Running News Daily

Defending champion Jepkosgei promises fast time in London

Defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei and World marathon silver medallist Judith Korir have promised to run fast times at this year's London marathon on Sunday in the British capital.

Jepkosgei, 28, said she has trained well for the last four months in Iten and will be looking to lower her best time.

“I am much better now than in April, so expect a fast race if the pacesetters will do their work,” said Jepkosgei, who will be eyeing her third Majors victory, having followed up her maiden New York City Marathon win in 2019 with London Marathon glory last year.

“We have four athletes who have run under two hours and 18 minutes. Note that I am the second fastest in the field, “said Jepkosgei before joining Korir in their evening session at De Vere Beaumont, Windsor, on the outskirts of London on Wednesday.

“You see every athlete always wants to do better than the previous race. I am not different...I want to lower my personal best on Sunday,” declared Jepkosgei.

Jepkosgei joined the league of the world’s greatest marathoners to have won London, one of the most prestigious race in the World Marathon Majors, triumphing in a personal best time of two hours, 17 minutes and 43 seconds.

Jepkosgei hopes that the current favourable weather will hold for a good race on Sunday.

“We ran under rainy and chilly conditions last year but this weather is promising. I love it,” said Jepkosgei, who hopes to represent Kenya at the World Athletics Championships next year and 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

“You see if you have invested well in a race, you tend to fear nothing and that is why I want to show up strongly on Sunday thought I know we have good athletes with incredible times in the pack,” said Jepkosgei.

“Everything has fallen in place the way I want this year and all I pray for God to deliver a good race for me,” said Jepkosogei, who has been training under coach Nicholas Koech since June.

It will be Jepkosgei’s second race this year having finished seventh at Boston Marathon in 2:24:43 on April 18.

Despite not having focused on finishing the race just like last year, the 26-year-old Korir, who has been told to go full length, hope to return good times.

“I knew I would pace-set, having come from the World Athletics Championships in July, but I was told to cover the full course two weeks ago,” said Korir, who will be competing in her eighth marathon.

“I will give it a shot and who knows...I could end up the winner.”

Korir’s best Championship results was when she claimed silver for Kenya in a personal best of 2:18:20 at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States in July this year

However, Korir, who trains with women’s marathon World Record holder Brigid Kosgei is Kapsait, Elgeyo Marakwet, won Paris Marathon this year and Abu Dhabi Maraton in 2021.

She also won the 2019 Belgrade and Venice Marathon races.

Kenyan women have won the last six editions of London Marathon.

Why You Should (Sometimes) Ignore Your Training Plan

Runners make bigger improvements following a flexible workout schedule rather than sticking with a predetermined one

The techno-utopian vision of the future of endurance training is that on any given day, your workout will be perfectly calibrated for how you’re feeling, how your body responds to different stimuli, and what your current goals are. Wearable tech will track your workout and monitor your recovery around the clock, and the algorithm will know just how far to push you.

A new study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, from a research team led by Olli-Pekka Nuuttila of the University of Jyväskylä in Finland and funded in part by the sports tech company Polar, seemingly takes a big step toward this goal. Runners, they find, do indeed get faster when they feed heart rate and other data into an algorithm that tells them when to push their training harder and when to ease up. At least, they get faster compared to following an inflexible cookie-cutter training plan. The results are intriguing, but they also leave you wondering if there might be a middle way.

The idea of tech-guided personalized training plans has been gaining steam for at least a decade, most notably with the rise of heart-rate variability (HRV) as a marker of recovery. I wrote about research into HRV-guided training back in 2018, and you can dig into further details about the concept in that article. Briefly, HRV reflects how regular your heart beat is, which depends on the balance between the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) branches of your nervous system. All else being equal, a high HRV suggests you’re well recovered and likely to respond well to a hard training day.

One of my critiques of HRV-guided training—an obvious one—is that training (and life) are complicated, so using a single metric to guide your training is unlikely to capture all the relevant factors that should guide your training decisions. Nuuttila’s new study addresses that critique by using three inputs to make training decisions:

For half the group, training was adjusted twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. Runners who had no red flags increased their training load (either distance or intensity, depending on the training block) for the following three or four days; those who had one red flag kept it the same; and those who had two or three reduced their load. The other half received a preplanned training program.

The study involved 30 recreational runners who typically trained a little more than four times a week. They started with three weeks of maintaining their usual training, then six weeks in which they focused on increasing their training distance, followed by another six weeks in which they increased their intensity by incorporating one to three interval workouts (6 x 3:00 with 2:00 recovery) per week. They completed a variety of performance tests after each training block, including a 10K time trial.

There are lots of moving parts in a study like this, but if we scan down to the bottom line, we see this: the pre-planned group improved their 10K times by 2.9 percent, on average, which is about what you’d expect. The algorithm group improved their average times by 6.2 percent, which is very impressive. Here’s what the individual improvements look like for the predetermined (PD) and individualized (IND) groups, with negative numbers representing a greater percentage improvement:

Interestingly, the total training loads between the two groups were very similar, so it’s not simply that one group trained way harder than the other in aggregate. Instead, the differences were individual. When the algorithm adjusted training, it prescribed no change 55 percent of the time, more training 35 percent of the time, and less training 10 percent of the time.

Overall, I think these results are a neat proof-of-principle, and I think it’s great that they’re rigorously testing these algorithms to make sure that they really do work better than the alternatives. But I’d like to see them clear a tougher hurdle. Instead of “predetermined” training plans, how about “predetermined plus common sense” training plans, where you back off your training if you’re feeling tired and ramp it up if you feel good? Or if you want to formalize it, take the subjective measures of fatigue and soreness, perhaps along with some measure of perceived effort versus expected effort during the previous workout, and use that to adjust training load. There’s plenty of evidence, after all, that our subjective perceptions can be surprisingly sensitive in detecting recovery status.

It may well be that having some sort of external, objective data is still useful—both for beginners, who haven’t yet learned what hard training is supposed to feel like, and for experts, who may be tempted to lie to themselves in order to get the green light to hammer. But let’s be clear about what we’re testing. The nuances of your heart rate and its variability may be useful. But the deeper insight from Nuuttila’s study may simply be that even the best-laid training plans sometimes need to be tweaked.

Two easy ways for beginners to add speed

Speedwork can sound intimidating, and new runners often avoid it until they’ve been logging regular miles for years. Even if you’re fairly new to running, speedwork is an essential addition to your weekly mileage–and it doesn’t mean you’ll be sprinting around a track until exhaustion. You can do your speedwork on the road, trails, track, or even the treadmill.

If you’ve been running for about six months and are injury-free, it’s safe to start incorporating short speed sessions into your training. Try these two simple workouts to get your legs used to moving quickly. As you get more comfortable, you can add repeats or lengthen intervals.

Strides

Strides are a great way to begin adding speed to your sessions. Tack them on to the end of any easy run. Strides are like the multi-purpose tool of speedwork–runners training for very long distances will add them to training runs to remind their legs what it feels like to go at top speed. If you’ve never tried strides before, don’t worry: it’s hard to go wrong.

Start your strides running by going easy, focusing on a short, quick stride, and then gradually increase your speed by lengthening your stride. Focus on staying relaxed and running smoothly. It should feel like a controlled faster pace, not a sprint.

The workout:

Easy run (approx 30 minutes)

Four to five strides of 15 to 30 seconds each, 45 seconds rest in between

Short intervals

If this workout looks too daunting, simply shorten your intervals so that they seem manageable–30 seconds fast with a one-minute recovery is just fine. If you need to walk to recover, go for it. Don’t worry about your pace throughout the intervals, simply go by effort.

The workout:

Warm up with 10 minutes easy running

Five to eight repeats of one minute hard followed by two minutes easy running or walking to recover

Cool down with five to 10 minutes easy running

Recovery is a key component of speedwork, whether you are a beginner or an experienced runner. In these beginner speed workouts, the recovery intervals are longer in duration than the hard intervals. As you build strength, you can cut down recovery time to make the workouts more challenging. Speed workouts are considered hard training days so you will need a very easy recovery running or rest day following one.

The man behind Kipchoge's world record

On Sunday morning at the Berlin Marathon, Eliud Kipchoge redefined history as he broke his marathon world record by 30 seconds. His run will go down as one of the most remarkable performances in our sport but what cannot be ignored is the behind-the-scenes work by his drinks guy, Claus-Henning Schulke. 

As small as the role of simply passing the hydration bottle to the fastest marathoner in history may seem, Schulke, might be the best in the world at doing it. Check out the effort from Schulke during yesterday’s marathon:

Schulke, a 56-year-old triathlete from Berlin, first worked with Kipchoge in 2018, when he set the world record of 2:01:39. Schulke has been volunteering at the Berlin Marathon since 1998 and is the senior member of the 30-person crew in charge of getting the elite athletes their drinks during the race.

When Schulke completed his handover to Kipchoge at the first hydration station, Schulke did his fist-pumping celebration, as he famously did in 2018.

Across the 13 drink stations on the course, Schulke rode his bike to each station, waited for Kipchoge, handed him the bottle, then hopped back on his bike to beat the marathoner to the next station.

Another individual who deserves a shoutout is the Berlin Marathon volunteer who followed Kipchoge and Schulke around, shooting video of their exchanges. Hard work does not go unnoticed. 

Kipchoge might have the world record, but Schulke has every right to bask in the glory of it as his right-hand man. 

Three runners who could threaten the two-hour marathon barrier

On Sunday, Eliud Kipchoge made history again, winning the 2022 Berlin Marathon and breaking his previous world record from 2018 in 2:01:09. Although his time was spectacular, Kipchoge went through the halfway mark in 59:51, the fastest-ever half-marathon split in a marathon. His half split shows he has strong potential to achieve a sub-two-hour marathon. But who else might have the potential to do it?

At INEOS-1:59 in 2019, Kipchoge showed the world that breaking two was possible with the help of 20 or more pacers, fluids handed to him in motion, pace lights and ideal weather conditions.

The previous eight marathon world records have been run at the Berlin Marathon. The course attracts many of the world’s top marathoners due to its fast, flat and open course. If the two-hour barrier is broken, it’ll likely happen in Berlin.

In my opinion, there are three runners who can threaten this barrier based on their previous performances.

1) Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda)

The half-marathon world record holder has not immersed himself in the marathon scene yet, but is bound to run something special when he does. The 21-year-old Ugandan has already won a medal at every level–double Commonwealth gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m, Olympic bronze in the 10,000m and world championship gold in the half-marathon.

Although it’s unlikely Kiplimo will rush onto the startline of a marathon anytime soon, he’s shown his incredible talent from 5,000m to the half. He has the eighth-fastest time over 10,000m (26:33.93) and the fastest time ever over 21.1 km (57:31–two minutes and 44 seconds per kilometre pace, which is predictive of a 1:55:20 marathon, or thereabouts).

When he is ready to make the jump, he’ll likely run around 2:02 to 2:04 for his debut and then aim for the two-hour mark in his second.

2) Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda)

The men’s 5,000m and 10,000m world record holder is currently the fastest distance runner in the world. He’s been almost unbeatable over the 10,000m, and has the long stride and the speed to threaten the two-hour mark. Cheptegei has only run one half-marathon (59:21) but holds the world record of 41:05 over 15 km (which translates to a 57-minute half-marathon).

At 26, Cheptegei has some unfinished business in the 10,000m, taking silver to Selemon Barega of Ethiopia at the Tokyo Olympics. We won’t see him move up distances until after the 2024 Olympic Games.

3) Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya)

If anyone knows what it takes to break the sub-two barrier, it’s Kipchoge. He did it unofficially in Austria and was on pace to do it in Berlin on Sunday, up until the 24 km mark. Although he’s only getting older, with his performance in 2022, he has shown the world that he is still in the prime of his career.

Kipchoge has spoken about wanting to win all six Abbott World Marathon Majors (he is missing only Boston and New York) and becoming the first triple Olympic champion in the marathon. This 2:01:09 from Kipchoge won’t be his last shot at sub-two; he’ll likely go back to his camp in Kenya, tweak a few things, and return to Berlin in 2023 for another shot at sub-two before taking on the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Israeli man runs Berlin Marathon with pineapple on his head

There were several outstanding performances at the 2022 Berlin Marathon, but the oddest of them all has to be from Moshe Lederfien of Israel, who ran the entire Berlin Marathon while balancing a pineapple on his head.A clip of Lederfien went viral on TikTok after he was seen at multiple checkpoints, running along with an actual pineapple on his head. You have to appreciate his talent, as there is no visible tape or device that held the fruit in place.

Although Lederfien finished several hours behind world record holder Eliud Kipchoge in 5:04:25, he runs with a pineapple on his head to bring people together. Berlin marked his 12th marathon running with a pineapple.Lederfein, 68, served for Israel during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and began running marathons at age 53. Lederfein never thought he could run, as he suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure.

He is also quite the celebrity in Israel and has a short documentary about him as the pineapple marathoner. He even goes by pineapple marathon runner on his social media pages.

How to condition your legs to run further

Often, runners concentrate on racking up the miles at the expense of all other training. At some point, your body will scream “no more!” and protest by breaking down with a knee, calf, or ankle-based injury, side-lining you for weeks or even months. But with the right steps you can build up your legs’ strength and carry yourself further on your runs.

All of which would certainly come in handy ahead of the Wings for Life App Run on Sunday, May 7, 2023, which will see runners across the world raising vital funds for the Wings for Life Foundation, as they try and outrun a virtual Catcher Car via an app on their phone (sign up here!). So if you truly want to bulletproof your lower limbs for a test of pure distance, this is the one to sign up for.

Without further ado, here are the pointers you need...

1. Always stretch.

A simple one to start, but one often neglected by runners. Stretching your calves and quads is key to building leg strength for running. “The idea is to improve movement of the ankle and knee joints before running,” says Pat Gillham, specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist at Pure Sports Medicine. “This will help prevent over-loading of the joints by the repetitive nature of running.” Gillham also advises doing stretches before you run will give increased range of movements to the joints.

Calves can be stretched off a step and quads by holding your heel to your bum while standing or kneeling. Stretches should be held for 60 seconds at a time, and Gillham advises doing stretches before you run, “but not to the point of complete muscle fatigue otherwise your muscles won't be able to cope with running,” he adds.

2. Use a foam roller

Many runners see the foam roller as an instrument of torture, designed to reduce grown adults to tears. But, says Gillham, using a foam roller is key for helping your legs run further. “A foam roller can be the perfect way to give yourself soft-tissue release instead of, or in addition to, stretching.” And if you are going to target one area? Go for the outer hip. A Pulseroll vibrating roller is a good place to start.

3. Choose the right shoes and socks

Another simple tip, but one that can easily be overlooked when you enter a running shop and your mind becomes overwhelmed at the sheer size of the selection on offer. Most reputable running shops now have treadmills in store, where staff can watch you run, check your gait and suggest appropriate shoes. And Brooks and Saucony even have their own proprietary analysis systems. Also, consider compression socks, too. “They can reduce irritation to the fascia in your calves by reducing vibrations that come from the landing,” says Gillham.

4. Increase your leg-strength work

Gillham stresses the importance of building your legs’ strength through regular gym work. "Single-leg deadlifts/single-leg bridges/high step-ups/single-leg heel raises [seated and standing]/side planks – all these exercises are great for adding to your workout to increase your legs’ power," he says. “High reps are ideal, until fatigue with or without weight. This type of programme should be done ideally three to four times per week for a duration of six to eight weeks to see any benefit.”

Below are two exercises you can easily incorporate into your weekly strength and conditioning programme, or just do at home when you have five minutes...

5. Romanian deadlifts

“Your average Joe tends to ignore muscles they can't see,” says Richard Tidmarsh, strength and conditioning coach and founder of Reach Fitness. “Your hamstrings are key for running performance and they are hiding at the back of your legs and so are often ignored. Romanian deadlifts will strengthen your posterior chain, making you a more powerful and effective athlete.”

6. Monster walks

“Most people's glutes retired themselves from active duty years ago,” says Tidmarsh. “This is the modern-day curse of a desk job. But to be a good runner and to avoid injury, you need your glutes to fire up. The elastic bands you see in a gym that nobody ever uses? They’re your friend. Every training session, strap a band around your thighs, settle into a half squat and then walk side to side with little steps. It's called a monster walk for a reason; you should feel your glutes on fire. This will prime them ready to work when you are running.”

7. Get plenty of rest

And finally, what everyone wants to hear. “Put your feet up,” says Tidmarsh. “Runners often become obsessed with mileage. The more you do the better, right? Wrong. Running puts a huge amount of stress on your body’s major joints, particularly if you are out pounding the streets. So learn to take a rest, and focus on the quality of your training rather than the quantity. Space out your training runs throughout the week, have weekly sports massages and try to use running tracks or trails rather than roads, as the surface is more forgiving.”

2019 Doha World Athletics Championships marathon bronze medalist, Amos Kipruto, will be seeking his first major title

The 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships marathon bronze medalist, Amos Kipruto, will be seeking his first major title when he lines up for the London Marathon race on Sunday.

He has been on the podium at major marathons twice, but wants to bag top honors this time round.

Nation Sport tracked Kipruto at Nandi Hills in Nandi County where he was doing a long run of 36 kilometers.

Kipruto together with his training mates crisscrossed through tea plantations.

The London Marathon will be his second major marathon race this year after finishing second in Tokyo Marathon in March.

Freshly minted world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, who clocked 2:01:09 at Berlin Marathon on Sunday, beat Kipruto in Tokyo.

“From Tokyo, I relaxed a bit. I intensified my training for London Marathon in the middle of Ma, and so everything has been going well. I have a good group behind me and my coach is also helping so much,” Kipruto said.

“Marathon is becoming tricky because competition is high. You need to prepare carefully so that you don’t burnout,” he explained.

Having competed in Tokyo Marathon twice and Berlin Marathon once, Kipruto is a man in a mission.

“It is a great honour for me to be given an opportunity to compete in London, and I don’t take it for granted. The reward that I can give it to myself is to run well in London and set the bar high,” he said.

In the elite athletes’ start list, Kipruto is the fourth fastest with a time of 2:03:13 behind Ethiopians Kenenisa Bekele, Birhanu Legese and Mosinet Geremew.

Kipruto will be the only Kenyan in the elite race after his teammate Vincent Kipchumba withdrew due to injury.

London Marathon preview: will we see two course records broken?

For the third straight year, the TCS London Marathon is set to take place on the first Sunday of October (Oct. 2). Many of the world’s top marathoners have made their way to London for a shot at USD $55,000, plus added incentives for time bonuses and course records.

If anyone were to break Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09 in Berlin last weekend, they would earn a huge payday of USD $400,000+, between prize money and bonuses.

A number of the top athletes have scratched from the marathon this week due to injury, including the British Olympic champion of years past, Mo Farah, who is out with a hip injury; 2022 world championship silver medallist Mosinet Gemerew; and the women’s world record holder, Brigid Kosgei, who suffered a hamstring injury in the lead-up to the race.

Both the men’s and women’s fields are still loaded with former Olympic medalists and Abbott World Marathon Major champions. Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele headlines the men’s race, returning to London for the first time since 2018, after second-, third- and sixth-place finishes in his past three attempts. Bekele, 40, has not been in top form since he ran the second-fastest marathon of all time to win the 2019 Berlin Marathon (2:01:41).

His challenges will come from his Ethiopian compatriot and defending champion Sisay Lemma and two-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese, who holds a personal best of 2:02:48 and is the third-fastest man in history.

Another name not to ignore is Bashir Abdi of Belgium, who earlier this year became the first Belgian to win a medal at both the world championships and the Olympics in the marathon. Abdi won bronze in Tokyo and followed it up with another bronze in Eugene. 

Amos Kipruto of Kenya has been quiet this season after his PB and second-place finish to Kipchoge at the Tokyo Marathon in March. 

Women’s preview

With the two-time London Marathon champion and world record holder Kosgei out, her compatriot, Joyciline Jepkosgei, is the favourite. Jepkosgei brings experience and consistency to the field, having won this race last year in 2:17:43.

The dark horse is Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw, who previously held the half-marathon world record and ran the fastest debut marathon in women’s history, clocking 2:17:23 at Hamburg in April. She has gone undefeated in her last four road races and reached the podium in her last seven. 

Ashete Bekere of Ethiopia also has the experience, winning Berlin in 2019 and finishing third in London last year. Earlier this year, she was second to Kosgei at the Tokyo Marathon, where she ran her personal best of 2:17:58.

Judith Jeptum Korir of Kenya, the 2022 world championship silver medallist and reigning Paris Marathon champion, was originally planning to pace the leaders on Sunday, but has been a late addition to the elite list. London will be Korir’s third marathon in six months, but she has reached the podium in her last two. 

Eluid Kipchoge will lose $200,000 with the Abbott World Marathon Majors drastic reduction of prize money but this is not right says MBR publisher

Two days after Eliud Kipchoge clocked a 2:01:09 world record in Berlin, the Abbott World Marathon Majors announced on Tuesday a drastic reduction in the series’ prize money for runners.

Abbott, currently a $45 billion dollar global healthcare company based in Illinois, was the first title sponsor of the World Marathon Majors.

Let's Run posted this: "The change will take effect immediately, applying to the current series, which began at the Tokyo Marathon in March (starting this year, the WMM seasons are based on calendar years rather than the multi-year format of years past). As a result, Kipchoge, who has all but locked up the 2022 WWM Series title, will receive $200,000 less for his efforts.

When the World Marathon Majors — which consists of Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York — launched in 2006, one of its signature elements was the $500,000 prize awarded each year to the men’s and women’s series champions. In 2017, WMM altered its prize structure, reducing the grand prize to $250,000 (but adding $50,000 for second and $25,000 for third) while increasing prize money for wheelchair athletes and adding a charitable donation component of $280,000.

WMM announced that moving forward series champions will receive $50,000 each — just one-fifth of what was awarded last year and the same amount the wheelchair series champions receive. The prizes for second and third were also halved to $25,000 and $12,500, respectively, while WMM added prize money for fourth ($7,500) and fifth ($5,000). There was no mention of a charitable donation component (though the amateur runners at the World Marathon Major races raise significant money for charity each year)."

"This is not good news," says Bob Anderson, My Best Runs publisher, "but millions of dollars have been awarded over the years and maybe we should not have taken it for granted?"

"However, how can they make a change like this when it was already announced?  A major change like this should not go into effect until the next season.  Kipchoge should not be pentalized because Abbott decided after the fact to reduce marketing expenses or something in my opinion," says Bob.  

"I do remember when my friend Derek Clayton set the world record clocking 2:08:32 May 30, 1969.  He did not win any prize money.  That record stood for 12 years.  Or another friend Geoff Smith won the 1984 and 1985 Boston Marathon and won no prize money. Running was not a pro sport back in those days and no one was paid above the table until 1986 or so.

"Racing and for sure the Marathon offer sponsors a lot of exposure," Bob continues.  "Hopefully new sponsors will come to the table.  However, the economy right now is not good and expenses like this can be the first to be cut but lets think positive."

Abbott Laboratories is an American multinational medical devices and health care company with headquarters in Abbott Park, Illinois, United States. The company was founded by Chicago physician Wallace Calvin Abbott in 1888 to formulate known drugs; today, it sells medical devices, diagnostics, branded generic medicines and nutritional products. 

"In 2021 Abbott (ABT) revenues were 43 billion and their income was 7 billion.  However in the last six months their stock price has decreased 18.2%. Off but better than many companies," says Bob Anderson.  "I wonder if this has anything to do with this decision to cut prize money but regardless Eluid Kipchoge should not lose $200,000 in the process."

Let us know your opinion.    

Had a tough training season? Here’s how to reset like an Olympian

Whether your season resulted in podium finishes or you faced some serious challenges, taking some time to reflect and reframe can make you a better athlete.If your season didn’t go as planned, you aren’t alone–even Olympians face similar setbacks and doubts.

Canadian Olympic middle distance runner Maddy Kelly had what for her felt like disappointing races at both the world championships and the Commonwealth games.  Rather than fixate on those results, she reframed her experience, reminding herself that in 2022 she made three national teams, regained her national title and ran sub-2:00 (800m) twice.

Whether your season resulted in podium finishes or you faced some serious challenges, taking some time to reflect and reframe can make you a better athlete.

If your season didn’t go as planned, you aren’t alone–even Olympians face similar setbacks and doubts. Canadian Olympic middle distance runner Maddy Kelly had what for her felt like disappointing races at both the world championships and the Commonwealth games.  Rather than fixate on those results, she reframed her experience, reminding herself that in 2022 she made three national teams, regained her national title and ran sub-2:00 (800m) twice.

Here’s how to find the positive takeaways from your running season, reframe setbacks, and move forward regardless of what your season outcome was.

Recover and reflect

Your body and mind need some time to recover, even if you feel like you didn’t run your best. While opinions (and your training schedule) will differ on how much time to take off, experts agree off-season recovery is vital to staying healthy and injury-free. Take a few days or weeks to focus on lower-impact movement for your body (cycling or swimming), or take some full extra rest days. Focus on getting adequate (even extra) sleep and nutrition.

Pinpoint both successes and challenges

Give yourself credit for things you did well, particularly process-based goals, like getting up early twice a week to run, or learning more about nutrition. If you didn’t have any process goals it’s still worth noting what parts of your training you excelled at and what was a struggle. If time–management was an issue, make a note if it without berating yourself. You’re doing this to improve, not to make yourself feel bad.

Don’t be afraid to tackle your weaknesses

Once you’ve taken a good look at your season and given your body some time to recover, explore ways you can improve your weaknesses. We often do the most work on the aspects of running that we excel at–if you love hill sprints, you’re less likely to find an excuse not to do them, and you end up becoming very strong at running quickly up ascents.

Look at your weaknesses as future strengths. Really dislike speedwork? Know that if you stop avoiding it, it will get easier and you will become a better athlete. Embracing a weak area can be fun once you get past the initial avoidance–you’ll be rewarded as you improve.

Remember why you run

If you’re struggling to reset after a tough race or season, come back to the basics. Remind yourself why you started, and take some time to run for fun. If you started running because you felt good moving your body, find ways to bring training back to that focus.

That could mean short, easy runs with friends for a few weeks. If that doesn’t get you out the door, maybe you need to do some feel-good activities that aren’t running-related until you feel that itch to lace up again. Know that it will come back, and sometimes a break and some time to reflect is exactly what your body is asking for.

There are no hard and fast rules that will work for everyone, but easing the pressure you place on yourself during racing season, focusing on sleep, drinking plenty of water and dialing in nutrition, and bringing your running game back to fun and simple movement are great ways to begin rebuilding.

Remind yourself that you want to be running for years to come, and putting in the recovery time (even when it’s hard to do so) is vital to years of healthy training and racing.

Canada’s fastest 90-year-old claims another national masters record

On Sunday, London, Ont. runner Canio Polosa, who currently holds the designation of Canada’s fastest 90-year-old, set the Canadian masters record over one mile, clocking 11:25.26. In fact, Polosa is the first man over 90 ever to tackle the challenge in a sanctioned race.

Before the race, Polosa told a reporter he was hoping to finish in around 10 minutes. He finished just over that, but was the first 90-year-old to set this mark, according to Canadian Masters Athletics.

Last fall, Polosa set the 90+ 5K Canadian record of 36:30 and followed up his performance with another Canadian record over 8 km and 10K in the spring. “I had a good race yesterday,” says Polosa. “I was happy to have the support of my wife, Lynne, and the enthusiasm from local runners too.”

In a post-race interview, Polosa said he was glad the mile was over with, but happy with his performance, given his recent hiccups in training. After setting the three age-group records earlier this spring, Polosa was eager to run a half-marathon in the fall. He was a month into his training when Lynne noticed he was losing some muscle mass. “He was training around 15 km several times a week, but was not fuelling enough for his runs,” Lynne says.

Unfortunately, Polosa halted his half-marathon training to figure out his nutrition. He, his wife and his doctor came to a solution to increase his calorie intake. Since Polosa refuses to drink protein shakes and smoothies, he found a solution with Lynne’s special homemade brownies.

“I make killer brownies,” Lynne claims. “It managed to do the trick.”

Polosa resumed training in mid-August and organized this one-mile race for the end of September. He’s currently training for a 5K at the end of October.

Polosa began running during his retirement, at age 60. “For eight years or so, I ran 10K’s, then I became interested in longer distances,” says Polosa. When he moved to London, he joined the London Pacers Running Club, which inspired him to run three marathons during the ’90s. Now at 93, Polosa continues to run and sets Canadian records in every race he enters.

When he is not running, Polosa enjoys working out at the gym, where he uses the cross-trainer and weight machines.

“I think he gets all his energy from afternoon power naps,” Lynne laughs. “Canio also loves to read about science and the news on the computer.”Most of all, Polosa enjoys spending time with his loved ones and Lynne, his number one fan.

Jemal Yimel and Ruti Aga, added to 2022 Chicago Marathon elite fields

The 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon got a boost in quality yesterday when race organizers announced some significant additions to the elite fields, led by Ethiopian national record holder Jemal Yimer on the men’s side and 2:18:34 marathon Ruti Aga on the women’s side. Aga is the more accomplished marathoner but she is the bigger question mark as she dropped out of New York last year and hasn’t raced at all in 2022 whereas Yimer, who has recorded marathon finishers only in Boston (3rd and 8th the last 2 years), has been on fire on the roads this summer.

Below we show you the new additions to the elite fields (We present them in order from most likely to win to least likely) and after that you will see the full elite fields.

The 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon got a boost in quality yesterday when race organizers announced some significant additions to the elite fields, led by Ethiopian national record holder Jemal Yimer on the men’s side and 2:18:34 marathon Ruti Aga on the women’s side. Aga is the more accomplished marathoner but she is the bigger question mark as she dropped out of New York last year and hasn’t raced at all in 2022 whereas Yimer, who has recorded marathon finishers only in Boston (3rd and 8th the last 2 years), has been on fire on the roads this summer.

Below we show you the new additions to the elite fields (We present them in order from most likely to win to least likely) and after that you will see the full elite fields.

Men

Jemal Yimer (ETH) –  2:08:58 pb (Boston, 2022).  26-years-old. Half marathon ace. 26:54 10,000 pb. Ethiopian national record holder in the half marathon, 58:33, which he ran in Valencia in 2018. Trivial: Did you know 12 Kenyans have run faster than that? His two marathon finishes have been in Boston where he was third in 2021 and 8th this year. In good form this summer. 3rd at Peachtree (27:50), 1st at Boilermaker (42:38), 1st in Larne half in 59:04 on August 28th.

Shifera Tamru (ETH) – 2:05:18 pb. Only 23. Won Seoul in 2019 (2:05:29) and Daegu (2:06:31) earlier this year. 5th in Chicago last year. Has ran under 2:06 in 4 of last 5 marathon.

Bernard Koech (KEN) – 2:04:09 pb (Amsterdamn 2021). 34-years-old. Has 5 times run run under 2:07 incluing twice in the 2:04s including in his debut in Dubain in 2013 without super shoes. Has never won a marathon but was s2nd in 2021 Amsterdam and 2014 Rotterdam. No races at all in 2022.

Guojian Dong (CHN) – 35-years-old. Three-time Olympian (2012, 2016 and 2020 marathon); five-time national champion on the track in the 10,000 and 5000m; marathon personal best 2:08:28 (Berlin, 2019). Chinese record is 2:08:15.

Women

Ruti Aga (ETH) – 2:18:34 pb (2018 Berlin). 28-years old. Hasn’t broken 2:20 in her last 6 marathons since running 2:18 in Berlin but did win Tokyo in 2019 in 2:20:40. DNF in NY last year. No results in 2022. Also 2018 Tokyo Marathon and Berlin Marathon runner-up.

Delvine Meringor (ROU) – 2:24:32 pb. 30-years-old. Former Kenyan. 2022 Los Angeles Marathon champion, and 2022 Romanian national champion in the 5000m and 10,000m.

Sarah Inglis (GBR) – 2:29:41 pb (Chandler, 2020). 31-years-old. 2022 Commonwealth Games competitor in the 5000m and 10,000m.

Elisha Rotich (KEN), Abayneh Degu (ETH), Amanuel Mesel (ERI), Masaya Taguchi (JPN), Jianhua Peng (CHN), Shaohui Yang (CHN), Steven Martinez (USA) have also been added to the 2022 elite open division race. Fidel Aguilar (MEX), Jose Pulido (USA) and Hannah Dederick (USA) have been added to the 2022 elite wheelchair competition.

Shalane Flanagan’s favorite post-run fall meal

The seasons are changing and long runs are getting chillier. U.S. Olympian Shalane Flanagan‘s superfood soup is packed with all the nutrition you want post-run, but with a taste that is full-on comfort food. You’ll want to make an extra batch to freeze and have on hand for busy nights.

Flanagan, a four-time Olympian (twice in the marathon) and the 2017 New York City Marathon champion, may be retired from professional competition, but she’s still a busy coach for Bowerman track club, a mom, and co-author of three cookbooks with her former teammate and friend, Elyse Kopecki.

To make this soup even more quickly, I use spinach instead of kale to add some greens; we top our individual bowls with baby spinach and stir it in (it cooks quickly in the hot soup). Chop everything up the night before, and you’ll have a warm, filling meal simmering in minutes.

Shalane’s superfood soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 sweet potato (yam), unpeeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 can (13.5 oz) unsweetened coconut milk

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

2 tsp fine sea salt

2 Tbsp curry powder

1 cup chopped kale, stems removed (I used baby spinach)

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)juice of 1 lime

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not brown–about five minutes. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring continuously, for 30 seconds, being careful not to let the spices brown.

Add five cups of water, sweet potato, coconut milk, tomatoes, and chickpeas to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes). Be careful not to overcook.

Stir in the kale and simmer just until wilted. Turn off the heat and stir in 1 Tbsp of the lime juice. Taste and add more lime juice and salt, if needed.

Mo Farah out of London marathon due to injury

Mo Farah has been forced to withdraw from Sunday's London marathon due to a hip injury with this latest setback raising doubts over the 39-year-old's future in competitive racing.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist was due to run the race for the first time since 2019 after making a return to the track in a failed attempt to compete at last year's Olympics in Tokyo.

Farah did return to form on the road by winning the "Big Half" -- a London half marathon -- earlier this month.

"I've been training really hard over the past few months and I'd got myself back into good shape and was feeling pretty optimistic about being able to put in a good performance," said Farah in a statement issued by London marathon organizers on Wednesday.

"However, over the past 10 days I've been feeling pain and tightness in my right hip. I've had extensive physio and treatment and done everything I can to be on the start line but it hasn't improved enough to compete on Sunday."

He added: "It's really disappointing to have to withdraw after a good last few months and after my win at The Big Half but also because I love racing in front of my home crowd in London who always give all of us athletes such amazing support."

Farah has never won the London marathon in three previous attempts, with his best finish coming in 2018 when he was third.

Ethiopian reigning champion Sisay Lemma and his compatriot Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest marathon runner of all time, are among the favorites for the men's race.

Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge is not running after smashing his own world record by 30 seconds at the Berlin marathon last Sunday.

London Marathon to host Eliud Kipchoge as special guest

Eliud Kipchoge, who smashed his own marathon world record in Berlin on Sunday is expected here this weekend to present medals to the winners of the age group championships events in the new TCS Mini London Marathon on Saturday, the day before the TCS London Marathon, organisers have announced.

In a statement, the TCS London Marathon said Kipchoge — the four-time London Marathon champion who clocked two hours, one minutes and nine seconds at the BMW Berlin Marathon to take 30 seconds off the world record he set in the same race in 2018 — will present the medals to the UK’s top young athletes racing over the final 2.6 kilometres of the famous course.

“This year is a landmark one for the TCS Mini London Marathon. The first edition of the new mass participation TCS Mini London Marathon follows the championships races on Saturday, when thousands of children and young people of all abilities, aged from four to 17, will take part in either 2.6K or one-mile events on the same finishing stretch of the TCS London Marathon course,” the statement said.

“I really support the initiative of the TCS London Marathon to promote running at all ages. I like running to be a family activity since running is life. It will bring joy, happiness and health to our children, who are the future, so let’s all embrace this,” Kipchoge, who is an Ambassador for the TCS Mini London Marathon, said.

GOAT of marathon

Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the TCS London Marathon, said: “We are thrilled that Eliud, our four-time champion, will be with us this weekend. He is, without doubt, the GOAT of marathon running and will be a huge inspiration to everyone taking part in the TCS Mini London Marathon on Saturday.”

Here’s why racing a team event will make you a better runner, racing with a friend or several will revitalize the way you approach competition

Either you love running in groups or you prefer to do most of your runs solo–most runners seem to have a preference. Even if you’re a die-hard solo runner, entering a race as a duo or team of several will be a game-changer.

I enjoy my alone time, and with the exception of heading out to our local parkrun or community events, I lace up and train by myself. Many of the races I enter have team options, but I generally run solo. To wrap up the summer trail racing season this year, my partner and I decided to race The Lone Wolf, a last-man-standing looped-course race on the beautiful trails of Fernie, B.C.

I learned more from running with my partner than from any other race this year. Here’s why you should try a team event, even (or especially) if it means stepping outside your comfort zone.

You’ll be inspired by your teammate(s) and connect to the larger community

I know toeing the line as a solo racer is motivating in itself, and you might be wondering why a team effort would be different. Many people at the event were part of the ultratrail community I run in regularly, so it wasn’t a whole new crowd. It was, however, a new perspective; I had no idea how my husband and I would run as a team.

Running as a team changed my approach to the race and the people within it.  I had a whole new set of competitors to get to know, and it was fun to watch them interact and try to guess how many loops both team members could manage. I wasn’t obsessing over pace and timing, so I was able to take the time to connect with different, fascinating people at the race. As always when connecting with new runners, I learned from them–and am already looking forward to crossing paths with them again.

As part of a team, you need to focus on the process rather than the results

Stepping into a team event means giving up a substantial amount of control over the outcome. If you’ve experienced a few races, you’ve probably had one that didn’t go as planned, and after a race like that, many of us go over what went wrong and how we could develop skills to avoid those problems in the future.

On a team, you truly have no idea how the race will pan out for your teammate or group members, so you’re forced to give up that PB mentality and focus on how you can make the race flow more smoothly for all involved.

Instead of worrying about whether my team was going to blow everyone away, I had to stay on top of the few things I could control. The race we entered required one team member to be on the starting line every hour on the hour (backyard ultra style), so I needed to be ready to switch out my partner, along with providing encouragement and trying to imagine what they might need when they finished a loop. My role as a runner shifted to also being that of a fan and crew member, and as a result, I had more fun than I expected. 

You’re guaranteed to learn things you can incorporate into your solo racing

The skills you learn through teamwork will be useful when you head back into a race on your own. Remembering the importance of being dialled into the process rather than the result is something most runners should work on. Entering each race you run with a mindset intent on encouraging others can actually help you become a faster, more efficient athlete (and science backs this up).

After a few tough races, trying something different at the end of the season was revitalizing. A team event lessened the pressure I usually place on myself, so I wasn’t as nervous throughout the race, and I was perfectly content with whatever outcome our team had–the goal was to have fun.

Many regular runners have personal goals to beat every time they race, and it can be a relief to jump into something where the only true goals are connecting with others, having a blast, and moving your body. I can’t wait to do it again.

Trio of fast women to compete in Frankfurt Marathon

Sally Kaptich heads the line-up for the elite women's field for the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on October 30. The Kenyan tops the list of fast athletes with her best of 2:21:06 which she achieved in Berlin three years ago. The race organizers expect around 12,000 participants for the 39th edition of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon with around 20,000 competitors in total, including events held in conjunction with the main event. This historic race is one of the Elite Label Road Race events, a distinction awarded by World Athletics, the international governing body of the sport. Entries can still be obtained at www.frankfurt-marathon.com

Following the recent announcement of the first wave of competitors for the men’s elite field, the organizers have now announced a number of women contenders for the title. Three among this elite group have personal bests under 2:22. With this news the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon, resuming after an enforced interruption of two years because of the Covid pandemic, has gone close to regaining the quality level of its previous women’s elite fields.

“With three runners who have already run under 2:22, we have a very strong women’s field on the start line,” said the Race Director Jo Schindler. “We’ve noted the interest shown by top runners in the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon. Despite the enforced break because of the pandemic, the race continues to enjoy a strong reputation and runners know that we can offer a course and atmosphere which make setting personal bests a real possibility. Many elite athletes as well as mass runners have broken records or set personal bests in Frankfurt.”

Sally Kaptich comes to Frankfurt as an athlete who achieved third place in Berlin in 2019 where the 36-year-old ran what remains her personal best of 2:21:06. The Kenyan, who also has a seventh place in the 10,000m at the 2013 World Championships to her credit and a bronze medal on the road at the World Half Marathon Championships the following year, ran strongly following her Berlin performance to finish fourth in Tokyo with 2:21:42, six months after Berlin.

Her fellow Kenyan Helah Kiprop has still more laurels to her credit, as well as a best of 2:21:27. She finished second at the World Championship Marathon in Beijing in 2015 and won marathons in Seoul in 2014 and Tokyo in 2016, the latter being where she ran her personal best. This year Kiprop was back in action and winning the Copenhagen Marathon in 2:24:10. Now 37, she knows the Frankfurt course well, having run what was then her fastest marathon of 2:27:14 in 2014 when she finished fifth.

The third runner on the Frankfurt start list with a best of under 2:22  will be Yeshi Kalayu Chekole. The Ethiopian improved her best to 2:21:17 for third place at the Seville Marathon in February. Also worth noting is her compatriot Meseret Abebayahau. She ran her fastest marathon by over five minutes to finish second in 2:25:18 in Madrid in spring. The improvement was all the more impressive since she had never broken 2:30 previously.

More Information and online entry are available at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com 

Kenyan marathoner Emmanuel Saina faces three-year doping ban

One of Kenya’s top marathon-distance athletes, Emmanuel Saina, has been sanctioned with a three-year ban from competition for doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced Monday.

With a marathon PB of 2:05:21 from the 2018 Buenos Aires International Marathon (where he also set the South American all-comers record), Saina was the 16th fastest marathon runner in the world that year, and when he last ran officially at the 2021 Rotterdam Marathon his 2:05:51 finish placed him 40th in the world. Saina won the 2021 Honolulu Marathon in 2:14:30, in race that featured Canadian Olympian Lanni Marchant taking the win on the women’s side.

The AIU requested an out-of-competition sample from the athlete in late August, resulting in a positive test for 19-norandrosterone (19-NA), a metabolite contained in nandrolone.

In early September,  the AIU notified Saina of the findings of his sample and his violation of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s rules. Saina was also informed of his rights in this situation, which includes the option of admitting to the violation and benefiting from a one-year reduction to his automatic four-year sentence. The AIU received a form of admission and acceptance of consequences signed by Saina on Sept. 17.

Because of Saina’s early admission, his sentence will receive a one-year reduction, resulting in a period of ineligibility of three years beginning Sept. 9, 2022, and the disqualification of his results since Aug. 17, 2022, including the forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points prizes and appearance money. Saina waived his right to have a tribunal or to appeal.

The performance-enhancing nandrolone is also what former American Olympian Shelby Houlihan was sanctioned for in 2021. Houlihan contested her ban, arguing that the substance came from pig offal contained in a burrito she ate the day before her out-of-competition test.

The CAS did not accept her explanation and upheld the AIU’s charge. Houlihan also submitted a hair test and a lie detector test, both supporting her innocence, but these were found to be inadequate.

Natasha Wodak smashed Canadian marathon record in Berlin

The 40-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C., who grew to love training for the marathon, shattered the Canadian record in that distance in Berlin on Sunday.

Wodak finished 12th at the Berlin Marathon in two hours 23 minutes 12 seconds, lowering Malindi Elmore's record of 2:24.50 set in 2020. 

Wodak, who was 13th in the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was a 10,000-metre specialist on the track for the better part of a decade, and said she didn't enjoy her first marathon experience in 2013.

"I was kind of like 'I don't know how much I want to do this,'" Wodak said. 

"But as I've gotten older, and become a more disciplined runner, and I'm in a better place in my life, I really enjoy the training. And I've had a lot of fun with every marathon build, and challenging myself. Because it's new, right? The move to the marathon was a lot of fun, doing new training and challenging myself, and I really enjoyed it. And I think that's a huge part of why I've been successful, is because I really liked the training."

Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa won Sunday's race in 2:15.37. Two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya broke his own men's marathon world record to win the men's race in 2:01.09.

Wodak, who is coached by Trent Stellingwerff, said her recent training indicated she could run 2:24. 

On Sunday, she ramped up the pace over the 42.195-kilometre course. Her second half was more than a minute faster than her first.

"I knew at 35K, because we had significantly dropped the pace through the last 5K, that we were well under Canadian record pace," Wodak said, moments before sitting down to a celebratory drink with her family. 

"I had a pacer, and he just was like, ‘Let's go, let's go.’ And I just kept on him. I was tired over the last 5K, I was working really, really hard. But I knew that was just because we were running fast. 

"I didn't think that I could do 24.12 . . . when I saw that time at the finish line, I was like, 'oh, wow, what?'"

Wodak's record comes amid a surge in Canadian women's distance running. 

The Canadian record has dropped five minutes in the past nine years, although Wodak noted the huge improvements in shoe technology have seen distance running times plummet across the board in recent years.

Still, Elmore was ninth in the Tokyo Olympics, and the battle between the Canadian women to make that team was fierce.

"It's really exciting to be a part of women's distance running right now," said Wodak. "We just sort of are feeding off of each other. If Malindi hadn't run 2:24.50, I don't know if I would have set my goal to run 2:24 flat. 

"So now Malindi is going to go run Toronto (Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 16), and she's gonna be like, 'OK, I want to run sub-2:23.' We just keep lowering the bar and it’s great when we all build each other up. She wished me good luck (Saturday) and said, 'I hope you have an amazing race.' That's a really cool run community to be a part of when we all support each other."

Elmore tweeted on Sunday, "Congrats Natasha! Huge impressive run today!"

Wodak planned to vacation in Germany with her family. She doesn't plan to race for awhile, and is considering competing in the Canadian cross-country championship Nov. 26 in Ottawa.

London Marathon chief urges Mo Farah to take inspiration from Kipchoge

Mo Farah has been urged not to make any hasty decisions about retirement and to take inspiration from the world record holder Eliud Kipchoge when he returns to run the London Marathon on Sunday.

Farah, who turns 40 in March, has looked a shadow of his best over the past couple of seasons. However the London Marathon’s event director, Hugh Brasher, said it would be wrong to write him off after a couple of poor performances.

“I think Eliud is proving aged 37 and running a PB that the age barriers that we used to think existed do not necessarily now exist,” Brasher said.

“I think that what we should be doing is allowing Mo time to decide what he wants. One bad performance, a couple of bad performances, do not mean that people should write somebody off. He is an absolutely superb athlete and he will always be welcome back.

“I hope he runs fantastically well but you never can tell because marathon running is the hardest thing. If you’re 99% not 100% you won’t get away with it – it’s really, really hard.”

Farah has given no indication he plans to retire yet, despite failing to qualify for the Olympics last year or any major championships in 2022. And Brasher made it clear he would be delighted for him to run in London next year – and also promised him a special retirement send-off when he decided to finally quit.

“The door will always be open to Mo – he is Britain’s greatest endurance athlete in terms of number of Olympic gold medals and world championship gold medals. We have a long history with him, going back to the mini marathon through the fact that we supported him through his university time, which is something that’s not publicised.

“When you look at what happened with Paula Radcliffe, her final run was in the London Marathon in 2015. It was the most incredible send-off that I think that the British crowd were ever able to give any athlete and they came out in their droves. Whenever Mo decides to do his last marathon we would absolutely love it to be London. I think the crowd would love it. He should be celebrated.”

2022 Chicago Marathon Elite Field Updates

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is thrilled to welcome elite athletes from around the world to its start line on Sunday, October 9. In addition to the previously announced field, the following athletes will be competing in 2022:

Bernard Koech (KEN) – Runner-up of the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon in a personal best of 2:04:09. Koech finished fifth in Chicago in 2014.

Shifera Tamru (ETH) – 2022 Daegu Marathon champion and 2019 Seoul Marathon champion with a personal best of 2:05:18 (Dubai, 2019). Tamru finished fifth in Chicago last fall.

Guojian Dong (CHN) – Three-time Olympian (2012, 2016 and 2020 marathon); five-time national champion on the track in the 10,000 and 5000m; marathon personal best 2:08:28 (Berlin, 2019).

Jemal Yimer (ETH) – Ethiopian national record holder in the half marathon, 58:33, and the 12th fastest half marathon runner in history; third place finish in the 2021 Boston Marathon (his marathon debut); marathon personal best, 2:08:58 (Boston, 2022).

Ruti Aga (ETH) – 2019 Tokyo Marathon champion and 2018 Tokyo Marathon and Berlin Marathon runner-up; marathon personal best, 2:18:34 (Berlin, 2018).

Delvine Meringor (ROU) – 2022 Los Angeles Marathon champion, and 2022 Romanian national champion in the 5000m and 10,000m; marathon personal best, 2:24:32 (Siena, 2021); the Chicago Marathon will be her third marathon.

Sarah Inglis (GBR) – 2022 Commonwealth Games competitor in the 5000m and 10,000m; marathon personal best, 2:29:41 (Chandler, 2020).

Elisha Rotich (KEN), Abayneh Degu (ETH), Amanuel Mesel (ERI), Masaya Taguchi (JPN), Jianhua Peng (CHN), Shaohui Yang (CHN), Steven Martinez (USA) have also been added to the 2022 elite open division race. Fidel Aguilar (MEX), Jose Pulido (USA) and Hannah Dederick (USA) have been added to the 2022 elite wheelchair competition.

Previously announced athletes Jeison Suarez (COL), Jerrell Mock (USA), Colin Mickow (USA) and Hiroki Nishida (JPN) have withdrawn from the 2022 event.

Tune into the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Watch Live

NBC 5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago will provide complete live local TV coverage of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in English and Spanish from 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. CST on Sunday, October 9. Expert analysts Ed Eyestone, Carrie Tollefson and Amanda McGrory will join Marion Brookes and Leila Rahimi on NBC 5 Chicago, with Juan Luis Barrios, Luis Posso and Saul Mendoza joining Anabel Monge and Héctor Lozano on Telemundo Chicago.

Covering the leaders and reporting along the course will be U.S. American Marathon Record Holder Keira D’Amato for the women’s elite open division and Olympian Diego Estrada for the men’s elite open division. A talented array of NBC and Telemundo reporters will join the broadcast at the start, finish and along the course.

The 44th running of the race will also be streamed live nationally on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. CST, as well as on nbcchicago.com and telemundochicago.com from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. CST.

International viewers can watch the race via a variety of global broadcast partners, including Eurosport, SuperSport, ESPN Latin America, Sky New Zealand, Astro Malaysia and SMG China. Viewers are encouraged to check their local listings for timing.

Listen Live

670 The Score Sports Radio will provide complete live radio coverage of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on race day from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. CST. Fans of the sport can listen to Chicago’s Josh Liss joined by analysts Greg Meyer, Jenny Spangler, Treniere Moser and Chris Wehrman for a play-by-play of all the action. Listen from anywhere on Sunday, October 9 at 670thescore.com/listen.

About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon welcomes thousands of participants from more than 100 countries and all 50 states, including a world-class elite field, top regional and Masters runners, race veterans, debut marathoners and charity participants. The race’s iconic course takes participants through 29 vibrant neighborhoods on an architectural and cultural tour of Chicago. The 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a member of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, will start and finish in Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 9. In advance of the race, a three-day Abbott Health & Fitness Expo will be held at McCormick Place Convention Center Thursday, October 6 through Saturday, October 8. For more information about the event and how to get involved, go to chicagomarathon.com.

2022 Publix Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Clearwater Canceled Due to Storm

Due to the projected timing and location of impact for Hurricane Ian, the 2022 Publix Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Clearwater could not take place. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series will now make its debut in Clearwater, Florida on October 7 & 8, 2023.

Participants that were registered for the 2022 Publix Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Clearwater should have now received an email with more information. If you were registered to participate in the 2022 Publix Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Clearwater event and you do not receive this e-mail or have additional questions, please contact clearwater@runrocknroll.com.

We thank our runners and walkers for their continued understanding and look forward to welcoming them back to Clearwater with a great event in 2023.

Two easy ways for beginners to add speed, these simple speedwork sessions introduce faster running in small doses

Speedwork can sound intimidating, and new runners often avoid it until they’ve been logging regular miles for years. Even if you’re fairly new to running, speedwork is an essential addition to your weekly mileage–and it doesn’t mean you’ll be sprinting around a track until exhaustion. You can do your speedwork on the road, trails, track, or even the treadmill.

If you’ve been running for about six months and are injury-free, it’s safe to start incorporating short speed sessions into your training. Try these two simple workouts to get your legs used to moving quickly. As you get more comfortable, you can add repeats or lengthen intervals.

Strides

Strides are a great way to begin adding speed to your sessions. Tack them on to the end of any easy run. Strides are like the multi-purpose tool of speedwork–runners training for very long distances will add them to training runs to remind their legs what it feels like to go at top speed. If you’ve never tried strides before, don’t worry: it’s hard to go wrong.

Start your strides running by going easy, focusing on a short, quick stride, and then gradually increase your speed by lengthening your stride. Focus on staying relaxed and running smoothly. It should feel like a controlled faster pace, not a sprint.

The workout:

Easy run (approx 30 minutes)

Four to five strides of 15 to 30 seconds each, 45 seconds rest in between.

Short intervals

If this workout looks too daunting, simply shorten your intervals so that they seem manageable–30 seconds fast with a one-minute recovery is just fine. If you need to walk to recover, go for it. Don’t worry about your pace throughout the intervals, simply go by effort.

The workout:

Warm up with 10 minutes easy running.

Five to eight repeats of one minute hard followed by two minutes easy running or walking to recover

Cool down with five to 10 minutes easy running

Recovery is a key component of speedwork, whether you are a beginner or an experienced runner. In these beginner speed workouts, the recovery intervals are longer in duration than the hard intervals. As you build strength, you can cut down recovery time to make the workouts more challenging. Speed workouts are considered hard training days so you will need a very easy recovery running or rest day following one.

World record holder Brigid Kosgei withdraws from London Marathon with injury

World record holder and twice London Marathon champion Brigid Kosgei has been forced to withdraw from Sunday's race due to a minor hamstring injury, organisers said on Monday.

Kosgei, who won the London Marathon in 2019 and 2020, was one of the favourites going into the event. She also won the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year after a silver medal at the Olympics last year.

"I have been struggling over the past month with an issue in the hamstring of my right leg. My training has been up and down and not the way I would like to prepare to be in top condition for the 2022 TCS London Marathon," she said in a statement.

"We've decided it's best I withdraw from this year's race and get further treatment on my injuries in order to enter 2023 stronger than ever."

Kosgei set a world record time of 2:14:04 in Chicago in 2019. She was upset in London last year when she finished fourth in a race won by her compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei, who is set to headline the event this weekend.

Want to become a stronger runner?

There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction that you feel after a great workout, or a sporting match, but during these tumultuous times your options are limited to experience that endorphin release. We know exercise is essential, not only to your physical health, but also your mental health, so what better way to get the heart pumping then to hit the pavement and go for a run?

Depending on the research you read, as many as 8 out of 10 runners will get injured over the next 12 months. We can assume this number may even be slightly higher due to the current circumstances. Most will currently spend days in an office chair and in front of a screen. Long periods of inactivity, poor posture and hectic lifestyles are hardly conducive to injury free running.

So, how do you make sure your body is strong enough to cope with the increase in running load, and the different muscles you’re going to use? Luckily, we have 7 top strength tips to keep you injury free and to keep those legs ticking over as you watch your exercise ring close!

1.Add strength training to improve power

While this tip may seem simple, a good training program for runners isn’t just about logging your miles. Strength work accomplishes three big goals for runners. Not only can it help bulletproof your body to help you prevent injuries by strengthening muscles and surrounding tissues, but strength work will help you run faster by improving your neuromuscular control, coordination and power. Additionally, it improves running economy by encouraging coordination, appropriate activation of muscles and improves balance!

2. Do compound and functional movements

Compound and functional exercises work multiple muscles groups across multiple joints at the same time. We’re talking squats, deadlifts, paloff press, Bulgarian split squats, and the list goes on! Training multiple muscle at a time teaches multiple muscle groups to coordinate their activation and firing rates, which is vital to effective running. It is important to implement a mix of upper and lower body exercises as well as core work. Additionally, these movements improve dynamic flexibility, muscle coordination and have substantial cardiovascular benefits.

3. Strengthen your weaknesses

Did you know that your glutes and calves are the two powerhouse muscles that push you forward when you are running? And they activate in different ranges and planes? Also, did you know that almost every muscle activates when you run? Even those forehead muscles as you frown your way through the middle of your run! It is important that it is identified where individual weaknesses occur, in what ranges, and with what activation patterns to ensure your strength program improves what you need. Specificity is KEY!

4. Schedule your strength sessions

In a perfect world, a runner should beef up their strength work in the off-season and then reduce the load as they go into the season. For most runners, 2-3 days a week of strength training is sufficient, but it is important to be strategic about when you schedule them. Generally having at least one day in between your strength days is important to allow your muscles to recover. Additionally, you should avoid any type of strength work prior to your running workouts. Either plan on doing it right after a run or later in the day after you’ve completed your endurance training.

5. Build your load slowly

The golden rule to loading with running: increase weekly training mileage by no more than 10% per week, this is the same with strength work. It’s important that strength and conditioning sessions are not viewed like a HIIT class. Runners should start with a few exercises done slowly and with good technique, and gradually increase repetitions, sets and alter tempo. The body adapts best to working multiple muscle groups, so add a variety of exercises to get the full benefit.

6. Don’t try anything new on race day

Lets all put our hand up. Who has been tempted to try something new on a race day or longer run day? The temptation is real, and it’s strong! Race day nerves or the desire to take a few seconds off a PB are both reasons runners might try something different when it matters most. Any level runner should avoid this temptation and stick to what has been implemented in training. Don’t play Russian roulette and change what is working on the day.

7. Must train the whole body

Running requires a solid foundation. While you may think you are simply relying on your legs to power you forward, when you run, your abdominal and back muscles activate to stabilise your spine. Additionally, your arm drive is an integral part of good running mechanics. When your legs tire during a run, your arms pick up the slack through the kinetic chain so you can complete that 5km under that 30-minute mark!

While all of these tips can be applied easily, you need to remember that each person is different! Your body is not the same as the person striding out on the opposite side of the road. Whether you are a competitive runner or just starting out, looking after your body is essential for longevity in running and maximum enjoyment.

Five rookie reminders for a successful long run

It’s surprisingly easy for the new runner to neglect to plan out specifics to ensure a smooth outing on their weekend long run. You may also become fatigued during that long run and forgetful of the things that ordinarily come as common sense or established routine. For the newbie to longer-distance running, here are a few reminders to keep you on track for a successful run from start to finish. 

1.- Plan your route

Set the course you will run ahead of time, noting any potential obstacles along the route, like unsafe crossings. Be sure to seek out a potential potty stop in the vicinity, should the need arise. 

2.- Drink enough, but not too much

We all know this, but learning to hydrate properly with the right amount of fluids for your individual needs and body is often a matter of trial and error. Too little fluid intake and you may feel tired and sluggish, or you may get a headache or a dry mouth, among other symptoms of dehydration.

With too much fluid intake, you may need to find a bathroom in the middle of your run. Be aware of the risk of drinking far too much and experiencing hyponatremia, a severe and dangerous level of over-hydration. Like all things, balance and self-awareness are key.

3.- Check your route distance

If you are using a GPS watch, don’t forget to double check the actual distance you’ve run before pressing the stop button. It seems obvious, but you can avoid the rookie mistake of falling short of your distance goal. Additionally, Strava and Garmin apps can sometimes clock a different route than each other, so adding a few extra meters can ensure the finish distance is enough.  

4.- Recruit a crew

Have helpers along the way. Arrange to have family, friends or fellow runners be your support crew. Have a pit stop prepared in advance with a friendly face, water, gels or any supplies you might need. Encouragement and a cheering squad are a welcome sight and a good boost during a long run. 

5.- Plan your kit

Pick the right outfit ahead of time. Training runs (including long runs) are a great way to test new gear and nutrition ahead of race day. You want to be sure the clothes you wear fit comfortably and don’t chafe. 

Lastly, don’t forget to celebrate when you finish! It is an accomplishment to be proud of, no matter how it went. 

Deena Kastor completed all sixth World Major Marathons

On Sunday, former American women’s marathon record holder, Denna Kastor, 49, finished the 2022 Berlin Marathon in 2:45:12 to place 48th overall in the women’s field. Kastor earned her sixth star with her results in Berlin, for having finished all six World Major Marathons. She is only the fourth woman to achieve all six world majors, in addition to the Olympic and World Athletics Championships marathons.

Kastor had hopes of hitting the U.S. Olympic Trials standard of 2:37:00in Berlin, but came up short. She finished second in the women’s 45-49 age group.

Kastor has raced the other five majors (Boston, London, Tokyo, Chicago and New York City), and although she was set to race Berlin in 2019, an ankle injury dashed those plans. Kastor is one of the top marathoners in American history, and up until this year, she held the national record at 2:19:36, set at the 2006 London Marathon, which she won. (She won the Chicago Marathon in 2005.)

Keira D’Amato broke Kastor’s record at the Houston Marathon in January 2022, when she ran 2:19:12; some predicted she would run even faster in Berlin on Sunday, but a mere nine weeks after her eighth-place finish at the World Athletics Championships, she was two minutes off the record in Berlin, with a sixth-place finish in 2:21:28.

Kastor also held the American half-marathon record of 1:07:34 until 2018, when Molly Huddle ran 1:07:25. She also won a bronze medal in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She ran the Tokyo Marathon in 2019.

Kastor’s goal of completing all six World Majors is a goal held by many marathoners (both amateur and pro) around the world, including the great Eliud Kipchoge, who bested his world record time in the Berlin marathon with a time of 2:01:09.

New Research Finds Injuries More Common in Marathoners Who Rapidly Increased Mileage

“More miles doesn’t always equal a better result,” says lead researcher.

Increasing your mileage too quickly can up your risk of injury, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. 

While training for a marathon, focus on consistency and slowly increasing your long runs to safely rack up miles and remain injury-free. 

Before you start training for your first or next marathon, here’s yet another reason for you to be meticulous about how you approach training: New research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found an association between rapid increases in mileage and injuries in marathon runners after analyzing nearly 50,000 runs using Strava data. 

Sixteen weeks before the New York City Marathon, researchers began to track the runs of 735 participants, ages 18 and older, to analyze changes in their training volume and injury status. During the study, runners tracked their mileage through Strava and completed a survey every four weeks to report any illnesses or injuries that interrupted their training or resulted in them not competing. 

“There’s a lot of different ways that you can look at training in terms of mileage, pace, frequency, and heart rate. What we wanted to do is start with something that is relatable to runners because runners often discuss their training in the form of mileage,” lead researcher, Brett Toresdahl, M.D., attending physician at the Hospital of Special Surgery (HSS) and research director for the HSS Primary Sports Medicine Service tells Runner’s World. 

For the purpose of this study, training volume was analyzed using two common methods: The 10-percent rule and acute to chronic workload ratio (ACWR). The 10-percent rule recommends runners consistently increase their training volume by no more than 10 percent each week. A more conservative approach, Toresdahl says this isn’t always an ideal way to increase mileage while training for a marathon. The ACWR method, on the other hand, is used to compare weekly training volume to monthly training volume. For example, Toresdahl explains, if you ran 20 miles in the past week but only averaged 10 miles in the past month, your ACWR would be 2:1 or 2. 

In the end, researchers found a link between runners who had an ACWR of 1.5 or more and injury, while there was no association between injury and exceeding the 10-percent rule. Runners who initially reported injury during the first month had more days when their ACWR rapidly increased than those who ran injury-free that month. 

“If your training volume in the past week was 50 percent higher than the average of your training volume over the past four weeks, that would be a risk factor for injury,” says Toresdahl. (That means if you run a weekly total of 25 miles this week, your previous four-week average should be somewhere above about 17 miles.)

That doesn’t mean everyone who exceeds that amount will experience an injury, but rather the more times you exceed that amount over the course of training, the more likely you are to become injured, Toresdahl says.

Overall, 40 percent of runners experienced an injury while training, and 4 percent of participants experienced a major injury that resulted in them not participating in the marathon.

How to Safely Progress Your Training Volume Leading Up to a Marathon

To sidestep injury, focus on consistency first, Toresdahl says, then focus on increasing the long run and not necessarily increasing those midweek, shorter runs. “Just looking at the training patterns of the runners who remained uninjured, we saw that their long run distance was increasing, but their total distance per week wasn’t increasing that much, meaning that they were maintaining a pretty consistent midweek or shorter run cumulative mileage,” he says. 

Dealing with changes in mileage is only part of the overall stress a runner will endure while preparing for a marathon. Likewise, the ACWR is only one way to monitor your training volume, says Toresdahl. Meaning, there are plenty of ways to approach safely increasing your mileage to remain injury-free as you train for a marathon—the key is listening to your body and not doing too much too soon. 

Also, instead of following a generic training plan or virtual trainer, consider teaming up with a run coach to help you through your training. They can also help you adjust your training plan to your schedule and needs.

Most importantly, Toresdahl says, “listen to your body—don’t feel compelled to just put in more mileage. More miles don’t always equal a better result.” 

Lucy Westlake Is the Youngest American Woman to Summit Everest—But She Was a Runner First

She uses her track and cross-country training to help her physically and mentally climb the world’s highest peaks.

After running year-round for 11 years, Lucy Westlake recently joined the track and cross-country team at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. 

In high school, she ran the 5K cross-country event and 3200-meter track distance with a few career highlights including becoming the Illinois State Team Champion in 2018 and 2019. Now, she’ll compete in the 6K cross-country event and 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter track distances.

While the direction of her adult running career has yet to unfold, Westlake, 18, tells Runner’s World that her lifelong athleticism as a runner has already helped her reach tremendous heights. 

In fact, on May 12, 2022, the Chicagoan became the youngest American woman to summit Everest, the world’s highest peak at 29,032 feet, right before her high school graduation. (Westlake was 18 years, 6 months, and 8 days old, beating out the last record holder who was 18 years, 7 months, and 9 days old.) 

Climbing Everest took 27 days, and every single step was worth it, says Westlake. 

“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Looking up at the summit from Camp 4 the day before our summit push, it truly looked impossible. At 9:00 p.m., my Sherpa and I began our climb and 8.5 hours later we stood on top of the world together,” she says.

A Start in Two Sports

Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Westlake started running with a team at age 6. In January 2016, during 6th grade, her family relocated to Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago.

While attending Naperville North High School, Westlake’s weekly training routine included one 90-minute long run, three to four strategic workout runs, like tempo workouts, which totaled six to eight miles each, and easy runs in between. She also made sure to have a complete rest day every two weeks, while hitting a weekly mileage of 40. 

Core workouts and yoga were also a big part of Westlake’s high school routine, as well as weight training for 50 minutes, four to five days a week. 

Despite growing up in cityscapes, her first-ever run was on trails—not pavement—near her family’s cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, when her grandpa challenged her to a dual to see who could first reach the top of a nearby slope. 

“I love trail running and want to explore that more after college. You get to see beautiful scenery and it’s challenging,” says Westlake, who also took a roadtrip to the Grand Canyon with three teammates this summer to run and hike the 24-mile Rim-to-Rim, which is the furthest distance she’s covered on a run in one effort. 

Prior to setting the world record on Everest, Westlake became the youngest female, at age 17, to climb the highest peaks in all 50 states. She and her dad, Rodney Westlake, completed the goal together over the course of a decade. That journey included a 21-day summer expedition to the summit of Denali, in Alaska, which was the most challenging summit to reach in the U.S., she says, due to the required mountaineering skills, weather window, risk management, and time commitment.

“I was always running on a team and in school, so my family did one or two short road trips out west to climb mountains every year,” says Westlake, who was first introduced to high altitude while visiting family in the city of Puebla, Mexico, at age 6, when she hiked the 14,636-foot La Malinche.

Climbing Everest

On April 15, 2022, Westlake, her dad, and seven friends flew to Kathmandu, Nepal, where they met their guides to trek to South Everest Basecamp. Two days later, they flew to Lukla, where they started the eight-day, 38.5-mile trek to basecamp, camping overnight at tea houses along the way. 

South Everest Basecamp is a collection of primitive campsites at the base of Everest, where mountaineers stage their ascent and descent of a climb up the southeast ridge. Westlake’s dad and their seven friends stayed one night at basecamp before returning to Lukla the same way they’d hiked in, and they all flew back to the United States. They did not continue with Westlake up Everest, which she ascended with her Sherpa guide for the next 16 days. 

On the day of Westlake’s summit, prosperous conditions quickly aligned: As mentioned, the out-and-back took Westlake 27 days (a climb that takes 40 days, on average, to complete).

“We got lucky with the first good weather window of the year, and I was one of the first people to summit,” Westlake says. “I didn’t have any unusual problems with how my body reacted to the altitude, so I didn’t need very many rest days. My Sherpa and I moved well together and had a great chemistry, so the climb was perfect.”

To help cover the cost of her climb, Westlake received a $12,500 scholarship from Grape-Nuts, the breakfast cereal brand. In March 2022, the brand donated a total of $115,000 to 10 female adventurers pursing expeditions to celebrate Women’s History Month. 

How Running and Mountaineering Go Hand-in-Hand

Westlake credits her mountaineering fitness and endurance to her lifelong running routine. 

“Running is a super cardio sport. In mountaineering, your heart rate at high elevation is naturally higher, and you’re climbing for hours on end. Running is a great way to train,” Westlake says. 

It’s not just the physical aspect of running and mountaineering that make them complementary sports for Westlake. 

“Running has taught me a lot about mental toughness—that’s the reason I’m able to summit mountains,” she says. “I’ve become used to accepting pain. You have to be able to push your body and stay focused.” Summit day on Everest was long, she adds, so being able to work through the physical and mental hardships is a crucial skill, which running helps her hone. 

In fact, Westlake says the skills she gained on the run, particularly not so good runs, helped her make it to the top of Everest. “I’ve had great races and bad races, great seasons and bad seasons. I’ve learned along the way that patience, consistency, and believing in yourself lead to long-term success—it’s the same on a high-altitude mountain. It takes patience to allow your body to acclimate, consistency of putting one foot in front of the other no matter how hard it gets, and always believing that it’s possible,” she says. 

Learning to take the rough patches as they come and continue moving forward also carries from her mountaineering adventures back to her run miles. “During tough running workouts when I was struggling and felt like finishing was impossible, I remember back to when I was climbing fixed ropes up vertical walls in the Khumbu Icefall on Everest and had no idea how I was going to reach the top. And when my wake-up call to start a summit push is at 4:00 a.m. and I am completely exhausted from not being able to sleep well at high altitude, I remember back to all those early morning running practices, and it feels like second nature.” 

Westlake’s Future Goals

Westlake’s new goal? Become the youngest person, male or female, in the world to complete the Explorers Grand Slam within the next two years. This challenge includes reaching the North Pole and South Pole and summiting the Seven Summits—the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.

“My mountaineering goals are driven to help close the gender gap in the mountains. If an 18-year-old, 5’4” 105-pound girl can climb Mount Everest, so can a lot of other women,” says Westlake. “I want the next generation of girls to see mountaineering as a sport they can pursue and strive to become the best they can be.”

In addition to her climbing goals, Westlake also has her sights set on running victories. “I want to see how far I go in college and if I can pursue a running career, especially in distance running,” she says. “I’d love to try a marathon after college, because endurance is my strong suit. My strongest aspect is my mental toughness, which marathons lend themselves toward.”

Climbing to Support Human Health and Female Athletes

Westlake uses her expeditions to raise awareness and funds through LucyClimbs, an Etsy shop with merchandise like sweatshirts and t-shirts, to support WaterStep, a nonprofit that teaches water treatment practices and provides filtration resources to communities in need worldwide. 

“I love the mountains and running for myself but need to have that higher purpose. I don’t want my gifts to be selfish, I want to give back,” she says. 

Westlake also received the 2022 Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the annual ESPY Awards, thanks to her summit of Everest. The award is categorized as an ESPN Sports Humanitarian Award, and was designated to five women for using their athleticism for a positive influence on society.

“Mountaineering is a sport dominated by men twice my age and size. When I’m in the mountains, I don’t see many people like myself. The mountains have shaped me into the person I am today—so has running—and together they give me purpose,” Westlake says. “My Everest climb was dedicated to promoting women in the outdoors and inspiring girls to follow their dreams not only in mountains but in any sport and aspect of life. There’s a huge gender gap in mountaineering, and the best way to combat that reality and stereotype is to see other women in mountains and eliminate the cost barrier.” 

The 10 Best State Parks For Fall Running, Riding, Hiking, and Camping

Fall is officially here, and now may be the best time to visit some of these prime locations.

September 22 marked the fall equinox, the first official day of autumn. It’s a season synonymous with numerous things from pumpkin spice lattes and apple orchards to Halloween and football. Here at Runner’s World, we think state parks should be added to the list.

With cooler temperatures (in most parts of the country), autumn is the optimal time to get outside and explore nature before shorter days and colder winter months arrive.

Whether you’re running, hiking, camping, or biking, state parks offer beautiful scenery and a retreat into nature, without the crowds that often accompany national parks – a trend that took off in the pandemic.

And with 10,336 state park areas, the options are seemingly endless... So how should you choose where to go?

Google Maps has made the decision-making process a bit easier. By analyzing star ratings and reviews, they named the top 10 rated state parks in the United States.

Topping their list are the cascading waterfalls of Bond Falls Scenic Site in Michigan—a state that claims two spots on the list. California graced the top 10 list the most with three state parks, all with forests of towering redwoods.

Top 10 Rated State Parks in the U.S.

Bond Falls Scenic Site (Michigan)

Avenue of the Giants (California)

DTE Energy Foundation Trail (Michigan)

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (California)

Sinks Canyon State Park (Wyoming)

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (California)

Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park (Arizona)

Grayson Highlands State Park (Virginia)

Waimea Canyon State Park (Hawaii)

Letchworth State Park Upper Falls (New York)

Building off the top 10, Google Maps also determined the top-rated state park in each state by looking at those with the highest star rating and at least 250 reviews. The list included parks like Alaska’s Denali State Park and Colorado’s Eldorado Canyon State Park. Additionally, Google Maps named the top state parks near national parks and the top hiking areas or vista points in state parks. 

If you’re sold on a fall visit to a state park, but would rather stick to parks near you, the Association of State Park Directors (NASPD) can help. Their website’s “Locate a Park” feature allows you to see a list of all parks in your state or a map of those closest to your current location.

If you’re partial to national parks or want to combine a visit to a national park with a state park, we’ve got you covered. Check out our top picks for national parks as well as tips for running through them. 

While preparing for your outdoor adventure, make sure to verify the hours and entry fees for your destination, as both can vary by location and season. You can also check the air quality (AQI) through Google Maps’ new mobile air quality layer, like the existing wildfire layer.

And if you’d rather not travel in-person, you can always check out any of these parks virtually through Google Earth.

Eliud Kipchoge sets new world marathon record in Berlin clocking 2:01:09

Eliud Kipchoge sliced half a minute from his own world record to win the BMW Berlin Marathon, clocking a sensational 2:01:09 at the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on Sunday (25).

There was also a stunning breakthrough for Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa in the women’s race as she smashed the course record by more than two minutes with 2:15:37, becoming the third-fastest woman in history.

Just when it seemed Kipchoge had achieved everything he possibly could over the classic distance, the legendary pushed the world record further out of reach for the rest of the distance-running world.

Unlike his last world record run, the double Olympic champion went out hard on this occasion, passing through 5km in 14:14 and 10km in 28:22 – not just comfortably inside world record pace, but also well inside a projected two-hour finish.

Kipchoge maintained that pace through half way, which was reached in 59:50, but his pace started to drop slightly from then on, and by 25km (1:11:08) his projected finish had slipped to just outside two hours – still more than a minute inside world record pace, though.

Ethiopia’s Andamlak Belihu was just about staying level with Kipchoge up until this point, but the Kenyan superstar then gradually pulled clear and was out on his own.

He passed through 30km in 1:25:40, then reached 35km in 1:40:10. By the time he passed through 40km in 1:54:53, his lead had grown to move than four minutes with Mark Korir having moved into second place.

His victory – and world record – nor a formality, Kipchoge went on to cross the line in 2:01:09, taking 30 seconds off the world record he set in the German capital four years ago. Korir held on to second place in 2:05:58 and Ethiopia’s Tadu Abate came through to finish third in 2:06:28.

"I am overjoyed to have broken the world record in Berlin," said Kipchoge. "I wanted to run the first half so fast. No limitations.

"After 38km I knew I would be capable of breaking the world record. The circumstances were great, and so was the organisation of the event. I’m really happy with today and impressed by the fans and their support."

By contrast, several runners were in contention for most of the women’s race. A group of six women passed through half way in 1:08 - well inside course record pace – but by 30km, reached in 1:36:41, just three women remained at the front: Assefa, along with Ethiopian compatriots Tigist Abayechew and Meseret Gola.

Despite running significantly quicker than she ever had done before, Assefa – a former 800m specialist – maintained her relentless pace and opened up a gap of about 20 seconds by 35km.

She continued to pull away from the rest of the field and crossed the line in an Ethiopian record of 2:15:37 – a time that has only ever been beaten by world record-holders Brigid Kosgei (2:14:04) and Paula Radcliffe (2:15:25).

Kenya’s marathon debutante Rosemary Wanjiru came through to take second place in 2:18:00, finishing just three seconds ahead of Abayechew.

Leading results

Women

1. Tigist Assefa (ETH) 2:15:37 2. Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) 2:18:00 3. Tigist Abayechew (ETH) 2:18:03 4. Workenesh Edesa (ETH) 2:18:51 5. Meseret Gola (ETH) 2:20:58 6. Keira D'Amato (USA) 2:21:48 7.  Rika Kaseda (JPN) 2:21:55 8.  Ayuko Suzuki (JPN) 2:22:02 9. Sayaka Sato (JPN) 2:22:13 10. Vibian Chepkirui (KEN) 2:22:21

Men

1. Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:01:09 2.  Mark Korir (KEN) 2:05:58 3.  Tady Abate (ETH) 2:06:28 4.  Andamlak Belihu (ETH) 2:06:40 5.  Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 2:06:49 6. Limenih Getachew (ETH) 2:07:07 7. Kenya Sonota (JPN) 2:07:14 8. Tatsuya Maruyama (JPN) 2:07:50 9. Kento Kikutani (JPN) 2:07:56 10. Zablon Chumba (KEN) 2:08:01

Why Balance Might Not Be the Right Goal

Balance is a word that's thrown around a lot these days. Every time you look up there's a new article advocating for work/life balance or living a well-balanced life. We are told that working to achieve balance will ensure we lead more fulfilling lives. As if the key to life satisfaction lies in balance.

What if that's not true? Working towards better balance might be what is keeping you from finding passion in life and potential in running. Balance could be holding you back. When you are willing to challenge the seemingly ideal concept of balance, you can figure out if it's a goal that supports the life you want to live. 

What's Wrong with Balance?

You are a runner. You are also a friend, partner, employee, boss, and/or parent. You have so many roles at once; a multi-faceted human with many interests and responsibilities. You don't turn off being a parent when you go for a run or stop being a runner when you're at work. You are a whole, complete human made up of many parts. 

The problem with balance is that it operates from the assumption that your work and your life are separate entities. That could not be further from the truth. The skills you develop at work elevate who you are at home and as a runner. The perseverance and dedication you bring to your running is also part of who you are as a leader at work. 

Take some time to think about the person you are in each part of your life. How would you describe yourself? What qualities do you bring? Creating awareness around this will allow you to see the qualities and values inherent to you that you bring everywhere you go. You are the same person. Who you are as a runner does not take away from another area of your life. Instead of seeking balance, practice integrating who you already are with what matters most to you.

Why Balance is Limiting

Have you ever stopped and asked why you are trying to achieve balance? Whose idea was it anyway? And is it serving you?

Forcing yourself to live under the idea of balance, just for the sake of balance, does not make sense if it does not support the life you want to live. The more attention you give to any area of your life, the more results you will create in that area.

Passionate about running a half marathon in every state? 

Excited about some backpacking excursions you have coming up with family? 

Amped up about a work project you are leading for the first time?

Whatever it is, go all in on it. You cannot and will not know what is possible within these goals without first ditching the goal of balance. You have to first give yourself permission to let go of someone else's idea of how you should live your life.

At the same time, it is important to remember that we have limited hours in a day and limited bandwidth. Going all in is not only about what you do, but how you do it. Make sure how you are spending your time is in alignment with your goals, priorities, and who you want to be.

The Power of Choice 

If you are trying to balance every aspect of your life, each part of your life gets equal attention. Which means no part of your life has the chance to become the most important. As a result, you cannot achieve your best in any particular area because your energy and attention is divided. What do you want to achieve in the different aspects of your life? 

It takes time to become a stronger, faster runner. If it's important to you to progress as an athlete, it will require more time and energy resources. Each stage of life brings different priorities and challenges, which might require going "off balance" to achieve a goal. It's important to see this as an intentional choice that supports the greater vision for the life you want to live. If you have a goal to run your first sub 4 hour marathon, your training volume will inevitably increase. This might mean less social time with friends and family in the build up to the race. It does not mean that you will never spend time with those friends and family again! This is just a time in your life when your race goals require more from you. The most important thing you can do for yourself is honor the choice. This allows you to be more present in your training and get more out of the time you are putting in. Additionally, it will likely make you more present in the social time you do have, knowing that it's limited and sacred.

Be intentional with the choices you make and the energy you put towards those choices. 

As it turns out, balance might not be the right goal. Especially if as you are trying to achieve balance, you are living by someone else's standard and limiting yourself. Ask yourself this: if I stopped chasing balance, what would I achieve?

Klaus-Dieter Knapp gets to start the Berlin Marathon early

This man is an inspiration:

While everyone is waiting for their start, Klaus-Dieter Knapp will be already on the course from 7:45 am.

Klaus-Dieter has suffered from incomplete paraplegia for many years. For example, it takes him up 8.5 hours to finish the marathon. For this reason, Klaus-Dieter is exceptionally allowed to start earlier.

Klaus-Dieter is ready to run his 36th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON this year. 

"We wish Klaus-Dieter and all of you good luck on the course," says the organizers on FB.  

How to break the ice at your new run club, Showing up to a new run club is similar to your first day of school or a first date

Joining a new run club can be intimidating. If you don’t know anyone, it can be hard to know if it’ll be a good fit, but it is one of the best ways to meet like-minded individuals in a new city or environment, or if you’re relatively new to running. Showing up to a new run club is similar to your first day of school or a first date—awkward at first, but there are ways you can set yourself up for success. 

It is important to note that not all run clubs are the same. Some are more friendly than others, and there can be a wide variety in how seriously they approach training.

Here are a few ways you can break the ice with other runners.

Find another solo runner

Finding another runner who’s in the same boat as you can make the entire experience feel a little more welcoming. There is nothing more relatable than striking a conversation with someone who is going through the same nerve-racking and intimidating emotions you are going through.

The “what are you training for” question

A runner’s favourite question! After asking this, you have officially broken the ice, and can expect your new-found friend to vent to you about their training and previous PBs for the next 10 to 15 minutes.

Set yourself up for success

Don’t be shy–shoot the club leader a message on social media to let them know you are attending, and introduce yourself immediately upon arrival. The job of the club leader is to make sure everyone feels welcome and introduce you to people around the same age or pace, to help you settle in.

Put yourself out there!

Some run clubs will go out for a post-run beverage or food after they finish. Attending these post-run events can help you get to know the other runners whom you might not have had the opportunity to socialize with on the group run.

Incorporate these downhill running techniques into your easy runs to improve your turnover and speed

When you are running downhill, it may seem like an opportunity to pick up the pace. But you need to be smart about how you approach it: running downhill generates more force than running uphill or on a flat surface, putting more pressure on your muscles and joints. Often, runners will hit the downhill too fast or too hard, and they may pay for it later in the race (or even suffer an injury).

There are techniques for running downhill properly, helping you avoid injury and improve your leg turnover and speed.

Relax your upper body

Gravity naturally forces your body to land harder on the surface when running downhill. Instead of stomping down a decline or tensing your neck muscles to help slow you down, relax your upper body from your core and up, and let gravity do the work for you.

A great way to practice your downhill running is on easy runs. Try to incorporate downhill routes into your training to master the form. Don’t train on a hill that’s too steep. Look for a downhill with a three to five per cent grade and practice your form.

Control your stride

When approaching an uphill or downhill, the goal is to sustain the cadence from the flats. One way to do this is by controlling your stride. Lean slightly forward with your body and hips, forcing your legs to land underneath your body. If you are running down a technical hill, shortening your stride and taking quick, short steps will give you more control and is a great way to avoid injury.

Engage your core and keep your hips forward

Our bodies have a natural tendency to lean back and slam down with our heels, causing us to lose momentum on the downhill and to overstride. A way to prevent this is by engaging your hips and core and pushing them slightly forward—this will force your legs to land under your body, giving you more control of your stride without losing speed.

The Apple Watch Ultra - The First Apple Watch That Can Go The Distance

We have reviewed Apple watches before. Often times  it's simply as a service to endurance athletes who might think about buying one, so we can just say, "It's a nice watch, but it's not really for what you do." Especially those of us who train every day, sometimes twice per day, and have a particular affinity for data and accuracy and workout organization.

Apple watches have great apps, beautiful screens, and the best touchscreens in the game, but their built-in workout profiles and post-data analysis leave something to be desired. And the battery life-oh the battery life! But with the latest "adventure-focused" Apple Watch Ultra, now-for better or for worse-Apple has its hat in the endurance sport's ring with the big boys.

First, we'll look at what's new on the Apple Watch Ultra, talk about what we liked as we've spent hours using it, what we didn't like, and then dive into the endurance sports specifics before giving our conclusions and some competitive analysis. Let's see how it fares:

Apple Watch Ultra: What's New

Before we get into the specifics that make the Apple Watch Ultra an endurance/outdoor contender, let's quickly take a look at what's new:

Apple Watch Ultra: What We Like

As we noted before, the Apple Watch series was always a bit frustrating for athletes-the super limiting battery life meant you had to charge it pretty much every night, and you couldn't go on super long runs or adventures or race almost any ultras with it. Even if you loved everything else about the Apple Watch, that was always a deal breaker. The good news is that with the increased battery life and low-power options, you're looking at a smartwatch that can effectively handle any workout, event, or outdoor adventure that you could throw at it. Apple also teased a low-power workout mode that would give additional battery life, but with reduced resolution of GPS and heart-rate readings coming soon.

Battery life aside, the more robust build of the Apple Watch Ultra makes it feel less like a piece of fine art and more like a tool for training. And it's not just looks-the raised lip of the case protects the precious screen better than previous models by a ton. It's also safe to say that the "Precision Start" function and "Action" buttons are both things that pretty much every other smartwatch ever made already has, but both were gaps missing in Apple's exhaustive function quiver.

With all of this combined, the Apple Watch Ultra is not only a decent (yes, just decent, more on that below) outdoor adventure watch, but it's actually a good watch for anyone training for endurance sports-regardless of distance. Outside of training, Apple's "lifestyle functions"-things like text messaging, weather, music, third-party apps, contactless payment, and (way way) more-are basically unparalleled.

Yes, Fitbit has some fun stuff and a nice screen, but Apple is still lightyears ahead of any competitor when it comes to smartwatch power and integrations. As an example: The three-mic setup is nothing short of magic when making calls on the watch-no one is even remotely trying to do this stuff, except for Apple.

Also, let's not forget that since the untimely demise of the Forerunner 945 LTE, this is one of the only full-function workout watches with legit battery and LTE connectivity. So if you like to go training (or racing!) untethered to your phone, like so many of us do, this is still one of the ONLY ways to stay in touch via LTE. That's not nothing.

Apple Watch Ultra: What Could Be Better

While I won't speak to the dive functions, I would say that many of the "outdoor" functions like navigation and mapping are still pretty on-grid if the Apple Watch Ultra is supposed to speak to the hardcore adventure set. The lack of offline mapping and navigation seems like nothing more than an oversight (or lack of a mapping partner, maybe), and the compass waypoints and retroactive backtracking-while cool-aren't exactly going to save your life in the backcountry.

The battery is better, for sure, but to consider this a 100 miler or backpacking watch over something more expedition-worthy is reckless at best. If you're with a group of friends backpacking for a week, it's probably not a bad choice, but if you're doing a solo multi-day adventure or tackling and unsupported fastest known time (FKT), I wouldn't count on the Ultra as your only navigational tool-like you could for some upper-end adventure watches (the Coros Vertix 2 or the Garmin Fenix 7/Enduro line, for instance).

In terms of more workout-specific capabilities, the battery life (finally) brings the Apple Watch into the realm of ultra runners, but it still lacks some of the data power they really need. Trail runners should be encouraged that this is a watch they can finally do an ultra with (and all of the related ultra training). The multisport crew might complain about a lack of open-water swimming distance alerts that pretty much all open-water ready smartwatches have right now.

And while native running with power is a total game changer, given that currently only Polar and Coros have that built-in, serious runners might take issue with how inflexible the power metrics are in the workout screens. Yes, having average power and average three-second power is great (and the ability to move those metrics around), but lap power is sometimes just as important, if not more.

On the note of workouts, the Apple Watch Ultra does have some cool built-in workouts that you can select when you're feeling uninspired by your training program, and of course you can create and edit your own workouts on watch-without the need for an app. Apple also says there will be a "track detection" feature coming soon that will actually recognize-via satellite imagery-that you're in proximity to a track (U.S. only), and prompt you if you're going to be running on it. If so, you'll choose a lane, and it'll snap the GPS tracking and distances to that track. While other brands like Garmin and Coros have something similar, no one can automatically detect that you're near a track. For better or for worse, it's a reminder that the Apple Watch Ultra is paying (very close) attention to you.

Finally, there's the Gucci-patterned elephant in the room: The price. Sometimes it feels like Apple gets a bit of a pass on pricepoint because it has SO MANY great lifestyle integrations and really cutting-edge hardware, but because Apple wants to play with the long-distance training/adventure crowd now, they need to stand and be compared to other smartwatches in that world (see our competitive comparison below).

Eight-hundred dollars gets you a lot of smartwatch in the endurance/adventure realm-for instance the Garmin Fenix 7 or Forerunner 955 series or the Coros Vertix 2. All of those watches have some very very robust training modes, loads of customizable sport functions, navigation, and insane battery life. No, none have a beautiful screen, smartphone integrations, or LTE like the Apple Watch Ultra, but in terms of working out/navigating the outdoors, they're still on another level.

Conclusions

There's so much to cover in this watch, a reviewer could write a book, but the easiest thing to do is break the new Apple Watch Ultra down into what an Apple Watch has been before, and what this latest version is hoping to be. In the past, Apple watches have been a great lifestyle smartwatch that integrates incredibly with the Apple ecosystem. They play music send and receive texts, check emails-basically most things a smartphone can do now. They also let you go for casual workouts and track your "fitness" (lowercase) as you went.

The Ultra still has all of that. Now, with the Ultra, Apple wants to be considered an endurance sports/adventure outdoors player up against the watches we used to buy to supplement our Apple Watch purchases-from brands like Coros and Garmin and Polar.

Now, instead of having your Apple Watch for going to the office or going out at night, and your "workout watch" for serious runs, backpacking, and outdoor adventure, Apple wants to be all of these things: Leave your Garmin at home, let it die. Does Apple fully pull this off? Not quite, but they're dangerously close. For $800, you're still not playing in the same sandbox as $800 Garmin or Coros watches, but if this watch was $500 (with LTE), those brands would be sweating big time.

Even so, the issues we have with the Apple Watch Ultra aren't core issues-I can't imagine it'd be a tough lift to get offline mapping, especially given that the storage is already there (32gb by the way). It also doesn't seem incomprehensible that Apple could somehow add an average lap running power data field.

Is this the watch that replaces all of your watches? It very well could be.

How to prevent heavy legs while running?

Tired, aching legs are not only a discomfort, they can also discourage potential runners from maintaining a regular training regime. So, to help you keep running, here are a few tips to help with heavy legs - as you will soon see, these are simple yet effective measures to put into place.

1. Warm up

We’ve all heard this advice before, but it is worth taking heed. Warming up before exercise encourages more efficient blood flow to the muscles thus allowing them to contract more efficiently. This should help you get the most out of your workout, whilst also preventing the onset of heavy legs. 

An effective warm up will also deliver nutrients to the muscles more efficiently. This, in turn, can prevent a quick build-up of lactic acid – too much lactic acid is known to contribute to muscle aches and even a burning sensation in the limbs.  

The ideal warm up should last for at least ten minutes and it should cover all muscles. Take a look at our blog ‘Stretches for runners’ for more information and easy to follow videos.

2. Adjust your route

Even though you may have managed to run 10km on Monday, that doesn’t mean you will be able to run the same distance or more on Tuesday. That’s because fatigue in the legs can build up over several days. Therefore, instead of doing the same run over and over, it is essential to allow yourself short runs, or rest days in between long runs. On the whole, it is more important to ensure your run is of a high quality, rather than trying to achieve a certain distance. This will strengthen your muscles and improve performance in the long run.

3. Adjust your stride

Sprinting in short bursts, and keeping the pace slower in between, is thought to be a more effective training regime than continuing to run at a moderate pace. That’s because this approach builds muscle strength and fitness. 

As soon as you feel your legs getting tired, try to lengthen your stride, without increasing the pace. This will stretch your muscles and disperse the build-up of lactic acid. As I’ve already mentioned, too much lactic acid is a contributing factor in heavy, painful legs whilst running.

4. Adjust your focus

Running along a stretch of straight road with nothing to look at, or pounding it out on a treadmill in the gym, can be pretty dull. Therefore, with nothing else to focus on, it is likely you will soon become absorbed in the tired feeling of your legs. 

To distract yourself from this, try listening to music or a podcast. Alternatively, running a new route, or a route with lots of twists and turns, should give you something else to turn your attention to. 

How to relieve heavy legs after running

5. Stretch

Just as warming up before a run is important, so too is stretching out your muscles afterwards. If you do not do this, your muscles are more likely to cramp and become painful the next day. Stretching your muscles also helps to minimise the effects of lactic acid in the muscles, and also makes you less prone to developing injuries. 

6. Rest

A small amount of rest will speed up the recovery process, and prevent further injury from occurring. Rest will also help ensure your legs are ready for their next run, should you decide to do one in the days ahead. 

Our blog ‘How to recover from a workout’ will provide more information about what to do to help your body after a period of exercise.

7. Massage your legs

If your legs need that extra bit of help to get moving the next day, then a massage may be just the thing. This encourages blood flow to the deep tissues thus removing waste products such as lactic acid from the muscles. Not only that, a massage may encourage nutrients and water to enter the muscles, therefore, repairing and restoring the tissue. 

Massages are a particularly good idea if you are training hard and regularly, as this also helps to prevent injury to muscle.

8. Check for injuries

As a runner, the worst thing you can do is run on injured joints or muscles. Not only will your legs feel very painful, but it is likely to cause lasting damage. Therefore, do not battle on regardless of aches and pains, and do not ignore warning signs of pain and muscle fatigue as developing strains, sprains or stress fractures will take you off the running scene for a long time. It’s definitely not worth running for an extra mile if it means you can’t put your running shoes on for the next couple of months! 

Remedies for tired legs

9 – Watch your diet

Not only is it important to run whilst full of nutrients to sustain you, but it is also critical to stay properly hydrated. Just ensure you take small sips, however, rather than big gulps as, coupled with the movement of running, too much water has the potential to cause digestive upset. If you are going for a particularly hard or long run, you could consider taking an energy bar with you as well. 

You need to feed your muscles by giving them the correct balance of protein, carbohydrate, healthy fats and salt. Wholegrain varieties of bread, pasta and rice are higher in fibre and energy than their white or refined counterparts. Also, treating yourself to a small piece of dark chocolate after each run will not do any harm.

Why more men than women are running in ultra and trail races?

A recent study published in the Sport and Society journal set out to determine what barriers prevent women from entering ultra-distance races. It’s certainly not news that far more men sign up and race ultra and trail races than women.

Hardrock 100 recently added changes to their lottery system so that the percentage of women that enter the lottery is equal to the percentage of women racing, and other races are following their lead and promoting inclusivity in ultra and trail racing. In a sport where we are seeing women beat men at longer distances, why are so few women signing up to race?

The study

The research was conducted via online questionnaires sent to participants of all genders in two ultras in the U.K., the Highland Fling 85 km (53-mile) Ultratrail Race, and the Jedburgh Three Peaks Ultra. Jedburgh Three Peaks Ultra is a 61 km (38-mile) race that notably takes a firm stance on promoting inclusivity within their race and the larger Jedburgh Running Festival, offering a non-binary category for all of their races and encouraging transgender athletes to sign up in the category they identify with.

Following the online questionnaires, one-on-one phone interviews were conducted to compare the racing and training experiences between men and women and to determine what differentiated them.

The takeaway

The conclusions researchers arrived at probably aren’t surprising to many women. While time was a factor impeding both men and women from training for longer or terrain-specific (ie. trail) races, it impacted women more. Interestingly, more men than women within the study had dependents, and the study determined that traditional gender roles seem to be the greatest barrier to women signing up for ultras.

Both male and female participants shared that negotiating time for running with family and work commitments required considerable planning and prioritizing and that sometimes this process of negotiation efficacy was a family or team effort. 

"Despite gradual shifts towards egalitarian family roles in society, more restrictive traditional gender roles persist, and these may still influence the negotiating-efficacy of female ultrarunners more than males, thereby potentially reducing the availability of female training time,” researchers said.

While this suggests that women are still carrying a greater burden of workload within families, the study concluded with optimism, reporting that more women are signing up for races than ever before. Researchers determined that the current historical influence of traditional gender roles is diminishing, and the ratio of women to men in ultra and trail races should continue to improve.

Leg pain? Four running mistakes you’re making

Running – how hard could it be? After all, you’re just putting one foot in front of the other, right?

Unfortunately, it’s exactly that attitude that’s behind so many leg and foot injuries!

There’s much more to running than just putting on a pair of trainers and going for it. Believe it or not however, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes when you go out for a run.

And with that comes the risk of lower leg pain – especially if you have no idea how to run properly!

What kind of problems might I run into?

Injuries and falls aren’t the only problems you might run into when you go out for a jog – each step you take when you run sends shockwaves up your legs.

Over time, these shockwaves can damage the tissue, ligaments and cartilage in your legs.

This can lead to a whole host of different lower leg pains, including:

Microfractures

Muscle tears

Runner’s knee

Shin splints

Needless to say, any one of these problems may result in lower leg pain strong enough to stop you from running… or worse!

As such, you’ll want to make sure you that you’re running properly, and not making one of these common running mistakes…

Running mistake 1: wearing the wrong shoes

A good pair of shoes is essential – think of them like shock-absorbers for your feet, soaking up and distributing the impacts that come with running and minimising the stress on your lower legs.

When choosing running shoes, it’s essential that you select shoes that are designed with your particular running-style in mind. This directly affects how much of the impact your feet and lower legs are exposed to.

For example, if your footfalls tend to be on the outside of your soles, then you’ll want extra thickness and padding in those parts of your shoe.

Running mistake 2: not warming up

While it can be tempting to skip the pre-run warmup (especially when you’re short of time), we strongly advise against it!

Warm-up exercises “activate” your body, signalling to your organs and muscles to prepare for physical activity.

In particular, this results in increased flexibility, speed and range of motion in your limbs and muscles, reducing your chances of accidentally overstretching your lower legs.

Not to mention, they also prepare you for exercise by starting up blood flow and psyching you up!

When preparing for a run, we recommend cycling through a range of mobility movements for your lower legs – we show our clients complete warm up routines that have them ready to run in under 5 mins.

After that, it’s a good idea to not dive straight into your run, but to open with a brisk walk or gentle jog, gradually working your way up to your normal pace.

Running mistake 3: overstriding

Many people assume that having long strides is a good thing.

However, that’s not always the case!

Think of the amount of force that goes up your legs every time you take a step.

When you overstride, your heel strikes the ground at a harsher angle, sending greater force up your leg than shorter strides would and consequently, leading to a higher risk of lower leg pain.

Ideally, you’ll want your feet to land midsole, with your foot closer to your body. This results in the optimum distribution of force, and is the safest way to run.

Luckily, this type of problem can be trained around with the help of a physiotherapist.

At Physio AUS, our Highett physio work with all sorts of athletes, runners included, to improve their technique.

Running mistake 4: biting off more than you can chew

Running is deceptively simple – after all, the only thing you’ll need are some shoes and a stretch of road to get started.

Unfortunately, that’s also why so many first-time runners end up with lower leg pain – they inadvertently wind up pushing their bodies too far!

Instead, we recommend starting small and gradually bumping up the distances and times.

It’s also a good idea to take periodic “rests” to give your body time to bounce back.

How an Highett physiotherapist helps you run

If you’re keen to get back into running, you may want to touch base with your local physiotherapist.

Physiotherapists may be able to help runners such as yourself get back into running a number of ways.

Conditioning and training that help you get back into running

First-time runners and people who are getting back into exercise after a long time away are especially prone to lower leg pain.

As such, we suggest booking an appointment with your local Highett physio before you take to the track.Using a range of exercises, stretches and other treatments, your Highett physio will help condition, enhance resilience and build strength in your lower leg muscles.

Are records going to be broken at the Berlin Marathon this weekend?

The fall marathon season kicks off this Sunday, Sept. 25, in Germany for the 48th annual Berlin Marathon, which is the first of four Abbott World Marathon Majors over the next six weeks. The biggest name is distance running Eliud Kipchoge returns to the course he set the world record on four years ago, but the question everyone is asking is whether he can run 2:01:39 again?

He also looks to become the second man to win four Berlin Marathon titles, joining the great Haile Gebrselassie, who won four consecutive between 2006 and 2009.

Kipchoge isn’t the only athlete chasing a record in Berlin. U.S. marathon record holder Keira D’Amato has made a quick turnaround from her eighth place finish at World Championships and has her eyes on the American record of 2:19:12, which she ran in Houston earlier this year.

Vancouver’s Natasha Wodak is the lone Canadian in the elite field, and she is looking to take advantage of the fast Berlin course. In 2020, Wodak ran the second fastest marathon time by a Canadian woman, 2:26:19, at The Marathon Project in Arizona. She followed up that performance with an impressive 13th place finish in the marathon at the 2020 Olympics Games.

Wodak hopes to shake 90 seconds off her marathon PB Sunday to challenge Malindi Elmore’s Canadian record of 2:24:50 from 2019.

The weather

The race starts at 9:15 a.m. local time on Sunday (which is 3:15 a.m. E.T. in Canada). The temperature looks to be perfect for marathoning — between 10 C and 14 C, with next to no wind. 

Men who hope to finish near Kipchoge

It is well-known that Kipchoge is the favorite, but who are the guys most likely to finish second or stick with him until 30K?

Ethiopia’s Guye Adola, who was second to Kipchoge in 2017, won Berlin last fall in 2:05:45. The win marked his first major victory after struggling with injury earlier in his career. Like Kipchoge, Adola is fast and knows what it takes to win on this course. In 2017, he ran the fastest marathon debut in history on this course but since has not run near 2:03. 

Adola is the only other sub-2:05 runner, which Kipchoge is bound to finish under. If anyone else wins this race, it would take a miracle, or mean both Kipchoge and Adola have blown up.

Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea won the 2015 World Championships in Beijing and the New York Marathon in 2016 after missing the podium at the Rio Olympics. Although Ghebreslassie has the experience, in a sub-2:05 race, he may not have the speed to keep up with Adola and Kipchoge. 

Marley’s Pick: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) – 2:02:29

Can Keira D’Amato become the first American winner?

D’Amato has the fastest time out of the 24 runners in the women’s elite field with a time of 2:19:12, but she has only had nine weeks to prepare for Berlin after her 2:23:34 at the World Championships in Eugene. She was only selected for the U.S. team after Molly Seidel dropped out a few weeks before the championships.

To run 2:23 at worlds off not much training is impressive and should be a confidence booster for D’Amato on a faster Berlin course. 

Many of the top Kenyan and Ethiopian runners will be competing later this fall, but there are other sub-2:22 runners in Berlin. Kenya’s Nancy Jelagat Meto (2:19:31 – Valencia) and Vibian Chepkirui, the winner of the Vienna City Marathon in 2:20:59 in April, have the experience and speed to deny D’Amato the title.

Rosemary Wanjiru of Kenya, a 65:34 half marathoner, is making her marathon debut here in Berlin. Although this is her first marathon, she will likely be in contention most of the race.

Marley’s Pick: Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) – 2:18:39.

Eliud Kipchoge ready for fast times in Berlin

Eliud Kipchoge is ready for a very fast race in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on Sunday which may well lead him to break the world record here for the second time.

The double Olympic champion, who set the current world record of 2:01:39 in Berlin four years ago and also broke the two-hour barrier when he ran 1:59:40.2 in a race in Vienna in 2019 which did not conform to regulations, will start as the clear favourite. 

Organisers of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON have registered 45,527 runners from 157 nations for the 48th edition of the event. Germany’s most spectacular road race is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) and is also a Platinum Label Road Race of the international athletics federation, World Athletics. 

The 37-year-old Kenyan held back from making any hard and fast promises when he spoke two days before the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. “I’d like to thank the organisers for letting me race again in Berlin after four years and expect a very good race. I’ve trained well as usual – every training day is a challenge.”In response to the question at the press conference, what would be “a very good race” for him, Eliud Kipchoge answered: “A very good race is a good race.”

That got the audience on his side before he added: “I want to inspire people and if a course record comes out of this at the end, I will appreciate it,” added this outstanding athlete. It should be noted that the course record is, of course, the world record, but Eliud Kipchoge was careful not to utter these words.

The world record holder, whose career so far has brought him victory in all but two of his 18 marathons, could well achieve his fourth win in Berlin after taking the title in 2015, 2017 and 2018. That would bring him equal with the Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrselassie as the two men with most wins in Berlin. If the world athlete of the year for 2018 and 2019 is in world record form, Eliud Kipchoge should prove unbeatable on Sunday.

On the other hand, the elite field has plenty of strength in depth. Heading the list of challengers is last year’s champion Guye Adola from Ethiopia, winning the title in unseasonably warm conditions in 2:05:45 and beating the Ethiopian superstar Kenenisa Bekele into the bargain.

It was in Berlin in 2017 that Guye Adola ran what remains his personal best of 2:03:46 and on his debut at the distance. Only Eliud Kipchoge finished ahead of him though from time to time Adola took the lead. “I have prepared well and look forward to the race,” said the 31-year-old, who described Kipchoge as “a hero.”

The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON has greater strength in depth among the men’s elite field than ever before. As many as 18 runners have personal bests under 2:08. Among them is Ghirmay Ghebreslassie who caused a surprise when winning the world title in 2015 and also won in New York the following year. The Eritrean athlete has a best of 2:05:34 which he set in finishing third in Seville in February.

“It’s a big challenge to run in such a field and against Eliud Kipchoge. I’ll do my best and my aim is a place on the podium,” said Ghirmay Ghebreslassie.

An unusually large number of Japanese runners will be among the elite starters, the reason being that they are trying to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. There will be 13 of them with personal bests of under 2:10 in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. The fastest of them is Ryu Takaku with a best of 2:06:45.

The leading German in the field is Johannes Motschmann, who was a member of the German team at the European Championships which won the silver medal in Munich. Despite a short recovery time of six weeks since that competition, the 28-year-old wants to improve his personal best of 2:12:18 in the direction of 2:10. 

The race in Berlin is the biggest of my career so far. Since I’m a hometown boy here, I’d even rate it above the European Championship marathon,” said Motschmann, who runs for the Marathon Team Berlin.

The Austrian record holder, Peter Herzog, will also be aiming to take advantage of conditions at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON and run faster than ever before. His current best is 2:10:06 and his ambition is to become the first Austrian.

While a double world athlete of the Year in Eliud Kipchoge will take centre stage, a former star of world sport will be running some way behind him: the Brazilian football legend Kaká, a member of the team which won the World Cup in 2002, and also a Champions League winner and Footballer of the Year.

“I definitely wanted to run a major marathon and asked friends who recommended Berlin to me. That’s why I’m here. On Sunday I want to run 3:40. The marathon is something very special in that we, as mass runners, run together with the elite. I’m very excited,” admitted Kaká at the press conference.

Elite runners with personal bests

Eliud Kipchoge KEN 2:01:39

Guye Adola ETH 2:03:46

Ghirmay Ghebreslassie ERI 2:05:34

Dejene Debela ETH 2:05:46

Mark Korir KEN 2:05:49

Ashenafi Moges ETH 2:06:12

Tadu Abate ETH 2:06:13

Bethwel Yegon KEN 2:06:14

Awet HabteERI2:06:25

Ryu TakakuJPN2:06:45

Limenih Getachew ETH2:06:47

Hiroto InoueJPN2:06:47

Zablon Chumba KEN 2:07:18

Kenya Sonota JPN 2:07:23

Kento Kikutani JPN 2:07:26

Kazuki Muramoto JPN 2:07:36

Tadashi Isshiki JPN2:07:39

Atsumi Ashiwa JPN 2:07:54

Daisuke DoiJPN2:08:13

Rintaro TakedaJPN2:08:48

Yuki Matsumura JPN 2:09:01

Peter Herzog AUT 2:10:06

Johannes Motschmann GER 2:12:18

Third photo: Kipchoge's first run in Berlin 

Here’s how to master that explosive finishing kick, become a pro at finishing hard on tired legs with these workouts

Many people believe you’re either born able to finish fast, or not–but that’s not actually the case. The ability to finish strong on tired legs can be learned and improved on. Coach and author Steve Magness says that while people assume they’re limited by genetics, “that stuff can be manipulated to a degree.”

Here are three workouts to add to your routine so that your finishing kick astounds everyone around you. While these are easily done on a track, you can take them to the road or wherever you prefer to train, and your measurements don’t have to be exact. If you’re a newer runner, feel free to modify the workout by doing less reps, and gradually adding more as you get stronger.

500 meter repeats with bounding

Bounding involves taking long, exaggerated strides, driving off the back leg and lifting the front knee as high as you can. These increase your force requirement and muscle-fibre recruitment. Adding the kick at the end of each repeat forces you to switch between speed and fatigue resistance.

Warm up with 10 to 15 minutes easy running

Try four to six 500m repeats, with the first 200m at 5K pace or faster, moving straight into 100m of bounding, followed by a 200m kick finish.

Cool down with 10 minutes easy running

800 meter accelerations

For each rep, run the first 400m at 10K race pace, the next 300m at 5K pace and the last 100m full-out.

Warm up with 10 minutes easy running

Run four to six 800m repeats with three minutes rest in between each 800m

Cool down with five to 10 minutes easy running

Practicing relaxing to open up on that final stretch

I had a track coach in high school that had us repeat “relaxed runners are fast runners” every practice. He was right–runners tend to tense up during the end of a race, trying to force a fast finish, and end up actually slowing down. Magness suggests shaking it out. “One of the best things you can do is to just drop the arms, open up the hands and shake them out for a second.’

Aim for faster turnover and even, controlled breathing. Like anything else, running relaxed when you’re tired takes practice, and it’s normal for it to feel challenging at first.

Aleksandr Sorokin wants to become the first man to run 200 miles in 24 hours

On Sept. 17, the world’s fastest ultrarunner, Aleksandr Sorokin of Lithuania, demolished his previous 24-hour world record from a year ago, running 319.61 kilometers at the IAU 24-hour European Championships in Verona, Italy. There is no doubt that Sorokin’s record will stand the test of time, but the 40-year-old ultrarunner says he’s not done yet with the 24-hour distance.

After breaking Yiannis Kouros’s long-standing 24-hr record of 303.506 km a year ago, with 309 km, Sorokin has once again redefined human performance, beating his old mark by more than 10 kilometers.

No runner has ever covered 200 miles (321.86 km) in 24 hours, but Sorokin has come the closest, with his most recent record of 319.61 km. “I have unfinished business with the 24-hour distance,” he says. “There’s much more to come.”

Ten kilometers is a significant improvement for Sorokin in a year, but he says he hasn’t changed much in his training. “Nothing has changed, but little by little, my body has become faster,” he says. “We’ve added a little more mileage this time around, too.”

Three to four weeks out from the European championships, Sorokin’s peak training weeks were between 360 and 380 kilometers (an average of 50-plus kilometers per day).

“My training for these ultra races is no secret,” Sorokin says. “My coach and supporters motivate me to achieve my goals and work hard.” Sorokin has a public Strava profile where he uploads all his training in the lead-up to each race.

In a 2021 interview with Sorokin, he spoke about how winning European championship gold for Lithuania was his ultimate goal when he began running in 2013. Sorokin holds seven world records on the track and road: 100,000m (track), 100 miles (road), 100 miles (track), six-hour run, 12-hour run (track), 12-hour run (road), 24-hour run (road).

The Lithuanian distance runner has no races planned for the immediate future but he is excited for what is yet to come. “I think running 200 miles in 24 hours is possible,” says Sorokin. “There are many factors that need to go your way—like good weather and a fast course.”

In January, Sorokin became the first runner to break the 11-hour barrier for 100 miles in 10 hours, 51 minutes and 39 seconds at the Spartanion Race race in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Haile Gebrselassie to be the International Event Ambassador at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2022

Haile Gebrselassie, one of the greatest distance runners in history, will be the International Event Ambassador at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2022 on Sunday October 16.

The Ethiopian legend won the 10,000m gold medal at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games as well as four successive World Athletics Championships 10,000m titles from 1993-99.

In addition, Gebrselassie won a further four world indoor gold medals and the 2001 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships title, and set no less than 15 world records outdoors and on the roads, and a further five world indoor records, revising the record books over a stunning range of distances from 1500m to the marathon.

“There are few things more inspiring and joyful than seeing a city run together. When we run together, we stay together, we win together,” said Gebrselassie, whose activities in Delhi will include motivating and inspiring the thousands of runners who will take to the streets of the Indian capital next month, as well as promoting the event in the final days before the gun goes.

"Running and the community are the two things that are most important to me, and an event like the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon brings them together in a special way.

“The enthusiasm of the host city inspires something special in everyone involved in making this beautiful event possible. I’m going to be cheering all the runners as we celebrate the different hues of Delhi,” he added.

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the reigning world half marathon champion and world record holder over the distance, will headline the elite field for the 17th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2022.

The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2022 is a World Athletics Elite Label Race and one of the world's most prestigious half marathons.

Eight Interval Training Workouts used by World Champions and Coaches

Interval training involves high-intensity repetitions followed by standing, walking or jogging recoveries. Interval training can be of varied length but are usually short and intensive accelerations.

This forms a crucial part of all distance runners – some throughout the year, others closer towards the lead-up to a race. Here are some examples of interval sessions used by elite athletes.

1. Craig Masback who represented the United States in international competitions on several occasions devised his own interval running workouts. He and his roommate ran 6 x 300m followed by a 2min rest. They would then progress to 4 x 1100m with 800m between each set at an aerobic pace where they ran the last 300m at a hard pace. Including warm-up and cool-down they would run a total of 10miles during their session.

2. Arturo Barrios, a five-time world record holder and Olympic Games runner, had a favorite interval running workout: 10 x 1000m on the track @ slightly faster than 5km race pace, with a slow jog recovery as rest. Barrios used this workout every other week in the lead up to a race with his last session occurring 2 weeks before racing.

3. Silvio Guerra, gold medalist at the South American Games and Olympic Games runner, found that his most important track workout was 8 x 1km with 2mins to 2:30mins recovery depending on weekly workload and time of the season. He recommends this workout as it provides a runner with speed and endurance. He used a 3-mile warm-up that ended with a quick pace followed by 15mins of stretching and striding (10 strides).

4. Bill Dellinger, a bronze medalist at the 1964 Olympic Games for the 5000m, used advanced interval training to his advantage. He completed 3 miles of alternating 30s and 40s 200m runs with no recovery. The workout finished when he could not keep up with the pace anymore. As a coach he uses the 40-30 with his athletes almost 3 times during winter training with some of his best athletes going for 18 laps continuously. He also used the 800-300, which consisted of running 800m at a runner’s 5km goal pace with a 400m recovery, followed by 300m at mile race pace with a 200m recovery in 40s. The cycle repeated until the athlete could not keep up with the pace anymore.

5. Libbie Hickman, World Champion and Olympic Games runner for the US, used a straightforward 8 x 300m in 48s with a 200m recovery phase. She tries to be in a fairly recovered condition before the start of every 300m also making this her toughest workout. Hickman feels that runners need to have a strong base before trying a workout like this.

6. Marc Davis, a former US record holder for 2 miles, used a fast ladder style workout for his interval training sessions. He ran a hard mile, followed by a 1200m, 800m and 400m. The recovery between each was half the distance of each segment. He ran his workouts close to a 4-minute mile pace and called it the Alberto Salazar special.

7. Adam Goucher, a US national champion runner, used to run 10 x 500m on the track with a 100m recovery between each repeat. Goucher ran his 500m between 1 minute 16 seconds and 1 minute 18 seconds. He calls it ‘Coach Wetmore’s Secret’ and feels that it provides great preparation for a 5km. Goucher recommends bringing the training down to your level by providing adequate recovery so that you are able to finish the session. As you improve and get fitter reduce the recovery time to suit your needs.

8. Rich Kenah, an elite runner who represented the US, uses a 4 x 400m with a 4min jog recovery when he approaches his racing season. His wife Cheri uses a 3 x 1mile workout running them in 4:45. To them, these sessions are key indicators for their current state ‘a great barometer of our fitness’. For example, if Rich can run all 4 sets of 400m in 52.0s, he knows that he is in good shape for a quality 800m race.

The workouts are preceded by a 1-hour warm-up including jogging, stretching, drills and striding. This particular session usually comes after a month of ‘fairly high volume’ during the season.

Conclusion

Interval training is a form of workout that is used by runners and coaches across the world. They help improve your speed and endurance while simulating situations and pain that you are likely to face during your races. There are several ways of doing interval training across a lot of surfaces, therefore there is no one right way to complete this kind of a session. Find what suits your current level of fitness and race distance and to create an interval session for your needs.

Tips to build back your confidence after a running break

If you haven’t run in a while and you’re worried about getting back into it, you’re not alone. Setbacks can happen to anyone, and everyone takes a different amount of time to return to running confidently. When you are coming back from a long break or an injury, it’s easy to compare your current fitness with your former results, but understanding your setback can help you to gain confidence and motivate you to get back on track.

Here are a few things to remember to build back your confidence.

Set short-term goals

Long-term goals are easy to set, but hard to achieve. Everyone can dream of making their comeback at Boston or getting back to their previous fitness, but physically getting there requires confidence in your training.

Instead of setting a long-term goal, focus on a few shorter-term goals, so you can enjoy a feeling of accomplishment before you tackle bigger ones. Short-term goals can help increase your motivation to keep working toward your long-term goal.

Take it slowly

Whatever you do, do not rush your return to running. Regardless of where you are at in your training, it’s essential to listen to your body and take plenty of rest days, rather than trying to cram all the running you missed into the next few weeks. Returning to your previous fitness will take time, and it’s better to start with a few weeks of easy jogging before hopping into hard workouts.

Get into a routine

Finding a training plan for a short-term goal (like a 5K or 10K six or eight weeks from now) and setting a running routine can help you get back on track. Once you find a routine of running two or three times a week, your training runs will begin to feel like second nature again, and you’ll look forward to them, instead of dreading them.

Knowing what you can expect in your training can help boost your confidence levels.

Enjoy the process

Rome wasn’t built in one day, and neither was your marathon prep. Enjoy the process of your training build, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get runs done. Progress takes time.

If you are still struggling with running confidently, it may be a sign you need more time off or a different structure to your training. Running should be fun, and it’s crucial to find a balance in your training between regular efforts, hard efforts and recovery.

Two-time Vienna champion Vibian Chepkurui now targets Berlin glory

Two-time Vienna Marathon champion Vibian Chepkurui has set her sights firmly on successfully graduating to the World Marathon Majors and claiming the Berlin title this Sunday.

Chepkurui, who trains in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County, has been preparing for the Berlin Marathon for the last three months and is confident of a good outing on the streets of Germany’s political capital.

Kenya will be seeking to recapture the title that Ethiopia bagged in the last two editions with Gotytom Gebreslase having won last year while Ashete Bekere bagged victory in 2019.

The last Kenyan athlete to win the race was Gladys Cherono who ran a course record two hours, 18 minutes and 11 seconds in 2018. Cherono has since retired from elite running.

“My target in Berlin is to run my personal best from 2:20:59 to 2:18 and I believe if the weather conditions will allow, I will be able to hit the target,” Chepkurui, who is managed by Ikaika Sports Management, told Nation Sport at her home.

She said that after running well in this year’s Vienna Marathon in April where she clocked a course record, she is confident of an “impressive race” in her first major marathon. 

African Games 5,000 meters champion Lilian Kasait is the latest Kenyan athlete to be banned for violating doping rules

World Athletics’ Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU) disclosed on Wednesday that it had banned the 2017 World Cross Country bronze medallist for a period of 10 months starting April this year for using a prohibited substance, Letrozole.

Consequently, AIU disclosed that Kasait's results from January 20, this year have been disqualified.

The ruling from AIU indicated that an out-of-competition provided by the 25-year-old Kasait during a doping control conducted on behalf of the AIU on January 20, this year.

“It resulted in an adverse analytical finding for Letrozole, which is prohibited at all times, which was potential anti-doping rule violations (ADRVS) pursuant to Rule 2.1 and Rule 2.2 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules (ADR)," said AIU who notified the athlete of the violation on February 16 this year.

Kasait now joins a long list of close to 20 Kenyan athletes who have been banned or suspended for various doping offences this year.  

The last time for Kasait to compete was last year where she won the national trials in 5,000m to represent Kenya at the Tokyo Olympic Games where she finished 12th.

The suspension comes after five Kenyan athletes were banned from the World Athletics Championships held on July 15 to 24 in Oregon, USA, and Commonwealth Games held July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, England.

The 2019 Boston and Chicago Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono was kicked out of Oregon before the men’s marathon after failing a dope test.

Marathoners Philemon Kacheran, Stella Barsosio, Purity Changwony and 1,500 metres athlete Kumari Taki were also hounded out of the Commonwealth Games for the same reasons.

Middle distance runner Eglay Nalianya was suspended from the World Indoor Championships in March in Serbia, for the use of Norandrosterone.

Long distance runner Mathew Kisorio was banned in April for the second time for four years for his whereabouts alongside Justus Kimutai and Morris Munene Gachaga, who got two years each for a similar offence.

Another distance runner, Joyce Chepkirui, was suspended by the Anti-doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) for four years in March for discrepancies in her Athletes Blood Passport.

Two-time Paris Marathon champion Paul Lonyangata was among four Kenyans, who were flagged down by AIU in February.

AIU suspended Lonyangata on January 24 for the use of prohibited substance Furosemide. Others are Edward Kiprop Kibet, Tabitha Wambui and Vane Nyaboke.

For the second year in a row, all runners who applied to run the Boston Marathon will be accepted into the race, as long as they have a valid qualifying time

For the second year in a row, everyone who qualified for and applied to the Boston Marathon will get to run.

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced on September 21 that there is no cutoff time for the 2023 race. Applicants who ran a verified qualifying time for their age group and gender during the qualifying period will be accepted into the race, which will be held on April 17, 2023.

The field size of the race is 30,000 runners, which will make the race the same size as the 2022 edition—and almost back to pre-pandemic levels. In 2020, before the pandemic canceled the race, the field size was set at 31,500.

But runners have been slow to return to road racing—even as COVID-19 cases have dropped, vaccines and boosters have become widely available, and races have returned to the calendar.

Athletes cite the expense of race entry fees and the high cost of travel required to get to events, wariness about COVID-19, and shifting motivations as reasons why they’re not racing as frequently as they did in 2019 and the early days of 2020.

It appears even the Boston Marathon is not immune from these trends.

Usually 80 percent of the field, or roughly 24,000 spots, are reserved for time qualifiers. The other spots go to elite runners, those running for charity, and special invitational entries.

According to the B.A.A., the race had 23,267 applicants during this year’s registration period. The field of 2023 qualifiers is made up of 13,315 men, 9,930 women, and 22 nonbinary athletes.

In 2019, the B.A.A. received 27,288 applications for the 2020 Boston Marathon (which never happened, due to the pandemic). Application numbers have declined 14.7 percent from pre-pandemic levels.

The drop is in line with what other races are seeing across the U.S.—but somewhat surprising given Boston’s status as the Holy Grail among many marathoners.

Since the 2014 Boston Marathon, running a qualifying time has been no guarantee of entry into the race. Those who beat their qualifying times for their age and gender by the largest margins get in, while those who just squeak by with a qualifier have often been shut out.

Every year, runners eagerly await the announcement of the “cutoff” time—the margin by which you had to beat your qualifying time in order to gain entry into the race. In 2018, that cutoff reached 4:52 for the 2019 race, and more than 7,000 qualified runners who applied did not get in.

That September, the B.A.A. announced it was tightening the entry standards by 5 minutes across all age groups and genders.

Today’s announcement that there is no cutoff could also affect charities. In the past, many qualifiers who didn’t hit the cutoff ran the race for a charity. But with all verified applicants accepted, that reduces the pool of runners seeking bibs—and doing the required fundraising—for nonprofit organizations.

The 2023 race will be the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings.

“On Patriots’ Day, the determination, passion, and unity of marathoners will be on display, bringing our community together in the spirit of athletics and our heritage,” said Jack Fleming, acting Chief Executive Officer of the B.A.A., in a release. “We are very much looking forward to the 127th running of the Boston Marathon in just seven months.”