Running News Daily

Blind army veteran Rob Sanchas will be running Boston Marathon to raise money for people with disabilities

In less than two weeks, the starting gun will be fired in Hopkinton, and thousands of runners will make their way to Copley Square for the running of the Boston Marathon.

Among the expected runners is an Army veteran attempting the Boston Marathon for the first time.

Navigating the hills of the route isn’t Rob Sanchas’ only challenge. He’s also legally blind.

When he was enlisted, he had an accident. “I actually have double vision in each eye separately, so I see four of everything, so I am legally blind.”

Despite that, running Boston for the first time will be his 14th marathon overall.

“The Boston Marathon for most runners is what they call the Holy Grail. You know, that’s the one marathon everybody wants to do and many can’t,” said Sanchas.

But Sanchas can, thanks to a running guide who’ll be on the other end of a bungee cord connecting the two of them.

“I’ll always call my guide my superhero. They’re heroes without capes,” added Sanchas. “He’s not just running for himself. He’s running with a responsibility. My life is in his hands.”

For Jeremy Howard, an experienced marathoner, this was his first time as a running guide.

“So, it’s calling out any undulations in the ground, obviously any larger hazards that might occur,” said Howard.

This team is running for a Boston-based organization called the Play Brigade. They’re dedicated to reducing barriers of all kinds to physical activities for people with disabilities.

For months, the duo has braced cold windy days along the Rhode Island coast to train.

Although they’re looking forward to crossing the finish line, they both feel like they’re already winners.

Howard, who’s run the Boston Marathon before, said “I’ve gone around the corner before onto Boylston and the crowds are immense there, and thick, and the noise. If you’re doing it for yourself, it’s incredibly moving. It’s going to be on a whole other level this year. I can’t wait.”

“I’ll be like, pinch me,” said Sanchas with a laugh. “Is this really happening?”

World Athletics Relays 2024 to serve as official trials for Paris Olympics

Candidates have been invited to lodge applications to host the World Athletics Relays in 2024, with the event serving as the official trials event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

World Athletics says the event will serve as a make-or-break opportuniy for national teams.

The five Olympic relay disciplines will be contested at the event, including the 4x100 metres and 4x400m for men and women.

The mixed team 4x400m will also offer qualification for Paris 2024.

"This event showcases the thrills and sometimes spills unique to relays," World Athletics said.

"It evokes drama, suspense and celebration.

"The knock-out format will add to this excitement, calling for truly inspired team performances as the anticipation and expectations build towards the Paris Olympic Games."

A bid guide has been published by World Athletics to aid potential candidates.

The organisation says the indicative event budget for the event is expected to be between $3.5 million (£2.6 million/€3.1 million) and $4 million (£3 million/€3.6 million).

The budget is expected to vary according to local costs and conditions, with World Athletics saying it will host virtual meetings with bidding committees to discuss the proposed cost.

The preferred date for the World Athletics Relays is either April or May.

Hosts will be expected to have a main venue with a minimum capacity for around 15,000 spectators, as well as providing a warm-up track and facilities within easy walking distance.

The bid guide also outlines the expected economic, social, reputational and environmental impact of the event.

Prospective candidates have been invited to complete a pre-qualification form by the deadline of June 1.

Bid application documents will be required by October 1, with the host expected to be named in December.

Five editions of the World Athletics Relays have been held to date, with Nassau in Bahamas hosting the first three events.

Yokohama in Japan and Chrozow in Poland hosted the event in 2019 and 2021.

Guangzhou in China is expected to host the World Athletics Relays in 2023, with the event serving as the qualification event for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Nell Rojas, Coached By Her Father, Will Return To Boston Marathon After Debuting As Top American Woman In 2021

For Nell and Ric Rojas, the Boston Marathon is a family affair.

In 2020, Nell finished as the top American woman in sixth place. It was just her fourth marathon — and she’s still getting comfortable with that success.

“When you’re going against the best in the world, it’s weird to be like, ‘yeah I can run with them,’ but you have to tell yourself that every morning,” said Nell Rojas.

She made a statement in her Boston Marathon running debut last fall and finished with a personal best of two hours, 27 minutes, and 12 seconds.

“I knew she was going to run well but to be as competitive as she was with the international athletes, I was very impressed. very impressed,” said dad Ric Rojas.

Her success on the roads has created more demands on her time, or as Nell chooses to see it, more opportunities.

“Running used to be all about just working hard and finding my limits. Now, it really is more about involvement and inspiring a little bit more because I am in the position to inspire other strong, female, and Latina athletes,” said Nell.

Growing up, Nell played basketball and soccer; she even tried figure skating. She didn’t get serious about running until college.

“My dad was a coach and a runner growing up so I was always around runners,” said Nell.

Ric set state high school records in New Mexico, was all-Ivy at Harvard, and competed at the highest levels nationally. But he left it to Nell to choose her own path.

“My dad let me make the decisions,” said Nell. “I wasn’t pressured into being a runner. That helped me grow into my love for running and do it my own way.”

And there was no question that her father would be part of that.

“I was never really concerned about coaching her, as her dad. Nell’s very coachable. I think the key thing is with a coach-athlete relationship is the coach has to be firm, on one hand, but the athlete has to be coachable, as well,” said Ric.

“There was one point where we coached a team together, he was my dad and my co-worker and my coach, so there’s a lot of family time. We make it work pretty well,” Nell said.

Ric ran Boston three times. He could barely contain himself when he saw his daughter at the front of the pack last fall.

“Oh my god, my heart went crazy on that. It was so much fun. I can’t tell you,” he said.

The Rojas team was back on the course last month. Nell is feeling good about her second shot at Boston.

“I’m running faster. My workouts are faster. I’m running more mileage. I’ve gotten a little bit more experience. I know what the course is like. There are so many reasons for me to come in this year more confident,” she explained.

“What I’m hoping now is she beats my best time, which was 2:25 so I think she’s got a good shot at it,” said Ric.

The coach is all business, but sometimes the dad just spills over.

“I can’t even say it, I’m so proud of her I can’t stand it. Very proud,” Ric said.

The five rules of training for runners

Training for running can get complicated. There are many different training models out there and even more opinions on how to use them effectively. Thankfully, performance coach and author of Peak Performance and The Science of Running, Steve Magness, has boiled effective run training down to five simple rules. Yes, there is some nuance to endurance training, but if your program is based on these guidelines, you’ll be setting yourself up for success.

1. The boring stuff is your foundation

Many runners look for fancy, “magical” workouts that’ll give them the fitness breakthrough they’re after, but this isn’t truly how success happens. As Magness pointed out in this thread, nailing the basics for a long time will get you 99 per cent of the way.

The basics aren’t exciting or sexy, but they’re effective. Things like steadily increasing your mileage, keeping your easy days easy and doing regular form drills and stretches to prevent injuries will ultimately get you where you want to go, as long as they’re applied consistently over a long period of time.

2. Let it come, don’t force it

Forcing or rushing yourself into fitness almost always leads to injuries and burnout. As an athlete, the best thing you can do is focus on consistent training and taking care of your body. Sometimes, training adaptations take longer to set in than you expect, or the conditions beyond your control make you fall short of your goal.

If you focus on enjoying the process, and less on an external arbitrary goal, you will likely achieve more success (and happiness in the sport) over the long run.

3. Take the next logical step

Runners often try to force their way to big breakthroughs by skipping steps. They jump right into hard training with no base phase, or they go from training for a 5K to a marathon with very little room for build-up.

To avoid injuries while improving performance, only progress when your body has absorbed the training. Give yourself plenty of time to slowly increase mileage and/or intensity, and always take the next logical step. It may take longer than you want to get where you’re trying to go, but you’ll be much more likely to succeed this way.

4. You lose what you don’t train

This is the runner’s version of “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” It’s important to spend some time focusing on all areas of your fitness during your training so you don’t lose that piece of the puzzle. This includes doing long runs, speedwork, threshold work, mobility training, strength training, etc.

That being said, each of these components will become more or less important relative to each other depending on what you’re training for. For example, top-end speedwork will be more important when you training for a 5K, and less important when you’re training for a marathon. That doesn’t mean you should never do some high-intensity running during your marathon training, but other elements, like the long run or tempo runs will become more important.

5. Train the individual, not the system

When you’re following a training plan, remember that it is merely a template — it’s not written in stone. Every individual is different, and you will likely need to make changes and adjustments as you go to accommodate for how your body is responding to the training and any interruptions you might experience.

If you decide to work with a coach, make sure they’re ready and willing to adapt their training plan to you as you go. Be open and honest with them about how you’re feeling during your training so they can make the necessary changes to your program, and be willing to give your body time to adapt to those changes before making more.

Becky Briggs and Jonny Mellor take Manchester Marathon victories

Becky Briggs enjoyed a huge breakthrough as she took five minutes off her PB with 2:29:04, while Jonny Mellor was close to his lifetime best with a commanding men’s win in 2:10:46 at the Therme Manchester Marathon on Sunday April 3.

In ideal conditions for marathon running, Briggs and Mellor both smashed the England qualifying standard for the Commonwealth Games of 2:14:00 plus the European Championships mark of 2:14:30 on a day of brilliant racing.

A total of 20 Brits broke the 2:20 barrier with Mellor’s training partner Ross Millington clocking 2:11:38 in his debut marathon in second place, as Kevin Seaward of Northern Ireland was third in 2:11:54.

Behind Briggs, Naomi Mitchell was runner-up in a PB of 2:30:54 while Georgina Schwiening was third in 2:31:37 and Sonia Samuels, 42, fourth in 2:32:32.

All of them were well inside the 2:34:00 women’s qualifying standard for the Commonwealth Games. Although in addition to places in the England team for Birmingham in July and GB team for Munich in August, the race was also a trial for the GB team for the IAU 50km European Championships in Avila, Spain, in October.

In a race packed with top-class performances, the super-vet Tommy Hughes (second photo) clocked a phenomenal 2:30:05 aged 62, although it is not quite as quick as his M60 record of 2:30:02 set two years ago.

Defending champion Matt Crehan enjoyed an early lead in the race but he was caught before halfway – which the leaders reached in 66:05 – and Mellor, who had been helped by pacemakers such as Ben Connor, Omar Ahmed and Charlie Hulson, made a strong move just after 20 miles to break away from his rivals.

Mellor and Millington are both members of Team New Balance Manchester and are coached by Steve Vernon. Millington ran for Britain over 10,000m at the Rio Olympics but Mellor has endured bad luck with major championships qualification, being overlooked by England in the run-up to the 2018 Commonwealth Games and then being forced to miss last year’s Olympic marathon trial due to a freak leg injury caused, he thinks, by compression socks during his sleep.

Briggs only turned 22 last month but looks ideally suited to the marathon. Just three years ago she was the third British athlete in the under-20 race at the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus but ran 2:38:58 on her marathon debut in the Olympic trial last year and then 2:34:34 in London last October.

Here she went through halfway in 74:16, then overhauled long-time leader Mitchell with about 10km to go and finished strongly to smash the 2:30 barrier and to go No.20 on the UK all-time rankings.

Tom Craggs, England Athletics road running manager, added: “We are delighted to see such tight competition today, with the athletes pushing themselves to place within the top three in order to join Team England this year for the Commonwealth Games 2022.

“This year is an incredibly exciting year for home nations athletes with three major championships taking place, and we were delighted to have worked with the team at Therme Manchester Marathon to support athletes to have the best possible experience at the England Commonwealth Games and British Athletics European Championship trials.”

With a rich history dating back to 1908, the Therme Manchester Marathon is increasingly popular due to its fast, flat course, welcoming Mancunian atmosphere – and Sunday saw 24,000 runners taking part.

Next year’s event is on April 16, 2023. 

Four rules for returning to running after a marathon, post-marathon recovery takes time

Marathons are hard on your body. After you’ve crossed the finish line of your goal race, your body needs time to recover, not just from the race itself but from the months of training that came before it. Follow these guidelines in during the days and weeks following your next marathon to make sure you recover well so you can return to training ready to run and injury-free.

Take your time

Some people can go out for their first run as little as one week following a marathon, but this is not recommended for the majority of recreational runners.

High-level or elite athletes can often return to training quicker because the high-volume nature of their training (combined with the medical and coaching support they have) helps their bodies recover much faster. Recreational runners, on the other hand, should take at least three to four weeks before returning to running. Many experts recommend one day of rest for every mile run (so 26 days of rest following a marathon).

This doesn’t mean you have to sit around and do nothing, but you should avoid running during this time, and do mostly low-intensity exercises, like walking, cross-training, swimming, or other activities that you enjoy.

Eat

Of course, you should prioritize nutrition immediately following your race, but post-race nutrition doesn’t stop there. In the weeks following your marathon, you may be tempted to reduce your calorie or carbohydrate intake because you’re not doing as much activity, but this is a mistake.

Your body needs nutrients and calories in order to repair your muscles, and without eating properly you’ll delay your recovery. Focus on eating a variety of healthy foods, a good balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and eat plenty of anti-inflammatory foods like dark leafy greens, berries and omega-3s to help your body recover faster.

Consider a massage

In the days immediately following the race, you should avoid any deep-tissue massage or intense foam rolling. Wait at least a week until some of the inflammation in your muscles and tissues has gone down, and then consider booking a sports massage or hopping on your foam roller.

Return slowly

After three or four weeks you can start returning to running, but make sure you do so slowly. For your first run back, start with something short and easy, or even consider a walk-run. Build up your mileage slowly, and don’t be discouraged if it takes you longer than you expected to get back to your regular running routine. Be patient and take your time, rushing back to fitness will only put you at risk for injuries.

Titus Kipruto and Vivian Kiplagat cap sweet weekend for Kenya in Milano

Titus Kipruto on Sunday won the 20th edition of the Milano Marathon in Italy.

Kipruto recorded a time of 2:05:05 which is also his personal best.

The athlete is a half marathon specialist and had just made his debut in Marathon.

In the women category, Vivian Kiplagat emerged victorious after recording a time of 2:20:18.

This was also her personal best.

The last time the race was organized was in 2019 when its 19th edition was held.

In 2020 and 2021, the Marathon was not held because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Five ways to stay injury-free this spring

The weather is starting to warm up across the country and more and more runners are lacing up their shoes and heading out for a run. Whether you’re just getting back into it after taking some time off over the winter, or you’re gearing up for the spring racing season, keep these tips in mind to stay healthy all season long.

Increase volume gradually

This is especially true if you’re getting back into running after a layoff. Most experts recommend increasing your weekly mileage by no more than 10 per cent per week, which means if you ran 5K, three times last week for a total of 15K, this week you’ll run no more than 17 km in total. There are some runners who will be able to increase their volume faster than this, but in most cases, you’re better off erring on the side of caution.

Pay attention to running form

If you’re not already doing form drills before your runs to improve your running technique, now is a great time to start. Even better, if you’re able to, go see a physiotherapist or other sports practitioner who specializes in running to get a gate analysis. This way, they’ll be able to see what you’re doing well and what you need to work on, and will give you exercises and drills to specifically target your areas of weakness.

Most runners need at least one rest day per week. Whether you think you need it or not, plan to take a day off from all activities (running, strength training or cross-training) every seven to 10 days to give your body a complete break from high-intensity training. Even just one day off can go a long way in preventing overtraining, burnout and injuries.

Know when to back off

It’s important for runners to be able to distinguish between good pain and bad pain, or harmless discomfort and something more serious. As a general rule, if something starts to bother you and it persists for three days, you should take a day or two off from running, then reevaluate. If something starts to hurt and gets worse as you run, that’s another sign that you need to stop and have it looked at by a professional.

As much as it can be hard to miss a day or two of training, it’s far better to miss a couple of days now, rather than ignore it and end up being sidelined for a few weeks later.

Eat well

And eat enough. Good nutrition is a crucial component of injury prevention, and that means eating plenty of healthy, high-quality foods like whole grains, fruits and veggies, healthy fats and plenty of protein. Your body can’t recover properly from your runs and workouts without adequate calories and nutrients, so do your best to refuel your workouts to avoid injuries.

Kenyan Sheila Kiprotich Chepkirui breaks course record at Generali Berlin Half Marathon

Sheila Kiprotich Chepkirui produced the performance of the day, breaking the course record of the 41st GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. Despite very cold conditions with almost freezing temperatures at the start she clocked a world-class time of 65:02. It is the 18th fastest half marathon time ever run by a woman.

Fellow-Kenyans Joyce Chepkemoi and Irene Kimais took second and third with 65:50 and 66:34 respectively. For the first time in the history of the race three women broke 67 minutes.

The men’s race was also dominated by the Kenyans, who took all podium places. Alex Kibet was the winner with 58:55, missing the course record by just 13 seconds. Joshua Belet was second in 59:53 while pre-race favourite Abel Kipchumba finished third with 59:58. Including competitions staged parallel to the main race, organisers of the 41st GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON registered a total of 33,336 athletes from 121 nations.

Cold temperatures and even a bit of snow just before the start did not provide good conditions for record attempts. Despite this 31 year-old Sheila Kiprotich Chepkirui stormed away right after the start. Guided by pacemakers she passed 10k in 30:32 and was on course for 64:30 at this stage of the race. “But during the final five kilometers I felt really cold and could not hold on to the pace,“ said Sheila Kiprotich Chepkirui. „I had hoped to break my personal best of 64:36, but at least I won the race with a course record. I am now planning to run my marathon debut later in the year, so maybe I will return to Berlin in September,“ said the Kenyan. She broke the course record of fellow-Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei who had won in Berlin in August last year with 65:16.

While Britain’s Samantha Harrison was the fastest non-African runner with a personal best of 68:12 in fifth place, once again Katharina Steinruck coped very well with cold conditions. She was the fastest German runner in sixth place with a personal best of 69:38. “For me it was fun today,“ said Katharina Steinruck.

As expected Kenya’s elite runners dominated the men’s race as well. Early on they were forming the leading group. After a 10k split time of 28:00 it was Alex Kibet who took the initiative soon after that mark. The 31 year-old broke away and no-one was able to challenge him in the second half of the race. Kibet had entered the race with a PB of 59:06 and was the number two on the start list. The Kenyan increased his advantage to almost one minute and crossed the line at the Brandenburg Gate in 58:55. While he missed the course record Alex Kibet clocked the second fastest time ever run in the history of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON and a personal best. “I hoped to run quite a bit faster, but it was difficult in the cold conditions. I have not broken the world record today, but at least I have won the race,“ said Alex Kibet.

Norway’s Zerei Mezngi and Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland were the fastest Europeans taking fifth and sixth positions in 60:42 and 61:01 respectively. Surprisingly Germany’s national record holder Amanal Petros, who clocked 60:09 last year, was not the fastest German in Berlin. Trying to bring his own record down to a sub one hour time he faded in the cold conditions and finished 15th in 62:21. Johannes Motschmann was the fastest German runner. Competing for the Marathon Team Berlin of race organiser SCC EVENTS he improved to 61:45 and placed tenth.

German double victory by Josie Hofmann and Felix Rijhnen in the skaters' race

A spectacular sprint led Felix Rijhnen (Powerslide) to his third victory at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. He beat Frenchman Martin Ferrié (EOSkates) by a razor-thin margin in 33:49 minutes. A German also won the women's race: Josie Hofmann (Powerslide) from Erfurt in 37:53 minutes. A total of 1,042 inline skaters celebrated the start of the roller season and the GERMAN INLINE CUP 2022.

On the course, a leading group around Valentin Thiebault (FRA/Powerslide) had initially broken away. At kilometer 15 Felix Rijhnen and Martin Ferrié managed to close the gap to the leaders and pull away. Until the finish they extended their lead to almost 50 seconds. In the final sprint to the finish, Rijhnen beat Ferrié by a razor-thin margin. In the mass sprint of the chasing pack sprint specialist Valentin Thiebault (FRA/Powerslide) secured 3rd place in 34:41 minutes. "I am mega happy that I could win after such a long and hard ice season. I'm surprised how well it went today, especially since I couldn't prepare that well due to illness," Rijhnen said after the race. "I was able to make full use of my experience over the many years in Berlin. It's just a pity that Kathi couldn't be there due to her Corona infection," said the Darmstadt native with regard to his wife Katharina Rijhnen (formerly Rumpus), who herself has won the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON four times.

In the women's race, too, a duel on the home stretch decided the race. Josie Hofmann and Marine Lefeuvre (FRA/EOSkates) distanced themselves from the field already at the halfway mark. Until the finish they extended their lead to more than 1:30 minutes. Particularly noteworthy was the spectacular, especially deep finish step with which Hofmann pushed her rollers across the finish line first after 37:53 minutes. After Lefeuvre (37:53 minutes), Belgian Sabrina Gaudesaboos (EOSkates) finished third in 39:25 minutes. "My goal was clearly to win today. But having just switched from the ice back to the road, I didn't know how good I was," Hofmann said. "My long-term goal is clearly the Olympics on ice, but I won't let inline skating out of my sight for that," the winner explained.

Top men:

Alex Kibet KEN 58:55

Belet Joshua KEN 59:53

Abel Kipchumba KEN 59:58

Fastes German men: Johannes Motschmann (Marathon Team Berlin) 61:45

Top women:

Sheila Kiprotich KEN 65:02

Jocye Chepkemoi KEN 65:50

Irene Kimais KEN 66:34

Fastes German woman: Katharina Steinruck (Eintrach Frankfurt) 69:38

Sunday marked the first Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run since 2019

A local runner won the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run for the first time since 1983.

Susanna Sullivan of Reston, Virginia, won the elite women’s race on Sunday.

“It’s indescribable, I mean, I dreamed of this and it just kind of came together,” Sullivan told WTOP shortly after crossing the finish line. “I felt great coming into the race, training’s been going well, I run these roads every weekend. Crucial. The conditions were perfect. I had close friends and teammates out on the course. So it was just amazing.”

Her unofficial time clocked in at 52 minutes and 32 seconds, making it a personal record for the long distance athlete who is also a fifth grade teacher at Haycock Elementary School in Fairfax County.

“It’s almost a two-minute PR. And that doesn’t happen when you’re 31,” said Sullivan “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot stronger in the last few years. I think the pandemic gave me time to really focus on not racing and building a really strong base. And they’re just doing more strength stuff. And that’s really helped.”

Nicolas Kosimbai of Mill Valley, Kenya, won the elite men’s race and tied the course record with a time of 45 minutes and 15 seconds.

Sullivan and Kosimbai were joined by 17,000 other eager runners on the chilly April morning. The course and weather made for a lot of personal best times for many of the amateur racers.

“I knew I did well, because I had nothing left when I crossed the finish line and I wanted to collapse,” said Alex Crisafulli, who lives in Washington D.C.

Hendrik Pfeiffer and Domenika Mayer win in Hannover and take German titles

In freezing conditions Germans Hendrik Pfeiffer and Domenika Mayer took the HAJ Hannover Marathon and the national championships which were included in the event. 

Hendrik Pfeiffer clocked 2:10:59 and was well ahead of Kenyan debutant Josphat Kiptis who ran 2:13:47. Martin Olesen of Denmark took third in 2:14:35. Despite temperatures around zero Celsius Domenika Mayer ran a surprisingly strong marathon debut with 2:26:50. German pre-race favourite Rabea Schöneborn was second with 2:27:35 while Croatia’s Matea Parlov Kostro took third in 2:28:39. Hendrik Pfeiffer and the top three women all achieved the qualifying standards for the European and the World Championships. 

In total 18,098 athletes were registered for the 30th edition of the HAJ Hannover Marathon, which is a World Athletics Label Road Race. 3,527 athletes ran the marathon distance. “We are impressed with the event and obviously we were able to make our participants happy,“ said Race Director Stefanie Eichel. Next year organisers hope to be able to come back with a bigger field and with a much stronger elite race. The 31st edition of the HAJ Hannover Marathon is scheduled for 26th March 2023.

A group of eight runners passed the half way mark in 65:25. That was almost exactly as planned. At around 25k Hendrik Pfeiffer began to take the initiative. He broke away with Kenyans Josphat Kiptis and Wilfred Kiptoo. Until the 30k mark they had support of pacemaker and fellow-Kenyan Kiprotich Kirui. With around 12k to go Hendrik Pfeiffer left behind his rivals and was then all alone at the front, building a huge lead. 

“The atmosphere was superb. The spectators helped me getting through the race. It was a bit tough during the final twelve kilometers,“ said Hendrik Pfeiffer, who ran his second fastest marathon in Hannover. The German has a PB of 2:10:18 from 2020. “I have reached all my goals today, which was important for me,“ said Hendrik Pfeiffer, who won the race and his first major German title. Additionally he achieved the qualifying standards for the European and the World Championships.

In the women’s race Domenika Mayer, Rabea Schöneborn and Kenya’s Flomena Ngurais were in the leading group when the half marathon mark was passed in 1:13:36. By 30k pre-race favourite Rabea Schöneborn had lost around 20 seconds and soon after that Flomena Ngurais could not cope with Domenika Mayer’s pace. The Kenyan dropped back to fourth later when Matea Parlov Kostro overtook her around the 40k mark.

"I did not think too much about what could happen. Sometimes in a race it just rolls, sometimes it does not. Today was a good day. I just concentrated on my pacemakers. But the wind was partly disturbing,“ said Domenika Mayer, who is a mother of two. “It was a great debut. Of course I had no clue before what could happen.“ While Domenika Mayer had a promising half marathon PB of 69:52 she had a Corona infection recently. Because of this her triumph was quite a surprise. And she came relatively close to Hannover’s course record: Three years ago Kenya’s Rachel Mutgaa clocked 2:26:15.

Runner-up Rabea Schöneborn ran 2:27:35 which was her second best marathon time. “It was a struggle today and I am happy to have finished,“ she said.

Results, Men:

1. Hendrik Pfeiffer GER 2:10:59

2. Josphat Kiprop Kiptis KEN 2:13:47

3. Martin Olesen DEN 2:14:35

4. Wilfred Kiptoo KEN 2:14:43

5. Frank Schauer GER 2:14:43

6. Erik Hille GER 2:15:04

Women:

1. Domenika Mayer GER 2:26:50

2. Rabea Schöneborn GER 2:27:35

3. Matea Parlov Kostro CRO 2:28:39

4. Flomena Ngurais KEN 2:30:42

5. Runa Skrove Falch NOR 2:33:53

6. Vaida Zusinaite-Nekriosiene LTU 2:36:04

Want to Become a Professional Trail Runner? This New Program Might Be Your Chance. 

Two weeks ago, The North Face announced the launch of its Athlete Development Program, an initiative to diversify the trail and mountain running community, and outdoor sports more broadly. 

The program will provide two-year contracts with The North Face to 15-20 climbers, alpinists, skiers, snowboarders, and trail runners, providing expedition funding, apparel, equipment, education about the roles of a professional athlete (i.e. pitching expedition ideas for funding and engaging with one's community), and one-on-one mentorship with established athletes for the duration of the contract. The program will begin with a three-month onboarding phase, followed by nine months of mentorship with a current North Face athlete, educational sessions, and the potential for additional collaboration opportunities.

"Today's athlete recruitment process relies heavily on referrals, historically favoring those who are already well-connected and enjoy the privileges that allow them the time and resources to accelerate in their sport," one North Face spokesperson said.

Mike Foote, a long-time professional ultrarunning athlete for The North Face, responded directly to the historical challenges of access within the sport. 

"I joined the team because I had good results, but also because Mike Wolfe, who was on the team at the time, lobbied hard for me to get picked up," said Foote. "I'm not sure it would have happened without that relationship."Foote has known about plans for the Athletic Development Program for months now and is excited to see it formally launched. "The whole point of it is to democratize the process of getting access," Foote said. "The Athlete Development Program removes the hurdle of social networking and gives folks a direct path to the brand." 

The Athlete Development Program strives to remove these social barriers by introducing an online application portal-eliminating the need for existing networks. The North Face says it will prioritize athletes from "historically excluded or marginalized" groups to create a more inclusive outdoor community. 

Applicants must be 16 years of age or older and based in the United States to apply. The application period will remain open until May 19, 2022, and the athletes will be selected in September 2022. 

Kipkemboi and Teklu confirm supremacy in Barcelona

Kenya's Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (1:05:26) and Ethiopia's Haftu Teklu (59:06) were victorious at the Edreams Mitja Marató Barcelona, a World Athletics Elite Label race, on Sunday (3) on an ideal morning for distance running.

World 5000m silver medallist Kipkemboi was making her debut at the 13.1-mile distance while Teklu successfully defended his title and bettered the course record by 33 seconds.

Spain's Alejandro Rodríguez set the early pace for the elite women and he set off at a moderate 3:07-3:08/km pace for the opening uphill kilometres. The first 5km was covered in 15:39 with just Kipkemboi and Ethiopian duo Gete Alemayehu and Ayanech Awoke matching the pacemaker, while Ethiopia’s Rediet Molla was further behind (16:00).

The tempo heated up over the second 5km section which only took 15:19 for a 30:58 10km split; by then Awoke had begun to lose ground and only Kiplemboi and Alemayehu remained close to the pacesetter who dropped out of the race exactly at 12km with the clock reading 37:12, well on schedule to finish inside 1:06.

Over the following kilometres, Kipkemboi ran sandwiched between a number of male athletes, which helped to keep the pace fast enough to threaten her compatriot Florence Kiplagat's course record of 1:05:09 set in 2015 as another 15:24 5k split led to a 46:22 clocking at 15km. That kind of cadence proved to be too tough for Alemayehu, a 1:08:23 performer; the Ethiopian had lost 18 seconds on Kipkemboi by then.

Kipkemboi's rhythm slowed down a bit in the following 5km section, which she covered in 15:47, but she found another gear for a fast finish, crossing the line in 1:05:26 – the third fastest clocking in the history of the event, only bettered by Kiplagat's 1:05:12 (2014) and 1:05:09 (2015) then world records.

“It was my debut so I can’t be more satisfied,” said Kipkemboi. “Everything was superb, the circuit, the temperature and the pacemaker.”

Alemayehu's cadence decreased in the closing kilometres but the 23-year-old managed a huge lifetime best of 1:06:37 as a runner-up while Awoke finished a distant third in 1:09:34.

The men's contest opened at a steady 2:50/km pace set by leading cross-country runner Thierry Ndikumwenayo. The Spain-based Burundian led an 11-man pack which included the main favourites: Kenya’s Titus Mbishei and Elvis Cheboi, Uganda's Ali Chebures, Eritrea's Berhane Tesfay and Ethiopia’s Teklu, Chala Regasa, Antenayehu Dagnachew, Kindie Derseh and Teresa Nyakora.

As was the case in the women's event, the rhythm increased over the favourable following kilometres and the leading group went through 10km in 27:54 after a brisk 13:45 5km section and the pack whittled down to seven athletes with Dagnachew running closest to the pacemaker for much of the time. The Burundian made a brave final effort to reach 15km in 41:52 before dropping out the race and left the favourites on the right path to finish close to the 59:00 mark.

Dagnachew and Teklu took turns at the lead to maintain the rhythm with only Regasa, Derseh and Cheboi for company. That quintet ran together until the closing stages, the 56:20 20km split suggesting Teklu's crouse record of 59:39 from last year would be easily lowered. With about 600 metres remaining, Regasa unleashed a burst of speed which could be matched only by Teklu as the other three opponents were left behind.

In the final sprint between the two Ethiopians, Teklu prevailed over Regasa in 59:06, winning by four seconds to set a PB and course record. In the fight for third place, Cheboi (59:15) prevented an all-Ethiopian podium sweep as the unheralded Kenyan got the better of Dagnachew and Derseh.

“As I said before the race, I went out very determined to improve on my record,” said Teklu. “The weather was fantastic, the rhythm too and I managed to do it so I'm delighted.”

Jeptum breaks French all-comers’ record at Paris Marathon

Judith Korir Jeptum produced the first women’s sub-2:20 marathon on French roads when winning at the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris on Sunday (3). The 27-year-old Kenyan won the World Athletics Elite Label road race in a lifetime best of 2:19:48, while Ethiopia’s Deso Gelmisa took the men’s race in 2:05:07.

Sharon Chelimo and Marion Kibor, who spearheaded the lead group of seven runners, set out at an aggressive pace from the outset in sunny but cold conditions. They covered the first 10km in 32:23, suggesting a finishing time inside 2:17 – well under the course record of 2:20:55 set by Purity Rionoripo in 2017. The rhythm slowly faded over the next kilometres, though, as the pack reached half way in 1:08:31.

Five kilometres later, Keptum moved up a gear and broke up the lead group. By 30km, reached in 1:37:44, she had built a one-minute gap over the rest of the field. Although her pace slowed in the waning stages, she reached the tape in 2:19:48, taking almost three minutes off her PB and more than a minute off the course record.

"The cold weather made the race hard,” said Jeptum, who set a half marathon PB of 1:05:28 earlier this year. “But I tried to do my best and to push hard.”

Fantu Jimma crossed the line 3:04 behind the winner in a PB of 2:22:52 as Besu Sado rounded the podium in 2:23:16.

The men’s contest went down to the wire. 15 runners passed through the 10km checkpoint in 29:45, 15 seconds ahead of a second group of nine runners.

Pacemakers Kirwa Yego and Sila Keptoo set a steady rhythm, followed by France’s Morhad Amdouni, who was targeting the national record of 2:06:36.

Soon after reaching 30km in 1:29:28, Gelmisa and fellow Ethiopian Seifu Tura started to kick on. They opened a 50-metre gap over Amdouni who had separated himself from the rest of the field. Gelmisa and Tura clocked a strong 29:13 between 30-40km on the hilliest section of the race.

Following a fierce sprint, Gelmisa prevailed in 2:05:07, nine seconds faster than the PB he had set in Valencia in December where he had finished runner-up. Tura, winner in Chicago in 2021, finished three seconds in arrears in 2:05:10 as Amdouni rounded the podium in a national record of 2:05:22.

Thousands ran the marathon which takes you through the city of Paris.  

Kenyans Take First Prize at Prague Half Marathon

RunCzech finally returned to Prague after three years. Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon was attended by around 9000 runners, among them also elite world athletes.

Four Kenyans ran to the finish line in under one hour. The Prague Half Marathon was dominated by Keneth Kiprop Renju in a time of 59:28.

Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo finished second and Mathew Kipkorir Kimeli was third.

The fastest woman of this year’s edition was Nesphine Jepleting with a time of 1:06:57. The best Czech runner was Jiří Homoláč, who managed the half marathon in 1:04:36, the fastest female Czech was Hana Homolková (1:20:31).

“I really liked the race, I enjoyed it a lot. Even though it was too cold, it was good. I had a more critical moment in the middle of the half marathon. Even though I didn’t feel pressure on myself, I wanted to win,” Renju said at the finish. “The weather caught me by surprise, I didn’t expect it to be so cold. The worst was the headwind, which made it really hard in some moments. I wanted to break my personal best, but I’m glad I showed such time. It’s a good start to the season, next time I could reach my maximum,” Jepleting said.

Already at the fifth kilometer, a group of elite runners was formed, eight Kenyans had the same time. At the tenth kilometer, only a group of four, Keneth Kiprop Renju, Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo, Bernard Kimeli and Mathew Kipkorir Kimeli, were at the front. Everyone had a time of 27:52.

The same four runners led the fifteenth kilometer. Before the finish, Renju and Kimaiyo grabbed each other, after crossing the Mánes Bridge, the first mentioned one broke away, who then first reached the finish.

“The race was very windy, from the sixth kilometer it was causing problems because there was a headwind. I had to lean into it from the seventh kilometer. I would like to run here again next year because this track is fast. A world record may fall here. Despite the conditions here, it was fast,” Renju added at the finish. A world record may fall here. Despite the conditions here, it was fast,” Renju added at the finish.

For the women, From the 10th kilometer, the favourites Nesphine Jepleting and Chepet Irine Cheptai broke away from the rest, they were also at the front at the fifteenth kilometer and built up a one-and-a-half-minute lead over the others. At the finish, Jepleting finally rejoiced in the triumph.

“I could run faster, but it was too cold and windy. During the race, I doubted I could win. But the mental strength, my head, helped me. In the group we ran until the twelfth kilometer, then we accelerated as we wanted,” said the fastest woman Nesphine Jepleting.

Yeremchuk ran for Ukraine

Sofia Yaremchuk, who is originally from Ukraine but has been racing for Italy for a year, improved her personal best. She finished fifth in a time of under 1 hour and 10 minutes.

“I ran for Ukraine and for all the people and men who are fighting in Ukraine. I want to tell everyone that Ukraine does not want war, the whole world does not want war, we all want peace,” Yaremchuk added, showing a time of 1:09:09. “I’m happy because I have my new record and I finished with the Ukrainian flag.”

Get ready for your interval workout by extending your warmup, get your body ready to run hard with this warmup extension workout

Over the past decade, many elite runners have altered their workouts to fit more volume in before doing harder interval training. Many coaches have turned to a longer up-tempo warmup to get a runner’s heart rate up before handling more intensity. 

We spoke to Dave Reid, the coach of Canadian 3,000m steeplechaser record holder Matt Hughes and 5,000m Olympian Kate Van Buskirk to get an idea of the benefits of doing a bit of tempo or fartlek (speed-play) training before intervals. 

“The idea here is to get more volume and quality out of your run without being mentally drained,” Reid says. “It’s faster than the warmup, but it prepares your body to run at a harder pace later on.” 

There are two ways a runner can go about doing this, and it depends on what they are training for. If you are training for a 10K to marathon, try one or two miles at tempo pace before doing your harder intervals. This will add volume to your workout without blowing out the pace in the first couple of reps, and it will let you settle in.

If you are training for 800m to 5K, try doing a short fartlek of 30 seconds on, 45 seconds off, or if you are on a track, 200m at a comfortably fast pace, then jogging the next 200m and repeat four or five times. This will get you ready for the faster intervals that are the meat of the workout. 

“When you are training for a goal race, you are always looking for ways to get more quality in,” Reid says. 

This workout can be used as an aerobic base-builder in the pre-competition phase, four to eight weeks out from your goal race.

Canadian entrepreneur donates $1.2 million toward Olympic and Paralympic medallists

The Canadian Olympic Foundation and the Paralympic Foundation of Canada announced on March 30 that Canadian tech entrepreneur Sanjay Malaviya has made a $1.2 million donation to directly support Team Canada’s Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 medallists.

This is the first time a large gift of this magnitude has been given directly to Olympic and Paralympic medallists through the Canadian Olympic Foundation. Each athlete who won a medal in Tokyo or Beijing will receive a $5,000 grant per medal earned. Another $100,000 will go directly to the NextGen program, which helps support future Canadian Olympians and Paralympians. 

In a press release from the Canadian Olympic Committee, Malaviya said, “Our Olympic and Paralympic athletes have inspired this country and united us during a very difficult time. It’s an honour to be able to celebrate their achievements and help them invest in their future.”

There were 50 medals won by Canadian athletes at the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics and 47 medals at both Paralympics. One hundred and thirty Olympians and 53 Paralympians will receive the $5,000 grant through this donation. The high number is due to the number of rostered athletes on the women’s hockey and soccer teams, which both won gold at the Tokyo Games. 

Canada’s Andre De Grasse will be one of the top-earning athletes from this donation, winning three medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the Tokyo Olympics. 

“The gift Malaviya has made is truly remarkable, especially following the challenges Canadian athletes had to face over the past few years,” said Jacquie Ryan, Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee and CEO of the Canadian Olympic Foundation.

Malaviya is a Canadian healthcare technology entrepreneur who has developed advanced IT products that have helped more than 2,000 health organizations around the world. His passion for sport comes from his appreciation of the lessons that athletes can carry from sport to all other aspects of life. “Team Canada athletes have demonstrated that can handle anything over the past two years,” says Malaviya. “The past two games have been a source of inspiration for all Canadians to share Olympic and Paralympic values.

This gift will play a pivotal role in empowering Canada’s top Olympic athletes as they begin to prepare for the podium in Paris 2024 and Milan-Cortina 2026. 

Ben Flanagan is taking a new career path

Former NCAA champion and professional distance runner Ben Flanagan had a breakout season in 2021, but now as he prepares for 2022, he’s raising the bar to a whole new level.

“I’ll be moving to the high jump,” Flanagan says. “I fell in love with the sport.”

After his win at the Falmouth Road Race in Falmouth, Mass., last August. Flanagan was approached by a famous U.S. high jump coach, Mike Flyte, who currently coaches for the U.S. Airforce Academy. Flyte was at Falmouth to watch his wife race in 2018 and 2021 and noticed Flanagan’s outstanding ‘vert’ as he celebrated into the finish.

Flyte eventually approached Flanagan after the race to congratulate him. “I thought he was making a joke at first, until he handed me his business card,” Flanagan says.

Already having the rest of his season planned for 2021, Flanagan finished the season in impeccable form, taking wins at the Manchester Road Race and Toronto Waterfront 10K.

In February, Flanagan connected with Flyte and made his way to Airforce Academy’s Track and Field Centre in Colorado Springs. “The high jump was love at first sight,” says Flanagan. “What intrigues me about high jump is the idea of reaching new heights.”

Although Flanagan only holds a personal best of 1.06 m, he’s confident that his distance running experience will stand him in good stead for the new discipline.

“High jump and distance running are way more similar than people think,” he says. “I’m shocked more people don’t make this transition, or even compete in both.”

Flanagan’s ultimate goal would be to double in the high jump and marathon in Paris 2024.

Japanese record-holders Izumiya, Terada and Aoki to race in Tokyo

Some of Japan’s leading hurdlers will be in action when the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series arrives at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium for the Seiko Golden Grand Prix on 8 May.

Japanese 110m hurdles record-holder Shunsuke Izumiya, joint national 100m hurdles record-holders Asuka Terada and Masumi Aoki, and Olympic 400m hurdles semifinalist Hiromu Yamauchi will take on some of the world’s top athletes as they look to further improve their records in the early part of the outdoor season.

Izumiya clocked 13.06 when winning the national title in Osaka last June – a time that placed him fifth in the world on the season top list ­– and went on to reach the semifinals at the Olympics in Tokyo. He was second in last year’s Ready Steady Tokyo meeting, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour.

Terada and Aoki went head-to-head at the Ready Steady Tokyo meeting, with Terada taking the win in 12.99, and the pair have matching PBs of 12.87.

Joining Yamauchi in the men’s 400m hurdles field will be last year’s Ready Steady Tokyo winner Kazuki Kurokawa and Takatoshi Abe. Along with Izumiya, this year's 110m hurdles line-up includes Shunya Takayama and Rachid Muratake.

Ethiopian Gelete Burka announces a return to Ottawa, she broke the Canadian All Comers record in 2018, and she will be aiming for a sub-2:20 marathon on May 29

Gelete Burka is smiling warmly as she moves about her house in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital city. She’s looking into her mobile phone during a WhatsApp video call in which she confirmed her return to the newly renamed Tamarack Ottawa International Marathon, Sunday, May 29th.

The World Athletic Gold-label event will be held in person again after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

On her previous visit in 2018, Gelete – Ethiopians prefer to use their first names – broke the Canadian All Comers’ record (the fastest time recorded on Canadian soil) with a stunning 2 hours 22 minutes 17 seconds despite conditions that weren’t exactly agreeable.

“Of course that time everything was hard,” she remembers still smiling. “The weather! I had been training here in Ethiopia and it was so very hot and also the (strong) wind and I also had stomach cramps. Anyway, God is good and, for me that day, helped me for that victory. I was so very happy.”

The margin of victory despite stomach cramps, the wind and the cooler temperatures (it was a cool 13 degrees Celsius at 7am that day) was roughly four minutes such was the effort she expended.

“Ottawa is a good memory for me,” she continues. “When I was training I had a bit of a leg problem with an injury to my calf and I came to Ottawa with that injury. It was not easy. That was why I smiled when I came to the finish.”

Although she rarely leaves the hotel at a marathon – preferring to totally focus on the race at hand – after her Ottawa victory she attended an Ethiopian church with Ottawa friends to give thanks.

In Addis she is both an usher and a member of the forty-member choir at The Glorious Life Church. With two Sunday services, plus another on Tuesday nights, her devotion to the church is exemplary. No wonder she has little time, outside of training and travelling, for herself. When she does have free time she might have tea or coffee with friends.

As she speaks, Gelete shifts position for better light and the contents of her cabinet come into focus.

There is her 1500m gold medal from the 2008 World Indoor Championships, the 2006 World Cross Country gold and the 10,000m silver medal she earned at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. Without a second thought she suddenly beckons two children to join her in the picture. They are her young niece and nephew, Deborah and Muse, and she asks them to say hello into her phone.

Family is ever so important. These are her youngest sister’s kids. The financial rewards of being a world class runner – she took CAD 30,000 (USD 24,120) prize money from Ottawa for instance – over two decades has allowed her to take care of both immediate family who live with her, while also contributing to the welfare of children in her home village of Kofele in south central Ethiopia.

Gelete has represented Ethiopia in six successive world outdoor championships and three Olympics. In Rio six years ago, she finished 5th in the 10,000m earning her personal best of 30:26.66. Had it not been for a slight on the part of the Ethiopian federation a year later, she might never have turned to the marathon.

“In 2017 I was in Hengelo (Netherlands) at the Ethiopian trials for the world championships. I won the Ethiopian 10,000m trials (30:40.87), but they never took me to the world championships in London,” she explains, her smile having vanished now.

“After that I stopped track and that is the point when I went to the marathon. So, I trained for the Dubai Marathon where I ran 2:20:45.”

A year later she won the 2019 Paris Marathon in 2:22:47, then finished 3rd in Chicago, one of the ‘World Majors,’ in 2:20:55. The latter result illustrates the importance of pacemakers to marathoners.

“In Paris we had a very nice pacer and also in Chicago, you remember the world record was broken,” she remembers. “The pacemakers went with the Kenyan lady (Brigid Kosgei set the world record of 2:14:04) and after 2km I was all by myself for 40km. Maybe when someone is pushing me I will run under 2:19. I need a good pacemaker. Yes I hope it is arranged (in Ottawa). I want to go under 1:10 the first half.”

Gelete is coached by Getamesay Molla and belongs to a group of strong Ethiopian runners who train together on the dusty roads of Sendafa, Sululta and Entoto outside Addis. Traffic inside the capital makes training there near impossible. Preparations, she says, are going well for Ottawa.

“My training now is very nice,” she allows. “I am happy with my training and I have another two months to get in good shape.”

Racing regularly again following the coronavirus pandemic is a welcome relief for her. Now that she is 36 years old, an age that used to indicate the twilight years of an athletics career, she doesn’t know how much longer she will continue training and racing. The Paris Olympics are two years hence.

“I don’t know about that (Paris) I don’t have an idea about this,” she says carefully.“Even if I run a good time it is not easy with my federation (to win selection). You saw like Kenenisa (Bekele who was controversially left off the Ethiopian Olympic team) last time in Tokyo. I will see what my time is. Sometimes you have the time, but I don’t know why they do this.”

Politics notwithstanding Gelete has several more world-class performances in those legs. Reducing her personal best and getting under the 2 hours 20 minutes barrier remains a target. She would like for that to happen on the streets of Ottawa.

Four steps to nail your first 10K, If you're considering making the jump to the double-digits, follow these guidelines to get you ready to go the distance

The spring racing season is around the corner, and if you conquered your first 5K last fall, you may be thinking of bumping up to the double digits in the coming months. As they say, if you can run 5K, you can run 10, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t train for it. Follow these steps over the next several weeks to ensure you’re ready to nail your first 10K.

Step 1: Build Mileage

Jumping from the 5K to the 10K means you will have to run more in your training, but it’s important to increase the amount you’re running slowly and thoughtfully. Suddenly doubling your mileage will likely result in injuries.

The general rule for increasing mileage is no more than 10 per cent per week, so use this as your starting point and adjust from there. For example, if you were previously running 5K, three times per week (15 km total), you should start by adding another 1.5 to two kilometers to your weekly total. Many runners will be able to add more mileage than this, but this is a good place to start, especially if you’re a beginner. We don’t recommend adding more than 5 km to your weekly total right off the top.

As your mileage totals get bigger, you may also want to consider adding another day of running into your schedule. Four to five days per week of training is a good amount for a 10K.

Step 2: add in a long run

When you’re increasing your mileage, you don’t have to spread it evenly across the week. In fact, you shouldn’t. An easy (and effective) way to add volume is by choosing one day of the week to be your long-run day. To use the example from above, you could add one or two kilometers to one of your weekly runs, so two days in the week, you’re running 5K, and one day you’re running six or seven.

The long run is your opportunity every week to prepare yourself to cover the race distance, which is the most important consideration for most runners when tackling their first 10K. Your other two runs are for building fitness, and varying your pace.

Step 3: consider varying your pace

If you’re a beginner runner who’s never done speedwork, now isn’t the time to start doing lung-burning, gut-busting track sessions, but adding a bit of faster running into your program can help build up some strength that will prepare you for the 10K distance.

If you’re building up your mileage for the first time, you should be careful about adding too many other stressors to your body all at once. For this reason, the speedwork you do should focus on short, fast strides that get you moving quickly without causing too much fatigue.

For example, try adding four to six 30-second strides or short hill repeats after one or two of your runs each week. This will introduce some speed to your legs and build up strength without stressing your body out too much as it adapts to your higher weekly mileage totals.

Step 4: give yourself some time

This, perhaps, should really be step one. It’s important to go slowly when you’re increasing your weekly mileage to give your body time to adapt. Ideally, you should build your mileage up steadily for four weeks, then drop your volume down for one week to give your body an opportunity to absorb your training before bumping back up again.

If you’re coming from the 5K distance, the best-case scenario for preparing for a 10K is a 10-week training block. This allows you to build your mileage for four weeks, take a one-week taper, build it again for another 4 weeks, then take another taper week ahead of your goal race.

Ethiopian Haftu Teklu and Kenyan Margaret Kipkemboi are ready to strike in Barcelona

Kenya's Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi and Ethiopia’s Haftu Teklu will be among the leading athletes at the eDreams Mitja Marató de Barcelona, a World Athletics Elite Label event, on Sunday (3). While world 5000m silver Kipkemboi tackles the distance for the first time, Teklu will be aiming to retain his title.

In the absence of multiple world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba, who withdrew from the entry list a few weeks ago due to injury, her fellow Ethiopian Asnakesh Awoke, third last year in 1:07:47, emerges as one of the favorites. The 26-year-old was runner-up the previous year in a PB of 1:07:04 and should be eager to improve on her previous appearances and take top spot.

Spain's Alejandro Rodriguez, a former 1:45:97 800m specialist, will be in charge of the pacing duties, aiming to cover the opening 10km at 3:06/3:08 pace in the hunt for a sub-1:06:00 final time. The course record stands at 1:05:09, which was then a world record, set by Kenya's Florence Kiplagat in 2015.

The defending champion Teklu should be regarded as the main favorite in the men’s race. The 26-year-old won in style last October, setting a course record of 59:39 on his debut over the distance. Teklu has competed twice in 2022 over shorter distances indoors, setting PBs of 3:39:47 for 1500m in Sabadell and 7:52:10 for 3000m in Torun last month.

Back to his specialist event, the Ethiopian athlete will be aiming for an improvement on his performance last year to grab back-to-back titles.

“Last year, the organizers gave me the chance to make my debut here and I managed to win,” he said. “I'm now a more experienced athlete, I already know the circuit and I'll be targeting a quicker performance on Sunday.”

Teklu heads a powerful Ethiopian squad which includes another two athletes who have dipped under the 60-minute barrier – Abe Gashahun (59:46) and Antenatyehu Dagnachew (59:48) – alongside last year's third-place finisher Regasa Chala (1:00:38) and debutants Gebru Redahgne and Teresa Nyakora.

Kenya's Titus Mbishei, fresh from a 1:01:53 clocking in Ras Al Khaimah in February, joins them, as do Eritrea's Berhane Tesfay (1:00:54) and Uganda's Ali Chebres.

Burundi's Thierry Ndikumwenayo, recent victor in Serradilla at the closing event of this season's World Athletics Cross Country Tour, will be the opening pacemaker, while Kazakhstan's Shadrack Koech, a 1:00:12 athlete, should lead the front group to 15km at a brisk rhythm.

Overall, more than 13,000 runners will take place in the event. Weather forecasters predict an ideal morning for running with a very slight wind, sun and a 10°C temperature by the time of the event.

However, Kenya's Kipkemboi, a 29:50 10km specialist, should not be discounted for the win. The 29-year-old has shown great form this winter with podium places at the Atapuerca and Italica cross country races on Spanish soil and more recently came second at the national championships in Eldoret. Ethiopia's Gete Alemayehu, holder of a 1:08:23 personal best, might well complete the podium.

Hannover Marathon returns with focus on German championships

The HAJ Hannover Marathon will be back on Sunday after a two-year gap due to the Corona pandemic. Returning with its 30th edition the race will feature the German Marathon Championships. Because of uncertainties regarding the Covid 19 situation in the build-up organisers decided to focus on the national championships this year and to only allow a limited international elite field.

While Hendrik Pfeiffer and Rabea Schöneborn are the clear favourites in the race for the national title there might still be international overall winners. The HAJ Hannover Marathon is a World Athletics Label Road Race.

"It will be a very emotional return for all participants as well as for the organising team,“ said Race Director Stefanie Eichel.

“We are really happy to come back with this race and we are well aware about our responsibility under the current conditions. Our approach is to make sure that our participants feel good and safe during our event.“

Including events at other distances the organisers of the HAJ Hannover Marathon set a limit of 18,400 participants for this year. Close to 4,000 of them will run the classic distance.

A Mongolia runner heads the start list of the HAJ Hannover Marathon: Byambajav Tseveenravdan has a personal best of 2:09:03 from Oita (Japan) in 2020. While this remains his only sub 2:10 time he ran in the Olympic Marathon last summer and placed 55th. With this result Byambajav Tseveenravdan is in a similar performance range as Hendrik Pfeiffer, who was 50th in the tough Olympic race.

The German has a personal best of 2:10:18 from Sevilla in 2020, which makes him the clear favourite in the race for the German title on Sunday.

"My goal is to qualify for the European Championships in Munich and to run a personal best in Hannover. It is a nice and fast course and I look forward to enjoy the atmosphere with spectators back along the course,“ said Hendrik Pfeiffer. 

While Hendrik Pfeiffer is likely to run in a group that targets a half marathon split time of 65:30 a few Kenyan athletes might go much faster on Sunday. Daniel Muteti is the second fastest runner on the start list with a personal best of 2:09:25. He clocked this time in Cape Town in 2019.

However Daniel Muteti has not raced internationally in the past two years. It is a similar story with fellow-Kenyan Josphat Kiptis, who only competed once during this time. He will run his marathon debut on Sunday. While Josphat Kiptis features a promising half marathon PB of 60:21, he ran this back in 2015. 

Germany’s Rabea Schöneborn is not only the big favorite in the title race but additionally she is the fastest woman on the start list. The runner from Berlin improved to 2:27:03 last spring in Enschede, where she missed a place on the German Olympic team by just nine seconds.

It was her twin sister Deborah Schöneborn who qualified with a PB of 2:26:55 and then achieved a strong 18th place in the Olympic race. Looking at her sister’s family record Rabea Schöneborn said: “I want to run a personal best on Sunday and rectify this.“

There is one athlete who could be able to challenge Rabea Schöneborn in Hannover: Matea Parlov Kostro. The Croatian achieved a fine 21st place in the Olympic marathon in 2021 and has a personal best of 2:28:52. Matea Parlov Kostro’s aim will be to qualify for the European Championships on Sunday.

With strong fields, both course records are under threat at the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris

Six months after its 46th edition, which was rescheduled due to the pandemic, the Paris event returns to its more usual place in the calendar.

The men’s line-up features six men who have already clocked sub-2:05 times, meaning the course record of 2:04:21 set by Elisha Rotich in 2021 could be improved.

Ethiopia’s Asefa Mengstu is the fastest man in the field courtesy of his 2:04:06 clocked in Dubai three years ago, but his compatriot Seifu Tura would look to be the favorite, having recently shown his good shape. The winner of the 2021 Chicago Marathon ran a half marathon personal best of 58:36 in February.

Tura’s marathon PB of 2:04:29 is 16 seconds faster than Hillary Kipsambu’s. The Kenyan, who turned 37 in February, will also be a serious threat. The Paris streets must be vivid in his memory, as he ran his PB of 2:04:44 last October in the French capital. On that occasion he placed third, finishing nine seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Abayneh Degu, who set a PB of 2:04:53 that day and will also be in contention on Sunday.

Abayneh Degu and Deso Gelmisa will likely have a say as well. Degu ran 2:04:53 in Paris last year, while Gelmisa has a personal best of exactly the same time, run in Valencia in 2020.

Morhad Amdouni of France, who finished eighth at the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships, could target the French record of 2:06:36.

Julien Wanders will make his debut over the distance. The Swiss athlete is the European half marathon record-holder with 59:13.

The PB of Namibia’s Helalia Johannes – 2:19:52 set in 2020 – is more than a minute faster than the women’s course record set by Purity Rionoripo in 2017. Kenya’s Judith Jeptum should be the world bronze medallist’s main contender. Jeptum, who is 14 years younger than Johannes, proved her current form by clocking a half marathon PB of 1:05:28 one month ago.

The Kenyan is the third-fastest athlete in the elite women’s field with 2:22:30, 1:27 off Besu Sado’s personal best. The Ethiopian, who clocked that time of 2:21:03 in 2019, will also be looking for a top spot.

Not to be discounted are Ethiopia’s Tigist Abayechew and Beyenu Degefa. Abayechew has run 2:22:45 at her best, while her compatriot finshed third in Valencia in December in 2:23:04.

The USATF has made the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon the national championship for the distance on May 7

USA Track & Field, whose headquarters are in Indianapolis, will have two of its events in Indianapolis, Ind this year.

Most notable is USATF has made the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon the national championship for the distance on May 7.

The half-marathon championship is a stop on USATF’s running circuit, a series of road races from one mile to the marathon offering $500,000 in prize money. The designation could attract the strongest field of elite runners in the history of the Mini, which debuted in 1977.

In a news release, Max Siegel, CEO of USATF, said:

“We are thrilled to bring our USATF Half Marathon Championships to such an incredible weekend of racing in Indianapolis.”

The 13.1-mile course starts and finishes downtown and features a 2.5-mile loop around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The pandemic caused the Mini to be canceled in 2020 and 2021.

Prize money for each gender is $7,000 for first place, $3,500 for second, down to $600 for 10th. Total prize money per gender is $20,000.

Indianapolis runner Noah Droddy, 31, who has run the second-fastest marathon ever by a native Hoosier, posted on Twitter that timing of the announcement was inappropriate.

"For reference most races assemble their professional athlete field MONTHS in advance," Droddy wrote. "I would have loved to race at home, but how can you plan for something on this timeline?"

Futsum Zienasellassie, a seven-time state champion at North Central High School, also said he will not race the Mini because of a scheduling conflict.

He is coming off two of his best results: fifth in the USA half-marathon in 1:01:21 at Hardeeville, S.C., Dec. 5, and sixth in the USA 15-kilometer race in 43:28 at Jacksonville March 5.  In the latter, he beat seventh-place Galen Rupp, a two-time Olympic medalist. Zienasellassie, 29, who lives in Flagstaff, Ariz., has qualified for the Nov. 13 half-marathon World Championship at Yanzhou, China.

Also, USATF is bringing a street meet to Indianapolis on Sept. 18. It is part of the Journey to Gold Tour, which opens April 9 at Bermuda. A live telecast is scheduled for NBC.

The meet is modeled after similar events held at Boston and Manchester, England. Runners race down a straightaway course on an assembled track surface.

Olympic silver medalist Abdi Nageeye targeting 2:04 at Rotterdam Marathon next weekend

Abdi Nageeye is the 2021 Olympic marathon silver medalist from Tokyo Marathon. In the hot and humid conditions that the marathoners battled in Sapporo, Japan, Abdi Nageeye cajoled his training partner, Bashir Abde to sprint hard, moving past Lawrence Cherono, to take the bronze medal. Abdi was both exhausted and overjoyed.

Nageeye targeting 2:04

Olympic marathon silver medalist Abdi Nageeye is targeting a 2:04 performance at the Rotterdam Marathon on 10 April. The Dutchman believes the race is the perfect location for him to challenge his own national record of 2:06:17 set there three years ago.

The European record is 2:03:36, held by Bashir Abdi. "Rotterdam was the race that offered the best experience for me," he said, quoted by his team, NN Running. "It is very welcoming, it is in my home country, NN is based in Rotterdam and as I have a big desire to improve my PB, it makes sense to run Rotterdam because it is such a fast course.

It is such a special race because it gives you the belief that you can run fast times and the crowd is really amazing. From about 33 kilometers through to around 36 kilometers you run in the forest and because it is such a nice environment even when the race is at this really tough stage, you don't feel the pain.

I think that is one of the reasons you see the fast times because people leave the forest section of the race not crazy tired."

Bladerunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma on her way to completing 100 marathons in 100 days, she is 72 marathons into her 100-day journey

On January 17, Jacky Hunt-Broersma ran a marathon. Since then, she has completed 72 more en route to reaching her goal of running 100 marathons in 100 days, to break the Guinness World Record for running the most consecutive marathons. We caught up with the Arizona-based ultrarunner to find out how she’s managing such a daunting undertaking.

“I’m feeling quite good,” says Hunt-Broersma. “I’ve had some tough days, but overall it’s been going really well.”

Every day, she gets up in the morning, helps her kids get ready for school, then prepares to tackle her next marathon. The physical challenge of a goal like this is enormous (especially considering she is running on a prosthetic), but Hunt-Broersma says it’s the mental challenge that’s been the toughest part. “Just getting up and doing the same thing every day has been tough,” she says.

To change things up, Hunt-Broersma has done her marathons on the roads, trails and the treadmill. More than just a change of scenery, varying the surface has helped her physically, as well. After finding that the road was beating up on her body, she’s moved many of her runs to a dirt trail near her home that’s more forgiving, and alternated that with runs on the treadmill. “The treadmill works my muscles slightly differently than running outside, so it helps a bit with recovery,” she says.

Of course, running with a prosthetic leg comes with its own set of challenges that a runner with two legs would not have to deal with. The volume of running Hunt-Broersma is doing every day frequently causes swelling behind her knee near the bottom of her stump, which pushes the bone out of position. A daily part of recovery for her is icing her stump and massaging it to bring down the swelling so the bone can move back to the correct spot. “I’ve had to stop mid-run a few times to massage my stump so I can get going again,” she says.

The highs and lows

Unsurprisingly, in a journey of this length and magnitude, there have been good days and bad days. “Sometimes, after I have a really difficult run, I wonder how I’m going to get through another one the next day,” says Hunt-Broersma. “But then the next day feels like I didn’t run at all the day before.”

There have also been some particularly difficult days, like on day 35, when she ran a half-marathon race in the morning, then came home and ran another 21.1K to complete her marathon distance for the day. A few people called her out on social media, arguing it didn’t count because she split it into two runs, so to be safe, she ran another full marathon that day. That made for a total of 84.4 kilometers in one day, after 34 consecutive marathons.

Day 72 was also particularly tough. “I had a bit of an emotional breakdown on my run yesterday,” she says. “I was questioning whether or not I could do this, so I cried a bit, then picked myself up and got the job done.”

When asked how she gets through her runs every day, Hunt-Broersma says she tries to focus on taking it one mile at a time. On the really tough days, she gives herself mid-run pep talks to remind herself of her capabilities and her goal (if you live in Arizona, don’t be alarmed if you see a woman running toward you talking to herself).

Finally, she says the support she’s received from her family and friends has been phenomenal, and her daughter has even joined her for a few miles here and there. “My kids are always coming home from school, asking me if I’ve run my marathon yet today,” she says. The support from the online community has also been overwhelming, and Hunt-Broersma has received several messages from fellow runners, who’ve said she’s inspired them to get out the door for their run, even when they didn’t feel like it.

Hunt-Broersma has 27 days left to go on her journey and can use all the support and well wishes she can get. She is also 65 per cent of the way to reaching her fundraising goal of $10,000 for the Amputee Blade Runners organization, which provides running blades for amputees. You can donate to the cause on her GoFundMe page, and follow her progress on Instagram.

Kenyan Philemon Kiplimo set to take part in the Prague Half Marathon

The start list of the thrilling Sportisimo 1/2 Marathon Prague is full of big names and future global stars. Kenyan Philemon Kiplimo, a member of the RunCzech Racing team, will also be seen at Prague’s fast course on Saturday, April 2.

In addition to the eighth man of the world tables with a personal best of 58:11, his compatriots Kennedy Kimutai and Keneth Renju will be among the favorites for the victory.

The best known Czech athlete on the course will be Jiří Homoláč. Among women, the contenders are Brenda Jepleting and Irine Cheptai from Kenya, with strong running also being expected from Petra Kamínková and Hana Homolková from the Czech Republic.

In the last 5 years, the world record has been broken on five occasions here, at home. In the half marathon in September 2020, during the middle pandemic, Kenyan Peres Jepchirchi took care of it in time 1:05:34. Twenty-three-year-old Philemon Kiplimo will be making another personal best effort, trying to improve on the time he ran in Valencia two years ago.

The winner of the half marathons in Boston and Bahrain celebrated second place in the Czech Republic two years ago and will be looking for a victory. His great opponent will certainly be his compatriot Kennedy Kimutai, ranked 11th on the World Athletics all-time half marathon list.

Last year, he shined at the half marathon in Valencia, where he was fourth with 58:28. Another athlete to watch for is Keneth Renju, placed just four places below (7 seconds) Kennedy and aiming at the podium.

The best Czech endurance runner, Jiří Homoláč (1:03:23) is going to keep pace with the rest of the field. The record of the Prague Half Marathon is held by Ethiopian Atsedu Tsegay, who in 2012 stormed through the course in a time of 58:47.

Among the women, Kenyan Irine Cheptai and Nelly Jepchumba and, especially, Brenda Jepleting are expected to fight for the top positions.

The Sportisimo 1/2 Marathon Prague which starts at 10:00 am on Saturday, April 2, after two years of Covid-19 related break, will send a strong message of peace.

Among other activities, the organizers plan to hand out symbolic bracelets in Ukrainian national colors before the start.

Six back exercises for better running form, Runners tend to neglect their upper bodies, but strengthening the muscles in your back and shoulders can make you a more efficient runner

When runners go to the gym, they tend to focus on their lower bodies. You may not often think about how the muscles in your lower and upper back and shoulders contribute to your running performance, but strengthening these areas can go a long way in improving your running form and making you a more efficient, faster runner.

The importance of back strength for runners

Running is often regarded as a solely lower-body activity, but your upper body gets much more involved than you might think. Your back is particularly important because it keeps you upright, and having good posture helps you stay injury-free.

You need to be particularly strong in your mid and lower back as a runner to stabilize your spine and pelvis. This helps to more evenly distribute the forces that your body has to absorb with each step, which reduces your risk for injuries. It also improves your running economy by reducing any unnecessary body sway.

Having a strong back becomes even more important when you start increasing your weekly mileage. If your back is not strong as you increase your running volume, it can eventually cause tissue breakdown and injury in your hips and lower legs.

6 exercises for a stronger back

These six exercises work on your lower, mid and upper back to improve your posture and arm carriage and help prevent injuries. Try incorporating two or three of these exercises into each of your strength days to start reaping the benefits of back training.

1.- Renegade rows

Having a strong core is important for reducing lower back pain, so this exercise is a great option for runners because it targets your core and upper back at the same time. It also hits your glutes and quads, making this an excellent full-body move for runners.

2.- Shoulder protraction pushups

Shoulder protraction (or scapular protraction) push-ups strengthen the muscles in your shoulders and upper back, which help improve your arm carriage when your run. It will also improve your posture while running, which will help prevent your shoulder from hunching over as you fatigue. Like the renegade rows, this exercise also works your core, glutes and quads.

3.- Single-arm kettlebell swing

This is an excellent compound exercise that works your shoulders, back, core, hips, glutes and hamstrings. Make sure you perform these carefully with proper form, and start with a weight that’s not too heavy to avoid injuring yourself.

4.- Standing band pull apart

This exercise strengthens your shoulders while also working on their mobility, which will improve your arm carriage while running. Make sure you keep your core tight when you do this exercise, and avoid sticking your chest or neck out as you pull the band apart.

5.- One arm, one leg cable row

This exercise also works on your back, hips, glutes and hamstrings, and challenges your stabilizer muscles by forcing you to stand on one leg. Remember to pull your shoulder blades down and back with each row.

6.- The cobra

This exercise very specifically targets your lower back and core muscles. The goal is to slowly move your hands toward the ceiling by contracting the muscles at the base of the shoulder blades until your arms reach shoulder height. Hold for three to five seconds before returning to the starting position.

World Record Holders, Olympians, National Champions set to Race B.A.A. 5K

The B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile will make a triumphant return to Patriots’ Day weekend, with professional fields featuring world record holders, Olympians, Paralympians, national champions, and local standouts. Held on Saturday, April 16, the B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile will kick-off festivities leading up to the 126th Boston Marathon on April 18.

“The B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile are two events entrenched in the fabric of Boston Marathon weekend, and each features a field which will lead to fast competition,” said Tom Grilk, President and Chief Executive Officer of the B.A.A. “With three years having passed since our last in-person edition of these races, we’re eager to return to the roads to crown champions.”

In the B.A.A. 5K, Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi will make her Boston road racing debut. A two-time Olympian and two-time World Athletics Championships silver medalist, Teferi holds the women’s-only 5K world record of 14:29. She’ll be up against recently crowned American marathon record holder Keira D’Amato, 2021 U.S. Olympians Emily Sisson and Rachel Schneider, reigning U.S. 5K national champion Weini Kelati, and B.A.A. High Performance Team member Erika Kemp. The B.A.A. 5K course and American record of 14:50 –set by Molly Huddle in 2015—could very well be in jeopardy.

On the men’s side, 2019 B.A.A. 10K champion David Bett and 17-time NCAA champion Edward Cheserek, both of Kenya, will square off against New Zealand 5,000m indoor national record holder Geordie Beamish and 2021 U.S. Olympians Mason Ferlic and Joe Klecker. Stanley Kebenei, a World Athletics Championships finalist in the 3000m steeplechase, will also be part of the strong American charge. The B.A.A. 5K course and American record is 13:20, established by Ben True in 2017.

Boston Marathon wheelchair division champions Marcel Hug, Daniel Romanchuk, and Joshua Cassidy will all compete in the B.A.A. 5K less than 48 hours in advance of racing the 126th Boston Marathon. Vanessa de Souza, Shelly Oxley-Woods, and Jenna Fesemyer are top women’s wheelchair entrants.

Following the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. Invitational Mile will take center stage on Boylston Street. U.S. Olympian, Bostonian, and reigning indoor 1,500m national champion Heather MacLean will race for the first time on the three-lap course that finishes at the Boston Marathon finish line. Among her competitors are B.A.A. High Performance Team member Annie Rodenfels, 2019 runner-up Emily Lipari, and Great Britain Olympian Katie Snowden. MacLean and Rodenfels won’t be the only Massachusetts residents toeing the line, as Belmont High School standout Ellie Shea will race among the professionals. Shea ran 9:08.54 for 3,000m during the indoor season, a time that stands as No. 5 on the all-time high school list and is a Massachusetts state record.

Shane Streich, fresh off an indoor American record at 1,000m, will lead the American men in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile along with 3:54 miler Colby Alexander. Neil Gourley of Great Britain is entered, as are Canadian William Paulson, the 2019 Pan-Am 1500m bronze medalist, B.A.A. racing team member Kevin Kelly of Ireland, and local standout James Randon of Rhode Island.

A complete professional field list for the B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile can be found below. Preceding the professional divisions of the B.A.A. Invitational Mile will be a scholastic mile and middle school 1K featuring student-athletes from the eight cities and towns along the Boston Marathon route. Entries for the high school and middle school events will be available on race weekend.

2022 B.A.A. 5K WOMEN’S FIELD (NAME, COUNTRY, ROAD 5K PB, TRACK 5000M PB)

Carmela Cardama-Baez, Spain, N/A, 15:25.41 (NR)

Kim Conley, USA, 15:29, 15:05.20

Keira D’Amato, USA, 15:08, 16:09.86

Emily Durgin, USA, 16:05, 15:24.19

Annie Frisbie, USA, 16:35, 16:05.78

Sammy George, USA, 15:53, 15:19.66

Tori Gerlach, USA, 15:56, 15:44.13

Marielle Hall, USA, 15:08, 15:02.27

Elly Henes, USA, N/A, 15:03.27i

Emma Grace Hurley, USA, 16:13, 15:57.23

Katie Izzo, USA, 16:00, 15:41.33

Weini Kelati, USA, 15:18, 14:58.24

Erika Kemp, USA, 15:45, 15:10.10

Melissa Lodge, USA, N/A, 15:53.81i

Sharon Lokedi, Kenya, 15:48, 15:13.04i

Betty Sigei, Kenya, N/A, 15:37.80

Emily Sisson, USA, 15:38, 14:53.84

Rachel Smith (Schneider), USA, N/A, 14:52.04

Emma Spencer, USA, 16:41, 16:04.95

Susanna Sullivan, USA, 16:35, 15:42.59i

Senbere Teferi, Ethiopia, 14:29 (WR), 14:15.29

Abbey Wheeler, USA, N/A, 15:40.67i

2022 B.A.A. 5K MEN’S FIELD (NAME, COUNTRY, ROAD 5K PB, TRACK 5000M PB)

Eric Avila, USA, 13:55, 13:18.68

Geordie Beamish, New Zealand, N/A, 13:12.53i (NR)

David Bett, Kenya, 13:54, 13:06.06

Ben Blankenship, USA, 13:56, 13:33.07

Robert Brandt, USA, N/A, 13:19.11

Sam Chelanga, USA, 13:43, 13:09.67

Edward Cheserek, Kenya, 13:29, 13:04.44

Adam Clarke, Great Britain, 13:42, 13:39.21

Graham Crawford, USA, 13:54, 13:22.68i

Aaron Dinzeo, USA, 14:25, 13:58.37

Brandon Doughty, USA, N/A, 13:39.06

Mason Ferlic, USA, 13:52, 13:24.94

Sydney Gidabuday, USA, 13:53, 13:22.66

Eric Hamer, USA, 14:43, 13:29.60

Brian Harvey, USA, 14:01, 14:13.93

Stanley Kebenei, USA, 13:53, 13:45.87

Joe Klecker, USA, N/A, 13:06.67

Kasey Knevelbaard, USA, 13:56, 13:24.98i

Lawi Lalang, USA, 13:30, 13:00.95

Matt McClintock, USA, 13:49, 13:47.68

Tim McGowan, USA, 14:11, 13:54.20

Reuben Mosip, Kenya, 13:34, 13:50.80a

Charles Philbert-Thiboutot, Canada, 14:04, 13:22.44

Brian Shrader, USA, 13:57, 13:29.13

Zouhair Talbi, Morocco, N/A, 13:18.17i

Aaron Templeton, USA, 13:48, 13:39.39

Josef Tessema, USA, 14:05, 13:22.28.

Half-marathon workout: the fitness elevator, This challenging fartlek-style workout will get you ready to run 21 Kilometers

If you’ve got a half-marathon on the calendar this spring, you should include a “fitness elevator” workout in your training schedule. A fun twist on a fartlek session, this workout has you progressively getting faster to practice running on tired legs — a must if you want a strong finish after running 21 kilometers.

The fitness elevator

The purpose of this seven-to-one workout is to progressively get faster as the intervals get shorter. So, you should start the first seven-minute section at roughly your goal half-marathon pace, or a bit slower. Pick up the pace with each subsequent interval so that by the time you reach the two-minute and one-minute sections, you’re moving at approximately 5K pace.

The recovery period between each interval should be half of the interval that preceded it, so after the seven-minute section you take 3:30 rest, after the six-minute section you take 3:00 rest, and so on. You should aim to do a very slow jog during your recovery periods, but as the pace gets quicker, you may need to slow even more to a walk.

This is a fairly big workout (the actual workout portion without warm-up and cool-down should take more than 40 minutes), so is better suited to a more experienced runner. If you are a relative beginner and this is your first half, you can shorten the workout by starting from the five-minute mark instead, but make your warm-up and cool-down slightly longer.

The workout

Warmup: 10-20 minutes easy jog, followed by form drills and strides

Workout: 7 min/3:30 rest; 6 min/3:00 rest; 5 min/2:30 rest, 4 min/2:00 rest; 3 min/1:30 rest; 2 min/1 min rest; 1 min

Cooldown: 10-20 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching

How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon

So you want to qualify for the Boston Marathon? You’re not alone. As an age-group or recreational runner, it’s one of the noblest (and most common) goals to set your sights on.

The history and prestige of the Boston Marathon are unparalleled in the world of running, which is why getting the opportunity to run the famed 26.2-mile route from the start in Hopkinton to the finish line on Boylston Street in downtown Boston is a top-shelf bucket list goal for many runners.

And rightly so. With the challenge it requires to qualify, the experience of running Boston is all that and more.

6 Tips on Qualifying for Boston

For most age-group runners, qualifying for Boston isn’t a simple task. Every athlete’s journey to trying to earn a Boston-qualifying time (BQ) is unique, and your approach needs to be specifically catered to who you are as a runner. And, like with all things running, there are no shortcuts for earning a BQ—but there are some key points to consider on your quest.

1. State Your Intention.

If you’re truly interested in qualifying for Boston, it’s a good idea to make it one of your primary goals (both in running and in life) so you can focus as much energy as possible toward it and take a smart and healthy approach to achieving it. That doesn’t mean you have to post it on Instagram, but it’s something you should share with your significant other, family members, and running buddies to generate long-term excitement and support as well as keeping you accountable on your journey.

Every age group has a different qualifying time that needs to be attained in a two-year window prior to registration opening in the fall prior to the next race the following April. For women, the age groups and times are:

18–34: 3:30.00 (3 hours, 30 minutes, and zero seconds)

35–39: 3:35.00

40–44: 3:40.00

45–49: 3:50.00

50–54: 3:55.00

55–59: 4:05.00

60–64: 4:20.00

65–69: 4:35.00

70–74: 4:50.00

75–79: 5:05.00

80 and over: 5:20.00

Men

18-34: 3 hrs 00 min 00 sec

35-39: 3 hrs 5 min 00 sec

40-44: 3 hrs 10 min 00 sec

45-49: 3 hrs 20 min 00 sec

50-54: 3 hrs 25 min 00 sec

55-59: 3 hrs 35 min 00 sec

60-64: 3 hrs 50 min 00 sec

65-69: 4 hrs 5 min 00 sec

70-74: 4 hrs 20 min 00 sec

75-79: 4 hrs 35 min 00 sec

80 & over: 4 hrs 50 min 00 sec

There’s also the added complication that just hitting the time doesn’t guarantee entry to the race. Runners typically need to also meet faster cut-off times if registration exceeds the race capacity (see tip #6).

“It’s a great goal and a very relevant goal for a lot of a marathoners,” says New York City–based running coach Elizabeth Corkum. “When it’s your first Boston, it’s a big deal and definitely something you should be excited about.”

2. Set a Realistic Goal

For many runners, it takes a full year or two—or maybe even five or more—to develop the aerobic strength and overall fitness to be in position to reach the qualifying time in your age group.

The first step: Understand that the path to running fast enough to earn a BQ standard isn’t a quick process of instant gratification.

“A lot of runners will come to me and say I want to qualify for Boston this year because a lot of runners are always eager to do it now, but the reality is that it might take a few years,” says Chicago-area coach Jenny Spangler, who won the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. “It’s a great goal for many people, but it’s a commitment and you have to be realistic about where you are and where you need to get. For some runners, it will take a while. Sometimes I’ll have runners aim for running a fast half marathon first and then next year start to focus on a fast marathon.”

If you’re serious about qualifying for Boston, it’s best to connect with a coach or local training group that has a history of helping runners achieve a BQ. You’ll want to find a coach who will take into consideration both your history as a runner and as an athlete as well as your current fitness level, previous races, monthly mileage volume, injury history, and, perhaps most important, your ability to commit to a complicated training program amid your work-life balance.

“You don’t like to discourage anyone, but a Boston qualifying time is hard,” Spangler says. “So for people who can’t commit the time for training or maybe just don’t enjoy running or don’t want to put in the mileage, it might not be possible. It’s a commitment and it’s just not for everybody.”

3. Pick a Qualifying Race

One of the keys to qualifying for Boston is running a fast, USATF-certified course with a high probability of running your goal time. Typically, the races with the most qualifiers are the New York City Marathon and the Chicago Marathon, and, of course, Boston itself, but that’s largely based on the volume of runners in those races. However, those marathons can be hard to get into, so unless you already secured an entry, you should plan on another race with a high propensity of Boston-qualifying times.

One of the best options is the California International Marathon (CIM), where 25 to 35 percent of the field typically earns a BQ. The only challenge about qualifying at CIM is that it’s held the first Sunday in December, so you’ll have to wait and enter for the next Boston Marathon 16 months later.

Another great option among mid-sized races is the mid-June Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, which typically has both a large number of qualifiers and a relatively high percentage of BQers. In 2019, 1,108 of its finishers (18.2 percent) earned BQ qualifiers. From 2010-2021, an average of 15.8 percent of Grandma’s finishers earned BQ times.

“Usually when people come to me, they already know which race they want to run,” says Nell Rojas, a Boulder, Colorado–based professional runner for Adidas who also coaches age-group runners. “But if not, I usually recommend California International Marathon or Grandma’s Marathon, which are fast marathons that are easy to get into with a lot of people that will be running their same speed. And that’s key because that means there will be people to run with at the pace you want to run the whole way.”

Since 2017, some of most prevalent qualifying races have been “last chance” races designed to get runners qualified right before the opening of Boston registration in mid-September. The Last Chance BQ.2 race in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has had an average of about 60 percent BQ’ers every year since 2015, while its sister event, Last Chance BQ.2 race in Geneva, Illinois, has typically had at least 50 percent of its field qualify. But both of those races are small, usually 350 runners, and registration fills up fast every spring. (The Geneva race added a spring race in 2018 and it has also typically had a 50 percent qualifying rate.)

Other small, early September races with high BQ percentages include the Erie Marathon at Presque Isle (Erie, Pennsylvania), Via Marathon (Allentown, Pennsylvania), and Tunnel Light Marathon (North Bend, Washington). A few key marathons with downhill profiles and high qualifying percentages are the St. George Marathon (St. George, Utah), Revel Big Bear Marathon (Big Bear, California), and Mountains 2 Beach Marathon (Ojai, California). Cities with mid-sized marathons that are known to have good courses for qualifying: Philadelphia; Indianapolis; Houston; Eugene, Oregon; and Santa Rosa, California.

4. Get Some Super Shoes

If you’re interested in maximizing your race-day performance, then you should consider investing in a pair of shoes enhanced with carbon-fiber plates. Yes, they’re expensive, ranging in price from $180 to $275, but the technology works—and can give you 3 to 6 percent advantage over shoes with typical foam midsoles. Nike, Adidas, Skechers, ASICS, On Brooks, HOKA, New Balance, and Saucony all make super shoes, and some of their models are among the best. But each fits and feels slightly different, so visit a local running store, if possible, and try on several pairs before buying.

“Super shoes definitely allow you to run faster,” says ASICS-sponsored pro Emma Bates, who was second at the 2021 Chicago Marathon in 2:24:20 wearing a pair of ASICS Metaspeed Sky. “I love them because they’re so comfortable, but the biggest thing is that I feel that I can recover so much quicker after a workout or a race. After Chicago, I felt like I could do a workout the next weekend. That’s insane. I love the shoes and would never imagine running in anything else ever again.”

5. Train Methodically and Consistently

Going through significant training adaptations is a key part of the process for most runners, especially if they’re new to the sport or don’t have a lot of experience with the various types of workouts in most marathon build-ups. Progress occurs based on how well you handle training volume, how much you recover, and how much time and focus you put toward non-running elements like strength work, nutrition, and rest.

“All of those things factor into how you’re going to direct someone to get to that goal, and it’s different for everyone, for sure,” Corkum says. “Some people have all the time in the world to train and that’s fantastic because we can probably stress their bodies a little bit more with training, knowing that they can rebound. But someone who is only able to sleep four hours a night and has a newborn at home, they already have that additional stress so they have to be careful about adding training stimulus so they don’t get injured or burn out.”

Most coaches recommend going through a 16-week training plan to build up to a marathon, though it could be shorter if you’re already pretty fit or longer if you need more time to get used to the rigors of high-mileage running. A good plan will include periodized segments that include two to three weeks of gradual building of aerobic fitness followed by a slightly relaxed week to allow for recovery and the training adaptations to take place.

Depending on your background and fitness, you’re likely going to be running between 50 and 80 miles per week during the peak weeks of your training plan, Rojas says. While pro runners run between 100 and 120 miles per week, she warns that excessive running volume for age-group runners can lead to fatigue, burnout, and injuries.

A training plan should include a once-a-week long run, one or two faster workouts like a tempo run or an interval session, and several recovery runs. As the training plan progresses, there will be a greater emphasis on up-tempo workouts and your long runs will approach 18 to 22 miles and start getting faster.

But even if you’re following a plan that’s the same or very similar to your running partner’s, your quest to reach a Boston qualifying time will be an individual one.

“Runners come from all different levels of fitness,” Rojas says. “It all depends on what a runner can handle, what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are.”

Spangler says most age-group runners who come to her for help in achieving a Boston qualifier typically need more mileage than intensity in their training, but sometimes it’s both. In addition to ramping up mileage gradually, she’ll sprinkle in spicier workouts like fartlek intervals or hill repeat sessions—as much as she thinks an athlete can handle.

She’ll also prescribe periodic longer tempo runs of 8 to 10 miles at marathon race pace and often have them race a half marathon midway through their training program as a way to gauge a runner’s fitness and boost confidence.

“You can just kind of see how they’re starting to handle workload hitting the paces of the workouts they’re doing and feeling good doing it,” Spangler says. “That’s when you start to get a sense that they’re going to be ready, and that’s when I start getting confident they’re ready to handle the marathon at that pace.”

6. Don’t Get Discouraged

Even if you’re well trained and in the best shape of your life, you need everything to go right on a race day to run your best. Achieving a Boston Marathon–qualifying time can take several years and, if you miss it once or twice, it can start to feel like a never-ending process. Unfortunately, even when you achieve the time, you still might not be able to run the race. Because of field size limitations and increased interest, runners usually need to also meet faster cut-off times than the time listed in tip #1 to get in.

While every runner who applied for the 2022 race was granted entry—likely because of a downturn in interest because of the still-lingering COVID-19 pandemic—in the previous 10 years runners needed to be 1 minute, 2 seconds to 7 minutes, 47 seconds faster than their qualifying time to get in. Depending on the year and the volume of qualified runners, that’s meant that the BAA has had to reject between 1,947 and 9,215 qualified runners.

“It’s such a tough thing and to recreational runners, I think it’s a bit jarring because they’re not used to that,” Corkum says. “One of the beautiful things about Boston is that it’s one of those few marathons where you can’t just send in your credit card number and know that you have it on your calendar. You have to earn it. But the other side of that is the emotional investment and highs and lows that you’re accepting along with it.”

Developing an indefatigable sense of optimism and a love for running will be helpful in your quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon and eventually running it. There will be plenty of hiccups along the way (missed workouts, injuries, life events) so it’s best to make it part of the fabric of your life and not merely a box to check off, Corkum says.

“Running is a patient person’s sport and I think that’s why you really have to love it,” Corkum says. “I think some people might not necessarily love running but they love the idea of achieving ‘that thing,’ and you have to realize there are so many hours and steps that go into making it a lifelong thing, and for a lot of us it becomes that.”

Tips for handling your nerves in your first race back

As we move into April and May, many spring road races are back for the first time in years, and most runners will take their first start line since before the pandemic. It’s normal to be nervous before a race, but this spring, runners are even more nervous than usual, since it has been a very long time since most of us raced.  Here are some tips on how to handle those bigger-than-usual nerves at your spring races this year.

The reason you are nervous is that your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is kicking in, which is one of two components of the body’s central nervous system. Your SNS releases two hormones in response to high-stress situations–epinephrine and norepinephrine (also known as adrenaline and noradrenaline), which result in that feeling of having butterflies in your stomach, and they can help your body perform better during sport.

According to research, these nerves help your reflexes become faster and improve your circulation. However, there are some bad sides to an SNS response, which can result in diarrhea, cramping or irritable sweating, which can hinder your athletic performance.

Being a little nervous can be a good thing, but there are a few ways you can minimize some of the pre-race jitters.

1) Be prepared

The key to minimizing nerves and success on race day is in the months and weeks leading up to the race. You want to be able to stand at the start line and tell yourself that you’ve done your best to prepare yourself to be ready. This doesn’t only mean training, it means proper rest and eating/hydrating well in the weeks before the race. Remember that it’s extremely rare to have a good night’s sleep the night before a big race, but as long as you’re reasonably well-rested leading up to that night, don’t worry about losing sleep the night before the race.

2) Remind yourself that you’re ready

The most important thing you can do for your mental game before taking the start line is to remind yourself of all the work you have put in. Look through your training history the night before or the morning of–revisit workouts from your training block to remind you that you’ve put in the work and that you’re ready to go. Knowing that you’re ready might not free you of all nerves, but it should reassure you that you’ve completed all the hard work necessary to do well on the big day.

3) Focus on yourself

It’s easy to compare yourself to your friends or training partners, or all other runners there at the race. Do yourself a favor and don’t pay attention to them until the race begins. You can’t control how well they run, so why worry about them before the race starts? Not worrying about others and doing your own thing will make your race experience more worthwhile.

4) Wait to take the start line

If you’re not already nervous, standing on the start line for 30 minutes before your race is scheduled to start is bound to make you anxious. Although you want to be on time, try to extend your warmup as close to the start as possible. How early you arrive at the start line depends on the size of the race, but generally, you’ll want to arrive five to 15 minutes before the start, to give yourself enough time to get a good spot.

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to warm up and stretch before, as being rushed doesn’t help with anxiety.

5) Listen to music

Listening to music is another way to calm nerves and get yourself in the zone before a big race. Create a playlist of your favorite pump-up or running songs to get your blood flowing. Many athletes will use music as motivation to boost their adrenaline before the competition.

If you usually get nervous and haven’t listened to music on your runs before, try it out and figure out what works best.

5a) Have fun

Win or lose, make the most of your experience and have fun. There’s no need to take things too seriously or put too much pressure on yourself.

Try this if running feels too hard

If you're just starting to run or coming back from an injury or a hiatus, you might feel excited, determined, or anxious to get going. You might tell yourself, "I'm going to do this. I'm going to get myself out there and run three or four times a week!"

ChiRunning has good news. Running is for everyone, no matter your experience, age or size. It doesn't have to be hard, and it doesn't have to hurt. You can reach your fitness goals without getting sidelined by pain or injuries. Many beginning runners need to work up to a run-only program, and the ChiWalk-Run approach is a great way to get started.

Start Where You Are with ChiWalk-Run

If you can't run a mile or even a minute, don't think running isn't for you. Walk-run is a series of short runs interrupted by very short walking breaks. Because the walking and running segments are relatively short, they're easy to do, and they help build your cardio-aerobic conditioning so you can gradually phase out your walking breaks.

ChiWalk-Run takes it a step further by teaching you how to walk and run to make your workouts feel easier, prevent pain, and reduce impact to lower your risk of injury. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Practice Your Posture

Before every workout: Stand tall. Imagine a straight line running vertically down your body. Line up your shoulders, hips, knees and feet. Engage your core slightly so you feel a light tension in your lower abs. Relax all your other muscles as much as possible.

Begin With a Warm-Up Walk

Shift into a brisk walking pace when you're ready. You should feel your breath rate increase, and your arms should swing faster along with your legs.

Keep your stride short as you increase your walking speed.

Don't land hard on your heels. Try to land softly and practice "peeling" your feet off the ground when you take a step.

Walk at this brisk pace for five to eight minutes.

Practice ChiRunning Technique

When you're ready to move into a jog:

Check in with your posture to make sure you're aligned well.

Keep your shoulders relaxed and low.

Lean forward slightly from the ankles and lead with your upper body. Keep your core engaged so you don't bend at the waist.

Begin with a slow running pace.

Keep your stride short and relax your legs as much as possible.

Always strive to make it easy. Run this way until your breath begins to feel labored (like you can't quite get enough air), then drop back into a brisk walking pace until your breath recovers to an acceptable range.

Improve Your Aerobic Conditioning

Before you begin running again:

Let your breath rate return to almost normal.

Don't let your heart rate slow all the way down to normal.

Listen to your breath more than your heart (the exception to this would be people with known heart issues).

As you start running again before your heart rate completely recovers, you'll strengthen your heart and improve its ability to pump more oxygenated blood to your legs.

It's important that once you feel your breath almost recovered that you lean forward again and break into a comfortable, easy running pace. Repeat this cycle of running and walking as many times as feels comfortable.

Eventually Drop the Walk Breaks

As you become more conditioned, you should notice your running segments gradually getting longer and your walking breaks getting shorter. You'll most likely feel more energized during your workouts as well. As you continue to progress, phase out your walk breaks entirely.

If you prefer to follow a structured program that tells you exactly how long to run and walk, check out the 5K ChiWalk-Run training program. Every workout gives you technique instructions to help you reduce pain and injuries, and make running and walking easier.

Nine ways to improve your running tecnique

1.- Don't Run Heels First

Avoid striking the pavement with your heels—save that for your power walks. "When you walk, you keep one foot in contact with the ground, while running has a moment of weightlessness in the stride," says Alex Figueroa, a running coach and creator of Priority1 Wellness in Miami Beach. Running with a heel landing can contribute to back and knee pain.

2.- Do Land on the Midsole of Your Foot

Landing on your forefoot (instead of your heels) allows your muscles to catch the weight of your body in flight, reducing the effects of impact on the joints and bones.

3.- Don't Use a Long Stride

Leaping forward while you run is inefficient and an energy drain. Instead, stand tall and lean forward, and when you feel like you are going to fall, step forward just enough to catch yourself.  This should be the length of your stride. It takes less energy to fall than to reach your foot in front of you.

4.- Do Take Short Effective Strides

Less motion through the joint means less wear and tear and improved efficiency during your runs, says Figueroa. Using a shorter stride reduces the movement within any joint (for running, this means the joints of the ankles, knees, and hips), and less movement means a longer, healthier life for these joints.

5.- Do Invest In Barefoot Running Shoes

“When it comes to support, less is more," says Figueroa. Build up to wearing shoes with minimal support, like NIKE Free or Vibram Five Fingers, to help strengthen and develop the natural muscular support in your foot and ankle. But don’t toss your sneakers just yet – slowly begin by running, one block at a time, with less support to gradually strengthen the muscles in your feet. Developing foot strength can help make everything stronger, including your ankles, knees, hips, and lower back

6.- Don't Run as Hard As You Can

Many runners think if they can run fast, they are running efficiently, which isn’t the case. In fact, Figueroa recommends runners slow down to learn how to run farther, faster. “Slow down and wear a heart rate monitor to train smarter, not harder," suggests Figueroa. Set your heart rate monitor to keep your running at a desired pace, and then don’t exceed that set pace. Your body will adapt, and then you’ll be able to run more comfortably at this pace, meaning you will be able to run faster without pushing any harder.

7.- Do Work Up to Running Farther, Faster

Build your run one block, or one minute at a time, says Figueroa. Walk between running intervals and recover actively. You can work on speed or form and technique during your “work intervals" and then recover with an easy jog or power walk in between. Interval training can provide you with faster results in the same amount of time.

8.- Don't Get Stuck on the Odometer

Running three, five or even 26 miles doesn't really tell you if there is any progress in your run, says Figueroa. Instead, track the amount of time that you're running and monitor your intensity using a heart rate monitor.

9.- Do Run for Time

Try to improve covering the same distance in less time. For example, set your workout to run for 30 minutes and see how much distance you can cover instead of running for four miles harder than you can safely run, suggests Figueroa. The more you train, the easier your runs will become. You can either cover the same distance with greater ease, or maintain the same intensity and run farther in the same amount of time.

Defending champion Leonard Langat will run against Derara Hurisa and Mekuant Ayenew at the Vienna City Marathon

Two defending champions will both be returning to the Vienna City Marathon on April 24th: Kenyans Leonard Langat and Vibian Chepkirui.

While some elite women’s contenders were released earlier, organisers now confirmed a number of male competitors.

There will be unprecedented depth in Vienna’s men’s elite field with five athletes featuring personal bests of sub 2:06. This group is led by Ethiopia’s Mekuant Ayenew who has a PB of 2:04:46. Additionally the Vienna City Marathon will feature a rematch between Derara Hurisa of Ethiopia, who had crossed the line first last year but was then disqualified for inadvertently wearing an illegal racing shoe, and Leonard Langat.

Well over 27,000 runners have so far registered for Austria’s leading road race, including entries for shorter running events. Online entry for the 39th Vienna City Marathon, which is a World Athletics Marathon Label Road Race, is still possible at: www.vienna-marathon.com

“Elite racing forms a thrilling part of our event. These runners bring high quality performances and often emotional stories to our race,” said Race Director Wolfgang Konrad. “We are very happy to welcome back both winners from last year to Vienna. And we keep our fingers crossed for Derara Hurisa, who will also return.”

In unusually warm conditions Derara Hurisa became the first athlete being disqualified for wearing an illegal shoe in a major city marathon last September in Vienna. The Ethiopian, who has a personal best of 2:08:09, crossed the line first in 2:09:22. However it appeared the he wore shoes that have a sole thickness of five centimeters while a maximum of four is allowed. Derara Hurisa had chosen the shoes for the race because he used them in training and thought they were within the rules. The athlete looked upset and distraught when he learnt about the disqualification and will be eager to take his second chance when he returns to Vienna. Though he was happy to become the winner it was not the ideal scenario for Leonard Langat as well. “Of course I would have preferred to have broken the tape,” said the Kenyan, who improved his PB to 2:09:25 in Vienna last year.

Such is the strength of the elite field this time that both runners might have to improve their personal bests quite significantly if they want to be in contention for victory on 24th April. With a personal record of 2:04:46 Mekuant Ayenew is the second fastest runner ever entered into a Vienna City Marathon behind former world record holder Dennis Kimetto (2:02:57). The Kenyan did not finish the 2018 race. Mekuant Ayenew, who won the Sevilla Marathon 2020 when he clocked his PB, heads the start list.

The other four athletes with personal bests of sub 2:06 are Goitom Kifle of Eritrea (2:05:28), Bahrain’s Marius Kimutai (2:05:47), Oqbe Kibrom from Eritrea (2:05:53) and Ethiopian Abdi Fufa (2:05:57). While Kimutai was the winner of the Rotterdam Marathon in 2017 Kifle achieved a notable 14th place in the Olympic marathon in Sapporo last summer.

The group of leading runners look to be in a perfect position to target the course record of the Vienna City Marathon. Ethiopia’s Getu Feleke established this mark when he won the race with 2:05:41 back in 2014.

This sprint workout will help you get faster in your 800m to 10k race

With spring weather on the horizon, outdoor tracks are beginning to open up for runners wanting to do interval training. If you are looking to test your speed coming off winter training, we have the ideal workout for you. This short sprint workout will build your anaerobic capacity, increasing the size of the fast-twitch muscle fibres to prevent your muscles from getting lactic when running at faster paces. 5K runners: this workout will be your bread and butter for making sure your fast-twitch muscles are ready for a sprint finish during that final kilometer.

The workout:

Two sets of (six reps of 200 meters) with one-minute standing rest between reps and four minutes rest between sets.

The idea here is to do these reps at 15 to 20 seconds faster than your current 5K time. For example, if your current 5K time is around 25 minutes (5:00/km), try to do each 200m rep in 55 seconds. The pace of this workout can seem rather daunting at first, but the intention is to help you work outside of your comfort zone, building your anaerobic threshold as the workout evolves. If you choose to jog the rest, the workout will turn into a hard fartlek (which will make it harder than it already is).

Take the one-minute rest between reps and relax before starting the next rep. To get a feel of the pace look at your watch at the 100m mark on the first three reps, so you can get an idea of the pace you should be hitting instead of going out too fast.

During the four minutes rest between the sets, keep your heart rate up by walking a 400m lap and then proceed into the second set. As the workout progresses the rest will feel shorter and your ability to hold the pace will only become harder. An important thing to remember when doing any type of speed training, but especially during this workout, is to keep your upper body relaxed. This tip can be detrimental in conserving energy for later in the workout.

This high-intensity workout is great for all runners from 800m to 10K, who want to build sprint speed on top of their endurance base. Doing one of these workouts will help a little, but if you can implement a short-hard speed session like this into your training plan once a week over a month, you’ll begin to see benefits.

Positive self-talk: does it really work?, The science behind positive self-talk is mixed, but many runners swear by it to get them to the finish line

The mental side of running takes just as much time to master as the physical side, and for most of us, it’s a continuous work in progress. Many runners like to use positive self-talk to get them through rough patches or to help them deal with pre-race nerves, but does this psychological strategy actually work? The research is mixed, but many runners will still argue yes.

Positive self-talk: mixed reviews

A 2013 study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that recreational athletes who took part in a positive self-talk program improved their time-to-exhaustion test results by 114 seconds, while those who didn’t participate in the program actually got worse.

Of course, this suggests that positive self-talk is a highly effective psychological tool, but since this study, many have pointed out its flaws. Time-to-exhaustion tests are much different than time trials, for example, which could skew the results.

Another 2018 study published in the journal The Sport Psychologist performed a similar test, this time with ultramarathoners completing a 60-mile race. In this case, the researchers found no significant difference between the two groups. So does positive self-talk actually work?

The power of your mind

The actual science of positive self-talk might be undecided, but many runners swear by it. There are so many factors that affect an athlete’s performance, making it nearly impossible to isolate how positive self-talk affects the outcome of a time trial or race. No amount of positive self-talk, for example, is going to prevent you from hitting the wall during a marathon if you’ve made fuelling errors during the race.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use positive self-talk during runs, workouts and races. In fact, using it during training may help you enjoy your training more. It may also help motivate you to get out the door when you don’t feel like it, or to do that last interval when you’re getting tired near the end of a workout, and the cumulative effect of pushing yourself over time likely will improve your performance on race day.

How to use positive self-talk

It can be challenging to silence the negative voices in your head when you’re struggling through a challenging run, so it’s important that you prepare for it before you even start. Just like you set intentions for your workout (today I’m doing intervals to work on my speed, or today’s long run is to improve my endurance for my goal race), you should plan to think positively before you start your run.

What do you want to tell yourself during your run? What are you going to do when negative thoughts creep in? Consider creating a mantra that you can use when the going gets tough, or coming up with some words of affirmation to bolster you when you feel like giving up.

These words and phrases don’t have to be long or complicated, as long as they work for you. Check out our advice for how to make a running mantra for inspiration, and start using positive self-talk to improve your runs and workouts, or at least, make them more bearable.

Use these pre-run drills to improve your running form, Dr. Brittany Moran of The Runner's Academy shares the five-minute pre-run routine you need to improve your running technique

We don’t often think of running as a skill-based sport, but if you want to move well with power and efficiency, you have to practice the movements involved in running. We spoke with Dr. Brittany Moran from The Runner’s Academy in Toronto, who gave us a five-minute routine you can do before every run to perfect your running form.

Why are form drills important?

“Running is a skill, and therefore you need to learn how to run and practice it,” says Moran. “Think about tennis–you would never expect to just know how to play; you would learn. Running is the same.” She explains that running is a progression of marching, which is why form drills should mimic the marching movement.

The following pre-run routine takes no more than five minutes, but when done consistently before most of your runs, you’ll begin to see significant improvements in your running form. Not only will this make you more efficient (and therefore faster), it will also help prevent some injuries.

Moran points out that it’s important to be deliberate when performing pre-run drills, and that you pay close attention to your form so that you’re doing the drills properly. She adds that using the appropriate cues is important, and encourages runners to focus on external cues (like march and piston) rather than internal (telling yourself to keep your knees up).

Finally, Moran says runners need to also practice proper running form during their runs, and encourages runners to dedicate one run per week in which they spend time focusing on their technique. She suggests spending one minute every kilometer being deliberate and slightly exaggerated with your form.

Tips for Running Your First Marathon

Marathons are incredibly challenging, especially to those who haven’t been in the fitness industry for long. While marathons are generally safe, there are people who have died in these events. This should already be enough cause to take marathons seriously, and to prepare for them properly.

The Notorious 1904 Olympic Marathon

There are plenty of things that can go wrong during a marathon, and no other marathon has had such a bad course as the Olympic Marathon in 1904. This particular marathon was held in St. Louis, United States on August 30, 1904. Three people almost died while running the 24.85 mile race.

One runner was nearly chased down by wild dogs, while another had been given rat poison (strychnine) and brandy to complete the marathon, after which he had lost eight pounds and could barely walk. The third runner was found unconscious by the side of the road with severe internal injuries that could have killed him had he been found an hour later.

The roads weren’t closed, which meant that runners had to dodge busy streets and all of the dangers that came with them. What’s arguably worse is the fact that the winner of the marathon finished the race by riding a car and then running to the finish line. He would later admit to the act, for which he was disqualified for.

The event was deemed the worst olympic marathon in history. It was even almost enough to cause the Olympic board to completely remove marathons from its list of sporting events. While modern marathons are far less dangerous that the 1904 marathon, this shouldn’t be a reason to be complacent. Running a marathon is a serious undertaking, which is why it’s important to know how to prepare for a race.

Wear the Right Clothing

Make sure that your clothing is appropriate for the weather conditions that you’re going to be facing. Cotton should generally be avoided because it’s going to absorb your sweat, which will weigh you down. Performance clothing are made of moisture-wicking material that helps keep runners dry. If you’re running on a hot course, opt for breathable fabrics. If you’re running in cold weather, stick to heat-retaining fabrics. Don’t forget to prioritize comfort as well.

Choosing Your Running Shoes

It’s important to know the terrain that you’re going to run on before buying your running shoes. Some shoes are tailored for road running, which maximize the bounce from your heel strikes, while other shoes are better suited for trail runs, which come with more durable outsoles that are designed to cushion your feet against rocks and other sharp objects.

It’s also important to train with the shoes you intend to race with. This gives your feet the time to adjust to the fit of the shoes. Changing shoes on race day can yield disastrous results, as they may turn out to be uncomfortable and unusable.

Come Up With a Nutrition Plan

A nutrition plan is what’s going to keep you fueled during training and after your marathon. For similar reasons, it’s important to avoid eating any new food on race day as you aren’t sure how your body is going to react to the food. Everything you plan to eat during race day needs to be tested during the days leading up to your race. This will help keep you from requiring unscheduled bathroom breaks, which will significantly hurt your target time.

Learn to Identify Good and Bad Pain

While pain is a natural byproduct of any rigorous physical activity, there are some types of pain that could represent a much more serious problem in the body. All types of pain are indicative of damage in the body. However, some pain should be treated as an emergency.

Dull pain that occurs a few hours after a training session can be attributed to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This is harmless and is a natural part of strengthening your body.

However, if the pain you feel is sharp and immediate, you need to stop everything you’re doing and to have your affected muscle checked by a doctor because sharp and immediate pain will almost always be indicative of an injury. Ignoring this type of pain can cause further damage to your body, which can further complicate the injury and may even cause irreparable damage.

On the other hand, there are pains that every marathon runner must endure. This pain can be mitigated through disciplined training where the body builds tolerance to the pain it experiences.

Plan for Post-Marathon Recovery

Pain occurring before, during, and after a marathon is normal, but it’s also important to help alleviate soreness and fatigue. The goal here is to recover from the marathon so that you’re able to return to your original functions. Changing into warm clothes first thing after a marathon will help keep you from getting sick.

It’s also important to restore your lost fluids. Generally, you’re going to need about 500ml per hour after your race. Stretching and rolling out your muscles will help relieve muscle soreness and will facilitate blood flow, which is essential to allow the body to distribute much-needed nutrients to your muscles.

Finally, it’s important to increase your food intake to aid in rebuilding your muscles. This will not only help you prepare for your next training session. It will also help support the strengthening of your body as your muscles become denser and stronger as they are rebuilt repeatedly with fresh muscle fibers. On average, you burn about 2,600 calories over 26.2 miles. This is also one reason why running is an effective exercise to help you burn fat. The farther the distance, the higher the burn rate. Use this information to determine how much more food you need to eat.

Running a marathon is never easy. Due preparations must be made not only so you can finish your race, but also so you can avoid unnecessary injuries.

Ethiopians Fikre Bekele and Adugna Dalasa made a big win in the 2022 Rome marathon on Sunday

The eternal Italian city of Rome hosted over 11 thousand runners, including 5 thousand foreign runners from 102 countries for the 27th International Rome Marathon on Sunday, March 27, 2022.

Ethiopian runners Bekele Fikre Tefera and Dalasa Sechale Adugna won the 27th International Rome Marathon, an annual run at the Italian capital Rome.

An Italian media reported that athlete Tefera broke the record of the Marathon with 2 hours 6 minutes and 48 seconds.

The record belonged to the Kenyan athlete Benjamin Kiptoo Kolum with 2 hours 7 minutes and 18 seconds in 2009.

Foreign runners, as well as locals, joined the Acea Run Rome the Marathon, the Charity Relay Acea Run4 Rome and the popular Fun Race. The latter returns on site for the first time in the post-pandemic era, but runners took part in virtual mode from all over Italy. The race started from Fori Imperiali at 8.30. Runners run around Rome for 42 km alongside the Tiber, source of life and symbol of this edition, which is featured on the medal and on the official t-shirt.

There were 2417 women entered in the marathon, more than 22% of all participants.

Although the pandemic is not over yet and there are still many restrictions to travel, 5 thousand foreign runners from 102 countries representing all continents took part in the Acea Run Rome Marathon.

Italy was the most represented country with 5827 participants, followed by France (909 runners), the United Kingdom (693) and Spain (455). The United States was ranked just behind and is first among non-European countries with 330 participants. 49 Ukrainian runners registered. Only a few of them were able to be at the start line.

Improve hip stability with these five simple exercises, Your hips play an important role in your running stride. Keep them strong and healthy with these simple exercises

Runners talk a lot about the importance of core strength to prevent injuries and improve performance, but if you ignore your hips, you’re missing a key component in injury prevention. Your pelvis, which is made up of your glutes, adductors and hip flexors, play an important role in your running stride, and by keeping them strong and stable, you’ll improve your running economy and stay healthy. Include these five exercises in your strength training routine to keep your hips happy.

1.- Hip hikes

Stand on a low step, with one foot off the bench and your hips level

Keeping the leg you’re standing on straight, drop your opposite hip, lowering your foot by a few centimeters

Squeezing the glute you’re standing on, hike your hip into the air

Repeat 10-15 times

2.- Hip bridge monster walks

Squeeze your lower abs and glutes and push your hips up to form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. This is your starting position.

Keeping your hips stable (not dropping on one side or the other), extend one leg out straight.

Return that leg to the ground and extend the opposite leg.

Continue “marching” until you’ve done 10-15 repetitions on each side

Note: if you begin to feel your hamstrings straining during this exercise, drop back down to the ground, re-engage your glutes and continue.

3.- Side lunge

Start standing with a wide stance.

Hinge at your hips, send your butt backward as you drop to one side (your heels should remain on the floor.

Drop as low as you can without your torso pitching forward, then squeeze your glutes to return to the starting position.

Do 10-15 repetitions on one side, then 10-15 on the other.

4.- Banded clamshells

Lie down on one side with your legs stacked one on top of the other, with an exercise band wrapped around your legs, just above your knees. Bend your knees slightly.

Tighten your core and squeeze your glutes to raise your top leg into the air, keeping your feet together. Only raise your leg high enough so that you’re using your glutes.

Lower your leg back to the starting position and repeat 10-15 times per side.

5.- Airplanes

Stand on one leg in a marching position, keeping your core tight to prevent your pelvis from tucking forward.

Hinge at your hips and extend your leg out behind you as straight as you can make it, with your arms extended out to the sides.

Slowly rotate your torso to one side, then to the other.

Return to the centre, stand upright, the repeat five times on each leg.

The 3 Keys To Race Day Fueling

To begin nailing your race fueling, it is important to understand the mechanisms behind it so that you can cover your bases.   Many runners go directly to calories as being the cause for all of their issues, but unfortunately it is more complicated than that.  Fueling properly requires a delicate balance of three keys: fluids, electrolytes, and calories.  If one of these gets knocked out of balance by too little or too much intake (or the wrong source), disaster can ensue.  

1. Get in those calories

Calories=energy.  Your body has about 1,800-2,000 calories of carbohydrates stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver (think of this as your gas tank). Once this tank is emptied, if you aren't taking in calories from outside sources, your body is solely relying on fat and muscle for energy production.  These systems can and will be utilized for energy production, but the process will be slower, leaving you to bonk, and can lead to serious health risks, such as heartbeat irregularities and rhabdomyolysis (kidney damage).

When setting up a target calorie intake for yourself, 200-300 calories per hour is often a good, general starting point for most runners.  Smaller-framed runners may be able to start on the lower end of this recommended intake, while larger-framed runners could start on the upper end.  

When considering calorie sources, carbohydrates are still king for energy production for endurance runners.  Even if your pace is slower, carbohydrates are going to provide an efficient energy source that will keep you alert and able to push hills and maintain pace.  

Aim for mostly carbohydrate rich calorie sources with a bit of protein and some fat mixed in is a good starting point.  Calorie sources for running events can come from a combination of hydration mix, whole foods, gels, and chews.  Figuring out what works best for you is where science meets art. 

Some runners like the convenience of getting calories from hydration mix, while others prefer just water and electrolytes, getting their calories from whole food sources.  Gels provide a quick source of energy that may be preferred for shorter events, while some runners have stomachs that can't handle them.  Take it from an expert: there is no one best way to fuel, and chances are the first thing you try might not be the best option. It takes time and testing to figure out what works for you.

2. Take in electrolytes

Electrolytes are key in  nutrient utilization, fluid balance and muscle contraction.  While all electrolytes including sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, and magnesium play a role for these processes to occur in the body, focus on sodium intake, since it is lost fastest through sweat.  Sodium also helps fluid balance and sugar transport across the small intestine, which prevents cramping, bloating, and bonking.

Diving a little bit deeper, sodium itself allows for glucose (sugar) utilization because it acts like a key, allowing for a sugar transporter in the small intestine (GLUT4) to open.  Without proper replenishment of sodium from outside fueling sources, there is a risk of not having glucose transporters open quickly enough and a concentration gradient difference to form between the inside of the small intestine and the blood plasma.  When this occurs, water flows into the small intestine and can result in gas, bloating, diarrhea, and stomach cramping.  

A good starting place for most runners is 250-500mg of intake per hour.  Athletes with a low sweat rate (more on that later) can stick to the low end, and sweatier folks or runners racing at altitude or in the heat should aim for the higher end. Salt tabs, hydration mixes or food can provide a solid dose of sodium. 

3. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

While race location, climate, and sweat rate will ultimately determine fluid needs, the main thing that needs to be considered is that for some runners, it is quite difficult to actually replace all fluids lost through sweat in a race during a race.  Ideally, we want to minimize fluid losses to no more than 2-3% loss of body weight in fluids, the point where we start to see performance impacts such as fatigue, cramping, and gastrointestinal distress due to dehydration.  A good starting point for most runners with no information on their sweat rate is 16-20 ounces of fluid intake per hour.  If this fluid intake causes a sloshing stomach, it may be too much, in which case, target amounts per hour should be reduced.  

If GI Issues Persist

It can sometimes be complicated figuring out what might be causing your fueling issues (nausea, swelling, fatigue, cramping, gastrointestinal distress), and if you find yourself lost without an answer, it might be time to work with a sports dietitian or doctor that can help you more closely dial in the details. 

For runners wanting to dial in their sweat rate and sodium losses a bit more precisely, at home or in person sweat tests can be useful.

While nothing is guaranteed on race day, putting together and practicing an individualized fueling plan ahead of time can increase the odds that you will successfully complete your event sans nutrition related issues.  

Is Multiple 100-Mile Races In A Single Season Too Much?

Jim Walmsley absolutely destroyed the competition and the course record at the 2018 Western States 100. Rather than kicking back and enjoying the win, however, Walmsley needed to quickly return to training for the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) just two months later. While he started out strong in UTMB, he eventually took a DNF, his legs drained of all energy.

Now that he's had time to reflect, Walmsley admits that top results at two 100-milers within a couple of months might be a stretch.

"My training went well and I was able to get in more tapering for UTMB than last year," he says. "But the combination might be asking too much."

The experience has left Walmsley reconsidering how he might approach his 2019 season.

Walmsley's two-big-100s-in-a-season approach is something several elites have attempted, with mixed results-Darcy Piceu, Jeff Browning and Karl Meltzer, among them. Fellow elite Tim Tollefson focuses only on UTMB each year. Magda Lewy Boulet passed over Western States in favor of a good go at UTMB as well (both Tollefson and Boulet took hard falls and had to pull out last year).

Which begs some questions: Is more than one 100-miler feasible in a given season? And how does the question differ for elites vs amateurs?

Figuring the Formula

The formula for successful marathoning (if your definition of success is placing well) is somewhat tried and true at no more than two per year, says Mario Fraioli, author of the "Morning Shakeout" and coach to Tollefson.

"For most athletes, even elites, racing two high-level marathons a year, between the buildup, the race itself and recovery afterward, is a big ask of the body and mind," he says. "Two a year is all most people can handle if they're committed to training properly, performing optimally and recovering adequately."

In contrast, runners and coaches are still tinkering with the right mixture of 100-milers. It pays to consider the toll that mileage takes on your body, a toll that varies depending on distance and how hard your effort was.

Recovery First

"The intensity of a 50K or 50-miler is a lot higher than it is during 100," Fraioli says. "On the flipside, 100 miles is a lot longer time to be out on your feet and more things can go wrong. Your body goes through a lot when it's out for that long (as does your mind), the nutritional demands are different, sleep gets affected, and it just beats you up in a different way under the hood."

Ian Sharman, coach and founder of Sharman Ultra Endurance Coaching, says that pulling off multiple 100s in a season is doable, but  should be a game of patience.

"Unlike marathons, where being in top shape on race day is necessary for hitting goal pace, ultras are more forgiving," he says. "Someone like Walmsley can go into a 100 out of peak shape and that won't be the biggest factor for how the day goes."

Temperature, nutrition, trail conditions and the way a race unfolds within the field all play a role, as can plain old luck. Consider the falls that took out several top contenders at UTMB last year, as well as the blistering pace laid down by the early leaders-a pace that eventually chewed them up and spit them out.

Still, Sharman says, elites and amateurs alike should take a long time to build up to the challenge of two or more 100s in a year. "Don't get greedy," he cautions. "Make that first race a big deal, and then wait to see how recovery goes."

That means not fixing a set time to recover or having a second 100 lined up. "Listen to what your body and mind are telling you and don't force the issue," Sharman says.

Look for positive recovery signs like a return to normal resting heart rate, the ability to get a good night's sleep, lack of muscle soreness and mental enthusiasm for a return to training. All indicate you may be ready to return to more normalized training and, eventually, racing.

Fraioli says that because Tollefson is still relatively new to the 100-mile distance, as a team they have approached it conservatively. "A big reason is that at his level, there's a physical and psychological toll to the volume and intensity," he says. "The prep is arduous and we need to build in adequate recovery."

The rules for amateurs, however, will take on a different appearance.

What About the Rest of Us?

For amateurs, the edge needn't be as sharp. "Many age groupers are running 100s as an experiential event-it's not their job," Fraioli explains. "But the same principles of recovery should apply."

That means not jumping back into training quickly after the first event. "You have an incredible base built up from that first race and that's probably your best training for your second," says Fraioli. "Detach from a schedule and keep your running loose and unstructured."

Until you've reached a fully recovered state, run when you feel like it, leave the speedwork at home and keep distances and paces on the shorter/easier side.

That was the approach Jason Bahamundi of Dallas, Texas, took in 2016, when his desire to qualify for the Western States lottery forced him into running two 100s, by accident, just two weeks apart. With seven 100s and several other ultras under his belt, the consistently high-placing age-grouper Bahamundi treaded cautiously in order to pull the double off.

"I ran the Coldwater Rumble in January, mistakenly assuming it was a WS qualifier," he says. "It wasn't so I began looking for a second option. Rocky Raccoon was two weeks later, so I went for it."

Knowing that his only focus between the two races was recovery, Bahamundi completed only a handful of runs, all five miles or shorter.

"I focused on eating healthy and getting plenty of sleep," he says. "I needed the swelling to go down so I'd be prepared to race again."

He also approached the second 100 with a conservative mindset. "I was only concerned with finishing and I know I can walk a 15- to 18-minute mile and still finish under 30 hours," says Bahamundi. "I was able to finish out in 20 hours, three hours faster than at Coldwater. Rocky Raccoon is an easier course so you can wear yourself out pretty quickly if you're not careful."

Your Mileage May Vary

Fraioli says that the quest to run multiple 100s in a season will look different for each runner and that there's no real blueprint to follow. That said: "As a general rule, prioritize rest, recovery and cross training between 100-mile efforts," says Fraioli. "For most people, you won't have to rebuild the wheel in between, but you do have to recover and reset so that you're ready to go to the well again."

"There are more ultras and more interest in running 100-milers than ever," he says. "There's just not much data available yet to understand the toll they will take on a body, so everyone has to figure out their own balance

Rock N Roll DC Recap

More than 12,000 registered participants took to the streets of the Nation’s Capital on Saturday celebrating the 10th running of the United Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Washington D.C.

The musically-themed event provided runners and walkers alike with an unforgettable running tour of the District showcasing some of its most iconic scenery, including the National Mall, the White House, the Capitol Building, the Lincoln Memorial, and much more before passing down an electric finish at RFK Stadium all during peak cherry blossom season.

The second event in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Elite™ half marathon series took part at Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington, D.C., it was Justin Kent (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada) and Hirut Guangul (New York, N.Y.) claiming victories.

The winners

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Elite half marathon series offered a shared $10,000 elite prize purse and Elite Beat Rankings (EBR) points to the top three male and female finishers including in his second straight victory, Justin Kent of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada took top honors in the men’s race, earning 50 EBR points with a finishing time of 1:03:56 and cementing his #1 ranking, with 100 total points in the new series. Collecting 44 EBR points was Benjamin Preisner of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with a finishing time of 1:05:01, and John Borjesson of Boulder, Colo. followed in third place finishing at 1:05:49 and scoring 39 points. Hirut Guangul of New York, N.Y. took the top spot in the women’s race earning 50 points with a finishing time of 1:14:01. Emiline Delanis of Cary, N.C. followed Guangul in second for the women’s division with a finishing time of 1:14:24, earning 44 points, while Jane Bareikis of Crestwood, Ill. rounded out the podium with a time of 1:14:31, earning 39 points. The new Rock ‘n’ Roll Elite half marathon competition offers world-class runners the opportunity to showcase their talents in eight cities in North America, culminating with a grand finale at the 2023 edition of Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Las Vegas.

Several local bands, including Enviro Drum, Ocho de Bastos, Prettier in Person, BATALIA, and School of Rock performed live on band stages along the route interspersed with crowd support. The party wasn’t only on the course – runners were treated to the sounds of local favorite White Ford Bronco whose lead singer, Gretchen Gustafson ran the half marathon just before taking the stage at the Finish Line Festival at the Armory Mall just outside RFK Stadium.

Obiri and Kwemoi claim half marathon crowns in Istanbul

Hellen Obiri ran the 10th fastest ever women's half marathon and Rodgers Kwemoi broke the course record to win the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon, a World Athletics Elite Label road race, on Sunday (27).

Both races got off to a blistering start and while the early world record pace could not be maintained on a sunny and breezy morning, Kenya's Obiri and Kwemoi held on to triumph by a big margin, beating two stong fields.

Two-time world 5000m champion Obiri ran 1:04:48 to win the women's race by more than a minute ahead of Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu and Bekelech Gudeta, while Kwemoi improved the men's course record to 59:15 to beat his training partner Daniel Mateiko (1:00:05) and Emmanuel Bor, who had started the race as a pacemaker.

The N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon was one of the few international races that went ahead last year during the pandemic and it ended with a world record by Ruth Chepngetich, the world marathon champion running 1:04:02. Since then, that women's world record has been improved to 1:02:52 by Letesenbet Gidey in Valencia and it was that mark the leaders were on target for in the early stages.

Running with a male pacemaker, Obiri was joined by Gemechu as they passed 5km in 14:45, putting them on a projected pace of just outside 62 minutes, with Ethiopia’s Bekelech Gudeta and Kenya’s Vicoty Chepngeno running together 10 seconds behind them. Turkey’s Yasemin Can was another 10 seconds back.

Speeding up further still, it was no surprise to see Obiri open a gap on Gemechu, but that pace could not be sustained in the windy conditions and the world cross-country champion had slowed by the 10km point, although that was still passed in 30:01. By that stage she was half a minute ahead of Gemechu, who had been caught by Chepngeno and Gudeta.

Obiri continued to forge ahead, passing 15km in 45:27 and 20km in 1:01:16 to eventually win in 1:04:48, improving both her time and position from the event 12 months earlier, when she was third behind Chepngetich in 1:04:51 – the fastest debut half marathon in history. Obiri currently sits fifth on the world all-time list with the 1:04:22 she ran to finish second at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon last month.

Gemechu, who won last year’s Copenhagen Half Marathon in a PB of 1:05:08, battled the challenge posed by Chepngeno and Gudeta and solo ran her way to second place in 1:05:52. Gudeta was third in 1:06:35, Chepngeno fourth in 1:06:58 and Can fifth in 1:07:57. The top 11 finished inside 70 minutes, while Moira Stewartova was just outside that and broke the Czech Republic record with 1:10:14 to finish 12th.

The men’s race leaders were also on pace to break Jacob Kiplimo’s world record of 57:31 set in Lisbon last year in the opening kilometres and Kwemoi, Mateiko and their compatriot Bor were just off that tempo through 5km in 13:40.That trio remained together as 10km was passed in 27:35 but then Kwemoi began to move away. The tempo was easing but he was still well in control, with a 20-second lead at 15km, which he passed in 41:34. That advantage had grown to 44 seconds by 20km (56:07) and he ran unchallenged to the finish line in 59:15 to improve the course record of 59:35 set by the then world record-holder Kibiwott Kandie last year.

Bor was 15 seconds behind runner-up Mateiko, running 1:00:20 for third place, while Kenya’s Edmond Kipngetich and Brian Kwemoi finished fourth and fifth with respective times of 1:00:30 and 1:00:50.

The top 10 were all under 62 minutes, with Ramazan Ozdemir being Turkey’s top finisher in 14th (1:04:02).

The event featured a record number of around 10,500 participants.

The 80/20 rule: how to actually apply it to your training, the polarized method of training has grown in popularity. Here's how (and when) to use it for the best results

The 80/20 rule involves running 80 per cent of your mileage at a low intensity, 20 per cent at a high intensity, and very little (if any) at a moderate intensity. It has become a popular method of training over the last several years, with many athletes ditching the pyramidal approach for this polarized training model, some with great success. The question is, is it right for you? And how can you apply it to your own training in a way that makes sense?

Pyramidal vs. polarized

Before polarized training entered the discussion, the majority of athletes following a structured training plan (which, admittedly, isn’t a large percentage of the recreational running population) were likely using the pyramidal method of training. In many ways, this approach to training isn’t that different from polarized training, since it still dictates that athletes run more than half their weekly volume at a low intensity.

Traditionally, pyramidal training is broken down like this: 75 per cent low-intensity, 20 per cent moderate intensity and five per cent high-intensity. Similar to polarized training, this method is based on the idea that the majority of an endurance athlete’s training should be low-intensity aerobic work, since this is the most important factor in driving aerobic adaptations while giving your body enough time to recover between sessions.

The difference, of course, is the inclusion of moderate-intensity tempo or threshold work, which followers of the 80/20 argue is less effective and isn’t the best use of your training hours.

Which model should you follow?

The truth is, both models have been proven to be highly effective at improving running performance, so the choice between which one you should follow often comes down to what works better for you, your experience level and your lifestyle. In many cases, runners will likely use both training models in the lead-up to their goal races. Confused? Here are a few factors that will influence which mileage breakdown you apply to your training:

Experience level

If you are new to structured training or new to running in general, you should avoid doing large volumes of high-intensity work. Running faster is harder on the body and is much more likely to lead to injuries, and doing 20 per cent of your volume at a high intensity may be too much for your body to properly recover between sessions.

This is why beginners will likely benefit more from a pyramidal training approach. Five per cent volume at a high intensity will be easier for your body to handle, and the rest of your low and moderate-intensity work will strengthen and prepare your body for those harder sessions. As you become more experienced, the polarized approach may be more feasible.

Training cycle

The type of training you follow will also change depending on where you’re at in your training cycle, and how close you are to race day. During your base training phase, the pyramidal approach works well to introduce your body to volume and intensity to prepare for harder sessions later in your training cycle. This is a safer way to begin a training cycle, especially if it’s following a period of rest after your last goal race.

As you get closer to race day, your training will likely begin to shift toward a more polarized approach. By this point, you will have built up the necessary strength and stamina to handle a greater volume of high-intensity running without getting injured or burnt out. The closer you get to your goal race, the more race-specific your training will become, and the polarized method of training is a great way to fine-tune your fitness in the final weeks of preparation.

Race distance

Of course, the distance you’re training for will also impact the types of runs and workouts you do. Training for a 5K looks a lot different than training for a marathon, and an experienced athlete training for a shorter distance will require more high-intensity volume if they want to see their times come down. These athletes will likely spend much more time throughout the year following a polarized training model.

A marathon runner, on the other hand, will likely benefit more from having tempo runs and other moderate-intensity work in their programs, which are more directly applicable to running longer distances.

It’s important to remember that regardless of which distance you’re training for, relative beginners, even those preparing for a shorter distance, should still be careful with how much high-intensity volume they’re doing.

The bottom line

Both the polarized and pyramidal training approaches have been proven to be effective, and they are nearly identical in one very important way: the majority of the volume is run at a low intensity. Many runners make the mistake of doing all of their runs at a moderate intensity, which hampers their bodies’ ability to recover between sessions and doesn’t allow for any high-intensity work.

Which approach you choose will depend on several factors, and it may take some trial and error to figure out what works best for you. In any case, there is one more important takeaway from this discussion: following a structured training plan will produce better results, regardless of which method you follow.

Of course, creating your own training plan may seem like a daunting task, especially for the already-busy runner with a full-time job and other commitments. You can find a variety of training plans out there for every race distance and ability level, and while these are athlete-specific, they’re much better than not following a training plan at all.

On the other hand, if you’re really serious about improving your performance or you’re struggling with injuries, enlisting the help of a coach is your best option. A good coach will work with you to create a plan that not only matches your ability level and goals, but works with your schedule and lifestyle.

Russian racewalker Yelena Lashmanova loses Olympic and world titles after anti-doping violation

Russian racewalker Yelena Lashmanova, who won Olympic gold in world-record fashion at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, will be stripped of her gold medal after breaching World Athletics anti-doping rules. Her Olympic title won’t be the only gold she will lose, as the 20 km racewalk title from the 2013 World Championships in Moscow will also be removed.

Lashmanova won women’s 20 km racewalk at the London Olympics in a world record time of 1:25:02, which is four minutes and 15 seconds per kilometre. She has now been banned for two years, which started last year, for the use of prohibited substances.

According to World Athletics, Lashmanova has accepted the sanction proposed by the Athletics Integrity Unit, which includes the disqualification of her results between Feb. 18, 2012 and Jan. 3, 2014.

China’s Qieyang Shenjie and Liu Hong, who originally came second and third in London, have been upgraded to gold and silver. Lashmanova’s removal completes the Chinese sweep of the podium, as Lu Xiuzhi moved up into the bronze-medal position.

The new gold medallist, Shenjie, initially finished in the bronze-medal position but was upgraded to silver when Lashmanova’s teammate, Olga Kaniskina, was disqualified in 2016, also for a doping violation.

All three Russian racewalkers who competed in the women’s 20 km event are now disqualified. Anisya Kirdyapkina, who finished fifth, was disqualified in 2019.

Russia won eight gold medals in athletics at the London Olympics; now their gold medal count stands at two.

400m hurdler Natalya Antyukh and high-jumper Anna Chicherova remain as the only two Russian gold medallists from the London Olympics who have not been disqualified.

In 2020, Antyukh was charged with doping violations dating back to 2013, while Chicherova tested positive for the banned substance turinabol (an anabolic steroid), which resulted in the removal of her 2008 Olympic bronze high-jump medal.

Despite previous doping violations, both Antyukh’s and Chicherova’s Olympic gold medals still stand.

Fight fatigue by working on your hamstrings and posture, If you want to decrease the effects of late-race fatigue, don't neglect your hamstrings and core strength

Better fatigue resistance often separates the elites from the rest of us. It can also be the difference between a new PB and going home disappointed. So how do you improve fatigue resistance? New research says having stronger hamstrings and better postural stability will help fight off the effects of late-race fatigue so you can run strong to the finish.

The two types of fatigue

The authors of the study, published in the journal Sensors, identify two types of fatigue: peripheral and central. At its simplest, peripheral fatigue is the exhaustion you feel in your muscles from prolonged physical activity, and central fatigue refers to fatigue in your central nervous system. Both can affect muscle strength and activity, as well as running form.

Fatigue, whether peripheral or central, will not only slow you down, but will also put you at a higher risk for injuries. As fatigue begins to set in, research shows runners experience an increase in ground reaction forces, which puts more stress on the body.

How to improve fatigue resistance

The researchers recruited 18 male runners to complete a running test that induced peripheral and central fatigue and assessed which biomechanics deteriorated during the test. They found that runners with greater hamstring strength and postural stability experienced fewer fatigue-related changes to their biomechanics (a.k.a. their running form) than those with less.

These results led the team to this conclusion: “strength and stability training could prevent or delay the kinematic modifications associated with fatigued running and prevent the early increase in metabolic cost.” In other words, having stronger hamstrings and better postural stability can help you fight the effects of fatigue so you can maintain your pace until you cross the finish line.

Exercises to improve hamstring strength and postural stability

This highlights the importance (yet again) of strength training as a part of a running program. There are many exercises runners can do to improve their hamstring strength, like glute bridges, single-leg Romanian deadlifts and hamstring walkouts. Check out these hamstring exercises or this hamstring and glute strength routine to get you started.

To improve your postural stability, runners should aim to improve their core action, and work on core exercises that focus on counter-rotation, like the ones suggested in this strength training blueprint for runners.

Mo Farah’s racing comeback gathers pace

After his disappointing season last year he talked about having one last hurrah – a big farewell race somewhere to mark the end of a career that has brought him, among other things, 10 global track titles.

But there is now speculation he could be involved in this summer’s major championships on the track. Who knows, a return to the London Marathon in October could even be on the cards too.

Firstly, let’s stick to what we know. As Farah is racing 10km on the roads of London on May 2 and Manchester on May 22, this means we can pretty much rule him out of racing in the Müller Birmingham Diamond League on May 21.

Farah does not seem afraid of putting his reputation on the line either, incidentally, as the Great Manchester Run is also set to feature Stewart McSweyn, the Australian who holds the Oceania record for 1500m, mile and 3000m in addition to having clocked 27:23.80 for 10,000m on the track.

In addition, Andy Butchart is set to race and has been in good shape recently after having run 27:36.77 for 10,000m in California this month to break Ian Stewart’s 45-year-old Scottish record.

So if Farah’s road races in May go well, what are his options? Surprisingly he has never won a Commonwealth title and with the event on home soil in Birmingham it must be tempting.

The consensus is that he would struggle on the track against the likes of Joshua Cheptegei and Selemon Barega in the World Championships in Oregon in July. But Christian Malcolm, the head coach of the British team, has suggested it is “50/50”.

Speaking as last weekend’s World Indoor Championships in Belgrade drew to a close, Malcolm said: “Sir Mo is working hard and training. We will see how he goes in the summer. But he’s at that age now where you have to take it week-by-week, month-by-month, see where you are at in training.”

On the chances of him competing in Oregon, Malcolm added: “It’s possible. We don’t know at the moment. It’s 50-50 if I am being honest with you. Hopefully we will know a little bit more over the next six weeks.

As for the Great Manchester Run, Farah last took part in the event in 2018 when he outkicked Moses Kipsiro to clock 28:27.

Farah said: “I’m pleased to say the injury problems I had last year are now behind me, training has been going well and I am happy with the shape I am showing.

“Any time I race in the UK it is exciting for me because I love running in front of my home fans and I want to give my best for them.  I had an amazing reception in Manchester when I won the event in 2018 so I’m looking forward to racing on the streets of the city again later this year.”

It will be fascinating to see if Farah’s form during May is close to his best or whether there is little improvement on last year when he struggled at the British 10,000m Championships in Birmingham to clock 27:50.64 before barely improving three weeks later to run  27:47.04 in an invitation 10,000m at the Olympic trials in Manchester.

How will he fare, too, if he comes up against the rising force of Marc Scott, who beat Farah in Birmingham last year despite not being 100% fit himself and has since won the Great North Run, clocked 12:57.08 for 5000m indoors and on Saturday won bronze in the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships?

Distance running legend returns to the roads of London and Manchester in May but what else does the summer of 2022 hold in store?

After signing up to race the Vitality London 10,000 on the roads of the British capital on May 2, Mo Farah has now announced he will be running the Great Manchester Run on May 22.

Despite turning 39 years old March 23 and enduring an injury-hit summer in 2021 which saw him fail to make the British Olympic team for Tokyo, there are signs he could be entering a surprisingly busy racing period.