Organisers of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon have announced that Tsehay Gemechu and Andamlak Belihu will defend their titles at the World Athletics Gold Label road race on Sunday 29 November.
The Ethiopian duo will both be aiming for an unprecedented third successive victory in the Indian capital, but both will race strong fields containing world champions.
Last year, Gemechu improved her own course record from 2018 by 50 seconds when she ran a stunning personal best of 1:06:00.
Ideally, Gemechu would like to go even faster this year but, like so many runners around the world, her training and racing this year have been hugely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
&ldquo;Covid-19 is a disaster which has affected everyone's life all over the globe and, definitely, it has affected my training, not least in the early stages of the pandemic when we were all fearful of infection,&rdquo; said Gemechu, who will turn 22 next month.
&ldquo;Later, my coach and I decided to take care of ourselves, taking into account all the advice from the World Health Organization, and I started my own individual training programme with my main goal of coming back to Delhi.&rdquo;
Gemechu will have a host of outstanding rivals in this year's race, arguably the strongest women's field ever seen in the history of the Delhi Half Marathon with seven women having run under 67 minutes.
Among them are two of her compatriots, Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Netsanet Gudeta, as well as world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich.
The in-form Yehualaw finished second at the 2019 Deli Half Marathon, just one second behind Gemechu, and showed she's a rising star of distance running by finishing third at the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia last month in a personal best of 1:05:19.
Gudeta, the 2018 world half marathon champion, was eighth in Gdynia after falling over mid-race, but helped Ethiopia to team gold.
Chepngetich won the world marathon title in Doha last year, having clocked PBs of 1:05:30 for the half marathon and 2:17:08 for the marathon earlier in the season. More recently, she finished third at the London Marathon in 2:22:05.
Belihu will be aiming to finally go into new territory on the streets of Delhi, perhaps even finishing inside 59 minutes, and confirm his place as the most successful runner in Delhi Half Marathon history after having also placed second in his race debut in 2017.
&ldquo;I have been training well in Addis Ababa for the last couple of months and I am very thankful to have the opportunity to race in Delhi, a city I always enjoy returning to and racing in,&rdquo; said Belihu, who will turn 22 just over a week before race day.
&ldquo;This has been a difficult year, for everyone around the world, not just professional athletes, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and I have been training alone much more than I am normally used to,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;But my fifth place at the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland last month has assured me that I am in good shape and I am confident I can put up a good defence of my title.&rdquo;
Belihu's compatriot Guye Adola still holds the Delhi course record with 59:06 that the latter clocked in 2014 but Belihu has gone very close in the past two years with 59:18 in 2018 and a personal best of 59:10 in 2019.
An unprecedented 13 men in this year&rsquo;s elite field have sub-60-minute PBs, and five of them have actually run faster than Belihu in their careers, including Adola who returns to Delhi for the first time since his record run six years ago.
The fastest man in the field is Bahrain's 2018 world half marathon silver medallist Abraham Cheroben, who holds the Asian record for the distance with 58:40.
Two other men to watch will be the Ethiopian pair of Amdework Walelegn, who was second in Delhi last year and took the bronze medal at World Half Marathon Championships last month, and two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris, who will be making his half marathon debut.
The 2020 Delhi Half Marathon will be unlike any previous edition with an estimated 60 elite international and Indian runners in action on the Delhi roads, with the traditional start and finish still in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The event will follow the highest level of safety and hygiene standards with bio-secure zones to ensure a Covid-19-free race.
Organisers for World Athletics
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Men Abraham Cheroben (BRN) 58:40 Guye Adola (ETH) 59:06 Amdework Walelegn (ETH) 59:08 Leonard Barsoton (KEN) 59:09 Andamlak Belihu (ETH) 59:10 Solomon Berihu (ETH) 59:17 Josphat Boit (KEN) 59:19 Edwin Kiptoo (KEN) 59:26 Stephen Mokoka (RSA) 59:36 Abrar Osman (ERI) 59:47 Aron Kifle (ERI) 59:51 Dawit Wolde (ETH) 59:58 Muktar Edris (ETH) debut
Women Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 1:05:19 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 1:05:30 Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) 1:05:45 Tsehay Gemechu (ETH) 1:06:00 Evaline Chirchir (KEN) 1:06:01 Brillian Kipkoech (KEN) 1:06:56 Irene Cheptai (KEN) 1:07:39 Mimi Belete (BRN) 1:08:16 Failuna Matanga (TAN) 1:09:36 Nazret Weldu (ERI) 1:10:51 Tsigie Gebreselama (ETH) debut Hawi Feysa (ETH) debut Eva Cherono (KEN) debut

Organisers of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon have announced that Tsehay Gemechu and Andamlak Belihu will defend their titles at the World Athletics Gold Label road race on Sunday 29 November.

Defending champions Gemechu and Belihu set to face tough opposition at Delhi Half

He is already the history man of marathon running but Eliud Kipchoge will be chasing another record-breaking milestone when he lines up for Sunday&rsquo;s 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race.
---- Updated 17:00 CEST: Kenenisa Bekele was forced to withdraw from the race on Friday afternoon with a calf injury. ----
A victory for the mighty Kenyan would make him the first able-bodied athlete, male or female, to win five London Marathon titles, taking him past the great Norwegian Ingrid Kristiansen, with whom he is currently tied on four wins.
Meanwhile, women&rsquo;s world record-holder Brigid Kosgei is the hot favourite to make it a Kenyan double by lifting her second successive London crown. 
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Brigid Kosgei wins the London Marathon</div>
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Positive thinking has always been Kipchoge&rsquo;s mantra, and he is typically confident he can add to the London titles he won in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019, despite the peculiar circumstances surrounding this year&rsquo;s race due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
&ldquo;I am feeling well and happy to be back in London to run for my fifth title,&rdquo; he said at a socially distanced pre-race press conference in midweek. &ldquo;I think the race will be a really fruitful one for us on Sunday and a fast race.&rdquo;
Kipchoge, the Olympic champion, world record-holder and the first man to break the two-hour barrier in last year&rsquo;s unofficial challenge in Vienna, has turned the London Marathon into a personal tour de force in his four previous appearances, not least when he delivered a front-running masterclass last year to triumph in a course record of 2:02:37.
But this year, in what will be the 40th edition of the race, there are a number of unknown factors to occupy Kipchoge&rsquo;s thoughts as he plots his path to the finish line: a dramatically different course, the absence of any spectators and a host of top-quality opponents.
Kenenisa Bekele, one of Kipchoge's biggest rivals on the track and the second-fastest man in history for the marathon, had been set to race in London in one of the most highly anticipated clashes of the year. But a niggling calf injury ruled the Ethiopian star out of Sunday's race.
"I am very disappointed that I cannot race on Sunday," Bekele said on Friday. &ldquo;It has been a tough preparation time with lockdown when I couldn&rsquo;t have my NN team around me. I was in good shape but then I picked up a niggle in my left calf after two fast training sessions too close together in the last weeks of preparation. I have been having treatment every day since then and I truly believed I would be ready but today it is worse and I now know I cannot race on it."
In Bekele's absence, Ethiopia's Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun appear most likely to take the challenge to Kipchoge. Both tried valiantly in last year&rsquo;s race, hanging on to Kipchoge&rsquo;s coat tails until two miles from home and recording two of the fastest marathon times in history. Geremew&rsquo;s clocking of 2:02:55 to finish second puts him fourth on the world all-time list.
Other athletes to watch are Sisay Lemma, Tamirat Tola, Marius Kipserem and Shura Kitata, all of whom have run inside 2:05.
Like Bekele, Kipchoge had to adjust to the rigours of solo training after the pandemic forced the closure of his training camp in Kaptagat, Kenya, though he has recently been able to return to group work.
&ldquo;It was really difficult when I had to train on my own because for 17 years I have been training with six, 10 or 20 people all year round,&rdquo; said Kipchoge. &ldquo;So, it was like an electric shock when I had to train on my own.
&ldquo;It was hard to get fit and up to a high level of training. But lately we have consolidated a bigger team around me and training has been good.&rdquo;
<h3>A closed course, no spectators</h3>
The pandemic has forced the race organisers to ring the changes for what will be the first major city marathon to be staged since Tokyo in March.
Postponed from April, the race will take place over 19 laps of a closed-loop course around St James&rsquo;s Park in central London, with only elite athletes competing and spectators excluded. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe will be the official starter for both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s races.
All of the athletes and their support teams have been cocooned in a &lsquo;secure biosphere&rsquo;, with exclusive use of an out-of-town hotel and regular health checks.
Runners were also required to undergo Covid-19 tests before flying to London, which resulted in the highly promising Degitu Azimeraw, a debut winner at the 2019 Amsterdam Marathon, testing positive at home in Ethiopia and being forced to withdraw.
<h3>Kosgei heads strong women&rsquo;s field</h3>
In her absence, the women&rsquo;s race looks like Kosgei&rsquo;s to lose after her sensational world record of 2:14:04 in Chicago last October, carving more than 80 seconds off Paula Radcliffe&rsquo;s 16-year-old mark.
The experience has made her even more determined to lower the record even further.
&ldquo;It made me more encouraged to do a lot of training and to focus on training so I could try to break that record again,&rdquo; she said.
Breaking records will not be on Kosgei&rsquo;s mind on Sunday, however. She admits racing on a tight, looped course will be a step into the unknown, while the pandemic has restricted her training volume compared to 2019. 
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Women's marathon winner Ruth Chepngetich in Doha</div>
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&ldquo;Due to the pandemic I will not say I will run &lsquo;this&rsquo; or &lsquo;this&rsquo; [time] because the coronavirus affected us,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t do a lot of training like last year.&rdquo;
Fellow Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, the 2018 London champion, will be among her principal challengers, though Kosgai beat her convincingly to win her first London crown last year, finishing almost two minutes ahead after a storming second half to the race.
Another compatriot, Ruth Chepngetich, will be making her London debut following her World Championships victory in the heat of Doha last year. With a personal best of 2:17:08 from last year&rsquo;s Dubai Marathon, she is the second fastest woman in the field.
In an intriguing sub-plot to the main battle for honours, four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will be participating in Sunday&rsquo;s race as a pace-maker for a group of male runners chasing the Tokyo Olympic qualifying standard of 2:11:30.
Farah, himself, is committed to competing on the track rather than the roads in Tokyo but was happy to accept the invitation to perform pace-making duties as it fitted into his training schedule. A number of female runners will also be chasing the women&rsquo;s standard of 2:29:30.
World Athletics announced in July that it was lifting its suspension of the Olympic qualification system for marathon races and race walks from 1 September, making results recorded in Sunday&rsquo;s race eligible for Tokyo.
Simon Hart for World Athletics

He is already the history man of marathon running but Eliud Kipchoge will be chasing another record-breaking milestone when he goes head to head with Ethiopian rival Kenenisa Bekele in Sunday’s 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race.

Defending champions Kipchoge and Kosgei set for titanic clashes in London

Organisers of the Virgin Money London Marathon have confirmed the full elite fields for the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday 4 October.
The elite men&rsquo;s race &ndash; headlined by the greatest marathon runners in history, Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele &ndash; will include eight athletes who have run sub 2:05 marathons, including Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun, who were second and third respectively at the 2019 London Marathon.
Sisay Lemma, Tamirat Tola, Marius Kipserem and Shura Kitata are the other men to have run inside 2:05 while former European record-holder Sondre Nordstad Moen is also included.
The elite women&rsquo;s field is headlined by world record holder Brigid Kosgei. She will face five other women who have run inside 2:20: world champion Ruth Chepngetich, 2018 London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot, 2019 Valencia Marathon champion Roza Dereje, 2019 Frankfurt Marathon winner Valary Jemeli and 2019 Amsterdam Marathon champion Degitu Azimeraw.
Ashete Bekere, the winner of last year&rsquo;s Berlin Marathon, 2019 Rome Marathon champion Alemu Megertu, USA&rsquo;s Sara Hall and Australia&rsquo;s Sinead Diver are also included in a star-studded race.
The news that World Athletics will lift its suspension of the Olympic qualification system for marathon races from 1 September means there will also be a clutch of athletes &ndash; paced by four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah &ndash; racing with the ambition to achieve the Olympic standard of 2:11:30.
At present only two British athletes other than Farah have run inside this time: Callum Hawkins, who has been pre-selected for the Olympic Games marathon, and Jonny Mellor who ran 2:10:03 in Seville in January. Farah himself has opted to run on the track at the Olympic Games.
Mellor is one of a number of British athletes running the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon. Other British men joining Mellor on the start line are Chris Thompson and debutants Ross Millington and Ben Connor.
Among the leading domestic women confirmed to race are Steph Twell, who ran a PB of 2:26:40 in Frankfurt last year to go sixth on the British all-time list, and 2018 British marathon champion Lily Partridge.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the elite races at the 2020 London Marathon will be held on a closed-loop circuit around St James&rsquo;s Park in central London with the iconic finish on The Mall remaining the same as in previous years.
The races will be held in a secure biosphere as has been the case with other major sporting events such as Test Cricket and Formula 1. No spectators will be allowed on the road-side to watch. BBC Sport, however, is planning eight hours of live coverage of the event.
It will be the 40th race in London Marathon history and the first to have elite-only races.
Organisers for World Athletics
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Men Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:01:39 Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 2:01:41 Mosinet Geremew (ETH) 2:02:55 Mule Wasihun (ETH) 2:03:16 Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:03:36 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:04:06 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:11 Shura Kitata (ETH) 2:04:49 Vincent Kipchumba (KEN) 2:05:09 Sondre Nordstad Moen (NOR) 2:05:48 Gideon Kipketer (KEN) 2:05:51 Polat Kemboi Arikan (TUR) 2:08:14 Arne Gabius (GER) 2:08:33 Jared Ward (USA) 2:09:25 Jonny Mellor (GBR) 2:10:03 Elroy Gelant (RSA) 2:10:31 Daniele Meucci (ITA) 2:10:45 Brett Robinson (AUS) 2:10:55 Juan Luis Barrios (MEX) 2:10:55 Peter Herzog (AUT) 2:10:57 Jack Rayner (AUS) 2:11:06 Chris Thompson (GBR) 2:11:19 Stephen Scullion (IRL) 2:11:52 Remigijus Kancys (LTU) 2:12:50 Florian Carvalho (FRA) 2:12:53 Tristan Woodfine (CAN) 2:13:16 Michael Clohisey (IRL) 2:13:19 Ben Connor (GBR) debut
Women Brigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:14:04 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:17:08 Roza Dereje (ETH) 2:18:30 Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:18:31 Valary Jemeli (KEN) 2:19:10 Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:19:26 Ashete Bekere (ETH) 2:20:14 Alemu Megertu (ETH) 2:21:10 Sara Hall (USA) 2:22:16 Sinead Diver (AUS) 2:24:11 Carla Salome Rocha (POR) 2:24:47 Ellie Pashley (AUS) 2:26:21 Sara Caterina Ribeiro (POR) 2:26:39 Steph Twell (GBR) 2:26:40 Anna Hahner (GER) 2:26:44 Molly Seidel (USA) 2:27:31 Gerda Steyn (RSA) 2:27:48 Darya Mykhaylova (UKR) 2:28:15 Lisa Hahner (GER) 2:28:39 Lily Partridge (GBR) 2:29:24 Tracy Barlow (GBR) 2:30:42 Natasha Cockram (GBR) 2:30:49 Risper Gesabwa (MEX) 2:30:59 Tish Jones (GBR) 2:31:00 Monika Bytautiene (LTU) 2:32:28 Edith Chelimo (KEN) debut

Organisers of the Virgin Money London Marathon have confirmed the full elite fields for the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday 4 October.

Star-studded fields confirmed for 2020 London Marathon

World marathon champions Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya were tonight recognised as the male and female recipients of the 2019 &lsquo;Best Marathon Runner&rsquo; award by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).
Their achievements were given global recognition on Friday (8) in Athens, the birthplace of the marathon, at the seventh annual AIMS Best Marathon Runner (BMR) Gala.
Desisa and Chepngetich were chosen by the AIMS athletes&rsquo; nomination committee as the outstanding candidates for the 2019 awards based upon their performances over the past 12 months.
Desisa won the 2018 New York City Marathon before winning the marathon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 with a time of 2:10:40. &ldquo;Thank you to AIMS, their members and partners for presenting me with this award,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This is a proud moment in my career.&rdquo;
Chepngetich is also a world marathon champion, winning in Doha with a time of 2:32:43. In the past year she also added wins at the Istanbul Marathon, the Dubai Marathon (in 2:17:08, the second-fastest time of the year), the Istanbul Half Marathon, the Seiryu Half Marathon and the Media Maraton de Bogota.
&ldquo;I am very happy to receive this award in Athens where the sport of marathon running was born,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It is a great honour to be recognised in this way.&rdquo;
Several other awards were presented at the gala. The AIMS Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to journalist Alain Lunzenfichter, the deputy editor of L&rsquo;Equipe in France between 1975 and 2013 where he covered 17 Olympic Games. He also worked with Canal+ in their coverage of athletics. In 2006 he became president of the World Association of Olympic Journalists until 2014 when he was made honorary president.
The Xiamen Marathon was presented with the AIMS Green Award, becoming the first Chinese race to win the accolade. The race organisers have demonstrated significant effort regarding climate change, waste reduction and environmental awareness. Since 2015, the Xiamen Marathon has donated more than 130,000 saplings to be planted, creating the &lsquo;Xiamen Forest of Love&rsquo;.
The Harmony Geneva Marathon for Unicef was the 2019 recipient of the AIMS Social Award in recognition of their charitable efforts. Since 2010 the Harmony Geneva Marathon has been in partnership with Unicef, supporting the programme &lsquo;WASH: Water, Sanitation, Hygiene&rsquo; and their sustainable development goal of ensuring access to water sanitation for all. To date the race has financed the installation of 1000 water pumps in different countries. From 2020, the event will support UNICEF Malawi to provide solar water pumps &ndash; a reliable, sustainable, user friendly and green technology solution for rural communities.
In addition, the race manages a clothes collection point in its marathon village in association with the organisation Bilifou to benefit young people in Burkino Faso. This partnership has seen more than 1000kg of clothes collected. Other activities with disabled people and refugees are managed by the organisation in order to include everyone in the event.

World marathon champions Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya were tonight recognised as the male and female recipients of the 2019 ‘Best Marathon Runner’ award by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).

Desisa and Chepngetich win 2019 AIMS Best Marathon Runner Awards

A first midnight marathon at a World Championships saw Kenya&rsquo;s Ruth Chepngetich earn her first major gold on the floodlit Corniche tonight, clocking 2:32:43 in testing heat and humidity.
It was also the first gold medal to be won at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.
The 25-year-old became the third fastest marathon runner ever when winning the Dubai Marathon in January in 2:17:08, but on this occasion the challenge was about endurance rather than speed as the race began in temperatures officially estimated at between 30-32.7C, and humidity of 73%.
Bahrain's defending champion Rose Chelimo took silver on the seven-lap circuit in 2:33:46, 63 seconds back, and bronze went to Namibia's Commonwealth champion Helalia Johannes in 2:34:15. 
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Competitors in the women's marathon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019</div>
&nbsp;
At the age of 39 &ndash; she turns 40 on November 15 &ndash; Kenya&rsquo;s 2011 and 2013 world champion, and 2017 silver medallist Edna Kiplagat missed out on another medal by one agonising place having tracked the lead for the bulk of the race.
Her time in a race where the top 10 finishers qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Games was 2:35:36.
Volha Mazuronak of Belarus, the European champion who survived a massive nosebleed to win in Berlin, hung on to fourth place after a long solo run, clocking 2:36:21.
USA's 41-year-old Roberta Groner claimed sixth place in 2:38:44, one place ahead of Japan's Mizuki Tanimoto.
North Korea's Ji Hyang Kim earned eighth place in 2:41:24, Lyndsay Tessier of Canada claimed ninth place in 2:42:03, and 10th place went to Un Ok Jo of North Korea in 2:42:23.
On an unpredictable occasion which saw 28 of the 68 starters fail to finish, the biggest surprise was the fact that all three Ethiopian runners dropped out before the race got past halfway. 
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Midway leaders in the women's marathon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019</div>
&nbsp;
Ethiopia was represented by the runners who stood third and fourth on the entry list behind Chepngetich &ndash; Ruti Aga, who has run 2:20:40 this year and has a best of 2:18:34, and Roza Dereje, who has run 2:20:51 this year and has a best of 2:19:17.
And the third Ethiopian selected, Shure Demise, has run 2:21:05 this season.
Israel&rsquo;s sole entrant was also a runner to be noted &ndash; 30-year-old Lonah Salpeter, who won the European 10,000m title in Berlin last summer and has a best of 2:19:46.
She ran gallantly in fifth place for much of the race, closing a minute&rsquo;s gap on the lead group, only to see them accelerate away. She pulled out between the 31st and 32nd kilometres.
Chelimo&rsquo;s silver was a surprise given her relatively poor record this year.
Amidst good numbers of spectators lining the barriers, Chepngetich made an early effort to break away but was hauled back into the main group.
Any thought that she might have misjudged her effort was dismissed, however, as she made a second, decisive break as she entered the last of the six scheduled laps and was never headed.
&ldquo;I am feeling good,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I am very happy and I thank God for my win.&rdquo;
Asked about the conditions, she responded: &ldquo;It was not bad for me!&rdquo;
And on the subject of whether she could win at next year&rsquo;s Tokyo Olympics, she added: &ldquo;I will try my best.&rdquo;
Mike Rowbottom for the IAAF

A first midnight marathon at a World Championships saw Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich earn her first major gold on the floodlit Corniche tonight, clocking 2:32:43 in testing heat and humidity.

Report: women's marathon - IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019

Ruth Chepngetich ran away from a loaded field at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon on Sunday (28) to win the ninth edition of the IAAF Gold Label road race in 1:06:06, the fastest half marathon ever recorded in Japan.
The Kenyan, who won this year&rsquo;s Dubai Marathon in 2:17:08, took 98 seconds off the previous course record set by world record-holder Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2017.
Chepngetich set out fast and by 5km (15:10), the lead pack consisted of just three runners &ndash; Chepngetich, Joan Melly Chelimo and Evaline Chirchir.
But Chirchir and then Melly were dropped before Chepngetich reached 10km in 30:45. She continued to push the pace, passing 15km in 46:44 and 20km in 1:02:41, winning comfortably in 1:06:05.
Melly Chelimo was nearly two minutes behind with 1:08:01 and Chirchir was third in 1:08:07, improving her PB by more than four minutes. World marathon champion Rose Chelimo was never a factor and finished seventh with 1:12:58.
In contrast to the women&rsquo;s race, a large lead pack formed during the early stages of the men&rsquo;s race as 10 men were together at 5km (14:18). When course record-holder Bedan Karoki started to push the pace 20 minutes into the race, the lead pack reduced immediately to five men.
The leader&rsquo;s pace soon slackened and Japanese half marathon record-holder Yuta Shitara joined them in front. Seven runners were in the lead pack at 10km (28:42), then Nicholas Kosimbei made a bid to break away about 37 minutes into the race, and only Karoki and Amos Kurgat were able cover the move.
When Kurgat started to push the pace three minutes later, only Karoki went with him. But soon even Karoki was slowly drifting backward. Kurgat&rsquo;s two-second advantage at 15km (43:05) grew to 30 seconds by 20km (57:29) and he crossed the line in a PB of 1:00:34.
It was his second consecutive half marathon victory and PB, following his 1:01:06 run at the Japanese Corporate team Half Marathon Championships in February. Karoki, the 2014 champion, finished second in 1:01:07.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
LEADING RESULTS
Men 1 Amos Kurgat (KEN) 1:00:34 2 Bedan Karoki (KEN) 1:01:07 3 Abraham Kipyatich (KEN) 1:01:30 4 Silas Kingori (KEN) 1:01:31 5 Yuta Shitara (JPN) 1:01:36 6 Nicholas Kosimbei (KEN) 1:01:43 7 Jonathan Ndiku (KEN) 1:01:55 8 Ezekiel Chebotibin (KEN) 1:02:29
Women 1 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 1:06:06 2 Joan Melly Chelimo (KEN) 1:08:01 3 Evaline Chirchir (KEN) 1:08:07 4 Mimi Belete (BRN) 1:08:16 5 Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) 1:10:16 6 Miyuki Uehara (JPN) 1:11:03 7 Rose Chelimo (BRN) 1:12:58 8 Ana Dulce Felix (POR) 1:14:14
<h3> Kerio leads Kenyan sweep, Insermu heads Ethiopian sweep in Madrid</h3>
Kenya&rsquo;s Reuben Kerio and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Shasho Insermu set race records at the 42nd Rock &rsquo;n&rsquo; Roll Madrid Marathon, crossing the line of the IAAF Gold Label road race in 2:08:18 and 2:26:24 respectively on Saturday (27).
While the 25-year-old Kerio led a Kenyan clean sweep of medals, Insermu obliterared the previous record by over four minutes, getting the better from her fellow Ethiopian Fetale Dejene Tsegaye on a perfect day (10C at the start).
Led by pacemakers Emmanuel Bett of Kenya and Ugandan cross-country specialist Timothy Toroitich, the main pack set off at a steady 3:03/km pace. The opening 10 kilometres were covered in 30:39 with 16 men still in the lead.
The pace increased in the following five-kilometre section and they went through 15km in 45:33 and reached the half-way point in 1:03:54 with Toroitich still in the lead. Bernard Kiprop Koech, Kiprotich Kirui, Kipkemoi Kipsang and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Sisay Jisa ran closest to the pacemakers by then.
With the clock reading 1:19, Jisa fell injured and was forced to stop. Shortly afterwards Eliud Barngetuny lost contact with the main pack at the 29th kilometre. 
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Reuben Kerio (far left) on his way to winning the Madrid Marathon</div>
&nbsp;
Once Toroitich dropped out, Kirui took charge of the pace and only Kerio, Kipsang and Kiptoo managed to stay at his shoulder while the local favourite Javier Guerra could not live with their pace and ran in fifth alongside Nicholas Kirwa.
The lead pack reached 30km in 1:31:08 and with four men still in the group it became clear they were on pace to break the race record of 2:09:15.
The long-legged Kerio made his move at the 36th kilometre and he soon opened a clear gap over Kipsang, Kirui and Kiptoo. By 40km (2:01:35) the leader had built a 22-second margin on Kipsang and 24 on Kirui, having both secured podium places in detriment of a fading Kiptoo.
Kerio crossed the finish line in 2:08:18 to take nearly a full minute off the previous race record. Kipsang (PB of 2:08:58) and Kirui (2:09:05) also dipped inside the previous mark set in 2014. To the delight of the crowd, Guerra finished fifth in 2:10:19, a couple of seconds behind Kiptoo.
&ldquo;This is my first win at an IAAF Gold Label event so I&rsquo;m over the moon,&rdquo; said Kerio. &ldquo;In addition I ran 2:08 low which means a much faster time competing at sea level so I hope to be in the 2:05 region shortly.&rdquo;
Paced by compatriot Fikadu Kebede, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Shasho Insermu, a 2:23:28 performer, set out with the intention of breaking the 2:30:40 race record set last year, but she had a hesitant first 10km, covered in 35:41 in the company of compatriots Tsegaye Dejene, Beshadu Bekele, Gebeyanesh Ayele and Hemila Wortessa.
Shortly after 15km, reached in 52:24, Insermu had built up a sole lead while her three compatriots ran together, helped by 2006 5000m European champion Jes&uacute;s Espa&ntilde;a, a recreational runner nowadays after his retirement last summer
Insermu, contesting her 11th marathon, cruised to the half-way point in 1:13:00, some 1:15 ahead of record schedule and 20 seconds clear of debutant Tesfaye, Bekele and Ayele.
Taking advantage of Kebede&rsquo;s pacing duties, Insermu maintained her rhythm for the rest of the event, despite the second half of the circuit being the toughest part.
By 30km, reached in 1:43:28, the leader still held a 20-second advantage over Tesfaye but Bekele and Ayele&rsquo;s speed decreased dramatically as they lost 1:48 by then. Finally, the gap between the experienced Insermu and debutant Tesfaye increased and the only question remaining was how much the course record would be broken by.
The 26-year-old Insermu won in style in 2:26:24 with a 41-second advantage over Tesfaye while Bekele completed an Ethiopian sweep in 2:32:15.
&ldquo;Once I knew I would run in Madrid in April, I set myself the goal of setting a new race record as a lot of people said it was not possible to dip under the 2:30 barrier,&rdquo; said Insermu. &ldquo;I thought I might clock 2:27 so my performance was even beyond expectations.&rdquo;
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
LEADING RESULTS 
Men 1 Reuben Kerio (KEN) 2:08:18 2 Kipkemoi Kipsang (KEN) 2:08:48 3 Kiprotich Kirui (KEN) 2:09:05 4 Edwin Kiptoo (KEN) 2:010:17 5 Javier Guerra (ESP) 2:10:19
Women 1 Shaso Insermu (ETH) 2:26:24 2Fetale DejenTsegaye (ETH) 2:27:06 3 Beshadu Bekele (ETH) 2:32:16 4 Gebeyanesh Ayele (ETH) 2:35:11 5 Pauline Thitu (KEN) 2:39:08
<h3> Kotut and Khapilina break course records in Krakow</h3>
The PZU Cracovia Marathon on Sunday (28) was a historic one. The first time that the race was included in the IAAF Bronze Label road race series, the day ended with course records for both men and women.
On a cool and rainy morning in Krakow, Cybrian Kotut of Kenya ran negative splits to take the victory in 2:09:18, beating the old mark of 2:11:26.
Viktoriya Khapilina of Ukraine caused a major upset with a runaway victory in the women's race in 2:28:03. The time knocked 11 seconds off the course record, and remarkably represented a personal best by nearly eight minutes.
After an initial steady pace in the men's race, with the halfway point reached in 1:05:11, a three-man leading group emerged before the 30km point. There were no major surprises regarding the composition of that trio, with Kotut, Kentaro Nakamoto and Philip Kangogo all among the pre-race favourites.
A few minutes later only two were left at the front as Kangogo started to lose ground on the leaders. Soon after, Nakamoto also started to struggle with the pace pushed by Kotut. The Kenyan leader continued to look strong as he increased the distance between himself and his rivals all the way to the finish.
Kotut's fourth 10-kilometre segment of the race was his fastest at 30:12 as he continued unchallenged at the front. He broke the tape in 2:09:18, more than two minutes inside the previous course record.
Nakamoto held on to take a clear second place, albeit well beaten in 2:11:34. There was another significant gap to Kangogo, who reached the finish in 2:13:46, followed by another Kenyan, Josphat Leting, with 2:14:40.
Khapilina, with a previous best of just 2:35:55, did not enter the women's race as a favourite, but she ran an inspired race. After a half-way split of 1:13:53 &ndash; faster than her standalone half marathon PB &ndash; she broke away from the Ethiopian duo of Askale Magarsa Tafa and Demitu Hawas. From that point on, her lead only continued to grow.
Khapilina&rsquo;s second half was nearly as fast as the first. Despite showing signs of tiredness in the closing stages, she finished in an impressive time of 2:28:03, just inside the course record set in 2011 by compatriot Tetyana Gamera.
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF

Kenya’s Reuben Kerio and Ethiopia’s Shasho Insermu set race records at the 42nd Rock ’n’ Roll Madrid Marathon, crossing the line of the IAAF Gold Label road race in 2:08:18 and 2:26:24 respectively on Saturday (27).

Weekend road round-up: Chepngetich sets Japanese all-comers’ record in Gifu, race records fall in Madrid and Krakow

Getaneh Molla produced the fastest marathon debut in history to win the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, while Ruth Chepngetich moved up to third on the women&rsquo;s world all-time list at the IAAF Gold Label road race on Friday (25).
Molla&rsquo;s winning time of 2:03:34 took 26 seconds off the course record that was set last year and puts him sixth on the world all-time list.
Chepngetich, meanwhile, took 87 seconds off the PB she set in Istanbul just two months ago to win in 2:17:08, an improvement of two minutes and nine seconds on the previous course record. It moves her from eighth to third on the world all-time list behind world record-holder Paula Radcliffe (2:15:25) and Mary Keitany (2:17:01).
With the temperature about 18C, both races started fast but the pacemakers for the elite men were slightly shy of their half-way target of 1:01:30. A group of 14 men, including three pacemakers, were still in the lead pack as they reached the half-way point in 1:01:43.
The pack soon began to whittle down, though, with 2015 Dubai winner Lemi Berhanu and 2017 Berlin runner-up Guye Adola among the athletes who dropped back. The Ethiopian duo eventually withdrew from the race.
Just Molla and fellow Ethiopian Herpasa Negasa were left at 35 kilometres, reached in 1:42:17. Compatriot Asefa Mengstu rejoined them briefly but lost contact again by 40 kilometres, which the lead duo passed in 1:57:16.
Although their pace had slipped, it was clear that the leaders were on schedule to produce Dubai&rsquo;s first sub-2:04 finish. They stayed together until the final 700 metres when Molla began to pull away from Negasa, eventually crossing the line six seconds ahead of his rival in 2:03:34.
This may have been Molla&rsquo;s first race over 26.2 miles, but he has previously impressed at shorter distances and across various terrains.
He has won the past four Ethiopian 5000m titles and is twice a national champion at cross country. He finished fifth at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018 and second in the 5000m at the African Games five months later.
At the end of the 2018 track season, he clocked a 5000m PB of 12:59.58 at the IAAF Diamond League final in Brussels and went on to represent Africa at the IAAF Continental Cup Ostrava 2018.
"I was hoping for maybe 2:05 or 2:06," said a surprised Molla of his debut marathon. Later this year he hopes to contest the 10,000m at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.
Negasa, whose previous best was 2:09:14, was rewarded with a huge PB of 2:03:40 to move to eighth on the world all-time list. It was his third appearance in Dubai, having finished 16th on his debut in 2013 and 12th in 2018.
Asefa Mengstu completed an all-Ethiopian podium with 2:04:24 for third place, one place higher than his finishing position last year.
<h3>Chepngetich ends Ethiopian dominance of Dubai</h3>
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Ruth Chepngetich wins the Dubai Marathon</div>
&nbsp;
While the men&rsquo;s race set off outside the designated pace, the women&rsquo;s contest started significantly quicker than planned.
Running with male pacemakers, a lead pack of six women covered the first 10 kilometres in 32:23, half of whom were left running together as they reached the half-way point in 1:08:10 &ndash; significantly quicker than the target time of 1:09:30.
But while one of that trio, Workenesh Edesa, was unable to maintain that pace for much longer, Chepngetich and 2017 Dubai winner Worknesh Degefa kept it going, passing 30 kilometres in 1:37:16 and 35 kilometres in 1:54:00.
With the pacemakers having done their job, Chepngetich gradually opened up a gap on her one remaining rival over the closing kilometres before going on to finish in 2:17:08. The 24-year-old became the first Kenyan woman since 2006 to win in Dubai.
Degefa held on for second place in 2:17:41, moving to fourth on the world all-time list. Her performance is the fastest runner-up time of any marathon in history and a 15-second improvement on Tirunesh Dibaba&rsquo;s Ethiopian record. The only other race where two women have broken 2:18 previously was in London in 2017.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Workenesh Edesa of Ethiopia took third place with 2:21:05.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Getaneh Molla (ETH) 2:03:34 2 Herpassa Negasa (ETH) 2:03:40 3 Asefa Mengstu (ETH) 2:04:24 4 Emmanuel Saina (KEN) 2:05:02 5 Shifera Tamru (ETH) 2:05:18 6 Kelkile Gezahegn (ETH) 2:06:09 7 Adugna Takele (ETH) 2:06:32 8 Birhanu Teshome (ETH) 2:08:20
Women 1 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:17:08 2 Worknesh Degefa (ETH) 2:17:41 3 Worknesh Edesa (ETH) 2:21:05 4 Waganesh Mekasha (ETH) 2:22:45 5 Sintayehu Lewetegn (ETH) 2:25:59 6 Rahma Tusa (ETH) 2:26:38 7 Muluhabt Tsega (ETH) 2:27:36 8 Sule Utura (ETH) 2:32:52

Getaneh Molla produced the fastest marathon debut in history to win the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, while Ruth Chepngetich moved up to third on the women’s world all-time list at the IAAF Gold Label road race on Friday (25).

Debutant Molla and Chepngetich smash course records in Dubai

Despite a 23km/h headwind between the 10th and 26th kilometres, Kenya&rsquo;s Ruth Chepngetich shattered the Turkish all-comers&rsquo; record at the Vodafone Istanbul Marathon, winning the IAAF Gold Label road race in 2:22:36.
Seven months after her surprise 1:06:19 course record victory at the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, Chepngetich sliced nearly five minutes off the long-standing race record of 2:27:27, set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ashu Kasim Roba in 2010. The 23-year old, who ran shoulder to shoulder with her compatriot Visiline Jepkesho for 40 kilometres, crossed the finish line four seconds ahead the pre-race favourite.
A group of six athletes &ndash; including Ethiopian trio Letebrhan Haylay, Mulu Seboka, Sinke Dessie and Kenya&rsquo;s Sharon Jemutai Cherop &ndash; led the field from the gun, passing 10 kilometres in 34:53. Having to battle strong winds thereafter, Chepngetich, Jepkesho and Haylay proved to be the strongest athletes and had built up a 300-metre lead over their rivals by 15km, which they reached in 52:09.
The trio passed half way in 1:11:53, suggesting a course record was highly likely, and were still together up to the 27th kilometre until Haylay started to lose ground. It then became a race between the two Kenyans and, surprisingly, it was the inexperienced Chepngetich who coped better with the difficult uphill section towards the finish line.
Chepngetich won in 2:22:36, the third-fastest debut ever by a Kenyan woman, while Olympian Jepkesho finished second in 2:22:40, the second-fastest time of her career after the 2:21:37 PB she set in Paris earlier this year. Chepngetich pocketed a total of US$90,000 for her effort while Jepkesho took home a prize purse of US$65,000.
Haylay placed third in 2:25:14, just 13 seconds shy of her career best.
The men&rsquo;s race was similarly close as just five seconds separated the top two finishers.
A slow initial pace kept 14 athletes together through the halfway mark, reached in 1:05:47. The group had been whittled down to nine by 35 kilometres, and splits of 2:45 and 2:43 for the 37th and 39th kilometres respectively caused more runners to fall off the lead pack, eventually leaving France&rsquo;s Abraham Kiprotich and Kenya&rsquo;s Jacob Kendagor ahead of the rest by 40 kilometres.
Kiprotich went on to win in 2:11:22 as Kendagor placed second in 2:11:27. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Bazu Worku took third place in 2:11:39.
Can Korkmazoglu (organisers) for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Abraham Kiprotich (FRA) 2:11:22 2 Jacob Kendagor (KEN) 2:11:27 3 Bazu Worku (ETH) 2:11:39 4 Kenneth Mburu Mungara (KEN) 2:12:01 5 Douglas Chebii (KEN) 2:12:32 6 Ezekiel Kemboi Omullo (KEN) 2:12:44
Women 1 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:22:36 2 Visiline Jepkesho (KEN) 2:22:40 3 Letebrhan Haylay (ETH) 2:25:14 4 Mulu Seboka (ETH) 2:29:55 5 Sinke Dessie (ETH) 2:34:24 6 Sharon Jemutai Cherop (KEN) 2:39:34

Despite a 23km/h headwind between the 10th and 26th kilometres, Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich shattered the Turkish all-comers’ record at the Vodafone Istanbul Marathon, winning the IAAF Gold Label road race in 2:22:36.

Marathon debutante Chepngetich smashes Turkish all-comers’ record in Istanbul 

Kenya&rsquo;s Ruth Chepngetich and Tanzania&rsquo;s Ismail Juma were the surprise winners at the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, clocking Turkish all-comers&rsquo; records of 1:06:19 and 1:00:09 at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Sunday (30).
The top three in the women&rsquo;s race was decided after the first five kilometres, but the finishing order only became apparent during the final five-kilometre section.
Chepngetich, Olympic marathon silver medallist Eunice Kirwa and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Worknesh Degefa went through the first five kilometres in 15:17, 51 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
Degefa was unable to sustain that pace and soon dropped back, leaving Kirwa and Chepngetich to reach the 10-kilometre mark in 31:08. The leading duo then passed through 15 kilometres in 46:59, but Kirwa struggled to keep up with Chepngetich over the final few kilometres.
The 23-year-old went on to win in 1:06:19, taking 28 seconds off the Turkish all-comers&rsquo; record set in this race two years ago by 2014 world half-marathon champion Gladys Cherono. It was her fourth PB and victory in as many races this year for Chepngetich, who so far in 2017 has won in Adana (1:09:06), Paris (1:08:08) and Milan (1:07:42). Her winning time in Istanbul now puts her at 12th on the world all-time list.
Kirwa suffered her first defeat since 2014 at this distance but could take some redemption from setting an Asian record of 1:06:46 in second place. Degefa was third in 1:08:55.
The men&rsquo;s race was closer than the women&rsquo;s, but it too was also decided in just the closing stages.
Perhaps due to the windy conditions at the start, a 12-man pack covered the first five kilometres in 14:22, slower than the targeted pace of 14:10. 10 men, led by Kenya&rsquo;s Vincent Yator, were still in contention at the 10-kilometre mark, which was reached in 28:32.
Yator tried to pull away over the course of the following two kilometres, but the gap closed before 15th kilometre as Juma, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Terefa Debela and Kenya&rsquo;s Edwin Kipsang Rotich joined Yator to form the leading group, with Adugna Takele in close chase.
Juma reached 20km in 57:05, seven seconds ahead of Debela, and then pushed hard in an attempt to finish within 60 minutes. He just missed out on his target but crossed the finish line in a huge PB of 1:00:09, taking four seconds off the Turkish all-comers&rsquo; record set in 2015 by Evans Kiplagat. Juma, who finished ninth at the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, took more than two minutes off his PB.
Debela was second in 1:00:22 and Rotich completed the podium with his 1:00:37 in third place.
Chepgetich, together with the time bonus, took home a prize purse of US$25,000 while Juma pocketed US$15,000.
Can Korkmazoglu (organisers) for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Ismail Juma (TAN) 1:00:09 2 Terefa Debela (ETH) 1:00:22 3 Edwin Kipsang Rotich (KEN) 1:00:37 4 Adugna Takele (ETH) 1:00:45 5 Kaan Kigen Ozbilen (TUR) 1:00:51 6 Vincent Yator (KEN) 1:01:01 7 Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo (KEN) 1:01:15 8 Evans Kiplagat (AZE) 1:01:47
Women 1 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 1:06:19 2 Eunice Kirwa (BRN) 1:06:46 3 Worknesh Degefa (ETH) 1:08:55 4 Meskerem Amare (ETH) 1:10:00 5 Muliye Dekebo (ETH) 1:10:07 6 Esther Chesang Kakuri (KEN) 1:10:07 7 Tejitu Daba (BRN) 1:10:28 8 Hiwot Gebrekidan (ETH) 1:11:05

Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich and Tanzania’s Ismail Juma were the surprise winners at the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, clocking Turkish all-comers’ records of 1:06:19 and 1:00:09 at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.