Letesenbet Gidey and Tamirat Tola head another mouth-watering line-up for the Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP, a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label event, on Sunday (4).
Valencia has witnessed a number of world records in recent years &ndash; in the women&rsquo;s 5000m and half marathon as well as the men&rsquo;s 10km and 10,000m &ndash; and organisers aim for city to be the epicentre of the running world again this weekend.
<h3>Can Gidey threaten the world record on her debut?</h3>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Gidey will be making her marathon debut one year after smashing the world half marathon record with a beamonesque time of 1:02:52.
The 24-year-old is also the world record-holder for the 5000m and 10,000m on the track and her first goal on Sunday should be to run the quickest ever women&rsquo;s marathon for a debutant, a feat which currently belongs to her fellow Ethiopian Almaz Ayana courtesy of her 2:17:20 in Amsterdam in October.
Gidey&rsquo;s training sessions are said to have gone very well over the past few months, so a serious attack on Brigid Kosgei&rsquo;s world record of 2:14:04 can&rsquo;t be ruled out. The Ethiopian star will be paced by a trio of male pacesetters, her compatriots Mebrahtu Werkineh and Getachew Niguse, plus Kenya&rsquo;s Bernard Soi.
&ldquo;I think I can do the world record,&rdquo; said a confident Gidey at the event press conference held on Friday (2). &ldquo;I have competed twice in Valencia and I was lucky to set respective world records on both occasions so let&rsquo;s hope on Sunday I can do it again&rdquo;.
In addition to Gidey&rsquo;s eye-catching debut, the line-up includes her fellow Ethiopians Sutume Kebede, Etagegne Woldu and Tigist Girma. The former is the fastest of the entrants after her 2:18:12 runner-up place in Seoul in April, although the 27-year-old had to settle for eighth in London in 2:20:44 a couple of months ago. As for Woldu, she is the defending champion in Valencia (PB 2:20:16) but has had a lacklustre 2022, while Girma is a 2:19:52 contender who clocked 2:25:10 on her last outing in Sydney in September.
Yet Gidey&rsquo;s biggest challenger might well be another debutant, Kenya&rsquo;s Sheila Chepkirui. The 31-year-old seems to be in the form of her life having lowered her half marathon PB in Ras Al Khaimah in February to 1:04:36, to elevate her to seventh place on the world all-time list. Chepkirui backed up that brilliant performance with a win in Berlin six weeks later thanks to a 1:05:02 run.
<h3>Men's course record is the goal</h3>
The men&rsquo;s event is also shaping up well as the cast includes 10 athletes who have run 2:05:30 or faster throughout their careers. The list is topped by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Getaneh Molla, who ran 2:03:34 in Dubai in 2019, closely followed by the reigning world marathon champion Tola (2:03:39).&nbsp;
Ethiopia's Tola kicked off his 2022 campaign with a 2:04:14 third-place finish in Tokyo in March and went on to claim the world title in Oregon in 2:05:36, the fifth-quickest performance of his career. Sunday&rsquo;s race will be Tola&rsquo;s second appearance following Oregon, after a 59:49 half marathon win in Trento in early October.
The Ethiopian contingent is particularly powerful as it also features Dawit Wolde, who managed a lifetime best of 2:04:27 in Rotterdam last year, although has failed to finish his two races this year. Chalu Deso, whose PB of 2:04:53 dates back to Valencia in 2020, set a winning 2:05:07 season&rsquo;s best in Paris in April, while Workineh Tadese, third in Hamburg this year, has a PB of 2:05:07. Watch out too for Tanzania&rsquo;s Gabriel Geay, the World Championships seventh-place finisher and holder of a 2:04:55 lifetime best set in Milan last year.
Like in the women&rsquo;s race, there will be a number of much-awaited debuts. The Kenyan trio of Alexander Mutiso, Kelvin Kiptum and Philemon Kiplimo race the marathon for the first time, as does Ethiopia&rsquo;s Milkesa Mengesha. The 26-year-old Japan-based Mutiso ran a scintillating 57:59 &ndash; the fifth-fastest ever time &ndash; in Valencia two years ago and has also shown fine form this year with a 10km PB of 27:35 and a 58:48 half marathon effort in Ras Al Khaimah. Kiptum boasts a 58:42 time for the 13.1-mile distance and Kiplimo is another in the all-time top 10 for the distance courtesy of his 58:11 in Valencia in 2020.
Yet the most in-form debutant seems to be 22-year-old Mengesha, as he grabbed a 58:58 win in Copenhagen last September after setting a 10,000m career best of 27:00.24 in Hengelo on 5 June.
A trio of pacemakers comprising Kenyans Bernard Ngeno and Stanley Kurgat Rono plus Ethiopia&rsquo;s Chala Regasa will target a steady 2:55 pace to go through the half marathon in 1:01:30, on schedule to break the course record of 2:03:00 set two years ago by Kenya&rsquo;s Evans Chebet.
A total of 30,000 runners are set to take part in the event, 50% of them travelling from abroad and representing 124 countries. The weather forecast predicts a nice and windless day, with the thermometer reaching 10-12&deg;C by the time of the event.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics

Letesenbet Gidey and Tamirat Tola head another mouth-watering line-up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label event

Gidey makes marathon debut as strong fields get set for Valencia

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tamirat Tola, world silver medallist in 2017, is the world marathon champion of 2022 after a masterful and ruthless run at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 saw him come home more than a minute clear in a championship record of 2:05:36 on Sunday (17).
His teammate Mosinet Geremew won a protracted battle for silver, pulling clear of Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Bashir Abdi over the final kilometre to finish in 2:06.44, with the Belgian taking another big bronze in 2:06.48.&nbsp;
Missing the medal podium by one place was the unlikely figure of Canada&rsquo;s Cameron Levins, who had the consolation of setting a national record of 2:07:09 ahead of Kenya&rsquo;s three-time world half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor, who clocked 2:07:14.&nbsp;
"It was a dream come true," Tola said. "I learned from my mistake in 2017 (World Championships) and I made sure it did not happen again."&nbsp;
On that occasion, Tola&rsquo;s attempted run for home 10km from the end was thwarted as Kenya&rsquo;s Geoffrey Kirui overtook him to win gold. This time there was no faltering on the 30-year-old Ethiopian&rsquo;s part.&nbsp;
In what was the first event of day three at the championships in Oregon, Tola took more than a minute off the record of 2:06:54 set by Kenya&rsquo;s Abel Kirui at the 2009 edition in Berlin.&nbsp;
But that was no more than an adornment for him on a day when he ran with apparent certainty from start to finish, never being far from the lead in a race that proceeded without undue vigour towards a halfway time of 64 minutes &ndash; comfortable territory for today&rsquo;s elite marathon runner.&nbsp;
Conditions on a course consisting of three 14km loops running through Eugene and Springfield &ndash; home of The Simpsons &ndash; were an overcast sky and temperatures rising, not dramatically, from 13C at the starting time of 6:15am.&nbsp;
But there were no big city marathon pacers here. This was a championship race, with all the uncertainty that has traditionally involved. While the first half offered hope of success for many who were among the event's fastest, that hope was suddenly and ineradicably quashed by the eventual winner in the telling final quarter of the race.&nbsp;
Tola shaped what had been a largely inchoate procession of surging and slacking when he took off between the 33rd&nbsp;and 34th&nbsp;kilometres. It was not a drill.&nbsp;
By the 34km marker his lead was seven seconds. At 35km it was 12 seconds, at 36km it was 17 seconds and at 37km it was 26 seconds. With 5km to go, the gold was gone and the drama of the race resided in which of the chasing group of four &ndash; Abdi, Geremew, Levins and Kamworor &ndash; would share the podium.&nbsp;
Geremew&rsquo;s big move, when it came with a kilometre remaining, was as decisive as that of his compatriot. Very suddenly he was a silver medallist in waiting and Abdi seemed to be looking back down the field a lot in the closing stages, perhaps seeking his training partner Abdi Nageeye, who had so vigorously encouraged him to keep going in pursuit of a medal in Tokyo last summer.&nbsp;
As it happened, Nageeye was one of eight runners who failed to finish, in company with Ethiopia&rsquo;s defending champion Lelisa Desisa, who was not thought to be in good form and who confirmed that speculation as he struggled out of contention by the halfway point.&nbsp;
The race had begun with bad news for Japan, whose charismatic national record-holder Kengo Suzuki did not start.&nbsp;
Local hero Galen Rupp, who had run this course innumerable times as a former alumnus of the University of Oregon, was seeking to add another global marathon medal to the bronze he won at the Rio 2016 Games. But after hitting the front briefly at the halfway point, taking the field through 22km in 66:58, he dropped away to finish 19th&nbsp;in 2:09:36.&nbsp;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">MEN'S MARATHON MEDALLISTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Tamirat Tola 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">2:05:36 CR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Mosinet Geremew 🇪🇹 ETH</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">2:06:44</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Bashir Abdi 🇧🇪 BEL</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">2:06:48</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/oregon22/results/men/marathon/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022

Tamirat Tola leads an Ethiopian 1-2 ahead of Mosinet Geremew in Oregon

Tola runs championship record to take world marathon title in Oregon

Angela Tanui and Tamirat Tola produced the fastest ever times on Dutch soil with their victories at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, clocking 2:17:57 and 2:03:39 at the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on Sunday (17).
Tanui, who was a late addition to the field after her plans to compete in Boston fell through due to visa issues, bided her time for much of the race before breaking away in the closing stages to win by more than two minutes, covering the second half in a swift 1:07:50.
Running as part of a lead group of six, Tanui covered the first 10km in 33:00. Shortly after, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Shasho Insermu dropped back from the lead pack, leaving Tanui, fellow Kenyan Maureen Chepkemoi and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Haven Hailu, Gabiyanesh Ayele and Worknesh Alemu out in front.
They covered 15km in 49:48 before reaching the half-way point in 1:10:07, suggesting a sub-2:20 finish was possible with a slightly faster second half.
Alemu was the next to drift off the pack, and she trailed the leaders by 24 seconds at the 25km point, which was covered in 1:23:02. Tanui, Hailu, Ayele and Chepkemoi stuck together through 30km (1:39:37), but Tanui then put in a surge and covered the next five-kilometre section in 15:51, giving her an 11-second lead over her opponents at 35km.
She continued to pull away from her pursuers in the closing stages and went on to cross the finish line in 2:17:57, smashing the previous course record of 2:19:26. She also chopped more than two minutes from her previous best of 2:20:08 set earlier this year, and now moves to 10th on the world all-time list.
Chepkemoi came through to take second place in 2:20:18, overtaking Hailu shortly before the finish. Hailu finished one second adrift in third, while Ayele was further behind in fourth (2:21:22). Ruth van der Meijden was the top Dutch finisher, placing sixth in 2:29:55 to secure the national title.
Tola, like Tanui, displayed great patience and waited until the final few kilometres before making his move in the men&rsquo;s race.
The opening pace was relatively swift as a large lead pack covered the first 10km in 29:10 and 15km in 43:58. The pace settled down slightly then, with the half-way point reached in 1:02:11 and 25km in 1:13:49, putting them just outside course record schedule (2:04:06). 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/616c07bf5e459c4bc8b3184a.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 After going through 30km in 1:28:33, some of the runners in the lead pack &ndash; namely Edwin and Abraham Kiptoo and Ethiopia&rsquo;s marathon debutante Amdewerk Walelegn &ndash; started to drift off the pace. Just six men &ndash; Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Eritrea&rsquo;s Hiskel Tewelde and Afewerki Berhane and Kenya&rsquo;s Jonathan Korir and Bernard Koech &ndash; were left in the pack at the 35km point (1:42:59).
Tola then started to win up the pace and, having covered the previous 10km section in 28:53, had a nine-second gap on his opponents at the 40km point with the leading contenders now strung out.
Tola continued to extend his lead and crossed the line in a 2:03:39, winning by 30 seconds from Koech (2:04:09). Tola&rsquo;s winning time took almost half a minute off the previous course record (2:04:06) and elevates him from 23rd to 16th on the world all-time list.
Gebresilase took third in 2:04:12, 20 seconds ahead of Korir. In fifth, Tewelde set an Eritrean record of 2:04:35.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Angela Tanui (KEN) 2:17:57 2 Maureen Chepkemoi (KEN) 2:20:18 3 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:20:19 4 Gabiyanesh Ayele (ETH) 2:21:22 5 Worknesh Alemu (ETH) 2:26:54 6 Ruth van der Meijden (NED) 2:29:55 7 Bo Ummels (NED) 2:31:51
Men 1 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:03:39 2 Bernard Koech (KEN) 2:04:09 3 Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:12 4 Jonathan Korir (KEN) 2:04:32 5 Hiskel Tewelde (ERI) 2:04:35 6 Moses Kibet (UGA) 2:05:20 7 Afewerki Berhane (ERI) 2:05:22 8 Kenneth Keter (KEN) 2:06:05 9 Bernard Kipyego (KEN) 2:06:32 10 Merhawi Kesete (ERI) 2:06:36

Angela Tanui (2:17:57) and Tamirat Tola (2:03:39) produce the fastest ever times on Dutch soil

Tanui and Tola smash Dutch all-comers’ records in Amsterdam

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon men&rsquo;s course record could be challenged on Sunday (17) when the likes of Tamirat Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Ayele Abshero and Amdework Walelegn line up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race.
Eight women with sub-2:25 PBs, meanwhile, are also set to clash in what looks set to be a highly competitive race in the Dutch capital.
Tola&rsquo;s PB, set in Dubai in 2018, is equal to the Amsterdam course record and Dutch all-comers&rsquo; record (2:04:06). The Ethiopian earned Olympic bronze over 10,000m in 2016 and world silver in the marathon in 2017, having won the Dubai Marathon earlier that year in 2:04:11.
&ldquo;I was preparing for the Tokyo Marathon (before it got cancelled), but I&rsquo;m happy to be here,&rdquo; said Tola. &ldquo;I love the country. It&rsquo;s my first time here, and the weather forecast is perfect for a good performance, so I&rsquo;m hoping to run a personal best on Sunday.&rdquo;
The past nine editions of the Amsterdam Marathon have been won by Kenyan men, but that streak could end on Sunday as the five fastest entrants are from Ethiopia.
Tola&rsquo;s compatriot Gebresilase has the fastest PB of the field. The 29-year-old Ethiopian clocked 2:04:02 on his debut at the distance in Dubai three years ago to finish second, four seconds ahead of Tola. He followed it later in the year with a 2:04:31 victory in Valencia, and he equalled that time earlier this year in Milan.
Abebe Negewo Degefa, Chalu Deso Gelmisa and Ayele Abshero all have sub-2:05 PBs. Degefa, now 37, set his PB of 2:04:51 in Valencia just two years ago. Gelmisa produced a similar clocking of 2:04:53 in Valencia last year, but more recently he raced in Chicago, finishing 29th, and so his legs may not have recovered in just one week. Abshero has a faster PB of 2:04:23, but it was set back in 2012.
But perhaps the strongest Ethiopian entrant is Amdework Walelegn, who&rsquo;ll be making his marathon debut. The 22-year-old took bronze at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships, having finished second in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships just three years prior. He set a half marathon PB of 58:53 when winning in Delhi last year, and he came close to that last month with his 59:10 victory at the Copenhagen Half Marathon.
Kenya is still well represented for this year&rsquo;s race in the form of Laban and Jonathan Korir (no relation).
Laban Korir has competed at the Amsterdam Marathon four times. The 35-year-old, who is a training partner of Eliud Kipchoge, made his marathon debut in the Dutch city back in 2011, clocking 2:06:05 to place second. He improved on that when he returned to Amsterdam in 2016, finishing fourth in 2:05:54. Winner of the 2014 Toronto Marathon, Korir represented Kenya at the 2019 World Championships, where he finished 11th.
Jonathan Korir, another friend and training partner of Kipchoge&rsquo;s, will also be returning to Amsterdam. He set a PB of 2:06:51 during his last outing at this race, which he went on to improve in Berlin in 2019 (2:06:45) and then in Enschede earlier this year (2:06:40). 
<h2>Competitive clash in women&rsquo;s race</h2>
While Kenyan men have dominated recent editions of the Amsterdam Marathon, the women&rsquo;s race has typically gone in Ethiopia&rsquo;s favour over the past decade.
Ethiopian women make up seven of the nine fastest entrants for Sunday&rsquo;s race, but the outcome could be largely dictated by whether Kenya&rsquo;s Angela Tanui makes it to the startline. The 29-year-old, who clocked a PB of 2:20:08 in Ampugnano back in April and is undefeated in three races this year, had been due to compete at the Boston Marathon earlier this week, but was unable to make it to the US due to visa issues. If she succeeds in making it to Amsterdam, she&rsquo;ll start as the favourite.
But if Tanui is unable to make the start line, an Ethiopian victory would appear highly likely as the likes of Besu Sado, Shasho Insermu, Genet Yalew, Gebeyanesh Ayele and Haven Hailu are raring to go.
Sado, a former 1500m specialist who reached the Olympic final in that event in 2016, set her PB of 2:21:03 when finishing fourth in Amsterdam in 2019. She has a best this year of 2:27:06, set in Milan in May, but more recently set a half marathon PB of 1:08:15 in Herzogenaurach.
Insermu also set her PB in Amsterdam, clocking 2:23:28 when finishing second in 2018. She hasn&rsquo;t raced this year, but her last marathon was a victory in Madrid in April 2019. She has previously won marathons in Copenhagen, Cologne, Nagano and Marrakech.
Yalew has contested just three marathons to date and has a best of 2:24:34 so far, but her pedigree suggests that time could be due some revision. She finished fifth at the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships just a couple of months after clocking a PB of 1:06:26.
Ayele set a PB of 2:23:23 this year. She has yet to win a marathon, but has made it on to the podium in four of her nine races to date.
Hailu, meanwhile, is keen to make amends for her DNF two years ago. &ldquo;I love racing in the Netherlands,&rdquo; said the 23-year-old, who set a PB of 2;23:52 earlier this year. &ldquo;Two years ago, I raced the Zwolle Half Marathon and I placed second in a personal best time of 1:09:57. I was also here two years ago for the Amsterdam Marathon, but it didn&rsquo;t quite turn out the way I wanted. I learned from my mistakes and I&rsquo;ve prepared accordingly for Sunday. I&rsquo;m hoping to run a very fast time.&rdquo;
Kenya&rsquo;s Maureen Chepkemoi could also be in contention for a podium finish. She has a 2:24:16 PB from the 2019 Istanbul Marathon and she came close to that with her 2:24:19 victory in Geneva earlier this year.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
<h3> Elite field</h3>
Women Angela Tanui (KEN) 2:20:08 Besu Sado (ETH) 2:21:03 Gebeyanesh Ayele (ETH) 2:23:23 Shasho Insermu (ETH) 2:23:28 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:23:52 Maureen Chepkemoi (KEN) 2:24:16 Genet Yalew (ETH) 2:24:34 Worknesh Alemu (ETH) 2:24:42 Meseret Gola (ETH) 2:28:30 Ruth van der Meijden (NED) 2:29:30 Nina Lauwaert (BEL) 2:30:24 Eva Wutti (AUT) 2:30:43 Bo Ummels (NED) 2:32:34 Melody Julien (FRA) debut
Men Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:02 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:04:06 Ayele Abshero (ETH) 2:04:23 Abebe Negewo Degefa (ETH) 2:04:51 Chalu Deso Gelmisa (ETH) 2:04:53 Laban Korir (KEN) 2:05:54 Aychew Bantie (ETH) 2:06:23 Jonathan Korir (KEN) 2:06:40 Aweke Ayelew (BRN) 2:07:12 Kenneth Keter (KEN) 2:07:34 Abrar Osman (ERI) 2:07:46 Hiskel Tewelde (ERI) 2:08:49 Shumet Akalnew (ETH) 2:08:50 Merhawi Kesete (ERI) 2:09:06 Mohamed Ziani (MAR) 2:09:29 Jo Fukuda (JPN) 2:09:52 Khalid Choukoud (NED) 2:09:55 Michel Butter (NED) 2:09:58 Aziz Lahbabi (MAR) 2:10:51 Bjorn Koreman (NED) 2:11:07 Bukayaw Malede (ISR) 2:11:22 Amdework Walelegn (ETH) debut Afewerki Berhane (ERI) debut Tesfahun Akalnew (ETH) debut Mustefa Kedir Tebo (ETH) debut Simon Cheprot (KEN) debut

Five sub-2:05 men and eight sub-2:25 women ready to roll in the Dutch capital

Tola, Walelegn, Tanui and Sado set for exciting clashes in Amsterdam

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon course record of 2:04:06 is expected to come under threat on 17 October when Tamirat Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Laban Korir and Jonathan Korir line up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race.
Tola&rsquo;s PB, set in Dubai in 2018, is equal to the Amsterdam course record. The Ethiopian earned Olympic bronze over 10,000m in 2016 and world silver in the marathon in 2017, having won the Dubai Marathon earlier that year in 2:04:11.
His compatriot Gebresilase has the fastest PB of the field. The 29-year-old Ethiopian clocked 2:04:02 on his debut at the distance in Dubai three years ago to finish second, four seconds ahead of Tola. He followed it later in the year with a 2:04:31 victory in Valencia. He equalled his Valencia time earlier this year at the Milan Marathon.
Laban Korir has competed at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon four times. The 35-year-old, who is a training partner of Eliud Kipchoge, made his marathon debut in the Dutch city back in 2011, clocking 2:06:05 to place second. He improved on that when he returned to Amsterdam in 2016, finishing fourth in 2:05:54. Winner of the 2014 Toronto Marathon, Korir represented Kenya at the 2019 World Championships, where he finished 11th.
Jonathan Korir, another friend and training partner of Kipchoge&rsquo;s, will also be returning to Amsterdam. He set a PB of 2:06:51 during his last outing at this race, which he went on to improve in Berlin in 2019 (2:06:45) and then in Enschede earlier this year (2:06:40).
When Lawrence Cherono set his course record of 2:04:06 in 2018, it made the Amsterdam Marathon the fastest marathon in the Netherlands. At the most recent edition in 2019, more than 45,000 participants from 140 countries took part. A large mass turn-out is also expected for this year&rsquo;s race.
Organisers for World Athletics

Race record of 2:04:06 could come under threat at the Elite Platinum Label road race

Tola, Gebresilase and Korir target course record in Amsterdam

Ethiopians Tamirat Tola and Netsanet Gudeta collected their second victories each at the 44th edition of the Boclassic in Bolzano, Italy, on Monday (31).
Running in unseasonably warm conditions that reached 15 C, Tola won the men&rsquo;s 10km race in 28:12 ahead of Jairus Birech while Gudeta took the honours in the women&rsquo;s 5km in 15:46.
<h3>Patience pays for Tola</h3>
With some 15,000 spectators lining the course, Zane Robertson from New Zealand, who finished third here in 2014, went to the front in the first lap taking a six-second lead over Jairus Birech. The chasing group formed by Tola, Muktar Edris, this year&rsquo;s Youth Olympic Games bronze medallist Oscar Chelimo and 2018 European 10,000m bronze medallist Yeman Crippa followed a few metres behind.
Birech was the only runner able to follow Robertson&rsquo;s fierce pace, who continued to lead in the second lap. Birech caught up with Robertson on the second lap, with the leading duo going through the second lap mark together in 6:55, three seconds ahead of Tola and six clear of Edris. Tola then closed the gap over Birech and Robertson on the third lap.
In lap four, Birech and Tola pulled away from Robertson, who was also overtaken by Edris and Chelimo. The leading duo increased their lead over Edris to 18 seconds on the sixth lap.
Tola and Birech then ran a neck-to-neck race until the end of the penultimate lap when the Ethiopian runner broke away, launching his kick at the bell. Tola crossed the finish line in the Walther Square in 28:12 holding off Jairus, a two-time Diamond League champion in the steeplechase, by 12 seconds. Tola fell 10 seconds shy of Philemon Hanneck&rsquo;s course record but ran the fastest time since Paul Kosgei&rsquo;s 28:10 win in 1998.
Ugandan Oscas Chelimo was third in 28:50 ahead of Edris, a three-time winner here, who clocked 29:01 for fourth. Robertson was fifth in 29:17 ahead of Moroccans Hicham Amghar (29:19) and Soufiyan Bouqantar (29:22).
Tola said he&rsquo;s currently training for a &ldquo;big marathon&rsquo; in April, while Birech confirmed that he won&rsquo;t be contesting the steeplechase next year as he&rsquo;s currently training for his half marathon debut in the spring.
<h3>Gudeta impresses</h3>
In the women&rsquo;s race, 2015 winner Gudeta ran at the front from the early stages, closely followed by Kenyan Kisa, the 2014 winner. Gudeta pulled away for good during the third of four laps en route to her 15:46 performance, holding off Kisa by three seconds. 
<div id="5c2b4e7ac39df30ae8f31b7a" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/8b111cca-b31c-473e-96be-8040cabca707.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Netsanet Gudeta wins another Boclassic title</div>
&nbsp;
Vohla Mazuronak from Belarus, the 2018 European marathon champion, finished third in 16:08 ahead of former world U18 800m silver medallist Clara Mageean (16:20) and Italy&rsquo;s Margherita Magnani, who reached the top five in Bolzano for the fifth time in her career clocking 16:37.
&ldquo;This race was an important test ahead of the 2019 season,&rdquo; said Gudeta, who confirmed that her 2019 ambitions include a 1:05 half marathon next month and competing at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in March. Gudeta won gold at the World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia last March, clocking 1:06:11, a world record for a women-only race.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men (10km): 1 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 28:12 2 Jairus Birech (KEN) 28:24 3 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 28:50 4 Muktar Edris (ETH) 29:01 5 Zane Robertson (NZL) 29:17 6 Hicham Amghar (MAR) 29:19 7 Soufyian Bouqantar (MAR) 29:22 8 Yemaneberhan Crippa (ITA) 29:23
Women (5km): 1 Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) 15:46 2 Janet Kisa (KEN) 15:49 3 Volha Mazuronak (BLR) 16:08 4 Ciara Mageean (IRL) 16:20 5 Margherita Magnani (ITA) 16:37 6 Giovanna Epis (ITA) 16:40 7 Sara Dossena (ITA) 16:43 8 Svetlana Kudzelich (BLR) 16:51
&nbsp;

Ethiopians Tamirat Tola and Netsanet Gudeta collected their second victories each at the 44th edition of the Boclassic in Bolzano, Italy, on Monday (31).

Tola and Gudeta victorious again in Bolzano

Defending Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon champions Tamirat Tola and Worknesh Degefa will face a powerful elite field of Olympians and major city marathon winners with more than 40 international titles between them when they line up for the IAAF Gold Label road race on Friday (26).
Twelve months ago, the Ethiopian pair dominated in Dubai with Tola setting a course record of 2:04:11 &ndash; currently the 10th-fastest marathon time in history &ndash; and Degefa recording one of the fastest debuts in history with her winning time of 2:22:36.
Following his win in Dubai last year &ndash; a victory that saw him break the course record by 12 seconds &ndash; Tola underlined his growing stature by taking silver in the marathon at the IAAF World Championships London 2017.
Although he had earned the bronze medal in the 10,000m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Tola focused exclusively on the roads in 2017. In between his marathons in Dubai and London, he clocked a half marathon PB of 59:37 to win in Prague.
Nine of the past 10 editions of the Dubai Marathon have been won by Ethiopian men and that streak looks set to continue this year.
While Tola returns to Dubai as the fastest man in the field, he will have to see off the challenge of the likes of 2015 Tokyo Marathon winner Endeshaw Negesse and half-marathon specialist Mosinet Geremew, both also from Ethiopia.
Negesse set his PB of 2:04:52 at the 2013 Dubai Marathon when he finished fourth in a close race, just seven seconds behind the winner. Following his victory at the 2015 Tokyo Marathon, he finished fourth at the Shanghai Marathon in 2:10:51 later that year but hasn&rsquo;t completed a marathon since.
He lined up for the Dubai Marathon last year but only made it as far as 10 kilometres. Five weeks later he similarly failed to finish at the Lake Biwa Marathon.
Geremew&rsquo;s recent form has been more convincing. The 25-year-old made his marathon debut in Xiamen last year, finishing second in 2:10:20. He went on to chop four minutes off that time at the Berlin Marathon later in the year, finishing third behind Eliud Kipchoge and Guye Adola in 2:06:12.
With a strong track background &ndash; he has PBs of 13:17.41 for 5000m and 27:18.86 for 10,000m &ndash; and a half marathon PB of 59:11, Geremew&rsquo;s marathon PB could be set for further revision on Friday.
Having finished fifth in 2015, fourth in 2016 and third in 2017, Sisay Lemma is aiming to continue his momentum in Dubai. The 27-year-old, who recorded his PB of 2:05:16 on his second appearance in Dubai, will have gained confidence from making it on to the podium last year and his fourth-place finish in Chicago.
Girmay Birhanu, the fourth man in the field with a sub-2:06 PB, is also making his fourth appearance in Dubai. His best result to date was his 2:05:49 third-place finish in 2014. In his sole race of 2017, he finished a close second at the Beijing Marathon in 2:11:26.
Benson Kipruto is the fastest of the Kenyan entrants. The 27-year-old has contested just three marathons in his career so far, but has improved significantly in each one, clocking 2:13:24 in Athens in 2016, 2:09:51 in Prague at the start of 2017 and 2:07:21 to finish second in Gongju three months ago.
At 2:13:06, compatriot Barselius Kipyego may not have the quickest PB of the field, but he is yet to master the distance. His form at half the distance &ndash; which includes back-to-back wins in Usti Nad Labem in 59:15 and 59:14 &ndash; suggests he is capable of a fast time over 26.2 miles.
Dubai has a proven record for launching marathon careers and several athletes will be making their debut over the classic distance on Friday.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yenew Alamirew, one of the fastest men in history over 3000m (7:27.26) and 5000m (12:48.77), will be moving up in distance along with compatriots Leul Gebrselassie and Fikadu Haftu, who finished second and third at the Valencia Half Marathon last year in PBs of 59:18 and 59:22.
<h3>Degefa takes on Mergia, Dibaba and Burka</h3>
Ethiopian women have been even more dominant in Dubai than their male counterparts, winning the past 11 editions of the race.
Two of those winners, Worknesh Degefa and Aselefech Mergia, will return to the United Arab Emirates where they will be joined by compatriot Mare Dibaba, the 2015 world champion.
Degefa hasn&rsquo;t contested another marathon since her 2:22:36 victory in Dubai 12 months ago, but she enjoyed a strong 2017 campaign at shorter distances. She finished third at the Istanbul Half Marathon in 1:08:55, won the Olomouc Half Marathon in 1:09:19 and clocked a season&rsquo;s best of 1:08:10 to finish fifth in Delhi towards the end of the year.
Mergia is the most successful woman ever at the Dubai Marathon, having won in 2011, 2012 and 2015. She set her PB &ndash; and the course record &ndash; of 2:19:31 during her second victory and came within 31 seconds of it when winning three years later. The 2010 London Marathon champion and 2009 world bronze medallist had a season&rsquo;s best of 2:23:08 in 2017, recorded when finishing third at the London Marathon.
Dibaba finished third behind Mergia in 2012, clocking a lifetime best of 2:19:52. She went on to match that time when winning the 2015 Xiamen Marathon, then won the world title later that year and the Olympic bronze medal in 2016.
Gelete Burka is one of the most accomplished women in the field. The 2006 world cross-country champion and 2008 world indoor 1500m champion made a brief foray into marathon running in 2013 and 2014, but returned to the track in 2015 to take the 10,000m silver medal at the World Championships.
After strong track campaigns in 2016 and 2017 &ndash; including a 10,000m PB of 30:26.66 at the Rio Olympics &ndash; Burka is returning to the marathon and will be bidding to improve on the 2:26:03 PB she set four years ago.
Roza Dereje successfully defended her title at the Shanghai Marathon last year, setting a PB of 2:22:43. The Ethiopian, who clocked a half marathon best of 1:07:23 last year in Copenhagen, will be returning to Dubai, having finished sixth last year.
As is the case in the men&rsquo;s race, several women will be making their marathon debut on Friday, the most notable of whom is Senbere Teferi. The 2015 world silver medallist at 5000m and cross country boasts track PBs of 4:01.86 for 1500m, 8:34.32 for 3000m, 14:29.82 for 5000m and 30:40.59 for 10,000m. To date, her longest race was over 10 miles at the Great South Run; she finished second on that occasion to Tirunesh Dibaba in 52:51.
Jon Mulkeen and organisers for the IAAF
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Men Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:04:11 Endeshaw Negesse (ETH) 2:04:52 Sisay Lemma Kasaye (ETH) 2:05:16 Girmay Birhanu Gebru (ETH) 2:05:49 Mosinet Geremew (ETH) 2:06:12 Jacob Jarso (ETH) 2:06:17 Sisay Jisa Mekonnen (ETH) 2:06:27 Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:07:21 Ronald Kipkoech Korir (KEN) 2:07:29 Asefa Mengistu (ETH) 2:08:41 Mekuant Ayenew Gebre (ETH) 2:09:00 Seifu Tura (ETH) 2:09:26 Joseph Kiprono Kiptum (KEN) 2:09:56 Herpasa Negasa (ETH) 2:10:17 Barselius Kipyego (KEN) 2:13:06 Yenew Alamirew (ETH) debut Felix Kibitok (KEN) debut Derara Desalegn Hurisa (ETH) debut Leul Gebresilase Aleme (ETH) debut Fikadu Haftu (ETH) debut John Kipkoech (KEN) debut
Women Aselefech Mergia (ETH) 2:19:31 Mare Dibaba (ETH) 2:19:52 Feyse Tadese (ETH) 2:20:27 Worknesh Degefa (ETH) 2:22:36 Roza Dereje Bekele (ETH) 2:22:43 Yebrqual Melese (ETH) 2:22:51 Sutume Asefa Kebede (ETH) 2:24:00 Azmera Abreha (ETH) 2:25:23 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:26:03 He Yinli (CHN) 2:27:35 Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) 2:29:15 Anne-Mari Hyrylainen (FIN) 2:32:19 Yeshaneh Ababel (ETH) 2:33:10 Dera Dida Yami (ETH) debut Muliye Dekebo Haylemariam (ETH) debut Haftamnesh Tesfay Haylu (ETH) debut Desi Jisa Mokonin (BRN) debut Senbere Teferi (ETH) debut Genet Yalew (ETH)

Defending Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon champions Tamirat Tola and Worknesh Degefa will face a powerful elite field of Olympians and major city marathon winners with more than 40 international titles between them when they line up for the IAAF Gold Label road race on Friday (26).

Defending champions Tola and Degefa face tough test at Dubai Marathon

Organisers of the Boston Marathon have announced the full elite field for the IAAF Gold Label road race on 16 April.
Between them, the elite field has won 14 global championship medals and 17 World Marathon Majors titles, six of which came from the Boston Marathon.
It was announced last month that defending champions Geoffrey Kirui and Edna Kiplagat would face a strong domestic line-up that includes Olympic bronze medallist Galen Rupp and New York City Marathon champion Shalane Flanagan.
World marathon silver medallist and Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Tamirat Tola is the fastest in the field. The Ethiopian won last year&rsquo;s Dubai Marathon in a personal best of 2:04:11 before going on to finish second to Kirui at the World Championships in London.
Two-time Boston Marathon champion and 2013 world silver medallist Lelisa Desisa and 2016 Boston Marathon winner Lemi Berhanu are also in the men&rsquo;s field. The Ethiopian duo, both of whom have sub-2:05 PBs, recently finished third and fourth respectively at last year&rsquo;s New York City Marathon.
Three-time Amsterdam Marathon winner Wilson Chebet will be making his fifth appearance in Boston. The Kenyan, who has a best of 2:05:27, finished fifth in Boston last year but has twice made it on to the podium, placing second in 2014 and third in 2015.
Compatriots Norbert Kigen, Evans Chebet, Felix Kandie and Philemon Rono &ndash; all of whom set lifetime bests last year &ndash; will be making their Boston Marathon debuts.
The field also includes Abdi Nageeye, who set a Dutch marathon record of 2:08:16 in Amsterdam last year, and Canadian Olympians Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis. Coolsaet is the second-fastest Canadian marathon runner of all time, while Gillis finished 10th in the marathon at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
German record-holder Arne Gabius, South African Olympian Lusapho April and Japanese runners Yuki Kawauchi and Kentaro Nakamoto will also be in Boston. Prolific racer Kawauchi finished ninth at the 2017 World Championships, while Nakamoto was sixth at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Elkanah Kibet, the top US finisher in the marathon at the 2017 World Championships, and US marathon champion Timothy Ritchie have also been added to the field.
Ten of the athletes in the women&rsquo;s elite field have PBs faster than 2:23, including Olympic silver medallist Eunice Kirwa of Bahrain and three-time Dubai Marathon winner Aselefech Mergia of Ethiopia.
Course record-holder Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia will return to the scene of her 2014 triumph, while two-time Frankfurt Marathon winner Mamitu Daska will be making her third appearance in Boston.
Caroline Rotich, who won the 2015 Boston Marathon, returns and is joined by fellow Kenyan Gladys Chesir, who makes her Boston debut after finishing runner-up in Amsterdam last year. With a half marathon personal best of 1:06:57, Chesir could be in the chase for the title.
National record-holders Kellys Arias of Colombia and Madai Perez of Mexico are also in the field, as is Krista Duchene, the second-fastest Canadian marathon runner in history, and 2010 European cross-country champion Jessica Augusto of Portugal.
&ldquo;This international field, combined with the previously announced Americans and defending champions, will make for a very memorable race day with historic potential,&rdquo; said Tom Grilk, chief executive officer of the Boston Athletic Association. &ldquo;Fewer than 100 days remain until Patriots&rsquo; Day, and we eagerly await crowning our next champions on April 16.&rdquo;
Organisers for the IAAF
<h3>Elite field</h3>
Men Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:04:11 Lemi Berhanu (ETH) 2:04:33 Lelisa Desisa (ETH) 2:04:45 Nobert Kigen (KEN) 2:05:13 Wilson Chebet (KEN) 2:05:27 Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:05:30 Felix Kandie (KEN) 2:06:03 Geoffrey Kirui (KEN) 2:06:27 Philemon Rono (KEN) 2:06:52 Dathan Ritzenhein (USA) 2:07:47 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:08:14 Abdi Nageeye (NED) 2:08:16 Lusapho April (RSA) 2:08:32 Arne Gabius (GER) 2:08:33 Kentaro Nakamoto (JPN) 2:08:35 Abdi Abdirahman (USA) 2:08:56 Galen Rupp (USA) 2:09:20 Reid Coolsaet (CAN) 2:10:28 Ryan Vail (USA) 2:10:57 Stephen Sambu (KEN) 2:11:07 Eric Gillis (CAN) 2:11:21 Elkanah Kibet (USA) 2:11:31 Timothy Ritchie (USA) 2:11:56 Shadrack Biwott (USA) 2:12:01 Scott Smith (USA) 2:12:21 Andrew Bumbalough (USA) 2:13:58
Women Aselefech Mergia (ETH) 2:19:31 Deena Kastor (USA) 2:19:36 Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 2:19:50 Buzunesh Deba (ETH) 2:19:59 Jordan Hasay (USA) 2:20:57 Shalane Flanagan (USA) 2:21:14 Eunice Kirwa (BRN) 2:21:17 Mamitu Daska (ETH) 2:21:59 Desiree Linden (USA) 2:22:38 Madai Perez (MEX) 2:22:59 Caroline Rotich (KEN) 2:23:22 Jessica Augusto (POR) 2:24:25 Gladys Chesir (KEN) 2:24:51 Serena Burla (USA) 2:26:53 Sara Hall (USA) 2:27:21 Molly Huddle (USA) 2:28:13 Krista Duchene (CAN) 2:28:32 Kellyn Taylor (USA) 2:28:40 Kellys Arias (COL) 2:29:36 Jessica Draskau Petersson (DEN) 2:30:07

Organisers of the Boston Marathon have announced the full elite field for the IAAF Gold Label road race on 16 April.

Tola and Mergia among latest additions to Boston Marathon field

Defending Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon champions Tamirat Tola and Worknesh Degefa will lead a world-class field of distance runners when the IAAF Gold Label road race gets underway on 26 January.
Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Tola, who ranked 10th on the world all-time list with his 2:04:11 course record from last year, is convinced that he is capable of going faster in this year&rsquo;s race.
Like her compatriot Tola, Degefa will be returning to the scene of her greatest victory. In 2017 she also stormed to first place and the $200,000 prize money with what was a winning marathon debut of 2:22:36, the fourth fastest time in the event&rsquo;s history.
Prior to that, the diminutive 27-year-old had established herself as one of the world&rsquo;s top half-marathon runners. When she set her lifetime best of 1:06:14 in Prague in 2016, it ranked her eighth on the world all-time list.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great compliment to Dubai that Tamirat has decided to run in January and not compete in the London Marathon in April,&rdquo; said race director Peter Connerton. &ldquo;He is a wonderful young talent and at 26 has many great years ahead of him, which is why so many race directors would like him in their line-up. The fact he believes he can attack our course again in January and secure yet another personal best can only be good for the event.
&ldquo;We will be able to confirm more elite athletes field over the coming two weeks but it is safe to say we are delighted to welcome back the two runners who won both the men and women&rsquo;s events in 2017,&rdquo; added Connerton. &ldquo;We will also be finalising the marathon route with one or two changes to the course for 2018.&rdquo;
Organisers for the IAAF

Defending Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon champions Tamirat Tola and Worknesh Degefa will lead a world-class field of distance runners when the IAAF Gold Label road race gets underway on 26 January.

Tola and Degefa to defend Dubai Marathon titles 

Olympic marathon silver medallist Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa and 10,000m bronze medallist Tamirat Tola will be among the elite runners on the start line of the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on 30 April.
Kirwa clocked 1:08:07 in Marugame at her only half marathon this year, just one second slower than her career best that she ran in the same race a year ago. The Bahraini went on to take the silver in Rio last year, an improvement on her bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015. The 32-year-old proved her good form this season with her marathon lifetime best of 2:21:17 in Nagoya three weeks ago.
Tola will be one of the favourites in the men&rsquo;s race in the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon. The Ethiopian made a great start to 2017 with his win at the Dubai Marathon, running an outstanding 2:04:11. His winning time of 59:37 in Prague this past weekend further excites the organisers who expect a sub-60-minute performance on Istanbul&rsquo;s fast course, which would also be a Turkish all-comers&rsquo; record.
The winners will pocket prize money of US$10,000 in Istanbul. Last year&rsquo;s races were won in 1:00:16 and 1:08:18.
Organisers for the IAAF

Olympic marathon silver medallist Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa and 10,000m bronze medallist Tamirat Tola will be among the elite runners on the start line of the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on 30 April.

Olympic medallists Kirwa and Tola to run in Istanbul

Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon champion Violah Jepchumba will defend her title at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Saturday (1).
The Kenyan was the star performer in Prague last year as she took more than three minutes off her best to break the course record with 1:05:51 &ndash; a performance which, at the time, put her third on the world all-time list.
She returned to the Czech capital later in the year to triumph over 10km in an African record of 30:24, missing the world record by just three seconds. Since her victory in Prague, Jepchumba has gone on to win half marathons in Istanbul, Gothenburg, Cardiff and Doha.
World half marathon champion and world record-holder Peres Jepchirchir had been set to compete in Prague this weekend, but a recent bout of typhoid has ruled the Kenyan out of the race.
Still, Jepchumba will face tough opposition in the form of compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei. The African 10,000m bronze medallist smashed her half marathon PB by almost three minutes in Ras Al Khaimah earlier this year to finish third in 1:06:08, moving to seventh on the world all-time list. The 23-year-old also has a good record of racing in the Czech Republic as she won the Karlovy Vary Half Marathon last year and finished second to Jepchumba over 10km in Prague.
African Games 10,000m silver medallist Gladys Chesir will also be a factor. After setting a PB of 1:06:57 in Ras Al-Khaimah last year, she finished sixth at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff. Later in the year she finished fourth in high-quality races in Copenhagen and New Delhi.
Just 20 years old, Lucy Cheruiyot has already contested five half marathons and has finished on the podium at all of them. She too has previous racing experience in the Czech Republic, having finished second at last year&rsquo;s Usti Nad Labem Half Marathon in a PB of 1:08:17.
USA&rsquo;s Jordan Hasay moved up in distance this year and clocked 1:08:40 on her half-marathon debut in Houston. The 25-year-old, who recently won the US 15km title, will be looking to improve on that mark on Prague&rsquo;s fast course.
<h3>Clash of Olympic medallists</h3>
Olympic bronze medallists Galen Rupp and Tamirat Tola will go head to head in the men's race.
Rupp, who took the bronze medal in the marathon in Rio, set his half-marathon best of 1:00:30 on his debut at the distance in 2011. This weekend&rsquo;s race will be just his third half marathon to date and his first race of 2017.
Tola, who finished third over 10,000m in Rio, heads to Prague in the form of his life after running 2:04:11 to win in the Dubai Marathon in January. The Ethiopian set his half-marathon PB of 1:00:06 when finishing fifth at last year&rsquo;s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in difficult conditions.
But Barselius Kipyego is perhaps the marginal favourite for the title. The Kenyan set a course record of 59:15 in Usti nad Labem last September on what had not previously been considered a fast course. Before that, he finished second in Prague in 59:30 to miss out on victory by just 10 seconds, so he will be keen to go one better on Saturday.
Kenyan duo Geoffrey Yegon and Vincent Yator both have PBs within 60 minutes and could also challenge for a place on the podium.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon champion Violah Jepchumba will defend her title at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Saturday (1).

Defending champion Jepchumba faces strong field at Prague Half Marathon

Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia broke the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon course record on Friday (20), clocking 2:04:11 at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race, while compatriot Worknesh Degefa made it a sixth consecutive Ethiopian double by winning the women&rsquo;s race in 2:22:36.
But the much heralded world record attempt by his star colleague Kenenisa Bekele suffered an early blow as the multiple global champion and world record holder fell at the start. After being held up in the pack while the leaders accelerated away at world record pace, Bekele never got back on terms and the injuries sustained in the fall caused him to drop out just after halfway.
It is the second time that Bekele has dropped out of the Dubai Marathon, having suffered a hamstring injury two years ago. &ldquo;I was at least in the same shape as in Berlin and ready for something special today,&rdquo; said Bekele. &ldquo;But after a hard fall just after the start, my body was out of balance and I got cramps in my left calf trying to run at world record pace. I like to prepare for many scenarios, but this was definitely not one of them!&rdquo;
Tola, who earned the bronze medal in the 10,000m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, emphasised just how much progress he has made in the marathon by taking more than two minutes off his PB of 2:06:17, set when he finished fourth in Dubai two years ago on his marathon debut.
But it is a measure of his ambition that he was dissatisfied with his finishing time today, as he was with his third place in Rio.
A lead pack of eight went through 10km in 28:57 and the group was reduced to six men by half way, which was reached in 1:01:33. Bekele, after falling in the scrum at the start, couldn&rsquo;t get up fast enough to give chase to the rapidly accelerating lead group. When his calf muscle began to tighten, with him up to a minute adrift of the leaders after passing half way in 1:02:48, he had to stop to massage himself and he dropped out shortly afterwards.
Tola was waging a war of attrition with several other Ethiopian colleagues which he finally won shortly before 30 kilometres when the last of his challengers, Sisay Lemma, dropped back. At that point Tola was still only one second shy of world record pace (1:27:39), but the final pacemaker then dropped out, and with almost a minute lead by 35km, Tola could afford to relent.
Tola&rsquo;s winning time of 2:04:11 was more than a minute outside the world record of 2:02:57 set by Kenya&rsquo;s Dennis Kimetto in Berlin in 2014, but it comfortably broke Ayele Abshero&rsquo;s course record of 2:04:23 from 2012.
Another Ethiopian, Mule Wasihun, had dropped back to third at one point, but he rallied to finish second in 2:06:46. Lemma held on for third and completed the Ethiopian sweep in 2:08:04.
Despite this marathon success, Tola wants to stay with the 10,000m for the IAAF World Championships London 2017 where his aim is to win the gold medal.
&ldquo;The pace was very fast at the start,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The 15km time (43:26) was much too fast. But when we found that Kenenisa was well behind, I became more confident. I&rsquo;m happy to win, but I think I could have run under 2:04.&rdquo;
That time would have secured him a $50,000 bonus in addition to the $200,000 first prize. Late on Wednesday, race director Peter Connerton added the bonus for up to five men finishing within 2:04 as an incentive to keep running right to the end, hoping they would ensure a fast pace for Bekele.
<h3>Debutante Degefa defeats Demise</h3>
It was a similar finale in the women&rsquo;s race, though that remained competitive until much later in the day.
A group of 10 women passed through 10km in 33:37 and nine of them remained in the pack as they went through the half-way mark in 1:11:06. By 25 kilometres the group was down to seven women but marathon debutante Worknesh Degefa then began to force the pace.
By the time she reached 30km, covered in 1:40:53, Degefa was accompanied by just Shure Demise, the Ethiopian who ran 2:20:59 on her marathon debut while still a teenager in 2015.
Demise managed to claw back some of the deficit in the penultimate kilometre, but when she saw that Degefa was still running strongly, she was forced to settle for second.
Degefa won in 2:22:36 &ndash; the 12th fastest marathon debut in history &ndash; while Demise clocked 2:22:57, the second-best time of her career. Compatriot Yebrgual Melese completed the Ethiopian sweep with a PB of 2:23:13.
Pat Butcher (organisers) for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:04:11 2 Mule Wasihun (ETH) 2:06:46 3 Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:08:04 4 Sisay Jigsa (ETH) 2:08:09 5 Mark Lokwanamoi (KEN) 2:08:39 6 Mekuant Ayenew (ETH) 2:09:23 7 Azmeraw Bekele (ETH) 2:10:22 8 Chele Dechasa (ETH) 2:10:24 9 Limenih Getachew (ETH) 2:11:16 10 Tsegaye Mekonnen (ETH) 2:11:54
Women 1 Worknesh Degefa (ETH) 2:22:36 2 Shure Demise (ETH) 2:22:57 3 Yebrgual Melese (ETH) 2:23:13 4 Tadelech Bekele (ETH) 2:24:04 5 Hirut Tibebu (ETH) 2:25:12 6 Roza Dereje (ETH) 2:26:58 7 Shuko Genemo (ETH) 2:28:16 8 Tigist Teshome (ETH) 2:30:09 9 Megertu Ifa (ETH) 2:30:45 10 Anne-Mari Hyrylainen (FIN) 2:32:19

Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia broke the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon course record on Friday (20), clocking 2:04:11 at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race, while compatriot Worknesh Degefa made it a sixth consecutive Ethiopian double by winning the women’s race in 2:22:36.