Almaz Ayana and Faith Kipyegon on start lists for Prefontaine Classic Diamond League this weekend

Faith Kipyegon will be running in the women's 1500m

One of those IAAF Diamond League meetings that one should never ever miss is happening this weekend in Stanford, USA.

Looking at the women 3000m’s start list, I could not help but wonder whether such a stellar field has ever been assembled for this event in recent times! There are two world record holders; Genzebe Dibaba and Almaz Ayana, with Ayana staging a comeback after being away from competitive running for a while due to an injury.



Hellen Obiri who is ranked as world number one at the moment in the 5000m event will also be there, together with Sifan Hassan who gave a hard run to Dibaba in their recent 1500m race that led to her running a national record of 3:55.93, will also be there!

What percentage does good online coaching contribute to running a great marathon?

A coach urging athletes on at a local race in Kenya

If it was true that every product that appeared on the internet in the name of aiding runners run fast marathon times was to add at least 2% improvement each, then a runner who would use all these products at once would only need to use a 20% effort to win any major marathon!

There are so many products in the market including energy gels, pre-race powders, protein supplements, racing shoes that claim to add up to 4% improvement, energy drinks, special clothing that eliminates air resistance, pace setting GPS watches, electrolytes, running glasses, compression and performance socks, etc. Just like choosing the right odds to place in the betin kenya promo code you will need an expert in the field who has had enough experience in the field to know what exactly will work best for you in yielding the best results. For marathon running, that person is a coach.



Almost every coach was at one time a runner and, besides what was passed down to them by their coaches during their time, knows exactly how the different products and different training programs assisted their running and the right time to apply each one of them.

Nelly Jepkosgei, Genzebe Dibaba and Getnet Wale shine at the Rabat Diamond League.

Nelly Jepkosgei winning the women's 800m race in Rabat

After the Rabat Diamond League meeting had ended, someone just posted on FaceBook; “when did the Ethiopians start winning the men’s 3000m steeplechase races?!”



Well, perhaps their supremacy has just started at the Rabat Diamond League race last night as they took the first two places with Getnet Wale running a world-leading time, national record and personal best time of 8:06.01 to win the race ahead of Chala Beyo who finished second also in a personal best time of 8:06.48. Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen tried hard, but his finishing kick could not allow him to catch the two Ethiopians as he finished third in 8:07.25.

Norah Jeruto upset Beatrice Chepkoech as Selemon Barega won a thrilling 3000m race at the Oslo Diamond League

Norah Jeruto with her sister Daisy Chepkemei after the Oslo Steeplechase race
Photo Courtesy

There was some exciting racing in the distance events at this year's Oslo Diamond League meeting.

All the top four finishers in a thrilling and fast men’s 3000m race recorded their personal best times, with a world leading time and a national record being registered as well. What makes a middle and long distance track race very exciting is the building up towards a climax, the mind games being put to play by the athletes, the fluid movements of athletes in great shape, the gutsy decisions, etc. This race had all these and more. It was as though Joshua Cheptegei knew that Selemon Barega had a strong finishing kick and wanted to make it a long and hard run almost from the start. With about three laps to go, the whole field was already following in a single file with only Nicholas Kimeli and Barega managing to stick just behind him until the last lap.



Barega overtook Cheptegei in the last 200m and went ahead to win the race in a world leading a personal best time of 7:32.17. Cheptegei’s time of 7:33.26 was also a personal best time; same to Kimeli’s 7:34.85 ahead of Henrik Ingebrightsen who treated his home fans to a new national record of 7:37.37.

Beatrice Chepkoech, Selemon Barega, Hyvin Kiyeng and Bethwel Birgen to light up the Oslo Diamond League on Thursday the 13th of June 2019

Beatrice Chepkoech leading the women 1500m race at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast

The Oslo Diamond League meeting has always been one of the most exciting diamond league meetings every year, and this year promises to be the same.

Below are some of what to look forward to in the middle and long distance events.

Men 3000m:

For things to get more exciting in the upcoming long-distance track events, we will need another runner to beat Selemon Barega in the 3,000m race so as to complicate things further in trying to guess who the best 3000m/5000m at the moment is.

What might have caused the poor performance by Kenyan athletes at the Aarhus 2019 World Cross Country Championships?

Kenyan runners participating in a past cross country race in Eldoret, Kenya

One former senior police officer would tell anyone to go away and come back with just one solid reason whenever one gave him more than two reasons as to why something might have happened.

So, here I was; trying to find the one reason as to what may have caused the dismal performance by Kenyan athletes at the 2019 Aarhus IAAF World cross country Championships, and below are the various possible reasons.



1. The national trials were done on high altitude.
For the first time in Kenya, the national cross country championships were done outside Nairobi and there were some major upsets. Some of the main contenders including Agnes Tirop and Edward Zakayo, among others, gave in to the high altitude and the harsh weather conditions in Eldoret and could not make the team.

Benjamin Kigen only winner from Kenya at the Rome Diamond League Meeting as Dibaba, Brazier and Bekele triumph

Benjamin Kigen on way to winning the 3000m steeplechase in Rome. Photo from Organizers

Men 800m:

After a 49.96 seconds first 400m split by the pace setter, it appeared as though it was going to be Wycliffe Kinyamal’s day as he led at the 600m mark in 1:16.87. But Nijel Amos was just at his back waiting to strike as usual on the home straight. As soon as Nijel ran past him, KInyamal began to fade rapidly. However, it was not going to be Nijel’s day either as the strong finishing Donavan Brazier came to edge him just at the finish line winning the race in 1:43.63 against Nijel’s 1:43.65. Brandon Mcbride finished 3rd in 1:43.90.



1500m women:
Genzebe Dibaba seemed to have perfectly timed the right time to spring away from the pack in the women’s 1500m. She overtook the pacemaker at around the 1200m point and began to open a gap in a move that might have caught the other contenders by surprise. The rest of the race remained a battle by the rest of the field to try and come in contact with her again. Despite the fact that she did not manage to close the gap, Laura Muir’s effort to catch Dibaba was amazing and it certainly puts her as one of the top contenders to watch in the next big 1500m race. Dibaba won the race in a world leading time of 3:56.28 slightly ahead of Muir who finished in 3:56.73. Tsegay Gudaf took the third position in 3:59.96.

Caster Semenya to run a new distance at the Eugene Diamond League

Caster Semenya during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

Many track fans may have expected to see the last of Caster Semenya participating in the Diamond League races after the new rules came in place as from 8th May to bar her from participating in events between the 400m and the mile. But, it seems the two times Olympic and three times world champion who has been unbeatable over the 800m distance already had a plan B in place.



Semenya has been entered in the Pre Classic diamond league meeting which is scheduled for June 30th, to in run the women’s 3000m. This event does not fall under the IAAF’s new testosterone regulations.

Eliud Kipchoge’s seemingly permanent marathon world record of 2:01:39 in Berlin recaptured

Eliud Kipchoge with his coach, Patrick Sang

The 16th of September 2018 was an exciting day for marathon fans across the world when Eliud Kipchoge treated them to one exciting marathon race on the streets of Berlin. 

In Kenya, for the first time, there was a huge following of the race with restaurants and county governments in places where the highest concentration of athletes come from setting up watch parties. Some local sponsors also came in to be part of the partying. A local TV station also covered the gatherings and the celebrations across the country during the race.

The 2019 Stockholm Diamond League Meeting's most talked about race

Rhonex Kipruto won the 10,000m race in 26:50.16

It would appear as though when a race is cut off from the TV audience, it will be the most sought and downloaded video on internet the following day given what just happened at the IAAF track and field meeting in Stockholm this week (the 30th of May 2019).



The men’s spectacular 10,000m race that was won by Rhonex Kipruto in a rare sub 27 minute time of 26:50.16 became one of the most talked about races from the Stockholm Diamond League meeting on the internet and on social media the following day. I had to go to YouTube to re-watch the race for myself.

Five memorable moments to remember from the 2019 IAAF Aarhus World Cross Country Championships

The under 20 women's race at the Aarhus world cross coutry (Photorun.net)

The IAAF world cross country championships that happened in Aarhus Denmark are over, but there are moments that will remain in record books and in the minds of fans that watched it for a long time to come. Below are some of the memories to keep from Aarhus. 

1. The tough and hilly course.
Even before the event began, many had already nick-named it the toughest world cross country meeting ever. It was. The part of the course that will remain memorable was the steep incline, just after the muddy section. It is interesting to think that someone thought about adding weights (mud), and not water, on the runners' spikes before they could ascend the slope.