on the New York City Marathon to record revenues but will leave after employees and others raised concerns about his leadership.

The New York Road Runners, the club that puts on the New York City Marathon, announced Monday that its chief executive would depart at the end of the year, amid complaints from current and former employees who questioned the organization’s commitment to diversity, social justice and gender equality as well as its financial management.

The executive, Michael Capiraso, who has led the Road Runners since 2015 and is credited with significantly increasing its revenues, will leave his post Dec. 31. Kerin Hempel, a former executive with the New York Road Runners who has worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Co., will serve as the interim chief executive until a permanent replacement is named.

George Hirsch, the chairman of the organization, announced the leadership changes on Monday morning. He said the Road Runners’ board had spent the past months listening “to the concerns raised and recommendations offered by the community N.Y.R.R. serves, including its employees and members of the broader running community.”

“In order to achieve our mission to help and inspire people through running," he continued, “we will recruit new leadership to the organization.”

The Road Runners has been reviewing the way it has addressed systemic racism and social justice efforts since a wave of protests after the police killing of George Floyd inspired a re-examination of race nationwide. The review gained added urgency in August after a group of anonymous current and former employees published online a letter critical of the organization under the Instagram name “RebuildNYRR.”

The letter detailed a series of complaints about the Road Runners, including accusations of financial mismanagement and of failing to adequately address diversity and issues related to racism. The letter was critical of Capiraso’s commitment to the issues.

Steve Mura, the manager of running, training and education for the Road Runners, said Monday that Capiraso’s ouster was overdue.

“It shows that the higher-ups, higher leadership, has been listening to what employees have been saying, finally,” said Mura, 36, who has worked at the organization for six years. “This is one of the first major things that they have done to prove that they are listening.”

Before the letter was published, the organization said it had undertaken efforts to pay more attention to issues of race. In June, the Road Runners hired a diversity consultant, who spoke with employees both in groups and individually about their experiences. The consultant also began conducting a diversity and inclusion training program with the senior leadership team, the Road Runners said.

In November, the organization also hired Erica Edwards-O’Neal to serve as senior vice president of diversity, staffing a position that had been unfilled for more than a year. She will start in December.

At the same time, the board also hired a New York law firm to conduct an investigation of its workplace culture. According to two people with knowledge of the matter, that investigation is nearing its conclusion. The firm, Proskauer Rose, will deliver a report to the board of the organization; the New York Road Runners has said it will keep the report confidential to protect the identities of people who cooperated with it.

Mura said the meetings and discussions about diversity and inclusion had addressed the need for change, but that little change has occurred that is visible to the public.

“We’re actually doing a lot internally, but change is slow and it doesn’t show externally, so it really appears like we are moving at a snail’s pace,” he said.

Capiraso said he and the leadership of New York Road Runners had taken the complaints and concerns that current and former employees had raised “very seriously.”

“I understand what the board is saying, that they are making a decision after having listened to people,” Capiraso said in an interview.

Capiraso began working with New York Road Runners in 2012. During his five-year tenure as chief executive, revenues at the organization increased to more than $100 million, from roughly $70 million, with the help of new media and sponsorship deals and increased participation in high-profile large races like the marathon, which now registers some 50,000 participants, and two half marathons run by the Road Runners that have some 25,000 participants each.

Like all sports organizations, New York Road Runners has been tested financially by the pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the New York City Half Marathon, the Brooklyn Half Marathon and the New York City Marathon. The resulting losses led the organization to lay off or furlough 40 percent of its staff of 229 this year.

In the wake of Capiraso’s dismissal, several current and former employees went public with complaints about the organization’s management.

Frances Alvarado, 26, who is now a teacher, worked at N.Y.R.R. for nearly two years. She said she left in 2019 after she was called an “educated Puerto Rican woman” on multiple occasions, mocked for speaking Spanish, and told to take pictures of people of color for use on the organization’s social media accounts.

“Hopefully they fill that position with someone who reflects the interests of the team and who cares about health and the running community more than the appearance of the company or N.Y.R.R. as a product,” she said.

Janet Cupo, 65, worked for 30 years registering people for races before leaving the Road Runners in 2015. She said Capiraso’s move to automate registration online, where credit cards are required, served to exclude low-income runners, some of whom were minorities. When she suggested a change in the policy, she said, her ideas were rejected.

Sam Dupuis, 29, who has worked with the organization for three years and coordinates running programs, was hopeful the leadership change would result in a more intense focus on including communities of color.

“Our achievements in recent years, while still wonderful in their own right, have not allowed us to be as connected to all of the communities in our area,” Dupuis said.

Uber helping develop flying taxis in time for Los Angeles 2028

A race is on to develop a commercial flying taxi service in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Hyundai is the latest company to join a programme launched by ride-hailing company Uber to refine the technology so it would be available in time for Los Angeles 2028.

Jose Munoz, the chief executive of Hyundai Motor North America, told media during an Automotive Press Association teleconference that he believes the service will go into operation by 2028, or "maybe earlier".

Uber revealed last year new details about a helicopter-like service it plans to roll out in Los Angeles.

The service is tentatively called Uber Air and the company plans to eventually oversee production of 10,000 electric aircraft annually.

They are also working in partnership with two aircraft companies, Embraer and Pipistrel Aircraft.

With so many vehicles projected to be zipping around the city’s skies, the company is planning to construct "skyports" where passengers can board aircraft en-route to another hub.

Architecture firm Gensler has already revealed what these flying taxi stations might actually look like.

According to Gensler, the skyports will be distributed throughout Los Angeles at strategic points where passengers can easily access public transportation or shared devices like bikes and scooters.

The company claimed the skyports would be quick to build and could be constructed from the ground up or added to an existing structure.

Uber has also unveiled renderings of the vehicles themselves, which include four passenger seats and a small storage space for baggage.

The company expects the cost of operating a helicopter will be close to $700 (£525/€590) per flight hour, so will initially be available only to customers with large bank balances.

But they could help take some of the pressure off “Olympic lanes”, the special highways designed for athletes, dignitaries, sponsors and media to ensure they arrive in time for events and meetings during the Games.

The lanes have been fixtures of every Games since Sydney 2000 after Atlanta traffic in 1996 made some athletes late for events.

In London during the 2012 Games, drivers and cyclists caught in the Olympic lanes were slapped with a £130 fine ($175/€145), and ambulances were allowed passage only if they were responding to emergency calls.

Londoners nicknamed them "Zil lanes", after the black limousines that filled special road lanes for Communist Party members in the old Soviet Union.

Hosting the Olympics in 2028 has already been hailed by chiefs in Los Angeles as an opportunity to fast-track transportation plans.

With a reputation as one of the world's most gridlocked cities, Los Angeles officials were already assessing ways to boost public transit and alternative transportation modes to alleviate pressure on city streets ahead of 2028.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in June 2018 released its "Vision 2028" plan, a strategic vision intended to guide the agency's overall strategy to improve mobility.

This includes ensuring equitable access to high-quality modes, improving average bus travel speeds and reducing maximum wait times.

In parallel to that, LA Metro’s Board of Directors approved its “Twenty-Eight by '28” plan, which identified 28 capital projects to complete in time for the Games.

Those projects, which include a variety of road and transit plans in various stages of completion, are worth an estimated $42.9 billion (£32.2 billion/€35.9 million).

American Record Alert: Emily Sisson Targeting Molly Huddle’s 67:25 AR at Sunday’s Valencia Half Marathon

At times, the 2020 track & field season has felt like one giant record chase. With the vast majority of major championships cancelled, athletes have shifted their targets from medals to times. And with the ability to focus on one race with the sole goal of running as fast as possible, records have tumbled around the globe. Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei took down Kenenisa Bekele‘s 16-year-old 5,000-meter world record in August. In the span of one hour in October, Letesenbet Gidey broke Tirunesh Dibaba‘s 5,000-meter world record and Cheptegei fully erased Bekele from the outdoor record books by breaking his 10,000m mark. Domestically, Shelby Houlihan chopped over 10 seconds off her American 5,000-meter record back in July, taking it down to 14:23.92.

The latest installment of the Great Record Chase of 2020 comes on Sunday in Valencia, where distance studs Rhonex Kipruto, Jacob Kiplimo, and Gidey will have the half marathon world records in their sights. Just a few minutes back, Emily Sisson — one of the few Americans making the trip to Spain (Jordan Hasay is also entered in the marathon) — will be shooting for a mark of her own: the 67:25 American half marathon record, currently held by her friend and occasional training partner Molly Huddle.

says Ray Treacy, who coaches both Sisson and Huddle. “That’s the goal and see how she feels the last 5k…We’re just hoping for the best and she gets her reward for all the hard work she’s done over the last four or five months, because this is her only race.”

Sisson hasn’t raced since dropping out of the US Olympic Marathon Trials in February, though she did run the virtual New York City Marathon in 2:38:00 in October (Treacy says the aim was merely to get in a good long run effort, adding that it felt “easy” for Sisson and that she recovered “immediately”). Considering her goal is to make the Olympic team at 10,000 meters next year, Treacy did not want Sisson to run another marathon this fall, making the half marathon a natural distance for a target race. And with USATF opting not to send a team to the World Half Marathon Championships, Valencia was the best option.

Treacy says Sisson’s fitness is “really, really good” at the moment, with the 29-year-old clocking 24:37 recently for a five-mile time trial and averaging 5:05 pace for a 4 x 2-mile workout — well under American record pace (AR paceis 5:09). Currently, Sisson sits #2 on the all-time US list thanks to her 67:30 in Houston last year.

There are a couple of potential stumbling blocks, however. First, Sisson may not have any company during the race. The top women will be aiming to run the world record (64:31) or close to it, which is beyond Sisson’s abilities. Though there are two other women — Kenyans Brenda Jepleting (67:07) and Sheila Chepkirui (67:37) — with personal bests close to Sisson, it’s unclear whether they’ll try to run with her or opt for the more aggressive pace up front.

Treacy believes Sisson should be able to handle that situation just fine, though. She was alone for most of the second half of her marathon debut in London in 2019 and came out with a stellar 2:23:08 personal best.

“She’s pretty good at doing that anyway, so I’m not worried about it,” Treacy says.

The larger concern is the weather. The high of 58 degrees in Valencia on Sunday is fine, but the projected winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour could prove problematic.

While Sisson still has several years of her prime remaining, record opportunities like this are precious. Under Treacy, Huddle only raced one half marathon per year from 2015 to 2020, and three of those came on a relatively tough course in New York. Even when Huddle did finally set the record in Houston in 2018, she wasn’t 100% as she had gotten sick a few days earlier.

“[Huddle] never had the opportunity to run really, really fast,” Treacy says. “Certainly when Molly was in the shape she was in Rio, (where she ran an American 10,000m record of 30:13 at the 2016 Olympics), I think she could have run 66:30, 66:40.”

Sisson will get her shot on Sunday. Can she give the Great Record Chase of 2020 a fitting send-off?

Illinois ultrarunner tackles 380K Ozark Trail, beats FKT by 19 hours

Joe Miller ran close to 400K in three and a half days to smash the previous route record

Joe Miller, a 32-year-old ultrarunner from Springfield, Ill., recently completed a three-day trek on the Ozark Trail in Missouri, beating the route’s fastest known time (FKT) by almost a full day. Miller completed the 383K run in three days, 16 hours, 17 minutes, finishing 19 hours ahead of the previous route record of four days, 11 hours, eight minutes. In his post-run report on fastestknowntime.com, Miller wrote that the attempt started as “a somewhat intrinsic exploration of my physical and mental limits,” and it quickly blossomed into a fundraiser for Food and Water Watch, a nonprofit with a focus on providing everyone with a “healthy and livable environment.” Miller successfully completed the project’s physical component, and he’s currently halfway to his total fundraising goal of $15,000.

Running the Ozark Trail

The Ozark Trail is actually more than 800K long, spanning from its start near the Missouri-Arkansas border to St. Louis, but the FKT route covers just under half of that distance. Originally, Miller had planned on shooting for the unsupported route record, meaning he would carry all of his own gear, food and water. That record stands at five and a half days. Miller ended up abandoning the goal of running unsupported partway through, but he started off the run by carrying all of his own gear, so his pack weighed a hefty 33 pounds, he writes. Starting the attempt early on November 16, he set off in frigid -6 C weather.

Miller met up with a friend at different points on the run (refusing to accept help at first), and after his second day, he decided to transition into a supported FKT attempt. This decision followed a brutal day during which Miller says he got lost multiple times and also suffered a fall that resulted in an injured knee.

He admits that after that tough day of running, he seriously considered quitting, but his friend said something that “would become a mantra over the subsequent days” for Miller: “Plans change, goals don’t.” He managed to trudge onward, eventually reaching the route finish line and not just beating the FKT, but shattering the existing record.

Food and Water Watch

On Miller’s Food and Water Watch fundraising page, he writes that the Ozark Trail, which runs through Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest, reminds him “of the natural resources that need to be protected.” Throughout his run, Miller drank water from creeks and streams along the route that he cleaned with a filter he carried with him, even when he switched to the supported version of the attempt. “I know firsthand that we cannot take clean water for granted,” he writes, which is why he chose to support Food and Water Watch on this run. “This organization works tirelessly to protect our water from pollution and ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe drinking water,” he continues. So far, he has raised just over $7,000.

Former Ultra-Trail World Tour champion dies in training accident

The global ultra community is in mourning following the death of ultrarunner Andrea Huser

The international ultra-trail community was shocked to learn of the death of Swiss ultrarunner Andrea Huser, whose body was found near the small alpine village of Saas Fee, Switzerland, on Sunday. According to an article from Swiss news outlet 20 Minuten, Huser, 46, was reported missing on Saturday after she failed to return from a training run. The rescue party found her body at the bottom of a steep, 140m slope, and police from the nearby city of Valais determined it’s likely she slipped and fell while attempting to cross a stream blocking her route up above. Huser was well known among ultrarunners, and she had many impressive results to her name, including the 2017 Ultra-Trail World Tour (UTWT) overall female crown. She reportedly retired from the professional ultrarunning scene earlier this year.

An incredible career

Huser entered the world of elite endurance sports in 2002, when she won the European mountain biking championship. In 2004, she finished fourth at the mountain biking world championships, and eight years later, she found her way to ultramarathons. She finished in second place at the famed UTMB in both 2016 and 2017, after placing seventh in 2014. Huser also recorded a 10th-place finish in her lone attempt at the Western States 100 in 2017, and she won the Grand Raid de La Réunion twice. Her last big win came in 2017 at the Ultra Trail Tai Mo Shan in Hong Kong, which helped her secure her UTWT series win.

Mourning a legend

Huser’s running club in Switzerland spoke with 20 Minuten following the news of her death. “It’s just amazing what she’s done,” said a board member from the club. “She was very popular and an amazing woman.” Big names in the ultra world have also spoken up to express their sadness upon hearing about Huser’s accident. “So sad to hear that Andrea Huser passed away,” tweeted Spanish ultrarunning phenom Kilian Jornet. “She was an extraordinary ultrarunner, [and] some seasons she [would] literally run everything, linking ultras every week.”

The UTWT tweeted in response to the news as well, writing a quote from tour director Marie Sammons, who said, “Many of us have had the privilege of meeting Andrea. … A bright and discreet woman leaves us too fast.”

Japanese national 10,000m championship sees 17 men break 28 minutes

The Olympic qualification window reopened on December 1, which means that this will be the biggest weekend of running we’ve seen in months. Over the next three days, there’s the Valencia half and full marathon, Track Meet and the Japanese National Distance Finale. In Japan, races have already gotten underway and seen some stellar results. Last night the men’s race saw 17 men go under 28 minutes in the 10,000m, with the first three all breaking the Japanese national record and the top two running Olympic standard. In 2019, over the course of an entire year, only one Canadian man broke 28 minutes (Mohammed Ahmed‘s national record of 26:59). 

The winner of the race, Akira Aizawa, set a new national record of 27:18.75. Second place went to Bernard Koech in 27:19.42 and third to Tatsuhiko Ito in 27:25.73. Nike’s Suguru Osako (who holds the national record in the marathon at 2:05:29) finished sixth in a personal best of 27:36.93. Full results can be found here. 

In the women’s race, national half-marathon record holder, Hitomi Niiya, ran a killer race to finish in 30:20.44. For context, in 2019 only 17 Canadian men ran faster. It’s nearly a minute and a half faster than our women’s national record.

Niiya broke an 18-year-old record of 30:48.89, which was held by Yoko Shibui. Women-only marathon NR holder Mao Ichiyama finished second, under the Olympic standard, in 31:11.56.

2021 Hong Kong Marathon postponed to October 24 due to the pandemic

The 2021 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, one of the city’s showpiece sports events, is postponed to October 24 because of the uncertainties surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

Organisers announced the decision on Friday, saying: “Public health and safety are our top priority. In light of the uncertain pandemic situation and to align with the government’s prevention measures, the organisers will continue to work with relevant government departments and stakeholders for appropriate preparation work.”

The event, which in February 2019 attracted 74,000 entrants in the 10K, half marathon and marathon categories, was originally scheduled to take place on January 24. But in August, the organisers announced a postponement without providing a date, although it is believed they were looking at April.

However, with Covid-19 still a major health threat in Hong Kong and around the world – with no sign of easing – organisers have decided to push it back to October to avoid the summer heat. They also wanted to avoid holding it too close to the following year’s marathon, which is scheduled for early 2022.

The 2020 event, originally set for February 9, was called off because of the outbreak of Covid-19 in Hong Kong.

The October date has gained support from relevant government authorities, including the police – who will provide the road permit – and Home Affairs Bureau, the de facto sports ministry.

The Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates – the local governing body – needs five to six months to register runners, which means they do not have enough time to hold the race in early 2021 when the weather in Hong Kong is suitable for long distance running. Registration for the 2021 event is expected to open in the second quarter of next year.

World Athletics has opened the door for Russia track and field stars to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year

World Athletics opens door for Russia to potentially compete at Tokyo Olympics – providing the country now fulfils its promises of serious reform.

The Russian Athletics Federation (Rusaf) looked close to being expelled from the sport in September but the election of a new president, Peter Ivanov, on Monday has led to cautious optimism that Russia could finally end its five-year suspension from the sport.

Rune Andersen, the chair of the World Athletics taskforce on restoring Russia’s membership, admitted there had been progress in developing “a meaningful reinstatement plan” to drive the cultural change required for Russia to return to full international membership of the sport by the deadline of 1 March 2021.

“A new framework agreement has been put in place,” he said. “The international experts have already begun working with the senior Rusaf management team, and have reported that that team has been very responsive and constructive in its approach.”

Rusaf was initially suspended in November 2015 following allegations of state-sponsored doping and appeared close to being kicked out of the sport after its former leaders attempted to cover-up an anti-doping investigation into Danil Lysenko, the 2018 world indoor high jump champion. It led to Dmitry Shlyakhtin, the president of the Russian track and field federation, being charged by the Athletics Integrity Unit and stepping down.

However, Russia was granted a reprieve after the sports minister, Oleg Matytsin, who promised they were committed to solving a number of issues, gave an “unconditional” promise to pay an outstanding fine of £5m.

The president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, said he would be “pleased” to see Russian athletes competing in Tokyo – even if it was under a neutral flag – but said that was dependent not only on the behaviour of Rusaf but on what the International Olympic Committee decided in the months ahead.

The pandemic has claimed the running of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon for a second year

Organizers announced on the marathon’s Facebook page that the board of directors and health partner Prevea Health decided they couldn’t safely hold the race in person in May. It had to consider the runners, walkers, staff and volunteers and the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus.

Race co-director Alissa Cotter was interviewed Thursday on Action 2 News at 4:30. She said, “We really spent a lot of time talking throughout the fall looking at numbers.

We spent a lot of time consulting with Prevea, as well, and the crew that they have there, looking at other races around the country happening in 2021 that are similar to our size and also taking into consideration what our numbers are in Green Bay on the ground, and really the decision was, the writing was on the wall.

We held out as long as we could but felt very strongly that we really wanted to protect our runners and our community as best we could and that decision was made for us to go virtual.”

The annual marathon typically attracts thousands of runners from around the U.S. and even other countries. Previous race weekends included full- and half-marathons, a 5K run/walk, relay and kids run.

When last year’s event was canceled, runners and walkers who registered were encouraged to run or walk on any day of their choosing and log their miles, even if it wasn’t on the planned day of the marathon. At the time, entrants had the option to defer their registration for the 2021 race.

The event raises money for local charities. Organizers say this year’s virtual marathon will be no different, with a “defined mission... to make a difference in our community” to help people suffering hunger, homelessness, or mental health problems because of the pandemic. Details will come out next month, including ways they hope to get kids more involved in the virtual event.

Cotter talks about what they’ll do differently in 2021, including a 100-mile challenge, and the feedback received from runners so far.

World 10km record holder Rhonex Kipruto will face his young brother, Bravin Kogei, at Valencia Half Marathon.

The siblings will be tackling the course alongside their training mate at St. Patrick's Training Camp in Iten, Solomon Boit, a 2018 World Under 20 10,000m finalist.

The trio will be making their debut over the distance in the Spanish city, hoping to make an impression.

Kipruto, the world record holder over 10km (26:24) and reining world under 20 10,000m champion, said his ambition is to win the half marathon on debut.

“I want to leave a mark in Valencia. This will be my first half marathon and I want to do something good for myself, fellow Kenyan athletes and the country,” said the former Africa Junior cross country champion.

The world 10,000m (26:50.32) bronze medalist has high hopes of winning and celebrating with his training mates.

“If I win, we shall celebrate together with Kogei as well as Boit because we are training mates and we help each other a lot,” added the UAK Healthy Kidney 10km champion.

Kogei, who completed his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) last year at Kombatich Secondary School also has high hopes of beating his training mates to the crown.

“It won’t be an easy task and that is why I have been preparing very well for the race. It will be my first time but that can’t kill my hopes. We have had good training and winning the race will be good to prove my career,” said Kogei.

Boit, who finished fourth at the 2018 World Under 20 10,000m race in Tampere, Finland, said his debut in half marathon will impact his future in the discipline after dominating school games last year.

“Facing a new challenge is always good for an athlete and this will be the best for me. I have been training well with my brother Kipruto and Boit. With such great athletes surrounding me, I will be grateful to come home with the title,” said Kogei.

Boit said: “Just like any athlete, I want that title to come home. If my training mates win, then we will celebrate together. If I win, which I have confidence I will, then I will be one of the happiest athletes. Winning the title on debut would be historic.”

The author of 80/20 Running, Matt Fitzgerald details months-long struggle with PACS-like symptoms

On Tuesday morning, fitness and running writer Matt Fitzgerald posted an article outlining his struggle with what he believes is post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, or PACS.

Fitzgerald, the author of 80/20 Running and many other well-known books, writes that he believes he contracted COVID-19 in March after the Atlanta Marathon, but testing for the virus was not yet widespread, and it was therefore not available to him. Today, eight months later, he is still dealing with his illness, which he notes has negatively affected him both mentally and physically. 

“I feel crappy to some degree all day every day,” Fitzgerald writes. “In my best moments, I barely notice my condition — unless I stand up, or walk, or climb a flight of stairs, when shortness of breath hits me with a gentle reminder, ‘Still here!’ Other times it’s bad enough that I just have to stop whatever it is I’m trying to do and lie down.” In terms of running, Fitzgerald hasn’t been able to perform anywhere near his previous, post-illness levels for months. 

He first noticed a decline in his running ability when he couldn’t complete a routine workout of 600m repeats. He figured he “just didn’t have it that day,” but the issues persisted. Just a couple of weeks later, he couldn’t complete fast runs or long runs, and he was stuck with light, easy runs that he says “felt anything but easy.” Fitzgerald notes his symptoms, which include erratic pulse, shortness of breath, numbness, brain fog and much more. 

He writes that he spoke with sports medicine specialist and fellow writer Jordan Metzl about his issues. Metzl told him that, while exercise wouldn’t exacerbate his condition, “under no circumstances” should he progress his training until he’s better. “This advice would be easier to accept if I perceived I was on any sort of trajectory toward feeling better,” Fitzgerald writes. 

In July, four months after he believes he contracted COVID-19, Fitzgerald received an antibody test. This came back negative, and while this result means he didn’t have the coronavirus, he doesn’t put much stock in the test. Since then, he writes that he has received countless tests, all of which say the same thing: everything looks fine. 

“Bloodwork shows nothing amiss, my lungs look good and my heart checks out,” he says. “I now stand only one specialist away (neurologist) from perhaps being told — like all too many PACS patients — that there’s nothing wrong with me. It won’t be the end of the world if this does happen, however, because there’s little that doctors can do to treat the syndrome.”

His doctors continue to look for the root cause of his symptoms, but Fitzgerald is sold on it being PACS. While this is hard to accept (Fitzgerald refers to a 60 Minutes segment in which it was noted that of the thousands of PACS patients to seek help at New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital, none have made a full recovery), Fitzgerald explains it’s something he has to do. This goes along perfectly with his new book, The Comeback Quotient, which he says looks at “the importance of making the best of the challenges we face as athletes and as humans.”

“Here I am, mired in the worst health situation I’ve ever confronted at just the moment I’m coming out with a book in which I tell other people how to deal with bad situations,” Fitzgerald writes. “As I said before, I earnestly believe that facing reality is the only way to make the best of any bad situation.” He says he knows this will be a tough battle that could last a long time, but he’s prepared to face it head-on.  

Sebastian Coe says that World Half 2020 nearly did not happen due to coronavirus-related restrictions

Recent Gdynia event almost fell foul of coronavirus-related restrictions, weather problems and a fire in one of the technical buildings

World Athletics president Seb Coe has applauded the return of competition during the latter months of 2020 but reveals the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia in October was almost cancelled due to the coronavirus, bad weather and a fire in the timing area.

“It was one of the tougher championships that we’ve had to deliver,” said Coe, who was speaking after the latest World Athletics Council meeting. “Had it been held a couple of days or even 24 hours later it probably wouldn’t have taken place because Gydnia moved into the red zone Covid-wise in Poland.”

He added: “Two days before that the city was hit by monstrous storms and winds. And on the night before the championships we had a fire in the Seiko timings and results hut that very nearly rendered us without any timing or results equipment at all.

“It was at point I was waiting for a plague of locusts to arrive,” he joked. “But the athletes who punched through in the end and at that extraordinary event we had a world record, area records and 22 national records.”

Ultimately, Coe said, the event was a “synthesis of fantastic resilient relationships”.

Coe added: “It has been the athletes who have driven the latter part of our season and kept us front and centre. Since our last Council meeting we’ve delivered a world championships, six Diamond League meetings, seven Continental Tour Gold meetings, four Continental Tour Silver and twelve Continental Tour Bronze meetings.”

Given this Coe said there had been enough action in the second half of the year to merit holding the annual World Athletics Awards – and they will be streamed live on Saturday December 5.

Elsewhere dates for the 2022 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst (February 19) and World Indoor Championships in Belgrade (March 18-19) were confirmed.

It was also confirmed that World Athletics has asked for a mixed team cross-country relay and the women’s 50km race walk to be included in the 2024 Olympics.

2020 Valencia Marathon boasts deepest field ever and the race is going to be extremely entertaining

The Valencia Marathon is set to be run on Sunday, and the men’s and women’s fields won’t just be the strongest of the year, but quite possibly the strongest ever. LetsRun.com looked at the race start lists and compared them to past major marathons, and they all pale in comparison to the Valencia lineups, which are absolutely stacked.

After missing much of the season, so many of the world’s top runners were looking for a fast race to enter before the end of 2020, and while the Valencia Marathon isn’t listed as a world major, it’s certainly got the star power of one this year. 

The men’s field 

The men’s lineup is headlined by Ethiopians Birhanu Legese, whose PB of 2:02:48 is the third-fastest marathon time in history, and Kinde Atanaw, who has a PB of 2:03:51. They’re the only two men in the Valencia field to have run under 2:04, but they’re followed by seven runners with sub-2:05 results to their names, including former Boston Marathon champions Lawrence Cherono (2:04:06) of Kenya and Lelisa Desisa (2:04:45) of Ethiopia.

In total, there are nine men under 2:05 racing in Valencia, beating out the fields from the London Marathon in 2015 and 2019, two years that saw eight sub-2:05 runners. 

Another five men have run under 2:06 before, nine more own sub-2:07 PBs and two have bests under 2:08. This brings the total of sub-2:08 runners in the field to a whopping 25, which beats the 2019 Boston Marathon‘s previous best of 15. In addition to these 25 sub-2:08 runners, another 26 men have PBs under the Olympic standard of 2:11:30. This field is so deep, and there will be exciting racing from the lead pack, where the top runners will fight for the win, all the way back to the 2:11 pack as Olympic hopefuls give everything they have to reach standard. 

The women’s field 

The women’s side is also super deep, and like the men’s field, the women are led by a pair of Ethiopians in Ruti Aga and Birhane Dibaba. With PBs separated by just one second, Aga (2:18:34) and Dibaba (2:18:35) sit at 12th- and 13th-best of all time, respectively. They’re the lone women under 2:19, but several runners aren’t far behind with sub-2:20 and sub-2:21 PBs, including American Jordan Hasay (whose PB of 2:20:57 is the second-fastest in U.S. history). These eight women under 2:21 match the 2019 London Marathon field that saw a similarly quick top echelon of runners.

In total, there are 19 women set to race in Valencia who own sub-2:25 PBs, which is better than the previous best of 12 (Tokyo Marathon in 2019 and 2020, Boston Marathon in 2019). There are also six women outside of that 2:25 range who have run under the Olympic standard of 2:29:30, although they’re quite spread out. While runners in the men’s race will have plenty of people to work with no matter where they rank, that might not be the case for the women, some of whom might have to commit to running much faster than their PBs (such as the 2:26 runners looking to hang onto the sub-2:25 group) to avoid running solo. 

Laura Muir picked up another award as focus turns to Olympics

Laura, from Milnathort, was named MG Alba Sportswoman of the Year.

The local athlete’s victory comes in a year which has seen saw her leading the world rankings for 1500m, winning all three of her 1500m races in sub four-minute times.

Last month she was named joint winner of scottishathletic’s 4J Studios Performer of the Year award.

She was among four winners from the world of athletics and running on the night announced at the online event.

Like all sport, athletics has faced its challenges during the pandemic but Laura is delighted she was able to get some competitive running under her belt as she steps up her preparations for next summer’s Olympics in Tokyo.

She said: “We were so grateful that we could race given the circumstances so I guess we were wanting to make the most of every opportunity that we had.

“With athletics we were lucky that we could train to a certain level and compete too.

“I’m super chuffed with how the year went considering everything that was going on.

“We’ve been training in South Africa for a couple of weeks and have another couple of weeks yet.

“I’m working hard and training hard ahead of next year and hopefully doing well at the Olympics.

“It’s nice to have that little bit of sunshine and that little bit of heat.

“It means we can train better.

“Fingers crossed everything goes to plan and I’ll be in shape for next year.”

Laura’s form means she’ll head to the Olympics as one of the favorites to return with a medal.

Yuma Hattori Withdraws From Fukuoka Marathon

On Dec. 3, Tokyo Olympics marathon team member Yuma Hattori (27, Toyota) announced that he has withdrawn from Sunday's Fukuoka International Marathon due to pain in his right calf.

Hattori won Fukuoka in 2018, and in September last year he finished 2nd at Japan's MGC Race Olympic marathon trials to secure his place on the Olympic team. In Fukuoka this time he had planned to target the 2:05:29 Japanese national record.

Through Fukuoka organizers Hattori released the following statement: "I have been forced to withdraw from the Dec. 6 Fukuoka International Marathon.

To the race organizers, the media, and to the fans who had been looking forward to cheering me on in the race, I apologize from the heart. This setback has made me realize the difficulty of just making it to the start line of a marathon in peak condition.

I believe this experience will help me grow further and succeed in my future goals. One of those will be to return to the Fukuoka International Marathon as a more mature athlete."

2021 NYC Half Cancelled Due to Pandemic-Related Health and Safety Concerns

The 2021 United Airlines NYC Half is cancelled due to health and safety concerns related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The race, which takes place annually in March, is one of the world’s largest half marathons. The decision was made in consultation with the Mayor’s Office of New York City, and was announced today by New York Road Runners (NYRR), the event organizers.

The cancellation marks the second consecutive year the United Airlines NYC Half has been cancelled. This year’s event, which had been scheduled for March 15, 2020, was canceled at the outset of the COVID-19 outbreak. The event annually features 25,000 participants on a course that runs from Brooklyn to Manhattan. 

Runners who had previously registered for the cancelled 2020 United Airlines NYC Half and opted to defer entry to 2021 will have the option to choose a full refund for their 2020 entry fee or defer entry to the 2022 event. Runners who earned entry to the 2021 race through an NYRR incentive program do not need to take any action; runners will receive an email informing them their entry will be deferred to 2022.

All runners impacted by the 2021 cancellation will be contacted directly by NYRR. Runners from around the world will be invited to participate in the 2021 Virtual United Airlines NYC Half. Details will be announced soon.     

NYRR normally hosts approximately 50 in-person running events annually. In addition to the cancellation of the 2021 United Airlines NYC Half, NYRR will not be organizing its normal schedule of races in the first quarter of 2021.

This fall, NYRR re-introduced in-person running events through the Return to Racing Project, which feature many new health and safety protocols. The races are limited to a few hundred runners in compliance with city and state event guidelines. More information on the 2021 race calendar will be shared at a later date.

A team of 160 COVID-19 fighters are set to run 2020 Guangzhou Marathon

Some 160 COVID-19 fighters will form a team to run the 2020 Guangzhou Marathon on December 13, the event organizer announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

The Guangzhou Marathon registered these medical workers who have been fighting against the coronavirus epidemic from hospitals and disease control centers in Guangzhou. The southern Chinese city had sent more than 2,000 medical workers to Hubei province earlier this year to fight the coronavirus.

"Persistence, concentration and never give up -- the spirit of our virus fighters fits the marathon spirit so well," Ouyang Ziwen, director of the Guangzhou sports bureau said.

"The virus fighters deserve the greatest respect and tribute, and the marathon will be one of the best ways," he added.

A total of 20,000 runners will run the 2020 Guangzhou Marathon. Because the epidemic has been well controlled in China, sports events are being held again. Last week, Shanghai, Nanjing and Chengdu all held marathon races.

"This has demonstrated China's strong ability to recover and enormous vitality," Ouyang said.

Athletes at the coronavirus-postponed Tokyo Olympics will face regular testing, restrictions on mingling and potential punishment for non-compliance with health rules

Athletes at the coronavirus-postponed Tokyo Olympics will face regular testing, restrictions on mingling and potential punishment for non-compliance with health rules, organisers said Wednesday as they outlined plans for holding the Games.

After months of talks, officials issued a 54-page report outlining how they believe the Games can go ahead, even if the pandemic is not under control by the new start date of July 2021.

Quarantine requirements will be waived for overseas spectators, who will also be able to use public transport, but they will have to observe rules ranging from mask-wearing and a ban on cheering to keeping their ticket stubs to help contact-tracing.

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto acknowledged strict safety measures will make the games "different", but expressed hope they can still be held in a celebratory atmosphere.

"It will be simple rather than festive, but I hope it will be something moving that encourages people through the power of sport," he said.

Athletes will be screened on arrival in Japan and then undergo regular tests every four to five days during their stay at the Olympic Village.

An infection control centre will also be set up to deal with positive cases, which organisers say they presume will occur.

However officials have not yet announced how competition rules would be affected if an athlete contracted coronavirus during the Games.

All athletes must sign up to a code of conduct that includes avoiding speaking loudly, avoiding physical contact with others and wearing masks when not training or competing.

They will also be asked to leave Japan as soon as their events are over, rather than stay on in the country for sightseeing.

Penalties for non-compliance have yet to be determined and will be drawn up in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee.

"This is not a law, but we need to be careful and ask people to lay out precautions," said Muto.

"We will create a system that allows team leaders or athlete representatives to provide cautions."

Concrete measures to determine how many fans will be able to attend will be decided in the spring, with infection rates around the world at the time taken into account.

Organisers have decided that imposing a two-week quarantine on visiting fans is "impractical" given the time constraints, and will instead ask them to download tracking apps and abide by rigorous safety guidelines.

Muto said organisers were working on the assumption that a vaccine will not be available by the time the Games begin, despite positive results in tests in recent weeks.

He added that the cost of the virus countermeasures had not yet been calculated, although reports last week estimated them at $1 billion.

The same report calculated that postponing the Games from their original date this year will add another $2 billion to the price tag.

Enthusiasm for the Games has been waning in Japan, with a poll in July showing just one in four people wanted to see them held in 2021. 

2021 Mercedes Marathon postponed due to the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the postponement of the 2021 Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend.

Organizers of the events, originally scheduled for February 19 through 21, 2021 in downtown Birmingham, say safety concerns about the virus are behind the decision. Instead, the races are tentatively scheduled for sometime in the spring.

“This was a very difficult decision, but it is in the best interest of all participants and spectators,” Event Chair Valerie Cuddy said. “The COVID-19 situation is too fluid to accurately predict the conditions we will see in February. We don’t want to do anything to risk the health and safety of anyone involved as we are also following the lead of the City of Birmingham as they are delaying the approval of city-wide events. And please remember our official charity, The Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs, as we all navigate through this time.”

The decision affects the Mercedes-Benz Half and Full Marathon, the Marathon Relay and the Regions Superhero 5K normally scheduled for the Saturday or Sunday. A modified Mercedes-Benz Kid’s Marathon, sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, will still take place.

Children run 25.2 miles in weekly increments or in organized sessions at their schools. Instead of running the final mile on Feb. 20, 2021 in downtown Birmingham, they will run through organized activities at their respective schools or they can run that mile virtually. Participants will still receive their finisher medals.

MBUSI President and CEO Michael Goebel said the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance has taken extensive safety precautions since restarting after a four-week shutdown earlier this year due to the virus.

“We could not in good conscience support holding the event in February and potentially create an environment where COVID-19 could thrive,” Goebel said. “We will make every effort to help make sure the 20th Anniversary race takes place – whether it happens in 2021 or 2022.”

2021 Ooredoo Doha Marathon postponed due to COVID-19

The much-anticipated annual event, which draws thousands of international and local runners and spectators each year, was scheduled to take place in January 2021. 

While restrictions have eased since full lockdown earlier in the year, organizers took the view that postponing until a later date would allow the best – and safest - possible event for all involved. 

A new date will be shared with all parties as soon as it has been decided. 

Sabah Rabiah Al-Kuwari, Director PR at Ooredoo, said: “The Ooredoo Doha Marathon is one of the most popular events on the sporting calendar in Doha, and it’s an incredible event every year.

It’s an honor for us to support it as part of our commitment to promoting a healthy, active lifestyle for all, which is a key feature of our corporate social responsibility strategy. While some sporting events are now going ahead, it was decided that in order to ensure everyone’s health and safety - but still put on an event of the calibre for which the Marathon is known - it’s in everyone’s interests to postpone until a later date.

We look forward to sharing this new date with everyone as soon as we can, and wish everyone the best of luck with their training in the meantime!” 

Indian Avinash Sable looks to push himself more after surprising half marathon success

Considering the dominance with which he won the Indian competition at the 2020 Delhi half marathon (his time of 1.00:30 was nearly four minutes in front of the second placed Indian (1.04:16) and shattered the old national record of 1.03:46 by nearly three and a half minutes), it's hard to overlook the fact that Avinash Sable had been treating the race almost like an afterthought.

"I only found out I was going to be taking part in the race until about a month ago," says Sable, who, on Sunday, was running only the third half marathon race of his career. The 26-year-old's priority, he says, remains the 3000m steeplechase event, in which he is the reigning national record holder, more so since that's the race for which he qualified for the Tokyo Olympics last year.

Yet, after he had originally made the cut for Tokyo at the World Championships in Doha, Sable hadn't really had any sort of competition. He had travelled for a month to Morocco last year and then had headed to the high altitude training center in Ooty in preparation for the Olympics. That event, like most of the year's athletics competitions, would be cancelled even as the coronavirus pandemic spread across the world.

Sable's decision to compete in New Delhi was largely a response to this predicament. "It's incredibly frustrating to train the entire year and not have any competition to take part in. You can only see where you need to improve during competition," he says. This assessment is backed up by his coach Amrish Kumar as well. "He needed to take part in a competition. Any competition, even a 1500m race would do," says his coach Kumar.

The need for competition is particularly acute for Sable, owing to his inexperience as a runner. It was only in 2015 that the then 21-year-old sepoy in the Indian Army, who had completed tours of duty at the Siachen glacier, Sikkim and Rajasthan, had been scouted by the army running program.

"He is a very strong runner and he gets better with every race that he runs. But unless he competes, he won't ever know what mistakes he is making. He will always be short of confidence when he competes against the elite runners, who have been running for many years," says Kumar.

While a half marathon is seven times the distance of the 3000m steeplechase, there were elements of preparation the two events had in common. "Both races need a certain amount of endurance. If you can train for endurance in the 21km race, that will also help you out in the 3000m race," says Kumar.

The postponement of the Olympics had also worked out in Sable's favour. "Of course, he was looking forward to taking part in the Olympics this year. But at the same time, we knew that it would be very difficult for him to compete for a good position based on his current level. So when the Olympics was postponed, I motivated Avinash by reminding him that he could get much stronger by next year," says Kumar.

What that additional training time meant was that instead of focusing on the Olympics, Sable could work on building his base for the next season. Even more fortuitous for Sable was that the Delhi half marathon fell right in the middle of his endurance training period. "When we got the opportunity to take part in the half marathon, he was already running 280km each month. He only did two or three training sessions focused on the half marathon before the race," says Kumar.

It speaks to Sable's far improved physical conditioning that he recorded the time he did with as little practice as he had, improving on his previous best half marathon time of 1.03:58. He certainly felt so himself. "Before the race I wasn't very nervous. Coach only told me to sleep well and not worry about how the others were doing. He told me that while my target was to go under 1 hour, there wasn't going to be a chance that I'd do worse than 1 hour and one minute," says Sable.

Four-time European champion Itkina dies at the age of 88

Itkina amassed a brilliant record on the continental stage, winning individual gold medals at three successive European Championships. Itkina won the 200m title in 1954 before winning back-to-back European 400m titles in 1958 and 1962 as well as helping the Soviet Union to the 4x100m relay title in 1954. She also won bronze in the 200m at the 1958 European Championships and the 400m at the first edition of the European Cup in 1965.

Itkina also won 34 Soviet national titles indoors and outdoors at a range of distances but she narrowly fell short of adding an Olympic medal to her distinguished resume, finishing fourth on an agonising four separate occasions.

Itkina finished fourth in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at 1960 Olympics in Rome as well as fourth in the 4x100m relay at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.

Unfortunately for Itkina, the 400m was only added to the Olympic programme at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo (and the 4x400m as recently as Munich 1972) where she finished fifth in the final at the age of 32.

Itkina was one of the pioneers of the 400m, setting four world records between 1957 and 1962 and taking the record down from 55.2 to 53.4.

After retiring from competitive athletics, Itkina became a sports coach and headed the track and field team for Belarusian Dynamo. 

Emily Sisson will be targeting Molly Huddle’s 67:25 AR at Sunday’s Valencia Half Marathon

At times, the 2020 track & field season has felt like one giant record chase. With the vast majority of major championships cancelled, athletes have shifted their targets from medals to times. And with the ability to focus on one race with the sole goal of running as fast as possible, records have tumbled around the globe. Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei took down Kenenisa Bekele‘s 16-year-old 5,000-meter world record in August. In the span of one hour in October, Letesenbet Gidey broke Tirunesh Dibaba‘s 5,000-meter world record and Cheptegei fully erased Bekele from the outdoor record books by breaking his 10,000m mark. Domestically, Shelby Houlihan chopped over 10 seconds off her American 5,000-meter record back in July, taking it down to 14:23.92.

The latest installment of the Great Record Chase of 2020 comes on Sunday in Valencia, where distance studs Rhonex Kipruto, Jacob Kiplimo, and Gidey will have the half marathon world records in their sights. Just a few minutes back, Emily Sisson — one of the few Americans making the trip to Spain (Jordan Hasay is also entered in the marathon) — will be shooting for a mark of her own: the 67:25 American half marathon record, currently held by her friend and occasional training partner Molly Huddle.

says Ray Treacy, who coaches both Sisson and Huddle. “That’s the goal and see how she feels the last 5k…We’re just hoping for the best and she gets her reward for all the hard work she’s done over the last four or five months, because this is her only race.”

Sisson hasn’t raced since dropping out of the US Olympic Marathon Trials in February, though she did run the virtual New York City Marathon in 2:38:00 in October (Treacy says the aim was merely to get in a good long run effort, adding that it felt “easy” for Sisson and that she recovered “immediately”). Considering her goal is to make the Olympic team at 10,000 meters next year, Treacy did not want Sisson to run another marathon this fall, making the half marathon a natural distance for a target race. And with USATF opting not to send a team to the World Half Marathon Championships, Valencia was the best option.

Treacy says Sisson’s fitness is “really, really good” at the moment, with the 29-year-old clocking 24:37 recently for a five-mile time trial and averaging 5:05 pace for a 4 x 2-mile workout — well under American record pace (AR paceis 5:09). Currently, Sisson sits #2 on the all-time US list thanks to her 67:30 in Houston last year.

There are a couple of potential stumbling blocks, however. First, Sisson may not have any company during the race. The top women will be aiming to run the world record (64:31) or close to it, which is beyond Sisson’s abilities. Though there are two other women — Kenyans Brenda Jepleting (67:07) and Sheila Chepkirui (67:37) — with personal bests close to Sisson, it’s unclear whether they’ll try to run with her or opt for the more aggressive pace up front.

Treacy believes Sisson should be able to handle that situation just fine, though. She was alone for most of the second half of her marathon debut in London in 2019 and came out with a stellar 2:23:08 personal best.

“She’s pretty good at doing that anyway, so I’m not worried about it,” Treacy says.

The larger concern is the weather. The high of 58 degrees in Valencia on Sunday is fine, but the projected winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour could prove problematic.

While Sisson still has several years of her prime remaining, record opportunities like this are precious. Under Treacy, Huddle only raced one half marathon per year from 2015 to 2020, and three of those came on a relatively tough course in New York. Even when Huddle did finally set the record in Houston in 2018, she wasn’t 100% as she had gotten sick a few days earlier.

“[Huddle] never had the opportunity to run really, really fast,” Treacy says. “Certainly when Molly was in the shape she was in Rio, (where she ran an American 10,000m record of 30:13 at the 2016 Olympics), I think she could have run 66:30, 66:40.”

Meditation for runners and its benefits

Sitting motionless in a room for an extended period of time might seem like an odd way to improve your running, but meditation is a tool used by some of the world’s best runners to take them to the next level.

Two-time Western States champion Timmy Olhsen uses meditation as a central tenant of his training. Two-time OCC champion Ruth Croft has gone on week-long silent meditation retreats.

Here are some ways to get started:

Why meditate?

There are a number of benefits for runners. Firstly, it can help you concentrate or to “stay present”. This is particularly useful if you have a specific split or pace in mind. Over the course of a 5km, 10km or even a marathon it can be easy for your mind to drift and for you to unwittingly slow down. But if you are “present”, you can focus on keeping your legs spinning.

Conversely, mediation can distract you. If you are battling through a low point on a 100km race, you can use meditation techniques honed at home to focus on your breathing rather than your ailing body. You can refocus to the moment and forget about what is to come and the negative thoughts circling in your head.

Meditation lowers anxiety in general. Being less stressed will help your training in general because you will find it easier to stick to a routine and waste less mental energy so you can push yourself during the session. It will also help you relax and sleep, so your body can recover in full.

Where to start?It can be hard to know where to start. Do you just sit down with crossed legs and float away in your mind’s eye to distant peaks? There are loads of meditation apps for beginners and you can plug in and listen to instructions for short five-minute bursts and build from there.

Falmouth Road Race Charity Runners Raise $2.3M in 2020 At-Home Edition

Despite a pandemic that forced the 48th running of the Falmouth Road Race to become a virtual event, runners participating in its Numbers for Nonprofits Program presented by Cape Cod Healthcare raised $2,323,801 for Massachusetts-based nonprofit organizations – including over $184,000 for nine Falmouth nonprofits alone.

“We’re incredibly proud that so many of our loyal charity runners stuck by both the race and their nonprofits in this challenging year,” said Scott Ghelfi, president of the Falmouth Road Race board of directors.

“As the economic and human toll of COVID-19 continues into 2021, we’re already looking toward how our 49th running can further support both Falmouth and our valued partners.”

The funds raised in 2020 bring the Numbers for Nonprofits total to almost $45 million since 2000.

About Falmouth Road Race, Inc. The Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an international field of Olympians, elite and recreational runners out to enjoy the iconic 7-mile seaside course.

The nonprofit Falmouth Road Race organization is committed to promoting health and fitness through community programs and philanthropic giving.

Pig Works Launches Lifetime Membership Program to Support Flying Pig Marathon

Pig Works, the umbrella organization of such signature events as the Flying Pig Marathon powered by P&G, Queen Bee Half Marathon and TQL Beer Series, is offering an exclusive lifetime membership program that includes registration to Pig Works events, merchandise discounts and VIP experiences.

“Our lifetime memberships will create a new financial model to ensure the sustainability of events like the Flying Pig Marathon and Queen Bee Half Marathon during a time when we have had to cancel most of our 2020 events,” said Iris Simpson Bush, CEO of Pig Works. “Our membership program offers discounts for our loyal participants who sign up for multiple events, while giving them VIP (Very Important Pig) treatment. We appreciate their support and are looking forward to welcoming them into our Membership Program.”

The program offers a lifetime of race registrations for a one-time fee, depending on the level chosen. Every plan includes registration for the membership owner to all races during Flying Pig Marathon Weekend, the first weekend in May, for life.

Membership levels include:

1. The Whole Hog ($2,500), including lifetime complimentary race entry into all Pig Works events, along with such perks as VIP experiences, pre-race meet and greets, back bibs identifying the member as “Pig Works Lifetime Member” and 20% off merchandise.

2. Makin’ Bacon with Beer and Honey ($1,500), including lifetime registration for Flying Pig weekend events, five years of complimentary registration to other Pig Works events, VIP experiences, merchandise discounts and early access to expos.

3. All Bacon-All the Time ($1,000), including Flying Pig weekend registrations, VIP experiences, merchandise discounts and early access to expos.

Information on the Lifetime Memberships, including the complete list of benefits, is available at www.pigworks.org/life. Memberships will be limited to 300 and can be purchased for yourself, a friend or as a fundraiser for your non-profit organization. Once assigned, the lifetime membership is non-transferable.

New York Road Runners Announces Leadership Transition

New York Road Runners (NYRR) today announces that a leadership transition plan has been initiated. Michael Capiraso, President and Chief Executive Officer, will depart on December 31. An external search for the new Chief Executive Officer is underway. 

“Over the past several months, the Board of Directors has listened to the concerns raised and recommendations offered by the community NYRR serves, including its employees and members of the broader running community. In order to achieve our mission to help and inspire people through running, we will recruit new leadership to the organization,” said George Hirsch, Chairman of the Board of New York Road Runners. “The entire Board of Directors and I thank Michael Capiraso for his 10 years of contributions and dedication to this organization.” 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have served the NYRR running community for the past 10 years. I am proud of the growth the organization and I have achieved and the impact we have had, and I wish NYRR continued success,” said Capiraso.

Kerin Hempel has been appointed interim Chief Executive Officer. In this capacity, Kerin will provide daily oversight of the organization while the Board conducts a search for a permanent Chief Executive Officer.

“I strongly believe in the future of NYRR and its ability to positively impact lives all over the world,” said Hempel. “I look forward to once again working with NYRR’s talented staff and helping navigate the organization through this critical period, as we identify the best candidate to lead NYRR over the long-term.”

Kerin has a long history with NYRR, including serving as the organization’s Vice President of Strategy & Planning from 2010 to 2014. She has worked in strategy and advisory roles for several prominent companies and organizations, both in-house and as a consultant with McKinsey & Co. and Sparrow.

What to Wear for Running in Cold Weather

Cold weather doesn’t mean that you have to banish yourself to the treadmill all winter long. Thanks to new technology in winter running clothes, runners no longer have to trudge through outdoor winter runs wearing lots of heavy and uncomfortable clothing.

Follow these tips to run safely and comfortably in the cold weather.

Head and Neck:

On cold days, you’ll lose a reported 10% of your heat from your head. That’s why it’s so important to keep it covered. You also want to protect your skin from the cold and wind, as well as prevent frostbite and chapped skin and lips.

Here’s what you’ll need for your head and neck.

Thermal hat:

A fleece or wool hat is perfect for keeping your head warm during winter runs. You can easily tuck it into your pants if you feel like you’re starting to overheat.

Neck gaiter or bandana:

Often worn by skiers, a neck gaiter can be extremely valuable on a frigid, windy day to protect your neck and face. You can pull it up over your mouth to warm the air you’re breathing in, which is especially helpful when you first start your run. Some runners wear a simple bandanna over their mouth for the same purpose.

Another alternative is a Buff, which is a seamless tube of microfiber fabric that can be worn in many ways, including as a balaclava.

Balaclava:

Also known as a ski mask, a balaclava is a type of headgear that covers your whole head, exposing only your face or part of it, and sometimes only your eyes. They’re usually made of fleece or wool and are only necessary if the temperature or wind chill is below 10 F.

Skin and lip protection:

Cold weather and wind can chap your lips and make exposed skin crack. Protect your lips with Chapstick or Vaseline. You should wear sunscreen as the winter sun and glare off of snow can give you sunburn.

You can also use Vaseline on your nose and cheeks (or anywhere else on your face) to prevent windburn and chapping.

Upper Body:

The key to winter running dressing, especially with your upper body, is layering. Not only do layers trap body heat, but they also allow sweat to move through the layers of clothing. Moisture is wicked away from your first layer to your outer layers where it can evaporate.

The layer closest to your body should be made from a synthetic wicking material, such as DryFit, Thinsulate, Thermax, CoolMax, polypropylene, or silk. This will wick the sweat away from your body, keeping you dry and warm.

Dathan Ritzenhein talks about becoming head coach of On Athletics Club

The three-time Olympian outlines his journey from success on the track and roads to becoming head coach of On Athletics Club

I was ready to move on – my body had just about had it!

I was happy that I got just about everything I could out of it. I had some really significant foot problems towards the last two years of my career and I found it pretty hard to do a lot of really good quality in training so, when the opportunity from On came up, I was really excited for it.

I can see why a lot of athletes could really struggle with retirement. For me, I was fortunate to go into a situation and a position where I could still have a lot of involvement with the sport. You’re not pushing your body but you’re there and involved with the thing that you love.

For 16 years I was a professional runner and before that at college and high school. It’s really all I know and a lot of athletes are like that.

It’s not really a job, it’s a lifestyle, and with every workout you take that attitude home so when athletes finally do make that call and go into retirement there’s a void sometimes.

If you don’t have a passion – whether it’s your work, your family, a hobby – something that you can put that same energy and devotion into, it can be difficult.

There’s an old quote that says ‘athletes die twice’ and it’s true. It’s like a little part of you dies when you know you’re never going to be at the peak of your physical prowess again.

I had come to that realization already but I do miss the feeling of doing the incredible stuff that you think ‘man, not many people can do that’. Already that seems far away.

Coaching is the next best thing to racing

We have eight runners in the On team so you’re managing varying degrees every day but you have the same emotional highs and lows that you have as a runner.

If someone runs really well then the high is really high but then you also have to manage it if someone is hurt and there’s that low.

The runners thrive off an energy that I bring so I can’t bring anything negative.

If someone is not feeling good then I’ve got to help that person but then I’ve got to bring positivity to the person that’son fire and doing really well. That part is a balancing act which is maybe a little different from life as an athlete.

The job is much more consuming than I’d realised

There’s so much stuff that gets done behind with the scenes which, as an athlete, you don’t even really know is going on. Dealing with the agents, the meets and all of that stuff – it just gets done or, as a runner, you pay your agent to deal with a lot of those things.

There’s a misconception that you write the training plan, you’re at the track and then it’s done – but it’s not really like that!

It’s such a rewarding job

It (running) was my real passion for 25 years. Eventually the body is done but being able to help others do it, see others do it…

As a long career goes on you maybe get numb to some emotions. Because you’ve been around it for so long, you’ve doneso many things, you kind of forget the first-time emotions of something really exciting and to see that has been rewarding for me.

Most of these guys and women are coming out of college and there’s lot of unknown. Then throw that on top of the COVID world where there’s more unknown – it’s great to be able to help guide them and to see the excitement when things go well.

This is a special opportunity for these guys and I’m happy that I can be part of it.

Japanese Government considers private healthcare requirement for Tokyo 2020 visitors

The Japanese Government is reportedly considering making private health insurance compulsory for visitors attending next year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

According to Kyodo News, a proposal was presented by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The proposal would reportedly see visitors required to take out private health insurance coverage, as well as testing negative for coronavirus.

Visitors may also be required to submit a report on their health status.

The proposal has been made due to the current system requiring the Japanese public to bear the financial cost of treating overseas visitors.

This became an issue earlier this year regarding the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

The cruise ship was docked in Yokohama in February when it recorded around 700 coronavirus infections, with Japanese hospitals ultimately treating visitors with the infections.

Laws would need to be amended for private health coverage to be required, Kyodo News reported.

The Olympics are now scheduled for July 23 to August 8, followed by the Paralympics from August 24 to September 5.

Organisers are working on a series of coronavirus countermeasures to protect athletes and spectators during their stay in the Japanese capital.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has recently revealed her hopes of holding the Games with "full spectators present".

Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshirō Mutō has also previously said measures for fans, including non-Japanese residents, would be drawn up by the spring.

Hopes of a successful staging of the Games have been boosted by progress in the development of COVID-19 vaccines, although it may still be some time before they are available to the wider public.

9,000 runners defy COVID-19 at Shanghai Marathon

Around 9,000 runners – some wearing protective masks – took part in the Shanghai International Marathon Sunday, Chinese media said, a rare mass event in a year when the coronavirus laid waste to most such sports.

Prior to the race, officials touted it as an opportunity to show how China – where the virus emerged late last year before unleashing a pandemic – is moving ahead despite the continuing global health crisis.

The prestigious New York, Berlin, Boston and Chicago marathons all fell victim to the coronavirus this year, while London and Tokyo were open only to elite runners.

Bucking that trend, the marathon in Shanghai went ahead under sunny skies following several days of rain and with virus prevention measures in place to thwart infections.

Shanghai is on edge following a scattering of recent local cases, but China has largely got to grips with the epidemic thanks to strict lockdowns and aggressive mass testing.

Runners had to pass a coronavirus test in order to take part and were ordered to wear a mask immediately before and after the race. Some kept them on the whole time.

About 9,000 runners had been expected to take part, down from 38,000 in previous Shanghai marathons. No overseas athletes flew in for the race, and spectators were told to stay away.

Distance running is booming in China, with state media saying there is marathon fever.

In February, when the country was shut down by the pandemic, one fanatical runner jogged the equivalent of an ultra-marathon inside his small apartment.

More details about the Delhi Half Marathon Record performances

t was a great morning for the 2020 World Half Marathon bronze medallists as Ethiopians Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Amedework Walelegn both picked up $37,000 wins ($27k for 1st, $10k for event records) in event record time today at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon.

The headline performance came in the women’s race where Yehualaw, the 21-year old who just missed out on winning in Delhi by 1 second last year in 66:01, ran an unofficial 64:46, the second-fastest women’s half marathon in history on a records-eligible course.

The 5 Fastest Women’s Half Marathons Ever1 64:28* Brigid Kosgei KEN 2019 Great North Run 08.09.20192 64:31 Ababel Yeshaneh ETH 2020 RAK Half 21.02.20203 64:46 Yalemzerf Yehualaw ETH  2020 Delhi Half 28.11.20194 64:49 Brigid Kosgei KEN 2020 RAK Half 21.02.20205 64:51 Joyciline Jepkosgei KEN 2017 Valencia 22.10.2017*Not records eligible

In the men’s race, the Walelegn, also 21, won a three-way sprint finish in an unofficial 58:52 as two-time defending champion Andamlak Belihu of Ethiopia and Stephen Kissa of Uganda also broke 59:00 to finish second and third respectively. The order of finish today was the same as it was at World Half last month as in Poland Walelegn was third, Belihu was 5th and Kissa 19th. 2017 and 2019 world 5000 champion ran Muktar Edris of Ethiopia also ran very well today in his debut as he was in fourth in 59:04 .

The course this year was different than in years past due to Covid-19 but the event record coming in was 59:06 for the men and 66:00 for the women.

Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw produced a stunning run over in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon  2020, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, to clock the second fastest  women’s time ever over the distance when she crossed the line in the  Indian capital in 64:46. 

The 21-yearold, who had to settle for third at the World Athletics Half  Marathon Championships last month when she slipped around 80 metres  from the line, bounced back with aplomb to take the $27,000 first prize and  an additional $10,000 as an event record bonus. 

In the men’s race, the event record – with the course having been  changed significantly from previous years – also fell when Amdework Walelegn outsprinted his Ethiopian compatriot and two-time defending  champion Andamlak Belihu to win in 58:53, the latter coming home in  58:54 and just missing out on an unprecedented third title. 

A blistering pace from the gun was set in the women’s race by the  Kenyan male pacemaker Alex Kibarus and several of the elite field were  quickly dropped. 

Six women – three Kenyans: Irene Cheptai, 2019 world marathon  champion Ruth Chepngetich and marathon world record holder Brigid  Kosgei; and three Ethiopians: two-time defending champion and event record holder Teshay Gemechu, world record holder Ababel Yeshaneh and Yalemzerf Yehualaw – followed Kibarus through 5km in 15:27. 

World marathon record holder and recent London Marathon winner  Kosgei was forced to drop out midway through the eighth kilometre, holding her leg as she limped to the side of the road. 

A kilometre later, Gemechu also started to suffer and lost contact with the  leaders although she hung on to eventually finish fifth.

Chepngetich, Cheptai, Yehualaw and Yeshaneh went through 10km  together in 30:49 as a thrilling race started to take shape. 

Cheptai was the next to fall away, becoming detached in the 12th kilometre with the remaining trio going through 15km in 46:15. 

With just three kilometres to go, and within the space of a few hundred  metres, first Chepngetich and then Yeshaneh found themselves unable to  stay with the pace. 

However, Yehualaw continued to follow Kibarus, and once he dropped  out with two kilometres to go it was just a question of how much she would  take off Gemechu’s 2019 course record of 66:00. 

In the end, she improved the mark by more than a minute, aided by a  strong run over the final quarter of the race. 

Yehualaw won in 64:46 but Chepngetich also ran the race of her life to  finish in a personal best of 65:06 and move up to equal-sixth on the world  all-time list.  

“My training since the world championships told me that maybe I could  break the course record as I ran 65:19 there, but this was more than I  expected, and I hoped for a win here after just losing by a second a year  ago,” said Yehualaw. 

“My plan was to push hard with two kilometres to go and that helped my  fast time, and it was also very nice weather,” she added, with early  morning temperatures in Delhi around 12-14 degrees Celsius. 

In the men’s race, three pacemakers took field through 3km in 8:22 and  then 5km in 13:57 – well under 59-minute pace – with Belihu always to the  fore. 

The main pacemaker, Uganda’s Abel Sikowo, continued to forge ahead  and passed 8km 22:17 and then 10km in 27:50, with eight men still directly  in the wake of Sikowo who was doing an admirable job in keeping the  tempo high and sub-59 times definitely in sight. 

Just after 12km Sikowo dropped out and Belihu, along with Kenya’s  Leonard Barsoton, dictated matters at the front for the next two kilometres  although, as he was later to admit, this decision might have cost the  defending champion dearly in the later stages of the race. 

Eight men were still in contention at 15km, which was passed in 42:00. By  18km the leading group had slimmed just slightly to six men: the Ethiopian  quartet of Belihu, Walelegn, 2017 and 2019 world 5000m champion Muktar  Edris who was making his competitive debut over the distance, Tesfahun  Akalnew, Barsoton and Uganda’s Stephen Kissa. 

Akalnew started to falter shortly afterwards and with two kilometres to go,  Edris and Barsoton also started to drop off the back of the group as their  challenge for a place on the podium began to evaporate. 

Belihu, Walelegn and Kissa passed the 20km checkpoint in 55:59, and just  a hundred or so metres later, Walelegn threw down the gauntlet. 

However, Kissa was still full of running and darted between the two  Ethiopians with 500m to go and held the lead for the next 300 metres  before Walelegn found another gear and passed the Ugandan on his  right as he sprinted for the line. 

Walelegn finished in 58:53, the third fastest time of the year and an event record by 13 seconds as well as a personal best by 15 seconds. Belihu was  just one second in arrears and Kissa two seconds further back, both men also setting personal bests. 

“I had a few bad patches but in the final kilometre I felt strong. I was  second in Delhi in 2018 and this is a much faster course which has less  sharp turns,” commented Walelegn, reflected on the new circuit which  incorporated two six-kilometre loops. 

“I have to be happy as I ran a personal best. After the pacemaker  dropped out I pushed the pace but I think this might have left me with a  bit less energy when we sprinted in the last kilometre,” reflected Belihu,  who just fell short in his bid to be the first three-time winner in Delhi. 

In fourth place Edris ran 59:04, the second fastest debut over the distance  ever, while Avinash Sable smashed the Indian record by more than three  minutes when he ran 60:30 in tenth place.

CJ Albertson Just Ran a 2:09 Marathon on the Treadmill. He Doesn’t Care What You Think About It.

Albertson, 27, has been doing a lot of cool things recently. His highlights from the last month:

On November 1, he ran 50.4 kilometers on his treadmill in 2:42:00. The treadmill world record for 50k (and fastest time anyone had covered 50 kilometers, period) was 2:42:56.

On November 8, he ran a 50,000-meter world best of 2:42:30 by running 125 laps around his old track at Buchanan High School in Clovis, Calif.

On November 15, he ran 37 miles on his treadmill at 5:56 mile pace — the longest run of his life.

His most recent effort was his most impressive yet: on Sunday, he ran an approximate 2:09:58 marathon on his treadmill, and felt so good, he added on an extra mile even faster.

Though Albertson knew what the treadmill world record was (2:17:56 by Tyler Andrews in June), he didn’t go into his run thinking of it as a world record attempt. He just wanted to see if he could run a 2:10 marathon on a treadmill.

So he went into his guest bedroom, opened the French doors, and set up a fan to get some air flowing from outside. He laid out his fuel: seven gels, one bottle of water, and one bottle of carbs and electrolytes. He cued up the Panic! At the Disco station on Amazon Music. Finally, he wheeled in his television and prepared to binge Community. He didn’t mind that his music would mostly drown out the dialogue.

“I’ve seen all the episodes like, five times,” Albertson says. “It’s just something that clears my mind.”

And then he set his Peloton treadmill to 12.1 miles per hour (2:10:00 marathon pace) and he ran. And ran and ran and ran.

Six miles in, he began to hurt.

“I’m like, okay, I’m probably not going to go a marathon,” Albertson says.

But he muscled through the rough patch, and as he neared the end, he was feeling good. So good, in fact, that he didn’t want to stop. So after passing 26.2 miles, Albertson cranked the treadmill up to its max speed of 12.5 miles per hour (4:48 pace) and ran one final mile before stepping off with a final time of 2:14:46 for 27.22 miles.

Albertson says that before Sunday, he’d never experienced the “runner’s high.” But after his 27.22-mile effort, it hit him.

“I was walking around the house pumped up, kind of like a fighter when you see them just hopping around, randomly yelling,” Albertson says.

That feeling, and the fact that he accomplished his goal of running an entire marathon at 2:10 pace, is enough for Albertson. He won’t be submitting the effort as an official world record; he didn’t record the run or calibrate the treadmill prior to the attempt. And though he set the grade to 1.5% to account for the lack of wind resistance (“I read something that said that’s about accurate for that pace”), he isn’t going to waste time trying to figure out what the performance was worth. (Albertson thinks he came through 26.22 miles in just under 2:10 — he set the treadmill to 4:55 pace for the final mile of his marathon (2:10 pace is 4:57 pace)– and says he split roughly 2:09:50 from mile 2 to mile 27.22).

“That’s kind of the fun, that’s kind of the mystery — what was that effort worth really?” says Albertson. “I’ll never know. No one will ever know.”

Albertson says he still considers his marathon personal best to be the 2:11:49 he ran to place seventh at the Olympic Trials in Atlanta in February, but is hoping to break 2:10 at the Marathon Project on December 20 in Arizona, where he’ll face Scott Fauble (2:09:09 pb) and Canadian record holder Cam Levins (2:09:25 pb), among others.

The fact that breaking 2:10 is now a realistic goal for Albertson, who works as a professor and head cross country coach at Clovis Community College, is fairly remarkable. He was a solid runner at Arizona State, posting personal bests of 7:59, 13:50, and 8:45 in the steeple, but by no means a future star; he never even qualified for the NCAA cross country championships (he did make it to NCAAs in the steeple as a junior in 2016, though he didn’t make the final).

After graduating in 2017, Albertson spent a year away from competitive running. But when he returned in 2018, training for the Two Cities Marathon in Fresno, he tried a different approach, throwing in several long runs of over 26 miles in his buildup. It worked: he won the race in 2:17:45, qualifying for the Olympic Trials.

Since then, Albertson has incorporated hard long runs of 26-32 mile into his weekly routine, doing them almost every Sunday when he’s in serious training. And he has improved drastically. In March 2019, he shaved 58 seconds off his personal best by running 2:16:47 to win the Modesto Marathon and followed it up with a world best for the indoor marathon, clocking 2:17:59 at the Armory in April. In the fall, he ran another big pb of 2:14:51 to repeat at Two Cities before running yet another pb of 2:13:40 a month later to finish second at CIM. Then he took almost two minutes off of that time to finish seventh at the Trials.

Albertson, who is self-coached, views his Wolverine-like ability to recover as a gift that must be nurtured. He tried traditional training in college, but it was only once he leaned into making these long, hard efforts a regular part of his training that his career truly took off.

“It comes really easy and natural for me to do what people would say [are] hard long runs,” Albertson says. “So I feel like I kind of have to take advantage of that, and it works for me. I was decent in college. But I was not seventh in the nation in college, ever. I wasn’t even close.”

Mentally, Albertson is also well-suited for the monotony of grinding away on a track or treadmill for hours on end. He likes running best when he doesn’t have to worry about splits or surges and can just lock into a pace, comparing it to meditation.

“I like the rhythm,” Albertson says. “A treadmill, you’re in perfect rhythm all the time. A track, you can get into that rhythm too. There’s just something about it that is relaxing but also allows you to push hard. And so I don’t have to think about anything, I just get the physical act of running hard and fast. There’s something really soothing about that to me.”

Albertson posts all of his training on Strava, and because many of his workouts are ridiculous, they tend to generate a lot of discussion (example: this five-page thread on LetsRun after Albertson ran 27 miles at 5:09 pace in February). Albertson says he sometimes gets a laugh out of seeing strangers on the internet overanalyze his runs, but for him, setting obscure records and logging mind-bending treadmill workouts are a way to have fun and keep training interesting. They’re not what the sport is about.

“Any race is gonna mean a lot mean than any sort of a record, because competing, that’s what the sport is: you race people,” Albertson says. “…It really doesn’t matter what you do in practice. When I line up December 20, it’s like, who cares? I don’t care what anyone else did [in practice], no one cares what I did. We’re just racing and the person who crosses the finish line wins.”

Why Running Outside in the Winter Is So Good for You

The mental and physical benefits make it worth the extra effort

Sure, the treadmill can be a valuable training tool in winter. But most of the time, gearing up, embracing the outdoors, and hitting the roads is the better option. What’s the difference, you ask? Training outside any time of year—but especially during the year’s darkest days—unlocks a host of mental and physical benefits. Here are four reasons to take your workouts outdoors this winter.

Amy Kugler understands firsthand how running can help combat seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Back in 2013, when the 30-year-old content strategist had just moved to Seattle, she found herself unconsciously upping her mileage as a way to cope with the lack of sunshine. “The rainy season kicked in around September and it was gray all the time,” she says. “My husband would encourage me to get out the door because he saw that when I returned from my runs, I was much happier.”

Robert J. Stock, a California-based psychotherapist, says that about 5 percent of Americans suffer from SAD, and as many as 10 percent more have a subclinical variant they may not recognize. “There are theories that the lack of light in winter triggers hormonal changes, with the leading belief being that the brain may create less serotonin, one of the important chemicals to create a sense of well-being,” he explains. Running, then, can be a great antidote. “Running outside, preferably in daylight, creates endorphins that give a runner a happy feeling and greater energy rush,” Stock says.

Even with a schedule and climate that often prevents her from training in the sunlight, Kugler feels better after training outdoors through winter. And that's no coincidence. A 2016 Harvard and Syracuse University study showed that the elevated levels of carbon dioxide often present in indoor environments can have negative effects on cognitive function. Translation: breathing fresh, oxygen-rich air—not just exposure to sunlight—can positively affect more than just your mood. “Would I love a sunny day?” she asks. “Yes. But more importantly, I am out there, and the endorphins make all the difference.”

Winter Weather Beats Summer Weather

Truly, it does. Instead of slowing the pace to build endurance in the heat, winter weather makes everything better: you’ll sweat less and remain better hydrated. You’ll feel more energized. Your heart will run slower and you might find yourself adding on a mile or two some days, rather than quitting early. “Breathing in the cold air wakes you up and makes you feel alive,” says Baltimore-based running coach Alison Staples. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

You’ll Feel like a Boss

If you haven’t noticed, there aren’t many people out running on the roads in the middle of winter. If you have the chutzpah to get out there, your tenacity deserves a few pats on the back. When he first arrived at the University of Wisconsin to join the track team, Under Armour runner Morgan McDonald was a bit unsure about running in the cold. Originally from Sydney, Australia, he’d never encountered real winter conditions (the average low temperature in January in Madison, Wisconsin, is a bone-chilling 11 degrees Fahrenheit). “It can be a bit daunting,” McDonald says. “But once you get used to it, you’ll be glad you tried.”

Professional runner and coach Breanna Sieracki, who lives in Minnesota and runs in just about any temperature, agrees. “You have to be tough to get out there,” she says. “It will make you more resilient and ready to handle anything.”

You’ll Make Real Gains

Winter running is about mental toughness, to be sure. You’ll emerge stronger and ready to handle the rough spots in a race come spring. But it also adds up to physical benefits. “With the exception of a few big marathons, like Houston, most of your races will be in warmer months,” says Sieracki. “So winter can be great for base building.” With the break from races, winter is the perfect time to build up your base so that you’re ready for that harder training come spring.

Use this time to work mostly in your aerobic zone, laying down a firm foundation. Think of your training as a pyramid—your wintertime base miles form the bottom layer on which your other efforts can rest. Skip out on this step and spring training and racing won’t get you nearly as far. The case for winter running couldn’t be stronger. As the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, make a plan for joining the ranks of winter warriors. Your mood and your body will thank you.

We Now Have the Lab Data on Nike's Breaking2 Runners

To pick their two-hour marathon team, researchers tested some of the greatest runners on the planet. Now they're revealing what they found.

Here’s a quick and convenient way of finding out whether you’re ready to run a two-hour marathon. Head to the track and run six laps (roughly 1.5 miles) at two-hour pace (4:34.6 per mile), then run one more lap as fast as you can. Have a nearby exercise physiologist fit you with a portable oxygen-measuring mask, to measure your energy consumption at that pace. Then crunch the data to see whether your metabolism is settling into a sustainable pattern, or whether it’s spiraling out of control toward a fiery explosion.

That’s one of several tests that at least 16 elite runners underwent during the selection process for Nike’s 2017 Breaking2 race, which Eliud Kipchoge ended up winning in 2:00:25. Now the scientists responsible, including teams from Andrew Jones’s group at the University of Exeter in Britain and the Nike Sport Research Lab in Beaverton, have published some of the data in the Journal of Applied Physiology. It’s grouped and anonymized, so we don’t get to obsess about the individual details of Eliud Kipchoge’s physiology, but it’s a pretty rare window into the characteristics of best-of-the-best runners. Here are some of the highlights.

The runners were “predominantly of East African ethnicity,” with average bests of 1:00:04 for the half marathon and 2:08:40 for the marathon at the time of testing (they’ve since run, on average, 59:53 and 2:06:53). All were drawn from the global pool of Nike-sponsored runners, with a particular focus on those with half marathon times that suggested the ability to handle two-hour pace. The only runners we know for sure were among the subjects are Kipchoge and his fellow Breaking2 finalists, Zersenay Tadese and Lelisa Desisa. The inclusion of runners like Tadese, who at the time held the half marathon world record of 58:23 but had only run 2:10:41 for the marathon, helps explain the relatively modest average marathon time.

The testing, which was completed at either the Nike campus or the University of Exeter, included a bunch of body measurements like height, weight, body fat, lung function, and the length and girth of various parts of the leg and foot. This stuff is interesting, since some researchers believe that factors like the length of the Achilles tendon can influence running economy, but there were no unusual results. Biomechanical testing of ten of the runners who were examined in Exeter found that six were forefoot strikers and four were heel strikers, and the most efficient runners had the shortest ground contact time with each step. Again, this is more or less what you’d expect based on previous studies of elite runners.

They also did a VO2 max test on the treadmill, with the speed increased in stages until the runners gave up. Between each treadmill stage, the runners hopped off the treadmill briefly to have their fingers pricked for a lactate measurement to determine their lactate threshold. Here there were some more surprising results. The average VO2 max was just 71.0 ml/kg/min, which is unexpectedly low given that the range expected for elite endurance athletes is typically about 70 to 85. The lowest value among the Nike runners was 62, which is astonishingly low, and the highest was 84, which is high but far from unprecedented. You can think of VO2 max as the size of the aerobic engine; whatever gifts made these runners special, it apparently wasn’t having a huge engine.

You’d expect, then, that they must be extraordinarily efficient. Their running economy, which is a measure of how much energy you burn at a given pace, was indeed pretty good, averaging 189 ml/kg/km on the treadmill. That’s consistent with previous studies that found typical values of around 190 ml/kg/km in elite runners (and substantially better than the values of 210 or higher seen in recreational runners at slower paces), although there was a lot of individual variation between the most and least economical. As in previous studies, there was an inverse relationship between VO2 max and running economy: those with the highest VO2 max tended to have the worst economy, and vice versa. Whether that’s inevitable for some physiological reason, or simply a reflection of the fact that even elite runners are unlikely to hit the genetic lottery twice, remains a topic of spirited debate.

To measure running economy, you have to be running aerobically, since oxygen consumption is used as a proxy for energy consumption. If you’re having to burn a lot of anaerobic energy to maintain the pace, the energy estimate will be inaccurate. Interestingly, only seven of the 16 runners were able to fulfill this requirement while running at 2:00 marathon pace. The other nine were above their “critical speed” at that pace, which tells you pretty much right away that they had no hope whatsoever of running a two-hour marathon. (To be fair, the testing had to be slotted in between seasons for some of the runners, so they may not have been in peak condition.)

In the classic mathematical model of marathon performance, there are three variables: VO2 max, running economy, and a third variable that represents what fraction of VO2 max you’re able to sustain over the course of a marathon. That third variable is often approximated by the lactate threshold, which is the speed at which your lactate levels begin to gradually creep up as you start relying more on anaerobic energy.

But well-trained marathon runners are actually able to run the distance at a slightly higher speed than their lactate threshold. In this study, the runners hit their lactate threshold at 83 percent of VO2 max on average. Their critical speed, which is roughly when lactate levels start shooting up more steeply instead of just creeping up, occurred at 92 percent of VO2 max. Marathon pace tends to be somewhere between those two markers. In fact, a previous study by Jones and Anni Vanhatalo found that elite marathoners tend to run their marathons at 96 percent of critical speed, which in this case works out to 88 percent of VO2 max.

If you run the numbers, using lactate threshold as marathon pace predicts that the runners in the study should average 2:15:24 for the marathon. Using critical speed predicts 2:02:55. Using the Goldilocks value of 88 percent of VO2 max, in contrast, gives a prediction of 2:08:31—almost exactly corresponding to their average best time at the time of testing, which was 2:08:40. The takeaway: your critical speed (which you can calculate as described here) offers a pretty good estimate of marathon pace, assuming your training is adequately geared for the distance.

After all this testing, the team selected Kipchoge, Desisa, and Tadese. Kipchoge turned out to be a great choice. Desisa is a mixed bag: he was injured before Breaking2, and hasn’t run particularly fast since, but he did win last year’s World Championships and also won New York in 2018 and was second in Boston in 2019. You could do worse. Tadese, on the other hand, has never really managed to put it together in the marathon, despite stellar lab values (in earlier testing, he had the best running economy ever measured).

What was missing for Tadese? Jones and his colleagues suggest that the mathematical model needs a fourth variable, which they call “fatigue resistance,” representing “the extent of the deterioration of the three [other variables] over time.” A previous study from the Breaking2 researchers explored how critical speed changes over two hours of exercise. The gist: it gets worse, and some people have a greater decline than others. Maybe Kipchoge is unusually gifted in this regard; maybe Tadese got dealt a weak hand. It seems clear that fatigue resistance is an important ingredient for marathon success, but the problem for running scientists is that there’s no convenient way of measuring it—other than, well, running a marathon.

For more Sweat Science, join me on Twitter and Facebook, sign up for the email newsletter, and check out my book Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance.

Daniel Mateiko and Evelyne Chirchir Dominates 2020 Eldama Ravine Half Marathon

Daniel Mateiko and Evelyne Chirchir are the new winners of the second edition of Eldama Ravine Half Marathon held on 28/11/2020.Mateiko won 21km men in 63:01 followed closely by Ronald Kurui and Emmanuel Bor finished third in 63:23.

In women 21km category, Evelyne Chirchir won with a wider lead of almost a minute with time of 70:24 where Jackline Jepkemoi and Frankfurt Champion Valary Ayabei  came second and third consecutively in time of 71:27: and 71:46.

Norah Jeruto won 10 km women 33:53, Dorcas Kimeli second in 34:07 and Daisy Cheptemei third 35:23.  In 10 km men that was dominated by juniors Kenneth Renju closed 29:58 followed a distance by Weldon Kurui 30:16 and Michael Kibet wrapping top 3 with 30:20.

The race was ran with all athletes wearing a mask and only top 10 were allowed to remain after the race and the rest were released to go home.This was due to covid-19 government guidelines on combating the spread of virus.

Walelegn breaks course Record Time for 2020 Airtel Delhi Half Marathon.

Ethiopian  Amedework Walelegn is the new  course record holder of Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in men's race with time of 58:53.

Ethiopian Amedework Walelegn dethroned his campatriot 2018 and 2019 winner Andamlak Belihu in a nail-bitting finish to win the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon men's race in a course record time of 58:53. Andamlak who was second settled for silver medal with a time of 58:54 while Stephen Kisa of Uganda Pocket bronze in 58:56.

Walelegn who is 21-years- old broke 2014 course record set by his compatriot Guye Adola in 2014.

In women category Yalemzert Yahualaw beat reigning Marathon Champion Ruth Chepngetich by winning in a time of 64:46 while Ruth followed a distance in 65:06. Abadal Yeshaneh of Ethiopia was third with time of 65:21.

The course was different from the normal course because of covid-19 pandemic protocol. The runners had to cover around 4.5 km starting at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and then ran on two loops of about 6 km , before getting to the finish line outside the stadium by the same route. The route was sprayed with chemicals to minimise the effect of the annual toxic smog that blankets the megacity in winter due to traffic and industrial pollution crop subble, burning and cold temperature.

World cross country champion Hellen Obiri opens cross country season with victory in Machakos

World cross country champion Hellen Obiri launched her season in style, winning senior women's 10km race during the opening leg of Athletics Kenya Cross Country Series at the People's Park, Machakos.

Obiri, who is also the World 5,000m champion, took over the lead from world 3,000m steeplechase champion Beatrice Chepkoech after 3kms to tear apart the muddy course for victory in 32 minutes and 29.2 seconds.

With Chepkoech, the world record holder in steeplechase, pulling out after 6kms, Caroline Nyaga from Kenya Police Services, came second in 32:46.8.

Steeplechaser, Kenyan-born Winfred Mutile of Bahrain, finished third in 32:47.5.

"The course looked challenging after the morning downpour but it's a great way to start the season as I focus on more races before the Tokyo Olympic Games next year," said Obiri.

Obiri, who won silver in 5,000m at the 2016 Rio Summer Games, said she will decide on whether to double up in 5,000m and 10,000m during the Tokyo Summer Games due July 23 to August 8 next year.

"With the World Cross Country Championships having been postponed to 2022, I will concentrate my energies on Olympics," said Obiri.

Olympian Molly Seidel runs 34:33 10K dressed in a turkey suit

On Thursday, Olympic marathon qualifier Molly Seidel ran a 34:33 10K dressed as a turkey (wings and all). That’s 3:26 per kilometre, in full turkey garb. A few weeks ago she announced her goal of becoming the Fastest Known Turkey (impersonator) and accomplished her task on Thanksgiving morning.

Seidel was accompanied by a few friends and family members for a small race on Cranberry Island, Maine. 

The 26-year-old has had a good year, already qualifying for the 2021 Olympics in the marathon. On top of being a future Olympian, she is an NCAA champion in the 10,000m and she owns a 2:25:13 personal best from the London Marathon.

Seidel was participating in the 2020 Virtual Peachtree 10K, one of the most prestigious 10K races in the U.S. In order to clock the fastest time possible, Seidel will run the distance twice.

Her first attempt was yesterday’s literal turkey trot and her second will come in a few days’ time, back home in Boston in typical running clothes. She predicts that she’ll shed 30 seconds when she ditches the suit. 

Seidel did confirm on Instagram that she in fact cooked a turkey, after dressing as one for her run. 

Best-case scenario for Games is venues full of spectators - Tokyo governor

•With Covid-19 infections on the rise in many countries around the world, Olympics organisers have yet to decide whether to allow spectators into venues next year and if so, how many.

•The Japanese government is preparing to pause the travel campaign in Osaka and Sapporo following sharp rises in Covid-19 cases

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Tuesday that the best case scenario for the 2020 Olympics postponed until next year is to have venues full of spectators, as organisers wrestle with how to plan for the Games amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

With Covid-19 infections on the rise in many countries around the world, Olympics organisers have yet to decide whether to allow spectators into venues next year and if so, how many.

Koike, speaking at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, said organisers were still hopeful venues could be filled with spectators when the Olympics begin in July.

“The best-case scenario ... would be when all athletes from all countries come here in safety and with peace of mind and the Olympics can, as in previous years, be held with full spectators present as well,” said Koike.

Organisers have said previously they will not make a decision on spectator numbers until the spring. Although Japan has largely avoided the huge numbers of COVID-19 infections seen in other countries, daily cases in Tokyo rose to records above 500 last week.

Koike warned that Tokyo was seeing a rise in infections among older residents, including cases where people had contracted the virus while eating out and brought it home to elderly relatives.

She is due to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga later on Tuesday to discuss a domestic travel promotion campaign introduced by the government earlier this year to try to stimulate local economies hit by the near-complete absence of foreign tourism amid the pandemic.

“It is clear that the movement of people is having an impact on the increase in cases,” Koike said. “It is necessary to look at what kind of restrictions on the movement of people might be needed.”

The Japanese government is preparing to pause the travel campaign in Osaka and Sapporo following sharp rises in Covid-19 cases, the minister handling the government’s coronavirus response said on Tuesday.

Kilian Jornet drops out of 24-hour running world record attempt, feeling dizzy and seeking medical evaluation

The mountain running superstar swapped trails for tracks in an attempt to beat Yainnis Kouros’ 303.506km record set in 1985

Jornet completes 134km before doctors advise him to seek help for dizzinessKilian Jornet has dropped out of his 24-hour running record due to dizziness. The famous mountain runner did continuous loops of a track in Norway in an attempt to set a new distance covered in a day.

Jornet had run 134km after 337 laps. The record he was going for is Yainnis Kouros’s 303.506km set in 1985.

The Salomon team shared an Instagram story, firstly showing Jornet receiving physio on his knee, then announcing he dropped out and finally explaining: “Kilian was feeling dizzy, so he received medical attention on the track. Although he was feeling better, the medical professionals decided it was best for him to go for further evaluation.”

Kouros, from Greece, is considered the best road ultra runner of all time. His 24-hour record has stood for an incredible 35 years. He also holds the 48-hour record on a track (473km), set in 1996 and the six-day record (1,036km) set in 2005.

Jornet is no stranger to turning over historical records. He set the record on the 106km Bob Graham Round in England in 2018, beating Billy Bland’s time that had stood for 36 years.

Kilian Jornet has dropped out of his 24-hour running record due to dizziness. The famous mountain runner did continuous loops of a track in Norway in an attempt to set a new distance covered in a day.

Jornet had run 134km after 337 laps. The record he was going for is Yainnis Kouros’s 303.506km set in 1985.

The Salomon team shared an Instagram story, firstly showing Jornet receiving physio on his knee, then announcing he dropped out and finally explaining: “Kilian was feeling dizzy, so he received medical attention on the track. Although he was feeling better, the medical professionals decided it was best for him to go for further evaluation.”

Kouros, from Greece, is considered the best road ultra runner of all time. His 24-hour record has stood for an incredible 35 years. He also holds the 48-hour record on a track (473km), set in 1996 and the six-day record (1,036km) set in 2005.

Jornet is no stranger to turning over historical records. He set the record on the 106km Bob Graham Round in England in 2018, beating Billy Bland’s time that had stood for 36 years.

However, the 24-hour record presented a challenge out of Jornet’s comfort zone. He is best known for his domination in the mountains. He has won nearly every high profile trail race, and holds the records at many of them.

He has won the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc three times, Hardrock 100 four times, setting the course record in 2015 and winning with a dislocated shoulder in 2017.

Jornet has six 31km Sierre Zinal titles, setting the record on his latest win in 2019. He won the Western States in 2011. He also holds seven 42km Zegama-Aizkorri wins in Spain.

“For me it’s an unknown terrain,” Jornet said before his 24-hour record attempt. “If I tell you some predictions I will be lying because I really don’t have a clue. I’ve never ran a race on a track and the longest distance I’ve trained on flat is 90km.”

WHO announces new physical activity guidelines

According to new WHO guidelines, adults should be doing up to 300 minutes of exercise a week

On Tuesday the World Health Organization announced their physical activity guidelines, taking aim at the inactivity caused by the global pandemic. According to WHO, one in five adolescents and one in four adults aren’t getting enough physical activity, which is costing roughly $54 billion in direct health care. They’re recommending up to 300 minutes of activity a week in adults and 60 minutes a day for children and adolescents.

While this shouldn’t be a problem for an avid runner, some research suggests that even among historically active populations, activity levels have dropped since the pandemic began. One study reported that the group that saw the biggest downward swing in activity levels has been the under-40 crowd, with younger people formerly responsible for the most activity of anyone ahead of the pandemic, and the least as lockdown restrictions eased.

People aged 24-35 saw the biggest rise and fall between January 22 and June 17, with many users in this age bracket removing exercise from their schedule completely. This can likely be attributed to the high-stress situations that many young families were experiencing in their home life. With young children, jobs and limited access to child care, exercise fell to the wayside.

The WHO recommends between 150 and 300 minutes of activity for adults, which is actually a lot of running when it’s broken down. That would mean going on a 43-minute run every day to hit 300 minutes. However, walking, cycling and strength training all count as well. When considered from this angle, it’s an extremely attainable number.

How to get back into running

Thankfully, no matter what stage of the pandemic your country is in, chances are you can go for a run. If you found yourself taking an unscheduled break from the sport over the past few months, returning should be done gradually. Start with walk-runs and work your way up slowly. The rule of thumb is to add about 10 per cent to your mileage each week.

North Carolina runner reclaims basketball mile world record in 4:33.73

Dylan Sorensen beat the previous record by just .02 seconds

In May, University of North Carolina (UNC) track coach Dylan Sorensen broke the world record for the fastest mile while dribbling a basketball. He ran an impressive 4:37 to beat the record by 15 seconds. In the months following Sorensen’s run, his record was lowered twice, and heading into his attempt on November 18, the time to beat was 4:33.75. He managed to win the record back, but he cut it close, running a 4:33.73, just 0.02 seconds quicker than the previous mark. Sorensen used his run as a chance to raise money for the FORevHer Tar Heels program, a UNC nonprofit for female student athletes.

A popular challenge

Since former U.S. Olympian Nick Symmonds ran a world record time of 5:29 in August 2019, the basketball mile has become really popular. Not long after Symmonds’s run, a runner from California Polytechnic State University named Thomas Schauerman became the first person to break five minutes in the event, completing the mile in 4:52. Sorensen was the next to beat the record with his 4:37 in May.

A couple of months later, Sorensen’s mark was beaten by former OFSAA 3,000m champion Tennessee Tremain of Guelph, Ont., who ran 4:33.9. In September, the record was lowered once more when Yale University cross-country runner Thomas Cirrito posted a 4:33.75, just barely bettering Tremain’s time. Now, the record is back in Sorensen’s name, but at the rate this event is contested, it might not be his for long.

The women’s basketball mile has also been a popular challenge this year, and it has been lowered on several occasions, including once in July when Sydney Masciarelli ran 5:08.5. Masciarelli recently signed with UNC, so she will be coached by Sorensen, meaning the two will have plenty of chances to work together to run more basketball miles. The current women’s record sits at 4:58.56, and it belongs to BYU’s Whittni Orton.

Sorensen’s run

Sorensen ran at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and while still competing, he posted PBs of 3:47.28 for the 1,500m 4:06.27 for the mile. These are quick times, and Sorensen’s experience in the world of elite track has clearly served him well with his record attempts. His 4:33.73 basketball mile result works out to a blazing-fast pace of 2:50 per kilometre. As he said after the run, “the record is a very small part of this,” noting that his main focus was to raise money for FORevHer Tar Heels. He has yet to post how much money he fundraised, but his run garnered a lot of attention, so the final tally could be quite high.

Defending champion Gemechu eyes hat-trick of course records at Delhi Half Marathon

Two-time defending champion Ethiopia''s Tsehay Gemechu on Thursday said she is aiming to break the course record for the third time in the women''s race of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon here on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Gemechu made a huge impact on her ADHM debut in 2018, setting a women''s course record of 66:50. She then went on to better her own record by 50 seconds when she ran a stunning personal best of 66 minutes last year.

"This year again I''m going to try for the course record. After corona I have done a lot of training and I am in shape to go even faster than last year," Gemechu said at the pre-race press conference.

Her compatriot, men''s defending champion Andamlak Belihu, who will be aiming for an unprecedented third successive victory like Gemechu, also expressed his desire to break the course record.

The 22-year-old is coming off a fifth place finish in the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships and said he is in good shape despite the coronavirus pandemic stalling training earlier this year.

"I came fifth in the World Half Marathon Championships and after that I trained for a month to five weeks and my training improved. So, I''m expecting to go for the race record like last year. I''m in similar or maybe even better shape," Belihu said.

"Last year, I was just four seconds outside the course record (59:06 set by Ethiopia''s Guye Adola in 2014) and I think I can find the difference," the two-time champion added.

The 16th edition of the ADHM will see one of the best fields of international elite athletes with an unprecedented 13 men, having run under the world class bench mark of one hour, and seven women clocking sub-67 minutes results.

This year''s ADHM has two women''s world record holders in Kenya''s Brigid Kosgei (marathon record) and Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh (half marathon record) and an enticing battle between the two is on the cards.

"I am coming here looking to show what I can do after finishing fifth at the World Half," Yeshaneh said.

"I fell there (about three kilometres from the finish) and was very frustrated, finishing in tears, because I know I was in shape to win but you just have to pick yourself up and carry on. I have brought the shape I had in Poland to Delhi."

On the other hand, Kosgei stunned the world when she broke the long-standing women''s world marathon record by more than a minute at the 2019 Chicago Marathon, clocking 2:14:04, with Yeshaneh a distant second on that occasion although she still ran a superb personal best of 2:20:51.

However, Yeshaneh prevailed with a world record 64:31 at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in February this year with Kosgei (64:49) finishing second. More recently, Kosgei won the London Marathon on October 4 with a timing of 2:18:58.

"After London, I took 10 days off, but I have since had six weeks very good preparation for this race. I have a good record in half marathons, but I am not going to make predictions about this race as it is a very tough field," commented Kosgei.

Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon seeks to transition to 5,000m after Olympic Games

Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon is considering a new challenge after the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Speaking at her Global Sports Communication training camp in Kaptagat, Kipyegon said she will be upgrading to the 5,000m event  after a successful career in the three-lap race.

“My focus has now shifted and I want to compete in 5,000m after the Tokyo Olympic Games. This is my dream as I seek new challenges in my career,” said Kipyegon.

However, the reigning world 1,500m champion added she is not keen on doubling like her mentor, Vivian Cheruiyot — who dominated both the 5,000m and 10,000m races before heading for the roads.

“When I was young, I used to watch Vivian (Cheruiyot) running across the world and I admired her, hence started taking the sport seriously. Now that I have the opportunity to showcase my talent, I hope to make it to the top, like her, when I transit to the next level,” said Kipyegon, who was with former world 3,000m steeplechase champion Hyvin Kiyeng.

Kipyegon has had a stellar career over 1,500m, which, in addition to the Olympic and world titles, saw her win numerous Diamond League Series legs, 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as well as cross country.

Elsewhere, the Diamond League on Tuesday released its provisional calendar for the 2021 season, which will consist of 14 athletics meetings beginning in Rabat in May and ending in Zurich in September.

Two-time world marathon champion Abel Kirui seeks redemption in Valencia after skipping Amsterdam race due to pandemic

Two-time world marathon champion Abel Kirui is targeting a podium finish at the Valencia Marathon on December 6 to cure the pain of missing out on the Amsterdam Marathon that was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“We have been crying due to lack of races across the world and now a chance has come our way. I have to do my best to ensure I get to the podium,” Kirui said.

A late entry into the marathon start list, Kirui expects a tough race as all the other athletes have been training intensely with their eyes fixed on the prize. 

 "This will be the battle for the greats. All athletes heading to Valencia are ready and that shows the race will be tough. Expect fireworks at the finish line,” the 2012 London Olympics marathon silver medalist said. 

Kirui has had a chequered career in road races and will be relying on his pedigree to reap dividends despite the long period of sporting inactivity.  He won the world marathon title in 2009 in Berlin and defended the title in 2011 in Daegu. 

Kirui also crossed the finish line first and second at the  Chicago Marathon in 2016 and 2017.

Another marathoner hoping to reap from the virtue of patience is two-time Toronto marathon champion Philemon Rono who missed out on the Boston Marathon that was similarly cancelled due to the pandemic. 

Rono, who has been training at Kaptagat for the better part of the year, is confident his efforts will earn him a podium finish in the Spanish city. 

"This is my first race after Toronto Marathon in 2019 and it is one that came by chance. I have to secure good results because my fitness is in top gear,” Rono, who started out as a pacesetter, said.  

Popularly known the 'Small Police' in athletics circles, Rono won the Toronto marathon in 2017 before losing the title to Benson Kipruto in 2018. However, he reclaimed his title in 2019.