Northern Ireland’s Stephen Scullion (Clonliffe Harriers) slashed well over one minute off his previous personal best when recording an excellent 1:03:16 for 29th place at the Houston Half Marathon in America today (Sunday 14th January 2018). Stephen’s new personal best is well inside Athletics Ireland’s qualifying standard of 1:05:00 for this year’s World Half Marathon Championships in Spain. The race was won by Jake Robertson (New Zealand) in 1:00:01 (1st place).
(01/15/2018) ⚡AMP
"Norwegian Sondre Moen believes Mo Farah will break his recently set European marathon record in London this April," he told Athletics Weekly.
"The 26-year-old clocked 2:05:48 at the Fukuoka Marathon at the start of December, completing an improvement of more than seven minutes on his pre-2017 best. Moen’s sharp improvement as someone who has not broken 28 minutes for 10,000m and set a Norwegian record of 2:10:07 last April has raised suspicions, but he is taking that in his stride."
(01/15/2018) ⚡AMP
The women’s half marathon was both fast and deep on Sunday in Houston. Before Mary Wacera shattered the event record for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon by running 1:06:29 in 2016 for the fastest half marathon ever on U.S. soil, the event record was 1:08:26. In today’s race, a remarkable seven women bettered that time, with Aga’s 1:06:39 now ranking as the second fastest ever run in this country.
Caroline Chepkoech of Kenya was runner-up in 1:06:48, the fourth-fastest time in race history, with the next five women all breaking into the top 10 all-time here.
(01/14/2018) ⚡AMP
America’s Sam Chelanga placed 6th with a 27-second personal best of 60:37 at the Houston Half Marathon Sunday. He’s now #4 on the all-time U.S. list, behind only Ryan Hall, Leonard Korir, and Dathan Ritzenhein. Chelanga’s training partner Haron Lagat made an even bigger breakthrough to finish 10th in 61:01. Running in his first half in 10 years, the 34-year-old Lagat, who was previously best known as a steeplechaser ran 61:01 for 10th, a four-minute PR good for #9 on the all-time U.S. list.
(01/14/2018) ⚡AMP
"We had such a miserable January (last year) in Portland," says Flanagan.
“Being from Boston, I'm used to roads being sanded. I was trying to get my training in outdoors and be tough...
Shalane slipped and threw out her lower back.
"My first major injury," she says.
Flanagan was away from training for 10 weeks.
"I've never been away from running for that long a time. It gave me more motivation to come back strong. The mental and physical break allowed me to bring even more to the table.â€
(01/14/2018) ⚡AMP
Wyoming’s Brent Weigner posted this on his Facebook page yesterday. “ I finished country 150 and marathon 317. I placed 5th overall and my time was 5:17:11.... Some of the runners at the start represented the Country Marathon Club...
I was first and last in the 60-69 age group. Old man still running.†This marathon was held in the country of Turks and Caicos Island. Brent has run more marathons and beyond in more countries than anyone in the world. 2018 is his 50th year doing this!
(01/14/2018) ⚡AMP
“A sincere CONGRATULATIONS to @MollyHuddle for breaking my American record in the half-marathon today in #HoustonHalfMarathon. Held for 12 yrs and I couldn't dream of passing the torch to a more deserving athlete.†(Posted today on Twitter) and Molly’s reply: “Thanks @DeenaKastor - you never cease to inspire us all! #theOG.†Two classy runners!
(01/14/2018) ⚡AMP
“I wonder why some runners (me included) are actually offended when someone asks us “how far did you jog today? “. I cannot even write on my Strava log that I jogged even when my pace is over ten minutes per mile. I am a lifetime runner. I have been running since 1962 and have never jogged a mile in my life. I run every day and currently 20 miles per week†says MBR and RW founder Bob Anderson. He has run at least 80,000 miles since 1962 and has jogged zero miles. “It is only a word but...â€
(01/14/2018) ⚡AMP
The 2:08:30 winning time at the Houston Marathon this morning is the second fastest on US soil over the last 12 months. The only Marathon winning time Faster was run in Honolulu 2:08:27. Experts predicted times for the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon would be fast due to the cold weather.
Bazu Worku from Ethiopia won the men's division of Chevron Houston Marathon at 2:08:30. It's his third win in the Bayou City, having taken first place in 2013 and 2014 as well.
(01/14/2018) ⚡AMP
Houston Half Marathon, Molly Huddle breaks Deena Kastor's previous 🇺🇸 record in 1:07:25 this morning in Houston. She went out with the leaders and pulled it off. The race was won by Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga, the 2017 Berlin Marathon runnerup, in 66:39. Molly said, “It means a lot. To be in the company of Deena Kastor, who had such a great marathon career, gives me a lot of confidence, and that’s a really special feeling. Deena has really set the bar high for us.â€
(01/14/2018) ⚡AMP
Cool temperatures and a crisp breeze greeted runners as they set off on the 46 annual Chevron Houston Marathon and Half Marathon.
The race kicked off at 7 a.m this morning. The marathon has been held since 1972, and while it's traditionally taken place in January for the majority of its history, the very first and second races took place in late December, just before New Year.
(01/14/2018) ⚡AMP
Three runners have died over the past six years but organizers brand pre-race screening too costly and impractical. Officials promised runners are in safe hands when they start in the Standard Chartered Marathon next Sunday but the most important thing is still to “listen to your bodyâ€, a top official said. “There will be more medical staff along the route than last year and the number of first aid stations and automated external defibrillators (AED) will also increase,â€
(01/14/2018) ⚡AMP
American records could fall here on Sunday when Jordan Hasay and Molly Huddle do battle at the 17th Aramco Houston Half-Marathon, the first important road race in the United States this year. Both Hasay, 26, and Huddle, 33, will use Sunday’s race primarily to test the progress of their training for the upcoming Boston Marathon on April 16, but they also hope to run fast. Both women are capable of breaking Deena Kastor’s American half-marathon record of 1:07:34 set in Berlin, Germany, in 2002.
(01/13/2018) ⚡AMP
Hearst, which owns 24 daily newspapers and five dozen weeklies takes over Rodale, owner of magazines like Runners World, Women’s Health and Men’s Health, for less than $225 million it was announced Tuesday. Notably absent from the announcement was Betty Wong-Ortiz, who had been installed as Runner’s World‘s first female editor-in-chief back in June, at the time succeeding longtime editor David Willey. A Hearst spokeswoman, however, confirmed on Friday that Wong-Ortiz will remain editor-in-chief.
(01/13/2018) ⚡AMP
Ultrarunner Kelly Agnew who previously placed first in past events 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 editions, was disqualified after he was spotted “registering laps without running the complete loop of the course.†According to race officials, Agnew circled “back at the start/finish staging area after completing a lap, spending over seven minutes in a portable restroom and then “completing†the lap and going on for his next without actually running the mile plus loop.
(01/13/2018) ⚡AMP
Mamitu Daska, and Abebech Afework Bekele had to drop out, both from Ethiopia, for medical and visa issues, respectively. Ethiopian women have won the Chevron Houston Marathon 11 years in a row, going back to Dire Tune in 2007, With them out, another Ethopian, Biruktayit Degefa, becomes the favorite on Sunday.
(01/13/2018) ⚡AMP
Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa will be targeting a record third triumph on Sunday. The Olympic marathon silver medallist came close to achieving a hat-trick of titles last year, but was just beaten on the line by USA’s Leonard Korir. Korir won’t defend his title, but Lilesa – who set the course record of 59:22 in 2012 – still faces a formidable field which contains five other men with sub-60-minute PBs.
(01/12/2018) ⚡AMP
Mo Farah was the star attraction at the Ooredoo Doha Half Marathon, and while he warmed up for the race, he did not start because of a tight achilles. Alex Kibet of Kenya got the win in 1:01:53 in his absence. Allie Kieffer, the surprise 5th place finisher at the 2017 TCS NYC marathon, who just signed a contract with Oiselle, showed she is in great form with a win in 1:10:40, lowering her PR from 1:14:13,
(01/12/2018) ⚡AMP
The second-fastest marathoners in Canadian history and the 2016 Olympic 10th-place finisher have been added to the 2018 Boston Marathon professional field. Reid Coolsaet and Krista DuChene, 2:10:28 and 2:28:32 marathoners, along with Eric Gillis will contest the world’s most famous road race on April 16. The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announcement was made on Thursday. The Canadian trio, none of who were selected for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
(01/12/2018) ⚡AMP
Japan's Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) and Kentaro Nakamoto (Yasukawa Denki) will run the 2018 Boston Marathon as part of the John Hancock Elite Athlete Team. Kawauchi holds world records for everything from most career sub-2:12 marathons to most sub-2:20, while Nakamoto is Japan's best championships marathoner of modern times with four top 10 finishes at the Olympics and World Championships.
(01/12/2018) ⚡AMP
Historically male cross country races have always been longer than their female counterparts.
Why are women being kept from enjoying as much mud and hills as males?
Maud Hodson, a member of East London Runners certainly thinks that both genders should race over the same distance – and she is not alone.
“Every year the same debate arises and it’s sending out a status to our next generation of runners that there isn’t equal status, that the men’s race is the main event,†says Maud.
(01/11/2018) ⚡AMP
Sol Cal man Loren Zitomersky is planning to run the Boston Marathon backwards.
When he qualified for Boston, he decided to go big.
He opened up the Guinness Book of World Records searching for one that seemed attainable.
He didn't want to dress as a frog so he decided to run backwards. The current record for running backwards was slower than his running forward so he's giving it a shot. The record he is going after was set April 9, 2017 in Hanover Germany. Markus Jurgens ran 3:38:27 backwards.
(01/11/2018) ⚡AMP
Six Boston Marathon champions and 17 top U.S. runners will challenge an exceptional men’s and women’s international field that includes 23 Olympians. Altogether, the John Hancock Elite Athlete team has won 14 Olympic and IAAF World Championships Marathon medals, as well as more than 100 global marathons including 17 Abbott World Marathon Majors. The field’s success in strategic and tactical championship style racing will prove critical as they run the world’s most historic marathon.
(01/11/2018) ⚡AMP
The 2018 TCS New York City Marathon application will be open from January 15 to February 15, 2018, with the drawing to follow on February 28, 2018. During the application window, runners can apply for the drawing or claim their guaranteed entry. You can guarantee your entry to the race right now by registering to run with NYRR Team for Kids. Team for Kids runners receive guaranteed entry to the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon.
(01/11/2018) ⚡AMP
Chip Gaines, who stars in the hit show Fixer Upper, has a new project for improvement: himself. Gaines, 43, wants to run a marathon. And he has enlisted a famous runner for help. Gabriele Grunewald was in New York for treatment for a recurrence of cancer. She has inspired thousands by continuing to train and race through her treatments and by sharing the highs and lows with her fans on social media. "After hearing Gabe's story...I didn't have any excuse not to give this a shot."
(01/11/2018) ⚡AMP
The 2017 NYC marathon champion will run both a 3000 meters and 5000 meters this indoor season, as she prepares for the 2018 BAA Boston Marathon. Per our friend, and fellow member of SlapCentral, Paul Merca, noted that Shalane is racing over 3000 meters at the UW Indoor Preview. The UW Indoor Preview always has some amazing races. Paul noted that Lopez Lomong racing the mile and Andy Bumbalough is racing the 3000 meters. Shalane Flanagan is head lining one of the most impressive American fields.
(01/11/2018) ⚡AMP
71-year-old Van Rose coaches at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in Shawnee, Kansas. He's in his 50th year coaching cross country teams that have won a combined 34 state titles. At one point his boys cross country team won 14 straight cross country titles. He helped guide senior Molly Born to Nike Cross Nationals in 2016. He says, "Running isn't painful, pain is hitting your finger with a hammer. Running is uncomfortable. It's not painful." Rose not only coaches but runs himself.
(01/10/2018) ⚡AMP
Switzer, who is most famously known for being the first woman to run the Boston Marathon with an official bib, recently turned 71 and she has her heart set on running another marathon in 2018 – and it’s a big one, she will be training for and running the London Marathon. She has made her whole career about bettering the lives of other women. Her organization 261 Fearless is an initiative that seeks to empower women and give them the confidence to take control of their lives through running.
(01/10/2018) ⚡AMP
The first and only blind person to run across America, Jason Romero, has released a book (Running Into The Dark) about his 59.5 day and 3,063 mile run from Los Angeles to New York which took place from March 25 – May 23, 2016. Jason took on the challenge of a lifetime after hitting rock bottom – being divorced, unemployed and spiraling into a deep depression when a degenerative eye condition rendered him blind with limited light perception.
(01/10/2018) ⚡AMP
It wasn’t until the final blocks of the California International Marathon in December, when she heard her husband, Michael, screaming from a corner—You’re going to do it!—that Molly Friel fully believed she was about to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. After all, she had a few things working against her. She had been training through some high hamstring pain, which had curtailed a few of her workouts. She ran 2:43:57 beating the standard by 1:03.
(01/10/2018) ⚡AMP
You can download up to 500 songs to the New Garmin Forerunner 645 Music and connect it with Bluetooth headphones. Leave cash and cards at home and use Garmin Pay instead.
Battery will last up to seven days on a five hour charge. And most importantly, "We’re making it easier to get the data you need to improve your form...Biomechanical measurements, such as cadence, stride length, ground contact time and balance, vertical oscillation and vertical ratio will be captured." Available in 5-8 wks.
(01/09/2018) ⚡AMP
MBR FAST FACTS: Yuki Kawauchi is in a category of his own. As of January 1, he has run the most sub-2:20 marathons of anyone, ever—76. He’s also run the most sub-2:12 marathons of anyone, ever—25. Kawauchi has run more sub-2:10 marathons since 2011 than the whole USA put together. Kawauchi’s best time for 2017—2:09:18—was two seconds faster than the fastest marathon of the year by any U.S. man, which would be Galen Rupp (2:09:20 in Chicago). Rupp ran two marathons in 2017. Kawauchi ran 12.
(01/09/2018) ⚡AMP
Runners need to be prepared for some cold weather on the morning of the Chevron Houston Marathon this coming weekend.
High pressure building across our region will send a blast of cold air across southeast Texas. Here's the latest forecast for Sunday's marathon. When it starts, temps will be below freezing, and feels like temps will be in the low 20s. Make sure you're prepared for the cold weather. The secret is to wear layers so you can take some off as it warms up.
(01/09/2018) ⚡AMP
The inaugural Salinas Valley 5K will offer family members and others the opportunity to be a part of the action. Geared to both fast runners and families with children, the 5K features a scenic out-and-back route from the half-marathon finish. As runners wind through the flourishing vineyards and past fields of leafy green vegetables along the Salinas Valley Half Marathon route this coming August, another group of runners and walkers will be enjoying the final miles of the course on a newly 5k
(01/09/2018) ⚡AMP
Ethiopia’s Solomon Deksisa and defending women's champion Bornes Kitur lead an impressive field announced today by organisers of the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2018. With the announcement of the elite field, 4 men who have run under 2:07:00 and another 5 who have run under 2:09:00, as well as 6 women who have gone faster than 2:29:00 will be on the start line. The fastest runner in the Mumbai Marathon, is Deksisa who can boast of a best of 2:06:22, more than 2 minutes quicker than the course record.
(01/09/2018) ⚡AMP
For 13,563 days in a row, Evans never missed a run. The 68-year-old, started streaking just 2 weeks after the birth of her daughter in 1980 and continued lacing up for nearly 4 decades, averaging 4 miles a day (and logging at least 1 mile daily). But on July 31, 2017, while out on a 12-mile run in preparation for the Columbus Marathon in October, Linda’s streak—and life—were cut short when a hit-and-run driver under the influence of drugs swerved off the road, hitting and killing her on impact.
(01/09/2018) ⚡AMP
Wet and windy conditions prevailed today at the Harriers Pioneer 8K, the opening event of the Vancouver Island Race Series. The 39th running of the event had over 500 registrations, and was run on a new out-and-back rural course in North Saanich, B.C. For the second consecutive year, Luc Bruchet and Rachel Cliff won, defending their titles in what is historically Canada’s first notable road race of the calendar year. Bruchet, had a clean lead from the get-go as he battled the rain and head wind.
(01/09/2018) ⚡AMP
Hoka One One has landed one of Canada’s greatest men’s distance runners. The shoe company signed Cam Levins, formerly the national record holder in the 10,000m, to a sponsorship deal, it was announced on Monday. He is slated to make his professional debut for Hoka One One at the 2018 Houston Half-Marathon on Jan. 14. The 2012 Olympian was scheduled to race his debut half-marathon in Toronto in October but withdrew due to injury. But then ran 1:05:07 at the Holiday Half-Marathon in Oregon.
(01/08/2018) ⚡AMP
The two-time Olympian and second-fastest marathoner in Canadian history was forced to cut his yearly training regime to half of its regular volume, as he dealt with a peculiar ailment. A Hamilton resident and New Balance athlete, he had been chasing Jerome Drayton’s elusive Canadian marathon record of 2:10:09 for quite some time and, with a personal best of 2:10:28, a record-breaking attempt in 2017 was in no way far-fetched. But, not even the elite are impervious to injury.
(01/08/2018) ⚡AMP
Horace Ashenfelter III, won a gold medal in a stunning upset at the 1952 Olympics, died on Saturday in West Orange, N.J. He was 94. At the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland, Ashenfelter, then an FBI agent, surpassed heavily-favored Soviet runner Vladimir Kazantsev in the final lap, claiming the gold medal and setting a world record with a time of 8:45.4. That year, he received the Sullivan Award as the USA's outstanding amateur athlete and represented the U.S. again at the 1956 Olympics.
(01/08/2018) ⚡AMP
World 1500m silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot and fellow Kenyan Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi took top honours at the 41st Antrim International Cross Country in Greenmount on Saturday. On a day of calm and mild weather conditions at Greenmount's College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, Cheruiyot improved upon his third-place finish from 2016. The Kenyan 1500m champion produced an excellent display to win by milliseconds from Ethiopia’s Mogos Tuemay.
(01/08/2018) ⚡AMP
MBR FAST FACT: The French ultramarathon runner Serge Girard (Born 1953) holds the world record for the longest distance run in 365 days. He ran every day for a year, crossed a total of 25 countries and covered a total distance of 16,783 miles. In 2005/2006 he ran from Paris to Tokyo (19,097K) in 262 days. In 1997 he ran from Los Angeles to New York City (2.856 miles) in 52 days, 23 hours and 20 minutes.
(01/07/2018) ⚡AMP
28-year-old Nick Hilton from Tucson, Arizona won the 25th Annual Walt Disney World Marathon in a time of 2:17:52. Hilton becames the first American to win the race since 2004, ending a streak held by the Brazilian runners.
Hilton is also only the fourth American to ever win the marathon.
“I feel amazing,†says Hilton. “The marathon has been a mixed bag for me and this means a lot to me." Brazilian Giovanna Martins, 35, was first female to finish. Her time was 2:47:22.
(01/07/2018) ⚡AMP
Israel's Girmaw Amare was crowned as national champion after winning the 41st Sea of Galilee Tiberias marathon today in a time of 2:15.30 hours, an improvement of 1:50 minutes from his personal best and the sixth-best result ever recorded by an Israeli. Amare’s result is especially impressive as he ran by himself for almost half of the marathon. He was on pace to break the national record until around the 35th kilometer, but running alone eventually took its toll. 4,000 runners took part.
(01/07/2018) ⚡AMP
Ethiopia’s Fatuma Sado overcame heavy rain and a stomach problem in the latter sages to win the Xiamen International Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, this morning (2:26:41).
Sado, the 2013 winner and defending champion Meseret Mengistu were both considered the favorites in the women's race.
However, the 27-year-old reigning champion, who was also the fastest entrant (2:23:25) from her victory at the 2015 Paris Marathon, dropped out of the leading group soon after the start.
(01/07/2018) ⚡AMP
MBR FAST FACT: Canada’s Jacqueline Gareau led the women's 1980 Boston Marathon field for most of the race, only to find another runner, Rosie Ruiz, wearing the traditional victor's laurels when she crossed the finish line. Ruiz was later disqualified after it was determined she hadn't run the entire race, and Gareau was awarded the victory one week later. At the 2005 Boston Marathon Gareau was allowed to "break the tape" in a special ceremony. Her 1980 time was 2:34:28, fastest to that point.
(01/06/2018) ⚡AMP
Switzer celebrates her 71st birthday today in Wellington, New Zealand, where she winters with her husband, runner and author Roger Robinson. She was a pioneer female marathoner in the 1960s, a sub-elite racer (with a personal best of 2:51) in the mid-1970s, and a tireless worldwide promoter of women’s running through the Avon global running circuit. 9 months ago, she became the first woman to complete marathons 50 years apart. In 1967, she famously finished the Boston Marathon in 4:20.
(01/06/2018) ⚡AMP
The elite field that has been put together for Boston is the best ever. But this is only part of the story. The big story is the thousands who qualified to run one of the world’s most exciting Marathon. “The crowd support in Boston is simply amazing,†says MBR founder Bob Anderson. “You feel like a rock star the whole way.†Bob Anderson ran Boston in 2013 at age 65. He finished in 3:32:17. “I have only run 11 marathons and this was the first time I never hit the wall,†he said.
(01/06/2018) ⚡AMP
MBR TRAINING TIP: When running on snow or ice you’re going to need something on your feet to prevent slipping.
You can buy a pair of micro-spikes, which strap onto the bottom of your running shoes, or you can turn an older pair of running shoes into “screw shoes†by screwing some sheet metal screws with hex heads into the bottom of your shoes,either ¼â€, ½â€, or ⅜†screws.
You could also consider swapping your road-running shoes for trail shoes, which has better traction on slippery terrain.
(01/06/2018) ⚡AMP
MBR FAST FACT: Joggling is the term used for running while juggling. In October 2016, 44-year-old Michal Kapral ran the Chicago Marathon while juggling, managing to do so without dropping any balls, and finishing with a time of 2 hours and 55 minutes. It was his eighth joggling marathon and first time completing one without a single drop. The Canadian competed in the 3,000m steeplechase in high school and now is training to complete a steeplechase while juggling.
(01/06/2018) ⚡AMP