Kenyan produces a blistering finish to blow the field away and win the biggest prize of his career

One week on from Eliud Kipchoges breathtaking world record demolition in Berlin, there was another major marathon victory for Kenya to celebrate on the streets of London as Amos Kipruto secured the biggest win of his career.

Though not quite as dominant as his superstar compatriot, to whom he finished second at the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year, the 2019 World Championships bronze medallist flew away from the leading pack in the closing miles as he clocked a winning time of 2:04:39.

It fell a little short of the PB of 2:03:13 which made him the second-fastest marathon runner in the world this year, but he cared little after seeing off some fearsome opposition, coming home well ahead of Ethiopias Leul Gebresilasie (2:05:12) and Belgian Bashir Abdi (2:05:19).

This years London showpiece had been beset by the withdrawal of a number of big names, including the likes of four-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah, but the pre-race attention had centred around the great Kenenisa Bekele and if the 40-year-old the second-fastest in history over 26.2 miles might be able to produce another moment of magic in his storied career.

The early signs were encouraging for the Ethiopian, who looked to be dictating terms as part of a seven-strong leading pack which also included Kipruto, Gebresilasie, Abdi, Kinde Atanaw, Birhanu Legese and last years winner Sisay Lemma.

Bekele led the group through 10km in 29:26 and it was those seven who remained locked together as a tactical battle began to unfold. That pattern remained through halfway, reached in 62:14, and it wasnt until the 21^st mile when things began to change as the 40-year-old started to drop back.

This was a cagey affair, though, and although Lemma also drifted off the pace two miles later, still no-one was prepared to truly take the race by the scruff of the neck. As they came through Blackfriars tunnel, however, Kipruto decided to make his move.

As the pack emerged from the darkness into the sunshine, he had put clear daylight between himself and the rest, covering the 24^th mile in a rapid 4:36. Sensing his chance, the London debutant well and truly put his foot to the floor and took just 4:21 to complete the 25^th mile. With the opposition unable to respond, the 30-year-old was able to enjoy a procession down the Mall to victory, still running strongly.

Asked if he could have gone even faster, Kipruto said: Yes, I was ready for it. I have been trying to get on the podium but this is the day. This is a learning process. I know the way I am and everything went well.

There was to be no winning moment for Bekele, though his finishing time of 2:05:53 in fifth place was an M40 age group world record.

There had been a number of Britons right at the head of the race, with the likes of Andy Butchart, Emile Cairess and Marc Scott on pacemaking duties, but in the heat of the competition it was Weynay Ghebrsilasie who held on to come ninth and win the British title.

The 28-year-old, who was born in Eritrea but has lived in the UK since 2012 and is now based in Scotland, was outside his target of the World Championships qualifying mark of 2:09:40, but lowered his personal best to clock 2:11:57 for ninth place.

Phil Sesemann, first Briton last year, was not far behind in 2:12:10. Ross Braden completed the home podium, coming 12^th in 2:14:32.

British athlete gunning for personal best on home turf at 42nd TCS London Marathon

Charlotte Purdues recent journey in athletics has not been straightforward.

Before the Tokyo Olympics, the 31-year-old was refused a discretionary place in the marathon even though she had a medical exemption to miss the Olympic trials a few months earlier.

Then, earlier this summer, at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, Purdue pulled out of the race at 19km due to breathing difficulties. A day later she tested positive for Covid-19.

Its been tough for Purdue but at last years London Marathon, she proved a point after clocking a stunning personal best of 2:23:26 to go what was then third on the UK all-time marathon list behind Paula Radcliffe and Mara Yamauchi.

It was the fastest marathon by a female Brit since Yamauchis 2:23:12 in 2009. Since then, Jess Piasecki has gone ahead of Purdue after running 2:22:27 in Seville back in February.

Even though Purdue dropped out of the marathon in Oregon, she ran 2:25:26 at the Boston Marathon and definitely isnt short of mileage going into her fourth London Marathon.

I feel pretty good, Purdue says. I still did the training for the worlds so I still had all that work in my legs. It has been a busy year for me and Boston was pretty busy for me.

Last year, I had a few niggles earlier in the year. London was my first marathon build-up and Ive now had three marathons in the space of less than a year. Although Ive had illnesses this year I havent had any injuries so I feel a lot stronger with London, Boston and the build-up to the world championships. I feel like I havent had any time off so Im definitely not unfit!

Every time I come here [London] I try to run faster but its hard to get a two minute personal best every year.

Purdue wants to use the experience of a heartbreaking time in Oregon as motivation to run even faster in London than she did last year.

She lines-up against a strong elite field, which even without world record-holder Brigid Kosgei and Eilish McColgan, hosts defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei and the fastest-ever female marathon debutante Yalemzerf Yehualaw.

At the last London Marathon, Purdue recorded a personal best even after running 12 miles by herself. If she can stick in a pack for a longer period, who knows what she might clock?

My chest was so tight [at the world championships] and I couldnt breathe, Purdue reflects. At least I had a reason why I felt so terrible at 5km.

I didnt even know I had Covid-19. Sometimes in a race you start off and dont feel great but its just a bad patch and you improve. At 19km I just made the decision that I was getting slower and made the decision.

Obviously Paula [Radcliffe] has set that massive mark which is going to be very hard to beat! If I can come to London every year and run a personal best then thats good for me.

I hopefully dont have to do that [run alone]. If I do, given I did it last year in London and then in Boston, Im ready for it. Ive got a lot of practice.

This will be the first major sports event down The Mall since the Queens funeral a fortnight ago and Purdue thinks it will be strange looking back but is hopeful of crowds lining the streets all the way across the route.

Purdue first experienced the taste of the London Marathon when she was a teenager and won the traditional pre-cursor, the mini marathon, back in 2006.

I felt good the whole way and it felt shorter than what I was expecting!

Innes Fitzgerald who broke the UK U17 3000m record this past summer and is coached by Gavin, husband of @jopavey on her victory at the Mini @LondonMarathon

@Jason_AW #LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/e2NLQ7AGXM

AW (@AthleticsWeekly) October 1, 2022

This past weekend saw the class of 2022 of strut their stuff and double Olympic marathon champion and world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge presented the medals at the end.

One of his aims within the sport is to complete all six Abbott World Marathon Majors he has Boston and New York to go and Purdue wants to complete that goal in her life as well.

I would love to run Berlin and all the majors but I just cant turn down London this year as I love the race so much, she adds.

Paula Radcliffe was so inspiring to me and when I was younger I said to my mum and dad that I wanted to run the London Marathon one day. For me it [the mini marathon] was great that they have that, especially to finish it on the actual course.

Id say just to any young runner to continue to enjoy it and what you do. Its basically all you can ask for. Dont put too much pressure on yourself and hopefully you can improve year on year. Just enjoy the process!

Ethiopian distance running sensation takes womens title on Sunday in 2:17:26 as Rose Harvey emerges as No.1 Brit

Yalemzerf Yehualaws first name translates as the edge of the world. Certainly, in the world of marathon running, the 23-year-old from Ethiopia now has the world at her feet after storming to victory in the TCS London Marathon in 2:17:26.

Yehualaw became the youngest ever winner of the womens race in the British capital on Sunday (Oct 1) despite falling briefly at around 20 miles. Picking herself up and dusting off minor injuries to her left hip and knee, she soon after injected a ferocious 23^rd mile of 4:43 to break clear from reigning champion Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya.

Cruising across the finish on The Mall, she clocked the third fastest ever time by a woman in London and this follows the quickest ever female debut marathon of 2:17:23 in Hamburg in April, not to mention a 29:14 world 10km record she ran in Castellon in February.

The Ethiopian has also been a regular at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon lately with a 63:44 win in 2021 that was frustratingly ruled invalid as a world record due to the course being 54 metres short. She returned to the same race last month, however, to run a UK all-comers record of 64:22 and now the organisers of the London Marathon will hope she returns to the capital to defend her title in April.

I am so happy to win here in London. I have worked very hard to prepare for this race and to take the victory is amazing, she said.

Asked if she will one day be the No.1 in the world in her event, she simply nodded and replied confidently: Yes.

Runner-up Jepkosgei found herself more than half a minute behind at the finish with 2:18:08 as Alemu Megertu was third in 2:18:32 and Judith Jeptum Korir fourth in 2:18:43 with Joan Chelimo Melly fifth in 2:19:27 and Ashete Bekere sixth in 2:19:30.

In sixth, Mary Ngugi, who is coached by Steve Cram and has been a training partner of miler Laura Weightman in recent years, ran 2:20:22.

First Brit, meanwhile, was Rose Harvey with 2:27:59 as the second fastest Brit of the day was Hannah Alderson with 2:35:56 from the mass start as Steph Twell clocked 2:39:16 after having run with Harvey during the early stages.

This followed the race day withdrawal of Charlotte Purdue, the first Brit in London last year, who had been feeling ill since Friday and made a last-moment decision not to run.

The day belonged to Yehualaw, though. The young runner was born in a small town called Finote Selam, in the Gojjam area of the Amhara region of Ethiopia, just north of the capital Addis Ababa.

During her youth she was the star runner in the town with Genetu Molalign, a 63:51 half-marathon runner who has gone on to be her husband. Now, the pair live in Addis where she trains full time.

Explaining her background, she said via an interpreter: I started running at school seven years ago in high school and I was part of a project where I came to Addis Ababa and was part of the Ethiopian youth and sport academy.

I stayed there for four years and at the end of that I met my coach, Tessema Abshero (2:08:26 marathon runner), and that was when I started competing and began to have success in my running in 2019.

Yehualaw won the Great Ethiopian Run 10km in 2019 and then retained the title this year. In the run-up to London she was running around 180-195km or 110-120 miles each week and looked full of running in the final stages despite her fall and the savage pace she injected to surge away from Jepkosgei.

In London she followed the pace through halfway in 68:46 and reached 21 miles with Megertu, Korir and Jepgosgei for company. But once she decided to cut loose, she was a class apart and Jepkosgei later said that she ran the best race possible but it was only good enough for second place.

Maybe Yehualaw has got some tips from Eliud Kipchoge? The idea is not too far-fetched because although they are from different east African nations they are members of the same NN Running group in the Netherlands and on Sunday she was wearing an INEOS 1:59 Challenge wrist band inscribed with the world record-holders mantra no human is limited.

Perhaps she can follow in Kipchoges footsteps by breaking a world record one day too. The womens best mark is held by Brigid Kosgei with 2:14:04 and, although the Kenyan withdrew from Sundays race with a minor injury, the duo could meet on the roads of London again in seventh months time.

Innes Fitzgerald and Henry Dover among the winners on The Mall as the young athletes races enjoy the spotlight on Saturday

The class of 2022 at the TCS Mini London Marathon graduated in style on Saturday (Oct 1). Racing 24 hours before the main marathon gets underway, around 7000 youngsters relished the occasion as they charged down The Mall cheered on by friends, family and world marathon record-holder Eliud Kipchoge.

If past results are anything to go by then there is a strong chance that many of these athletes will go on to become Olympians and major championship medallists as seniors. The history of the Mini Marathon reads like a whos who of British distance running with everyone from Mo Farah and David Weir to Jake Wightman, Laura Muir, Eilish McColgan and Keely Hodgkinson having taken part, to name just a few.

Innes Fitzgerald and Henry Dover took the under-17 titles on Saturday and they are two of the most exciting young endurance athletes that Britain has ever produced.

Fitzgerald set a UK under-17 womens 3000m record of 8:59.67 in Belfast in July and she took her first Mini Marathon title here despite having recently enjoyed a three-week end-of-track-season break.

I felt good the whole way and it felt shorter than I expected which was a plus, the Exeter Harrier said. I wasnt sure how this was going to go as Ive just come back from a rest. I had three weeks off but I was doing some easy running. It was a nice break, physically and mentally.

Fitzgerald has only burst on the scene this year under the guidance of coach Gavin Pavey after previously running for fun.

Beforehand I was just running by myself, she says. It was a hobby, really. But its just taken off when I met Gavin.

Gavin is husband and coach to former European champion Jo Pavey and Fitzgerald says: Theyre very knowledgeable in everything. If I ask them a question theyll tell me more than enough.

READ MORE: Mini Marathon through the years

She has now started A-levels in maths, physics and biology but hopes to make the under-20 team for the European Cross Country Championships in Turin in December.

I felt good the whole way and it felt shorter than what I was expecting!

Innes Fitzgerald who broke the UK U17 3000m record this past summer and is coached by Gavin, husband of @jopavey on her victory at the Mini @LondonMarathon

@Jason_AW #LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/e2NLQ7AGXM

AW (@AthleticsWeekly) October 1, 2022

Dover similarly has ambitions of making the Euro Cross junior team despite only turning 17 this week. On his Mini Marathon victory, he was delighted as hes finished runner-up twice in the past.

It was brilliant with a really fast start as usual, the crowds and all the sights on the route, he says.

How did he have time to admire the views? Big Ben is hard to miss, he explained. Its a brilliant area and a lovely finish going past Buckingham Palace. Its one of my favourite races.

Like Fitzgerald, Dover has swept all before him this summer and won the English Schools and SIAB Schools International 1500m titles and England Athletics 3000m crown.

Hes particularly proud of his 8:15.26 for 3000m which places him No.5 on the UK all-time rankings and, he adds, pushed Mo Farah down into sixth place.

Its one of my favourite races of the year.

Henry Dover, who won English Schools and SIAB International gold this year, on his victory in the U17 race at the Mini @LondonMarathon

@Jason_AW #LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/7rVJvam6Nk

AW (@AthleticsWeekly) October 1, 2022

On his upcoming goals, the Shaftesbury Barnet athlete said: Track is definitely my main event but I still have aspirations to win some of the cross-country races. Ive got high hopes and am going to try to match them.

Isla McGowan was hoping to finish top 20 at best but won the under-15 girls although it was a close run race as the Banbury athlete held off Katie Pye and Emer McKee with Shaikira King a close fourth.

It was a total surprise to win, said McGowan. Its my first time at this event so I thought I might come top 20 at best.

Owen Ulfig enjoyed victory in the under-15 boys race in a similarly competitive race when the former triathlete from the West Midlands pipped Jon Peppin and Evan Grime.

Thomas Thake finished sixth in the Mini London Marathon last year after going off too quickly and blowing up. This time he paced his race better and won the under-13 boys race.

Thake runs for Hallamshire Harriers in Sheffield a club that counts Seb Coe among its former members. Naturally, Thake would love to follow in his footsteps and says: The 1500m is my distance so Im hoping to do well in that.

In the under-13 race Katherine Haslip proved one of the most dominant winners of the day as she took victory by 18 seconds from Kitty Scott. Haslip won the UK Inter-Counties title in March and will be looking for more cross-country success this winter. Like many athletes she had some family support in London but her mum only just made it to the event in time after having to navigate the train strikes that made travel into London difficult.

Yasmine Hodkinson and Illias Zghoundi won the under-17 wheelchair race titles in style too. Both are members of the Weir Archer Academy and will be hoping to enjoy the same success that David Weir, a multiple Mini Marathon winner who went on to claim multiple London Marathon and Paralympic titles.

The youngsters competing are not the only ones with ambition either. After moving the Mini Marathon from Sunday to Saturday, the organisers intend to grow the participation figures so they reach 50,000 in time for the London Marathons 50^th anniversary in eight years time.

READ MORE: Big plans for Mini Marathon

It is a big challenge but helped by the fact sponsor Tata Consultancy Services are giving 10 to each runner for their school to spend on PE or IT equipment.

You can find results from the TCS Mini London Marathon here