Tag Archives: Great North Run

Athletics

Concerns raised over £60 marathon registration fee

Abigail Marshall-Katung, who is the chair of the council’s adults and health scrutiny committee, said she was “concerned” about the cost at a council meeting this week.

The race, which is taking place on May 14 this year, will be the first time in 20 years Leeds has hosted a marathon.

Set up in the name of Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow – who was diagnosed with motor-neurone disease (MND) in 2019 – the event will raise money for the MND Association and other good causes.

The organisers, Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All, say the entry fee compares favourably to marathons elsewhere in the country and the money will cover the costs of staging the event.

Labour’s Councillor Marshall-Katung, who is one of several councillors taking part in the race, said she was “really proud” the marathon was being staged, but added: “My concern is the cost of it. We’re talking about tackling poverty and inequality. How can people who are not as privileged as ourselves take part in such a sport?

“We have amateur runners, we have elite runners, we have people thinking ‘Should I? Should I not?’ If you think of the cost of participating – I’m thinking of the barriers – what are we doing to encourage amateur runners to take part in such a beautiful event coming up in our city?”

Run For All was set up in 2007 in memory of the late amateur athlete and fundraiser Jane Tomlinson. The organisation, which puts on races of varying lengths across the UK, said it had “always strived to remove barriers to participation” for individuals and charities.

A Run For All spokesperson said: “The entry fee for the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon is £60 which compares very favourably with other events of similar size and scale such as the Great North Run, the Manchester Marathon and Brighton Marathon as examples. To date we haven’t received any negative feedback from the public as to the cost of entry.

“The demand for entries for the marathon and the half, which is to be staged on the same day, has been phenomenal and we expect both to reach their entry limit very soon.

“We are proud that we have entrants representing all postcodes across the city signed up.”

Run For All said all money received from entry fees would cover the staging of the events, with any surplus being gifted to charity. It added: “The cost of staging a world class event of this nature, over 26.2 miles of closed roads in and around the city is substantial and we want to ensure we are both engaging and supporting the communities in which the run will travel through.

“This event will be far more than just a run. It is a community celebration whether through running, volunteering, providing cheer points or entertainment. Leeds will come together to show their support of Rob and the incredible MND charities.”

 

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

Athletics

Jacob Kiplimo eyes the course record at the Delhi Half Marathon

World Half Marathon record holder, Jacob Kiplimo will be the star to watch at the 17th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon that will be held on October 16, 2022 in New Delhi, India.

The Olympics bronze medallist and the double gold medallist at last month’s Commonwealth Games became the first Ugandan to win the Great North Run last weekend with a time of 59:33 beating the Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega from Ethiopia who crossed the line in second in 1:00.39. Also on the receiving end was the three times Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele who came with a bang as he crossed the line in third in 1:01.01.

The 21 year-old who has had an outstanding season winning the RAK Half Marathon in the UAE in February in a world-leading time of 57:56 will be hoping to build on this two wins in Delhi as he targets the course record.

Kiplimo will be chasing the race course record of 58:53 that was set in 2020 by Ethiopia’s Amdework Walelegn.

The 2019 World Cross Country champion believes he can lower the course record in a time that has never seen on Indian soil.

I have been told that the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon course is a quick one and the record suggests that you can run fast times there…with a month to go to the race, I am in good shape, and I will focus on preparing specifically for the race over the next few weeks, said Kiplimo.

The event organisers Procam International Managing Director, Vivek Singh, said, “We are thrilled to be able to welcome Jacob Kiplimo to India for the very first time and to headline this year’s Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. It is a reflection of the event’s stature that it annually draws some of the biggest names in distance running,”

The race total prize money is USD 268,000, with the winner pocketing a cool USD 27,000.

Athletics

Jacob Kiplimo enter his name in history books in England

World Half Marathon record holder, Jacob Kiplimo went to history books at the 41st edition of the Great North Run that will be held on Sunday (11) from Newcastle to South Shields in England.

The Olympics bronze medallist and the double gold medallist at last month’s Commonwealth Games became the first Ugandan to win the GNR with a time of 59:33 and was followed by Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega from Ethiopia who crossed the line in second in 1:00.39.

Three times Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele was back with a bang as he came home in third in 1:01.01.

The 2011 Summer Universiade 10,000m champion Suguro Osako and Australia’s Brett Robinson came home in fourth and fifth place in 1:01.05 and 1:02.06 respectively.

Athletics

Hellen Obiri beats Peres Jepchirchir by a whisker in England

Double World 5000m champion, Hellen Obiri narrowly beat the Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir at the 41st edition of the Great North Run that will be held on Sunday (11) from Newcastle to South Shields in England.

Obiri who defeated Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan in last year’s edition was pushed to the tape by Jepchirchir who is the two-time world half marathon champion and also the women-only half marathon world record-holder of 1:05.16. This year ‘s victory was decided by just two seconds with the latter taking the honors in one of the bruising battle ever seen in Shields.

Obiri’s winning time of 1:07.05 was a minute and a half behind the Great North Run’s current women’s record holder Mary Keitany, also from Kenya.

Jepchirchir who came to this race as the second fastest runner after the winner settled in second in 1:07.07.

The former Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion Almaz Ayana from Ethiopia, who is making her come back after taking sabbatical leave, announced her return on the road with a third place finish in a time of 1:07.10

The 2012 World Junior women’s 3000m Champion, Hiwot Gebrekidan from Ethiopia came home in fourth place  in 1:07.22 with Four times European Cross Country Champion, Charlotte Purdue who also finished in third place last year, relegated to fifth in 1:10.11.

LEADING RESULTS

21KM WOMEN

  1. Hellen Obiri             (KEN) 1:07.05
  2. Peres Jepchirchir     (KEN) 1:07.07
  3. Almaz Ayana            (ETH) 1:07.10
  4. Hiwot Gebrekidan   (ETH) 1:07.22
  5. Charlotte Purdue     (BRT) 1:10.11
Athletics

Hellen Obiri to clash with Peres Jepchirchir at the Great North Run

Double world 5000m champion, Hellen Obiri will clash with the Tokyo Olympic marathon champion, Peres Jepchirchir at the 41st edition of the Great North Run that will be held on Sunday (11) from Newcastle to South Shields in England.

Obiri defeated Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan, who will be performing the role of official starter this weekend, will battle for honors with Jepchirchir who is the two-time world half marathon champion and also the women-only half marathon world record-holder of 1:05.16.

The 32 year-old who will be defending her title, comes to this race with a personal best of 1:04.51 which is fourteen seconds faster that Jepchirchir’s.

The two will face-off with former Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion Almaz Ayana from Ethiopia, who is making her come back after taking sabbatical leave and her fellow compatriot Hiwot Gebrekidan, who is the 2012 World Junior women’s 3000m Champion.

The home team will be led by with Jess Piasecki who comes to the race with a personal best of 1:07.20 that she got early this year at the 30a Mitja Marató Internacional Vila de Santa Pola, where she took the silver.

Four times European Cross Country Champion, Charlotte Purdue who also finished in third place last year has also been lined up to fight for the title as well as the European Indoor 3000m champion Amy Eloise Markovc who will be making her debut over the distance.

The race Organisers confirm half marathon showpiece will proceed on Sunday, with tributes planned to The Queen. Organisers of the Great North Run have confirmed that the half marathon showpiece will go ahead this coming Sunday (September 11), albeit with changes being made to the planned weekend of running in the North East of England. With alterations being made to the sporting calendar, in light of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, there had been doubts as to whether or not the event would proceed.

The Great North 5k, due to incorporate the inaugural UK Athletics 5km Championships and set to take place this evening (September 9), has been cancelled, while this year’s Mini and Junior Great North Run has been postponed.

Athletics

Joshua Cheptegei withdraws from Great North Run

The reigning World 10,000m champion, Joshua Cheptegei has withdrawn from the 41st edition of the Great North Run that will be held on Sunday (11) from Newcastle to South Shields in England.

The 25 year-old has been battling with a calf and hamstring injury he suffered while competing in the 5,000m final in Oregon, where he finished a distant ninth.

Cheptegei made the announcement through his social media handle, “It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from Sunday’s Great North Run. I was really looking forward competing in this historic race, but an injury won’t allow me to compete. I look forward to compete there in the future.”

The World Cross Country champion was to face-off with his compatriot the World Half Marathon record holder, Jacob Kiplimo, a man who duly stepped in his shoes in Birmingham and ensured that Uganda retained the Commonwealth Games title.

The Great North Run was cancelled in 2020 but returned to its usual slot in the sporting calendar last year, where it will remain for the foreseeable future.

 

Athletics, Features

Mo Farah’s racing comeback

Distance running legend returns to the roads of London and Manchester in May but what else does the summer of 2022 hold in store?

After signing up to race the Vitality London 10,000 on the roads of the British capital on May 2, Mo Farah has now announced he will be running the Great Manchester Run on May 22.

Despite turning 39 years old today (March 23) and enduring an injury-hit summer in 2021 which saw him fail to make the British Olympic team for Tokyo, there are signs he could be entering a surprisingly busy racing period.

After his disappointing season last year he talked about having one last hurrah – a big farewell race somewhere to mark the end of a career that has brought him, among other things, 10 global track titles. But there is now speculation he could be involved in this summer’s major championships on the track. Who knows, a return to the London Marathon in October could even be on the cards too.

Firstly, let’s stick to what we know. As Farah is racing 10km on the roads of London on May 2 and Manchester on May 22, this means we can pretty much rule him out of racing in the Müller Birmingham Diamond League on May 21.

Farah does not seem afraid of putting his reputation on the line either, incidentally, as the Great Manchester Run is also set to feature Stewart McSweyn, the Australian who holds the Oceania record for 1500m, mile and 3000m in addition to having clocked 27:23.80 for 10,000m on the track.

In addition, Andy Butchart is set to race and has been in good shape recently after having run 27:36.77 for 10,000m in California this month to break Ian Stewart’s 45-year-old Scottish record.

So if Farah’s road races in May go well, what are his options? Surprisingly he has never won a Commonwealth title and with the event on home soil in Birmingham it must be tempting.

The consensus is that he would struggle on the track against the likes of Joshua Cheptegei and Selemon Barega in the World Championships in Oregon in July. But Christian Malcolm, the head coach of the British team, has suggested it is “50/50”.

Speaking as last weekend’s World Indoor Championships in Belgrade drew to a close, Malcolm said: “Sir Mo is working hard and training. We will see how he goes in the summer. But he’s at that age now where you have to take it week-by-week, month-by-month, see where you are at in training.”

On the chances of him competing in Oregon, Malcolm added: “It’s possible. We don’t know at the moment. It’s 50-50 if I am being honest with you. Hopefully we will know a little bit more over the next six weeks.

“Does he still have a talent? Yes, he does. So let’s see if his body can handle it. Like I said, over the next six weeks Mo will know a little bit more about where he is at.”

As for the Great Manchester Run, Farah last took part in the event in 2018 when he outkicked Moses Kipsiro to clock 28:27.

Farah said: “I’m pleased to say the injury problems I had last year are now behind me, training has been going well and I am happy with the shape I am showing.

“Any time I race in the UK it is exciting for me because I love running in front of my home fans and I want to give my best for them.  I had an amazing reception in Manchester when I won the event in 2018 so I’m looking forward to racing on the streets of the city again later this year.”

It will be fascinating to see if Farah’s form during May is close to his best or whether there is little improvement on last year when he struggled at the British 10,000m Championships in Birmingham to clock 27:50.64 before barely improving three weeks later to run 27:47.04 in an invitation 10,000m at the Olympic trials in Manchester.

How will he fare, too, if he comes up against the rising force of Marc Scott, who beat Farah in Birmingham last year despite not being 100% fit himself and has since won the Great North Run, clocked 12:57.08 for 5000m indoors and on Saturday won bronze in the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships?

Source: athleticsweekly.com

Uncategorized

Hellen Obiri targets the podium at Istanbul Half Marathon

Double world champion, Hellen Obiri will be making her comeback at the 44th edition of the Istanbul Half Marathon that will be held on March 27, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The 31 year-old made her half marathon debut here in 2020 where she ran an exceptional time of 1:04.51 that made her the fourth-fastest Kenyan of all-time over the distance.

Obiri has gained experience in half marathon running since her debut. She has put her focus on road races, she won the Great North Run in last September with a time of 1:07.42 and recently she displayed her great form when she finished second at the Ras Al Khaimah half marathon that was held last month, where she also improved on her personal best to 1:04.22.

The World Cross Country Champion is now ranked the fifth fastest half marathon runner of all time. “I am so happy to be returning to Istanbul. I ran my half marathon debut in this race last year and I hope I can improve both my position and my time on this occasion,” Obiri said.

The race organizers have lined up for Ethiopians who have personal best of sub 1:07.00 that will also face Obiri in the coming three weeks time.

The 2021 Copenhagen half marathon champion, Tsehay Gemechu leads the four athletes as she comes to this race with the second fastest time on paper of 1:05.08.

The 23 year-old has an impressive half marathon record with four wins out of five races. Hawi Feysa was second behind Gemechu in Copenhagen in September, when she ran a personal best of 1:05.41 in her debut.

Nigsti Haftu and Bekelech Gudeta are the other title contenders and they come to this race with their personal best of 1:06.17 and 1:06.54. Haftu got her all time best at last year’s Valencia Half Marathon where she finished in sixth place while Gudeta got her lifetime best at this race in last year’s edition where she finished in position seven.

The two times Olympic 5000m silver medallist is ready to battle the four and she is looking forward to the challenge on the flat course.

“My training has been going on well but I know it will be a tough challenge as the field is very strong. I look forward to an exciting race in a beautiful city, “said Obiri.

The four athletes have been put together by the race organizer to chase the race course record of 1:04.02 that was set last year by Ruth Chepngetich from Kenya. This time still stands as the world record because it has been ratified by the World Athletics.

The current world half marathon record holder is Letesenbet Gidey from Ethiopia who broke the previous mark by more than a minute in 2021 in Valencia.

Athletics

Hellen Obiri debuts Zevenheuvelenloop

Four-time world champion Hellen Obiri will be at the star to watch at the NN Zevenheuvelenloop that will be held on Sunday 21 November in Netherland.

 The 31 year-old who has less experience on the road compared to running on the track.

Obiri made her half marathon debut at the Istanbul Half Marathon last April where she ran an exceptional 1:04.51 making her the fourth-fastest Kenyan of all-time.

Last month she ran away with Great North Run title in a time of 1:07.42 beating European Indoor bronze medallist Champion Eilish McColgan from United Kingdom who crossed the line in second place.

Obiri successfully defended her 5000m title at the 2019 World Championships, in Doha, setting a new championship record.

In 2017 Obiri was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine.

Athletics

Galen Rupp to battle Bashir Abdi at Great North Run

The 2012 Olympic Games gold medallist in 10,000m Galen Rupp will be the star to watch at the 40th edition of the Great North Run that will be held on Sunday (12) from Newcastle to South Shields in England.

The 2016 Rio marathon bronze medallist is coming off of an eighth place finish in the Olympic Marathon in Sapporo last month.  A veteran of seven half-marathons, the former Oregon Duck carries on his shoulder a personal best of 59:47 that he got at the 2018 Roma-Ostia half-marathon in Italy.

The 35 year-old American will battle for the top honors as he faces off with the recently crowned bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2020 Summer Olympics,  Somali-born Belgian Bashir Abdi who knows this streets well having participated in this race in 2018 where he finished in third place in 1:01.42. The 32 year-old has a personal best of 1:01.50 that he got in 2017 at the Lille Half Marathon in France.

Other established athletes slated to run are Britain’s Marc Scott who has a personal best of 1:00.35 and Jake Smith of 1:00.31 and Belgium’s Soufiane Bouchikhi of 1:02.59 are also competing on the men’s side, as is Britain’s Charlotte Purdue (1:08:23).

This year’s race has the inclusion of several track athletes making their half-marathon debuts. Those include Stewart McSweyn, the Australian record holder for both the mile (3:48.37) and 10,000m (27:23.80); Eilish McColgan, the British record holder for 5000m (14:28.55); Edward Cheserek, the Kenyan record holder for the indoor mile (3:49.44); and Dominique Scott, the South African record holder for 3000m indoors (8:41.18).

The assembled elite athletes will be fighting to try and lower the race course record of 58:56 that was set in 2011Kenya’s Martin Mathathi.