Lagat secures his record-tying seventh win at the Millrose Games. © www.photorun.net
Bernard Lagat, one of America’s best middle-distance runners ever, made Millrose Games history this weekend when he recorded his seventh win in the mile event. His win tied legendary Irish runner, Eamonn Coghlan’s record for the most wins at Millrose.
Lagat, who won world titles at 1,500 meters and 5,000m two years ago, didn’t have an easy win, however. He was matched up against New Zealand’s best miler, Nick Willis. Willis won the bronze medal in last summer’s Olympic 1,500 meter final. During the race, Willis took the early lead, but Lagat countered on the last lap and broke the tape in 3:58.44 minutes—over a second ahead of Willis (3:59.48).
Lagat had this to say after the race: “To win this race for the seventh time means a great deal to me, because I have a lot of respect for Eamonn Coghlan.” When asked about his prospects about this year’s World Championships in Berlin, Lagat indicated that he would like to defend both titles and “be as strong as I was in 2007.”
Paula Radcliffe Plans to Run the World Championship Marathon
Paula Radcliffe is planning to run the marathon at the World Championships in Berlin in August. The world record holder from Britain, whose marathon PR is a staggering 2:15:25 hours, made her announcement to the British press this week. Her decision to run sets up a likely duel between herself and German marathon superstar, Irina Mikitenko. The two will meet first at the London Marathon on April 26.
Radcliffe has already won one marathon title at the World Championships: It was in Helsinki in 2005 that she dominated the race from the front to win in 2:20:57. Her time there remains a World Championship record. Asked about her plans after the London Marathon in April, Radcliffe indicated that she would run the World Championships as well as a couple shorter races. She left open the prospects of a fall marathon and said she’d decide for sure after the World Championships.
Radcliffe has bounced back after a string of injuries that she encountered in the build-up to the 2008 Summer Olympics. Recently, she’s been training at her camp in the French Pyrenees. “I’ve been running in snow there and think it’s helped strengthen my leg muscles,” she said.
Next week, Radcliffe will travel for eight weeks of altitude training in Albuquerque, New Mexico—a place that she has trained in recent years. She is looking for a good, competitive race before the London Marathon. In a recent joint interview with her husband and manager Gary Lough, she indicated that her pre-marathon tune-up race may be a 10-kilometer race or a half-marathon.
Last Year’s Champions Return to the Boston Marathon
Last year’s champions will return to run the 113th edition of the Boston Marathon on April 20. The organizers have announced that Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (Kenya) and Dire Tune (Ethiopia) will be on the starting line. They join a deep elite field which includes the top Americans: Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher. The historic marathon on that famous, point-to-point undulating course from Hopkinton to Boston, also attracts a great deal of interest among runners of all levels. Compared to last year, the Boston Athletics Association (BAA) has recorded an increase of around 20% in runner registrations. The participation limit for the race, which requires running a qualifying time, is 25,000. They are well on the way to reaching that total.
The Boston Marathon is part of the World Marathon Majors (WMM) Series which will continue the 2008 – 2009 season on April 20 while at the same time marking the start of the 2009 – 2010 campaign. The leader in the current women’s competition is Irina Mikitenko, who has already won the title for the 2007 – 2008 season. Mikitenko, who runs for the TV Wattenscheid club, will compete in the London Marathon on April 26.
“Boston is one of my favorite races. That’s why I’ll be training as hard as I can to win it for the fifth time and set a course record,” said Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, who won the Boston Marathon in 2003 and from 2006 to 2008. Three years ago, he set the course record of 2:07:14 which is also his personal best. Cheruiyot recently announced that he had converted to Islam and will run under the name of Ahmed Omar Kipkoech Cheruiyot in the future.
The women’s favorite, the Ethiopian, Dire Tune, had this to say about the Boston Marathon: “It was always a dream for me to run the Boston Marathon one day. Last year, I was even able to win it. That’s why it’s a great motivation for me to be on the start line as defending champion.” Tune won last year’s race in 2:25:25.
