Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir and London Marathon winner Joyciline Jepkosgei will renew their rivalry when they compete at the Boston Marathon, a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race, on Monday (18).
The Kenyan duo have similar backgrounds in that they initially made a name for themselves at the half marathon, breaking world records and earning global medals at that distance. It&rsquo;s only since 2019 that both women started to focus more on the full marathon, but already they have achieved great things at the classic distance.
After a DNF in London in 2019, Jepkosgei rebounded later in the year to win the New York City Marathon in 2:22:38, narrowly missing the long-standing course record. One month later, Jepchirchir set a PB of 2:23:50 to win the Saitama Marathon.
In December 2020 the two women clashed at the Valencia Marathon with Jepchirchir winning in 2:17:16 and Jepkosgei taking second place in a PB of 2:18:40. Jepchirchir achieved the ultimate prize in the sport in 2021, winning the Olympic title at the Tokyo Games. Later in the year, she won the New York Marathon in 2:22:39. Jepkosgei didn&rsquo;t compete at the Olympics, but she won the London Marathon last year in a lifetime best of 2:17:43.
In terms of head-to-head clashes between the pair, Jepchirchir has won all three of their encounters to date &ndash; two at the half marathon and one in the marathon. She also has the slightly faster marathon PB. Jepkosgei, meanwhile, has a better set of PBs at other distances, and her winning time in New York three years ago is one second faster than Jepchirchir&rsquo;s victory on the same course in 2021.
The fact that both have won in New York &ndash; a relatively hilly course &ndash; will stand them in good stead for Monday&rsquo;s race. Likewise, both women have performed well in championship races with no pacemakers, which will be similar to the race in Boston.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m feeling good and I&rsquo;m feeling fit,&rdquo; said Jepchirchir. &ldquo;It will be a good race because there are lots of strong ladies in this field.&rdquo;
Jepkosgei felt just as confident. &ldquo;My preparation has gone well,&rdquo; said the 28-year-old. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been focused on this race for the past three months. I know the course is tough, but I&rsquo;m prepared for it and feeling strong. I&rsquo;ll do my best.&rdquo;
Two other women with sub-2:20 bests are also in the field. Degitu Azimeraw, who finished second to Jepkosgei in London last year with a PB of 2:17:58, and two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat.
Azimeraw has contested just three marathons to date, but all of them have been inside 2:20. She debuted with a 2:19:26 victory in Amsterdam in 2019, then clocked 2:19:56 in Valencia in 2020.
Kiplagat, winner in Boston in 2017, is one of the most successful marathon runners of her generation. The Kenyan&rsquo;s PB of 2:19:50 was set 10 years ago, but the 42-year-old continues to be a contender in big races and finished fourth at the 2019 World Championships.
Local fans will likely be focused on USA&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist Molly Seidel, a former Boston resident who became only the third US woman in history to claim a medal in the Olympic marathon.
&ldquo;When I lived and trained in Boston I just became totally enamoured with the Boston Marathon,&rdquo; said Seidel, who has a PB of 2:24:42. &ldquo;Every Patriots&rsquo; Day I would go to Heartbreak Hill to watch the runners, and whenever I trained on the course I dreamed of getting to run the race some day.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s something uniquely special about the Boston Marathon, and I absolutely can&rsquo;t wait to line up in Hopkinton this April for the race.&rdquo;
Other contenders include Ethiopian duo Etagegn Woldu and Ababel Yeshaneh, 2018 Boston winner Desiree Linden of the USA, and Kenya&rsquo;s Mary Ngugi.
Woldu made her marathon debut in Valencia last year, finishing second with a highly promising 2:20:16. Yeshaneh has more experience on the roads, having placed third in New York last year and second in Chicago in 2019 in a PB of 2:20:51. She also has a PB of 1:04:31, which at the time was an Ethiopian record.
Linden will be making her 10th appearance in Boston. Including her victory in 2018, she has achieved five top-five finishes there to date. Ngugi, meanwhile, has contested just three marathons so far, two of them in Boston. The two-time world half marathon medallist placed third in Boston last year in 2:25:20.
The men&rsquo;s field, which features eight athletes with lifetime bests faster than 2:05, is led by two-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese, who has a PB of 2:02:48.
The 27-year-old Ethiopian rarely gets it wrong in the marathon. Along with his Tokyo Marathon victories in 2019 and 2020, he placed second in Berlin in 2019 &ndash; which is when he set his lifetime best &ndash; and was third in Valencia in 2020 and fifth in London last year.
Six of the past eight winners will also return to Boston: defending champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya, 2019 winner Lawrence Cherono, 2018 champion Yuki Kawauchi, 2016 victor Lemi Berhanu, and two-time winner Lelisa Desisa.
Kipruto, a 2:05:13 performer, may not have the fastest PB, but times often count for very little when it comes to the Boston Marathon. The fact he has previously won on this course, however, counts for a lot.
&ldquo;Being back in Boston as a champion is very exciting, but at the same time I feel the pressure and the responsibility to defend my title,&rdquo; said Kipruto. &ldquo;I really admire those athletes that managed to be multiple champions in big races. I really want to do my best to be one of them and I really hope to make my name among those Boston champions that people will remember for a long time.&rdquo;
Winners of two other big city races in 2021 will also be on the start line: London Marathon champion Sisay Lemma and New York City Marathon winner Albert Korir.
Lemma, who has a PB of 2:03:36, has unfinished business in Boston. He placed 30th in 2019 and failed to finish in 2017. Korir will be making his Boston debut, but his New York victory in 2021 and runner-up finish in 2019 means he&rsquo;ll be one to watch on Monday.
Three-time world half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor is also one to watch. Twice a winner in New York, he finally broke his long-standing PB in Valencia last year, clocking 2:05:23. His reputation as a proven competitor in championship-style races means he cannot be overlooked in this field.
Evans Chebet, the 2020 world leader, has finished in the top four at the past 12 marathons he has completed. The only DNF of his career, however, came at the Boston Marathon in 2018, so he will be keen to make amends for that blemish on his otherwise impressive record.
Organisers for World Athletics
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Women Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) 2:17:16 Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:17:43 Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:17:58 Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 2:19:50 Etagegn Woldu (ETH) 2:20:16 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:51 Desiree Linden (USA) 2:22:38 Viola Cheptoo (KEN) 2:22:44 Charlotte Purdue (GBR) 2:23:26 Molly Seidel (USA) 2:24:42 Malindi Elmore (CAN) 2:24:50 Mary Ngugi (KEN) 2:25:20 Monicah Ngige (KEN) 2:25:32 Natasha Wodak (CAN) 2:26:19 Sara Vaughn (USA) 2:26:53 Nell Rojas (USA) 2:27:12 Stephanie Bruce (USA) 2:27:47 Dakotah Lindwurm (USA) 2:29:04 Angie Orjuela (COL) 2:29:12 Bria Wetsch (USA) 2:29:50 Maegan Krifchin (USA) 2:30:17 Elaina Tabb (USA) 2:30:33 Sydney Devore (USA) 2:32:39 Kodi Kleven (CAN) 2:32:45
Men Birhanu Legese (ETH) 2:02:48 Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:03:00 Lawrence Cherono (KEN) 2:03:04 Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:03:36 Kinde Atanaw (ETH) 2:03:51 Lemi Berhanu (ETH) 2:04:33 Lelisa Desisa (ETH) 2:04:45 Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:04:55 Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:05:13 Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) 2:05:23 Eric Kiptanui (KEN) 2:05:47 Bethwell Yegon (KEN) 2:06:14 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:07:27 Albert Korir (KEN) 2:08:03 Amanuel Mesel (ERI) 2:08:17 Tsegay Tuemay (ERI) 2:09:07 Scott Fauble (USA) 2:09:09 Colin Bennie (USA) 2:09:38 Trevor Hofbauer (CAN) 2:09:51 Jared Ward (USA) 2:09:25 Ian Butler (USA) 2:09:45 Mick Iacofano (USA) 2:09:55 Jake Riley (USA) 2:10:02 Jerrell Mock (USA) 2:10:37 Jemal Yimer (ETH) 2:10:38 Matt McDonald (USA) 2:11:10 Matt Llano (USA) 2:11:14 Elkanah Kibet (USA) 2:11:15 CJ Albertson (USA) 2:11:18

Defending champion Benson Kipruto set to clash with London Marathon winner Sisay Lemma and two-time New York Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor

Jepchirchir and Jepkosgei primed for battle in Boston

Organisers of the Seoul Marathon have assembled what is arguably their strongest ever line-up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on Sunday (17).
Eight men with sub-2:06 PBs and five women with sub-2:21 lifetime bests are among the highly competitive fields.
World silver medallist Mosinet Geremew heads the men&rsquo;s line-up. The former Ethiopian record-holder, who has a PB of 2:02:55, has finished in top three in eight of his nine completed marathons. He was unable to finish the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year, but he&rsquo;ll return to action on Sunday in a bid to become just the second Ethiopian man in history to win the Seoul Marathon.
If he falls short of that target, compatriot Herpasa Negasa stands a good chance. Runner-up in Dubai in 2019, he is a 2:03:40 performer at his best.
Elisha Kipchirchir Rotich leads the Kenyan charge. A formidable opponent, he won the Paris Marathon last year in a PB of 2:04:21. He also has five other career marathon victories to his name, and he finished second in Seoul in 2019.
Three-time Toronto Marathon winner Philemon Rono is also entered, as is Kenyan compatriot Mark Korir. The 2015 Paris Marathon winner has a 2:05:49 PB and will be making his fifth appearance in Seoul; he has made the podium three times in the Korean city but is yet to win.
Korea&rsquo;s Joohan Oh &ndash; formerly known as Wilson Loyanae of Kenya &ndash; is also familiar with the streets of Seoul, having won the race four times. He also holds the course record at 2:05:13, but his last completed marathon was back in 2019 when he finished second in Gyeongju in 2:08:42.
Ugandan duo Filex Chemonges and Moses Kibet are also worth keeping an eye on. Chemonges, who represented Uganda at the Olympics last year, holds the national record at 2:05:12. Kibet, meanwhile, has only contested two marathons to date but already has a PB of 2:05:20.
Other entered athletes include 2017 Seoul runner-up Felix Kandie of Kenya, Kenneth Keter, Brazilian Olympian Daniel do Nascimento, two-time Amsterdam winner Benard Kipyego, Solomon Kirwa Yego and Martin Kosgey.
The women&rsquo;s race looks just as competitive and similarly tough to call.
Guteni Shone returns to Seoul, seven years after her victory there. Since then, she has also won in Ottawa and Seville, while in more recent years she has finished second in Prague in 2021 and second in Dubai in 2020 &ndash; the latter with a PB of 2:20:11, making her the fastest in the field for Sunday. In fact, she has finished in the top two in her past four marathons and she won&rsquo;t want to relinquish that streak this weekend.
She&rsquo;ll be joined on the start line by two fellow Ethiopians who also have a strong marathon record. Sutume Asefa, winner of the Beijing Marathon in 2019, set a PB of 2:20:30 when finishing third in Tokyo two years ago. Shure Demise, meanwhile, set her PB of 2:20:59 on her debut at the distance in Dubai back in 2015, but has gone on to win in Toronto twice. She also placed third in Tokyo in 2019 and in Chicago in 2018.
Netsanet Gudeta may not have the fastest PB of the elite field &ndash; partly because she has only completed two marathons to date &ndash; but she is a proven contender at the half marathon distance, having won the 2018 world title. Her half marathon PB of 1:05:45 suggests she&rsquo;s capable of improving on her 2:26:09 marathon PB.
Joan Chelimo Melly has an even quicker half marathon PB, 1:05:04, making her one of the fastest women of all time for the distance. The Kenyan has started to move up to the marathon in recent years and has a PB of 2:20:57.
Other Kenyans in the line-up include Agnes Jeruto Barsosio, who was third in Seoul in 2016, Selly Chepyego Kaptich, and Celestine Chepchirchir, who was third in Seoul in 2019. Bahrain&rsquo;s Eunice Chumba, seventh at the Olympics last year, is another one to watch.
<h3>Elite field</h3>
Women Guteni Shone (ETH) 2:20:11 Sutume Asefa (ETH) 2:20:30 Joan Chelimo Melly (KEN) 2:20:57 Agnes Jeruto Barsosio (KEN) 2:20:59 Shure Demise (ETH) 2:20:59 Selly Chepyego Kaptich (KEN) 2:21:06 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:23:10 Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:23:38 Netsanet Gudeta&nbsp; (ETH) 2:26:09
Men Mosinet Geremew (ETH) 2:02:55 Herpasa Negasa (ETH) 2:03:40 Elisha Kipchirchir Rotich (KEN) 2:04:21 Philemon Rono (KEN) 2:05:00 Filex Chemonges (UGA) 2:05:12 Joohan Oh (KOR) 2:05:13 Moses Kibet (UGA) 2:05:20 Mark Korir (KEN) 2:05:49 Felix Kandie (KEN) 2:06:03 Kenneth Keter (KEN) 2:06:05 Daniel do Nascimento (BRA) 2:06:11 Benard Kipyego (KEN) 2:06:19 Solomon Kirwa Yego (KEN) 2:06:24 Martin Kosgey (KEN) 2:06:41 Vincent Kipsang Rono (KEN) 2:07:10 Lucas Kimeli Rotich (KEN) 2:07:17 Belachew Alemayehu (ETH) 2:07:55 Brian Kipsang (KEN) 2:09:07

Eight men with sub-2:06 PBs and five women with sub-2:21 lifetime bests feature in the line-up

Highly competitive fields ready to clash in Seoul

Olympic silver medallist Abdi Nageeye produced a well-timed finish to win the Rotterdam Marathon, his first career victory over the classic distance, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Haven Hailu won the women&rsquo;s contest in convincing fashion at the World Athletics Elite Label road race on Sunday (10).
The two races played out in contrasting ways. A large lead pack formed early on in the men&rsquo;s race as they passed through 10km in 29:29 and half way in 1:02:16. The pack started to whittle itself down in the second half though, and by 30km &ndash; reached in 1:28:31 &ndash; just seven men remained in the group: Nageeye, Olympic bronze medallist Bashir Abdi, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Leul Gebreselassie, Kenya&rsquo;s Dominic Kiptarus, Reuben Kiprop Kipyego, Kenneth Kipkemoi and Philemon Kacheran.
Kipyego and Gebreselassie continued to push the pace in the closing stages and it was enough to drop most of the athletes left in the lead pack. Abdi, who set a European record of 2:03:36 when winning at last year&rsquo;s rescheduled Rotterdam Marathon in October, started to drift behind just before 40km, leaving Nageeye, Kipyego and Gebreselassie to battle it out for the podium places.
Kipyego couldn&rsquo;t quite match the finishing pace of Gebreselassie and Nageeye as the duo sprinted for the line. In the end Nageeye just edged ahead to cross the line in 2:04:56, taking more than a minute off the Dutch record he set in this same city in 2019. Gebreselassie was given the same time in second place, the fifth sub-2:05 clocking of his career, while Kipyego took third in 2:05:12, 11 seconds ahead of Abdi.
In the women&rsquo;s race, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Haven Hailu and Kenyan duo Daisy Cherotich and Stella Barsosio made an early break, reaching 10km in 32:55 &ndash; bang on pace to challenge the course record of 2:18:58 set 10 years ago by 2012 Olympic champion Tiki Gelana.
They were unable to maintain that pace for too much longer, but still reached the half-way point in a swift 1:09:56, just inside 2:20 pace. Almost two minutes behind them, relative newcomer Nienke Brinkman of the Netherlands was running in no-woman&rsquo;s land.
A few kilometres later, Hailu broke away from Cherotich and Barsosio. Cherotich held on for a little longer than her compatriot, but by 35km &ndash; which Hailu reached in 1:57:34 &ndash; Brinkman had moved up to second place.
Brinkman continued to make up ground in the closing stages, but Hailu&rsquo;s lead was safe and the 24-year-old crossed the finish line in 2:22:01. It was the second-fastest time of her career, after the 2:20:19 PB she set in Amsterdam last year, but her first marathon victory to date.
Brinkman, who only took up running in 2020, was rewarded with a huge PB of 2:22:51 in second place, breaking the Dutch record set in 2003 by Lornah Kiplagat. Kazakhstan&rsquo;s Zhanna Mamazhanova finished well to take third place in 2:26:54, taking more than a minute off the national record that was set back in 1987.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:22:01 2 Nienke Brinkman (NED) 2:22:51 3 Zhanna Mamazhanova (KAZ) 2:26:54 4 Munkhzaya Bayartsogt (MGL) 2:29:25 5 Tristin Van Ord (USA) 2:29:32 6 Carolina Wikstrom (SWE) 2:29:51 7 Alisa Vainio (FIN) 2:29:56 8 Daisy Cherotich (KEN) 2:30:42
Men 1 Abdi Nageeye (NED) 2:04:56 2 Leul Gebreselassie (ETH) 2:04:56 3 Reuben Kiprop Kipyego (KEN) 2:05:12 4 Bashir Abdi (BEL) 2:05:23 5 Kenneth Kipkemoi (KEN) 2:06:22 6 Rodgers Ondati Gesabwa (KEN) 2:09:40 7 Abida Ezamzami (MAR) 2:09:52 8 Philemon Kacheran (KEN) 2:10:12

First career marathon victories for Abdi Nageeye and Haven Hailu

Nageeye and Hailu triumph at Rotterdam Marathon

On 4 May 1985, Mark Plaatjes ran the fastest marathon of his life: 2:08:58.
At the time, only 11 men in history had been faster at the classic distance. And yet the performance barely registered on the global athletics stage.
Plaatjes raced that day in the dark green vest of his homeland, emblazoned with the springbok national symbol. He broke the South African record wearing a South African singlet in the South African Championship marathon race in Port Elizabeth. Today the donation of that same vest to the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) will open the MOWA Track &amp; Field Heritage Exhibition Oregon22 in Portland, Oregon, USA. Plaatjes&rsquo; running top will be on display with the competition artefacts of more than 30 fellow world champions in Pioneer Place shopping mall &ndash; 700 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204 &ndash; where the MOWA exhibition will be hosted until the end of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 on 24 July.
A second MOWA exhibition will open at the EMU building in the University of Oregon in Eugene on 23 June.
<h2>&lsquo;You are as good as anyone&rsquo;</h2>
Back in 1985 &ndash; 37 years ago &ndash; Plaatjes&rsquo; performance was not welcomed in the wider athletics world. South Africa and its athletes were outlawed from competing on the international stage.
For athletes like Plaatjes, it was a dual punishment.
As someone classified as &ldquo;coloured&rdquo; or &ldquo;mixed race&rdquo;, under South Africa&rsquo;s Apartheid system of racial separation, Plaatjes &ndash; from a family of part-Portuguese origin &ndash; had marginally more privileges than black people but did not enjoy the freedoms of white citizens.
After crossing the finish line in Port Elizabeth, even as his country&rsquo;s fastest ever marathon runner, he was barred from making use of the nearby toilet facilities.
That he managed to end up, eight years later, as the internationally-acclaimed marathon champion of the world bore testament to his indomitable spirit &ndash; and to his exceptional talent.
Plaatjes was born in 1961 in the Johannesburg township of Coronationville. He was one of 10 children crowded into three bedrooms with their shoemaker father and seamstress mother. The only heat came from a coal stove.
At the age of three, he went to live with his brother, Ralph, and Ralph&rsquo;s wife, Johanna. They gave him the drive to succeed in life, instilling in him a disdain for second-class citizenship.
&ldquo;You are as good as anyone,&rdquo; they repeatedly told him.
Plaatjes made his debut as a runner in a high school 3000m race on a cinder track in 1978. He won in a pair of Converse high-top basketball shoes. Three months later he became national coloured high school champion.
He was only 17 when he entered his first long distance event: a 31-mile race from Johannesburg to Pretoria. He had never run farther than four miles before.
In preparation, Ralph drove him 18 miles from home and told him to run back. He did so but couldn&rsquo;t walk for two days afterwards. He won the junior section of the race, earning a medal, a tracksuit and a pair of waffle-soled running shoes.
<h2>&lsquo;You look people in the face&rsquo;</h2>
Plaatjes became one of his country&rsquo;s leading distance runners but could not compete outside of his homeland because of the international sporting sanctions imposed on his homeland from 1964 to 1992. He won two South African marathon championships and three national cross-country titles.
Despite death threats from anti-apartheid groups who labelled him &ldquo;a sell-out&rdquo; for competing against white people, he kept running and racing, &ldquo;seeking liberation in his own personal achievement,&rdquo; as the excellent Jere Longman put it in a New York Times Magazine feature. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62503b779243066c04e369ab.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 &ldquo;What better way was there to show the authorities up: to show that you were just as good as anybody,&rdquo; Plaatjes told Longman. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s all racism is: ignorance.
&ldquo;If you show people what they don&rsquo;t know, they will change. I invited white people home, to show that we slept in beds, not on rocks; that we ate the same food they did.
&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t solve conflict by turning the other way. You look people in the face.&rdquo;
<h2>Political asylum</h2>
Nonetheless, with no sign of the apartheid system being lifted, Plaatjes took the decision to move to the United States in 1988. It was the future of his young daughter, Gene, that drove him to leave South Africa, rather than the prospect of one day competing internationally.
&ldquo;How do you explain to a three-year-old that she can&rsquo;t go to an amusement park because of the colour of her skin?&rdquo; he told Longman. &ldquo;Young children are so innocent. Gene would go up to white children, and the parents would reprimand her for talking to them or touching them. I didn&rsquo;t want her to grow up feeling inferior.&rdquo;
Thanks to Glenn Latimer, one of the leading lights of the marathon scene in the United States and beyond, Plaatjes took a job as a physical therapist at a school for the disabled in suburban Chicago. He applied for political asylum, which was quickly granted, but had to wait five years for US citizenship.
He had long moved on to the distance running haven of Boulder, Colorado, with young Gene and his wife, Shirley &ndash; setting up a physical therapy practice there &ndash; by the time he received his citizenship papers.
That was on 24 July 1993. Thanks to his sixth-place finish at that year&rsquo;s Boston Marathon, he had already been provisionally selected for the US team for the World Championships in Stuttgart, which took place just three weeks later.
And so, at the age of 32, Plaatjes finally made his international debut &ndash; not in the Springbok vest of his homeland, which by then had been readmitted to global competition after the fall of apartheid, but in the red-white and blue of the United States.
<h2>&lsquo;Don&rsquo;t let it go! Don&rsquo;t let it go!&rsquo;</h2>
On an oppressively humid day in southern Germany, he bided his time but never lost sight of his goal of a place on the podium.
After 25km of the 42km race, Luckets Swartbooi of Namibia broke clear and Plaatjes found himself in the second chasing pack. At 33km Plaatjes was up into second place but still some 90 seconds back.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;d catch Luckets,&rdquo; he told 1976 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Brendan Foster in an emotional post-race interview with BBC television.
&ldquo;I thought I was running for second. At 38km I was told that Luckets had a 50-second lead. Then I got to 39km and I was told he had a 40-second lead.
&ldquo;I said, &lsquo;Yes! Yes!&rsquo; I made up 40 seconds in one kilometre. I&rsquo;m going to catch him.
&ldquo;And then I caught him at 41.5km. I felt sorry doing that because he made the race. He was so gutsy and so brave.
&ldquo;Unfortunately there&rsquo;s only one winner but, hey, I&rsquo;m glad it&rsquo;s me.&rdquo;
Plaatjes crossed the line in the Gottleib-Daimler Stadium in 2:13:57 &ndash; 14 seconds ahead of the spent Swartbooi.
&ldquo;Until this year, I thought I&rsquo;d remain in limbo all my life,&rdquo; Plaatjes told Foster.
&ldquo;Last year I was completely devastated that they decided I couldn&rsquo;t run the Olympics. I was just emotionally drained after 12 years of fighting.
&ldquo;And then, after running in Boston, I had a goal. I had a goal in mind. All of a sudden, I was on the team and I had a focus.
&ldquo;When I was out there today, every time anyone made a move I was like, &lsquo;Work your ass off. You&rsquo;ve waited 12 years for this. Don&rsquo;t let it go! Don&rsquo;t let it go!&rsquo; I just kept hanging on.&rdquo;
Foster asked if a little bit of his victory was for South Africa. &ldquo;Absolutely,&rdquo; Plaatjes replied. &ldquo;This means so much to the US, but in the back of my mind there was a little bit of something that I was doing for South Africa too.&rdquo;
<h2>&lsquo;Running gave me everything I have in life&rsquo;</h2>
The 1993 marathon world champion turned 60 in June last year.
He still lives happily in Boulder with his wife and family. In 2018 he opened Motion Running, a store that offers much more than shoes and kit &ndash; physical therapy, training, inspiration, support &ndash; at the heart of what Plaatjes calls &ldquo;one of the world&rsquo;s most special running communities&rdquo;.
And yet, after 35 years in the United States, he has never forgotten his South African roots.
&ldquo;Running gave me everything I have in life,&rdquo; Plaatjes told Stephen Granger in an interview in The Cape Times on a trip back to his homeland. &ldquo;In the early days in Johannesburg, the money we could earn in road races each week made all the difference.
&ldquo;It paid for the deposit on my house, my education [as a medical student at Witswatersrand University in Johannesburg] and my subsequent opportunities in life.
&ldquo;Running also got me my wife! Shirley had seen me on my training route, running with the dogs, and one day she stopped me to ask where I was running to. We chatted a bit and the rest is history.
&ldquo;Road running in South Africa was on a high in the 1980s &ndash; probably the glory days, in spite of the international isolation. Every week I was racing against the likes of Matthews Temane, Gibeon Moshaba and Ernest Seleke.
&ldquo;We had the extra incentive of showing we were as good as the athletes in the rest of the world. We could not race against them but we could record world-class times and make comparisons.&rdquo;
Like on 4 May1985, when Plaatjes became the first South African marathon man to break 2:09.
It would have put him 12th on the world all-time list &ndash; just 53 seconds behind Steve Jones&rsquo; 2:08:05 that had stood as the world record until Carlos Lopes&rsquo; 2:07:12 run in Rotterdam just the month before.
Even now, 37 years on, Plaaatjes&rsquo; 2:08:58 stands 10th on the South African all-time list. None of his native compatriots have run faster in the past six years.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage

Back in 1985, Plaatjes’ performances were not welcomed in the wider athletics world

Plaatjes – indomitable spirit, exceptional talent

Ruth Chepngetich will defend her marathon title at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 in July.
The 27-year-old leads the four-strong women&rsquo;s team for Oregon, while Geoffrey Kamworor will contest his first major championship marathon as part of the men&rsquo;s squad.
As Chepngetich gets a wild card entry by virtue of being the defending champion, Kenya will be represented by seven athletes in the marathon events.
Chepngetich claimed the first gold medal of the World Championships in Doha in 2019, clocking 2:32:43 to gain her first major gold. She went on to win the Bank of America Chicago Marathon last October and then was just 10 seconds off her PB when winning the Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:17:18 last month &ndash; the second-fastest ever women-only marathon.
In Oregon she will be joined by Maureen Jepkemoi, Judith Jeptum and Angela Tanui. Jeptum set a French all-comers&rsquo; record of 2:19:48 to win the Paris Marathon on Sunday, while Tanui won the 2021 TCS Amsterdam Marathon in 2:17:57.
After world medal wins in track, cross country and half marathon events, Kamworor will look to add further success to a marathon CV that so far includes two wins in New York and a PB of 2:05:23 set in Valencia in December.
Lining up alongside the three-time world half marathon champion and two-time world senior cross country winner in Oregon will be Olympic marathon fourth-place finisher Lawrence Cherono and Barnabas Kiptum, with Geoffrey Kirui named as a reserve.
<h2>Kenyan marathon team for Oregon</h2>
Women: Ruth Chepngetich, Maureen Jepkemoi, Judith Jeptum, Angela Tanui Men: Lawrence Cherono, Geoffrey Kamworor, Barnabas Kiptum, Geoffrey Kirui (reserve)

World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022

Ruth Chepngetich will defend her marathon title at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 in July.

Chepngetich and Kamworor lead Kenya's marathon team for Oregon

The six athletes who will represent Japan in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 were named by the national governing body on Tuesday (29).
National record-holder Kengo Suzuki will be joined by Gaku Hoshi and Yusuke Nishiyama in the men&rsquo;s squad for the global event, which takes place on 15-24 July, while the women&rsquo;s team features Mao Ichiyama, Mizuki Matsuda and Hitomi Niiya.
Suzuki ran 2:04:56 to break the Japanese record at the Lake Biwa Marathon last year and finished fourth at this year&rsquo;s Tokyo Marathon in 2:05:28. Hoshi won this year&rsquo;s Osaka Marathon on his debut in 2:07:31 and Nishiyama won the Beppu-Oita Marathon, also when making his debut, clocking 2:07:47.
Ichiyama, whose PB of 2:20:29 from 2020 is the women-only national record, won the 2021 Osaka Women's Marathon and then finished eighth at the Olympic Games before a sixth-place finish in Tokyo earlier this month. Matsuda won this year&rsquo;s Osaka Women's Marathon in a PB of 2:20:52, while Niiya ran 2:21:17 to place seventh in Tokyo.
&nbsp;
<h3>Japanese marathon team for Oregon</h3>
Women Mao Ichiyama, Mizuki Matsuda, Hitomi Niiya
Men Gaku Hoshi, Yusuke Nishiyama, Kengo Suzuki

Olympic marathon runner Mao Ichiyama and national record-holder Kengo Suzuki are among those in the squad.

Japan names marathon team for World Athletics Championships Oregon22

Kenya&rsquo;s Ruth Chepngetich rallied to record the second-fastest ever women-only marathon at the Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon on Sunday (13), clocking 2:17:18 to win the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race.
The world marathon champion ran a negative split &ndash; covering the first half in 1:09:03 and the second in 1:08:15 &ndash; to triumph ahead of Israel&rsquo;s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter and claim the current largest first-place prize money in marathon running: US$250,000.
Chepngetich had been targeting her own PB of 2:17:08, run in a mixed race in Dubai in 2019, and achieving that would have taken her very close to her compatriot Mary Keitany&rsquo;s women-only marathon world record of 2:17:01 set in London in 2017. When she ran solo through half way in 1:09:03 and passed 30km in 1:38:14, it looked like that target might be out of reach. Salpeter had also caught her by that point, but that only spurred Chepngetich on.
Digging deep, Chepngetich recorded 16:03 for the next 5km to re-establish her dominance and another 5km split of 16:05 put her well clear of her rivals by 40km, which she passed in 2:10:22. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see no threat but continued to push hard to the finish line, crossing it just 10 seconds outside her PB, in 2:17:18, to win by almost a minute and a half. As well as being the&nbsp;second-quickest women-only marathon in history behind&nbsp;Keitany&rsquo;s record, it is also&nbsp;the second-fastest ever women's marathon on Japanese soil.
The 2020 Tokyo Marathon winner Salpeter secured second place in 2:18:45, exactly a minute off her national record run in Japan&rsquo;s capital city, to record &ndash; like Chepngetich &ndash; the second-fastest marathon time of her career. Japan&rsquo;s Yuka Ando was third in 2:22:22 and her compatriots Ai Hosoda and Yuka Suzuki were next to finish, running 2:24:26 and a debut 2:25:02 respectively to finish fourth and fifth.
"I wanted to run a new course record and ran comfortably,"&nbsp;Chepngetich said. "When Lonah arrived, I decided to push myself because I prepared to win at this race."
Running with the pacemakers, Chepngetich had formed part of the lead group that passed 5km in 16:34, joined by Ando, Salpeter and Hosoda. Keen to pick things up, Chepngetich moved ahead a short while later and was running alone through 10km, which she passed in 32:43, 25 seconds ahead of the chase trio. She had increased that advantage to 45 seconds by 15km.
Salpeter and Ando had left Hosoda behind by the half way point, which they passed in 1:09:47, but then Salpeter kicked. Running 15:59 for the 5km split between 20km and 25km, Salpeter closed the gap and was just four seconds behind leader Chepngetich at 30km - 1:38:14 to 1:38:18.
Chepngetich wasn&rsquo;t done, though, and pushed up the incline to move away from her rival. Running 16:03 between 30km and 35km, the Kenyan had regained a nine second advantage by 35km and only continued to pull away. She was 55 seconds ahead at 40km and increased that to 1:27 by the finish.
Salpeter also ran a negative split of 1:08:58 compared to her first half of 1:09:47 to finish inside the previous event record. The top eight &ndash; completed by Australia&rsquo;s Eloise Wellings (2:25:10 PB), Japan&rsquo;s Ikumi Fukura (2:25:15) and Kotona Ota (2:25:56) &ndash; all broke 2:26:00, while a total of 15 athletes went sub-2:30:00.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Leading results</h2>
1&nbsp;Ruth Chepngetich (KEN)&nbsp;2:17:18 2&nbsp;Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR)&nbsp;2:18:45 3&nbsp;Yuka Ando (JPN) 2:22:22 4 Ai Hosoda (JPN) 2:24:26 5 Yuka Suzuki (JPN) 2:25:02 6&nbsp;Eloise Wellings (AUS) 2:25:10 7&nbsp;Ikumi Fukura (JPN) 2:25:15 8 Kotona Ota (JPN) 2:25:56 9&nbsp;Kanako Takemoto (JPN) 2:26:23 10 Chiharu Ikeda (JPN) 2:26:50

With her time, Ruth Chepngetich recorded the second-fastest ever women-only marathon.

Chepngetich runs 2:17:18 to win Nagoya Women's Marathon

World marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich and Tokyo Marathon winner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter will renew their rivalry at the Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon &ndash; a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race &ndash; on Sunday (13).
Athletes in Nagoya will be racing for the largest first prize in the world of marathon running: US$250,000. Being the world&rsquo;s largest women&rsquo;s marathon, one of the world&rsquo;s top-level races, and the only women&rsquo;s race with a World Athletics Platinum Label, the Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon continues to be a global leader in women&rsquo;s running.
To date, Chepngetich has won five of the seven marathons she has completed, and still made it on to the podium in her other two. The consistent Kenyan had her best year in 2019, starting with her 2:17:08 PB in Dubai in January, then following it eight months later by winning the world title in Doha.
Like many athletes, she had a low-key year in 2020 but still finished third at the London Marathon in 2:22:05. Last year she failed to finish the Olympic marathon but rebounded two months later by taking victory in Chicago in 2:22:31.
While the 27-year-old appears to be more focused on victories than records, she is more than capable of producing fast times, too. In April last year she set a world half marathon record of 1:04:02 in Istanbul.
"I chose to run the Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon because Japan is a nice place and the environment is good," said Chepngetich. "And, as women, we have to encourage ourselves and do better. I'm looking forward to a nice race and I'd like to set a PB."
Chepngetich&rsquo;s only competitive outing so far this year was at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships in Eldoret in January where she finished sixth &ndash; roughly in line with her performances at that event in previous years. She feels far more at ease racing on the roads, though.
So too does Salpeter. The Israeli distance runner won the 2020 Tokyo Marathon in a lifetime best of 2:17:45, having previously set national records when winning in Prague and Florence. Her return to Japan for the Olympics in 2021 didn&rsquo;t quite go to plan as she finished down in 66th, but she bounced back in October to place fifth in London in 2:18:54.
"I&rsquo;m happy to be here," said Salpeter. "It's my first time and I hope to do my best on Sunday. My training has been good. I was in Kenya for eight weeks, so I&rsquo;m ready for Sunday. I&rsquo;m trusting my training."
This could be the first time Chepngetich and Salpeter have a true clash over the marathon distance. In their two previous encounters over the distance, Salpeter failed to finish at the 2019 World Championships while Chepngetich did likewise at the Tokyo Olympics. Their only other duel to date was at the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia, where Salpeter finished just one place ahead of Chepngetich.
Four years on from that, and over double the distance, this weekend&rsquo;s race could be a different story.
They are among four sub-2:24 athletes entered for the event, as Japan&rsquo;s Yuka Ando and Reia Iwade lead a strong Japanese contingent.
Ando ran her PB of 2:21:36 when finishing second in Nagoya in 2017 and started this year with a half marathon personal best of 1:08:13 in Yamaguchi, while Iwade ran her best marathon time of 2:23:52 in Nagoya in 2019.
Australia&rsquo;s Sinead Diver will be making her third Nagoya appearance. She finished 10th in 2017 with a then PB of 2:31:37, then recorded a DNF in 2020. Now with a best of 2:24:11 and a 10th-place finish at last year&rsquo;s Olympics, the 45-year-old could content for a top-five finish.
Japan&rsquo;s Rie Kawauchi and marathon debutantes Kaena Takeyama and Yuka Suzuki are also athletes to look out for. Depending on their placing and position, the top Japanese finishers could earn selection for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 or Japan&rsquo;s Olympic Trials race for the 2024 Games.
Kenya&rsquo;s Stellah Barsosio, Japan&rsquo;s Mao Uesugi and Britain&rsquo;s Charlotte Purdue will be among the pace-making team.
Last year&rsquo;s edition of the Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon was held as a domestic race, and was won by Japan&rsquo;s Mizuki Matsuda in 2:21:51.
Ten years on since the inaugural edition of the race in 2012, the Nagoya Women's Marathon continues to be the leading women-only marathon in the world. It attracted 21,915 runners in 2018 - a world record for a women-only marathon. After receiving the Japan Olympic Committee Women and Sport Award in 2017, the race was awarded the International Olympic Committee Women and Sport Achievement Diploma in 2019 for playing a significant role in the increase of women runner population in Japan.
The race, which starts at 9:10am local time on Sunday, <a href="https://womens-marathon.nagoya/en/broadcast.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will be streamed live to 33 countries and regions</a> (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, and United States of America).
&nbsp;
<h3>Elite field</h3>
Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:17:45 Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR) 2:17:45 Yuka Ando (JPN) 2:21:36 Reia Iwade (JPN) 2:23:52 Sinead Diver (AUS) 2:24:11 Rie Kawauchi (JPN) 2:25:35 Hanae Tanaka (JPN) 2:26:19 Mirai Waku (JPN) 2:26:30 Ayano Ikemitsu (JPN) 2:26:07 Ai Hosoda (JPN) 2:26:34 Chiharu Ikeda (JPN) 2:27:39 Eloise Wellings (AUS) 2:29:19
<a href="https://womens-marathon.nagoya/en/news/20220216-1430/pdf/eliteathletes_en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full list of entered athletes</a>

Largest first prize in the world of marathon running is on the line

Chepngetich and Salpeter ready to clash at Nagoya Women’s Marathon

Alemu Megertu and Asrar Abderehman secured an Ethiopian double at the Zurich Marat&oacute;n de Sevilla, a World Athletics Elite Label road race, on Sunday (20) with huge world-leading PBs of 2:18:51 and 2:04:43 respectively.
Both men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s races had strong depth as seven men finished inside 2:07 with the 13th finisher clocking 2:08:30, while nine women went sub-2:26, confirming the course is conducive to fast times.
Perfectly paced by Hassan Aouchar, the women's contest opened at a brisk pace with opening splits of 16:13 (5km) and 32:44 (10km), suggesing a finishing time well inside 2:20, which would smash the course record of 2:23:13. By then the leading quintet was formed by Ethiopians Megertu, the fastest entrant thanks to a 2:21:10 PB, Meseret Gola, runner-up at last November's Barcelona Marathon in a PB of 2:24:09, Kalayu Chekole, Chimdesa Kumsa and Alema Gebremedhin. Behind them, Britain's Jess Piasecki, eager to improve on her marathon best after smashing her half marathon PB with 1:07:20 last month, passed through 10km in 33:24.
Megertu and her compatriots went through halfway in 1:09:25, more than a minute ahead of Piasecki. But Kumsa, then Gebremedhin and finally Chekole lost ground from the heading duo and the race became a two-woman battle between Megertu and Gola, both still following the pacemaker.
The key movement came at 35km when Gola simply could not live with the steady 3:17 pace and began to lose contact. Megertu, meanwhile, metronomically maintained her cadence and reached the finish line in a massive career best of 2:18:51, having ran halves of 1:09:25 and 1:09:26.
Runner-up Gola also set a massive PB of 2:20.50 while Chekole completed an Ethiopian sweep of the podium with a lifetime best of 2:21:17. Kumsa held on for fourth place (2:22:13), while Piasecki overtook Gebremedhin just before 40km and finished fifth in 2:22:27, becoming the second-fastest Briton in history behind former world record-holder Paula Radcliffe.
&nbsp;
<h2>Abderehman prevails over debutant Mamo</h2>
The men's pacemakers, Enock Onchari and Wilfred Kimeli, were asked to maintain a 2:57/km tempo in the hunt for a race record (2:04:46) but they covered the opening 5km in 14:54, a bit slower than expected, closely followed by the main favourites which included Eritrea's 2015 world champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, his compatriot Awet Habte and a large Ethiopian contingent led by Abderehman, Adugna Takele and debutante Adeladlew Mamo among others.
The pace heated up over the following kilometres and the leading group reached 10km in 29:39, 15km in 44:22 and the half-way point in 1:02:31, still eight seconds outside the required pace to break the record. By then, 12 men remained in the heading pack. Way back, Spain's 40-year-old Ayad Lamdassem, who finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, was in the chasing group, timed at 1:03:16 by halfway.
The steady pace progressively whittled down the main group and by the time the pacemakers dropped out at 30km, the Ethiopian pair of Abderehman and Mamo took command and opened a sizeable gap on the rest. The leaders took turns at the helm but it was Mamo who made most of the pacing duties with his fellow Ethiopian running alongside.
By 35km the lead duo was timed at 1:43:17 with Ghebreslassie and Takele 27 seconds in arrears. A 35-40km split of 15:26 seemed to ruin the chances of a course record but Abderehman unleashed a devastating kick with some 1200m to go and built a sizeable margin over Mamo to secure the win in 2:04:43, a course record by three seconds and an improvement of more than three minutes on his previous best.
Runner-up Mamo produced a promising 2:05:12 debut, while Ghebreslassie got rid of Takele in the closing stages to complete a classy podium in 2:05:34, a massive PB for the 26-year-old Eritrean. Debutant Habte finished fifth in 2:06.25.
Running negative splits (1:03:17/1:03:08) Lamdassem placed sixth to improve his own national record by 10 seconds (2:06:25). Likewise, Israel&rsquo;s Maru Teferi dipped under 2:07 for the first time to improve on his national record, while compatriot Tachlowini Gabriyesos, a member of the Athlete Refugee Team at the Tokyo Olympics, clocked a PB of 2:10:09.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Alemu Megertu (ETH) 2:18:51 2 Meseret Gola (ETH) 2:20:50 3 Kalayu Chekole (ETH) 2:21:17 4 Chindesa Kumsa (ETH) 2:22:13 5 Jess Piasecki (GBR) 2:22:27 6 Alema Gebremedhin (ETH) 2:22:28 7 Adawork Aberta (ETH) 2:23:39 8 Majida Maayouf (MOR) 2:24:09 9 Gladys Puchuaranga (PER) 2:25:57 10 Citlali Moscote (MEX) 2:26:13
Men 1 Asrar Abderehman (ETH) 2:04:43 2 Adeladlew Mamo (ETH) 2:05:12 3 Ghirmay Ghebrelassie (ERI) 2:05:34 4 Adugna Takele (ETH) 2:05:52 5 Awet Habte (ERI) 2:06:25 6 Ayad Lamdassem (ESP) 2:06:25 7 Maru Teferi (ISR) 2:06:58 8 Abdi Gelchu (ETH) 2:07:15 9 Amare Girmaw (ETH) 2:07:35 10 Haimro Alema (ETH) 2:08:15

Alemu Megertu and Asrar Abderehman clock huge PBs of 2:18:51 and 2:04:43 respectively

Megertu and Abderehman break course records in Seville

Mizuki Matsuda broke the race record at the Osaka Women&rsquo;s Marathon on Sunday (30), improving her PB to 2:20:52 to win the World Athletics Elite Label event.
Her time beats the 2:21:11 event record which had been set by Mao Ichiyama last year and moves her to fifth on the Japanese all-time list. It is also the second-fastest time by a Japanese athlete in Japan, behind Ichiyama&rsquo;s 2:20:29 set in Nagoya in 2020.
Matsuda was followed over the finish line by Mao Uesugi, Natsumi Matsushita and Mizuki Tanimoto, as the top four all dipped under 2:24.
Before the race, Matsuda had explained how her goal was to win the race with a performance that would help her to secure a spot on the team for the World Athletics Championships in Oregon later this year. After winning in Osaka in 2020 with 2:21:47, Matsuda had later missed out on a place at the Tokyo Olympics when Ichiyama ran faster in Nagoya.
&ldquo;I could not attain my goal today,&rdquo; she said after the race, with beating Ichiyama&rsquo;s 2:20:29 a likely aim. &ldquo;I am happy that my hard training paid off well.
&ldquo;I think the result was good because I ran aggressively from the start. I just hope that I will be selected for the World Championships team. During the race, I was imagining myself running in Eugene, thinking: &lsquo;How would the world-class runner run at this stage of the race?&rsquo;&rdquo;
Despite the pandemic, the event in Osaka was able to go ahead as planned, under good conditions with little of the expected wind.
Matsuda and Uesugi had run together behind the three male pacemakers until just after 25km, passing 10km in 33:02 and half way in 1:09:57 &ndash; a half marathon PB for Uesugi.
At 25km the clock read 1:22:47, but Uesugi started to drift back a short while later and by 30km &ndash; passed in 1:39:15 &ndash; Matsuda had built a 31-second lead.
She went through 35km in 1:56:04 and 40km in 2:13:23, with the pacemakers leaving the race as they entered Nagai Stadium park at around 41km.
Matsuda went on to cross the finish line in 2:20:52 to achieve her third Osaka Women&rsquo;s Marathon win after her victories in 2018 and 2020, maintaining her unbeaten record in the event.
Although Uesugi&rsquo;s pace began to slow as she was dropped, she held on to run a big PB of 2:22:29, while Matsushita was third in 2:23:05 and Tanimoto fourth in 2:23:11. Yukari Abe was fifth in 2:24:02 as the top five all set PBs, with Sayaka Sato sixth in 2:24:47. The top six all qualified for the Marathon Grand Championship, the 2024 Olympic trial race.
With thanks to Ken Nakamura 
<h3>Leading results (all athletes JPN)</h3>
Conditions: temperature 8.2C, 47% humidity at the start with very little wind
1 Mizuki Matsuda 2:20:52 2 Mao Uesugi 2:22:29 3 Natsumi Matsushita 2:23:05 4 Mizuki Tanimoto 2:23:11 5 Yukari Abe 2:24:02 6 Sayaka Sato 2:24:47&nbsp;
Intermediate times: 5km - 16:28 10km - 33:02 (16:34) 15km - 49:42 (16:40) 20km - 1:06:20 (16:38) Half - 1:09:57&nbsp; 25km - 1:22:47&nbsp; (16:27) 30km - 1:39:15 (16:28)&nbsp; 35km - 1:56:04&nbsp; (16:49) 40km - 2:13:23 (17:19) Finish - 2:20:52

Mizuki Matsuda broke the race record at the Osaka Women’s Marathon on Sunday (30), improving her PB to 2:20:52 to win the World Athletics Elite Label event.

Matsuda runs 2:20:52 to break Osaka Women's Marathon record

Keira D'Amato broke the long-standing US women&rsquo;s marathon record, while Kenya&rsquo;s Vicoty Chepngeno set a North American all-comers&rsquo;&nbsp;half marathon record to move to 11th on the world all-time list and Sara Hall broke the US half marathon record on a busy morning of road race action in Houston on Sunday (16).
At the 50th Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon &ndash; both World Athletics Elite Label events &ndash; D'Amato became the first US woman to win the Houston Marathon since 2005 and she did so in a national record time of 2:19:12. That followed the record-breaking performances achieved by Chepngeno and Hall in the half marathon, as they clocked respective times of 1:05:03 and 1:07:15.
On a cold and sunny day, the men&rsquo;s races were won by Kenya&rsquo;s James Ngandu, who ran 2:11:03 to claim victory on his marathon debut, and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Milkesa Mengesha, who took the half marathon title in 1:00:24. 
<h2>D'Amato dominates</h2>
Speaking after her record run, D'Amato described her running career as having been &ldquo;very unique&rdquo; but her journey over the past couple of decades has led to some remarkable results.
The 37-year-old stepped away from the sport for seven years between 2009 and 2016 and returned as a &ldquo;hobby jogger&rdquo; but went on to set a marathon PB of 2:22:56 and a North American 10-mile record of 51:23 in 2020 before a fourth-place finish in last year&rsquo;s Chicago Marathon and a half marathon PB of 1:07:55 last month. Now she&rsquo;s also the fastest US women's marathon runner in history.
D'Amato always had Deena Kastor&rsquo;s US marathon record of 2:19:36, set in London in 2006, in her sights, and she went out with her two pacemakers on schedule to break it. She went through 5km in 16:25, joined by Ethiopia&rsquo;s three-time Houston Marathon winner Biruktayit Eshetu Degefa, and they remained close through 10km in 32:45 and 15km in 49:14.
Degefa was unable to maintain that speed, however, and was 20 seconds behind D'Amato at half way, when the clock read 1:09:40 as she remained on US record pace.&nbsp;D'Amato&nbsp;slowed a little and reached 30km in 1:39:14 but, running with pacemaker Calum Neff, she managed to pick back up again and eventually crossed the finish line in 2:19:12 for a huge victory, winning by almost 10 minutes ahead of Great Britain&rsquo;s Alice Wright and the USA&rsquo;s Maggie Montoya, who both recorded the same time on their marathon debuts, Wright getting the nod in 2:29:08.
The USA&rsquo;s Roberta Groner was fourth in 2:32:02 and Ethiopia&rsquo;s two-time Chicago Marathon winner Atsede Baysa fifth in 2:32:38.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m going to be able to find the right words to describe what I&rsquo;m feeling right now, but I&rsquo;ll try!&rdquo; said D'Amato after the race. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a very unique running career and my running has evolved throughout my life. I have experienced high school running and college running, I tried post-collegiate running a little bit and got injured. Then I quit running for a while and came in as a hobby jogger, a recreational runner, and somehow I got this second opportunity. It had been wild. I just can&rsquo;t believe I&rsquo;m sitting here as the American record-holder in the marathon.&rdquo;
Asked what she thought might be possible ahead of the race, she added: &ldquo;Anything is possible. With the pacers, we went out at American record pace and I really believed in my heart and in my legs, in my soul and in my brain, that I was capable of breaking the American record today. It never really felt that good, but I just tried to hang in there.&rdquo;
In the men&rsquo;s marathon, Ngandu progressed from his ninth and 18th-place finishes in the half marathon in Houston to win the marathon on his debut at the distance.
He later admitted that being part of a large group until the closing stages had made him nervous, but he stuck to his plan of kicking over the final kilometre and it paid off.
Ngandu, who previously ran for Tiffin University in Ohio, was part of an eight-strong group, led by the USA&rsquo;s Frank Lara, that went through half way in 1:05:29, and that pack remained through 30km in 1:33:57.
He made a move after 41km and crossed the finish line in 2:11:03 to win by seven seconds ahead of Bahrain&rsquo;s Abdi Abdo. Kenya&rsquo;s Elisha Barno claimed third place in 2:11:16, with Japan&rsquo;s Kenta Uchida two seconds back and Ethiopia&rsquo;s defending champion Kelkile Gezahegn a further second behind in fifth. Lara went on to secure sixth in 2:11:32.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m surprised,&rdquo; said Ngandu. &ldquo;The marathon is not an easy journey but I&rsquo;ve been training for 12 weeks and I didn&rsquo;t know that I was going to win.
&ldquo;It was tough to make a decision (to break away during the race) because I think there was seven of us together and I didn&rsquo;t want to make a move and my body fail on me, so I waited until the last kilometre or so.&rdquo; 
<h2>All-comers&rsquo; record for Chepngeno as Hall also makes history</h2>
Like&nbsp;D'Amato in the marathon, Chepngeno also had the race of her life to win the women&rsquo;s half marathon. Less than two months after running 1:07:22 in Philadelphia, the 28-year-old improved to 1:05:03 for the fastest ever women&rsquo;s half marathon recorded on&nbsp;North American&nbsp;soil, moving her to 11th on the world all-time list.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61e465757f09f5220823b617.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
With her performance she improves on the previous North American all-comers&rsquo;&nbsp;half marathon record of 1:05:50 set by marathon world record-holder Brigid Kosgei on the same course in 2019.
A couple of minutes behind her, Hall also made history as she took 10 seconds off the US record of 1:07:25 which had been set by Molly Huddle on the same course in 2018.
Leading from start to finish, Chepngeno was half a minute ahead of her closest challenger, Caren Maiyo, by the 5km mark, which she crossed in 15:15. Hall was 48 seconds back, running as part of a five-strong group plus pacemakers. Chepngeno had increased her lead to 1:21 by 10km, as she clocked 30:32, and the gap grew to 1:46 by the 15km point, which she crossed in 46:04. At that stage three women were on US record pace, with Hall joined by Fiona O&rsquo;Keeffe and Emily Durgin, plus South Africa&rsquo;s Dominique Scott, all on 1:07:18 pace.
Chepngeno&rsquo;s advantage grew to two minutes over the next 5km, as she passed 20km in 1:01:45, with Hall having broken away in second to record 1:03:52 at that point. Both athletes held on to make history, with Chepngeno running her all-comers&rsquo; record of 1:05:30 and Hall breaking the US record with 1:07:15. With her record run, Hall matched the feat achieved by her husband, Ryan Hall, who set the US men&rsquo;s half marathon record of 59:43 on the same course in 2007.
Scott finished third, improving her PB to 1:07:32, while O&rsquo;Keeffe finished fourth on her half marathon debut, running 1:07:42. Another debutante, Great Britain&rsquo;s Jess Judd, finished fifth in 1:07:52, meaning she now has PBs ranging from sub-2:00 in the 800m to sub-68 minutes in the half marathon.
&ldquo;I am so happy about this race,&rdquo; said Chepngeno, who was making her Houston Half Marathon debut and has now won 11 of her past 12 half marathons. &ldquo;I went with the pace and I felt good because I wanted to run my best time, so I said let me follow the men to push me to run a good time.&rdquo;
Hall, the 2020 London Marathon runner-up and 2021 Chicago Marathon third-place finisher, said: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s incredible. I&rsquo;m emotional right now because it&rsquo;s something I have dreamed about doing.
&ldquo;I thought it would be really special to do it today, with it being 15 years since Ryan set the record here,&rdquo; added the 38-year-old. &ldquo;That day changed our lives forever. It launched his career and our lives were never the same after that day. Fifteen years later, to be able to do that, it also shows the story of our careers. For him, he just knocked it out of the park from the beginning, and then for me, it has taken 15 years of grinding and persevering to get to this point."
While Chepngeno and Hall both have much half marathon experience, the men&rsquo;s race was won by a relative newcomer, with Mengesha claiming victory in his third half marathon. The 21-year-old, who won the 2019 world U20 cross country title and was 10th in the Olympic 5000m final, moved away from Kenya&rsquo;s John Korir in the closing stages to triumph in 1:00:24, despite struggling with the cold conditions.
A large group went through 10km in 29:04 and 15km in 43:19 before Mengesha and Korir started to break away. They passed the 20km mark in 57:28 and Mengesha went on to gain a two-second advantage to win in 1:00:24, with Wilfred Kimitei finishing third behind his compatriot Korir in 1:00:44. Making his half marathon debut, the USA&rsquo;s Kirubel Erassa finished fourth in the same time. He later said he had been targeting Hall&rsquo;s US record but was pleased with his performance, having had Covid-19 two weeks earlier.
Kenya&rsquo;s Shadrack Kimining Korir, who was third in 2020, this time placed fifth in 1:00:53.
&ldquo;It was bitingly cold at the beginning and actually I thought that I would not be able to win,&rdquo; said Mengesha. &ldquo;However, things started getting warmer and more than the weather, the support that we had from the fans was overwhelming, and that&rsquo;s what gave me the energy and push to emerge victorious.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Keira D'Amato broke the long-standing US women’s marathon record, while Kenya’s Vicoty Chepngeno set a North American all-comers’ half marathon record to move to 11th on the world all-time list and Sara Hall broke the US half marathon record on a busy morning of road race action in Houston on Sunday (16).

D'Amato and Chepngeno impress as records fall in Houston

Organisers of the Boston Marathon have revealed their fastest ever men&rsquo;s field for the 126th edition of the World Athletics Platinum Elite Label road race on 18 April.
It features 12 men with lifetime bests faster than 2:06, led by three-time Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, the second fastest marathon runner in history with a best of 2:01:41.
&ldquo;I recognise the tradition of the Boston Marathon and look forward to racing in April,&rdquo; said Bekele. &ldquo;For many years Ethiopia has had a strong tradition in Boston, and I am excited to join that legacy. I have long looked forward to racing the Boston Marathon.&rdquo;
Seven of the past eight winners will also return to Boston, including 2021 champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya. Lawrence Cherono (2019), Yuki Kawauchi (2018), Geoffrey Kirui (2017), Lemi Berhanu (2016), and Lelisa Desisa (2015 and 2013) are the other six former winners.
&ldquo;Being back in Boston as a champion is very exciting, but at the same time I feel the pressure and the responsibility to defend my title,&rdquo; said Kipruto. &ldquo;I really admire those athletes that managed to be multiple champions in big races. I really want to do my best to be one of them and I really hope to make my name among those Boston champions that people will remember for a long time.&rdquo;
Other strong contenders include Titus Ekiru, the fastest marathon runner in the world last year having run 2:02:57 in Milan, 2020 world leader Evans Chebet, New York City Marathon winner Albert Korir, and three-time world half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor.
Organisers for World Athletics
<h2>Men&rsquo;s elite field</h2>
Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 2:01:41 Titus Ekiru (KEN) 2:02:57 Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:03:00 Lawrence Cherono (KEN) 2:03:04 Bernard Koech (KEN) 2:04:09 Lemi Berhanu (ETH) 2:04:33 Lelisa Desisa (ETH) 2:04:45 Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:04:55 Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:05:13 Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) 2:05:23 Eric Kiptanui (KEN) 2:05:47 Bethwell Yegon (KEN) 2:06:14 Geoffrey Kirui (KEN) 2:06:27 Eyob Faniel (ITA) 2:07:19 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:07:27 Albert Korir (KEN) 2:08:03 Amanuel Mesel (ERI) 2:08:17 Bayelign Teshager (ETH) 2:08:28 Tsegay Tuemay Weldibanos (ERI) 2:09:07 Scott Fauble (USA) 2:09:09 Colin Bennie (USA) 2:09:38 Trevor Hofbauer (CAN) 2:09:51 Jared Ward (USA) 2:09:25 Ian Butler (USA) 2:09:45 Mick Iacofano (USA) 2:09:55 Jake Riley (USA) 2:10:02 Jerrell Mock (USA) 2:10:37 Jemal Yimer (ETH) 2:10:38 Juan Luis Barrios (MEX) 2:10:55 Matt McDonald (USA) 2:11:10 Matt Llano (USA) 2:11:14 Elkanah Kibet (USA) 2:11:15 CJ Albertson (USA) 2:11:18 Diego Estrada (USA) 2:11:54

Led by Kenenisa Bekele, the elite field features 12 men with lifetime bests faster than 2:06