It is Wednesday afternoon, about 4.40 pm. A short walk will get me to my van, then final packing and off to airport (flight about 7:30 tonight). And where? To Boston, MA for the 114th running of the Boston Marathon. Watch for twitter updates from runblogrun all weekend and our live, eclectic coverage on Monday! Looking forward to seeing everyone at our sport’s hallowed event!

TWO CHERUIYOTS OUT

BOSTON (USA): Last year winners
Ethiopian Deriba Merga and Kenyan Salina Kosgei are among the top favorites for
114th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 19. US top name is Ryan Hall who was
third last year. Two top Kenyans withdrew due to injuries, four-time winner
here Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (2003, 2006-08) and Chicago 2008 winner Evans
Cheruiyot. Other elite Americans in the field are NYC winner Meb Keflezighi,
Jason Lehmkuhle, Josh Rohatinsky and Antonio Vega. Some of the other top
international contenders are Abderrahim Goumri, Gilbert Yegon, Robert Kiprono
Cheruiyot and Chala Dechase. Another miss is four time women winner Catherine
Ndereba of Kenya, another injury. 2008 winner Dire Tune of Ethiopia will return
again along with 2007 champion Russian Lidia Grigoryeva. Other women elite
runners are Madai Perez of Mexico, Teyba Erkesso of Ethiopia, Weiwei Sun of
China, Bruna Genovese of Italy and Agnes Kiprop of Kenya.

EDWARD IN THE 150 M
ON THE ROAD

MANCHESTER (GBR): BBC informs
that at Manchester Great City Games on May 16 will have also Panamian Alonso
Edward silver winner from Berlin 200
m in the 150
m. Top star Tyson Gay did not yet announce his event. In
the 150 m
for women Christine Ohuruogu will clash with Jessica Ennis. Women´s 200 m will see Sanya
Richards-Ross against Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie and Lee McConnell.

CLAY AT MTSAC

WALNUT (USA): This weekend´s
52nd MtSAC Relays in Walnut will have some top names competing according to
start lists posted on the event website. In the 110 m hurdles olympic winner
Bryan Clay should run against US record holder Dominque Arnold (36). Great 400 m is foreseen as
Ireland´s David Gillick is due to compete against Briton Martyn Rooney and US
olympic medalist David Neville. More Britons running sprints here like Tyrone
Edgar in the 100 m.
Norway´s record holder Jaisuma Saidy Ndure is entered for 200 m. On the women side
world indoor medalist Chaunte Howard-Lowe is scheduled for high jump, hurdler
Lashinda Demus for flat 400 m
and olympian Sheena Tosta for 400
m hurdles. Great fields also in distance races, for
example in the women 5000 m
Kenyan Sally Kipyego with Christin Wurth-Thomas or Jenn Rhines.   

SEMENYA NOT NAMED (YET)

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): World 800 metres champion
Caster Semenya was not named in the preliminary selection of South African team
for summer African Championships. That is only preliminary selection, final
will be announced early July. In the initial selection 57 names. For example
male 800 m
world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, world indoor champion in long jump Khotso
Mokoena, sprint champion Simon Magakwe, 400 m runner Ofentse Mogawane, middle distance
runner Juan Van Deventer, steeple record holder Ruben Ramolefi. Already clear
is the trio for 400 m
hurdles with Cornel Fredericks, Wouter Le Roux and LJ van Zyl.

FORRESTER RINGING THE BELL

TORONTO (CAN): Best Canadian
high jumper Nicole Forrester will on behalf of the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010
Delhi and Commonwealth Games Canada, supported by the Government of Canada  ringing the bell at the Toronto Stock
Exchange Bell on Thursday and participating in the Queen’s Baton Relay in
honour of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. „After finishing with
one of my best indoor seasons, I’m currently preparing for the Continental Cup
(formerly known as the World Cup) and the Commonwealth Games, which take place
in September and October, respectively. 
Having medalled and participated in the Commonwealth Games 3 times, the
Commonwealth Games holds a special place for me.  With the exception of the Olympic Games, it
is by far my favourite team.  This year
I have my sight set on not only winning but setting a games record.  With my long term planning targetted towards 2012 in London, the 2010
Commonwealth Games plays an instrumental role in my road to London,” said
Forrester.  The baton’s journey
symbolizes the unity and shared ideals of the Commonwealth of Nations, and
enables communities beyond the Host City to share in the Games
celebrations.  The Queen’s Baton Relay
2010 Delhi commenced from Buckingham Palace, London, on October 29, 2009.

OTHER NEWS

SENDAI (JPN): Kenyan Mekubo
Mogusu is the only runner for Sendai Half Marathon on May 9 with sub one hour
best. He clocked 59:48 in 2007
in Marugame. But apart of solid 1:01-1:02 group of home
runners and Kenyans based in Japan very interesting debut for one excellent
track runner. Martin Mathathi with 26:59.88 10 000 m best and bronze
from World championships 2007
in Osaka. Julia Mombi with 1:08:31 is the top women
entry. Target would be Samuel Wanjiru’s course and Japanese all-comers record
of 59:43.

BUDAPEST (HUN): In latest
All-Athletics.com rankings of 2010 competitions in the marathon section
Rotterdam leads over Dubai and Paris the men section. In women Dubai ahead of
Paris and Osaka is the top three. In walking competitions Russian Winter
Championships are the current number ones with Rio Maior IAAF Challenge second
and Lugano EA Permit third.

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): World 800 metres champion
Caster Semenya was not named in the preliminary selection of South African team
for summer African Championships. That is only preliminary selection, final
will be announced early July. In the initial selection 57 names. For example
male 800 m
world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, world indoor champion in long jump Khotso
Mokoena, sprint champion Simon Magakwe, 400 m runner Ofentse Mogawane, middle distance
runner Juan Van Deventer, steeple record holder Ruben Ramolefi. Already clear
is the trio for 400 m
hurdles with Cornel Fredericks, Wouter Le Roux and LJ van Zyl.

MOMBASA (KENA): The 27th
edition of Mombasa International Marathon is to be held on May 9. The Nation
writes. Athletics Kenya (AK) Coast branch treasurer, Anisa Abdalla said this
year’s marathon, sponsored by Safaricom, is expected to attract a record
number of participants. Anisa said they also expect many foreigners including
athletes from neighbouring countries, Uganda, Tanzania and other South and
Central African nations to participate in the annual event.

METZ (FRA): French Berlin
steeple bronze winner Bouabdallah Tahri will travel for training camp in
Ethiopia. After 20 days there he will return and compete in May for his club
(Athletisme Metz Metropole) in the club championships. Next training camp is planned
in Font-Romeu and Algeria. The international season will start for him with
a 2000 m
steeple on June 25 in
Nancy and 3000 m
steeple on June 29 in
Metz at an international meeting. French Federation website informs.

SOFIA (BUL): A proposed
bid from Sofia to host the 2016 Youth Winter Olympic Games has been dropped
after Bulgaria admitted that it could not fulfill the conditions set by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC). Writes insidethegames.biz. „The
Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) Executive Bureau decided that the capital
city of Sofia will not bid to host the Games in 2016,” the BOC said in
a statement.

BARCELONA (ESP): In an
interview with the LOC for this summer’s European Championships in Barcelona
British world indoor champion Dwain Chambers has explained he is running fast
times in practice and feels mentally strong, suggesting he could medal at the
championships. Chambers once again expressed his regrets about his mistakes in
the past and was quoted that one of the most important things he could have
done for track and field was to come back and win the gold medal in Doha “If
the youth of today can learn from the mistakes that I have made over the
years, then it must be a positive message,” Chambers said.

MONTE CARLO (MON):  The Local Organising Committee of the IAAF
World Championships in Daegu celebrates its 
‘500 days to go’  before the
opening ceremony on August 27th 2011. The celebrations are accompanied by the
unveiling of its official mascot and poster. The promotional campaign will be
launched in January 2011 and will have the mascot and the poster as one of its
main tools, the IAAF announced in a press release.

MOSCOW (RUS):  Yelena Isinbayeva’s coach Vitaly Petrov is
not putting a deadline on the break from competition that the pole vault
queen announced last friday. Petrov confirmed that Isinbayeva had undergone
a blood test, and also checks on an achilles tendon and a knee in
Moscow. „You have to understand the ‚machine’ and how she feels within herself
before estimating the possible duration of her break from the sport” he told to
AFP.  He underlined again that there are
no changes in Isinbayeva’s long term goals of winning the 2011 and 2013 World
Championships and the 2012 Olympic Games.

MADRID (ESP):  Jesus Angel Garcia and Beatriz Pascual will
lead the Spanish team in the upcoming Race Walking World Cup in Chihuahua
(Mexico) on May 15th and 16th. The World Cup will be vital to determining the
Spanish selection for this summer’s European Championships in Barcelona. Garcia,
who is one of the best Spanish athletes of all time and who took the bronze in
the 50km at last year’s World Championships in Berlin, will be joined by Juan
Manuel Molina, Mikel Odriozola, Ferran Collados and Jose Alejandro Cambil.
Men´s 20 km
team is composed of Miguel Angel Lopez, Benjamin Sanchez, Jose David Dominguez,
Jose Ignacio Diaz and Francisco Arcilla. In the women’s team Beatriz Pascual,
sixth in Berlin, will be joined by Maria Vasco, the bronze medalist from the
Sydney Olympics and from the World Championships in Osaka, María José Poves,
improved Julia Takacs and Lorena Luaces. The team travels this week to
Flagstaff, USA for a final training camp.

LYON (FRA): French Town Lyon
has decided to relaunch its marathon on October 3rd 2010 with the name ‚Run in
Lyon’. Last year the marathon was cancelled due to a problem with one of
its partners and a very low number of participants. This year, five events
will be staged which includes a marathon, half marathon and 10km. The
organisation hopes to assemble 10.000 participants writes AFP.

LONDON (GBR): Latest Pat
Butcher´s blog at www.globerunner.org:
Why you should know about William Penny Brookes.

MELBOURNE (AUS): Four-time
Olympian and world class sprinter Ato Boldon of Trinidad arrived in Australia
to promote the message of healthy living and the importance of an active
lifestyle at the clinic Nova Batman in Melbourne before heading west for 88th
Australian Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games selection trials.
Boldon inspired many young athletes in attendance to take action in chasing
their dreams wrote www.athletics.com.au.

EDINBURGH (IRL): Top African
and European stars Edwin Soi from Kenya and Sergey Lebid from Ukraine will
produce a great battle at the Bupa Great Edinburgh Run held on May 2. They
will compete around a newly-created 10 kilometer course
centred around Holyrood Park. Irish number one Martin Fagan and Kenya’s Vincent
Yator will also contest the event said www.sportinglife.com.