On October 1, 2023, Riga, Latvia will be the site for the very first World Athletics Road Racing Championships. The last road championships of any kind was the once-postponed (COVID-19) World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gydnia, Poland. (Sadly the event was postponed from its date in March 2020 until October 17, 2020. We were credentialed and ready to go in March, but opted not to fly in October 2020.) The mass participation part of the event was also canceled.
The mass participation idea is back, along with two new distances, a 5K and a newly recognized by World Athletics (as of September 1) a road mile. The accepted road mile records are 4:01.21 set by Sam Prakel in Des Moines, Iowa and Nikki Hiltz 4:27.97 set in the same event in April of this year.
The excitement of athletes wearing their respective country’s kits, the two new distances, and the participation of the general public has surely put Riga on the running map.
USA fans: The 2025 championships are in San Diego, CA.
Sam Prakel of the USA, who competed at the University of Oregon and had an indoor mile best of 3:50.94. He owns the 4:01:21 world record of the road mile distance, set in Des Moines, Iowa in April 2023.
Jessica Hull of Australia has had a long season with a home soil bronze as part of the Australia Mixed Relay XC team in Bathurst in February. Hull owns Australian records for the 1500 meters, the mile, the 5000, and the indoor 3000 meters.
Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya is hoping to become one of a very few women to win three WA half marathon championships. She won in 2016 in Cardiff, Wales and 2020 in Gdynia, Poland. Peres won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Marathon (held in 2021 in Sapporo), the 2021 NYC Marathon and 2022 Boston Marathon.
Jelena Prokopcuka, retired Latvian marathoner. Jelena won the New York City Marathon in 2005 and 2006. She was second in the 2006 Boston Marathon. She represented Latvia in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
LOC director Aigars Nords presented Sebastian Coe with a book of art work from Latvian artist Vihelms Purvitis who designed the race shirt.
Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics, expressed a delight in Riga holding the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships.
Athletes at the 2023 press conference were Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, Jessica Hull of Australia, and Sam Prakel of the USA.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe with Peres Jepchirchir, Jelena Prokopcuka, Jessica Hull, Sam Prakel, and LOC director Aigars Nords. LOC is Local Organizing Committee.
Runner's Gazette 
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