Running News Daily

Jaxon Hindman is training for his next marathon, he’s a survivor, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2014

“The doctor called my mom back and when she came out again like 15 minutes later, she was just bawling,” recounted Hindman. “I didn’t really understand at the time. Her exact words at the time were ‘there’s something in your head that doesn’t need to be there.’”  

He underwent 30 radiation treatments and four chemo treatments before becoming cancer-free 6 months later.

That same year, Team Jaxon 2 was created, where his family ran the St. Jude race in his honor. From that point on, Jaxon wanted to run too.

With a 5K and two half-marathons under his belt, Jaxon got the okay from his doctor to finally run a marathon last year.

A smile comes to his face, when he’s asked how it felt to cross that finish line.

“Watching that, I started to tear up,” Hindman said. “It’s just so inspiring. I had my whole family beside the finish line holding my banner.”

Now the high school senior is a proud eagle scout and shoots competitive air rifle.

In December, he’s gearing up for St jude, another 26.2 miles.

“That’s been one of the biggest things for me to realize how much of an impact I have on other people being a patient and going out and running a full marathon.”

The motivation comes from patients like himself.  

“I’m running this race for them,” commented Hindman. “So I can’t quit now. They can’t quit either.”

Jaxon’s team has raised over $10,000 for St. Jude Hospital. 

However, he’s not stopping there. Jaxon has plans to study anesthesiology and return to St. Jude to help other patients in the future.

Gladys Burrill, the oldest woman to have competed a marathon has died at age 100

Gladys Burrill, the world record holder for the oldest woman to compete a marathon and a beloved supporter of the Honolulu Marathon, has died. She was 100.

Burrill died Thursday of natural causes in her sleep at her family’s home in Prospect, Ore., said her son Mike Burrill by phone Saturday from Oregon. She was living in a condo in Waikiki until July, when she became ill with pneumonia. After her health improved enough to travel, Burrill went back to Prospect where her family helped care for her.

Jim Barahal, president and CEO of the Honolulu Marathon, said Burrill’s world record put the spotlight on her, but she was popular in the marathon community because of her personality, enthusiasm, relentless positivity and deep faith.

Barahal said every time he saw her she greeted him with a giant hug and smile.

“It would always snap you out of what was stressing you out,” he said. “It was just a reminder of how to carry yourself through life.”

When Burrill set her marathon record at the age of 92, hundreds sent messages to marathon organizers saying Burrill, who became known as the “Gladyator,” encouraged them to try it as well, he said.

Barahal said every time he saw her she greeted him with a giant hug and smile.

“It would always snap you out of what was stressing you out,” he said. “It was just a reminder of how to carry yourself through life.”

When Burrill set her marathon record at the age of 92, hundreds sent messages to marathon organizers saying Burrill, who became known as the “Gladyator,” encouraged them to try it as well, he said.

Mike said his mother found herself after her husband died in 2008, becoming an icon in the marathon community. Every day, she wore Honolulu Marathon shirts and only shoes of companies that sponsored the race.

Even though she no longer ran marathons recently because of the physical toll, she would attend marathon clinics on Sundays to encourage other trainees, he said.

She remained mentally sharp until her death.

“She was full of love,” he said. “Anybody that would give her a moment, she would give them a hug.”

Edna Kiplagat, one of the world's top marathon runners plans to compete in the 2019 Manchester Road Race

One of the world's greatest marathon runners will compete at the 83rd Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day. Race officials announced Monday that Edna Kiplagat, who won the 26.2-mile event at the World Championships in 2011 and 2013, will return to Manchester after a two-year absence.

She finished fourth at the 2016 MRR with a time of 24:34.

Kiplagat, who turns 40 on Nov., 15, grew up in Kenya and recently relocated to the Boulder, Colorado area. She won the 2017 Boston Marathon, the 2014 London Marathon, and the New York City and Los Angeles Marathons, both in 2010. Kiplagat recorded her best time for the event in 2012 when she placed second behind Mary Keitany at the London Marathon in 2:19:50.

The mother of five children and a former police physical fitness instructor in Kenya, Kipligat was the runner-up at the Boston Marathon last April, and finished fourth in the marathon at the 2019 World Championships, which were held last month in Doha, Qatar.

Kiplagat will join Olympic silver medalist Sally Kipyego in a highly competitive womens elite field at the annual 4.78-mile Thanksgiving Day run through Manchester's central streets.

The 83rd Manchester Road Race is scheduled will take place on Nov. 28 at 10 a.m.

Marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei is one of five finalists for the Female World Athlete 2019 award

Last month the Kenyan broke Briton Paula Radcliffe's 16-year-old world record, running a time of 2hrs 14mins 04secs to win the Chicago Marathon.

Kosgei, 25, also became the youngest winner of the London marathon in April.

American Dalilah Muhammad, Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas and the Netherlands' Sifan Hassan are also up for the award.

Sprinter Fraser-Pryce won the world 100m and 4x100m titles in world-leading times of 10.71 and 41.44 in Doha, while Hassan broke the world mile record with a time of 4:12:33 in Monaco.

Triple-jumper Rojas won nine of her 12 competitions, including gold at the World Championships with 15.37m, while Muhammad set a new world record of 52.16 in the 400m hurdles in Doha.

Britain's world heptathlon gold medallist Katarina Johnson-Thompson missed out on the shortlist, having featured among the initial 11 nominees.

The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced live on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2019 in Monaco on Saturday 23 November.

Kenya's former world half-marathon record holder Abraham Kiptum has been banned for four years over an anti-doping violation

The Athletics Integrity Unit,  which oversees integrity issues in international athletics, including doping, had provisionally suspended the 30-year-old on April 26 for an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) violation.

The passport uses blood tests to detect the likelihood of doping rather than testing for specific substances.

Kiptum's four-year ban commences from that date and all his results going back to Oct. 13, 2018 — including a half marathon world record (58 minutes and 18 seconds) that he had set in Valencia later that month — have been disqualified.

His time was five seconds better than the previous mark set by Eritrea's Zersenay Tadese in Lisbon in 2010.

Kiptum's compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor broke the world half-marathon record by 17 seconds in Copenhagen in September.

Kenya is known for its middle and long-distance running pedigree but has suffered damage to its reputation due to a number of doping violations in recent years.

Vicoty Chepngeno was the first across the finish line at the 16th annual Monterey Bay Half Marathon holding off the elite men who started nine minutes and five seconds behind her

Chepngeno, a Kenyan living and training in Grand Prairie, TX, covered the 13.1-mile course in 1:08:03, smashing the women’s course record by over a minute and half. As the race began Sunday morning, the 25-year-old made a clear break from her competitors and maintained a healthy lead throughout the race, clicking off 5:10 miles. Futsum Zienasellassie, 26, of Flagstaff, AZ took the top spot for the men in 1:02:33, logging the second-fastest men’s finish in the race’s history.

Still, he and the other male competitors were unable to catch Chepngeno as she neared the finish line. As the first runner across the line, Chepngeno collected an additional $3,000 on top of the $4,000 award for being the first female.

“I’m so happy to be here, and I love the people of Monterey,” said Chepngeno. When asked if she’d return next year to defend her title, Chepngeno replied, “Absolutely, I can’t wait to be back out on the beautiful course next year.”

Panuel Mkungo of Coon Rapids, MN took second for the men in 1:02:37, and Patrick Smyth of Sante Fe, NM took third in 1:02:39. Second female was Australian Milly Clark in 1:11:49, followed by 2017 women’s champion Monicah Ngige in 1:11:59.

The top eight runners in the men’s and women’s divisions competed for a total purse of $25,000 plus another $5,000 in total bonus money for the first three runners of either gender to finish.

Runners were met with ideal conditions with overcast skies and temperatures from the low-50s to 60s during the race. Roughly 6,700 participants set out along the 13.1-mile scenic course that includes historic downtown Monterey, Cannery Row, and the Pacific Grove shoreline and Asilomar State Beach to finish back in downtown Monterey near Fisherman’s Wharf.

“It was a spectacular day with many runners setting personal bests,” said Doug Thurston, Race Director. “We were so glad to welcome back thousands of runners from our canceled race last year and many new runners to our race along the beautiful Monterey Bay.”

The 2018 Monterey Bay Half Marathon was canceled the day before when shifting winds brought smoky and unhealthy air into the area from the Camp Fire.

The Big Sur Marathon Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create beautiful running events that promote health and benefit the community. Under the brand are three individual race weekends: Big Sur International Marathon in April, Run in the Name of Love 5K and 2K in June, and the Monterey Bay Half Marathon, 5K and 3K in November.

49-Year-Old Ultrarunner Dave Mackey Won't Back Down

Dave Mackey was the first person to run the Leadville Trail 100 Run with a prosthetic leg

 The 49-year-old physician assistant spent those two decades putting together a stellar ultrarunning career, earning national championships in 50K, 50-mile, and 100K distances. He set the record for the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim run in 2007 and was named Ultrarunner of the Year twice by USA Track and Field. His only injury during that time was a rolled ankle in 2007 that made him rest for a few weeks.

“I’ve always been lucky with injuries,” Mackey says from his home in Boulder, Colorado. “Well, except for falling off a mountain.”

In 2015, Mackey was running 8,459-foot Bear Peak in the Rocky Mountains’ Front Range when he decided to scramble down a series of boulders off the backside of the summit. An experienced rock climber, he had taken the route plenty of times before. But during his descent, a boulder jostled loose, and he fell 50 feet, breaking his left tibia in eight places. For a year after the accident, Mackey and his surgeons were hopeful he would keep the leg. But after suffering constant pain from scar tissue and low-grade infections, it became obvious that it would never fully heal. Mackey says the decision to amputate was an easy one.

“It was about quality of life,” he says. In addition to being a dedicated ultrarunner, Mackey is also an accomplished adventure racer, skier, and mountain biker. “Keeping my leg would’ve held me back for years, if not my whole life,” he says.

“But I knew after the amputation I would run again. People do amazing things with one leg, or no legs for that matter.”

After the surgery, Mackey spent almost a year adjusting, learning how to walk and run again while also undergoing multiple fittings for his prosthetic leg due to shrinking muscles in the residual limb. But he wasn’t down for long. Less than two years after his surgery, Mackey completed the Leadman Series, a succession of six races over the course of a summer that includes the legendary Leadville Trail 100 Run and Leadville Trail 100 MTB.

“The vast majority of people who lose a leg never work again,” Mackey says. “They never establish the same mobility as they had before. I’m really fortunate, and I was motivated.”

Finishing the Leadman Series was just the beginning for Mackey, who has largely resumed his old routine since losing his leg. He runs every day with a blade prosthetic—there’s an 11-mile route he likes to knock out in the morning before sending his kids off to school—he mountain-bikes regularly, and he skis with his family during the winter. Although Mackey figures he’s half as fast on rocky trails now, it’s all relative. Last year he finished 12th in the Leadman Series, just over seven hours behind the series winner’s accumulated time for all six races. This year he ran the Leadville Trail 100 in 25 hours, 54 minutes, roughly six hours slower than his 2014 time.

Still, he placed 98th overall out of 841 runners and was the first runner to ever finish the race with a prosthetic leg. “The more technical the terrain, the slower I have to go,” Mackey says. “Rocks that are smaller than a fist are easy to work through, but with the baby-head-size rocks, the blade can roll more easily. I have to watch my steps more.”

Mackey also says he’s enjoying the training process more than he ever did before. “I just want to get out there and make the most of it,” he says.

“I’m more appreciative now of every individual run or ride. Or skiing with my kids. It feels so good. With the accident I had, I could’ve died.”

Recovery has been a fact of life since Mackey’s accident. He’s had more than 13 surgeries during the last four years. When I talk to him, he’s fresh off a three-hour mountain-bike ride, slowly working his way back into “normal” life after having two screws removed from his leg two weeks earlier. “It can be hard,” Mackey says. “Taking time off in your forties is different than taking time off in your twenties. You don’t necessarily bounce back like you used to. But this whole process has taught me patience. You have to stay patient so you don’t get hurt again. But if you’re motivated, you can come back.”

Although Mackey is still getting after it postaccident, his motivation to keep moving has changed slightly. At one time, pre-accident, it was pushing himself to the brink of collapse in order to win races and crush records. 

“You feel like a train wreck one moment, then an hour or two later you feel great, because your body cycles through it,” he says. But while he continues to love the physical challenge of ultras, it’s not the podium that motivates him these days. It’s the process itself.

“Being in the outdoors is what keeps me going,” Mackey says. “The longer the trail run, the more I get out of it. It takes energy to make it happen, but the net return of those runs gives me more energy for everything else. It gives me a better attitude, a better perspective. Being outside, moving, it’s like therapy.”

Shalane Flanagan Was Not Surprised by Alberto Salazar’s Ban

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will you run with the women you are coaching?

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

Did you ever have a coach like that?

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

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

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

New York and Boston Marathon winner says everyone should run at least one marathon

When Meb Keflezighi ran his first competitive race in the seventh grade, his motivation was simple: to get a t-shirt for his school’s running club that his older brothers also wore.

Yet after running a mile in 5 minutes, 20 seconds, he discovered he had a unique talent. His teacher at the time told him, “You’re going to go to the Olympics.” And word in school quickly spread.

“I didn’t speak English at the time, but my picture by the gym made history,” said Keflezighi, who immigrated to the U.S. from Eritrea.

“They said, ‘Hey, here’s the fastest kid,’ and people started giving me high-fives,” he added. “And that was how my running started.”

Today, Keflezighi, 44, is the only runner to have won an Olympic medal, the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon. 

Before winning the New York City Marathon, Keflezighi faced a number of setbacks that led him to question whether he would ever be able to run again. That included a stress fracture in his hip that left him crawling on his hands and knees just to get around.

“I couldn’t stand up to bear weight, and I remember looking over the window of the city, because I couldn’t stand up,” Keflezighi said.

Around that time, his friend and fellow professional runner Ryan Shay died of a heart attack.

“You can’t compare when the guy you were sitting next to on the bus to the starting line passed away,” Keflezighi said. “That kind of puts life in perspective.”

Keflezighi, who was already an Olympic silver medalist, considered retiring. But something internally told him he was not done.

“What it taught me was to celebrate every personal best,” Keflezighi said. “Just to be able to run, you’re grateful when it’s not taken away from you.”

He set his sights on winning the New York City Marathon. In 2009, with a time of 2:09:15, he became the first American to win the race since 1982.

The challenges did not end there. In 2011, Nike declined to renew his contract. Though Keflezighi still had other sponsors, he relied on the shoe brand for the bulk of his financial support.

He went without a shoe contract until August of that year, when Skechers stepped up.

“They took a risk,” Keflezighi said. “They gave me a one-year contract.

“I said, I need more than that, but let’s see how it goes,” he added. “And it went really well.”

In 2012, Keflezighi made the U.S. Olympic team and placed fourth in the summer Olympics marathon. “Finishing fourth, that kind of sparked a little light in me to say, ’Hey, I can still win,” he said.

In 2014, he did win, coming in first in the Boston Marathon, with a time of 2:08:37. At the time, he was the first American man to come in first since 1983. The race was one year after the notorious bombing. To pay tribute to victims of that terror attack, Keflezighi wrote their names with marker in small letters on his bib.

“As a lead athlete, they tell you not to tamper with your bib, but I took a risk,” Keflezighi said. “I just wrote it with a Sharpie to give them respect and to draw inspiration from them.”

In 2017, Keflezighi retired at the New York City Marathon after running 26 marathons.

Today, he works to inspire other runners through the Meb Foundation, which works to help promote children’s health, education and fitness.

Last week, he was inducted into the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame, 10 years after his New York City Marathon win. And the lessons he has learned along the way inform his advice for other runners.

When Nike pulled their contract, Keflezighi still had the support of other sponsors. However, the loss of that income prompted the athlete and his wife to scale back financially.

They rented their home in San Diego and moved to Mammoth Lakes, California, to cut down on commuting costs. And for a long time, they had one car for the family.

“It’s not how much you make, it’s what you do with that money,” Keflezighi said. “You have to be a saver, and that’s what we try to do.”

Participating in races is a great way to increase your motivation. But nothing compares to running a full marathon, according to Keflezighi.

“I tell people you should do one marathon in your lifetime,” Keflezighi said. “After that, it’s optional.”

That’s because running that 26.2-mile distance can teach you things that running a half marathon or 10K or 5K race can’t, he said.

“If you can overcome those challenges to get ready for a marathon and get to that finish line, it changes your life,” Keflezighi said. “You are going to find something you never thought you were capable of doing.”

It’s important to stay focused on your goals, even when you are faced with setbacks.

“You go through ups and downs in life, and you go through ups and downs in training,” Keflezighi said.

With the sport often come injuries. The beauty of running, Keflezighi said, is you can scale down your efforts or cross train with another activity, such as swimming or biking.

“If you’re hurting, get healthy, refocus and set a new goal,” Keflezighi said.

The same goes for long-term achievements that you look to accomplish in life, he said. For those goals, it’s important to remember that one setback does not have to interfere with your progress over months or even years.

“Don’t give up on your dreams,” Keflezighi said.

Sapporo switch could come back to haunt IOC

The clash between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) over the marathon and race walk move to Sapporo played out last week as if it were scripted.

IOC Coordination Commission chair John Coates came cast as peacemaker. The Australian showered the TMG and Tokyo 2020 with praise for their preparations, while lauding the achievements of the Japanese team and organisers at the Rugby World Cup.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike performed impressively in her role, defending locals against foreign influence and insisting she would not pay for the mess created by the IOC. A victory on both counts.

The decision to move the events to Sapporo was never going to change. Even if the TMG had the option to keep the races, it would have been a risk to overrule the IOC’s warnings about heat on the off chance a major incident occurred involving an athlete.

The decision is a sad one, with Tokyo missing out on the opportunity to showcase the city’s landmarks to a worldwide audience and offer the residents of the capital city the chance to watch one of Japan’s favoured events for free.

Maybe, the IOC decision is the right one. Even if we set aside previous Olympic marathon and race walks being held under similar conditions, and the fact the IOC did not rush to protect the health of athletes when a year before Rio 2016 sailors and rowers were falling ill amid the pollution of Guanabara Bay.

If we take the view of Canadian race walker Evan Dunfee - one I share - that the IOC took the decision to protect their brand and avoid negative press, it could still be a fair reason to move the events.

Would it be a good thing for the sport of athletics to see athletes wheeled away from a course requiring medical attention, as they were at the World Championships in Doha, even if they are ultimately okay? Sure, athletes will push beyond their limits anyway, but it seems reasonable to try to mitigate risks.

It was suggested here that the looped course in Doha made it easier for athletes to receive medical support. Where the city circuit touring the sights of Tokyo would see resources more spread out.

The five Ps of "proper preparation preventing poor performance" apply here, with athletes having the responsibility to tailor their training to the conditions. But, equally, organisers could not respond by saying an athlete should have prepared better if something went awry.

A key question is whether the IOC should be the ones making this call, rather than an International Federation or medical experts.

There is little doubt, though, that the IOC has handled this badly.

Managing to annoy athletes, politicians and residents of a city at the same time is impressive - even for the IOC.

This is problematic for the IOC in both the short and long-term.

The most pressing issue is that there is no course in Sapporo yet for either the marathon and race walks, while financing remains unclear.

Athletes and National Olympic Committees will be required to adapt plans, which is likely to see additional support staff required to be brought to Sapporo, with the associated costs involved.

Currently, there is no concrete plan as to who picks up the cost of the move, other than knowing that the Tokyo Government will not be doing so. I wonder whether Sapporo’s hopes of the hosting the Winter Olympics in 2030 could enjoy a boost should they bail the IOC out of a hole here.

The IOC has agreed to examine and verify the money already spent by the TMG on heat countermeasures, such as special paving. Although the IOC has promised it will not walk away from obligations, there appeared to be a suggestion the Paralympic and proposed "Olympic Celebration Marathon" could be used to say Tokyo has received a legacy for their investment.

The TMG’s anger at the lack of consultation may just be a short-term issue. A sympathetic view is that the IOC realised the only way to force the switch to Sapporo was the take extreme action and give Tokyo no choice but to conform, given they knew organisers would fight tooth and nail otherwise.

The IOC may have decided it is better to take the heat now than at Games time - excuse the pun. The decision could yet leave them marinating in their own words for some time to come, given what it exposes about the IOC’s relationship with host cities.

If we rewind little over a year, the IOC dispatched Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi to Calgary to convince locals to support their 2026 Winter bid. The visit came at a time when the Winter Olympic bid race appeared to be threatening to collapse completely, with anti-Olympics campaigners driving the message that the IOC cannot be trusted.

I wrote at the time that Dubi had delivered a strong display for the IOC, where he fronted up on previous mistakes and insisted changes had been made. The message was clear: the IOC will act as a partner with host cities and work the Games concept around them.

"What has changed in the IOC from 2014 is our approach to the way we do the bidding, organise the Games and manage legacies," he said. "It is all about partnership, it is all about flexibility and finding the right solution for the hosts.

"The Games cannot impose to a city anymore; the Games adapt to a city.

"It means over the last two years, we had to look at our Host City Contract, every single article to make sure that flexibility is reflected in every single article. Every requirement has to live to local creativity to play.

"We do not have the final solution, we have local solutions."

It is hard to reconcile these words with this latest decision taken by the IOC.

Is taking a unilateral decision without consulting the host city really acting in partnership with them? Is taking free events from a host against their will not the IOC imposing its will on city? Is moving an event 800 kilometres from the host city really a local solution?

When asked about whether the decision was the IOC dictating to a host city, Coates suggested the Sapporo switch did not clash with their rhetoric.

"We have a Host City Contract and the Olympic Charter leaves a clear authority for the IOC to take decisions like this where it is necessary," he said. "I do not think that is at odds with the Agenda 2020 reforms in terms of flexibility.

"If you suddenly become aware of something, you have got to have the right to respond to that, as has happened here where we have had to act very quickly because of the experience of Doha."

While Coates and the IOC might believe that, the past couple of weeks will serve as evidence for critics that the leopard has not changed its spots.

The IOC claim they are a joint party with a host city, but their actions suggest that these are our Games, not yours.

After all, an Organising Committee repeatedly hailed as being the best prepared in Olympic history has been rewarded by being left scrambling for the past two weeks, unable to provide answers to a scenario they did not create.

Anti-Olympics campaigners will point to one of Japan’s most powerful politicians being overruled about a decision in her own city. Koike’s own quotes will be used as warnings for future hosts.

"We are receiving angry opinions about what being a host city really implies," she said earlier this week. "We consider it an unprecedented turn of events for the IOC to take such a proposal with no consultation or discussion with the host city beforehand."

The IOC may be right to move the marathon and race walk events.

However, I wonder whether their handling of the switch will have a wider impact than the decision itself.

KURGAT AND BAYARTSOGT VICTORIOUS AT NANJING MARATHON

Kenya’s Joseph Moses Kiptoo Kurgat and Munkhzaya Bayartsogt of Mongolia took the top honours at the fifth edition of Nanjing Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label road race, on Sunday (10).

The 28-year-old Kurgat emerged victorious from a two-man duel in the last 10 kilometres to set a personal best of 2:13:04, stretching Kenya’s win streak in the men’s race to three years.

It is the first win of the year taken for the China-based Kurgat, who collected three marathon titles last year in the Chinese cities of Heyuan, Youyu, and Wuyuan respectively.

Fellow Kenyan David Kipkoech finished second once again, following his runner-up finish in Liupanshui four months ago. His 2:13:53 clocking is nearly two minutes faster than his previous PB of 2:15:47 achieved last year in Nairobi.

Alphonce Kibiwott took third in 2:15:30. The 26-year-old was also from Kenya with a clocking of 2:09:49 set at Rennes Marathon in 2016.

In the women’s race, Bayartsogt was even more dominant.

The 26-year-old grabbed the lead soon after the start and never encountered a serious threat throughout the race.

Although the Mongolian’s pace slowed in the final stages, the past winner at the Taipei, Gunsan and Ulaanbaatar marathons reached the finish in 2:35:40 for a 32-second victory.

Roman Mengistu of Ethiopia, winner of 2017 Agadir Marathon in 2:28:20, clocked 2:36:12 to finish second, while her countrywoman Tesfaw Etalem clocked 2:47:46 to settle for the third place, the first podium finish for the 24-year-old.

DEBUTANTE ZERAY TAKES SURPRISE VICTORY IN HEFEI

Debutante Ftaw Zeray of Ethiopia took a surprise win in the women’s race at the Hefei International Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on Sunday (10).

The 22-year-old Zeray, who set a half marathon career best of 1:10:31 in Marugame, Japan last February, broke clear after 35km and surprised a field that included eight sub-2:30 runners to cross the line in 2:29:15.

It was her second victory in China after her win at the Anhui Dangshan Half Marathon in 2016.

Running under sunny skies with temperature ranging from 15 to 20 degrees, Zeray was in the lead group of six that covered the first 10 kilometres in 34:59. The leaders were trimmed to five after 15km and later cut to just three runners after 30km.

Zeray and her compatriot Gebeyanesh Ayele along with Kenya’s Agnes Kiprop, a 39-year-old veteran who boasted the fastest personal best in the field with a 2:23:54 clocking from 2011, stayed together for another two kilometres when the seasoned Kenyan could no longer keep with the pace of the younger legs.

Zeray and the 24-year-old Ayele, a 2:26:54 performer, then ran side-by-side until Zeray pulled clear after 35km and never looked back.

Ayele clocked 2:31:08 to finish second, her third podium finish to date, while Kiprop settled for third in 2:32:08.

In the men’s race, Ethiopian Yihunilign Adane celebrated his first marathon title since debuting over the classic distance in 2016, as the 23-year-old scored a 2:10:06 victory in the capital city of China’s Anhui Province.

The rising Ethiopian, who set a PB of 2:09:11 from a third finish in Beppu nine months ago, gained a hard-fought sole lead after 38km en route to a 52-second victory.

Mohamed Reda El Aaraby of Morocco, who will turn 30 on Tuesday, finished second in 2:10:58. Kenya’s Julius Tuwei, the fastest entrant with a 2:08:06 PB, trailed two seconds further behind to finish third.

The race saw a crowded leading group soon after the gun, before Chinese runner Liu Hongliang took the lead after 5km. The 2:15:22 performer was 13 seconds ahead at 10km in 30:25 but was gradually reeled in by the chasers and finally swallowed up by the pack near the 15km mark.

Ethiopia’s Abdela Godana then tried to push ahead in the next few kilometres, cutting the lead group to just four runners by 21km.

Tuwei seemed to lose his energy and began to drift back at 30km (1:32:19). But the Kenyan managed to fight back and caught the leaders before 35km, while the charges earlier seemed to cost too much from Godana as the 27-year-old faded away and out of the hunt.

After a series of unsuccessful mini-breaks from the leading trio, Adane finally pulled clear after 38km and went on to wrap-up the victory comfortably.

El Aaraby, the 10,000m gold medalist at the World Military Games in Wuhan two weeks ago, surpassed Tuwei in the home stretch to finish second.

Keter breaks the world 5k road record in Lille

Kenya’s Robert Keter upstaged a quality field to win the Urban Trail Lille 5km on Saturday (9), taking seven seconds off the world record* with his winning time of 13:22.

While organisers had hoped that Lille’s flat course would lend itself to a world record, many expected the likes of world U20 5000m silver medallist Stanley Waithaka, world U20 cross-country champion Milkesa Mengesha and world indoor 3000m finalist Davis Kiplangat to challenge the mark of 13:29.

No one, however, expected the unheralded Keter to sprint away from the field in the closing stages to triumph in a world record time.

Within the first five minutes a lead pack of 10 men, two of whom were pacemakers, had broken away. The group began to stretch out as they approached the half-way point after running the perimeter of Parc Jean-Baptiste Lebas.

Keter made his way to the front before the second pacemaker dropped out, but Waithaka, Kiplangat and 2014 Youth Olympic champion Gilbert Kwemoi were all close behind. Those four men began to pull away from the other athletes in the lead pack with less than a mile left to run.

There was a relatively tight turn at 4km as they looped back on to the Boulevard de la Liberte, but Keter got there first and started to up the pace for the final kilometre. He continued to pull away from his three compatriots and they were unable to match Keter’s finishing pace.

Keter turned into the Place de la Republique with a clear lead and crossed the finish line in 13:22. Kwemoi, Waithaka and Kiplangat followed a few seconds later, finishing in that order, all with an official time of 13:28 – one second inside the existing world record.

“I’m very, very happy,” said Keter. “The race was great, it was my first 5km road race.”

Mercy Jerop, just 17 years of age, made it a Kenyan double, winning the women’s race in 16:21. France’s Fanny Pruvost, 23 years Jerop’s senior, was a distant second in 16:47.

The 5km road distance was introduced as an official world record event in November 2017, with the inaugural record to be recognised after 1 January 2018 if the performances were equal to or better than 13:10 for men and 14:45 for women.

If no such performances were achieved in 2018, the best performances of 2018 (13:30 by Bernard Kibet and 14:48 by Caroline Kipkurui) would be recognised on 1 January 2019. Seven weeks into 2019, Julien Wanders and Sifan Hassan bettered those marks in Monaco by clocking 13:29 and 14:44, times that have since been ratified as world records. Two months later, Edward Cheserek equalled Wanders’ mark at the Carlsbad 5000.

Many athletes, however, have gone quicker than 13:22 before the 5km became an official world record event. The fastest time ever recorded for the distance remains Sammy Kipketer’s 13:00 clocking in Carlsbad in 2000.

Veteran Kenyan Komen wins Athens Marathon

Kenyan John Kipkorir Komen was the big winner of the 37th Athens Authentic Marathon on Sunday.

Komen, 42, crossed the finish line at the Panathenaic Stadium in the center of Athens in 2:16:34.

He did not manage to break the race's record at the 42km original course from Marathon city to Athens on a rainy day, but was cheered by thousands of spectators at the stadium which hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896, as well as along the route.

Kenya's Felix Kipchirchir Kandie holds the best time in the Authentic course since 2014, when he clocked 2:10:37.

Rwandan Felicien Muhitira, 25, ranked second, clocking 2:16:43, and Greek Konstantinos Gkelaouzos was third in 2:19:02.

A record 60,000 people from more than 120 countries and regions took part in the 42km course as well as the shorter 10km, 5km races and other parallel events, the organizing committee of the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) said.

Among them were infants in strollers, entire families and white-haired amateur runners. The message of the Athens Marathon is that all participants are winners.

The race originates from the feat of Pheidippides who ran from the Marathon battlefield to Athens in 490 BC to announce Greeks' victory over the Persian forces and died from exhaustion.

This year all runners in the Marathon and shorter distances were presented with a new medal depicting the Marathon battle. The medal was designed by one of the greatest contemporary Greek artists, Alekos Fasianos. Enditem

There is prize money of $388,000 to be won at the second Adnoc Abu Dhabi Marathon to be held on December 6

The inaugural edition had 30 elite athletes in the fray and saw more than 10,300 people register for the event representing 121 nationalities.

There are prize money worth $388,000 to be won at the second Adnoc Abu Dhabi Marathon to be held on December 6 following the UAE's 48th National Day celebrations.

The winners for elite men's and women's race will each take home $100,000. The overall prize money is one of the world's biggest and set to attract best runners to Abu Dhabi, officials said.

Abu Dhabi Sports Council is organising the Capital's biggest community sports event. The inaugural edition had 30 elite athletes in the fray and saw more than 10,300 people register for the event representing 121 nationalities.

"Registrations for the event have started," Aref Hamad Al Awani, general secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said. "The number of participants is expected to rise this year. We hope to attract 15,000 runners. This shows the success of the inaugural event. The marathon has grown into a world-class event."

Even as the registration fees remain same as last year, there's a 30-per cent discount for those who sign up before May 31. There is also special package on offer for corporate entries.

Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, executive office director of ADNOC, revealed an all-new venue for the event village. ADNOC's campus next to its headquarters will host various fun activities.

"Our energy is the key to the UAE's prosperity. Wherever there is energy, you will find us, and that is why we are so proud to be the title sponsor. With this commitment in mind, many of you will have noticed that, during the past 12 months, the ADNOC corporate campus has been undergoing extensive renovations to create a best-in-class working environment for our employees, and an unrivalled guest experience for our visitors. From this year on, the ADNOC marathon fan village or ADNOC Energy Zone will be hosted within the grounds of our new campus, providing an enhanced experience for our athletes, their families, and the entire UAE community," Al Suwaidi said.

Apart from marathon elite race, there is family-friendly 2.5-km fun race, 5-km for starters and 10km for those looking to challenge themselves. 

World Champions Lelisa Desisa and Ruth Chepngetich named Marathon Runners of the Year by the AIMS

This year’s World Marathon Champions Lelisa Desisa and Ruth Chepngetich are the Marathon Runners of the Year. The runners from Ethiopia and Kenya respectively were honored at the AIMS Best Marathon Runner (BMR) Gala in Athens tonight. The Gala, which was shown live on Greek TV, was staged by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) and the Hellenic Athletics Federation, SEGAS. On Sunday the 37th edition of the "The Athens Marathon. The Authentic" will take place on the original course with a record field of 20,000 runners.

Three further distinctions were awarded by AIMS on Friday evening in Athens: the French journalist Alain Lunzenfichter, for a long time a reporter with the sports newspaper L’Équipe, received the AIMS Lifetime Achievement Award. The AIMS Green Award went to the Xiamen Marathon in China and the Harmony Geneva Marathon for UNICEF received the AIMS Social Award.

Two outstanding personalities in the sport of marathon running were also honored at the Gala on Friday evening: Britain’s Ron Hill and Stefano Baldini of Italy. Hill won the 1969 European title on the Athens course and Baldini took the Olympic title here in 2004. 15 years after his Olympic triumph, the Italian will be running the Athens Marathon once again. “I hope I can enjoy the race since Athens is a very special place for me,” said Stefano Baldini.

“We are honored to have the best marathon runners in the world here in Athens, where the marathon as well as the Olympic Games of the modern era began, and honor them at the Gala,” explained the president of the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) Kostas Panagopoulos. The AIMS president, Paco Borao from Spain, spoke in referring to both winners: “No-one will be in any doubt that these two World champions, who won in extreme weather conditions in Doha, deserve to be the Best Marathon Runners.”

Lelisa Desisa is the first Ethiopian to have received this award which was first made in 2013. The most recent recipient was Kenya’s Olympic champion and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge who was awarded the prize for the last four years in succession. During the relevant period for the AIMS Best Marathon Runner, Lelisa Desisa won the New York Marathon in November 2018, running an impressive 2:05:59 on the difficult course. After a second place in Boston in April the 29-year-old Ethiopian won the World Championships marathon gold in Doha, Qatar a month ago. “The Olympic marathon in 2020 is my dream,” said Lelisa Desisa. “I want to follow in the footsteps of Abebe Bikila and win the gold. I hope I can inspire a new generation of young athletes by my success.”

Ruth Chepngetich established herself among the world’s best marathon runners with two outstanding victories: First she took the Istanbul Marathon in November 2018 with 2:18:35 then became the third fastest woman ever at that time when she won in Dubai in January with 2:17:08. At the end of September the 25 year-old took the World Championship title in Doha in extreme weather conditions. “It is a great honor to receive this award in Athens, where the marathon was born. This is a lifetime event in my career,” said Ruth Chepngetich. Asked about the world record, which was recently lowered to 2:14:04 by fellow-Kenyan Brigid Kosgei the BMR winner said: "I believe it is possible for me too to break the world record if I train accordingly.”

Among the distinguished international guests from Sport, Politics and Culture at the Gala on Friday evening in Athens was Greece’s Minister for Development and Investment, Adonis Georgiadis. “I ran the marathon myself last year and have to say, it was a once in a lifetime experience. I recommend everyone to run this race. The Athens Marathon stands for fun, happiness and energy,” added the Minister.

Alberto Salazar Responds To Mary Cain's Allegations Of Abuse

In response to Mary Cain's accusations of physical and emotional abuse against her former coach, Alberto Salazar has provided a statement to The Oregonian's Ken Goe refuting Cain's claims.

“Mary’s father is a medical doctor, and both of her parents were deeply involved in her training, competition and health throughout the period she was coached by me. For example, Mary’s father consulted on medications and supplements Mary used during her time at the NOP. Neither of her parents, nor Mary, raised any of the issues that she now suggests occurred while I was coaching her. To be clear, I never encouraged her, or worse yet, shamed her, to maintain an unhealthy weight.”

Salazar writes: “Mary at times struggled to find and maintain her ideal performance and training weight."

Salazar told Goe that the Nike Oregon Project did employ a nutritionist and sports psychologist, contrary to what Cain has asserted.

Salazar also shared a text message that Cain sent him in April of this year.

“Thanks again so much for a great trip -- I’m excited to be working together again and I really want this. Haha got back to a chilly morning in NY and even skipped class just to prioritize training and recovery since that’s my No. 1.”

In a tweet thread this morning, Cain discussed her decision to reach out to Salazar then.Nike released their own statement on the matter, calling Cain's allegations "deeply troubling," while also pointing out that Cain had shown interest in rejoining NOP in April. The brand said they will launch an immediate investigation

Kenyan Daniel Muteti will be back in action in Greece as he seeks his first win in 2019 at the Athens Marathon on Sunday

Muteti who clocked 2:09:25 in Cape Town is eyeing fast time in the old Greek city but will have to contend with compatriot Rhonzas Kilimo in the quest to break the Athens course record of 2:10:37 set by Felix Kandie back in 2014.

A record 20,000 runners will line up on a course that is almost identical to the one used for the 1896 Olympic marathon.

"The fact that I am running here in Athens where the marathon began is special motivation for me," said Daniel Muteti on Friday.

"I have enough motivation to go for a fast time and I believe the weather will be good for me so that I may attain my goal. I know it is a short time to run two marathons in the span of two months, but I believe I have the strength to withstand the pressure," Muteti said.

Kilimo will be making debut at the distance after a running a half marathon in a personal best time of 60:49 minutes last year.

"I always wanted to run the full distance and have been delaying it. But I believe Athens will be the perfect stage for me to make another mark in my career and win a first marathon," said Kilimo.

Also in the field are John Komen, now 42 and who ran his best of 2:07:13 in 2011, Dominic Kangor (2:09:36), Chalu Gelmisa (2:12:38) and Felicien Muhitira (2:10:58).

Organizers admit they have concentrated more on the men's field this year than the women's, so Eleftheria Petroulak (2:44:01) and Sonia Tsekini (2:45:02) are the favorites. There will be no women representation from Kenya.

Women are not only finishing ultra marathon races they are winning some of them

According to conventional wisdom and most of the sport’s history, women should not win ultraendurance events — ever — when competing against men. But they are.

Three big wins in the past few months have put women’s performance in the longest and most difficult sporting events on the planet firmly in the spotlight. In September, American athlete Sarah Thomas, a cancer survivor, became the first person to swim the English Channel four times without stopping, spending 54 hours in the water and covering 134 miles. In August, German cyclist Fiona Kolbinger won the 2,500-mile nonstop Transcontinental Race across Europe and in January, British runner Jasmin Paris won one of the toughest running races there is, the Spine, a 268-mile jaunt across Britain’s backbone in winter, while breastfeeding her baby.

The proportion of women in ultramarathons was very low at the beginning of the ultrarunning movement. Records began for U.S. 100-mile ultramarathons in the late 1970s, and the proportion of women was basically zero. Now it’s steady at 20 percent. And not only are women running, but they’re winning. 

That’s a record for women in the sport. Still, some prominent ultra gatekeepers don’t think women’s participation will equal success across the board.

Women are winning increasingly frequently. Badwater, the Spine, the Moab 240 — the list of big ultramarathons women have crushed goes on, and it’s not just a matter of winning against a weaker male field than usual. When Paris won the Spine in January, running 268 miles from England to Scotland, she smashed the course record by over 12 hours.

Physically, men hold most of the cards: better V02 Max, which measures the rate at which your body can take in and use oxygen, larger hearts, larger muscle mass, better body mass index ratios and stronger and (usually) longer bones. But women do have some advantages: They’re more efficient than men at converting glycogen to energy. Glycogen is the secondary source of fuel used when glucose levels drop, so basically women can access and burn fat better. They also store fat better, itself an advantage because it means they can draw on those stores during punishing longer races.

Psychologically, too, men don’t have an obvious edge over women. Let’s start with pain: If you’re running long distances, you’re likely to experience pain. Despite a popular myth that women have a higher pain threshold than men, studies show that in fact women feel pain more quickly. This works to their advantage in ultras, as a quick response to pain means that they can locate and treat small problems like the onset of blisters early in the race. Also, when women feel pain, brain studies have shown that they mobilize emotion-processing parts of the brain to deal with it and so can train themselves to overcome it, whereas male brains more often use threat-control circuits, giving them increased adrenaline and awareness — but tiring them out faster.

“Science doesn’t really back up anecdotal theories about childbirth making women stronger endurance runners,” says psychologist and keen marathoner Sian Williams, but she adds that there is evidence that women can be better at pacing themselves. A 2015 analysis of more than 90,000 marathon results for 14 races suggested both sexes slowed by the second half, but men more so than women. The study, published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, suggested that men’s early burst of speed is linked to competitive behavior but causes issues in the latter part of the race. “Perhaps the psychology of ego and risk plays as much a part as physiology in lasting the distance,” Williams concludes.

That psychology of risk emerges also in the way the sexes handle sleep deprivation. Men have the physical advantage: They need less sleep than women by an average of 20 minutes. But men and women have diametrically opposed reactions to lack of sleep: Men’s behavior becomes riskier, and women’s more risk-averse — also an advantage in an ultramarathon, which requires alertness, night navigation and injury management. In what could be the clincher, women have been found to become more selfish and ego-driven with lack of sleep, mimicking typical male behaviors and increasing competitive will, which could give them a final push toward the end of an ultra.

Elisabet Barnes is a two-time women’s champion of the Marathon des Sables, a 251-mile race across the Sahara Desert. She’s also won ultras outright, including Australia’s Big Red Run. For her, the key is less about biology and more about attitude — such runs require “leaving the ego behind, planning all aspects of the race meticulously and having a spiritual presence, leveraging the elements and working with them … rather than fighting the harsh environment,” she says This, she notes, may be easier for female participants.

Though the men have a clear advantage physically, female behaviors can disproportionately benefit them in the long and tough races. That could come in handy for the top ultra women who are setting their sights on that “overall winner” title. Even in the iconic Barkley — where many female running luminaries have tried and failed — 2020 could be the year for that elusive female first.

More disturbing news about coach Alberto Salazar of the Nike Oregon Project and what about Nike’s founder and billionaire Phil Knight

There has been much talk about Alberto Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project lately but let's not forget about mister NIKE Phil Knight.  

Just this week teenage super star Mary Cain said her career was ruined by Salazar and Nike. She was mentally abused by coach Salazar when she was part of the Nike Oregon Project. Nike knew what was going on.  

Let’s not forget who Nike is. Phil Knight built Nike into the giant company it is today. He was running things day to day at Nike when the Oregon Project was started in 2001. I am sure he pushed coach Salazar to do whatever it took for their athletes to win races.

Phil Knight ran over a lot of people and companies as he built Nike. Today he is worth over 31 billion dollars and growing. Nike stock is trading near an all time high. I am sure their $250 racing shoes must be helping. A shoe that many feel should be ban. I am sure they did not have it tested or looked at by the world’s governing body (IAAF) before they released it. They just put it on the market. That’s the Phil Knight way. That’s the Salazar way.

I am not a fan of either men. Nor am I a fan of Nike. They tired to destroy my magazine Runner’s World in the early 80’s because I would not rate their shoe number one. This is another story I have told before.  

That’s in the past and I have moved on. But things that have been going on more recently can’t be overlooked.

Nike’s power is overwhelming. They think they can do whatever they want. They are still even supporting Salazar, a long-time friend of Phil Knight. Yet Salazar has been banned for four years for doping violations. Should have been a lifetime ban.

How can we continue to turn our back on this? We can’t. We can’t just continue to buy their shoes, making Phil Knight and family even richer.

In response to Mary Cain’s allegations of forced weight loss and public shaming by former coach Alberto Salazar at a now-disbanded Nike-supported running program, Nike has started an investigation into the matter.

When asked for comment regarding Cain’s allegations Friday, a Nike spokesman issued the following statement: “These are deeply troubling allegations which have not been raised by Mary or her parents before. Mary was seeking to rejoin the Oregon Project and Alberto’s team as recently as April of this year and had not raised these concerns as part of that process. We take the allegations extremely seriously and will launch an immediate investigation to hear from former Oregon Project athletes. At Nike, we seek to always put the athlete at the center of everything we do, and these allegations are completely inconsistent with our values.”

Cain’s also claimed that Nike needs to change because it “controls all the top coaches, athletes, races and even the governing body,” and there is a need for more women to be in charge.Nike response seems rather vague to me.  What do you think we should do? Thanks Mary Cain for sharing your story. That was very brave. 

Uganda´s Joshua Cheptegei will target 10K world record in Valencia

Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, the reigning world champion over 10,000m as well as cross-country, announced he will be looking to set a new world record at the 10K Valencia Trinidad Alfonso, to be held in conjunction with the Valencia Marathon on December 1.

Cheptegei already holds the world record in the 15K, which he set a year ago in the Netherlands, winning the Seven Hills race in Nijmegen for the fourth time, in 41:05. Cheptegei is 23.

In winning the 10,000m in Doha on October 6 in a world-leading 26:48.3, the Ugandan won his country’s first-ever gold medal in that event, though he also took gold in the 2018 Commonwealth Games over both 5,000m and 10,000m and set a new Games Record in the 10.

He is the only person besides the great Kenenisa Bekele to win both the world cross-country title and the world or Olympic 10,000m title in the same year (Bekele did it three times in a row–in 2003, 2004 and 2005).

The current 10K world record was set by Leonard Patrick Komon of Kenya at 26:44 at Utrecht in the Netherlands in 2010, and it was Komon who held the previous record in the 15K also.

Cheptegei is a member of the NN Running Team, which also includes marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge and several of the men who paced him at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, where he successfully ran the marathon distance in 1:59:40.

Cheptegei has been nominated for IAAF Male Athlete of the Year, the first Ugandan to be honored in this way.

Zwift, the multiplayer online training and racing platform for cyclists and runners, proudly announces its new partnership as the Official Training Partner of the Los Angeles Marathon presented by ASICS

Zwift brings its training gamification concept to Los Angeles Marathon runners through a custom tailored 26-week training plan, weekly in-game group runs, and a series of virtual races.

The progressive 26-week training plan has been designed to help runners of all levels conquer both the Pasadena Half Marathon on January 19, 2020 and the Los Angeles Marathon’s iconic 26.2-mile Sea to Stadium course on March 8, 2020.

To access the Los Angeles Marathon training tools and events, runners need access to a Bluetooth-enabled smart treadmill or a traditional treadmill with a running shoe-based foot pod sensor like the Zwift RunPod and as part of the partnership Zwift is providing RunPods to all registered 2019/2020 LA Road Runner program members, the official training program of the marathon.

“By partnering with Zwift, we are offering runners a world-class training tool and a meaningful new avenue for social connection," said Murphy Reinschreiber, Chief Operating Officer. "With Zwift as our official training partner, more athletes than ever – regardless of where they live in the Greater Los Angeles Area or the world –  are able to best prepare for the epic running experience that is our Stadium to Sea course.”

Zwift will also hosting a series of Virtual Santa Monica Classic Races each month between now and March 2020. The virtual editions of the sold-out race, which took place on September 8, 2019, is the only remaining way for runners to earn the 2020 Conqur LA Challenge medal–– a top-tier accomplishment which required runners to complete all 3 of Conqur’s marquee events; Santa Monica Classic, Pasadena Half Marathon and the Los Angeles Marathon.

“For 35 years, the Los Angeles Marathon has helped hundreds of thousands of athletes achieve their goals, hand in hand with a long list of worthy charities,” says Eric Min, CEO and co-founder of Zwift. “We know that we can bring even more people together to train socially and discover the efficiencies and sheer fun of running on Zwift.”

Cancer charity raises more than $100 million at Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon runners participating on behalf of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since 1990 have surpassed the $100 million fundraising mark.

The research center says more than $500,000 has already been raised by runners in next year’s race, putting it over the threshold.

Dana-Farber was one of the first charities allowed to use the Boston Marathon as a fundraiser.

More than 500 runners are expected to take part in the 2020 race as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. They are hoping to raise $6.25 million.

One hundred percent of the money raised from the team’s Boston Marathon runners supports promising cancer research in its earliest stages.

After last year’s cancellation, the big news heading into the weekend of the Monterey Bay Half Marathon is that the race is on for Sunday

“We’re just really excited to have the race this year after last year’s unfortunate cancellation,” said Doug Thurston, executive director and race director for the Big Sur Marathon Foundation. “We’re not affected at all by any of the wildfires in California.”

Officials canceled the race last year the evening before the event when shifting winds brought high levels of smoke from the Camp Fire in Butte County into the area causing unhealthy air quality on the Monterey Peninsula. The 3K and 5K races were held the day prior in moderate air quality.

“We’ve got great weather forecasts and we’re looking forward to a record number of participants,” Thurston said. “All events will be sold out, so it will be the largest race weekend in the 17-year history of our half marathon.”

The half marathon itself has reached its limit of 9,000 participants in past years, though more than 4,000 entrants to last year’s canceled race deferred their registration fees to this year’s race causing the capacity to be reached several months ago. Thurston said the Pacific Grove Lighthouse 5K, with a capacity of 2,000 entrants, sold out as well.

The weekend’s festivities begin with the Health and Fitness Expo opening up noon Friday at the Monterey Conference Center, giving entrants a chance to pick up their bib and race packet as well as providing information, services and the sales of merchandise. The races begin Saturday with the By-the-Bay 3K at 8 a.m. and the Pacific Grove Lighthouse 5K, both starting at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove, at 8:30 a.m.

The Monterey Bay Half Marathon starts Sunday at 6:50 a.m. on Del Monte Avenue at El Estero before traversing the Monterey Peninsula’s coastline to Asilomar State Beach, where runners will turn around and head back.

The race is different from many others in that it has 15 waves of starters, which Thurston said spreads the field out to make for smoother running through some of the more narrow sections of the course. The waves are set based on predicted times when entering the races.

“It allows people to run with people of similar ability for more consistent pacing throughout the race,” he said, adding that the out-and-back nature of the course allows for everyone to watch as the elite racers catch up and pass the others.

The top finisher among the men and among the women will each win a $4,000 top prize. The elite women will get a nine-minute, five-second head start against the elite men. The top finisher overall will then get an additional $3,000 “Equalizer Challenge” bonus.

Thurston said race organizers appreciate the support of the community, including those who come out to cheer. In Pacific Grove, school groups and others line the course to watch and cheer on the competitors.

“The enthusiastic support of friends and family and the community can really help people get through the later miles of the race,” he said

Laura Muir will attempt to break the 1,000m world record when she races in the Indoor Grand Prix at Glasgow's Emirates Arena in February

Four-time European Indoor champion Muir, 26, broke the British and European marks in 2017.

She sits second on the all-time list behind Maria Mutola, who has held the record for the past 20 years.

"I can't think of a better way to begin 2020 than with a world record attempt in front of a home crowd," Muir said.

"I feel that going quicker that two minutes 30.94 seconds is a real possibility, and I can't think of a better place to go for the record than in Glasgow and at such a world-class event.

"I know all about the Glasgow crowd from the European Indoors this year and I know they will be crazy as ever, so the opportunity to achieve something as historic as a world record with them cheering me all the way is really special."

At her last event at the Emirates - earlier this year - Muir won 1500m and 3,000m gold at the European Indoor Championships.

Japanese Yuta Shitara will Go For National Record in Tokyo Marathon, I Care About the 100 Million Yen Bonus More Than the Olympics, he says

There's a lot of attention right now on the last remaining spot on the 2020 Olympic marathon team. The first two spots were secured by the 1st and 2nd-placers at the MGC Race, Shogo Nakamura (Fujitsu) and Yuma Hattori (Toyota).

To claim the last remaining spot, someone has to break the Japanese national record and run at least 2:05:49 at this winter's Fukuoka International Marathon, Tokyo Marathon or Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon. If nobody succeeds, the spot will go to MGC 3rd-placer and current national record holder Suguru Osako (ex-Nike Oregon Project).The favorite to pull it off, after his run at East Japan Shitara talked about his plans for next year's Tokyo Marathon. But he did so in a characteristically Shitaresque way. "As long as you're competing in sports, [the Olympics] are something you aim for," he said.

"I'm running the Tokyo Marathon next year, but I don't really care that much about the Olympics. I care more about getting the 100 million yen bonus [$920,000 USD]. That's my priority. I'm running it for the money. The MGC Race didn't have any prize money, and I'm living right now because I can run. It takes money to run."Making clear his focus on scoring the Project Exceed bonus for breaking the marathon national record again, Shitara seemed to suggest that if he succeeds in winning a place on the 2020 Olympic team he might turn it down. "

"I'm not going to say myself that I'll run [the Olympics]," he said. "The public would probably rather see Osako run there. He's got better achievements in international competitions.

He'd definitely get the job done, and if you leave it to him there won't be any doubt. I'll leave it to the public to decide." Of the Olympic marathon's move to Sapporo he said, "If that's what has been decided then there's no choice but to obey."Now 27 years old with his own unique way of looking at the world, Shitara expressed a sense of frustration with the current state of the marathon as an event. "It's really boring to run all these races set up by old people these days," he said. "I think we're going into an era when change is going to come from the athletes.

I want to change, and I can't wait for that day to come." The first step is to try to score his second 100 million yen bonus in Tokyo. "It's a race against Osako's record," he said. "I'll be going for it as long as I can run."

Next stop for Jared Ward is the the U.S. Marathon Trials in February

Jared Ward has been working on his confidence lately. He figures that’s an important part of improving his marathon game, good as it already is. His resume includes a sixth in the 2016 Rio Olympic Marathon, sixth at New York City last year, PR of 2:09:25 at Boston this spring.

To compete with the big boys … well, you gotta be there at halfway, hold on until 20 miles, and then bring it home. In Sunday’s 2019 TCS New York City Marathon, Ward got to 20 miles with the leaders. Then he had to deal with the effects.

“I was glad that I managed to put myself in there for so long, but the last three or four miles were really tough,” he said after finishing sixth in 2:10:45. “That was painful. There wasn’t much left in the tank. It’s scary to do something you haven’t done before. But if you want to get to the podium, that’s the only way.”

Ward had finished sixth the previous year also, in 2:12:24, almost two minutes slower than today.

“I’m happy,” he said. “I wanted something that would solidify my breakthrough in Boston. I wanted to convince myself that I’ll be a different runner in the Marathon Trials in February than I was four years ago in Los Angeles.” Ward finished surprise third in Los Angeles and made the U.S. Olympic team for Rio.

The NYC Marathon does not use pacesetters, and a victory is much more important than your time (notwithstanding time-bonuses that kick in at 2:09:59 and faster), so the early pace in recent years has been moderate. Today, Shura Kitata started with a ludicrous 5:02 first mile on the uphill side of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

“The pace had been ebbing and flowing,” Ward observed. “I’d feel good one mile and not so good the next. When that happens, you just have to trust that you’ll feel better in a mile or two. Then they surged again and just didn’t come back.”

In Ward’s next marathon, the U.S. Trials on February 29 in Atlanta, he won’t be the one chasing everyone else. Indeed, many eyes will be on him—everyone’s number-one pick to finish in the top three—and many of his competitors will be gauging their pace against his.

“I don’t consider myself the favorite for Atlanta,” he said, “but I’m a statistician and I tend to make odds on races. Before the Los Angeles Trials, I figured I had a 35 percent chance of making the team. I think my odds will be a little better in Atlanta.”

Mary Cain says that she Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until she Joined Nike

Mary Cain’s male coaches were convinced she had to get “thinner, and thinner, and thinner.” Then her body started breaking down.

At 17, Mary Cain was already a record-breaking phenom: the fastest girl in a generation.

While attending high school in Bronxville, New York, she set the high school freshman 1500-meter record of 4:17.84 in 2011. The teen went on to run 1:59.51 for 800 meters and 4:04.62 for 1500 meters outdoors, as well as 4:24:11 for one mile and 9:38.68 for two miles indoors, and set numerous high school records at the state and national level. 

Then in August 2013, at age 17, she became the youngest runner in history to make the 1500-meter final at the IAAF World Championships, which she finished 10th in.

In 2013, she was signed by the best track team in the world, Nike’s Oregon Project, run by its star coach Alberto Salazar.

Then everything collapsed. Her fall was just as spectacular as her rise.

Instead of becoming a symbol of girls’ unlimited potential in sports, Cain became yet another standout young athlete who got beaten down by a win-at-all-costs culture. Girls like Cain become damaged goods and fade away. We rarely hear what happened to them. We move on.

The problem is so common it affected the only other female athlete featured in the last Nike video ad Cain appeared in, the figure skater Gracie Gold. When the ad came out in 2014, like Cain, Gold was a prodigy considered talented enough to win a gold medal at the next Olympics. And, like Cain, Gold got caught in a system where she was compelled to become thinner and thinner. Gold developed disordered eating to the point of imagining taking her life.

Nike has come under fire in recent months for doping charges involving Salazar. He is now banned from the sport for four years, and his elite Nike team has been dismantled. In October, Nike’s chief executive resigned. (In an email, Salazar denied many of Cain’s claims, and said he had supported her health and welfare. Nike did not respond to a request for comment.)

The culture that created Salazar remains.

Kara Goucher, an Olympic distance runner who trained with the same program under Salazar until 2011, said she experienced a similar environment, with teammates weighed in front of one another.

“When you’re training in a program like this, you’re constantly reminded how lucky you are to be there, how anyone would want to be there, and it’s this weird feeling of, ‘Well, then, I can’t leave it. Who am I without it?’” Goucher said. “When someone proposes something you don’t want to do, whether it’s weight loss or drugs, you wonder, ‘Is this what it takes? Maybe it is, and I don’t want to have regrets.’ Your careers are so short. You are desperate. You want to capitalize on your career, but you’re not sure at what cost.”

She said that after being cooked meager meals by an assistant coach, she often had to eat more in the privacy of her condo room, nervous he would hear her open the wrappers of the energy bars she had there.

A big part of this problem is that women and girls are being forced to meet athletic standards that are based on how men and boys develop. If you try to make a girl fit a boy’s development timeline, her body is at risk of breaking down. That is what happened to Cain.

After months of dieting and frustration, Cain found herself choosing between training with the best team in the world, or potentially developing osteoporosis or even infertility. She lost her period for three years and broke five bones. She went from being a once-in-a-generation Olympic hopeful to having suicidal thoughts.

“America loves a good child prodigy story, and business is ready and waiting to exploit that story, especially when it comes to girls,” said Lauren Fleshman, who ran for Nike until 2012.

“When you have these kinds of good girls, girls who are good at following directions to the point of excelling, you’ll find a system that’s happy to take them. And it’s rife with abuse.”

We don’t typically hear from the casualties of these systems — the girls who tried to make their way in this system until their bodies broke down and they left the sport. It’s easier to focus on bright new stars, while forgetting about those who faded away. We fetishize the rising athletes, but we don’t protect them. And if they fail to pull off what we expect them to, we abandon them.

Mary Cain is 23, and her story certainly isn’t over. By speaking out, she’s making sure of that.

Kenyan Elite athletes field determined to set new record in Athens Marathon this Sunday

In the final stretch to the 37th Athens Marathon this Sunday, elite athletes appeared determined to do their best to break the race's record.

Approximately 60,000 runners from 120 countries and regions will participate in the 42km classic route from Marathon to Athens on Sunday and parallel shorter distances which are held also on Saturday.

Several Kenyan athletes, like Daniel Muindi Muteti, 25 years old, are considered frontrunners. Earlier this year in Cape Town he clocked 2:09:25.

"We are generally happy for being hosted here. I am ready to cause a record. Thank you," he said on Wednesday.

His compatriot, Rhonzas Lokitam Kilimo, 23, chose Athens for his debut in the marathon race. His personal record in the half-marathon is 60:49.

"I know of course the race should be very competitive and I am very prepared to run for coming Sunday and look forward to the record," he told media.

Kenyan runner Kandie Felix holds the best time in the authentic course since 2014, when he clocked 2:10:37.

Regardless of records and distances, the crowd inside Panathenaic Stadium, the marble venue of the 1896 first modern Olympic Games, will cheer for all runners who will cross the finish line, the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), which organizes the event, stressed.

The Marathon race, in particular at the birthplace of the event, is not about competing with others, but trying to stretch your own limits and move forward, it is about sportsmanship and friendship, Greek athletes stressed.

"My goal is a good performance, a good time. I will go after the first place, but I'm very glad that the running movement is progressing and increasing," said Gloria Privileggio, a long-distance runner who competed in marathon at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha this September, finishing 29th. She will participate in the 10km race this Saturday.

Panagiotis Karaiskos finished 3rd among Greek athletes last year in Athens. He will participate in the Athens Marathon for the 7th consecutive year.

"This is a race which I remember even before starting running I would go to the Panathenaic stadium and I would shed tears seeing other runners crossing the finish line," he said.

The Marathon race was inspired by the legend of the ancient soldier Pheidippides who first ran the 42km classic route from the Marathon battlefield to Athens in 490 BC to announce to his fellow citizens the Athenians' victory against the Persians.

According to the legend, the messenger managed to say "we won" before dying of exhaustion.

Beijing marathon champion Mathew Kisorio to defend title in 2020, has no Olympics plans

With no hope of making the Kenyan team to the Tokyo Olympic Games, Beijing marathon champion Mathew Kisorio has already planned his new season.

The 30-year-old says he will certainly be returning to the Chinese capital to defend his title in 2020 after his debut show on Nov. 3 saw him clinch the gold. He also has no intention to throw his hat in the ring to make the elusive Kenyan marathon team for the Olympics.

Kisorio says he was humbled by the Chinese reception and running culture and will not think twice if invited to fend off new pretenders seeking his treasured trophy. "Of course I loved the weather in China and I expect to come to Beijing again next year," said Kisorio on Tuesday. "The Olympics are not on my plans, but defending my crown in Beijing is something that I am dreaming of already."

It was the third road race for Kisorio in China after his debut at the Yangzhou Half Marathon in 2015, where he finished tenth clocking 60:58. He made the full marathon distance a year later in 2016 at the Dongying marathon, where he finished ninth clocking 2:14:13.

Beijing marathon remains the only race Kisorio has won in 2019 after an injury prevented him from finishing the Mexico City marathon back in August.

With a 2:04:53 personal best time from Valencia last year, Kisorio clocked a new course record in Beijing cutting off ten seconds off Ethiopia's Tadese Tola 2:07:06 mark, which he had set in 2003.

Last year, Kisorio was second at Paris marathon, third in Mexico City and Valencia before a foot injury slowed him down early this season. His other marathon victory was in Daegu, South Korea back in 2017.

The Valencia Marathon is seeking the IAAF Platinum Label

The Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP seeks ever higher quality standards and to this end, the race Organizers — SD Correcaminos (running club) and Valencia City Council — hereby announce their aim to meet the IAAF’s strict requirements for the new ‘Platinum Label’ in time for the marathon on the 1st of December.

The IAAF is the world’s highest athletics authority. Gaining IAAF Platinum Label status would put the trial among a select group of races that includes the six Majors, the world’s top marathons.

As well as improving various aspects of safety standards and services for runners, the trial also has to meet requirements covering a census of elite athletes. The main hurdle the Valencia Marathon needs to overcome to win the coveted Platinum Label is to free the city of parked vehicles lining the route on the morning of the trial. This is for security reasons given the sheer scale and international importance of the Valencia Marathon.

That is why the race Organizers have reached agreement with all political parties represented in the City Council to pursue this goal, thus benefiting both the event and the city from now on.

With this end in view, all political parties have drawn up an ‘Institutional Statement’ to show their commitment to attaining this objective for the city.

The Valencia Marathon is already seeking solutions to minimize the impact of the measure on Valencia’s citizens on the day of the race.

At the same time, the Organizers have contacted the city’s Neighborhood Associations to ensure that citizens are fully informed of the new initiative.

Thomas Jeschke hopes to break world record at Monumental Marathon while wearing pajamas

Runners from all over the world will descend into Indianapolis this weekend for the 12th running of the CNO Financial Monumental Marathon.

The course starts downtown before making its way to the Warehouse District, Cultural Trail, Butler University, the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Broad Ripple.

It’s known for being fast and flat, becoming a destination for elite runners looking to break records.

And if you think running 26.2 miles sounds hard, try running 26.2 miles in pajamas.

That’s exactly what Indy native Thomas Jeschke plans to do on Saturday.

“There are all types of these world records, but I’m trying to break the world record for fastest marathon in pajamas,” said Jeschke.

That current time is 3 hours 7 minutes. Jeschke is aiming for 3 hours flat.

It’s a time this race lover could break.

Thomas found his passion for running while in track at Decatur Central High School. He later received a scholarship to run track at Marion University and has run several races in Indianapolis.

“I qualified for my first Boston Marathon at the Carmel Marathon,” he said.

Jeschke plans to run his fourth Boston Marathon in April.

“Running is one of life’s hidden treasures. I feel better, I sleep better, food even tastes better. Try running for a mile, even every other day, for six weeks and you’ll get used to feeling better,” Thomas said.

Jeschke said Saturday’s pajamas must be a matching button-down set, complete with a hat and tassel.

He said he knows running a marathon in pajamas is different, but he also says that’s why he’s doing it.

“It puts us on the map. I would love for it to be a thing. We should have more of these records being broken at Monumental. Hype up the race and bring more racers and competition to Indianapolis. That’s kind of one of the outcomes I’d like to see,” Jeschke added.

Jeschke said he needs help getting proof he’s indeed wearing pajamas at each mile.

“If you see me on Saturday, take a picture, put it on social media so we can get that evidence,” he said.

Saturday’s race is expected to draw record-breaking numbers.

Beyond Monumental, the organization behind the race, said they expect 19,000 runners on Saturday, not including elite runners.

The Harmony Geneva Marathon for Unicef from Switzerland will receive the 2019 AIMS Social Award

The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), the member organization representing more than 460 of the world’s leading distance races is pleased to announce the Harmony Geneva Marathon for Unicef from Switzerland will receive the 2019 AIMS Social Award.

The award, which recognizes races working towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, will be presented during the seventh annual AIMS ‘Best Marathon Runner’ (BMR) Awards Gala to be held in the birthplace of the Marathon in Athens, Greece on 8 November 2019.

The two other shortlisted races were the Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race (Maldives) – 2nd & the Kingston City Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K (Jamaica) – 3rd.

Since 2010 the Harmony Geneva Marathon has been in partnership with Unicef, supporting the program ‘WASH: Water, Sanitation, Hygiene’ and their Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring access to water sanitation for all. To date the race has raised more than 440,000 Swiss francs (400,000 EUR) which has financed the installation of 1,000 water pumps in different countries. From 2020, the Harmony Geneva Marathon for UNICEF will support UNICEF Malawi to provide solar water pumps – a reliable, sustainable, user friendly and green technology solution for rural communities.

In addition, the race manages a clothes collection point in the Marathon Village in association with the organization Bilifou (www.bilifou.ch) to benefit young people in Burkino Faso. This partnership has seen over 1,000kgs of clothes collected. Other activities with disabled people and refugees are managed by the organization in order to include everyone in the event.

Benjamin Chandelier, Harmony Geneva Marathon for Unicef Director comments: “The Harmony Geneva Marathon for Unicef has a long and proud history of working together with Unicef to benefit communities in different countries. We have ambitious goals the future and look forward to sharing our story with AIMS. We would like to thank AIMS, their partners and sponsors for presenting us with this award. This event couldn’t take place without our 1,000 volunteers, or the unwavering support of the Canton and City of Geneva as well as Chêne-Bourg who hosted the start of our races and all the villages we cross through on the beautiful course. Finally, I would also like to thank all our partners for their ongoing support and commitment”.

Paco Borao, AIMS President comments: “The Harmony Geneva Marathon for Unicef is a great example of a race helping communities in need on another continent. Their successes are clear and their plans are exciting. Everyone at AIMS wishes them every success in the future."

Abdi Abdirahman, 42, broke Bernard Lagat’s American masters marathon record at New York

Abdi Abdirahman broke Bernard Lagat’s US masters marathon record, on Sunday, running 2:11:34 for ninth place in the TCS New York City Marathon. Lagat’s record of 2:12:10 was set only four months ago at the Gold Coast Marathon in July.

Abdirahman is a four-time Olympian who competed in the 10,000m and marathon. His time on Sunday was a heartbreaking four seconds away from Olympic standard.

Another notable American performance came from Jared Ward, who finished sixth in one of his fastest-ever marathons. Ward crossed the line in 2:10:45, making him the first American. He was followed closely by Abdirahman, and the third American spot went to 23-year-old Connor McMillan, who finished in tenth in 2:12:07 (just shy of the Olympic standard of 2:11:30.)

The American marathon trials are only three months away, and the race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive trials in history. After the so-called American men’s marathon drought of 2018, 2019 has shown that the US men are back and ready for a strong Olympic year. In 2019 alone, nine men have run under Olympic standard, a vast improvement upon 2018, when Galen Rupp was the only runner who cleared 2:11:30.

HOKA ONE ONE have been named as presenting sponsors of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run.

The deal also includes a rebranding of a series of races which allow entry to WSER as the “HOKA ONE ONE Golden Ticket Races”.

The series for 2020 will consist of the Bandera 100km in January, Black Canyon 100km in February, Georgia Death Race in March, Lake Sonoma 50-miler in April and the Canyons 100km in April.

The USA’s most prestigious trail ultra takes place in Olympic Valley, California, and will next be staged on June 27 2020.

Race director Craig Thornley: “We are extremely excited that HOKA has made such a strong commitment to our mission as an organisation, which is to serve the ultra community as one of the thoughtful leaders in our sport and culminates each June with putting on the highest-quality, yet intimate 100-mile experience we can possibly present for all of our runners.”

Mike McManus, director of global sports marketing for HOKA ONE ONE, said: “HOKA was born in the mountains and gained an early foothold in the trail ultrarunning community, so it is only natural that we would help put on the original trail 100-mile race. The Western States Endurance Run is an iconic event with an incredible community behind it, and one where some of the best-known legends of ultrarunning are born. We are beyond thrilled and proud to be the presenting sponsor.”

Registrations for the ballot for the 2020 WSER will open on November 9.

Finalists for the IAAF 2019 Female Rising Star Awards have been announced

With less than three weeks to go until the World Athletics Awards 2019, the IAAF is delighted to announce the five finalists for the 2019 Female Rising Star Award to recognise this year's best U20 athlete.

The winner will be announced live on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2019 in Monaco on Saturday 23 November.

The nominees are:

Britany Anderson (JAM)- broke the world U20 record in the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.71

Lemlem Hailu (ETH)- world U20 lead at 1500m with 4:02.97- 1500m bronze medallist at African Games- semi-finalist at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019

Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)- broke world U20 record in the high jump with 2.04m- silver medallist at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019- European U20 champion

Glenda Morejon (ECU)- world U20 best in the 20km race walk, clocking 1:25:29- world U20 lead and South American U20 record in the 10km race walk with 43:04

Sha’Carri Richardson (USA)- world U20 100m record with 10.75- world U20 200m record with 22.17- NCAA 100m champion

Finalists for the IAAF 2019 Male Rising Star Awards have been announced

With less than three weeks to go until the World Athletics Awards 2019, the IAAF is delighted to announce the five finalists for the 2019 Male Rising Star Award to recognise this year's best U20 athlete.

The winner will be announced live on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2019 in Monaco on Saturday 23 November.

The nominees are:

Selemon Barega (ETH)- silver medallist in the 5000m at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019- world U20 lead at 5000m with 12:53.04- world U20 lead at 10,000m with 26:49.46- fifth in the senior race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships Aarhus 2019

Alison dos Santos (BRA)- broke South American U20 400m hurdles record seven times- world U20 lead at 400m hurdles with 48.28- Pan-American Games champion- seventh at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019

Lamecha Girma (ETH)- silver medallist in the 3000m steeplechase at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019- world U20 lead with 8:01.36- broke national senior record in the 3000m steeplechase

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)- European indoor 3000m champion- world U20 lead and European U20 record at 1500m with 3:30.16- world U20 lead and European U20 record at the mile with 3:51.30- European U20 record at 5000m with 13:02.03- finished fourth at 1500m at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019- finished fifth at 5000m at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019

Mykhaylo Kokhan (UKR)- world U20 lead in the hammer with 77.39m- finished fifth at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019

Kenya is backing the IOC decision to move the marathon and some other events to a cooler city than Tokyo

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya is backing IOC's decision to move the marathon and any other event out of Tokyo during the 2020 Olympic Games.

Nock acting secretary-general, Francis Mutuku, said the International Olympic Committee had explained to all NOCs a few weeks ago during the General Assembly why it is necessary to move the marathon and walking races.

" Our athletes were really affected by the high levels of heat and humidity at the recent World Championships in Doha and we are not ready to take a similar route in Tokyo 2020," he said.

He said they expect a worse situation in Tokyo and it is important that they take precautions.

“The IOC explained that the interest of the athletes is paramount and if it requires a sport to be moved from the host City to achieve that, they will consider that. Kenya is big in marathon running and we want our athletes to compete in the best conditions," said Mutuku. 

He added: “Nock is therefore supportive of IOC's decision and not just for the marathon, but also any other sport that may be required to be shifted.”

Unknown Ethiopian Girma Bekele Gebre did not start with the elite runners at NYC Marathon on Sunday, but took third place

An unsponsored Ethiopian from the open field took third place. Girma Bekele Gebre did not start with the elite runners, but still placed. 

After the race, Gebre looked somewhat bewildered standing there next to two of the most decorated distance runners in the world. He has no agent, flew to New York from Ethiopia a few days before the race and stayed with a friend in the Bronx. He won $40,000. 

“I started back in the second group, and just ran really fast to catch up,” he said through an interpreter. “I love running in New York. When the crowds were cheering for me, I felt really special joy.” 

Gebre had been living in New York, but returned to Ethiopia in the spring when one of his brothers died while working on their farm.

First time marathoner Debeko Dakamo Dasa won the very tough Soweto Marathon

Debeko Dakamo Dasa, from Ethiopian won the Soweto Marathon as a debutant.  

The marathon is very tough and many local runners are advised to never make it their first marathon lest they get dissuaded from pursuing the event.

That advice does not apply to east Africans though, and Dasa proved this yesterday by cantering to victory.

His victory ensured that Ethiopia’s dominance of the Soweto Marathon continued unabated as he followed in the footsteps of three-time champion Sintayeho Legese, who did not run this year.

Dasa clocked two hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds to beat Kenya’s David Maru (2:18.48), who had run him close for most of the race as they ensured that South Africa continues to search for that elusive success in the race last won by a local back in 2011.

“I am happy with my first win in the marathon. I would like to come back next year to defend my title. I had no idea about the race. It was very hot and it had too many hills,” Dasa said.

The best South African man in the marathon was Ntshindiso Mphakathi who came home in eighth place in 2:19.45.

It was the third time Mphakathi finished as the best local in the race as he also did so back in 2015 and 2017.

The day, however, belonged to Ethiopian marathon debutant Dasa and there can be no denying this victory in the tough Soweto Marathon will set him up for success in the more renowned but much easier marathons in the world.

Kenyan Daniel Kipkore Kibet on Sunday won the 41st Istanbul Marathon men's title breaking the course record

Ethiopian athlete Hirut Tibebu bagged the women's title in the run.

Kibet finished the transcontinental race in 2:9:44. Ethiopian athlete Yitayal Atnafu Zerihun came second at 2:9:57 and Kenyan Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo third at 2:10:9.

Tibebu won the women's title finishing at 2:23:40 with Ethiopian athlete Tigist Abayechew trailing at 2:24:15. Kenyan Maurine Chepkemoi came third at 2:24:16.

Turkish athletes Polat Kemboi Arikan came sixth at 2:12:57 in the men’s title and Busra Nur Koku came eighth in the women’s title.

A total of 63 elite athletes joined the Vodafone 41st Istanbul Marathon, which started at 06:00GMT from Istanbul's Asian side and ended in the European part of the city. The motto of the 2019 marathon is "Istanbul is yours. Don’t stop, run!"

The sports event has three categories, 42.2-kilometer (26.2-mile) marathon, 15-km run (9.3-mi), 8-km (4.9-mi) FunRun,  as well as a wheelchair competition.

In the 15-km run, Kenyan athlete Mathew Kimeli won the men’s title, while the women's title was bagged by Ethiopia's Tsigie Gebreselama.

Some 37,000 runners from 106 countries competed in the marathon, with 100,000 people attending the 8-km FunRun.

Wife of Paraguay's ambassador to Turkey Ceferino Adrian Valdez Peralta also joined the 15-km race.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency after the run, Celestina Diaz de Valdez said that it was her first time at the Istanbul Marathon and it was a "wonderful" feeling to cross to Europe from Asia.

She recalled that she previously joined the races in many countries such as Paraguay, Korea, US and South Africa, adding that she also plans to take part in next year's Istanbul marathon.

Valdez was the first woman who competed in Istanbul's race from Paraguay.

Kiprotich Kirui and Mamitu Daska Molisa from Kenya, were the winners at the Guadalajara Marathon

In the men's race first place went to the Kenyan Kiprotich Kirui, with a time of 2 hours 14 minutes and 08 seconds, surpassing the mark of 2:18:42 registered by Silas Cheboit, in 2018.

"The marathon race in Guadalajara is very beautiful, the weather was very good and we had a good time, I felt good," he shared as he crossed the finish line. Kiprotich Kirui was distancing himself from the elite group of athletes from kilometer 37, breaking a group that led the competition from the beginning, to finally contest the race hand in hand with his compatriot Benard Cheruiyot Sang, the latter was precisely who took the second place when stopping the stopwatch at 2:14:42.  While third place was Rodgers Ondati Gesabwa, who finished with a time of 2:14:57.

In the women's branch there was a very close race between the Ethiopian Mamitu Daska Molisa and the Kenyan Rebbeca Jepchichir Korir from the middle of the competition, it was finally Daska Molisa who was crowned at the end in an official time of 2:33:09, shattering the mark of the 2018 edition of 2:41:47 registered by fellow Zewdnesh Ayele Belachew.

“The race was very good, I liked it a lot, I feel happy for the first place. Guadalajara is a good place to run the marathon, it is my first time running in this city and although I had difficulties, I was able to overcome them," said Daska Molisa.

Sinead Diver proved again that age is no barrier as the 42-year-old finished fifth at the New York City Marathon

Proving again that age is no barrier to the distance or pace of elite marathon running, Sinead Diver finished a superb fifth best woman in the New York Marathon, her time of 2:26:23 equally rewarding over what is one of the toughest of all the big city courses.

Improving on her seventh place finish in the London Marathon back in April, Diver was also closing fast on the fourth-placed Nancy Kiprop from Kenya, finishing just two seconds behind, the top four women all from the East African nations that typically dominate the long distances. 

Although quietly insistent about not making a big deal about her age, now just four months shy of her 43rd birthday, Diver’s performance is among the most impressive in the now 49 years of the New York Marathon, especially given the mother of two, who still works full-time as a software developer, only took up running at 33.

Her best time remains the 2:24:11 she clocked in London just six months ago, although New York is rarely a place to run records of any sort. Still very much the Irish woman running for Australia - as Diver is happy and proud to put it - it’s also the best Irish performance in the race after Mark Carroll took sixth place in the men’s race in 2002.

With outright victory and the $100,000 top prize going to Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2:22:38, just seven seconds shy of the course record and the second fastest women’s time ever run in New York, this was also one of the most competitive races in those 49 years.

Kenya’s four-time previous winner Mary Keitany was broken by Jepkosgei in the closing miles and ended up second in 2:23:33, with the top Ethiopian Ruti Aga, who won the Tokyo Marathon back in March, third in 2:25:51.

Unlike the other Marathon Majors, New York also doesn’t employ pacemakers, male or female, which also makes it a true run race. Diver actually put herself at the very front from just after the starting canon, setting the pace from the start on Staten Island and over the Verrazzano Bridge into Brooklyn.

Diver then endured a slight detour around the three-mile when directed to the wrong side of a course crash barrier, forcing her to duck under some race tap to escape, but she quickly regained her composure.

After the East African women pressed ahead before halfway, Diver held her own pace, passing halfway in 1:12:02, average out at 5:35-mile pace: the American Desiree Linden, former winner of the Boston Marathon, who also set the pace early on, was reeled in over the final miles and ended up sixth 2:26:46, still one of the fastest times by any American run in New York.

With around 52,500 starters, the biggest of the big city marathons, the testing course, winds through the Five Boroughs, before finishing up through the rolling hills of Central Park, rarely lets up and neither did Diver. 

“New York will be hilly and I prefer flat courses, but the experience of just racing for placing will be great practice leading into Tokyo,” she said beforehand, her 2:24:11 from London almost certain to get her on the start line for that Olympic marathon next summer, where she be will representing Australia, and the clearly now not unrealistic medal contender. 

New York will likely be her last marathon before the Olympics. Having missed out on Rio 2016 due to a knee injury caused by the cuboid bone in her foot, competing in Tokyo will be extra special for Diver.

Recently taking a small leave of absence from here full-time work as a software developer in order to prepare of for New York, she said: “If you feel good enough to do it then give it a go,” she says about racing so competitively at age 42. “Nobody else can tell you what your body is capable of. There is nothing to suggest that when you turn 40 you need to fall apart. It hasn’t happened for me and I feel fitter than I was ten years ago. If I can do it then I can’t see why other people can’t do it too.”

She’s come a long way from her native Belmullet in Mayo, then Limerick and now Melbourne, where she moved in 2002 with her Limerick-born husband Colin, now also home to their two sons young Eddie (nine) and Dara (six).

Just over a month ago she clocked an excellent 31:25:49 to finish 14th in the World Championships 10,000m in the searing heat of Doha, a world record for a woman over the age of 40. Her 2:24:11 in London improved by over a minute the 2:25:19 she ran to win the Melbourne Marathon in October 2018, that already the second fastest ever by an Irish woman, her London time now the third fastest by Australian standards.

Her remarkable running story (and unfortunate “switch” to Australia, after Athletics Ireland refused to select her for the 2015 World Championship marathon in Beijing) has been told before: within six months of winning Melbourne last year, Diver also improved her track times over 5,000m (15:23.65) and 10,000m (31:50.98), before running 1:08:55 for the half marathon in Japan in February, also the fastest ever time for a woman over the age of the 40. 

Geoffrey Kamworor made it a Kenyan double by winner the men’s race in 2:08:13, the best non-African finisher there being the American Jared Ward in sixth, in 2:10:45, making Diver the outright best non-African finisher on the day. Superb running by any standards.

Joyciline Jepkosgei wins the New York City marathon out running last year’s winner and Geoffrey Kamworor wins the men race

The world record holder for the women's half marathon running 1:04:51 in 2017, Joyciline Jepkosgei in her marsthon debut out-ran last year's winner Mary Keitany to win this year's New York City Marathon clocking 2:22:38. Keitany finished second in 2:23:32.  Both are from Kenya. 

Boston Marathon champion Desiree Linden lead much of the first half and held on to be the first American placing sixth running 2:26:49 just three seconds ahead of Kellyn Taylor also from the US who ran an amazing well paced race.  

Australian, 42-year-old Sinead Diver placed 5th clocking 2:26:23.  At one point early she took the lead and looked in control. 

It was 46 degrees at the start and the wind at points did slow down the times.  Over 52,000 runners started.  

Kenyan's Geoffrey Kamworor who set the world record for the half marathon in Copenhagen running 58:01 in September ran away from the field to win the men's race clocking 2:08:13.  This was his second win. Albert Korir placed second clocking 2:08:36.

Jared Ward was sixth overall and first American clocking 2:10:45. There were many outstanding performances today. 71-year-old Gene Dykes finish with 3:11:19.  

KIMUTAI BREAKS COURSE RECORD IN HANGZHOU

Pre-race favourite Marius Kimutai lived up to expectations at the Hangzhou Marathon as he improved the course record by nearly half a minute at the IAAF Gold Label road race on Sunday (3).

The 26-year-old outraced Kenya’s Stanley Bett in the last kilometre of the race to become the first Bahraini winner in the 33-year history of the event, clocking 2:10:05.

It was Kimutai’s second victory in China this year, having won in Taiyuan in September with 2:09:43. It was also the sixth career marathon title for the 2:05:47 performer, following victories in Rotterdam, Danzhou, Ljubljana and Rennes since debuting over the distance in 2013.

The patient Kimutai bided his time in a crowded leading group in the early stages, passing 10km in 30:52 and 20km in 1:02:31.

The lead pack was cut to just five runners after the 30km mark and Bett waited for another five kilometres to make a move. Only Kimutai managed to keep up with Bett at 38km and the duo stayed together for three more kilometres before the in-form Bahraini pulled away at about 41km.

The 32-year-old Bett finish second with a personal best of 2:10:12, also finishing inside the course record of 2:10:33 set two years ago by Azmeraw Bekele of Ethiopia. Fellow Kenyan Douglas Kimeli, the runner-up in Hangzhou last year, finished third in 2:11:01, improving his PB by five seconds.

Agnes Jeruto Barsosio of Kenya also confirmed her favourite status in the women’s race, but in a more overwhelming way compared with Kimutai.

The 37-year-old, who owns a PB of 2:20:59 from the 2017 Paris Marathon, built up a comfortable lead soon after the gun and never met any real threat all the way to the finish.

Her winning mark of 2:25:20 was 10 seconds shy of the course record set by Ethiopia’s Hirut Tibebu last year.

Alice Jepkemboi Kimutai, winner of the 2018 Taiyuan Marathon and the 12th-place finisher in Hangzhou last year, clocked a lifetime best of 2:28:14 to take second place. Priscilla Chepatiy, winner of last year’s Wuxi Marathon, clocked 2:36:55 to complete a Kenyan podium sweep.

Course record broken at the Beijing Marathon

Kenya’s Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio broke away in the final 10 kilometres of the Beijing Marathon to rewrite the men’s course record at the IAAF Gold Label road race on Sunday (3).

The 30-year-old clocked 2:07:06 to earn his second victory over the classic distance, knocking 10 seconds off the course record set six years ago by Ethiopia’s 2013 world bronze medallist Tadese Tola.

“It is my first time to run in Beijing and I am very happy to win and to break the course record,” said Kisorio, who set his PB of 2:04:53 last year in Valencia. “The weather was fantastic. I expect to come to Beijing again next year.”

Starting under cloudy and drizzling skies with the temperature ranging from 7-10C, the race was fast from the outset. Four runners – Bazu Worku of Ethiopia, Kisorio and his compatriots Emmanuel Rutto and Solomon Kirwa Yego – led the race to 25km.

Worku, a three-time winner of the Houston Marathon, was the first to fade away after 28km, while 36-year-old Rutto quit the title contest after 30km. After another two kilometres, Kisorio broke away from Yego to move into a sole lead.

The 2017 Daegu Marathon winner was well on track to break the course record at 35km, reached in 1:45:10, and kept pushing ahead before hit the line in 2:07:06. Yego trailed by more than two minutes to finish second in 2:09:45. Rutto clocked 2:10:15 to finish third.

Ethiopia’s Sutume Asefa, 24, ran alone for most of the women’s race and scored her first marathon title in 2:23:31, trimming 29 seconds off her PB set in Dubai three years ago.

China’s Li Zhixuan, the sixth-place finisher in Beijing last year, took second place in 2:29:06. Pre-race favourite Mulu Seboka, the fastest entrant in the field with a PB of 2:21:56, finished third in 2:29:09.

“I am satisfied with second place but the time is kind of slower than I expected,” said the 25-year-old Li, who set a PB of 2:26:15 in Nagoya eight months ago.

The last time a Chinese runner managed to earn a podium finish in the country’s most prestigious road race was in 2014, when Gong Lihua finished third in the women’s race.

ASICS acquires the leading race registration platform Race Roster

ASICS Corporation announced Oct 31 the acquisition of Race Roster, a leading race registration platform for running events. Race Roster will join ASICS Digital’s portfolio of consumer-focused running platforms. As part of the agreement, ASICS formed a new Canadian subsidiary known as Race Roster North America.

Established in 2012, the Race Roster platform is a global leader in race registration helping millions of athletes discover and register for running and endurance events, while providing event organizers with a robust CRM tool for tracking participant data, marketing campaigns and event revenue. 

With the acquisition of Race Roster, ASICS is positioned to disrupt the running event industry - uniquely meet the needs of runners, race directors and the running community by offering world class race management, premium brand sponsorship and marketing, while also enhancing the race day experience for participants. The synergies between ASICS and Race Roster will enable ASICS to build relationships with consumers that will drive engagement to digital, retail and run specialty partners. 

"We are thrilled to welcome the Race Roster team into our ASICS family," said Dan Smith, President of ASICS Digital. "As we take this step together, we are excited to not only expand our digital footprint, but also create new and innovative ways to serve runners and the running community."

"The idea of integrating an athletic brand with race registration solves many of the challenges faced by race directors," said Alex Vander Hoeven, CEO of Race Roster. "We are excited that a brand so deeply ingrained in the running community shares our vision, and we look forward to introducing our expanded offering to the racing industry."

ASICS will enable Race Roster to become the top endurance event platform and partner by bringing premium branded experiences to events of all sizes. Together, ASICS and Race Roster will provide a way to efficiently solving the marketing and sponsorship challenges faced by many race organizers, and will enhance the runner experience by offering access to adaptive training plans through the Runkeeper™ app, ASICS-sponsored celebration opportunities, and other benefits through the OneASICS loyalty program. 

Des Linden is set for the New York City Marathon and then the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials

Des Linden could have retired this spring a legend of the sport in the United States: two Olympic teams, nine top-five finishes at World Marathon Majors, and the crown jewel, a win at the 2018 Boston Marathon. But she chose to press on, motivated by what excites her, rather than what is expected of her. Her Boston win gave her the freedom to leave behind the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and go solo, returning to college coach Walt Drenth.

Now in her fourth Olympic cycle, she goes into every marathon knowing that it could be her last. If she runs another it is because she wants to — not because it’s the best way for her to prepare for the Olympic Trials or the Games themselves.

“It is a different mentality where you don’t put down a race four years out and work backward,” Linden says.

As one of professional running’s elder stateswomen, Linden isn’t afraid to share her opinion on the sport’s most pressing issues, either. During the course of 33 minutes with the press today ahead of Sunday’s TCS New York City Marathon, Linden put a voice to the concerns facing many athletes sponsored by shoe companies other than Nike, and thus unable to run in Vaporflys, the chunky-soled neon racing flats that have changed the sport of marathoning.

Asked whether there was a level playing field in the sport right now facing Nike athletes in Vaporflys, Linden, who remains sponsored by Brooks, did not equivocate.

“No. I think every company has a different pace that they’re working at. So, we’re all obviously behind to begin with.”

More on that in a minute, but let’s remember the purpose of Linden’s visit to New York. She is running marathon #19 of her career on Sunday, and both Linden and her agent Josh Cox believe she is very fit right now, despite an awful showing at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philly Half in September (76:08, the slowest half marathon of her career by over three minutes).

“Everything went wrong in Philly,” Linden said, adding that she picked up a minor hamstring injury before the race. “I had an amazing segment as a whole…I had one bad day, it was just a very public bad day.”

Linden is ready to roll in New York and holding off any decisions on retirement until after the race. It all depends on how her body recovers. If she feels she can produce a performance to be proud of, she’ll be on the start line at the Olympic Trials in Atlanta in February.

“It will be, do I have the ability to compete on the roads and be proud of how I’m competing?” Linden says. “And is it something that is showcasing all the hard work — is this really paying off anymore? And when I feel like I’m putting too much in and I’m not getting results that I’m happy with or appreciating, I’ll switch to the trails or the ultras or something different.”

Now about those shoes: Linden has mixed feelings.

“It’s exciting times, but it’s confusing as well,” Linden says.

Exciting because Nike has spurred innovation across the sport. Linden won Boston last year in Brooks prototypes and her shoes at NYC last fall featured a carbon fiber plate, one of the Vaporflys’ key features.

“As a Brooks athlete, it’s been fun seeing them respond and say, ‘OK. Let’s get in the game. Let’s make something awesome’ and not ‘Let’s play catch up.’ They are in the lab going, ‘Let’s be better. Let’s be the best.’”

All that innovation has led to the fastest times the sport has ever seen, but Linden says that one of running’s great appeals — the ability to compare times across eras — is more complicated than ever.

Welsh runner Natasha Cockram breaks national marathon record despite being kicked by a horse four days earlier

Heard the one about the woman who got kicked by a horse and four days later broke the Welsh marathon record?

Natasha Cockram set a new national women's record of 2hr 30min 50sec, finishing fifth in the Dublin Marathon.

Remarkably, she completed the feat just two years after her first race, four days after being kicked in the leg by a horse and despite working full time.

"I didn't have the best week before the race," Cockram told BBC Sport Wales. "I was in panic mode after the kick!"

'I didn't think I would even make my flight'

Cockram's rise in Welsh athletics has been extremely fast, having fallen off the radar because of injuries after a promising junior career.

She had not even run the marathon distance until 2017, but she ran so well in Dublin (running 2:49:37) that she decided to try and take athletics more seriously.

On Sunday at the same venue the Cwmbran runner beat the previous Welsh best of 2:31:33 set by Susan Tooby at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and did it despite having a big bruise on her knee.

Cockram rescued a horse and when she went to visit it last Wednesday, got an unpleasant surprise.

"I didn't have the best week. On Wednesday I went to check on my horse and I got kicked by another horse in the field," she said.

"So I had a bit of panic mode and didn't think I'd even make my flight to Dublin, let alone the race.

"It did cross my mind when it happened I might not be able to race. I was straight on to the phone to the Welsh athletics physio, but he assured me it was just a bruise.

"It didn't hurt during the race, my leg went numb in mile 18... but I pushed through.

"It didn't really register right away that I had broken the record, I knew I had the time, but I think I was more disappointed I didn't get the Olympic standard, as I was on course to hit it."

Full time work and told she would never run again

Cockram is now targeting a place at the Tokyo Olympics after finishing 80 seconds short of the Team GB marathon qualifying time.

She says she will run the Houston Marathon in January and the London Marathon as she looks to hit the Olympic mark of 2:29:30, having just failed to do so in breaking the Welsh record.

Her success is all the more amazing considering she is not a full time athlete and has suffered with severe injury issues.

"I always liked the idea of doing a marathon. Dublin in 2017 was my first one so it's a good place for me. I have always liked the distance and I have always looked up to people like Paula Radcliffe, I would watch her race as a child," she explained.

"I did Dublin in 2017 more for fun but I ran two hours 49 seconds and thought that was a pretty amazing time and I should do it more seriously again."

At that point Cockram, who went to university in the USA, had all but given up on running professionally.

"I headed out to university as quite a high achieving junior, but university didn't go my way, I think I was over-training and then I got quite a serious injury and was told I would never run again," she added.

"Just to be running again is a blessing. I tore the tendon in my knee and had my patella bone scraped, it is just a serious surgery. Quite a few doctors here said it would be a career ending injury, so I headed back out to the USA to talk to doctors until one said he would give it a go.

"I went into surgery and came out and it took me about two years to get back running."

All eyes now on Tokyo 2020

Cockram works full time for the Welsh Government and admits it is only after breaking the Welsh record that is has dawned on her that Olympic qualification is a realistic aim, having previously mixed training with a 'normal' career.

"Most days I am out of bed at 4, 4.30am to train then and I do a full day's work before training in the evening until about 9.30pm," she said.

"A normal Monday would be a ten mile run in the morning, followed by working all day and then heading straight over to Sport Wales to do strength and conditioning training and then head out for another run and then home and to bed. Repeat it again for the rest of the week!

"I have not run any major championships yet, which is weird to say when I am talking about Tokyo, but I don't see why I can't give it a go.

"I think knocking off 80 seconds is something I can do, especially as things didn't really go my way in Dublin, even leading into the week before.

"Before the race the Olympics didn't seem realistic at all, I was thinking more about 2024, but as the race went on, I was close and now I've definitely got to go for Tokyo 2020.

"My consistency of training, working with my coach and Welsh athletics, it has all contributed to my times getting better and better."

Cockram knows she may have to make sacrifices at work to turn her Olympic dream into a reality.

"I do value my work and life outside of running, but I think to improve and go to the Olympics I will need to be thinking about sponsorship and at least dropping some of my hours in work," she said.

"I don't really sleep enough for an athlete or have the right recovery time, so I would like to give it a go as a full time athlete.

"The motivation is the fact I love it. Even when it hurts I enjoy it and now the Olympics being on the cards is the goal to keep me going."

Peter Kmeli Some of Kenya and Bahrain’s Marius Kimutai will start as favorites at the Hangzhou Marathon on Sunday

Peter Kmeli Some of Kenya and Bahrain’s Marius Kimutai will start as favorites at the Hangzhou Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on Sunday.

The 29-year-old Some is the fastest entrant with a personal best of 2:05:38 set when winning the 2013 Paris Marathon. He came close to that mark last year when clocking 2:06:49 to finish third in Daegu. It will be Some’s second race in China following his 2:14:49 victory in Shenzhen two years ago.

Kimutai, 26, has also been triumphant in China. The 2:05:47 performer claimed the 2014 Danzhou Marathon title and more recently took the top honors at the Taiyuan International Marathon two months ago with a clocking of 2:09:43.

It will be Kimutai’s third race in China this year and his eyes may not be only set on the top podium but also on the course record of 2:10:33 achieved by Azmeraw Bekele of Ethiopia two years ago.

Kenya’s Sylvester Kimeli Teimet will be running his third straight race in Hangzhou after finishing fourth and fifth in the past two years. The 35-year-old set his lifetime best of 2:06:49 when winning in Seoul back in 2010 and has threatened the 2:10 barrier this season with a sixth-place finish at the Wuxi Marathon where he clocked 2:10:44.

The field also includes Evans Sambu of Kenya, who set his PB of 2:09:05 in 2017 and finished fourth last year in Hangzhou with 2:11:17, and Abraham Kiprotich of France.

Agnes Jeruto Barsosio of Kenya is the star attraction in the women’s race. The 37-year-old has earned podium finishes in eight consecutive marathons since October 2014, including recording a PB of 2:20:59 to finish second in Paris two years ago.

It will be Barsosio’s first race in Hangzhou but she has experience of running in China, including winning at the Guangzhou Marathon in 2014.

Barsosio’s compatriot Rael Kiyara Nguriatukei, 35, is another title contender. She set her PB of 2:25:23 when finishing fourth in Eindhoven in 2011 and has previously won marathons in Shanghai, Lanzhou, Chongqing, Luxembourg and, most recently, the Taipei Wan Jin Shi Marathon in last March.

Nastassia Ivanova of Belarus also has the credentials to make an impact, bringing a 2:27:24 lifetime best to the start line. The 36-year-old came close to her PB when clocking 2:27:49 to finish fifth at the European Championships in Berlin last year.