Japan’s Hideaki Yamauchi successfully defended his title at the IAU 100 km World Championship in Sveti Martin na Muri, Croatia, on Saturday (8) as his country dominated the top placings, while Nikolina Sustic took women’s victory for the host nation.

Madison will host the inaugural IAU 100K Americas Championship on Saturday (8), hosting runners from USA, Canada and Brazil.

After taking the silver medal at four of the past five IAU 100km World Championships, Sweden’s Jonas Buud finally got to stand on top of the podium at the 28th edition of the event, which this year was held in the Dutch town of Winschoten on Saturday (12).

Vasiliy Larkin is the fastest runner in the field for the 28th IAU 100km World Championships, which will take place in the Dutch town of Winschoten, and he will be aiming to become the first Russian man to win the annual championship in a decade on Saturday (12).

USA’s Max King and Great Britain’s Ellie Greenwood took the gold medals at the IAU 100km World Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Friday (21).

Italy’s Giorgio Calcaterra and USA’s Amy Sproston will both defend their titles from two years ago at the 27th IAU 100km World Championships in Doha on Friday (21).

Yuriy Borzakovskiy, the 2004 Olympic 800m champion and recent winner of the European indoor crown, successfully completed his core training for the summer season and is now ready to go at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene this weekend.<BR>

As good as his word, Alemayehu Shumye of Ethiopia won the BLOM Beirut Marathon on Sunday morning (30), obliterating the course record by over four minutes in the process, with 2:12:47.

- Sometimes a Marathon is more than a Marathon, more than a core of elite runners attracting a mass participation, to chase and maybe even emulate them, while taking part in a city-wide celebration once a year. </P>

- Two days before Berlin’s ÅF Golden League opener DKB-ISTAF a different German meeting held its 10th edition: ‘Anhalt 2008’ in Dessau, which is little more than 100 kilometres away from the capital.</P>

– After a solid indoor campaign in which he won four of five 800m contests, reigning Olympic 800m champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy firmly set his sights on defending his Olympic title in Beijing. </P>

A final sprint 500 metres from the finish gave Oleg Kharitonov the honours in the men's race of the inaugural edition of the International Ultrarunners Association 50 km Challenge Trophy in Palermo this morning, but the overall Trophy went to France's Sandor Barzca, who led today's race from the gun until the finishing metres.