Running News Daily

Kenyan Julius Kogo won the men’s 10-mile Crim race for the eighth time in his career on Saturday

Julius Kogo wins 8th Crim race under sunny skies in downtown Flint.

Kogo finished the race with a time of 46:52, according to race results.

“I know the course, and though (late in the race) my body was not good, I felt my strength and prayed to God, and just did my best,” Kogo said moments after crossing the finish line. “God willing as I stay healthy, next year I’ll be back.”

Rounding out the top five were second place Nathan Martin, 46:56; third place Dominic Korir, 47:04; fourth place Dathan Ritzenhein, 47:19 and fifth place Andrew Bumbalough, 47:41.

An estimated 12,000 to 13,000 racers participated in the event, according to Race Director Andy Younger.

Tokyo marathon silver medalist Bedan Karoki says he is preparing for a second assault at the Chicago marathon in October

Bedan Karoki, 29, will be among a battery of Kenyan stars heading to the United States seeking to conquer the American race after he only finished ninth in his first bid last year.

"I have been training hard to prepare for the Chicago marathon," Karoki said.

"It is a tough race bearing in mind that we face Mo Farah, Boston marathon champion Lawrence Cherono among others. But it is down to how you prepare and how the body responds on the day of competition."

Karoki, the world half marathon silver medalist in 2016, made his marathon debut in 2017.

"I still need to learn more in the marathon. But I have high hopes of doing well in Chicago. Training is going on well with no injury concerns," he said.

However, Karoki will face tough challenges from defending champion Farah and Boston champion Cherono, both of whom confirmed their quest for the Chicago title this year.

Vivian Kiplagat broke the women’s race record at the 37th Telcel Mexico City Marathon

Kiplagat, 31, ran the second half of the race 10 minutes faster than the first to cross the finish line in 2:33:27, taking almost three minutes off the race record of 2:36:16 set by Peru’s Pan American Games champion Gladys Tejeda in 2017.

Duncan Maiyo slowed down significantly in the second half, but his lead was good enough to secure victory in 2:12:50, two minutes shy of the 2:10:38 race record established by his compatriot Titus Ekiru.

With about 13C heat and 80% humidity at the start, Mexico’s Fabiola Pérez led the group through the first 5km in a pedestrian 20:25. The group of four Kenyan and four Ethiopian women took over and hit 10km in 39:40. By the time they reached the halfway mark, covered in 1:21:43, the group had shrunk to six.

Kiplagat and Paskalia Kipkoech reached the 25km point with a three-second lead over the chase pack of four women and gradually increased their leading margin. The former launched her attack at about 36km and Pamela Rotich could not respond.

Kiplagat, a two-time winner at the Milan Marathon, became the first Kenyan woman to win this race since 2011, crossing the line in 2:33:27. Kipkoech also finished inside the previous record in second place with 2:34:09. Rotich, who finished fifth last year, completed the all-Kenyan podium with 2:38:14.

In the men’s race, Kenya’s Mathew Kisorio, the only sub-2:05 man in the field, sped to the front early on and set a daring pace for a marathon contested at 2,240m above sea level.

With the course going downhill for the first eight kilometres, Kisorio covered the first 5km in 14:33, eight seconds ahead of Duncan Maiyo. By 10km, Maiyo had closed the gap to three seconds, 29:25 to 29:28, and remained in close contact at 15km (44:44 to 44:53).

Kisorio kept up the pressure and hit the halfway mark on Reforma Avenue in 1:03:59 with a 32-second gap on Maiyo. The chase group, meanwhile, was 2:08 adrift.

But the fast pace eventually took its toll on Kisorio as he slowed down significantly at about 30km. With the clock reading 1:39:20, Maiyo caught up with the long-time leader and Kisorio abandoned the race soon after.

More than three minutes ahead of the chase pack, Maiyo cruised to his victory in 2:12:50. It was his first marathon triumph since 2016, his best season when he twice bettered 2:10, including his lifetime best of 2:09:25.

Ethiopia’s Girmay Birhanu (2:16:14) and Eritrea’s Amanuel Mesel (2:16:28) completed the podium.

Both winners were rewarded with 550,000 Mexican pesos (about $27,000).

With a new and faster course, the only IAAF Gold Label marathon in Latin America drew about 25,000 runners.

Kilian Jornet falls short of Pikes Peak Marathon record as Maude Mathys obliterates women’s mark set last year

Catlan runner ran 3:27:39, nearly 11 minutes shy of Matt Carpenter’s record, which has stood for 26 years

One of the most revered records in American mountain running has withstood a challenge from this generation’s greatest ultrarunner.

Despite an early fast pace, Catalan mountain running superstar Kilian Jornet fell short of breaking Matt Carpenter’s ascent and overall course record in the 64th edition of the Pikes Peak Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 3 hours, 27 minutes, 29 seconds — nearly 11 minutes slower than Carpenter’s 3:16:39, set in 1993.

But Swiss ultrarunner Maude Mathys still provided reason to celebrate. Mathys won the women’s division in 4:02:45, crushing the course record set by Megan Kimmel last year in 4:15:04.

Carpenter’s course record has stood for 26 years. Jornet came to the Pikes Peak Marathon as part of the Salomon Golden Trail World Series, a collection of some of the top mountain races in the world, racing in the hopes of breaking the record after also falling short in 2012.

But he said afterward that his legs felt heavy during his morning warmup. He set a course record at the Sierre-Zinal trail race in Switzerland just two weeks ago, but he said that the short turnaround wasn’t a factor in his race today.

At the halfway mark — the summit of Pikes Peak — the record quest appeared to be in jeopardy. Jornet summited in 2:09:15, more than eight minutes behind Carpenter’s 2:01:06 ascent record, which Carpenter set in the same race he recorded the overall record.

For Carpenter, now 55, Pikes Peak is and remains his domain. He has won the marathon 12 times and the ascent-only run — held the day before the marathon — six times. He has lived in Manitou Springs for years and trained frequently on the Pikes Peak course, learning how to handle the altitude while navigating the flats, switchbacks and steep sections.

In recent years, trail running has exploded in popularity throughout the U.S. and the world, ushering a sport from the fringes of distance running to the mainstream. That has brought a new era of young, accomplished runners who have broken and rebroken records and so-called fastest-known times — thought to be untouchable. Despite the onslaught, Carpenter’s records at both Pikes Peak and the Leadville 100 still stand years after they were set.

The Pikes Peak Marathon course starts in Manitou Springs at 6,300 feet, before climbing more than 7,700 feet to Pikes Peak’s summit at 14,115 feet. The race is the second-oldest marathon in the United States and was the first in the U.S. to record an official women’s finisher.

Just past the first mile, Jornet was already leading the pack by a few steps. Just before five miles, he had built up his lead to more than 90 seconds, on pace to hit the summit in under two hours. But his legs soon caught up with him, and he slowed, summiting in 2:09:15.

Jornet had run this race in 2012, winning in 3:40:26. But he also competed with a heaver race schedule then.

Pikes Peak is one of only three races Jornet will do all year. Already, Jornet holds the course record counterclockwise and clockwise for the Hardrock 100, one of Colorado’s other esteemed ultra runs that starts and finishes in Silverton and loops through Ouray, Telluride and Lake City in the San Juan Mountains, forcing runnings to ascend some 33,000 feet over 100.5 miles.

Robin and Varsha take top honors at the Mumbai Half Marathon

Delhi runner Robin Singh had to brave a heavy morning downpour and a persistent challenge from Dnyaneshwar to finish the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon clocking 1:11:43, almost two minutes ahead of the defending champion.

Mumbai's Varsha Namdev Bhawari proved to be untouchable among the women clocking 1:33:38 on a course that started and finished at the Jio Gardens at the Bandra Kurla Complex.

Robin broke away from the pack early on and calmly kept widening the gap between himself and the rest of the field.

Dnyaneshwar, however, stayed within striking distance for the most part and made a final dash but could only manage a 1:13:44 to finish second.  Dnyaneshwar probably had to worry more about the man breathing down his neck than the crown that was slipping away from his fingers.

Last year's runner-up Parshram Bhoi almost caught him at the finish, coming in third just a second behind Dnyaneshwar.

The women's contest too turned out to be intriguing.  Varsha was the undisputed queen though last year's runner-up Sayali Kupate gave her a run for her money.

They were almost shoulder to shoulder for about 15 kilometers before Kupate lost some steam and settled for second.

Nayan Balasaheb Kirdak clocked 1:38:24 for third place.

11th Annual Speedy PD Race for Parkinson's Disease

More than seven hundred people gathered at Tuttle Creek State Park in Manhattan Kansas Saturday for the 11th annual Speedy PD Race for Parkinson’s Disease.

More than $81,000 was raised by donations, sponsorships, and race fees.

The money raised goes to the Meadowlark Parkinson Fund to help support services for the community to improve the quality of life for all those affected by Parkinson’s disease.

With this fund, Meadowlark is able to continue and expand opportunities for education, outreach and much more.

Saturday’s event had more than 50 participants with Parkinson’s Disease and 10 of those completed the 5K event.

“So it’s just a true testament to what people can do when they are living with this disease, that they can..can do amazing things.” Meadowlark Hills Parkinson’s Program leader, Michelle Haub says.

Kenyans Mathew Kipkoech and Vivian Kiplagat lead a group of eight sub-2:10 men and eight sub-2:30 women vying to become the new champions and to rewrite the records at the 37th Telcel Mexico City International Marathon on Sunday

After a successful 2018 edition, which honoured the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Olympic Games following the same course used at the Games, organisers have designed a new course and assembled one of the best fields in the 37-year-old history of the race, hoping to break the 2:10 and 2:30 barriers at high altitude (2,240m above sea level).

Mathew Kisorio is hoping to be that man. Third at this race last year, he cracked the 2:05 barrier three months later in Valencia with 2:04:53. The 30-year-old is comfortable racing at altitude as his pedigree shows. In February, he made his Mexican debut by winning the Guadalajara Half Marathon and went on to take the Eldoret Marathon two months later.

In the absence of last year’s winner Titus Ekiru, 2018 runner-up Edwin Koech will try to keep the Kenyan supremacy on Mexican roads. The 27-year-old has a personal best of 2:07:13 from 2017 in Milano. He returned to that Italian city last April and finished third with 2:08:24.

Vincent Kipruto, the 2011 World World Championships silver medallist at the distance, will make his Mexican debut. He boasts a personal best of 2:05:13 from 2010 and regained similar form two years ago in Berlin with 2:06:14. Sunday’s will be his first race of the year.

Other top candidates for victory are Ethiopia’s Deribe Merga (2:06:38), Abdela Godana (2:09:04) and Yihunilign Adane (2:09:11), as well as Eritrea’s Amanuel Mesel Tikue (2:08:17).

In the women’s field, Vivian Kiplagat is hoping to bring back the title to Kenya after Peru’s Gladys Tejeda's wins in 2016-2017 and Ethiopia’s Etaferahu Temesgen’s victory in 2018.

Kiplagat, 31, improved her personal best by over four and a half minutes to 2:22:25 to successfully retain her title in Milano last April. Sunday will mark her debut in Mexican races. She is also comfortable running at altitude, judging from her 2:28:06, good for second place, two weeks after her win in Italy.

After a busier season with three marathons in 2018, Tinbit Weldegebril will try to keep the women’s crown in Ethiopia. She improved her personal best twice last year, including a lifetime best of 2:23:37 in Valencia in December, her latest marathon before Sunday.

The running battle between Ethiopia and Kenya should produce an exciting day of racing on Sunday. Kenya is also represented by Paskalia Chepkorir Kipkoech (2:26:04), Valentine Kipketer (2:28:05) and Pamela Rotich (2:27:48), her country’s best ranked woman Mexico City last year, in fifth.

Ethiopia, a country that topped the four first places in the women’s race in 2018, also features Zerfie Limeneh (2:26:48), Zinash Debebe (2:27:15) and Tigist Gebeyahu (2:27:35).

With the start at UNAM University, the venue of the 1968 Olympic stadium, and finish at the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main square, organisers are hoping to see records broken as the race makes its debut as an IAAF Gold Label race.

The records were set by Kenya’s Titus Ekiru (2:10:38) in 2018 and Peru’s Pan American Games champion Gladys Tejeda (2:36:16) in 2017. The race has 25,000 runners registered.

Yes, raw speed helps. But it isn’t everything. Why Older Runners Have an Edge in Ultra Races

There were two first-time winners at last weekend’s Leadville Trail 100 Run, as Ryan Smith of Boulder, Colorado, and Magdalena Boulet from Berkeley, California, persevered on the out-and-back course in the Colorado Rockies. Smith won the men’s race in a time of 16:33:24, while Boulet finished in 20:18:06 and, in a salute to her Western environs, broke the tape wearing a black Stetson hat.

Beyond their individual triumphs, Smith and Boulet also chalked one up for the 40+ demographic; Smith turned 40 this year, while Boulet is a spry 46. For those keeping score, this is actually the second consecutive year where both the male and female winners at Leadville were in their fifth decade. In 2018, it was Rob Krar (41) and Outside contributing editor Katie Arnold (46) who stood atop the podium in a race which is among the oldest 100-milers in the country and bears the prestige of being included in the so-called “Grand Slam of Ultrarunning.”

How to account for this quadragenarian dominance? Road racing snobs might point out that the field size in ultras is generally quite small and that these events are hence less competitive than big city marathons with thousands of participants. This year, the Leadville 100 had fewer than 400 finishers. Then there’s the fact that the elite ultrarunning scene, despite its increased mainstream visibility over the past decade, is still largely unprofessional, in the sense that weekend warriors can carry the day at certain marquee events. Smith works full-time as a software engineer, and Boulet is VP of research and development at GU Energy Labs. While this amateur spirit might be a point of pride for ultrarunners who don’t want their sport to devolve into the doping-riddled morass that is professional track and field, one could argue that it also subtly discourages the best pro distance athletes (i.e. Kenyan and Ethiopian runners) from turning to the trails. This, in turn, makes the podium perpetually attainable for the super-fit middle-aged hobbyist.

But maybe there’s more to it than that. Given the amount of stuff that can go wrong when you’re running 100 miles in the mountains, perhaps more “mature” athletes might have an advantage when raw speed is less essential than psychological resilience.

“Ultrarunning is about problem solving and being fast is just one piece in a larger puzzle,” says Boulet, who was back at work on Monday morning. “There are so many other pieces that need to fall into place in order to have a successful race.”

Boulet would know. In 2015, she triumphed at Western States, arguably the most vaunted ultra on U.S. soil. Last year, she won the Marathon des Sables, a 156-mile, six-day stage race in the Sahara Desert that frequently gets cited as one of the world’s most difficult races.

Boulet also has the rare distinction of having successfully transitioned into the world of ultrarunning after a previous career as a pro marathoner and road racer. In 2008, she made the U.S. Olympic team in the marathon. The following year she was the first American woman (sixth overall) at the NYC Marathon. With the exception of Kara Goucher, who contested her first trail marathon earlier this summer, Boulet is surely the most accomplished road racer to take a serious shot at competitive trail running.

“I was able to bring the experience from my marathon and road career into trail racing, but with a lot more experience and a lot more patience,” she says. “I’m a lot kinder to myself and my body.”

For his part, Sands, who describes himself as a “serious amateur,” agrees with Boulet that being the best pure runner is only one factor when a race involves one hundred miles of elevation change, gnarly terrain, and volatile weather. Unlike in shorter road races, where it is much more feasible to execute a race plan to perfection, in ultras the objective isn’t so much to avoid mishaps, as to make the best of it when they inevitably happen. 

“Typically success in these longer events is not about getting everything dialed next to perfectly, because that’s just so rare,” Sands notes. “It’s really about, when some issue arises and you’re faced with a challenge, how well can you react in the moment to overcome it.”

This latter point reminded me of a recent email exchange I had with Robert Johnson, the editor and co-founder of Letsrun.com and a road-racing snob if ever there was one. Johnson made the point that one thing he finds intriguing about ultras is that there is still an aspect of the “unknown.” He noted that training for traditional distance running had more or less been “solved”; everyone already knows, more or less, how to prepare for races. Ultra-running, on the other hand, is still very much an undiscovered country.

Boulet agrees with this assessment.

“After twelve years of doing marathons, I got to the point where I had that formula dialed-in really well with my coach. We could look at a block of training and know what that translates into [performance-wise]. It was very predictable,” she says.

But the ultra scene offers enough potential variation that, Boulet notes, each race can necessitate its own specific training cycle. In the lead-up to Marathon des Sables, for instance, she spent weeks running on sand.

“For someone who is older, ultras are really exciting because you’re not doing the same thing over and over. They keep changing,” Boulet says.

“I think that’s also a key to longevity in the sport. To keep it interesting—and fun.”

The World's fastest man Christian Coleman has missed three drugs tests

Christian Coleman, the world's fastest man for the last three years, is fighting for his reputation over an alleged series of missed drugs tests.

Top level sources have told Sportsmail that the 23-year-old American sprinter, who was given a seven-figure sponsorship deal by Nike in 2017 after emerging as the successor to Usain Bolt, is disputing one of three whereabouts failures in the last 12 months.

But if Coleman is unsuccessful in having one of the three strikes cancelled he could face a lengthy ban that not only rules him out of next month's World Championships in Qatar but next year's Olympic Games.

According to the United States Anti-Doping Agency website, 'any cumulation of three Missed Tests or Filing Failures in a 12-month period can result in a potential ADRV and a period of ineligibility of up to two years for a first violation'.

It is understood there are high level ongoing discussions between WADA, USADA and the IAAF's Athletics Integrity Unit about the case, with Coleman's own legal team disputing at least one of the alleged whereabouts violations.

There appears to be an issue because while all tests fall under WADA's Anti-Doping Administration Management System, at least two different testing bodies are thought to be involved.

Coleman, who was beaten to gold at the World Championships in London two years ago by convicted drug cheat Justin Gatlin, is favourite for gold in Qatar and Tokyo next year.

He has already set a new world record over 60m indoors and became the seventh fastest man in history last year when he clocked 9.79 seconds for 100m.

Athletes have proved successful in contesting whereabouts failures in the past. As Sportsmail revealed at the time, British Cyclist Lizzie Deignan - then Armitstead – was facing a ban before the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 but won a case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland shortly before the Games and had one of her three strikes erased from her record.

USADA, the IAAF and the AIU have declined to comment.

Mo Farah says all of his training is focused on the Chicago Marathon but he is not ruling out running the 10,000m at the world championships just yet

Mo Farah said all of his training focus is on defending his Chicago Marathon title on Oct. 13, but the British star also said that he might also enter the world championships 10,000m on Oct. 6.

“I am a reigning world champion, so I do get an automatic spot,” Farah said of the 10,000m, where he is a three-time reigning world champion.

Farah transitioned to road racing after the 2017 season and was thought to be done with major track championships. Farah was the distance king for more than a half-decade, sweeping the 5000m and 10,000m at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

“I get an automatic spot for the 10,000m but my main target is to defend my [marathon] title, come out to Chicago. All my training is geared toward the marathon.”

An IAAF spokesperson said Farah must be entered as part of the British team by Sept. 16 to be eligible for worlds.

British Athletics said Wednesday that its team will be selected Sept. 2.

“Should Mo wish to race the 10,000m in Doha, he would need to advise the selection panel prior to this date,” a spokesperson said.

Farah enticed his followers about the 10,000m in a July 27 Instagram with the hashtag #doha10k, referencing the site of world championships in Qatar. Farah was asked Tuesday why he included the hashtag.

“Anything is possible,” he said. “I’m a reigning champion. I get an automatic spot. There’s nothing I have to do. I just thought why not?”

It’s not an unprecedented type of move to race a 10,000m one week before a marathon. Former training partner Galen Rupp placed fifth in the 2016 Olympic 10,000m on Aug. 13, then took bronze in the marathon on Aug. 21.

Farah said he hasn’t set any major racing plans beyond Chicago. He finished what he called a disappointing fifth in the London Marathon in 2:05.39 on April 28, three minutes behind winner Eliud Kipchoge. Farah said a satisfying result in Chicago would be a win above worrying about a specific time. The last man to repeat as Chicago champ was Kenyan Sammy Wanjiru in 2010.

The 2020 London Marathon is three and a half months before the Tokyo Olympic marathon, a tight turnaround.

“I think I can get back in form for the London Marathon before the Olympics, and then the Olympics, I guess, but I haven’t decided,” Farah said. “My main target now is just Chicago, then work from there.”

A throat cancer survivor is running the Robin Hood Half Marathon along with his doctor

Following a diagnosis of level 4 throat cancer, Michael Bromley had to have a laryngectomy (the removal of his voice box) and a new throat made using a skin graft from his leg.

He was then fitted with a laryngectomy stoma (a small hole in his chest that allows him to breathe). This small hole is connected to his wind pipe meaning the air comes in and out of the hole instead of his nose and mouth. Michael was always a keen runner, even before his cancer diagnosis.

Having a stoma fitted hasn’t stopped his drive for running as he taken part in a 10k run in June and is currently training for the Robin Hood Half Marathon.

He said: “Following my treatment and having the stoma fitted I still wanted to pursue running in my own time, this was a real challenge and took lots of careful training but it all paid off in the end.

“Following my throat cancer treatment and having the stoma in my neck I still wanted to pursue running in my own time, this was a real challenge and took lots of careful training but, hopefully, it will pay off in the end and help be an inspiration for any current and future people that have the same condition”.

“I used fitness and running to help build up my strength and in turn this really helped me through my treatment and with the goals I set myself kept me focused on getting back to a normal as possible life.

“I have signed up to take part in the Robin Hood Half Marathon in September, this was the main objective after the operation, as a joke I asked my consultant Neeraj to run it with me and he agreed, he has now signed up and is really looking forward to it! The run won’t be easy but I’m determined to make it to the finish line and help raise funds for the Head and Neck cancer guys.”

Neeraj Sethi a consultant ENT Surgeon at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has agreed to take part in the marathon alongside Michael. Mr Sethi said: “Mick is an inspiration. Despite his cancer diagnosis and his treatment he has strived and pushed himself to not only improve his health but to continue his running.

“He’s already completed a 10k now his eyes are set on the Robin Hood half marathon. Mick challenged me to take part and run the marathon with him so I’ve signed up, now all I have to do is try to keep up with Mick!

Eight refugee athletes will compete at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar

“We have been training hard. The team is motivated and prepared to perform well at the World Championships. The refugee camp has 30 athletes, out of which we have selected eight for the Doha championships.

We already have three athletes who have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics from the team and we are sure others will attain the qualification standard by next year,” said head coach Thomas Mukwana.

On Thursday, Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei and other officials met the team during the national athletics championships at Nyayo Stadium.

The refugees’ team first participated in the World Championships in London in 2017 and since then, the team has been invited to all IAAF events, with the travel and accommodation for the athletes and officials catered for by the IAAF.

The programme is an initiative of Tecla Loroupe, a three-time world champion, through the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation.

Kenyan Geoffrey Kamworor will skip the World Championships at Doha, Eyeing NYC Marathon title instead

Having said earlier this month that he intended to contest the 10,000m title in the world championships for a third time. 

Kamworor, who recently won Kenya’s national championships in the 10,000m, says he prefers to focus on the TCS New York City Marathon, which he narrowly won in 2017 over countryman and former world record-holder Wilson Kipsang. It was Kamworor’s eighth marathon. This year’s event runs November 3, which is only 10 weeks away.

Kamworor, who has also won the world half-marathon championships three times, made the announcement today, after winning the 10,000m title over Rhonex Kipruto and Rodgers Kwemoi in Nairobi yesterday. (Kipruto ran the fastest 10K time on American soil at the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta last month in 27:01.

Kamworor was second in the 10,000m at the 2015 world championships, and sixth in 2017. The last time a Kenyan man won the 10,000m in the world championships was 2001, when Charles Kamathi took the title from Haile Gebrselassie in Edmonton.)

Sir Mo Farah of the UK has won the last three world championships, but Farah, too, has given up the track in favour of the marathon. He will race the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 13.

According to the announcement, Alex Oloitiptip has been selected to represent Kenya in the 10,000m in Doha.

Humana has announced today that it will be a presenting partner of the 2019 Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon

The Coastal Running Fest includes a marathon (26.2 miles), half marathon (13.1 miles), 5K (3.1 miles) and kids marathon (a 1.2 mile fun run).

“We’re excited to partner with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon this December in Biloxi,” said Humana Gulf States Medicare President Matt Berger. “Humana is committed to improving the health and well-being of our members on the Gulf Coast and across Mississippi, and this wonderful community event offers Gulf Coast seniors and their families a great way to get active and engaged in their health and fitness.”

Adding to the excitement, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon has joined the second edition of the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Rankings.

Launching in Sept. 2018, the Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Rankings aims to raise awareness of the sport of marathon running by highlighting the achievements of age-group marathon runners, that otherwise might go unnoticed.The 2020 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will mark the end of the qualification period for the second edition of the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Rankings. The World Championships will take place in the spring of 2021 with the venue to be announced next year.

Participants in an AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Ranking qualifying race will earn points according to their age, time and gender, aligned with the following age groups for men and women: 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+.

Tim Hadzima, Executive Director of Abbott World Marathon Majors said: “We are very excited about the response to the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Rankings from marathons around the world. More than 125,000 runners aged 40+ participate in AbbottWMM races each year and this new system will allow even more runners to become a part of the AbbottWMM family. Our system gives runners a chance to run all over the world and all across the calendar on a truly global stage. We want to give them a chance to gain recognition like never before.

“We are proud to be working with all our partners to take age group marathon running to the next level and showcase the achievements of these everyday champions.”

“The addition of Humana with the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group Qualifying Series makes a major statement for the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Craig Sweeney, Strategic Partnership Director of the Louisiana Marathon.  “The Coast has seen a renaissance ever since Hurricane Katrina changed the landscape and these two huge additions to the marathon further show that the Mississippi Gulf Coast is the place to be!”

Desiree Linden is set to Defend her title at 2019 Humana Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon

The 2019 Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon will once again include a world-class group of elite men and women when they toe the line on Sept. 15 in the City of Brotherly Love. Given the depth of the elite field, the half marathon is set to be one of the most competitive races in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series® circuit all year.

The flat and fast course starts on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, runs through Center City before winding along the city’s scenic Schuylkill River and finishing at the iconic “Rocky Steps” of the Philadelphia Art Museum.

Leading the field will be the defending women’s Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon champion Desiree “Des” Linden. Linden won the 2018 Boston Marathon, becoming the first American woman to win the race in 33 years. Linden is a two-time Olympian from San Diego, Calif. and has represented the United States of America at the last two Summer Olympic Games.

Her best finish came in 2016 in Rio when she placed seventh in the women’s marathon. Her personal best in the marathon is 2:22:38 while her best for the half marathon is 1:10:34. “I’m looking forward to returning to the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon to defend my title,” said Linden.

“Last year this race worked well in my preparations for the TCS New York City Marathon; I’m excited to compete against my fellow Americans and the international field on the streets of Philly.” Linden’s victory at the 2018 Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon came in her first competitive race after winning the Boston Marathon, and she will be striving for a repeat this year among yet another stacked field of contenders. In addition to Linden, the women’s field is punctuated by a wealth of talent that features Olympians and rising stars. One of those rising stars is Fontana, Calif. native Jordan Hasay.

Hasay, just 27 years old, has landed herself on the podium at marquee events throughout the country: she placed third in both the 2017 and 2019 editions of the Boston Marathon, finishing with a time of 2:23:00 and 2:25:20, respectively. In addition to that, Hasay took third at the 2017 Chicago Marathon with a finishing time of 2:20:57.

Hasay’s participation in the 2019 Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon will mark her second year running in the event, following her third-place finish in 2017 when she clocked in at 1:10:41. “I competed here at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon in 2017 and enjoyed the race, I went on to set a personal best at Chicago Marathon that year so I hope that I can come here and perform at the front end which will set me up for another great marathon,” said Hasay.

“This race is steeped in USA road racing history; countless national and world records have been set here, so I would love to add my name to the roll of honor.” The star-studded men’s field is led by four-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman. The Somalian-born Abdirahman represented the United States at the Olympics in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 and placed third in the New York City Marathon in 2016. He has personal bests of 2:08:56 in the marathon and 1:01:07 in the half marathon.

Abdirahman will be taking on talented newcomers like Clayton Young and established competition like Tyler Andrews. Young, who hails from American Fork, Utah, was the 2019 NCAA 10,000-meter champion, and will be making his debut in Philadelphia. Cambridge, Mass. native Andrews took home top honors at the 2019 United Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington DC Marathon & ½ Marathon with a finishing time of 2:24:13 in the marathon. 

“We are incredibly excited about the field of participants that are slated to run at the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon,” said Audra Tassone, Regional Director for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series.

“This event has proven to be one of the most successful tune-up events for an incredibly talented group of elite runners and we are anxious to see how it all shakes out next month. To be able to put World Marathon Major winners, Olympic medalists, and World Champions on the same starting line is a testament to the regard in which this race is held.”

60 years ago, Arlene Pieper Stine was the first woman to run to the top of Pikes Peak and first US woman to finish a marathon

In white shorts, sleeveless blouse and dime-store tennis shoes, Arlene Pieper Stine, 29, stood on the start line of the 1959 Pikes Peak Marathon looking more like Marilyn Monroe than a mountaineer.

But Pieper Stine, then a Colorado Springs health club owner, not only finished the 26-mile race, with its grueling 8,000 feet of vertical gain to the 14,115 summit, she became the first woman to complete a sanctioned marathon in the United States.

Eight years later, Kathrine Switzer would be the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon in a dramatic act of gender defiance.

This weekend, 60 years after Arlene Pieper Stine conquered Pikes Peak in 9 hours and 16 minutes, hundreds of women will line up at the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathonstart, following her path on one of the country’s toughest and highest altitude race courses.

In 2009, after a long search, a Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon historian trackeddown Pieper Stine, who had long ago moved away and was living near Fresno, California. 

She had no idea of her place in running history. 

“I still remember it like it was yesterday,” she said in a 2014 interview. “You can be a wonderful wife and mother, but doing the race showed me that if there’s something you really want to do, you should go for it.”

A black-and-white photo of that race start shows Pieper Stine along with her 9-year-old daughter, Kathy, and her husband, who ran with her to offer moral support.

Pieper Stine said she got the idea to do the race as a way to promote Arlene’s Health Studio. The Pikes Peak Marathon never prohibited women from participating.

“In those days, we had no aid stations like there are now, and my running shoes were actually just those sneakers you get from the five and dime,” she said. “And about a week after the race, all 10 of my toenails fell off!”

Pieper Stine, now 89, sometimes returns to Manitou Springs to mark the official start of the race. “What a thrill to look out and see all these people getting ready to run.”

She was inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 and has became a cult figure in the local racing community, inspiring a group of women runners to dress as Pieper Stine did in 1959 in the inaugural “She Moves Mountains” run up the peak last weekend, race organizer Alicia Pino said.

Kamworor remained adamant that Doha is not on his mind as he seeks to reclaim the New York Marathon title

Kenya Defence Forces Alex Oloitiptip is the beneficiary of a slot to represent the country at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar next month despite finishing fourth during yesterday’s national trials.

Oloitiptip, a 58:51 man over the half marathon clocked 27:29.40 behind race winner Geoffrey Kamworor (27:24.76), Rhonex Kipruto (27:26.34) and Rodgers Kwemoi (27:26.92).

Richard Kimunyan (27:47.86) and Bernard Kimeli (27:53.32) completed the top six places.

Oloitiptip got the rare slot after Kamworor remained adamant that Doha is not on his mind as he seeks to reclaim the New York Marathon title he won in 2017 but lost to Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa last year.

In a rare move, Athletics Kenya held the 10,000m race trials during the national trials and it was evident from the onset that the invited athletes were eager to bag a ticket to Doha, save for Kamworor, whose aim was to represent his team, National Police Service and as well fine-tune for New York.

In fine weather conditions, Oloitiptip set the early pace followed closely by 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Edwin Soi and Kimunyan, the 2018 world U-18 3,000m champion.

The race went into a single file by the start of the sixth lap with no athlete willing to make the decisive move. Road racer Bernard Kimeli then tried to up the pace in the eighth lap after taking the lead but the chasing pack kept tabs with him for the next four laps.

Kipruto took the lead at the halfway point controlled the race comfortably with Kwemoi and Kimunyan still interested. Kamworor joined the leading pack in the 17th lap and bid his time as Kipruto and Kwemoi tussled for the lead.

At the bell, Kamworor made his move, cruising past a tiring Kipruto and Kwemoi and strode home to victory.

“I was using the event today to test my speed work for the marathon. My body is in good shape and I am confident I can win in New York come November 3,” said Kamworor.

Cancer survivor Julia Khvasechko will run her 229th marathon at this year’s Air Force Marathon on Sept. 21

Khvasecko has ran a marathon in all 50 states twice and is now working on round three making the Air Force marathon her third marathon ran in the state of Ohio.

Running marathons has so much more meaning for cancer survivor and pacer Julia Khvasechko as she runs in her 229th marathon at this year’s Air Force Marathon on Sept. 21.

Looking at Khvasechko today, she is a vision of health and wellness; but 20 years ago, that was not the case.

In 1998 at the age of 24, she began experiencing seizures and after a visit to the doctor and several medical tests, she was diagnosed with brain cancer.

With only a 30 percent chance to survive, Khvasechko’s determination to beat the disease came after watching runners participate in the New York Marathon.

“Everyone looked healthy and I would have given anything at that time in my life to be healthy,” she said.  “I decided then and there that if God gave me the strength to get me out of my wheelchair, I was going to run a marathon.”

Khvasechko had a glioma in her right temporal lobe and underwent a temporal lobectomy. After undergoing treatments and learning how to walk again unassisted, Khvasechko was finally cancer free and as she promised herself, she ran her first marathon in 2005 at the Marine Corps Marathon and in 2007, she ran the New York Marathon.   

“I ran by the hospital where I was once a patient and as I went by, I waved at everyone, high-fived them and I cried tears of joy,” Khvasechko said. “That was the greatest feeling I have ever had in my entire life!”

Khvasecko has been running marathons ever since and has made many memorable events along the way. In fact, in 2010 at a marathon in Wisconsin, she met her husband to be, Maj. Shane Garling, and after three years of dating, Garling proposed to her at a marathon in Louisiana. On Jan. 19, 2014, Khvasecko and Garling sealed the deal and exchanged wedding vows on Mile 17 at the Maui Oceanfront Marathon in Maui, Hawaii.

That day also marked Khvasecko’s accomplishment of running a marathon in all 50 states and again at the same marathon on Jan. 15, 2017, she completed her second round of running in every state.

A licensed massage therapist and yoga teacher, Khvasecko is now working on her third round making the Air Force Marathon her third race in Ohio. Her goal is to finish once again in Maui by January 2021.

No longer running for herself, Khvasechko is driven to help other people achieve their goals by running as a pacer.

“I am honored to be coming back and pacing the 4:25 group this year at the Air Force Marathon,” said Khvasechko.  “I love to help people become their best selves and achieve their goals and dreams. When someone runs in my group, I get to know them and find out why they are running then use that to propel them forward. I remind them that they are stronger than they know and inspire them with my own story of overcoming obstacles.  I ask them to remember why they started running and encourage them constantly to not give up, to reinforce that they can and they will do it.”

Hellen Obiri has announced she will compete in both the 5k and 10k races at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha

Kenyan middle-distance champion Hellen Obiri has announced she will compete in both the 5k and 10k races at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha next month.

Obiri, 29, the current world 5,000m champion, aims to become one of the rare athletes to win over both distances at the same event.

“Since I have a wild card for the 5,000m in Doha, I feel it is the right time to run both the 5k and 10k. The humid weather has been favourable to me the three times I have ran in the Qatari capital,” Obiri told AFP.

“I know that this is a big task but I am going to intensify my training in these remaining five weeks before we travel to Doha.”

Obiri qualified for the 10k race by coming second behind world bronze medallist Agnes Tirop in the Kenyan trials on Wednesday. Rosemary Wanjiru finished third in the qualifying race.

Norwegian Sondre Nordstad Moen is taking part in the Copenhagen Half Marathon

Sondre Moen established his name on the international running scene back in 2017. First he clocked 59:48 minutes on the half marathon distance. Only a month later, he won the Fukuola Marathon in Japan to set a a new European record of 2:05:48.

On that occasion, he defeated both Stephan Kiprotich from Uganda, a former Olympic and World half marathon Champion, and Bedan Karoki from Kenya, who earlier that year came second at London Marathon.

Now he has the third fastest half marathon time in Europe ever.

Back to the top Since his breakthrough, Sondre Moen has been injured for periods, but now he is back in shape and ready to run fast at the CPH Half.

“It is a flat course with Nordic weather conditions and a strong field that will be running fast. That is what I’m looking forward to about the CPH Half. And if it’s the right day, I might even set a new personal best,” says Sondre Moen.

“My season started out well as I set a new Norwegian 5 km record with a time of 13:37. In March, I won a half marathon in Gdynia clocking 61:18 on a hilly and windy course. My training went well, but then I was injured, and was unable to prepare for the track season,” says the Norwegian super runner.

His focus is on the longer distances, which is where his has his strengths as a runner.

“My weakness is the fact that I’ve never had a great sprint finish, and that is why I started focusing on the longer distances. My strength is that I have always been very efficient and enduring in a pace around 2:55/3:00 minutes per km. I like to run for hours in a fast pace but without a sprint finish, which makes me a better over long distances such as half marathon and marathon,” says Sondre Moen.

Sondre Moen’s dreams for the future are about the marathon distance.

“I have a great base after 10-15 years of training, and I am confident that I will be back stronger than ever. My dream is to win an Olympic marathon medal,” says Sondre Moen.

US Marine Pedro Rodríguez is set to run at Pikes Peak Ascent

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Pedro Rodriguez has logged a lot of miles on the Santa Fe Trail.

He runs about 10 miles a day, totaling 3,600 to 3,800 miles a year, and each step he takes has an important purpose.

“Being a Marine is phenomenal, but being a runner in the Marine team is even better,” he said.

Rodriguez has run several marathons for the All-Marine running team since joining in 2015.

The Marine Corps has an award for the top active-duty Marine in the Marine Corps marathon. Rodriguez has earned that award in 2015, 2017, and 2018, but personal accolades are a small reason as to why he runs.

“When we line up on the start line with our teammates, there aren’t words that can describe that feeling,” he said. “When you have like-minded people that can share the similar story of going through boot camp or officer candidate school, and you’re wearing the same uniform. It’s very difficult to describe, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Along with his team in the Marine Corps, Rodriguez has a team at home for whom he runs.

“I want to be an example to my daughters, Mila and Sophia,” Rodriguez said. “I want to show them that if you have a plan to execute, you can accomplish any goal, whether that’s sports-related, academic-related or even just a personal goal.”

This weekend, Rodriguez is stepping off the road and heading to the mountains to run in his third Pikes Peak Ascent. The half marathon has an almost 8,000-feet elevation gain.“I love the city of Colorado Springs,” Rodriguez said. “Anywhere I go in the city I can see the top of Pikes Peak and it reminds me, ‘Wow, one, I have to get ready to run this race and, two, I’ve run it before, I’m going to do it again.'”

Nikki Hiltz plans to race for the podium at Fifth Avenue Mile

Nikki Hiltz will compete against a stacked field that includes Olympic medalist Jenny Simpson at the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile on Sept. 8.

Simpson will race for her record-extending eighth title in the event, which stretches 20 blocks down Manhattan’s most famous thoroughfare and is expected to draw nearly 8,000 runners across 24 heats. NBC will broadcast the professional races live at 9 a.m. PDT.

Hiltz, who recently won gold in the 1,500-meter race at the Pan American Games, has been America’s best road miler in 2019 with wins at the BAA Mile, adidas Boost Games Mile, and the USATF Road Mile Championships.

The race is expected to be her final tune-up before she competes in the 1,500 at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, alongside Simpson and Shelby Houlihan.

Allie Ostrander, a three-time NCAA champion in the steeplechase who also qualified for her first World Championships this fall, will line up for her first road race as a pro athlete. Elinor Purrier, who also qualified for her first World Championships this year, in the 5 kilometers, will look to contend as well. Canadian Olympian Jessica O’Connell and 2019 10k national champion, Genevieve Lalonde, as well as Great Britain’s Jessica Judd, will lead the international contingent.

“Fast times don’t really give me confidence, but performances do,” she said. “I just want to race people. The Fifth Avenue Mile is an awesome race—I’m going to really go for it and it’ll be a really good springboard. It’s really what I need to be confident going into worlds.”

Great Scottish Run becomes first major race introducing category for gender neutral athletes

Great Scottish Run bosses have introduced a category for gender neutral athletes.

A non-binary option has been added to male and female boxes on entry forms for this year’s race.

Officials faced criticism in 2018 for not opening up the event to non-binary competitors.

The move comes after governing body Scottish Athletics produced guidelines on the issue with help from campaigners.

But there won’t be separate prizes in the non-binary category as the event only gives awards to ‘elite athletes’ in the male and female sections.

A spokesman for Scotland’s biggest race said: “Great Run events have always welcomed anyone who wants to take part, without prejudice, and we’re happy to provide this entry option.”

Around 30,000 people are expected at the Glasgow event on September 28 and 29, with races ranging from a toddler dash to a half-marathon.

Highland Games organizers are also considering how to include a non-binary category.

Vic Valentine of the Scottish Trans Alliance said: “This a really positive step forward.”In June, we told how Scotland would become the first country in the UK to introduce a transgender option under changes to the census.

The Scottish Government will introduce new laws allowing individuals to define their trans status and sexual orientation.

The final template has still to be approved by MSPs, tut the new questions are set to be included in the 2021 census.

And a University in the US told staff not use terms like "straight" and "male" because they may be OFFENSIVE to students.

Colorado State University has written an "Inclusive Language Guide" stating the word "straight" - to describe heterosexuals - “implies that anyone LGBT is 'crooked' or not normal”.

Three stone pillars were placed Monday to memorialize Victims of Boston Marathon Bombing

Three stone pillars were placed Monday near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, marking the final step in a $2 million effort to memorialize the bombing that killed three people.

The understated monument of granite and bronze, which took four years to plan and develop, was supposed to be ready last year for the fifth anniversary of the April 15, 2013, attack, but underwent significant redesigns and other delays.

"We hope that this will help demarcate the sacredness of this spot and give people the opportunity to slow down when they're here," said Bolivian-born sculptor Pablo Eduardo as he put finishing touches on the monuments Monday.

Nichola Forrester, a Milton, Massachusetts, resident who completed the 2013 race long before the bombs detonated, was among those pausing to reflect on their lunch break.

"I said a prayer for them," she said after asking a bystander to take a photo of her beside one of the pillars. "I'm pretty sure these three victims had cheered for me when I was going through the finish line, so the least I could do was come out and show my support."

Patricia Campbell, the mother of bombing victim Krystle Campbell, said she was grateful her daughter hasn't been forgotten.

"I hope that this memorial will be a reminder to anyone out there who feels upset about their life and that they will stop and think".

The memorial — two distinct pieces separated by about a city block — marks the spots where two pressure cooker bombs detonated near the finish line, killing the three victims and wounding more than 260 others. The two pieces each feature granite pillars ringed by towering bronze and glass spires meant to bathe the sites in warm white light.

Cherry trees to bloom each April have also been planted at the sites, and two modest bronze bricks have been set in the sidewalk to honor the police officers killed in the bombing's aftermath, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Officer Sean Collier and Boston police Officer Dennis Simmonds.

The stone pillars, which range in height from about 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters), were gathered from places around Boston significant to the bombing victims.

One representing 8-year-old Boston resident Martin Richard was taken from Franklin Park in his family's Dorchester neighborhood. Another that is fused to it honors 23-year-old Boston University graduate student Lingzi Lu and was donated by her school.

Around the base of the two pillars is an inscription etched in bronze: "Let us climb, now, the road to hope."

And the third pillar for Campbell, a 29-year-old Medford, Massachusetts native, comes from Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor, where she'd worked. Its inscription reads: "All we have lost is brightly lost."

A record number of 17,500 runners will line up for the fourth edition of the Mumbai Half Marathon

17,500 runners will be lining up for the fourth edition of the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon, with Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar himself flagging off the country’s premier half marathon here this Sunday, 25th August.

This is a quantum jump of over 10% from last year’s participation, with runners from across the city registering for the half marathon, which will start from and conclude at BKC’s Jio Garden. Organised by NEB Sports, the half marathon has been certified by AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races), in association with AFI (Athletics Federation of India).

The gruelling and high-profile 21 km run will start at 5.15 am, followed by the Timed 10k Run at 6.10 am and the 5k Fun Run at 8.15 am.

“I am delighted to see the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon grow by leaps and bounds every year. There are inspiring stories I witness every year, of how running has helped transform individuals to become better versions of themselves. India is on the right path to transform from a sport-loving nation to a sport-playing nation, and events like these have a huge part to play in encouraging people to step out and #KeepMoving,” Sachin Tendulkar, Brand Ambassador, IDBI Federal Life Insurance said.

IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon has carved a special niche for itself, with members of the Armed Forces and the Police patronising it every year. This year, over 3,500 highly-trained runners from the men and women in uniform will be taking part. Out of the 17,500 runners, close to 4,500 are women, while 1,500 runners are participating through corporates, underlining the growing importance of running in India. Heart-warmingly, six special runners are also in the fray and each is determined to give the field a run for their money.

Among notable partnerships, IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon has tied up with a couple of NGOs – Apnalaya and Greensole. Apnalaya is a non-profit organisation that works with marginalized people in the highly under-served slums in Mumbai. Greensole, on the other hand, is inviting runners to donate their used shoes at the Marathon Expo. They will refurbish these shoes and share them with under-privileged runners. Additionally, 12 visually-impaired ‘Acupressure Therapists’ from Kanchan Kaya will provide relief to the runners post the race.

“As the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon grows in stature every year, we have attempted to bring in a new dimension this year by ensuring it is a green run. The aid stations will offer water and energy drinks in reusable cups rather than plastic bottles and we also encourage our runners to carry their own reusable water bottles,” Karthik Raman, Chief Marketing Officer, IDBI Federal Life Insurance, said. “Additionally we have tied up with Green Sole to provide refurbished and recycled shoes to deserving runners who cannot afford expensive footwear,” he added.

Nagaraj Adiga, Race Director said, “This is a perfect time for the half marathon and we have done our best to prepare the route and facilities to ensure that the runners will enjoy the race. We wish all the runners the very best during their final preparations and we are confident to see some good timings this year.”

Boston marathon champion Lawrence Cherono has confirmed he will compete in Chicago Marathon against Britain's Mo Farah

Speaking from his training base in Kaptagat, Kenya Lawrence Cherono says he is focused on making two wins in a year in major U.S. marathons. He bagged the Boston title in April against a spirited challenge from compatriots and Ethiopians rivals.

Now, the 31-year-old, has raised his ante in training as he seeks to be in peak condition before stepping out on the flat Chicago course.

"I feel strong and ready for the challenge in Chicago. The determination and drive to excel in major marathon races is there and of course it will help a lot in my dream to make the Kenya team to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 should I win in Chicago," said Cherono on Wednesday.

Making the Kenya team in marathon is not for the faint hearted and Cherono is choreographing his path to the games by picking up wins in major city marathons and road races.

His last outing this year was in Colombia last month where he finished second at a half marathon race in Bogota clocking an impressive 64.09 minutes.

This was barely two months after he had also ended up second at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Diego California clocking 60:46 minutes. "I always put my best in training because when you go out of Kenya to trace, it is like going to war. Everyone targets to beat you and I want to be at my best when I head to Chicago because it will not be an easy walk through the park," he added.

Indeed, in Chicago, Cherono will face one of his biggest challengers when he comes up against Olympic champion Mo Farah. The Briton won the race in 2018 and confirmed that he is focused in defending his Chicago Marathon title on Oct. 13.

Though he has not ruled out the prospects of running at the World championships in the 10,000m race that will be on Oct. 6 in Doha, Qatar. "I am a reigning world champion, so I do get an automatic spot anyway," Farah said of the 10,000m, where he is a three-time reigning world champion.

Farah also said on Tuesday that he can wait until "the last minute" to change his mind and also enter the Doha 10,000m by the deadline which is on Sept. 16. In April, Farah finished what he called a disappointing fifth in the London Marathon in 2:05:39, three minutes behind winner and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge.

Farah said a satisfying result in Chicago would be a win above worrying about a specific time. The last man to repeat as Chicago champ was Kenyan Sammy Wanjiru in 2010. Now Mo faces the challenge from Cherono and America's Galen Rupp and Dathan Ritzenhein.

Jenny Simpson will race for her record-extending eighth title and Nick Willis will chase his record-breaking fifth men’s title at the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile

The New Balance 5th Ave Mile stretches 20 blocks down Manhattan’s most famous thoroughfare and is expected to draw nearly 8,000 runners across 24 heats. It includes specialty heats for youth and seniors, with the professional athlete races rounding out the day. In partnership with New York Road Runners and USA Track & Field, NBC will broadcast the professional athlete races live on NBC at 12:30 p.m. ET.

“The New Balance 5th Avenue Mile is such an iconic road race that allows people of all ages and abilities to participate in the event on one of the most famous streets in New York City,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “This year will be incredibly special, as we celebrate 20 years of NYRR’s free youth programs.”

In the professional women’s race, Jenny Simpson, who serves as an ambassador and special advisor to NYRR’s youth programs, owns the event-record time of 4:16.6 on Fifth Avenue, which she set when winning the race in 2017. She has earned three IAAF World Championships medals in the metric mile, beginning with a gold at the 2011 World Championships. She followed that with a silver in both 2013 and 2017. In 2016, she took bronze in the 1500 meters at the Rio Olympics, making her the first American woman in history to reach the podium in that event.

Simpson will be challenged in the professional women’s race by Nikki Hiltz, who just won gold over 1500 meters at the Pan American Games and has been America’s best road miler in 2019 with wins at the BAA Mile, Adidas Boost Games Mile, and the USATF Road Mile Championships. 

Allie Ostrander, a three-time NCAA champion in the steeplechase who qualified for her first World Championships this fall, will join them as she lines up for her first road race as a professional athlete. Elinor Purrier, who also qualified for her first World Championships this year, will look to contend as well. Canada’s 2019 national champion Genevieve Lalonde and Olympian Jessica O’Connell, and Great Britain’s Jessica Judd, will lead the international contingent.

Leading the professional men’s field will be nick Willis, a four-time New Balance 5th Avenue Mile champion and two-time Olympic medalist who finished second last year. Willis, who won the event in 2008, 2013, 2015, and 2017, is tied with Spain’s Isaac Viciosa for the most career victories in the men’s race.

Challenging him as he goes for a record-breaking fifth title will be Great Britain’s two-time New Balance 5th Avenue Mile runner-up Chris O’Hare and road 5K world record-holder Edward Cheserek, who is the most decorated athlete in NCAA history with 17 titles at the University of Oregon.

Also joining them at the start line will be Johnny Gregorek, who is fresh off a silver medal at the Pan American Games and the world’s fourth-fastest miler this year. 

A look back to the Kosice Peace Marathon 30 years ago

In 1989 the Košice Peace Marathon was held just a few weeks before the ‘Velvet Revolution’, which brought radical changes in what was then Czechoslovak society.

The race also had a radical change of its own. After 63 years the course was changed from simply going out-back to the turnaround point at Seňa to a loop almost entirely within the city. This, later modified and improved several times, remains the basis of the present course.

The 1989 event was only the ninth edition to incorporate a women’s race and the winner this time was home-grown Alena Peterková in a new course record of 2:31:28 – nearly nine minutes ahead of her North Korean competition. Her record lasted 20 years. Peterková later placed fourth at Boston in a personal best of 2:25:16.

Another home grown runner, Karel David, won the men’s race. In an even-paced run he beat his Soviet competition by 13 seconds. It was the 12th Czechoslovak victory in the men’s race, achieved by nine different runners.

At the time David ranked among the best marathoners in Europe. He started the Olympic Marathons in Seoul and Barcelona and won marathons in Vienna, Bonn and Palermo. In 1991 in Tokyo he ran a personal best of 2:11:12.

970 men and 31 women crossed the finish line that year which was again located at Lokomotive Stadium.

Scottish film director Kevin Macdonald is going to be making a documentary on Eliud Kipchoge's plans to break the two-hour barrier for 26.2 miles

Eliud Kipchoge is the marathon world record holder with a time of 2:01:39. In October in Vienna he will be attempting to run the first sub two hour time for 26.2 miles.  It won’t count as a world record, however since it is being run as a time trial but still the feat would be off the charts.  

Kevin Macdonald is expected to land in Kenya soon. While in the country, he will be taken around by filmmakers associated with Ginger Ink, who is known for producing some of Kenya's award-winning movies like 'Supa Modo' and 'Nairobi Half Life'. The two movies by Ginger Ink have been submitted for the Oscars.

The Eliud Kipchoge documentary, which will be shot in Iten, is funded by Britain’s billionaire  Jim Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe founded chemicals group INEOS and is estimated by London-based Sunday Times Rich List to be worth 21 billion pounds (25.5 billion US).

Ratcliffe was born in Failsworth, Lancashire. He studied chemical engineering and got his first job at oil company Esso.

He started making his fortune by mortgaging his house in 1992 to finance a buyout of a BP chemicals business and formed INEOS in 1998.

Today his fortune is valued at 21 billion pounds, and in May 2018, he was named the richest person in the UK.

Macdonald is known for shooting captivating documentaries. He worked with the film production team Altitude, who created a 2018 documentary based on Whitney Houston's life and death.

This was the first Whitney Houston documentary to be officially authorised by the estate and includes never-before-seen footage of Houston, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances and interviews with luminaries like Clive Davis.

He said, "The story that is never told about Whitney is just how brilliant she was as an artiste. By many measures, she had the greatest voice of the last 50 years. She changed the way pop music was sung, bringing it back full circle to its blues and gospel roots."

He plans on doing an equally exciting documentary on Eluid Kipchoge.  

Three-time World Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor and World Under-20 10000m champion Rhonex Kipruto to renew rivalries with Doha tickets on the line

Geoffrey Kamworor and  Rhonex Kipruto are set to light up Nyayo National Stadium when the National Athletics Championships takes place from August 20 to 22.

While the trials for the World Championships is slated for September 3 at the same venue, the 10000m races for both men and women will be used to select Kenya’s team for the global showpiece set for September 28 to October 6 in Doha, Qatar.

Kamworor who has been regarded the king for both track and road races will have to deal with the youthful Kipruto who is no doubt one of Kenya’s finest talents over the distance.

The duo last clash was at this year’s World Cross Country Championships with Kamworor settling for a bronze medal while Kipruto came sixth.

After storming to an easy win at the National Police Service, Kamworor revealed that he was not yet decided if he will be competing at the Worlds since he may opt to take a shot at the Copenhagen Half Marathon which comes a week before the World Championships after his entry was confirmed June.

Although the pair may be the favorites on paper, World Under-20 10000m silver medalist Stanley Waithaka should not be ignored either being one of the 10 athletes who have already hit the qualification mark of 27:40.00 alongside Kamworor and Kipruto.

Gwen Jorgensen has set her sights on winning the gold medal in the marathon at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo

Gwen Jorgensen knows how to attack a challenge.

The 33-year-old Waukesha native has set her sights on winning the gold medal in the marathon at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She wanted a new goal after winning the triathlon at the 2016 Rio Games.

No American woman has claimed Olympic gold in the marathon since Joan Benoit Samuelson in 1984. Jorgensen is trying to do it two years after giving birth to her son and while dealing with a recent injury setback.

"It’s been  an uphill battle, I’d say," Jorgensen said. "But one that I like. One of the reasons I switched sports, I wanted that challenge. I wanted something that keeps me motivated."

She had been bothered by pain in her right foot, especially after finishing 11th in the 2018 Chicago Marathon. Jorgensen was diagnosed with Haglund’s deformity.

"It's basically a bone overgrowth in the heel," she said. "And then every time you take a step, the Achilles and the bursas and everything rub against the bone overgrowth. And it causes pain. It causes damages to those things."

Just putting on socks was excruciating. Jorgensen did everything to avoid surgery, including platelet-rich-plasma therapy, cortisone shots and changing her running form. But she finally went under the knife in May.

“For me that pain is gone, which is so good," Jorgensen said.

It's been a slow and steady comeback since then.

"I’ve been able to run a little bit now," Jorgensen said. "I would love to increase a ton but I’ve put a lot of time and energy into getting healthy and that’s my main goal right now."

She has gotten up to running 40 minutes every other day. 

“That probably sounds like a lot for a lot of people," Jorgensen said. "But I’m used to an hour-and-a-half in the morning and an hour at night."

Kilian Jornet crushed Sierre-Zinal, and has now set his sights on Pikes Peak

Ten years ago, a 21-year old Catalan trail runner showed up in the end-of-the-valley village of Zinal, in Switzerland’s Valais Canton, not far from the Italian border. He had a list with him.

“It was just a sheet of paper with names of races,” says Chamonix, France-based trail-running author Alain Bustin. “It wasn’t races he wanted to win, or course records he wanted to break. All he wanted to do was take part. Sierre-Zinal was on the list.”

Even then, Sierre-Zinal was iconic. The 31-kilometer race that started in the valley village of Sierre and finished in Zinal was already established as one of the most competitive trail races in the world. And that year, the young runner won.

A few weeks later, he won the 171-kilometer Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.

That runner, of course, is Kilian Jornet. And last weekend in Zinal, he won “S-Z” for a seventh time, further surpassing Mexican runner Richardo Meija’s five wins between 1998 and 2005. And this time Jornet did something that no one had done in 16 years. He broke one of trail-running’s most-coveted course records with a time of 2:25:35—not by seconds, but by 3 minutes 37 seconds.

The 2:29:12 record had been held all those years by the New Zealander Jonathan Wyatt, now 46, indisputably one of his generation’s greatest mountain runners. Starting more than two decades ago, Wyatt began racking up records from the Alps to the United States, at races as diverse as Switzerland’s Jungfrau Marathon (2:49:01 in 2003) and New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Road Race (56:41 in 2004.) Both are still course records.United States runner Jim Walmsley had a notable success, finishing third in his first running of the famed course, in a time of 2:31:52—a result that in any other year would likely have had him breaking the finish-line tape.

While Sierre-Zinal is arguably one of the most competitive trail races in the world, and much of the attention focusses on the elite runners, it has a wide and diverse following. This year, more than 5,000 runners took part. Recreational runners started five-and-a-quarter hours earlier, a special aspect of the race-day schedule that allows recreational runners to watch elites arrive, several hours after most of them have crossed the finish line.

Nicknamed “The New York Marathon of the Alps,” the race’s rich history makes for a special day for runners from around the world. It’s a vibe that was felt by runners like Mike Ambrose, formerly the North American Marketing Manager for Salomon, and now based out of the company’s world headquarters in Annecy, France.

“Running across that ridgeline with the flowy singletrack, I felt the legends before me,” says Ambrose. “That’s the first time ever in a race that I was putting myself out there with the greatest and the pioneers of the sport. Maybe I wasn’t running at the same speed, but I was part of the history. I actually felt that energy. “

For Jornet, there are few records left to shatter. At age 31, he has Fastest Known Times from the Matterhorn to Mount Everest. He has won trail running’s most prestigious races, some of them multiple times, with course records around the world. It’s hard not to imagine that Jornet might begin to turn his attention to other projects. With Skyrunning Champion Emelie Forsberg, he now has a five-month-old baby—and an energetic labradoodle, Maui, to boot.

As he watched Jornet from a jumbo screen not far from the Sierre-Zinal finish line, Bustin, a longtime acquaintance of Jornet’s, was in a contemplative mood. “Kilian, he’s not just special because of his records at Sierre-Zinal or the UTMB,” he said. “He’s broken mountaineering records and ski alpinism (ski mountaineering) records, too.”

Bustin paused with thousands of other onlookers, as race officials announced to the crowd that Jornet was now 20 seconds ahead of Wyatt’s historic course record. On the screen, Jornet looked fluid and in control, calmly, steadily, smoothly “running the tangents” along a rocky section of the course.

“He’s a fantastic guy, with a great mentality about mountain sports. Maybe he’s about to say to the young runners, ‘Hey guys, I’ve done my time. Now it’s up to you,’” added Bustin. Taking in the weight of what he had just considered out loud—that the world’s greatest trail runner could soon be winding down his long stretch of highly competitive racing days—he looked back up to the screen, saying to no-one in particular, “He has nothing to prove to anyone.”

Well, maybe not quite. There is, arguably, at least one notoriously difficult-to-beat record remaining: Colorado’s Pikes Peak Marathon. In 1993, Matt Carpenter set a confoundingly fast course record there, with a time of 3:16:39. On August 25, Jornet will be there. It’s hard not to imagine he wouldn’t like to cross the tape with a time quicker than Carpenter’s. The trail-running world will be watching.

Josh Thompson and Cory McGee kicked their way to victories in the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile this weekend

Josh Thompson and Cory McGee kicked their way to victories in the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile, held on the eve of the 47th annual New Balance Falmouth Road Race. Both Thompson and McGee used moves in the final lap to charge to the front and secure the $3,500 first-place prize.

The Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile is the fourth stop of the 2019 Bring Back the Mile Grand Prix Tour.

McGee, a Team New Balance athlete living and training in Boulder, CO, sat patiently in fourth among the pack of seven women as they passed halfway in 2:18. Moving to the front was Katie Mackey, a three-time winner here who did her best to shake up the field before hitting the bell in 3:25.

McGee was the only competitor to immediately respond to Mackey’s move, and the pair led down the backstretch on the final lap. With the roars of spectators growing at an impending duel, McGee drew even with 200 meters to go and never looked back. She’d break the tape going away in 4:29.51 to earn her first Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile crown.

“I’m so happy to be back in the Boston area,” said McGee. “This race is really one of the most exciting miles in the country. It has more history than a lot of the others and just has a really fun energy surrounding it with the [New Balance Falmouth] Road Race. I’ve been in the mix a few times but finally winning it is really fun!”

Heather Kampf passed Mackey in the final straight to take second, 4:31.24 to 4:31.69. Eleanor Fulton (4:32.39) and Dana Giordano (4:33.07) rounded out the top five.

McGee was happy to improve on her third place finish from a year ago, and has said she’s been motivated to race fiercely after a disappointing experience at the USATF Outdoor Championships last month, where she was disqualified in her 1500-meter prelim. By running under 4:31, McGee picked up an additional $1,000 in a winner’s time bonus.

“I feel fit and it’s fun to win!” she said. “I want to race a few more times [this season]. I know I worked really hard this year so I’m just doing what I worked for.”

Thompson, the men’s champion, also made his bid for the win in the final lap, choosing to do so with 300 meters remaining. Up until that point, Maine native Riley Masters had done all of the pacing, taking the field through three-quarters in 3:00.

With each lap, Thompson’s faith in his kick grew stronger. Masters and Craig Nowak were setting the tempo, and all Thompson had to do was decide when to move from third to first.

“I was feeling pretty confident,” said Thompson, giving credit to Masters and Nowak. “When the last lap came I knew I was going to wait until 300 meters just to be safe.”

As Thompson moved into first, David Ribich slipped into second and the pair put three meters on the field. Bearing down and opening his stride around the bend, Thompson held off the former Division II standout, 3:58.39 to 3:59.78.

“It means a lot. It gets my confidence up,” said Thompson of the victory, his first win of the 2019 Bring Back the Mile Grand Prix Tour. “I’ve struggled in the past [with injuries], and to come here and win this race, I mean, Falmouth put on a great race. This is pretty cool – I’ve never been in this type of an environment. So to just come out here, winning, it’s just another step for me in training and my confidence level.”

Tripp Hurt was third in 4:00.57, followed by Daniel Herrera in 4:00.86.

Ireland´s Mark English has declared his intent to qualify for next month’s World Athletics Championships in Doha following yesterday’s sensational 800m win at the Diamond League meeting in Birmingham

English put a disappointing Cork City Sports behind him thanks to his dramatic success at Alexander Stadium, which scarcely looked possible with less than 100 metres to go – and now he wants qualification for Qatar wrapped up within the week.

The Letterkenny UCD AC athlete didn’t finish the 800m at CIT on Wednesday night, withdrawing with 200m to go as the race was well beyond him, but this time around rocketed from down the field to earn a sensational win on athletics’ biggest circuit.

The Donegal star was lying 8th and way down at the final bend as Alfred Kipketer of Kenya and Britain’s Elliot Giles were fighting it out for the win.

But they never spotted the man in lane four.

With absolute determination, three-times European Championship medallist English pushed through on the outside to score a major victory on the world tour, albeit in a race not actually counting towards the Diamond League standings.

English won in a season’s best time of 1:45.94 seconds – just 0.14 seconds outside the IAAF qualifying time for next month’s Worlds in Doha – a full second inside his previous best mark of the campaign.

Kipketer finished second in 1:46.10, with Giles third in 1:46.27, in a contest where unusually there were a mammoth twelve starters.

English paid tribute to coach Steve Magness and physio Chris Bramah afterwards, quipping on social media: “A right funny old sport, eh? Nice to take the big win at the Birmingham Diamond League today. Big step in the right direction.”

Rugged Races has acquired RAM Racing And The Hot Chocolate 15K/5K Series

Rugged Races, a subsidiary of GateHouse Live and a New Media Investment Group company, today announced it has acquired RAM Racing and its entire portfolio of events, including the Allstate Hot Chocolate 15K/5K series, which includes a Denver Hot Chocolate race and Colorado Rugged Maniac event.

The Hot Chocolate series, which boasts eight of the top 100 races in the United States, will attract over 200,000 runners across twenty races in 2019. The remainder of RAM Racing’s portfolio consists of the Heartbreakers Half Marathon in Portland, OR and nine other races in the Chicago area, including the popular Soldier Field 10 Miler and the Run Mag Mile 10K/5K.

This acquisition is the latest in a series of moves by Rugged Races over the past two years to grow its portfolio of endurance events into one of the largest in the United States.  It has also recently acquired the Milwaukee Marathon, the Providence Marathon, and the Santa Rosa Marathon.  With the addition of RAM Racing, Rugged Races now owns over ninety events, ranging from marathons and cycling events to trail runs and obstacle course races, and anticipates over 450,000 participants and more than one million attendees in 2019.

“We are thrilled to add the RAM Racing portfolio to our family of premier endurance events,” said Brad Scudder, Senior Vice President of Rugged Races.  “By filling the colder months in our annual race calendar with the crown jewel of winter running – the Allstate Hot Chocolate 15K/5K Series – runners of all fitness levels can now enjoy one of our races every week of the year.”

Answering the internet’s most asked running questions

Why do runners wear arm sleeves?

Runners wear arm sleeves because they’re cold. Arm sleeves are their choice layer for one of two reasons: they’re racing and need to wear their competition kit (so they can’t wear a long sleeve shirt) or they’re anticipating getting warm and wanting to take off a layer during their run. Arm sleeves are the easiest layer to drop as someone gets warm throughout a long run or workout.

And then there’s Mo Farah, who basically wears them all the time, but you can do that when you’re that good.

Why do runners wear compression socks?

The socks (and other compression gear) are marketed as helping to increase blood flow to muscles, in turn improving recovery and performance. Some runners swear by compression gear, other runners opt out.

Why do runners look old?

This is a funny one. Running keeps many people fit and healthy, but our best guess as to why runners “look old” is time spent in the sun. If you’re a runner, chances are you’re outside a fair bit, so remember that running hats are great and so is sunscreen. Use this Google search as a cautionary tale.

Why do runners drink pickle juice?

Pickle juice was once very popular as a hydration product. Salt is a key ingredient in a runner’s diet, especially through the summer months when sweating is at a high. Putting pickle juice in your water bottle has been said to keep cramping and dehydration at bay.

Why do runners wear high socks?

Some runners think it looks cool, and for others they’re worn for more practical reasons like warmth and compression. Please see answer number two for further clarification.

Why do runners have heart attacks?

This is a much more serious question and one many people, runners or not, have asked. The New York Times ran a piece in January on the topic. They said, “Marathon running can increase your risk of cardiac arrest in the short term, but it also lowers the overall likelihood that you will experience cardiac arrest or other heart problems, according to science, statistics and sports cardiologists.”

Why do runners wear gloves?

The same reason everyone else wears gloves–to keep their hands warm.

Why do runners wear short shorts?

Read: split shorts.

Clothing can inhibit range of motion and become distracting, so the less of it you wear, the less likely it is to get in your way. Also, runners like to show off the legs they’ve worked so hard for.

Why do runners carb load?

Carbohydrates provide the quickest and most accessible form of fuel for your body, so before a big workout or race, you’ll often hear runners talk about carb-loading. Runners will eat higher than normal amounts of carbs to ensure that they’re properly nourished for their race, especially in a marathon scenario.

Why do runners lose toenails?

Great question. Losing toenails is usually a product of a shoe not fitting properly. If you find yourself consistently ending a season with toe issues, getting fitted for a shoe could be a good idea.

Leonard Korir becomes first American man to win the Falmouth Road Race since 1988

History was made this morning when Leonard Korir became the first American since 1988 to win the men’s division of the Falmouth Road Race. It was an exciting end to the 47th annual race that saw plenty of fog and muggy temperatures.

Four-time winner Stephen Sambu came in second and Edward Cheserek placed third.

In previous races at the event, Korir finished second in 2016 and 2017 and third last year and 2015.

Leonard Korir pulled ahead of four-time champion Stephen Sambu with less than two miles to go.

Korir, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, finished second behind Sambu, of Kenya, in 2017. This year, Korir dominated the end of race and completed the 7-mile course in 32 minutes, 11 seconds.

Sambu finished second in 32:29, while Kenya's Edward Cheserek, a former 17-time NCAA champion with Oregon, was third in 32:30.

In the women’s elite division, Sharon Lokedi, a recent Kansas graduate from Kenya, crossed the finish line first and America’s Sarah Hall came in second.  Sharon, the 2018 NCAA champion at 10,000 meters clocked 36:29, holding off American Sarah Hall (36:34). Kenya's Margaret Wangari, the 2012 Falmouth champion, was third (36:43).

Boulder’s Ryan Smith wins 2019 Leadville 100 with consistent second-half pacing

Boulder’s Ryan Smith won the Leadville 100 trail run on Saturday night thanks to consistent second-half pacing that left his rivals unable to respond. It was the biggest win of his ultrarunning career.

The Boulder-based runner, who came to the United States from the United Kingdom and works full-time a software engineer, was greeted at the finish by his wife and almost 2-year-old daughter. He turned 40 years old this year.

“There’s just a lot of running in the race,” Smith said, referring to the long flat sections along much of the course. “It really favors a flat runner rather than a mountain runner, and I typically do a lot of mountain stuff.”

His win — in 16 hours, 33 minutes, 25 seconds — was far from expected. Smith was not among the pre-race favorites to win, and he wasn’t feeling well leading into the Twin Lakes aid station near the 40-mile mark. But at the turnaround at Winfield, he held his pace steady, averaging around 10 minutes per mile for the rest of the race.

“Always be closing!” his last pacesetter, Clare Gallagher, herself a Leadville 100 winner in 2016, yelled to him after his win. She was referring to Smith’s penchant for strong finishes, and to the casual observer, it might have seemed that Smith was surging. But consistent pacing that late in a race — he averaged 9:58, 9:53, 9:59, 9:54, 10:01, 9:55, 9:54 for all of the second half checkpoints — is remarkably difficult to achieve.

His win came after Jared Hazen, the runner-up to this year’s Western States 100, set out a blistering early pace, intent on breaking the course record of 15:42 set by Matt Carpenter in 2005. Late Saturday morning, while racing back toward Twin Lakes, he told a Denver Post reporter along the trail that he had dropped out and “needed to get to an aid station.” He had turned around before the Winfield aid station — the halfway point of the course.

The Leadville is infamous for seducing runners into racing too hard too early, with flat fields and trails before turning into a punishing climb to 12,600 feet over Hope Pass.

For the women, Magdalena Boulet of Oakland, Calif., finished in 20:18:07 in her first Leadville 100. Boulet, who won her first-ever 100-miler in 2015 at Western States and was a U.S. Olympic marathoner in 2008, said she was inspired to run at Leadville after crewing for her boss at GU Energy Labs a few years ago. She had acclimatized at altitude for only two weeks before Saturday’s run. Boulder’s Cat Bradley was the second woman to cross the finish line in 20:45:48.

Under fire, Nike expands protections for pregnant athletes

Having faced increased scrutiny for its treatment of pregnant athletes, Nike is changing its policy to guarantee a pregnant athlete’s pay and bonuses cannot be cut over the 18-month period covering eight months before the athlete’s due date and 10 months after. Under Nike’s previous policy, which had been updated in 2018, according to a spokesman, that period lasted 12 months.

“Female athletes and their representatives will begin receiving written confirmation reaffirming Nike’s official pregnancy policy for elite athletes,” a Nike spokesperson wrote in an email. “In addition to our 2018 policy standardizing our approach across all sports to ensure no female athlete is adversely impacted financially for pregnancy, the policy has now been expanded to cover 18 months.”

In a form letter intended for athletes and agents dated Aug. 12 that circulated on social media, John Slusher, Nike’s executive vice president of global sports marketing, said the company’s new policy also will apply to current contracts.

Nike came under fire this spring after several high-profile athletes denounced how it and other apparel companies treated them financially after becoming pregnant. Tennis star Serena Williams said Nike supported her during and after her pregnancy, but multiple track and field athletes described problems.

In a New York Times op-ed in May, sprinter Allyson Felix wrote that contract renewal talks broke down after Nike offered to pay 70 percent of her previous salary and refused to guarantee she wouldn’t be financially punished for performing below her standard in the months before and after childbirth. In another Times op-ed, distance runner Kara Goucher said she felt forced to train, owing to financial pressure, rather than care for her newborn.

Felix, 33, gave birth in November after an emergency Caesarean section, the complications of which threatened her and daughter Camryn. She returned to competition in July at the U.S. outdoor championships, then announced she had signed a new sponsorship contract with Athleta, a deal that includes a partnership for initiatives that empower women.

“I can’t tell you the number of women who have reached out, who have encouraged me, who have been through a similar experience, who have been scared to let their employer know that they started a family,” Felix said this summer. “I was just blown away with those different stories, the different people coming to me. I think there’s definitely a shared experience there, and I think there’s power in coming together, power of the collective. I think the more voices that come out, you know, change is happening.”

Augustine Choge, Victor Chumo and Bernard Lagat have been selected to pace for Eliud Kipchoge in his mission to run the first sub two hour marathon

Three seasoned road runners, Augustine Choge, Victor Chumo from Kenya and double world champion Bernard Lagat of the United States have been selected to pace for Eliud Kipchoge in his mission to run the marathon in less than two hours in Vienna in October.

Choge and Chumo are part of the team training with Kipchoge in Kenya for the race, which is set for October 12-20 window in Vienna, Austria. A specific date will be made known days to the race after the accurate weather forecast has been confirmed.

Kipchoge says to break the two-hour mark in marathon is about setting history and challenging his body to the limit.

"It's like stepping on the moon, going up the tallest mountain and even going to the middle of the ocean," Kipchoge said on Saturday.

Whereas the focus will be on the Olympic and London Marathon champion to improve on his last mark of two hours and 25 seconds, the three pace setters will carry the burden to lead the Berlin champion through his steps and see to it that he delivers the results for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

In Monza, Italy in 2017, Lagat was one of the pace setters together with Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa and Eritrea's Zersenay Tadese, both of whom fell by the wayside, leaving the Olympic champion to run over half of the race alone.

But now the organizers have announced the trio together with Norway's Henrik, Filip and Jakob Ingebrigtsen plus Australian pair Jack Rayner and Brett Robinson.

Further pacemakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Katie Johnstone will take part in Great North Run 2019 to find cure for disease that killed her mum

Katie Johnstone will take part in Great North Run 2019 in memory of her much-loved mum. Katie Johnstone says her mum, Emma, died in June 2018 at the age of 44 after a long illness with Huntingson's Disease.

This is a condition that stops parts of the brain working properly over time. It's inherited from a person's parents.

It gets gradually worse over time and is usually fatal after a period of up to 20 years. The mum-of-three started experiencing symptoms in her early 30s, which stopped her from pursuing her dream career as a midwife.

"Not a lot of people know what Huntingson's Disease is," says Katie. "When I was growing up, my mum had present symptoms and sometimes stumbled. People used to laugh and think she was drunk.

"It really upset me, I was around nine or 10 years old."

Katie was tested for the disease and the tests came back negative in July.

However, she 'feels guilty' to have escaped the illness as her sister, 21-year-old Holly, has been diagnosed with a juvenile form of the condition.

She explained: "She got her diagnosis a couple of years ago. It's heartbreaking. "It's a 50/50 chance [you will inherit it]. I do feel guilty for getting away from it.

"But I need to support my sister and she was very happy for me with my results." Katie's grandmother also died from the disease at the age of 47.

By taking part in the 13 mile run, the 25-year-old is hoping to raise awareness of the disease as well as money for the Huntingson's Disease Association.

The charity works to fund research into the illness, with the hope of finding a cure - as there is no cure currently. Katie said: "My aim is to raise awareness of this rare disease and raise money for the charity to fund research to help find a cure.

"This disease devastates families all over the world. There is only around 12 people in every 100,000 people who suffer from this disease.

What is the longest someone has run without stopping?

In 1992, after taking a 15-year break from running, it wasn’t enough for Dean Karnazes’ first run to be 30 miles. Winning the infamous, 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon across Death Valley in 120-degree heat didn’t cut it. Nor did pushing the opposite end of spectrum of human suffering by running a marathon to the South Pole, at -13-degrees F.

From October 12-15, 2005, Karnazes ran 350 miles across Northern California without stopping. He didn’t stop to sleep or to eat, or – in the most stupefying accomplishment of all – he did not even slow down to sample a Sonoma Valley chilled chardonnay. All told, he ran for 80 hours, 44 minutes without a break. He covered ground – from San Francisco to Bodega Bay to Stanford University, in Palo Alto – that many of us would plan for a weeklong road trip in a car.

The outing, which cost him a few toenails, included 40,000 calories of intake over the 3.3(ish) days, required shoe changes every 50 miles or so to accommodate his ever-swelling feet, and wasn’t originally supposed to be quite so long. After winning the Badwater in 2004, Karnazes set the goal to be the first runner to go 300 miles without stopping. Because, why not?

Scott Fauble is dealing with the flu and won’t be running Falmouth

After dealing with the flu, Scott Fauble was pulled from Sunday's Falmouth Road Race, a 7-mile event that takes place in Falmouth, Massachusetts, annually. He took second place last year, crossing the finish line as the first American male, with Canada's Ben Flanagan taking the 2018 title.

"Bad news, you guys," Fauble tweeted on Thursday. "I won’t be running Falmouth this weekend. I got sick earlier this week and it just wasn’t going to be the right call to race this weekend. I’m disappointed to miss this iconic event. I expect to be healthy and to crush at the USATF 20K champs in a few weeks."

This year's USATF 20K Championships take place Monday, Sept. 2, in New Haven, Connecticut.

Fauble has laced up for just one race since taking seventh place at the 2019 Boston Marathon in April, where he was the first American to finish. Boston was the third marathon of his career, and he set his PR of 2:09:09 there.

Ingebrigtsen brothers Jakob, Filip and Henrik hope to help Eliud Kipchoge break two hours for the marathon in Vienna in October

Ingebrigtsen brothers confirmed as INEOS 1:59 Challenge pacemakers.

Famous running brothers Jakob, Filip and Henrik Ingebrigtsen have been confirmed as part of the pacemaking team for Eliud Kipchoge’s INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna this October.

In a recent interview, world marathon record-holder Kipchoge described breaking the two-hour barrier for the 26.2-mile event as “like the first man to go to the moon” and so far eight athletes have been announced as being part of the ‘pacemaking family’ which will hope to help the Kenyan to achieve it.

Last year, aged just 17, Jakob won both 1500m and 5000m titles at the European Championships and this autumn the Norwegian – who will then be 19 – will be the youngest of Kipchoge’s pacemakers, 25 years younger than USA’s Bernard Lagat who at 44 years old will be the oldest.

“To be a teenager and to be part of this project is really amazing,” said Jakob. “As a family we are used to running together and to be able to run together, alongside other great athletes to help Eliud Kipchoge try to break two hours will be something very special.”

Filip added: “Kipchoge was so close last time he tried at Breaking2 and he has improved since then.

“If he is in the sort of form he was in when he broke the world record in Berlin last year – and with three hares flying in from Norway to help – I expect there to be a record.”

Joining the ‘three hares’ will be Lagat, Kenyans Augustine Choge and Victor Chumo and Australians Jack Rayner and Brett Robinson.

Further pacemakers are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

Despite Injury, Ben Flanagan is set to return to the Falmouth Road Race

History was made in Falmouth when Flanagan ran a nearly perfect strategic race and shocked the field to capture the Falmouth Road Race. Unfortunately there will be no repeat of that smile crossing the finish line in the Falmouth Heights. The affable University of Michigan grad, who is now running professionally for Team Reebok, will not get the chance to defend his title.

A stress injury to Flanagan’s leg has knocked him to the sideline for this year’s race. He recently was informed by his medical team that he would be unable to run for six weeks. After that will come rehabilitation, which potentially could knock out most, if not all, of the remaining competitive racing for him this year.

“It’s an unfortunate thing. I was really looking forward to coming back and racing Falmouth again,” he said. “I’m excited to still be able to be here and be involved, but it would have been nice to be on the line again.”

The best-case scenario is that Flanagan could be back racing by late in the fall. That would be all of the major events for 2019, but he is setting his sights squarely on 2020.

As the 2018 Falmouth champ works his way back toward being healthy and fast, his aim is to peak in time for the 2020 Canadian Olympic trials. If he qualifies for a spot in the Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo, that would be at the top of his priority list for next year.

“That would just be amazing. That’s a thing I’ve wanted to be a part of since I was nine years old, since I first started doing sports,” he said. “It’s been such a long journey... it’s really just so special. It would be a dream come true.”

As for this year, Flanagan will be involved in the presentation of Road Race weekend. He spoke to a group of youngsters on behalf of the FRR yesterday,, August 15, then today Friday, August 16, Flanagan is set to speak at the annual press conference in the morning before handing out bibs and numbers at the Road Race Expo later in the day. Tomorrow On Saturday he will be part of the Champions meet-and-greet at the Expo and also plans to be at the Mile Races at Falmouth High School later in the day. He will attend the Road Race on Sunday, but was unsure of where he’d be.

Flanagan said he was excited to help in any capacity. He has become very fond of Falmouth, and not just because his win helped launch his professional career.

He also met his girlfriend here. Because he hails from the University of Michigan, Flanagan stayed with the Ghelfi family last year. Hannah Ghelfi is a rising senior at the U of M, where she is one of the top golfers for the Wolverines. With their school in common, the pair hit it off and began to see one another during the fall semester. Ben graduated in December and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, to train professionally. He was in Falmouth around Christmastime, and said that he plans on being in Falmouth, or at Michigan, whenever he can.

“It’s just funny that Hannah and I spent a number of years together at Michigan and never met until the race,” he said.

He said that he has become more and more familiar with the town through his visits, and has come to really enjoy being on Cape Cod. With his prime racing years still ahead of him, there’s every reason to believe that Flanagan and Falmouth could go together hand-in-hand. It’s a budding relationship that got off to a fantastic start. The future looks bright.

Armin Gooden is set to compete at the Leadville 100-Mile Trail Race this Saturday

Armin Gooden was four years old in 1983 when the once-booming mining town of Leadville, Colorado – on the verge of economic devastation after the closure of Climax Mine in 1982 – hosted the first-ever Leadville Trail 100-mile run.

Race founder Ken Chlouber had organized the trail run in what’s considered North America’s highest incorporated town, elevation-wise. He hoped it would salvage Leadville from virtual ruin after more than 3,000 workers were left unemployed in the wake of the mine’s closure the year before.

On Saturday, Aug. 17, Gooden will be four decades old when he tries his hand – well, legs – at the iconic 100-mile course which snakes 50 miles out and back through the Colorado Rockies. Terrain is comprised mostly of forest trails with a few mountain roads mixed in, its website says.

Gooden, whose 40th birthday fell on this past Sunday, is a 1997 graduate of Buckhannon-Upshur High School. His mom, Idress, and dad, Dave, still live in Upshur County.

But they’ll be in Leadville at 4:30 a.m. sharp Saturday, when the race begins. The Leadville 100’s lowest point measures about 9,200 feet and its highest peak 12,600 feet. That point is known as Hope Pass – or ‘Hopeless Pass’ by runners “because it crushes souls and destroys dreams,” Gooden says. In fact, a local CBS station out of Twin Lakes, Colorado, on Thursday reported that a 28-member team of llamas and their human guides hauled approximately 3,000 pounds of food, drinks and gear up to an aid station at Hope Pass.

Gooden good-naturedly called the race his “mid-life suffer-fest” Wednesday in a Facebook post when he thanked his friends on social media for their recent birthday wishes: “Thanks for all the birthday wishes! Stay tuned for live tracking at my mid-life suffer-fest in just a little over two days,” he wrote.

The primary question that runners who do ultra-marathons– especially hundred-mile ultra-marathons – face is: “Why?” Why subject yourself to such a “mid-life suffer-fest,” as Gooden put it? After all, only about 50 percent of runners who qualify through the lottery actually complete the Leadville 100, Gooden said. Others must drop out if they don’t make various cut-off points throughout the course, including completing the first 50 miles in 14 hours or under.For Gooden, who’s now a resident of a Denver-area suburb, the thirst to complete the Leadville 100 began as a mode of mental survival.“I had a really rough year in life the past year-and-a-half,” Gooden said. “I did this huge climbing trip in Alaska at Denali National Park, and I sort of cheated death after surviving this crazy storm. I had gone through a really bad divorce, and I was in no mental space to run, but I needed some kind of outlet.”

“A good friend of mine knew I wasn’t in the best place, so he said, ‘You’re going to start running again, and you’re going to pace me in the Leadville 100,’” Gooden recalled. “Life just kind of gave me what I needed.”

Pacing his friend in the 2018 Leadville 100 – for a 14-mile section from miles 62 to 74 – was enough to hook Gooden.

“It was pretty awe-inspiring,” Gooden said. “I muled for him. I carried all his water and food. It really allows you to experience team camaraderie. I knew right then and there – I decided, ‘I’m doing this next year.’”

Of course, it wasn’t exactly Gooden’s first rodeo when it came to running.

He was a standout cross-country and track and field runner in high school who was recently inducted into the Buckhannon-Upshur High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the school’s undefeated state champion cross-country team in 1993. Gooden went on to run at Frostburg State University in Maryland. However, his college career ended when he was plagued by persistent lower back pain.

“I actually quit running in college because I had so much lower back pain,” he recalled. “I can go for a seven-hour run now and have no lower back pain.”

Combined with natural running talent, Gooden, who works as an emergency room nurse, has always had an appetite for adventure. In addition to Denali National Park in 2018, he’s also mountain-climbed in the Peruvian Andes and Island Peak in Nepal. He completed the Grand Traverse Ski Mountaineering Race from Aspen to Crested Butte, Colorado, as well as the Dirty 30 50K – about 31 miles – in June 2019, too.

Kenya´s Philemon Rono will be looking for another title at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Philemon Rono of Kenya has won the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon twice–the first time in 2016, and the second time in 2017, when he set the Canadian all-comers record of 2:06:52 (also his personal best).

Rono, who trains with NN Running (marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge’s group), was dealing with a calf injury and didn’t have a great race in 2018, finishing ninth in 2:13:36, but the diminutive runner they call Baby Police is healthy and will be back on October 20, hoping not only to win, but to lower his Canadian soil record.

Rono raced at Boston in April, finishing eighth, in 2:08:57–which he was happy with. He is currently running about 200K per week with the NN Training group in Kaptagat under the direction of coach Patrick Sang.

Kipchoge has a big influence on the training, Rono says. “We watch everything he does.” Many accounts of Kipchoge’s training make note of the fact that while living in camp from Monday to Saturday, he takes his turn mopping floors and scrubbing toilets like everyone else. When not working out, the group loves to watch soccer on TV. Like Kipchoge, Rono travels home to his farm on weekends, where he spends time with his wife and young son, and tends his cattle.

Rono’s stiffest competition so far announced will be Abera Kuma, who has a personal best of 2:05:50, and Benson Kipruto, who won last year’s marathon in 2:07:24 (which was seconds off his PB).

The race will also serve as the Canadian marathon championships and unofficial Olympic trials, with the top Canadian male automatically qualifying for Team Canada at Tokyo 2020 (provided he achieves the Olympic standard of 2:11:30 within the qualifying window). 

Reid Coolsaet, Dylan Wykes, Rob Watson and Canadian marathon record-holder Cam Levins will all be on the start line on October 20.

The Mandela Day Marathon participation of female runners has been growing more and more each year

 The number of female runners who entered this year’s edition of the marathon across all races is 6058.

Fezeka Hadebe from Mbombela in the Mpumulanga Province who will be taking part in the half marathon, said she enjoys running.

“I am looking forward to running on race day. I have prepared myself with the training, I have done leading up to the race and I am confident that I will complete the distance before the cut-off time,” said the 25-year-old athlete.

Nonhlanhla Zondi from Richmond said she will again hit the tarmac in the 10 KM race this year.

“I ran it for the first time last year and I finished in the time of one hour 30 minutes. I enjoyed the run last year and I am looking forward to the race this year,” added Zondi who said running helps her maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Another female entrant from Hilton near Pietermaritzburg, Lindiwe “Koko” Maphela will be running the marathon for the fourth time.

“I started with the 10KM race, after that, I ran the half-marathon. In the 2018 edition of the marathon, I ran and completed the 42.2 KM. I enjoyed it and I must admit it was easier than I anticipated,” said Maphela who will be running the coveted 42.2 KM race again this year.

“I enjoy running, I actually love it. Running has made my life better. I am a better human being because of it. The benefits are far-reaching for me than a healthy lifestyle. I am more patient and less stressed. I encourage other people to take up running it will change your lives,” added Maphela.

Thousands of rands are once again up for grabs to the athletes who will cross the finish line ahead of the rest across all the three races, with position one in both men and women in the 42.2 km race expected to walk away with R100 000 each, with runners up expected to pocket R50 000 while the third-placed man and woman will each receive R25 000.

There are also prize monies to be won in both the 21 and 10 km races. The first male and female to complete 21 km will receive R20 000 while the winners of the 10km race will each take home R10 000. The runners up on the half marathon will pocket R15 000 and the third position has a purse of R12 000. Runners up in the 10 km race will receive R8 000 while third place has a prize money of R6 000.

Abbott has announced a new partnership with the Longford Marathon to become the title sponsor for the race in 2019

The marathon, which is in its 18th year, will take place on Sunday, August 25 and is expected to attract more than 1,200 participants.Ciaran Corcoran, strategic programmer director of Abbott’s diagnostic business site in Longford said:  "Abbott has been a proud member of the Longford Community for more than 15 years, employing more than 700 people and we’re delighted to support the Longford Marathon, which is one of the largest events held in Longford each year. "Marathon runners truly embody the idea that at our healthiest, we can accomplish amazing things. Our sponsorship of the Longford Marathon allows Abbott to celebrate the health and achievement of people from all over Ireland.”A keen marathon runner, this year will see Ciaran Corcoran run the Abbott Longford Marathon for the 5th time. “I’m delighted that so many of my colleagues are joining me in this year’s marathon.

The support along the route from the people of Longford is tremendous. There is great excitement among our employees from Abbott’s 9 sites across Ireland, a significant number of whom will be participating on the day.

Not only is the marathon contributing to a great community spirit, it is also raising funds for St Christopher’s Services Longford, which provides services for the intellectually disabled throughout the midlands."

Fiona Fenelon organizer of the Longford Marathon said; “We are delighted to partner with Abbott as title sponsor of this year’s race. Abbott is one of the largest employers in the region and as a company focused on helping people to live their best lives, is a perfect partner for us.

"This year’s Abbott Longford Marathon will be one of the biggest ever, attracting participants from throughout the country. The Abbott Longford Marathon includes a range of race distances from a 5km race to a 63km ultra marathon. Regardless of ability and experience, participants can reach a meaningful personal achievement."

Brain aneurysm survivor Karen Daly is running in the 47th annual New Balance Falmouth Road Race

South Easton resident and brain aneurysm survivor Karen Daly will run in the 47th annual New Balance Falmouth Road Race on Aug. 18 to commemorate her journey as a brain aneurysm survivor, after having suffered a rupture in 2014.

As a member of the eight-person charity team, Daly will support the Brain Aneurysm Foundation’s efforts to raise awareness, education, support, advocacy and research funding for the disease.

Daly had a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured brain aneurysm on Jan. 25, 2014. She

was able to maintain consciousness long enough to call her husband for help. He rushed her to the emergency room where they did a CT scan, then immediately sent her to Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, where she underwent surgery to repair three aneurysms.

“Surviving the rupture and the med flight to Boston was the first of many miracles for

which my family and I are grateful. Forty percent of people who suffer a rupture die before

making it to the hospital,” said Daly. “With the support of family, friends and a lot of hard work and perseverance, I am able to run the Falmouth Road Race to support an organization that has supported me, my family and so many others affected by brain aneurysms.”

This is the third year in a row that BAF has been awarded a charity spot in the race. The BAF charity team comprises participants who have had personal experiences with brain aneurysm disease.

“We’re very grateful to all of the incredibly strong participants representing team BAF at the Falmouth Road Race this year,” said Christine Buckley, executive director of BAF. “Funds raised by the team will support critical research that could better the outcomes for other families dealing with this devastating disease.”

More than 11,000 runners will participate in the New Balance Falmouth Road Race, a 7-mile course which starts in Woods Hole, wraps along the Falmouth shoreline and finishes in Falmouth Heights.