Kitwara and Cheruiyot return to defend San Juan titles - World’s Best 10K Preview

San Juan, Puerto Rico - Sammy Kitwara and Vivian Cheruiyot will race across the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge Sunday (28) evening to defend their titles in The World’s Best 10K in San Juan.

The World’s Best 10K is an IAAF Gold Label Event.

Kitwara to tangle with in-form Kipruto and Kipsang

Kitwara was last year’s road race revelation. First, he handed Haile Gebreslassie a rare defeat at the City-Pier-City Half Marathon. Then, he won the World’s Best 10K and the Peachtree road races. At World’s Best, which has featured such runners as Khalid Khannouchi and Paul Tergat, he ran faster than anyone has before, setting a course record of 27:26.

So far this year Kitwara has been in good form. He was second to Tilahum Regassa at the Zayed International Half Marathon in Abu Dhabi, finishing in 59:34. He was also second to Joel Kimurer at the Discovery Kenya Cross Country Championships.

Yet Kitwara will have his hands full in San Juan. Silas Kipruto, second in 2008 and 2009 returns, as does Wilson Kipsang, who was third last year in San Juan and finished third at the Discovery Kenya Cross Country Championships, just five seconds back of Kitwara. Ethiopia Deriba Merga, the 2008 champ, returns. He is the 2009 Boston Marathon champion and fourth place finisher at the Olympic Marathon in 2008. Merga dropped out of the Ras Al Khaimah last week for unspecified reasons but he is always dangerous.

But perhaps the strongest challenge could come from American Dathan Ritzenhein, who is running in San Juan for the first time. Ritzenhein took a bronze medal at last year’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, and should be ready to run the roads in San Juan. He also has plenty of leg speed, clocking a 12:56 for 5000m last fall. Earlier this month Ritzenhein was a convincing winner at the U.S. cross country championships.

As Cheruiyot, Masai and Keitany square off, can Abeylegesse again play spoiler?  – women’s race

Cheruiyot is the woman who dethroned Lornah Kiplagat last year after Kiplagat had virtually put her name on the race. Cheruiyot won last year in 31:12, a PB, and went on to take gold in the World Championships 5000m. Last weekend she was a very close second to Tirunesh Dibaba over two miles in Birmingham at the Aviva Grand Prix, clocking 9:12.35, an indication that there is a lot of speed in her legs at this time.

Cheruiyot will be strongly challenged by a deep field that includes Berlin 10,000m gold medallist Linet Masai, who was also fourth in the 2008 Olympic 10,000 and last week won the Kenyan World championships cross country trials; Mary Keitany, gold medalist at the 2009 World Half Marathon Championships; and Dire Tune, the 2008 Boston Marathon champ who was third last year and has placed fifth at the RAK Half Marathon and third at the Zayed International Half Marathon earlier this year.

Another interesting challenger is Turkey’s Elvan Abeylegesse, the Olympic silver medalist at 5000m and 10,000m. Abeylegesse has broken 30 minutes in the track and last week she ran the fastest debut half marathon (1:07:07) at RAK.

Come Sunday evening, it could be Abeylegesse’s strength versus Cheruiyot’s speed. 

Kisri versus Sato?- Tokyo Marathon 2010

Tokyo, Japan - The 2010 Tokyo Marathon, the only mass participation Marathon with an IAAF Gold Label in Japan, is scheduled to start at 9:10AM (9:05AM for wheelchair) on Sunday February 28. It is the only major marathon in Japan with the start time in early morning.

Men’s course record under threat?

The course record, 2:07:23 set by Viktor Rothlin set two years ago, could be broken, for three runners with better personal bests will start. The quickest on paper is Rachid Kisri of Morocco with the personal best of 2:06:48 set at the 2009 Paris Marathon. Others who have run fastet than Rothlin’s mark are Kenyan William Kiplagat, who clocked 2:06:50 in Amsterdam back in 1999; and local favourite Atsushi Sato, who ran 2:07:13 at the 2007 Fukuoka Marathon, and will be looking for his first career win.

“This is the 13th marathon of my career, but I have yet to win one,” Sato said. “In Berlin, I was sixth but was not contending for the medal. So on Sunday my goal is to win my first marathon.” 

Although Kiplagat’s personal best is more than a decade old, he has not slowed down much. He clocked 2:07:05 at the 2009 Frankfurt Marathon, his second fastest time. As it turns out, Kiplagat’s first and most recent sub- 2:08 marathon spans a record 10 years. The previous record was jointly held by Stefano Baldini and Khalid Khannouchi, who both recorded their last sub-2:08 nine years after their first. Incidentally, Kiplagat’s 2:07:05 is the fastest ever for a 37- year-old.  So Sunday could be another record setting day for Kiplagat if he runs another sub-2:08 marathon.

At the pre-race press conference today (26), Kisri claimed to be good shape. When legendary marathon runner Toshihiko Seko asked if any particular training session gave a needed confidence boost, Kisri said, “There is a two loop course (total of 34Km at high altitude) in Morocco everyone runs in training. (Two-time World champion) Gharib ran the course in 1:55, where I have covered the same course in 1:54.” 

To the same question, Arata Fujiwara, who finished second two years ago with 2:08:50, said, “My 40Km run on February 3 was a big confidence builder. At 15Km I started to feel bad and started to think about quitting. However, soon, my rhythm returned and I was able to finish the run with 3:10 to 3:20 per Km pace. The fact that I was able to overcome the bad patch during the long run was a big confidence builder.”

Other men’s contenders

Kisri, Kiplagat and Sato are not the only runners capable of breaking the course record.  The defending champion Salim Kipsang, along with Charles Kamathi , Gudisa Shentema and Teferi Wodajo all have personal best under 2:08 making the mark within reach. Kamathi especially has high potential, for he is the 2001 World champion at 10,000m with a 26:59.49 career best. Kamathi has a pair of sub-2:08 marathons (2:07:33 in 2008 Rotterdam and 2:07:48 in 2008 Berlin) to his credit, but considering his personal best at 10,000m as well as his half marathon best of 1:00:22, Kamathi should have much faster marathon in him.

Shentema and Wodajo both recorded their personal bests recently (2:07:34 for Shentema in Paris 2008 Paris and 2:07:45 for Wodajo at Amsterdam 2009) and thus it is possible that they are in an upward spiral and can improve their personal best further. 

Another runner who ought to be able to run faster is Julius Gitahi, a 27:11.17man in the 10,000m with a marathon best of 2:08:57. Gitahi was a superb high school runner while in Sendai Ikue High school, also the alma mater of Olympic Marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru.  Gitahi’s section record in the national high school ekiden still stands, a mark Wanjiru was unable to break.

The most intriguing runner in the field may be Nicholas Kiprono. Although he clocked only 2:17:15 in his only completed marathon, he has three sub-61:02 Half Marathons to his credit in 2009, suggesting he may be ready for a breakthrough.

Guta and Biktimirova the favourites in the women’s race

Turning attention to the women’s side, the favorite may be Robe Guta of Ethiopia, the fastest in the field with 2:24:35.  However, Alevtina Biktimirova, who lost to Dire Tune by two seconds at the 2008 Boston Marathon is quite competitive and could be a surprise.

“I am in the best shape of my life,” Biktimirova said. However, her stated goal was quite modest, saying she is just looking to to improve her time from last year, while defending champion Mizuho Nasukawa and Akemi Ozaki were more aggressive.

“I am getting better and better every day starting in early February,” Nasukawa said. “I am going after my personal best, which is also the course record.” Ozaki is also going after the win and the course record.

Julia Mumbi, a Kenyan who lives in Japan is coached by Yoshio Koide who coached 2000 Olympic Marathon champion Naoko Takahashi, could also be a factor. Nineteen-year-old Yang Jing could be another surprise.

The race starts by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku and runs by the imperial palace, through Ginza, Asakusa and Tsukiji before finishing at the Tokyo Big Sight.  The race starts around 40m above sea level and lose most of the elevation in first 5Km, after which the course is mostly flat except for three bridges after 28Km.

A record 32,000 runners, selected from 272,134 applicants, will start the Marathon while 3000 will participate in the accompanying 10Km road race.  The weather forecast calls for rain, but what can slow down the race is the wind from the sea nearing the end of the race.

The men’s contest is a selection race for the Japanese squad for the 2010 Asian Games. The



Click here for race website

List of Invited Runners:
Men
Rachid Kisri (MAR)  2:06:48  2009 Paris
William Kiplagat (KEN) 2:06:50 1999 Amsterdam
Salim Kipsang (KEN)  2:07:29 2007 Berlin
Charles Kamathi (KEN) 2:07:33 2008 Rotterdam
Gudisa Shentema (ETH) 2:07:34 2008 Paris
Teferi Wodajo (ETH)  2:07:45 2009 Amsterdam
Julius Gitahi (KEN)  2:08:57 2008 Tokyo
Aleksey Sokolov (RUS) 2:09:07 2007 Dublin
Nicholas Kiprono (UGA) 2:17:15 2008 Baltimore

Japanese
Atsushi Sato   2:07:13 2007 Fukuoka
Arata Fujiwara   2:08:40 2008 Tokyo
Yuzo Onishi   2:08:54 2008 Lake Biwa
Kurao Umeki   2:09:52 2003 Berlin
Seiji Kobayashi  2:10:38 2009 Beppu-Oita
Kensuke Takahashi  2:11:25 2009 Tokyo
Shigeru Aburaya  2:07:52 2001 Lake Biwa
Tomoya Adachi  2:11:59 2008 Beppu-Oita

Women
Alevtina Biktimirova  (RUS) 2:25:12 2005 Frankfurt
Robe Guta (ETH)  2:24:35 2006 Hamburg
Julia Mumbi (KEN)  2:26:00 2008 Osaka
Nuta Olaru (ROU)  2:24:33 2004 Chicago
Yang Jing (CHN)  2:36:28 2009 Beijing

Japanese:
Mizuho Nasukawa   2:25:38 2009 Tokyo
Akemi Ozaki   2:27:23 2009 Hokkaido
Miyuki Ando   2:29:07 2008 Osaka
Kaori Yoshida    2:30:58 2008 Nagoya  

Lel and Wanjiru to Battle In New Orleans Half Marathon

New Orleans, USA - 2008 Olympic Marathon champion Sammy Wanjiru will battle head-to-head against three-time London Marathon champion Martin Lel at Sunday’s (28) Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon.

The first Kenyan to win Olympic Marathon gold, Wanjiru set the current World record in the Half Marathon of 58:33 at the 2007 City-Pier-City Loop in The Hague, The Netherlands.

“The timing of the Mardi Gras Half-Marathon is perfect for athletes like me who are preparing for a spring marathon,” said Wanjiru, who will face Lel at the London Marathon on 25 April. “For me it's a great opportunity to see where I am before the London. Really, I am just looking to come and run a solid race and this gives me a great chance to see where I'm at and what condition I am in.”

Lel won the 2005, 2007 and 2008 editions of the London along with the 2003 and 2007 New York City Marathons. His 2008 London victory in 2:05:15 was a course record until Wanjiru broke it last year with his sizzling 2:05:10 run.

Leading the women’s field is Ethiopian Berhane Adere, a two-time winner of the Chicago Marathon. She’ll face New Zealand Olympian Kim Smith, who finished seventh at the World championships over the distance last year.

New Orleans: The Saints are your NFL world champions!!!

The New Orleans Saints, longtime residents of the bottom of the NFL barrel, now stand at the pinnacle of American sports. A thrilling Super Bowl XLIV ended with the Saints on top of the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17.
The New Orleans Saints are world champions. That feels so weird -- and so great -- to say.
The Saints got off to a slow start, but they never stopped playing aggressively and with a fierce passion. They were afraid of nothing, they took risks, and they went out and made the plays to beat a great football game.
I'd point to two key plays. First, obviously, was the brain-rattling Tracy Porter(notes) interception of Peyton Manning(notes) that went for a touchdown, and for all intents and purposes, put the game away. It was a shockingly bad throw from Manning and an electrifying return from Porter. That'll go down in the books as one of the great plays in Super Bowl history.
Maybe the real key, though, was the onside kick with which the Saints used to open the second half. The call from head coach Sean Payton took the guts of a thief, and it paid off immeasurably. The Saints never really relinquished momentum after Jonathan Casillas(notes) came out of that pile with the football. To me, that play personifies the Saints and their attitude in this game.
Fans just got their third straight classic Super Bowl. Two years ago, the Giants shocked the world by edging the Patriots. Last year, the Steelers and Cardinals went back and forth in a nail-biter, and this year, the Saints and Colts fought tooth and nail for 60 minutes. The final score might not show a thriller, but this thing was hotly contested until very late in the game. Things turned on one major mistake.
The fact that it was the Saints who won adds to the feeling that we just saw greatness. Between the years of miserable football and what they and their fans went through with Hurricane Katrina, it feels great to see them on top. I'm not a Saints fan, and I can't help but smile right now.

Super Bowl XLIV

Formula 1 adopts new points system for 2010 season

Under new rules the race winner would receive 25 points Formula 1 will have a new points system for the 2010 after an agreement between the governing body (FIA) and the teams. The new system will see places rewarded in a 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 sequence. F1 bosses believe a seven-point gap between first and second place, rather than the current two-point separation, will promote a 'race-to-win' attitude. New tyre rules mean drivers must start races on the same tyres they set their grid time in, while 'double diffusers' will be banned from 2011. The Formula 1 Commission, a decision-making forum for the teams and major stakeholders, agreed the amendments to the sporting and technical regulations at a meeting on Monday. The measures will be submitted to the World Motor Sport Council for final approval within 48 hours, which is usually a formality once all of the parties have agreed on changes. Scoring changes have been suggested several times over the past year and two months ago the F1 Commission initially opted for a 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1 format. However, the disparity of points between the top three was no greater in percentage terms than the 10-8-6 system currently used. Previously, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone tried to introduce a medals system, with the championship being decided by race victories rather than cumulative points, but the idea did not catch on with teams. In order to introduce a further element of strategy, cars running in the final 10-minute qualifying session must start the race on the same set of tyres with which their grid time was set. With re-fuelling banned from this year and the emphasis switching to tyre use, drivers with an aggressive qualifying strategy will likely be compromised early in a race, forcing them into additional stops. The decision to ban the 'split level' or 'double-decker' diffuser will not come into effect this year. The main diffuser will be allowed in 2011, but its permitted height will be reduced from 175mm to 125mm. Diffusers improve downforce by channelling the flow of air smoothly under the car, but in 2009 there was controversy when eventual champions Brawn, Toyota and Williams produced radical versions of their own. Teams unveiling their 2010 cars have been coy about their rear diffusers, sparking fears that a fresh row could erupt when the season starts on March 14 in Bahrain.