It was while in school in Kenya that Violah Jepchumba realised she had a talent for running. She didn&rsquo;t start training, however, until 2010 and it has only been in the past couple of years that the world has seen her potential.
She is now one of a few women threatening to rewrite the road-running record books.
The 27-year-old, who was born in Kenya but now runs for Bahrain, broke through with a 1:09:29 half marathon in Udine in 2015, but then the following year truly made the running world take notice. She won the Prague Half Marathon in 1:05:51, which was then the fourth quickest ever time on a record-eligible course and made her the third-fastest performer in history.
&ldquo;When I was at school I was very good without training,&rdquo; she said. But it was her sister Priscah Jepleting Cherono, 10 years her senior, who first made an impact in the sport. Jepleting earned silver at the 2006 World Cross Country Championships, bronze in the 5000m at the 2007 World Championships and has a best of 1:08:35 for the half marathon.
Jepchumba trains mainly with her husband and coach, Ismael Motosio, who paced her at this year&rsquo;s Prague Half Marathon when she set an Asian record of 1:05:22, along with an Asian record of 30:05 with her 10km split. When she doesn&rsquo;t have the person that knows her best as the ideal pacemaker, she doesn&rsquo;t mind being so far in front of the rest of the women in the field that she is effectively running on her own.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not difficult,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Sometimes I even like running alone.&rdquo;
But at the recent Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon on 1 October, where she had been due to defend her title, she had to withdraw after becoming ill the night before. It was set to have been her last road race of the season so, as she explained, it was &ldquo;back to Kenya for cross country and preparing for the World Half next year.&rdquo;
Her participation at the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018 on 24 March is not yet confirmed, though, as she had earlier said it could be too close to the Prague Half Marathon, which she hopes to win for the third time in a row on 7 April.
One thing is certain, though: do not expect to see her racing on a track. She has never done so and has no plans to change that. Instead, she is likely to step up to the marathon in autumn 2018. She favours &lsquo;smaller&rsquo; marathons than the likes of New York and mentioned Frankfurt among those she would like to do, as well as Prague, which is in the spring.
After her Prague breakthrough in 2016, she had four further 68-minute runs in 2016, although she suffered defeat at the hands of Peres Jepchirchir in the last of them. Her 1:05:22 in Prague this year, although she was beaten by Joyciline Jepkosgei, is the sixth quickest time in history.
A recent 1:06:06 win in Usti Nad Labem means she now has eight sub-69-minute clockings and has finished in the top two in 14 of her 15 half marathons.
She acknowledges she will have to step up her training if she is to succeed at the marathon. At present, she normally runs about 15 kilometres in the morning and 10 kilometres in the afternoon, with a long run of 20-25 kilometres. Most of her training is done in either Mosoriot or Kapsabet in Kenya.
She was coy when asked about whether she can break the world marathon record of 2:15:25, but if she makes a similar impact at the marathon that she has at the 13.1-mile distance, Paula Radcliffe&rsquo;s 14-year-old record could be under threat.
Paul Halford for the IAAF

It was while in school in Kenya that Violah Jepchumba realised she had a talent for running. She didn’t start training, however, until 2010 and it has only been in the past couple of years that the world has seen her potential.

Jepchumba sets focus on marathon debut

Violah Jepchumba and Shadrack Kimining will defend their Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon titles this Sunday (1 October) against stellar fields at the IAAF Silver Label road race in the Welsh capital.
Memories are fresh in the mind of an epic race on virtually the same course at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2016. On that occasion, Geoffrey Kamworor recovered from a start-line fall to take victory, while Mo Farah had to settle for the bronze medal.
Apart from on that day, Wales has arguably never seen such a fine line-up as the one assembled for the 15th edition of this race on Sunday.
Since winning in Cardiff last year in a course record of 1:08:13, Bahrain&rsquo;s Jepchumba has become the fifth quickest ever at the distance. In Prague in April, her 1:05:22 left her 30 seconds behind Joyciline Jepkosgei&rsquo;s world record after going through 10 kilometres in a remarkable 30:05.
In fact, the Kenyan-born athlete&rsquo;s 1:06:06 to win in Usti Nad Labem just two weeks ago is only her third quickest for the distance as she also ran 1:05:51 to win in Prague in 2016. Her CV boasts nine sub-70-minute clockings.
The 26-year-old could confirm herself as one of the most exciting women&rsquo;s endurance prospects in the world with victory in Cardiff, especially if she succeeds in going with the lead pacemaker at a planned 1:05:50.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy to come back to Cardiff to defend my title,&rdquo; said Jepchumba. &ldquo;I have good memories of last year and I go for the same result as in 2016.&rdquo;
However, if she is still feeling the effects of her exploits in the Czech Republic, Edith Chelimo could be the most likely to capitalise. The Kenyan was second in the Berlin Half Marathon earlier this year in a PB of 1:08:57 and was fourth at the African Cross Country Championships in 2014.
The other sub-70-minute athlete is Kenya&rsquo;s Beatrice Mutai, whose best of 1:09:30 came when she was third in Valencia in 2013. She confirmed recent form with a fourth-place finish over 10,000m at the Kenyan Championships this year.
Showing more recent good shape has been Kenya&rsquo;s Dorcas Kimeli, who won the Swansea Bay 10km in 32:14. Caroline Nyaga finished second in Swansea and is also making the 20-mile trip down the road. Both will be making their debut over the half marathon.
Nineteen-year-old Ethiopian Zeineba Yimer, who was 10th in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships this year, will be looking to make further advancements following her 1:13:17 in Nanning 10 months ago.
Caryl Jones, who finished 10th at the 2012 World Half Marathon Championships and has a PB of 1:11:18, leads the domestic entries and is joined by Jenny Nesbitt and Elinor Kirk.
The contest for the &pound;2500 first prize in the men&rsquo;s race would seem to be more open, with a few capable of going with the 59:50 pace requested. Kimining was something of an unknown when he arrived in Cardiff last year for his first race outside Kenya. He caused a shock in setting the course record of 1:00:53 but since then has improved his PB to 1:00:07 when finishing seventh in Ras Al-Khaimah. The 21-year-old has also recorded three other 61-minute half marathons this year.
The fastest in the field on paper, however, is his compatriot Wilfred Murgor, who recorded 59:57 when second in Prague in 2015. He also has a 2:09:37 marathon to his name.
John Lotiang, whose PB of 1:00:16 came when he finished third in Prague in 2013, is also in the field. He also won the Warsaw Half Marathon earlier this year and missed his PB by 23 seconds in Gothenburg.
Eliud Kiptanui, who was second at the 2015 Berlin Marathon with 2:05:21, will also be a big threat.
Another Kenyan, Josphat Bett, was the world junior 10,000m champion in 2008 and more recently was Commonwealth silver medallist at the distance three years ago. He has a good pedigree on the roads, too, with a 1:01:01 PB.
Morocco&rsquo;s Moussab Haddout will be another contender, having run 1:00:19. Last year&rsquo;s Seville Half winner was second over the same distance in Madrid this spring.
Hiskel Tewelde is among the most experienced in the field. He represented Eritrea on the track at this year&rsquo;s World Championships and at last year&rsquo;s Olympics and the man with a PB of 1:00:29 was 17th when the World Half was in Cardiff.
Masaya Taguchi leads a three-strong Japanese contingent, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Asefa Bekele returns having finished third here in 2015. Elias Kemboi turns up in Cardiff on good form, having won the Swansea Bay race last weekend.
Dewi Griffiths leads the home challenge three weeks after his 1:02:53 PB for seventh at the Great North Run. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m hoping for another personal best this weekend &ndash; that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ll be going for,&rdquo; said the Welshman. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m running fast times and I&rsquo;ve been progressing well, so why not, we&rsquo;ll see what happens. This is my fifth year running the Cardiff Half and it&rsquo;s been massive for me. I can measure myself against some of the best runners in the world.&rdquo;
Other Brits looking to feature are Ben Connor, Charlie Hulson and Josh Griffiths, who competed in the marathon at the World Championships this year.
A record 25,000 runners will set out from the start at Cardiff Castle, making it Britain&rsquo;s third largest race behind the London Marathon and Great North Run. The course, which has a total elevation gain of 81 metres, features just a couple of minor differences compared to the one used for the World Half in 2016.
Paul Halford for the IAAF

Violah Jepchumba and Shadrack Kimining will defend their Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon titles this Sunday (1 October) against stellar fields at the IAAF Silver Label road race in the Welsh capital.

Jepchumba and Kimining to defend Cardiff Half Marathon titles 

Violah Jepchumba returned to winning ways at the Mattoni Usti nad Labem Half Marathon, while Barselius Kipyego retained his title at the IAAF Gold Label road race on Saturday (16).
Both athletes broke the course records with Jepchumba chopping 71 seconds off the women&rsquo;s mark and Kipyego shaving one second off the standard he set last year.
As she often does, Jepchumba set off at a fast pace and soon detached herself from the rest of the women&rsquo;s field. Running alongside a few male pacemakers, she passed through five kilometres in 15:15 with a 17-second lead over Nancy Kiprop and Lucy Cheruiyot.
Jepchumba reached the 10-kilometre mark in 30:57, which suggested a finishing time close to 65 minutes. By 15 kilometres, reached in 46:38, Jepchumba&rsquo;s lead over the Kenyan duo had increased to 50 seconds but her pace was starting to slip.
While her victory was never in doubt, as the 26-year-old Bahraini runner turned the final corner it soon became clear that she would narrowly miss out on breaking the 66-minute barrier. Nevertheless, her finishing time of 1:06:06 was a Bahraini record and a huge improvement on the previous course record of 1:07:17 set in 2015 by former world record-holder Peres Jepchirchir.
It also marked Jepchumba&rsquo;s first victory since 13 January this year. Despite producing a string of stunning performances on the roads, including a 1:05:22 clocking in Prague, she had been beaten in her past four races.
&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t expecting to run 66 minutes, I was hoping for 67 maybe,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy because I broke the course record.&rdquo;
More than a minute behind, Kiprop and Cheruiyot continued battling to the end. 38-year-old Kiprop proved to have the stronger finish and got the better of her compatriot, crossing the line in second place in 1:07:22, just one second ahead of last year&rsquo;s runner-up Cheruiyot. Both women were rewarded with big PBs.
Stacey Ndiwa was the only other woman to finish within 70 minutes, taking fourth place in 1:09:09. Summer and winter Olympian Eva Vrabcova was the top Czech finisher, placing seventh in 1:11:22.
<h3>Kipyego leads the way</h3>
Barselius Kipyego feels at home in Usti nad Labem. It was where, in 2015, he enjoyed his first big breakthrough, finishing second in 1:00:59. On his return to the Czech city last year, he smashed the course record by 83 seconds with a lifetime best of 59:15.
So on Saturday, in his third successive appearance at this event, he had no qualms in taking control of the race when he was unhappy with the job the pacemaker was doing.
A large lead pack had passed through five kilometres in 14:03, but Kipyego soon took control and led the field through 10 kilometres in 28:09 with 10 men remaining in the pack.
The 24-year-old Kenyan then upped the pace. By the time he reached 15 kilometres in 42:03, having covered the previous five-kilometre segment in 13:54, he had just two opponents remaining: Kenya&rsquo;s Josphat Tanui and Tanzania&rsquo;s Ismail Juma.
Less than eight minutes later, the Kenyan duo managed to drop Juma. Kipyego then broke away from Tanui with one mile to go, occasionally glancing at his watch to see if he was on course to break his own course record.
He timed his finish to perfection and sprinted towards the line to stop the clock at 59:14, exactly one second quicker than his winning time from last year.
&ldquo;The pacemaker wasn&rsquo;t the best, so I tried to push because I wanted to break my PB and the course record,&rdquo; said Kipyego. &ldquo;The course was very nice and the weather was good.&rdquo;
Tanui, competing in just the third half marathon of his career, took more than a minute off his PB to take second place in 59:22. Juma, meanwhile, was rewarded with a Tanzanian record of 59:30 in third place.
It was the first time that all three podium finishers at the Usti nad Labem Half Marathon had finished within 60 minutes. In a race that produced the best depth ever witnessed at the Usti nad Labem Half Marathon, a further six men finished within 61 minutes, including Yuta Shitara, who broke the Japanese record with 1:00:17 in eighth place.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Violah Jepchumba returned to winning ways at the Mattoni Usti nad Labem Half Marathon, while Barselius Kipyego retained his title at the IAAF Gold Label road race on Saturday (16).

Jepchumba and Kipyego break course records at Usti nad Labem Half Marathon 

Defending champion Barselius Kipyego and Violah Jepchumba will start as the favourites at the seventh Mattoni &Uacute;st&iacute; nad Labem Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road race, in the north-central Czech city on Saturday (16).
Kipyego, who set the race record with his 59:15 personal best last year, is one of four men in the field who have dipped under the one-hour mark for the distance. The others are Kenyan Kenneth Keter, who clocked 59:48 last year; Lahbabi Aziz of Morocco who ran 59:25 in 2014; and another Kenyan, Solomon Kirwa Yego, who clocked 58:44 last year on the fast Ostia course.
Yego has the best time of the entrants this season at 59:50 from February's Ras Al Khaimah race where he finished fourth. The 30-year-old impressed at the Paris Marathon two months later where he clocked a 2:07:12 lifetime best to finish fourth.
Kipyego, 24, clocked 1:00:47 in his only half marathon this year, finishing fourth in Prague in April. Keter ran 1:01:05 in Ras Al Khaimah in February, where he finished eighth and Lahbabi 1:02:17 in Istanbul in April.
Ismail Juma of Tanzania and Kenyans Josphat Kiprop Kiptis and Josphat Kimutai Tanui, with 1:00:09, 1:00:21 and 1:00:38 bests respectively, should be in the hunt as well.
Jepchumba, 26, leads the women's field. The Bahraini is one of history's fastest women over 10km and the half marathon, with 30:05 and 1:05:22 lifetime bests to rank second and fifth over the distances all-time. Both performances came in the same race, when she finished second to Joyciline Jepkosgei at the Prague Half Marathon on 1 April. She was nearly as fast at last weekend's Birell Prague 10km, where she clocked 30:25 to finish third behind yet another world record run by her former compatriot Jepkosgei.
Others in the hunt include Lucy Cheruiyot, the runner-up last year at 1:08:17 and Yvonne Jelagat, whose current personal best stands at 1:08:19. Kenyans Stacy Jepkemboi Ndiwa and Lydia Rotich, who've clocked 1:10:08 and 1:10:57, could play a role as well.
Eva Vrabcova-Nyvltova, who brings a 1:11:06 best to the start line, leads the domestic charge.
The race will be broadcast live on ČT Sport and online at <a href="https://www.runczech.com/">www.runczech.com</a> starting from 14:50 local (GMT+2).
Bob Ramsak and organisers for the IAAF

Defending champion Barselius Kipyego and Violah Jepchumba will start as the favourites at the seventh Mattoni Ústí nad Labem Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road race, in the north-central Czech city on Saturday (16).

Kipyego and Jepchumba the favourites at Usti nad Labem Half Marathon

Joyciline Jepkosgei and Violah Jepchumba, history's two fastest women over 10km, will face off over the distance once again at the Birell Prague Grand Prix, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Saturday (9).
The last time the two Kenyans met, also in the Czech capital, the 23-year-old Jepkosgei produced one of the most impressive road running displays ever, breaking four world records en route to her victory at he Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon on 1 April.
Jepkosgei won that race in 1:04:52 to smash the previous world record by 14 seconds. Early on in that contest, Jepkosgei and Jepchumba scorched past the 10km marker in 30:04 and 30:05, well inside the previous world record of 30:21 that Paula Radcliffe set in 2003.
Jepkosgei has raced once on the roads since, winning the Gifu Half Marathon in 1:07:44 just 22 days later.
Jepchumba has also raced sparingly since, most recently at the Gothenburg Half Marathon in May where she finished second in 1:08:10.
She'll however return to this race as the defending champion, having clocked a superb 20:24 course record last year --at the time the second fastest of all-time-- while finishing 44 seconds clear of Jepkosgei, who was the runner-up in her international road debut over the distance.
The field also includes Fancy Chemutai who was third in that Prague half marathon speedfest clocking 1:06:58 in what was her international breakthrough, after going through 10km in 30:56. She was even faster two months later in Appingedam, where she ran a 30:24 lifetime best.
Others to watch include another Kenyan, Gladys Jerop Kimaina, who has improved to 31:15 this year, and Ethiopian Netsanet Gudeta, twice a top-six finisher at the World Half Marathon Championships and the winner at this year's Ottawa 10km in 31:15, a lifetime best.
<h3>Kipyatich back to defend</h3>
The men's race also features the return of the 2016 champion.
Abraham Kipyatich upset a solid field last year with his 27:40 victory, a performance that would end the year as the third quickest in the world in 2016. While he's remained competitive, the 24-year-old will return looking for his first victory of year; the same was true last year.
Primary among his challengers will be compatriots Benard Kimeli and Mathew Kimeli. The former arrives as the world leader on the roads courtesy of his 27:18 lifetime best in Paderborn in mid-April which he followed up with another victory 15 days later, clocking 28:14 in Wurzburg.
Meanwhile Mathew, still just 19, has already distinguished himself over the distance on the track with a sixth place finish at the Kenyan trials for the World Championships and a 27:14.43 run in Ostrava, the fastest by a U20 athlete this year. He was fifth in this race last year in 27:53, still his fastest performance on the road.
All three will keep a watchful eye on 20-year-old Jemal Yimer Mekkonen, who was fifth in the World Championships 10,000m where he clocked 26:56.11. How he'll convert that form and speed from the track to the roads will be one of the key questions that Saturday's race will answer. Notably, he was fourth at the World Cross Country Championships in March over the same distance.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Joyciline Jepkosgei and Violah Jepchumba, history's two fastest women over 10km, will face off over the distance once again at the Birell Prague Grand Prix, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Saturday (9).

Jepkosgei - Jepchumba showdown on tap for Prague 10km

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

In the seventh part of our 2016 end-of-year reviews, statisticians A Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best road and cross-country performances of the year.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s marathon</h3>
2016 was another great season for the men&rsquo;s marathon, with several attempts at Dennis Kimetto&rsquo;s world record of 2:02:57.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tesfaye Abera won the first fast marathon of the year in January in Dubai in 2:04:24, but the first real threat to the world record came from Eliud Kipchoge. The 32-year-old Kenyan won in London in April, clocking 2:03:05 to get within eight seconds of the record.
This world-leading mark stood until the end of September, when Kenenisa Bekele took a turn at attacking the world record. The Ethiopian won a tight race in Berlin in 2:03:03, just missing the record, with Kenyan Wilson Kipsang in second in 2:03:13.
The Olympic marathon was a high standard one too. Kipchoge, the world leader at the time of the Games, won by a clear margin and the race was decided well before the final sprint. The Kenyan, who had previously earned Olympic 5000m bronze in 2004 and silver in 2008, clocked 2:08:44 in Rio with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tokyo Marathon champion Feyisa Lilesa taking the silver in 2:09:54. In just the second marathon of his career, USA&rsquo;s Galen Rupp bagged the bronze in 2:10:05.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s half marathon</h3>
Like with the full marathon distance, the standard has quickly changed in the men&rsquo;s half marathon. 10 years ago a time of about 60 minutes was a rare feat, but in 2016 a total of 26 runners ran faster than that mark.
The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Cardiff 2016 was the main competition of the season at the 13.1-mile distance. Held in difficult wet and windy conditions, it was a decisive Kenyan triumph as Geoffrey Kamworor successfully defended his title in 59:10 to finish 26 seconds ahead of compatriot Bedan Karoki.
Such was the quality of the race, double world and Olympic champion Mo Farah had to sprint at the end to beat Ethiopia&rsquo;s Abayneh Abyele for the bronze medal as both men clocked 59:59.
Solomon Yego&rsquo;s 58:44 in Ostia in March was the fastest time of the year. James Wangari, also from Kenya, won two big races. The 22-year-old grabbed the top podium in Milan in March in 59:12 and went on to win in Copenhagen in September, clocking 59:07 for the second-fastest time of the season.
<h3>Other men&rsquo;s road events</h3>
The fastest 10km was run by Zane Robertson in Berlin in October. The Kiwi athlete, who set a national 10,000m record of 27:33.67 while finishing 12th at the Olympics, won in 27:28 to finish 50 seconds in front of Eritrea&rsquo;s Awet Habte.
Just weeks before taking the silver medal at the World Half Marathon Championships, Karoki won the World&rsquo;s Best 10K in San Juan. In a tight finish, the 26-year-old clocked 27:42 with fellow Kenyan Leonard Barsoton taking second place with the same time. Kenyans took the first five places in San Juan, with Stephen Sambu in third in 27:48.
The Birell Grand Prix in Prague has swiftly established itself as one of the top 10km races in the world. In September, Kenya&rsquo;s Abraham Kipyatich won this year&rsquo;s race in a PB of 27:40, which was a world-leading mark at the time.
Daniel Wanjiru was second in 27:43 and Emmanuel Kipsang third in 27:47, both personal bests. Kenyans amazingly took the first 11 places, with five of them running faster than 28 minutes.
Mustapha El Aziz ran a PB of 27:33 in Marrakech in October for the second-fastest 10km of the year.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s cross country</h3>
Had there been an IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2016, Aweke Ayalew would likely have finished much higher than his 10th-place finish from 2015.
The Bahraini runner put together a strong winter season at the start of 2016, winning in Antrim and Elgoibar in January, followed by a second-place finish in San Vittore Olona. He also won the Arab cross-country title in February and finished third at the Asian Cross Country Championships two weeks later.
Ayalew has also started the current cross-country season in good form, winning in Atapuerca, finishing second in Allonnes and winning in Venta de Banos.
Five years on from taking the world cross-country title, Imane Merga remains one of the best runners in the world on the surface. The Ethiopian triumphed in San Giorgio su Legnano and San Sebastian in January, but more recently had to settle for third place behind Ayalew and Uganda&rsquo;s Timothy Toroitich in Atapuerca.
Geoffrey Kamworor ventured on to the mud just twice this year, but both times he showed exactly why he is the world cross-country champion. He won the Kenyan Police cross-country title in January by finishing 38 seconds ahead of Augustine Choge and 55 seconds in front of Asbel Kiprop. He followed that with a convincing win at the highly competitive IAAF Cross Country Permit race in Nairobi.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s marathon</h3>
With more than just three potential gold medallists each, the Kenyan and Ethiopian federations had almost impossible jobs to select their Olympic marathon teams.
Trial competitions or statistics can be used to good effect when selecting athletes for other events, but not so much in the marathon where athletes compete just a couple of times each year and where conditions can vary from race to race.
Ultimately, both nations selected the same athletes that had competed at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015: Kenya&rsquo;s Helah Kiprop, Jemima Sumgong and Visiline Jepkesho, and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Mare Dibaba, Tigist Tufa and Tirfe Tsegaye.
At the Olympics, seven runners were still in contention at 35 kilometres, but soon after the race became a three-way battle between world champion Dibaba, London Marathon winner Sumgong and world bronze medallist Eunice Kirwa of Bahrain. Sumgong proved to be the strongest of the trio and won in 2:24:04 to become the first Kenyan woman to win Olympic gold in the marathon.
The six races constituting the World Marathon Majors saw winners from Kenya in Tokyo (Kiprop 2:21:27), London (Sumgong 2:22:58), Chicago (Florence Kiplagat 2:21:32) and New York (Mary Keitany 2:24:26) while Ethiopia triumphed in Boston (Atsede Baysa 2:29:19) and Berlin (Aberu Kebede 2:20:45).
However, the fastest time of 2016 came in the first month of the year when Tsegaye ran 2:19:41 for the win in Dubai.
Kiplagat (2:23:39 London) and Kebede (2:23:01 Tokyo) had both run well in the spring but missed out on Olympic selection. Others who were similarly unlucky to miss out on the Olympics included Hamburg and Amsterdam winner Meselech Melkamu and two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat, who ran 2:22:36 in Tokyo and 2:23:28 in Chicago.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s half marathon</h3>
Even though the half marathon is not part of summer global championships, it has established itself as an event in its own right. And this year the half-marathon specialists had medals to chase at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Cardiff 2016.
Long before the half-way mark, the top eight consisted of five Kenyans and three Ethiopians and, as expected, the race quickly developed into a battle between the two east African nations. In the end Kenya swept the medals with Peres Jepchirchir winning the title ahead of Cynthia Limo and Mary Wacera.
Jepchirchir is very much a half-marathon specialist. She has never competed internationally on the track or in the marathon, but in 2016 she ran six international half marathons between 1:06:30 and 1:08:30, scoring wins in Yangzhou, Usti nad Labem and Valencia.
Although they were not selected for the World Half Marathon Championships, Jepchirchir&rsquo;s compatriot Violah Jepchumba and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Worknesh Degefa were similarly prolific specialists. Jepchumba won four of her five races at the distance, winning in Gothenburg, Istanbul, Cardiff and Prague, clocking a world-leading 1:05:51 at the latter.
Degefa, the winner of the Rome-Ostia and New Delhi races, had fewer victories but more sub-68-minute performances to her credit as she bettered that barrier on four occasions.
In terms of overall quality and depth, the best race was Ras Al Khaimah in February when the top six all ran faster than 1:07, led by Cynthia Limo&rsquo;s winning performance of 1:06:04.
This year also marked the half marathon&rsquo;s first appearance at the European Championships. Portugal&rsquo;s Sara Moreira won the title in 1:10:19.
<h3>Other women&rsquo;s road events</h3>
Despite the ever increasing number of international 10km races, Paula Radcliffe&rsquo;s world record of 30:21 from 2003 remained intact for another year. But in 2016 it came under serious threat from Violah Jepchumba.
Even more remarkable is that Jepchumba came within eight seconds of the mark en route to her 1:05:51 half-marathon victory in Prague in April. The Kenyan returned to the Czech capital in September for a standalone 10km race and won in 30:24, the second-fastest time in history.
In the right conditions, Radcliffe&rsquo;s 30:21 could soon be erased from the record books. And given the standard on the track at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the first sub-30-minute performance on the roads could soon be on the cards.
Alice Aprot, who finished fourth in Rio in 29:53.51, looks as though she could be the woman to break both of those marks as she has shown she has the necessary tools to keep a fast and even pace by herself and is capable of winning on all types of surfaces.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s cross country</h3>
With no IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2016, many top distance runners had limited seasons on the international level.
Of the world&rsquo;s best track specialists, most ran just the odd cross-country race, while others didn&rsquo;t compete on the surface at all. But some &ndash; such as Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and Olympic steeplechase champion Ruth Jebet &ndash; used the cross-country season as an integral part of their preparation for the summer.
Kipyegon had two decisive triumphs in IAAF Cross Country Permit races in January, winning the Cross de Italica in Spain by 20 seconds and the Cinque Mulini in Italy by 48 seconds.
Jebet also had two January races on the IAAF Cross Country Permit circuit, finishing second in San Giorgio su Legnano and fifth in Antrim. In February she collected silver medals at the Arab Cross Country Championships and the Asian Cross Country Championships.
But the outstanding runner of the season was Alice Aprot who, in addition to her wins in San Giorgio su Legnano and Antrim, also dominated the permit event at home in Nairobi in February. She also triumphed at the African Cross Country Championships in March.
Aprot has also already opened this winter season with two races in Spain in November, finishing third in Atapuerca and first in Soria.
The European Cross Country Championships in December was dominated by Turkey as Yasemin Can and Meryem Akda scored a convincing 1-2, finishing half a minute ahead of third place.
Mirko Jalava (men&rsquo;s events) and A Lennart Julin (women&rsquo;s events) for the IAAF

In the seventh part of our 2016 end-of-year reviews, statisticians A Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best road and cross-country performances of the year.

2016 end-of-year reviews – road and cross country

Viola Jepchumba, one of the year&rsquo;s top breakout road runners, will lead the field at the Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Sunday (23).
Jepchumba, the world leader over the distance at 1:05:51, will take on Kenyan compatriot Peres Jepchirchir, the winner at this year&rsquo;s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in the pair's first ever head-to-head battle.
In the men&rsquo;s race, Abraham Cheroben of Bahrain will be gunning for a third straight title against a quality field.
<h3>Jepchirchir aims to stop Jepchumba</h3>
Jepchumba, who will celebrate her 26th birthday on race day, is undefeated on the roads this season with four half marathon victories topped by her world-leading performance set in Prague in April which elevated her to third on the world all-time list. She returned to the Czech capital in September to smash her 10km PB in 30:24, the second-fastest performance of all time and just three seconds shy of the world record.
Should Jepchumba show similar form on Sunday, she could threaten her PB which is 42 seconds off Florence Kiplagat&rsquo;s 1:05:09 world record set in Barcelona last year.
Jepchirchir was crowned world champion over the distance last March in Cardiff in 1:07:31, although her best performance came one month earlier in Ras Al Khaimah where she clocked 1:06:39 to finish fourth, her only loss in six races in 2016. More recently, the 23-year-old won in Usti Nad Labem in 1:07:24.
But defending champion Netsanet Gudeta Kebede of Ethiopia should take advantage of her course knowledge to battle against the Kenyan tandem. Gudeta is also the world cross-country bronze medallist but failed to make the podium at the World Half Marathon Championships where she finished fourth. With such a strong field gathered, the course record of 1:07:31 set by Gudeta last year will be in serious jeopardy.
That fantastic trio will be paced by the experienced pacemaker Marc Roig of Spain, who helped set the rhythm for Kiplagat&rsquo;s world record run.
Bahrain&rsquo;s Rose Chelimo (1:08:08) and Kenya&rsquo;s Gladys Yator (1:08:39) should complete a strong top five.
<h3>Cheroben gunning for third straight win</h3>
Meanwhile, Cheroben will be targeting a hat-trick of victories in the men&rsquo;s race.
The course record-holder clocked 58:48 two years ago while a time of 59:10 proved to be enough to successfully defend his title last year.
Cheroben, who began competing for Bahrain in August, made his last appearance at a 10km road race in Utrecht earlier this month, finishing second behind Belgian Bashir Abdi in 28:32. The 23-year-old Cheroben finished 10th at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at 10,000m in a career best of 27:31.86.
Yet the defending champion will face stiff opposition from up to 10 athletes who have run faster than 60 minutes at least once in their careers.
Two of Cheroben&rsquo;s former compatriots, Kenyans Solomon Kirwa Yego and Stephen Kosgei Kibet, have even broken the 59-minute barrier. Yego is this year&rsquo;s world leader thanks to a 58:44 performance at the Rome Ostia Half Marathon. Kibet produced a 58:54 clocking in The Hague back in 2012 but he has shown fine form as recently as 18 September when clocking 59:28 for second in Copenhagen.
An outsider to keep an eye on is the in-form Kenyan Barselius Kipyego who has recorded three wins over the distance this year, topped by a huge PB of 59:15 in Usti Nad Labem last month.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Guye Adole should also be in the mix for a podium finish. Adole was the bronze medallist at the 2014 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships thanks to a PB of 59:06, but the 26-year-old has not run faster than 1:03:22 this year. He will be in the company of his fellow Ethiopian Mesfin Alemu (PB of 59:39) who has competed just once this year.
World 10km and 15km record-holder Leonard Patrick Komon (SB of 1:00:48) will also be in contention but the 2008 world cross-country silver medallist should improve dramatically on his last appearance in Copenhagen five weeks ago where he clocked 1:02:50.
The other four men who have ducked under one hour are Kenyans Geoffrey Yegon, Kenneth Keter, Edwin Rotich and Vincent Yator. Trying to maintain a fast pace from the gun will be their countryman Simon Cheprot, the main pacesetter.
A record 13,500 athletes will take part in the event. Women&rsquo;s entrants have surpassed 3000 for the first time while 2150 athletes come from abroad representing no fewer than 70 countries.
Weather forecasters predict a sunny and windless day with a temperature of about 17C at the start.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF

Viola Jepchumba, one of the year’s top road running sensations, will lead the field at the ‘Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Half Marathon’ an IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Sunday (23). Jepchumba, the world leader over the distance at 1:05:51, will take on Kenyan compatriot Peres Jepchirchir, the winner at this year’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in the pair's first ever head-to-head battle.

Valencia spotlight on Jepchumba-Jepchirchir half marathon showdown

Course record-holder Abraham Cheroben will seek a third consecutive victory at the Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Half Marathon, while world leader Violah Jepchumba will aim to maintain her winning streak at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on 23 October.
Cheroben has won the past two editions of the race, clocking world-leading marks on both occasions. He set a course record of 58:48 in 2014 and followed it with a 59:10 triumph in 2015.
But the 23-year-old will be up against the likes of Kenya&rsquo;s Solomon Kirwa Yego, who clocked a world-leading 58:44 to win this year&rsquo;s Rome Ostia Half Marathon, and compatriot Stephen Kosgei Kibet, who clocked a best of 58:54 two years ago.
The field contains 11 men with sub-60-minute PBs, including recent Usti nad Labem Half Marathon winner Barselius Kypyego, world 10km and 15km record-holder Leonard Patrick Komon, and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Guye Adole.
Organisers claim to have assembled their strongest ever women&rsquo;s field.
Course record-holder Netsanet Gudeta will defend her title against world half marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir and this year&rsquo;s road-running sensation Violah Jepchumba.
Gudeta, the world cross-country bronze medallist, clocked 1:07:31 to win in Valencia 12 months ago and went on to finish fourth at this year&rsquo;s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
Jepchirchir set a PB of 1:06:39 at the start of the year before winning the world half marathon title in Cardiff.
Jepchumba, meanwhile, is undefeated this year, having threatened the world records for 5km, 10km and the half marathon.
Last year&rsquo;s runner-up, Worknesh Degefa Debele, will also be returning to Valencia. So too will Beata Naigambo, winner of last year&rsquo;s marathon in the Spanish city.
Organisers for the IAAF
<h3>Elite field</h3>
Men Solomon Kirwa Yego (KEN) 58:44 Abraham Cheroben (BRN) 58:48 Stephen Kosgei Kibet (KEN) 58:54 Guye Adola (ETH) 59:06 Leonard Patrick Komon (KEN) 59:14 Barselius Kipyego (KEN) 59:15 Mesfin Alemu (ETH) 59:39 Geofrey Kusuro (UGA) 59:43 Geoffrey Yegon (KEN) 59:44 Kenneth Keter (KEN) 59:48 Edwin Kipsang Rotich (KEN) 59:59 Mustapha El Asis (MAR) 1:00:39 Wilfred Kimeli Kimitei (KEN) 1:02:10 Sordre Nordstad Moen (NOR) 1:02:19 Michael Mugo Githae (KEN) 1:02:27 Abdelhadi El Hachimi (BEL) 1:03:49
Women Violah Jepchumba (KEN) 1:05:51 Worknesh Degefa Debele (ETH) 1:06:14 Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) 1:06:39 Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) 1:07:31 Rose Chelimo (KEN) 1:08:08 Gladys Jepkemoi Yator (KEN) 1:08:39 Ando Yuka (JPN) 1:09:51 Mao Kiyota (JPN) 1:10:31 Hao Xiofan (CHN) 1:11:24 He Yinli (CHN) 1:11:34 Beata Naigambo (NAM) 1:12:05

Course record-holder Abraham Cheroben will seek a third consecutive victory at the Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Half Marathon, while world leader Violah Jepchumba will aim to maintain her winning streak at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on 23 October.

Loaded fields for Valencia Half Marathon

Violah Jepchumba kept her stellar 2016 momentum alive with a dominant victory at the Cardiff University Cardiff Half Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, in the Welsh capital on Sunday (2).
Running alone almost from the gun, the 25-year-old Kenyan clocked 1:08:14 for her fifth victory in as many road races this year, finishing well inside the previous race record of 1:01:10 set by Susan Partridge in 2012.
Expectations were high for Jepchumba, who threatened Florence Kiplagat's 1:05:09 world record with a blistering 1:05:51 run in Prague in April, and who, in her most recent outing, came within three seconds of Paula Radcliffe's 10km world record with a 30:24 run, also in Prague, 22 days ago.
In Cardiff, Jepchumba forged an assault on Kiplagat's mark early on, passing through five kilometres in 15:30. But with no company, she wasn't able to maintain the brisk tempo, slowing to 31:30 at 10 kilometres and further to 48:02 after 15.
Crossing the 20-kilometre marker in 1:04:50, she cruised on to her fourth half marathon victory of 2016, beating Flomena Cheyech Daniel, the Commonwealth marathon champion, by nearly two minutes. Cheyech clocked 1:10:05 with Lenah Jerotich, the 2015 Cardiff winner, completing the Kenyan podium sweep in third, running 1:11:23.
There was a Kenyan podium sweep and race record in the men's race too.
Shadrack Korir made his break with about two kilometres remaining to win in 1:00:54, a near two-minute improvement on his previous best of 1:02:40 and well under the 1:01:51 race record set by Loitarakwai Lengurisi in 2013.
Cyprian Kotut, this year's Paris Marathon winner, was second in 1:01:04, with 20-year-old Charles Muneria, a Kenyan Olympian at 5000m this year, third in 1:01:36 on his debut over the distance.
Nearly 22,000 runners took part in the race that looped through the Welsh capital on the same course that was used for this year's IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
Bob Ramsak and organisers for the IAAF

Violah Jepchumba kept her stellar 2016 momentum alive with a dominant victory at the Cardiff University Cardiff Half Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, in the Welsh capital on Sunday (2).

Jepchumba dominates in Cardiff

Kenyans Violah Jepchumba and Cyprian Kotut will aim to continue their strong 2016 momentum at the Cardiff Half Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, on Sunday (2).
The 25-year-old Jepchumba has been on a tear on the road racing circuit this year, running undefeated in four events from early April through September. On 2 April, she clocked 1:05:51 at the Prague Half Marathon to move up to the number two spot on the all-time lists with the fourth fastest performance in history.
She followed up with dominating performances at half marathons in Istanbul and Gothenburg and after a three-and-a-half month break from competition, returned to action at the Prague 10km on 10 September where she clocked an African record 30:24, just three seconds shy of Paula Radcliffe's world record set in 2003.
How fast she'll run this weekend is anyone's guess, but she'll clearly arrive in the best shape of her life.
On paper her closest adversary is Flomena Daniel, the 2014 Commonwealth marathon champion. Daniel has a 1:07:39 best with her 2:22:44 marathon lifetime best dating back to the 2014 Paris Marathon.
Others to watch include Lenah Jerotich, the defending champion, who produced her 1:11:31 best on the Cardiff course.
Uganda's 19-year-old Rachel Chebet-Zena, a 5000m finalist at this year's African Championships, will be making her debut over the distance.
Kotut meanwhile, has also produced a pair of solid victories in 2016. The 24-year-old improved his personal best to 2:07:11 to win the Paris Marathon in April, and warmed up for that one month earlier with a 1:01:00 victory in the Paris Half Marathon. He ran his 59:12 lifetime best in New Delhi in 2014.
His chief opposition is expected from Uganda's Ben Siwa, who returns to defend his Cardiff title. He ran his 1:02:06 best in the Welsh capital last year.
Paul Pollack of Ireland is the third fastest man in the field at 1:02:10 and returns to action after his 32nd place finish in the Rio 2016 Olympic marathon where he clocked 2:16:24.
Others to watch include Shadrack Korir of Kenya who brings a 1:02:40 personal best to the line and Charles Muneria, also of Kenya, who'll be making his debut over the distance. The 20-year-old was second at the notoriously difficult Kenyan Olympic Trials to qualify for the Rio Games where he finished a distant 12th in his heat.
Local attention will fall on Dewi Griffiths, a three-time Welsh marathon champion, and Michelle Rosse-Cope, with a best of 1:12:01.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Kenyans Violah Jepchumba and Cybrian Kotut will aim to continue their strong 2016 momentum at the Cardiff Half Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, on Sunday (2).

Jepchumba commands the spotlight in Cardiff

Violah Jepchumba produced the second fastest 10km performance in history at the Birell Prague Grand Prix, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Saturday (10).
The 25-year-old Kenyan clocked 30:24, just three seconds shy of the 30:21 world record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003. Jepchumba's performance is an African record, supplanting her compatriot Isabella Ochichi's mark of 30:27 set in 2005.
"I was very close to the world record so maybe next year I'll return (to try again)," said Jepchumba, who arrived in the Czech capital as the third fastest ever over both the 10km and half marathon distances, performances that came in the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon on 2 April when she clocked 1:05:51 after passing the 10km checkpoint in 30:29 en route.&nbsp;
This time, start time temperatures pushing 30C (85F) seemed to suggest a slower performance, but Jepchumba wouldn't let the conditions alter her ambitions.
At first, those included an assault on the 30:55 course record set by Peres Jepchirchir last year, a difficult enough task in a race without pace setters or any stiff competition.
Jepchumba stormed on alone, reaching the midway point in 14:46. The aggressive first half could have cost her the world record, even though the soft-spoken runner admitted to organisers that she didn't know what the record was. She does now.
Joyceline Jepkosgei of Kenya made her road debut over the distance an auspicious one, finishing second in 31:08. Afera Godfay of Ethiopia was third, clocking 31:49 with Gladys Cherono, the 2014 world half marathon champion, fourth in 31:58.
<h3>Kipyatich prevails in close men's contest</h3>
In the men's contest, Abraham Kipyatich upset a strong field en route to his first road race victory of the year, clocking a world-leading PB of 27:40.
A quick 13:46 first half by a four-man lead pack &ndash; Kipyatich, Kenneth Keter, Mathew Kimeli and Emmanuel Kipsang&nbsp;&ndash; kept the 27:28 course record in sight.
Heading west on the north side of the Vltava River, the pack was joined by Daniel Wanjiru, the winner of April's half marathon in the Czech capital, as the racers careened downhill towards the government parliament headquarters. It was then Kipyatich sprung his surprise.
Aided by the downhill, the 23-year-old Kenyan pressed the pace and kept the heat on through the descent, the turn-around, and the climb back towards the Stefanik Bridge. Wanjiru took up chase trying to match the leader surge-for-surge but was forced to settle for second in 27:43, also a personal best.
Kipsang was third, another four seconds back.
Bob Ramsak and organisers for the IAAF

Jepchumba clocks 30:24 in Prague 10km, second fastest ever