Joyce Chepkirui says she’s in the kind of form to run the best race of her career on Saturday (5) at the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.The Kenyan, who is a training partner of world half marathon record-holder Florence Kiplagat, is targeting a time faster than the course record of 1:06:48, set last year by recent world half-marathon champion Gladys Cherono.A year ago, Chepkirui was unlucky to suffer of an achilles tendon problem during her marathon debut in London. She still managed to finish, but her 2:35:54 clocking in 15th place was obviously not what she had hoped for.There are no such problems ahead of Saturday’s race in the Czech capital and Chepkirui has in the meantime produced a stunning performance over the shorter 10km distance.In Berlin’s Asics Grand 10 last October, the 25-year-old won in a German all-comers’ record of 30:37. Just 16 second away from the world record, it ranks her sixth on the world all-time list and suggests she could well improve on her personal best of 1:07:03 in Prague.When she makes her way to the start line on Saturday, Chepkirui will be hoping to produce a similar performance to that of Berlin. “I’m in the same kind of shape I was before Berlin,” she said. “My aim is to run sub-66 minutes,” she said during the press conference in the aptly named Cloud Bar of Prague’s Hilton Hotel, overlooking the city. Does she even expect to come close to the world record? “I know the time of the record,” she replied. “When I left Kenya yesterday, Florence told me: Maybe you will break my record!”But the competition will be tough, as seven of the runners have sub-70-minute PBs, including two-time world cross-country champion Emily Chebet, who has run 1:08:20.Ethiopia’s Firehiwot Dado clocked her PB of 1:08:35 when winning the New York Half Marathon two years ago, having won the New York Marathon four months prior.The high-quality men’s race also looks wide open with four runners having run faster than an hour for the distance.Ethiopia’s Hunegnaw Mesfin and Kenya’s Peter Kirui have the same PB of 59:39 while Kenya’s Philemon Limo has gone a fraction faster with 59:30. Another Kenyan, Evans Barkowet Kiplagat, is the other sub-60-minute runner and has a best of 59:56.Two other Kenyans featuring in Saturday’s race have gone tantalisingly close to the one-hour mark and could hope to dip under 60 minutes in Prague. Henry Kiplagat has run 1:00:01, while Nicholas Kipkemboi’s PB is 1:00:15. Sadly, Ethiopia’s course record-holder Atsedu Tsegay, who set a national record of 58:47 in Prague in 2012, has had to withdraw because of typhoid infection.Jorg Wenig (organisers) for the IAAF

Joyce Chepkirui says she’s in the kind of form to run the best race of her career on Saturday (5) at the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Chepkirui ready to attack Prague course record with possible extra surprise in store

What is probably the best field ever assembled in the history of the event will be on the start line for the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon on 5 April, including five men who have gone under the hour for the distance, announced the IAAF Gold Label Road Race organisers on Monday (24).The course record-holder, the 22-year-old Ethiopian Atsedu Tsegay, will have Kenya’s Philemon Limo, the former holder of that distinction, among his rivals.Tsegay’s time of 58:47 set in Prague two years ago is currently the fifth fastest ever erformance on a record eligible course while Limo’s 2010 win in 59:30 was also world class.“We’ve twice had winning times under the magical barrier of the hour in Prague,” said Jana Moberly, the elite race co-ordinator. "First, it was thanks to Philemon Limo, then Atsedu Tsegay ran even faster. Now they will be racing each other and I hope that we’ll have a sub-60 minute performance for the third time."Apart from Tsegay and Limo, there are half a dozen athletes who have high hopes of being in contention. Three of them have already run under an hour: Ethiopia’s Hunegnaw Mesfin has excellent form this year, finishing second in the Rome-Ostia half marathon recently in a personal best of 59:39.Coincidentally, Kenya’s Peter Kirui has exactly the same lifetime best, achieved when he won the New York title with a course record two years ago. Completing this trio, his fellow Kenyan Evans Barkowet Kiplagat has a best of 59:56 from the Lille half marathon in 2009. These are by no means the only competitors to take into consideration for the men’s race.Two more Kenyans, Henry Kiplagat and Nicholas Kipkemboi, have proven records on the road. Kiplagat was the runner-up in Prague with 1:00:01 two years ago and Kipkemboi has clocked 1:00:15. Zimbabwe’s Cuthbert Nyasango is also one to watch. He finished seventh in the London 2012 Olympic Games marathon and he has a half marathon best of 1:00:26.A strong women’s field has also been assembled for the race in the Czech capital. Seven runners have broken 69 minutes for the distance and Kenya leads the way: Joyce Chepkirui is the fastest with 1:07:03, thanks to what was then a course record in Prague in 2012, a standard her compatriot Gladys Cherono improved with 1:06:48 last year.Others likely to mount a strong challenge include the reigning world cross-country champion, Kenya’s Emily Chebet, whose best of 1:08:20 makes her a prime contender as well. The 2011 New York Marathon champion, Ethiopia’s Firehiwot Dado, should also come into the reckoning with her best of 1:08:35. Others who have broken the 69-minute barrier are the Ethiopian quartet of Abebu Gelan (1:07:57), Wude Ayalew (1:07:58), Genet Getaneh (1:08:18) and Waganesh Mekasha (1:08:48).However, a debutant might even steal the show since Kenya’s Esther Chemtai has a handy 10km best of 31:33.Organisers for the IAAF

What is probably the best field ever assembled in the history of the event will be on the start line for the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon on 5 April, including five men who have gone under the hour for the distance, announced the IAAF Gold Label Road Race organisers on Monday (24).

Atsedu Tsegay and Philemon Limo set to clash in Prague Half 

Morocco&rsquo;s Aziz Lahbabi took the honours at the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, clocking a huge personal best of 59:25 on Sunday (2).Lahbabi, the 2010 world junior 5000m bronze medallist, sliced more than two minutes of his previous best of 1:01:53 which was set back in January.It was also the fastest time ever on a record-eligible half marathon course by someone hailing from elsewhere than East Africa.He was just 10 seconds outside the course record that Kenya&rsquo;s Wilson Kiprop set 12 months ago.In a thrilling race, two other men finished within one hour. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Hunegnaw Mesfin also made a huge improvement when finishing second in 59:39, coming home two seconds in front of Kenya&rsquo;s Titus Masai, the latter also improving by 10 seconds.Kenyans filled the next seven places with last year&rsquo;s third-place finisher Simon Cheprot finishing just off the podium this year in fourth with 1:00:05 and the 2013 runner-up Robert Chemosin this time having to settle for fifth in 1:00:24.The men&rsquo;s race set off at a fast pace with a 10-man group reaching the 5km mark in 14:08. The front group was down to six men by 10km as Kenyan pacemaker Victor Chumo Kimutai stopped the clock at that checkpoint in 28:02, three seconds ahead of Lahbabi, Cheprot, Masai, Chemosin and Mesfin.With Kimutai dropping out, Masai, Cheprot, Mesfin and Lahbabi passed the 15km mark in 42:24, with Chemosin six seconds further back.At that point, with the rain starting to fall, Lahbabi launched his kick and was never headed as Mesfin and Masai behind him started their battle for second and third place. &ldquo;The weather conditions were excellent apart from some slight rain at 15km where I broke away," said Lahbabi. "I hope to represent my country at the World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen (on 29 March)."Copenhagen medal contenderIf Lahbabi can repeat his form in the Danish capital later this month, he could become the first man from outside East Africa &ndash; Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Eritrea &ndash; to win since Italy&rsquo;s Stefano Baldini did so in 1996.However, he would not be the first Moroccan to win the World Half Marathon title, Khalid Skah having taken the gold medal in 1994.Last December, Lahbabi gave an indication of his potential over the half marathon distance when he was third in the famous Boclassic 10km race in Bolzano on New Year&rsquo;s Eve, behind Ethiopia&rsquo;s Imane Merga and Wilson Kiprop. Further back, despite missing out on a top-three place, it was an encouraging return to form for both Cheprot and Chemosin after some dismal races in the past 12 months since the 2013 Rome-Ostia Half Marathon.However, there was a Kenyan victory in the women&rsquo;s race as Caroline Chepkwony held off her better-known compatriot Sharon Cherop to win in 1:08:48 with the 2012 Boston Marathon winner three seconds in arrears.Chepkwony missed her personal best set at the Berlin Half Marathon two years ago by 12 seconds as just five seconds covered the first four women home. The Ethiopian pair of Netsanet Gudeta Kebede and Shure Ware were third and fourth respectively but both were given the same time of 1:08:53. Hungary&rsquo;s Krisztina Papp was the best European runner in fifth place with 1:09:50. Two-time Rome-Ostia winner Anna Incerti was the first Italian runner home in seventh place with 1:10:16. Turkey&rsquo;s Elvan Abeylegesse, one of the pre-race favourites and the double 2008 Olympic silver medallist, was forced to drop out after just a few kilometres due to a knee injury problem. More than 11,000 runners took part in the popular race from Via Cristoforo Colombo to the finish-line near the beaches in Ostia. Among them was Abdon Pamich, the 1964 Olympic 50km race walk gold medallist. He celebrated the 50th anniversary of his Tokyo triumph completing the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon at a walking pace. Now 80, the Italian race walking legend crossed the finish line in 2:58:16. Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF

Morocco’s Aziz Lahbabi took the honours at the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, clocking a huge personal best of 59:25 on Sunday (2).

Lahbabi surprises with 59:25 win at Rome-Ostia Half Marathon

Atsedu Tsegay and Netsanet Gudeta became the new champions at the Great Ethiopian Run 10km in Addis Ababa on Sunday.Both runners had to work hard for their victories on a tough new course in the northern part of the Ethiopian capital around the Jan Meda Race Ground. The change in start and finish location from its traditional venue in Meskel Square had been forced upon the organisers as a result of road and rail construction work in the city.Tsegay won in a time of 29:21, the slowest winning time here since Gebregziabher Gebremariam won in 2002, the second year of the race which has celebrated its 13th edition.However, the winning time didn’t matter to Tsegay, who fought hard over the second part of the course to claw back a 10-metre deficit over a hilly section of the route between 6km and 9km. A group of 11 passed the halfway mark in 13:38; after the leading pack was gradually whittled down to five by 6km and three by 7km. At this point 2013 Boston Marathon champion Lelisa Desisa started to struggle. Indicative of the new undulating route, the final three kilometres were covered in 9:31 compared with the opening 3km of 8:18, and the last three kilometres turned into a war of attrition, as Tsegay took the lead just before the 9km point as he headed back up the final hill past Menelik Hospital and along the edge of Jan Meda.Tsegay, continuing the tradition of a different man winning every year, came home four seconds clear of Adugna Tekele, with Hunegnaw Mesfin a further three seconds back. The winner said that his next big target will be the 2014 IAAF/AL Bank World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen on 29 March. Gudeta good over the second halfIn the women’s race, Netsanet Gudeta ran a clever tactical race which saw her overhaul long-time race leader Atsede Baysa at the 7km point. Baysa stormed through the first 5km in 15:08 but could only manage 18:42 over the race’s second half as she drifed back to third. By comparison, Gudeta’s splits were 15:20 and 18:03 and she crossed the line in 33:23. Tadelech Bekele ran strongly over the final two kilometres to take second in 33:44. Gudeta, who hails from the small town of Bekoji which has produced the likes of Kenenisa Bekele, Derartu Tulu and Tirunesh Dibaba, only requested a start number on the day before the race after deciding that her good form from her recent Coca Cola Series win in Addis Ababa back in September was still there.Gudeta is part of a training group which also includes last year’s Great Ethiopian Run champion Aberu Kebede, Aselefech Mergia, Sule Utura and Korene Jelila.An estimated 30,000 runners finished the race. Kenya’s recently crowned World Marathon Majors champion Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya joined former champions Haile Gebrselassie, Tsegaye Kebede and Gebremariam Gebregziabiher in presenting the prizes.Jiro Mochizuki (organisers) for the IAAF &nbsp;Leading results MEN 1 Atsedu Tsegaye 29:21 2 Adugna Tekele 29:25 3 Hunegnaw Mesfin 29:28WOMEN 1 Netsanet Gudeta 33:23 2 Tadelech Bekele 33:44 3 Atsede Baysa 33:50

Atsedu Tsegay and Netsanet Gudeta won at the Great Ethiopian Run 10km in Addis Ababa on Sunday.

Tsegay and Gudeta win Great Ethiopian Run

Atsedu Tsegay and Netsanet Gudeta became the new champions at the Great Ethiopian Run 10km in Addis Ababa on Sunday.