News
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February 1st, 2017
Glasgow Course Found To Be Short, Scottish Record Vanishes
The organisers of the 2016 Great Scottish Run have announced that the route was found to be 149.7m short after the re-measurement of the half marathon course. Callum Hawkins won the men’s race in a Scottish record of 1:00:24 but that time will now be invalidated.
In the race staged in Glasgow City Center on 2 October 2016, Hawkins was the first British winner of the event in 23 years, becoming the all-time Great Britain number 2 behind Mo Farah. However, the measurement to confirm the distance for the ratification of the Scottish record broken by the Paisley born athlete revealed the shortness of the course. It is understood that a small section of the prescribed route was not followed correctly in Bellahouston Park, which accounted for approximately 50 metres of the shortfall. The remainder of the shortfall was as a result of the difference between measuring on closed roads compared to a measure on unclosed roads, which was the methodology used in August as a result of notification of essential utilities works affecting the course.
The Great Run Company, organiser of the event, announced in a statement that “they are extremely disappointed that these errors have been made and they have apologised to Hawkins, who fully deserved his place in the record books after his fine run”. Betsy Saina, the winner of the women’s elite race in a time of 1:07:22 was also apologised to.
The performances achieved in the 2016 Great Scottish Run would now be declared invalid, and those performances will be listed separately in the statistics under a “short course” notice.
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January 31th, 2017
Countdown For RAK Half Marathon
Promoted as the “World’s Fastest Half Marathon”, RAK Half Marathon will be staged on 10 February. Depar Timing will be assisting the timing services once again while the race celebrates its 11th edition.
The event, held in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven Emirates that form the United Arab Emirates, is the focus of interest for elite distance runners with its fast course and its high budget. This year, the prize money sums up to 1,245,000 United Arab Emirates Dirham (about USD 350,000). The winners in both men and women receive AED 50,000 (USD 15,000), an additional bonus of AED 365,000 (USD 100,000) is offered for the world record. The course records are held by the Kenyans Patrick Makau (58:52) and Mary Keitany (1:05:50).
Timing services in RAK Half Marathon are provided by the local Premier Timing, and Depar Timing acts as the Assisting Timing Company.
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January 27th, 2017
Continents To Merge With Strokes Once Again
2016 WOWSA Award winner Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race is scheduled for 23 July this year. The quota of 1100 foreign swimmers was filled within 16 hours earlier this month. The registration system will remain open until 15 March for Turkish citizens.
Turkish Olympic Committee’s (TOC) traditional “Sports For All” organisation Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim was selected the 2016 World Open Water Offering of the Year by the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA). It will be the 29th edition of the event on Sunday, 23 July 2017.
The race receives great interest from abroad every year. When the applications opened on the TOC's official website http://bogazici.olimpiyatkomitesi.org.tr on 4th of January this year, 728 male and 372 female swimmers from 49 countries filled the limited quota of 1100 foreign swimmers in only 16 hours.
The 6.5 km Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race starts from Kanlıca on the Asian side of
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January 20th, 2017
Surprise Winners in Dubai
Tamirat Tola broke the course record with 2:04:11 while Kenenisa Bekele dropped out at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon. On the women’s side, debutant Worknesh Degefa took the race with 2:22:36.
It was all-Ethiopian podium in both men and women. Tamirat Tola won the men’s race with 2:04:11, improving his personal best by more than two minutes. Mule Wasihun and Sisay Lemma finished in second and third positions with 2:06:46 and 2:08:04 respectively.
The pre-race favourite Kenenisa Bekele, who aimed to break the world record in Dubai, fell right at the start after being tripped from behind, and lost contact to the leading group. Bekele dropped out at around 23rd kilometre.
In the women’s race, 26 year-old debutant Worknesh Degefa finished first in a time of 2:22:36. Shure Demise was second in 2:22:57 and Yebrgual Melese took third with 2:23:13.
Both winners collected 200,000 Dollars each.
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January 18th, 2017
Payday In Dubai
A bonus of USD 250,000 is on offer for the world record, in addition to the prize money of USD 200,000 for the first place, at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon. Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele is the pre-race favourite of the event that will start at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, 20 January.
In its sixth successive year as an IAAF Gold Label race, world’s fastest marathoners meet again in Dubai. It was Ethiopians Tesfaye Abera Dibaba with 2:04:24 in men and Tirfi Tsegaye Beyene with 2:19:41 in women last year who were victorious. With an incentive of USD 450,000 besides what he may have received as appearance fee, it is no surprise if Bekele pushes hard to better his career best of 2:03:03, just six seconds shy of the world record. However, the Ethiopian star must first beat his compatriots to accomplish his goal. Tsegaye Mekonnen, who ran 2:04:32 in his debut in Dubai in 2014, and finished the same course in 2:04:46 last year, will surely be a contender. Dino Sefir, holding a personal best of 2:04:50 is another athlete to watch closely.
On the women’s side, Shure Demise with a personal best time of 2:20:59 is top on the list but she would face a strong challenge from the 2:21:01 runner Meselech Melkamu, winner of both Hamburg and Amsterdam marathons last year.
Further to the winners of both men’s and women’s races receiving USD 200,000 in Dubai Marathon, first ten get paid cash prizes. This year, the athletes finishing in tenth place will pocket USD 10,000 each. The organisers are so eager for the world record that, not only they offer USD 250,000 for the record but also will be using several pacemakers including Negesse Endeshaw who has a personal best time of 2:04:52.
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