Deirdre Larkin breezes through Johannesburg’s suburbs most mornings, her white hair buffeted by the wind as she runs her well-trodden eight-kilometre training course. At 85-years-old, this retired concert pianist who only began running in later life can complete a half marathon in just over two hours and holds the world record time for her age. … Read more
Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge came tantalizingly close to breaking one of the most coveted frontiers left in athletics, running a full marathon in two hours and 24 seconds Saturday. Kipchoge, 32, joined fellow world-class runners Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea in Nike’s Breaking2 project, an attempt to cover the 26.2 miles (42.2 … Read more
Reigning Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya narrowly failed in his attempt to complete the distance under the two-hour mark on Saturday, finishing in a time of 2hr 00min 24sec. Backed by a small army of scientists and helped by an ever-changing battalion of pacesetters, Kipchoge set out to complete the classic marathon distance … Read more
Three elite runners backed by a small army of scientists will on Saturday attempt an audacious assault on the boundaries of the possible by trying to run a marathon in less than two hours. Reigning Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya, Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa and Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese will aim to complete the classic … Read more
Kenya’s Mary Keitany set the fastest time in a women-only marathon as she won a third London Marathon on Sunday in an unofficial 2hrs 17min 01sec. The 35-year-old, who also has three New York Marathon victories, beat Ethiopian track great Tirunesh Dibaba by almost a minute. Keitany went out at breakneck speed, helped by a … Read more
Ethiopian track legend Kenenisa Bekele believes he is in the sort of form to break Eliud Kipchoge’s fastest ever time in the London Marathon on Sunday. Should the 34-year-old — who still holds the 5,000 and 10,000 metres world records — manage that it would be a fitting end to a week that has seen … Read more
German sportswear giant Adidas sparked a social media outcry Tuesday after sending an email congratulating runners in the Boston Marathon for having “survived” the race. The choice of words jarred as memories remain fresh of the 2013 deadly bombing of the event in the Massachusetts city. “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!” Adidas said in … Read more
Hundreds of runners took part in Tehran’s first-ever marathon on Friday, but many women were outraged to find they could only run a short distance in a closed-off stadium. While men ran through Iran’s capital in the morning, women were allowed to run just 10 kilometres (six miles) in Azadi stadium in the afternoon — … Read more
Olympic marathon champion Jemima Sumgong has failed an out-of-competition drugs test. The 32-year-old tested positive for the banned substance EPO in a test by athletics governing body the IAAF. Sumgong also won the 2016 London marathon and was due to defend her title later this month. “We can confirm that an anti-doping rule violation case … Read more
Jemima Sumgong, the first Kenyan woman to win Olympic marathon gold when she triumphed at Rio in 2016, has failed an out-of-competition dope test, reports claimed Friday. The 32-year-old, who is also the reigning London Marathon champion, tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO in a test by the International Association of Athletics Federations … Read more
China will ban marathon cheats for life to clamp down on scandals that have dogged the fast-growing sport, which saw nearly three million participants across the country last year. The Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) said in a statement late Monday that people who run under false names, or cheat in other ways such as replacing … Read more
Ethiopia’s Bizuneh Melaku Belachew danced on the finish line as he smashed his personal best to win the Hong Kong Marathon Sunday in a new course record. The 27-year-old performed a jig to celebrate with the runner-up, Kenya’s Julius Kipyego Keter, who finished just three seconds behind, because “I’m so happy”. Belachew slashed almost a … Read more
The 2016 Olympic Games were formally opened in a colourful and pulsating ceremony at Rio’s Maracana stadium. Broadcast to an estimated audience of three billion, the ceremony celebrated Brazil’s history and natural beauty, before former marathon runner Vanderlei de Lima lit the Olympic cauldron. Wimbledon champion Andy Murray led the British team into the arena. … Read more
A 28-year-old man was arrested and is facing fraud charges for cheating his way into second place at Kenya’s Nairobi International Marathon. Police and race officials said the man, who goes by Julius Njogu, hid among a group of spectators before joining Sunday’s race near the finish. Njogu claimed second place in a sprint finish … Read more
Mary Keitany has won her second straight New York City Marathon to become the first woman to repeat since Paula Radcliffe in 2008. The 33-year-old Kenyan defended her title Sunday in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, 25 seconds, beating Ethiopia’s Aselefech Mergia by 67 seconds. Keitany pulled away around the 21-mile mark … Read more