The tale of Batbayar Tserendorj, a runner whose journey started in 2023 with a life-altering cancer diagnosis, captured the attention of the track and field community during the 46th Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 13.
Doctors said that a liver transplant was his greatest chance of survival after radiation treatments helped decrease his tumour. In the interim, Batbayar kept himself occupied by accompanying his spouse on her marathon training, transforming his struggle into an example of fortitude and strength of tenacity.
Batbayar, nicknamed Bat, stated, “In less than 12 hours, I’m going to run the marathon, then doctors call me, ‘Ok Bat, it’s time. We got the organ”
However, Bat surprised his medical team last year by deciding to run rather than receive a transplant.
He had the transplant later.
Batbayar Tserendorj triumphantly returned to the Chicago Marathon this year, carrying a new liver. When he completed the 26.2-mile challenge again at the age of sixty, he not only demonstrated physical endurance but also incredible resilience and persistence.
The hazards were acknowledged by his Northwestern Medicine physician, Dr. Juan Carlos Caicedo, who added, “We usually recommend the patient take the organ.”
Bat, however, dedicated himself to training for the marathon out of a desire to show that everything is possible.
The 60-year-old Tserendorj, who is cancer-free and full of hope, wants to motivate people by demonstrating that receiving a liver transplant is not the end but rather an incredible second shot at life.
“It’s my second birthday!” he exclaimed, living in the moment.
The Olympic journey requires both mental and physical toughness, as Chinese Taipei badminton player Chou Tien Chen has seen firsthand. He put maximum fitness first for the year that counted toward qualifying for the 2024 Olympics in Paris as the former number two in the world.
He had no idea that this commitment would not only maximize his performance but also wind up saving his life. The narrative of Chou Tien Chen emphasizes the connection between unanticipated advantages and athletic commitment, highlighting the significant influence of tenacity on and off the court.
“I could not stand here if I did not find out.” he said to Olympics.co.
Chou quietly kept his cancer battle a secret from his loyal followers and close friends for almost a year. But now that he’s spoken out, he wants to highlight the value of early cancer detection in the hopes that others will be motivated by his story. This brave action not only illuminates his personal struggle but also acts as a ray of hope, encouraging people to put their health first by taking preventative action.
Chou Tien Chen: Life-changing moment
One of the best players in the world, Chou is well-known for his skill on the field and keeps a busy schedule, participating in tournaments practically every week. However, in early 2023, taking advantage of a rare break in between engagements, he wisely decided to invest in his health by starting a thorough physical checkup.
Chou’s proactive approach highlights the significance of stressing well-being in the midst of professional athletics, demonstrating a commitment to both his career and personal health.
Chou was shocked to hear from two doctors that he had an increased risk of cancer, even though he was young and physically fit. Much though there was a family history of the illness, the 34-year-old was taken aback by the prognosis and much more so by the suggested course of treatment.
In the run-up to this year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon 2023, expectations were sky-high for the defending champion, Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich. The 29-year-old marathon runner had won the esteemed competition for two consecutive years, with an impressive time of 2:22:31 in the 2021 edition and 2:14:18 in the 2022 edition. During that time, Chepngetich also made rounds online, as she was just 14 seconds away from surpassing the previous world record set by Brigid Kosgei, a fellow Kenyan, with a time of 2.14:04.
This year, she headed into the marathon heavily favored to win the gold but struggled to compete with a strong rival, Sifan Hassan, who overtook her at the 17th mile of the race to deny what would have been her third Chicago marathon title.
Sifan Hassan’s latest endeavors
Hassan entered the marathon scene rather late compared to most of her competitors. Despite being new to running the dreaded 26.2-mile marathon, Hassan’s abilities proved to be more than sufficient, as she outpaced every other runner in the TCS London Marathon last April and ran a Dutch national record of 2:18:33, claiming the gold medal for her first marathon.
And this time proved to be no different than her last marathon, as she was able to shake off her rivals as she ran to victory in a record-breaking time of 2:13:44, the second fastest marathon time in history, behind only Tigist Assefa’s Berlin record of 2:11:53.
Hassan vs. Chepngetich
Chepngetich began the race with a commanding lead, reaching the 10-kilometer mark in a time of 31:05. At the same time, Hassan followed in close pursuit of the Kenyan reigning champion, gradually closing in on the lead until the 15-kilometer mark.
It took nearly an hour for the two runners to share the lead in the marathon race. However, at the 17th mile, Sifat made a decisive move to overtake Chepngetich and remain in the lead for the rest of the race. By the 30th kilometer, Hassan had increased her lead to 10 seconds, securing her position as the leader.
Near the end of the race, Sifat Hassan ran to the might of her abilities and, for the second time around, broke off the tape at the end of the finish line with a time of 2:13:44.
Chepngetich settled in for second place with a time of 02:15:37, while Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu came in third with a time of 02:17:09.
“I just love the pain, and the time was like you hate yourself, but the way you finish, you want to do it again. It is so amazing. I don’t know, I loved it. It is my second marathon and I win, and that’s unbelievable. I can’t describe how I feel,” Sifat Hassan said in an interview with NBC Chicago.
Who is Hassan—the woman who stunned the defending champion?
Sifat Hassan is an Ethiopian-born Dutch track and field athlete.
She has, for her entire career, specialized in middle- and long-distance running, and she’s received many accolades over the years, placing within the top three and climbing the podium in most of the competitions she’s joined. But, perhaps, her most notable achievement came in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where she won two gold medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m medals and a bronze medal in the 1500m. Most recently, she also competed in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where she was able to medal a silver in the 5000m and a bronze in the 1500m.
A marathon, which spans 42.2 kilometers (26.2 miles), is a fairly difficult race to finish for every runner, let alone win. It is arguably the toughest running sport there is, as it challenges the runner’s mental and physical capacity, pushing their body beyond its limits and, in the process, strengthening their will.
And, according to Run Repeat’s research, the average marathon time around the globe is 4:29:53. To break it down by gender, it takes an average of 4:21:03 for men to complete a marathon and 4:48:45 for women.
However, last Sunday at the New York City Marathon, Tamirat Tola from Ethiopia finished the race in under half the average time, recording 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 58 seconds.
Tola, winner of the 2023 NYC marathon
Tola had been running marathons for a decade, with several titles to his name. But he recorded his best one yet last Sunday at the NYC marathon, which was described by USA Today as a race that had “26.2-mile five-borough trek through the city.”
The event drew around 50,000 runners, which was a tough barrier to break through if one happens to be located in the middle or even more so in the last portions of the crowd.
Nevertheless, the great number proved to be no match for Tola’s speed and stamina. It was around the half-the-marathon mark where the competition really began, as it was during this point that the leaders of the race began to separate themselves from the pack.
And leading that pack were Tola and his fellow compatriot, Jemal Yimer.
Proving that Tola had all the experience and training in the world, Tola accelerated towards the finish line, leaving the other runners in his wake and eventually breaking the tape at 2:04:58.
Yimer, on the other hand, lagged behind and finished ninth.
The runner-up, Albert Korir from Kenya, finished two minutes after Tola had broken the tape, recording 2:06:57. Two years prior, Koir was crowned the NYC Marathon winner.
And coming in third was Tola and Yimer’s fellow countryman, Shura Kitata.
Tola smashes Mutai’s NYC record
Coming into the marathon, Tola had no ambitions of smashing records and only had his eyes set on winning.
But as it stands, after the marathon, Tola ended up achieving both. With a time of 2:04:58, he is now the new record holder of the NYC marathon, replacing the 2011 record set by Geoffrey Mutai, 2:05:06.
NYC Marathon Men’s Results, as reported by the Bleacher Report:
1. Tamirat Tola (2:04:58)
2. Albert Korir (2:06:57)
3. Shura Kitata (2:07:11)
4. Abdi Nageeye (2:10:21)
5. Koen Naert (2:10:25)
Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir won the London Marathon in a time that set a world record just for women– two hours, sixteen minutes, and sixteen seconds.
Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu, Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, and world record holder Tigst Assefa all broke the previous women’s only record of 2:17:01, set by Mary Keitany in 2017.
With three of the four fastest women in history racing, the women’s field was regarded as one of the greatest races ever put together. The athletes remained on course to set a record for the women’s only marathon run, meaning that no male competitors were present on the route.
Jepchirchir – grateful
During the duration of the race, Alemu, Assefa, Jepkosgei, and Jepchirchir were the only ones remaining as groups of athletes eventually decreased. They remained together until the final few hundred meters, when Jepchirchir ran for the finish line, enabling the 30-year-old Kenyan to defeat Assefa and win in London for the first time.
Jepchirchir admitted after her win: “I am feeling grateful. I am so happy for the victory. I was not expecting to run a world record – I knew it might be beat but I did not expect it to be me.”
“I knew the history and the ladies were strong. I was working extra hard. My time was lower but I’ve come good today and set a PB… I am so happy to qualify for the Olympics and I feel grateful. I’m happy to be at Paris and my prayer is to be there and run well to defend my title. I know it won’t be easy but I’ll try my best,” she added.
Kelvin Kiptum, a Kenyan-born athlete, was a relatively unknown figure in the international marathon scene until 10 months ago. At that time, the public only knew the names of renowned marathon runners, such as Eliud Kipchak, Haile Gerrelassie, and Abimbola Bikila.
But a year, as they say, can make all the difference. On December 2022, Kiptum burst onto the marathon scene and immediately made a splash in the headlines when he ran the fastest debut time of 2:01:53 at Valencia , the fifth fastest time in history. Four months later, he improved on this record, garnering gasps from all corners of the world, and won the April marathon in London in just 2:01:25, recorded as the second-fastest time ever, behind only the greatest-of-all time Kipchoge’s record of 2:01:09.
Kiptum at Chicago Marathon
Even without shattering world records, finishing and taking first place in a 26.2 mile race can be challenging. But evidently not for rookie Kiptum, who broke the record at the age of 23 while running just his third marathon in his life. He clocked a record-breaking time of 2:00:35, knocking 34 seconds off the previous world record of 2:01:09.
WORLD RECORD: We have a new man in town. Kelvin Kiptum just broke Eliud Kipchoge's World Record with an unofficial time of 2:00:35! UNBELIEVABLE! pic.twitter.com/XfeMEzPveZ
Kiptum adopted a ‘negative split’ strategy at the race, running at a slower pace in the first half (60:48) and accelerating in the second half (59:47). In the first 10 kilometers of the marathon, only two runners—Daniel Mateiko and Ronald Kirui—were able to keep up with Kiptum’s unwavering fast strides. However, ultimately the two were left behind in the race to be replaced by last year’s champion in the Chicago marathon, Benson Kipruto and Olympic bronze medalist Bashir Abdi.
But even then, Kiptum had still managed to keep a significant gap between him and his closest rivals. In the last few hundred meters of the race, Kiptum was running solo on the road, and by this time it was clear that he would win the race, and there was now only the matter of the world record being broken that was hanging in the air.
As he broke the tape at the finish line, he clocked a time of 2:00:35, setting a new world marathon record. Upon reaching the finish line, Kiptum was met with a large and enthusiastic crowd, which included a warm embrace from Bank of America Chicago Marathon Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski.
Kiptum won the race by a margin of 3:27 over Benson Kipruto, who clocked 2:04:02, placed second at the event, and Bashir Abdi , who clocked 2:04:32 and placed third at the event.
“I feel so happy. I was well prepared. I was going for the course record, but fortunately, I got the world record,” said Kiptum after the race, as per sports brief.
