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Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum dies as tragedy rocks athletics world

Marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach died in a car crash in Kenya late Sunday, a fellow athlete who went to the hospital and saw Kiptum's body said.

Kiptum was 24 and on course to be a superstar of long-distance running.

Kiptum and his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana were killed in the crash at around 11 p.m., said Kenyan runner Milcah Chemos, who was at the hospital where the bodies were taken.

The crash happened on a road between the towns of Eldoret and Kaptagat in western Kenya, she said, in the heart of the high-altitude region that's renowned as a training base for long distance runners.

Chemos said she was among a group of athletes who had gone to the hospital in Eldoret after hearing the news of the crash. Family members of Kiptum were also with them to identify his body, Chemos said.

Kenyan media reported that a third person, a woman, was in the car and was taken to the same hospital with serious injuries.

Kiptum was the first man to run the marathon in under 2 hours, 1 minute. He set the new world record of 2:00.35 at the Chicago Marathon in October, beating the mark of fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge.

Kiptum's record was ratified by international track federation World Athletics last week.

Kenyan athletics federation president Jackson Tuwei said he had sent a team of officials to the area after being informed of the late-night accident.

Kiptum had immediate success by running the fastest time ever by a marathon debutant at the 2022 Valencia Marathon. He won the London and Chicago races last year, two of the most prestigious marathons in the world.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe was one of the first to offer his condolences in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

"We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana," Coe wrote. "On behalf of all World Athletics we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation."

"It was only earlier this week in Chicago, the place where Kelvin set his extraordinary marathon World Record, that I was able to officially ratify his historic time. An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly," Coe wrote.

Marathon debut behind him, Cheptegei turns focus back to 10,000m for Paris

Just a few miles away from the site of his world 10,000m record three years prior, Joshua Cheptegei stumbled towards the finish line of the Valencia Marathon.

On the track, the Olympic 5000m gold medallist and three-time world 10,000m champion is renowned for his unbeatable finishing strength. But in what was his debut over the marathon distance, with each foot somehow supporting a tired body on the brink, the Ugandan had to be content with 37th place in the Spanish city, clocking 2:08:59.

Cheptegei wasn’t too disappointed or surprised, though. Supported by race organiser Marc Roig, Cheptegei hobbled to the elite finishers’ tent immediately after the race, beaming from ear to ear.

A few days before, Cheptegei had prophetically warned: "The marathon has no respect for people.”

Not even Olympic champions, it would seem.

Fans have grown used to Cheptegei finding his rhythm in a leading pack, so it was no surprise to see him there at halfway. Going through 13.1 miles in 1:00:36 wasn’t part of the plan – not that there necessarily was one.

When asked in the build-up to the race what he wanted from his debut, Cheptegei simply said: “I want to learn.”

Collapsing over the line with a rueful smile, Cheptegei made it clear that his objective had been achieved.

He knew that his preparation for the event had been far from perfect. It started with pulling out of the Wanda Diamond League final due to a reaction to wearing spikes in defending his world 10,000m crown in Budapest. Once he did return, the weeks that followed saw his usual runs around the rolling hills of Kapchorwa deemed too dangerous due to constant deluges.

Cheptegei never ran more than 160km a week – which, by the standards of most current marathon specialists, was a light schedule.

Yet in Valencia, he still chose to go with the pace. Many would expect little else from a world 5000m and 10,000m record holder consistently pushing the margins of the possible.

For many fans, their first clear memory of Cheptegei at a senior level was his performance at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships on home soil in Kampala.

That day, the 2016 Olympic 10,000m sixth-place finisher ripped the senior race apart, striding away through the middle section and building a huge lead into the final kilometer.

The Ugandan fans chasing him in bursts around the course almost went as far as to hand over the red, yellow and black flag.

As the commentators proclaimed his title, Cheptegei had pushed himself to the limit, a smooth stride rolling to a wayward struggle.

Defending champion Geoffrey Kamworor – a former mentor to Cheptegei during his time in Kenya in 2015 – silenced the crowds, passing the struggling Ugandan in a fleeting second and going on to win. Cheptegei eventually finished 30th.

“Joshua had a great belief and a great determination in running,” Kamworor commented on his Ugandan rival. “Whenever you talk with him, you could see in his mind that he had great aspirations in life.

“He's even becoming one of my mentors.”

Cheptegei won the senior title at his next attempt in Aarhus in 2019, the year of the first of three consecutive world 10,000m titles. An Olympic silver in Tokyo in that event accompanied 5000m gold.

Risks taken, lessons learnt all in a bid to break new ground. It's core to Cheptegei’s philosophy as a runner and ultimately role model to those that follow him around the world but perhaps most importantly back home in Uganda.

It’s also followed him since his first days as a professional.

While training with Kamworor, Eliud Kipchoge and the rest in Kaptagat, barely aged 20, the 2014 world U20 10,000m champion made a difficult but bold decision.

“I told my management that I wanted to go back home and build a running culture, and to inspire the young generation here in Uganda.”

As a young athlete – and although it happened 24 years before Cheptegei was born – Cheptegei was made aware of the fact that John Akii-Bua earned Uganda's first Olympic athletics medal when taking 400m hurdles gold in Munich in 1972.

It’s clear that Cheptegei now feels a sense of responsibility when it comes to developing the sport in his country, in much the same way Akii-Bua did more than 50 years ago.

“It’s a privilege to have had great guys like him open the way for us, especially in a difficult time where the country was unstable,” says Cheptegei.

Akii-Bua was forced to live out a large part of his life outside Uganda, moving to Kenya towards the final days of the Idi Amin dictatorship.

Likewise, Uganda’s next Olympic gold medalist, Stephen Kiprotich, trained for much of his career in their eastern neighbor.

The then 15-year-old Cheptegei admits taking a break from kicking a football around the schoolyard to watch Kiprotich win Olympic marathon gold in 2012, that being the moment he made his own plans for global success.

“I was like, ‘right it’s in my heart. I want to become a champion, a national hero like him’.”

Cheptegei has developed those ambitions. For better or worse, he aims to deliberately show the next generation they need not leave home. No altitude camps elsewhere, high tech facilities or trips to some winter sun.

“I have always trained in Uganda, always and always," he reiterates.

Despite the world records, Olympic gold and world championship titles, Cheptegei still feels that to prove that emphatically, one achievement remains left to tick off.

It's all about the number 10.

“2024, it’ll be 10 years running internationally,” he says. “10 years at a high level.

“I'm still in love with the 10,000m, the special distance. I still want to go to Paris and win.”

Only Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie have won more world 10,000m titles than Cheptegei. Both won two Olympic golds in the event.

Cheptegei will head to the French capital hungry to find his first, motivated in the knowledge that in doing so he'll send a message to that young Ugandan watching, hoping to follow in his path.

Patrick Makau believes current generation of athletes can run under 2 hours

Former world marathon record holder Patrick Makau believes the current generation of athletes in the country will soon run under two hours in the marathon.

The 38-year-old is also notable for his half marathon performances, having won several prominent competitions in Europe in sub-1-hour performances.

Some of the races include the Berlin Half Marathon in 2007, where he clocked 58:56 hours.

Marathons had changed a lot due to technology and were far better than the marathons they ran during his time.

“As I see it, the marathons have changed a lot because it is not like the olden times. We used to view sub-two hours as something unattainable but now with the current crop of athletes like the current world record holder Kevin Kiptum and two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, this looks like a possibility,” he noted.

The signs of an athlete running a marathon in under two hours are already evident if Kipchoge and Kiptum's recent performances are anything to go by.

In an unofficial race in Vienna, Austria in 2019, Kipchoge became the first person ever to run a marathon in under two hours, clocking 1:59.40 during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

Regarded as one of the greatest marathoners of all time, Kipchoge was the world record holder in the marathon then with a time of 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin. His mark was later broken by Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon on October 8, 2023, when he clocked 2:00:35.

The 24-year-old Kiptum is currently the only person in history to run the marathon in under two hours and one minute in a record-eligible race.

Kiptum has won all three of the major marathons he has entered between December 2022 and October 2023 with three of his times among the six fastest in history. Makau revealed that hard work and endurance were the key for him to break the world record in 2011.

“I used to go to train in Iten and Machakos and to the polishing in Ngong. This is because speed work and build-up are two different programs,” Makau noted.

Makau encouraged athletes to find a training routine that would enable them to run a sub-two-hour marathon shortly.

“What Kiptum, Kipchoge and the other athletes can do now is to find the pace that will be able to help them run a sub-two-hour marathon shortly,” he added.

The duo currently occupy the top two positions in the world marathon ranking. Ethiopians Kenenisa Bekele (2:01.41), Sisay Lemma (2:01.48 hrs), Birhanu Legese (2:02.48 hrs) and Mosinet Geremew  (2:02.55 hrs) follow in that order.

The former world record holder, who currently trains the Kenya Police team and other athletes, also cited technology, especially in running shoes as a reason behind the fastest times being witnessed.

“During our time, there was not as much technology as we were accustomed to normal shoes. In today’s era,  running shoe technology plays a key role in determining the pace in a  particular race,” he said.

Innovations in Running Shoe Technology mean shoes are now lighter, more dynamic, and more resilient, thanks to advancements in foams, rubbers, construction, textiles, and other essential components.

Kipchoge's performances during the INEOS 1:59 challenge opened the world's eyes to the condensed foam, carbon-plated super shoes which Nike claimed could increase running efficiency and in particular the amount of oxygen consumed per minute by by 4 percent. 

Makau is optimistic the young athletes under his wings will also go further and make not only him but also the country proud. He said he is looking forward to the national trials in April to see if they get selected.

“We have intensified training in both Machakos and Kitui camps and I am hopeful. I am waiting for the trials in April to see if they will be able to represent Kenya at the Paris 2020 Olympic Games,” he said.

He also tipped Kenya to once again dominate the marathon at the Olympic Games slated for July 26 to August 11.

“I am sure Kipchoge, Kiptum, Peres Jepchirchir and Ruth Chepng'etich will represent the country well in the marathon at the Olympics,” he asserted. 

Faith Kipyegon donates history-making spikes to the Museum of World Athletics

Double world record holder Faith Kipyegon has donated her history-making bright pink running spikes to the Museum of World Athletics.

Three-time World 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon has donated the spikes that she competed in at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary to the Museum of World Athletics.

The reigning World 5000m champion wore those bright pink running spikes while making history during last year’s global bonanza.

Kipyegon has now graciously chosen to donate to MOWA in recognition of the historic double accomplished by the Kenyan phenomenon with her formidable finish in the gripping 12-and-a-half lap final.

Kipyegon was in a class of her own during last year’s event, bagging both the 1500m and 5000m titles. In the 1500m final in Budapest, she controlled the race all the way, gradually winding up the pace before kicking hard at the bell and opening up a wide gap with 200m remaining.

She crossed the line in 3:54.87, comfortably clear of the young Ethiopian Diribe Welteji, who took second in 3:55.69. The fast-finishing Sifan Hassan claimed bronze in 3:56.00.

As would be the case in the 5000m, Kipyegon with the smooth, perfectly balanced high temp running style secured a historic achievement with her 1500m success.

No woman had ever completed a hat-trick of World Championships titles at the distance. Algeria’s Hassiba Boulmerka, Tatyana Tomashova of Russia, and Bahraini Maryam Jamal all won twice at the distance.

Kipyegon's first 1500m title came in London back in 2017 and her second in Oregon in 2022. In between, in Doha in 2019, on the comeback trail after the birth of her daughter, Alyn, she took the silver medal behind Hassan.

She now has focus on the Olympic Games where she intends to make history one more time by bagging her third Olympic title.

“That’s the big fish. If I win three times, back-to-back Olympic titles at 1500m, it will be a motivation to the next generation. And it will be a big motivation for me to try to achieve it. It would be a big legacy to leave behind. It would be something else,” she said as per World Athletics.

Kenyan runner gets four-year ban for sending doppelgänger to take drug test

The former indoor 600m world record holder, Michael Saruni of Kenya, was handed a four-year ban on Feb. 1, by the Anti-Doping Association of Kenya (ADAK) for sending a friend to impersonate him during a drug test at the 2022 Kenyan Trials for the 2022 World Championships.

According to the ADAK report, Saruni was found guilty of “evading sample collection, or without compelling justification, refusing, and running away.” In June 2022, the ADAK Doping Control Officer (DCO) notified Saruni that he was to undergo doping control after competing in the 800m final at the Kenyan trials, and was required to provide blood and urine samples. “It was further alleged that the athlete adamantly evaded, refused, and failed to give a sample or submit to sample collection and by collusion or trickery escaped or left the venue.”

The ADAK panel added that Saruni asked a lookalike to impersonate him and provide a sample on his behalf. According to the report, Saruni had locked himself in a toilet stall. Then the DCO allegedly watched someone moving to Saruni’s stall. When approached to identify, he ran for it and allegedly jumped over a perimeter wall at the venue. Saruni claimed he had never been summoned by testers at the Kenyan trials. He is banned until Aug. 30, 2027.

Saruni was the former world record holder for 600m indoors, with a personal best of 1:14.79. He is also the Kenyan national record holder for 800m indoors, running 1:43.98 at the 2019 Millrose Games.

Although we are only two months into 2024, Saruni’s suspension could be an early candidate for the craziest doping ban of the year. I wonder if he and his doppelgänger are still friends, or if he got a refund for his services, since the lookalike didn’t pull it off.

There are currently 75 Kenyan athletes on the AIU’s Global List of Ineligible Persons. The Kenyan government is in the second year of its $25 million, five-year campaign to test more athletes and eliminate doping in athletics. The AIU is working with the Kenyan government, Athletics Kenya and ADAK to combat the issue.

Ethiopian Tamirat Tola heads stellar field for RAK Half Marathon

Former world marathon champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia has confirmed his participation in the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon on February 24. The area is where he emerged as a world-class road runner when winning the neighbouring Dubai Marathon in 2017.

Chicago Marathon winner Seifu Tura and former women’s half marathon world record holder, Ababel Yeshaneh, will also be joining their compatriot in RAK. The entry for the 17th edition of the event is expected to read like a who’s who of international distance running as a wealth of elite athletes seek to take advantage of the benign Gulf conditions in the countdown for the spring marathons and the Paris Olympics.

Having won Olympic bronze on the track at Rio 2016, Tola established himself as one of the leading road runners of his generation when he won Dubai 2017, and followed that up with silver at the World Championships in London later that year. Tola won world marathon gold in Eugene in 2022, but in the interim, he won the Amsterdam Marathon in 2021 and then topped that with victory in the New York City Marathon three months ago. He also finished third in the Tokyo and London Marathons in 2022. The 33-year-old’s fastest half marathon was a winning performance in 59:37 in Prague in 2017. His close family also keeps him on his toes; his wife Dera Dida won the Dubai Marathon 2023, and his younger brother Abdisa took the corresponding men’s title.

It’s a measure of the fast course in RAK that his compatriot Tura has run over a minute faster than Tola, but his 58:36 in 2022 was only good for fourth. But a victory and second place in the Chicago Marathon has bolstered his credentials.

Their colleague Ababel Yeshaneh returns to the scene of one of her greatest victories, having set a world record of 64:31 in winning on the spectacular course around Al Marjan Island in the 2020 race. That time remains her personal best at the distance, although at the marathon distance, she also has two runner-up finishes to her name in Chicago 2019 and Boston 2022, as well as a third-place finish at the New York Marathon 2021.

The three Ethiopians will join elite fields that already include men’s defending champion Benard Kibet of Kenya (58:45) and his colleague, reigning Olympic Marathon Champion and three-time World Half Marathon Champion Peres Jepchirchir, who set her best half marathon in winning RAK 2017 in a then world record of 65:06.

Defending champion Bernard Koech returns to Hamburg

Defending champion and course record holder Bernard Koech will return for the 38th edition of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg on 28th April. The 36 year-old Kenyan, who improved the course best to 2:04:09 last year, will face very strong opponents in Germany’s major spring marathon.

Samwel Mailu of Kenya and Ethiopia’s Abdisa Tola, who both produced breakthrough performances in 2023, will challenge the defending champion. In Martin Musau there will be another former winner of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg returning to the race: The Ugandan was the winner in 2021.

“After two course records in a row we can look forward to another high quality men’s race. Bernard Koech, Samwel Mailu and Abdisa Tola are all capable of running world-class times on the fast course. We are happy that these three have chosen Hamburg for their spring marathon,“ said  chief organiser Frank Thaleiser, who expects a total of around 12,000 marathon runners on 28th April. Online registration for the race is still possible at: www.haspa-marathon-hamburg.de

“I am looking forward to returning to Hamburg. Last year’s victory was a perfect comeback performance for me, because I had problems for some time and there were the Corona lockdowns as well,“ said Bernard Koech, who tied his two year-old personal best of 2:04:09 last year in Hamburg. However, after achieving his biggest career victory in that race the Kenyan was unlucky when he ran the Amsterdam Marathon in autumn. An injury forced him to drop out of the race. Looking ahead to his Hamburg return Bernard Koech said: “Although I broke the course record last year I believe that I can still run faster in Hamburg.“

A fast pace should suit Samwel Mailu, who wants to improve his personal best. The Kenyan newcomer, who is already 31 years old, stormed to a sensational course record of 2:05:08 despite warm weather conditions at the Vienna Marathon last spring. Later that year he produced another exceptional performance. Added to the Kenyan team at very short notice Samwel Mailu took the bronze medal at the World Half Marathon Championships in Riga, Latvia. “I chose Hamburg for my spring marathon because of the fast course. Hopefully I can improve my current 2:05personal best to 2:04,“ said Samwel Mailu.

23 year-old Ethiopian Abdisa Tola will be another top contender on 28th April. The younger brother of Tamirat Tola, the World Marathon Champion from 2021 and current New York Marathon winner, ran a stunning marathon debut a year ago: Abdisa Tola won the competitive Dubai Marathon in 2:05:42.

Besides Bernard Koech there will be another runner in the elite field who has already won the Haspa Marathon Hamburg: Martin Musau of Uganda took the race with 2:10:15 in 2021, when the fields were much reduced due to the pandemic. It was last year in Hamburg, when Musau improved to a fine 2:08:45 and finished in seventh position.

Kelvin Kiplagat ready to follow Eliud Kipchoge's footsteps

Kelvin Kiplagat, an athlete from Eldama Ravine has opened up on his admiration for marathon king Eliud Kipchoge and World Half Marathon silver medallist Daniel Simiu.

Kelvin Kiplagat is keenly following in the footsteps of former world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge and World Half Marathon silver medallist Daniel Simiu.

The Eldama Ravine-based athlete has been slowly making strides to match the achievements of his role models and he is surely on the track.

He was in action during the second Athletics Kenya weekend meet held at the Ulinzi Sports Complex where he dominated the men’s 10,000m. He was also in action in the first weekend meet and competed in the 3000m race where he finished fifth.

“I look up to my coaches for advice and they inspire me a lot. I also want to be like Eliud Kipchoge and Daniel Simiu who have cemented their places in the world of athletics,” Kiplagat told Pulse Sports.

He will be keen to make his debut in the national team this season, having set eyes on the Kip Keino Classic, the World Cross-country Championships, and the Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Making his first Team Kenya berth will be a dream come true since he has been burning the midnight oil to keep his hopes alive.

“I’m targeting the Kip Keino Classic, Olympics, and the Cross-country championships. I have never represented Kenya before and achieving that will mean that my hard work has finally paid off.

“I started running back in primary, in class seven and I competed up to county level. In class eight, I got to the regional levels and then when I joined secondary school, the Covid-19 pandemic came and disrupted everything,” he said.

But after the pandemic was over, Kiplagat put on his spikes once again and represented his school, Sinonin Secondary School, at the East Africa level where he finished second in the 5000m race.

Emily Sisson, Olympic Marathon Trials favorite, is ready for Saturday

Emily Sisson is the American record holder (2:18:29) in the marathon and the pre-race favorite to win the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials.

At the time of publication, 64.2% of you are picking her to win the Trials in the LRC $20,024 Prediction Contest Sponsored by Relay.

Sisson talked to LRC this week via video conference, and by all accounts her buildup for Orlando has gone very well.

“Everything’s been better, all the long runs, all the tempos, and actually my long interval workouts, those have actually been better than they’ve been before.”

When Sisson was asked to compare her fitness and buildup to the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon where she broke the American record, she said:

Everything’s been better, all the long runs, all the tempos, and actually my long interval workouts, those have actually been better than they’ve been before.

The workouts like on paper, like the times they’re all better. I think like I get confidence from that, but also just I’m feeling good and I’m feeling strong. So the training’s been good.

Sisson ran a 30:52 time trial on the roads in Arizona, which is just slightly slower than her official track PB of 30:49. Sisson, unlike Trials #2 contender Betsy Saina who ran a workout with 12 male pacers in Kenya, ran the workout all alone although her husband Shane was next to her on a bike. Sisson wasn’t blown away by almost setting a 10k PR in practice, as she said her track PR should be much faster. But she was pleased she could run that pace by herself. “I was happy that I was able to push myself that hard on my own,” she said.

Lessons from Chicago 2023

Chicago 2023 didn’t go as well as Chicago 2022 for Sisson, as she developed a side stitch later in the race and ran 2:22:09 for 7th place.

Sisson now views the Chicago 2023 setback as a positive experience as she learned from it. “We found some videos early on in Chicago and I just looked a little less fluid this past fall than I did in my 2022 Chicago.  It was really subtle, like there was a little bit more movement in my upper body. So, we’re trying to like stay on top of that a bit more this time just to make sure nothing like a side stitch or anything else breaks down again,” she said, adding she worked with chiropractor John Ball.

Respect for the competition and the marathon distance

Sisson enters the Trials not only fit but healthy. When asked whether she worries about the other competitors in the race, she said, “It’s not that I don’t worry about my competitors. It’s not that I don’t think about them, but, I just feel like the marathon’s different than like a half marathon or a 10k. When I go into those races, I’m just trying to be as fit as I can and try to be fitter than my other competitors. But in the marathon, you are racing your other competitors, but you’re also racing the marathon itself. So it doesn’t matter, what your competitors are doing.”

“I feel fit and I feel healthy. With a marathon, that’s not everything, but those are two big parts of it. So I am happy with that. I’m happy with how training went,” Sisson said.

Getting a Real Olympic Experience

While Sisson made the 2020 Olympic in the 10,000m, she,  like Aliphine Tuliamuk, said she missed out on the traditional Olympic experience because of the Covid protocols.  She’d like to get another shot at it. “Being an Olympian is like the biggest dream,” she said of a goal that started when she watched Olympic gymnastics with her mom as a kid.

“I was so thankful they happened in 2021, but it was definitely a different Olympic experience than Olympics prior. So I’d love to get back there.”

Of Sisson’s 5 marathons, the only one that went poorly was the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta where she dropped out.

Now with some time to reflect, Sisson has a better picture of what she think went wrong. “I think I went too hard in the buildup. I think my body, when I was standing on the start line,  I think I was tired and, and I just didn’t realize it at the time because I was so new to the marathon, I thought it was just so normal to be tired,  but there were things afterwards that I looked back on and there were signs that maybe I’d pushed it too hard in training.”

Sisson has backed off a little in her training this time. “So we did try to focus this time on getting good training in, getting in a good buildup, but just not overdoing it.  I don’t wanna leave my race in training,” she said.

Sisson does believe she can do well in a hilly marathon. If she qualifies for Paris, she’ll get the chance as the Olympic course has a massive uphill heading to Versailles.

Magdalyne Masai eyeing a great start to her season at Sevilla Marathon

Magdalyne Masai has been confirmed for the Sevilla Marathon where she hopes to start her season on a good note.

The 2023 Vienna City Marathon champion Magdalyne Masai has been confirmed for the Sevilla Marathon scheduled for Sunday February 18.

Masai will be opening her season at the event with the hope of stunning her opponents and continuing her hot streak from last season.

Last season, the Kenyan was on fire, winning the Vienna Marathon and also finishing third at the Roma Ostia Half Marathon. However, she stumbled at the Frankfurt Marathon where she finished ninth but she will be out to prove her marathon prowess once again.

She will be up against Namibian long-distance runner Helalia Johannes, who is aged 43 but still has it in her legs to run well.

The Namibian only competed once last season, at the Daegu International Marathon that saw her finish 10th and she will seek to start her season on a good note this year.

Azmera Gebru, an Ethiopian runner, has also been confirmed for the event and she will be out to give Masai a run for her money.

Gebru returns to competitive running after a mixed two years and she has her fingers crossed to run well this season.

Last year, she was in action at the Zurich Marathon in Barcelona which saw her finish sixth while in 2022, she was confirmed for the Prague Marathon where she failed to finish the race.

The race organizers of the event are still announcing the elite athletes of the event which will promise fireworks owing to the women who have already been announced.

Kibiwott Kandie and Ruth Chepngetich will lead strong fields to the Barcelona Half Marathon

Kibiwott Kandie and Ruth Chepngetich will lead strong fields to the Barcelona Half Marathon with the aim of shattering the course records.

The race organizers of the 34th Barcelona Half Marathon have expressed their thrill ahead of the event set for Sunday February 11 with more than 28,000 confirming participation in the largest half marathon in Spain and the second largest in Europe.

The organizers have also expressed interest in achieving new course records in both the men’s and women’s races. The men’s course record currently stands at 58:53 while the women’s is 1:04:37.

They will be banking on the 23 international elite athletes who will be competing for the top prize. In the men's field, Kibiwott Kandie stands out.

The three-time Valencia Half Marathon champion and former world record holder over the distance will be aspiring for a podium finish.

Also seeking for top honors will be Prague Half Marathon winner Philemon Kiplimo, Mathew Kimeli (58:43), and Hillary Kipkoech (59:22).

Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay will also be in the mix with the hope of having a great build-up ahead of his return to the Boston Marathon.

In the women’s race, the rival to beat will be two-time Chicago Marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich. She is the 2019 World Marathon champion and also holds the fourth fastest time over the distance.

Her main opponent will be her compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei, runner-up in the world half marathon in 2018 and who already ran the Mitja de Barcelona achieving a personal best of 1:04:46.

The formidable duo will be joined by the Ethiopian Senbere Teferi and another Kenyan, Gladys Chepkurui, both with achieving under one hour and six minutes.

National record holder Kengo Suzuki joins Tokyo Marathon field

Japanese national record-holder Kengo Suzuki will be part of a strong Tokyo Marathon men's field, led by two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, organizers said Tuesday.

The March 3 marathon is the last of the two remaining "final challenge" races for Japan's third and last spot in the men's marathon at the Paris Olympics.

Also invited are Ichitaka Yamashita, Kenya Sonota and Kazuya Nishiyama, who represented Japan at last summer's world athletics championships in Budapest.

The Osaka Marathon, scheduled for Feb. 25, is the second of the three races, the first having taken place in Fukuoka in December.

Naoki Koyama and Akira Akasaki have already clinched their Paris Olympic berths by finishing first and second, respectively, at October's Marathon Grand Championship in Tokyo.

The Tokyo Marathon women's race will feature Hitomi Niiya, runner of Japan's third-fastest marathon, and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who won both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Vincent Kipkemboi returns to torment Eliud Kipchoge at Tokyo Marathon

Vincent Kipkemboi, the man who gave Eliud Kipchoge a run for his money at the 2023 Berlin Marathon will be out to torment him once more at the Tokyo Marathon.

The Tokyo Marathon race organizers have announced the full elite fields and former world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge will surely not have a smooth sailing at the event.

Kipchoge’s closest challenger Vincent Kipkemboi, has been invited to compete at the event and he will surely be out to torment Kipchoge.

At the 2023 Berlin marathon, the four-time London Marathon was spotted looking back during the race and the commentators noted that it was the first time in a long time that Kipchoge was spotted looking worried.

Kipkemboi was just making his debut and with the type of race he executed for a second-place finish, he will surely be out to give Kipchoge a nightmare.

Another athlete to watch will be Timothy Kiplagat, an able marathoner who has cemented his place in the world of road running.

The 2022 Chicago Marathon champion, Benson Kipruto, will also be out to challenge Kipchoge’s charges after proving his prowess at last year’s Boston Marathon where he finished third. In that race, Kipchoge finished sixth and noted that he had a problem with his left leg.

The international challenge will come from Uganda’s Victor Kiplagat who will be keen to make a name for himself at the event. Ethiopia’s Tsehay Getachew will also be in the mix, looking to challenge Kipchoge and the Kenyan charge.

Hailemaryam Kiros has also confirmed participation in the event and he will also be looking to fly the Ethiopian flag high.

Meanwhile, Kipchoge will be building up for the Paris Olympic Games in Paris, France where he intends to be the first man to win the marathon title three times in a row.

Veteran racewalker Samuel Gathimba eyes the Olympic Games

Veteran racewalker Samuel Gathimba will be out to fly the Kenyan flag high as he eyes the Olympic Games and All Africa Games.

Three-time African race walk champion Samuel Gathimba is working round the clock to ensure he represents Team Kenya well.

Gathimba will be returning to the All Africa Games in Accra, Ghana where he will seek to bag another gold medal for Kenya.

He has won the All Africa Games title once, during the 2019 edition held in Morocco, Rabat, and settled for silver in the 2015 edition of the event that was held in Brazzaville, Congo. The multiple national champion has already exuded confidence about winning another gold medal.

“I will automatically be going for another title…my hope is to go and represent my country well and win a gold medal,” Gathimba said.

The veteran race walker hit the qualifying time for the Olympic Games last year during the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

He posted a personal best time of 1:18:34 to finish among the top 10 and reveled at the remarkable achievement which leaves him longing to fly the Kenyan flag high in Paris.

He was in action at the third Athletics Kenya weekend meet held at the Nyayo National Stadium where he beat a strong field of young and talented walkers to claim top honors.

“Without a doubt, I already qualified and this is just training towards the global showpiece. My coach and I have been working together and I can confidently say that my body is responding well,” Gathimba said.

Defending champion Rosemary Wanjiru pitted against Sifan Hassan at Tokyo Marathon

Rosemary Wanjiru will return to the Tokyo Marathon to defend her title and she will have her work cut out since in-form Sifan Hassan has also been confirmed.

Defending champion Rosemary Wanjiru will be up against the 2023 Chicago and London Marathon champion Sifan Hassan at the Tokyo Marathon scheduled for Sunday, March 3.

During last year’s edition of the race, Wanjiru destroyed a strong field to claim the top prize, cutting the tape in 2:16:28. She enjoyed her 2023 season and will be looking to continue the hot streak to 2024.

Wanjiru also represented Kenya at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary where she finished sixth in the marathon.

Dutch woman Hassan is, however, not to be downplayed since she has proven what she can do both on the track and the full marathon.

Hassan made her full marathon debut at the London Marathon and won in the most dramatic way. She clocked 2:18:33 to beat marathon experts including Peres Jepchirchir, the reigning Olympic marathon champion.

She extended her winning streak to the Chicago Marathon where she stunned defending champion Ruth Chepng’etich to second place.

Hassan will be eyeing the Olympic Games and the Toyo Marathon is a better place for her to build up for the event.

Kenyan-born Israeli Lonah Salpeter has also been invited and she will be out to challenge the double Olympic champion and Wanjiru for the top prize. 

Salpeter has also been making headlines recently and she finished third at the World Championships last year.

The Ethiopians will be led by Sutume Kebede and Tigist Abayechew who will be out to reclaim the title they lost to Kenya last year. 

Magdalena Shauri of Tanzania will also be hoping to continue soaring high after her dominant exploits in Berlin last year where she finished third.

Kenyan Sammy Kitwara wins Marrakech Marathon

The 2010 World Half Marathon bronze medallist, Sammy Kitwara ran away with the men’s marathon title at the 34th edition of the Marrakesh International Marathon held on Sunday (28) at the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, stadium in Marrakech, Morocco.

The 37 year-old who is also the 2015 Valencia Marathon champion, took the honors in a time of 2:07.55 and was followed by Morocco’s Omar Ait Chitachen in second place in a time of 2:08.45 with Mustapha Houdadi completing the podium in 2:09.38.

LEADING RESULTS

42KM MEN

Sammy Kitwara        (KEN) 2:07.55

Omar Ait Chitachen (MOR) 2:08.45

Mustapha Houdadi    (MOR) 2:09.38

AIU ban James Karanja for four years

James Karanja, the athlete who competed and won a race during his provisional suspension, has been banned for four years by the AIU.

Kenyan long-distance runner James Karanja has been slapped with a four-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit for violating an anti-doping rule.

Karanja tested positive for the use of 9-norandrosterone, 19-noretiocholanolone, Nandrolone, and his results from September 10, 2023, have been disqualified.

19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone are Metabolites of 19-nortestosterone (Nandrolone) (and 19-norandrostenedione) which are Prohibited Substance under the WADA 2023 Prohibited List under the category S1.1 Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS). They are non-specified substances prohibited at all times.

The AIU explained that the athlete failed to respond to any of their messages and therefore he will be banned for four years unless he reaches out and proves that the Anti-Doping Rule Violations were not intentional.

“The Athlete has not demonstrated that the Anti-Doping Rule Violations were not intentional. Therefore, the mandatory period of Ineligibility is a period of Ineligibility of four (4) years,” the AIU further noted.

Meanwhile, after being provisionally suspended last year, Karanja breached the AIU rules and went ahead to compete and win the Tropical Rainforest Run, a trail half-marathon in Tawau Hills, Malaysia.

The AIU makes it clear that during a provisional suspension, an athlete is not supposed to compete as they conduct their investigations.

According to the AIU, Karanja tested positive for the prohibited substance Norandrosterone during an in-competition test at the 2023 Kuching Marathon, where he finished fourth and was eligible for prize money.

Little-known Emmanuel Kiprop set sights on Paris Olympics

Emmanuel Kiprop is ready to go for everything including the Olympic Games after a great start to his 2024 season.

Emmanuel Kiprop will be keen to make an impression this season as he eyes the crème de la crème of events lined up for 2024.

The 24-year-old donned the Team Kenya jersey for the first time during the 2023 World Cross-country Championships held in Bathurst, Australia, and finished 19th in the senior men’s race.

Last season, he also tried making an impact at the World Championships national trials but finished outside of the cut-off point in both the 5000m and 10,000m.

He opened his 2024 season at the second Athletics Kenya meet held at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Lang'ata where he won the 1500m in style.

“The race was a bit challenging because that was my first time running the 1500m…I was trying to build on my speed.

"My target is to represent the country at the All-African Games and even the Olympic Games. Last year I competed at the World Cross-country Championships and that was like an eye opener for me,” Kiprop told Pulse Sports.

Going forward, the long-distance runner explained that he will work on his speed and endurance as he eyes the breakthrough. He noted that he will mostly focus on the 5000m since that is where he has more strength.

“I want to work on my speed that’s why I want to run more 1500m and 800m races to work on my speed. The 5000m is where I have capabilities and that’s where I will channel my energy to,” he added.

2017 Valencia Marathon champion to compete in first marathon after doping ban

The 2017 Valencia Marathon champion will be keen to make a comeback to winning ways this year after successfully serving his doping ban.

An estimated 13,000 runners from more than 70 countries have been confirmed for the Marrakech International Marathon (MIM), scheduled for Sunday, January 28.

Sammy Kitwara, a former World Half Marathon Championships bronze medalist will bid to make an impression in his first marathon after concluding his doping ban.

The 2017 Valencia Marathon champion was banned by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) back in 2019 for the presence of Nanning Terbutaline, a drug used as a "reliever" inhaler in the management of asthma symptoms.

His positive test came from the Seul International Marathon in March 2019 where he took seventh place with 2:09:52. Kitwara said he took the drug without knowing it was banned by WADA. He had also failed to consult with a doctor to obtain a therapeutic use exemption (TUE).

Kitwara will be joined by compatriot Nicholas Kirwa and the Kenyan duo will be up against top runners including Ethiopia’s Hiribo Shano Share and Omar Ait Chitachen.

Speaking at a press conference, Mohamed Knidiri, the Grand Atlas (AGA) and director of this international competition indicated that the marathon is organized under the high patronage of HM King Mohammed VI.

“Over the years, MIM has become a school for promoting and launching great champions of this discipline, who have left their mark on the international scene, particularly among Moroccan athletes.

“Thanks to upstream planning and operational management experienced in major competitions, the MIM aims not only to obtain the 11th place in the world obtained in 2013 but, even better, to become the essential international meeting for all the stars of this sporting discipline, like its glorious position in 2012 when it was the only marathon on the African continent qualified for the London Olympic Games,” he said.

He also hoped that this edition would be marked by the achievement of new records, particularly among the men.

For Betsy Saina, the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon Presents a Chance to Represent Her Son

For much of last year, Betsy Saina had a plan. She would race the Chicago Marathon in October, eager to run alongside Emma Bates (who placed fifth at last year’s Boston Marathon in a new personal best of 2:22:10) in pursuit of breaking Emily Sisson’s American record of 2:18:29, set the previous year at that same race.

Saina, 35, a naturalized U.S. citizen who represented Kenya in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro—she placed fifth in the 10,000 meters 30:07.78—had reason to be confident. Last spring, she set a new personal best of 2:21:40 with her fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Marathon, which wound up being the fastest marathon by an American woman in 2023 and made her the eighth-fastest U.S. female marathoner of all-time, solidifying her position as a top U.S. Olympic marathon team contender.

The Chicago Marathon had assured Saina’s agent, Tom Broadbent, that she was in for the race. But when the elite field was announced in August, Saina learned she had not been accepted, which not only threw a wrench in her fall training plans, but made for a lot of stress as she was planning her U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials buildup.

“I was shocked and spent three days looking at myself and trying to find any mistakes I made to not make the field, especially after running 2:21 in Tokyo,” Saina says. “I had never been rejected from a race before, and never got a response or an explanation as to why I didn’t make it. Being denied to run in Chicago honestly was one of the most disappointing things I’ve experienced in my career.”

Saina looked into entering the Berlin Marathon the following month, but had no such luck getting in with it being so late in the game. She was ultimately accepted into the Sydney Marathon (which shares its sponsor, ASICS, with Saina) on September 16. Unlike Chicago—with its fast, flat course that ended up having ideal racing conditions with temperatures in the 40s—Sydney has a hilly course and race-day weather was on the hotter side, with a starting temperature of 68 degrees.

Despite the conditions, Saina proved herself once again, winning the race in 2:26:47. This sealed her confidence as she began to look ahead to the Olympic Trials in Orlando on February 3. If she’s one of the top three finishers in the women’s race in Florida, she’ll earn a spot on the U.S. team that will compete in the marathon at the Paris Olympics on August 11.

“Challenges make people strong, and running a good marathon on a harder course made me come back feeling motivated,” she says. “[Even though it wasn’t the faster time I originally wanted], it didn’t stop me from being a better version of myself.”

Transcendent Transplant

Despite her impressive performances in 2023, Saina has remained largely under the radar in terms of media coverage and fan predictions leading up to the Trials in Orlando, similarly to what fellow Kenyan-born marathoners Aliphine Tuliamuk and Sally Kipyego (both of whom made the last Olympic marathon team) experienced in 2020. The lack of attention relative to her competitors hasn’t fazed Saina, however.

“I know how to deal with pressure, having been in the sport since 2013, so as long as my training is going well, I don’t pay too much attention to what people say,” Saina says. “I’m just more excited to see many of the U.S. women [who are also] my friends, like Emily Sisson, Sara Hall, and Keira D’Amato, and to be racing so many amazing U.S. athletes for the first time.”

Saina’s result in Tokyo was only about a minute faster than her debut at the distance at the 2018 Paris Marathon, which she won in 2:22:56 (after dropping out of the 2017 Tokyo and New York City Marathons). It was also a confidence boost for Saina because it was also her first marathon since giving birth to her son, Kalya, now two, in December 2021, after previously running 2:22:43 and 2:31:51 at the 2019 Toronto Waterfront and Honolulu Marathons, respectively.

Saina—who originally came to the U.S. to attend Iowa State University where she trained alongside Tuliamuk and was a three-time individual NCAA champion and 11-time NCAA All-American—has remained in her hometown of Iten, Kenya, for the majority of the time since having her son, as her husband, Meshack Korir, is a doctor completing his postgraduate education there.

Although Saina became a U.S. citizen in late 2020 and has a home base in Colorado Springs, she made the decision to return to Kenya to have additional family support and childcare as she worked to come back from pregnancy and childbirth to prepare for the Olympic Trials, which she’ll return for just a few days before the race. Saina also keeps busy managing a couple of guesthouses, which she regularly rents out to visiting athletes and tourists. She also works with Cross World Africa, a nonprofit that sponsors underprivileged children in pursuing secondary and higher education.

“Before I came from Kenya, my family was struggling and we had to fundraise for my flight ticket to come to the U.S. Being here has changed my family in a different way—I have two sisters who are now nurses in the U.S., and my parents can now more easily fly to visit us, and while it is not where I began running, the U.S. where I began competing at such a high level,” she says. “My son also gives me so much motivation and is my inspiration. When I see him, I see beauty in myself and see myself getting better when I’m running. So I am excited both to compete and represent my son, and to hopefully wear the U.S. uniform because it has so much meaning for me.”

Back in Iten, Saina has been training in a group with personal pacemakers alongside 2019 New York City Marathon champion Joyciline Jepkosgei, which she describes as game-changing for her progress in the marathon. Both Saina and Jepkosgei, who is also the former world-record holder in the half marathon and Saina’s best friend from high school, are coached by Jepkosgei’s husband, Nicholas Koech.

“Sometimes you will train with people who don’t want to help someone else get better, but [Jepkosgei], who has run 1:04 [in the half marathon] and 2:17 [in the marathon] is unique in that she has sacrificed a lot, which I don’t think a lot of women will ever do for each other, and I don’t think I would either,” Saina says. “But she has been pushing me a lot since the first day I joined her, and I think that’s the reason I came back and I’ve had better races. I have someone to chase and it’s like competition in training, but in a good way.”

American Original

Saina returned to the U.S. twice last year, to race the USATF 25K Championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan, (where she took the win in 1:24:32 for her first U.S. title, narrowly beating D’Amato) and to be inducted into Iowa State’s Athletics Hall of Fame in September. Saina had planned to do some shorter U.S. races, including the Bolder Boulder 10K in May and the NYRR Mini 10K in June, following her national championship title in the 25K. However, she ultimately decided she couldn’t bear to be away from her son any longer.

“As a mom, when you’re away, you are so worried because you’re like, ‘How is he doing right now? How can I handle the pressure, being away from him?’” Saina says. “This year, it’s really different for me because the only race I want to travel to without Kalya is the Olympic Trials. He is growing now and getting better, so I want to travel with him afterward to compete in the USATF circuit. That’s the biggest goal for 2024, to travel with my son.”

Later this year, Saina hopes to also run the April 7 Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in Washington, D.C., the Mini 10K on June 8 in New York City, and a fast spring half marathon to pursue the current American record (which was broken yet again by Weini Kelati on January 14 in Houston), before running another marathon in the fall. In the meantime, she noted that she is especially eager to compete in one of the deepest fields ever assembled for the Trials.

Although Bates withdrew from the Trials, Saina figures to be one of the favorites in Orlando along with Sisson, Hall, Tuliamuk, D’Amato, and Seidel. However, Lindsay Flanagan (ninth in last summer’s world championships), Sara Vaughn, Susanna Sullivan, Gabriella Rooker, Dakotah Lindwurm, and Nell Rojas are all sub-2:25 marathoners, and thus top contenders, too.

“The U.S. is no longer small and non-competitive. Look at Molly Seidel. She got bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, and I remember when Amy [Cragg] was a bronze medalist at the 2017 World Championships. If you put that in perspective, it has changed even more right now compared to that time,” she says. “The competition [to make the U.S. team] is no longer as easy as the way some people [thought], and I’m super excited to be competing with a lot of solid women. There is no difference between the U.S. and other countries right now—it’s not just to go compete at the Olympics; they’re going to compete for the medals, just like other countries.”

Faith Kipyegon revels after receiving 'beautiful' gift from Nike

Faith Kipyegon expressed her excitement after being gifted by her sponsors, Nike.

Double world record holder Faith Kipyegon has expressed her excitement after being gifted a bomber jacket by Nike, her sponsors.

The jacket has a portrait of a mother embracing her child to depict the two-time Olympic champion with her daughter and is quoted with words, ‘MOTHER STRONGER’ at the back.

At the front, one side has the Kenyan flag logo and the other side has the Nike logo. The arms of the jacket are also made of leather to showcase the good quality of the merchandise.

Expressing her gratitude on her X (Twitter) handle, the double World champion shared a snapshot showcasing her radiant smile while donning the sleek Nike bomber jacket. In the caption, she said: “A beautiful present from #NikeRunning.”

Kipyegon's words resonated with the essence of the athlete-sponsor relationship, emphasizing more than just the material aspect of the gift.

The acknowledgment underscored the profound support that sponsors like Nike provide, extending beyond the track to boost an athlete's confidence and style.

The bomber jacket, a symbol of both fashion and functionality, perfectly aligns with Nike's commitment to merging performance and aesthetics. As a global leader in athletic apparel, Nike has consistently demonstrated an understanding of athletes' multifaceted needs.

The brand's dedication to crafting gear that transcends the sporting arena to seamlessly integrate into an athlete's lifestyle is evident in the choice of this trendy yet functional gift for Kipyegon.

Kipyegon's appreciation for the thoughtful gesture serves as a testament to the symbiotic relationship between athletes and their sponsors. Beyond the tracks and competition, it's the unwavering support and thoughtful gestures that foster a sense of camaraderie and gratitude.

As Kipyegon continues to conquer new milestones in her athletic journey, she does so not only as an ambassador for her sport but also as a stylish representative of Nike's commitment to empowering athletes both on and off the field.

Daniel Simiu sights firmly trained on the Paris 2024 Olympics

After scooping the gold medal at the 18th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on October 15 last year, Kenya’s middle-distance track prodigy Daniel Simiu has his sights firmly trained on the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The World Half Marathon silver medalist has vowed to torch the track on his way to a podium finish in the French capital in August.

In an exclusive interview on Friday, Simiu said he is ready to make the country proud at the premier global quadrennial games later in the year, where he hopes to fly the country’s flag in the 5000m race. “I have invested a lot of time in preparations and I’m looking forward to a splendid performance,” Simiu stated.

“There is every chance a Kenyan athlete will win gold this time around but,” he added.

The Commonwealth Games 10,000m silver medalist said the country boasts gifted athletes who possess the mojo to storm the gold medal at the premier annual global.

“What’s important is that we bring the title to Kenya. I’ll be happy if any of us gets to win the race,” he added.

The 27-year-old policeman  pledged to obliterate the star-studded field in Paris en route to a historic triumph.

He will be seeking sweet revenge over his highly-rated Ugandan nemesis Joshua Cheptegei who edged him to the title at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. “I’m determined to improve on my performance at the Commonwealth Games, where I slightly fell short of beating Cheptegei,” Simiu said.

He said he was proud to have wrapped up second at the Commonwealth Games. “Kiplimo is the best men’s 10,000m runner at the moment and emerging second behind him brought me some measure of pride,” Simiu remarked.

Born on September 18, 1995, Ebenyo lost his father early in life to cattle rustling and was raised by his mother and later, grandmother.

Simiu said it was while at Aiyam Day Secondary School that he carved his path to a career in athletics.

“I would always complete a stretch of 24-km trek to and from school,” he said.

He experienced a major setback in 2919 when he finished in second place at the National World Championships trials but was unable to compete as he failed to meet some of the Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU) doping requirements.

Simiu did the in-competition test several times but did not meet the required three out-of-competition tests that are mandatory for all athletes and include both urine and blood, at least one Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) test and one Erythropoietin (Epo) test.

He eventually picked up his pieces and ventured into road racing, where he won the Safaricom Kisii 10-km road race in a time of 29:16.71. The following year, he blazed to victory in the San Silvestre Vallecana 10 km in Spain on January 3.

He won the silver medal over 10,000m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham and placed second again at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Kenyan Anderson Seroi conquers Hong Kong Marathon

Kenya's Anderson Seroi wins Hong Kong Marathon, vows to return for a faster finish amid strong international competition.

Kenya’s Anderson Saitoti Seroi triumphed in the Hong Kong Marathon completing the grueling course in an impressive time of two hours, 12 minutes, and 50 seconds. 

Seroi's victory came amidst challenging conditions, yet his resolve remained unshaken as he immediately set his sights on returning next year for an even swifter conquest.

The race, held on Sunday, saw Seroi narrowly outpace South Africa’s seasoned runner Stephen Mokoka, who secured the second spot with a time of 2:12:58.

 Mekuant Ayenew from Ethiopia rounded out the top three, finishing in 2:13:09.

 This year's marathon was marked by a moderate temperature of around 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) at the start, providing somewhat ideal conditions for the runners.

In the women’s category, Ethiopia’s Medina Armino emerged victorious, clocking in at 2:28:47. 

She was closely followed by Beatrice Cheptoo and Gadise Mulu, who completed the race in 2:29:30 and 2:29:46, respectively. 

Despite the physical toll of the race, Seroi's spirit remained high. 

Post-race, he expressed his gratitude and affection for the city of Hong Kong. 

“First of all, I want to thank God for the win, but also Hong Kong, it’s a beautiful city,” Seroi said. 

“I feel really good, the course is tough but I enjoy running it.” His determination was evident, as he pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion, even experiencing sickness after crossing the finish line.

Seroi, 30, is already planning his return, aiming to shatter his current record.

 "I ran two hours 12 this year, so next year I’ll aim for two hours 10," he stated, showcasing his relentless ambition.

 His 2024 goal is a testament to his unwavering commitment to excellence in the sport.

In a historical context, Seroi's time this year marks a significant achievement, but it also serves as a reminder of the fiercely competitive nature of the marathon.

 In 2023, a time of 2:12:00, achieved by Senbeta Geza Tadease, was only good enough for third place, highlighting the continually evolving standards in marathon running.

The event also doubled as the Asian Marathon Championships, where India’s Man Singh claimed gold with a time of 2:14:19. 

He was followed by China’s Huang Yongzheng and Kyrgyzstan’s Ilya Tiapkin, who finished in 2:15:24 and 2:18:17, respectively.

The Pill That Over Half the Distance Medallists Used at the 2023 Worlds

What's the deal with sodium bicarbonate?What if there was a pill, new to the market this year, that was used by more than half of the distance medalists at the 2023 World Athletics Championships? A supplement so in-demand that there was a reported black market for it in Budapest, runners buying from other runners who did not advance past the preliminary round — even though the main ingredient can be found in any kitchen?

How did this pill become so popular? Well, there are rumors that Jakob Ingebrigtsen has been taking it for years — rumors that Ingebrigtsen’s camp and the manufacturers of the pill will neither confirm nor deny.

So about this pill…does it work? Does it actually boost athletic performance? Ask a sports scientist, someone who’s studied it for more than a decade, and they’ll tell you yes.

“There’s probably four or five legal, natural supplements, if you will, that seem to have withstood the test of time in terms of the research literature and [this pill] is one of those,” says Jason Siegler, Director of Human Performance in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University.

But there’s a drawback to this pill. It could…well, let’s allow Luis Grijalva, who used it before finishing 4th in the World Championship 5,000m final in Budapest, to explain.

“I heard stories if you do it wrong, you chew it, you kind of shit your brains out,” Grijalva says. “And I was a little bit scared.”

The research supports that, too.

“[Gastrointestinal distress] has by far and away been the biggest hurdle for this supplement,” Siegler says.Okay, enough with the faux intrigue. If you’ve read the subtitle of this article, you know the pill we are talking about is sodium bicarbonate. Specifically, the Maurten Bicarb System, which has been available to the public since February and which has been used by some of the top teams in endurance sports: cycling juggernaut Team Jumbo-Visma and, in running, the On Athletics Club and NN Running Team. (Maurten has sponsorship or partnership agreements with all three).Some of the planet’s fastest runners have used the Maurten Bicarb System in 2023, including 10,000m world champion Joshua Cheptegei, 800m silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson, and 800m silver medalist Emmanuel Wanyonyi. Faith Kipyegon used it before winning the gold medal in the 1500m final in Budapest — but did not use it before her win in the 5,000m final or before any of her world records in the 1500m, mile, and 5,000m.

Herman Reuterswärd, Maurten’s head of communications, declined to share a full client list with LetsRun but claims two-thirds of all medalists from the 800 through 10,000 meters (excluding the steeplechase) used the product at the 2023 Worlds.

After years of trial and error, Maurten believes it has solved the GI issue, but those who have used their product have reported other side effects. Neil Gourley used sodium bicarbonate before almost every race in 2023, and while he had a great season — British champion, personal bests in the 1500 and mile — his head ached after races in a way it never had before. When Joe Klecker tried it at The TEN in March, he felt nauseous and light-headed — but still ran a personal best of 27:07.57. In an episode of the Coffee Club podcast, Klecker’s OAC teammate George Beamish, who finished 5th at Worlds in the steeplechase and used the product in a few races this year, said he felt delusional, dehydrated, and spent after using it before a workout this summer.

“It was the worst I’d felt in a workout [all] year, easily,” Beamish said.

Not every athlete who has used the Maurten Bicarb System has felt side effects. But the sport as a whole is still figuring out what to do about sodium bicarbonate.

Many athletes — even those who don’t have sponsorship arrangements with Maurten — have added it to their routines. But Jumbo-Visma’s top cyclist, Jonas Vingegaard — winner of the last two Tours de France — does not use it. Neither does OAC’s top runner, Yared Nuguse, who tried it a few times in practice but did not use it before any of his four American record races in 2023.“I’m very low-maintenance and I think my body’s the same,” Nuguse says. “So when I tried to do that, it was kind of like, Whoa, what is this? My whole body felt weird and I was just like, I either did this wrong or this is not for me.”

How sodium bicarbonate works

The idea that sodium bicarbonate — aka baking soda, the same stuff that goes in muffins and keeps your refrigerator fresh — can boost athletic performance has been around for decades.

“When you’re exercising, when you’re contracting muscle at a really high intensity or a high rate, you end up using your anaerobic energy sources and those non-oxygen pathways,” says Siegler, who has been part of more than 15 studies on sodium bicarbonate use in sport. “And those pathways, some of the byproducts that they produce, one of them is a proton – a little hydrogen ion. And that proton can cause all sorts of problems in the muscle. You can equate that to that sort of burn that you feel going at high rates. That burn, most of that — not directly, but indirectly — is coming from the accumulation of these little hydrogen ions.”

As this is happening, the kidneys produce bicarbonate as a defense mechanism. For a while, bicarbonate acts as a buffer, countering the negative effects of the hydrogen ions. But eventually, the hydrogen ions win.The typical concentration of bicarbonate in most people hovers around 25 millimoles per liter. By taking sodium bicarbonate in the proper dosage before exercise, Siegler says, you can raise that level to around 30-32 millimoles per liter.

“You basically have a more solid first line of defense,” Siegler says. “The theory is you can go a little bit longer and tolerate the hydrogen ions coming out of the cell a little bit longer before they cause any sort of disruption.”

Like creatine and caffeine, Siegler says the scientific literature is clear when it comes to sodium bicarbonate: it boosts performance, specifically during events that involve short bursts of anaerobic activity. But there’s a catch.

***

Bicarb without the cramping

Sodium bicarbonate has never been hard to find. Anyone can swallow a spoonful or two of baking soda with some water, though it’s not the most appetizing pre-workout snack. The problem comes when the stomach tries to absorb a large amount of sodium bicarbonate at once.

“You have a huge charged load in your stomach that the acidity in your stomach has to deal with and you have a big shift in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide across the gut,” Siegler says. “And that’s what gives you the cramping.”

A few years ago, Maurten was trying to solve a similar problem for marathoners trying to ingest large amounts of carbohydrates during races. The result was their carbohydrate drink, which relies on something called a hydrogel to form in the stomach. The hydrogel resists the acidity of the stomach and allows the carbohydrates to be absorbed in the intestine instead, where there is less cramping.

“We thought, okay, we are able to solve that one,” Reuterswärd says. “Could we apply the hydrogel technology to something else that is really risky to consume that could be beneficial?”

For almost four years, Maurten researched the effects of encapsulating sodium bicarbonate in hydrogels in its Swedish lab, conducting tests on middle-distance runners in Gothenburg. Hydrogels seemed to minimize the risk, but the best results came when hydrogels were paired with microtablets of sodium bicarbonate.

The result was the Maurten Bicarb System — “system,” because the process for ingesting it involves a few steps. Each box contains three components: a packet of hydrogel powder, a packet of tiny sodium bicarbonate tablets, and a mixing bowl. Mix the powder with water, let it stand for a few minutes, and sprinkle in the bicarb.The resulting mixture is a bit odd. It’s gooey. It’s gray. It doesn’t really taste like anything. It’s not quite liquid, not quite solid — a yogurt-like substance flooded with tiny tablets that you eat with a spoon but swallow like a drink.

The “swallow” part is important. Chew the tablets and the sodium bicarbonate will be absorbed before the hydrogels can do their job. Which means a trip to the toilet may not be far behind.

When Maurten launched its Bicarb System to the public in February 2023, it did not have high expectations for sales in year one.

“It’s a niche product,” Reuterswärd says. “From what we know right now, it maybe doesn’t make too much sense if you’re an amateur, if you’re just doing 5k parkruns.” 

But in March, Maurten’s product began making headlines in cycling when it emerged that it was being used by Team Jumbo-Visma, including by stars Wout van Aert and Primož Roglič. Sales exploded. Because bicarb dosage varies with bodyweight, Maurten’s system come in four “sizes.” And one size was selling particularly well.

“If you’re an endurance athlete, you’re around 60-70 kg (132-154 lbs),” Reuterswärd says. “We had a shortage with the size that corresponded with that weight…The first couple weeks, it was basically only professional cyclists buying all the time, massive amounts. And now we’re seeing a similar development in track & field.”

If there was a “Jumbo-Visma” effect in cycling, then this summer there was a “Jakob Ingebrigtsen” effect in running.To be clear: there is no official confirmation that Ingebrigtsen uses sodium bicarbonate. His agent, Daniel Wessfeldt, did not respond to multiple emails for this story. When I ask Reuterswärd if Ingebrigtsen has used Maurten’s product, he grows uncomfortable.

“I would love to be very clear here but I will have to get back to you,” Reuterswärd says (ultimately, he was not able to provide further clarification).

But when Maurten pitches coaches and athletes on its product, they have used data from the past two years on a “really good” 1500 guy to tout its effectiveness, displaying the lactate levels the athlete was able to achieve in practice with and without the use of the Maurten Bicarb System. That athlete is widely believed to be Ingebrigtsen. Just as Ingebrigtsen’s success with double threshold has spawned imitators across the globe, so too has his rumored use of sodium bicarbonate.

Grijalva says he started experimenting with sodium bicarbonate “because everybody’s doing it.” And everybody’s doing it because of Ingebrigtsen.

“[Ingebrigtsen] was probably ahead of everybody at the time,” Grijalva said. “Same with his training and same with the bicarb.”

OAC coach Dathan Ritzenhein took sodium bicarbonate once before a workout early in his own professional career, and still has bad memories of swallowing enormous capsules that made him feel sick. Still, he was willing to give it a try with his athletes this year after Maurten explained the steps they had taken to reduce GI distress.

“Certainly listening to the potential for less side effects was the reason we considered trying it,” says Ritzenhein. “I don’t know who is a diehard user and thinks that it’s really helpful, but around the circuit I know a lot of people that have said they’ve [tried] it.”

Coach/agent Stephen Haas says a number of his athletes, including Gourley, 3:56 1500 woman Katie Snowden, and Worlds steeple qualifier Isaac Updike, tried bicarb this year. In the men’s 1500, Haas adds, “most of the top guys are already using it.”

Yet 1500-meter world champion Josh Kerr was not among them. Kerr’s nutritionist mentioned the idea of sodium bicarbonate to him this summer but Kerr chose to table any discussions until after the season. He says he did not like the idea of trying it as a “quick fix” in the middle of the year.

“I review everything at the end of the season and see where I could get better,” Kerr writes in a text to LetsRun. “As long as the supplement is above board, got all the stamps of approvals needed from WADA and the research is there, I have nothing against it but I don’t like changing things midseason.”

***

So does it actually work?

Siegler is convinced sodium bicarbonate can benefit athletic performance if the GI issues can be solved. Originally, those benefits seemed confined to shorter events in the 2-to 5-minute range where an athlete is pushing anaerobic capacity. Buffering protons does no good to short sprinters, who use a different energy system during races.

“A 100-meter runner is going to use a system that’s referred to the phosphagen or creatine phosphate system, this immediate energy source,” Siegler says. “…It’s not the same sort of biochemical reaction that eventuates into this big proton or big acidic load. It’s too quick.”

But, Siegler says, sodium bicarbonate could potentially help athletes in longer events — perhaps a hilly marathon.

“When there’s short bursts of high-intensity activity, like a breakaway or a hill climb, what we do know now is when you take sodium bicarbonate…it will sit in your system for a number of hours,” Siegler says. “So it’s there [if] you need it, that’s kind of the premise behind it basically. If you don’t use it, it’s fine, it’s not detrimental. Eventually your kidneys clear it out.”Even Reuterswärd admits that it’s still unclear how much sodium bicarbonate helps in a marathon — “honestly, no one knows” — but it is starting to be used there as well. Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum used it when he set the world record of 2:00:35at last month’s Chicago Marathon; American Molly Seidel also used it in Chicago, where she ran a personal best of 2:23:07.

Siegler says it is encouraging that Maurten has tried to solve the GI problem and that any success they experience could spur other companies to research an even more effective delivery system (currently the main alternative is Amp Human’s PR Lotion, a sodium bicarbonate cream that is rubbed into the skin). But he is waiting for more data before rendering a final verdict on the Maurten Bicarb System.

“I haven’t seen any peer-reviewed papers yet come out so a bit I’m hesitant to be definitive about it,” Siegler said.

Trent Stellingwerff, an exercise physiologist and running coach at the Canadian Sport Institute – Pacific, worked with Siegler on a 2020 paper studying the effect of sodium bicarbonate on elite rowers. A number of athletes have asked him about the the Maurten Bicarb System, and some of his marathoners have used the product. Like Siegler, he wants to see more data before reaching a conclusion.

“I always follow the evidence and science, and to my knowledge, as of yet, I’m unaware of any publications using the Maurten bicarb in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial,” Stellingwerff writes in a text to LetsRun. “So without any published data on the bicarb version, I can’t really say it does much.”

The closest thing out there right now is a British study conducted by Lewis Goughof Birmingham City University and Andy Sparks of Edge Hill University. In a test of 10 well-trained cyclists, Gough and Sparks found the Maurten Bicarb System limited GI distress and had the potential to improve exercise performance. Reuterswärd says the study, which was funded by Maurten, is currently in the review process while Gough and Sparks suggested further research to investigate their findings.

What about the runners who used sodium bicarbonate in 2023?

Klecker decided to give bicarb a shot after Maurten made a presentation to the OAC team in Boulder earlier this year. He has run well using bicarb (his 10,000 pb at The TEN) and without it (his 5,000 pb in January) and as Klecker heads into an Olympic year, he is still deciding whether the supposed benefits are worth the drawbacks, which for him include nausea and thirst. He also says that when he has taken the bicarb, his muscles feel a bit more numb than usual, which has made it more challenging for him to gauge his effort in races.

“There’s been no, Oh man I felt just so amazing today because of this bicarb,” Klecker says. “If anything, it’s been like, Oh I didn’t take it and I felt a bit more like myself.”

Klecker also notes that his wife and OAC teammate, Sage Hurta-Klecker, ran her 800m season’s best of 1:58.09 at the Silesia Diamond League on July 16 — the first race of the season in which she did not use bicarb beforehand.

A number of athletes in Mike Smith‘s Flagstaff-based training group also used bicarb this year, including Grijalva and US 5,000 champion Abdihamid Nur. Grijalva did not use bicarb in his outdoor season opener in Florence on June 2, when he ran his personal best of 12:52.97 to finish 3rd. He did use it before the Zurich Diamond League on August 31, when he ran 12:55.88 to finish 4th.“I want to say it helps, but at the same time, I don’t want to rely on it,” Grijalva says.

Almost every OAC athlete tried sodium bicarbonate at some point in 2023. Ritzenhein says the results were mixed. Some of his runners have run well while using it, but the team’s top performer, Nuguse, never used it in a race. Ritzenhein wants to continue testing sodium bicarbonate with his athletes to determine how each of them responds individually and whether it’s worth using moving forward.

That group includes Alicia Monson, who experimented with bicarb in 2023 but did not use it before her American records at 5,000 and 10,000 meters or her 5th-place finish in the 10,000 at Worlds.

“It’s not the thing that’s going to make or break an athlete,” Ritzenhein says. “…It’s a legal supplement that has the potential, at least, to help but it doesn’t seem to be universal. So I think there’s a lot more research that needs to be done into it and who benefits from it.”

The kind of research scientists like Stellingwerff want to see — double-blind, controlled clinical trials — could take a while to trickle in. But now that anyone can order Maurten’s product (it’s not cheap — $65 for four servings), athletes will get to decide for themselves whether sodium bicarbonate is worth pursuing.

“The athlete community, obviously if they feel there’s any sort of risk, they’re weighing up the risk-to-benefit ratio,” Siegler said. “The return has got to be good.”

Grijalva expects sodium bicarbonate will become part of his pre-race routine next year, along with a shower and a cup of coffee. Coffee, and the caffeine contained wherein, may offer a glimpse at the future of bicarb. Caffeine has been widely used by athletes for longer than sodium bicarbonate, and the verdict is in on that one: it works. Yet plenty of the greats choose not to use it.

Nuguse is among them. He does not drink coffee — a fact he is constantly reminded of by Ritzenhein.

“I make jokes almost every day about it,” Ritzenhein says. “His family is Ethiopian – coffee tradition and ceremony is really important to them.”

Ritzenhein says he would love it if Nuguse drank a cup of coffee sometime, but he’s not going to force it on him. Some athletes, Ritzenhein says, have a tendency to become neurotic about these sorts of things. That’s how Ritzenhein was as an athlete. It’s certainly how Ritzenhein’s former coach at the Nike Oregon Project, Alberto Salazar, was — an approach that ultimately earned Salazar a four-year ban from USADA.

Ritzenhein says he has no worries when it comes to any of his athletes using sodium bicarbonate — Maurten’s product is batch-tested and unlike L-carnitine, there is no specific protocol that must be adhered to in order for athletes to use it legally under the WADA Code. Still, there is something to be said for keeping things simple.

“Yared knows how his body feels,” Ritzenhein says. “…He literally rolls out of practice and comes to practice like a high schooler with a Eggo waffle in hand. Probably more athletes could use that kind of [approach].”

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Agnes Jenet Ngetich recently smashed the world 10k record for women but maybe we need to take another look?

Agnes Jebet Ngetich Kenya ran 28min 46sec for 10km road race at Valencia in Spain, Taking half a minute off the previous record.  

Sean Williams posted these thoughts on FB, thoughts shared by many we are sure:  "I don’t usually like to be negative about world records. But I have to admit, for a long distance runner, this girl looks remarkably masculine. So either she was born with an incredibly strong female runner’s body, or she’s on some special kind of juice or she was a bloke a few years ago. 

just check that photo on your post. I’m thinking testosterone, growth hormones or some special new juice that most of us have not heard of yet.  sad to say that the women who have completely smashed world records, apart from in the marathon, and half marathon, tend to look very Masculine.

Take away the painted fingernails, make up and often fancy hair, and you could almost say you’ve got a bunch of guys holding all the female world records from the 100 m through to the 10,000 m. * apart from Faith in the 1500. I have a theory that all the Chinese who were smashing world records in the early 90s (Ma’s army) were all the top Chinese male runners and they got the cut and tuck. 8.06 for a chick in 3000m - come on!"  

What are your thoughts? 

Chebet, Lemma and Geay to clash at Boston Marathon

Evans Chebet and Gabriel Geay, the top two finishers at last year’s BAA Boston Marathon, will return to the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on April 15, to take on recent Valencia Marathon winner Sisay Lemma.

Chebet successfully defended his Boston title last year in 2:05:54. In fact, the Kenyan has won six of his past seven marathons.

Lemma won in Valencia last month in 2:01:48, making him the fourth-fastest man in history. The Ethiopian, who also won the 2021 London Marathon, is the fastest man in this year’s Boston Marathon field, which features 20 men with sub-2:10 PBs.

Tanzania’s Geay, runner-up in Boston last year, has an identical PB to Chebet – 2:03:00 – and, like Chebet, it was also set in Valencia.

Other men in the field with sub-2:05 PBs are Kenya’s Joshua Belet (2:04:18), Ronald Korir (2:04:22), and Cyprian Kotut (2:04:34), as well as Ethiopians Haftu Teklu (2:04:43) and London and New York City runner-up Shura Kitata (2:04:49).

New York Marathon champion Albert Korir, former Japanese record-holder Suguru Osako, and Norwegian record-holder Sondre Moen are also in the field, as are Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi, winner of last week’s Houston Marathon in a course record 2:06:39, and multiple NCAA champion Edward Cheserek.

Elite field

Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:01:48

Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:03:00

Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:03:00

Joshua Belet (KEN) 2:04:18

Ronald Korir (KEN) 2:04:22

Cyprian Kotut (KEN) 2:04:34

Haftu Teklu (ETH) 2:04:43

Shura Kitata (ETH) 2:04:49

John Korir (KEN) 2:05:01

Mohamed Esa (ETH) 2:05:05

Suguru Osako (JPN) 2:05:29

Sondre Moen (NOR) 2:05:48

Filmon Ande (ERI) 2:06:38

Zouhair Talbi (MAR) 2:06:39

Isaac Mpofu (ZIM) 2:06:48

Albert Korir (KEN) 2:06:57

Kento Otsu (JPN) 2:08:15

Ryoma Takeuchi (JPN) 2:08:40

Segundo Jami (ECU) 2:09:05

Tsegay Tuemay (ERI) 2:09:07

Matt McDonald (USA) 2:09:49

David Nilsson (SWE) 2:10:09

Tristan Woodfine (CAN) 2:10:39

CJ Albertson (USA) 2:10:52

Chris Thompson (GBR) 2:10:52

Edward Cheserek (KEN) 2:11:07

Yemane Haileselassie (ERI) debut

Sheila Chepkirui headlines elite field for Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon

Sheila Chepkirui is among the elite athletes invited to the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon next month.

Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medallist Sheila Chepkirui has been confirmed for the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon scheduled for February 4 in Japan.

Chepkirui enjoyed a beautiful 2023 season and as she opens her season at the city in Japan, she will have her fingers crossed for an amazing season.

Last season, Chepkirui’s breakthroughs were during the Berlin Marathon and London Marathon. The Kenyan made her full marathon debut at the Valencia Marathon in 2022 where she finished second before stunning the masses last season.

She finished fourth at the London Marathon, her first World Marathon Major before finishing second at the Berlin Marathon.

In the women’s race, she will be joined by compatriots Pauline Kamulu and Dolphine Omare. The greatest opposition will come from Great Britain’s Charlotte Purdue who is one of the greatest long-distance runners.

Meanwhile, the men’s field is headlined by another talented Kenyan, Alexander Mutiso, the reigning Prague Marathon champion.

Mutiso also enjoyed an amazing 2023 season where he impressed in most of his international assignments and is surely among the athletes to watch this season.

The Kenyan started the marathon season by winning the Prague Marathon and finishing second at the Valencia Marathon. He returns to Japan as the defending champion after obliterating a strong field to clinch top honours in the race last year.

Mutiso clocked an impressive time of 59:17 to cross the finish line and proceeded to finish fourth at the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon. He will be joined by compatriots Charles Langat and Cleophas Kandie.

Benard Kibet Koech ready to defend Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon title

The 17th Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon will see the welcome return of defending men’s champion Benard Kibet Koech and reigning world half marathon and Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir.

The Kenyans are the first two of what is expected to be a constellation of stars at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, hosted by the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), on February 24.

Jepchirchir’s standing as one of the world’s all-time greats is underlined not only by her Olympic marathon win in Tokyo, but also by three individual world half marathon titles, and the considerable feat of being the only woman to simultaneously hold the Olympic, New York and Boston marathon titles, which she achieved in the seven months between August 2021 and April 2022.

When she won the 2017 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon it was in a then world record of 65m:06s, which remains her best time.

Compatriot Koech is one of many Kenyans recruited to run on one of Japan’s corporate teams. He is similarly unusual in being one of the diminishing number of athletes who combine track with road running and is a 13-minute 5,000 metre runner who also has several 10,000 metre finishes of just over 27 minutes to his name.

His victory last year in Ras Al Khaimah in a time of 58m:45s was one of the 10 fastest of 2023.

Since its inauguration in 2007, the Ras Al Khaimah race has proved to be one of the fastest half marathons on the international circuit with the race staged around the spectacular sea-side route on the iconic Al Marjan Island.

As well as the likes of Koech and Jepchirchir, the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon will see thousands of runners coming together in the associated 10km, 5km and 2km runs.

Ethiopians Jemal Yimer (60:42) and Sutume Kebede (64:37) won the overall titles in Houston Half

In what is becoming an annual tradition, Weini Kelati ran 66:25 on Sunday to break the American record at the 2024 Aramco Houston Half Marathon. It was the third straight year the record was broken in Houston as the 27-year-old Kelati, making her half marathon debut, followed in the footsteps of Sara Hall (67:15 in 2022) and Emily Sisson (66:52 in 2023) to become a record-breaker in Houston. Sunday marked the third time the record had been broken in the past year as Keira D’Amatolowered Sisson’s record to 66:39 at the Asics Half Marathon in Australia in July.

Kelati finished 4th overall as Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede, a late addition to the women’s field, upset Hellen Obiri to win in 64:37, a US all-comers record that moves her into a tie for 9th on the all-time list. The time was a pb of more than three minutes for Kebede, who was previously best known for finishing 3rd at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon and running 2:18:12 at the 2022 Seoul Marathon. Obiri, who was with Kebede through 10k (30:28) faded over the second half and wound up a distant 2nd in 66:07.

The men’s race came down to a five-man sprint finish with Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer, who won in Houston in 2020 and was 4th at the World Half Marathon Championships in October, prevailing in 60:42. Wesley Kiptoo of NAZ Elite and Kenya was 2nd for the second straight year in 60:43 with 2022 champ Milkesa Mengeshaof Ethiopia 3rd in 60:45.

Biya Simbassa was the top American man in 60:45 in 4th, just ahead of a resurgent Diego Estrada, who led for the first 20 minutes and finished 5th in a pb of 60:49. Galen Rupp, tuning up for the Olympic Marathon Trials three weeks from now, hung back from the leaders and finished 14th in 62:37.

In the Chevron Houston Marathon, contested simultaneously, former NAIA star Zouhair Talbi of Morocco won the men’s race in 2:06:39 to boost his chances of Olympic selection. 2016 NCAA XC champion Patrick Tiernan, now training as part of Alistair and Amy Cragg’s Puma Elite Running team in North Carolina, was 4th in 2:07:45, hitting the Olympic standard and moving to #2 on the all-time Australian marathon list.

Ethiopia’s Rahma Tusa, the runner-up behind American Betsy Saina in September’s Sydney Marathon, won the women’s marathon in Houston in 2:19:33.

The races featured temperatures in the low 40s with 10 mph winds and gusts up to 17 mph, which made for a challenging end to the half marathon as miles 9, 10, and 11 were run directly into the teeth of the wind.

Below, six takeaways from the day’s racing in Houston.

2024 Houston Half Marathon men’s top 51. 60:42 Jemal Yimer, Ethiopia2. 60:43 Wesley Kiptoo, Kenya3. 60:45 Milkesa Mengesha, Ethiopia4. 60:45 Biya Simbassa, USA5. 60:49 Diego Estrada, USA14. 62:37 Galen Rupp, USA

2024 Houston Half Marathon women’s top 51. 64:37 Sutume Kebede, Ethiopia2. 66:07 Hellen Obiri, Kenya3. 66:24 Buze Diriba, Ethiopia4. 66:25 AR Weini Kelati, USA5. 67:36 Mestawut Fikir, Ethiopia

Ngetich smashes world 10km record with 28:46 in Valencia

Kenya's Agnes Ngetich obliterated the women's world 10km record by running 28:46* at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja, a World Athletics Label road race, on Sunday (14).

The 22-year-old becomes the first woman to break 29 minutes for the distance, improving by 28 seconds the previous road mixed race world record set by Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw in Castellon two years ago.

World cross country bronze medallist Ngetich was paced in the Spanish coastal city by her compatriot Japheth Kipkemboi Kosgei and the first world record fell at half way as Ngetich went through the 5km checkpoint in 14:13. That is six seconds faster than the women’s world record achieved in a mixed race, set by Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye in Barcelona in 2021, and matches the time Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet set in a woman-only race in Barcelona a fortnight ago.

Ngetich’s 10km time is also faster than the women's world record for the distance on the track, with Letesenbet Gidey’s world 10,000m record standing at 29:01.03.

Emmaculate Anyango also dipped under 29 minutes in Valencia, clocking 28:57 to finish runner-up to her compatriot Ngetich.

"I am so happy. I didn't expect this world record," said Ngetich. "I was coming to improve my time, at least somewhere around 29:14, but I am happy that I ran a world record of 28 minutes. I didn't expect this."

She will now focus on the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Belgrade 24 in March and then the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where athletics will be the No.1 sport in August.

The men’s race was won by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo in 26:48.

Why Mary Ngugi-Cooper is always eager to return to sentimental Boston Marathon

Mary Ngugi-Cooper has opened up on why the streets of Boston hold a special place in her heart.

Mary Ngugi-Cooper will once again line up for the Boston Marathon scheduled for Monday, April 15.

Ngugi expressed her elation upon returning to the streets of Boston which she considers one of her favorite courses, citing various reasons.

Ngugi has made several appearances at the Boston Marathon and has managed to finish among the top ten athletes five times. She was also in action last year, where she managed to finish ninth before ending her season with a fifth-place finish at the New York City Marathon.

“Back to Boston… I’m really excited to announce that in April I will be running the Boston Marathon. Boston holds a special place in my heart, not only for having two podium finishes in the last few years, but getting married there too!

"The streets are always amazing, crowds loud and I can’t wait to hit Heartbreak Hill once again with a ridiculously strong field of talented women. See you there," she said in a post on her Facebook page. 

The Kenyan will be up against some of the greatest female marathon runners including defending champion Hellen Obiri who has already exuded confidence ahead of the assignment.

The Kenyan charge also includes former World Marathon silver medallist Judith Korir, two-time Boston Marathon champion Edna Kiplagat, and the 2022 New York City Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi.

The Kenyans will face an acid test from Ethiopians who have confirmed participation in large numbers. Worknesh Degefa, the 2019 Boston Marathon champion, will make a return and she will enjoy the company of Tadu Teshome who will make her Boston debut.

Hiwot Gebremaryam will be aiming to improve upon her eighth-place finish last year while Senbere Teferi will also be in the mix.

Experienced marathoner Ababel Yeshaneh –second in 2022 and fourth in 2023— will try to become the seventh woman from Ethiopia to win the olive wreath in Boston.

Hellen Obiri faces tough field in Boston Marathon title defence

Hellen Obiri will defend her Boston Marathon title on April 15 in what the organizers say is the strongest elite women's field in the history of the race.

However, Obiri faces a Herculean task in a race where 19 athletes have personal bests under 2:23:00 including Olympians, World Marathon Majors winners and national stars.

Obiri, a two-time Olympic 5000m silver medalist — now living in Colorado, USA — won the 2023 edition thanks to a perfectly-timed sprint in the final kilometer.

Obiri who has been named in Kenya’s marathon team for Paris Olympics is also the New York City Marathon champion.

“I am excited to return to the 2024 Boston Marathon to try to defend my title,” said Obiri, who finished last year’s race in 2:21:38.

“Boston is an historic race and I would like to add my name further to its history on April 15. Winning such a historic marathon with my family waiting at the finish line was an amazing experience.”

A trifecta of Ethiopians with lifetime bests under 2:18:00 will take to the Boston course.

Worknesh Degefa, the 2019 Boston Marathon champion, returns, while 2:17:36 marathoner Tadu Teshome will make her Boston debut. Hiwot Gebremaryam aims to improve on her eighth-place finish last year.

World championships medallist Senbere Teferi who won the 2022 B.A.A. 5K in a course record of 14:49 is also in the mix.

Experienced marathoner Ababel Yeshaneh –second in 2022 and fourth in 2023— will try to become the seventh woman from Ethiopia to win the olive wreath in Boston.

Joining Obiri from Kenya are 2022 World Athletics Championships Marathon silver medalist Judith Korir, two-time Boston Marathon winner Edna Kiplagat, four-time top-ten finisher Mary Ngugi-Cooper and 2022 New York City Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi.

Helah Kiprop, who holds a silver medal in the marathon from the 2015 World Athletics Championships and has earned wins in Tokyo, Copenhagen and Paris, makes her second career Boston start. From Morocco is 2023 world marathon bronze medalist Fatima Gardadi.

Desiree Linden leads the American contingent six years after winning the title. Linden has finished in the top-five five times and holds the third-fastest time by an American ever on the Hopkinton-to-Boston route (2:22:38).

Linden will run her fifth U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February. Joining her is Emma Bates, who finished fifth last year in the second-fastest time ever by an American woman at Boston (2:22:10).

“At this point in my career it’s an easy decision to return to the Boston Marathon and make it my top priority race of the spring,” said Linden.

“I can’t wait to take on the iconic course for an 11th time and have the opportunity to mix it up with some of the best runners in the world.”

Jack Fleming, President and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association said: “The Boston Marathon is proud to showcase the world’s best athletes year in and year out on Patriots’ Day.”

“This year’s women’s field is exceptionally fast and showcases many who’ve been podium finishers on the global stage. It’ll make for an exciting race from Hopkinton to Boston, and we look forward to crowning our champions on April 15,” he added.

Betsy Saina explains what it will mean to represent USA at Paris Olympics

Kenyan-born American marathoner Betsy Saina has revealed what is motivating her to represent USA at the Paris Olympics after ditching her motherland in 2021.

Kenyan-born American marathoner Betsy Saina believes she is representing her whole family by running for the United States.

Saina switched allegiance from Kenya to the US in 2021, having represented her country of birth in 10,000m at the 2016 Rio Olympics before later moving to the marathon.

The 35-year-old is gearing up for her first Olympics trials with Team USA set to be held in Orlando, Florida and she has explained what it would mean to don the American colours at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“I'm really excited. Like I said, things have changed a lot,” Saina told CITIUS Magazine.

“The U.S. has become my home because it's been over ten years since I moved there. That makes me feel really emotional. My heart is full.

“I'm so grateful to be able to represent the U.S., after all I've gained in living there: to my two sisters living there, my son being born in the U.S. – it's a family thing for me. So I'm running for the whole family now.”

Saina moved to the US when she joined Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, later earning an agriculture and life sciences degree with a focus on nursing.

She has continued to shuttle between the US and Kenya, mostly training back home, including now as she prepares for the 2024 Olympics, alongside her long-time friend Joyciline Jepkosgei.

Saina admits it is much easier to train with Kenyan runners now knowing that she will not be competing with them for a ticket.

“I went to high school at the same time as her (Jepkosgei), so I knew her from back in 2005,” she added of her friend and training partner.

“When I made the decision [to switch allegiance] I really wanted to train with her because we have had a long-time friendship. But I was a little bit like, ‘oh my gosh, she's run 64!’

“But I looked at myself and I was like, ‘I need to challenge myself every day.’ When you're running with someone who is better than you, it's a privilege.

“I remember when I was training for Sydney and we were doing the same workouts, and my coach could use the time [difference between us] like, ‘hey, for this long run you still have like one or two minutes, you know, that you need to improve on.’ And I remember when I started maybe it was like four minutes and then by the time I was going for the race, I was closing down to like a minute."

Saina says unlike other runners, she enjoys training with Jepkosgei as she does not see her as a rival which makes things easier.

“It's been a big challenge, in a good way,” said Saina. “She's been helping me so much for the last month. She's not super competitive in training. Like, I know some people, when you're training with them, they can start saying, no, I don't want her to be close to me.”

“But for Joyciline, she really wants me, you know, to be on the same caliber with her, especially knowing that she's not in the same team with me. I love training with her. And when I come back from the Trials, I'll be able to keep training with her, whatever happens,” added the Sydney Marathon champion.

Jacob Kiplimo will be heading the 10K Valencia Ibercaja on Sunday

Jacob Kiplimo will be heading to the 10K Valencia Ibercaja on Sunday with an attempt to break Rhonex Kipruto's world record that he set on the same course.

As Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo heads to the 10K Valencia Ibercaja on Sunday, January 14, all eyes will be on him to obliterate Rhonex Kipruto’s world record time over the distance.

The Ugandan, just 23 years of age, has proven to be in impeccable form and he will be angling to destroy the Kenyan's world record over the distance. Kipruto set the world record back in 2020 on the same course, clocking 26:24 to win the race.

The courses in Valencia are usually known to be fast and produce great times and 2024 will be no different since the quality of the field attracted comprises Olympians and World Championships medalists.

Less than two months ago Kiplimo equaled the 15km world record in the Netherlands (41:05) after coming back from injury.

He also holds the half marathon record after his dominant display at the Lisbon Half Marathon where he cut the tape in 57:31. Kiplimo has already proven to be in the form of his life and if the weather and all conditions are right, he will surely dip under Kipruto’s world record time.

Meanwhile, the men’s race has also attracted national 10K record holders like Rodrigue Kwizera (Burundi), Pietro Riva (Italy), and Richard Douma (Netherlands).

Additionally, Dominic Lobalu, a refugee athlete from South Sudan now naturalized Swiss, who tied the European 5K Record, will also be a competitor to watch.

Spanish elite athletes include Abdessamad Oukhelfen in men's and Águeda Marqués and Cristina Ruiz in women's, all arriving in excellent shape and with ambitious goals.

Malaga Half Marathon judged third best in Spain by World Athletics

Malaga's Half Marathon has experienced some remarkable growth in recent times. Last October witnessed one of its most successful editions, shattering records in both categories and boasting significant participation numbers, with over 4,000 athletes donning their race numbers to take part.

However, the accolades don't end there. World Athletics, the foremost athletics organization globally, has now compiled a ranking assessing the quality of Spain's half marathons. In it, Malaga has secured third spot with an impressive score of 9,461.

It falls just behind Valencia (awarded 10,853 points) and Barcelona (with 10,076 points). Seville, in seventh with a score of 9,176, is the only other Andalusian city that comes close.

Unique characteristics

The reason for such a high ranking are the unique characteristics that set it apart. It holds the distinction of being the half marathon with the fewest curves across the entire continent, featuring just seven bends.

What's more, the records set in the latest edition by Kenyan runner Geoffrey Toroitich (59:13) and compatriot Caroline Nyaguthii (1h 07:36) position the Malaga Half Marathon among the top five fastest in the country and within the twenty fastest in Europe.

New date

As a result, all signs point to the event breaking its registration record in the upcoming 2024 edition, slated for 10 March.

This year, the event reverts to its original date, in the early months of the year, meaning that there are just over two months left until it takes place.

So far, registrations have already surpassed 3,000 participants, indicating a promising turnout.

Kandie is ready to fight off competition to make Kenya's team to Paris

With the Valencia Half Marathon title safely tucked away in the bag, Kenyan course sensation Kibiwott Kandie now has his sights firmly trained on the Paris 2024 Olympics.

In an interview on Wednesday, Kandie vowed to burn the midnight oil until he cracks a spot on the Kenyan marathon team for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Although his last race at the Valencia Marathon on December 4 saw him fizzle out to a disappointing sixth after clocking 2:04:48, Kandie said he is ready to rise from the ashes of the heart-wrenching debacle to curve a niche for himself in the Olympic Hall of Fame.

“All my focus is on the Paris Olympic Games and I’m ready to give my best shot in marathon. The marathon has never been my specialty but I believe I have gathered adequate experience from the half marathon that will help me navigate the new waters effectively,” Kandie remarked.

“I have now decided to graduate to the marathon and I hope to seal a slot in the Kenyan team that will be participating in next year’s Olympics in Paris. I will be aiming for a podium finish with clinching the gold medal as my main goal,” he added.

Indeed, Kandie is likely to face formidable competition in the race for a Kenyan ticket, including multiple Berlin Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge.

“I’m aware securing a place on the Kenyan team to Paris won’t be a walk in the park. We have some great Kenyan marathoners who are also eyeing the ticket. It’s all about competition and I’m ready to put my best foot forward,” Kandie stated.

If he manages to punch a ticket on the plane to the French capital, Kandie hopes to replicate his performance at the Valencia Half Marathon on October 22, where he obliterated a rich field of competitors to defend his title.

The 2023 Valencia Half Marathon feat was the third major decoration in his glittering career, having previously sauntered to victory in 2020 and 2022.

The Valencia race recorded the fastest half marathon of 2023, with three runners locked in a photo finish.

Kandie breezed to triumph in an impressive 57:40, ahead of Yomif Kejelcha who wrapped up second in a time of 57:41, followed closely by Hagost Gebrhiwet, also at 57:41.

Kandie’s time not only made it the fastest of 2023 but also ranked as the fourth-fastest in the history of the event.

Nevertheless, his performance, albeit sterling, was nowhere near the master class act he exhibited at the 2020 Elite Edition of the Valencia Half Marathon, where he set a new world record time of 57:32. In 2021, he set a course record at the Istanbul Half Marathon and won The Giants Geneva 10k.

Strongest Women’s Field in the race history at Boston Marathon 2024

The 128th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will feature the strongest women’s field in race history, led by defending champions Hellen Obiri and Susannah Scaroni. A total of 19 women with personal bests under 2:23:00 will line up in Hopkinton aiming to earn the Open Division crown, including Olympians, Abbott World Marathon Majors winners, and national stars. In the Wheelchair and Para Athletics Divisions, Paralympic hopefuls from around the world are set to compete.

“The Boston Marathon is proud to showcase the world’s best athletes year in and year out on Patriots’ Day,” said Jack Fleming, President and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association. “This year’s women’s field is exceptionally fast and showcases many who’ve been podium finishers on the global stage. It’ll make for an exciting race from Hopkinton to Boston, and we look forward to crowning our champions on April 15.”

Women from 20 countries will be competing as part of the Bank of America Professional Athlete Team.

“Each year, the Boston Marathon sets the bar higher with an unbelievable level of athletic talent, and its impact on communities around the world,” said David Tyrie, chief digital officer and chief marketing officer, Bank of America. “The 128th Boston Marathon builds on a rich history and will continue to be an inspiration for all athletes.”

HELLEN OBIRI SET TO DEFEND OPEN DIVISION TITLE

Hellen Obiri, a two-time Olympic silver medalist from Kenya now living in Colorado, won the 2023 Boston Marathon thanks to a perfectly-timed sprint in the final mile. Adding to her trophy case, Obiri also took home the 2023 B.A.A. 10K title in June and the TCS New York City Marathon crown in November.

“I am excited to return to the 2024 Boston Marathon to try to defend my title,” said Obiri, who finished last year’s race in 2:21:38. “Boston is an historic race and I would like to add my name further to its history on April 15. Winning such an historic marathon with my family waiting at the finish line was an amazing experience.”

A trifecta of Ethiopians with lifetime bests under 2:18:00 will take to the Boston course. Worknesh Degefa, the 2019 Boston Marathon champion, returns, while 2:17:36 marathoner Tadu Teshome will make her Boston debut and Hiwot Gebremaryam aims to improve upon her eighth-place finish last year. Also from Ethiopia is World championships medalist Senbere Teferi; she won the 2022 B.A.A. 5K in a course record 14:49 and has shown talent at the longer distances. Experienced marathoner Ababel Yeshaneh –second in 2022 and fourth in 2023— will try to become the seventh woman from Ethiopia to win the olive wreath in Boston.

Joining Obiri from Kenya are 2022 World Athletics Championships Marathon silver medalist Judith Korir; two-time Boston Marathon winner Edna Kiplagat; four-time top-ten finisher Mary Ngugi-Cooper; and 2022 TCS New York City Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi. Helah Kiprop, who holds a silver medal in the marathon from the 2015 World Athletics Championships and has earned wins in Tokyo, Copenhagen, and Paris, makes her second career Boston start. From Morocco is 2023 World Athletics Championships Marathon bronze medalist Fatima Gardadi.

Desiree Linden leads the American contingent six years after winning the 2018 title. Linden has finished in the top-five five times, and holds the third fastest time by an American ever on the Hopkinton-to-Boston route (2:22:38). Linden will run her fifth U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February. Joining her is Emma Bates who finished fifth last year in the second-fastest time ever by an American woman at Boston (2:22:10).

“At this point in my career it’s an easy decision to return to the Boston Marathon and make it my top priority race of the spring,” said Linden. “I can’t wait to take on the iconic course for an 11th time and have the opportunity to mix it up with some of the best runners in the world.” 

128TH BOSTON MARATHON PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S FIELDS

 Women’s Open Division

Country

Personal Best

Worknesh Degefa

ETH

2:15:51 (Valencia, 2023)

Tadu Teshome

ETH

2:17:36 (Valencia, 2022)

Hiwot Gebremaryam

ETH

2:17:59 (Valencia, 2023)

Judith Korir

KEN

2:18:20 (Eugene, 2022)

Meseret Belete

ETH

2:18:21 (Amsterdam, 2023)

Tiruye Mesfin

ETH

2:18:47 (Valencia, 2022)

Worknesh Edesa

ETH

2:18:51 (Berlin, 2022)

Zeineba Yimer

ETH

2:19:07 (Berlin 2023)

Senbere Teferi

ETH

2:19:21 (Berlin, 2023)

Dera Dida

ETH

2:19:24 (Berlin, 2023)

Edna Kiplagat

KEN

2:19:50 (London, 2012)*

Mary Ngugi-Cooper

KEN

2:20:22 (London, 2022)

Nazret Weldu Gebrehiwet

ERI

2:20:29 (Eugene) NR

Ababel Yeshaneh

ETH

2:20:51 (Chicago, 2019)

Vibian Chepkirui

KEN

2:20:59 (Vienna, 2022)

Helah Kiprop

KEN

2:21:27 (Tokyo, 2016)

Hellen Obiri

KEN

2:21:38 (Boston, 2023)

Emma Bates

USA

2:22:10 (Boston, 2023)

Desiree Linden

USA

2:22:38 (Boston, 2011)*

Buze Diriba

ETH

2:23:11 (Toronto, 2023)

Sharon Lokedi

KEN

2:23:23 (New York City, 2022)

Malindi Elmore

CAN

2:23:30 (Berlin, 2023)*

Fatima Gardadi

MOR

2:24:12 (Xiamen, 2024)

Angie Orjuela

COL

2:25:35 (Berlin, 2023) NR

Fabienne Konigstein

GER

2:25:48 (Hamburg, 2023)

Jackie Gaughan

USA

2:27:08 (Berlin, 2023)

Dominique Scott

RSA

2:27:31 (Chicago, 2023)

Grace Kahura

KEN

2:29:00 (Sacramento, 2023)

Katie Kellner

USA

2:32:48 (Berlin, 2023)

Briana Boehmer

USA

2:33:20 (Sacramento, 2021)

Dylan Hassett

IRL

2:33:25 (Pulford, 2021)

Parley Hannan

USA

2:33:43 (Carmel, 2023)

Sara Lopez

USA

2:33:48 (Eugene, 2023)

Annie Heffernan

USA

2:34:33 (Lowell, 2023)

Nera Jareb

AUS

2:35:00 (Queensland, 2022)*

Johanna Backlund

SWE

2:35:10 (Hamburg, 2019)

Argentina Valdepenas Cerna

MEX

2:35:34 (Chicago, 2022)*

Ariane Hendrix Roach

USA

2:35:39 (Sacramento, 2022)

Michelle Krezonoski

CAN

2:36:39 (Sacramento, 2022)

Shannon Smith

USA

2:36:43 (Columbus, 2023)

Caroline Williams

USA

2:37:01 (Sacramento, 2022)

Gina Rouse

USA

2:37:10 (Sacramento, 2023)*

Kim Krezonoski

CAN

2:37:20 (Sacramento, 2022)

Abigail Corrigan

USA

2:37:45 (Sacramento, 2023)

Marissa Lenger

USA

2:38:41 (Chicago, 2022)

Emilee Risteen

USA

2:38:46 (Duluth, 2023)

Isabelle Pickett

AUS

2:38:46 (Valencia, 2023)

Allie Hackett

USA

2:38:52 (Duluth, 2023

Mary Christensen

USA

2:38:55 (Big Bear, 2023)

Olivia Anger

USA

2:39:13 (Indianapolis, 2023)

April Lund

USA

2:39:23 (Houston, 2022)*

Sarah Short

AUS

2:39:51 (Valencia, 2023)

Maura Lemon

USA

2:40:30 (Valley Cottage, 2023)

Sarah Sibert

USA

2:40:31 (Philadelphia, 2022)

Lauren Ames

USA

2:40:34 (Valley Cottage, 2023)

Kassie Harmon

USA

2:41:48 (Utah Valley, 2023)*

Elizabeth Camy

USA

2:42:51 (Sacramento, 2022)*

Alexandra Niles

USA

2:43:23 (Hartford, 2022)*

Amber Morrison

USA

2:43:50 (Sacramento, 2022)*

Mindy Mammen

USA

2:44:01 (Duluth, 2023)*

Ziyang Liu

USA

2:44:56 (Eugene, 2023)*

*Denotes Masters Division (40+)

Defending Champions Ethiopians Hayle Lemi Berhanu and Anchialem Haymanot headline at the Tata Mumbai Marathon

Defending champions and event record holders Ethiopians Hayle Lemi Berhanu and Anchialem Haymanot will headline the 19th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon. The event is a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, and is scheduled for Sunday, January, 21.

Earlier this year, Berhanu clocked 2:07:32 and Haymanot logged a 2:24:15 on her debut, to win in Mumbai with new event records. Later, Haymanot improved her best to 2:22:23 in Amsterdam while finishing sixth. Berhanu posted a season-best 2:05:48 to finish at fifth.      

Speaking about returning to the Tata Mumbai Marathon, Hayle said, “I won the 2023 edition of the Mumbai marathon under perfect conditions. It was indeed a surprise and unexpected win at that time. But I want to make sure that I replicate my victory in January as I’m confident of finishing on top in 2024.”

However, it will not be an easy task for either runner to wrest their titles again in 2024. As many as six other men and two other women have superior personal bests in comparison to the current Mumbai course records have entered to challenge the event.  

The $405,000 USD prize money event will witness some of the finest athletes take centre-stage at the Tata Mumbai Marathon. The first three in each race stand to win US $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000, respectively. The $15,000 bonus also awaits those who break the existing event records.  

Ethiopian Kinde Atanw (30), who is credited with a PB of 2:03:51 — which was achieved while winning the Valencia Marathon in 2019 — will be the leading name among the men. Atanaw finished third during the World 10K in Bengaluru way back in 2014 on his previous appearance in India.

Lelisa Desisa, the 2019 World Champion, together with four fellow Ethiopian runners and Eritrean Merhawi Kesete will give Hayle Lemi a run for his money. Kesete finished ninth in Mumbai in 2020.

Desisa, had his earlier appearances in India through the TCS World 10K Bengaluru, there he finished third in 2011, and in the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon for three consecutive years (2010-2012, including a victory in 2010) is credited with the second-fastest time (2:04:45) among those men who entered for the 2024 race. On his numerous international ventures, Desisa also captured two Boston marathon wins besides a title victory in New York among the big ones.  

The women’s line-up includes two Ethiopians and one Kenyan runner to make it tough for Anchialem in the upcoming race in Mumbai. Tadelech Bekele, the 2018 London Marathon podium finisher, and Sofia Assefa — the 2012 London Olympics steeplechase silver medallist who clocked an impressive 2:23:33 on her marathon debut in Amsterdam this October — will be the main challenge to the defending champion.  

Speaking about returning to the Tata Mumbai Marathon, Anchialem said, “I ran my maiden marathon in Mumbai and was lucky to win the race. I am eager to repeat the feat once again in 2024”

Commenting on this year’s field, Vivek Singh, Jt. MD. Procam International said, “The Tata Mumbai Marathon continues to attract some of the finest athletes in the world. It is also a matter of great pride to have our defending champions back and this year, with Kinde Atanaw & Tadelech Bekele we have one of the fastest fields we have ever had at the event. We are sure to have some scintillating action on the course.”

Adamant Asbel Kiprop proclaims innocence six years after doping furore

More than five years later, Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop still insists on his innocence and he strongly believes he was framed.

More than five years later, three-time World champion Asbel Kiprop still insists that he is innocent and did not deserve to be banned for a doping offense.

Kiprop shared on his Facebook page, lamenting about the turn of events that saw him land on the wrong side of the Athletics Integrity Unit.

He wrote: “In 2017 Alone I was Tested 19 Times; 3 times in the week of November, that beget a Mysterious AAF of 27th November.”

Meanwhile, the 2008 Olympic champion was handed a four-year ban by the AIU after he tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition test in Kenya in November 2017. Kiprop's suspension was backdated to February 3, 2018, when he was provisionally suspended.

Kiprop fought for his freedom since he explained that he was innocent. On April 12, 2018, Kiprop’s lawyer posted a statement on Facebook that noted that the positive test resulted from a contaminated sample or was flawed.

Since the time of the ban, Kiprop has been vocal about his innocence and insisted that he did not commit any doping offense.

"The decision is not only a blow to me, but it is not good for the sport of athletics. I have been insisting that I did not dope.

"I will continue to maintain my innocence, even if this decision now means I will not be eligible to run again for the next four years,” Kiprop told AFP.

In his defense, Kiprop told investigators that he was provided with advanced notice about the drug test ahead and later made a payment to doping control officials.

It was determined that the advanced notice and the payment did not cause the adverse analytical finding of EPO in Kiprop's drug sample.

Solid performances at the 29th monthly KATA Time Trials in Thika Kenya

Kenya Athletics training academy (KATA Running Retreat) monthly time trial took place today January 10th in Thika Kenya.  This was the 29th event for the series.  

The athletes opened the year in good fashion and the turn out was impressive. We had 38 registered participants.

Raphael Karita opened the day in a scintillating win in the 5km posting a personal best of 14:44. His time was indeed impressive considering the fact that he ran against a heavy head wind in the last kilometer.

He was followed closely by Simon ngumbau and Kevin ragui who clocked 15:04 and 15:20 respectfully. Amos chirchir who finished fourth is a true representation of courage and determination. He was a sprinter and decided to switch to distance running and he has passionately done a tremendous job posting a personal best of 15:39. He lowered his time by more than 40 seconds, setting a galvanizing example and inspiring many upcoming athletes within KATA.

Athanas kioko (first photo) took victory in the 10 km clocking 29:02 just missing going under 29.  Martin ndungu was second in 29:44 and 19-year-old Dismus okioma was third with 29:53.  Levi kuria, one of the KATA's up and coming promising athletes finished fifth clocking an impressive personal best of 30:18 lowering his previous time by more than 30 seconds. The 30th KATA time trial is set for Feb 14.  

10km MEN

Age, bib number and time

1 Athanas kioko 28 171 29:02 loop

2 Martin ndungu 25 492 29:44

3 Dismus okioma 19 453 29:53

4 Zakaria kirika 22 145 30:14

5 Levi's kuria 22 499 30:18

6 Fred chege 25 163 31:11

7 Anthony Mukundi 35 131 31:29

8 Kenneth gichoya 26 306 31:32

9 David gitau 28 179 32:02

10 Fredrick kiprotich 23 194 32:08

11 Boniface mungai 24 452 32:21

12 Alfred kamande 24 447 32:25

13 Martin Mambo 27 149  33:43

14 Ismael mburu 23 489 35:43

15 Charles ndirangu 64 451 37:21

10km Women

1 Lois wambui 23 151 36:20

2 Jacinta mwende 22 197 36:21

3 Virginia wanjiru 22 134 37:15

5km MEN

1 Raphael karita 24 201 14:44

2 Simon ngumbau 28 462 15:04

3 Kelvin ragui 21 450 15:20

4 Amos chirchir 23 154 15:39

5 Charles ndirangu 23 458 15:48

6 Ramadan ambani 26 195 16:28

7 Kariuki wangari 25 446 16:47

8 John mutiso 18 153 17:23

9 Jeremiah obura 18 170 17:36

10 David kitheka 20 207 17:44

11 Lewis mwangi 18 481 18:08

12 Francis Kariuki 19 468 18:18

13 Felix muigai 18 208 18:24

14 Collins muiruri 18 148 18:30

15 Joseph maina 18 449 19:06

16 Alex kamau 18 204 21:26

5km Women

1 Caren chepkemoi 22 161 18:29

2 Lilian musenya 22 116 19:19

World Athletics president says track and field will never be drug-free

Former Olympic champion and current World Athletics President, Sebastian Coe, recently addressed the persistent issue of doping in track and field during an interview on the Up Front with Simon Jordan podcast. Coe acknowledged that achieving a completely drug-free sport is unlikely due to the inherent risks and rewards associated with doping.

When asked about concerns regarding an uneven playing field and the prevalence of doping, Coe pointed out the increased controls compared to nine years ago, when he assumed the role of World Athletics president. Despite the progress made, he admitted that reaching a utopia of a drug-free sport is unrealistic.

Coe highlighted the risk-versus-reward dynamic, stating, “If you’re a street kid, in some countries the risk versus reward is huge, and if you get caught and are returned to the street, then that’s nothing ventured, nothing gained. So it is a challenge.” Coe said the athletes with nothing to lose and everything to gain will continue to take the risk that they might get caught.

In 2017, World Athletics appointed the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), an independent governance organization at the core of integrity reforms. The AIU, funded annually with millions of dollars from World Athletics, plays a crucial role in ensuring fair competition and protecting clean athletes.

Coe told Jordan that he only receives about six hours’ notice on the doping ban of an athlete before it is publicly announced by the AIU. Despite the challenges, he emphasized the importance of maintaining control over the sport. “If you’re not following the rules, you are gonna get caught,” he said.

The AIU’s Global List of Ineligible Persons currently has more than 700 athletes serving doping suspensions, with 21 per cent of the cases originating in Kenya and India. In response to the doping challenges in Kenya, the Kenyan government, AIU and World Athletics have initiated a $25 million five-year campaign to educate and test more athletes. The campaign aims to combat doping in athletics by addressing the root causes and implementing strict testing measures.

Mary Moraa proud of younger sister making waves on the track

Mary Moraa has lauded her younger sister, Sarah, who is keenly following in her footsteps to become the next 800m icon.

The second Athletics Kenya meet at the Ulinzi Sports Complex saw runners from all walks of life descending on the track to showcase their talents with Mary Moraa’s younger sister, Sarah Moraa being the center of attention in the women’s 800m.

Sarah oozed class as she obliterated a strong field to win Final 3 of the women’s 800m race in 2:06.26. At the finish line, Moraa awaited her younger sister and embraced her with love.

Lilian Atieno and Winfred Mbithe finished second and third in respective times of 2:09.70 and 2:12.91.

After the race, Moraa shared a photo on her Facebook page, lauding her younger sister for her impressive show at the AK event.

She said: “Baby steps...you shall reach the top. Congratulations kid sister Sarah on your great progress and top performance at the second Athletics Kenya Track and Field Meeting. 2:06.26 (800m) is quite fine.”

In a post-race interview, Sarah told Nation Sport that she was delighted with her progress and revealed that Moraa has been guiding her.

“The intensity and concentration in 800m are high compared to the 200m and 400m but I love how I’m scaling the ladder through the guidance of my sister Mary. She has been such an inspiration,” Sarah said.

The 18-year-old has her eyes focused on the All African Games scheduled for Friday, March 8 to Saturday, March 23.

Vicoty Chepngeno eager to make full marathon debut at Chevron Houston Marathon

After failing to make her full marathon debut at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon, Vicoty Chepngeno will finally do it at the Chevron Houston Marathon.

Philadelphia Half Marathon champion Vicoty Chepngeno will open her season with a full marathon debut at the Chevron Houston Marathon on Sunday, January 14.

Chepngeno set the course record with her 2022 Aramco Houston Half Marathon victory, winning in a time of 1:05:03, which is still the fastest half marathon time ever run in North America to date.

“I am very excited to make my marathon debut in Houston. It is a race I know well. This makes me feel at ease as I focus on what I need to do to achieve my goal of winning,” Chepngeno said as per Endurance Sports Wire.

The race will also feature the return of three-time champion Bruktayit Degefa of Ethiopia. These three wins leave Degefa tied on the most victories ever secured by one runner, all of which are among the six fastest times in race history.

Chepngeno and Degefa will compete with top contenders including Canadian national record holder Natasha Wodak and three-time Rome Marathon champion Rahma Tusa of Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, last year’s men’s race came down to a sprint finish with Kenya’s Dominic Ondoro beating Ethiopia’s Tsedat Ayana and both will make a grand return this year. Ayana will take the opportunity for revenge, while Ondoro will look for his third Houston victory.

“I love the course, the city, and the friendly cheering crowds. To come to the start line, run a good race, and get a win will be wonderful,” said Ondoro, the two-time Houston Marathon champion.

Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta will also be in the starting line, coming into the race with a personal best of 2:05:51. He has a chance to break the tape on what will be his 28th birthday.

In 2023, he was runner-up at the Dubai Marathon in February and won the Beijing Marathon in October. Also expected to be up front, are 2022 Chevron Houston Marathon winner James Ngandu of Kenya and Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi who was fifth in the 2023 Boston Marathon.

“You can always count on exciting storylines and dramatic finishes at the Chevron Houston Marathon.

“Fans will want to make sure they are in front of their TV or lined up on Lamar Street when the runners make that final turn toward the finish line,” said Carly Caulfield, Race Director and General Manager of the Houston Marathon Committee.

The races will be aired live on ABC13 in Houston and streamed around the world on ABC13's official portal featuring commentary from two-time Olympian and Boston Marathon champion Desiree “Des” Linden.

Kebebe and Gudeta triumph in Xiamen

Ethiopian duo Asefa Boki Kebebe and Bekelech Gudeta were victorious at the C&D Xiamen Marathon on Sunday (7), winning the World Athletics Platinum Label road race in 2:06:46 and 2:22:54 respectively.

Kebebe upset a quality field that contained three sub-2:05 runners, outracing Kenya’s Felix Kirwa in the final seven kilometres to take the men’s title, falling just 27 seconds shy of the course record.

A leading group of more than 10 runners passed through 10km in 29:28 and 15km in 44:20. After the leaders hit the 20km mark in 59:08, defending champion Philimon Kiptoo Kipchumba and fellow Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie, the fastest entrant with a personal best of 2:04:48, both withdrew.

The pace decreased slightly after 20km but the leading group continued to shrink. At 25km there were only five runners left in the leading pack: Kebebe, Kirwa, Solomon Kirwa Yego of Kenya, Ethiopai’s Adane Kebede Gebre and Moroccan record-holder Othmane El Goumri.

Gebre dropped out of contention just before 30km, which the leaders reached in 1:29:13. After another kilometre, 31-year-old El Goumri tried to make a move. Although the Moroccan’s attempt went in vain, Yego failed to keep up. After the leading trio hit 35km in 1:44:43, El Goumri gradually faded away as well.

Kirwa stayed in the pole position as Kebebe followed closely behind. Kebede’s patience paid off as the Ethiopian made a decisive surge in the final kilometre to pass Kirwa, notching his third marathon title in China following victories in Changchun and Tianjin last year.

Kirwa – who has marathon titles in Yichang, Stockholm, Macao, Singapore and Antwerp – took second place in 2:06:52. El Goumri finished third in 2:07:18.

Like Kebebe, 26-year-old Gudeta also emerged victorious from a stacked field, but her victory was more comfortable.

An Ethiopian trio of Gudeta, Aberu Ayana Mulisa and Ftaw Zeray led the women’s race to 15km in 55:09 with the closest chaser, Morocco’s world bronze medallist Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi, lagging more than 40 seconds behind.

Zeray soon fell behind before the leading duo passed 20km and Mulisa, who achieved her PB of 2:21:54 last year in Seville, also failed to keep up with Gudeta near the halfway point.

Gudeta continued to extend her lead and went on to win in 2:22:54, shaving two seconds from the PB she set when winning in Prague two years ago.

Gardadi finished second in 2:24:12 taking almost a minute off her PB in what was her second race in Xiamen in five weeks following a 1:11:14 victory at the Xiamen Half Marathon.

China’s Zhang Deshun was third in 2:26:53.

Defending champion Philimon Kipchumba faces stern test at Xiamen Marathon

Defending champion Philimon Kiptoo Kipchumba will be out to defend his Xiamen Marathon title as he is up against a strong field.

Defending champion Philimon Kiptoo Kipchumba will be hoping to defend his title as he gears up to face tough opponents at the Xiamen Marathon on Sunday, January 7.

Kipchumba will face a stern test since 12 men, including the Kenyan, have personal best times faster than the course record of 2:06:19 set by Moses Mosop in 2015.

The 25-year-old Kenyan will arrive in Xiamen with high spirits since he remained unbeaten last year, winning all three of his marathon races and he will keenly be hoping to maintain the same momentum this season.

After a 2:10:47 victory in Hong Kong last February, he clocked 2:08:04 to win in Xiamen and continued his winning streak in Shanghai in November with a winning mark of 2:05:35, beating Mosop’s course record in Xiamen to become the Chinese all-comers’ record-holder.

Former world half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie will also be pursuing his first-ever marathon title in Xiamen.

Chalu Deso of Ethiopia is also a formidable competitor after finishing seventh behind Kandie in Valencia last month in 2:05:14 and his career best of 2:04:53 was also achieved in the Spanish city in 2020.

Last year, Deso claimed the Tokyo Marathon title in 2:05:22 and he also owns marathon titles in Paris and Porto to his name. After outings in Nanjing and Dalian in 2018, the Xiamen Marathon will be Deso’s third race in China.

Philemon Kiplimo of Kenya is another sub-2:05 runner in the field and unlike Kandie and Deso, Kiplimo will arrive in the Chinese coastal city on fresh legs. His last marathon race was contested more than three months ago when he clocked a PB of 2:04:56 to finish eighth in Berlin.

Also toeing the line are several sub-2:06 runners, including Moroccan record-holder Othmane El Goumri, who set a PB of 2:05:12 to finish second in Barcelona last March and went on to win the Sydney Marathon in 2:08:20 six months later.

Meanwhile, the women’s race will see Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase also take on a tough field. The Ethiopian clocked a Personal Best time of 2:18:11 when claiming the world title in Oregon in July 2022.

She also registered another sub-2:20 mark when finishing third at the 2022 Tokyo Marathon in 2:18:18 and took a 2:20:09 victory at the Berlin Marathon in 2021.

Fellow Ethiopian Megertu Alemu is the fastest woman on paper with a career-best of 2:17:09 and will be joined by Ruti Aga, also from Ethiopia.

Other women to watch in the field include Tanzanian marathon and half marathon record-holder Magdalena Shauri, whose PB of 2:18:41 was set last September when finishing third at the Berlin Marathon, as well as Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi of Morocco, a 2:25:03 performer who claimed the marathon bronze medal at last year’s World Championships in Budapest.

Nike Alphafly 3 sells out in less than 24 hours

One of the highest-profile carbon-plated running shoes, the Nike Alphafly 3, hit Canadian stores on Jan. 4, and in 24 hours, it has already sold out online and in-store.The carbon-plated shoe Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum wore to set the marathon world record at the 2023 Chicago Marathon is the lightest and fastest version of the Nike Alphafly to date, and many runners tried to get their hands on a pair, which is selling for CAD $375.The shoe first made an appearance as a prototype on the feet of Sifan Hassan at the 2023 London Marathon, which she won. Nike formally announced the public release of the shoe in late November, naming Thursday as the global release date.

Some run specialty stores across Canada were sold out of the shoe in a matter of minutes. Nigel Fick and Sarah Deas, the owners of Culture Athletics, an independent running store in Toronto’s east end, say they’ve never seen demand for any shoe this high. “Our men’s size range sold out in a minute, with sizes 9.5 to 11, going within seconds,” says Fick. “We had hundreds of customers refreshing the page, waiting for the 10 a.m. launch.”Deas told Canadian Running that they have been receiving emails about the Alphafly 3 for two months. “We have not seen this demand for a shoe launch since the first Alphafly in 2020–it’s been wild,” says Deas.The popularity of the Alphafly 3 is backed by the Nike’s marketing strategy, and defined by the performances of world-class athletes. But the hype around the shoe is also backed by science. Nike’s competitive advantage lies in the innovative system of speed embedded in the Alphafly 3. This proprietary combination features ZoomX foam, Air Zoom units and a carbon-fibre Flyplate, powering the Alphafly and giving distance runners a distinct edge.

The Nike Alphafly 3 is also built on the success of its predecessors, with Eliud Kipchoge achieving the seemingly impossible in the OG Alphafly, breaking the two-hour barrier at the INEOS-1:59 event in 2019. In 2022, wearing the Alphafly 2, Kipchoge lowered his world record to 2:01:09 at the Berlin Marathon.

Those looking to wear the Alphafly 3 for their spring marathon may have to wait a little longer. Culture Athletics and other independent retailers will not receive additional stock until the second colourway is released in April. 

‘This is the first time the prototype colourway of an Alphafly or Vaporfly has been made available for run specialty retailers in Canada,” Fick says, talking about the buzz of the new shoe. “This launch has been exciting for us and all of our run community.”

Ethiopians Gebreslase, Alemu and Aga set to race in Xiamen

The Xiamen Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (7) will witness the fastest marathon pack ever assembled in China, with 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase heading a stacked field in the women’s race.

The 28-year-old Gebreslase of Ethiopia clocked her personal best of 2:18:11 when claiming the world title in Oregon in July 2022. She also registered another sub-2:20 mark when finishing third at the 2022 Tokyo Marathon in 2:18:18 and took a 2:20:09 victory at the Berlin Marathon in 2021.

Last year, Gebreslase clocked 2:24:34 to grab a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, which remains her last outing over the classic distance.

It will be the first time for Gebreslase to compete in Xiamen, a southeastern Chinese city, and she will be targeting not only the title, but also the course record of 2:19:52 set by her compatriot Mare Dibaba back in 2015.

Fellow Ethiopian Megertu Alemu is the fastest woman on paper with a career best of 2:17:09 achieved last October when finishing third at the Chicago Marathon.

Aside from having the fastest PB of the field, the 26-year-old has shown great consistency in the past two years, registering sub-2:19 marks in all her four races including notching a 2:18:51 victory at the 2022 Seville Marathon and finishing second and third respectively in the 2022 and 2023 London Marathon races.

Ruti Aga, also from Ethiopia, is another serious title contender. The 29-year-old clocked a PB of 2:18:09 to win the Yellow River Estuary Marathon in Dongying, China, last October, improving the Chinese all-comers’ record.

Aga also won the Tokyo Marathon in 2:20:40 in 2019 and has earned three runner-up finishes in major marathon races, including a 2:18:34 second place in the 2018 Berlin Marathon.

Other women to watch in the field include Tanzanian marathon and half marathon record-holder Magdalena Shauri, whose PB of 2:18:41 was set last September when finishing third at the Berlin Marathon, as well as Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi of Morocco, a 2:25:03 performer who claimed the marathon bronze medal at last year’s World Championships in Budapest.

Kipchumba defends title

Defending champion Philimon Kiptoo Kipchumba will face a tough contest in the men’s race, as a total of 12 runners in the field own a career best time faster than the course record of 2:06:19 set by Moses Mosop of Kenya in 2015.

The 25-year-old Kipchumba will arrive in Xiamen with high spirits. He remained unbeaten last year, winning all three of his marathon races. After a 2:10:47 victory in Hong Kong last February, he clocked 2:08:04 to win in Xiamen and continued his winning streak in Shanghai in November with a winning mark of 2:05:35, beating Mosop’s course record in Xiamen to become the Chinese all-comers’ record-holder.

Kenyan half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie is also on the rise. The 27-year-old registered a PB of 2:04:48 to finish sixth in Valencia one month ago and will be pursuing his first ever marathon title in Xiamen.

Ethiopia’s Chalu Deso, 26, is also a formidable competitor. He finished seventh behind Kandie in Valencia last month in 2:05:14 and his career best of 2:04:53 was also achieved in the Spanish city in 2020.

Last year, Deso claimed the Tokyo Marathon title in 2:05:22. He also has marathon titles in Paris and Porto to his name. After outings in Nanjing and Dalian in 2018, the Xiamen Marathon will be Deso’s third race in China.

Philemon Kiplimo of Kenya is another sub-2:05 runner in the field and unlike Kandie and Deso, Kiplimo will arrive in the Chinese coastal city on fresh legs. His last marathon race was contested more than three months ago when he clocked a PB of 2:04:56 to finish eighth in Berlin.

Also toeing the line are several sub-2:06 runners, including Moroccan record-holder Othmane El Goumri, who set a PB of 2:05:12 to finish second in Barcelona last March and went on to win the Sydney Marathon in 2:08:20 six months later.

Wilson Kipsang hints at marathon return after serving doping ban

Former world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang has expressed his interest in returning to running after serving his four-year doping ban

Former world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang has expressed interest in making a comeback to running after his doping ban elapsed.

Speaking to Nation Sport, Kipsang explained that he is currently sharpening his talons as he gears up for a grand return into competing.

He noted that he will be looking forward to competing at either the Tokyo Marathon on March 3, the Paris Marathon on April 7, or the Hamburg Marathon on April 24.

He expressed his interest in returning to competitive running after three of his family members and himself survived a road accident on Monday.

After the survival, Kipsang narrated that he swerved the vehicle on one side of the road and was lucky to have escaped with minor injuries.

“I want to assure everyone who is worried about our wellbeing that we are fine and back in Iten. Let them worry no more,” said Kipsang. 

The 41-year-old was slapped with a four-year-ban for whereabouts failures, not being available for drug testing, and providing false evidence in his case.

Kipsang had been provisionally banned in January 2020 in the case handled by the Athletics Integrity Unit. The former Olympic bronze medalist was punished for four whereabouts failures between April 2018 and May 2019.

Three such failures within 12 months led to an automatic ban, however, the Kenyan had his sanction increased after it was ruled that he had tampered with the investigation by providing “false evidence and witness testimony”.

Kelvin Kiptum expresses desire to run historic sub-two-hour marathon in Rotterdam

Reigning Chicago Marathon champion Kelvin Kiptum will be seeking to become the first man to run a marathon in under two hours and be recognized by World Athletics.

World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum is not resting on his laurels as he looks to dethrone the marathon kings and make history this year.

Kiptum, the reigning Chicago Marathon champion will be opening his season at the Rotterdam Marathon where he hopes to break the sub-two-hour marathon barrier.

Speaking to Gulf Times, the Kenyan explained that for now, his training and thoughts are on the marathon and he will be seeking to become the first man to ever run the marathon in under two hours with the recognition of World Athletics. 

Eliud Kipchoge was the first man to run a marathon in under two hours, however, his effort did not count as a new world record under World Athletics rules due to the setup of the challenge.

“It’s already known, the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14. I would like to grow further, and so, inevitably, break the barrier," the reigning London Marathon champion said.

"I’ll go there to run fast; the course is ideal and the crowds in the streets push you to give your best. I would love to be a part of the rich history of this marathon.

“If the preparation goes in the right direction, with peaks of 270 kilometers per week, and the weather conditions permit, I will go for it [sub-two]."

Kiptum has enjoyed a remarkable 2023, breaking the men’s marathon world record where he took 34 seconds off the previous record in winning the Chicago Marathon in two hours and 35 seconds.

He also won the London Marathon in April in 2:01:25, which at the time was the second-fastest time ever.

He noted that he will be competing at the Rotterdam Marathon because the organizers of the race are linked to his management.

“In 2022 I was supposed to run it, to make my debut but a slight injury stopped me. This will be the right time,” he said, adding that one of his other goals is to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“As a team, we will collaborate, but then everyone looks out for themselves.

“I could also aim for the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, I saw the race in Budapest which fascinated me,” he added.

Ugandan Olympic steeplechaser found murdered just outside of Eldoret

Ugandan three-time Olympian Benjamin Kiplagat has been killed. Kiplagat, 34, is believed to have been murdered early Sunday morning, reported the BBC. Kiplagat, who specialized in the 3,000m steeple, was living in the Marakwet District of Kenya, and his body was discovered in his vehicle just outside of the city of Eldorat. Eldorat is the fifth largest city in Kenya and known as a top training center for athletes.

He broke onto the international scene in 2006 when he was sixth in the 3,000m steeple at the World Junior Championships in Beijing, China. He was a silver medalist at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Poland, and narrowly missed the podium at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. Kiplagat was 10th at the 2011 World Championships in South Korea, and made the semifinals in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Kenyan police commandant Stephen Okal said that officers received a message about a traffic accident, and arrived at the scene around 5.00 am, as reported by NTV Kenya. Police found Kiplagat lying in the driver’s seat—the athlete had been stabbed in the chest and neck. Police believe the assailants had used a motorcycle to block Kiplagat’s path, and his vehicle had hit the motorcycle before the attack.

“We are still investigating the incident to ascertain what really happened, but what we can confirm is that the man found dead is an international athlete called Benjamin Kiplagat,” said Okal.

Kiplagat had been training in Eldoret before heading to Uganada to compete. He had Kiplagat had secured a bronze medal while representing Uganada at the Africa Championships in Porto Novo, Benin in 2012, and finished in the heats at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, China, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Kiplagat’s death will be mourned by the international athletics community, while investigations continue to uncover the circumstances around his tragic death.