The week in world running, straight from the paddock (to Fri 16 Oct 2026)

Published as a weekly round-up for the week ending Fri 16 Oct 2026. Race-day previews below are kept as they stood that week.

1. TWO BIG NAMES PULL UP BEFORE THE FIVE BOROUGHS

Hassan out sick, O’Keeffe under the knife, NYC loses its sparkle

Sifan Hassan and Fiona O’Keeffe both scratched from the New York City Marathon on 1 November. Hassan posted that illness had slowed her build and she isn’t where she wanted to be. She’d already missed London in the spring with an Achilles niggle, so the Olympic marathon champion is now without a spring or autumn Major this year.

O’Keeffe had proximal hamstring repair surgery last week in Vail. A partial tear she’d carried into Boston had become a fully retracted tendon tear, so New York loses the American course record holder (2:22:49 last year). Hellen Obiri still headlines the women’s field as defending champ, and Andreas Almgren is still down for his marathon debut on the men’s side.

Sources: NBC Sports · Canadian Running

2. AMSTERDAM LOOKS LIKE A PROPER STAMPEDE

Eleven sub-2:05 men, four sub-2:20 Ethiopians, titles up for grabs on Sunday

Geofry Toroitich Kipchumba and Aynalem Desta are both back to defend at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday (18 Oct), a World Athletics Platinum Label race. Kipchumba’s 2:03:30 from last year is still the course record and the fastest marathon ever run on Dutch soil. He’s one of 11 men entered who’ve broken 2:05, with Haymanot Alew (2:03:31) and two-time winner Tsegaye Getachew (2:04:18) right on his heels.

On the women’s side Desta leads a loaded Ethiopian quartet with her 2:17:37 PB. Meseret Belete (2:18:21), Mestawut Fikir (2:18:48) and Buze Diriba (2:19:34) have all broken 2:20 too. If you fancy a Sunday morning with a coffee and a race stream, this is the one.

Sources: World Athletics preview · Athletics Weekly

3. BUTCHART AND OCKENDEN HEAD TO THE SOUTH COAST

UK 10 Mile Champs back at the Great South Run

Verity Ockenden is back in Portsmouth on Sunday to defend her UK 10-mile title at the AJ Bell Great South Run, and she’s got British 10,000m champ Izzy Fry breathing down her neck on debut. Ockenden won it last year in 56:37 and says the race still means a lot given her family ties to the city and coach Chris Thompson’s history there.

On the men’s side two-time Olympian Andy Butchart makes his Great South debut after a solid comeback year, including a 61:45 half PB in Barcelona. More than 25,000 runners are expected over the weekend on one of the flattest 10-mile courses going. Liz McColgan, Paula Radcliffe and Mo Farah have all won here before, so the yard has form.

Source: Athletics Weekly

4. COE RIDES OUT TO ELDORET FOR NAIROBI 29

First World Champs on African soil gets a presidential handshake

Sebastian Coe met Kenyan President William Ruto in Eldoret this week as preparations start in earnest for the 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi, the first time the sport’s flagship event will be held on African soil. It was Coe’s first visit to Kenya since Nairobi won the bid in September.

Ruto gave a personal commitment that all government obligations on funding, anti-doping and stadium work will be met. Kasarani Stadium is already being upgraded for AFCON 2027 and will get further work for the champs. Coe wants sold-out nights and called on Kenya’s famous crowds to turn up. Beijing hosts in 2027, Munich in 2031, so three continents in three editions.

Source: World Athletics

5. DIAMOND LEAGUE MAPS 2027, ALMGREN BOOKS STOCKHOLM

Doha to Zurich, and a home 10k for the Swede who can’t stop winning

The Wanda Diamond League has published its 2027 calendar: 15 meetings across four continents, kicking off in Doha on 7 May and wrapping up with a two-day final in Zurich on 25-26 August. London sits on 17 July, Eugene on 3 July, and Stockholm on 6 June.

That Stockholm date matters. World half marathon champion Andreas Almgren is the first athlete confirmed for a 2027 Diamond League race, and he’s going over 10,000m in front of his home crowd. He set a European 5000m record of 12:44.27 there in 2025 and reckons he can top that over twice the distance. First, though, he’s making his marathon debut in New York on 1 November.

Sources: World Athletics: 2027 calendar · World Athletics: Almgren · Wanda Diamond League

6. IVY LEAGUE HITS THE EKIDEN PODIUM

Waseda smashes the course record, Americans take third in Izumo

We missed this one in Issue #1 because Chicago ate the whole paddock, but it’s worth a late call. At the Izumo Ekiden on Monday 12 October, Waseda University won in a course record 2:05:56, nearly two minutes under the old mark, with the top seven teams all under the previous record.

The story for our lot is the Ivy League Select Team, who fought through from as far back as 10th to take third in 2:07:24, also under the old course record. It’s their best-ever finish and first podium in the race. Derek Amicon went 17:36 for 6.4 km on the fifth stage, one second off the stage win, and Acer Iverson dragged them from fifth to third on the anchor. Graham Blanks had a quieter day on stage three, but the team still left Japan with a rosette.

Source: Japan Running News

7. YOUNG AND HURLEY MAKE THE USATF SHORTLIST

Chicago heroes up for American Athlete of the Year

Fresh off Chicago, Clayton Young and Emma Grace Hurley are both on USATF’s Athlete of the Year shortlists. Young is up for Men’s Road, Trail and Ultra Athlete of the Year after his 2:05:23 (second-fastest American marathon ever). Hurley is on the women’s road shortlist after her 2:20:47 American debut record, plus American records over 8K, 20K and women’s-only half.

Track names on the lists include Cooper Lutkenhaus, Kenny Bednarek, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Masai Russell. Voting is open now via USATF social channels, with winners unveiled on 5 December at the Night of Legends in Portland. Separate from the World Athletics vote we flagged in Issue #1, but another chance to tip your hat at the Chicago lot.

Source: USATF via EIN Presswire