Running News Daily

Adriele Silva hopes to be the first double amputee to finish the New York City Marathon

Adriele Silva, 31, from Brazil looks forward to crossing the finish line of the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4, 2018. A spokesperson for the New York Road Runners believes she will be the first female double amputee to complete the full New York City Marathon. “I hope to inspire people when they see me run and challenge them to go after things that seem unachievable,” said Silva, who will be running her first full marathon. “Where I come from, people often look down on you for having a disability, but I don’t think about that. When I face a challenge, I look for ways to overcome it. I see the possibilities, and that keeps me going.”  Silva’s road to the New York City Marathon began in 2012, when she went to a hospital in her hometown of Jundiai, outside of São Paulo, Brazil, after feeling severe pain. Having received pain medications, she was sent home. Overnight, her situation worsened. She returned to the hospital the next day to find out that her problem was serious — a kidney stone had clogged her urinary tract and caused an infection. Within hours, Silva was in an induced coma. For 20 days she remained comatose, her body fighting a losing battle against the bacteria. During that time, the infection led to a lack of blood circulation in her legs. To save her life, doctors had only one choice: to amputate her legs. They brought her out of the coma to get her consent to proceed with the amputation. When she was finally cleared of the infection after 64 days, the now bilateral amputee left the hospital to go and learn to live again. “Before the amputation, I had no desire to run,” she says. “After it happened, I started getting more interested. I wanted to become normal again.” Since then, Silva has taken up running, cycling, swimming, and other sports. She has participated in 20 running races in Brazil and in China, where she completed the Great Wall Half Marathon in 2018. (10/25/2018) ⚡AMP

Galen Rupp will miss the spring marathon season following left foot surgery after his fifth-place finish in the Chicago Marathon

Galen Rupp is the only US man to break 2:11 in the marathon over the last three years.  He has been the top U.S. marathoner since debuting at 26.2 miles at the February 2016 Olympic Trials. He won that race in Los Angeles, then took bronze in Rio (adding to his 2012 Olympic 10,000m silver medal). Rupp then finished second at his first city marathon in Boston in 2017 and won Chicago later that year. He was one of many dropouts at this year’s Boston Marathon, with the worst weather in the oldest annual marathon’s recent history. Rupp’s surgery last Friday was related to an Achilles injury that forced him to withdraw before the Sept. 16 Copenhagen Half Marathon and flared up near the end of the Chicago Marathon — Haglund’s Deformity, a bony bump on his heel that caused the tendon to fray, according to the Oregonian.  (10/25/2018) ⚡AMP

70-year-old Gene Dykes has been named USATF Athlete of the Week

Gene Dykes from Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania set an American masters 70-74 record in the marathon to earn USATF Athlete of the Week.

Dykes, 70, won the 70-74 age group in the WMA Marathon Championships at the Scotiabank Toronto Marathon, running 2:55:18 to take more than two minutes off his own American record. He was also only 30 seconds off the world 70-74 best, set by Canadian legend Ed Whitlock. Dykes and Whitlock are the only two men over 70 to have broken three hours in the marathon. 

Gene wrote this on FB before the race, "On Sunday I will be running the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the big goal is to beat one of the most revered marathon records on the books - Ed Whitlock's M70-74 age group record of 2:54:48, which he ran in 2004 at the ripe old age of 73. 

If all goes well, it will probably be a nail-biter. I've been training hard for about eight weeks and training has gone well."

(10/25/2018) ⚡AMP

Thousands took to the streets at night in the Greek coastal town of Thessaloniki

Thousands of runners took to the streets of Thessaloniki, Greece’s last week to test their limits in the 7th International Thessaloniki Night Half Marathon. More than 18,000 participants, including long distance athletes, Olympic and Paralympic champions, people with disabilities, running enthusiasts and youngsters from 56 countries tried their luck in the 21.1km half marathon, the 5km Health Running Race and the 5km Power Walking Race.  Kenya’s Sammy Kipngetich was the winner of the 7th International Thessaloniki Night Half Marathon, crossing the finish line at the city’s famous White Tower in 1:06:09, followed by compatriot Hosea Kimeli Kisorio in 1:07:10 and in third place, Greece’s Giorgos Menis, with a time of 1:07:55. Rania Rembouli came in first in the women’s category with a new record at  1:14:30, followed by Vivian Jerope Kemboi from Kenya clocking 1:17:39, and Foteini Dagkli-Pagkoto in third place with a time of 1:20:47. (10/24/2018) ⚡AMP

Kenya's Brimin Kipkorir will compete at the more lucrative Athens Marathon instead of Nairobi

Kenya's champion Brimin Kipkorir has withdrawn from Sunday's Nairobi International Marathon and will instead compete at the more lucrative Athens Marathon on November 11. Kipkorir, who clocked a time of 2:12.39 in winning last year's event, said he has been forced to choose between the two races and believes he has more to prove in Greece. "I have great respect for the Nairobi Marathon; it opened the way for me. Now that I have another chance to run in Athens, it is better I take the chance. There are many Kenyans who can run in Nairobi and even beat my time," he said in Eldoret on Monday. However, Kipkorir disclosed that he has been battling an ankle injury, which he picked up in training back in April. But he believes it has gone past its worst stage and will be ready to show the world that he is among the contenders for the title. "I had an ankle injury, but it has healed and I am targeting a podium finish in Athens. I have battled with the ankle injury since April, but am now at my normal fitness and back in training," he said. (10/24/2018) ⚡AMP

Abraham Cheroben will battle it out with at least 14 other sub one hour runners at the Valencia Half Marathon

Defending champion Kenyan-born Abraham Cheroben of Bahrain will battle it out with 30 elite athletes, with at least 14 having run in less than an hour, at the upcoming Valencia Half Marathon.  Cheroben is aiming to retain the crown he won last year in 59:11. Among the elite field is a host of Kenyans led by two times Family Bank Half Marathon champion Jorum Okombo Lumbasi (58:48), Solomon Kirwa Yego (58:44), Mangata Ndiwa (59:09), Abraham Kiptum (59:09) and Josphat Boit (59:19) the pace maker, who guided Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge to break the world marathon record in Berlin. (10/24/2018) ⚡AMP

Sam Smith who has autism loves the feeling of playing ice hockey and running the Marine Corp Marathon

There is nothing quite like hitting the ice says Sam Smith. He is number 99 on the Washington Ice Doges hockey team. “You can’t walk away from it,” he said, as he put on his helmet. “Once you step on the ice with skates and you’re a hockey player, hockey is your life.” He’s played for the Washington Ice Dogs, a special needs ice hockey team, for 20 years. “It feels good to be on the ice. It feels good to score goals,” he said, smiling.  Another awesome feeling, he says, is crossing the finish line at the Marine Corps Marathon. “This will be Marine Corps Marathon number six for me!” This year, he’s running alongside teammate Elias Tsakiris and two of their coaches.  Smith and Tsakiris, who both have autism, are running to raise money for their team. “I think it shows their leadership abilities,” said Stacie Manger, Communications Director. “I think it shows how much this team means to them. And I think it shows how much they want the community to believe in them, too.”  (10/24/2018) ⚡AMP

Lizzie Lee will lead the Irish charge at the Dublin Marathon on Sunday

Lizzie Lee, Mick Clohisey and Gary O’Hanlon are expected to lead the Irish charge at the Dublin Marathon on Sunday, October 28.  Lee finished 29th in the marathon at the European Championships in August, will face Remalda Kergyte of Lithuania, Caroline Jepchirchir of Kenya, and Ethiopian duo Motu Gedefa and Mesera Dubiso. Kergyte, has a personal best of 2.35.13, while Jepchirchir won this year’s Belfast Marathon. Lee has a personal best of 2:32.51 from Berlin in 2015 and last competed in the Dublin Marathon in 2006. The Olympic marathoner has shown good form this season, setting a new personal best of 1:13:19 at the World Half Marathon Championships in March.  The Irish national title will be a battle between Lee and fellow Olympian Caitriona Jennings who placed second in the 2017 National Championships. (10/24/2018) ⚡AMP

Dan Jones will go head-to-head with Russell Bentley at the Snowdonia Marathon

This year returning champion Dan Jones will go head-to-head with 2016 winner Russell Bentley in what promises to be a great battle on the roads of Snowdonia, as both will want to make it to the top of the podium once again. Bentley has been rounding into some great form after completing the Berlin Marathon in September, finishing second at the Chester Marathon in early October and running a season’s best half marathon time of 1:08:26 in Manchester last weekend. Jones will be equally tuned-up for Snowdonia. The Team Bath man has had some solid autumn performances and after finishing second to Bentley in 2016 he returned to take the title in emphatic style last year. Gary Priestley will make Snowdonia his debut marathon and with a personal best half marathon of 1:08:23 the Salford Harrier will also look to challenge for honors next weekend. An interesting entrant in the men’s race is Julius Mwangi. The Kenyan runner was a 2:15 marathoner back in 2004, but has not raced much the last couple of years. (10/23/2018) ⚡AMP

Gene Dykes is only the second person 70 plus to run a sub three hour marathon

70-year-old Gene Dykes, of Philadelphia, only missed breaking Ed Whitlock‘s 70-74 age group record of 2:54:48 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon yesterday by 34 seconds. Dykes is still the only other person in the world besides Whitlock to run a sub-3 marathon at the age of 70. It happened the first time earlier this year at the Rotterdam Marathon on April 8, just a few days after Dykes turned 70 on April 3. He ran 2:57. “My daughter contacted an Amsterdam newspaper and they splashed my picture on the front page,” Dykes said, joking that “you can get anything you want if you have a lot of chutzpah.” Dykes sets a string of records and it happened again Sunday (Oct 21), with Dykes’ 2:55:18 finish at Scotiabank, just shy of Whitlock’s record. Dykes only took up marathon running at age 58, and he only started breaking records last year, when he broke seven USATF age-group records in a single track race: the 15K, 10 mile, 20K, 25K, 30K, 20 mile, and 2-hour records. Also last year, he was one of only 13 people to run the “triple crown” of 200-mile trail ultramarathons, consisting of the Bigfoot 200, the Tahoe 200, and the Moab 240. And he was the oldest finisher in each. (10/23/2018) ⚡AMP

Allie Kieffer won the Toronto Waterfront Half as she gets ready for the New York Marathon

Allie Kieffer won the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon Sunday clocking 1:12:44. Kieffer made a name for herself when she was the second American woman to cross the finish line at the 2017 New York City Marathon. After New York she trained in Kenya for seven weeks racking up 110 miles per week. Kieffer will be running the New York Marathon again in a couple of weeks. She most likely used her race in Toronto as a tune-up for New York. Second place female went to Reneta Plis in 1:13:58, and third place to Claire Sumner in 1:14:24. In the men’s race Will Norris took the win in 1:05:30, followed by Chris Balestrini in 1:05:47 and third place went to Lee Wesselius 1:07:21. The highlighted event was the marathon. Kenya’s Benson Kipruto, 27, was the overall winner clocking 2:07:21, with Mimi Belete of Bahrain winning the women’s marathon and breaking the course record of 2:22:43.  Cam Levins set a new Canadian's national record clocking 2:09:22.    (10/23/2018) ⚡AMP

Count down to the third Run The World Global Run Challenge

The little country of Palau had a lot to celebrate after finishing 5th in the Run The World Global Run Challenge 2 that concluded October 12.  

Palau's team leader Aaron Salvador posted in the RTW Feed, "This is now the fruit of our labors, those sweats, early morning runs, long runs and running under the rain/heat of the sun are all worth it." 

He himself ran and logged 378 miles during the 44 day event.  Miles ran and logged in Palau totalled 1,187.  Team members only ran more miles in the countries of United States, Kenya, India and South Africa. 

Palau is located in the western Pacific Ocean.  There are mountain and sandy beaches on its east coast and grassy fields surrounded by palm trees in the north.  Current population is just under 22,000.  Aaron and team will be competing again in the up-coming RTW Challenge 3 starting October 29. 

"Our team from around the world is being put together now," says Bob Anderson Team Caption.  "We have runners of all abilities on our team.  Current and past elite runners make up our team as well as runners who have just started running.  All ages run and walk with us from age 11 to age 74." 

34-year-old team member Carmen Gair from South Africa wrote, "RTW Challenge 2 motivated me to log more mileage than I have ever done before in a similar time frame. I can’t wait to see what Challenge 3 brings. Absolutely love being part of this wonderful running community."  

62-year-old Kiranpal Singh Dhody from India will be participating for the third times says, "I love running for fitness...I try to push myself to get good timings in competitions and get podium finishes. The RTW Challenge helps me push myself."  

RTW Challenge 3 starts October 29.  It is easy to participate.  Just run, race or walk and then log these miles (k's) into your My Best Runs account.  

South Africa team leader Lize Dumon posted,  "I haven't realized how precious this RTW community has become to me. It is like an extended running family...It has become a place where I learn so much about running from reading everybody's posts and a place of immense encouragement... bring on Challenge 3."  

This event was created by 70-year-old Bob Anderson who founded Runner's World when he was 17 and published it for 18 years.  "I hope you will join our team," says Bob.  "Sign up by October 29 or join us along the way."      

(10/22/2018) ⚡AMP
by Bob Anderson

On her debut Eilish McColgan won the Great South Run

Eilish McColgan followed in her mother's footsteps to win the Great South Run on her debut in the event. The 27-year-old, running competitively over 10 miles (16km) for the first time, clocked a time of 54:43 to take victory, beating Steph Twell and reigning champion Gemma Steel. McColgan's mother Liz won the event twice - in 1995 and 1997. In the men's race, Chris Thompson became the first athlete to win the event for a third time. Thompson also beat his previous best time, the 37-year-old finishing in 46:56. McColgan said: "I'm so happy. That was such a strange experience. I didn't know what to expect and to be honest that was probably what helped in a way. "My mum said to me 'Don't look at your watch, don't look at times, just be competitive and race the other girls', and that's what I did today. (10/22/2018) ⚡AMP

Trevor Van Ackeren won the Runner's World Half Marathon for the second time

Trevor Van Ackeren of Bethlehem on Sunday won the Runner's World Half Marathon in Bethlehem, Penn clocking 1:08:01, placing first for the second year in a row. Leigh Sharek of Brooklyn, N.Y., won the women’s race clocking 1:17:53. The three-day Festival featured live music, a fitness expo, a dog race and a kids' race. (10/22/2018) ⚡AMP

Canada’s Cam Levins breaks Jerome Drayton’s national marathon Record in Toronto

Cam Levins had the marathon debut of his life Sunday (Oct 21) at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, crossing the finish line in 2:09:22 and breaking Jerome Drayton’s Canadian national record of 2:10:09 in the process. That record comes with a $43,000 (CAD) payday–$1,000 for every year the record has stood. Levins finished fourth . Kenya’s Benson Kipruto, 27, was the overall winner clocking 2:07:21, with Mimi Belete of Bahrain winning the women’s marathon and breaking the course record of 2:22:43.  Cam was certain a record was within his grasp at the 40K mark. The final two kilometers went by so fast for him that it seemed like a sprint. “It was pretty much a blur, especially the last half-kilometre,” Levins said. “Everything was flying by at that point."  The 29-year-old from Black Creek, B.C., did his best to focus on the finish line where his wife, Elizabeth, mother, Barb, and father, Gus, were waiting.  He eclipsed a national record by former long-distance champion Jerome Drayton – and by a substantial 44 seconds.   “It is such an old record, it is nice to be the one to take it down,” Mr. Levins said. “It’s a good one to check off the list." (10/22/2018) ⚡AMP

Evan Gates and Laurie Knowles were the winners at the PNC Atlanta 10 miler

Brisk fall weather and enthusiastic crowd support welcomed 6,500 participants for the sixth annual PNC Atlanta 10 Miler & 5K at Atlantic Station. Runners and walkers explored west Midtown, Buckhead and Midtown neighborhoods then enjoyed their accomplishment with a post-race celebration. Evan Gates of Durham, North Carolina, blazed the way for the men in the 10 Miler, finishing in 51 minutes, 30 seconds, more than four minutes ahead of second-place finisher Jack Bordoni (54:45). A graduate student at Duke University, Gates was in town for a biomedical engineering conference and decided to run the race on a whim. “The win was a perfect cap to put on the end of my weekend,” Gates said in a news release. “I’ve had a great time with great food now a great race.” A modest description of his performance, as Gates broke the tape more than five minutes faster than last year’s winner. On the women’s side, Atlanta Track Club Elite member Laurie Knowles took her fourth event win of the year in 58:33. Knowles also won the Northside Hospital Atlanta Women’s 5K, Atlanta’s Finest 5K and the Braves Country 5K in 2018 alone. Preparing for a marathon in coming weeks, she implemented today’s run as part of her training regimen. (10/22/2018) ⚡AMP

Bereket Alem kidanu of Ethiopia wins the Atlantic City Marathon

Bereket Alem Kidanu, an Ethiopian living in New York City, liked his first visit to Atlantic City on Sunday, and there was no one in his way blocking the view. Alem Kidanu, 33, of Addis Ababa, won the 60th annual Atlantic City Marathon by well over two minutes in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 23 seconds on the Boardwalk at Michigan Avenue. The win was his fourth marathon victory.  Karen Lockyer, 40, of Austin, Texas, was the women’s champion in 2:55:28, earning her third marathon win. (10/22/2018) ⚡AMP

Whitney Black and Steven Phillips crossed the finish line together and they get married during the race

The plan was, as reported earlier, that this couple would start off as boyfriend and girlfriend and be married by the time they finished a marathon Sunday.  The couple, Whitney Black and Steven Phillips started the 41st Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon together single. When they crossed the finish line together 4 hours and 47 minutes later, Whitney and Steven Phillips were officially husband and wife. The Grand Rapids-area couple became the first to get married during the Detroit marathon. The annual event has been the setting for several marriage proposals, but never before had anyone tied the knot in the middle of the race. The bride and groom were among the 25,307 people registered for this weekend's lineup of races.  (10/22/2018) ⚡AMP

Tsehay Gemechu breaks the course record at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon

The pre-race publicity for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2018 focused on a duel between Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgogei, quite rightly considering their careers and 2018 racing records, but Dibaba’s compatriot Tsehay Gemechu hadn’t read the script and flew to a course record of 1:06:50 on Sunday October 21.  Gemechu, running her first half marathon, took four seconds off the nine-year-old previous record for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race, set by Kenya’s Mary Keitany in 2009, to take the $27,000 (US) first prize in one of the  richest half marathon in the world. In a race full of drama and surprises, the 20-year-old Ethiopian outsprinted the world record holder Jepkosgei in the final few hundred metres, the latter taking second place in 1:06:56, with Ethiopia’s Zeineba Yimer running a strong final five kilometres to take third in 1:06:59.  In the men’s race, Andamlak Belihu started the Ethiopian success story in the Indian capital on Sunday with an assured run over the final third of the race, having pushed the pace from just after the halfway point. At 15km, passed in 42:41, four men were together – Belihu and his fellow Ethiopian Amdework Walelegn, Kenya’s Daniel Kipchumba and Eritrea’s Aron Kifle – but soon Belihu pushed again and only Walelegn could follow him. The two 19-year-olds stayed together, although Belihu always looked the more comfortable and confident, until the final 250 metres when the eventual winner turned the screw again and crossed the line in 59:18 with Walelegn finishing four seconds behind him in 59:22. “After finishing second last year, I came here determined to win and I was looking at the course record (59:06 by Ethiopia’s Guye Adola in 2014) but the pacemakers in the first half of the race didn’t do a good job,” said Belihu, despite the fact that the leaders were taken through 10km in 28:01. “As for next year, I’m not going to move up to the marathon just yet. I have the World Cross Country Championships and 10,000m on the track at the world championships next summer as my targets,” he added. Kipchumba and Kifle also broke the hour in Delhi with 59:48 and 59:50 in third and fourth respectively, to emphasise the depth and quality of the race and potential for running quick times on the course. (10/21/2018) ⚡AMP

Lawrence Cherono shattered the course record at Amsterdam Marathon

Kenyan’s Lawrence Cherono shattered the course record at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, clocking 2:04:06 at the 43rd edition of this IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Sunday October 21. Running in nearly ideal conditions with cloudy skies and very light winds - Cherono clipped more than a minute from the 2:05:09 course record and lifetime best he set last year. The 30-year-old also broke the Netherlands' all-comers record of 2:04:27 set by Duncan Kibet in Rotterdam in 2009. A lead group of 14, including Cherono and Kenenisa Bekele, sped through the opening five in 14:33 and 29:08 through ten, in range similar to the 14:29 and 29:01 splits that propelled Eliud Kipchoge to his world record run in Berlin last month. The leaders reached 15 in 44:03 and 20k in 59:00, well inside the 59:52 course record pace that guided Cherono last year. When the half was reached in 1:02:11, 11 men still remained in contention.  But after 25 kilometers (1:13:48) the lead group slowly began to unravel. The last remaining pacesetter, Edwin Kiptoo, completed his chores just before the 30 -mark, with Bekele, Özbilen and Alamirew falling back soon thereafter. Cherono switched gears near the city's Filmmuseum before pulling away for the decisive victory. "I am happy with my race," said Cherono, whose performance squalled the fourth fastest run of 2018. "Today the weather that was very good: little wind and an ideal temperature. That made it possible to run harder this year. My goal was to run 2:04 and that worked." Wasihun and Deksisa were next, clocking 2:04:37 and 2:04:40 respectively, also under the previous course record. There was good depth behind them. Kipketer was fourth in 2:06:15, Özbilen fifth in 2:06:24 and Laban Korir sixth in 2:06:33. Abate (2:06:47) and Jonathan Korir (2:06:51) also broke 2:07. Bekele meanwhile didn't finish, dropping out near his hotel at about 40 from where he chose to walk back to his room. (10/21/2018) ⚡AMP

Indian long distance runner Nitender Singh Rawat is determined to produce his best performance at the Delhi Half Marathon

Rawat was the fastest among Indian runners along with fellow Indian Army athlete G. Laxmanan at last year's event. But a technical issue placed Rawat at the overall seventh position ahead of Laxmanan. I have been training hard for the last five to six months for this year's marathon. I am confident of registering a better time than last year and improving my overall standing," Rawat told reporters.  When asked about his rivalry with Laxmanan, Rawat chose to play it cool. "I have forgotten all about last year. I am only thinking about Sunday's race," he said. Thonakal Gopi, who took gold at the Asian Marathon Championships last year, will be another Indian to watch out for this year. Gopi, who was the fastest Indian at the Mumbai Marathon earlier this year, is also confident of a good performance. "My life saw several changes after the 2016 Olympics. Since then I have trained hard and improved my timings. I have learnt a lot since then. I want to win more international medals," he said.     (10/20/2018) ⚡AMP

Jerome Drayton's Canadian marathon record of 2:10:09 has stood for nearly 43 years

 Jerome Drayton's mark of 2:10:28 from the 1975 Fukuoka Marathon is the current national Canadian record. Drayton, who lives in Toronto, is 73 years-old now. "Two-ten is obviously a good time," remarked two-time Canadian Olympic marathoner Reid Coolsaet, who came close to Drayton's record at the 2015 BMW Berlin Marathon where he ran 2:10:28. Speaking at a press conference here this morning in advance of Sunday's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon he added, "[But], especially after Eliud Kipchoge's record (2:01:39) we need a faster national record. With guys like Cam stepping up to the marathon, it's just a matter of time before it goes." "Cam," of course, is Cameron Levins, the 29 year-old Canadian Olympian who holds the national record of 27:07.51 for 10,000m. A former Nike Oregon Project athlete who now represents Hoka One One, Levins will be making his long-awaited marathon debut here this Sunday. He'll be running primarily for the Athletics Canada national title, but with a CAD 43,000 bonus (USD 32,800) on the line for taking down Drayton's mark, the record is definitely on Levins's mind. His 10,000m best is equivalent to a 2:06:38 marathon by using one popular conversion formula. "I'm in great shape," Levins told the media here today, looking relaxed in a hooded sweatshirt, his hands folded in his lap. "I'm ready to attack the Canadian record." Levins, who was notorious for running exceptionally high mileage during his NCAA career at Southern Utah University, stuck with a high-mileage diet for this race, too. He estimated that he averaged 168 miles (270 kilometers) per week, splitting his time between his sea level home in Portland, Ore., and the high altitude of Cedar City, Utah, where he lived and trained in college. He said he adapted well to marathon training after an uncertain start. "I was a little nervous about getting into the new kind of training," Levins told Race Results Weekly. "I mean, I'm into it now. I know I'm going to do more beyond this. I can see it becoming, just, what I do." But first, he had to get through Sunday's race. Long-time race director Alan Brookes has assembled one of his best elite fields led by two-time race winner Philemon Rono of Kenya (2:06:52 PB), 2012 Olympic Marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda (2:06:33), 2017 Seoul Marathon runner-up Felix Kandie of Kenya (2:06:03), and New Zealand record holder Jake Robertson (2:08:26). Levins, who said he will run with the second group, made sure he put enough long runs which included very specific goals. As a track runner, his long runs were mostly just for adding miles, he said, at an easy pace. (10/20/2018) ⚡AMP

Jeffrey Redfern won the 18th annual Baltimore Running Festival

Redfern, an attorney for a non-profit organization, took the lead at mile 21 and finished the marathon in 2:30:26. He participated in last year’s marathon as a tune-up for the New York Marathon, but did not finish to save his legs. On the women’s side, Julia Roman-Duval of Columbia captured her first marathon title in 2:47:42. The astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore ran the marathon as a training run for the California International Marathon/USATF National Championship on Dec. 2. Last year’s men’s winner, Jordan Tropf, and women’s champion, Silvia Baage, did not return to repeat as marathon winners. Runners were greeted with favorable conditions Saturday morning. The overnight rain ended and temperatures were in the mid-50s as the marathon began. (10/20/2018) ⚡AMP

Ethiopian Meseret Defar is ready to debut in Amsterdam

Ethiopian Meseret Defar, the 2004 and 2012 Olympic 5000m champion, will make her marathon debut. Having won numerous global medals on the track across a span of 12 years, Defar is ready to prove herself on a new surface. “Now it's time for chapter two in my career: the road races,” said Defar, winner of four successive world indoor 3000m titles between 2004 and 2010 as well as the 2007 and 2013 outdoor world 5000m titles. “Chapter one was the ending of my track career, chapter two is starting on the road.” Defar has already produced some notable performances on the roads, including a 10km best of 31:14 and a half marathon PB (on a record-eligible course) of 1:07:25. She had originally intended to make her marathon debut in Tokyo earlier this year, but an injury prevented her from making it to the start line. “I have trained very well, but I have no idea what a marathon will do to me,” said the 34-year-old. “Training for the marathon is very difficult – like the marathon itself, I guess.” Tadelech Bekele, who won last year in 2:21:54 and improved to 2:21:40 to finish third in London six months ago, will defend her title. Bahrain’s Desi Jisa, who ran 2:24:05 on her marathon debut in Dubai earlier this year and finished seventh at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018, is also expected to be a contender. The race record of 2:21:09 was set in 2012 by Ethiopia’s Meseret Hailu. (10/20/2018) ⚡AMP

Sarah Sellers is ready to compete at Runner’s World 5K

A foot fracture cost Sarah Sellers her track and cross-country career at Weber State University, where she won nine conference championships. She never reached her goal of becoming an all-American. The navicular break called for extended recovery time. Sellers took three and a half years off, investing in her nursing career and earning a master’s degree in Florida while becoming an anesthetist. In 2017 she returned to racing, building up to her first marathon in Huntsville, Utah, which she won in a course-record two hours, 44 minutes, 27 seconds to qualify for the famed Boston Marathon. “Then I went to Tuscon, Ariz., and started marathon training,” she said. “But I didn’t know if my foot would hold up.” It did. In April, she placed second, with a time of 2:44.04. Now, Sellers has her eyes on Bethlehem, where the Seventh Annual Runner’s World Half Marathon and Festival will be this weekend.  Sellers plans to run in Saturday morning’s 5K race as preparation for the Nov. 4 New York Marathon. “I know it’s extremely beautiful in Bethlehem,” Sellers says. “It’s very green, and I’m looking forward to that, coming from Tucson. Tucson has its own beauty, but it’s not green.” (10/19/2018) ⚡AMP

First African-American woman to break three hours in the Marathon will be the honorary starter of the 2018 Baltimore Marathon

Marilyn Bevans’ running career began fancifully, a young girl chasing butterflies at summer camp. She grew wings of her own, or so it seemed, blossoming into a world-class distance runner at the dawn of the marathon craze. Bevans, of northwest Baltimore, either won or finished second among women in five of the first seven Maryland Marathons, starting in 1973. She triumphed in 1977, setting a course record 2 hours, 51 minutes and 18 seconds and again in 1979. Hailed as America’s first celebrated black female marathoner, she was the first black woman to break the three-hour mark for the marathon, placing fourth in the 1975 Boston Marathon (2:57). On Saturday morning, Bevans, 68, will be poised at the starting line again, bullhorn in hand, as the honorary starter for the Baltimore Running Festival. “It’s a new experience for me and it should be kind of fun,” she said. Bevans still runs every other day, about 15 miles a week, though at a more deliberate pace. (10/19/2018) ⚡AMP

Justin Gallegos is the first athlete with cerebral palsy to be signed by Nike

Justin 'Magic' Gallegos has made history after he became the first ever Nike Athlete with cerebral palsy. Nike surprised the unsuspecting American student at the end of his first ever half marathon in Oregon, which he completed in an impressive time of two hours, three minutes, and 49 seconds. Cameras were there not only to capture his race, but the historic moment - as Nike handed Gallegos a three-year contract. Writing on Instagram, Justin says: "I’m still at loss for words! Thanks to everyone for the love and the support not only the past couple days but the last seven years of my life!" (10/19/2018) ⚡AMP

Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono of Kenya, wants to retain his title and improve the course record in the Dutch city on Oct. 21

Defending champion Lawrence Cherono will come up against stiff competition on Sunday when he lines up in Amsterdam Marathon. Cherono, who has been training in Kaptagat in Eldoret County, will be in a men’s field that features, among others, Ethiopia’s distance running legend Kenenisa Bekele. Bekele, considered the greatest distance runner of all time with a Personal Best of two hours, three minutes and three seconds in the marathon which he recorded in the 2016 Berlin Marathon. “I love training in Kaptagat because it has always given me good environment for training, which has often translated to positive results in all the races I have participated in. The place is cool and training in the forest gives me perfect conditions to prepare for marathon races,” Cherono told Nation Sport in Kaptagat. The athlete said he was happy to have finished his training programme injury-free and is looking forward to a good race on Sunday. “My training has gone well and I want to thank God because I have not suffered an injury during training in the last three months I have been here. I’m looking forward to running a good race as I seek to lower my Personal Best,” said Cherono. Cherono also said he has paid little attention to Bekele’s presence in men’s field, saying the Ethiopian can only help competitors run a quick race. (10/19/2018) ⚡AMP

Eritrean and asylum seeker Abedom Beyene, wants to be the next Mo Farah

An unaccompanied asylum seeker, whose journey to England saw him walk across the Sahara desert and cross the Mediterranean, says he hopes to be the "next Mo Farah". Eritrean Abedom Beyene, 17, arrived in the UK last year and was placed in a supported living home in Northampton.

He has become a regular at the town’s parkrun, running it in a personal best time of 15 minutes 37 seconds. His coach Peter Currington said Mr Beyene is "probably the most talented youngster I have ever come across". Mr Beyene told the BBC he wants to be "the next Mo Farah", adding "I'm hoping to be a champion".

(10/18/2018) ⚡AMP

Former Commonwealth Games marathon champion Flomena Cheyech has confirmed she will be competing at the Shanghai Marathon on November 18

Cheyech has had torrid season this year and barely held on to finish the Nagoya Marathon in March, finishing 19th in a slow time of 2:33:01. However, the 36-year-old has since shaken off the fatigue and injury that slowed her down and is focused on winning in China. "I have been out of competition for long because of the injury I got in Japan. But it has since healed and I am back in competition," said Cheyech after finishing second in 71:05 in the Eldoret Half marathon. Now she is focused on winning in Shanghai next month. "I normally run a few road races to prepare my body and gauge how good it is for the marathon distance. Shanghai is the next stop for me in November, and hopefully I will be able to run well and win the gold medal," she added. Ethiopian athletes have provided the stiffest challenge to Kenya's dominance, and Cheyech believes she is over the worst of her injury concerns and is ready to rise up again. She will be up against last year's champion Lydia Cheromei and Margaret Agai. Ethiopia are expected to field last year's runner-up Hirut Tibebu Damte and Gulume Tollesa Chala. (10/18/2018) ⚡AMP

World marathon record holder Eliud kipchoge wins the Sjak Startimes sports personality award for the month of September

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge is the Sports Personality of the Month for September 2018. Kipchoge becomes the 15th recipient of the award sponsored by Pay TV provider, StarTimes. Kipchoge got the accolade after setting a new marathon world record of 2 hours 01 minute 39 seconds on September 16 in the Berlin Marathon. Kipchoge sliced one minute 18 seconds from the previous record of 2 hours 02 minutes 57 seconds set by Dennis Kimetto in 2014. In that breath taking feat, Kipchoge also bettered the world’s best marks for 35km and 40km previously held by Kimetto. The 33-year-old blipped one hour 41 minutes, one second at 35km and one hour 55 minutes 32 seconds at 40km. In an interview, Kipchoge said the award came as a surprise to him though it will act a morale booster as he focuses on future assignments. "It is exactly one month since I broke the record on September 16 and this being October 16, I think it is a good timing on your part," Kip told the journalists. Kipchoge was awarded a 43 inch StarTimes Digital TV Set, Sh100,000 shillings and the winner’s trophy. (10/18/2018) ⚡AMP

A couple will start the Detroit Free Press Marathon as an engaged couple and finish as a married couple

A Michigan couple plans to pause at the half way mark of the Detroit Free Press Marathon to exchange vows and say their "I do's" before completing the international excursion through Detroit and Windsor on Sunday October 21.  Whitney Black, 31, and Steven Phillips, 33, plan to start as an engaged couple and finish the marathon as a married couple.  The couple has long been overcoming adversity with the help of their running habit, according to spokespeople for the marathon. Black was in a vehicle accident about 14 years ago, requiring 20 surgeries and years of physical therapy after being told she would not be able to walk again.  She then met Phillips, who encouraged her to train for a marathon. During training, she was hit by another vehicle, requiring another surgery. About eight years ago, Phillips weighed 300 pounds and wanted to get his health on track. He chose running. He's since lost 130 pounds and will run his 14th marathon this weekend. Because the two share a passion for running, they decided to forgo a traditional wedding and hold a brief ceremony during the marathon, at what they consider the perfect moment. The two plan to exchange vows in a five to seven-minute ceremony, with the bride donning a visor with a wedding veil and a shirt stating "Something Borrowed Something Blue at Mile 13.1 We'll Say I Do," and the groom sporting a tuxedo shirt.  (10/18/2018) ⚡AMP

The Canadian indoor 1,500m record-holder and Pan Am silver medallist, Nicole Sifuentes has decided at 32 to hang up her spikes

Two-time Olympian and Canadian indoor 1,500m record-holder Nicole Sifuentes, 32, originally of Winnipeg has announced her retirement from the sport of track and field. Nicole Sifuentes says, “I wonder sometimes how running became my job. As a child I didn’t have any aspirations to be an athlete.”  Sifuentes represented Canada at the 2012 Olympics in London and 2016 in Rio. Sifuentes made it to the semi-finals at both Olympics. Her lifetime 1500m best is 4:03.97. Last year, the Saucony-sponsored athlete won the B.A.A. Invitational Mile in Boston, breaking the course record in 4:33.7. This year, she won it again. Her last national team was at NACAC in Toronto this summer, where she finished 5th, and her last race was the Fifth Avenue Mile on September 9th. She finished ninth. Sifuentes wrote in a recent blog post looking back on her career, she realized the fire was gone, and that it was time to hang up her spikes. (10/17/2018) ⚡AMP

Sal Pellegrino will run the NYC Marathon for the 27th time on his 75th birthday

Sal Pellegrino will be celebrating his 75th birthday, with some 50,000 people on the streets of New York City.  Sal will be running in the New York City Marathon, the 27th time he's tackled the challenging course that starts in Staten Island and traverses all five boroughs before ending in Central Park. Pellegrino ran his first NYC Marathon at age 48 and has returned every year except 2012 when the event was canceled in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and one year when he had surgery. He ran solo for the first 15 marathons but for the past dozen years has acted as a volunteer guide with Achilles International, which aids disabled participants.  Over the years, he has guided people who are blind and deaf, amputees, and those with multiple sclerosis, vertigo, and Lou Gehrig's disease. This year, he'll run the course with a woman who suffers from dizziness and seizures. "It's quite an inspiration that they have the courage to do this," Pellegrino said. He has no plans to stop running any time soon.   (10/17/2018) ⚡AMP

Jimmy Magee is running the Marine Corps Marathon to honor father's legacy

When most people run a marathon, the ending is the hardest part. But 58-year-old Jimmy Magee, of Conway, Arkansas, is hoping to be the exception to this. The pediatrician is running the race to honor his father, a World War II veteran who died 20 years ago. “He fought on Iwo Jima, so I was particularly intrigued by the Marine Corps Marathon not because I was in the Marines but because my dad was,” Magee said. “I think it’s unique and especially meaningful to me that this marathon actually ends at the Iwo Jima Memorial. That has a special meaning to me.” Corporal Kenneth Magee served in the 5th Marine Division, which was part of the invasion of Iwo Jima in 1945. The statue, overlooking the Potomac River, of those soldiers struggling to mount a waving flag atop a hill is an iconic memorial to those who suffered through an especially bloody, and deadly, battle. Corporal Magee survived it, but just barely. Training for the race is hard enough, but the summer and early fall in Arkansas has been hot and humid this year, he said. He admits grueling is the word that applies, but “thinking about the number of hours I’m putting in doing it, it doesn’t even hold a candle to what the soldiers went through and what our dad went through,” he said. (10/16/2018) ⚡AMP

2018 Airtel Delhi Half Marathon are using corporate honchos for its pacers

India’s leading corporate heads have confirmed their participation in the amateur section of the 2018 Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Procam International has announced that top corporate leaders will be official pacers for the amateurs half marathon and 10Km.  Distance running has become a lifestyle activity for many in India and corporates heads will lead the way. With the ever-increasing number of running events, it is imperative to note that a lot of corporate leaders have been participating in marathons and are training seriously throughout the year. This time around, these CEOs, MDs, VPs will not be bettering their personal bests, but we’ll be helping others complete their running goals.  “It gives us immense motivation and encouragement to see leaders from the corporate world joining us in our running movement”, said Vivek Singh from the race organizers. “We are delighted to announce that all the pacers at this year’s edition are top-level executives, who are not just helping their firms run a business – but also helping amateur runners achieve their goal.”  (10/16/2018) ⚡AMP

Seattle’s Jason Damazo wins the Maui Marathon

Eight years ago, Jason Damazo and his wife, Lindsey, visited Maui for their honeymoon. Fast forward to Sunday, and the 34-year-old Seattle native and his wife were again celebrating on the Valley Isle, sharing a warm embrace after he was the first to cross the finish line in front of the Kaanapali Beach Hotel to win the Maui Marathon. Damazo finished in a time of 2 hours, 52 minutes, 2 seconds, 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Sage Sarchet of Wailuku. James Newby of Squamish, B.C., finished third in 2:57:21. Damazo credited Sarchet for pushing him throughout the 26.2-mile trek from Hookele Street in Kahului to Kaanapali. “He almost ran with me every step of the way,” Damazo said. “I definitely wouldn’t have been able to make that time without a companion for most of the route.” Damazo said Sarchet broke away from him around the 20-mile mark of the race, but he was able to keep him in sight before he was able to catch up and take the lead in the final stretch of the race. Hannah Bocksnick of Honolulu won the women’s race in 3:25:47. Her time was good for 10th overall. It was only the 27-year-old’s second marathon ever. (10/16/2018) ⚡AMP

Sydney McLaughlin is a 2016 Olympian, an NCAA champion and now a signed athlete with new Balance

2016 Olympian, Sydney McLaughlin and NCAA champion has joined the New Balance team. McLaughlin burst onto the scene in 2016 when she qualified for the Rio Olympics as a 16-year-old high school student. The 400m hurdler now has nearly 300,000 Instagram followers and a multi-year New Balance contract. McLaughlin graduated high school in 2017 and started at the University of Kentucky last fall. Many running fans were surprised at the hurdler’s decision to go to school as opposed to turning pro right out of the gate, but her first year in the NCAA was very successful. The freshman managed to set the collegiate outdoor record and world junior record in the 400m hurdles, running 52.75, and a world junior record in the indoor 400m of 50.36. Immediately after the NCAA Outdoor Championships, McLaughlin announced that she would not be returning to collegiate running. McLaughlin said in a press release, “New Balance has a long-standing history as an excellent running company and they are the perfect partner for me. I’m thrilled to join the Team New Balance family, a brand that not only shares the same values and principles that are important to me but also supports its athletes on and off the track.” (10/16/2018) ⚡AMP

The RTW team logged 24,901 miles and 52.4 of these miles were run inside an NFL stadium

Did you Know? Run The World Challenge 2 team members Becca Pizzi and Michael Wardian both ran the marathon (first woman and first man) that was run inside the Gillette Stadium in Boston September 29. 

This 114 lap race was the first-ever marathon held entirely inside and on the field of an NFL football stadium. 

Dave McGillivray (also a RTWC 2 team member) was the race director. "Dave's marathons are my absolute favorite and his DMSE support team is second to none," says Becca. 

A ton of funds were raised for the New England Patriots Foundation helping the homeless...Both Becca and Michael have signed up for the RTW Challenge 3 team.  

Run The World is an event created by lifetime runner 70-year-old Bob Anderson.  He ran 260 miles for challenge 2 and even through he did not complete anything close to what Becca and Michael did, he still doubled his normal weekly mileage.  Many team members were also motivated to run more hitting milestones of 50, 100, 200 or more miles before we finished. 

"The finish line of the RTW Challenge is when our team have logged 24,901 miles," says Bob Anderson.  It took 44 days 18 hours and 29 minutes to complete the task this time.  

Runners age 11-74 ran miles in 24 different countries. In the little country of Palau 1,187 miles were logged. 74-year-old Frank Bozanich ran and logged 801 miles in the 44 days. There are so many amazing stories. 

What has become really popular and a good motivator is the Run The World Feed.  Many team members post notes and photos daily for other members to leave comments. 

"I read every post and look at every photo and comment on each one," says Bob. "I started this with Challenge 1 and found this was a good motivator." 

Lize Dumon in South Africa wrote, "The RTW community is very precious to me. It is like an extended running family, a safe place to share everything running." 

RTW Challenge 3 starts October 29. The Challenge will help get you in better shape so you can reach your goals. This can be a tough time of the year to get out the door.  We will help each other.  Sign up today and join our team.     

(10/15/2018) ⚡AMP

Altra announced the addition of Kara Goucher to their Elite Professional Team

Altra is excited to announce the addition of Boulder’s Kara Goucher to their Elite Team of professional athletes.  Goucher is one of the most accomplished female distance runners in the world. She has represented the US at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics, and she brought home a World Silver Medal in the 10,000m from Osaka, Japan. She has many accolades ranging from the track distances to the marathon which includes the fastest marathon debut by an American woman. “I’m excited to partner with Altra as I enter the next phase of reaching my goals,” Goucher said. “They’re different than they were 10 years ago, but they still matter and they’re still big. In addition, I am looking forward to teaming up with a like-minded brand who gives back to the running community, believes in clean sport and cares about women’s running and all generations of the female athlete. Together, we hope to motivate, inspire and lead by example.” (10/15/2018) ⚡AMP

Men’s and women’s course records were broken at The 2018 Ironman World Championships

The 2018 Ironman World Championships produced two winning performances that made history. Both the men’s and women’s course records were broken with inspiring performances from Patrick Lange and Daniela Ryf on Saturday in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. In front of a roaring crowd on the coast of Kailua Bay, the women’s course record was shattered once again by Daniela Ryf, who completed the ultimate endurance test with a final time of 8:26:16. The performance marked Ryf’s fourth straight title, which means that the Swiss athlete is one of three women in history to win Kona more than three times in a row. She follows Hall of Famer Paula Newby-Fraser and Natascha Badmann in her accomplishment. Saturday’s race was arguably Ryf’s most hard-fought championship as she was stung by a jellyfish during the swim portion of the 140.6-mile course. “It’s incredible. Maybe the jellyfish gave me some superpower. I don’t know,” she said on the live television broadcast after crossing the finish line. Ryf endured the pain and completed the 2.4-mile swim in 57:27, at which point she was in 14th place. She fought her way back throughout the 112-mile bike portion with a split of 4:26:07, a new course record. The previous record was 4:44:19 set by Jodi Jackson in 1999. Ryf closed out the race with a time of 2:57:05 in the 26.2-mile run. Lange broke the finish line tape in a record time of 7:52:39. He is the first athlete in Ironman’s 40-year history to break eight hours on the grueling Kona course. His splits were 50:37 for the swim, 4:16:04 for the bike, and 2:41:31 for the run. (10/15/2018) ⚡AMP

The 62nd Annual Isle of Wight Marathon was won by Gary Marshall his first race ever

Gary Marshall (bib 102) was the surprise winner of the Isle of Wight Marathon (UK) on Sunday in a time of 2:58:06.  Despite his victory, it was still some way off the men's record, which is held by Peter Thompson who clocked 2.40.29.  Gary described his victory as beyond his wildest dreams, although he had aimed at running a sub 3 hour time.  He was well in control during the first half of the race, before experiencing heavy legs. Gary held on though and was pleased to record a qualifying time for the 2020 London Marathon. In contrast, Matt Cheyney of Denmead Striders has clocked up 39 Marathons, with a best time of 2:51 in London. Running steadily throughout he took the runner up slot after 21 miles and finished in 2:58:43.  Elizabeth Steward was the first woman clocking 3:34:26. She said that she had enjoyed the race, but it was a real challenge. (10/15/2018) ⚡AMP

Elisha Kipchirchir Rotich won the 35th annaul Eindhoven Marathon in 2:07:32

Elisha Kipchirchir Rotich from Kenya, won the 35th annual Eindhoven Marathon this weekend. He set a personal record. He clocked 2:07:32. His fellow-countryman Laban Mutai came second. Laban Mutai set a time of 02:07:37. Vincent Kipsang Rono, also from Kenya, finished third. He finished in 02:07:50. All three winners set personal records. From start to finish, Kipchirchir Rotich was part of the leading group. Though the number of athletes in this group declined during the marathon, he remained part of it. With twelve kilometers to go, only six runners remained in the leading group. Two kilometers later, the group fell apart with Kipchirchir Rotich continuing on his own. He ran the last two kilometers leading. The winning time of 2:07:32 is slightly slower than the previous record of 2 hours and 6 minutes. The warm weather slowed the field this year.  (10/15/2018) ⚡AMP

Samuel Tsegay wins the 40th annual 20km de Paris on Sunday

Samuel Tsegay and Ophélie Claude-Boxberger were the winners of the 40th edition of the IAAF Silver Label road race in 58:23 and 1:09:48 respectively. From the gun, a large group detached itself from the field. The leading pack then splintered into two parts. Tsegay, Gojjam Belayinem of Ethiopia, Felicien Muhitira of Burundi and Morhad Amdouni of France reached five in 14:40. They were followed five seconds later by a group of six men, including the 2015 winner Stephen Ogari and France’s Hassan Chahdi. Amdouni, the 2016 champion, was forced to drop out due to calf pain, leaving Tsegay, Belayinem and Muhitira in contention for victory. The trio passed through the halfway point in 28:56, meaning the second five-kilometre section was covered in 14:16. Alfred Cherop and Chahdi detached themselves from the chasing group and were 19 seconds behind the leaders at 10km. Belayinem couldn’t maintain the pace and was dropped by Tsegay and Muhitira, who passed through 15 in 43:26, 38 seconds ahead of Belayinem. Chahdi remained in fourth place in 44:20, three seconds ahead of Cherop. Tsegay, who was a last-minute entrant, made his move soon after 15 . He built a small lead over the Burundian, who wasn’t able to answer to the attack but maintained a good rhythm. Tsegay, the 2014 world half marathon silver medalist, maintained his advantage to cross the line in 58:23. It was only his second race in 2018 following a 1:02:08 half marathon clocking in March. Muhitira held on to take second place in 58:35, 12 seconds after the winner. Samuel Targaryen  (10/15/2018) ⚡AMP

Sinead Diver age 41 clocked the fastest female marathon time on Australian soil

Sinead Diver, a 41-year-old mother of two clocked a 2:25:19 marathon this morning.  This is the second fastest marathon ever by an Irish-born female athlete. The Irish native and Australian international Sinead Diver posted a fantastic 2:25:19 to set a new course record at the Medibank Melbourne Marathon on Sunday (October 14). Diver emigrated to Australia in 2002, and on Sunday she showed that when it comes to the marathon running, age is only a number after taking over six minutes off her personal best. The 41 year-old, who has two young sons, is now the second fastest Irish-born female, and her winning time is also the quickest by an Australian female athlete on Australian soil. (10/14/2018) ⚡AMP

Kenyans Rebecca Korir and Ednah Mukwana will headline the women´s field at Beirut Marathon

Kenyans Ednah Mukwana and Rebecca Korir  will headline the elite women field at the 16th edition of the  Beirut Marathon on November 11. Mukwana has a best of 2:30:24 which she ran to take victory at the Zhengzhou Marathon earlier this year, while Korir has a best of 2:29:16, which she ran to finish third at the Rotterdam Marathon in 2016. Another who will be in contention is Lithuania’s Raza Drazdauskaite, a three-time Olympian who clocked 2:29:29 to finish 26th at the London Games in 2012. Belarus’s Sviatlana Kudzelich comes in with impressive form at the shorter distances. The 31-year-old was a European indoor silver medallist over 3000m in 2015 and earlier this year she set her half marathon personal best of 1:11:45 in Prague. Ethiopia will have a trio of strong contenders in the form of Almensh Herpha, Medina Deme Armino and Nigist Muluneh Desta. Herpa took victory at the Lagos City Marathon on her most recent outing over this distance, while the Ethiopian has previous form at the BLOM Bank Beirut Marathon, finishing third in 2016. Armino has been enjoying a breakthrough year after lowering her PB to 2:33:17 when taking victory at the Treviso Marathon, while Desta lowered her best to 2:36:54 when finishing third at the Shenzhen Marathon last December. Another potential champion is Kazakhstan’s Gulzhanat Zhanatbek, who finished 14th in the marathon at the Asian Games in Jakarta in August. There will also be a strong local contingent, with Nisrine Njeim, Nadine Kalot and Hiba Traboulsi hoping to make an impact against their international rivals. Fellow Lebanese elite athletes Chirine Njeim, Nadia Dagher and Zainab Bazzi will tackle the half marathon, where Njeim will be targeting the Lebanese record. Athletes will compete for a first prize of US $15,000 with additional time bonuses on offer. There will also be substantial prize money and time bonuses available for the first Lebanese finishers. (10/14/2018) ⚡AMP

The Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games was a pivotal point in athletics history

After getting underway on October 13, during the eight days of athletics in the Mexican capital records tumbled with an astonishing frequency but the Games – and in no sport more so than athletics – also caught the zeitgeist of the era with technical innovations and social changes, many of which have had a lasting impact 50 years later.

The tone was set at the opening ceremony for the Games, which had taken place a day earlier in the 83,700-capacity Estadio Olympico Universitario that was subsequently to play host to the athletics, when the Mexican hurdler Norma Enriqueta Basilio became the first woman to light the flame in the Olympic cauldron.

It was an occasion that was seen while it happened in many parts of the world and, thanks to developments in satellite technology, much of the Olympics was also transmitted live.

For the first time, athletics at an Olympic Games was also available to an international audience in color, even though only a fraction of the global population had TV sets capable of receiving such images.

Nevertheless, the pictures transmitted from the athletics events in Mexico City truly captured the world’s imagination in a way that had not been done before. Mexico City also saw the start of the Kenyan gold rush at a global level with three victories, including Kip Keino’s audacious gun-to-tape 1500m triumph in an Olympic record of 3:34.9 which defied the conventional logic considering the 2240m altitude.

It was to be 1984 before his Olympic record was improved. At the time the headlines were dominated by the effect Mexico City’s altitude had on the endurance events and the demise of well-known and favoured runners like Australia’s world record holder Ron Clarke in such unfamiliar conditions.

Relatively little credit was given internationally at the time to the feats of Keino and his fellow Kenyan gold medalists Naftali Temu and Amos Biwott – although they were appropriately feted at home – but retrospectively they can be seen as the defining moment when Kenya became an athletics global superpower and their success acted as a catalyst for Africa’s domination of endurance events today.

(10/13/2018) ⚡AMP

The Run The World Challenge 2 team has finished and here are the awards

"We have finished," says Lize Dumon (photo) a RTW Challenge 2 team member from South Africa, "Great achievement! But this morning, going out for my run just felt that little bit harder. I haven't realized how precious this RTW community has become to me. It is like an extended running family, a safe place to share everything running without rolling eyes and sighs from non-runners. It has become a place where I learn so much about running from reading everybody's posts and a place of immense encouragement! I don't want to leave this place... bring it on Challenge 3!" 

Run The World Global Run Challenge is a global event celebrating running, motivating the team, inspiring others and completing the goal.  The 131 member RTW Challenge 2 team ran and logged miles in 24 countries reaching a total of 24,901 miles in 44 days 18 hours 29 minutes.  

"This event is a real motivator. Many of our members (including me) ran many more miles than usual," says Run The World Challenge Team Caption, Bob Anderson. 34-year-old team member Carmen Gair from South Africa posted, "Thank you...for this amazing challenge...thank you...for motivating me to run more than double my usual mileage in this amount of time."

She ran and logged 151 miles in 44 days.  Team members added this challenge to their existing goals and used the Challenge to further motivate them.  

"Here are the special awards for our RTW Challenge 2 team," says Bob Anderson who reached 260.66 miles himself.

For Outstanding achievement: Frank Bozanich age 74 logged 801 miles...

Most Inspiring: Lize Dumon set her goal to reach 200 miles and she did that. She also motivated other team members in South Africa that she recruited to reach their goal as well...

Most Motivating: Aaron L. Salvador from the little country of Palau logged 377.99 miles, recruited others and posted a note and photo everyday...For

Best Performance: Willie Korir (second photo) from Kenya logged the most miles (993.88) which is an average of 22.5 miles per day. This is being shared with Joel Maina Mwangi also from Kenya who not only logged in 610.44 miles but he raced four half marathons during the Challenge period clocking 1:02:52, 1:03:19, 1:02:50 and 1:02:54...

Five Most Inspiring stories: based on their story posted on My Best Runs: (this award goes to the five who received the most views on My Best Runs) Joyce Lee (1178 views), Michael Wardian (851 views), Gloria Nasr (616 views), Joel Maina Mqangi (492 views), Pete Magill (400 views)...

Best Youngest performance: Zander Brister age 11 logged 16.32 miles. He ran one mile in Hollister clocking 6:19 and he also averaged 7:42/mile pace at the Pacific Grove Double Road Race 15k...

Best Oldest performance: Frank Bozanich age 74 logged 801 miles. Shared with 71-year-old Paul Shimon who logged 655.37 miles...

Top Fifteen Spirit awards: (Based on posts on the RTW Feed) Aaron L Salvador, Michael Anderson, Brent Weigner, Danilo Purlia, Larry Allen, Asya Cabral, Lize Dumon, Roger Wright, Geoffrey Smith, Carmen Gair, Annie Conneau, Joseph Brazil, Vince Martignetti, Marnie Margolis, Willie Korir... 

Best Single Run: Michael Wardian when he ran 184.5 miles in 36 hours 48 minutes 14 seconds on the C&O Canal Trail...

Notable Mentions: Boaz Kipyego logged 788.61 miles and came to the United States and placed fourth at the Twin City Marathon. Rosaline Nyawira was first female logging 454.37 miles. Brent Weigner (69) has been running races every weekend including running a marathon in another country Sri Lanka. He logged 258 miles. James Kalani has gotten back into running (this challenge motivating him) and has already run 4 miles at 5:33 pace. He logged 252 miles.

Ultra marathon star Gloria Nasr from France logged 237 miles. Rosaura Tennant ran both the Berlin and Chicago marathon during this Challenge. Becca Pizzi was first woman in the marathon run inside a NFL stadium in Boston...

"Everyone is a winner on our team," says Bob Anderson.  "I can't wait to do this again."  RTW Challenge 3 start Oct 29. 

(10/13/2018) ⚡AMP

World half marathon record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei has been added to the women’s elite field for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon

World record holder Jepkosgei joins Delhi Half Marathon to challenge Dibaba, brightening prospect of a mouth-watering head-to-head with three-time Olympic gold medallist Tirunesh Dibaba. The pair have met twice before. Firstly, at last year’s Ras al Khaimah Hal Marathon when Jepkosgei finished third and the Ethiopian legend was fifth; secondly in May this year at the Manchester 10km in Great Britain when Dibaba (whose participation in the ADHM 2018 has been previously announced) got the upper hand with a convincing win – 31:08 to 31:57 – with the Kenyan runner in second place. However, Jepkosgei will come to the ADHM 2018, scheduled for October 21, in fine form buoyed by a half marathon win over a classy local field in a high-altitude race in her native Kenya last Sunday. “The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon is my first-ever trip to India and so I am very much looking forward to visiting and also competing against, once again, Tirunesh Dibaba as well as the rest of the field of accomplished and confident women,” said the 24-year-old Jepkosgei. (10/13/2018) ⚡AMP

David Sinclair and Rachel Schilkowsky were the winners at the 25th annual Hartford Marathon

David Sinclair and Rachel Schilkowsky were the men's and women's winners of the 25th running of the Hartford Marathon. Sinclair, of Peru, Vermont, clocked 2:18:20 Saturday, about 3 minutes longer than the course record. Schilkowsky, of Providence, Rhode Island, finished 9th overall clocking 2:41:03, about 8 minutes longer than the women's record. More than 10,000 runners took to Hartford-area streets on a cool and rainy morning. There was also a half marathon, a team 26.2-mile relay and a 5K. Three racers continued their streak of completing every Hartford Marathon: Peter Hawley, Andrew Bartlett and Robert Kopac. (10/13/2018) ⚡AMP