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(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)  

(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. HONOLULU (05-Dec) – When Amanuel Mesel and Yemane Haileselassie were teammates at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, they had no idea the unexpected journeys they would both go on, and how their lives would intersect years later. Today the two Eritrean runners are living in the United States, training together and pursuing the goal of American citizenship. On Sunday, December 8 they will line up at the Honolulu Marathon, where a win would bring not only prestige, but a hefty $25,000 paycheck that would go a long way towards easing their lives. Both men are two-time Olympians --Mesel ran the 5000 meters in 2012 and the marathon in 2016, while Haileselassie was a finalist in the 3000-meter steeplechase in 2016 and 2021-- but their lives were complicated by the political strife and repressive conditions in Eritrea. According to the non-governmental investigative organization Human Rights Watch, "Eritrea's government continued to severely repress its population, imposing restrictions on freedom of expression, opinion and faith, and restricting independent scrutiny by international monitors." In 2020, after finishing third at the Houston Marathon, Mesel sought (and was granted) asylum in the United States. Two years later, after finishing seventh in the steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Haileselassie did the same. They admit that it was a difficult decision, complicated by the fact that it resulted in being separated from their families. Mesel's wife and two children are currently refugees in Uganda, while Haileselassie's wife and two children remain in Eritrea. They hope their families can eventually join them in the U.S. "Of course, it's not very easy," Mesel said in an interview here yesterday. "But when you decide to do that it's because you believe it's what is best for you, that you are finding something better. It was both a scary and optimistic decision at the same time." They are currently in the process of having their cases heard, but it is a slow process, and neither is sure when, or even if, their path towards U.S. citizenship may advance. "It's very difficult," Haileselassie admitted. "You are worrying about family and the situation there and how your asylum case is going. We are always thinking about our case." For now, they live in Flagstaff, Arizona, where they have been training since last year under the guidance of coach James McKirdy, who has built a bustling and diverse enclave of runners of various nationalities with his McKirdy Trained group. "I didn't expect a community like this," said McKirdy, who also coaches Lesotho's Tebello Ramakongoana, who placed fourth in the marathon at the 2023 World Championships and seventh at the Paris Olympics this past summer. "We have Americans, we have athletes from Mexico, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Lesotho. We have a group of people who are family." Despite their stressful situations, Mesel and Haileselassie have been thriving on the U.S. road-racing circuit. The 33-year-old Mesel, whose PR of 2:08:17 dates to 2013 in Valencia, finished fourth at Grandma's Marathon in Minnesota in June, clocking 2:12:46. After many years as one of the world's best steeplechasers (including a fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics and three world championships appearances), Haileselassie has committed full time to the roads at age 26. He made his marathon debut in Boston in April, finishing 16th in 2:14:44. That was part of a busy season highlighted by top-5 finishes at the NYC Half, Bolder Boulder 10K, Boston 1-K, Boilermaker 15K, Falmouth Road Race and Medtronic TC 10 Mile, where he finished second in 45:22 in his first time racing in carbon-plated shoes. Most recently, he notched a dominant win at the Boston Half Marathon on November 10, running 1:01:46 in frigid conditions and earning $15,000 in prize money. "The marathon is tough, but I like it so far," he said. "I've only competed one time and so it's all new for me. I've had good luck for the half-marathon and 10K, but I am waiting to see what I can do for the marathon." Though prize money from racing helps (and Haileselassie has an adidas sponsorship), both men work as ride-share drivers to support themselves and their loved ones back in Africa. "These men, they work hard, they don't just run. They work, day in and day out, to provide for their families," McKirdy said. "They support their community, they pay their taxes, they do everything that everyone expects us all to do. I'm hoping that their opportunity for citizenship comes sooner than later." Working full-time often complicates their training program, but they have been putting in the work at their high-altitude training base, logging 160 to 180 kilometers a week. They push each other, which they credit for their success this year. "Sometimes it feels like I've got wild horses and I'm trying to lasso them so they don't go too fast," McKirdy said with a laugh. "Because that competitive spirit does come alive in some of these easy runs and some of these long progression runs. One person gets half a step ahead and then the other person wants to get half a step. And all of sudden they're running 4:40 per mile at 7,000 feet." The Honolulu Marathon features a strong professional field this year, including defending champion Paul Lonyangata of Kenya, his countryman Barnabas Kiptum, who holds the fastest PR In the field (2:04:17 from Milan in 2017) and Suguru Osako, the former Japanese record holder (2:05:29). Given the expected warm and humid conditions, and a challenging and hilly course, Mesel and Haileselassie know this isn't likely to be a time trial. “I think every athlete here is going to be running for the win, not trying to run a fast time," Mesel said. "We are mentally prepared for this race. We know it's going to be humid, we know it is going to be hilly. But we know we are ready for whatever happens on Sunday." PHOTO: Yemane Haileselassie (left) and Amanuel Mesel in Honolulu on Tuesday (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. HONOLULU (04-Dec) -- Already one of the most prestigious road mile races in the United States, the Kalakaua Merrie Mile is now the most lucrative. Race organizers announced Tuesday that the winner of the December 7 event will receive $7,500, the highest first-place prize for any American road mile. That caps a total prize pool of $18,000 --up from $10,000 in 2023-- for the unique mixed-sex pursuit race, which will showcase 11 Olympians. The professional women's field will have a 32-second head start over the men and prize money is awarded based on overall order of finish for the top 5. The runner-up receives $5,000, followed by $3,000 for third, 1,500 for fourth and $1,000 for fifth. (A woman has yet to win the event, but that could change with this year’s head start being the longest yet.) In addition to the overall prize money, the race is offering bonuses of $10,000 for a world record and $5,000 for a USA record. The current world records are 3:51.3 by Great Britain’' Elliot Giles, set this past September, and 4:20.98 by Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji while winning the 2023 World Athletics Road Running title. Yared Nuguse (3:51.9) and Nikki Hiltz (4:28.0) hold the U.S. records. "The increase in prize money in the Kalakaua Merrie Mile recognizes the incredible contributions that world class athletes have made to this incredible event," said Dr. Jim Barahal, president of the Honolulu Marathon Association, which puts on the race. "As we begin a new era of this event with a worldwide streaming broadcast, we want to reward and continue to work with the top athletes in the world for many years to come." The race was first held in 2016, in conjunction with the Honolulu Marathon, and has quickly become a popular event, attracting Olympians and international stars from around the world. Nine months after winning last year's race, Nuguse took the bronze medal in the Olympic 1500 meters in Paris. "I really love bringing athletes down to Honolulu for the KMM; it's the best way to end our year and celebrate a successful year," said coach and agent Stephen Haas, who represents five athletes racing this year. "The Honolulu Marathon team really has helped my athletes grow in the sport by providing them a great opportunity to race some of the best athletes in the world down here every year. We are really excited about this year's race and have been really looking forward to trying to put on a good show for everyone coming out to watch." The race features a World Athletics-certified out-and-back course along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. In addition to the professional field, about 2,500 citizen runners will participate. A live stream will begin at 7:30 a.m. local time Saturday (12:30 pm Eastern time) on the Honolulu Marathon's YouTube channel (12:30 p.m. EST). Hiltz --the reigning USA Track & Field indoor and outdoor champion in the 1500 meters-- will line up at this year's Merrie Mile after finishing fifth overall last year. The women's field also includes Susan Ejore-Sanders of Kenya, who placed sixth in the 1500m at the Paris Olympics (one spot ahead of Hiltz), as well as American Olympians Emily Mackay, Heather MacLean and Weini Kelati; Irish Olympian Sophie O'Sullivan, and Japanese Olympian Nozomi Tanaka. Rounding out the field is Sinclaire Johnson, the 2022 U.S. champion in the 1500, who finished fourth at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. Chasing them in the men's field are several Olympians, including Americans Hobbs Kessler (the 2023 World Athletics road mile champion), Bryce Hoppel and Nico Young; Australian Oliver Hoare; and Neil Gourley of Great Britain, the 2022 Merrie Mile winner. Also in the mix will be Australia's Jack Anstey, Kenya's Festus Lagat and last year's runner-up, Vince Ciattei, who finished fourth in the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. "The Kalakaua Merrie Mile is one of my favorite events of the year. There is no better athlete experience anywhere," said Ciattei. "For the event organizers to increase the prize money on top of everything else they do for us on race week is an amazing investment in the sport. Last year I looked forward to my first chance at the Merrie Mile all fall, and to come back and compete for higher prize money this year is even more motivating." PHOTO: Vince Ciattei (right) finished second at the 2023 Kalakaua Merrie Mile in Honolulu; he and third place Hobbs Kessler (left) will both be competing in the 2024 edition of the event (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)