Welcome back to The Blue Line for another bumper issue. There’s lots going on - Elise is back from Kenya (and has a BIG interview with Lonah Salpeter in this issue - who came 2nd in the NYC Marathon in 2022 and runs for NN Running Team - Salpeter, not Else), Fraser continues your education of cross country, and we’ve even got budding young athlete Stewy McSweyn (maybe you’ve heard of him) sat down at the typewriter to give you his thoughts on the upcoming Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne.
Speaking of, we’re hearing some big names might be here for the Maurie Plant Meet - Fred Kerley is already announced, but Matt Centrowitz has also been announced this week.
Before you ask (well, many of you have already emailed and asked) we’re not going to cover the Peter Bol story yet, purely because there’s not much to say at this point. We’ve all read the statements, and until the B sample has been tested any commentary is just filler, and we don’t do filler.
Oh, and if you want to head to the upcoming Maurie Plant Meet - use the code FTK when buying your tickets to get 10% off. More info about the event can be found right here.
For now, let’s start the show.
by Elise Beacom
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter had just finished blitzing 20 x 400s on the track when I met her in Eldoret, Kenya. She looked strong, composed and focused, and if I hadn’t known it was her second hard session of the day, I wouldn’t have guessed.
For the unacquainted, Lonah is an absolute giant in long-distance running. Part of the NN Running Team, her marathon PB is a ridiculous 2:17:45, which won her Tokyo Marathon in 2020. She took bronze in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, was runner-up at New York and Nagoya last year, and is a two-time Olympian (though Lonah grew up in Kenya, she represents Israel and is married to an Israeli man).
Her start in running was unconventional to say the least. While Lonah loved running at school, she only took it up again as a hobby after moving to Israel in 2008 to work as a nanny. She ran her first 10k in 47 minutes off no training. Trackside at Kipchoge Keino Stadium, Lonah reflected on returning to Kenya to train back when she was a very different athlete, “Training with Kenyans in Kenya was something like a nightmare. It was so hard in the beginning… the breathing is like ‘WOW, what is this?” (I found this sentiment highly relatable.)
Lonah has obviously come a long way since. After enlisting the help of coach Dan (and marrying him – you go girl!), taking training more seriously and dialling in her nutrition, Lonah made big leaps. She explained to me what a huge part self-belief has played in her top performances, like winning her first World Marathon Major in Tokyo: “It was my first time to run with top athletes, but I went there without any pressure…I think everything is possible when you are focused and you are determined… I believe in myself.”
This year Lonah is running Boston which has the elite women’s startlist of our wildest dreams (nine sub-2:20 females)! She knows it will be a challenge, but Lonah is building confidence through training, rather than worrying about what her competitors are doing.
“The field is really strong… but they say also there is a day for everything, so I don’t need to be scared, I need to be myself” - Lonah Salpeter
In the lead up to Boston, Lonah hopes to break her 10k record (30:05) in Tel Aviv – a ‘women’s only’ world record is on the cards if she goes sub-30. Having won bronze in the 10,000m at the European Athletics Championships in Munich last year, the speed is certainly there.
The grit is there too. One of the grittiest displays I can remember of Lonah was in the Olympic marathon in Sapporo. Lonah was in bronze medal position late, before stopping suddenly due to stomach pain at around 38km. Watching on TV, everyone assumed she had dropped out, but Lonah was determined to finish and settled on 66th place. “I stayed there like 20 minutes, and I said, even though I will be whichever position, so long as I cross the finish line. I don’t want to be DNF.”
Ahead of important races, Lonah spends blocks of training at altitude in Iten, relishing the chance to train with other elites, when most of her running in Israel is solo. “I think it’s amazing because you get involved with the elite athletes and the atmosphere here is more motivational,” she said.
Back home, Lonah and husband Dan have a son, Roy, and a Jack Russell called Moo Moo, who used to run cross-country with her. Unfortunately Moo Moo, 12, is now semi-retired from the sport. “He can run but I don’t want to kill him,” Lonah laughed. “When I tie my shoes, he’s really excited. He knows that it’s time for running.”
For more Lonah content, listen to theSweat Elite podcast, or check out their footage ofher double session day on YouTube.
by Fraser Darcy
They say the World XC Champs is the hardest race to win. They could also say it’s the hardest race to preview. Lots of names that sound vaguely familiar and then about a hundred or so other runners in the mix too. This should get you started on what you need to know before February 2018.
By the way the U20’s preview is in the U20 version of TBL which can be found here.
We’ll have more on World XC during race week, but we wanted to whet your appetite with some of the big names battling to join legends like Brock, Lowndes, and Skaife as Bathurst royalty.
Women to watch (unfortunately the queen and defending champ Hellen Obiri is not racing this year)
Letesenbet Gidey 🇪🇹 - World Record holder in 5000m, 10,000m and Half-Marathon. 3rd Place at 2019 Champs in Aarhus, Denmark but was also a two-time U20 gold medallist. (TL;DR summary - she’s very good).
Irene Cheptai 🇰🇪 - 1st at 2017 World Champs in Uganda, and strong cross-country pedigree. Cheptai excels around the 10km distance and floats up hills. Will be well suited to this course.
Weini Kelati 🇺🇸 - Originally from Eritrea, Kelati gets her first chance to represent the US since becoming a citizen in 2021, and is arguably one of the more fancied names from the US. Still on a massive upwards trajectory since turning pro in late 2020.
The winner of the last 7 editions of this race has been Kenyan, so keep an eye on anyone mentioned here, basically.
That said, the Ethiopians race as a team and look for team gold, which they scored in 2019. They typically have amazing depth.
Men to watch
Joshua Cheptegei 🇺🇬 - the defending champ, WR holder across the 5000m and 10,000m. Biggest resume of them all. Would love to see Joshua get the win.
Jacob Kiplimo 🇺🇬 - If it wasn’t for Cheptegei, Kiplimo would be the big dog in Uganda. 2nd place at the 2019 race and 1st in the U20 race in 2017. (we also hear he might be coming to Melbourne afterwards 🤫)
Geoffrey Kamworor 🇰🇪 - Not as big on the track as Cheptegei and Kiplimo but a 1st place in 2015, 2017 and 3rd at the 2019 editions of the XC champs puts your name up in spotlights for sure. This might be too short for the marathoner, but he’ll be up the front for the majority of the race for sure.
The last time we had an Aussie finish top 10 was back in 2013 when Collis Birmingham finished 8th
Our men finished 8th in the teams classification in 2019, while our women finished 5th 😮💨
by Stewy McSweyn
There is no doubt from my perspective that within Australian athletics few individuals have had a greater impact on so many athletes careers as Maurie Plant did. This notion alone makes it quite fitting that there has been a meet dedicated in his honour and name in his much beloved home city of Melbourne.
I personally can’t wait to race in the Inaugural Maurie Plant Meet; Maurie had a significant impact on my own athletics career, and believed in my capabilities probably before I even did. Maurie had always been willing to help Australian athletes, especially with international racing opportunities and was always willing to help an athlete if he could see them giving it their all.
A personal example of this for me was during the 2018 season - Maurie had helped me to gain my big opportunity to race on the Diamond League circuit. Through his involvement in the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco he had continuously advocated to the meet organiser to allow me as an under credentialed athlete a start in the 3,000m.
He could see the work I put in to start the season, and was willing to put his own reputation on the line to allow me to gain a start, that is just how Maurie was.
I went in ranked 17th of the 17 athletes on the start list on PB, but was able to run a 13 second personal best and finish 3rd in the meeting, which ultimately allowed me to gain starts in the remaining Diamond League races that season.
Without Maurie advocating for me so much, like he did for many Australian athletes, maybe I would have never had the opportunity to race in the Diamond League circuit and maybe I would have never been able to reach my potential in the sport that he saw possible.
This is just one example of how Maurie positively impacted my own athletics career and no doubt many athletes across the world would have similar stories of how Maurie was willing to advocate and help athletes reach their potential.
So, competing in the inaugural Maurie Plant Meet means so much more than a race for me, it means honouring a man who meant so much to not only me but the Australian athletics community, something I hope will continue for many more years to come to cement the legacy he has left behind within Australian and International athletics.
by Elise Beacom
On my third day in Iten, Kenya, I asked a tall man in an adidas tracksuit for directions. He dropped what he was doing to walk me to my destination. It turned out he was Bethwel Yegon, 2:06 marathoner and runner-up at Berlin in 2021. The greats walk among you in the mecca of running.
In January, I spent two glorious weeks at an altitude training camp, organised by my coach John Starrett. Visiting Iten had been a dream of mine since it first came on my radar, and after the recent covid shit-show, I was in a YOLO frame of mind. The schedule there was simple: run, eat, rest, eat, run, eat, sleep (Monday to Saturday) and Sunday was a rest day (many Kenyans go to church). I stayed at former marathon world record holder, Wilson Kipsang’s hotel, which had endearing quirks like a blown lightbulb in the bathroom and an occasional (very minor) electric shock from the hot water tap. The menu comprised chapati, ugali, rice, beans, vegetables, mutton, beef, eggs, fruit and chai (one-third milk, one-third tea, one-third sugar).
The Kenyans look effortless when they run, levitating across the trails, never breaking stride over sharp bumps. None of the trails are flat, they’re all up and down (Kipchoge will be just fine in Boston), and you are real high up (2400m). Your lungs suck thin air, your feet move deftly over rocks, your heart pumps strongly over hills and your shoes suffocate in red dust. (An open-air boot polishing stall in town could spruce up your runners for a small fee.) When running on the few tarmac roads, cars and motorcycles give way and never rage. Kids run or bike alongside you shouting “mzungo” (white person).
Sightings of stars like Joyciline Jepkosgei (London Marathon winner 2021) are commonplace, as is spotting an athlete contract next to the sink of a restaurant bathroom, while its owner is (presumably) in the cubical. Some athletes do small jobs to make money, for example washing running clothes (you constantly see clothes and shoes drying on top of bushes or hedges in people’s gardens). Other athletes sell their surplus pro gear to the handful of running shops in town where you can find Team Kenya Olympics kit, NN running singlets and super shoes of various persuasions.
There are a few athletics tracks in town. One is so expensive that no one uses it (AUD $12 per session. For context, a meal at a café is AUD $1-2 and a cup of tea is 20c). Another track is half-finished due to corruption, and the third is a dirt surface with rocks at the 200m bend and cows keeping the grass short on the infield. Athletes travel to Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret for a better track surface, but even there you wouldn’t want to wear spikes. As etiquette dictates, hard efforts happen in lane 1 and faster athletes pass you on your right (intimidating when there are 200 people on the track!). When scores of feet come thundering from behind, you make yourself as small as possible and try to guess the number of carriages on the train.
Other fixtures in the Kenyan training regime include “diagonals”, which involves running in figure-of-eights across an uneven football field, and fartlek, which is open to everyone on Thursdays (the session is decided moments before it commences). On Saturdays, large groups gather before sunrise for their long run – often at the famous Moiben Road.
What struck me most is how hard everyone works. No one questions anyone else’s goals. Whether you are a 3:00 or a 2:10 marathoner, everyone is trying to “make it” and no one puts limits on what they can achieve. People regularly asked me what my PB was, and I was almost embarrassed to say it aloud, but the response was always optimistic, “Don’t worry, you will run 2:45 soon.” The power of a statement like that makes you think maybe you can.
Stay tuned for a series of articles from Kenya over coming editions of The Blue Line, including interviews with Wilson Kipsang, Phil Sesemann and more.
by Brett Robinson
In a win for athletics fans in Australia, this week Matthew Centrowitz has announced he is coming to compete in meets in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The 2016 Olympic 1500m champion has struggled the past couple of years with injuries but has recently moved away from Bowerman TC to coach himself and make a bid for his fourth USA Olympic team. Matthew is always a fan favourite and one of the best race tacticians going around so pay close attention when he races. For me the highlight will be when he comes up against Ollie Hoare on the 23rd of February at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne.
Matthew if you're reading this.. Please open the DM from FTK :)