interview for mzungo.org, 07.04.2010

It is late at night and still hot in the departure area of Nairobi airport. My flight to Paris has just been canceled and now I’m sitting here and waiting for the plane that should take me to Amsterdam instead.

“No oxygen in here!” a laughing voice is talking to me all of a sudden. Two slim guys are grabbing the seats beside me. I look up and what I see is a pretty familiar face. A guy that shocked the marathon scene at the start of last season – Vincent Kipruto (right on pic), 22 years old from Kenya’s distance running hub Eldoret. He surprised all experts by winning the Paris Marathon in 2009 with a 2:05:47 and backed it up with a 2:06:08 at last fall’s Chicago Marathon.

Together with his friend and training partner Evans Kiplagat (2:10:46 debut marathon in Amsterdam last year) he is on his way to the Netherlands. In five days the 40th edition of the Rotterdam Marathon will take place. The flat course has a guarantee for fast times. Like every year, the field is loaded with east African talent and since Paris and Chicago, Vincent is definitely not the dark horse in the pro line up.

mzungo.org: how are you feeling? Did the preparation go well for you?
Kipruto: I’m feeling good. Training back home went well. I’m really looking forward to the race.

mzungo.org: is it your first time in the Netherlands?
Kipruto: No. I raced a small 10k race before (the Singelloop).

mzungo.org: after last years Rotterdam race everyone now expects a new Kenyan or even the world record.
Kipruto: (smiles) that’s true. The course is fast. Competition will be good. Let’s hope the weather is perfect.

mzungo.org: who do you think are the main contenders for the win this year?
Kipruto: (James) Kwambai and (Patrick) Makau. Those are the guys to watch out for.

mzungo.org: what is your goal for the race?
Kipruto: I want a new PR. I think I can run under 2:05 in Rotterdam. Just hope there is no wind.

mzungo.org: where are you staying the last couple of days before the race? Are you based in Rotterdam?
Kipruto: Yes. We will relax in a hotel in the city centre.

mzungo.org: you ran the old version of the Nike Streak XC in Chicago and Paris. Will you stick to them? Or are you going to wear Lunaracers?
Kipruto: No. I won’t wear the Lunars. I´ll run in the Streak again. I like them. No reason to change for me.

mzungo.org: is there anything special in your training so short before a marathon? Any sprints, short intervals…
Kipruto: No. I take it easy. No speedwork at all. Just slow running. Not more than 40 minutes. Then just eat and sleep. Nothing special.

mzungo.org: I think Feyenoord is playing at home on Saturday night. Will you go and watch the match?
Kipruto: (laughs) Yes. on TV.

Single speed versus runner. See the mzungo.org clip of Shadrack Biwott and Josh Rohatinsky at mile 11 of NYC Half 2010.

“It was an August evening in 1977 that the first ever organised road race in modern times took place in Ballycotton. A five mile event, it was won by Ray Treacy, now Head Coach at Providence College and brother of John, Olympic Marathon Silver-Medalist from 1984 and twice winner of the World Cross Country title.

The following March, a ten mile race took place in Ballycotton. 31 runners (all men) took part with Richard Crowley the winner in 50:22. The rest, as they say, is history. The next year, 82 runners were led home by Pat Hooper in 49:12, with Mary Dempsey the inaugural women’s winner in 68:47. In 1980, six months before the first Dublin Marathon, numbers had increased to over 150, considered a huge field for a road race at the time.

With the advent of the Irish ‘running boom’ heralded by that Dublin Marathon, races and participants in Ireland mushroomed. Ballycotton’s numbers increased in tandem, reaching a record 848 finishers in 1984. For the remainder of the 80s, the figures competing in Ballycotton hovered around 650-750 as a lot of other races in the country fell into decline or ceased to exist.

The 1990s saw the Ballycotton ’10’ enter a new era. One thousand finishers was reached for the first time in 1993 and due to the unprecedented interest in the race, a limit had to be imposed for safety and logistical reasons. This limit was set at 1500 in 1999, which was reached in mid-January…” 

READ ON…

Watch the trailer of a great running documentary. Already shown in the UK on Channel 4 in January 2010. Out on DVD directly at Alex Vero.

Watch this space for a detailed review.

After a short break back home in freezing Germany I made my way to Frankfurt to compete in the 8th edition of the local halfmarathon.

This year the organizers changed the course. The former route was a bit boring but the race itself the first big test for spring marathon runners in the region. The “Waldstadion”, or “Commerzbank Arena” as they call it these days, was the venue for the race.

I warmed up in the surrounding forest and met some of the Eintracht Frankfurt football players. After their defeat on Saturday they got their recovery run in. No recovery for me. I wanted to get my little “halfmarathon” devil from the shoulder. After the disappointing race in Rome I was so keen to run the 21,095 distance again. I knew that I had a faster time in my legs.

Training during the week went well so I was confident to score fast time. I didn’t know the course but the profile didn’t look to spectacular. The second half had some short but steep climbs in it – nothing major as they were mostly bridges.

The race started in front of the main stand of the stadium. The elite start had a 5 minute head start. Spiridon Frankfurt, the organizing running club, wants to give the local elite the chance to race each other. Surpringsly 2 Kenyans made their way to have a shoot on the 500 EUR the organizers offered for the winner of the race. That wasn’t the intention of the organizers as the women at the registration angrily said. But at the end of the day it is a open competition…

With only a short delay the race started off. On the first few meters there were some twists and turns. It was elbow time as a good bunch of runners went around the sharp corners but after a couple of minutes the course was straight on into the forest. I was in the second group but dropped out of it as the pace didn’t felt too comfortable for me.

I tried to relax and it worked. Despite that I was hitting the kilometer splits a little bit under target. Wind came up and I was searching for some lads to draft. I was running between the groups and was not happy with that. The wind was heavy but not crazy. I just thought it would be better to draft along and safe barely needed energy.

The weather was cold. But despite that I choose to wear a plain singlet and arm warmers with gloves. When I met my parents (thanks for the support) I got rid of my hat. Perfect running conditions despite the wind.

The route went on through lonely business areas and on to the river main. The crowd support wasn’t great. Most of the 667.000 “Bankfurters” must have been in bed at this stage. But I didn’t worry about the crowd support, I was more worried about myself. I started to lose the “comfort zone” a bit early as I passed the kilometer 9 sign at the main promenade. At this stage the eventual women’s winner, Simret Restle, passed me out. I couldn’t respond and tried to hang on.

37:something showed the watch at the km10 mark more less the turnaround point from the river back to the stadium. Still on time and with decent pace I struggled. A bit early. At this stage I had to fight as I had no one to run with. The group in front of me was gone and I just wanted to avoid to get caught. The roads went slightly uphill. It was a constant pressure. I tried to settle back in but it didn’t work. Still pain game – still pushing.

My thoughts just went from kilometer mark to kilometer mark. it worked quite well. I was still moving. I didn’t bother about my splits as we were running out of central Mainhattan back to the forest and eventually the “Waldstadion”.

Straight roads were leading the race now. Not the best scenario for me. But what should I have done now? At kilometer 16 there was a turnaround point. When I ran towards it I could see the 2 Kenyans far up front. The field was a good bit back. The way to the turnaround point felt long – really long. And the way back was even longer.

After the long stretch the road turned left towards the stadium. I was pushing hard and started to feel better again. Shortly after kilometer 19 I had to run up a bridge. That thing nearly killed me. The tuff part was the final one around the stadium as I didn’t know where the actual entrance into the ground was.

Finally the big gate came and I entered the stadium. It was a nice feeling to enter the ground. it is one of the best football stadiums in Germany and to finish the race in it was nice.

The clock showed 01:18:32 (46th place overall – 8th AG). Finally a new PB for the distance. Still some improvements to make. The baseline is there now I have to sharpen up for some serious Boston training.

Last sunday he ran a solid 2:18:29 at the Lake Biwa Marathon. Watch Steve Osaduik working out with his crew around beautiful Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada. They also simulated the weather on raceday in japan 😉

It was about time. It seemed as if no one wanted to chase the leader. No one even tried to catch the current Über-shoe on the competitive road running market, Nike’s Lunar Racer.

But now Brooks finally issued an answer that’s supposed to hit the road racing scene by storm – The Brooks Green Silence.

Silence please!

The Look

Currently, I am sporting my fourth pair of Nike Lunar Racers. Stuck with the first generation, I am a totally happy user of Nike’s groundbreaking Lunarlite technology. Finding a light shoe that provides me with superb cushioning and such a dynamic handling was not easy. I’m completely satisfied with the Lunar racer. I like the look of
the shoe and the overall performance. It’s the ultimate partner for me, from easy morning jogs to long runs, from the 5k to the Marathon.

A couple of weeks ago, Brooks released the first serious Lunar answer – the Green Silence.

Silence? Where is the silence? And where is the green? The shoe doesn’t look silent or green at all. The very aggressive colouring makes it a true “in your face” racing flat. A shoe you want to wear.

On the left side it sports a yellow sole, on the right side the sole is red. Also, the colour of the upper is different from left to right. It’s an eye-catching mix between the famous “Hanson’s” colors yellow/red paired with a bit of black trimming. This look is hot. There’s only one thing you would want to do with these shoes – run fast!

But let’s have a closer look before we hit the road. Sticking out is – no pun intended – the tongue. Forget about the tongues you know, the Green Silence’s is different. If you are by now used to a slim and skinny lunar racer tongue, you will face a completely different approach. The tongue forms part of the actual shoe instead of being separately stitched in. Together with the crooked lacing, it definitely catches the eye first. All in all, the shoe looks light, solid, compact and reliable.

The Sole

That said, every running shoe is ultimately defined and judged by its sole, the part that actually protects one’s feet from the ground. Here, the Green Silence sticks to the “one block” technology for which the Lunar is now known. Brooks calls this “MoGo”. No pattern, no section, just one big foam block.

article for mzungo.org