Allan Kiprono will return home to Kenya $100,000 richer, after netting a major payday in Boston this weekend. Winning the BAA Half Marathon cinched Kiprono’s grand prix victory in the BAA Distance Medley, a competition determined by fastest aggregate time from the BAA 5k, 10k and Half-Marathon, each year. Entering the race, Kiprono was 4 seconds out of first position in the standings, and went out aggressively, daring Medley leaders Ali Abdosh and Sam Chelanga to come with him.  For the man from Kaptagat, the half-marathon win was a slam-dunk exclamation on the series, as Kiprono’s winning time of 1:01:44 also took down the course record. As Medley Champion, Kiprono claimed a $100k winner-take-all prize.

Meanwhile, Simon Bairu ran 1:03:25 to pick up a 2-second win in San Jose, at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half-Marathon. In doing so, the Canadian star defeated Sergio Reyes, Scott Bauhs, and Russia’s record holder in the marathon Aleksey Sokolov. Though the time was well off Bairu’s half-marathon PB of 1:02:08, the race served as a successful tune-up for the ING NYC Marathon, which he will run in November.

Erin Donohue was not about to sit back and run everybody-else’s race. In the 1500m at London’s Diamond League meeting, New Jersey’s #1 Fan got right on the pacesetter from the gun and went after the fast time that her recent performances had suggested. The hot pace got to her, however — the first 400m was reached at 4:00 1500m pace —  and she finished in 4:09.68. Not only was that time still good for a very credible 6th, but there’s no doubt that she won many admirers on Saturday for refusing to let the rabbit go, as happens all too often in big mile races.

That same day, just across the pond, Allan Kiprono took fifth place in 28:10 at Beach to Beacon after sticking his nose in with the leaders from early on. Boaz Cheboiywo placed 14th, while James Koskei finished 15th — the first Masters runner by a whopping three minutes and five seconds.

It was his first race outside of Kenya. Yet, Allan Kiprono took the lead in the 2010 edition of Beach to Beacon, nonetheless. And although he was kicked-down and finished as runner-up, taking position two by one second to the World Cross Country Champion — and soon-to-be New York City Marathon Champion — still makes for a heck of a performance.

Now he’s back in Cape Elizabeth and was the subject of an outstanding profile from the Portland Press Herald:

Wearing a plaid short-sleeved button-down shirt, khaki shorts and lime green flip flops, Kiprono, 21, looked as if he’d feel at home in the Old Port, just another college-age kid on summer break.

Instead he’s a working professional about to run his eighth race of the year. He won the Bellin Run 10K in Green Bay, Wis., in June and finished second in three other major races: the Bix 7-miler in Davenport, Iowa; the Bloomsday 12K in Spokane, Wash.; and the Crescent City Classic 10K in New Orleans.

KIMbia’s Boaz Cheboiywo will also be toeing the line on Saturday. Read the full article here.

Although Haron Keitany is already a distinguished international performer, he is a relatively new addition to the KIMbia roster — but he has very quickly shown why we are so proud to have him in our family. On Sunday in Hengelo, the man they call “Land Cruiser” clocked 3:31.86 to take second place behind Mohammed Shaween, a mere four-hundredths away from the win. Left in his wake were thirteen men, including a sub-3:30 rising star in Silas Kiplagat, and the reigning Olympic Champion (steeple), Brimin Kipruto. The time is Keitany’s third-fastest all time, and was just a few tenths away from Nixon Chepseba’s world lead.

One day later, Lineth Chepkurui won Bolder Boulder by over four seconds, claiming an enjoyable victory in the town where she sets up shop for her US season, each year. Along with runner-up Mamitu Deska, Chepkurui broke away from the rest of the field in the third mile, only securing her win over the Ethiopian — and two-time defending champion — with a final kick. Read the full article

Lineth Chepkurui returned to the site of arguably her greatest performance — the fastest 12k every run by a woman and a dominant victory over the reigning world cross country champion, in 2010 — to notch her third Bay to Breakers victory in four years. Running 39:12 to defeat runner-up Mamitu Daska, Chepkurui became the first woman to claim three titles since the elite race began attracting a world-class (and international) field in 1985. Former champions include road-racing superstars Joan Samuelson, Grete Waitz, Tegla Loroupe, KIMbia’s Elana Meyer, and Catherine Ndereba; none have run within thirty seconds of Chepkurui’s best performance here, and none have won more than once.

A pair of KIMbia men showed well, too. Allan Kiprono ran an impressive race to place third in 34:31, just two ticks behind Boston Marathon champion Deriba Merga, and five seconds away from race winner Ridouane Harroufi. Jason Hartmann took a solid 6th in 35:28, beating Olympians Meb Keflezighi and Bolota Asmerom to be the first American across the line. After the race, Hartmann said he’s “starting to get fitter. It’s just now about the racing.”