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(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, Published with permission. NELSON, NEW ZEALAND (13-Dec) -- A new multi-race running event debuts here this weekend.  Dubbed The Spectacle, it combines both trail and road running with distances from just one mile all the way up to 100 miles.  It even features the launch of a new book, "Running Throughout Time" by veteran author Roger Robinson. "This is the first time Nelson has hosted an event like this," race director Julian Matthews said through a press release.  Matthews, who competed for New Zealand in the 1500m in the 2016 Olympics, continued: "We've brought together an incredible lineup of athletes, and the city's central streets will provide the perfect stage for them to deliver something truly special." The events begin on Friday with the start of a grueling 100-mile trail race.  "This is 160 km of single track and forestry roads, hundreds of metres of vert, sweat, dirt, dust and probably some tears, and will be an adventure like no other," reads the event website.  The race features about 7000 meters of total ascent and descent with a maximum elevation of 1135.  It finishes on Trafalgar Square West in front of the towering Christ Church Cathedral. There are also shorter distances on the trails --100 km, 50 km, 21 km, and 10 km-- with different starting times on Saturday. Later on Saturday the competition moves to the streets of Nelson.  Citizen runners can try distances of one mile, 5 km (which includes a walk), and four-person relays of 4 x 750m for adults and 4 x 375m for children. The festival comes to a crescendo on Saturday night with an elite, two-lap road mile which features five Olympians, all of whom got their own banner hoisted to the ceiling of the local airport to greet them (see photo).  Like the Kalakaua Merrie Mile in Honolulu last Saturday, the elite mile uses a chase format where the women get about a 30-second head start. The elite women are led by Australia's Georgia Griffith, a two-time Olympian with a 3:58.40 1500m personal best (4:27.81 PB for the mile).  She'll be running against compatriot Sarah Billings (3:59.59/4:32.30), and Irish Olympian Sophie O'Sullivan (4:00.23/4:33.30).  Katherine Camp of New Zealand (4:15.09/4:44.24) and Brigid Dennehy of Ireland (4:14.03/4:47.16).  Dennehy lives in New Zealand and runs for North Harbour Bays Athletics. Two-time New Zealand Olympian Sam Tanner leads the men's field.  The 24 year-old former NCAA star for the University of Washington has run 3:31.24 for 1500m and 3:49.51 for the mile.  He'll be challenged by Scotsman Neil Gourley, a British Olympian who has run 3:30.60/3:47.74.  Two-time Olympian Stewart McSweyn (3:29.51/3:48.37) will carry Australia's hopes into the race, and American Vince Ciattei (3:31.78/3:50.56) and Ireland's Brian Fay (3:36.52/3:52.03) round out the field. Unlike last Saturday's Kalakaua Merrie Mile where prize money is paid only on the overall order of finish of men and women combined based on the handicap format, athletes here will run for both separate prize money in the men's and women's division plus an additional schedule of awards for the overall, mixed-sex order of finish.  The male/female prize money is NZD 6000 (=USD 3458), 4000, 2000, 1000, and 500.  The separate battle of the sexes prize money is NZD 4000 (=USD 2306), 2000, 1000.  So, the overall winner will earn NZD 10,000 (=USD 5763). Race director Matthews, who is organizing the event with his partner Annika Pfitzinger, is from Nelson and "knows everyone in town," he said on Wednesday night while picking up guests at the local airport with a white, 15-passenger van.  He's clearly jazzed to have the attention of the running world focused on Nelson, population 55,600, for a few days. "It's a race designed to be both thrilling to watch and unforgettable to run," he said. PHOTO: Banners honoring the file Olympians running The Spectacle --Georgia Griffith and Stewart McSweyn of Australia, Sam Tanner of New Zealand, Neil Gourley of Great Britain, and Sophia O'Sullivan of Ireland-- hung from the rafters of the Nelson Airport (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. HONOLULU (08-Dec) – Olympic steeplechaser Yemane Haileselassie notched his first marathon win while Cynthia Limo defended her title at the 52nd running of the Honolulu Marathon on a warm and humid Sunday morning. Both earned $25,000 in prize money for their victories in a race that featured 18,844 starters, a significant increase from last year's 15,594 (there were an additional 8,361 starters in the companion Start to Park 10K) Starting in darkness at 5:00 a.m. local time, Reuben Kerio of Kenya took charge of the men's lead group of five that included Haileselassie, Barnabas Kiptum of Kenya and Kensuke Horio and Kei Tsuboi of Japan.  Defending champion Paul Lonyangata of Kenya was nowhere to be seen and had dropped out. They passed 5K in 15:25, then Horio dropped back. The leading quartet remained tightly bunched through 10K (30:36) and 15K (46:34). Moments later, Kerio surged ahead, quickly establishing a lead of about five seconds. Covering the 11th mile in 4:38, he continued to extend his lead. "There was not pacemaker, so I wanted to make sure the pace was quick in the beginning," said Kerio, who finished third here last year, second in 2018 and served as a pacer in 2019 and 2022. In the 12th mile, Haileselassie broke away from Kiptum and Horio and was soon on Kerio's heels. They passed through the halfway in 1:05:30, with Kiptum and Horio 21 seconds back. (Kiptum would drop out soon after.) The pace drifted north of 5-minute miles during a hilly portion of the course, and Haileselassie stayed right behind Kerio. Then, on a downhill turn in the 18th mile, Haileselassie suddenly surged to the front. Kerio briefly gave chase, but soon fell back. "The halfway was a good pace for me," said Haileselassie, who was an Olympic finalist in the steeplechase in 2016 and 2021 for his native Eritrea. "Then when I could see he was tired, I knew it was time to go, and if I waited for 40-K maybe it would be more of a race, so that's why I made my move." Haileselassie's advantage was 12 seconds at 30K (1:33:07) and 33 seconds at 35K (1:48:50), but Kerio hadn't given up, despite a temperature of 74 F / 23 C and 81 percent humidity. As the sun began to rise, he started to slowly chip away at the lead. "I thought I might have a chance to close the gap," he said. "I just told myself to keep moving, to never give up." But thanks in part to boisterous support from runners in the mass participation race who were heading out in the opposite direction on an out-and-back portion of the course, Haileselassie was able to rally for one final push. "That was exciting," he admitted. "When you think about them you forget about how you are running. It's good motivation." He reached the finish in Kapiolani Park in 2:11:59, and in addition to his $25,000 first-place prize, he will take home a $1,000 bonus for breaking 2:12:00. "I am so happy and grateful for this opportunity," said the 26-year-old Haileselassie, who is currently living in the U.S. under asylum while seeking citizenship. He has a contract with adidas, but also works full-time as a ride-share driver. "I will use this prize money to help support my family back home." His wife and two children still live in Eritrea and he hasn't seen them since he sought asylum following the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. This was his second marathon after finishing 16th at Boston in April in 2:14:44. "He ran what we planned on him running. He made the moves that we planned on him making," said James McKirdy, who coaches him in Flagstaff, Arizona. "He thought that he might be faster, but he respected the weather enough to know it is not about the time, it's purely about the placement. He's just so grateful to be here." Kerio finished a strong second in 2:12:16, followed by Horio (2:15:30), Japan's Sugaru Osako (2:16:37) and Eritrean Amanuel Mesel (2:17:33), who trains with Haileselassie and also has asylum while pursuing U.S. citizenship. In the women's race, a pack of four hit 5-K in 17:19, including Limo, fellow Kenyans Judith Korir and Sandrafelis Tuei, and Ethiopian Fantu Gelasa. They ran in lockstep through 10-K (33:55) and hit the halfway in 1:14:48. Korir briefly opened a lead after the 30-K water station, but the others quickly matched her surge. Just before 20 miles, Fantu fell off the pace. (She would drop out after 35K.) Then Korir began to fade in the 21st mile, and it was down to a two-woman battle. Limo finally made her move approaching 40K and quickly opened a 16-second lead. "When it was just the two of us at 35K, she seemed to be strong, and at the end she was strong, too," said the 34-year-old Limo, who won the silver medal at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships back in 2016. "So when we got to 40 kilometers I knew that was when I had to make my move. When your mind is strong, even at 40 kilometers, your body can be strong." She cruised home in 2:31:14, faster than her winning time last year (2:33:01), becoming the first woman to repeat in Honolulu since Brigid Kosgei won back-to-back titles in 2016 and '17. "I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to come back here for a second year, so I had to show them that I was not going to let them down," she said. "Hopefully next year they will give me another chance." Tuei (2:31:48) took the runner-up spot, while Korir (2:36:17) completed the podium. A companion race, the Start to Park 10K, went off simultaneously to the marathon, and American Matthew Wilkinson (29:05) and Canadian Gracelyn Larkin (33:32) were the winners. "I've never raced this early. Early wake up call, but it was fun," said Larkin. "I've raced a couple of times in humidity, but I don't normally adjust too well to it. But, I was worried about other things, like waking up this morning." Wilkinson capped off a breakthrough year in which he made the U.S. Olympic team in the steeplechase. "Very cool to be out in the streets of Honolulu and have all the fans there for the marathon, too," he said. "It almost felt like a night race it was so dark out there. It's great. I'm sitting here at 5:45 and I'm already done for the day." PHOTO: Yemane Haileselassie of Eritrea winning the 2024 Honolulu Marathon (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. HONOLULU (07-Dec) -- For the first time in the history of the Kalakaua Merrie Mile, athletes in the women's division came out on top in the race's distinctive battle of the sexes format. Nikki Hiltz led a sweep of the first three places, holding off a fast-closing Hobbs Kessler, the fastest man who ended up fourth overall. In the eighth edition of this race --held in conjunction with Sunday's Honolulu Marathon-- the professional women's field was given a head start over the men of approximately 32 seconds. That's two seconds more than last year, when Hiltz finished fifth overall, behind four men. The addition of pacemakers added another wrinkle this year, with Amaris Tyynismaa towing the women through the first half and Abe Alvarado leading the men out. That helped keep the pace honest, particularly for the women. "We're not in peak fitness at this time of year and a lot of us haven't raced for a long time, so you don't really know what kind of shape you're in," said Sinclaire Johnson, the 2022 U.S. champion in the 1500. "So it was nice to have a pacer to set that tone." The flat out-and-back course along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki features a hairpin turn just past the halfway point, and at that point the women could see that men were closing the gap. That's when Weini Kelati, a U.S. Olympian in the 10,000 meters, decided it was time to switch gears. "I saw the men coming and I said we really have to get this because they beat us every year," said Kelati, who was third among the women in 2023 and was coming off a win in the prestigious Manchester Road Race in Connecticut on Thanksgiving Day. "So I was really pushing the pace. We had to do it all together." Even as the leaders accelerated, Kessler, who finished fifth in the Olympic 1500 meters in Paris in August, remained optimistic. "I really thought we had the women with about a quarter mile to go," he said. "But we didn't close it as fast as I thought we would." Still, as the athletes in the women's field battled each other, they remained on alert for their pursuers. "The last 50 meters the crowd was so loud, so I wasn't really sure how close the men were," Johnson said. "But I couldn't see anyone around us." In the end they had just enough of a gap to get to the finish ahead. In a furious battle, Hiltz held off Kelati by a tenth of a second, 4:28.39 to 4:28.49, with Johnson close behind in 4:28.54. Sprinting wide on their left, Kessler desperately tried to out-lean them at the line. He came up just short, clocking 3:56.51 to finish fourth overall. "I wanted that money," he said with a laugh. "I wanted the win. I was just trying to chase them down without blowing up." Hiltz, who identifies as transgender and non-binary and competes in the women's division under World Athletics rules, scored a check for $7,500 (the highest first-place award for a U.S. road mile) along with a solid gold plaque. "This race is special if you're first or last and it's the cherry on top to walk away with some prize money and a gold plate," said Hiltz, who was racing for the first time since finishing seventh in the Olympic 1500 last August. Making the day even sweeter, Hiltz's partner, Emma Gee, was the top women's finisher in the mass-participation race that preceded the professional event. Gee clocked 4:54 to win for the third year in a row.  Caleb Easton was the open men's winner in 4:16. Kelati took home $5,000 for second place, while Johnson and Kessler earned $3,000 and $1,500, respectively. Fifth place finisher Heather MacLean (4:28.89) pocketed $1,000. Hiltz narrowly missed a $5,000 bonus that organizers were offering for breaking the American record (4:28.07) Jack Anstey (3:57.01) of Australia and 2022 Merrie Mile winner Neil Gourley (3:57.94) of Great Britain finished second and third among the men. For Hiltz, the performance caps an exceptional 2024 campaign that included U.S. indoor and outdoor 1500 titles, the latter coming in a thrilling win at the Olympic Trials in 3:55.33, the second-fastest time ever by an American. Hiltz also won the silver medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in March. After an extended post-Olympic break, Hiltz is currently building a base for the 2025 season. "I think we just approached [this race] like we're training through this week and this was just for fun," said Hiltz, who represents lululemon. "Sometimes when you walk into a race with no expectations that's when really good, magical things happen. I really didn't train for this at all, but strength is speed. I touch a little bit of speed all year round. It's cool to know that I'm this fit right now." PHOTO: Nikki Hiltz wins the 8th edition of the Kalakaua Merrie Mile in 4:28.39 (photo by Jason Suarez for the Honolulu Marathon Association)  

HONOLULU (06-Dec) -– Heather MacLean wasn't sure if she was going to be able to watch the Paris Olympics this past summer. She had come up short in her bid to qualify in the 1500 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, and after making the team for Tokyo three years ago it was especially disappointing. "I kept telling myself I wasn't going to watch and then I ended up watching every single race," MacLean told Race Results Weekly in an interview here yesterday ahead of the Kalakaua Merrie Mile on Saturday. "I cheered-on all the U.S. athletes. I still took part in the way that I could. It's everybody's goal, and I've made it before so I know how exciting that can be. That's the hard part: everybody wants it, but only three people go." The fact that she had even been in contention for an Olympic berth was a tremendous accomplishment given that she had only been training for five months after injuries had sidelined her for most of the 2023 season. And, in fact, MacLean had nearly pulled it off. Running a strategically savvy race in the Trials final, she had quietly moved herself into second place with one lap to go and was challenging for the lead down the final backstretch at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Alas, her lack of training finally caught up with her at the end. "I was fighting for my life that last 100. I was racing so above my fitness at the time," she admitted. "I really gave it my all and that's something I've been working on, making sure I'm going into every single race giving it my all. I can really say that I did that in that race, and that's something to be proud of. I didn't make the team, but I did get a fast time, my PR." The University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate wound up seventh overall in the deepest race in U.S. history, clocking 3:58.31. Adding to her complicated feelings, her two primary training partners on coach Mark Coogan’s New Balance Boston squad, Emily Mackay and Elle St. Pierre, had made the team, finishing second and third, respectively. "It's a hard balance, because I wanted to show my support," the 29-year-old MacLean said of her decision to tune-in for the Olympics. "You admire these people who made it, but you also feel sad for yourself because you wanted to be one of those individuals. Everyone wants that fairy-tale ending: everything you went through was worth it because you made the team. But I've been coming to terms more recently with [the fact that] I didn't make the team, and the process that I went through is going to help me in the future." Following the Olympic berth in 2021 and another strong campaign in 2022 (including a U.S. indoor title in the 1500), MacLean saw her momentum disrupted last year. An injury to her right leg that was originally diagnosed as iliotibial band syndrome turned out to be a stress fractures in her femur and a stress reaction in her tibia. After finishing seventh at the USATF Outdoor Championships in July, she called it a season. The recovery was drawn out, and she was off her feet for several months. In late October, she started swimming for fitness. "I didn't know how to swim, so I had to learn," she said with a laugh. "That was one of the exciting things that came out of this. Though I'm not very good!" About a month later that evolved into aqua-jogging in the pool, and by the end of the year she was running on dry land again, but just a mile every other day. A winter training camp at high altitude in Flagstaff, Arizona, was a humbling experience, but she steadily worked her way into racing shape. Her spring results were encouraging. In May she finished first in her section of the 1500 at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, followed by another win at the HBCU Pro Classic in Atlanta. She sharpened up for the Olympic Trials with a personal best in the 800 (1:58.77). At the Trials, she made it through the rounds and was feeling confident. Though the end result in the final wasn't what she was hoping for ("I had a really good 1400 meters," she joked), MacLean was ultimately grateful for the experience. "You want it to come together at the perfect time, and it did — I PR'd at the Olympic Trials," she said. "I just wasn't quite in the shape that I needed to be in to make the team. That's a hard pill to swallow. It made me excited." With a solid fall training base in the bank, she's looking ahead to the 2025 season, where she hopes to make the U.S. team for the world championships both indoors (in Nanjing, China, in March) and outdoors (in Tokyo in September). "Last year I had some trouble getting into races, so I'd like to have a good indoor season to prove my fitness," she said. "It would be great to be part of [Michael Johnson's new] Grand Slam [league], maybe get an opportunity to be a challenger in one of those meets. I'm looking forward to having a healthy year of racing." Saturday's Kalakaua Merrie Mile, held steps away from the beach in Waikiki, presents a chance to break up her training, test her fitness, and escape the chilly Boston weather. In the unique pursuit format, the women's field will start 32 seconds ahead of the men, with the $18,000 prize pool awarded based on the overall order of finish, including $7,500 for the winner. "The times here are actually pretty fast, because nobody can jog it. You don’t know when the men's field is going to come after you," said MacLean, who previously ran the event in 2022. "I have been looking forward to this all fall. The field is incredible, but it's on the road, which takes a lot of the pressure off. It's a premiere event and I'm very grateful to have been invited." PHOTO: Heather MacLean in at a Waikiki hotel on December 5 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)