Race day nutrition, jumping jacks, half marathon world record, 10K training plan and much more!
#WhatsUpThisWeek?
Race day nutrition for the best performance starts much earlier. Know everything about it at #GeeksonFeet
Jumping Jacks improve cardiovascular endurance, coordination, and full-body strength, know how to do it through #WoW
Kiplimo obliterates world half marathon record in Barcelona, this and more at #RunSHORTS
Happy Reading!
#GeeksPoll
What’s the BEST part about marathon tapering for you?
#geekspoll
Last week’s poll’s results on why runners in India are getting faster are here.
#WoW - Jumping Jacks
Jumping jacks improve cardiovascular endurance, coordination, and full-body strength, all of which enhance a runner's efficiency and performance.
How to do it?
Stand upright with your feet together and arms at your sides.
Do rhythmic jumps by taking your legs apart and raising your arms overhead, keeping them straight and back in the starting position.
Continue jumping in this rhythm for the desired number of repetitions.
Remember to maintain a steady pace, land softly with slightly bent knees to reduce impact, and keep your core engaged throughout the movement for better control.
Include this as part of your warm-up routine
@Geeksonfeet - Mastering Nutrition for the Race Day
Race day nutrition for the best performance starts much earlier. Here is our guide on nutrition strategies for everyday runners who want to get the best on race day. This article breaks down essential principles - from training your gut for efficient fuel absorption to preventing muscle cramps with targeted electrolyte replenishment. If you're preparing for a marathon, this article will give you all the information that you need. Read the full article.
RUN STRONG - Customized 10K Plan
Wait, 27 April? Ohh yeah. The legends won't be alone lacing up for the big race on the last Sunday of April. The streets of Bengaluru will join them, on the course of TCS World 10K Bengaluru. You wanna ace the race? Join the GeeksOnFeet community and RunStrong. For more details click here
#RunSHORTS
A Valentine's record week: Jacob Kiplimo shatters half marathon world record
Jacob Kiplimo has smashed the half marathon world record with a blistering time of 56:42 at the Barcelona Half Marathon on Sunday (16 February) becoming the first athlete to break the 57-minute barrier. The Ugandan shaved 48 seconds off Yomif Kejelcha's previous world mark (57:30) setting himself up nicely ahead of his marathon debut on 27 April in London. Racing in ideal weather conditions of 13ºC with no wind, Kiplimo also set a world best of 40:07 for 15km en route to his world half marathon record. He recorded his first 5K mark in 13:34, already under the world record pace, and then cruised through the 10K mark at 26:46 again clearly under the world record pace. Way back, Geoffrey Kamworor clinched the runner-up spot in 58:44 and Samwel Mailu completed the podium in 59:40. Joyciline Jepkosgei (Kenya) won the women's race in 1:04.11, recording her career best and back to back titles in Barcelona. Read more here
1500m, a mile, 3000m, 5000m and 20K race walk - men broke it all to impress the world
Kiplimo was not alone on a mission to break world records during Valentine's week, and in fact, was the last to break one like icing on the cake. Grant Fisher, USA’s double Olympic bronze medallist, chopped nearly six seconds off the previous 5,000m record held by Ethiopian distance legend Kenenisa Bekele, clocking 12:44.09 in Boston on 14 February. The 27-year-old Fisher’s performance in Boston came a week after he lowered the world record in the 3,000m at the Millrose Games, clocking a blistering 7:22.91. Fisher lowered the mark held by Lamecha Girma, another Ethiopian, by nearly a second. On the same day, Fisher’s compatriot, Yared Nuguse broke the men's indoor mile record with 3:46:63, to break Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha's world record in the indoor mile (3:47.01) from Boston in 2019. However, this record didn't even last a week. Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen bested Nuguse’s record, speeding to a 3:45.14 at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF in Lievin, northern France on Thursday (13 February). He also set an indoor 1,500-meter record in the same race, passing through the distance in 3:29.63. Coming back to outdoors, Japan’s Toshikazu Yamanishi clocked a superb 1:16:10* to smash the men’s world 20km race walk record at the Japanese 20km Race Walking Championships, a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Bronze event, in Kobe on 16 February. Read more here, here and here
Gulveer Singh smashes 3000m indoor national record
Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist Gulveer Singh made a strong start to his season, shattering a 16-year-old national record in the men’s 3000m indoor race at the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston. The 26-year-old Army runner clocked 7:38.26s, finishing second in the event and surpassing the previous Indian record of 7:49.47 set by Surendar Singh in 2008. In 2023, Gulveer set new national marks in both the 5,000m (13:11.82) and 10,000m (27:14.88) outdoor events. His personal best and national record over 10,000m outdoor track race is 27:14.88, while his personal best 5,000m time is 13:11.82. Buoyed by his impressive performance, Gulveer has now set his sights on securing automatic qualification for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in the men’s 10,000m, where the entry mark is 27:00.00. Read more here
Kenenisa Bekele Added To 2025 TCS London Marathon Field
2024 runner-up Kenenisa Bekele will compete once again in the TCS London Marathon and has been added to the 2025 men's elite field, for the race scheduled on 27 April. The 42-year-old Bekele, who's had a prolific career on the track and the roads, will race the same event where he set the 2:04:15 men's masters marathon world record last year. He joins a star-studded men's field that includes Paris Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, reigning London champion Alexander Mutiso, world half marathon record holder Jacob Kiplimo and 11-time World Marathon major champion Eliud Kipchoge. The race renews a rivalry between two of the greatest distance runners ever with a long-running history of competition. Read more here
Race Calendar
We have revamped our race calendar with everything you need to know about the race, route, experience, and much more. We have added information about major races and we need the help of the community to make it further robust. Thus we invite runners to share their experiences related to race routes and other information that will benefit runners.
Next 6 Months:
Search and find races using our Race Finder at geeksonfeet.com/races.
#TipOfTheWeek - Taking a Swig
Race day is about nailing every moment, even at the aid station. Here’s how “Taking a Swig” plays: As you approach the aid station, clearly shout your drink preference (water or electrolyte), while making eye contact with the volunteer to provide the correct cup efficiently. When grabbing the cup, slightly slow down and move your arm back to prevent collisions at full speed. To avoid spills, squeeze the top of the cup while taking a swig. Crucially, maintain normal breathing with regular breaths between sips to avoid liquid mishaps. Once hydrated, smoothly accelerate back to your race pace.
#TriviaOfTheWeek - Chasing world records
Yomif Kejelcha had a rough week as his records tumbled, not once, not twice, but thrice (technically twice). First, his mile world record from 2019 was broken by Yared Nuguse. Just five days later, Jakob Ingebrigtsen went even faster, snatching it away again. Since neither of these records has been ratified, Yomif still stays on the top of the table. Then came the real shocker, when his half marathon record was obliterated by Jacob Kiplimo in Barcelona, improving Kejelcha’s time by a staggering 48 seconds!
But Kejelcha isn’t done yet. He was last seen chasing the 10K world record, yeah, on the same weekend. Running the Castellón 10K (Spain), he delivered a stunning 26:31, a personal best and course record, just 7 seconds shy of Rhonex Kipruto's (26:24) world record set in Valencia in 2020.
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Contributors to this edition: Aditi Pandya, Karthik Nadar, and Aravind Yarra