TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 2008

Rop to Run Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon

Posted October 19th, 2008 at 12:30 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Rodgers Rop, who won both the Boston and ING New York City Marathons in 2002, will run the Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon on Oct. 26, organizers said last Tuesday. It will be the 27th edition of German’s second most important marathon after Berlin.

Rop has a personal best of 2:07:32 set in Hamburg in 2007, and has also run 2:07:34 in London in 2006. He is best known for winning the ING New York City Marathon in 2002 when he ran 2:08:07 to beat compatriots Christopher Cheboiboch and Laban Kipkemboi after a spirited battle which went right to the final kilometer of the race. Rop also won Boston earlier that year in 2:09:02. Amongst men, only Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar and Joseph Chebet have won Boston and New York in the same year.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

In Boston Cheruiyot Defends & Tune Wins Dramatic Sprint

Posted April 21st, 2008 at 6:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot won his fourth Boston Marathon and Dire Tune her first in a memorable 112th edition of America’s oldest and most historic marathon race.

Cheruiyot, the 29 year-old Kenyan who is the reigning World Marathon Majors champion, made a run at his own course record, leading a pack of six through the half-way in a brisk 1:03:07. Compatriots James Kwambai and James Mwangi Macharia joined him along with Moroccan Abderrahime Bouramdane and Ethiopians Kasime Adillo and Tesfaye Girma.

“As usual the course was very difficult and I tried to push harder this year to achieve my personal goal of running a 2:07,” said Cheruiyot.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Can Anyone Dethrone Cheruiyot at Boston?

Posted April 19th, 2008 at 3:26 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, the willowy Kenyan who overcame a childhood of destitution to become a three-time Boston Marathon champion and the inaugural World Marathon Majors points leader, is poised to win yet another Boston title on Monday. Can anyone stop him?

“Many people are here to win,” said the smiling Cheruiyot as he chatted with reporters yesterday in a fancy ballroom at the Copley Plaza Hotel. “But I don’t know what place I will be.”

Cheruiyot, who won here in 2003, 2006 and 2007 and set the course record of 2:07:14 with his second victory, is a solid favorite to collect his fourth Boston title on Monday.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Cheruiyot Leads Strong Kenyan Contingent for Boston Marathon

Posted February 28th, 2008 at 3:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Of the last 17 editions of the Boston Marathon Kenyan men have won all but two, and defending champion and course record holder Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot has nabbed three of those titles. According to an announcement by John Hancock Financial yesterday, Cheruiyot could be headed for a fourth Boston crown, keeping Kenyan dominance alive at America’s oldest, still-contested marathon, founded in 1897.

Cheruiyot, the 2006/2007 World Marathon Majors champion who rebounded from extreme poverty and homelessness to become one of the world’s finest athletes, first won in Boston in 2003. He had since come back to win twice more in 2006 –when he broke Cosmas Ndeti’s 1994 course record– and again last year when he had to contend with sheets of blowing rain as a Nor’easter pounded Boston.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Kibet breaks away, wins in 2:15:58, slowest WC time ever

Posted August 24th, 2007 at 7:39 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

By 31K, it was a 3 man race. Luke Kibet (KEN), William Kiplagat (KEN) and Mubarak Hassan Shami (QAT) were the leaders. It was a Kenyan-dominated race, with Shami having been born there before immigrating to Qatar.

Kibet was a surprise leader with a PB of only 2:08:52. He broke away from the other two, opening up a 100m lead with 10K to go. Even with his 12-second lead, he kept looking back at the other two, indicating that he wasn’t totally confident in his break.

At 35K, Kibet was still going strong. Shami began to lose Kiplagat, who began to struggle. The time at 35K was 1:52:35 (15:39 for the 5K interval). Three Japanese runners were in the top 10 at this point, well positioned for the World Cup title, the World Championships’ team competition. Back in the pack, some of the runners had succumbed to heat exhaustion and were carried away on stretchers. With 6K to go, Kibet had opened up a 150m lead. Viktor Röthlin was in third place, behind Shami.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink