Unforgettable moments in running from 2024, TMM race report, donkey kicks are for real and much more!
#WhatsUpThisWeek?
Bringing some of 2024 unforgettable running moments from jaw-dropping world records to heroic comebacks at #GeeksonFeet
Aditi shares her clinically executed race report from TMM 2025, at #GeeksOnFeet
Donkey Kicks is a simple yet effective movement to strengthen the glutes, hips, and core, check it out at #WoW
Tesfay and Chepkemoi win men’s and women’s titles at Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025, this and more at #RunSHORTS
Happy Reading!
#GeeksPoll
Finished your marathon on Sunday, & crossing the finish line was amazing. Sure it is a tough one, the body feels sore, tight muscles, and balance seems off.
How long does it take for you to fully recover, feel normal, and back to running? reply with your fav recovery tips #geekspoll
Last week’s poll results on runners’ preferences for using pace buses during the race are here.
#WoW - Donkey Kicks
Donkey Kicks is a simple yet effective movement to strengthen the glutes, hips, and core.
How to do it?
Start in a tabletop position. With hands directly under the shoulder and knees under the glutes
Engage your core, keep your back neutral & avoid arching your lower back.
Look straight down at the floor to maintain a neutral head
Keeping your knee bent at a 90-degree angle, lift your leg towards the ceiling, pushing through your heel. Your foot should point toward the sky, and your thigh should align with your body or slightly higher.
Squeeze your glute
Slowly lower your leg back down
Repeat on the other side
Do two sets of 10 to 12 repetitions
@Geeksonfeet- 2024: Moments That'll Inspire Every Runner
From jaw-dropping world records to heroic comebacks, 2024 was a year of unforgettable running moments. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shattered the 400m hurdles world record in Paris, leaving even the best competitors trailing. Sifan Hassan amazed the world with her triple-medal feat, clinching marathon gold just a day after her grueling 10K finish. Meanwhile, Ruth Chepngetich’s stunning sub-2:10 marathon redefined what’s possible for women in the sport.
These stories and more made 2024 a year to remember for runners of all levels. Don’t miss the full recap of these incredible moments by Satish here. Let the inspiration fuel your 2025 running goals!
Race Report: Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025 (Half) by Aditi
Here is Aditi’s half-marathon race report of The Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025. She approached the race as a calculated effort, doubling as a threshold run. Aditi ran the race with 1h:42m:19s. She paced carefully considering the elevations of Sea Link’s gradual incline and the challenging climb at Peddar Road. Read her full race report here to learn how her strategy came together on race day.
RUN STRONG. OWN 2025.
Are you struggling to create your running plan?! RunStrong Training Plans got you covered, we have prepared a video explaining how to create a training plan. So start the year strong with runstrong.geeksonfeet.com/training-plans!
#RunSHORTS
Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025: Tesfay and Chepkemoi win men’s and women’s titles
New champions emerged in the Tata Mumbai Marathon as unheralded Berhane Tesfay of Eritrea clinched the elite men's title while Kenya's Joyce Chepkemoi Tele won the women's crown here on Sunday. The 38-year-old Tesfay clocked 2 hours 11 minutes and 44 seconds to complete the 42.195km distance and win his maiden international full marathon title as thousands of Mumbaikars turned up for the marquee event which is a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race. The tiny African nation of Eritrea finished 1-2 as Tesfay's compatriot Merhawi Kesete was second in 2:11:50 while Ethiopia's Tesfaye Demeke (2:11:56) was third.
Tele, 29, clocked 2:24:56s to win the elite women's race, finishing ahead of Shitaye Eshete (2:25:29) of Bahrain and Medina Deme Armino (2:27:58) of Ethiopia.
Among the Indians, Anish Thapa (2:17:23) finished first among men while Nirmaben Thakor (2:50:06) defended her title among women. Man Singh was second among Indian men with a time of 2:17:37 while two-time winner Gopi T finished third with 2:19:59. Defending champion Srinu Bugatha (2:20:43) ended in fifth. In the women's race, Sonika Parmar came second with a time of 2:50:55 while Sonam (2:55:45) was third. Read more here
The amateur’s marathon race saw over a record 9500 runners with over 8500 men and over 950 women. Women's participation was also the highest as compared with other years, contributing over 10% overall. Nanjundappa Muniyellapa won the men's race with a time of 2:31:25 and Saraswati Rai won the women's race in 3:10:45. This is the third consecutive win in the amateurs race for Nanjundappa and the fourth consecutive podium for him which started in 2020. The other amateur categories like the Half Marathon and the 10K saw over 11300 runners and 5700 runners respectively. (Inputs from Team GeeksOnFeet)
Kipchoge Returns to London Marathon 2025
Eliud Kipchoge, the legendary marathoner and two-time Olympic champion, is set to race the 2025 London Marathon this April. At 40, Kipchoge aims for his fifth London title, returning to the iconic race after a five-year hiatus. The announcement follows his unexpected setback at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he dropped out after 30km, marking the first time in his career he didn’t finish a race. Reflecting on Paris, Kipchoge called it “one of the challenges in sport” and affirmed his commitment to resilience: “You need to wake up, go again, and push on every day.” Read more here.
How Air Quality Impacts Your Marathon Performance
AQI has been a big issue among the Indian running community. High AQI levels impact health, so runners who run outdoors are naturally concerned. How does AQI affect the performance of those running marathon races? A recent study by Brown University School of Public Health has revealed that air pollution, particularly fine-particle matter (PM2.5), can significantly impact marathon finishing times. Researchers analyzed data from over 2.5 million runners across nine major U.S. marathons between 2003 and 2019, finding that even small increases in PM2.5 levels slowed runners down.
For every 1 microgram per cubic meter (µg/m³) rise in PM2.5, male runners averaged 32 seconds slower, while female runners lost 25 seconds. Faster runners were more affected than slower ones due to higher respiratory rates and air intake. Over a marathon, a typical pollution spread could add 1.5 minutes to a runner's time. Levels under 50 are ideal for runners. Read more here.
Kenyan Runner Wins Marathon in Carbon-Plated Sandals
At the Khon Kaen Marathon in Thailand, Kenyan runner Barnabas Kiplimo won in 2:18:55 in carbon-plated sandals. Dubbed the "Nirun," these minimalist sandals, designed by Thai brand VING, feature a foam midsole embedded with a full-length carbon plate for responsiveness and cadence enhancement.
While the concept is innovative, skepticism lingers. The sandal’s thong-style design with a foam heel strap seems unconventional for high-performance running and claims about simplifying the footwear industry might feel more like marketing hype. Kiplimo’s stated eight-minute personal best improvement raises eyebrows though.
VING has begun testing the product in Kenya, but durability and practicality are still in question. 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 - HGH Boost with Frequent Training Sessions
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is your body’s natural recovery and growth enhancer, responsible for muscle repair, fat metabolism, and improved endurance. One often overlooked but powerful way to naturally boost your HGH levels is frequent but shorter training sessions.
When you train, your body releases HGH as a response to the physical stress and metabolic demands of exercise. Repeated training amplifies this effect by creating multiple windows for HGH secretion in a single day.
For example:
A morning interval session pushes your body to its lactate threshold, triggering an HGH spike to aid recovery.
An evening easy run signals your body to produce more HGH, helping repair muscle damage and replenish energy reserves.
These repeated signals don’t just boost your immediate performance; they elevate your baseline HGH levels over time, supporting long-term gains in strength, endurance, and fat utilization. (source: RunElite)
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Contributors to this edition: Aditi Pandya, Karthik Nadar, and Aravind Yarra