Running News Daily

Callum Hawkins is hopeful that his brother, Derek, can join him on the GB marathon team for the Tokyo Olympics

Callum is hopeful that his brother, Derek, can join him for the Tokyo Olympics next summer, repeating the feat of 2016 which saw them both compete for Britain in the marathon in Rio.

It was announced last week that Callum has already been pre-selected for the 2020 Olympics, becoming one of the first GB athletes to secure their seat on the plane to Japan. And he firmly believes his brother is capable of claiming one of the remaining two marathon spots, with things being made slightly easier following the announcement earlier this year from four-time Olympic track medallist Mo Farah that he will concentrate on the 10,000m. This is after his decision in 2017 to retire from the track and concentrate on the road.

The Kilbarchan AAC duo put in impressive showings at Rio 2016, with Callum having a superb run to finish in ninth place, while Derek overcame a build-up severely afflicted by injury to finish just 114th.

The London Marathon in April is the ‘trial race’ for the Olympics, with the British Athletics men’s standard for Japan 2 hours 11 minutes 30 seconds. This means Derek must set a new personal best if he is to make it to his second Olympics, with his best to date being 2 hours 12 minutes 49 seconds, which he clocked in Frankfurt in October.

“There are slots available now at London and hopefully Derek can make it,” said Callum, who believes his older brother is capable of dipping under the British qualifying time.

“He ran a PB in Frankfurt and I think he had a bit more to come that day.

"So we will see how that goes with him and a couple of other Brits come London. I’d love him to be there. We were both selected for Rio in 2016 but at that time he had a real struggle with injury in the last few months and it was all about just making the start-line.

"It would be a nice achievement for two brothers to make it twice to the Olympics in the marathon."

Callum, fourth in the last two World champs events in London and in Doha, feels the competition in Sapporo will be even harder come next August.

"I’m not in any doubt that the level of competition in Japan will be even tougher than Doha," the 27-year-old said.

"That’s just the way I feel because I’m sure the very fact it is the Olympics will motivate people even more and there will be greater depth to the top 10 or the top 20 or whatever. Making the top 10 again will be really tough and the conditions could be difficult, too, even though they’ve moved it.

"I won’t have any fear, though. I will go out there feeling no pressure and, assuming everything has gone well in the build-up, I will really go for it. With a marathon, it comes down to how you cope and how you feel on the day."

If his current plan for next year remains unchanged, he could be making a trip east even before the main event, with a half marathon in Japan on the radar for family Hawkins.

"I’ve been out to Japan before," Callum recalled.

"I was due to run the Fukuoka Marathon at the end of 2018 but a hamstring injury prevented that, but we went on the trip anyway and got an idea of the place.

"We’re firming up the race-plan at the moment but one of the half marathons could be over in Japan, although not at the Olympic venue."

Ultra marathon runner Will Mather has faced sleet, snow, and high winds during a month long challenge which will see him clock 500 miles

A brisk jog on Christmas Day morning probably fills most of us with dread - so spare a thought for Will Mather who is spending December running 500 miles.

Ultra marathon runner Will has faced sleet, snow, and high winds that blew him off a footpath during his ongoing quest to raise funds for charity.

The dad, from Hadfield, regularly takes to the fells, trails and roads around Glossop.

But he has stepped up his routine for a Christmas challenge in support of Mummy’s Star - which supports women and their families affected by cancer during pregnancy.

Will has been running an extra mile each day of the month, working up to 31 miles on New Year’s Eve.

“I started ultra running in 2017 when I had this idea and have thought about how to do it ever since,” he says.

“I could have chosen February where I'd only have to do 28 days but If I'm going to do it I need to do it right so it had to be a month with 31 days.”

Will has taken the last week of December off work so he’ll have time to meet his daily challenges when the miles really ramp up.

Haulier Will is being backed by his wife Zoe and sons Oliver and Riley during his challenge.

He says: “I’ll be doing this challenge for my local charity Mummy’s Star. It's an amazing charity and when I was introduced to it and read some of the stories it made me think what would I do if me and my wife were in that situation?

“This is the only charity of its kind so without the support mummy star gives there is no support. I think they play a vital part in these situations.”

Some days have been tougher than others but Will has been helped along the way by family and friends who have joined him on his runs.

“I got the wall feeling rubbish long days at work and just simply knackered (4-5hours sleep isn't the best) I still got out and did the 20miles, getting home at 10pm I had a shower and eat my tea in bed. Sleep was needed,” he wrote on his 20th day.

On day 16 he wrote: “16 miles around kinder trying to find a path as the clouds were low and the everything covered in snow.”

While on day 9, Will started his run at the eye wateringly early hour of 3.30am.

“Day 9 was a 9mile run on my own with the moon and badgers keeping me company at 3.30am, it does mean I can get a small rest period before I do 10 miles tomorrow evening,” he wrote.

McSweyn breaks 10km record in Zatopek win

Running machine Stewart McSweyn is eyeing Tokyo Olympics glory after becoming the first man in more than two decades to win a hat-trick of Zatopek 10,000m titles.

The 24-year-old Tasmanian broke a national record that had stood for eight years in Melbourne on Saturday night, powering through the final lap on his own before saluting the crowd with three raised fingers as he crossed the line in 27 minutes and 23.80 seconds.

His time was more than one second faster than Ben St Lawrence's previous Australian-best mark of 27:24:95, set in 2011.

McSweyn also capped his massive year on a personal level by shaving more than 27 seconds off his own personal best time and cracking the Olympic qualifying standard in the process.

The versatile and rangy Kind Islander has also qualified for the 1500m and 5000m at Tokyo 2020 and now faces a big decision about which events he will contest.

"I'm kind of leaving it all open," McSweyn said.

"I'm just going to wait and see what I think is my best chance because I was in the (5000m) final in Doha (at the 2019 World Athletics Championships) and I want to go further than that next year.

"I want to try and be the guy who competes for medals."

Training partners Brett Robinson and Jordan Williamsz set the pace for McSweyn early and he had Queensland's Patrick Tiernan for company until the final lap, when he kicked into another gear and left his rival behind.

"To run that fast was probably a bit of a surprise but I think we owe a lot to Pat Tiernan for setting up that race," McSweyn said.

"What he was able to do after the pacemakers dropped out was pretty amazing.

"I know I was hurting the last 10 minutes and I was hanging on for dear life, so I think half the credit definitely goes to Pat for his run."

McSweyn is now within reach of matching Australian legend Steve Moneghetti's record of four consecutive Zatopek titles, claimed from 1989-92.

Earlier, dual Olympian Genevieve Gregson revealed she would target a spot in the 10,000m event at Tokyo after claiming her first Zatopek crown.

The 30-year-old Queenslander has already qualified for the 3000m steeplechase and will attempt to combine the two events.

Gregson won the Zatopek in 32:47:83, ahead of Canada's Andrea Seccafien (32:48.30), and would need to shave almost one minute and 23 seconds off her time to reach the Olympic standard.

"The goal was to win here, get my auto spot and now chase the time," Gregson said.

Algeria readies for 2020 African Championships

Next June the best of Africa’s athletes will converge on the Algerian capital Algiers for the 22nd African Championships in Athletics.

The stakes of the competition are quite high, as it will be one of the last opportunities for the continent’s athletes to achieve qualifying standards for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) has been working in collaboration with the Algerian Athletics Federation (FAA) to organise a successful championships on and off the field.

“We are satisfied, but it is not a surprise for us,” said CAA Director General Lamine Faty, after a recent inspection visit to Algiers. “Each time Algeria commits to organise an African competition, we know that everything will be perfect thanks to the human resources and other capacities at its disposal. To keep it short, we have always found what we are looking for in Algeria.''

The competition, scheduled for 24-28 June, will take place at the 5 July Stadium. The site is undergoing renovations and will have a capacity of 80,000 once repair works are over.

Opened in 1972 by Algerian President Houari Boumediene, the stadium has hosted several major sports events since. It was the main venue for athletics during the 1975 Mediterranean Games, the 1978 and 2007 All Africa Games as well as the 2000 African Championships.

Faty told Algerian media in November that even with the repair work going on at the stadium and its annex, the CAA delegation was “more than satisfied with the progress of the work and also optimistic for the future.”

FAA and CAA officials are keen on ironing out several logistical aspects central to the success of the championships, such as visas and transportation for athletes, officials and journalists, as well as accreditation and protocol procedures.

The organisers want a quality broadcast of the event, to allow a large TV audience to follow the competition in as many African countries as possible.

Another matter of prime importance to the organisers is ensuring that strict anti-doping measures are in place before and during the competition.

Algeria will be hosting the championships for the third time, after Annaba in 1988 and Algiers in 2000.

In 1988, Algeria finished second on the medal table, with just one gold medal less than first place Nigeria with 11 gold. The hosts fared better 12 years later, topping the medal table with 12 gold at the 2000 edition, six more than runners-up Tunisia.

After a lackluster performance during the 2018 championships, however, the race is on for the country’s athletes to improve on the two gold and one bronze won in Asaba, Nigeria, in 2018.

One of those helping to train home athletes for the forthcoming event is former middle-distance runner and now coach Abderrahmane Morceli.

“Our athletes are in very good condition,” says Morceli. “We are preparing very well and they are in very good shape.”

Morceli and his brother Noureddine, the three-time world 1500m champion, are among those coaching Algeria’s athletes, not only for the African championships, but for other competitions planned for 2020 including the African Cross Country Championships in Lome, Togo, and the Tokyo Olympic Games.

These athletes include Taoufik Makhloufi, the 31-year-old middle-distance runner who brought home Algeria’s lone medal – a silver in the men’s 1500m – from the World Championships in Doha earlier this year. There is also Adbelmalik Lahoulou, the reigning African 400m hurdles champion and Yasser Triki, the 22-year-old African Games gold medallist in the long jump.

Morceli says he tries to teach them dedication to hard work and instill in them a thirsty for glory.

“After the junior level, if you want to become an Olympic or world champion you need more conviction and more training camps. We have many, many talented young athletes in Africa that never keep going because they don’t have enough training and enough conviction.”

Morceli is confident in Algeria’s pool of talent however, and says the extra incentive provided by the country’s sports official will spur them to give the best of themselves.

“They have good prize money from the minster (of sports) and the Olympic committee and they have big motivation now.”

Veteran Kenyan runner Sammy Kitwara banned for anti-doping violation

Veteran half-marathon runner Sammy Kitwara of Kenya has been banned for 16 months following an anti-doping violation, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Friday.

Kitwara tested positive for the banned substance Terbutaline, according to the AIU.

The ban by athletics' world governing body has been backdated to March 17 this year with his results in any event since then being canceled.

The AIU added that the decision to ban the runner can be appealed.

Kitwara made his marathon debut in 2012 and finished second in the Chicago Marathon in 2014. Kitwara is also a 2009 Rotterdam half Marathon champion.

The 33-year-old is the latest in a line of Kenyan athletes who have been provisionally suspended in 2019 for violation of the IAAF anti-doping rules.

Kenya's Sports minister had previously said that it plans to impose criminal penalties – including possible jail terms – on athletes caught doping, and it was working on new legislation on the matter.

Course records under threat in Houilles 10 km

The men’s and women’s course records will be in jeopardy at the 48th edition of the Houilles 10km in the suburbs of Paris where strong fields have been assembled for the World Athletics Silver Label road race on Sunday (29).

In the absence of last year’s winner Julien Wanders, Nibret Melak appears to be the main favorite. The Ethiopian clocked a personal best of 27:26 in Laredo in March, one second outside the Houilles course record set by Wanders. Melak, who has a 5000m PB of 13:07.27, will be running in Houilles for the first time.

Morocco’s Hamza Lamqartass should be a threat as he has a lifetime best of 27:51, set in March. Albert Chemutai should also feature. The 20-year-old Ugandan, who placed 12th at this year’s World Cross, finished third in Houilles last year in a PB of 27:53.

Cornelius Kangogo is familiar to the race. Three times a winner in Houilles between 2013 and 2016, the Kenyan set his PB here in 2013. Last year the 26-year-old finished sixth in 28:10.

Felix Kipkoech will also be running on familiar roads. The Kenyan won the Boulogne-Billancourt Half Marathon, near Houilles, in a PB of 1:00:12 last month.

The field also includes Haftu Teklu of Ethiopia, who set his best of 28:10 in Houilles last year. He was faster on the track in June, clocking 27:30:88 in Nijmegen. Daniel Simiu Ebenyo has also showed good recent form as he set a personal best of 28:23 last month.

Others strong contenders include Yohans Kifle and Berhane Tesfay of Eritrea, and Ethiopia’s Ayenew Alemu Yismaw, who finished second in Langueux in 2018 in a PB of 28:27.

French eyes will turn to the rising star Jimmy Gressier, who clinched a third U23 title in a row at the European Cross Country Championships in Lisbon earlier this month. He’ll target a sub-28-minute time, as his 28:12 PB was set at last year’s event.

Benjamin Choquert will also be in the field one month after having clocking the marathon qualifying standard for the Olympics. He will be looking a sub-29-minute time.

The women’s race is expected to be fast throughout the three laps of 3.3km and features a duel between two top Kenyans.

Norah Jeruto, 24, is a steeplechase specialist and sits fifth on this year’s world list in that event, but she also recorded a strong 30:07 10km personal best in Prague in September. Gloria Kite, 21, ran 30:36 in Valencia last January.

Gete Alemayehu, who set a course record of 31:12 last year, will have a tough task in defending her title. The field also includes Nigsti Haftu Tesfay, who won the Corrida de Langueux in June.

French hopes will rest on Liv Westphal’s shoulders, who finished fifth at the recent European Cross Country Championships. She’ll attempt to improve her lifetime best of 32:35.

2020 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon Medal design unveiled

The eagerly anticipated medal design for the fastest half marathon in the world – the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon – has been revealed as event organsiers, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism and Development Authority (RAKTDA), announce that over 1,000 runners have already registered for the sporting event taking place on 21st February 2020 on Al Marjan Island.

The Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon has commissioned four medals for the 2020 edition of the world-renowned race – one for each of the categories. Crafted in metal, each medal is engraved with the category and embossed with the individual race distance. While the Half Marathon and Relay medals boast an impressive 90mm diameter with a stylised rotating disk in the middle, the 5KM and 1KM medal designs are solid discs measuring 80mm and 70mm respectively and bear the eye-catching, iconic logo of the event. The medals are made complete with colourful, individual ribbons for each category.

On course to be the biggest ever edition of the event with a record number of participants, the family-friendly race will host a number of categories including; the half marathon, two- and four-person relay, 5km and 1km Kids Run. In particular, the relay and 5km races are perfectly suited for team building amongst school teams of teachers and students, as well as corporate teams, and friends and families alike. A special discount will be offered to group bookings to encourage teams to engage in a healthy and active challenge.

Each participant will receive a race shirt from the Half Marathon’s technical sponsor – leading Spanish sports equipment brand, Joma. Until 31st December, runners can personalise their shirts with 15 characters to wear their name, nickname, cause or running club on the reverse of their race shirt.

Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority said: “The 2020 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is on track to be the biggest ever edition of the race and we are expecting record numbers of runners to join us. With so many incentives for runners, from a generous prize fund of AED 1,219,000, discounts on local attractions, transport to and from the event, and a variety of races to suit all abilities and fitness levels. We are looking forward to welcoming runners and spectators from all over the UAE to Al Marjan Island to experience everything Ras Al Khaimah has to offer.”

Ugandan Mande Bushendich and Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich will be the main favorites at the Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana

The Ugandan Mande Bushendich and the Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich are the main favorites in the Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana, which takes place on December 31 through the streets of the center of Madrid and that this Monday presents its favorites of the international elite test .

Ugandan Mande Bushendich returns to Vallecas after his third place last year wanting to climb to the top of the podium. In the record race last year he registered 27:24, and this year he has already dropped 28 minutes in Holland, although in the spring, which makes him run as one of the favorites.

Another candidate for the victory will be the Belgian-Somali Bashir Abdi, silver in the Berlin Europeans in 10,000 meters and that 'shattered' the Belgian marathon record a few months ago, with 2h06: 14 in Chicago. Also, Ugandan Moses Kurong, fourth in the Gothenburg Half Marathon 2019 and third in Barcelona in 2018.

The San Silvestre Vallecana women's will feature the Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich, current marathon world champion in Doha 2019, and victories in the Dubai Marathon and the Istanbul Half Marathon this year. Second in 2018 at the Paris Marathon, Chepngetich will seek to follow the path of his compatriot Brigid Kosgei, who flew last year to set the new test record, with 29:54.

The Ethiopian Helen Bekele Tola is postulated as one of her rivals for victory. Second in the Tokyo Marathon and fourth in Berlin in this 2019, in Spain it has already won in 2017 in the Barcelona Marathon. It has 31:13 as a personal mark in a '10K' en route.

Among the women spain runners, the 23-year-old Carmela Cardama, a university runner of 10,000 meters in the United States and who is the fastest national in the history with her age, beats Alessandra Aguilar.

She was the leader of the Spanish team that won team silver in the 2019 European Cup of 10,000 meters. The San Silvestre Vallecana arrives in great shape, as evidenced by its recent national record in indoor track at 5,000 meters, the tenth best Spanish mark in the distance including outdoors.

A Winnipeg man Junel Malapad runs 100 kilometers on Boxing Day

A Winnipeg man spent Boxing Day doing something very different.

He hit the pavement in support of Siloam Mission.

For the fifth straight year, Junel Malapad, who is a local ultramarathon runner, spent the day running.

He calls the annual run ‘Change Boxing Day to Running Day’.

His goal this year was to run 100 kilometers.

He started at 4 a.m. Thursday and spent the day running a three-kilometer loop at The Forks.

“Siloam Mission helps out a lot of homeless people, and people should not freeze to death in our city, they could be picked up and helped out. Siloam Mission does a lot of great things that way, so that's the reason why I’m running today," said Malapad.

Throughout the day, Malapad was joined by fellow runners for parts of the route.

Donations were collected at The Forks and will be dropped off at Siloam Mission.

Ben Preisner and Emebet Anteneh, won the Boxing Day 10 Miler, beating the reigning champions Matt Hughes and Robyn Mildren.

The 99th annual Boxing Day 10 and 4 Miler took place on Thursday morning in Hamilton, Ont. The race draws huge crowds of runners to compete in an off-distance road race. Among the runners were Olympians, Canadian record holders and national champions.

This year saw two new victors in the men’s and women’s races, Ben Preisner and Emebet Anteneh, who beat reigning champions Matt Hughes and Robyn Mildren.

Preisner caught Canadians attention when he won the 2019 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon. There he ran a two-minute personal best, hitting 1:03:02 for the half-marathon win. He won Thursday’s 10 miler in 48:18, just 13 seconds off of Hughes’ course record. Second place went to ACXC (national cross-country) champion Mike Tate (48:47) and third place to the Canadian steeplechase record holder Hughes (49:21).

In the women’s race, Emebet Anteneh won in 55:18, almost a full minute ahead of the second place finisher. Anteneh has been a force on the Canadian roads in 2019. She ran a 1:10:28 at the Edmonton Half-Marathon and a 16:04 5K in the fall. Anteneh comes from a track background, owning an extremely impressive 14:43.29 5,000m personal best.

Second place in the women’s race went to Sanna Mustonen (56:04) and third place to Leslie Sexton (56:19).

Ultras are not for everyone and here are five reasons why.

Ultras are tough and are not for everyone.  Here are five reasons why:

1. Trail running is hard.  Trail running is fun. But it’s also tough. The many variables in trail running such as the terrain, the weather, the mountains mean that the trails will challenge you regardless of the distance. Training on the trails means challenging yourself daily in the trails and mountains. If you decide to race on the trails, getting to the start line is a courageous act no matter how far you’re going.

2. Longer doesn’t mean better.  On paper, it appears as though a 5K trail race is less daunting than 200 miles through the wilderness. But that’s like comparing apples to elephants. A 5K trail race is it’s own beast, which requires focused training and execution. A 200 mile ultra through the trails and mountains is entirely different and unique. Both distances are challenging and deserve kudos.

3. Know what makes you happy.  If short and steep is your jam–then that is awesome. If mental and physical perseverance with limited sleep makes your heart dance, that’s great too. Know what makes you happy, while remaining open to new experiences. Being a real trail runner means knowing your ‘why’ and not caring what the world thinks.

4. Ultras aren’t for everyone.  But neither are 10Ks. Despite the fact that social media can be saturated with images and videos of everyone and their uncle finishing 100-milers, the trail running world is so much more. Trail running is simply running on the trails, which can include any distance and any terrain off the road. As long as you’re not having a party on the pavement, you are a trail runner.

5. Make it meaningful.  One of the keys to success in any area of life is meaning. Whatever distances you decide to focus on, make it count and don’t forget to smile.

American gymnastic Shannon Miller was named Tata Mumbai marathon ambassador

Miller's tally of five medals (two silvers, three bronzes) at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona was the most medals won by a US athlete across sport at the Summer Games.

Shannon Miller will be the International event ambassador of the 17th Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020. The announcement about the association with the seven-time Olympics medallist and nine-time world champion was made by Procam International, the race promoter.

She was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and established a foundation devoted to women’s health to help them make health a priority.

Her tally of five medals (two silvers, three bronzes) at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona was the most medals won by a US athlete across sport at the Summer Games.

The TMM is amongst the world’s leading marathons and with prize money of $ 405,000, the race in Mumbai on January 19 will witness over 50,000 participants, including leading Indian, international distance runners, amateurs and fitness enthusiasts.

The American sporting ace stated: “Sport has the power to bring the community together and a marathon is an ideal example. It is a great leveller. At the start-line, everyone comes together with a touch of anxiousness and excitement. I have been fortunate to be part of events which have sport on the highest of levels, a wonderful sense of goodwill and sportsmanship.”

Tokyo is reported to be still short of 14,000 hotel rooms required during the hosting of Olympic Games

With around 10 million visitors expected for next year’s Games, the Nikkei Asian Review has reported that the Japanese capital is still facing a significant shortage of available hotel rooms.

Meanwhile the Jiji Press has quoted a recent estimate by the major Japanese travel agency JTB Corp that the number of visitors in 2020 will increase by 7.9 per cent to 34.3 million.

JTB claim that South Korean visitors to Japan will rise by around 15 per cent from 2019 following an improvement in bilateral ties.

Visitors from China and Southeast Asian countries are also projected to increase.

"Tokyo's hospitality industry has taken care of the accommodation for the estimated 11,000 athletes expected to compete in 33 events at the Games,” the travel.com reported. 

Around 46,000 other suites are already reserved for Olympic officials and global dignitaries.

But bookings in the rest of the city as well as neighbouring communities on Japan's main island of Honshu are reported to have already reached capacity.

Demand for hotel space shot up in 2018, when a record 31.8 million tourists visited Japan, nearly a nine per cent increase from the previous year.

In response to the scarcity, short-term housing prices for Airbnb rentals in the area have reportedly rocketed to more than $840 (£650/€760) per night.

Additionally, some luxury cruise liners have volunteered to stay in port to take on extra visitors for the duration of the Games.

The 4th Annual My Best Runs World’s Best 100 Races for 2020 have been announced

It was made official today (Dec 26) the My Best Runs 2020 World's Best 100 Races.  The editors at My Best Runs lead by MBR and Runner's World magazine founder Bob Anderson considered thousands of races; races that are the best, most interesting and unique and races that if you can get into won't let you down.  

"There are well over 100,000 official running races around the world," stated Bob Anderson from his office in Mountain View California, "and these are our 100 of the best.  It was very hard to only pick 100 since there are many more I know I would enjoy to run or at least watch."

Bob Anderson loves to race.  The soon to be 72-years-old (Dec 28) has run over 1000 races (including time trials) since he started racing in April of 1962.  He still races and in fact won his age-group in winning the second half at the San Francisco marathon in 2019 and placed third in his age-group at the London Vitality 10k last May.  In 2012 he ran 50 races, 350.8 miles and averaged 6:59 pace.  

His My Best Runs website and the UjENA Fit Club website keeps him and his team plugged in to the current racing scene.  

"We did not consider races which are more local in nature.  Even through I love local races we only considered races that are international in scope.  A race if you travel too, you would not be disappointed.

"With our nearly 80,000 unique visitors monthly from countries around the world, we considered all races around the planet," says Bob Anderson.  "Some of these races are very hard to get into.  But not impossible.  If you can get in,  these all would be a good racing experience for you.  I hope to run more of these myself."

We would love to get your feedback on these races and recommendations for 2021.  Post your comments or email Bob Anderson at bob@mybestruns.com (photos - Boston Marathon, Carlsbad 5000, Semi de Paris)

Reigning Boston Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono can´t wait to defend Boston crown next year

Cherono, who trains in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet County will face Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa, 2017 winner Geoffrey Kirui, 2018 champion Yuki Kawauchi among other quality runners.

“I’m delighted that the elite field has been announced early enough for us to prepare well. In the next three months I will be training for the race which is one of the toughest courses in the world,” said Cherono.

Cherono also said that the announced line-up looked strong and it will be a tough challenge for him to retain the title.

“The 2017 champion Geoffrey Kirui and 2018 champ Yuki Kawauchi and 2013 winner Lelisa Desisa will be competing with me. They have all won before and will be hungry for another title. But so will I. I expect serious fireworks on the Boston roads."

Cherono won the Boston elite men’s race in a sprint finish, clocking 2:07:57 to beat Desisa to second place (2:07:59) while Kenya's Kenneth Kipkemoi settled for third in 2:08:07.

Cherono said it was the final kick that saved the day for him.

“Desisa is a tough athlete and we were together in the leading pack up to the last 50m to the tape. That’s when I sprinted leaving him behind and his body couldn’t react and that’s how I was able to win the race,” said Cherono, who is also the Chicago Marathon champion.

Kirui, who bagged victory in 2017 is also looking forward to a good run and he is well intent to recapturing the crown.

The athlete, who normally trains at his home in Keringet, Nakuru has since shifted to Kaptagat in Elgeyo Marakwet in a bid to improve his performance.

“I have been training in the two regions (Kaptagat and Keringet) and both areas have similar conditions which are good for training.”

Kirui finished second in a rain soaked race in 2018 and fifth this year.

In the women’s category, 2015 champion Caroline Rotich will compete against 2017 champion Edna Kiplagat and reigning champion Ethiopia’s Worknesh Degefa.

Degefa won this year’s race in 2:23:31, Edna Kiplagat was second in 2:24:14 while USA’s Jordan Hasay was third in 2:25:20.

Dheeraj Gupta, Founder of Jumboking will be running his eight Mumbai Marathon in January shares his ideas on how running helps him be a better business person

Dheeraj Gupta, Founder and MD of Jumboking will be running his eight Mumbai Marathon in January. In 2018, the burger chain boss clocked the half marathon in 2 hrs and 28 minutes. He told ET Panache, "This year I hope to complete it in 2 hrs and 10 minutes.One of my running buddies has promised a treat, if I clock this timing. These are the small perks of training in a group, you build a network of like-minded people while keeping fit."

Gupta has tips for those who want to run. He shared, "The key to a good run are a good pair of running shoes which should be changed every year, a good fitness tracker to improve your running and a good pair of shorts and dry fit t-shirt.Breathing when you run is very important. Learning the correct breathing technique while running changed my focus from what is happening on the outside to what is happening inside the mind during the run. This will change you as a runner. Discipline is the key."

The Jumboking founder finds some lessons from his running. These have helped him in his business. "Running a marathon is like running a business. It takes discipline, consistency and focus to build a business. You have to pace yourself to meet your targets. You have to know your body and mind, do what works for you, at a pace that suits you. You are competing with yourself to become a better version of yourself compared to the previous year," he said.

The competitiveness of business and marathon running are very similar too according to Gupta. "Sales and profitability are the way you keep score in business to see how you are faring, in a marathon you similarly keep your timing. The way you pace yourself for the race by breaking it up into four runs of 5 kms each, you don’t want to go too fast in the beginning because you want to end strong.

Similarly, if you invest in training yourself and your team for business functions you will meet your targets with absolute ease, grace and joy.

David Rudisha’s 2012 Olympic 800m triumph has been chosen as the athletics moment of the decade

Over the past two weeks, athletics fans from around the world have been casting their votes on the World Athletics Instagram page, whittling down a long list of 16 moments.

In the final stage of voting, Rudisha was up against Eliud Kipchoge’s marathon world record from Berlin in 2018. The votes were close, but Rudisha ultimately had the edge, 1151 votes to Kipchoge’s 939.

Rudisha’s victory in London in 2012 was the greatest moment of the Kenyan’s career. Leading up to those Games, he had twice broken the world record in 2010 and won the world title in 2011. He arrived in London undefeated throughout the 2012 season and with the four fastest times in the world that year. Unsurprisingly, he started as the overwhelming favorite.

But few would have predicted that Rudisha would have been capable of breaking his own world record in a non-paced championship setting. One of the few people who perhaps had an inkling of what was to come was Kenyan teammate Timothy Kitum, whom Rudisha had told before the race: “Don’t follow me or you’ll die towards the end. Go for the silver.”

It turned out to be good advice as Rudisha was unchallenged. He passed through 200m in 23.4 and 400m in 49.28. He already had a two-metre lead as he entered the back straight for the second time and his advantage only grew as the race progressed, reaching 600m in 1:14.30.

Urged on by the 80,000 fans who were sensing a stunning moment in the making, the long-striding Rudisha maintained his lead to the finish, crossing the line in 1:40.91 and punching the air as he did so, a lifetime’s ambition realised.

“I have waited for this moment for a long time,” said Rudisha. “I had no doubt about winning, but to come here and get a world record is unbelievable.”

Ultra--marathon runner Susannah Gill has written a book about her running experiences

The ultra-marathon runner, whose parents live in Much Wenlock and who spent her time training in the south Shropshire hills, has teamed up with her coach and founder of The Running School, Mike Antoniades, to write a book of her experiences.

'Running Around the World: How I ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days' takes the reader on a truly inspiring journey which sees Susannah go from a non-runner to conquer her ultimate challenge of running 183 miles (295 km) and travelling 55,000 miles, all inside 168 hours. In the process she ran in to the female world record holder.

Readers are taken on a whistle-stop global tour, from the icy snow of Antarctica all the way around the world to the warmth of Miami’s South Beach.

Susannah raised nearly £20,000 for SportsAid, a charity that supports Great Britain’s next generation of athletes.

Her best marathon time is 2:56, which she achieved at the Manchester Marathon in April 2019. Aside from the 60+ marathons she has completed over the last decade, she has run numerous ultra-marathons, including 100-kilometre, 100-mile and 24-hour races.

The book is based on the special partnership between runner and coach. Susannah and Mike give unique insights into the physical effort and mental toughness needed to achieve Susannah’s world record which saw her complete each marathon in an average time of 3 hours 28 minutes and 9 seconds.

Susannah said:“In January, I set off with 39 other runners with the aim of completing the 2019 World Marathon Challenge.

"I came home a world record holder, having had the experience of a lifetime. With this book I wanted to share openly and honestly the highs, the lows and the often unexpected joy of pushing myself to new limits.

"I hope my story can inspire other people to realise we can all take on incredible challenges and be amazing.

“I am so pleased to have written this book with Mike. His expertise and support helped my running dreams come true.

"I am indebted to Mike and all at The Running School, as well as those involved in the World Marathon Challenge for allowing me to be part of such an amazing challenge.”

Mike added: “Over the last 40 years I have coached thousands of runners and athletes, many recreational runners and others to win medals and titles.

"What Susannah has achieved is a unique test of mind and body and an example of what can be achieved with focus and determination. In this book we have shared what we have both learnt, which we hope is both entertaining and helpful to all runners.”

Esther Newman, Editor Women’s Running Magazine, said: “Susannah is an incredible ambassador for women’s running."

Susannah will be speaking at The National Running Show on January 25-26.

Canadian and world championship finalist Marco Arop, has made the decision to leave Mississippi State to go pro

Marco Arop is capping off his amazing 2019 with the announcement that he will be going professional in the new year. The 2018 Canadian 800m champion is in his third year of schooling at Mississippi State University, and instead of completing his eligibility, he has decided to sign a professional deal, making him ineligible to compete in the NCAA.

Arop burst onto the scene in 2018 when he beat Canadian record-holder Brandon McBride at the national championship 800m. Arop ran an honest race, leading start to finish and besting McBride, who was the defending champion. “I had two plans going into the race: either follow the leader, or control the race.

Obviously I ended up controlling the race. I was certainly running scared, but I think that ended up helping me.”

Arop immigrated to Canada from Sudan in 2002 and now calls Edmonton, Alta. home. Coincidentally, McBride also attended Mississippi State, and had a big impact on Arop’s decision to attend the school.

Since his breakout race in 2018, Arop has catapulted onto the scene. In 2019 he became the Pan American 800m champion, a World Championship finalist and an NCAA silver medallist. Arop hasn’t disclosed who he has signed with.

Katelyn Tuohy, one of the fastest high schoolers in North America, has committed to North Carolina State University for the fall of 2020

The American standout has chosen a university for fall 2020.

Tuohy posted on Instagram on Sunday evening, “I am excited to announce that I will be continuing my academic and running career at NC State University. Thank you to my family, friends, coaches, and teammates who have supported me throughout my decision-making process. I am so excited to become a member of the Wolfpack.”

The university, which is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, saw its women’s team finish fifth at the NCAA Division I Championships last month. The women’s cross-country team is also only graduating one runner.

Tuohy is finishing one of the most impressive high school running careers in American history. The New York native became the first woman to win three consecutive Nike Cross Nationals titles (which are the American national high school championships) earlier this month.

Two weeks ago, Tuohy ran the senior race at the U.S. Club Cross-Country Nationals. There, she was second to Aisling Cuffe, a 15:11 5,000m runner for Saucony, who’s also a Stanford alumna and former NCAA standout.

Bristol man Alan Smith, completed the 2019 Berlin marathon just months after abdominal surgery

A Bristol handyman, who was running again less than three weeks after abdominal surgery, has raised £1,600 for Prostate Cancer UK by successfully completing his first marathon.

Alan Smith, from Stoke Gifford, is a member of the Frampton Cotterell Harriers and he completed the Berlin marathon in four hours and 21 minutes, barely four months after hernia repair surgery at Emersons Green NHS Treatment Center.

He said: “In 2011 I experienced my first hernia. The type of work I do involves a lot of heavy lifting, which damaged the left side of my abdomen. My GP sent me, under the NHS, to the treatment center.

“I could not speak highly enough of the care I received. I was back working within three weeks, which is really important when you are self-employed.”

When Mr Smith then experienced the symptoms on the other side of his abdomen, he decided he once again wanted to be treated at Emersons Green.

He said: “It was painful both when working and running. I didn’t want to let down my customers and I also had my place in the Berlin marathon. We all know people who have been affected by prostate cancer and I really wanted to do my part and raise money for the charity that carries out vital research and supports people living with the condition.”

Because he needed the operation quickly, Mr Smith chose to use Care UK’s Self Pay option, guaranteeing treatment within four weeks of referral.

He said: “When you are self-employed there is a risk you will lose more money because you are unable to work. This option would, hopefully, get me back to work as soon as possible and greatly increase my chance of making it to Berlin.

"I actually had my operation only nine days after my initial assessment, which was amazing” 

The operation, which went smoothly, was carried out by consultant general surgeon Paula Sabino dos Santos.

Mr Smith said: “We talked about my ambition to get to the marathon. She told me to start walking as soon as possible and to keep taking long walks to build up my strength, which I did.

“The first time I took some running steps I did it with a degree of trepidation, but it was absolutely fine. I did a couple of training sessions with the Harriers before completing a half marathon just three weeks after the operation. I was also back to light work within the same time.

“I promised Mrs dos Santos that I would send her photos from Berlin if I made it, and I was delighted to be able to send her photos of me wearing my finishers medal. I was very grateful to her and her team; I could not have asked for better treatment.”

New York marathon champion Joyciline Jepkosgei eyes London or Tokyo in 2020

New York marathon champion Joyciline Jepkosgei will gauge her fitness in cross country before coming to return to marathon running in April.

The 26-year-old, is still pinching herself after she staged one of the biggest coups in 2019 when running her only second marathon won in New York clocking an impressive 2:22:38, beating race favorite and defending champion Mary Keitany.

"It was a big surprise to me to win New York City marathon. Certainly, it was not in the plans because there were top contenders and I was there to make a new attempt to the distance after I had flopped in London," Keitany said on Monday.

Though she started light training after her run in New York, Jepkosgei said that it will be a while before she is fit to race again. However, she is open to run in Boston, London or Tokyo in 2020.

"The muscles still hurt and it is one day at a time. I was nervous at the start and I only realized that I could go for it after the halfway mark. The win crowned my season and beating my mentor was no mean task. Mary Keitany is up there with the greats in marathon and she will always win big races. The pressure was too much, but I took it in my stride."

She also won in June the New York half marathon clocking 70:07 minutes. But her winning time on New York race in November was just seven seconds off the course record.

"I always have the desire to take up challenges and I feel it is the right time to run the full marathon. I had already achieved in half marathon and taking up a new challenge was good for my career," she added.

In 2017, Jepkosgei smashed the world half-marathon record to become the first woman to run 21km in under 65 minutes. Brigid Kosgei later broke her record as she set 64.28 minutes.

Jepkosgei hopes one day she will be strong enough to challenge the world record in full marathon. Brigid Kosgei has reshuffled the tables with a fast run in Chicago in October when she posted a new world record of 2:14:04. She shreds Paula Radcliffe's record that had stood since 2003 of 2:15:25.

Usain Bolt said he was heartened to see the support that turned out for the inauguration of the National Stadium in Tokyo

“I know that Tokyo is going to be exciting, it is going to be extremely big because you can see the number of people in the stadium now,” said Bolt.

Usain Bolt ran a lap at the new Olympic Stadium with one of the Olympic rings in his hand, marking the facility’s opening, saying it was an honour to be given the opportunity.

“I was happy and excited because I won’t get to compete so the fact that I got to run on the track was an experience in itself and as was said earlier it was wonderful that everybody could come together and compete. It’s for a great cause, it’s to show the world that we need to unite as one. So I was very honoured and very happy,” said Bolt.

The lap, done at a jog with other former Olympians carrying rings as well, reminded Bolt that coming out of retirement was not on.   

“Iwon’t be competing. No. I’m actually in pain right now from the little run I just did,” he said.

Still, Bolt is an excited man because these Olympics will mark the first he has attended as a fan.

“I will be here watching them [Jamaican team to the Olympics] and cheering them on. This will be my first Olympics where I’m just here to watch, so I’m gonna really try to see everything and just try to enjoy it.”

Jamaican Sprinter, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce confirmed that she will tackle both the women’s 100m and the 200m at next year’s Olympics in Tokyo

Throughout her career, Fraser-Pryce has mainly focused on the 100m at major championships, only ever winning one Olympic medal(silver) in the 200m at the 2012 London Olympics. But next year, Fraser-Pryce is setting her sights on achieving the gold in both events.

“[I will be] doubling up definitely. Last year [season] I really wanted to attempt the double but coach had other plans, so I just worked with that plan. He knows best so I just worked with his plan,” she told reporters in Jamaica.

The sprinter has never dipped below 22 seconds in the 200m, which is also another aim for her in the 2020 season.

“I am definitely looking forward to doing the 200m, especially because I believe in my heart that I can run 21s. It’s a big passion of mine so I am working really hard towards that. So hopefully, I will get to run some more 400m even though I don’t like it, but hopefully I will get it done for 2020,” she shared.

Last month, Fraser-Pryce announced that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be her fourth and final Olympic games. “I am always grateful for the opportunity to represent my country, my family, myself, but Tokyo is my last Olympics. I definitely know that,” she said.

The sprinter did not confirm whether she would completely retire from athletics, but hinted at the idea. “It doesn’t make me feel anything. I will miss the sport, but I will be OK. I don’t think it will be hard to retire. Athletics is just one thing I do.”

Christmas Day Run Through Rome

If you’re in Rome over the Christmas and New Years’ holidays and want to get in a good run while also being a tourist, then this may be for you.

“Una Tapasciata nella Storia”, (“A Jog Through History”) is a friendly, non-competitive run through the center of Rome that passes many of the Eternal City’s most beautiful landmarks.

It’s the perfect chance to visit a gentler, quieter city when everyone (Romans anyhow) are still asleep and the chaos that usually defines Rome is momentarily suspended.

Runners assemble at Il Biscotto, a popular runner’s park across from the Baths of Caracalla (it gets its name because it’s shaped like a long biscotto cookie) and then head off on a joyful jog, that goes by the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish steps, Piazza del Popolo, St. Peter’s Square and Piazza Navona. There are a few stops along the way for group photos but other than that it’s a run-at-your-own-pace 12 kms, accompanied by the cheers and holiday wishes of foreign tourists snapping pictures as the group goes by!

The run is the brainchild of local marathon runners Gino Mirabella (2h40’) and Renato Agostoni (2h26’) almost 20 years ago. What began as a low-key run among friends has now grown into an annual Christmas classic that runners who train at the tack by Caracalla or at the Biscotto wouldn’t think of missing. Fortunately, in Italy, presents are exchanged on Christmas Eve after the traditional multi-course dinner, leaving Christmas morning free for the runners in the family to sneak out and do their Christmas morning run.

And, because we’re in Italy, the run ends back at the Biscotto with a traditional Christmas toast of spumante and a table laid with Christmas panettone and other seasonal treats giving runners a chance to wish each other Auguri!

NOTE: For the truly intrepid runners, the run repeats itself on New Year’s Day, but for obvious reasons not as many runners show up.

INFO: Una Tapasciata nella Storia / Christmas Day Run Through Rome

DAY: December 25, 2019 and January 1, 2020

TIME: 9:30 a.m. get-together / 10 a.m. Start

PLACE: Il Biscotto, Via di Valle delle Camene

Russia confirmed that intends to appeal the four-year ban it was served by WADA

The appeal must be filed with CAS by December 30, and the ban will not take effect until after CAS renders a decision.

Russia confirmed on Thursday that it intends to appeal the four-year ban it was served by WADA 10 days ago for non-compliance in the ongoing Russian doping scandal. The ban covers the 2020 Olympics, Paralympics and 2022 Winter Games, in addition to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, during which Russia may not participate or host, and its flag will not be flown. It also may not bid on the 2032 Olympic or Paralympic Games. According to a report by InsidetheGames.com, the appeal must be filed with the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by December 30.

The ban was imposed as a result of the data from the Moscow Laboratory, required as a condition of the September 2018 re-instatement after the previous three-year ban, was found to have been tampered with.

The ban does not prevent Russian athletes from participating as neutral athletes, provided they can prove they are clean and that their data was not among the manipulated data from the Moscow lab, something many commentators say makes the ban effectively meaningless.

It will not come into effect until after CAS reaches a ruling, which could take several months. (The Olympics opening ceremonies are scheduled for July 24.)

In a press conference held Thursday, Russian president Vladimir Putin said the ban “goes against common sense.”

After have had Open Heart Surgery, Erin Menefee Qualifies for Olympic Trials

Two and a half years ago, Erin Menefee didn’t know if she’d be able to run competitively again after having open heart surgery. But on December 8, the 27-year-old physical therapist realized her dream when she qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials at the California International Marathon (CIM) in Sacramento with a time of 2:43:10.

Surrounded by dozens of other women who qualified for the first time, Menefee basked in the accomplishment of a goal that motivated her throughout the long recovery. For the first time since she underwent surgery for a rare congenital heart defect in July 2017, she ran a personal best by more than eight minutes.

Setting a lifetime PR that beat the Trials standard by almost two minutes wasn’t just a running milestone for the San Diego native—it was a turning point in her life.

“Not having the definition of ‘post-heart surgery PR’ for this one just feels like a big weight [has been] lifted,” Menefee told Runner’s World. “I’m finally back to who I was before.”

Menefee was nearing the end of a long run in December 2015 when her heart started beating at an alarmingly fast pace and pain shot down her left arm. At just 24 years old, the former collegiate runner for the University of Arizona thought she was having a heart attack. Menefee could barely breathe, but she managed to get herself to the emergency room.

After a series of tests, her cardiologist discovered that she had partial anomalous pulmonary venous return, a condition where the veins that are supposed to carry blood to the heart’s upper left chamber instead carry it to the heart’s upper right chamber, or to other blood vessels. When this happens, poorly-oxygenated blood mixes with oxygen-rich blood, thus robbing the body of oxygen. The diagnosis meant that Menefee was only getting about 60 percent of the oxygen needed from her lungs to her body.

Because she was a healthy, young runner competing at a high level, the doctors decided to forgo the surgery option for periodic check-ups on the size of her heart. Eight months later, Menefee was getting lightheaded standing up from a chair and the tips of her fingers turned blue from the lack of oxygen traveling to the rest of her body. When she went in for more tests, they discovered that her heart was so enlarged that it required surgery.

On July 26, 2017—after she graduated from San Diego State University’s doctor of physical therapy program and days after she took her board exams—Menefee went in for surgery at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. During the nine-hour procedure, doctors built a stent and moved her vein into its proper place from her heart to her lung. In order to reach her organs, they had to saw open her sternum.

The surgery was a success, and six weeks later, Menefee was cleared to go on her first run: an 8:49 mile.

Just five months before her surgery, Menefee had made her 26.2 debut at the 2017 Los Angeles Marathon, finishing in 2:51:31—within striking distance of 2:45:00, the 2020 Trials time standard. She trained for the marathon with the San Diego-based Prado Racing Team under Paul Wellman.

What to do when injury happens

David Roche, author and coach to many top trail runners, dispenses advice on what to do when injury happens.

Even the strongest runners occasionally get injured. If you think you may be injured and this is not something you’ve dealt with before (or even if it is), running coach and The Happy Runner author David Roche of the SWAP Adventure Team (Some Work, All Play) along with Black Canyon 100K winner Matt Daniels has put together a very simple how-to video for Strava on exactly how to approach the situation.

Roche coaches a lot of successful trail runners like OCR badass Amelia Boone, Western States winner Clare Gallagher, Barkley Marathons finisher John Kelly, Canada’s Kat Drew and Canadian Trail Running’s own Tory Scholz, and his approach is holistic–he’s concerned not just that you take care of the injury, but that you remain, well, a happy runner. While injury prevention is important, Roche acknowledges that we can’t always avoid injury entirely. That’s why he formulated these guidelines on what to do when despite your best efforts, something goes wrong with your body. (Roche coaches road runners too, by the way.)

Here are Roche’s Rules for when you think you might be injured.

1. If it hurts to walk, don’t run.- It may seem like basic common sense, but you’d be surprised how may runners routinely ignore it out of a desire to prove how tough they are, or to reassure themselves that they’re not really injured. But if you run on an injury, it will likely get worse.

2. There’s no shame in stopping.- One of Roche’s biggest assets as a coach is that he talks about shame, something that comes up frequently in injured runners who may think they’re wimping out if they don’t finish a workout (or a race) because something hurts. If you ignore rule #1, fine, but don’t ignore rule #2. Stop and take what Roche calls the Walk of Pride (rather than the more traditional Walk of Shame) back to where you started, and “live to fight another day.”

3. Talk to someone.- Confide in someone close to you that you’re injured, someone who cares about you enough to insist that you seek treatment. Many injured runners put off seeking treatment in the hope that whatever it is will get better on its own. (And we all know where that ends.) Whether it’s your family doctor, physiotherapist or chiropractor, getting seen will not only help you get on the road to recovery, it’ll help you cope mentally, too.

Bottom line, you want to get rehabbed so you can get back out there ASAP. If you follow Roche’s three rules, there’s no reason why you can’t do just that.

Kamino comes from behind to win Asian Marathon Championships

Japan’s Daichi Kamino capitalised on a late-race blunder by Ri Kang Bom of the People’s Republic of Korea to win the Asian Marathon Championships in Dongguan on Sunday (22).

Ri, who had set a personal best of 2:11:19 when winning in Pyongyang earlier this year, built up a comfortable lead in the closing stages. With 2:09 on the clock and just a few minutes of running left, Ri was about 100 metres ahead of his Japanese rival and looked to be the first man from his nation to win the Asian marathon title since 1985.

But the 26-year-old went the wrong way as he negotiated the final corner. With just half a minute of running left and the finish line in sight, Kamino dug deep and started striding for home. Ri, having realised his mistake, got back on course but his lead had shrunk to just a few metres.

Kamino’s momentum carried him past Ri with just 40 metres to go and he punched the air as he crossed the line, finishing in 2:12:18. Ri followed three seconds later, clocking 2:12:21. Japan’s Ryoichi Matsuo was further back in third, clocking 2:14:32.

Kamino, who is known in Japan as ‘God of the mountains’ for his heroics on hilly stages of ekiden races, was contesting his first marathon since the Marathon Grand Championships, Japan’s Olympic trial race in September. He finished 17th there, having been among the leaders up until 15km, and was a few minutes shy of his season’s best of 2:11:05 and PB of 2:10:18.

“After the Marathon Grand Championships, I felt depressed,” said the 26-year-old. “But I was glad I did my best here and didn’t give up.”

The medal order was reversed in the women’s race with Ri Kwang Ok and Kim Ji Hyang of the People’s Republic of Korea taking gold and bronze, either side of Japan’s Mao Uesugi.

Ri had also won in Pyongyang earlier this year in a PB of 2:26:58 before going on to finish 14th at the World Championships in Doha. She won comfortably in Dongguan, clocking 2:30:56 to finish one minute and one second ahead of Uesugi. Kim was third in 2:32:10.

It was the fourth edition in succession in which an athlete from the People’s Republic of Korea had won the women’s title.

Tokyo unveils final Olympics budget of $12.6 billion

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are expected to cost some 1.35 trillion yen ($12.6 billion US), organisers said Friday, unveiling a final budget showing increased revenue balancing out extra costs including countermeasures against heat.

However, officials admitted the budget does not yet include an estimated three billion yen for moving the marathon and race walk north to Sapporo, as they wrangle with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over who bears the cost.

Revenues from domestic sponsorship and robust ticket sales have increased income by 30 billion yen, according to the fourth and final version of the Olympic budget.

This equals out a rise in forecast expenditure for items such as transport and security — as well as the heat-busting measures. The overall 1.35-trillion-yen budget for the Games is unchanged since the last version of the budget unveiled last year.

There is also a 27-billion-yen “contingency” pot to deal with possible emergencies such as natural disasters. Organisers are still negotiating with the IOC over the cost of moving the marathon to the northern city of Sapporo due to the expected heat in the Tokyo summer.

“This is an unprecedented matter so there are no procedures,” explained Gakuji Ito, executive director for planning and finance at Tokyo 2020. “We will go into it line-by-line and we will interact with the IOC on a daily basis,” he told reporters

Organisers have also unveiled a series of countermeasures against the heat and humidity, including water mist sprays and special heat-absorbing paint on roads — all of which cost money. The IOC, wary that the ballooning cost of hosting the Games is putting some cities off from bidding, has urged Tokyo to make even more cuts.

But Tokyo is also being squeezed in the other direction, with some voicing fears that the cuts could harm the athletes’ experience plus the “look” of the Games.

2020 Schneider Electric Paris Marathon will be the first carbon-neutral major marathon in the world

New initiatives include the Schneider Electric Green Runners community. Just a few days before Climate Day held in France on Sunday 8 December, several marathon stakeholders came together in Paris to raise awareness about initiatives that can help to protect the environment. The event organising team notes that running plays a key role in these efforts…

More and more runners are going out plogging together. It is all about running and, even more importantly, picking up litter along the way. The 2020 Schneider Electric Paris Marathon organised its first plogging event, overseen by Run Eco Team, an organisation that has the support of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. It was a fun moment in the streets of Paris that demonstrated the organisation’s motto “Running for a cleaner world”.

Nutrition, a key element in the preparation of runners, fits in perfectly with this lifestyle if it is based on responsible consumption, local, seasonal products and a zero-waste approach. The same applies to the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) concept, which means making one’s own washing powder, maintenance products and cosmetics.

Recycling and making the right choice on mobility by choosing more fuel-efficient means of transport (public transportation, bicycles, carpooling, etc.) whenever possible are other ways of doing one’s bit for the planet every day.

The Schneider Electric Paris Marathon team adds that the even is replicating these individual actions on a larger scale. Achieving carbon neutrality, reducing waste at the event (-30% over 3 years), recycling waste (67% vs 39% earlier), collecting and recycling clothes at the start (4.3 tonnes in 2019) and donating food that has not been handed out at refreshment stations to the Restos du Cœur and Chainon Manquant non-profit associations are just a few examples.

The 2020 Schneider Electric Paris Marathon wants to raise awareness about lifestyle changes among runners. The marathon organisers are encouraging people to join The Schneider Electric Green Runners community and take up weekly challenges to reduce carbon footprint. Each time #SEgreenrunners is used on social media, Schneider Electric, with the help of NGO partners, will plant mangrove trees.

Lublin runner Łukasz Sagan has won the 490km-long Authentic Phidippides Run setting a new record of 69:22:17, beating the previous record by five hour

It took Åukasz Sagan, 36, who is known as Saganis, less than three days to run from Athens to Sparta and then back to Athens, 12 hours ahead of the next contender. 

The 490 km route going through both urban and mountain areas has 6800 m elevation differences, making it even more difficult than it already seemed. 

Just like with regular marathons, the run commemorates Pheidippides, the ancient runner who brought the news of Greek victory against Persians in the Battle of Marathon to Athens.

Sagan’s support team were providing updates for fans during the three days the race took. 

They wrote on Facebook after 376 km: “Łukasz is fighting all the time! In the background of this photo you can see the mountains that he overcame at night. The strength you send really works. Crises come, but Łukasz has the strength to fight them. Keep it up.”

Sagan, known also by his nickname Saganis, began the race with a moderate pace, letting three Greek competitors overtake him. 

The strategy worked, as by the time he had reached Sparta, and according to tradition greeted the statue of king Leonidas, two of the Greeks, Stergios Anastasiadis and Dimostenes Marifoglou, were far behind him and in the end didn’t complete the race. 

He reached Athens at 3:30 in the morning. 

The Louisiana Marathon is expected to attract 8,000 runners over the Jan. 17-19 weekend

The projection for the 2020 event—which begins Jan. 17 with an expo at the Raising Cane’s River Center and continues Jan. 18-19 with a series of races downtown—is a significant jump from the early days of the Louisiana Marathon. It’s already a 183% increase from the inaugural event, which took place in 2012 and drew in 2,830 runners.

“It’s become the premier event,” says Pat Fellows, who helps organize the annual marathon. “People know what they’re getting—a great course and a great post-race party.”

Based on registrations to date and past statistics, runners will likely come to downtown Baton Rouge from nearly all 50 states and from as many as 10 countries. They’ll also bring with them an average of 1.75 additional people, swelling the potential economic impact even further.

Fellows declines to comment on anticipated revenues the weekend will generate. However, previous studies have shown the Louisiana Marathon generates between $2 million and $4 million in economic impact each year, spread among hotels, restaurants and other local attractions.

“We’ve sold out every downtown hotel every year,” Fellows says.

Some runners will arrive as early as the Wednesday before, while the majority will pour in that Thursday. 

Over the past couple of years, the event has steadily gained more runners after a downturn in attendance that took place at the 2017 marathon, when organizers’ marketing push was interrupted by the 2016 Baton Rouge floods. At its 2016 peak, the event attracted nearly 9,000 participants. 

In the meantime, marathon organizers are continuing a major marketing push that’s evolved over the years to include mostly social media promotions. Currently, they’re focused on getting the word out about the Saturday races, encouraging more people to register themselves and their children for the quarter-marathon, 5K and kids marathon, in particular. Meanwhile, the more publicized full- and half-marathons will take place Sunday.

Russia banned from competing in the 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Cup by the World Anti-Doping Agency

Russia has been handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

It means the Russia flag and anthem will not be allowed at events such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics and football's 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

But athletes who can prove they are untainted by the doping scandal will be able to compete under a neutral flag. 

Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said the ban was part of "chronic anti-Russian hysteria".

"It is obvious that significant doping problems still exist in Russia, I mean our sporting community," he said. "This is impossible to deny. 

"But on the other hand the fact that all these decisions are repeated, often affecting athletes who have already been punished in one way or another, not to mention some other points - of course this makes one think that this is part of anti-Russian hysteria which has become chronic."

Russian president Vladimir Putin said the country had grounds to appeal against the decision.

Wada's executive committee made the unanimous decision to impose the ban on Russia in a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, recently.

It comes after Russia's Anti Doping Agency (Rusada) was declared non-compliant for manipulating laboratory data handed over to investigators in January 2019.

It had to hand over data to Wada as a condition of its controversial reinstatement in 2018 after a three-year suspension for its vast state-sponsored doping scandal.

Wada president Sir Craig Reedie said the decision showed its "determination to act resolutely in the face of the Russian doping crisis".

He added: "For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport. The blatant breach by the Russian authorities of Rusada's reinstatement conditions demanded a robust response. 

"That is exactly what has been delivered. 

"Russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and rejoin the global anti-doping community for the good of its athletes and of the integrity of sport, but it chose instead to continue in its stance of deception and denial."

But Wada vice-president Linda Helleland said the ban was "not enough".

"I wanted sanctions that can not be watered down," she said. "We owe it to the clean athletes to implement the sanctions as strongly as possible."

A total of 168 Russian athletes competed under a neutral flag at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang after the country was banned following the 2014 Games, which it hosted in Sochi. Russian athletes won 33 medals in Sochi, 13 of which were gold.

Russia has been banned from competing as a nation in athletics since 2015.

Despite the ban, Russia will be able to compete at Euro 2020 - in which St Petersburg will be a host city - as European football's governing body Uefa is not defined as a 'major event organisation' with regards to rulings on anti-doping breaches.

Fifa said it had "taken note" of Wada's decision, adding: "Fifa is in contact with Wada to clarify the extent of the decision in regards to football."

The promoters of the Russian Grand Prix also said they were "confident" the race would go ahead because their contract was signed before the Wada investigation and runs until 2025.

An F1 spokesman reiterated the comments of the promoters, adding: "We will monitor the situation to see if there is an appeal and what would be its outcome."

In a statement, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said: "Those responsible for the manipulation of data from the Moscow laboratory before it was transferred to Wada appear to have done everything possible to undermine the principles of fair and clean sport, principles that the rest of the sporting world support and adhere to. 

"This sincere lack of respect towards the rest of the global sporting movement is not welcome and has zero place in the world of sport. It is only right that those responsible for this data manipulation are punished."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it "supported" Wada's decision.

New Research Says More Sleep Could Make You Less Injury-Prone

Eight hours of shut-eye is just as important to your performance as proper training and nutrition.

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, getting seven hours of sleep or less could up your risk of injury while training.

A lack of sleep could mess with protein synthesis, muscle recovery, immune system function, and

Getting enough sleep—about eight hours—is just as important as proper nutrition and hydration for preventing injuries and keeping your bones strong.

When it comes to injury prevention in running, there are numerous strategies that can help including dynamic stretching, proper cross-training, and increasing your distance gradually. Now, there’s another major tactic to consider: Getting some solid sleep.

A recent study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport looked at 95 endurance athletes, including runners, swimmers, cyclists, and triathletes. Over the course of a year, researchers tracked health complaints related to cardiorespiratory issues, gastrointestinal problems, and psychological struggles, as well as sleep quantity, training load, and new injury episodes.

They found the biggest increase in injuries were among those who skimped on sleep, reporting less than seven hours of shut-eye per night. There was also an increase in injury risk for those reporting psychological issues, although it wasn’t as high as the sleep connection.

In contrast, there was no significant association between new injuries for those reporting health complaints and higher training loads.

This adds to previous research connecting quality sleep with athletic advantages, according to W. Chris Winter, M.D., owner of the Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine clinic, and author of The Sleep Solution. He frequently works with sports teams, and told Runner’s World there is increasing awareness of the role of sleep when it comes to injury prevention and effective recovery.

“It makes a lot of sense to see sleep as a tool for athletic performance, since adults secrete growth hormone primarily during deep sleep,” he said, adding that this process is central to protein synthesis, muscle recovery, immune system function, and modulation of your body’s inflammatory response.

“It would stand to reason that chronic sleep loss or a sleep disorder would cause an athlete to suffer,” he said. “Not only do they get sick more easily, but it takes them longer to recover from an injury, and could even shorten the length of time they can remain in their sports.”

Another recent sleep study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research adds another advantage to consider, especially for older women. Research looking at over 11,000 postmenopausal women found those sleeping five hours or less per night had lower bone density compared to women who slept seven hours per night or more.

Even mood can be affected for athletes, according to research published in the journal Physical Therapy in Sports, which found that sleep problems led to mood disturbances and increased general health complaints.

To sum it all up: Getting enough sleep—about eight hours—is just as important as proper nutrition and hydration for preventing injuries, keeping your bones strong, and boosting your mood for years to come.

Revised Tokyo 2020 marathon course unveiled

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) unveiled the course for the marathon events in Sapporo, Hokkaido, following visits by and discussions among representatives from the International Olympic Committee, World Athletics, Tokyo 2020 and local authorities.

The course features a larger loop approximately the length of a half-marathon and a second smaller loop of approximately 10 kilometres that will be traversed twice. This course has been designed with athletes' well-being in mind and will deliver maximum efficiency to the National Olympic Committees and related bodies, who will be looking after the athletes, as well as leave a standing legacy course for any future annual marathon and road events in the city so recreational walkers and runners can follow the footsteps of their heroes.

Venue - Sapporo Odori Park

Sapporo Odori Park will be the starting and finishing point for both the marathon and race walk courses. The park features a large open space of around 7.8 hectares in the centre of Sapporo featuring beautiful lawns, flower beds and trees. It is a popular spot for tourists and local residents and hosts a number of different events throughout the year. The park lies at the heart of the host city for the 1972 Olympic Winter Games, which already hosts another competition venue for Tokyo 2020 - the Sapporo Dome for football - allowing for organisational synergies.

The course - For the marathon, athletes will start by running two laps within the park against a backdrop of the Sapporo TV Tower, one of the city's landmarks, and will then head south along Sapporo Ekimae-dori Avenue towards the busy station area through streets lined with commercial and office buildings. Among other iconic landmarks, athletes will cross the Toyohira River, originally known as the Sapporo River, which gave the city its name, and then travel north towards Hokkaido University, one of Japan's prestigious former imperial universities, founded in 1876. With this marathon course, the attractions of Japan's most northerly prefectural capital will be showcased to the world during next summer's Olympic Games.

The race walk courses, approved by the IOC Executive Board earlier this month, features 1km and 2km loops for the 20km and 50km distances respectively, along Sapporo Ekimae-dori Avenue.

Commenting from Tokyo, World Athletics Technical Delegate and Council Member Sylvia Barlag said: "Developing courses for the Olympic marathon and race walk events is always an exciting challenge to achieve a balance of athlete welfare, showcasing the city, ensuring technical and broadcast requirements are met and providing a great backdrop for spectators to enjoy the Olympic experience. We have achieved this in Sapporo and want to thank all the stakeholders and, in particular, our athletes, who have come together in a short space of time to help create these courses. We now look forward to the world's greatest marathon runners and race walkers battling for Olympic gold on the streets of Sapporo."

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said: "The course's opening laps in Sapporo Odori Park will set the Sapporo cityscape as a fitting backdrop for the runners, sharing its charms with fans around the world. In addition to discussions with World Athletics and the IOC, which took place throughout the course finalisation process, I thank the City of Sapporo and Hokkaido Prefecture for their invaluable support.

We will continue to work closely with all parties concerned to ensure the marathons and race walks in Sapporo are a success."

World Athletics, the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 will continue to work closely with the relevant local authorities to ensure the success of both the marathon and race walk events in Sapporo during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

The Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour, introduces the Moody Foundation as its presenting sponsor

The Moody Foundation has given nearly $1 million to Austin Gives Miles since 2016. More than 25% of that total was given to 36 Central Texas nonprofits during the 2019 Austin Marathon.

The 2020 Austin Gives Miles presented by The Moody Foundation is already working to increase those numbers and further the positive impact on the Central Texas community. The 29th annual Austin Marathon, owned and produced by High Five Events, will take place on February 16, 2020.

“The Moody Foundation is proud to partner with Austin Gives Miles for the fifth consecutive year to match funds raised for the AGM Central Texas causes,” said Ross Moody, trustee of the Moody Foundation and chairman and CEO of National Western Life Group. “This initiative is near and dear to our hearts and has been for many years. We’re so excited to support a program that gives runners the opportunity to make their miles meaningful and encourages donors to give back to the Central Texas community."

Austin Gives Miles will receive a grant from The Moody Foundation for the fifth year in a row. The money raised annually through Austin Gives Miles significantly impacts a wide array of local nonprofits. Austin Gives Miles fundraised $1,187,000, recruited more than 1200 runners, and provided 1500 volunteers during the 2019 Austin Marathon. Austin Gives Miles’ six-year fundraising total is nearly $3.2 million. 

“This is a thrilling addition to Austin Gives Miles because The Moody Foundation has meant so much to this program for so many years," said Carly Samuelson, Austin Gives Miles Charity Manager. "The Moody Foundation’s previous contributions have had a far-reaching, positive effect on Central Texas nonprofits and this announcement will allow us to further that positive impact."

The Moody Foundation, based in Galveston, Texas, has funded projects and programs that better communities throughout Texas. The grant that will match Austin Gives Miles donations will have a positive impact on the Central Texas organizations and their specific causes by matching their funds raised (up to $10,000 per Official Charity). One of The Moody Foundation’s areas of support, community development, directly aligns with the goal of the Austin Marathon: to better Central Texas. Austin Gives Miles is excited to expand The Moody Foundation relationship and knows the positive effects will be far-reaching. 

The Austin Marathon will celebrate its 29th year running in the capital of Texas in 2020. Austin’s flagship running event annually attracts runners from all 50 states and 30+ countries around the world.

Having start and finish locations just a few blocks apart, being within walking distance of many downtown hotels and restaurants, and finishing in front of the picturesque Texas State Capitol makes the Austin Marathon the perfect running weekend destination. Austin Gives Miles presented by Moody Foundation is the perfect way for runners to get involved and give back to the Central Texas community

Organizers for the St. Jude Rock ‘N Roll Marathon have added a new 6.15 mile course distance to the April weekend run series

Along with the St. Jude Rock ‘N Roll Marathon, half-marathon, and additional distances, there will be a new 6.15 mile route through Nashville, giving runners of every level an opportunity to join in.

“There really is a distance for everyone!”

The new route will follow parts of all three run courses, touching upon the 5K, half-marathon, and full marathon courses.

The 6.15 Miler will start at 6:45AM on Saturday, April 25th, at the 5K starting line at the corner of 8th and Demonbreun Street downtown, and end at Nissan Stadium, crossing the main finish line with every other run.

The April 25th and 26th St. Jude Rock ‘N Roll Marathon weekend offers: 26.2 mile Marathon, 13.1 mile half-marathon, 5K, 6.15 Mile, 1 Mile, Kids Rock, Doggie Dash.

Reigning champions Lawrence Cherono and Worknesh Degefa will headline the 124th edition of the Boston Marathon

Lawrence Cherono won the 2019 race by two seconds over two-time winner Lelisa Desisa while Worknesh Degefa, the Ethiopian record holder at 2:17:41, won by an impressive 42-second margin.

During the race, Degefa said, “I could see first-hand how special the city of Boston, all the towns along the course, and the community is to so many people. And of course, I look forward to the challenge next April of once again racing against the world’s best athletes.”

That line up will include 2015 winner Caroline Rotich and 2017 champion Edna Kiplagat, both of Kenya, and Des Linden of the US, who won in 2018. Locally, Linden’s appearance will warrant considerable attention, coming less than eight weeks after she’ll race at the USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon on February 29.

“At this point in my career I enter each race with a heightened sense of urgency and have become very selective in what races I'm willing to commit my time and energy to,” said Linden, 36, a two-time Olympian. “The Boston Marathon has always been the most motivating race on my schedule. I hope to stand on the start line in Hopkinton as the first US Woman to have made three Olympic Marathon teams.”

In the men’s race, Cherono will take on 2018 winner Yuki Kawauchi of Japan, Kenyan Goeffrey Kirui, the 2017 winner, and Desisa, the winner in 2013 and 2015.

“Boston will have a special place in my memories forever,” said Cherono, who has won eight marathons, most recently Chicago in October. “I loved every mile of this race and fought until the end to achieve the first place and become part of the elite family to have won the most prestigious race of the world.”

World Athletics awards the Silver Label to the Madrid Half Marathon

World Athletics has awarded the Madrid Half Marathon the distinction of 'Silver Label', for which it recognizes the Madrid race as one of the best road races in the world.This distinction increases the international positioning of the traditional half marathon that will meet 20 years on March 29, 2020.

The 'Silver Label' comes to improve the bronze category achieved in the last edition and places the Madrid Half Marathon at the level of 26 other asphalt races that share this distinction.

In the world there are only nine half marathons with the gold label, the highest distinction, and one of them is Spanish: the eDreams Mitja Marató from Barcelona.

To achieve the new cataloging, the Madrid event has managed to overcome all the necessary parameters and requirements regarding its organizational quality, safety, elite sports level, number of registered, international promotion, media impact and exposure of the test.

In the last edition there were 20,000 participants.

Donavan Brazier and Michael Saruni will showdown at the 113th NYRR Millrose Games on Saturday, February 8th

The 113th NYRR Millrose Games will take place on Saturday, February 8th, and one of the most anticipated races of the day will be the men’s 800-meter run. This race figures to be a showdown between world champion and American record-holder Donavan Brazier and defending Millrose champion and NCAA record-holder Michael Saruni.

“The rematch of Donavan Brazier and Michael Saruni may be one of the highlights of the indoor season,” Armory Foundation Co-President Jonathan Schindel said. “But anything can happen with so many of the world’s best 800-meter runners back at the NYRR Millrose Games.”

The historic NYRR Millrose Games takes place at The Armory’s New Balance Track & Field Center and will feature dozens of Olympians and world championship contenders as they look toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics next summer.

After a dream season in 2019, Brazier has established himself as arguably the best 800m runner in the world. At Millrose last year, Brazier began his campaign by running an indoor American record of 1:44.41. He followed that performance with an indoor world best over 600m at the USATF Championships. Outdoors, Brazier collected another U.S. championship before claiming the Diamond League trophy in Zurich with an epic come-from-behind victory over Nigel Amos. Brazier then capped his season in style, destroying the field at the World Championships in Doha to win the gold medal, running 1:42.34 to break Johnny Gray’s 34-year-old American record in the process.

“After a successful 2019 season, I’m looking forward to running at the Millrose Games for the fifth year in a row,” Brazier said.

Brazier’s primary competition will come from Saruni, the man who bested him at Millrose in 2019. Saruni blasted a 1:43.98 in that race, making him the second-fastest indoor performer at all time. Despite being hampered by an injury outdoors, Saruni still managed a season best of 1:43.70 in Monaco. His personal best of 1:43.25 still stands as the NCAA record, and the 24-year-old Kenyan will surely be a threat.

Joining the field is 2019 breakout star Bryce Hoppel. The former University of Kansas standout won both the indoor and outdoor NCAA 800m titles during a 21-race winning streak. Hoppel went on to place third at USAs to punch his ticket to Doha, where he exceeded all expectations by finishing fourth in a personal best of 1:44.25. Entering 2020, Hoppel will look to establish himself as a medal contender in Tokyo with a strong performance at Millrose.

Isaiah Harris, another former NCAA champion who starred at Penn State, will be in the race. Harris competed at the 2017 World Championships, and he will attempt to reclaim that form heading into the Olympic year. Rounding out the field is the reliable veteran and Millrose stalwart Erik Sowinski. Sowinski is a former world indoor bronze medalist, and one of the most consistent middle-distance runners in the world, especially indoors.

The NYRR Millrose Games is the most storied event in indoor track and field.

More than 200 athletes share the distinction of being both Millrose and Olympic champions. In November of 2013, the New York Road Runners became the title sponsor of the NYRR Millrose Games, which is owned by The Armory Foundation. The NYRR Millrose Games is a USATF television series event, and The Armory Foundation appreciates the support of USA Track & Field.

Iain Mickle of Sacramento turned 59 three days before this year’s California International Marathon and finished in an impressive 2:42:57

Californian Iain Mickle of Sacramento takes the record for most time elapsed between sub-3 finishes. Even more impressive is that the first time he ran a sub-3 was a staggering 42 years, 151 days previously, when he was a junior in high school.

That’s a world record–for the longest elapsed time between two sub-3 marathon finishes, according to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians.

According to 1968 Boston Marathon champion Amby Burfoot’s entertaining story in Podium Runner, Mickle’s first sub-3 was at the San Francisco Marathon in July 1977, where he finished in about 2:50, 10 minutes ahead of his father, who ran the same race. It was also Mickle’s first marathon.

But Mickle didn’t run competitively very much for the next several years, so he doesn’t earn any kudos for sub-3 finishes across multiple decades or anything like that. Still, his comeback, which started about 10 years ago, is impressive.

He ran a PB of 2:38 at the 2014 Boston Marathon, and was #3 on the list of longest time elapsed between sub-3s, with 40 years, 146 days between sub-3s, before CIM put him on top.

Mickle’s record could be in danger, though. He took it from Antonio Arreola, 60, who is hoping to take it back again at Houston on January 19.

If Arreola does go sub-3 in January, he will have sub-3 finishes spanning 43 years and 45 days, and it would also make him one of the first runners in history to achieve sub-3 finishes spanning six decades.

Arreola’s last marathon was last year’s CIM, where he ran 2:54:48. Since then he has been dealing with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but managed to race two half-marathons this fall, finishing both in 1:22 high. Arreola set his PB of 2:46:17 in 2001.

The new 2020 Tokyo Olympic marathon course has been confirmed

Details of the Sapporo Olympic marathon course have been published following the decision to move the road events 800km north of the host city Tokyo due to heat concerns.

In Sapporo, which was the host city of the 1972 Winter Olympics, temperatures during the Games period are set to be as much as 5-6C cooler during the day than in Tokyo, it is claimed.

The new course features one loop of roughly half-marathon length and a second smaller loop of approximately 10km that will be run twice.

Sapporo Odori Park will be the starting and finishing point for both the marathon and race walk events, with marathoners first running two laps within the park against a backdrop of the Sapporo TV Tower. They will then head south along Sapporo Ekimae-dori Avenue towards the busy station area and cross the Toyohira River before returning north towards Hokkaido University and on to the finish line.

“This course has been designed with athletes’ wellbeing in mind and it will deliver maximum efficiency to the National Olympic Committees and related bodies, who will be looking after the athletes, as well as leave a standing legacy course for any future annual marathon and road events in the city so recreational walkers and runners can follow the footsteps of their heroes,” said the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The race walk courses, which were approved earlier this month, feature 1km and 2km loops for the 20km and 50km distances respectively, along Sapporo Ekimae-dori Avenue.

“Developing courses for the Olympic marathon and race walk events is always an exciting challenge to achieve a balance of athlete welfare, showcasing the city, ensuring technical and broadcast requirements are met and providing a great backdrop for spectators to enjoy the Olympic experience,” said World Athletics (IAAF) technical delegate and council member Sylvia Barlag.

“We have achieved this in Sapporo and want to thank all the stakeholders and, in particular, our athletes, who have come together in a short space of time to help create these courses. We now look forward to the world’s greatest marathon runners and race walkers battling for Olympic gold on the streets of Sapporo.”

The Olympic road events are set to take place on consecutive days between August 6-9, with the women’s marathon having moved from August 2 to August 8 and the men’s marathon taking place on August 9, the last day of the Games.

The 2019 Missoula Marathon ranks among the best in America

The 2019 BibRave 100 rankings were released earlier this month and the Missoula Marathon was ranked as the No. 2 marathon in the United States.

The Missoula half marathon was named as a Top 20 Half Marathon and the race weekend was named as a Top 10 Best Weekend Experience.

"We take great pride in being ranked alongside events with much larger participant numbers and event budgets," noted Tony Banovich, Missoula Marathon race director. "It’s a testament to the Missoula community that we can provide a world-class race in Western Montana.”

Now in its 14th year, the Missoula Marathon weekend of events include a Beer Run, Runner Expo, 5K, Kids Marathon, Half Marathon and Marathon.

Over the years, it’s become known as a destination race and bucket list race for runners from around the world. The 2020 race weekend will be Friday, June 26 through Sunday, June 28.

Callum Hawkins has been pre-selected to race for Great Britain in next year’s Olympic Games marathon

The 27-year-old Callum Hawkins ran a Scottish record of 2:08:14 in London earlier this year before finishing fourth at the IAAF World Championships in Doha and will look to improve on the ninth place he achieved on his Olympic debut in Rio in 2016 when he lines up in Sapporo on August 9.

Doha marked the second successive World Championships marathon in which Hawkins has finished fourth as he also secured that result in London in 2017.

“British Athletics have taken the opportunity to pre-select him seven months in advance of Tokyo 2020 in order to give him the best possible preparation to compete for a medal,” the national governing body said when announcing Hawkins’ pre-selection.

British Athletics will officially select Hawkins for nomination to the British Olympic Association following the final marathon selection meeting on April 28, provided he has demonstrated form and fitness prior to the meeting taking place.

Despite the fine marathon performances of the likes of Charlotte Purdue, Steph Twell and Jess Piasecki this year, no British women have been pre-selected and attention will now turn to the Virgin Money London Marathon on April 26, which acts as British Athletics’ official marathon trial for the Olympic Games.

The top two finishers there are guaranteed selection as long as they have also achieved the qualifying standard of 2:11:30 for men and 2:29:30 for women.

Hawkins does not look set to be joined by Mo Farah on the GB men’s marathon team as the four-time Olympic champion announced his track return last month, with his sights on defending his 10,000m title in Tokyo.

Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei was voted the 2019 New York Road Runners Pro Performer of the Year after winning the TCS New York City Marathon

Joyciline Jepkosgei Voted 2019 New York Road Runners Pro Performer of the Year, in the second-fastest time in event history in her marathon debut and also winning the United Airlines NYC Half. The NYRR Pro Performer of the Year award recognizes the top athlete for his or her outstanding achievements at NYRR races over the entire year.

“Joyciline had an incredible year, becoming the first athlete ever to win an open division title at the TCS New York City Marathon and the United Airlines NYC Half in the same year,” said Chris Weiller, NYRR senior vice president of media, public relations and professional athletics. “She’s one of the world’s best runners and she showed it on streets of New York in her first two trips to the United States. We are extremely grateful at NYRR to have had Joyciline inspire our running community twice this year with her historic runs through the five boroughs.”

Jepkosgei, 26, won the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon in 2:22:38, just seven seconds off the women’s open division course record. It was the fastest time ever by a woman making her New York City Marathon debut. At the 2019 United Airlines NYC Half, during her first-ever trip to the United States, she won on a solo run to the finish in a time of 1:10:07. The world championship silver medalist in the distance became the sixth woman from Kenya to win the event, and the first to do so since 2014.

The finalists for the award were chosen based off their performances at the following NYRR races in the NYRR Pro Racing Series: NYRR Wanamaker Mile, United Airlines NYC Half, UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, NYRR New York Mini 10K and USATF 10 km Championships, New Balance 5th Avenue Mile, Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K and USATF 5 km Championships, and TCS New York City Marathon.

The other nominees for 2019 NYRR Pro Performer of the Year included: Geoffrey Kamworor (Kenya), Daniel Romanchuk (USA), Manuela Schär (Switzerland), Jenny Simpson (USA), and Nick Willis (New Zealand). The public vote accounted for one-third of the final tally, the media vote counted for one third, and an NYRR committee counted for one third.

Germany’s 1964 Olympic 80m hurdles champion Karin Balzer died on Tuesday at the age of 81

Born Karin Richert in 1938, Balzer made her Olympic debut in 1960 at the age of 22 and missed out on making the Olympic final by one place. One year later she married her coach, former pole vault Karl-Heinz Balzer, with whom she had briefly fled East Germany two years prior, only to return after being threatened by the Stasi.

Balzer won her first major medal when taking silver at the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade. A talented all-rounder, Balzer’s first world record in the sprint hurdles came when she was contesting a pentathlon. She clocked 10.5 in the 80m hurdles to equal the mark that was already shared between Gisela Birkemeyer and Betty Moore.

That performance made her one of the favourites to win the Olympic title in Tokyo that year, but the competition was stiff. It what ended as one of the closest finishes in Olympic history, Balzer won by 0.01 from Poland’s Teresa Cieply with Australia’s Pam Kilborn a further 0.01 behind in third.

Balzer had equalled the Olympic record of 10.6 in the semi-finals. Her time of 10.5 in the final would have equalled her own world record, but the wind was marginally over the limit at 2.3m/s.

She gave birth to her son Andreas in 1965 and returned to the track one year later, winning the European title in Budapest. Balzer was East Germany’s flag bearer at the 1968 Olympics but she was unable to retain her title in Mexico City, eventually finishing fifth. It was the last time the women’s 80m hurdles was contested at a major event as the discipline was extended to 100m from 1969 onwards.

Balzer set the first official world record for the 100m hurdles, clocking 13.3 in Warsaw in June 1969. She improved the mark on two further occasions that year and became the first woman to better 13 seconds.

She also won her second and third European titles in 1969 and 1971. By the end of 1971 she had reduced the world record to 12.6, the seventh official world record of her career, and was named East German Sportswoman of the Year.

While in training for the 1972 Olympics, her fourth Games, Balzer’s son Andreas was involved in an accident and put in a coma. He died the day before the 100m hurdles final, but her husband didn’t tell Balzer until after the race, in which she earned the bronze medal.

Balzer retired in 1973 and gave birth to her second son, Falk, who went on to win European silver in 1998 and world indoor bronze in 1999. Along with Falk, Balzer and her husband coached Anja Rucker, the 1999 world 400m silver medallist.

A trained chemist, Balzer worked as a school teacher after her retirement from athletics and later worked as a lecturer in Cologne.

The Rome Marathon is under new management with a new name, logo and new date, Sunday March 29 2020

The Rome marathon is under new management and will be run Sunday March 29 it was announced this morning at the Ara Pacis Museum.

With a new name and logo, the new management has a desire to show that Rome loves sports and, in particular, running.

An international level marathon with tens of thousands of athletes, half of them from hundreds of countries will showcase Rome, a unique city for its charm, monuments, history and heritage. 

The Marathon looks to the future, but at the same time retains its unique charm represented by a path that runs the history of Rome and its symbolic monuments said the new director of the event, Michaela Castelli.  

Run Rome The Marathon is the most fascinating race in the world. you will feel your heart beat each of the 42.195 km that you will run.

Your steps will cross the same roads where the ancient romans used to walk more than two thousand years ago. every view will tell you a story. Every sight will be eternal like Rome is.

The course will carry through Foro Italico, the Mosque of Rome, you will be running on the same steets trampled a few millennia ago by the ancient Romans. On the route, you won’t miss Piazza Navona, Via del Corso, Piazza del Popolo and Piazza di Spagna, with the famous stairway of Trinità dei Monti. The main character of the marathon will be the Colosseum, majestic background, start and finish points of the race.

Running and monuments, sweat and history, personal achievements and medals to conquer, joy, thrills and tears. Rome will surround you, will embrace you, will capture you, Rome awaits you.

The marathon has ancient roots, here in Rome it has a strong tradition. We can go back a century, up to April 2, 1906, when Dorando Pietri won the marathon crossing the finish line in Piazza di Siena. Or we can go back 60 years, to the magic night in 1960 when during the Olympic Games in Rome, Ethiopian Abebe Bikila opens the season of African Marathoners, running bare footed the whole race. His run through Appia Antica enlightened only by torches became pure history in athletics, as well as his winning photo while crossing the finish line at the Arco di Costantino.

The marathon we all know and that will be held on Sunday, 29 March 2020 has its roots in 1995 with Italia Marathon Club, and has been awarded with the prestigious Gold Label IAAF in 2011. In 2019 FIDAL hosted the event and for 2020 a new organizing committee took place, made up by Infront, Corriere dello Sport – Stadio, Italia Marathon Club and Atielle Roma.

More than 115 countries took part in the past editions.

John Hancock and the Boston Athletic Association announced 16 Boston marathon champions will be running the 2020 Boston Marathon

In a joint statement this morning, John Hancock and the Boston Athletic Association announced that sixteen prior race champions, including 2018 winner Desiree Linden, would run the 2020 Boston Marathon scheduled for Monday, April 20.  The 2020 race, always held on the third Monday in April, will be the 124th running of the world’s oldest marathon.

“In our 35th year as principal sponsor of this historic race, we are excited to welcome back our accomplished champions,” said John Hancock chief marketing officer Barbara Goose through a statement.  “Their return is a testimony to the tradition and legacy that is the Boston Marathon. These champions are not just racing each other, they are chasing history.”

While today’s announcement included the race’s four open and wheelchair division champions from 2019 –Lawrence Cherono of Kenya, Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia, Manuela Schär of Switzerland and Daniel Romanchuk of the United States– it is the inclusion of Linden, a two-time Olympian, which will likely get the most attention, at least domestically.  Linden, 36, who won the bitterly cold and rain-soaked edition of the race in 2018 where three quarters of the elite field couldn’t finish, will run Boston for the eight time.  Moreover, she plans to double back from the USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon which will take place 51 days earlier in Atlanta on February 29.  A top-3 finish there would put her on her third Olympic team.

“Running the Boston Marathon seven weeks after the U.S. Olympic Trials is a plan that has been in the works for roughly a year,” Linden explained in a written statement.  “I crossed the finish line in 2019 and knew if my body was capable, I wanted to return to Boston in 2020. My coach, Walt Drenth, and I had some long conversations on doing the double, how we would tailor the training, and if it was reasonable to expect to run well in both races.  We were both excited about the challenge.”

Linden’s marathon career began inauspiciously in Boston in 2007 when she finished 18th in 2:44:56, a time which would only have qualified her for next year’s Olympic Trials by four seconds.  But when she returned to the race in 2011, she was a different athlete, nearly winning in a personal best 2:22:38 after a thrilling three-way battle against Kenya’s Caroline Kilel and Sharon Cherop on Boylston Street.  Kilel got the win in 2:22:36, just two seconds ahead of Linden and six seconds ahead of Cherop.

Other prior race champions in the open division announced for the 2020 marathon were Yuki Kawauchi of Japan (first in 2018); Edna Kiplagat (2017), Geoffrey Kirui (2017), and Caroline Rotich of Kenya (2015); and Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia (2013 and 2015), the reigning World Athletics marathon champion.  Prior wheelchair division champions who have entered were Tatyana McFadden of the United States (2013 – 2016, 2018), Marcel Hug of Switzerland (2015 – 2018), Ernst van Dyk of South Africa (2011 – 2016, 2008 – 2010, 2014), Hiroyuki Yamamoto (2013) and Masazumi Soejima (2007 and 2011) of Japan, and Josh Cassidy of Canada (2012).

“The race for the tape on Patriots’ Day will surely be both competitive and compelling, as John Hancock has fielded a tremendous team of champions,” said Tom Grilk, the B.A.A. CEO.  “With 16 returning champions, the roads leading to Boston will be filled with many of the most decorated runners and wheelchair racers in history. Another memorable chapter in Boston Marathon history will surely unfold on April 20.”

The Boston Marathon –which recorded 26,632 finishers in 2019– is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a confederation of the world’s top marathons, and is also a World Athletics Platinum Label road race.  The Platinum Label is new for 2020 and has been given only to a super-elite group of eight marathons so far: Tokyo, Nagoya Women’s, Seoul, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York (two to four more may be added, according to World Athletics).

Yuki Kawauchi ran his 100th marathon at the Hofu Yomiuri Marathon in Japan

2018 Boston Marathon champion Yuki Kawauchi is not like most other competitive marathoners, who typically don’t race more than two or three marathons a year. Yesterday Kawauchi ran his 100th marathon, at the Hofu Yomiuri Marathon in Japan, about 150 kilometers southwest of Hiroshima.

Kawauchi won this race last year, in 2:11:29. This year he finished in 2:14:17, in seventh place, making it his 94th marathon finishing in 2:20 or under.

Students of Kawauchi’s career know that his first marathon was 10 years ago, at the 2009 Beppu-ÅŒita Marathon in Japan, where he finished 20th in 2:19:26. (He brought his time down twice more that year, in Tokyo and Hokkaido.) This means he has averaged more than nine sub 2:20 marathons per year.

While most competitive marathoners don’t race that distance more than twice a year, Kawauchi races about once a month.

It’s a different kind of impressive from the traditional quest to be the fastest in the world. A 2:08 guy (from Seoul in 2013), Kawauchi may not challenge the world’s fastest marathoners, but he dominates in sheer volume of running. He’s had his share of podium finishes–in addition to winning Boston last year in conditions that drove many of his faster competitors off the course (his 79th sub-2:20 finish), he has stood on the podium at the Gold Coast Marathon four times, and last year he won the BMO Vancouver Marathon, adding to the list of smaller marathons he has won. According to his Wikipedia page, Kawauchi entered nine marathons in 2012 and won five of them.

Kawauchi races ultra distances as well, which some say is his secret weapon. And he comes from a family of runners–his two younger brothers are also marathoners, and this year he returned to Boston with his mom, Mika Kawauchi, who started running marathons at age 52 and qualified easily.

At the rate he’s going, we predict that by next summer he’ll have 100 sub-2:20 finishes.