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Posts tagged as “running”

Kenyan Dennis Kimetto Sets World Marathon Record of 2:02:57 in Berlin

By goodblacknews on September 28, 2014
Dennis Kimetto

Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto has broken the marathon world record in Berlin, winning the race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 57 seconds.

The 30-year-old shook off fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai with just under three miles remaining to become the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours and three minutes.
Mutai, who finished second in 2:03:13, also broke the previous record.
“I feel good because I won a very tough race,” said Kimetto.
“I felt good from the start and in the last few miles I felt I could do it and break the record.”

Men’s marathon world record decade-by-decade
Year Time Athlete Course
1947 2:25.39 Suh Yun-bok (Korea) Boston
1958 2:15.17 Sergei Popov (Soviet Union) Stockholm
1969 2:08.33 Derek Clayton (Australia) Antwerp
1988 2:06.50 Belayneh Dinsamo (Ethiopia) Rotterdam
1999 2:05.42 Khalid Khannouchi (Morocco) Chicago
2008 2:03.59 Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) Berlin
2014 2:02.57 Dennis Kimetto (Kenya) Berlin

The previous world record had been set on the same course 12 months ago by Kimetto’s compatriot Wilson Kipsang, who ran 2:03:23.

Kimetto, who won marathons in Tokyo and Boston last year, had promised to attack the record in Berlin if conditions allowed.
And in weather perfect for long-distance running, with temperatures around eight degrees centigrade, Kimetto kept his promise, staying in the lead group throughout and sprinting to victory and a new world’s best time.
Mutai, meanwhile, believes a two-hour marathon is possible.
“From what I saw today, times are coming down and down. So if not today, then tomorrow,” the 29-year-old Kenyan said. “Maybe next time we’ll get 2:01.”
Mutai had run the fastest marathon in history in 2:03:02 in Boston in 2011, but it did not count as a world record because the course is considered too straight and downhill.
article via bbc.com

US Paralympic Star Jerome Singleton Talks Success On And Off The Track

By goodblacknews on September 30, 2012
Paralympic track and field athlete, Jerome Singleton, poses for a portrait during the 2012 Team USA Media Summit on May 15, 2012 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Paralympic track and field athlete, Jerome Singleton, poses for a portrait during the 2012 Team USA Media Summit on May 15, 2012 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Even as a child growing up in South Carolina, Jerome Singleton Jr. displayed a natural talent for sports.
In seventh-grade, he made his middle school’s basketball team. By the time he reached seventeen he was one of the top 100 high school football players in the state. Singleton says he was able to compete alongside his able-bodied peers not only because of sporting prowess, but due to an unyielding determination to succeed. “I believe I have been blessed with a gift to excel in different facets of my life.”
The middle child of three children, Singleton recalls a loving and supportive family home. He credits his parents, Jerome and Jacqueline, for their selfless support and high expectations, despite his disability. Born in July 1986 and raised in Greenwood, South Carolina, Singleton was born without a fibula and had his right leg amputated below the knee when he was just 18 months old. Talking about overcoming challenges, he says, “I want to show people they can change their life.”

Eighty-Eight Year Old New Yorker Runs Marathons

By goodblacknews on January 31, 2012

 

Lucille Singleton

Age: 88
Place of Residence: Harlem, N.Y.
Why she is a local hero: Lucille Singleton inspires people to be healthy with her marathon running.
Singleton runs everywhere she goes. It doesn’t seem like a big deal until you realize she’s almost 90. Singleton has run three New York City Marathons and finished in the top 10 for her age group all three times.
“I just love running. It makes me feel so good,” said Singleton.
Around her Harlem neighborhood, everyone recognizes her as he senior citizen who runs. The door attendant at her senior building asks how her running is going. And when she shows up at her gym at the New York Sports Club, she can barely make it to the weights because everyone wants to hug her.
Singleton gets up at 4 a.m. to run three miles and still hits the gym three or four times per week. She’s recently had some age-related kidney problems and now needs regular dialysis. Even that hasn’t stopped her running.
“When I finish dialysis, I like to run home,” said Singleton.
Her efforts are simply inspiring, says neighbor and friend Sylvia White.
“She runs four days a week, goes to aerobics twice a week.  When you see this woman you … do a double take because she looks half her age.  She defies the common expectations for seniors,” said White.
Singleton is proof that it’s never too late to accomplish your goals in life. At 71, after a career as a home health aide, she became a construction worker. The manager gave her the job of a flag person but Singleton wanted more. She wanted to lift and carry things. And that’s just what she did, helping to build 19 Rite Aid stores.
Singleton also didn’t run her first marathon until she was 75 years old. A friend’s daughter was running, and Singleton, remembering her high school running days, decided to give it a try. She finished fifth in her age group.
Now, Singleton feels her running is an inspiration to others. That’s why she has no plans to stop.
“When I get out and run in the morning, the cars blow their horns and the people wave,” said Singleton. “I have fans out there so I can’t stop.”