2024 Boston Marathon
2024 Boston Marathon

Sisay Lemma dominated most of the Boston Marathon and held on to win the 2024 title by 41 seconds over countryman Mohamed Esa as defending champ Evans Chebet was third. Plus CJ Albertson reacts to breaking 2:10 for the first time and Meb runs Boston 10 years after his win.

    Obiri got the win by running her final 4.2 plus miles at under 5-minute mile pace. Mile 23 was 4:57, mile 24 was 4:41, mile 25 was 4:54 and she ran her last mile in 4:51 to finally break free of Sharon Lokedi. Plus the American top-10 streak comes to an end and Des Linden wonders if the marathon should be extended to 30 miles.

    Pacer Or Paid Off?

    Controversy At Beijing Half As Three African Runners Appear To Let Chinese Runner He Jie Win Footage shows the Africans slowing down to let Jie win and even waving him past. One of the runners, Kenyan Willy Mnangat, claims that he was hired as a pacemaker to help Jie break the Chinese half-marathon record of 62:33 (Jie finished in 63:44). Mnangat said, "I was not there to compete. ...My job was to set the pace and help the guy win but unfortunately, he did not achieve the target, which was to break the national record."

    Discus WR Goes Down

    The 38-year-old mark by Germany's Jurgen Schult (74.08m) was the longest standing men's WR. Alekna also surpassed another important mark, his father's. Two-time Olympic champ Virgilijus Alekna now moves down to third on the all-time list (73.88m from 2000).

    Rotterdam Marathon In The Books
    More Bryan Clay

    He won by almost a second over UW's Nathan Green (3:34.79); Craig Engels was 3rd in 3:35.46. Dani Jones won the women's race in 4:07.19. *Final lap video

    On-Site Coverage From Boston

    Ethiopia's Fotyen Tesfay (14:44) set a course record in the women's 5K while Casey Comber (4:08) won the men's mile.

    Evans Chebet says he's ready to run at the Olympics if Kenya names him to the team, plus updates from Emma Bates, CJ Albertson, & Jenny Simpson.

    Diamond League Outrage

    To watch the Diamond League in the US, track fans will have to go from paying $6/month for Peacock in 2024 to $30/month for FloTrack in 2025.

    Boston Injustice

    Deba finished 2nd at 2014 Boston, but was elevated to first when Rita Jeptoo was banned for doping. However, Boston still hasn't paid her because they're still trying to reclaim the money from Jeptoo.

    Non-Distance Action
    Final Lap of Aussie 1500m Final If You Haven't Seen It
    Two Recommended Reads

    This profile by Taylor Dutch is one of the most inspiring articles we've read ever. Read it now. 
    *MB: Dakotah Lindwurm is more impressive all the time.

    Guest Piece

    LetsRun contributor Tim O’Hearn visited World XC in Serbia and wrote a gonzo piece on his experience watching the race without access to the finishline in a city known for its fierce history and Brutalist architecture.

    European Athletics head: "It was a superbly organised event...Europe is still at the heart of cross-country."

    Equipment News

    MB: Nike Unveils Paris Uniforms For Team USA & Kenya & Others What do you think of them? Some like Lauren Fleshman think the women's suits are too revealing.

    The Nation's Top Distance Recruit is Hurt
    The Olympics Officially Go Pro

    World Athletics announced today they will pay gold medalists in Paris $50,000 each, making track & field the first sport to offer prize money in the 128-year history of the Olympics.

    Non LRC Boston Coverage
    2024 Aussie Champs

    A blue-haired Ollie Hoare won his heat in his first action since last June as did 17-year-old Cam Myers.

    Olli Hoare impresses in 1500 semis in his return to competition after 10 months out But Cam Myers and Stewy McSweyn were equally as impressive. And the women's 800 is loaded as well.

    Should We Give Up On Track Being Popular In The US?

    Everyone wishes they'd found a TV partner in the US that has more reach.

    Let's Make The World's Greatest Footrace Matter To Everyone Yet Again

    We have a simple way to make World XC very important again - not just for those battling for the medals. Make it the primary way to qualify for the Olympics and Worlds in the 10,000.

    Doping News
    Olympic / Hosting News
    Non-Distance News
    NCAA News
    Our Weekly Written Recap

    Plus did you know there is a new world's richest marathon and it was held last week? Also Ajee Wilson opened up her 2024 campaign disappointingly and more.

    What A Disgrace

    USATF cited concerns about safety, the late-summer date and the potential lack of competitive readiness as the reasons why they're not sending a team.

    More Pro Distance News

    Each won their races by just a second (Jimer over Hilary Kipkoech and Amebaw over Loice Chemnung). 5K wins went to Hagos Gebrhiwet (13:24) and Caroline Nyaga (14:40). *Results
    *MB: Julien Wanders, 29:29, beats Clayton Young, 29:31, in Paris 10km, finishing 16th. Winner, Yimer 27:43, Kipkoech 27:44 Cam Levins equaled the Canadian 10k record with 28:11 for 6th place.

    Cherry Blossom

    American Nathan Martin (46:00) also finished under the old AR mark (46:11) as well. In the women's race, Uganda's Sarah Chelangat (51:14) broke the women's course record as American Emily Durgin (51:26) ran fast to finish 2nd.

    Run Across Africa
    International Road Action
    Arcadia Invy

    Daniel Simmons Leads Seven Under 8:40, Winning Arcadia 32000m In 8:34.96

    Simmons just beat out Nathan Neil by .36 while Foot Locker XC champ Drew Griffith was 3rd in 8:37.43. A meet record 69 boys broke the 9-minute barrier.

    Other girls' meet highlights included wins from Isabel Allori (9:48.08 - 3200m), Ali Ince (2:05.26 - 800m) and Keelan Wright (11.54/23.97 - 100m/200m).

    Pro/NCAA Track Action
    Future Star Alert!
    The Early Boston Forecast Is Here
    Who Won't Make Paris 2024?

    History says 1 out of 2 people who made Team USA in 2023 WON'T make it in 2024. In our weekly bonus SC podcast, we tell our Supporter's Club members who will miss out on the Olympics.

    More Distance News
    The Latest From Kenya

    One of the names on the list today wasn't even on the list of 10 in December. If someone rocks London or Boston in the coming weeks, it's hard to believe they won't be considered.

    Not Everyone Got What They Wanted At The TEN
    4 Recommended Reads
    Photo by Bert Richardson
    Previous Distance News

    Kiplimo sustained minor injuries after his car went off the road and he had to be helped out by witnesses on the scene. Kiplimo said, "I'm not sure how much body damage internally this could have caused to me but I am grateful to God for shielding me. It could have been worse."
    *MB: Jacob Kiplimo SURVIVES car accident in Uganda 

    Previous Non-Distance News
    Minor Distance Links
    Catching Up On Some Recent Results
    Random Other News
    Paris 2024 News
    Doping Bust
    NCAA Rankings
    NCAA / Pro Track Results
    High School Action

    She took .66 seconds off Natalie Cook's time from two years ago, breaking the US under-20 record as well. Leachman now has the indoor and outdoor 5000m HS record as well as the outdoor 3200m.

      He was close to the world age group record which is 45.12.

      Spring Shoe Deals

      Nike is having a huge spring sale right now on running shoes and with code SPRING you can save even more.

      *Men click here  *Women's click here

      Tebogo opens impressively

      Tebogo cruised at the start but had plenty at the end.

      More Sprint News: Rhasidat Adeleke reflects on how she almost didn't take the leap of faith and go to Univ of Texas She's happy she did and is looking to break the 4 x 200 world record at the Texas Relays in her outdoor opener.

      Barkley Marathons

      Before this year, only 17 people had ever managed to finish the notoriously difficult 100 mile race (five 20 mile loops) within the 60 hour time limit. This year, Ukrainian Ihor Verys finished first in 58:44:59 while Paris just made the cutoff by less than 2 minutes, finishing 5th in 59:58:21.

      Noah Lyles and Lance Brauman Podcast

      Noah Lyles and his coach Lance Brauman have their eyes set on golds in Paris. They believe Lyles can possibly break Usain Bolt's world record in the 200m, but they know first comes the most brutal meet in the sport - the US Olympic Track and Field Trials. Article and podcast.

      The Ten
      The Ten

      Young was sensational and DESTROYED the collegiate record but Alicia Monson's AR attempt went south really quickly and she dropped out.  Tsigie Gebreselama fan the first sub-30:00 women's 10,000 on US soil, Weini Kelati and Britain's version of Parker Valby, Megan Keith, both got the standard.

      Get Your Training Questions Answered By John Kellogg

      In the year 2024, there are all sorts of advice columns all over the Internet, but we’ve never seen one for distance running. There is one now as Robert Johnson and John Kellogg are here to answer your questions in our Dear Distance Gurus (DDG) column.

      The Best of LetsRun.com

      A doctor, nuclear engineer, and D1 runner won our Marathon Trails contest and one of the top online coaches triumphed in our NCAA XC contest to become the king of LRC contests.

      Deal of the Day (Affiliate)

      Want a shoe for your faster runs? Want the #2 rated Brooks, the Brooks Hyperion Tempo on sale for $64.95.

      A Highly Recommended Guest Column
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      In a guest column, Andy Hardt describes what the fans and the sport of running have lost after Kelvin Kiptum's death at the age of 24.

      Rest In Peace: Henry Rono 1952-2024

      Rono achieved legendary status in 1978 when he set four world records in four different events in 81 days. Robert Johnson, who has an autographed poster of Rono on his office wall, pays his respects.

        Past MB Talk On Rono

        RIP Kelvin Kiptum
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        In just three races, Kiptum turned the marathon world upside down, setting a world record, and running the three fastest second halves ever in a marathon. Jonathan Gault recaps his life and career.

        Let the Anticipation Build - Only 178 Days until The Olympic 1500 Final

        Stavanger Aftenblad's Erlend Nesje went to Jakob's house to catch up with one of the sport's biggest stars who is on the comeback trail from injury. After finishing up an hour-long run, Jakob had some interesting comments to say about fame, Josh Kerr, and Jake Wightman.

        BetterRunningShoes.com Presents

        We present to you the LetsRun.com Shoe Awards for 2023. What is the best shoe of 2023, the supershoe of 2023, the newcomer of the year and more?

        Everyone's still looking for an edge

        Kelvin Kiptum, Faith Kipyegon, Keely Hodgkinson and everyone in the OAC are among the stars who experimented with Maurten Bicarb System in 2023 ($65 for 4 doses). The big question: does it work? (paywall lifted)

        BetterRunningShoes.com

        We think most of you could guess the #1 brand, but the #2 might be a surprise. We break down the most popular brands overall, and for road, trail, and racing.

        Sick of Shoes that Break Down Too Soon?

        Running shoe construction has changed a lot in the last decade. Runners are still looking for more durable running shoes, but we take a look at some of the most durable shoes and what makes them stand out.

        Get a Better Running Shoe

        Stack heights on shoes are getting bigger and bigger. Runners are liking these shoes more and more. We try and make sense of the cushioning revolution.

        Fill out the LetsRun.com shoe survey and we will enter you into a drawing a free pair of shoes.

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        Better Running Shoes a Click Away

        Want to know what running shoes real runners like best? We've got some answers for you as our Better Running Shoe review site is now open to the public. Real reviews, from real runners, with data science.

        Paywall lifted!
        Paywall lifted!
        The Latest JG Feature

        What links Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the NAU cross country team, and Sebastian Coe? Double threshold training, which is having a moment in 2023. Note, most of this article is behind our SC paywall for 72 hours (until Saturday).

        How do you explain the ridiculous indoor distance times?
        Kipchoge loving the LetsRun Shirt in Berlin


        Your latest American stars share their insights.

        Three legends of the sport.

        One of the greatest US runners ever.

        We chatted with Frank on the 50th anniversary of his Olympic Marathon gold

        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
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        Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level
        Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level