Running News Daily

The top 7 spots for spectators at the Boston Marathon

If you're heading to Boston to cheer on a loved one this weekend, here are the top spots you can catch them along the course.

The Boston Marathon is less than a week away, and while runners everywhere are tapering in preparation for the big day, their friends and families are planning where they’re going to station themselves to cheer on their loved ones. If you’re among the Boston cheerleaders this weekend, we’ve got you covered with the top seven spots to view the race.

Getting around Boston

If you’re planning on cheering in more than one location, the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) is the most efficient way to get around town. Many of the best spots to view the race and cheer on runners are accessible from the T. parts of the Framingham/Worcester Line, which are less than a five or 10-minute walk from the course, and the Green Line C Branch runs parallel to it. The B.A.A. has put together a downloadable spectator guide that includes the subway stops near each portion of the course and what time the elites are expected to pass by, which you can find here.

The top 7 spots to cheer at the Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon passes through eight neighbourhoods as runners make their way from Hopkinton to Boylston, and each one has its own vibe and energy. We chose the following seven spots based on those characteristics and accessibility via public transit, so you can catch runners at multiple stages of the race.

1.- The start line

The very beginning of the race is the obvious place to start, and while you won’t see much of the race standing at the start line, the energy and anticipation at the start line is unlike any other spot on the course. If you’re planning on catching the start, make sure you arrive early, since thousands of runners will be arriving by bus and it can become quite chaotic.

2.-Framingham train depot

This is one of the most historic spots to catch the action. Right near the 10K mark, some argue it’s the best area in the early part of the course to see your loved one, and it still gives you plenty of time to catch them again later on the course. Its location right next to the Commuter Rail also makes it very convenient (we recommend grabbing a $15 all-day commuter pass to avoid lines at the stations).

3.- Natick Common

Every year, spectators pack this area on Center street to catch a glimpse of their favourite runners before they reach the town centre. The crowds here usually get quite lively, so it’s a fun spot that’s easily accessible by the MBTA Commuter rail for spectators. The West Natick rail stop is also close by and is a little quieter if you want to stand out more when your loved one runs by.

4.- The Wellesley Scream Tunnel

The Wellesley Scream Tunnel is one of the most iconic (and definitely one of the loudest) cheer spots along the course. Just before the halfway point, it’s a great place to give your favourite runner some encouragement as they head into the second half of the race. The drawback to this spot is that you won’t be able to catch your loved one both here and at the Newton Hills, so you have a decision to make.

5.- Boston College

This brings us to the infamous Newton Hills. There are several spots between mile 17 and mile 21 where you can offer encouragement to the runners as they tackle one of the hardest parts of the course, but the Boston College stop on the B branch of the subway is where runners are cresting the top of the final hill and is a great spot for spectating.

6.- Cleveland Circle

Cleveland Circle is accessible from the B, C and D branches of the Green Line, and is where the crowds start to get thick (and exciting!). With nearly five kilometres of vantage points to watch runners, the energy at this point in the race is amazing. As a bonus, you still have plenty of time to get from here to the finish line.

7.-Kenmore Square

With fans either entering or leaving the Red Sox game, the energy in Kenmore Square is like one big party. At this point, runners are nearing the end and can use all the encouragement they can get, and with the Boston Strong bridge as part of the backdrop, this is a very special spot to cheer runners on.

The final stretch on Boylston

Of course, many spectators want to see their loved ones cross the finish line, and the final stretch along Boylston street has an energy that is unlike any other marathon finish line. If you’re hoping to get a spot here, be prepared to deal with large crowds, but if you can handle the chaos, it’s well worth it to get the finish line experience. Keep in mind that the Copely Green Line stop is closed on Marathon Monday, so if you’re taking the subway, you’ll have to get off at Hynes stop instead.

Here's How Many Servings of Fruits and Vegetables You Should Eat Per Day

Do you know how many servings of fruits or vegetables you should eat per day? If your answer is no, you’re not alone. It turns out most of us don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in our diets, according to the latest USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. But of course, the key to making sure you’re eating enough produce is actually knowing how much to eat. 

So to help you fill up on these colorful foods, we explain exactly how many servings of vegetables and fruit you should aim to eat each day and why it’s a smart idea to hit that target. Plus, a few ways you can increase your intake.

So, how many servings of vegetables and fruits should you eat a day?

Adults who consume 2,200 calories a day should aim to eat at least 3 cups of vegetables and 2 1/2 cups of fruits each day, according to the USDA. But, if you’re consuming more calories, then you’ll need to up your intake.

“Portion goals vary with gender and size, but most of us need at least 3 to 5 cups of vegetables per day and 2 to 4 cups of fruit,” Julie Stefanski, registered dietitian nutritionist, C.S.S.D and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics tells Runner’s World. “Vegetable and fruit goals are set as ranges, with the lower end preventing vitamin deficiencies, and the upper end of the range promoting long-term health,” she says. 

Eating the minimum number of servings each day will ensure you get the essential nutrients your body needs to maintain function and overall health. 

Here are some clear examples of what a serving size of fruit and vegetables looks like: 

Medium size fruit, like an apple or banana

1/2 cup of fresh, frozen, or canned fruits or vegetables like peas, strawberries, or carrots

1/4 cup of dried fruit, like apricots or raisins

1 cup of leafy raw vegetables, like spinach, kale, or arugula

Why is it important for runners to eat enough fruits and vegetables?

We all know good and well that fruits and vegetables are a crucial part of a healthy diet. For decades, scientist have researched a plethora of ways eating a rainbow diet can benefit your health. 

For example, one review highlights fruits and vegetables as key sources of phytochemicals—like polyphenols, carotenoids, and flavonoids—and consuming them offers a multitude of health benefits, including fighting free radicals and inflammation. In the research, scientists also noted that studies have proven eating fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and metabolic syndrome. 

Also, incorporating vegetables in your daily diet can improve digestive health, vision, and reduce risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, according to another review. And that's not all: Researchers of a recent meta-analysis found an association between eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day and lower risk of mortality. (Take note that this link didn’t hold for starchy veggies.)

Stefanski says, runners can benefit from produce, in particularly leafy greens or deep orange veggies, because they’re flush with nutrients you need for recovery and daily living. What’s more, fruits and vegetables are filled with tons of important vitamins and minerals that all runners need. This includes vitamin C—which is found in peppers, oranges, and broccoli and key to the repair and renewal of connective tissues—as well as potassium in bananas, beats, and avocados, which your body uses to aid muscle and nerve communication.

Eating enough servings of fruits and vegetables each day will not only make you feel better physically, but also mentally. A study published in the journal Environmental Research and Public Health found participants who ate less than three sources of fruits and vegetables a day where at a higher risk for developing anxiety disorders. Lead study author Karen Davison, Ph.D. a health science professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Canada, tells Runner’s World, this is because fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients like carotenoids, potassium, fiber, vitamins, and polyphenols that are good for mental health. 

Stefanski agrees, adding: “mentally, knowing that you’re trying to take care of your body by nourishing it well, can pay off in a mood boost.” 

How to add more fruits and vegetables to your daily diet

Luckily, adding more fruits and veggies to your plate is pretty easy, so upping your intake should be a breeze. Here, Stefanski offers simple ways to pack more produce into your diet: 

»Split your daily vegetable goals between meals. If you’re aiming to eat 3 cups of vegetables a day, then try to have 1.5 cups of vegetables with lunch (like in a salad) and the other half at dinner (as a side dish). Bonus points if you get a cup in at breakfast too, like adding greens to your omelet or having a produce-packed smoothie. 

»Grab a snack. Consider making a cup of fruit or a medium-size piece of whole fruit as your go-to bite between meals.

»Swap out your typical preworkout fuel. Instead of eating an energy bar go for starchy vegetables like potatoes, plantains, or sweet potatoes. Or even something like a banana and peanut butter. 

»Buy frozen produce. You can stock up on frozen fruits and vegetables that can be easily steamed in the microwave or roasted in the oven while you make other dishes, Stefanski says. That makes it easy to incorporate fruits and veggies into every meal—a good goal—as they’re quicker to prep and last longer.

»Add fruit at breakfast. In the morning, top your oatmeal with fresh fruit or have berries on the side of your egg dish. This is an easy way to start the day with some produce and take a few steps toward your daily servings goals.

»Have dinner for breakfast. Breakfast doesn’t have to equal what we’ve come to know as “breakfast foods.” Lean meat with a side of vegetables and a starch may fuel you much better throughout the day than your usual options, Stefanski says. 

Your Pre-Run Warmup Routine Might Be Wrong

Warming up before exercise is known to be an important part of enhancing your sport performance. We all want to improve our running performance, but is your warmup doing what it should? 

Until recently, warmup research focused mainly on physiological responses of the body, such as increased muscle metabolism, rather than measuring improvements in performance (like increased muscle power). 

This lack of a research-backed framework led to mostly trial-and-error with coaches and their athletes, using personal, anecdotal experience rather than scientific evidence. As a result, myths about the best practices for warmup and injury reduction have become widespread. Here are three of the most common warmup myths, and how you can bust them in your own training. 

Myth 1: Stretching is the best warmup for your muscles.

Stretching is one of the most common ways for athletes to warm up, and it is what many of us think when we hear "warmup." But is stretching the most effective way to prepare our body for a run?  

Research shows an effective warmup should start exactly how it sounds: by warming up your body. It appears that raising your core temperature is the most effective first step to any warmup. In a systematic review of the effects of a good warmup, three out of five studies showed a reduced risk of injury directly related to warming up properly. The two that did not show benefit when focusing their warmups heavily on stretching instead of raising the body's core temperature. While the research on stretching shows it does not improve post-workout recovery or decrease delayed onset muscle soreness, the best time to stretch if you choose is during your cool down so it does not impair sport performance. 

Research also shows that this rise in core temperature is correlated with improvements in athletic performance, as well as reduced risk of injury. When muscle temperature increased by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit in a warmup, there was a strong link between increased muscle power and enhanced performance by 2-5%. It appears most performance improvements from a warmup are due to temperature-related mechanisms, not the stretching sequence. 

Takeaway Fix: Instead of focusing on stretching during warmup, focus on raising your actual body core temperature with walking, jogging, or a mobility flow. 

Myth 2: Any warmup is fine, just pick one!

Often, our warmups are helping us transition from an inactive state to an active one. The literature recommends that warming up the body from an inactive state should take 5-10 minutes, and whether that means walking, cycling, jogging, bounding etc., your heart rate should stay in the range of 55-65% of maximum. 

Here's the key: While the main purpose of a warmup should be to raise your core temperature, adding movements specific to the exercise you are about to undertake is essential. For runners, the focus should be on taking your joints through a full range of motion they use when you're running. 

During this phase, dynamic mobility is preferable to static stretching and has been seen to improve performance, while static stretching has been associated with impairments to performance and power output. This part of the warmup is individual to you - having extreme flexibility is not required, but having a functional range of motion in your major joints is important for efficient running. 

Mobility considers your motor control, not just how far you can go passively. Ensuring your training is specific to your exercise event, course, body, and mind on that day will continue to enhance your performance and reduce the likelihood of injury. 

Takeaway Fix: During your warmup, take your body through the types of movements and ranges you are likely to do during your training such as hip mobility exercises, ankle/ knee range of motion and pre-activation hip flexion. 

Myth 3: Foam rolling is an effective warmup.

Foam rolling has developed a cult following across the running community. It is usually used in an attempt to increase training effectiveness, prepare for a race, or improve recovery. Foam rolling is thought to improve muscular performance and flexibility as well as alleviate muscle fatigue and soreness. 

A 2019 systematic review of 21 different studies looked at foam rolling effectiveness on the claims above when it was done prior to exercise (during the warmup) and after exercise (during the cooldown). Jumping, sprinting, and strength performance were used as improvement indicators along with flexibility and muscle pain. 

"Pre-rolling" was found to result in a minor improvement in sprint performance and flexibility, whereas the effect on jump and strength performance was insignificant. However, this improvement is relative, and if the "whole population" used pre-rolling prior to sprinting, it is likely that slightly over half would experience increased sprint performance (Coe, 2022). Additionally, the improvements were between 0.3-0.8%, and it is likely that recreational athletes would not notice an improvement that small, especially considering other factors of daily life. Therefore, these smaller changes may be more relevant for higher level athletes, where a small improvement in sprint performance is more noticeable.

What does this mean for those of us in the middle? The authors of a 2019 study reviewing the effects of dynamic stretching combined with adjuncts, such as foam rolling and vibration therapy, on athletic performance found the combination of dynamic stretching with foam rolling in a warmup significantly improved flexibility, power, and agility. The key is to use it with other aspects of your warmup, such as raising your core temperature and functional dynamic mobility. 

Takeaway Fix: Combining foam rolling with dynamic stretching will have a better effect on performance than just foam rolling itself. 

Conclusion

Research shows that while some people get positive outcomes from training additives like foam rolling, many, do not. Ensuring your warmup increases your core temperature is essential, and focusing on functional mobility, as well as allowing for proper rest and recovery, is critical. This way, everyone can get a better, more productive pre-run warmup and remain injury-free. 

Kristen Kennedy holds a BSc in kinesiology from Dalhousie University and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Montana. She currently practices in the UK, specialising in sport physical therapy with a focus on running. Kristen has been a yoga teacher to athletes for six years and is co-founder of "Made By Movement," an online yoga, Pilates, and mobility studio.

Hard to believe that it has been more than 1,000 days since we last had a Boston Marathon in the spring, on Patriots’ Day.

Some may have forgotten just how hard it is to get an uneventful weather day this time of year in Boston.  

The last two April Boston Marathons have had rain, including a record amount of it back in 2018. The rain wasn’t nearly as disruptive in 2019 but combine that with the warm temperatures (the high in Boston was 70) and conditions were far from ideal.

To find “ideal running conditions”, and obviously that would vary depending on upon who you ask, you really have to go back to either 2016 or 2014, both were dry, but I bet many would protest that both were a bit warmer than they would like.

Let’s face it, whether you are running or not, getting a perfect weather day in Boston in April is tough business. This time of year, our nice weather is sometimes measured in the span of a few hours, not days. Be it rain, wind, cold or even snow, we have seen it all in the 125 prior Boston Marathons.

Having said all that, I am starting to think that MAYBE, just MAYBE, we could get an ideal weather day on Monday. What is ideal? A little research shows that most runners prefer temperatures somewhere between 44 and 59 degrees. More specifically, between 49-52 degrees.

You’ll notice the classic sea breeze as runners get closer to Boston. Temperatures will be rising for most of the race and then begin to decline for the home stretch, something I don’t think most runners will mind at all!

There will definitely be a different feel later in the day with clouds thickening and temperatures dropping with an increasing southeasterly wind. So, for those final finishers late in the afternoon, there will a bit of a chill in the air.

The elites are all in town. It is going to be a barn burner.  

Highly competitive fields ready to clash in Seoul this weekend

Organizers of the Seoul Marathon have assembled what is arguably their strongest ever line-up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on Sunday (17).

Eight men with sub-2:06 PBs and five women with sub-2:21 lifetime bests are among the highly competitive fields.

World silver medalist Mosinet Geremew heads the men’s line-up. The former Ethiopian record-holder, who has a PB of 2:02:55, has finished in top three in eight of his nine completed marathons. He was unable to finish the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year, but he’ll return to action on Sunday in a bid to become just the second Ethiopian man in history to win the Seoul Marathon.

If he falls short of that target, compatriot Herpasa Negasa stands a good chance. Runner-up in Dubai in 2019, he is a 2:03:40 performer at his best.

Elisha Kipchirchir Rotich leads the Kenyan charge. A formidable opponent, he won the Paris Marathon last year in a PB of 2:04:21. He also has five other career marathon victories to his name, and he finished second in Seoul in 2019.

Three-time Toronto Marathon winner Philemon Rono is also entered, as is Kenyan compatriot Mark Korir. The 2015 Paris Marathon winner has a 2:05:49 PB and will be making his fifth appearance in Seoul; he has made the podium three times in the Korean city but is yet to win.

Korea’s Joohan Oh – formerly known as Wilson Loyanae of Kenya – is also familiar with the streets of Seoul, having won the race four times. He also holds the course record at 2:05:13, but his last completed marathon was back in 2019 when he finished second in Gyeongju in 2:08:42.

Ugandan duo Filex Chemonges and Moses Kibet are also worth keeping an eye on. Chemonges, who represented Uganda at the Olympics last year, holds the national record at 2:05:12. Kibet, meanwhile, has only contested two marathons to date but already has a PB of 2:05:20.

Other entered athletes include 2017 Seoul runner-up Felix Kandie of Kenya, Kenneth Keter, Brazilian Olympian Daniel do Nascimento, two-time Amsterdam winner Benard Kipyego, Solomon Kirwa Yego and Martin Kosgey.

The women’s race looks just as competitive and similarly tough to call.

Guteni Shone returns to Seoul, seven years after her victory there. Since then, she has also won in Ottawa and Seville, while in more recent years she has finished second in Prague in 2021 and second in Dubai in 2020 – the latter with a PB of 2:20:11, making her the fastest in the field for Sunday. In fact, she has finished in the top two in her past four marathons and she won’t want to relinquish that streak this weekend.

She’ll be joined on the start line by two fellow Ethiopians who also have a strong marathon record. Sutume Asefa, winner of the Beijing Marathon in 2019, set a PB of 2:20:30 when finishing third in Tokyo two years ago. Shure Demise, meanwhile, set her PB of 2:20:59 on her debut at the distance in Dubai back in 2015, but has gone on to win in Toronto twice. She also placed third in Tokyo in 2019 and in Chicago in 2018.

Netsanet Gudeta may not have the fastest PB of the elite field – partly because she has only completed two marathons to date – but she is a proven contender at the half marathon distance, having won the 2018 world title. Her half marathon PB of 1:05:45 suggests she’s capable of improving on her 2:26:09 marathon PB.

Joan Chelimo Melly has an even quicker half marathon PB, 1:05:04, making her one of the fastest women of all time for the distance. The Kenyan has started to move up to the marathon in recent years and has a PB of 2:20:57.

Other Kenyans in the line-up include Agnes Jeruto Barsosio, who was third in Seoul in 2016, Selly Chepyego Kaptich, and Celestine Chepchirchir, who was third in Seoul in 2019. Bahrain’s Eunice Chumba, seventh at the Olympics last year, is another one to watch.

Elite field

Women

Guteni Shone (ETH) 2:20:11

Sutume Asefa (ETH) 2:20:30

Joan Chelimo Melly (KEN) 2:20:57

Agnes Jeruto Barsosio (KEN) 2:20:59

Shure Demise (ETH) 2:20:59

Selly Chepyego Kaptich (KEN) 2:21:06

Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:23:10

Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:23:38

Netsanet Gudeta  (ETH) 2:26:09

Men

Mosinet Geremew (ETH) 2:02:55

Herpasa Negasa (ETH) 2:03:40

Elisha Kipchirchir Rotich (KEN) 2:04:21

Philemon Rono (KEN) 2:05:00

Filex Chemonges (UGA) 2:05:12

Joohan Oh (KOR) 2:05:13

Moses Kibet (UGA) 2:05:20

Mark Korir (KEN) 2:05:49

Felix Kandie (KEN) 2:06:03

Kenneth Keter (KEN) 2:06:05

Daniel do Nascimento (BRA) 2:06:11

Benard Kipyego (KEN) 2:06:19

Solomon Kirwa Yego (KEN) 2:06:24

Martin Kosgey (KEN) 2:06:41

Vincent Kipsang Rono (KEN) 2:07:10

Lucas Kimeli Rotich (KEN) 2:07:17

Belachew Alemayehu (ETH) 2:07:55

Brian Kipsang (KEN) 2:09:07.

50 years later, Val Rogosheske is back to run the Boston Marathon once again

Val Rogosheske started running because of a simple question from a friend: “How fast can you run a mile?”

Being a physical education major, she assumed it wouldn’t be a problem — after all, she was in school learning about physical education, and running a mile is a staple of physical education.

But that turned out not to be the case. 

“I was just about to graduate and a friend asked me how fast I could run a mile. I thought, ‘Well, that’s an interesting question. I’ve never run a mile. Or I’ve never timed myself,’” Rogosheske said. “So I went to a track to get a time, and I was not able to finish a whole mile running. I was so embarrassed.”

Fast forward a few years, and suddenly the Minnesota native was one of the first eight women to run the Boston Marathon as an official participant. 

“It was so exciting. They put all eight of us on the start line, off to the side. And so that was the first time I met the other seven women,” Rogosheske said in an interview with Boston.com. “It was so exciting just to be together there and knowing that this was a big deal to be there for the first time legally.”

That historic race took place 50 years ago, in 1972. It was the first time the marathon had officially let women compete. 

Rogosheske’s path to running the Boston Marathon wasn’t what one might expect.

Though she now thinks her inability to finish a mile while in college was more of a pacing problem than a physical fitness problem, the embarrassment she felt pushed her to start running. 

“I got that book by Bill Bowerman called ‘Jogging.’ Read that and just started going out — I don’t know if it was every day, maybe several times a week — and just started jogging,” Rogosheske said.

In about a year, Rogosheske went from barely running a mile to competing in the Boston Marathon. Her husband-to-be at the time, a lifelong athlete and coach, helped her get over the hurdles that come with starting a new sport. 

“I was once in a while having a little bit of trouble getting out the door to do my jogging, and [my husband] said, ‘What you need is a goal,’” Rogosheske said. 

At that time, they were living in Alexandria, Virginia, because he was finishing up a stint in the army. 

“We were out [in Virginia], and I thought, ‘Well, that’s a good idea.’ But the only race I had heard of was the Boston Marathon, but I had read about women hiding in the bushes and then jumping out and running it, and I thought, ‘This sounds like a good thing to do,’” Rogosheske said. “That’s when I started doing more and more miles and getting ready actually for a  marathon.”

In 1966 Bobbi Gibb made history as the first woman to unofficially run the Boston Marathon. At the time, she was told women were “not physiologically able to run a marathon,” and wasn’t allowed to officially run the race. She took matters into her own hands, hid in a forsythia bush near the start, and joined the crowd after half the men had started running. 

Six years later, the Boston Marathon officially welcomed women to compete in the race — the first year had a field of eight women, including Rogosheske. 

With her goal of running the Boston Marathon in mind, Rogosheske’s husband hooked her up with some reading material and advice from friends who had marathon experience. Then she was, quite literally, off to the races. Rogosheske finished sixth in her category in her first marathon, with a time of 4:29:32.

“In 1972, I was not very well ready,” Rogosheske said. “We had just gotten married in December, and then I got mono and was in bed for the whole month of January. So that left only February March to train for the marathon. I finished it feeling like you know I could do better.”

Rogosheske came back in 1973 and 1974, eager to improve on her original time — a feat made easier by not having mono before the other two races. Her personal best came in 1974 with a time of 3:09:38.

Though at the time she realized it was exciting to be one of the original eight female runners, Rogosheske said after the starting line she never saw them again, so it didn’t stand out as much. 

“I think the most exciting part then was passing Wellesley College … And the women came out there yelling, ‘Right on, sister,’ it just felt so good,” Rogosheske said. 

Wellesley College has been a highlight for Rogosheske at several marathons. When she came back for the 25th anniversary in 1997, she was dealing with some knee problems, so she didn’t run the entire race but made sure she made it about halfway through, when the course passed through Wellesley.

“When I came back 25 years later, I made sure I did not drop out before Wellesley, “Rogosheske said. “So then when I went to Wellesley, they all looked like my daughters instead of my sisters, and now this year, I’m kind of looking forward to just going by there again, and looking at them and feeling like ‘Wow, they can all be my granddaughters.’”

Though she couldn’t finish the race for the 25th anniversary, she was really there for the experience. The same is true now — she’s still looking forward to the experience and festivities — but this year, she also plans to finish the race. 

“I’m just excited to be back in that atmosphere,”  Rogosheske said. “Just to compare, I mean, 50 years ago, there were 1,200 total runners, I believe. And that seemed like a huge number. … And now, this year, I believe there’s going to be over 30,000, 14,000 of which will be women. So what a change in 50 years to go from eight to 14,000.”

Rogosheske, who is 75 years old,  is running this year’s Boston Marathon as a part of the honorary women’s team. She will be running along with seven other women who have made powerful impacts in everything from athletics to human rights, according to the B.A.A.

“I’m just so honored to be on this team because these other women have just done so much in so many ways for women, in very practical, really heartfelt ways,” Rogosheske said. 

About 50 years after she first took to the starting line of the Boston Marathon, Rogosheske will cross that momentous line again, this time with her girls and another 14,000 women by her side. 

“I’ve really been seriously getting ready for this, but I won’t be racing in the traditional sense,” Rogosheske said. “I’m just going to be trying to finish with lots of enjoyment.”

Combine speed and endurance in one session with this 5K sharpener workout to get you race-ready

The 5K is a tough race. It’s short compared to other distances so you need to tackle it with some speed, but long enough that maintaining that speed for the entire race is a significant challenge. In other words, the 5K hurts. 

Learning to combine speed with endurance, while still having enough left in the tank for a strong finishing kick is key to success in the 5K, and this workout will accomplish just that. If you’ve got a 5K on the calendar, try this session a week or two out from your goal race to prepare you for the demands of the distance.

The 5K sharpener

The best place to perform this workout is on a track, but if you have a GPS watch you could run this workout on the road as well. We’ve also included a timed alternative, for those who have neither. This is a pretty big workout, so it is geared toward intermediate and advanced runners. Beginners, try these workouts instead.

The goal of this workout is to run the longer reps slightly slower than 5K race pace (although you can speed up to race pace for the 1K and 800m intervals if you wish). Then, start the 300m and 200m sets at the end at 5K race pace and try to speed up as the reps get shorter.

The workout

Warmup: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by form drills and strides

Workout: 1,600m, 1,200m, 1,000m, 800m / 3:30 standing rest between each rep and 5:00 recovery at the end of the set. Follow with 2 x 300m / 1:30 rest / 2 x 200m / 1:30 rest

Timed version: 6 min, 5 min, 4 min, 3 min / 3:30 standing rest between each rep and 5:00 recovery at the end of the set. Follow with 2 x 1 min /1:30 rest / 2 x 40 seconds / 1:30 rest

Cooldown: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching.

Strong Vienna elite fields could attack course records

Both course records could become a target at the Vienna City Marathon, which features strong elite races on April 24. Kenyans Leonard Langat and Vibian Chepkirui will return to defend their Vienna titles while there are three men on the start list who have broken 2:06 and five women featuring personal bests of sub 2:25.

With regard to these personal records it will be strongest line-up in the history of the Vienna City Marathon which will see its 39th edition next week. Including races at shorter distances more than 31,000 runners have registered for Austria’s biggest running event, a World Athletics Marathon Label Road Race.

“We are very happy that we were able to surpass the mark of 30,000 entries. Compared to our comeback race in September 2021 this is a nice step forward. We feel the enthusiasm of the runners,“ said Kathrin Widu, the General Manager of the Vienna City Marathon.

There has never been an Eritrean winner in the history of the Vienna City Marathon which had its first edition back in 1984. This may change next week though since the two fastest entrants are from this country: Goitom Kifle and Oqbe Kibrom feature personal bests of 2:05:28 and 2:05:53 respectively. Kifle had a fine year in 2021: He was third in Enschede, 14th in the Olympic marathon in Sapporo and then 6th in Valencia, where he ran his PB. With his personal record the Eritrean is a little faster than Vienna’s course record of 2:05:41 by Ethiopia’s Getu Feluke in 2014.

Abdi Fufa of Ethiopia is the third athlete in Vienna’s line-up who has run sub 2:06. A year ago he was second in Siena’s elite only race with 2:05:57. It looks a tough task for Leonard Langat to defend his title in the Austrian capital. The Kenyan improved to 2:09:25 in Vienna last September. But with this PB he is only the eighth fastest athlete on the start list.

Unfortunately there were a number of cancellations from elite runners recently. Among them are Mekuant Ayenew and fellow-Ethiopian Derara Hurisa, who had originally crossed the line first in last year’s Vienna City Marathon. However he then had to be disqualified for wearing illegal racing shoes and Leonard Langat became the winner.

The fastest runner on the women’s start list is Caroline Kilel, who ran 2:22:34 when she took the Frankfurt Marathon back in 2013. While the Kenyan did not reach these sort of times recently there are other athletes who showed promising last year. Defending champion Vibian Chepkirui may only be number five on the list with her PB of 2:24:29.

However she did run this time last September in Vienna in very warm conditions. Afterwards the Kenyan said that she could have been at least two minutes faster in more suitable conditions. 

Vibian Chepkirui could be capable of attacking the course record of fellow-Kenyan Nancy Kiprop who was the winner in 2019 with 2:22:12.

Kenya’s Ruth Chebitok and Ethiopia’s Sifan Melaku are number two and three on Vienna’s start list with PBs of 2:23:29 and 2:23:49 respectively. Sheila Jerotich of Kenya is a contender for victory as well. She took the Istanbul Marathon in November, improving to 2:24:15.

Elite fields with personal bests

Men:

Goitom Kifle ERI 2:05:28

Oqbe Kibrom ERI 2:05:53

Abdi Fufa ETH 2:05:57

Raymond Choge KEN 2:08:11

Cosmas Muteti KEN 2:08:45

Weldu Gebretsadik NOR 2:09:14

Edwin Soi KEN 2:09:16

Leonard Langat KEN 2:09:25

Charles Ndiema KEN 2:10:43

Lemawork Ketema AUT 2:10:44

Jeison Suarez COL 2:10:51

Iraitz Arrospide ESP 2:10.59

Noah Kipkemboi KEN 2:11:09

Ebba Chala ETH 2:11:27

Abraham Kipyatich KEN Debut

Timon Theuer AUT Debut

Women:

Caroline Kilel KEN 2:22:34

Ruth Chebitok KEN 2:23:29

Sifan Melaku ETH 2:23:49

Sheila Jerotich KEN 2:24:15

Vibian Chepkirui KEN 2:24:29

Esther Kakuri KEN 2:26:11

Urge Soboka ETH 2:28:10

Marcela Joglova CZE 2:28:16

Nataliya Lehonkova UKR 2:28:58

Kellys Arias COL 2:29:36

Viola Yator KEN 2:30:03

Teresiah Omosa KEN 2:30:12

Nataliya Lehonkova UKR 2:30:28

American olympic Allyson Felix to retire from track after this season

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix said Wednesday she will run one final track season, months after competing in her fifth Games.

The most decorated American track and field Olympian picked up bronze in the 400 meters and gold in the 4 by 400 relay in Tokyo last year, having already confirmed that it would be her final Games.

In an Instagram post Wednesday, she said she would say goodbye to the sport "with one last run."

"This season isn't about the time on the clock, it's simply about joy. If you see me on the track this year I hope to share a moment, a memory and my appreciation with you," said Felix, 36, who is expected to run in the Penn Relays later this month.

The 13-time world champion became an advocate for working mothers after giving birth to her daughter, Camryn, via an emergency C-section in 2018. In an opinion piece for The New York Times, she said she faced pay cuts from sponsors including Nike after having her child and competed in Tokyo wearing shoes from her own Saysh line.

"This season I'm running for women," Felix said. "I'm running for a better future for my daughter. I'm running for you."

Olympic sailor Eya Guezguez of Tunisia has died in a training incident, the International Olympic Committee announced on Monday. She was 17.

Guezguez was training with her twin sister Sarra alongside their national team on Sunday when their boat capsized because of strong winds. Eya died while Sarra survived.

Together, they competed at the Tokyo Olympics last year in 49er FX and finished 21st.

Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, said he was shocked by the news.

"She was an inspiring talent and role model for her athletes' generation," Bach said.

"Eya Guezguez's participation at Tokyo 2020 alongside her twin sister Sarra will continue to motivate girls everywhere. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and the Olympic community in Tunisia."

The training characteristics of world-class distance runners

There are thousands of studies available analyzing various aspects of elite distance running training, and we finally have something that brings them all together. A recent review article, published in the journal Sports Medicine – Open, has integrated the scientific literature on training with the plans and logs of elite distance runners to create an in-depth training framework for world-class endurance athletes. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to be the best of the best, this is it.

The authors of the article point out that while there are several scientific studies during the last two decades that have described the training characteristics of elite runners, many developments in modern long-distance running training have been driven by experienced coaches and athletes, rather than scientists. “Sport scientists have historically found themselves testing hypotheses regarding why elite athletes train as they do rather than driving innovation around the how in the training process,” the authors add.

The goal of this paper, then, was to combine the information we have from sports science studies with anecdotal evidence provided through training logs of elite athletes to outline a framework for understanding how the world’s best distance runners train to be at that level. In total, the researchers analyzed training logs from 59 world-leading athletes and 16 coaches who were either 5K/10K runners on the track or marathoners. Of course, the caveat to this type of information is that it’s not peer-reviewed and could be subject to bias, and when analyzing athletes at the elite level, the possibility that they could be doping can also skew the results.

Despite this, the paper does a fantastic job combining the two types of evidence and providing a very detailed outline of how these athletes train. Of course, the majority of recreational runners won’t (and shouldn’t) be trying to replicate their training, but there are some takeaways for the everyday runner who wants to improve their running performance. Below, we’ll summarize some of the key findings of the article, and if you’re interested in more of the details, we highly recommend checking out the article itself.

Training periodization and competition schedule

The first aspect of elite performance the authors address is the way athletes plan their training over a season or year, and how often they compete. They found that both track and marathon runners begin their training with a base phase that involves gradually building their running volume over the course of several weeks. As this preparation period becomes more specific, the athletes begin doing a higher volume of running at race-pace intensity.

From there, track runners move into a competition phase, which is more or less a continuation of the specific preparation phase, with races and more recovery thrown in. They also maintain a relatively high volume of running during this phase, which highlights the importance of reinforcing the base you’ve already built since it takes years of continuous work to develop your aerobic base. Next is the transition phase, or “off-season,” as some may call it, can last anywhere from one to four weeks, and could be complete rest or involve some low-intensity activity.

Marathoners are slightly different. They also have a base phase, but their specific preparation phase involves a lot more slower race-paced sessions, and they tend to have their highest-volume weeks right before they begin tapering for their race. If you’re training for a longer race like a marathon, take a page out of the elites’ books and put your highest-volume weeks just ahead of your taper.

Of course, track athletes tend to compete far more frequently than marathoners, usually with no more than six races a year and only two marathons, separated by at least three months. This is another lesson to recreational athletes doing marathons (and ultras, too) to avoid racing too often if you want to perform at your best.

Training

The researchers found that the unifying factor between both track and marathon runners was they all did the majority of their running volume (about 80 per cent) at a low intensity. They determined that most athletes were doing their easy runs at about three to five km/hour slower than their marathon race pace, and their long runs at about one to two kilometres per hour slower than marathon race pace.

So what does that actually look like in training? The authors include the following training principle from coach Bill Bowerman: “2–3 weekly interval sessions, a weekly long run, and fill the rest with as much [easy running] as you can handle.” Of course, for many recreational runners, three speed sessions in a week is likely too much (especially if you’re trying to keep 80 per cent of your running volume at an easy pace), but a good coach can help you find a balance that works for you.

The article also includes a great table that outlines each of the different sessions elite runners include in their training and how to perform those workouts, including fartleks, threshold runs, hill repeats and sprints. Check out the table here to find out exactly what goes into elite distance running training (and to find out if you’re missing anything in your own training).

Volume

This is the section when recreational runners should definitely not attempt to copy the elites. The researchers found that track athletes were doing about 130-190 km/week, and marathoners were hitting even higher numbers at 160-220 km/week.

While recreational runners should not attempt to run that kind of volume, they can learn from how they build up to that volume. When elite athletes are building their mileage during the base phase, they do so first by increasing the frequency of their runs (which often involves doing doubles) before they increase the volume of their runs. This doesn’t mean you should be doubling, but if you’re running three days per week and are trying to increase your mileage, start by adding a fourth (and even eventually a fifth) before increasing the length of your runs.

Intensity zones and distribution

As runners, we talk a lot about the best way to measure intensity. Is it heart rate? Blood lactate? Pace? Perhaps the best conclusion the authors come to throughout the entire article is this: “We would argue that this lack of consensus is consistent with an uncomfortable truth; no single intensity parameter performs satisfactorily in isolation as an intensity guide due to (1) intensity–duration interactions and uncoupling of internal and external workload, (2) individual and day-to-day variation, and (3) strain responses that can carry over from preceding workouts and transiently disrupt these relationships.”

In other words, no one metric perfectly or completely incapsulates running intensity, so it’s possible that the only measure that truly matters is feel. Of course, it’s very hard to accurately measure or quantify feel, and it takes time and practice to listen to and understand the queues your body is sending you. The authors offer an excellent table outlining an intensity scale that may help you understand how hard you should be working for various runs and workouts, and it’s definitely worth checking out.

The other big takeaway from this section is this: the elites spend about one per cent of their training volume doing sprints or strides. That may not sound like much, but considering that one per cent of 150 kilometres is 1.5 kilometres worth of strides, you can see the importance of these short, fast sprints. The lesson? Don’t neglect your strides.

Tapering

Finally, the taper. The research says that runners should take a two to three-week taper, where they reduce their training volume by 40 to 60 per cent, but the elites don’t appear to follow this rule. Most of them don’t begin substantially decreasing their training volume until seven to 10 days out from competition, with their last intense session three to five days before race day.

The takeaway here for recreational athletes is that tapering is important, but you should be careful not to reduce your volume or intensity too drastically. Figuring out what works for you may take some trial and error, but again, a good coach can help you determine what might work well for you.

The bottom line

There’s so much information in this article that it’s difficult to sum it up very succinctly, but if we were to make some generalized recommendations for recreational runners based on the findings, they would look something like this:

Give yourself time for a good base phase to build up your running volume gradually

When you’re increasing mileage, add more runs into your schedule before making your runs longer

If you’re doing long races like marathons or ultras, don’t race too often if you want to perform at your best

Keep your easy days easy, and the majority of your training should be done at an easy pace

Get to know yourself and understand how different workouts and paces should feel to best determine intensity

Don’t neglect your strides

Tapering is important, but be careful not to decrease your training too much ahead of your race

Training mates Evans Chebet, Benson Kipruto plot Boston Marathon conquest

The withdrawal of the Ethiopian long distance legend Kenenisa Bekele and Kenya’s Titus Ekiru from this years’ Boston Marathon may have grabbed the headlines, but the field still has some formidable names.

Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese (2:02:48) is now the fastest in the field, with Kenya's Evans Chebet the second fastest in the startlist with a personal best of 2:03:00 which he clocked in the 2020 Valencia Marathon.

Former champions Geoffrey Kirui (2017), Japan’s Yuki Kawauchi (2018), Kenya’s Lawrence Cherono (2019) and the defending champion Benson Kipruto will all be clashing for the title on Monday.

Other athletes who will be competing from Kenya are Bernard Koech (2:04:09), former New York Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor (2:05:23), Eric Kiptanui (2:05:47), Bethwel Yegon (2:06:14) who was second in Berlin Marathon and New York Marathon champion Albert Korir (2:08:03).

But the duel has also some finest athletes from Ethiopia, the likes of Sisay Lemma (2:03:36), Kinde Atanaw (2:03:51), Lemi Berhanu (2:04:33) and Lelisa Desisa (2:04:45).

Training mates Chebet and defending champion Kipruto, who train in Kapsabet, Nandi County under 2Running Club, are optimistic that they will be able to run well.

Chebet said that the lineup is strong and they have discussed how they will compete.

Chebet competed in Boston in 2018 where a big number of athletes dropped out including him due to a storm.

“I’m heading to Boston Marathon once again and my target is to run well. Last time I competed in the race the weather affected us and had to drop at the 30km mark but I have seen the weather this year is fair,” said Chebet.

But for Chebet, he will be competing against Cherono whom he outsprinted in the last 50 meters in 2020 when they competed at the Valencia Marathon.

He said that he knows that it will be a tight contest but they are up to the task.

“I can see Cherono will also be competing in the race and having run with him at the Valencia Marathon, he is a tough opponent,” added Chebet.

Kipruto wants to ink his name in history books by defending his title.

“I’m glad to be back in Boston Marathon and my plan is to defend the title I won last year. The startlist is rich but I believe I would be able to run well and join the list of multiple champions,” said Kipruto. 

1967 Flash Back - It is hard to believe this happened just 55 years ago and since then there has been 212,054 women Boston Marathon finishers

Kathrine Switzer wasn’t going to be stopped. As the daughter of a major in the United States, failure was never an option. While studying at Syracuse University, a coach once told her that a “fragile woman” could never run in the Boston Marathon.

This only encouraged her further. Undeterred, she trained in secret and entered the race in 1967.

Rather than simply letting her run, officials reacted negatively and even tried to pull her from the race. Fortunately, Kathrine Switzer was running alongside her boyfriend, who helped fend off those around her. She finished the competition in just over four hours

Since then (up to the 2019 event) there has been 212,054 women finishers out of 252,209 entries. 

Actually the year before Bobbie Gibb (photo 2-3) had finished the Boston Marathon without the public attention Switzer got in 1967.

Before 1966, the longest Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)-sanctioned race for women was one and a half miles. Until 1972, when the first women's division marathon opened, the Boston Marathon was an AAU men's division race. Under the AAU rules, women are not qualified to run in men's division races.

Gibb trained for two years to run the Boston Marathon, covering as much as 40 miles in one day.  On writing for an application in February 1966, she received a letter from the race director, Will Cloney, informing her that women were not physiologically capable of running marathon distances and that under the rules that governed amateur sports set out by the AAU, women were not allowed to run more than a mile and a half competitively.

She realized that it was more important than ever to run and that her run would have a social significance far beyond just her own personal challenge.

After three nights and four days on a bus from San Diego, California, Gibb arrived the day before the race at her parents' house in Winchester, Massachusetts.  On the morning of Patriots' Day, April 19, 1966, her mother dropped her off at the start in Hopkinton.  

Wearing her brother's Bermuda shorts and a blue hooded sweatshirt over a black, tanked-top swim suit, she hid in the bushes near the starting pen.  After the starting gun fired, she waited until about half the pack had started and then jumped into the race. 

Kenyan long-distance runner Joyce Chepkirui has been banned for four years

The 33-year-old won the 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and also took the African title over the same distance in Marrakech that year.

Chepkirui has been provisionally suspended since June 2019, after an expert panel studied anomalies in blood samples collected by World Athletics between 2016 and 2017.

The panel concluded the "likelihood of the abnormalities in results being due to blood manipulation" - the artificial increase of red blood cells using a stimulant - was "high".

Chepkirui explained the results by saying she suffered from hormone imbalance and vaginal bleeding, which was caused by a contraceptive injected every three months, had an iron-rich diet and took three drugs to treat these conditions.

However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) decided to ban Chepkirui after upholding an appeal filed by the Athletics Integrity Unit, and her four-year period of ineligibility has been backdated to the start of her provisional suspension.

Chepkirui's results between 6 April 2016 and 4 August 2017 - which include a third-placed finish in the Boston Marathon in April 2016 - will be disqualified and she will be required to forfeit any medals, prizes and appearance fees gained in that time.

Meanwhile, Cas have ruled the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya should pay 2,000 Swiss Francs (US$2,140) to World Athletics as a contribution towards its legal costs and other expenses.

Kenya is still listed as a category A nation by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), meaning the country remains a high risk for doping.

As a result, Kenyan athletes still need to undergo three out of competition tests in a 10-month period before a World Championships or Olympic Games.

BBC Sport Africa understands Athletics Kenya had been hoping to be removed from the category A classification.

Three workouts to do the week of your race, these workouts are perfect tests of preparation and mental confidence

So you have a race on the horizon, and you are unsure of how to prep for it. The last thing you want to do is something too hard, to tire you out before your race. The idea is that you want your legs rested leading into the race, therefore it’s important to find a workout that isn’t too taxing, but is enough to get your legs moving.

Here are three workout ideas that are perfect tests of preparation and mental confidence before a race. 

Workout #1

Three to five reps of one-kilometer repeats with 90 seconds between reps. 

Each rep should be done at your goal race pace. Try to focus on your breathing and stay calm and relaxed. A tip would be to treat each rep as the first kilometer in a race. 

Always do a 10-minute warmup of slow jogging before you start your intervals.

Workout #2

Eight to 10 reps of one minute at race pace and two minutes’ slow jog rest.

The goal here is to get the legs moving at a familiar (race day) pace. Think of each 60-second rep as a long stride, then slow jog between intervals to let your body recover. 

Always do a 10-minute warmup of slow jogging before you start your intervals.

Workout #3

Two to four reps of a mile with two minutes’ jog rest between reps.

This workout should be done at your goal pace or a few seconds per km slower. The idea here is similar to the two workouts above–getting your legs moving before race day. If you are training for a half-marathon or marathon, you’ll want to focus on maintaining your aerobic endurance, so aim for three or four reps.

Always do a 10-minute warmup of slow jogging before you start your intervals.

These three workouts should be done three to five days before your race to give your body time to recover.

WANYOIKE DEFENDS HIS TITLE AS JUNIORS SPARKLE AT EIGHTH KATA 10K TIME TRIAL

The Eighth Edition of Kenyan Athletics Training Academy (KATA) Time-Trial took place on Wednesday morning (April 13) in Thika Kenya with upcoming athletes recording remarkable improvement.

However, experience and international exposure was at play where Peter Wanyoike remained unbeaten for the second time after winning the race back- to-back.

Wanyoike did not only win the 10Kilometres event but also improved his previous 29:57.8 after clocking 29:53.7. It was not easy for the winner as he had to resort to experience to fight off strong opposition from upcoming Zakaria Kirika who stuck on his shoulders from the beginning.

Zakariah managed a sub-30 clocking  29:54.4 in second position during the race that brought together 19 athletes.  Levis Kuria out-grew himself to finished 7th with an impressive 33:11. His personal best was 35:38.8

In women, Lucy Muli, has just started her training after racing in Europe in January, February,and March, set a new course record of 33:22.5 in winning the ladies trophy. Her December course record was 34:58.3.    

The trial came ahead of Regional Athletics Championships that was moved to 22nd and 23rd. The trial was also be used to select a KATA team that will participate in the Uhuru Marathon Classic that will be held on 8th May in Nairobi.

The 9th Edition of the monthly 10k time trial series is set for May 18th on the same out and back course about 5k from KATA (Kenyan Athletics Training Academy) where over 20 athletes are training under coach Joseph.  Twelve are living, eating, training and working at KATA.  "I am so proud of our runners," says KATA Director Bob Anderson from his office in Los Altos California USA. "They are getting stronger and stronger.  Our monthly 10k series is a first for Kenya and  is helping our athletes (and guests) both mentally and physically."

Overall Resuls:

  Names                           Age       Gender          Time 

1. Peter Wanyoike          26             M           29:53.7

2. Zakaria Kirika             21             M            29:54.4

3. Peter Mburu               26             M            30:13.8

4. Erick Mutuku             20             M            31:41.3

5. Raphael Gacheru       22             M            32:28.4

6. Boniface Mungai     23             M             33:05.6

7. Levis Kuria                  21             M            33:11.6

8. Eston Mugo               29          M           33:22.1

9. Lucy Muli                   23           F             33:22.5

10. Paul Ng’ang’a         42           M            33:33.4

11. Alfred Kamande    24           M            34:19.1

12: Samuel Chege       24           M            34:32.7

13. Wilfred Mang’eni 32           M            35:22.8

14. John Mwangi        40            M           41:05.8

15. Karren Chepkemoi 19          F           42:30.5

16. Samuel Muiruri     27           M           42:30.8

17. Susan Njeri            36            F          45:30.2

Seven tips to improve your technique and efficiency in long distance running

There’s always been a constant debate about which is better: long-distance or short-distance running? Although health professionals have squashed rumors of one being significantly better than the other, runners have disagreed with all having their reasons.

For a run to be classified as a long-run, you must have covered 5000 meters. Although all distances count health-wise, there are more benefits to running extra miles. Studies have shown that running for an hour can add seven hours to your life. Regardless of your favorite type of running, that surely sounds like an irresistible offer.

But running long distances isn’t just about wearing those sneakers and hitting the road; there are things you need to know for better technique and efficiency. This exercise is similar to most forms of exercising, and it doesn’t matter if you’re trying to have a go at a deadlift or you want to push your limits with barbells; you’ll need the proper techniques to ensure your efforts are fruitful.

Tips To Enhance Your Technique And Efficiency In Long Distance Running

The benefits of long-distance running go beyond physical health. In addition to low cholesterol and enhanced cardiovascular health, long-distance running also helps relieve stress and maintain some form of sanity.

There are verified studies of the merits of long-distance running to a person’s mental health. Here are some tested and proven tips that you can use to improve your efficiency and technique in long-distance running.

1.    Choose The Right Gear

This tip is usually the most underrated yet vital step to a successful, long-running exercise. As simple as choosing the right gear might sound, it plays a significant role in the distance you can cover and the chances of sustaining an injury.

First, choose something comfortable. You don’t want to be running while complaining that your top is too tight or your shoes are too loose. Also, dress for the weather.

If it’s hot weather, you can wear a loose top and shorts. This prevents sweat from sticking to the body and allows more fresh air to combat the heat. It’s also advisable to wear a headband to prevent sweat from running into your eyes.

If the weather is cold, you could wear tights and a head warmer to protect you from the cold.

2.    Eat Healthy Foods

What you do when you’re not running can greatly affect your efficiency on the track. To be a better long-distance runner, you’ll have to ensure you eat good food.

Foods suitable for long-distance runners include cereals, whole-grain bread, rice, starchy vegetables, pasta, fruit, yogurt, and low-fat milk.

It’s also advisable to eat meals that you are familiar with. Trying new meals might cause a stomach upset, and nobody wants to cut their running short because of something they ate.

3.    Work On Pacing

If there’s one difference between long and short-distance running, it would be the pace. The ideal long-run pace is slow, a pace where holding a conversation is possible. Many long-distance runners put in lots of energy at the start and gas out before reaching their target.

Speed isn’t the goal in long-distance running; it’s all about effort, endurance, and crossing the finish line. Most professional long-distance runners finish their careers without exceeding a 5k pace.

4.    Your Mind Should Work For You

Preparing for a long run takes both physical and mental efforts. Physical techniques help ease the process, and mental techniques also do likewise.

Your body likes to achieve things, and setting short achievable goals is the way. For instance, breaking a long run into shorter segments in your mind can keep you going. Instead of telling yourself that you’re running 20km, you can divide it into four and tell yourself that you’re running four slow-paced 5km runs. After every 5km, you can rest or walk for a few minutes.

You can also plan a treat for yourself after the run; it could be your favorite meal or a video game. The thought of this can help you achieve your running target.

5.    Control Your Breathing

Good breathing techniques are paramount to a successful long-distance run. If you fail to manage the air you breathe properly, you’ll gas out quickly.

As stated above, you should be able to hold a conversation while running long distances, which comes down to your breathing. A good breathing technique is to take deep breaths with your diaphragm instead of shallow breaths with your chest. It’s also advisable to inhale with your nose and exhale through your mouth.

6.    Stay Hydrated And Get Rest

Long-distance running helps your body expel toxins, but you’ll also lose a lot of water.

You’re advised to drink water after every 30-45 minutes. Even before you hit the track, a good water intake is necessary. Ensure you drink water before, during, and after meals.

Drinking water after a long run might not be enough; you can add some recovery beverages rich in alkaline. Long-distance running takes its toll on the body, and a good rest after every session will help prepare you for the next.

There are some rules for the amount of rest required after a long run. If you participated in a 15-mile run, it’s advisable to take 15 days of rest before starting hard training again. Also, every long-distance runner should create time for good sleep.

7.    Try Out Some Techniques

You can also try out some of these techniques to help improve your efficiency.

Upright Running: This is also called running tall. The upright running technique is vital for people with tight hips and can help you maintain pace. To visualize this, imagine a string is pulling your head up.

Arm Movement: How you handle your arm is very important in long-distance running. Avoid clenching your fist because its tension can significantly affect your efficiency. Relax your hands and arms.

The Bottom Line

The benefits of long-distance running are endless, but only if you do it right. There are cases of people who sustained injuries or develop health issues from doing it wrong. These techniques and tips can help you scale through the hurdle of a stressful run. It will help make your run both beneficial and enjoyable.

Kenyan Edna Kiplagat targets top spot at 2022 Boston Marathon: I am not done yet

Kenya's 42-year-old two-time world champion wants a second Boston Marathon title on April 18, and reveals how she balances motherhood with running.

Since winning her Boston Marathon debut in 2017, the Kenyan running star Edna Kiplagat has made the podium of the oldest race twice.

Despite being 42-years-old, the double world champion believes she can finish top of the podium again at the 2022 Boston Marathon on 18 April.

“If everything goes well as per my training and my body responds well, I’m hoping to be on the podium (in Boston) or do even better," Kiplagat said in an exclusive interview with Olympics.Com from her training base in Longmont, Colorado, USA.

“I enjoy running and as a professional athlete I believe running never stops."

But even a podium place isn't a given in a star-studded women's field that also includes reigning Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir.

Running is a family affair for Kiplagat

Kiplagat remembers exactly when she started running, aged 16.

She is also very clear about when she first donned the Kenyan kit, saying: “I started representing Kenya in 1996 as a junior at the 1996 World (Cross Country) in South Africa."

What she doesn’t know is when she will finally hang up her competition trainers.

“I cannot say when I will stop. I know someday I will, but I am not done for now," she continued.

“I have my kids and other upcoming athletes looking up to me. I want to keep running to be a role model to them, motivate them and then use my experience later to help them in future.”

Kiplagat, who was scouted in high school by Brother Colm O’Connell - the legendary coach who moulded two-time Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha - sights her family as her key inspiration.

She is coached by husband and former runner Gilbert Koech, while her two children, Carlos (17), and Wendy (13), are already mastering distance running in school.

Kiplagat is also among a select group of athletes who have returned to the peak of their careers after giving birth.

“It’s not easy,” she admitted of raising her two biological children (born between 2004 and 2008) and three others that she adopted.

“After training, I have to come home and take care of my family as they are my priority. They need me and I must play my role as a mother.

“I have a great support team - my coach and my training partners, physio, and nutritionist who play an important role in my career. I get ample time to train and be with my family and even for recovery.”

Boston Marathon: A stepping stone to the Worlds and the Olympics

Two-and-a-half decades after her first race, Kiplagat is still runs between 110km - 130km in a week.

The passion and excitement the three-time World Marathon Major winner takes into every race has never wavered.

Last year at Boston she executed an incredible sprint finish to seal second behind Kenyan winner Diana Kipyokei.

“I know the course very well and I have had very good training in the build-up to this. I am expecting a very fast pace as most of the elites have run under 2.20 so they will push the pace from the start and even the course record may be lowered if the weather conditions are favourable,” the London 2012 Olympian said of what she expects to be a “very competitive race”.

Kiplagat has tuned up for her fifth Boston race with a ninth-place finish at the New York City Half Marathon on March 20.

“This was part of my speedwork to see how my body responds after the months of training."

The flame of ambition still burns brightly for Kiplagat, who in 2013 successfully defended her marathon world title.

A second win in Boston will make her only the second Kenyan woman to do so.

The first was 2008 Olympic silver medallist Catherine Ndereba, who clinched four-consecutive Boston titles.

Kiplagat, who finished fourth at the 2019 Worlds in Doha, now hopes to join the elite club of Kenyans who have won 13 of the last 21 Boston Marathon women's titles.

Kiplagat's 26-year career as a long-distance runner

Marathons are a gruelling endeavour that tests body and mind in equal measure.

But Kiplagat who honed her career in Kenyan running's spiritual home of Iten, and that may help explain her unbelievable longevity in the sport.

She is the first able-bodied athlete to record ten top-three finishes in World Marathon Majors New York, London, Boston and Tokyo, and wants to extend her top-flight marathon career - that dates back to 2010 when she won her debut 42km race in Los Angeles - to the Paris 2024 Olympics at least.

“I have been persistent with my routine. I believe in myself and fully trust my coach," she said.

"We have stuck to our plans, strategy on what we want to do and what we expect from each race. I always try to understand what is needed from me and plan how to execute my races on race day.

“I have tried to be consistent in everything I do. I am disciplined and I’m still looking forward to do even better.”

Younger athletes can also pick up valuable experiences from the running trailblazer.

“They need to have a plan for their races to avoid burnout. (They) must also have ample time for recovery, a good build-up and preparation. If you want to keep running for long it also needs a proper plan and patience with yourself.”

Quad-City Times Bix 7 to Hold In-Person and Virtual Races in 2022

Runners and walkers will fill the streets of Davenport, Iowa on Saturday, July 30 in celebration of the 48th running of the Quad-City Times Bix 7.

The iconic 7-mile race and all race weekend events are set to take place at full capacity; Genesis Sports Medicine Brady Street Sprints (July 28), Arconic Jr Bix (July 29) & the Prairie Farms Quick Bix (July 30). In addition, the Virtual Bix 7, Quick Bix & Jr Bix will take place July 23-30.

The Iowa American Water Bix @ 6 training runs start at 6 p.m. on Thursdays, June 23 and 30, July 7 and 14, 2022. If you have registered for the Quad-City Times Bix 7, Prairie Farms Quick Bix or Arconic Jr Bix, join the hundreds that train every Thursday on a safe and secure course.

“The Quad-City Times Bix 7 is a fun, family event where you can run with the best – right here in the Midwest,” said Quad-City Times Bix 7 Race Director Michelle Juehring. “We’re excited to welcome you, your family and friends – 48 is going to be great!”

Juehring announced a new and exciting addition to the 2022 race; Caesar’s Sportsbook Team Challenge, sponsored by the Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf. Comprised of 5 athletes each, teams will race the 7-mile course for cash prizes and bragging rights. Competition is limited to 40 teams.

In addition to the inaugural team competition, the Quad-City Times Bix 7 is proud to continue to offer these traditional competitions within the 7-mile race: Elite athletic competition, the High School Challenge & the First Responder’s Challenge from Premier Buick GMC Dealers and All-City Challenge from Scott County Regional Authority.

Additional details from the April 6 press conference may be found online at www.qctimes.com , www.kwqc.com, @QCTBix7 on Facebook,  @BixSeven on Twitter, quadcitytimesbix7 on Instagram and www.bix7.com.

A new study says high cushioned shoes improve exercise performance

Some brands revolutionized the shoe market in the past 10 years by designing shoes with a higher stack height to improve recovery. There have always been polarizing opinions on whether high-cushioned shoes have any benefits for performance. 

New research out of the University of Exeter in the U.K. and Nike Global Sport Research Laboratory measured the running economy and overall performance between two different prototype shoes–a mid-cushioned model (273 grams) vs. a highly cushioned model (232 grams) during an incremental running test–and found some performance benefits to the more highly-cushioned shoe.

The study was conducted on 32 runners (22 male and 10 female) while wearing each shoe type. Each participant completed an incremental treadmill test in a high cushioned shoe and a mid-cushioned shoe. Their oxygen cost and maximal performance were measured before and after a 30-minute downhill run in each model. Forty-eight hours after the downhill run, the runners were again required to perform the test, to measure long-term muscle damage.

Researchers found that the running economy was 5.7 per cent better in the highly cushioned shoe than in the mid-cushioned model, which equated to approximately one minute and 15 seconds over a 30-minute run. As the runners dealt with higher speeds, the higher cushioned model was able to handle each increment of speed at a lower VO2 level in comparison to the mid-cushioned model.

They also found that the oxygen cost in the presence of muscle damage was significantly lower in a higher cushioned shoe, and that there was 4.6 per cent less muscle damage from the downhill run in the higher-cushioned shoes.

These results indicate that a high cushioned shoe may not only improve your recovery but also your performance in the absence of muscle damage.

The shoes that were tested were from Nike, but the precise models were not named in the study.

Molly Seidel despite being a favorite for the 2022 Boston Marathon, still struggles with confidence

The 27-year-old battled with an eating disorder to qualify for the USA Olympic team in her first ever marathon. Despite winning bronze at Tokyo 2020 and being a favorite for the 2022 Boston Marathon, she still struggles with confidence.

Molly Seidel is a rare kind of marathon talent.

The Wisconsin native first made athletics headlines when she qualified in second place for the U.S. Olympic team for Tokyo 2020, in her first ever marathon.

Despite this, many onlookers thought that her inexperience would show at the Olympic race in Sapporo. And how wrong they turned out to be.

In what was just her third career marathon, she finished on the podium with an Olympic bronze medal around her neck. The only runners to beat her were a triple world half marathon record holder in Peres Jepchirchir, and marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei.

Using that momentum, Seidel finished fourth at the New York City Marathon in November 2021. Her time of 2:24:42 made her the fastest American woman ever.

On April 18, 2022, she goes to the 2022 Boston Marathon as one of the favorites, seeking the host nation's first win since Desiree Linden in 2018.

But despite her recent successes the American star still struggles with 'imposter syndrome'.

"I struggle with confidence and I struggle with wondering whether or not I belong at this level, whether I belong as a competitor on the world stage," Seidel told CNN.

The making of a front runner

Growing up in Wisconsin, Seidel was always a front runner in school sport. She broke course records and won several state track titles.

The first time her school's cross-country coach Mike Dolan first saw her attack an uphill run, he knew she was special.

“She would be a minute ahead of all the guys and all the girls," Dolan told Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"I knew at that time she would be a heck of a runner."

Seidel proved her coach right as she went on to win an NCAA cross country title in 2015, two NCAA indoors (3,000m & 5000m) and an outdoor 10,000m title to become the most decorated distance runner in state history.

Some onlookers even thought she could be a potential U.S. Track Olympic Team athlete for Rio 2016.

Mental health struggles

From the outside, Seidel seemed to be in the best shape of her life, but underneath she was experiencing a deep inner turmoil.

She first went public on her struggles with depression, OCD, crippling anxiety and bulimia in a podcast ran by her close friend Julia Hanlon called "Running On Om", just two months before the 2020 Olympic Trials.

“People who are close to me knew what I was going through during my time at Notre Dame (University), from 2012 to 2016. They knew my OCD had manifested itself into disordered eating,” she revealed in a follow-up interview with ESPN.

“When I was in the NCAA, it was obvious I was battling an eating disorder. It was so obvious that people would write on track and field message boards that I looked sick." - Molly Seidel to ESPN.

“They knew I struggled to eat anything I deemed unhealthy They knew I thought I had to be super lean and super fit all the time, never even allowing myself to eat a bowl of mac and cheese or go out to eat with friends without worrying about what I would order. I've never tried to hide what I went through with my family and friends.”

In 2016 she went into a treatment program for her eating disorder, which she’s still dealing with alongside the anxiety and depression.

When Seidel returned to training, she decided to stop running 5k and 10k and stepped up to the marathon.

“I always kind of dreamed of doing the marathon," Seidel told CNN.

"I think there's just this kind of like glamor and mystery around it, and especially for a younger runner who enjoys doing the distance events in high school, that's kind of the ultimate goal. Everybody wants to do the marathon."

From first marathon to Olympic medal

Her debut 42km race at the USA Trials in Atlanta landed her a place on her nation's Olympic team with race winner Aliphine Tuliamuk and third placed Sally Kipyego.

"I struggled with this kind of imposter syndrome after the trials, specifically as probably the person no one expected to make the team and the person that got probably the most criticism like: Hey, why is this girl on the team?" she continued.

"I think I really struggled with that, and I struggled going into the Games and feeling like I belonged there and trying to prove that I wasn't a mistake on that team."- Molly Seidel to CNN.

Her second marathon effort was the daunting 2020 London Marathon, where she finished sixth .

Then, just 18 months after her first marathon Seidel, who is affectionately known as “Golly Molly” earned bronze and became the third American woman ever to medal in the Olympic marathon.

In November 2021, a broken Seidel returned for her fourth marathon in New York, where she placed fourth with a personal best time despite fracturing two ribs as she prepared for the event.

It was an absolute disaster of a build up,” she recalled.

"It was really hard, not only with the mental stress that we had going on after the Games of just feeling, frankly, no motivation. And just trying to find that drive to re-up for another hard race right after an enormous race that I'd been training effectively two years for.”

Those injuries are now behind the 27-year-old, who has been training in Flagstaff.

Though she dropped out of the New York Half in March due 'setbacks in training', Seidel heads back to Boston where she lived for four years with high hopes for something special.

“Boston was like the place that made me a pro-runner. It was the first place I moved after I finished college.It was the place that kind of like rebuilt me as a runner after going through a lot of challenges through college,” she said to CBS Boston.

“Just getting to do the race in the place that made me the runner that I am and with the people that helped me become the runner that I am, it’s just enormously meaningful to me. That what makes it a lot more special than any other race.”

What is the real secret behind motivation? If you want to stay engaged in and excited about your training, you have to harness your inner drive

We often talk about motivation as being a key factor in running success, and elite athletes seem to have it in spades. Any time our training falls to the wayside, we often blame a lack of motivation as the reason. So how do you stay motivated to avoid these lapses in training? Where do elite athletes get their motivation? The answer is not external but comes from your own individual inner drive. Here’s how to cultivate it.

Extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation

Runners often use goals, like aiming for a new personal best or getting a BQ, or rewards, like having their favourite meal at the end of a long run, to motivate themselves to stick to their training plans. These are examples of extrinsic motivation, and can be effective in acute situations. When you’re at kilometre 35 of a marathon or entering the final mile of a 5K, reminding yourself of your goal can be very useful when things are starting to get tough and your brain is telling you to call it quits.

In your day-to-day training, however, extrinsic goals don’t tend to work as well, because while they provide a large dose of motivation, that fire quickly burns out. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, provides that slow-burning, long-lasting motivation that you need to lace up your shoes day after day, month after month and year after year.

The idea behind intrinsic motivation is that you have to want to put in the work. One of the biggest factors that separate elite athletes from non-elites is that they not only enjoy the training process, but are addicted to it. Success isn’t purely about achieving their goals, it’s about showing up every day, putting in the work and actually enjoying the process of slowly becoming a better athlete.

The good news is that elite athletes aren’t the only ones with this inner drive. You have one too, and all you have to do is tap into it to start harnessing its power.

How to tap into your inner drive

Everyone has days when they don’t feel like going out for their run, hitting the gym or doing whatever else their training involves, but if you’re constantly feeling like running is something you have to do, rather than something you want to do, that’s a sign that you’re lacking inner drive. Here are a few tips for tapping into your inner drive so you can ultimately achieve success:

Learn how to explore. Inner drive often happens when your interests and skills collide, so give yourself the opportunity to explore your interests and find what excites you. Within the context of running, that often means choosing distances or goals that you actually enjoy doing. For example, runners tend to elevate the marathon as being the ultimate event that all runners must aspire to, but you may find that training for the mile is a lot more interesting or exciting to you, and that’s great.

If you think you’re losing your inner drive, consider switching up what you’re training for to reignite your excitement and passion for the sport. Trying a completely new distance or switching from the roads to the trails could be just what you need.

Create a healthy environment. Runners tend to be very strict with their training and put a lot of pressure on themselves to achieve their goals. In small doses, this can be beneficial, but in the long run can lead to frustration and burnout. Give yourself room to fail. Listen to your body and allow yourself to make changes to your training when necessary. Choose goals because they feel right to you, not because your running buddies or your coach are telling you they should.

Don’t chase outcomes. Define what progress looks like to you, and chase that instead. Focus on getting a little bit better every day, and don’t allow the desire for perfection to get in the way that progress. Improvement is rarely linear, and success often doesn’t look exactly the way we think it will.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t set goals, but they shouldn’t be the main driver that gets you off the couch and out the door every day. Choose goals that are appropriate to your current level (without comparing yourself to others, or even your past self), and use them as a guide only.

Two-time Olympic finalist signs with NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, Devon Allen previously declined the chance to play professional football to focus on track after university

Three-time U.S. 110m hurdles champion and two-time Olympic finalist Devon Allen is leaving the track after the 2022 season to pursue a career in professional football, signing a deal with the Philadephia Eagles.

Allen, 27, is a former wide receiver for the University of Oregon, helping the Oregon Ducks win the Pac-12 Championship in 2014. Allen had the chance to go pro after college, but passed on a chance to play in the NFL to become an Olympic sprint star.

At the University of Oregon’s NFL pro day, Allen told the media that his focus right now is to win the 110m hurdles at the 2022 World Championships in July.

The hurdler caught 54 passes for 921 yards and eight touchdowns over three seasons at Oregon, tearing his ACL on two separate occasions. When Allen returned after his second tear, he devoted himself to the track, winning both U.S. Olympic Trials and an NCAA championship in 2016.

Allen finished fifth at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio with a time of 13.31 seconds and was fourth at 13.14 seconds in Tokyo five years later. In his last race of the 2021 season, Allen won his first Diamond League title, breaking the 13-second 110m hurdles barrier, becoming the 13th U.S. sprinter to do so.

Allen is not the only track and field to attempt a transition into professional football. Willie Gault, a member of the U.S. team that set a world 4x100m record of 37.86 at the inaugural World Athletics Championships in 1983, spent 11 years in the NFL as a wide receiver with the Chicago Bears and played on their 1985 Super Bowl-winning team.

The 1964 Olympic 100m champion, Bob Hayes, also played in the NFL as a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, helping them win Super Bowl VI in 1971.

These simple training tactics will improve your aerobic engine and help you achieve your running goals

One of the biggest challenges runners face is how to translate their speed over a shorter distance, like a 5K, into a good result over a longer distance, like a marathon. Runner, sports rehabilitation therapist and coach, James Dunne, comes across this issue with many of his athletes.

In the video, he explains three ways that pro athletes accomplish this and how recreational runners can apply these principles to their training to be able to run faster for longer.

Improve your aerobic engine

The first and arguably most important way elite athletes build up their speed endurance is by improving their aerobic engine. Dunne explains that the only way to do this is to build a bigger base of aerobic fitness through three types of sessions in your weekly running program: the long run, midweek aerobic runs and tempo workouts.

The long run: The pace should be slow and steady, firmly in your aerobic zone. You should be able to maintain a back-and-forth conversation fairly easily during your long run. The length of your longest long run will vary depending on the length of your goal race.

Midweek aerobic runs: As Dunne explains, if you’re running three times per week, doing one long run, one threshold (or tempo) run and one easy run, the best way to see improvement is to add another easy aerobic day, rather than another workout. This allows you to accumulate more weekly mileage without placing undue stress on your body. Dunne encourages most runners to build toward running around six hours per week.

Tempo workouts: These workouts are run at the point when your aerobic system is topping out and your anaerobic system is starting to kick in (a.k.a. your lactate threshold). In other words, a tempo run should be done at a pace that feels “sustainably uncomfortable.”

As you do these types of workouts, your body will be able to run at an increasingly faster pace before you reach your lactate threshold, allowing you to run further, faster.

Mike Fanelli Remembering Mark Conover

As you have most likely heard, our dear friend Mark Conover made his way to heaven last night (April 6, 2022). 

Like you, I knew that it was coming...but frankly, that doesn't make it any easier to reckon with. I've been physically ill since hearing the news early this morning.

It has taken me all day long to muster up the oooommmppph to write a little something about him...and I hope that doing so provides a cathartic effect....for all of us.

We first knew each others as competitors at the same distances in the same Far Western Conference in the early eighties. Scratch that...we ran in the same track races in different colored uniforms, but on my very best day I couldn't hold a candle to Mark.

Post-collegiately, I was working as the running promotions guy at Reebok and Mark was one of our sponsored athletes...as you will note from his red, white, and blue striped uni from that career highlight.

In 1988, as a young journalist in the sport, I was commissioned to cover the 1988 Olympic Marathon Trials. I am pretty sure that I got the job because no one else wanted to go from California to Hoboken, New Jersey where they were being held.

There, I got to ride the press truck and at times, our vehicle was bogged down in the tiny rutted streets so much so that we nearly impeded the runners...we could practically reach out and touch them.

That, and I was absolutely flabbergasted to see Mark running right up front alongside the heavyweight, Ed Eyestone.

It took everything I could rally to show impartiality, while inside I was clearly wildly rooting for my buddy in the sweat socks.

Once in Seoul, South Korea for those 1988 Games,  I made a point of being in the stadium early morning to catch the marathon start, and had devised a plan to take subways to different spots on the course to cheer my head off for Mark, my brother Gary, and Pete Pfitzinger. It was SO cool to watch a Lumberjack pal racing against the best in the world in the ultimate marathon of all...the Olympic Games.

Back stateside, Mark and I shared more deeply personal trials and tribulations. In particular, both of our Dads passed within close proximity to one another, and we kinda' talked each other through some of that.

But while all of the above speaks to our history together, I wanted to share with you how we very first became actual pals.

It was 1981, and us San Francisco State Gator tracksters made the bus trip up to Humboldt State to compete in their famed 'Bowl' for a dual meet competition.

Of course, Mark and I were entered in the same event, the 5,000 meters...and if I recall, he already had THE leading time in NCAA Dll at that point in the season.

I purposely lined up right next to him, the lone purple clad runner in a sea of green.

When the starter called us to our marks and raised his pistol, I nudged Mark and pointed to his shoes and said, 'your spikes, they're untied" (they weren't).

The gun fires a thousandth of a second later and I am off in a hurry and into an immediate lead while Mark is still inspecting his footwear.

A lead that lasted PERHAPS 180 yards before King Conover came shuffling on by, and left both me and the rest of the field in his wake.

Forty years later, EVERY time we saw one another, that 'incident' crept into the conversation...and always always always, still cracked us both up.

Mark Conover was a unique, cool, witty, down-to-earth cat on SO many levels.

I am honored to have known him and called him my friend.

Rest in forever peace my man.

Everything you need to know about Boston Marathon 2022

Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir will headline the 126th edition of the Boston Marathon, which returns to its customary Patriots Day (April 18) for the first time since 2019.

The men's race, meanwhile, will see seven of the last eight winners will compete including Kenya's reigning champion Benson Kipruto.

Elsewhere in the women's race Jepchirchir's Kenyan compatriots Joyciline Jepkosgei and Edna Kiplagat, and Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel will offer a stern challenge.

Below, we take a look at the top athletes to watch out for in one of the top events of the 2022 athletics calendar, the route they will follow in Boston, the schedule and how to watch the action.

Tokyo star Jepchirchir targets podium

The quality of the women’s race is impressive, with 12 women on the start list having run under 2.23.00

A year after she claimed the Olympic title and the New York City Marathon, Jepchichir has one target: to be the first woman to cross the finish line on Boylston Street.

“My high expectations is to be a winner and I would like to arrive at the day of the race in my best shape,” said Jepchirchir.

The Kenyan will compete with a familiar rival from the Tokyo 2020 podium in Olympic bronze medalist Seidel. The former Boston resident is the third American woman in history to medal in the Olympic marathon.

Two former Boston Marathon champions in 42-year-old Edna Kiplagat (2017 winner), and American Des Linden (2018) will also toe the Boston course again.

The 2022 race will also mark the 50th anniversary of the first official women’s race in 1972.

To mark the occasion, an honorary team comprised of eight women who have made a powerful impact in athletics and human rights will compete. Among the group will be Valerie Rogosheske, one of the original eight finishers in 1972.

All eyes on the returning men's champions

A very strong contingent of men's runners will lock horns on the second stop of the World Marathon Majors, following Eliud Kipchoge's comfortable victory in Tokyo.

Keep an eye on Benson Kipruto, the defending champion from Kenya and his compatriot Lawrence Cherono (2019 Boston winner), Japan’s ‘citizen runner’ Kawauchi Yuki (2018), Kenya’s Geoffrey Kirui (2017), and Ethiopian pair of Lemi Berhanu (2016), and Lelisa Desisa (2015 and 2013).

Geoffrey Kamworor, the two-time New York Marathon winner who trains with Kipchoge in Kaptagat, is back in form after being hit by a motorbike in June 2020 and sitting out for a year.

Elite Americans runners Colin Bennie, hoping to improve on his seventh-place finish from 2021, Jake Riley and Jared Ward, will also be challenging for top honors.

The course

The Boston Marathon hasn't changed from last year, but does see the number of participants increased to 30,000.

The race starts in Hopkinton, MA and ends on Boylston Street in Boston, MA. The course is flat with the most challenging stretch of the race being the steep incline between 29km-34km (Miles 18-21).The notorious Heartbreak Hill is the last of the four hills in Newton.

The schedule of events

This year’s races will start earlier than previous years with expected rolling starts.

Men's Wheelchair - 8:02 am ET.

Women's Wheelchair - 8:05 am ET.

Handcycles & Duos - 8:30 am ET.

Professional Men - 8:37 am ET.

Professional Women - 8:45 am ET.

Para Athletics Divisions - 8:50 am ET.

Rolling Start Begins - 9:00 am ET.

Rolling Start Ends - 11:30 am ET.

How to watch

For Boston residents, they can follow the race live by finding a good spot on the spectator guide, or can kick back in their living room as the marathon will be aired lived on CBS Boston’s WBZ-TV from 7:00am (EDT).

NBC Sports Network and the NBC Sports App are the exclusive national television and streaming partner for the Boston Marathon for wider America.

Live race coverage will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network and the NBC Sports App 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET.

Abdi Nageeye and Haven Hailu triumph at Rotterdam Marathon

Olympic silver medalist Abdi Nageeye produced a well-timed finish to win the Rotterdam Marathon, his first career victory over the classic distance, while Ethiopia’s Haven Hailu won the women’s contest in convincing fashion at the World Athletics Elite Label road race on Sunday (10).

The two races played out in contrasting ways. A large lead pack formed early on in the men’s race as they passed through 10km in 29:29 and half way in 1:02:16. The pack started to whittle itself down in the second half though, and by 30km – reached in 1:28:31 – just seven men remained in the group: Nageeye, Olympic bronze medalist Bashir Abdi, Ethiopia’s Leul Gebreselassie, Kenya’s Dominic Kiptarus, Reuben Kiprop Kipyego, Kenneth Kipkemoi and Philemon Kacheran.

Kipyego and Gebreselassie continued to push the pace in the closing stages and it was enough to drop most of the athletes left in the lead pack. Abdi, who set a European record of 2:03:36 when winning at last year’s rescheduled Rotterdam Marathon in October, started to drift behind just before 40km, leaving Nageeye, Kipyego and Gebreselassie to battle it out for the podium places.

Kipyego couldn’t quite match the finishing pace of Gebreselassie and Nageeye as the duo sprinted for the line. In the end Nageeye just edged ahead to cross the line in 2:04:56, taking more than a minute off the Dutch record he set in this same city in 2019. Gebreselassie was given the same time in second place, the fifth sub-2:05 clocking of his career, while Kipyego took third in 2:05:12, 11 seconds ahead of Abdi.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Haven Hailu and Kenyan duo Daisy Cherotich and Stella Barsosio made an early break, reaching 10km in 32:55 – bang on pace to challenge the course record of 2:18:58 set 10 years ago by 2012 Olympic champion Tiki Gelana.

They were unable to maintain that pace for too much longer, but still reached the half-way point in a swift 1:09:56, just inside 2:20 pace. Almost two minutes behind them, relative newcomer Nienke Brinkman of the Netherlands was running in no-woman’s land.

A few kilometres later, Hailu broke away from Cherotich and Barsosio. Cherotich held on for a little longer than her compatriot, but by 35km – which Hailu reached in 1:57:34 – Brinkman had moved up to second place.

Brinkman continued to make up ground in the closing stages, but Hailu’s lead was safe and the 24-year-old crossed the finish line in 2:22:01. It was the second-fastest time of her career, after the 2:20:19 PB she set in Amsterdam last year, but her first marathon victory to date.

Brinkman, who only took up running in 2020, was rewarded with a huge PB of 2:22:51 in second place, breaking the Dutch record set in 2003 by Lornah Kiplagat. Kazakhstan’s Zhanna Mamazhanova finished well to take third place in 2:26:54, taking more than a minute off the national record that was set back in 1987.

Leading results

Women

1 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:22:01

2 Nienke Brinkman (NED) 2:22:51

3 Zhanna Mamazhanova (KAZ) 2:26:54

4 Munkhzaya Bayartsogt (MGL) 2:29:25

5 Tristin Van Ord (USA) 2:29:32

6 Carolina Wikstrom (SWE) 2:29:51

7 Alisa Vainio (FIN) 2:29:56

8 Daisy Cherotich (KEN) 2:30:42

Men

1 Abdi Nageeye (NED) 2:04:56

2 Leul Gebreselassie (ETH) 2:04:56

3 Reuben Kiprop Kipyego (KEN) 2:05:12

4 Bashir Abdi (BEL) 2:05:23

5 Kenneth Kipkemoi (KEN) 2:06:22

6 Rodgers Ondati Gesabwa (KEN) 2:09:40

7 Abida Ezamzami (MAR) 2:09:52

8 Philemon Kacheran (KEN) 2:10:12.

5 tips for surviving an injury

Injuries are a significant emotional and mental challenge. Having to put your training plans aside and miss your goal races, or simply being unable to participate in your favourite activity is a nightmare for many runners. If you’re currently sidelined with an injury, follow this advice to help you handle the emotional side effects of time off until you can get back out on the roads and trails again.

Focus on what you can do

As much as possible, avoid doing any activities that aggravate your injury. This will only slow down the recovery process and delay your return to running. Instead, focus on the activities that you can do, and do them consistently. If you can cycle, get into a cycling routine. If you can swim, consider getting a temporary membership at the local pool. Not only will this give you something to do while you can’t run, but it will build your fitness in different ways, which could actually help you become a better runner once you’re able to return to training.

If you’re not sure which activities will be safe for your injury, talk to a physiotherapist or other sports medicine expert who can help you devise a cross-training plan. As always, listen to your body and if your injured area doesn’t feel good after a certain activity, scratch that one off the list.

Do a variety of activities

To take the first point a little further, as much as your injury allows, try incorporating a variety of cross-training activities into your weekly schedule to keep your training interesting and fun. Heading to the gym to cycle for an hour every day on the stationary bike can quickly get boring, but cycling one day, using the elliptical the next and hopping on the rowing machine the day after that will keep things fresh and challenge you in different ways.

Make rehab exercises your new obsession

If you’re dealing with an injury, you’ve hopefully already gone to a physiotherapist and been given some exercises to help heal it. Since you’re not spending hours of your week out running, dedicate at least a portion of that time to doing those exercises. Schedule them into your day the same way you would have scheduled a run to ensure you’re doing them consistently, which will speed up the healing process so you can return to running faster.

Find joy in other activities

Running can be a pretty time-consuming hobby, so when you’re injured, use some of the extra time you have on your hands to lean a little more heavily into another hobby that you may have been neglecting. Play an instrument. Make some art. Build something. Garden. Whatever you’re into, an injury provides an opportunity for you to re-engage with some of your non-running hobbies, and to remind you that you’re more than just a runner.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself

One of the hardest parts about a running injury is that it’s difficult to know when you’ll be able to return to training. Some injuries take a couple of weeks to heal, others can take months. Be patient, and don’t put pressure on yourself to return by a certain date, or to stay as fit as possible while you’re on the sidelines. You will get back to running at some point, and while it may take a bit of time, you will return to the level of fitness you once had. Rushing this process will only cause you to injure yourself all over again.

On a similar note, don’t put too much pressure on yourself when it comes to your cross-training, either. If you can’t force yourself to stay on the stationary bike for an entire hour, try just doing 30 or 45 minutes. Do what you can do to stay active so the transition back to running is easier, but forget about perfection.

Father of quintuplets sets a unique stroller Guinness World Record

On March 20, a father of quintuplets set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest half-marathon while pushing five children in a stroller. Chad Kempel of San Lorenzo, Calif., who is dad to seven kids, including a set of quintuplets: Gabriella, Grayson, Lincoln, Noelle and Preston Kempel, set a unique record at the Oakland Marathon.

According to Guinness, Kempel’s quintuplet stroller record was the first of its kind. Guinness gave him a cutoff of two hours and 30 minutes to complete the half marathon, which he had no problem with, finishing the 21.1-kilometre race in two hours and 19 minutes (11 minutes under the cutoff time).

During the race, Kempel recalls his children saying, “faster, faster dad, faster,” about 20 or more times. The trick with stroller running is that you’re forced to change the mechanics of your running as you are pushing the stroller. Physically, it’s a lot more work than regular running, as you’re multitasking, keeping an eye on the kids while trying to focus on your cadence and pace.

The Oakland Half Marathon course is not flat; runners are challenged by several hills around halfway. Kempel said to the local news that the stroller felt like it was going to roll back on him on each hill, exhausting all of his energy.

Kempel also holds the Guinness World Record for running a marathon while pushing five children in a stroller. He achieved this record at the Modesto Marathon in 2019 when his set of quintuplets were still babies.

The father of seven admits that he fell in love with running as his escape and anti-depressant. Kempel holds a personal best time of 1:44:41 for the half without a stroller and hopes to share his love for running with his kids as they grow.

How running like an animal makes us human

How does running like an animal make us more human? According to Jason Karp, author of Work Out: The Revolutionary Method of Creating a Sound Body to Create a Sound Mind, running is about more than just achieving goals. Running allows us to live life fully by attending to our physical needs first, so that our minds can operate clearly. If you need an extra hit of motivation to get yourself out the door today, this 14-minute video will do the trick.

In his talk, Karp argues that while we’re often told to practice mindfulness to keep ourselves mentally well, this advice is incomplete. He says we are physical animals first, and by meeting the needs of our bodies, we can better meet the needs of our minds.

Karp goes on to explain that every human has three parts—body, brain and mind. When these three parts work together and are equally balanced, life is great. Unfortunately, this rarely happens, and the body, brain and mind are often in conflict with one another, all trying to be the boss.

“But there can only be one boss,” he says. “People tend to think that the brain sits atop the pyramid, controlling the body, but it’s actually the other way around. The body is the chief executive officer and the brain is the chief operating officer. While your brain controls your body’s entire operation, it works in service to your body.”

Karp goes on to talk about how running improves the function of your mind, makes you more creative and relieves stress. Using scientific examples, he emphasizes that by taking care of your body first, the health of both your brain and your mind will follow.

So if you’re struggling to push yourself out the door today, or are looking for an extra hit of motivation to get you through your next training block, bookmark this video so you can pull it out any time you need to be reminded of your “why”. And, as Karp says, “Run to be creative, run to be imaginative, run to be confident, run to be successful, run to be productive, run to be helpful—just run.”

Texas resident becomes youngest woman to complete 1,000 marathons

Angela Tortorice of Dallas, Texas, has accomplished one of the world’s toughest running records. She has become the youngest woman to complete 1,000 marathons, at 54 years old. She finished her 1,000th marathon at the Irving Marathon in Irving, Texas, on April 2.

Tortorice lined up for her first marathon in support of her former husband, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1997. Since then, she has taken part in 999 marathons across North America and all 50 U.S. states.

For the past 25 years, Tortorice has averaged 40 marathons a year. She also holds the Guinness World Record for most marathons run by a woman in a single calendar year: 129, between Sept. 1, 2012, and Aug. 31, 2013.

For the most part, Tortorice chooses to walk/run a majority of her races – completing them between six and seven hours (nine and half minutes per kilometre). Her personal best time is five hours.

Throughout her marathon journey, she has raised over $170,000 for MS.

“I’m not stopping at 1,000, I am in it for the long run,” Tortorice told local news. Her life goal is to make a difference in finding a cure for MS.

Tortorice works as an accounting specialist for Vistra Corp., a Texas-based energy subsidiary, whose headquarters are based out of Irving. The new Guinness World Record holder finished her 1,000th marathon in seven hours and 11 minutes to become the first woman in the U.S. and the youngest woman in the world to now complete the feat.

Camille Herron becomes youngest runner to join 100K Lifetime Miles club

The 50 and 100-mile world record holder, Camille Herron, has become the youngest runner to join the 100,000 Lifetime Miles club. At 40, she has had an illustrious running career in marathons and ultras, but on Thursday evening, she knocked off her 100,000th lifetime mile surrounded by her friends and family.While there are no official records for such achievements, 100K Lifetime Miles uses the honour system. Herron began keeping track of her mileage on her wall calendar back in 1995, while she was in high school. She later transitioned her miles into an Excel spreadsheet, which she still uses today.Herron is the 117th runner to join the club.

The distance is equivalent to approximately four trips around Earth. Herron has averaged 3,700 miles (5,950 km) per year since 1995. In her biggest year, 2011, she hit 5,848.48 miles.

As she finished her run, Herron was ecstatic about the achievement but immediately said “Let’s keep going,” in typical ultrarunner fashion.She claimed she will celebrate this accomplishment with a steak dinner and possibly post-run donuts.

In February, Herron broke her 100-mile world record time of 12:42:40 at the Jackpot Ultras in Nevada. She is also the only ultrarunner to win all three of the 50K, 100K, and 24-hour World Championships.

Military wife Mary Vaughn will be running Boston Marathon helps raise money for families of deployed soldiers

While thousands of Fort Bragg soldiers are deployed to Europe, one military spouse is using her passion for running to support her deployed husband and the thousands of other Army spouses affected by this deployment by running the Boston Marathon -- raising thousands of dollars for the USO.

For Army spouse and mother of three Mary Vaughn, running has been an important tool in dealing with the stress of military life.

"It's been most useful during deployment, having something to work toward every single day and look forward to while John has been deployed," Vaughn said. "Without it, I would be very stressed."

Her husband, Capt. John Vaughn, is among the thousands deployed to Poland in February to provide support for Ukraine.

Vaughn used her husband's deployment as motivation to train for a mission all her own, running the Boston Marathon to raise money for the USO.

"Being strong for my kids and keeping things moving in the absence of our spouse, for me, it was a big undertaking this deployment, and to be honest, I'm really proud of what I have done this deployment," she said.Along with her fellow teammates, Vaughn has helped raise more than $100,000 that goes to helping military families just like hers during deployment.

"The money being raised by Mary's run is going to programs, whether it be a Warrior reset or family reset," said Brian Knight, Operations and Programs Manager for the Sandhills USO. "These are resiliency programs that are meant to help connect or reconnect families while they have things going on in their life and everyone is going through different points in their lives."

Vaughn knows that every step she takes on her 26.2-mile journey is more than an athletic accomplishment but something bigger than herself."I could have just hung out and waited and counted the days but knowing that what I'm doing is helping out other troops and military spouses is so much bigger, and I am really proud of what I have done," she said.

Vaughn heads to Boston next week to prepare for the big race, which takes place on April 18.

Step outside your comfort zone with a sit-and-kick 5K workout

The last kilometer of a 5K or 10K can be rewarding if you properly pace yourself and train for it. There are several ways you can add a little spice to your normal 1 km repeats, but one of the best ways to improve your finishing kick is to break down the rep into a sit-and-kick kilometer.

If the workout is six reps of one kilometer at your goal 5K pace, rather than trying to maintain that goal pace throughout the entire rep, run the first 600-800 meters at your goal 5K pace (sit), then speed things up over the final 200 meters (kick). For the last 200 meters, you shouldn’t be all-out sprinting, but you should intend to pick it up a step outside your comfort zone.

For example: If your 5K goal is under 24 minutes, then aim to run the 800m at 4:48/km pace (3:50 for the 800m), and try to speed up 10 seconds per kilometer over the final 200m.

Doing five or six reps of these K’s with two minutes’ rest between reps will give you the confidence to win that kick to the finish line on race day.

10K runners can also do a variation of this workout, doing eight to 10 reps of 1 km, but running 600 meters at 10K pace, and picking things up by five to 10 seconds per kilometer over the final 400m.

2022 Marathon des Sables Women’s Results

On the women’s side, first-time Marathon des Sables entrant Anna Comet (Spain) was untouchable. Comet ran in a league of her own for the majority of the race, building a lead of up to 53 minutes by the end of Stage 4. Sylvaine Cussot (France) set an equally solid course all week, generally finishing several minutes behind Comet but well in front of the rest of the field, to hold in second place all week.

The gun sounded at the 2022 Marathon des Sables’ fifth and final competitive stage on Friday, April 1. The first finishers broke the tape in the early afternoon, Moroccan local time. The final, noncompetitive Stage 6 takes place on Saturday, April 2.

Thanks to Anna Comet, the 2022 women’s Marathon des Sables was never close. She came into Stage 5 leading by almost an hour, and then broke the tape over an hour before second-place finisher Sylvaine Cussot in the cumulative rankings.

Aziza El Amrany (Morocco) rounded out the podium, a sharp debut performance for this Moroccan breakout runner.

2021 MdS women’s winner Aziza Raji (Morocco) finished fourth and Manuela Vilaseca (Spain) came in fifth.

Bethany Rainbow (United Kingdom) finished sixth as the only other woman to run the race in under 30 hours. She ran a valiant final stage to come in under the gun, finishing just 4:30 behind Comet for second place in the stage.

2022 Marathon des Sables Results: Mens

The Sahara Desert’s Marathon des Sables (MdS) is as scorching as it is revered. After an October comeback last year following a 2.5-year COVID-19-induced hiatus, the race returned to Morocco again this March.

Temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and plenty of blistering sunshine are hallmarks of the seven-day, 155-mile desert stage race. Finishing it — or simply running in it — is no joke. Each year, race organizers deploy 120,000 liters of water, a support staff numbering in the hundreds, and a wide array of vehicles, aircraft, and even camels to monitor the action and keep runners safe.

Last year, brutal heat and a virulent stomach bug caused an unusually high 40% dropout rate. In this edition, conditions in the field appear somewhat more stable. However, challenging desert weather still wreaked havoc at times throughout the week of racing.

The 2022 Marathon des Sables started with fair weather on Sunday, March 27. But high heat and howling wind beset the race’s second stage the next day. Though only moderately long, Stage 2 also negotiated plenty of steep terrain.

The wild second stage scrambled runners, especially some perennial race favorites. Eight-time MdS winner Rachid El Morabity (Morocco) led the field coming out of Stage 1 but lost 9 minutes during the marathon-length Stage 2. He landed in third place behind his younger brother, Mohamed El Morabity, a first for the pair as Mohamed has finished second in this race four times, and each behind his winning brother. Mohamed maintained his lead — by a razor-thin margin of 37 seconds — through Stage 4 on Wednesday.

Rachid El Morabity stormed back to win, outpacing the rest of the field — and his younger brother — in the race’s final stage. Mohamed led by around half a minute at all checkpoints on Stage 5, but Rachid overtook him late, and then pulled away.

His Marathon des Sables dominance continues — it’s the ninth time he’s won the race.

Mohamed El Morabity played second fiddle yet again. He claimed his fifth runner-up MdS finish all-time.

Aziz Yachou (Morocco) was the only other runner to finish under 19 hours cumulatively. A strong Stage 5, where he took second, left him 4 minutes back of Rachid El Morabity’s week-long pace. This is Yachou’s second MdS effort, and he improved on his fourth-place debut in 2021.

Merile Robert (France) took fourth and missed the podium for the first time since 2017, and Jordan Tropf (United States) took fifth.

Going once, going twice … gold! Men’s 100m Olympic medal up for auction

Harrison Dillard took gold at the London Games in 1948 and this weekend, nearly 75 years on, that medal is up for sale

Harrison Dillard should never have won the 1948 Olympic 100 metres gold medal on a blazing July day at Wembley Stadium. He shouldn’t have been in the final. This weekend, that gold medal is up for sale.

He entered the event at the American trials to sharpen his speed work for the high hurdles, his specialist event. Back then, the 25-year-old Clevelander was the greatest sprint hurdler the world had seen and had racked up 82 consecutive wins before the trials and held the world record of 13.6sec in the 120-yard hurdles. He was deemed unbeatable. Then catastrophe struck.

“All I had to do was finish third and I was in the team,” he said. “But on that particular day, as history shows, I finished dead last. I hit the first hurdle, got over the second and then hit every other hurdle in succession, stopping completely at the eighth. I had totally lost the rhythm of the race and my timing was so completely destroyed I just stopped and didn’t even finish.

“Here I was, the world record-holder and American champion and it all went for naught because under the American system you qualify on that day or you don’t make it at all.”But he had managed to squeak third spot in the 100m, so he was able to join the US team on the boat to London for what became known as the austerity Games, a unifying moment of hope and spectacle for the British public in a city scarred by six years of war and blighted by strict rationing.

The skinny Dillard, 143lb soaking wet and known to his teammates as “Bones”, then ran the race of his life to win one of the closest 100m finals in Olympic history.

The Omega photo finish camera, used for the first time at the Games, captured the inches that separated Dillard, running on the outside lane, and the US No 1, Barney Ewell, in Lane 2, who was so convinced he had won the race he bounded almost halfway around the track before realising the result had not gone his way.

On a cinder track, in front of 83,000 spectators, Dillard had posted a time of 10.3sec, with Ewell second in 10.4sec and Panama’s Lloyd LaBeach third. Scot Alistair McCorquodale was fourth, with the 100 yards world record-holder, Mel Patton, plagued once again by big competition nerves, fifth, and Britain’s highly fancied McDonald Bailey last.

“To see the flag, the Stars & Stripes, as it goes up the flagpole while the national anthem is playing, with the medal around your neck, that’s when I think it really hits you,” he said. “I remember the hair standing up on the back of my neck as I stood to attention in that proud and particular moment. I don’t think I teared up, but I felt terrific emotion.”Nearly 75 years on, his medal, along with other Olympic medals, is in the Ingrid O’Neil Olympic auction, in California. The estimate is somewhere north of $120,000 (£92,000). Olympic gold medals at auction are as rare as hen’s teeth and this is reckoned to be the first men’s 100m gold to come up for public sale. The big hope is one of the grander museums, either the Olympic Museum in Lausanne or the History Center in Cleveland, will acquire it and display it to the public. But the pandemic has played merry hell with museum budgets, so no one is sure where it will go or what price it will fetch.

What would Dillard have made of it all? He would certainly have taken it all with a customary big smile and in that very large stride of his. He was a charming, humble and articulate man who won the hearts of everyone he met.

He served in the second world war as one of the Buffalo Soldiers, a segregated black division who fought their way through Italy in some of the toughest battles of the conflict. He hardly mentioned it. Or the fact that none other than General George S Patton said, after watching Dillard win four events in a postwar GI track meet, that he was “the best goddam athlete I’ve ever seen in my life”.But he did love that he had emulated his childhood idol and fellow Cleveland high-schooler Jesse Owens. Dillard marvelled at the modern sprinters, especially Usain Bolt, but well into his 90th year he said: “Jesse and I could have taken him, if we trained real hard.”

His daughter Terri decided to sell the 100m medal – the first of four golds Dillard won at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics – but the other three will stay in the family. “It was a tough call to make but I’m hoping it will go to someone who will appreciate and honour it. Hopefully a museum where it can be on display.

“My dad never kept the medals on display at home, but he’d always get them out if anyone asked. My mother actually put one of them on a gold chain for him and he’d wear it sometimes.”After the 100m triumph in London, he collected another gold in a controversial sprint relay (the US team won, was disqualified, protested and was reinstated), then went back into training for the Helsinki Games of 1952. He chose not to defend his 100m title, but to set the record straight in the 110m hurdles, running an Olympic record of 13.7sec to take gold and collected another in the relay.

He retired from the track after failing to make the US team for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, working first in the back office of the Cleveland Indians baseball club, before forging a long and successful career with the Cleveland Board of Education.

He was always a popular visitor to big track meets around the world and returned to London in 2012 to watch Bolt claim his second Olympic sprint title. Cleveland mourned when he died, in November 2019, at the age of 96.

2022 EDP Lisbon Half is back for more records

The fastest half marathon in the world is back. For 2022, in the 31th edition, scheduled for May 8th, the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon will be, once again, aiming for new records.

And, just like last November, there will be a bonus prize of EUR 50,000 (USD 54,000) up for grabs in case of new records.

To achieve this it will count on some of the best athletes in the world, especially in the women’s field, including the Kenyan Brigid Kosgei, the fastest female marathoner ever (2:14:04) and the eighth fastest in the half ever (1:04.49).

Tsehay Gemechu, the winner of last year’s race and the current course record holder (1:06:06) will also be present, with her fellow Ethiopians Gotytom Gebreselassie (1:05:36) and Bosena Mulatie (1:05:43). The Israeli Lonah Salpeter, the third fastest European woman ever (1:06:09), will also be present.

The time to beat for a new world record (in a women-only race) is 1:05:16, set by Peres Jepchirchir in Gdynia, at the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships.

In the men’s race, with Kiplimo’s record in sights (57:31), the field has 11 runners with personal bests below the hour mark, four of them under 59 minutes: Kenneth Kiprop Renju (58:35), Abraham Cheroben (58:40), Kevin Kiptum (58:42) and Jorum Okombo (58:48).

Besides the international field, the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon will also have the best runners from Portugal, including Hermano Ferreira, Luís Saraiva, Rui Teixeira and Nuno Costa in the men’s field and Rafaela Almeida, Sara Moreira and Solange Jesus in the women’s field.

In this year’s race – the half marathon is already sold out – there will be almost 10,000 runners from nearly 96 different nationalities. There are a few last minute bibs available for the Vodafone 10k.

“Right after the men’s world record, last year, I started preparing in my head for the process of trying for the female record too,” admits Carlos Moia, race director.

Try this ramp-up workout to crush your 5K PB this spring, Use this session to simulate the stages of a 5K race and practice speeding up at the end for a strong finish

The spring racing season is about to start, and while many runners across the country are preparing to run their first marathon or tackle Boston, others are gearing up to crush their personal best in the 5K. If you’re focusing on the short stuff this season, the following workout will develop your endurance and speed so you can run strong straight through the finish line.

The 5K ramp-up

The goal of this workout is to simulate the stages of a 5K race. With that in mind, it’s important that you control your pace throughout the workout (particularly in the tempo section at the beginning) so that you have enough gas in the tank to speed up near the end. Note that this is an intermediate-level workout, if you are a beginner, focus on running consistent, steady mileage until you can comfortably run the 5K distance before you start adding in speedwork.

Warmup: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by form drills and strides

Workout: 

10-15 minute tempo run, at about 10 seconds per kilometer slower than your 5K pace/ 5 min rest

3-4 x 4 minutes at 5K pace/ 5 minutes rest

3-4 x 1 minute as fast as you can go

Cooldown: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching

Cancer survivor Ethan Zohn aims to conquer Boston Marathon

The Lexington native says he's running to celebrate 10 years of being cancer-free -- and to help others still fighting to live with the disease.

Ethan Zohn remembers what it was like to feel shackled, imprisoned in a hospital room in a bitter battle with cancer as the rest of the world kept turning outside.

“I would look out the window,” he recalls, “and see people just running up First Ave [in New York] all the time. And I’m not. I just had this desire to get out of there, put on a pair of shoes and just start running.”

That’s what will make celebrating 10 years of being cancer-free by taking the course at the Boston Marathon later this month a particularly poetic experience for the 48-year-old survivor, who grew up in Lexington.

“Running, and running in races, is like freedom,” Zohn told Boston.com.

The marathoner, former pro athlete, and “Survivor Africa” winner back in 2001 has been fighting for that liberation for 13 years.

Zohn was first diagnosed with CD 20+ Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare blood cancer, in 2009 at age 35. Then, 20 months in remission, the disease returned, causing him to undergo another round of chemotherapy and a second stem cell transplant. Doctors deemed him in remission once again in 2012, and he’s stayed that way ever since.

Zohn decided to celebrate his one-year anniversary of keeping cancer at bay by running in the 2013 Boston Marathon. He was at Mile 24 — just over two miles from the iconic finish on Boylston Street — when the deadly bombing at the finish line forced him off the course.

He ran the New York City and Seattle Marathons in 2015, but the races took a heavy toll on him: “I thought, ‘I’m never running a f—ing marathon again in my life. It was tough.'”

After a nine-year break, Zohn will get another chance to finish Boston and will be fundraising for AKTIV Against Cancer to help people struggling with cancer stay physically active.

He’ll also be running to raise awareness of the benefits of medical cannabis and will use Momenta products from the cannabis company Trulieve, which has dispensaries in Worcester, Framingham and Northampton. His goal is to help dispel lasting stigmas about cannabis use — something he credits with helping him get through the ‘after cancer’ portion of his life.

“When I survived, honestly that’s when things got really difficult,” Zohn said. “It’s the invisible scars, those dump trucks full of uncertainties, fear that the cancer’s come back, the anxiety of just trying to pick up the pieces and live your life again. That’s when cannabis became a bigger part of my life. It really just helped manage my mental health issues that come along with surviving cancer.”

Those hidden hardships make Zohn wary of the characterization of people as having “won” or “lost” their battles with cancer depending on whether they live or die: “The reality of the situation is that there are millions of people out there living with cancer or living with fear that it may come back, and that’s okay, too.”

His father, whom Zohn said also ran the Boston Marathon in his day, passed away from cancer when he was 14 years old. Two Mondays from now, Zohn will be running to remember him, along with all those still in the fight and doing their best to live with cancer.

“It’s like everything in my life has been leading to this point, to this race,” he said. “I’m putting a little pressure on myself, but it represents so much in my life. I’m just so excited to get back to Boston and run.”

Ukraine Fund launches to support athletes affected by conflict

World Athletics, together with the International Athletics Foundation (IAF) and the Members of the Diamond League Association, has today launched a Ukraine Fund to support professional athletes affected by the conflict in their home country.

The fund’s purpose is to ensure that elite Ukrainian athletes and their key support personnel can continue to train, qualify and participate in World Championship events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Two groups will be eligible for funding: individual athletes (Group One) and key athlete support personnel and immediate family members (Group Two).

Group One includes athletes who are affiliated to the Ukrainian Athletic Association and have qualified, or have a credible chance to qualify, to compete at any upcoming World Athletics Championships until fund closure. Group Two includes those acting as a designated coach or team leader to athletes in Group One, as well as parents, spouses and children living together with athletes in Group One.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe commented: “It’s only right that the athletics community provides whatever support we can to the athletes of Ukraine, who have been put in this terrible situation and need our assistance to continue training and competing. I know several of our Member Federations in Europe are already hosting groups of Ukrainian athletes in training camps and I’m grateful for their humanitarian approach to these tragic circumstances. This fund will provide further support for Ukrainian athletes to enable them to have some stability and security as they prepare to represent their country while the war continues.”

Commenting from Ukraine, President of the Ukrainian Athletic Association YevheniiPronin said: “In dark times you can clearly see bright people. World Athletics, Diamond League, IAF and all the national federations that offered us their help - this is the standard of unity and support!

"Thousands of victims, millions of refugees, destroyed infrastructure, including sports infrastructure, terrified our hearts, but we believe that the worst is over.

"Every day I thank from my heart the entire world community for opening the doors of their homes for our people, for everyone who helps our athletes and their families and for World Athletics, for creating this fund for our athletes and our sport.

"The entire team of the federation is safe and is working to ensure that the athletes of our country and their families are safe and together with you we will save our favorite sport and make it stronger. Thank you from all Ukraine."

The fund will provide financial assistance to the following:

For Group One:

• Enrolment, subsistence and accommodation, at training camps / temporary housing;

• Travel and accommodation to compete at qualifying events for World Championships;

• Travel and accommodation to compete at World Athletics Championships if not otherwise provided;

• Training material and equipment.

For Group Two:

• Coach attendance to training and competition;

• Travel and accommodation to accompany Group One athletes at qualifying events for World Championships;

• Travel and accommodation to accompany Group One athletes at World Athletics Championships.

The fund opens today with a current budget of US$190,000, created with contributions from the IAF, Diamond League members and World Athletics. The Diamond League Association has previously donated US$30,000 directly to the Ukrainian Athletic Association and many of the individual meeting organizers will provide additional travel and accommodation support to athletes wanting to compete in their meetings.

It is expected that up to 100 Ukrainian athletes may require some financial support this year.

The fund can receive additional contributions at any time until fund closure which is set for December 31, 2023. Funding per beneficiary will be allocated on a needs-basis.

Potential beneficiaries can register for consideration by emailing UKRFund@worldathletics.org

Other athletics organizations who would like to contribute to the fund, should also contact UKRFund@worldathletics.org

World Athletics will coordinate with the International Olympic Committee’s Solidarity Fund for the Ukrainian Olympic community, through senior vice-president Sergey Bubka, to prevent any duplication of efforts.

1988 Olympic Marathon Trials Winner Mark Conover Dies of Cancer

Mark Conover, who stunned the American running world when he won the 1988 Olympic Marathon Trials in 1988, died on Wednesday, April 6, at age 61, of a recurrent cancer. A distinguished college coach, Conover also became an inspiring advocate of running as a positive force in times of ill health.

Conover will long be remembered for the unexpectedness and scale of his marathon breakthrough on the day that mattered (a PR by more than 5 minutes), and for the courage and grace of his prolonged struggle with cancer. 

He was still at the peak of his running, having placed 10th at the 1992 Olympic Marathon Trials, when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1993. He recovered, after extensive treatment, and qualified for and ran in the 1996 Olympic Marathon Trials.

He then started his coaching career, married Kelly Cordell (an All-American at Arizona State), and in 2007 became the devoted father of triplets—another surprise that reshaped his life. 

Cancer returned in 2018 in the form of mantle cell lymphoma. Conover’s response was to contribute to Runner’s World an unforgettably moving and powerful affirmation of the positive effect of running, and the value of the support of the running community, in the midst of probably terminal illness. 

“We all know the health benefits of running...but when you’ve got a life-threatening illness, running becomes even more important,” he wrote, detailing the gains in blood flow, self esteem, and pain management, as well as the moral and practical support he received from the running community. One friend even marketed running socks with Conover’s image on them as a fundraiser for his medical costs. 

Kamworor and Chepngetich will lead Kenya's marathon team for Oregon

Ruth Chepngetich will defend her marathon title at the World Athletics Championships Oregon 22 in July.

The 27-year-old leads the four-strong women’s team for Oregon, while Geoffrey Kamworor will contest his first major championship marathon as part of the men’s squad.

As Chepngetich gets a wild card entry by virtue of being the defending champion, Kenya will be represented by seven athletes in the marathon events.

Chepngetich claimed the first gold medal of the World Championships in Doha in 2019, clocking 2:32:43 to gain her first major gold. She went on to win the Bank of America Chicago Marathon last October and then was just 10 seconds off her PB when winning the Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:17:18 last month – the second-fastest ever women-only marathon.

In Oregon she will be joined by Maureen Jepkemoi, Judith Jeptum and Angela Tanui. Jeptum set a French all-comers’ record of 2:19:48 to win the Paris Marathon on Sunday, while Tanui won the 2021 TCS Amsterdam Marathon in 2:17:57.

After world medal wins in track, cross country and half marathon events, Kamworor will look to add further success to a marathon CV that so far includes two wins in New York and a PB of 2:05:23 set in Valencia in December.

Lining up alongside the three-time world half marathon champion and two-time world senior cross country winner in Oregon will be Olympic marathon fourth-place finisher Lawrence Cherono and Barnabas Kiptum, with Geoffrey Kirui named as a reserve.

Kenyan marathon team for Oregon

Women: Ruth Chepngetich, Maureen Jepkemoi, Judith Jeptum, Angela TanuiMen: Lawrence Cherono, Geoffrey Kamworor, Barnabas Kiptum, Geoffrey Kirui (reserve).

The secrets behind Eliud Kipchoge's winning mentality

The world's fastest marathoner Eliud Kipchoge admits that he’s had to dig deep to find the strength to keep going.

Kenya's Double Olympic men's marathon champion says he often turns to the millions who have been inspired by his runs, his grandeur achievements, and his motivating quotes.

“I struggle with motivation, but I try all the time to get inspired by fans messages around the world,” Kipchoge said on Wednesday (April 6) during a webinar organized by his NN Running Team to mark five years of the athletics management group.

“I have been inspiring people around the world and [the thought of this] is what sometimes gives me the energy to jump out of bed and do the necessary.”

As amazing as his athletic accomplishments are, the world record holder has always been forthright on how much sometimes his passion hurts.

“In the journey of life, there [are] ups and downs. In marathon, there [are] a lot of challenges, ups and downs. There is pain in training, pain in running,” he shared on the documentary titled Kipchoge: The Last Milestone that focused on his successful attempt to become the first person to run a marathon in under two hours.

The 37-year-old champion cemented his position as the greatest distance runner of all time, by becoming the first man in 40 years to win marathon gold at successive Olympic Games, when he won at Tokyo 2020 in 2021.

And, as he targets an unprecedented third Olympic marathon title at Paris 2024, Kipchoge gave a sneak peak on how he manages to stay focused on his staggering racing goals.

“[When I am running] Many things are always crossing my mind from West to North, East to South, but I try to block them and concentrate fully on the road, concentrate fully on the task ahead and finishing the race,” the Kenyan, who enjoys his long runs, offered.

“After training for four months [for a race] I know that the only way to block what’s in my mind and concentrate fully is by making my mind easy and block any [distracting] messages coming in.”

During the hour-long webinar, the NN Running Team shared insights from the their management, physiotherapist, nutritionist, and Patrick Sang, the lead coach at the simple Kaptagat training camp.

“Running is a team sport. It is no longer an individual event as people think," four-time Olympic medalist Kipchoge said.

"When NN formed the running team we discovered that the team is especially important especially in marathon running, helping each other both physically and mentally.”

That team was formed in April 2017 by Jos Hermens, who assembled the some of the best distance runners in the world, led by the two fastest marathoners, Ethiopia’s triple Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele, and Kipchoge, to train in structured training camps.

It's a concept that the man who has won 14 of the 16 major marathons in his career claims has made him a better runner. Kipchoge also explained that during the pandemic he found it difficult to go back to training alone due to lockdown restrictions.

What next for Eliud Kipchoge in 2022

Kipchoge He opened his season on March 6 running the fastest time ever in Japan of 2:02:40 to win the Tokyo Marathon.

Since then, he has tapered down his training, focusing more on the gym sessions despite not ‘liking the weightlifting’ bit, but he’s enjoying working on his core muscles.

The huge Kelly Clarkson fan has not yet decided if he will do a marathon towards the end of the year, but has just added a new sport on his bucket list.

“I am bad at swimming. I don’t know how to swim…that’s on my bucket list…”

Author and elite running coach Jason Karp explains in his recent TEDx Talk why running is such a powerful tool to improve our minds

How does running like an animal make us more human? According to Jason Karp, author of Work Out: The Revolutionary Method of Creating a Sound Body to Create a Sound Mind, running is about more than just achieving goals. Running allows us to live life fully by attending to our physical needs first, so that our minds can operate clearly. If you need an extra hit of motivation to get yourself out the door today, this 14-minute video will do the trick.

In his talk, Karp argues that while we’re often told to practice mindfulness to keep ourselves mentally well, this advice is incomplete. He says we are physical animals first, and by meeting the needs of our bodies, we can better meet the needs of our minds.

Karp goes on to explain that every human has three parts—body, brain and mind. When these three parts work together and are equally balanced, life is great. Unfortunately, this rarely happens, and the body, brain and mind are often in conflict with one another, all trying to be the boss.

“But there can only be one boss,” he says. “People tend to think that the brain sits atop the pyramid, controlling the body, but it’s actually the other way around. The body is the chief executive officer and the brain is the chief operating officer. While your brain controls your body’s entire operation, it works in service to your body.”

Karp goes on to talk about how running improves the function of your mind, makes you more creative and relieves stress. Using scientific examples, he emphasizes that by taking care of your body first, the health of both your brain and your mind will follow.

So if you’re struggling to push yourself out the door today, or are looking for an extra hit of motivation to get you through your next training block, bookmark this video so you can pull it out any time you need to be reminded of your “why”. And, as Karp says, “Run to be creative, run to be imaginative, run to be confident, run to be successful, run to be productive, run to be helpful—just run.”

Russian and Belarusian runners banned from Boston Marathon

Russian and Belarusian runners will not be allowed to take part in this year's Boston Marathon because of the invasion of Ukraine, organisers said on Wednesday.Russian and Belarusian athletes living in their respective countries are barred from the April 18 race, the Boston Athletic Association said.

However, Russian and Belarusian citizens not residing in either country would be allowed to take part, but not under the flag of either nation."Like so many around the world we are horrified and outraged by what we have seen and learned from the reporting in Ukraine," Boston Athletic Association chief executive Tom Grilk said.

"We believe that running is a global sport, and as such, we must do what we can to show our support to the people of Ukraine," Grilk added in a statement.

The Boston Marathon, one of the world's major marathons, is returning to its traditional April slot this year after disruption caused by the pandemic.

The race was cancelled in 2020 and then held in October in 2021 with a smaller-than-usual field.

In 2019, the last Boston Marathon not affected by the pandemic, 59 runners in a field of more than 30,000 were from Russia and Belarus.

Russia has been increasingly isolated by the sporting world following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Half-marathon this spring? Try this 2K/1K workout

If you are looking to test your training ahead of a spring half-marathon, we have the perfect workout for you. Whether you are experienced or running your first half, the distance isn’t easy, as it relies heavily on your endurance in comparison to the 5K or 10K distances. The strategy for a half-marathon is all about settling into your goal pace early and adjusting your pace around the 15-16 km mark, depending on how you’re feeling.

Most runners training for a half-marathon use long runs or tempos to get their bodies familiar with spending more than an hour or two on their feet. But what if you could get both speed and volume in the same workout?

Workout:

Four to six reps of 2 km @ HM race pace/1K float rest

Start with a 15 to 20-minute warmup, then get into the first 2 km rep. Each 2 km rep should be done at your goal half-marathon pace, and the 1 km rest should be done at a float pace, which is about 30 to 40 seconds slower than your goal half-marathon pace.

For example: If you want to break 1:40:00 for the half, you’ll want to do the 2 km reps around 4:44/km or a little faster, hitting around 9:28 for each 2 km rep. This means your 1 km float should be around 5:15/km. It’s important to hit the paces on the first couple of reps, as going too fast early could ruin the workout. 

The idea of this workout is to simulate a race-day experience and to get you comfortable with your goal pace over an extended period of time with fast rest. If you are unable to complete four reps at your goal pace, your goal pace may be too ambitious. If so, adjust the pace by three to five seconds per kilometer, then try the workout another time.

As the workout evolves, your body will rely on its aerobic endurance to pull you through the final few reps; similar to the final five kilometers of a half-marathon. When this workout is done, it will leave you feeling confident for race day. 

U.S. Olympian Aliphine Tuliamuk will return to Pittsburgh to run her first race since the Tokyo Olympics at Pittsburgh Half Marathon

U.S. Olympian Aliphine Tuliamuk Returns to Pittsburgh for the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon, Her First Race Since Tokyo Olympics.

U.S. Olympian Aliphine Tuliamuk will return to Pittsburgh to run her first race since the Tokyo Olympics at this year’s UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, May 1.

Pittsburgh has consistently been a stepping stone on Tuliamuk’s running career journey. In 2015, she ran her first marathon at the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, finishing in second in 2 hours, 34 minutes and 44 seconds. She returned in 2018 to win the USA Half Marathon Championships while also setting the Pittsburgh Half Marathon event record of 1:10:04.

“Pittsburgh has become a special city for me,” Tuliamuk said. “It’s where I learned that the marathon was painful but worth the struggle. Winning the 2018 USATF Half Marathon Championship gave me much needed confidence as I built toward the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials.  This year I am hoping for the same competitive atmosphere that Pittsburgh always brings. It will be my first race in a while, and I wanted to come to a place where I feel comfortable.”

Preparations for the race are going well for Tuliamuk, who is currently training in Flagstaff, Ariz. Tuliamuk says her HOKA Northern Arizona Elite teammates hold her accountable and push her every day. A lot has changed since her last Pittsburgh appearance in 2018. In February 2020, she won the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials, and then watched the world shut in response to the pandemic. When the Tokyo Olympics were postponed in 2020, she decided to use the time off from competing to have a child. After having her daughter Zoe in January 2021, she returned to training and competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics seven months later.

“The pandemic has reinforced to me the importance of knowing what makes you happy and living life toward that pursuit,” Tuliamuk said.

She hopes Pittsburgh will once again bring her success and allow her to demonstrate her talents as an accomplished endurance athlete.

“This is a city that values hard work and champions,” Tuliamuk said. “It is nice to feel admired and respected by anyone associated with Pittsburgh.”

Tuliamuk will join other top American and international runners competing for the $58,000 prize purse in the 2022 UPMC Health Pittsburgh Half Marathon. For the first time, the event has been awarded a World Athletics Road Race Label. Only five other U.S. races carry a label from World Athletics. The full field of elite athletes for both the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon and UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon will be announced later in April. 

The Pittsburgh Marathon was held annually from 1985-2003. After a five-year hiatus, the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon was relaunched in 2009 and debuted with a sold-out field of 10,000 participants. It has grown each year since, evolving from a single race day into a weekend of events for the whole family that annually attracts nearly 40,000 runners.

Five tips for surviving an injury, Injuries are as much a mental challenge as a physical one, follow this advice to help you stay sane until you can get back to running

Injuries are a significant emotional and mental challenge. Having to put your training plans aside and miss your goal races, or simply being unable to participate in your favourite activity is a nightmare for many runners. If you’re currently sidelined with an injury, follow this advice to help you handle the emotional side effects of time off until you can get back out on the roads and trails again.

Focus on what you can do

As much as possible, avoid doing any activities that aggravate your injury. This will only slow down the recovery process and delay your return to running. Instead, focus on the activities that you can do, and do them consistently. If you can cycle, get into a cycling routine. If you can swim, consider getting a temporary membership at the local pool. Not only will this give you something to do while you can’t run, but it will build your fitness in different ways, which could actually help you become a better runner once you’re able to return to training.

If you’re not sure which activities will be safe for your injury, talk to a physiotherapist or other sports medicine expert who can help you devise a cross-training plan. As always, listen to your body and if your injured area doesn’t feel good after a certain activity, scratch that one off the list.

Do a variety of activities

To take the first point a little further, as much as your injury allows, try incorporating a variety of cross-training activities into your weekly schedule to keep your training interesting and fun. Heading to the gym to cycle for an hour every day on the stationary bike can quickly get boring, but cycling one day, using the elliptical the next and hopping on the rowing machine the day after that will keep things fresh and challenge you in different ways.

Make rehab exercises your new obsession

If you’re dealing with an injury, you’ve hopefully already gone to a physiotherapist and been given some exercises to help heal it. Since you’re not spending hours of your week out running, dedicate at least a portion of that time to doing those exercises. Schedule them into your day the same way you would have scheduled a run to ensure you’re doing them consistently, which will speed up the healing process so you can return to running faster.

Find joy in other activities

Running can be a pretty time-consuming hobby, so when you’re injured, use some of the extra time you have on your hands to lean a little more heavily into another hobby that you may have been neglecting. Play an instrument. Make some art. Build something. Garden. Whatever you’re into, an injury provides an opportunity for you to re-engage with some of your non-running hobbies, and to remind you that you’re more than just a runner.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself

One of the hardest parts about a running injury is that it’s difficult to know when you’ll be able to return to training. Some injuries take a couple of weeks to heal, others can take months. Be patient, and don’t put pressure on yourself to return by a certain date, or to stay as fit as possible while you’re on the sidelines. You will get back to running at some point, and while it may take a bit of time, you will return to the level of fitness you once had. Rushing this process will only cause you to injure yourself all over again.

On a similar note, don’t put too much pressure on yourself when it comes to your cross-training, either. If you can’t force yourself to stay on the stationary bike for an entire hour, try just doing 30 or 45 minutes. Do what you can do to stay active so the transition back to running is easier, but forget about perfection.

Kenenisa Bekele and Sara Hall drop out of the Boston Marathon

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced updates to the professional fields at the 126th Boston Marathon in two weeks. Previous headliners Kenenisa Bekele, Titus Ekiru and Sara Hall have all announced that they will not be running, due to ongoing injuries. Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma and Birhanu Legese have both been added.

Hall posted on her Instagram that her knee tendon has been aggravated since she tripped on a run in February, landing on a rock. She insists that she has done everything to make it to the line in Boston but does not want to risk the chance of a setback before the World Championships in Eugene, Ore. this July.

Among other big names to drop out of the women’s field are: 2019 Valencia Marathon champion Roza Dereje (ETH); 2019 Ottawa Marathon winner Tigist Girma (ETH); 2021 NYC Marathon sixth-place finisher Kellyn Taylor (USA) and sub-2:20 marathoner Zeineba Yimer (ETH).

Kenya’s Ekiru was the second-fastest elite male in the field, behind Bekele, running the fastest marathon time of 2021 (2:02:57 in Milan). Ekiru has struggled to come back from an ongoing injury he suffered at the RAK Half Marathon in February, which forced him out.

Bekele has been very silent on social media since his sixth-place finish at the 2021 New York Marathon. The reasoning for his Boston withdrawal has not been announced; the former four-time world-record holder continues to fight Father Time, turning 40 this June.

Legese of Ethiopia has been added to the men’s field. He is a two-time Tokyo Marathon champion with a personal best of 2:02:48. Lemma is the other addition to the men’s field: he won the 2021 London Marathon and has previous wins in Berlin and Tokyo and a PB of 2:03:36.

For the first time in almost three years, the prestigious Boston Marathon will return to its traditional Patriots’ Day date of April 18. 

He did it again, Canio Polosa sets 90+ Canadian 10K record

The 93-year old man who broke the 90-plus 5K age group record last fall added another Canadian masters record to his arsenal last weekend at the Springbank Sprint 10K in London, Ont. Canio Polosa hoped to finish the 10K race in an hour and 20 minutes but found he was faster, finishing the 10K in a new record time of 1:14:04.

According to Canadian Masters records, Polosa set the new standard for Canadian men 90+ on a certified course. His time of 1:14:04 was just over two minutes shy of Spain’s Julian Bernal Medina’s 90+ world record of 1:11:54, set at the age of 90.

After the race, Polosa mentioned to local CBC reporter Rebecca Zandbergen that he’d been training all winter for this race with a new coach, Sherry Watts. “It’s not often that you see three Canadian records in one race,” Watts says. En route to his 10K time, Polosa also broke the men’s 90+ 8K and five-mile records by 15 minutes, taking both from the great Maurice Tarrant.

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.

He is considering running a longer race next time. “I’m happy to be alive,” he said to Zandbergen.