Joyciline digs in for just one big race this season

New York Marathon champion Joyciline Jepkosgei has settled into a routine as she adopts to social restrictions imposed in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic has forced nearly all sports organisations to suspend or cancel their calendars, athletics included. Athletes have thus been forced to device training programmes with no immediate competition in mind and also adhere to social distancing rules

Nation Sport caught up with Jepkosgei at her potato farm in Iten.

Jepkosgei suffered a double blow after two major races she had planned to participate in this season were cancelled due to the pandemic.

She was well on course to race in the New York Half Marathon on March 15 and to launch her assault for the London Marathon on the April 26. However the New York race was cancelled while the London marathon was postponed to October.

“I had done good preparations ahead of the London Marathon race but my first target was to run the New York Half Marathon in March, to gauge my level and also work on my speed ahead of London,” said Jepkosgei, who is employed by the Kenya Defence Forces and attached to Garissa Barracks.

The enforced changes invariably disrupting her carefully designed training plan for the season.

“I was planning to participate in two marathons this year but from the look of things I will only run in the London Marathon, if it does take place and then close my season,” said the reigning New York Marathon champion.

Jepkosgei has been training once a day in the morning before sparing time to assist her son Brandon Kiprotich, who is in Grade Two, do her holiday homework.

"It's challenging as parents now that the kids are not in school, but we have to take up the role of teaching. I did not realise that it is a lot of work and it really keeps be occupied,” added Jepkosgei.

She trains alone following government directive of social distancing but concedes it is harder than the group training she is accustomed to. "The world is at standstill and it has affected everyone. I miss what I love doing, running, running with colleagues, racing,” she said.

Jepkosgei will start her build up proper next month as she focuses on the October 14 London Marathon.

“To compete well in a marathon one needs to have put in at least four months of proper training with serious mileage,” said Jepkosgei.

Jepkosgei lowered her world half marathon record to 1:04:52 in Valencia in October 2017 before Ethiopia's Ababel Yeshaneh shattered her record with a 1:04:31 run at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in February.

If she runs in London, it will be her second marathon after victorious debut in New York last year with a time of 2:22:38.