Running News Daily

2022 Valencia Marathon exhausts its 30,000 numbers six months before the event

The 42nd edition of the Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Marathon has exhausted its 30,000 bibs six months before the event, which will be held on December 4, according to the organization of the event in a statement this Wednesday.

It is the fourth consecutive time that the organization of the race, in charge of the SD Correcaminos and the Valencia City Council, exhausts the numbers to participate in the test. The first was in 2018, when 22,000 seats were put up for sale; the second in 2019, with 25,000, and the third in 2020, an edition that could not be carried out due to the pandemic, but which sold out three months after opening the 30,000 registrations for the race.

Of the 30,000 participants registered for this edition, 48 percent are foreigners, representing a total of 115 different nationalities. In addition, 28 percent are runners from the Valencian Community and 24 percent will arrive in Valencia from other Spanish regions.

In addition, 19 percent are women, which is why the number of female participation in the event continues to increase, both in percentage terms and globally, as the number of bib numbers available has also grown. Finally, more than 6,000 participants (21 percent) have chosen this test to debut at this distance.

“This year we are back with everything and it makes us very happy to be able to say that there are no bib numbers left, because that shows that the runners continue to trust us”, explained the president of SD Correcaminos, Paco Borao.

For runners who still wish to participate in the test, a waiting list has been opened to meet these requests, which will be covered as athletes already registered request a withdrawal due to injury or by making use of the return insurance if they contracted it in your registration.

A simple tempo workout to add to any routine

Does the perfect running workout exist? Regardless of your end goal, most training programs involve a combination of easy runs and a mixture of speed-work, hill intervals, or longer runs (and maybe all three). Workouts will vary from runner to runner and depend on goals, but most training plans involve tempo runs of some kind.

The optimal amount of tempo work is a hotly debated topic, but we do know incorporating some form of tempo workout into your routine is beneficial. Make sure to follow any tempo run or interval session with an easy or rest day.

Here’s a tempo workout to add to almost any repertoire. David Roche, co-author (alongside his wife Megan Roche) of The Happy Runner, calls this tempo workout a good “bread and butter” addition to any running regime. Roche, a renowned athlete and coach, touts the benefits of maintaining lifelong running goals and positivity.

Warm-up

3-5 km easy, with drills like this warm-up demonstrated by Roche.

Workout

10 x 3 min at 10 km effort with 1 min easy recovery, running intervals as smoothly and consistently as possible.

Cool-down

3 km easy.

This tempo run can be done as a stand-alone, or with post-run strength exercises to finish off the legs.

A tempo pace should be challenging, but not so hard that you can’t speak. The intervals in this workout can be adjusted by upping the intensity to make a harder speed-day leg-burner, or done uphill if you’re preparing for a hilly race.

The oldest woman to complete 100 miles continues to set ultra records

82-year-old Erlinda Biondic of Aurora, Ont., spends most of her days’ trekking to Newmarket, Ont. Fairy Lake Park from her Aurora residence. Erlinda and her husband, George, have been ultrarunning for many years, completing popular treks along Ontario’s Bruce Trail, Camino de Santiago in Spain and the U.S. Appalachian Trail. Last month, Erlinda became the oldest woman to complete 50 miles, 100 miles and to break the six-day world record, covering 251 miles (403 km) in 144 hours at the 3 Days at the Fair ultra in Augusta, N.J.

Erlinda was confident and trained heading into the ultra. She was intending to break the world record for 48 hours and 6 days in the 80+ age group. She spent the pandemic training for this event in the hallway of her Aurora apartment. Then when restrictions diminished, she walked at the local golf course and on the trails around it.

“No matter the weather, I try to get outside twice a day,” says Erlinda.

Besides leaving her apartment twice a day, she credits a lot of her fitness and strength to the yoga and boot camp instructors at the Aurora Seniors Centre. “We are constantly working on keeping my balance strong with core-focused exercises,” she says.

Erlinda has a strict diet during training. “I consume a lot of carbohydrates and add a vegetable to every meal,” she says. During the race, Erlinda and George pre-cook tuna, crumpets, eggs and ramen and carry them in ziplock bags while out on the course.

Each lap at the 3 Days at the Fair ultra is a one-mile loop circling the aid station. “The course is flat and great for runners to break records on,” says Erlinda, who has done this race on several occasions.

Days after covering 251 consecutive miles, the new six-day world record holder was back to training. “I luckily had no blisters or swelling during my six-day ultra,” Erlinda says. “George’s foot and quad massages help me recover.”

When she was asked about how she felt to be the oldest person to cover 100 miles, she began to tell me about the next races and records hopes to chase. In Sept., Erlinda and her husband will compete at the Race for the Ages, an age-graded eight-hour handicap race, where the oldest runners get a head start on the rest of the field.

As Erlinda gets older, she continues to push her physical barriers. She and her husband plan to hike the famous rim-to-rim in Grand Canyon National Park this month and participate in Ottawa’s Sri Chinmoy 24-hour ultra on July 23.

Man in tiger suit completes Everest marathon, this is the 20th marathon Goldstein has completed with the 33-pound plush tiger

The Everest Marathon is one of the most challenging marathons in the world; now imagine running it with a nine-foot tiger on your back.

British wildlife photographer and conservationist Paul Goldstein is not new to endurance adventures. He has completed 19 marathons and hiked up Mt. Kilimanjaro, an impressive resume for any athlete. Goldstein, or “Tiger Man” as he has fondly become known, has carried his plush tiger along with him on every trek.

Goldstein (and his 33-pound plush tiger) hiked for 11 days to get to the start, located at Everest Base Camp. He endured extreme weather conditions, altitude sickness, food poisoning, and climbed over treacherous terrain, all before the Everest Marathon began. He called the experience “agony” and “the most miserable 12 hours I’ve had in my life.”

Goldstein’s aim is to raise money and awareness for Bengal tigers. Goldstein created Worth More Alive charity with this goal in mind. It is estimated that there are only 3000 Bengal tigers left in existence and they continue to be poached and have their organs harvested. Through his Everest run alone, Goldstein met his goal of raising over $150,000.

Despite the extreme weather conditions Goldstein faced on Everest, he explains that it pales in comparison to the suffering captured tigers endure.

This will be Goldstein’s last marathon with his tiger, “This was its 20th and last and fitting it should be the toughest challenge,” he says.

126th Boston Marathon Raises $35.6 Million For Area Non-Profits

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced that $35.6 million was raised for more than 200 non-profit organizations through this year’s 126th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 18. The B.A.A. Official Charity Program and the John Hancock Non-Profit Program have combined to raise more than $460 million since the charity program’s inception at the 1989 Boston Marathon.

The $35.6 million raised this year includes donations raised through the B.A.A.’s Official Charity Program, the John Hancock Non-Profit Program, and from other qualified and invitational runners. A total of 2,566 participants ran as fundraising athletes at the 126th Boston Marathon. Further details can be found on the Boston Marathon’s fundraising page through GivenGain.

“The non-profit community across Greater Boston is resilient, and, as a non-profit itself, the B.A.A. takes great pride in being a catalyst for more than 200 charitable organizations to raise critical funds in support of their missions,” said Nicole Juri, the B.A.A.’s Director of Development. “The return to our full field size and traditional Patriots' Day date enabled our non-profit partners to raise even greater funds for a variety of meaningful causes.”

“It is outstanding to see the funds raised by this year’s Boston Marathon participants, all in support of non-profit organizations that are a driving force for our community and carry personal meaning for so many,” said Marianne Harrison, president and CEO of John Hancock. “We are committed to making lives better by empowering sustained health and well-being, and we are grateful to help bring that mission to life through the John Hancock Non-Profit Program. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this year’s race so inspiring and impactful.”

Earlier this year, the B.A.A. and John Hancock held the first-ever Boston Marathon Giving Day, which resulted in more than $1.1 million in donations over a 24-hour period to the 200 non-profit programs affiliated with the 126th Boston Marathon. Boston Marathon Giving Day was the second largest single day of donations to non-profits connected to the race, behind 2018 #GivingTuesday.

The B.A.A. annually provides non-profits associated with the B.A.A. Official Charity Program and John Hancock’s Non-Profit Program with invitational entries into the Boston Marathon. Each non-profit organization directly manages its own application process, athlete selection, and fundraising minimums, deadlines, and requirements.

The 126th Boston Marathon marked the first Patriots’ Day race since 2019 and featured a 98.4% finish rate, with 24,918 athletes from 111 different countries and all 50 states earning their unicorn medals.

The B.A.A. will notify non-profit organizations who have been selected to participate in the 127th Boston Marathon as part of the B.A.A. Official Charity Program in Summer 2022. More information can be found on the B.A.A. Official Charity Program and the John Hancock Non-Profit Program.

The next B.A.A. event is the B.A.A. 10K presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital on Sunday, June 26. Athletes can register online and compete with Boston Marathon champions and Olympians.

Scottish couple runs record breaking 106 marathons in 106 days

Two runners from Aberdeen, Scotland, have unofficially broken the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive marathons with 106. Fay Cunningham and Emma Petrie began the challenge on February 19 and completed their final marathon, 106 days later on Saturday, June 4.

The duo ran a total of 106 marathons, which equates to 2,777 miles (4,469 km), equivalent to running from their home in Scotland to Istanbul, Turkey. Throughout their journey, the duo raised $40,000 for MND & Macmillian charity for dementia.

Cunningham and Perie were hoping to raise $150,000 in memory of Cunningham’s late father, Alan, who died of dementia. “We both know that life is short and the ability to run or walk doesn’t stay with you forever,” Cunningham says. “My father was fit and active and he inspired us to tackle this challenge.”

Over the 106 days, Petrie and Cunningham wore out seven pairs of running shoes and consumed over 4,000 calories daily. Their 100th consecutive marathon was celebrated at the Edinburgh Marathon on May 29, where both finished just under five hours. The couple awaits official verification from Guinness, but they are confident they have met the record criteria for consecutive daily marathons.

American Alyssa Clark currently holds the official women’s record, completing 95 consecutive marathons in 2020. But in April, British runner Kate Jayden claimed the unofficial record of 101 marathons in 101 days, only to be broken by South African runner Jacky Hunt-Broersma, who lost a leg to cancer in 2001, ran 104 marathons in 104 days.

In an interview with the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA), Cunningham said she didn’t know if Jayden’s or Boersma’s records would be verified because some of the marathons they ran were on treadmills. “We believe the record only stands if you run all the marathons outdoors,” she says. “But even so, we ensured we would set a new record by adding six marathons to get to 106 outdoor marathons in 106 days.”

Cunningham, 35, and Petrie, 26, are both personal trainers who are in love with fitness and the outdoors and each other. Besides personal training, the duo also has a YouTube channel where they attempt challenges set by professional athletes.

Both runners hoped this achievement can inspire others to get out there and do something they’ve always wanted to do.

Feeling the post-race blues? It’s more common than you think

Most runners put in a lot of miles and hours of training (along with burning through more than a couple of pairs of shoes) before a big race. The build-up can be intense. Regardless of whether you run a PB or DNF, what happens mentally and physically after the race is just as important as your training. Post-race blues is a term coined by runners to describe the situational depression that impacts athletes, from amateur to professional.

Olympic athletes like Alexi Pappas have publicly discussed the depression they faced after their competitive events.

First things first: take recovery as seriously as you do running

Few runners spend the time and energy on recovery as they do on workouts, but the recovery period is when your body actually gets stronger, rebuilding in order to perform again. Your body needs both rest and fuel to recover. Since you aren’t dedicating yourself to intense exercise, take some time to do some healthy meal prep or master some nutritious recipes. Trying a cooking class in person or online can be a great distraction, and you’ll enter your next training block armed with new skills.

Connect. With loved ones, with your yoga mat, with Netflix

Training for a big event takes a lot of time and energy. Your family, friends, and yoga buddies have missed your regular presence in their lives. It is the perfect time to revitalize those relationships. Reach out, and try accepting offers to join activities even when you would rather hide indoors and analyze splits on Strava. It’s okay to find a balance, so if a movie night with your cat is calling your name, get cozy and turn up the volume. Enjoy the opportunity to fit in activities, however simple, that you don’t normally prioritize.

Get your mind off of running

Always wanted to learn conversational Spanish or take an avalanche safety course? Yearning to plant your own vegetables? Even though you may be feeling unmotivated, taking the first steps toward trying out a fun new hobby can have monumental results. After all, you once went out for your very first run, right? Your local library can be a good place to find resources, and often will offer courses on a variety of new things to try.

Think long-term

Whether you hit or missed your goals in your last race, you most likely have future races on the horizon. Revisit your targets and tweak your future running plans, evaluating what worked (or didn’t) this time. When you feel both physically and mentally ready, get that run-excitement simmering by mapping out new running adventures to tackle in the months and years to come.

Be proactive about your health, mental and physical

Post-race blues may be a minor speed-bump to overcome, but it’s important to stay pro-active with any health challenges that you encounter. Pappas writes: “And then when my doctor helped me understand that my brain was a body part, just like my leg, and it could get injured like any other body part, and it could also heal like any other body part.” Taking positive steps to maintain a healthy mind is no different from seeing a sports doctor to treat a running injury.

More than 10,000 runners expected at this year's Boilermaker

After two years, Utica’s Boilermaker Road Race is returning to the second Sunday in July in Utica.

“For those folks for the pre-pandemic, 1978 to 2019, the fun you’ve had, that’s what we’re going to bring back this year,” said Mark Donovan, Boilermaker president.

Over 10,000 runners are expected to participate in this year’s road race.

“We have the elite athletes back," Donovan said. "We have the wheelchair athletes back. We continue to get back to normalcy."

The MVHS Health and Wellness Expo will return to Mohawk Valley Community College July 8-9.

“It’s where people can pick up their race bibs, their race swag and visit the hosts of really cool exhibitors we will have in the Jorgensen Field House,” Donovan said.

This year, the Boilermaker launched its Access Program. It's designed to allow local immigrants, refugees, and those underserved and underprivileged easier access to participate in the race.

“The access program is proving complimentary registrations for either the 5K or the 15K race. As part of that, we do provide folks with training programs, either self-directed, they can do on their own, or we provide them with any connections to any various local running clubs who have their own training program that prepare them for the boilermaker,” Donovan said.

With the help of Wolfspeed Electronics Company, sneakers will be provided to those in need.

“In our 45th anniversary and coming off of two to three years of weirdness, we encourage all of the folks that have come out for the previous 40-plus years to spectate and cheer those runners on, because you’re a big part of the experience,” Donovan said.

The race to the finish line will be Sunday, July 10.

There will be a post-race party at the F.X. Matt Brewing Company. Donovan said they are still taking volunteers. If you would like to help with the race, visit https://www.boilermaker.com/events/5k.php.

Three Phases of Post-Marathon Recovery

Congratulations! You just completed a marathon and whether or not you met your goal time, you have earned the right to take some serious time off. In fact, your ability to recover well will determine the real outcome of the marathon - your fitness. This article will outline why we need to recover and give you input on how to handle each of the three critical recovery phases: First Hour, 12 Hours and 72 Hours.

Your Biggest Workout

If you can take the emotions, cheering fans and adrenaline rush of crossing the finish out of your mind for a second, your marathon experience boils down to one thing: your longest--and potentially hardest--run all year and perhaps in your life.

Just as you took care of your body after those critical 16, 18 and 20+ mile long runs on your way to race day, so too must you care for your body now. Given the demands of the race, and how much of it you truly "raced," you have placed a massive dose of training on your body. If you can recover properly, you can not only avoid burnout or injury, you could set the stage for an even better training cycle in the future.

The Weight Room

Since most of us have lifted weights at some point in time, I think it's helpful to draw a parallel between your marathon and the weight room. We've all gone to the gym after some time off, piled the weights on the bar and had a good session...only to wake up the next morning practically paralyzed.

Your muscles do significant work, and they need to recover. It's the recovery, not the lifting, that makes you stronger. After all if you go back on the bench that next day, you'd probably drop the bar on your neck! Savvy weightlifters alternate body parts, making sure that they are well-recovered before attempting another session.

This powerful experience is not that different from what your body undergoes during a marathon. There is deep muscular fatigue from the effort, not to mention the cost of actually covering 26.2 miles on your feet and legs. If you can understand this physical state to be an opportunity, instead of an inconvenience, you might well be able to absorb the work done and earn some significant fitness.

Phase One: The First Hour

Once you've crossed the finish line and have your medal in hand, it's imperative that you turn your focus towards recovery. You can start doing the mile splits and swapping stories as soon as you have taken a few basic steps.

1. Dry Clothes -- Once you stop working, your body will almost immediately begin to enter recovery mode. Even on a warm day you'll find yourself getting quite cold and clammy; avoid these post race chills by quickly changing into some nice warm soft clothes. This includes footwear, and injuries aside, another pair of shoes is best (as opposed to sandals) so as to keep your feet from swelling up and to provide you with much-needed support.

2. Feet Up -- After your quick change, you'll want to find a way to lay down and get your feet up. After several hours of hard work, your body needs help facilitating blood flow. Besides, this is just plain relaxing. Make sure you are well enough to be alone or have a spotter keep an eye on you, and just lay down. Ideally you'll be able to keep your feet up for 15- to 25 minutes at this first go, and it's recommended you do this several more times during the day.

3. Quick Calories -- You'll need some kind of recovery meal, ideally in liquid form and containing some protein. Avoid processed fruit juices or other sugary substitutes; use what has worked in training but make sure this happens in the first 30 minutes after your event.

4. Care for Damage -- If you have sustained some kind of injury such as a blister or muscle strain, now you can begin assessing the true extent of what you have done and seek out help. Your brain will be much clearer, and if you need to go somewhere or wait in line at least your basic needs will have been met.

Phase Two: 12 Hours

You aren't out of the woods just yet. By now you have found your friends and family; perhaps you have even made it back to your hotel/house and are now thinking about your next meal. Don't just mail it in from here; there are still a few key things you can do aside from eating the biggest meal you can find (although that's not a bad place to start!):

1. Get Cleaned Up -- There's nothing like taking a shower or bath that will rejuvenate you - and make you aware of any issues you might have (like chafing, ouch). If possible, consider a cool or even cold bath to help promote recovery. Note that this is not for the faint of heart.

2. Serious Nutrition -- Now that your stomach has settled, you'll want to focus on a proper meal. You'll most likely have a pretty solid craving, so picking a place to eat won't be hard. Just bring a snack in case you aren't the only finisher with this idea. As you pick your foods, try to keep them reasonably healthy and drink lots of water.

3. Sensible Celebration -- You have earned the right to party, but don't overdo it. Your body is still running on fumes, and adding alcohol and lots of time standing on your feet can be fun but does have its limits. Make sure you get IOUs from everyone for next time and head home.

4. Sleep Right -- Chances are you'll be so tired that falling asleep won't be an issue; the problem is you'll be so sore that staying asleep could be harder than you think! Put plenty of fluids and maybe even a snack on your bedside table and keep your feet elevated. Feel free to roll over as many times as you can the next day.

Phase Three: 72 Hours

By the end of 72 hours you'll be through the toughest part of your recovery process. But you need to get there first. This period is marked by some of the deepest need for recovery, for once the adrenaline wears off the fatigue and soreness will be all that's left.

1. Stay Active -- Do your best to avoid being stationary other than sleeping. Light walking, an easy dip in the pool or a short spin on an exercise bike will each, in their own way, help your muscles flush out the toxins and after-effects of the race. Frequent rest will be needed, but total rest is your enemy here.

2. Continue Quality Foods -- You are what you eat, especially when your body is in such a vulnerable state. A treat or two is OK, but try to save the real craziness for a later date when you can truly savor the food (and bear the consequences).

3. Self-Massage -- Lightly working on your calves, feet, hamstrings, glutes and quads is another great way to stay loose and promote recovery. Whether you use your hands or a fancy gadget, taking periodic breaks to focus on your trouble areas will really help.

Moving On

Once you have emerged from the most intensive recovery, your work is still not done. Your body is still a long way from being at 100 percent. General guidelines include staying active by walking or including some cross-training like cycling or swimming. The earliest you should consider running is about a week out, but if you can stay away from the sneakers for a full 14 days you'll really be ready to begin the process of getting your stride back.

How long should it take to recover from a 10K race?

A 10K race can be physically taxing on your body. You push your body’s aerobic boundaries for 40 minutes to an hour. The further the race, the longer you need to give your body time to recover. Post-race recovery is something many runners don’t consider before their race, since runners focus, first and foremost, on getting to the finish line. Allowing adequate time for recovery can ultimately help prevent injuries and improve your fitness.

Racing a 10K requires a bit more recovery than you think. The general rule of thumb for this distance is to take one day of rest per mile raced. Therefore, after a 5K, most runners will require a recovery period of two to four days. After 10K, runners will generally take three to six days off high-intensity training.

The rest period does not mean to halt all running or exercise, but a break from speedwork and high-intensity training. Rest days can include easy runs, swimming, biking and even lifting weights at the gym at an easy intensity level.

The reason easy exercise is encouraged during recovery is that it helps bring essential nutrients and oxygen to your soft tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments) and blood flow to repair the body. Low-intensity exercise like the elliptical or spin bike will not put too much stress on already sore muscles.

The best way to determine how much recovery you need is to see how your body feels the morning after your race.

On day three of recovery, see if there’s still soreness there. If there are still aches and pains, take another recovery day. If there is no soreness, try a 20- to 30-minute easy run or 30 minutes on the bike. Monitor your body’s recovery day by day and try easy recovery methods like icing, foam rolling and rest to speed up the process.

Felix Kirwa sent the wrong way at Stockholm Marathon, still wins race

The leaders of Saturday’s Stockholm Marathon were in confusion and disbelief after being sent the wrong way for an extra kilometer.Felix Kirwa, Tesfaye Lencho Anbesa, and Merhawi Keste were pointed in the wrong direction by race officials around the 30 km mark of the marathon.

They ran for a full minute before realizing the mistake, which cost them the lead in the race. Kirwa, 26, managed to come back and win the event in a time of 2:11:07, only one minute off the course record of 2:10:10, despite having to run an extra kilometer.

Kirwa spoke to Stockholm’s TV4 in a post-race interview: “I am very happy to win the Stockholm marathon but we ran wrong and I missed the record because of it.”

The event organizers blamed the error on motorcycle police officers who drove in the wrong direction.

Kesete, from Eritrea, hung onto second place in 2:11:45, while Tesfay, also from Eritrea, lost out on a podium spot to finish fourth. John Langat of Kenya, who wasn’t led the wrong way, finished third in 2:12:39.

Kirwa’s win in Stockholm puts him on three marathon wins, winning the 2016 Singapore Marathon and the 2016 Antwerp Marathon. Kirwa was banned from competing in 2019, after failing a drug test for the banned substance strychnine, commonly known as rat poison.

Strychnine is on the anti-doping list due to its effects as a stimulant and can give an athlete the ability to go for longer without feeling tired. Kirwa was stripped of his second-place finish at the 2018 Singapore Marathon as a result of the suspension.

Running Legend Ryan Hall Shared a Look at His 'Hybrid Athlete' Training Plan

The former Olympian's workout combines resistance training and cardio.

Ryan Hall might be best known as the Olympic long distance runner who broke records for his time in the marathon and half marathon (and holds onto that half marathon record to this day), but he has undergone a dramatic body transformation since retiring as a pro athlete. He has packed on an impressive amount of muscle—and strength—without compromising on his famous speed, and now undertakes physical challenges which require both strength and stamina.

This is reflected in the way he now approaches training. In a recent video on his Instagram, Hall shared what an average day looks like for him, and described his self-designed program as a "hybrid athlete" workout.

"First an hour run with @sarahall3 in beautiful Crested Butte," he wrote in the caption. "Straight into chest day. Finally starting to get some strength back post-op. First time doing 3 sets of 1 at 3 hundee plus seven more sets of heavy negatives at 315 followed by reps at 225."

Striking that balance between strength training and cardio has been a learning experience for Hall. "It's kind of hard, honestly, cause I like going out for little 30 minute easy runs. But even with that three times a week, for me, my body just will get rid of muscle," he told Men's Health.

"Or it'll be really hard to add muscle even if I'm eating a ton of calories. So I definitely have the marathon runner genetics, the hard gainer genetics, and I have to kind of fight through that with some kind of intuitive, outside of the box training that I found has worked for me."

Instead of braving the elements, take these precautions for a happy and healthy Summer Run Streak

Designed to keep you running through sweaty and busy summer days, the run streak bridges the gap between Memorial Day and July 4. Run at least one mile per day, every day. That’s 36 consecutive days of running.

Find out how a streak can change you, and share your journey with us! Where will you run? How will you make it happen? How will your life change? We want to hear about it! Share your progress and motivate other streakers by “liking” the streak on Facebook. You can also share updates on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #RWRunStreak.

Whether you’re starting a new marathon training block or participating in the Runner’s World Run Streak, the summer is a perfect time to get back into running. Longer days, vacation time, and good weather mean more time to get the miles in. But beware—there are simple mistakes that can cause you to burn out (or literally burn yourself to a crisp) before fall marathon season comes around.

Avoid the following mistakes during summer training, including hydration hijinx and shoe snafus. Above all else, keep one thing in mind—your goal is to make it through the Run Streak healthy, happy, and hungry for more.

Mistake #1: Not acclimating to the heat.

In every aspect of training, there’s an adjustment period. Just like you wouldn’t jump from 20 miles per week to 60, or skip from 10 squats to 100 in just a couple of sessions, you shouldn’t dive headfirst into the summer heat.

There are a few different options to build up your heat tolerance. First, you can briefly lower your mileage so you’re not overloading your body and gradually work it back up as you readjust. Or, you can go back and forth between treadmill days and outside running days. Lastly, start your training cycle by running during the coolest part of the day, then each following day, run later and later until you’ve comfortably run during the hottest hours. 

Get used to one variable at a time. Don’t try to build your mileage too high when acclimating to the weather. Handle one problem first, then solve the next one. Otherwise, you might end up physically and mentally drained.

Mistake #2: Not checking the weather.

I live in Philadelphia, where the summer temperatures can range from mid-70s to the high 90s. As someone who likes to run after work, that means I need to check the weather, or I might be in for an unpleasant surprise. 

But even if you’re a morning runner, it helps to look at a weather report before heading out the door. You might find that the morning dew point is unbearably high for your workout, or that a summer rainstorm will roll through and cool the air down significantly by the afternoon. 

In my case, I look ahead of time whether I need to get up a little earlier to squeeze my run in the cool morning instead of slogging through blistering temps—which can potentially be dangerous.

Mistake #3: Not hydrating or refueling.

Katie Kissane, R.D., C.S.S.D. told Runner’s World in a previous article that dehydration heightens the risk of heatstroke and causes muscle cramping when you’re running in hot weather. Therefore, to stay safe in the heat, make sure you’re drinking water throughout the day.

If you’re out for a long run, hydrate during the activity. Stash a bottle somewhere on the route, plan your route around water fountains, or even wear a hydration pack—just make sure to drink up.

However, Kissane explains that just chugging water alone could lead to a separate problem called hyponatremia—low sodium levels in the blood. Hyponatremia leads to dizziness, fatigue, and nausea. Consider bringing a sports drink high in minerals like sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium to prevent the symptoms from hampering your run and hurting you in the long term.

Mistake #4: Not wearing sunscreen.

No matter how long your run is, you’re exposing yourself to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Without precaution, you can suffer from skin aging, eye damage, and even skin cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 

“Americans can reduce risks from sun exposure with continued use of sun protection measures including broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF values of at least 15,” said acting United States Federal Drug Association (FDA) Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., in a press release from September 2021. 

The FDA recommends applying sunscreen 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapplying every two hours, especially when sweating. That means if you’re going for a long run, you might need to stop to reapply. There are sunscreens out there specifically made to be sweat-resistant, so you don’t need to reapply as often, but it’s still good to be safe.

Mistake #5: Not being flexible—and dreading the treadmill.

“On especially hot and humid days, there’s no glory in the Strava post,” says Runner’s World Runner-in-Chief Jeff Dengate. “I’ve had a 15-miler on the schedule that I’ve broken up into three five-mile runs that day, so I still get in the mileage without dying. Don’t be confined by the training plan—sometimes you need to modify it.”

That might even mean running on the treadmill when it’s particularly rough outside. Before you shake your head in disgust, think of it as an opportunity to control all the variables. You can listen to your favorite music or watch a television show, lock into a pace, and enjoy sweet, sweet air conditioning.

Mistake #6: Not wearing summer running gear.

There are a few pieces of gear you should always have around for hot and sunny summer runs. 

A good running hat protects your face from the sun. Most are made of moisture-wicking materials to keep your head cool, and some even come with UV protection. Bonus points are that a running hat keeps raindrops out of your eyes on any wet days.

A hat alone won’t keep the sun out of your eyes. You need a pair of sunglasses. While most pairs will work in a pinch, there are great running sunglasses that won’t slip off your sweaty face or bounce up and down from the impact of your stride. 

For particularly scalding afternoons, you could purchase a cooling vest—but think of that as more of a luxury than a necessity.

Mistake #7: Ignoring swollen feet.

When you get sized for a new shoe at a local running store, they typically recommend a half-size up because “blood flow increases to deliver oxygen to the muscles,” Paul Langer, DPM, told Runner’s World. “The volume of the muscles temporarily expands.”

When it’s really hot out, Test Editor Morgan Petruny notices that her feet swell even more: “I have to be aware of giving myself more room in my shoes… I often think that I’m a fall, winter, or spring shoe size W9, but a summer size W9.5.”

If you’re not ready to buy another shoe, she recommends loosening your laces, wearing thinner socks, and avoiding the shoes in your repertoire with a tight toe-box.

Gary Martin runs a second sub 4-minute mile to set a personal record, as history is made at the Festival of Miles

Gary Martin finished fourth in the race overall for a personal best — and just ahead of another high school runner who beat the four-minute mile mark as well. This time, Gary Martin was not completely alone, as he engaged in a race with top mile runners at the Festival of Miles in St. Louis. 

On Thursday Gary ran another sub four-minute mile, and a personal record of 3:57.89, even as he finished fourth in the overall race.

Martin also had company from another high school athlete, as Connor Burns, a junior at Southern Boone High School in Ashland, Mo. also completed the mile in less than four minutes, finishing at 3:58.83 in fifth place.

It’s the first time in American track history that two high school runners have eclipsed the four-minute mark in the same mile race.

Paul Ryan, Jack Antsey, and Caleb Webb finished ahead of Martin and Burns. Ryan’s winning time was 3:55.95, and the top seven finishers went under four minutes.

Martin had run under four minutes for the first time at the Philadelphia Catholic League championships on May 15 when he ran a mile in 3:57:98.

You Know The RICE Method For Recovery. Now Try PEACE & LOVE.

You've probably heard of the RICE method when you twist an ankle or tweak a knee: Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate. It's ubiquitous for a reason, and yet emerging research is showing us that soft tissue injuries are a lot more complex than originally thought. By using methods like RICE for soft-tissue injuries, you may actually be doing your body more harm than good and delaying recovery. 

It might be time to try a different approach.

But first, what constitutes a soft tissue injury? They're extremely common in runners, with some of the most ubiquitous being:

Almost all runners will have experienced these at some point. But if RICE isn't the best protocol, what do we do? Here's the good news: 

A new acronym has been developed alongside this new research, and while it might be a mouthful, it could also boost your recovery more effectively than RICE-ing. Introducing: PEACE & LOVE. 

Remember, this advice is for soft tissue injuries only. If you feel you may have sustained a more serious injury, like a fracture, seek immediate medical attention.

Here's the breakdown:

P- Protect 

Immediately following a soft tissue injury, the single best thing you can do is take a load off. Restrict movement as much as you can for 1-3 days, depending on how bad the injury is. This reduces the risk of reaggravation and increased tissue bleeding. However, the timeframe is critical here. Research shows that prolonged rest following an acute soft tissue injury actually compromises tissue quality and strength, so don't veg out on the couch for two weeks straight or you'll inhibit blood flow and mobility necessary for proper healing.

How do you know when you should stop resting? Follow your pain. As the injury becomes less painful, gradually return to weight-bearing exercise. 

Take Action: Protect your injury by avoiding movements - particularly those that cause increased pain - in the first couple days after injury. 

E - Elevate

While there is limited evidence to support elevating an injured area as an effective recovery tool, it's low-risk and easy, plus it helps with "P" above. Bringing the injured area above the level of your heart can assist interstitial fluid (fluid found in the spaces around cells) flow out of the injured tissue. 

Action Plan: Elevate the limb higher than the heart using something comfortable to rest it on, like a pillow, cushion, or the arm of your couch. 

A - Avoid Anti-Inflammatories (Ice & NSAIDs)

Using ice and anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) after an injury is a common practice to reduce swelling and pain. But there is actually very little high-quality evidence that supports the use of ice in treatment of soft tissue injuries, and increasingly more research that says don't. 

Our bodies are smart, and the natural inflammatory process will support our tissues healing. By stopping or reducing this inflammation using external means like ice or medication, we are impairing our body's own healing. This, in turn, can impact our long-term tissue healing and possibly cause your injury to last longer. Natural inflammation will go down on its own as the body's protective instincts calm down.

Action Plan: Allow your body's natural inflammatory response for the first 48 hours. After this time period you can take anti-inflammatories. 

C - Compress

A better way to reduce swelling is by intermittently using mechanical compression with a wrap, bandage, sock, or tape. Again, this serves the double purpose of also helping reduce movement. Just make sure you don't restrict movement to the point where you can't move the joint through its full range of motion. 

Take Action: Use a compression bandage to reduce swelling, but do not wrap it so tight you get pins and needles or numbness. Compression can be used within comfort range throughout the day, however should NOT be used overnight. 

E - Educate 

Take time to learn about your specific injury. A physical therapy assessment will help you get reliable information and advice, and prevent similar injuries in the future. Ask your physical therapist about realistic recovery times and exercises to progressively load your injury while you recover. This will help you grade expectations and get you back to running as quickly as you can.

Action Plan: Active recoveries in soft tissue injuries often have the best outcomes. Seek advice from a medical professional and try to identify the causes of the injury and best exercises to strengthen the area.

L - Load

It is widely known that when you go to the physical therapist you usually get prescribed exercises - that's because most of those exercises are specifically designed to repair damaged tissues by gradually increasing the demands placed on them. This is known as mechanotransduction: the physiological process where cells sense and respond to mechanical loads. The goal should be to increase the amount you are doing progressively, without increasing pain. This will help the tolerance of your tissues (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) return to normal. 

Action Plan: Listen to your body and let your pain levels help you progress back into normal activities. 

O - Optimism

In the clinic, I always preface this with "I know this sounds silly but . . ." because patients tend to ignore this portion of the PEACE & LOVE talk. But compelling research shows that how you think and feel about your injury plays a big role in how you recover! Expecting a poor outcome, catastrophizing, or being overly fearful has been associated with longer recoveries from soft tissue injuries. Feeling optimistic and motivated - while staying realistic - will not only help you keep up with your physical therapy exercises, but it may also make your healing process even more efficient.  

Action Plan: Be positive and confident in your recovery. This will optimize your results! Remember that these types of injuries are almost never the cause for long-term breaks from running.

V - Vascularization

Increasing blood flow to the affected area with pain-free aerobic activity has been shown to accelerate recovery and improve function. However: listening to your body's reaction and progressing gradually is critical. More pain in this case does not equal more gain. 

Action Plan: Choose aerobic activities that are pain-free (walking, stationary cycling, swimming, jogging, rowing, etc.) and integrate them gradually into your routine, only in amounts that cause no pain.

E - Exercise 

As shown above, many of the widely accepted interventions for soft tissue injuries have a poor evidence base. Not this one! Strong evidence shows that exercise aids in treatment of soft tissue injury. It can also reduce the risk of a recurring injury by improving strength, mobility, balance, and proprioception (the body's own spatial awareness).

Again, it is important to seek a physical therapist's help when choosing exercises to achieve optimal strength and mobility as you recover. 

Action Plan: Build your mobility, strength, and proprioception back up progressively during your recovery by slowly returning to exercise.

The Takeaway:

Being a freshly injured runner can be scary, upsetting, annoying, and confusing. Instead of reaching for the ice immediately, lead your recovery with PEACE & LOVE: unload the area, listen to your pain, keep a proactively positive mindset, and seek a physical therapist to begin reloading your tissues and expedite healing. Following these new protocols will help you heal faster and get you back to the trails sooner. 

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

Does Looking at Your Watch Help or Hurt Your Running?

New research suggests a surprising answer.

Past studies have shown that people who are mentally exhausted will see their performance drop off, such as running performance.

New research from the University of Birmingham showed that when receiving regular feedback during a task, people who were mentally fatigued performed just as well as a control group.

That means even if you’re mentally taxed before a run, having something like your GPS watch to provide real-time data may help keep your performance in check.

The Great Watch Debate is as old as running itself—or at least as old as watches. Does tracking your pace on the run keep you honest? Or does running watch-less set you free?

According to a recent experiment by researchers at the University of Birmingham, the kind of day you had might help you decide.

Feedback and mental fatigue

Research shows that when you’re mentally fatigued, your physical performance suffers. And let’s face it: these days, between pandemics, wars, 24-hour news cycles, and the stresses of daily living, who’s not mentally fatigued on one run or another?

The good news is that, according to this University of Birmingham study, receiving feedback as you exercise—like you would from a GPS watch—can help you get more out of what might otherwise be a sub-par performance.

The subjects in this experiment were split into three groups: control, feedback, and no feedback. The control group performed three tasks. First, they did an endurance test that involved squeezing a force-measuring device as hard as they could once every second for five minutes. Then they watched a documentary about trains. Finally, they repeated the endurance test.

The no-feedback group followed the same protocol, only instead of watching the documentary, they took a mentally fatiguing memory test before they repeated the endurance test. The feedback group also took the memory test, and when they took the second endurance test, they were shown feedback—specifically, how much force they were producing and how that compared to their first test.

As prior research would suggest, the no-feedback group saw their performance decline between the first and second endurance tests due to mental fatigue, while the control group didn’t. Interestingly, the feedback group, who were also mentally fatigued, performed similarly to the control group: their performance didn’t decline.

“When they knew how they were doing, the people in the state of mental fatigue did as well as the people who weren’t in the state of mental fatigue,” said Neil Dallaway, Ph.D., a sports science researcher associated with the University of Birmingham. And while the experiment measured hand-grip strength rather than running performance, Dallaway believes the results are still applicable to runners.

“If you get home from work one day and you are really tired and you’ve got an interval session or a fartlek, you may not do as well,” he said. “So then if you use your watch for the feedback, it could help you perform as well as if you weren’t mentally fatigued.”

Practical feedback

In addition to overcoming mental fatigue, there are other, practical reasons to use watch feedback while you run. When you’re running a workout or a race that doesn’t include mile markers, it’s useful to know how far you’ve run and how far you have to go. Knowing your pace can also help you to self-correct when you’re trying to hit a time goal.

Tony Ruiz, a longtime running coach and competitive masters runner, tells a story about a 5K where he checked his watch at mile 1 and saw he was running considerably slower than his goal pace. “I went, ‘Oh my God,’ and it just kind of woke me up,” he said.

While seeing a slow pace can help you pick things up, you can also use your watch to keep the pace under control. Ruiz advises athletes running half marathons and marathons to check their watch at least once per mile at the start of the race, because going too hard too early can be a recipe for disaster. However, he tells marathoners to pretty much ignore their watch after mile 20.

“If you're running a really good race, by then you already know this,” he said. “But if you're slowing down, let’s say at 21 miles, I’m not sure checking your watch is going to give you any kind of positive feedback.”

Assigning meaning to the data

Fear of “negative feedback” is the reason some runners shy away from their watch, and yet the watch itself is not the problem. “Data can be very helpful. Where it starts becoming an issue is with the meaning that we'’e attaching to what the watch tells us,” Shannon Mulcahy, M.S., a sports psychology consultant, said.

Consider a gas gauge on a car: If the gauge indicates you can drive 30 more miles before you’re out of gas, you’ll use that information to decide when to get gas. You won’t look at it and think, “This drive is going great,” or “I’m a terrible driver.”

Unfortunately, Mulcahy says, runners often fail to look at their watches with the same level of objectivity. 

“It's not really problematic if you look at your watch and you're like, ‘I'm running slower than I wanted to,’ and that frustrates you. That’s normal,” she said. “It’s when you see that you're running slower than you wanted, and it all of a sudden goes to, ‘I’m never gonna reach my goal. I’m a terrible runner. What’s the point?’ And we start catastrophizing.” 

Giving emotional meaning to your watch data is what can transform it from a useful tool to a run-ruiner.

Making your watch work for you

The ultimate lesson is that your watch is a tool; you just need to figure out how to make it work best for you. There are a lot of options.

One is to use your watch during workouts but not easy runs. This helps keep easy runs easy because, as Mulcahy said, “I don't think we’re very good at looking down and seeing slow paces because, again, we’re deciding that they’re slow.” If you can’t see the pace, you can’t judge it.

Leaving your watch at home on easy days is the simplest option. However, if you like to have the data to share on Strava or for other purposes, you can switch the display so it shows you only distance or time elapsed during the run, not pace.

Another option Mulcahy shared that can help athletes who have trouble staying dispassionate when they see a pace (any pace) on their watch: Change the unit of measure.

“I have a client who is an American, but she lives in Europe. She was trying to train more in kilometers, and she started noticing that she was very analytical during her workout,” said Mulcahy. “There was really little meaning to the data; it was just very instructional.”

Ultimately the goal is to keep emotion at bay and use watch data for what it is: data. Some runners are great at this, and some runners have to find workarounds. But the science says that if you can get into that analytical mind frame, especially when your brain is tired, the data will help.

7 Keys to Recovery From an Elite Runner Who Experienced Long COVID

Kate Grace, an 800-meter specialist who ranked third in the world in 2021, is taking a slow road back to competition.

At first, the COVID symptoms Kate Grace experienced at the end of December 2021 seemed mild enough. She had a sore throat and fever and felt tired. That turned into a cold, which gradually eased over the next several days. And because she had been vaccinated and had a booster shot, she didn’t expect any lasting complications. Within two weeks, the 800-meter specialist, a 2016 Olympic finalist, was back to running.

But in January, she began to notice she was struggling in training. She was pushing to hit her usual 7-minute pace during easy runs, and she felt exhausted afterward. In workouts, her difficulties were even more stark. “Paces that should have been pedestrian for me were an all-out effort,” she told Runner’s World. Grace, 33, had had a terrific 2021 track season, setting PRs in the 800 meters (1:57.20) and 1500 meters (4:01.33) and finishing in the top 3 in six of seven Diamond League meets she ran, with three victories. She couldn’t wait for the 2022 season, with the World Championships set to take place in July in Eugene, Oregon, the first time the meet will be held in the United States. 

“I was just so excited about getting back to races, I think I pushed myself way too hard,” she said. “In my intense desire to get back into shape, I wasn’t patient. I didn’t listen to the fact that my body was not cooperating.” 

After about three weeks, she realized the struggles she was having were out of the ordinary. She stopped trying to train. Her body, she said, “kind of shut down.” 

Her primary symptom was crushing fatigue. One easy activity—making lunch, for instance—exhausted her for the rest of the day. Other symptoms included dizziness when she stood up, poor sleep, and excessive sweating. She would have to rest after she climbed the stairs in her Boulder, Colorado, home, because her heart rate would soar. Her feet turned purple in the mornings when she stood up, and she had brain fog. 

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee put Grace in touch with doctors in Denver, who tested her heart and lungs—which checked out fine, with no sign of myocarditis—and confirmed she was experiencing classic long COVID symptoms. They told her there was nothing to do but rest. 

That’s what she did. For 10 weeks, Grace did no running, cross-training, or lifting. She did start taking walks—just around the block at first, and she’d need a nap afterward. But over the weeks, those walks gradually grew to an hour. From those, she moved to hiking to get her heart rate up. Then short runs. 

Now she’s back to running an hour a day. She’s still slower than she used to be on her easy runs, but she’s improving rapidly. It’s too soon to tell whether Grace will be able to have any kind of racing season in 2022, but she’s relieved to have her normal life and energy back. 

“I literally cried on my first run,” she said. “I ran for 20 minutes at 10-minute pace. I was so happy. To be able to go and run and move my body and feel normal afterward, yeah, I laughed and cried. It was amazing.” 

Grace struggles to convey how she felt during the worst days. “The fatigue was like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” she said. “I feel like I went to sleep in December and woke up in April. I did nothing. I couldn’t look at my phone. Weeks passed, and I don’t even know what happened. I was like a gray ghost of myself.” 

Her physical symptoms were compounded by fear of not knowing when she would ever feel like herself again. Forget about her racing—she just wanted her life back.

Here is what she has learned so far in the process of her recovery—and what she wants other runners who have had COVID to know about coming back. 

Rest and be patient. Grace advises anyone who has had COVID to take an extra week or two off before trying to run again, and then to start back to running very conservatively. She doesn’t know for sure if she made herself worse by trying to run before she was fully recovered, but she certainly didn’t help matters. “It’s way more prudent to wait and let yourself heal,” she said. “It’s always a possibility to have a delayed reaction to illness.” Post-viral syndrome is something that happens with other illnesses, such as mononucleosis or the flu. With COVID, too, it’s possible to fall into deep fatigue and need a long time to recover. 

Don’t let your identity as a runner obscure what your body needs. Be appropriately humble. Respect the illness. “Just because you are a healthy, in shape person, you’re still human, your body still needs rest,” she said. “You still need time to recover.” Pushing through is counter productive.

One day your body will work for you again the way you expect it to, if you give it what it needs. But it might happen on a very different schedule than you had planned. 

Take the timeline pressure off. You have a target race on the calendar? Let it go. Defer your entry, if possible, or transfer the bib to a friend if the race allows it. You will race again, just maybe not when you thought. And fretting about it won’t help. 

Grace credits her coach, Joe Bosshard, with telling her to stop worrying about her track season. Every day that she didn’t feel better, she said she would “freak out” about how her season was slipping away. That stress would slow her recovery. “We have to reset mentally,” Grace said Bosshard told her. “Don’t think about races. Let yourself be calm and heal. When that happens, we can revisit racing plans.” 

Walk before you run. Runners tend not to count walking as exercise, but a week or two of walking can help runners transition back into their primary activity. As Grace got better and faster at walking, she progressed to hiking. 

While physically the walks helped prepare her body for running again, they also served an important psychological purpose. “I had lost confidence in my body,” she said. “I needed to prove myself I could get my heart rate up and not fall back into the hole.” Walking felt less likely to set her back than running, and when her walks went well, she started to lose the fear she felt around running.

Invest in a heart rate monitor. Grace now wears a Polar heart rate monitor and has been very careful so far not to overdo it. Otherwise, she’d likely be worried about her pace. When she started her short walks, she kept her heart rate to only about 50 percent of her maximum heart rate. With hiking, she got up to about 60–65 percent of her max. With her first few runs, she didn’t exceed 70 percent of her max and she wanted to make sure she could recover from those runs without excessive fatigue. Now she runs at between 70–85 percent of her maximum heart rate. 

Everyone’s COIVD experience is different. Even though Grace knew plenty of people who had had COVID, she didn’t know any athletes who had suffered from long COVID. So the first few weeks back to running, when she was struggling, it didn’t even dawn on her that her issues were related to the virus. 

When she realized she had long COVID, at first she spent long hours searching on social media and message boards for stories of people who had recovered. And she couldn’t find them. (It makes sense, she said. When you get better, you stop visiting the message boards.) But when she posted on her Instagram account on February 13 about her long COVID symptoms, she did hear from a few people who told her they had gotten better, which was helpful. “That was the one time I was thankful for Instagram,” she said. She stayed largely unplugged after that post. Comparing her recovery to others’ didn’t help. 

Tell your support team what’s going on. Grace went through a particularly hard three-week stretch when she was scared, confused, and emotional. “I would wake up, feel crappy and tired, and would start crying on my kitchen floor,” she said. 

Her fiancé, Patrick, knew what was happening, but she clued in her family and her teammates training under Bosshard about how sad and worried she was feeling. Emma Bates, in particular, was helpful, inviting her over, but understanding when Grace declined. “They made me feel included but very low-impact stuff,” she said. “Check-ins like that were meaningful.” Thanks to her strong network, there was one symptom that never appeared on Grace’s list: isolation. 

2022 Missoula Marathon to return, boosting tourism

June's arrival means the iconic Missoula Marathon's return is less than a month away. 

The marathon will return for the first time in three years, a big deal for not only the running community but for all of Missoula. 

As of June 1, there are only nine hotel properties left with rooms available for marathon weekend June 24-26, and most are priced at more than $700 per night. 

According to race organizers, there's a lot of excitement for the race to come back. 

The marathon sold out in January, which is unprecedented. While organizers capped the races to 1,000 marathon runners and 3,000 half marathon runners because of construction and unknowns with the pandemic, they're still expecting it to impact all of Missoula. 

“I think just bringing those dollars back to the community, the downtown community especially, hotels, restaurants, retail, all of that, it’s so important," Trisha Drobeck, marathon director, said. "I think everybody’s going to be just so excited to have them.” 

Over at Destination Missoula, they said it's the largest event held in town over the summer.

The pandemic showed just how much the town's driven by events, so they're celebrating its return. 

“It’s kind of like when we have Cat-Griz games… or something like that," Barb Neilan, the executive director, said. "There are times when we’ve had those higher numbers, where we’ve funneled people down into Hamilton and up to Polson and places like that to find a place to stay.”

The marathon is set for Sunday, June 26 at 6 a.m., but organizers say to expect downtown to be busy for the entire week leading up to it. 

During this final stretch, the marathon is still in need of volunteers. 

It takes a total of about 800 volunteers to pull this off, from cleaning up the course, to giving out water and medals.

San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on Sunday: What You Need to Know

Runners will pack central San Diego streets again Sunday as San Diego’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon returns to its early June schedule.

The race resumed after its pandemic pause late last year, in October, with a new look and name. Root your favorite runner(s) on or just head out to see the competitors, crowds and other entertainment. But for motorists, there will be closures. Here’s the basics:

Weather

Runners and spectators can count on sunny and mild conditions, with highs expected to reach 68 Sunday, rising just a couple degrees from Saturday.

5K – A Day Early

Saturday matters because first up, there’s the 5K at Balboa Park, starting at 7 a.m. at President’s Way and Park Boulevard, heading north to Laurel Street and cutting through the park. Runners and walkers move on to Sixth Avenue before reaching the finish line on Balboa Drive.

Courses for Race Day

On Sunday, runners in both the full and half marathons kick off the day on near the northwest side of Balboa Park at 6:15 a.m. Spectators are welcome – cheering is free! – but motorists face many detours until the afternoon.

The race routes extend from the park through Hillcrest and east to Normal Heights to start, before runners on the shorter route shift to the south, through North Park and along Pershing Drive to the finish line on Union and Ash streets.

Marathon runners will double back through North Park all the way west to Mission Bay, before heading through Linda Vista and University Heights on the way back south past the park to the downtown finish line.

Closures

Most road closures and detours – including parts of state Route 163 and Interstate 5 – will be in effect from 5:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. Police and volunteers will begin with soft closures along the entire route.

A few of the major affected streets include University Avenue, Adams Avenue, 30th Street, Sea World Drive, Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, Tecolote Road and North Harbor Drive.

In addition, Sixth Avenue and other streets near Balboa Park will close earlier, at 2 a.m., but re-open by 10 a.m.

Parking will be blocked off in some cases too. Streets will reopen on a rolling basis once the last participant has passed and volunteers have removed all course materials.

Transit options

The Metropolitan Transit System has added service for the marathon, starting at 4 a.m., including the Green, Blue and Orange trolley lines. Officials suggest the Green Line for spectators – its County Center/Little Italy stop is five blocks from the finish.

They also note that the Green Line stops at Old Town, Morena/Linda Vista and Fashion Valley offer prime viewing spots, with time to jump back aboard the Trolley to see the finish.

Nearly 20 bus lines, though, must make detours due to street closures. For a list of additional Sunday service and detours, see the MTS marathon page.

Entertainment

Enjoy performances throughout the route, from a variety of bands, impersonators and DJ’s. See the marathon list for which mile marker to choose. And there’s more! Head to Waterfront Park at 10:45 a.m. for the Finish Line Festival with headliner Matisyahu, along with a game zone, beer garden and food trucks.

Tom Longboat, Canadian Indigenous running hero, celebrated in Heritage Minute

One of Canada’s all-time greatest distance runners will be further honored this June 4th with a Heritage Minute. The Minute, produced by Historica Canada, is a program created to help viewers learn and reflect about Canadian history. June 4th is celebrated in Ontario as Tom Longboat day, and commemorative events are held by the Six Nations to pay tribute to him yearly.

Longboat won his first race, a 5 miler, in 1906, and his running career expanded from there.  The Onondaga distance runner was born in 1886 on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve near Brantford, Ont.

Longboat was sent to residential school in Brantford at a young age, and ran away twice before finding a settled home with a relative. His athletic skills began to gain him renown after his first win in Caledonia. He continued on to win the 1906 Around the Bay Road Race in Hamilton, and won the Ward Marathon in Toronto from 1906-1908.

Longboat earned international respect when he won the Boston Marathon in 1907, at the age of 19. He broke the course record at the time by over 5 minutes, and won the race in 2:24:24. Longboat competed in the Olympic marathon in 1908, where he unexpectedly collapsed close to the finish. He turned professional shortly afterwards and was the World Champion in 1909.

Despite facing racism and discrimination at his races, Longboat won almost every race he entered. Throughout his career he broke every Canadian running record from mile to marathon.

Longboat enlisted in the military in 1916, and served at Vimy Ridge and Passchendale.

Historica Canada produced the upcoming Heritage Minute in collaboration with Indigenous-owned production company Nish Media. Anthony Wilson-Smith, president of Historica Canada, describes Longboat as a “world champion runner, a pioneer in training methods, a war hero, and an inspiration for his resilience against discrimination.” Wilson-Smith adds, “He inspires athletes across Canada to this day.”

Onscreen, Longboat is portrayed by Joshua Odjick, a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg First Nation. The Heritage Minute was created by a predominantly Indigenous crew. Odjick describes his role re-enacting “someone as legendary as Longboat” as an honour, and emphasizes the challenges Longboat overcame in his lifetime.

Longboat passed away in 1949, and was inducted into both Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and Canada’s Olympic Hall of fame after his death. The Tom Longboat Heritage Minute will be available to view on the Historica Canada website, social media, and on Youtube.

If you only run once a day what is the best time to run: Morning, noon or evening

very runner has a time they prefer to run. For anyone who takes up the runner’s lifestyle, choosing between being a morning, afternoon or evening runner is one of the first decisions they make. Though most of us don’t just strictly run at one time of day, we usually have a preference. But with mornings and evenings being extra long now, and the temperatures climbing higher during the day, runners might be wondering about switching up their routine to take better advantage of the season’s conditions. Are you in that boat? Here’s the case for each:

Morning:

The perk: There are a number of factors that make morning the most appealing time to run. First of all, you’re up before everyone during the time of day that’s arguably the least demanding for scheduling. Think about it: There’s no social event to sway you, work hasn’t start yet, you’re less likely to get caught off guard by important phone calls, businesses aren’t open for errands. Plus, you get to start your day with a jolt meaning you’re awake and revitalized by the time you have to be productive. There’s also the possibility that running in the morning can lower your BMI.

The pitfall: For those non-morning people, sleeping always feels more appealing than running. When you do get up, you realize you missed the run and have to reorganize the day to fit it in– or you just wait for tomorrow. Starting the day off with disappointment is no good.

Afternoon:

The perk: The afternoon is a great time to run. For many runners, it feels the best of both worlds because you don’t have to wake up super early and you’re free to do what you like after work. The sacrifice you have to make is relatively easy too — you give up the opportunity to have a sit down lunch away from the desk but it’s not as if you’re working through lunch. Many choose this time of day as a way to beat the afternoon slump in the office.

The pitfall: That nicely styled hair from the morning will be ruined and there won’t be time to recreate it. Also, your workplace may not have a shower. And in summer, the temperature is at its hottest.

Evening:

The perk: If you’re slow-going in the mornings, there’s no pressure. You know you’re less likely to miss a run because it’s not dependent on you listening to an alarm. By running at the end of the day, you get a chance to go over the day’s dramas. This is a great time to reflect or problem-solve and it’s a great picker upper for those of us who feel beat at the end of a workday. When you get in from the run your, life stress is gone and you feel energized to do the things you actually want to do on your free evenings.

The pitfall: Dinner with pals or after-work drinks do come up and you’re faced with having to choose. Many who feel tired after work just can’t get motivated to run at this time.

World Athletics maintains ban against Russian and Belarusian athletes at World Championships

World Athletics has announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be participating in July’s World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore. Barring an unexpected end to the war in Ukraine, the sanctions first imposed in early March will continue.

When asked about the implications for Russian athletes at the event, World Athletics referred to their March 1st statement announcing the ban. Sebastian Coe, president of WA, commented:

“There’s not a single sports federation out there that naturally wants to exclude teams or individuals. That’s not something that we came into the sport for,” Coe said. “But I think we have to recognize that this is such a game-changer. And, yes, it will set precedents.”

The 2022 World Championships will be the largest international sporting event following the 2021 Olympic Games.

The Russian Track Federation has been banned from competing as a team or a host until 2023 due to doping scandals, but individual athletes had a chance at competing once vetted. Since 2015, Russian athletes have had to apply and compete within track and field events as ANA (Authorized Neutral Athletes). As of March, the 33 athletes who were granted ANA status can no longer compete on the world stage. This means they will not be heading to Eugene next month.

Twelve Olympians will lead star-studded lineup at 50th anniversary of Mastercard New York Mini 10K

Twelve Olympians and five Paralympians will line up in Central Park for the 50th anniversary of the Mastercard® New York Mini 10K, the world’s original women-only road race, on Saturday, June 11, New York Road Runners (NYRR) announced today.

U.S. Olympians Emily Sisson, Molly Seidel, Aliphine Tuliamuk, and Rachel (Schneider) Smith will lead a strong American contingent that will go up against previously announced Olympic, TCS New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir, United Airlines NYC Half champion and 5K world-record holder Senbere Teferi, and two-time Mini 10K champion Sara Hall.

Sisson will come into the race after claiming her sixth national title last month in an American record 1:07:11 at the USATF Half Marathon Championships. She made her Olympic debut in Tokyo last summer after winning the 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, where she broke the 17-year-old Trials record set by Deena Kastor in 2004. She has been very successful in her last three trips to New York, finishing as the runner-up at the United Airlines NYC Half twice and winning the USATF 5K Championships.

“After breaking the American record in the half-marathon, I’m excited to step down in distance and compete in the Mastercard® New York Mini 10K for the first time,” Sisson said. “It will be a privilege to take part in such a powerful event that has paved the way for so many women over the last 50 years.”

Seidel owns a bronze medal from the Tokyo Olympic marathon last year and in her last trip to New York set an American course record and recorded a fourth-place finish at the TCS New York City Marathon. Tuliamuk won the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and then gave birth to her daughter before running in the Olympic marathon in Tokyo. She will be making her first trip to New York since 2019 and is coming off winning the 25km national title, bringing her national title count to 11. Smith represented the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics in the 5,000 meters after finishing third in the distance at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

The deep U.S. women’s contingent also includes American marathon record-holder Keira D’Amato, the top American finisher at the last two Boston Marathons Nell Rojas, 2019 New York Mini 10K runner-up Stephanie Bruce, U.S. national champion Erika Kemp, and the top American finisher at the 2022 United Airlines NYC Half Lindsay Flanagan.

Returning to the event 10 years after her victory will be Kenya’s Edna Kiplagat, a two-time world champion in the marathon who won the 2010 New York City, 2014 London, and 2017 Boston marathons, and was the runner-up in Boston in 2019 and 2021.

“Winning the New York City Marathon 12 years ago changed my life, and now, 10 years after also winning the Mini 10K, I still enjoy my racing and am happy to still be competing at a high level,” Kiplagat said. “NYRR always invites the highest quality fields, so I always like lining up in New York with the best in the world. There are so many inspiring women who have participated in this race over the years who set a positive example for everyone – both runners and non-runners – and I’m lucky to be part of such a prestigious group.”

Last year’s TCS New York City Marathon runner-up and Mastercard® New York Mini 10K runner-up Viola Cheptoo of Kenya and former NCAA 10,000-meter champion Sharon Lokedi of Kenya will contend for the title as well.

The professional wheelchair division will be headlined by two-time Paralympic medalist and three-time Mastercard® Mini 10K defending champion Susannah Scaroni. Since the addition of the professional wheelchair division in 2018, Scaroni is the only athlete to have won the race.

“The Mastercard New York Mini 10K is a special one to me for so many reasons, and I’m excited at the chance to race on what will be a milestone day for women’s running in Central Park,” Scaroni said. “Not only is the Mini 10K the world’s original women-only road race, but it is also one of the only women-only wheelchair races at the present time, which will hopefully pave the way for future generations of women’s wheelchair racers in the next 50 years.”

Lining up against Scaroni will be U.S. Paralympians Jenna Fesemyer, Yen Hoang, Hannah Dederick, and Eva Houston.

The Mini 10K, which began in 1972 as the Crazylegs Mini Marathon, was the first women-only road race and has gone on to garner more than 200,000 total finishers to date. Former NYRR President Fred Lebow named the race after the miniskirt, which back then was in vogue. A total of 72 women finished the first race, and three weeks later, Title IX was signed into law, guaranteeing girls and women the right to participate in school sports and creating new opportunities for generations of female athletes.

The Mastercard® New York Mini 10K will offer $45,000 in total prize money, including $10,000 to the winner of the open division and $2,500 to the winner of the wheelchair division. The professional athlete races will be streamed live on USATF.TV beginning at 7:40 a.m. ET. Mastercard® will serve as title sponsor of the event for the second time, and as part of its on-going partnership with NYRR will also serve as the presenting sponsor of professional women’s athlete field.

Richard Quigley sets course record at Bolder Boulder for 86 year olds

After two missed years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the famous Bolder Boulder 10K Memorial Day race made its triumphant return to town on Monday.

This year’s event was no doubt a welcome return to normalcy for many of the event’s 40,000 participants. But Monday’s race marked a particularly special occasion for Richard Quigley of Longmont (photo back middle with family)

Eight-six-year-old Quigley — a longtime runner and athlete known as “Grampa Dude” by his family — set a record course time for his age group while running this year’s 10K alongside his son, Todd, daughter-in-law, Jenn, and three grandkids, Tanner, Finn and Grace. He finished the race in one hour, 17 minutes and 41 seconds.

“It’s been a life dream of his” to break his age-group record, according to his older son, Brian Quigley. “He loves the Bolder Boulder. It’s been a big tradition in our family — he’s already thinking about the next one.”

Richard Quigley has lost count of the number of Bolder Boulder races he’s run over the years since the inaugural event in 1979, but he recalls running some of the early races with Brian and Todd. In 1982, he said he and his sons, who were 10 and 7 years old at the time, ran the race together as a team.

“Todd would start off and run half a mile, and then I would pick him up in full stride, put him up on my shoulders, and we would do the next half a mile,” said Quigley. “We would switch that way — half a mile of him running, half a mile on my shoulders, When we got to the stadium, he finished [the race] himself.”

The family relocated to Santa Barbara, Calif. for over two decades before moving back to Boulder in 2005. But after the Quigleys returned to Boulder, Richard Quigley started running the Bolder Boulder regularly again.

In addition to the Bolder Boulder, Quigley has run marathons — most recently, he ran the Malibu Marathon in 2012, at age 76 — as well as competing in triathlons and long bike rides throughout his life. He said the key to staying in good enough health to run races at his age is daily exercise.

“I keep a log of my daily exercising — I’ve probably got the last 20 years. I’m a weird old aerospace engineer,” he explained. “If you keep a record, you can see what you did, and you don’t miss a day. Missing one day a month is fine, but more than that and I kind of get after myself.”

This race proved a more daunting task for Quigley than others he had done in the past. Todd Quigley said that COVID-19 lockdowns and health challenges had made it difficult for his father to get out and run as frequently as he would have liked, but that he and his son, Tanner, were there to support Richard Quigley in his goals.

“This was a big challenge, and a big concern (was) whether he was gonna be able to keep upright and finish it,” Todd Quigley said. “Tanner and I both were there by his side to where if he needed a hand for stabilization, or his feet couldn’t keep him up, we’d be there to get him across.”

Richard Quigley was grateful to have the support of his family and to do the race with them this year.

“I really appreciated my son and grandson prodding me along,” Quigley said. “Just getting out there and doing that stuff is neat — better than sitting at home on your butt all the time.”

Fun things you can do with your race bibs, Try these fun ideas

Have you ever Google searched what you’re supposed to do with race bib numbers? If so, you have probably run across many different and ridiculous methods on what to do with them.

As you run more and more races, the race bibs begin to add up. Like many other hoarders, I am someone who refuses to throw out a race bib no matter how the race goes. I see a race bib as an experience and a memory of that day or race.

For others, collecting bibs can be sedimental and something you can always look at later on in your running career. Instead of throwing your bibs straight into the garbage, here are five fun ideas to do with your race bibs.

Pin them to your wall

If Steve Prefontaine did it, you can too. Find some wall real estate in your home or apartment (the kitchen is not recommended) where you can pin your race bibs onto the wall. This is an old-school way of showing off the races you’ve done and giving off the major runner vibes to everyone that enters your race bib room.

If you run out of real estate on the wall, find a new spot or make some cuts to your current collection by taking down bibs you don’t care too much about.

Create a race bib shoebox

Kill two hoarding birds with one stone by using old shoeboxes to store your race bibs. This is an efficient way to keep your race bibs organized and not in the way of your roommates. Storing your race bibs in a shoebox is like saying, “Hey, I’m a serious runner but I want you to get to know me first.”

The convenient thing about storing them in a shoe box is it’s easy to move them around from place to place: Moving? No problem. Storage? No problem. Wine night show and tell? No problem.

Frame it

Some race bibs are more sedimental than others. Most runners will frame a Boston Marathon race bib or another race that means a lot to them. Framing bibs is another way to keep the collection fun, yet organized. Like pinning the bibs to the wall, this method portrays serious runner vibes to guests.

A binder or scrapbook

If you are looking for another fun creative method, hole-punch your bibs into a binder or put them into a scrapbook. Like a high school yearbook, a race bib binder makes it easy to look back on your personal bests and to show your kids how fast you once were.

Similar to the shoebox method, having a race bib binder or scrapbook keeps things organized and convenient to move around.

Try something crafty

If you are looking to go overboard on the creative side, use your old Tyvek race bibs and sew them onto a quilt and pillow. To start, sew your bib onto T-shirt material or fabric. After step one is complete, sew it directly onto the pillow or quilt. 

Although this method is time-consuming, it’s a super cool way to show off your running accomplishments and creativity around your home.

Are You a Disciplined Runner or a Self-Disciplined Runner, Or both?

Lately, I’ve been reading about the difference between discipline and self-discipline. In an article on the Art of Manliness website, Brett and Kate McKay define the terms and show some great examples of people who were disciplined or self-disciplined, and some people who were both.

I’d like to focus on this topic as it applies to running. Is a runner who is self-disciplined also a disciplined runner? Can you be one but not the other and be a successful runner at the same time? Let’s dig into this to see if there are any answers.

What is Self-Discipline?

To me, being self-disciplined is being in great control of your actions and thoughts. People who get up early every morning day after day to read, exercise, and tackle their hardest jobs of the day exhibit great self-discipline.

Self-disciplined people also have great control over their thoughts. They can concentrate for a long time on a book or a conversation. They can declare a goal, such as losing weight, and stay focused on that goal until it is met. They aren’t constantly changing their minds about what is important to them.

Self-disciplined people have great habits of mind and behavior but none of this necessarily leads to obtaining goals. For example, a writer can sit down at his or her desk every day, write ten or more pages per day week after week, and yet not get any of their writing published. Self-discipline does not guarantee success.

What is Discipline?

Discipline is often mistaken for self-discipline but they are not the same thing. Disciplined people are good at achieving goals and outward success. When someone goes on a diet and achieves their goal of losing twenty pounds, we say they were disciplined in reaching their goal. They surely exhibited some self-discipline in reaching their diet goal, but it was discipline that allowed them to achieve it.

When someone steadily climbs up the career ladder at work, they are said to have made a “disciplined” climb to the top. When someone has a goal of writing a best-selling novel and reaches that goal, they were disciplined enough to stick with the writing to finish the novel.

Disciplined people can reach the top of their profession regardless of their circumstances.

A Real-World Example

A great example of a disciplined person who was not particularly self-disciplined was Winston Churchill, as the McKay’s point out in their article. Churchill kept very odd hours, working most morning hours in his bed, taking an afternoon nap, and working into the wee hours of the morning. Churchill drank too much and he also gambled too much.

On the other hand, it can be argued that England may not have survived the German attack on their country in World War II had it not been for Churchill’s leadership. Churchill stubbornly held on to his belief in England during the London bombing blitz and throughout the rest of the war. Churchill clearly had the discipline necessary to keep England’s focus on not only surviving the German attack on their country but also waging hard war to help defeat Germany as the country fought alongside the other Allies.

What Do Discipline and Self-Discipline Have to Do With Running?

Ideally, you want to be both a disciplined and a self-disciplined runner. It takes a lot of self-discipline to get out the door most days of the week to train, especially when the weather is bad or you have a busy family or work life. Most runners who have been running for many years clearly are self-disciplined.

It takes discipline to do well when running competitively. Many runners learn through disciplining themselves not to go out too fast in a race. I know that the times I have blown up towards the end of the race were because I didn’t hold myself back during the first half of the race.

On the other hand, when I ran a 100K race two years ago, I deliberately held myself back from going out too hard. I hiked every uphill, ran easily on the flat parts and the downhills, trying my best to reserve my energy for the last third of the race and to also not bonk until as close to the finish as I could.

As it turns out, I did suffer from a bonk at about the 35-mile point. My legs and calves began cramping and all I could do was hike for about five miles. This was not because of running too hard previously but because the day got quite warm and I wasn’t taking in enough calories and electrolytes. When I got to the next aid station, I ate some food and took in as much Tailwind as I could and after a mile of hiking, I was able to start running again.

It also takes discipline to know when to take rest breaks and when to hold back from racing too often. The most disciplined elite runners I know always take breaks after their major races. Some take two weeks off, some take longer, but they all recognize their legs and bodies need a rest from the rigors of hard racing.

Less disciplined, but seemingly highly self-disciplined, runners will train and race from January to December. Some more gifted athletes, such as Michael Wardian, can perform this way, going from race to race all year long without a break, but most runners need some time off to rest and recover. Being able to recognize you need a break from running is a sign of a more disciplined runner.

A self-disciplined runner will have a very detailed training plan they follow meticulously day after day. But there is no guarantee the training will translate into success on race day. Runners don’t know how well their training will lead to success until they’ve run several races to learn what type of racing discipline they need to be a successful racer.

The best runners have a good combination of discipline and self-discipline. Self-discipline gets you to the starting line with a good probability of success, but only discipline will carry you through the race and allow you to finish the race and meet your goals. You need both types of discipline and they are gained through hard work and experience.

Kilian Jornet and Nienke Brinkman smash Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon course records

On Sunday, at the first stage in the Gold Trail World Series (GTWS), Spain’s Kilian Jornet and Nienke Brinkman of the Netherlands both won the Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon in a course record time.

Jornet has now won the race for the 10th time in 11 attempts on the trail of Zegama-Aizkorri, in the Basque Country, Spain. His time of 3:36:40 took nine minutes off the previous record of 3:45:08 set by Stian Angermund-Vik in 2017.

The 34-year-old trail runner covered the 42-kilometre course at a fierce pace while climbing a steep 2,736 metres of elevation gain. Runners had to deal with seasonally warm temperatures but were greeted by thousands of people posted along the course.

Jornet finished three minutes ahead of Italy’s Davide Magnini (3:39:31), with whom he duelled for a long time until the final climb around 33 km. Spain’s Manuel Merillas, who is the reigning skyrunning world champion and speed record holder on Mont Blanc, finished third in 3:45:43.

Jornet has won Zegama in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019 and now 2022. The big goal for Jornet this year is to win the Hardrock 100 miler, which takes place in Silverton, Colo., on July 15, where he will have to compete against the 2021 UTMB champion, François D’haene of France.

In the women’s race, it was all Dutch-phenom Brinkman. The 28-year-old Dutch marathon record holder never trailed in the race and ran the entire race alone past 10K. Brinkman led Maude Mathys of Switzerland by three minutes at the halfway point and beat Mathys by over nine minutes at the finish, smashing the existing course record by 18 minutes in 4:16:43. Mathys was second in 4:26:03 and Sara Alonso of Spain rounded out the top three, 37 seconds behind Mathys. All three women were well inside the previous course record.

In two months, Brinkman has notched a 2:22 marathon performance in Rotterdam and the Zegama Marathon course record. She is a former Dutch field hockey player, who only started running seriously at the start of the pandemic in 2020. At the end of 2021, she joined Nike’s NN Running Team.

Brinkman currently lives in Zurich, Switzerland, where she does a lot of training on the trails and difficult mountain paths.

Kenyan Faith Chepng’etich steps up preps for major races

Two-time Olympic 1,500 meters champion Faith Chepng’etich will on Monday compete in the 800m race at the FBK Games in Hengelo, the Netherlands.

She will battle it out with the world champion over the distance, Ugandan Halima Nakayi.

Chepng’etich said that she will be using the race to improve her speed in preparation for the World Athletics Championships that will be held in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America on July 15-24.

The world 1,500m silver medalist finished second behind Burundi’s Francine Niyonsoba in the 3,000m race at the Doha Diamond League on May 13.

And at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League held on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon, Chepng’etich ran a world-lead time of three minutes, 52.59 seconds (3:52.59) to win the 1,500m race.

“Competing in the 800m race is part of my training. I will be testing my speed as I prepare for the world championships in July. Speed is critical for a podium finish,” she told Nation Sport.

Chepng’etich will be looking to reclaim the world 1,500m title that she won during the 2017 edition held in London, but which she surrendered to Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands in Doha in 2019.

During the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that were held last year, Chepng’etich defended her 1,500m title that she had previously won at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

In the 3,000m steeplechase, another top Kenyan athlete, Celliphine Chespol, will be seeking to qualify for the world championships.

The 2018 World Athletics Under-20 Championships winner in Tampere, Finland will be competing against Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai from Uganda, who will be participating in her fifth event this year.

During last week’s Prefontaine Classic, Eugene Diamond League, Chespol finished fifth in her specialty.

Kenyan-born Kazakhstani athlete Norah Jeruto won the race and another Kenyan-born Bahraini runner Winfred Yavi was second.

Chespol said that her season has started slowly, but she is getting back into shape. She said that the races she has participated in have helped her improve her performance.

How to celebrate global running day

Global Running Day is today, June 1. And though running might be something you do several days a week, or even every day,  this particular day is made for celebrating the sport we all love. It’s a great time to focus on what running does for your body, for your mind, for the community that it brings together, for the friendships made on the run. After so long spent apart, it’s time to come together and run again.

Here are a few ideas on how to give back and make the most of your miles on this special day.

Run for Yourself

We’re totally on board with lacing up purely for the mental and physical benefits you get in return. Taking care of yourself is more than enough cause for celebration. And if you’re looking for a race medal, some kudos, or even some free swag to go with your movement, these brands have you covered.

Coros Global Running Day Challenge

Endurance tech brand Coros enlisted the likes of pro marathoners Molly Seidel and Des Linden to create a special GRD 5K workout. Those who participate will be entered to win a $50 gift card to Coros. Note: You must have the Coros app to participate.

Virtual NYRR Global Running Day 5K

Run this virtual race, hosted by New York Road Runners, now through Sunday June 5. Runners are also invited to join their virtual racer Facebook group for daily inspiration and community building.

“It’s Your Run” with Brooks

Running shoe and apparel brand Brooks is encouraging everyone to get out and run no matter the distance or speed. “It doesn’t matter how far they go; it all counts, because It’s Your Run,” the brand told Women’s Running in an email. Post your run with the hashtag #ItsYourRun on Instagram and receive surprise shout-outs and “medals.”

Run for Others

If you’d like to make Global Running Day an intentional way to give to others while still getting in your miles, the following brands have some goodwill on deck for the holiday.

Under Armour All Out Mile

Under Armour is back this year encouraging runners to “go all out on Global Running Day” by attempting to run the fastest mile. Starting tomorrow through Sunday June 5, runners can attempt the mile race as many times as they want using FitRankings and Under Armour’s MapMyRun. The three fastest women and men will receive cash and gear prizes.

Runners can also compete as a team in attempt to nab the most participants. The teams in America, Europe, Asia, and South Asia with the most mile runners will receive $10,000 donated to a charity of their choice.

Run For the Oceans With Adidas

Going on now through Wednesday, June 8, Adidas has pledged to clean up the ocean in exchange for your sweat. For every 10 minutes run, the brand will remove one plastic bottle from the ocean (or the equivalent in weight). Download the Adidas Running app to track your miles.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Global Running Day Challenge

If you’re also in the market for some new gear, Dick’s Sporting Goods has teamed up with Run to Change Lives to donate to SportsMatter, a Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation initiative that aims to raise awareness around the youth sports funding crisis.

How this GRD campaign works: Post your running selfie to the RUN to Change Lives Facebook group on June 1 using the hashtag #GlobalRunningDay. Print out your Dick’s Sporting Goods coupon given upon registration. When you shop at DSG using the coupon, Run to Change Lives will donate $5 to SportsMatter.

Global Running Day With Ventures Endurance

Event company Ventures Endurance is supporting Shoes That Fit, a national organization that helps kids get shoes. On Global Running Day, a $10 registration means $5 will go to Shoes That Fit. In return, runners will receive a $15 voucher toward a Ventures Endurance Race.

Three types of runners, Do you know your type?

Runners can usually be divided into three general types — Speedsters, Endurance Monsters and Combo Runners – based on how they respond to training and racing. Think about your training and racing history and see which description sounds most like you.

1.- Speedsters

The Speedster dominates his peers in any workout where the repeats are short and fast (15-minute race pace or faster which for many competitive runners is 2-mile to 5K race pace). Speed workouts and short races get the Speedster excited and leave him fatigued but not exhausted. Long runs, tempo runs, marathon training and longer races, however, take more out of the Speedster than a day of hard repetitions on the track. When comparing race results with his peers, the Speedster is often frustrated that he can perform so well at short races but as the distance increases, he gets left behind. I also find that the Speedster was usually an athlete who could sprint fast (like running to first base in baseball/softball), jump high (like in basketball or volleyball and/or was really good at dynamic activities like jumping rope.

2.- Endurance Monsters

For the Endurance Monster, long runs, marathon training, tempo runs and any workout at long distance race paces are a breeze and usually invigorating. The more miles per week the better is a common mantra for the Endurance Monster and she finds that she can almost double her 5K personal record (PR) in a 10K and nearly double her half-marathon PR in her marathon. The Endurance Monster, however, finds it very difficult to get her legs to go fast. Short, fast training like speed workouts leave the Endurance Monster feeling deflated. Short races like 5Ks also leave her exhausted and sore. When younger, the Endurance Monster gravitated to events that were more about steady effort (think cycling, swimming or other “endurance” sports) rather than short, fast burst.

3.- Combo Runners

The Combo Runner is the most common type of runner. He performs fairly well in all types of workout – short/fast and long/slow. The Combo Runner also performs equally well in races of 5K to the marathon, placing nearly the same compared to his peers in each distance. No runner is perfectly balanced, however, so even Combo Runners may find some subtle tendencies toward one type of workout or race. So you may be a Combo-Speedster or you may be a Combo-Endurance Monster. I find that 90% of runners are Combo Runners and if you are unsure of your type, start with Combo Runner training plans and as we learn more about your, it will become clear where your tendencies are.

What’s Your Type?

So, which one are you? By knowing whether you tend to be more of an Endurance Monster, a Speedster or a mix of both, you get an idea of your strengths and weaknesses as a runner. This is valuable because it does you no good to train like a Speedster if you’re an Endurance Monster, even if you’re getting ready for a speed-oriented event like a 5K. I’ll say it again: It does you no good to train like one type of runner if you are the complete opposite type.

What we need to do is set up your training to match your type. This doesn’t mean you won’t do some training in your weaker area, but it does mean that any workout that isn’t your strength needs special consideration in your training plan. Why? Because that workout will likely be a tougher workout than it may appear when just looking at it on the training plan. You will need to be mentally ready to challenge yourself even though your training partner may fly through the workout with no apparent effort or concern.

What you’ll learn as you use the McMillan training system is that we have to carefully mix training that is your strength, with training that is your weakness, to bring you to peak fitness as your goal race or racing season nears. I cannot emphasize enough that it’s the subtle manipulation of training plans that can take your fitness to an entirely new level, and knowing your type is vitally important for you.

Four tips to boost your speed training

Many recreational runners continue to pound the streets day after day without considering aspects of their biomechanics involved when running. But on the bright side, the number of runners who find it beneficial to understand the detail behind the mechanics of running, allowing them to improve their performance by putting knowledge into practice, is definitely increasing.

If you’re looking to increase your running speed, and do so as efficiently as possible, here are 4 critical speed training techniques you definitely don’t want to ignore:

1. KEEP YOUR KNEES HIGH

To run efficiently at speed, your knees should lift as high as your hips on your forward stride.

Not only will this allow you to stretch farther, but it also enables you to bring the foot up high behind, which shortens the lever established by the knee. Essentially, the shorter the lever, the faster the action. 

Firstly, start by doing some high-knees running on the spot then repeat these high-knee drills two to three times for 30 meters:

Walking high-knees

High-knee toe up

Full effort high-knees

High-knees skipping march  

2. STRENGTHEN YOUR ANKLES

The ankles can develop more speed than a lot of runners realize. Runners can often lack ankle mobility and strength, which generally prevents speed generation from the ankles. With poor ankle mobility and strength, the structure of ankle joints doesn’t allow it to move back and forth in its natural range of motion and the calf muscles are often tight and need to gain more flexibility to help you perform at your best.

Incorporating these ankle drills into your workout will help improve mobility and increase strength:

Ankle circles (30 seconds per foot)

Straight-leg calf stretch (hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times per leg)

Bent-knee calf stretch (hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times per leg)

Standing calf raises (30 raises x 2 sets)

Standing squat jumps (2 sets x 25 jumps)

Ankle bounces (3 sets x 25 jumps)

3. RUN TALL

Slouched shoulders are common in runners as most of us are hunched over a computer all day – which is likely to lead to inefficient form when running fast. As runners, we need to try and make ourselves six inches (15 cm) taller when speeding up. Running tall means keeping an upright posture with the back straight and the head up so the chin is parallel to the ground. Just imagine you’ve got a helium balloon tied to your t-shirt. 

Repeat the exercises below two to three times for 50 meters and focus on running tall and light:

Straight-leg run

Running on toes

Running on toes into strides

4. MIX UP YOUR PACE

Running flat out during every workout isn’t going to improve your top-end running speed. Although it sounds counterintuitive, easy runs can help us get faster and develop base endurance.

You can easily mix things up with:

an easy endurance run

a tempo run

some speed work such as intervals

If you’re looking to boost your speed, these basics are critical. Be sure to include these 4 training tips into your running routine so you can start to build better running habits and reach your goals!

Boston Marathon Champions & National Record Holders Headline Professional Field for 2022 B.A.A. 10K

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced a star-studded field for the 2022 B.A.A. 10K, presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to be held on Sunday, June 26. Evans Chebet, the 2022 Boston Marathon men’s open division champion, will return to Boston, while recently crowned American half marathon record holder Emily Sisson will lead the women’s field on the roads of Back Bay. Four-time B.A.A. 5K champion and American 5K record holder Ben True will also make his B.A.A. 10K debut.

The B.A.A. 10K starts and finishes on Charles Street adjacent to Boston Common and Boston Public Garden, and is widely regarded as one of the fastest 10K races in the world. Registration remains open at www.baa.org, while athletes interested in supporting Brigham and Women's Hospital, the B.A.A. 10K’s presenting sponsor and exclusive fundraising partner, are encouraged to visit www.runbwh.org/10k.

“We’re excited to continue to showcase the world’s most accomplished runners at our B.A.A. events,” said Mary Kate Shea, the B.A.A.’s Director of Professional Athletes and Technical Support. “We’re looking forward to cheering on all participants as they race towards the finish.”

The B.A.A. 10K women’s race brings together Boston Marathon champions Des Linden (2018) and Edna Kiplagat (2017), American record holder Sisson, 2017 B.A.A. 10K winner Joan Chelimo Melly, 2022 Boston Marathon top American Nell Rojas, 2016 USA Olympian Marielle Hall, and USA 15K runner-up Emily Durgin.

Sisson, a Providence College graduate and 2021 Olympian, ran 1:07:11 on May 7 to win the USATF Half Marathon Championships in a new national record. She’s also the defending USA 15K champion.

“Breaking the American record in the half marathon was very exciting and I'm now looking forward to switching things up and racing different distances,” said Sisson. “The 10K is a fun and different challenge and I always love racing in Boston.”

Additional international entrants include Biruktayit Degefa of Ethiopia, who has won a quartet of American road races this spring, and Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi, who placed third at the 2022 B.A.A. 5K in April. From the B.A.A. High Performance team are Erika Kemp and Abbey Wheeler; Kemp is a two-time national champion.

In the men’s race, Chebet looks to become only the second Boston Marathon champion to win the B.A.A. 10K, joining the likes of 2011 winner and course record holder Geoffrey Mutai. Chebet stormed to his first Boston Marathon victory in 2:06:51 on April 18.

“After winning the 2022 Boston Marathon, I’m excited to return to the city to run the B.A.A. 10K with a world class field,” said Chebet. “Boston feels like a second home to me now.”

Challenging Chebet from Kenya are David Bett, the reigning 2019 B.A.A. 10K winner; Kennedy Kimutai, the fastest man in the field with a 27:09 lifetime best; Bravin Kiptoo, the 2019 African junior 10,000m champion; and Nicholas Kosimbei, winner of this year’s Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in Washington, D.C. Brothers Jake and Zane Robertson, a dynamic pair from New Zealand who have lived and trained in Kenya, will also race. Recent Iowa State graduate and NCAA champion Wesley Kiptoo will make his Boston road racing debut.

Maine-native Ben True will return to familiar territory, having won the B.A.A. 5K four times, including a national-record setting run of 13:20 in 2017.  Fellow American contenders include Olympians Leonard Korir and Shadrack Kipchirchir, Princeton, Mass.-native Colin Bennie, and a quartet of B.A.A. High Performance Team members in Jerrell Mock, Matt McDonald, Jonas Hampton, and Paul Hogan. Korir enters the B.A.A. 10K hot off a pair of national title wins at the USATF Half Marathon and USATF 25K Championships in May.

In the wheelchair division, Jenna Fesemyer, the 2022 B.A.A. 5K women’s winner, Susannah Scaroni, the 2022 Boston Marathon runner-up, and 2020 Paralympian Yen Hoang are entered. Scaroni earned a gold medal on the track at the 2021 Paralympic Games in the 5000m, and is the fastest women’s wheelchair marathoner in U.S. history. James Senbeta and Hermin Garic are the top men’s wheelchair entrants.

For the first time in race history, Para Athletics Divisions will be offered for athletes with upper-limb, lower-limb, and visual impairments. Among the entrants confirmed include Marko Cheseto Lemtukei, Chaz Davis, and Liz Willis, each of whom won Para Division titles at April’s 126th Boston Marathon. Jacky Hunt-Broersma, who ran 104 marathons in 104 consecutive days for a Guinness World Record, and local Para athlete Adrianne Haslet are also entered.

In addition to racing, top professional athletes will participate in the first-ever B.A.A. 10K Fest & Field Day on Saturday, June 25, one day prior to the race. From 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Boston Common, 10K Fest & Field Day will feature youth fitness activities, games, appearances by professional athletes, running clinics, and more. Participants will also be able to pick-up their participant shirts and bib numbers at 10K Fest. Additional details will be available on baa.org in the coming weeks.

Registration for the 2022 B.A.A. 10K, presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is currently open through the B.A.A.’s online platform Athletes’ Village. All participants who enter will receive an adidas participant shirt, unique bib number, and finisher medal. Additional participant information can be found on baa.org. The race will start at 8:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 26 on Charles Street adjacent to Boston Common and Boston Public Garden.

Brigham and Women's Hospital, the B.A.A. 10K’s presenting sponsor and exclusive fundraising partner, will again field a team of fundraising runners. Since 2016, more than 2,100 runners and 180 teams have raised $1.2 million to fuel life-giving breakthroughs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Learn more and register at www.runbwh.org/10k.

On June 1, the B.A.A. will celebrate Global Running Day with a special pop-up location at the Boston Marathon Finish Line between 3:00-6:00 p.m. Runners can take a picture with the Boston Marathon trophy, receive giveaways, refreshments, and more! RSVP for the free event on our Facebook page, and log miles throughout the day as part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Global Running Day Challenge. Visit https://bstnmar.org/GRD22 to sign up for free, track your miles, and print a bib to wear as you join a global community of athletes around the world logging miles.

2022 B.A.A. 10K WOMEN’S FIELD (NAME, COUNTRY, ROAD 10K PB)

Joan Chelimo Melly, Romania, 30:14^

Edna Kiplagat, Kenya, 31:06*

Sharon Lokedi, Kenya, 31:06

Mary Munanu, Kenya, 31:20

Biruktayit Degefa, Ethiopia, 31:23

Emily Sisson, USA, 31:47

Emily Durgin, USA, 31:49

Diane Nukuri, USA, 31:49

Lanni Marchant, Canada, 31:49

Vibian Chepkirui, Kenya, 31:49

Nell Rojas, USA, 31:52

Erika Kemp, USA, 32:18

Laura Thweatt, USA, 32:20

Elaina Tabb, USA, 32:40

Rachel Schneider Smith, USA, 32:47

Abbey Wheeler, USA, DB (32:53.50 10,000m)

Grayson Murphy, USA, 32:55

Fiona O’Keeffe, USA, 32:57

Katie Kellner, USA, 33:05

Des Linden, USA, 33:06*

Taylor Werner, USA, 33:35

Marielle Hall, USA, 33:36 (31:05.71 10,000m)

Allie Hackett, USA, 35:17

Jesca Chelangat, Kenya, DB (15:16 5K)

Courtney Hawkins, USA, DB (37:59.99 10,000m)

^ = Previous B.A.A. 10K Champion

* = Previous Boston Marathon Champion

2022 B.A.A. 10K MEN’S FIELD (NAME, COUNTRY, ROAD 10K PB)

Kennedy Kimutai, Kenya, 27:09

Bravin Kiptoo, Kenya, 27:12

Philemon Kiplimo, Kenya, 27:23

Zane Robertson, New Zealand, 27:28

Jake Robertson, New Zealand, 27:28

Wesley Kiptoo, Kenya, N/A (27:37.29 10,000m)

Ben True, USA, 27:51

Nicholas Kosimbei, Kenya, 27:52

John Dressel, USA, N/A (27:57.51 10,000m)

David Bett, Kenya, 28:08^

Dominic Korir, Kenya, 28:08

Leonard Korir, USA, 28:09

Shadrack Kipchirchir, USA, 28:12

David Nilsson, Sweden, 28:13

Tsegay Tuemay, Eritrea, 28:13

Bethwell Yegon, Kenya, 28:24

Reuben Mosip, Kenya, 28:28

Paul Hogan, USA, N/A (28:49.55 10,000m)

Johannes Motschmann, Germany, 28:51

Alex Masai, Kenya, 28:53

Colin Bennie, USA, 28:55

Futsum Zienasellassie, USA, 29:03

Matt McClintock, USA, 29:02

Jacob Thomson, USA, 29:07

John Raneri, USA, 29:19

Evans Chebet, Kenya, 29:30*

Jerrell Mock, USA, 29:36

Aaron Dinzeo, USA, 29:37

Matt McDonald, USA, 29:38

Diego Estrada, USA, 29:41

Fabiano Sulle, Tanzania, 29:53

Jonas Hampton, USA, 30:15

Tim McGowan, USA, 30:17

Connor McMillan, USA, 30:20

Josh Kalapos, USA, N/A (14:33.88 5,000m)

^ = Previous B.A.A. 10K Champion

* = Previous Boston Marathon Champion

Ethiopian Andualem Shiferaw breaks course record to win the Ottawa Marathon

On a sunny Sunday morning in the nation’s capital, Andualem Shiferaw of Ethiopia ran a new course record time of 2:06:03 to win the 2022 Ottawa Marathon. Shiferaw smashed the previous record held by Ethiopia’s Yemane Tsegay of 2:06:54.

Shiferaw, who had the fastest personal best heading into the race of 2:05:52, went out with the lead group of six runners. The group went through half in 1:03:53, which faired to be a bit slow for the 30-year-old Ethiopian. At the 25K mark, Shiferaw put on a surge and developed a bit of a gap on the field.

Once he hit the 30 km mark, race organizers knew they would be witnessing a course record performance from Shiferaw. Once he crossed the finish line, Shiferaw did not stop running– doing a victory lap and high-fiving patrons who were on hand to witness his performance. Abdi Ali Gelchu of Bahrain was the second runner to finish in 2:09:23, while Yuta Shimoda from Japan was third in 2:09:49.

Shiferaw earned himself $24,000 for winning the race and an additional $10,000 for breaking the course record. His win in Ottawa was his fifth win in his last seven marathons. Shiferaw sported the 2021 Nike pro kit for the marathon, despite being dropped for 2022.

Justin Kent of Vancouver was the first Canadian to finish in a new personal best time of 2:13:33. Kent shook almost four minutes off his previous best of 2:17:22 from the Marathon Project, which he ran in 2020. “I am over the moon about my performance,” Kent says. “I haven’t even come to terms with what I have accomplished yet.”

“Being the first Canadian was the big goal,” Kent says. “I owe my training partner (Ben Preisner) a few beverages for helping me out on the course.” Preisner paced Kent through 30K in an hour and 35 minutes.

“I got a taste of Ottawa Race Weekend in 2019 when I competed in the 10K championships,” Kent says. “I knew I had to return to experience the atmosphere for the marathon.”

Kent mentioned he will be taking a down week before ramping up again with his coach Richard Lee for a few summer and fall races.

Canadian dad, Lucas McAneney wins Buffalo Marathon while pushing his child in stroller

Canadian marathoner and dad from Waterdown, Ont., Lucas McAneney not only won Sunday’s Buffalo Marathon in Buffalo, N.Y. but did it with his two-year-old son Sutton along for the ride. McAneney pushed a stroller for the entire race in an attempt to break Calum Neff’s Guinness world record for the fastest marathon while pushing a stroller.

McAneney, 35,  finished the race shy of the record in 2:33:29, missing Neff’s world record of 2:31:21 set at the 2016 Toronto Waterfront Marathon while pushing his 4-year-old daughter Alessandra.

When McAneney’s son was born, the 2:18 marathoner briefly stepped away from the sport he’d been doing since he was young. A few months later, he was given a running stroller from his wife, which helped McAneney get more mileage while taking Sutton for a stroll.

McAneney split 1:13:21 through the halfway point, ahead of record pace. “I was on pace for the record until five kilometres to go, then my legs turned off,” he said. He covered the final few kilometres at a four-minute per kilometre pace, only missing out on the record by two minutes.

Dave Cook of Syracuse, N.Y., finished second, without a stroller, in 2:33.48

The Buffalo Marathon returned for the first time since 2019 after the pandemic cancelled the 2020 and 2021 races. The Buffalo Marathon is a popular destination race for many Canadian runners as a certified flat and fast Boston qualifier course. This year’s race hosted over 5,800 runners from 43 states and 13 countries.

Grandma’s Marathon Reaches First Sellout Since 2016

Grandma’s Marathon organizers said on Monday that all three of its June races have sold out for the first time since 2016.

In total, there are more than 20,000 people signed up to participate.

The sell-out is a healthy sign that the demand for the races never went away, after Grandma’s Marathon was cancelled because of the pandemic in 2020, and only ran at half-capacity last year.

“This will be one of the biggest fields ever for Grandma’s Marathon,” Shane Bauer, the executive director of Grandma’s Marathon, said in a press release. “That’s a great thing coming out of a pandemic, especially considering our organization’s mission around health and wellness. The economic impact of our event on the region gets a lot of attention, and it should. Really, though, the immeasurable impacts on each individual involved – from both a physical and mental standpoint – we think should be talked about more.”

The organization says that the marathon and its other Grandma’s-branded races draw in about $21 million for Duluth and nearby cities.

Grandma’s Marathon events kick off on June 16th and run through the 18th.

At 64, marathon age group world record-holder Yugeta Mariko still has a dream

The only woman over 60 to complete a marathon in less than three hours, the Japanese runner is defying age in her lifelong pursuit of becoming even faster.

Most people in their mid-60s are thinking of words like retirement, pension, grandkids.

Not Yugeta Mariko. She thinks about breaking world records.

In the marathon.

Yugeta celebrated her 64th birthday on 13 May. It was only three years ago that the Japanese runner became the first - and only - woman in the world over 60 to run a marathon in under three hours. She competed the 42.2km (26.2 miles) distance in 2 hours, 59 minutes and 15 seconds in the Shimonoseki Kaikyo Marathon.

And just last year, Yugeta blew away that time in the Osaka Women’s Marathon, running a 2:52:13.

She was 24 when she ran her first marathon in 3:09:21, good for 34th place in the Tokyo International Women’s Marathon. At the time, a sub-three race seemed beyond reach. But 40 years later, she's getting faster.

There’s never giving up, then there’s Yugeta.

“After my first marathon, my goal was to run a sub-three some day,” Yugeta said in an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun.

“And it took me 34 years to achieve it. Being a teacher, the job took up a lot of my time and I couldn’t train the way I wanted to. My times stalled.

“Then I got married at 25. Had my eldest daughter at 26 and I was blessed to have two girls and two boys in all. But trying to raise them, I had to take a step away from marathons at one point.”

The awakening for Yugeta Mariko

The dream for Yugeta began back in 1979.

“I was on the track and field team from junior high to university. In my third year of university, I went to watch the very first Tokyo International Women’s Marathon.

“I watched the runners cross the finish line in the soaking rain and they were drenched. But they were glowing as well - absolutely shining. It was a sight I simply could not forget.”

The mother of four had to take a long timeout from running but started hitting the pavement again as she approached 40.

Yugeta, a PE teacher from Saitama Prefecture, found inspiration from British long-distance runner Joyce Smith, the winner of the inaugural Tokyo International Women’s Marathon (as well as the second) that Yugeta watched as a college girl.

Smith had sustained success beyond 40, winning the London Marathon twice. Her second win (1982) came at 44 years, 195 days - an age record that stands to this day.

She was ninth in the marathon of the inaugural 1983 World Athletics Championships. And at the time of the Los Angeles 1984 Games, Smith was the oldest female Olympian ever at 46, finishing 11th.

But even though Yugeta ramped up the work, she was far from breaking three hours.

The turning point arrived when Yugeta turned 50. That’s five-oh.

“When I became 50, my youngest son started high school which freed up a lot of my time,” she recalled.

“I joined a running club in Tokyo to train more seriously. I was a little worried at first because of my age but my teammates were telling me I still had plenty left in my 50s and urged me to keep going. So I did.

“The training paid off and when I was 58, I ran my first sub-three. Then at 60, I set a world record of 2:59:15 in the Shimonoseki Kaikyo Marathon.

“I’ve run 114 marathons. I’m past 60 but I’m still improving my time.”

Marathon No. 115 for Yugeta was this year's Boston Marathon on 18 April. Yugeta clocked a 3:06:27, relatively pedestrian by her standards, but enjoyed a tearful moment meeting the race’s two-time winner Joan Benoit Samuelson - who also happens to be the first female Olympic champion in the marathon.

These days, Yugeta’s goal is to break the 2:50 mark, more than two minutes off her personal best.

It would smash her own world record for her age category.

But don’t bother telling Yugeta she can’t because she believes, she does, and she wills.

Asked what has driven her for four decades, Yugeta said, “I think the most important thing is to find something you can be passionate about.

“You can’t give up. Don’t use age as an excuse. The secret is to believe in yourself, that you can do it.

“I first dreamed of a sub-three when I was 24. It took me 34 years, but I made it happen and after that, I set a world record.

“I want to keep dreaming - no matter how old I am.”

Celebrating 50 Years of the Mini

The Mastercard New York Mini 10K began in 1972 as the first women-only road race, known as the Crazylegs Mini Marathon. Since then, the Mini has had more than 200,000 finishers, and this year's event will be the 50th running.  

You can register for the Mastercard New York Mini 10K, set for Saturday, June 11 in Central Park, and be part of the historic anniversary celebration. Youth ages 8-18 can register for the free Kids Run at the Mastercard New York Mini 10K Stage 2 or Stage 3.We share five "Mini Moments” that define the history of the Mini.

The First Mini and First 10K 

On June 3, 1972, the first women-only road race, the six-mile Crazylegs Mini Marathon, made its debut. There were 72 finishers—a huge number at the time. Three weeks later, Title IX was signed into law, guaranteeing women the right to participate in school sports and creating new opportunities for generations of female athletes.

In 1975, the Mini distance shifted from 6 miles to 10K (6.2 miles) to align with a standard racing distance for roads and track. 

Extraordinary 5-Time Champions

Two women, Grete Waitz of Norway and Tegla Loroupe of Kenya, each won the Mini an amazing five times. Waitz—also a nine-time winner of the New York City Marathon—scored her fifth victory in 1984 and Loroupe got her fifth Mini win in 2000.This year’s pro field will feature Olympians and other world-class athletes including defending champion Sara Hall and Boston and TCS New York City Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir.

The Mini Grows and Grows

In 1998, the 100,000th Mini finisher crossed the line, and 20 years later, in 2018, the race saw its 200,000th finisher. This year’s Mastercard New York Mini 10K will have an estimated 10,000 finishers.

Youth at the Mini

In 2016, the first Girls Run at the NYRR New York Mini took place with hundreds of finishers on an age-appropriate course. A wheelchair division was added in 20xx. This year youth of all genders will take part in the Kids Run at the Mastercard New York Mini 10K.

Record-Setting Wheelchair Races

In 2018, Susannah Scaroni (above, center) won the first wheelchair division at the Mini, setting a world-best of 22:48 for the distance; she broke that record in 2019. 

The history of the Mini, and its return at full capacity with youth events this year, point to a bright future for women and girls in running.

Laura Thweatt wins women’s citizens race at 2022 Bolder Boulder

Laura Thweatt didn’t sign up for the Bolder Boulder to battle for a win.

Once the race began, however, her competitiveness kicked in.

Thweatt, 33, from Superior, wound up being the winner of the women’s citizens race at the 42nd edition of the Bolder Boulder on Monday. She crossed the finish line at Folsom Field in 34 minutes, 59.40 seconds, unofficially. Neely Gracey of Lafayette was second in 35:04.28.

“I am (surprised), actually,” Thweatt said. “I had some ladies coming in hot on my heels and it’s Colorado, so you can’t come to a race and expect not to have to battle. I’m actually kind of shocked that I was able to hold off the win.”

Born and raised in Durango, Thweatt is a 2011 graduate of the University of Colorado, where she had a decorated career. She earned All-Big 12 honors five times and ran some of the best times in CU history in a variety of distances, from 800 meters to 10,000 meters.

Now running professionally for Saucony, Thweatt is coming off an injury and said she went into Monday after only three weeks of training.

“I just wanted to test out fitness and just have a good, hard effort,” she said. “So I came out and it was a blast. It was hard but it was great. This was a much more fun way to do a workout.”

Although she had a workout mindset, Thweatt said the competitive juices began to flow “immediately” after the race began.

“I didn’t want to go too fast, but I got into the second mile and I was like, ‘Ah, I’m in a race. I’m just gonna go for it and hope I can hang on,’” she said. “So, yeah, I got competitive and just ran hard. You can’t get rid of that.”

Throughout the race, Thweatt said she targeted the male runners ahead of her.

“Every guy, I was just trying to hang on and like chase people,” she said. “So, it was a fun way to get a hard effort as you’re just racing and people are cheering you on. It’s just a really fun environment.”

That’s not how she felt about the Bolder Boulder in her only previous time running this event. In 2013, she ran in the women’s international pro race. Her USA team was third and Thweatt finished 12th, in 35:37.7.

“It was so brutal that I swore I’d never do this race again, but here I am,” she said with a laugh.

Monday was a better experience for Thweatt, who continues to keep her eye on the goal of a marathon in the fall.

“I’m still trying to figure out which one but all of this is kind of building towards the big goal in the fall,” she said. “I’m a marathoner. This is like a sprint for me.”

It was a successful sprint, too, as she exceeded her expectations.

“I’m in a better place than I thought it would be,” she said. “Coming off of injury, it’s just nice to be back out here and to kind of just feel like yourself again. That’s what I wanted today. To do this off very little training, I feel really good about that.”

Like Thweatt, Gracey is a former competitor in the international pro race. She ran in that competition in 2015 and 2017. A three-time qualifier for the Olympic trials, Gracey had her second son last year and has continued coaching, in addition to running.

Kenyan Faith Kipyegon sets record in Eugene Diamond League

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Faith Kipyegon of Kenya ran a world-lead time as she won the 1500m race in Saturday's Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon in USA.

Kipyegon timed 3:52.59 on a night where Trayvon Bromell and Elaine Thompson-Herah grabbed 100m victories as eight world-leading performances highlighted the action at Hayward Field.

Kipyegon’s time was the ninth fastest in the 1500m history. She beat Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay who finished second in 3mins and 54.29secs.

Kipyegon, who trains in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet County, finished second in the 3000m in the season-opening Doha leg behind Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba.

America's Bromell, the fastest man in the world last year, bounced back from a false start disqualification in Birmingham last weekend to win a star-studded men's 100m in 9.93sec.

Jamaica's Thompson-Herah, who won back-to-back Olympic 100m-200m doubles in 2016 and last year, captured the women's 100m in 10.79.

Neither was a world best for 2022, but Thompson-Herah said she was just pleased to hit the line first and healthy on a rainy day in Eugene at the same venue that will host the World Championships on July 15-24.

"I'm excited I crossed the line healthy," Thompson-Herah said. "I don't care about the time. The rain was falling. It was a little cold.

"It shows I'm on a great path," added the Jamaican star, who pulled out of the Birmingham Diamond League meeting with a shoulder injury, testing herself in a lower-level meeting in Kingston last Saturday instead.

95-year-old woman sets Canadian 5K age group record

In what was her first-ever road race, Rejeanne Fairhead, a 95-year-old runner from Ottawa, made history on Saturday at the Ottawa Race Weekend 5K. Fairhead set a new women’s 95+ national record of 58:52 over five kilometers.

Although Fairhead set a new Canadian record for her age group, she was second in her 80+ age category. She was beaten by 80-year-old Marie Mullally of Ottawa, who clocked a speedy 5K of 48:01. Mullally’s time is 20 minutes back of the 80+ 5K record set by Alice Cole of Montreal in 2015 (28:38).

Fairhead received honors from the announcers before and after the race for her attempt and accomplishment. She was also the eldest participant of the entire 2022 Ottawa Race Weekend.

Her time was only a few minutes shy of the women’s 95+ world record of 55:48 set by American Betty Lindberg at the Atlanta Peachtree 5K in February. Lindberg smashed the previous record of 1:28:36, which was set in 2017 by 96-year-old American Betty Ashley.

Fairhead ran the 5K to raise money for Perley Health, a community care project that empowers seniors to live life to the fullest. You can contribute to her fundraiser here.

She can now rightfully call herself the second-fastest 95+ woman in the world.

Canada’s Kinsey Middleton won the Ottawa Marathon, she is the first Canadian to win the race since Lioudmila Kortchaguina in 2007

It was the perfect race and the perfect day for Kinsey Middleton at the 2022 Ottawa Marathon. She became the first Canadian woman to win the race since Lioudmila Kortchaguina in 2007, in a personal best time of 2:30:08.

Middleton, 29, who lives and trains south of the border in Idaho, sat in sixth place at the halfway mark in 1:14:19 but stuck to her pace and moved up as a few runners dropped from the front pack. At 30K, she discovered she was leading the race when the lead vehicle pulled in front of her. Middleton’s pace slowed a bit over the final 5K but she managed to hold on for the win. 

This was a day beyond my wildest dreams,” Middleton says. “I was shooting for a top-five finish but to end up with a personal best and the win, I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Lee Wesselius, who was fifth in the Canadian 10K championships yesterday, paced Middleton for the entire race. It was a successful weekend for Middleton, who will now head back to Boise with a race purse of $29,000 for winning the race and being the first Canadian to cross the finish line.

Middleton grew up in the U.S. but her mother is from Canada and her father is American. Middleton is a dual citizen and chose to compete for Canada after graduating from Oregon State University.

Thirteen women from Kenya and Ethiopia, who were on the elite list, were not able to run the marathon due to visa issues required for entering Canada. The list of women includes 2:19 marathoner Tigist Girma and 2019 Paris Marathon champion Gelete Burka from Ethiopia.

Elissa Legault of Montreal was the second woman to finish in a huge personal best time of 2:33:26. Her previous best came at the 2o21 Berlin Marathon where she ran 2:38:13. Legault negative split the final half of the race in 1:16:19 after covering the first half in 1:17:07. Katja Goldring of Flagstaff, Ariz., was the third runner to finish in 2:33:57.

Norman reigns in fierce 400m clash with record run in Eugene

USA’s Michael Norman produced the standout performance at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Eugene on Saturday (28), the 24-year-old setting a Diamond League 400m record of 43.60 to beat Grenada's Kirani James (44.02) and Matthew Hudson-Smith, who broke the British record with 44.35. 

On a cool, blustery afternoon at Hayward Field, with many outbreaks of heavy rain, Norman was one of many athletes who defied the conditions to make it another memorable edition of the Prefontaine Classic.

“I had zero expectation of what I could run today,” said Norman, who revealed he and coach Quincy Watts had gone “back to the basics” during their winter training. “Hard work and consistency with diet and training,” he said. “My motto this year has been that if it’s comfortable, it’s too easy – on the weight room or the track. Based on how I felt, there are a few areas I can improve on.”

Looking to next month’s US Championships and the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 on the same track in July, Norman said: “I’m going to train like I want to do something special, and when the time comes, the time comes.”

Kenya's Faith Kipyegon was equally peerless when taking the women’s 1500m in commanding fashion, the Olympic champion tracking chief rival Gudaf Tsegay until the final turn, at which point she blew by and came home a clear winner in a world lead and meeting record of 3:52.59. Tsegay got second in 3:54.21 with Canada’s Gabriela Debues-Stafford third in 3:58.62. “The race today gave me great morale that everything I’m doing is correct towards the World Championships – that’s my biggest fish and I hope for the best, for the gold medal,” said Kipyegon, who is “going to think about” a world record attempt at 1500m later in the summer. “I was not expecting (to run 3:52) when I saw the rain this morning, but I felt comfortable. It was good.”

USA's Ryan Crouser produced by far the standout performance in the field events, the Olympic shot put champion looking utterly peerless when launching a world-leading 23.02m effort in the second round. That left him well clear of long-time rivals Joe Kovacs (22.49m) and Tom Walsh (21.96m).

What made it more impressive is that Crouser did not use his full technique, but threw off a “static” starting position, which prior to today had never produced a 23-metre effort. Crouser said he usually throws 40-60cm farther when utilising his full technique. 

“I thought 23 was possible but I thought I’d have to get into my full (technique) to do it,” said Crouser. “My best static ever was in the 22.90s. To throw a static PR, under a heavy load, without a taper, is a really good indicator of where I can be seven or eight weeks from now.” Berihu Aregawi turned in a superb solo performance to take the men’s 5000m in a meeting record and world lead of 12:50.05, coming home well clear of fellow Ethiopians Samuel Tefera (13:06.86) and Selemon Barega (13:07.30). Aregawi swept to the front in the third kilometre after the pacers stepped aside and the Ethiopian broke clear of the field, powering through to the final laps to a rapturous reception from the crowd, which historically loves displays of fearless distance running. 

In the men’s 400m hurdles, Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos achieved another dominant performance, clocking a world-leading 47.23 to come home a distant winner ahead of USA’s Khalifah Rosser and Quincy Hall, who both clocked personal bests of 48.10. 

“I’m happy with this, but I want more, I want to go faster,” said Dos Santos. “Me and (Rai) Benjamin never win against (Karsten) Warholm, and nobody wants to lose, but it’ll be hard for us to come up against him at the World Championships and win. He is the boss, the guy to beat, and for winning the final you need to run 45 (seconds) – everyone is so strong.”

Sprint queen Elaine Thompson-Herah once again asserted her supremacy with a comfortable win in the 100m, clocking 10.79 (0.7m/s) to beat Sha’Carri Richardson, who bounced back to form with a 10.92 clocking to edge Shericka Jackson, who was third in 10.92. Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith was fourth with 10.98. 

“I’m happy to cross the line healthy and with the win,” said Thompson-Herah, who explained prior to the event that she’d been managing a niggle in training. “It got me ready for my championship in Jamaica next month.”USA’s Trayvon Bromell laid down a big marker ahead of next month’s US Championships by defeating his chief rivals in the 100m, pulling clear to take a comfortable win in 9.93 (-0.2m/s). Fred Kerley was next best with 9.98, while Christian Coleman faded from first at halfway to third at the finish, clocking 10.04 just ahead of Noah Lyles (10.05). 

"I really just wanted to come out with the win as I knew the wind was iffy today," said Bromell. "There were some technical things I wanted to do better with but I just have to go back to the drawing board and try to fix it."

Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn came from behind to score an impressive win in the 100m hurdles, a non-Diamond League event, the Puerto Rican clocking 12.45 into a slight headwind (-0.7m/s) with Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan second in 12.58 and USA’s Tonea Marshall third in 12.66. 

“It was a little sloppy,” said Camacho-Quinn. “I hit my trail leg a couple of times and that slowed me up, but I’ll take it. I went 12.4 in these conditions.”

Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was a clear winner of the women’s 200m in 22.41 (0.8m/s), with USA’s Brittany Brown second in 22.74 and Anthonique Strachan of Bahamas third in 22.76. 

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen re-asserted his supremacy in the Bowerman Mile, the Olympic champion breaking clear with a lap to run and coming home a comfortable winner in a world lead of 3:49.76, with Australia’s Ollie Hoare second in a PB of 3:50.65 and world champion Timothy Cheruiyot third in 3:50.77. 

“It was a great race – I’m where I’m supposed to be,” said Ingebrigtsen, who will “for sure” double over 1500m and 5000m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. Looking towards the European Championships in Munich, he said he’d “love to do 800m, 1500m, steeplechase, 5km, 10km and marathon, but I don’t think that’s possible with the schedule.”

He will next race over 800m before competing at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Oslo on 16 June.  Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson utilised her typical sit-and-kick tactics to great effect to take the women’s 800m, the Olympic silver medallist powering clear of race leader Natoya Goule entering the home straight and holding off the late surge of world indoor champion Ajee Wilson to win in a world lead of 1:57.72, with Wilson second in 1:58.06 and Raevyn Rogers third in 1:58.44. 

Olympic champion Athing Mu was a late withdrawal after contracting Covid-19, but Hodgkinson is looking forward to renewing their rivalry in July. 

“It would have been good if she was here, but she’s going to be there at the World Champs and I’m sure we’ll have a good duel then –  I look forward to racing her,” said Hodgkinson. “I felt really good, it was a bit windy out there but there was good competition, it was a good run. I can’t complain.”

Sweden’s Khaddi Sagnia unleashed a PB of 6.95m (1.0m/s) to take victory in the women’s long jump, with Nigeria’s Ese Brume second with 6.82m and USA’s Tara Davis third with 6.73m. 

Norah Jeruto, the Kenyan-born athlete who now represents Kazakhstan, produced an impressive display to win the women’s 3000m steeplechase in 8:57.97, a world lead. Bahrain’s Winfred Mutile Yavi was close behind in second, clocking a PB of 8:58.71, while Ethiopia’s Mekides Abebe was third in 9:03.26. In the men’s 1500m, a non-Diamond League event, New Zealand’s Samuel Tanner took victory in a PB of 3:34.37 in front of Britain’s Neil Gourley, who clocked a PB of 3:34.85.

Italy’s Martina Caironi set a world record of 14.02 in the T63 women’s 100m, while in the men’s T62 400m, Germany’s Johannes Floors took the win in 48.13.  

85-year-old running Calgary Marathon calls himself 'oldest ever grandpa pace bunny'

I’ve always liked to keep moving,' says man who has won medals all over the globe.

Ahead of his half-marathon on Sunday, 85-year-old Gerald "Gerry" Miller will likely have a bowl of oatmeal topped with raisins and a bit of Greek yogurt.

This isn't Miller's first race, let alone his first marathon, and he knows what he needs to fuel his run.

Since he began long-distance running at 58-years-old, Miller has run more than 40 marathons — including New York, Boston, Berlin and Tokyo.

This Sunday in the Calgary Marathon he will be running with bunny ears on, a signal that he is a "pace bunny," with the aim to bring in runners at the two hours and 30 minute mark.

"[I'm] going to help pace the slower runners and charity runners … I'm the oldest ever grandpa pace bunny," he said.

"I've always liked to keep moving," says Miller, who in 2021 placed first in the men's 80 plus category for the inaugural Abbot World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group world championships in London.

It was an invitation by his son to run 19 kilometers with him that hooked Miller, who had only done shorter runs in his school and university days.

He qualified for the competitive Boston Marathon after running his first ever marathon in Vancouver.

Miller says he's "grateful" to be able to do what he does and share his passion with others.

Miller's running buddy Daron Wong says that he is the model for the energy and attitude he wants to have about running.

"He always amazes me and he still amazes me today," said Wong.

"Everybody wants to be in great shape and be running like Gerry when they're when they hit that age."

Wong says what Miller, who he met about a decade ago, has taught him the value of consistency and to "trust the training."

Miller approaches running meditatively. He says often it takes "digging deep", like when he ran in New York and had a bad fall which left blood on his face, or when he got hypothermia during another race.

"In many of those situations, it is the mindfulness that kicks in and says, 'Gerry, just keep going, even if it's a little slower.'"

Miller's family will often run the tail ends of races alongside him, and keep a Guinness beer cold and ready for him after the race. But he says they do question him about when he'll hang up his shoes for good.

"In my heart, I feel OK. If I can do it, I will relax and enjoy it," he said.

He says he knows every run might be his last, but in the meantime he's going to keep at it.

On Sunday 6,200 people are registered to run the Calgary Marathon, and just 72 of them will be over 70 years old.

Miller will be the second-oldest in the crowd.

How can I stay injury free when I’m marathon training?

Sports Injury Fix Director and resident running expert Mike James, has spent over 20 years as a Physio treating and training runners worldwide. He is also a competitive runner who has completed over 100 marathons and 50 ultra-marathons, so when he talks, we tend to listen. We asked him to give Run Mummy Run his top tips for staying injury free while training.

The last twenty years has seen a remarkable increase in people lacing up their shoes and getting bitten by the running bug. The mythical marathon distance of 26.2 miles remains the ultimate challenge for many.

Regardless of age and ability, running related injuries are common, and despite having a generally low level, mid-range dynamic nature, a relatively high incidence is observed.

So, how can we prevent, or reduce the risk of encountering such problems?

Here are my top tips….

Goal Setting

This should be the first thing any Marathoner does. Ask yourself, what do I want to achieve? Some people are entering the race to raise money for charity, others aim to set a PB. Every aspect of the coming 4-8 months will be determined by your goals.

Choose the right training regime

The running world is now saturated with programmes, from off-the-shelf to bespoke 1:1 regimes. If you choose one that pushes too hard based on your current level you may increase injury risk.  Yet if you choose a regime that doesn’t push you enough and the finish line may never materialise. If possible, speak to an established coach with a high success rate of marathon finishers and go for the tailored approach.

Prepare for the training regime

I see many runners picking up niggles simply by failing to prepare for a regime. They choose their race and training regime and jump straight into it. Unfortunately, for many, there is a gap between their current ability and the level needed even to commence a 20-24-week regime. Plan backwards, and add weeks as needed to build a sufficient level of fitness in preparation for your actual training regime.

Get Strong!

Research suggests that strength work can potentially reduce injuries by almost 50%. Performing two sessions weekly in the off season, with a once weekly maintenance session in season appears effective.  A general approach, largely able to be performed at home should suffice. Runner’s Strength Training Regime

Manage existing aches and pains

Very few runners are lucky enough to avoid the usual niggles associated with such high load and high frequency training. This can be the trigger for exacerbating niggles into larger problems. Seek advice from a therapist, explain your plans and work together to address these issues to allow you the best chance of completing the training ahead.

Time Management

For many runners, finding the balance between work, family, social and training commitments can be the hardest factor. Even with the most supportive loved ones and colleagues, it can be difficult to fit everything in. Try to plan novel ways to maximise training without affecting other aspects of you life. Finding this balance may not directly reduce injury risk, however, those struggling to find a balance, are more likely to cram sessions, over train, deviate from plans and limit recovery, factors which can all lead to injury.

Plan your season and races

I advocate using other races as preparation. I generally feel that these should be used as organised training sessions to practice using new kit, feeding strategies, pacing etc and as break from the monotony of training. Be careful not to become involved in a race with another competitor who undoubtedly has different seasons goals to yourself.

Pick the right team

The endurance world is packed with people who support and encourage each other. Grow a network of therapists, athletes, coaches, friends and loved ones that you can turn to when needed. This includes a race day support team to cheer you on!

Prepare for everything

Use your time to practice training in conditions that reflect the race course if possible. Practice different hydration and feeding strategies and kit and prepare for contingency plans in case things go better or worse than planned on race day.

Be consistent, but flexible

Consistency is the key to endurance sport success. Stick to your plans, commit to the regime. However, life gets in the way sometimes and other commitments can side track you. Don’t chase the missed sessions, don’t cram extra miles into subsequent sessions. If you are training correctly 80% of the time, then you will almost certainly achieve your goals. It is better to line up at the start line, slightly “undercooked” than “overcooked”.

Recover

This is often the single biggest factor that is neglected and ultimately leads to injury. It is the fine balance between stressing the body and allowing it to recover. Eat well, sleep well, hydrate and enjoy down time with friends and family – you will be earning it. Much debate exists regarding the effectiveness of tools such as foam rollers / trigger point devices, tapes, massage, compression clothing, cryotherapy and heat, and yes there will always be a large placebo effect to consider. But as long as you are training and recovering well, then these tools can help.

And remember……… whatever your goal, whatever your level, however many marathons you have completed……enjoy it, it’s fun!

Pilates vs Yoga: Which One is Right For You?

We’ve broken down everything you need to know about yoga and Pilates and how they benefit runners.

Oftentimes, Pilates and yoga get lumped in the same category. And that’s understandable—they’re both mind-body practices, offering a low-impact way to cross-train. And you can even find combos of the two training methods, like PiYo and Yogilates. 

But if you’ve ever wondered what the differences are between the two workouts—because there are major differences—and which one is right for you, we’ve got your ultimate guide to both Pilates and yoga. As a runner, you can benefit from each. Here’s what to know

Pilates vs Yoga: The Similarities

Yoga and Pilates have similarities in that they both focus on proper breathing techniques, offer a low-impact form of exercise (meaning no jumping—you’ll always have two feet on the ground), and you can tailor each practice to different fitness levels, whether you’re a beginner or advanced athlete. Plus, you can do both Pilates and yoga with minimal equipment—just your mat and time to focus on your movement. 

Even better: Both Pilates and yoga offer research-backed health benefits. For example, a study by researchers from the New York University Grossman School of medicine found that yoga has the potential to reduce anxiety. Another study published in the European Journal of General Cardiology in 2014 highlights yoga’s effectiveness at reducing risk factors of heart disease. 

As for Pilates, a study published in Frontiers in Neurology in 2021 says the practice can promote muscle strength, balance, and flexibility. 

Another systematic review and meta-analysis published in PLoS One in 2021 says that both practices, Pilates and yoga, may help older women maintain bone mineral density and that these forms of exercise are beneficial for strength and balance.

So which practice should you choose and how do they differ? We spoke with experts in each discipline to breakdown the specifics.

How did Pilates start and what’s it all about?

Pilates was originally developed by Joseph Pilates (hence the name) as a rehabilitative method. According to the Pilates foundation, Pilates attached bed springs to hospital beds (of patients unable to walk) to help support patients’ limbs. Much of the equipment he developed is still in use today in studios everywhere.

When Pilates moved to New York City in 1923 he opened the first official Pilates studio, which became popular among dancers. Today you can find Pilates studios all over the country. 

Today’s Pilates classes focus on moving through shortened ranges of motion (think pulses), as well as performing isometric holds. Each exercise relies heavily on core strength and being able to maintain a strong, solid midsection as you work through each pose. 

Pilates also mostly focuses on activating muscles while stretching them, says 500-hour certified Pilates instructor, Abby Suskin of Brooklyn, New York and founder of Pilates With Abs. “Pilates is a super efficient workout because when you contract muscles at their end range—or their lengthened position—you’re also creating stronger and more flexible muscles,” she says.

The major benefits of Pilates include:

Core strength

Total body strength

Balance and posture

Working on proper breathing techniques

Injury prevention and injury rehabilitation

What is a Pilates class like?

Some Pilates classes are done on a mat and may include props, like a ball, band, ring, or foam roller, Suskin explains. “Mat Pilates is also traditionally a series of 34 movements developed by Pilates that constitute a total-body workout using only bodyweight as resistance,” she says.

Other classes involve a reformer. A reformer is a traditional piece of Pilates equipment that looks like a moving mat with springs, pulleys, ropes, and a sliding carriage. On the reformer, your core is challenged by balancing on the moving mat while using your arms and legs against the resistance of the springs. In a group class, you’ll generally lie down, kneel, and stand on the reformer to challenge your core from different angles, Suskin says.

“Both [mat and reformer classes] focus on resistance training, either using bodyweight or springs to strengthen and stretch muscles simultaneously, while also challenging core strength,” says Suskin. 

What makes Pilates stand out from yoga is that it has more of a focus on resistance training, particularly when using the reformer or even when incorporating light weights or bands into a mat class. Pilates incorporates this resistance into functional movement patterns or those you practice in everyday life, Suskin explains. “You’ll see everyday movements like squats, planks, and overhead reaches in a Pilates class,” she adds.

For those who haven’t taken a Pilates class before, Suskin says a reformer-style session is probably the way to go. “Because the reformer has the moving mat and added springs and straps, it’s easier to isolate muscles for strengthening or stretching, so in some ways it’s better for beginners or those recovering from injury when used one-on-one with a Pilates teacher,” Suskin says. 

An example of a move that isolates muscles better on the reformer versus the mat is leg circles, Suskin says. “You draw circles with your legs by pushing into the straps and the exercise focuses on increasing hip range of motion, hamstring stretching, and core stability,” she says. (The same exercise can be done on the mat, but without the assistance of the straps, which means it becomes an abdominal- and hip flexor-focused exercise.)

Suskin says the intensity of a Pilates class can vary, depending on the type of Pilates (mat versus reformer) and the instructor, but you can expect a lot of total-body work and a big core burn. 

“Pilates can be dialed up or down in terms of intensity, which is one of its perks,” Suskin says. “While you’ll hardly ever see plyometric movements like jumping in Pilates, you’ll definitely break a sweat in a more athletic Pilates class by incorporating movements like planks, squats, and lunges that challenge your entire body.” 

Most classes also include a small number of people, so you do get extra attention from the instructor, helping you master proper form as you go.

Why is Pilates good for runners? 

As a runner you need full range of motion through your stride and strength through that stride, and Pilates helps you build that mobility and strength. 

Core stability, a signature pay-off of Pilates, is also super important for runners to maintain an upright posture on the road, as well as to run efficiently. A classic move, known as the Pilates hundred—in which you maintain a hollow-hold-like position while pumping the arms and focusing on the breath—is a good example of a Pilates exercise that would benefit runners’ core strength and endurance.

Pilates is also a great way to strengthen other muscles runners rely on. “Runners have a lot of power in quads, hamstrings, and hip flexors, but if you never work those muscles at their full range, you miss out on a lot of potential power and can be setting yourself up for injury,” Suskin says. “Doing a simple move like a glute bridge in Pilates is perfect for helping runners with flexibility and balanced strength, because it will stretch tight quads and hip flexors while also strengthening weak glutes and hamstrings,” she adds. 

Runners also can benefit from the breath work that is instilled in Pilates classes, as you’ll often start each class with a breathing warmup to help you get connected to your core. As Suskin says, “breath is one of the pillars of Pilates because it is directly connected to core activation.” 

“Pilates teachers will also cue students to exhale throughout class during the more challenging phase of the exercise to encourage core activation and stability,” she adds. 

How did yoga start and what’s it all about?

Yoga’s roots trace back some 5,000 years to India. It’s considered not only a physical practice, but also a spiritual one.

Yoga is a discipline rooted in meditative elements, and the connection of breath and body. Yoga means to yoke or unite—body, breath, and mind. The goal of a yogi is often to still the mind and find harmony between their physical and mental state. 

In general, yoga is a practice of asanas (or specific postures) that are linked to breath (pranayama). While yoga started as more of a mind-focused practice, today’s classes include more physical elements. Now there are many different styles of yoga for all fitness levels and preferences, including types like hatha, vinyasa, power, yin, ashtanga, and Iyengar. There are also more modern styles like hot yoga, chair yoga, and restorative yoga. 

The major benefits of yoga include:

Mindfulness and relaxation 

Promoting balance 

Flexibility

Learning proper breathing techniques

Injury prevention

Addressing anxiety and depression

What is a yoga class like?

There are many styles of yoga, so classes can vary widely. The connecting factor is that a yoga class will connect your breath with each pose and you’ll often move slowly through each position, with a reminder from the instructor to be present in the class and in each pose. In most yoga classes, you’ll either practice flowing quickly through poses or hold poses for a little longer, while still connecting one to the next. 

Sarrah Strimel, founder of Damn Good Yoga in New York City, who’s certified in four styles of yoga (hatha, vinyasa, restorative, and yin) says her classes are typically 60 to 75 minutes long and begin with a warmup of the spine, joints, ankles, and the muscle groups she’ll focus on during class. As is typical for yoga classes, Strimel works her class toward a challenging peak pose, like a headstand, crow pose, or splits, and then brings the class back down from there. 

Most yoga classes offer props like blocks, straps, or blankets to help you modify and be comfortable in poses. Some yoga teachers weave themes or philosophies into their instruction, related to the asanas they teach (like feeling empowered as you go through a warrior sequence, or having an open heart as you open up your chest in downward facing dog). 

In most yoga classes, you can also expect a relaxing Savasana (or corpse pose) at the end. This is a time to turn down the lights, stretch out on your mat, meditate, listen to soothing sounds or music, and consciously release tension—all things runners can definitely benefit from, and for many yogis, their favorite part of the class. 

Why is yoga good for runners?

Strimmel says yoga offers runners the opportunity to lengthen and strengthen the muscles that are short and tight. “Yoga is important for runners because it offsets the constant repetitive movement of your stride when you’re running,” says Strimmel. For example your hamstrings contract when you’re running and a regular yoga practice helps stretch out and open up those overused muscles you’re relying on to run, she adds. 

Learning proper breathing techniques, and trying different types of breathing, can also help runners gain more control of their breath, which can be helpful in boosting performance.

A yoga practice also encourages mindfulness, and this is something that can also benefit your running. Tapping into that awareness of being present and mindful, and remembering that the here and now is important, can help you power through that long run.

Pilates vs Yoga: The Major Differences

Pilates hasn’t been around for as long as yoga, but it still has a solid history. No matter what class you take, a good Pilates session will get your core fired up and lend itself to more functional mobility and muscle strengthening. So opt for Pilates if you’re looking specifically to build more strength and muscular endurance, especially in the core.

With a wide variety of yoga classes, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re looking to move quickly and build heat in a power class or wind down, meditate, and stretch it out in a yin or restorative class. Regardless of the intensity, a good yoga class will get your mind relaxed and body feeling loose and limber. Go for yoga if you want something a little more low key and you want to focus on your mindset more, too.

The Bottom Line on Pilates vs Yoga

Both yoga and Pilates are great low-impact exercises to add to your cross-training days. Depending on your goals and past injuries, one may suit you better than the other, so set those objectives first. 

It’s always smart to check with your doctor or physical therapist about what might be right for you. Trying out a couple classes and instructors to find the one you like best is also a good option.

Schweizer, Klecker Win U.S. 10,000-Meter Championships

They lead the U.S. contingent in the event for the World Championships in July.

After 24 and a half laps of the track, Karissa Schweizer sprinted past Alicia Monson to win the U.S. title in the 10,000 meters at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. 

Schweizer’s time, 30:49.56, was less than two seconds off her personal best, and by finishing in the top three, she earned a spot on the U.S. squad competing at the World Athletics Championships in July. That meet will also be held in Eugene, the first time the meet will be in the United States.

Monson, who led the last 10 laps of the race until Schweizer sprinted by her, was second in 30:51.09, a personal best by nearly 20 seconds. 

Well behind the top two, a pack of six women vied for third place and the final of three Worlds spots. Natosha Rogers and Emily Infeld were back and forth in the final 100 meters, and Rogers pulled ahead just before the line. She clocked 31:29.80, and Infeld was less than a quarter of a second behind, in 31:30.04. 

Weini Kelati was fifth, Sarah Lancaster was sixth, and Steph Bruce, in her final year of racing, was seventh.

The race went out in a relatively easy first half. Emily Durgin led the field through a 5,000-meter split of 15:50. Schweizer ran just under 15 minutes for the second 5,000 meters, and Monson was right behind.

Joe Klecker takes the men’s title

The men’s 10,000 meters had the same stakes—top three earn a trip to worlds—but the pace went out so easy that most of the field was still in the race when the sprinting started during the bell lap. 

Joe Klecker, an Olympian at 10,000 meters last year, won in 28:28.71, just beating Grant Fisher, the American record holder in the event, who finished in 28:28.81. Fisher’s time was nearly two minutes slower than the record (26:33.84) he set in March. 

Although Emmanuel Bor had a lead heading into the final 100 meters, Sean McGorty emerged in third place after Bor, slowing, tripped in the final meters and finished in eighth. 

McGorty, recovering from Achilles surgery last July, ran 28:29.57 and earned his first berth on a U.S. team. 

Dillon Maggard was fourth, Shadrack Kipchirchir was fifth, and Lopez Lomong was sixth. 

In both races, first place earned $8,000, second earned $6,000, and the third-place finishers took home $4,000. 

In a Training Rut? Psychology Says It's Time to Find a New Trail.

As much as this hurts to hear, like any sport or hobby, trail running can become monotonous. For many runners, a passion for hitting the trails will, at times, start to feel like a chore. Luckily, there is a very simple fix that can reignite your passion for trail running during these moments, and that's the power of the change-up.

"You can definitely get stuck in a rut, just by running the same thing over and over again," says clinical and sport psychologist Michael Griffith. "I think the part of trail running that gets people so interested in it is going to epic places or trying out different trails."

Griffith sees this training rut first-hand, as he works directly with many athletes to rekindle their motivation and achieve their athletic goals. 

Repeating the same trails can cause runners to lose interest over time and their performance to lag. Creating new challenges, whether that's a new part of town or a weekend road trip, improves both physical and emotional wellbeing. You'll explore new trails while better setting yourself up for upcoming races.

"Our brains adapt to routine," says Griffth. "By changing things up, you're exercising that mental muscle. You're forcing your body and brain to react to new situations and new stimuli. Anytime you put yourself outside your comfort zone, that's probably a good thing."

Griffith has worked in psychology for decades, and these premises are not new. Numerous studies like this one from the University of Florida and others shared by the National Institute of Health, show the impact of change on athlete motivation. Essentially, it's the same drive that brings many of us to trail running in the first place: the rush of exploring somewhere new and the drive to see what comes next.

Avoid Injury

It's important to find new trails to continue that drive, not only from a mental level but a physical one, too. Think of trying out a new trail as a form of cross-training that can help reduce your risk of injury. 

"If you're running the same route, the same way, same direction, day in and day out, your body becomes more prone to injury in those situations," says Griffith. "I think first, because your body adapts and second, because your brain takes the situation for granted. Challenging your brain to be present and in the moment while you're running is part of mixing up your course and throwing new stuff your way."

Prepare for the Unfamiliar

New trails or a different location can also help prepare you for a race in a region where you don't normally spend time. Think about going from the Rocky Mountains to California's high desert - two very distinct regions with differing topography, temperatures, humidity, and altitude. Waiting to experience those differences until race day may not be the best way to set you up for success, so a scouting road trip may be a great idea.

"When you're training for a race, typically you're going to be running a new course, right? It's not going to always be your home course that you typically run," says Griffith. "You want to prepare yourself for this and have the mindset of, I can handle whatever the course is going to throw at me. I'm ready. I'm prepared. I've done this. I've run a number of different courses. I think it puts you in a good mental mindset when you're faced with a new race and a new place to run."

Locate New Trails

For some runners, a roadblock for changing things up may be a lack of tools, and finding a new trail isn't always easy. Fortunately, there are a wide range of apps aimed at trail runners, hikers, bikers, and climbers to find new ways of getting outside. GPS apps can show different trails and paths, while some have helpful tools and can even work offline. 

"I know how useful it is both for finding new trails and also for not getting lost," says Abby Levene, a trail runner and user of the Gaia GPS app. "So I selfishly like trying to show people that this is a useful tool, not just for hiking and backpacking, but also for running. When it comes to finding new trails, it uses open street map data and has a robust collection of trails." 

Levene has used Gaia both near her home in Boulder, Colorado, and while traveling to find new places to run. She says that not only can you see what's nearby, it can also help you prepare for what you'll find once you arrive at the trail.

"If I see that mountain biking is allowed on a trail, that's a good indication it's going to be a nice flowing, runnable trail," says Levene. "And conversely, some days I'm just like, I do not want to see a single bike. I don't want to have to stop and get off the trail. So then on those days, I look for trails where mountain biking isn't allowed." 

Safety First

Having a GPS in hand can also help keep you safe in unfamiliar terrain. Last year, officials in national forests and national parks saw record numbers of rescues that in some instances could have been avoided with the help of a mapping system. 

"That's where learning how to read a topographic map becomes really useful, once you understand what all of those little squiggly lines mean on the map. Then you can realize, oh, this trail actually has like 4,000 feet of climbing," says Levene. "And if you don't know how to read a topo map, no problem. That's where I start using the planning tool and I'll look at a trail and I'll create a route from the bottom to the top to see exactly how much climbing there is."

Time to Explore

Avoiding outdoor cliches about taking new paths is hard, but the truth is, sometimes leveling up your training really is as easy as finding a new trail.

"We talk a lot about that cool beginner mindset. That's a healthy thing for our brains to be in that space as it builds confidence and challenges ourselves by putting ourselves in a novel situation," says Griffith. "I think that's a good way to access that positive, growth-oriented beginner mindset that says, 'yeah, I can do this.'"

Hong Kong ‘Everesting’ record set by departing Frenchman, saying farewell to trail community with magical challenge

Ferdinand Clovis Airault climbs up and down Sunset Peak 21 times to accumulate the height of Everest from sea level 

The solo challenge becomes a community event and a chance to say farewell for now but not goodbye 

Ferdinand Clovis Airault set Hong Kong’s “Everesting” record, but the result was less important than the experience and the chance to say goodbye to friends.

The Hong Kong-based Frenchman is departing at the start of June, destined for a move to New York. As a final challenge, he ran up and down Sunset Peak 21 times, accumulating the full height of Everest from sea level.

Airault, a magician in his spare time, completed the 8,852 metres of accumulative elevation in 14 hours and 24 minutes – the fastest “Everesting” completed in Hong Kong.“There isn’t big competition for this record – I know that if Wong Ho-chung [Hong Kong’s top trail runner] comes, he will explode the record,” Airault said. “So it was not just about the record, but I felt the competition was a driver.“I came prepared, with an idea of the time I wanted and all the advice I could get. I knew all the laps would need to be 40 minutes and I couldn’t take breaks. But I would have finished it even if I was far from the record.

“The experience was the main thing – I pushed my limits, body and mind, to accomplish some kind of magic trick. The motivation was really the experience in such an iconic place like Sunset Peak. I saw the sunset and the sunrise and I was looking for the magic of the place. The competition was just a booster.”Hong Kong runner plans to shut up the sexists by ‘Everesting’ Castle Peak

The magical experience was added to by the company. Groups of trail runners came to ring cow bells and cheer Airault on at the bottom of each lap. Some joined him for a lap or two. He was joined by friends from his team at Lantau Base Camp, Hong Kong Sports Clinic and T8, and also from his rival team Gone Running Joint Dynamics.

“It’s a great way to say goodbye,” Airault said. “What is good with Covid-19 is we created these little challenges to show Hong Kong is still alive. There are still restrictions but we can make trail running evolve through these challenges and adventures.”

One of the runners who joined was Jeremy Ritcey, the former record holder.“Jeremy gave me all the tips to beat it,” Airault said. “I found that super-cool. The idea wasn’t to keep it for himself. He said we had this time as a group and we will improve it. I was just there to represent the community that day and if someone else comes along, I can help them improve the record by sharing too.”

Airault thinks he could have gone faster had he picked another mountain such as The Peak, with flat concrete roads. But he wanted to respect Covid-19 restrictions by going somewhere less busy. Besides, it was the location of the previous record, he wanted his friends on Lantau to join him and he wanted to be in a beautiful location.From around 2am to 5am he was all by himself.

“At the start, I was very enthusiastic, so even on the ferry I was full of energy,” he said. “After, when people were coming and I knew people were there to say goodbye, I began to realise that I would not see these people again, that this was my last sunset at Sunset Peak.

“At sunrise, I said, ‘This is my last sunrise, it’s time to push.’ On the last five laps, I did my fastest laps. One of my final five laps was in the 10 top fastest ever laps of Sunset Peak. I think I really had this energy of knowing it was the last time.”

Airault added that it was farewell for now but not goodbye. He hopes to return to run the TransLantau in October.

“When I arrived in Hong Kong, I knew nothing about running,” he said. “I was smoking and drinking. Hong Kong changed me and I hope the US will change me too. Trail running will stay with me, but who knows what else I will find.”

Boilermaker officials announced today the lifting of COVID restrictions for participation in the Boilermaker

Change eliminates initial restrictions requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID PCR Test.

Policy remains subject to change should public health conditions warrant.

Boilermaker officials announced today the lifting of COVID restrictions for participation in the Boilermaker 15K presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, 5K presented by Utica National and the 15K Wheelchair Race presented by Sitrin and NBT Bank on July 10, 2022.

As a result of the changes, participants will no longer need to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test prior to race day.

“We have been closely monitoring the path of COVID-19 since February of 2020 and our priority has always been the safety of our participants, staff, volunteers and community,” said Mark Donovan, president of the Boilermaker. “When we opened registration in March, our policy was in line with what had become the standard for events of all sizes and with all city and state guidelines. Shortly afterwards, that standard changed and we have seen large scale events being held safely with zero restrictions locally, regionally and nationally.”

For anyone not comfortable participating in-person, the “Home-Edition” (virtual) option of the Boilermaker 15K or 5K race is available. The “Home-Edition” allows participants to run a 15K or 5K course of their choosing between July 1 and noon on July 10, 2022 and receive their pint glass and finisher’s medal or pin by mail.

“In the interest of public health, we continue to encourage all to follow standard COVID precautions at this year’s Boilermaker events,” Donovan continued. “In addition, we will continue to assess public health conditions, governmental actions and guidelines and will issue policy revisions should they become necessary.”

For more information on the Boilermaker’s 2022 events, visit boilermaker.com.

Prefontaine Classic promises world record attempts and rich competition despite late losses

It is a measure of Eugene’s Prefontaine Classic meeting - which tomorrow forms the third stop on the Wanda Diamond League tour - that it can lose four Olympic gold medalists at late notice and still remain packed with compelling competition and world record attempts.

The arrangement of all that athletics action was altered today following forecasts of rain and high winds - likely to be blowing into the faces of the sprinters - on Saturday.

Accordingly the men's pole vault, featuring Olympic gold and silver medalists Mondo Duplantis of Sweden and Chris Nilsen of the United States, the women's discus, featuring the US Olympic champion Valarie Allman, and the women's high jump, involving Ukraine's world indoor champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh, have been moved to Friday night's programme, where world record attempts are being made over two miles and 5,000 meters.

The news that the United States' Olympic women’s 800 meters champion Athing Mu will not now race against Britain’s Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson, and that Italy’s men’s 100m champion Marcell Jacobs will not be in a field including the man he beat to gold in Japan, home sprinter Fred Kerley, was disappointing.

Also missing from the planned line-up at the new-look Hayward Field, which will stage this year’s World Athletics Championships, are home talents Matthew Centrowitz, the Rio 2016 1500m gold medalist, Tokyo 2020 and world 400m hurdles silver medalist Rai Benjamin and double world pole vault champion Sam Kendricks.

And South Africa’s double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya, who had planned a first top-level race since 2019, has also withdrawn.

All this means the limelight will shine all the more intensely on stellar performers such as Jamaica’s double Olympic women’s 100 and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, who runs over the shorter sprint against a field including the American who missed last year’s Olympics because of a three-month suspension after testing positive for cannabis, Sha’Carri Richardson.

Britain’s world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, who last Saturday won the Birmingham Diamond League 100m from which Thompson-Herah had made a late withdrawal, is also in the mix, as is Switzerland’s world indoor 60m champion Mujinga Kambundji and Jamaica’s Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Shericka Jackson.

Thompson-Herah chose to make a low-key start to her outdoor season, choosing to compete in Kingston, where she clocked 10.94sec despite a strong headwind of -1.8 meters per second.

It was on this track last year that she ran 10.54, putting her second on the all-time list.

The men’s 100m is also loaded given the presence of Kerley and his fellow Americans Trayvon Bromell, who will be keen to restore normal working after his early exit in Birmingham because of a false start, world champion Christian Coleman, world 200m champion Noah Lyles and Canada’s Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse.

And 18-year-old Erriyon Knighton, who last year became the youngest male athlete to represent the United States since middle distance runner Jim Ryun in 1964 and missed a 200m medal by one place, will seek to break 10sec for the first time.

Knighton already tops this year’s 200m world list with his startling 19.49sec in Baton Rouge last month, which put him fourth on the all-time list.

The women’s 200m will see double Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo taking on Jamaica’s 35-year-old Beijing 2008 and London 2012 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who won world gold at this distance in 2013 and took silver at the London 2012 Olympics.

The men’s 400m will see Kirani James of Grenada, the London 2012 champion and Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist, take on home athletes including Michael Cherry, Michael Norman – a major talent currently seeking a performance to do himself justice - Vernon Norwood and Kahmari Montgomery.

The absence of Benjamin from the 400m hurdles will offer Brazil’s Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Alison Dos Santos - who beat Benjamin in the opening Diamond League meeting of the season in Doha – a perfect chance to shine,

In the women’s 100m hurdles, Puerto Rico’s Olympic champion takes on the American who took silver behind her in Tokyo, world record holder Kendra Harrison.

The traditional Friday evening distance racing in Eugene will include a women’s two miles and a women’s and men’s 5000m race.

At the latter, which will be followed by an official Diamond League 5,000m on Saturday, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei is billed to make an attempt at breaking his own world record of 12min 35.36sec, which he ran in Monaco in August 2020.

On Saturday afternoon the majority of the rivals Cheptegei beat to win Olympic 5,000m gold in Tokyo last year will line up for the Diamond League 5.000m, where Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega of Ethiopia, Olympic 10,000m bronze medalist Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, Olympic 5,000m silver Mohammed Ahmed of Canada and two-time Olympic 5,000m medalist Paul Chelimo of the United States are the main contenders.

Friday night will also see Ethiopia’s 24-year-old Letesenbet Gidey aiming to lower the women’s 5000m world record of 14:06.62 that she set in Valencia in October 2020.

Gidey has since lowered the women’s 10,000m world record to 29min 01.03sec and the world half marathon record to 1hr 2min 52sec.

Elsewhere on Friday, the women’s two miles will see Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, the Olympic 5,000 and 10,000m champion, facing Diamond League 5,000m champion Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi.

The latter, who was disqualified at the Tokyo 2020 Games, beat Kenya’s double Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon over 3,000m in Doha earlier this month.

The world best of 8:58.58, set by Ethiopia’s Meseret Defar in 2007, is sure to be under threat.

Saturday’s middle-distance action will be highlighted by the clash of Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and world champion Timothy Cheruiyot, who renew their rivalry in the Bowerman Mile. 

Ingebrigtsen beat Cheruiyot for the first time in the Olympic final in Tokyo last year but the Kenyan beat his Norwegian rival a few weeks later to win over 1500m at the Diamond League final in Zurich.

Both men will need to be primed, however, to beat Kenya’s Abel Kipsang, who out-kicked Cheruiyot to win in Doha recently and who backed it up with 1500m victory in Birmingham last Sunday.

Kipyegon meanwhile will take on Britain’s Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Laura Muir and Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia in the women’s 1500m.

Hodgkinson faces an 800m field that includes home runner Ajee Wilson, who took the world indoor title earlier this year.

The men’s shot put will involve the respective Tokyo 2020 gold, silver and bronze medalists Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs of the United States and New Zealand’s Tom Walsh.