Running News Daily
Top Ten Stories of the Week
10/23/2021
These are the top ten stories based on views over the last week.
Top Five Podcasts For Runners
Runners tend to be unique for a variety of reasons. From the outside looking in, they seem to be on an unending mission to push their bodies to new limits. Whether running long distance or entering a steeplechase, most non-sporting types view runners with bafflement; after all, not many can motivate themselves to get outside for a basic jog.
This has led to a unique community amongst runners. Not only do we support one another in terms of training and advice, but we also share incredibly niche interests related to the hobby. For some, it’s about the latest equipment and technology. For others, it’s about relying on the mind to increase stamina.
In the last five years, runners have been treated to a new form of community-building and entertainment: the podcast. With over 500,000 active shows on Apple’s platform alone, podcasts cover diverse topics for all interests, from current events to true crime to specialty niches. In fact, some shows provide incredibly granular looks at fringe topics.
For example, there are dozens of podcasts that cover poker from different perspectives, including the lifestyle of top pros, advanced strategies, and even analysis on card value. The same in-depth and holistic approach can be found in running podcasts that aim to build new ideas in the world of running, explore the past, and get nitty-gritty with the small details, from carbs to the BQ.
Here are five of the best runners podcasts available to listen to right now.
Trail Runner Nation
Trail running is not the easiest of activities. Combining running with steep hills and hiking makes it a worthy challenge for any runner. Trail Runner Nation provides the perfect companionship for those about to start their journey, covering the basics as well as insider tips that help runners hit the trails mindfully.
Suitable for beginners and advanced runners, this podcast dives into the artistry of running with pace techniques, nutritional facts, and intuitive training. Frequently featuring a panel of experts, the podcast also covers post-run habits and how to take care of possible injuries.
Running, Lifestyle & Culture (RLC)
As the name suggests, the Running, Lifestyle & Culture podcast gives the listener a well-rounded overview of a runner’s experience in society. It combines an easy-listening and entertaining atmosphere with educational information about the history of running.
As such, the podcast often includes organizers from running communities and Olympic marathon runners. With an average length of 35 to 40 minutes, this podcast is ideal for a quick after-work before-dinner run.
Ali on the Run
Brought to you by former sports journalist and race announcer, Ali Feller, Ali on the Run has over six million downloads making it one of the most popular podcasts for runners. Ali on the Run covers everything from the running community to everyday challenges that beginner runners face, from finding the right pair of running shoes to downloading the right app for your running style.
Run This World
Founder Nicole DeBoom had two ideas when she launched the Run this World podcast. The first was to cover the importance of empowering women, and the second was to cover the power of positivity. The former athlete wanted a podcast dedicated to the inspirational stories of women across the world and their shared love for running. Often featuring motivational speakers, visionaries, and health experts, this show is perfect for an early morning run to set you off in good spirits.
Endurance Planet
There are some exemplary practices anybody can incorporate into their daily routine in order to become a better runner. These may include a well-designed diet, getting enough rest, or integrating aerobic exercises into the weekly workout. The Endurance Planet podcast, hosted by multisport athlete Tawnee Prazak, dives into all the intricacies of making a good runner better.
As a holistic coach, Prazak takes into account metabolic efficiency, balancing your strength and running analysis. The podcast also delves into training for triathlons from a zen angle, which is a great asset for more seasoned athletes.
(10/20/21) Views: 115
ELISHA ROTICH WINS PARIS MARATHON AND SMASHES KENENISA BEKELE´S COURSE RECORD
Elisha Rotich´s time of 2:04:18 was enough to beat the Paris Marathon´s seven-year-old course record on his way to victory in the French capital. Rotich also claimed his personal best time in the race, beating his previous mark by exactly a minute. Tigist Memuye took the women´s event for the biggest win of her life.
Elisha Rotich has won the Paris Marathon in 2:04:18, breaking Kenenisa Bekele´s course record from 2014.
Kenyan Rotich produced his best ever performance for a personal best time in his 14th marathon, smashing his previous mark by exactly one. Bekele´s record had stood for 19 years in Paris.
31-year-old Rotich, who finished 10th in the Milan Marathon in May, launched an attack on the front five miles from the end.
Tigist Memuye claimed the biggest win of her career, winning the women´s marathon in 2:26:12.
She placed second in the Geneva marathon in May, running 2:24:23 in Switzerland. And despite running almost two minutes slower in Paris, she grabbed her first marathon win.
30,000 participated in the Paris Marathon, the first since 2019 after Covid-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 edition.
(10/17/21) Views: 111
Very Close battles expected at 2021 Paris Marathon
Eighteen months since the last edition of the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon, the World Athletics Elite Label race returns to the French capital on Sunday (17).
The 2020 race was initially postponed before being cancelled, then the 2021 edition was moved to October instead of its usual April slot on the calendar. Having received the green light to go ahead, this year’s race will have a mass field of about 35,000 runners, including a high-quality elite line-up.
The men’s field features five runners with sub-2:06 PBs. Kenya’s Nicholas Kirwa is the fastest in the men’s field, courtesy of his 2:05:01 PB set in Milan in May. Compatriot Joel Kemboi Kimurer, who is also racing in Paris this weekend, finished 18 seconds adrift of Kirwa in Milan, recording a 2:05:19 personal best.
Elisha Rotich’s career best is one second faster than Kemboi Kimurer’s. The 31 year-old Kenyan, who clocked that time when finishing third in Amsterdam two years ago, also competed in Milan this year, finishing 10th in 2:06:44.
Stephen Chebogut also has strong credentials. The Kenyan won the 2015 Eindhoven Marathon in a PB of 2:05:52 and then finished second in Paris in 2017 in 2:06:57. The 36-year-old’s only race this year was a 2:22:08 run in the altitude of Eldoret, but his most recent race at sea level was the 2019 Shanghai Marathon, where he ran 2:10:35.
Abdi Fufa carries strong recent form into this weekend’s race. The Ethiopian set a PB of 2:05:57 when finishing second in a quality field in Ampugnano in April.
Ashenafi Moges and Moris Munene Gachaga are also ones to watch. Moges set his PB of 2:06:12 two years ago, while the latter recorded his best of 2:06:24 in 2020.
Hassan Chahdi’s record of 2:09:11 makes him the fastest Frenchman in the field. Following his 45th place finish in the marathon at the Olympic Games, he clocked 31:12 for 10km three weeks ago, which makes his current shape difficult to gauge. That’s not the case for Florian Carvahlo, however, who ran 1:01:05 at the Paris Half Marathon last month. He’s now hopeful of improving on his 2:10:22 PB set in Valencia two years ago.
Jeptoo returns to Paris
The women’s race also looks set to be a tough contest.
Ten years after her victory on the streets of the French capital, Priscah Jeptoo returns to the Paris Marathon. The Kenyan went on to take the silver medal at the World Championships later in 2011 and then earned a medal of the same colour at the 2012 Olympic Games. She also won the London and New York marathons in 2013, but hasn’t made it on to a marathon podium since then.
Her 2:20:14 PB, set back in 2012, makes 37-year-old Jeptoo the fastest woman in the field, but her 2:24:16 clocking from the 2019 Valencia Marathon probably gives a more accurate indication of her current form.
While Jeptoo is the biggest name in the women’s field, Ethiopian duo Waganesh Mekasha and Sifan Melaku could start as the slight favourites, based on recent form.
Mekasha, a former track specialist, has a marathon best of 2:22:45 set in Dubai in 2019. She went on to achieve second-place finishes in Dongying and Shanghai later that year, but hasn’t raced since. Melaku, meanwhile, last raced in February 2020 when she finished third in Seville in a PB of 2:23:49.
Tigist Memuye also shouldn’t be discounted. The 31-year-old Ethiopian clocked a PB of 2:24:23 in Geneva just five months ago; a repeat, or even an improvement, of that performance should put her in contention for a podium finish.
(10/15/21) Views: 87World Athletics
How to qualify and register for the 2022 Boston Marathon
After last year’s postponement and eventual cancellation, runners were overjoyed to be back at the Boston Marathon, which took place on Monday. Mark your calendars, because in 2022, the race will return to its regular spot on Patriot’s Day, the third Monday in April – specifically, Monday, April 18. Here’s what you need to know if you’re hoping to race.
The B.A.A. recently announced that the qualification window for Boston 2022 opened on Sept. 1, 2019. Registration will take place between Nov. 8 and Nov. 12, and any qualifying time run between Sept. 1, 2019 and Nov. 12, 2021 will be considered.
Considering the lack of races in 2020, this means that most qualifiers will have earned their BQ at one of the final marathons held before the pandemic shutdown in early 2020, i.e. fall 2019, or possibly at this year’s Boston Marathon. That would seem to effectively reduce the number of qualifiers, which might expect to make cutoff time (i.e., the “real” qualifying time, which has been faster than the official qualifying time almost every year since 2012) closer to the official qualifying time. However, the field size was also reduced to 20,000 in 2021, and the B.A.A. has not yet indicated what the field size will be for 2022. The cutoff time for 2021 was 7:47 – the highest it’s ever been, resulting in more than 9,000 “qualified” runners being denied entry. Hopefully the cutoff for 2022 will be considerably lower.
Here are the time standards for official qualification. Your age is considered to be the age you will be on race day.
Age Group
MEN-WOMEN
18-34 - 3hrs 00min 00sec, 3hrs 30min 00sec
35-39 - 3hrs 05min 00sec, 3hrs 35min 00sec
40-44 - 3hrs 10min 00sec, 3hrs 40min 00sec
45-49 - 3hrs 20min 00sec, 3hrs 50min 00sec
50-54 - 3hrs 25min 00sec, 3hrs 55min 00sec
55-59 - 3hrs 35min 00sec, 4hrs 05min 00sec
60-64 - 3hrs 50min 00sec, 4hrs 20min 00sec
65-69 - 4hrs 05min 00sec, 4hrs 35min 00sec
70-74 - 4hrs 20min 00sec, 4hrs 50min 00sec
75-79 - 4hrs 35min 00sec, 5hrs 05min 00sec
80 and over 4hrs 50min 00sec, 5hrs 20min 00sec
(10/15/21) Views: 76Anne Francis
World Record holder Joshua Cheptegei’s dream is to turn his country into an athletics powerhouse.
Considering that he added a 5000m Olympic gold and 10000m silver to the 5,000m and 10,000m world records, that dream should not be far from realization.
Cheptegei made the remarks after the National Council of Sports (NCS) and the sports ministry rewarded Olympians and paralympians that participated in the Tokyo games.
“My dream is to make this country (Ugandan) a running nation. I want the young people to be motivated so that they can take on sport and showcase their talents to the world,” Cheptegei revealed.He also called for a change in perception with sport often regarded as a leisure activity.
“Sports is not just leisure. It is business and young people can learn that you can earn from sport. I want to set a path that other young children can follow,” added Cheptegei.
For his exploits Cheptegei took home a combined cash prize of Shs80m ($22,159US) for the gold and silver medals he earned in Tokyo.
“We prioritized rewarding athletes as one of the ways of promoting sports,” NCS General Secretary Dr Bernard Patrick Ogwel stated in his opening remarks.
The country’s other gold medalist from Tokyo, Peruth Chemutai, was rewarded with Shs50m while Jacob Kiplimo who won bronze in the 10,000m received Shs20m.
“My advice to the athletes is that this is your time but there is a saying that ‘athletes come and go’ so endeavour to invest and save wisely,” Minister of state for sport Hamson Obua advised the athletes who hailed the move
“My life does not remain the same. It is also motivation that I can go on and break the world record. And also motivates young athletes in the north to follow in my footsteps,” Emong noted.
Each of these received another Shs1m in addition to their allowances which were paid in July.In 2018, the agency paid out Shs100m for medals won at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast Australia but there’s no reward and recognition policy in place yet.
(10/16/21) Views: 75Elvis Senono
Big's Backyard Ultra World Championship has begun
Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championships, Laz Lake’s infamous last-person-standing ultra, started at 7 a.m. Central this morning in Bell Buckle, Tenn. with 36 runners from 10 countries qualified at backyard races around the world to toe the line today. Watch for Canadians Dave Proctor, Stephanie Simpson, Matt Shepard, Eric Deshaies and Terri Biloski, with the action likely to continue until Monday.
The rules are simple: the course is a 4.1667-mile (6.7 km) trail loop (a.k.a. yard), which switches to a road loop at night. (The rationale for the length of the loop is that using this formula, 100 miles takes exactly 24 hours.) A new yard starts every hour on the hour. Runners must complete each loop under the one-hour cutoff and be ready on the start line for the next yard. A warning whistle is blown at three, two and one minute before the cutoff. If you fail to finish before the hour is up, it’s a DNF. If you fail to start (and make forward progress) at the top of the next hour, that’s a DNF. This continues until only one runner is left.
In the early hours of the race, most runners have time to spare after finishing each yard, and they use this time to refuel, use the bathroom, tweak their gear and rest. As the hours wear on and their pace gets slower, they have less and less time before lining up for the next yard.
As the race goes on and fatigue sets in, the dilemma becomes, where is the sweet spot between expending as little energy as possible while maximizing rest time between yards? In other words, the faster you complete the yard, the more rest time you get before the next yard – but you also fatigue more quickly.
This year’s starting list
This year’s competitors include seven women, two of whom are former Big’s champions Courtney Dauwalter and Maggie Guterl. Courtney holds the record for the most yards run at the Big’s course in Tennessee (68). The world record for the backyard format was set by John Stocker of the U.K. in June 2021, with 81 yards, eclipsing Karel Sabbe’s previous WR of 75 yards, set at last year’s Big’s world championships, on his home course in Belgium.
Here are this year’s contenders, with their country, age and qualifying number of yards. (Unfortunately, due to travel restrictions, most runners from Europe were not able to participate this year.)
Courtney Dauwalter, USA, 36 (68 yards – i.e., 455.6 kilometres over 68 hours)
Harvey Lewis, USA, 45 (67 yards)
Gavin Woody, USA, 44 (64 yards)
Michael Wardian, USA, 47 (63 yards)
Maggie Guterl, USA, 41 (60 yards)
Amy Masner, Ireland, 47 (59 yards)
Steve Slaby, USA, 40 (57 yards)
Chris Roberts, USA, 36 (56 yards)
Jennifer Russo, USA, 55 (54 yards)
Yukinori Yushida, Japan, 52 (54 yards)
Terumichi Morishita, Japan, 41 (53 yards)
Dave Proctor, Canada, 40 (52 yards)
Jon Noll, USA, 36 (50 yards)
Jacob Conrad, USA, 36 (49 yards)
Katie Wright, New Zealand, 34 (49 yards)
Gabe Rainwater, USA, 33 (48 yards)
Sarah Moore, USA, 33 (48 yards)
Chris Murphy, Australia, 37 (46 yards)
Stephanie Simpson, Canada, 35 (43 yards)
Ron Wireman, USA, 40 (43 yards)
Fanny Jean, France, 41 (42 yards)
Matthew Shepard, Canada, 34 (42 yards)
Hisayuki Tateno, Japan, 50 (42 yards)
Shawn Webber, USA, 47 (42 yards)
Mathieu Weiner, USA, 54 (42 yards)
Piotr Chadovich, USA, 43 (41 yards)
Morton Klingenberg, Denmark, 36 (39 yards)
Chris Boyle, USA, 42 (38 yards)
Andres Villegran, Ecuador, 37 (38 yards)
Will Rivera, USA, 51 (37 yards) (DNS)
Eric Deshaies, Canada, 48 (35 yards)
Vincent Barrientos, USA, 40 (34 yards)
Haim Malki, Israel, 44 (34 yards)
Terri Biloski, Canada, 45 (33 yards)
Jason Bigonia, USA, 44 (32 yards)
Mark Begg, USA, 47 (26 yards)
(10/17/21) Views: 72Running Magazine
Eilish McColgan breaks UK 10 mile national record
Scottish runner breaks Paula Radcliffe’s national mark and Sonia O’Sullivan’s course record on the roads of Portsmouth
Eilish McColgan ended her season in style as she sliced almost half a minute off Paula Radcliffe’s UK record for 10 miles and 17 seconds from Sonia Sullivan’s course record at the Great South Run with 50:43.
The 30-year-old also took nearly a minute off her 51:38 PB as she won the event for the third time on Sunday (Oct 17).
O’Sullvan’s course record of 51:00 had stood since 2002 whereas Radcliffe’s national record of 51:11 was set in 2008 shortly before she won the New York City Marathon.
This is not the first of Radcliffe’s records that McColgan has broken this year either. In August she beat Radcliffe’s UK 5000m mark with 14:28.55 in Oslo. This means her marathon debut will be much anticipated, although she will do well to get close to Radcliffe’s fearsome UK and former world record of 2:15:25.
Like Radcliffe, McColgan seems in her element on the roads. This autumn alone she has won the Great Manchester Run in 30:52 and finished runner-up to Hellen Obiri in the Great North Run in 67:48. All this after a long track season, too, which included finishing ninth in the Olympic 10,000m final in Tokyo in August.
In addition, McColgan also continues to improve on the formidable performances of her mother. Liz Nuttall-McColgan (photo with daughter) won the Great South Run twice in the mid-1990s with a best of 52:00.
(10/17/21) Views: 72
Tola, Walelegn, Tanui and Sado set for exciting clashes in Amsterdam
The TCS Amsterdam Marathon men’s course record could be challenged on Sunday (17) when the likes of Tamirat Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Ayele Abshero and Amdework Walelegn line up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race.
Eight women with sub-2:25 PBs, meanwhile, are also set to clash in what looks set to be a highly competitive race in the Dutch capital.
Tola’s PB, set in Dubai in 2018, is equal to the Amsterdam course record and Dutch all-comers’ record (2:04:06). The Ethiopian earned Olympic bronze over 10,000m in 2016 and world silver in the marathon in 2017, having won the Dubai Marathon earlier that year in 2:04:11.
“I was preparing for the Tokyo Marathon (before it got cancelled), but I’m happy to be here,” said Tola. “I love the country. It’s my first time here, and the weather forecast is perfect for a good performance, so I’m hoping to run a personal best on Sunday.”
The past nine editions of the Amsterdam Marathon have been won by Kenyan men, but that streak could end on Sunday as the five fastest entrants are from Ethiopia.
Tola’s compatriot Gebresilase has the fastest PB of the field. The 29-year-old Ethiopian clocked 2:04:02 on his debut at the distance in Dubai three years ago to finish second, four seconds ahead of Tola. He followed it later in the year with a 2:04:31 victory in Valencia, and he equalled that time earlier this year in Milan.
Abebe Negewo Degefa, Chalu Deso Gelmisa and Ayele Abshero all have sub-2:05 PBs. Degefa, now 37, set his PB of 2:04:51 in Valencia just two years ago. Gelmisa produced a similar clocking of 2:04:53 in Valencia last year, but more recently he raced in Chicago, finishing 29th, and so his legs may not have recovered in just one week. Abshero has a faster PB of 2:04:23, but it was set back in 2012.
But perhaps the strongest Ethiopian entrant is Amdework Walelegn, who’ll be making his marathon debut. The 22-year-old took bronze at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships, having finished second in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships just three years prior. He set a half marathon PB of 58:53 when winning in Delhi last year, and he came close to that last month with his 59:10 victory at the Copenhagen Half Marathon.
Kenya is still well represented for this year’s race in the form of Laban and Jonathan Korir (no relation).
Laban Korir has competed at the Amsterdam Marathon four times. The 35-year-old, who is a training partner of Eliud Kipchoge, made his marathon debut in the Dutch city back in 2011, clocking 2:06:05 to place second. He improved on that when he returned to Amsterdam in 2016, finishing fourth in 2:05:54. Winner of the 2014 Toronto Marathon, Korir represented Kenya at the 2019 World Championships, where he finished 11th.
Jonathan Korir, another friend and training partner of Kipchoge’s, will also be returning to Amsterdam. He set a PB of 2:06:51 during his last outing at this race, which he went on to improve in Berlin in 2019 (2:06:45) and then in Enschede earlier this year (2:06:40).
Competitive clash in women’s race
While Kenyan men have dominated recent editions of the Amsterdam Marathon, the women’s race has typically gone in Ethiopia’s favour over the past decade.
Ethiopian women make up seven of the nine fastest entrants for Sunday’s race, but the outcome could be largely dictated by whether Kenya’s Angela Tanui makes it to the startline. The 29-year-old, who clocked a PB of 2:20:08 in Ampugnano back in April and is undefeated in three races this year, had been due to compete at the Boston Marathon earlier this week, but was unable to make it to the US due to visa issues. If she succeeds in making it to Amsterdam, she’ll start as the favourite.
But if Tanui is unable to make the start line, an Ethiopian victory would appear highly likely as the likes of Besu Sado, Shasho Insermu, Genet Yalew, Gebeyanesh Ayele and Haven Hailu are raring to go.
Sado, a former 1500m specialist who reached the Olympic final in that event in 2016, set her PB of 2:21:03 when finishing fourth in Amsterdam in 2019. She has a best this year of 2:27:06, set in Milan in May, but more recently set a half marathon PB of 1:08:15 in Herzogenaurach.
Insermu also set her PB in Amsterdam, clocking 2:23:28 when finishing second in 2018. She hasn’t raced this year, but her last marathon was a victory in Madrid in April 2019. She has previously won marathons in Copenhagen, Cologne, Nagano and Marrakech.
Yalew has contested just three marathons to date and has a best of 2:24:34 so far, but her pedigree suggests that time could be due some revision. She finished fifth at the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships just a couple of months after clocking a PB of 1:06:26.
Ayele set a PB of 2:23:23 this year. She has yet to win a marathon, but has made it on to the podium in four of her nine races to date.
Hailu, meanwhile, is keen to make amends for her DNF two years ago. “I love racing in the Netherlands,” said the 23-year-old, who set a PB of 2;23:52 earlier this year. “Two years ago, I raced the Zwolle Half Marathon and I placed second in a personal best time of 1:09:57. I was also here two years ago for the Amsterdam Marathon, but it didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted. I learned from my mistakes and I’ve prepared accordingly for Sunday. I’m hoping to run a very fast time.”
Kenya’s Maureen Chepkemoi could also be in contention for a podium finish. She has a 2:24:16 PB from the 2019 Istanbul Marathon and she came close to that with her 2:24:19 victory in Geneva earlier this year.
(10/15/21) Views: 67World Athletics
24-year-old Weini Kelati Sets New American Record During Women’s 10K Race In Boston
A 24-year-old woman set a new record during a 10K race in Boston Saturday. Weini Kelati, a Flagstaff resident who was born in Eritrea, now holds the new American 10K record for a women’s-only race.
It happened at the Boston 10K for Women, presented by REI. This is Kelati’s first professional race. She finished in 31:18, beating the 2015 American record by three seconds.
Kelati averaged a 5:03 mile pace. She broke away from the other front runners at the three-mile mark.
“I just race with myself [in my training] and see how fast I can run. I know there were fast runners here today who could hang on with me, but all I was thinking was I’m just going to go and run my race,” Kelati said after the race.
The Boston 10K for Women was formerly known as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women. It is usually run on the second Monday in October but moved this year because of the Boston Marathon.
It’s the second longest-running all-women’s race in the country.
(10/18/21) Views: 62CBS Boston
Debutant Teklu and Tuei reign at Barcelona Half Marathon
Ethiopia’s Haftu Teklu and Kenya’s Sandrafelis Chebet Tuei captured commanding titles at the eDreams Mitja Marato Barcelona, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday (17).
On a perfect day for running (14C and very slight wind), 26-year-old Teklu triumphed in his first outing over the distance, clocking 59:39, while Tuei improved her career best by more than a minute to win in 1:07:12.
The leading pack in the men’s race went through the opening 5km in 14:05, well on schedule to break the 59:44 course record. Paced by Matthew Chekwunui, the heading group included the Kenyan pair of Daniel Kemoi and Abel Sikowo, Israel’s Maru Teferi, Eritrea’s Aron Kifle, Uganda’s last year’s runner-up Stephen Kissa and the eventual victor Teklu.
The 10km checkpoint was reached in 28:08 with the only withdrawal of Teferi. Once the pacesetter dropped out it was Teklu who took command of the race but only Kissa managed to live with his rhythm despite slowing down a bit over the third 5km segment covered in 14:16 for a 42:24 15km split. By then Kifle was in third, 22 seconds in arrears, and Sikowo another four seconds adrift.
The leading pair went through 20km in 56:43, putting them on course for a sub-60-minute finish. The experienced Kissa seemed to be the favourite to take the win, but Teklu unleashed an impressive change of speed in the final kilometre to open a huge margin on the Ugandan.
Teklu crossed the line in a course record of 59:39 while a fading Kissa had to settle for second place again, 40 seconds behind the winner. Surprisingly the third spot on the podium went for Ethiopia’s Chala Regasa who, coming from behind, overtook Kifle and Sikowo in the closing stages to clock 1:00:38.
The women’s event kicked off at a steady 3:12 pace, the heading group comprising the Ethiopians Asnakech Awoke, Tsege Melese and Alemaz Samuel plus the Kenyan trio of Tuei, Brillian Kipkoech and Mercyline Chelangat. That sextet timed 16:02 for the first 5km section. Tuei and Kipkoech led the field at 10km, reached in 31:56, and they maintained that pace through 15km (48:01), although only four women – Tuei, Kipkoech, Awoke and Alemaz – remained in contention.
Tuei, the 2015 world U18 steeplechase silver medallist, made her move some 17km into the race to easily break away from the rest. At the tape, the 23-year-old clocked a lifetime best of 1:07:12, her second PB of the month following a 30:45 10km effort in Valencia a fortnight ago. Kipkoech finished runner-up 19 seconds in arrears to secure a Kenyan double and Awoke placed third in 1:07:47.
(10/18/21) Views: 59World Athletics
