Running News Daily

Romanian firefighter Iulian Rotariu returned home after winning 522-km ultra-marathon in Australia

Romanian firefighter Iulian Rotariu returned home on June 1 after winning one of the toughest ultra-marathons in the world – The Track, which took place in Australia between May 15 and May 24.

The Romanian completed the 522-km race in 57 hours, 6 minutes and 20 seconds, beating the 2017 winner’s time by seven hours, the Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) announced on Facebook. Another Romanian, Andrei Gligor, placed second with a time of 59 hours, 2 minutes and 35 seconds, while Belgian Guy Goossens ended the race in third place with a time of 59 hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds.

The Track takes place in the Northern Territory of Australia, in the hottest desert in the area. The participants had to cover 522 km in nine stages, and each of them had to carry his/her own backpack containing food, mandatory equipment and personal equipment. The distance the competitors had to cover increased with every stage, and so did the altitude. If on the first day they had to run 30 km at an altitude of 700 m, on the last day the distance increased to 137 km and the altitude was 1,700 m. Only 18 of the 38 competitors who started the race managed to cross the finish line, four of them quitting right from the start, IGSU said.

“The victory obtained at The Track ultra-marathon is the best result achieved by Iulian Rotariu in endurance competitions, and the success in Australia was prefigured by another phenomenal race last year in Antarctica, when the Romanian firefighter ranked second, entering the “4 Deserts” global top,” IGSU said in its Facebook post.

Iulian Rotariu participates in such events for a good cause, aiming to support the children with autism from Botosani, his home city.

Gerda Steyn is focused to take the title at the 94th Comrades Marathon Sunday

After narrowly missing the record in last month’s Two Oceans Marathon, Steyn has enjoyed a trouble-free training camp in the mountains of France, together with third place finisher from last year, Steve Way, and Anthony Clark, both running this year’s race in the colours of Nedbank Running Club.

“A lot of people asked me if I am disappointed at just missing the record in Two Oceans,” laughed Steyn.

“Looking back at it now it was a little bit sad to be so close but even with 8km to go, I told myself to save the legs because Comrades is my main focus of the year and I didn’t want to do too much damage.” It’s a decision that Steyn hopes will pay dividends in this year’s event.

Last year’s winner Ann Ashworth comes into this race much faster than before, but it is the Up-run defending champion, Nedbank Running Club’s Camille Herron, who is hoping to defend her title.

A strong athlete with multiple world records, Herron is well known for her awkward running style that took her to victory in 2017.

Teaming up with her club mate Steyn, the two make a dangerous combination.

Throw in stalwart Fikile Mbuthuma and OMTOM gold medalist Ntombesintu Mfunzi who will be one to watch on her Comrades debut, the ‘Green Dream Team’ ladies will be a force on the route.

Adding to Nedbank’s Comrades debuts this year is Poland's Dominika Stelmach who had an unfortunate injury that forced her out of starting last year’s race.

After her fourth-place finish at this year’s Two Oceans, Stelmach is hungry to make an impression.

Also making a debut will be four-time World Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington. The 42-year-old English athlete ran 2 hours 51 minutes in this year’s London Marathon to qualify for Comrades which puts her in with a chance of a top 10 finish.

Carla Molinaro who represented Great Britain last year in the World 100km championships, but now has South African citizenship, will be another athlete looking for a top 10 finish after finishing ninth last year.

South African Deanne Horn is a newcomer in the ultra-marathon scene. She finished 42nd in her debut in 2017 and finished 15th last year and has represented South Africa in the World 100km championships. Together with team-mates Steyn, Mfunzi, Molinaro and Mbuthuma, the Nedbank ladies will be looking to take the team prize in this year’s race.

Want to Run the 2020 Derby Festival Mini and Marathon? Registration opens June 5

If it seems early to be registering for Kentucky Derby Festival's miniMarathon and Marathon, it is.  Wednesday, June 5 is National Running Day and the Festival is opening race registration at 9 a.m. with discountate rates and offers for the first 24 hours.

Shanna Ward, Race Director says “It’s the perfect opportunity for runners to get a great deal on registration prices and guarantee their spot in the 2020 race.”

For one day only registration for the mini is $50 and $ for the Marathon.  In addition to the reduced registration, the first 500 entrants will receive a free safety light armband and everyone who registers in that 24 hour window will get 15% off shoes and apparel from Swag Sports Shoes.

The 2020 miniMarathon and Marathon takes place Saturday, April 25, 2020. It will be the 47th annual miniMarathon and the 19th annual Marathon.

J&A Racing invites Runners to Honor Virginia Beach Shooting Victims on Global Running Day

The Hampton Roads community to come together to honor the victims affected by the senseless tragedy that took place in our community last week. 

“In moments of sadness, it is our community that lifts us up. This event is about more than running together. It is about honoring those who left us too soon,” said Jerry Frostick, J&A Racing. “Coming together as one to lift each other up is what our community does best.”

 In the running community, Wednesday, June 5th is recognized as Global Running Day - a worldwide celebration of running designed to inspire everyone to be active.

In light of the tragedy in Virginia Beach, this year’s event will be dedicated to the memory of the twelve victims and their families. Local run clubs, community members, and first responders will join together as Virginia Beach Strong.

 The community event will start at 6:15 p.m. at Murphy’s Irish Pub with a moment of silence to honor the victims followed by a run/walk on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. Participants are encouraged to wear blue and to join us following the run for a gathering at Murphy’s Irish Pub.

Raffle packages and merchandise will be available to support the United Way South Hampton Roads’ Virginia Beach Tragedy Fund. This event is free and is open to the public.

Canadians Catrin Jones and Calum Neff head to Comrades Marathon

Catrin Jones and Calum Neff, two of Canada’s strongest ultrarunners, are heading to South Africa this week to tackle the 94th running of South Africa’s most famous and historic ultramarathon, the Comrades, next Saturday, June 8.

Neff ran it for the first time last year, finishing in 31st position overall, in 6:08:06. Jones will be racing Comrades for the first time.

Jones is a veteran of the BC trail and road scenes who has eased back into racing since having her daughter, Elodie, who is now two.

“I’ve been wanting to go for years and thought about it many times,” says Jones, inspired by her friend, the much-decorated ultrarunner Ellie Greenwood, who won Comrades in 2014.

Jones won last year’s Squamish 50K and Whistler 30K, and finished third at the 2018 BMO Vancouver Marathon.

Neff holds the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon while pushing a stroller (2:21:22), set with his daughter Alessandra at the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

(Neff also held the half-marathon stroller record for a time, but his 1:11:27 from 2016 was eclipsed in 2017.) Neff is from Ontario but lives and trains in Houston, Texas.

Nicky Spinks will lead the way at Trail Skills for Ultrarunners

Scotland-based women’s guided trail running company, Girls on Hills Ltd, have just announced that they will be hosting a ‘Trail Skills for Ultrarunners’ course in Glencoe October 11-13, with the legendary ultrarunner Nicky Spinks the star tutor.

Spinks will be sharing her experiences and coaching women in the essential skills of ultrarunning, including training advice and running with poles. She will be joining an otherwise all-Scottish line-up of other providers, with experts covering areas such as yoga, nutrition, foot-care and self-massage. 

For female ultrarunners, there can be no better teacher than Spinks. The inspirational Inov-8 athlete just became the first person to complete double rounds of Britain’s three classic 24-hour mountain running challenges: the Bob Graham Round in England; the Charlie Ramsay Round in Scotland; and now the Paddy Buckley Round in Wales. 

On her two laps of the Paddy Buckley Round circuit last month, Spinks ran 94 peaks and 56,000ft of height gain (almost two times Mount Everest), in 57hrs 27mins to complete the ‘doubles’ and make fell-running history. 

Girls on Hills Ddirector Keri Wallace told runABC Scotland online: “Nicky is an incredible woman and an inspiration to so many people, runners and non-runners alike. As a 51-year old, a woman, a farmer and a cancer-survivor, she breaks so many trail-running stereotypes! Who better to join us at Girls on Hills and help coach women in the skills they need to get outside and explore their limits through ultrarunning!”

As a company, Girls on Hills Ltd, who are sponsored by Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports and are partnered with Inov-8 clothing, seeks to address the gender gap in participation that exists in trail, fell and skyrunning by increasing the accessibility of off-road running disciplines. 

“There are no actual barriers stopping women from running long distances in remote places or exploring the mountains – there are only perceived barriers. We welcome women of all ages and from all walks of life, and surprise them with how much they can achieve!”  

Vivian Cheruiyot and Mary Moraa took part in the “IAAF Run 24:1” race at the Nairobi National Park on Sunday

Vivian Cheruiyot and Mary Moraa as well as Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei and Kenya Wildlife Service director general John Waweru took part in the race that started and ended at the famous elephant ivory burning site.

The race initiated by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to popularise the sport was held concurrently in 24 major cities in six continents covering One Mile hence the Run24:1 race.

“It’s a great feeling to be part of this race that is being held for the first time in Kenya and at an iconic place. I have really enjoyed and interacted with both the old and the young,” said the 35-year-old Cheruiyot, who started representing the country at the age of 15. “I want to encourage everyone to start running.”

Cheruiyot said that she resumed training one week ago since finishing second at London Marathon on April 28, this year.

“I will in a week’s time unveil my next race,” said Cheruiyot, who hinted of taking a stab at the Berlin Marathon for the first time or making a second return at New York City Marathon where she finished second last year.

This year’s Berlin Marathon is due September 29 while the New York City Marathon is planned for November 3 this year.

Cheruiyot said she might have opted out of the World Championships planned from September 28 to October 6 this year in Doha, but her dream for the second Olympic victory is on.

“I want to work hard and make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics marathon team,” said Cheruiyot.

Moraa, whose focus is now on qualifying for the World Championships, said: “It should happen every year because it’s a wonderful event and we need it every year here in Kenya.”

The IAAF Run24:1 race was also held in three other African cities, namely Gaborone (Botswana), Yaoundé (Cameroon) and Rabat (Morocco).

Kenyan Kipkering makes up for his 2018 Sundown Marathon DNF by winning the title this year

A year ago, Kenyan Hillary Kipkering had high hopes of capturing his first Osim Sundown Marathon in Singapore, but a thigh injury forced him to drop out at the 27km mark.

On Saturday (June 1), he returned and delivered, claiming the top spot on the podium with his time of 2hr 49min 33sec.

He was followed by Lee Wai Kin, who came in at 3:03:55 and Qu Jinchao (3:04:45).

Said Kipkering, 45: “Last year, I had come from another marathon in Indonesia and I injured my thigh muscle there so I stopped at the 27km (mark). It’s very nice that I managed to finish first today, I was confident.

“The race was very good. It was humid, but the course was very nice. The only issue was that there was congestion near the end but, besides that, everything else was very good.”

In the women’s category, Singapore’s Sharon Tan finished first in 3:23:16. She was followed by Jade Chow (3:29:01) and Naum Jepkosgei (3:29:01).

Nikki Johnstone again wins the Rhine-Ruhr Marathon

The Dusseldorf Scot Nikki Johnstone won the 36th Rhein-Ruhr Marathon in Duisburg on Sunday. The runner of the LAZ Puma Rhein-Sieg crossed the finish line in front of Gunnar Diederichs (TuS Opladen) in 2: 43,41 hours and Cemal Ineci, Lefke Avrupa ÜNi, in 2:52 in a time of 2: 29,48 hours. 01 hours.

The top four women were inside the course record at the Lanzhou Marathon Sunday

Ethiopia’s Worknesh Edesa beat the hot weather and a loaded field to break the women’s course record at the Bank of Lanzhou Cup Lanzhou International Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on Sunday June 2. 

The top four finishers in the women’s race all finished inside the previous course record of 2:31:22 set by Kenya’s Nguriatukei Rael Kiyara in 2015. The 26-year-old Edesa, whose 2:21:05 PB from Dubai earlier this year made her the fastest entrant for Lanzhou, lived up to expectations as she broke the tape in style in 2:30:22.

The race started under cloudy weather conditions but the sun came out about an hour after the gun and the temperature rose rapidly. A group of eight runners led the race to 15km in 53:31, 25km in 1:29:08 and 30km in 1:47:29.

After 35km, the pack was soon whittled down to just four runners: Edesa, Gutemi Shone, Sifan Melaku and Fantu Jimma. Edesa waited for another four kilometres before launching her powerful surge to pull away from the others.

Although the temperature reached as high as 26C, the in-form Ethiopian kept widening the gap and went on to win in 2:30:22. It was Edesa’s first marathon victory since winning the 2016 Xiamen Marathon in 2:24:04.

Edesa’s compatriot Shone, winner of this year’s Seville Marathon with a PB of 2:23:32, finished second in 2:30:40, while the 31-year-old Jimma, winner of this year’s Wuhan Marathon, lagged nine seconds further behind to complete the Ethiopian podium sweep.

Kenya’s Justus Kimutai upset a strong Ethiopian contingent to win the men’s race in 2:11:47.

Ethiopian runners filled the next six positions with Gizachew Hailu finishing second in 2:12:05 and Afewerk Mesfin third in 2:14:10.

The race saw a crowded leading group in the opening five kilometres and before they went through the 10km water station China’s Guan Yousheng was the first to drop back.

Ethiopia’s Bira Seboka, a 24-year-old with a PB of 2:08:51, made his bold early charge after reaching 20km in 1:03:01. Seboka built an advantage of some 15 seconds at 25km but was later swallowed by the chasers near 28km.

A new leading pack of seven runners paced the race for another five kilometres before the 26-year-old Kimutai, who was running for the first time on the Chinese soil, started his charge.

This time only Hailu and Mesfin managed to keep up with Kimutai’s pace. But the 26-year-old Mesfin, who set a course record of 2:09:49 in Chongqing in 2017 and improved his career best to 2:09:08 in Xiamen five months ago, had to drop behind near the 35km tables.

Kimutai then kept pressing ahead and finally notched the sole lead after 38km. When he reached 40km in 2:05:17, the Kenyan was 11 seconds ahead of the 21-year-old Hailu.

Kimutai’s winning time of 2:11:47 was more than one-and-a-half minutes shy of the 2:10:10 course record set by Ethiopian Abayneh Ayele in 2015.

Colby Mehmen is living in his blue 1976 Chevrolet camper van, Pursuing His Olympic Dream

Colby Mehmen's daily routine is simple: Wake up, run, eat, sleep, work, and do it all again tomorrow. Sounds like the lifestyle of a sponsored pro, but for the 24-year-old reigning Dallas Marathon champ, it is the pursuit of his Olympic Marathon Trials dream-something that he's living out while living in his blue 1976 Chevrolet camper van.

The van has been his home since his fifth year at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, where he competed on the cross-country and track teams. Prior to that, the Texas native had been good, but never great. Then he met his college teammates, who showed him what it took to compete at a higher level.

This required pushing mileage into the triple digits, starting with 100-mile weeks his freshman year and building up to as much as 150 in a week. The fruits of his labors were there, as he posted his best times in the 10K (29:34) and 5K (14:24). Yet with an option for a fifth year, he decided to take his final year off.

Without a scholarship, money would be tight, so he came up with a plan.

"I bought the van and just lived in it for my fifth year," Mehmen said. "But my life was simple: I'd run, get back in the van, change, go to class, eat, and sleep. It was also nice that I had the rec center to shower."

Mehmen's college experience turned out to be a good road map for successful nomadic living. Cooking simple meals-Mehmen shoots for 4500 calories a day with meals like tacos, Cream of Wheat, rice, and barbecued chicken-was easy on his propane stove. When he wasn't running, eating, or sleeping, he was working part time, splitting his time among a running store, coaching online, and his own apparel company, Nomad Running Co.

The only thing lacking in his van-dwelling existence is a fridge, something he is still looking to remedy. Currently, he freezes food in a cooler.

For some, this may be a ludicrous monastic lifestyle of simplicity. For Mehmen, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's amazing; I can park near any of my favorite running spots, wake up, and just run them," Mehmen said. "It's an adventure every day. I'm exploring things day in and day out."

His next chance to qualify will come at Grandma's Marathon in June. With little else to worry about right now, Mehmen will continue on in his van, going after his dream.

"Right now, the plan is to run the Trials, and I'm not sure how far I'll take it after that, but [I still have] two or three years left in the van," he said. "I only get one chance to do this in my life, so I'm going to take advantage of it."

A new record was set when Nigussie Sahlesilassie won the 2019 Stockholm Marathon this saturday clocking 2:10:10

The Ethiopian beat the track record by a full 48 seconds when he won the race in two hours, 10 minutes and 10 seconds.

He was followed by fellow Ethiopian Tafese Delegen in the second place while Kenyan runner Gilbert Kollum Yegon placed third.

It was cool and cloudy in the Swedish capital, with competitors and spectators experiencing some light rain. Nevertheless, 12,845 runners competed in the 41st annual marathon.

The Stockholm Marathon is one of the biggest in Europe and widely considered to amongst the most beautiful in the world.

Runners past some of the city's most famous landmarks and historical buildings.

Stockholm is built on a series of islands, large parts of the course run along the waterfront.

Despite the sometimes breezy winds, several people performed fine times on it, last year, the new track stretch.

Best Swedish was Eskilstuna FI's Adhanom Abraha who in time 2:16:48 ran the fastest time of a Swedish in ASICS Stockholm Marathon, in twenty years.

The first six members of the US team have been named for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019

Shadrack Biwott, Andrew Epperson and Elkanah Kibet have been named to the men's team while Kelsey Bruce, Carrie Dimoff and Roberta Groner have been named to the women's.

Kibet and Biwott will lead the squad, as Kibet was a member of the 2017 World Championship team while Biwott was on the 2014 team that competed at the World Half Marathon Championships.

Groner, 41, will make her first national team appearance after setting her personal best of 2:29:09 this April in Rotterdam, becoming only the third American woman over the age of 40 to break 2:30.

MEN - Shadrack Biwott, 2:12:01, 2016 - Andrew Epperson, 2:13:11, 2019 - Elkanah Kibet, 2:11:31, 2015.

WOMEN - Kelsey Bruce, 2:31:53, 2019 - Carrie Dimoff, 2:30:53, 2017 - Roberta Groner, 2:29:09, 2019.

Priyank Sharma lost 57 pounds (26k) in six months through running and is ready to run the Sundown Marathon

In December 2018, Priyank Sharma burst into tears after finishing his first half marathon in 3h 8min. It was the culmination of a journey the 37-year-old embarked on just months before, when he tipped the scales at nearly 100kg (220 pounds).

"I normally consider myself a strong person but that was the first time I cried in a long while," said the senior vice-president in strategy and planning at a local bank. "Lots of emotions came out, I felt so proud of myself and thankful to my family for their support."

Just six months before, he was lying on his bed when his wife told him to "get out and run."  While Sharma had not exercised for 10 years before that, he decided on a whim to go for a 4km run.

He completed the run feeling so happy and energised that he started running twice a week, and now runs up to a combined 60km (36 miles) weekly. While he tipped the scales at 98.7kg, he lost 26kg in six months.

But the journey towards a healthier life was not easy. When he started, Sharma would get tired every few hundred metres and after every run, his whole body ached, he could not breathe properly and he felt dehydrated.

"The beauty of running is the competition is with myself," he said.  "Whenever I felt my pace wasn't good, or when I felt bad, it always came back to me that this was about outdoing myself and that has made me continue running.

"There's no one to compete with you and you decide your own destiny." He made changes to his diet and water intake after feeling "guilty" after his meals, and took to the gym to build muscles that support him in his runs.

Sharma quipped: "Everything felt bad but I was enthusiastic because I wanted to feel happy and running made me happy. Then small results started to show up which were really helpful and kept me motivated."

Now, he completes two or three 5km runs on weekdays and one 10-20km run during the weekend at East Coast Park or the Marina Barrage. He also goes to the gym twice a week to build muscles and to maintain his upper and lower body strength for long runs.

Sharma has also influenced his mother-in-law and colleagues to start running, while his wife - who is pregnant with their first child - promised to start after giving birth.

On Saturday (June 1) night, Sharma is continuing on his "pursuit of happiness", as he lines up for the Osim Sundown Marathon's 21.1km race, which he aims to complete in 2h 30min. His current personal best is 2h 48min, which he clocked in April 2019.

It is never too late, Julia Hawkins started running at 100 and became an age-group ace by 101

Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins is still taking the running world by storm.

In 2017, at age 101, Hawkins set the world record for her age group in the 100-meter dash at the USA Track & Field Outdoors Masters Championships. She completed the distance in a blazing 40.12 seconds, instantly catapulting herself to running stardom.

Now 103, this great-grandmother from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is busy preparing for the National Senior Games. This biennial competition—open to runners ages 50 and older—is scheduled for June 14-25, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hawkins will throw the shot put and race the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, and potentially the 200-meter dash.

“As you get older you don’t usually break your own record. I’ll give it my best, I’ll tell you that,” said Hawkins about her upcoming opportunity to make history – again. In addition to the 100-meter world record, Hawkins holds the centenarian world record in the 60-meter dash (24.75 seconds) and shot put.

Throughout her 103 years on Earth, Hawkins has amassed a wealth of life knowledge, which she’s been kind enough to share with Women’s Running. Take a cue and a little bit of inspiration from these seven pearls of wisdom:

Try new things.“I try to do as many new things as I can. I never say no to an invitation. I like to go to plays and musicals and church and all kinds of places,” Hawkins said.

Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins is still taking the running world by storm.

In 2017, at age 101, Hawkins set the world record for her age group in the 100-meter dash at the USA Track & Field Outdoors Masters Championships. She completed the distance in a blazing 40.12 seconds, instantly catapulting herself to running stardom.

Now 103, this great-grandmother from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is busy preparing for the National Senior Games. This biennial competition—open to runners ages 50 and older—is scheduled for June 14-25, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hawkins will throw the shot put and race the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, and potentially the 200-meter dash.

“As you get older you don’t usually break your own record. I’ll give it my best, I’ll tell you that,” said Hawkins about her upcoming opportunity to make history – again. In addition to the 100-meter world record, Hawkins holds the centenarian world record in the 60-meter dash (24.75 seconds) and shot put.

Throughout her 103 years on Earth, Hawkins has amassed a wealth of life knowledge, which she’s been kind enough to share with Women’s Running. Take a cue and a little bit of inspiration from these seven pearls of wisdom:

Try new things.“I try to do as many new things as I can. I never say no to an invitation. I like to go to plays and musicals and church and all kinds of places,” Hawkins said.

Inspire others.Even several years into her running fame, she is still shocked at what she has achieved.

“It absolutely floors me. I can’t believe. I just feel like… how did this happen to me?” Hawkins said. “They tell me that I’m an inspiration to others. That’s one thing that keeps me going. If I can be an inspiration to people and keep them a little more healthy and active, I’m proud to do it.”

Ethiopian Worknesh Edesa will headline the women field at Lanzhou

The women’s course record of 2:31:22 set by Kenya’s Nguriatukei Rael Kiyara four years ago will  face serious threat.

Worknesh Edesa of Ethiopia improved her PB by nearly three minutes to 2:21:05 in Dubai this January to make her the fastest woman on paper. Since her marathon debut in 2015, the 26-year-old Edesa has never finished outside of the top three in each marathon she’s contested. Even her slowest clocking of 2:31:06 set in 2015 is better than Kiyara’s Lanzhou record.

Edesa’s compatriot Gutemi Shone, 27, is another title contender. The former Ottawa and Seoul marathon winner recorded her career best of 2:23:32 in Houston four years ago and scored a 2:24:28 victory in Sevilla in February.

Fatuma Sado, also from Ethiopia, is the only woman in the field that has competed in Lanzhou before, clocking 2:38:39 to finish fifth in her previous outing in the western Chinese city. The 27-year-old has titles from Hamburg, Los Angeles, Xiamen, Beijing, Warsaw and Osaka on her CV and registered her PB of 2:24:16 from her third place finish in Toronto in 2015.

The 35-year-old veteran Aberu Mekuria is also known for her consistency with victories in Koln, Hengshui, Ottawa and Valencia to her name. Two month ago she added the Chongqing Marathon title to her title collection with a PB of 2:24:30.

Fantu Jimma, 31, will also arrive in Lanzhou with high spirits after taking the victory at the Wuhan Marathon in April. Her winning mark of 2:28:25 is some two minutes shy of her PB of 2:26:14 set in Dubai four years ago.

The field also includes Ethiopian duo Hiwot Gebrekidan, a 2:25:45 performer, and Sifan Melaku, who just improved her PB to 2:26:46 in Sevilla in February, as the women’s race is very likely to see a sweep of podium by Ethiopian runners.

A deep field is targeting the men’s course record at the Lanzhou International Marathon this weekend

Eight runners toeing the line have career bests faster than the 2:10:10 course record set by Abayneh Ayele of Ethiopia in 2015, with Ethiopia’s Limenih Getachew the fastest thanks to his personal best of 2:06:49 set at the 2014 Paris Marathon.

The 29-year-old came close to that mark last October when he registered a winning mark of 2:07:34 to break the Portuguese all-comers’ record at the Lisbon Marathon. He achieved his second career best time of 2:07:30 in March with a fifth finish in Barcelona.

It will be Getachew’s second race in China following his fourth place finish at the Hengshui Lake Marathon in 2016.

Bahrain’s Benson Seurei is another man to watch. The 35-year-old, who used to compete mainly in middle distance events and grabbed a 1500m silver medal at the Asian Indoor Championships in 2016, only debuted over the classic distance in 2017 but progressed rapidly with his PB of 2:07:37 set last December in Valencia.

Seurei clocked 2:08:08 to finish fourth at the Lake Biwa Marathon in March and is yet to gain his first title after five marathon races.

Shumet Akalnew of Ethiopia is also chasing his first marathon title in Lanzhou. The 31-year-old clocked a life-time best of 2:08:50 to finish third in Kosice last year and achieved another third place finish in Mumbai four months ago with a 2:10:24 clocking.

The Ethiopian contingent also include Bira Seboka, a 2:08:51 performer, and Afewerk Mesfin, who improved his PB to 2:09:28 in Xiamen this year. The other sub-2:10 runners in the field are Bahraini Zelalem Bacha with a PB of 2:09:16, Kenya’s Mike Kiprotich Mutai, whose PB of 2:09:18 dates back to 2012, and Motlokoa Nkhabutlane of Lesotho.

Kenyan athletes have never been big on tackling the 90km race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban South Africa

The Comrades Marathon hasn't been a hit with Kenyan long distance athletes‚ but the entries of Justin Chesire Kemboi and Melly Kennedy will lend the long needed East African flavour the race has needed.

Kenyan athletes have long been considered as the toast of African distance running with their Ethiopian competitors close behind them.

However‚ they've never been big on tackling the 90km race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

In the race's roll of honour‚ that's showed but they've made an impression on the shorter and less taxing Two Oceans Marathon (56km).

Cheshire and Kennedy will be running for the Nedbank Running Club with the former having won the Two Oceans Marathon last year in a time of 3.09.21.

Kennedy came fourth in the same race. This year‚ Kemboi was third behind Bong'musa Mthembu and David Gatebe.

Nick Bester‚ a former Comrades Marathon winner and team manager of the Nedbank Running Club‚ said there's enough financial incentive in the world's oldest and largest ultra-marathon for them to take it serious.

Elite Kenyan marathon runners are often seen dominating blue chip races like the New York‚ London and Boston Marathons.

The winner of the respective Comrades races will win R500,000 ($34,000US) each with the runner's up winning R250,000 ($17,000US).

“Which professional athlete will run a long distance for free? It makes no sense.

"Why would you waste your legs and body on a long distance and not get paid for it. It's a professional thing and guys have to be paid for their efforts‚” Bester said.

“Their mindset isn't shaped by ultra-marathons as they are pretty fast.

"They grow up in environments where track and shorter marathons dominated their thinking. The Comrades has always been a great race but it's become very popular now with international athletes.

"One must remember that Comrades isn't about pace or speed. It's a lot about the mental battle.”

It will be interesting to see how these Kenyans will do in this year's Comrades Marathon.

Registration for the 43rd running of Grandma's Marathon will close June 1

Registration for the 43rd running of Grandma's Marathon will remain open through Saturday, June 1. The country’s 11th largest marathon is currently at 95% capacity for the June 22 event. Registration will close on June 1 at 11:59 p.m. or if the race course capacity of 9,000 runners is met beforehand. Runners can register for Grandma’s Marathon by visiting GrandmasMarathon.com. The entry fee is currently $145.

Grandma's Marathon weekend also features the 29th annual Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and the 26th annual William A. Irvin 5K. The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon is Saturday, June 22 at 6:15 a.m. and the William A. Irvin 5K is Friday, June 21 at 6:00 p.m. Registration for both the half marathon and 5K are closed.

In order to provide the complete support that is needed for Grandma’s Marathon weekend, there are still numerous volunteer positions remaining. Volunteer positions include areas such as sustainability (green team), traffic and spectator control, water station assistance, medical services, racecourse entertainment, finish area activities, and the William A. Irvin 5K on Friday.

This year in particular requires more volunteers than last year due to the increased focus on sustainability initiatives.

The additional volunteers will assist with sorting and disposing of discarded items at various green stations located throughout Canal Park. The increased sustainability initiatives are being introduced as Grandma’s Marathon works towards their long-term goal of becoming a zero waste event.

Northern Arizona runners, Scott Smith, Sid Vaughn and Alice Wright set to take on San Diego half marathon

If Sid Vaughn and Alice Wright want to know what it takes to win the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Half Marathon, they don't have to look too far for answers.

Their NAZ Elite teammate Scott Smith won it in 2016. He set his PR of 1:02:34 in the distance at the event that year, but hasn't returned since.

NAZ Elite has been back, but the two runners it sent in 2018 are no longer with the team. This time around Vaughn and Wright, both first-year members on the team, will join Smith in Sunday's race.

All three are trending upward heading into the race in their own way.

Smith showed he's getting back to full strength after coming back from an injury with a second-place showing at the USATF 25k Championships on Saturday, May 11, crossing the finish line in 1:15:05. For the runner-up spot, he edged out Kiya Dandena, who joined NAZ Elite in January but left after only a few months with the team.

It's the season finale for Smith, and he's getting married next week. For head coach Ben Rosario, Smith's got "nothing to lose."

"He'll probably go for broke, and I think a personal best is a real possibility," Rosario said Wednesday.

There's a real possibility that Vaughn will have the finish he and his team have been expecting him to produce since joining the roster.

The big race he had lined up, the national half marathon championship, ended up a bust as illness forced him to sit it out.

"So he's got something to prove for sure," Rosario said. Vaughn has had success at the distance in his recent past, however, winning the 2018 edition of the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon in 1:03:35 before joining NAZ Elite. It didn't take him long to improve in the half marathon once he came aboard. He set a PR at 1:03:30 in his second race for NAZ Elite, the United Airlines New York City half.

San Diego will be Vaughn's second half marathon with NAZ Elite, while Wright is on her third with the team.

Rosario said she's now prepared for the challenges a half marathon holds.

Wright seems to have been building for this outing. She set her PR of 1:13:17 for a 19th-place finish at the Houston Half Marathon in January. Then at the NYC half, she took 14th in 1:14:25.

It's what came after NYC that's really standing out. And NAZ Elite is not shy when it comes to racing hard in the half.

So far in 2019, NAZ Elite has won three half marathons. In February, Scott Fauble and Aliphine Tuliamuk both won the Gasparilla Half Marathon, and earlier this month, Stephanie Bruce won the USATF Half Marathon Championships with a PR time of 1:10:44.

New Zealand-born Zane Robertson eagerly awaiting marathon debut at Gold Coast

When you want to be the best at something, you surround yourself with the best. That was New Zealand-born Zane Robertson’s thinking when he and twin brother Jake Robertson shunned US athletics scholarships and moved to Kenya at age 17 to immerse themselves in one of the culture that produces the world’s best runners.

Dubbed ‘Elvis’ by the Kenyans for once dying his hair black, the 29-year-old New Zealand 10,000m national record holder and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games 5,000m bronze medallist has chosen to make his marathon debut at the Gold Coast Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on 7 July.

After a groin injury ruled him out of his first marathon at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, Robertson is hungry to make amends on the same flat and fast course.

“Missing out last year when I was in crazy shape was devastating. I watched the race from Kenya and couldn’t stop thinking about how I could have won,” Robertson said.

“By coming to the Gold Coast Marathon, I feel I can replace that loss of mine.”

Robertson, who has a half marathon PB of 59:47, is not letting last year’s disappointment faze him in the lead up to his first attempt at 42.195km.

“The mind is such a powerful thing in sport, especially in long distance races,” he said.

“If you don't believe in yourself, you've already lost. I always feel confident; if I don't, I won't race.”

Robertson is upbeat about his potential in this year’s event, despite toeing the line alongside a stellar line up in the men’s marathon including 2013 champion and 2018 Boston Marathon winner Yuki Kawauchi of Japan and three-time Gold Coast Marathon champion and race record holder Kenneth Mungara of Kenya.

“First and foremost, I always target the win. I want to run as fast as the pacemakers allow and once they step off the road anything can be possible. Perhaps a new Oceania record?” Robertson said. 

Robertson and his brother have now spent over a decade in Kenya and Ethiopia learning what makes the best runners tick and while the jury is out on whether it is nature or nurture, he’s confident the lessons learnt both on and off the track will stand him in good stead for a fast marathon time.

“I’ve learnt to live a runner’s life - which means to have discipline when you’re training, and to relax and recover when you’re not,” he said.

Twin brother Jake placed third on debut at last year’s Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan in an impressive 2:08:26, a time 16 seconds faster than Mungara’s Gold Coast Marathon race record of 2:08:42 set in 2015.

But despite his brother seemingly throwing down the gauntlet, Zane remains assured the pair have moved past sibling rivalry.

“We realised that this world is so much bigger than that and the challenge is not with each other but against ourselves to be better than we were yesterday,” he said.

Mike Lewis-Copeland finished the Edinburgh Marathon despite a broken leg

Despite searing pain for 10 miles an intrepid runner discovered he had completed the Edinburgh Marathon with a broken leg.

Mike Lewis-Copeland, 39 felt a twinge at mile 16, near Prestonpans, but rode the wave of adrenaline, and his own determination, to finish the race in 4 hours 30 seconds.

It was only after a cautionary trip to minor injuries that Mike was told he had fractured his fibula.

“The nurse asked me if I’d fallen in a pothole or if there had been an impact but nothing had happened,” Mike explained. “Obviously I didn’t thing it was a fracture. I just kept focussing on finishing it, and would worry about the pain after it.

“I had been joking on the train over how stupid it would be to keep going with a break and now here I am. I thought it was maybe a tendon but had no idea I had fractured it.

It did get to the stage that I was limping a lot and at times having to drag my leg but I just kept counting down the miles."

After suffering a minor muscular injury during the London Marathon in April, Mike knew it would be harder to stop and start again so just "grizzed it out".

"I was like Dory singing 'just keep swimming' in the Finding Nemo film. I kept saying to myself 'just keep running, just keep running'.

"I was thinking that I only had 10 miles to go, then 9 miles, then 8 miles and I counted all the way down knowing that after I had crossed the finish line I could sit down and deal with the problem. The pain was totally different to injuries I had experienced before.

After resting at home in Kelty on Sunday, Mike knew on Monday he would need to get proper treatment to treat what he thought was a tendon problem.

"Running is a big thing for me and I was really looking forward to taking part in my first ultramarathon in July," Mike said. "So I knew I needed to have someone take a look at it and after some poking and prodding from the nurse and an x-ray I was told it was a fracture, likely the result of an early stress fracture.

"I have no idea how I managed to keep going - a mix of determination and adrenaline I reckon. It must have dulled the pain because I tried to make the kids beds and that was harder and more painful than running the marathon!"

Running is What We Do is a unique new video series from My Best Runs publisher and lifetime runner Bob Anderson

As Global Running Day is approaching June 5 Bob Anderson, publisher and founder of My Best Runs has announced a new unique series of videos.  "The series called Running Is What We Do will be unique videos showing the world how important running is to us," says Bob Anderson.

The first in the series of short videos (2 to 8 minutes) was filmed in England at the Vitality London 10000.  Mo Farah won for the seventh time and Steph Twell won the woman's race.

"Of course it is always important to know who wins big races like this," says Bob.  "But there is so much more to know about this race.  Over 19,000 participants ran through central London Monday May 27.  The staging area was in Green Park, next to Buckingham Palace and we were right there."

Behind the scenes footage shows runners in the Park as they are getting ready to take off on their 10k journey through the city and after they finished.

The Vitality London 10000 was selected by My Best Runs as one of the Best 100 races in the World the last three years.  "In fact I think this might be the world's best 10K road race," says Bob after running it. 

"It has been on my bucket list for a couple of years and in March I decided to enter and travel from California to see if I could make the top three in the 70 plus division, since my training had been going well. 

"I had not run a race in England since 1966 and with over 415,000 people wanting to run the London Marathon (same group who puts on this race) I felt the race would be the perfect event to cover for our first video in our new series."

Part of racing is to make it to the podium in your age group, a goal that might have more meaning than the finishing medal. This was one of Bob's goals. He wanted to finish in the top three 70 plus. And he wanted to produce the first Running Is What We Do video.  Making it to the top three was more of a personal goal but it also added another story to cover.

Bob did reach his goal clocking 49:22 or 7:55/mile.  He had hoped to run a little faster but he started at the back of wave two being stuck in a toilet line.  By the time he got out he had three minutes to make it to the start. 

"I have been running races since 1962 and I even through there were tons of toilets, I made a quick wrong decision that cost me 25 minutes," says Bob.  "But at age 71 it seems like I need to go three or four times before racing.  It would have cost me more time if I had not made that stop.  I think as runners we all know what I am talking about."

He was stuck behind the pack and ran his first mile in 8:03.  And ran just under 25 minutes for 5k.  His last mile was 7:33.  So maybe he lost at least a minute.

Before and after the race he shot all the footage on his iPone 10 for this video.  He was able to cover the scene close-up and personal. His wife Catherine captured the race in over 1600 photos and several photos were used in the video.

"At the finish line I met Barrie Nicholls," says Bob.  "We talked about running and he told me he is an actor and I jumped on the opportunity for him to say a few words for our first video.

"I loved this race and I hope to return," says Bob.  "However for a race this size (over 19,000 runners) there is one thing they should change. They need more age-groups.  Making it to the podium is a big deal and for me right now at 71, 70 plus age-group is okay.  But for those 76, 88 or even 95 this age-group is too big. 

"We are all aging and we need all the encouragement we can get.  I am not even sure if they give out age-group awards or not (I have to check) but it is nice to make that top three."

The Running Is What We Do videos by My Best Runs will be showing all sides of the sport of running around the world.  "This series is not just about world-class races and elite runners but about all aspects of the sport we love, running."

If you have video footage you would like to share contact My Best Runs.

Siya Mqambeli could win the Comrades Marathon June 9

Granted, Siya Mqambeli is not yet in the class of a Bongmusa Mthembu or David Gatebe, but to win The Ultimate Human Race takes way more than talent. An athlete needs to have the will and self-belief that he can conquer one of the world’s most difficult ultra-marathons.

Mqambeli has both in abundance and those around him are in no doubt that the runner from Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape, South Africa will back his words with action come June 9.

Given his great runs at the Eastern Cape’s Buffs and Legends Marathons this year, you could not argue that he is one to watch.

Mqambeli finished third in both races, running 2hr 26min in the standard marathon and 4:12 in the 68km Legends event.

But it was at Entsika's camp in Dullstroom where he gave the clearest indication yet that he is going for Comrades gold.

During an easy one-hour run with five of his teammates and yours truly, Mqambeli was poetry in motion and hardly looked like he got out of first gear. He exchanged friendly banter with teammate Gordon Lesetedi and his face told the story of a contented man.

This was in stark contrast to last year when he resembled an adopted kid struggling to be at home in his new environment, reserved and conspicuous by his silence.

He ran an impressive 6:09.10 for 32md place in the Down Run last year to take home his sixth silver medal in seven attempts.

Next weekend, he is on no doubt he will bring home gold.

“So far my training has gone well,” he said with a broad smile. “I’m going to make things happen. I am confident that something great is going to happen come June 9.”

That Mqambeli is a new man has to do with the impact made by Entsika, the company that took coach John Hamlett and his athletes under their wing when their previous backers pulled out.

This year's Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon will be held at night for the first time in its history

The 2019 edition will flag off at 6pm on Nov 30, while the entire event will take on a three-day format with the Kids Dash happening on Nov 29, and the 5K and 10K races to take place on Dec.1.

The new evening format is part of the organisers' bid to further the appeal of the race and improve SCSM's chances of being inducted into the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a series of the largest and most renowned marathons, in 2021.  

This is "another step forward for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon in their long-term aspiration of becoming an Abbott World Marathon Major", said Abbott World Marathon Majors executive director Tim Hadzima at the launch event on Tuesday.  

“The changes for this year’s marathon are just a few parts of stringent criteria that we assess each year, as there are many stages of this process still to be met. 

"We are excited to see how the runners react to the improvements that they will experience this year," he added. 

The main event's evening start time will be "more conducive for runners", said organisers in response to CNA, "given the cooler temperatures and humidity levels, in addition to more time for sleep and rest". 

"This arrangement also promises better preparation for race day as runners are able to simulate race conditions with the friendlier timings, such as evening runs after work," they added. 

Mo Farah says he will almost certainly not run a track race again and said his sights are now firmly set on running the Olympic marathon in Tokyo 2020

Speaking after winning the Vitality London 10km on Monday ahead of Andy Butchart, Farah admitted that, while he had wanted to defend his world 10,000m title in Doha, he had changed his mind because it was too close to the Chicago marathon.

“I would have loved to have won more medals for my country, as well as run Chicago, but the two events are only a week apart in October,” Farah said.

“If I did Doha how much would it take out of me for the marathon? At the marathon you can’t give these guys an inch. If you are not on your A game, you will get beat.” Asked if it meant that his track dream was now dead, he nodded. “I think so, at the minute.”

The 36-year-old has changed his mind before but he accepts it is increasingly unlikely he would return to the track given he last raced there in 2017. “Whenever I watch the 10,000m guys, I speak to my coach and ask: ‘Do you think I could do that? Because I think I could.’

But at the same time you have to be smart and you have to think about not just this year but the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.”

When asked directly if he was going to run the marathon in Tokyo he said: “At the minute, yeah. The strategy is to build up in the marathon. The more marathons I do, and the more experience I get, the better chance I have of a medal.”

Farah also denied that his extraordinary row with Haile Gebrselassie had affected his performance at the London marathon when he finished a disappointing fifth. “To be honest I am kind of sick of it in a minute but I stick by every word I said. It is the truth,” he said.

“As an athlete you’ve got to put your hand up when things go well and when they don’t. I felt great, it felt good. I was running 2:03 up to 35k, then shit hit the wall, bang, I was gone. From that point my last 7k was just ‘boom’. It won’t happen again.”

Kenya’s Benard Ngeno dominated Bolder Boulder race on Monday

Hopefully Americans Reid Buchanan and Jared Ward got a good look at one of the favorites at the 41s annual Bolder Boulder in the men’s professional race, Benard Ngeno, before the starting gun sounded.

Once the runners set out, Ngeno blazed a speedy trail impossible to match and never looked back.

Ngeno, from Kenya, sprinted out of the gate and never really let his pace dip throughout the 10-kilometer race, winning the Bolder Boulder men’s pro race in 28 minutes, 29 seconds. Buchanan was the top American finisher in eighth-place (29:46) followed by ninth-place Jared Ward (29:53).

Ngeno clocked his first mile at 4 minutes, 20 seconds and soon put the rest of the field deep into the background. His winning time of 28:29 was the eighth-fastest mark in the history of the Bolder Boulder men’s professional race.

“When they go out in 4:20, I don’t know what to do,” Buchanan said. “I started to race by myself but they never came back to me. That’s pretty unbelievable to me, I’ll just leave it at that. You just have to race your own race.

I ran the majority of that myself and keep saying to myself keep pressing, keep pressing. I really didn’t do anything, I guess. I just stayed in the same spot.”

Still, for Buchanan and Ward both believed they hit their personal goals in Monday’s meet. Buchanan is a seasoned 10K runner but was running the Bolder Boulder for the first time. Ward is a marathoner by trade who finished sixth in the marathon at the 2016 Olympics.

“I quickly was reminded I’m a marathon runner,” said Ward, who also finished eighth at the 2015 Bolder Boulder. “I knew they’d go out fast because it’s kind of a downhill start, and these are 10K guys.

So for me, it was just trying to stay in control enough the first couple of miles that I could keep a rhythm across the rest of the race. Kind of run it marathon-style.

“I looked at this race and said for me, 30 minutes is good. Being a little bit under 30, I’m happy with it.”

Ngeno won $6,500 of prize money for his performance. He was followed by Ethiopia’s Terefa Delesa (28:58) and Joseph Panga of Tanzania (29:03).

Ethiopia´s Hiwot Yemer won Bolder Boulder women´s race

Aliphine Tuliamuk was an All-American long before she became an American citizen in 2016, and the Kenyan-born runner gets into the patriotic spirit just like most people do at the Bolder Boulder.

The annual Memorial Day celebration and 10K road race is also one that brings the best out of Tuliamuk, as it should considering the high-level international talent the race draws. As the reigning runner-up, Tuliamuk entered this 41st Bolder Boulder among the favorites to win the professional race and headlining a U.S. women’s team that had an excellent shot at a team title.

Despite her best efforts while in the early stages of altering her marathon-centric training regimen to build speed, Tuliamuk settled for third. That combined with the emotional Memorial Day atmosphere left Tuliamuk with plenty to think about.

“For me being a new American, especially by choice, is that we’re here celebrating a day for so many people who gave up their lives for the freedom of this country,” Tuliamuk said. “I’m not in the military, obviously, so I feel like my only way to give back to this country is running this Memorial Day weekend and commemorating with everyone else.”

Tuliamuk, whose time of 33 minutes was the third-fastest time by a USA runner at the Bolder Boulder, took the lead around the midpoint of Monday’s race and held it until the final kilometer of the race. She finished third behind Ethiopian runner Hiwot Yemer (32.49) and Yemer’s teammate Meseret Tola (32:55), who had the lead entering the stadium but lost it when she mistakenly turned off course into a staging area where media members and photographers were being directed so that they could get across Folsom Field to the finish line.

Though she did lead and looked to be in control for a time, Tuliamuk just couldn’t hold off the long-striding Yemer and a massive uphill kick from Tola down the final stretch heading into the stadium.

“I was looking back so many times because I was thinking that I’m working really, really hard,” Tuliamuk said. “I was in so much pain at that point and I thought maybe they’re also feeling the pain … Right before the hill at the finish, I realized that I was just running out of energy. Before I knew it, the girl who ended up getting second went by me and I’m like, ‘You go, girlfriend. I’ve got nothing left in me right now.’”

Tuliamuk’s U.S.A. Red finished second in the team scoring and 16 points behind Ethiopia, which claimed first, second and fifth place.

Also for U.S.A Red, Kaitlin Goodman (34:21) and Shalaya Kipp (34:32) placed 10th and 11th, respectively.

Records were broken at the 40th Annual Cotton Row Run

The winner of the women's open 10k race broke the record held since 2007 by 28 seconds.

Thousands took to Big Spring Park this morning for a 10k, 5k and a one mile "Fun run" for kids. The winner of the women's open 10k race broke the record held since 2007 by 28 seconds. She's from Kenya, and her coach told us this was her first road race. He told us he is proud of the outcome.

“You know the course is tough. The first 5k are very hilly. We have a very muggy morning. It's warm. It's humid. But nothing bothers Catherine. She's so tough," said Coach Owen Anderson.

Anderson and Catherine Mwanzau traveled to Huntsville for the race from Michigan. She told us she enjoyed the experience.

"I'm very happy. I did enjoy it. It was a very nice race," said Catherine Mwanzau 10k winner.

Anderson also coached last year's male winner who set the new race record. The race takes place every Memorial Day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Bahrain’s Dawit Fikadu and Kenya’s Sheila Chelangat emerged victorious at the Okpekpe Road Race

Fikadu and chelangat win Opkepke, both races boasted stellar line-ups with many of the athletes boasting PBs significantly quicker than the course records of 28:35 and 32:41, but in humid conditions and on a hilly route not conducive to fast times, those mark remained intact for another year.

Fikadu, who won the Asian 10,000m title last month, was part of a large lead pack in the earlier stages alongside 2016 winner Alex Korio Oloitiptip and 2015 champion Simon Cheprot, both aiming to become the first two-time winners in Okpekpe.

The lead group passed through the half-way point in 14:13 and largely remained together for another few kilometres, but the pack started to break up as they began to ascend the uphill section for the final kilometer.

As the group splintered, Fikadu, Korio, Ethiopia’s Berehanu Tsegu and Kenya’s John Kipsang Lotiang emerged as the lead quartet. But Korio soon dropped behind and was followed by Kipsang moments later, leaving Tsegu and Fikdau out in front.

With 27:30 on the clock, Tsegu tried to forge ahead but Fikadu stayed within striking distance and timed his final effort to perfection, kicking ahead to win by one second in 29:03. Kipsang held on for third place in 29:17 with Korio following one second later in fourth.

In the women’s race, Kenyan duo Sheila Chelangat and Dorcas Jepchirchir Tuitoek broke away from the rest of the field in the opening kilometres, reaching half way in 15:49.

They continued running side by side until the closing stages before Chelangat edged ahead on the final straight, crossing the line in 33:14. As a measure of how tough the Okpekpe course is, the 21-year-old was more than two minutes shy of the 31:01 PB she had set just eight weeks ago.

Tuitoek finished four seconds behind her compatriot in 33:18 and was followed by Ethiopia’s Asifa Kasegn, who finished fourth in 33:31.

Albert Korir was the surprise winner of the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon on Sunday

Korir and Ethiopia’s Aberu Kuma, who has a personal best of 2:05:50, were running side by side after dropping Ethiopia’s Tsedet Ayana, Kenya’s Martin Kosgey and Ethiopia’s Adugna Takele when Kuma came to a complete stop at the water station. Seizing the opportunity, the tall Kenyan took off and quickly opened up an insurmountable gap.

Kuma eventually finished second in 2:08:14 with Ayana completing the podium with 2:08:53.

“This is a great achievement. It is a dream,” said the winner. “Kuma is a strong guy, I didn’t know I would beat him. But at 40km I saw he somehow stopped so I made a move to go.

“It’s a dream. I was hoping to improve my personal best; I didn’t know that I could improve. The weather was good and the course is flat, good. The first half was hard (1:03:35) but when the pacemakers went out, the pace went down.”

This was the second victory this year for Korir. He was the Houston winner in January and now, understandably, he has huge ambitions.

“I have to improve my athletics career,” he offered, “at least win a World Major and have a better time, 2:04 or 2:03.”

If Kuma was disappointed, he masked it well. With a stellar career to date, he had been the favourite to win the race.

“At 35km I didn’t take any water and so I knew I must drink water at 40km,” he explained in English. “I take water – the guy’s gone. That’s my problem. “The weather really affected my running.”

The women’s race resulted in another Ethiopian victory – the 10th consecutive time – with the ever improving Tigist Girma dropping her compatriots Bethelhem Moges and Etaferahu Temesgen at 28km. She and one of the elite women’s pacemakers opened up a gap and many observers wondered if she had moved too early.

Girma was full of confidence and ran across the line in a personal best of 2:26:34, throwing her arms up in the air in joyful celebration. She earned herself CDN$30,000.

“I was extremely ready for this race,” Girma declared. “I tried my best. Because I was all alone, I couldn’t push because the weather was not good so that’s why the time is slow. I really had good preparation.

Kenyan Dorcas Kimeli finished first at the Ottawa 10k with heavy rainfall

The Kenyan was at the front for most of the race, sharing the early spadework with her compatriots Valary Jemeli and Paskalia Kipkoech. After the first 5km was passed in a sedentary 15:57, one by one the pack was whittled down as Kimeli went to work.

Turning on to the final straight, only Jemeli was close and the gap between the two widened to the finish. Jemeli finished second in 31:12 which was also a personal best. Kipkoech came next in 31:30. The winner collected CDN$5000.

“This is my first time in Canada,” Kimeli acknowledged. “I was confident because of my training. I believed in myself and I won. I was thinking around 7km we would push and then go on to a good time. It was my plan.

“At first I was worried (about the competition) but when the race started I was confident and I dropped them one by one. I was thinking to win the race.”

Jemeli was gracious in second place and was clearly pleased with her effort which comes only 11 weeks after her third-place finish at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon.

“The pace was good because I have not done any 10k in Canada or anywhere,” Jemeli said. “I was thinking I might win the race but in the last stretch my leg was in pain and she passed me. But I am very happy; it’s my personal best.”

Equally important to the Ottawa victory was the ‘gender gap’ contest which saw the elite women set out 3:40 ahead of the elite men. Spectators could follow the race on a split screen television as the men chased the women.

The men’s pack quickly evolved into five runners at the front with three Moroccans – Mohammed Ziani, Mohamed Reda El Aaraby and Abderrahmane Kachir – running alongside Kenya’s Moses Kibet and Wilfrid Kimetei. Kibet did a lot of the early work, taking the pack through 5km in 14:19. Then Ziani went to the front a couple of times surging.

With two kilometres remaining it was the three Moroccans who appeared likely to fill the podium as Kibet and Kimetei went to the back. Kibet dropped well off the pace and out of contention but Kimetei had other ideas.

Ziani came around the final bend in front and sprinted away to a 28:12 victory. Kimitei finished four seconds behind with El Aaraby third in 28:22 and Kachir, racing for the first time outside Morocco, fourth in 28:33.

This was the second time Ziani has won the Ottawa 10km and he was pleased with his race today. However it was the second occasion where he has been unable to close the gap on the leading women. In 2016 it was Peres Jepchirchir who won the gender gap. Today Kimeli took the CDN$2000 gender gap bonus.

“First of all I am happy with my second victory here in Ottawa,” said Ziani, who has been fasting for Ramadan. “The rain was not a big problem. I had some good training so it’s not about the weather.

“At 9km I had the confidence that I would win and I increased my pace. I wasn’t worried. There were some very strong athletes though.”

“My body was not responding well so I was like jogging back so I could run at my own pace,” said Kimitei. “When they (the Moroccans) dropped their pace, that was the time I got those two guys.”

The Ottawa 10k once again served as the official Canadian championships. Natasha Wodak of Vancouver, a 2016 Olympian at 10,000m, was the first Canadian finishing seventh overall in 32:31. The men’s Canadian champion was Dylan Wykes, a 2012 Olympic marathon runner who was sixth overall in 29:56. The Canadian champions each earned CDN$3000.

London 10,000: Britons Mo Farah and Steph Twell win men's and women's titles

Sir Mo Farah and Steph Twell retained their British 10K road race titles at the Vitality London 10,000 this morning as thousands turned out to run through the sun-bathed streets of the British capital.

For Farah it was his seventh win in seven races on the famous central London course, while Twell took two seconds from her personal best to win the women’s crown for a second time just 24 hours after setting a world mile record for running hand-in-hand.

In the end Farah’s win was easy enough but the four-times Olympic champion was pushed hard by Rio Olympian Andy Butchart and former British Mile champion Nick Goolab before prevailing in 28:15.

“I really enjoyed it today,” said Farah, who was racing for the first time since finishing fifth in the Virgin Money London Marathon last month. “I love coming to London and particularly running on this course. It’s fantastic to win for a seventh time.

“The London Marathon is behind me now. I was a bit disappointed not to run quicker there but I have recovered well and was confident today.”

Goolab led the trio through halfway in 14:08 before he dropped back, but Butchart hung on until the last two kilometres, when Farah finally kicked away and put more than 100m between the pair.

“I knew Andy and Nick are both running well and I would have to keep my eyes on them,” said Farah. “We got rid of Nick, but Andy kept pushing and pushing and pushing.

“I thought, ‘When am I going to get rid of you?’ He did very well, but I was confident I could do it in the end. This is my race.”

Butchart may have failed to add to his victories here in 2016 and 2017, but the Scot was pleased enough to finish runner-up just 13 seconds behind, matching his personal best from 2016.

“I knew I would have to do the hard work,” said Butchart, who led for most of the first 5K. “But Mo was just chilling really. It’s really hard to lead a 10K and get away from someone like him.

“I wanted a good run and got that. It was only in the last 2K that he pulled away and I’m pleased to equal by PB. It shows I’m ready to run fast in the track.”

As for Twell, she set off at a pelt in the women’s race, running with a small group of male club runners as she established an unassailable lead that grew with every step.

On Sunday she and husband Joe Morwood had smashed the Guinness World Record for the fastest road mile holding hands, but that effort did little to dent her 10K title defence.

Twell passed halfway in 15:33 and eventually won by nearly 40 seconds from Stockport’s Jess Piasecki with Verity Ockenden of Swansea taking third.

“This is a great course and a great event,” said the two-time Olympian who stopped the clock at 31:55. “A personal best and a world record in one weekend can’t be bad.

“My legs were fine after yesterday, but I think I felt it in my arms a bit. The bigger races always bring out the best in me, and this is one of the biggest and the best.

“Today was London in its full glory and the crowds were fantastic. I’m just delighted.”

The unheralded Piasecki was also pleased as she clinched the runner-up spot in her best time of 32:33, while Ockenden also took some well-known scalps from a race loaded with internationals as she pinched the last podium place in 32:39, a PB for her by nearly two minutes.

“I saw Steph go off and I knew that was too fast for me,” said Piasecki. “But I ran quite within myself until the last kilometre. That was tough but it was worth it to finish second.”

As an aside,  My Best Runs publisher and founder Bob Anderson placed third in the 70 plus division clocking 49:22.  “What a great event,” says Bob.  “This is for sure a Bucket List race.  It may only be 10k but it is worth traveling too.  Congrats to Mo and Steph, the winners today.”  (Third photo) Bob with Barrie Nicholls (65-year-old runner/actor from London) at the finish line. 

Tokyo unveil new heat prevention measure for the 2020 Olympics. - umbrella hats

It’s hard to tell whether making people look like mercenary swordsmen of feudal Japan was intentional or not.

The weather is warming up as Japan heads back into the summer, and it’s quickly reminding everyone just how much this season sucks. In urban areas, little green space and scant shade transform entire neighborhoods in heat islands, which are places where the heat hits you from both the scorching sun above and the blistering asphalt beneath.

Runners from all over the world run will be running the marathon, 10,000m and 5000m on the track and thousands of spectators will be standing around for the 2020 Olympics. The city has been mulling several strategies such as shifting the event to the early or late hours, adopting day light savings time, and even having all nearby shops blast the air conditioning with their front doors open.

But now at a press conference on 24 May, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike unveiled their latest weapon against the heat: these goofy looking hats!

Kenyans dominated the 22nd edition of the Mont-Saint-Michel marathon

This is the queen race and Kenyans are the kings. They were nearly 5000 runners this Sunday morning to start at Cancale, the Mont-Saint-Michel marathon, culmination of Run In Mont-Saint-Michel 2019.

A trio was quick to detach and race in the lead, a trio 100% Kenyan. At the end of the marathon course, it was Moses M'Warur, winner of the Antwerp Marathon on May 9, who crossed the finish line first clocking 2:17:17.  Stephen Kiplimo and Isaac N'Geno climbed up the steps of the podium respectively for second and third clocking 2:17:31 and 2:19:40. 

On the women's side, Kenya's Fatih Kipsum was first in 2:42:31, ahead of Ethiopia's Ge'damnesh Mekuanent.

Kathy Lynch is hoping to complete her first BOLDERBoulder since liver transplant, this Monday

More than 50,000 runners and walkers will fill the streets of Boulder on Memorial Day for the running of the BOLDERBoulder . Many of those people will be first-time participants, but others will be running their fifth, tenth, or even 41st races.

“It’s just a fun event and I love it. It’s a great way to stay in shape,” said Kathy Lynch.

Kathy will be running her twelfth BOLDERBoulder this year, but this time around, it’s got a special meaning all because of something that happened back in January.

“I got a phone call right when I came home and they said, ‘We have a liver. You have to come in for surgery,’ and I was shocked and I couldn’t believe it,” she remembered.

Five years ago, Kathy was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a rare autoimmune disease that destroyed the bile ducts of her liver. She had been on the list for a new liver ever since.

“The doctors are surprised at how well I’m doing,” she said. “They feel I’m ahead of schedule as far as recovery goes.”

Kathy was one of 378 Coloradans waiting for a new liver. Across the state, just under 2,000 people are waiting for transplants; 1,540 are waiting specifically for kidney transplants.

“When they get this new organ, it’s almost like getting a new life and they are able to continue on with what they used to love and do before,” Donor Alliance ’s Brianna DiPilato said. “You can go run races. You can do whatever you did before.”

Kathy and her family expect that it may take her a bit longer this year to cross the finish line, but they say it’s going to be very special when she gets there.

Not only will she be doing it with a smile on her face, but she will be doing it with a ring on her finger inscribed with the date of her transplant.

“It reminds me every day of the donor who donated and his family,” Kathy said. “I’m so grateful and I’ll be thinking of them all.”

For more information on how to become an organ donor, visit the Donor Alliance webpage and click on " Become a Donor " in the upper left corner.

Rachel Hannah and Reid Coolsaet are Canadian headliners for Ottawa Marathon this weekend

Last year’s Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon saw a new female Canadian All-Comers record set at 2:22:17 and the field for the 2019 event could rival that of 2018.

Shuko Gemeno, Abeba-Tekula Gebremeskel and Tigist Girma all have personal bests under 2:27:00 and all have recent wins under their belts. The three Ethiopian women could work together to being each other to new personal bests and challenge the Canadian All-Comers and course record.

The Canadian women’s contingent includes 2:32 marathoner Rachel Hannah, Dayna Pidhoresky and Anne-Marie Comeau. Hannah and Pidhoresky are no strangers to the distance, but Sunday will be Comeau’s debut. The 22-year-old winter Olympian has been dominant on the roads for several years and we’re excited to see what she can do over 42.2K.

In the men’s field, Abera Kuma of Ethiopia has run under 2:06 twice, most recently 2:05:50 at the 2018 Rotterdam Marathon. Joining Kuma is Adugna Takele who was third in Ottawa a year ago, and ran a huge personal best in February at 2:06:32. The fastest man in the field is Getu Feleke at 2:04:50. Kenyan Martin Kosgey is also racing with an incoming time of 2:06:41.

The dark horse in the field is 23-year-old Ayana Tsede who comes in with a recent win at the 2019 Seville Marathon and a new personal best of 2:06:36.

Reid Coolsaet leads the Canadian men on his 10 year anniversary since his debut marathon. “I’m going to try to run as fast as I can on the Ottawa course, which will hopefully give me a solid placing and some points to help with my world ranking.

I’m realistically aiming for a 2:13 on the weekend.” The world championships in Doha this fall are also on Coolsaet’s radar. “Worlds would actually be a great setup for the Olympics. If you finish well at worlds the points could qualify you for Tokyo. It will be very hot in Doha, which will be good training for Tokyo as well.”

Coolsaet is coming off his longest altitude stint yet. “Boulder was really great. I got good training in and I had great people to train with. My son liked it too–any time we did some technical mountain climbing he got really into it.”

Peres Jepchirchir and Mohammed Ziani, the winners in 2016, headline the fields for Saturday night’s Ottawa 10km

The elite women are given 3:40 head start over the elite men and the first across the line earns an extra CDN$2,000 in addition to the CDN$5,000 winner’s purse. It was Jepchirchir who held off Ziani in 2016.

Jepchirchir, who held off Ziani in 2016, is making her comeback since giving birth to a baby boy at the tail end of 2017. Whether she can find the form that carried her to a PB of 30:55 for the distance in 2015 as well as capture the 2016 world half marathon title is intriguing, but she started 2019 strongly with a 1:07:36 clocking at the Ras Al-Khaimah Half Marathon.

The expected competition will likely come from her compatriot Paskalia Kipkoech, the 2012 world half marathon bronze medallist who has a 10km PB of 30:57, and 20-year-old Ethiopian Gete Alemayehu, who ran 31:12 to win the Corrida Pédestre Internationale de Houilles in France last December.

The heat and humidity at the 2016 Ottawa 10k left Jepchirchir shattered at the finish and requiring brief medical attention. But the forecast calls for rain this year, possibly even a thunderstorm.

Ziani, who finished fourth last year, will be joined by compatriot Mohamed El Aaraby who ran 27:58 at the Valencia 10k earlier this year.

Kenya’s Moses Kibet, a former steeplechaser, will challenge the two Moroccans no doubt. Last June he won the La Corrida de Langueux in a personal best of 28:26, while more recently he finished second at the Jianzhen International Half Marathon in China in a PB of 59:58.

Major flooding in recent weeks along the Ottawa River has meant that the Ottawa Marathon course has undergone substantial changes. Still, the incoming international athletes are aware that the women’s (Gelete Burka 2:22:13 2018) and men’s race records (Yemane Tsegay 2:06:54 2014) are going to be tough to beat.

Pre-race favorite Tirfi Tsegaye was forced to withdraw earlier this week after picking up a hamstring injury, but her absence leaves an evenly matched group tasked with extending Ethiopia’s winning streak to 10 women’s marathon titles in Ottawa.

Shuko Gemeno, Abeba Gebremeskel, Bethelhem Moges and Tigist Girma are all capable of victory. The latter keeps improving in leaps and bounds though her personal best is still ‘just’ 2:26:44. The winner will earn CDN$30,000.

Kara Goucher Nearly Collides With Mountain Lion on Morning Training Run

The big cats are a regular part of life in Boulder, but the former Olympian wasn’t expecting to see one on a populated road.

Even Kara Goucher, 2:24:52 marathoner and mainstay of U.S. women’s distance running for over a decade, gets spooked sometimes. But when it’s a dangerous wild predator just inches away from you, that’s understandable.

Since the return of an old hamstring injury forced Goucher to drop out of January’s Houston Marathon after 16 miles—her first marathon attempt since her heartbreaking fourth-place finish at the 2016 Olympic Trials—Goucher has taken her running in a new direction: the trails.

Though she wants more time to acclimate to the new discipline, Goucher told Runner’s World, training in her home of Boulder, Colorado has been going well. That is, until she nearly collided with a mountain lion.

Goucher set out around 8:45 a.m. local time on Monday, May 6, toward the trail systems west of Boulder. As she passed alongside a parked truck outside a residential construction site on Sunshine Canyon Drive—still a Boulder road, not a trail—a mountain lion sprinted across the front of the vehicle. The two were inches away when they saw each other, Goucher told Runner’s World.

“It happened so fast,” Goucher said. “In my mind I was like, ‘That’s not a dog, that’s not a cat. Holy sh--.’”

Goucher set out around 8:45 a.m. local time on Monday, May 6, toward the trail systems west of Boulder. As she passed alongside a parked truck outside a residential construction site on Sunshine Canyon Drive—still a Boulder road, not a trail—a mountain lion sprinted across the front of the vehicle. The two were inches away when they saw each other, Goucher told Runner’s World.

“It happened so fast,” Goucher said. “In my mind I was like, ‘That’s not a dog, that’s not a cat. Holy sh--.’”

But the circumstances—along a developed, populated road in broad daylight—caught her off guard.

“The more I’ve talked to people, the more I’ve thought about it, the fact I ran into it was such a fluke incident,” she said.

Goucher hasn’t braved the trails alone since the incident. (She has run with her male training partner on the trails and alone on the road.) She’s not sure if the unease will wear off in time, but doesn’t plan to venture into the wilderness alone in the near future.

Her biggest takeaway is the need to be more actively prepared for similar encounters, Goucher said. In theory, she knew the standard advice—stay calm, stand your ground, appear intimidating—but that knowledge went out the window in the moment.

“I don’t normally worry about it, because I think I make smart choices,” she said. “But people should practice making yourself big and backing away. I want to make sure if I’m in the situation again, I make the right decisions.”

Erick Stark 8-year-old plans to run the Bayshore Half Marathon this weekend

Eric Stark’s races begin with a pizza dinner and the Stark family pre-run motto: “We are going to do our best and have fun.”

The Kingsley 8-year-old’s been running — and placing — in fun runs, 5ks and 10ks since he was 3. But his biggest challenge yet comes Saturday — the Bayshore Half-Marathon. The 13.1-mile race kicks off at 7:30 a.m. just south of Bowers Harbor Park, And Eric is ready.

“For training, I’ve ran eight miles and 10 miles so far, and then shorter runs,” said the third-grader, who splits his time between running, schoolwork and practice with his baseball team in the Kingsley Recreational League.

His most recent race, in which he placed second for his age group, was the Interlochen Run for the Arts 5k, and last year he ran the Bayshore 10k. Eric’s age groups tend to be small — he says he competes against “mostly older people” — but that doesn’t mean he’s not competitive.

“He’s a pretty fast 8-year-old,” said Dad Chris Stark. “His times in 5ks usually place him in the top 20 racers.” Chris, a member of the Traverse City Track Club’s racing team and board of directors, started running competitively about seven years ago. Since then he’s run five marathons, including two 26.2-mile jaunts in the Boston Marathon.

“It helps keep me physically fit and helps set an example for my children — which I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job at,” Chris said. “And it helps with my mental health — it helps clear my mind and ease some stress of the day.”

He often runs races at his son’s side, and will for Saturday’s half. Lately, though, Eric’s made it through several 5ks and 10ks on his own. It’s a natural next step — Eric started with 1-mile races as a toddler. He ran his first 5k at 5 years old.

“He was one of those kids who didn’t bother walking — he started running right away,” Chris said. “We figured we should channel that.”

The pair carve out time to train a few times a week, joined by longer runs on the weekends. Both run, too, with the Track Club, It’s a family matter.

“My wife is a pretty avid runner and my 6-year-old daughter has been doing 5ks as well — she’s definitely getting the itch to join us,” Chris said.

Ex-All-American Joseph Whelan goal is to qualify for the Olympic marathon trials

Joseph Whelan, 38, a high school All-American in 2008, is training for the Grandma’s Marathon on June 22 in Duluth, Minn., and aims to run his goal marathon pace of 5:05 per mile up to 18 miles in Buffalo first.  

“I’m going to try to do a workout inside of the Buffalo marathon,” said Whelan, who lives in Spring Branch, Texas, where he is a construction site supervisor. “I’m going to try to win, but it makes sense for me to come home, get out of the heat and get a nice, long effort in, before I have another big marathon.”

Joseph began running marathons a little more than two years ago. Whelan ran cross country and track at Syracuse, but after he graduated in 2014, he focused on relocating and starting his career. When he told people he was a runner, other hardcore runners asked two questions of him: What’s your mile time? What’s your marathon time?

“I took a couple years off after college, not competing, but I’d run all through middle school, high school and college, and it felt like I was obligated to run,” Whelan said. “In 2017, that was the first year that I really thought, ‘I need to put something on the table and do something other than work.’ I needed to run a marathon to say that I’m a runner, and that became my New Year’s resolution in 2017.”

Whelan, who was third in the Buffalo YMCA Turkey Trot in November, is now preparing to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Trials next year in Atlanta. The qualifying time for the 2020 marathon trials is 2:19; Whelan aims to complete the 26.2-mile course in less than 2:13.48.

“I enjoyed the training and the buildup for a marathon, and I thought, hey, if I can focus on this, I can do really well in a marathon. Eventually, I want to do the marathons in Chicago, Boston and New York. They’re the big ones.”

80-year-old Denis McKee is set to run his fourth 5K at Tamarack in Ottawa

80 years old, McKee will be running the 5K at the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend on Saturday at 4 p.m.

“It’s good for you, but it’s hard work … I think there’s a payoff. I’m still here, that’s one thing,” McKee said. “I feel good about it after I’ve done it. I’m tired … but I feel like I’ve accomplished something.”

Exercise was reintroduced to his life after he got into a car accident in 2013.  Luckily, he could turn to his daughters, Heather McKee and Nancy Fay, for some motivation.

“I felt I had to do something to get training because of the pain … I saw Heather, who started (running half marathons) in her early 40s … and my other daughter, Nancy, has been trekking … the Himalayas, the Andes,” McKee said. “I guess they inspired me.”

In 2016, he tried exercising again. Currently, he heads to the gym for an hour most mornings. He hits the treadmill and does some other leg-strengthening exercises.

“I do it because it feels OK for me. I don’t train so much for races. I just do the exercise. Racing is the cream on the pie,” he said. Though this year’s Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend won’t be his first run, it’s his first since turning 80.

In October 2017, he ran his first 5K during the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. McKee said he was nervous at the time.

“I was embarrassed to be there. (I’m) tall and skinny and (didn’t feel) like (I was) in the greatest condition. (I) expected to see a whole bunch of real jocks,” he said.

All McKee wanted to do was finish, and he did. “I was quite arrogant. I was pleased with myself,” he said. “It was an amazing experience to see the people, all ages, sizes, shapes and conditions, getting out there.”

Next, he ran the 5K in last year’s Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, then followed that up by running his third 5K back at Toronto’s Waterfront in 2018.

Wilf Scolding known by millions as Rhaegar Targaryen on The Game of Thrones is running the Edinburgh Marathon

Wilf is known by millions as Rhaegar Targaryen, the character he played in hit TV series Game of Thrones, but on Sunday Wilf Scolding will be taking on the much more likeable role of fundraiser as he runs Edinburgh Marathon on behalf of children’s charity – Mary’s Meals.

The Welsh actor has raised more than £1,000 already for the charity that provides meals for chronically poor children across 18 developing countries around the globe, including Malawi, Zambia, South Sudan, Haiti, India and Zimbabwe.

The 29-year-old was inspired to take on the marathon, despite having never previously ran more than a few miles, after he was gifted The Shed That Fed a Million Children, a book written by Mary’s Meals founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow for his birthday.

The Game of Thrones actor explained: “It opened my eyes to how lucky I was and how unlucky some people can be.

“They feed just over 1.4 million children in places of education across the world. All too often in developing countries children cannot go to school because they are working alongside their parents to put food on the table.

“They are trapped in this cycle of poverty because they do not have access to an education.

“Mary’s Meals, by providing food in a place of education, breaks this cycle of poverty. 

Wilf has utilised his thousands of Twitter followers to raise funds for the charity by continuing to share his training progress as well as his dedication to ending world hunger across his social media platforms.

Commenting on Wilf’s efforts, Frank Nelson, Head of Fundraising at Mary’s Meals, said: “We are extremely grateful to Wilf for supporting Mary’s Meals and helping to raise awareness of our charity. We wish him the very best of luck with Sunday’s marathon.

“Our work would not be possible without the generosity of supporters like Wilf who are inspired to make a difference.”

Yuki and Yuko have known each other for 11 years and today they got married

The 2018 Boston Marathon champion Yuki Kawauchi married Yuko Mizuguchi today.  He wrote on Facebook,  “She loves running as same as me. Yuko PB’s are 2:31:39 for the marathon, 1:11:03 Half marathon and 32:10 for 10000m.

They recently won both the men’s and women’s titles at the Vancouver Marathon in Canada.  

Yuki who is now a professional runner and not working full time continued,  “We met at New Caledonia international marathon 11 years ago.”

They will run the Gold Coast marathon in July and the New Caledonia international marathon in August.

Aliphine Tuliamuk and Stephanie Bruce are set to run the BOLDER Boulder 10K event on Monday

Aliphine Tuliamuk and Stephanie Bruce have a neatly entangled relationship as NAZ Elite teammates.

It's the kind of relationship that's somewhat elusive to the sport of running, and it's been working for the two veterans.

“They are good friends, they respect one another, they have a lot of admiration for one another, and yet on race day they try to beat one another," NAZ Elite head coach Ben Rosario said Wednesday, "and then afterward they are friends still. It’s a pretty cool situation because they are raising the bar for one another it seems like constantly.”

Tuliamuk and Bruce are set to run the BOLDER Boulder 10K on Memorial Day, and then compete again on Saturday, June 8, when they take on the New York Mini 10K, which serves as this year's USATF national championship at the distance. Both toe the lines of the next couple races on a level of performance that's been demanding attention, with fans and opponents waiting to see what the two will do next.

They have each other to thank for the attention they deserve, whether it be on the big stage such as a championship race in New York City, or a race that's part of their buildup for more major events. 

When Tuliamuk joined NAZ Elite in January of 2018, she brought plenty of past success along with her aggressor mentality that surfaces, according to Rosario, on race day and during practices. Meanwhile, Bruce makes sure she and others are hitting their paces while training, bringing a practical approach to training and racing.

Together, they create a balance and a drive to get better.

Bruce enters BOLDER Boulder and the Mini 10K riding arguably the best run of success of her career. She's also arguably in the best shape of her life.

The last time Bruce ran BOLDER Boulder was in 2017 and she took eighth place in 34:35. Tuliamuk took second place last year at the event with a time of 32:48 while not far removed from her back-to-back national titles.

Coach John Hamlett says defending Comrades Marathon champion will be hard-pressed to defend his 2017 title

Speaking at the Team Entsika's launch in Dullstroom in Mpumalanga on Thursday‚ Hamlett‚ who has coached five Comrades Marathon winners since 2001‚ said Mthembu will be hard-pressed to defend his 2017 title because of his recent Two Oceans Marathon win.

“He's a tough athlete and there's nothing wrong with the man."It would be wonderful for him to win because it would make him into a legend.

"However‚ he's got a problem in reality because the guys feel exactly the way he does. They're hungry‚” Hamlett said.Team Entsika‚ which replaced the Tom-Tom Athletics team two years ago‚ has the likes of Gordon Lesetedi‚ Gift Kelehe and Siya Mqambeli to call on.

Kelehe followed in his brother Andrew's footsteps by winning the 2015 up-run in a time of 5.38.36 while his brother won the 2001 down-run in a time of 5.25.51.

Lesetedi (sixth)‚ down-run record holder David Gatebe (eighth) and Kelehe (ninth) were part of a Team Entsika trio that finished in the top 10 in last year's down-run that was won by Mthembu in a time of 5.26.34.

Mthembu won the 2017 up-run in a time of 5.35.34 in a race where Kelehe was third in a time of 5.41.48.Mthembu won last month's Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town in a time of 3.08.40.

“We've given him the bonus for the past two years but as a coach‚ I am concerned by the fact that he's run and won the Two Oceans Marathon so close to the Comrades‚" he said."It doesn't help you too much but we'll talk after 65kms.

”This year's Comrades Marathon up from Durban to Pietermaritzburg will take place on June 9.

Past national champions Stephanie Bruce, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Emily Sisson and Deena Kastor to toe the line in Central Park

This year’s NYRR New York Mini 10K, the world’s original women-only road race, will serve as the USATF 10 km Championships for the first time in the event’s 47-year history on Saturday, June 8 and feature one of the best professional athlete fields ever assembled for the event.

The professional open division will include four U.S. 10K champions – Stephanie Bruce (2018), Aliphine Tuliamuk (2017), Emily Sisson (2016), and Deena Kastor (2007) – while the professional wheelchair division will return for the second year with defending champion Susannah Scaroni.

“The Mini is one of road racing’s crown jewels and has been a showcase for many of the world’s greatest runners for decades,” said Chris Weiller, NYRR’s head of professional athletics. “With the national championship on the line for the first time, we’re excited to welcome one of the greatest collections of American women in event history. This year will be special.”

The 2019 USATF 10 km Championships will offer a $75,000 prize purse – the most-ever for a single gender USATF 10 km Championships – including $20,000 for the first-place finisher and will be streamed live on USATF.TV. The women’s 10 km Championships have taken place every year since 1978 and since 2002 have been a part of the USATF Running Circuit, which features championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners. 

Sisson, who won the USATF 5 km title in Central Park last year and was the top American woman in April’s London Marathon in her 26.2-mile debut, will be going for her second national title in the distance. In Central Park, she will be challenged by defending USATF 10 km and Half-Marathon champion Bruce, nine-time U.S. champion Tuliamuk, and U.S. champions Jordan Hasay, Sara Hall and Laura Thweatt, along with Kastor, the American marathon record-holder and 2004 NYRR New York Mini 10K champion. 

“I’m excited to be lining up for one of the greatest American women’s fields ever assembled at the country’s most historic all-women’s race,” Sisson said. “I’ve had success in winning the USATF 10 km Championships before and will look to repeat that at this year’s NYRR New York Mini 10K, which is a great showcase of how far women’s running has come in our country.”

Steven Hollander and his brother Spencer ultimate goal is to run all six marathon majors

Steven Hollander made one of his dreams come true April 15.

For the past 10 years, Hollander dreamed of running the Boston Marathon, the oldest annual marathon in the world and the most prestigious in the marathon community. Runners must qualify based on their age and finish time, which makes it extremely competitive to get into.

He qualified in January 2018 during the Houston Marathon with a time of 2:57:13, just under the 3:00:00 qualifying time for his age group. Three months later, nine marathons after he first set the goal, he and his brother, Spencer Hollander, ran the Boston race.

Out of nearly 26,000 runners, Steven finished in top six percent with a time of 2:54:35, which qualified him for next year’s event as well. He was the fourth runner from the state of South Carolina to cross the finish line, second from the Lowcountry region and first from the Summerville area.

Spencer finished with a time of 3:05:26. Their ultimate goal is to complete the Abbott World Marathon Series together, which means completing the Boston, NYC, Chicago, Tokyo, Berlin, and London marathons. Later this year, they will run in the Chicago marathon, step two of six.

The Cotton Row Run in Huntsville is celebrating 40 years and is featuring a new 5k course

For four decades, this road race has been a Memorial Day tradition in downtown Huntsville.

Each year the runners assembled at the start are reminded of the meaning of Memorial Day and that they have the freedom to run because brave Americans sacrificed for this nation’s liberty.

The 40th annual Cotton Row Run is scheduled for Monday, Memorial Day. Construction moved the start from the Von Braun Center to Big Spring Park. The 10K course remains basically the same, including the big hill on Mountainwood Drive, but the 5K course is totally different.

“We’re excited. Lots of new changes this year,” said Donna Palumbo, in her second year as race director.

The new title sponsor, Bill Penney Toyota, will give away a 2019 Mitsubishi Mirage, to a race registrant whose name is selected by computer.

On Monday, the 10K starts at 7 a.m. and the 5K at 9 a.m. The pace car will be given away during the 5K opening ceremony from 8:40-9. The one-mile fun run starts at 10 a.m.

More runners have registered for this year’s race than in 2018, according to race organizers. By the close of regular registration, 2,140 had registered for the 10K, 1,719 for the 5K and 205 for the one mile. By comparison the final numbers for the 2018 Cotton Row had 2,079 10K, 1,620 5K and 184 one-mile.

“We’re ahead of the total numbers now (from last year),” Eric Fritz, president of the Huntsville Track Club, which conducts the race, said. “We usually get over 400 (late registrants) the day before the race.”

Three men who have run all 39 Cotton Row 10Ks and plan to run their 40th on Monday include Bill Allbritton, 64, of Scottsboro; J.D. Turner, 71, of near Elkton, Tennessee; and Kevin Jose, 58, of Huntsville.

More than 450,000 runners want to run the next London Marathon, the most ever

More than 450,000 runners have entered the ballot for next year's London Marathon, breaking the event's own world record for registrations, organisers said on Tuesday.

The final total of 457,861 applicants from Britain and overseas represents a 10.5% increase on last year's 414,168 bidding for a place in the world's most popular marathon.

More than 56% of British entries were from people who have never run a marathon, and the majority of those are women.

"One of our goals is to inspire people to take up sport and it's fantastic that more than 210,000 people from the UK have been inspired to apply to run a marathon for the first time in 2020," event director Hugh Brasher said in a statement.

"At the first London Marathon back in 1981, fewer than 300 of the 6,300 finishers were women.

"More than 179,000 women from the UK have applied to run in 2020 and, for the third successive year, there are more female than male first-time marathon runners from the UK."

The 40th London marathon will take place on April 26, 2020.