News Archive

The whole team from SCC-RUNNING and the editorial team wish all our readers the very best for the New Year. SCC-RUNNING would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to 140,450 participants, who had entered our 20 races in 2005. This is a new record number. It was the first time that within one year there were more than 140,000 entries for the events of SCC-RUNNING.

The biggest and most spectacular marathon races have merged together and founded the Big Five. The BAA Boston Marathon, the Flora London Marathon, the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON, the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and the ING New York City Marathon form this ,Formula 1’ of road running. A more detailed concept of the Big Five will be introduced by the beginning of next year. Mary Wittenberg, Race Director of the ING New York City Marathon, describes the goals and visions of the Big Five as follows.

We would like to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. We would like to use this opportunity to thank you for your loyalty this year and hope that our events have provided both varied and longlasting memories.

Shortly after the 32nd real,- BERLIN-MARATHON on September 25, 2005, we published a welcome letter and the names of the new members on our website. Nonetheless, many of the members still do not have internet access. We are thus presenting the letter again – and are complementing it here with the latest information together with the most recent “Running News 2005

The 30th Berlin New Year’s Eve Run will start at noon on December 31st at Mommsen- Stadium in Waldschulallee. The courses vary between 2 and 9.9 km, the longest race taking place in part on the Teufelsberg Mountain.

The following day, also at noon, the biggest New Year’s Day race in Germany will be started at the Brandenburg Gate. On January 1, 2005, 3,900 runners participated. The non-competitive 4 km run goes primarily along the boulevard Unter den Linden

Stefano Baldini the Olympic gold medallist has joined what is already a star-studded field for next year's Flora London Marathon on April 23. The entry of the 34-year-old Italian - twice runner-up in the London event - was announced this morning along with those of two-times world champion Jaouad Gharib and Khalid Khannouchi.

“I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity on two occasions in the early 1970s to spend time with Jesse Owens. What impressed me most about Jesse, was not just his wonderful World records in Ann Arbor or his four gold medals in Berlin, but all the challenges he faced up to as a man.” One of the most legendary athletes in history, Jesse Owens, who famously won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games, has been posthumously awarded the IAAF Golden Order of Merit.

You have probably noticed that the sun is setting much earlier these days and in some areas our running routes may be snowy or icy. Stay alert and aware of your surroundings and the weather conditions. The more aware you are, the less vulnerable you are. Oncoming storms can quickly drop the temperature putting you at risk for frostbite or hypothermia if you are caught outside with the wrong kind of clothing.

Jimmy Muindi celebrated his third successive victory in the Honolulu Marathon on Sunday winning by a huge margin of over three minutes. The 32-year-old Kenyan also clinching a fifth title, crossed the finishing line in two hours 12minutes 00seconds, well clear of Mbarak Hussein and Eric Nzioki.

Lornah Kiplagat showed she is fully recovered from a recent asthma problem when winning the SPAR European cross Country title on Sunday in Tilburg. The Kenyan-born star who has represented the Netherlands since marrying coach Peter Langerhorst two years ago, scored a relatively easy victory. Sergiy Lebid won once again at these championships. Kiplagat 31, just five weeks after finishing a disappointed 10th in the New York City Marathon.

Sergiy Lebid has issued a warning to his rivals at the SPAR European CrossCountry Championships on Sunday that he will be arriving in Tilburgin top form. “My training in the last month has gone very well,” said Lebid, speaking from his home in Pridneprovsk prior to joining up with the rest of the Ukraine team traveling to the Netherlands. “My training has been very much the same as in previous years. I am not going to say I am going to win – that could bring me bad luck – but everything has been...

Dame Kelly Holmes announcing on Tuesday she will not defend her Commonwealth 1,500 metres title also revealed her decision to call her magnificent career to a halt. The 35-year-old double Olympic gold medallist from Great Britain, who had won the 800 and 1,500 m in Athens in 2004, had always planned the Games in Melbourne in March next year, would fetch down the curtain on her career.

Amos Matui had a welcome wedding present for his soon to be wife, Benedicta, when the Kenyan won the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on Sunday morning, breaking the course record by over a minute, with 2.15.55 in torrid conditions. And earning himself $25,000. Matui, who will get married in early February, only took the lead 200 metres from the finish line, but it was a decisive move, since he left long-time leader, Ashebir Demissu of Ethiopia 25 metres back.

Cheruiyot and Rotich continued their successful road racing careers the following spring, with Cheruiyot winning the 2003 Boston Marathon in 2:10:11, while Rotich claimed an outstanding victory in the Paris Marathon with an 2:06:33, still 13th on the all-time list.

On Sunday 20 November, more than 3500 runners took part in the annual Kondius Berliner Marathon-Staffel, a marathon relay competition run mainly on woodland paths, an event staged by SCC-Running who are also responsible for the Berlin Marathon. Nothing remarkable in that you might think, except that standing on the top of the medal podium after anchoring his ‘Team 2008’ to victory was a 48-year-old man, who 27 years previously had taken a sensational triumph on the track at the 1978 European...

The World Summit stands under the patronage of UNESCO, the IOC and GAISF and aims to analyse and reflect on the current value of physical education and its potential for the education of young people from a national perspective and with an international comparison

Double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes said today she will announce her future career as an athlete at a press conference next Tuesday in London. There is still lots of speculation whether Holmes will compete at next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne where she has been named for the 800 and 1500 metres. Equally there is even more if she doesn't, the 35-year-old superstar might finally decide to hang up her spikes after a fantastic 12-years international career.

Samson Kosgei clocking a lifetime best was runaway winner of the Florence Marathon and led Kenya to a clean sweep of the top honours in Sunday's race. Kosgei three months after clinching the Brussels title won the prestigious Italian race in a time of 2:11:27 hours. His fellow countryman David Kipruto and John Godwin Kororia failing to match his pace - Kosgei broke away before 20 miles - finished in 2:11:27 and 2:16:15.

Kenya’s men’s team has broken the world record at the Chiba Ekiden on Wednesday 23rd November. In the famous Japanese marathon relay the Kenyans covered the classic distance of 42.195 k in 1:57:06 hours. They improved the former mark, which the Moroccon team had run back in 1994, by 50 seconds.

Haile Gebrselassie's remarkable recovery strength saw him score a runaway success in Sunday's Seven Hills race in Nijmegen. The Ethiopian star only five weeks after clocking 2:06:20 hours the world's fastest time of the year in the Amsterdam marathon, was again in unbeatable form. Gebrselassie breaking away after nine kilometres of the 15K road race in the Netherlands city, stifled the threat of Zersenay Tadesse to win in a very fast time of 41:57 minutes.

After a two year absence from marathon running, Naoko Takahashi won the Tokyo Women's Marathon today with a 2:24:39 performance. On this course wo years ago, Takahashi was overhauled by Elfenesh Alemu at 39 kilometres. This time, it was Takahashi who surged away from Alemu in the 35th kilometre. Thus what many considered to be a race of redemption for the 2000 Olympic champion became a great comeback story, particularly since she carried injuries into the race.

Making her first marathon appearance since 2003, Naoko Takahashi, the 2000 Olympic champion, will be the chief attraction at Sunday’s Tokyo Women’s Marathon, which doubles as the 89th National Championship and the qualifying race for next year’s Asian Games. Naoko Takahashi is a double real,- BERLIN MARATHON champion from 2001 and 2002. In 2001 she became the first women ever to break 2:20, when she won the real,- BERLIN MARATHON with 2:19:46.

Along the course you will discover the most exciting sites and attractions Jerusalem has to offer such as the Old City Walls, David Tower, Jaffa Gate, Shrine of the Book, the Kensseth and more. A lot of friendly volunteers will help and cheer you on. Start and finish is in the stadium. The route passes parks and traffic free streets - some of them are hilly. In Jerusalem you run through the course of history of 2000 years! Take the chance to take part in a big races(1.700 participants last...

Former champion Jon Brown still hasn't made up his mind whether to compete in the this year's Spar European Cross Country Championships. The presence of the 1996 champion in Charleroi whose bronze medal finish three years later also led the side to its only team victory, would make him a welcome addition to the squad. Indeed the Norwich Union GB selectors after the side finished third in Heringsdorf, last year are eager to improve on that showing in Germany.

Track and Field Athletics is the most universally known and practised of all sports. Its modern forms emerged for the most part around 1860 in Great Britain and USA. Its coming of age was accelerated with the revival of the Olympic Games (Athens 1896) and the foundation of the IAAF (International Amateur Athletic Federation) in Berlin, 1913. The latter is the governing body of the sport with over 200 affiliated countries, still with the same letterhead which now stands for International...

AIMS (Association of International Marathon and Road Races) and the IAAF (International Asso-ciation of Athletics Federations) quarterly publish the information and results of races organised around the world by its members in the publication “Distance Running”. In the most recent issue for October –December 2005 (with a circulation of 400,000), the race events are listed until December 2006. The newest issue appears with the Nuuk Marathon in Greenland from August 6, 2005, on its cover.

Even if Paula Radcliffe is fit enough to compete, the Norwich Union GB side even faces an awesome task in this year's Chiba Ekiden Relay on November 23. Ethiopia winners of the Japanese race for the last three years have despite resting many of their top stars, chosen one still good enough to win a fourth successive title. And Kenya their arch-African rivals have also named a much stronger side than in previous contests, led by Catherine Ndereba the Olympic marathon silver medallist.

Among the 39,000 runners on September 25th at the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON, there were also 10 blind and visually impaired runners. We are tethered to our guides with shoelaces. Our special starting group, made up of five women and five men, was able to start from the second starting block directly behind the elite runners.

For the second time, the real,- BERLIN MARATHON has organised a course surveying seminar during the MARATHON weekend. The seminar for the 15 participants from around Germany took place this year in the facilities of the State Athletic Federation (Landessportbund) at the Olympic stadium in Jesse-Owens-Allee. The first seminar was carried out together with IAAF/AIMS on September 24-25, 1996

Mizuki Noguchi, the 2004 Olympic Marathon gold medallist from Athens and winner of the 32nd real,- BERLIN MARATHON 2005, who is one of only six women to have run a marathon in sub 2:20, was honoured with the Abebe Bikila Award 2005 previously to the Continental Airlines International Friendship Run at the United Nations on Saturday, one day before the New York City Marathon. Since 1978 the New York Road Runners Club annually honours people who have made an outstanding contribution to distance...

Next year's Flora London Marathon is preparing itself for what could be the greatest-ever men's race ever witnessed in what will be its 26-years history. David Bedford the race director has confirmed that Paul Tergat and Hendrick Ramaala who fought a battle to the death in New York on Sunday will definitely be in the World's Number One marathon event.

"Our aims include improving the publicity for road races and coordinating the common concerns for the sport of running,” surmises Horst Milde, spokesman for the five-member board of German Road Races (GRR), who also was the founding father of the running event community as the head of the BERLIN-MARATHON.

One of the top inline skaters who likes to have a good laugh is the Italian Luca Saggiorato. The 22-year old won the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON, even though he made rugged contact with the asphalt 15 kilometres before the finish—and that at an average speed of more than 40 kph. "You just don’t know how to skate right,” he had to take from his fellow countryman Massimiliano Presti.

Paul Tergat won his second big marathon and again produced a spectacular finish. For the second time the Kenyan had a winning margin of just one second after 42.195 k. In 2003 he set the current world record of 2:04:55 hours at the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON, but was almost beaten by his training fellow Sammy Korir. The Kenyan finished second in 2:04:56 hours. At the ING New York City Marathon, 36 year-old Paul Tergat celebrated his second marathon triumph of his glamorous career. He clocked 2:09:30...

While forest races normally had 50-70 participants, it was a sensation when suddenly 700 participants showed up at the start in three competitions in the Grunewald Forest. There was "Cross Race for the Aces,” a so-called “People’s Race,” and a 2.5 km youth race (a women’s race was not yet on the agenda, the first one taking place in 1966). The race had been advertised all over the city with pithy slogans like: “For a real cross-country runner, every hardship comes at a good time!”.

Rotterdam Marathon champion Lorna Kiplagat thinks this might just be her year to win the New York City Marathon.

So does the New York Road Runners’ Chief Executive Officer Mary Wittenberg, who is in her first year as race director, who tipped the 31-year-old Kenyan-born citizen of The Netherlands as the likely winner of the ING sponsored race which takes place this Sunday 6 November.

Jon Brown is adamant he can brush away the injuries and illnesses which have ruined his racing programme this year in Sunday's ING New York City Marathon. Brown after having missed both the World marathon and half marathon championship races this year believes he can finish a low key season on a high this weekend. The Canadian-based athlete after setting a personal best when finishing sixth in last April's Flora London Marathon, fully intended to challenge for the two major global titles later...

The Vienna City Marathon has always been an event of innovations. Back in 1995 Austria’s biggest one-day sporting event was the first marathon worldwide to introduce the chip timing system. This quickly became a standard in international road running. Five years ago Vienna’s organisers arranged that runners were able to order text messages with their finishing times to be sent on mobile phones. This year runners and spectators were provided with split times and other race information every five...

Rotterdam, running capital of Holland, proved again that it’s course is very fast. Last year, Robert K. Cheruiyot ran a season’s best (world) time in Rotterdam (1.00.11). After 3 World Record at the Marathon (in 1985, 1988 and 1998), Rotterdam now has got a World Record at the Half Marathon on September 11th. During the second edition of the Fortis Half Marathon Rotterdam the Kenian Talent Samuel Wanjiru, only 18 years old, ran a fabulous race.

The hypothalamus (region in the brain) is activated by stress or physical activity and releases a hormone called CRH (corticotrophin releasing hormone). CRH induces the production and release of ACTH (adrenocorticotrope hormone) in the pituitary (another small part in the human brain). ACTH then leads to the release of cortisol from the adrenal gland. Higher cortisol levels lead to lower CRH and ACTH levels due to a negative feedback mechanism.

The approx. 6 kilometre warm-up course runs from the Charlottenburg Palace on Spandauer Damm to the Olympic Stadium – and whoever sees the great number of participants can easily imagine what it will look like on the streets of Berlin on the following day at the MARATHON.

That was to change with this year’s strong competition under sunny, warm, and calm skies at the 32nd real,- BERLIN-MARATHON. There were almost 130 male and female cyclists at the start on both lanes at their 2nd marathon in Berlin, and it was to be a fast and exciting race, even though the terrain did not offer many opportunities for attacks and break-aways.

There were course records and personal bests for Wilfred Kigen of Kenya (2.08.29) and Alvetina Biktimirova of Russia (2.25.12) in the Messe Frankfurt Marathon this morning (Sunday), but for a long time, things looked very different. When Leonid Shvetsov of Russia accelerated away from the pacemakers with less than 10 kilometres to run, it looked briefly as if we might get a European, or rather, non-Kenyan man winning.

The idea of running a marathon is infernal enough for most people, but to run it indoors would be like a modern version of Dante’s Circles of Hell. Yet indoor marathons were all the rage a century ago, after the controversial finish to the Olympic marathon in London 1908. Dorando Pietri came into the stadium five minutes ahead of his pursuers, but the Italian was so exhausted that he collapsed half a dozen times and had to be helped across the line, thus getting disqualified. Johnny Hayes of the...

Mubarak Hassan Shami knocked three minutes from his previous lifetime best to win the twentieth edition of the Venice Marathon in 2:09:22.

For the Qatari, the former Kenyan Richard Yatich, it was his second marathon win of the year after his 2:12:20 debut over the distance in Vienna last May. The challenging Venice course also apparently inspired the young Kenyan Paul Lokira, who finished second in 2:10:18, just ahead of Italy's Francesco Ingargiola, who clocked 2:10:25.

George Hirsch never lost his running ambitions. He beat the 3-hour mark one more time shortly before his 60th birthday. This year he won the age group M70 in Berlin with a clear lead in 3:31, a time that also gives him the year’s best time in the USA for the category M70. He prepared for the real,- BERLIN MARATHON by training between 80 and 120 km a week,

Senior Race Director Horst Milde congratulated each runner for their great personal achievements –and for their long time and commendable loyalty to the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON – with a handshake. With their successful admission into the exclusive Jubilee Club, all new member receive a ‘lifelong’ green race numbers for the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON, as well as a free subscription to the RUNNING news which is delivered several times a year, so that their connection to the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON...

Haile Gebrselassie ran to his first marathon victory in Amsterdam, but missed clearly the world record at the end. He ran 2:06:20 hours, which is a new Ethiopian record, course record and world lead as well. He improved his personal best by 15 seconds and the course record by three seconds. Haile Gebrselassie improved the world lead, set last week by Felix Limo in Chicago (2:07:02), by 42 seconds. He is now the only runner who ran the marathon sub 2:07 this year.

Haile Gebrselassie's son will not be nicknamed Amsterdam. Two weeks ago the Ethiopian runner has become a father for the fourth time. Nathan is Gebrselassie's first son. “My wife already named him Nathan, but should I run world record in Amsterdam, then he would be nicknamed Amsterdam,” Haile Gebrselassie had said before the race. But it didn’t come to it. Haile Gebrselassie won the Amsterdam marathon, indeed, but he missed his big goal. The 32 year old wanted to break the world record, set by...

Haile Gebrselassie believes after a highly successful build-up he is shape to smash the world record when competing in Sunday's ING Amsterdam Marathon. Gebrselassie after missing the London Marathon earlier this year when not fully recovered from surgery on an achilles, injury, runs his first marathon since competing there three years ago.

Haile Gebrselassie said he is not afraid to experience the loneliness of the long distance runner as he prepares to toe the line in the 30th edition of the ING Amsterdam marathon on Sunday. In his second try over the 42.195 km distance, the ever-smiling Ethiopian is very confident. "I know that I have trained very well and that I am in very good shape," Gebrselassie said at a pre-race press conference today.

Gebrselassie wants to run faster than that time and hopes to better the World record of 2:04:55 set by Paul Tergat of Kenya two years ago in Berlin. Even if he ‘only’ betters his personal best the Ethiopian will still be the fastest marathoner of the year 2005 so far. The barrier of 2:07:00 has yet to be taken this year. Felix Limo of Kenya clocked the fastest last Sunday in the Chicago Marathon with 2:07:02.

The event is a member of the Association of Marathons and Road Races and will be organized by Bangkok-based sport marketing firm Go Adventure Asia. The company also co-organizes Thailand’s leading cultural marathon, the ING Thailand Temple Run.

John Yuda remaining very focused and not panicking despite going off course, won the BUPA Great South Run for the second time in three years this morning in Portsmouth. But the 26-year-old Tanzanian insisted the incident four miles into the race when following a television crew's motor cycle rather than the lead car, prevented him breaking his national record.

Felix Limo and Deena Kastor won the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. In good weather conditions the Kenyan ran 2:07:02 hours and won ahead of his countrymen Benjamin Maiyo (2:07:09) and Daniel Njenga (2:07:14). Felix Limo clocked the fastest time of the year. He improved the mark of the London Marathon winner Martin Lel (Kenya) by 24 seconds. Fourth place was taken by Evans Rutto (Kenya), who missed his goal to become the first runner ever to achieve a hattrick at the Chicago Marathon. Rutto had...

Both the men’s and women’s champions from the 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon will return to Chicago on Sunday to battle with a field of world-class athletes to maintain their title. In only his third attempt at the marathon distance, Kenyan Evans Rutto, 27,won his second consecutive LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon last year in 2:06:16. In the course of only two years, Rutto accomplished what only two other marathon runners in the world, Khalid Khannouchi and Steve Jones, had accomplished two...

KIMbia Athletics Management has started its charity project. KIMbia is raising funds to pay the secondary school fees for select teen runners in Kenya. One year’s fees typically range between US $300 and $500. KIMbia hopes to give promising young athletes the chance to develop educationally and athletically so that they will have more opportunities available to them.

Evans Rutto will start this Sunday's LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon as the defending champion. The 27 year-old Kenyan has the unique chance to achieve a hattrick at this race, which is among the most prestigious in worldwide marathon running. It was two years ago when Evans Rutto won the race with the fastest time ever for a debut (2:05:50). A year ago he clocked 2:06:16. On Sunday, 9th October, he hopes to win his fourth big marathon out of five races. He had also won the London Marathon in...

Fabiano Joseph and Constantina Tomescu are the new World Half Marathon Champions. The exactly 21,0975 k long races were held on Saturday morning with 7 Celsius and rain in Edmonton (Canada). While the Tanzanian finished in 61:08 minutes, the Romanian clocked in 69:17. The men's race ended with a big surprise in the last meters. In front was

the long time leader, former Kenyan Richard Yatich, who is now running for Qatar with his new name Mubarak Hassan Shami. Shami already won the Vienna City...

Three-time Boston Marathon Champion Uta Pippig begins a new chapter in her prestigious running career when she competes for the first time as a Master at the Ollie Road Race on Sunday, October 2nd in South Boston. Uta Pippig has been one of the premier athletes in the sport throughout here running career – becoming the first woman to win three consecutive Boston Marathons, three Berlin Marathons, a New York City Marathon and a two time Olympian. She plans on building on that success as she...

Due to continuously growing national and international competition, SCC-RUNNING sets a focus on the quality and participant satisfaction at their events. We would like to conduct sport events that appeal to the wishes and imaginations of our participants.

The offers and services of our premium product, the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON, are to be expanded and optimized according to the desires of our participants.

Zersenay Tadesse the world's fastest-ever half marathon runner has withdrawn from Saturday's IAAF World Championships in Edmonton. Tadesse after striking a second from Paul Tergat's previous mark for the distance when winning the BUPA Great North Run 11 days ago in a time of 59:05 minutes, picked-up a back injury. The 23-year-old Eritrean star based in Spain, has reluctantly withdrawn from the meeting where he was pre-race favourite to add a first global title to his Olympic 10000m bronze and...

Shortly after winning the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON in 2:07:41, we spoke with the 2005 champion, Philip Manyim of Kenya. Were you surprised at your win because this was only your third marathon. So you’ve been a quick learner? Philip Manyim: “Yes, the success was surprising because I was not expecting to win against my fellow Kenyans who had run 2:06. But, God willing, I won the race, by surprise.”

Mizuki Noguchi broke two world records at the 32. real,- BERLIN-MARATHON: at 25 and 30 k. The split times of the 27-year old Japanese were faster than the former records. She split at 25 k 1:22:13 hours and at 30 k a 1:38:49. With her finishing time of 2:19:12 hours Noguchi broke the course-, the Asian- and the Japanese record. The two world records are still unoffical, because the referees have to approve it.

Mark Milde , race director real,- BERLIN-MARATHON: “We are happy that the 32. edition went through without complications. We had a new course record, Asian- and Japanese record by Mizuki Noguchi. But we also had three world records. First was the world record for blind runners by Regina Vollbrecht from Germany . Then we are happy to announce two world records by Mizuki Noguchi. She ran a new road race world record at 25 k as well as 30 k. We are very happy about that!”

About 15 million Japanese watched the two and a half hour coverage of the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON back home on Sunday. The Japanese TV Channel Fuji TV covered the race at prime time. This figure covers an audience rating of 15,9 percent.

Olympic gold medallist Mizuki Noguchi and Paula Radcliffe the world champion and record holder, are unlikely to go head-to-head in the marathon before the next Games in 2008.That is the opinion of David Bedford and Mark Milde the race directors of two of the world's biggest events, the Flora London Marathon and Germany's top meeting in Berlin. Even the buying power of the multi-million dollar budgets both these and the other three of the "Big Five" competitions in Boston, Chicago and New York...

Mizuki Noguchi won the 32nd real,- BERLIN-MARATHON with a new course- and Asian record. The 27-year-old Japanese clocked 2:19:12 hours and broke the course record of her countrywomen Yoko Shibui (2:19:41) by 29 seconds. Fastest male runner was the Kenyan Philip Manyim in 2:07:41 hours. The 27-year-old won altogether 47,500 €, while Mizuki Noguchi earned 70.000 Euro. A record number of 39.882 runners from 103 nations were running at the 32nd edition of the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON.

Mizuki Noguchi (JPN), winner in 2:19:12 hours (new course, Japanese and Asian record): „I am happy about my victory and the three records – the Japanese record, the Asian record and the course record. The course is really flat and nice to run. The slight ups and downs helped me to find my rhythm. My coach told me not to worry about split times. I have to thank the fabulous spectators, who cheered me all the way to the finish. I am so happy to have run here.”

We spoke with Driss El Himer, the top European challenger in the real,-Berlin Marathon 2005 :

What are your ambitions in racing here in Berlin?

Driss El Himer: My main objective is to win! But I also want to break the European record (2:06:36 held jointly by Antonio Pinto of Portugal and Benoit Zwierzchiewski of France), especially because it is also the French record. (Driss’ best is 2:06:48, achieved in finishing 4th in Paris, 2003)

The real,- BERLIN-MARATHON for the inline skaters was once again thrilling, impressing and boosted a high-class field. About 250,000 people were watching the race which took place for the third time in a row on Saturday, a day before the runner’s real,- BERLIN-MARATHON. Annually the event is the international marathon highlight for inline skaters. With its 8,098 skaters the race once again confirmed its position as the biggest skating marathon in the world. And the leaders achieved the best...

Luca Saggiorato (ITA), Team Fila International, winner of the 32nd real,- BERLIN-MARATHON for inline skaters in 1:01:21 hours: „It was a hard race and very fast. There were a lot of break aways, so you had to work all the time to stay in front. Because of the many spectators along the whole course Berlin is the best race I know.“

All the facts about the 32nd real,- BERLIN-MARATHON with information registered and international participants, the blue line, medals, final stretch and much more.

Up to 7,000 spectators will be able to experience the final stretch up close on standing room grandstands at the finish line. Best spots for those who get there early! The first participants of the real,- MINI-MARATHON are expected at around 9 a.m. and from then on it will be busy!

Driss El Himer, best European runner in the field (PB: 2:06:48 hours): ”I know that Berlin has a very fast course. I am here to attack the European Record of 2:06:36 hours. I have prepared in France, have been in high altitude training and I am feeling very well for Sunday.”

I would like to tell you my personal story, which began 46 years ago in Denmark. I was born with the disease asthma. It gave me a hard time when I was a child. I could hardly run or even walk – and I was always nuisance with my asthma.

I developed a spiteful attitude to all kind of sports – and I became someone who never watched sports or participated in any form at all. I became an intellectual type and concentrated on my studies.

I will particiapte at the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON for the first time together with my wife. Back home, in Japan, I usually run two or three marathons a year. But the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON is my first marathon abroad. My wife just started training this year. I hope we can reach the finish together, although my wife is a beginner. My hobbies are running, piano playing, learning German, watching soccer matches, drinking beer and learning a lot about Germany. This September it will be already my...

This text is in japanese language.

Mizuki Noguchi, Olympic Marathon Champion:

„After the Olympics I resumed training in March. For my preparations I went to St. Moritz in Switzerland. It was really good and it was also funny, because there were some European runners too, and they wondered how much we are running. Especially when I ran repetitions: 45 rounds on a 400 m track as part of my speed work.”

At the press conferences of the 32nd real,- BERLIN MARATHON there will be a

special photo opportunity:

I am 28 years old, married with three children, work as a translator and have lived in Berlin for almost 7 years. I have been running for around 3 years. Last year, whilst out running we found our way blocked by the marathon. We stopped to watch and very casually discussed participating ourselves. At this point in time I was 5 months pregnant with my third child (still running 10 kilometres a day) and suffering from a congenital brain tumour, affecting my central nervous system.

Olympic marathon bronze medallist Deena Kastor was in record breaking form when winning the Jefferson Hospital Distance Run in Philadelphia. Kastor in perfect conditions, smashed the 21-year-old American half marathon record with a winning time of 1:07:53. That bettered by 41 seconds the previous US mark for the 13.1 miles distance achieved by Joan Benoit and also lowered the course record of 1:08:30 set by Kenya's Catherine Ndereba four years ago.

Eliud Kipchoge with a tremendous turn of finishing pace, easily won the British Telecom 3000 metres international road race in Newcastle on Saturday. The Kenyan ran an impressive time of seven minutes 50.9 seconds, destroying the challenges of Boniface Kiprop and Craig Mottram with his speedy burst in the final 400 metres. Kipchoge's late attack saw him pull well clear of Kiprop the World junior 10000m champion who clocked 7:31.1 minutes and even more satisfying he beat Mottram.

The marathon fall could be once more a stormy one. Three of the five Big Five Marathons are on schedule: Traditionally the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON makes the start on September 25th. Two weeks later the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon starts on October 9th, and on November 6th the ING New York City Marathon will take place. Over 120,000 runners will be participating at these three classic marathons. And among them is the world elite of marathon running.

The “record of running participation” in the BERLIN-MARATHON for Bernd Hübner is unique. The 58-year-old Berliner is the only runner who has participated in all of the 31 editions of the BERLIN-MARATHON.

Bernd Hübner ran the BERLIN-MARATHON for the first time in 1974 (it was then called the ‘1st Berlin People’s Marathon’) in the Grunewald forest, together with 286 other runners.

In 1974, 286 courageous runners took off on the marathon course, running 2 laps to the Wannsee Beach (turnaround point was before the Mommsen Stadium) and back. 244 made it to the finish in front of the Mommsen Stadium. The female victor in 1974 was Jutta von Haase (LG Süd) in 3.22:01. Only 10 women participated

A sport museum is an institution that conserves and presents the history of physical education, sports, and games; in short, a museum of sport deals with the history of the culture of movement. The Sportmuseum Berlin has itself been the object of a very special kind of “culture of movement” for the past 15 years: it was located at 14 venues, sometimes for shorter periods, sometimes longer, throughout Berlin-Brandenburg. The 15th venue is the so-called “indoor pool wing” at Jahnplatz in the...

John Mayock having retired from track racing plans reinventing his athletics career as a distance runner beginning in Sunday's BUPA Great North Run. Mayock who brought down the curtain on a consistent medal-winning carreer when finishing runner-up in this year's European Indoor Championships, adamantly believes he can make the transition. The 34-year-old Yorkshireman admits he isn't planning to match the pace of reigning champion Dejene Berhanu and two-times winner Hendrick Ramaala in the...

Some time ago SCC-RUNNING asked its participants to share their personal marathon story with us. The aim is to generate media interest by publishing them on our homepage www.berlin-marathon.com. Some of these impressive, funny but sometimes also fateful stories will be released in the next days.

Hendrick Ramaala two-times the champion and runner-up last year will chase a third title at the BUPA Great North Run on Sunday. The 33-year-old South African winner of the 1997 race and again two years ago, has made a late entry for what promises to a superfast 13.1miles road race from Newcastle to South Shields. Ramaala the reigning New York City marathon champion, will again go head-to-head with Dejene Berhanu who 12 months ago in brilliant style became the GNR's first-ever winner from...

Haile Gebrselassie achieved a World 10 miles best performance with a runaway victory at the Brabants Dagblad international road race meeting in Tilburg, Holland on September 4th.

Gebrselassie who is preparing for next month's Amsterdam marathon, won by over two minutes ahead of Kenya's Luke Kibet in a time of 44:24 minutes.

On next week’s Sunday Luminita Zaituc will run the real,- BERLIN MARATHON. Last Sunday she ran a test race and showed some very promising form. Luminita Zaituc won the national 10 k championship and came quite close to the German record. The number one German marathoner won the title in Otterndorf with 31:45 minutes.

Worknesh Kidane is aiming to prove her pedigree as a half marathon runner challenging for for BUPA Great North Run title in this year's race on Sunday. Kidane another of the outstanding flock of Ethiopian athletes currently dominating world distance running, has confirmed her entry for the World's biggest race over the distance.

Kidane this year's World Cross Country long course silver medallist and third finisher in the short 4K race, only ran her first half marathon nine days ago....

There were many who felt like winners at the 2nd edition of the Stienitzseecross on 3rd September: the whole region around the lake, the participants, the 220 volunteers and the organizers. "Including school relays and children we had about double the participants from last year, about 1,500 runners”, said Henrik Sundström, who initiated the race.

The event will take place in the facilities of the Landessportbund (State Sport Association) at Jesse-Owens-Allee 2, 14053 Berlin (at the Olympic Stadium). Speakers: Hugh Jones (AIMS General Secretary), John Kunkeler (Germany) and Siegfried Menzel (Germany) all “IAAF/AIMS “A” measurers”.

The real,- BERLIN MARATHON is Germany’s premier road running event. It has been Germany’s biggest and best quality marathon for two decades. And regarding the founding of the Big Five the overall quality of the real,- BERLIN MARATHON should get even better in the near future. The Big Five include the BAA Boston Marathon, the Flora London Marathon, the LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon, the ING New York City Marathon and the real,- BERLIN MARATHON.

Derartu Tulu won the Hydro Active Women’s Challenge in Hyde Park, London, outkicking Susan Chepkemei in the final stages of the five kilometres race. Ethiopia's double Olympic 10,000m champion, piling on the pressure in the final 400 metres, crossed the line in 15:30 minutes , beating her Kenyan rival by five seconds. New Zealand’s Kim Smith – recent winner of the World University Games 5,000m track title – was third in 15:50 minutes , more than 30 seconds ahead of the first Briton, Julia...

The Association of International Marathon und Road Races (AIMS) and the International Athletics Association Federation (IAAF) closely monitor who surveys the courses (only specially trained surveyors are allowed to measure the course) and how the surveying is carried out

As usual, some of our runners did well, some did not. It has always been the philosophy of the USA to send a COMPLETE team of athletes - the best we have - even if they are not really top class, it is important that they get experience. The USA entered 10 runners in the marathon, while Germany did not start any runners at all. Luminita Zaituc had been nominated, but she withdrew, however, due to injuries.

How the German runners are to gather experience, especially in light of the European...

On a typical warm and humid late afternoon in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, (90F, 70%), Gilbert Okari continued his amazing US summer running, by winning his 6th Major American Road Race this July and August.Okari will return to Kenya this week and hope for a call from the Kenyan Federation to be selected for the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Edmonton. Only a wrong turn nearing the finish, cost him the course record of 2004 winner, Joshua Chelanga,28.29, Okari ran 28.41. Defending Champion...

Kenenisa Bekele has crowned a superb TDK Golden League spectacle in Brussels. The Ethiopian broke his own 10,000 m world record at the 20th Ivo van Damme Memorial in front of a capacity crowd of 48,000 spectators in the Stade Roi Baudouin. A year ago Kenenisa Bekele had clocked 26:20.31 minutes in Ostrava. This time in Brussels the 23 year-old ran 26:17.53.

The world record hunt of Saif Saaeed Shaheen in the 3,000 m steeplechase ended with a fall in the water jump. But at first the women’s 3,000 m were held at the TDK Golden-League-Meeting in Zurich. Among the participants were Berhane Adere (Ethiopia), second in the 10,000 m at the World Championships, and the 20 year-old Ethiopian Maryam Jamal, who now runs for Bahrain.

The Peachtree had its first running in 1970, so this was the 36th edition this year. It has been tradition that runners must “earn” their tee shirt "it is “awarded” as they cross the finish line. Runners are arranged at the start in one of nine Time Groups behind the elites and sub-elites "slower runners at the back" based upon what they predict their running time will be.

Paula Radcliffe made it pretty plain after clinching the World marathon title in Finland on Sunday she intends re-inventing her track career and probably next year. Insisting she still has a track future, the England and the Norwich Union GB selectors will be praying Radcliffe will defend her Commonwealth Games 5000 metres and European Championship 10000m titles next year. Everything appears to be pointing in that direction after Radcliffe the world record holder, slaughtered her marathon...

Britain's Jon Brown who pulled out of last week's World Championships claiming he was not fully prepared for the endurance race, showed good form in the United States at the weekend. Brown, fourth in last year's Olympic marathon for the second successive Games, finished fifth in the Falmouth Massachusetts road race on Sunday over a distance of 7.1 miles.

The most important city marathon races have merged to the Big Five. This was announced by the race directors during the World Championships in athletics in Helsinki. Represented among this ‘Golden League’ of the marathon is the real ,- BERLIN-MARATHON, which will take place on September 25th with a total of 40.000 runners. Among them will be the Olympic Champion Mizuko Noguchi.

England’s Paula Radcliffe won the World Championships’ title in the marathon in Helsinki on Sunday. After the race she gave the following interview. “I feel great and I am very happy for the gold medal. I feel relieved, but I knew that I was capable to win the marathon. It is totally different to the races before. This time I had no health worries and my shape was excellent.It is my first gold medal in the marathon at world championships and it was important to me as the world record holder to...

Luminita Zaituc will run the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON on September 25th. Today, during the women’s marathon of the World Championships in Helsinki, Berlin’s race director Mark Milde announced the signing. Luminita Zaituc is the best German marathon runner at present. The 36 year-old had decided not to run the marathon at the World Championships. 40,000 participants are expected to run the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON.

The Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba wrote athletics history at the World Championships in Helsinki. She became the first woman ever to win both track long distances in global championships – the Olympics and World Championships. After her 10,000 m victory on the opening day, she added a gold medal in the 5,000 m a week later. Also no male athlete ever made this double in the history of the World Championships.

After 2:20:57 hours Paula Radcliffe reached the finish line winning. Twelve years she dreamed to do so. For the first time in her career the 31 year-old English runner won a gold medal at major global championships. At World Cross Country Championships and World Half Marathon Championships she had already won several gold medals, but every time in summer, when it was getting important at the Olympics or World Championships, the winner was not Paula Radcliffe.

Paula Radcliffe needed just a drive around the streets earlier in the week to acquaint herself with the course for Sunday's World Championship marathon. Now the world record-holder for the distance is ready to win yet another World title to add to the cross country and half marathon crowns already under her belt.

Morocco’s Jaouad Gharib defended his World Championships title in Helsinki. The 33 year-old had surprisingly won gold two years ago in Paris. At that time he was almost a no name, but today he started as one of the big favourites. Jaouad Gharib, who meanwhile improved his personal best to 2:07:02 at the Flora London-Marathon in 2004, lived up to his role today. The Moroccan celebrated his victory in the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki finishing in 2:10:10 hours with an advantage of eleven seconds.

Kenenisa Bekele didn’t give it another try to get a double gold medal at the World Championships in Athletics. The Ethiopian 10,000 m World Champion didn’t compete at the 5,000 m prelims on Thursday. The world record holder already said after his 10,000 m victory that he doesn’t want to run the 5,000 m. But it could have happened, as a couple of times in the past, that his federation would convince him to run. Now the final will be wide open. It will be a duel between the Ethiopians and the...

The oil sheiks have joined the race for gold in athletics. Two years ago, Qatar won a gold medal at a World Championships in Athletics for the first time. At that time Saif Saaeed Shaheen had won at the 3,000 m steeplechase, which he also won in Helsinki on Tuesday. One day later, on Wednesday, Bahrain won their first medal ever in the World Championships’ history. Rashid Ramzi took the 1,500 m. But they originally come neither from Bahrain nor Qatar. Two years ago Shaheen was still a Kenyan and...

Olympic Champion Yuri Borzakowskiy sent a warning to his rivals at the World Championships in Helsinki in the 800 m semi-final. The Russian won the first of three heats in 1:44.26 minutes. He beat the 1,500 m World Champion Rashid Ramzi (Bahrain) who came in second and also qualified for the final.

Rashid Ramzi won the first medal in an outdoor World Championship ever for Bahrain. The 25 year-old became the successor of Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) in the 1,500 m. El Guerrouj could not compete this year due to an injury. He had won the title at the 1,500 m four times in a row. It is delicate that Rashid Ramzi is originally from Morocco as well but transferred to Bahrain, where he lives now, in 2002.

America’s Alan Webb, national champion at the 1,500 m, showed in the final of the World Championships that he might be an uprising star in middle distance running. Though he finished only ninth with 3:41,04 minutes he made an impact. The 22 year-old former breaststroke swimmer got attention already in the semi final. He ran away during the race an finally finished second just behind Rashid Ramzi.

Saif Saaeed Shaheen defended his title at 3,000 m steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki. This final, as most of the competitions yesterday evening, turned out to be a water battle. Due to the heavy rain, the water jump was flooded minutes before the race started. The steeplechase race was not at all spectacular in the first two thirds. Quite different from that one in the Paris World Championships final where Shaheen won against Ezekiel Kemboi.

The Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele lived up to his role as the favourite. He won the 10,000 m race at the World Championships in Helsinki in 27:08.33 minutes and defended his title. Two years ago he had won his first major gold medal at the Paris World Championships where he had beaten his role model Haile Gebrselassie. While Gebrselassie, who prepares for the Amsterdam-Marathon right now, was not attending the Championchips, another Ethiopian, Sileshi Sihine, won the silver medal (27:08.87).

Five out of six possible medals were won by the Ethiopian runners in the 10,000 m finals of the men and the women at the World Championships in Helsinki. While Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenenisa Bekele once more won easily, the Kenyans just got one bronze medal by Moses Mosop. Since the World Championships in Stuttgart 1993, when the career of the then 20 year-old Haile Gebrselassie began with a victory in the 10,000 m race, the Ethiopians won every 10,000 m at the Olympics or World Championships...

The final at 3000 m steeplechase on Tuesday evening in Helsinki will be thrilling. The big favourite, world record holder Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Qatar) ran in the heats on Sunday. On a day without any finals in the running events he clocked the fastest time of 8:11.79 minutes.

Paula Radcliffe after her "training run" when finishing ninth in the World 10000 metres final is adamant she is ready to win next Sunday's Championships marathon title. The world record-holder looking fresh and relaxed on Sunday morning, said: "I got a hard run-out which was the aim of last night. I didn't run as fast as I was hoping to but the conditions had a lot to do with that.

In front of the IAAF-Council, which was lead by senior Vice-President Arne Ljundquist, Klaus Wowereit and Clemens Prokop explained at the World Championships in Helsinki , how important the World Championships 2009 will be for Berlin and for Germany . „Sport is very important for our society, and Germany profits from that. But all the countries have to work together to be successful. But not only in sport but in politics as well as in culture,” Berlins governing mayor Klaus Wowereit told the...

Tirunesh Dibaba has won the first gold medal in the running events at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki. The 19 year-old Ethiopian stormed away from the field in breathtaking fashion to take the 10,000 m gold. With an unbelievable kick she won with 30:24.04 minutes while two other Ethiopians followed. Defending champion Berhane Adere clocked 30:25,41 while Tirunesh’s elder sister Ejegayehu took the bronze medal (30:26,00).

In 1983 in Helsinki, Willi Wülbeck won the 800m race totally unexpectedly, and just as unexpectedly Patriz Ilg won the World Championship title in the 3000m steeplechase, also in 1983, while Sigrun Wodars won the 800m race in Rome in 1987.

The record number of 8,937 runners, skaters, walkers and wheelchairs started at the 14th Bewag City Night on Berlin’s famous boulevard Kurfürstendamm. The highlight was the 10 k race with more than 6,100 participants. For the third time after 1999 and 2000 Claudia Dreher won the City Night. She ran 33:16 minutes. Second was Melanie Kraus in 33:54 minutes. „I had a great race. I ran my own pace and I felt good during the race“, said Claudia Dreher after her victory. Melanie Kraus has more goals...

The pictures from Athens are still in good memory: Paula Radcliffe, the big favourite in the marathon, was sitting on the roadside crying. After the marathon shock, the English runner tried the 10,000 m race and failed again. After the darkest hours in Paula Radcliffe’s career a year ago she now wants to reach her biggest triumph at the World Championships in Helsinki.

Sonia O’Sullivan will run the real,- BERLIN MARATHON on September 25th. Race Director Mark Milde announced this second spectacular signing for the women’s race today. The Irish world-class runner wants to improve her current marathon best of 2:29:01 on Berlin’s fast course. Among others she will compete against the favourite Olympic Champion Mizuki Noguchi (Japan). A record number of 40,000 runners have entered this year’s race.

This Saturday evening Germany’s biggest 10 k road race will be started in the centre of Berlin: The Bewag City Night will feature a record number of more than 8,000 entries. That includes 5 k runners and 10 k skaters as well. German runners Carsten Schütz and Stefan Koch could be in with a winning chance while German marathon runner Claudia Dreher looks like the favourite of the women’s race. Uta Pippig will be among the competitors as well.

The World Athletics Championships will begin this Saturday in Helsinki. On this web page you will find up to date information about all the running events of the nine day event in Finland – from 800 metres to the marathon. Will Paula Radcliffe achieve a double? Can America’s 1,500 m runner Alan Webb upset the Africans?

An experienced U.S. distance squad is led by 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi who will run the 10,000 meters and fellow Olympians Alan Webb, Tim Broe, Shalane Flanagan, Abdi Abdirahman, Jen Rhines, Daniel Lincoln, Anthony Famiglietti and Amy Rudolph

Jo Pavey has no doubts in her mind that Paula Radcliffe would not be doubling-up at the World Championships unless she was convinced two gold medals are a possibility. Radcliffe's announcement last week that she would contest the 10000 metres on the Championships opening day next Saturday then the marathon eight days later, caused many raised eyebrows. No one doubts Radcliffe head-and-shoulders above her global rivals and originally chosen for the road running endurance distance after winning...

At the third Golden League Meeting in Oslo's New Bislett stadium, Norway Britain’s Jo Pavey was the one pushing the pace in the women’s 3000m with two laps to go, leading a trio of Africans – Maryam Yusuf Jamal, now of Bahrain but formerly an Ethiopian, Gete Wami (ETH) and Isabella Ochichi (KEN). The Briton had taken over from the Russian pace maker Olga Komyagina who led through the earlier rounds (1000m 2:48; 2000m 5:38), and Pavey’s decision to keep the race lively was eventually to be...

Running cannot really be called a popular sport in Kenya. There is no series of races in which the number of participating runners regularly exceeds the ten thousand mark. In contrast to many other countries in the world running is not a hobby as such in Kenya, running is much more. It is a necessity and a great chance as most of the top Kenyan runners come from poor backgrounds. Through their successes they can afford a better life for themselves and their families. In fact, many have earned...

Paula Radcliffe announced on Monday she intends contesting both the 10000 metres and then the marathon at the World Championships beginning in Helsinki on August 6. Radcliffe says she plans using the track race eight days to fine-tune herself as a final preparation before the endurance road race gets underway.

Sebastian Coe’s status as Olympic hero is doubly assured. His

unrivalled back to back gold medals in the blue riband 1500 metres

always meant that he came high on any list of Olympic achievement.

And when he masterminded the recent victory of the London 2012 bid,

any debate was dispelled. Yet 25 years ago today, Coe was on the

verge of Olympic oblivion. Not only had the World record holder in the 800 metres been beaten at the Moscow Olympics by his great domestic rival Steve Ovett,...

The 5000m is always a special event at the KBC Night of Athletics. In the women’s race, it was Norwegian Susanne Wigene who boldly took to the front when the pacemakers dropped out at the 3000m mark. With Kenyans and Ethiopians including Gete Wami following ....

This year’s Festival of Running is promising to be one of sporting prowess, fun and festivities with Scottish Highland hospitality at its very best. Race organisers of the Baxters Loch Ness & Marathon & Festival of Running have announced that international runners will have guaranteed places in this year’s Loch Ness Marathon and River Ness 10K, which takes place on Sunday 2nd October in the Scottish Highlands.

In September 2004 we presented “The State of the Sport – July 2004” – taken from the USATF Road Running Information Center – a subdivision of the US Track & Field Federation.

Unfortunately, the German Track and Field Association–which still has not understood the value of the sport of running—has not yet conducted a similar study in Germany on the development of running with an analysis for the future.

New York Road Runners, soon to celebrate its 50th anniversary, is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running and enhancing health and fitness for all. The road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000 runners annually, and together with the magazine and Web site support and promote professional and recreational running. A staff of 60, assisted by thousands of volunteers, stages the ING New York City Marathon, as well as a road race nearly every weekend plus many track...

The real,- BERLIN-MARATHON has reached its capacity limit. The field for runners, wheelchair athletes, handbikers and Power-Walkers will be closed on the 15^th of July at 11:59 pm. SCC-RUNNING will then have around 40,000 entries. Some national and international travel agencies still have reserved entry places, which can be booked by participants. Skaters can still register.

Kelly Holmes issued the strongest hint yet that the chances of her competing in next month's IAAF World Championships in Helsinki are looking very slim. Holmes who has not raced since winning a 1500 metres race in Glasgow on June 5, announced her withdrawal from last weekend's Norwich Union World trials in Manchester.

"I didn’t compete at the trials due to a persistent Achilles problem which keeps recurring," said Holmes whose training has been severely restricted.

This race became the highlight of the British Championships. With a time of 27:30.8, David Bedford set a new world record, surpassing the world record previously held by Lasse Viren (FIN) by 7.6 seconds (set for the Olympic gold in Munich on September 3, 1972 in 27:38.4).

For the first time an Olympic Champion was in the elite field of the Vienna City Marathon recently. In hot temperatures Josia Thugwane dropped out, but he does not give in. Being written off by some media Josia Thugwane, South Africa’s marathon gold medal winner from Atlanta in 1996, says: “A lot of people think Josia is finished but I know that I can run some more good marathons – there is always a chance for me.”

Saif Saaeed Shaheen's dramatic last ditch win in the 3000m Steeplechase, and a three way battle at 2.36m which ended in a 2.38m victory in the High Jump, stood out in Rome’s Olympic stadium at Friday's Borotalco Golden Gala, the second leg of the TDK Golden League 2005.

According to previous experiences, the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON will undoubtedly be filled for runners within a few weeks of this announcement. Whoever would still like to run on September 25 should hurry

The London 2012 Olympic Games vision is underpinned by four main themes: delivering the experience of a lifetime for athletes, leaving a legacy for sport, benefiting the community through regeneration and supporting the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Movement

If you think of London and running, Hyde Park and Regent’s Park come to mind, the green hills of Hampstead Heath to the north and to the south-west, where the counties of Surrey and Middlesex meet, Richmond and Bushey Park. These days both of the latter are used by high-class running talent: Craig Mottram is seen there from time to time.

Sabrina Mockenhaupt and René Herms highlighted the running events at the German Championships in Wuppertal last weekend. On Saturday Sabrina Mockenhaupt won the 5,000 m easily in 15:09.39 minutes while Rene Herms got his ticket for Helsinki on Sunday. He won the 800 m in 1:45.39 minutes and hit the standard.

The highlight of the running events in the first Golden League Meeting in Paris were the men’s 5000 metres. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) intended to break his own world record (12:37.35). After a false start and another cancelled start the field finally went off. But in front of about 70,000 spectators in the Stade de France it didn’t work for Kenenisa Bekele. Clocking 12:40.18 minutes the 10,000 m Olympic Champion reached the finish line in the fourth best time ever at 5,000 m. He himself was...

The Italian Olympic Marathon Gold Medal winner Stefano Baldini has been announced as the top athlete in the world by the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS).

Hiroaki Chosa, President of AIMS comments: ‘I am delighted on behalf of the 204 member races of AIMS across over 80 countries to officially announce Stefano Baldini as the AIMS/ASICS World Athlete of the Year. Stefano is a fine athlete and it is fitting recognition of his achievements that he should win this...

Jon Brown and Liz Yelling have withdrawn from the Norwich Union GB side competing at the IAAF World Championships beginning in Helsinki on August 6. The pair of marathon specialists announced today they both feel they have not got sufficent training under their belts to compete over the 26miles 382yards distance in the Finnish capital.

Once again www.scc-events.com presents the TDK Golden League in cooperation with the International Association of Athletics Federations IAAF. The TDK Golden League will consist of six meetings and offer a jackpot of one million dollar. The Jackpot will be shared between those athletes who win their individual events at every TDK Golden League meeting. To claim the jackpot, athletes must also take part in the World Athletics Final in Monaco on 10th and 11th September.

The TDK Golden League 2005 commences with the Meeting Gaz de France, Paris St Denis on Friday 1 July. An annual six meeting series comprising the world’s premier one day meetings - Paris, Rome, Oslo, Zurich, Brussels and Berlin - the TDK Golden League offers at least a share of the $1 million Jackpot for any athlete who wins his or her event in each of the six venues.

Daniel Lincoln has defended his 3,000 m steeplechase title at the US Championships in Carson (California). He won the event with a strong finish in 8:17.27 minutes. Anthony Famiglietti was second (8:20.49) while Steve Slattery (8:25.52) took third place. The 1,500 m women’s final ended with a surprise win for Treniere Clement while Alan Webb took the men's title at this distance.

Abdi Abdirahman won the men’s 10,000 m at the US Championships in Carson (California). He ran 28:10.38 minutes and qualified for the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki in August. Meb Keflezighi got second in 28:10.57. There was a major suprise in the women's final since neither Elva Dryer nor Deena Kastor qualified for the US team for the World Championships.

Tirunesh Dibaba the reigning IAAF World 5000 metres champion plans doubling-up at this year's Championships in Helsinki. Dibaba when only 18 years 90 days old, was the the youngest-ever individual world champion when winning her gold medal in Paris two years. Now the outstanding Ethiopian is planning not only to retain her title in August, but also challenge for the 10,000 m title.

Through an added bonus from the ,ING Run for Something Better’ program for women, the ING New York City Marathon 2005 will increase its prize purse to $130,000 for the women's champion, the largest first-place prize in the history of marathoning. “We believe this to be the first time that any major sports event has put up more money for the women¹s winner than for the men’s”, said race director Mary Wittenberg.

Everyone knows Paul Tergat. On Sunday, September 28, 2003, millions of people all around the world witnessed his historic race in Berlin. Whether watching on TV or cheering along the course or from within the running masses, they experienced a world record race at the 30th anniversary of the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON by the Kenyan running phenomenon as he ran down the boulevard Strasse des 17. Juni near the Brandenburg Gate shortly after 11 a.m. in the standing record time of 2:04:55, in front of...

Former World champions Sally Barsosio (track) and Benjamin Limo (Cross Country) reigned at the Kenya National Championships today, so reliving old memories of their stardom. Barsosio, World champion at 10,000m in 1997, won the women's 5000m from Esther Chemtai and Mercy Wanjiru. She stopped the clock in 15:43.2, while Chemutai and Wanjiru clocked 15:46.3 and 15:48.0 respectively.

Elfenesh Alemu, who was fourth at the Athens Olympic Marathon, and Ethiopian national marathon record holder Gete Wami are the surprise omission as Ethiopia announced its provisional marathon squad for the 10th IAAF World Championships to be held in Helsinki, Finland (August 6-14 2005).

Paula Radcliffe crashed to a shock 5000 metres on the second day of the European Cup First League meeting in Leiria - but thankfully the Norwich Union GB side were already assured of victory despite the unexpected setback. Radcliffe winner of the 3000m the previous afternoon was expected to score another easy victory, but the pre-race favourite was upstaged by the unknown Belarusian Volha Krautsova.

“My plan is to train in Boulder for a fall marathon,” said Naoko Takahashi, the 2000 Olympic Marathon champion, at the press conference to announce her new sponsor, Phiten, a company which manufactures various health related products. In 2001 she had been the first woman to break the 2:20 marathon barrier in the real,- BERLIN MARATHON. Naoko Takahashi clocked 2:19:46. She would like to run in Berlin again in September.

Kenya's World marathon champion Catherine Ndereba won the 10,000 m at the East African nation's championships which she said marked her local preparation for her global title defence in Helsinki, Finland, in August. Ndereba beat Milan marathon champion Rita Sitienei on the home stretch.

A record number of 11,650 runners in 2,330 teams participated in the 6th edition of the HypoVereinsbank TEAM-Relay staged in Berlin. The two-day-event was held in the Tiergarten, a public park area, near to the Brandenburg Gate in the city centre on Wednesday and Thursday. The relay was staged by SCC-RUNNING, the organiser of the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON and many more road races in Berlin.

New York, USA - Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands tore away from the field in the first few hundred yards of the 2005 New York Mini 10K this morning in Manhattan, and ran solo to the win in 31:44. Kiplagat, who also won the Central Park race in 2003, built an 11-second gap at the first mile into a 34-second winning margin over Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia. On a warm Manhattan morning, Kiplagat started with a faster pace than anyone else cared to match. Prokopcuka, Benita Johnson, Tegla Loroupe,...

The second edition of the Samsung Distance Challenge was held today in Gyeonggi-Do Hwaseong, Korea, and was highlighted by a women’s 5000m, and a men’s 10km Race Walk. Japan’s Mizuki Noguchi, the 2004 Athens Olympic women’s Marathon champion was the star name of the women’s 5000m. She pushed the pace from the front throughout the race, but with one lap to go China’s Zhou Chunxiu who had been at the back of the pack for most of the race, put in a finishing burst to beat the 26-year-old Olympic...

Kathy Butler retained her Norwich Union AAA 10,000 metre title in the Nike British Milers Club meeting at Watford on Saturday night. The Scot ran a storming last kilometre to stretch away from the European cross-country champion Hayley Yelling who had shared the pace with her for most of the race as they lapped all of the other runners except one. Butler won in 31 minutes 46.53 seconds.

Due to the unbelievable demand for race numbers for the real,- BERLIN MARATHON, the organisers from SCC RUNNING have had to consider accepting an additional 4,000 runners for the running spectacle on September 25th. Already this week—earlier than ever before—the original limit for participants (36,000) has been reached. Thus, all race numbers would have already been sold out.

The results of the races around the world are enhanced with current photos, and there are also reports on fully unknown races like the Lahore Marathon in Pakistan, the Kathmandu Marathon in Nepal, and the Kilimanjaro Marathon in Tanzania. AIMS (Association of International Marathon and Road Races) and the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) publish the information and results of races organised by its members quarterly in the publication “Distance Running”.

According to tradition dating back to the first Comrades Marathon in 1921, Mayor Hloni Zondi will fire the Gun from atop the portico of the historic Pietermaritzburg City Hall. This will be the signal to set off a show, which should thrill and inspire the runners, on the “down run” this year

Jerusalem is a top address for running tourists. 2000 years of history are waiting to be taken in: The Mount of Olives with the Gethsemane Garden, the old city centre, the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock, the El-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall – “the Wailing Wall“, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Via Dolorosa, the Israel Museum, Yad Vashem ... and the list goes on.

The highlight in July is without doubt the Queen’s Cup Marathon. The race starts on the Esplanade and leads the runners from South Pattaya to Beach Road, the main road along the beach

On 25.05.2005 the Berlin Sport Scientist and President of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), Gudrun Doll-Tepper, received a Doctor of Laws - honoris causa from the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

With high humidity keeping the ING Ottawa Marathon race times slower than expected, David Cheruyiot of Kenya won the men’s event in 2.14.20, and Lidia Vassilievskaya of Russia, the women’s in 2.31.53. Grace Momanyi proved the star of the National Capital Race Weekend in Canada. Momanyi, 24, of Kenya pulverised the record in the women’s section of the two 10k races, sponsored by MDS Nordion. Asmae Leghzaoui of Morocco was the big favourite, and after she, Momanyi and defending champion, Aster...

Canadian athletics success has often come with a downside. Next year, for example, Montreal will finally pay off the debt on the 1976 Olympic Games. Then there was the little matter of the big guy who crossed the line first in the Olympic 100 metres in Seoul 1988. But the team organising the ING Ottawa Marathon on Sunday are determined that they are going to be up there with successes like Donovan Bailey and Mark McKoy and the 1996 sprint squad, all of whom brought back Olympic gold.

Running to the Limit illustrates Tergat's way from an average boy who grew up in poverty in a tiny village in Kenya to the Marathon World Record holder and Dollar-millionaire. Paul Tergat has secured his place in the history books not only with his Marathon World Record in Berlin (September 28, 2003 – 30. real,- BERLIN-MARATHON), but also by winning five consecutive titles at World Cross country Championships and breaking various World Records on the track and the road. He is considered as one...

Casablanca – Tanzania’s Zakia Mrisho ended Morocco’s Zhor El Kamch’s domination of the Casablanca women’s race Courir pour le Plaisir (Run for Fun) today as she crossed the line ahead of 20,000 women in 32 minutes 49 seconds. Five-time winner Zhor El Kamch pulled up halfway through the race with severe cramps after leading the field through to the five kilometer point, leaving three contestants in the leading pack: Mrisho and the two Ethiopian contestants, Adaneche Zekiros Adane and Letay...

Haile Gebrselassie showed his stature as the world's great-ever distance runner when setting a United Kingdom's All-Comers' record in Sunday's BUPA Great Manchester Run. Gebrselassie struck 14 seconds off the previous mark set by Kenya's Felix Limo in Swansea nearly three years ago, with a breathtaking performance of 27minutes 25seconds. The 32-year-old Ethiopian's speedy victory saw both runner-up Juan Carlos de la Ossa and Sergiy Lebid dragged to Spanish and Ukrainian national road running...

Haile Gebrselassie, four-times the World Athletics 10000 metres gold medallist announced today he will not chase another title this summer in Helsinki. "No, I'm not going to run any more major Championship races on the track," said Gebrselassie, acknowledged as the world's greatest-ever distance runner. The 32-year-old Ethiopian star who has also won two Olympic crowns at the distance, added: "I might run just one more track race this year, but now I want to concentrate on the marathon...

In very warm temperatures of more than 25° Celsius at the end of the race Mubbarak Shami (Qatar) and Florence Barsosio (Kenya) won the 22nd edition of the Vienna City Marathon. Shami, who switched nationality from Kenya to Qatar a year ago, clocked 2.12.20 in his debut marathon. He was formerly known as Richard Yatich. Japhet Kosgei (Kenya) was second with 2.15.15 while Henry Serem (Kenya/2.15.26) finished third.

Dr. Dave E. Martin (Atlanta/USA) has put together the results of the marathon races in 2004 in a unique statistical study, evaluating the times below 2:20:00 for the men and 2:55:00 for the women. He not only did that for the year 2004, but he also started with the first recorded men’s results under 2:20:00 in 1953 and with the women’s results starting in 1971.

Since 1953, men have run the marathon under 2:20:00 a recorded total of 28,603 times, and since 1971, 28,684 women have run times...

Haile Gebrselassie hasn't ruled out smashing the United Kingom All-Comers' 10 kilometres record when competing in the BUPA Great Manchester Run on Sunday. Gebrselassie insists he is in mint condition and if the early race pace is fast, believes the current mark of 27minutes 39seconds set by Kenyan Felix Limo in Swansea three years ago, is within his grasp.

"I think if the weather holds and there is no wind, I can challenge that time," said Gebrselassie, owner of the world road running record...

Should the Manchester weather be on the helpful side, organisers believe the trio are well capable of challenging the course record of 27:54

The 22nd edition of the AVON RUNNING Berlin Women’s Run will take place this coming Saturday in the Tiergarten park with a record number of as many as 12,000 participants. The event will start at 3:15 p.m. on the boulevard Straße des 17. Juni. The athletic highlight will be the 10 k race, when at 6 p.m. the German top female runners, Sabrina Mockenhaupt (LG Sieg) and Claudia Dreher (Gänsefurth Sport Movement) will face one another.

Dame Kelly Holmes joined an exclusive Hall of Fame superstars when winning the prestigious Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award in Estoril on Monday night.

The double Olympic champion was rewarded with the honour when beating off the challenge of fellow athletes Carolina Kluft and Yelena Isinbayeva, plus golfer Annika Sorenstam, cyclist Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel and tennis starlet Maria Sharapova. Holmes claimed the 27th award directly related to her stunning 800 and 1500 metres victories...

Two-time Olympic marathoner De Reuck, who turned 41 years of age last month, left the international field in her wake, to win her first ever USA 25 km title

The Thales FBK-Games in Hengelo, The Netherlands, has become the traditional World record home for two of the all-time greatest distance runners, namely Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele, the current leader for 5000m/10,000m in the IAAF World Rankings.

The real,- BERLIN MARATHON will continue to set the international standards for inline skaters. For the third time in a row, the skaters’ race will take place as a separate event on Saturday, September 24, one day before the runners’ race. Unlike last year, when the skaters had to start at 10 a.m., this year the skaters will not take the start of the real,- BERLIN MARATHON until at 4:30 p.m.

Derartu Tulu the two-times Olympic 10000 metres champion, believes Paula Radcliffe should concentrate on running the marathon at this year's World Championships. Tulu having missed last week's Ethiopian Championships, hasn't the vaguest idea herself whether she will line-up in Helsinki and try and regain the 10000m title she lost two years ago in Paris. But the African superstar is adamant that Radcliffe even though a brilliant 25-laps performer, should settle for the marathon race in...

Right from the beginning Luminita Zaituc (Germany) held her rivals at bay despite rain, wind and cold temperatures. In 2:26:44 hours she won the Düsseldorf Marathon and was overjoyed. But she was not happy about the weather: “I couldn’t feel my legs”, Luminita Zaituc said after the race. The winning time is the fastest time of a German runner since Sonja Oberem ran 2:26:21 in Hamburg three years ago.

Juan Carlos de la Ossa powered to the fastest 10 kilometres time in Great Britain this year, scoring a thrilling victory ahead of his African rivals Sunday's BUPA Great Caledonian Run.

The Spaniard's unexpected success, quickly followed that of Jelena Prokopcuka winner of the the women's race a few minutes earlier, to complete a rare double for European athletes at the Edinburgh meeting.

This year’s jubilee edition of the Run Berlin will have around 10,000 participants altogether. The last time the event had that many athletes was back in 1990. At that time the Run Berlin still carried the name 25 km de Berlin. That was because the French allied forces once started the race back in 1981. After reunification the name was changed into 25 km von Berlin. And now it is called Run Berlin since 2004.

Derartu Tulu on Sunday aims adding her name to the distinguished list of Olympic and World 10,000 metres gold medallists who have won the BUPA Great Caldeonian Run.

Elana Meyer has announced the end of her outstanding career. The South African has been one of the most prolific long distance track and road runners in the world for more than a decade. Elana Meyer has run five world records in road races in the 90ies.

Sabrina Mockenhaupt will be at the start at the AVON RUNNING Berlin Women’s Run on May 21. Race director Mark Milde announced today that Mockenhaupt, currently Germany’s strongest female 10000m runner has committed to the race. “We are pleased that Sabrina Mockenhaupt will be starting for the first time at one of the larger Berlin road races,“ says Mark Milde.

Julio Rey has won the Olympus Hamburg Marathon for a third time. The Spaniard clocked 2:07:38 and missed his own course record by just eleven seconds. The women’s race saw a perfect debut of Edith Masai. The Kenyan won her first marathon in 2:27:06. A record number of 23,103 runners had entered the race.

It was a record breaking return for the Belgrade Delta Sports Marathon on Saturday morning, when Derba Bedada Medeksa of Ethiopia won in 2:12:10 hours, breaking the course record by close to 20 seconds. Inga Abitova won the women's race in 2:38:20.

Throughout the 1990s, just about the only good news to come out of war-torn

Yugoslavia was the Belgrade Marathon. Against all the odds - sanctions, closure

of the airport, strict visa controls, raging inflation and general mayhem - the

organisers kept both the marathon and the elite Belgrade Race Through History on

the road.

There was a historical performance in the women’s race and a surprise in the men’s race at the 109th edition of the Boston Marathon. The Kenyan Catherine Ndereba became the first woman to win the BAA Boston Marathon for the fourth time. The Olympic marathon silver medallist clocked 2:25:13 hours and was in front of Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia). In the men’s race Hailu Negussie stopped the Kenyan win streak.

Paula Radcliffe ran the third fastest marathon time ever in Sunday’s London Marathon. She clocked 2:17:42. She has now won five out of her six marathons. Paula Radcliffe gave the following interview. How do you feel after the race? Paula Radcliffe: “I feel very good, everything is fine. The first half was really good; we had the wind in the back. The second was a little bit tougher and slower because of the headwind.”

The 25th Flora London Marathon had two highlights with best times of the year from Paula Radcliffe and Martin Lel. Radcliffe clocked 2:17:42 hours and achieved the third fastest time of all times. The Kenyan Lel won the race in 2:07:26. 35,680 runners started at the jubilee race in London.

On Sunday one of the biggest and best marathon races will get under way. A record number of more than 100,000 runners applied for a bib number. Last year London was the third biggest Marathon in the world behind New York and Chicago. Exactly 45,263 athletes got a bib number from the organisation for the jubilee race on Sunday.

Next weekend will see the climax of international marathon running in spring. While on Sunday the 25th Flora London Marathon will take place the 109th BAA Boston Marathon will be started a day later. A week before three other big road races took place in Europe. Despite some difficult weather conditions great times were run.

Paul Kimugul made up for missing the World Cross-Championships by winning the Berlin Half-marathon in the second fastest performance of the year on Sunday (April 3). The Kenyan won in 1:01:04, beating his compatriot Joseph Ngolepus by 12 seconds with Moses Kigen a distant third, 35 seconds adrift of the winner. But in the women´s race Luminita Zaituc ended the Kenyan dominance with a home victory in 1:11:04, the first time in six years that Kenyans had not enjoyed a double success.

We are well used to stories of how African athletes built their stamina by daily runs to school and back. But they are not the only ones : Lee Bong-ju, South Korea’s Olympic silver medalist in the marathon in Atlanta in 1996, did just the same.

The Bewag BERLIN HALF MARATHON is turning 25—enough of a reason to take a look into its past, as it has a history that is only possible in Berlin. On November 29, 1981, the Lichtenberg Marathon was already being held in Berlin (East), which in 1982 was then replaced by the “Berlin Peace Run”. The Berlin HALF MARATHON followed in Berlin (West) on September 2, 1984.

The story of the Bewag BERLIN HALF MARATHON reflects a major part of the history of the German capital. It all began during cold war times and continued during reunification. The events leading up to today’s event could really only have happened in this city. Its predecessors came from East- and West Berlin.

Bong-ju Lee, the Olympic silver medallist in the marathon in 1996, has been signed for the 25th Bewag BERLIN HALF MARATHON on April 3rd. This was announced by Race-Director Mark Milde today. Besides his Olympic silver the South Korean has a number of other remarkable marathon performances to his credit.

Some weeks before we published a promotion article for the ING Thailand Temple, a race belonging to the growing family of AIMS worldwide. Perhaps you will participate next year in this race in Thailand, bringing together running and tourism.

Kenenisa Bekele is back and together with Tirunesh Dibaba won all four individual gold medals for Ethiopia in the senior races at the World Cross Country Championships. The 22 year-old Olympic 10,000 m champion became the star of the weekend in St. Galmier (France).

Just four weeks ago Kenenisa Bekele was only a shade of himself. Instead of attacking the two mile world record at the indoor meeting in Birmingham, he could only get second place behind his relatively unknown compatriot Markos Geneti.

At a press conference before the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in St. Galmier/St. Etienne (France) Kenenisa Bekele stated that he will attempt another double win. The Ethiopian will compete at the short and the long distance. He has won both events for the last three years.

Kenenisa Bekele successfully defended the first of his two cross country titles at the World Championships in St. Galmier (France). The Ethiopian won the short course event of 4.196 k in a time of 11:33 minutes. He had a five second advantage to Abraham Chebii. In a high-class field the Kenyan, who is coached by Dieter Hogen in the newly set up KIMbia team, showed a strong performance as well.

Once again the US will have a big team at the World Cross Country Championships that take place in St. Galmier/St. Etienne (France) this weekend. Among the team members is Shayne Culpepper, who will run the middle distance event on Sunday. She gave www.berlin-marathon.com the following interview.

The world championship event organised by the IAAF for the longest time is the IAAF Cross-Country World Championship. This weekend the 33rd IAAF Cross-Country World Championships will take place in St Etienne - St. Galmier/France.

Despite suffering a side-stitch during a crucial point of the race, Yumiko Hara, a marathon debutante, broke away from Megumi Oshima with 3.8 km to go to win the 2005 Nagoya International Women’s Marathon, Nagoya, Japan, in 2:24:19, today.

The 2005 Nagoya International Women’s Marathon, the final. The Nagoya Women’s Marathon is an elite marathon, where runners must qualify by running either 3:15 marathon, 2:13 30km, 1:30 half marathon, 1:25 20km or 38 minutes 10,000m.

Wednesday 9 March 2005 Monte-Carlo – Australia’s Benita Johnson, the reigning World Cross Country women’s long race champion will be returning to defend her crown when the 33rd edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships are contested in St-Etienne/St-Galmier, France, 19-20 March 2005.

The Thailand Temple Run is a member of AIMS, the worldwide organisation of

international running events.

It is one of over 200 events in 70 countries represented by AIMS. We

would like to present this race to you - maybe you will be their guest next

year at the race, getting to know a different culture, the country, and its

people.

Thailand’s cultural Marathon, the ING Thailand Temple Run will be held on

Saturday, 19 March 2005.

In its fourth edition, the race which offers a...

On the final day of the European Indoor Championships in Madrid the Spanish

runners were denied the gold medal they hoped to get. Someone has always been

faster in various finals.

Russian Dimitri Bogdanov won 800 m

At the 800 metres it was Russian Dimitri Bogdanov who won the four lap race in

1:48.61 minutes. Silver and bronze went to Spain: Antonio Manuel Reina was

second in 1:48.76, Juan de Dios Jurado got the bronze with 1:49.11. So for

Russia Dimitri Bogdanow was a perfect replacement of...

The fastest 3,000 m runner of this year’s indoor season has now won the

gold medal at the event in the European Championships. Alistair Cragg had

beaten a weakened Kenenisa Bekele – the Ethiopian had lost his

fiancée at the beginning of the year – in Boston to run the

fastest time of the year (7:39.89 minutes).

Now he transformed the 3,000 m European final in Madrid into a one man show. It

will be very interesting to see what the 24-year-old will be capable of in the

summer season. In Madrid he...

There were no running finals on day one of the European Indoor Championships in

Madrid on Friday night but there was a big surprise: The defending champion at

800 metres, Jolanda Ceplak, is out after the first round. The Slovenian who had

won the European gold medal in Vienna three years ago by breaking the world

record and clocking 1:55,82 minutes was only third in her heat. And her time of

2:05,27 minutes was not enough for qualifying.

I can understand it

“I do not know what happened to me...

SCC RUNNING has already received 12,500 registrations for the 25th Bewag BERLIN

HALF MARATHON, including almost 11,600 runners and 900 inline skaters.

That is already more than were registered at the same time last year. In 2004,

over 17,000 participants started in the largest German half marathon. The

anniversary race, which will start and finish near the Berlin Cathedral, will

begin at noon on April 3rd. Registration is still possible.

Zaituc and Freigang

One elite female runner is among the...

The world championship event organised by the IAAF for the longest time is the

IAAF Cross-Country World Championship. On March 19 and 20, 2005, the 33rd IAAF

Cross-Country World Championships will take place in St Etienne - St.

Galmier/France.

Since 1973 the Cross-Championships exist. First winner in 1973 was Pekka

Paivarinta (FIN), Belgium was winning the teams.

In the first years European runners had been the champions and the

winnung-teams were from Europe or USA, but since 1982 runners from...

In a not really thrilling 800 m final Hazel Clark won the title. Last year she

had been runner-up.

The field remained together at the beginning. Hazel Clark lead the race and

had a 200 m split time of 29.05. After 300 m Alice Schmidt took over and

increased the pace. Hazel Clark didn’t let her go away and followed

immediately.

One lap later Clark started sprinting and took the lead back again. They

reached 600 m in a quick 1:30.79 minutes and it was for sure that nothing could

happen anymore....

AIMS, the association of the largest running event organisers in the world

(Association of International Marathons and Road Races) which was founded in

May 1982 at the 1st World Congress in London, met with its members this year

from February 17-19 at the bi-annual world congress in Valencia, Spain.

The congress took place parallel to the 25th anniversary of the “Maraton

Popular de Valencia“, which is put on by the Sociedad Deportiva

Correcaminos, the local running and sport club.

With...

At the first day of running finals at the US Indoor Championships in Boston Jen

Toomey showed that she is the number one at 1,500 m in the US. In a race that

was not very fast at first the field remained together until after 600 m. Then

a group of six got away from the rest. Toomey and McWilliams tried to break

away from the rest multiple times, but the others followed again and again.

Finally in the last lap, Jen Toomey attacked and did break away from her

opponents. Treniere Clement and...

Ekkehard zur Megede, an internationally renowned track and field journalist and

statistician, who for years wrote sport history articles for the BERLIN

MARATHON programme, passed away on Thursday in Berlin at age 78.

After finishing his secondary school in Arnswalde (Pommerania), Ekkehard zur

Megede, who was born on November 19, 1926 in Reetz (Pommerania), moved to his

aunt in Berlin. His great interest in track and field led him to become a sport

journalist. His application at the daily paper,...

AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Road Races), the association the world’s largest race organisers, and the IAAF (International Athletics Association) publish the races organized by their members three times a year in the magazine “Distance Running".

The world championship event organised by the IAAF for the longest time is the IAAF Cross-Country World Championship. On March 19 and 20, 2005, the 33rd IAAF Cross-Country World Championships will take place in St Etienne - St. Galmier/France.

SCC RUNNING, the organisers of the 25th Bewag BERLIN HALF MARATHON, have already received about 9,500 registrations for the event on April 3. Among those registered is Stephan Freigang (SC DHfK Leipzig).

A year ago Bekele broke the 5,000 m world indoor record, which was held by his well-known compatriot Haile Gebrselassie. After that he won two gold medals at the World Cross Country Championships, got the world record at 5,000 m and 10,000 m and became Olympic Champion. Now Bekele came back to Birmingham, but the mourning Bekele is but a shadow of his former self.

There were some promising results on middle distance events on the second day of the German Indoor Championships. Wolfram Müller showed a convincing race in the 1,500 metres. Neither his opponents nor the referees could stop him from winning in 3:44,47 minutes.

Jan Fitschen had a successful season’s debut. The long distance runner from TV Wattenscheid won the 3,000 metres in convincing style on day one of the German Indoor Championships in Sindelfingen. After suffering from injuries for a longer period Fitschen clocked 7:55,99 minutes.

Kenenisa Bekele is not yet the real Bekele again. At his second start of the season the Ethiopian 10,000 m Olympic Champion and world record holder once again was second. He had been second in Boston before. Still shocked by the death of his fiancee at the beginning of January the 22 year-old has obviously missed a lot of training, which would have been the basis for fast races.

Eliud Kipchogo has won the long distance event at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships in convincing style. A month before the World Cross Country Championships in St. Etienne (France) Kipchoge sent a warning to Kenenisa Bekele.

Germany’s largest half marathon is celebrating its anniversary: On April 3, the 25th Bewag BERLIN HALF MARATHON will get underway. Once again, the race is also the first large international running event of the season in Germany. So far there are already over 7,000 people registered.

AIMS was firmly established in May 1982 with its first World Congress in London. For two years before then informal meetings had been held in New York, Honolulu and other venues by some of the worlds leading marathon race directors with a view to setting up such an association.

In the last few days long distance runners set a couple of highlights in the new season. Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba broke the world record at 5,000 m with 14:32,93 minutes at the Boston Indoor Meeting. She improved Berhane Adere’s former world record from last year by six seconds.

There are two months until the anniversary half marathon: The 25th Bewag BERLIN HALF MARATHON over a distance of exactly 21.0975 km will get Berlin running again on April 3, 2005. Germany’s largest half marathon, organised by SCC RUNNING, is starting to cast its shadow.

Tuesday 1 February 2005 When World Marathon record holder Paul Tergat travelled

to Athens last summer he had only one target:

he wanted to win the Olympic gold, the medal he had missed at two previous

occasions when he came second to Haile Gebrselassie in the 10,000 metres in

Atlanta and Sydney. When he lined up with all the other favourites on August

29, the last day of the 2004 Olympics, at 6 pm., he was physically and mentally

ready for the 42.195 kilometres to come.

Tergat missed his...

The first world record of the 2005 indoor athletics season meant a sure rise in the latest IAAF World Rankings for Tirunesh Dibaba. The 19-year-old Ethiopian ran 14:32.93 (1357 points) to win the 5000m at the Boston Reebok Indoor Games over the weekend.

Today, Ethiopian distance legend, Haile Gebrselassie won the Almeria 1/2 Marathon in Spain. In fair conditions (10 degrees celcius, cloudy, a bit windy), Gebrselassie ran 1.01.46, breaking the course record of 1.02.31 by 45 sec.

After celebrating its successful premiere in 2003, it has already becoming a good tradition:

A representative illustrated book which keeps alive the moving events of the last weekend in September in Berlin for all eternity with colourful photos. Who doesn’t want to peruse the pages and relive one’s own moments of joy and success, and maybe also moments of pain and suffering at the 31st real,- BERLIN-MARATHON 2004.

The US American set a new world record in the non-Olympic distance of 3000m in Salt Lake City with a time of 3:40.88. One has to slowly get used to the idea that Chad Hedrick, 50-time World Inline Skating Champion, winner of the real,- BERLIN MARATHON in 2000 in 1:01:45 and 7th last year with a time of 1:05:00, has now also joined the “others,” with great successes with the speed skaters on ice.

Having seen the flood disaster in Southeast Asia and looking towards the upcoming international sports and development conference, IOC member Thomas Bach and ICSSPE President Gudrun Doll-Tepper declare: "With the means of physical rehabilitation and the treatment of posttraumatic symptoms sports can help to strengthen people again and to overcome lack of prospects."

Japan’s love affair with Marathon running, both the individual race and the Ekiden team relay equivalent is recognised the world over. Similar to Greece the country which gave birth to the Marathon concept, Japan offers a spiritual home for this unique long distance discipline. Therefore it is of no surprise that last summer’s Olympic women’s Marathon victory by Mizuki Noguchi was rapturously greeted by the nation at a level which is difficult for the rest of the world to comprehend.

Sunday 16 January 2005 Mumbai, India - Julius Sugut of Kenya who had finished runner-up last year went one better and took the men’s title, as marathon runners from 25 nations lived up to the “Spirit of Mumbai” slogan in the 2nd Standard Chartered Mumbai International Marathon here this morning (Sun 16).

The sixth and final Athletics Kenya cross country weekend meeting of the

2004/05 season lived up to the high quality predictions, with a fine field and

some superb performances early today.

Staged at the unfamiliar venue of the Muslim Centre course on the

Eldoret-Kaptagat road against the backdrop of rustling trees on a sunny

Saturday morning, the event attracted two medallists from last summer’s

Athens Olympics who lived up to their reputations.

Eliud Kipchoge, the World 5000m champion and the...

World Marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe is the stellar signing for the

2005 Flora London Marathon on Sunday 17 April 2005, it was announced today.

“It doesn’t get any better than this for the 25th

anniversary,” said Race Director David Bedford. “After announcing

the greatest men’s field ever we now have the greatest women’s

distance runner ever.”

Sunday 9 January 2005 Amorebieta, Spain – Australia’s Benita

Johnson came out on top in the clash of Reigning World Cross Country champions

by beating Kenya’s Edith Masai in the 51th Cross Internacional Zornotza -

EAA meeting - held today on a sunny and nice morning. Today’s was

Johnson’s first ever European appearance on a cross country permit.

Reigning long race World Cross Country champion

Johnson

The showdown between the reigning long race World Cross Country champion

Johnson and Masai, the...

Thursday 6 January 2005

Ethiopians should dominate the battle for honours in the womens race, while

Kenyans are likely to occupy the mens podium at the Belfast International Cross

Country - IAAF permit - in Northern Ireland, which takes place on Saturday (8

Jan).

WOMEN - A battle of the generations

Merima Denboba takes on a talented young contingent led by double World Junior

champion Meselech Melkamu, who is hoping to go one better than she did in

Brussels just before Christmas.

The 19-year-old...

The Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on Friday is the first big road race of

the year, and the signing of the international bank as sponsor promises to give

the race equal status with the world class golf, horse-racing and tennis events

in the Gulf state, whose progressive policies have avoided the socio-political

problems of some of its neighbours.

The East African nations, Kenya and Ethiopia continue their struggle for

distance running supremacy a little closer to home than usual. Friday’s...

17 year old Alem Techale, the fiancée of Olympic Champion Kenenisa

Bekele, died this morning during a training session.

Techale, the 1500m World Youth Champion in 2003 was training with Kenenisa

Bekele in Ararat, a forest in a hilly area on the outskirts of Addis Abeba.

Techale suddenly collapsed and Kenenisa Bekele immidiately carried her to his

car. On their way to hospital, Alem Techale passed away.

Bekele and Techale have been living together for about a year and were

engaged. They had...

Traditionally one of the highest class New Year’s Eve races took place in

Bozen. It was the Olympic marathon champion Stefano Baldini who was defeated in

front of his home crowd. The Italian lost the sprint against the Ukrainian

Sergej Lebed, who had won the European Cross Country Championships for the

fifth time some weeks ago. On the 10 k lap through the small south Tyrol city

Lebed finished after 28:23 minutes. Baldini was second with the same time in

front of the US American Dathan Ritzehein...

we wish you a peaceful and interesting year 2005. Remain healthy and above all - keep moving !