1.
Sport of athletics
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Athletics is a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running. The results of racing events are decided by finishing position, while the jumps, the simplicity of the competitions, and the lack of a need for expensive equipment, makes athletics one of the most commonly competed sports in the world. Athletics is mostly an individual sport, with the exception of relay races and competitions which combine athletes performances for a team score, organized athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BCE. The rules and format of the events in athletics were defined in Western Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th century. Most modern top level meetings are conducted by the International Association of Athletics Federations, the athletics meeting forms the backbone of the Summer Olympics. The foremost international athletics meeting is the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, other top level competitions in athletics include the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Athletes with a disability compete at the Summer Paralympics and the IPC Athletics World Championships. The word athletics is derived from the Ancient Greek ἀθλητής from ἆθλον or ἆθλος, initially, the term was used to describe athletic contests in general – i. e. sporting competition based primarily on human physical feats. In the 19th century, the term acquired a more narrow definition in Europe. This definition continues to be the most prominent one in the United Kingdom, furthermore, foreign words in many German and Roman languages which are related to the term athletics also have a similar meaning. In much of North America, athletics is synonymous with sports in general, the word athletics is rarely used to refer to the sport of athletics in this region. Track and field is preferred, and is used in the United States and Canada to refer to most athletics events, including racewalking, Athletic contests in running, walking, jumping and throwing are among the oldest of all sports and their roots are prehistoric. Athletics events were depicted in the Ancient Egyptian tombs in Saqqara, with illustrations of running at the Heb Sed festival, the Tailteann Games were an ancient Celtic festival in Ireland, founded around 1800 BCE, and the thirty-day meeting included running and stone-throwing among its sporting events. The original and only event at the first Olympics in 776 BCE was a running event known as the stadion. This later expanded to include throwing and jumping events within the ancient pentathlon, Athletics competitions also took place at other Panhellenic Games, which were founded later around 500 BCE. The Cotswold Olimpick Games, a festival which emerged in 17th century England. Annually, from 1796 to 1798, LOlympiade de la République was held in revolutionary France, the premier event of this competition was a running event, but various ancient Greek disciplines were also on display
2.
Kenya
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Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country in Africa and a founding member of the East African Community. Its capital and largest city is Nairobi and it is bordered by Tanzania to the south and southwest, Uganda to the west, South Sudan to the north-west, Ethiopia to the north and Somalia to the north-east. Kenya covers 581,309 km2, and had a population of approximately 48 million people in January 2017, Kenya has a warm and humid tropical climate on its Indian Ocean coastline. The climate is cooler in the grasslands around the capital city, Nairobi, and especially closer to Mount Kenya. Further inland are highlands in Central and Rift Valley regions where tea, in the West are Nyanza and Western regions, there is an equatorial, hot and dry climate which becomes humid around Lake Victoria, the largest tropical fresh-water lake in the world. This gives way to temperate and forested areas in the neighbouring western region. The north-eastern regions along the border with Somalia and Ethiopia are arid and semi-arid areas with near-desert landscapes, Kenya is known for its world class athletes in track and field and rugby. The African Great Lakes region, which Kenya is a part of, has been inhabited by humans since the Lower Paleolithic period, by the first millennium AD, the Bantu expansion had reached the area from West-Central Africa. Bantu and Nilotic populations together constitute around 97% of the nations residents, European and Arab presence in coastal Mombasa dates to the Early Modern period, European exploration of the interior began in the 19th century. The British Empire established the East Africa Protectorate in 1895, which starting in 1920 gave way to the Kenya Colony, Kenya obtained independence in December 1963. Following a referendum in August 2010 and adoption of a new constitution, Kenya is now divided into 47 semi-autonomous counties, the capital, Nairobi, is a regional commercial hub. The economy of Kenya is the largest by GDP in East, agriculture is a major employer, the country traditionally exports tea and coffee and has more recently begun to export fresh flowers to Europe. The service industry is also an economic driver. Additionally, Kenya is a member of the East African Community trading bloc, the Republic of Kenya is named after Mount Kenya. The origin of the name Kenya is not clear, but perhaps linked to the Kikuyu, Embu and Kamba words Kirinyaga, Kirenyaa, if so, then the British may not so much have mispronounced it, as misspelled it. In the 19th century, the German explorer Johann Ludwig Krapf was staying with the Bantu Kamba people when he first spotted the mountain. On asking for the name of the mountain, he was told Kĩ-Nyaa or Kĩĩma- Kĩĩnyaa probably because the pattern of black rock, the Agikuyu, who inhabit the slopes of Mt. Kenya, call it Kĩrĩma Kĩrĩnyaga in Kikuyu, which is quite similar to the Kamba name. Ludwig Krapf recorded the name as both Kenia and Kegnia believed by most to be a corruption of the Kamba version, others say that this was—on the contrary—a very precise notation of a correct African pronunciation /ˈkɛnjə/
3.
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
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The IAAF World Championships, commonly referred to as the World Championships in Athletics, is a biennial athletics event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally held every four years, first in 1983, the current two-year cycle began in 1991, the idea of having an Athletics World Championships was around well before the competitions first event in 1983. In 1913, the IAAF decided that the Olympic Games would serve as the World Championships for athletics and this was considered suitable for over 50 years until in the late 1960s the desire of many IAAF members to have their own World Championships began to grow. In 1976 at the IAAF Council Meeting in Puerto Rico an Athletics World Championships separate from the Olympic Games was approved, two IAAF world championship events preceded the inaugural edition of the World Championships in Athletics in 1983. Four years later, the 1980 World Championships contained only two newly approved womens events, neither of which featured on the programme for the 1980 Summer Olympics, over the years the competition has grown in size. In 1983 an estimated 1,300 athletes from 154 countries participated, by the 2003 competition, in Paris, it had grown to 1,907 athletes from 203 countries with coverage being transmitted to 179 different countries. There has also been a change in composition over the years, with new events, all for women. By 2005, the differences were mens competition in the 50 km walk. The following list shows when new events were added for the first time,1987, womens 10,000 m and 10 km walk were added. 1993, womens triple jump was added,1995, womens 5000 m was added, replacing the 3000 m race. 1999, womens pole vault and hammer were added and the womens 20 km walk replaced the 10 km walk,2005, womens 3000 m steeplechase was added. Updated after 2015 Championships Note, Germany refers both to the former West Germany and the unified Federal Republic of Germany, the opening and closing ceremonies of the 8th IAAF World Championships held in Edmonton in 2001 were broadcast live to over 200 countries. The event included the mens marathon, and featured a thousand voice choir, men There are fifteen athletes who have won at least six medals. Women There are thirteen athletes who have won at least six medals, There are eighteen athletes that competed in at least eight editions
4.
2013 World Championships in Athletics
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The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10–18 August 2013. Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since 2001 and it was also the first time ever the host nation took the top of the medal table. The United States won the most overall medals, with 1,784 athletes from 203 countries it was the biggest single sports event of the year. The number of spectators for the sessions was 268,548 surpassing Daegu 2011. This achievement also earned Bolt the title of being the most successful athlete in the history of the World Championships with eight gold, prior to the competition, four sprinters were banned on doping charges. When the seeking deadline passed on 1 December 2006, four cities had confirmed their candidatures. These were, Barcelona, Brisbane, Moscow and Gothenburg, the IAAF announced Moscow the winning candidate at the IAAF Council Meeting in Mombasa on 27 March 2007. Gothenburg backed out already in December, citing lack of support from the Swedish government. Barcelona had a record of hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics and the 1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships and it was chosen over Madrid and Valencia, which were at one point outlined as possible candidates. Brisbane simultaneously bid for 2011 and 2013 World Championships with the focus being on the 2011 event. Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre was the proposed venue, the venue had hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games and 2001 Goodwill Games. It was also a failed bidder for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, in the case of Moscow, Deputy Mayor Valery Vinogradov announced on 13 March 2006 that the city would bid for the 2011 Championships and suggested Luzhniki Stadium as venue. When the IAAF elected to decide the 2011 and 2013 events at the same meeting, the city had hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Main venue was Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow with a capacity of 78,360 spectators, the championships featured 3 championship records,22 world leadings,2 area records,48 national records but no world records. In addition to medals, individual winners received prize money of $60,000 where as members of winning relay teams received $20,000. Usain Bolt of Jamaica moved to the top of the all-time World Championships medal table by winning three gold medals. He won the 100 metres, the 200 metres, and Jamaica won the 4x100 metre relay behind an anchor leg from Bolt who passed the United States Justin Gatlin down the stretch. It was Bolts second three gold performance at the World Championships, after the meet, his career total stood at 8 golds and 2 silvers, narrowly surpassing Carl Lewis 8 golds,1 silver, and 1 bronze
5.
IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
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The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships is an annual half marathon competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was contested from 1992 to 2005, and replaced by the IAAF World Road Running Championships, after a second edition of the Road Running Championships, which was over the half marathon distance, it reverted to the original name of the World Half Marathon Championships. Key The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was first held in 1992 and it comprised three races, the mens race, the womens race and the junior mens race. Furthermore, a competition was held in each category, with the winners being decided by combining the performances of a countrys top three finishers. The country with the lowest aggregate time won the team competition, the junior mens race was held in only the first and second editions, and was removed from the programme from 1994 onwards. The competition went largely unchanged until 2006, when the competition was renamed as the IAAF World Road Running Championships, aside from the name change, the significant difference was the distance of the race, changing from a half marathon to a 20 kilometres road race. The 20 km race featured only at the 2006 edition, the competition is generally held every October. Runners compete on public roads which have closed off to traffic specifically for the event. Prize money varies from US$30,000 to US$3000, key †, In 2009, the team from Russia was initially ranked 3rd, but fell behind Japan after the disqualification of Inga Abitova. Her competition results were annulled, beginning October 10,2009, because of breaking anti-doping regulations
6.
2014 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
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The 2014 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships took place on March 29,2014. The races were held in Copenhagen, Denmark, the essentially flat one-loop course was beginning and ending in the city centre by Christiansborg Castle. Detailed reports on the event and an appraisal of the results were both for the mens race and for the womens race. Complete results were published for the race, for the womens race, for mens team. An unofficial count yields the participation of 201 athletes from 56 countries, although announced, the athletes from Canada and Palestine did not show
7.
African Championships in Athletics
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The African Championships in Athletics is a continental athletics event organized by the Confederation of African Athletics, the continental association for the sport in Africa. Since its inaugural edition in 1979 it was at first organised intermittently with nine editions held in fourteen years until 1993, following the tenth edition in 1996 it has been organised biennially on even years, and is always held in the same year as the Summer Olympics. The latest 20th edition was held in Durban, South Africa in June 2016, the event featured a mens marathon from 1979 to 1990. Following it being dropped from the programme an African Marathon Championships was briefly contested, the event programme has roughly matched that of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, with the exception of the 50 kilometres race walk. The following list shows changes to the event programme,1982, womens heptathlon and mens 20 km walk were added to replace womens pentathlon,1985, womens 10,000 m was added. 1988, womens 5 km walk was added,1992, womens triple jump was added. Mens marathon, held from 1979 to 1990 was permanently dropped,1996, womens 5000 metres was added. 1998, womens hammer throw was added, womens 3000 metres was permanently removed from the programme, while mens 3000 metres event was held for the first and only time. 2000, womens pole vault was added, womens 10 km walk was also added before being held again in 2002 and discontinued. 2004, womens 3000 m steeplechase and 20 km walk were added
8.
2012 African Championships in Athletics
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The 2012 African Championships in Athletics was held at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo, Benin from 27 June to 1 July 2012. It was the first time that Benin had hosted the event, host nation A total of fifty countries and 816 athletes have stated their intention to take part in the competition – a record high. Lambrechts grabs first gold in rain swept Porto-Novo – African champs, milama wins first-ever sprint title for Gabon – African champs, Day 2. Montsho and Makwala take 400m titles in Porto-Novo – African champs, cherono takes 10, 000m for second title in Porto-Novo – African champs, Day 4. Burundian teen Niyonsaba takes dramatic 800m title as Nigeria top medal table in Porto-Novo – African champs, official site Results Confederation of African Athletics website
9.
Long-distance running
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Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least three kilometres. Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength, among mammals, humans are well adapted for running significant distances, and particularly so among primates. The endurance running hypothesis suggests that running endurance in the Homo genus arose because travelling over large areas improved scavenging opportunities, the capacity for endurance running is also found in migratory ungulates and a limited number of terrestrial carnivores, such as dogs, wolves and hyenas. Long distance running can also be used as a means to improve cardiovascular health, Running improves aerobic fitness by increasing the activity of enzymes and hormones that stimulate the muscles and the heart to work more efficiently. Endurance running is often a component of military training and has been so historically. Professional running is most commonly found in the field of sports, long-distance running as a form of tradition or ceremony is known among the Hopi and Tarahumara people, among others. Distance running can also serve as an exercise for family, friends, colleagues. The social element of distance running has been linked with improved performance, in the sport of athletics, long-distance events are defined as races covering three kilometres and above. The three most common types are track running, road running and cross country running, all of which are defined by their terrain – all-weather tracks, roads and natural terrain, respectively. In collegiate cross country races in the United States, men race 8000 or 10000 meters, depending on their division, the Summer Olympics features three long-distance running events, the 5000 metres,10,000 metres and marathon. Since the late 1980s, Kenyans, Moroccans and Ethiopians have dominated in major international long-distance competitions, in this method, the hunter would run at a slow and steady pace between one hour and a few days, in an area where the animal has no place to hide. The Old Testament has a few mentions of messengers running to deliver messages, for example, in 2 Samuel 18, two runners, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and a Cushite run to deliver King David the message of the death of his son Absalom. Running messengers are reported from early Sumer, were named lasimu as military men as well as the officials who disseminated documents throughout the kingdom by running. Ancient Greece was famous for its running messengers, who were named hemerodromoi and he collapsed and died as he delivered the message “we won”.2 miles /42.195 km is based on this legend. Humans are considered among the best distance runners among all running animals, game animals are faster over short distances, but they have less endurance than humans. Unlike other primates whose bodies are designed to walk on four legs or climb trees and this leads to different bone and muscular demands especially in the legs and pelvis. Dissipation of metabolic heat, humans’ ability to cool the body by sweating through the surface provides many advantages over panting through the mouth or nose. These include a surface of evaporation and independence of the respiratory cycle
10.
Track and field
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Track and field is a sport which includes athletic contests established on the skills of running, jumping, and throwing. The name is derived from the sports venue, a stadium with an oval running track enclosing a grass field where the throwing and jumping events take place. Track and field is categorised under the sport of athletics, which also includes road running, cross country running. The foot racing events, which include sprints, middle- and long-distance events, the jumping and throwing events are won by the athlete who achieves the greatest distance or height. Regular jumping events include long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault, while the most common throwing events are shot put, javelin, discus and hammer. There are also combined events or multi events, such as the pentathlon consisting of five events, heptathlon consisting of seven events, in these, athletes participate in a combination of track and field events. Most track and field events are individual sports with a victor, the most prominent team events are relay races. Events are almost exclusively divided by gender, although both the mens and womens competitions are held at the same venue. It is one of the oldest sports, in ancient times, it was an event held in conjunction with festivals and sports meets such as the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece. The ancient Olympic Games began in the year 776 BC, when Koroibos, a cook from the city of Elis, won the stadium race. According to some traditions, this was the only athletic event of the games for the first 13 Olympic festivals. In modern times, the two most prestigious track and field competitions are athletics competition at the Olympic Games and the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. The International Association of Athletics Federations is the governing body. Records are kept of the best performances in specific events, at world and national levels, however, if athletes are deemed to have violated the events rules or regulations, they are disqualified from the competition and their marks are erased. In North America, the track and field may be used to refer to other athletics events, such as the marathon. The sport of track and field has its roots in human prehistory, Track and field-style events are among the oldest of all sporting competitions, as running, jumping and throwing are natural and universal forms of human physical expression. The first recorded examples of organized track and field events at a festival are the Ancient Olympic Games. At the first Games in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, only one event was contested, Track and field events were also present at the Panhellenic Games in Greece around this period, and they spread to Rome in Italy around 200 BC
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Road running
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Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. These events are classified as long-distance according to athletics terminology. They may involve large numbers of runners or wheelchair entrants, the three most common IAAF recognized distances for road running events are 10K runs, half marathons and marathons. Despite this, there are far more 5K road race events, due to their popularity for charity races and similar, less competitive reasons to hold an event. Road running may offer those involved a range of challenges and interests such as dealing with hills, sharp bends, varied surfaces, inclement weather, aerobic fitness, or the ability of the body to use oxygen, is the biggest factor contributing to success. The impact of running on roads puts more stress on the feet, knees and it can compensate by providing a consistent, level surface. It may put less strain on the Achilles tendon, before engaging in road running, one should choose a shoe that best suits ones foot type and running style. Road running is one of forms of road racing, which also include road bicycle racing. Race courses are held on the streets of major cities and towns. Other common distances include 5 kilometres,8 kilometres,12 kilometres, some major events have unique distances. Most road race courses are certified to be accurate to within 0. 1%, certified courses are often intentionally lengthened by one metre per km to ensure that they are not short of the stated distance. A Jones Counter attached to a bicycle is used to course length. Remeasurement to verify the length is undertaken when a record is set on a course. Running that covers a distance farther than a marathon is called ultrarunning, such events can be measured in distance or by time. Beyond the ultramarathon lie the multiday and stage races, Road running is unique among athletic events because in many cases first time amateurs are welcome to participate in the same event as members of running clubs and even current world-class champions. Sometimes race times are recorded manually by race organizers, most road races feature electronic timing using transponders, Road races are often community-wide events that highlight or raise money for an issue or project. In the USA, Susan G. Komens Race for the Cure is held nationwide to raise breast cancer awareness and this race is also run in Germany, Italy and Puerto Rico. Similarly, Race for Life holds races throughout the UK to raise money for Cancer Research UK, first person race reports frequently appear on the Dead Runners Society electronic mailing list
12.
5000 metres
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The 5000 metres or 5000-meter run is a common long-distance running event in track and field. It is one of the events in the Olympic Games. The same distance in road running is called a 5K run, the 5000 m has been present on the Olympic programme since 1912 for men and since 1996 for women. Prior to 1996, women had competed in an Olympic 3000 metres race since 1984, the 5000 m has been held at each of the World Championships in Athletics in mens competition and since 1995 in womens. The event is almost the length as the dolichos race held at the Ancient Olympic Games. While mainly run as an event, the 5000 m is sometimes run on an indoor track. The IAAF keeps official records for outdoor and indoor 5000 m track events. Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 12,49.60, haile Gebrselassie also ran 12,41.86,12,44.39. Daniel Komen also ran 12,44.90,12,45.09,12,48.98
13.
10,000 metres
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The 10,000 metres or 10, 000-meter run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the programme at the Olympic Games. The race consists of 25 laps around an Olympic-sized track and it is less commonly held at track and field meetings, due to its duration. The 10,000 metres track race is usually distinguished from its road running counterpart, the 10,000 metres is the longest standard track event. The international distance is equal to approximately 6.2137 miles, most of those running such races also compete in road races and cross country events. Added to the Olympic programme in 1912, athletes from Finland, nicknamed the Flying Finns, in the 1960s, African runners began to come to the fore. In 1988, the womens competition debuted in the Olympic Games, official records are kept for outdoor 10,000 metres track events. The world record for men is held by Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia in 26,17.53, posted at Brussels, Belgium on August 26,2005. For women, the world track 10,000 metres record is held by Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia in 29,17.45 to win gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics on August 12,2016. The 10,000 metres demands exceptional levels of aerobic endurance, european Cup 10, 000m Iberian 10,000 Metres Championships IAAF list of 10000-metres records in XML ARRS, Yearly Rankings -10000 metres Outdoor Track 10K Races in Race-Calendar. com
14.
Half marathon
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A half marathon is a road running event of 21.0975 kilometres – half the distance of a marathon. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily since 2003, partly due to the fact that it is a challenging distance, in 2008, Running USA reported that the half marathon is the fastest growing type of race. A2010 article by Universal Sports mentioned the popularity of the distance. It is common for a marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon, using almost the same course with a late start. The half marathon is known as a 21K,21. 1K or 13.1 miles, although these values are rounded. In many races finisher medals are awarded but they may differ from concurrent full marathons by color, wording, in other events both races are put on the same medal although their ribbons may vary. A half marathon world record is recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. This table lists the best half marathon performances per year since 1970, in 2014, the largest half marathon in the world was the Göteborgsvarvet, also known as the Gothenburg half marathon, in Sweden with 64,288 announced runners and 47,491 finishers. The largest half marathon ever held was Broloppet between Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden with 79,719 finishers, held in connection with the Öresund Bridge inauguration in 2000. List of half marathon races IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Mini marathon Quarter marathon Half marathon world record progression IAAF list of records in XML
15.
Marathon
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The marathon is a long-distance running race with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres, usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, more than 800 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants. The name Marathon comes from the legend of Philippides or Pheidippides and it is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming νενικήκαμεν, before collapsing and dying. Lucian of Samosata also gives the story, but names the runner Philippides, there is debate about the historical accuracy of this legend. In some Herodotus manuscripts, the name of the runner between Athens and Sparta is given as Philippides, in 1879, Robert Browning wrote the poem Pheidippides. Brownings poem, his story, became part of late 19th century popular culture and was accepted as a historic legend. This route, as it existed when the Olympics were revived in 1896, was approximately 40 kilometres long, and this route is considerably shorter, some 35 kilometres, but includes a very steep initial climb of more than 5 kilometres. When the modern Olympics began in 1896, the initiators and organizers were looking for a great popularizing event, the idea of a marathon race came from Michel Bréal, who wanted the event to feature in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. This idea was supported by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics. The Greeks staged a race for the Olympic marathon on 10 March 1896 that was won by Charilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours and 18 minutes. The winner of the first Olympic marathon, on 10 April 1896, was Spyridon Louis, the marathon of the 2004 Summer Olympics was run on the traditional route from Marathon to Athens, ending at Panathinaiko Stadium, the venue for the 1896 Summer Olympics. The womens marathon was introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics and was won by Joan Benoit of the United States with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 52 seconds. It has become a tradition for the mens Olympic marathon to be the last event of the athletics calendar, often, the mens marathon medals are awarded during the closing ceremony. The Olympic mens record is 2,06,32, set at the 2008 Summer Olympics by Samuel Kamau Wanjiru of Kenya, the Olympic womens record is 2,23,07, set at the 2012 Summer Olympics by Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia. The mens London 2012 Summer Olympic marathon winner was Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda, per capita, the Kalenjin ethnic group of Rift Valley Province in Kenya has produced a highly disproportionate share of marathon and track-and-field winners. Johnny Hayes victory at the 1908 Summer Olympics contributed to the growth of long-distance running and marathoning in the United States. Later that year, races around the season including the Empire City Marathon held on New Years Day 1909 in Yonkers, New York
16.
Granollers Half Marathon
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The Granollers Half Marathon is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in February in the city of Granollers in Catalonia, Spain. The race is organised by the Col·lectiu dAtletes de Fons group and was first held in 1987, the course starts and finishes in Granollers and passes through Les Franqueses del Vallès and La Garriga. It is among the more popular half marathon events in Spain with around 10,000 runners taking part in the days events. In addition to the half marathon race, there are two further events, a 5 km race for fun runners and the mini, which hosts a range of short distances for children. In its early editions the race attracted a principally Spanish audience, the first African winner was Ezequiel Bitok in 1993 and his course record run of 1,01,48 hours marked the introduction of elite-level participation at the event. Alberto Juzdado became the first Spaniard to complete the course in one hour. In 2000, Esther Kiplagat of Kenya was the first foreign female to win at the event, the 2004 Olympic marathon champion Stefano Baldini and two-time European champion Marta Domínguez won the mens and womens races in 2007. Kenyas Samuel Wanjiru became the first man to run a half marathon in Spain at the 2008 Granollers race. Both Wanjiru and Domínguez claimed their second Granollers titles the year afterwards, in 2012, Catalonias Carles Castillejo became the first Spanish male winner since 1999 by defeating world record holder Patrick Makau. Key, Course record List of winners Civai, Franco & Vázquez, Gerardo
17.
Reims Half Marathon
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Reims à Toutes Jambes is an annual road running event held in Reims, France in the month of October. First held in 1984, the competition comprises three parts, a 42.195 km marathon, a 21.0975 km half marathon race. In addition to these, there are competitions for disabled athletes. The marathon course is a figure-8 run twice and has hosted the French national championship race on three occasions, both the marathon and the half marathon attract elite level competitors. The marathon course records are held by David Kemboi and Alla Zhilyaeva, the best times for the half marathon are by Dieudonné Disi and Christelle Daunay. In 2015 the running festival was organized by the Run In group along with Lyon and it was rebranded Run In Reims. Key, Course record French championship race List of winners Reims Marathon, Reims Half Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Media related to Reims à Toutes Jambes at Wikimedia Commons Official website Marathoninfo page
18.
Porto Half Marathon
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The Porto Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running event held in Porto, Portugal which follows the River Douro. Known as the Sportzone Half Marathon for sponsorship reasons, the edition was held in 2007. The competition attracts top level athletes, mainly East African. Since its inception, all the mens and womens races have been won by East African competitors. Among those to top the podium are Olympic champions Haile Gebrselassie and Samuel Wanjiru, while former world champion over 10,000 metres. Zersenay Tadese holds the course record with his time of 59,30 minutes. Pamela Chepchumba set the course record of 1,10,24 hours in 2009. The half marathon course begins near Freixo Bridge and heads westwards, passing Cais de Gaia and it goes east, crossing the Douro over Dom Luís Bridge and again loops back once the route reaches the area near Freixo Bridge again. The course heads west towards the mouth of the Douro, going past Miragaia, in addition to the main half marathon event, there is a smaller 6 km mini-marathon which goes from Freixo Bridge to the Jardim do Calém - Fluvial. The race is one of three major annual running events organised in Porto by Run Porto, alongside the Porto Marathon, key, Course record Official website Race webpage at Run Porto
19.
RAK Half Marathon
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Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. The first event, in 2007, saw Samuel Wanjiru breaking the world record, in the 2009 event Patrick Makau won by running what was, at the time, the second fastest half marathon ever. The race saw its first womens world record performance in 2011, the 2013 saw a race first with three men under 59 minutes, while winner Geoffrey Kipsang was two seconds off the course record. The womens race re-wrote the all-time rankings as Lucy Kabuu ran the second fastest time ever to win in 66,09 minutes and Priscah Jeptoo, demonstrating significant depth, records for the fastest womens times by finishing position were broken from second place up to eleventh place
20.
Prague Half Marathon
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The Prague Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in Spring on the city streets of Prague, Czech Republic. Known as the Hervis Prague Half Marathon for sponsorship reasons, it holds IAAF Gold Label Road Race status and it is managed by the same organisation that holds the Prague Marathon in May. The Prague Half Marathon has a looped course format which has its race start, the course follows the Vltava river southwards and then makes an east-to-west loop passing Folimanka park. The course traces a large loop into the part of the city centre before returning to the Rudolfinum for the finish point. The competition has enjoyed a level of participation, with around 6500 participants in 2009. Since 2006, a team half marathon relay event has also featured on the days programme of events – each company being represented by four runners each covering equal legs of 5.27 km. Around 100 teams and 50 business and institutions were present for the first race, no man has ever topped the podium on two occasions, but both Jana Klimešová and Rose Kosgei have taken back-to-back wins in the womens event. Atsedu Tsegay holds the course record of 58,47 minutes. Both of these times are the fastest ever run in the Czech Republic for the half marathon
21.
Kenya Defence Forces
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The Kenya Defence Forces are the armed forces of the Republic of Kenya. The Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, and Kenya Air Force comprise the national Defence Forces. The current Kenya Defence Forces were established, and its composition laid out, in Article 241 of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya, the President of Kenya is the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces. The military is deployed in peacekeeping missions around the world. Kenya’s military, like many government institutions in the country, has been tainted by corruption allegations, in what are by Kenyan standards unprecedented revelations, in 2010, credible claims of corruption were made with regard to recruitment and procurement of Armoured Personnel Carriers. Further, the wisdom and prudence of certain decisions of procurement have been publicly questioned, the Manoj between 1896 and 1900 saw the East African Rifles deployed in a number of campaigns in line with British colonial policies. In collaboration with Major Cunninghams Uganda Rifles, expeditions were organized against the Nandi who put up a strong resistance and it was not until 1906 that they were subdued. Another one in 1900 commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Hatch, Commandant of the East African Rifles, two medals were issued after these expeditions namely 1898 and Jubaland 1900. The East African Rifles also sent troops to help Uganda Rifles suppress a mutiny by Sudanese troops in Uganda, captain Harrison who led this expedition was decorated. After being deployed on this expedition, he remained behind to form the 1st Battalion of the Uganda Rifles and this battalion later became 5 KAR. In 1901 the British government decided to all the existing troops in Central Africa, East Africa, Uganda. Lieutenant Colonel Manning, an officer in the Indian Corps was appointed Inspector General for all the troops, the composition of this regiment was as follows, - The 8 companies of 1 Central African Rifles became 1 Battalion Kings African Rifles. The 6 companies of 2 Central African Rifles became 2 Battalion Kings African Rifles, the 7 companies and one camel company of East African Rifles became 3 Battalion Kings African Rifles. The 9 companies of the Uganda Rifles became 4 Battalion Kings African Rifles, the 4 companies of the Contingent of Uganda Rifles became 5 Battalion Kings African Rifles. In 19045 KAR, which was made up of Indian troops, was disbanded chiefly because of maintenance costs. It was however reconstituted in 1916 during World War I and stationed in Meru, later in 1926,5 KAR was again disbanded and their colours were handed over to 3 KAR for safe custody. On 1 March 1930 the unit was again reconstituted, presented with their colours. After World War II both battalions were used by the government to contain the Mau Mau rebellion
22.
2012 Summer Olympics
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It took place in London and to a lesser extent across the United Kingdom from 25 July to 12 August 2012. The first event, the stage in womens football began on 25 July at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. 10,768 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participated, London is the first and only city thus far to host the modern Olympic Games three times, having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948. Construction for the Games involved considerable redevelopment, with an emphasis on sustainability, the main focus was a new 200-hectare Olympic Park, constructed on a former industrial site at Stratford, East London. The Games also made use of venues that already existed before the bid, the Games received widespread acclaim for their organisation, with the volunteers, the British military and public enthusiasm praised particularly highly. During the Games, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei entered female athletes for the first time, so that every currently eligible country has sent a female competitor to at least one Olympic Games. Womens boxing was included for the first time, thus the Games became the first at which every sport had female competitors and these were the final Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Jacques Rogge. The final medal tally was led by the United States, followed by China, several world and Olympic records were set at the games. Furthermore, the focus on sporting legacy and post-games venue sustainability was seen as a blueprint for future Olympics. On 18 May 2004, as a result of a technical evaluation. All five submitted their candidate files by 19 November 2004 and were visited by the IOC inspection team during February, throughout the process, Paris was widely seen as the favourite, particularly as this was its third bid in recent years. London was initially seen as lagging behind Paris by a considerable margin and its position began to improve after the appointment of Lord Coe as the new head of London 2012 on 19 May 2004. In late August 2004, reports predicted a tie between London and Paris, on 6 June 2005, the IOC released its evaluation reports for the five candidate cities. They did not contain any scores or rankings, but the report for Paris was considered the most positive, London was close behind, having closed most of the gap observed by the initial evaluation in 2004. New York and Madrid also received positive evaluations. On 1 July 2005, when asked who would win, Jacques Rogge said, but my gut feeling tells me that it will be very close. Perhaps it will come down to a difference of say ten votes, on 6 July 2005, the final selection was announced at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. Moscow was the first city to be eliminated, followed by New York, the final two contenders were London and Paris
23.
Tirunesh Dibaba
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Tirunesh Dibaba also known as Tirunesh Dibaba Kenene is an Ethiopian long distance track athlete and the outdoor 5000 metres world record holder. She is the current World champion and she has won in total eight world track titles and five world cross country titles. She is nicknamed the Baby Faced Destroyer, born in the village of Bekoji, Tirunesh was the 4th of 6 children, and began doing athletics at the age of 14. She was raised in the high-altitude Arsi Province in Ethiopia, but has lived in the capital, Addis Ababa, Tirunesh and Genzebe are the only siblings in recorded history to hold concurrent world records. Their cousin is 1992 and 2000 10000m Olympic champion Derartu Tulu, Tiruneshs first fully international outdoor track event was the 2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Running at the age of 15 in womens race, she finished 5th. She won the 5000 m silver medal at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, Tirunesh had great success in the world championships athletics events of 2003,2005 and 2007. In 2003, Tirunesh won the 5000 m in a sprint finish against Marta Dominguez of Spain and she became the youngest athlete ever to win an individual gold medal at the World Championships. So little was known about her that during this race British commentators Steve Cram and she became the only woman to win back-to-back 10,000 m titles. In Osaka, Tirunesh won with a time of 31,55.41, at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Tirunesh was beaten into third place by Meseret Defar of Ethiopia and Isabella Ochichi of Kenya in 5000 m event. The result was considered by some to be a disappointment but at 19, in 2006 she won five out of six Golden League events in the same season, which earned her a total of $83,333. From 2007, there was just one race in each category, Tirunesh won the silver in the womens race at Mombasa in 2007 and the gold at Edinburgh in 2008. Tirunesh is known to have a rivalry with Meseret Defar. A major feature of Tiruneshs running style is a sprint finish. During the final lap of the 10,000 m in 2005, at the Oslo Golden League 2008 meeting Tirunesh set a new world record in the 5000 metres, running the distance in a time of 14,11.15. The new Olympic record was also the second fastest 10,000 metres of all time, the previous African record was held by Berhane Adere, set at the 2003 World Championships. One week later on August 22,2008, she won the 5000 metres by beating the gold medalist Meseret Defar. Tirunesh finished the race in 15,41.40 and she was named 2008 Track & Field News Athlete of the Year
24.
BOclassic
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The BOclassic is an annual road running competition over the distance of 10 kilometres for men and 5 kilometres for women. It is held on New Years Eve in Bolzano, Italy, the competition has only elite races, competed between a limited number of runners, but over 10,000 spectators gather in the streets each year to witness the race. The race has been broadcast live on television by Italian channel Rai Sport Più and it was first held in 1975 under the title Corsa Internazionale di San Silvestro – inspired by the Saint Silvester Road Race in Brazil, it was the first European New Years Eve road race. After nine editions as a 13 km race, the race settled on its 10 km format. A womens competition was included in the programme from 1977 onwards, the Corsa Internazionale di San Silvestro changed its name in 1996, race president Kurt Putzer renamed it the BOclassic. The course is in the centre of the town of Bolzano and it is a looped circuit, starting at Walther Square and heading west on Via della Mostra before turning onto Via Goethe and Via del Portici. The route then heads southwards along Via Laurin before looping back on itself to follow along Vaile della Stazione back to the starting point, the 2011 edition featured three reigning world champions in Vivian Cheruiyot, Imane Merga and Wilson Kiprop. Giro di Castelbuono Memorial Peppe Greco General Past Winners
25.
Delhi Half Marathon
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Airtel Delhi Half Marathon is an annual half marathon foot-race held in New Delhi, India. Established in 2005, it is both a runner and mass participation event. It is an AIMS-certified course and is listed as a Bronze Label Road Race by the IAAF, the course starts in the Nehru Stadium, although this was temporarily moved to the grounds of the Secretariat Building while the stadium was under renovation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The race is largely flat and has delivered fast winning times in its history, with men producing a number of sub-one hour times. The race was sponsored Hutchison Essar for its first two races, and the company sponsored the event as Vodafone Essar in 2007 following a takeover, rival communications company Airtel holds the sponsor role since 2008. The half marathon is the elite race, while the Great Delhi Run attracts the majority of participants overall. The inaugural edition in 2005 had total prize money of US$310,000, the prize for the winners of the mens and womens race was $25,000 dollars in 2009 and $27,000 in 2015
26.
Berlin Marathon
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The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a road race where professional athletes. First initiated in 1974, the event traditionally takes place on the last weekend in September, the Berlin marathon is one of the largest and most popular road races in the world. In 2016, the race had 46,950 entrants from 122 countries, along with seven other races, it forms the World Marathon Majors, a series offering a $1 million prize purse to be split equally between the top male and female marathoners. For a record six consecutive years 2011-2016 Berlin has been the site of the leading mens time for the year. The event is split over 2 days, about 8,000 additional inline skaters compete at the marathon course the Saturday before the running event. Power walkers, handbikers, wheelchair riders, and a childrens marathon are also part of the marathon weekend, the course within the metropolis starts and finishes near the Brandenburg Gate. Because of the division of city, the events before 1990 were limited to the area of West Berlin. Only on 30 September 1990, were able to run through the Brandenburg Gate. It was reported that a great many of the runners had tears in their eyes as they ran through the gate, nowadays, after leaving Brandenburg Gate, the course passes Charlottenburg, around Tiergarten, along Moabit and Mitte, and then south to Friedrichshain. After that, it winds west between Kreuzberg and Neukölln, through Schöneberg, over to Friedenau and Zehlendorf, before turning back toward the citys center. Looping above Schöneberg, the course comes full circle as it finishes through the Gate and this route differs from the one used at the 1936 Summer Olympics Marathon. World records Men Women Key, Current course record German championship race In terms of finishing athletes the 2008 Berlin marathon was the 5th largest marathon run of all time,35,913 athletes including 130 power walkers reached the finish in under 6 hours. The 2008 skater marathon had numbered 7,685 participants and counted around 200,000 spectators along the course and it is considered the largest inline skater marathon in the world and is the final venue of the World Inline Cup. Records Men,59,28, Bart Swings,2013 Women,1,08,29, the athletes start at the same day, usually at Sunday, like the runners and power walkers
27.
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
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Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. The first event, in 2007, saw Samuel Wanjiru breaking the world record, in the 2009 event Patrick Makau won by running what was, at the time, the second fastest half marathon ever. The race saw its first womens world record performance in 2011, the 2013 saw a race first with three men under 59 minutes, while winner Geoffrey Kipsang was two seconds off the course record. The womens race re-wrote the all-time rankings as Lucy Kabuu ran the second fastest time ever to win in 66,09 minutes and Priscah Jeptoo, demonstrating significant depth, records for the fastest womens times by finishing position were broken from second place up to eleventh place
28.
International Association of Athletics Federations
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The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded on 17 July 1912 as the International Amateur Athletic Federation by representatives from 17 national athletics federations at the organizations first congress in Stockholm, since October 1993, it has been headquartered in Monaco. Beginning in 1982, the IAAF passed several amendments to its rules to allow athletes to receive compensation for participating in international competitions. However, the organization retained the word amateur in its name until its 2001 congress, the IAAFs president is Sebastian Coe of the United Kingdom. He was elected at the 2015 congress before the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, the process to found the IAAF was started at a meeting in Stockholm, Sweden on July 17,1912 soon after the completion of the 1912 Summer Olympics in that city. The congress that started on August 20,1913 in Berlin is when the foundation of the IAAF was formally completed, in 2015, a whistleblower leaked IAAFs blood test records from major competitions. After reviewing the results, Robin Parisotto, a scientist and leading anti-doping expert, said, so many athletes appear to have doped with impunity, and it is damning that the IAAF appears to have idly sat by and let this happen. Craig Reedie, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said his organisation was very disturbed by these new allegations, which will, once again, shake the foundation of clean athletes worldwide, and that its independent commission will investigate the claims. On 1 November 2015, former IAAF president Lamine Diack was arrested in France and is under investigation on suspicion of corruption, Diack allegedly accepted $1.2 million from the Russian athletics federation to cover up the positive doping tests of at least six Russian athletes in 2011. The report continued that the IAAF allowed the conduct to occur and must accept its responsibility and that corruption was embedded in the organization. In January 2016, as a result of the scandal and WADAs report. The BBC reported that as a result the IAAF would lose $33 million worth of revenue, the 11-year sponsorship deal with Adidas was due to run until 2019. World-record holding sprinter, Michael Johnson, described the scandal as more serious than that faced by FIFA, in February,2016, Nestle announced that it was ending its IAAF sponsorship. In June 2016, following a meeting of the IAAFs ruling council, in Ferbuary 2017, All-Russia Athletic Federation disqualified by decision of the IAAF Council for 8 years for the creation of a doping system. Since the establishment of the IAAF, it has had six presidents, The IAAF has a total of 215 member federations divided into 6 area associations
29.
Tegla Loroupe
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Tegla Chepkite Loroupe is a Kenyan long-distance track and road runner. She is also a spokeswoman for peace, womens rights. Loroupe holds the records for 20,25 and 30 kilometres. She is the three-time World Half-Marathon champion, Loroupe was also the first woman from Africa to win the New York City Marathon, which she has won twice. She has won marathons in London, Boston, Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Berlin, in 2016 she was the person organising the Refugee Team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Tegla Loroupe was born in Kapsait village in the Lelan division of West Pokot District and it is situated in the Rift Valley, approximately 600 kilometres north of Nairobi. Her father and mother are from the Pokot tribe, a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting parts of northern Kenya, eastern Uganda, Loroupe was told by her father that she was useless and her career might be babysitting. She grew up with 24 siblings, the Pokots being a polygamous culture, her father had four wives. She spent her childhood working fields, tending cattle and looking after younger brothers and sisters, at the age of six, Loroupe started school at Kapsait Elementary school, she had to run ten kilometres to and from school every morning. At school, she became aware of her potential as an athlete when she won races held over a distance of 800 or 1500 metres against much older students and she decided to pursue a career as a runner. However, except for her mother, she was not supported by anyone, the Kenyan athletics federation, Athletics Kenya, did not support her at first, thinking Loroupe too small and too thin. However, after she won a cross country barefoot race in 1988. She began to train to compete internationally the following year, earning her first pair of running shoes in 1989 and she was nominated for the junior race of the 1989 IAAF World Cross Country Championships finishing 28th. She competed again at the 1990 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, in 1994 and 1998, Loroupe won the Goodwill Games over 10,000 metres, barefoot. Over the same distance she won medals at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics 1995 and 1999. In 1994, Loroupe ran her first major marathon in New York, running against the worlds strongest competition, she won. As a consequence she was idolised by many people in Africa, at last. She won the New York City Marathon again in 1995 and finished 3rd in 1998, between 1997 and 1999, she won three world titles a row over the half marathon distance
30.
Paula Radcliffe
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Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current womens worlds best holder in the marathon with her time of 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds and she is a three-time winner of the London Marathon, three-time New York Marathon champion, and won the 2002 Chicago Marathon. Radcliffe is a world champion in the marathon, half marathon. She has also been European champion over 10,000 metres, on the track, Radcliffe won the 10,000 metres silver medal at the 1999 World Championships and was the 2002 Commonwealth champion at 5000 metres. She represented Great Britain at the Olympics four times consecutively, although she did not win a position in these events. She has also nominated for World Sportswoman of the year on several occasions. In 2010, she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame and she ended her competitive running career at the 2015 London Marathon. Radcliffe was born on 17 December 1973 in Davenham near Northwich and her family then moved to nearby Barnton where she attended Little Leigh Primary School. Despite suffering from asthma and anaemia she took up running at the age of seven, influenced by her father who was a keen marathon runner. Her family later moved to Kingsley, when Radcliffe was aged 12, the family moved to Oakley, Bedfordshire and she became a member of Bedford & County Athletics Club. Radcliffes father became club vice-chairman and her mother, a fun-runner and her first race at a national level came as a 12-year-old in 1986 when she placed 299th out of around 600 in the girls race of the English Schools Cross Country Championships. She finished fourth in the race one year later. Radcliffe attended Sharnbrook Upper School and Community College and she went on to study French, German and economics at Loughborough University, gaining a first-class honours degree in modern European studies. Radcliffes father was a marathon runner as a young man. He took up the hobby again in an attempt to lose weight after giving up smoking, despite suffering from asthma Radcliffe took up running at the age of seven. In 1992 Radcliffe discovered that she suffers from anaemia, Radcliffe was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma at the age of 14 after blacking out whilst training. During her fathers training jogs in the woods Radcliffe and her brother would often run with him for a mile or two, Radcliffe attended Frodsham Athletic Club until the age of nine, Radcliffe became a member of Bedford & County Athletics Club, when they moved to Oakley. There she was coached by Alex Stanton, who still fulfilled that role in her professional career, Stanton started to coach Radcliffe at the age of 12 after his wife Rosemary spotted her talent
31.
Berhane Adere
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Berhane Adere Debala is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in the 10,000 metres and the half marathon. She was world champion over 10,000 m in 2003, Berhane works for UNICEF as a goodwill ambassador for girls education. Berhane held the African record for 10,000 metres in a time of 30,04.18, set at the 2003 World Championships, the African record was broken at the 2008 Olympics by Tirunesh Dibaba, who became the first African to run under 30 minutes. Berhane won the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2002, and she was the gold medallist over 3000 metres at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships She won the 2006 Chicago Marathon with a personal best time of 2,20,42. She won the Chicago Marathon again in 2007 and the Dubai Marathon on 18 January 2008, Berhane also won the 2007 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon. She saw off a challenge from Ana Dulce Félix to win at the Great North Run in September, in 2012 she had two races, both in October in Britain, where she was runner-up at the Great Birmingham Run and third at the Great South Run. Berhane Adere profile at IAAF Berhane Adere in the marathon in Rotterdam 2007 Cheering Adere From The Back - From Ethiopian Running Blog
32.
Lornah Kiplagat
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Lornah Kiplagat is a Dutch long-distance runner. She was born in Kabiemit, Rift Valley Province, Kenya and she gained Dutch citizenship in 2003 and has competed for the Netherlands since. She runs not only road events but also in cross country and track, in the marathon, she holds a best time of 2,22,22 hours and has won major races in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Osaka. She currently holds the world record over 5 kilometres and 10 miles. Her best times over 20 km and the marathon distance were world records from 2007 to 2011. Part of a successful family of runners, her relatives include Sylvia Kibet, Hilda Kibet. Kiplagat was already running decent results when she ran for Kenya. She was the first woman to win both the Falmouth Road Race and the Peachtree Road Race, as of 2006 she is still the only woman to achieve this, but she achieved it three times in a row and a fourth time in 2005 as well. That same year she lowered the Dutch marathon record to 2,23.43 during the New York City Marathon and she also participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics, where she finished 5th in the 10, 000m. At the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships she finished second in Japan and she also finished fifth in the 10, 000m at the 2006 European Athletics Championships. She won the 2007 World Cross Country Championships held in Mombasa, earlier, in February 2007, she competed at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships as an invited athlete and won the womens race, ahead of the elite among her former compatriots. They finished, Dibaba, 2nd, Melkamu, 3rd, Burka, besides the Dutch record for the marathon, Kiplagat also owns four world records. In the 5 km road race she ran the distance in 14,47, while she lowered her own record in the 10 miles of 50.54 by two seconds to 50.50 during the 2006 Dam tot Damloop, which she also won in 2002. On 14 October 2007, Kiplagat set a new marathon world record of 1,06,25 at the World Road Running Championships at Udine, Italy. She also smashed her own 20 km world record en route, however, Paula Radcliffe has run a faster half-marathon on the slightly downhill Great North Run course in 2003. Kiplagat was ruled out for the whole of 2009 and returned to competition with a win at the Runners World Zandvoort Circuit Run in March 2010. In September, she ran at the Dam tot Damloop and was the runner-up behind her niece Hilda Kibet, finishing with a time of 52,03. She returned to the event for the 2011 London Marathon and completed her first race over the distance in four years
33.
Mary Jepkosgei Keitany
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Mary Jepkosgei Keitany is a runner from Kenya who specialises in long distance running up to the marathon distance. She won silver at the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships and she won the 2012 London Marathon with a personal best of 2,18,37 hours – making her the second fastest woman ever in the event. Her personal best of 1,05,50 in the marathon is the former womens world record. She also held the record in the womens 10 miles,20 km. She started running while at primary school, in 2002, she joined the Hidden Talent Academy. In January 2006 she placed 21st in her first senior race at the Shoe4Africa womens race, after some success in local races, she competed abroad for the first time, winning some road races in Europe. She won a medal at the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships. She married fellow Kenyan athlete Charles Koech in late 2007 and the couple had a son, Jared Kipchumba, after her year out, she returned to competition at the World 10K Bangalore in May 2009. She finished one second behind the winner Aselefech Mergia, but set a new personal best of 32,09 in the 10 km. In September that year, she finished the 2009 Lille Half Marathon with 1,07,00, which was a winning mark and her run in Lille meant she had qualified for the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham. She outpaced Aberu Kebede to win her first World Championship, setting a new personal best of 1,06,36 and she also took a second gold as part of the winning Kenyan squad in the team competition. Reflecting on the win she noted its my best ever time, the half marathon time was a new African record, the previous record,1,06,44 hours, was set by Elana Meyer of South Africa in 1999. She also beat the previous Kenyan record 1,06,48 she had set in Udine two years earlier and she won the 2010 Abu Dhabi Half Marathon. She also won the 2010 Berlin 25K race, setting a new world record 1,19,53 hours, the previous record was held by Mizuki Noguchi of Japan since 2005. Her quick time left her almost five minutes ahead of the runner-up Alice Timbilili and she used the Portugal Half Marathon in September as preparation for the New York City Marathon and led from the front to win the race largely uncontested in a time of 1,08,46. In her debut run at the 2010 NYC Marathon she was among the three for much of the race but faded in the latter stages to complete the distance in 2,29,01 hours for third place. Keitany began 2011 in record-breaking form as she won the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon with a record time of 1,05,50. She then won the 2011 London Marathon in a time of 2,19,17, pulling away from the field at the 14-mile mark and becoming the fourth fastest woman ever over the marathon distance
34.
Florence Kiplagat
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Florence Jebet Kiplagat is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She is a world champion, having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She was the record holder for the womens half marathon with a time of 1,05,09 hours until it was broken by Peres Kipchirchir on February 10,2017 at the RAK Half Marathon. She has also represented Kenya on the track, having won the silver medal over 5000 m at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics, Kiplagat studied at the Sirgoech Secondary School in Iten and she hoped to get a scholarship in the United States. She failed to get a scholarship, but had a start for her running career. She won the medal in 5000 m at the 2006 World Junior Championships. At the 2007 World Cross Country Championships she finished fifth in the senior race and she was out of activity in 2008 after becoming a mother. After the motherhood, she started the collaboration with the Italian Coach Renato Canova and she made comeback in early 2009 by winning the Elgoibar Cross Country and Cross Internacional de Itálica meetings in Spain. She won the race at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships ahead of compatriot Linet Masai. She became the second Kenyan to win the race at the World Cross Country Championships, the first one was Hellen Chepngeno. On 14 June 2009 she finished 2nd in the 10,000 m race in Utrecht, kiplagats time,30,11.53 was a Kenyan record. The previous national record, was set by Linet Masai at the 2008 Olympics, florence Kiplagat did not defend her world cross-country title in 2010, as she was recovering from an injury. She made her debut over the marathon distance in September 2010 and managed to win first time. She also led Kenya to another team title alongside Arusei. She ran in the 15K race at the Zevenheuvelenloop and was runner-up to Genet Getaneh and she was the favourite for the 2012 Egmond Half Marathon, but finished as runner-up behind Meseret Hailu. She moved up to third on the lists with a winning run of 1,06,38 hours at the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon. She turned to the 10,000 m at the Prefontaine Classic and she failed to make the Olympic team in the event, however, narrowly finishing fourth at the Kenyan trial race. She missed the rest of 2012, but returned at the RAK Half Marathon in February the next year and had her second fastest ever result, although the depth of the race left her in fifth
35.
Meseret Hailu
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Meseret Hailu Debele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in half marathons and marathons. She was the gold medallist at the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and her personal bests are 2,21,09 hours for the marathon and 66,56 minutes for the half marathon. Meseret began competing in road races as a teenager, beginning in 2009 with a win at the Dez Milhas Garoto. She began to focus on the marathon thereafter, running three races over the distance in 2010. She ran 2,45,10 on her debut in Pyongyang, came fourth at the Kuala Lumpur Marathon and she came ninth at the 2011 Mumbai Marathon, was runner-up by seven second at the Belgrade Marathon, and came fifth at the Reims Marathon. She was also third at that years Route du Vin Half Marathon, the 2012 season marked a significant career breakthrough for Meseret. She won her first major race at the Egmond Half Marathon with a personal best of 71,18 minutes, a third-place performance at the Prague Marathon saw her knock three minutes off her best with a time of 2,27,15 hours. Her strong performance in Egmond earned her a place on the Ethiopian team for the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. In her first race for her country she exceeded expectations by running a personal best of 68,55 minutes and pipped her teammate Feyse Tadese to the finish to take the gold medal. Later that month she entered the Amsterdam Marathon and surged away in the stages to gain her first win over the distance. She knocked almost two minutes off her best at the 2013 RAK Half Marathon, running an Ethiopian record of 66,56 minutes for fourth place. Hailu finished second behind Rita Jeptoo at the 2013 Boston Marathon, however, she dropped out of the world championship race, held in hot and humid conditions in Moscow, after just 5 km. Her early withdrawal, together with that of team-mate Tiki Gelana, prompted the Ethiopian Athletic Federation to ask the pair to submit written explanations for their actions
36.
Meseret Defar
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Meseret Defar Tola is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5000 metres. She broke the record in the event in 2006, broke it again in 2007 and held it until 2008. Defar has been successful in the 5000 m at the Olympic Games, taking gold at the 2012 London Olympics,2004 Athens Olympics and she has experienced similar success in the World Championships, taking silver in 2005 Helsinki Championships and gold at the 2007 Osaka Championships. Defar held the records for the 5000 metres,3000 metres. She has dominated the 3000 m indoor event, winning four gold medals at the IAAF World Indoor Championships from 2004 to 2010. She is also a champion at the All-Africa Games, a four-time medalist at the African Championships. Defar took a break from competition in 2014 in order to start a family and she vowed to return by 2015 although she did not compete in the August World Championships in Beijing. Defar won the 5000 metres gold medal at the inaugural Afro-Asian Games in 2003 and she won gold medals in the womens 5000 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with a time of 14,45.65 and 5000 metres at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She also won bronze medal at 2008 Beijing Olympics. On 3 June 2006 she ran the 5000 metres in New York City in a record time of 14,24.53 – she subsequently improved the record to 14,16.63 at the Bislett Games in Oslo on 15 June 2007. On 3 February 2007 she ran the 3000 metres indoor in Stuttgart in a record time of 8,23.72. On 20 May 2007 she ran the 2 mile in Carson, on 1 September 2007 she won gold in 14,57.91 at 5000 m at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, to go along with her Olympic victory and world record. On 14 September 2007, she set a world best in the womens 2-mile at the Van Damme Memorial meet, shaving 11.89 seconds off the 9,10.47 mark she set in May at Carson, California. Also in 2007, Defar won the female IAAF World Athlete of the Year award and she won a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, losing only to Tirunesh Dibaba. In 2006 she won the World Indoor Championships over 3000 metres, Defar won her third consecutive World Indoor gold medal in the 3000 m at the 2008 World Indoor Championships in Athletics. At the 2008 African Championships in Athletics, Defar was defeated in the 5000 m by compatriot Meselech Melkamu, at the 2008 Bislett Games, Defars 5000 m world record was broken by Tirunesh Dibaba. She took a 3000/5000 m double at the 2008 World Athletics Final
37.
Meselech Melkamu
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Meselech Melkamu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She is the woman in history to break the 30 minute barrier. From 2012 onwards she began to compete in races and won the Frankfurt Marathon in a course record of 2,21,01 hours. She just missed the medals in 2005, taking fourth in the short race at the 2005 World Cross Country Championships. Her first major medals as an athlete came the following year as Melkamu won bronze medals in both the long and short races at the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She went on to win the Great Ireland Run the following month and she was sixth over that distance at the 2007 World Championships later that year. Melkamu won her first indoor medal over 3000 metres the following March and she did not win a medal at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, but she excelled at the 2008 African Championships in Athletics by beating Defar to win the 5000 m African title. She was selected to represent Ethiopia at the 2008 Summer Olympics and she won her first world track medal later that season, finishing as runner-up behind Linet Masai to take the 10,000 m silver at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. She continued her bronze medal streak at the 2010 World Cross Country Championships and she won at the Obudu Ranch Mountain Race in 2010, which also brought her the womens title of the African Mountain Running Championships. She won a third title at the Jan Meda Cross Country in February 2011. She ran a marathon best of 68,05 minutes at the RAK Half Marathon in February 2013
