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Mary Keitany To Challenge Edna Kiplagat At New York Mini 10K

Mary Keitany in Kenya

Mary Keitany in Kenya, Photo: Photorun.net

In what is expected to be a dramatic rush through Central Park, marathon winners Mary Keitany (London) and Edna Kiplagat (Boston) will square off June 10 in the New York Mini 10K.

Keitany, 35, broke the women’s world marathon record in London earlier this year with a blistering 2:17:01. The Kenyan, a mother of two, is also the three-time defending New York City Marathon champ, so there’s already a history of success running in the Big Apple.

Kiplagat, 37, won her Boston debut earlier this year, posting a 2:21:52. Also a Kenyan, Kiplagat isn’t a stranger to New York running either. She won her New York City Marathon debut in 2010.

Edna Kiplagat in Kenya, Photo: Photorun.net

Each woman also has experience winning the New York Mini with Keitany’s victory coming in 2015 and Kiplagat’s in 2012.

“She’s my neighbor and a friend, too,” Keitany said of Kiplagat. “It is really amazing. It’s really nice to race against each other. I have been to New York for a number of years, winning the TCS New York City Marathon three times. I love to race in New York.”

The pair headlines a collection of professional athletes from 10 different countries—including 11 Olympians—in what was the world’s first road race exclusively for women when it was started in 1972. Back then it was known as the Crazylegs Mini Marathon.

“What better way to celebrate the legacy of the world’s first all-women’s road race than to have Mary and Edna leading a world-class pro field,” said Jacki (Marsh) Dixon, winner of the first Mini 10K. “It will be a guaranteed treat for the thousands of women running along with these esteemed athletes.”

Other notable participants scheduled to compete include Joyce Chepkirui (28, Kenya), Mamitu Daska (33, Ethiopia), Jo Pavey (43, Great Britain), Betsy Saina (28, Kenya) and Alaphine Tuliamuk (28, Santa Fe, N.M.).

Other U.S. participants include Natosha Rogers, Amy Van Alstine and Caroline Williams.

“I am looking forward to running a face race before this summer’s World Championships in London,” Kiplagat said. “The New York Mini 10K is another great opportunity to race with great women, including our new world-record holder in the marathon.”

The runners will compete for a prize purse of $35,150, with $10,000 going to the winner.

RELATED: 25 Short, Fast and Fun American Road Races of 2017

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What Is The Best Age For Running Marathons?

In 2014, in an attempt to nail down the golden age for marathon racing, Spanish researchers analyzed the New York Marathon finishing times of over 45,000 athletes.

“This information included the top ten runners in both the male and female categories between the ages of 18 and 75,” Juan Del Coso Garrigós, scientist from Madrid University and main author of the study, explained.

Before this study, it was thought that after 30-years-old, athletic performance in the marathon began to steadily decline, following a straight line downward. This turns out to be about half right. Performance does decrease, but the line is a bell curve, first decreasing slightly with time after peak performance age, and then more dramatically after age 55. The parabolic shape of the graph reveals that 18-year-old marathoners have similar times to 60-year-old athletes, with the apex of the bell curve reflecting the optimum racing age for marathoners.

The Golden Age

According to the Madrid study, runners saw fastest times at 27 years old for men, and 29 years old for women. Before this age, athletes’ marathon times were 4 percent slower for every year under this age in both men and women. Afterwards, athletes increased their race times at a rate of 2 percent per year in both genders.

Battle of the Sexes

There was a 20 percent  difference between male and female finishing times until the age of 55. After this age, the gap begins to steadily widen, peaking with women about 40 percent  slower than men at the age of 70.

Outliers

With this, as with any study, there is always missed information and outliers. The data used was from only one of hundreds of marathons. It’s impossible to collect all of human ability into graph form. Each athlete and their ability is unique. Some folks are still getting PR’s well into their 70’s.

RELATED: For Best Results, Train Your Age

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Men Of Team USA Win International Team Challenge At BolderBOULDER

Photo: Peter N. Jones

It took 13 years, but the men of Team USA finally secured an International Pro Team Challenge victory at the 39th BolderBOULDER 10K. And apropos that it took place on Memorial Day.

The troika of Diego Estrada, Leonard Korir and Sam Chelanga all finished in the top nine on Monday in Boulder, Colo., to pace the USA Red squad to a 13-15 win over Ethiopia.

Gabriel Geay of Tanzania out-kicked Korir to claim the individual title by less than a second. Chelanga finished third.

Estrada needed to do some kicking of his own at the end to crack the top 10 for an eighth-place finish that ultimately propelled USA to the team win.

“I was digging pretty deep and I realized when I hit the stadium that I could get another guy or two and I knew that I would hate myself if we lost by a point, so I kicked it in,” Estrada told the Daily Camera.

Team USA’s other two squads—White and Blue—finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Geay finished in 29:02.19 for a 4:41 mile pace. Korir was right behind at 29:02.81 after the two entered the University of Colorado’s Folsom Field neck-and-neck.

“I thought I had it … I saw (Geay) make a longer turn than me, so I thought I might have him,” Korir said. “He made a mistake. I thought I was going to take advantage of it, but today was not my day.”

On the women’s side, Ethiopia edged out USA 13-14. Natosha Rogers finished third, followed by Neely Spence Gracey in fifth and Lindsay Scherf in sixth. Ethiopia went 1-2-10 for the win.

The International Team Challenge followed the 10K, which saw more than 45,000 runners, walkers and joggers cross the finish line. Aaron Pike of Savoy, Ill., won the Men’s Elite Push Rim Race with a time of 23:45.20 and Cheri Madsen of Union, Nebraska won the Women’s race with a time of 29:16.20.

The annual Memorial Day event has grown into one of the largest and most respected 10Ks in the country. The BolderBOULDER is also one of the most challenging with its 5,391 feet of elevation.

RELATED: 25 Short, Fast and Fun American Road Races of 2017

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Did You Catch This Amazing Win At This Weekend’s Pre Classic?

There were many amazing aspects of Celliphine Chespol’s win in the 3000m steeplechase at this weekend’s Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meet in Eugene Oregon. The Kenyan runner is only 18-years-old. Her time of 8:58.78 is the second fastest ever run, trailing Ruth Jebet’s world record by 6 seconds. She also shaved 7 seconds off her personal best. However, the most notable part of her victory was that she had to come to a stop to adjust her shoe with only 500 meters left in the race.

RELATED: Farah Says Farewell To Hayward FIeld With Pre Classic Win

After the second to last water jump, Chespol’s heel appeared to come out of her shoe. While bending down to readjust, she let Jebet of Bahrain and Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya pass and gain about a 3-second lead. After fighting her way back over the last lap, Chespol caught both runners with just 200 meters left to go. A blazing kick cemented her victory. Chepkoech finished second in 9:00.70 and Jebet fell to third in 9:03.52. American Emma Coburn finished 4th in 9:07.96, only .33 off her own American record.

Watch the end of the exciting race below.

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Farah Says Farewell To Hayward Field With Pre Classic Win

Mo Farah (wearing the sunglasses) on his way to winning the 2017 Prefontaine Classic 5000m. Photo: David Monti for Race Results Weekly.

(c) 2017 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

In 2011, Britain’s Mo Farah made his Prefontaine Classic debut, winning the 10,000m in a European record of 26:46.57. Since that night, he has competed in the meet five more times, winning every year but one, 2013, when he finished second to Kenya’s Edwin Soi in the 5000m (he didn’t compete in 2014).

Farah, 34, who already has four Olympic gold medals and five world titles, lined up for Saturday’s 5000m at the 42nd Prefontaine Classic with one goal, to go out on top. He said that this was his final track race at Hayward Field and, indeed, on U.S. soil. He was ready for battle.

“Obviously, you know, I have a target on my back as I always do, because I’ve been on the top of my game for the last five years,” Farah told reporters. “Everybody wants to beat me.”

But not today. In a huge field of 29 men, Farah toyed with his competitors, including two-time world cross-country and half-marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya. He gingerly moved up through the field, varying the pace when it suited him. Farah put himself into second position with four laps to go, then unleashed a 55-second final lap to beat them all in 13:00.70, the fastest time in the world this year.

“It’s quite emotional,” Farah said of closing his Hayward Field career. “Two thousand eleven, that was my breakthrough year, if any of you guys remember. I wasn’t even expected to win the race and I won the race, got the British record, British and European record. Amazing. It gave me a massive boost, confidence to come to the Olympics. I won.”

Farah, who just finished a five-week high altitude training camp in Flagstaff, Ariz., with British Athletics, is already looking forward to the final track races of his career, especially the 5000m and 10,000m events at the IAAF World Championships in London in August. He’s won the last five global titles in the 5000m and the last four in the 10,000m, and is the favorite to repeat, despite being 34-years-old. He said that he’s changed his training to work with how his body has changed over time.

“As we say in England, you’re not a spring chicken anymore,” Farah said. “As you get older you lose that bounce. I’m a little bit more tired, but I’ve got a great team around me.”

Farah was unfazed by the accusations of doping violations facing his coach, Alberto Salazar, and the Nike Oregon Project, his training group. He said that he was focused on his own training and didn’t understand why such an investigation was still going on, unresolved, after so long.

“I’m not going to answer that again,” he said to a reporter who asked about the allegations made in a year-old, leaked report from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). “It’s like, look: this has been going on for so long. If he has crossed the line, done something, then be done about it. Why are we keep talking about it year after year? That’s what my point is.”

Behind Farah, Kamworor faded to third in 13:01.35, with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha finishing between them in 13:01.21. Kamworor, who said before the race that he could beat Farah, said that he looks forward to facing him in the London World Championships in the 10,000m. He finished second to Farah at the last IAAF World Championships in Beijing in 2015.

“For me, absolutely, I have no doubt I’m going for him,” Kamworor said of Farah. “At world champs 10,000m we are going to face each other. The time (to beat him) is still there.”

RELATED: The Secrets To Mo Farah’s Success

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Shalane Flanagan Announces First Race Since Injury

Photo: Photorun.net

(c) Copyright 2017 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved.

USA 10K record holder Shalane Flanagan will run her first race since the Rio Olympic Marathon last August when she lines up at the 48th annual AJC Peachtree Road Race on Tuesday, July 4, in Atlanta, the Atlanta Track Club announced last week. The event will also host the USA 10-kilometer road running championships for both men and women.

Flanagan, 35, who won the Peachtree in 2015, has been sidelined by a fracture in her iliac crest. That back injury forced her to miss the Boston Marathon last April.

“I am excited to return to the AJC Peachtree Road Race to run for the national title,” said Flanagan through a statement. “There is no better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than with the best distance runners in the country at the world’s largest 10K.”

In addition, Flanagan and whole-foods chef Elyse Kopecky will also make a special appearance at the 2017 AJC Peachtree Road Race for a good cause. The co-authors of “Run Fast, Eat Slow,” will discuss their New York Times Bestseller and participate in a meet-and-greet on July 2, at the Georgia World Congress Center. The event will be presented by Whole Foods Markets, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Atlanta Track Club’s youth running program, Kilometer Kids.

Related: Shalane Flanagan Withdraws From 2017 Boston Marathon

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Runners Rock Liverpool

More than 20,000 runners took part in this weekend’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Liverpool Marathon & 1/2 Marathon, which included a 5K on Saturday followed by a Half Marathon, Marathon and Mile Fun Run on Sunday. Neil Smith from East Grinstead ran an amazing marathon race, coming in 1st place at a time of 2.33.54. Sofia Mattiasson from Sweden won the women’s marathon, breaking a new course record at a time of 2.57.32. Sam Pictor from Westbury was the first half marathon runner home with a time of 1.10.24. Ireland’s Sinéad Tangney won the women’s Half Marathon in a time of 1.21.25, another new course record.

Rock legends Republica, smashed out a brilliant gig at the Finish Festival Concert outside Echo Arena. In addition to the headliner concert, live bands of every genre played along the race course entertaining and encouraging runners as they made their way to the finish line.

Photos by Ryan Bethke

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2017 Rock ‘n’ Roll Liverpool 5k

Photos by Ryan Bethke

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NYRR Wants To Break A World Record For Global Running Day

Photo: NYRR

Global Running Day is fast approaching. On June 7th, the worldwide running community comes together to celebrate the sport we love. To mark the occasion, New York Road Runners will attempt to break a Guinness World Record.

NYRR will begin their “Most People in a Treadmill Relay” on June 6th. Over the course of two days, each relay participant will run one mile on a treadmill, before switching off to the next person. Each runner has to complete their mile faster than 9:41 pace. The world-record mark is set at 250 people. NYRR hopes to top that, with the event lasting around 33 hours.

The participants will range from pro athletes to celebrities to runners from NYRR’s programs. A few pro runners may even take a turn on the relay treadmill. NYRR plans to announce a participant list as the event gets closer.

If you want to catch the action in person, the relay will be taking place at the NYRR RUNCENTER on 57th Street in Manhattan. It is open to the public from 7a.m. until 8 p.m.

Related: Two World Records Set In The Indoor Marathon This Weekend

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5 Inventions Runners Desperately Need

What runner hasn’t daydreamed about a world in which temperature would be of no concern to training plans. If only we lived in a land with these magical luxuries. Here are five amazing ideas that need to be invented just for runners.

Temperature-controlled attire

Imagine setting the ideal temperature on your gloves, long-sleeve technical top, leggings and socks. All fully adjustable of course, so you can perfect your temperature as you warm up or cool down.  Also comes in air-conditioned models for summer.

Roadside Service

Need to change your shirt? Shed your gloves? Forgot to pack an extra Gu or need additional hydration? A support van is at your beck and call, following alongside and granting your every wish, without you even needing to break stride. Simply call in your route ahead of time and send a text message mid-run to place your order. Alcoholic beverages optional with proper ID.

Watch-free GPS

No more waiting around in the cold to catch a signal. You can now have a microchip tucked into your clothing or shoe that will feed you real-time information through an ear pod. It never needs to be charged, will automatically download to your laptop and will post to all pertinent social media using the appropriate hashtags. #Technologyproblemssolved

Related: 9 Tips And Tricks For Your GPS

Live Treadmill Entertainment

Sometimes it’s just too dangerous to brave the elements outside and there’s no alternative but the ol’ treadmill. The ultimate cure for ‘mill boredom would be live entertainment, preferably a great rock concert or maybe even some stand-up comedy. If I could run during a live Imagine Dragons concert or up my mood along with my endorphins while laughing at Chelsea Handler, I’m pretty sure the miles would fly by.

Ready-Made Meals

Imagine not having to put any thought into your post-run nutrition. You could simply order a gourmet meal based on your mileage for the day with the perfect ratio of carbs, fats and protein. It would be waiting for you upon your sweaty return in all its mouth-watering, good-for-you, nutritional glory. The only payment would be a donation of your old running gear. Runners are nothing if not charitable, right?

Of course, runners pride themselves on being a hardy bunch and braving the elements, all in the name of relentless forward progress. But still, a little pampering never jeopardized a PR.

Related: 2017 Running Gear Guide

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