Running News Daily
Top Ten Stories of the Week
4/16/2022
These are the top ten stories based on views over the last week.
Everything you need to know about Boston Marathon 2022
Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir will headline the 126th edition of the Boston Marathon, which returns to its customary Patriots Day (April 18) for the first time since 2019.
The men's race, meanwhile, will see seven of the last eight winners will compete including Kenya's reigning champion Benson Kipruto.
Elsewhere in the women's race Jepchirchir's Kenyan compatriots Joyciline Jepkosgei and Edna Kiplagat, and Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel will offer a stern challenge.
Below, we take a look at the top athletes to watch out for in one of the top events of the 2022 athletics calendar, the route they will follow in Boston, the schedule and how to watch the action.
Tokyo star Jepchirchir targets podium
The quality of the women’s race is impressive, with 12 women on the start list having run under 2.23.00
A year after she claimed the Olympic title and the New York City Marathon, Jepchichir has one target: to be the first woman to cross the finish line on Boylston Street.
“My high expectations is to be a winner and I would like to arrive at the day of the race in my best shape,” said Jepchirchir.
The Kenyan will compete with a familiar rival from the Tokyo 2020 podium in Olympic bronze medalist Seidel. The former Boston resident is the third American woman in history to medal in the Olympic marathon.
Two former Boston Marathon champions in 42-year-old Edna Kiplagat (2017 winner), and American Des Linden (2018) will also toe the Boston course again.
The 2022 race will also mark the 50th anniversary of the first official women’s race in 1972.
To mark the occasion, an honorary team comprised of eight women who have made a powerful impact in athletics and human rights will compete. Among the group will be Valerie Rogosheske, one of the original eight finishers in 1972.
All eyes on the returning men's champions
A very strong contingent of men's runners will lock horns on the second stop of the World Marathon Majors, following Eliud Kipchoge's comfortable victory in Tokyo.
Keep an eye on Benson Kipruto, the defending champion from Kenya and his compatriot Lawrence Cherono (2019 Boston winner), Japan’s ‘citizen runner’ Kawauchi Yuki (2018), Kenya’s Geoffrey Kirui (2017), and Ethiopian pair of Lemi Berhanu (2016), and Lelisa Desisa (2015 and 2013).
Geoffrey Kamworor, the two-time New York Marathon winner who trains with Kipchoge in Kaptagat, is back in form after being hit by a motorbike in June 2020 and sitting out for a year.
Elite Americans runners Colin Bennie, hoping to improve on his seventh-place finish from 2021, Jake Riley and Jared Ward, will also be challenging for top honors.
The course
The Boston Marathon hasn't changed from last year, but does see the number of participants increased to 30,000.
The race starts in Hopkinton, MA and ends on Boylston Street in Boston, MA. The course is flat with the most challenging stretch of the race being the steep incline between 29km-34km (Miles 18-21).The notorious Heartbreak Hill is the last of the four hills in Newton.
The schedule of events
This year’s races will start earlier than previous years with expected rolling starts.
Men's Wheelchair - 8:02 am ET.
Women's Wheelchair - 8:05 am ET.
Handcycles & Duos - 8:30 am ET.
Professional Men - 8:37 am ET.
Professional Women - 8:45 am ET.
Para Athletics Divisions - 8:50 am ET.
Rolling Start Begins - 9:00 am ET.
Rolling Start Ends - 11:30 am ET.
How to watch
For Boston residents, they can follow the race live by finding a good spot on the spectator guide, or can kick back in their living room as the marathon will be aired lived on CBS Boston’s WBZ-TV from 7:00am (EDT).
NBC Sports Network and the NBC Sports App are the exclusive national television and streaming partner for the Boston Marathon for wider America.
Live race coverage will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network and the NBC Sports App 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET.
(04/11/22) Views: 155Evelyn Watta
WANYOIKE DEFENDS HIS TITLE AS JUNIORS SPARKLE AT EIGHTH KATA 10K TIME TRIAL
The Eighth Edition of Kenyan Athletics Training Academy (KATA) Time-Trial took place on Wednesday morning (April 13) in Thika Kenya with upcoming athletes recording remarkable improvement.
However, experience and international exposure was at play where Peter Wanyoike remained unbeaten for the second time after winning the race back- to-back.
Wanyoike did not only win the 10Kilometres event but also improved his previous 29:57.8 after clocking 29:53.7. It was not easy for the winner as he had to resort to experience to fight off strong opposition from upcoming Zakaria Kirika who stuck on his shoulders from the beginning.
Zakariah managed a sub-30 clocking 29:54.4 in second position during the race that brought together 19 athletes. Levis Kuria out-grew himself to finished 7th with an impressive 33:11. His personal best was 35:38.8
In women, Lucy Muli, has just started her training after racing in Europe in January, February,and March, set a new course record of 33:22.5 in winning the ladies trophy. Her December course record was 34:58.3.
The trial came ahead of Regional Athletics Championships that was moved to 22nd and 23rd. The trial was also be used to select a KATA team that will participate in the Uhuru Marathon Classic that will be held on 8th May in Nairobi.
The 9th Edition of the monthly 10k time trial series is set for May 18th on the same out and back course about 5k from KATA (Kenyan Athletics Training Academy) where over 20 athletes are training under coach Joseph. Twelve are living, eating, training and working at KATA. "I am so proud of our runners," says KATA Director Bob Anderson from his office in Los Altos California USA. "They are getting stronger and stronger. Our monthly 10k series is a first for Kenya and is helping our athletes (and guests) both mentally and physically."
Overall Resuls:
Names Age Gender Time
1. Peter Wanyoike 26 M 29:53.7
2. Zakaria Kirika 21 M 29:54.4
3. Peter Mburu 26 M 30:13.8
4. Erick Mutuku 20 M 31:41.3
5. Raphael Gacheru 22 M 32:28.4
6. Boniface Mungai 23 M 33:05.6
7. Levis Kuria 21 M 33:11.6
8. Eston Mugo 29 M 33:22.1
9. Lucy Muli 23 F 33:22.5
10. Paul Ng’ang’a 42 M 33:33.4
11. Alfred Kamande 24 M 34:19.1
12: Samuel Chege 24 M 34:32.7
13. Wilfred Mang’eni 32 M 35:22.8
14. John Mwangi 40 M 41:05.8
15. Karren Chepkemoi 19 F 42:30.5
16. Samuel Muiruri 27 M 42:30.8
17. Susan Njeri 36 F 45:30.2
(04/13/22) Views: 139Coach Joseph Ngure
Mike Fanelli Remembering Mark Conover
As you have most likely heard, our dear friend Mark Conover made his way to heaven last night (April 6, 2022).
Like you, I knew that it was coming...but frankly, that doesn't make it any easier to reckon with. I've been physically ill since hearing the news early this morning.
It has taken me all day long to muster up the oooommmppph to write a little something about him...and I hope that doing so provides a cathartic effect....for all of us.
We first knew each others as competitors at the same distances in the same Far Western Conference in the early eighties. Scratch that...we ran in the same track races in different colored uniforms, but on my very best day I couldn't hold a candle to Mark.
Post-collegiately, I was working as the running promotions guy at Reebok and Mark was one of our sponsored athletes...as you will note from his red, white, and blue striped uni from that career highlight.
In 1988, as a young journalist in the sport, I was commissioned to cover the 1988 Olympic Marathon Trials. I am pretty sure that I got the job because no one else wanted to go from California to Hoboken, New Jersey where they were being held.
There, I got to ride the press truck and at times, our vehicle was bogged down in the tiny rutted streets so much so that we nearly impeded the runners...we could practically reach out and touch them.
That, and I was absolutely flabbergasted to see Mark running right up front alongside the heavyweight, Ed Eyestone.
It took everything I could rally to show impartiality, while inside I was clearly wildly rooting for my buddy in the sweat socks.
Once in Seoul, South Korea for those 1988 Games, I made a point of being in the stadium early morning to catch the marathon start, and had devised a plan to take subways to different spots on the course to cheer my head off for Mark, my brother Gary, and Pete Pfitzinger. It was SO cool to watch a Lumberjack pal racing against the best in the world in the ultimate marathon of all...the Olympic Games.
Back stateside, Mark and I shared more deeply personal trials and tribulations. In particular, both of our Dads passed within close proximity to one another, and we kinda' talked each other through some of that.
But while all of the above speaks to our history together, I wanted to share with you how we very first became actual pals.
It was 1981, and us San Francisco State Gator tracksters made the bus trip up to Humboldt State to compete in their famed 'Bowl' for a dual meet competition.
Of course, Mark and I were entered in the same event, the 5,000 meters...and if I recall, he already had THE leading time in NCAA Dll at that point in the season.
I purposely lined up right next to him, the lone purple clad runner in a sea of green.
When the starter called us to our marks and raised his pistol, I nudged Mark and pointed to his shoes and said, 'your spikes, they're untied" (they weren't).
The gun fires a thousandth of a second later and I am off in a hurry and into an immediate lead while Mark is still inspecting his footwear.
A lead that lasted PERHAPS 180 yards before King Conover came shuffling on by, and left both me and the rest of the field in his wake.
Forty years later, EVERY time we saw one another, that 'incident' crept into the conversation...and always always always, still cracked us both up.
Mark Conover was a unique, cool, witty, down-to-earth cat on SO many levels.
I am honored to have known him and called him my friend.
Rest in forever peace my man.
(04/11/22) Views: 108Mike Fanelli
How running like an animal makes us human
How does running like an animal make us more human? According to Jason Karp, author of Work Out: The Revolutionary Method of Creating a Sound Body to Create a Sound Mind, running is about more than just achieving goals. Running allows us to live life fully by attending to our physical needs first, so that our minds can operate clearly. If you need an extra hit of motivation to get yourself out the door today, this 14-minute video will do the trick.
In his talk, Karp argues that while we’re often told to practice mindfulness to keep ourselves mentally well, this advice is incomplete. He says we are physical animals first, and by meeting the needs of our bodies, we can better meet the needs of our minds.
Karp goes on to explain that every human has three parts—body, brain and mind. When these three parts work together and are equally balanced, life is great. Unfortunately, this rarely happens, and the body, brain and mind are often in conflict with one another, all trying to be the boss.
“But there can only be one boss,” he says. “People tend to think that the brain sits atop the pyramid, controlling the body, but it’s actually the other way around. The body is the chief executive officer and the brain is the chief operating officer. While your brain controls your body’s entire operation, it works in service to your body.”
Karp goes on to talk about how running improves the function of your mind, makes you more creative and relieves stress. Using scientific examples, he emphasizes that by taking care of your body first, the health of both your brain and your mind will follow.
So if you’re struggling to push yourself out the door today, or are looking for an extra hit of motivation to get you through your next training block, bookmark this video so you can pull it out any time you need to be reminded of your “why”. And, as Karp says, “Run to be creative, run to be imaginative, run to be confident, run to be successful, run to be productive, run to be helpful—just run.”
(04/10/22) Views: 98Running Magazine
Molly Seidel despite being a favorite for the 2022 Boston Marathon, still struggles with confidence
The 27-year-old battled with an eating disorder to qualify for the USA Olympic team in her first ever marathon. Despite winning bronze at Tokyo 2020 and being a favorite for the 2022 Boston Marathon, she still struggles with confidence.
Molly Seidel is a rare kind of marathon talent.
The Wisconsin native first made athletics headlines when she qualified in second place for the U.S. Olympic team for Tokyo 2020, in her first ever marathon.
Despite this, many onlookers thought that her inexperience would show at the Olympic race in Sapporo. And how wrong they turned out to be.
In what was just her third career marathon, she finished on the podium with an Olympic bronze medal around her neck. The only runners to beat her were a triple world half marathon record holder in Peres Jepchirchir, and marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei.
Using that momentum, Seidel finished fourth at the New York City Marathon in November 2021. Her time of 2:24:42 made her the fastest American woman ever.
On April 18, 2022, she goes to the 2022 Boston Marathon as one of the favorites, seeking the host nation's first win since Desiree Linden in 2018.
But despite her recent successes the American star still struggles with 'imposter syndrome'.
"I struggle with confidence and I struggle with wondering whether or not I belong at this level, whether I belong as a competitor on the world stage," Seidel told CNN.
The making of a front runner
Growing up in Wisconsin, Seidel was always a front runner in school sport. She broke course records and won several state track titles.
The first time her school's cross-country coach Mike Dolan first saw her attack an uphill run, he knew she was special.
“She would be a minute ahead of all the guys and all the girls," Dolan told Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"I knew at that time she would be a heck of a runner."
Seidel proved her coach right as she went on to win an NCAA cross country title in 2015, two NCAA indoors (3,000m & 5000m) and an outdoor 10,000m title to become the most decorated distance runner in state history.
Some onlookers even thought she could be a potential U.S. Track Olympic Team athlete for Rio 2016.
Mental health struggles
From the outside, Seidel seemed to be in the best shape of her life, but underneath she was experiencing a deep inner turmoil.
She first went public on her struggles with depression, OCD, crippling anxiety and bulimia in a podcast ran by her close friend Julia Hanlon called "Running On Om", just two months before the 2020 Olympic Trials.
“People who are close to me knew what I was going through during my time at Notre Dame (University), from 2012 to 2016. They knew my OCD had manifested itself into disordered eating,” she revealed in a follow-up interview with ESPN.
“When I was in the NCAA, it was obvious I was battling an eating disorder. It was so obvious that people would write on track and field message boards that I looked sick." - Molly Seidel to ESPN.
“They knew I struggled to eat anything I deemed unhealthy They knew I thought I had to be super lean and super fit all the time, never even allowing myself to eat a bowl of mac and cheese or go out to eat with friends without worrying about what I would order. I've never tried to hide what I went through with my family and friends.”
In 2016 she went into a treatment program for her eating disorder, which she’s still dealing with alongside the anxiety and depression.
When Seidel returned to training, she decided to stop running 5k and 10k and stepped up to the marathon.
“I always kind of dreamed of doing the marathon," Seidel told CNN.
"I think there's just this kind of like glamor and mystery around it, and especially for a younger runner who enjoys doing the distance events in high school, that's kind of the ultimate goal. Everybody wants to do the marathon."
From first marathon to Olympic medal
Her debut 42km race at the USA Trials in Atlanta landed her a place on her nation's Olympic team with race winner Aliphine Tuliamuk and third placed Sally Kipyego.
"I struggled with this kind of imposter syndrome after the trials, specifically as probably the person no one expected to make the team and the person that got probably the most criticism like: Hey, why is this girl on the team?" she continued.
"I think I really struggled with that, and I struggled going into the Games and feeling like I belonged there and trying to prove that I wasn't a mistake on that team."- Molly Seidel to CNN.
Her second marathon effort was the daunting 2020 London Marathon, where she finished sixth .
Then, just 18 months after her first marathon Seidel, who is affectionately known as “Golly Molly” earned bronze and became the third American woman ever to medal in the Olympic marathon.
In November 2021, a broken Seidel returned for her fourth marathon in New York, where she placed fourth with a personal best time despite fracturing two ribs as she prepared for the event.
It was an absolute disaster of a build up,” she recalled.
"It was really hard, not only with the mental stress that we had going on after the Games of just feeling, frankly, no motivation. And just trying to find that drive to re-up for another hard race right after an enormous race that I'd been training effectively two years for.”
Those injuries are now behind the 27-year-old, who has been training in Flagstaff.
Though she dropped out of the New York Half in March due 'setbacks in training', Seidel heads back to Boston where she lived for four years with high hopes for something special.
“Boston was like the place that made me a pro-runner. It was the first place I moved after I finished college.It was the place that kind of like rebuilt me as a runner after going through a lot of challenges through college,” she said to CBS Boston.
“Just getting to do the race in the place that made me the runner that I am and with the people that helped me become the runner that I am, it’s just enormously meaningful to me. That what makes it a lot more special than any other race.”
(04/12/22) Views: 98Evelyn Watta
Try this ramp-up workout to crush your 5K PB this spring, Use this session to simulate the stages of a 5K race and practice speeding up at the end for a strong finish
The spring racing season is about to start, and while many runners across the country are preparing to run their first marathon or tackle Boston, others are gearing up to crush their personal best in the 5K. If you’re focusing on the short stuff this season, the following workout will develop your endurance and speed so you can run strong straight through the finish line.
The 5K ramp-up
The goal of this workout is to simulate the stages of a 5K race. With that in mind, it’s important that you control your pace throughout the workout (particularly in the tempo section at the beginning) so that you have enough gas in the tank to speed up near the end. Note that this is an intermediate-level workout, if you are a beginner, focus on running consistent, steady mileage until you can comfortably run the 5K distance before you start adding in speedwork.
Warmup: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by form drills and strides
Workout:
10-15 minute tempo run, at about 10 seconds per kilometer slower than your 5K pace/ 5 min rest
3-4 x 4 minutes at 5K pace/ 5 minutes rest
3-4 x 1 minute as fast as you can go
Cooldown: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching
(04/08/22) Views: 91Brittany Hambleton
Military wife Mary Vaughn will be running Boston Marathon helps raise money for families of deployed soldiers
While thousands of Fort Bragg soldiers are deployed to Europe, one military spouse is using her passion for running to support her deployed husband and the thousands of other Army spouses affected by this deployment by running the Boston Marathon -- raising thousands of dollars for the USO.
For Army spouse and mother of three Mary Vaughn, running has been an important tool in dealing with the stress of military life.
"It's been most useful during deployment, having something to work toward every single day and look forward to while John has been deployed," Vaughn said. "Without it, I would be very stressed."
Her husband, Capt. John Vaughn, is among the thousands deployed to Poland in February to provide support for Ukraine.
Vaughn used her husband's deployment as motivation to train for a mission all her own, running the Boston Marathon to raise money for the USO.
"Being strong for my kids and keeping things moving in the absence of our spouse, for me, it was a big undertaking this deployment, and to be honest, I'm really proud of what I have done this deployment," she said.Along with her fellow teammates, Vaughn has helped raise more than $100,000 that goes to helping military families just like hers during deployment.
"The money being raised by Mary's run is going to programs, whether it be a Warrior reset or family reset," said Brian Knight, Operations and Programs Manager for the Sandhills USO. "These are resiliency programs that are meant to help connect or reconnect families while they have things going on in their life and everyone is going through different points in their lives."
Vaughn knows that every step she takes on her 26.2-mile journey is more than an athletic accomplishment but something bigger than herself."I could have just hung out and waited and counted the days but knowing that what I'm doing is helping out other troops and military spouses is so much bigger, and I am really proud of what I have done," she said.
Vaughn heads to Boston next week to prepare for the big race, which takes place on April 18.
(04/09/22) Views: 91
Abdi Nageeye and Haven Hailu triumph at Rotterdam Marathon
Olympic silver medalist Abdi Nageeye produced a well-timed finish to win the Rotterdam Marathon, his first career victory over the classic distance, while Ethiopia’s Haven Hailu won the women’s contest in convincing fashion at the World Athletics Elite Label road race on Sunday (10).
The two races played out in contrasting ways. A large lead pack formed early on in the men’s race as they passed through 10km in 29:29 and half way in 1:02:16. The pack started to whittle itself down in the second half though, and by 30km – reached in 1:28:31 – just seven men remained in the group: Nageeye, Olympic bronze medalist Bashir Abdi, Ethiopia’s Leul Gebreselassie, Kenya’s Dominic Kiptarus, Reuben Kiprop Kipyego, Kenneth Kipkemoi and Philemon Kacheran.
Kipyego and Gebreselassie continued to push the pace in the closing stages and it was enough to drop most of the athletes left in the lead pack. Abdi, who set a European record of 2:03:36 when winning at last year’s rescheduled Rotterdam Marathon in October, started to drift behind just before 40km, leaving Nageeye, Kipyego and Gebreselassie to battle it out for the podium places.
Kipyego couldn’t quite match the finishing pace of Gebreselassie and Nageeye as the duo sprinted for the line. In the end Nageeye just edged ahead to cross the line in 2:04:56, taking more than a minute off the Dutch record he set in this same city in 2019. Gebreselassie was given the same time in second place, the fifth sub-2:05 clocking of his career, while Kipyego took third in 2:05:12, 11 seconds ahead of Abdi.
In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Haven Hailu and Kenyan duo Daisy Cherotich and Stella Barsosio made an early break, reaching 10km in 32:55 – bang on pace to challenge the course record of 2:18:58 set 10 years ago by 2012 Olympic champion Tiki Gelana.
They were unable to maintain that pace for too much longer, but still reached the half-way point in a swift 1:09:56, just inside 2:20 pace. Almost two minutes behind them, relative newcomer Nienke Brinkman of the Netherlands was running in no-woman’s land.
A few kilometres later, Hailu broke away from Cherotich and Barsosio. Cherotich held on for a little longer than her compatriot, but by 35km – which Hailu reached in 1:57:34 – Brinkman had moved up to second place.
Brinkman continued to make up ground in the closing stages, but Hailu’s lead was safe and the 24-year-old crossed the finish line in 2:22:01. It was the second-fastest time of her career, after the 2:20:19 PB she set in Amsterdam last year, but her first marathon victory to date.
Brinkman, who only took up running in 2020, was rewarded with a huge PB of 2:22:51 in second place, breaking the Dutch record set in 2003 by Lornah Kiplagat. Kazakhstan’s Zhanna Mamazhanova finished well to take third place in 2:26:54, taking more than a minute off the national record that was set back in 1987.
Leading results
Women
1 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:22:01
2 Nienke Brinkman (NED) 2:22:51
3 Zhanna Mamazhanova (KAZ) 2:26:54
4 Munkhzaya Bayartsogt (MGL) 2:29:25
5 Tristin Van Ord (USA) 2:29:32
6 Carolina Wikstrom (SWE) 2:29:51
7 Alisa Vainio (FIN) 2:29:56
8 Daisy Cherotich (KEN) 2:30:42
Men
1 Abdi Nageeye (NED) 2:04:56
2 Leul Gebreselassie (ETH) 2:04:56
3 Reuben Kiprop Kipyego (KEN) 2:05:12
4 Bashir Abdi (BEL) 2:05:23
5 Kenneth Kipkemoi (KEN) 2:06:22
6 Rodgers Ondati Gesabwa (KEN) 2:09:40
7 Abida Ezamzami (MAR) 2:09:52
8 Philemon Kacheran (KEN) 2:10:12.
(04/11/22) Views: 90World Athletics
Two-time Olympic finalist signs with NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, Devon Allen previously declined the chance to play professional football to focus on track after university
Three-time U.S. 110m hurdles champion and two-time Olympic finalist Devon Allen is leaving the track after the 2022 season to pursue a career in professional football, signing a deal with the Philadephia Eagles.
Allen, 27, is a former wide receiver for the University of Oregon, helping the Oregon Ducks win the Pac-12 Championship in 2014. Allen had the chance to go pro after college, but passed on a chance to play in the NFL to become an Olympic sprint star.
At the University of Oregon’s NFL pro day, Allen told the media that his focus right now is to win the 110m hurdles at the 2022 World Championships in July.
The hurdler caught 54 passes for 921 yards and eight touchdowns over three seasons at Oregon, tearing his ACL on two separate occasions. When Allen returned after his second tear, he devoted himself to the track, winning both U.S. Olympic Trials and an NCAA championship in 2016.
Allen finished fifth at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio with a time of 13.31 seconds and was fourth at 13.14 seconds in Tokyo five years later. In his last race of the 2021 season, Allen won his first Diamond League title, breaking the 13-second 110m hurdles barrier, becoming the 13th U.S. sprinter to do so.
Allen is not the only track and field to attempt a transition into professional football. Willie Gault, a member of the U.S. team that set a world 4x100m record of 37.86 at the inaugural World Athletics Championships in 1983, spent 11 years in the NFL as a wide receiver with the Chicago Bears and played on their 1985 Super Bowl-winning team.
The 1964 Olympic 100m champion, Bob Hayes, also played in the NFL as a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, helping them win Super Bowl VI in 1971.
(04/11/22) Views: 83Running Magazine
2022 EDP Lisbon Half is back for more records
The fastest half marathon in the world is back. For 2022, in the 31th edition, scheduled for May 8th, the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon will be, once again, aiming for new records.
And, just like last November, there will be a bonus prize of EUR 50,000 (USD 54,000) up for grabs in case of new records.
To achieve this it will count on some of the best athletes in the world, especially in the women’s field, including the Kenyan Brigid Kosgei, the fastest female marathoner ever (2:14:04) and the eighth fastest in the half ever (1:04.49).
Tsehay Gemechu, the winner of last year’s race and the current course record holder (1:06:06) will also be present, with her fellow Ethiopians Gotytom Gebreselassie (1:05:36) and Bosena Mulatie (1:05:43). The Israeli Lonah Salpeter, the third fastest European woman ever (1:06:09), will also be present.
The time to beat for a new world record (in a women-only race) is 1:05:16, set by Peres Jepchirchir in Gdynia, at the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships.
In the men’s race, with Kiplimo’s record in sights (57:31), the field has 11 runners with personal bests below the hour mark, four of them under 59 minutes: Kenneth Kiprop Renju (58:35), Abraham Cheroben (58:40), Kevin Kiptum (58:42) and Jorum Okombo (58:48).
Besides the international field, the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon will also have the best runners from Portugal, including Hermano Ferreira, Luís Saraiva, Rui Teixeira and Nuno Costa in the men’s field and Rafaela Almeida, Sara Moreira and Solange Jesus in the women’s field.
In this year’s race – the half marathon is already sold out – there will be almost 10,000 runners from nearly 96 different nationalities. There are a few last minute bibs available for the Vodafone 10k.
“Right after the men’s world record, last year, I started preparing in my head for the process of trying for the female record too,” admits Carlos Moia, race director.
(04/08/22) Views: 82AIMS
