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Aliphine Tuliamuk Putting the Pieces Together for Fast Marathon in RotterdamPublished by
Aliphine Tuliamuk Follows in Her Hero's Footsteps in First Marathon with HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona EliteBy Adam Kopet Aliphine Tuliamuk is in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam ahead of Sunday's NN Rotterdam Marathon. It will be Tuliamuk's first marathon since she joined the HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite (NAZ Elite) to start 2018. As was previously reported, Tuliamuk is following in her running role model's footsteps. Tegla Loroupe, of Kenya, won the Rotterdam Marathon three times, including breaking the world record in 1998. Now with the race finally upon her, Tuliamuk is looking to live up to her potential in the marathon. She raced three marathons before joining the NAZ Elite, her best coming at the 2017 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:33:18. Her other two marathons were within less than three minutes off her 2017 best. Despite struggling in the marathon, Tuliamuk has had success off the track. She has won nine USATF titles on the roads and in cross country, including winning the 2018 USATF Half Marathon Championships and 25 km Championships in the span of a week. Tuliamuk's coach, Ben Rosario, described her training leading up to this weekend as "world class" to Mike Hartman, the Arizona Daily Sun Sports Editor. Her build-up has included three races, finishing 12th at the Houston Half Marathon in 1:12:03, finishing fourth at the USATF Cross Country Championships and winning the Gasparilla Half Marathon in 1:12:28. Tuliamuk gave up her spot on the USATF team for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships so that she could focus on her marathon training. She has had Kellyn Taylor and Ben Bruce as training partners. Taylor will race her own spring marathon in Prague next month. The race plan for Sunday is set. Tuliamuk met with Rosario and Bruce Monday to discuss her plan. Rosario told Hartman that he expects her to run her own pace for the first 20 miles or so. After that, she is free to race.
The weather should be a benefit. Current weather reports call for sun and temperatures at the start of the race to be near 55 degrees, rising into the low 60's toward the end of the race. With the weather cooperating, Tuliamuk will also be aided by Bruce making the trip to Rotterdam as a pacer.
Having Bruce alongside her in the race will undoubtedly be a confidence boost. But it will still be on Tuliamuk to put the pieces together and produce the kind of finish she is capable of. And if she does need extra incentive, Tuliamuk turned 30 Friday. Running a fast marathon and possibly becoming the first American to earn the 2020 Olympic marathon standard would be a great birthday present for herself. Tuliamuk may be following in Loroupe's footsteps, but she is doing so on her own terms with goals of her own. More news |
