Assefa won Berlin on a torn Achilles
Tigst Assefa's manager says her Achilles was completely gone for the last two kilometers in Berlin, and she still ran the third-fastest women's marathon ever. She had surgery Monday and faces months out.
The week's biggest
AIU bans 2:04 marathoner Kimaiyo two years for a diuretic
The AIU has banned Kenya's Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo, a 2:04:01 marathoner, for two years after a urine sample came back positive for chlortalidone, a diuretic that can mask other banned substances. He said he had taken painkillers belonging to his wife about a week before the out-of-competition test, later producing a photo of a box labeled "OLMECURE-CT 40".
Kiplimo told the AIU he didn't know what chlortalidone was.
Races and results
Assefa ran Berlin's last 2K on a ruptured Achilles
Tigst Assefa's Berlin win came on a fully torn Achilles, and she had surgery in Munich on Monday. Her manager Gianni Demadonna told AFP the tendon "was completely gone" over the last two kilometers, and expects her to miss around seven months of training. She still ran 2:11:04, the third-fastest women's marathon ever, after passing 40K on 2:09:44 pace.
She was effectively running on one leg.
Berlin hands out five new US Olympic Trials qualifiers
Berlin put five American men under the 2:16:00 Olympic Trials standard and eight American women under 2:37:00, per Chris Chavez. Brendan Martin's 2:14:36 qualified him for a third Trials, and Jacqueline Gaughan (2:27:43), Allie Kieffer (2:30:41), Katja Goldring (2:31:55) and Gabriella Smith all hit the standard for the first time. Charlie Sweeney led the Americans in 2:09:33.
Shoes and fuel
Skechers' first race shoe lands, On Cloudsurfer 3 weighed at 318g
Believe in the Run came back from the Skechers Aero Elite launch calling the brand's debut race shoe a hit: a full ATPU midsole, a carbon-infused Quantum Plate, under 6 ounces in a US M9, and a $225 price tag when it drops October 1. Doctors of Running put the On Cloudsurfer 3 through 100km and measured it at 318g with a 45mm heel and 37mm forefoot, calling the heel rocker geometry a highlight and pricing it at $160 as a daily trainer, not a speed shoe.
really really well done
How they train
Brady Holmer floats diet soda as a fasted training hack
Brady Holmer says diet soda may let you keep the benefits of fasted training without losing performance, because artificial sweeteners hit mouth receptors that register incoming carbohydrate. He tags the claim with his own "(maybe)".
sipping a diet drink not only hydrates you but could activate these receptors to improve performance
Worth a glance
Monti: Berlin pays the least of any Marathon Major
David Monti calls Berlin's prize money shockingly low, the lowest in the World Marathon Majors, with Boston winners earning more than four times as much.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo banned from running?
Kimaiyo tested positive for chlortalidone, a diuretic that can mask other banned substances. He said he had taken painkillers belonging to his wife about a week before the test.
How did Tigst Assefa run so fast with a ruptured Achilles?
Assefa's Achilles tendon was completely torn during the last two kilometers of the Berlin Marathon, but she continued running and finished with a time of 2:11:04. She had surgery the following Monday.
How many American runners qualified for the Olympic Trials at Berlin?
Five American men ran under the 2:16:00 standard and eight American women ran under 2:37:00, qualifying them for the Olympic Trials.
What is the price of the Skechers Aero Elite race shoe?
The Skechers Aero Elite will cost $225 when it launches on October 1.
Can diet soda help with fasted training performance?
Brady Holmer suggests diet soda may let runners keep the benefits of fasted training without losing performance, because artificial sweeteners trigger mouth receptors that register carbohydrates, though he notes this is a hypothesis he is thinking through.