Running News Daily
Top Ten Stories of the Week
2/22/2020

Joel Mwangi won the 13th Edition of the Verona Italy half marathon clocking a personal best of 1:00:40 the fastest half in Italy over the last year

The Kenyan Joel Maina Mwangi and Valeria Straneo are the winners of the 13th edition of the Giulietta & Romeo Half Marathon staged in Verona Italy on Sunday February 16 2020. 

The men's race was fast with Mwangi crossing the finish line in 1:00:40 preceding the compatriots Solomon Koech (1:00:56) and Ishmael Chelanga Kalale (1:01:26) who dropped after the 15th kilometer. In fourth place was Sounder Moen, former European marathon record holder, clocking 1:01:28; in seventh was the German record holder Arne Gabius (1:03:23).

This was the fastest Italian half marathon of the last 365 days.  After the race Joel Mwangi who is training at the newly opened (January 19) UjENA Fit Club Training Camp in Thika, Kenya said: "Despite a lot of corners, I took the lead from 18km.  I was well prepared for any pace.  Any time they tried to push I pushed back. At 10k I push for 1km (2:40) to break the group of four.  We remained two, Solomon and me.  At 18k I took over and he was not able to resist."

This was a personal best for Joel by 39 seconds.  His pace was 2:50 per k.  Third photo is Joel training with his Ujena Fit club team in Thika at an altitude of 5351 feet.  

The Italian title goes to the policeman Daniele D'Onofrio in 1:93:15 (7th place and personal best) ahead of Neka Crippa (6th) and Xavier Chevrier (1:03:25).

In the women's race, Valeria Straneo, who took over at 2km from the finish, got rid of the Kenyan Lenah Jerotich, who finished second in 1:11:43, Straneo clocked 1:11:34. Giovanna Epis also did well placing third clocking 1:12:13. 

Organizers of the Tokyo Marathon on Friday asked Chinese residents who have registered for the March 1 race to voluntarily defer their entry until next year

Organizers of the Tokyo Marathon on Friday asked Chinese residents who have registered for the March 1 race to voluntarily defer their entry until next year due to concerns about the ongoing outbreak of a new coronavirus.

Registered runners from China who defer entry will have their fees for next year’s race waived, said the organizers, who earlier announced they would grant automatic qualification for the 2021 event.

The organizers had previously said a separate entry fee would apply, but decided to remove the additional cost following a request from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

“With the change of our condition for deferring entry, we would like to sincerely request all registered runners residing (in China) to defer their entry voluntarily,” the race organizers said in a statement.

The deferred entry will be offered to 1,820 runners of various nationalities based in China, where the coronavirus outbreak has caused more than 1,300 deaths and led to restrictions on travel in and out of the country.

Ethiopia’s rising star Roza Dereje is the one to beat at the Barcelona half Marathon

The 22-year-old Roza Dereje won last year with a 1:06:01 lifetime best and seems ready to improve on that performance. She also bettered her marathon career best thanks on  December 1 to 2:18:30 to win the Valencia Marathon. That time placed her among the top-ten on the all-time world list.

“I want to run as fast as possible on Sunday,” Dereje said. “I have my own dream and a clear goal in terms of clocking but I need to see how I feel on the race day. If the weather is fine I hope you all can enjoy something special.”

The world record is 1:04:51 set by Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei in Valencia in 2017. Dereje will be paced by her compatriot Daniel Feyisa.

Her stiffest opponent should be fellow Ethiopian Zeineba Yimer who holds the quickest time among the entrants, 1:05:46 for third at Ras Al Khaimah exactly one year ago. The 21-year-old made a remarkable marathon debut in Valencia last December clocking 2:19:28 for fifth, the same place she managed at the last World Half Marathon Championships also held in Valencia. Yimer enjoyed a fine 2019, clocking a 10,000m career best of 30:46:24 in Hengelo and a winning 46:52 time at the Valencia 15km in June.

Kenya’s Dorcas Kimeli should also be a factor. The 22-year-old belongs to the exclusive sub-30 minute 10km club, breaking that barrier in Prague last September when she ran an impressive 29:57 to finish second. More recently, Kimeli finished second in a cross country race in Thika where she beat world half marathon record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei by a couple of seconds.

Germany’s Melat Kejeta will try to give a scare to the theoretical podium placers. The 28-year-old Ethiopian-born runner boasts a 1:08:41 best for the distance and made a solid marathon debut in Berlin last September clocking 2:23:57.

Two other women have dipped under 70 minutes, Germany’s Alina Reh and Britain’s Charlotte Arter. Reh, a multiple European U20 and U23 champion with a 1:09:31 best, will contest her third race over the distance while Arter, 28, returns to the setting of her 1:09:41 best.

Valencia Marathon sells out ten months ahead of the 2020 event

The Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP has sold all 30,000 race bibs for the next edition of the race, which will be held on December 6, 2020.

Thus the ceiling on runner numbers has been reached 10 months before the event and within just three months of opening entries for the race.

Like last year, the organizers will open a waiting list in a few days time so that those without entries can take up places, if and when these become available as entered runners drop out for whatever reason.

To mark its 40th anniversary, the Valencia Marathon raised the number of bibs available to 30,000 (5,000 more than in 2019), split into three equal tranches priced at EUR 60, EUR 80, and EUR 100 respectively. The first tranche of 10,000 bibs was put on sale on the day following the previous race. The bibs ran out in under 48 hours. The second tranche ran out just nine days later.

Last year, race bibs ran out almost six months before the race date. This is why the organizers – SD Correcaminos running club and Valencia City Council – decided to ditch the 10K Valencia Trinidad Alfonso so that they could offer more places for the Marathon. For the third year on the trot, race bibs have run out for the race which the Spanish athletics federation RFEA ranks as Spain’s best marathon by far. The race is also the first one to obtain World Athletics’ Platinum Label.

Those who have missed out on a race bib so far have one last chance to take part in this special, 40th anniversary of the Valencia Marathon. This chance takes the form of the hundred Platinum Bibs put on sale to celebrate the award of the World Athletics Platinum Label. This is a new way of taking part in the trial and includes a special charity quota for Save The Children — the Official Charity for 2020 — and many extras such as access to the VIP area, a post-race thermal poncho, participation in the Breakfast Run and so on.

The 20,000 bibs for the Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP (which will be held on October 25, 2020) are selling like hot cakes. The first tranche of 10,000 was sold out in December. Right now, there are still some 1,500 bibs available before we hang up the ‘sold out’ sign.

The Valencia Half Marathon is now part of the new Super Half circuits, which brings together the best international trials over this distance.

Cheptegei shattered the world 5km road record in Monaco

Joshua Cheptegei shattered the world record in the 5km, clocking 12:51 at the Monaco Run 5km in the Mediterranean Principality today (16).

Running alone from the start, the 23-year-old Ugandan smashed through the event's 13-minute barrier, clipping a massive 27 seconds from the previous record of 13:18 set by Kenya's Rhonex Kipruto en route to his 10km world record in Valencia on 12 January.

Quick from the outset, Cheptegei blitzed through the first kilometre in 2:31, the fastest split of the race. He followed up with 2:35, 2:36 and 2:35 kilometre splits before sealing his record with a closing 2:32 kilometre.

“Wow, this is a really great," said Cheptegei, the 2019 world 10,000m champion, who was making his 2020 racing debut.

"I had sub 13 minutes in my mind today so when my legs felt good during the race I decided to really go for it. To take this many seconds off the record makes me very happy and is a great first test for me in an important season.”

Jimmy Gressier of France was second in 13:18, to break the European record of 13:29 set by Julien Wanders in this race last year.

Nick Goolab of Great Britain was third in 13:27, two seconds clear of Morocco's Mohamed Amine El Bouajaji.

Cheptegei's command performance not only eclipsed Kipruto's pending world record and the most recently ratified record of 13:22, set by Robert Keter in Lille on 9 November, but also bettered the fastest time ever recorded for the distance, Sammy Kipketer's 13:00 clocking in Carlsbad, USA, in 2000, well before the 5km became an official world record event in November 2017.

Liv Westphal won the women's race in 15:31, a French national record.

Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei goes for 5km world record in Monaco

The World Cross-country and 10,000 meter champion will be making an attempt at a third world record when he runs in the 5km Herculis race. The record stands at 13.22 minutes.

Joshua Cheptegei, who left for Monaco on Wednesday, will on Saturday be seeking a rare triple in the city state of Monaco.The World Cross-country and 10,000 meter champion will be making an attempt at a third world record when he runs in the 5km Herculis race.

The record stands at 13.22 minutes. Uganda Police coach Benjamin Njia is confident Cheptegei will set a new mark.“He is on form. That record should fall,” said Njia from Cheptegei’s training area of Kapchorwa.

Cheptegei first rose to world record form in 2018 when he shaved eight seconds off the 15km world record record at the NN ZevenHeuvenloop race in Holland.

Cheptegei goes into Saturday’s race just two months after breaking the 10km road race record in Valencia. He clocked 26 minutes 38 seconds.

Cheptegei's average pace was two minutes and 40 seconds per kilometer in Valencia, passing through 5km in 13 minutes 24 seconds."What a year it has been," he said. "I can't believe it." I knew that Valencia was going to be a really fast course, one of the fastest in the world.

So to get to achieve what we came here for is something really special."Saturday’s race will be his first competition of a season where he is ultimately eyeing Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games in August.

Cheptegei is the only Ugandan to set three world records. John Akii-Bua is the only other Ugandan world record holder. Akii-Bua shot into the headlines when he became the first man to run the 400m hurdles under 48 seconds.

He clocked 47.82 seconds to win gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Jamaican sprinter Akeem Bloomfield won the men’s 400m at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow

Akeem Bloomfield, who said he will be focusing more on the 400m this season, took the event in 46.20secs. He beat American Obi Gbokwe 46.11 and Yousef Karam (KUW) 46.49.

Nathon Allen, the other Jamaican in the field, finished at the back of the field in 47.89.

In the women’s 400m, Jamaicans Janieve Russell ran 60.87 for 5th and Stephenie-Ann McPherson, who didn’t finish.

Jessie Knight of Great Britain took the top spot in 51.57.

A refugee athlete has been selected as an elite runner for the Tokyo Marathon for the first time in the event’s history

Yonas Kinde, who currently lives in Luxembourg, will take part in the Marathon on March 1 2020.

Yonas participated at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 as a member of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He continues his training as an IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship Holder and will compete as part of his efforts to secure selection in the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020.

He comes from Ethiopia, the country of the famous “barefoot runner” Abebe Bikila. Abebe is known for winning gold medals in the marathon at two consecutive Olympic Games, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 1964. For Yonas, it has been a dream to run in Tokyo, as he deeply admires Abebe – an Ethiopian hero.

“Growing up, Abebe was an inspiration to me and I am delighted to be able to run in Tokyo, where he achieved so much”, Yonas says. “Through my participation, I hope to send the message that, if supported, refugees can unlock great potential.”

Those who participate at the elite category are runners who meet specific requirements set by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF).

Yonas received the elite runner status following an initiative of Japan for UNHCR (J4U), the national partner of the UN Refugee Agency in the country. 

It will be Yonas’s first visit to Japan. During his stay, he will train at the Tokorozawa Campus of Waseda University.

The refugees’ participation at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 gave courage and hope to millions of people who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict and persecution. It also testified to the enormous strength of refugee athletes, who strive to do their best despite facing adversity.

Yonas Kinde is a marathon runner and Ethiopian refugee, who arrived in Luxembourg five years before he was selected for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Rio 2016. He threw himself into life in Luxembourg, taking French classes regularly, and working as a taxi driver to earn a living, all the while pushing himself to become a better runner. Yonas began running in Ethiopia as a teenager, and after fleeing to Luxembourg he competed and won several titles in Luxembourg, France and Germany.

Course and Mexican all-comers’ records under threat at Guadalajara Half Marathon

Kenya’s Geoffrey Koech, Shadrack Korir, Lucy Cheruiyot and Perine Nengampi lead the Kenyan contingent aiming to rewrite the course and Mexican All-comers’ records at the 34th Electrolit Guadalajara Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday.

Almost a month after running personal bests under 60 minutes in Houston, Korir (59:27) and Koech (59:36) will now target the course record of 1:01:48, set by their countryman Mathew Kisorio last year. The fastest half marathon run on Mexican soil is 1:01:27 by Simon Biwott in 1999.

Two more Kenyans, Benson Kipruto, a 2:05:13 marathoner, and Cosmas Kipchoge, who boasts a personal best of 1:00:06, are also top contenders for the podium. 

Ethiopia’s Haymanot Alewe will try to spoil a Kenyan medal sweep. A 1:00:26 runner over the distance, the 22-year-old showed his fine early season form with a 28:17 10km in Thailand on 26 January. 

Two-time Olympic finalist and two-time winner Juan Luis Barrios (2015-2016) carries the Mexican hopes in the elite race. He finished fifth in 2019.

In the women’s race, Lucy Cheruiyot is well positioned to threaten the Mexican all-comers’ and course record of 1:08:53, set by Ethiopia’s Afera Godfay Berha last year. The 23-year-old has run faster six times in her career, twice in 2017 when she set her personal best of 1:07:23 and more recently last October when winning the Cardiff Half Marathon in 1:08:20.

Her fellow Kenyan Perine Nengampi, a 1:08:04 half marathoner, will join her in trying to regain the top spot on the podium for the country, but Abeba Gebremeskel, who shows a marathon lifetime best of 2:22:29, will try to keep the trophy in Ethiopian hands. 

Three other sub-70 minute Kenyans, Margaret Agai (1:09:43), Visiline Jepkesho (1:08:12) and Winfridah Moseti (1:08:44) should also feature prominently on Sunday.

Mexico’s Madai Perez, the fastest Spanish speaking woman over the marathon distance (2:22:59), returns to Guadalajara after missing the 2019 edition. The 40-year old has stepped on the podium seven times, including wins in 2003 and 2006.

The 34th edition of the race, powered by Granvita, celebrates Guadalajara’s 478th anniversary of its foundation. A Marathon Parade with 21 sculptures representing the race’s 21 kilometres, will also grace the 34th edition. This urban art exhibit will be displayed throughout a month, before moving to other Mexican cities.

Ababel Yeshaneh from Ethiopian runs the fastest time ever for the half marathon at Ras Al Khaimah beating Brigid Kosgei

Marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei was beaten by Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh on Friday morning (Thursday night in the U.S.) at the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Half Marathon by clocking 64:31 a world record.

Kosgei, running just her second race since obliterating the marathon world record by running 2:14:04 last October in Chicago, was the heavy favorite to win at RAK and lower the 64:51 record held by Joyciline Jepkosgei since 2017. The 26-year-old achieved the second part of that goal by running 64:49 on Friday, but it was only good enough for second place as Yeshaneh dropped Kosgei between 15 and 20km.

Here are the Ethiopian’s record-breaking splits: 15:07 5k, 30:18 10k (15:11), 45:41 15k (15:23), 61:11 20k (15:30), 64:31 FINISH (3:20)

Kosgei had a three-second advantage over Yeshaneh at 15k, but the Kenyan faded minutes later as she split 15:49 between 15k and 20k, her slowest kilometer by 27 seconds.

Ironically, Yeshaneh finished runner-up behind Kosgei at the 2019 Chicago Marathon in 2:20:51, a whopping six minutes and 47 seconds behind Kosgei’s transcendent run that day. Kosgei is still the unquestioned queen of the marathon right now, but Yeshaneh’s performance at RAK suggests that the 28-year-old Ethiopian could soon become a serious challenger.

Ababel Yeshaneh Birhane is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in track, road and cross country events. She represented her country in the 10,000 metres at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics, coming ninth, and ranked fifth in the world on time that year.

In the men's race Kibiwott Kandie of Kenya clocked 58:58 with Alexander Mutiso Munyao 18 seconds behind for second place.  Mule Wasihun Lakew from Ethiopia was third clocking 59:49.