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(c) 2026 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (05-Jun) -- To speak to Klara Lukan is to feel unaccomplished. The 25 year-old Slovenian from Šentjerjej is already a two-time Olympian, the European record holder for 10-K on the roads, the reigning World University Games 10,000m champion (and Games record-holder), a 2025 European Road Running Championships bronze medalist, and the ninth-fastest European woman ever in the half-marathon. But there is so much more. The Puma-sponsored athlete has a masters degree in international business, is an employee of the Slovenian Police (who help support her athletics career), and works 20 hours a week for a software company in her spare time. "I am currently employed in police as a professional athlete," Lukan told Race Resuts Weekly in a sit-down interview at a midtown hotel this morning.  "As a part-time job I'm employed as a project manager at a Norwegian software company.  For me it's perfect because I can combine also with athletics.  It's 100% remote on-line, so I can work from anywhere around the world." That's good because Lukan gets around.  Last weekend she was in Manchester, England, where she won the very competitive AJ Bell Great Manchester Run 10-K in 30:58, and she flew directly here for Saturday's 54th Mastercard New York Mini 10-K, the world's original all-women's road race founded in 1972.  About 10,500 women are expected to take part according to race founders and organizers, New York Road Runners.  It's Lukan's first-ever trip to the United States. "I heard it has a special tradition," Lukan said.  "It's meant for elite athletes, and I have heard that it's really popular here in the States.  Also, they invite many world class athletes to come here.  I'm super-excited to be here, to compete tomorrow against the best women." Indeed, the Mini has a truly top-class field.  Led by a trio of top Kenyans --world 10-K record holder Agnes Ngetich, reigning TCS New York City Marathon champion Hellen Obiri, and reigning Boston Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi-- Lukan will line-up against ten women who have run 31:30 or better on the road.  Lukan is the second-fastest athlete in the field with her 29:51 European record set in Laredo, Spain, on April 18. "It was a surreal feeling," Lukan said of setting that record.  "It was not a surprise, actually.  "I've been having this idea in my mind for quite some time before the race.  My goal was not to break the area record (30:07), but to become the first European woman under 30 minutes." Could she win the Mini? The last European woman to win the race was Hilda Kibet of the Netherlands in 2008. "That would be something really awesome," said Lukan.  "Even to be part of the elite field and then to win the race would be really special." Such an accomplishment would have seemed impossible for Lukan just three years ago when her road 10-K personal best was a modest 33:03.  But working with her coach Tevž Korent --the man who told the former 800m runner that long distances were her calling-- she has steadily developed into a top distance runner.  Korent, whom Lukan has worked with since 2017, has slowly increased her training volume to about 130 km per week (peak weeks of 150 km), still modest for an athlete who has run 1:06:43 for the half-marathon. "He told me the first time he saw me that if you continue to work you're going to be a long distance runner," Lukan recalled.  "Because he saw, based on my running abilities and my running step that I'm more suited for the longer distances.  It was an organic transition." Lukan did not run a 3000m race until she was 18, or a 5000m race until she was 19.  That was the summer of 2019 before the global COVID pandemic shutdown, and Lukan, in just her second race at the distance, won the European U20 title at 5000m (she beat eventual Olympic silver medalist Nadia Battocletti of Italy by six seconds).  She did her first road 10-K that fall in Ljubljana and ran 33:23, and immediately fell in love with road running. "I think I was born a road runner," Lukan explained.  "Because also my coach tells me that my running step is much more efficient on the roads than on the track.  Apparently, I have this technique which is more suitable for road running.  Also, I see that my recovery is much faster after road races than after the track.  That's for sure, probably because of the carbon-plated shoes." Lukan also admitted that road races are a lot more fun. "You know, overall road running for me is much more fun, especially when I do those long runs, like 10-K.  For me, it's a different world than the track 10-K (where) you have so many laps and it's so repetitive.  On the roads it's just the atmosphere is different.  I would say much more people, more support, more dynamic.  To me it's really fun when we all start together." For tomorrow, Lukan will have to use her best racing instincts to race well.  There are no pacemakers and the Central Park course has several significant hills (the race has used several different courses over the years; tomorrow's course is slightly downhill so it is not record-eligible).  She wouldn't disclose her race plans, but she said she has total trust in her coach. "I believe really that the perfect coach doesn't exist, but if you find the perfect coach for yourself it's basically a fairy tale," Lukan said.  "I believe in my case it goes like that.  You really need to have someone who believes in you, whom you trust.  It's a really close relationship because you work with that person on a daily basis.  You need to communicate, collaborate, and I believe I have the perfect synergy with my coach." Looking ahead, Lukan plans to compete in the European Championships in Birmingham in the 10,000m, and return to the roads after that.  She has her eyes on the marathon, at least eventually. "When I was 12 years-old my previous coach told me you're going to be a long distance marathon (runner) if you continue into the senior category," Lukan said.  "Also, my current coach said I'm going to finish in marathon. I also agree with that because I feel that my strong point is the endurance.  I can really keep the high tempo for a long time.  I believe that the marathon is the perfect distance for that.  I really don't have a strong kick at the finish.  I believe if we push the pace I can endure for a long time." PHOTO: Klara Lukan with her coach Tevž Korent on April 23, 2026 (photo via Instagram/Tevž Korent)

(c) 2026 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. ALBANY, N.Y. (30-May) -- Katie Izzo (adidas/Golden Peaks Track Club) scored a convincing win at the 48th Delightful Run for Women 5K on an uncharacteristically cold and windy morning here in the New York State capital.  Izzo, 29, broke away from the field in Washington Park after the first mile and was never seriously challenged.  She clocked 15:37 and won by 26 seconds. "It feels really good just to kind of visualize what you want to have happen before the race," Izzo told Race Results Weekly.  "I said I was going to try to go for the win, and I'm proud that I executed on what I said I was going to do." On a revised course, where the long uphill at the start (and long downhill at the finish) were shortened, Izzo and veteran Stephanie Bruce (Tracksmith/Stamata) took out the pace.  By the time the race flattened out in the first kilometer, Izzo, Bruce, Caroline Garrett (Hansons-Brooks), Emily Bush (Providence College), Cleo Boyd (Unattached), and Anne-Marie Given (Hansons-Brooks) were together before the left turn into Washington Park.  Izzo and Bruce hit the mile at 5:15 with Boyd, Garrett and Bush within two seconds.  Given had already fallen off the pace. Izzo, who was second at last December's USATF Cross Country Championships, loves rolling hills and she used her prowess to her advantage today.  She accelerated on the first downhill and put some daylight between her and Bruce.  Everything was going according to plan. "I was debating going from the gun at first, but I want to practice my best race," Izzo said.  "I think that staying more settled at the beginning (and) somewhere around mile one I would hit it if I was feeling good.  It just felt like the right time to go, and I'm glad I went." Through the park, Izzo picked up the pace.  Despite the hills, she clipped off the second mile in a tasty 4:57.  Although she shot a few glances behind her, she knew the win was in the bag. "I was just kind of focused on the lead car," Izzo explained.  "I didn't want to go the wrong way or anything.  So, it wasn't too hard to focus.  Doing longer distances in training has made the 5K feel short.  It's always nice when a race is over quickly and you feel good for it." Izzo did not let up, splitting the third mile in 4:55 before sprinting to the finish line adjacent to West Capitol Park.  She won $3000 in prize money, and said she enjoyed the atmosphere of this classic, all-women's race founded in 1979.  As she was exiting Washington Park, the back-of-the-pack runners applauded her as she went by in the opposite direction. "It's the best," said Izzo.  "That was my favorite part when I was coming around and everyone was cheering.  You just feel really empowered and it puts things in perspective.  We're all out here doing something hard together." Bruce, 42, ran alone to the finish after Izzo pulled away.  A 2:27 marathoner who revels in the grind, she kept her eyes up and made sure that Boyd, Garrett and Bush were not gaining on her. "I was thinking of all of the solo workouts I've been doing in Flagstaff," Bruce said as she spoke about the middle section of the race.  "Nobody's going to earn your places or earn your time.  You've just got to keep pushing." Bruce was a clear second in 16:03.  She won the masters' title by more than a minute and half and earned a total of $3900 in prize money ($2500 for second overall, $1000 for the first master, and $400 for the second age-graded master).  She was clearly delighted with her race, and said she would be returning to the marathon in the fall after skipping that distance in the spring to address some gut health issues. "I feel like in my career I've done a lot of that, pushing on my own," said Bruce, who is coming off of a 1:12:28 half-marathon in Pittsburgh on May 3.  "The 5K is just another level of that." There was a good battle for third and Boyd, a Canadian who lives in Charlottesville, Va., edged Garrett by less than a second (both women were timed in 16:17). Boyd earned $2000 in prize money, and Garrett received $1500.  Bush finished fifth in 16:19 (her mother Dana, 47, ran 18:56), and Given (née Blaney), clocked 16:34. Today's race had good depth.  Based on gun time, 19 of the 1857 women who finished the race broke 18 minutes, and the top age-graded performance was the 18:59 clocked by 58 year-old Fiona Bayly of New York City (93.68%).  Two 83 year-olds finished the race, Laddie Toney of Warrensburg, N.Y, who ran 39:36 (net), and Carolyn Polikarpus of Albany who clocked 54:31. Izzo, who said her next competition would be the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships in New York City in late July, is coached by the husband and wife duo Terrence Mahon and Jen Rhines in Flagstaff, Ariz.  Rhines, a three-time Olympian, ran the Delightful race several times under its previous name, the Freihofer's Run For Women, as both an open and masters athlete.  Her best time was 15:54 in 1998.  Izzo beat that mark by 17 seconds today. "Well, I have super shoes and bicarb," said Izzo, breaking into a laugh. PHOTO: Katie Izzo winning the 2026 Delightful Run for Women 5K in 15:37 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2026 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. (28-May) -- In the sixth kilometer of last December's USATF Cross Country Championships in Portland, Ore., Katie Izzo and Weini Kelati broke away from the field.  Kelati, an Olympian and national record holder who had already won multiple national titles, eventually surged away from Izzo to take the win as expected.  But behind her, Izzo was having the race of her life.  Running alone, she finished second and qualified for Team USATF for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee.  It was her first-ever podium finish at a national championships, and it had been a long time coming for the 29 year-old former Arkansas Razorback. "It kind of goes back to about a year ago when things started clicking, just being more used to altitude," Izzo told Race Results Weekly in a telephone interview yesterday from her home in Flagstaff where she trains with the Golden Peaks Track Club.  "Obviously, the breakthrough so far has been the U.S. Cross Country Championships.  After that, it was always a level I knew I could get to as a pro, but... it's hard to have everything click.  So once I finally got that result on paper to show that I could compete with the best in the U.S., I think that just finally gave me the last bit of confidence where what I did in that race, where I just went for it, I want to continue to do that in all my races." That performance kicked off an excellent series of performances in 2026 for Izzo, whose collegiate career was interrupted by the COVID shutdown in 2020.  She's raced six times so far this year with three top-five finishes. That included her 24th place finish (third American) at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, a personal best 31:27 for 10K at the Cooper River Bridge Run (second place), and a 15:10.75 indoor personal best for 5000m.  In April she stretched herself by running the USATF 10-Mile Championships at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile in Washington, D.C., and the highly-competitive Boston 5K just six days apart.  She ran 52:00 for the 10-mile (10th place), and 15:33 for the 5K where she missed second place by just a fraction of a second in a sprint finish. "I just always want to be the person who is fearless," Izzo continued.  "I'm still figuring that out on the track, but it's been really fun to especially do that on the roads, lately." Izzo is taking that confidence into Saturday's Delightful Run for Woman in Albany, N.Y., one of America's most storied 5K road races won by past stars like Lynn Jennings, Marla Runyan, and Libbie Hickman.  She's running at the Delightful Run for the first time, and hopes to compete well.  She's not focused on her time, she said. "I'd say more it's just about competing," Izzo explained.  "Like I said, just going for the win and practicing that.  I feel like the time will be whatever it is.  Of course, I always like to run fast, but I'd be good just with the win and, honestly, just thinking about it as a workout and get the most out of myself."  She added: "That's the goal; just going for it." Izzo's 2026 season nearly got derailed before it started.  She contracted a staph infection in her ankle at last December's national cross country championships and was still getting treatment in the days before the World Championships. "I tried not to vocalize it too much because I was just trying to get healthy after U.S. Cross, but I actually got a staph infection in my ankle after U.S. Cross," Izzo revealed.  "It actually got really nasty where I had to alter training.  It was so infected I had to get it drained, and it was super-painful.  I had to miss some workouts and cross-train it.  On top of that, I was on antibiotics to clear the thing out.  I was worried that I wouldn't even get to the starting line." The meet organizers in Tallahassee created a water obstacle on the course and dyed the water blue.  Izzo was concerned that multiple dips in the water might reignite her infection. "I knew there was going to be a water pit, and I'm like if this gets into the water pit that would be so not good," Izzo recalled.  "There's a story for every result, and I think by the time I got to the starting line I was pretty wiped out just from my body dealing with that infection.  The heat probably didn't help." Izzo, who is sponsored by adidas, is coached by Terrence Mahon and his wife, Jen Rhines.  Her club used to be called the Golden Coast Track Club because the team was located in San Diego, but they changed their name when Mahon, Rhines and Izzo all relocated to Flagstaff.  Izzo was the only athlete who followed Mahon and Rhines from San Diego, and the club had to be completely reconstituted. On May 7, the Golden Peaks name became official and the team consists of five athletes: Izzo, Olivia Howell, Taryn Parks, Ellie Baker, and Alex Carlson.  All are sponsored by adidas, except for Baker who is British and is with New Balance.  Izzo said that it's her best-ever training group and one of the keys to her success. "It slowly became a reality about a year ago," Izzo said of rebuilding the club.  "I was the only one on the team.  I didn't know what I was going to do.  My other teammates had left, and it was just me, Terrence and Jen out here.  But little by little the pieces just fell together.  My first teammate Olivia joined about a year ago, and this fall got Alex Carlson, Taryn Parks and Ellie Baker.  They're all like middle distance, 800/1500, so they keep me speedy.  They drop me like a bad habit when we do 150 meters, but I think I help them with the longer stuff." More importantly, Izzo said, is the group vibe. "They're all just super-sweet girls," she said.  "We definitely just get along great.  They're just fun to be around, and I think that has also helped my training a lot because the environment is so great.  We just feed off each other, and it's enjoyable to go to practice.  We definitely want to make sure that's the way the team always stays." The Delightful Run, which had 1733 finishers last year, is a lot like a cross country race.  The middle section in Washington Park features several choppy hills, and that's just fine with Izzo who took third at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships and helped the Razorbacks win their first-ever NCAA cross country team title. "I'm really excited to race," said Izzo.  "I've been watching everyone race on the track and I'm just dying to race myself.  I have obviously been enjoying the roads and it's been a breath of fresh air doing new races and different distances."  She continued: "It just sounded like a fun one to do.  I feel like women's-only races are always fun.  Like, I've enjoyed the 6K road champs (in Canton, Ohio).  Based off of how the B.A.A. 5K went it just seemed like a new, fun and exciting one to do." Izzo has the best credentials of any of the elites entered in the race.  Her main opponents will be Anne-Marie Given (née Blaney) and Caroline Garrett of the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project, Canadian Cleo Boyd, and veteran marathoner Steph Bruce.  Last year's champion, Molly Born, who ran 15:31 in a lashing rain, is not competing this year. Izzo hopes that a good run in Albany will set her up nicely for the Toyota USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships in New York City in late July where she expects to compete in the 10,000m (although the 5000m is still a possibility).  The Delightful race will give her a lower-pressure race to work on both her racing skills and her fitness. "I haven't won a race since (last) Fourth of July, so I really want to practice winning," Izzo said.  "That's kind of another reason I want to do it.  I just really want to put myself in position to win." The Delightful Run for Women was founded in 1979 as the Freihofer's Run For Life with financial support from the Freihofer's Baking Company, famous for their chocolate chip cookies.  It later became the Freihofer's Run for Women, and hosted national championships at both 10K and 5K.  The race was rebranded as the Delightful Run for Women in 2024 when Sara Lee Delightful Bread took over as title sponsor (Delightful is a sister brand of Freihofer's).  The race will be contested on a new, USATF-certified and record-eligible course. PHOTO: Katie Izzo finishing third at the 2026 Boston 5K on April 18 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2026 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission.NEW YORK (27-May) -- The 54th edition of the Mastercard New York Mini 10K --the world's first-ever all-women's road race founded by New York Road Runners in 1972-- will feature a powerhouse international field headlined by three of Kenya's best athletes: Hellen Obiri, reigning Mini and TCS New York City Marathon champion; Agnes Ngetich, reigning world cross country champion and 10K world record-holder; and Sharon Lokedi, two-time Boston Marathon champion.And that's just the tip of the iceberg.Out of the forty-woman elite field announced today for the June 6 race in Central Park, 15 have personal bests under 32:00 (21 under 33:00), and the race will feature 10 Olympians and Paralympians, nine global medalists, and multiple national record holders representing nine different countries.  Twenty-eight USA women are scheduled to compete.Obiri (On Athletics Club), 36, the only athlete in history to win world titles in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track, has been particularly successful in racing in New York.  She has won the TCS New York City Marathon twice (2023 and 2025/course record), the United Airlines NYC Half twice (2023 and 2026), and the Mini once (2025).  Her personal best is 30:15 (Manchester, 2022), and her best time at the Mini is 30:19 when she finished second in 2023 to Ethiopia's Senbere Teferi.  The Mini course is slightly downhill and is not eligible for record-setting."I am looking forward to returning to Central Park after setting a course record at the TCS New York City Marathon and winning the Mastercard New York Mini 10K last year," Obiri said through a statement.  "I am excited to take on this challenge among a competitive group of women athletes and the 10,000 women who will be inspiring and motivating each other on the course."Ngetich (adidas), 25, ran the World Athletics-ratified world record of 28:46 in Valencia in January, 2024, and also owns the women-only world record of 29:27 set in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in 2025. Coming off of her World Athletics Cross Country Championships victory in Tallahassee last January, she hoped to run well at the United NYC Half last March, but suffered from hypothermia and only finished 13th after sharing the lead with Obiri in the first half of the race.  She will be making her Mini debut.Lokedi (Under Armour), 32, successfully defended her title at the Boston Marathon last April after finishing second to Obiri at the NYC Half.  Like Obiri, she has been very successful running in New York.  She won the NYC Half in 2025, the NYC Marathon in 2022, and was twice second in the Mini (2022 and 2024).There are three Europeans in the field including Slovenia's Klara Lukan (Puma), the European record-holder and the second-fastest woman in the field with a 29:51 personal best.  The 25 year-old will be making her USA road running debut at the Mini.The Americans will be well-represented by Weini Kelati (Nike), Emma Grace Hurley (Asics), Jessica McClain (Brooks), Amanda Vestri (Brooks), Annie Frisbie (Puma/Minnesota Distance Elite), Bailey Hertenstein (Nike), Annie Rodenfels (Solomon), Ednah Kurgat (U.S. Army), Dakotah Popehn (Puma/Minnesota Distance Elite), and Emily Venters (Nike).  Kelati, Hurley, McClain, Rodenfels and Kurgat were just yesterday selected by USA Track & Field to represent the USA at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen in September.  Kelati, 29, the reigning national cross country champion and North American record holder for the half-marathon, was the runner-up at the Mini last year, running a personal best 30:49.  Hurley, 28, has run the Mini three times and finished in the top-10 each time.  McClain, 34, the fastest-ever American at the Boston Marathon, has run the Mini twice, finishing in the top-8 both times.  Vestri, 26, has run the Mini twice with great success.  In 2024 she clocked a personal best 31:17 and finished fourth, and in 2025 she ran 31:20 and finished sixth.Kelati enjoyed her battle with Obiri at last year's Mini.  "She's a tough runner, she's like a marathoner," Kelati said of Obiri.  She continued: "I was like, no matter what, I have to follow her.  I know she has a great finish.  I just had to push myself today."The last American to win the Mini was Sara Hall in 2021.  She also won in 2019 when the race served as the USATF Championships.The Mini also has an elite wheelchair competition.  Reigning Mini champion and course record holder, Susannah Scaroni, will not be defending her title (she's on maternity leave).  As such,  five-time TCS New York City Marathon champion Tatyana McFadden looks like the favorite for victory.  McFadden is coming off second place finishes at the Boston and London Marathons last month.  "I'm thrilled to return to the Mastercard New York Mini 10K and see if I can win my first Mini title," McFadden said through a press release. "I love the energy of a women's only race, especially one with so much history."The Mini was founded in 1972 by New York Road Runners, spearheaded by Fred Lebow and Kathrine Switzer. It was called the Crazylegs Mini Marathon (Crazylegs was a brand of women's shaving cream).  Just 72 women finished the race that year.  After last year's race, which had a record 9973 finishers, a total of 255,289 athletes had finished the Mini throughout its history.  Organizers expect over 10,000 finishers this year.The Mastercard New York Mini 10K is a World Athletics Label Road Race and offers prize money for the top-7 open athletes, top-5 Americans (double-dipping allowed), top-3 professional wheelchair athletes, top-3 NYRR members, and and top-3 masters athletes (with NYRR membership). The race will have a FREE and LIVE broadcast featuring an all-women commentary team on WABC-TV (channel 7 in New York), ESPN+, abc7ny.com, and New York Road Runners' YouTube channel. Here is the full elite field for the 2026 Mastercard New York Mini 10K with personal best times: RUNNERS: Agnes Ngetich, KEN, 28:46 WR (Valencia, 2024)Klara Lukan, SLO, 29:51 AR (Laredo, 2026)Hellen Obiri, KEN 30:15 (Manchester, 2022)Tsigie Gebreselama, ETH, 30:29 (Paderborn, 2023)Weini Kelati, Flagstaff, Ariz., 30:49 (Mini, 2025)Sharon Lokedi, KEN, 30:52 (Mini, 2022)Viola Cheptoo, KEN, 30:55 (Phoenix, 2019)Emma Grace Hurley, Indianapolis, 31:00 (Tokyo, 2025)Jessica McClain, Scottsdale, Ariz., 31:13 (Mesa, Ariz., 2026)Amanda Vestri, Boone, N.C., 31:17 (Mini, 2024)Annie Frisbie, Hopkins, Minn., 31:37 (Charleston, S.C., 2026)Bailey Hertenstein, Boulder, Colo., 31:48 (Mini, 2025)Annie Rodenfels, Boulder, Colo., 31:54 (Boston, 2024)Ednah Kurgat, Colorado Springs, Colo., 31:56 (Miramar, Fla., 2025)Dakotah Popehn, Burnsville, Minn., 31:58 (Mini, 2024)Fionnuala McCormack (40+), IRL, 32:08 (Meath, IRL, 2022)Emily Venters, Salt Lake City, 32:11 (Boston, 2024)Stephanie Bruce (40+), Flagstaff, Ariz., 32:21 (Atlanta, 2018)Tessa Barrett, Arlington, Va., 32:27+ (Philadelphia, 2026)Rachel Smith, Flagstaff, Ariz., 32:35 (Cape Elizabeth, Maine, 2024)Mercy Chelangat, KEN, 32:37 (Boston, 2024)WuGa He, CHN, 33:06 (Mini, 2022)Elena Hayday, Minneapolis, 33:30 (Boston, 2024)Sophia King, Chesterfield, Va., 33:50 (Northport, N.Y., 2023)Lisa Hart, GBR, 34:05 (Winter Park, Fla., 2026)Gabi Rooker, Minneapolis, 34:11 (Charleston, S.C., 2026)Madison Offstein, New York, 34:24 (Atlanta, 2021)Brooke Starn, New York, 35:14 (New York City, 2024)Alexandra Conway, New York, 35:28 (New York, 2025)Alana Levy, New York, 35:50+ (New York, 2025)Alosha Southern, Brooklyn, N.Y., 35:52 (Mini, 2024)Annabel Stafford, North Grafton, Mass., 36:02 (Boston, 2025)Stephanie Diacovo, New York, 36:19+ (Brooklyn, N.Y. 2026)Anastasia Dmitrienko, New York, 36:20+ (Brooklyn, N.Y., 2026)Jennifer DiMascio Donohue, Long Island City, N.Y., 36:42 (Flushing, N.Y., 2025)Katarina Mayer, CAN, 36:51 (Flushing, N.Y., 2025)Katarina Birimac, Bronx, N.Y., DebutCailie Hughes, Bloomington, Minn.,  DebutAmisa Murayama, JPN, DebutNazuki Sasaki, JPN, DebutSydney Vaught, Fayetteville, Ark., Debut WHEELCHAIR ATHLETES: Tatyana McFadden, Baltimore, 23:14 (Atlanta, 2016)Hannah Dederick, Champaign, Ill., 24:29 (Mini, 2025)Linden Williamson, Boerne, Texas, 25:11 (Mini, 2025)Michelle Wheeler, Dallas, 26:04 (Mini, 2023)Hoda Elshorbagy, EGY, 26:09 (Mini, 2025)Milena Sobie, Streetsboro, Ohio, 30:17 (Cedartown, Ga., 2025)Rachel Cleaver, Beloit, Texas, 34:44 (Atlanta, 2025)April Coughlin, New York, 35:37 (Mini, 2025) PHOTO: Hellen Obiri winning the 2025 Mastercard New York Mini 10-K (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2026 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. (13-May) -- Just 17 days after becoming the first man to break two hours in a regulation marathon, Kenya's Sabastian Sawe has announced that he plans to defend his title at the BMW Berlin Marathon scheduled for Sunday, September 27.  Sawe, 31, who represents adidas, won last year's race in 2:02:16 in very warm conditions, well off the event record of 2:01:09 set by compatriot Eliud Kipchoge in 2022. Whether Sawe decides to attack Kipchoge's event record, or his incredible 1:59:30 world record from the TCS London Marathon last month, remains to be seen. "I am very much looking forward to returning to the BMW Berlin-Marathon this year to defend my title," Sawe said through a statement released by race organizers, SCC Events.  "Many people might be wondering what my goals are this time around.  After my victory in London and my sub-two-hour performance, all I can say is that, as always, I will prepare myself as thoroughly as possible.  I am coming to Berlin to honor this magnificent event and the organization that invited me, and I intend to run as well and as fast as I possibly can." Sawe, who is also the reigning world half-marathon champion, attacked Kelvin Kiptum's then world record of 2:00:35 at last year's race, splitting 10K in 28:26 and halfway in 1:00:16.  But the oppressive heat and humidity were too much for him to hold that pace.  As the temperature soared to 25C/77F, he had to slow down in the second half.  Nonetheless, he won the race by almost exactly four minutes over Japan's Akira Akasaki.  Organizers dubbed his performance the "warm weather world record." "I gave it my all and am absolutely delighted to have won the race," Sawe said after last year's contest.  "It was tough going in the heat." The men's world record has been set at the BMW Berlin Marathon nine times beginning in 1998 when Brazil's Ronaldo da Costa clocked 2:06:05.  Most recently, it was two-time Olympic Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge's 2022 winning time of 2:01:09.  Surely, race director Mark Milde would like to see the world record come back to the streets of Berlin. "At SCC Events, we are absolutely delighted to welcome Sabastian Sawe back to the BMW Berlin Marathon," said Milde through a statement.  "With his impressive progress over the past few months and his historic world record, he has definitively written his name into the history books of marathon running. The fact that Sabastian consciously chose to return to Berlin is a tremendous tribute to the global standing of our event and the speed of our course." The BMW Berlin Marathon's technical sponsor is adidas which will make promoting Sawe's participation in the race much easier.  His image in adidas kit can appear on all of the event's promotional materials without the fear of a sponsor conflict, a problem that bedevils race organizers throughout the world. That business consideration won't matter much to the sport's hardcore fans, however.  They will tune in to see just how fast Sawe can run. "On race day, we shall see what happens," said Sawe.  "I look forward to once again experiencing the fantastic atmosphere and the spectators lining the course." ** The BMW Berlin Marathon is one of the original five events of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the premiere league of professional marathon running.  In 2025 it was the fifth-largest marathon in the world with 48,038 finishers.  Organizers said today that they were anticipating "60,000 runners from approximately 160 countries" for the 2026 race. PHOTO: Sabastian Sawe winning the 2025 BMW Berlin Marathon (photo by Petko Beier for SCC Events; used with permission)