The American distance star Kieffer stormed into the international running spotlight last November when she crossed the New York City Marathon finish line in 2:29:39 – a 26 minute outdoor personal best!

Kieffer’s new lifetime best saw her finish less than three minutes behind her victorious compatriot, Shalane Flanagan (2:26:53), earning her the position of fifth woman overall, just three seconds behind the Kenyan marathon legend, Edna Kiplagat.

How did this relative unknown make such a life-changing jump in performance when, until as recently as July last year, she was working full time as a nanny, with no sponsorship, no funding and no coach?

Kieffer had by no means come from complete obscurity, though.

Allie Kieffer’s earlier running career

Talented and grafting from an early age, she earned the prestigious All-American honours at high school before winning an athletics scholarship to Wake Forest University, followed by a year at Arizona State.

She spent the ensuing three years concentrating on the track and road – with her efforts rewarded with PB after PB – but a coaching change saw her move to Boulder, Colorado in 2012 to join the Olympic Development running group Hudson Elite.

There she ran a US Olympic Trials 10,000m qualifying time of 32:25.69, but a subsequent injury – in part due to an enforced restricted diet which she now regrets (see Allie’s excellent article in Self magazine for more) – saw her having to withdraw from the trials.

Stopping and restarting competitive running

The combination of the injury and financial struggles led to Kieffer’s motivation reaching an all-time low, and, feeling like she’d achieved all she could in athletics, she moved back to her home city of New York in 2013 to work full-time as a nanny for four years.

She continued to run – initially to make friends – but soon enough she discovered her innate competitiveness was still well and truly alive. Following a stint of being trained by renowned coach Steve Magness, she decided to go it alone, her confidence boosted by her success in coaching other athletes to marathon PBs.

2016 saw her race every distance from 5k to the marathon – firstly, winning the Miami marathon in a debut 2:55:30 after only deciding to run the distance the night before, and secondly, breaking the world indoor record by six minutes with an astonishing 2:44:44 result just three months later.

Perhaps because earning money from racing was her primary concern – and not running for running’s sake – she took the second half of 2016 off running completely, choosing instead to travel with her boyfriend before returning to New York state to live in Buffalo in 2017.

2017 – a breakthrough year

This was the year when the combination of rediscovering her track form and winning selection for a place on an exciting Nike-sponsored elite training programme – Nike Project Moonshoot.

The programme is an offshoot of the Breaking2 project, where the company chose a select number of sub-elite New York resident runners to support in their ambitions for the marathon – led to her realising she still had a whole lot more to offer to the top end racing circuit.

Fast Running talked to the exuberant 30-year-old this week while she was out in Iten, training with Kenyan track star, Betsy Saina. Kieffer had arrived fresh from winning the Doha half marathon in a 70:40 PB to beat Britain’s Gemma Steel.

From speaking to Kieffer you soon discover that hard work and determination played just as big a part in her success in the New York marathon as that game-changing chance from Nike to concentrate on running full time, with all the elite-level support that came with it.

Fast Running: Firstly, it’s great to hear you’ll be running the London marathon in April! How do you feel about coming to the UK?

Allie Kieffer: I am very excited to compete in the English capital city! I have not been to London yet, so if anyone wants to pass along a list of sights to see after the race I would be delighted!

FR: Your performance in New York was hugely impressive. Can you give us an insight into your training in the six months building up to the marathon?

AK: Thank you! A typical training week in my build up to the NYC marathon was one interval workout, one tempo (9-13 miles), one long run (18-20 miles), and a midweek run (10-15 miles). I ran several 95-100 mile weeks with one down week every fourth week (around 70 miles).

Since I was doing more mileage in workouts than ever before, instead of running lots of loops around the track, I decided to stick to the roads for all of my workouts. When training for a specific event I try to make the training as specific to the race as possible, so for the NYC marathon that meant repeating hills and asphalt!

I like to run easy runs quite slow, but in the lead up to NYC I increased my normal pace to 7:15min/mile for almost every non-workout run.

Weightlifting has been a big part of my training (and I think improvement) this year. I lift twice a week, here’s what a typical gym session includes:

Day 1: 4 sets of everything, 5 reps (on each side for single leg)
Squats, Strict press (2 sets) and push press (2 sets). I just increase the weight for the push press.
Single leg Romanian deadlift
Pull-ups or dips
Calf raises with weight

Day 2: 4 sets of everything, 5 reps (on each side of single leg)
Backwards lunges
Deadlifts
Single leg squats no weight
Cleans
Push-ups

FR: Can you tell us how big a part your participation in the 16 week long Nike Project Moonshoot played in your preparations for the marathon last year, and what is involved?

AK: Project Moonshot was a game changer for me. Because of Nike’s support I was able to afford massages, physical therapy, and a gym membership.

In the build-up to the marathon, I only had a few spectacular workouts, but I had weeks of consistently good efforts, mileage, and gym sessions.

The 16 weeks of consistent work was only possible because of the project, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity they gave me!

FR: Looking back to 2012 when you sustained your stress fracture following a period of trying to drop weight, you took some time out from competitive running. Can you tell us about that?

AK: I ‘retired’ in 2013 and moved to NYC. At the time I did not have a sponsor and was going through a rough patch in running where I wasn’t placing at the top of races anymore.

I just ran out of money and the ability to afford the lifestyle I was living as a ‘pro athlete’. I thought I had achieved everything I could in the sport and was happy to walk away as an Olympic trials qualifier.

After moving to NYC I ran merely as a hobby and a way to make friends in a new place. Over time one thing led to another and by 2015 I was training again. In the fall of 2015, I started coaching a very good marathon runner – as he improved I could no longer keep up, so I started training seriously in 2016 to be a better coach for him!

It wasn’t until 2017 that I fully committed again to the lifestyle that is necessary to be at your best!

FR: You were a nanny until July 2017 – how did you manage to train alongside full-time work, and how did you finance running after giving up work?

AK: After I hit the world standard in the 10,000m at the Portland Track Festival this past June I decided to focus 100% on running. Thankfully I had good people around that supported that decision. Leading up to NYC I made the decision to be thankful for what I had instead of focusing on what I didn’t have.

Of course, I have more opportunities now and support to run even faster, but we shouldn’t let it go unnoticed that you can make it very far without fancy contracts.

FR: Can you tell us a little about your deal with American clothing company Oiselle – how are they supporting you?

AK: Teaming up with Oiselle has been an incredible opportunity! My favourite aspect of being part of the flock is their investment and support in me as a person.

Most companies are looking to buy great results, while on the other hand, Oiselle is interested in relationships, community, and building one another up!

FR: What do you enjoy doing outside of professional athletics?

AK: I love to cook and travel! I am currently in my 31st country! Also, at the end of February, I am starting a holistic nutrition class!

FR: Who has been the most important support to you in your athletics journey so far?

AK: My family and boyfriend have been incredibly supportive over the past year. Without them and the help from Nike’s Moonshot Project and my long-term sponsor, the New York Athletic Club, I don’t think I would have accomplished all that I did last year.

This year, I am really excited to build upon 2017 and see what I can accomplish with the wings from Oiselle!

How far will you go to reach your goals? . . . I’ll be in Kenya for the next few weeks in the buildup for my next #marathon! Details to drop Jan 25th . . . #RunLikeAGirl #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #oiselle #flystyle #headupwingsout #nyac . . . : @dym9005

A post shared by Allie Kieffer (@kiefferallie) on Jan 18, 2018 at 6:35am PST

Fact file: Allie Kieffer’s best performances to date

3000m indoor: 9:08 (2011)
5000m: 15:52 (2011)
5k: 15:57 (2012)
10,000m: 32:09 (2017)
10M: 54:20 (2017)
Half marathon: 70:40 (2018)
Indoor marathon: 2:44:44 (2016)
Outdoor marathon: 2:29:39 (2017)

Exciting future

It’s no wonder this bright talent is excited about her future now she finally has everything in place around her to ensure she can concentrate on fulfilling her potential without distraction.

Kieffer’s long-term plans include running either the 10,000m or the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, but more immediately her sights are set on the London Marathon, and, potentially, yet another PB.

The post Allie Kieffer is flying high after breakthrough in New York appeared first on Fast Running.

The race, which began in 1970, is partly responsible for a revolution in road running. What could once be termed a “sport” for the few has become mainly a participation event for the masses, with the ‘competitive’ element of the field starting to appear an irrelevance to commercial race organisers.

Once upon a time, before that first New York race, you tended to only run in road races if you were ‘okay’ at running. Back in the 1960s, few marathons took place but these were much smaller affairs. The Polytechnic Marathon in London was the biggest marathon in the year 1962 with only 149 finishers! Last place was 4:07 and only 33 were outside 3:15.

Then along came the London Marathon and Great North Run, which spawned a running boom. Along with the idea that anyone could run and naturally came an increase in races of all distances.

However, I recall former World Cross silver medallist Tim Hutchings saying not long before launching the Brighton Marathon in 2010 that he still felt there was a massive gap in the market for city marathons in the UK, the quantity being far lower than in countries such as Germany. He turned out to be right. Brighton was a great success and soon mass marathons followed in Manchester (2012), Yorkshire (2013), Bournemouth (2013) and Birmingham (2017).

Statistics from the Association of Road Race Statisticians (arrs.net) show the astounding increase. For 2009 their database listed just 119 in the UK (compared to 331 in Germany, with a slightly larger population, and 498 in the USA). In 2016 there were 354 in the UK (Germany, 447 and USA 1237) – a nearly threefold increase in just seven years!

Interestingly, the number of finishers in that time has not quite doubled – to 116,000 in 2016.

Despite the boom prize money is decreasing
While such a rise is surely a good thing when it comes to the nation’s health, the scene is massively changing and one possible worrying trend is a lowering of prize money – despite entry fees going through the roof.

The idea for this article came from an elite athlete agent who commented on the reduction in prize money at the top end in Britain, which was increasingly being limited to only British runners. To back this up I tried to look at the tier below the London Marathon and the Great North Run, using archive prize money data from either the official websites or arrs.net. Despite singling out these races, I wish to make it clear that I am not necessarily applying my sweeping generalisations which follow them.

The winners at the Bournemouth Marathon Festival in 2016 received $3245 (data from ARRS/£2500). This year the winning prize was just £500. The standard at the top plummeted, despite boasting an IAAF label, which meant it had to attract a certain level of elite athletes.

Next year’s Yorkshire Marathon offers a £1150 winning prize but only to UK entrants. In 2014, the winner’s prize was £2500 with a £500 UK bonus. The Chester Marathon in 2017 offered £1000 for the winner – down from $2000 (ARRS/£1500) in 2013.

The Greater Manchester Marathon in 2013 had first prizes of $1160 (ARRS/£1500). In 2017 this was £2000 but only to UK entrants.

A similar scenario has been emerging Stateside
David Monti, editor of US publication Race Results Weekly, told me that the very top tier, including New York Road Runners’ eight pro events, were continuing to offer good prize money.

However, he also wrote: “The largest commercial road race organiser in the USA, Competitor Group (Rock ‘n’ Roll series), has largely pulled away from elite athletes, at least in a meaningful way. Prize money, and other elite athlete support, at their events is minimal. Also, regional road races which used to have good elite fields have what I call ‘elite fatigue’ and have decided that top athletes aren’t worth the headache and expense, at least not recruiting truly top talent.”

While some prize funds have shrunk, the amount available to overseas runners has particularly taken a hit.

Many will be pleased, saying they would rather see the races won by homegrown runners. While I have in the past questioned the attraction in having two unknown Africans lead the field by minutes, is the trend a symptom of a growing disinterest in the top end among race organisers with the focus instead on numbers? And does it mean the top Britons are losing out on useful competition to push them on to the next level?

There are exceptions
One race that clearly still believes in catering for the elite is the Cardiff University/Cardiff Half-marathon. Vying to be Britain’s third largest race, it is now also rivalling the Great North Run both at the very top end and in depth for good club runners.

Elite athlete liaison for Cardiff, Alex Donald told me why they increased the prize money a few years back: “We decided we wanted to be considered world class and take the race as far as we could… We started to wonder about the success in Scotland and it looked as though it was partly down to the fact that young Scottish athletes saw the best in the world coming and we wanted Welsh athletes to emulate that.”

In this year’s race in Cardiff, Wales’ Dewi Griffiths certainly showed a bit of African competition did him no harm as he finished in among them with fourth in a big PB of 61:33 before going on to break 2:10 in his debut marathon a few weeks later.

Cardiff now appears to be one of the ‘go-to’ races for competitive UK club runners. I would include it on a list with the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k, Reading Half-Marathon, London Marathon and Armagh 5k.

The Armagh road race is remarkable for its absence of ‘joggers’. Despite negligible prize money, although with some assistance for athletes who meet the tough entry standards with regards to travel and accommodation, this year the last of its 171 finishers clocked 17:05; 77 finished inside 15 minutes. The accompanying women’s 3k had 28 inside 10 minutes.

Race organiser for 28 years Brian Vallely is torn when he looks at the current road racing scene. “On the one hand, in Dublin yesterday (October 29), you had 20,000 out to run a marathon,” he said. “I can remember marathons when there were three or four on the line. You can’t dismiss it, but I regard a lot of what’s happening is to the detriment of cross country and track, and is a dumbing down of our sport.

“I’m not saying that people shouldn’t enjoy athletics and have these races but quite often there are fairly scandalous entry prices for races which are meaningless, where you have half a dozen elite athletes who run well enough to win the race or are paid to stand on the line.”

Photo Credit: Keith McClure

The standards in some of these ‘go-to’ races to which top club athletes flock in droves in some cases are matching the heyday of the 1980s.

The future
However, with many commercial organisers seeming to care less and less about the top end and perhaps only about how many they can get on the start line, they are not sufficiently attracting the top runners.

In short, the market for more road races is being met, but there are not enough top runners to go around, so races are often being won with mediocre times.

Recently, prolific organisers Great Run Company – curiously having steered clear of marathons previously – got in on the act with Birmingham and Stirling, the former garnering just over 5000 finishers. Great Run founder Brendan Foster said beforehand he hoped the new marathon series would trigger a rise in standards, yet ironically the race could attract no quicker winners than 2:33 and 2:52. In fairness to the Great Run Company, they offered a £2000 first prize.

I mean no disrespect to the winners. Chris Ashford had run a marathon just seven days earlier, four minutes quicker, while the first woman, Sophie Kelly, smashed her PB.

However, I think this year’s race was a symptom of the trend. To where will that trend lead? Will we one day have commercial races for charities and fun runners, and another set of much smaller races run by clubs for competitive runners?

(With thanks to the Association of Road Race Statisticians and Andy Milroy for data for this article.)

The post Mass participation vs. road racing: what does the future hold? appeared first on Fast Running.

Ghebreslassie, the 21-year-old from Eritrea, became the youngest men’s winner in the history of the New York City Marathon, breaking the tape in 2:07:51 last year. He posted the third-fastest winning time in history and was the first Eritrean winner.

In 2015, he became the youngest winner in World Championships marathon history, and his gold medal was Eritrea’s first ever at the event. He was also fourth in the marathon at Rio 2016 Olympics. At the London Marathon last year he set his personal-best of 2:07:46 for a fourth place finish.

“I’m proud to return to New York to defend my title,” Ghebreslassie said. “The crowds along the course are fresh in my memory, and I will work hard to do well again this year.”

New York Marathon History
The first New York City Marathon, was organised in 1970 by Fred Lebow and Vince Chiappetta, and was ran entirely in Central Park. Of 127 entrants, only 55 men finished; the sole female entrant dropped out due to illness. The entry fee was $1 and the total event budget was $1,000.

Kenyan Keitany, has won the race for the last three years, including a dominating performance last year in which she surged ahead fourteen miles in to finish the course on a solo run in 2:24:26.

Her 3:34 margin of victory was the greatest in the women’s race since 1980, and she became the first able-bodied runner since Grete Waitz to win the event three years in a row.

This year, she won her third career London Marathon in April, breaking the women’s only marathon record in a blistering time of 2:17:01.

They will join the previously announced American field that includes Shalane Flanagan and  Meb Keflezighi, who races his 26th and final career marathon.

Flanagan, who recently received her 2008 Olympic medal upgrade, is the second-fastest U.S. female marathoner of all-time and a four-time Olympian. In 2010, she finished as the runner-up at the New York City Marathon, the best finish by an American woman in 27 years.

“Seven years ago, I started my marathon career on the streets of New York City,” Flanagan said. “It was one of the most thrilling experiences in my career, so I’m beyond excited to be returning this fall to where it all began. New York has always had an abundance of top competition. and I look forward to testing myself against the best in the world once again.”

Keflezighi, a four-time Olympian who will be racing the New York City Marathon for the 11th time, his 26th and final professional career marathon. In 2009, Keflezighi became the first American in 27 years to win the New York City Marathon, and five years later he was victorious at the Boston Marathon.

New York Marathon History
In 2004, world record-holder Paula Radcliffe won the women’s race by three seconds over Kenya’s Susan Chepkemei in the closest women’s finish in race history.

Back to the men’s international field, it also includes Lemi Berhanu, the 22-year-old from Ethiopia won the Boston Marathon in 2016 and has a personal best of 2:04:33. He has the fastest personal best in the field.

Lelisa Desisa, also from Ethiopia, finished second in New York in 2014 and third in 2015 before failing to finish last year. The two-time Boston Marathon champion owns a personal best of 2:04:45 from the 2013 Dubai Marathon.

Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya also returns. The 24-year-old was the runner-up in 2015 and is a four-time world champion, twice in cross-country and twice in the half-marathon. His personal-best time of 2:06:12 came from his marathon debut in 2012 when he finished third at the Berlin Marathon.

The women’s field will include Kenyan duo Edna Kiplagat and Betsy Saina. The 37-year old Kiplagat owns titles from the 2010 New York City Marathon, 2014 London Marathon and 2017 Boston Marathon. She is a three-time World Championship medallist, most recently taking silver at the World Championships in London.

Saina, 29, finished fifth over 10,000m in Rio Olympics in 2016 and will be making her marathon debut.

Joining them in the field is Ethiopian Tigist Tufa, 30, who finished third and eighth in her two previous New York City Marathon appearances. She won the London Marathon in 2015 and was the runner-up in 2016.

The post Defending champions Ghebreslassie and Keitany set for New York Marathon appeared first on Fast Running.