Running News Daily

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

El Mahjoub Dazza wins the Fukuoka Marathon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kipkorir and Cherono retain Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon titles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Paula Radcliffe clarifies her coaching role with Jordan Hasay

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

This is not exactly accurate according to Radcliffe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eliud Kipchoge and Dalilah Muhammad named World Athletes of the year

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marathon debutante Piasecki wins in Florence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five elite women will be going after the course record at Valencia Marathon

In the women’s category at the valencia Marathon, the aim is to beat the current trial record (2 hours 21:14).

Here, there are five women who have all racked up faster times. Top of the list is the four-times winner of the world championship, and current Olympic champion in the 5000 meters trial, the Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot (2 hours 18:31), the athlete with the best sports curriculum of all those taking part — men and women.

However, she will have a tough race on her hands as she faces three powerful Ethiopian athletes: Dereje Roza (2 hours 19:17); Birhane Dibaba (2 hours 19:51), recent winner of the Copenhagen Half-Marathon, twice winner of the Tokyo Marathon, and who won first place in 2012 when she was just 19.

The young debutante Zeineba Yimer (1 hour 05:46 this year in the half-marathon), fifth in the World Half-Marathon Valencia 2018.

The two other runners who have set times of under 2 hours 21 are the Kenyan athletes Prisca Jeptoo (2 hours 20:14) and Purity Rionoripo (2 hours 20:55).

They will be accompanied by four women with times of under 2 hours 22:00, among them the Ethiopian runner Workenesh Edesa (2 hours 21:05), who is currently in great form. There are a further 15 women with times of under 2 hours 28:00.

New York marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor is not ruling out running on the track at the Tokyo Olympics

Speaking in Nairobi on Monday, Kamworor rued the missed opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal back in Rio 2016 when he finished 11 clocking 27:31.94 in the 10,000m race.

Kamworor said he would prefer to run on the track in Tokyo in what he believes will offer him the best chance to secure the only medal missing from his illustrious collections.

"I might want to have a go on the track in Tokyo. It pains me that I still don't have an Olympic medal," he said.

Kamworor turned to marathon two years ago, winning the New York race in 2017 and 2019.

"The truth is if I was offered a chance to represent Kenya at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, certainly I will not turn it down. It is an honor to run for Kenya at international competitions, especially the Olympic Games. If it is in marathon, then I will not turn it down to competitively team up with the greatest marathoner of all time," said Kamworor.

With over 500 runners, especially in marathon, there is no dearth in talent for Kenya to pick the best three to compete at the Olympics.

Defending champion Eliud Kipchoge has put up his hand ready to retain his title should he be considered.

Kipchoge has run 14 marathons and has won 13, losing only once to compatriot Wilson Kipsang. Kipchoge and Kamworor are training mates and their partnership would certainly be good for the country.

"I could not have asked for a better friend in a training partner. You have to be flattered when a person of Kipchoge's caliber holds you in high esteem and train together day after day," said Kamworor.

Kipchoge ran a record 2:01:39 in Berlin last year, while Kamworor shattered the half marathon mark in Copenhagen, Denmark in September when he clocked 58.01.

Kipchoge also ran in Vienna, the fastest time by any human attaining his goal to write history as the first person to run the marathon in under two hours. He clocked 1:59.40 at the INEOS Challenge. However, it is not the world record because it was run as a time trial.

Kipchoge has said his management will select one race for him prior to the Olympic Games to see how sharp he is.

Kenya first won the Olympic gold medal through the late Samuel Wanjiru in Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

However, Uganda's Stephen Kiprotich won in London 2012 before Kipchoge retook the title in Rio 2016.

Valencia Marathon has a solid elite field in its quest to become one of the World’s Top five fastest marathon circuits

The Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP 2019 will feature the best elite field never seen before in a Spanish trial. The aim is to put the Valencia Marathon among the world’s Top 5 fastest circuits. To achieve this, a minute needs to be shaved off the Men’s current world record of 2 hours 04:31, which will once more make the race the fastest marathon in Spain.

To achieve this, there are three key male contenders: the man who set the circuit record in 2018, the Ethiopian athlete Leul Gebresilase (2 hours 04:02) and especially his fellow-countrymen Getaneh Molla (2 hours 03:34) and Herpesa Negasa (2 hours 03:40). The time set by Molla in Dubai in January established that marathon as the world’s third fastest circuit.

One should also keep an eye on the Kenyan runner Emmanuel Saina (2 hours 05:02), who in seven months between 2018 and April 2019 ran the distance in under 2 hours 06:00 on no fewer than three occasions.

Furthermore, the line-up features twelve runners with times of under 2 hours 06:00, and 22 runners with times of under 2 hours 10, including Tsegaye Kebede (2 hours 04:38), Norbert Kigen (2 hours 05:13), and Felix Kiprotich (2 hours 05:33).

Among them will be the Kenyan runner Gideon Kipketer (2:05:51), an athlete who regularly runs in under 2 hours 06, and who was the pace-setter for Geoffrey Kamworor in Copenhagen in the INEOS 1 hour 59 Challenge; and the Eritrean Ghirmay Gebreselassie, winner in the marathon world championship, and who came first in the New York Marathon in 2016.

The duel for the European Marathon Record between the Turk Kaan Kigen Ozbilen (2:05:27) (who is just 16 seconds off the record time) and the Norwegian Sondre Moen (2:05:48) (just 37 seconds short of the mark) promises to be especially thrilling. Moen knows the circuit well given that he has run in earlier editions of the Valencia Half-Marathon.

Former marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe will coach former Nike Oregon Project athlete Jordan Hasay

Jordan Hasay, 28, wrote on Instagram: “I’m excited and honored to have Paula Radcliffe as my coaching advisor.  “I look forward to working with Paula, whose expertise in being the former world record holder in the marathon is unparalleled.

“I have always looked up to Paula as a pioneer for what is possible in the marathon, and most importantly in being a kind and inspiring person in life. I hope to follow in her footsteps as I continue my journey in the sport.”

Radcliffe held the world record for the marathon for 16 years until it was broken by Kenyan Brigid Kosgei in Chicago this year, where Hasay failed to finish.

Nike ended its NOP training program for elite athletes in October after leading coach Alberto Salazar was banned by the US Anti-Doping Agency.

Salazar was given a four-year ban for doping offenses. His appeal against the ban is unlikely to begin before March at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Geoffrey Kamworor's world half marathon record of 58:01 has been ratified

In a sensational run, Kamworor chopped 22 seconds from the previous record at the Copenhagen Half Marathon on 15 September, coming tantalizingly close to breaking the event's 58-minute barrier.

It was an apt setting for the 26-year-old Kenyan who won the first of his three successive world half marathon titles in the streets of the Danish capital in 2014.

Covering the first five kilometers in 13:53, just outside world record pace, Kamworor upped the tempo to reach 10 kilometers in 27:34, four seconds inside his stated target. He was in front alone by the 11-kilometer mark, but didn't slow. He reached 15 kilometers in 41:05, the fastest time ever recorded for that distance and a stunning 11 seconds inside sub-58 minute pace.

His pace dropped over the waning stages but he still reached 20 kilometers in 55:00, another world best. He was just a few meters from the finish line as the clock moved to 58 minutes before stopping at 58:01.

“It is very emotional for me to set this record,” said Kamworor, who also won back-to-back world cross country titles in 2015 and 2017. “And doing it in Copenhagen, where I won my first world title, adds something to it.”

The previous record of 58:23 was set by Zersenay Tadese in Lisbon in 2010.

How Kenyan athletes are paid millions in the Richest Marathons in the World

For most elite marathoners, there is more at stake than just the glory of winning the race.

For these professional athletes, for instance, Eliud Kipchoge, there is a huge prize for crossing the finish line ahead of everyone in marathons such as Berlin, Boston, Bank of America Chicago marathons among many others. (The current exchange rate is 102 Kenya shillings to one US dollar.) 

Here we take a look at some of the top few marathons over the world that offer the highest prize money to athletes.

1. Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon.- The Dubai Marathon is the world’s richest marathon with the most expensive prize money of Sh.20 ($196,000US) million for first place winners and an additional Sh.10 ($98,000US) million for marathon world record bonus.

In January of 2008, the Dubai Marathon was the richest long-distance running event in history.

The winners received Sh.25 ($245,000US) million (more than double any prize money to that date) and a million-dollar offer from Dubai Holding if they set a world best according to the Standard Chartered Dubai marathon website

Getaneh Molla of Ethiopia and Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich won the 20th edition of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon.

2. Boston Marathon.- The Boston Marathon is the oldest marathon in the world established in 1887 by a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The top male and female finishers each receive Sh.15 ($145,000US) million with second place earning Sh.7.5 million and third takes home Sh.4 million according to Boston Marathon official website.

According to Forbes, there is a bonus prize of Sh.5 million for breaking the world's best time and Sh.2.5 for breaking the course record.

The most rewarded Boston runner of all time was four times champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, a Kenyan runner who has earned a total of Sh.46.9 ($450,000US) million from the Boston race alone.

3. TCS New York City Marathon.- The first NYC Marathon was held in 1970, entirely in Central Park, with only 127 entrants, 55 finishers and a lone female racer, who dropped out because of an illness, according to TCS New York City Marathon website.

Today the TCS New York City Marathon prize purse totals a guaranteed Sh.70.5 ($670,000US) million. The men’s and women’s champion receive Sh.10million each, with an extra Sh.5 million for a time of sub-2:05:30 (men) and sub-2:22:30 (women).

4. London Marathon.- The first London Marathon, held on 29 March 1981, finished on Constitution Hill between Green Park and Buckingham Palace.

According to World Marathon majors today, the race winner earns Sh.5.5 million with second place taking home Sh.3 million

There are also financial rewards for finishing under certain times, with these differing for men and women.

 5. Bank of America Chicago Marathon.- This coveted race is a showcase of some of the top marathoners.

The prize money for winning the 2015 race was Sh.10 million, plus Sh.7.5 million if you set a course record and time bonuses (non-cumulative) of Sh.5.5 and below according to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon official website

6. The Berlin Marathon.- The race was founded in 1974 by a Berlin baker, Horst Milde, who combined his passion for running with a family bread and cake business

According to the Berlin Marathon official website, the prize money is as follows;

26.45 million-plus bonuses in 2018. Expected to be similar in 2019.

First place male: 4.6 million (10 deep) in 2018

First place female: 4.6 million (10 deep) in 2018

Bonuses of Sh.5million. Time bonuses available for 1st and 2nd places only Sh.3 million for first place sub-2:04:00 men, sub-2:19:00 women.

7. Seoul International Marathon.- Celebrating its 85th year running, the Seoul Marathon in South Korea is one of the most prestigious races.

The champion male and female finishers get to bring home Sh.8 million provided that they finish under 2:10:00 and 2:24:00 respectively Sh.4 million if they do not meet the target time) according to World Marathons.

According to the Seoul International Marathon, the world record bonuses are Sh.5million for men and Sh.3 million for women.

There is also a time bonus of Sh. million for sub-2:04:00 (male) and sub-2:18:00 (female); and other time bonuses amounting down to Sh. 500000

8. Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon.- Since the launch of the Marathon in 2003, only one winner has successfully defended their title. Every year the marathon produces new winners.

This year, the organizers increased the cash award for the 42km race prize money from Sh.1.5 million to Sh2million, according to the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon official website.

The half marathon price has also been increased to Sh300, 000 while the 10km race will see a cash award of Sh200, 000.

Lonyangata and Melese regain Shanghai Marathon titles in the heat

Thirty-eight thousand runners from 85 countries and regions beat the heat to challenge their physical limits as the 2019 Shanghai International Marathon began at 7am on Sunday from the Bund.

About 25,000 took part in the marathon, while 6,000 were featured in the 10km race and another 7,000 in the 5.5km run. Kenya’s Paul Lonyangata and Yebrgual Melese of Ethiopia took the men’s and women’s title at the Shanghai International Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday (17).

The 26-year-old Lonyangata broke clear before 35km and led alone the rest of the way to hit home with a clocking of 2:28:11, 57 seconds shy of the 2:07:14 course record he set in the Chinese city in 2015.

“It has been five years since I run here last time,” Lonyangata said. “I noticed nobody had broke my course record so I came back to break it myself. But the weather was much hotter than five years ago.” 

The temperature was around 15c degrees when the race started but rose quickly. When the men’s leaders reached 20km 1:00:12, it was already near 20c (69F) degrees.

A group of 12 runners led the race to a fast pace in the early stages, reaching 5km in 14:57 and 10km in 29:58. When the leaders passed the 15km mark in 45:01 they were already 47 seconds ahead of the course record, and by 20km they were still six seconds ahead. 

But the pace slowed after 20km and when the last pace maker left the seven-runner leading pack, the leaders were 43 seconds behind the record time.

“I think the pacers stopped too early. One of the two pacers stopped after 11 kilometres and the other left by 25km. Because of the weather and the pace maker, I did not break the course record,” said Lonyangata, who decided to control the race with his own pace after 30km and pulled clear by 35 km before breaking the tape in style to celebrate his first marathon victory of the year.

Hassan El Abbassi of Bahrain, who set the Asian record of 2:04:43 last year in Valencia, finished second in 2:08:58, followed by Lmenih Getachew of Ethiopia with a clocking of 2:09:14.

Defending champion Yebrgual Melese also managed to confirm her favourite status in the women’s race although the wining time of 2:23:19 is more than two minutes slower than the 2:20:36 course record she achieved 12 months ago.

As the fastest entrant in the field with a personal best of 2:19:36 set last year in Dubai, the 29-year-old Melese was among a six-athlete leading group in the first half of the race. When she arrived at the 25km water stations in 1:24:12, only countrywoman Waganesh Mekasha managed to keep up with the chasers trailing 16 seconds behind.

After another four kilometres, the 27-year-old Mekasha began to fade gradually. Melese was leading by 14 seconds at 30km and kept widening the gap until wrapping up her fourth title over the classic distance.

Mekasha, a 2:22:45 performer, finish second in 2:25:37 while Ethiopia’s Obse Abdeta, 19, finished third in 2:27:47 in her marathon debut. 

Olympic champion Vivian Cheruiyot is back in training after shaking off a recurrent tendon injury that has kept her off competition for over three months, but now is set for Valencia marathon

Cheruiyot, 36, has only run two races this year, as she finished second at the London Marathon behind compatriot and World marathon record holder Brigid Kosgei and won the Lisbon half marathon back in March.

She was due to a challenge for the Berlin marathon in September, but the injury stopped her. Now Cheruiyot believes she is back in form and will seek a good performance on her sixth marathon career in the Spanish city in Valencia on Dec. 1.

"I am back in training," said Cheruiyot on Friday. "The focus is to gauge the body and see good performance. The injury denied me a big opportunity in Berlin. It was frustrating after a lot of training, the injury flared up again."

The diminutive athlete has been seeking medication in Germany and Kenya and hopes her injury worries are over for the time being.

Cheruiyot will face strong opposition from Ethiopians Roza Dereje and Birhane Dibaba, both of whom have broken the two-hour-20-minute barrier for the distance.

Fellow Ethiopian Zeineba Yimer, who has clocked 65 minutes 46 seconds for the half marathon, makes her full marathon debut.

"At this stage of competition, there are no simple challenges. Everyone enters a race with the hope of winning. However, for me, I run my own race and my strength and inspiration is drawn from what I want to attain," she added.

Cheruiyot remains one of the top marathon women runners in the country and in contention to make the Kenya team to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

However, that will be dependent on her performance in Valencia and then next year in London.

Organizers of the Valencia marathon have also confirmed that the men's race will have former World Indoor bronze medalist Augustine Choge, who will be making his debut in the marathon. Choge had a false start in Chicago last year and pulled out after just 10km.

In Valencia, he hopes to make a new start in his quest to emulate his mentor and training mate World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge. Choge will battle it out with Ethiopians Getaneh Molla (2:03:34), Herpasa Negasa (2:03:40) and reigning champion Leul Gebrselassie (2:04:02).

In total, the men's race features 12 runners, who have run 2:06.00 personal best time and another 22 with a best time of two hours and 10 minutes.

At least US$2.5million in extra revenue will be made available for a comprehensive integrity programme for road running in 2020, under a new funding scheme announced by World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit

World Athletics has today announced a schedule of more than 165 Label road events that will be held in 2020, including the first Platinum Label races.

Each race will contribute to the system approved by the World Athletics Council this year, by which the financial burden for out-of-competition drug testing is shared by all road race stakeholders – organisers, athlete managers and athletes.

Races will contribute according to their status: Platinum marathons $66,667, Gold marathons $15,000, Silver marathons $10,000 and Bronze marathons $5,000; Platinum road races $20,000, Gold road races $10,000, Silver road races $5,000 and bronze road races $2,500.

The list of Label events that will take place from January to September 2020 was released today. More races will be added when their race dates are confirmed. 

Their contributions, together with the fees managers pay for their athletes included in the testing pool – $500 for Gold status athletes and $1000 for Platinum – and the 1.5% levy on prize money that athletes agreed to contribute, make up the bulk of the fund. In all, that means some US$2.6 to 3.2 million in funding will be available in 2020. The programme, which includes out-of-competition testing, investigation and education, will be carried out by the Athletics Integrity Unit.

The list of Gold and Platinum status athletes for 2020, determined by their position in the world rankings, was also released today.

“This is a brilliant example of our key stakeholders coming together to protect the integrity of our sport,’’ World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon said. “I would like to thank our athletes, race directors and athlete managers for supporting this important scheme, which will greatly enhance the Athletics Integrity Unit’s efforts to ensure that all leading road runners are subject to a comprehensive anti-doping programme.’’

Under the previous system, the AIU and IAAF had funding to test just the first 50 athletes (the marathon and half marathon athletes) in the testing pool, which left an alarming shortfall in out-of-competition testing of athletes who compete on the rapidly expanding and increasingly lucrative road running circuit. World Athletics granted 103 races label status in 2017. That number grew to 114 in 2018 and 136 in 2019.

David Howman, Chairman of the Athletics Integrity Unit, said: “This is a great reflection on the commitment to integrity of the road running industry. It is encouraging that so many races, athletes and managers have signed up to make tangible financial contribution to address the challenges in a proactive manner. 

“With this new funding we will be able to put together a comprehensive integrity programme that will ensure that a level playing field can be enjoyed by all road runners. We are in advance stage of planning its implementation and this will begin with extensive education sessions this December in Ethiopia and Kenya, where a vast majority of the Platinum and Gold Label athletes are based.”

Platinum Label to debut in 2020.- The new Platinum Label races, first announced in 2018, will be introduced in 2020. Nine races have been granted Platinum status thus far, with up to three more late season races to be confirmed early next year.

Platinum Label races are required to have at least three athletes with Platinum Status, per gender, and at least four athletes with Gold Status (or higher) start the race and compete with a bonafide effort. (2020 Label Road Race regulations).

The number of Platinum Status athletes for 2020 will be fixed at 30 per gender and determined in a two-phase process. The first, based on positions in the world rankings on 15 October 2019, will include the top 19 ranked athletes in the 'marathon' event group, the top three ranked athletes in the 'road running' event group (excluding any athletes who acquired Platinum Status in the 'marathon' group) and the top ranked athlete in the '10,000m' event group (excluding any athletes who acquired Platinum Status in the 'marathon' and 'road running' event groups).

The second phase will add seven more athletes, per gender, based on positions in the world rankings on 28 January 2020: the top four ranked athletes in the 'marathon' group, the top two in the 'road running' group and the top one in the 10,000m event group who had not yet achieved Platinum Status.

World Athletics Platinum Label events, Tokyo Marathon, Nagoya Women’s Marathon, Seoul Marathon, BAA Boston Marathon, Virgin Money London Marathon, Media Maratón de Bogotá, BMW Berlin MarathonBank of America Chicago MarathonTCS New York City Marathon

Course record-holders Yebrgual Melese and Paul Lonyangata, will return to the Shangai Marathon this weekend

Ethiopia’s Melese won comfortably last year, taking more than a minute off the course record with 2:20:36.

A past winner of the Houston and Prague marathons, Melese set a PB of 2:19:36 when finishing third in Dubai last year, but her form in 2019 hasn’t been quite so good. The 29-year-old finished 11th in Tokyo in March in 2:31:40 but last month clocked a promising 1:09:02 at the Lisbon Half Marathon.

Fellow Ethiopian Waganesh Mekasha is another title contender. The 27-year-old reduced her PB by more than three minutes to finish fourth in Dubai in January in 2:22:45 and went on to clock 2:23:19 at the Yellow River Estuary International Marathon in Dongying seven months ago.

The Ethiopian contingent also includes Fantu Jimma, a 32-year-old with a PB of 2:26:14 set four years ago in Xiamen. It will be Jimma’s fourth marathon of the year, having won in Wuhan in 2:28:25 and finished third in Xiamen and Lanzhou. She was also victorious at the Changzhou West Taihu Lake Half Marathon last month.

Lonyangata is among the main favorites in the men’s race. The 26-year-old Kenyan set his PB of 2:06:10 when winning the 2017 Paris Marathon, the first of two victories in the French capital. He set the Shanghai course record of 2:07:14 in 2015 and has a season’s best of 2:07:29, set when finishing third in Paris.

Bahrain’s Hassan El Abbassi is another top contender. The 35-year-old, who set his marathon PB of 2:04:43 in Valencia last year, is the 2014 Asian Games 10,000m champion and 2018 Asian Games marathon silver medalist. More recently he finished seventh in the marathon at the World Championships in Doha in 2:11:44 but is still in pursuit of his first international marathon title.

Kipsang Kipkemoi will compete in China for the first time in his career. The 29-year-old Kenyan clocked his PB of 2:08:26 in Seville in 2017 and came close to that in April when he finished second in Madrid with 2:08:58. Sunday’s race will be his fourth marathon of the year as he has also competed in Mumbai and Cape Town but didn’t better 2:10 on either occasion.

Other sub-2:10 runners in the field include Kenya’s 2011 world silver medalist Vincent Kipruto and Ernest Ngeno, a 2:06:41 performer who finished second in Shanghai two years ago.

All eyes will turn to the Following crowning of Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon winners Lelisa Desisa and Ruth Chepngetich as Marathon Runners of the Year

The 2019 ‘Best Marathon Runner’ award was made to both Desisa and Chepngetich by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) at the end of a year that saw them both add Marathon World Championship titles to their already impressive CVs.

But it was on the flat and fast streets of Dubai that Desisa of Ethiopia and Kenya’s rising star Chepngetich first made their marks in the record books - just two of a growing number of world-class distance runners to launch their careers in the emirate.

Making his marathon debut in Dubai in 2013, Desisa won in 2.04.45, while in January 2019 the diminutive Chepngetich produced one of the best women’s performances of all time as she stormed to victory in 2:17:08, now the fourth fastest in history.

"Over the past ten years or so, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon has consistently produced race winning times that rival and often exceed the Marathon Majors," said Event Director Peter Connerton.

"The city is now firmly recognised as hosting one of the fastest routes in world athletics. Established elite athletes as well as up-and-coming runners are always keen to take part in what is the first major event of the new year. With the benign weather conditions, excellent road surfaces and a flat course, the athletes know they can target a personal best and even a new course record in Dubai."

While the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon has been held in various parts of the city - with race routes that have included both the Sheikh Zayed Road and Downtown Dubai - in recent years the race has settled on a home stretching out along the city’s Jumeirah Beach Road in the west with a finish in the shadow of the seven-star Burj Al Arab Hotel.

Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, the 2020 event is expected to see more than 30,000 runners sign up to take part.

The race - the 21st in the event’s history - will again see the runners compete in the same location with competitors spread across three races, namely a 4km Fun Run, the hugely-popular 10km and the traditional Marathon distance itself.

Kenyan Marathon world-record holder Eliud Kipchoge is among the five finalists named for the male athlete of the year

Eliud Kipchoge leads the nominees list, Kenya's marathon man, Eliud Kipchoge has made the list, as the 34-year old looks to bag his second IAAF Male World Athlete award in succession. In October 2019, Kipchoge became the first person on the planet to complete a full marathon in under two hours.

The Kenyan world record holder, who has also been labelled as the greatest marathoner in the history of the sport, completed the 'INEOS 1:59 Challenge' in October. In successfully completing the 9.6km circuit, the 34-year old became the first marathoner to break the two-hour barrier, thus writing his name in the history books. 

Eliud Kipchoge´s contenders.- Uganda’s Joshua Chepetegei, the 10,000m world champion was also one of the five finalists apart from Eliud Kipchoge.

Chepetegei won the World 10,000m title in a world-leading time of 26:48.36 and also won the Diamond League 5000m title. Americans Sam Kendricks and Noah Lyles are also up for winning the award. Sam Kendricks won the World Pole Vault title, clearing a world-leading 6.06m to win the US title.

He also won 12 of his 17 outdoor competitions, including the Diamond League final. Noah Lyles, meanwhile, has the world 200m and 4x100m titles to boast of, aside from running a world-leading 19.50 in Lausanne to move to fourth on the world all-time list. Lyles also won the Diamond League titles at 100m and 200m. 

Norwegian hurdler Karsten Warholm completes the list of the nominees for the Male World Athlete 2019 award. Warholm is undefeated indoors and outdoors at all distances, including the Diamond League final and the European Indoor Championships. He also clocked a clocked world-leading 46.92, the second-fastest time in history. 

Veteran Bernard Lagat and Chris Brown have both announced plans to hopefully compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Not too long ago, professional athletes rarely produced world-class results after they passed their mid-thirties and ventured into their forties. Today, however, athletes like Roger Federer and Serena Williams (both 38 years old), Tom Brady (42) and Tiger Woods (43) are proving that age is just a number, each continuing to find success in their sports. 

American Bernard Lagat and Chris Brown of the Bahamas are also looking to prove they’ve still got what it takes to compete with the world’s best, with both men recently announcing they will attempt to qualify for their sixth Olympic team each.

Chris Brown, a 400m runner, is 41 years old. He has competed at each Summer Games since Sydney in 2000, where he picked up a bronze medal in the 4 x 400m relay with the Bahamian team. The Athens Games were the only ones from which Brown has returned home without a medal. He and his teammates added three more in the 4 x 400m after Sydney, winning gold in London, silver in Beijing and another bronze in Rio. 

He currently coaches the Clayton State University track team in Georgia. His bio on the Clayton State track page reads that he joined the team “following a tremendous international career,” but Brown announced that he isn’t quite finished on the world stage. 

Brown told the Bahamian paper the Nassau Guardian that although he took a year off of competing since joining the Clayton State staff, he hasn’t stopped training. 

“My body is still active and ready to compete at any minute now,” he said. “I just try and maintain and keep my body consistent with what it has been doing.” 

From the 2008 to the 2016 Olympics, Lagat competed in the 5,000m. His focus is now on the marathon, a distance which he has only raced twice. His first shot at 42K was at the New York City Marathon in 2018, where he ran a 2:17:20. In July 2019, he travelled to Australia and set an American masters record of 2:12:10 at the Gold Coast Marathon. 

Lagat will be at the US Olympic Trials in Atlanta on February 29 to book his ticket for the 2020 Olympic marathon. If he makes the team, he’ll be 45 years old at the start line in Sapporo.  

Brown isn’t just looking for a fun, lighthearted Olympic finale–he wants to help the Bahamian team to continue their success in the 4 x 400m. If Brown makes the team, he could be running with Steven Gardiner, a fellow Bahamian who won the 400m world championship a month ago in Doha, who would be a huge addition to the already stellar cast of previous 400m runners from the Bahamas.

Bernard Lagat Like Brown, the 44-year-old Lagat has competed on the track of each Summer Olympics since 2000. Lagat won a medal in his first two Olympic appearances, taking a bronze in 2000 and silver in 2004, both in the 1,500m. At that time, he was competing for Kenya, where he was born and raised. In 2005, however, Lagat became an American citizen, and he has represented the U.S. ever since. 

Defending champion and course record holder Edward Cheserek will be back in 2019 to defend his title at the 83rd Manchester Road Race

Defending champion and course record holder Edward Cheserek has entered the 83rd Manchester Road Race, race officials announced Thursday.

Cheserek hails from of Flagstaff, AZ, by way of Kenya.

Cheserek, 25, won the annual Thanksgiving Day run last year in 14-degree weather with zero wind chills and set a new record for the 4.748-mile course with a time of 21:16. He sliced three seconds off the old mark of 21:19 that had stood since 1995.

"Edward Cheserek ran a super race under very difficult conditions last year," said Dr. Tris Carta, president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "We are very pleased that he will be back this Thanksgiving to defend his championship."

Cheserek captured 17 NCAA running championships when he competed for the University of Oregon. He won the Carlsbad 5,000 Road Race in California this past April with a time of 13:29. Cheserek recorded a personal best time of 13:04.44 for 5,000 meters this summer during an outdoor meet in Belgium, and also placed third at the seven-mile Falmouth Road Race in 32:30.

The 83rd Manchester Road Race will be run at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28, 2019).

The 4.748-mile race is run on a loop course through Manchester's central streets and starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.

Edna Kiplagat, one of the world's top marathon runners plans to compete in the 2019 Manchester Road Race

One of the world's greatest marathon runners will compete at the 83rd Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day. Race officials announced Monday that Edna Kiplagat, who won the 26.2-mile event at the World Championships in 2011 and 2013, will return to Manchester after a two-year absence.

She finished fourth at the 2016 MRR with a time of 24:34.

Kiplagat, who turns 40 on Nov., 15, grew up in Kenya and recently relocated to the Boulder, Colorado area. She won the 2017 Boston Marathon, the 2014 London Marathon, and the New York City and Los Angeles Marathons, both in 2010. Kiplagat recorded her best time for the event in 2012 when she placed second behind Mary Keitany at the London Marathon in 2:19:50.

The mother of five children and a former police physical fitness instructor in Kenya, Kipligat was the runner-up at the Boston Marathon last April, and finished fourth in the marathon at the 2019 World Championships, which were held last month in Doha, Qatar.

Kiplagat will join Olympic silver medalist Sally Kipyego in a highly competitive womens elite field at the annual 4.78-mile Thanksgiving Day run through Manchester's central streets.

The 83rd Manchester Road Race is scheduled will take place on Nov. 28 at 10 a.m.

Marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei is one of five finalists for the Female World Athlete 2019 award

Last month the Kenyan broke Briton Paula Radcliffe's 16-year-old world record, running a time of 2hrs 14mins 04secs to win the Chicago Marathon.

Kosgei, 25, also became the youngest winner of the London marathon in April.

American Dalilah Muhammad, Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas and the Netherlands' Sifan Hassan are also up for the award.

Sprinter Fraser-Pryce won the world 100m and 4x100m titles in world-leading times of 10.71 and 41.44 in Doha, while Hassan broke the world mile record with a time of 4:12:33 in Monaco.

Triple-jumper Rojas won nine of her 12 competitions, including gold at the World Championships with 15.37m, while Muhammad set a new world record of 52.16 in the 400m hurdles in Doha.

Britain's world heptathlon gold medallist Katarina Johnson-Thompson missed out on the shortlist, having featured among the initial 11 nominees.

The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced live on stage at the World Athletics Awards 2019 in Monaco on Saturday 23 November.

Kenya's former world half-marathon record holder Abraham Kiptum has been banned for four years over an anti-doping violation

The Athletics Integrity Unit,  which oversees integrity issues in international athletics, including doping, had provisionally suspended the 30-year-old on April 26 for an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) violation.

The passport uses blood tests to detect the likelihood of doping rather than testing for specific substances.

Kiptum's four-year ban commences from that date and all his results going back to Oct. 13, 2018 — including a half marathon world record (58 minutes and 18 seconds) that he had set in Valencia later that month — have been disqualified.

His time was five seconds better than the previous mark set by Eritrea's Zersenay Tadese in Lisbon in 2010.

Kiptum's compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor broke the world half-marathon record by 17 seconds in Copenhagen in September.

Kenya is known for its middle and long-distance running pedigree but has suffered damage to its reputation due to a number of doping violations in recent years.

Vicoty Chepngeno was the first across the finish line at the 16th annual Monterey Bay Half Marathon holding off the elite men who started nine minutes and five seconds behind her

Chepngeno, a Kenyan living and training in Grand Prairie, TX, covered the 13.1-mile course in 1:08:03, smashing the women’s course record by over a minute and half. As the race began Sunday morning, the 25-year-old made a clear break from her competitors and maintained a healthy lead throughout the race, clicking off 5:10 miles. Futsum Zienasellassie, 26, of Flagstaff, AZ took the top spot for the men in 1:02:33, logging the second-fastest men’s finish in the race’s history.

Still, he and the other male competitors were unable to catch Chepngeno as she neared the finish line. As the first runner across the line, Chepngeno collected an additional $3,000 on top of the $4,000 award for being the first female.

“I’m so happy to be here, and I love the people of Monterey,” said Chepngeno. When asked if she’d return next year to defend her title, Chepngeno replied, “Absolutely, I can’t wait to be back out on the beautiful course next year.”

Panuel Mkungo of Coon Rapids, MN took second for the men in 1:02:37, and Patrick Smyth of Sante Fe, NM took third in 1:02:39. Second female was Australian Milly Clark in 1:11:49, followed by 2017 women’s champion Monicah Ngige in 1:11:59.

The top eight runners in the men’s and women’s divisions competed for a total purse of $25,000 plus another $5,000 in total bonus money for the first three runners of either gender to finish.

Runners were met with ideal conditions with overcast skies and temperatures from the low-50s to 60s during the race. Roughly 6,700 participants set out along the 13.1-mile scenic course that includes historic downtown Monterey, Cannery Row, and the Pacific Grove shoreline and Asilomar State Beach to finish back in downtown Monterey near Fisherman’s Wharf.

“It was a spectacular day with many runners setting personal bests,” said Doug Thurston, Race Director. “We were so glad to welcome back thousands of runners from our canceled race last year and many new runners to our race along the beautiful Monterey Bay.”

The 2018 Monterey Bay Half Marathon was canceled the day before when shifting winds brought smoky and unhealthy air into the area from the Camp Fire.

The Big Sur Marathon Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create beautiful running events that promote health and benefit the community. Under the brand are three individual race weekends: Big Sur International Marathon in April, Run in the Name of Love 5K and 2K in June, and the Monterey Bay Half Marathon, 5K and 3K in November.

KURGAT AND BAYARTSOGT VICTORIOUS AT NANJING MARATHON

Kenya’s Joseph Moses Kiptoo Kurgat and Munkhzaya Bayartsogt of Mongolia took the top honours at the fifth edition of Nanjing Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label road race, on Sunday (10).

The 28-year-old Kurgat emerged victorious from a two-man duel in the last 10 kilometres to set a personal best of 2:13:04, stretching Kenya’s win streak in the men’s race to three years.

It is the first win of the year taken for the China-based Kurgat, who collected three marathon titles last year in the Chinese cities of Heyuan, Youyu, and Wuyuan respectively.

Fellow Kenyan David Kipkoech finished second once again, following his runner-up finish in Liupanshui four months ago. His 2:13:53 clocking is nearly two minutes faster than his previous PB of 2:15:47 achieved last year in Nairobi.

Alphonce Kibiwott took third in 2:15:30. The 26-year-old was also from Kenya with a clocking of 2:09:49 set at Rennes Marathon in 2016.

In the women’s race, Bayartsogt was even more dominant.

The 26-year-old grabbed the lead soon after the start and never encountered a serious threat throughout the race.

Although the Mongolian’s pace slowed in the final stages, the past winner at the Taipei, Gunsan and Ulaanbaatar marathons reached the finish in 2:35:40 for a 32-second victory.

Roman Mengistu of Ethiopia, winner of 2017 Agadir Marathon in 2:28:20, clocked 2:36:12 to finish second, while her countrywoman Tesfaw Etalem clocked 2:47:46 to settle for the third place, the first podium finish for the 24-year-old.

DEBUTANTE ZERAY TAKES SURPRISE VICTORY IN HEFEI

Debutante Ftaw Zeray of Ethiopia took a surprise win in the women’s race at the Hefei International Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on Sunday (10).

The 22-year-old Zeray, who set a half marathon career best of 1:10:31 in Marugame, Japan last February, broke clear after 35km and surprised a field that included eight sub-2:30 runners to cross the line in 2:29:15.

It was her second victory in China after her win at the Anhui Dangshan Half Marathon in 2016.

Running under sunny skies with temperature ranging from 15 to 20 degrees, Zeray was in the lead group of six that covered the first 10 kilometres in 34:59. The leaders were trimmed to five after 15km and later cut to just three runners after 30km.

Zeray and her compatriot Gebeyanesh Ayele along with Kenya’s Agnes Kiprop, a 39-year-old veteran who boasted the fastest personal best in the field with a 2:23:54 clocking from 2011, stayed together for another two kilometres when the seasoned Kenyan could no longer keep with the pace of the younger legs.

Zeray and the 24-year-old Ayele, a 2:26:54 performer, then ran side-by-side until Zeray pulled clear after 35km and never looked back.

Ayele clocked 2:31:08 to finish second, her third podium finish to date, while Kiprop settled for third in 2:32:08.

In the men’s race, Ethiopian Yihunilign Adane celebrated his first marathon title since debuting over the classic distance in 2016, as the 23-year-old scored a 2:10:06 victory in the capital city of China’s Anhui Province.

The rising Ethiopian, who set a PB of 2:09:11 from a third finish in Beppu nine months ago, gained a hard-fought sole lead after 38km en route to a 52-second victory.

Mohamed Reda El Aaraby of Morocco, who will turn 30 on Tuesday, finished second in 2:10:58. Kenya’s Julius Tuwei, the fastest entrant with a 2:08:06 PB, trailed two seconds further behind to finish third.

The race saw a crowded leading group soon after the gun, before Chinese runner Liu Hongliang took the lead after 5km. The 2:15:22 performer was 13 seconds ahead at 10km in 30:25 but was gradually reeled in by the chasers and finally swallowed up by the pack near the 15km mark.

Ethiopia’s Abdela Godana then tried to push ahead in the next few kilometres, cutting the lead group to just four runners by 21km.

Tuwei seemed to lose his energy and began to drift back at 30km (1:32:19). But the Kenyan managed to fight back and caught the leaders before 35km, while the charges earlier seemed to cost too much from Godana as the 27-year-old faded away and out of the hunt.

After a series of unsuccessful mini-breaks from the leading trio, Adane finally pulled clear after 38km and went on to wrap-up the victory comfortably.

El Aaraby, the 10,000m gold medalist at the World Military Games in Wuhan two weeks ago, surpassed Tuwei in the home stretch to finish second.

Keter breaks the world 5k road record in Lille

Kenya’s Robert Keter upstaged a quality field to win the Urban Trail Lille 5km on Saturday (9), taking seven seconds off the world record* with his winning time of 13:22.

While organisers had hoped that Lille’s flat course would lend itself to a world record, many expected the likes of world U20 5000m silver medallist Stanley Waithaka, world U20 cross-country champion Milkesa Mengesha and world indoor 3000m finalist Davis Kiplangat to challenge the mark of 13:29.

No one, however, expected the unheralded Keter to sprint away from the field in the closing stages to triumph in a world record time.

Within the first five minutes a lead pack of 10 men, two of whom were pacemakers, had broken away. The group began to stretch out as they approached the half-way point after running the perimeter of Parc Jean-Baptiste Lebas.

Keter made his way to the front before the second pacemaker dropped out, but Waithaka, Kiplangat and 2014 Youth Olympic champion Gilbert Kwemoi were all close behind. Those four men began to pull away from the other athletes in the lead pack with less than a mile left to run.

There was a relatively tight turn at 4km as they looped back on to the Boulevard de la Liberte, but Keter got there first and started to up the pace for the final kilometre. He continued to pull away from his three compatriots and they were unable to match Keter’s finishing pace.

Keter turned into the Place de la Republique with a clear lead and crossed the finish line in 13:22. Kwemoi, Waithaka and Kiplangat followed a few seconds later, finishing in that order, all with an official time of 13:28 – one second inside the existing world record.

“I’m very, very happy,” said Keter. “The race was great, it was my first 5km road race.”

Mercy Jerop, just 17 years of age, made it a Kenyan double, winning the women’s race in 16:21. France’s Fanny Pruvost, 23 years Jerop’s senior, was a distant second in 16:47.

The 5km road distance was introduced as an official world record event in November 2017, with the inaugural record to be recognised after 1 January 2018 if the performances were equal to or better than 13:10 for men and 14:45 for women.

If no such performances were achieved in 2018, the best performances of 2018 (13:30 by Bernard Kibet and 14:48 by Caroline Kipkurui) would be recognised on 1 January 2019. Seven weeks into 2019, Julien Wanders and Sifan Hassan bettered those marks in Monaco by clocking 13:29 and 14:44, times that have since been ratified as world records. Two months later, Edward Cheserek equalled Wanders’ mark at the Carlsbad 5000.

Many athletes, however, have gone quicker than 13:22 before the 5km became an official world record event. The fastest time ever recorded for the distance remains Sammy Kipketer’s 13:00 clocking in Carlsbad in 2000.

Veteran Kenyan Komen wins Athens Marathon

Kenyan John Kipkorir Komen was the big winner of the 37th Athens Authentic Marathon on Sunday.

Komen, 42, crossed the finish line at the Panathenaic Stadium in the center of Athens in 2:16:34.

He did not manage to break the race's record at the 42km original course from Marathon city to Athens on a rainy day, but was cheered by thousands of spectators at the stadium which hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896, as well as along the route.

Kenya's Felix Kipchirchir Kandie holds the best time in the Authentic course since 2014, when he clocked 2:10:37.

Rwandan Felicien Muhitira, 25, ranked second, clocking 2:16:43, and Greek Konstantinos Gkelaouzos was third in 2:19:02.

A record 60,000 people from more than 120 countries and regions took part in the 42km course as well as the shorter 10km, 5km races and other parallel events, the organizing committee of the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) said.

Among them were infants in strollers, entire families and white-haired amateur runners. The message of the Athens Marathon is that all participants are winners.

The race originates from the feat of Pheidippides who ran from the Marathon battlefield to Athens in 490 BC to announce Greeks' victory over the Persian forces and died from exhaustion.

This year all runners in the Marathon and shorter distances were presented with a new medal depicting the Marathon battle. The medal was designed by one of the greatest contemporary Greek artists, Alekos Fasianos. Enditem

World Champions Lelisa Desisa and Ruth Chepngetich named Marathon Runners of the Year by the AIMS

This year’s World Marathon Champions Lelisa Desisa and Ruth Chepngetich are the Marathon Runners of the Year. The runners from Ethiopia and Kenya respectively were honored at the AIMS Best Marathon Runner (BMR) Gala in Athens tonight. The Gala, which was shown live on Greek TV, was staged by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) and the Hellenic Athletics Federation, SEGAS. On Sunday the 37th edition of the "The Athens Marathon. The Authentic" will take place on the original course with a record field of 20,000 runners.

Three further distinctions were awarded by AIMS on Friday evening in Athens: the French journalist Alain Lunzenfichter, for a long time a reporter with the sports newspaper L’Équipe, received the AIMS Lifetime Achievement Award. The AIMS Green Award went to the Xiamen Marathon in China and the Harmony Geneva Marathon for UNICEF received the AIMS Social Award.

Two outstanding personalities in the sport of marathon running were also honored at the Gala on Friday evening: Britain’s Ron Hill and Stefano Baldini of Italy. Hill won the 1969 European title on the Athens course and Baldini took the Olympic title here in 2004. 15 years after his Olympic triumph, the Italian will be running the Athens Marathon once again. “I hope I can enjoy the race since Athens is a very special place for me,” said Stefano Baldini.

“We are honored to have the best marathon runners in the world here in Athens, where the marathon as well as the Olympic Games of the modern era began, and honor them at the Gala,” explained the president of the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) Kostas Panagopoulos. The AIMS president, Paco Borao from Spain, spoke in referring to both winners: “No-one will be in any doubt that these two World champions, who won in extreme weather conditions in Doha, deserve to be the Best Marathon Runners.”

Lelisa Desisa is the first Ethiopian to have received this award which was first made in 2013. The most recent recipient was Kenya’s Olympic champion and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge who was awarded the prize for the last four years in succession. During the relevant period for the AIMS Best Marathon Runner, Lelisa Desisa won the New York Marathon in November 2018, running an impressive 2:05:59 on the difficult course. After a second place in Boston in April the 29-year-old Ethiopian won the World Championships marathon gold in Doha, Qatar a month ago. “The Olympic marathon in 2020 is my dream,” said Lelisa Desisa. “I want to follow in the footsteps of Abebe Bikila and win the gold. I hope I can inspire a new generation of young athletes by my success.”

Ruth Chepngetich established herself among the world’s best marathon runners with two outstanding victories: First she took the Istanbul Marathon in November 2018 with 2:18:35 then became the third fastest woman ever at that time when she won in Dubai in January with 2:17:08. At the end of September the 25 year-old took the World Championship title in Doha in extreme weather conditions. “It is a great honor to receive this award in Athens, where the marathon was born. This is a lifetime event in my career,” said Ruth Chepngetich. Asked about the world record, which was recently lowered to 2:14:04 by fellow-Kenyan Brigid Kosgei the BMR winner said: "I believe it is possible for me too to break the world record if I train accordingly.”

Among the distinguished international guests from Sport, Politics and Culture at the Gala on Friday evening in Athens was Greece’s Minister for Development and Investment, Adonis Georgiadis. “I ran the marathon myself last year and have to say, it was a once in a lifetime experience. I recommend everyone to run this race. The Athens Marathon stands for fun, happiness and energy,” added the Minister.

Kenyan Daniel Muteti will be back in action in Greece as he seeks his first win in 2019 at the Athens Marathon on Sunday

Muteti who clocked 2:09:25 in Cape Town is eyeing fast time in the old Greek city but will have to contend with compatriot Rhonzas Kilimo in the quest to break the Athens course record of 2:10:37 set by Felix Kandie back in 2014.

A record 20,000 runners will line up on a course that is almost identical to the one used for the 1896 Olympic marathon.

"The fact that I am running here in Athens where the marathon began is special motivation for me," said Daniel Muteti on Friday.

"I have enough motivation to go for a fast time and I believe the weather will be good for me so that I may attain my goal. I know it is a short time to run two marathons in the span of two months, but I believe I have the strength to withstand the pressure," Muteti said.

Kilimo will be making debut at the distance after a running a half marathon in a personal best time of 60:49 minutes last year.

"I always wanted to run the full distance and have been delaying it. But I believe Athens will be the perfect stage for me to make another mark in my career and win a first marathon," said Kilimo.

Also in the field are John Komen, now 42 and who ran his best of 2:07:13 in 2011, Dominic Kangor (2:09:36), Chalu Gelmisa (2:12:38) and Felicien Muhitira (2:10:58).

Organizers admit they have concentrated more on the men's field this year than the women's, so Eleftheria Petroulak (2:44:01) and Sonia Tsekini (2:45:02) are the favorites. There will be no women representation from Kenya.

Uganda´s Joshua Cheptegei will target 10K world record in Valencia

Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, the reigning world champion over 10,000m as well as cross-country, announced he will be looking to set a new world record at the 10K Valencia Trinidad Alfonso, to be held in conjunction with the Valencia Marathon on December 1.

Cheptegei already holds the world record in the 15K, which he set a year ago in the Netherlands, winning the Seven Hills race in Nijmegen for the fourth time, in 41:05. Cheptegei is 23.

In winning the 10,000m in Doha on October 6 in a world-leading 26:48.3, the Ugandan won his country’s first-ever gold medal in that event, though he also took gold in the 2018 Commonwealth Games over both 5,000m and 10,000m and set a new Games Record in the 10.

He is the only person besides the great Kenenisa Bekele to win both the world cross-country title and the world or Olympic 10,000m title in the same year (Bekele did it three times in a row–in 2003, 2004 and 2005).

The current 10K world record was set by Leonard Patrick Komon of Kenya at 26:44 at Utrecht in the Netherlands in 2010, and it was Komon who held the previous record in the 15K also.

Cheptegei is a member of the NN Running Team, which also includes marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge and several of the men who paced him at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, where he successfully ran the marathon distance in 1:59:40.

Cheptegei has been nominated for IAAF Male Athlete of the Year, the first Ugandan to be honored in this way.

Kenyan Elite athletes field determined to set new record in Athens Marathon this Sunday

In the final stretch to the 37th Athens Marathon this Sunday, elite athletes appeared determined to do their best to break the race's record.

Approximately 60,000 runners from 120 countries and regions will participate in the 42km classic route from Marathon to Athens on Sunday and parallel shorter distances which are held also on Saturday.

Several Kenyan athletes, like Daniel Muindi Muteti, 25 years old, are considered frontrunners. Earlier this year in Cape Town he clocked 2:09:25.

"We are generally happy for being hosted here. I am ready to cause a record. Thank you," he said on Wednesday.

His compatriot, Rhonzas Lokitam Kilimo, 23, chose Athens for his debut in the marathon race. His personal record in the half-marathon is 60:49.

"I know of course the race should be very competitive and I am very prepared to run for coming Sunday and look forward to the record," he told media.

Kenyan runner Kandie Felix holds the best time in the authentic course since 2014, when he clocked 2:10:37.

Regardless of records and distances, the crowd inside Panathenaic Stadium, the marble venue of the 1896 first modern Olympic Games, will cheer for all runners who will cross the finish line, the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), which organizes the event, stressed.

The Marathon race, in particular at the birthplace of the event, is not about competing with others, but trying to stretch your own limits and move forward, it is about sportsmanship and friendship, Greek athletes stressed.

"My goal is a good performance, a good time. I will go after the first place, but I'm very glad that the running movement is progressing and increasing," said Gloria Privileggio, a long-distance runner who competed in marathon at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha this September, finishing 29th. She will participate in the 10km race this Saturday.

Panagiotis Karaiskos finished 3rd among Greek athletes last year in Athens. He will participate in the Athens Marathon for the 7th consecutive year.

"This is a race which I remember even before starting running I would go to the Panathenaic stadium and I would shed tears seeing other runners crossing the finish line," he said.

The Marathon race was inspired by the legend of the ancient soldier Pheidippides who first ran the 42km classic route from the Marathon battlefield to Athens in 490 BC to announce to his fellow citizens the Athenians' victory against the Persians.

According to the legend, the messenger managed to say "we won" before dying of exhaustion.

Beijing marathon champion Mathew Kisorio to defend title in 2020, has no Olympics plans

With no hope of making the Kenyan team to the Tokyo Olympic Games, Beijing marathon champion Mathew Kisorio has already planned his new season.

The 30-year-old says he will certainly be returning to the Chinese capital to defend his title in 2020 after his debut show on Nov. 3 saw him clinch the gold. He also has no intention to throw his hat in the ring to make the elusive Kenyan marathon team for the Olympics.

Kisorio says he was humbled by the Chinese reception and running culture and will not think twice if invited to fend off new pretenders seeking his treasured trophy. "Of course I loved the weather in China and I expect to come to Beijing again next year," said Kisorio on Tuesday. "The Olympics are not on my plans, but defending my crown in Beijing is something that I am dreaming of already."

It was the third road race for Kisorio in China after his debut at the Yangzhou Half Marathon in 2015, where he finished tenth clocking 60:58. He made the full marathon distance a year later in 2016 at the Dongying marathon, where he finished ninth clocking 2:14:13.

Beijing marathon remains the only race Kisorio has won in 2019 after an injury prevented him from finishing the Mexico City marathon back in August.

With a 2:04:53 personal best time from Valencia last year, Kisorio clocked a new course record in Beijing cutting off ten seconds off Ethiopia's Tadese Tola 2:07:06 mark, which he had set in 2003.

Last year, Kisorio was second at Paris marathon, third in Mexico City and Valencia before a foot injury slowed him down early this season. His other marathon victory was in Daegu, South Korea back in 2017.

Kenya is backing the IOC decision to move the marathon and some other events to a cooler city than Tokyo

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya is backing IOC's decision to move the marathon and any other event out of Tokyo during the 2020 Olympic Games.

Nock acting secretary-general, Francis Mutuku, said the International Olympic Committee had explained to all NOCs a few weeks ago during the General Assembly why it is necessary to move the marathon and walking races.

" Our athletes were really affected by the high levels of heat and humidity at the recent World Championships in Doha and we are not ready to take a similar route in Tokyo 2020," he said.

He said they expect a worse situation in Tokyo and it is important that they take precautions.

“The IOC explained that the interest of the athletes is paramount and if it requires a sport to be moved from the host City to achieve that, they will consider that. Kenya is big in marathon running and we want our athletes to compete in the best conditions," said Mutuku. 

He added: “Nock is therefore supportive of IOC's decision and not just for the marathon, but also any other sport that may be required to be shifted.”

First time marathoner Debeko Dakamo Dasa won the very tough Soweto Marathon

Debeko Dakamo Dasa, from Ethiopian won the Soweto Marathon as a debutant.  

The marathon is very tough and many local runners are advised to never make it their first marathon lest they get dissuaded from pursuing the event.

That advice does not apply to east Africans though, and Dasa proved this yesterday by cantering to victory.

His victory ensured that Ethiopia’s dominance of the Soweto Marathon continued unabated as he followed in the footsteps of three-time champion Sintayeho Legese, who did not run this year.

Dasa clocked two hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds to beat Kenya’s David Maru (2:18.48), who had run him close for most of the race as they ensured that South Africa continues to search for that elusive success in the race last won by a local back in 2011.

“I am happy with my first win in the marathon. I would like to come back next year to defend my title. I had no idea about the race. It was very hot and it had too many hills,” Dasa said.

The best South African man in the marathon was Ntshindiso Mphakathi who came home in eighth place in 2:19.45.

It was the third time Mphakathi finished as the best local in the race as he also did so back in 2015 and 2017.

The day, however, belonged to Ethiopian marathon debutant Dasa and there can be no denying this victory in the tough Soweto Marathon will set him up for success in the more renowned but much easier marathons in the world.

Kenyan Daniel Kipkore Kibet on Sunday won the 41st Istanbul Marathon men's title breaking the course record

Ethiopian athlete Hirut Tibebu bagged the women's title in the run.

Kibet finished the transcontinental race in 2:9:44. Ethiopian athlete Yitayal Atnafu Zerihun came second at 2:9:57 and Kenyan Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo third at 2:10:9.

Tibebu won the women's title finishing at 2:23:40 with Ethiopian athlete Tigist Abayechew trailing at 2:24:15. Kenyan Maurine Chepkemoi came third at 2:24:16.

Turkish athletes Polat Kemboi Arikan came sixth at 2:12:57 in the men’s title and Busra Nur Koku came eighth in the women’s title.

A total of 63 elite athletes joined the Vodafone 41st Istanbul Marathon, which started at 06:00GMT from Istanbul's Asian side and ended in the European part of the city. The motto of the 2019 marathon is "Istanbul is yours. Don’t stop, run!"

The sports event has three categories, 42.2-kilometer (26.2-mile) marathon, 15-km run (9.3-mi), 8-km (4.9-mi) FunRun,  as well as a wheelchair competition.

In the 15-km run, Kenyan athlete Mathew Kimeli won the men’s title, while the women's title was bagged by Ethiopia's Tsigie Gebreselama.

Some 37,000 runners from 106 countries competed in the marathon, with 100,000 people attending the 8-km FunRun.

Wife of Paraguay's ambassador to Turkey Ceferino Adrian Valdez Peralta also joined the 15-km race.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency after the run, Celestina Diaz de Valdez said that it was her first time at the Istanbul Marathon and it was a "wonderful" feeling to cross to Europe from Asia.

She recalled that she previously joined the races in many countries such as Paraguay, Korea, US and South Africa, adding that she also plans to take part in next year's Istanbul marathon.

Valdez was the first woman who competed in Istanbul's race from Paraguay.

Kiprotich Kirui and Mamitu Daska Molisa from Kenya, were the winners at the Guadalajara Marathon

In the men's race first place went to the Kenyan Kiprotich Kirui, with a time of 2 hours 14 minutes and 08 seconds, surpassing the mark of 2:18:42 registered by Silas Cheboit, in 2018.

"The marathon race in Guadalajara is very beautiful, the weather was very good and we had a good time, I felt good," he shared as he crossed the finish line. Kiprotich Kirui was distancing himself from the elite group of athletes from kilometer 37, breaking a group that led the competition from the beginning, to finally contest the race hand in hand with his compatriot Benard Cheruiyot Sang, the latter was precisely who took the second place when stopping the stopwatch at 2:14:42.  While third place was Rodgers Ondati Gesabwa, who finished with a time of 2:14:57.

In the women's branch there was a very close race between the Ethiopian Mamitu Daska Molisa and the Kenyan Rebbeca Jepchichir Korir from the middle of the competition, it was finally Daska Molisa who was crowned at the end in an official time of 2:33:09, shattering the mark of the 2018 edition of 2:41:47 registered by fellow Zewdnesh Ayele Belachew.

“The race was very good, I liked it a lot, I feel happy for the first place. Guadalajara is a good place to run the marathon, it is my first time running in this city and although I had difficulties, I was able to overcome them," said Daska Molisa.

Sinead Diver proved again that age is no barrier as the 42-year-old finished fifth at the New York City Marathon

Proving again that age is no barrier to the distance or pace of elite marathon running, Sinead Diver finished a superb fifth best woman in the New York Marathon, her time of 2:26:23 equally rewarding over what is one of the toughest of all the big city courses.

Improving on her seventh place finish in the London Marathon back in April, Diver was also closing fast on the fourth-placed Nancy Kiprop from Kenya, finishing just two seconds behind, the top four women all from the East African nations that typically dominate the long distances. 

Although quietly insistent about not making a big deal about her age, now just four months shy of her 43rd birthday, Diver’s performance is among the most impressive in the now 49 years of the New York Marathon, especially given the mother of two, who still works full-time as a software developer, only took up running at 33.

Her best time remains the 2:24:11 she clocked in London just six months ago, although New York is rarely a place to run records of any sort. Still very much the Irish woman running for Australia - as Diver is happy and proud to put it - it’s also the best Irish performance in the race after Mark Carroll took sixth place in the men’s race in 2002.

With outright victory and the $100,000 top prize going to Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2:22:38, just seven seconds shy of the course record and the second fastest women’s time ever run in New York, this was also one of the most competitive races in those 49 years.

Kenya’s four-time previous winner Mary Keitany was broken by Jepkosgei in the closing miles and ended up second in 2:23:33, with the top Ethiopian Ruti Aga, who won the Tokyo Marathon back in March, third in 2:25:51.

Unlike the other Marathon Majors, New York also doesn’t employ pacemakers, male or female, which also makes it a true run race. Diver actually put herself at the very front from just after the starting canon, setting the pace from the start on Staten Island and over the Verrazzano Bridge into Brooklyn.

Diver then endured a slight detour around the three-mile when directed to the wrong side of a course crash barrier, forcing her to duck under some race tap to escape, but she quickly regained her composure.

After the East African women pressed ahead before halfway, Diver held her own pace, passing halfway in 1:12:02, average out at 5:35-mile pace: the American Desiree Linden, former winner of the Boston Marathon, who also set the pace early on, was reeled in over the final miles and ended up sixth 2:26:46, still one of the fastest times by any American run in New York.

With around 52,500 starters, the biggest of the big city marathons, the testing course, winds through the Five Boroughs, before finishing up through the rolling hills of Central Park, rarely lets up and neither did Diver. 

“New York will be hilly and I prefer flat courses, but the experience of just racing for placing will be great practice leading into Tokyo,” she said beforehand, her 2:24:11 from London almost certain to get her on the start line for that Olympic marathon next summer, where she be will representing Australia, and the clearly now not unrealistic medal contender. 

New York will likely be her last marathon before the Olympics. Having missed out on Rio 2016 due to a knee injury caused by the cuboid bone in her foot, competing in Tokyo will be extra special for Diver.

Recently taking a small leave of absence from here full-time work as a software developer in order to prepare of for New York, she said: “If you feel good enough to do it then give it a go,” she says about racing so competitively at age 42. “Nobody else can tell you what your body is capable of. There is nothing to suggest that when you turn 40 you need to fall apart. It hasn’t happened for me and I feel fitter than I was ten years ago. If I can do it then I can’t see why other people can’t do it too.”

She’s come a long way from her native Belmullet in Mayo, then Limerick and now Melbourne, where she moved in 2002 with her Limerick-born husband Colin, now also home to their two sons young Eddie (nine) and Dara (six).

Just over a month ago she clocked an excellent 31:25:49 to finish 14th in the World Championships 10,000m in the searing heat of Doha, a world record for a woman over the age of 40. Her 2:24:11 in London improved by over a minute the 2:25:19 she ran to win the Melbourne Marathon in October 2018, that already the second fastest ever by an Irish woman, her London time now the third fastest by Australian standards.

Her remarkable running story (and unfortunate “switch” to Australia, after Athletics Ireland refused to select her for the 2015 World Championship marathon in Beijing) has been told before: within six months of winning Melbourne last year, Diver also improved her track times over 5,000m (15:23.65) and 10,000m (31:50.98), before running 1:08:55 for the half marathon in Japan in February, also the fastest ever time for a woman over the age of the 40. 

Geoffrey Kamworor made it a Kenyan double by winner the men’s race in 2:08:13, the best non-African finisher there being the American Jared Ward in sixth, in 2:10:45, making Diver the outright best non-African finisher on the day. Superb running by any standards.

Joyciline Jepkosgei wins the New York City marathon out running last year’s winner and Geoffrey Kamworor wins the men race

The world record holder for the women's half marathon running 1:04:51 in 2017, Joyciline Jepkosgei in her marsthon debut out-ran last year's winner Mary Keitany to win this year's New York City Marathon clocking 2:22:38. Keitany finished second in 2:23:32.  Both are from Kenya. 

Boston Marathon champion Desiree Linden lead much of the first half and held on to be the first American placing sixth running 2:26:49 just three seconds ahead of Kellyn Taylor also from the US who ran an amazing well paced race.  

Australian, 42-year-old Sinead Diver placed 5th clocking 2:26:23.  At one point early she took the lead and looked in control. 

It was 46 degrees at the start and the wind at points did slow down the times.  Over 52,000 runners started.  

Kenyan's Geoffrey Kamworor who set the world record for the half marathon in Copenhagen running 58:01 in September ran away from the field to win the men's race clocking 2:08:13.  This was his second win. Albert Korir placed second clocking 2:08:36.

Jared Ward was sixth overall and first American clocking 2:10:45. There were many outstanding performances today. 71-year-old Gene Dykes finish with 3:11:19.  

KIMUTAI BREAKS COURSE RECORD IN HANGZHOU

Pre-race favourite Marius Kimutai lived up to expectations at the Hangzhou Marathon as he improved the course record by nearly half a minute at the IAAF Gold Label road race on Sunday (3).

The 26-year-old outraced Kenya’s Stanley Bett in the last kilometre of the race to become the first Bahraini winner in the 33-year history of the event, clocking 2:10:05.

It was Kimutai’s second victory in China this year, having won in Taiyuan in September with 2:09:43. It was also the sixth career marathon title for the 2:05:47 performer, following victories in Rotterdam, Danzhou, Ljubljana and Rennes since debuting over the distance in 2013.

The patient Kimutai bided his time in a crowded leading group in the early stages, passing 10km in 30:52 and 20km in 1:02:31.

The lead pack was cut to just five runners after the 30km mark and Bett waited for another five kilometres to make a move. Only Kimutai managed to keep up with Bett at 38km and the duo stayed together for three more kilometres before the in-form Bahraini pulled away at about 41km.

The 32-year-old Bett finish second with a personal best of 2:10:12, also finishing inside the course record of 2:10:33 set two years ago by Azmeraw Bekele of Ethiopia. Fellow Kenyan Douglas Kimeli, the runner-up in Hangzhou last year, finished third in 2:11:01, improving his PB by five seconds.

Agnes Jeruto Barsosio of Kenya also confirmed her favourite status in the women’s race, but in a more overwhelming way compared with Kimutai.

The 37-year-old, who owns a PB of 2:20:59 from the 2017 Paris Marathon, built up a comfortable lead soon after the gun and never met any real threat all the way to the finish.

Her winning mark of 2:25:20 was 10 seconds shy of the course record set by Ethiopia’s Hirut Tibebu last year.

Alice Jepkemboi Kimutai, winner of the 2018 Taiyuan Marathon and the 12th-place finisher in Hangzhou last year, clocked a lifetime best of 2:28:14 to take second place. Priscilla Chepatiy, winner of last year’s Wuxi Marathon, clocked 2:36:55 to complete a Kenyan podium sweep.

Course record broken at the Beijing Marathon

Kenya’s Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio broke away in the final 10 kilometres of the Beijing Marathon to rewrite the men’s course record at the IAAF Gold Label road race on Sunday (3).

The 30-year-old clocked 2:07:06 to earn his second victory over the classic distance, knocking 10 seconds off the course record set six years ago by Ethiopia’s 2013 world bronze medallist Tadese Tola.

“It is my first time to run in Beijing and I am very happy to win and to break the course record,” said Kisorio, who set his PB of 2:04:53 last year in Valencia. “The weather was fantastic. I expect to come to Beijing again next year.”

Starting under cloudy and drizzling skies with the temperature ranging from 7-10C, the race was fast from the outset. Four runners – Bazu Worku of Ethiopia, Kisorio and his compatriots Emmanuel Rutto and Solomon Kirwa Yego – led the race to 25km.

Worku, a three-time winner of the Houston Marathon, was the first to fade away after 28km, while 36-year-old Rutto quit the title contest after 30km. After another two kilometres, Kisorio broke away from Yego to move into a sole lead.

The 2017 Daegu Marathon winner was well on track to break the course record at 35km, reached in 1:45:10, and kept pushing ahead before hit the line in 2:07:06. Yego trailed by more than two minutes to finish second in 2:09:45. Rutto clocked 2:10:15 to finish third.

Ethiopia’s Sutume Asefa, 24, ran alone for most of the women’s race and scored her first marathon title in 2:23:31, trimming 29 seconds off her PB set in Dubai three years ago.

China’s Li Zhixuan, the sixth-place finisher in Beijing last year, took second place in 2:29:06. Pre-race favourite Mulu Seboka, the fastest entrant in the field with a PB of 2:21:56, finished third in 2:29:09.

“I am satisfied with second place but the time is kind of slower than I expected,” said the 25-year-old Li, who set a PB of 2:26:15 in Nagoya eight months ago.

The last time a Chinese runner managed to earn a podium finish in the country’s most prestigious road race was in 2014, when Gong Lihua finished third in the women’s race.

Peter Kmeli Some of Kenya and Bahrain’s Marius Kimutai will start as favorites at the Hangzhou Marathon on Sunday

Peter Kmeli Some of Kenya and Bahrain’s Marius Kimutai will start as favorites at the Hangzhou Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on Sunday.

The 29-year-old Some is the fastest entrant with a personal best of 2:05:38 set when winning the 2013 Paris Marathon. He came close to that mark last year when clocking 2:06:49 to finish third in Daegu. It will be Some’s second race in China following his 2:14:49 victory in Shenzhen two years ago.

Kimutai, 26, has also been triumphant in China. The 2:05:47 performer claimed the 2014 Danzhou Marathon title and more recently took the top honors at the Taiyuan International Marathon two months ago with a clocking of 2:09:43.

It will be Kimutai’s third race in China this year and his eyes may not be only set on the top podium but also on the course record of 2:10:33 achieved by Azmeraw Bekele of Ethiopia two years ago.

Kenya’s Sylvester Kimeli Teimet will be running his third straight race in Hangzhou after finishing fourth and fifth in the past two years. The 35-year-old set his lifetime best of 2:06:49 when winning in Seoul back in 2010 and has threatened the 2:10 barrier this season with a sixth-place finish at the Wuxi Marathon where he clocked 2:10:44.

The field also includes Evans Sambu of Kenya, who set his PB of 2:09:05 in 2017 and finished fourth last year in Hangzhou with 2:11:17, and Abraham Kiprotich of France.

Agnes Jeruto Barsosio of Kenya is the star attraction in the women’s race. The 37-year-old has earned podium finishes in eight consecutive marathons since October 2014, including recording a PB of 2:20:59 to finish second in Paris two years ago.

It will be Barsosio’s first race in Hangzhou but she has experience of running in China, including winning at the Guangzhou Marathon in 2014.

Barsosio’s compatriot Rael Kiyara Nguriatukei, 35, is another title contender. She set her PB of 2:25:23 when finishing fourth in Eindhoven in 2011 and has previously won marathons in Shanghai, Lanzhou, Chongqing, Luxembourg and, most recently, the Taipei Wan Jin Shi Marathon in last March.

Nastassia Ivanova of Belarus also has the credentials to make an impact, bringing a 2:27:24 lifetime best to the start line. The 36-year-old came close to her PB when clocking 2:27:49 to finish fifth at the European Championships in Berlin last year.