Running News Daily

The Malta Marathon was cancelled due to extreme weather and no refunds were offered to the 4500 runners

The Malta Marathon was called off last weekend by race organisers after the country was hit by one of the worst storms in recent years, with gale-force winds causing severe damage in various localities.

A total of 4,500 runners were expected to be at the starting line at the Mdina Gate on Sunday morning but the organizing committee decided to cancel the event on Saturday night after a meeting with the safety officers.

Joe Micallef, the chairman of the race committee, said nobody could question the decision to call off the race as the safety of the participants and the persons involved in the organization of the marathon were paramount.

“I think everyone will agree with our decision to call off the marathon,” Micallef told the Times of Malta.

“We waited until the last minute in hope that the weather predictions would improve but they didn’t. Obviously, there is great disappointment as preparations had been ongoing for the last 12 months. You can’t imagine how much logistical work is involved to organise the Malta Marathon. But it was just not to be.”

The decision to cancel rather than postpone the 2019 Malta Marathon took many by surprise but Micallef said that it’s almost impossible to hold the race on another date due to a packed racing schedule.

“It’s an impossible task to move the Malta Marathon to another date,” Micallef said.

“First of all, when we set the date of the race we have the police, wardens, security personnel, volunteers and scouts all booked and it’s very difficult to have all this entities available together on another date.

“Besides, to organise a marathon we need the permit from the Malta Amateur Athletics Association (MAAA). There is an agreement in place that says that the MAAA cannot issue a permit to stage a race on a weekend when there is already another running event scheduled.

“The running calendar is jam-packed with races and it’s almost an impossible task to find an alternative date.”

Micallef said that the Malta Marathon Organising Committee (MMOC) will not be refunding the athletes who were planning to take part in Sunday’s race but are considering to offer a discount for the 2020 edition. “The Malta Marathon Organising Committee has no plans to refund the 2019 entrants,” Micallef said.

“It’s clearly written in our regulations that participants will not get their €35 ($50US) registration fee back if they don’t turn up on race day or the marathon is not held. Every participant agrees to these conditions when they register for the race.

“Unfortunately not many people really know how much it costs the organising committee financially to hold the race. We spent a lot of money to circulate fliers and banner around Malta to promote the race. We paid adverts in local newspaper to give the necessary information on our race.

“Added to that we have other expenses such as the bags that we give each participant to put their clothes for the race, the Facebook photo system, which cost us 10,000 euro so we have many expenses to cover.

“But having said that we are still considering to offer a discount to this year’s athletes who will be applying for next year’s race.

“We’re not obliged to do that but we’ll think about it.”

Micallef said that despite the cancellation of the event they will still be making the donation to the official charity of the race – Inspire.

“The MMOC has already decided that the money promised to our charity Inspire will be given to the organisation as promised,” Micallef said. “It’s a commitment that we want to keep.”

Abadi Hadis took the win in The Bahrain Half-Marathon Two seconds cost the second place runner $75,000

The Bahrain Night Half saw some very fast results as runners chased one of the biggest prize purses in road racing. The top four men were only separated by seven seconds and with $100,000 USD on the line, that’s a painful margin to lose by. Abadi Hadis took the win in 59:42, he was followed by Jemal Yimer in 59:45, Bernard Ngeno was third in 59:47 and Fikadu Haftu was forth in 59:49. 

In the women’s race, Brigid Kosgei, who’s the 2018 Chicago champion, took the win in 1:05:28 which is under 40 seconds off of the women’s world record set in 2017 by Joyciline Jepkosgei. Second place went to Ruth Chepngetich in 1:06:09 and third place went to Netsanet Gudeta in 1:06:49. 

After the huge first place prize, the money drops off by 75 per cent. Second place gets $25,000 and third place gets $15,000, and then there’s another drop after the podium finishes with fourth only taking home $10,000 USD. The elite fields were so tight that in the men’s race, seven seconds was the difference between $100,000 and $10,000.

Two-time champion and Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson plans to run the Boston Marathon again at age 61

The Boston Athletic Association says the two-time champion and Olympic gold medalist will be in the field on April 15.

Benoit Samuelson was a 21-year-old Bowdoin College student in 1979 when she set an American marathon record and a women’s course record. She finished in 2 hours, 35 minutes, 15 seconds, wearing a Red Sox cap.

She returned in 1983 to set a world best of 2:22:43. She won the first Olympic women’s marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Benoit Samuelson says her goal next month is to run within 40 minutes of the time she clocked in her Boston debut 40 years ago. She last ran the Boston Marathon in 2015.

Kenyan runners win at the Jerusalem Marathon today

Kenya's Ronald Kurgat won Israel's 9th Jerusalem Marathon on Friday at two hours, eighteen minutes and forty seven seconds (2:18:47), ahead of his compatriots Kipkogey Shadrack, who clocked 2:19:07, and Jonathan Chesoo (2:22:07).

Kenya also won the top three places in the women's race, as the winner was Nancy Chepngetich Kimayo at 2:44:50, ahead of Mercy Jelimo Too at 2:54:00 and Naomi Jepngetich in 2:58:00.

The Jerusalem Marathon has been held annually since 2011, the race also includes half marathon, 10km and 5km runs, as well as 1.7km family run.

The strongest fields ever assembled for the New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon will be gunning for race records

On the men's side, four entrants with sub-2:10 credentials will be on the start line targeting the 2:13:05 standard set by Kenyan Josphat Too in 2013.

Among the favourites is Kenyan Mike Mutai, the winner of the 2016 Hong Kong Marathon who also boasts podium finishes from marathons in Singapore, Hangzhou and Hefei. Mutai, 36, clocked his 2:09:18 lifetime best in Dubai in 2012.

Another contender is Ethiopian Abraham Girma whose 2:06:48 personal best set in 2012 makes him the fastest in the field. More recently, he clocked 2:12:46 in Porto last November, finishing fifth.

A third contender is Philip Kangogo of Kenya, who set his 2:08:16 lifetime best when winning the 2015 Barcelona Marathon in his debut over the distance.

Mathew Kipsaat, who clocked 2:09:19 at the 2017 Rome Marathon, is also in the field. 

Similarly in the women's race, five women with sub-2:30 credentials have been recruited to set their sites on Kim Jong-hyang's 2:34:53 race record set in 2014.

He Yinli (marathon world ranking: 164) of China is the fastest in the field with a personal best of 2:27:35 set at the 2015 Chongqing Marathon where she's finished on the podium twice. She clocked 2:31:14 at the Osaka Women's Marathon in January, her most recent race.

Kenyan Nancy Koech (marathon world ranking: 318) is another contender. She arrives armed with a 2:29:30 career best set at the 2017 Daegu Marathon, with wins at the Malaga, Copenhagen and Munster marathons to her credit.

Another Kenyan, Sylvia Medugu (marathon world ranking: 201), has a 2:29:09 personal best, set at the 2017 Frankfurt Marathon. 

Some of the best elite runners from around the world, are set to compete today in the inaugural Bahrain Night Half-Marathon offering $100,000 to the winner

The prestigious race is being held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad and organised by BAA in cooperation with International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, BOC, Asian Athletics Association and Tumooh Sports Management.

The event features separate categories for men and women over 21.1kms while there are also six-km events for those who want to run for fun and be a part of the biggest half-marathon in the region.

The participants include some of the biggest names in international long-distance running, such as world record holder in half-marathon Abraham Kiptum of Kenya.

Kiptum was upbeat yesterday heading into tonight’s event despite it being his first night race. Just last September he set his world record of 58 minutes 18 seconds in Valencia, Spain, and is confident he can maintain his fine form in Bahrain.

“Let’s hope we can be as strong as we can be,” Kiptum said. “Although it is my first night race, if the weather is good, the pace is good and if we can be strong, then we shall have a good time.

“I always train in the mornings so it is a little new to me, but I’ll do my best.”

Among the men’s elite runners who are expected to challenge Kiptum are Ethiopian Jemal Yimer Mekonnen and Bahraini Hassan Shani.

Among the women, reigning world champion and world record holder of a women-only race Netsanet Gudeta Kebede of Ethiopia is one of the pre-race favorites as is reigning women’s full marathon world champion Rose Chelimo of Bahrain.

Rose’s fellow-Bahraini Eunice Chumba, who is a bronze-medallist at last year’s World Half-Marathon Championships, will also be competing along with Ethiopian Senbere Teferi, who is a former gold-medallist in the World Cross Country Championships and a former silver medallist in the 5,000m.

Mekonnen, Shani, Netsanet, Eunice and Senebre were present with Nasser and Kiptum at yesterday’s press conference along with BAA technical director Taher Righi and renowned Ethiopian coach Haji Adilo.

“It is very important for us to do well in this race, especially since we are representing Bahrain. We will try our best to get a good time and also win,” said Eunice.

The men and women winners receive a prize money of $100,000 each. All runners finishing in the top ten in both categories will also win cash prizes totaling over $350,000 plus possible bonus money. 

There are bonuses of $30,000 for new world records.

Kenyans Erick Kiptanui and Vivian Cheruyiot lead strong field's for the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon this weekend

The EDP Lisbon Half Marathon field includes 21 male runners with personal bests of under 1:01 and ten in the women's field who have dipped under 1:10.

Erick Kiptanui made his debut over the distance in this race last year, winning in 1:00:05, and went on to improve to 58:42 in Berlin one month later. Two other sub-59:00 runners are in the field: 2013 winner Bernard Kiprop Koech, who has clocked 58:41, and Solomon Kirwa Yego, who set his 58:44 best in the 2016 Rome-Ostia Half Marathon.

But there are more athletes in this race who can produce some surprises. Ethiopia comes armed with Mosinet Geremew, winner of the 2018 Dubai Half Marathon with a 59:11 lifetime best from 2014, and Betesfa Getahun, who has a 1:00:26 personal best. He was third in the Barcelona Half Marathon last month.

Behind Kiptanui, the solid Kenyan contingent includes Micah Kogo, the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist over 10,000m who's clocked 59:07; Simon Cheprot who has a 59:20 lifetime best; Edwin Kiprop Kiptoo, who has a 59:26 best; Nicholas Kosimbei, who clocked 1:00:21 at this race last year; late addition Edwin Soi, the 2008 Olympic 5000m bronze medallist, who improved to 1:00:24 in Granollers, Spain, this year; and Japhet Korir,  who has run 1:00:08.

Others to watch include Callum Hawkins of Great Britain, who'll be looking to improve on his 1:00:00 personal best and Abrar Osman of Eritrea, who's clocked 1:00:19.

In the women's field, Vivian Cheruyiot, the 2016 Olympic 5000m champion, is the undisputed star of the field. The 35-year-old, who also won three world titles on the track and the 2017 London Marathon, was second in this race last year clocking 1:09:44. She clocked 1:07:43 at last year's Great North Run, also finishing second.

She'll face a formidable field however, led by Ethiopia's Gelete Burka, who has a solid 1:06:11 lifetime best set last year.

Vegan endurance athlete Robbie Balenger is set to run more than 3,000 miles across the United States

In partnership with dairy-free ice cream brand NadaMoo, Balenger is hoping his challenge will show the world that even ultramarathon runners do not need to eat animals to excel in their field.

In a post on Instagram, the plant-powered athlete wrote, “On Saturday (March 16th) at 7:30 AM, I will put my feet to the pavement and start to run across the country.”

He believes the run will last for 75 days, covering the 3,200 miles from Los Angeles to New York City. “Not only do I plan to survive running an average of 43 miles a day on a 100% plant-based diet, but I hope to show you how I will thrive,” he continued.

Balenger hasn’t always been an athlete; he used to operate restaurants across Austin, Texas. He needed a way of managing the stressful nature of his career path so six years ago, he began running, according to Lifelong Endurance, an endurance coaching website. He now works as an endurance athlete, coaching others in the field.

“By following my passions and dreams, I believe I can make an impact on those around me,” Balenger notes on the website. “My passions are innate and simple: food and running.”

He will use his 3,200-mile challenge to communicate his feelings about dietary choices, according to NadaMoo. The brand notes on its website that as Balenger makes his way across the country, students and members of the community “will be invited to engage in conversations about big goals and smart food choices.”

Balenger isn’t the only athlete showing that a plant-based diet can boost you to achieve major physical feats.

Last year, Mike Curtin, a 27-year-old vegan thru-hiker, hiked 118 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail. The journey — from Windigo Pass in Oregon to Big Lake Youth Camp in Willamette National Forest — took 38 hours and Curtin didn’t stop the whole way.

Past Olympic champion Uganda´s Stephen Kiprotich is set to run the Haspa Marathon Hamburg April 28

Stephen Kiprotich, the 2012 Olympic and 2013 world marathon champion, will return to the northern German port city for the third time, after finishing second in 2017 and fifth one year ago.

The 29-year-old, who is the national record holder at 2:06:33, clocked sub-2:08 performances in both of his Hamburg appearances.

Ezekiel Kemboi meanwhile, a two-time Olympic and four-time world champion in the 3000m steeplechase, will be making his eagerly-anticipated marathon debut.

The fastest runner in the field is Ayele Abshero, who clocked 2:04:23 in his marathon debut at the 2012 Dubai Marathon. The Ethiopian returns after finishing third last year.

World half marathon record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei, who will also be making her marathon debut, and two-time world marathon champion Abel Kirui were previously announced.

Abel Kirui, the world champion over the distance in 2009 and 2011, has already announced his intention of chasing the course record of 2:05:30, set by Eliud Kipchoge in his marathon debut in 2013. Compatriots Jonathan Korir and Amos Mitei, who have personal bests of 2:06:51 and 2:07:28 respectively, are expected to join the hunt.

Japan's Taku Fujimoto, who clocked his personal best of 2:07:57 in last year’s Chicago Marathon, will also be in the race.

Kenyan´s Stephen Kiprop will lead the men´s field at Prague Half Marathon

The field of 11,500 will include nine men with personal bests under one hour and two of the fastest women in history.

Stephen Kiprop, who won this year’s RAK Half Marathon in a world-leading 58:42, leads the men’s field. His challengers will include defending champion Bernard Kimeli, but any one of a dozen others could step up to the top of the podium.

Sondre Moen will return to Prague. The Norwegian is one of the top Europeans with a PB of 59:48. He set his 10km PB of 27:55 in Prague in 2017 and then three months later set a European marathon record of 2:05:48 in Fukuoka.

After dealing with injuries and health problems in 2018, he returned to action last month and set a national 5km record of 13:37 in Monaco.

The race will feature the second and sixth-fastest women in history, Kenya’s Fancy Chemutai and Caroline Kipkirui, who have respective PBs of 1:04:52 and 1:05:07.

Canadian 76-year-old Carol Lafayette-Boyd sets a new W75 200m world record

Carol Lafayette-Boyd, 76, of Regina, Sask. set a new world age-group record of 32.26s in the W75 200m at the 10th Canadian Masters Indoor Championships at Edmonton’s Butterdome last weekend.

Lafayette-Boyd also broke the championship meet record in the 60m and the triple jump.

The previous world record of 33.06s was set by Kathy Bergen of the US in 2015. Lafayette-Boyd held the previous Canadian record at 33.45s, set last year and the meet record of 33.54s.

More than 200 athletes took part in the meet, in which seven Canadian records and 52 meet records were broken.  

Carol won five gold medals, including the 100m and 200m, at the World Masters Championships in Malaga, Spain last summer, and set a Canadian record of 33.34s in the 200m. 

Amway River Bank Run will add a virtual race for 2019 event

A new title sponsor isn’t the only change coming to the Amway River Bank Run in 2019.

Participants who can't physically make it to this year's race will have the option to sign up for a “virtual race.”  It gives anyone the option to run the race, whether they’re on a treadmill or in a different city.

Still, Amway River Bank Run Race Director David Madiol says nothing can compare to running the race in downtown Grand Rapids.

"The energy downtown for this race is so awesome... and the course itself, it's just a great course around downtown," said Madiol.

"If you're doing the 25K, you're obviously getting way out from downtown, but it's just a really well-run race and Amway is so proud to be a part of it as the title sponsor now."

Andrew Silverman with multiple sclerosis is set to run the United Airlines NYC Half on Sunday

When Staten Island native Andrew Silverman goes on a long run, he doesn’t just get tired: The 31-year-old gets blurry vision, plus a bizarre numbness and tingling in his toes.

The strange feeling, known as Uhthoff’s Phenomenon, is caused by Silverman’s multiple sclerosis — an autoimmune disorder that attacks the central nervous system, leading to fatigue, vision loss, dizziness and, in extreme cases, paralysis and cognitive dysfunction.

“I’m so used to it that I don’t even mind it anymore,” Silverman, a pediatric oncologist who was diagnosed with MS in 2015 says.

On Sunday, the Columbia University Irving Medical Center fellow will shrug it off again to run the United Airlines NYC Half marathon — the sixth 13.1-mile race he’s finished since his diagnosis. And he hopes to complete it in two hours.

His reason for running? Because he can, at least right now.

“I’d love to be running in 30 years, but am I going to be in a wheelchair?” says Silverman. “I can envision every one of the potential major complications of MS, and it scares me.”

Silverman began noticing symptoms in 2012, during his third year at the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. Whenever he bent over to tie his shoes and his chin touched his chest, his toes tingled. It’s an MS symptom known as Lhermitte’s Sign, often experienced by others as an electric-shock sensation running through the body — but Silverman chalked it up to the stress of medical school.

He started running in 2013, to get in shape for his wedding to his wife, Krystina Randazzo, now 30 and a teacher. He stuck with the running after the big day, and decided to run a half-marathon in Brooklyn in 2015. But that year, Silverman’s health worsened: He was fatigued and seeing double, and unintentionally lost 40 pounds in four months.

By May, days before the half marathon, he was struggling to walk. So he saw a doctor in Staten Island, who ran an MRI and promptly recognized his symptoms as MS indicators. Silverman returned to his own hospital, this time as a patient, and spent four days in inpatient recovery.

He is going to keep running just as long as he can.

Canadian marathon record holder Cam Levins and 2015 Pan Am Games medallist Sasha Gollish are set to run United Airlines NYC Half

The 2019 United Airlines NYC Half-Marathon has a truly star-studded lineup. In the men’s field, Levins is joined by Americans Ben True and Paul Chelimo. Chelimo is an Olympic silver medallist over 5,000m and Sunday will be his half-marathon debut.

Chelimo told Let’sRun on Monday that he’s less concerned about time, and aiming for a spot on the podium. True was sixth at the 2015 World Championships in the 5,000m and is the 2018 NYC Half defending champion. 

Levins is targeting the London Marathon at the end of April where he will race against world record holder Eliud Kipchoge. “I’m very excited to meet him, he’s an inspiration to marathoners everywhere, but if he goes out on world record pace I’d hardly even call it the same race.”

Levins’ half-marathon personal best is a 1:02:15 from the World Half-Marathon Championships last March in Spain, which is less than a minute off of the current Canadian half-marathon record of 1:01:28 set in 1999 by Jeff Schiebler. It would take a very strong run for Levins to knock down this mark, but it doesn’t seem out of the question considering the strength of Sunday’s field. 

On the women’s side, 2:32 marathoner Sasha Gollish is joined by 2018 Boston champion Des Linden, half-marathon world record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei and two-time marathon world champion Edna Kiplagat. 

Gollish’s personal best is from 2018 World Half-Marathon Championships where she was the first Canadian across the line in 1:11:52.

Former World Half Marathon bronze medalist Fancy Chemutai will compete in her second half marathon in Prague

Fancy Chemutai, who injured her ankle in May 2018, announced her return to action in January, finishing second at the Houston Half Marathon in a time of 66:48, and believes she will be strong enough to challenge the course record in Prague, currently held by compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei in 64:52.

"I have been in good form for some time after the injury healed. It is a challenge for me in Prague but when I say I am back to my full potential, it means I have gauged myself. I will still fight for medals. I have sat down with my coach and I believe I have a chance to race again," said Chemutai, who currently trains in Iten.

The Kenyan, whose personal best time is 64:52, and last year's Prague runner-up Caroline Kipkirui (65:07), a Kenyan now competing for Kazakhstan, will lead Kenya's delegation to the Czech Republic capital.

However, they will also be up against strong opposition from Asian record-holder Alia Mohammed Saaeed (66:13), European 10,000m champion Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (67:55) of Israel and world marathon bronze medalist Amy Cragg from the United States (68:27).

"I have plans to run the full marathon, but the injury slowed me down," Chetumai said. "Now that I am back in action, I will discuss with the coaches and see how fast I can move to the marathon."

John Hayes, 70, is training for his 7th Boston Marathon

Running a marathon is a good metaphor for life — you may not love every day or every kilometer, and there may be times where you flat out hate yourself and question your sanity, but then you wake up the next morning eager to do it all again.

At least, that’s how John Hayes sees it.

When the 70-year-old runs the Boston Marathon on April 15, it will be his seventh in Beantown and his 28th overall.

But the Boston Marathon, he insists, is no different from the others. “When you take it right down to its core, they’re all the same.”

Regardless of the location, they’re all 42.2 kilometers.  The self-loathing begins around kilometer 30, the resolve to never do this again hits at kilometer 40, and by the end you just hope you don’t have explain your reasoning to anybody, he said.

“Two days later, you’re Googling running schedules.”

His late wife Heather called it an addiction, he said, but he prefers the word passion; it’s much less clinical-sounding.

Hayes began running in 2001, at 52-years-old, when his younger son was a middle-distance runner in high school.

He and Heather were doing the live-to-see-the-grandkids-graduate-university math and realized they needed to start taking care of things, so they began taking regular walks — Hayes lasted about 10 days before he declared walking boring, and began to jog.

He joined a running group that was heavily invested in marathon training in 2006, and just went along for the ride.

From there, he just kept going, running his first Boston Marathon around 2007.

Governor Kevin Stitt is inviting Oklahomans to compete against him, in new Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon relay challenge

Governor Kevin Stitt is inviting Oklahomans to compete against him and a bipartisan team in a new Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon relay challenge.

"We need to become a healthier state,” Stitt said Thursday morning at a press conference at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

So, when he took office, Stitt and his staff started brainstorming.

"We did this kind of stuff at my old company where we would just try to engage all of our team members, employees and our coworkers. I love hanging out with my team members, and now all of Oklahoma is a team member,” he said.

That’s why Stitt’s encouraging Oklahomans to participate in the new Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon relay challenge.

"The memorial marathon, being the largest in the state and for what it stands for, I think it was a natural fit to jump in and challenge Oklahomans to get off the couch and put a team together,” said Kari Watkins, executive director for the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

The teams will then compete with the governor and his own bipartisan team.

To celebrate the new challenge, some state employees and local runners joined Stitt for a mile run that took off from the Survivor’s Tree.

"I am very tired. This is - I've got to start running and training. So, this was a great first step,” he said after the run.

Come April, the race is on.

"Oklahomans have - we're kind of at the bottom of some categories that we should be at the top at. So, we need to just enjoy the outdoors and just focus on working together, and we can do amazing things in our state,” Stitt said.

In early May, the winners of each division will be invited to join Stitt for a celebration at the Governor’s Mansion. They will also receive a memorial marathon T-shirt that says ‘I Beat the Governor.’

Ultra superstar Michael Wardian started his most challenging ultra ever today, the FKT Israel Project 631 miles in 10 days

Most people would think that running a marathon every day for ten days and averaging under three hours would be enough. But not for ultra superstar Michael Wardian.  For his current challenge he will be averaging 63 miles daily for 10 days.  

He is currently taking on the FKT Israel project. He plans on running 631 miles in 10 days on the National Israel Trail. He started today March 12.

Michael messaged me yesterday and said "I am really excited to attempt a Fastest Know Time on the 1000k Israel National Trail. I can't wait."

His wife, Jennifer, wrote me an hour ago saying "Tough Day I - Michael called out on the trail saying "I am lost in the dark and can't reach anyone, can you help." the call was a bit unsettling." 

FKT Isreal Day 1 - (From Jennifer Wardian): "When I was talking with him this afternoon he said today took longer than expected because he got lost several times and missed trail bases. He said it was very technical and exposed at times otherwise felt great.

The Fastest Know Time Israel Project organizer Ian Corless wrote: "One year of planning finally came to fruition today when Michael departed Eilat, Isreal at 5:46am (March 12) to head south covering a total of 631 miles on the Israell National Trial in a target goal of 10-days,” Ian wrote this morning.  

Later Ian wrote, "At the final feed point, Beer Matak at 61.5km he was notably looking tired and fatigued from the day’s efforts. He was also feeling the heat from the last big climb of the day. It was time to dig deep and push on for a final 18km.

 It was here, as darkness came that disaster struck. Mike followed the marker of the ‘INT’ but unfortunately missed the turn to our bivouac which was off the INT route. He pushed on, following the markers and it was our support runner who notified us that he was ‘missing’ after hearing from another trekker that he passed some 30-minutes early.

“Our camp no cellular connection, so, we departed following the approximate route that Mike would take, It was here that technology took over. We managed to liaise with Mike via WhatsApp, we shared ‘live locations’ and we were able to navigate to him a long way down the ‘INT’ route. The route that he should have done on day-2!

“Mike was surprisingly in good spirits, but he had been out on the trail for almost 13-hours and 20-minutes, it was a tough first day! The only plus side coming that he had eaten in to tomorrow’s mileage.

“Back in camp, it was all about recovery. He hydrated, ate some snacks, wiped down and put on fresh clothes. He soon needed a nap. It had been a very long day, both physically and mentally. The priority was good rest, some quality food and then focus the mind for the challenges that day-2 would present.” 

Fiancé of slain DC runner, Daniel Hincapie will run the Boston Marathon in her memory

It’s been nearly six months since 35-year-old Wendy Martinez was attacked and stabbed to death while on a run near Logan Circle.

Her death left her family heartbroken, and it left DC’s running community in disbelief.

“She really took running seriously, and she was very competitive. And one of her dreams was actually to run the Boston Marathon,” said Daniel Hincapie, who proposed to Martinez exactly one week before her murder in September of 2018.

In a matter of days, he went from planning a wedding to planning a funeral.

Martinez went for a run on the night of September 18. She was in Northwest Washington’s Logan Circle neighborhood, where she and Hincapie lived, when she was fatally stabbed in what police have called a random attack. The man charged in Martinez’ murder was found competent to stand trial just last week.

Through it all, Hincapie said he finds strength in memories shared with Martinez. He says it was running that first brought them together.

He was preparing to run his first half marathon, and a mutual friend asked Martinez to give Hincapie some tips.

“She literally came and said hello and dropped off a printout with some tips, and she left some notes on it,” he said. “I kept that printout and told her it was her first love letter.”

On the day of that race, he says Martinez completed the course much faster than he did. Then, she stood in the rain and waited for him at the finish line. Hincapie smiles as he thinks back to that day.

On April 15, he plans to run the Boston Marathon in Martinez’ honor, fulfilling the dream she never got to finish.

“I only started training a few weeks ago, so it’s a little challenging to get back on track. It probably isn’t going to be my fastest race, but I’m going to run it with my heart,” he said. “And my goal, and what I know I’m going to accomplish, is to cross that finish line together with her. Just raising our hands and crossing that finish line. She’ll be right there with me.”

Hincapie’s marathon run will also raise money for the Wendy Martinez Legacy Project.

Kara Goucher is making a second move from the roads to the trails

Kara Goucher is a World Championship silver medallist, two-time Boston third-place finisher, and an American distance running legend. After an illustrious track career, Goucher moved to the roads. Now she’s making a second move from the roads to the trail, running her debut trail marathon at Leadville. 

Goucher announced on Monday that she will be trying something new this June. She said in a race preview, “I started running when I was six and I loved it right away.

I loved being outside, being in the woods and having my heart feel like it was going to beat out of my chest. Now that the days of trying to make Olympic teams are past me, I kind of want to go back to what got me into running in the first place.”

Goucher ran the Houston Marathon in January and had a tough time. After a much anticipated return to the roads, the Olympian didn’t finish the race as a result of an old injury flare up.

After heartbreak in Houston, the runner is excited to get back to her running roots and try out the trail. The Leadville Trail Marathon runs June 15, 2019.

Ultrarunner Rickey Gates gained a new perspective on San Francisco by running every street

Gates, an accomplished mountain and trail runner, had an idea to run every street of his home city, San Francisco.

In a 49 square-mile area, that amounted to 1,100 miles of pavement. He did it in 46 days, averaging just over 28 miles a day, as he had to double up on some streets due to necessity or cul de sacs.

“There is really no way to prepare yourself for ‘this is going to take 36 miles and you’re going to be in this neighbourhood all day’ – and that is the point,” he said in a beautifully shot short film put together by his sponsors Salomon.

He later adds that the people he met along the way and confronting the challenge of being surrounded by people – and you see that he met as wide a demographic as you would imagine in a cosmopolitan city with a mammoth wealth division – “gave me a whole new depth of what empathy is, to try and treat everybody with the same importance”.

The cynic may say he was well looked after with gear, time and other resources by his sponsor – that his is a privileged view of the melting pot of city life.

But we could also see that Gates was touched by the people he met and things he saw. And that, you feel, was his point.

Tyler Pence has started training rigorously for U.S. Olympics Trials marathon

Tyler Pence never struggles to get out the door. Well, unless there’s a freakish snowstorm not unlike the one in January.That forced him to stay indoors and run on a treadmill.

“But usually 99 percent of the time I’m running outside,” said Pence, who graduated from Springfield High School in 2011.

Pence hasn’t slowed down one bit since winning a couple of NCAA Division II long-distance titles at University of Southern Indiana in 2015, which included the indoor 5,000 meters and outdoor 10,000.

That’s because the 2016 USI grad is prepping for his first appearance in the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon scheduled Feb. 29, 2020 in Atlanta.

He qualified this past December, beating the required 2:19.00 standard at the USATF-sanctioned California International Marathon in Sacramento, California. Pence came in at 17th place with a time of 2:15.36.

“That’s something that I really wanted to accomplish,” Pence said. “The marathon, it’s a gamble. Things can go wrong. It’s such a long period of racing that something can go wrong at any moment, so to put it together and have the day that I had, I was very happy with how it went.”

Pence had only attempted one other marathon – the Las Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon in 2016. Pence said that was just for fun.

Sacramento was different.

Pence started training rigorously in August, approximately the same time he won his third straight 10-kilmometer Abe’s Amble road race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

His training spanned four months, running 110-120 miles a week. Sundays were always his big runs, reaching up to 20-24 miles.

He often did morning practices with UIS runners, in addition to a second jaunt in the afternoon.

It was the source of his inspiration.

“When I graduated college, I actually didn’t really plan on continuing my running career and then once I got into coaching, I was around these guys all of the time. It was definitely a motivator of mine,” Pence said. “I thought, ‘How can I tell these guys what to do all of the time, but not do it myself?’ So, I’m a big believer in practice what you preach. That’s definitely what got me back into getting motivated to run at the next level.”

IAAF Announces New Qualifying System for Tokyo 2020

Today the IAAF Council met in Doha and announced the qualification system for track & field at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The big change from previous years is that the IAAF will be using its new World Ranking System as part of the qualifying criteria.

As in the past, athletes can still qualify by hitting an entry standard. But those standards are much stiffer across the board as compared to 2016. In the men’s distance events, for example, the times dropped from 3:36.20 to 3:35.00 in the 1500, from 8:30:00 to 8:22:00 in the steeplechase, from 13:25.00 to 13:13.50 in the 5000, from 28:00.00 to 27:28:00 in the 10,000, and from 2:19:00 to 2:11:30 in the marathon for 2020.

For the women, the 1500 standard has gone from 4:07.00 to 4:04.20, the steeplechase standard has gone from 9:45:00 to 9:30:00, the 5000 standard has gone from 15:24.00 to 15:10.00, the 10,000 standard has gone from 32:15 to 31:25, and the marathon standard has gone from 2:45:00 to 2:29:30.

The reason for these tougher standards is the IAAF’s desire to make use of its World Ranking System which in theory encourages athletes to compete head to head in important meets, which is something we’re behind. Essentially, the World Ranking System will take the place of the world descending order list that was used to fill fields in the past at the Olympics and World Championships.

The IAAF will accept all athletes who achieve the entry standard and fill the rest of the field based on where an athlete ranks in the World Ranking System as of July 1, 2020; if the athlete does not accept the place, the IAAF will continue down the rankings until the field is full in each event.

The qualification window for each event is as follows:

For the marathon and 50k race walk, the qualification period runs from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2020

For the 10,000, 20k race walk, and combined events, the qualification period runs from January 1, 2019, to June 29, 2020.

For all other events, the qualification period runs from May 1, 2019, to June 29, 2020.

In addition, the top 10 finishers in the marathon at the 2019 World Championships will be considered to have achieved the standard, as will top-5 finishers at IAAF Gold Label Marathons and top-10 finishers at Abbott World Marathon Majors held during the qualification period.

Alemu Bekele and Kuftu Tahir destroy the Zurich Marathon Barcelona course records

Alemu Bekele set a new course record at the 41st edition of the Zurich Marathon of Barcelona. The Ethiopian and Bahrain nationality athlete, who has been distanced from his rivals in the Via Laietana section, completed the course in a personal best of 2 hours, 6 minutes and 4 seconds. The previous record set in 2010 by Kenyan Jakson Kotut (2:07:30). Abebe Negewo (2:06:49) and Anthony Maritim (2:06:54) were second and third.

"I've made my best record. The race has been very nice and I enjoyed it a lot. I did not expect a record like this, but I'm doing well now," explained Bekele, who has run just four marathons. 

"The trip was better than I expected, but the competition was hard. I have resisted in the first group at all times and I have waited to attack where I thought I could do it. I knew it could beat the record," he said.

"Despite suffering a lot in the final stretch, Ethiopian Kuftu Tahir was first female and also set a course record clocking 2:24:44.

"We went out at a good pace from the start and and that was key. We were together for almost 40 kilometers." Second place placed third.  

"The new course was improved so that it is faster, but without removing any of the emblematic points that characterize us. We have had a balanced marathon, very linear, with few curves and great avenues. Also, we have reduced 20% the a positive difference compared to 2018," syas Cristian Llorens.

There were 17,465 participants. Almost half (49%) were foreigners, from 107 different countries, another historic record.

Mo Farah retained the Vitality Big Half title as he outkicked Bashir Abdi of Belgium and Daniel Wanjiru of Kenya to take the win in a thrilling sprint finish

Farah, the 2018 Chicago Marathon champion, clocked a time of 61 minutes and 14 seconds, which proved too much for training partner Abdi and former London Marathon champion Daniel Wanjiru.

Abdi was second in 61:16 and Wanjiru third in 61:17.

Farah said: "The conditions weren't great today so I'm pleased to win, although it would have been nice to run a bit faster and really test myself. I'm happy with the win and with how my preparations are going ahead of the London Marathon in April.

"The London Marathon is still quite a long way away but I'm happy with my progress and it was nice to be able to race today."

The women's race was won by last year's champion Charlotte Purdue in 70:38, with Steph Twell second in 71:33 and Charlotte Arter third in 71:44.

The Roma-Ostia Half Marathon was once again a fast race but with some surprises

The Roma-Ostia Half Marathon once again lived up to its reputation as being a fast race with a winning time of 01:00:17 by Ethiopian runner Guye Adola in the men’s race and 01:06:40 by Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, of Israel, in the highly anticipated women’s race.

Adola, winner of the 2017 edition of this competition, now in its 45th year, ran a smart race, tucking into the lead pack for most of the way until a final sprint to the finish, beating Kenian Geoffrey Yegon by 6 seconds in a race that saw 8,456 finishers run from Rome’s EUR neighbourhood to Ostia, the city’s honky tonk beach town.

In the women’s race, Salpeter, bettered her PB by 1:15, running a constant pace of 3:08/km, while the American Jordan Hasay, finished with a time of 01:11:06, well above the expected PB that everyone was hoping to see her run. At the presentation of elite runners on Saturday, Hasay seemed to want to run a fast race and, with an identical PB as Salpeter, everyone was hoping for an exciting and fast duel to the finish. But today wasn’t going to be that day for Hasay. During the race, the live tracking for Hasay did not work so there were no live split times for her at the 5km, 10km or 15 km markers and commentators never mentioned where she was during the race.

Only when she arrived at the finish line 4:26 after Salpeter (and 6th woman overall), was it obvious that she was way off a PB pace today. Hasay, part of the Nike Oregon Project and trained by Alberto Salazar, is set to run in the Boston Marathon on April 15. An Italian male runner who finished in a little over 1hr 7 minutes and who was at the start with Hasay, said she ran the first 2 kms very fast but then dropped off her PB pace and he passed her at km 3. A spokesperson for Hasay said after the race that Hasay did not have any injuries that affected her performance today, citing that after a year away from competition she was only a bit “race rusty.”

NN CPC Loop Den Haag was Canceled due to extreme weather

THE HAGUE -The NN CPC Run The Hague has been canceled. The organization does not consider it justified to have more than 41,000 runners start under the stormy weather conditions.

The organization announced on Saturday night that the course was going on for the time being, but in the end the strong wind decided to cancel the course, according to a spokesman.

"The wind force is increasing to 7 with gusts up to 100 km per hour. Because of the very bad weather, the temperature of the feeling can drop to the freezing point, which creates an unsafe situation on the course and the Malieveld for both runners and the public."

After consultation with the mayor and emergency services, the organization has taken the decision to cancel the event. The organization says it regrets the measure.

"We, too, have been looking forward to this 45th edition of the NN CPC Run The Hague. A setback for everyone who is looking forward to it, but the safety of the runners, volunteers, spectators and other people involved is always at the forefront of the NN CPC course in The Hague."

The organization calls on people not to come to the Malieveld. The organization does not yet want to make any statements about what happens to the registration fee and any alternative course at another time.

"We'll come back to that later." Reaction Krikke Mayor Pauline Krikke calls it 'unfortunate' for the more than 41,000 enthusiastic runners that CPC can not continue.

"A cheerful sporting event, one of the biggest events in our city every year." The mayor was at the Malieveld on Sunday morning around half past seven to view the weather conditions with the organization and relief workers.

She shows understanding for the choice not to let the run go: "No matter how beautiful the event is and no matter how much I give the runners their game, the safety of the participants is always paramount."

Five Japanese runners qualify for MGC through Nagoya Women's Marathon

Namibian runner Helalia Johannes on Sunday won the Nagoya Women’s Marathon, a race through which five Japanese punched their tickets for this fall’s Marathon Grand Championship, which will serve as a qualifying race for the 2020 Olympics.

Johannes broke away from a three-woman lead pack to win in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 25 seconds in the race, which started and finished at Nagoya Dome, while Reia Iwade finished fifth for Japan’s best result.

Iwade, who set a personal best of 2:23:52, had already qualified for the Sept. 15 race in Tokyo, but Kayoko Fukushi (2:24:09), who finished eighth, and Miyuki Uehara (2:24:19), who was ninth, clocked sub-2:25:00 times to meet the qualifying standard for the MGC.

Sairi Maeda (2:25:25), Mizuki Tanimoto (2:25:28) and Ayano Ikemitsu (2:26:07), who placed 10th, 11th and 12th, also earned MGC berths, bringing the entry tally for Japanese women to 14.

“I still had strength in my legs in the end. I think I did well,” said Iwade, who improved her personal best set at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon three years ago by 46 seconds.

Iwade was eight seconds behind Fukushi in eighth at the 40-km point but moved up three places over the final two kilometers. She was the only competitor who entered the race having already qualified for the MGC.

Visiline Jepkesho (2:22:58) and Valary Jemeli (2:23:01), the two Kenyan runners who moved to the front around the 35-km mark, finished second and third.

The Nagoya Women’s Marathon was the last domestic chance for Japanese women to qualify for the MGC.

Jordan Hassy is set the break the American Half Marathon Record Sunday in Rome

American distance star Jordan Hasay may be set to break the American record in the half marathon tomorrow at the Huwai Roma Ostia Half Marathon.

The current American record of 67:25, set in January 2018 by Molly Huddle, is only 30 seconds faster than Hasay’s PB of 67:55, set in 2017 at the Prague Half Marathon. And while this time is good, it does not correspond to her PB of 2:20:57 run at the Chicago Marathon that same year. 

During a presentation of the elite athletes today at the Roma Ostia Village, former Italian distance runner Gianni De Madonna – 2nd at the New York City Marathon in 1987 – asked the top athletes about their plans for the race. Hasay’s main competition, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, from Israel who also has a PB of 67:55, said that she hoped for a fast race as she wanted to improve her time. When De Madonna asked if she was hoping for a time of 66 to 66:30, she laughed and said that she would do her best to stay with the pacers that they will be following.

In the men’s race, 2017 winner Guye Adola is back for a repeat victory. Adola, from Ethioia, was an unknown in 2017 when he crossed the finish line in 59:48 but made a name for himself several months later when he came in 2nd to Eliud Kipchoge at the Berlin Marathon with a time of 2:03:46, only 14 seconds behind the current world record holder in the marathon.

The weather should be ideal for racing: cloudy with a high temperature of 14 C.

Shadrack Kipchirir, won the 42nd Gate River Run Clocking 43:41, edging Stanley Kebenei and two-time defending Gate champion Leonard Korir for his first win in the event

The redemption portion of the event was delivered by Kipchirchir, who had paid his dues in the run. He finished second twice, 2016 and ’18, beaten by the two men who he edged Saturday. 

"I mean those guys … I was sick of them," Kipchirchir said. "Three years ago. Kebenei beat me by a microsecond. Then two years ago, Lenny outkicked by microseconds. Today I wanted to come and knock them in their head. That was my main aim."

Kebenei won the 2016 run in 44:37, just 2 seconds in front of Kipchirchir. Korir (43:23) won the 2018 Gate by 1 second over Kipchirchir. Korir was trying to become just the fifth male runner to win the event three consecutive years.

Six elite runners were within two seconds of each other with a mile to go on the Hart Bridge, Martin Hehir, Frankline Tonui, Kipchirchir, Kebenei and Korir.

Six elite runners were within two seconds of each other with a mile to go on the Hart Bridge, Martin Hehir, Frankline Tonui, Kipchirchir, Kebenei and Korir.

Ethiopia’s Guye Adola from Ethiopia and Lonah Chemtai Salpeter from Israel lead the field at the Huawei Roma-Ostia Half Marathon

Adola made a major breakthrough at the 2017 Berlin Marathon, when he ran the fastest ever time for a debutant with an impressive 2:03:46 performance to finish just 14 seconds behind Olympic champion and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge.

Adola, who clocked his 59:06 half marathon career best in New Delhi in 2014, will be chasing his second win at the Roma Ostia after his 2017 victory in 59:18.

His top rivals will include Kenyan Geoffrey Yegon, who has a 59:44 PB from 2016 and more recently finished second at last year’s Prague Half Marathon in 59:56. Three other Kenyans are also expected to contend: Emmanuel Kipsang, who has clocked a lifetime best of 1:00:14 and finished fourth at this race last year; Kiprono Kipkemoi, who ran 1:00:56 in Lisbon 2018; and prolific racer Cornelius Kangogo, a three-time winner of the Corrida de Houilles and two-time champion at the Media Blenio in Dongio.

The Italian challenge is led by 2014 European marathon champion Daniele Meucci, who is returning to his best form after a tough 2018 season. He’ll be joined by Stefano La Rosa, who has a marathon PB of 2:11:08 set in Seville in 2018.

Salpeter came to the fore last summer when she won the European 10,000m title, and has continued to impress. Last November Chemtai broke the Israeli national marathon record with a 2:24:17 run in Florence. A month earlier she produced her half marathon best, clocking 1:07:55 in Lisbon.

Haftamnesh Tesfay Haylu won here last year in 1:09:02 and returns to defend her title. She’ll also face Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai, who clocked 1:08:07 at the Paris Half Marathon in 2018 and her compatriot Diana Chemtai Kipyogei, who set her lifetime best of 1:07:07 in Valencia last October. 

The field also includes established marathoner Jordan Hasay of the USA. The 27-year-old finished third at the Boston Marathon in 2017 in 2:23:00, the fastest ever performance by a US debutante. Six months later she finished third at the Chicago Marathon in 2:20:57.

Mo Farah says he does miss the track and is seriously thinking about returning but now his focus is on the half this weekend and the London Marathon in April

Mo Farah has admitted watching his British team-mates compete at the European Indoor Championships last weekend made him long to race on the track again, as he seriously considers returning to defend his triple world 10,000m crown later this year.

Farah announced his retirement from track athletics after winning his sixth world title in London in 2017. He has since focused on road running, finishing third at last year’s London Marathon, before breaking the European record when winning the Chicago Marathon.

Unbearably high temperatures in Doha mean the men’s marathon at the World Championships this October will be run at night, starting at 11.59pm. That strange timing, coupled with the relative lack of strength in global 10,000m running since Farah’s retirement, means he is mulling whether to return to the track in a bid for a sixth straight gold medal in global competition over the distance.

He will make his decision after taking on the greatest marathon runner in history, Eliud Kipchoge, at next month’s London Marathon.

“Having seen my fellow athletes I’ve competed against in the past in the 10,000m and watching the European Indoors on TV, I was thinking ‘Oh man, I want to get back out there,’” said Farah.

“That’s just me. If things are going well and I’ve got a chance to win a medal then I’d love to come back and run for my country, but my aim now is to concentrate on the marathon and don’t get excited.

“Part of me when I watch track races I’m like, ‘can I still do it? I want to do it’. I do miss the track.”

The IAAF will elect its first female vice-president this year as it continues its efforts to ensure that women are represented at the highest levels of the sport

As part of the widespread reforms adopted by the IAAF Congress at the end of 2016, the IAAF has added minimum gender targets into its constitution to establish parity at all levels in the sport’s governance.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, six women currently sit on the IAAF Council. That number will increase to seven at this year’s elections in September, and to 10 in 2023, before reaching parity with male Council members in 2027. Following the election of the first female vice president at this year’s IAAF Congress, two of the four vice president positions will be filled by women in 2027.

The IAAF Council established a Gender Leadership Taskforce in 2017 to work alongside the IAAF Women’s Committee to develop and organise global and regionally specific programmes to ensure a robust pipeline of eligible female candidates is available for this year’s elections and beyond.

“On International Women’s Day, I’m absolutely delighted to reinforce our commitment to gender balance in the governance structures of our sport,” IAAF President Sebastian Coe said. “I formed our Gender Leadership Taskforce because I want to encourage more women into our sport and to provide the pathway and programmes to allow them to do that. 

“We have equal opportunities for women in competition, and we are committed to having equal opportunities for women in all our governance structures. I have always believed that any organisation is stronger and more effective when women are properly represented at every level."

Athletics has long been a pioneer both on and off the field of play in creating and ensuring gender equality.

At major championships, the sport has an equal number of disciplines for men and women and offers the same prize.

At the IAAF headquarters, 51 percent of the staff are women, and 40 percent of those women are in managerial positions.

Olympian Leonard Korir is aiming to become only the fourth man to win the Gate River Run three years in a row

The two-time defending champion headlines the elite men’s field entering Saturday’s 42nd annual Gate River Run through downtown Jacksonville, the national 15-kilometer championship for USA Track and Field.

With one more victory, the 32-year-old Leonard Korir can join a select club as winners of three straight men’s titles. Only Todd Williams (1994-96), Meb Keflezighi (2001-04) and Ben True (2013-15) have previously accomplished the feat.

Race director Doug Alred said he’s hoping to see a tight contest, and he feels the odds this year are good.

“It’s not that exciting when one person just runs away with it,” he said. “If the leaders can just stay together onto the Hart Bridge, that would be great.”

So far, that’s been the case in Korir’s past two victories. His 2017 win was the event’s closest finish ever, edging Shadrack Kipchirchir to the finish line by a fraction of a second.

Despite his record in Jacksonville and his international achievements at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, there’s reason to believe that Korir is far from a lock to repeat Saturday.

Unlike 2017 and 2018, he did not win the USATF cross country championships, held this time in Tallahassee on Feb. 2. Instead, he took third, while Kipchirchir beat him out by five seconds.

In addition to Kipchirchir, 2016 champion Stanley Kebenei returns, coming off a fifth-place finish in the cross country finals.

The pioneer of Kenyan running, Daniel Rudisha, dies of a heart attack at age 73

Athletics Kenya reports that Daniel Rudisha, silver medallist for Kenya in the 4x400m relay at the 1968 Olympics and father to two-time Olympic champion David Rudisha, died in Kenya Wednesday at age 73.

Rudisha has been called one of the pioneers of running in Kenya. His relay teammates in Mexico City were Hezekiah Nyamao, Charles Asati and Naftali Bon. Four years later, Asati and Nyamao were on the 4x400m relay team that won gold in Munich. 

Rudisha’s son David is the reigning Olympic champion in the 800m, after successfully defending his 2012 title. He has also won two world championships at the distance, and is the world record-holder (1:40.91, from his gold-medal performance at the 2012 Olympics in London, improving on his own record twice).

The Daily Nation reported that Rudisha died of a heart attack. David Rudisha is quoted as saying “He is my hero and the man behind my athletics success.”

Wilson Kipsang has been training hard in Kenya and is set to battle Mo Farah and Daniel Wanjiru at the Vitality Big Half before heading to the London Marathon

Wilson Kipsang and Daniel Wanjiru will be racing Mo Farah on sunday in London at the Vitality Big Half.   

These pictures are from Wilson's long run last saturday.  He has been really focusing on The Vitality Big Half and wants to come home with the win.  And then go back to London and win the marathon in April.

Two-time London Marathon champion Wilson Kipsang and the 2017 champion Daniel Wanjiru will be facing the defending champion of the race, Mo Farah who won the race last year in 61:40 just three second ahead of Wanjiru.  Wilson did not run last year.

The athletes are using the race as part of preparations for the London Marathon in April.

Kipsang won the London Marathon in 2012 and 2014 and is also a former marathon world record-holder.

According to Wanjiru, who has been training in Kigari, Embu, it’s a perfect place for good results and he is looking forward to a good performance.

“My preparations are going on well and I will be using the race to gauge my performance ahead of the London Marathon,” said Wanjiru.

The soft-spoken athlete said that he is eyeing a podium finish, where he will be using the remaining weeks to sharpen his skills ahead of the marathon.

Asked about competing with Farah, the athlete said that he is well prepared for the battle ahead and he doesn’t fear anyone in the line-up.

Kipsang, who turns 37 March 15, is returning to London for the first time in two years and feels he has what it takes to conquer the event once more. The Kenyan set the world marathon record of 2:03:23 in 2013, before it was toppled by compatriots Dennis Kimettos in 2014 and Eliud Kipchoge last year.

"I am exctied to be running the London Marathon. After being absent for two years, I will be ready to run the streets of London again. However, I start with the half marathon in March to gauge my preparedness and see where I need to improve in training," said Kipsang.

Wilson Kipsang, a 2012 Olympics bronze medallist, wants to reclaim the London marathon in April, then go on and win the world championships in Doha in September before a final attempt at Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020.

Kipsang is using The Vitality Big Half on March 10 as a launchpad to the busy season.

"I am looking forward to the race where it will a good testing ground to the big race. I expect to race against people like Mo Farah, who will also be competing in the London marathon."

Kipsang has won the London marathon in 2012 and 2014, and set the world record in between, but he says he's hungry for another success after two years of trying to get back to form.

Farah won last year in 61:40, just three seconds ahead of Wanjiru, who finished in second place. The Vitality Big Half doubles as the British Half-Marathon Championships and will feature a number of strong British elites besides Farah.

The Eugene Marathon is changing courses for 2019, with a new finish line and a new stadium experience

Now the marathon and half-marathon will start just outside Autzen Stadium on Leo Harris Parkway, and end inside the stadium with the finish at the 50-yard line.

With race organizers unveiling necessary changes to its long-established course because of the renovation of Hayward Field, which had been the location of the start and finish line.

“Once Hayward was gone, our dream course was Autzen,” race director Richard Maher said. “We didn’t want it anywhere else.”

Of course, moving the start and finish to the other side of the Willamette River forced some reshaping of the 26.2-mile marathon course and the 13.1-mile half-marathon course.

The race will now go from Autzen to the Ferry Street Bridge, crossing in the northbound lanes into downtown where it will weave from Seventh Avenue to Eighth Avenue before heading south on Willamette Street to 13th Avenue and east to Agate Street where it will pick up its former pattern to south Eugene and back.

The early portion of the race through downtown is a highlight for race organizers, who envision sidewalks lined with spectators on race morning. It also means closing down some streets typically busy with traffic, though maybe not so much on an early Sunday morning.

“A marathon is going to be disruptive to a community; hopefully it’s a good disruption,” assistant race director Ian Dobson said. “When you look at that course, it’s really designed with two things in mind: It’s going to be cool for runners and also, it doesn’t land lock big chunks of the community.

“We have to get from the north side of the river to the south side of town and back. There’s only so many places you can cross and there’s only so many places that can handle the volume, especially at the beginning.”

The racers will return to the north side by crossing the Autzen Footbridge, with the half-marathoners heading back to the stadium and the marathoners completing the second half of the race on the bike path, though the course no longer goes into Springfield.

Runners will enter Autzen Stadium on the east side, go down the tunnel through the end zone and finish at midfield.

The Finish Line Festival, previously held on the turf fields behind Hayward Field, will be on the south concourse of Autzen.

Maher said despite the changes, the course will still maintain its reputation as being flat, fast and the perfect race for those trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN has been awarded the Bronze Label-status by the IAAF

“We are thrilled to receive this fantastic accolade,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director Stillwater Sports. “Our vision has always been to host a world class event on South African soil. Since its inception in 2015 the FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN has pushed the boundaries in the sport of road running.

The event boasts an unconventional 12km route that encourages mass participation while also featuring an Elite Race element. Runners of all ages (male and female) and walks of life are invited to celebrate the magnificent city of Cape Town.

The 12km route highlights iconic landmarks and magnificent views while featuring lively performances from some of Cape Town’s leading performing arts groups.”

“The FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN ticks all the boxes of a Bronze Label event,” continues Meyer. “The benefits of this sought after status include (but are not limited to): a greater recognition both for leading national and international athletes, international media coverage as the results are shared with IAAF’s Network, greater international exposure for both the race and the host city, while the event will enjoy the highest standard of organisation and will be held on the best available, fast courses. To say that we are thrilled with the achievement would be an understatement. It’s a welcomed reward for years of planning and hard work. We’re excited for 2019 and cannot wait to take the event to the next level.”

“FNB is immensely proud to be a title sponsor of the FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN. The IAAF Bronze Label-status signifies the quality and hard work that goes into this prestigious race.

This would not have been possible without the invaluable support from our clients, families, athletes and running enthusiasts. We encourage all of you to continue participating and take this race to even greater heights,” says Bonga Sebesho, Head of Sponsorships at FNB.

“Western Province Athletics (WPA) is a proud partner of the FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN,” says Lester Cameron, WPA President. “Receiving the IAAF Bronze Label-status is a remarkable achievement. We are excited to celebrate the 5th running of Cape Town’s premier 12km road run and look forward to welcoming all local and international competitors who will push their bodies to the limit on Sunday, 19 May 2019. WPA is proud of the continued growth of the sport of road running in South Africa.

The rise in athletics awareness and the commitment from the sponsors and organisers to provide top quality events is truly amazing. We are indeed one team that wants to achieve one dream.”

Dr. Zab Mosenifar, 70, has run every day of his adult life, and he is set to run his 100th marathon this Saturday at the Catalina Island Marathon

Zab Mosenifar, MD, professor and executive vice chair of the Department of Medicine, is a man of routines. He has spent his entire career at Cedars-Sinai, lived in the same house for 39 years and runs every day—rain or shine, without fail or exception.

"I don't remember a day I haven't run in the last 50 years," said Mosenifar, 70, who also serves as the Geri and Richard Brawerman Chair in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and as medical director of the Women's Guild Lung Institute. "I also don't remember ever being sick in my adult life."

On Saturday, Mosenifar will run his 100th marathon—the Catalina Island Marathon, rated the sixth toughest in the world, a rugged course he has already conquered 37 times. By the time he completes this latest marathon, Mosenifar will have run roughly 5.6 times around the Earth, a total of about 135,200 miles.

"Only my last car had more miles on it than my own knees," said Mosenifar, although he admittedly shares that he has only owned three cars in his entire life—all black Porsches—that he drives until they can be driven no more.

Mosenifar laces up his Hokas by 5 a.m. each morning, then he's out the door running in the Santa Monica Mountains. Monday through Thursday he runs six miles. On Fridays, he's alongside a group of men he's trained with for years and runs eight miles. On the weekends, he goes 11 to 12 miles—a total of 50 miles per week.

After each run, Mosenifar enjoys a cup of black coffee and half a bagel. He's in his office at Cedars-Sinai by 7 a.m., and by noon he's sipping on vegetable soup for lunch. Without fail, he takes an espresso break at 3 p.m., using the same yellow mug his daughter—now 30—made for him as a young child. And for dinner every night, Mosenifar enjoys a dinner of pasta with pesto and a salad with his wife of 35 years, though she eats a different meal altogether.

Mosenifar's love of medicine, specifically pulmonary care, came from his father—a lifelong smoker who never developed emphysema.

"I was always fascinated with medicine even as a child, mostly because I watched my father smoke, and even at age six or seven I felt like something was wrong with his habit," said Mosenifar. "He lived until he was 87, ultimately dying of a heart attack. His journey and endless energy led me on a lifelong pursuit to better understand why only about 20 percent of smokers get lung disease."

The collective pressures of a life in medicine led him to running, which continues to be his best form of relieving stress.

"I use running not just for my own solitude, but as a tremendous release of stress from work, because there can be some really tough, sad days," said Mosenifar. "I am disciplined. I am not someone who will have a few drinks. I go home and go for a 10-mile run, even if I already ran in the morning. That's my bar. That's how I try to get over some of the stresses of my life."

He completed his first marathon 45 years ago in Philadelphia. Since then, Mosenifar competitively has run all the big-city marathons—at a record 3 hours flat—as well as international races in European countries and marathons in Death Valley, CA, during the dead heat of summer. Today, Mosenifar finishes his races in about 4 hours and 35 minutes, typically finishing in first or second place for his age group.

"Catalina remains my favorite marathon, by far," said Mosenifar. "It mimics my daily runs in the mountains." And though his eyes are set on Catalina this weekend, Mosenifar said he isn't focused on the milestone number of 100 completed marathons.

Kenya's Duncan Koech and Karolina Nadolska of Poland will head the field at the HAJ Hannover Marathon

Duncan Koech, 37, was third in Hannover last year in 2:10:19, but holds a 2:07:53 lifetime best set in Cologne in 2012, the fastest in the field.

Samwel Maswai, another Kenyan, is expected to mount a stiff challenge. Maswai clocked his 2:08:52 lifetime best at the 2013 Berlin Marathon where he finished fifth. More recently, he finished third in Vienna last year, running 2:11:08 in very warm weather conditions.

Five other runners with sub-2:10 credentials have also been announced: Kenyans Edwin Kimaiyo (2:09:12), Paul Kangogo (2:09:20) and Josphat Leting (2:09:34), Ethiopia’s Alebachew Wale (2:09:40), and Arne Gabius of Germany.

Gabius, the German record holder in the event, will be gunning for the first marathon podium finish of his career. The 37-year-old came close at the Frankfurt Marathon in 2015, when he broke the 27-year-old German record with a 2:08:33 run to finish fourth.

Hannover’s course record, set six years ago by South African Lusapho April, is just one second faster than Gabius’ personal best. 

"Hannover is one of three spring marathon races where I have to put things right,“ said Gabius, who was forced to drop out of this race by an ailing achilles tendon after 33 kilometres two years ago.

On the women's side, Nadolska is the fastest of the entrants, courtesy of the 2:26:32 personal best set at the Osaka Women's Marathon in 2014. But in her most recent marathon appearance, last year's Nagoya Women's Marathon, the 37-year-old finished a distant 14th.

The field also includes Ethiopia’s Tigist Memuye Gebeyahu, whose biggest career win came two years ago at the Zhengzhou Marathon when she clocked 2:27:39, clipping more than nine minutes from her previous personal best. Kenya’s Racheal Mutgaa will also be among the favourites. The 31-year-old ran 2:28:39 at last year’s Hefei Marathon, finishing second.

Like Gabius in the men's race, Anja Scherl will be defending German turf in the women's. The 32-year-old finished third in Hannover in 2016 clocking 2:27:50, an improvement of more than eight minutes.

Defending champion Nancy Kiprop hopes to make it three victories when she returns for the 36th edition of the Vienna City Marathon

More than 30 years ago, Austrian Gerhard Hartmann won three consecutive victories from 1985 to 1987 in Vienna.  More recently Kenya’s Henry Sugut became a three-time champion with victories in 2010, 2012 and 2013. While no woman has achieved this feat, Kiprop is in a position to do so after collecting victories at the last two editions.

In 2017 she won with a personal best of 2:24:20, finishing just five seconds ahead of fellow-Kenyan Rebecca Chesire. Last year she dominated, beating back the warm conditions and winning by more than five minutes in 2:24:18, another lifetime best. In the meantime, the 39-year-old has gotten even faster, clocking 2:22:46 in Frankfurt last October.

"For me it is an easy decision to return to Vienna, as the race is well organised, people are welcoming and I feel appreciated and respected. I am truly humbled by each experience in Vienna,“ said Nancy Kiprop, a mother of seven who used most of her winnings to found a school in her home village of Chesitek near to Iten.

Her victories in Vienna have been instrumental with her school project, Kiprop said, helping to make “the impossible possible."

“My school, the Nancy Cletius Academy in Chesitek, is now educating 122 pupils, providing employment to five teachers. We have a total of five classrooms and administrative buildings with two staff. Our plans are to continue to grow. We want to add one new class each year and keep on investing in education of the next generation."

Kiprop’s strongest rival may well be 25-year-old Ethiopian Rahma Tusa, who achieved a hat-trick of her own when winning the Rome Marathon last year for the third consecutive time. In 2018, she improved her personal best to 2:23:46. Tusa also showed fine form in the New York City Marathon last November, finishing fifth with 2:27:13. This will be her first appearance in Vienna.

Switzerland’s national record holder Maja Neuenschwander, who won at this race in 2015, is also hoping for a successful return to the marathon after a stress fracture cut her season short last year. 

Brent Weigner heads the USA group for the Eastern Caribbean Challenge starting March 8, that is 7 marathons in 6 countries in 7 days

We are a few days away from the start of this epic 7 Marathons, 6 Countries, 7 Days cruise adventure called the Eastern Caribbean Challenge 2019.  The group includes runners from around the world with exceptional running resumes.  Nine of the 12 runners who have completed a marathon in 100+ countries will be part of this challenge. Combined, these runners have completed over 4,000 marathons in 180+ countries around the world.. 43 participants from 14 countries will touch down in Guadeloupe to start the challenge.

Here are three of the participants: 

Dr. Brent Weigner (USA):  Brent Weigner (second photo)  is the king of Marathon Globetrotting. He holds multiple World Records in long-distance running. The 70-years old retired Geography teacher has run a marathon in 170 countries which is a World Record.  

He also holds the World Record for completing a marathon on all 7 continents ten times. Moreover, Brent is the only runner in the world to have completed an ultramarathon at both North and South Pole.  What makes his accomplishments even more amazing is due to the fact that he is a 3-times cancer survivor.  Brent is also part of the Run The World 4 Challenge which started March 1 and will last 30 days.

Sidy Diallo (France):  Sidy Diallo (third photo) is a 63-year-old French diplomat and barefoot runner, based in Paris. He was 55 when he ran his first marathon. To-date, he has completed 191 marathons in 73 countries, including 48 marathons in 2013. He is a seven continents marathon and ultramarathon finisher.

Sidy completed his first barefoot marathon on October 11, 2015, in Zagreb (Croatia), and has already run 42 barefoot marathons and one ultramarathon (90 km), in 21 countries. For more information, please visit his website: www.sidy42k.com.

Lichu Sloan (Taiwan): Lichu (first photo), at age 70, is the oldest female on the trip. She has completed 222 marathons in 81 countries across all 7 continents. She qualified for, and ran Boston Marathon, three times; ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 weeks; completed all World Marathon Majors and a marathon in each of 50 US States and D.C., two times. Lichu started marathon running at age 52.

2008 Olympic steeplechase champion Brimin Kipruto of Kenya will make his marathon debut in the Austrian city, at the Linz Marathon on April 14

2008 Olympic steeplechase champion Brimin Kipruto of Kenya will finally take a leap of faith as he eyes his debut at the ultimate distance when he competes at the Linz Marathon on April 14.

The 33-year-old Kenyan will make his marathon debut in the Austrian city, having run 62:25 for the half marathon at the end of last year.

He will be keen to eclipse his steeplechase mentor and running partner Ezekiel Kemboi, who will also be changing gears to the marathon in Hamburg, also in April.

"It is time I transitioned to the marathon. I may not be fast enough to win or do well in the steeplechase and the marathon offers me a new life, new challenge and new tactics. I want to do my best, but I have to be patient and listen to my body, feel the pain of running a marathon and know how easy or hard it is on the other side," said Kipruto on Wednesday in Eldoret.

Kipruto's training partner, Kenyan Nicholas Rotich, who was fourth in the Vienna Marathon last year, and Patrick Kibet Cheruiyot will also compete in Linz.

Kenya's Samuel Theuri Mwaniki, who was fifth in 2013, and Uganda's Felix Chemonges further boost the field.

"Kipruto will make his marathon debut in Austria. As the organizers of the Linz Marathon can confirm, the winner of the 2008 Summer Olympics will be at the starting line on April 14," said organizers.

Kipruto is considered the top favorite in the eight-member elite field of men and though he has no previous experience in the marathon, hopes are high that he may seek to challenge the current course record of 2:07:33.

"I am looking forward to the challenge at the Linz Marathon. I have heard a lot of positive things about the event and the course," Kipruto said.

Ryan Enright is running his 22nd consecutive Boston Marathon and this time for Team Joslin

It is Enright’s fourth year running as a member of Team Joslin to support the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2010 when he was going into surgery for his foot. Enright said the doctors noticed his blood sugar was abnormally high and tested him for diabetes. When the surgery was over, he learned his foot was fixed and that he was a Type 1 diabetic.

“After the initial shock wore off, my biggest concern was figuring out if I would still be able to run,” Enright said.

Enright turned to Joslin with his concerns and questions, and has been a patient since then.

“Thanks to the doctors, nurses, educators, dietitians and other amazing people at Joslin I have been able to continue running and living life with Type 1 diabetes with the comfort of knowing I am getting the best care in the world, in the same building where researchers and doctors are striving to find a cure for this disease,” Enright said.

The Hingham resident has used his diagnosis as a platform to get the message out to others, “Living with diabetes, of all ages, that this disease doesn’t have to stop you from living your best, healthy life.” He has raised $10,000 and his goal is to double that amount.

Camille Herron 24 Hour World Record has been ratified

It’s a great way to start the week finding out my 24Hr World Record was ratified by the International Association of Ultrarunners !

Thank you so much to everyone who made all this possible! It was the longest and most worthwhile day of my life.  I’m blessed for what my body can do and the amazing team of support around me at Desert Solstice that kept me going and going.  

I’m looking forward to representing our great country next Oct. at the World Championship! 

(Camille Herron wrote this December 10 and posted this on FB.) Thank you everyone for all the messages and following along! We did it!

✅ 24 hr World Best- 162.919 mi at 8:50 per mi

✅ 100 mi Track American Record- 13:25

✅ 200K Track AR- 17:07:27

It was really hard (to say the least hahaa)! 655.48 laps on a track was mind boggling. I mentally and physically prepared myself to work through any road blocks, hydrate and fuel well, maintain structural integrity, and keep moving.

I changed my shoes twice to keep my feet happy. I had an amazing crew of Conor, Ron Foster, and my friend Gretchen Connelie from NYC keeping me going!

I hit a low point around 2-3am and had to get some Taco Bell and beer and walk a few laps. Slowly but surely I got going again. It was really fun to run through the night and then anticipate seeing the sunrise!

There was an overwhelming amount of support out there of people cheering us on throughout the 24 hrs- thank you very much for coming out. There’s a lot of great photos and moments, esp Howie Stern and Jubilee Paige. 

Desert Solstice Invitational Track Meet - 100 Miles & 24 Hours is such a well run event, and I can’t say enough positive things about how much attention to detail Aravaipa Running w/ Hayley Pollack and Jamil Coury put into it and all the record keeping. It was incredible to share the track with so many talented athletes. 

Now the record is official. 

People like to ask me how I can smile when I’m running dozens of miles at a time. It’s because I’m prepared and I fuel myself so that I can enjoy both the run and the results! I love to eat potatoes - a complex carb - to fuel my workouts. And my races. Skin-on potatoes are a good source of potassium and Vitamin B. 

Daniel Ortiz Pérez wins the Lala Marathon for the third time clocking 2:20:49

Daniel Ortiz was the winner for the third time of the LALA Marathon in its 2019 edition, in the last kilometers he came from behind to beat the Kenyan Nixon Kiplagat. His time was 2:20:49.

For the women, the winner was the Zacatecan Berenice Rodriguez with a time of 2:49:02, in second place Yolanda Ugalde clocked 2:51:02 and in third place was Cristina Muñiz clocking 2:51:42.

Mary Wineberg and Mark Ramler have been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon

Olympic gold medalist Mary Wineberg started running track at Walnut Hills High School and earned a track scholarship to the University of Cincinnati, where she graduated in 2002. After her college career, she ran professionally and was twice ranked top 10 in the World in the women’s 400 and was a Gold Medalist in the 2007 World Championships.

She won the gold medal for the USA in the 4x400 relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 2018 she was inducted into the Cincinnati Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame and the University of Cincinnati Athletic Hall of fame and has published a book, “Unwavering Perseverance,” about her life and career. An elementary school teacher and motivational speaker, Wineberg has participated in several Flying Pig events, including the Queen Bee.

Ramler is a sixth generation Campbell County resident, and resides in Newport’s East Row Historic District where he is actively involved in the neighborhood, home tours, planning committees, and serves on the City’s Historic Preservation Commission. 

He is actively involved in the Newport Business Community as well, and is President of the Newport Business Association.

“We are honored to have Mary and Mark join our Board of Directors,” said Iris Simpson Bush, executive director of the Flying Pig Marathon. “Both have been with us for many years as participants and volunteers, and we are excited to see the contributions they can bring to the board.”

25-year-old Taylor Pierce is running her first Boston Marathon to help support the Joslin Diabetes Center

Taylor Pierce will be running her first Boston Marathon in April as a member of Team Joslin to support the Joslin Diabetes Center, a diabetes treatment and research facility in Boston.

Pierce is now a clinical research coordinator at Joslin. Together, she and her team study the disease and help conduct different drug trials focusing on finding treatments and pursuing a cure for diabetes and its complications.

Their latest project focuses on the impact type 1 diabetes has on pregnant women.

No stranger to running, this will be Pierce’s seventh marathon — but her very first time running Boston. She has joined the Heartbreak Hill running group in preparation for April 15.

Pierce hopes to raise at least $7,500 to help researchers continue their work developing more efficient treatments and ultimately finding a cure for diabetes.

Meb Keflezighi became the first American male to win the Boston Marathon in 31 years in 2014

Two nights before the 2014 Boston Marathon, I was walking from the Harvard Club with race director Dave McGillivray after a meeting with the Martin Richard Foundation.

Dave asked me, “What’s your goal for Monday?” I said, “To win. I’m going to go for it.”

Of course I always ran to win, in the sense of getting the best out of myself on race day. But this time was different — I meant it literally.

Boston 2014 was a special focus long before I broke the tape on Boylston Street.

I had watched the 2013 Boston Marathon from a grandstand by the finish with my good friend from San Diego, Rob Hill. Injury had scuttled my plan to be there as a competitor.

While I would have liked to be racing, watching thousands of runners finish amid the palpable positive energy was a great experience. I was taking photos and notes on the positive humanity and camaraderie the marathon embraces. It had been 30 years since an American man won Boston.

As soon as Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia broke the tape in 2:10:22, I texted my friend and fellow US Olympian Ryan Hall, who also missed the race because of injury. “WE CAN DO THIS,” I wrote. Ryan texted back almost immediately, “We’ll get after it.” Already fired up for 2014, I left the stands.

Brighton resident Ivan Lyons has completed his 100th marathon in 100 weeks, next step Brighton Marathon

Lyons started running marathons in 1996. 21 years later he completed his 100th marathon. Then at age 50 he decided to run a further 100 marathon races in 100 weeks.

Each of Lyons’s marathons were the official distance of 26.2 miles in race conditions, which also included 10 marathons in 10 days in Gravesend last August.

“This was the hardest event as not only was I running the same route every day but it was the only time when I thought my body would cave in – well, running 262 miles is quite a challenge," he said.

Lyons marathon events took him to America, Spain, Austria, the Faroe Islands, the Netherlands, Cuba, Madeira and all corners of the UK.

How did he find time to run so many marathons and a business as well? “I am fortunate that I have two directors who are sporty themselves so they get it – not that they would run a marathon though!”

As for Lyons, now that he has run 200 marathons will he stop running? “Of course not. I will have a little rest then in mid April I will be running the Brighton Marathon.

“This will be its 10th year and for those of us who have run all 10, we are going to be spoilt with an additional achievers medal I understand – so I must have that in my collection.”