Results for 2013

Despite 32°C and 52% humidity, the race was very competitive. Stanley Biwott headed the world class field up the initial climb from City Hall, before letting others take over on the steeper climbs in the first 3km. Yenew Alamirew took the wind head-on with Edwin Kipyego and Zersenay Tadese tucked in and Biwott tailing the group. “During the last two kilometres I knew that perhaps I could win,” said Biwott, and in the twists and turns towards the stadium he dropped his competition one by one and opened up a slight gap on Alamirew as they sprinted down the home straight. Seven men broke 29 minutes despite the adverse conditions.

Riscah Jeptoo defended her title after a conservative start in which Pauline Njeru led up the steep climb towards an underpass 3km into the race. By the time the field emerged from under the crowd-lined bridge Jeptoo had eased into the lead. Despite the conditions Jeptoo improved her 2012 time by 21 seconds while behind her Flomena Daniel overtook Njeru for second place.

The race is one of the oldest in Africa and has been held every year throughout the four decades of war which only ended in 2002, excepting only 1961 and 1978. Over 1300 runners from throughout the country lined up for the mass participation event.

Atsedu Tsegay demolished a highly competitive men’s field and set a new course record, shaving three seconds off the mark set by Deriba Merga in 2008. After competent pacemaking to 12km he injected his own pace just after 15km which world leader Geoffrey Kipsang and Wilson Kiprop could not match. He eased ahead as they returned past India Gate, and stretched his lead to 100m by the finish just outside Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The race took place later than usual and benefited from cool (12C) conditons. Kipsang was coping with the loss of his 17-year-old brother Elias, who passed away on Friday. He did wonderfully well to overcome his grief and ran a brave race. Atsedu, the fastest half marathoner of 2012, had a poor run at this event last year. He finished 20th and suffering an ankle injury that kept him out of competition for nearly a year.

The women set off five minutes behind the men and got off to a slow start, refusing the pace set by Alice Kimutai. It picked in the second 5km so that a lead group of six passed through 10km in 33:17. In the second half a competitive race developed between world leader Lucy Kabuu, former World Champion Florence Kiplagat and Gladys Cherono. They stuck together until 16km at which point Kiplagat started to forge a significant lead. It was enough to dispose of Lucy Kabuu’s challenge. Gladys Cherono tenaciously started to claw back the deficit but over the final kilometre Kiplagat had the finish in her sights, and managed to keep herself in front.

A total of 31,000 runners participated in the half marathon and associated 6km fun run. Prize money totalled USD 210,000, with USD25,000 each for the winners. As usual the race attracted the participation of many celebrities, among them industrialist Anil Ambani and actor Rahul Bose. A host of dignitaries, including event ambassadors 1996 Olympic 100m Champion Donovan Bailey and actress Bipasha Basu, were present to cheer on the participants.

A wheelchair event was included within both the title event and the associated 10km, won by Ali Sawalmeh (1:23:38) and Ala’a Al Din Al Kaza’a (47:43). The winner of the 21km race for the visually impaired was AbdeulRaouf Al Khatib (1:46:16) and the 10km winner was Nabil Maqableh.

There were also separate boys’ and girls’ races over a 4.2km course.

In his Marathon debut in this race last year Martin Mathathi dropped at 35km but this year, on a cool but humid day, he took control of the race at that point writes Ken Nakamura. He started to push the pace hard in the final seven kilometres to drop his final challenger and last year’s winner Joseph Gitau. Local star Yuki Kawauchi came third, in his tenth Marathon of the year. Since he was the first Japanese in the race, at this point, Kawauchi is the leading contender for the Japanese marathon team for the next year’s Asian Games in South Korea. But in two weeks he plans to run the Hofu Marathon, again targetting a sub-2:10 time.

The leaders reached halfway in 1:03:48 and, with pacemaking finished, Kawauchi jumped into the lead and left the chase pack 10 seconds behind. Henryk Szost closed him down and two ran together in front with six men in the chasing pack. They were caught just after 28km. Mekubo Mogusu then led for a couple of kilometres, before Mathathi made his decisive effort at 32km, which only Gitau could match. They passed 35km in 1:46:13, nine seconds ahead of a four-man chasing group from which Szost and Kawauchi emerged to give chase. Kawauchi did start to close on Gitau but just fell short by five seconds. Mathathi’s 5km split from 35–40km was 14:39, only two seconds slower than Tsegaye Kebede ran when he set the course record of 2:05:18 in 2009.

South Africa’s Stephen Mokoka and Ethiopia’s Aberu Kebede won in times just short of the course records set last year writes Mirko Jalava. Kebede bounced back from a disappointing outing at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, where she finished only in 13th, by winning in season’s best and missing the course record by only 21 seconds.

There were several men with faster personal bests than Mokoka, but Mokoko had placed highly before in Shanghai (second in 2011 and fourth last year). Running his first Marathon of 2013, he won with a time 28 seconds short of the course record. Behind him Eritrean Beraki Beyene was best in a thrilling finish over the final few hundred metres where the five came home in the space of 10 seconds. The six runners were on their own from 32km before Mokoka broke away in the last two kilometres.

More than 35,000 people took to the streets of Shanghai on Sunday morning, 8000 in the Marathon, 10,000 in Half Marathon, 5000 in a 10km run and approximately 12,000 persons in a Mini Marathon.

More than 6000 local and overseas runners started the race from the Olympic Sport Centre Stadium. Julius Kiplimo Maisei from Kenya set a new race record and collected total prize money of USD35,000. Mi Gyong Kim from North Korea won the women’s race and USD20,000.

Considering he was running his third Marathon in nine weeks Chelimo Kipkemoi was something of a surprise winner writes Phil Minshull. He had missed out on getting placed among the elite racers in front of the 11,000-plus runners and was part of the mass start, crossing the line approximately 35 seconds after the gun had gone. Kipkemoi is adept at winning races in difficult conditions: he won three of his six Marathons in 2011 and two last year, but has never broken 2:10. His win extended the Kenyan hold on the Singapore men’s title to 12 editions.

After passing through halfway 33 seconds down Kipkemoi very gradually closed down this deficit. 2007 world champion and two-time winner in Singapore Luke Kibet pushed on ahead from 25–35km, accompanied by Kiptanui. But by 38km Kipkemoi’s patience had paid off, and he took the lead, passing 40km with an unchallenged 13-second advantage. Kibet drifted back to fourth in the final stages.

Sharon Cherop, the 2012 Boston Marathon champion lived up to her billing as pre-race women’s favourite but left it right to the line after running with Ethiopia’s Debre Godana. The pair went ahead of what had been an eight-woman lead group until 30km. After their last-gasp sprint Cherop and Godana were given the same time. “The race was so close but I am happy that my strategy to sprint only when I was close to the finish line worked,” reflected Cherop. Behind them Russia’s Alina Prokopeva took third place in Singapore for the second consecutive year.

Simon Kariuki ran away from the opposition early on, with Juan Cardona (who often runs with cyclist support, against the rules of international marathons) chasing in vain. Kariuki occasioned excitement in the crowd as it seemed he might crack the 2:16:24 course record Alene Reta ran in 2010 (this year he won the half marathon), and win a $10000 bonus for doing so, but he fell 100 seconds short of the mark. First Panamanian was Augustin Alcazar in eighth place with 2:44:03. More than 1500 runners entered: 600 in the marathon along with 65 eight-man relay teams, and 600 in the half marathon.

In just her second ever race over the classic distance, Kenya’s Rebecca Chesire held off a late charge from marathon debutante Elvan Abeylegesse writes John Mulkeen. Abraham Kiprotich opened up a gap of almost a minute over the rest of the field in the closing stages of the men’s race.

Turkish record-holder Sultan Haydar led the lead group in the women’s race while marathon debutant Elvan Abeylegesse languished in 10th place, 40 seconds behind at 10km. Haydar reached halfway in 1:12:50 with six African runners still a stride or two behind. Abeylegesse lagged by a minute. Haydar still led at 30km with with just Rebecca Chesire and Amane Gobena left for company, while Abeylegesse had steadily made her way through the field into sixth place. She made up 30 seconds over the next 5km and moved into fourth. The race really came alive in the closing kilometres as Haydar finally surrendered her lead to Chesire, while Abeylegesse looked poised to challenge on the shoulder of the Kenyan with 1600m to go. But Chesire had saved enough for the finish to win, 73 seconds slower than her marathon debut earlier this year. Abeylegesse achieved her sub-2:30 goal while Haydar ran one second faster than when she finished in the same position last year.

Marathon debutant Desta Alemu took a group through halfway in the men’s race in 1:04:23, with Abraham Kiprotich on his shoulder. The group slowed considerably in the next 14km until Kiprotich moved ahead decisively at 35km. Deriba Merga tried to follow him as Siraj Gena came through strongly into third position and went on to overtake Merga.

Felix Kipkemoi Keny fulfilled his prediction when he won the race in the fastest time yet run in Spain writes Phil Minshull. He took 17 seconds off his personal best and 16 seconds off the Spanish all-comers record dating from Jackson Kipkoech’s win in Barcelona three years ago. Keny also sliced 45 seconds from the course record, set in 2011. A pack of about 20 runners, led by Qatari pacemaker Nicholas Kemboi, went through halfway in 1:03:44. Jacob Kendagor then took the pace to 30km and shortly afterwards Keny broke away for the biggest win of his career. Ethiopia’s Azalech Masrecha won the women’s race comfortably, taking more than a minute off the previous course record set in 2002. A total of 9778 runners finished.

The AmeriKenyan Running Club dominated the top spots. Both winners times were the second fastest ever run in this race, now in its 11th year. Nine men finished under 1:05 this year after a total of only 13 runners breaking 1:05 in the past six years combined. Prize money of $17,850, the largest half marathon purse in the western US, was distributed between the top eight runners and top three masters. 7,200 finishers enjoyed in perfect race conditions along the rolling course that mostly tours the scenic and historic coastlines of Monterey and Pacific Grove.

14 runners passed one mile (1.6km) in 4:53, but a mile later there were five and by four miles Nelson Uyogi and Jacob Chemtai were away. They dueled all the way with Chemtai sprinting away on the gentle downhill finish. Sarah Kiptoo determined the women’s race early on by going out with the lead men and building a substantial lead by two miles (10:10).

William Kipsang won his first Marathon since Rotterdam 2008, and posted his fastest time since then, to end a six-year Ethiopian winning streak in Beirut writes Phil Minshull. He broke away from the leading group shortly after halfway and went through 30km in 1:33:56 with a 19-second lead over the five-man chasing group. By 35km his lead had grown to 39 seconds with Kenya’s Benjamin Serem and Sammy Malakwen, along with Ethiopia’s Gemechu Lemma still together around 250m behind. Serem then started to chase but could not quite reel him in. Race favourite Kedir Fekadu, who won last year in 2:12:57, was part of the chasing group at 30km but soon afterwards the Ethiopian started to struggle and he finished a disappointing seventh. Temperatures reached an unseasonably warm 23°C and the course records were never threatened. Over 36,000 participated in the event which included various youth and fun runs.

In his marathon debut Hillary Yego won the Athens Classic Marathon over the original Marathon course from Marathon to the Panathenaikon Stadium, built for the first modern Olympics in 1896 writes Pat Butcher. For the women Joan Rotich led from the start to finish 100m ahead of Svitlana Stanko with Greek National Champion Magda Gazea in third. A record entry of 11,000 took part in the 31st edition, with a total more than 30,000 participants entered in all events.

For the first few kilometres both men and women were on course for much faster times but from 12km, as both temperatures and topography rose, the pace of the men’s lead group of 10 (including pacemakers) slowed to reach halfway in 1:06:48. Shortly afterwards defending champion Raymond Bett dropped out because of stomach problems. With the hills getting tougher until the highest point at 31km, more dropped behind, or dropped out. On the descent into Athens only a trio remained. David Rutoh was dropped with 5km to go, then Yego made the decisive move just before the 40km to ease ahead of Cheruiyot.

In contrast to the men’s race Joan Rotich led from the start and built up a big lead, passing 15k nearly two and a half minutes ahead of Ukraine’s Svitlana Stanko. Rotich slowed on the hills and Stanko gradually cut back into her lead, but she still remained 25 seconds adrift as Rotich crossed the finish line. “The Athens Marathon is a special race, so I am very happy to have won it. It was a great feeling to run into the Olympic Stadium,” she said.

Encouraged by Paula Radcliffe, women’s world marathon record holder and race patron, 12,814 runners were attracted to the 6th edition. Of these, 8652 set off from the marathon start on the Promenade des Anglais to pass through seven coastal cities under sunny Mediterranean skies. First to cross the finish line on the Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes were Ethiopia’s Abdisa Sori among the men and Salina Jebet for the women. For Sori the battle lasted the entire 42195m as countryman Edeo Telo finished within the same second, A strongly gusting wind slowed runners in the second half. Jebet, the race favourite, won by a minute.

Wilson Kipketer, patron of the official charity Peace and Sport and triple 800m World Champion finished his second marathon in 3:15:08. “The route is fantastic. I’ll be back next year,” he said. Joining Kipketer was Vénuste Niyongabo from Burundi, who became the only Burundi national to win an Olympic medal by taking the 5000m title at the 1996 Olympic Games. These outstanding athletes joined forces as a team to run the Relay Marathon for Peace and Sport.

The 6-person relay format is divided into sections of varying distances between 3km and 11km. 400 teams were on the start-line made up of friends, co-workers and families. New in 2013, the 2×21.1km race offers each runner the chance to run a Half-Marathon between Nice and Cannes. It was a huge success and attracted 881 two-member teams. In all 62 nationalities were represented with foreign runners making up 31% of the field.

Sean Hehir of Rathfarnham WSAF and defending champion Maria McCambridge made it a Dublin club double at the Airtricity Dublin Marathon.

For Hehir, it was his first marathon victory and a second attempt at Dublin after finishing 13th and second Irish last year. His time of 2:18:19 saw him almost a minute clear of early leader Joe Sweeney from DSD, who was making his marathon debut. Clonliffe’s Sergiu Ciobanu, who had run the marathon at the World Championships in August, was third in 2:22:02, with Thomas Frazer fourth in 2:22:34, having run 2:17:45 in Berlin a few weeks before.

McCambridge was trailing Leevale’s Clare McCarthy at 21 miles after an enforced pit stop at 18 miles. Only in the last half mile of the race did she catch McCarthy for her third Irish marathon title, crossing the line in 2:38:51. McCarthy was second in 2:39:27 – her first time under 2 hrs 40 mins.
Former Olympian and multiple Irish champion Pauline Curley of Tullamore Harriers finished third place in 2:42.57 – her best time in some years. In fourth place was Fiona Stack in 2:49.07.

In the wheelchair race, Paul Hannon was winning for a fourth time.

A strong typhoon lingering in the southern ocean caused concern among race organisers during race week, especially as another typhoon in its wake made their respective paths very difficult to predict. Both typhoons diverted into the East Pacific Ocean and runners enjoyed cloudless and temperate conditions on marathon day.

More than 20000 runners enjoyed an autumn tour of the beautiful scenic lakeside course. Nickson Kurgat broke his personal best to win his second Chuncheon Marathon. Last year he was second to David Kemboi Kiyeng but their positions were reversed this year.

Just under 19000 runners finished Slovenia’s biggest running event in ideal autumn weather. The flat two-lap course winds through the city streets and outskirts, before finishing in the city centre.

Once again the Kenyans took the honours but Andrea Lalli ran a great debut marathon, sticking with the leading group until 30km when Titus Masai, Raymond Kiplagat and Nixon Machichim opened up a gap on him. Machichim built up winning a margin over the last 2km, fending off Kiplagat’s desperate attempt to catch him in the final sprint. Lalli paced himself well to finish third: ”When I saw Masai closer I gritted my teeth and tried to speed up to finish third.” Mercy Jerotich Kibarus was a clear winner of the women’s race.

At the tail end of the race groups of Italian and Japanese runners dressed in a colourful T-shirts enlivened the race course. There were 5344 finishers. Thousands of spectators cheered on all runners and both were entertained by music groups located in 22 different locations.

Vincent Kipruto braved high winds to beat fellow-Kenyan and debutant Mark Kiptoo by just one second writes Pat Butcher. Caroline Kilel ran a personal best for her second Frankfurt victory. 14,964 runners from 96 nations entered among whom were five men with personal bests of under 2:05:30 and three women who had run sub-2:22.

But winds of up to 50km/hour blew away any hopes of a fast time. as 14 runners passed halfway in 1:03:06. Then, without any pacemaker left, runners tried to shelter behind each other and the pace dropped. Kipruto led a group of six at 30km (1:29:21) as they expected to benefit from a tailwind, but the wind swirled and provided no assistance. Kipruto pressed on to have only Kiptoo alongside him at 34km. Shortly before they entered the Festival Hall for the final 100m, Kipruto made the decisive break to finish just one second ahead. The Ethiopian challenge never materialised. Feyisa Lilesa had already fallen behind and dropped out at 37km with a back problem. Dino Sefir, the fastest in the field with 2:04:50, had lost contact with the leaders before halfway and finally finished seventh.

The women enjoyed better protection from the wind by their pacemakers and with five women under 2:24 there was greater depth than any previous German marathon. Six women reached halfway in 1:11:10 minutes. Debutante Gelete Burka’s hopes of a winning debut Marathon soon faded as she lost ground before reaching 25km. The other five remained together to 35km from which point Caroline Kilel began to build a winning lead, and improving her personal best by two seconds.

Of the 14,155 people signed up 11,972 completed the various courses in the 20th anniversary edition. There was some rain and a light wind which hampered runners on their return journey from the turnaround at La Tour-de-Peilz-Lausanne. Maciek Miereczko retained the men’s title while the women’s winner was British Olympic (2nd place in Beijing) cycling time triallist Emma Pooley.

Tadese Tola broke the 33-year old course record and pulled the Kenyan pair Bernard Kipyego and Daniel Rono under the old mark, Taisuke Kodama’s 2:07:35 from 1986 writes Mirko Javala. The weather was perfect for a Marathon with clear skies, minimal wind and a temperature a little over 10C. The men passed halfway, led by Festus Langat, in 1:03:35 with a group of 11 still together. Tola kicked at 24km and was followed by Kipyego.

Led by Tola, the top five reached 25km in 1:15:03 with Kipyego in second place followed by Ethiopians Abebe Negewo and Afewerk Mesfin and Kenya’s Daniel Rono. The same personnel were still in the lead at 30km in 1:30:14, but soon after Mesfin was dropped from the group, and Negewo dropped back after 37km Tola and Rono began to sprint with 900m to go, but with 500m left Kipyego had joined them and all three were going full throttle, a sight not often seen in the Marathon. With 150m to go Tola finally broke clear.

The women’s race was considerably thinner, with only a handful of runners competing for the top places. Just 23, Zhang had not competed for more than four years, since finishing 18th in the 10,000m at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Her first race in Beijing came in 2007 when she was a surprise runner-up in 2:27:20 at age 17 and then ran a world junior best 2:22:38 in Xiamen in January 2008, a day after her 18th birthday. Her 2009 performances were no longer as good, and her career drew to a halt,

After 30km (1:47:24) with Zhang now clearly looking to take the lead and at around 36km she finally stepped up a gear with Yeshimebet Tadesse falling back quickly and Makda Harun able to hang on for just a few more moments.

Wilson Chebet secured a third consecutive victory and improved the course record by five seconds. Valentine Kipketer posted a personal best to win the women’s race.

A group of about 20 started fast, on course record schedule until 15km, but then a headwind next to the Amstel River slowed them. It was only after 34km that a magnificent battle started between Bernard Koech and Wilson Chebet. This lasted until 38km when Koech cramped, giving Chebet a clear path to his hat-trick of wins in Amsterdam.

Behind Kipketer Serena Burla took a surprising second place. Having survived her battle against cancer she ran with golden shoelaces in support of the VUmc charity marathon for Cancer Center Amsterdam.

There were more participants than ever before in the Olympisch Stadion. An incredible 41,600 runners including 17000 foreign runners from 82 countries entered the various races (marathon, Mizuno Half Marathon, TCS 8km and the children’s run) up 4,500 on last year.

Serbia’s second city, the capital of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, staged its 19th edition of the marathon over a flat course starting and finishing at the city’s very core – the square in front of City Hall. The course is mostly along the banks of the Danube and over newly constructed or reconstructed bridges. It leads through newly-built districts, the University precinct, beside the Tanurdzicevapalata, the beautiful old palace which houses the Assembly and Government of Vojvodina, and past the famous Petrovaradin Fortress.

A titanic battle among three Kenyans played out on the streets of Cologne until the final kilometre. None of them were able to break away until shortly before the finish line when Nicholas Chelimo summoned the strength to get clear. By contrast Janet Rono led the women’s race from the start to break her personal best by four minutes.

Ethiopian favourite Yemane Tsegay Adhane won a thrilling battle and ended a 14-year Kenyan winning streak in the Dutch city writes Phil Minshull.

Heavy rain ruled out any course record but there were still three men in contention with a kilometre to go. Adhane surged as the trio entered the old market area in the centre of Eindhoven and shook off his compatriots Bazu Worku and Belay Assefa. The weather forecast had changed dramatically less than 24 hours before and the race started in driving rain, a strong breeze and a temperature of just 6C at the start. 14 runners, including four pacemakers, went through halfway in 1:04:11 but then started to drop off. Six remained at 25km, passed in 1:15:48: Adhane, Worku, Assefa and Sisay Lemma along with their Kenyan pacemakers Timothy Kiptoo and Sammy Kigen Korir. Kiptoo dropped out but Kigen Korir carried on driving the pace as they went through 30km in 1:30:59. He continued to the finish, but once he finished pacing the Ethiopian quartet started to race more tactically. Lemma lost contact from 39km.

A new course record was set today at the 34th Annual GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon by Kenyan, Lamech Mokono. Running under brilliant, sunny skies Lamech Mokono set a new course record, while local runner Catrin Jones set a personal best in the women’s race and 10 age-group records were also set. Over all four events, 11,768 registered (10,263 finished) with 2008 (1696 finished) in the Marathon and 5471 (4659) in the Half Marathon. The Thrifty Foods Kids Run (1300 entries) sold out for the second year in a row.

Kip Kangogo took an early lead in the men’s race followed by 2011/12 champion Thomas Omwenga, Josephat Ongeri and Lamech Mokono. At 10km Mokono took the lead as Omwenga slowly dropped out of contention. At 30km Mokono and Kangogo were still together but Mokono went ahead at 32km and with 5km to go started widening the gap to eventually break the 2011 course record by 51 seconds.

Oliver Utting, in fifth was first Canadian and top master, becoming British Columbia Champion. Local favourite Catrin Jones took the lead from the start which she claimed afterwards was “worrying” but “At the 24km turnaround I saw Katherine (Moore) and pushed a little more”.

Ethiopia’s Ashete Dido set a women’s course record and three men broke the 2:10 barrier in Europe’s oldest Marathon. Starting in cool conditions (6C) Dido took more than three minutes off her personal best set when finishing second in Rome last year. Her compatriot Marta Lema improved by almost three minutes in second place. The lead group passed halfway in 1:13:43 but from 25km the pair were on their own, passing through 35km in 2:02:12 before Dido pulled away in the closing stages of the race.

The halfway point in the men’s race was reached in 1:04:33 by pacemaker David Kibet and there were still seven men together at 36km when Ethiopia’s Alemayehu Abebe surged ahead. But the Kenyan pair of Patrick Kiptanui Korir and Elisha Kiprop worked together and started to reel in Abebe 3km from the line, to set up a thrilling end to the race. The 36-year-old Kiptanui Korir, the 2012 Madrid Marathon winner who only started running international races at the age of 30, proved strongest, but all three set personal bests.

An estimated 9500 competed in the races.

Tewodros Asfaw won a tactical race spent tailing his countryman Mesfin Lemma in the initial stages of the four-lap tour of Amman’s historical centre. As the early leaders tired from the deceptive inclines Asfaw moved ahead to win by a full kilometre. Jordan’s Olympic Marathoner Methqal Al Abady came through for third in just under 2:30. Mihiret Antoiyos led from gun to tape to claim a second Ethiopian victory. Switzerland’s Maya Chollet took second in her debut Marathon ahead of local athlete Razan Mokbeal. Suhail Nashash became the first visually impaired Jordanian to run a marathon (3:27:16).

Over 7000 runners ran the associated 10km. Both races finished at the Roman Amphitheatre built in 166 AD where HRH Prince Firas bin Raad, Chairman of the Board of Run Jordan honoured the winners, after he had completed the 10km event.

The race is organized by a newly launched NGO, Run Jordan, in cooperation with Greater Amman Municipality. Run Jordan aims to promote long distance running and healthy lifestyles among all segments of Jordanian society. It started with a programme for training young runners who competed in a 4.2km race held before race registration opened earlier in the week.