Running News Daily

Sha'Carri Richardson shows support to Tobi Amusan on alleged doping violation case

Sprints sensation Sha'Carri Richardson voiced her opinion on Tobi Amusan's alleged doping violation case.

US champion and sprints sensation Sha'Carri Richardson has shown her support to Tobi Amusan on the Nigerian's alleged doping violations case.

Amusan became a topic of online discussion when she released a statement on her Instagram page that she had been charged with an alleged doping violation rule by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

In the statement, Amusan said the AIU had charged her for missing three tests in the space of 12 months, which is a doping violation that has now led the AIU to provisionally suspend her until the case is cleared.

Richardson will later show her support to Amusan by posting pictures of the women's 100m Hurdles World Record (WR) on her Instagram stories, and one of the captions reading:

"If you don't know which a lot of y'all do not, SHUT UP," wrote Richardson.

Amusan stated that she will have her charge decided by a tribunal of three arbitrators before the start of next month's World Championships in Budapest.

Is depth of talent the issue behind Kenya’s doping scandal?

If you have been following the sport of distance running for the past five years, you’ll be aware of the rise in positive doping cases out of Kenya, whose athletes have dominated the major marathon scene for nearly three decades. Since 2000, the country has won a total of 30 Boston Marathon titles, and the remarkable performances of marathon world record holders Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei have put Kenyan athletics at the forefront of distance running. Still, below those few at the top, there are hundreds of aspiring talented distance runners from the East African nation willing to do whatever it takes to make ends meet.

In an in-depth interview with the BBC, Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) head Brett Clothier explains that Kenya faces a unique problem that most countries don’t face—the sheer abundance of talent that sits below the elite level. “The problem is there is a huge pyramid of top-class athletes,” explains Clothier. “The difference in ability, in that pyramid, between the top and those below is not very much, because of the depth of their talent.”

Clothier adds that in the past, they have been testing the top of that pyramid, i.e., major marathon winners, domestic champions and world championship athletes, but the bottom ones have not been subject to out-of-competition testing. “That pyramid is hundreds, or even thousands, of athletes, so even though we are controlling the ones at the top very well, because of the pressure from the athletes below, who aren’t being tested out of competition, the athletes at the top are taking risks, and there is pressure to stay on top.”

The lure of financial incentives is a major driving force behind doping in Kenya. Road races tend to offer lucrative prize money and appearance fees, attracting a large professional class of runners who potentially see doping as a means to secure a better living. The extensive pyramid of top-class athletes in Kenya creates pressure to succeed, even for those not yet subject to out-of-competition testing. Clothier pointed out that these athletes do not have to go far to find performance-enhancing drugs. “When you have this illicit market, you have the opportunity for people to financially benefit from doping, and people who have the financial opportunity to sell performance-enhancing drugs,” said Clothier. “What we see is a market driven by money and demand.”

There are 165 Kenyan men who have run under 2:07 for the marathon. To put it into perspective, only three U.S. men in history have accomplished the same feat. USADA, the country’s doping agency, is backed annually by major players, including the U.S. Government and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), to help create a safe sporting environment and regularly test athletes.

Kenya’s problem is that it doesn’t yet have the funding or resources within its anti-doping agency to completely tackle the larger pool below those at the top, but the AIU and Kenyan government have increased funding for the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) by five million a year for the next five years. “Funding can be a real game-changer,” said Clothier. “No other national anti-doping agency is at that level of testing in our sport.” In the last year, testing at the Kenyan National Championships has increased nearly 400 percent, which Clothier believes is a serious improvement.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe fully supports the efforts made by the Kenyan Federation and government in tackling the issue. Although running fans may feel discouraged by seeing the downfall of major marathon winners and world championships medallists who are cheating, Clothier insists that each case represents progress in making athletics a cleaner sport. The country’s fight against doping continues, but the increased testing and commitment to fixing the problem offer hope for real change. With Coe and Clothier backing the efforts to address doping in Kenya, there is reason for optimism that the nation’s anti-doping initiatives will lead to a cleaner and fairer athletic environment, benefiting clean athletes and preserving the integrity of the sport.

Detroit Free Press Marathon announces first Kids Marathon

The Detroit Free Press Marathon is set to host the first-ever kids marathon as a part of the event.

Kids 13 and under will have the opportunity to experience a modified version of the marathon. Parents can register their children online for $25 and then download the 2023 Free Press Kids Marathon log sheet.

Participants have until Oct. 14 to log 25.2 miles, when they will then join in on the final mile of the race on Saturday morning of race weekend. Once they finish the mile, they will receive a finishers shirt, a completion medal and fun post-race celebration. In order to participate, kids must be 13 or under on Oct. 14.

Parents wanting to run the final mile with their children can register for the 1-mile race, as the two will use the same course.

"Whether they want to do a daily walk or daily run or a weekly run or jog, I think it really helps promote consistent exercise and activity leading up to a goal and that goal being 26.2 miles of activity," Aaron Velthoven, Free Press Marathon vice president and executive race director, said.

The 46th annual Free Press Marathon, a three-day event, will be Oct. 13-15. Attracting runners from all over the world, this marathon is the only race in Michigan that crosses international borders twice. Participants cross into Canada through the Ambassador Bridge and then make their way back to the United States through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Other events include the half-marathon, U.S.-only half marathon and marathon relay, competitive 1-mile race, 5K and the Meijer Kids Fun Run.

Those interested can register online for the category of their choosing. Participants of the full marathon must be 16 or older and must be able to enter both Canada and the U.S.

Sprints coach Stephen Mwaniki confident relay teams will make cut for Budapest

Sprints coach Stephen Mwaniki believes Kenya's 4x 400m (men) and 4x400 mixed relay teams can shoot to between positions 10 and 12 in the world rankings when they compete in Gaborone, Botswana, on Thursday.

The Kenyan teams are currently placed 16th on the World Athletics rankings. The mixed relay team has a time of 3:14.64 while the men's 4x400m team boosts of a 3:02.02 mark. Both times were set at Nyayo Stadium on June 24.

The contingent in Gaborone has Wiseman Were, Bonface Mweresa, Kennedy Kimeu and Zablon Ekwam in the 4x400m race while the mixed relays trialists include Ekwam, Kevin Tauta, Mercy Oketch, Maureen Thomas and Millicent Ndoro.

Mwaniki said the individual athletes are the best the country has to offer over the distances and expressed confidence they will deliver in Botswana.

"These are our best athletes and we hope they will do the country proud by cementing their place at the World Championships in Hungary," said Mwaniki.

The Kenya Prisons coach said the window for qualification closes on July 30 and the Botswana event presents a good opportunity for the team.

"We have a very good opportunity to improve our time before the deadline," he said.

The top 16 teams in the world by July 30 will head to Budapest.

He added that Kenya stands a good chance of medaling in the mixed relays.

"We won a bronze medal at the World Relays in Yokohama, Japan, four years ago and I believe our chances are very good in that regard," he said.

Mwaniki added that should Kenya make it to the 4x400m and mixed relay finals in Budapest, they will have qualified for next year's Olympic Games in Paris.

"This is a big incentive for us as a federation and team. They know what's at stake and if we attain better times in Gaberone, we will work very hard to ensure we make it to the final in Budapest," he noted.

Commonwealth Games 800m champion Mary Moraa is a probable member of the mixed relay team if they make it to Budapest.

"She is a strong athlete, especially over 400, and will be an asset to the side if we do qualify," he said.

Eliud Kipchoge says he’s not worried about Kelvin Kiptum in potential Berlin Marathon clash

Less than a week ago, marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge announced he will return to the Berlin Marathon on Sept. 24 for a bid at his fifth Berlin title on the famously flat and fast course. Many fans expected Kipchoge to choose to run the New York City Marathon in November in preparation for the extremely hilly course at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now, he will potentially clash against the second-fastest man in history, Kelvin Kiptum. 

On June 15, he conducted a virtual press conference with the media to explain his decision behind Berlin, hinting at his future plans and chatting about the potential clash between him and the 2023 London Marathon champion, Kiptum. Kipchoge said: “Kiptum has all power to do what he wants. I have done enough. I trust that what I have done in the (sport) world will be respected. In any case, I wish him well. […] If Kiptum runs under 2:00, he will always be the second [to do so]. I’ll be the first one. So I have no worries at all.”

In his two marathon starts, the 23-year-old Kiptum won on both occasions. He ran a 2:01:53 debut to win the 2022 Valencia Marathon and followed it up with a 2:01:25 to break Kipchoge’s course record at the 2023 London Marathon five months later.

Only three men in history have run under 2:02, and Kiptum is the only marathoner to do it under the age of 35. Although Kiptum has not been announced for the 2023 Berlin Marathon, there has been a lot of speculation about him entering this year’s elite field. After his win at the 2023 London Marathon, he expressed interest in seeing what he could do on the Berlin course, which is known to be fast and flat. Berlin has been the race where the last eight men’s marathon world records were set, dating back to Paul Tergat’s record of 2:04:55 in 2003.

At the 2023 Boston Marathon, Kipchoge had a tough day on the prestigious course, struggling with a leg issue that ultimately brought him his second marathon loss in the last nine years (he finished sixth). “I have no control over what happened in April in Boston,” Kipchoge told reporters. “There’s no point in brooding. I can (only) control things happening now and get ready for Berlin.”

The goals remain the same for the 38-year-old Kenyan, who is looking for his third consecutive Olympic gold in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “I want to be the first man to win back-to-back-to-back,” Kipchoge said. “I am really looking for that. That would be real, real history.” Kipchoge believes that Berlin gives him the best opportunity to prepare himself for gold in Paris, giving him nearly 10 months to train in the lead-up to the Games.

Earlier this month, Kiptum also withdrew his name from a nomination to the Kenyan marathon team at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, which hints that a fall marathon will indeed be on his calendar.

Canadian ultrarunner still snagging podiums at 66

Trishul Cherns has firmly staked his place in the history of Canadian ultrarunning. But at age 66, the endurance athlete has shown with his recent ascents to the podium that he has no desire to dwell on past successes—nor should other runners who have entered their senior years. The Hamilton native, who lives in Kingston, N.Y., with his wife and crew leader, Käären Schilke-Cherns, has recently racked up no fewer than three podium finishes at ultras around the U.S., including second overall at the 144-hour 3 Days at the Fair road race in Augusta, N.J., in early May, covering 677. 53 km; third overall at the 33-hour Centurion Ultra Trail Event–Blue Buckle in Connecticut in June, completing 183.304 km; and earlier this month, Cherns won the 48-hour event at the Notchview Ultra in Windsor, Mass., covering 229.332 km on trails.

Cherns is best known as a multi-day racer, and throughout his career, has represented Canada in many international competitions. He has broken more than 110 Canadian ultrarunning records and has racked up tens of thousands of kilometres in events as short as 50K and as long as 1,600 km on roads, trails and the track. Altogether he has accumulated more than 300 ultra finishes during his career.

Cherns says beyond being personal accomplishments, these latest results speak assertively to the strength and potential of runners over the age of 65.

“Age is not a limit,” Cherns tells Canadian Running. “I still feel 30 inside, and I’m beating guys that are 20, 30, 40 years younger than me. So I think the message is, no matter what your age is, keep going and keep doing what you’re doing.”

Although age does offer runners the benefit of experience, running success in older life doesn’t just happen. Cherns says choosing healthy foods and cultivating a positive mental attitude have been crucial to his continuing to be a strong competitor.

“My success definitely comes from my diet,” he says. “I’m a vegan, and that’s an anti-inflamatory diet. I’m trying to prevent inflammation in my body because these are stressful (running) events, so I’m trying to make it as easy as possible.”

He says meditation and approaching running as a spiritual practice have been key to maintaining a positive mindset during challenging races.

“Meditation and spirituality give me fortitude. Inner peace and stillness give me strength. I can do things that others can’t because of my inner fortitude, which supports my being very, very mentally strong and very, very emotionally strong,” says Cherns, who was a student of the late endurance athlete and spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy.

Another key ingredient to continued success and joy in running is to continue to look ahead, says Cherns, and always to set one’s sights high. “My ideas are always self-transcending. I want to be prolific. I want to keep pushing my goals so that running is all a new adventure for me. I’ve run more than 300 ultras—in the next five years I’d like to bring that to 500. Ultimately, can I do 1,000 ultra marathons in my lifetime? You know, that’d be cool,” he says.

“I’m trying to go for the stars. There’s no reason why you can’t go for the stars, no matter what age you are.”

Core strength for runners: Three basic exercises to get faster

Adding some simple core-strength exercises to your routine might not result in an immediate six-pack, but it will make you a stronger, more stable and injury-resistant runner. New to core strength? We’re here to help–here are a few basic exercises and the reasons why, as a runner, you should add these to your training routine.

Why core strength?

Adding some core mobility and strength to your weekly routine comes with a multitude of benefits that carry over to running. You’ll improve your posture: a strong core helps maintain proper alignment, preventing you from slouching or leaning forward while running. A stable core provides a solid foundation for your limbs to work efficiently. This stability is particularly important on trails or when navigating uneven terrain.

A strong core can reduce the risk of common running injuries like lower back pain, IT band syndrome, and knee issues. Your core supports the spine and pelvis, and strengthening it reduces the impact on the joints. Finally, you’ll increase your power and speed. A strong core results in more powerful and efficient strides. While a well-rounded strength routine is something to work up to, adding a few simple core exercises post-easy run will give you a speed and stability boost.

1.- Planks

Traditional planks and side planks help strengthen the entire core, including the abdominal muscles and obliques.

Start in a push-up position with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels, feet should be hip-width apart.

Tighten your abdominal muscles and squeeze your glutes. This will help maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise.

Hold this position, keeping your body in a straight line. Start with 20-30 seconds and gradually increase the time as you gain strength.

Modify: to make the standard plank less challenging,  you can perform the exercise on your elbows instead of your hands. Rest on your forearms, and the rest of the steps remain the same. You can also drop your knees to the mat for support.

2.- Russian twists

This exercise targets the obliques and improves rotational strength, which is beneficial for maintaining stability during running.

Sit on the ground with knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Lean back slightly while keeping your back straight, with your torso at a 45-degree angle to the floor.

Tighten your abdominal muscles, engaging your core to stabilize your spine and maintain a neutral posture. Bring your hands together in front of your chest, and try holding a weight or medicine ball to add resistance.

Slowly rotate your torso to one side, bringing your hands or the weight beside your hip. Keep hips and lower body stationary–the movement should come from your upper body. Slowly twist back to the starting position. and repeat the twist on the opposite side.  Start with 10-15 repetitions per side and gradually increase the number as you become more comfortable.

3.- Bicycle crunches

These target the rectus abdominis and obliques while also engaging the hip flexors–all muscles that play a significant role in maintaining stability and balance while running.

Lie on your back on a mat or a comfortable surface. Place your hands behind your head, keeping elbows wide open, and lift both legs off the ground with knees bent at a 90-degree angle.

Tighten your abdominal muscles to engage your core and keep your spine stable.

Simultaneously perform a crunch and a rotation. Bring your right elbow towards your left knee while straightening your right leg. At the same time, rotate your torso to the left. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the other side, bringing your left elbow toward your right knee while straightening your left leg and rotating your torso to the right.

Continue to alternate sides in a fluid and controlled motion, resembling a pedalling motion like riding a bicycle. Aim for 10-15 repetitions per side to start with and gradually increase as your core strength improves.

When it comes to core training, consistency is key. Start by including core exercises in your routine two to three times per week, and prioritize form over the number of reps. Make sure you are including adequate rest and recovery if you are adding strength to an already intense running routine.

Six-time world champion confirms attendance for this year’s Antrim Coast Half-Marathon

Six-time world champion and former Olympic silver medalist Genzebe Dibaba has confirmed she will take to the starting line for this year’s Antrim Coast Half-Marathon.

The 32-year-old Ethiopian, who finished second in the 1500m at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, is the latest elite name to be added to the field for this year’s event, which takes place on August 25-27.

A former World Junior champion, and a two-time junior race winner at the World Cross Country Championships, Dibaba won her first world title in the 1500m at the 2012 World Indoors in Istanbul.

Her second came two years later in the 3000m at the World Indoors in Sopot, Poland, before she added the 1500m title at the 2013 World Championships in Beijing.

She would add another 1500m World Indoor title in 2016 in Portland before claiming gold in both the 1500m and 3000m at the 2018 World Indoors in Birmingham.

Dibaba, whose best half-marathon time is 1:05.18, will face stern competition from the likes of Amsterdam Marathon winner Degitu Azimeraw and former Great Ethiopian Run winner Zeineba Yimer.

However, Dibaba will enter the event as one of the favorites to cross the line first and race director Ruth McIlroy is thrilled they have added another huge name to the line-up.

"Everyone is delighted we have secured Genzebe, she's been someone we have been working towards getting to the event over the last 12 months,” said McIlroy.

"We feel we have one of the fastest half marathon courses in the world and think she, along with some other stars, will run extremely quick.

"Both the men's and women's elite races have a similar calibre to a global final so we could be looking at something very special in August.”

On the men’s side of the event, Ethiopian great Jemal Yimer is going for his third straight win in the event and is boasting considerable form after winning the Los Angeles Marathon and setting a UK & Ireland All-Comers record with a time of 58.33.

However, Yimer is only one of three runners who have broken the 59-minute mark in the field this year, with Kenya’s Daniel Mateiko having set a time of 58.26 and two-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese also competing.

The local challenge will be spearheaded by Irish Olympian duo Paul Pollock and Kevin Seaward, while Scotland’s Callum Hawkins also runs in a star-studded field.

Meanwhile, world junior champion Ermias Girma has been confirmed for the Condor Executive Street Mile to be run on the Friday night, with the Ethiopian eyeing up the first sub-four-minute mile.

Former Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Winnie Nanyondo is also confirmed for the event as she looks to better her personal best time of four minutes and 18 seconds.

Elsewhere, McIlroy is keen to see the Antrim Coast & Belfast bid given the green light to represent the United Kingdom in its bid to host either the 2025 or 2026 World Road Running Championships.

The bid, which has already been endorsed by Northern Ireland’s five main political parties, is Athletics UK’s preferred choice and will be the last to present to World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

"With 50,000 runners from over 160 countries, it would be a truly great way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and showcase the beauty of our province and sporting excellence to the rest of the world,” added McIlroy.

The bid will be heard on Tuesday, July 4, with the winning regions revealed on August 18 at the World Track & Field Championships in Budapest.

World champion Tobi Amusan faces one-year ban for missed drug tests

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, the reigning world champion and world record holder in the 100m hurdles, is facing a potential one-year suspension for three missed drug tests within 12 months. 

According to a post on Amusan’s Instagram on Tuesday evening, she was charged with missing three drug tests within 12 months. If an athlete misses three doping tests, it can result in a suspension of up to two years, even if the athlete has never failed a drug test. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the body responsible for handling doping cases in track and field, charged Amusan even though she claims to have been tested within days of her third missed test.

Amusan said her intention is to challenge the charge and have her case decided by a tribunal of three arbitrators before the upcoming World Championships next month. Amusan did not disclose any reasoning for why she missed three tests but advocated that she is a clean athlete and undergoes regular testing by the AIU. She remains hopeful that the situation will be resolved in her favour, which would allow her to defend her world title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest next month.

The 26-year-old became Nigeria’s first world record holder and world champion in the 100m hurdles at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, where she clocked a resounding world record of 12.12 seconds in the semifinals and a wind-aided 12.06 seconds to win the final.

This season, Amusan currently holds the second-best time in the world with a recorded time of 12.34, achieved on July 16 at Silesia Diamond League in Poland. The current world lead is held by the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the event, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, who recorded a time of 12.31 seconds in May.

Regular exercise has a beneficial impact on the body’s response to inflammation: Study says

For years, researchers and health practitioners have known that regular, moderate exercise has a positive impact on your body’s response to inflammation, but exactly why it has that effect has remained a mystery. A new study out of York University has helped to shed light on this poorly understood phenomenon.

The researchers at the School of Kinesiology and Health Science discovered that regular exercise impacts the production of white blood cells that are responsible for killing infections and healing injuries.

Inflammation–friend or foe?

Inflammation is often treated as a bad thing, but it has an important role to play in our immune response. When you get sick or injure yourself, a certain amount of inflammation is necessary to fight off an infection or heal the injured tissue. Problems begin when you have excessive inflammation. Heart disease, diabetes, many autoimmune diseases and cancers all start because of an excessive inflammatory response from your body’s immune system. (COVID-19 was another example of the deleterious effects of an excessive immune response, which ended up attacking otherwise healthy organs in the body.)

Exercise is known as an immunomodulator. This means it helps your body moderate its immune response at the onset of illness or injury, ensuring its inflammatory response is just enough to allow for healing, without going overboard and causing a cascade of other problems

The study

The study, which was performed on mice, showed that moderate-intensity exercise had a “training effect” on the precursors for macrophages (the white blood cells that are responsible for mounting an inflammatory response and are your body’s first line of defense against infections). After the mice underwent a regular, moderate-intensity exercise regime, they experienced a “persistent metabolic rewiring and changes to chromatin accessibility in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), which, in turn, tempers their inflammatory responses.”

In other words, exercise changed the way the cells breathed, according to Faculty of Health Associate Professor and York Research Chair Ali Abdul-Sater.

“Much like if you train your muscles through exercise, we showed that exercise of moderate intensity ended up training the precursors of those macrophages in the bone marrow,” says Abdul-Sater. “The way that exercise is doing this is by changing the way those cells breathe, essentially, how they use oxygen to generate energy and then changing the way they access their DNA.”

The cool part about these results is that the changes they were seeing weren’t temporary. While there are plenty of studies demonstrating the temporary immune-boosting effects of exercise, these results showed that the changes to the mice’s immune systems were still evident a week later.

Of course, if you’re wondering how well a mice study translates to humans, the researchers believe their findings are very applicable to us. As complex as our immune system is, it is also very ancient, which means that it is much the same across all mammals.

“The thing with humans is there’s no intervention that will work on everyone. We know that, but what this study suggests is that moderate and persistent exercise not only improves metabolic health, but also will improve immune health in the long run,” says Abdul-Sater.

The takeaways

If nothing else, this study reinforces the importance of exercise in a healthy immune system. But note that these benefits were demonstrated with a regular, moderate-intensity exercise regime. 

Marathon training, for example, is generally not considered to be moderate exercise, and this study did not look at how a high-mileage or high-intensity running program affects the immune system. In fact, there is some research to demonstrate that bouts of high-intensity exercise (like running) in excess of one hour can actually have a temporary immuno-suppressing effect. 

This doesn’t mean you should stop training, but runners need to be particularly careful that they’re eating enough to support their activity, that they’re eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, getting enough sleep and prioritizing recovery. It’s equally important that when you do get sick, you cut back on your training or take a break until you’re better, for the sake of your immune system.

2026 Commonwealth Games in doubt after Australian hosts pull out over funding row

Australian state cites rising costs as reason to cancel their plans to host the Games

The 2026 Commonwealth Games are in doubt after Victoria announced it would not host the event anymore.

State Premier Daniel Andrews stated that an increase in costs from £1.4 billion to £3.7 billion was the primary reason for the cancellation.

“When the Commonwealth Games needed a host city to step in at the last minute, we were willing to help – but not at any price,” he tweeted. “And not without a big lasting benefit for regional Victoria.”

“It’s now clear: more than AUD$6 billion for a 12-day sporting event is just too high. It’s more than twice the estimated economic benefit the Games would bring our state.”

Victoria had come to the rescue of the Commonwealth Games Federation last March when they offered to host the 23rd edition of the event.

The Games were to be held between March 17-29 2026, across five regional Victoria centers in Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland and Shepparton. Melbourne was due to host the Opening Ceremony.

However, the Australian state has now followed Durban – the South African was stripped of their bid to stage the 2022 Games in 2017 due to financial constraints – in being the second consecutive Commonwealth Games host to have withdrawn.

“This is hugely disappointing for the Commonwealth Sport Movement, for athletes around the Commonwealth and the Organizing Committee who are well advanced in their planning and preparation,” the CGF said in a statement.

More than 5,000 athletes from 56 countries and territories were due to compete in 21 sports.

Ferdinand Omanyala Confident Ahead of World Athletics Championships: Nothing but Gold

In the last few years, Ferdinand Omanyala has become one of the best sprinters in the world and is looking to cement that in August at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Hungary.

He comfortably qualified for the event and will face stern competition from the Americans as he seeks to win one of the most important titles in his career.

The 27-year-old is Africa's fastest man but has yet to win a Diamond League race so far this season. He will take part in the Monaco Meet later this month. He recently clocked 9.85 seconds to win the national trials. Unfortunately, he will be the only man to represent Kenya in the 100m race.

The Commonwealth Games champion has a personal best of 9.77 seconds and wants to run 9.60 seconds. Only three men in history have run under 9.70 seconds, Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, and Tyson Gay, per World Athletics. Therefore, it will be an uphill task for the Kenyan star.

Omanyala's mindset heading to Budapest

Kenya is known for their middle and long-distance running, producing world-beaters for decades. Omanyala will make history if he beats defending world and Olympic champion Fred Kerley to win gold in Budapest.

He is confident going to the showpiece.

Kenya has never won a medal in the 100m race, and Omanyala will be the first if he wins it.

Omanyala leads Diamond League standings

Sports Brief previously reported on Omanyala being on course to qualify for the Diamond League finals, with the Commonwealth champion leading the standings after five legs.

He raced in his second-ever Diamond League race against an elite field in Rabat on May 28. He then followed it up with back-to-back races in Florence, Italy, and in Paris, France.

Omanyala - Africa's fastest man - took podium places in all three races. He came in third in Morocco before claiming two consecutive second-place finishes in Italy and France.

Practice race-day pacing with this workout

Learn how to dial into your 5K and 10K pace with these timed intervals

Part of the art of running is learning how to get into your planned pace and maintain it, then sprinting to the finish line. Many runners have fallen into the trap of going out too hard or too easy, only to crash and burn in the last few kilometers, or have too much left in the tank at the finish. This simple workout will help you practice your pace for the 5K and 10K so that you know how it feels and when race day comes, you can nail your pacing like a pro.

There are three parts to this workout: the first is a short tempo run. You can think of this as an extension of the warmup, where you’re giving your body a chance to work down to the faster paces you’ll be trying to hit in the rest of the session. To do this, start at about half-marathon pace and gradually speed up so that you’re running your 10K pace by the end (say, for the last 20-30 seconds).

The second two sections are your chance to practise your 5K and 10K paces. Transitioning from tempo pace to 5K pace might feel awkward, so if you don’t hit your pace perfectly on the first fast interval, don’t sweat it–you’ve got three more chances to nail it down. Complete the workout by running another longer interval, this time at 10K pace. When you’re doing this after the short intervals, it will be tempting to start out too fast, so be sure to stay focused right from the start.

The workout

Warmup: 15-20 minute easy jog

Workout: 

5-minute tempo run, followed by 2 minutes of rest

4 x 2 minutes at 5K pace, with 1:30 rest between each interval

5 minutes at 10K pace

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

Cardboard beds for athletes to return at Paris 2024 Olympics

The infamous beds are back! 16,000 cardboard beds will be supplied for all Olympic and Paralympic athletes plus media.

The cardboard beds that went viral from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will make a resurgence at the 2024 Games in Paris. The 2024 Olympic organizing committee confirmed that they have selected Japanese mattress manufacturer Airweave, which will supply an impressive tally of 16,000 cardboard beds for all athletes housed in the Olympic and Paralympic Villages, as well as journalists staying at the Media Village.

To relieve any concerns about the size, these beds come in a standard dimension of nearly three feet wide and six and a half feet in length. However, the beds can be extended to 2.20 meters for tall athletic superstars (like seven-foot basketball player Victor Wembanyama of France). After all, we don’t want Olympians’ or Paralympians’ legs dangling off the end of the bed.

You might recall the frenzy on social media surrounding these cardboard beds during the previous Olympics. Some suggested that Tokyo 2020 organizers were being “anti-sex,” as if these beds were specifically engineered to sabotage athletes’ romantic and athletic endeavors. The rumors were swiftly debunked when videos flooded the app TikTok showing Olympic athletes jumping on the beds to test their sturdiness. 

Two-time U.S. Olympic 5,000m medalist Paul Chelimo shared his thoughts on the cardboard beds, stating that it likely wouldn’t be a problem for distance runners, and how they could probably fit four of them.

Motokuni Takaoka, the esteemed founder of Airweave, joined the athletes in this whimsical testing routine. He gleefully jumped on the beds himself to demonstrate their durability, exclaiming, “We have designed these cardboard beds for three or four people jumping because after winning a medal, athletes get very happy!” Who can argue with that?

Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet expressed his satisfaction with Airweave’s beds, praising their use of recycled materials in line with the organizing committee’s sustainability aspirations. “We were impressed by Airweave’s technology,” he said in a press release. “We know that we have a solid partner in terms of sustainability and delivery.”

When cardboard beds reach the end of their useful life at the Olympics, they are broken down and recycled. Unlike other materials that may contribute to landfill waste, cardboard is biodegradable, making them an easy eco-friendly choice to promote a greener Olympic Games.

Three things ultra beast Courtney Dauwalter can teach all runners

Courtney Dauwalter has been stunning the ultratrail world over and over: not only does she keep winning every race she runs, but she’s been obliterating course records and beating almost all of the men. On Sunday, the Leadville, Colo.-based athlete annihilated the Hardrock 100 course record, finishing an incredible fourth place overall, only three weeks off setting a blistering new Western States 100 record. Here’s what you can learn (no matter your distance of choice) from the way Dauwalter trains and races.

1.- Run with joy and gratitude

It sounds simple, right? Running and racing should make us happy, but training can all too easily get filed as a chore on an endless to-do list. Dauwalter exudes joy and gratitude when she races, no matter the day or situation. Dauwalter is known by competitors and fans alike for the big smile she shares with everyone on the course. 

She effusively thanks volunteers and takes time to ask how her crew is doing. She high-fives all the little kids. On the Some Work All Play podcast, coach and ultrarunner David Roche asked Dauwalter what she would like her legacy to be. The trail phenom answered with her trademark humility and graciousness: “In general? That I made people smile and laugh and have a good time.”

Most of us won’t win a course record at a world-renowned event, but we can embody Dauwalter’s attitude in our own training and races. Checking in with others, savouring the fun of moving our bodies, and that simple thing, smiling, will make everything feel a little bit easier and a lot more fun.

2.- Adjust your training according to how you are feeling

Dauwalter has no coach, doesn’t follow a strict training plan, and goes by feel. She’s clearly perfected the art of self-awareness over time, but there’s a takeaway there for all of us. Even though it can be incredibly helpful for runners to follow a program or have guidance while they train, keeping a reserve of flexibility and using self-check-ins can help the regular runner optimize their performance.

“There are so many ways to train, enjoy, and go after running goals. Having a training plan, using devices and analyzing data, or not doing any of those things, are all great options,” Dauwalter recently explained to trailrunnermag.com “I think it depends on the person and how they find joy. But I also think there is no downside to occasionally leaving the watch at home and heading out the door for a run where you just listen to your body and not worry about metrics.”

Keep things loose, and be willing to adjust your plans if you feel the need for a data-free jaunt or when you note that your body is needing more rest.

3.- Eat with exuberance

Dauwalter is known for her sweet tooth and habit of fuelling long races with cheese quesadillas. She’s often heard asking for her post-race beer, and even her Instagram tagline declares her a lover of long inseams and candy. Dauwalter told Roche that she refuses to restrict what goes into her body: “If it sounds good, if it tastes good, if it fulfills a craving, then it’s exactly the thing that I’m eating.” Eating makes her happy.

Eating has a complicated dynamic for some, and runners come from a wide array of nutritional needs and preferences. Whatever your relationship with food and fuel, bringing Dauwalter’s enthusiastic spirit into your kitchen or food choices can make food more fun.

Utah’s Clayton Young won the Crazy 8s 8K title on Saturday night

Utah’s Clayton Young bided his time until the last moment and made a strong move to win Saturday’s 33rd Ballad Health and Niswonger Children’s Hospital Crazy 8s 8-kilometer run on the candle-lit streets of the Model City.

With 200 meters to go, Young — the 2019 NCAA 10,000-meter champion from BYU — broke away from a group of six runners as he made his way into J. Fred Johnson Stadium to claim his second USATF title in 22:46 and the $5,000 that went along with the win.

There were nearly 3,200 finishers in Saturday’s races, including the Almost Crazy 3K, which was up almost 300 from last year.

“I was talking with my teammate Conner Mantz, who was runner-up last year and he said when he made his move, he felt like it wasn’t strong enough,” Young said. “He told me that I should be making that move before I turn up the hill. When I made my move, I was thinking about him and how he coached me through those final stages.”

Alberto Salazar’s American record of 22:04 lived another day. The start of the race was delayed by 45 minutes because of a strong thunderstorm that swept through the area.

“I had a lot of confidence going into this race,” Young said. “I’ve trained with Conner a lot and he’s had a great season, so that was a pretty good indicator. I just rode his coattails and went out there to see what I could do today.”

ZAP Endurance runner Andrew Colley was runner-up, finishing in 22:48. Oklahoma State graduate Isai Rodriguez took out the pace early and finished third in 22:49.

Young — who won the 2021 USATF 15K title in Jacksonville, Florida — trains with Mantz and now he’s got one up on his former BYU teammate.

“It’s finally nice to win another U.S. championship,” Young said. “You’ve got to celebrate all the victories, no matter how big or small they are. They keep you going and keep you motivated.

“To feel that strength over the last 800 meters was really validating and hopefully it’ll propel me through these next couple of races and into a fall marathon.”

Kingsport native Emma Russum — a member of Dobyns-Bennett’s 2019 state cross country state title team who now runs for Chattanooga — won the women’s division in 31:02.

It’s a dream come true of sorts for Russum, who’s regularly run the race since she was 6 years old.

“It feels really good to win and it’s even better because I got second last year,” Russum said. “I ran 20 seconds slower than last year, but it was super fun and I definitely was trying to keep a more relaxed effort at the beginning.

“People were yelling at me in the last bit that a girl was coming, so I had to kick it in. I love this race and I’ve been running it since I was big enough to run in (Little 8s).”

Russum made a little bit of area history as well, becoming the third local female runner to win the Crazy 8s title. She joined Johnson City’s Jenna Hutchins and Bristol, Virginia’s Stephanie Place.

“It’s really cool to be a part of such a short history of local winners,” Russum said.

Stephanie Bruce on running while pregnant: “It doesn’t have to make sense to everyone”

"This is a gift–to be out doing what I love while growing a baby," Bruce says.

American marathoner Stephanie Bruce is not letting pregnancy slow her down. In May, 18 weeks into her third pregnancy, Bruce was the top female finisher at the Big Sur 12K in 45:41, coming in second overall, only a minute behind first place.

Known for her upfront talk about post-pregnancy running after the birth of her other two children, Bruce has been sharing social media updates chronicling the joys and challenges of running (and racing) while pregnant, noting, “It doesn’t have to make sense to everyone.”

Bruce has had a prolific career in cross-country, representing the U.S. twice at the World Cross Country Championships, in 2017 and 2019. Bruce was the second American behind Emma Bates at the 2019 Chicago Marathon, where she ran her personal best time of 2:27:47, and she had a 10th place finish at the NYC Marathon in November (2:31:05). She has spent the last decade training with Ben Rosario’s Hoka NAZ Elite team in Flagstaff, Ariz.

In January 2022, Bruce announced she would be retiring at the end of the season, after she was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition called bicuspid aortic valve disease (BAVD), a dysfunction of the aorta valve limiting the amount of blood flowing from your heart to the body.

A few months later, in what she called “the pivot,” she changed her mind, sharing on her blog that “after a period of deep reflection–now I have had a change of heart. I am not ready to hang up my racing shoes.”

A few months later, Bruce announced her pregnancy. The athlete plans to return to racing competitively after her baby is born and has been documenting her journey to inspire others. Bruce says still she can still run reps between a 3:00 and 3:30 min/km pace, but is finding turning over in bed is becoming difficult. In her third trimester, she says that she misses competing.

Bruce explains her goal in sharing her pregnant running experience: “To show women our bodies can handle it, if we choose, not everyone and that’s ok if we stay on the couch and don’t feel motivated. Every pregnancy experience is different and I am simply sharing how mine is playing out.”

Bruce recently published a book, written with Rosario, titled Follow Your Heart, The Story of Stephanie Bruce’s Not-So-Final Season.

When Will Eliud Kipchoge Slow Down?

What we can learn from the world’s greatest distance runner of all-time while he’s still in his prime

Eliud Kipchoge has expanded the universe of what’s humanly possible in the marathon, and he will forever remain a legend in the sport of long-distance running.

Not only for himself, but especially for those who have come after him. That includes everyone, both elite and recreational runners, who are preparing a marathon this fall or some distant point in the future. His current 2:01:09 world record and his barrier-breaking 1:59:40 time-trial effort in 2019 are legendary feats, both for the current generation of runners and for all time.

The 38-year-old Kenyan marathoner is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, but time waits for no one, and especially not a long-distance runner. Like all elite athletes, his time at the top is limited, but fortunately, there is still time to immerse in the inspirational examples he’s providing.

Kipchoge recently announced he’ll return to the Berlin Marathon on September 24, where, last year, he won the race for the fourth time and lowered the world record for the second time. It is most likely what will be the beginning of a grand denouement as he goes for another gold medal at the 2024 Olympics next summer in Paris.

Given that he won his first global medal in the City of Light—when, at the age of 18, he outran Moroccan legend Hicham El Guerrouj and Ethiopian legend-in-the-making Kenenisa Bekele to win the 5,000-meter run at the 2003 world championships—it would certainly be one of the greatest stories ever told if he could win the Olympic marathon there next year when he’s nearly 40.

Certainly he’ll run a few more races after the Olympics—and maybe through the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles—but, realistically, it is the start of a farewell tour for a runner who will never be forgotten.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not at all writing Kipchoge off. In fact, I am excited to see him run in Berlin and can’t wait to watch next year’s Olympic marathon unfold. But just as we’ve watched Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Shalane Flanagan, Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix, and other elite athletes succumb to the sunsetting of their peak performance level, so too will Kipchoge eventually suffer the same fate.

What I’m saying here is that we still have time to watch and appreciate Kipchoge eloquently working his magic and continue to be inspired in our own running and other pursuits in life. Remember how we marveled at Michael Jordan’s greatest in “The Last Dance” more than 20 years after his heyday? This is the start of the last dance for Kipchoge, who, like Jordan, is much, much more than a generational talent; he’s an all-time great whose legacy will transcend time.

Running has seen many extraordinary stars in the past 50 years who have become iconic figures— Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Ted Corbitt, Carl Lewis, Steve Jones, Paul Tergat,  Catherine Ndereba, Paula Radcliffe, Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Mary Keitany, Brigid Kosgei, and Kilian Jornet, to name a few—but none have come close to the body of work and global influence of Kipchoge.

Not only is Kipchoge one of the first African athletes to become a household name and truly command a global audience, but he’s done more than other running champions because of he’s been able to take advantage of this advanced age of digital media to deliberately push positive messages and inspiring content to anyone who is willing to receive it.

Kipchoge has won two Olympic gold medals, set two world records, and won 17 of the 19 marathons he entered, but he’s so much less about the stats and bling and more sharing—to runners and non-runners alike—that “no human is limited” and also that, despite our differences, we’re all human beings faced with a lot of the same challenges in life and, ultimately, hard work and kindness are what put us on the path to success.

How can an average runner who works a nine-to-five job and juggles dozens of other things in daily life be inspired by an elite aerobic machine like Kipchoge?

He is supremely talented, no doubt, but many elite runners have a similar aerobic capacity to allow them to compete on the world stage. What Kipchoge uniquely possesses—and why he’s become the greatest of all-time—is the awareness and ability to be relentless in his pursuit of excellence, and the presence and good will of how beneficial it is to share it.

If you haven’t been following Kipchoge or heard him speak at press conferences or sponsor events, he’s full of genuine wisdom and encouragement that can inspire you in your own  running or challenging situation in life. His words come across much more powerfully than most other elite athletes or run-of-the-mill social media influencers, not only because he’s achieved at a higher level than anyone ever has, but because of his genuine interest in sharing the notion that it’s the simplest values—discipline, hard work, consistency, and selflessness—that make the difference in any endeavor.

This is not a suggestion to idolize Kipchoge, but instead to apply his wisdom and determination into the things that challenge you.

“If you want to break through, your mind should be able to control your body. Your mind should be a part of your fitness.”

“Only the disciplined ones in life are free. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods and your passions.”

“If you believe in something and put it in your mind and heart, it can be realized.”

“The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The second-best time to plant a tree is today.”

Those are among the many simple messages that Kipchoge has lived by, but he also openly professess to giving himself grace to take time for mental and physical rest and recovery. It’s a simple recipe to follow, if you’re chasing your first or fastest marathon, or any tall task in life.

Kipchoge seems to defy age, but his sixth-place finish in the Boston Marathon in April proved he’s human. As much as it was painful to watch him falter, it was oddly refreshing and relatable to see him be something less than exceptional, and especially now that he’s tuning up for Berlin. He has nothing left to prove—to himself, to runners, to the world—but he’s bound to keep doing so just by following the same simple, undaunted regimen he always has.

There will be other young runners who will rise and run faster than Kipchoge and probably very soon. Fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum—who has run  2:01:53 (Valencia) and 2:01:25 (London) in his first two marathons since December—seems to be next in line for Kipchoge’s throne of the world’s greatest runner. But even after that happens, Kipchoge’s name will go down in history alongside the likes of Paavo Nurmi, Abebe Bikila, Emil Zátopek, Grete Waitz, Shorter and Samuelson because of how he changed running and how he gave us a lens to view running without limits.

Berlin is definitely not the end of Kipchoge’s amazing career  as the world’s greatest long-distance runner. I fully expect him to win again in an unfathomable time. But the sunset is imminent and, no matter if you are or have ever been an aspiring elite athlete at any level, a committed recreational runner, or just an occasional jogger trying to reap the fruits of consistent exercise, his example is still very tangible and something to behold.

This Olympian Runner’s Go-To Endurance Salad Couldn’t Be Easier

There’s nothing difficult about this nutrient-dense green recipe to keep the immune system strong and recovery speedy

For me, salads have always been the culinary equivalent of a sad trombone. I’m active. I want something warm and hearty after a hard effort, not the stuff you give the class gerbil in elementary school. This, I know, is a wildly outdated characterization of salads, if not a surprising one coming from a vegetarian. 

But I live in Germany, where there are a lot of rules, and a lot of exceptions to those rules. My exception for salads is the Israeli salad, usually defined as a chopped salad with diced tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers topped with a light, lemon-based vinaigrette. Simple, right? A recent trip to Israel coupled with a chat with none other than Olympian runner Maor Tiyouri helped me change my perspective.

Tiyouri is a wildly accomplished Israeli Olympic long-distance runner. Over the course of her career, she’s held the national record in the 5,000-meter run and is a three-time national champion. So it’s fair to wonder: what’s fueling these impressive performances?

Although she doesn’t credit one dish to her success, she’s quick to mention the Israeli salad. Tiyouri describes it as a staple of her diet; something she eats twice a day. But that wasn’t always the case. 

Tiyouri admits that she slacked off on the salads. Then her nutritionist, Tamar Ashlagi, told her in plain medical terms: “You’re Israeli! You have to eat salad every day. Where are your Israeli roots?” Ashlagi is the nutritionist for the Israeli Olympic windsurfing, sailing, and long-distance running teams. She encourages everyone to eat salads, which she says are an important component of the Israeli and Mediterranean diet.

“In Israel, there is a large, readily available variety of vegetables, and they are relatively cheap. There are a lot of possibilities for preparing a salad using seasonal vegetables,” she explained. “The salads can be simple and don’t require too much time to prepare, making them readily available even for tired or busy individuals.” 

Of course, it’s not just about their simplicity. Salads are fundamentally good fuel for long-distance runners. “The high fiber content is beneficial for the gut microbiome and digestion,” she said. 

Introducing more salads into Tiyorui’s diet wasn’t just about honoring her Israeli roots. A veggie-rich, nutrient-dense salad full of fiber like the Israeli salad is a welcome addition to any runner’s diet.

“Israeli salads contain multiple types of vegetables and are usually seasoned lightly with olive oil, which is beneficial for the cardiovascular system,” Ashlagi explained. “It is common knowledge that every vegetable has different nutritional values. Therefore, the more colorful the salad is, the more nutritious it is.”

A colorful salad usually means more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are known to be anti-inflammatory. In other words, Israeli salads can play a nutritional role in an endurance athlete’s recovery and combating free radicals, not to mention the high fiber content helps regulate blood sugar.

That said, this doesn’t mean you should start stuffing your face with salads every chance you get. “Athletes should be aware that eating a salad close to training or competition is not a good idea because of the high fiber content that can cause gut discomfort due to slow digestion,” Ashlagi explains. 

For Tiyouri, Israeli salads come with a bonus benefit. It’s a taste of home for the 32-year-old, now based in Boulder, Colorado.

“When I miss home, I want to make it,” she says. Now it’s part of her morning routine. She’ll cut up some tomatoes, cucumbers, and top it with olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper. “I usually do that in the morning, after a workout and with dinner,” she says.

Tiyouri isn’t rigid with her Israeli salads. As long as it has tomatoes and cucumber, she welcomes some greens (spinach, arugula) and additional veggies (radishes, red bell pepper), even Israeli feta cheese if she can get her hands on some. It all depends on what she has available in her fridge, what’s in season, and frankly, what she needs to eat before it spoils. “Sometimes I just want to throw everything in there,” she says.

This just might be the easiest dish to make in the series so far. At minimum, all you need is a cucumber, some grape tomatoes, olive oil, lemon, salt, and a knife to make it all happen. 

But we’re not about doing the bare minimum. For this recipe, we’re adding some color—chopped red bell pepper and a carrot along with some of Tiyouri’s favorite bonus regional ingredients, feta cheese and cilantro.

This recipe also adds chopped dates. Why dates? Because they come up time and time again when you ask Israeli athletes about some of their favorite endurance snacks. They grow well in Israel where the temperatures can crawl above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and can be eaten directly from the tree.

Nutritionally speaking, Ashlagi notes that dates are a good source of carbohydrates, glucose, and fructose—making them a quick and optimal source of quick energy for exercise.

“Dates can serve as a replacement for around two energy gels,” she explained. “It’s also a great snack if you desire something sweet, if consumed moderately.”

Within the Israeli salad, dates offer a sweetness to balance out the saltiness of the feta.

You can adjust the quantities in this recipe as you like. And like Tiyouri, feel free to add an extra veggie or swap some out for your favorite vegetables. Not only will she throw in a radish from time to time, she might cut up some avocado or toss in some corn. Put in whatever ingredients are going to make you excited about having this salad. Below is a recipe to get you started.

Ingredients

Serves: 2 people

Instructions

1) Halve your cucumber and slice each half lengthwise into four slices. Hold the slices together like a bouquet and chop them into small pieces. Add them to a medium-sized mixing bowl.

2) Halve the tomatoes and add them to the bowl along with the red bell pepper, carrot, dried dates, and finely chopped cilantro.

3) Soak minced red onion in lemon juice and set aside.

4) Cube the feta cheese or crumble it directly into the bowl with your hands. Add the kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice with onions. Mix thoroughly until the salad is well coated and serve.

2023 Hardrock 100 Women’s Race

If it wasn’t for Courtney Dauwalter (pre-race interview) running the Western States 100 just three weeks prior, crushing the women’s record there, and potentially being a bit worn out at the start line of the Hardrock 100, it would have been hard to find someone to bet against her winning the race this year. But if she were to falter, there were several women who were ready to jump at the opportunity.

For the first part of the race, it seemed like France’s Anne-Lise Rousset Séguret was going to do just that. While Dauwalter led in the very early miles of the course, Rousset opened up a sizable gap coming through Maggie Gulch at mile 15.5 and was moving with enthusiasm toward Pole Creek, the next aid station. She came into Sherman at mile 30 in seventh overall in 6:29, looking strong. Dauwalter was just six minutes behind, and Annie Hughes (pre-race interview) came in next, 52 minutes off the lead. With still many miles to run, it was still anyone’s race. Frenchwoman Claire Bannwarth (pre-race interview) came through just seven minutes later and was followed by Japan’s Kimino Miyazaki (pre-race interview), who was 1:22 off the lead but looking spry and happy.

The top-two women came back together through Grizzly Gulch at mile 36 with Hughes trailing them at just under an hour back. When Rousset led Dauwalter into Grouse Gulch, mile 43.5, by nearly 10 minutes after traversing Handies Peak, the course high point, it seemed like maybe the Western States 100-Hardrock 100 double was going to be too much for Dauwalter to handle.

But it’s never a good idea to bet against the most dominant female trail ultrarunner of this generation. By mile 50, she’d closed the gap to four minutes, and in Ouray at mile 58.5, it was down to two minutes. When it came to the climb out of Ouray, Dauwalter made her move, and the elastic to Rousset finally snapped over the top of Virginius Pass. Dauwalter never looked back.

Meanwhile, Hughes stayed steady in third place while dealing with stomach issues and the rest of the women’s pack, including Miyazaki, Bannwarth, Christina Bauer, Whitney Mickelsen, Darla Askew, Becky Bates, and last-minute waitlist entrant Emily Halnon, who only got into the race the morning before, continued to chase — all within close proximity to each other.

Dauwalter ran into Telluride at mile 74.5, her pace still hovering just a few minutes over course-record pace, but now 23 minutes ahead of second-place Rousset, and executed the fasted crew stop of the Telluride aid station, getting in and out in under three minutes. She was on a mission.

Just 10 miles later, she was well below course-record pace, crushing the Bear Creek Trail climb out of Telluride and moving herself into third overall as some of the lead men began to falter. Rousset also continued her relentless march, and while she was 48 minutes back on Dauwalter at mile 84, she was only three minutes up on course-record pace.

In the end, there was no catching Dauwalter as she ran back to Silverton to kiss the rock with a new women’s counterclockwise course record of 26:14:08, besting the one set by the legendary Diana Finkel in 2009, and finishing fourth overall. She also set a new overall women’s record, beating her old time of 26:44:36, which she set last year.

Not only that, she set a new overall record for the Western States 100-Hardrock 100 double with a combined time of 41:43:42, beating Jeff Browning’s old record of 42:12:43 that he set in 2016.

Rousset would finish second after a gutsy run with a time of 27:29:55, which registers as the fifth-fastest time in event history, and Hughes would hold onto third with a time of 32:13:03 after spending nearly 100 miles battling stomach and breathing issues.With large gaps between the first, second, and third women, all eyes turned to the competition between fourth and 10th where the time gaps were tight and the women were often in the aid stations together in the back half of the race. Miyazaki and Bannwarth ran in close proximity to each other battling for fourth and fifth, while Mickelsen, Halnon, Bates, Askew, and Bauer seemed to maintain the same overall pace as the miles ticked by.

2023 Hardrock 100 Men’s Race

Without any clear race favorite this year, the men’s race was wide open, and France’s Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz (pre-race interview) made the most of the opportunity to go to the front immediately, leading the race line-to-line. Even before the first mile was up, Dunand-Pallaz had opened up a gap on the rest of the field and never looked back, running steady and strong through the heat of the day and the dark of the night.

Behind Dunand-Pallaz, the race between the rest of the field never let up, but the gap to the leader continued to grow steadily as the hours passed. Silverton local Avery Collins (pre-race interview)led the early chase, along with Dylan Bowman (pre-race interview), who had finished second here in 2021. While Dunand-Pallaz was running his first Hardrock 100, Bowman had course experience on his side, and Collins had the course in his backyard to train on.Behind the two Americans, another Frenchman, Beñat Marmissolle (pre-race interview), was biding his time in third. Brian Culmo, Spaniard Javi Dominguez, Arlen Glick, former Hardrock 100 champion Jeff Browning, Paul Terranova, and Jesse Haynes rounded out the top 10 in the early miles of the race.Coming through the Maggie aid station at mile 15.5, it seemed like Dunand-Pallaz was going to give the men’s record a run for its money, coming in about 10 minutes under course-record pace. By this time, he was also 10 minutes up on Collins, who was running in second. While Dunand-Pallaz’s gap on the course record had disappeared by the time he dropped into the Sherman aid station at mile 30, his gap on the rest of the field had grown to 13 minutes, now with Marmissolle running in second with Bowman and Collins just a couple of minutes back. The rest of the top 10 remained unchanged.And aside from a few shuffles within the field, not a whole lot changed in the top 10 until the witching hours, after the heat of the day turned to the dark of night and legs started to get heavy. Then things started to change, and quickly. While the two Frenchmen continued their relentless march forward, both Collins and Bowman faltered, and it was Dominguez who left the Chapman aid station at mile 84 in third. Glick was fourth, Terranova fifth, and Browning sixth. Both Collins and Bowman took extended stops at Chapman to regroup, losing their positions but eventually headed back out on the trail to finish.While others struggled behind him, Dunand-Pallaz crested the last climb well clear of the field. Marmissolle followed 40 minutes back. And from there, it was almost all downhill for the two Frenchmen. Dunand-Pallaz ran back into Silverton to kiss the rock and win his first Hardrock 100 in 23:00:07, the eighth-fastest time in history.

Marmissolle finished second and was followed by Dominguez who ran a steady and smart race from start to end finished third in 26:12:01. Glick finished fourth with a time of  26:43:05, and Browning would round out the top five with a time of 27:17:02.

TD Beach to Beacon 10K celebrating its 25th year

We're getting closer to the annual TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race. It's happening on the first Saturday of August, just over  weeks away.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the race, and more than 8,000 people are registered to run.

Each year, the scenic race held in Cape Elizabeth needs about 800 volunteers to make it happen.

People from all over New England and throughout the world come to Maine for the race. It begins on Route 77 near the entrance of Crescent Beach State Park, winds along tree-lined streets and past breathtaking ocean vistas, and ends in Fort Williams Park at historic Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

Thousands of spectators cheer runners along the route and at the finish. In 2021, more than 2,000 runners participated in the race’s only virtual TD Beach to Beacon 10K. 

The popular annual race debuted in 1998 with 2,408 runners crossing the finish line.

More than $90,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in various categories for men and women, and a separate $30,000 donation is provided to a designated beneficiary each year by TD Bank. This year's beneficiary is Valo Maine, a nonprofit that helps Maine teens with their mental well-being.

The iconic event is managed by DMSE Sports of Woburn, Massachusetts. Along with the TD Beach to Beacon 10K, DMSE assists the Boston Athletic Association with managing the Boston Marathon and other high-profile sports events.

Four exercises to improve spine mobility

As a runner, you may not often think about your back, but neglecting this important part of your body not only puts you at greater risk for injuries but can reduce running efficiency and ultimately slow you down. If you haven’t given your back any attention lately, try adding these simple exercises to your routine once or twice a week and start reaping the benefits.

Thoracic spine mobility plays a crucial role in the overall performance and well-being of runners. The thoracic spine refers to the middle and upper back region, consisting of 12 vertebrae that connect the cervical spine (neck) and the lumbar spine (lower back). Maintaining mobility in this area is important for runners due to its impact on posture, breathing mechanics and overall movement efficiency.

To improve thoracic spine mobility, try doing the following exercises once or twice a week. If you frequently feel stiff through your back, neck and shoulders, consider booking an appointment with a chiropractor, who can provide a more in-depth assessment and help you regain mobility through your spine.

1.- Cat/cow stretch

Begin on your hands and knees. Inhale as you move your butt up towards the ceiling, pressing your hands into the floor, arching your back and pressing your chest toward the floor as you lift the head up (this is the cow). From there, exhale as you move into cat position, rounding out your back and pushing shoulder blades away from you as your spine forms a “C” curve in the opposite direction. Repeat this 10 times, focusing on keeping your should blades relaxed while breathing deeply and steadily.

2.- Quadruped t-spine rotation

Get on your hands and knees, with your spine in a neutral position. Place one hand on the back of your neck, without putting pressure or pulling down on your neck. 

Leading with your eyes, begin to rotate your head and shoulder as far as possible down toward your opposite elbow. Reverse the motion (still leading with your eyes), by rotating your head and shoulder upward as far as possible without twisting your lower back. Move through this motion 10 times, then repeat on the other side.

3.- Open book

Start by lying on your left side, stacking your right leg on top of your left, with your knees bent. Extend your arms straight out in front of you, palms touching. Lift your right hand and extend it upward, opening up the arm like it’s a book. Slowly move your arm until it is extended straight out to your right with your palm up, resting on the floor. Follow the top hand with your head and eyes throughout the entire movement, so that your head and eyes are turned toward the right at the end of the movement. Hold this stretch for a few breaths before returning to the starting position with palms stacked on top of each other. Repeat up to 10 times on each side.

4.- Thoracic extension over foam roller

Place the foam roller perpendicular to your torso. Sit in front of the foam roller, and gently hold your head with your hands, interlocking the fingers and supporting the weight of your head (you should simply be holding your head, not pulling on it).

Take a deep breath, then as you breathe out slowly lean backward so that your upper back is reaching back over the foam roller. Allow your shoulders to reach gently toward the floor while the foam roller supports your upper back. Lift the hips to roll up and down the muscles of the upper back. Return to the starting position, and move the foam roller up an inch and repeat the process, moving up your spine after each stretch. This is a very intense movement, so don’t force your body into discomfort. Stretch only as far as your body allows while you continue to breathe steadily. If you find yourself holding your breath, you’re probably pushing too hard and should ease up until you can return to regular breath.

How to Properly Prepare for Hot-Weather Races

Ah, summertime! It's one of the best seasons for long trail runs, but it's also the hottest and one of the most difficult times to train.  

As temperatures and UV indices climb, runners in many regions can feel the dew point explode, and that can make it seem like any semblance of fitness gained over the winter and spring is suddenly gone. We can all recall an early summer run that makes us not only question our confidence, but whether we're going to make it through the next few months.

There are notoriously warm races on the horizon, and there's a lot of talk about heat and how to mitigate it: sauna training, layering, topical cooling-all the tools to get amateur and elite athletes alike through challenging conditions. Many of the runners who just raced the Western States 100 had relied on mid-afternoon runs when temperatures were at their highest, as well as sauna or hot water immersion training. The race, as with many other summer and early fall races, typically boasts soaring high temperatures along sections at lower elevations.

For decades, the three most-watched sporting events worldwide-the Summer Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and the Tour de France-are typically held during the hot summer months of the Northern Hemisphere. However, prior to 2012, most of the scientific literature on heat acclimation for athletes was based on laboratory testing and controlled environments, and not from real competitions in scorching conditions. With eight of the hottest years in recorded human history having been logged since 2015, global sport organizations such as the International Olympic Committee have finally placed enormous emphasis on providing up-to-date guidelines and recommendations in order to keep athletes safe.

The COVID-19-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 were the hottest Games in modern history with temperatures soaring into the mid-80s and humidity hovering at 82 percent during the women's marathon. The good news is that it sparked considerable discussion and hypothesizing in sport-science communities about best ways for the athletes and their teams to prepare and endure heat. Ultrarunners everywhere watched as the world's best distance runners implemented topical cooling techniques such as pre-competition ice vests and bags of ice during the marathon-a relatively new or at least a more aggressive tactic to attenuate the impact of heat before and during competition.

Heat is considered an equalizer, an element that everyone has to manage, no matter if you're attempting to train or race through it. But does it have to be a performance-sapping equalizer? Can heat training (potentially year round) be viewed as an opportunity to improve fitness, tolerance, and mental strength for challenging race day conditions?

How Heat Impacts Performance

First up, let's discuss what happens when athletes exercise in the heat. Blood flow to the skin, as well as sweat rate, increase to promote heat dissipation. While aimed at keeping the human body safe, these processes increase physiological strain and the chance for dehydration in prolonged endurance events, leading to a subsequent increase in cardiovascular strain. This creates a chain reaction that negatively impacts aerobic performance. Researchers globally agree that the most salient way to lessen the strain that heat imposes is to perform a heat acclimation period ahead of race day.

Improvements in aerobic performance and thermal comfort achieved through heat acclimation are bolstered by these processes, as outlined in a 2011 scientific article from the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.

Heat Acclimation

Let's dive even further into what the science says about heat acclimation, when and how to implement it, and what athletes of all levels can do to mitigate heat stress before, during, and after exposure to a hot endurance event.

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2015 provided the first-of-its-kind, gold-standard consensus recommendations for heat acclimation, and remains one of the most cited pieces of recent literature regarding training and competing in heat, along with Julien Periard's comprehensive review from 2021 for the American Physiological Society. In both reviews, the authors discuss heat acclimation, hydration, and cooling strategies as the pillars of successfully competing in the heat.

The authors report that most adaptations happen within the first week and more slowly within the following ten days. In order to achieve near complete adaptations to fully optimize aerobic performance, athletes need to plan for two weeks of focused acclimation. A pre-Tokyo Olympics study from 2020 suggests following the gold standard of 10-14 days of long-term heat acclimation followed by a shorter five-day reacclimation period just ahead of competition (during the taper period) in order to get the most out of "peak weeks" of training without compromising the health of the athlete with the added stressor of heat training.

It is important to note that the average loss of heat acclimation is roughly two-point-five percent per day following 48 hours without exposure to heat. But reacclimation happens quickly. The rate of decline varies from individual to individual and typically occurs at a slower rate than induction to heat acclimation.

The literature favors training in the same environment as the upcoming race, and if that isn't possible, training indoors in a heated room is the next best option. These once-a-day sessions should last at least 60 minutes, at an easy effort, while keeping a close eye on heart rate (preferably at about 75 percent of max heart rate). Athletes should expect to see their heart rate decrease as adaptations continue to occur, and as such, the duration or intensity of the session should be increased in order to maintain the training stimulus.

What if you don't have access to the same outdoor environment nor the set-up to train in a heated room? A study from 2007 demonstrated that 12 sessions of post-exercise sauna bathing at approximately 190 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes at a time over the course of three weeks enhanced endurance performance.

What about dry heat versus humid heat and acclimating to either? The science demonstrates that acclimating to dry heat improves exercise in humid heat and vice versa. But acclimating in humid heat evokes higher skin temperatures and circulatory adaptations. In other words, the stereotypical dad statement: "But it's a dry heat!" holds somewhat true.

Are there benefits to heat acclimation when your race is in temperate or cool environments? A study from 2010 on cycling performance demonstrated a five percent increase in VO2max in cool conditions versus an eight percent increase in hot; a six percent improvement in time-trial performance in cool conditions vs. an eight percent improvement in hot; and an equal increase in power output at lactate threshold in both cool and hot conditions of five percent.

Hydration

Training in hot conditions increases sweat rate, which leads to progressive dehydration (if fluid intake is not increased), causing a similar cascading effect that is essentially the reverse of what happens during heat acclimation: decrease in plasma volume, evaporative heat loss, and cardiac filling all leading to a reduction in capacity to tolerate the effort in the heat.

A 2015 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine underscores the importance of starting training or competition in the heat in a well-hydrated state with sodium supplementation before and during the event, minimizing body water mass losses during prolonged exercise in the heat, and being sure recovery hydration regimens include sodium, carbohydrates, and protein.

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology demonstrated enhancement and acceleration of heat adaptations, as well as further increases in blood plasma volume by taking in a protein-carbohydrate mix (0.3g of protein/kg of body weight and 3.6kcal of carbohydrate/kg of body weight) within 10 minutes of heat training.

Cooling Strategies

Numerous studies underscore that cooling strategies implemented immediately before, during, or after competition should be used in addition to heat acclimation, not as substitutes. Cooling strategies provide the most benefit during sustained exercise, but should not be used for sprinters. They include both external methods like ice bandanas and saturated towels, cold water immersion, fanning, topical menthol sprays, and internal options such as the ingestion of cold fluids or ice slurries. (Did someone say post-run slushies?!)

Ice bandanas and saturated towels demonstrate the ability to lower skin temperature (without lowering muscle temperature and risking injury) and effectively lower cardiovascular strain. Ice slurries have been shown to be more effective at cooling athletes than cold fluid ingestion, as the latter has also shown reductions in sweating and evaporation. The literature encourages combining techniques (external and internal), as doing so has a higher cooling capacity than the same techniques used in isolation.

A meta-analysis from 2020 found that topical menthol spray caused cooler thermal sensation and improved thermal comfort, but no significant differences in sweat production, core temperature, or heart rate were demonstrated. Findings showed external application, warmer environment, and higher body mass indices as improving menthol's effects on endurance performance without compromising the body's response to the heat.

How to Apply This in Training?

For athletes targeting a warm or hot race, we have a few options in how to structure heat acclimation. As a coach, I recommend against adding in heat acclimation as a novel stimulus without an anticipated hot race on the calendar, because most athletes still have a lot of other low-hanging fruit to grab first. (Looking at you, quality sleep!). If you are a highly trained athlete, chat with your coach prior to initiating heat acclimation in the absence of a warm-weather event on your schedule.

If you have a history of RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport), work closely with your coach and medical team to be absolutely certain you aren't adding in too much stress to your training all at once. Taking body weight measurements can be a part of hydration monitoring, but it's important to contemplate the pros and cons of doing so. Another consideration is making sure you have a clear picture of your iron/ferritin status prior to initiating a robust heat acclimation protocol, as iron is lost through sweat.

Former Canadian track star Michael Woods wins Tour de France stage

Michael Woods, 36, of Toronto had the best day of his cycling career Sunday, winning the ninth stage of the Tour de France. The sub-four-minute miler sat patiently behind leader Matteo Jorgenson of the Movistar team, who led the stage for 47 km, taking advantage of Jorgenson’s flagging energy only 400m from the top of the mythical Puy de Dôme and surging ahead for the stage win. Woods, a former 1,500m runner and Canadian record holder, rides for the Israel–Premier Tech team.

Woods and Jorgenson were part of an early breakaway of 14 riders that also included stage nine runner-up Pierre Latour of France and third-place finisher Matej Mohoric of Slovenia, as well as Canada’s Guillaume Boivin. The Puy de Dôme is a dormant volcano in the central massif of south-central France whose summit marks the culmination of the ninth stage of the Tour, which includes a number of challenging climbs

Originally from Ottawa, Woods has held the Canadian U20 mile record (3:57.48) and U20 3,000m record (7:58.04) since 2005. He was a multi-year national champion in running and won gold at the Pan American Junior Championships during his early years. Woods ran at the University of Michigan, but transitioned from running to cycling after repeated foot injuries brought a halt to his running career; he went pro as a cyclist in 2013 and made the Canadian Olympic team for Rio in 2016. He also competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, finishing fifth in the men’s individual road race.

In 2018, Woods won a stage in the Vuelta a España; like Sunday’s Tour stage win, it was at the culmination of a steep climb. He first competed in the Tour de France in 2019 (the first Canadian to compete in the Tour since 2016), riding for the US-based EF Education First team and finishing 32nd overall. He did not finish in 2021 or 2022, so Sunday’s stage victory represents a massive success for Woods, who is only the third Canadian to win a stage of the Tour, after Steve Bauer (who is now a sporting director with Israel-Premier Tech) won the first stage in 1988 and Hugo Houle won last year’s stage 16. He is also the oldest rider to win a mountaintop stage since Raymond Poulidor (who is Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel’s grandfather) won the stage culminating atop Saint-Lary-Soulan in the Pyrenees in 1974 at age 38.

2022 winner Jonas Vingegaard of Team Jumbo-Visma retains the yellow jersey but lost about eight seconds to the Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar. 

Study finds blade runners do not have a competitive advantage

Are prosthetic, “man-made” limbs more efficient or powerful than biological legs? This has been debated in track and field circles for years, but recent research suggests what amputee runners have known all along–they aren’t. At least, not over 400 metres.

A recent study from the University of Colorado at Boulder found that blade runners, including the world’s fastest 400-metre sprinter, Blake Leeper of Tennessee, have no competitive advantage over non-amputee runners. Instead, they likely have a significant disadvantage.Prosthetic limbs, particularly those designed for athletic performance, have come a long way since Terry Fox made his inspiring, yet at times painful-looking, journey across Canada.

In the last decade, we’ve seen amputee runners run ultramarathons and set Guinness World Records, and many of us recall Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee blade runner from South Africa who became the first to win a non-disabled medal at the 2011 World Track and Field Championships (he won silver in the 400m). Pistorius was later convicted of murder in the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, and remains in prison today.

Back in 2011, Pistorius had to take legal action against the IAAF (now World Athletics) to allow him to compete in the World Championships, since the governing body of track and field claimed his prosthetic limbs gave him an advantage over his competitors.

Leeper, who is also a double-amputee and the fastest blade runner over the 400m distance today, has faced similar rejection. He was ruled ineligible to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games due to the perception that his “blades” gave him an unfair advantage.

The study

As it turns out, two legs do appear to be better than none, despite the incredible technology behind today’s prosthetic limbs. The study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, collected performance data from Leeper, Pistorius and six other bilateral amputee sprinters and compared that to the best non-amputee sprinters in the world across five performance metricLeeper also visited the researchers’ lab for a series of tests to measure his acceleration out of the starting blocks, maximum speed along straightaways and around curves, velocity at aerobic capacity and sprint endurance (all-out effort). This information was also compared to available data from elite non-amputee runners. 

The research found that runners using prostheses were 40 per cent slower out of the starting blocks, had 19 per cent slower velocity at aerobic capacity and were one to three per cent slower around curves, compared to non-amputees.

“We found that no athlete with prosthetic legs has ever performed better than elite non-amputee athletes in lab-based experiments in any measure that relates to sprinting performance,” said first author Owen Beck. 

The researchers presented their preliminary findings to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2020 in a bid to get Leeper to an Olympic start line, but the athlete was yet again deemed ineligible–the court ruled that his prostheses made him too tall. (The same researchers had found in a previous study that height did not provide an advantage when it comes to maximum sprinting speed, but Leeper was still ruled ineligible.)

While their results didn’t help Leeper this time, the researchers hope their work will change the conversation to provide more opportunities for amputee runners.

“A lot of assumptions have been made about running prostheses and performance with no data to support them,” said senior author Alena Grabowski, associate professor of integrative physiology at CU Boulder. “I hope this will get people to really question rules being put into place that keep athletes with disabilities from competing even when they have shown with science that they can compete fairly.”

Kilian Jornet confirms UTMB plan with entry into Eiger Ultra Trail

Kilian Jornet has confirmed he plans to be in Chamonix at the end of August to defend his UTMB title.

And he will race at this weekend’s Eiger Ultra Trail with the aim of securing the single running stone he needs to qualify for UTMB.

Return from Himalayas

Kilian Jornet is only recently back from a trip to the Himalayas, a trip that saw him survive an avalanche that carried him for 50 metres during a solo attempt on the West Ridge of Everest, and the legendary trail runner and mountaineer has told his Instagram followers that he wanted to be sure he was fully recovered.

”I wanted to see how I was feeling, how I was in my body [after the trip to the Himalayas],” he said.

‘’I have mentioned I wanted to do some long distance at the end of the season and actually I am kind of looking like I would like to do UTMB.

‘‘But I need to classify first and I need to have some points so I will try to get them this weekend at Eiger and see if I can be at Chamonix at the end of August.’’

Eiger E16 Pleasure Trail

Jornet will be taking on the E16 Pleasure Trail race on Saturday – a 16k race that is described by the UTMB as ‘perfect for short distance specialists, and for those wishing to enjoy a shorter trail at their leisure.’

Although that race may not be the most likely to feature a runner of Jornet’s calibre, as one of the top-three UTMB finishers last year he has a priority for registration for this year’s event, but he must have at least one running stone and he has chosen Eiger to achieve it.

Last year’s UTMB saw Jornet at his very best as he took his fourth race victory, set a new course record and became the first person to cover the famous course in under 20 hours.

When Jornet announced his 2023 schedule earlier in the year, the only defined race was a return to Sierre-Zinal on August 12th – a race he’s won nine times, setting the course record of 2:25:36 in 2019.

Alongside a ‘trip to the Himalayas’ Jornet said he was considering a ‘Long-distance project/race’ later in the season. That race now looks most likely to be UTMB.

Bill Rodgers is set to run his 43rd Quad-City Times Bix 7

In 1978, Bill Rodgers entered 30 road races and amazingly, astonishingly, he won 27 of them.

Over the course of his running career, he won 22 marathons, all during a thoroughly incredible 10-year period from 1974 to 1983.

He doesn’t win anything anymore, not even in his age group, but the 75-year-old Boston resident is still running, and he will be coming back to run the Quad-City Times Bix 7 for the 43rd time on July 29.

Rodgers said he thought he had done the Falmouth Road Race on Cape Cod about 35 times and the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in Washington, D.C., perhaps 30 times.

He never has entered any race as frequently as he has the Quad-City Times Bix 7, which is holding its 49th event this year. 

“And the Bix is probably the most challenging of them all,’’ Rodgers said. “But it’s a race I remember so well from that first time in 1980. I was still young and I could duke it out and I could race. Now I just try to hang on.’’

A man who once logged hundreds of miles in training each week now jogs 25 to 30 miles a week. He has done about 10 races this year, including Cherry Blossom. He said he now just went back to some of the old events he did during his heyday.

“But I’m back in the pack,’’ he said. “I’m way back in the pack because I’m 75 years old. It’s like a whole different thing. My strength used to be that I was a marathoner and I could do high mileage. I was a high-mileage runner. I wasn’t as quick as some runners, but I could do the mileage.’’

Not anymore. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rodgers had a chance to sift through almost 50 years of running logs and he calculated that he has done more than 1,500 races and run at least 190,000 miles in his lifetime.

Most automobiles don’t last that long. And Rodgers hasn’t had the benefit of having a change of tires or periodic oil changes.

His body is feeling the effects of all that mileage. When he enters races now, he frequently finds himself trailing runners of a similar age who have fewer miles on their personal odometers.

“What I’m seeing is I see a lot of these runners who are in their 60s and 70s and they’re all ahead of me, but they just started running pretty recently or something,’’ he said.

He steps up to a new age group this year but doesn’t figure on being a contender to win it. The Quad-City Times Bix 7 course record for men ages 75-79 is 54 minutes, 58 seconds. Rodgers’ finishing time a year ago was 1:08:43.

Despite that, he still enjoys running.

“Now when I do 30 miles a week, I feel like when I was doing 100 miles a week,’’ he said. “I feel good, relatively speaking. No complaints with regards to running. I think it’s a great way to live.’’

Rodgers won the Quad-City Times Bix 7 the first two times he came here, in 1980 and 1981, and finished in the top 10 on seven occasions.

However, he is remembered almost as much for other years.

In 1995, he paused as he was coming down Kirkwood Boulevard to catch women’s leader Olga Appell just as she collapsed from heat exhaustion. He made sure that Appell received medical attention before jumping back into the race.

Stuck indoors? Some running drills to boost fitness

Some days you just don’t want to go outside. While we know running in adverse conditions can be a good mental-strength builder, even the most hardcore runners occasionally don’t want to tackle the rain/lightning/extreme heat or whatever is happening out the door. No access to a treadmill? No problem–here are some easy ways to give your fitness a boost on those rare times you just want to stay in.

Clear some space and grab your shoes (or not, these exercises all work great in bare feet) and get ready to feel a burn.

The 100-up drill

If you only have a few minutes, 100-ups are the way to go. Christopher McDougall, author of the bestselling Born to Run and Born to Run 2, swears by this exercise as a way to improve and polish your running technique. Best performed in bare feet, you can also fit it in before or in the middle of your regular run to spice things up.

Stand up tall, core engaged, shoulders back, and feet hip-width apart. Bend elbows at 90 degrees into your natural running arm swing position.

Drive your right knee up to hip height while simultaneously driving your left arm forward and up and right arm back in an arm swing, just as if you were running.

Return your foot to the starting position, landing on the ball of your foot directly underneath you. Repeat on the alternate side for 100 repetitions, 50 per side. Start slow, but feel free to increase your pace once you’ve got the hang of it.

Skipping rope

Get your heart rate soaring by jumping rope in place. Skipping is an effective cardio exercise that improves cardiorespiratory health, tones muscles, strengthens bones and boosts flexibility. You’ll feel like you’ve been sprinting and are also boosting your co-ordination, focus and body awareness. Try a 10-minute skipping workout to get started.

Burpees, burpees, burpees

You either love them or hate them–but it’s hard to ignore how effective burpees are. Burpees use a whole set of movements to target major muscle groups, including legs and hips, glutes, core, arms, chest and shoulders. While you hop, squat and push-up, you’ll burn as many calories as you would running, while getting an overall workout.

Begin in a squat position with knees bent, back straight, and feet shoulder-width apart.

Lower your hands to the floor in front of you, just inside your feet. With your weight on your hands, kick (or step) your feet back, so you’re on hands and toes (or knees) in a pushup position.

Keeping your body straight from head to heels (or head to knees), do one pushup. Drop your knees to the ground to modify, if keeping them lifted is too intense.

Jump or step your feet back to their starting position. Stand and reach your arms over your head, then jump into the air, landing where you started. As soon as you land with your knees bent, get back into a squat position and do another repetition.

The sky is the limit with burpees–do just a few to get a quick cardio boost, or spend 20 minutes leaping about and reap some serious benefits. You may just find that you’ll want to add them into your routine on sunny days as well.

John Korir eyes Chicago Marathon after second place at Boilermaker 15km race

Two times Los Angeles Marathon champion John Korir has confirmed participation in the Chicago Marathon set for October 8 in the United States of America (USA).

The younger brother to former Boston Marathon champion Wesley Korir will be seeking his maiden Chicago Marathon win after finishing third last year in 2:05.01, behind champion compatriot Benson Kipruto (2:04.24) and Ethiopia's Seif Tura, who placed second in 2:04.49.  Bernard Koech (2:07.01) and Ethiopia's Shifera Tamiru at 2:07.53 completed the top five places in last year's event.

Korir is fresh from finishing second at the Boilermaker 15km road race behind Ethiopian Jemal Yimer last Sunday.

“I was using the Sunday race as part of my training ahead of the Chicago Marathon. Last year, Chicago Marathon was too tough but I want to try my luck this year,” said Korir.

At Bolmaker’s race, Korir said he lost the title in the last kick to finish second in 42:13 behind Yimer (42:06). Kenya’s Charles Langat completed the podium in 42:28.

“He beat me in the last stretch of the race after I miscalculated. However, I thank God for the second position considering the event was very competitive,” he said.

“I normally run two marathons a year plus a few short races as built-up for the World Marathon Majors across the world. Races in the USA have always been my priority,” he added.

Korir said his aim is to once again finish on the podium but a win but if victory comes his way it will be a bonus. 

Korir has been out of competition since finishing ninth in 2:1004 in a race won by compatriot Benson Kipruto in the Boston Marathon last April.

“Before heading to Chicago, he will be competing at the Falmouth 12km race on August 20. 

In women's cadre, Kenya’s Jesca Chelangat won the Boilermakers 15km after timing 47:31. She was followed by Sarah Naibei (48:45) and Cynthia Limo (48:50).

Chelangat broke the course record set by Edna Kiplagat 13 years ago by 24 seconds. Kiplagat, who was part of the race, placed fourth in 49:10.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will not run 400m hurdles at World Championships

There will be a new 400m hurdles world champion crowned at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. The reigning world and Olympic champion, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, revealed she will only run the 400m flat at next month’s championships, despite an automatic 400m hurdles qualifying spot from winning the world title last year.

McLaughlin-Levrone’s coach, Bobby Kersee, confirmed her plan to the LA Times on Wednesday. Kersee said in May that McLaughlin-Levrone’s race plans for worlds in Budapest would be decided after the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships; McLaughlin-Levrone won the women’s 400m at the U.S. trials in a personal best and world-leading time of 48.74 seconds, her first time breaking the 49-second mark for one lap of the track.

Kersee told the LA Times that the world championships schedule was not conducive to running both the 400m and 400m hurdles. The heats of the 400m hurdles start two hours and 20 minutes before the 400m semi-finals on Monday, Aug. 21. Otherwise, the two events do not overlap.

McLaughlin-Levrone’s rival, Femke Bol, of the Netherlands, who is also the 400m indoor world record holder, is planning to double in the 400m and 400m hurdles. Bol finished as runner-up to McLaughlin-Levrone’s world record of 50.68 in the 400m hurdles in Eugene last year, and has never won gold at Worlds or the Olympics in the discipline. 

No man or woman has medalled in both the flat 400m and the 400m hurdles at the same world championships. 

McLaughlin-Levrone said last fall that she wanted to add the flat 400m to her program to see what she could do. All five of her races this season have been in the 400m; most recently, she ran the second-fastest time ever by an American to win the national title. She has not raced the 400m hurdles since Aug. 8 of last year. 

The 23-year-old had a wild card spot into the 400m hurdles at worlds as defending champion, so with McLaughlin-Levrone dropping it from her schedule, this will allow another American onto the team.

Kersee also said that no decision has been made on which event(s) McLaughlin-Levrone will pursue for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

What to pack for long-distance trail runs

Renowned ultrarunner and adventurer Ray Zahab shares his advice on packing for multi-day hikes, emphasizing the importance of traveling light while carrying the essential items.

Embarking on a long-distance trail run can be exhilarating, but before you set foot on the trails, these runs require careful preparation to ensure a successful and safe experience. One critical consideration is deciding what to pack for the journey. From essential gear to nourishing fuel and hydration, the right items can make all the difference. Whether you’re a seasoned trail runner or heading out on your first hike, knowing what to pack can help you stay prepared and safe on your run.

Canadian ultrarunner and adventurer Ray Zahab has been a part of some incredible endurance feats, challenging the world’s toughest landscapes and terrains that humans had never crossed. Zahab’s most notable accomplishment is his successful completion of the Sahara Desert Crossing in 2007. Alongside two other runners, he covered a distance of approximately 7,500 km (4,600 miles) in 111 days, running the equivalent of two marathons per day.

Zahab has gained international recognition for his achievements and is an expert when it comes to packing for long-distance trail runs. With numerous expeditions under his belt, Zahab knows that the right gear can make or break your adventure.

Six hours or less

When packing for short trail runs where you’re not going to be out overnight, Zahab focuses on efficiency, carrying only the essentials. But while the distance may be relatively short, the need for preparedness and comfort on the trail is just as great as for longer trips.

Zahab suggests starting with a hydration pack like Osprey’s Duro 6L to ensure proper hydration. Osprey’s Duro 6L is Zahab’s favourite choice for daily trail runs, and its 1.5-litre water reservoir is perfect. “Staying hydrated is crucial regardless of the distance, and having a convenient way to carry water allows for easy access and quick sips along the trail,” he says.

He also advises packing moisture-wicking clothing to keep you dry and comfortable, along with a lightweight, breathable jacket in case of unexpected weather changes. “In case you run out of water or encounter an emergency, it’s great to pack a LifeStraw water filter, a small first aid kit, and a small multi-purpose pocket knife,” adds Zahab. For nutrition, he suggests carrying easily digestible snacks like energy gels, bars, or trail mix. These portable options provide a quick boost of energy when needed and are convenient to consume during short breaks on the trail.

Six to 24 hours

If you’re out on the trails for a day-long hike, packing extra safety essentials and food is crucial. “Packing for medium-length runs can be tricky,” Zahab points out. “You want to pack the essential items but keep the load manageable.”

Similar to shorter trail runs, you can limit your nutrition to easily digestible snacks like energy gels, bars, or trail mix. You’ll want to pack weather-appropriate clothing for the warm afternoons and damp or cold evenings, including lightweight, breathable layers and a jacket or shell for rain.

In addition to the previous essentials, you should bring navigation tools like a map, compass or GPS device. “I bring my Garmin Inreach with me everywhere,” says Zahab. “It’s good to have a fully-charged mobile phone for emergencies, but if there’s no cellular signal, the Inreach can still communicate.” Other essential items are a small first aid kit, sunscreen, a headlamp, a pocket knife and safety gear, like a whistle and an emergency blanket.

With more items, you’ll need a bigger vest pack to hold it all. The Osprey Duro 15 is designed for your most committed trail-running pursuits. As the miles pass and support fades further into the background, you need a reliable pack that’ll go the distance. With its 2.5-litre water reservoir and ample room for food and gear, yet a slim and stable design, the Duro 15 was designed to push the limits. The pockets are conveniently located on the hip and harness areas to give you easy on-the-move access to your snacks and gear without sacrificing your pace.

Over 24 hours to multi-day

Despite being out there for a longer duration, Zahab still believes in packing light. If you are travelling solo or in a group, you’ll need a compact and weatherproof tent or shelter and a warm and lightweight sleeping bag.

Zahab recommended packing nutrient-dense food such as energy bars, dehydrated meals and trail mix. “These food options are designed to be portable and lightweight, making them easy to carry during the run without adding excessive weight to your pack,” says Zahab. Also, pack a LifeStraw water filter or other water purification system to ensure you stay well-nourished and hydrated on the trail.

“No matter your time out there on the trail, it’s good to pack appropriate clothing for various weather conditions, including quick-drying layers, a waterproof jacket, insulated layers, and, most importantly, several pairs of socks,” stresses Zahab. Some other necessities in Zahab’s multi-day pack are a multi-use tool, a headlamp for nighttime navigation and hiking poles to help with stability.

“Other items that many of us don’t think to carry are personal items like sunscreen, insect repellent, sunglasses, a hat, toiletries, a lightweight towel and a portable wireless phone battery,” Zahab says. “Packing efficiently and prioritizing the essentials for longer hikes, you will ensure you have the necessary equipment to tackle the challenges of a multi-day hike.”

For multi-day adventures, Zahab’s go-to pack is the Talon Pro 30 from Osprey, which has 30 litres of storage for all your essentials and even extra room for additional gear for that overnighter. The Talon Pro is a lightweight pack that prioritizes comfort and dynamic movement during longer hikes on technical terrain.

Back to Berlin, Eliud Kipchoge confirms where his next race will be as he seeks to banish Boston disappointment

The world marathon champion will return to the German capital to defend his title and attempt to become the first man run an official sun 2:01 marathon

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge will return to Berlin for a sixth time as he attempts to defend his title while winning win the race for a fifth time on September 25.

Kipchoge suffered an upset in his first marathon of the year when he finished sixth at the Boston Marathon in April and has chosen a tack that he is too familiar with for his next race in a bid to put the disappointment behind.

Berlin is where the Olympic champion made his major marathon debut in 2013, finishing second behind compatriot Wilson Kipsanga set a world record, but he has been unbeaten in the German capital since.

Kipchoge returned to Berlin in 2015 and 2017 and won before setting his first world marathon record the following year after clocking 2:01:39, the first athlete to run a sub-2:02 marathon.

He lowered the time even further last year, when he timed 2:01:09, and he is favourite to defend his title. There is even optimism that Kipchoge could run a sub-2:01 marathon in Berlin given the incredible limits he has pushed himself in recent years added to his well understanding of the course.

“My run has taken me across the world, along the way when you look around, there are ups and down but the path is beautiful. And right now, I run towards Paris 2024 but to achieve what inspires me in Paris, I must return to my special place. Back to Berlin,” Kipchoge said via a clip posted online by his management NN Running on Thursday.

Kipchoge is bidding to become the first marathon runner to claim a hat-trick of Olympics titles and is using the major marathons as part of his preparations for the 2024 Games set to take place in Paris, France.

London Marathon 2022 winner Amos Kipruto is among the elite Kenyan athletes who will give Kipchoge a run for his money in the German capital.

Hardrock 100 preview: will Courtney Dauwalter do it again?

The Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run (HR100), known for its high altitude, deep elite field and challenging entry process, begins Friday at 8:00 a.m. E.T. This year’s event, the first ever to be live-streamed, promises to be a thriller. Runners will encounter over 10,000 metres of elevation gain while facing extreme weather conditions, navigating treacherous terrain and attempting to avoid altitude sickness.

Only 140 participants get to line up at Hardrock each year, and this year’s contenders include the remarkable Courtney Dauwalter, fresh off a jaw-dropping performance and course record at the Western States 100, and other well-known elites. The race will be live-streamed on the Run Steep Get High YouTube channel. Here’s what you need to know to follow along.

HR100 both begins and ends in Silverton, Co., and athletes are above 3,300 metres elevation for much of the race. It was founded in 1992 as a tribute to the miners who used to follow “their mules and instincts, prospecting the San Juans for gold, silver, and other metals,” the race website explains. With a finishing cutoff time of 48 hours, athletes know they are in for a long haul. The course switches directions every year, and this year runners are moving counter-clockwise around the looped course.

The women’s race

All eyes are on the phenomenal Dauwalter this year (but when are they not?) after a stunning performance three weeks ago at Western States, where she set a blistering new course record (78 minutes faster than Canadian Ellie Greenwood’s from 2012) and placed fifth overall. Canada’s Stephanie Case, who was second last year, has withdrawn from this year’s event. 60-year-old legendary ultra machine Pam Reed of Jackson Hole, Wyo., will be tackling the third part of her WSER/Badwater 135/HR100 triple this year.

Leadville, Colo.-based Dauwalter holds the course record for HR100 in the clockwise direction (26:44) from 2022; this year runners will move counter-clockwise, and that course record is 27:18 for women, set by Diana Finkel in 2009, and Dauwalter will most certainly be looking to challenge that time. Will her legs be tired? Will she win the entire thing? We can’t wait to find out.

Also from Leadville, 23-year-old trail phenom Annie Hughes won the Run Rabbit Run 100-Miler and High Lonesome 100 Mile in 2022, and the Leadville 100 Mile in 2021. She’s a high-altitude ultrarunning champ, and has also compiled some wins in really long races–she won the Cocodona 250 Mile in 2022 and Moab 240 in 2021.

If you haven’t heard of France’s Claire Bannwarth, it’s time to brush up: she was the first woman in the 432-kilometre 2022 Winter Spine Race (by more than 24 hours), and will be making her North American racing debut at HR100. Bannwarth races prolifically and runs long–she will be jumping into the Tahoe 200 Mile race a week after HR100.

Colorado’s Darcy Piceu, fresh off the waitlist, is a veteran of HR 100, with the 2023 edition being her 10th running. Piceu boasts three wins and five second-place finishes, and she was fourth in 2022.

The men’s race

With Kilian Jornet, last year’s winner (and course record holder in the clockwise direction) not returning this year, the podium seems up for grabs. None of the other top four men from 2022 will be headed to the San Juans, but a very accomplished group of athletes will be lining up and fans will be eager to see who holds up to the HR100 test.

Ohio’s Arlen Glick is a master of the 100-mile distance, running 12:57 to win the Umstead 100-miler in April and taking a speedy third at October’s Javelina 100. Like Dauwalter, Glick raced at WSER last month. He placed 14th, while he took third in 2022. Glick will be a hot contender and fascinating to watch at HR100.

California-based Dylan Bowman is a Hardrock veteran, placing second at the 2021 edition. Bowman has had a lower racing profile in the past year while working on Freetrail, a media business and trail running community. He’s been training in the San Juans pre-race and is eager to showcase his ability.

France’s Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz has over 10 years of ultrarunning success, but gained notoriety in 2021 when he took second at UTMB and won Spain’s Transgrancanaria. He missed the 2022 edition of HR100 for the birth of his child and is a favourite in his debut this year.

Oregon-based trail running legend Jeff Browning will be taking on his sixth Hardrock at age 51. Browning won in 2018, and finished fifth the past two years. In October, Browning won the Moab 240 in 57 hours, and more recently, he showcased his fitness by winning the Bighorn 100.

The monthly KATA Time Trial in Thika Kenya was the 23rd in the series

The Kenyan Athletics Training Academy (KATA) time-trial series for the month of July continued on Wednesday at Thika Stadium as the season move to a new phase.

Coming a week after engaging in tough competitions, Evans Kiguru dominated the 10,000metres event while Zakaria Kirika was comfortable in the shorter 5,000m.

Hitting the podium for the first time, Evans registered 31:38.9 to level his June’s 31:38.8 whereas Zakaria timed 15:04.8 as the duo worked to fight off the Nairobi City Marathon’s fatigue that saw them run against the elite class.

Fredrick Kiprotich emerged second behind Evans in 32:00.7 with newcomer Benard Gicheha chalking 34:32.7. Anthony Mukundi(2:24.3 in City Marathon) timed 15:32.0 while University’s National Cross-Country Champion Boniface Mungai finished third in 15:52.6

New entrant Pricilla Biwott (58) was the sole Master in 10,000m where she clocked an impressive 41:11.9 while upcoming Caren Chepkemoi timed 18:43.0 to win the women 5,000metres.

The 24th edition is scheduled for August 16thand will be held on the Ndarugo-Mangu Road, 5kilometres West of the KATA.

                10,000 Metres

1. Evans Kiguru             27             141          31:38.9

2. Fredrick Kiprotich   23             140          32:00.7

3. Benard Gicheha       33             149          34:32.7

4. Ismael Mburu         23              143          35:19.9

5. Pricilla Biwott         58              142          41:11.9

                 5,000 Metres

1. Zakaria Kirika          114             22            15:04.8

2. Anthony Mukundi 137            35             15:32.0

3. Boniface Mungai    144            25             15:52.6

4. Amos Chirchir         120            23             16:07.3

5. Peter Mukundi        125           25              17:07.0

6. Caren Chepkemoi   135          21               18:53.0

7. Nancy Githaiga        84            35               20:50.0

8. Virginia Wanjiru      136          21               21:16.4

9. Jacinta Mwende      122         21               21:29.8

Two new races announced for fans on final day of Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships

Two new races have been announced for fans and running enthusiasts on the final day of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Scheduled to be held on August 27, a distance of 2,023 meters has been planned for one while the other spans 10 kilometers.

The race begins and ends at Heroes' Square - the start and finish of the official marathon events - with participants having the opportunity to run along Andrássy Avenue and other landmarks such as the Opera House and Budapest's UNESCO World Heritage sites.

An entry fee of HUF 2,000 (£4.52/$5.84/€5.30) is needed to register for the shorter distance while the 10km race requires a fee of HUF 5,000 (£11.30/$14.60/€ 13.25).

Registration for the race will open shortly, with all participants set to receive a medal, an ASICS t-shirt and a competition package when they cross the finish line.

The Budapest 10k Mass Race, as it is officially named, will start at 10.30AM followed by the 2,023m race at 12.30PM.

The National Athletics Center, the main venue for the World Championships, held a test event last weekend with over 5,000 fans attending.

Budapest 2023 chief executive Balázs Németh said athletes and competitors were "amazed by the venue".

"This is a wonder! The athletics center was finally full of life, we got a taste of the World Championships atmosphere, and I think the competitors and spectators were amazed by the venue," Németh said, as reported by Athletics Weekly.

"We now have six weeks - even more hard work than before - of organizing the event before we start on August 19, just 41 days from now.

"The last two days have only reinforced my conviction that this is not something anyone should miss."

The World Championships is scheduled to start on August 19.

A hills-and-flats workout to build strength and speed

We tend to think of hill workouts as being separate from other speed sessions, but mixing them in with tempo work is a great way to prepare for a hilly race and build strength. This workout combines hills and flats into one fun but challenging session, giving you a chance to work on form, speed and power.

All you need to get this session done is a long enough hill that you can run for 60 seconds before you reach the top, with a relatively flat area at the top or bottom for your tempo work. The goal of the workout is to run the hills hard while focusing on maintaining good form. The tempo sessions in between are run at 10K and 5K pace (depending on the length), and the final, short and flat tempo interval is a chance to dig in and use up anything you have left in the tank.

The workout

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

Workout:

6 x 30-second hill repeats, with an easy walk or jog back to the bottom as your rest between repeats

6-minute tempo at 10K pace, followed by 2 minutes’ rest

4 x 45-second hill repeats, with an easy walk or jog back to the bottom as your rest between repeats

4-minute tempo at 5K pace, followed by 2 minutes’ rest

2 x 60-second hill repeats, with an easy walk or jog back to the bottom as your rest between repeats

2-minute fast tempo (faster than 5K pace)

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

Kenyan trio to headline 2023 Sydney Marathon

Kenyan trio of Judith Korir, Angela Tanui and Moses Kibet will be among the elite athletes set to feature in the 2023 Sydney Marathon set for September 17.

Defending champion Kibet, the fastest marathoner on the streets of Sydney, will face competition from Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola and Tanzania's Gabriel Geay who both have personal bests of 2:03.

Eritrea's Nazret Weldu and Haven Hailu of Ethiopia will pose a big threat to Tanui, the 2021 Amsterdam marathon champion as Korir makes her debut in the Australian streets.

A new route will be used in this year's event with the race starting at Bradfield Park in Milsons Point and finish at the Opera House forecourt.

Athletes will pass by some of the most historic landmarks in Australia including the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

This is the second year the marathon will be vying for the Abbott World Marathon Majors (Abbott WMM).

Over the next 3 years, the Sydney Marathon will be required to meet strict criteria to achieve ‘Majors’ status by 2025.

“We are thrilled to have assembled such a high caliber field for this year’s Marathon, as we head into our second year as a candidate race for the Abbott World Marathon Majors,” race director Wayne Larden said.

“The presence of these exceptional runners is a testament to the event’s status as a world-class marathon for elite athletes, running enthusiasts and recreational runners alike," he added.

Five wins, a dislocated shoulder and the course record – Kilian Jornet at Hardrock 100

Kilian Jornet has dominated several races throughout his career and Hardrock 100 is one of the many where he has left a significant impression.

The Spaniard, widely regarded as mountain running’s GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), has triumphed five times at the iconic 102.5-mile race in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, USA.

Jornet is the joint-most successful runner in Hardrock 100 history – which dates back to 1992 – alongside Karl Meltzer and Betsy Kalmeyer. He has won the race each time he has entered, with his first triumph coming in 2014.

Four-time Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) winner Jornet also holds the course record at Hardrock 100, completing the clockwise route in 21:36:24 last year.

Having been raised in the Spanish Pyrenees, Jornet has thrived at high-altitude races, and that ability has been apparent at Hardrock 100, which features a total elevation gain of 33,195ft and boasts a highest point of 4,048ft.

Instant impact

Jornet debuted at Hardrock 100 almost a decade ago, coming into the race off the back of wins at Zegama-Aizkorri and Marathon du Mont-Blanc in the two months prior.

He would lay down an instant marker as he romped to victory in a clockwise-record time of 22:41:00, finishing nearly two and a half hours clear of France’s Julien Chorier, the 2011 winner.

It was the first time a runner had managed sub-23 hours at Hardrock 100, with USA’s Kyle Skaggs having recorded the previous best of 23:23:10 in 2008.

The next year, Jornet claimed victory again – this time more than two hours ahead of USA’s Mike Foote – eclipsing the counter-clockwise course record on that occasion. He clocked 23:28:00, shaving just under an hour off Frenchman Sebastien Chaigneau’s 2013 effort.

He made it three in a row in 2016, sharing the title with Jason Schlarb after an incredible duel with the American. Having worked together and battled for hours, the pair agreed to finish together, coming home in 22:58:28.

Dislocated shoulder

2017 would bring a fourth successive Hardrock 100 victory for Jornet, but it was far from straightforward as he took a fall and suffered a dislocated shoulder around 14 miles into the race.

He powered on regardless, popping his joint back into place before medics wrapped his damaged limb in a sling later on in the day.

Incredibly, despite being forced to use a single trekking pole and facing a vicious hail storm, Jornet clinched the win again as he finished in 24:32:20, 23 minutes clear of Foote.

Record obliterated

Jornet didn’t race at Hardrock 100 for five years after his four back-to-back victories, and France’s Francois D’Haene beat both his overall and counterclockwise records when he put up a staggering 21:45:50 in 2021.

But a sensational return came last year as Jornet improved the record further, finishing in 21:36:24 and overcoming second-place D’Haene by around 15 minutes.

Weird and wonderful

Jornet has often spoken of his affection for Hardrock 100, hailing its remarkable setting and quirky traditions, a trait shared with some of the world’s craziest ultramarathons.

To complete the event, runners are required to ‘kiss the Hardrock’, a picture of a ram’s head painted on a large block of stone mining debris – a nod to the origins of the race.

“Leaving a rock with a mountain goat painted on it, to run around the San Juan mountains with a bunch of other runners, aiming to get back to that rock to give it a kiss,” Jornet wrote in an Instagram post.

“Ultra running can be as weird as beautiful and I love it!”

The Rocky Mountains provide a stunning landscape for Hardrock 100, and Jornet, who is dedicated to environmental sustainability, has spoken of his affection for the area and the people who make the race possible.

“The wilderness and landscapes of San Juan Mountains are so breathtaking,” he added in another post. “I feel so fortunate to know this part of the world.

“The race is attractive because of its beautiful landscapes and the hardness of the challenge – high elevation, several times above 4,000m, the route often on steep narrow trails.

“What makes one want to come back it’s its community. The volunteers, the crewing and pacers, the people doing trail work, and the runners celebrating together the love for trail running and this mountains.”

U.S. sprinting phenom Britton Wilson turns pro with Adidas

One of the top rising stars in the NCAA has turned pro and signed a professional contract with Adidas. On Monday, the record-breaking 400m sprinter Britton Wilson announced her decision to turn pro on Instagram after her second-place finish to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the 2023 USATF Track and Field Championships, earning a qualification spot for the 2023 World Athletics Championships next month.

“Turning pro has been one of my lifelong dreams,” Wilson wrote on Instagram. “Through all of the hard work and sacrifice, I truly manifested this surreal and special moment every day on the track, in the weight room, and while training. Here I am, beginning my professional track and field career with Team Adidas.”

Wilson’s clocked an impressive time of 49.79 seconds at USATF Track and Field Championships, marking the seventh time she’s gone under the 50-second mark this season. She is the second American this year, only behind McLaughlin-Levrone’s 48.74 world lead from USA’s.

Like McLaughlin-Levrone, Wilson is a versatile athlete who can excel at both the 400m and 400m hurdles. She has achieved personal bests of 49.13 seconds in the 400m and 53.08 seconds in the 400m hurdles. In May, Wilson surprised track and field fans when she pulled off an NCAA record-setting double at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Wilson’s success story extends over the past 18 months, during which she achieved remarkable milestones. In 2022, she played a pivotal role in securing the NCAA 4x400m indoor title alongside her Arkansas teammates. Subsequently, she clinched an individual victory in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA outdoor championships. Her exceptional performances led her to qualify for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, where she contributed to the American team’s gold medal triumph in the 4x400m relay event.

As Wilson sets her sights on the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest, she will further strengthen the already challenging competition in the 400m and 400m hurdles events at the global level.

Ethiopian Tamirat Tola headlines an elite field for the Sydney Marathon

Men’s world champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia and 2022 Paris Marathon women’s champion Judith Jeptum Korir of Kenya will headline the fields for the Sydney Marathon in September.

Organizers on Tuesday said it will be the fastest and most decorated elite field in the Sydney Marathon’s history.

Tola will compete in Australia for the first time and will be up against defending champion Moses Kibet, who holds the record for the fastest marathon time ever run in Australia.

Sydney is a candidate for the World Marathon Majors, a series of elite events that includes New York, London, Berlin, Boston, Tokyo and Chicago.

The new route for the Sept. 17 Sydney marathon will take in some of the city’s most historic landmarks, including the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

Tola has a personal best of 2 hours, 3 minutes, 39 seconds. Gabriel Geay of Tanzania, who placed second at the 2023 Boston Marathon, has the fastest personal best of the field at 2:03:00.

Jeptum Korir will also make her Australian debut and has a personal best of 2:18:20. She will be competing against a number of runners who have recorded times under 2:23:00 including Nazret Weldu of Eritrea, Haven Hailu of Ethiopia and Angela Tanui of Kenya.

“We are thrilled to have assembled such a high calibre field for this year’s Sydney Marathon, as we head into our second year as a candidate race for the Abbott World Marathon Majors,” race director Wayne Larden said in a statement. “The presence of these exceptional runners is a testament to the event’s status as a world-class marathon for elite athletes, running enthusiasts and recreational runners alike.”

The marathon route takes in some of the most historic landmarks in Australia’s biggest city, including the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. The race starts at Bradfield Park in Milsons Point and finishes at the Opera House forecourt.

The Sydney Marathon is a participation legacy project from the Sydney 2000 Olympics, when the marathon course started in North Sydney and passed some of the city’s landmarks before finishing at the Olympic Park. The Opera House was also the backdrop for the Olympic triathlon events in 2000.

Kenya's Emmanuel Korir seeks to find form in Hungary and Monaco ahead of World Championships

World and Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Korir will be hoping to hit form at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial Hungarian Grand Prix on July 18.

Korir has been in poor form, finishing eighth at the Rabat Diamond League in May in a time of 1:48.42; 10th in Paris in June in 1:47.71 and eighth in Stockholm after clocking 1:48.96.

He will use the event in Hungary to test his speed ahead of the Monaco Diamond League three days later on July 21.

"I have not had a good season so far but I hope to find a form with the upcoming race. If all goes well with the events in Hungary and Monaco, then I can hit good form and defend my world title in Budapest in August," he noted.

The race organisers have already announced a host of World and Olympic champions for the event.

Three winners of global titles will clash in the women’s 100m hurdles as world champion and record-holder Tobi Amusan lines up against Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and 2019 world champion Nia Ali.

USA’s Alaysha Johnson and Poland’s European champion Pia Skrzyszowska are also in the high-quality field.

The men’s discus is similarly stacked. World champion Kristjan Ceh takes on Olympic champion Daniel Stahl, 2017 world champion Andrius Gudzius, his fellow Lithuanian Mykolas Alekna, and Olympic silver medallist Simon Pettersson.

The three men who filled the hammer podium at the 2022 World Championships and Tokyo Olympics—Wojciech Nowicki, Pawel Fajdek, and Eivind Henriksen— will face Hungary’s 2019 world bronze medallist Bence Halasz.

Three other global champions will be in action on the track. World 200m champion Shericka Jackson will contest her specialist distance, while Olympic 400m champion Steven Gardiner will line up against Hungarian record-holder Attila Molnar over one lap of the track.

In the jumps, Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou will clash with 2019 world champion Tajay Gayle in the men’s long jump. Commonwealth champion Ese Brume, meanwhile, headlines the women’s event.

Other confirmed athletes include Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Marvin Bracy-Williams, who will both compete over 100m.

Caster Semenya wins appeal at European Court of Human Rights

South African athlete was discriminated against by rules that forced her to lower her testosterone levels, according to a judgement from the ECHR

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favour of Caster Semenya in her appeal against World Athletics’ rules relating to testosterone levels.

Semenya has been unable to compete at her best distance of 800m since the introduction of limits by the global governing body on testosterone levels which would have forced her to use medication. Legal challenges in the past to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Swiss Federal Supreme Court were rejected, but the ECHR says her human rights have been violated.

The 32-year-old was born with differences of sexual development and is not allowed to compete in events between 400m and the mile without taking drugs that reduce her testosterone levels.

In a judgement published on Tuesday (July 11), the ECHR found the Swiss government did not protect the athlete from being discriminated against when its Supreme Court refused to overturn a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport which upheld World Athletics’ rules governing the participation of athletes with DSD.

The statement read: “The Court found in particular that the applicant had not been afforded sufficient institutional and procedural safeguards in Switzerland to allow her to have her complaints examined effectively, especially since her complaints concerned substantiated and credible claims of discrimination as a result of her increased testosterone level caused by differences of sex development.”

Semenya argued that taking medication could put her health in danger and that the ruling, which prevented her defending her Olympic 800m title in 2021, denied athletes with DSD the right to rely on their natural abilities.

World Athletics says in reaction to the decision that its rules will remain in place, although the ECHR’s decision could force CAS and World Athletics to re-examine the regulations.

In a statement, the global governing body said: World Athletics notes the judgement of the deeply divided Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). We remain of the view that the DSD regulations are a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of protecting fair competition in the female category as the Court of Arbitration for Sport and Swiss Federal Tribunal both found, after a detailed and expert assessment of the evidence.

“The case was filed against the state of Switzerland, rather than World Athletics. We will liaise with the Swiss Government on the next steps and, given the strong dissenting views in the decision, we will be encouraging them to seek referral of the case to the ECHR Grand Chamber for a final and definitive decision. In the meantime, the current DSD regulations, approved by the World Athletics Council in March 2023, will remain in place.”

Past winner of Boston, New York Marathons dies at age 52

Joseph Chebet is being remembered by Athletics Kenya as a legend "who brought fame to our country"

Kenya’s Joseph Chebet, lauded for helping to bring his country into the global spotlight after winning both the New York and Boston marathons in 1999, died Friday at age 52.

Chebet died after being hospitalized for three days in the city of Eldoret, about 200 kilometres northwest of the Kenyan capitol of Nairobi (and one of the centres of running culture in Kenya) following a short illness, his brother Ben Chebet told Kenya’s Daily Nation.

“We have lost an icon,” Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei said in a statement following Chebet’s death. “He was one of the legends who brought fame to our country. I want to send my condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and athletics fraternity for their loss.”

Fellow Kenyan runner Moses Tenui, who won the Boston Marathon in 1996 and 1998, offered his condolences, as well as his memories of Chebet as a fierce competitor. “Chebet was a good athlete and he would fight to the finish line,” he told the Daily Nation. “I remember in Boston Marathon in 1998, I ran with him to the finish line where I managed to beat him with three seconds. It’s sad that we have lost him and I want to send my condolences to the family and friends during this difficult moment. It’s not easy to lose a loved one.”

Chebet’s three-second loss to Tenui in 1998 kicked off a frustrating and disappointing year for Chebet, who would again lose a major marathon title by a mere three seconds, this time to fellow Kenyan John Kagwe at the New York City Marathon.

Chebet rallied the following year, however, running 2:09.52 to win Boston  and 2:09.14 to top the podium in New York. He bookended those 1999 career-highlight victories with wins at the Amsterdam Marathon in 1996 (2:10:57) and at the Vienna Marathon in 2003 (2:14:49).

Also joining in offering their ondolences was Kenyan Sen. Allan Chesang, who praised Chebet for his humility. “We will always remember his victories. He was a blessing to our Nation during his life. He served diligently and with humility as an officer in the Police force. His contribution to our nation will endure forever in our Hearts,” Chesang tweeted Friday.

Following his retirement from running, Chebet took up farming in the Kenyan town of Kapyego.

Fargo Marathon director killed in bike crash

 It had been 18 years since Fargo had a marathon when Mark Knutson and Mike Almquist double-handedly decided to do something about it. That was in 2005 when it seemed like a 26.2-mile race should be staged on Fantasy Island rather than the streets of Fargo and Moorhead.

The two pulled it off, turning the Fargo Marathon into a yearly spectacle that injected millions of dollars into the local economy over the years. Sadly, only memories remain after Knutson was killed in a truck-bicycle crash Sunday morning, July 9, in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

Knutson, 53, was on his bicycle going west in the 1100 block of South Shore Drive, just west of the intersection with Muir Lane, when he was struck by a westbound pickup truck pulling a boat just after 7 a.m., according to the Detroit Lakes Police Department.

The driver of the pickup truck was Jacob Grabowski, 42, of Fargo, authorities said. No criminal charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.

The news was a shock to those in the area fitness community, particularly runners. Knutson was planning for the 20th annual Essentia Fargo Marathon next May, an event that he talked about as possibly being his last as the race director.

Twenty years is a long time in that position, with many of those being spent with Almquist.

“The marathon is Mark,” Almquist said. “This is a huge loss for the community and the running community. He touched so many areas. The marathon touches so much of the community. It pumped in millions and helped improve people’s healthy lifestyles, improved people’s health and brought families together and it brought neighbors together.”

Almquist said Knutson was a master at multitasking, a guy who could be the finance guy, marketing guy and visionary guy.

“He was very good at not worrying about things and figuring things out as we went along,” Almquist said. “That’s very much needed in event management because we always expect the unexpected and you have to be able to roll with a lot of fluid issues.”

The idea of the Fargo Marathon surfaced from a Run for the Children half-marathon in 2004, with what was then called an “ambitious” goal of 5,000 runners. Almquist and Knutson were college friends from Minnesota State Moorhead. The last race of that distance in the area was the Harvest Bowl Marathon in 1985.

At the time, 5K or 10K races in Fargo-Moorhead drew maybe 200 runners at best.

“It was a pipe dream,” Almquist said of the marathon. “We were told ‘I know what you guys are trying to envision but, no, not here.’”

The first Fargo Marathon drew 2,641 runners on a cold day, with the race starting at Veterans Memorial Bridge between Fargo and Moorhead. Temperatures were in the mid-30s with winds gusting to 25 mph.

Five years later, the event drew almost 20,000 participants in the marathon, half-marathon, 10K, 5K and Youth Run. It peaked at 25,700 in 2012.

“Mark had a clear view of what the Fargo Marathon would ultimately become very early on,” said Eric Sondag, the 2008 men’s winner, “and he worked tirelessly to make that vision a reality.”

A few times, after the race day was done and workers were cleaning the streets and bike paths, Knutson ran the 26.2-mile route himself. Almquist did it once with him, starting around 6 p.m. and finishing in the Fargodome just over four hours later.

“Mark was the heart and soul of the Fargo Marathon and the region’s running community,” said Steve Wagner, a personal friend and longtime active member of the Fargo running community. “His kindness, philanthropy and leadership impacted tens of thousands of people who participated in the Fargo Marathon, Dick Beardsley races and dozens of other events. Those events helped people dream about goals and strive to be better versions of themselves. He was respected by race directors across the country and put the Fargo Marathon on the map as a world-class event.”

Ethiopian Jemal Yimer successfully defended his men’s open division crown at the 46th running of the Boilermaker 15K

Jemal Yimer of Ethiopia successfully defended his men’s open division crown at the 46th running of the Boilermaker 15K Road Race presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, shattering the event record he set last year by 32 seconds.

Yimer won the event in 42 minutes and six seconds, besting Kenyans John Korir and Charles Langat who finished second and third respectively, in a race that saw the top four men beat the event record.

Runners took advantage of the cloudy conditions to get off to a fast start with an unusually large lead pack of about 16 runners staying together through the 2-mile mark. The lead pack dwindled to nine by the 5K mark, with Yimer, Langat and early leader Omar Ait Chitachen pushing the pace.

Yimer began to assert himself further on mile five, pushing the pace with a 4:08 split on the mostly downhill stretch. Tuliamuk fell off the pace by the seventh mile, leaving just Yimer, Langat and Korir to battle for the title. Yimer broke away from there, leading to a relatively comfortable win.

Reid Buchanan of San Diego, CA led American males with his seventh place finish, crossing the line in 43:44.

Kenyan Jesca Chelangat broke Edna Kiplagat’s 13-year old event record, taking home the women’s open division crown with a time of 47 minutes and 33 seconds. Chelangat bested Kiplagat’s record, which was set in 2010 by 24 seconds, beating fellow Kenyan Sarah Naibei by one minute and 13 seconds.

Kilpagat did not stay out of the Boilermaker record book for long, however, as her fourth overall finish in the Women’s Open Division was more than enough to break the women’s master’s division (over 40). Her time of 49:11 beat Edith Masai’s 2002 record by 1 minute and 29 seconds.

The American women’s contingent was led by Aliphine Tuliamuk of Arizona, who finished in fifth place overall with a time of 49:18. Racing at the Boilermaker as a professional for the first time, three-time 5K champion Jessie Cardin of Rochester Hills, MI, was the second best American female, finishing ninth overall with a time of 49:46.

Canadian Josh Cassidy took home the men’s open wheelchair division with a time of 33:10, beating Manuel Vergara of California who finished second with a time of 34:52.

2022 Women’s Wheelchair Open Division champion Jenna Fesemyer of Illinois defended her Boilermaker Crown, finishing in 40:32, 1 minute and six seconds in front of second-place finisher Yen Hoang of Champaign IL.

19-year-old D. Casey Malloy of New Hartford won the 5K Road Race presented by Utica National in 15:56, crossing the finish line 12 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Tyler Vega of Elkton, MD. Ashley Rathbun of Springfield, NJ won the women’s open division of the 5K, with a time of 20:23.

This year’s 15K race saw 6973 finishers with the 3125 crossing the finish line for the 5K, up from 5848 and 2469 respectively in 2022.

“Today was an absolutely amazing day for our race,” said Boilermaker race director Jim Stasaitis. “The weather turned out to be perfect for the runners and spectators alike. Seeing three records fall was something that is special and rare. We celebrate with each and every one of the record holders, including the everyday athletes who set personal bests today.”

Shalane Flanagan’s Thai Quinoa Salad is a summer must-make

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

Flanagan has decades of experience in cooking and planning meals that both help her run fast and keep her healthy and energized. This recipe is easy to throw together or prep in advance. I love making a double batch of the dressing and freezing it for next time. While it’s perfect as-is, feel free to add whatever veggies or protein your family enjoys–throwing in a can of chickpeas and/or some chicken gives our household a protein boost when we make this one.

Shalane’s Thai Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

2 cups grated carrots (about 2 large)

2 cups thinly sliced purple cabbage

3 green onions, white and green parts sliced

1 cup packed mint or cilantro leaves, chopped

1 cup packed basil leaves, chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and minced (optional)

1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts

Dressing

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup

2 Tbsp soy sauce (tamari works as well)

1 Tbsp fish sauce (optional, remove to make the recipe vegan)

Directions

Cook your quinoa perfectly with Flanagan’s foolproof method: in a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil with the quinoa. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for roughly 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and transfer to a large salad bowl to cool.

Put the olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce or tamari, honey, and fish sauce in a glass jar and shake or stir until combined.

When the quinoa has cooled, add carrots, cabbage, onion, mint, basil, and pepper to the bowl, toss to combine. Add dressing and mix together. Top with the peanuts, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Can eating only at night help you run farther?

New research shows lab mice can nearly double their running endurance when their meals are limited to their usual hours of sleep, though whether this new twist on intermittent fasting also holds a potential stamina boost for human runners remains to be seen.

In a paper published this week in the online journal Nature Metabolism, researchers in China investigated the effects of time-restricted eating on exercise capacity. For the study, scientists measured the running endurance of sedentary and exercise-wheel-trained mice. The mice, who normally sleep during the day, were divided into groups: feeding of the first group was restricted to nighttime hours, when the rodents are usually awake. The second group had access to food only during their normal daytime sleeping hours, and the third group had unrestricted access to food.

The researchers observed that the mice who had access to food only during their usual hours of sleep almost doubled the time and distance they were able to run compared to the mice who only ate during normal waking hours and those who could eat whenever they liked.

As mice are nocturnal, feeding the mice during the day—which resulted in the huge gains in running endurance—would be similar to humans eating only at night and fasting throughout the day. The researchers noted that further testing would be needed to see if this kind of time-restricted diet would have similar benefits for human endurance.

As it stands, the researchers said the study does offer insights into the relationship between time-restricted feeding and exercise performance, and highlights the importance of circadian rhythms in metabolism and capacity.

The study also throws a curveball into the continuing debate on the performance value of intermittent fasting for runners. Some studies have found that consistently restricting eating to certain hours of the day (such as the popular 16:8 plan, which involves 16 hours of fasting and an eight-hour window for eating), can help improve metabolism. But some experts have cautioned that running in a fasted state can negatively affect energy levels, hormone regulation and bone density in runners.

Sixth-fastest marathoner in history faces a potential 10-year doping ban

Another Kenyan doping scandal has rocked the marathon world. On Monday, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) provisionally suspended the sixth fastest marathoner in history, Titus Ekiru, related to multiple positive doping tests and tampering. Ekiru could be facing a lengthy 10-year ban.

According to the AIU, at the 2021 Milan Marathon, Ekiru tested positive for the corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonide, which is prohibited for use in competition unless an athlete is granted an exemption for medical use (TUE). Although Ekiru claimed medical treatment as the reason behind the first positive test, his defence took a blow when he tested positive for a synthetic opioid after winning the Abu Dhabi Marathon in November 2021.

Two charges of tampering have also been added to Ekiru’s case, for submitting falsified medical explanations and documentation to the AIU for both positive tests. These charges further compound the seriousness of the case and make a lengthy ban more likely.

“Athletics Integrity Unit suspects doping conspiracy in Kenya” — Canadian Running Magazine

View on the original site.

Ekiru ran a time of two hours, two minutes and 57 seconds to win the 2021 Milan Marathon, the sixth fastest time in history and only a minute and a half behind Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:39 at the time.

The AIU highlighted a concerning trend of triamcinolone acetonide use among Kenyan athletes, casting a shadow of doubt over the credibility of their performances. The substance gained notoriety when British cyclist Bradley Wiggins used it with a medical exemption while competing at the 2012 Tour de France, a race he went on to win.

The 31-year-old will now defend himself before the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal, fully aware that a potential 10-year ban hangs over his hea

Ekiru trains in Kapsabet, Kenya, with 2 Runners Club under the prestigious Italian marathon coach Claudio Berardelli, who also coaches two-time Boston Marathon champion Evans Chebet, TCS Toronto champion Benson Kipruto and 2022 London Marathon champion Amos Kipruto.

According to the AIU, more than 70 Kenyan athletes are currently serving provisional suspensions or bans. In late 2022, World Athletics and the Kenyan government committed $25 million to the fight against doping in athletics over the next five years.

Alexi Pappas gets a race named after her at San Francisco Marathon

2016 Olympian and renowned running author and influencer Alexi Pappas has joined forces with her hometown race, the San Francisco Marathon. On July 5, the San Francisco Marathon announced a multi-year partnership with Pappas, naming the 10K race in her honour.The race said in a statement: “We are delighted to announce the 10K will be now known as the Alexi Pappas SFM 10K, a race overflowing with excitement, fun, and of course, glitter!”Pappas has always had a strong connection to San Francisco’s Bay Area, growing up in nearby Alameda, Calif., and attending Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland. From there she went on to run at Dartmouth College and the University of Oregon before making the Greek Olympic team in the women’s 10,000m for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“Like every other ten-year-old, I wished for my own 10k race. My wish has come true,” wrote Pappas in excitement on Instagram.

Despite hanging up her competitive racing shoes in 2020, Pappas has continued to use her platform to inspire other women and help make running an inclusive space for all. Throughout her career, Pappas has been outspoken about her struggle with depression, calling for better care of elite athletes’ mental health. In 2021, her first book, Bravey: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas, was published, highlighting her triumphs and challenges in sports and life, and encouraging readers to be “braveys” in pursuing their passions.The Alexi Pappas 10K race is scheduled to take place on July 23 as a part of the San Francisco Marathon weekend. The race will also have custom medals and T-shirts designed by Pappas.