The US achieved its most successful relay medal haul since the introduction of the mixed 4x400 with four golds and a silver at the 2025 Worlds. We asked Woodson about Team USA's performance in Tokyo. Plus we asked USATF about what really happened with Rai Benjamin, who said he went out on the town the night before the men's 4x400 final.
It's Nuttycombe / Pre-Nats Weekend
It's Nuttycombe / Pre-Nats Weekend
Severe storms forecasted in Missouri have forced the NCAA Pre-Nationals to move up a day. Oklahoma State & Penn State are out, and it’s not the first time weather has changed a big race.
*MB: Pre-Nats chaos as teams like Oklahoma State / Penn State pull out after meet is moved up due to forecast of thunderstorms/potential hail
*MB: Nuttycombe, Pre-Nats & other NCAA XC action / Oct 17 & 18
- Most of the ranked teams will be at Wisconsin 19 ranked women's teams, 18 ranked men's team to race. 7 of last 15 men's Nuttycombe champs, and 6 of last 15 women's champs have won the NCAA title.
- Pre-nats is Friday (moved up from Saturday due to Thunderstorms) and former HS sensation Jane Hedengren may make her collegiate debut Most of the top 20 is at Wisco but the #1 BYU women and #3 Florida women are at Pre-Nats.
- Highschool boys xc ranking - Colorado's Niwot is #1
- Highschool girls xc ranking - Utah's Lone Peak is #1
Other Links A Human Foud Interesting
- A look at the Nike marketing campaign on this year's Chicago Marathon course It included slogans like "future you is bragging about this right now", "whatever you're doing, keep doing it. for 22 more miles," and "run like thousands of people are watching."
- Japanese HS girls 13-year nationals streak for Asahikawa Ryukoku H.S. is literally snapped 400m from the finish line Their anchor fell and broke her ankle and had to be rushed to the hospital.
- Japanese Olympic Federation used AI to find 500 Incidents of online harassment during Worlds They reported detecting approximately 500 problematic posts, of which they requested the deletion of around 230 that violated anti-defamation and other laws.
- Welsh runner died over the weekend after collapsing 100m from Royal Parks Half Marathon
- Is 2018 NCAA 10,000 champ Ben Flanagan ready for his TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon debut? Listen to this podcast to find out.
- Julien Alfred’s 2025 spikes fetch US$75,000 at auction for Charity They were purchased by Kevin Graves, the manager of Team USA and Miami Heat basketball star Bam Adebayo.
- Former 300 pounder Ben "Mintzy" Mintz of Barstool is pumped to have run Chicago in 5:39:59 He started the year only able to run 2 miles and at 258 pounds and appears to be down to about 220 now.
- 2 days after her 55th birthday, Calgary’s Maria Zambrano set a new Canadian 55-59 mark of 2:49:47 in Chicago
- 4 friends dressed as The Very Hungry Caterpillar broke a world record at Manchester half They SMASHED the prestigious record for "fastest half marathon in a four person costume" of 1:41:37 by running 1:14:10.
On The Boards
On The Boards
Uninformed about reality
California governor candidate Betty Yee told Piers Morgan she believes women might one day compete against men in Olympic track and field, saying she’d support a gender-neutral Olympics in Los Angeles if “the physicality of the sexes bears true...I do believe that women are equipped to break records in track and field and some other sports as well."
Chicago Leftovers
Masai, a Hofstra alum and younger brother of Worlds medalists Linet and Moses, ran 2:04:37, which is the fastest time ever by someone who ran in the NCAA. Plus a look at the debutants, includingCasey Clinger, Creed Thompson, Ejgayehu Taye, and Emily Venters, who largely struggled in Chicago.
- Galen Rupp talks about his comeback in Chicago and says he "had to relearn how to run" after years of injuries Rupp says Chicago was the first marathon he's finished without pain since 2021. Now, rather than looking at retirement, he's looking ahead to trying to make the 2028 Olympics when he'll be 41.
- Matthew Centrowitz PR'd by almost 2 minutes in Chicago (2:22:40) He went out in 1:10:44 and finished the second half about a minute slower in 1:11:56.
- MB: What happened to Emily Venters at Chicago?
- How did the celebrities do in Chicago? Retired NFL player Justin Britt ran 3:36.
Distance News
- Keely Hodgkinson and other pros react to Femke Bol switching to the 800m Hodgkinson Bol actually texted her before the announcement because they are good friends and that she thinks it's "really brave and courageous."
- Double world medalist Nadia Battocletti confirms she will defend her European XC title this December She says, "Cross country will always have a special place in my heart."
- MB: You Can't Make This Up! Man Buys Shoes at Marathon Expo...Wins $1000 (7th Place)...Then Is Disqualified For Illegal Shoes The shoe company (Voltra) paid him the $1000 he lost due to the DQ.
- MB: On Sued for ’Embarrassing Squeak’ in Sneakers by a dude named "Bologna"
- World 10,000m champ Jimmy Gressier running the Marseille to Cassis 20k on October 26 A statement from the organizers says he's joining his girlfriend, French 5000m champion Aude Clavier, so sounds like he won't be actually racing it.
It's A Big Weekend For NCAA XC
- Preview: 10 storylines to follow at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational The men's field has 18 nationally ranked teams including #1 Iowa State, #3 New Mexico, #5 Colorado, #6 BYU, #7 Wisconsin and No. 9 Notre Dame while the women has 19 top teams lead by #2 NC State, #5 New Mexico, #6 NAU, #7 Notre Dame, #9 West Virginia and #10 Colorado.
*MB: Nuttycombe, Pre-Nats & other NCAA XC action / Oct 17 & 18 - MB: Pre Nats moved to Fri because there is a 45% chance of thunderstorms
- Pre-Nats preview: #1 BYU women take on #3 Florida; #2 Oklahoma State lead men's field Star freshman Jane Hedengren is on the entry list, so may make her collegiate debut for BYU.
Sprints / Jumps
- Noah Lyles does collaboration with adidas and anime streaming service Crunchyroll
- Spain's 2016 Olympic 110H silver medalist Orlando Ortega hangs up his spikes The 34-year-old last competed at a major global championship in 2019 where he won a World bronze. Although despite years of injuries, he did manage to make Spain's team for European Champs last year where he went out in the semis.
- World Athletics looks back at Joao Carlos de Oliveira's 1975 world triple jump record Brazli's De Oliveira leapt 17.89m at the Pan American Games to break the WR by almost half a meter (which still stands as the greatest single improvement in the men's TJ WR).
Hosting News
- Ahmedabad, India to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games India hosted the CWG 15 years ago in Delhi.
- Carl Lewis praises India's bid for the 2036 Olympics
- Berlin Olympic bid beats no-confidence vote
Coaching Bans
- Former British Olympic track coach Jose Vicente Leiva-Modahl charged with child sex offences Leiva-Modahl is the husband of former Olympic middle-d runner Diane Modahl. He faces charges of sexual assault of a child, rape and controlling and coercive behavior over a period from 2012 to 2024 relating to the same woman.
*MB: Said Aouita's coach charged with child sex offences - Salman Iqbal, coach of Olympic javelin champ Arshad Nadeem, banned for life by Pakistan's athletics federation He is accused of "grossly violating" the organisation's constitution over elections this past summer.
Looking Ahead To Valencia
- Former winner Sisay Lemma (2:01:48) and world champion Peres Jepchirchir (2:16:16) lead fields for the Valencia Marathon on December 7 2:01:48 man Lemma is the strong favorite in the men's field up against four 2:04 runners, Clayton Young and Edward Cheserek. The women's race also has 2023 world champ Amane Beriso, 2:16:24 woman Joyciline Jeposkgei, US's Keira D’Amato and Emma Bates and Germany's Gesa Krause making her debut.
*MB: Clayton Young, Emma Bates, Keira D'Amato running 2025 Valencia Marathon
Paywall lifted
After five coaches, six states, and hundreds of hours of listening to the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast, steepler Dan Michalski will make his World Championship debut in Tokyo. He dedicated his runner-up finish at USAs to the grinders who keep going without a big shoe contract. "They know the grind, they know what it’s like to fight through injuries, what it’s like to feel like you have the talent to make a team and keep coming up short," Michalski says. "This is for them, in a sense."
This Week's Podcast
It was a great week for American male marathoners and we break it all down.
End-Of-Year Awards
- Nominees announced for World Athletics Track Athlete of the Year 2025 The men's nominees are all either Americans or distance runners: Jimmy Gressier, Emmanuel Wanyoni, Noah Lyles, Rai Benjamin and Cordell Tinch. The women's finalists are Faith Kipyegon, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Beatrice Chebet and Femke Bol.
- European athlete of the year finalists named Jimmy Gressier, Mondo Duplantis and Italian LJer Mattia Furlani are on the men's shortlist while the women have Femke Bol, 100H world champ Ditaji Kambundji and race walker Maria Pérez.
- Former Olympic champions Christian Taylor and Sally Pearson among the panel who will judge World Athletics photograph of the year award
Video Clip
An excerpt from this week's podcast on Mantz breaking the American record. Thread here.
More Distance Action From The Weekend
- Koku Gakuin University wins 2nd straight Izumo Ekiden; Graham Blanks-lead Ivy League team takes best-ever 4th place Brett Larner writes that Blanks is "the best runner to ever line up in the Izumo [Ekiden]. But Blanks only finished 4th in his stage, 19 seconds behind the stage winner.
*MB: Graham Blanks listed for the Izumo Ekiden... - World 1500m champ Isaac Nader wins Berango International Mile road race He won in 4:17 so either it was up a mountain or they jogged the first half. Marta García won the women’s race in 4:49.
- Weekend NCAA XC recap: Oregon men and women sweep Bill Dellinger Invitational Oregon took the top-4 spots in both races, with Benjamin Balazs (23:08) and Diana Cherotich (18:58) getting the individual wins.
- France's Etienne Daguinos sets European 20k record at 20km de Paris His 56:18 (4:32 pace) is the third fastest all-time in a standalone 20k behind Zersenay Tadese (56:01) and Connor Mantz (56:16). Mercy Chepwogen won the women's race in 64:58.
- Ilona Mononen gets double victory at Finnish XC Championships She won the morning 10k and came back to win the 4k as well later in the day.
- Brits Joe Wigfield (62:02) and Lily Patridge (69:34) win Manchester Half
After 23 years, Khalid Khannouchi's 2:05:38 American record is no more. Mantz continued an epic 2025 season by breaking the marathon AR to go with his half marathon AR from January.
Chicago MB Talk:
Kiplimo and defending champ John Korir hit full send on this one and went for it. They ran the fist 5k in 13:58 (1:57:52 pace). They hit halfway on world record pace (60:16) and the next few miles were even faster than that pace. By 30k (1:25:31 - 2:00:16 pace), Kiplimo was all alone. Still on WR pace at mile 22, he slowed a lot late however and had to settle for the #2 time in Chicago history. Tokyo 3rd placer Hawi Feysa of Ethiopia (2024 Frankfurt champ) had a big day as she lowered her pb from 2:17:00 to 2:14:56. It was a tough day for the American women. Natosha Rogers was 6th in 2:23:28. *Full race broadcast
"I’m all in favor of the death penalty suspension from all competition if you test positive. One and done, that’s the way it should be. And then also these athletes aren’t operating in a vacuum. They have coaches, they have agents, they have mentors. These people are leading them astray. And if we have athletes that are testing positive from certain systems, those managers should also be disqualified," said Eyestone. Should Federico Rosa be worried?
- Ed Eyestone: “if we have athletes that are testing positive from certain systems, those managers should also be disqualified”
- Must see: LetsRun asks Jacob Kiplimo about all the Rosa E Associati doping positives & watch his handlers’ reactions
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Wins MrBeast Challenge
She raced them across the width of two soccer fields with a prize of $100,000 to anyone who could beat her. No one did, although one guy (a non-track runner) came close.
Interesting Reads
- Marcell Jacobs espionage scandal has concluded - Giacomo Tortu is suspended for 3 years by Italian Athletics federation Giacomo, the brother of Jacobs Olympic 4 x 100 teammate Filippo, was convinced Jacobs was a doper. So he hired a firm to try to hack Jacobs phone. Wow.
*MB: Marcell Jacobs espionage scandal concludes - Giacomo Tortu suspended for 3 years. How in the world wasn't he charged criminally? - MB: Jackson Spencer's 14:17 takes down German Fernandez CA state course meet record of 14:24!! Spencer, a senior at Herriman UT, broke German's record on the 5,000-meter course that serves as the Asics Clovis Cross Country Invitational and the California CIF State Championships that had stood since 2007. The only other person close to it was Nico Young at 14:26 in 2019. *Dyestat recap
- How did Jimmy Gressier win the 10,000 at Worlds? WA tries to find out He's only the 9th French athlete to ever win gold in anything at Worlds.
Women's Only Action - No Men Allowed
Sisson is getting ready to run NYC. Annie Rodenfels (32:45) and Sara Hall (32:48) were more than 100 seconds back. *Top 10 Results
2025 Athlos
Version 2 of Alexis Ohanian’s Athlos track and field series brought a louder crowd, bigger production, and major star power to New York City. ThoughtsLeader gives his impressions and wonders about the big test in 2026.
- Full Results: Brittany Brown (10.99/21.89 pb) doubles, Paulino dominates 400 (50.07), Keely dominates 800 (1:56.53), Kipyegon dominates mile (4:17.78), Masai Russel (12.52) wins 100mh as Tara Davis-Woodhall (7.13) world lead wins lj.
If you missed the meet, you can watch thereplay on YouTube. Athlos had around 6,200 live viewers on YouTube -- but allegedly more than a million on X.
- LRC: Post-Race interviews from NYC We had boots on the ground filming for you.
- Serena Williams crowns Hodgkinson after 800m win "The atmosphere out there is crazy so it was really, really fun," said Keely.
- Tara Davis-Woodhall delivered in Times Square on Thursday night to open Athlos "She stormed down that runway and leaped 6.81 meters through the air, clinching first place at ATHLOS’s long jump qualifier."
There will be a much bigger event in Tallahassee in January.
World XC tickets now on sale Tickets start at $10, with free admission for children 12 years and under.
Bol To The 800m
The indoor world record in the flat 400 and two-time world 400mh champion is moving up in distance. "I've always loved this quote: 'If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough.' And I definitely think that's the case here," said Bol.
LRC Video Reaction
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Chicago Preview Podcast
Get the latest on Chicago. If you want our podcast from Chicago on Friday, become a LetsRun.com VIP here.
A human found these to be interesting
- World Athletics produces 19-minute video celebrating Melissa Jeffeson-Wooden's triple crown at Worlds Watch it here.
- Math expert says Paris altered track size cost Josh Kerr Olympic gold Amandine Aftalion, a mathematician at Université Paris-Saclay, believes the Paris track which had a "a slightly altered radius–one metre longer on the bends and three metres shorter on the straights in comparison to a standard athletics track" cost Josh Kerr gold.
- DyeStat XC RANKINGS - Individual Girls Top 30 Rankings *Boys Top 30 Rankings
- Mitsubishi UFJ to acquire naming rights to Tokyo's Olympic stadium for $13 million per year
Interesting Distance News
- Good Read: DyeStat: "Friday's Dellinger Invitational provides another chance to reflect on namesake's impact" Multiple of his former athletes pay tribute to the legendary coach who passed away in June. One, Art Boileau, says, "I loved Bill because, with his military background, he was not one of these touchy-feely guys. Bill respected people if they were out there and training seriously — even walk-ons. Then he would make room for you."
- World class ultra runner Courtney Dauwalter dropped down in distance to race the Twin Cities Marathon She broke her PB by almost 30 minutes, finishing 7th 2:49:51.
- MB: Jennifer Lopez says she ran a 4:49 Mile in high school - Did she? Let's find out.
- MB: Paris marathon to force runners to refill their own reusable cups in sustainability drive
- Distance runner Innes FitzGerald and Audrey Werro are European Women's Rising Star finalists
*European Rising Star men's finalists announced
Doping News
- 2:10 Moroccan marathoner Anouar El Ghouz gets 4-year doping ban for refusing to give a blood sample El Ghouz repeatedly evaded the testers and then lied about it, even at one point denying his identity.
- UCI using "police-style surveillance system" to crack down on technological doping Our sport has illegal super shoes, but hopefully we never get to this point.
- European study is looking at doping in fitness gyms Apparently some countries have actually tried to address doping among their gyms' customers and staff.
- RUSADA has reported 239 violations so far this year This is on pace to be more than the 282 from last year and 242 from the year before.
We'll Have Some American Representation At Valencia This Year
The Americans will face 2024 Boston champ Sisay Lemma and World silver medalist Amanal Petros on the men's side and 2025 world champ Peres Jepchirchir, 2023 world champ Amane Beriso and former NYC/London champ Joyciline Jepkosgei for the women.
Non Distance News
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- Fred Kerley has set a goal of 9.42 for the Enhanced Games If he can't beat his 9.76 PB, does that mean he was doping all along?
- Anna Hall and Sander Skotheim have been confirmed as the winners of the 2025 World Athletics Combined Events Tour, The Combined Events Tour takes each athlete’s best three marks across the series and converts them into result scores which gets you a US$30,000 prize.
- Gabby Thomas would like to try the 400 hurdles Speaking on a podcast Thomas said, "I think I’m built for [the 400m hurdles]. I’m not built like a traditional sprinter; I’m more of a 400m or 400m hurdles runner. Maybe one day…I think we can try that one. I never tried a hurdle in my entire life."
- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce officially retires from track and field The 3-time Olympic champ said, "For the past 18 years, time - down to the very millisecond - has been at the epicenter of my life. Time has been the measure, the test, and the reward. ...Yet as I reflect, I no longer see time only in seconds - I see it in years. The years I gave to sprinting will forever remain among the greatest of my life."
- World 400m champ Collen Kebinatshipi is very happy to already be a world champion "at his age" The 21-year-old didn't expect to be competing for medals until the 2028 Olympics. Kebinatshipi is now #10 on the all-time list with his 43.53 and says he wants to break Wayde van Niekerk's 43.03 WR.
- Sha’Carri Richardson won't be racing at Athlos NYC She said she will still be there to meet fans.
NCAA / HS XC News
- No changes to the top 11 ranked teams in updated NCAA men's XC coaches' poll Iowa State is still #1 ahead of OSU, New Mexico and Virginia.
- Top 6 ranked women's teams stay the same in latest NCAA coaches' poll BYU leads ahead of NC State, Florida and Oregon.
- MB: I was at Paul Short. I never saw so many guys heaving and puking after a race. Is this bicarb?
- Dyestat weekend high school XC roundup: Christ School NC boys, James Robinson VA girls beat quality fields at Great American
Worlds In Review
Back from a much-deserved post-Worlds vacation, our Jonathan Gault takes a final look at a crazy Worlds where athletes from 53 different countries won Worlds. It was a big meet for men's underdogs as the men's 1500 through 10,000 were all won by guys who had never medalled in the event before. Plus Collen Kebanitshipi won 400m gold after requiring a small q in the first round. How many athletes have ever done that? Plus, how did GST affect the World Championships?
Assorted Distance News
- Team USA wins 28 medals, six gold, at Para World Championships in India Former autistic high school star Michael Brannigan won his third global T20 1500m title in 3:50.44.
*LRC Archives: USA’s Mikey Brannigan Dominates 1500m at 2016 Paralympic Games - Kind of random: Now retired 2012 800m Olympic silver medalist Nijel Amos lands mid-d coaching job for the Iran national team Amos was serving a doping ban until this past summer and just completed his World Athletics coaching course. He and says he plans to be based in Iran for a long time.
*MB: Nijel Amos, 1:41.73, becomes Iran's new middle distance coach
- Kenya's Moses Kemei (2:06:47) and Ethiopia’s Balemelay Kebebe (2:21:59) win Kosice Marathon in Slovakia
- Japanese weekend track round-up: high schooler Yota Mashiko runs 13:34.84 Mashiko finished 3rd in a race on by Kenyan Victor Kipkirui in 13:33.46. In a separate meet, Haruki Niizuma won the U20 5000m in 13:35.33 and in another corporate race, Kenyan Kelvin Kiplagat won the 10,000m in 27:46.68.
- Japan Running News' Ekiden Weekend Breakdown
European News
- Yemaneberhan Crippa wins hometown Giro al Sad 10k in course record 27:59 He's the first Italian winner in 19 years since 2004 Olympic marathon champ Stefano Baldini won in 2006.
- MB: Jakob Ingebrigtsen puts out post-Worlds YouTube video Talking about worlds Ingebrigtsen said, "It's very much the same, just experience, but also nice to realize that you really have to do a lot of work to be able to have a top level and be consistent, running fast. I think most people would stay home, and I think that's for me; that's an issue, but for everybody else, that's what they expected. That's what everybody else would've done."
- Sebastian Lörstad (28:53) and Carmen Cernjul (33:53) win Sweden National 10k Championships at the Hässelbyloppet Lörstad time was a national U20 record and European U18 best while Cernjul's time was apparently a Swedish U20 record.
- Greece's world PV silver medalist Emmanouil Karalis and Slovenia's world PV bronze medalist Tina Šutej named Balkan athletes of the year
- Vote for European athlete of the year We assume Mondo Duplantis will win for the men (like he did last year), and it's more open for the women, but probably Femke Bol (she won in 2022 and 2023)
News Of Note
- Seb Coe says there is a "good chance" cross country could be added to the Winter Olympics by 2030 Coe says the idea is that it would be added along cyclocross and they would share the same course.
- Athlos NYC meet takes another shot at GST; announces they will use Cash App to instantly pay athletes as soon as the results are final Cash App is also offering a $250,000 prize for anyone who sets a world record at the meet.
- Grand Slam Track had sold way more tickets for its cancelled LA meet than the USATF Grand Prix did in 2023 and 2024 The USATF LA Grand Prix sold 2,600 and 2,200 tickets for one-day meets in 2023 and 2024 while GST had sold more than 5,000 for each day before it was canned. USATF's GP meets aren't on the 2026 USATF calendar, but are listed on World Athletics' Continental Tour calendar.
Road Results
- Ethiopian Teenager Khairi Bejiga (26:54) and Ethiopia's Medina Eisa (30:28) win tRUNsylvania 10K Bejiga edged out South Africa's Maxime Chaumeton by one second.
- Germany’s Esther Pfeiffer wins Köln Half Marathon in 67:28 (third fastest European time this year)
- Alisa Vainio wins Finnish Marathon Championships in national record 2:23:06 This just three weeks after she finished 5th in the marathon at Worlds.
- Results: Yemane Haileselassi (46:25) and Mercy Chelangat (52:05) win Twin Cities 10 Mile 2:15:41 and 2:32:52 were the winning marathon times.
- Ethiopia's Yismaw Dillu (59:23) and Kenya's Miriam Chebet (66:36) win Cardif Half
Weekend NCAA XC
- Hannah Gapes leads #2 ranked NC State women to team title at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational Grapes dominated the race with 19:19 while NC State beat #26 Northwestern 34 to 59 points. The #7 ranked Wisconsin men won the team title ahead of hosts Loyola (71 to 108 points) while Louisville's Elsingi Kipruto got the individual win in 23:14. Notable freshmen Rylee Blade (FSU) and Sadie Engelhardt (NC State) finished 3rd and 10th. *Results
- #9 and #10 ranked Notre Dame men and women sweep titles at home Joe Piane Invite Cincinnati's Nickson Kosgei (22:39) and Notre Dame's Mary Bonner Dalton (15:53) were first across the line. *Results
- #19 Arkansas men win fourth consecutive Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival They beat out Texas by 16 points while the Texas women won 52 points ahead of #22 ranked Arkansas. Arkansas swept the individual wins thanks to Timothy Chesondin (22:53) and Sydney Thorvaldson (16:03).
- USTFCCCA weekend recap: #28 Georgetown men and unranked Villanova women win Paul Short Run Villanova beat #15 Penn State by just 5 points. #20 ranked Georgetown was third (33 points back). Harvard's Sam Burgess (23:19) and Georgetown's Melissa Riggins (19:34) took the individual wins. *Results
Doping News
- Former Olympic sprinter and current bobsledder Manteo Mitchell gets two-year doping ban He received a reduced ban because an arbitrator believed Mitchell that the violation was unintentional. Mitchell famously broke his fibula during the 4x400 heats at the 2012 Olympics, but still finished to qualify Team USA for the final.
*MB Archive: Manteo Mitchell BROKE his leg during USA 4x4 qualifying - WADA delays "non-compliance order" against Kenya citing "significant and demonstrable progress" towards improving its anti-doping system WADA had given an October 3rd deadline for Kenya to address non-compliance issues.
*2nd article with some more details on what consequences Kenya could have faced if they didn't address WADA's concerns
Big Administrative News
Embattled running startup Grand Slam Track has narrowly avoided collapsing—for now—after receiving emergency financing from existing investors it used to make partial payments to athletes Friday, Front Office Sports has learned...
- Caster Semenya surprisingly raises the white flag and ends legal battle over track's sex eligibility rules Patrick Bracher, a lawyer for Semenya, said in an email to The Associated Press that they wouldn't take her appeal back to the Swiss supreme court, which was an option and what many presumed to be Semenya's next step after she won a ruling at the European Court of Human Rights in July.
- Which shoe company sponsored the most medallists at 2025 Worlds? Emily Evans has the results: 1. Nike (42), 2. Adidas (33), 3. Puma (25), 4. Asics (8), 5. New Balance (4).
- Kenya president William Ruto vows more 'professionalism' in anti-doping agency as Oct. 3rd WADA deadline arrives WADA's report last month said Kenya had "still not addressed several critical requirements" from an audit in May 2024 and "and gave it until October 3 to address concerns."
- MB: Strava sues Garmin, demands they stop selling all watches for violating two patents DC Rainmaker analyzes the case and thinks it's a joke.
We live in a crazy world that is hard to predict
- More drama comes out about Ian Roberts - the former NCAA 800m All-American and Guyana Olympian - who was arrested by ICE for being an illegal alien while serving as the superintendent of Des Moines schools USA Today is reporting that Roberts lied about having a PHD from Morgan State and having an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He also lied about having been honored by the George Washington University as its District of Columbia "Principal of the Year." Despite all of this, he was somehow hired as the Superintendent of the Des Moines schools and allowed to register to vote in Maryland.
*Some students walk out of class, large rally held to support Roberts It appears those shows of support came before it was known he'd lied about his academic background.
*MB: BREAKING: Olympian mid-distance runner from Guyana Gil Roberts arrested by ICE?!! - The biggest upset at Worlds? Ecuador's Juleisy Angulo arrived as the 14th seed in women's javelin, left with gold medal And she got the win a month after her brother was murdered. “My goal here was just to reach the final, so I am in shock. I still can’t believe it,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “This medal is for my mom, who is always my driving force to keep fighting, and for my brother, who I lost a month ago. This medal is for my family, for everyone who believed in me.”
- 79-yr-old remembers what it was like to run his first marathon in Cardiff in 1981
IF you are going to play a video game, play this one
XC Racing 2 is now out and free to play on ios and android and in this version you get to race the famed Detweiller Park course in Illinois.
Random Links A Human Found Interesting
- Melissa Jefferson-Wooden goes on CNN after triple gold and says she's not satisified “There are so many things out there that I’ve accomplished this year. But there’s so many more things that I do want to accomplish.”
- Former Yale swimmer, who had her leg bitten off by a shark, is running NYC marathon She quickly joined the Paralympic ranks and won Paralympic silver.
- Former Queen's Park Rangers star Don Shanks, 73, will run the New York marathon on November 2 to raise money for Alzheimers
- NYC is experiencing a 2nd running boom & some are unhappy about it In 2019, it took an average of 121 days for an N.Y.R.R. race to sell out. This year, races have sold out in an average of four days.
- NYRR claims running boom $934 million for the local economy in the fiscal year through March That’s up 58% from the comparable period five years earlier and they say last year’s marathon alone generated $692 million.
Best Track & Field Podcast
What a year of track and field. Cole Hocker got 5,000m gold, Cooper Lutkenhaus ran 1:42, Athing Mu was not Athing Mu, Donavan Brazier is back, Josh Hoey was the US leader at 800 & 1,500 and a lot more. 5 American distance runners won Diamond Leagues (and none of them medaled at Worlds). We break it all down.
Mid-D News
- Lilian Odira and her coach do 20-minute Kenyan TV appearance to explain how they got to the top To everyone who assumed she had to be doping, please realize two pregnancies and Covid-19 will delay your development. Her coach Jacinta Muraguri said this about her coming back from maternity leave. "But in all this, that weight is - it's a bit good having it because the process of cutting the fat in the body. It makes the athlete very strong because we had a lot of mileage, a lot of long runs."
- Odira was thankful Mary Moraa gave her some advice before Worlds final "She was my roommate, and she advised that we don’t go back to the room with regrets ... it was nice.”
- The 2nd Athlos meet is next week in NYC and Faith Kipyegon will be there As will Keely Hodgkinson. And LOTS of seats are still available. Support the event by getting your tix here. Ciara will be perform.
- NCAA 5k runner-up Vera Sjöberg talks about running the 1,500 at Worlds and deciding to do her grad year at UNC
Doping News
- WADA bans carbon monoxide inhalation Yes, professional cyclists, including a two-time Tour de France winner, have admitted to inhaling the thing that you have a detector in your house to make sure it doesn't kill you. Apparently inhaling it can artificially increase red blood cell and hemoglobin levels, similar to EPO.
- 2:05 Kenyan marathoner banned for 5 years paid just $38 for EPO and CERA to dope Cornelius Kibet Kiplagat explains how he heard about the drugs and the process he used to obtain them and then inject himself.
- MB: Indian teen sentenced to four years in Kenyan prison for importing PEDs ADAK CEO says, "the ruling sends a clear message.
XC / Road News
- NY Times: Tracksmith got some free advertising from pop star Harry Styles running the Berlin Marathon in their shorts Styles got a lot of attention for running a sub-3 hour marathon in Berlin and Tracksmith founder Matt Taylor says sales of the the shorts he wore (the Van Cortlandts which sell for $75) have increased by about 50%.
- Preview: Arkansas men and women the favorites at their home Chile Pepper XC Festival this weekend The Arkansas men are ranked #19 nationally and the women #22.
- BYU's Creed Thompson signs NIL deal with Brooks The 2024 NCAA XC 12th placer is making his marathon debut at Chicago this month.
- MB: Awet Nftalem Kibrab 28:07 over Narve Gilje Nordas (29:45) in Norway 10k
- Italy's double world medalist Nadia Battocletti racing Corsa dei Castelli 10K on October 19
- DyeStat Preview: Star-studded high school fields set to compete at Great American XC Festival Friday and Saturday
Distance News
- Laura Muir's former coach Andrew Young banned for three years for "serious misconduct" Muir stopped working with her long-time coach in 2023. A UK Athletics disciplinary panel found that Young "ignored medical advice" and "used manipulative and coercive behavior towards those he coached." An example was forcing an athlete to race against the recommendations of a physiotherapist and abandoning an athlete on the side of the road after a disagreement.
*MB: Andy Young (ex coach of Laura Muir) guilty of 'serious misconduct'
- Former Guyana 800m Olympian Ian Roberts arrested by ICE over illegal status and weapons charges Roberts competed at the 2000 Olympics, has a 1:46.85 PR and has been working as a school superintendent in Iowa. He has a weapons charge dating back to 2020 and DHS said was "in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife" at the time of his arrest (it's against US federal law for non-citizens without legal status to own a firearm).
- RIP: 2000 Boston Marathon champ and Kenyan politician Elijah Kiptarbei Lagat passes away at age 59 Lagat started his elite running career unusually late (27 years old) as he initially started running just to lose weight.
- MB: Sean Mcgorty leaves Bowerman Track Club
- Japan Weekend Track Roundup
NCAA XC Rankings
- TFN's NCAA Cross Country Preview - Men’s Top 10 Teams Their podium is #1 Iowa State, #2 Oklahoma State, #3 New Mexico, #4 BYU.
TFN's NCAA Cross Country Preview - Women’s Top 10 Teams Their podium is #1 Oregon, #2 BYU, #3 NC State, #4 Stanford. - T&F News NCAA XC Preview - Men's Top 10 Individuals Brian Musau (OSU), Habtom Samuel (New Mexico) and Denis Kipngetich (OSU) are their top 3. Gary Martin (Virginia) is the first American at #8.
- T&F News NCAA XC Preview - Women's Top 10 Individuals Pamela Kosgei (New Mexico), Doris Lemngole (Alabama) and Grace Hartman (NC State) are their top-3. Star recruit Jane Hedengren (BYU) is ranked #6.
- Iowa State stays on top in week 2 NCAA XC coaches' poll OSU, New Mexico and Virginia are ranked 2-4. *Regional Rankings
- BYU women still #1 in week 2 NCAA XC coaches' poll NC State moved to #2, Florida jumped up 9 spots to #3 and Oregon down to #4. *Regional Rankings
Sprint Stuff
- President of MVP track club says Clayton twins are ready to take over Jamaican sprint legacy "I think that they are both very well positioned to continue the legacy of sprinting for Jamaica,” said Bruce James, president of the MVP Track Club.
- Former UT sprinter Kevona Davis (10.95 pb) has returned to Jamaica to work with Glenn Mills And Mills is honest at what they are working on - getting her weight down.
*MB: One of the world's top coaches says what you can't say in America: "We are working on getting her weight down." - World 100m champ Oblique Seville will need a month to recover after undergoing toe procedure He had the nail removed from both his big toes because they were "getting to the ingrown stage."
- Noah Lyles asked to elaborate on the shoving altercation with Kenny Bednarek at USAs Lyles was asked about it on a recent podcast, but didn't want to share too many details saying, "I’m actually going to keep that personal…That’s just something that involves me and my woman, me and Junelle and right now, it’s just information that we don’t want to go too deep. A lot of the track world thinks they know, but it’s bigger and deeper than a simple explanation." *Full Video Interview
- MB Netflix DID NOT sign Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce to a $13.5 million deal for a documentary There is a story circulating on the internet that SAFP signed a big deal with Netflix, but the Jamaica Gleaner debunked it as fake.
More Weekend Distance Results
- Eilish McColgan wins Vitality London 10,000m for the third time in 30:35 She got a dominant win over Jessica Warner-Judd (31:14) while Zak Mahamed won the men's race (29:07).
- Kenya's William Nyarondia and Sweden's Carolina Johnson win TCS Lidingöloppet 30k XC race in Sweden
- MB: Molly Seidel second at Boulderthon Half Marathon (1:17:09)
World Mountain/Trail Running Champs
They each dominated the 50.9-mile race through the Pyrenees, Walmsley winning by more than 10 minutes and Schide by 25 minutes. The French men and Italian women both relegated the US to runner-up finishes in the team competition.
*French duo Benjamin Roubiol and Louison Coiffet cross the line together to "share" silver in Long Trail race
- Germany’s Nina Engelhard wins Classic race to get a double win at the World Mountain and Trail Running Champs Engelhard also won the Uphill race on Thursday. Kenya’s Philemon Kiriago won the men's Classic race.
- France's Frédéric Tranchand and Sweden's Tove Alexandersson win Short Trail titles Tranchand won the men's race by less than 3 minutes while Alexandersson dominated the women's by almost 34. The Spanish men and Swedish women took the team titles.
- Switzerland's Remi Bonnet and Germany's Nina Engelhard win Uphill race US's Anna Gibson finished third in the women's race and US's Christian Allen was 4th in the men's. Team wins The Kenyan men and Italian women took the team victories.
- MB: World Mountain/Trail Running Championships
- USATF: Team USA won 8 medals at the World Mountain and Trail Running Champs
Weekend XC Action
The #3 ranked OSU men won a close team battle with #2 ranked New Mexico (36 points to 41). while the #1 ranked BYU women put 7 in the top 15 to win with 34 points over #13 OSU (57 points) and #3 ranked New Mexico (65 points). OSU swept the individual wins thanks to Denis Kipngetich (23:33) and Isca Chelangat (19:59) got the individual wins. *Results
*MB: 2025 Gans Creek Classic and Cowboy Jamboree
Iowa State dominated the team competition with 47 points over Virginia (107 points) and Colorado (126 points) while the Florida won with 102 points over NAU (126) and Colorado (166). Washington State swept the team titles thanks to Solomon Kipchoge (22:24) and Rosemary Longisa (19:07). *Results
*MB: 2025 Gans Creek Classic and Cowboy Jamboree
- Addy Ritzenhein wins third consecutive individual title at Desert Twilight XC Her team, #3 ranked Niwot, won the team title. The Niwot boys also won the team race with Oliver Horton winning the individual.
- MB: Colorado and UCLA Cross Country had AMAZING races today
- MB: Swedens 17 yo Sebastian Lörstad runs 10K XC at 30.01 on a brutal course
- USTFCCCA weekend XC recap
UK News - Josh Kerr Update
- Josh Kerr reveals a pulled calf muscle is what caused him to finish a distant last in the World 1500m final He concedes that he "definitely did some more damage" by finishing with the grade two muscle tear rather than dropping out, but says he has no regrets.
*MB: How is Josh Kerr Doing
*MB: Is Kerr OK? That looked like a calf pull? - Joe Wigfield (3:59) and Holly Dixon (4:30) win Vitality Westminster Mile
- RIP: 1964 Scottish Olympic sprinter and politician Menzies ‘Ming’ Campbell passes at 84 Campbell tied the British 100m record at 10.2 in 1967 and when he was a student at Stanford, famously beat OJ Simpson before Simpson moved to the NFL
- Study finds that London has the world's "strongest marathon brand" It got a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 90.1 out of 100, ahead of NYC (89.7), Paris (88.4), Berlin (82.9) and Boston (80.9).
More Post-Tokyo Stuff
- World Athletics releases attendance stats from Tokyo Worlds - 619,288 cumulative attendance across the 9 days The final day in Tokyo set a championship record for attendance with 58,723.
- AP: Effects of failed Grand Slam Track league felt in different ways across world championships A lot of distance runners from GST went on to have terrible seasons, although it worked out fine for Cole Hocker and sprinters like Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
- Japan Running News analyzes Japan's performance at Worlds Brett Larner writes, "Although there was a lot of disappointment for the home crowd this time, the actual team results in Tokyo were almost equal to Budapest: two bronze medals and 11 top-8 placings." (Budapest had the same results except one bronze medal was gold.)
- A record number of countries won medals at Tokyo Worlds 53 different nations won at least one medal in Tokyo, breaking the previous record of 46 from 2007 Osaka and 2023 Budapest Worlds.
- The BBC looks at how steady medal counts remain from an Olympic to a Worlds year Some in the UK are freaking out because they only one five medals in Tokyo (with no gold) after winning ten medals at the Paris Games.
- The Guardian shares their top photos from Tokyo Worlds
Post-Worlds News
- Botswana declares public holiday for "historic" 4x400 victory The Botswana president announced Monday, September 29th, as a holiday to celebrate the achievement. Meanwhile, in the US, Rai Benjamin likely didn't even know the US was going to be in the final as he went out on the town the night before being walked down on the anchor.
*MB: Rai Benjamin said he had a late night out before the 4x400: "I was pretty much done, you know, so I had a pretty late night if you can imagine." - Training partners Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell discuss the surprise finishing order in the 800m at Worlds Hunter Bell said for a moment she thought she was going to win and she'd like to go win the 1500m if Faith Kipyegon "decides to move up [to 5000m]." Problem for her, Kipyegon already runs the 5000m and still dominates the 1500m.
- The Guardian: "USA dominate table again as GB suffer worst finish since 2003" The US won 26 medals, 16 of them gold. Well ahead of Kenya's 11 medals (7 gold) and Jamaica's 10 medals (1 gold).
- GB launch review after worst World Championships in 22 years Among the disappointments was that they won no relay medals after winning five at the Paris Games. It was the first time since the 2003 worlds that they didn't win a relay medal.
- BBC: "GB fail to win gold for first time in 20 years - where it went wrong" GB finished way back, 21st in the medal table
Recent Non-Worlds Results
- RRW: Anthony Rotich (28:27), Ednah Kurgat (32:11) Win Great Cow Harbor 10K For U.S. Army WCAP *Results
- MB: Galen Rupp- 62:42 Philly Half (3rd place) The race was won in 61:01. *Results
- Cal Baptist men and women sweep team titles at Roy Griak The #16 ranked Cal men won with 39 points over Wyoming and the women won with 25 over Minnesota. *Results
- North Central (Ill.) men and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women win DIII pre-nats *Results
Hocker is the second American distance man to win multiple global golds, the third to win a global 5,000 title, and just the fifth from any country to win global titles in the 1500 and 5,000 after Paavo Nurmi, Hicham El Guerrouj, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and Bernard Lagat.
- Bring out the brooms: Kenya sweeps the women’s distances. Odira STUNS the world 1:54.62 as Keely gets the bronze
- COLE HOCKER 5000M CHAMPION Hocker has a SENSATIONAL last lap. He was way back and ran a 52 to win in 12:58.
- Was Cole Hocker’s 52.62 last lap tonight the fastest ever in a sub-13:00 5000?
- Rai Benjamin said he had a late night out before the 4x400: "I was pretty much done, you know, so I had a pretty late night if you can imagine."
- Grant Fisher is passed his prime
- Cole Hocker will win 2025 Tokyo 5000m
- Sage Hurta Klecker 1:55.89
Cole Hocker won 5000m gold in Tokyo ahead of Isaac Kimeli and Jimmy Gressier. Nico Young and Grant Fisher ended up 6th and 8th. Jakob Ingebrigtsen was 10th. The Kenyan women’s unreal meet continued and Cole Hocker was GOLDEN yet again. We broke it down for you live from right after it ended.
- AW: Lilian Odira's surge takes her to shock world 800m gold Odira came out of nowhere to give Kenya a sweep of the women's distance medals, passing favorite Keely Hodgkinson in the final meters to win in 1:54.62. Hodgkinson's teammate Georgia Hunter Bell also passed her to take silver in a photo finish, 1:54.90 to Hodgkinson's 1:54.91.
Final Day Non-Distance Medals
- AP relay recap: Sha'Carri Richardson, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Noah Lyles anchor wins on big closing day for Americans The US swept the men's and women's 4x100 relays, the women just holding off Jamaica by .04 and the US 4x400 women dominated with a 3:16.61 championship record to win by 2.64 seconds. But the US 4x400 men ended up with silver after an epic three-way finish with Botswana and South Africa where world 400m champ Collen Kebinatshipi passed Rai Benjamin at the line to get them the gold by .07.
- Leo Neugebauer makes late charge to win decathlon world title US's Kyle Garland lead most of the way, but Neugebauer threw a five meter javelin PB to take the lead and won with 8804 points. Garland ended up with bronze (8703 points).
- Australia's Nicola Olyslagers wins her first global outdoor title with 2.00m HJ victory She won on countback over Poland's Maria Zodzik with Ukraine's Olympic champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Serbia's Angelina Topic sharing the bronze at 1.97m.
- Sweden’s Daniel Stahl defends his title to become a three-time discus world champ He threw 70.47m to win handily over WR holder Mykolas Alekna (67.84m).
2025 Berlin
Sawe was on world record pace at halfway (60:16) and though he couldn't hold it, 2:02:16 was very impressive given the mid-70s temps in Berlin as he won by 4+ minutes and consider that Kenya's Rosemary Wanjiru won the women's race in 2:21:05, the slowest winning time in Berlin since 2013.
Tokyo 4x400 Runoff
Team USA has never failed to make the men's 4 x 400 final at Worlds and after a 12+ hour delay that streak continues. USA did it the hard way, but they dominated Kenya in the re-run this morning. We were there for it and asked Demarius Smith, who was in the middle of the delayed second exchange Friday night and had the slowest split today, if he was being personally coached by US relay coach Darryl Woodson. Smith: "There's no proof of that. That's first. Second of all, it doesn't matter...Keep doubting me. I'll be back." *Post-race interview with Team USA
RIP To A Coaching Legend
Daniels had a prolific career as an athlete, coach and exercise scientist. He won two Olympic medals in the modern pentathlon, did exercise testing for various groups including Nike's Athletics West elite team in Eugene and held numerous coaching positions which included advising on the training of Jim Ryun while working with the 1968 US Olympic team and winning seven DIII women's national XC titles while at Cortland. And of course, he indirectly contributed to the coaching of thousands of high school and college athletes through his training book, Daniels’ Running Formula.
The Ultimate LetsRun Story In Our 25 Year History & One Of Our Favorite Jonathan Gault Features - Read It Now
After five coaches, six states, and hundreds of hours of listening to the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast, steepler Dan Michalski will make his World Championship debut in Tokyo. He dedicated his runner-up finish at USAs to the grinders who keep going without a big shoe contract. "They know the grind, they know what it’s like to fight through injuries, what it’s like to feel like you have the talent to make a team and keep coming up short," Michalski says. "This is for them, in a sense."
Sean Brosnan & Chris Lear & Andrew Greif's book is here
In Beyond Fast, Sean Brosnan, with Chris Lear and Andrew Greif, traces the unlikely rise of Newbury Park High School from an overlooked program to a distance-running powerhouse. Packed with behind-the-scenes stories, training insights, and cultural shifts, the book shows how Brosnan and his athletes rewrote the high school record books.
Sean Brosnan Podcast
From BMX to building the greatest HS team ever, Sean Brosnan tells us how he did it at Newbury Park, plus what really went on at UCLA, and what’s next. Don’t miss this one.
Data doesn't lie
We've run the numbers by comparing Lutkenhaus's run against every other age-16 world record, and the data is clear.
Who?
Jonah Koech wasn't even supposed to be in Sunday's 1500. As they approached the bell, he was in 13th out of 17. A lap later, he was the champion. He is just the third American man to win a Diamond League 1500/mile and the first runner sponsored by Under Armour to win a DL race. His 3:37.27 pre-race pb is also the slowest of any man to win a DL 1500/mile.
How Josh Hoey Rose To The Top Of The World
For five years, Hoey cylced through coach after coach but barely improved from his 1:47.67 high school 800m pb. Learn why he moved around so often -- and why he never gave up. Part I of JG's 7,000+ word feature.
*MB: Josh Hoey profile by JG
- Part II: SC How Josh Hoey Went from Also-Ran to World Indoor Champion, Part II: Going All-In With Justin Rinaldi & The Fast 8 Track Club Hoey's career had stagnated until connecting with Rinaldi in 2023. Within minutes of seeing him train in-person, Rinaldi knew he was special: "I said, if I can’t get this guy to run 1:44, there’s something wrong with me."
Stop Obsessing Over Your Diet
The US indoor 1500m/3000m champion overhauled his fueling in workouts before the 2024 season. Now he swears by his routine.
The Record Books Are Getting Rewritten In 2025
In the span of one week in February, runners broke five world indoor records and every American men's middle-distance record from 800m to 5000m. Jonathan Gault spoke to some of America's top athletes and coaches to find the reasons behind all of the fast times.
One More Look at a Legendary Race
From novice fans to running diehards, there was something for everyone (except perhaps Brits and Norwegians) to enjoy about one of the greatest middle distance races ever run.
Blanks = NCAA XC x 2
Just before Blanks chases a 5,000m pb and collegiate record in what is likely his final NCAA race at Boston University on Saturday, he told LetsRun about the key session of his 2024 XC season -- one he described as "probably the best workout I've had so far in my career."
Your latest American stars share their insights.
American Record Holders
American Record Holders
Keira D'Amato, the new American record holder in the marathon, was joined by Deena Kastor, who held the record for 15 years.
Sisson was the guest on the LetsRun.com Track Talk podcast after she became the first American to go sub 67 in the half marathon on a record-eligible course. Podcast highlights above. Full pod here.
Woody Kincaid joined us after he broke the American record indoors at 5000. He talks above why he left the Bowerman Track Club. Podcast highlights and link to full podcast here.
Coogan's New Balance Boston team had 3 Olympians in 2021 and 2022 could be the biggest year yet for the program with 2 new additions and the TRACK at New Balance coming on March 1st.
Danny Mackey has taken the Brooks Beasts from an unproven club to the Olympic podium in its first decade.
Dathan Ritzenhein is the first of the top pro coaches to sit down and talk about his club heading into the 2022 campaign.
Best of Jon Gault
Best of Jon Gault
Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level
Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level
LetsRun Classics
LetsRun Classics
