Coffee With Larry, February 21, 2024, Ras Al Khaimah is almost here, Benard Kibet, Peres Jepchirchir, Konstanze Klosterholfen, and thousands more will be there on Feb. 24!

Coffee with Larry , Feb. 21. 2024, I made it to Ras Al Kaimah #VisitRasAlKhaimah

This is your almost daily podcast, Coffee with Larry, for Tuesday, February 20, 2024!

This Day in Track & Field-December 2, Frank Shorter wins Fukuoka Marathon for third time (1973), Born this Day: Mike Larrabee, two-time 1964 Olympic gold medalist (400m, 4x400m), written by Walt Murphy

The Brooks Run Guide Interviews, Julian Florez, Assistant Coach, Brooks Beasts Track Club, Episode 9

The Brooks Run Guide, A Brooks Coaching Newsletter, Back Issues (#1-#9), Fall/Winter 2025

#coffeewithLarry is sponsored by www.Jambar.com! Use code LARRY15 to purchase JAMBAR, the original organic artisan sports energy bar. Jenny Maxwell founded JAMBAR in 2021. 34 grams of carbs, 10 grams of protein, JAMBAR is sweetened with maple syrup. Support the brands that support our sport! www.jambar.com.

This Month’s sponsor is #RAKHalfMarathon, held in Ras Al Khaimah, pronounced “Rass Al Kay Mah.” The race entries are open until Feb.23, 2024, at www.rakhalfmarathon.

RAK Half Marathon official banner ads from RAK

Coffee with Larry , Feb. 21. 2024, I made it to Ras Al Kaimah #VisitRasAlKhaimah

This is your almost daily podcast, Coffee with Larry, for Tuesday, February 20, 2024!

This Month’s sponsor is #RAKHalfMarathon, held in Ras Al Khaimah, pronounced “Rass Al Kay Mah.” The race entries are open until Feb.23, 2024, at www.rakhalfmarathon.

Our Topics:
1. The RAK half marathon is almost here, happening on Feb 24, 2024.

2. The presser is Thursday, February 22, 2024, and we will be showing it LIVE, or 1 AM Chicago, 2 AM NYC, and 11 PM Feb 21 in SFO.

3. I think one of the biggest battles could be with Benard Kibet, last year’s winner, and Tamirat Tola.

4. Peres Jepchirchir, Olympic champion, World Half Champion, does not race if she is not fit.

Peres Jepchirchir, photo by Giancarlo Colombo/RAK Organizers

5. Konstanze Klosterholfen is a big thrill. I think that she will surprised with the level of competition here.

Konstanze Klosterholfen runs for PUMA Running, photo by PUMA.

6. Tamirat Tola, victor of Dubai and world Champion, also won the NYC marathon; besides Olympic bronze at 10,000m in Rio 2016, Tamirat had gold and silver in 2022 and 2017, respectively, in the WC Marathon.

Tamirat Tola, TCS New York Marathon
New York, New York, USA
November 5, 2023, photo by Kevin Morris

In 2023, after a DNF in Budapest 2024, Tamirat won the NYC Marathon and set a new course record.

7. European star and German record holder Koko Klosterhalfen will be looking to run a 65:11 or better!

Munich 2022 Womens 10,000m, Can, Klosterholfen, McCoglan, Salpeter,
by Jane Monti, Race Results Weekly, used with permission

8. The RAK course is fast and furious, giving athletes fast and not-so-fast a great opportunity to race a PB!

Konstanze Klosterholfen wins European Champs 2022 gold at 5,000 meters, by Giancarlo COLOMBO.

9. Streaming live video of the race for global viewing for free! The link is pic.twitter.com/f7K69GjMgU. Race goes LIVE at 7 am on Feb. 24 in RAK; it’s Feb. 23 in North America, 10 PM in NYC, 9 PM in Chicago, and 7 PM in SFO. Do not miss a minute! FREE, LIVE and streaming!

10. USATF indoor was fantastic last weekend. Best races?
Wow, both 1,500ms, 3,000ms, and the men’s 60 meters, with Noah Lyles, Christian Coleman and Ronnie Baker! NBC-TV continues to think out of its backside, with absolutely no coverage on terrestrial TV or Peacock on Friday and during an Olympic year. Obviously, programming does not know that track & field is the most POPULAR sport during the Summer Olympics.

Elle St. Pierre takes the win at 3,000m with a tough last 1k, photo by Kevin Morris, USATF Indoor Champs.

11. Microplus UK Athletics indoor champs were a lot of fun as well, with Molly Caudery going WL of 4.85m in pole vault, Laviai and Lina Nielsen, twin sisters, going 1-2 in the 400 meters, great 1,500m, and Jemma Reekie back in the saddle with Laura Muir taking 3000m in fast last 400m. Oh, plus the crowd, 7,440 to watch 7 hours of track and field!

Sister Act: Laviai Nielsen, Lina Nielsen, photo by Getty Images for UK Athletics

12. We thank #VisitRasAlKhaimah for supporting this event and our coverage!

See you tomorrow on #coffeewithLarry

Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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