Sawe's 1:59:30 was real, but analysis from LetsRun.com and German timing ace Helmut Winter reveals his 24th mile was almost certainly slower than 4:12. The race's official timing company has told LetsRun it has removed the time for mile 24 from its list of splits to prevent confusion.
*MB: Sorry Sawe fans, but he didn't run a 4:12 24th mile in London
Looking for the perfect gift for the running mom in your life? Buy this shirt before the end of Monday and we'll donate $5 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Be inspired / 3 Recommended Reads / Listens
- The Seth O'Donnell Story: From non-runner and Australian rules football player to Australian 5000 champ in 2 years, meet the Aussie 5000 sensation What a story. "Two years. From not being a runner at all to being the best cross country runner in the country. The cognitive recalibration required for that shift is enormous. The story you tell yourself about who you are and what you can do has to be completely rewritten. And when you rewrite it, the next chapter gets bigger."
- ‘How I ran a sub-2:30 marathon for the first time as a 47-year-old’ 22-years ago, Howard Calvert ran his 1st London in 3:30.17. Ten years ago, he first broke 3:00. Now thanks to super shoes and better fueling, he's run 2:29:01. Amazing. Be inspired.
- Sports science writer Alex Hutchinson podcast on how the high-carb craze has changed fuelling Shakeout Podcast host John Gay speaks with sports science writer Alex Hutchinson about the current high-carb fuelling practices in running and cycling. "Alex Hutchinson: Studies have shown that even the people on a high-carb diet only have about 60 per cent of fuel in their tanks the morning after a hard workout the day before. It takes maybe 24 hours to restock. For most of us, we’re doing another run before that, so there’s this constant battle to stay fuelled."
Post-London News
Want to go behind the scenes of human history? Adidas has released a new 12-minute documentary, "Chasing Sub 2," following Sebastian Sawe’s monumental 1:59:30 run at the London Marathon. Narrated by the legendary Haile Gebrselassie, the film explores the fusion of supreme talent, relentless hard work, and cutting-edge lab technology that broke one of the sport's most iconic barriers.
*MB: Adidas releases 12-minute short film chronicling Sabastian Sawe’s historic sub-2-hour marathon
- Kenyan president gives Sawe a car and 61k
- Kenyan tourism board gives Sawe a "four-night luxury getaway"
- BBC Sport's London Marathon social media engament increases from 9 millionto 47 million and the social media team appears to be taking credit Lol. As if all videos of a human running 1:59:30 weren't bound to go viral.
On The Boards
On The Boards
Meet Vinny Mauri
Neal, who coached Mauri at Notre Dame from 2023-25, said he thought he might be able to break 2:08 in Toledo based on the training Mauri had done before the race. "We kind of always knew if he could ever stay healthy, he’d be real dangerous.... He’s just a tremendous kid and has worked his butt off for this."
- MB: Unheralded American Vincent Mauri runs 2:05:54 at Glass City Marathon in Toledo.
- MB: Notre Dame coach Chris Neal RAVES about Vincent Mauri and talks about his 2:05 breakout marathon.
- Runner's World: Who is Vinny Mauri? Some interesting insights into his training like he ran 90 to 110 miles a week leading up to the Glass City Marathon, but about 90% of it was on the treadmill because of the harsh Ohio winter. He also runs many of his easy days fast, starting at 6 minute pace and getting down to 5:40
This Weekend's Action
- Natalie Dumas (2:00.11 pb), Paige Sheppard (2:01.50 pb), & Jane Hickey (2:03.61 pb) to battle in epic girls 800m at Track Night NYC on Friday night Track Night NYC presented by New Balance will bring some of the best high school distance runners on the East Coast to Icahn Stadium on Friday.
- MB: USATF Road 5k champs are Saturday in Indy Lots of 'names' are entered including Houlihan, Tuohy, Schweizer, Nur, Teare, etc. Who is your favorite?
- World Relays is this weekend: *Mixed 4 x 400 preview *W4 x 400 preview *M4x400 preview *Mixed 4 x 100 preview *M4x100 preview *W4x100 preview *
- More than 300 sanctions have been handed to Russian athletes following the seizure of Moscow laboratory data in 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) says. 93 of them have come in athletics.
- The new Pac-12 conference looks like it will be good for women's distance "Everybody in the conference does track, which is great," Oregon State coach Louie Quintana said about the new conference which will include Boise St., Colo. St., SDSU, Texas St., Utah St., Oregon St. and WSU. "On the women's side, six schools have sent teams to (NCAA Cross Country) nationals in the last five years. It's highly competitive."
Non-London News
- Meet 16-year-old Abdinasir “Abdi” Hassan, a US 10th grader, who ran 13:52 at Bryan Clay earlier this month His father ran in the 1996 Olympics for Somalia in the 5000 and he may be going for the US in 2032.
- MB: Gjert Ingebrigtsen suing Norwegian state for ‘unjustified criminal prosecution’ in abuse case Even though he was convicted of one charge, "the defence team are now arguing that the “the indictment should never have been brought." "The lengthy criminal prosecution has had significant consequences for Ingebrigtsen, both personally, familially and financially. The case has been very burdensome over time, with extensive public exposure and large costs,” they added in the statement.
- Wharton grad and testicular canceer Sam Mattis is the 1st new American record holder in the discus in 40+ years.
- 400m World champ Kebinatshipi says Olympic medallist Isaac Makwalaa was his inspiration "My role model from a young age has been Isaac. "[He] has also been close to me and guiding me. That's why I had that motivation and belief that I can also do this and be like him.
- USC and UCLA to meet for 92nd time this weekend Last year, for the first time in 12 years, UCLA won both the men's and women's titles.
The Sub-2 News Keeps Poring In
- Kenya gives a hero's welcome to marathon record breaker Sabastian Sawe
*Sawe airplane gets ceremonial water cannon when it touches down in Kenya - After running 1:59 in his debut, Yomif Kejelcha declares: "The marathon is much easier than the… half marathon." He also called his new racing shoes "magical."
- Kiplimo says 1:58 (or faster) is coming: "I think maybe it's possible to run under 1:58. In some year, for me, it's just a matter of time."
- TCS London Marathon broke finisher world record with 59,830 That's 604 more than NYC had in the fall.
- British reporter gets shipped new adidas super shoe to try out, the shoes were so light the receptionist almost reported them stolen as she thought nothing was in the box
- Australian economist says the stats reveal the human limit in the marathon in 1:54:00 Of course, when he first made his predicitons in 2019, he said the limit was 1:58:05 and that we wouldnt see sub-2 until 2032.
- If it's good enough for Sawe... the Garmin watch used to break the two-hour marathon barrier at London is actually super cheap And you can buy the Garmin Forerunner 55 here (and support LRC in the process) for just $169.
- A British journalist ran London in the cheapest carbon-plated super shoes on earth -Lidl’s £39.99 Crivit CarbonLite 1.0 - ANd he managed to run 2:58 in them. Meanwhile, his colleague spent £230 for some New Balance shoes and ran over 5 hours.
- Sawe: "The two hour wall was never a limit. It was a rumour.”
Previous Sawe's Sub-2 Coverage
- WSJ: "The 2-Hour Marathon Barrier Gets Smashed. Is It the Shoes—or the Sugar?" While everyone has been talking about the shoes, possibly just as important is the fueling. New fueling tech lets elites taking in way more carbs before and during a marathon than they used to. (Sawe had a total of 230 grams of carbs during his WR run, which this article says is twice as much as elites might have a "handful of years ago.")
- How long could you last at Sabastian Sawe's marathon pace? 4:34 mile pace is 14:10 for 5k, but at that pace Sawe is still settling in.
- The Guardian's Sean Ingle: "Sabastian Sawe’s sub-two hour marathon is the Roger Bannister moment of our time"
- The Irish Times' Ian O'Riordan: "Have super shoes changed the face of marathon running forever?"
- Sean Ingle: "Bread and honey for breakfast and 150 miles a week training: secrets of Sawe’s world record"
- The Telegraph: "Sabastian Sawe: The secrets of my marathon world record"
- BBC: "Lighter than a bar of soap - the shoes worn to shatter marathon record"
GB News
- Good Read: The Times' Matt Lawton gets an inside look at the M11 Track Club's (Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell's group) South Africa training camp Hodgkinson talks about the benefits of doing hard workouts with Hunter Bell. "I don’t get offended if Georgia is better at what she’s better at because I just try and work off that. ...You can’t have an ego in this group. There are so many good athletes and if you have a bad day, you’re going to look absolutely shite." Hodgkinson says she wants to go to five Olympics (she'll be 34 in 2036), but she might have to take a break when she's 30 to start a family.
- Mo Farah helped a random runner with a leg cramp during the London Marathon A runner pulled up on sidelines at mile 24 with a severe leg cramp and Farah saw him and showed him how to stretch it out.
- The Telegraph: "West Ham asked if they have ‘heart and soul’ to vacate London Stadium" The UK soccer team has been asked to give up the stadium for three weeks in 2029 so London can host World Champs, but that would mean they have to play three consecutive matches away from home which they are reluctant to do.
Catching Up On Some Recent Results
- Gabby Thomas finally breaks the 11 second barrier for 100m with 10.95 victory at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix Canada's Jerome Blake won the men's 100m in 9.93 ahead of Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala and Canada's Andre de Grasee (both timed at 9.95).
- Community college runner Raynier Galvez runs 1:44.14 at Arkansas It was an almost three second PB and is the fifth fastest time ever by a collegian. He just barely beat out Arkansas' Rivaldo Marshall by .01.
- Kenyan duo Michael Selelo Saoli and Joyce Muthoni Njeru win Beijing Changping Classic mountain race in China Part of the race actually runs on the Great Wall which is pretty cool.
- Kenya's Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang and Italy’s Nadia Battocletti won the overall titles for World Athletics' 2025/26 World XC Tour Kipsang actually tied with Burundi's Rodrigue Kwizera for overall points, but won on the tie-breaker which was overall world ranking.
- April Japanese Road Roundup
Upcoming Track / Diamond League Action
- MB: Cooper Lutkenhaus will make his pro 1500m debut at the LA Track Festival on May 23rd Previously announced, the men's 800m will have Donavan Brazier up against Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman. *More announced stars listed here
- MB: Hobbs Kessler racing the 5000m at Payton Jordan on Friday *Full Entries Ethan Strand is also in the 5000m and Cam Levins is in the 10,000m. *Live Results
- Cooper Lutkenhaus will face Olympic and world champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi in the Oslo DL 800m on June 10 2023 world champion Marco Arop and Olympic bronze medalist Djamel Sedjati are also in the field.
- Faith Kipyegon to open her season at the Keqiao DL 5000m on May 16
- July 4: Sha'Carri Richardson added to Pre Classic 100m field against Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
- Olympic champion Winfred Yavi vs world champion Faith Cherotich duel set for Xiamen steeplechase on May 23 Their rivalry has seen them go head-to-head 14 times since 2022 with Yavi coming out ahead in 9 of those contests (according to tilastopaja.com).
- Olympic final rematch set for London DL 400m on July 18 US's Olympic champ Quincy Hall will go against GB's Olympic silver medalist Matthew Hudson-Smith.
NCAA / HS News
- Huge change if this happens: DI board of directors directs cabinet to advance age-based eligibility rules These new rules would start an athletes' 5-year eligibility clock when they turn 19 or graduate from high school (whichever happens earlier), but they could use up to five years (not just four as they do now). This would mean no more 26+ year-olds in the NCAA.
- Arkansas men move a spot up to #1 in updated NCAA rankings LSU jumped five spots up to #2 and Georgia and Texas A&M moved down to 304.
- Georgia women stay #1 in latest NCAA rankings; South Carolina moves three spots up to #2 BYU and LSU are ranked 3-4.
- Allison Lee breaks NJ 3200m record with 9:46.78 at Homdel Twilight Meet The time puts her #4 fastest prep in the country this year.
- Fredonia opens new track and field facility, hosts first home meet since 2008 Fredonia, NY is 2012 Olympic pole vault champ Jenn Suhr's hometown.
The Myth Of The Sub-2-Hour Marathon
13-years ago, Rojo wrote the original The Myth Of The Sub-2-Hour Marathon and claimed we were nowhere close to a sub-2 and that we likely wouldn't see it in his lifetime. Well now that it has happened and everyone on the Internet is dunking on him, how does he feel? He's not backing down and claims the logic of his original column was right on the money.
Post-London Analysis
How in the world did Sabastian Sawe turn was looked to be a 2:01 race into a historic 1:59:30 marathon world record? Did adidas' new 3.4 ounce shoe -- the Adios Pro Evo 3 -- tip the scales? What about the wind?
Their Pro Careers Didn't Work Out How They Wanted
The reviewer states that Cain "writes that (in HS) she was taunted for her physical appearance and badgered by her petty teammates, their overbearing parents and her creepy coach, who took perverse interest in the sex lives of his female runners."
*MB Mary Cain makes more allegations: Claims her HS coach took a perverse interest in the sex lives of his female runners
- MB: Abby Steiner sues Puma (and Mercedes), claims their spikes ruined her careerFront Office Sports has the story on how Steiner is suing as she says the spikes Puma designed with help from Mercedes were dangerous. "Puma knew that their products were defective, and yet promoted them as safe to wear and did not inspect them."
More From The London Marathon
- MB: Elish McColgan’s foot ‘explodes’ during London Marathon, still finishes 7th (2:24:51) She got a blister on her foot that "exploded" just past halfway with a ton of blood and affected her running form. She still managed to finish almost as fast as her 2:24:25 debut from last year.
- Sabastian Sawe's sub-2 boosts Adidas share price 1.5%
- Sabastian Sawe isn't done breaking barriers; he and his coach believe he can run 1:58 Talking about his post-race celebrations, Sawe said, "I didn’t drink anything to celebrate, just water. I ate rice and a piece of chicken for dinner. It was very simple."
*MB: Claudio Beradelli: "Sebastian has not reached his peak yet" - How did the celebrities and other notable runners do in London? Des Linden raced for the third straight week after placing third at the Marathon des Sables and 2:35 in Boston. She ran 3:04 in London while pacing a friend.
- The Irish marathon record went down in London with Peter Lynch running 2:06:08 in 9th place He broke the previous record by 1:46.
- London reclaims record for most marathon finishers with 59,830 They broke NYC's record of 59,226 finishers from last year. (NYC and London always trade back and forth with this record.)
Felix Is Back Baby
Felix is hoping to make the relay pool for what would be her 6th Olympics at the age of 42. She'll start her full training schedule under her longtime coach Bobby Kersee in October and return to competition in 2027. Felix said, I totally get the person who sticks around too long and you’re like, ‘What are they doing?’ I know, at 40, I am not at my peak. I have no illusions about that. I’m very clear in what it is and what I want to see. And so I hope it's seen that way."
American Marathon News
Mauri, who had a best NCAA XC finish of 68th in 2023 while at Notre Dame and doesn't even have a PB longer than 5000m on the World Athletics database (13:34.03 from 2025), came out of nowhere to break the American marathon debut record.
- Vincent Mauri: “I wasn’t planning on running that fast. I kind of told a couple of co-workers I was like 'if I don't go under 2:16, then I'm not a marathoner', but I think I went under 2:06 today, so, I think we're a marathoner."
- Phoenix is bidding to host the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials The Trials would be in March and Phoenix has the potential to be hot at that time of the year. USATF is expected to make a decision on the host by June 2026; St. Louis is also bidding.
London Marathon
Sebastian Sawe has run a 59:01 second half in London to break the 2:00 barrier and Yomif Kejelcha in the greatest marathon ever run. What. A. Race.
Assefa successfully defended her title and lowered her own women's-only world record to 2:15:41, prevailing in a tactical battle that saw an unprecedented three women break the 2:16 barrier.
- MB: Sabastian Sawe (with help from Yomif Kejelcha) has just BROKEN the marathon. 1:59:30!!! 59:01 2nd half!! With a 4:12 24th mile, Sawe completely demolished the WR, the field and the sub-2 hour barrier. Yomif Kejelcha also went sub-2, finishing in 1:59:41 in his marathon debut and Jacob Kiplimo was under the previous WR with 2:00:28. In the women's race, Tigst Assefa broke her own women's only world record with 2:15:41. She beat out Hellen Obiri who ran 2:15:53
- MB: Official 2026 London Marathon Live Discussion Thread\
- Anyone else feel kind of deflated now that the 2hr barrier has been broken?
- Yomif Kejelcha Appreciation Post
- Is kejelcha the best distance runner of all time?
- WSJ: The newest marathon super shoes are here and seem AMAZING. One weighs less than 4 ounces, one doesn't have laces.
- Is Sabastian Sawe showing that the sport is cleaner than we thought
- If These 7 Men All Run Sub 2 Marathons in the Next Six Years, How Many Women Will Run Sub 2.10?
- Unheralded American Vincent Mauri runs 2:05:54 at Glass City Marathon in Toledo
Penn Relays
NAUA's Colin Sahlman got the stick with a 2-second lead but Marco Langon and Simeon Birnbaum were in hot pursuit. This time Langon turned the tables on Birnbaum and got sweet revenge, splliting 3:55.94 to give Nova a victory by 0.05 over Oregon in 16:18.52 after a 53.6 last lap. Watch the last leg (or full race) in the video above. In other action, NC State ran away with the women's 4 x 1500 (16:59.86) and Michigan broke a 41-year old Penn Relays record in the men's 4 x 800 by running 7:09.24, just missing the 7:08.96 CR.
- MB: Michigan breaks 41-yr-old Penn Relays 4 x 800 record, just misses NCAA record. Should Trent McFarland been DQd for taunting?
- Quincy Wilson anchors Bullis to Penn 4x400 victory, ending Jamaica's 18-Year winning streak In cold and rainy conditions, Wilson got the baton in the lead and ran 45.58 to give Bullis the win in 3:10.15. Jamaica College finished 3rd in 3:13.15.
Drake Relays
- MB: All-time showboat backfire at Drake Relays 4x1600 Iowa State's anchor started celebrating on the final turn while running in second place behind Air Force. But when he tried to pass, Air Force's anchor held him off and got the win.
- Drake Pro Saturday Recap: Annika Reiss won the women’s mile in 4:25.52 over Addy Wiley (4:25.96) Cooper Cawthra won the men's 1500m in 3:35.22. Roger Steen swept the Drake shot put titles, winning the main competition in 21.93m after taking the WSPS belt earlier in the week.
- Quentin Nauman's bid to run the first prep sub-4 on Iowa soil came up short as he won the mile in 4:05.18 Nauman ran 3:58.65 at the HOKA Festival of Miles last year (making him the fastest Iowa prep ever), but Iowa doesn't count out-of-state performances as official state records.
- Iowa men and women sweep Drake Relays Cup The cup goes to the team that scores the highest between five relay events: the 4x100, 4x400, 4x800, DMR and SMR. The Iowa men and women each won three of the five races.
Kip Keino Classic
Wanyonyi impressively held off Worlds bronze medalist Reynold Cheruiyot over the last 400 to win in a pb of 3:34.11. Thomas (11.01/21.89) ran a world leader in the 200 but her wait for a wind-legal sub-11 in the 100m goes on. All did not go well for world 800m champ Lilian Odira who was beaten in her specialty.
Latest HS Sub-4
- Jackson Spencer goes sub-4 with 3:58.17 win Nike Jesuit Twilight Relays Ellery Lincoln won the girls' race in 4:30.00 (#4 high school all-time). Cole Hocker held the finish line tape for both races.
*MB: Jackson Spencer 3:58.17 to win Nike Jesuit Twilight Relays
Previous Penn Relays Coverage
Birnbaum let it go tactical on the anchor and showed why as he just held off Marco Langon by 0.05 to win after a crazy fast last lap. *Race video
*MB: Official 2026 Penn Relays Live Discussion Thread
- UNC women break collegiate DMR record with 10:36.82, just ahead of Stanford's 10:36.90 Stanford was also under the old record, but UNC's Vera Sjoberg ran 4:26.15 on the anchor leg to beat Mena Scatchard's 4:26.65.
- Friday High School Recap: Blair Bartlett wins 3000m in meet record 9:04.92 (#4 on the all-time prep outdoor list)
- In her 5000 debut, Liberty sophomore Allie Zealand breaks 42-year-old 5000 Penn Relays record
- MB: D3 athlete to win Penn Relays 5000? Update: No, Cornell's Pierre Attiogbe (13:37) wins. Hagan > Clevenger
Drake Relays
- OSU women narrowly misses 4x800 collegiate record at Drake Relays They ran 8:16.65, #2 on the NCAA all-time list behind Arkansas' 8:16.12 from last year. Gracie Hyde won the steeple in a world leading 9:22.19. The Oregon State women won the 4x1600 in 19:06
- Roger Steen defended his World Shot Put Series title in dramatic fashion, taking the winner’s belt after a throw of just over 73 feet (22.25 meters). The WSPS, founded by shot put world record holder Ryan Crouser, follows a unique format resembling high jump or pole vault competitions and also a "challenge attempt" and a "moneyball, a 15-pound ball (the standard weight is 16 pounds) that can also be used once throughout the competition."
- Rudy Winkler (78.75m), Brooke Andersen (78.56) hammer out repeat titles at Drake
- In 115 years at Drake, no HS girl had ever jumped 20' in the long jump until Thursday Abby Mecklenberg did it three times in a single series and won by 2 feet with a 20-5.50. Quentin Nauman successfully defended his boys 3,200 meters title in 8:54, featuring a final 400-meter lap in 54.94 seconds.
London Previews
London Previews
Sawe beat Kiplimo last year but Kiplimo has been on fire heading into London, winning world xc and setting the half-marathon WR and our Jonathan Gault has learned the Sawe comes into London after a stress fracture.
Hellen Obiri has won the Boston and New York City Marathons twice each but has never run a flat course with pacers. Defending champ Tigst Assefa is targeting her own women's-only WR of 2:15:50.
- After suffering a seizure mid-race in 2024, Jess Judd shocked the world last fall with a 7th place finish in her marathon debut in NYC, now she's ready for her London Marathon debut (while working at a deli 20 hours a week)
- Toni Reavis wonders what would happen if London had elite men and Boston had elite women (only) He's right it would certainly improve the tv broadcast.
Post-Boston News
The 37-year-old Ringer, whose wife listens to the LetsRun podcast, talks to us after finishing 8th in his World Marathon Major debut. He discussed how the 2026 Boston times compare to a flat course like Valencia and his thoughts on World Athletics' decision to take the marathon out of the World Championships and reveals amazingly that he's PRd every single year that he's been running.
Free for everyone
Cooper talks about his undefeatead indoor season, his "just send it" mentality, what's on tap outdoors and what it's like being a world champion walking the halls of his Texas high school.
Even Faster Super Shoes?
Sebastian Sawe's super shoe weighs less than 4 ounces.
Pre Penn & Drake News
- 10 storylines to follow at the Penn Relays The men's and women's DMRs and men's 4xmile and women's 4x1500m should all be great. Can Quincy Wilson and Bullis end Jamaica's 18-year winning streak in the boys' 4x400?
- 10 high school storylines to watch at Drake Relays 3:58.65 miler Quentin Nauman will try to be the first prep to go sub-4 on Iowa soil.
- 10 college/pro storylines to follow at the Drake Relays Addy Wiley will return in the women's mile after winning USATF Road Champs and the 8:16.12 women's collegiate 4x800m record is under threat from OSU.
- MileSplit: Penn Relays high school DMR preview
- KC Lightfoot breaks Drake Relays mall record with a 5.91m (19-4.75) vault Jordan Creek Mall to kick off Drake Relays weekend Sandi Morris won the women's vault in 4.75m on countback over Katie Moon.
Previous London News
- Daddy Pig is running the London Marathon (both in real life in a costume and on the cartoon show)
- 33-yr-old Kodi Kleven, who never raced for BYU while in college, on Monday led the Boston Marathon and ran 2:24 Coach Ed Eyestone calls her a “workhorse” and “grinder.”
- Q&A with Scott Fauble (3 times 7th placer in Boston) who tweeted on Monday that super shoes "may end up being one of the worst things ever in terms of watching interesting and compelling elite level marathons" He says the risk of hitting full-send on an aggressive pace early seems to be gone as people no longer blow up like they used to.
- Am I a deluded attention-seeker? Why I’m running the London Marathon dressed as a badger Answer: Yes.
- London Marathon organizers say they are still debating having a 2-day race in 2027 We don't like this idea. If you are going to do it, do it in the 50th year (2031). Why have a one off year in 2027? London is also aware they could be overdoing it. "“You can lose that love, and we have to be mindful of that."
- Runner seeks public help to break marathon world record Rhys Boorman, 33, from Hastings, hopes to set the fastest marathon time dressed as a Morris dancer but he missed the Guinness application deadline as his wife was giving birth so he needs spectators to take a picture every mile.
- Meet the 88-year-old set to be London Marathon 2026's oldest runner
- Apple is an official sponsor of the London Marathon for the first time and some of their people talk about why their watches would be a good fit
USATF Road Mile Championships
Doping News
- Just over a month to go until the Enhanced Games The Las Vegas event that has been postponed twice (first to 2024, then to 2025) looks like it will finally happen with a competitor list of close to 50. However, there is no official list and organizers have suggested there are "shadow athletes" who have not been revealed yet.
- 2:21:05 Ethiopian marathoner Zinash Senbeta provisionally suspended for doping
- Indian track and field placed in highest-risk category over doping concerns India has consistently been in the top-2 for anti-doping violations in track and field between 2022 and 2025 and now will face stricter rules including minimum testing thresholds for national teams.
- Other forms of Cheating: Guardian: The IOC’s decision to protect the female category is a victory for fairness It's amazing how the tide has turned as the Guardan is a left-leaning newspaper.
World Relay Champs Are Next Weekend
- Entry lists released for World Relay Champs May 2-3 in Botswana All six winning teams from the 2025 World Relays return to defend their titles. Jamaica has brought some stars with world 100m champ Oblique Seville, Olympic silver medalist Kishane Thompson, multi-time Olympic champ Elaine Thompson-Herah and two-time world champ Shericka Jackson.
- USATF names roster for World Relays No men's or women's 4x400, no big stars. Although the men's 4x100 has Ronnie Baker and Courtney Lindsey who were on last year's world gold 4x100.
- WA: Teams to watch out for at the World Relays Funny that the article says the US's "strength is built on the 4x400m," but we're not brining a men's or women's 4x400 to these championships.
- Did you realize Elaine Thompson-Herah ran 10.92 last weekend? The 4-time Olympic gold medallist may not be done year. She's only 33.
NCAA News
- Georgia men stay #1 in updated NCAA rankings; Arkansas jump 16 spots to #2 Texas A&M and Oregon are ranked 3-4.
- Georgia women still #1 in latest NCAA rankings; BYU moves up one spot to #2 Florida jumped three spots to #3 and LSU is #4.
- NCAA.com: 20 midseason superlatives for the outdoor track and field season They choose Habtom Samuel and Jane Hedengren as their Bowerman Award front-runners.
More Results From A Busy Week
- USATF Weekend recap: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sha'Carri Richardson teamed up in Florida to run the fastest women's 4x100 ever run before June (41.70) On the men's side, Jordan Anthony, Trayvon Bromell, GB's Jake Odey-Jordan, and Noah Lyles ran 37.78, the fastest time ever run as early as April.
- MB: Virginia's Nathan Mountain breaks American collegiate steeple record with 8:11.92 at the Virginia Challenge The time puts him #10 on the US all-time list.
- Angelina Alder sets 12 year old mile WR with 4:40.98 *Race video
- ASU's Jayden Davis ran world-leading 44.29 at Mt. SAC, breaking a 58-year-old school record Arkansas' Jelani Watkins ran a wind-aided 9.82 to win the 100m (+2.8).
- Madison Whyte ran 49.64 to win Mt. SAC 400m (#9 NCAA all-time) This was less than an hour after running a leg on USC's NCAA-leading 4x100. Hana Moll broke her own collegiate outdoor PV record with 4.80m.
- Arkansas Jelani Watkins wins Mt. SAC 200m in 20.35
- Andrew Jones runs 34.72 high school 300H record
- Mt. SAC high school recap Kaahlilyah Lacy won three events, including #4 all-time 39.93 in the 300H.
- Nebraska's Swedish Olympian Axelina Johansson throws 19.62m (#3 on the NCAA outdoor all-time list) at the Big Red Classic Johansson has the NCAA indoor record at 19.75m.
Making sense of Boston
Monday's Boston Marathon saw five Americans break 2:06, including the two fastest marathons ever by Americans. How much did the tailwind help their times?
GST Out Of Bankruptcy
- Front Office Sports: "Grand Slam Track's contentious bankruptcy is over. Now what?" The judge approved the plan will see GST pay back athletes 70% and vendors 14% of what they are owed. The majority of the final hearing last week was devoted to a handful of athletes, including Cooper Teare and Marco Arop, who mistakenly checked the a box on a form that moved them from athlete tier to vendor tier. Arop would have missed out on almost $100k in prize money if the issue wasn't corrected.
*MB: Grand Slam Track coming out of bankruptcy
Boston Men
John Korir ran 2:01:52 to shatter the Boston Marathon course record as 13 men broke 2:06 in the deepest race in Boston history. Zouhair Talbi ran 2:03:45, the fastest ever by an American citizen and Charles Hicks became the 2nd fastest at 2:04:35.
- Boston Talk: Official 2026 Boston Marathon LIVE Thread
- John MF Korir: I think he could have gone sub 2 today - 60:02 2nd half!!! 2:01:52 FTW!!!
- 2:03. Zouhair Overtakes Mantz as Top American
- Charles Hicks 2:04:35 under previous American Record held by Connor Mantz in his second marathon.
- Joe Klecker 2:05.56
Boston Women
Lokedi blasted the downhill section from 35k to 40k in 14:48 (with a 4:35 24th mile!) en route to a repeat victory in Boston in 2:18:51. Jess McClain was the top American for the second straight year, running a pb of 2:20:07 for 5th.
More From Boston
- MB: Des Linden started the race and finished 30th in 2:35:49 This a week after finishing 3rd at the the Marathon des Sables ultramarathon in the Sahara Desert.
- MB: RIP to Galen Rupp's chances for the 2028 Olympic Team Rupp ran 2:08:15 to finish 22nd.
- GB's Calli Hauger-Thackery ran 2:43:58 at the Boston Marathon while 5 months pregnant This despite stopping at a medical tent twice for a glute problem and a bathroom break.
- How'd the celebrities/former winners do in Boston? 79-year-old former Boston winner Amby Burfoot ran 5:11:29.
- MB: Chelsea Clinton runs 3:40:52 in Boston
The Marathon Project is BACK (sponsored post)
The Marathon Project has announced a major schedule change for this year's event. The Amateurs and Professionals will now compete together in a 400-person race on Saturday, December 12. The move is designed to amplify the atmosphere and increase the intensity with more athletes, fans, and energy on the flat, fast, loop course in Chandler, AZ. According to race organizers, "The overwhelming feedback we received from last year was that the participants loved being treated like pros. Now they'll get to race with the pros as well. It's a logical next step for us." Press Release here
Weekend Track Action
Birnbaum closed in 53.59 at Hayward Field to smash Liam Murphy’s 3:33.02 NCAA 1500m record.
Michael Norman is back and healthy. The 2022 world champion raced for the first time in 19 months at the Tom Jones Memorial and revealed he is now training under a new coach as he begins a fresh comeback.
- Jamaica's 2025 world 200m bronze medalist Bryan Levell opens his season with 9.90 100m win in Kingston Two-time double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah ran 10.92 in the 100m heats, but withdrew from the final which was won by Lavanya Williams in 10.96. In the 200m, Adrian Kerr beat 100m world champion Oblique Seville, 20.28 to 20.43. Shaniqua Bascombe won the women's 200m (22.68).
- World Indoor champion Jordan Anthony ran a 9.91 PB at the Tom Jones Memorial meet
- MB: Melanie Doggett - 14-years-young- runs 11.01 (NWI) 100m!!!
Mt. SAC Chaos
- MB: Mt. Sac Disaster in the Elite 800m A cameraman stepped onto the track causing a collision and leading to almost the entire field to DNF. (Arizona State's Dayton Carlson was the only one to keep running and jogged in a 1:57.14.) In the women's 800m, Shafiqua Maloney won in 1:59.45 while former 400H WR holder Dalilah Muhammad ran a 2:03.71 PB in 5th place.
Non-Track Action
- Humanoid robot wins Beijing half marathon faster than Jacob Kiplimo’s world record The robot finished the race in 50:26 which was a huge improvement on last year's robot race where the fastest was 2:40:42. This year several robots ran faster than the professional runners and almost half of the more than 100 robots (including the winner) navigated the race autonomously.
*MB: Humanoid robot wins Beijing half-marathon in 50:26 - Ashley Paulson breaks 100-mile treadmill world record by nearly 90 minutes She ran 12:47:10 for 100 miles (7:40 pace) on a treadmill in front of spectators at the Boston Marathon Expo and also plans to run the Boston Marathon on Monday.
- Slovenia's Klara Lukan becomes first European to go under 30 minutes She won the Laredo 10k in 29:50 to break Megan Keith's 30:07 European record. It's the 4th time the women's European 10k record as gone down this year. Ethiopia's Biniam Mehary won the men's race in 26:55 in what was a failed WR attempt.
- Kenyans Michael Selelo Saoli and Ruth Gitonga Mwihaki win São Brás Cross, the first WMRA Mountain Running World Cup event of the year GB's defending World Cup champion Scout Adkin finished runner-up, about a minute behind Mwihaki.
Outside Boston Coverage
- MB: Nike pulls "Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated" ad after online outrage The ad was funny and harmless; people are too sensitive.
- NBC: The US is experiencing the "longest major international marathon podium drought (combined for women and men) since the WMM series began in 2006" The last American woman to finish in the top-3 at a WMM or global championship was Emily Sisson when she was 2nd at the 2022 Chicago Marathon. The last man was Galen Rupp who was 3rd at Chicago 2021.
- Athletics Weekly looks back at some of the biggest moments in Boston Marathon history The first Boston Marathon in 1897 was won in 2:55:10, but wasn't even a full marathon (it was 24.5 miles)
- Boston Marathon all-time US men's list Ryan Hall tops the list with his windy 2:04:58 from 2011.
- Boston Marathon all-time US women's list Shalane Flanagan has the fastest time for an American on the course with 2:22:02 from 2014.
Boston 5k
Ethiopians Addisu Yihune (13:14) and Gela Hambese (15:28) won the titles on Boylston Street on Saturday. Teare (13:25) and Smith (15:33) were the top Americans. In the B.A.A. Mile, American Eric Holt (4:06.64) and Kenyan Dorcus Ewoi (4:29.73) were your winners.
Previous Track Results
Lyles won over Max Thomas (19.98) while Taylor finished 3rd overall running in a separate heat to break Lyles' decade-old 20.09 record. On the women's side, Mariah Maxwell moved to #5 on the HS all-time list with 22.44, finishing second to pro McKenzie Long (22.42).
- MB: Georgia freshman Adaejah Hodge runs 10.77 (+1.7) - 2nd fastest in NCAA history
- MB: Gout Gout doesn't silence the doubters - Follows up 19.67 200 with a 10.21 (+0.5) Gout won the Austrlian U20 100m title in 10.21 after running 10.10 (+0.3) in the prelims.
- MB: Melanie Doggett - 14-years-young- runs 11.01 (NWI) 100m!!! The HS freshman is a phenom.
- Trent McFarland runs 3:33.17 at Wake Forest Invy to move to #2 on the NCAA all-time 1500m list He broke Kevin Sullivan's 29-year-old Michigan school record (3:35.19). His teammate Brendan Herger was runner-up in 3:34.06 for #8 NCAA all-time. *Results
*MB: McFarland 3:33.17 - MB: Keith Brantly's Florida 28:31 10,000 record was good for 44 years. This week it was broken by a 25-yr old freshman from Kenya. Kelvin Cheruiyot ran 28:25 to win the Wake Forest 10,000m.
Bryan Clay Invite
Hedengren broke Parker Valby's outdoor record (although she's already ran faster indoors with her 14:44.79 at BU). NCAA champ Pamela Kosgei finished 13 seconds back in 3rd. Kansas' Emmaculate Jemutai won the women's 800m in 1:59.88; Shelby Houlihan was 6th in 2:01.68. In the open 5000m, high schooler Abdinasir Hassan ran 13:52.31 to break Edward Cheserek’s sophomore class record (#9 on the prep all-time list).
- Louisville's Geoffrey Kirwa runs world lead and NCAA #2 all-time 8:08.10 steeplechase at Bryan Clay The 26-year-old Kenyan sophomore is the only collegian besides Henry Rono to go under 8:10. Louisville's Elsingi Kipruto won the 10,000m in 27:29 (#10 NCAA all-time). Notre Dame's Sophie Novak won the women's steeple in 9:24.
- MB: Colin Sahlman 1:44.42 at Bryan Clay Puts him #8 on the collegiate all-time outdoor list.
- MB: Shelbo800 ran an 800 Houlihan also paced 2k of Jane Hedengren's 5000m collegiate record.
- MB: 78% runners @ Bryan Clay set PB
Kenyans John Korir & Benson Kipruto will attempt to join the Boston legends club by winning their 2nd title while Zouhair Talbi, Alex Maier, & Clayton Young lead a deep US field.
Defending champ Lokedi is the clear favorite with her longtime rival Hellen Obiri running Boston. Fiona O'Keeffe and American record holder Emily Sisson headline a STACKED US field.
It's been nearly a decade since an American man has finished in the top 3 at Boston. And we've got good news and bad news. The good news? There are 8 sub-2:09 Americans hoping to end that drought. The bad news? We expect the drought to continue.
The latest forecast shows the predicted wind shifting even in more of westerly direction which is great as that means the runners will have a tailwind helping them on Monday. The temps will be ideal as well.
International News
- The Sydney Morning Herald: "Trolling influencers" and "legitimate athletics writers" doubt doubt Gout Gout, he'll try to respond on the track this weekend He's running in the 100m in the Australian Junior Championships in Brisbane and his agent says expect a big time.....as long as the wind is favorable. ;)
*MB: Jonathan Gault says you have to "wonder a bit" about Gout Gout's 19.67 as the top 5 all PBd by at least .21 - Do you agree? - MB: World Athletics refuses to allow 5 Olympic medallists - including Bridgid Kosgei and Ronald Kwemoi - to transfer their allegiance to Turkey in return for cash 2024 Olympic discus champ Rojé Stona was also on the list with two other Jamaican medallists.
What an indoor season
He’s 17, still in high school, and already a world champion. Cooper Lutkenhaus went undefeated this indoor season and is now LetsRun.com’s Athlete of the Month.
News from Europe
- Will Crystal Palace’s ‘hallowed' track be revitalized and create more athletics history? We'll find out soon We'll find out soon if the stadium where Dave Bedford set his 10,000m world record in 1973 may get a £130m redevelopment.
- Ireland's most decorated Paralympian Jason Smyth (21 gold medals) finds life after sport to be a bit tough "In sport, I knew exactly what I was working towards. Since stepping away, that hasn’t been as clear. It feels a bit directionless when you don’t know where you’re trying to go."
Our Weekly Recap
Gout Gout goes sub-20, Cameron Myers joins Timothy Cheruiyot in the history books, Claudia Hollingsworth gets DQd and un-DQd and we wonder why the closing splits were so fast at the Paris Marathon. Plus Jackson Spencer impresses. It's a massive Week That Was.
What was the right call in the Aussie women's 1500 final?
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18-year-old Gout Gout just clocked a staggering 19.67 in Sydney—shattering the Australian record and putting himself in the same conversation as Usain Bolt. But was it a generational leap or a "perfect storm" of wind and environment? From "unicorn conditions" to a deep dive into wind-gauge physics and the FloJo parallel, Robert Johnson breaks down why Gout Gout is a massive talent, but why you shouldn't expect a repeat performance in Europe this summer.
The Latest LRC Exclusive
Sawe underwent 25 out-of-competition drug tests in the two months before winning last year's Berlin Marathon. We spoke to Sawe and the AIU's Brett Clothier about the impact Sawe's announcement has had on the sport, and their plans to keep the program going in 2026.
- More: Sabastian Sawe's first long-form interview in English Sawe went on the Podium Athletics podcast to discuss his drug testing regime and chances at breaking Kelvin Kiptum's 2:00:35 world record.
If you are a fan of Sawe you'll also love this
An interesting read. Did you know he grew up without electricity? That his uncle is the Ugandan 800m NR holder at 1:43.72. That he didn't make his European debut until 2022 when he was almost 27?
Important Administrative News
- Grand Slam Track athletes vote 123-0 to approve bankruptcy plan that will see them get 70% of what they are owed The vendors will only get 14-16% of what they are owed.
- Discus world record holder Mykolas Alekna tore his pec muscle and is out for the season and as a result, 3-time NCAA champ Peyton Bair may redshirt Oregon's outdoor season If he redshirts, then Bair would have a full season of indoor and outdoor in 2027. "The ultimate goal is to win a national championship, and national championships are hard to win," Schumacher said. "Obviously the loss of points (due to Alekna's absence) mean's we're looking at our board and trying to figure out what is best."
- Emile Cairess Withdraws from 2026 TCS London Marathon He was expected to go for the British record. “Unfortunately, the calf issue I sustained earlier in my training block means I am not currently where I need to be, I’ve done my best to be on the Start Line but unfortunately, I have to make the tough decision to withdraw."
Mt. SAC Relays
- DyeStat Preview: 10 college/pro storylines to watch at the Mt. SAC Relays Not-retired-yet Dalilah Muhammad is racing the 800m. The 2016 Olympic 400H champ ran a 10-second PB of 2:04.51 last month in her first 800m in 11 years. 800m runners Raevyn Rogers, the Tokyo Olympic 800m bronze medalist, and Allie Wilson are in the 1500m.
- DyeStat Preview: 10 high school storylines to watch at Mt. SAC Relays 8:43 3200m runner Maximo Zavaleta is doing the 800/1600 double.
Looking Ahead To Summer Sprinting
- Noah Lyles will race over 150m at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet on June 16 He wants to break the 14.92 world best recently set by Kishane Thompson.
- BBC: Olympic 100m champ Julien Alfred will be on of the stars competing at this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow She'll be up against GB's Dina Asher-Smith in the 100m.
- Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Letsile Tebogo announced for World Athletics Ultimate Championship
- British sprint stars Amy Hunt, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita will go head-to-head in London DL 200m on July 18
- Rhasidat Adeleke to open comeback season in Shanghai Diamond League 400m on May 16 She'll face world bronze medalist Salwa Eid Naser and the 2025 World Indoor champion Amber Anning.
NCAA News
- MB: Virginia Tech coach Ben Thomas currently on NCAA probation for recruiting violations The violation summary says that Thomas "impermissibly coordinated" with Akron head coach Timothy Sykes about possible transfers before they had entered the transfer portal and then later on Sykes was hired by Virginia Tech as an assistant distance coach.
- OSU's Billah Jepkurui ran 4:04.59 (#5 NCAA all-time) at the Arkansas Spring Invite last weekend She had a teammate pace her for 700m and ran the rest solo to win by 26 seconds.
- Georgia men move to #1 in latest NCAA DI rankings LSU, Texas A&M and Texas are ranked 2-4 while Tennessee jumped 18 spots to #5.
- Georgia women move up to #1 in NCAA rankings; Texas A&M jump four spots to #2 BYU and LSU are ranked 3-4 and last week's #1 Texas dropped to #5.
- T&F News' men's NCAA formchart has Arkansas 1 point over Auburn and Oregon and Georgia a close 3-4 Includes event-by-event top-10.
LetsThrow.com
- Deep shot put announced for Pre Classic with Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, Tom Walsh and Leonardo Fabbri
- Lots of stars announced for Drake Relays Thursday night throwing events American record holder Rudy Winkler headlines the men's hammer.
- Ryan Crouser-founded World Shot Put Series returns to Drake Relays for 2026 This is a unique shot put event which uses a "king of the ring" format where throwers have to get past a designated line in order to advance.
- Lawrence Okoye improved his own British discus record to 71.88m at the Romona Throws Series in Oklahoma He finished 3rd place.
- Air Force's Texas Tanner threw 69.56m (#2 NCAA all-time) at the "Ramona wind" aided Oklahoma Throws Series over the weekend
Distance News
- World champion Peres Jepchirchir withdraws from London Marathon She says she isn't at her top fitness because she only started training in late January due to a December stress fracture.
- Athletics Weekly: "Jakob Ingebrigtsen's training system forces a patient return to form" "The Norwegian Method does not encourage flat-out workouts that fast-track fitness following injury."
- Jimmy Gressier announced for Monaco DL 5000m on July 10
- Jess Hull fall: Champion runner's dad and coach Simon remorseful after blow-up, says he apologized to Australian Athletics
LRC Track Talk
Simeon Birnbaum is having a breakout NCAA year, finishing 2nd at NCAAs, but he's not interested in being second or even running fast. "No one cares about second or third… go win something."
More Distance News
- Norwegian team doctor tells press that Jakob Ingebrigtsen has suffered no setbacks in his comeback but people need to be patient "Patience is demanding. But he is doing the job. There have been no relapses, and the training has gone according to plan," said the doc.
*MB: Jakob Ingebritsen update - on track, but needs time - Keely Hodgkinson will run her 1st Diamond League 400m in Rome
- Marathon superfan propopsed after his girlfriend ran Tokyo - he didn't live to see her run Boston
- Hong Kong Marathon considering new course, 2-day format after attracting 74,000 runners That's 74,000 over the 10k, half and full.
The Latest LRC Exclusives
The Latest LRC Exclusives
We asked Jonathan Gault to try to find out what many of the top pros are up to.
Richardson, who was charged with misdemeanor fourth-degree assault after shoving boyfriend Christian Coleman at the SeaTac airport, and prosecutors agreed to postpone the case for two years when it would be dismissed as long as she met certain criteria, including "no criminal law violations."
Josh Kerr 222 podcast
Josh Kerr is chasing Hicham El Guerrouj’s mile world record his way, choosing a packed London Diamond League over a controlled time trial and insisting on “my race, my rules.” Kerr discussed his world record attempt and most recent world title over Cole Hocker on the LetsRun.com podcast.
Johh Kerr swears by power-to-weight training to improve his speed – here’s how and why you should do the same 'My gym coaches have done a really good job of finding where my weaknesses are. I need to create more power. My goal is that my power-to-weight ratio needs to be good.
Your opinion counts
We'd love to know a little more about you and how we can improve Letsrun.com.
Meet Fotyen Tesfay
Tesfay, who has a half-marathon best of 63:21 (#3 all-time) is the latest star in the group of famed Ethiopian coach Gemedu Dedefo, who has now coached five of the 11 fastest female marathoners in history.
The winners of our prediction contests
World indoors are this week. The LetsRun.com prediction contest team for Worlds is set. Meet the winners from the USAs contest and some of our other recent contests as well. They highlight the best of LRC.
LRC Exclusive
Since he stopped racing in the middle of the 2025 cross country season for Iowa State, Seth Clevenger has taken DIII by storm. The Rowan University athlete is the DIII leader in three events. But following the release of a video of an alleged EPO order, multiple former teammates told LetsRun.com that Clevenger said he took banned substances in 2025 while at Iowa State and admitted as such to the coaching staff. The situation raises questions about a potential hole in the NCAA’s anti-doping policy. We investigate how a star could allegedly admit to banned drug use and remain eligible to compete.
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
