2020 is a year of broken dreams for Susy Chebet.

Enda elite athlete Susy Chebet Chemaimak is the 2019 Xianlin Half Marathon champion. This year she participated in the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon finishing 2nd. Susy, a mother of two has athletic goals to chase, however, she will not be achieving them in 2020, a year she describes as that of broken dreams.  While not hitting the roads, she works as a General Police Officer in Kesses, Eldoret. We caught up with Susy recently to hear how she is doing.

Enda: How is training in this Coronavirus era? 

Susy: Since the arrival of coronavirus life has never been the same again because I was so used to training in a group of athletes but now it's so boring training alone. The coaches who were always guiding us have kept away since the pandemic started. I usually train alone to avoid contact with other athletes unknowingly. I still have a life to live after this pandemic. 

Enda: We are heading to July, describe 2020 to us

Susy: Haaa!I feel like the year 2020 is a year that all my dreams were shuttered and it is a year of disappointment. I am glad I did not stop training, my hope is that good things are yet to come.

Enda: Which races were you planning to compete in that have been affected by Covid-19?

Susy: I was planning to participate in a marathon in Tel Aviv in Israel in early October but this monster corona got the race canceled. For now, I do not have any race to come until everything comes back to normal. Athletics mean a lot to me it's my source of income and it's so sad that we have to stay at home without knowing when Corona will end so that life can return back to normal. I wake up early to train hoping tomorrow will bring good news...I think it will.

Enda: What are the lessons picked in 2020?

Susy: This year has taught me that you should invest well in the little you get. And that you should not plan for anything that is not yet in your hands and no one knows what tomorrow might bring for sure.

Enda: How do you keep busy?  

Susy: When I am off duty at the police post, I always stay with my family and just keep myself busy with house chores. I am grateful for the support from Enda so far despite life having been almost impossible with no money and the family depending on you.

Kamworor recuperating at home after being hit by a speeding motorcycle

Kamworor at the 2019 Copenhagen half marathon, image credits: NN Running team.

Training for East African athletes can be a challenge. They have to be cautious of moving cars and worse still beware of reckless motorcyclists. Last Thursday, half-marathon world record-holder Geoffrey Kamworor was hit by a speeding motorcycle during his morning training. He sustained head and ankle injuries and underwent successful surgery at a hospital in Eldoret.

The good news is, the injuries were not life-threatening and he was discharged over the weekend. The other question of concern right now is, will Kamworor recover on time to resume training and defend his World Half Marathon title in October? We join everyone in wishing a quick recovery to the man of all surfaces!

New York. Berlin. Paris. Eugene. CANCELED

The athletics calendar is falling apart with more and more cancellation of races. The latest cancellations is the New York City Marathon and an official confirmation on Berlin Marathon cancellation. Chicago and London are the remaining major marathons in 2020.

Defending NYC Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor said: “It’s sad to hear that this year’s TCS New York City Marathon is canceled. However, we respect the decision made by the authorities. I've great memories from New York and look forward to celebrating a great marathon weekend with you all again in 2021. Stay safe and stay positive minded.” Geoffrey is definitely nursing injuries and disappointments, we wish him a quick recovery and come back. Joycline Jepkosgei, the marathon debutant who won the 2019 NYC Marathon also shared the same disappointments.

As for track and field, two more meets in Paris Diamond League and Prefontaine Classic USA have been canceled. There isn’t enough time for organizers of Paris to put the event together while in Eugene, there is still a ban on gatherings until the end of September. The cancellations have obviously thinned the athletics calendar, here is the revised track and field tentative Calendar. 

On the flip side, Hamburg Marathon would most likely be the first significant international marathon to take place in September with an elite and mass field since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kenya to criminalize doping by September

The doping menace has increasingly been an issue of serious concern in Kenya. The authorities have been on record about making doping a criminal offense and this year seems to be the year of this law coming into effect. Kenyan Sports Minister Amina Mohammed has indicated that in September this year, Kenya will pass the long-overdue law criminalizing doping.

To some non-Kenyan news

Mo Farah target’s Haile’s one-hour world record

From clocking 35kms in long runs to now doing the 600s, 1000 in track training. Mo Farah is definitely feeling a different type of pain now on track. Yes, Sir Mo Farah is back on the track after 3 years on the road. And he is racing soon too. On 4th September at the Brussel’s AG Memorial Van Damme, he will be launching an attack on Haile Gebrselassie one-hour world record of 21,285km. Haile set the world record in Ostrava in 2007. It will be interesting to see how Sir Mo will run bearing in mind that switching from road to track can be a challenge to some athletes.

Ethiopian duo Ababel Yeshaneh and Birhane Dibaba will attempt to break the women’s one-hour world record of 18,517, set by their compatriot Dire Tune in 2008. 
AG Memorial Van Damme is an adapted version of its Wanda Diamond League meeting.

Cheptegei’s World record ratified

Joshua Cheptegei’s 5km World record has been ratified. The Ugandan clocked a sub 13 minutes of  12:51 in a solo run at the Monaco Run on 16 February to break the world record. His time is 27 seconds faster than Kenya’s Rhonex Kipruto’s time of 13:18 set in January.

Cheptegei, who ran alone from start to finish, passed the first kilometer in 2:31, the fastest split of the race. He followed up with 2:35, 2:36 and 2:35 kilometer splits before sealing his record with a closing 2:32 kilometer split.

Ethiopian Lemlem Hailu’s world indoor U20 1500m record of 4:01.79 has also been ratified. She broke the record at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Torun, shaving off 0.02 from the previous record set by her compatriot Gudaf Tsegay in 2016. 

Beer Mile World Classic to be held 4th July

Hot dogs, beers, a mile, and July 4th. It doesn’t get any better than that.

The 2020 Beer Mile World Classic will be held virtually around the world, and you can all watch it live on LetsRun.com on July 4th at 1 pm eastern time. There is $8,000 plus in prize and bonus money, more than bragging rights, and the world title will also be on the line.

A 73-year-old man finishes 1,000-mile lockdown run for a worthy cause

Dic Evans from Ceredigion is a 73-year-old runner who has just completed his challenge of running 1,000 miles during the coronavirus lockdown. Dic completed a total of 1,011 miles, raising £6,000 for the chemotherapy unit at the town's Bronglais Hospital where his partner received treatment for cancer. Dic ran approximately two hours a day.

From the Enda Community

On his second day with the Mara golds, @wilworksdc took out his new pair for an 11mile Olympic Day Run. He said, ‘Outside of my traditional foot aches and pains, they’re feeling close to being a part of my foot.’

‘‘Let me tell you how I’ve been on a journey to find the perfect running sneaker! I’ve been  searching for various brands, reading reviews, but nothing really stood out to me.’’@foozydoes also shared her story with the Itens.