Running News Daily

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian Olympic Committee to take steps to get the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to monitor the Russian Athletics Federation

Last March the IAAF Council, meeting in Doha, reported that "there are no changes in the status of the Russian Athletics Federation", which has not taken part in international competitions since 2015 due to the accusations of doping.

"The Russian Olympic Committee wants to take comprehensive measures to re-establish the status of the Russian Athletics Federation in the International Association of Athletics Federations and to ensure that all members of the Russian Olympic team take part in the XXXII Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 (in Japan) without restrictions ", says the text of the order.

The Russian Olympic Committee has "a deadline until December 2, 2019" to take the aforementioned measures.

Likewise, Putin ordered an increase in efforts "to protect the rights and interests of Russian athletes internationally."

The Russian president also decided to study the possibility of presenting Russia as a candidate to host the World Games of the Association for Sport for All in 2024 (Tafisa, by its English acronym).

In November 2015, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accused Russia of violating anti-doping rules and recommended to the IAAF to remove Russian athletes from international competitions.

In 2015 the IAAF suspended the FAR for the consequences of the doping scandal and since then extended the suspension on more than one occasion by estimating that it has not complied in all with the roadmap to combat doping.

Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha won the 5,000 easily at Payton Jordan invitational last night clocking 13:10 along with other top performances

The big names at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford's Cobb Track and Field stadium in Palo Alto, Calif. all got wins last night. 

Clayton Murphy won the 1500 (3:37.59) comfortably, Jessica Hull won the 1500 (4:12.08).

 Allie Ostrander the steeple, Jenny Simpson got the win (15:21) over Rachel Schneider in the 5,000.

Yomif Kejelcha won the 5,000 easily (13:10 for him, 13:17 for 2nd) and Sifan Hassan’s 10,000m debut (31:18) was a success.

Ben True won the 10k (27:52) but no one got the Worlds standard.

New Balance professional Jenny Simpson won the women's 5,000 meters in her outdoor season opener in 15:21.12.

Simpson, who last ran an outdoor 5,000 in August of 2013 in Switzerland in a personal-best 14:56.26 after capturing the USATF title that year, was competing at Payton Jordan for the first time since winning the 1,500 in 2010 in 4:08.11.

Simpson ascended to No. 3 in the world this year in the 5,000, also achieving the IAAF World Championships standard.

This year's Red River flood is forcing the organizers of the Fargo Marathon to make some course changes

With many parts of the route still muddy or flooded, the maps are going to be changed quite a bit, according to Marathon director Mark Knutson — though the revised maps have not yet been released.

Knutson says paths along the river are being eliminated because of high waters and unsafe running conditions.

Oak Grove, Gooseberry and Lindenwood parks, as well as Jack William Stadium and the Hjemkomst Center have been removed from routes.

"Those have to go away, there's just no way that'll get down (the water) and the other piece is, even if the water gets down, they're just dirty they have to get cleaned up," Knutson said.

A map of the revised routes has not yet been provided but the Veteran's Memorial Bridge will be included.

Colorado Runner Geofrey Terer is back to defend his 2018 victory at Lincoln Marathon

The 42-year-old Geofrey Terer is back to defend his 2018 victory. Terer won last year's full marathon in 2 hours, 29 minutes, 37 seconds.

Running last year his first-ever Lincoln Marathon, the 41-year old from Colorado Springs, Colorado, took the lead from Lincoln’s Eric Noel — the 2016 winner — between miles 16 and 17 and cruised to the finish line in 2 hours, 29 minutes, 37 seconds.

Terer’s time bested Michael Zeigle’s record of 2:32:41 in the 40-44 age bracket set in 1992. His winning time was just over four minutes slower than 2017 winner David Tuwei.

“I just increased the pace a little bit around Mile 17, and he (Noel) wasn’t able to maintain it,” Terer said. “There was quite a lot of cheering along the way with the race, and that was very, very nice.”

With temperatures creeping into the 70s and virtually no breeze on the course, staying hydrated proved to be key for the 13,500 runners competing in either the half- or full marathon.

“It was a little warm, and when it’s warm like this you lose a lot of water,” Terer said. “Around Mile 25 I got tired and hit the wall. Cooler weather is OK.”

Though it was Terer’s first Lincoln Marathon, it wasn’t his first race in Nebraska. He ran the Nebraska State Fair Marathon in 2015 and 2016. He decided on a whim to register for Lincoln.

Terer has won previous marathons, including the 2016 and 2017 Missoula, Montana, event.

Current champion Eric Koech returns to defend his title at Belfast City Marathon this weekend

This Sunday's 38th Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon has broken all entry records and is fast approaching some 5,000 applications.

This is a clear result of both the historic switch to a Sunday event plus the attraction of an entirely new faster course which eliminates the old tortuous lengthy climb on the Antrim Road.

Current champion Eric Koech returns to defend his title from a year ago when he enjoyed a two minutes victory margin over fellow Kenyan Dan Tanui in a time of 2 hrs 18 mins 19 secs.

This win made up for the 37 year old's runner up spot in 2016 when he lost out to Joel Kositany.  Eric has not raced since his victory in Belfast as he is determined to repeat last year's result. 

However, this is far from a foregone conclusion such is the caliber of the opposition which is probably the best ever.  It includes three times previous winner Kositany who took the titles with some ease in 2013, 2015 and 2016.   However, Joel has bitter memories of last year when he was joint leader with Koech and looking comfortable with less than 3 miles to go.

He then suffered the athlete's ultimate nightmare of a pulled hamstring after which he painfully struggled to the finish for 3rd over 5 minutes behind the winner.

This experience has made him more determined to achieve a record 4 victories and finally surpass the 3 wins of John Mutai over ten years ago.

The 31 year old certainly has the pedigree to do this given the fact that he has the fastest marathon best in the field of under 2 hrs 10 mins.

Koech and Kositany will however have to keep a wary eye on yet another Kenyan Bernard Rotich.  He is also a former winner from 2017 when he secured victory in 2 hrs 16 mins which is the 3rd fastest time on the old course.

Thirty-two-year-old Rotich who was also second in 2013 is possibly the biggest danger of all next Sunday as he has the best recent form.  He followed up his Dublin Marathon victory of 2017 with a very useful time in the same race last October of 2.14.18.

Gideon Kimosop is also a Kenyan from the Rift Valley who has easily the most experience of racing in the Province.  He is a treble winner of the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Half Marathon and was 2nd over the full marathon distance in 2015.

For Eilish McColgan, the forthcoming IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, represent an exciting opportunity what she calls her second home

“I'd love to break into the top five or to break 14.40,” Eilish reveals. “Either of those and I'll be really happy!” If that happens, she’ll gladly credit her mother.

“My mum’s the driving force behind everything I do and I wouldn't have achieved anything without her behind me all the way.”

Mother Liz is permanently based in the Arabian Gulf country working as a kids coach at the Al Saad Sports Club for the Doha Athletics Club, which she established following her move in 2014.

“I always knew I would get into coaching when I retired as I started to coach athletes before my own career was over,” said Liz, who at 54 still runs every day and works out in a gym twice a week.

“When I arrived in Doha, I gave some motivational talks in the international schools and it became very clear that a lot of kids wanted to run but there were no opportunities for them, so I set up a little running group that grew very quickly and then developed DAC.” Given her athletics CV, Liz is in high demand.

“Eilish is a very talented athlete and I feel she has a lot more to go in her running,” said her mom Liz, who also took silver at the 1987 World Cross Country Champioships, the 1988 Olympic 10,000m and 1989 world indoor 3000m.

“She has a lot of room for improvement in her endurance and hopefully we will see that in the next few years as she moves up in distance.”

For next year, the two have decided a move to the 10,000m for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and then the marathon in 2021. That’s a distance Liz knows well, with victories in New York, Tokyo and London among her numerous laurels.

“I love training in Doha,” Eilish says. “Of course the weather can be challenging but it's a beautiful country with fantastic sporting facilities.

“2017 was by far my best season to date - I managed to stay much more consistent with regards to injury and illness and it made such a huge difference to my performance and confidence too.”

“I went into races knowing I was in the shape of my life and ready to perform. That confidence continued to snowball and it was the first season I had broken some of my mum’s personal bests too, so that was really special and really helped to drive me on to run faster!”

In 2018 she raced to 5000m silver at the European Championships in Berlin and recorded a 4:08.07 indoor 1500m personal best, yet illness affected her performances at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, as she trailed home in sixth in both the 1500m and 5000m.

Her form however returned with a 4:25.07 track mile, a 54:53 10-mile debut on the roads and then a 31:51 10km road lifetime best in Doha in the New Year, before illness struck again, causing her to place only seventh in the European indoor 3000m final last month.

“I had a horrible start to the year with a virus so silver in Berlin meant a lot to me - being able to turn the year around and finishing on such a high.

“It's frustrating but I'm making some small changes to my travel plans, sleep routine, diet and even my training schedule to try improve my immunity.” 

Bylahalli Raghunath Janardan, 86, will be one of the oldest participants in the TCS World 10k

At 86, Bylahalli Raghunath Janardan looks like the last person who needs a walking stick. Instead, the retired octogenarian has a Raleigh bicycle that accompanies him everywhere.

By 9.30am, he has already cycled 15km from his home to Kanteerava Stadium, where he tells us that next month, he will be taking part in the TCS World 10k marathon, making him one of the oldest participants at the event.

Janardan has run 13th Bengaluru marathon, in addition to his 16 full marathons and 64 half marathons. One might assume then that he has been running all his life but Janardan’s first full marathon was at the age of 72, which he completed in five hours and 40 minutes. It was a 42-km marathon but he was unable to finish it, an experience he still repents sometimes.

“At the 4-km mark, I was chased by some dogs who almost bit me. Then again, at 16km, I stumbled since the road was too narrow in Madikeri. At this point, the doctors present advised that I stop the run.

It was the one and only time I’ve actually listened to my doctors,” recalls the former Indian Railways employee, adding, “I repented it soon after because I had already finished the hilly portions of the run. The rest would have been easy.”

Janardan’s tryst with fitness started post a diagnosis of major epilepsy at 62 – a decision that left him shocked but not devastated.

“I refused to believe it initially. Under my family’s compulsion, I took the required medication for nine months. But then I didn’t want to anymore. I hated being dependent or feeling unproductive because of the medication,” he shares.

Thus, he soon started venturing on bicycle rides, and covered close to 75 km in the first ride he took to Devanahalli to watch his son’s sitar performance. “I managed the whole ride just fine, and this was on a cycle that weighed 22kg.

The next day, I did the same and after this, I told my family members that I didn’t want medication anymore,” he says, adding that he saves close to `3,000 per month by avoiding fuel and medication.

The octogenarian shares that he never feels old and thanks to the marathons he runs, he’s constantly surrounded by young people.

The cycle too helps him relive his ‘lost boyhood days’. Now that the fitness bug has bitten Janardan, he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon and has even found some cheerleaders along the way. During an obstacle race, he recalls feeling apprehensive about having to climb a 12-feet high tyre wall, cross over a beam and make his way down on the other side. “As I wondered how to do this, another woman came up and told me she had been watching me complete tasks that even she couldn’t do.

She motivated me to try this one too and I didn’t just try, I succeeded as well,” he says.Next up on Janardan’s list? “A 24-hour endurance test at Kanteerava Stadium, where I want to cover around 100 to 120km either in July or August,” he says confidently.

Kory Kennedy outruns his challenges by training for 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Batman suit

It may require a double-take but your eyes are not deceiving you if you’ve seen Batman running around Kokomo.

A man wearing the Dark Knight’s outfit has been running around the city for the past few months. Kory Kennedy says he started wearing the suit to stay warm while training during the winter months but has kept wearing it because of the reaction he gets.

“They love Batman,” said Kennedy. “This is actually what I want. To make people have a better day and have things go better with them when they see me dressed up as Batman.”

Kennedy gets stopped by kids and adults, giving out high fives, selfies and hugs.

But the training is serious work for Kennedy as he prepares for races throughout the year. He’s been in more 10Ks and half-marathons than he can count and usually finishes near the top of the field.

The fact that he can run at all is remarkable. When Kennedy was 8 years old, he was involved in a serious car accident that left him with a brain injury, muscle damage and legally blind.

He has no vision in his right eye and partial vision in his left.

“God wasn’t ready for me yet. He said it’s not time for you to come up yet, you’ll still be alive,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy started running in middle school and did track and cross country in high school. In May, he plans to run in his third OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.

He says he hasn’t decided if he will wear the Batman outfit. It might be too warm.

However, in March he wore the suit as he ran in Carmel’s Lucky Clover Run and finished first in a field of nearly 800 runners.

Mo Farah has declined a place in the IAAF World Championships marathon after his substandard showing in London at the weekend, with the 36-year-old expected to announce a return to the track

The four-time Olympic champion finished fifth in the London Marathon on Sunday – three minutes and two seconds behind winner Eliud Kipchoge – as his road career hit a stumbling block.

Farah broke the European record at the Chicago Marathon last October, but was far from guaranteed a medal over 26.2 miles with 17 athletes running faster in the last 12 months.

He is set to defend his title at the Vitality London 10,000 race later in May, with the Briton thought to be considering the same distance for Doha 2019.

The three-time 10,000m world champion has previously spoken about missing the track.

"Having seen my fellow athletes, who I've competed against in the past, and watching the European Indoor Championships on TV, I was thinking 'Oh man! I want to get back out there'," Farah said in March.

"That's just me. If things are going well and I've got a chance to win a medal, then I'd love to come back and run for my country.

"Part of me when I watch track races I'm like, 'can I still do it? I want to do it'. I do miss the track."

British Athletics announced that the men's line-up in Doha will consist of Callum Hawkins and Dewi Griffiths, with Charlotte Purdue and Tish Jones going in the women's' race.

Caster Semenya loses her battle with the IAAF but is considering an appeal

South African 800m Olympic champion Caster Semenya is considering an appeal after losing her landmark legal case against athletics’ governing body, the IAAF, in a decision that could end her career as an elite athlete.

The ruling by the court of arbitration for Sport means that Semenya, who has not been beaten over 800m since 2015, will have to take medication to significantly reduce her testosterone if she wants to run internationally at events between 400m and a mile.

The sports scientist Ross Tucker, who was part of Semenya’s team of experts at Cas, believes it will mean the South African could run the 800m in around seven seconds slower – turning her from a world-beater into an also-ran at that event. However the indications are that she may decide to step up to the 5,000m, where the IAAF’s new rules regarding athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) do not apply.

The surprise verdict was announced by the court of arbitration for sport on Wednesday after three arbitrators had spent more than two months deliberating over the complex and highly contentious case.

Announcing its ruling, Cas agreed that the IAAF’s policy was “discriminatory” to athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) such as Semenya. However two of three arbitrators accepted the IAAF’s argument that high testosterone in female athletes confers significant advantages in size, strength and power from puberty onwards, and said the policy was “necessary, reasonable and proportionate” to ensure fair competition in women’s sport.

It means that all DSD athletes, who are usually born with internal testes, will have to reduce their testosterone to below five nmol/L for at least six months if they want to compete internationally all distances from 400m to a mile. The IAAF, which welcomed the news, said its policy would come into place on 8 May.

Semenya was expected to be a cornerstone of the SA athletics team that will compete at the IAAF’s world championships in Doha from September 28 to October 6‚ and the Tokyo Olympics next year from July 24 to August 9.

London Marathon winner Brigid Kosgei says she does not know what is next for her at the moment

London marathon champion Brigid Kosgei says she will relish the challenge to defend her title in the English capital in 2020.

Speaking in Nairobi upon her arrival from London, Kosgei, who is also the Chicago marathon winner, says she has no fear of any athlete and will be ready to take on any challenge in future race.

"I say thank you for Kenyans for cheering me. I have done to London and done something good. I hope next year I will go there and do something better," said Kosgei on Tuesday.

For now, Kosgei will take a deserved rest to shake off the fatigue as she discusses with her coach Erick Kimaiyo and management over her next race in 2019.

"I want to prepare well for the next race. I hope to be a winner again wherever I will go. I must thank my coach Kimaiyo for having believed and trained me," she said.

Kosgei, who in 2018 was second to Vivian Cheruiyot, returned to the English capital and proved her worth as she obliterated her mentor to win the race with Cheruiyot settling for silver.

She however says due to the high number of elite runners in the race, it is always hard to hit fast time as each will sit back to wait for a sacrificial lamp to step forward and lead.

"But for me, I knew I had trained well and after 21km I decided it was time to go. We were watching each other, me, Vivian and Mary Keitany. I believed in my strides and it was good that I won. Even the few times that Cheruiyot pulled away, I was not worried. I don't fear anyone because as long as my legs are strong, I always focus on winning," she said

Kosgei had prepared for a fast time but not a personal best. "I don't know what is next for me at the moment. After recovering, my body will show where next I will go," said Kosgei.

It is now three wins in a row for Kenya women in London after Keitany won in 2017, Cheruiyot in 2018 and now Kosgei in 2019.

London Marathon offered edible seaweed drinks instead of plastic bottles

Over 30,000 edible drinks capsules made from seaweed were handed out to runners at the London Marathon, in a bid to reduce plastic waste.

The marathon was the largest ever trial of Ooho capsules – biodegradable pods that can be filled with water or other beverages.

You can either consume the pods whole, or bite into them to release the liquid. Made from a seaweed-based substance, the discarded wrapping will naturally decompose in four to six weeks – roughly the same time as a piece of fruit.

Ooho pods are made by Skipping Rocks Lab, a London-based startup led by Royal College of Art graduates Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez and Pierre Paslier.

During the marathon, the capsules were filled with energy drink Lucozade Sport Orange and handed out to runners from a station 23 miles into the 26.2-mile course.

Introduction of the capsules formed part of a push from London Marathon organisers to make this year's event the most sustainable marathon ever.

Last year an estimated 760,000 plastic bottles were thrown onto the city's streets by runners and spectators. The target for 2019 was to bring this number down by 215,000.

The total number of drinks stations was reduced from 26 to 19, including the one distributing edible Ooho pods. Plus two of the stations were handing out drinks in compostable cups.

To further reduce the marathon's carbon footprint, plastic bottles dropped in the London were taken to a recycling plant.

"It's really simple because it’s a membrane, and membranes are the technology that nature uses to encapsulate things using the minimum amount of material," explained Gonzalez.

Beet juice enhances athletic performance giving to the athletes an amount of nitrate in a natural food source

Runners have experimented with a broad array of aids in pursuit of a performance edge. A popular one today that seems safe and backed by solid data is the juice of beets, for the nitrates they contain.

Inorganic nitrate is added to cured and processed meats to extend their shelf life and give them their distinctive pink color. It’s also naturally found in spinach, arugula and beets. In the past decade, new evidence has suggested that the nitrate in these vegetables enhances athletic performance and may also increase cardiovascular health in old age.

The first clue came in 2007, when Swedish researchers reported that three days of sodium nitrate supplementation lowered the oxygen demand of nine cyclists and triathletes as they worked out, compared with a placebo of table salt. It also increased the blood plasma levels of nitrite, a byproduct of nitrate.

That study caught the eye of exercise physiologist Andrew Jones of the University of Exeter in England. Usually, the oxygen demand of exercise is fixed, he says, so for a short-term intervention to change that “was unusual.”

Although it wasn’t clear how nitrate was doing what it did, Jones knew that green leafy vegetables and beets were rich sources. So he conducted a study, reported in the Journal of Applied Physiology, giving eight men active in recreational sports an equivalent amount of nitrate in a natural food source like beet juice.

The volunteers consumed 500 ml (17 ounces) of beet juice every day for six days. Then, after a break of 10 days, the groups were switched around and drank another drink for an additional six days.

By the last three days of the six, nitrate concentration in the blood of those drinking beet juice was almost doubled and their systolic blood pressure (which measures the pressure in your blood vessels as your heart beats) fell by an average of 6 points. The oxygen cost — the amount of oxygen consumed — when they exercised on a stationary bicycle was reduced by 19 percent.

“When we asked them to continue to exercise to exhaustion, they were able to go longer,” recalls Jones, who co-wrote a review on dietary nitrates in the 2018 Annual Review of Nutrition.

From then on, research on beet juice, beet juice concentrates, whole beets and nitrate salts started to pour in.

Nitrate itself doesn’t do much in the body. It first has to be converted to nitric oxide, a gas with numerous physiological roles — in blood vessel dilation, muscle contraction and transmission of nerve signals, among others. People obtain that nitric oxide in two ways: either through the action of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase, which catalyzes the amino acid L-arginine to produce it, or from nitrate ingested in food.

Scott Wietecha won the St. Jude Rock and Roll Marathon for the seventh time

Scott Wietecha was greeted at the finish line by his family as he won the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon for the seventh straight year.

Wietecha’s wife handed him his medal after finishing the race in 2 hours, 34 minutes.

“You always want to win because people are rooting for you and it’s so much pressure,” Wietecha said after the race. “Any time I can get it done and win. I got 12 more months I can relax.”

More than 30,000 people ran the race. Organizers estimate more than $2 million was raised for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Last year Wietecha got pushed late because he had to take a bathroom break between miles 18 and 19.

This year he chose to slow down because he thought he had a more comfortable lead than he actually did.

"Someone told me I had about a three-minute lead so I said, 'Umm, three minutes, I can kind of chill,'" Wietecha said. "And then I was feeling sorry for myself because of all the hills; I hate hills and these hills were brutal."

Not long after that Wietecha was told Wilson was closing in on him and only about 20 seconds back.

Wietecha did not panic. The slower pace had helped him regain his energy and he had plenty left for the final two miles.

Sir Mo Farah is disappointed on his performance at London Marathon

Mo Farah finished fifth in Sunday’s London Marathon in 2:05:39, three minutes behind winner Eliud Kipchoge. Farah went into the race hoping for a big result, but came away shy of his goals.

Farah fell off of the leaders at roughly halfway but maintained a strong position throughout the race. The runner told the London Marathon post-race, “I didn’t feel great at the start but I followed the pace maker.

I felt good halfway and by 20 miles a gap was there. My aim was to reel them back once the pacemaker dropped out but wasn’t able to. I am disappointed as training went well.”

When asked about the Haile Gebrselassie controversy, Farah said, “I didn’t think the fuss affected my run and I wasn’t distracted by the build up, it was all about London today and so I put my head down, did my best.”

While a 2:05:39 wasn’t exactly what he was looking for, it’s still less than 30 seconds off his personal best and European record of 2:05:11, and a fifth-place finish among one of the best marathon fields ever assembled is no joke.

In Sunday’s race, only seven months after his world record run, Kipchoge ran the second-fastest time in history over the marathon distance and became the first man to win four London Marathon titles.

Kenyas Agnes Tirop will return to the Garden City to defend her title

In 2018, Agnes Tirop set a course record of 31:19 at the TCS World 10K after managing to shake off Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi with just 250 meters to go.

Teferi, who won the RAK Half Marathon earlier this year in a national record of 1:05:45, is also back in Bengaluru while other familiar faces on the start line include Kenya’s Caroline Kipkirui and Ethiopia’s world half marathon champion Netsanet Gudeta, who were third and fourth in 2018.

Add into the mix the presence of Kenya’s world record-holder Joyciline Jepkosgei and Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu, who leads the 2019 10km world list after her win in Valencia in 30:15 and it promises to be every bit as exciting as the men’s contest.

“Every year the quality of the elite fields for the TCS World 10K Bengaluru gets better and this year is no different,” said Vivek Singh, joint managing director of race promoters Procam International.

“We have world record-holder Joyciline Jepkosgei and five male athletes whose personal best is well below the course record.”

Stephen Kiprotich third best at Hamburg Marathon

Uganda’s former World and Olympic Champion Stephen Kiprotich showed he is still a key performer on the big stage, with a superb 3rd place finish in the Haspa Hamburg International Marathon Sunday morning.

Kiprotich led for stretches, but he failed to break away from the chasing pack. Ethiopia’s Tadu Abate in 2:08:26 won eventually, with countryman Ayele Abshero edging out Kiprotich for second.

It is his 3rd straight top 10 finish in the event, at which he was 5th in 2017 and second last year.

Kiprotich, 30, has won two major global titles but victory in a big city marathon is still missing so far in his running portfolio. He however did win the Enschede marathon in 2011 with 2:07:20, before his 2012 Olympic and 2013 World Championship victories.

The elite runners, including Kiprotich, will share 300,000 Euros.

Jordan Tropf was not well known by others at the Big Sur Marathon but he took the lead from the start and pulled away to the finish

The Big Sur International Marathon had more than 4,000 runners tackle the 26.2-mile course along the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.  

Jordan Tropf was the winner clocking 2:25:21.

This is the first year in a long time that a new face has won the marathon.

D'Ann Arthur, 31, of Redondo Beach won the women's overall division clocking 2:45:41. Arthur is in residency for orthopedic surgery in Southern California.

Tropf is a Navy doctor from Silver Springs, Maryland, who said that he set a personal record on Sunday. He was the race leader from start to finish. 

Defending male champion and local favorite, Adam Roach, 33, of Pacific Grove, placed second.  Michael Wardian placed fourth and was first master.  

Adam and Michael have dominated the annual race the past few years, having won the last seven races between them. But Wardian told Roach before the sun came up Sunday to be aware of Jordan Tropf, who won the Baltimore Marathon in 2017.

“I didn’t know he was even in the race until Michael mentioned him on the ride out,” said Roach, a Pacific Grove resident.

Tropf wasn’t on the list of elite runners entered in the race, although he is ranked among the nation’s top 200 marthoners having run 2 hours, 27 minutes and 23 seconds at the Boston Marathon on April 15 and 2:26.45 in the Marine Corps Marathon in October.

But Roach wasn’t sure which runner Tropf was until a few miles into race. By then, the Navy doctor had become a blur ahead of him, running off with the men’s division in 2:25:22.

“I had set a goal to get under 2:30,” said the 27-year-old Tropf, who is in the Naval Academy. “I just went out and ran my race and didn’t worry about anyone else.”

D’Ann Arthur of Redondo Beach didn’t let a night out for a wedding slow her down, as she went out and won the women’s race in 2:48.40 — nearly 13 minutes faster than last year’s winning time.

Tropf set a blistering pace that caught Roach — a five-time champion at Big Sur – off guard. He led from the start and gradually extended his lead throughout the 26-mile, 385-yard majestic course.

Running a 5:32 mile pace, Tropf’s time was nearly four minutes faster than Roach’s winning time last year and over five minutes faster than Wardian’s winning time in 2017.

Mathew Kimeli and Senbere Teferi were dominant victors at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10-K

Ethiopia’s 2015 world 5000m silver medallist Senbere Teferi won in a course record of 30:59 ahead of Kenya’s Monicah Ngige (31:52) and Ethiopia’s Buze Diriba (32:20).

Mathew Kimeli, who owns the event’s second-fastest ever mark with his runner-up run at the 2018 edition of the race (27:19), this time clocked 27:45 to win.

Ethiopia’s Girma Bekele Gerba placed second with a time of 28:07 and Kenya’s Edwin Kibichiy was third with a time of 28:21.

Winning by 22 and 53 seconds in 27:45 and 30:59, respectively. Kimeli, a 21-year-old Kenyan who represents adidas, improved on last year's runner-up finish, cruised the second half of the race solo.  Teferi, a 23-yer-old Ethiopian who also runs for adidas, set a new event record, the first sub-31:00 in the 15-year history of the event which raises money for kidney disease research and treatment.

A year ago, Kimeli and training partner Rhonex Kipruto worked together in pursuit of the Central Park record and the $30,000 bonus that came with it. Kipruto took home the paycheck for his 27:08 victory, while Kimeli finished second in 27:19. He returned to New York as the pre-race favorite and acted like it, immediately moving to the front of the lead pack from the start.

Through the first mile (4:31), Kimeli was joined by fellow Kenyan James Ngandu, Gabriel Geay of Tanzania and Girma Bekele Gebre, a New York-based Ethiopian. Kimeli ratcheted up the pace with a 4:20 second mile, first dropping Ngandu before Geay also started to struggle to maintain contact. Running the tangents of the curved roadway with precision, Kimeli dropped Gebre as the course climbed the steep Harlem Hill at the north end of the park. Between 3 miles (13:14) and 5 kilometers (13:45) Kimeli accelerated sharply and broke away.

"I could see that he was going to challenge me on the hill, so I decided that was the time to push it," Kimeli told Race Results Weekly.

At the certified 8-kilometer split (22:08) Kimeli's lead had grown to 17 seconds and his only competition was coming from the clock. The demanding course took its toll, however, as he split 14:00 for the second 5-K to reach the finish in 27:45, still the sixth fastest time in race history.

"The course is good, but today I didn't have a challenger so that maybe we could push together," Kimeli said. "I was comfortable, although I didn't have anybody to support me, other than the [cameraman's] motorbike. The spectators cheered for me and that helped. Maybe next year I'll try to set a new course record."

Gebre crossed the line second in 28:07, while Edwin Kibichiy of Kenya, the 2017 NCAA champion in the steeplechase for the University of Louisville, moved up for third in 28:21. Another Kenyan, Dominic Korir (28:24), and Geay (28:43) rounded out the top five.

Teferi, a week away from her 24th birthday and in her United States racing debut, made an aggressive bid for the Central Park record, Lornah Kiplagat's 30:44 set at the 2002 NYRR New York Mini 10-K. She broke away from Kenya's Monicah Ngige early in the race, attacking the early miles. By halfway (15:31), the record seemed out of her reach, but Teferi continued to press.

Indeed, she covered the second half even faster (15:28) to break the tape in 30:59. Although she missed Kiplagat's mark, she was well under the previous event record of 31:17, set by Joyce Chepkirui of Kenya in 2014.

"I was trying to break the record, but there were a lot of hills at the beginning and by 2 kilometers I knew I was off the pace," said Teferi through a translator, who owns a pair of IAAF World Championships silver medals from 2015 in cross country and the 5000 meters. "I kept on trying after that, I didn't give up hope. I didn't succeed, but I was trying."

Ngige, who finished third in this race the past two years, held on for second in 31:52. Defending champion Buze Diriba of Ethiopia was third in 32:20, followed by Risper Gesabwa (33:26) of Mexico and New Yorker Harriott Kelly (34:19).

Kimeli and Teferi both earned $10,000 first-place prizes (part of a $60,000 purse) in the New York Road Runners-organized event, which featured 7696 official finishers.

Kyle King a 29-year-old marine won the men’s race at the Eugene Marathon clocking 2:18:04

The Eugene Marathon had to alter its course to accommodate a start and finish at Autzen Stadium this year.Organizers might want to make the change permanent.

Between the men’s and women’s Eugene Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday, there were 18 new names added to the event’s all-time top-10 lists. And on a cool, sunny morning when it seemed so many were running fast, Kyle King and Jennifer Bigham proved to be the fastest.

King, a 29-year-old marine competing in just his second marathon and first since 2014, won the men’s race in 2 hours, 18 minutes, 4 seconds. It was a 45-second victory and the third fastest time in the 13-year history of the Eugene Marathon.

It was also well below the Olympic Trials ‘B’ standard of 2:19.00 (the ‘A’ standard is 2:15:00).Bigham, a 37-year-old mother of three children under the age of 10, got her first win after running “15-20” marathons since her first in 2004. She also reached the finish line inside unchallenged in 2:41:37 — the fifth fastest finish all-time in Eugene, and also easily met the Olympic Trials ‘B’ standard of 2:45:00 (the ‘A’ standard is 2:37:00).“I’ve been trying for the Trials standard for eight years,” Bigham said.

“This is a dream come true.”It was also the only pre-race goal she set for herself. So imagine her surprise when the Pittsburgh resident found herself in the lead once the half marathoners went off in another direction.

“When they cut off, people started saying ‘You’re the first woman,’ and I was kind of shocked,” said Bigham, a steeplechaser and cross country runner during her collegiate career at Ohio State. “It gave me some confidence but it also made me say ‘Keep it cool, chill out.”

Seattle’s Claire DeVoe was second in 2:42:46 (sixth all-time), Perry Shoemaker of Vienna, VA. was third in 2:43:33 (eighth all-time) and Meaghan Nelson of Boise was fourth in 2:44:36.King, an artillery officer based at Buckley Air Force Base outside of Denver who ran distance at Eastern Washington at Oklahoma, said he didn’t know what to expect in his race after only recently beginning to train for the 26.2-mile race.

“Honestly, it went way better than expected,” King said. “I hadn’t been seriously training for like six years. I really had no idea what type of shape I was in so I guess I was in better shape than I thought.”So much so that he struggled at times to stick to his desired pace.

“I really wasn’t too experienced with the marathon so right around miles 10-13 I was chomping at the bit to start going, but I kept telling myself ‘Wait, wait, it’s too early,’” King said. “Then at mile 15 my legs just wanted to go so I opened it up a little bit.

”Second-place finisher Anthony Tomsich of Vancouver, British Columbia finished in 2:18:49 (fifth all-time), and Patrick Richie of Portland was third in 2:19:16 (seventh all-time).

The TCS World 10K promises to deliver enthralling head-to-head competition at the The 12th edition of the race

Kenya’s Geoffrey Koech and Vincent Kiprotich Kibet finished 2018 as the third and fifth fastest men over 10km in the world last year with 27:18 and 27:21 respectively, both times considerably faster than the Bengaluru course record of 27:44 set by their compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor in 2014.

Koech, the fastest man in the field, hasn’t been in quite the same sparkling form in his two outings so far this year, both half marathons, but is hoping that dropping down in distance will pay dividends. Kiprotich Kibet, meanwhile, won in Wurzburg earlier this year in 27:35.

Ethiopian duo Birhanu Legese and Andamlak Belihu both know what it’s like to win on Indian roads having respectively won the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K and Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in December and October last year.

Legese, second in Bengaluru last year, has also started the year in winning fashion by taking the honours at the Tokyo Marathon in 2:04:48 in March while the 20-year-old Belihu was eighth at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Factor in Turkey’s in-form Kaan Kigen Ozbilen, who has already had quick marathon and half marathon outings this year, and Kenya’s ever-competitive two-time world medallist Bedan Karoki, who was second behind Legese at the Tokyo Marathon last month, and the men’s race promises plenty of thrilling high-quality action.

The TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2019 has a total prize fund of US$213,000, with the men’s and women’s winners taking home US$26,000.

Ruth Chepngetich sets Japanese’s all-comers Half-Marathon record at Gifu

Ruth Chepngetich ran away from a loaded field at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon on Sunday (28) to win the ninth edition of the IAAF Gold Label road race in 1:06:06, the fastest half marathon ever recorded in Japan.

The Kenyan, who won this year’s Dubai Marathon in 2:17:08, took 98 seconds off the previous course record set by world record-holder Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2017.

Chepngetich set out fast and by 5km (15:10), the lead pack consisted of just three runners – Chepngetich, Joan Melly Chelimo and Evaline Chirchir.

But Chirchir and then Melly were dropped before Chepngetich reached 10km in 30:45. She continued to push the pace, passing 15km in 46:44 and 20km in 1:02:41, winning comfortably in 1:06:05.

Melly Chelimo was nearly two minutes behind with 1:08:01 and Chirchir was third in 1:08:07, improving her PB by more than four minutes. World marathon champion Rose Chelimo was never a factor and finished seventh with 1:12:58.

In contrast to the women’s race, a large lead pack formed during the early stages of the men’s race as 10 men were together at 5km (14:18). When course record-holder Bedan Karoki started to push the pace 20 minutes into the race, the lead pack reduced immediately to five men.

The leader’s pace soon slackened and Japanese half marathon record-holder Yuta Shitara joined them in front. Seven runners were in the lead pack at 10km (28:42), then Nicholas Kosimbei made a bid to break away about 37 minutes into the race, and only Karoki and Amos Kurgat were able cover the move.

When Kurgat started to push the pace three minutes later, only Karoki went with him. But soon even Karoki was slowly drifting backward. Kurgat’s two-second advantage at 15km (43:05) grew to 30 seconds by 20km (57:29) and he crossed the line in a PB of 1:00:34.

It was his second consecutive half marathon victory and PB, following his 1:01:06 run at the Japanese Corporate team Half Marathon Championships in February. Karoki, the 2014 champion, finished second in 1:01:07.

Kipchoge wins London Marathon for record 4th time while Brigid Kosgei wins the women’s race as American women finish 6th and 12th

Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya ran the second-fastest time ever to win the London Marathon for a record fourth time Sunday, and compatriot Brigid Kosgei swept to victory by almost two minutes in the women's race.

The 34-year-old Kipchoge pulled clear of Ethiopian runners Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun in the final 10 minutes to complete the course in 2 hours, 2 minutes, 37 seconds on a blustery day in the British capital.

Only Kipchoge has run a marathon quicker than that, when breaking the world record in Berlin in September in a time of 2:01:39. With more twists and turns, London is typically a slower course than Berlin - making Kipchoge's display even more exceptional.

"I'm happy to win on the streets of London for the fourth time and to make history on a day that the event has raised 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion)," said Kipchoge, who won in London in 2015, '16 and '18.

Geremew finished 18 seconds behind, and Wasihun a further 21 seconds back. Nobody has run quicker to finish a marathon in second or third place.

Home favorite Mo Farah - a four-time Olympic champion on the track - could not live with the pace, dropping away at the 14-mile mark and finishing a distant fifth at the end of a week when he was involved in an extraordinary public feud with retired distance-running great Haile Gebrselassie.

Kosgei bettered her second-place finish in last year's race by winning in 2:18:20 for her second victory in the World Marathon Majors, after Chicago last year. She ran the quickest-ever second half of a women's marathon.

Compatriot and defending champion Vivian Cheruiyot finished in a time of 2:20:14 and Roza Dereje of Ethiopia was third, 37 seconds further back.

Dan Romanchuk, a 20-year-old American, won the men's wheelchair race ahead of Switzerland's Marcel Hug. The women's wheelchair race was won comfortably by Switzerland's Manuela Schar, the 2017 champion.

In her debut at the distance, American Emily Sisson (photo) ran 2:23:08 to finish sixth at the London Marathon this morning. This is the fastest American woman time in a woman only race.  Her training partner, (photo) Molly Huddle, finished 12th in a personal best of 2:26:33.

Sisson’s time makes her the sixth-fastest American in history on a record-eligible course.

Eliud Kipchoge clocked the second fastest time in history to wins the London Marathon

Eliud Kipchoge win the men's London Marathon posting a negative split.  He lead a group of several at the half marathon mark clocking 1:01:35 there.  The pace quicken right away as mile 14 was clocked in 4:31.  

World record holder Eliud waves to the crowd as he takes the win with a time of 2hrs 2 mins and 37sec. That’s the second fastest time in history.  He said he was coming here to win but he certainly did more than this.  

Second place was also under 2:03.  Mosinet Gerewen from Ethiopia clocked 2:02:55 followed by Mule Wasihun also from Ethiopia, in 2:03:16.  These are the three fastest times of the year.

Brigid Kosgei from Kenya won the woman’s race in 2:18:20.  She smashed the field.  Vivian Cheruiyot also from Kenya was second clocking 2:20:14.  

The battle at the London Marathon is going to be starting in just a few hours

Sir Mo Farah has twice competed in the London Marathon, finishing in eighth place in 2014 and in third spot in 2018.

The four-time Olympic champion will face stiff competition to win race, which will come in the form of defending champion and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge.  On top of this Eliud has only been beaten once in the marathon.  Wilson Kipsang beat him in Berlin as he set a world record.  

Farah is well aware of the momentous task on his hands and is hoping his fellow Brits can help guide him to victory.

”All I can ask from the crowd is to give me as much information as possible, as I go through the last 10 miles in particular," he told Sky News. "If I'm leading, if I'm behind, the more information I have the easier it is.

“This race means a lot to me. I finished third last year and this year I believe I can give it a little bit more."

Kenya’s Kipchoge is the favourite to win the marathon this year having set a new world record in Berlin last September.

"Eliud is a great athlete and the world record holder," Farahsaid of Kipchoge. "I'm going to go out there and give it my best."

"Racing against Eliud in London was learning the hard way - but I believe I learned a lot," Farah added when asked about last year's race.

Mo Farah and Eliud Kipchoge are two of the favourites to win the London Marathon.

"After each race, you get a bit better, that bit more experienced. I believe I could have gone a little bit faster in Chicago - 2:04-something, but I don't know.

"It's nice to be back in my home city; it's really exciting. I feel more nervous and hungry again. I'm not used to winning in the marathon, so I feel like I've got my mojo back."

The battle in the women’s race could even be more exciting and in fact a world record could be in the makings.  

It looks like the weather could be good for marathoning.  Rain maybe early but the temperature should be in the mid forties.  The wind might be as strong as 10mph.  

In total over 40,000 participants have entered and over one billion pounds have been raised for charity since the Marathon was first run.  

Defending London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot, says a women-only world record could be broken Sunday

Vivian Cheruiyot appears in a confident mood ahead of Sunday’s Virgin Money London Marathon, and with good reason.

The defending champion returns to the UK capital as a 66:34 half-marathoner, having improved her PB to claim victory in Lisbon last month. That run, she says, paired with her performances in training, proves she’s in even better shape than last year, when she defeated a field including her fellow Kenyan Mary Keitany after a superbly-judged race which resulted in a 2:18:31 PB.

“I am in better shape because last year I changed things and the programme of last year and this year has been the same,” says the 2016 Olympic 5000m champion, who made her marathon debut in London in 2017.

“We normally compare (the training of) last year and this year and I did better than last year which means I am in better shape than last year so I am happy about that.

“I also did a personal best at the half-marathon in Lisbon so I think I am going to run good on Sunday.”

Twelve months ago, in challenging hot conditions, Keitany and Tirunesh Dibaba had been accompanied by male pacemakers as they set their sights on Paula Radcliffe’s world record of 2:15:25. Keitany stormed through half way in 67:16 before fading in the final miles, with Cheruiyot coming through for victory after having sat back off the lead pack initially.

This time the race will feature female pacemakers, as it did in 2017 when Keitany ran her women-only world record of 2:17:01 to secure her third London Marathon title.

World half-marathon record-holder Joyciline Jepkosgei heads the lead group of pacemakers and will be joined by Dorcas Tuitoek and Edith Chelimo. Eunice Chumba will pace a second group.

While Dibaba won’t be racing on Sunday as she is expecting her second child, Keitany does return and the pair will also be joined by two other sub-2:19 runners – Chicago champion Brigid Kosgei and Berlin winner Gladys Cherono.

Cheruiyot believes a women-only world record could be on the cards.

“The male pacemakers, they were quicker (last year) because the ladies wanted to run 2:15. I think now people are trying to run 2:17,” she says. “It’s possible (for the women-only world record to be broken) on Sunday if the weather is good because I know the athletes are very strong.

“I’m going to try my best (to break the record herself). It will depend on how my body responds. If it is going to respond very well, I am in good shape and I’ll try to do my best.

“If it’s going to be 68 (minutes) at half way, that is okay for me, I can stay with them all the way through. Last year 67 was too fast.

“Running a PB in Lisbon really gives me confidence because mostly I did it alone. We have people pacing us here so my chances of running 2:17 are very high.”

Since making her debut two years ago, Cheruiyot has raced three more marathons – in Frankfurt (first in 2:23:35), London and New York (second behind Keitany in 2:26:02) – and, despite missing the track, she insists she won’t be returning to in-stadium action.

“I miss it a lot because I really liked running on the track, especially the 5000m – it was really enjoyable for me,” says the 35-year-old four-time world track gold medallist.

“We used to go for 40 minutes, one hour training (for the track), but now you have to do 40km for training – it’s very hard.

“When I started training for the marathon I was like ‘I’m going to finish the training, I’m going to be tired forever!’ But now I am catching up, I am used to it and I love it now.”

Course records fall at the 42nd anual Madrid Marathon

Kenya’s Reuben Kerio and Ethiopia’s Shasho Insermu set race records at the 42nd Rock ’n’ Roll Madrid Marathon, crossing the line of the IAAF Gold Label road race in 2:08:18 and 2:26:24 respectively on Saturday (27).

While the 25-year-old Kerio led a Kenyan clean sweep of medals, Insermu obliterared the previous record by over four minutes, getting the better from her fellow Ethiopian Fetale Dejene Tsegaye on a perfect day (10C at the start).

Led by pacemakers Emmanuel Bett of Kenya and Ugandan cross-country specialist Timothy Toroitich, the main pack set off at a steady 3:03/km pace. The opening 10 kilometres were covered in 30:39 with 16 men still in the lead.

The pace increased in the following five-kilometre section and they went through 15km in 45:33 and reached the half-way point in 1:03:54 with Toroitich still in the lead. Bernard Kiprop Koech, Kiprotich Kirui, Kipkemoi Kipsang and Ethiopia’s Sisay Jisa ran closest to the pacemakers by then.

With the clock reading 1:19, Jisa fell injured and was forced to stop. Shortly afterwards Eliud Barngetuny lost contact with the main pack at the 29th kilometre.

Once Toroitich dropped out, Kirui took charge of the pace and only Kerio, Kipsang and Kiptoo managed to stay at his shoulder while the local favourite Javier Guerra could not live with their pace and ran in fifth alongside Nicholas Kirwa.

The lead pack reached 30km in 1:31:08 and with four men still in the group it became clear they were on pace to break the race record of 2:09:15.

The long-legged Kerio made his move at the 36th kilometre and he soon opened a clear gap over Kipsang, Kirui and Kiptoo. By 40km (2:01:35) the leader had built a 22-second margin on Kipsang and 24 on Kirui, having both secured podium places in detriment of a fading Kiptoo.

Kerio crossed the finish line in 2:08:18 to take nearly a full minute off the previous race record. Kipsang (PB of 2:08:58) and Kirui (2:09:05) also dipped inside the previous mark set in 2014. To the delight of the crowd, Guerra finished fifth in 2:10:19, a couple of seconds behind Kiptoo.

“This is my first win at an IAAF Gold Label event so I’m over the moon,” said Kerio. “In addition I ran 2:08 low which means a much faster time competing at sea level so I hope to be in the 2:05 region shortly.”

Paced by compatriot Fikadu Kebede, Ethiopia’s Shasho Insermu, a 2:23:28 performer, set out with the intention of breaking the 2:30:40 race record set last year, but she had a hesitant first 10km, covered in 35:41 in the company of compatriots Tsegaye Dejene, Beshadu Bekele, Gebeyanesh Ayele and Hemila Wortessa.

Shortly after 15km, reached in 52:24, Insermu had built up a sole lead while her three compatriots ran together, helped by 2006 5000m European champion Jesús España, a recreational runner nowadays after his retirement last summer

Insermu, contesting her 11th marathon, cruised to the half-way point in 1:13:00, some 1:15 ahead of record schedule and 20 seconds clear of debutant Tesfaye, Bekele and Ayele.

Taking advantage of Kebede’s pacing duties, Insermu maintained her rhythm for the rest of the event, despite the second half of the circuit being the toughest part.

By 30km, reached in 1:43:28, the leader still held a 20-second advantage over Tesfaye but Bekele and Ayele’s speed decreased dramatically as they lost 1:48 by then. Finally, the gap between the experienced Insermu and debutant Tesfaye increased and the only question remaining was how much the course record would be broken by.

The 26-year-old Insermu won in style in 2:26:24 with a 41-second advantage over Tesfaye while Bekele completed an Ethiopian sweep in 2:32:15.

“Once I knew I would run in Madrid in April, I set myself the goal of setting a new race record as a lot of people said it was not possible to dip under the 2:30 barrier,” said Insermu. “I thought I might clock 2:27 so my performance was even beyond expectations.”

Former double World Marathon Champion Abel Kirui will try to break Eliud Kipchoge’s course record in Sunday’s Haspa Marathon Hamburg

The current world record holder clocked 2:05:30 in his debut marathon here back in 2013. Kirui also wants to break 2:05 for the first time in his career. With a personal best of 2:05:04 the Kenyan is the second fastest runner on the start list behind Ethiopia’s Ayele Abshero, who features a personal record of 2:04:23. In an extraordinary deep men’s field 16 athletes have already broken 2:10. There are five women who have run sub 2:25.

Mexico’s Madai Perez and Dibabe Kuma of Ethiopia head the entry list with personal records of 2:22:59 and 2:23:34 respectively. Jessica Augusto of Purtugal, who won the race two years ago, returns to Hamburg. A very strong group of Japanese elite runners will be in contention as well.

Organisers expect a total of 35,000 athletes to compete in the Haspa Marathon Hamburg. This includes all the races.  Almost 14,000 have entered Germany’s biggest and fastest spring marathon.

In the men’s race no one has come close to Eliud Kipchoge’s course record since the Kenyan ran 2:05:30 six years ago. But Abel Kirui is confident that he can change this. Asked about his goals for Sunday, he said, "My ambition is to break the course record...I know that the course is a flat one. So if the weather is cool then I will go for a fast race,“ said the 36 year-old, who won the World Championships’ marathons in 2009 and 2011. Additionally he won the silver medal in the London Olympic marathon in 2012.

"I hope to go through half way in 62:30 and then run the second half a bit faster to finish sub 2:05,“ explained Kirui, who ran 2:07:07 in very warm conditions in London a year ago.

Two Ethiopians who placed second and third at the Haspa Marathon Hamburg last year return to the race: Ayele Abshero is the fastest runner on the start list with a personal best of 2:04:23. The 28 year-old ran his best time for four years last year in Hamburg, when he clocked 2:07:19 for third place. „

"Winning this race would be great. But the field is a very strong one. I would be happy if I could finish in the top three. I will go with the first group,“ said Abshero. Tadu Abate was the runner-up in 2018 with 2:06:54 as a debutant, crossing the line just 20 seconds behind fellow-Ethiopian Solomon Deksisa. "My training went well, I had no problems and I am in fine form,“ said 21 year-old Abate.

There are two Olympic Champions in Sunday’s race. For the third time in a row Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda will compete in the Haspa Marathon Hamburg. The marathon gold medallist from London 2012 was second here in 2017 and fifth last year with 2:07:31 and 2:07:57 respectively.

It will be interesting to see if Ezekiel Kemboi can have an impact in the marathon. The 36 year-old Kenyan won two Olympic titles (2004 and 2012) and four World Championship gold medals in a row (2009 to 2015) in the steeplechase.

With a total of 16 runners who feature personal bests of sub 2:16 and another seven who have run under 2:12 the Haspa Marathon Hamburg has a depth few other marathons can match. 

In the women’s race two years ago Jessica Augusto celebrated one of her biggest career victories in Hamburg, when she took the race in 2:25:30 despite very tough weather conditions including hail showers.

"If you have been successful then you are happy to come back to that race,“ said Jessica Augusto, who suffered of a career threatening tibia bone head injury in 2018.

"I did not opt for surgery and the conservative treatment did work. Since December I am able to train normally again,“ explained Jessica Augusto, who targets at least a podium place on Sunday.

Regarding times she wants to make an early statement regarding Olympic qualification. "While the international qualifying time is 2:29:30 I will need to run considerably faster to be selected, because there are six of us who compete for three places. I hope to run around 2:25 on Sunday,“ said Augusto.

Jessica Augusto is the fourth fastest on the start list behind Madai Perez of Mexico (2:22:59), Ethiopia’s Dibabe Kuma (2:23:34) and Mao Kiyota from Japan (2:23:47). Unfortunately world half marathon Joyciline Jepkosgei cancelled her start in Hamburg. The Kenyan felt not ready yet for her marathon debut. 

Fellow Kenyan Jackline Chepngeno could produce a surprise on Sunday. The 26 year-old moved up to the marathon distance last year and clocked a personal best of 2:24:38 in Amsterdam, where she finished sixth.

"I want to break my personal best in Hamburg and compete well,“ said Chepngeno.

Bill Burrows a Lung cancer survivor is participating in Oklahoma Marathon

Runners come from near and far for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.

Officials say all 50 states will be represented, along with 11 countries.

Each runner has their own reason to compete.

For one man who beat lung cancer, the finish line never looked better.

"Before I was 50, I was like anybody else - work all the time, not eat right. I smoked for 35 years," said Bill Burrows. "I got a $79 lung scan, which I didn't think I needed `cause I was in pretty good shape. And they found cancer. And I thought, 'I`m done. That's it.'"

Three weeks later, he underwent a successful surgery and is now cancer free.

"So I'm running now for people who can't run, helping people remember what happened during the bombing. You being there shows that we care about what's going on," he said.

Gene Dykes, 71, is looking to break the Big Sur International Marathon record for his age group this weekend

For someone who has done two marathons 24 hours apart, two weeks between Boston and Big Sur may seem like an eternity for Gene Dykes.

Unlike others that have challenged themselves by doing the two marathons in a short time span, it’s not the reason Dykes is running in Sunday’s 34th Big Sur International Marathon.

Instead, the Philadelphia resident is calling it unfinished business from his last trip out west to run the world-renowned course.

“They took my record away when I was 65,” Dykes said. “I owned the course record in my age class for about two months. Then it was discovered on paper that someone ran faster years earlier.”

Ray Piva set the record in the 65-69 age division in 1992 at 3 hours, 10 minutes. Dykes ran 3:26.44 in 2013.

Dykes, 71, can’t get that record back. But he’s looked at the record in the 70-older division — 3:46.36 by Heinrich Gutbier in 1997. His eyes are set on rewriting the mark, adding to his mantel of record-setting accomplishments of late.

“I shouldn’t have trouble beating that mark,” said Dykes, who broke the Boston Marathon record in his age group on April 15, clocking 2 hours, 58 minutes, 50 seconds. “It’s how fast do I want to go.”

What could derail Dykes from shattering the record is he will run the race with his daughter, who is roughly 30 minutes slower than him in a marathon.

“It will depend on how long we run together,” Dykes said. “I’m going to try and get her to run a little harder in the first half. Then I’ll do a negative split the last half of the race.”

While Dykes is six years older than during his last appearance on the Monterey Peninsula, he’s gotten faster covering marathons of all kinds. Most of his personal bests have come in the last year.

“I hired a coach a few years back,” Dykes said. “I just keep dropping time. It’s more of a retirement achievement.”

This will be Dykes’ third crack at Big Sur, but the first time he’s running it after tackling Boston in the same year.

“I guess I’ve always wanted to do Boston-Big Sur,” Dykes said. “Running marathons close together is nothing new to me. It seemed like a good time to do it. Two weeks is plenty of time to recover.”

Dykes’ accomplishments as an ultra distance runner have gained nationwide attention. Last year, the Wall Street Journal labeled him “Earth’s fastest 70-year-old distance runner.”

After setting the record at Boston, men’s winner Meb Keflezighi tweeted “Special shout out to 71-year-old Gene Dykes, who ran an outstanding 2:58.50.”

For someone who didn’t run his first road race until 12 years ago, Dykes has become one of the top ultramarathon runners in his age class in the world.

“I was a jogger my whole life,” Dykes said. “I wasn’t very good in track in high school or college. I was a mediocre runner at best. So I golfed and bowled a lot. I jogged for fun.”

That is until Dykes got in with what he now jokes as a bad crowd — a group of runners, who talked him into his first road race, a half marathon in 2006.

From that point, running became an addiction. Dykes ran well enough that his time allowed him to bypass the lottery for the New York Marathon.

“I could not pass that up,” Dykes said. “So I ran my first marathon. I ended up earning a qualifying time for Boston. So I had to do that.”

By his estimation, Dykes will do 10 to 20 road races a year ranging from 200 miles to the regular 26-mile, 385-yard marathon.

“I race longer and more frequent,” Dykes said. “I’ve done five 200 milers. It’s an endurance race. The clock is running. You run when you can and sleep when you have to. I’ve done them in four days.”

Six weeks before Boston, Dykes completed a 200-mile race, a 100-mile event and two 50-mile races in 2019.

“Every year I try and stretch the boundaries,” Dykes said. “I don’t know if I can do it. So there’s only one way to find out. The hardest part is finding time to sleep. Four hours over four days isn’t much.”

Dykes comes into each race with a plan. After completing his ultra road races — totaling 400 miles — he began preparing for Boston with the mindset of breaking the record in his age division.

“I told my coach you’ve got six weeks to get me under three hours at Boston,” Dykes said

Half marathon world-record holder Kenyan Abraham Kiptum, suspended before London Marathon

Kenyan Abraham Kiptum, the half-marathon world-record holder, was provisionally suspended for a biological passport violation, the sport’s anti-doping watchdog announced two days before Kiptum was to run the London Marathon.

Kiptum, 29, made no mention of the case at Wednesday’s pre-race press conference in an interview with LetsRun.com. Kiptum said his goal for Sunday’s 26.2-miler was to lower his personal best of 2:05:26.

On Oct. 28, Kiptum surprisingly broke the half-marathon world record by five seconds, bringing it down to 58:18 in Valencia, Spain. He has raced marathons since 2015 and was to make his major marathon debut Sunday.

Countryman Eliud Kipchoge is the overwhelming favorite in London. Brit Mo Farah and Ethiopian Shura Kitata are the top challengers in the world’s strongest spring marathon.

Over 26,000 entries were received for UTMB races and only 10,000 were accepted. Changes are being made in their system for 2020

It’s no secret that it’s been getting harder and harder to get into the UTMB races over the years. It’s hard to get the points, then you have to get lucky in the lottery. There’s been a 68% increase in applications just over the last 3 years. For this year’s races there were more than 26,000 entries for the 10,000 places across all the races.

The UTMB believes that having to get so many points isn’t good for runner health and they need to keep on doing it year after year to keep their points. This is because most have to keep applying because the lottery is so strict.

The solution, UTMB believes, is to lower the number of points required to enter the lottery, and to make the lottery more flexible. This should come as good news to many runners!

The current system requires: 15 points collected over 2 years, via a maximum of 3 races for the UTMB8 points collected over 2 years, via a maximum of 2 races for the TDS8 points collected over 2 years, via a maximum of 2 races for the CCC6 points collected over 2 years, via a maximum of 2 years for the OCC

The new requirements for 2020 will be: 10 points collected over 2 years, via a maximum of 2 races for the UTMB8 points collected over 2 years, via a maximum of 2 races for the TDS (no change)6 points collected over 2 years, via a maximum of 2 races for the CCC4 points collected over 2 years, via a maximum of 2 races for the OCC

So from next year you can get your points by only doing one big race per year.

And the lottery system will now become more flexible. Runners who don’t get in on their first attempt in the lottery will have better chances of being selected in following years by getting an additional ticket. If you’re unsuccessful a second time, you get another ticket, and so on. The idea is that the probability of being selected is therefore proportional to the number of times a runner has failed to gain entry in the previous years. Runners can also decide to apply for a difference race each year – you don’t have to keep going for the same one.

For example you can go for the UTMB the first year, then for the TDS the next year, or take a break, maintaining your extra ticket. This is good news for pregnant women, who will be able to maintain their number of tickets while taking a break.

In addition to this change to the lottery system, from 2021 runners can collect ‘running stones’ by finishing a limited number of race selected by UTMB. These ‘running stones’ will be recorded on a database and when they have collected an agreed number they can get a direct entry into a UTMB race of their choice, bypassing the lottery altogether. If they don’t have enough ‘running stones’ they can still trade them in for more tickets in the lottery.

The number of stones needed for UTMB will be 18, for the TDS and CCC will be 15, and for the OCC it will be 12. The stones will be available from the ByUTMB races (1 ITRA point = 3 stones) and UTWT races (1 ITRA point = 1 stone). These stones will be available from January 2020 and we will bring you more details as we get them.

Russian Fedor Shutov and German Tom Gröschel are the favorites for the Metro Düsseldorf Marathon

Fedor Shutov is the favorite for the Metro Marathon Düsseldorf on Sunday. The Russian, who is competing as an Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA), holds the fastest personal best in the elite field with a time of 2:11:26.

While Tom Gröschel is in the national focus, fellow German Anna Hahner returns to marathon racing on Sunday after a long injury break. Both are the favorites for the national championships, which are included in this race.

The international qualifying times set by the IAAF for the World Championships in Doha in late September will be a target for a number of athletes in Düsseldorf, among them a group of South Americans. For the men this time stands at 2:16:00 while the women’s mark is 2:37:00.

Including races at shorter distances a record total of around 20,000 runners have entered the 17th edition of the METRO Marathon Düsseldorf. Around 3,500 will compete in the marathon.

Strong field has been assembled for the PZU Cracovia Marathon and the course record will be under attack

The 19th edition of the PZU Cracovia Marathon taking place in Krakow this Sunday, marks the first time that the race has been given IAAF Bronze Label status and appropriately strong fields have been assembled.

Hopes are high that the current course records of 2:11:34 by Berga Birhanu Bekele and 2:28:14 by Tetyana Gamera may be broken.

Philip Sanga Kimutai is the fastest man in the field. The 35-year old Kenyan has bettered 2:07 three times in his career, topped by 2:06:07 in Frankfurt in 2011 and has achieved podium finishes in multiple major races, including Vienna, Rome and Eindhoven.

Cybrian Kotut could start as the marginal favorite. The Kenyan won the 2016 Paris Marathon in a PB of 2:07:11 and finished third in Frankfurt in 2:07:28 the same year, but this will be a comeback race for him as he has competed since December 2017.

With a best of 2:08:35, Japan's Kentaro Nakamoto might not be the fastest runner in the field, but he is hugely experienced and extremely consistent, having finished in the top 10 at four global championships.

France’s Abraham Kiprotich, world ranked No.75 in the marathon, is another top contender. He won in Daegu in 2013 with a PB of 2:08:33 and followed it with victories in Istanbul and Taipei in 2017.

Kenya’s Josphat Leting, Philip Kangogo and Wycliffe Biwott all stand good chances of making it on to the podium, as does 2016 Krakow runner-up David Metto, who won three marathons last year, including two in Poland.

Kenyan duo Gladys Kipsoi and Eunice Jeptoo will start as the favourites for the women’s race. Kipsoi clocked a PB of 2:27:32 in Houston last year, while Jeptoo has gone even faster, with a 2:26:13 win in Eindhoven in 2017.

Nastassia Ivanova's best of 2:27:24 dates back to 2012, but the Belarusian has competed well in recent seasons, winning in Warsaw in 2017 and 2018 and finishing fifth at the 2018 European Championships.

Germany’s Katharina Heinig has bettered 2:30 in each of the past three seasons, with a best of 2:28:34 set in Berlin in 2016.

Two Ukrainians in the field are also possible contenders. Natalia Lehonkova won in Dublin in 2017 with 2:28:58, while 2008 Krakow winner Olga Kotovska has a PB of 2:28:47.

Bedan Karoki and Eunice Kirwa, both past winners of the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, will return to defend their titles this weekend

Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, Also known as the ‘Naoko Takahashi Cup’ as it is held in the home town of the 2000 Olympic marathon champion, the men’s course record of 1:00:02 was set by Karoki when he won in 2014, while the women’s course record of 1:07:44 was set by world record-holder Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2017.

Karoki, world ranked No.13 in road running, will be aiming to become just the second two-time men’s champion in Gifu. Since his last run in Gifu, Karoki earned world silver medals at cross-country in 2015 and at the half marathon in 2016.

He also improved his half marathon PB to 58:42 in 2018 and earlier this year clocked a marathon best of 2:06:48 to finish second in Tokyo.

His main challengers are Eritrea’s Samuel Tsegay, who has a best of 59:21, Abraham Kipyatich, world ranked No.79, and Uganda’s Abdallah Mande, world ranked No.30. Tsegay’s best was recorded back in 2014, but Kipyatich and Mande both set PBs at various distances in 2018 so will likely be bigger threats to Karoki.

Yuki Kawauchi, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion, is the most famous Japanese runner in the field, but national half marathon record-holder Yuta Shitara is the fastest of the domestic entrants. Shitara’s half marathon best is 60:17 recorded in 2017.

Two time Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon champion Eunice Kirwa Jepkirui leads the loaded women’s field. The Olympic marathon silver medallist set an Asian half marathon record of 1:06:46 in Istanbul in 2017 in what was her last race over the distance.

The 2015 world bronze medallist didn’t race at all in 2018, though, and she may need to be at her best if she hopes to win her third title in Gifu.

Joan Melly Chelimo, world ranked No.3 in road running, has the fastest PB of the field. The Kenyan clocked 1:05:04 in Prague last year, making her the fourth-fastest woman in history for the distance.

Ruth Chepngetich, world ranked No.1 in the marathon, heads to Gifu in the form of her life. She won this year’s Dubai Marathon in 2:17:08, the third-fastest time in history, and followed it with half marathon performances of 1:06:09 and 1:05:29.

World marathon champion Rose Chelimo will be aiming to improve on her PB of 1:08:08, while Ana Dulce Felix, Mimi Belete and Gotytom Gebreslase are also in the field.

Kenya’s Bernard Kiprop Koech and Ethiopia’s Shasho Insermu among the favorites in Rock and Roll Madrid

Nearly 10,000 runners will gather in the Spanish capital to take part in the 42nd Rock ‘n’ Roll Madrid Marathon on Saturday.

Kenya’s Bernard Kiprop Koech will be one of the athletes to beat in the men’s race. The 30-year-old holds a 2:04:53 PB set in Dubai back in 2013 while his last effort over the distance came in Valencia in 2017 when he clocked 2:08:32 for ninth. More recently he lowered his 10,000m PB to 27:31:83 last November in Hachioji.

Koech will be joined by fellow Kenyan Eliud Barngetuny, who won in Madrid last year in a lifetime best of 2:10:15, the second-fastest time ever in the Spanish capital and exactly one minute shy of the course record.

Jonah Chesum, the victor in Barcelona in 2017 with a PB of 2:08:57, should also be in contention. His most recent marathon effort of 2:10:08 came in Lisbon in October. Reuben Kerio, a 2:08:12 specialist, Kiprotich Kirui (2:08:48 in Paris last year) and Kipkemoi Kisang (2:09:21) complete the large Kenyan contingent.

With a best of 2:04:49, Ethiopia’s 2013 world silver medallist Tadesse Tola has the fastest PB of the field, but he hasn’t run faster than 2:16 since 2015.

The Ethiopian squad also includes Seboka Dibaba, a 2:06:17 performer in 2012 whose last effort was timed at 2:14:35 in September, Sisay Jisa (2:06:27), Belete Gezu (2:10:34) and Tilahun Amsalu (2:12:19).

Javier Guerra, the fourth-place finisher at the past two European Championships, is the top Spanish entrant. His 1:03:57 clocking at the Madrid Half Marathon three weeks ago was intended as a stepping stone for Saturday’s event where he is aiming to beat his lifetime best of 2:08:36 set last year in Seville.

No woman has ever bettered 2:30 in Madrid, but that barrier – and the course record of 2:30:40 – look vulnerable ahead of Saturday’s race.

Ethiopia’s Shasho Insermu, world ranked No.40, has finished in the top two in six of her past seven marathons. Her two most recent races have produced the two fastest times of her career as she ran a huge lifetime best of 2:23:28 in Amsterdam in October and followed it with 2:27:42 earlier this year in Xiamen.

Compatriot Tinbit Weldegebril, world ranked No.79 in the marathon, is another top contender. She smashed her PB on her last visit to Spain, clocking 2:23:37 in Valencia in December.

Other Ethiopians include Gebeyanesh Ayele, who clocked a 2:26:54 PB last year in Hengshui, Bechadu Bekele and Hemila Wortessa. With a best of 2:21:31, Magarsa Askale has the fastest PB of the field but that mark was set 11 years ago and she hasn’t raced since 2016.

Seville marathon winner Boulaid Kaoutar of Morocco may also be a factor if she can repeat her 2:25:35 form from last year.

Uganda’s Mercyline Chelangat will be making her marathon debut. The 21-year-old finished a creditable 12th at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships in Kampala and 11th in the 5000m at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Weather forecasters are predicting a sunny day with temperatures ranging between 11-13C by the time of the event and no likelihood of rain during the races.

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will be competing Sunday in the London Marathon but is also seriously considering running the 5,000 and 10,000 in Tokyo

Sir Mo Farah, 36, quit in 2017 to concentrate on road races, and will compete in Sunday's London Marathon.

He won gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Farah told BBC Sport: "If I was capable of getting an Olympic medal no matter what color it is, would you turn it down? If I am capable then why not?"

In an interview with Steve Cram, he said: "It would be nice to have another one.  I have no regrets with what I have done but I don't want to look back one day and think, 'that year, I was fit, perhaps I should have gone to the Olympics, maybe I could have won a medal'."

Farah hinted in March that he may return to the track for September's World Championships in Qatar.

He said on Wednesday: "If everything goes well for me, why not?"  Six-time world champion Farah, who finished third in the London Marathon last year, has yet to compete at a major championships over the 26.2-mile distance.

He ran two hours five minutes 11 seconds to win the Chicago Marathon in October, a victory he says gave him "massive confidence" for London.

Great Britain's officials will meet early next week to discuss selections for the World Championships in Doha.

The marathon takes place on September 29 and the Chicago Marathon on 13 October.  Asked if he will be part of conversations for the marathon in Doha, Farah said: "Yes, my name will be discussed. I think I have hinted enough. If I am good and capable of getting a medal why not? It suits me and I'm in good shape."

Farah said he has "missed" the frequent racing provided by track competition, compared to the less regular marathons.

"You always start a 1500m at the start of the season, then a 10k, a 5k, a 3k, and I have missed all of that," he added.  "In the marathon you can't afford to do all that and a lot of it is kind of done in training."

A grandfather pensioner with dementia is set to take on his 131st marathon in London Sunday

Malcolm Brookes, 78, is preparing to tackle his 131st race when he takes part in this Sunday’s London Marathon. He completed his first marathon in 1986, finishing the course in Jersey in four hours 41 minutes. It took him 22 years to enter his second marathon, but since then the retired minister has clocked up thousands of miles.

Malcolm follows a gruelling training regime of running six miles every other day to keep fit. What a legend. Four years ago he was diagnosed with vascular dementia just weeks after he became the oldest Brit to complete his 100th marathon.

Despite his condition, which affects around 150,000 people in the UK, Malcolm continued running and has completed another 30 races.

He is now hoping to raise more than £2,000 for charity Dementia Revolution when he runs on Sunday. ‘I was 45 when I ran my first marathon and 22 years later I ran my second one,’ says Malcolm.

Malcolm, who has three grown-up children and seven grandchildren, now relies on his wife Mary, 77, to help him plan his races.

‘Eventually, I will disappear down the plughole and I will be quite a different person from what I was,’ he says. ‘I find it very difficult at times to find words. I make up words. I can only focus on one thing at a time. I can’t multi-task at all. ‘I sometimes get very angry. I don’t know why I am being angry. It’s frustration that I can’t live a life that I used to live.

‘I might shout at my wife and I don’t want to be shouting at her. Malcolm’s marathon career started while working as a minister in Jersey when he spotted an advert for the island’s marathon. He even signed up for the 7x7x7 Challenge – seven marathons in seven locations in seven months, saying simply that it was, ‘really tough.’ ‘I am going to carry on for as long as I can,’ he says. ‘I just enjoy running and I will do it as long as I am able to do it.

Callum Hawkins is running the London Marathon and Andy Vernon will be making his marathon debut in London

Callum Hawkins is to run the Virgin Money London Marathon this weekend, returning to marathon action for the first time since his collapse when leading the Commonwealth Games race last year.

In terms of British elite men’s entries, the world fourth-placer will be joined in the UK capital by the already-announced Mo Farah, Dewi Griffiths, Jonny Mellor, Tsegai Tewelde, Andy Davies, Josh Griffiths, Robbie Simpson, Matt Sharp and Andy Vernon, who will be making his marathon debut.

Hawkins clocked 2:10:52 when running the London event for the first time in 2016 and improved to his current PB of 2:10:17 when finishing fourth as the city staged the IAAF World Championships the following year.

Racing on the Gold Coast last April, the Scot had looked set to claim a dominant Commonwealth victory but collapsed with just two kilometres of the race remaining. He was entered to compete in the Fukuoka Marathon in December but withdrew due to a hamstring niggle.

His latest performance saw him impress over 10km as he ran 28:55 in Valencia last weekend – a time which is an official PB, though the 26-year-old has clocked faster 10km splits as part of a half-marathon.

Fans will also be interested to see what Vernon might be able to achieve as he steps up to race over 26.2 miles for the first time.

The 2014 European 10,000m silver and 5000m bronze medallist, who also claimed individual European Cross Country Championships bronze in 2013, missed last year’s edition of the Euro Cross through injury but returned to race at the Simplyhealth Great Stirling XCountry last weekend.

“It felt like the right time in my career to move up to the marathon,” said the 33-year-old.

“I feel like I am getting a little bit slower on the track. It’s tough to make teams, it’s tough to do well at championships, especially over 10,000m. For that reason, I thought if I don’t do it now, I won’t ever do it.”

The London Marathon doubles up as the GB team selection event for the IAAF World Championships in Doha, with the British women’s field also looking competitive.

After a year hampered by injury and illness, Charlotte Purdue will return to race in London, as will her Aldershot, Farnham and District club-mate Lily Partridge, the current British champion, who was also forced to drop out of last year’s European Championships marathon with stomach cramps.

Just one second separates Purdue’s marathon PB of 2:29:23, set in London in 2017, and Partridge’s best time of 2:29:24, which she ran to finish eighth in her first London Marathon last year.

“I want to make the world championship team for Doha and I want to run a PB at the Virgin Money London Marathon because I think I can go a lot faster than I did in 2017 and I think my world championship performance proved that,” said world 13th-placer Purdue.

“I just haven’t had the right race yet so I’m hoping the London Marathon will be the right race for me.”

Shalane Flanagan who had surgery to repair a severely damaged patellar tendon in her right knee, will have several months' recovery ahead

2017 TCS New York City Marathon champion Shalane Flanagan had surgery to repair her right patellar tendon at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado yesterday, and described the situation in an Instagram post earlier today.

Torn patellar tendons typically do not heal on their own, and Flanagan posted on Monday that she would be traveling to Colorado for surgery.

She says her right patellar tendon (which connects the kneecap to the shinbone) was 75 per cent detached, leading the surgeon to graft a new tendon from a cadaver into Flanagan’s leg. She had injections of PRP (platelet-rich plasma) and bone marrow concentrate using bone marrow from her hip into both knees in an effort to speed healing. (PRP has been used with various other famous athletes such as Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal, but there has been very little research on its efficacy.)

The surgery was done by Dr. Robert F. LaPrade, a complex orthopedic knee and sports medicine surgeon at The Steadman Clinic in Vail.

In 2017, Flanagan was the first American woman to win the New York Marathon in 40 years. Last year she finished in third place, behind Mary Keitany and Vivian Cheruiyot.

It was just after that that she revealed the extent of her knee pain. She will likely spend the next few months recovering from surgery.

This year London Marathon will have the deepest women’s field in marathon history

This Sunday is the Virgin Money London Marathon, and the women’s field is so strong it feels too good to be true. It feels like winning an all-inclusive trip for two by calling into a radio show–things this good just don’t happen.

But this field is real, and very much happening. Getting underway on Sunday morning at 4:25 a.m. EDT is a women’s event that could make history.

The only piece of bad news is that one of the fastest marathoners in history, Tirunesh Dibaba, has announced that she and her husband are expecting their second child and that she won’t be racing for the remainder of the year.

The top women coming in are defending champion Vivian Cheruiyot and women’s-only world record-holder Mary Keitany. These are just two of the six women with incoming personal bests under 2:20:00.

The others are Birhane Dibaba, who was the winner of the 2018 Tokyo Marathon in 2:19:51, Gladys Cherono (a three-time Berlin champion with a personal best of 2:18:11), Brigid Kosgei (the 2018 Chicago champion in 2:18:35) and Roza Dereje at 2:19:17 (from the Dubai Marathon in 2018).

The wild thing about this group of women is that each of them (except for Dereje) have a world major title and a recent personal best. Keitany has the oldest PB (which is the women’s-only world record) and it’s only from 2017. In terms of who will take the title, it’s a genuinely tight race between these women.

Depending on the day, the order could change, but Kosgei’s Chicago performance was truly dominant, as was Cherono’s in Berlin in 2018. But Keitany has had luck in London before, setting the world record there, so she knows how to run the course well.

The other women’s story to watch is the American battle. The Molly Huddle and Emily Sisson battle could make history for American women. Both women have had impressive 2019 seasons. Sisson ran within seconds of Huddle’s American half-marathon record in Houston.

Then the two women competed against each other three weeks ago at the Stanford Invitational 10,000m, where Sisson came out on top in 30:49 and the third-fastest American woman of all time.

Huddle is going in with an extremely impressive personal best of 2:26:44, and London will be Sisson’s debut. Both women are clearly in incredible shape, and the women’s field is top-notch, so they are sure to push each other to some of the fastest American women’s times in history. Deena Kastor’s American record of 2:19:36 may not be within reach just yet, but it likely will be one day soon for these women.

San Diego runner Nikki Hiltz, set a new Blue Mile record in the Women's Mile

Nikki Hiltz of San Diego set a new Blue Mile record in the women´s Mile Championships clocking 4:30, during The Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines on Tuesday.

Nikki Hiltz and Tripp Hurt raced to the USATF Road 1-Mile National Championship Tuesday evening on the streets of Des Moines as part of the 10th Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield Grand Blue Mile.

Hurt won the men’s race in 4:04, in a photo finish as the top-five finishers all finished within a second of each other. Hiltz took the lead of the women’s race off the final turn and held off three-time Grand Blue Mile champion Heather Kampf to set an event record in 4:30.

“It’s not just a road race, it’s the USA Road Mile Championship and it’s my first national championship win,” Hiltz said. “It was awesome and the field definitely gave me a run for my money. We got after it and I knew in the last straightaway we’d switch into a new gear. No one made it easy.”

Hanna Fields was also in the lead pack of the race as she and Hiltz took over the lead from Kampf midway through the race.

The men’s race featured a dramatic finish as Hurt sprinted on the outside to best the talented field to the tape to clip Brandon Lasater by just one two-tenths of a second.

“My teammate, Nick (Harris, who finished third), was next to me and I was thinking we needed to battle and hope one of us got it,” Hurt said of the sprint to the finish. My goal was to stay patient and wait as long as I could to make a move to the front. It paid off.”

Will Leer led early in the race, trailed by a tight pack before Kyle Medina briefly took the lead at the three-minute mark as the leaders made the course’s first turn. Seconds later, as the still tightly bunched pack turned on to Grand Avenue, Daniel Herrera led out front until the pace quickened in the final 200 yards with Tripp moving to the outside of the pack to reach the finish line first.

Hiltz and Hurt each earned $5,000 for the national title as part of $30,000 in total prize money awarded. The participants in the USATF Road 1-Mile Championship races were part of more than 4,000 runners who took part in the 10th Annual Grand Blue Mile. 

Camille Hicks will be running Eugene 5K to honor brother with Down syndrome

Thirteen-year-old Camille Hicks loves to run because she says it makes her feel powerful and strong.

With that in mind, she's taking on the 5K race at the 2019 Eugene Marathon.

Camille was also a winner of the marathon's 12 Days of Wishes program.

"My wish was to get a certain amount of money donated to the Down syndrome association and get an entry in the 5K," the Pleasant Hill middle school student said.

Camille is running in support of her brother Cade, who has Down syndrome.

She asked for a specific $321 donation to the association.

That's because a child with three copies of chromosome 21, rather than the usual pair, is said to have "Trisomy 21" - also known as Down syndrome.

Marathon organizers were intrigued by her submission.

"It was super inspiring, you know, the reasons why she's running," said Justin Hanes, director of communications for the Eugene Marathon. "The reasons that she's getting involved in the running community is awesome, and I love finding people like that and being able to support runners and their dreams and goals."

Hanes added that the move represents the essence of the event.

"Which makes this race super hometown-y and super local and so to do this 12 Days of Wishes program and really support families like Camille means a lot to us," he said.

Camille plans to finish the race with her family - and her message is clear.

"People with Down syndrome, they can do it, they are very capable of great things just the same as everybody else," she said.

What distance should women run at the university level in cross-country championships in Canada?

There has been an ongoing debate in Canada about what distance women should run at the university level in cross-country championships.

Until six years ago, the distance was 5K. Then it moved to 6K, and in the fall of 2017 it jumped to 8K.

One of the biggest reasons behind this push was to achieve distance equity between the men and women, the hope being that eventually the women’s distance would climb to meet the men at 10K. The reason for 10K as the chosen championship race distance was that at the international level, athletes race 10K.

But does 10K need to be the gold standard for university athletes? The NCAA is suggesting not.

In NCAA Division III programs, the national championship is contested over 8K, whereas the Division II and I championships are run over 10K. The motion being brought forward by the Division I Track and Field and Cross Country Sport Committee would only affect the Division I competition distance.

William Sichel has become the first person to run the 500 plus miles of Scotland’s answer to America’s Route 66

An exhausted former cancer patient from Orkney, Scotland has become the first person to run the 500 plus miles of Scotland’s answer to America’s Route 66.

Pensioner William Sichel completed the circular North Coast 500 mile tourist route in northern Scotland when he ran into Inverness at around 2am on Monday.

The route has been hailed as one of the greatest drives in the world but has never been run before.

William started at Inverness Castle in Scotland on April 13, with the goal of finishing the iconic route, solo, in eight days.  His official time was 8 days, 19 hours, 7 minutes and 7 seconds.

It took him to the west coast, up to Cape Wrath, through Caithness, through Tain and then down the east coast, to finally complete the loop in Inverness.

“I completed a recce run on the whole course in November last year when I was driven around the whole route, which is actually 518.7 miles and ran for up to three hours a day to get a feel for the area," William said.

“Following that experience I decided to have a go at running the whole thing.”

“I am completely drained. I haven’t slept for 21 hours but I made it in under nine days,” said William at the end of the run.

“It was incredibly demanding in every sense – mentally and physically. We made it – thanks to the team, it was a team effort. I’m now just looking forward to my bed.

“I was running into head winds at times but overall I got lucky with the weather. I had a lot of support. I was amazed how it caught on with people as I went round. I hadn’t expected that at all.”

William has completed 107 ultra marathons since 1994. Last summer he ran the Self Transcendence 3,100 Mile race in New York – the world’s longest certified footrace.

No one had previously run the North Coast 500 route although cyclist James McCallum, completed the route in 31 hours in 2016.

Sir Mo Farah is set to return to the Vitality London 10,000

Sir Mo Farah is set to return to the Vitality London 10,000 hoping to defend his British 10K title on the spectacular course, which starts on The Mall and finishes in front of Buckingham Palace.

This will be Farah's seventh appearance at London’s top rated 10K. He has an unbeaten record with wins from 2009 to 2013 inclusive plus 2018. He set the course record (27:44) in 2010 and was exactly two minutes slower in his latest victory.  

Last year there were 14,475 finishers and this is expected to increase to a record 17,000 for next month's race that passes iconic London landmarks such as Admiralty Arch, Nelson’s Column, St Paul’s Cathedral, Mansion House, Bank of England, Old Bailey, Somerset House, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. 

“I really enjoy running the 10k distance and look forward to returning to the Vitality London 10,000 again this year," says Mo Farah. 

"The course is spectacular and the London crowds are fantastic, lining the streets and cheering everyone the whole way round”.

The women's race could well be more exciting than the men's event as so many of our female athletes are currently in superb form at the distance. Last year's winner and British champion was Steph Twell (Aldershot, Farnham & District) in 32:34 but she recently improved her best to 31:57 in taking the Brighton Marathon 10K.

Molly Huddle is set for her London Marathon debut

With her sights set on a return to London in a month, Elmira native Molly Huddle opened the outdoor track season with a runner-up finish in the 10,000 meters Friday night at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, California.

Huddle, 34, posted a time of 30 minutes, 58.46 seconds at Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field. Emily Sisson won in 30:49.59. Sisson's time was the sixth-fastest ever for an American woman, with only Huddle and Shalane Flanagan having run quicker times.

Huddle's time was good enough to top the standard of 31:25 for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, though she would still need to qualify for Tokyo at next year's U.S. Trials. Huddle set the still-standing American record in the 10,000 at the 2016 Rio Olympics with a sixth-place time of 30:13.17.

After the meet, Huddle credited Sisson with helping to push her to a sub 31-minute race.

The meet included both professional and college runners. Allie Ostrander of Boise State took third in 32:06 in the 10K invitational race behind Sisson and Huddle.

Huddle is tuning up to compete in the London Marathon on April 28. It will be the fourth career marathon for Huddle, who finished fourth at the New York City Marathon in November after placing third in her marathon debut there in 2016. She ran the Boston Marathon last year. Sisson, who is Huddle's training parter, will make her marathon debut at London

Defending Champions Diriba and Mathew Kimeli are set for the 15th Annual UAE Healthy Kidney 10K

Defending women’s champion Buze Diriba of Ethiopia and last year’s men’s runner-up Mathew Kimeli of Kenya will lead the professional athlete field at the 15th running of the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park on Sunday, April 28.

In total, 16 athletes representing six countries will chase the $10,000 first-place prizes, leading 8,000 runners through Central Park on race day. In addition to the $60,000 total prize money, runners will vie for the $30,000 Zayed Bonus awarded by the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in honor of former UAE president Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan.

The bonus prize will be given to any man who breaks 27:08 (Rhonex Kipruto, 2018 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K) and/or any woman who breaks 30:44 (Lornah Kiplagat, 2002 NYRR New York Mini 10K).

“For 15 years, the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K has showcased many of the world’s top runners,” said NYRR head of professional athletics Chris Weiller. “Last year, we saw the fastest-ever 10K on U.S. soil when Rhonex Kipruto broke the course record and picked up the $30,000 Zayed Bonus in the process.

Now, his teammate and last year’s runner-up, Mathew Kimeli, will lead the way for the men’s field while Buze Diriba will look to defend her title against some of the running world’s top women.”  

 Diriba, 25, won last year’s race in 32:04 just weeks after a sprint-finish victory at the United Airlines NYC Half. This year, she finished third at the United Airlines NYC Half. Earlier in her career, Diriba took first place over 5000 meters at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships, and the following year finished fifth in the same event in her debut at the senior IAAF World Championships. She was fifth in her first UAE Healthy Kidney 10K appearance in 2016.

“I’m excited to defend my title at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park, a place that has been very kind to me the last few years. I won two races in Central Park last year and am still looking for my first victory there this year after finishing third at the United Airlines NYC Half. With such a tough women’s field this year, maybe we will see the event record.

 Diriba will have stiff competition from two-time world championships silver medalist Senbere Teferi and 2017 and 2018 UAE Health Kidney 10K third-place finisher Monicah Ngige.

Kimeli, 21, will be the fastest athlete at the start line of the race with a personal-best 10K time of 27:11 which he clocked at the 2017 Birell Grand Prix in Prague.

The US Men's Marathon scene over the last few years was all about one runner Galen Rupp until now, enter Scott Fauble and Jared Ward

The America's men marathon scene over the last few years has not been very impressive not includng some steller performances by one Galen Rupp. There were no sub 2:10 performances (not including Ruff) since Meb keflezighi won the Boston Marathon in 2014 clocking 2:08:37.  Things changed on April 15 in Boston.

Former University of Portland cross country and track star Scott Fauble was the top U.S. finisher and placed seventh overall in the 123rd Boston Marathon. Fauble’s time of 2:09:09 is the fastest time from a U.S. runner since 2014 besides Galen 2:06:07 at the 2018 Prague Marathon, 2:06:21 in Chicago the same year and two other sub 2:10 performances. 

After the race Soctt Fauble posted, "I don’t have the words to explain yesterday yet. Until those words come, I want to say thank you to so many people, but mostly to Boston. You guys were perfect out there. Thank you."

America's 25-year-old Jared Ward too had a steller day clocking 2:09:25 for eighth place. “I’ve been waiting on this 2:09 race for a long time. I think I’ve had it in me a little bit, but conditions today were good enough for running fast,” said Ward, now 30.

Fauble ran the 11th fastest time from a United States born marathon runner in history and the eight fastest time by an American in Boston Marathon history.

“When I was leading, I was thinking, ‘Holy bleep, I can’t believe I’m leading the bleeping Boston Marathon,’” Fauble said. “It was just a surreal experience to be leading a race I grew up watching on TV — not even just growing up, I watched it on TV the last four years and kind of idolized the race and the experience.”   

Fauble had a stellar career as a runner for the Pilots. A former University of Portland male student athlete of the year winner, he led the Pilots’ cross country team to a third place finish in 2014, their first ever podium finish. He earned All-American honors for three straight years in cross-country from 2013 to 2015 and earned similar honors in the 10,000 meter race in track.

“Scott’s success surprises nobody,” Portland men’s cross country and track & field head coach Rob Conner said in a press release. “He was always the hardest working guy on our team and he has taken it to a new level as a professional. We are extremely excited for him and proud of his accomplishments.”

A review of the US all-time marathon scene looks like this.  In 2011 Ryan Hall clocked 2:04:58 in Boston under perfect conditions and 2:06:07 in 2008 (London).  This ranks Ryan Hall 77th on the all-time world list.  America's Khalid Khannouchi clocked four times 2:07:04 or under in 2000, 2002 and 2006.  Plus Galen's performances noted above. 

Is this maybe the beginnings of American men moving up in the rankings? 

The International Olympic Committee plans to donate $752,000 to help restore the Notre Dame Cathedral ahead of 2024 Olympics in Paris

The devastating fire that burnt through the structure of Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris  destroyed centuries of history.

Plans to rebuild the roof, spire and restore the structure will cost hundreds of millions of dollars but the efforts have already drawn enormous endowments by billionaires, corporations and now sports federations to restore the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On Thursday, the International Olympic Committee said it planned to donate 500,000 euros ($752,000) to restore Notre Dame Cathedral as reported by NBC Sports.

Paris will be hosting the 2024 Olympics and French President Emmanuel Macron said that he’d like to see the cathedral restored over the next five years.

“We will rebuild the cathedral even more beautifully and I want it to be finished within five years,” Macron said in a televised address after the fire. “And we can do it.”

The historic cathedral is likely to be on the marathon course and for the first time, the public will be allowed to run the marathon course at the same time as the elites in 2024.