Running News Daily

Former world record holder Dennus Kimetto is hoping to run well this weekend

Korir clocked a lifetime best of 2:06:35 in the Korean city 12 months ago, which would have been a course record had he not been beaten by six seconds by Abraham Kiptum. The 32-year-old will be highly motivated to go one better than last year, but he faces an incredibly strong field that includes fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto.

Since breaking the world record in 2014, Kimetto has withdrawn from more marathons than he has completed. Beset by injuries to his quadriceps, groin and triceps, the 35-year-old ran 2:14:54 in Shanghai last year, his first completed marathon since his 2:11:44 clocking in London in 2016.

It may be some way off his 2:02:57 lifetime best, but Kimetto is hopeful that the worst of his injury worries are now behind him and that he can return to challenging for top honours at major marathons.

There are nine men in the field with sub-2:07 lifetime bests and four of them have PBs quicker than the Daegu course record of 2:06:29: Ethiopia’s Shifera Tamru, who clocked 2:05:18 in Dubai earlier this year, three-time Houston Marathon winner Bazu Worku, three-time Amsterdam winner Wilson Chebet and evergreen Kenyan Mark Kiptoo.

Defending champion Janet Rono will face two other past Daegu winners on Sunday.

Rono won in Daegu last year in 2:28:01, and although her PB is a couple of minutes quicker at 2:26:03, she will start as the third-fastest athlete in the women’s field.

Ethiopia’s Mulu Seboka won in Daegu in 2014, having won in Dubai just a few months prior. She went on to clock a PB of 2:21:56 one year later and in 2018 she had a best of 2:25:01.

Several runners set for the Madrid Half Marathon are capable of breaking the course Record

Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Abera, who boasts an impressive 2:04:24 marathon PB set in Dubai in 2016, has a best of 1:00:32 for the 13.1-mile distance but hasn’t raced since October 2017.

He will face stiff opposition from Kenya’s Emmanuel Kipsang, Kipkemoi Kiprono and Bernard Kiprop Kipyego. Kipsang and Kiprono have sub-1:01 PBs, but managed 1:02:24 and 1:03:38 at the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon four weeks ago. Kipyego is the 2009 world half marathon silver medallist and has a best of 59:10 but hasn’t bettered 1:01 since 2014.

Uganda’s Daniel Rotich set his 1:00:59 PB in 2016 and should be in contention for a podium place, as will South Africa’s Desmond Mokgobu. Spanish hopes rest with Javier Guerra, a 1:01:18 athlete who will use Sunday’s event as a build-up for the Madrid Marathon later this month.

The men’s race record of 1:01:54 was set by Uganda’s Moses Kibet in 2017, while the women’s record of 1:09:40 has stood to Cynthia Jerotich since 2014 and looks similarly vulnerable.

Ethiopia’s Muliye Dekebo, who produced a huge career best of 1:07:57 in Rome last month, leads a large Ethiopian contingent which also includes Tigist Teshome, Hawi Magersa, Abebech Mulugeta Aynalem Kassahun Teferi, Aberu Ayana and Adawork Sadura.

Italy’s Sara Dossena, who set a big PB of 2:24:00 at the Nagoya Marathon four weeks ago, will be trying to prevent an Ethiopian victory and looks capable of breaking her PB of 1:10:10. Morocco’s Soukaina Atanane and Burundi’s Elvanie Nimbona should also feature among the lead pack.

More than 20,000 runners will take part in the event.

Ethiopians Abayneh Ayele and Muluhabt Tsega lead strong and competitive fields for the Rome Marathon On Sunday

Ayele is the fastest man in the field, having clocked 2:06:45 in Dubai in 2016, just a few months before finishing fourth in a memorable race at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

He will be joined on the start line by 2015 African Games 10,000m champion Tebalu Zawude, 2:08:17 performer Dereje Tesfaye, 2015 Marrakech Marathon winner Workneh Tiruneh and 2014 World U20 Championships 10,000m finalist Yihunilign Adane.

Italy’s 2014 European marathon champion Daniele Meucci will be returning to the race for the first time since making his marathon debut in 2010. He will be joined by compatriot Ahmed Nasef.

Kenya’s Bernard Kipkorir Talam, Burundi’s Onesphore Nzikinkunda and Rwanda’s Felicien Muhitira are also in the field.

Tsega’s 2:25:48 clocking from the 2018 Shanghai Marathon makes her the fastest in the women’s field. The 22-year-old, who clocked 2:27:36 in Dubai earlier this year, will face compatriots Asnakech Mengistu, Megertu Alemu and Mestawot Tadesse.

Layla Soufyane, who has a career best of 2:32:10, is the fastest Italian woman in the field and will be contesting her first marathon since her maternity leave.

About 10,000 runners have registered for the marathon, which starts and finishes in the Via dei Fori Imperiali.

The Hannover Marathon this weekend has a strong elite field

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

Fellow Kenyan Samwel Maswai clocked his 2:08:52 lifetime best back in 2013, but finished third in Vienna last year in 2:11:08 on a warm day.

Five other runners with sub-2:10 credentials are also in the field: Kenyans Edwin Kimaiyo (2:09:12), Paul Kangogo (2:09:20) and Josphat Leting (2:09:34), Ethiopia’s Alebachew Wale (2:09:40), and German record-holder Arne Gabius.

Karolina Nadolska is the fastest of the entrants in the women’s field. The Pole clocked her 2:26:32 PB in Osaka in 2014, but was a few minutes shy of that mark in Nagoya last year where she ran 2:30:46.

The field also includes Ethiopia’s Tigist Memuye Gebeyahu, whose biggest career win came two years ago in Zhengzhou when she clocked 2:27:39. Kenya’s Racheal Mutgaa, who ran 2:28:39 to finish second in Hefei last year, will also be among the favourites.

Germany’s Anja Scherl, a 2:27:50 performer at her best, is returning from injury but appears to be in good form as shown by her 1:12:43 run at the Barcelona Half Marathon in February.

Leading contenders for this year’s NN Marathon Rotterdam will try to break the course record of 2:04:27

Kenya’s Marius Kipserem will start as the slight favorite. He won the Abu Dhabi Marathon in December in 2:04:04, but his time cannot be counted as an official PB because it was later found that the course was slightly short. That in itself, though, will act as a huge motivating factor for the 30-year-old as he seeks to improve on his fifth-place finish from Rotterdam last year.

Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Mekonnen and Markos Geneti have sub-2:05 PBs, while Emanuel Saina and Woldaregay Gezahegn Kelkile are also strong competitors. Josphat Kiptoo Boit, who burst on to the road-running scene last year with half-marathon clockings of 59:19 and 59:42, will be making his marathon debut.

Dutch record-holder Abdi Nageeye and European champion Koen Naert of Belgium will be aiming to break their respective PBs of 2:08:16 and 2:09:51 or at least secure the Olympic qualifying mark of 2:11:30.

Three world records had been set in the Dutch city: Carlos Lopes’s 2:07:12 in 1985, Belayneh Dinsamo’s 2:06:50 in 1988 and Tegla Loroupe’s 2:20:47 in 1998. The men’s course record of 2:04:27 was set – and shared – by Duncan Kibet and James Kwambai in 2009 with the pair moving to equal second on the world all-time list at that time.

Having won the Valencia Marathon last year in 2:21:14, Ethiopia’s Ashete Bekele Dido will start as favorite in the women’s race. Compatriot Sentayehu Lewetegn and Kenya’s Stella Barsosio are both sub-2:24 performers and are expected to challenge for top honours.

USA’s Kellyn Taylor, Ethiopia’s Betelhem Moges and Portugal’s European half marathon champion Sara Moreira should also be in contention for the podium places.

Approximately 17,000 runners will take to the Erasmus Bridge for the start of the race on Sunday.

World champion Netsanet Gudeta will be the one to beat at the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon

The 28-year-old Ethiopian set the women's-only race world record at the World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia last year, clocking 1:06:11.

But she's run even faster since, clocking 1:05:45 to equal the Ethiopian record at the RAK Half on 8 February, where she finished second. More recently, she ran 1:06:49 at the Bahrain Night Half Marathon on 15 March to finish third.

She'll face Ruth Chepngetich, who set the Istanbul course record of 1:06:19 in 2017. She was second in the Bahrain race last month, clocking 1:06:09 to clip ten seconds from her personal best.

Chepngetich began 2019 with a bang, winning January's Dubai Marathon in 2:17:08 to become the third fastest marathoner in history.

Other standouts include Ethiopians Bekelech Gudeta and Helen Tola, who have 1:07:03 and 1:07:47 lifetime bests to their credit; and Kenyan Delvine Meringor, another sub-1:08 runner.

Sharon Cherop of Kenya is running the Boston Marathon aiming to reclaim title

Cherop, the 2010 Hamburg marathon champion is making a comeback to Boston where she will face an elite field of 21 other women marathoners comprising her compatriot Edna Kiplagat, the 2017 Boston marathon winner.

Of the 22 women in the elite field, 11 have under 2 hours, 23 minutes personal bests.

Cherop, who had finished third in 2011 will also have the reigning champion, Desiree Linden of the USA, to contend with during the April 15 race.

“This time, I am going back to Boston to do my best. I can only say that I want to be among the podium finishers,” Cherop told Standard Sport.

Cherop, who has relocated her training base from Eldoret to Kararia — a mountainous area in the Marakwet highlands said she is in top shape and her preparations for the Boston race are going on well.

“I have shifted my training base because Boston is a hilly course and I have to train in similar conditions. The altitude in Kararia is also high and is good for my preparations. I have been here for three weeks now,” the Eldoret City Marathon reigning champion said from the new training base.

When asked on the bruising battle expected from Ethiopia’s Aselefech Mergia with a 2:19:31 personal best she recorded at the 2012 Dubai marathon as well as her compatriot Edna Kiplagat, Cherop said:

“Before the race, everyone is a winner and I am ready and well prepared for the challenge.”

Defending champions Kenyan Justin Kemboi Chesire and local favorite Gerda Steyn are hoping to successfully defend their titles at Two Oceans

A quality field of top local and international elite athletes will take part in this year's Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town on Saturday April 20.

Defending champions Kenyan Justin Kemboi Chesire (3:09:22) and local favourite Gerda Steyn (3:39:32), both from Nedbank Running Club, will be hoping to successfully defend their titles.

Steyn is training with an end goal of Comrades in mind, and with the Easter weekend being that much later this year, it might be a tough task to pull off both wins.

Chesire's training has been going according to plan but he can expect some tough competition from a quality field of ultra runners who have all been training to win.

His fellow countryman Abraham Kiprotich, who boasts the fastest marathon of the entire field (2:10 at the Istanbul Marathon late last year), will be running his first ultra marathon and it will be an interesting test to see how he fares over the last 14km with the Constantia Nek climb part of this last section.

Another popular Maxed Elite runner, Zimbabwean Prodigal Khumalo, is back running after a foot injury had him sidelined since December last year. Khumalo has chosen to run the 24km trail event.

Joining this strong field of male runners is local trail legend Ryan Sandes. He has switched from running the trail event for this year, to running his first 56km ultra event. Sandes is hoping to add the Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra Marathon to his illustrious list of achievements.

Ethiopian Amdework Walelegn is set to defend his title at Istanbul half marathon

The Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, considered one of the best 10 half marathons in the world, will be held for the 14th time on April 7.

More than 10,000 athletes from almost 100 countries are expected to compete in the race, which is organized by the telecoms operator and the Istanbul municipality.

Against the backdrop of the city's landmarks on the historic peninsula, runners will compete in the categories of a 21-kilometer Half Marathon, 10K and Business Marathon.

Kenyan athlete Ruth Chepngetich, who won the title of Turkey's fastest female athlete in last year's Istanbul Marathon, will make a comeback in the half marathon.

In the men's category, Ethiopian athlete Amdework Walelegn, who broke a record with 59.50 minutes in the 2018 half marathon, also returns for the race's new edition.

John Ruengo is an 88-year-old Kenyan Marathoner who will run Lewa Marathon for his 20th time

An 88-year old octogenarian is among more than 1,400 who are set to take part in the 20th edition of the Safaricom Lewa marathon set for June 29, this year.

John Ruengo, who is also pursuing the title as the oldest marathoner alive will be defending his title in the half marathon category for people above 52 years.

John Ruengo, who has also set his sights on becoming the oldest marathoner alive.

Speaking to Nation Sports during a pre-race competition meant to identify amateur athletes to represent the community living around Lewa Conservancy in the marathon, Ruengo said he has stepped up training for the race and was confident of performing well.

The retired community development officer from Mutunyi Village in Meru County has participated and completed in the 21km race in all previous 19 editions of Lewa Marathon.

The veteran athlete said he religiously jogs for five kilometres every morning and evening for four days a week to keep fit. He also observes a strict diet composed mainly of green leafy vegetables and camel bone soup.

2018 Abu Dhabi Marathon champion Marius Kipserem from Kenya eyes podium at Rotterdam Marathon

The 2018 Abu Dhabi Marathon champion Marius Kipserem is focusing on a podium finish when he lines up at the 39th edition of the NN Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday.

He will be competing against his training mate and Buenos Aires Marathon champion Emmanuel Saina and Sydney Marathon champion Elijah Kemboi.

The athlete, who has been training in Kapsabet and the plains of Nandi Hills in Nandi County, said that he has done good training and will be looking forward to a good race.

“My training went on well and I’m prepared for stiff competition but I want to be among the first three athletes,” said Kipserem.

The athlete is also eyeing to reduce his personal best of 2:04:04, which he clocked in Abu Dhabi Marathon last year.

“If the weather will be favourable, I think I can lower my time as I look forward to participate in the major marathons in future,” said the athlete.

On his part, Kemboi said that he is well prepared for the race and he will be teaming up with his training mate as they eye the podium finish.

“My training has been good and we are going to run well in the race on Sunday. Having trained with Kipserem, we will run together up to the 35km mark and after that, it will be everybody for himself,” said Kemboi.

Kigen said that he believes the training he has done will bring him good results as he looks forward to be in the podium of NN Rotterdam Marathon this Sunday.

Ethiopian Ayantu Dakebu Hailemaryam Is set to win again for the third time at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon

Two-time winner Ayantu Dakebu Hailemaryam seeks to repeat against a top international field at this year’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, set for Sunday, May 5. This year’s race will feature a total prize purse of $56,000 including $8,000 for each race champion.

Hailemaryam, of Ethiopia, won the women’s division of the 2016 DICK’S Sporting Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon with a time of 2:39:18. 

She repeated in 2017,  improving her time by nearly three minutes to finish in 2:36:20. To earn the coveted laurel wreath once again, she will need to beat fellow Ethiopians Bose Gemeda Assefa, the 2018 Richmond Marathon Champion who has a marathon personal best of 2:32:59, and Bizuwork Getahun Kasaye, the 2018 the Vermont City Marathon champion who has a marathon personal best of 2:38:15.

The impressive women’s field includes decorated race champions and rising American athletes, including Christina Murphy and Brittany Tretbar who will lead this year’s American field.

Tretbar is making her Pittsburgh debut and has a marathon personal best of 2:41:29. Murphy, who won the 2018 Columbus Marathon, returns to Pittsburgh after placing third in 2015.

“This is my first time back in Pittsburgh since finishing third in 2015,” said Murphy. “I am so excited to experience the challenges of the course and the excitement of the crowds again on May 5 and hopefully improve upon my previous performance!”

In the men’s race, Ethiopian Tadesse Yae Dabi, the 2018 Philadelphia Marathon champion, is the top seeded runner with a marathon personal best of 2:11:50. He will face tough competition from Kenyans Eliud Ngetich, the 2019 Mercedes Marathon winner who has a marathon personal best of 2:11:59, and Boniface Kongin, the 2017 Philadelphia Marathon who has a marathon personal best of 2:14:00.

Ethiopian Birhanu Dare Kemal, with a marathon personal best of 2:12:21, will return to the race after placing fourth last year. This year’s race has also attracted emerging American professional athletes who hope to use their finishing time in Pittsburgh to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials.

To support these athletes, P3R will provide a pace team who will lead the American female elites to an Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifying “B” Standard time. The trio of Pittsburgh competitive runners plan is to reach the finish line in 2:44:59 (“B” Standard time is 2:45:00).  

Ethiopians Aberu Mekuria and Jimma Shambel dominated at the Chongqing Marathon

Aberu dominated the women's race, running at the head of the pack from the 10km point on en route to a 2:24:30 victory. The run knocked five seconds from the 35-year-old's previous lifetime best set at the Valencia Marathon last December.

Running alongside Kenyan Lydia Cheromei through the opening five kilometres (17:36), she pulled away shortly thereafter, building a 13-second lead by the 10km point (34:44).

She increased her lead over the Kenyan to 47 seconds by 15 kilometres and to more than a minute-and-a-half by 20.

While Aberu forged on alone, Cheromei dropped back and out of contention by 30km. By that point, Aberu was already more than two minutes clear of the field and eventually won the race by more than three minutes.

Further back, Chinese Li Zhixuan and He Yinli finished second and third, clocking 2:27:56 and 2:29:14, respectively.

Conversely, the men's race came down to the wire, with Shambel out-sprinting Kenyan Edwin Kibet Koech in the waning stages to pull off the narrow win, with both men clocking 2:10:28.

Thirteen men were in contention at 10km (31:27), a pack reduced to ten at 30km covered in 1:33:22, with Kibet running at the front.

Tufa and Marius Kimutai brought the lead pack, now down to five, through 40km in 2:04:10, with Koech a second behind and Kenyan Michael Njenga Kunyuga and Ethiopian Gebretsadik Abraha shadowing the trio another second back.

Two clocked sub 1:02 at the PZU Warsaw Half Marathon

The winner of the 14th PZU Warsaw Half Marathon was Gilbert Masai (Kenya), who clocked 1:01:43. Also on the podium were: Cheruiyot Kirui Peter (Kenya) with time 01:01:57 and Sila Kiptoo (Kenya), who beat the marathon route at 01:02:03. The fastest Pole was Kamil Karbowiak with the time 01:06:51.

The finish line of the 14th PZU Warsaw Halfmarathon was also surpassed by women. Just nine minutes after Gilbert Masai, Gladys Jeptepken (Kenya) finished the race, who defeated the distance at 1:10:19.

Also on the podium were: Oichia Tabitha Wamubi (Kenya) with time 01:11:07 and Muluget Gela Abebech (Ethiopia), who beat the marathon route at 01:12:20. Natalia Mierzlikin was the fastest Polish woman with the time 01:18:35.

The 2019 Paris Marathon, sponsor Schneider Electric has touched the lives of Kenyan Women

Women in rural Embu County are the key beneficiaries of a project being rolled out in the region dubbed as the 'hifadhi project' which is being implemented by Livelihood Funds and supported by Schneider Electric.

This will see women being given energy saving cooking stoves which are eco friendly. The "Hifadhi" stoves are 60 percent more efficient than the traditional three-stone open fires used in rural areas.

"Given the past exemplary performance of Kenyan marathoners at the Paris Marathon, Schneider Electric targets to offsets for the marathon with the benefits gained from the village in Embu," Gilles Vermot Desroches, Chief Sustainability Officer, Schneider Electric said.

"This has gone a long way in empowering women in the rural areas who are now able to engage in small scale commercial activities, thanks to Hifadhi stoves. And this is just but the beginning, Livelihoods and Climate Pal's clean cookstove project will be distributed to 60,000 households- benefitting more than 300 villages and 300,000 Kenyans."

To mark the occasion, Schneider Electric is accelerating its ambition and commitments for climate by helping its customer to avoid 100 M tons of CO2 emissions thanks to cleantech solutions.

"As sponsors of the Marathon de Paris we want to engage our employees, customers and partners who are training to join our commitment to more sustainable cities," said, Chris Leong, CMO of Schneider Electric. We are making the cities more livable with our solutions for buildings, industry and homes and we want to do more to enable marathon runners and their families to get involved."

The project is part of Schneider Electric initiative of offsetting any unavoidable CO2 emissions to achieve 100% carbon neutrality for the Marathon de Paris which is sponsored by Schneider Electric.

Hellen Obiri wins at the IAAF/Mikkeller World Cross Country Championships Aarhus

The world 5000m champion, Hellen Obiri became the first woman in history to win senior world titles indoors, outdoors and at cross country. The only man to achieve such a feat is Kenenisa Bekele.

“It is really special,” smiled Obiri after completing the 10.24km course in 36:14. “It was my debut IAAF World Cross Country Championships and my only chance to do it. I now don't need to do any more cross country.”

Obiri arrived in Aarhus in good form, having clocked 29:59 for 10km at the end of December and winning at the IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting in Elgoibar in January and at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships last month.

The 29-year-old had clearly also thought about her tactics ahead of this weekend. She led the race from the early stages and could be seen visibly leaning into the hill as she tackled the climb up the Moesgaard Museum roof on each lap.

“I thought you must look down, as you don't want to look up to see where you are going and at how difficult the hill is,” she revealed of her technique. “I knew it wasn't going to be a test of speed, as it was a tough hill. It was all about mind games.”

At the end of the second of five laps, a group of five had already broken away, led by Obiri in 14:16, with sub-2:22 marathon runner Dera Dida, world U20 steeplechase silver medallist Peruth Chemutai, steeplechase world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech and two-time world U20 cross-country champion Letesenbet Gidey in close procession.

Sub-60-minute runners Peter Kirui and Gilbert Masai are the headliners in the elite men’s field for the PZU Warsaw Half Marathon

Masai has bettered the one-hour barrier three times in his career, with a best of 59:31 from Copenhagen in 2016. The following year he won in Berlin with 59:57, and he ended the 2018 season with a best of 1:00:16 from Venlo. Making his debut on Polish roads at the age of 37, the Kenyan is the prime candidate to challenge the course and Polish all-comers’ record of 1:00:48.

Kirui has an even more impressive career record, with five sub-one-hour clockings and a personal best of 59:22, set when winning in Prague in 2014. The most recent of these performances was a win in Krems in 2016 in 59:53.

Two other Kenyan runners with a history of good performances on the Polish road circuit will also be major contenders. Hillary Maiyo, with a career best of 1:01:05 from 2017, will be running in Warsaw for the fourth consecutive year and hoping to go even better after taking fifth, fourth and third in previous editions. David Metto, a 1:02:24 man, was the winner in last autumn's Warsaw Marathon and will attempt to keep his good streak in the city going.

Another one returning to the Polish capital is El Hassan Oubaddi, the Moroccan who finished fourth in the race last year with 1:02:52 and has since improved his PB to 1:02:40 last November. Also in the field is his compatriot Jaouad Chemlal, with a 1:02:31 from Marrakech last year.

Not to be discounted is Wycliffe Biwott, the winner from Tirana in 2017 with a 1:01:18. He will be hoping to make a return to form after missing the 2018 season.

Starting as the clear favorite in the women's race is Naomi Rotich. The Kenyan comes into it off the back of a personal best of 1:08:19 in Ras Al Khaimah last month. That was her fifth career sub-1:10, with earlier ones including victories in Breda and Dronten in 2017, as well as Madrid in 2018.

Conditions permitting, Rotich looks ready to challenge the course record of 1:09:06, which is also the fastest time ever achieved on Polish soil.

The main challenge to her dominance is expected to come from fellow Kenyans Gladys Kipkoech and Naomi Vaati. Kipkoech ran 1:10:13 to win in Hamburg last year, while Vaati set her best of 1:10:17 just over a month ago in Guadalajara.

Another woman in form is Abebech Gela Mulugeta, who set a PB of 1:11:07 this year to win in Santa Pola.

Marius Kimutai of Kenya will lead a deep field at the Chongqing Marathon aiming to break the course record

The men’s course record belongs to Ethiopia’s 2017 winner Afewerk Mesfin, who clocked 2:09:49 to mark the first ever sub-2:10 result since the race launched in 2011.

Nine sub-2:10 runners will line up for the top honours at the southwestern Chinese city this year and Kimutai is the fastest entrant on paper thanks to his personal best of 2:05:47 set in Amsterdam in 2016.

He came close to that mark two years ago when he clocked a winning time of 2:06:04 in Rotterdam. His only outing over the 26.2-mile distance last year was a fourth-place finish in Seoul in 2:07:45.

It will be Kimutai’s first appearance in Chongqing but his third race in China following a victory in Danzhou in 2014 and a runner-up finish in Dongying in 2016.

Ethiopia’s Gebretsadik Abraha could be the biggest challenge to Kimutai. Although his career best of 2:06:21 was set back in 2012 from his third-place finish in Amsterdam, the 26-year-old Marrakesh and Prague marathon winner has an impressively consistent record over the classic distance, registering a sub-2:10 result each year for the past seven years.

Kenyan veteran Philip Kimutai Sanga is another man to watch on Sunday. The 35-year-old has a lifetime best of 2:06:07 from the 2011 Frankfurt Marathon but has not bettered 2:10 since 2017.

The field also includes Asbel Kipsang, whose PB of 2:07:30 was set in Seoul three years ago, and Edwin Koech, a 2:08:17 performer who set the course record in Dalian last May.

The women’s field is led by Lydia Cheromei of Kenya, who will carry on the hope of breaking the long-standing 2:22:41 course record set by local runner Wang Jiali in 2012.

Although usually competing with runners just half of her age, the 41-year-old Cheromei is still highly competitive. Last December she ran 2:22:11 to finish second at the Valencia Marathon, 41 seconds shy of her PB recorded back in 2012. She also clocked 2:28:48 to win in Rabat 12 months ago and four months earlier she clocked 2:23:31 to finish as the runner-up in Shanghai.

Aberu Mekuria also competed in the Valencia Marathon last year and improved her PB by nearly one minute to finish fourth in 2:24:35. It will be the third race on Chinese soil for the 35-year-old, who won the 2016 Hengshui Lake Marathon in 2:26:07.

Flomena Chepchirchir is the second fastest on paper in the field with a PB of 2:23:00 set in Frankfurt in 2013. But the 37-year-old Kenyan is struggling to return to her best form in recent years as her best performance last year was a sixth-place finish in Prague in 2:32:10. Chepchirchir will be contesting the race for the first time.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen is aiming to make history in Aarhus Denmark

It has been 25 years since a European athlete last finished in the top 10 in the U20 men’s race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. The last individual medallist – a gold one at that – from Europe came 10 years before that.

But Jakob Ingebrigtsen could be capable of rewriting both of those statistics when he lines up for the U20 men’s race in Aarhus, Denmark.

The 18-year-old Norwegian caused a stir last year when he won the 1500m and 5000m at the senior European Championships in Berlin, setting a continental U20 record of 13:17.06 in the latter. One month prior he had set a European U20 1500m record of 3:31.18 in Monaco.

After winning his third consecutive European U20 cross-country title in December, he beat world indoor record-holder Samuel Tefera over 1500m in Dusseldorf in February and went on to win 3000m gold and 1500m silver at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

Ingebrigtsen boasts the fastest track PBs of the field and has considerably more international racing experience. But he has never raced farther than 6.3km and could become something of a target if some of the stronger nations utilise team tactics.

All 39 individual medals on offer in the U20 men's race from the past 13 editions have been shared between Kenya (23), Ethiopia (10) and Uganda (6). The same three nations once again look poised to battle it out for individual and team medals.

Unsurprisingly, the Kenyan team appears to be the strongest. Led by national U20 cross-country champion Samuel Chebolei, the team also includes Commonwealth Youth Games 3000m champion Edwin Kiplangat Bett, who finished eighth in the U20 men’s race two years ago in Kampala, and Leonard Bett, the world U18 steeplechase champion.

World Cross Country defending champion Geoffrey Kamworor is ready to defend his title this weekend

World Cross Country defending champion Geoffrey Kamworor has sent a warning to his opponents ahead of the world championships in Denmark that he is not ready to relinquish his title.

Kamworor will lead team Kenya for the championships to be held on the 30th of March seeking to make it a third in a row.

As defending champion, let’s take Kamworor first. Not only will he be going for his third straight senior title at cross-country in Aarhus, but also for a sixth straight world title in six years, his two previous cross-country victories in Guiyang (2015) and Kampala (2017), augmented by World Half Marathon championships in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Kamworor has already joined the group of men to have won at least two world cross-country titles. A further triumph this weekend would put him in the select company of those to have won three or more – Kenenisa Bekele (six), John Ngugi and Paul Tergat (five) and Carlos Lopes (three).

He finished only fifth in the Kenyan championship, won by Amos Kirui, but neither the Kenyan, nor Ethiopian, trial has proven a reliable guide to relative finishing order at recent world championships.

Expect Kamworor to present on the start line at Aarhus in excellent shape. He deserves the status of the "man to beat."

There will be $310,000 of prize money on the line, certainly the most of any cross-country races.

Shadrack Kipchirchir will lead the US senior men’s team at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark on March 30

Without a lot of fanfare, Shadrack Kipchirchir has emerged as one of American’s premier distance runners today. The current U.S. Cross Country champion, Kipchirchir won the US 10-mile and 5K championships in 2018.

Kipchirchir has been quietly, methodically laying a solid distance foundation since he graduated from Oklahoma State in 2014. He made the World Championship team at 10,000 meters in 2015 and 2017 (where he set a PB and #3 all-time US mark of 27:07), the Olympic team in 2016, and World Cross Country in 2017. But often, he’s finished as the bridesmaid.

If nothing else, however, he’s patient. And he always has a plan.

Back in 2016, Shadrack Kipchirchir and his wife, Elvin Kibet, already had a house, a car, plants in the window, Kipchirchir’s Olympic jersey on the wall. He had a job and a running career. He had investments. For a 27-year-old who’d arrived in this country as a college freshman carrying a suitcase only six years prior, he was impressively established. Not flashy but solid, bankable. Circumstances like that don’t just happen.

His success has not been built in a flash of glory, but patiently, brick by brick.

The middle child of nine in Eldoret, Kenya, Kipchirchir’s earliest dreams were pragmatic—no soccer star or rumbling truck driver for young Shadrack. “As a kid, I wanted to be a civil engineer,” says Kipchirchir, who majored in construction engineering at Oklahoma State. “I loved to make things out of mud and wires—roads and bridges and buildings.”

Unlike their American cohorts, few Kenyans run in high school, he explains. “St. Patrick’s in Iten is an exception. Most Kenyan high schools don’t support running at all. It’s a boarding school—you live there—and you do sports for fun, not competitively. I played a lot of soccer.”

In fact, Kipchirchir’s first experience with running came after high school in 2009 when he joined a training camp with others hoping to earn an athletic scholarship from a US college. It was a path his older brother had already taken.

“In Kenya, you have to pay for school,” he says, “but if you get a scholarship to the US, you get free tuition. It’s a pretty good deal. Most Kenyans run to get a college education, but it was not easy—you had to run fast and do good in school. You had to balance training and studying.”

His efforts paid off. Nine months later, Kipchirchir was offered a scholarship at Western Kentucky. He was All-American in cross country as a freshman.

Former world and Olympic marathon silver medalist Priscah Jeptoo says she intends to run the Milan Marathon

The 34-year-old Kenyan has been out for two years on maternity leave, but surprised her rivals by winning her first international race since her return at the Stramilano Half Marathon on Sunday, edging Ethiopia's Meseret Meleka to claim the win in 1:08:26.

Now Jeptoo, who is also a former New York and London Marathon winner, says she will be ready for the 42km distance in the autumn.

"I have dedicated the past two years to my family and I did not compete due to maternity leave," she said.

"I am happy with my comeback. Last week I fell during training and I was not in top shape. I will run a half marathon in Gothenburg in May and possibly a marathon in the autumn," she added.

Jeptoo had not raced since October 2016 when she finished fourth at the Amsterdam Marathon in a time of 2:25:57. However, she has ruled out running at the Athletics World Championships in Doha later this year.

"I have been there before and done my part. I am done with the national team. I also need a few races up my sleeves to be certain that I am back to my level best," she added.

The Berlin, Chicago and New York Marathons are some of the big city races that interest Jeptoo, and she is also open to compete in China at either the Beijing or Shanghai Marathon.

Priscah Jeptoo and Vincent Rerimoi claimed a Kenyan double at the 44th edition of the Stramilano Half Marathon in Milan

Held in warm weather conditions with a temperature of 22C, Jeptoo returned from a two-year maternity break to win the women’s race in 1:08:26.

Rerimoi, meanwhile, was a surprising winner of the men’s race in 1:00:10, beating steeplechase specialist Jairus Birech, who finished runner-up in 1:00:32 on his debut at the distance.

Jeptoo and Ethiopia’s Meseret Meleka took an early lead in the women’s race, covering the first five kilometres in 16:10 and 10 kilometres in 32:16. Kenya’s Lucy Murigi Wambui, twice world mountain champion and Stramilano winner in 2014, was in third place at that point with 33:07.

Jeptoo, the 2011 world and 2012 Olympic silver medallist, pulled away from Meleka after the half-way point and went through 15 kilometres in 48:27. The 2013 London and New York City marathon champion stepped up her pace in the final six kilometres and romped home in 1:08:26 in Piazza Castello in the centre of Milan. Meleka finished second in 1:10:39, ahead of Wambui (1:11:47).

Jeptoo, now 34, hadn’t raced since October 2016 when she finished fourth at the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:25:57.

“I have dedicated the past two years to my family and I did not compete due to maternity leave,” she said. “I am happy with my come-back. Last week I fell during training and I was not in my top shape. I will run a half marathon in Gothenburg in May and possibly a marathon in the autumn.”

Kenya’s Paul Tiongik took the early lead in the men’s race, clocking 13:55 for the first five kilometres. He was followed 15 seconds later by a chasing group comprising Rerimoi, Birech, James Kibet and James Mburugu.

Birech, a two-time Diamond League champion in the steeplechase, had a five-second lead over Rerimoi at 10 kilometres, reached in 28:14. His lead grew to 17 seconds at 15 kilometres, which he passed in 42:32.

Rerimoi came from behind in the closing stages and overtook Birech at 18 kilometres. He crossed the finish line in 1:00:10, smashing his previous of 1:01:19 set last year in Japan, where he lives and trains.

Birech, competing in his first half marathon and just his third road race at any distance, finished second in 1:00:32 ahead of Tiongik (1:02:07) and Joel Mwangi (1:02:15). Italy’s Lorenzo Dini was fifth in a PB of 1:03:35

Elisa Barno and Askale Merachi win the Los Angeles Marathon

Twenty miles into the 34th Los Angeles Marathon Sunday morning Kenya’s Elisha Barno had already conceded the race to his countryman John Korir.

Korir had reduced a lead pack of 15 to three with a 4:39 19th mile. When Korir followed that with a 4:35 20th mile he was flying solo, his sizable lead growing with each step.

“I was already thinking ‘let him win,’” Barno recalled.

Then Barno turned left onto Ocean Avenue for the race’s postcar final mile along the Pacific coast.

“And I see John,” Barno said.

Barno passed Korir in the final 150 meters to win the closest and most dramatic race in the event’s history that saw the top three runners finish within 14 seconds of each other.

Barno claimed the $23,000 first prize and his second Los Angeles victory in three years with a 2 hour, 11 minute, 45 second victory. Korir staggered across the finish line in 2:11:52 with Mexico’s Juan Luis Barrios third in 2:11:59.

“I knew I was going to win from the beginning,” Merachi said. “This morning.”

Indeed Merachi seemed to be in a hurry almost from the moment the race left Dodger Stadium at dawn. Merachi dropped out of the New York City Marathon last fall with hamstring and shoulder injuries was clearly restless through the early stages Sunday, pushing the pace.

By the fourth mile, Merachi’s aggressiveness had thinned the lead group from nine to three, only Kenya’s Cynthia Jerop and Lucy Karimi keeping pace. Karimi was the big pre-race question mark. She won the 2016 Prague Marathon in 2:24:46 but beset by injuries had not finished a marathon since.

Veteran runner Priscah Jeptoo will return to competition on Sunday when she competes at the Stramilano Half-marathon in Italy

The former world and Olympic silver medalist is the big name with a personal best time of 65:45 over the 21km distance and 2:20:14 in the full marathon. She has not competed on the big stage since 2016.

"I have not retired and have been training as hard as possible. I had injury challenges, but they are behind me for the time being and it will be a new start for me in Milan on Sunday," said Jeptoo in Nairobi.

Former world mountain running champion Lucy Wambui, the winner in 2015 with her still PB of 70:52, is back to try to regain her title, while another Kenyan, Ivyne Jeruto Lagat (71:51) will also figure highly. Beatrice Boccalini, who set a fast time of 73:36 in December, heads home team.

In the men's race steeplechaser Jairus Birech, who was fourth at the 2015 World Championships, will be making his half-marathon debut.

Birech, who has had it hard to contend with emerging competition in the water and hurdle race, will seek to carve his niche in the road race and will be joined by compatriot Fredrick Moranga, who won the race two years in 61:20.

"I still have hopes of making the Kenya team to the World Championships in the steeplechase. But I have to focus on the race ahead and I have no clue how I will perform. It is a new challenge, which I hope my body will take in its stride. But I expect a podium position," said Birech on Saturday.

Weldon Kirui will aim to become the first three-time winner at L.A. Marathon

It was a couple of months ago that Weldon Kirui struggled at a half-marathon in Houston, finishing well behind the lead pack. Disappointed, the Kenyan long-distance runner looked ahead to his next race.

“I know what I need to do for L.A.,” he told his agent.

If anyone understands the course and conditions in Los Angeles it would be Kirui, who will start this weekend’s L.A. Marathon looking to become the event’s first three-time winner.

After victories last year and in 2016, he has made himself right at home in Southern California.

“It’s a very fun course to race,” the 30-year-old said through an interpreter. “I know where the good parts are, where the harder parts are.”

Nearly 24,000 runners are expected to participate in this year’s edition of the marathon, which dates back more than three decades to the afterglow of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

At several points in its history, organizers have talked about rivaling the big boys in New York, Boston and Tokyo. But the elite marathon calendar is packed, and elbowing for higher status requires six-figure prize money, more than L.A. has been willing to offer.

This year, the winner’s purse will be $23,000 for first place in each division.

“I think L.A. has gone up and down,” said Robert Johnson, co-founder of LetsRun.com, an influential web site that covers elite running. “It’s definitely, at this stage, a minor-league race.”

The annual race draws massive crowds of runners who are attracted by a “stadium to the sea” course that begins at Dodger Stadium and weaves past various landmarks on the way to Santa Monica.

Though men’s winners have not consistently broken the benchmark of 2 hours, 10 minutes, the marathon has nonetheless drawn elite competition from around the world.

Juan Luis Barrios of Mexico and a number of Kirui’s countrymen, including Lawi Kiptui and John Korir, are expected to race on the men’s side this weekend.

Oh Joo-han, a Kenyan-born marathoner with South Korean citizenship, will be able to represent his adopted country at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics

According to Oh Chang-seok, a former men's national marathon coach who helped the Kenyan-born runner with his naturalization, the IAAF recently announced that the 30-year-old marathoner can be formally selected for the South Korean national team starting March 7.

Originally, the IAAF said that Oh Joo-han can run for South Korea starting in August 2021. But after reviewing his national team eligibility, the IAAF changed its decision.

"We first requested the IAAF to review Oh's national team eligibility in December 2018, but it told us to submit additional documents that can prove his residential history in South Korea," Oh Chang-seok said.

"So, we submitted notarized documents from Cheongyang County Governor and his lawyer, and we passed the status reexamination."Born Wilson Loyanae Erupe, Oh acquired his South Korean passport last September.

Under a new rule by the IAAF on transfers of allegiance, athletes must wait three years after switching allegiance before they can represent their adopted country.

Previously, athletes who hadn't represented their native country only had to wait one year to compete for their adopted country. But Chang-seok thought that Oh's case could be subject to review.

After Oh completed his naturalization process, with help of the Korea Association of Athletics Federations (KAAF), he requested the IAAF to reexamine the case."Oh has been affiliated with Cheonyang County (in South Chungcheong Province) since 2015 and he has only been competing in marathon events in South Korea," Chang-seok said.

With paperwork cleared, Oh will now aim to win bronze at Tokyo 2020 for South Korea.

"Oh will compete in an international marathon event in September and will try to pass the Tokyo Olympic qualifying standard time (of 2 hours, 11 minutes, 30 seconds)," Chang-seok said. "Oh's target is to stand on the podium at the Tokyo Olympics for South Korea in August 2020."

Some ultra runners have completed 631 miles or more within 10 days but have any done so on a trail as tough as the one Michael Wardian is running in Israel?

The Israel National Trail (INT) is an approximately 1015km / 631mi hiking trail that crosses Israel from its southern to northern border, traversing a wide range of landscapes, a rich variety of flora and fauna, and a diversity of cultures.

The trail stretches from Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba to the Dan Kibbutz near the Lebanese border, and was named by National Geographic as one of the 20 best "epic hiking trails" in the world.

We believe the most likely Fastest Known Time on the INT to be set at 15 days in 2013 by Australian Richard Bowles.

On March 12th, 2019, Michael Wardian began his attempt to complete the trail in 10 days.

Wardian is a prodigious American marathoner and ultra-marathoner with a lengthy list of podium finishes at distances from half marathon to 100 miles, with world records such as the fastest time for 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days, and the fastest 50k on a treadmill, and who has completed many of the worlds most challenging races. In September 2018 Wardian ran the 184.5 mile C&O Canal Towpath in an FKT of 36h36m, beating Park Barner's 1976 time by just 12 minutes!

Michael is eight days in and has covered 776k with 241k to go according to the website Fastest Known Time which tracks these types of events.  Photos by Ian Corless.

(Editors note: Michael is also part of the Run The World4 Challenge team and all his miles are being logged there.  He is currently in first place with 504.48 miles logged since March 1. His team Elite Men is currently in second place with 2159 miles. Team Kenya is leading with 2304 miles.  This event ends March 30. Five teams of 14 are logging in as many miles as possible within 30 days.)

Belay Tilahun of Ethiopia and Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya won their New York City racing debuts in the open division

Tilahun, a 24-year-old member of West Side Runners, recorded his surprise victory in a time of 1:02:10 with an exciting kick through the final two miles. 

“I was feeling quite cold at the beginning, but as I was warming up, I began to feel better. After about 15 kilometers, I was confident that I could win. So I used the finishing kick that I had to win,” Tilahun said. 

Eritrea’s Daniel Mesfun finished second in 1:02:16 after leading for the majority of the race, while U.S. Olympic silver medalist Paul Chelimo took third in 1:02:19 in his half-marathon debut. 

A record eight American men finished in the top 10 in the open division, as Chelimo was followed by Jared Ward, Noah Droddy, Brogan Austin, Tim Ritchie, John Raneri, Parker Stinson, and Ben True, respectively.

 In the women’s open division, Jepkosgei, the half marathon world record-holder, won her first-ever race in the United States on a solo run to the finish in a time of 1:10:07. The world championship silver medalist in the distance became the sixth woman from Kenya to win the event, and the first to do so since 2014. “This season I am preparing to debut in the marathon, and this was a great half marathon to see how my body feels,” Jepkosgei said.

Fellow Kenyan Mary Ngugi came through the finish line one minute later in 1:11:07 to take second place, 15-hundredths of a second ahead of last year’s champion, Ethiopia’s Buze Diriba.

Emma Bates, the 2018 USATF Marathon champion, was the top American in the women’s open division, taking fourth place in 1:11:13. She was followed by 2018 Boston Marathon winner Des Linden in fifth place in 1:11:22.

Eliud Kipchoge donates one of his shoes he wore in Rio to help motivate more people to take up running

Reigning Olympic champion and world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya has donated one of the shoes in which he sped to victory in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games marathon.

The winning left shoe of the 2018 IAAF World Athlete of the Year will be one of the featured items in the “IAAF Heritage World Athletics Championships Exhibition”, a six-month display which will open in Doha on 18 April.

“I’m really pleased that my career will be permanently represented in the IAAF Heritage Collection,” said Eliud Kipchoge, who has also given a signed copy of the book detailing his world record run in Berlin.

“My running career has still far to go but I’m proud to donate one of my shoes from my Rio victory to be preserved for future generations of fans and publicly displayed. I hope it helps to motivate more people to take up the wonderful sport of running.”

The 400m2 exhibition will feature the world’s largest ever display of athletics artefacts and memorabilia, dating from 2nd Century B.C. to the present day.

In text, photographic and video displays, the exhibition succinctly tells the story of the sport’s 3000-year history.

Introductory displays cover athletics as it emerged from the ancient Olympic Games in 776 B.C. The story is carried through to the first modern Olympic Games of 1896, the foundation of the IAAF in 1912 and to creation of the IAAF World Championships in 1983.

Sondre Nordstad Moen of Norway easily won the Gdynia Half Marathon

Sondre Nordstad Moen of Norway and Genet Gashie of Ethiopia turned in dominant victories at the Gdynia Half Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label road race, on Sunday March 17. 

After running alone for much of the race, Moen  clocked 1:01:18 more than a minute clear of his closest competitor while Gashie took the women’s race in 1:12:05, 37 seconds ahead of compatriot Shegae Maeregu who clocked 1:12:42.

The race served as a test event for next year’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships which will be hosted by this Baltic Sea coast city of 250,000 on March 29 ,2020. Runners competed on a new course whose finish is situated on the city’s main municipal beach, the same course that will be used for next year’s championships.

Despite the presence of some strong names -- most notably two-time winner Hilary Kimaiyo of Kenya -- the competition quickly evolved into a one-man show with Moen upping the pace when the pacemaker began to struggle after 7 kilometres. He reached the 10 kilometre mark in 29:14 but didn’t look back. Behind him, the only race that was developing was the battle waged for second between Ethiopian Shumet Akalnew and Pole Krystian Zalewski.

When Moen finished a long climb between kilometres 9 and 12, he still appeared fresh and ready to maintain that tempo. He was already more than a minute ahead at 15 km (44:00) and used the downhill section to further cushion his lead in the race’s waning stages. He clocked 58:13 at the 20 km checkpoint and sprinted along the seaside boulevards in Gdynia en route to his 1:01:18 race record, a solid peformance given the windy conditions.

“I had to run alone since the pacemaker struggled,” Moen said. “It was hard to keep the pace on the uphill section but the last six kilometres were very strong for me although the wind was not making it easy.

Surprisingly, Zalewski finished second clocking 1:02:36 in his half marathon debut. Akalnew completed the podium in 1:02:54. Kimaiyo finished a distant sevent in 1:05:28.

In the women’s race, Christine Oigo was looking to repeat her victory from last year. She initially formed part of the leading group of three, together with the Ethiopians Gashie and Maeregu, who covered the first five kilometres in 17:06.

But it was Gashie who then took command, passing ten kilometres in 34:11, four seconds ahead of Maeregu. She continued to pad her advantage to the finish line, her 1:12:04 run a race record as well.

Maeregu held on to finish second in 1:12:42. Poland’s Anna Gosk passed Oigo by the 15th kilometre and held on to claim the final podium spot, clocking 1:13.07.

Kiplagat led four men under 2:07 at the Seoul Marathon

Kenyan Thomas Kiplagat Rono and Desi Jisa Mokonin of Bahrain took convincing victories at the Seoul Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on Sunday March 17.

Kiplagat led four men under the 2:07 mark, clocking 2:06:00 to win his third career marathon. The 32-year-old knocked nearly two minutes from his previous lifetime best of 2:07:52 set at the 2014 edition of the Joongang Marathon, Seoul's annual autumn marathon.

Elisha Kipchirchir was second in 2:06:12, a massive improvement on his previous best of 2:07:32, set when winning the Eindhoven Marathon last October.

Mike Kiptum Boit rounded out the podium sweep for Kenya, clocking 2:06:24 to beat Ethiopian Fikre Bekele who clocked 2:06:27, career bests for both.

In a quality race, Robert Kiplimo Kipkemboi crossed the line in 2:07:11 to round out the top five. 

Desi Mokonin who was seventh at the IAAF World Half Marathon Champpionships Valencia 2018, was even more dominant, winning by 25 seconds in 2:23:45, just six seconds shy of the personal best she set in Amsterdam last October. This was the first victory in four starts over the distance for the 21-year-old.

Hirut Tibebu, the winner here last year, was second this time around in 2:24:10.

Kenyan Celestine Chepchirchir was third in 2:24:49, a lifetime best for the 29-year-old. Zinash Mekonen of Ethiopia clocked 2:25:44 to round out the top four.

The men's course record of 2:05:13 was set by Kenyan Wilson Loyanae Erupe in 2016. Zhou Chunxia women's course record of 2:19:51 has stood since 2006.

Geoffrey Kamworor says he isn't quitting track anytime soon despite his success on the road

Two-time world cross country champion Geoffrey Kamworor has revealed he is not going to quit track anytime soon despite his success on the roads.

Speaking at the Kigari Teachers Training College, where Team Kenya to the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark is in residential training, Kamworor said he is still keen to be part of Team Kenya to August’s World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

However, the three-time World Half Marathon Champion could not reveal his distance of choice, between 5,000m and 10,000m, ahead of the global championships.

“I have not decided which race to run, but yes, it’s a priority once we are done with the World Cross Country,” said the 2:06 marathon man.

He remains determined to score a hat-trick of titles in Aarhus with his fifth-place finish at the national trials not a concern for him. He won the World Cross title in Guiyang, China in 2015, defended it in Kampala two years ago and he still keeps his push of emulating cross greats like Paul Tergat and John Ngugi, who won it five times each.

“I’m not worried about what happened at the national trials. Of importance is that I was selected in the team and I am confident I will retain my title,” he added.

Kamworor, who is captaining the side, expressed optimism that the team selected was the best he has been part of. “This is my fourth time at the world cross and if you look around, we have a good team, the best we have had so far. Remember, I have been with the team since my junior days,” he said. Kamworor said he is relishing the challenge of facing perennial rivals Ethiopia, Uganda and US runners at the event.

“This year will be tough. We have competition from our Kenyan brothers competing for America while Ethiopia and Uganda have come up very well lately,” he remarked.

He thanked Athletics Kenya for continued support in the availing kit and training allowances on time, saying: “We don’t have any complaints. We have been taken care of and we are grateful.”

Joyciline Jepkosgei and Edna Kiplagat showdown at New York City Half Marathon

Former two-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat and world half marathon record-holder Joyciline Jepkosgei will be among a horde of Kenyan stars who will take part in the New York Half Marathon on Sunday.

Majority of the athletes are using the race as part of their preparations for upcoming major races.

Jepkosgei will be debuting in the full marathon in Hamburg in April and she is using the race to gauge her preparedness as she seeks to swim in the deep end of the 42km race.

“I’m really prepared for the race in April but I’m using the half marathon to test my capability so far. Training in Iten has always given me good results,” said Jepkosgei.

“Competition will always be tight but I have the experience in the 21km. I will be doing my best to win the race as I finalise my training ahead of my debut,” Jepkosgei told Nation Sport.

Jepkosgei was the first woman to run under 30 minutes in 10km when she clocked 29:43 in the Prague Grand Prix in 2017.

She holds the half marathon record of 64:51 from 2017 Valencia Half Marathon.

Kiplagat, who is eyeing victory in Boston Marathon, said that she has finalised her training.

"The New York race is just part of training for me and I will be participating as part of my recovery program. I will be happy with any outcome in the race as I set my sights on the big race in April,” said Kiplagat.

Kiplagat told Nation Sport that her ultimate goal is to represent Kenya once again in the World Championships where she will be chasing a third title.

Kenyan runners win at the Jerusalem Marathon today

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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