THE athletics world now waits in anticipation for a Kenenisa Bekele and Eliud Kipchoge head-to-head over 26.2 miles after the Ethiopian distance running great missed the Kenyan world record-holder’s historic marathon mark of 2:01:39 by just two seconds in Berlin.
Adding another remarkable result to his legendary CV, Bekele blazed to a time of 2:01:41 and later said that he knows he can run faster.
“I know I can still run a very good marathon and I don’t give up,” he added.
In a thrilling race, the three-time Olympic track champion battled back to overcome a 13-second deficit at 35km, eventually winning by 67 seconds. Further demonstrating how incredible Bekele and Kipchoge’s times are, Birhanu Legese’s 2:02:48 for the runner-up spot places him third on the world all-time list, even though he was more than a minute back.
Completing an Ethiopian clean sweep, Sisay Lemma clocked 2:03:36 for third, while Kenyans Jonathan Korir and Felix Kandie were fourth and fifth with respective times of 2:06:45 and 2:08:07.
The women’s race was much closer and won by Ethiopia’s Ashete Bekere ahead of her compatriot Mare Dibaba, 2:20:14 to 2:20:21. Kenya’s Sally Chepyego was third in 2:21:06.
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Trail time
WHEN looking for a trail or off-road running shoe, it’s often all about the grip. However, given that no two paths are the same, careful consideration is required. What’s the terrain like where you’ll wear the shoes the most? If you’ll be negotiating soft, wet and muddy conditions then look for deeper lugs. For tackling gravel tracks and forest trails then more evenly spaced lugs will work better. When it comes to cushioning, consider how hard the ground will be; if it’s soft then you’ll be fine in low-profile shoes, but on those firmer tracks reasonable cushioning will be called for.
Support network
WHEN it comes to ‘over-pronation’, a common question is ‘how much is over?’. With no hard and fast rules, it’s best to choose a shoe that instinctively feels right. Gait analysis can often assist in helping you make this choice and your specialist running store is always a good place to start if in doubt. To help you make that choice, here’s a selection of some of the best ‘support’ shoes around.
Need for speed
THE racing shoe segment of the market is becoming somewhat split. This is partially due to the rise of carbon-plated footwear but also the fact that many shoes are becoming much lighter. Here we take a look at some of the leading contenders to toe the line in.
Carbon Footprint
You'd have had to have been running on a different planet to miss all the recent debate about carbon-plated shoes. The talk of bans and performance enhancement has been so widespread that even non-runners are asking their running friends about the potentially magical footwear.
Tributes for Lindsay Dunn
BRENDAN FOSTER, CHARLIE SPEDDING AND OTHERS SAY FAREWELL TO ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST PROLIFIC AND ADMIRED ENDURANCE COACHES
Treasure islands
TRAVEL TO THE CAYMAN ISLANDS IN DECEMBER FOR A RACECATION LIKE NO OTHER
Tokyo Olympics are postponed
2020 GAMES AND PARALYMPICS ARE NOW SET TO TAKE PLACE NEXT YEAR
Switching your focus
FIVE-TIME OLYMPIAN JO PAVEY TELLS EUAN CRUMLEY WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO FIND YOUR ADAPTABILITY IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON TRAINING
IN LIGHT OF THE CORONAVIRUS, MATT LONG ENCOURAGES YOU TO IMPROVISE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY WHILE JOHN SHEPHERD PROVIDES SOME FURTHER THOUGHTS AND PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
In my genes
OUR SERIES ON OLYMPIANS AND THEIR OFFSPRING CONTINUES WITH TRIPLE JUMPERTURNED-CHEF FRANCIS AGYEPONG AND HIS DAUGHTER CASSIOPEIA
An ode to Vernacular Architecture
Project: Krupachaya Farmhouse, Village Kule, Maharashtra. Architects: Q-design, Maharashtra
SUB- 2.00
It was one of sport’s great question marks: Is it humanly possible to run 26.2 miles – 42.1km – in under two hours? Then Eliud Kipchoge did it. What followed was international fame – and plenty of controversy. So we flew to Kipchoge’s ultra-rarefied Kenyan training ground to meet the man who pulled off the impossible
LANGRES
Standing proud on its hilltop perch, Langres is rich in both history and beauty, as Peter Stewart discovers
Shovel For The Spindle
Shuttered silk looms force weavers to work the dirt in construction sites
Rompe barreras tal como Eliud Kipchoge
En octubre de 2019, el mundo del running retuvo su aliento mientras el maratonista más dominante del mundo, Eliud Kipchoge, protagonizaba su segundo intento de correr los 42.195 kilómetros debajo de las dos horas.
Dawn of a new era
The revolutionary Ion engine that took spacecraft to Ceres
Slow Gathering Of Life's Net
AS ducks swim, Virender Sehwag timed the leather orb. Of the 17,253 international runs he scored, Sehwag’s innate ability to spank the cricket ball boiled down to precise hand-eye coordination.
Splendid Protection
Kept safe by a quarter of a century of World Heritage listing, the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia are an unparalleled glimpse into an ancient wilderness.