The 10km course aims to showcase the historic heart of the city, its latest developments and famous heritage sites

A new Great Birmingham 10K route has been unveiled for the 2020 event on May 31, with the course passing city centre landmarks such as Grand Central, Mailbox and the historic Jewellery Quarter for the first time.

From the Hippodrome theatre to St Paul’s Square and a number of other attractions in between, the course aims to showcase the historic heart of Birmingham, its latest developments and world-famous heritage sites.

The new 10km route has been unveiled two years before Birmingham hosts the 2022 Commonwealth Games and welcomes visitors from across the world and a global TV audience of billions.

Starting near the much-loved Hippodrome theatre in Southside, the opening stages of the Great Birmingham 10km will take runners through gritty and bohemian Digbeth, where old industries and new bars and apartments sit alongside each other.

At 3km, runners and walkers will see one of Birmingham’s oldest areas – St Martin’s Church and the Bull Ring Markets which date back to the Middle Ages – before the route passes the unique Grand Central at New Street station, one of the city’s more recent skyline additions.

The cool and contemporary Mailbox building and its premium retail stores features at 4km, before participants cross bustling Broad Street – the city’s ‘Golden Mile’ – at 5km.

Birmingham’s world-famous canal network is a highlight at 6km with runners passing King Edward’s Wharf and Vincent Street near Brindleyplace and Arena Birmingham.

New for 2020, the 10km will take runners through one of the city’s gems – the Jewellery Quarter – home to 40% of the UK’s jewellery production and the world’s largest Assay Office. Runners will go along Frederick Street, around the iconic Chamberlain clock, down Vittoria Street and alongside St Paul’s Square and its heritage-listed Georgian buildings housing creative companies and bars.

Runner head along Newhall Street and Great Charles Street at 9km before reaching the grandstand finish at the Town Hall, Victoria Square and Colmore Row, where goodie bags and finisher medals will await.

The Great Run Company, organisers of the annual 10km, have worked with Birmingham City Council, public transport providers and the city centre’s five Business Improvement Districts to create the new route.

Steve Hewlett, manager, Retail BID Birmingham, said: “It’s a great time for Birmingham to introduce a new 10km route through the city centre as it offers runners and visitors an opportunity to experience the city as it rapidly develops. This could easily become the biggest and best 10km in Europe!”

Click here to enter the Great Birmingham 10K.

Six-time Paralympic champion David Weir also returns to the event for his 21st consecutive edition

The world’s No.1 ranked wheelchair racers Manuela Schär and Daniel Romanchuk will return to defend their Virgin Money London Marathon titles on April 26.

Schär has won an impressive nine straight Abbott World Marathon Majors races, a streak that started at the BMW Berlin Marathon in 2018, and she hopes to continue that success in the UK capital.

“It has been an incredible period in my career. I know I am in an amazing run of form and I will be doing all I can in 2020 to make sure that continues,” said the Swiss racer, who holds the London Marathon course record of 1:39:57 and the world record of 1:36:53.

“I love racing at the Virgin Money London Marathon. London is a fantastic city and the supporters along the route are always amazing so I can’t wait to return.”

Schär is one of five previous London winners in the elite women’s wheelchair field as she is joined by four-time champion Tatyana McFadden and 2018 winner Madison de Rozario, who were second and third last year respectively, as well as 2008 winner Sandra Graf.

Shelly Woods, the last British winner of the elite women’s wheelchair title, returns to the race for the first time since giving birth to her son, Leo, in 2017.

Woods won the London Marathon in 2007 and 2012 and also claimed silver in the marathon at the 2012 Paralympics in London.

The men’s race offers another clash of youth versus experience as USA’s Romanchuk does battle once again with two-time London winner Marcel Hug and the most decorated athlete in the event’s history, David Weir.

Britain’s Weir has won the race on eight occasions and will line up in the event for the 21st consecutive time.

This is the third of London Marathon’s ‘elite week’ announcements, with further athletes to be confirmed in the coming days.

Elite women’s wheelchair field

Manuela SCHAR (SUI) 1:28:17
Susannah SCARONI (USA) 1:33:17
Tatyana MCFADDEN (USA) 1:35:05
Madison DE ROZARIO (AUS) 1:39:22
Sandra GRAF (SUI) 1:35:44
Christie DAWES (AUS) 1:37:14
Shelly WOODS (GBR) 1:38:08
Margriet VAN DEN BROEK (NED) 1:38:33
Zou LIHONG (CHN) 1:38:44
Tsubasa KINA (JPN) 1:39:36

Elite men’s wheelchair field

Marcel HUG (SUI) 1:18:04
Ernst VAN DYK (RSA) 1:18:04
Josh CASSIDY (CAN) 1:18:25
Hiroyuki YAMAMOTO (JPN) 1:19:32
Heinz FREI (SUI) 1:20:14
Hiroki NISHIDA (JPN) 1:20:28
Joshua GEORGE (USA) 1:21:47
Rafael BOTELLO JIMENEZ (ESP) 1:22:09
David WEIR (GBR) 1:26:17
Daniel ROMANCHUK (USA) 1:26:26

LINCOLN, Ill. – One of DIRTcar Racing’s most storied year-end, national championship-deciding events has a new home.

DIRTcar Racing together with Track Enterprises announced Illinois’ Lincoln Speedway will host the DIRTcar Fall Nationals on Oct. 1-3.

This three-day dirt track racing extravaganza decides the year’s champions for each of the major divisions under the DIRTcar banner, headlined by the Super Late Models and joined by UMP Modifieds, Pro Late Models, Pro Modifieds, Stock Cars and Sport Compacts.

“Fall Nationals is one of the most highly anticipated postseason events that features the great racing, parties, fellowships and memory-making that DIRTcar fans and competitors have come to know and love,” said DIRTcar Director Sam Driggers. “The Logan County Fairgrounds now loans itself to an exciting weekend of the best dirt track racing found in the Midwest, and we couldn’t be happier to now crown our champions at Lincoln.”

For Lincoln, this will be the first event of its kind hosted at the facility.

“We’re really excited for the Fall Nationals at Lincoln Speedway,” said Track Enterprises Operations Manager Adam Mackey. “I think it will be a great event, being centrally located in DIRTcar country. We plan to make it a great signature event for Lincoln Speedway.”

LIVE from the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Presented by My Race Pass
Rookie Jeremy Webb Tuesday Interview

Clauson-Marshall Racing rookie and New Zealander Jeremy Webb will be making his Chili Bowl debut Tuesday night in the Tony Elliott Foundation-sponsored car. Georgia Henneberry spoke him as he prepped for tonight’s action.

How to Watch the Chili Bowl:

LIVE From the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Presented by MyRacePass – Story Index Page
News, analysis, interviews, behind-the-scenes and more – updated throughout each day.

LIVE PPV Streaming Broadcast – Racinboys.com
Monday – Saturday coverage

LIVE Television Broadcast – MAVTV.com
Saturday, Jan. 18th at 8:30pm EST

LIVE Timing and Scoring – MyRacePass
https://www.myracepass.com/app

SPEED SPORT’s Chili Bowl coverage is presented by MyRacePass, the official timing and scoring app of the 2020 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. Fans can download the MyRacePass app on their phones to follow all the action during the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. For more information on MyRacePass, visit www.myracepass.com and use the hashtag #GetTheApp on Twitter!

Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask left just 1:12 into Tuesday night's game in Columbus after getting hit in the head by a passing Blue Jacket.

Emil Benstrom was cutting across the front of the Bruins' crease when it appeared his elbow or forearm caught Rask on the side on the head. Rask took off his mask and shook his head, then skated to the bench and down the tunnel. He was replaced in net by Jaroslav Halak, who remained in goal at the start of the second period.

Halak also played on Monday night, a 6-5 shootout loss to the Flyers in Philadelphia.

Rask's injury came a day after he decided to skip the All-Star game, choosing instead to take that Jan. 24-26 weekend for self-care.

"I have to be kind of selfish here," he said, "thinking about how much hockey we played last year, and a short summer and thinking about playing until June again."

Rask, 32, has appeared in 28 games this season, after leading the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final last season in combined 70 regular-season and playoff games.

Plus, the schedule worked against him making an All-Star Game appearance. The Bruins' bye week falls around the All-Star break, as Boston doesn't have a game scheduled from Jan. 22 through Jan. 30.

"Just because it falls in the middle of the bye week, you want that break. You want to spend some time with the family," Rask said. "It was a selfish decision to go away and take care of the mind and body and rejuvenate. Be ready for the last couple of busy months of the season."

Per NHL rules, Rask is suspended for one game immediately before or after the NHL All-Star break for having been selected to the game and not appearing. The Bruins visit the Winnipeg Jets in their first game post-All Star break Jan. 31. Rask said he spoke with Bruins teams officials, who were "fine" with him making this choice.

Australia are primed for the threat posed by India at the start of their T20 World Cup campaign next month with head coach Matthew Mott going as far as saying they are the most feared T20 batting line-up in the world.

The Australia-India match at the Sydney Showgrounds Stadium on February 21 has the makings of a high-octane start to the tournament but before that the teams will meet in a tri-series, also involving England, which will provide an intense build-up to the competition.

India and England are the only teams to have beaten Australia since January 2018 - all in T20Is - with India getting the better of the group stage match at the last T20 World Cup in the Caribbean although it had no bearing on Australia's progression through a tournament they eventually won.

India will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur, who struck an unbeaten 171 against Australia in the semi-final of the 2017 World Cup, with the top order also including the prodigious 15-year-old Shafali Verma.

"There's no doubt their strength is the batting. They've got four world-class batters and when I say world-class I mean top of the tree guns. They will always be a threat," Mott told ESPNcricinfo. "Their bowling, their plans have worked quite well over the years but I think that's their biggest area for growth. They probably need to produce some more fast bowlers. In a T20 they would be the most feared batting line-up - ours is pretty feared but with them you know that if you take a wicket another good player just keeps rolling out."

"That tri-series comes at a perfect time. We've always viewed the next month as a really good opportunity to play against the two other best teams in the world. It can't get any better. If we dropped a couple of games there it's not the end of the world and we expect to be taken to task."

Australia, who will name their T20 World Cup squad on Thursday, are in what is considered to be the tougher of the two pools at the T20 World Cup alongside India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, with the top two progressing to the semi-finals, but they see benefits in beginning their title defence against one of the contenders for the prize.

"For us it's almost a blessing playing India up front, it will be a real test of how we are going as a group and how they are going as well," Alyssa Healy told ESPNcricinfo. "They are a world-class side and when they are playing well they are hard to stop. I actually think they are very strong in Australian conditions as well, they have a lot of players who have been out to play Big Bash and a lot of players in that India A series. They'll be hard to stop, but we know if we are playing our best cricket we are the No. 1 team in the world and we should be able to handle it."

Due to scheduling clashes with their tour of West Indies there we no India players in this year's first standalone WBBL. But plenty of other names who will feature in the tournament were on display, led by the prolific Sophie Devine who was named player of the tournament, and Healy believes it will bring teams closer together on the field.

"Hundred percent, and that's what's been so good about the WBBL, a lot of players from around the world get experience in our conditions," she said. "Being slightly biased we'd have loved them not to play this year just to take that out of play, but it's great to have them here. Sophie Devine is in red-hot form and to have New Zealand in our pool, I think we have a really tricky pool, and the two teams that go through to the semis are going to have to earn it. Hopefully they don't take too many learnings from the Big Bash into their own sides, but hopefully there's some good cricket."

Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly is retiring at age 28 after eight seasons in the NFL.

Kuechly made the surprising announcement in a video posted on the Panthers' website on Tuesday night.

"In my heart, I know it's the right thing to do." pic.twitter.com/mSDyJ0iEMw

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 15, 2020

"Now is the right time for me [to step away]," the seven-time Pro Bowler said in the video. "It's a tough decision. I've thought about it a lot and now is the right chance for me to move on."

Kuechly was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 2012 after being the ninth overall draft pick and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, and he played an integral role in helping Carolina reach the Super Bowl after an NFL-best 15-1 record in the 2015 season. However, he missed 10 games in his NFL career due to concussions (three in 2015; six in 2016; one in 2017), which might have led to his decision.

Kuechly was in tears when he was carted off the field after a concussion during the 2016 season, a striking moment that highlighted the NFL's ongoing problem with brain injuries.

"It makes me sad because I love playing this game," Kuechly said. "I've been playing it since I was a little kid and it's my favorite thing in the world to do. The memories I have from this place and this organization and playing on the field with these guys will never go away."

Panthers tight end Greg Olsen was among several teammates and NFL players to pay tribute to Kuechly on their Twitter accounts.

Words can't describe who Luke Kuechly is as a person, friend, and teammate. We have shared countless memories together both on the field and away from it. I feel honored to be his friend and I'll always appreciate the impact he has had on my life. Love you buddy pic.twitter.com/0DHYkOwDp1

— Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) January 15, 2020

Kuechly finishes his career with 1,092 tackles, which is the most by any player since coming into the league in 2012 as a first round pick out of Boston College.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

To close the opening day of Under Armour's Human Performance Summit, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid announced he will launch his first signature shoe with the company later this fall.

Officially dubbed the Under Armour Embiid 1, the late 2020 launch will make Embiid the only current center in the league with his own signature shoe.

"It's been a long and great process," Embiid said. "It's not a big man shoe. It's a shoe for any basketball player."

Only sixteen current NBA players have their own signature shoe, which incorporates their design and performance feedback throughout the creative process, and includes a 5% royalty from the sales of each pair.

The 7-foot franchise center first signed the lucrative five-year shoe deal with Under Armour in October, 2018, negotiated by Creative Artists Agency, making him the highest paid player at his position.

For now, the mid-cut, mesh-based signature shoe has only been previewed in a phone-restricted setting, with Embiid potentially debuting his namesake sneaker on the court as early as this spring's playoffs.

"Early on in the design process, Joel shared that he thought his life was like a movie, and like movies, all basketball careers have origin stories," Under Armour designer Reggie Wilson said. "Since Joel's story began in Cameroon, that was the creative focus of our first colorway, 'Origin.'"

A sizable support panel with flowing lines evokes a volcano's eruption along the side of the shoe, while an outline of Africa is on the heel, the first point of contact for anyone wearing it.

"As a kid, I never could have dreamed of being in this situation with my own signature shoe," Embiid said. "The process has been incredible with the work that's been put in. Not a lot of guys in my profession get this opportunity, and I'm truly grateful for it."

While Embiid does own the trademark for the phrase "The Process" and has taken it on as a nickname, he clarified that he views that phrase as more of a team-oriented concept, highlighting the collective rise of the 76ers since he was drafted 3rd overall in 2014.

His time with Under Armour over the past fourteen months has "felt like family," he said, leading him to tell his personal story and opt for the "Embiid 1" naming instead. Additionally, he wanted to utilize his family's name and honor his late brother Arthur, who tragically passed away in 2014 after being struck by a vehicle back home in Cameroon.

While Embiid has since earned a coveted signature shoe through his combination of All-Star-level play, the team's ongoing success and his personality away from the court, the endorsement deal had been centered on providing access to basketball camps for kids in both the Philadelphia area and in Cameroon.

Embiid is forever grateful for the access to NBA player and fellow Cameroon native Luc Mbah a Moute's basketball camp, where he was discovered as a 16-year-old just learning to play the game. He then moved to Florida to finish high school, soon earning a college scholarship to Kansas and rapidly ascending as a player.

"When I sat down with Under Armour, one of the first things we talked about was how this can be bigger than just shoes, bigger than just basketball," Embiid said upon signing with the company. "I want to help change people's lives like Luc changed my life."

The Embiid 1 will be only the third signature basketball shoe for Under Armour, following the early Brandon Jennings series and ongoing Stephen Curry line, after the company first launched a basketball footwear line at retail in 2010. Embiid is currently second overall in Eastern Conference voting at the frontcourt positions.

"We didn't view Joel as a big man," said Kris Stone, Under Armour's senior director of global sports marketing for basketball, after signing Embiid in 2018. "We're not gonna put him in any sort of box. He's a great player who has all sorts of incredible skills and a bigger-than-life personality."

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- As Anthony Davis stood by a wall at the Los Angeles Lakers' practice facility and spoke to reporters for the first time since taking a nasty fall against the New York Knicks last week that has caused him to miss L.A.'s past three games, he said he was pain-free.

In that moment.

"Right now, just talking to you? Zero [pain] right now," Davis said Tuesday. "It's the movement that kind of gets me. But ... I'm getting closer to getting back on the floor with these guys."

Davis suffered a bruised backside when he hit the floor hard on his tailbone area after trying to block a shot by New York's Julius Randle. He missed the rest of that game -- a win by L.A. -- and then the Lakers' next three games. Three more wins.

"The last three games, it looks like they don't need me," Davis said, showering praise on teammates such as Kyle Kuzma, Quinn Cook, Troy Daniels and Alex Caruso, who all have stepped up in his absence. "So kind of taking it slower than usual."

Lakers coach Frank Vogel, however, wanted to make it clear that the Lakers very much need Davis to accomplish their goals this season.

"This is L.A. You know everything I say will be quoted out of context. So I was going to make a joke, but I'm not going to joke because we definitely need Anthony Davis," Vogel said. "But we are undefeated this week without him. Something along the lines of, 'Well, if you look at the statistics ... I don't know what the joke would be. I'm not very funny."

Davis' injury was no laughing matter. L.A.'s star big man detailed his thought process immediately following the fall.

"It was very painful," Davis said. "Hard for me to walk, obviously. It was pretty tough for me to just roll over on my back and on my side at the initial point of contact. It was tough. I didn't want any speculation, but I was just praying that it wasn't anything too serious."

Davis received X-rays at the arena and an MRI later that night, which revealed that he'd avoided a major setback that would have sidelined him for a chunk of the season. He would only have to rehabilitate a muscle bruise, or what the team dubbed a gluteus maximus contusion.

"Very relieving knowing that just based on how it felt, a day-to-day thing, [rather] than a fracture or anything like that where you need surgery and you're out weeks or months or whatever," Davis said. "I'm glad [that my return timeline is] just based on how I feel."

Davis said he still hasn't sprinted since the injury, nor has he had any contact drills or live 5-on-5 play in practice. He hasn't ruled out playing Wednesday at home against the Orlando Magic, but he expressed patience in his approach.

"Every day it's getting better and I'm a lot closer than I was three days ago," Davis said. "Made some more progress today. When I feel like I'm able to get back to my old self and do the moves I've always done and be successful at it, that's when I'll be able to get back on the floor."

Vogel backed up Davis' measured plan.

"We're always going to be cautious with all of our players and take the marathon approach with injuries and return to play at the right pace," Vogel said. "But he's shown great toughness throughout this year."

Alex Cora, who won the World Series in 2018 in his debut season as manager of the Boston Red Sox but has been linked this offseason to two sign-stealing schemes, has mutually agreed to part ways with the team.

Cora, 44, led the Red Sox past the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games in 2018, one year after he won the World Series as the Astros' bench coach.

He is awaiting discipline from MLB for his role in a sign-stealing scheme by the Astros and is still under investigation for a different sign-stealing scheme that is said to have occurred with the Red Sox in 2018.

In MLB's findings on Houston announced Monday, Cora is described by commissioner Rob Manfred as being "involved in developing both the banging scheme and utilizing the replay review room to decode and transmit signs. Cora participated in both schemes, and through his active participation, implicitly condoned the players' conduct."

In a statement released Tuesday, the Red Sox said that given the investigation's findings, "we collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward."

Manfred said he was withholding discipline for Cora until MLB completes its investigation into the allegations against the Red Sox, but he is expected to receive a harsh penalty.

"We agreed today that parting ways was the best thing for the organization," Cora said in Tuesday's statement. "I do not want to be a distraction to the Red Sox as they move forward. My two years as manager were the best years of my life. It was an honor to manage these teams and help bring a World Series Championship back to Boston."

The Astros acted quickly after discipline for the team was announced Monday, firing both manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow. Had they stayed with Houston, Hinch and Luhnow would have been suspended for the entire 2020 season. Houston was also fined $5 million and will lose its first- and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021.

The Red Sox allegedly used video to decode opponents' sign sequences and passed the information to their players. But they are not accused of going as far as the Astros in terms of communicating the knowledge -- such as the Astros' trash-can banging -- to players at the plate.

Cora replaced John Farrell as Boston's manager after the team twice finished last under Farrell, despite winning the 2013 World Series with him. With Cora at the helm in 2018, the Red Sox raced to a 108-54 regular-season record and an easy win in the AL East. They led the majors with a .268 team batting average and 876 runs scored.

Boston then dominated the postseason with an 11-3 mark, posting wins over the Yankees and Astros in the AL division and championship series, respectively, before defeating the Dodgers in the World Series.

Not long after Cora's club paraded through the streets of Boston, the Red Sox announced that they had renegotiated his contract, including an extension through the 2021 season, with a club option for 2022.

"This is a sad day for us," owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner and CEO Sam Kennedy said in a shared statement. "Alex is a special person and a beloved member of the Red Sox. We are grateful for his impact on our franchise. We will miss his passion, his energy and his significant contributions to the communities of New England and Puerto Rico."

The Red Sox couldn't sustain 2018's success in Cora's second season, finishing 84-78 and third in the division, 19 games behind the Yankees.

Cora, who worked as an ESPN analyst before leaving for the Astros, played 14 MLB seasons, including parts of four seasons with the Red Sox, winning the 2007 World Series with Boston. He also played for the Dodgers, Indians, Mets and Rangers before finishing his career with the Washington Nationals in 2011.

A utility infielder largely known as a shortstop, Cora was a career .243 hitter and finished with 35 home runs and 286 RBIs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.