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7/18/2020

Summer Running Challenge Combats Isolation

Athletic teams, no matter what the sports is, do not know what the fall season will bring. Will the student-athletes be back in school? Will Colonial Conference competitions resume?

The Haddonfield Memorial High School boys cross country team, however, isn’t waiting to find out. The runners are taking a unique approach to summer conditioning with a mileage challenge that is benefiting the area Interfaith Caregivers.

The team members are seeking pledges for each training mile they run during the month of July, with the goal of hitting 1,500 miles.

HMHS assistant coach Dave Stewart explained how the challenge came about.

 

"With everything that has happened, I think it became clear to everyone independently that ‘business as usual’ wasn’t really an option. It’s always been a great group of service-oriented kids, but we hadn’t really tried to tie in these impulses to our running,” said Stewart. "The captains, Caleb [Clevenger] and John [Hurly], were very strong on the idea of keeping support local, and aiding people who were greatly affected by the pandemic. 

"But they also wanted something that would help re-energize and set goals for the team, who had trained all spring but pretty much without their teammates or coaches, and without the positive feedback you get from doing well in races. A few ideas were batted around but when Interfaith Caregivers was brought up it seemed like a perfect fit, since they fight against isolation for seniors at all times, but it’s a service that’s needed even more right now.  And a mileage challenge would mean that they could support each other and contribute for the team, just like they would during a competitive season, should we ever get back to that.”

He added the entire coaching staff is proud of what the team is doing. Stewart is handling some of the paperwork and donations. The student-athletes, meanwhile, are the ones running the miles and logging them.

Stewart noted supporters of the team, Interfaith Caregivers, and the general community are all helping make the challenge a success.

"Right now, pledges are approaching $2 a mile, which would mean a donation of $3000 to Interfaith Caregivers, which I think exceeds expectations. That’s from a few dozen supporters, pledging anywhere from one to 10  cents a mile, all of which are welcome as are any other pledges, which we’ll accept through the end of the month,” said Stewart.  "Now, the running part has been tough. 1,500 miles is definitely a stretch goal, especially with the brutal weather we’ve been having, and with a few people having nagging injuries that haven’t been able to contribute as much.

But ‘next man up’ has always been our team philosophy anyway, and we still have it  in our sights.”

Doing summer conditioning and training is not new to these Haddonfield runners. Because the spring season was cancelled due to the pandemic, Stewart said the team took a break a little earlier than they would during a typical season. The mileage plan, however, is similar to what the runners would do during a normal summer.

"What we’re hoping to see is a lot of consistency throughout the team, since the runners who are maybe not competing for a varsity spot still know they’re contributing a lot to the team when they record their miles,” said Stewart. "And of course everything is still a great deal different than other years since we haven’t been able to meet personally with them since mid-March.”

In terms of the fall season, COVID-19 has already forced the cancellation of the Manhattan Invitational, which was scheduled to take place on Oct. 9. The status of other competitions are up in the air.

Talent-wise, Haddonfield graduated another exceptional senior class, but head coach Nick Baker has runners ready to fill the leadership roles.

Junior Seth Clevenger is a returning first team All-South Jersey selection. Seniors Caleb Clevenger, a First Team All-Colonial Conference honoree, and John Hurly are the new team captains.

Junior Tobias Janssen, who also earned First Team All-Conference, is back, too.  Seniors Sean Eisenhower and Elijah Fernands are expected to be major contributors as well.

Juniors Ethan Wellborn and Andrew Sullivan along with sophomores George Andrus, Donnie Jellig, and Ian Romea are expected to fill key roles, as well.

Since the coaches have not been able to participate in the workouts as a result of COVID-19 protocols, Baker has relied on his senior captains to set the tone.

"John and Caleb have been doing an outstanding job of communicating and motivating the team during a difficult time. Summer training has always been the foundation of our cross country program and John and Caleb are making sure the guys are getting the work done,” said Baker.

Starting July 13, Baker, Stewart and the other coaches will be able to join in as part of phase 1.

At the same time, the Haddonfield runners will continue racking up those miles for a good cause.

For more information about the mileage challenge or to make a pledge, visit haddonfieldbulldogscrosscountry.com or email assistant coach Dave Stewart, dstewart@haddonfield.k12.nj.us, with the subject line "July Mileage Challenge” and the amount you’d like to pledge per mile. Pledges can be accepted any time through the month of July, and donations will not be collected until the challenge is over.

(07/12/20) Views: 268

Huge blow for Kenyan athletes as European Union travel ban continues

After a dark season that has seen them lose massive earnings from the international circuit due to cancellation of global sporting events owing to the coronavirus pandemic, Kenyan athletes face another blow.

Kenya is among the nations yet to be cleared to travel into Schengen states when the European Union (EU) opens its borders on July 1.

The Kenya athletes will be hit hard should the country continue to remain on the Covid-19 compliace “blacklist” when the 2020 Diamond League circuit resumes in August.

Kenya is not among 54 world countries that will benefit from the reopening of the EU borders from July 1.

Things haven’t been made any easier as Kenya’s Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the country with 6,190 cases having been reported with 144 deaths and 2,013 recoveries by Monday.

However, athletes from Kenyan neighbors Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda are among the African countries who will be allowed to enter the Schengen states from July 1.

Should the ban be sustained, then Kenya’s world 1,500 meters champion Timothy Cheruiyot will not be able to defend his title alongside former champion Elijah Manang’ oi, among others, during the Monaco leg of the Diamond League on August 14.

Monaco will signal the resumption of Diamond League action.

More Kenyan athletes are likely to miss the Stockholm meet on August 23 in Sweden and if EU doesn’t clear Kenya then the athletes will also miss Brussels leg on September 4 in Belgium since the Lausanne meet on September 2 will be an exhibition event.

Nationals of the following countries are listed in this draft list of nations allowed into the EU from July 1:

Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Australia, Bahamas, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia.

(07/10/20) Views: 149
Ayumba Ayodi

Athens Marathon cleared to proceed as mass participation event in November

The Athens Marathon - and the postponed Athens Half Marathon - have been cleared to take place later this year, with social distancing restrictions.

The Marathon is set to be run on November 8, with the Half Marathon - postponed last March - currently scheduled for some 50 days earlier, on September 20.

Greece has so far succeeded in holding COVID-19 relatively well at bay, and authorities have approved a health protocol putting a ceiling of 5,000 participants on individual road races.

For this reason, the 2020 Marathon will be split into two individual races of 5,000 runners each, with the second race starting an hour after the first.

Allowing for four shorter races taking place over the November 7/8 weekend, organisers expect to cater for a maximum 30,000 competitors over the two days.

There will be no invited foreign elite athletes; however, while the race will be smaller than usual - the 2019 race produced 17,000 finishers - non-Greek-based recreational runners can register, though they will be expected to abide by relevant travel restrictions that may be in force at the time of the event.

There will be no Marathon awards gala attached to this year’s race, but a symposium for race directors from around the world is still planned.

The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the 2020 road-running season, with half the races in the World Marathon Majors series – Boston, New York City and Berlin - cancelled and the Tokyo event in March significantly scaled back.

The London Marathon is still currently scheduled for October 4, although serious doubts remain over whether it will take place.

According to Makis Asimakopoulos, general manager of the Athens Marathon: "As far as the 2020 Athens Marathon - the authentic event is concerned, let me inform you that we are planning to hold it on 7-8 November, as originally scheduled.

"We have decided to do so, taking advantage of the very good job the Greek Government and people have done so far in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic crisis."

Asimakopoulos told insidethegames that race organisers intended to "play our role, as the birthplace of the marathon, in restarting the cycle of mass participation marathon events internationally".

The Athens Marathon, first run as a sports event at the inaugural modern Olympic Games in 1896, retraces, as closely as feasible, the steps of Pheidippides, who is believed to have brought Athenians news of their against-the-odds victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

(07/12/20) Views: 82

2020 Naha Marathon will not take place this year

Two of the last six remaining major marathons on Japan’s 2020 calendar have cancelled.

With 14,660 finishers last year the Naha Marathon in Okinawa announced that its 36th edition, scheduled for December 6, will not take place this year. The organizers stressed that it was a one-year postponement rather than a cancellation per se. The Aoshima Taiheiyo Marathon in Miyazaki, with 8043 finishers in 2019 and scheduled for December 13, followed with its cancellation announcement.

Both races brought up the same concerns as the 23 other large marathons this fall to have already cancelled. They cited risks to participants, volunteers and others involved in the race and Aoshima added that the need to restrict spectators would take away a lot of the fun for the runners.

Only four significant marathons could potentially still be held this year: the Fujisan Marathon (November 29), the Shonan International Marathon and Fukuoka International Marathon (both December 6), and the Hofu Marathon (December 20).

But given the earlier cancellation of the February 2021 Kumamoto Castle Marathon and accompanying elite-only Kumanichi 30km, the chances of anything except maybe Fukuoka actually going off look slim.

(07/11/20) Views: 70
Brett Larner

Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru scorches to convincing 10,000m victory in Abashiri

Ten days after opening her 2020 track campaign with a 5000m win in Fukagawa, Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru was once again victorious, this time over 10,000m, on Wednesday (15) in Abashiri at the third meeting in the Hokuren Distance Challenge series.

The 25-year-old finished 45 seconds ahead of her nearest rival, Japan’s Mao Ichiyama, to win in 30:38.18, just three seconds shy of the PB she set when finishing fourth over the distance at last year’s World Championships in Doha.

Wanjiru led from the outset and after just a couple of laps had only two other women for company: Japan’s Mao Ichiyama and Mizuki Matsuda. After covering the first kilometer in 3:08, Wanjiru started to gradually increase the pace.

Ichiyama, who earned selection for Japan’s Olympic team after winning this year’s Nagoya Marathon in 2:20:29, started to lose contact with Wanjiru about 10-and-a-half minutes into the race. Wanjiru, meanwhile, was locked into 3:04-3:05 kilometer pace, reaching the half-way point in 15:24.

She covered the second half even quicker and, increasing her winning margin with each lap, crossed the finish line in 30:38.18. Needless to say, in a year with very few competitions, Wanjiru’s time is a world-leading mark. Although it was close to her track PB, Wanjiru has clocked 29:50 – the third-fastest time in history – on the roads.

Running alone for the final six kilometers, Ichiyama held on to second place and was rewarded with a PB of 31:23.30.

Jonathan Ndiku, best known for his steeplechase exploits, won the men’s 10,000m ‘A’ race in 27:23.47. The two-time world U20 steeplechase champion finished comfortably ahead of fellow Kenyans Alexander Mutiso (27:44.37) and Richard Kimunyan Yator (27:49.35). Yuma Hattori, who has also been named on Japan’s Olympic marathon team, was fourth in 27:56.32, taking 13 seconds off his PB from five years ago.

Elsewhere in Abashiri, world U20 champion Nozomi Tanaka – who last week set a Japanese 3000m record of 8:41.35 – won the women’s 5000m in 15:02.62, beating Kenya’s Hellen Ekarare (15:03.09). Benard Kibet Koech, meanwhile, won the men’s 5000m in 13:11.77.

(07/16/20) Views: 62

Faxon Law Fairfield Half Marathon will go virtually due to COVID-19 concerns

Organizers have announced that the Faxon Law Fairfield Road Races, consisting of a half marathon, 5k and kids fun run, will be held virtually this year due to concerns about the pandemic.

The event, traditionally held at Jennings Beach in Fairfield, had already been moved from June 7 to Sept. 20. Now, runners will have the opportunity to compete on their own accord between Sept. 17-20.

“As much as we would like to be running with you at Jennings Beach this year, the health and safety of our athletes, volunteers, staff, spectators, and sponsors is our number one priority, and with the current health crisis, we cannot completely guarantee a safe event,” John Calandriello, president of the Fairfield Half Marathon, said on the event website. “The decision to transform to a virtual event was not an easy one, but a necessary (step) to ensure the safety of all involved.”

Virtual racing has become a primary means of competition during the pandemic . Runners race on their own time and at their own location. Once the required distance is reached, they self-report their results into a database.

With social distancing a priority, many other races around Connecticut have adopted this same format, including the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race, scheduled from Sept. 4-7, and the Hartford Marathon, Oct. 8-11.

Registration can be completed online at fairfieldhalf.org.

(07/15/20) Views: 57
Doug Bonjour

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge dreams of fast time at London marathon

 World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge says training on the track is crucial as he guns for a fast time at the London marathon in October if the race is allowed to be staged.

Kipchoge, in a webinar interview with local media outlets, said he is fully immersed in training and eagerly awaiting the government to confirm when training camps will be open and athletes allowed to train normally.

"I hope for something special in London. It will be fast," Kipchoge said in t interview on Friday from his hometown of Eldoret located in Kenya's North Rift region.

The Olympic marathon champion said that he will do everything possible to be ready for the London Marathon on October 4 with organizers aiming to stage an elite-only race due to COVID-19 challenges.

"Save for Geoffrey Kamworor, who was injured in an accident, my entire team is ready to return to training camp for the preparations ahead of the season reopening. But I am waiting for the government and hope the Cabinet Secretary for Sports (Amina Mohamed) will allow us all back in camp," said Kipchoge.

He is currently working on his speed and alternates from road training to track sessions.

"Track sessions are for me and my team really crucial. It helps us to make our body maintain a high pace and it actually opens the body to feel how hard training is. To other marathoners, it's not important and they see it as not beneficial," said Kipchoge.

His coach Patrick Sang, said it is important for athletes to focus on endurance training.

"In running, there are three things that you need as an athlete. You need strength, endurance and of course, you need speed," Sang said.

(07/10/20) Views: 56

Francesca Muccini, the 2017 Vol State champion, is back on top after winning the run across Tennessee Vol State 500K crown in 82 hours

The Last Annual Vol State 500K ultramarathon across Tennessee began on July 9, and only three days later, the race saw its first two finishers cross the finish line in Castle Rock, Ga. First place went to Francesca Muccini, the 2017 Vol State champion, who finished the race in three days, 10 hours, 49 minutes and 40 seconds.

This is a women’s course record and the third-fastest time ever run at the event, regardless of gender. Second place went to Bob Hearn, who wasn’t far behind Muccini, finishing in three days and 12 hours.

The Vol State is a Laz Lake event. Lake organizes many ultra races, including the Barkley Marathons, and they’re all mind-blowing. They’re long, they’re hard and they would make non-runners (and runners who prefer to stick to races that don’t go past 42.2K) shake their heads and ask, “How long did you say it was?” The Vol State fits that bill perfectly, and it’s exactly what ultrarunners around the world have come to expect from Lake. Its 500K course starts in Missouri, takes runners into Kentucky and then crosses over into Tennessee, where participants stay for the bulk of the race. In the final stretch, runners head into Alabama and then Georgia, where the race ends. 

Runners have 10 days to finish the race, meaning they have to cover at least 50K per day if they want to make it to Georgia in time. There are no aid stations or volunteers along the course, but runners have the option of racing with a support crew (although some racers choose to run unsupported). 

The fact that runners are given 10 days to finish this event and Muccini and Hearn did it in just over three is ridiculous. That means they averaged more than 140K per day as they worked across Tennessee. When Muccini won the race in 2017, she finished with a time of four days and four hours. She also raced the event in 2016, placing eighth overall and crossing the line as the top woman in a little more than five days. 

This was Hearn’s first crack at the Vol State, but he’s no stranger to big results either. Earlier this year, he won a 100-mile race in South Carolina, and in 2019, he finished in second place at the Six Days in the Dome event in Wisconsin, where he ran 530 miles in less than a week. 

The runners still working away at the Vol State course have more than five days to make it across Tennessee, into Alabama and then into Georgia to finish the race.

(07/13/20) Views: 52
Ben Snider-McGrath

Kenya's Alex Korio handed two-year doping ban

Kenya's Alex Korio will have to refund the prize money he won at the Beach to Beacon 10km road race in Cape Elizabeth in the U.S. after the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) found him guilty of a doping offense.

The 30-year-old Korio, who had finished eighth during the Jianzhen International Half Marathon in Yangzhou, China, had been slapped with a provisional suspension in May after he failed three whereabouts cases and missed planned anti-doping tests.

He was allowed to defend himself before the AIU, but his submission failed to convince the officials.

"The athlete failed to respond and to provide any explanation concerning the apparent three missed tests," said the AIU in a statement on Friday.

He has since been handed a two-year ban from all sports competition effective July 19, 2019. The ban will end on July 19, 2021.

However, the AIU ruled that Korio will face the bane of forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points, prizes and appearance money which he may have earned starting July last year.

Korio becomes the 55th athlete from Kenya to be banned in five years, joining a ballooning list that includes former World Marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang, Olympic marathon champion Jemima Sumgong, Rita Jeptoo, the Boston and Chicago marathon champion and Asbel Kiprop, the former World 1,500m champion.

Korio had missed scheduled tests on Jan. 20, April 11 and July 19, 2019. This year alone, Kenya has also seen former world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang, Kenneth Kipkemoi, Mercy Jerotich, James Kibet and former world junior 800m champion Alfred Kipketer suspended and charged for whereabouts failures by the AIU.

"In short, athletes violate the anti-doping rules when they have any combination of three missed tests or filing failures within any 12-month period. That period beginning on the day of the first relevant missed test or filing failure," the AIU said.

A missed test means a failure by the athlete to be available for testing at the location and time specified in the 60-minute time slot identified in his whereabouts filing for the day in question. A filing failure is to make an accurate and complete whereabouts filing that enables the athlete to be located for testing at the times and locations set out in the whereabouts filing.

(07/10/20) Views: 51

Postponed Prague Marathon Now Cancelled

The 2020 Volkswagen Prague Marathon, which had been postponed from May 3, to October 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has now been cancelled. In addition two other important road races in Prague which are also organized by the Czech Republic’s most important race organizer RunCzech, the Sportisimo Prague International Half-Marathon and Birell Grand Prix, have also been cancelled. All three events had received World Athletics Gold Label status.

“We were ready with our races,” wrote RunCzech president Carlo Capalbo in an open letter to the runners and other stakeholders involved in his organization’s events. “Everyone was in place. Our team. Our volunteers. Our partners and suppliers. Everything was ordered and most of it in our warehouse. And then? COVID.”

Capalbo continued: “We hoped against hope that autumn would be better. But it was not to be.”

Large sporting events will not be permitted in the center of Prague, Capalbo explained, forcing the cancellations. He said that all registered runners will have the option to transfer their entries to the 2021 or 2022 editions of these events for no additional cost.

“The decision taken is extremely difficult for us,” Capalbo added. “But we take comfort knowing that Czech government officials had the foresight and the wisdom to take action designed to keep us safe. We take comfort knowing that our health care professionals were tireless and brilliant in helping to treat the virus. We take comfort knowing that when it hurts this bad we must be doing something good. And we take comfort knowing that we will run again.”

The Sportisimo Prague International Half-Marathon, part of the international SuperHalfs race series, was originally scheduled for Saturday, March 28, but was then postponed until Sunday, September 6. The Birell Grand Prix, a 10-K with a women’s 5-K, was always scheduled for Saturday, September 5. Collectively, these events had 26,192 finishers in 2019, according to the Race Results Weekly Athletes Performance Database. The half-marathon was the largest event with 10,517 finishers.

Capalbo emphasized that RunCzech’s other races outside of Prague were still scheduled to happen on the revised schedule his organization issued earlier this year: the Mattoni Olomouc Half-Marathon (August 30), Mattoni Ústí Half-Marathon (September 19), Mattoni Karlovy Vary Half-Marathon (October 24), and Mattoni České Budějovice Half-Marathon (October 31).

These cancellations in Prague follow closely the cancellations of three of the running industry’s most important events: the Boston Marathon (postponed from April 20, to September 14, before being cancelled), the BMW Berlin Marathon (September 27) and the TCS New York City Marathon (November 1). Dozens of other fall road races have also been cancelled across the Americas, Europe and Japan including large and important events like the Great North Run Half-Marathon in England, Buenos Aires Marathon in Argentina, the Dam tot Damloop 10 Mile in the Netherlands, the Paris-Versailles 16-K in France, and the Osaka Marathon in Japan.

Capalbo, an Italian who has lived in the Czech Republic for decades, remains optimistic. “Very often, over the course of our 27-year history, when we’ve faced adversity, we’ve looked for inspiration from our guiding spirit, Emil Zatopek,” Capalbo wrote. “A man who famously said that when you feel like you can’t go on, ‘go faster.'”

(07/12/20) Views: 51
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