Posted: June 3, 2005

Athletics: Kiplagat To Bypass Helsinki, Focus On The Fall

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

The Dutch record holder for the marathon and 10,000m, Lornah Kiplagat, has decided to bypass the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki in August in favor of focusing on the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships and a fall marathon.

"Lornah has tried to combine road, track and XC in 2003 and 2004 and didn't perform as she wanted," said Pieter Langerhorst, her husband and manager, in a press release. "In both 2003 and 2004 she also got injuries from the intensive track workouts."

Kiplagat has always run better on the roads than the track or in cross country. She would have to be considered a medal favorite at the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships, scheduled for Saturday, October 1 in Edmonton, Canada. She has a personal best for 21.1 km of 1:06:34a, set in Lisbon in 2001. She is also the world record holder for 20 km, 1:03:54, set in Alphen aan den Rijn, also in 2001.

Langerhorst also confirmed that Kiplagat would represent Holland at the 2005 European Cross Country Championships which will be held in Tilburg, Netherlands in December.