Running News Daily

Boston Marathon Runners disappointed over Marathon cancellation

The Boston Athletic Association announced this year's event will be held as a virtual event.

Those who were supposed to run the marathon this year can run the course anytime between September 7 and 14.

Runners will be required to complete the distance within six hours and provide proof of timing.    

The president of the Greater Springfield Harriers Running Club says cancelling the marathon was the right move.

"I think myself, like most runners we really understand it. With the marathon just how many runners, where they are coming from, the number of volunteers needed, it's just not the right thing to do,” said Bob Landry of the Greater Springfield Harriers.     

When the marathon was initially postponed on March 12 there were only about 20 COVID-19 cases in Boston but now there are more than 13,000.

Kenya’s long distance runner, Mikel Kiprotich Mutai has been handed a four-year ban with compatriot Japhet Kipchirchir Kipkorir getting a provisional suspension for doping offences

World Athletics’ (WA) Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Friday that it had found Mutai guilty of having tested positive to prohibited substance Norandrosterone.

Mutai’s suspension starts on March 20, 2020 for four years and his results dating back to December 15, 2019 will be nullified.

Mutai and another Kenyan long distance runner Alex Oloitiptip were flagged down on May 13 by AIU for separate violations of anti-doping rules. AIU is yet to determine on Oloitiptip’s case after the athlete was flagged down for his whereabouts violation.

In his last race, Mutai finished third during the Taipei Marathon in 2:17:14 on December 15 last year in Taipei, almost a month after claiming an ninth place finish at Nanchang International Marathon in China in 2:19:06.

Mutai had started the year at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon where he finished eighth in 2:12:54 on February 17, having won the race for the first time in 2016 in 2:12:12.

Mutai, who has personal best 2:09:18 from 2012 Dubai Marathon, would then finish sixth at New Taipei City Marathon in 2:25:32 on March 1 last year.

Mutai started his road running career at the 2008 Nairobi Half Marathon where he finished eighth has a chance to appeal the decision.

Kipkorir, who finished third at 2011 Gold Coast Marathon in personal best 2:10:50, too has tested positive to prohibited substance Norandrosterone.

Mutai, Kipkorir and Oloitiptip join several other Kenyans who have either been banned or under provisional suspension for various doping offences this year by AIU.

They are the 2017 London Marathon champion Daniel Wanjiru, Kennth Kipkemoi, 2014 World Under-20 800m champion Alfred Kipketer and former world marathon record holder, Wilson Kipsang.

Others are Mercy Kibarus, Vincent Kipsegechi Yator and Peter Kwemoi.

CrossFiter Lee Davis set a new record with 16 Murph workouts in 24 hours

This Memorial Day, local Citadel alumni and Rhapsody CrossFit athlete Lee Davis set a new record for consecutive "Murph" workouts completed within 24 hours.

The Murph is a commemorative workout done by athletes around the world on Memorial Day in honor of the late Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL killed in action in Afghanistan in 2005.

Davis completed 16 rounds of the intense workout in 22 hours and 3 minutes. The Murph consists of: 1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, 1 mile run. The prescribed standard is to do the workout in a 20-pound weighted vest, to mimic body armor.

In a press release, Rhapsody head coach Alan Shaw said: "Murph is, hands down, one of the most challenging workouts in CrossFit, but it’s about so much more than being a tough benchmark.

It’s what we as a community do to thank and pay tribute to those who gave their all for us."Davis is no stranger to tough physical challenges. In March he ran a 100-mile ultramarathon, and he hopes to run the length of South Carolina later this summer. 

His Murph application to the Guinness Book of World records is under review.

90-year-old Lew Hollander, plans to complete virtual triathlon to celebrate birthday during pandemic

While alcohol and food purchases soar during the 2020 pandemic and most of the world binges on Netflix, it appears that we have all succumbed to a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle and the Quanran-15 pound weight gain will be a reality.

Then we get a boost of inspiration from someone showing us how to thrive during COVID-19. Lew Hollander, turning 90, will be completing a Virtual Triathlon on his birthday. Lew explains, "Well all the big plans and races for my 9th decade got delayed and/or cancelled by some microbe you cannot even see. So, what to do? On my birthday I am doing the Virtual PDX Triathlon 2020! I get a racing tank, a beach towel, sunglasses, a medal and results and I can do it close to home. I have a photographer, a timer, and my wonderful wife Karen to help! I am excited about that. Everyone should sign up to do it with me!"

The PDX Triathlon is celebrating its 39th year and due to Coronavirus has had to transition to a Virtual event for the first time ever. Athletes compete from May 30th – June 7th and includes a Olympic, Sprint & Super Sprint Triathlon, Duathlon, & AquaBike, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Kids Tri. Since the time period to complete the distances is over a week, many athletes take on the Beast Challenge by racing in multiple distances and events and earning the coveted BEAST medal. Why Racing Events produces the event and has provided athletes with rules and guidelines for participating in a virtual triathlon. Here is a link to the "How the Heck do you do a Virtual Triathlon" summary email which includes a link to the LIVE presentation explaining all the rules.

Their guidelines include details such as:

Where to swim and how to do it safely.

What to do if you don’t feel comfortable swimming due to lack of pool access and training.

Where to bike and how to do it safely.

Where to run and how to do it safely.

How to do transitions and how much time would be allotted between each leg of the race.

How to upload results for each leg of the race.

You can register to race with 90-year-old Lew at https://whyracingevents.com/pdx-triathlon-at-blue-lake/

Sherri McMillan, race director for WHY Racing Events explains “We could have just canceled the race but when you have athletes like Lew, it reminds you that quitting is not an option. Virtual racing is better than nothing and Lew teaches us that when presented with an obstacle, you stay the course! No excuses – just get it done!”

The Boston Marathon has been canceled for the first time in its 124-year history.

The 2020 Boston Marathon has been canceled. 

BAA organizers said Thursday that they instead will have a “virtual event” in which participants who verify that they ran 26.2 miles on their own will receive their finisher’s medal. The race had originally been scheduled for April 20 before being postponed for five months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“While we cannot bring the world to Boston in September, we plan to bring Boston to the world for a historic 124th Boston Marathon,” said Tom Grilk, the CEO of the Boston Athletic Association.

The BAA has announced that the 124th Boston Marathon will be held as a virtual event, following Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s cancellation of the marathon as a mass participation road running event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/tlIdvsU9sq

The B.A.A. will offer a series of virtual events & activities throughout September’s Marathon Week to bring the Boston Marathon experience to the world. This will include exclusive panel discussions, champions interviews, and a downloadable toolkit with signature race elements.

Although the title of Boston Marathon champion is contested by a few dozen elite athletes, the field includes more than 30,000 recreational and charity runners, with as many as 1 million people lined up along the course trek from Hopkinton to Boston’s Back Bay. That presented organizers with a social distancing problem that won’t be solved by the fall.

The cancellation is the first ever for the race, which began in 1897 when 15 men drew a starting line in the dirt in Ashland and headed for the city to commemorate the first modern Olympic Games the previous year. In 1918, the format was modified to a relay due to World War I; the 2013 race was stopped when two bombs exploded at the finish line, several hours after the winners had finished but while many recreational runners were still on the course.

For each of those years, the race was held in April on the state holiday to commemorate the battles in Lexington and Concord that marked the start of the Revolutionary War. Traditionally, the Red Sox have scheduled their first pitch for the morning so baseball fans could wander over to Kenmore Square after the game to see the runners pass by with one mile to go.

In March, when the race was postponed to Sept. 14, Mayor Marty Walsh cited the desire to salvage the estimated $211 million pumped into the city’s economy each year. The Boston Athletic Association and marathon runners also raise about $40 million for charity.

Walsh said at the time that there was no thought of excluding the tens of thousands of amateur runners who consider running Boston a bucket list achievement. The Tokyo Marathon went on as scheduled in March with just over 200 elite runners but not the 38,000 recreational runners who had signed up; spectators at the Los Angeles Marathon were advised to practice social distancing.

“That’s not the Boston Marathon. We’re an inclusive marathon,” Walsh said. “The Boston Marathon is for everyone.”

The 2021 Boston Marathon is scheduled for April 19 and the 125th anniversary edition is scheduled for April 18, 2022.

Reigning Olympic 800 meters champion David Rudisha underwent surgery on Thursday

Reigning Olympic 800 meters champion David Rudisha will be sidelined for up to 16 weeks after fracturing his left ankle in the grounds of his home in Kenya.

His agent Michel Boeting confirmed Rudisha, who also won gold over 800m at London 2012, underwent surgery on Thursday.

A statement read: “On Tuesday, May 19, Rudisha twisted his left ankle at his rural home in Kilgoris, Narok County, Kenya.

“During a walk on the compound the 31-year-old stepped on uneven ground, and initially believed it was not a serious injury.

“He continued with exercises that wouldn’t cause further harm to his ankle but after a lack of improvement over the weekend, he underwent an examination and was diagnosed with an ankle fracture at St Luke’s hospital in Eldoret.

“Rudisha, who is attempting to compete at his third Olympic Games next year, is expected to be out of training for 12 to 16 weeks and hopes to resume rehabilitation after that.”

Rudisha’s winning run at London 2012 came in a world-record time of one minute 40.91 seconds, a record which still stands.

Athletic superstars like Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele will take part in a worldwide virtual team relay marathon next month

Athletic superstars Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, Joshua Cheptegei and Geoffrey Kamworor are to take part in a worldwide virtual team relay marathon next month.

The marathon, which will take place between 6 and 7 June, is open to all athletics fans worldwide.

An initiative of the NN Running team, MA RA TH ON is a virtual team relay marathon race where people around the world can form a team of four to cover the marathon distance.

Each individual runner covers 10.5k so the team completes a full marathon together, alone. This allows participants to safely run solo in their own locations while running in a team via the virtual standings.

“I can say that myself and my teammates are really looking forward to join the relay in this wonderful initiative," said Kipchoge, the world marathon record holder.

"It has been an unusual time whereby all runners had to readjust their plans after having prepared well towards their own goals for this past spring season.

"We all look forward to a positive future and I believe that this a great first step in that direction. Marathon is a sport whereby elite athletes and fun runners are actually all racing in the same race. It’s what makes our sport unique and I find the essence of this to be beautiful.“

China's IOC member Li Lingwei said that the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games could be a chance for athletes to become real champions

"We are all experiencing things that have never happened before in our lives. Once you go through a hard time, you can become a real strongman," Li said.

As the Tokyo Games postponed, the vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee admitted it would affect the preparation of the teams, especially given that the COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading across the world and the time to restart sporting events globally remains uncertain.

"If you are preparing for a competition, you will have a clear goal with inner potential and passion. But if not, the daily training can be very boring," the former badminton world champion said she understood the athletes' feelings.

Despite many obstacles ahead, Li encouraged athletes to take this period as a chance to re-adjust since the situation is fair to everyone.

"Instead of waiting passively, athletes should make full use of this opportunity to self-reflect, recuperate from injuries and tackle shortcomings," the 56-year-old former legendary shuttler suggested.

"Today's hard work may not immediately pay off tomorrow, but will eventually bring you good results in the future."

Li, who is also a deputy to the National People's Congress of China, believed next year's Olympic Games will be a comprehensive examination, where athletes could show the world how they arranged their training and lives during the pandemic.

"Will you be fully prepared? Will you have your skills improved? Can you accept a high-intensive game schedule? An excellent athlete is not someone who only runs fast or jumps high, but one who is capable of dealing with various situations and having comprehensive abilities," Li noted.

"From this perspective, I think the champion of the Tokyo Olympics is the real champion."

The Tokyo Games will kick off on July 23, 2021, with Beijing Winter Olympics being held six months later.

Speaking of the legacies of Beijing 2022, Li focused on mental ones, saying "sports play an important role in children's education."

"Physical education is not only about doing exercises but to let the children learn to respect the rules, their rivals and referees, and know how to face success and failure, cooperation and competition," she pointed out.

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge distributes food and face masks to athletes at Kaptagat in Elgeyo-Marakwet County

Eliud Kipchoge has appealed to more well-wishers to contribute towards the Covid-19 food stimulus programme for athletes, saying he’s eager to see the programme roll out to the rest of Kenya.

So far, the focus of the relief food has been in the Rift Valley region where the Olympic champion has himself distributed food to athletes in Kericho, Nandi, Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties through the Ministry of Sport, his Eliud Kipchoge Foundation and other well-wishers.

On Wednesday, Kipchoge was in Elgeyo-Marakwet County again to assist athletes in his training base of Kaptagat after well-wishers Zaharia Hassanali and family in collaboration with Eliud Kipchoge Foundation gifted 24 athletes with food aid.

Kipchoge said many athletes have been suffering and need support because they can’t train on empty stomachs, forcing him to reach out to various corporates to help reach the vulnerable.

With more support from well-wishers, Kipchoge said he will go across the country to help athletes, footballers, volleyball players and any other sportspersons in dire need of support.

“I have been doing this for four weeks now, and I’m trying to reach those athletes who are vulnerable,” the world marathon record holder said.

“Today, I managed to meet 24 athletes who benefited from the exercise. I know how tough it is to train in an empty stomach and I will always support the upcoming in this exercise including those who are in other events.

“In these hard times, I know what the athletes are going through, and I would urge for more support so that together we can beat this pandemic which has affected the athletes’ lives.”

With elite runners depending on races across the globe, cessation of sports events due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus has forced the athletes into a tight financial corner.

Kipchoge also thanked Sara Janmohamed, who made 100 masks for the Olympic champion’s foundation, urging more youths to be innovative.

“I was touched by Janmohamed, who is still in secondary school, who was able to make 100 masks which I have also distributed to athletes. I would like to urge the youths to be more proactive in the fight against the Covid-19,” he said.

He urged athletes to continue training hard hoping that the next season would be better if the virus is contained.

“For now, apart from the food distribution, safety is more paramount but when competition resumes we shall come out stronger as athletes as we look forward to a better season,” said Kipchoge.

Kipchoge is preparing for the much awaited duel with Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele at the rescheduled London Marathon on October 4.

“Right now, safety is my priority and I will soon be starting my training and when that time comes, I will be able to tell you my training programme,” added Kipchoge.

Ismail Cheboror, one of the athletes who benefited yesterday, said he was touched by the support from the athletics legend and he is looking forward to be like him in future.

“I’m happy for the support I have received which will keep me going in my training. “Kipchoge is God-sent and I want to be like him in future because he always inspires me,” said Cheboror.

Sarah Jelagat, who is a road racer, couldn’t hide her joy after receiving her food ration, saying she has been struggling to put food on the table.

“I was preparing for a road race in the United States of America in March, but it was cancelled due to the virus and since then I have just been training to keep fit,” said Jelagat.

The 2020 St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon & 1/2 Marathon has been moved to Nov. 21

The 21st annual race originally was scheduled for April 25. It was postponed on March 18 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials released this statement Tuesday:

"We appreciate the continued patience of our participants since our last update. Over the past weeks we have worked diligently with various host city partners to determine potential options and secure a new race date. After assessing all event scenarios, we are pleased to share the 2020 St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & 1/2 Marathon, has been rescheduled for November 21, 2020."

All registered participants of the event will receive an email with further information. The marathon and half marathon annually draw about 30,000 participants along with more than 20,000 spectators.

The starting line is on Lower Broadway, and the finish line is at Nissan Stadium for both races. 

Hendersonville's Scott Wietecha has won the last seven Nashville marathons.

Ex-800m World champ Eunice Sum eyes Olympic medal

The 2013 800 meters world champion Eunice Sum is focusing on winning an Olympic medal over the distance.

She has been training alone at her home in the leafy suburb of Elgon View in Eldoret following a government directive to ban social gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Nation Sport caught up with her at her maize farm in Ngeria, Uasin Gishu County.

Sum said that she is looking forward to a better season when competition resumes in the new schedule of the Wanda Diamond League in August after some meetings were cancelled owing to Covid-19.

“I have been following a training programme sent to us by our coach, though it’s challenging to train alone. We are used to group training which motivates us to persevere,” she said.

Sum is back to the drawing board after three races she was supposed to compete in were called off across the globe because of the virus.

She hopes to use the Diamond League races to sharpen her skills ahead of the Olympics Games that were moved to next year.

“I was in good shape for the cancelled races. I now want to use the Diamond League races to rectify small mistakes as I focus on the Olympic Games,” she said.

The athlete is also preparing to participate in the World Athletics Continental Tour which was moved to September 26 in Nairobi.

“All is not lost, and my training has been going on well. I want to improve my personal best time,” Sum said.

Concerning the Olympics Games, she said she has enough time to prepare. Her aim is to win a medal.

“My goal at the Olympics Games will be a top three finish because I’m missing an Olympic medal in my cabinet of trophies,” added Sum.

Less than 300 days to go for Bathurst 2021 Cross Country Athletics World Championships

In less than 300 days’ time, the world’s best distance athletes will descend on New South Wales in Australia for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 2021 on 20 March.

The weekend will include mass participation races, highlighted by a golden ticket event where amateur athletes will race for the chance to compete against the world’s best in the senior championship races. The event will also include the Australian cross country club challenge, which will pit athletics clubs from across the country against one another, racing for bragging rights as the best cross country club in the nation.

Brenda LaPorte, Chair of the Local Organising Committee, said organisers are working hard to fulfil the vision for the event with an outstanding athletic experience, a true celebration of the sport and Australian culture.

“The 2019 championships in Denmark certainly raised the bar and in 2021 we’re looking to take the World Athletics Cross Country Championships to an even higher level,” said LaPorte.

“We’re planning that everyone who visits Bathurst for the championships leaves with the memory of a truly unique, and warmly welcome, regional Australian experience.

“I’m also pleased to say that we will host an invitational para cross country race, which is the first time that para cross country has featured in a World Athletics Cross Country Championships.”

A technical and challenging championship course awaits participants with constant changes in terrain, elevation and direction breaking up a runner’s rhythm. The course has an uphill start and incorporates unique features such as the billabong and a run through a vineyard and its stunning autumn foliage. The senior races will comprise five loops of the two-kilometre course.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe is looking forward to attending the event.

“I want to express my thanks to Athletics Australia, the NSW Government through Destination NSW, and the team at World Athletics for their efforts in producing what will be an extraordinary championship,” Coe said.

“This has been an exceptionally challenging year for the community and for sport globally, so I’m very excited about the prospect of a return to world championship competition next year. Bathurst promises to be a great celebration of sport, from elite to community level. I really love cross country. These championships will not only feature the best distance runners of their generation, but possibly of all time. I encourage anyone with young people in their family to attend as this is a truly inspiring event.”

Spectators at the event can expect action-packed racing on a looped course with easy access to all areas, along with a range of off-track entertainment and activities to keep the whole family engaged. For fans unable to get to Bathurst, the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 2021 will feature a live international television broadcast and live stream with more than 60 countries expected to broadcast the event.

“This will be the first World Athletics event to be held in Australia for 25 years, so it will be fantastic to welcome 550 elite runners from more than 60 countries to the famed Bathurst racetrack to compete,” said Stuart Ayres, New South Wales’ Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney.

Legendary Australian runner Rob de Castella is Head of Delegation for the Australian Team and said the host nation’s athletes have plenty of motivation to perform.

“Having only ever had one winner of the event, when Benita Willis blitzed the world back in 2004, the Australian team will need to overcome history,” he said. “But I know they are excited to race in front of a large, parochial home crowd who will spur them on. The team will also be inspired to etch their names into the sporting folklore of Bathurst’s Mount Panorama alongside other Australian sporting greats.”

Over 18,000 Global Runners from 95 nations will Take Part in 6K, 10K or Remix Challenge Rock 'n' Roll VR5

The global community of walkers and runners came together for the fifth edition in the Rock ‘n’ Roll® Virtual Running™ (VR™) Series, Rock ‘n’ Roll VR5, with over 18,000 people from 95 nations and 47 states registered to step up to the virtual start line. Rock ‘n’ Roll VR5 gave participants the opportunity to challenge themselves with two different race distances that included 10K and 6K options. In addition, the Remix Challenge was offered for those who took on both distances, with finishers earning access to three medals through the Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Finisher Bundles.Participants were able to compete anywhere, indoors or outdoors, as long as the distance of their choosing was completed in one session between Friday, May 22 at 2 p.m. ET and event close Sunday, May 24 at 7:59 p.m. ET.

Participants in Rock ‘n’ Roll VR5 came from around the world and ranged in age from 18 to 82. The United States led the way with over 9,000 walkers and runners followed by the United Kingdom (over 800), Canada (over 700), Mexico (over 500) and Portugal (over 250).

Other nations represented included Bangladesh, Cuba, Ireland, Jamaica, Lithuania, Poland, South Korea and Thailand, among others. Of the 47 U.S. states represented, the greatest number came from California, followed by Texas, Virginia, New Jersey and Florida.

Nations joining a Rock 'n' Roll VR event for the first time were Afghanistan, Bermuda, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Syria, among others. To date, over 37,000 people from across the globe have joined the Rock ‘n’ Roll® Virtual Running Club platform, giving them access to the series of weekly races, challenges, and rewards. Just under 8,000 participants took on a Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club™ Challenge leading up to Rock ‘n’ Roll VR5.

Several separate running and workout-based challenges were offered with the opportunity for special prizes such as a pair of Rock ‘n’ Roll Launch 7 by Brooks Running Company sneakers, a Rock ‘n’ Roll 26.2 or 13.1 Medal Display Hanger, and a Rock ‘n’ Roll by Brooks Running Company Run Club Stealth long-sleeve shirt + Rock ‘n’ Roll Cascadia 7” pair of shorts.

The challenges included the Brooks: Find Some Run Happy III Challenge, St. Jude: 100% Worth It Challenge, and George's Squatathon Challenge.

Ingebrigtsen v Cheruiyot: Impossible Games take shape

A world record attempt in the hurdles, a star-studded pole vault battle and a long distance showdown between Norway and Kenya in the middle distance will all be on the agenda when the Impossible Games take place in Oslo next month. 

Kenyan middle-distance star and reigning 1500m Diamond League Champion Timothy Cheruiyot is to go head to head with Norway’s Ingebrigtsen brothers in a one-off, team event at the Bislett Impossible Games next month. 

The Ingebrigtsens will run in Bislett while Cheruiyot-led rival team will compete in Nairobi, in what Oslo meeting director Steinar Hoen described as “the first virtual race at such a level in the history of athletics”.

The Maurie Plant Memorial Race, named in honour of the former Bislett organising committee stalwart, will see the two teams battle it out in an innovative new format over 2000 metres.

Both teams will start with five runners and end with three, and the winner will be the team with the best overall time from their top three runners. 

A Wanda Diamond League exhibition event, the Impossible Games were conceived by Bislett Games organisers to allow this year's Oslo Diamond League meeting to go ahead under Norway's coronavirus regulations. 

Instead of the usual, elite-level hunt for Diamond League points, the Impossible Games will instead showcase the innovative spirit of athletics with a series of set-piece exhibition events. 

Beyond the 2000m battle, the programme is taking shape for the Games, which will take place at Bislett Stadium on June 11. 

Confirmed events now include:

A long-distance pole vault showdown involving world-record holder Mondo Duplantis and record Diamond League Champion Renaud Lavillenie.

A 300m hurdles world record attempt from World Champion and Norwegian star Karsten Warholm

A Norway vs Finland duel in the women’s 200m hurdles

An all-Scandinavian discus competition involving Swedish World Champion Daniel Ståhl.

A Norwegian record attempt over 1000m by Filip Ingebrigtsen. 

The meeting will be shown on Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, with commentary from British middle-distance legend and 2000m European record holder Steve Cram.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe has lifted the country's state of emergency after a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Tokyo 2020 host nation

Japan declared the state of emergency on April 16 after fearing a second wave of infection from the virus, and further extended it in early May.

Its introduction came a week after Tokyo, Osaka and five other urban areas had restrictions placed on them from April 7.

Many areas of the nation had previously seen the restrictions lifted, but now the remaining five prefectures will join them.

These are the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, its neighbouring areas of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama and the northern island of Hokkaido.

The nation has seen a fall in confirmed cases over the past month, recording its lowest number of new daily cases yesterday since February 29 with 14.

It has also seen a fall in the number of active cases, reaching a peak of 11,443 on April 28 with the number now down to 2,317.

However, the city and host of the 2020 Olympics, Tokyo, saw a return to double figures for confirmed cases in a day, suggesting that the threat of infection is still there.

"We had very stringent criteria for lifting the state of emergency," Abe said in a televised press conference today.

"We have judged that we have met this criteria.

"Today we will lift the state of emergency nationwide."

Economic Revitalisation Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told a panel today, according to Kyodo News, that the state of emergency is "no longer necessary in all prefectures".

Nishimura had suggested yesterday that this would be the announcement made with confirmed cases falling.

The day before Japan entered its state of emergency the country had 741 confirmed cases in a single day – the second highest daily rate after 743 new cases were reported on April 11.

There will still be some restrictions put in place by the Government, with citizens asked not to cross prefectural borders until the end of the month.

The first phase of lifting restrictions will see museums and libraries reopen, while restaurants will be open during the day, closing at 10pm which is two hours later than the state of emergency rules.

A second phase could start at the end of the month, which sources suggest could see shops and cinemas reopen.

However, places like gyms, karaoke bars and music venues will still be closed.

To date, there have been more than 16,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Japan, resulting in the deaths of 820 people.

The outbreak caused the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics until next year.

However, doubts remain about the rearranged Games taking place if COVID-19 remains prevalent. 

The Lisbon Half Marathon, which had been rescheduled for September 6 2020, has again been postponed due to the pandemic, and now it will take place on May 9 2021

The EDP Lisbon Half Marathon, which had been rescheduled for September 6, 2020, has again been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. It will now take place on  May 9, 2021.

Portugal recently extended the ban on major events until at least 30 September. Rules around social distancing, mandatory use of face masks, capacity limits for enclosed spaces and an ongoing civic duty to remain home mean the organisers of the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon have had to take the decision to postpone the event to next year.

All runners registered for 2020 are now automatically registered for 9 May 2021. They will be emailed with the instructions on how to either: Confirm participation in 2021 on 9 May; exchange their registration for a voucher that can be used in 2021 or 2022 editions, or; transfer their registration to someone else, at no charge

The 36-month time limit for completing the series and becoming a “SuperRunner” only begins after the first race is completed.

Updated 2020 Race Calendar

The races in Prague (rescheduled for September 6), Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valencia are still scheduled to go ahead but the situation is changing daily in every country and government advice is updating.

2020 Gold Coast Marathon has been cancelled due to the pandemic

Organizers have confirmed that the 41st edition of the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon, due to be held on the weekend of 4-5 July, has been cancelled.

Plans for the race were put on hold in March but the organizers still hoped to deliver an event as scheduled.

The organisers’ statement read: “The Queensland Government’s strong approach to addressing the COVID-19 threat which includes restricted gatherings, reduced travel opportunities and a declaration that the Queensland Public Health Emergency has been extended to 17 August 2020 makes it impossible to deliver this year’s event.

“We have already started to work with our strategic partners, sponsors, and stakeholders to make sure the 2021 edition scheduled for 3-4 July will be a very special and memorable event.

“An exciting free virtual running event will be available this July and details will be released very soon.

“Those runners who have already registered for the 2020 Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon, will be contacted directly about the processing of registration fee refunds.”

Spanish ultrarunner Pau Capell says he plans on running the 171K UTMB Mont-Blanc route even though the race is cancelled

On May 20, race organizers for the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc announced that the 2020 edition was officially cancelled. The UTMB features seven events (all of which start in Chamonix every August), the most famous being the gruelling 171K ultra that takes runners through the Alps in France, Italy and Switzerland.

Runners around the world were of course disappointed when the race was called off, no matter how inevitable that cancellation seemed to be. The men’s champion from 2019, Pau Capell of Spain, isn’t accepting the cancellation, and he has announced that he will be running the route on his own in late August.

Capell made this announcement soon after the UTMB was officially cancelled (just two days later), posting on Twitter and Instagram to say, “I will run UTMB! Alone, without a bib and with my support team.” He also posted that he plans to start the run at 6 p.m. on August 28, four days after the event was set to officially start.

There are many issues that could arise and ruin Capell’s plan, including potential travel restrictions and further lockdowns in his home country of Spain or in France. Both countries were under strict lockdowns for the past two months, and restrictions have only recently been loosened in each country.

Many public health officials around the world have forecast a second wave of the coronavirus, so by August, Spain, France and the rest of the world could be back in lockdown, which would stop Capell from going.

There’s also the moral question of whether it’s OK to go and do this race when it’s been cancelled. UTMB organizers called the race off because it was the best way to keep everyone safe, and although Capell running on his own with a small support crew is much different than thousands of runners coming to race the UTMB events, it’s still a questionable decision.

Capell is an experienced ultrarunner, and he will undoubtedly come well prepared with enough supplies and a good crew, but there’s the possibility that people will follow in his footsteps and take on the UTMB solo as well. If this happens, it’s very possible that other runners won’t be as well prepared as Capell, and that could create issues for themselves and other runners around them.

If Capell is able to go through with his solo run, it will be interesting to see how it goes. When he won the race in 2019, he covered the 171K course in 20:19:07. It’s hard to imagine that he could beat that time without the adrenaline shot delivered from a real race with cheering spectators and other competitors, but we’ll just have to wait and see what type of run he can produce if the time comes.

The Oslo Bislett Games has created a unique clash between Team Ingebrigtsen and Team Cheruiyot as part of the Impossible Games

While the Covid-19 outbreak has prevented Wanda Diamond League meetings from going ahead in their usual fashion, the Oslo Bislett Games has created a unique clash between Team Ingebrigtsen and Team Cheruiyot as part of the ‘Impossible Games’ on June 11th.

Racing over 2000m, the Ingebrigtsen brothers – Henrik, Filip and Jakob – will run at the Bislett Stadum, while world 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot and 2017 world champion Elijah Manangoi will form part of ‘Team Cheruyitot’ and will run in Nairobi.

The race will be shown on international TV as a split screen competition and is named ‘The Maurie Plant Memorial’ in honour of the Australian athletics agent who passed away in January.

“This will be the first virtual race at such a level in the history of athletics,” said meeting director Steinar Hoen.

“Maurie loved middle-distance running and he loved Bislett,” added Hoen. “But he also loved non-traditional arrangements of events. In his earlier years, serving the athletics family, he was the mastermind behind countless matches between countries around the world. Our idea is to honor him with such an event which is completely in line with everything he loved.”

Both teams will start with five runners and will have to finish with three. The winner of the match will be the team with the best overall time for three runners.

Individual times will count as well, and the Ingebrigtsen brothers will have one eye on the European record of 4:51.39 held by Steve Cram, who will be commentating on the race.

“Athletics Kenya is fully supportive of this creative idea from the Oslo DL,” added Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei. “Serious racing within a safe environment while also entertainment for avid athletics fans the world over is to be welcomed. Our planning has begun, and we thank Oslo for involving us.”

The 2020 edition of the UTMB might be cancelled, but now you can look back and enjoy the 2019 race coverage for free

This week, the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc was officially cancelled for 2020, and as a result, race organizers are releasing the 2019 event footage to runners and fans for free. This would have been the eighteenth edition of the trail race, but athletes will have to wait until 2021 to race through France, Italy and Switzerland again.

Luckily, fans of the event can rewatch last year’s run, and although it’s not as good as the 2020 race going ahead as planned, it’s still some good news in these hard times. The race footage can be viewed at the Endurance Sports TV website.

The UTMB is an event with seven different races, all of which take place in Chamonix, France, each August. The biggest of these events is the 171K UTMB Mont-Blanc race, which takes runners through the the Alps in France, Italy and Switzerland. Runners also have to climb more than 10,000m over the 100-mile event, which is higher than Mount Everest.

It is an epic race and challenge, and each year thousands of runners travel to France to see how they fare in one of the seven races (although a third of the UTMB Mont-Blanc runners don’t make it to the finish line). If you’ve never watched this event, you’ll definitely want to check it out.

“The UTMB is a huge event to be cancelled this year, yet we don’t want fans to miss out, and have therefore opened up all of last year’s content for free,” said co-founder of Endurance Sports TV Paul Shanley. “We hope that this will give runners the next best thing to look back on all of the action from 2019.”

The 2019 edition of the UTMB saw thrilling results, including American Courtney Dauwalter‘s win in 24 hours, 34 minutes and 26 seconds. This was Dauwalter’s first try at the UTMB, and she nailed it, beating the second-place female, Kristin Berglund of Sweden, by almost exactly an hour. Dauwalter finished in 21st place overall, and she was the second American finisher, crossing the line just seven minutes after fellow American Jason Schlarb.

Rewatching this event, or watching it for the first time, is a great way to get motivated for your own training. It can be tough to find inspiration to train right now during COVID-19 with no races to work toward, but watching UTMB 2019 will certainly give you the boost you need to get back into action.

World half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor is hopeful of making one more attempt to win the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia in 2021

Kamworor lost his title last year in Denmark, representing his first defeat in cross country in four attempts as he finished third.

Now, the 27-year-old believes he will overcome the health and safety challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic to return to action and dominate cross country once more to win his third title as a senior.

"We shall bounce back stronger," Kamworor said on Monday. "However, what is important now is to stay safe, remain focused and stay positive. It is temporary what we are witnessing. Together we shall overcome."

Mount Panorama in Bathurst is better known as the home of Australia's premier endurance motor race, but next March 20 it will welcome the world's best endurance runners for what will be Australia's first World Athletics Series event in 25 years.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said he is looking forward to attending the event.

"I want to express my thanks to the efforts made in producing what will be an extraordinary championship," Coe said.

"This has been an exceptionally challenging year for the community and for sport globally, so I'm very excited about the prospect of a return to world championship competition next year."

Coe also noted that cross country is important to World Athletics, adding that there are no plans to remove it from the calendar.

"Bathurst promises to be a great celebration of sport, from elite to community level. I really love cross country. These championships will not only feature the best distance runners of their generation, but possibly of all time. I encourage anyone with young people in their family to attend as this is a truly inspiring event," he said.

Of the World Athletics Series events that were scheduled for 2020, only the World Half Marathon Championships will go ahead this year, on 17 October in Gdynia, Poland.

The World Indoor Championships will be held in Nanjing in March 2021, but the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, and the World Race Walking Team Championships in Minsk, Belarus have yet to be rescheduled.

New Zealand Daniel Jones has said he wants to extend his stay in Kenya during the lockdown period, to help with preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Originally set for a five-week stay in the East African country, Jones faced a dilemma when nations began to close borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic .

Instead of returning home the 29-year-old chose to stay in the revered town of Iten, a haven for distance runners around the world, and has now lived there for three months.

Speaking to Newshub, Jones said he definitely misses his life at home, but knows it will be worth the sacrifice.

"I miss my partner in New Zealand, but in the long term, I think it's going to be very beneficial for my running and if this helps me put on the New Zealand singlet, then it's all worth it," he said.

He will look to join Kiwis Zane Robertson and Malcolm Hicks, who both have the qualifying standard for Tokyo 2020 after running within the 2 hours 11min 30sec time-frame. 

With Tokyo 2020 postponed to next year because of COVID-19, Jones has more time to reach the standard.

However, he will have to cut around five minutes off his personal best to make the team, having ran 2:16:15 in Gold Coast in Australia in July.

His decision to stay in Kenya could be beneficial, as he remained healthy on nutritious foods while New Zealand was under tight restrictions.

Robertson, who has benefited from training in Iten, spoke highly of Jones' potential.

"Dan is genetically gifted, he's very humble, but he also has belief in himself," he said.

"He's got the guts, he's got the right type of attitude to make it."

Having been cancelled due to the pandemic, this year’s Lewa Safari Marathon will be staged virtually, with Eliud Kipchoge leading the way

On Saturday, Kipchoge ran in a practice session at the Conservancy alongside Lewa Rangers to help drum up support for the virtual race.

The fastest marathoner in the world teamed up with World Half Marathon giant Geoffrey Kamworor alongside two other athletes, Philemon Rono and Jonathan Rotich.

Kipchoge’s presence at the Conservancy located in Kenya’s North was a boost for the wildlife rangers and Tusk’s Director of Programmes in Africa, Sarah Watson who joined them on the run.

“I urge everybody to participate and just run where they are. We are all part of the human family and we must keep strong, stay fit, observe directives from our government, and know this situation is not permanent.”

“I have never taken part in the Lewa (Safari) Marathon before, but it was very inspiring to run with the rangers today in this beautiful conservancy and motivate them. I would ask the rangers to continue doing a good job, because they are conserving our wildlife and environment.”

Kipchoge struck through the picturesque Lewa terrain, with a mouth-watering background of grazing elephants and buffalos as the Rangers struck in tow, looking to keep up with the pace of a world beater.

It was a win-win day for Kipchoge who also got to experience a different set-up from his Eldoret base where he has been training in isolation since all athletics camps were closed as the world battles to control the spread of the coronavirus.

“My team and I are honored and very excited to have run with Eliud and his team today. Eliud is our brother, friend and supporter who recognizes the challenges that we face as wildlife rangers. This run has boosted our morale and encouraged us to keep going in this difficult time,” said Edward Ndiritu, Lewa’s Head of Anti-Poaching.

Athletes who will have registered will run from wherever they are as they continue supporting the marathon which had hoped to raise close to Sh500mn this year to aid in Lewa’s conservancy projects.

This year’s race was set to be supported by Safaricom and Huawei, with Safaricom having stepped down their annual financial support and instead joined up with the Chinese electronics company to raise the annual budget.

Leo Daschbach Ran a sub four minute mile Saturday night to join the HS list of just 11 who have done it

It took just .46 seconds for Leo Daschbach to reaffirm his status as the greatest high school boys distance runner in Arizona history on Saturday night May 24. 

The Gilbert Highland senior, who is also The Republic's reigning Boys Track and Field and Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year, won the last race of his legendary high school running career at the Quarantine Clasico at Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), finishing under the coveted 4-minute mark on a 3:59:54 time.

That puts him in ninth place in the nation's history among the 11 boys who broke the sub-4 mile and the first to reach the mark since 2017. Daschbach is the fourth person reach that time alongside Jim Ryun, Lukas Verzbicas and Michael Slagowski in a high school-only race, according to LetsRun.

“I’m really not surprised because this kid is a one-percenter. I’ve been in this sport 50 years and I’ve never seen anything like this," Highland boys track and field coach David Montgomery said.

The achievement makes Daschbach the best miler in state history. In addition, Daschbach got his second all-time national mark within a year after earned the second-best all-time mark in the 5K at the Desert Twilight cross country meet in September. 

On the final 200 meters of the mile race, Daschbach stormed from behind and went from the fourth to first place runner in his six-person heat and ran a stunning final lap. Knowing his clocked time at the 3:02.74 minute mark in the penultimate lap, he needed to catch up on 57.25.

"I was pretty much just focused on the moment and the race, making the right moves and when to surge," Daschbach said via text message. "I didn’t even know how close I was until I came across 100 meters left and saw 3:46 on the clock."

The Washington commit increasingly pulled away from his competition down the home stretch, leaving Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Col.) senior runner Cole Sprout to end in second place. Sprout just missed the sub-4 at 4:02.42.

Similar to the Quarantine Clasico, Sprout also came in second behind Daschbach at the Desert Twilight by a mere 2 seconds. 

Daschbach didn't believe that he could hit the sub-4. However, Montgomery said that Daschbach gained a new confidence over the past few weeks in his workouts and that this rare feat was within his reach.

"He (recently) ran another mile at 4:07 and from his time trial, he just didn’t feel it that day. He’s really been crushing workouts before this thing got going with these six kids doing this (Quarantine Clasico) in California," Montgomery said. "His leg speed is just phenomenal. That last lap, you can’t teach that. He’s very competitive and he doesn’t really care about records. He runs to win.

"He told me this a couple years ago: 'Coach, if you put me in a race, I’m running to win. If I win, great, and if I don’t, that’s OK, too.'”

Exercise and the Immune System

There seem to be two groups of people, those who “never get sick” and those who are chronically under the weather. Over the years, I have been a member of both camps. While I have previously suffered from overtraining syndrome and had what felt like chronic upper respiratory infections–which I wrote about in this RunFar article–I have more recently (and despite teaching high-school kids) avoided colds, flus, and other bugs. I’m sure writing that sentence will cause me to soon fall ill, though!

Why do we seem to get sick more often sometimes, and less sick in others? How does our immune system work to protect us from illness? And in what ways does exercise impact our immune system’s function? These are important questions for a community that enjoys pushing our bodies, sometimes in fairly extreme ways.

The Basics of the Immune System

I’ve mentioned this before and I think it’s worth mentioning again now: the human body is an incredibly clever system that works surprisingly well most of the time! One particularly clever element is our immune system. The immune system’s job is to protect you from outside intruders such as antigens (any toxin or foreign substance), including pathogens (bacterium, virus, or microorganism that can cause disease). Your immune system is broken into two main responses: innate immunity which is often referred to as non-specific immunity and adaptive immunity which is known as specific immunity

graphic showing how the immune system is broken down into two major response types, innate and adaptive immunity, and what those responses involve. Image: Hackney, A. C. (2013). Clinical management of immuno-suppression in athletes associated with exercise training: Sports medicine considerations. Acta Medica Iranica, 51(11), 751–756.

The innate immune system is referred to as non-specific because it mounts the same response each time no matter the type of intruder. The innate immune response includes what are known as your first and second lines of defense. The first line of defense includes not only physical barriers like your skin, but also chemical defenses like sweat, stomach acid, tears, mucus linings, and saliva. The second line of defense can be considered a chemical defense, in this case involving a variety of white blood cells. The white blood cells primarily responsible in the innate system are called neutrophils and macrophages. Both of these cell types are phagocytes, which means their job is to protect us via the process of phagocytosis (engulfing and digesting things that do not belong).ow a macrophage (the biggest of the phagocytes) identifies an intruder, engulfs it, and then uses enzymes in its lysosome to “digest” the invader. The macrophage then releases “signals” (in the form of cytokines) to sound the alarm to other cells. Image: Letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-in-context/immune-response

The adaptive immune response, called the specific response and the third line of defense, is a more complex chemical response because of how it learns to identify different antigens and is acquired over our lifetime starting from the moment we make our entrance into this world. Like the innate immune response, the adaptive response utilizes white blood cells to identify and destroy intruders, this time relying on a type of white blood cell called a lymphocyte. Lymphocytes are special in the sense that they develop memory when exposed to antigens, so that when you are exposed to them again your body is better prepared to fight them off. We develop our adaptive immunity from both natural exposures to antigens over the course of our lifetime and via other exposures like vaccines.

Moderate Aerobic Exercise is Good for the Immune System

Despite the field of exercise immunology being a relatively new area of scientific study with 90% of papers published after 1990, original studies date back over a century (4). Early research focused specifically on exercise-induced changes in cell counts (how many white blood cells were present before and after exercise of different intensities). From this vast body of scientific literature, we know that daily moderate exercise (up to 60 minutes of easy aerobic exercise) provides an overall “boost” to our immune system’s function, increasing our resistance to mild infections like the common cold (8). This is due to the enhanced recirculation of immunoglobulins (proteins that help recognize specific antigens), anti-inflammatory cytokines (molecules that help regulate inflammatory response), neutrophils (part of our innate immune response), and lymphocytes (part of our adaptive immune response) (4).

Can Exercise Be Bad for the Immune System?

If 60 minutes of aerobic exercise is good for our immune system, then is more better? It’s quite possible that you’ve become sick shortly after a big effort or goal race, and that’s exactly what researchers have found in widely published studies in the 1980s continuing through the present. These studies illustrate that infectious episodes (reported upper respiratory infection [URI] symptoms) increased after taking part in large endurance events. This includes a study from the 1982 Two Oceans Marathon–actually a 56-kilometer ultramarathon–where one third of the participants self-reported URI symptoms within two weeks of the race (4, 5). This and many other studies (generally conducted on major road marathon participants) helped to form the idea behind an exercise immunology theory known as the open window theory (5, 6).

The open window theory is the idea that after an intensive exercise session (either a long or hard effort) there is a period of time, generally three to 72 hours, where you have an increased susceptibility to illness. This was supported by what appeared to be a dramatic falloff of circulating lymphocytes (in particular natural killer cells, a subset of lymphocytes called T cells) post-exercise (1, 2). These values were shown to be as much as 40% below baseline cell counts (2). This was concerning because the initial studies reporting this rapid lymphocyte reduction also reported large rates of cell death (2).

That sounds bad. Well, those initial cell-death values were never substantiated–phew!–but where are the lymphocytes going if they are not dying? It turns out that lymphocytes are believed to shift to more peripheral locations in the body where they are more likely to encounter an antigen, such as in the lungs or gut (2). Think of this as white blood cell redeployment in which there is enhanced immune surveillance following strenuous exercise.

What Should Athletes Do to Decrease Illness Risk?

If we know that multiple factors influence our immune systems, what can each of us do to make sure our immune system functions properly? Address those factors!

Monitor your exercise workload. Adequate stress plus adequate rest equals optimal physiological improvement. But when this is thrown out of alignment and physical stress accumulates without appropriate rest, impairments in your immune system function may occur and result in an increased risk of getting sick (8). Regular exercise is good for your immune system, but a training load that is too high for too long can take its toll. Be sure to read our article on overtraining syndrome to learn more about the stress-rest balance.

Consider fueling strategies during exercise and avoid overall nutritional deficiency and caloric restriction. The scientific literature suggests that ingesting carbohydrates during prolonged or intense activity is associated with reduced stress hormones and reductions in inflammation. Additionally, maintaining a balanced and diverse diet that meets your needs and energy demands to match your training, including proper hydration, is important (2).

Practice good hygiene. Avoid close contact with individuals who are or have been sick recently, frequently wash your hands throughout the day, and avoid touching your face (nose, mouth, and eyes).

Practice stress management. Although short-term stress (like exercise) might have a positive effect on your immune system, chronic stress does not. Chronic stress can suppress your immune responses by decreasing the numbers and functionality of lymphocytes, and dysregulating your innate and adaptive immune responses (7).

Get adequate sleep. Sleep disturbances can depress your immune system, increase inflammation, and promote other poor health outcomes. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Learn more about how sleep and your immune system interact in our in-depth sleep article.

Evaluate your touchpoints with others. Be considerate of how you interact with the world around you, including at running events and races. Consider fist bumps over high fives, be considerate of how you interact with race volunteers, and minimize what you touch at aid stations. (I have a habit of touching everything.) Be cognizant of not only your own health, but also the health of others. Practicing good hygiene isn’t limited to only when it’s convenient.

A final decision will be made within the next two weeks weather the Boston Marathon will be held this Fall

A final decision will be made in the next week or two about whether to hold the Boston Marathon in September, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said Friday.

“The decision needs to be made soon,” Walsh told WGBH News. “You can’t cancel the marathon four days ahead of time.”

The decision also won’t be made lightly, Walsh said, noting that other cities that postponed marathons haven’t yet canceled them.

Earlier in the week, Walsh said the decision to reschedule the marathon from April to Sept. 14 was made with the hope that the disease “would no longer be a significant public health risk.”

Since then, thousands of Massachusetts residents have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, and precautions like social distancing, the use of masks in public spaces, and bans on large public gatherings remain in effect.

The Boston Athletic Association told WBZ-TV on Tuesday that it is “actively exploring all options for this year’s race.”

Walsh said that he has been tested both for COVID-19 and the antibodies produced from exposure to the virus. The Democrat said he tested negative for COVID-19 and is still waiting for results from the antibody test.

Inside Zach Bitter’s 100-Mile Treadmill World Record

For many runners, running for even 10 minutes on a treadmill feels like torture. But on Saturday, May 16, Zach Bitter spent 12 hours, nine minutes, and 15 seconds on a treadmill. That’s how long the 33-year-old ultrarunner needed to break the 100-mile treadmill world record, averaging a 7:18 per mile pace.

Bitter is no stranger to the distance or that speed. Back in August, he captured the 100-mile world record on an indoor track in Wisconsin, finishing in 11:19:13—nearly an hour faster than he did on Saturday—with an average pace of 6:48.

However, though the distances were the same, the approach and execution were completely different this time around.

“The biggest thing was that I needed mental refreshers,” Bitter told Runner’s World. “On the track, I felt anxious if I stopped, like I was wasting time. On the treadmill, it was almost necessary to break, even if I was just switching treadmills.”

Bitter, who had two NordicTrack X22i Incline Trainers treadmills set up in his home for the event, didn’t do many test runs ahead of the event. He did know that the machines would time out after a few hours, so he switched between the two. Also, that gave him a safety net in case one malfunctioned.

He and his wife Nicole, who served as a one-woman crew for him, only ran into two issues. Because they were running the two treadmills, two camera setups, a fan, and an air conditioner in the room, they underestimated how much power was needed.

As a result, one of the treadmill’s screens went dark while Bitter was running. The treadmill was still running and counting, but they had to run an extension chord through the house to ease up the power output in the room. Another time, the treadmill briefly stopped counting. Luckily, they noticed and solved the problem.

“We had about four weeks to plan,” he said. “There was plenty of potential for things to go wrong, but luckily, nothing major really happened.”

Overcoming that mental hurdle added an unexpected challenge early on, but a major concern came in the form of under-fueling.

Bitter planned a fueling strategy similar to his strategy during his 100-mile track run last August. But he ran into some problems—the temperature at the indoor track was 60 degrees, a comfortable atmosphere for any run. Despite numerous attempts to mimic that in Bitter’s home with fans and air conditioning, his Phoenix home was more like 70 to 75 degrees throughout the run.

To his surprise, the additional heat wasn’t likely from outside.

“I was talking to Geoff Burns [an ultrarunner and doctoral student in biomechanics] afterward, and he said the one thing I didn’t consider was heat coming from the treadmills,” Bitter said. “Also, since I’m stationary, I’m just swallowing all of my own body heat, because instead of moving like on a track, I’m a little warmer in just a bubble. It was amazing how cool it was even five feet away from it.”

The additional heat meant Bitter was feeling dehydrated in the first couple of hours. Bitter tries to consume only liquid calories when he runs, relying almost entirely on S-Fuel Race+ hydration mix. He was forced to spend the next few hours playing catch-up, consuming electrolyte tabs and boosting his fluid intake to as much as 60 ounces in an hour.

A few hours later, his stomach felt like it was operating normally again.

The early issues were draining, but Bitter still had hours to go on the treadmill. To entertain himself, he would play around with the treadmill paces, typically shooting just above or just below seven-minute pace.

“I just try to keep my mind off the treadmill and the distance,” he said. “If you think too much, you can bite off too much of a chunk at once. It helped to go into a mile at one pace and then switch to another so I could worry about getting through that mile. As the day got longer, I shifted to three or four difference paces within a single mile. Those benchmarks helped me inch closer.”

He also filled his time listening to podcasts, music, and tuning into the live stream to listen to guests like Dean Karnazes, Jamil Coury, and Tim Tollefson talk about his attempt and running in general.

One surprise for fans was the appearance of comedian Bert Kreischer, who Bitter met a few years ago when he appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast for the first time. Kreischer ended up staying on the stream for a couple hours after a seven-mile treadmill run of his own. He spent a lot of time chatting with Courtney Dauwalter, Maggie Guterl, and Sally McRae. All four, along with Bitter’s wife, Nicole, even talked about potentially training Kreischer for a 100-miler himself. It’s still unknown if this will happen, but the trio of female ultrarunners did agree to train him if he did.

“Bert has said he wants to do an ultra,” Bitter said. “He thought about 50 miles in 24 hours on a treadmill. He’s definitely intrigued. I think he’ll do a 50K or 50-miler before he jumps to 100.”

Even with the distractions, the time on the treadmill wore on Bitter. At mile 87, he disappeared into the bathroom for two minutes to eat a lunch-box size bag of Boulder Canyon olive oil and sea salt potato chips.

“I just needed a break from being moved by the machine,” he said. “That was the only solid food I ate during it. In the end, I went through 12 packets of S-Fuel, the potato chips, and eight ounces of soda.”

After earning his second 100-mile world record in nine months, Biller, who stayed ahead of the world-record pace the entire day, he did a couple interviews. When that was finally done, he enjoyed two pounds of ground beef topped with melted cheese and sea salt, and a bag of pork grinds before calling it a day.

“Anything salty and savory,” he said.

A few days after, Bitter is feeling a little better. He isn’t planning to do a long run on the treadmill anytime soon, but due to the Phoenix heat, he will likely be back on it soon for some tempo runs.

Hugh Brasher addresses the uncertainty of holding the London Marathon this fall

Event director issues a message to runners who are targeting the rescheduled race on October 4

Event director Hugh Brasher has written an open letter to runners set to take on the Virgin Money London Marathon on October 4, highlighting the uncertainty and decisions to be made regarding the running of the 40th edition race.

The iconic marathon was originally scheduled for April 26 but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

When that decision was announced in March, organisers were confident that the event would be able to take place in the autumn but in his recent update, Brasher states: “this is a world where things are changing so rapidly on a day to day basis and that is now far from certain”.

“The London Marathon has always been so much more than ‘just a marathon’,” he adds.

In an interview last month, Brasher explained how scenarios for the rescheduled race are ever-evolving.

“There are so many scenarios and, in reality, nothing is off the table,” he said.

In his letter to runners published on Wednesday, he adds: “We know that you would like certainty. We understand and acknowledge that you want to know if you should start serious training or restart your fundraising campaign.

“However, much as we would like to, we cannot offer you certainty.

“The London Marathon Events team is working hard on many different possible scenarios and, as circumstances change, we come up with new ideas.

“We know we have a huge responsibility to you, our runners, but we know that responsibility goes much further. It extends to our charities which, through the sweat of a record 42,549 finishers, raised an incredible £66.4 million in 2019. It extends to our staff, our elite athletes, our volunteers, our medics, our communities and our city.

“Every decision we make will be in line with our values. This is about far more than putting on a marathon. We need to be sure it is right for society.”

Hardrock 100 canceled for second time in as many years

Avalanche debris in 2019, COVID-19 in 2020 wipe out famed ultra-marathon

The Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run can’t catch a break.

After unveiling a loaded field of U.S. and international runners selected through the lottery in December 2018, the Hardrock 100 ultra-marathon that starts and finishes in Silverton was canceled in 2019 after a winter of heavy snow left avalanche debris and dangerous high water along its 100.5-mile loop through the heart of the southern San Juan Mountains.

A year later with the same field of registered runners as 2019 set to compete, the Hardrock 100 board of directors once again had to cancel one of the world’s most iconic mountain ultra-marathons. This time, it is because of the global COVID-19 pandemic with public health orders in place prohibiting large gatherings such as the Hardrock, which has a field of 145 runners. Though it is a small field of athletes, hundreds more are involved in the form of pacers, crew members, media and run volunteers.

The Hardrock 100 continued to delay its decision until Saturday while similar events in the U.S., such as the Western States Endurance Run in California, canceled much earlier. Western States 100 made its decision March 27.

“This is a tough decision,” said Hardrock 100 director and co-founder Dale Garland in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “I hated making it. It is not one where just sat down one day and decided to pull the plug. We realize we have an impact on the sport and the economics of the area, and it’s something done with a lot of consideration. I’m really sad, and I have heartache about it.”

The latest Hardrock 100 cancellation is another blow to Silverton, which suffered economically from the affects of less tourism because of the 416 Fire near Durango in 2018. Already in 2020, Silverton has seen the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, which brings more than 3,000 people to Silverton on Memorial Day weekend, canceled because of COVID-19. Many businesses in Silverton remain closed with only essential visitors allowed into the small mountain town of fewer than 700 residents. In 2019, DeAnna Gallegos, the director of the Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce, said the Hardrock 100 helped deliver $1 million to the local economy.

Past experience pays off

The cancellation is the fourth in Hardrock 100 history dating back to 1992. The previous cancellations were all because of natural causes. Along with the dense avalanche debris scattered across the course in 2019, the event was called off in 1995 because of too much snow and in 2002 because of extreme fire danger in the San Juan National Forest.

It was because of that first cancellation in 1995 that Hardrock is able to financially survive a cancellation, even with two in a row. After 1995, the board of directors established a reserve bank account to set aside funds in the case of another lost year.

“We just needed to make a decision by June 1, if we could,” Garland said. “Part of that is to honor people’s flight plans, vacation rentals and all those things. Also, we felt if we made a decision by June 1 we could still buy everything we needed. We hadn’t spent a whole lot of money with equipment, merchandise, awards or anything like that. So, we’re in pretty good shape and didn’t have to hit the reserve account very hard.”

A loaded field awaits fate

The run, which traverses across the rugged San Juan Mountains with 66,050 feet of elevation change at an average elevation of more than 11,000 feet, including the 14,048-foot summit of Handies Peak outside Lake City and seven mountain passes at higher than 13,000 feet, has become a legend among the world’s best ultra runners. Athletes must complete previous qualifying 100-mile races to even enter the lottery, which had a record 2,487 applicants for the 2019 race.

While U.S. stars such as Courtney Dauwalter, Dylan Bowman, Jeff Browning, Jason Schlarb, Sabrina Stanley, Darcy Piceu and Darla Askew were among those expected to run in 2019 and then in 2020, French stars Francois D’Haene and Xavier Thévenard were also highly-anticipated competitors who had gained a lottery spot.

It was expected to be the most talented field in the history of the event, and it has now been put on hold twice.

No announcement was immediately made regarding registration for the 2021 race and if it would once again carry over from the 2019 lottery or if there would be a new lottery.

“It’s up in the air,” Garland said. “That is a board decision, and it’s split. That’s why it hasn’t been decided yet. It’s been two years, so do we keep rolling people over or give 145 new people a shot at it? They’ve been waiting two years for a new lottery, as well. It’s a philosophical difference not resolved yet. We will keep people updated as soon as those decisions are made.”

Garland said making the event larger to accommodate the addition of new runners to the existing pool of 145 already selected would require discussions with the Bureau of Land Management and forest service, as that would exceed what the event’s permit is allowed. He did not indicate that there was a plan to try to increase the size of the event.

Alternative formats didn’t fit Hardrock’s image

Garland and the run committee considered alternative plans to the traditional Hardrock 100 this year. Some suggested it be conducted virtually. There was discussion of holding the event as usual but with staggered starts and without gatherings such as Camp Hardrock, the pre-race briefing and the awards banquet which would have brought all the runners together at the same time.

“I don’t think you can replicate the Hardrock experience virtually,” Garland said. “We entertained the idea, but no, we couldn’t do that. Then we looked to see if we could do it without all the experiences that make Hardrock what it is and build our community. At some point it was like, ‘What are we trying to create?’ Especially for a first time runner, we didn’t want that to be their experience.

“We also thought about doing a regional Hardrock and limiting it to the Four Corners states. But we couldn’t come to a philosophical agreement that we wanted to do something like that, either.”

While Garland said canceling the event stings, he is confident it can move forward and remain a special event. In a year in which the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in France and other U.S. events such as Western States and the Leadville 100 have been canceled, he believes the running community will understand.

“What does it say when we can’t do it two years in a row?” Garland said. “That’s why we wanted to wait and see as it got really close if things were going to change or not or if we could make it work. We kept trying to move forward, but we couldn’t do it.”

How to Open Up Your Shoulders So You Can Run Tall

Two easy arm swing stretches to waken your shoulders after hours hunched over computers and phones.

Chances are, as you’re reading this, you’re sitting, hunched forward over a computer or phone. That’s part of modern life, even in “normal” times. Today, with all of our conversations, meetings, work, entertainment, parties and more conducted online it is even worse; we rarely look up and step away.

And that’s a problem. “I’m realizing I feel awful, because I’m not moving except for runs and a couple walks here and there,” Mary Cain told Jen Ator of Women’s Running last week. We need movement, and, in this abnormal context, we need to take active measures to ensure we give our bodies chances to open up to the range of motion they would have in the outdoor, physical, diverse context they are supposed to be in.

With that in mind, we would all do well to adopt a plan to activate our bodies with regularly scheduled, strategic drills and stretches to counteract what sitting is doing to our posture and mobility. These are exercises we should be doing anyway, and stay-at-home regulations provide both an incentive and a new context where we might be able to do them more comfortably.

Shoulders, Pivotal But Overlooked

Some days I’m more disciplined than others when it comes to an all-day mobility routine, but I’m finding that, more than ever, I need to at least open my shoulders and get myself upright before I can run comfortably.

Shoulders are too often overlooked by runners. You wouldn’t think that they’d be that important, compared to legs that support and power us, or even arms that drive. But shoulders are for the arms what hips are for the legs, pivotal connection points, and they too get compromised in our current environment.

“Everything we do is forward,” says Laura Bergman, rehabilitation specialist and owner of Fascia Lines clinic in Winchester, Va. “If we look at life as a workout, we’re doing a whole bunch of forward exercises, so that muscles get really short in the forward position.” Our shoulders get rotated so far forward that we can’t comfortably swing our arms backwards.

“You try to have an arm swing, and you can’t because your shoulder can’t go back,” says Bergman. So your arms end up staying in front, reaching forward or rotating and moving across the front of your body. When your arms stay forward, your weight stays forward, your leg swing has to come forward to support you, you tend to bend at the waist, and because your hips are unnaturally rotated, you can’t drive your leg back for an effective push off. To get your elbows back consistently may require some release and retraining to create the necessary range of motion and postural endurance.

Shoulder Swings To Do Now, Before Every Run

Even if you’re not ready to invest the time for more robust shoulder intervention, every runner can benefit from doing dynamic warm-up moves before every run. Physios Jim and Phil Wharton recommend two arm swing stretches to cue an upright posture, get shoulders back, and activate the muscles that will keep them there.

During years as a cross-country coach, these were the first things our squads did every day, transitioning young runners from they day spent over desks and books. I still find them particularly effective and important now as I uncrumple myself from hours hunched over my computer screen and phone to prepare to run tall.

Start with a series of open-arm swings designed to stretch the muscles in the chest and shoulders using the opposing muscles between your shoulder blades.

Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart.

With arms straight, bring your hands together in front of you at about waist height.

Inhale.

Open your arms and swing them back as far as they can go, contracting the muscles in the middle of your upper back so that it brings your shoulder blades together.

Exhale.

Swing your arms forward and repeat, raising them slightly every time until you reach shoulder height.

Drop your arms back to the starting position, at waist height, and work up the body a second time.

Second, do a series of arm swings that stretch the front of your upper arms and shoulders while working the muscles on the backside, similar to the running motion.

Start standing tall with feet shoulder-width apart and hands comfortably by your sides.

Swing your arms straight back, keeping your elbows locked and palms facing each other. Keep your shoulders low and relaxed.

After a few swings to open up, touch your fingertips together at the back of the stretch or gently interlace them.

Keeping your elbows locked straight, gently raise your hands slightly while pulling your shoulders back and down, squeezing your shoulder blades together.

Hold for 2 seconds and release. Do 10 reps.

Shoulders activated, reach up to the sky and stretch to your full height, then drop your arms down and back while keeping your posture tall—and run lightly and efficiently down the street.

Could the New York City Marathon be canceled? Mayor Bill de Blasio says it's 'too early' to decide but options like virtual runs are being explored for the November 1 race

On Wednesday Mayor Bill De Blasio said it was 'too early' to decide whether to cancel the iconic annual New York City marathon set for November 1

He said he is in talks with race organizers and they are exploring other options

He praised the New York Road Runners clubs for their adoption of virtual races

'The thing we’re going to be most conservative about is large gatherings of people,' De Blasio said on the race that gathered over 53,000 runners last year 

Mayor Bill De Blasio says it too soon to tell whether the annual New York CityMarathon will be canceled or not - but has revealed that alternative options such as virtual runs are being explored.

On Wednesday the mayor was asked if the annual race, the largest marathon in the world that courses through all five boroughs, will still take place on its scheduled date Sunday November 1. 

'The marathon itself is obviously a ways off so we’re talking to them but it’s too early to come to any conclusions,' De Blasio said. 'But they are right at the table with us as we consider what to do.'

De Blasio expressed concern over maintaining social distancing at the race that gathers thousands of athletes. Last year there was a record 53,627 runners who crossed the finish line. 

The really big events are the last piece of the puzzle so we really have to think carefully about any large gathering and I think it’s safe to say it’s going to be a while until we’re comfortable with any large gathering.

'The thing we’re going to be most conservative about is large gatherings of people because that’s where you have the most negative impact with the resurgence of this disease,' De Blasio said.

He noted that in light of the crisis some organizations, such as the New York Road Runners club, have initiated virtual marathons as a way to keep big events going while maintaining social distancing after canceling all in person races through August 15. 

Marathons bring millions of dollars to America’s biggest cities. The most recent analysis of the TCS New York City Marathon found that the 2019 race injected $415million  into the local economy, as per CNBC.

He noted that in light of the crisis some organizations, such as the New York Road Runners club, have initiated virtual marathons as a way to keep big events going while maintaining social distancing after canceling all in person races through August 15. 

Marathons bring millions of dollars to America’s biggest cities. The most recent analysis of the TCS New York City Marathon found that the 2019 race injected $415million  into the local economy, as per CNBC.

Why you can still run your fastest marathon after 50

Back in 2014, in a bid to identify the best age for marathon running, a team of Spanish researchers analysed the finishing times of 45,000 athletes at the New York City Marathon. 

The results found that for men the golden age was 27 and for women 29. More surprising, perhaps, was the discovery that 18-year-old marathon runners had similar times to 60-year-old athletes. While that result can be partly explained by 60-year-old runners’ experience at the distance, there’s also some science to suggest why masters runners can still post some incredible times over the marathon.

Take Tommy Hughes. The 59-year-old Northern Irishman ran a time of 2:27:52 at last year’s Valencia Marathon, finishing just under four minutes faster than his son, Eoin, 34, who posted a time of 2:31:30. (Their combined time of 4:59:22 was a Guinness World Record for fastest father-and-son duo.) 

Following the result, the Hugheses took part in various physiological tests. Among other things, this tested their respective VO2 max (the amount of oxygen you can use while exercising). While Tommy and Eoin had very similar VO2 max scores – 65.4ml/kg/min for Tommy and 66.9ml/kg/min for Eoin – Tommy was seemingly able to run entire marathons at close to his VO2 max. Interestingly, the same is seemingly true of Gene Dykes, who ran a 2:54:23 marathon at the age of 70. The data would seem to suggest he ran the entirety of that race at 95 per cent of his VO2 max – an unbelievably high percentage.

So, one reason why it may be possible to run a blistering marathon in your fifties and beyond is some older runners’ ability to run close to their VO2 max for longer periods than some of their more youthful competitors. 

But there’s more: another study showed that lifelong exercise can counteract the age-related decline in VO2 max. In other words, if you’ve been running consistently for decades, your VO2 max will not decline at the same rate as your more sedentary peers.

That’s an interesting development, as there has previously been a belief that at a certain age – approximately around 70 – people’s VO2 max falls off a cliff. By contrast, the study suggests that the steepest declines occur as a result of exercising less, not simply of adding another candle to your birthday cake.

Prefontaine Memorial Run canceled

COOS BAY — The annual Prefontaine Memorial Run became the latest victim of the COVID-19 pandemic this week, when the long-running tribute to Marshfield great Steve Prefontaine was canceled for this year.

The Prefontaine Memorial Foundation committee agreed unanimously to cancel the event, which had been scheduled for Sept. 19, due to COVID-19 guidelines and concerns.

“This would have been the 41st year for our event, and though we regret the necessity of the cancellation, our foremost concern is to safeguard the wellbeing of our participants, volunteers and those who gather to watch and cheer on the walkers and runners,” said Bob Huggins, the executive director for the Foundation.

Huggins noted that refunds would be sent to people who already have signed up for the race.

The committee had hoped to be able to hold the race, which is the largest annual sports event on the South Coast, typically drawing more than 1,000 runners and walkers for its 10-kilomter race and 2-mile run walk and an associated high school cross country race.

“There are just too many situations we can’t control,” Huggins said. “The outdoor running portion of it is OK. The likeliness of getting COVID if you’re outdoor running is remote.

“But when we start dealing with indoor registration, start-line gathering with people around, handing out awards — there’s just too many things we can’t control.”

Plus, Huggins pointed out, “The governor’s proclamation that sporting events and large gatherings are prohibited through September pretty much made our decision for us.”

Locally and statewide, other big events also have been canceled, including the Hood to Coast Relay, the Butte to Butte run in Eugene, Cycle Oregon and county fairs.

The South Coast Running Club also this week canceled all its summer events, including the Jennifer’s Cathing Slough Classic in June, the rescheduled Roseburg to Coos Bay Relay in June, the Mayor’s Firecracker Run on July 4 in Mingus Park, the Circle the Bay in August and the Sunset Bay Trail Run on Labor Day Weekend.

“Given the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, we have made the difficult decision to cancel running events through September,” club officials said in a message sent out to members. “We believe this is the most responsible course of action.

“We are saddened by the circumstances that are causing us not to be hosting these events. We believe it is our role to keep our runners and their families healthy by decreasing exposure risk.”

This was going to be a particularly big year for the Prefontaine Memorial Run because the Road Runners Club of America had declared the run this year’s National Championship 10K race. But Huggins said RRCA officials already have told him they will award that distinction to next year’s run.

“We look forward to Sept. 18, 2021, when we plan to once again invite runners to take part in our premier event to honor our hometown hero, Steve Prefontaine, his celebrated running career and his memory,” Huggins said.

The annual run helps the Prefontaine Foundation fund a number of projects each year.

Huggins said projects made possible by the generous support of sponsors and the proceeds from the run include grants to support track and cross country programs in Coos County high schools, annual scholarships to high school seniors who participate in track or cross country, and helping fund the Pre Track Club, a summer training program at Marshfield High School.

This year’s sponsors include Nike, Pacific Properties, Tower Motor Company, Banner Bank, Vend West Services, Farr’s Hardware and North Bend Medical Center.

More information about the run and the Prefontaine Foundation is available at www.prefontainerun.com or by calling Huggins at 541-297-0230.

Senior Olympics official John Coates has warned that holding the postponed Tokyo Games next year faces real problems

A senior Olympics official has warned that holding the postponed Tokyo Games next year faces "real problems", with even a vaccine unlikely to stave off the threat of the coronavirus.

John Coates, the International Olympic Committee's pointman for Tokyo 2020, indicated that officials would start deciding in October if and how the pandemic-hit Games could go ahead in July 2021.

He told a roundtable organised by Australian media giant News Corp that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been clear the Tokyo Olympics could not be delayed a second time.

"We can't postpone it again and we have to assume that there won't be a vaccine or, if there is a vaccine, it won't be sufficient to share around the world," he said.

Without the safety net of a widely available vaccine, there could be enormous challenges in screening tens of thousands of people from all corners of the world, he said.

"We've got real problems because we've got athletes having to come from 206 different nations," said Coates.

"We've got 11,000 athletes coming, 5,000 technical officials and coaches, 20,000 media, we've got 4,000 working on the organising committee there at the moment, there will be 60,000 volunteers coming," he said.

"There's a lot of people."

Coates said if there are signs the pandemic is contained, even if not eradicated, by October, officials will start preparing "the different scenarios by which the sport could take place".

"Do we quarantine the Olympic village? Do all athletes when they get there go into quarantine? Do we restrict having spectators at the venues? Do we separate the athletes from the mixed zone where the media are?"

Could the New York City Marathon be cancelled, due to the Pandemic?

Mayor Bill de Blasio says it's 'too early' to decide but options like virtual runs are being explored for the November 1 race.

On Wednesday the mayor was asked if the annual race, the largest marathon in the world that courses through all five boroughs, will still take place on its scheduled date Sunday November 1. 

'The marathon itself is obviously a ways off so we’re talking to them but it’s too early to come to any conclusions,' De Blasio said. 'But they are right at the table with us as we consider what to do.'

De Blasio expressed concern over maintaining social distancing at the race that gathers thousands of athletes. Last year there was a record 53,627 runners who crossed the finish line. 

'The really big events are the last piece of the puzzle so we really have to think carefully about any large gathering and I think it’s safe to say it’s going to be a while until we’re comfortable with any large gathering.

'The thing we’re going to be most conservative about is large gatherings of people because that’s where you have the most negative impact with the resurgence of this disease,' De Blasio said. 

He noted that in light of the crisis some organizations, such as the New York Road Runners club, have initiated virtual marathons as a way to keep big events going while maintaining social distancing after canceling all in person races through August 15. 

Marathons bring millions of dollars to America’s biggest cities. The most recent analysis of the TCS New York City Marathon found that the 2019 race injected $415million  into the local economy, as per CNBC.

The marathon's organizers haven't released any statement on the future of the race yet. 

Former world half marathon record holder Peres Jepchirchir targets Boston conquest after recovery from fatigue and muscle cramp problems

Former world half marathon record holder Peres Jepchirchir has recovered from fatigue and muscle cramp problems, which forced her out of the Ras al-Khaimah race in the United Arab Emirates in February.

The 26-year-old winner of the Saitama International Marathon says she is back to her best form as she continues her preparations for the Boston Marathon, which has been rescheduled for September after it was postponed from its original April 14 date.

Jepchirchir believes she has the strength and stamina to pull a fast one on her rivals and win the Boston marathon. However, she has to bide her time as COVID-19 has wrecked the sports calendar.

"My body has regained the fitness I always have whenever I go into major championships. My last race was in Ras al-Khaimah in UAE, which I had problems and could not finish. But I have recovered from the fatigue and feel strong now. I want to race, but there is no competition," Jepchirchir said on Wednesday from Kapsabet.

The Kenyan is among a horde of local athletes eyeing a rebound after the health situation improves and the global community lifts bans on international travel and allow sports competition.

"I am training, though not at full throttle. But I am ready to bounce back after what I feel like a long sabbatical," she added.

"I am happy now, and I will run with extra effort. In 2017, I took a sabbatical to give birth to my daughter, and I want to continue working hard, run a faster time."

Jepchirchir is a former Yangzhou International Half Marathon champion. She set a world record in the women's half marathon in Ras al-Khaimah in UAE back in 2017 when she clocked 65:06, which was three seconds quicker than the mark set by fellow Kenyan Florence Kiplagat in Barcelona in 2015.

Coronavirus Pandemic puts dreams of runners at Keringet Athletics Camp on hold

If there is an athletics camp in Kenya that has been badly affected by ban on sports activities due to coronavirus pandemic, is no doubt Keringet Athletics Training Camp in Nakuru County.

The camp was planning to start its second schedule of serious training from April 12 to 26 ahead of the World Under-20 Championships at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, from July 7 to 12.

The camp held its first training schedule at Keringet Boarding Primary School from November 18 to December last year. The youthful athletes from the camp have now been forced to stop training in line with the government’s directive for people to observe social distance to help stop the spread of the deadly virus.

World Under-20 1,500 meters silver medalist Edna Jebitok, Africa Under-18 3,000m champion Zenah Chemutai and silver medalist Deborah Jemutai are some of the big names from the camp who were hoping to make the Kenyan team before the virus struck.

Other notable names from Keringet Athletics Training Camp who due to step up training include Viola Chepkirui (3,000m) and Maureen Cherotich (1,500m).

Those in men’s category include Benson Sigei (5,000m), Michael Kibon (400m), Nehemiah Kimutai (5,000m), Dennis Kirui (3,000m) and Steven Masindet (800m).

Some of the junior runners from the camp to have donned the national team colors include Kipkemoi Misoi (3,000m steeplechase) and Benjamin Kipkurui who represented Kenya in 1998 World Junior Championships in France.

“These are some of the athletes who were looking forward to make the team but their hopes of featuring in the national team have been put on hold,” said camp coordinator David Bii.

The popular athletics camp in Kuresoi South was started by the late Livingstone Kimutai Ng’etich who is a former Athletics Kenya (AK) South Rift Valley branch chairman. The camp has produced talented runners in junior and youth competitions.

Since the camp was established in 1998, it has given North Rift region a good run for its money, producing more athletes in Kenya’s junior and youth teams.

The camp, under head coach Charles Ng’eno assisted by Charles Ngau and Mike Koskei, is best known for producing reigning Olympics 1,500m champion Faith Chepng’etich, former World and London Marathon champion Geoffrey Kirui, and World 800m bronze medalist Ferguson Rotich among others.

The latest sensation from Keringet Athletics Training Camp who gave North Rift runners a scare is Amos Kirui who beat a star-studded field that included the World Cross Country Championships champion Geoffrey Kamworor to win the senior men's 10km race in the National Cross Country Championships at Eldoret Sports Club last year.

But visiting the camp’s training ground, you would be baffled by the poor state of the camp that has now been reduced to a grazing ground.

Prior to the outbreak of coronavirus, athletes used to train at Keringet Boys Primary School and along Molo – Olenguruone road and running the risk of being knocked down by motorists.

“The county government should speed up the construction of the athletics complex and this will help churn out more talents in the region,” said Bii. The devolved unit has set aside Sh50 million for upgrading the training camp. Apart from acquiring documents of the 20 acres of land on which the camp sits, nothing much has been done.

Everything We Know About Exercise and Depression A new meta-study, which followed 267,000 people, sheds a few answers

For exercise enthusiasts and those who study the mind-body connection—or perhaps better put, the mind-body system—it has long been known that physical activity helps with depression. And yet even as evidence for this effect continues to mount, “the incorporation of exercise as a key component in the treatment of depression is inconsistent,” write Felipe Barreto Schuch and Brendon Stubbs in the most recent issue of Current Sports Medicine Reports. Schuch and Stubbs, researchers at the University of Santa Maria in Brazil and King’s College in London, respectively, go on to explain that exercise ought to be more seriously considered and prescribed in treatment protocols, in the same way that talk therapy and medication, the two most common responses to depression, are. To support this recommendation, Schuch and Stubbs recently undertook a comprehensive review of exercise and depression. Here is a summary of the results.

Can Exercise Prevent Depression?

Lots of studies show that the more someone exercises, the less likely they are to have depression. This is true across cultural contexts. The challenge with these studies is that they are associative only. Yes, people may not experience depression because they exercise. But it’s also quite possible that people don’t exercise because they are depressed.

In an attempt to tease out the causal effect of exercise—that is, whether or not exercising is actually protective against depression—Schuch and Stubbs only reviewed studies that were designed as prospective cohorts. This means that a group of people who had no signs of depression were followed for at least one year. Researchers could then look at whether or not the people who exercised more had a lower incidence of depression. For their review, Schuch and Stubbs included 49 such studies that, taken together, followed 267,000 people and included different types of exercise. They found that exercise reduced the chances someone would experience depression by between 17 and 41 percent—a substantial effect that was observed across different countries, ages, and sexes.

Put simply: exercise helps prevent depression. Just because you exercise doesn’t mean you won’t ever become depressed, but it certainly reduces the chances that you will.

Can Exercise Treat Already-Existing Depression?

“Exercise can improve depressive symptoms in people with depression,” write Schuch and Stubbs. “However, similar to other treatments, exercise is not a panacea and may not work equally for all.”

Every part of the above statement is important. Exercise can—and often does—help, but not always and not for everyone. I know many people who experience (or have experienced) depression and who get so fed up when they are told, “Just exercise more.” If it were that easy, everyone would do it.

That said, there is convincing evidence that exercise should absolutely be included in a broader tool kit to help people who are experiencing depression. Schuch and Stubbs conducted a review of 25 studies that surveyed a total of 1,487 people and found that between 40 and 50 percent of people with depression respond to exercise, with an effect that, on a scale of small, medium, or large, is considered large. This on par with talk therapy and medication. And while the dropout rate for exercise is around 18 percent, it is 19 percent for talk therapy and between 26 and 28 percent for medication. It’s also important to note that these treatments are not exclusive and can be used together to great benefit.

How Does Exercise Prevent and Treat Depression?

According to Schuch and Stubbs, the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning the antidepressant effects of exercise are still unclear. However, there are a few hypotheses. Depression is associated with chronic inflammation, and regular exercise reduces inflammation. Depression is also associated with lower levels of a chemical called BDNF, which helps the brain grow and remodel. Regular exercise increases BDNF, so it could help a depressed brain outgrow its patterns.

Exercise is also associated with positive psychological changes. It increases confidence and self-determination and often takes place in a community, all of which are helpful for depression. Though pharmaceutical companies would surely love to zero in on a singular pathway for exercise’s positive effects on depression (so they could make a drug to mimic it), they shouldn’t get their hopes up. Exercise’s benefit is probably in the combination of all these pathways, and likely others we aren’t even aware of yet.

If you or someone you love is experiencing depression and needs help now, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255, or message the hotline.

Brad Stulberg (@Bstulberg) is a performance coach and writes Outside’s Do It Better column. He is also bestselling author of the books The Passion Paradox and Peak Performance.

The Comrades Marathon will be offering a virtual alternative

All is not lost for disappointed long distance runners who qualified for the recent cancelled Comrades Marathon.

The Comrades Marathon Association has announced the launch of a virtual event, ‘Race the Comrades Legends’, which will see all finishers receiving a medal.

The world’s greatest ultra marathon will now also stage the world’s biggest virtual event, with athletes from around the globe invited to participate on Sunday, 14 June.

Entry will be free for South African runners who have already entered the 2020 Comrades.

The website will include an virtual online functionality through which runners can compete, ‘run with’ and compare outcomes against Comrades greats such as Bruce Fordyce, Frith van der Merwe, Samuel Tshabalala and many others.

All that runners need to do is to visit the Comrades website, register for ‘Race The Comrades Legends’ and select their distance (5km, 10km, 21km, 45km or 90km).

The cost is R150 for South African runners and $25 for foreign athletes who have not already paid for and qualified for the 2020 Comrades.

Once registration is complete, runners will receive all the necessary race information and rules prior to the race date.

Athletes will then run their respective races, capture their times using a normal timing device and upload it. Their results will be calculated and updated automatically.

They will thereafter receive personalised race feedback by email.

The programme will include full integration of all popular fitness apps, including Strava and Endomondo for direct upload, as well as Garmin, Polar and Suunto.

Runners who do not have any of these devices or apps can upload a GPX, TCX or FIT file format from other devices and apps, or they can manually enter their time based on any watch.

Every entrant will receive a digital race number prior to the race, a virtual medal and certificate immediately after the race and personalised results comparisons.

All finishers will receive a real medal, which will be distributed as soon as possible, as opposed to the majority of virtual races which generally only award virtual medals.

It works pretty much the same way as any other type of running, the difference being that the runner can run at any location, especially in the comfort of your own home, on a treadmill, outside in the garden, or neighbourhood and all at one’s own pace.

Will the 2020 Belfast Marathon take place as schedule September 20? It doesn’t look good

There now appears to be a major question mark over the 39th Belfast Marathon taking place on the revised date of Sunday, September 20.

Belfast Marathon organizers discussed the matter yesterday against a background of Tuesday's announcement that the Dublin Marathon set for Sunday, October 25 would not now take place until 2021.

The matter is further complicated by a statement yesterday from the organizers of the London Marathon which is rescheduled for Sunday, October 4.

Event Director Hugh Brasher said: "We can't be certain if the event can go ahead or, if it can, in what form it will take place. We cannot offer certainty."

Brasher indicated there would be another update on June 21.

It is understood that yesterday's meeting on the Belfast event discussed both the Dublin and London situations. It was agreed that while the position here would be closely monitored, it was necessary for a decision to be taken fairly shortly .

This is because the complexities of arranging such an event require a long lead-in time.

The organization of the race itself could be possible in September with appropriate social distancing arrangements in place.

However there are many other key players involved such as volunteers, marshals, sponsors, suppliers, the PSNI, health and safety personnel plus the necessary infrastructure, all of which require substantial planning.

Last year's Belfast Marathon had a record 4,000 entries and a grand total of 18,000 participants including the Marathon Relay. This makes it easily the biggest mass participation sports event in the province.

With the cancellation of other marathons scheduled for this autumn it now appears more than likely that Belfast will become yet another casualty with a likely rescheduling to the normal May date next year.

Marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge wants to reach out and inspire at least half the world’s population while trying to defend his title at next year’s Tokyo Olympics

The Kenyan long distance runner, who will be 36 by the time the Tokyo Games are held next year, has insisted that he wants to inspire “at least half the world” while resorting to a clean and dignified manner of competitive sports.

“My dream has always been to defend my marathon title. The London Marathon [to be held on April 26 and now postponed to October 4] was to be my preparation race towards Tokyo. I want to be there and be competitive and win with a good time,” Kipchoge told the International Olympic Committee (IOC) website on Wednesday.

“My goal is to reach more than three billion people through what I do. I need to inspire more and more people in this world so that we are in a much better place now than before,” he added.

Formerly a middle-distance runner while participating in the 5,000 metres as his pet event, Kipchoge has so far won 12 of the 13 marathons that he has entered in so far after switching to road running in 2012. He is the world record holder in the distance while clocking a time of 2:01.39 at the Berlin Marathon on September 16, 2018.

Often described as the “greatest marathoner of the modern era”, Kipchoge’s run broke the previous world record by 1 minute and 18 seconds.

On October 12, 2019, Kipchoge ran the marathon distance at a special sponsored event in Vienna, Austria, and achieved a new record time of 1:59:40. However, the run did not count as a new marathon record, as standard competition rules for pacing and fluids were not followed and also, the race was not an open event for other competitors.

But that doesn’t seem to deter the steely Kenyan runner. “I am calm and concentrated in my mind, and the body is well controlled whenever I am competing,” Kipchoge said. “I don’t run with my legs, but by my heart and mind.”

Faced with the uncertainty following the coronavirus pandemic, Kipchoge became philosophical and compared marathon running to life. “A marathon is like life. We get flat courses and we get downhill courses,” he added.

“But, right now we are faced with a hilly course. These are perhaps the hardest of times, and it is normal to struggle and go up the hill. But the main thing will be to stay positive at all times and let the heart and mind do the running.”

Austin Marathon Invites Runners from around the world to run Free Global Running Day Virtual 5K

The Ascension Seton Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour invites runners from around the world to register for the free Global Running Day Virtual 5K. This is an excellent opportunity for everyone to come together to celebrate the sport we love and the entire running community.

You can run with anyone from anywhere during the free Global Running Day Virtual 5K! Invite friends, family, neighbors, and your running group to join you. Plus, finishers could win some sweet prizes! Registration is open until Wednesday, June 3rd.

“I’m hyped that the Austin Marathon is offering a virtual 5K to celebrate Global Running Day,” said Will von Rosenberg, who attended last year’s Global Running Day event in Austin. “It was great to see the Austin running community come together at last year’s event. I’m ready to run the Global Running Day Virtual 5K with runners from around the world!”

Participants of the free Global Running Day Virtual 5K can submit their 5K results at any time between May 20th and June 4th. Every participant will receive:

Customizable, downloadable bib that can be printed at home.

Limited-edition 2020 Global Running Day digital finisher medal.

Official digital finisher’s certificate.

Automatic entry into the giveaway to win 1 of 5 grand prizes including entry to the 2021 Ascension Seton Austin Marathon, Half Marathon, or 5K + VIP Experience

“I'm delighted to celebrate Global Running Day with the Austin Marathon. Their 30th anniversary will be the North American leg of my attempt to be the first 6-time cancer survivor to run a marathon on every continent,” said Jonathan Acott, who will participate from London. “After 6 cancers, running is the way I manage both my mental and physical health. It gives me the time I need to manage my emotions but also to celebrate my body and what it's been through and can still do.”

Austin’s flagship running event annually attracts runners from all 50 states and 35+ countries around the world. The start and finish locations are just a few blocks apart.

They are within walking distance of many downtown hotels and restaurants. The finish line is in front of the picturesque Texas State Capitol. The Austin Marathon is the perfect running weekend destination. Registration opens on June 1st.

One of the world’s biggest ultramarathons UTMB officially cancelled after a month of uncertainty

For almost a month, a lot of uncertainty has surrounded the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). With the race scheduled for August 24 to 30 in Chamonix, the French government announced in late April that major sporting events were cancelled until at least September.

But UTMB organizers gave athletes and the running community hope, saying the race would likely still be run, just with a few alterations so it could fit the government’s guidelines. Satisfying these guidelines proved to be unsuccessful, and this morning, it was announced that the 2020 edition of UTMB has been officially cancelled.

The UTMB route—which is 171K long—starts and finishes in Chamonix, located in the French Alps, and takes runners through Italy and Switzerland before they return to France. The event has been run since 2003, and this year would have been its 18th edition. Although poor weather has forced organizers to shorten the event in years past (2010, 2012 and 2017), 2020 will be the first year they’ve been forced to cancel the race outright.

In the cancellation notice, event organizers listed their reasons for calling the event off, the biggest of which was the health and safety of participants. There were 10,000 runners registered for the 2020 event, and the UTMB site says these athletes came from more than 100 different countries.

In April, UTMB co-founder Catherine Poletti proposed the possibility of cutting that number to 5,000 competitors, but that still couldn’t feasibly work with the French public health rules. Organizers ultimately decided that cancelling was “the most responsible decision to preserve the health and safety of all participants, which include runners, inhabitants of the Mont-Blanc region, visitors, suppliers, partners and volunteers.”

Runners registered for the 2020 event will receive a refund of 55 per cent of their original entry fee. UTMB officials have also given participants the option to turn down this refund and donate it to charity, which can be done through the event’s website.

UTMB is not a race you just sign up for—runners undergo a long qualifying process for this event. With this in mind, organizers will give 2020 runners the opportunity to reserve their spots in the 2021, 2022 or 2023 events.    

Jakob Ingebrigtsen breaks Norwegian 5km record in Stavanger at one of the first races in the world since March 8

Multiple European champion clocks 13:28, just ahead of brother Henrik, as road race action returns

Jakob Ingebrigtsen stormed to a Norwegian 5km record in Stavanger on Wednesday evening, clocking 13:28 as road race action returned to the streets of Norway and the screens of athletics fans across the world.

His brother Henrik was four seconds behind him and also inside the old record time of 13:37 which had been set by Sondre Nordstad Moen in Monaco in February 2019.

The race had been adapted to meet health and infection control rules because of the coronavirus pandemic and took place on a 2.5km loop course, with the five athletes in this particular wave starting in a grid format.

It was live streamed by Norwegian broadcasting company NRK, with fans around the world tuning in to watch.

On an overcast evening in the Norwegian city, Henrik was quickly to the fore, before the Ingebrigtsen brothers’ training partners Narve Gilje Nordås and Per Svela plus Zerei Kbrom Mezngi took turns at the front.

Jakob then came through and pushed the pace, holding his lead all the way to the finish line where he was welcomed by rows of spectators.

His first loop was timed at 7:00 before he sped up to complete the second half of the race in 6:28.

In that wave, Svela finished third in 13:40, while Mezngi was fourth in 13:44 and Nordås fifth in 13:45.

Running in another wave, Vienna Søyland Dahle clocked the quickest women’s time with 16:14.

“It was fun to finally get the start number on my chest again, but I had to wake the body up,” Jakob told NRK’s ​​Jann Post.

“Compared to the same time last year, I must say that I have taken a step in the right direction again.”

Henrik said: “The most important thing was not to go crazy compared to Jacob. I think I’m clearly fine. The body held and I feel I am where I should be in relation to Jacob.”

Ahead of the race, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, the father and coach of Jakob and Henrik (pictured below), had told NRK: “The most important thing for the boys is to have a good experience, to get started with the season.”

Neither Jakob, the double European champion in 2018, nor his older brother Henrik, the 2012 European 1500m winner, had ever previously competitively raced over the distance on the road but 19-year-old Jakob broke the Norwegian 10km record on his debut in October, clocking 27:54.

He was competing for the first time since winning his fourth under-20 title at the European Cross Country Championships in December, while for Henrik it was his first race since the 5000m final at the World Championships in Doha.

The course featured a few twists and turns, so fans were left wondering what else Jakob might be capable of over the distance on the road.

The fastest official 5km road time by a European athlete is Julien Wanders’ 13:29 from February 2019 but Jimmy Gressier has since clocked 13:18, with that time from February awaiting ratification. The world best is Joshua Cheptegei’s 12:51 from earlier this year. Those three performances were all achieved in Monaco.

Both Jakob and Henrik are set to race over 2000m at the Oslo ‘Impossible Games’ which is due to take place instead of the traditional Diamond League meeting in June.

Pro athletes in the U.K. have been told they can return to training

According to an article in The Guardian, the U.K. government told professional athletes last week that they can return to training as they did before the coronavirus outbreak. 

Social distancing guidelines have been in place in the U.K. for two months, and citizens are only allowed to leave their homes to exercise once per day. Now, pro athletes will be able to get back to their regular lives (if they deem it safe to do so) and pre-coronavirus training schedules. 

Athletes who choose to get back to training full-time have to “opt in,” and they also need to be cleared for return by a doctor in a one-on-one “check-in.” In these check-ins, athletes will have a general health examination and they will be informed of their personal risks of catching COVID-19. Once cleared, they can return to their clubs, gyms or high-performance centres, although training will continue to be done on an individual basis at these sites and social distancing measures will still be taken.

This is the first step in the process of returning to training. The next step, which won’t be taken until “Public Health England and medical experts say it is safe to do so,” will be to eliminate social distancing measures and to reintegrate physical contact between athletes.

“I know our sports stars are keen to get back to training and this guidance will enable them to do so in a safe way,” Oliver Dowden, secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, told The Guardian. “Our top priority is protecting the health of athletes, coaches and support staff. Enabling athletes to get match-fit is an important milestone towards restarting competitive sport behind closed doors.”

A stipulation of this return to training is that each club and sport has to name a “COVID-19 officer.” These officers will oversee the measures that their sports or clubs take to ensure their athletes are as safe as possible when returning to training. 

“It is important to note that the publication of this guidance does not mean that all Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes should return to training straight away,” Sally Munday, U.K. Sport chief executive, said. “Each sport will need to make a risk assessment against the guidance and determine what is best for both their athletes and staff.”

The government also stressed that athletes and staff who feel it is not safe to return to training just yet cannot be penalized by their clubs or governing bodies.

The Boston Marathon is still unsure if it can happen September 14th due to the COVID-19 pandemic

As Massachusetts begins to slowly loosen regulations in an effort to restart an economy halted by the coronavirus, organizers of the historic race remain in consultation with governmental entities to see if they can avoid canceling the event for the first time in 124 years.

Even with the marathon still four months away, the magnitude of ensuring runners and spectators stay safe and do not become vectors of the coronavirus is a colossal one.

More than 31,000 runners would have to be bused or find transportation to Hopkinton the morning of Sept. 14, then socially distance themselves before the start of the race when runners usually stand in close quarters.

When the race begins, the concerns only mount. Runners face the prospect of unwittingly transmitting or receiving the virus from not only fellow runners, but an estimated million spectators who usually line the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to the Back Bay.

“The Boston Athletic Association continues to work closely with local and state officials as we consider what Sept. 14 looks like for the Boston Marathon,” said the BAA in a statement Tuesday. “Guided by public officials, we are actively exploring all options for this year’s race and will continue to follow public health and safety guidance.”

In comments to reporters at his daily briefing, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh also struck a cautionary tone while stressing that no official decision on a cancellation has been made.

“Certainly when we originally made the decision to postpone the marathon [to] September, we were already hopeful coronavirus would no longer be a significant public health risk for our residents,” said Walsh. “We are continuing to have, right now, a conversation with the BAA on the best way for all of us to move forward. I don’t have any specific updates to share on the Marathon at this time, but will keep everyone informed as we move forward.”

The marathon has been run every year since 1897, making it the oldest annual marathon in the world.

In 1918, the year of the last pandemic, the race was switched to a military relay event on the course due to American involvement in World War I.

The race is believed to pump some $200 million into the Massachusetts economy.

Sebastian coe says that sport could rebel against pandemic rules

World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe has warned that sports leaders may rebel against pandemic restrictions as they struggle to get major events back on track.

Coe expressed the frustrations felt by many sports chiefs when he said it was crucial to get top events started again even as the coronavirus takes a mounting toll around the world.

"We have to be guided by what governments, the WHO and local authorities are telling us, but we also have to make our own decisions and make sensible compromises," Coe, 63, told Indian television channel WION.

"There may be a moment when a sport decides that it is ready to stage events even if it is not always with the approval of those authorities.

"We will be respectful, but we have to make decisions in the best interest of our sport and our athletes," the British former track legend insisted.

Athletics like other key sports has seen its calendar and finances badly hit by the postponement of this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The world athletics championships planned for 2021 have had to be pushed back by a year to allow for a provisional plan to stage the Tokyo Games next year instead.

Coe said no one could give a cast-iron assurance that the Olympics will be held.

"Speculating about something that is over a year away is unhelpful," said the former chief of the 2012 London Olympics.

"We are trying to give the athletes some clarity about the calendar and speculation from scientists and medical experts does not help.

"I hope that the pandemic will be contained so that we don't have to cancel the Games."

Athletics' Diamond League may only start in August and finish in October. Coe said competitions will look very different with athletes battling each other in empty stadiums.

"Meeting directors will have to take their own decisions about how to get athletes to competition in a safe and secure manner that doesn't risk infection," he said.

"Each event will have to decide on a format for competition with these safety considerations two months in advance.

"Everybody is waiting to return to competition and organizers will have to be as creative and ingenious as possible in the current circumstances."

Boston and Chicago Marathon champ Lawrence Cherono boosts children’s home in Eldoret, where he donated foodstuff to more than 50 children to help them cope with the coronavirus

Lawrence Cherono has confessed that it’s a tough affair training alone. Because training with team-mates gives him the extra push.

Cherono has been training at his home area in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, but misses the allure of Kaptagat in Elgeyo Marakwet County, where he is used to criss-crossing forest paths with teammates.

Cherono agrees with world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge that Kaptagat “is the best place to sharpen one’s career.”

He was speaking on Saturday after visiting Neema Children’s Home in Eldoret where he donated foodstuff to more than 50 children to help them cope with the coronavirus.

“I have been training alone for the last two months just to keep fit after Boston Marathon organisers cancelled the (April) race,” he said.

“I was in good shape and my target was to defend my title,” said Cherono, who is also the Chicago Marathon champion.

He also said that his preparations had started way back in December and he was optimistic that he would bag victory something he has now shifted to the next season.

“A whole season has gone to waste due to the coronavirus which caught everybody unaware with races cancelled across the globe. Athletes depend on competition and we are all at home praying that the virus may be contained,” he said.

Cherono is known for his strong finishing kick, which earned him that famous wins in Boston and Chicago. He terms it as “running smart.”

“When you get into competition, every athlete is good and you have to do good calculations in order to emerge a winner. I always run smart and it has indeed worked for me in Boston and Chicago Marathons.”

He will be starting his build-up training next month as he looks forward to defend his title in the rearranged Boston Marathon in September after winning last year's race in two hours, seven minutes and 57 seconds, two seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa. 

With the Olympics Games shifting to next year, Cherono was disappointed but says he is still focused.

“We just have to wait because life is more important,” said Cherono.

Cherono was named as one of the athletes who will represent Kenya teaming up with Olympics marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge and World Championships marathon bronze medallist Amos Kipruto.

Eilish McColgan aims to become the first Scottish track and field athlete to compete at four Olympics

The 29-year-old middle-distance runner will make her third appearance in the 5,000m at next summer's rearranged Tokyo Games.

And she will then switch focus to the marathon as she bids to make Paris 2024.

"It's a scary prospect but it's always been something I've wanted to do," said McColgan of the step up to marathon.

"I probably would have gone to it a little bit sooner had the Olympics not been delayed. For the following Olympic Games I'd hope to challenge for a spot on the marathon team."

McColgan competed in the steeplechase at London 2012, then reached the 5,000m final in Rio four years later.

A European silver medalist over the latter distance, she broke her mother Liz's 10-mile Scottish record to retain her title at the Great South Run in October last year.

And she could look to use the marathon at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as a stepping stone for Paris two years later.

"After doing the Great South Run I've got comfortable over the 10-mile distance and it's given me confidence to look forward to my first half marathon," she added.

South African Olympic champion Caster Semenya is focused on the 200m no matter the result of her appeal

South African Olympic champion Caster Semenya has locked her focus into the 200m, no matter the result of her appeal to overturn last year's Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic rocked the sporting globe, Semenya was in a court battle to get the CAS decision that allowed athletics governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), to prescribe hormone-suppressing drugs for any woman with disorder of sex development (DSD) competing in 400m to 1 500m events.

Her last throw of the dice was the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, who had yet to reach a verdict by the time of the global sporting shutdown. In the meantime, Semenya, who outright refused to take the drugs, went to work on the 200m sprint distance.

"That’s decided; we’ll stick to 200m no matter what," Semenya told Athletics South Africa (ASA).

"We don’t care about any other decision-making. We will do what we can control now, which is the 200m. That’s the race we’re going to focus on the entire season and we do not care about any other stuff. Two hundred it is."

Before the lockdown, Semenya ran impressive 200m times at the Gauteng North Championships in March, recording 23.80 and a personal best 23.49 in her first few outings. However, she still had considerable work to reach the qualifying time of 22.80 for next year’s Tokyo Games.

It’s an unprecedented feat. The closest anyone’s ever been successful at short and middle distance events was Cuban Alberto Juantorena, who won an historic 400m and 800m double at the Montreal Games in 1976. Semenya has a mountain to climb just to make it to her third Games.

Semenya said, though, that she harbored love for the 200m race from her younger days before she developed into one of the best 800m runners of all time and a two-time Olympic 800m gold medalist.

"I’m that athlete who does not worry about times; I take it as it comes. We ran 23.80 and then 23.49 and in the nationals we were hoping to go a little bit down," she said.

"I’ve always said that I’m a power athlete; I can do anything from 100m to a marathon. I have power and speed, which has helped me run a better 800m. From a young age I did the 200m and it has always been easy to do sprints - I was born with sprints.

"It’s crazy but I’m enjoying it. I wish I ran 200m from age 12. I don’t know where I could have been now."