Running News Daily

Meredith Tribble, a Davis graduated qualifies for Olympic Trials in women's marathon

Meredith Tribble sets no limits on her demanding lifestyle. Married and mother of two young children, a full-time job, involved in her church, and all with the years steadily creeping up.

There’s room in there for more, she felt, as long as the day starts a little earlier.

So before 5 o’clock most mornings, the former Davis standout heads out her front door to run in the dark. The sun will rise at some point, maybe halfway through a hard 14-mile tempo run, but she’ll be back home in time to get the rest of the family up and going.

It’s out there on the trails and roads in the small hours of the day that Tribble found her purest form of joy in running. It’s worth it, she believes, to add this challenge on top of so many others because of the rewards to be found.

In just her third marathon last month, Tribble qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials next year, winning her age group while placing ninth overall at the Indianapolis Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 42 minutes, 41 seconds.

“It was a goal and I’m just so proud of accomplishing it,” she said from her home in Riverside, Calif. “It wasn’t so much the time that motivated me but the drive to push myself to new limits. Just to power through physically, emotionally and mentally. It was very much a spirit-led journey.”

In her debut effort, just to test the legs at the 26.2-mile distance, Meredith ran 2:58 in early spring of 2018. That was easy enough, so she ramped up training and three months later she clocked 2:45:19, just missing the Trials standard by 19 seconds.

Meredith did, however, qualify for the USATF Marathon Championships in Sacramento in early December. Her fitness was solid, as evidenced by a 1:15 half marathon in October, but on the day of the race she backed out feeling ill. She soon discovered she was pregnant, but less than a month later she miscarried.

“Emotionally it was a very difficult time,” she said. “I had to give my body a long time to recover.”

The next step comes on Feb. 29 when Meredith will join the fastest women’s marathoners in the country in Atlanta for the U.S. Olympic Trials. At the front, this race will determine the three qualifiers for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. For the rest, as with the men on the same day, it’s an opportunity to compete in what is essentially a national championship.

Brit Darren McClintock Loses 266lbs, then Runs Half Marathon With His Trainer

A morbidly obese fast food addict who was given a “diet or die” ultimatum from his doctors not only lost 266 pounds, he also completed a half marathon with his personal trainer.

Twenty-eight-year-old Brit Darren McClintock, nicknamed “Dibsy,” weighed 560 pounds (approx. 254 kg) in 2018. Doctors warned Dibsy that his junk food habit may very well send him to an early grave, and the shocking revelation spurred the young man into action.

Personal trainer Mike Hind, notorious for his practice of taking on one pro bono client every year, noticed Dibsy and his mom outside his healthy diner one day and offered the overweight man his assistance. It was the boost Dibsy needed to get started on his formidable weight loss journey.

Hind, a married father of three, had an ingenious idea. He planted posters around Dibsy’s hometown of Middlesbrough, England, urging fast-food vendors not to serve his client.

“Save Dibsy,” the poster read. “Obesity is killing him. Do not serve this man.”

Dibsy had succumbed to comfort eating after losing his father at the age of 18. Unemployed and unable to find clothes that fit, Dibsy was debilitated by his excess weight. According to The Sun, he even spent his nights sleeping on the sofa, unable to climb the stairs to bed.

Dibsy pledged to give up his vices: fast food, fizzy drinks, and alcohol. He pledged to reduce his staggering 11,000 daily calorie consumption, and Hind helped his overweight friend to design the perfect, tailor-made exercise regime.

According to the United Kingdom’s government statistics, 29 percent of adults in the United Kingdom were classified as obese in 2018. In the United States, this figure was 39.8 percent for the last recorded year (2016), as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hind provided Dibsy with the expert advice and moral support he needed to thrive on his new regime. With hard work, determination, and gargantuan willpower, Dibsy started to see impressive results.

Ten months after his weight loss journey began, Dibsy had lost almost half his original body weight. In celebration of his progress, Dibsy completed the Great North Run in Newcastle, England, on Sept. 8, 2019.

“I’m under no illusions that it will be a hard, long day,” Dibsy told ITV ahead of the run, incidentally the world’s biggest half marathon. “But my heart won’t give up, and I’m in a good position now to do it.”

As good as his word, Dibsy finished the race in a triumphant 2 hours and 43 minutes.

The runner spoke to Teeside Live after crossing the finish line. “I didn’t realize how much support there would be, people shouting along the way, it was unbelievable,” Dibsy said.

“It’s an amazing feeling afterwards, knowing you have done it,” the young runner continued. “I found it hard but the sense of achievement is unbelievable.” Dibsy hopes to achieve an even better finishing time in 2020.

Gary Allen the founder of Millinocket Marathon was honored by governor at tourism conference

The founder and director of the Millinocket Marathon and several other significant endurance events across Maine was honored during the recent Governor’s Conference on Tourism at the Augusta Civic Center.

Gary Allen of Cranberry Isles was presented the 2019 Governor’s Conference on Tourism Originality Award for his creative work in organizing cutting-edge events that help build, empower and activate Maine communities.

This award is presented to companies, organizations or persons who have made significant contributions to Maine’s tourism industry.

Allen is the first individual to win the award.

“Gary Allen is emblematic of the Maine spirit of originality,” Steve Lyons, director of the Maine Office of Tourism, said in a release. “His vision for a kind of ‘participation tourism’ that binds visitors and communities is directly in line with current trends in the types of experiences today’s visitors seek, and is a commendable example of sustainable tourism.”

The award specifically recognizes the Millinocket Marathon, which has earned national accolades for its cutting-edge, pay-it-forward, free-to-participate platform.

The December race has attracted thousands of new visitors to the Katahdin area and has provided a major economic boost to a region devastated by the collapse of the northern Maine paper industry.

Participants not only are going to the Katahdin region from all across the United States for the race, but several attendees recently have purchased homes in Millinocket.

“I am beyond thrilled to be recognized for what I do but make no mistake, I believe these accolades represent the absolute tip of the iceberg for what we can do here in Maine to grow our tourism economy by thinking outside the box,” Allen said in the release.

The Philadelphia Marathon removed 147 entries of course-cutters from its 2019 results

The Philadelphia Marathon, a popular Boston qualifier with around 24,000 finishers every year, removed 147 entries from its 2019 results when it was clear that those people cut the course. A notice on the race’s website gives them the benefit of the doubt, indicating they were either tired or injured and “trying not to cheat,” adding that “We don’t embarrass people, we try and help.”

Derek Murphy of MarathonInvestigation.com takes the unusual step of agreeing with the race. “I do agree with their statement that the majority of the runners that skipped from the 13.1 timing mat to the finish likely did not do so with the intent to cheat. It was a miserable day, and most likely just wanted to call it a day.”

Moreover, the race identified more than 8,000 people who did not start in the wave they were assigned to, which could legitimately have resulted in their being disqualified, but instead they corrected their results.

Murphy praised the race organizers for the appropriate way they dealt with suspicious results. “I have been critical of The Philadelphia Marathon in the past,” says Murphy. “As such, I feel it is my obligation to acknowledge when they get it right. This year, they got it right.”

After receiving a tip, Murphy did identify one serial cheater, a man named Tracy, who has made a habit of jumping onto marathon courses around the halfway point and then cutting to yield impressive-looking result–in this case a 3:18 finish. Tracy was apparently walking on the course while “cluelessly” staring at his phone, blocking the way for fast runners and a handcycle wheelchair athlete, who was blowing his whistle to get him to move out of the way and who was forced to swerve around him. When the tipster moved across to cheer at the return portion of the course, she saw Tracy again, and knew he had obviously cut across. Murphy suspected it was Tracy, which was later confirmed by photos and by analyzing his results.

Tracy’s history of course-cutting goes back to 2013, when he recorded a 2:50 split for a half-marathon and a 3:07 finish (17 minutes later). He finished a 2016 race with a 3:02 finish and was later disqualified, and he recorded results from 2017 and 2018 (from which he was not disqualified) showing 3:26 and 4:07 finishes, respectively, but with no splits.

Murphy notes that Tracy is not attempting to use his times to apply for Boston.

The most recent allegations echo reports by Kara Goucher about athletes being encouraged to take unnecessary medications to lose weight and improve performance

Britain’s Daily Mail reports that top UK athletes allege they were repeatedly encouraged by team doctors to have their thyroids checked, even when they exhibited no symptoms, leading to speculation about the use of thyroid medications to boost their performance.

The report echoes the report by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that former Nike Oregon Project Alberto Salazar inappropriately used thyroid medication with athletes.

This is only the latest in a series of issues plaguing British athletics. Head coach Neil Black, known to be a strong supporter of Salazar’s, resigned shortly after the ban was announced, in the midst of the World Championships, from which British athletes brought home a disappointing five medals.

UK Athletics also announced it would mount an investigation into why one of its top athletes, Sir Mo Farah, was encouraged to continue training with Salazar at the NOP in 2015 after Salazar came under investigation by USADA. And last week the newly appointed UKA chair, Zara Hyde Peters, was forced to step down before taking up her duties when it was discovered that her husband, who had been banned from teaching after an “inappropriate relationship” with a 15-year-old girl, had been allowed to coach at the club where Hyde Peters was vice chair.

Medications to improve thyroid function, including L-thyroxine and Cynomel, are not on WADA’s list of prohibited substances (and do not even require a Therapeutic Use Exemption, or TUE), though both USADA and UK Anti-Doping have called for them to be banned except in cases where a need is clearly demonstrated. Such medications, which can lead to serious heart issues when taken inappropriately, are known to aid weight loss, which is perceived to lead to faster times on the track. In the wake of being banned from athletics, Salazar has been the subject of numerous reports that he was obsessive about female athletes’ weight, publicly shaming those he thought were too heavy.

The report quotes athletes Jo Pavey and Matthew Yates, who say thyroid medications should be banned except in cases where they are necessary to maintain adequate thyroid function, and only with a TUE. The rate of hypothyroidism is estimated at one in 20 in females and one in 100 in males, and a physician consulted by the paper claimed that inappropriate use of thyroid medication can lead to serious heart issues. One athlete claims they were tested after a race and encouraged to visit their family doctor to confirm a suspicious result, but that a second test showed a normal result. In another case, an athlete who tested negative was encouraged to take another test after a hard workout, which can influence the result.

The report names Dr. Robert Chakraverty, chief medical officer for UK Athletics from 2013 to 2016 and his successor, Dr Noel Pollock, as having encouraged the tests.

Kaan Kigen Ozbilen from Turkey smashed Mo Farah’s European record in the Valencia Marathon on Sunday, clocking 2:04:16 to finish second behind Ethiopian debutant Kinde Atanew

Farah’s now-beaten mark of 2:05:11 moved into Ozbilen’s view after he finished second in the Rotterdam Marathon in April in 2:05:27 to become the second fastest European marathon runner in history and Ozbilen credits following the instructions of the venerable Kenyan coach Patrick Sang for taking him below this record.

Ozbilen had to settle for the runner-up spot again but the 33-year-old has taken the European record into new territory, slashing almost one minute off Farah’s mark which was set in the Chicago Marathon last October. There is unlikely to be a riposte from Farah next spring after the Brit announced on Friday he is aiming to contest the 10,000m at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Ozbilen was on pace to eclipse Farah’s mark from the gun and the former European cross country champion passed through the halfway mark in 61:58 which put him on course for a sub-2:04 clocking. As the temperatures rose and the leading group splintered, Ozbilen drifted off this schedule slightly but the Turk was never in danger of relinquishing his grip on the record, securing his second podium finish of the season in 2:04:16.

“I’ve been training with the best group in the world - the wonderful Patrick Sang who is coaching Eliud Kipchoge. I was expecting to run well but I was only at 80 percent because I had a problem but today it was my day. Everything went the way I wanted it,” Ozbilen told Alberto Stretti after the race. 

On whether Kipchoge had imparted any advice or words of wisdom ahead of the race, Ozbilen added: “Eliud told me ‘you are capable of winning this race because we have been training together and in every section we have been finishing together.”

In a high calibre race, Norway’s Sondre Nordstad Moen made an excellent comeback after a series of setbacks since running a European record of 2:05:48 to win the Fukuoka Marathon in 2017. In his first completed marathon since that race almost two years ago, Moen finished seventh in 2:06:16 to easily secure the Olympic qualifying standard for 2020.

The theme of Scandinavian success continued as David Nilsson broke the long-standing Swedish record, finishing 16th in 2:10:09 to improve Kjell-Erik Stahl’s mark of 2:10:38 which had stood since the 1983 World Championships. Nilsson recorded near identical halfway splits of 65:05 and 65:04.

Irish Marathon runner Paul Pollock run his personal best at the Valencia Marathon, 2:10:25 securing the automatic qualifying time for next year’s Tokyo Olympic marathon

It was an improvement of over five minutes on Pollock’s previous best and also moves the Belfast runner to number two on the Irish all-time list behind John Treacy’s 2:09.15 set 31 years ago in Boston, and moving Mark Carroll into third with his 2:10.52 run in New York in 2002. Pollock finished in 20th position in Valencia.

The 33-year-old also qualified for the Rio Olympic marathon in 2015, and has been one of Ireland’s top performers on the road in recent years, his previous best being 2:15.30. A qualified doctor, he has also endured his share of injuries in recent years and as recently as September was out with a broken metatarsal.

Pollock also becomes the first Irish men’s qualifier in the marathon for Tokyo; Fionnuala McCormack becoming the first Irish woman to qualify in Chicago in October. Fellow Belfast runner Stephen Scullion is also eyeing up the Tokyo standard of 2:11.30, eyeing up the Houston marathon next month.

Interestingly Pollock was also wearing the Nike Zoom Vaporfly Next Percent, the running shoes that have courted some controversy for the series of faster marathon times this year.

Also running in Valencia over the 10km, Joshua Cheptegei smashed the world record in that distance, clocking 26.38. The Ugandan clipped six seconds from the previous record of 26.44 set by Kenya’s Patrick Komon in 2010 to complete a sensational 2019 hat-trick that included world titles in cross-country and 10,000m on the track.

Running on his own over the entire second half, a determined Cheptegei reached 6km in 16.02 and 7km in 18.42. Cheptegei forged on, reaching 8km in 21.37, when it became clear that the world record was within reach.

With 23.59 on the clock at the 9km point, Cheptegei needed to cover the final kilometer in 2.45, a close well within his capabilities.

“World cross champion in Denmark, 10,000m world champion in Doha and now the world record here in Valencia. What a year it has been,” the 23-year-old said. “I can’t believe it. I knew that Valencia was going to be a really fast course, one of the fastest in the world. So to get to achieve what we came here for is something really special.”

Newcomer Kinde Atanaw Alayew wins the Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Marathon and shatters the record

Ethiopians Roza Dereje and Kinde Atanaw Alayew produced impressive victories at the Maraton Valencia Trinidad Alfonso, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, in the eastern Spanish city on Sunday (1).

In the women’s race Dereje clocked 2:18:30 to move up to No. 8 on the all-time world list while pulling the next three finishers under 2:19, the first time four women have broken that barrier in the same race.

In the men’s contest the 26-year-old Alayew clocked 2:03:53 in his debut over the distance to finish 38 seconds inside the previous Spanish all-comers record set at this race last year.

Extraordinary depth - women’s race

The early pace in the women’s race was ambitious with Kenya’s Purity Rionoripo plus the Ethiopian pair of Workenesh Edesa and Dereje going through 10 kilometres in 32:33. Meanwhile, pre-race favourite Vivian Cheruiyot proved to be a bit more conservative but even so the Kenyan ace clocked 32:47 running with Ethiopia’s Birhane Dibaba.

Cheruiyot and Dibaba caught the leading pack at 15 kilometres (49:12) before reaching the half in 1:09:18, well inside the race record schedule with Ethiopia’s Azmera Abreha, a 2:21:51 performer, running alone another 22 seconds behind.

The leading quintet covered 30 kilometres in 1:38:36 while behind them Abreha cut their lead to nine seconds. Shortly afterwards, first Rionoripo and then Edesa began to drift back and were easily overtaken by Abreha.

At 40 kilometres, Dereje lead in 1:55:04 alongside Dibaba, with Cheruiyot one second adrift and Abreha, who finally joined the trio, for company. From there, Dereje began to step up her pace to open a sizeable margin on Cheruiyot and Dibaba. But Abreha kept up the pressure.

Dereje, who was third in this year’s London Marathon, kept her compatriot at bay to finish in 2:18:30, improving her lifetime best by 47 seconds to break into the all-time top-10. Abreha was next in 2:18:33, a massive 3:18 improvement for the 21-year-old.

Dereje, who managed her second victory on Spanish soil this year following her 1:06:01 career best to win the Barcelona half marathon in February, said, "I love the city of Valencia and its course. I'm doubly happy as I broke the race record and also improved my career best."

In a race of astounding depth, Dibaba was third in 2:18:46 and Cheruiyot fourth in 2:18:51 also personal bests. Zeineba Yimer was fifth in 2:19:27 - only five women had run faster this year prior to this race.

First time lucky for Alayew

The men’s race was nearly as impressive, with the top-four all dipping under 2:05.

Boosted by a triumvirate of pacemakers in the guise of Kenyans Bernard Ngeno, Victor Chumo and William Wanjiru, the men’s opening splits were fast as well with the large leading group going through the five and 10-kilometre points in 14:36 and 29:15 respectively. All the main favourites – Kenya’s Emmanuel Saina and Philemon Kacheran plus Ethiopia’s Leul Gebrselassie and Gude Ayola among others – were running together in almost ideal conditions, 15C and very slight winds.

A large group of ten – pacesetters aside – led by Saina, Kacheran and Adola reached the half in a promising 1:01:58, well on schedule to break the race record of 2:04:31 set last year by Gebrselassie. By then Turkey’s Kaan Ozbilen and Norway’s Sondre Moen were still in the leading pack, targeting the 2:05:11 European record. Surprisingly, Ethiopia’s Alayew was in the pack as well in first appearance over the 42.195km distance, likely boosted by his 1:00:13 half marathon career best set in Copenhagen in September.

But that demanding rhythm soon whittled down the pack. Saina and Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede were the first to fall, and shortly after the 30-kilometre point (1:28:20) defending champion Gebrselassie dropped out of contention. By 35 kilometres, the lead pack was composed of Ethiopians Abebe Negewo Degefa, Alayew, Guye Adola, Kenya’s Kacheran and Turkey’s Ozbilen.

The key move came in the 37th kilometre when Alayew injected successive splits of 2:48, 2:46 and 2:40 to reach 40km in 1:57:33, on pace to break 2:04. Behind him, Ozbilen dropped Adola and Degefa to secure the runner-up spot.

The 26-year-old Alayew broke the tape in 2:03:53 while Ozbilen clocked 2:04:16 to clip nearly a full minute from Mo Farah’s European record and lower his previous best by 1:11. Adola completed a quality podium at 2:04:42 with Degefa next in 2:04:5, improving his career best by two minutes.

"I knew that my time to make the marathon debut has already come," Alayew said. "I had a lot of confidence on my chances as the training sessions had gone really well."

Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei breaks World 10K record in Valencia

Joshua Cheptegei smashed the world record in the 10km, clocking 26:38 at the 10K Valencia Trinidad Alfonso, a World Athletics Silver Label road race, on Sunday (1).

The Ugandan star clipped six seconds from the previous record of 26:44 set by Kenya's Leonard Patrick Komon in 2010 to complete a sensational 2019 hat-trick that included world titles in cross country and 10,000m on the track.

Pacesetter Roy Hoornweg covered the opening kilometre in 2:42 before Cheptegei moved to the front briefly demanding a quicker pace, a demand that was met - by the second kilometre the clock read 5:42 for a 2:40-kilometre split. Once Hoorweg dropped out, Stephen Kissa and Abdallah Mande took command with Cheptegei in tow, with the trio covering three kilometres in 7:57, well inside the word record schedule.

Following a 2:41 split for the fourth kilometre, Cheptegei overtook the pacemakers before the halfway point, reaching 5km in 13:23, one second shy of the world record for that distance.Running on his own over the entire second half, a determined Cheptegei reached 6km in 16:02 and 7km in 18:42. Cheptegei forged on, reaching 8km in 21:37, when it became clear that the world record was within reach.

With 23:59 on the clock at the 9km point, Cheptegei needed to cover the final kilometre in 2:45, a close well within his capabilities.

“World cross champion in Denmark, 10,000m world champion in Doha and now the world record here in Valencia. What a year it has been," the 23-year-old said. "I can’t believe it! I knew that Valencia was going to be a really fast course, one of the fastest in the world. So to get to achieve what we came here for is something really special."

El Mahjoub Dazza wins the Fukuoka Marathon

It came down to a race between #1-ranked El Mahjoub Dazza (Morocco) and top Japanese man Taku Fujimoto (Toyota) after 30 km, but the Moroccan proved the stronger as he pulled away to win the Fukuoka International Marathon in 2:07:10.

Japanese men had to run under the national record of 2:05:50 to score the last spot on the 2020 Olympic marathon team. Fujimoto, 2:08 man Yuki Sato (Nissin Shokuhin) and ambitious 2:12 guy Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) were the only ones to really give it a go, staying up front in the lead pack with most of the internationals, with Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA) laying down the law at the head of the pacer group.

A secondary lead group quickly separated off the back of the lead group, with Japan-based Kenyan Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Track Tokyo), 2:09:52 man Jo Fukuda (Nishitetsu), Keita Shitara (Hitachi Butsuryu) and others cutting back to 2:07 pace. European marathon champ Koen Naert (Belgium) and Pan-Am Games gold medalist Christian Pacheco (Peru) were more conservative, going out with the sub-2:10 pace B-group.

The high pace took its toll up front, with most of the invited internationals falling off and then dropping out to leave just Dazza, Fujimoto, Sato, Ichida and former Takushoku University ekiden captain Workneh Derese (Ethiopia/Hiramatsu Byoin).

Ichida, Sato and Derese all fell back on the trip out to the 31.6 km turnaround point, leaving just Dazza and Fujimoto when the pacers stepped off at 30 km. Dazza immediately surged, breaking Fujimoto and running unchallenged for the win in 2:07:10. Fujimoto slowed progressively, almost shuffling down the home straight of the track for 2nd in 2:09:36 after a 1:03:02 first half. Derese dropped Sato, but in the last km he was run down by second group runner Fukuda who took 3rd in 2:10:33 to Derese's 2:10:52 for 4th.

Early caution paid off, as runners from the sub-2:10 third pack took the next four spots led by Natsuki Terada (JR Higashi Nihon), who closed with the fastest split in the field, 6:44, for a 5-minute PB of 2:10:55 and a 5th-place finish. 

Raymond Kipchumba Choge (Kenya) was the only other athlete from the original front pack to make the top 10, taking 9th in 2:11:38. Taiki Suzuki (Raffine) followed up a solid 3rd-place finish two weeks ago at China's Yiwu International Half Marathon with a 2:12:09 debut for 10th.Amateur runner Yusuke Tobimatsu (Hioki City Hall), a regular front runner in Fukuoka, survived going with the sub-2:10 this time to take 11th in a major PB of 2:12:44, while Sato faded to 2:14:56 after going through halfway in 1:03:02.

Still on sub-2:10 pace at 35 km, Ichida paid heavily for his own 1:03:02 first half as he fell to 29th in 2:19:05. Fan favorite Shitara, twin brother of former national record holder Yuta Shitara (Honda), fell short of his sub-2:10 goal at 14th in 2:14:31 just ahead of Sato.

Apart from Dazza and Choge, the only other invited internationals to finish were Naert and Pacheco, Naert finishing 18th in 2:15:51 and Pacheco 40th in 2:21:15.The Final Challenge series, the three-race chance for men to replace Osako on the 2020 Olympic team, continues in March with the Tokyo Marathon and Lake Biwa Marathon.

The dire crash and burn results today showed just how high a bar it will be to pull off, and that whatever else happens there's really only one person who could do it. But with the Valencia Marathon having quickly surpassed Fukuoka's place on the world calendar and the Osaka Marathon putting on heavy domestic pressure, more than ever before today's race seemed like a relic of times gone by.

Dazza's winning time was only just over 30 second faster than Osaka winner Asefa Tefera's, and Osaka had a quality women's race and field of over 30,000 on top of that. What is Fukuoka's route forward to stay relevant in a rapidly changing landscape?

Jonathan Negretti, principal of a personal injury law firm will run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days for charity

Jonathan Negretti will be one the competitors in the 2020 World Marathon Challenge. The World Marathon Challenge, which involves running seven full marathons on seven continents in seven days, will kick-off on Feb. 6, 2020 in Novo, Antartica.

Negretti will be one of only 50 competitors and will be competing to raise funds and awareness for Heather’s Mission, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Negretti’s wife to help those suffering from Crohn’s and Colitis Disease.

Negretti is personally afflicted with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), a type of inflammatory bowel disease that is a chronic and oftentimes debilitating disorder. It is predicted by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation that the two diseases affect more than 1.7 million Americans, but their unpredictability and the stigma attached to them makes them hard to diagnose and treat, so most people suffer in silence.

Negretti was diagnosed with UC 20 years ago and eventually had to have surgery to remove most of his large intestine, which now requires him to live full-time with an ostomy bag. Negretti will be the only World Marathon Challenge competitor with a “disability,” even though he doesn’t consider it that.

“Participating in the World Marathon Challenge is not only an epic personal challenge, but an incredible platform for me to raise awareness for Heather’s Mission,” said Negretti. “My hope is to garner enough attention to make a difference in people’s lives and inspire others who are living with an ostomy.”

Heather’s Mission has adopted a stuffed animal bear called “Awesome Ollie the Ostomy Bear,” which it is working to get into the hands of patients who have undergone an ostomy surgery.

Negretti is raising funds for Heather’s Mission with a goal of donating one thousand Awesome Ollie Bears to the nonprofit organization. If he meets this goal, he will take Awesome Ollie around the globe with him on the World Marathon Challenge. 

El Mahjoub Dazza, Koen Naert, Ayana Tsedat, and Yuki Kawauchi are set to compete for the title at Fukuoka Marathon

When the Fukuoka International Marathon became a non-domestic race in 1966, the intent of the organizer was to invite the winners from all the international championship marathons which took place over the previous 12 months. In keeping with the spirit of the event, this year’s edition of the World Athletics Gold Label road race, set to take place on Sunday, December 1st, , features European champion Koen Naert and Pan American Games gold medalist Christian Pachoco.

Naert recorded his marathon personal best, 2:07:39, at this year’s Rotterdam Marathon. But Morocco’s El Mahjoub Dazza is the fastest in the field as he recorded 2:05:26 at the 2018 Valencia Marathon and 2:05:58 in Prague earlier this year. Those two performances are faster than the PBs of all the other runners in the field.

“I am ready,” he said. “If the weather is good, I can run fast.”

Other invited runners include Tsedat Abeje Ayana, who set a PB of 2:06:36 in Seville earlier this year, as well as sub-2:09 performers Raymond Choge, Amanuel Mesel, Abdi Ibrahim Abdo, and Shadrack Kiplagat. Mesel has competed in the past four editions of Fukuoka Marathon and has broken 2:10 in 2017 and 2018.

Kenyans running for a corporate sponsored team won the race on three occasions between 2011 and 2013. This year Michael Githae, who runs for Suzuki Hamamatsu Athletics Club, will try to become fourth Kenyan with a Japanese connection to win the Fukuoka Marathon. He was eighth at the 2017 Fukuoka Marathon and recorded a personal best of 2:09:21 at the 2018 Lake Biwa Marathon.

For Japanese runners, the significance of the race is that anybody who improves the national marathon record, 2:05:50, will clinch the third spot on the Japanese Olympic Marathon team – unless someone else improves the record further at the 2020 Tokyo or the Lake Biwa Marathon. Given the Japanese entrants for Sunday’s race, however, a national record appears unlikely in Fukuoka.

Taku Fujimoto, who ran 2:07:57 at the 2018 Chicago Marathon, is the fastest Japanese runner in the field, while Yuki Sato, who has a 10,000m best of 27:38.25, may have the best marathon potential.

Yuki Kawauchi will run the Fukuoka Marathon for the fifth straight year. His personal best is 2:08:14, while his best time in Fukuoka is 2:09:05 from 2013. Now that Kawauchi no longer works for Saitama prefecture government, he may be ready for a quicker time.

Kipkorir and Cherono retain Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon titles

With the dazzling city skyline as his backdrop, Joshua Kipkorir of Kenya stormed home to successfully defend his Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) title on Saturday (Nov 30) night, in the first evening edition of the annual running event.

The 25-year-old breasted the tape at The Float @ Marina Bay in 2hr 19min 13sec, ahead of Munyo Solomon Mutai of Uganda (2:19:46) and Benson Seurei of Bahrain (2:20:25).

Fellow Kenyan Priscah Cherono also retained her title in the women's race, winning in 2:28:53 to set a new SCSM record - the previous mark was 2:31:55 set by her compatriot Salina Kosgei in 2006.

Another Kenyan, Stella Jepng'Etich Barsosio, was second in 2:30:18 while Alemnesh Guta of Australia (2:37:03) rounded off the podium places.

Both Kipkorir and Cherono won US$50,000 (S$68,390) in prize money and ensured Kenya's dominance at the SCSM for a fifth straight year.

The marathon attracted over 15,000 participants with the overall event - which includes a kids' dash, and distances of 21km, 10km, 5km as well as a wheelchair category - seeing over 50,000 entrants.

Unlike the previous editions when the marathon began before dawn - last year's start time was 4.30am - this year's 42.195km marathon flagged off at 6.05pm at the F1 Pit Building.

The switch is part of the effort to fulfil various criteria in the organisers' bid to get the SCSM listed among the Abbott World Marathon Majors (WMM), a series of the most prestigious marathons in the world.

None of the six WMM races - Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York and Tokyo - are held at night.

This year's course took runners from the F1 Pit Building through the Central Business District to places such as West Coast Highway, Marina Barrage, Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands, before ending at The Float.

Meanwhile, national record holder Soh Rui Yong was the top local male finisher for the third year in a row, crossing the finish line in 2:45:52. He earned $10,000 for his efforts.

Sharon Tan celebrated a first title as the fastest Singapore woman, finishing in 3:12:49.

Jordan Hasay says she is going to be ready for the US Olympic Trials after making some changes

Jordan Hasay went into the Chicago Marathon on October 13 in excellent shape, hoping to make a run at the American record in the distance. But about two miles into the race, she tore her left hamstring. She limped past the 5K mark in 22 minutes before dropping out of the race.It was the bitter end of a tumultuous two weeks.

On September 30, her longtime coach, Alberto Salazar, was hit with a four-year ban from track and field for anti-doping violations. Hasay, 28, said she never witnessed anything improper in her time with Salazar and his team, the Nike Oregon Project. On October 11, Nike shut down the Oregon Project, leaving the athletes who had trained with Salazar to work out new coaching and training situations.

The timing of Hasay’s injury and the coaching upheaval were not ideal: American marathoners are preparing for the Olympic Marathon Trials on February 29, 2020 in Atlanta.

The upheaval has continued this month: On November 7, in an explosive opinion video in The New York Times, Mary Cain, a former teen prodigy who trained with Hasay and others at the Oregon Project, alleged she was “emotionally and physically abused” in her time with Salazar.

On a recent trip to Monaco, she formalized a relationship with Radcliffe to be her “mentor-coach.” Radcliffe held the world record in the women’s marathon, 2:15:25, for 16 years. The record fell last month to Brigid Kosgei, who ran 2:14:04, at the Chicago Marathon, where Hasay dropped out.

Hasay has long admired Radcliffe. As Hasay was training for her first marathon, Boston in 2017, her late mother used to call Hasay by the pet name “Paula.” Radcliffe and Hasay first met at the 2017 Chicago Marathon, where Hasay ran 2:20:57 and became the second-fastest American marathoner behind Deena Kastor. Hasay and Radcliffe have kept in touch since then.

Last week, together in Monaco, they sat down and mapped out Hasay’s training for the next 15 weeks until the Trials. Hasay said she believes she’s the first athlete to be coached by Radcliffe and specified that Radcliffe, and not her husband, Gary Lough, who oversees the training of Mo Farah, will be in charge.

Hasay will stay in California and communicate remotely with Radcliffe. “I’ve always really looked up to her as a role model,” Hasay said. “Since we first met two years ago in Chicago, we’ve kept in touch and she’s given me a lot of advice. She knows that I have had some very good coaches in the past. We’re not going to go in and change a bunch of things. At this point, I mainly need someone to hold me back and make sure I stay injury free. She’s such a kind person.”

After two weeks off from running after the Chicago Marathon, Hasay has returned to running almost pain free, she said, although the hamstring feels tight at faster speeds. On November 19, she did a hill workout.

Hasay said Nike staff were “incredibly supportive” of her as she considered new coaches, and they were open to her having a coach who didn’t have a relationship with the company if that is what she wanted. Radcliffe, though, was a Nike-sponsored athlete throughout her career and maintains a relationship with the company.

She is in the process of selling her home in Beaverton, Oregon, near Nike headquarters, and she will live with her father in Arroyo Grande, California, until she eventually buys a home in that area. She is more suited to the climate there, she said, where it is sunny and warm year-round, than the rainy winters of the Pacific Northwest. She also said the community has supported her since she began running at age 12. Being home “will add a lot of happiness,” she said.

When asked about Cain, Hasay said she knew her teammate was struggling during her 10 months training in Portland with the Oregon Project, but she didn’t know the extent of the problems.

“I was pretty shocked with the video,” Hasay said. “Obviously I feel really sad and I texted her and said I’m really sorry. That if I knew that it was that bad, if there was anything I could have done, I just apologize.”

Hasay said she and Cain were fairly close but she had “no idea” that Cain was cutting herself, as she said in the Times video. Cain also said Salazar was constantly trying to get her to lose weight to hit an arbitrary number, 114 pounds.

Hasay said she thought Cain’s youth and the intensity of the training and the program were a poor combination, but she expressed sympathy for both Cain and Salazar.

“It’s so sad, everyone was trying their best, though,” she said. “I really think you can’t point fingers and it’s really easy from the outside to kick Alberto under the bus. People make mistakes. He could have handled it at times differently. He really was doing his best. He wasn’t trying to cause any of the problems that she described. I sympathize with both sides.

“That’s why it’s hard—I haven’t commented on it—I don’t really have a side. I didn’t experience what she experienced, but I can see how it was so difficult. I think that her message is a good one, addressing these issues, they are important, I think it’s good overall that we’re looking at some of things.”

Hasay continued that when an athlete is still growing and going through puberty, getting to a certain weight is “difficult.” Older athletes on the team, she said, were able to push back in discussions with Salazar on weight.

“Alberto, if you ask me is he obsessed about weight? Yes, but he’s obsessed about everything,” she said. “He wanted to cut my hair [to reduce drag], he wanted me to wear a wetsuit in the Boston Marathon. It’s just every little detail is covered and weight happens to be one of those things.”

Salazar told Hasay she needed to gain weight at times. “He’s told me, ‘You don’t need to be this lean all year. I’d like you to go back up.’ We’ve had discussions. I think when you’re older and more experienced, you can speak up. It’s hard when she’s so young and still growing. It was just the whole situation wasn’t the right fit, unfortunately.”

Ruger Winchester, at 89, is training to run the We Are Houston 5K in January

Once an Air Force pilot for 22 years, Ruger Winchester had to run to stay in shape. Now at 89, he runs for the heath and discipline of it.

The Buckner Parkway Place resident is prepping to complete the We Are Houston 5K in January. He has actually completed the race that is part of the Chevron Houston Marathon weekend before and is usually one of about eight men, he said, in the 80-and-over bracket.

At 70, Winchester visited his son and granddaughter in Michigan. Knowing he was already very active on a stationary bike, they urged him to join them on a outdoor run.

“I was exercising at home. I was in full-blown exercise: hour and a half, two hours a day of exercising. But I wasn’t running,” Winchester said.

You could say he got hooked. Nineteen years later, he plans to reach 3 miles in training in December because the 5K race on Saturday, January 18, 2020, is 3.1 miles long. He is hoping for good weather, maybe 45 degrees.

Winchester was commanding a base in Guam when he accepted Jesus Christ as his lord. Changed and considering his plans, he said “I knew God has something else for me.” He and his wife, who he affectionately calls “Mikey,” left the Air Force. They started seminary together in 1973. After graduation, they moved to North Dakota, where Winchester pastored several churches.

Diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2017, Winchester moved to Houston to seek treatment at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center because the cancer had not improved by that fall. Buckner Parkway Place, which is a senior residential community in the Houston Energy Corridor, became their home.

After a lot of treatment, Winchester said today he is “without cancer.” He has to get checked every six months to make sure it stays that way though.

Winchester and his wife are members at Tallowood Baptist Church, but he said he is supposed to start preaching some at the Parkway Place chapel soon.

“It’s just discipline. Discipline. I run every day because I want to stay in shape, and there’s a discipline to it,” he said.

Ashley McTyre is a Cancer survivor, who emphasizes the importance of the St. Jude mission ahead of marathon weekend

In less than two weeks, thousands of runners will hit the streets for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend. The money raised goes to support children and families who turn to the hospital for help fighting catastrophic childhood diseases.

"I wouldn't be here without St. Jude. They saved my life," said Ashley McTyre.

McTyre was just 10 years old when her life turned upside down in 2002.

"It's terrifying to sit in a room with your family and to be told that you have cancer," said McTyre.

The diagnosis was Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.

McTyre underwent chemotherapy, surgery and rehab. All done with the help of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. McTyre says the doctors and nursing staff at St. Jude made all the difference for her.

"I was here for holidays, sometimes and I was here for birthdays. They made little every day moments, big moments and it was in those moments that I knew that I wanted to be able to make that kind of difference in a patient's life one day," said McTyre.

McTyre is making a difference. She still walks the halls of St. Jude today. Now as a nurse. She joined the St. Jude team five and a half years ago.

"Having made the intentional decision to give back to this mission, it speaks volumes about her character," said ALSAC President and CEO Richard Shadyac Jr.

This upcoming St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend, McTyre along with St. Jude staff want to remind people why raising money for this cause is so important.

"Because of events like this no family will ever receive a bill from St. Jude. Not for the cost of treatment, travel, housing or food," said Shadyac.

Organizers say more than 25,000 participants are expected. They're hoping to raise $12 million.

"The fact that I'm able to walk these halls and take care of patients is because of the care that I received and I'm forever grateful for this hospital and all that they're able to do," said McTyre.

The 2019 St. Jude Memphis Marathon is set for Saturday, Dec. 7. There are still spaces available for the full marathon and the kids marathon.

Olympic champion Vivian Cheruiyot believes a good performance in Valencia on Sunday will almost guarantee her a slot in the Kenya team for the Tokyo Olympic Games

Vivian Cheruiyot has finally shaken off a recurrent tendon injury, which ruled her out of the Berlin marathon in September. She will lead Kenya's legion to the Valencia marathon, her sixth race on the road, as she intends to push for a faster time.

"I will be running my sixth marathon on December 1 in Valencia. My training has gone on very well and I can feel my body is back in shape. It is not long to go now," Cheruiyot said on Friday in Nairobi.

With victories in London and Frankfurt, Cheruiyot will be pushing for her third win to supplement her collection so far.

"I know next year we have the Olympics and everyone is talking about it. I feel it is good to prove my fitness in Valencia and then see what will happen in 2020 in London or any other race I will run," she said. "The Olympics in August is still way ahead and I want to do my part and let the selectors do theirs."

Cheruiyot will face strong opposition from Ethiopians Roza Dereje and Birhane Dibaba, both of whom have broken the two-hour-20-minute barrier for the distance. Ethiopian Zeineba Yimer, who has clocked 65 minutes 46 seconds for the half marathon, makes her full marathon debut with Ethiopians Roza Dereje (2:19:17) and Birhane Dibaba (2:19:51) also jostling for the title.

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah has announced he will return to the 10,000m on the track next year in a bid to win a fifth Olympic title in Tokyo

The British distance runner hung up his track spikes at the end of 2017 after the World Athletics Championships in London, where he earned his sixth world title by winning the 10,000m and claimed silver in the 5000m.

He shifted his focus to the roads in 2018, placing third at the London Marathon and then winning in Chicago with a European record of 2:05:11.

He came close to his marathon PB in London earlier this year, finishing fifth in 2:05:39, three minutes behind eventual winner Eliud Kipchoge. In his most recent race, last month’s Chicago Marathon, Farah placed eighth in 2:09:58, four minutes adrift of winner Lawrence Cherono.

“It has been really exciting to compete in the marathon for the past couple of years,” said Farah, who won Olympic 5000m-10,000m doubles in 2012 and 2016. “To win the Chicago Marathon, a major marathon, was nice. To finish third at the London Marathon was good.

“It’s been a great learning curve for me. Doing a marathon and to run 2:05, a European record, it was very exciting. The training for it was totally different to the track.

“I have decided that next year at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games I’m going to be back on the track,” he added. “I’m really excited to be competing back on the track and to give it a go in the 10,000m. Hopefully I haven’t lost my speed, but I’ll train hard for it and see what I can do. It’s exciting.”

Farah’s last 10,000m on the track was at the 2017 World Championships where he won in 26:49.51 with Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei finishing second. Cheptegei, the world cross-country champion, has now succeeded Farah as the world champion at the distance after the 23-year-old won in Doha in 26:48.36.

Farah’s 2017 victory in London and Cheptegei’s recent triumph in Doha played out in similar fashion. Their splits at 9000m were near identical (Farah 24:20.69 in London, Cheptegei 24:20.79 in Doha). But Cheptegei was faster than Farah in the final 1000m (2:27.57 v 2:28.82), 800m (1:56.63 v 1:57.55) and 400m (55.38 v 55.63).

Should Farah recapture his speed from his peak track-racing days, it would make for a mouth-watering clash against Cheptegei, one of the most exciting distance runners in the world at present.

If Farah, who will turn 37 in March next year, earns a medal or even simply finishes in the top 10 in Tokyo, he will make history. No one aged 37 or older has ever finished in the top 10 in a men’s 10,000m final at the Olympic Games. Mamo Wolde was 36 years and four months when he earned silver in 1968, while fellow Ethiopian Miruts Yifter was 36 years and two months when he claimed gold in 1980.

Kenya´s Geoffrey Kirui recovers from tendon injury ahead of 2020 marathon

Former world marathon champion Geoffrey Kirui has started light training after shaking off a tendon injury that has limited his performance in the last two years.

Geoffrey Kirui, whose last marathon win came back in 2017 at the London World Championships, believes he will be back to his best ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, though he is not guaranteed a spot in the Kenya team.

However, Kirui is hopeful the 2020 season will bring better prospects for him, as he plots a big city marathon in March or April.

Both Tokyo and Boston marathons are open for him to choose, and he will wait for his management team to secure a good contract before committing.

"I have been running with some hesitation because of a nagging tendon injury in the last two months including during the World Championship in Doha, where I failed to defend my title."

"Injuries are things that each athlete has to live with but I have recovered and I am looking forward to the new season with high hopes," Kirui said on Thursday.

To show his commitment, the 26-year-old has opted to join the winning camp of Global Sports Communication, which is run by former steeplechaser Patrick Sang under the tutelage of Dutchman Jos Harmens.

It is the same training camp that features Olympic marathon champion and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and New York Marathon winner Geoffrey Kamworor.

"I am focusing on building up for the new year even though my management is yet to enroll me in any marathon," he said.

Besides returning to the winner's podium in 2020, Kirui has high hopes of being able to improve on his personal best time of 2:06:27.

"It has been three years since I posted my best time in the marathon. I still have a lot of potential and now it is important to improve and maybe shed off about three minutes. With Sang, Kipchoge and Kamworor training together with me, I hope to hit this target," said Kirui.

"I believe I will be able to follow suit and be as successful as Kipchoge," he added.

Eric Jenkins of Portland, Oregon win men’s and Edna Kiplagat wins women’s divisions of 83rd running of the Manchester Road Race

Eric Jenkins of Portland, Oregon and Edna Kiplagat of Boulder, Colorado have won the men’s and women’s division of the 83rd running of the Manchester Road Race.

Jenkins covered the 4.748-mile (7.641-kilometer) distance in 21:18 (unofficial), almost besting the old mark of 21:16 set last year by Edward Cheserek.

Edward Cheserek, last year’s men’s division winner, of Johnson City, Tennessee, was second.

In the women’s race, Edna Kiplagat finished with an unofficial clocking of 24:29.

Kiplagat is a policewoman in Iten, Kenya. She started the Edna Kiplagat Foundation to raise awareness of breast cancer. Is is the 2011 and 2013 IAAF World Champion, and has established herself as an elite marathon runner in 2010 with wins at the Los Angeles and New York City marathons.

Jenkins competed for Northeastern University and transferred to the University of Oregon in 2013 where he won the men’s 3K and 5K at the 2015 NCAA DI Indoor Track and Field Championships.

During his time at the school, a famous rivalry formed between him and his teammate Edward Cheserek who would always finish either closely behind or ahead of Jenkins in several races (including today!).

The Comrades Marathon has been awarded Gold Label status by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU)

The IAU introduced its own labeling system for qualifying events to ensure that the race route is measured to conform to World Athletics regulations as well as enjoying recognition by its own national athletics federation, being Athletics South Africa.

This effectively means that only athletic performances in IAU labeled races are officially recognized.

This is not only important for possible "Best Performances" but also for the calculations of any travel grants distributed at major IAU competitions.

The IAU Labels are certifications granted by the international body to ultradistance races and are categorized according to IAU Gold Label, IAU Silver Label and IAU Bronze Label.

The labels are conferred on IAU ultramarathon races in various categories. In order to qualify for the Gold Label status, the Comrades Marathon had to meet the following criteria:

Race history and performance: • Gold - the race must have existed for 3 years (3 editions) at least and if not, it must have had an IAU silver label for the previous year.

Elite performances: • Gold and Silver - at least 5 athletes (mixed men and women) performances at international (gold) or national level (silver) in one of the three previous years.

Course Measurement: • Gold - the route must be measured by an Official "A" or "B" WA/AIMS measurer following the WA rules (with the Jones Counter). • Gold and Silver - a technical delegate must be appointed prior to the race, decided between LOC, IAU General Secretary and Area Representative. 

Anti-doping Control: • Gold - Anti-doping control has to respect the WA guidelines and the numbers of controls will be discussed with the IAU. Costs are met by the race organization or the national federation.

"We are grateful to the IAU for conferring the impressive Gold Label status on the Comrades Marathon. This is indeed an honor and a privilege for the CMA; as well as being a massive show of confidence in the thousands of Comrades members, volunteers and stakeholders who execute a remarkable event year in and year out," said CMA chairperson, Cheryl Winn.

World Record Holder Brigid Kosgei wants to win the gold medal in the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

Brigid Kosgei snubbed the call to represent Kenya at the World Championships in Doha in October in order to chase the world record in Chicago. It is a move she does not regret.

Now she has set her eyes on running at the Olympics having broken the world record for the women's marathon in Chicago, clocking 2:14:04.

"My coach and management have agreed that I should run at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It remains the main target and challenge for me in 2020, which I want to accomplish," Kosgei said on Thursday on her way back from the World Athletics gala in Monaco, where she was among the final nominees for Female Athlete of the Year.

Kosgei will likely be in London in April to defend her London Marathon title. It will be her 10th marathon since her debut in Porto in 2015.

She has so far won in Porto, Milan, Chicago and London. Her worst performance was in Boston in 2018 in bad weather, where she clocked 2:31:48 on her way to eighth place.

"I am always motivated and I have no hard feelings for missing out on the World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year Award. I take a lot of positives from the fact that I was nominated among the best five runners in 2019, which means I had a good season. To make the final list is a win on its own," she said.

Kosgei was accompanied by her husband and coach Mathew Kosgei to Monaco, where 400m hurdler Dalilah Muhammad from USA won the Female Athlete of the Year Award, pipping Kosgei, Jamaica's Shelly Ann Fraser and Sifa Hassan of the Netherlands.

"I had my husband with me in Monaco, he has always encouraged me and coached me. He reminded me of the journey we have had, how far we have come and why being there was a victory in itself," Kosgei said.

For now, Kosgei will take a deserved rest as she plots her return next season in her push for the Olympic marathon crown.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen is set to return to Dusseldorf, the third stop of the 2020 World Athletics Indoor Circuit

Jakob Ingebrigtsen will headline the men's 1500m at the PSD Bank Meeting in Dusseldorf on 4 February, the third stop of the 2020 World Athletics Indoor.

Ingebrigtsen powered to a commanding upset victory in the race last year, freshly-minted world indoor record holder Samuel Tefera in 3:36.02 to break the world U20 record. The Norwegian teenager, who famously took the 1500m/5000m double at the 2018 European Championships, went on to produce another notable campaign in 2019 which culminated at the World Championships in Doha with a fourth place finish in the 1500m and a fifth place showing over 5000m.

He also improved the European U20 records in both events with 3:30.16 and 13:02.03 performances at the Lausanne and London legs of the Diamond League, respectively. Ingebrigtsen celebrated his 19th birthday on 19 September. 

Older brother Filip, 26, will also return. He was third in the Dusseldorf race last year.

Organizers also announced that Piotr Lisek of Poland, the reigning world bronze medalist indoors and outdoors and a member of the event’s six-meter club but indoors and outdoors, will be among the headliners in the pole vault.

Japan’s Mariko Yugeta, 61, is the first woman to run sub 3 hour marathon for her age group clocking 2:59:15

61-year-old Japanese Mariko Yugeta  from Saitama achieved the first sub-three hour marathon in the world for women runners 60 years old and older. 

She clocked 2 hours 59 minutes 15 seconds at the Shimonoseki Kaikyo Marathon  held on November 3. The previous world record was 3 hours 2 minutes 50 seconds for women over the age of 60.

When reporters visited the fastest queen's house, she was challenging the time trial of the active high school athletic club.

Yugeta said her daily routine includes 3 minutes standing on an inclined board every morning while brushing her teeth, and that she believes she can run 2:57.

This was her 99th marathon.

What is Eliud Kipchoge secrets for being one of the best runners in the world ever

Consistency, self-discipline and hard work are the ingredients that made him retain the World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year title, Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge said on Sunday.

The world marathon record holder, who tuned 35 on November 5, edged out four other contestants to retain the award during the World Athletics gala in Monaco on Saturday night.

Kipchoge, who was not at the gala but accepted the accolade in a telecast interview, won the London Marathon on April 28 in a course record of two hours, two minutes and 37 seconds.

It was Kipchoge’s fourth victory in London, having staged similar exploits in 2015 (2:04:42), 2016 (2:03:05) and 2018 (2:04:17).

However, what perhaps engrossed the world was when he made history as the first man to run a marathon under two honors, completing the “Ineos 1:59 Challenge” in 1:59:40.2 on October 12 in Vienna, Austria.

This was the second time Kipchoge, the 2016 Rio Olympic Games marathon champion, was attempting to run a marathon under two hours, having fallen short by 26 seconds during the Nike Breaking2 on May 6, 2017, in Monza, Italy.

“Consistency is the key in sport while self-discipline is the mother and father of not only sports but any other undertaking,” said Kipchoge. “Working hard is recognizable in the world of sports.”

The athlete said that breaking the two-hour barrier was the true inspiration to the generation, what with 500 million people having watched the race live in the duration of 1:59.40.

“One billion people had watched by the end of the day on October 12. It goes further to affirm that no human is limited. It was truly historic for me since I’m sure I’ve helped some people kick out the limitations in their mind to achieve what they had deemed impossible,” he said.

British Olympic bronze medallist Anyika Onuora retires from athletics

British Olympic bronze medallist Anyika Onuora has said she wasn't mentally there, to challenge at Tokyo 2020 after retiring from athletics.

Onuora, 35, won 4x400m bronze at Rio 2016 having won the same medal at the World Championships the previous year.

She is also won European gold in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays and finishes her career as a three-time Commonwealth Games medallist.

"It was a tough decision, there were a couple of tears," said Onuora.

"But I'm walking away healthy - I didn't have my career taken away from me."

Speaking to BBC Sport, Onuora, who first competed for Great Britain 18 years ago, added: "Physically, I can do any workout. But mentally, I'm not where I want to be so I just want to move onto the next chapter of my life.

"Tokyo was always the plan, especially having a successful Rio Olympics, but unfortunately I wasn't mentally there."

Onuora contracted malaria while on a family in Nigeria in October 2015 which threatened her Olympic dream.

But just 10 months later the Liverpudlian won bronze at Rio 2016.

"I never thought I could walk away from not only recovering from malaria, but also being physically back to my best, but then also winning an Olympic medal," she added.

"Among the many other medals I won, being one of only a handful of British athletes to complete 'the full set' - becoming a European, Commonwealth, world and Olympic medallist - makes me immensely proud.

"I'm forever grateful for all the people who allowed me to fulfil a big dream that a young black girl from Liverpool was able to achieve.

"Every setback and low I experienced was worth it to get to those special moments that will always hold dear to me."

St. Jude Heroes celebrate 20 years of raising funds and awareness for St. Jude Children´s Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® proudly celebrates the 20th anniversary of the St. Jude Heroes® program, a nationwide alliance of supporters who help raise funds and awareness for the hospital through fitness events.

The St. Jude Heroes program began in fall of 1999 with a group of dedicated fundraisers at the Marine Corps Marathon. In just two decades, 280,000 have participated as St. Jude Heroes in thousands of events across the country and the world. These individuals, coming from all 50 states, have raised more than $140 million to support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude: Finding cures. Saving children.®

Since its inception, the St. Jude Heroes program has grown to be one of the top 30 U.S. peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, according to an annual survey by the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum. Thanks to the dedication and funds raised by St. Jude Heroes and generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

"I'm astounded by everything our St. Jude Heroes have accomplished – from the program's inception in 1999, to being named one of the top fundraising peer-inspired campaigns in our country just two decades later," said Richard Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "Although we have come so far since St. Jude opened more than 50 years ago our work is far from over, and I know our St. Jude Heroes won't stop until the dreams of every child worldwide become reality."

One such St. Jude Hero is Sue Kessler. Although she has been a runner most of her life, Kessler was reluctant to talk about her running until she became a St. Jude Hero and realized the impact she could make by doing something bigger than herself. In just seven marathons as a St. Jude Hero, Kessler has raised more than $63,000 for the kids of St. Jude. This December, she will run her 100th marathon in the 18th annual St. Jude Memphis Marathon® Weekend, where she plans to raise an additional $10,000.

"For me, it's not about how fast you can run, it's about using your talents to make a difference in the lives of children everywhere," said Kessler. "St. Jude is doing everything in its power to increase the odds for kids in their toughest times, and I'm proud to do what I can to help."

St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. St. Jude freely shares its groundbreaking discoveries, so that every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists can use that knowledge to save thousands more around the world.

While the St. Jude Heroes program began with a focus on running, it has since expanded to include biking, indoor cycling, swimming and more. Today, St. Jude Heroes of all backgrounds can find a fundraising event to match their athletic abilities and interests, with events ranging from spinning, 10Ks, triathlons, some of the world's most prestigious races and more.

Participating as a St. Jude Hero means receiving access to online training programs, race-day extras – from a St. Jude Hero singlet to hotel accommodations, depending on the event and fundraising commitment — and entries into some of the most exclusive races in the world.

The Boilermaker Road Race unveils the new 2020 logo and New Year’s Day Registration

The Boilermaker Road Race held a press conference at its race headquarters on Tuesday morning to unveil the new 2020 logo. The logo which, similar to 2019, includes distinct designs for the 15K presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and the Utica National 5K, as well as an overall race design.

The logo was designed by Ryan McGrogan of McGrogan Design, which also created the 2019 logo as well as the Boilermaker’s Court Street mural, inaugurated in July of 2019.

Officials also took the opportunity to introduce a new limited-time registration window to celebrate the 2020 race. Beginning at 12 AM on January 1st, runners will have 20 hours and 20 minutes to register or until 2,020 spots have been filled. The New Year’s Day registration applies exclusively to the 15K and includes several perks.

These include pricing, the opportunity to purchase a limited edition, neon training shirt and a free interactive Boilermaker training video, filmed during the 2019 race. 5K registration will not be available until the race’s normal registration period in March.

The special registration period is open to anyone registering for the 15K, regardless of previous participation in Boilermaker events. The Priority Status of 2019 finishers or deferrals will not be affected by this registration period in any way. As is typical, the race will continue to hold its traditional registration process in March, beginning with Early Access followed by Open Registration.

A full explanation of New Year’s Day registration, its associated perks and general registration rules are available at boilermaker.com, as is new 2020 Boilermaker apparel.  

Ben Williams set a personal record during last year's Honolulu Marathon, he was also the first Hawaii resident to cross the finish line, this year, he wants to do it again

Ben Williams is no stranger to marathons, he's been doing triathlons since 2012.

Most of his training runs start at his shop in Kailua. He swaps out the slippahs and laces up his shoes. Then off he goes. Sometimes he runs one mile, sometimes a half marathon. Others times, up to 23 miles.

"You have to build up to it. You have sort of a progression where you increase your mileage and you increase the intensity of the workouts and you have to just gradually increase that over time and you work your way up to race day," Williams said.

I tried to follow along on one of his runs. He runs so fast, our speedometer has him at around 8 to 10 miles per hour. Williams is no stranger to marathons, he's been doing triathlons since 2002. Part of his motivation: Passion.

"It's really not that hard, I'd probably be doing this no matter what," Williams said. "The other thing is I just really like it. I like waking up early, I like exercising, I like being outside."

Not only is 26.2 miles a physical challenge, but also psychological.

"My own body as the race is progressing at different points throughout the race. I feel better and worse. You have to convince yourself to keep going when you're feeling pretty bad," Williams said.

When times are tough, he says it'll get better.

"Just keep moving forward. Don't stop, keep moving forward. It'll pass. You'll work through it," Williams said.

One advice he has for other runners, go into every race with no expectations.

"In the race, the road blocks are very real. You've got tactics and strategy of other competitors and where they're at and kind of how you think they're gonna hold up in the race," Williams said.

He won't share his goal time this year. He says it's bad luck but no matter the result, he's happy doing what he loves.

10 Reasons to Run a Turkey Trot

Thanksgiving is the most popular running day of the year, according to Running USA. Last year more than 1.17 million people registered for a Turkey Trot around the Thanksgiving holiday. The tradition is believed to have started in 1896 in Buffalo, New York, with Y.M.C.A. Buffalo Niagara’s Turkey Trot —  today the 8K attracts more than 14,000 runners and calls itself the “oldest consecutively run footrace in North America.”

While running a few miles won’t do much to offset the 2,000+ calories you’re likely to consume on Thanksgiving, there are plenty of other reasons to lace up your sneakers and get moving with family and friends.

1.- It’s one of those rare unicorn events that everyone can actually do together, whether you run, walk or trot. Win points with your Ironman father-in-law. Or just use it an excuse to be better at something (anything!) than your cousin.

2.- On the other hand, if you get stressed by family dynamics, a Turkey Trot can also be a great excuse to escape. (Self-care, hello?!?!?)

3.- Most races have shorter distances for kids, everything from a 1-miler to a 500-meter dash — often with mini-medals, chocolate lollipops or hot apple cider at the finish.

4.- You can probably get out of some holiday-related jobs/duties/tasks — peeling potatoes, putting the leaf in the dining room table, getting folding chairs from your uncle’s garage — because you will be at the race (and going to/coming from/showering after!).

5.- If you’re traveling to that same relative’s house for the fifth year in a row, consider finding a race in a nearby town (Active.com has a comprehensive list); a new environment can keep things interesting.

6.- Make fun of the (probably ugly) shirt that will go straight into your pajama drawer because it features the face of a massive cartoon turkey or the name of a local pub. (Why are Turkey Trot race shirts so universally bad?) 

7.- Feel morally superior to everyone else when you post your Turkey Trot pic on social media or feel less lazy (and avoid FOMO) when everyone else posts theirs.

8.- Enjoy an extra helping of stuffing.

9.- If you do post a pic, use #WillTrotForBeer and tag @MichelobULTRA — until December 1 the brand will donate $1 per pic (up to $10,000) to AmpleHarvest.org, a non-profit aiming to end food waste and hunger.

10.- Appease guilt on Friday when you don’t work out because you’re still full/busy shopping/watching Christmas movies/eating another slice of pie.

One week after selling out its 20,000 entries for the mass race at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020, the local organizing committee has made an additional 5000 places available

The event, which will take place on 29 March 2020, has already become the best-selling half marathon ever in Poland and now has a chance to become the biggest mass participation road running event in the country.

“We are delighted to see all the excitement around the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020,” said Marek Łucyk, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia.

“Having consulted all the engaged parties and having made sure we will be able to accommodate a higher number of runners, we are pleased to announce that additional entries are now on sale. The city of Gdynia is looking forward to this great celebration of running on 29 March.”

The World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020 is a unique opportunity to line up alongside the world’s best road runners, competing on the same day and on the same course with them.

The race in Gdynia features a spectacular finish on the beach as well as the uniquely crafted finishers' medal with a drop of amber and a compass inside.

Among the 20,000 registered mass race participants, there are runners from 61 different countries. Entries can be purchased via slotmarket.pl. The entry fee is now 180 PLN (ca. 42 EUR) and will increase from 1 December 2019.

Paige Marg will run her first marathon after losing 150 pounds

"Everything hurt," Paige Marg describes when she weighed over 300 pounds.

“My feet, my hips, my knees. Everything hurt all the time," she said. "To be honest, I didn’t realize how much pain I was really in until I didn’t have the weight on me.”

Marg says she was overweight her whole life. At 35-years-old, she tipped the scale at 321 pounds. She had type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and was taking a lot of medication.

Marg knew she had to do something for her health that was spiraling out of control, she said. It’s why she decided to get gastric sleeve surgery. “I knew that it was going to be something that I could really turn my life around,” Marg said. And she has. In two years, she lost 150 pounds and looks unrecognizable.

She credits not just her diet, but her exercise too. After her surgery, she made the goal to be able to run a 5K without stopping, and that goal quickly escalated. “I started training and very quickly hit that 5K mark,” Paige said. “And thought I think I can do a half marathon.”

Last year, Marg ran in her first half-marathon at the San Antonio Rock and Roll marathon/half-marathon race. Now, she has made it her goal to run the full marathon this year. In order to get there, she gets up every morning at 5 a.m. to train with her running buddy, Sophie.

Marg and Sophie met through San Antonio’s downtown run group a year ago.  They are now both training for their first marathon.

“Every time that I hit another mile or hit another major milestone it felt very self-empowering,” Paige said.

She says it hasn’t just been Sophie who has supported her along her journey, but also her family and husband of 18 years. She says her new life has drastically changed and improved how they both live together now.

Four Olympians and Top International Competitors will Seek World and American Records at Applied Material Silicon Valley Turkey Trot

The Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot produced by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation announced full fields today for both their women’s Elite 5k presented by Silicon Valley Bank and their men’s Elite 5k presented by Juniper Networks.

While the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot is often known as one of the world’s largest turkey trots boasting over 25,000 runners and nearly $1,000,000 in annual fundraising, this year the elites are leading the conversation. Athletes will contend for more than $30,000 in prize money and potential bonuses.

On the women’s side Shannon Rowbury returns as the most accomplished 5k runner in the field boasting a best of 14:38 on the track. Rowbury is coming fresh off a victory at the USATF 5k Road Championships in New York City and has the American road record in her sites.

“I’m certainly in better shape than last year” said Rowbury, “and you know, on the right day anything can happen.” Shannon will be challenged by fellow U.S. Olympians Kim Conley and Emily Infeld, plus 10k/marathon specialist Stephanie Rothstein Bruce. Full fields listed below. 

The men’s field is highlighted by Kenyans David Bett and Lawi Lalang. Bett has made no secret that the IAAF World 5k Road Record is his only goal. That record was recently set at 13:22 in Paris by Robert Keter. Lalang has a best of 13:00 on the track and has placed at Silicon Valley in the past.

Rounding out the elite field for the men includes Ethiopian Josef Tessema (13:22), Canadian Luc Bruchet (13:24 best), and American Jeff Thies (3rd at 2019 USATF 5k Road Champs).

Race Founder and Executive Director, Carl Guardino shared his excitement for the event. “This might be the most accomplished Elite field in our 15-year history and certainly has the most depth. While we expect over 25,000 runners at the largest timed Turkey Trot in the U.S., it brings me joy to also welcome some of the world’s fastest athletes to Silicon Valley on Thanksgiving Day”

Callum Hawkins was named Scottish athlete of the year

Callum Hawkins and Maria Lyle received FPSG Scottish athlete of the year honors at the sold out awards dinner in Glasgow on Saturday.

World marathon fourth-placer Hawkins won the award ahead of other shortlisted athletes Laura Muir, Eilish McColgan, Jake Wightman, Jacob Adkin and Andrew Douglas.

“I’m thrilled to win the FPSG athlete of the year award given the competition this year,” said Hawkins, who broke the Scottish marathon record in 2019 and finished just outside the medals in Doha at the IAAF World Championships.

“There have been Scottish records broken on the track and the two hill guys, Jacob Adkin and Andy Douglas, have performed superbly, too.

“It is quite exciting to see some progress in the marathon rankings for 2019 by Scottish athletes and hopefully we can add to that over the next couple of years.

“Steph Twell broke the women’s record which had stood for a long time and I managed that, too,” he added. “If you have people at the very top end performing then I think there are others who get inspiration – especially if it is someone they know, someone they have seen competing in cross country or on the road in Scotland, and they start to raise their own standards.

“We would love to see two full teams (three athletes each) on the men’s and women’s side for Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 and I am pretty certain we will get that. And it should be six very strong marathon runners at Commonwealth level.”

Lyle, who won a sprint double at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, was named the FPSG para athlete of the year.

“I’m delighted to win the para athlete of the year title again,” she said.

“There was so much success in Dubai and it was really special to be part of that and win my first global titles.

“I had thought earlier in the year that just being in Dubai would be the main target but once you get there then you want to be really competitive.

“I’ve had a few struggles mentally and needed medication and professional help. But the biggest thing was the support of my family and my coach, Jamie Bowie. I am really enjoying athletics again and that is so important.”

Guest of honor Paula Radcliffe helped to make the presentations, with clubs, coaches, officials and volunteers also receiving recognition.

Robert Hawkins, who coaches his son Callum, was named performance coach of the year, while the Dallas Trust Trophy went to Wightman.

Diriba Yigezu wins men’s race; Feyne Gemeda breaks women’s record at Philadelphia Marathon

An expression of relief and achievement swept across the face of Diriba Degefa Yigezu as he crossed the finish line first in the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, 31 seconds.

Last year, the Ethiopian finished second in the Philadelphia Marathon’s 8K event. He was so disappointed he decided to run in the marathon the next day but finished third with a time that would have won the race the year before.

In 2019, there was cold wind and rain but no disappointment. Yigezu, fittingly wearing bib No. 3, was all alone on top.

“It feels really good, I trained really hard,” said Yigezu, who took the lead just before the seventh mile and never lost it. “The rain made it very hard but I got through. ... It just feels so good.”

Minutes later, the bundled-up crowd on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway witnessed dramatic history as Feyne Gudeto Gemeda beat the female course record by 3 seconds with a time of 2:32:48.

Gemeda knew what was at stake and pushed hard through the last few hundred feet before falling to the ground just past the finish line. With the Ethiopian flag draped around her back, she was able to rise to her feet minutes later to celebrate her achievement.

“I’m very happy with the record,” Gemeda said through an interpreter. “I was training very hard. I was pushing to run under 2:32 but the rain and wind was very challenging so I’m happy with how I finished.”

Ethan Rissell was the first Philadelphian to cross the finish line, with a time of 2:35 even. The 30-year-old previously lived outside of Harrisburg and in Conshohocken but moved to Roxborough in January.

Rissell’s friend told him Saturday night that he had a good chance to finish first among Philadelphians. Through the last 10 miles of his third marathon, he said it was all he could think about.

“I was on the fence about doing a marathon this fall," Rissell said. “Doing the Philly Marathon was a big factor because now it feels like my hometown race. It’s really awesome.”

Lauren Kelly finished first among Philadelphia women with a time of 2:52:25. Michelle Wheeler took the wheelchair title with a time of 2:31:49. Phoenixville’s T. Lawrence Way, at 71, finished first among hand cyclers at 2:37:59.

The misty rain blowing through chilly early-morning winds didn’t deter thousands of spectators whose ponchos and bright jackets created a bright rainbow lining along the track. Hundreds of volunteers in neon vests trudged through the Benjamin Parkway mud and directed the eager supporters, unfazed by the conditions.

Kenyans Elisha Barno and Jane Kibii will return to lead the CIM elite field

The 37th annual California International Marathon returns CIM top performers, 2015 CIM Champion Elisha Barno and 2014 runner-up Jane Kibii, while also serving as one of the last opportunities for American athletes to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

“This should be a unique and exciting year at CIM with a mix of steady vets returning to ‘The Fastest Course in the West’ as well as a flood of ‘dream chasers’ entering the ‘OTQ Factory’ for a last chance at earning a trip to the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta in February,” said SRA Executive Director Scott Abbott. 

Favorites to win the men’s race include Kenyan natives Elisha Barno and Denis Chirchir. Barno holds a personal best marathon time of 2:09:32 set in 2018, and has had past success at CIM, winning the race in 2015 and finishing runner-up in 2016. Denis Chirchir, who ran 2:13:50 earlier this fall, will be making his first appearance at CIM and is expected to battle up front with Barno. 

Barno and Chirchir will likely be challenged by American runners C.J. Albertson, Colin Mickow, and Patrick Smyth, who are currently in the midst of breakthrough seasons. Albertson of Fresno, Calif and Mickow of Naperville, Ill. ran personal best marathons earlier this fall with 2:14:49 and 2:14:55 finishes, respectively. Smyth, who hails from Santa Fe, N.M., ran a personal best half-marathon time of 1:02:39 in early November of this year. 

The women’s race is headlined by local athlete Jane Kibii, who represents Kenya in international competition and lives in Auburn, Calif., less than twenty miles from the CIM start line. Kibii returns to CIM with the goal of capturing her first CIM title. Like Barno, Kibii has proven herself on the CIM course, with finishes of 2nd (2014) and 3rd (2015) to go along with her personal best marathon time of 2:30:01. 

“I love running in my hometown and feeling the local support,” said Kibii. “I have raced CIM twice and this time around I want to go for a win.” 

Other women to look for up front on December 8 include Obsie Birru from Phoenix, Ariz. who ran a personal best 2:35:51 at the Twin Cities Marathon in October and Katja Goldring (Flagstaff, Ariz.) who holds a personal best time of 2:35:21. Two marathon debutants, Kaitlyn Peale (Portland, Ore.) and Ivette Mejia (New York), could also be factors up front with personal best half-marathon times of 1:13:09 and 1:13:36, respectively.

Beyond the competition for the $70,000 prize purse available to the men’s and women’s fields, hundreds of American runners will toe the line at the 2019 CIM hoping to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials. Men need to run 2:19:00 or faster and women need to run 2:45:00 or faster to qualify.

In 2018, CIM had a record number of U.S. athletes run an Olympic Trials Qualifier (OTQ), with 99 American women and 53 American men running under the qualifying standards. With the qualification window closing in January, the 2019 CIM will be many athletes’ last shot.

“The past few years have shown that CIM is the perfect place to chase an OTQ,” said Olympic Trials hopeful Peter Bromka. “Not only the course and the weather, but every detail of the race is carefully considered by the organizers to help athletes run fast. Once the gun goes off, packs of hopefuls form and work together every mile to the capitol.”

Athletes who run a qualifying time will compete for a spot on the 2020 USA Olympic Marathon team on February 29, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. The top three men and top three women finishers in Atlanta will compete for Team USA at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Paula Radcliffe clarifies her coaching role with Jordan Hasay

It has been widely reported that Jordan Hasay has hired former marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe as her coach or coach advisor.

This is not exactly accurate according to Radcliffe.

She told Athletics Illustrated, “I am happy to help Jordan out as well as I can. It’s not an official coaching role since I am not actually qualified to coach but primarily, I also don’t have the time to travel full time as a coach while my kids are still young and my priority.”

Hasay was formerly coached by Alberto Salazar of the Nike Oregon Project. Since Salazar has received a four-year coaching ban for apparent doping-related offences, his athletes have had to find new coaches.

Hasay, who is knowledgeable about training and what she needs to do to get ready for racing, has chosen Radcliffe more as an advisor.

“Jordan completely understands this, and my role is more of a mentor/advisor than a coach. She is very smart and already knows very well what works for her, and what doesn’t really work. She is also open to listening to ideas and changing things when she sees the sense behind it. A lot of the basis of what she already does is very good, and the changes so far are agreed by both of us and are very fluid.”

Hasay owns the second-fastest marathon by an American, all-time, behind only Deena Kastor, who ran the 2006 London Marathon in the time of 2:19:36. Hasay has gone as fast as 2:20:57, which the 28-year-old accomplished in Chicago two years ago.

Hasay dropped out of the 2019 Chicago Marathon due to a hamstring issue, which found her walking through the 5K mark in over 22 minutes. She was going for Kastor’s record in that race. She has recovered now.

“She came over to stay and we chatted and worked out a lot of things going forward. We feel that we can make this work long-distance with someone on the ground training with her in workouts and providing constant honest feedback between. Of course, in the future we will aim to do some training camps together, but it is very flexible right now,” added Radcliffe.

Radcliffe continues to reside in Monaco, France, while Hasay lives in Arroyo Grande, California.

Radcliffe owned the marathon world record until Oct this year. She set the record at 2:15:25 in London 2004. The record stood until the same Chicago race where Hasay dropped out. Kenyan Brigid Kosgei crossed the finish line in the remarkable time of 2:14:04.

Radcliffe has also run the fifth and seventh fastest marathon times.

Her connection to Hasay may be from her husband’s (Gary Lough) connection to Salazar as both have coached multi-time worlds and Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah, who trained with the Nike Oregon Project as did Hasay.

“I have known her for a while now and got to know her better in the last couple of weeks,” shared Radcliffe. “I am really impressed with her mental strength and ability to focus on what is important. We have similar outlooks on a lot of things, training, competition, and lifestyle-related and I admire her style of racing and think she still has a lot of progress to come. The main thing now is getting fully healthy and as fit as possible by the trials.”

On February 29, 2020, Americans will take to the streets of Atlanta, GA to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic marathon trials.

Eliud Kipchoge and Dalilah Muhammad named World Athletes of the year

Record-breakers Dalilah Muhammad and Eliud Kipchoge were named the World Athletics athletes of the year on Saturday.

Muhammad, who twice lowered the 400m hurdles world record last season, became the first athlete in her event to take the honor since Brit Sally Gunnell in 1993. And the first American woman to earn it from any event since Allyson Felix in 2012.

The Kenyan Kipchoge became the first repeat athlete of the year since Usain Bolt in 2012 and 2013. Kipchoge, who lowered the marathon world record by 78 seconds in 2018, became the first person to break two hours in a marathon on Oct. 12 in a non-record-eligible event.

The other female finalists were Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Dutch distance runner Sifan Hassan, Kenyan marathoner Brigid Kosgei and Venezuelan triple jumper Yulimar Rojas.

The other male finalists were Ugandan distance runner Joshua Cheptegei, American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks and sprinter Noah Lyles and Norwegian hurdler Karsten Warholm.

World Athletics is track and field’s international governing body, rebranded from IAAF this year. 

Julia Webb runs fastest time ever for a half marathon pushing a stroller

Julia Webb just broke the WORLD RECORD for fastest half marathon while pushing a stroller AND she won the half marathon as well clocking 1:21:23. 

Three days ago Julia who is the wife of Alan Webb posted this on Instagram, "I've been a mom of three going on 10 months...I don't think it gets any easier after each kid, it's just your expections of "normal" change and you adapt.  I was such a spoiled runner per 2012, treadmills, babysitters, stollers, friends and begging the husband to allow for my escape..."

In the process of setting a new world record she also won the Route 66 Half marathon.  When Julia had two kids she unofficiallly broke the Guinness world record pushing baby Paula clocking 1:22:57.  

Five days ago on Instagram she wrote, "Time for attempt 2!  Fitness great but actual preparation running fast pushing babies lately has been a little sparse.  Today's 6:49 mile split in a 5 miler with my beaten down stroller is our fastest yet.  New buggy coming Sunday.

"Whatever hapens I will be sure to get this on camera if Alan can keep up."

And she did it this morning... Next up is the US Olympics Trails and this time without the baby.  

How ultra-trail runners fit training into a busy life

It’s dark, it’s cold, and it’s the time of year when skipping a run seems like a great idea. Sometimes it feels impossible to juggle family, work, friendships, and a regular running practice all while staying sane. You’re not alone. Even the best ultra-trail runners struggle with motivation at this time of year.

When ultrarunner, father, race director and ultra-preneur Jamil Coury asked Twitter for tips to stay on track with balancing it all, he wasn’t asking for a friend. Useful and practical advice came flocking in from many well respected and talented trail runners. Passionate trail and ultrarunners from a range of abilities and backgrounds responded, sharing their strategies for doing it all and not burning out. 

Balance is relative - Filmmaker, podcast creator, and ultrarunner Billy Yang believes dividing up responsibilities looks different for everyone. “Balance is all relative and everyone’s pie charts look different. Just shift/tweak/adjust as necessary given the seasons,” he tweets.

Commuting is key - Many tweeters responded in support for the run commute in order to increase mileage in training. They also recommended adding in a lunchtime workout or hills on the weekends.

Do it early - Coach and ultrarunner Jason Koop gets up at 4:30 a.m. ready to get it done. Canadian Anne-Marie Madden agrees, and she suggests an early morning workout combined with a run commute to start the day.

24 hours is a myth - The Queen of 200s race director Candice Burt shares that she has “learned to not see things in as much of a 24 hour way.” For example, she promotes simplifying her days so that she focuses on more work on some, more training on others, and more family time on other days.

Set a timer - Ultrarunning vet Megan Hicks says that she uses a timer app for core workouts and foam rolling during work breaks.

Consistency is key - Running isn’t perfect, so doing something is better than nothing. Often, running one mile with your kid is better than a Netflix marathon. “The vast majority of fitness comes through consistency/workouts don’t need to be ideal/perfect,

Wing it - Many ultra-trail parents shared that their priority is family and “everything else falls where it must.”

Set reasonable goals - Know your priorities and set goals based on the time you have in a typical week. Just remember that a typical week for an ultrarunner is anything but average–as we are all a bit guilty of overachieving.

Forget about balance - If you want something done, give it to an ultrarunner. Ultra-trail runners are busy and often passionate about everything they juggle. Amy Broadmoore replied to Coury’s tweet with, “I have a feeling that you and @BillyYang are as successful as you are because you immerse yourself in your work (at least for stretches) and let your life get out of balance.”

Celebrate gains - Feeling successful with what you can do is key, rather than focusing on what you don’t have enough time for.

New documentary on Nicky Spinks at the Barkley Marathons

The doc follows the British ultrarunner on her quest to become the first woman to finish the infamously difficult race.

Back in March, the British runner Nicky Spinks, 52, was considered the most likely of the seven women registered for the Barkley Marathons to become the first-ever female in the race’s 33-year history to finish. Along with Canadian Stephanie Case (a Barkley veteran who had attempted the race in 2018), Spinks had to bail on the second of five 20-mile loops. Her sponsor, the British gear company Inov-8, in partnership with Summit Media, has produced a documentary on her attempt, entitled Last Women Standing: The Barkley Marathons 2019. 

Spinks is the first person ever to complete doubles of all three classic British fell-running rounds, which link numerous peaks in a circuit (the Paddy Buckley Round, the Ramsay Round and the Bob Graham Round), among many impressive accomplishments in her fell-running career. She crewed Damian Hall to a fifth-place finish at UTMB in 2018.

Marathon debutante Piasecki wins in Florence

Britain’s Jessica Piasecki recorded the second-fastest time in the history of the Asics Firenze Marathon, winning the World Athletics Bronze Label road race in 2:25:29 on her debut at the distance on Sunday (24).

Ethiopia’s Nigussie Sahlesilassie Bekele took the honours in the men’s race with 2:10:14, just four seconds shy of the PB he set earlier this year.

A leading group formed by Piasecki, Kenya’s Salina Jebet, Viola Yator Jelagat, Ethiopia’s Mekash Dinknesh Tefera, Amelework Bosho Fikadu, and Burundi’s Elvanie Nimbona went through 15km in 52:34.

Tefera, the fastest runner in the field with a 2:23:12 PB from a few years ago, went to the front and reached the halfway mark in 1:14:31, closely followed by Piasecki, Yator and Jebet. Tefera and Piasecki then broke away, clocking 1:27:55 at 25km with a 14-second margin over Yator.

Piasecki launched her attack soon after, opening up an eight-second gap on Tefera by 35km, reached in 2:01:38.

The 29-year-old continued to ramp up the pace and by 40km her lead had grown to more than a minute. She crossed the finish line in 2:25:29 to move to third on the British all-time list. Only Lonah Salpeter, who won here in 2:24:17 last year, has recorded a faster time on this course. Tefera finished second with 2:26:47 ahead of Salina Jebet (2:30:28).

“The course was quite twisty, but it was an amazing race,” said Piasecki, the 2012 European U23 cross-country champion. “It was the first marathon race of my career and I achieved my goal of getting the Olympic qualifying standard for Tokyo. I can’t believe it.”

Her next goal is the 2020 London Marathon in April, which will double as the British trials for the Olympic Games.

A six-man group formed by Kenyans Kipkemoi Kiprono, Jackson Rutto Kemboi, Peter Kirui Cheruiyot, 2014 Florence winner Asbel Kipsang and Ethiopians Nigussie Sahlesilassie Bekele and Azmeraw Gereme Mengistu took the early lead, going through 10km in 30:15, 15km in 45:24, half way in 1:04:28 and 30km in 1:32:00.

Bekele stepped up the pace and broke away from Mengistu, going through the 35km mark in 1:47:18 with a lead of 24 seconds. Kipsang was further back in third place.

Bekele crossed the finish line in 2:10:14, missing his career best by just four seconds. It was his third consecutive 2:10 clocking of the year, having set PBs of 2:10:46 in Wuxi in March and 2:10:10 when winning in Stockholm in June.

“After 30km I tried to step up the pace,” said the winner. “I saw that my rivals were not able to keep up with my pace. I held on until the end.”

Wilhelm "Willi" Frederich, 85, will be running his 50th Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day

An 85-year-old retired master craftsman and cancer survivor will achieve what organizers are calling a "remarkable" achievement when he lines up to start the 2019 Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving morning. It will be Wilhelm "Willi" Frederich's 50th appearance in the famed race.

Frederich, a retired contractor and master craftsman from Ellington, ran in his first MRR in 1968. He has finished the 4.748-mile run every year since then with the exception of 1999 and 2000. He missed those races due to illness in the family, race officials said.

Frederick's own illness did not stop him last Thanksgiving,. Frederich, who was then battling bone cancer that is now in remission, braved the 14-degree weather with a zero wind chill and covered the road race course in a wheel chair equipped with a hand crank.

He plans to walk and jog the course next Thursday, accompanied by 10 family members and friends. Frederich will be easy to spot on the race course. He will be wearing one of the special red, white and blue numbers bibs that the road race committee issues to its longtime entrants. Frederich and his running mates will also don special yellow jerseys emblazoned with "Team Willi" on the front.

This is a fantastic accomplishment," said Dr. Tris Carta of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "We are very proud of Willi Frederich, and all of our perennial performers."

Kenya’s Asbel Kipsang and Tefera Dinknesh Mekash from Ethiopia are the favorites at the Asics Firenze Marathon

Kipsang won the race in his debut over the 42 km distance in 2014 in 2:09:55. He went on to clock his personal best with 2:07:30 in Seoul in 2016 and will aim at breaking the Florence course record held by his compatriot James Kutto who clocked 2:08:40 in 2006. Kipsang finished third in Shanghai in 2:09:02 and sixth in Paris in 2:08:29 in 2017.

Moroccan Hicham Bofars, 31, also returns to Florence, where he finished second last year in personal best of 2:12:16. Bofars ran all his three marathon races in Florence in 2014, 2015 and 2018.

Kenyan Peter Kirui Cheruiyot boasts solid personal best times in the half marathon with 59:22 from Prague in 2014 and in the marathon with 2:06:31 from Frankfurt in 2011.

Gilbert Kipleting Chumba from Kenya has already run on Italian soil and won the past two editions of the Treviso Marathon - in 2018 he clocked his personal best of 2:12:19.

The Ethiopian contingent will be represented by Gereme Azmeraw Mengistu and Nigussie Sahlesilassie Bekele. Mengistu set his personal best of 2:12:27 in November 2016. Bekele won the Stockolm marathon last June in 2:10:10, also a personal best.

Morocco’s Hicham Amghar, who has a 1:00:23 half marathon PB, will make his marathon debut.

The best Italian runner in the field is Ahmed Nasef, who won two national marathon titles and set his marathon career best of 2:10:59 in 2012.

The fastest runner in the women’s field is Ethiopia’s Dinknesh Mekash Tefera, who set her career best of 2:23:12 in Frankfurt in 2015. Tefera will take on her compatriot Amelework Bosho Fekadu, who has a 2:32:39 PB, Kenya’s Salina Jebet (winner in Astana 2018 in 2:31:06) and Burundi’s 21-year-old Elvanie Nimbona, who finished second in Padua last April in 2:30:28.

Croatian ultra-marathon specialist Nikolina Sustic set her previous marathon career best of 2:41:11 in Florence last year and improved this time to 2:37:55 in Padua in 2019. Former European U23 cross country champion Jess Piasecki will make her debut over the marathon distance after improving her personal best in the half marathon to 1:11:42 in Usti nad Labem in Czech Republic last September.

The forecast reports are saying it could rain on Philadelphia Marathoners

While clouds are hanging over the weather forecast for Sunday’s annual Philadelphia Marathon, the outlook does have at least a few bright spots for participants in this weekend’s race events.

Temperatures are forecast to range from 40 to 44 during the Sunday morning race, not too far from the ideal for most runners, says Jeremy Close, a sports medicine specialist at Jefferson University Hospitals and a runner himself.

Wind should not be a factor for at least the first part of the race, which begins at 7, said Sarah Johnson, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly.

Saturday should start off dry and cold; temperatures will be around freezing at the time the half-marathon begins, at 7:25 a.m., but winds will be light. It should be brilliantly sunny throughout the half-marathon. The 8k race then begins at 10:40 a.m. and the kids’ fun run at noon. Clouds will build in the afternoon and rain is a near certainty Saturday night and early Sunday.

Friday’s forecast called for the likelihood that rain would linger into midmorning Sunday. Even if it stopped at 7, that could still be a pain for the runners milling about waiting for the race to get underway.

However, Johnson did offer a bright spot. Computer models often have a hard time nailing the duration of precipitation, and that has been evident in the last few days with the vacillating hourly forecasts.

“The timing has been jumping around a bit,” she said. Thus, the forecast is very much subject to change. AccuWeather Inc., the private service in State College, Pa., had the rain stopping at 7 a.m. and then picking up again at 9 a.m. But anyone who has tried to rely on those weather apps knows that the hourly predictions are prone to fallibility.

The rains would be generated by a coastal low that a month from now might look like a snow threat. Instead, it will be a rather ordinary cold November rain. Winds could pick up later in the race — maybe 5 to 15 mph with higher gusts, said Johnson — as the storm moves north.

And while Sunday morning might be chillier than the average spectator would like, it should be good for runners, Jefferson’s Close said.

The 2020 Tokyo olympic stadium is completed costing a shocking $1.35 billion US

Construction has come to a close on the 2020 Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. The updates ultimately cost a shocking $1.35 billion US. The project started in December 2016. According to Inside the Games the 60,000-capacity stadium is due to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the of the games along with the track and field events.

While the track events will be hosted in Tokyo, the road running events have been moved to Sapporo.

For context, Sapporo is a 16 hour drive from Tokyo or roughly the equivalent of Toronto to Halifax. Many athletes, coaches and governing bodies are frustrated about the decision.

Canada’s Evan Dunfee, who won bronze in the 50K race walk event in Doha, is also up in arms about the decision, for two reasons: Canadian athletes like him and marathoner Lyndsay Tessier (who finished in the top 10 in her event) proved that heat can be managed extremely well with some commonsense protocols, and his supporters have already paid for their flights and accommodations–in Tokyo.

Dunfee lashed out against the decision on Twitter, when it became clear that while the IOC claimed to be concerned for athletes, the decision was taken without consultation.

The decision was reportedly made in the interests of sparing athletes from having to compete in Tokyo’s extreme heat and humidity. A catalyst for this change was the was the war of attrition that took place at the 2019 World Championships marathon just two months ago in Doha. There, in the women’s marathon, nearly one third of the runners didn’t make it to the finish line.

Kara Goucher is officially now an ultrarunner

Kara Goucher took a podium spot yesterday at her first 50K at The North Face Endurance Challenge Championships

Olympic marathon runner Kara Goucher has joined the ultramarathon club. On Saturday November 16, the former Nike athlete raced to an impressive third place finish at The North Face Endurance Challenge Championships 50K race in San Francisco in a time of 5:30:57. Goucher has found a new love and appreciation for the trails, especially in the wake of the suspension and allegations of abuse against Nike and her former coach, Alberto Salazar.

Goucher raced her first trail race back in August at the Leadville Trail Marathon, and has been moving up in distance ever since. The North Face 50K race gains 2,053 metres running through the Marin Headlands in the San Francisco Bay area. Goucher challenged her physical and mental toughness through Tennessee Valley, Muir Beach, and Pantoll Station, descending on the famous Dipsea trail. After crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, she finished the race enthralled and exhausted at Crissy Field.

Goucher shared the podium with Corinne Shalvoy in first place with a time of 5:00:10 and Jenny Comiskey in second with a time of 5:15:12. Nicholas Handel won the men’s 50K race in 3:58:11, Brian Gillis was second in 4:11:45, and Justin Grunewald was third in 4:15:39.

Two-time Olympic steeplechaser Donn Cabral is in good shape and feeling confident about the Manchester Road Race

His goal, for a while now, has been to win the race he grew up running, the fabled Manchester Road Race, on Thanksgiving Day.

Cabral, 29, of Hartford finished third over the 4.748-mile course in 2012 in 21:33. He was fourth in 2014 (21:51) and second in 2015 in 21:36.

“If I were to win Manchester,” Cabral said at Thursday’s annual press lunch at the Manchester Country Club, “that would trump winning the Penn Relays, the national title – it would be on the same level as making the Olympic team.

“I’m feeling as confident now for my fitness this year as any year I’ve ever run this.”

The 83rd annual race will take place Nov. 28 at 10 a.m. on Main Street in Manchester. Over 12,000 runners and walkers are expected.

Cabral, who grew up in Glastonbury, said he had a “horrible track season.” Last year, he finished 20th at Manchester in 22:36. But his recent workouts are mirroring his successful past runs.

“I just did a workout which was a 5-mile run, where four miles are at a comfortably hard pace and the last mile’s hard,” he said. “I did that same workout eight days before Thanksgiving in 2012. I ended up running 21:33. I just did the same workout this past weekend, and given conditions and pacing, it was at least equivalent to what I did in 2012. I’m confident going forward. I’m ready to go.”

Cabral has been going to law school and business school but he’s taking the spring semester off to focus on making it to the Tokyo Olympics.

“I’ve had a couple years where I’ve been struggling to kind of get my legs under me and find out what’s been going on,” he said. “I had little bright spots here and there but they’re becoming fewer and further between. To an outside observer, maybe it is age. But there are plenty of 30-year-old runners who are at the top of their career, so I ignore that.

“I’ve spoken with some doctors and I think it’s being able to keep some stressors in my life down and being able to keep the amount of calories up I need to meet those needs.”

Defending champion Edward Cheserek is returning. Cheserek ran a course record 21:16 in bitter cold conditions last year.

“Well, Edward Cheserek is one of the best runners in American history,” Cabral said. “If he wants to go out and run what that time is equivalent to on a good day, I don’t think anyone’s going to be stopping him - 21:16 on the coldest day in Manchester Road Race history is otherworldly. That said, he’s human and he gets beat and he’s not always on his game. When he’s on his game, it would take something I haven’t seen in myself yet to beat him. I think I’m ready to run phenomenally and if he’s at all off, or compromised, I’m ready to take him down.

Bob Koen, 73, is ready to run his 26th straight Philadelphia Marathon

Bob Koen Plans to run this Marathon Every year as long as he physically can.

He has run all the Philadelphia Marathons since its 1994 reincarnation. He has seen the race grow over the years.

In 1994, only 1,500 people competed in the marathon. Now the marathon organizers are forced to limit the number of entrants to 15,000.

Koen likes this marathon because for him it is like competing on his home turf. His favorite part of the race course is the Martin Luther King Drive and the Kelly Drive because he often trains there.

Including the Philadelphia Marathons, Koen has run a total of 54 marathons. His best finishing time is 3:37:30, which he set at the 1999 Chicago Marathon.

When Koen began running in 1986, at age 40, he never imagined that he would be a marathon runner.

In 1986 at a Cherry Hill N.J. gym: "I was playing basketball. This guy there was 13 years older than me and he was always outrunning me on the court," said Koen. "I finally asked him why I couldn't keep up with him. He said that he runs 3 miles every day and then he talked me into running a 5K (3.1 miles)."

Koen soon caught the "running bug" and it became a huge part of his life.

He is finally injury free. The last couple years, he was struggling with a neck injury due to a bad fall he sustained while running.

A special Philly Marathon moment was when Koen finished the 20th running of the Philadelphia Marathon, Mark Sullivan, 57, of Freeburg, P.a. met him at the finish line.

"We're the only two who have run all the Philadelphia Marathons," said Sullivan who will also compete this Sunday.

Austin Marathon and 3M Half Marathon invite elite runners to Austin for a final Olympic Marathon Trials tune-up

The Austin Marathon and 3M Half Marathon invite elite runners to Austin for a final Olympic Marathon Trials tune-up. 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifiers are invited to run one of Austin’s two most beloved half marathons, fine-tune race strategy, and finalize hydration/nutrition plans. The 3M Half Marathon takes place on January 19th, that’s 41 days before the Trials. The Austin Half Marathon takes place on February 16th, that’s 13 days before the Olympic Marathon Trials.

The Austin Half Marathon offers prize money and FloTrack live-streams coverage of the entire event. Both events are operated by High Five Events.

“Winning the 2019 Austin Marathon was awesome and a moment I will not forget,” said Heather Lieberg, 2019 Austin Marathon female champ (2:42:27). “ I can’t wait to participate in the half marathon as a tune-up race for the Trials in Atlanta. I know it’ll be a confidence builder!”

Runners accepted to the 2020 Austin Marathon/Half Marathon Elite Athlete Program will compete for a $20,000 prize purse. The Austin Marathon prize purse will total $15,000 and award the top five male and female finishers. The Austin Half Marathon purse will total $5,000 and award the top three male and female finishers. Interested athletes can review the program’s standards and submit an application on the website.