Running News Daily

The Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon has confirmed their new date - September 6, 2020

This was just released by Run Czech:  "Following restrictive measures imposed by the Czech Government due to the spreading of coronavirus in the country and worldwide RunCzech has announced that the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon (which is also a part of SuperHalfs running series) will not happen on 28 March 2020 as planned. The health of the participants is a priority now. 

In recent days, RunCzech management has been intensively discussing an alternative date of the race with everybody involved in the organisation of the race – City Hall of Prague, international organizations, television, the Czech Athletic Federation and further institutions, and have commonly found a new date replacing the March event. Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon 2020 is now scheduled to take place on Sunday morning, 6 September 2020. The time and the place of the start will be confirmed.

All runners registered for the race do not have to report or confirm their participation in the postponed race. All registrations will be automatically transferred to a new date (6 September 2020) together with the additional services such as t-shirts or medal engravings.

Those registered runners who may not be able to participate in the postponed race this year can change their valid entry ownership to another person or to defer their entry to the 2021 Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon (scheduled for 27 March 2021). Both options are possible to do without any additional cost until the end of July. 

Runners registered in SuperHalfs running series will receive additional communication.

Registered participants will receive further information and more details about the race by e-mail in the upcoming two weeks.

When would be a good time to hold the postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo?

Until now, the Summer Olympics had never been postponed. But on Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese organizers gave in to the inevitable amid the surging coronavirus pandemic and delayed the Tokyo Games for a year because of “the unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak.”

Cancellation was a nonstarter. The world’s athletes, who are the centerpiece of the event, would have had their dreams snatched away.

But the IOC, which desperately — and critics said foolishly — had stalled for more time, had no choice but to push the Olympics into next year.

There was no possible way that 11,000 athletes from more than 200 nations could safely convene and compete in Tokyo or any other major city in late July.

The question now is, when would be a prudent time to hold the Games of the XXXIInd Olympiad?

Providence Marathon has been cancelled

This is from the organizers of the Providence Marathon which was set to go May 3.  "Dear Runners - Due to the concern surrounding the coronavirus, the CDC's recommendation of no events of 50-plus people for the next two months, and the government’s rolling mandate around no public gatherings, we've made the decision to cancel the Providence Marathon, Half Marathon, & 5K, originally scheduled for May 3, 2020.

"We understand how disappointing this is, and we still want to do the best we can for you. We're currently working hard with the venue and city officials to see if a fall postponement is possible, and expect a decision by early April, but we wanted to provide an update now so registered runners can adequately prepare.

"Please keep an eye on your inbox for upcoming email announcements regarding Providence Marathon updates. We'll also be sharing updates on social media. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@providencemarathon.com with any questions or concerns.

"On behalf of the Providence Marathon team, we thank you for your patience and understanding."

The world athletics championships set for move due to postponed Olympics

The decision to postpone this summer's Olympic Games has been met with almost universal welcome and praise.

The Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) say the decision is the "correct" one under "difficult circumstances".

But the lifting of the XXXII Olympiad and plonking it down into the following summer comes with its own scheduling challenges.

The 2021 World Athletics Championships are due to be held in Eugene, Oregon from August 6 to 15.

Even if the Olympics doesn't stick to roughly the same timetable (July 24 to August 9), it will present a problem about how best to prepare for both prestigious track and field championships.

World Athletics seem open to whatever suggestion is thrown at them regarding potential rescheduling.

In a statement they say they could even move next year's World Championships to the summer of 2022.

World Athletics say they're committed to producing an outdoor season of some description this year, even if it starts later and ends later than it usually would.

The opening two Diamond League meetings of the year in Doha and China have already been postponed.

The next stop in Stockholm remains pencilled in for May 24, but with athletes currently unable to train it would appear that is unlikely to go ahead either.

World Athletics' statement reads:

World Athletics welcomes the decision of the IOC and the Japanese Government to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to 2021.

It is what athletes want and we believe this decision will give all athletes, technical officials and volunteers some respite and certainty in these unprecedented and uncertain times.

Athletics will continue to do whatever it can to preserve and create an outdoor season of one-day meetings in 2020, starting and ending later than usual, so athletes, when they are able and it is safe to, will have access to competitions in every region.

This will help them benchmark their performances and adjust their training accordingly for an Olympic Games in 2021.

In light of this announcement, we will also expedite our current review of the Olympic qualification system, in cooperation with the IOC, and release any changes to the process as soon as possible so athletes know where they stand.

World Athletics stands ready to work with the IOC and all sport on an alternative date for the Olympic Games in 2021 and has already been in discussion with the Organising Committee of the World Athletics Championships Oregon 21 regarding the possibility of moving the dates of this highly popular worldwide event.

They have reassured us that they will work with all of their partners and stakeholders to ensure that Oregon is able to host the World Athletics Championships on alternative dates, including dates in 2022.

The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 organizers have officially announced the Games will be postponed until 2021

The Tokyo Olympic Games have officially been postponed, the IOC announced Tuesday morning. The decision comes after weeks of reassurances from the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organizers that the Games would go ahead as planned, despite global concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak.

Many people around the world—including athletes and national sport governing bodies—have been calling for postponement, but it took the withdrawal of the Canadian and Australian Olympic Committees to push the IOC to this point. 

IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic was becoming too much to handle, and they decided that postponement was the right route to take. The IOC’s statement says the Olympics will be rescheduled “not later than summer 2021.” Regardless of when they are held, the Games will keep the name “Tokyo 2020.”

The Olympic Games have been cancelled on three occasions—1916, 1940 and 1944—all due to war. Tokyo 2020 will be the first postponement of a Games, however. The postponement will come as a relief to people across the world, and it keeps the Olympic dream alive for many Canadian athletes. 

The Quarantine Backyard Ultra is a chance to race virtually for free this spring

If you’re itching to race this spring but don’t know where to turn, maybe just look to your backyard. The Quarantine Backyard Ultra is a free race that anyone can enter, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home or on a route nearby. Canadian ultrarunner and treadmill-running world record-holder Dave Proctor will be running the Backyard Ultra, which will be broadcast on YouTube starting on April 4, and the Barkley Marathons‘ Laz Lake will be the honorary race director.

The race starts at 6 a.m. PT on April 4. All runners will connect via Zoom video call, and this is where their progress will be monitored. Athletes can choose between running on a treadmill or on a route that starts and finishes at their home. Runners who choose the former option must point their camera at their treadmill after they complete each lap to prove they completed the distance (each lap is 6.706K).

Racers who opt to run outside must use a GPS watch or smartphone to record their distance run, and at the end of each lap, they must show proof of the completed lap to the Zoom audience. Once runners complete each lap, they can relax until the next lap begins. The last person running is the winner.

The race will be live streamed on YouTube, which should satisfy many running fans’ needs for live racing. Better yet, the event will have live updates on its Facebook page written by Lake, and, if all goes well with Zoom, Lake will also provide colour commentary over the live feed as well. Last year, Lake travelled to Calgary and acted as the honorary race director for Proctor’s Outrun Backyard Ultra, which was modelled after Lake’s Big’s Backyard Ultra in Tennessee.

The race is being organized by Personal Peak, an endurance coaching company witch which Proctor works. In May, Proctor was set to tackle the TransCanadian speed record attempt, and Personal Peak coaches were going to be his crew for the run. When he had to postpone his attempt, Proctor decided he had to do something to replace it.

“His fitness level wasn’t going to go to waste,” says Stephanie Gillis-Paulgaard, Proctor’s publicist. “Dave’s a competitor, so we said, ‘Let’s see who else we can get on board.'” So, Personal Peak set the race up and they “extended that invitation to all of the best ultrarunners,” Gillis-Paulgaard says. As it stands now, 11 other elite runners have confirmed for the April 4 race, but Gillis-Paulgaard, Proctor and the Personal Peak team hope to attract runners of all levels.

“Hopefully, for those people who have trained over the winter months, this will give them something to race, whether they run one lap or 50,” Gillis-Paulgaard says. The winner of the event will win what is, according to the race website, “soon to be world’s most coveted prize: The Golden Toilet Paper Roll.” In a time where race opportunities are sparse and toilet paper is hard to come by, you can get both in the newest virtual race.

British soldier Jordan Wylie completes marathon after North Pole run was cancelled

Any one of us would be forgiven for re-thinking plans to run an Arctic marathon in the face of a global pandemic.

In fact, anyone would be forgiven for re-thinking plans to run an Arctic marathon full stop.

But when his plans to tackle a 26.2 mile race across the North Pole were halted by the coronavirus outbreak, Jordan Wylie found an alternative.

Last weekend, and a little closer to home, in Poole, he completed a world-first by running a marathon inside a cryotherapy chamber simulating temperatures as low as 60 degrees below freezing.

It comes after Jordan completed marathons in three of the most dangerous countries in the world – Somarlia, Iraq and Afghanistan – in 2018 as part of the Running Dangerously project.

Now he is looking to repeat the feat in his ‘Polar Edition’ of the challenge. Already he has completed marathons in Siberia, the Yukon and Iceland, and now he can add a cryotherapy chamber in Poole to that list.

The CryoAction chamber, housed at CryoLabs Poole, can reach sub-zero temperatures of -160 degrees, but was set between -30 to -60 degrees to match the real life Arctic and Siberian conditions Jordan would have faced during his four-hour run.

The ex-soldier turned extreme adventurer experienced early onset of frostnip - the stage before frostbite begins - for the first time in his life during latest marathon and says it was in many ways uncharted territory.

“This is the first time anything like this has been attempted,” he said. “I am used to running in sub-zero temperatures, and have done it three times before, but this was an entirely new experience.

“I have been training hard for this latest marathon, so I’m glad that the CryoLabs team have been able to help us add to the £1 million I’ve raised through events like this.”

The CryoAction chamber is usually used by sports stars, including Andy Murray, Gareth Bale and many Premier League football teams, to deliver increased gains in performance, speed up injury recovery times, reduce inflammation and enable better sleep quality and increased energy levels.

For Jordan’s marathon, the chamber was kitted out with a treadmill as he completed the task in isolation.

Ian Watson, director at CryoLabs, said: “After hearing about the problems Jordan has had trying to complete his series of Arctic marathons I knew we could help.

“Although we have never done a marathon before we have used the cryotherapy chamber for TV production crews to test their camera equipment in Arctic conditions before travelling to the North Pole. We set the temperature of our chamber to -30C and kept a close eye on Jordan as he completed the 26.2 mile run.”

The 109th San Francisco Bay To Breakers has been postponed to September 20

Like so many races beng cancelled and postponed, this was a tough decision.  The race organizers posted this, "Following further discussions with the City and County of San Francisco surrounding the escalating COVID-19 outbreak, we have made the decision to postpone Bay to Breakers to September 20, 2020.

"The health and safety of our participants, staff and volunteers is our utmost priority, and we are grateful to the City for their flexibility and assistance in selecting this new date to ensure this legacy event takes place for the 109th consecutive year.

“Bay to Breakers is more than just a race. This event was started in 1912 to unify a recovering San Francisco community following a devastating earthquake. For more than a century, it has represented the strength and resilience of the Bay area, while serving as a celebration of diversity and community for participants and spectators alike,” said John Kane, CEO of Capstone Event Group.

“We look forward to continuing this legacy and celebrating the next chapter of Bay to Breakers with everyone on September 20.”

"All existing 2020 Bay to Breakers registrations will be automatically transferred for the new date. No action is needed on your part.

"Refunds will not be offered. If you are unable to make the new date, you have the option to defer your 2020 registration to the 2021 race."

Ultramarathon competitor Diana Dzaviza runs 37 kilometers without leaving the confines of her apartment

A Latvian woman living in Vienna has reportedly managed to combine the twin virtues of exercise and social distancing by running 37 kilometers without leaving the confines of her apartment.

Ultramarathon competitor Diāna Džaviza spent six hours performing the feat along a 22-meter route that encompassed landmarks including kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.

She completed 1,687 laps and is also donating 172 euros to a charity for seriously ill children using the money she was going to pay to enter a long distance race in Austria that was cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis.

According to data from the "Strava" app, the distance was even more impressive at some 46.36 km.

The 107-kilometer Riga-Valmiera track record holder and current Latvian champion in the 100-kilometer distance had decided on March 21 to take part in the annual six-hour charity run in Austria , where the proceeds would be donated to families with seriously ill patients, but did not let the cancellation of the event prevent her from stretching her legs.

Refreshments were provided along the way in the form not of high-energy drinks but home-cooked pancakes supplied by her daughter.

In challenging times, Of all the communities within the sport of athletics, mountain runners spend more time outdoors than most

So when restrictions for outdoor activities and exercise are introduced, as has been the case in recent weeks during the coronavirus pandemic, it has been particularly challenging to maintain a decent level of fitness for runners who routinely log anywhere between 100 to 200 kilometres per week.

The World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) spoke to some of the world’s leading mountain runners and found that what united them all was a stronger sense of community and a feeling that this crisis puts running into perspective.

Francesco Puppi, the 2017 world long distance mountain-running champion, describes the situation in Italy.

“Life has changed drastically,” he said. “Everyone is supposed to stay at home and avoid social contacts as much as possible: it's the only weapon we have to fight the virus, and we don’t know how long all this will go on.

“Running is permitted but only under particular circumstances. I am currently training, just at a slightly lower intensity than before. I think everyone in this situation should have the sensibility to understand if, when and how to run. It should be done with discretion and care. This is a form of respect for those who are suffering.

“It doesn’t mean that all the work I did has been wasted,” adds Puppi, who had been due to compete at the Rotterdam Marathon. “I am still proud of what I managed, of the big effort I put into those 110-mile weeks, the sore legs, the long workouts, of the improvements and setbacks I’ve experienced on this journey. It’s just a matter of re-thinking our goals.

“Keep on running because this is something we love and makes us feel good, even in the worst situation.”

For 2019 WMRA World Cup winner Andrew Douglas, the situation in the UK, and in his home nation of Scotland, is ‘rapidly changing’.

“I’m just trying to appreciate every chance I get at the moment to put my trainers on and head out for a run,” said Douglas, who is anticipating the introduction of stricter measures like those in Spain, France and Italy.

“Undoubtedly it’s disappointing to see this having such a profound impact on races, but personally the effect it has on me pales in comparison to the much bigger issues facing society, so ultimately it’s just about getting some perspective. I had my best ever season last year so that’s something I’m fortunate to be able to have at the back of my mind.

“Like most people, I have not experienced anything like this in my lifetime, so as much as my working environment is changing, my training at the moment is the one ordinary thing I can rely on for the moment in these extraordinary times.”

“When pubs are closed in Ireland, then it's definitely serious,” said Irish runner Zak Hanna.

“The mountains aren't going anywhere any time soon, so just keep calm, weather the storm and we will all come through this. As the Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said, ‘Let it be said that when things were at their worst, we were at our best’.”

Mimmi Kotka, who is from Sweden but lives in France, is into her third day of confinement. The 2018 Marathon du Mont Blanc winner is allowed to exercise outdoors but must stay close to home. “You have to carry a certificate for this too, stating where you live and what your errand outside is,” she says. “Adjusting to new circumstances is part of being human; we need to deal with it. If you’re healthy, be grateful for that. And this is about doing what’s right; after all, running is a leisure activity.”

“In order not to clog up extra resources in hospitals, we're not allowed to go very high up into the mountains,” adds Britain’s Sarah Tunstall, who is based in France. “The mountain rescue teams and workers who control the avalanches at this time of the year are also isolating so it makes the mountains especially dangerous.”

British mountain runner Natalie White, who is currently based in northern Italy, one of the hardest hit areas, says: “Doing our part is going to help not just ourselves but others. Some areas are allowing runners to go out, but close to home and solo. That in itself is a positive to be grateful for.”

It’s not just the athletes who are affected either. Competition organisers have also been hit by the crisis. US runner Max King, who is also race director of the recently cancelled Bend Marathon, asks his fellow athletes for their understanding in these difficult times.

WMRA Council member Nancy Hobbs urges runners to practise social distancing. “It is challenging when running with someone else to not speak, of course, and the further apart you get from someone, the harder it is to communicate,” she says. “However, doing track workouts with friends can be modified. Being creative is the key.

“One of the most important things is to check in with your running friends,” adds Hobbs. “It’s crucial to support one another.”

African Games 10,000 meters champion, Berehanu Tsegu of Ethiopia receives four-year doping ban for EPO

Berehanu Tsegu of Ethiopia has received a four-year doping ban from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for the blood-boosting drug erythropoietin (EPO).

The 20-year-old triumphed in the 10,000 meter competition at the 2019 African Games in Morocco, winning the Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon in the same year. 

Tsegu tested positive for EPO after providing an in-competition sample at the Copenhagen Half Marathon in September 2019. 

He initially denied any knowledge of taking the prohibited substance, claiming "he was not aware how EPO could have entered his body."

This month, however, Tsegu has admitted the anti-doping rule violations and accepted the consequences. 

He has subsequently received a four-year ban and had all results from September 15 2019 disqualified. 

In 2018, Ethiopia was named top of a list of nations categorized by World Athletics as most at risk of doping.

Along with Belarus, Ukraine and Kenya, they were among four countries included in Category A - Member Federations, which World Athletics believe are most likely to have doping problems.

Doping products are reportedly easily available in Addis Ababa, World Athletics warned.  

Following their inclusion on the list, the Ethiopian Athletics Federation launched a major education program among young athletes to warn them of the dangers of doping.  

Tsegu's suspension has been announced just weeks after Rio 2016 Olympic steeplechase gold medalist Ruth Jebet was handed a four-year ban for EPO.

The 23-year-old, who is Kenyan-born but competes for Bahrain, had tested positive for EPO in December 2017.

World record marathon holder Eliud Kipchoge suffers loneliness at his running training

When he broke the two-hour barrier for the marathon in October, Eliud Kipchoge did not run alone, but now, as a diary he is recording reveals, he has no choice.

Kipchoge may be the only man to have broken two hours, but when he set the time in Vienna he ran with an echelon of pacemakers.

Now, as the first episode of "Eliud Kipchoge's Isolation Diary", makes clear, he is experiencing the loneliness of the long-distance runner.

The diary, recorded for the BBC, opens with the Kenyan rising from a kitchen chair with his tracksuit and running shoes on.

"It's now 6 o'clock," he says.

"This is now the third day since we broke up from the the camp due to coronavirus. It's really hard to train because I value teamwork. It's mutual interest because it helps me so much."

"I am trying to quarantine myself, stay with the family and make sure I don't actually mingle with a lot of people," he says.

"I am trying to keep more fit myself and wake up early at 6 o'clock and go for a run and make sure I stay fit," he adds.

"Good morning," he adds, waving, turning and heading on his own for open front door.

Outside it is dark and dogs can be heard barking.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games has been postponed to next summer

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to postpone the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games which were both scheduled for the summer of 2020.

Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, has set a four-week deadline period to decide on the new dates for the international sporting events.

The decision to postpone the 2020 Olympic Games, which would've been held between July 24 and August 9, has been taken due to the coronavirus outbreak and will be made official in the next few hours.

IOC have ruled out cancelling the events but have finally given in to pressure from important federations such as that of the United Kingdom and the United States.

In the upcoming weeks, Tokyo Olympics organisers have to deal with several legal implications in regard to ongoing contracts, insurance fees, future inhabitants who have already bought buildings in the Olympic Village and the extra cost of their maintenance.

Course revealed for World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 2021

In one year, athletes from across the globe will descend on this spiritual home of Australian sport to take on the terrain, and whatever else mother nature can muster, for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 2021.

To celebrate the one year to go mark, the local organising committee has unveiled the official course animation for the event, which is scheduled to take place on 20 March 2021.

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

The varied landscape and altitude around the iconic race track offers a range of enticing and challenging options for cross country running.

When Bathurst was awarded the championships, Athletics Australia president Mark Arbib said the event would embrace both elite and recreational runners in a celebration of the art of cross country.

"As recreational running continues to grow in Australia, the World Cross Country represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our elite runners to race on home soil, but also for our community runners to celebrate the sport and be involved in running events planned to take place during the championships," Arbib said.

The Canadian and Australian Olympic Committees have decided not to field teams at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Canada and Australia will not send athletes to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo because of the risks associated with the coronavirus outbreak, the Olympic committees for both countries said in separate statements on Sunday. 

Both countries' Olympic committees also are calling for the Games to be postponed until 2021. 

"While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community," the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee said in a joint statement. "This is not solely about athlete health -- it is about public health."

The Australian Olympic Committee's executive board met by teleconference Sunday morning and unanimously agreed that an Australian Olympic team could not be assembled given the changing circumstances across the world, the committee said in a statement.

The committee also said "our athletes now need to prioritise their own health and of those around them, and to be able to return to the families."

"It's clear the Games can't be held in July," said Ian Chesterman, Australian Team Chef de Mission for Tokyo. "Our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing, but the stress and uncertainty has been extremely challenging for them."

IOC says its not canceling the Olympics.  The committees' decisions came hours after International Olympic Committee's executive board said it is considering postponing -- but not canceling -- this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The IOC board said it is considering several options to deal with the ongoing outbreak, including modifying plans to allow the 2020 Tokyo Games to begin on schedule on July 24 or changing the start date for the Games.

IOC considers postponing Tokyo Games but says it won't cancel them

The IOC executive board ruled out canceling the Games, saying it would "destroy the Olympic dream of 11,000 athletes" and all those who support them, according to a letter to athletes from IOC President Thomas Bach.

The Canadian statement thanked the IOC for saying it would not cancel the games, saying the IOC appreciates the "the importance of accelerating its decision-making regarding a possible postponement."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that a decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics may be needed if the Games cannot be held in a complete form.

Training under lockdown, Italian athletes aiming to keep upbeat and focused

Since the spread of the deadly New Coronavirus began earlier this year, athletes, like everyone else, have been forced to adjust. First, those things directly related to their athletic pursuits: their schedules, their training, their travel. As the virus continued to spread across the planet, those adjustments moved from the professional to the personal and are now impacting on most aspects of their lives -where and when they can eat and shop, who they can see and who they can't – just like the rest of us.

With nearly 25,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,809 deaths reported (as at 16 March), Italy is by far the hardest hit country in Europe and was the first (After China) to institute a nationwide quarantine. That came on 9 March, a lockdown that has dramatically restricted movement and further turned normal life on its head.

That’s the context now in which athletes are looking towards the Olympic Games. Conjecture about the future of those Games, scheduled to get underway on 24 July, is feeding the uncertainty, but for now that goal remains as the key driving force for Italian athletes who are trying to keep upbeat even as some scramble to find places to train.

“I’m worried about the national emergency and the lack of races but my mood remains good,” said Davide Re, the national 400m record holder, who, instead of attending an overseas training camp, is currently in Rieti where he is today celebrating his 27th birthday. Restrictions have closed indoor training facilities, but as a national level athlete, he has been given permission to train on an outdoor track.

“I’m sorry to celebrate my birthday in quarantine, without the classic pastarelle at the camp,” he said. “But training is good. Luckily, being a national athlete I have the opportunity to go to the field so my routine hasn’t changed too much. We can't use the gym, of course, but we can use the weights on the track outside.”

For Vallortigara, a time for focus, and reflection

From Siena, high jumper Elena Vallortigara reports that for her, not too much has changed.

“Last week I managed to train every day on my track except Tuesday, but I made up for that on a football pitch. If the facility remains open, it changes little, because I can jump and train on the track.

Not knowing when the season will resume, Vallortigara said, is the more difficult uncertainty to manage.

Since the date of her next competition is up in the air, Vallortigara said, “the best thing is to continue my general conditioning work that I would have done in this period anyway, and then finalise my plans when there will be more specific news - even on the Olympic Games. Making many plans on what may or may not be is really a waste of energy right now.”

Re concurred. “I hope we’ll know something soon about the season to figure out how to regulate our training.”

An even greater difficulty, Vallortigara said, “is to maintain a positive, and even a little detached attitude. I feel that this feeling of general panic and insecurity has an impact on me, as on everyone. I’m fortunate to be able to go to the field and maintain at least some normalcy in my days.

“But the most important problem is people’s health: from my side, I try to remain focused on the target, because I think this can help me, hoping normality may come back soon. I also hope everyone can come back to their usual lives as soon as possible, but in the meantime, with increased awareness. This period should also be one for everybody to reflect.”

Crippa assists national campaign

Meanwhile, national 10,000m record holder Yeman Crippa continues his drive towards Tokyo from his home base in Trento.

“The situation is more difficult and I have to be much more careful, and always have my self-declaration with me,” he said, referring to a state-mandated document which allows him to leave his home.

“For a while I won’t be on the track and in the gym, but for bicycle and road training there isn’t a problem. But it’s not a good situation because races and training camps have been cancelled. Tomorrow I was supposed to go to the United States.

“It’s getting hard but I won’t give up. I know it will work out so my preparation for Tokyo continues, albeit with some more obstacles. It would have been worse if we hadn't been able to train at all.”

Like the others, he’s taking the current health risks and national decrees very seriously. Crippa was among the leading figures involved in the #DistantiMaUniti campaign set up by the Italian Ministry for Sport and Youth Policies whose aim was to convince young people to stay at home during this critical period.

Bringing their work home

Plenty of athletes are bringing their work home as best as they can. Like this unidentified high jumper in Milan.

So too are shot putter Leonardo Fabbri and hurdler Luminosa Bogliolo.

After a strong indoor campaign capped by a 21.59m national indoor record, Fabbri is back at work at his home in Florence.

“We decided to disconnect for a few days after the commitments of the indoor season, where I competed a lot. But now my training continues at home.” He’s hoping to return to his regular training base in Bologna two weeks from now.

Bogliolo, last year’s World University Games 100m hurdles champion, brought her work into her living room in the northwestern town of Alassio, located midway between Genoa and San Remo.

“Yes, I have all the tools in my living room, so when I'm not on the field I can train on treadmills, stationary bikes and resistance bands,” she said. But she too is finding the uncertainty of competitions the most difficult aspect to adjust to.

“The situation continues to change. Mentally I want to believe that we will compete again, but you cannot know. My coaches are changing the schedules a bit, but we’re working as if we’ll have a regular outdoor season.

“I’m trying not to give up and stay focused even if what is happening in Italy and around the world is truly an incredible situation."

Looking for Some Running Content to Watch? On Running’s Chasing Tokyo Series May be Just For You

On Running’s Chasing Tokyo series may be just for you. The video series chronicled the nine athletes of the On ZAP Endurance professional running team (Tyler Pennel, Joe Stilin, Andrew Colley, Johnny Crain, Tristin Van Ord, Matt McClintock, Joanna Thompson, Josh Izewski, and Nicole DiMercurio) and their attempts to qualify for the 2020 US Olympic marathon team. The five-part series became a hit on social media, with 1.35 million views on YouTube, and more than 7.2 million views across all platforms according to On.

The On ZAP runners came up short of the Olympic goal.

If you want to watch the series without knowing how the On runners did, scroll to the videos embedded below. Otherwise keep reading.

However, they had two strong performances in the men’s race at the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. with Tyler Pennel (11th in 2:12:34) and Josh Izewski (17th in 2:14:15) both posting top-20 finishes. Pennel’s run showed just how strong the men’s race was; despite a PR on the tough Atlanta course, Pennel could not match his 5th-place finish from the 2016 Trials.

While the top 3 finishers in Atlanta got the most attention, the series captures why so many runners dedicate a significant portion of their lives training for and dreaming of the Olympics. Joe Stilin, who had an off day at the Trials and finished 107th, is in tears in the final episode talking about how much it meant to him to have his high school coach, his dad, his brother, and even fellow teammates encouraging him at the Trials.

“It’s what the sport’s about…Sometimes, it’s not about just crushing and being top 3 and all that. It’s why we run,” Stilin said (that clip is here).

The series is directed by Emmy-winning director, Andrew Hinton (“Man with the Halo”) and starts following the team in 2019 in episode 1, “Dudes in the Woods,” which explains what the On ZAP team — located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Boone, N.C., — is all about. Episode 5 concludes with the Olympic Trials. There isn’t much footage from the Trials — only four minutes of the one-hour series comes from once they’re on the starting line in Atlanta — but the point isn’t to capture the race itself, but to show the buildup and struggles all Olympic dreamers go through.

Episode 1 is only five minutes, so give it a shot and see if you get hooked.

And don’t feel too bad that the ZAP runners didn’t make it to Tokyo. They’re already dreaming of Paris 2024. “Of the nine athletes on the team, I think probably half of them are thinking about this race four years from now. Sometimes it’s the people who are just too stupid to quit who get things done and we’re probably in that category,” said On ZAP head coach Pete Rea in the final episode.

One final thing: is the On ZAP runners were allowed to wear the new Nike super shoes during the race. We are full of praise for On for allowing this: it shows they put their athletes first. On was founded by former world duathlon champion Olivier Bernhard, who knows a thing or two about performance (LRC’s Wejo went to Olivier’s house in Switzerland in 2012 or 2013). Olivier was a Nike-sponsored athlete back in the day, and when he got injured he tinkered with his shoes, and that led him to starting a shoe company once he stopped competing. Roger Federer is now working with On and an investor in the company. Athletes of that caliber know is it not right to force athletes to compete at a disadvantage, so they let the On ZAP runners wear the Nike shoes. We applaud them. None of the ZAP runners are forced to wonder “What if…

Bolder Boulder 10k has been moved from Memorial Day to Labor Day

Organizers of the Bolder Boulder 10k in Boulder, Colorado has announced that the hugely popular annual road race will take place on Labor Day weekend in 2020 instead of Memorial Day weekend. They also said that their parallel race that’s normally held on Labor Day weekend in Fort Collins — the FORTitude 10K — will be folded into the Bolder Boulder and will return to its normal setup next year.

Earlier this week it was announced that due to the coronavirus pandemic there would be a postponement of the Boulder race which runs through the Colorado city’s streets and ends at Folsom Field on the University of Colorado campus.

“There continues to be increasing and substantial challenges for our communities including Boulder and Fort Collins, as well as for (Colorado State University) and CU. Two great communities and two great universities are coming together, reflecting the spirit that is our culture in Colorado,” race director Cliff Bosley said in a prepared statement of the effort to merge the two 10Ks.

The Bolder Boulder is in its 42nd year and the FORTitude 10K was first run in 2017.

“Whether you’re running the BOLDERBoulder on Labor Day or running the FORTitude on Labor Day, we’re running together. Everyone we met with to arrive at this decision recognizes that while Boulder and Fort Collins as well as CU and CSU compete in many areas, this is another example of coming together to collaborate,” Bosley said.

The Elite field at the River Bank 25k Run and other races may be affected because they needed to move their date to the fall

The rescheduling of the Amway River Bank Run in Grand Rapid Michigan to the fall will affect the number of elite runners for the 25K race, but organizers say that was expected anyway in an Olympic year.

"If it was May, we knew the Olympics would have an impact and we expect that will carry over and extend to the fall as well," said Greg Meyer, the elite athlete coordinator for the River Bank Run.

Race officials announced Friday the 43rd edition of the run would be rescheduled from May 9 to Oct. 24 because of the coronavirus.  

The upcoming Summer Olympics had already affected interest and availability in the elite field, said Meyer, noting that’s an every-four-year challenge for organizers. The Olympic contingent includes Aliphine Tuliamuk, a three-time women’s winner of the River Bank Run, and Molly Seidel, who was second last year.

Add in the fears of COVID-19 and the expectations have been narrowed.

"There's not a whole lot we can do about it," he said. "Yeah, it is basically starting from scratch (with the date change), but it's a one-year thing and we'll do the best we can. For the majority of people, this is a community run, the highlight of their running year, and that's something that won't change."

Last year about 3,700 competed in the 25K, won by Parker Stinson of Boulder, Colorado (1:13:46.44) and Emma Bates of Boise, Idaho (1:23:49.50).

Meyer has heard complaints from those who dislike the second Saturday in May for the race and may prefer the fall date. But he dismissed that.

"To me, the River Bank Run is really the rite of spring around here," he said. "Yeah, for some it's not the perfect timing. But you know what? For so many it's been just right. I'm not going to second-guess that."

The River Bank Run, with around 17,000 entries for its various events, is now like many big races pushed to the fall, including the Boston Marathon (from April to September) and the London Marathon (from April to October), while the Chicago Marathon remains set for Oct. 11.

No finisher at the Barkley Marathons again this year (also, no race)

Even the legendary Barkley Marathons couldn't make it through a pandemic. The Tennessee ultramarathon was called yesterday and remains without a finisher to the race since John Kelly in 2017.

The ultra trail race was set to take place later this month or early April in Frozen Head State Park. The 100-mile course is limited to 60 hours. It's considered one of the toughest races on the planet in part because it is both physically and mentally exhausting.

There is always a great deal of interest in the race, and this year was no different as Canadian ultra trail runner Gary Robbins was set to make his return to the race after a long recovery from injury.

Robbins hinted that the race would likely be cancelled with a social media post on March 14, but also said that he was ready and was nearing peak fitness in his training.

"I feel like this might be the fittest I’ve ever been heading into the race. Certainly, it’s the best my legs have ever felt at this point in time. Having missed almost two years due to injury, but continuing to train over 500 hours on the bike in 2019, seems to have done nothing but strengthened my body overall," he wrote.

Race founder Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell was working hard to try to make the race happen, even after the U.S. travel ban resulted in a number of European runners having to cancel.

Without a doubt, "Laz" will be back soon enough to enact his unique brand of punishment on unsuspecting runners who might think a run in the Tennessee woods sounds like fun.

Portland Track statement affirming the 2020 Portland Track Festival and Stumptown Twilight remain on the schedule

Portland Track issued this statement regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its summer schedule.

Citizens of Tracklandia:  Portland Track is committed to the health and well-being of our athletes and fans and, as soon as it is safe to venture onto the oval again, we will provide opportunities for athletes to compete in 2020. Like you, we are devastated by the impact that COVID-19 has had on the spring outdoor season and the continued threat the virus has made on the Summer Olympics and the US Track and Field Trials.

We recognize the loss of valuable qualifying opportunities that athletes have planned their seasons around and it is our commitment, that as soon as it is safe to do so, we’ll be there with our starter’s pistol to host some races and get you on to Eugene, then Tokyo.

As of today, Portland Track has not canceled our current schedule of meets. We intend to hold to our published dates, but we are making contingency plans if hosting these events is not possible, for any reason. Our priority will be on providing Olympic Trials qualifying races for high-performance athletes.

If the Olympics are postponed and the Trials window is extended, for example, we’ll add events, as needed, to give competitors every chance to hit US or Olympic entry standards. Similarly, if Oregon’s current limit on the size of events remains in-place we’ll get creative and host a series of small-batch races, without spectators, that keep athletes safe but allow them to race.

We’ll also be coordinating with our friends at other meets around the country. If coaches, agents, and meet directors collaborate efficiently we can put our athletes first and provide the races they need.As circumstances become clearer throughout the spring we’ll post updated information at PortlandTrack.com as well as on our social media channels. 2020 Portland Track Schedule:

May 30-31 Portland Track Festival – Youth Meet

June 4-5 Portland Track Festival – High Performance Meet

June 12 Stumptown Twilight Meet

Facing quarantine, Canadians are searching for new ways to exercise without going out

Over the last week, you might have noticed that your regular training route is a but busier than usual. It seems like more and more people are getting out for runs, and while this might be thanks to the start of spring, it’s likely due to COVID-19 self-isolation and social distancing.  

The Globe and Mail reports that since the coronavirus pandemic began, Canadians have been in search of fitness gear.

The Globe spoke with John Stanton, founder of the Running Room, whose stores have reduced their hours across the country amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Running Room website, though, has been bustling with activity. Stanton took a guess (a conservative one, he said) and said since last Thursday, online sales have jumped at least 25 per cent.

From coast to coast, Canadians have been sent home, either to work remotely or wait out the virus. Gyms, pools and all other facilities closed in the last week, leaving people to work out on their own, and the New York Times says “a running boom is taking off.” The Running Room is not the only company to see a boost in sales following this boom.

The Great Life Fitness Store in B.C. told The Globe it has seen at least double its normal sales numbers, specifically for strength-training equipment, and the store is running out of product because of the sudden constant demand. Toronto’s fitness equipment store Physical Assets has also received nonstop calls and requests for gear.

Even Canada’s elite are jumping on the at-home fitness craze, like Rio Olympian Jess O’Connell. O’Connell bought an elliptical machine off Kijiji for some indoor workouts in the coming weeks.

No matter what you choose, whether it’s a run, an at-home core routine or to lift some weights, fitting a workout into your daily schedule is never a bad call.

France ban means no running outside of a 2K radius of home

As of noon on Tuesday March 17, France went into a 15-day lockdown, which restricts people to going out for essential work, to buy food and essentials, to attend medical appointments, for vital family reasons and for individual physical exercise.

However, the exercise can only be done within a 2K radius of a person’s home. Cycling has been completely banned.

The French Ministry of Sport clarified today, stating, “A 1K or 2K run maximum. It’s not about getting far away from your house. The rule is confinement for everyone. Remember that you should only be leaving for emergencies or for your health. A little jog is good for your sanity but not a 10K run.”

Although most are understanding of the restrictions, some French citizens are upset.

“This measure is really pure stupidity,” says Guillaume Multrier. “What are we risking riding solo? We’re farther from others than in all the other authorized activities.”

However, while some are upset, others are making the best of the situation. The Huffington Post reports that Elisha Nochomovitz spent six hours and 48 minutes running 42.2K around the seven-meter balcony of his apartment in Toulouse on Tuesday.

Quarantined Man Elisha Nochomovitz Runs Marathon On Apartment Balcony Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

It was a marathon effort to keep fit and stave off boredom amid the coronavirus lockdown in France.

Elisha Nochomovitz spent 6 hours and 48 minutes running 26.2 miles around the 7-meter balcony of his apartment in Toulouse on Tuesday, just as a 15-day nationwide ban on people leaving their homes (apart from essential outings) came into effect.

Video shared online shows the 32-year-old restaurant worker, who is currently furloughed from his job, running repeatedly up and down the small space. In all, he completed around 6,000 laps.

“I wanted to bring something playful to the containment,” said the seasoned marathon runner, who has 36 such races under his belt.

“I saw pictures of people going out of their homes for jogging. But if everyone does the same, we will all end up outside,” he told HuffPost France, noting how it was the first time he hadn’t been bothered about recording a lengthy time.

“Part of my goal was to kill as much time as possible,” he said.

With French authorities reportedly considering extending the lockdown beyond its initial 15 days, Nochomovitz said he was now mulling over his next stay-at-home challenge.

“How about another marathon to improve my record. Or a 12-hour home trainer session, on my balcony,” he said.

Irish marathon runner Kevin Seaward believes Olympics probably won't happen

Irish marathon runner Kevin Seaward feels there is "every likelihood" this year's Olympics will not take place because of the coronavirus crisis.

Seaward ran the distance for Ireland at the Rio Games and set a new Northern Ireland marathon record of 2:10.09 last month to seemingly book his Tokyo spot.

"The Olympics symbolize something more than a Games at the moment," he said.

"It would be a beacon of hope for people. But I honestly don't think they are going to happen."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is continuing to insist the Games could still begin on 24 July despite the pandemic but several high profile athletes including British heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson have criticized this stance.

World champion Johnson-Thompson says training has become "impossible" because of the restrictions around coronavirus and has had to move back home from her normal base in France after the country was put on lockdown.

As a distance runner who does most of his workouts alone and rarely uses a track, Seaward says his training is not being hindered to the same extent as the Englishwoman, but nevertheless feels the IOC will have to at least move the Games to a later date if not cancel altogether.

Seaward, 36, is an assistant head teacher at a Leicestershire secondary school and has been working flat out with his colleagues to make arrangements for the children of key workers who will remain in school in the coming weeks after the British Government's school closures announcement on Wednesday.

"It's challenging times. School has been pretty crazy the last three or four days but we've got a little bit of clarity now," the Northern Irishman told BBC Sport Northern Ireland.

"You don't know that the Olympics are going to happen. I've come to the conclusion that there's every likelihood of them not happening. We've certainly got bigger things to worry about globally at the minute."

Seaward believes the postponement and cancellation of numerous Olympic qualifiers and other events which would have offered the opportunity to book Tokyo berths is another reason why the Games are unlikely to happen - certainly in the summer.

"I read an article today where Seb Coe said it was too early to make a decision (on the Games) and I kind of agree it's too early to definitively say yes or no.

"Aside from the fact that what we're experiencing now may not have cleared by then, people still have to qualify. There's a lot of thought that would have to go into making the process fair for everyone.

"From a marathoner's perspective, we have three Irish qualifiers (Seaward, Paul Pollock and Stephen Scullion) but we also know there are multiple other guys (Sean Tobin, Hugh Armstrong and Mick Clohisey) who were training hard and who were determined to give it a go to qualify but their marathons were cancelled."

At the age of 70, grandpa Ralph Bernascone finished his 100th marathon on March 1

Ralph Bernascone completed a century of 26-mile runs at the Steyning Stinger on March 1, to the applause of his family who were there to watch.

“There’s nothing special about me,” said Ralph. “If I can do it, anybody can do it, it is just a question of giving it time and you will be able to do it too.”

Ralph, from Henfield, ran his first marathon in 2001 at the age of 51, completing the New York event six weeks after 9/11.  “I started running in 1998 because I was drinking too much, smoking too much and my wife Dorrit was fed up," he said.

“There’s a local running club called Henfield Joggers, I joined them and gradually built up.  You spend all that money getting to New York, that was the incentive, it was certainly not cheap.”

Since then, he has traveled the world running, from Norway to Dorking.  “All of them have been memorable, I’ve enjoyed them all," he said. 

“Reykjavic in Iceland was different – when you land it’s like Mars with all the craters.

“We did one in Marrakech. That was interesting as halfway around we had to stop as a caravan of camels were crossing.  But I do think London Marathon is the best in the world.”

The septuagenarian, who still runs with the Henfield Joggers after 22 years, is not even the oldest in the group.

He is urging others to pick up a passion for jogging.  “Try it, do it. One thing I can truthfully say is that I’ve never met a nasty runner – everyone is so nice and pleasant. It doesn’t matter how much money you have when you’re running up a steep hill, everyone is the same.

“All you need is some good running shoes for about £70 or £80. What’s that when a golf club costs £500?”

Ralph was cheered over the line of his 100th marathon by his daughter Karina Ray, 34, who lives in Shoreham.

She said: “I normally go to see him if it’s local and my husband has done the Brighton one with him before.

“On the day of the 100th, we were up there on the Downs with my husband and his two granddaughters.

“Steyning Stinger was a really hard one, running up the hills and it’s muddy. I’m pretty lazy compared to him.”

Henfield Joggers celebrated its 30th anniversary this year.

The first run as a club was on April 1, 1990, with six people taking part.

There are now nearly 130 runners “of all abilities”.

Mo Farah explains over taking supplement

Mo Farah has explained how he came to change his account when questioned in 2015 about taking the supplement L-carnitine before the 2014 London Marathon.

A BBC Panorama documentary aired last Monday revealed that Farah was interviewed by investigators from the US Anti-Doping Agency in 2015 as part of its investigation into his former coach Alberto Salazar and asked whether he had been given L-carnitine before the previous year’s London Marathon.

Farah was tested six days after that race and the BBC reported that, despite listing a number of other products and medicines, he failed to record L-carnitine on his doping control form. In transcripts obtained by the BBC, Farah denies having been given the injection in the initial 2015 interview with Usada.

Panorama reported he then met the UK Athletics head of distance running, Barry Fudge, immediately after the interview and returned to the room as the investigators were preparing to leave. At this point, Farah, who won 5,000 metres and 10,000m gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, told them he had been given the injection.

In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, Farah explains: “I was questioned for five hours. I said one thing and then other things got said and now it’s made out like I’ve done wrong, but if you know how it happened then it’s easier to understand. When I came out I said to Barry, ‘Hey mate, they kept asking me about this supplement. What’s that?’

“He said, ‘Yeah, it’s this, you did take it’, so I went straight back in and told them. I forgot, but as soon as I was told I ran back in. If I was a liar, why would I go straight back in? I said, ‘Look, I genuinely forgot, I didn’t know that. Now I do.’”

Farah said when he was questioned by investigators he thought he had only been given magnesium injections. “I was 100% convinced I hadn’t taken it [L-carnitine],” Farah said. “In my mind I hadn’t taken anything else apart from magnesium. I put magnesium on the doping control form.

“I can sleep at night knowing I’ve done nothing wrong. I love representing my country, making my country proud and doing what I do best because it is a gift and that’s why I do it with a smile. But it’s not fair what comes with it. It’s not fair on my kids and my family. It’s just not right. It’s depressing. Mentally and physically it’s had an effect on me.”

L-carnitine is not a prohibited substance under Wada rules. Injections and infusions of it were permitted within Wada rules in 2014 provided the volume was below 50 millilitres every six hours. The permitted volume is now 100ml every 12 hours.

Salazar, Farah’s former coach at the Nike Oregon Project, was handed a four-year ban by Usada in October last year for doping violations, though he has appealed to the court of arbitration for sport.

Farah, who ended his relationship with the American in 2017, has never failed a drugs test and is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Somali-Belgian athlete Bashir Abdi sets sights on European record after sub-2:05 clocking in Tokyo

Bashir Abdi became only the second European athlete in history to break the 2:05-barrier for the marathon in the Tokyo Marathon on 1 March and he harbours aspirations of becoming the fastest.

The 31-year-old shattered his own national record with 2:04:49 to take the runner-up spot in the Japanese capital ahead of a prospective second successive Olympic appearance. And what is most remarkable about his ascent is he former amateur football player only started running at the age of 18.  

Abdi was born in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu and arrived in Belgium in 2002 at the age of 13. Back then running made no sense as he was a football addict. “As a kid I could not even understand why people would run in circles. Chasing a football made sense but skinny people running in circles did not at all. That was until I started running at the age of 18 and I have never regretted that decision”. 

Now Abdi is second on the European all-time marathon list with  2:04:49, his third consecutive Belgian record in only his fourth marathon after previous record runs in London (2:07:03) and Chicago (2:06:14) last year. Abdi came second in Tokyo, only 34 seconds behind Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese, in a race which was devoid of the mass participation element due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

“I expected a finishing time around 2:05, because I have had the best preparation ever towards a marathon. My trainer Gary [Lough] made that very clear during the last weeks of altitude training in Sululta, Ethiopia. I was however surprised by the fact that I finished in second place in a World Marathon Major. To start with about 200 athletes in what normally is a race with 38,000 runners was a rather odd experience. It felt as if I was running a tiny street race in my hometown Ghent.” 

Abdi made his marathon debut back in April 2018 in Rotterdam with a solid 2:10:46 clocking despite bloodying his knees in a collision at the start. Now he is a sub-2:05 marathoner who is considered to be one of the outsiders to win a medal at the Olympic marathon in Sapporo.  

Abdi closed exceptionally quickly in the Chicago Marathon last October and he also ran faster than any other athlete in the Tokyo Marathon between the 35 kilometre checkpoint and the finish. His finish speed could be a great weapon at the Olympics.  

“I received wonderful reactions on my Tokyo performance, but for me finishing in the top eight would be great already. To my account there are six or seven runners that top the bill such as Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele and Birhanu Legese. I also doubt that I will be able to use the same tactics towards Sapporo, as I am not as experienced in the marathon, because I have had the benefit of pacers in my past four races. 

“The conditions will also be fairly different. Both Chicago and Tokyo were somehow similar to what I am used to in Belgium. Together with the Belgian Olympic Team we will prepare towards Sapporo as much as possible. Workouts in a heat chamber will be part of that preparation, combined with the usual altitude camp in Sululta” 

Abdi also has something else to look forward to during his build-up to the Olympics. In June he will become a father for the second time. His daughter Kadra celebrated her first birthday back in October. There is only one race on his schedule before Sapporo so far.   

“Becoming a father for the second time is something I am looking really forward to. I have a great wife who understands that sacrifices have to be made to perform at this level, especially in a year like this. Thanks to apps like Facetime and social media I am able to stay in touch with my family when I am on training camps. My baby daughter even recognises me thanks to social media, so it is somehow a blessing.  

2020 is all about the Olympics for Abdi but he is already thinking about the 2021 season - namely the Belgian half marathon record of 60:18 and more importantly the European marathon record of Kaan Kigen Ozbilen which stands at 2:04:16.   

The Lincoln marathon to offer race virtually

Lincoln Marathon organizers and runners are working to figure out a way to still run the marathon after it was cancelled earlier this week.

On May 3rd 7,000 runners were going to compete in the Lincoln Marathon.

Since the race has been cancelled that's not the case but some runners are still hitting the trails.

Matt Anderson has been gearing up for his fifth half marathon.

"Honestly I wasn't shocked," said Anderson. "I don't think anybody is by all the cancellations that have been going on at this point. We understand and hopefully there will be plenty of opportunities to do it in the future."

While it still needs some fine tuning the Lincoln Marathon organizers decided that racers can run the marathon virtually.

"It won't be the same because you won't all be running at the same time and the same conditions," said Ann Ringlein the manager of Lincoln Running Company. "You can see how many people ran in your age group, so we're trying to make it as close to a race situation and simulation as we can."

The virtual marathon means that runners can make their own path, it just has to be a half or full marathon distance.

"Could run to Bennett Nebraska from here," said Anderson. "You could do a loop around the lake. Heck I could run to South Street and back like 20 times and that would count."

Even though the marathon is cancelled Anderson says there is still a goal to accomplish.

"At the end of the day," said Anderson. "It's still about getting out and running and that's what we have to do."

Lincoln Marathon Officials are still working through the details of the virtual run.

They will update all competitors as soon as they have the logistics figured out.

The runners are expected to get their completion certificate, medal and t-shirt.

Pittsburgh Marathon scheduled for May 3rd has been cancelled says the organizers

We regret to share with all of you that the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon will not take place in 2020. We worked with our partners in the City of Pittsburgh, at UPMC, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania throughout this process; however, the City of Pittsburgh has — in accordance with guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention — banned all gatherings of 50 or more people during the eight-week period beginning March 15, 2020, in efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

We know that this is the right thing to do to ensure the safety of our participants, staff, volunteers, medical professionals, security personnel and spectators. We are heartbroken to have to cancel this year’s DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon weekend. Each year, more than 40,000 runners take to the streets of Pittsburgh — including kids as young as one year old to grandparents in their nineties, and each of you has a unique story to tell. We know that many of you started training even before January first and have put in months of effort to get to race day, and now that isn’t going to happen. We understand that you are disappointed, and we’re sure that many of you are upset that this is the outcome

44th running of Lilac Bloomsday Run postponed to September 20th says race organizers

Each May for the past 43 years, Spokane has welcomed the coming of spring and the sense of rebirth through the personal journeys of thousands of Bloomies through the streets of Spokane.  This year, when COVID-19 began to make its way into our consciousness, we at Bloomsday worked with our local health officials, clinging to the hope that we could keep our first Sunday in May date alive. However, developments which have come at lightning speed over the past few days have made it crystal clear that it will be impossible to hold Bloomsday as planned.

We are passionate about organizing an event that has become part of the fabric of Spokane.  We cherish each and every participant and volunteer because collectively they make Bloomsday what it is, a true community celebration that connects us all to the best part of what it means to be human.  We don’t want to lose that, even for a year.  In collaboration with the City of Spokane and the Spokane Regional Health District, we are proud to announce that we are going to bloom on Sunday, September 20, 2020. 

We want all Bloomies to know that your entry into Bloomsday 2020 will carry forward to the new date of September 20th including, of course, Corporate Cup.  It is our fervent hope that the world will have COVID-19 well in the rear-view mirror by then and that Bloomsday will be the same great event - - just on a different Sunday.  If you already registered but will be unable to join us in September, your entry will be extended to Bloomsday 2021.  Soon, we will send an email to those who have registered themselves, their family members, and/or their friends for Bloomsday 2020 to provide additional details and instructions. Again, no action will be necessary for those who already registered and will join us on September 20th. 

Just as we’ve had to postpone Bloomsday, we’re also having to postpone Marmot March and Jr. Bloomsday.   As we explore options for those events, more details will follow.   

Bloomsday 2020 will be an event to remember.  Be a part of that, celebrate with us, and show the world that Spokane is a special place that rises up even in the most unsettling of times.

Last minute changes are never easy, especially for an event as large as Bloomsday.  We are grateful for your patience and understanding as our team works to make the process as painless as possible for everyone. 

A word from the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon "Our event has been cancelled"

The 500 Festival is suspending all planned, in-person events scheduled through May 9, 2020. The suspension of these events is in accordance with the CDC’s updated guidance to cancel, postpone or provide virtual options for all large events for the next 8 weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). The 500 Festival is doing everything possible to minimize the economic impact and ramifications that will be experienced as a result of canceling these in-person events.

The following 500 Festival in-person events will need to be conducted as virtual events.

OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K (May 2) – All 2020 Indy Mini events will move to virtual races. Individuals registered for this year’s races will receive details on how to participate virtually and still earn their 2020 shirt and medal. Other options, including lending a hand in support of the 500 Festival’s free programs for kids or rolling registration over to next year, will be communicated to participants in the coming days. The in-person events will NOT take place.

To the registered participants of the 2020 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K, we know that many of you have logged countless hours of training and have made numerous commitments to experience the thrill of crossing the finish line. We don’t take your commitments lightly and want you to know that we have exhausted all possible solutions to provide the Indy Mini experience that you’ve come to expect over the last 43 years.

We have also been cognizant of the resources that help us produce this community event which includes thousands of volunteers, medical personnel, IMPD, the Indiana National Guard, Homeland Security, Indianapolis Motor Speedway staff, corporate partners and many others. Given our current situation and out of respect for the ever-changing needs of those resource partners as well as the health and safety of our participants, it has become clear that moving our 2020 races to virtual runs is the best possible choice.

In addition to the participant options, we are also committed to providing you with an on-track running and walking experience at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway at a to-be-determined date later this year.

The 2020 Miwok 100k has been cancelled

We had hoped to wait until April 2, but after discussions with our permitting agencies, and with the shelter-in-place announcement yesterday for all residents in six Northern California counties – including Marin, where the Miwok 100K takes place – it has become unavoidably clear that we cannot in good conscience put on an event that brings people from many different counties, states, and countries into Marin during this pandemic.

Our runners could unknowingly bring COVID-19 into the area, infecting residents and other runners, or could return home to their own communities with it, and infect their families, friends, or essential service providers. Due to the above, as well as the potential risk to the volunteers, staff, and other participants, the 2020 Miwok 100K is now cancelled.

Entrants will receive a 2021 lottery bypass, and an update regarding partial refund on April 17. We’ll also be sharing a few ideas on a virtual Miwok, and ways to get some running in despite curfews and quarantines.

A word from the HAJ Hannover Marathon Team concerning their April 26th 2020 race

Current statement regarding the corona virus.  "Dear participants of the 30th HAJ Hannover Marathon on the 26th April 2020,

Regarding the current situation concerning the Corona Virus (COVID-19), we are still planning to let the 30th HAJ Hannover Marathon take place on April 26th without any far-reaching restrictions. All of our planning and organizational steps are designed for this.

Therefore, we have a close look on the situation on a daily basis and we see it as our responsibility to be in close contact with the decisive authorities and committees to be able to react to further developments as good as possible.

Furthermore, we will examine all possibilities about how the hygiene standards can be improved for our participants, helpers and spectators at the event weekend and put them into action!We are still firmly assuming that we will welcome you all to our birthday celebrations in Hanover and we are looking forward to seeing you.

Of course, we will keep you up to date with any new information about our marathon.

Check our website or My Best Runs for the latest information.

The North Pole Marathon has been cancelled

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and related official information just issued by the Norwegian Government and Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority, the FWD North Pole Marathon is forced to defer the next race to 2021.

All participants have been notified. Although the logistics for the North Pole have been fully prepared, and an operational ice camp can be established on the Arctic Ocean, it is unfortunate that Svalbard - the departure point for North Pole expeditions - will effectively be shut down in April: North Pole events can only be scheduled for April due to parameters for safe ice conditions.

Instead, we will now have to look forward to welcoming runners to this special location, on the top of the world, next year. In the meantime, we wish that everybody can stay fit and healthy during this global pandemic.

Lead Australian athletics coach Nic Bideau, thinks Olympics will be postponed

A senior Australian athletics coach believes the Olympics will be postponed because thousands of top athletes have been unable to properly prepare for the Games, as the coronavirus pandemic causes lockdowns around the world.

Thousands of the best athletes around the world will be unable to compete to qualify for Olympic teams, with athletics Diamond League meets poised to be cancelled due to restrictions on mass gatherings. European and American national titles are also in doubt due to the same crowd restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lead Australian athletics coach Nic Bideau, who trains some of Australia's best middle distance runners, said many of the big countries in athletics were doubtful of being able to select teams under the normal qualifying system.

Bideau said that regardless of whether Japan recovered enough to host the Games, whether countries would have teams to send should be a compelling consideration for organizers.

"At the moment the situation is getting worse, not better [in the US and many countries in Europe] so those events will be unlikely to go ahead," he said.

"The big countries won't have teams to send. I think they will end up having the Games pushed back 12 months rather than cancelled. The small sports need the Olympics for profile and money coming in, they can't survive without the Olympics, so I think they will push it back 12 months."

There has been discussion in world athletics of abandoning the regular qualification process and just issuing quotas to countries to nominate a number of athletes.

But while nations in the southern hemisphere, such as Australia and South Africa, might be able to nominate teams because they have just completed domestic summer seasons, most European countries and Canada and the US have not. The latter group has also not had athletes hit qualifying standards.

"We could pick our team from qualified athletes and world rankings and so could South Africa but at the moment people are not thinking about that [qualifying for Olympics], they are thinking what will happen with the world? Is it worth thinking about playing sport and running competitions when this is happening?

"Everyone is marking time for a month, training a bit, and hoping that events can be held in June in Europe and the US, but it unlikely those events can be held."

The US Olympic track and field team is picked only from athletes who finish first, second or third at the US Olympic trials. To be on the team you must compete at the trials, but if the trials are not held then as it stands now, it would be impossible to pick a team.

The Bolder Boulder Postpones May Race

Cliff Bosley hopes one day folks around Boulder recall the wild year in 2020 in somewhat nostalgic terms as the year the Bolder Boulder did not run on Memorial Day.

Until then, race organizers will deal with the stark reality of what is becoming the new norm in Boulder and across the country.

As expected on Monday morning, the 42nd annual Bolder Boulder, along with its many Memorial Day festivities, was postponed due to the ever-expanding fears regarding the spread of the new coronavirus.

Race organizers announced the delay of the annual Memorial Day 10K extravaganza. No makeup date was announced, though race organizers said they are exploring options to run the event in the fall.

“Difficult for a lot of reasons. Since 1979 I’ve not known anything other than the Bolder Boulder, and running the Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day,” said Bosley, the Bolder Boulder race director. “I suppose that’s a nice way of saying there’s a lot of nostalgia and history steeped into Memorial Day and the race. The flip side to this, and it’s the way we’re looking at it, is it’s the first time ever we aren’t running on Memorial Day. Maybe just in 2020 we’ll have it somewhere down the road.”

Those who already have registered will have those registrations honored for the new date in the fall. If registrants cannot participate in whatever new date is announced, the Bolder Boulder allows registrations to be rolled into another year for a $20 fee. Bosley said at this point there have been no discussions about waiving that fee, though that could change in the coming weeks and months, particularly if the race is scuttled altogether.

The Bolder Boulder has been held annually since 1979, and since 2002 the event has featured at least 45,000 participants every year. That figure does not include the thousands of spectators who routinely line the course throughout Boulder, as well as those in Folsom Field. The CU football stadium is the site of the finish line as well as the gathering point for the event’s many Memorial Day festivities.

After placing fourth at the Olympic Trials, Desiree Linden planned to race the Boston Marathon. Like everybody else, she’s trying to figure out what’s next

Very little has gone according to plan for anybody this year. And Desiree Linden is no exception.

After placing fourth on February 29 at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials (the top three—Aliphine Tuliamuk, Molly Seidel, and Sally Kipyego—made the U.S. Olympic Team), she was disappointed. The alternate position wasn’t what the two-time Olympian was after on the hilly Atlanta course. However, her spirits were quickly lifted, she said, because she also had the Boston Marathon coming up on April 20—the race she won in 2018.

“Having Boston on the schedule made me move on and not dig into what happened at the Trials too much,” she said. “Then Boston got canceled and I was like, ‘Dear god, I probably need to process this.’

Officials announced on Friday that the 2020 Boston Marathon would be postponed until September 14 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Linden said she found out at the same time everybody else did, at her home in Rochester Hills, Michigan.

“I went for a run during the press conference,” she said. “Obviously I had been connecting the dots like everybody else and it was the obvious thing to do.”

Linden, 36, took a little time on Monday during a phone interview with Women’s Running to reflect on her Trials race and the Boston Marathon cancellation, as well as offer some advice to runners struggling without races on the calendar. What follows are some outtakes from the conversation.

The Olympic Marathon Trials and evaluating her performance.- Linden said she hasn’t spent a lot of time going over the details of the Atlanta race. The course was difficult, but she felt prepared for it. The training got a little tricky when she came down with the flu about three weeks before the race.

“We managed the training—I just didn’t have a great hand of cards. I had a respectable day, but it wasn’t indicative of my ability and I think the further away we get from that race, the less I remember. I don’t think there’s a lot of value in overthinking it anyway. Obviously the course was super tough and I remember that Laura [Thweatt] was pushing the group most of the second lap [of an eight-mile loop, run three times] and part of the third. She stretched us out a little bit and I covered her move, then Aliphine and Molly went after that. I had run that last [5K] section of the course the day before and I wonder if I over-respected it or got it just right? I was on super tired legs and I knew that last section was going to be really tough for everybody, so I left a little bit in the reserves. When I finished, I was perfectly exhausted—my legs were toast and there was nowhere in those last three miles I could have done more.”

After the Trials finish, Linden said she was feeling more positive because her training had been going in the right direction after recovering from the flu. She knew she could capitalize on it for the Boston Marathon.

“Immediately after the Trials, it was just Boston, Boston, Boston. That was super exciting. That day after the Trials I felt surprisingly decent. Then this buzz about the coronavirus started getting louder and then it became a little more exhausting to get out the door. It was hard to think about workouts geared toward Boston when I started thinking, ‘I could just be recovering right now.’ But also, running is my normal and what makes me feel better. Anyway, I’m enjoying a little break finally and that feels good—I’m just running based on how I feel, assuming we can continue running outside. I’ll slowly get back into it.”

How the coronavirus is affecting Track and Field

The rapid spread of coronavirus has caused numerous changes in the 2020 racing season. News of events being cancelled or postponed is breaking daily.  We will keep you up todate on breaking news.  

What Athletics Canada has told Olympic hopefuls

Athletics Canada has told runners that they’re to keep training as normal so long as they’re healthy. However, if they’re out of the country, they’re to return immediately. Failure to comply could result in suspension of funds and Athletics Canada resources. Athletics Canada also cancelled all of their training camps for this spring.

While runners are expected to train as normal, most facilities have closed, so people are getting creative. From home gyms, to spin bikes, to shoveling tracks–runners are doing the best with the situation they’ve been given.

As of now, the Canadian Olympic Track and Field Trials are expected to continue as normal. They’re set to begin on June 25.

Track meets that have been cancelled.- Three Diamond League events: Qatar (April 17) and China (May 9 and 16) have all been cancelled, Shanghai has been rescheduled to August 13, NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships (March 12-14, June 10-13), Florida Relays (March 29 – Apr 5)​, Penn Relays (April 23-25), WPA (World Para Athletics) Grand Prix, Italy (May 22 – 24).

Race organizers of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run cancelled, Free Virtual Race Planned

Race organizers of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run - The Runners' Rite of Spring® for the past 47 years - announced on Saturday the cancellation of all of the activities over race weekend, April 3-5, including the Health and Fitness Expo, the Kids' Run, 10 Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk. They announced today preliminary plans for a free virtual race, details of which are still to be determined.

Event director Phil Stewart said, "We've faced heat, cold and high winds at the event since 1973, but never a broad health threat like the COVID-19 virus. The organizing committee held out hope that the virus might peak and start to decline in the three weeks that remained before race day. However, when the warnings by Federal and local officials along with Public Health Agencies showed that we were still on the upslope of the virus, we knew we needed to take action - however painful - to minimize our participants' exposure at our event."

The event will offer full refunds to all participants but is encouraging entrants to donate their entry fee to the official race charity, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

Event Director Phil Stewart noted: "Since 2002, over $9.5 million has been raised on behalf of 170 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, including $385,000 from last year's event. We would like to carry on the legacy of enabling Credit Union Miracle Day to make a sizeable contribution to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, even though the annual tradition of the race itself will be interrupted this year."

Stewart went on to add: "If a significant number of runners were to choose to donate their entry fees, we just might be able to break through the $10 million dollar mark."

The email sent to all registered runners on Saturday outlined three options for participants to choose from: 1) donating their entry fee to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, 2) getting a full refund of their entry fee, or 3) offering a guaranteed entry (lottery exemption) into the 2021 event and no refund of the 2020 entry fee.

The entry process for next year's event, scheduled for April 11, 2021 (a week later than usual due to Easter falling on the first Sunday in April), will be conducted by lottery scheduled for December 1-12. Runners choosing one of the first two options outlined above will have to apply to the lottery and pay the 2021 registration fee. Runners choosing the option of guaranteed entry will also have to pay the 2021 registration fee but will not need to enter the lottery. Runners will have until April 15th at 11:59 p.m. to make their choice using an online form that will be made available to runners over the next few days. With more guaranteed entry codes being made available through this process, Stewart anticipates that fewer slots will be available through the lottery itself, something he suggests runners should think about as they make their choices.

In recognition of the countless miles logged by 16,000 runners entered in the 10 mile and 2,000 in the 5K Run-Walk, the organizers will conduct a free virtual run as a way for runners to celebrate all of the preparation they have done in anticipation of the race. Stewart said: "Over 12,000 had signed up for free training programs hosted by Coach Kirt West and Runcoach, and we wanted to provide an opportunity for them to celebrate and cap off their training." Details about the Virtual Run will be posted at www.cherryblossom.org.

About the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile.- The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, organized by Cherry Blossom, Inc., a 501c(3) chapter of the Road Runners Club of America, is known as "The Runner's Rite of Spring®" in the Nation's Capital. The staging area for the event is on the Washington Monument Grounds and the course passes in sight of all of the major Washington, DC Memorials. The event serves as a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a consortium of 170 premier children's hospitals across North America. About one-third of the funds raised support Washington, DC's own Children's National ("Children's Hospital"). The event also funds two $5,000 Road Runners Club of America "Roads Scholar" grants designed to support up-and- coming U.S. distance running talent.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run is also part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, "America's Greatest Springtime Celebration."

Credit Union Miracle Day, Inc., a consortium of credit unions and credit union suppliers in partnership with CUNA Mutual Group, PCSU and CO-OP Financial Services, is the title sponsor of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, 5K Run-Walk and Kids' Run. Presenting sponsors include ASICS, the official shoe and apparel sponsor; Garmin, the presenting technology sponsor; Gold's Gym, presenting sponsor of the race pace groups; and Med Star Health, presenting sponsor of the Fall Kickoff Reception. Supporting sponsors include E-Trade, Gatorade, Honey Stinger, Mamma Lucia, Potomac River Running, Suburban Solutions and UPS.

The event is a proud member of the PRRO Circuit (PRRO.org), a series of major non-marathon prize money road races in Tampa, FL; Washington, DC; Spokane, WA; and Utica, NY. The circuit is committed to a drug-free sport and funds drug testing at all circuit events in compliance with the standards of international and U.S. drug testing authorities.

Running During the Lockdown in Italy

From their balconies each day, Italians are collectively demonstrating solidarity during the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown: at noon with a heart-felt applause for health care workers, and again at 6 p.m. with a sing-along that features a different song each day.

This has become a sort of balcony block party in my apartment complex, where everyone lets loose in a liberating moment of responsible social togetherness, blasting music from speakers, banging on pots and pans, blowing a horn, greeting neighbors across the way, whatever it takes to make the day feel a little bit more normal.

Italian runners on the other hand, are anything but united, divided on the appropriate behavior to take during the lockdown and whether running is a valid reason to go outside, like shopping for food, or walking the dog, or simply a selfish act that puts others as well as themselves at risk for contracting the virus. Under the current decree, anyone who leaves their house for whatever reason is supposed to carry a “self-declaration” form prepared by the government, that states why you are leaving your house. Police are on the streets stopping people, asking why they’re out and liars face fines and jail time.

While running or going out for a walk or bike ride is not prohibited under the current law if it is done alone and not in a group, many, including other runners, are saying that those who want to go out for their daily run or workout should put their own pleasures aside and stay inside, a small sacrifice to make for the well-being of the country. The runners still getting in their miles have argued that there is no more risk of them running alone than the there is of the person who goes out to buy cigarettes or to the person who goes to the supermarket more than once in a day to buy food or a favorite snack.

Running in the time of COVID-19 is seen by many as frivolous even though the medical experts say that physical activity increases endorphins which help to reduce the stress that many are feeling now.

Before the nationwide lockdown went into effect on March 10, 2020, signs were already there that the running life we know and love it in Italy was about to change. At the end of February, the National Indoor Masters Championships scheduled to be held in Ancona, was abruptly canceled days before the start, followed by many road races including the famous Huwai Roma-Ostia Half Marathon scheduled for March 8, the race that Galen Rupp won in 59:47 in 2018. While tracks in Rome were still open, there was uncertainty as most races on the calendar were being annulled, until the lockdown went into effect and definitively suspended all sporting events - professional and amateur - and shut down gyms, pools and other places of congregation, including the parks of Rome, until further notice.

Runners who had been training all winter for indoor championships as well as for spring races, both on the track and off, suddenly found themselves without their goal race or other arena to test their fitness.

Marathon runners in the eternal city were only three weeks away from the start of the Run Rome Marathon, when it too got postponed to a later, as yet undecided date. The problem for these runners is finding another marathon as most European spring marathons have all been canceled or postponed as well.

Paola Tiselli (third photo), 46, an international level master’s runner, specializing in the 800 and 1500 meters and current Italian age-group record holder in the 1000 meters indoor (3:01:14), said that she had been training all winter for the Italian and European indoor championships, which have now both been canceled.

“I’ve returned to the preparation I was doing about two months ago to stretch out the (training) time”, said Tiselli on how she has had to reorganize her training in view of the fact that there are currently no races on the immediate calendar.

She’s added more strength training sessions to her usual routine of twice per week and has added longer hill repeats – up to 300 meters – as well as an occasional long run of 12/13 kms, interspersed with faster intervals, something that she had eliminated as she was focusing on the 800 meters for this indoor championships.

“In this period of emergency and with all of the races canceled, I’ve re-formulated my preparation with a goal of (maybe) the Italian Masters Relay Championships in July in Catania and the World Masters Athletics championships” at the end of July in Toronto, Canada. “So, let’s say that I’m practically back to a winter preparation”.

Anna Micheletti (second photo), 67, another age-group record-holder with numerous Italian and European titles from 100 meters to 400 meters, echoes Tiselli’s current training focus, adding that it’s not easy in the lockdown but it can be done.

“At home we’re (she and husband, sprinter Claudio Rapaccioni) trying to maintain the workouts. For us sprinters that means to maintain the strength in our legs, with exercises” adding that as a former middle-distance runner “if you don’t also maintain your resistance you won’t be able to run, in my case, a 400. It becomes impossible”.

Micheletti, President of Romatletica Footworks, the current Italians women’s masters team champions, is doing many of her workouts at home and on the grounds of her condominium and avoids contact with others as best as she can.

“We all have to try and do everything that we can to maintain the shape we’re in and we should keep up our activity, with respect for others,” she said referring to current running norms adding that “unfortunately this is something that we’re missing in our society”.

Rita del Pinto, the sprint and middle-distance coach of my team, Liberatletica, of which Tiselli is also a member, recommended her runners to follow a circuit training program that they can do either outside or in, depending on their circumstances.

“The sprinters repeat the program twice, while the middle-distance runners should repeat it three or four times” said del Pinto, who oversees the training of many of the top masters’ sprinters in the country.

For the moment, though, each runner must decide what the best way to stay in shape is for the races they hope to run when life in Italy returns to normal.

In the meantime, we’ll all put our different opinions to one side and enjoy the music from our balconies!

The Flying Pig Marathon has been postponed to October 9-11, 2020

The Flying Pig Marathon is humbled and honored by the loyalty our participants have for all of our events. Many of you have asked if the 22nd running of the Flying Pig is still on schedule for May 1-3 and we would like to update you on our status.

We’ve prided ourselves in producing the Flying Pig Marathon as a fun event that rewards the emotions and significant accomplishments of all our participants. With that, we’ve also made the safety of all in the Flying Pig Marathon our top priority. That safety has traditionally been evaluated with adverse weather and terrorism in mind for more than 50,000 participants, volunteers and staff on race weekend. With the COVID-19 pandemic and a participant field that represents all 50 states and nearly 30 foreign countries, our ability to produce a safe event for our Flying Pig family, Greater Cincinnati community and society has been compromised.  

We have taken the time allowed to monitor and research, discuss with medical, industry and municipal leaders and taken into consideration the input from the running community and our participants. We feel it’s our social and moral responsibility to contribute to the COVID-19 solution and will adhere to the CDC’s updated guidance for canceling mass events for the next eight weeks.  

Like so many other events, businesses and individuals, this decision is one that is extremely difficult, but ultimately places the health and safety of individuals in our community, state and country above all else. This includes the more than 300 organizations that depend on our financial contribution of proceeds. It includes disappointing our loyal (and new) participants that have been looking forward to and giving so much time and dedication to training.  

With those thoughts in mind, the Flying Pig Marathon will not be held in person May 1-3, 2020 and has been postponed until Oct. 9-11, 2020. We’ve identified four options for participants to continue their Flying Pig Marathon experience: 

1. Virtual Race: Complete the Flying Pig events on your own this spring with a virtual race and receive your medal and shirt. We are working with our registration partner, Race Roster, and ASICS on providing a comprehensive virtual experience including a free ASICS Studio 3-month membership to support your training, the ability to track your race with Runkeeper and submit your results in a few simple steps on Race Roster while receiving the shirt and medal only from your respective race(s). Registration for the virtual race will remain open. 

2. Postponement: Join us for the weekend of Oct. 9-11, 2020 as we plan to co-host the Flying Pig Marathon and Queen Bee events in the fall. This weekend was scheduled for our Queen Bee Half Marathon. We’re working on solutions to include all in this weekend experience and will be reaching out to current Queen Bee participants in the coming days and updating QueenBeeHalf.com with more information on what that will look like. If you wish to complete the virtual and join us again in October, you will need to register again. 

3. Donation: As we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, you can convert your registration to a donation and receive the tax writeoff as well as 25% off a future registration to any Pig Works event in the next year (2020 FCC3, 2020 Hudepohl Brewery Run 14K/7K, 2020 Queen Bee, 2021 Bockfest 5K and 2021 Flying Pig Marathon). Each year the Flying Pig Marathon’s events raise more than a million dollars for charity and over the last 21 years the Pig has helped participating charities to raise more than $18 million.  

4. Deferral: Free deferral to any of the future Flying Pig Marathon weekends scheduled for 2021, 2022 or 2023.

We have a no refund policy. However, we realize this is an unprecedented time and the above four options may not work for everyone. Before requesting a refund, please remember we are a non-profit organization that funds a number of other non-profit organizations. Our funds are vital to the on-going health of our organization and our partner organizations.

Double Olympic and three-time world 800m champion Caster Semenya is currently unable to contest her favored event unless she takes medication

Caster Semenya has announced she will compete over 200 meters this year in a bid to make the Tokyo Olympics.

Semenya, 29, is currently unable to compete internationally at distances from 400m to the mile under World Athletics regulations requiring women in those events who have naturally occurring high levels of testosterone – termed athletes of different sexual development [DSD] – to take medication.

The South African double Olympic and triple world 800m champion has repeatedly refused to take the required medication and did not defend her world title in Doha last year. Instead, she has now decided to turn her attention to a distance that does not fall under the regulations.

"As you are all aware, I am unable to compete in the 800m and defend my title at the Tokyo Olympic Games later this year," said Semenya on Friday.

"My dream has always been, and will continue to be, to compete at the highest level of sport, and so in order to pursue my goals and dreams, I have decided to change events, and compete in the 200m.

"This decision has not been an easy one, but as always, I look forward to the challenge, and will work hard, doing all I can to qualify for Tokyo and compete to the best of my ability for South Africa."

Having operated predominantly in middle-distance events during her career, Semenya has few 200m races under her belt prior to this year. Her official personal best of 24.26sec was set last month, although she clocked an unratified 23.49sec at a low-key South African event on Friday.

She would still need to improve significantly on that to secure her place in Tokyo by meeting the Olympic qualifying standard of 22.80sec.

By way of reference, even the 23.49sec she recorded on Friday would have placed her just 18th in the British rankings last year. Dina Asher-Smith's winning time in claiming world gold was 21.88sec.

Semenya's legal challenge against World Athletics' testosterone regulations remains ongoing as she challenges a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport which found in favor of the governing body.

How European indoor 5000m record-holder Marc Scott is coping amid the Coronavirus outbreak. Some good advice

The European indoor 5000m record-holder on life in Oregon amid the Covid-19 outbreak and how running at times like these has many benefits.

Some of Britain’s top athletes are sharing insight into how they are coping during the coronavirus outbreak, which continues to cause great uncertainty and disruption to training and competition. Here European indoor 5000m record-holder Marc Scott talks about his own situation and shares some advice for other athletes in a similar position.

“Competitions will be resumed, there is always something to train for!” “So far, here in Portland in the United States, things seem to be going ahead as normal despite all the cancellations everywhere else,” says Scott, who is now back in training after a strong winter season which saw him break Mo Farah’s European indoor 5000m record with 13:08.87 in Boston.

“Nike HQ where we are based has limited the gyms and facilities to current employees and athletes only so that helps. We can still use the track and surrounding trails.”

Training as normal.- “Our coach has told us that we are continuing training as normal, sessions will go ahead unless informed otherwise,” adds the Bowerman Track Club runner.

“We still plan on heading to altitude camp in a few weeks also, because as of now the Olympic Games and other championships are still on! We typically don’t meet in large groups anymore but that’s not restricted training.

“I usually find out my competition schedule after a block of training, based on how that has gone. No cancelled races just yet, fingers crossed.”

Running has many great benefits.- “My top tip would be to ensure you are self isolating whenever necessary,” Scott says. “Maybe the group runs and social events will stop, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go outside for a run on your own!

“Competitions will be resumed, there is always something to train for! So, keep training. Running doesn’t just have a fitness aspect to it, it has many great benefits. It will break up the constant media surrounding us and enable us to get out there and enjoy ourselves.”

Until further notice, The Comrades Marathon will go ahead as planned

The Comrades Marathon Association’s (CMA) Board convened an urgent meeting on Monday evening in light of the outbreak of the coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, and the subsequent postponement or cancellation of sporting events and mass gatherings in the country.

Athletics South Africa (ASA), under the auspices of which the Comrades Marathon is held, has aligned itself with the national state of disaster as pronounced by President Cyril Ramaphosa and have taken a decision to postpone with immediate effect all athletics events in the country at all levels for 30 days.

This comes as the President specified strict measures to combat the virus which has been described as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The decision includes the postponement of all school athletics including the ASA National Primary Schools T&F Championships which was scheduled for Pietermaritzburg this week; the postponement of all club and provincial activities, including Fun Runs, Park Runs, Road-Running, Cross Country, Trail Running and Track & Field events; as well as the postponement of all ASA championships.

This comes as the President specified strict measures to combat the virus which has been described as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The decision includes the postponement of all school athletics including the ASA National Primary Schools T&F Championships which was scheduled for Pietermaritzburg this week; the postponement of all club and provincial activities, including Fun Runs, Park Runs, Road-Running, Cross Country, Trail Running and Track & Field events; as well as the postponement of all ASA championships.

Under the ongoing guidance of the government on the virus, as well as ASA and KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA), the CMA Board will review the situation by 17 April and advise Comrades athletes and stakeholders on the way forward, depending on the status of the virus in the country at the time.

CMA chairperson, Cheryl Winn said, “With nearly three months to go to #Comrades2020, the CMA Board has decided that it is premature to postpone this year’s Comrades Marathon. We will however continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis and will make a decision by 17 April depending upon how the situation evolves on whether to postpone #Comrades2020 to a date later in the year.”

Winn added: "We will make announcements and issue updates on an ongoing basis. As the CMA Board, we have to consider the best interest and well-being of our athletes, supporters, spectators, volunteers and the public.

With 282 successful substitution applications having been processed since opening of the 2020 substitution period, we urge all Comrades runners to continue with their training preparations for the 95th edition of the Ultimate Human Race.”

Italian athletes aiming to keep upbeat and focused are training under lockdown

Since the spread of the deadly New Coronavirus began earlier this year, athletes, like everyone else, have been forced to adjust. First, those things directly related to their athletic pursuits: their schedules, their training, their travel. As the virus continued to spread across the planet, those adjustments moved from the professional to the personal and are now impacting on most aspects of their lives -where and when they can eat and shop, who they can see and who they can't – just like the rest of us.

With nearly 25,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,809 deaths reported (as at 16 March), Italy is by far the hardest hit country in Europe and was the first (After China) to institute a nationwide quarantine. That came on 9 March, a lockdown that has dramatically restricted movement and further turned normal life on its head.

That’s the context now in which athletes are looking towards the Olympic Games. Conjecture about the future of those Games, scheduled to get underway on 24 July, is feeding the uncertainty, but for now that goal remains as the key driving force for Italian athletes who are trying to keep upbeat even as some scramble to find places to train.

“I’m worried about the national emergency and the lack of races but my mood remains good,” said Davide Re, the national 400m record holder, who, instead of attending an overseas training camp, is currently in Rieti where he is today celebrating his 27th birthday. Restrictions have closed indoor training facilities, but as a national level athlete, he has been given permission to train on an outdoor track. 

“I’m sorry to celebrate my birthday in quarantine, without the classic pastarelle at the camp,” he said. “But training is good. Luckily, being a national athlete I have the opportunity to go to the field so my routine hasn’t changed too much. We can't use the gym, of course, but we can use the weights on the track outside.”

Meanwhile, national 10,000m record holder Yeman Crippa continues his drive towards Tokyo from his home base in Trento. 

“The situation is more difficult and I have to be much more careful, and always have my self-declaration with me,” he said, referring to a state-mandated document which allows him to leave his home.

“For a while I won’t be on the track and in the gym, but for bicycle and road training there isn’t a problem. But it’s not a good situation because races and training camps have been cancelled. Tomorrow I was supposed to go to the United States.

“It’s getting hard but I won’t give up. I know it will work out so my preparation for Tokyo continues, albeit with some more obstacles. It would have been worse if we hadn't been able to train at all.”

How Running Boast Your Immunity

Exercise physiologist David Nieman has spent the last 40 years studying links between exercise and immunity. It’s not a new field. But with the increasing rate of race cancellations and general concern around the global COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, plenty of runners have found themselves wondering whether their intense training is helping, or hurting, their health.

Exercise studies show that regular, modest exercise boosts immunity, and lowers your risk of infection. That’s the good news—and the reason so many scientists believe that running and other regular exercise is a healthy, body-strengthening activity.

On the other hand, hard, continuous, long-effort exercise like marathons and ultra marathons can lower your resistance for 24 to 72 hours, and lead to increased colds and respiratory illnesses for a week or two. Too much exercise volume and intensity turns the corner on what experts refer to as the J curve—and your risk of infection goes up.

Case in point: Nieman and colleagues recently measured the immune response of Antarctic trekker Colin O’Brady, who in late 2018 became the first person to cross the continent unassisted, covering 930 miles in 54 days. The research team found that O’Brady entered a state of  “dysfunctional immune response” that was most severe during the last month when his “energy expenditure was highest, body mass was reduced, and training distress was most severe.”

In his famous exploration of immunity at the Los Angeles Marathon, Nieman found that runners who had been training 60 miles a week or more had double the post-marathon infections of those training under 20 miles a week. Overall, marathon finishers had six times more infections and respiratory illnesses post marathon than a control group of non runners. This lowered immunity was transitory, meaning it didn’t last long, but it was significant enough to produce more post-marathon illness.

Train Smarter, Not Harder.- When it comes to training, more is not always better. For the biggest immunity-fighting response, Nieman suggests following this handy, easy to remember rule of thumb: Run less than 60 miles a week, mostly at a low intensity (60% of max VO2 corresponds to 75% of max heart rate), mostly in workouts that are less than 60 minutes at a time.

Nieman and colleagues have been surprised by one of their consistent findings. While long, hard runs seem to lower immunity, the same is not true of long, intermittent runs. In other words, a long marathon-pace run is a stressor, but if you follow a run/walk approach or even 10 minutes hard/10 minutes easy, you reduce the lower-immunity threat. “When you do a back-and-forth kind of running, your body seems to react in a favorable way, like you’ve just been out for a walk,” Nieman observes.

Eat to Boost Immunity.- Nieman believes the key nutrient that bonds exercise and good health is carbohydrates: before, during and after running. In fact, he notes a whole new science of immuno-metabolism that puts glucose and glycogen in the center of healthy immunity, just like they are in endurance running.

By measuring glycogen in immune cells, Neiman has discovered that a three-hour run (with no carb intake) depletes those cells just as it depletes your leg muscles, and the immune cells become noticeably dysfunctional. You could say they bonk. When runners consume carbs during the same run, their immune cells “look and perform much better,” says Nieman.

Beyond carbs, you might also want to stock up on blueberries. Nieman has long been interested in polyphenols, flavonoids and other food substances that support immunity. In a soon-to-be-published paper, he explored the effects of blueberries on immunity and inflammation after a three-hour laboratory run. One group of runners ate a daily cup of blueberries for two weeks before the lab run. Another group didn’t. “The blueberries knocked down the pro-inflammatory response by a lot,” he says, noting that this group of runners also had less muscle soreness.

While he has investigated other frequently-mentioned approaches like vitamin C and probiotics, he finds little evidence that they make a significant contribution to immunity. In Nieman’s world, if you’re consuming healthy carbs and blueberry-like, flavonoid-rich foods, you’re about 90% down the road to an immunity-boosting diet.

In a 2019 paper published in The Journal of Sport and Health Science, “The compelling link between physical activity and the body’s defense system,”  Nieman and Laurel M. Wentz suggest several other simple and effective immunity-enhancing strategies that runners can follow all the time:

Develop a specific training plan built around ample recovery, sleep and possible mental stressors.

Don’t do individual workouts or weekly total workouts significantly harder than you’ve been doing.

Monitor yourself closely for early signs of illness and/or overtraining, and adjust accordingly.

Skip the gym with its crowds and potential pathogens. Run outdoors.

Avoid excessive alcohol intake.

Adapt stress management strategies to control for life’s hassles.

Marathon Monday in September? Here is what we know so far about the 2020 Boston Marathon

The 2020 Boston Marathon will be a late-summer affair.

As part of the efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, officials and organizers announced the unprecedented move Friday to postpone the 124th edition of the race until Monday, Sept 14. Given the economic — and communal — impact of the marathon, they said it was a better option than canceling it like so many other springtime sporting events, both locally and around the world.

“Our expectation, and the hope right now, is that this date will get us to a safer place in relation to the spread of the coronavirus,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told reporters.

Walsh says the decision was made not only for the safety of the world-renowned marathon’s runners and spectators, but also for local residents who could be at heightened risk of contracting the contagious COVID-19 disease if tens of thousands of people from across the country — and the world — traveled to the Boston area in the midst of the growing crisis.

The move also makes for a potentially very different race come September. But it’s one that Walsh says the Boston Athletic Association “can make work for their runners.”

Why Sept. 14? Officials want to preserve Marathon Monday as the “cornerstone” of a three-day weekend, so that local businesses will be able to recoup at least some of the lost revenue from not holding the marathon next month. According to Walsh, the race has a $211 million impact on the Boston area.

And Gov. Charlie Baker says he will file legislation to make Sept. 14 a state holiday this year just like Patriots’ Day.

However, picking the date wasn’t that simple.

Officials had to navigate a myriad of “moving parts,” as Walsh put it. The weather would likely be too hot in August to hold the race and the following three-day weekends had complicating factors. College students will “hopefully” be moving back over the weekend of Labor Day, Sept. 7, the mayor said. And the Chicago Marathon is held on the Sunday of Columbus Day weekend, which Walsh says also coincides with local colleges’ family weekends. Either way, hotel space in the area would be scarce. And the last two weekends in September coincide with the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. There were even local construction plans in the communities along the course to work around, according to Walsh.

“This date jumped around like a pinball,” he said.

How will the new date affect the race?

During the press conference Friday, Baker said the postponed date was another example of the Boston Marathon’s “resilience.” And organizers encouraged participants to continue to fundraise in the additional months before the race, which raises around $40 million for charity.

“I think everybody, once we get there, will feel the same way they always feel on marathon day,” Baker said.

In many ways, he may be right. But if historical trends are any indication, the new date may mean a warmer — and potentially wetter — Marathon Monday. According to National Weather Service data, the average temperature on April 20 is 50 degrees, with an average high of 57 degrees. The average for Sept. 14 is 66 degrees, with an average high of 73.

Additionally, as the NWS noted Friday, the dew point on Sept. 14 is significantly higher on average — meaning the air has a higher capacity to hold moisture.

“It will be a little stickier, on the whole,” Allen Dunham, a meteorologist at the service, told Boston.com.

It’s unclear whether there will be a traditional Red Sox game on the day of the marathon; the team is currently scheduled to host a three-game home stand against the Tampa Bay Rays on the weekend before Sept. 14, but has no game scheduled on that Monday. The MLB also announced Thursday that the league will postponed Opening Day by at least two weeks in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. But it remains unclear whether the 162-game season will be shortened or how the games will be rescheduled.

Race organizers also understand that marathon runners who had been training and planning around the April 20 date may face conflicts and are promising additional information in the coming days. The BAA has set up a designated email, FAQ2020@baa.org, to field individual inquiries. Will runners who can’t make the new date get a refund? Will they be able to give their bib to someone else? BAA CEO Tom Grilk said Friday that there hadn’t been enough time yet to “give proper thought” to all the potential questions.

“Those are matters that we will address very promptly and get back to everyone this coming week,” Grilk said.

Tokyo Governor says Olympic Torch Relay to continue with "thorough infection measures"

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has once again insisted that the Olympic Torch Relay in Japan will go ahead, despite the Greek leg being cancelled yesterday.

As the coronavirus pandemic grinds much of the world's sporting calendar to a halt, Tokyo 2020 organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have insisted they are still planning for the Games and Relay to go ahead.

"We're taking thorough infection measures with regards to the Olympic Torch Relay domestically", Koike is quoted as saying by Japan Today.

She added that arrangements for a "safe and secure" Games were continuing in the capital.

Koike's comments echo those made by Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga yesterday.

Suga claimed the Japanese Government's stance "has not changed" and that "we will coordinate closely with the IOC, organisers and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to steadily proceed with preparations".

Starting in Fukushima Prefecture, the Relay proper is due to begin on March 26 and is expected to last 121 days.

Adjustments including taking the temperature of Torchbearers and Relay staff members were previously announced in light of the coronavirus outbreak in Japan.

There have been at least 1,436 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, with 28 people dying.

In Greece, large crowds showed up yesterday to watch Gerard Butler carry the Flame, prompting organisers to cancel the remaining Relay in the country.

However, a handover ceremony is still planned to go ahead - albeit behind closed doors, like the lighting ceremony - and the Olympic Torch scheduled to land in Japan on March 20.

I badly need an Olympic marathon gold medal says Cheruiyot

Heading into these two major races, I will be running as a typical Vivian and I have hope, determination and the zeal to do well — Cheruiyot.

• Arguably the most decorated Kenyan runner, Cheruiyot began her international career in 1999, when she won a silver medal in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships in Belfast and a 3000m bronze medal at the World Youth Championships in Bydgoszcz.

Olympic 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot has revealed that winning the marathon title at this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo will be the icing on the cake in an illustrious career spanning over two decades.

Cheruiyot, nicknamed ‘Pocket Rocket’ is also a multiple-time world champion on track and cross country but insists she has her work cut out in her chase for what she describes as her all-time career goal.

But before Tokyo, Cheruiyot is keen on defending her title at the Lisbon Half (March 21) and reclaiming her London Marathon title on April 26.

This, she says, will boost her confidence heading to Tokyo.

Speaking in Elgeyo Marakwet County during the Maria Soti Cross Country Championships 10 days ago, the two-time 5,000m and 10,000m world champion said she has been preparing well for the Games.

“Heading into these two major races, I will be running as a typical Vivian and I have hope, determination and the zeal to do well,” said Cheruiyot.

“I will be defending my Lisbon title as a precursor for the London Marathon. I also have a big task ahead of me, that of representing my country Tokyo, where I also hope to win my second Olympic title.”

Arguably the most decorated Kenyan runner, Cheruiyot began her international career in 1999, when she won a silver medal in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships in Belfast and a 3000m bronze medal at the World Youth Championships in Bydgoszcz.

Since then she has won numerous accolades at the African Championships, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Olympic Games and World Marathon Majors.

“The journey has been good and I want to do better than I have ever done. I want to promise Kenyans a good fight in Tokyo,” added Cheruiyot.

Following her dominance on the track, she announced in 2016 that she had quit track to concentrate in marathon and road races, which it has been successful.

After graduating to the marathon, Cheruiyot won London Marathon in 2018 before finishing second behind Mary Keitany in 2019. She also grabbed a second-place finish at the 2018 New York Marathon.