Running News Daily
Top Ten Stories of the Week
7/4/2020
These are the top ten stories based on views over the last week.
There will be no rescheduled event to replace the cancelled BMW Berlin-Marathon in 2020
Events with 5,000 participants or more are prohibited by the responsible authorities in Germany until October 24, 2020. Hopes were raised earlier this week that a replacement race after that date might be possible, if satisfactory hygiene measures could be put in place, but the race’s organisers today drew a line under these considerations.
SCC Events, the race organisers, said in a statement: “We worked hard on the development of a hygiene concept and held countless discussions with our experts, the responsible authorities and service providers, among others. A comprehensive feasibility analysis showed that an event such as the BMW Berlin-Marathon could not be held under the current specifications – also not after October 24, 2020, especially not with the high expectations we all have for this event. Naturally, we support the containment measures, as the health of everyone is of utmost importance to us.
“The BMW Berlin-Marathon will therefore not take place on September 26-27, 2020 due to force majeure, and it is also not possible to hold the event at a later date this year.”
Jürgen Lock, Managing Director of SCC Events, added: “Due to the weather conditions alone and the ever shorter days, it would be very difficult to hold the BMW Berlin-Marathon with its various competitions and event formats this year.
Then there is the uncertainty about which regulations will apply at a later date. The question of whether athletes will be able to travel internationally again by then can also not yet be answered.”
Registered participants will be contacted this week and offered the opportunity of a full refund or a transfer to next year’s event on September 25–26 2021.
(06/27/20) Views: 105
Des Linden says that the cancellation of New York this year could extend her career by several years
The cancellation is not necessarily bad news for everyone. Des Linden, the top American finisher at last year’s marathon, had planned on running both Boston and New York this year after missing the Olympic team in February by just 10 seconds.
She told the Daily News that the cancellations of both marathons could extend her career by several years. Linden, who turns 37 next month, was thought to be at the tail end of her professional career, and had spoken frequently of an uncertain future after 2020.
“This is going to be a really good time to refresh,” Linden said. “I think we were putting all of our chips in (to 2020), and now it’s gonna be regroup and see, can we do this for the long haul for another three or four years? It might not be the worst thing.”
But Linden said she will miss the crowds and the atmosphere.
“You see that start, you get chills,” she said. “And the feeling goes throughout all the boroughs. It’s magical.”
The start is perhaps the most intractable problem for a mass road race in the coronavirus era. The New York City Marathon corrals all the runners on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island. At the 50,000 runner mark, if socially distanced in the most efficient form possible, the field could stretch seven miles and perhaps more, according to one set of calculations.
Some marathon hosts, like Tokyo, have canceled the mass fields and held elite-only events. New York organizers said they opted against that to avoid large crowds of spectators.
The Boston Marathon, originally scheduled for April, had been postponed to September and then was canceled late last month.
Minutes after the New York announcement, the Berlin Marathon was canceled. With New York, Boston, Berlin, and the Olympics out of the running, four of the seven major marathons scheduled for 2020 will not be held.
While the London and Chicago marathons have not yet been nixed, organizers of both races said cancellation is a possibility. London was previously postponed from April to October.
(06/26/20) Views: 68Dennis Young
Will any of the six World Marathons Majors be held this year other than the elite field in Tokyo?
The Berlin Marathon, one of the world’s six elite long-distance races, has been cancelled this year as organisers conceded the event cannot be held under German Covid-19 containment regulations.
The decision yesterday (Wednesday) came as the 2020 New York City Marathon, originally scheduled for November 1 and another member of the World Marathon Majors (WMM) group, was also cancelled due to Covid-19.
The Berlin Marathon was scheduled for September 26-27, but organisers had already announced in April that this year’s race would not go ahead as scheduled after the German government extended its ban on large-scale gatherings of more than 5,000 people until October 24.
SCC Events has now said that after “extensive examination and various discussions” it would not be possible to hold the event at a later date this year. It added: “Over the past weeks, we have put a lot of commitment and effort into examining all options for holding the BMW Berlin-Marathon 2020 under the given conditions.
“We worked hard on the development of a hygiene concept and held countless discussions with our experts, the responsible authorities and service providers, among others.”
The media and sponsorship rights to the Berlin Marathon are sold by the Infront agency, which is also responsible for the broadcast production. Of the six World Marathon Majors, only Tokyo has taken place so far this year on March 1, with a reduced field consisting only of elite runners, without the mass participation element.
The Berlin and New York decisions came weeks after the Boston Marathon was cancelled for the first time in its 124-year history. The London Marathon has been postponed until October 4, while the Chicago Marathon remains scheduled for October 11.
(06/26/20) Views: 60
Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya operated on in Eldoret after freak road accident
Multiple world cross country and half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor is recovering in an Eldoret hospital after he was injured in a freak accident while on his Thursday morning run.
The world half marathon record holder was hit from behind by a speeding motorcycle, sustaining injuries on his head and ankle.
Kamworor told Nation Sport from his hospital bed that he sustained injuries above the ankle and on his head
It was double tragedy for Kamworor, 28, after organizers on Thursday cancelled November’s New York City marathon where he would have defended his title.
Kamworor was also lined up to defend his World Half Marathon Championships title at this year’s rescheduled race in Gdynia, Poland, on October 17.
According to Dr Victor Bargoria, who treated Kamworor Friday, diagnosis was to open incomplete right tibia shaft fracture, knee bruises and scalp laceration.
“The procedure was debridement of contused contaminated soft tissue and loose bone fragments followed by irrigation and wound closure,” he explained after attending to the star at the St Luke's Hospital in Eldoret.
The surgery took place one month after another successful surgery on world 800 meters record holder and Olympic champion David Rudisha who twisted his ankle at his home in Kilgoris, Narok County.
The motorcyclist stopped and helped the injured champion to the hospital where he was admitted.
“I was one kilometer away from my home during my morning run when a speeding motorcycle hit me from behind and I fell down injuring my leg,” Kamworor explained.
“I also got injuries in my head and he helped me up and took me to the hospital where I was admitted.”
He said that he expects to be discharged today after the surgery went on successfully.
"The doctor has advised me to rest and I will be discharged maybe today but I will be waiting for him to give me clean bill of health,” said the champion.
Bargoria confirmed the champion could be released Friday.
“I received the patient on Thursday morning and we managed to do a surgery which was to open incomplete right tibia shaft fracture on his right leg and bruises on his head. He is doing well and he should be leaving for home anytime," said Bargoria.
He said the planned follow up will be leg CT scan, IV antibiotics, analgesics, wound care and rehabilitation for recovery.
(06/26/20) Views: 51Bernard Rotich
Hamburg Marathon, Which Still Hasn’t Canceled, Announces a Strict Hygiene Policy
In the same week the Berlin Marathon and New York City Marathon were canceled, Hamburg Marathon race organizers announced they are moving forward with plans to host 26.2 in Germany amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
On June 23, race organizers shared an extensive hygiene policy, which was proposed to the city of Hamburg in hopes that the marathon will happen on September 13.
Hamburg Marathon race organizers do not have the city’s approval to gather the 14,000 runners anticipated for the event, but they are hoping to receive permission by the beginning of August, communications director Reinald Achilles confirmed in an email to Runner’s World.
The Hamburg marathon and half marathon were planned for April 19 but had to be rescheduled when the German government implemented a nationwide shut down in mid-March. While the number of new infections has stabilized at a lower level, as reported by Reuters on June 17, the country’s ban on large events was extended to October 24. But exceptions are being made for events where contract tracing and hygiene regulations are possible.
If the event continues, the Hamburg Marathon will likely be the first large-scale international marathon to be hosted since the start of the pandemic.
“We are optimistic that the Haspa Marathon Hamburg will be started on September 13,” race director Frank Thaleiser said in a statement. “We have the plans and the infrastructure required. We will now make detailed plans together with the city to realize the race.”
The hygiene policy, outlined by race officials last Tuesday, was developed by experts at Manchester Metropolitan University in England, which offers a masters degree in crowd safety and risk analysis.
To prepare for the 10,000 marathon participants and 4,000 half marathon runners expected to compete, race organizers are planning to include social distancing and increased hygiene measures prior to and during the event.
The half marathon and the marathon will have different start and finish areas, and the runners will begin each race in staggered groups of 1,000 about 10 minutes apart over the course of two hours. Before the event, runners will be assigned in predetermined groups and corralled in different halls of the expo building prior to the start. Disinfection stations will be available throughout the event area and along the course.
Each participant will be given a scarf with a breathing filter to be worn over the nose and mouth in the event areas. And unlike previous races, open food and drink will not be available in the finish area. Instead, race organizers will be offering a refueling package to the participants.
The elite field will be a smaller group of 30 athletes who will be required to complete COVID-19 testing prior to the competition. Runners in the elite and the mass field will not be allowed to participate if they are traveling from countries where the virus poses a higher risk.
“The organizational and hygiene policy should demonstrate that a running event with up to 14,000 participants within a city environment can be carried out responsibly while respecting the restrictions on contact and current hygiene guidelines since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Thaleiser said in a statement.
On June 24, the Berlin Marathon, which hosted 62,444 participants in 2019, was officially canceled. The news followed earlier reports in April in which race organizers announced the World Marathon Major would not go on as planned because of the ordinance set in place by the German government prohibiting all events with more than 5,000 people until October 24. The race looked into different options for holding the event but ultimately determined it wasn’t possible to continue on September 26-27.
The New York City Marathon was also canceled last Wednesday in a joint decision made by the New York Road Runners and the New York City Mayor’s Office. The marathon was supposed to take place in November, and it would have been the 50th running of the event.
New York and Berlin are the latest World Marathon Majors to be canceled or postponed in 2020. The Boston Marathon was initially postponed from April to September before being canceled in May. The London Marathon was rescheduled for October 4, and the Chicago Marathon remains on the calendar for October 11.
(06/30/20) Views: 49Taylor Dutch (Runner’s World)
Another major sports event, the Cape Town Marathon has been forced to cancel due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
Athletics South Africa president Aleck Skhosana announced that the 2020 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon had officially been called off.
“Cancelling this year’s edition of the Cape Town Marathon was a difficult decision to make because it is also home to the ASA Marathon Championships.
“This is the only World Athletics Gold Label marathon in Africa and it’s an influential nation-builder with a massive economic impact.
“We know that it will come as a great disappointment to thousands of runners who were looking forward to the race.
“However, the decision had to prioritise the health and safety of all involved,” Skhosana said.
Cape Town Marathon chair Francois Pienaar said the decision was a disappointment but ultimately necessary.
“The decision did not come easy, but was one that had to be made after exhausting all our options.
“The reality is that we cannot risk the health and well-being of our participants, volunteers, supporters and stakeholders,” he said.
All entrants will have the option to receive a full refund. Alternatively, race director Renee Jordaan said entrants could choose to donate their fees to charity.
“All donated entry fees will be distributed between the Peninsula School Feeding Association and Community Chest of the Western Cape to support the increased social needs during the pandemic,” Jordaan said.
(06/26/20) Views: 43Matthew Field
Diamond League events in Paris and Eugene Oregon, cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic
The Paris meeting had originally been pushed back from June until September 6 but was ultimately called off by organisers due to doubts over global travel and a lack of time to prepare a "world-class international event".
The Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, scheduled for October 4, was also axed from the programme, with restrictions still in place to combat the Covid-19 pandemic in the west coast state.
"The state of Oregon currently has a ban on large gatherings -- including sporting events -- and that restriction will be in place until at least the end of September," Diamond League organisers said in a statement.
"The ban, combined with the expected long term restrictions on international travel, make it impossible to host a world class track and field meet... on October 4th."
Eugene will host the world athletics championships in 2022. The competition was moved back a year to accommodate the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.
Four of the 15 Diamond League meetings have been cancelled, with Rabat and London also binned.
The circuit is due to start August 14 in Monaco followed by the Stockholm meeting nine days later.
The Gateshead event in northeast England could now be held September 12 but is still to be confirmed, organisers said.
"Final confirmation cannot be given at this time due to UK Government guidelines and restrictions," the statement said.
(06/26/20) Views: 42
Geoffrey Kamworor discharged, to recuperate at home
Three-time world half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor was discharged Saturday from the St Lukes Hospital in Eldoret after being treated following an accident on Thursday.
Kamworor, who was hit by a speeding motorcycle during his morning run just after 6am on Thursday, sustained injuries on his head and ankle in the accident on the Kaptagat-Eldoret road.
The injury could take some time to heal and the champion will almost certainly not be able to defend his World Half Marathon Championships title in Gydnia, Poland, on October 17.
Athletics Kenya president Jack Tuwei Saturday described Kamworor as among Kenya’s top talents and regretted the fact that the athlete will be sidelined for a while.
“As a federation we want to wish Kamworor quick recovery. He missed the first season due to the coronavirus and the next season has also been affected by the injury,” Tuwei said.
(06/29/20) Views: 40Bernard Rotich
European 5000m silver medalist Henrik Ingebrigtsen clocks world leading 13:19.65 5000m in Oslo
European 5000m silver medalist Henrik Ingebrigtsen from Norway glided to a world leading 5000m time of 13:19.65 at the Boysen Memorial in Oslo, a European Athletics Area Permit Meeting, on Monday.
Paced by Sindre Buraas in the early stages, Ingebrigtsen cut loose from a leading pack which also included Sondre Nordstad Moen after the pacemaker dropped out and picked up the pace significantly over the closing laps.
Running the last 800 meters inside two minutes, Ingebrigtsen was rewarded with a finishing time inside 13:20 and a time which was only four seconds slower than his lifetime best of 13:15.38. The eldest of the Ingebrigtsen brothers also believes he had more in the legs too.
“It was really a good race. It suited me well today, I got a moderate opening and got to drive towards the end. The body responded quite well, I know the body has more inside, but I am happy that I got this out on a Monday at Bislett. It was one of my best races,” Ingebrigtsen told NRK after the race.
Ingebrigtsen also said the postponement of the Olympic Games in Tokyo could play to his advantage and believes he could even quite possibly challenge for a medal in the 5000m next summer.
“I might be a little more optimistic. If I can get consistency in the training work I do at home, then I have a hundred percent belief that I should have the level to fight for a medal - I have that belief,” he said.
In a good quality race, the top four runners all broke the 13:40-barrier with Ingebrigtsen followed home by Narve Nordas (13:33.39) and Zerei Kibrom Mezngi (13:37.59). Moen finished fifth in 13:42.96.
Henrik’s brothers Filip and Jakob Ingebrigtsen will be in action this evening in the 800m.
(06/30/20) Views: 40
Organizers of the Herculis EBS Meeting have confirmed the first major stars set to compete at the Wanda Diamond League fixture in Monaco on August 14
World champions Yulimar Rojas and Sifan Hassan, world record holder Joshua Cheptegei and European 110m hurdles champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde will all be on the slate when the series, disrupted this season by the global coronavirus pandemic, resumes at the Principality's Louis II Stadium.
Hassan broke the world record in the mile at this meeting last year, a pre-cursor to her historic 1500m/10,000m double victory at the World Championships. It wasn't announced which distance Hassan would run. The women's programme includes both 1000m and 5000m races.
The 27-year-old Dutchwoman hasn't yet competed in 2020, but Rojas and Cheptegei have, both displaying world record form.
Rojas, the two-time world indoor and outdoor champion in the triple jump, sailed to a world indoor record of 15.43m at the World Athletics Indoor Meeting in Madrid on 21 February. Five days earlier, Uganda's Cheptegei, 23, blasted through the streets of Monaco en route to a 12:51 world record at the Monaco Run 5km. He will contest the 5000m.
Martinot-Lagarde of France, a long-time favourite in Monaco, broke the French national record at this meeting with 12.95 in 2014. The 28-year-old raced to bronze at the World Championships last year.
(07/01/20) Views: 40World Athletics
