Conseslus Kipruto confirms he will be running at the Kenyan National trials

Conseslus Kipruto winning gold in London

To fans of the men’s 3000m steeplechase event, and particularly of Conseslus Kipruto, the reigning Olympic, world, and Commonwealth Games’ champion had some exciting news to share today after chatting with RunBlogRun. He has recovered from an injury that has seen him miss the track season this year and is feeling ready to compete again.

With one step to reach the nationals, athletes gave their best at the Central Rift championships in an effort to earn slots to participate at the national trials expected to take place next month.

Exciting distance races at the 2019 Muller Anniversary Games, London

Hellen Obiri after winning the women's 5000m in London

It almost felt like a world championship week this weekend during the two-day Muller Diamond League meeting in London. There were many great races that had almost all the main contenders that will likely to turn up at the finals of the world championships in Doha and added to the venue; the London Stadium, in which the 2012 Olympics and the 2017 world championships were done, it was bound to be a meeting to remember.



There were a lot of expectations in the men’s 800m race given that Nijel Amos had just run 1:41.89 at the Monaco Diamond League and knew exactly how close he was to breaking the world record. The race was to happen in the same facility where he set his personal best time of 1:41.73 in 2012 when he had finished second to David Rudisha who had broken the world record.

Sifan Hassan's new world record amid other fast times at the 2019 Monaco Diamond League

Sifan Hassan and Laura Weightman after going 1-2

Fast times have usually been recorded in the past years at the Monaco Diamond League meeting, especially in the distance events. It was the same case this year with a world record being set in the women’s 1 mile and world-leading times being registered in the men’s 3000m steeplechase and 800m races.

The women’s 1 mile race became the much talked about race after Sifan Hassan turned it around from what had appeared to be a low profile event, given the scarcity of other big names to provide competition. It was only Tsegay Gudaf who was able to stick with Hassan after the pacesetter had stepped out. For a while, it appeared as though Tsegay was trailing Hassan and waiting to strike in the last stages of the race.

But, just after the bell, Hassan accelerated and built a big gap that kept increasing rapidly as she went for the new world record crossing the finish line in 4:12.33. Tsegay would suffer from her mistake of trying to keep up with her as two other athletes overtook her before she reached the finish line. Laura Weightman finished second in a personal best time of 4:17.60 followed by Canada’s Gabriela Debues-Stafford in a new national record of 4:17.87.

Wyclife Kinyamal leads Kenyans to a 1-2-3 finish in the 800m race as Kejelcha win 5000m at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting

Yomif Kejelcha

One of the biggest races of the night was the men’s 5000m, given the start list that had almost all the runners who had shown great form in distances ranging from the 3,000m to the 10,000m this season. There were 15 runners who had run under 13 minutes for the distance. There were also some perceived scores to be settled between Tilahun Bekele and Selemon Barega; Joshua Cheptegei and Barega; Yomif Kejelcha and Barega; Paul Chelimo and Cheptegei, among others.

However, Yomif Kejelcha who had not featured much in the most recent races was the man who won what is arguably the most anticipated race of the year.



The first 1000m was quite fast with the pace setter taking the field through it in 2:32.96. However, the pace was slowed down a little after the pacesetters stepped out after around the 3,000m mark, as though no one was willing to risk trying to break away from such a formidable field.

A look at the men’s 5000m race for tonight at the Lausanne IAAF Diamond League

Telahun Bekele leading a recent men's 5000m race

Someone just confided in me that if he were in the start list for the men’s 5000m race tonight at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting, then he would have just faked an injury and wait for a less competitive race later in the circuit.

With 15 runners having personal best times of under 13 minutes in tonight’s race, it is set to be one of, if not, the most competitive 5,000m race this year.

Beatrice Chepkoech and Joshua Cheptegei's sweet revenge at the Preclassic Iaaf Diamond League

Beatrice Chepkoech running at the Kenyan trials in Nairobi

Not sure if it was because the setting and lighting were different from that of the other Diamond League races, given that it happened in broad daylight as opposed to others that have happened mostly in the evening, but this year’s Preclassic diamond league was mesmerizing to watch!



A Crazy and exciting women’s 3000m steeplechase race that left the field in a single file within the first kilometer was the first distance event in the sunny and clear afternoon in Stanford. Beatrice Chepkoech chose a strategy that works best for her; she broke away from the group from the start. The chasing pack regrouped itself again in the last stages of the race and there was a different championship caliber race (complete with former and reigning world champions in it) for the second place as Chepkoech ran her own different race at the front.

17 week marathon training program that improved my time by 29 minutes

My ebook

In my preparation to go out and run a 2:26.48 marathon, I recorded each workout from the first date of starting my training, for continuous 17 weeks, till I remained with the last couple of weeks for tapering and travel. In it are the time splits I would post in all my runs; 25km runs, 38km runs, track intervals, 15km tempo runs, etc.

While this program will not make you run 2:26 by reading it, it will help you compare the times you post in your workouts with mine and see how you will adjust them to make sure you run faster than me in your next race. Or, at least it will help to just sample a typical Kenyan training program in your own training.