Eritrea’s Afewerki Berhane and Poland’s Karolina Nadolska impressed at the Vidovdan Road Race, one of the most prestigious road events in Bosnia and Herzegovina, winning at the IAAF Bronze Label road race in Brčko on Saturday (22).

There are many unknowns about the marathon, but the 2016 Blackmores Sydney Marathon on Sunday (18) offers a little more intrigue than the average 42.195km journey.

Ukraine’s Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko will return to the Osaka Women's Marathon on 25 January and bid to become just the second woman to win in the Japanese city on three successive occasions, after organisers of the IAAF Silver Label Road Race announced their elite field on Friday (26).

Athletes from 27 nations will be on the start line for the eighth edition of the Carrera de la Mujer in Bogota on Sunday (28), with the multinational women-only field for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race headed by the 2013 IAAF World Championships 10,000m bronze medallist Belaynesh Oljira.

It’s always difficult to predict the winner of a marathon, which is, of course, a major part of the race’s appeal.

There were home wins at the 2014 Lodz Marathon Dbam o Zdrowie, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, as Yared Shegumo and Karolina Jarzynska were victorious in 2:10:41 and 2:28:12 respectively in the 10th edition of the Polish race on Sunday (13).

Organisers of the 2014 Lodz Marathon Dbam o Zdrowie have made their intentions clear by signing up five men with personal bests of under 2:10 to attack the 12 month-old course record of 2:10:02, held by Ethiopia’s Alemayehu Belachew Ameta, at the 10th edition of the Polish race on Sunday (13).

The champions from the past three editions of the Osaka Women’s Marathon – Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko, Risa Shigetomo and Yukiko Akaba – have returned to contest the IAAF Silver Label Road Race, which this year doubles as a selection race for the 2014 Asian Games, on Sunday (26).

The organisers of the 33rd edition of the Osaka International Women’s Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, have announced that Ukraine’s reigning champion Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko will defend her title on 26 January.

The 14th edition of the Shanghai International Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, will see a concerted attack on the course records established 12 months ago in the Chinese city, with the focus of attention possibly being more on the women’s race than the men on Sunday (1).

Ethiopia’s Belaynesh Oljira heads a strong field of runners for the seventh edition of the Carrera de la Mujer de Bogotá (Bogota’s Women’s race), an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (29).

For the first time in its 19-year-history, the Prague Grand Prix over 10km, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, will feature an elite women's race competing alongside the always-strong men's field on 7 September.