Week That Was

Here is everything that mattered in the running world last week including a Josh Kerr - Roger Bannister comparison, a woman beating a man's American record, and 2026 HYROX Beijing/ 1996 Boston Marathon comparison.

World Road Running Champs Are This Weekend
On The Boards
On The Boards
Kenyan News
Random Non-Running News
World Champs Come To Kenya

This will be the first time worlds has been in Africa, although Kenya hosted the World U18 Championships in 2017. This will be Germany's third time hosting; they last hosted in 2009 in Berlin (where Usain Bolt ran his 9.58 and 19.19 world records).

Does Ultimate Champs Count?

Should they award medals at World Ultimate Champs?

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Great North Run

Talbi competed for Morocco at the Paris Olympics, but became a US citizen in 2024. He won here by 14-seconds over Kenya’s Alex Mutiso. The US also had Casey Clinger in 4th (61:36) and Clayton Young in 7th (62:04). Kosgei dominated the women's race by over 2 minutes. GB's Eilish McColgan DNF'd with another blister issue.

Ultimate Champs Videos

Did you miss the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship? We've gathered all the NBC Sports track replays. from the $150k distance showdowns to the sprints and relays, in one spot so you can catch up on every race.

LRC Our favorite photos of world's best and field athletes chasing $150K prizes at the Ultimate Championship See some of the stunning images from Budapest.

Fifth Avenue Mile

Jemma Reekie ran away with her third Fifth Avenue Mile title, breaking the women’s course record, while Marco Langon won his race debut in 3:45.0. 

2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championships
2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championships

Josh Kerr closed his final 800 meters in a sensational 1:47.79 to hold off Cam Myers and win the World Ultimate 1500m in 3:29.35, completing his personal “Kerr Slam” and cementing his status as the world’s best miler.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s 21.47 was officially the fourth-fastest women’s 200m ever. But after adjusting for wind and altitude, it ties for the fastest ever, and the cool conditions make the case even stronger that it may have been the greatest women’s 200m ever run.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ran a historic 21.47, Kenny Bednarek completed the sprint double, Djamel Sedjati won the 800m, and Brandon Miller capped his breakthrough 2026 season with another 1:42.

Werro Stays Perfect

Werro won all 10 of her 800m finals in 2026, including times of 1:53.70, 1:53.80, and 1:53.98 -- the three fastest times by any woman since 1983.

World Ultimates Day 2

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Kenny Bednarek swept the 100m titles on Day 2 of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships, while Klaudia Kazimierska won a thrilling women’s 1500 over Georgia Hunter Bell and Nikki Hiltz. And Collen Kebinatshipi went for it and dominated the men's 400.

Day 2 MB Talk
More Ultimate Champs Recaps
Day 1 Ultimate Champs Coverage

Seven months and five days after Achilles surgery, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (12:59.24) proved his championship 5000 greatness yet again, crushing Cole Hocker and an incredible US squad (2-3-5-6-7) to capture the inaugural World Ultimate 5,000m crown. *Race video

        Outside coverage of Ultimates
        Day 1 MB Talk
        More Day 1 MB Talk
        The King Speaks

        Jakob After "Crushing" Cole Hocker

        One messageboard poster describes the above interview as the "best interview I've ever seen." More Budapest interviews here.

        World Athletics Admin News
        Olympic News
        Embed from Getty Images
        Fifth Ave Mile Pre-Race

        The men's race has Drew Hunter, Olli Hoare, Jake Heyward, Cooper Teare, Stevan Nillessen, Gary Martin and Marco Langon. The women's race includes Jemma Reekie, Kayley DeLay, Courtney Frerichs, Heather MacLean, Elise Cranny and Melissa Courtney-Bryant.

        Jenny Simpson Update
        Sorry Oregon

        After publishing an article urging World U20 3,000m sensation Emmanuel Kiprono to choose the NCAA, LetsRun.com has learned the 17-year-old Kenyan signed with adidas and agent Eric Lilot back in 2025.

        What does it mean to be a competitive runner?

        Learn about My Olympic Coach, a Miami training group where a 2:11 marathoner, a former NFL player, and 4-hour marathoners train side by side.

        Our Weekly Recap

        Yomif Kejelcha took back the half marathon world record with a staggering 56:51 in Buenos Aires, but did he really close the final 1.1 km at 4:04 mile pace? Plus, Marileidy Paulino and Collen Kebinatshipi continue two of the best 400m campaigns in track & field history, and quick hits on Ethan Strand and Femke Broeders-Bol.

        Time Flies When You're Having Fun

        On the 10-year anniversary of his unforgettable Olympic 1500m gold in Rio, Matthew Centrowitz joins LetsRun for a special edition of our Track Talk Podcast. He breaks down the Olympic race, discusses Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr and today’s golden age of the 1500m, and caps things off by taking on our own Jonathan Gault in a track & field trivia showdown.

        NCAA XC is about to start

        Could Oregon win its first men's XC title since 2008 thanks to a new Irish recruit? How will Iowa State rebound from a turbulent 2025 season?

        NYC Marathon Field

        Olympic champion Sifan Hassan returns after finishing 6th last year. Two-time champ Hellen Obiri and defending men's champ Benson Kipruto are back, while Conner Mantz chases his first podium finish at a major. US half marathon record holder Weini Kelati makes her long-anticipated debut while Andreas Almgren is also debuting after his dominant Euro 10k win. The race is Nov. 1.

        Week that Was:

        Andreas Almgren dominated the men's 10,000 at Euros in a way no one else has for decades and Mark English made history by becoming the oldest Euro 800 winner and Ireland's first individual male gold medalist.

        6 Day Olympic Trials Head to Eugene

        USATF is condensing the Trials into six days (the shortest Trials since 1964), moving the 10,000m and multi events elsewhere, with a quick 23-day turnaround from the Trials (June 17-22) to the Olympics (July 15-24)

        How to Run Fast

        RunCCG co-founders Chris Catton and Tim Goldsack may have coached more fast high school runners than anyone else on Planet Earth. In Part VII of the Summer of LetsRun, we conduct a Q&A with the two online private coaches of high school runners. What is the No. 1 mistake most high school runners make? What is their No. 1 piece of advice? Plus, DT hits a lifetime-high 65 miles as he gets ready for his senior season.

        Previous Summer of LetsRun Articles:

        Training Talk

        The Supporters Club embargo has ended! Watch our full Training Talk video interview with Marius Bakken - the godfather of the double threshold Norwegian Method - or read the highlights of our discussion on double threshold, super shoes, and lactate control. Even if you watched it live, you'll want to read this as it has been updated with a bonus emailed Q&A.

        Jonah Koech says he's innocent

        Hours after accepting a reduced 3-year ban for blood doping, 2025 US 1500m champion Jonah Koech told a LetsRun visitor on Instagram that he "didn't take anything." Plus, USADA explains a 3-year testing gap, and Ethan Strand and Hobbs Kessler react to the doping that cost one of them a US title and another a World championship spot.

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        World U20s Day 1

        Kibet led the last 1600 and won the 5000m in 13:28.27 over his countryman Nehemiah Kipngeno (13:30.09), closing in 4:06 and 57.26. Uganda’s world XC bronze medalist Charity Cherop won the women's 5000m in 15:03.88, well ahead of Ethiopia's Shito Gumi (15:07.91). In the 100m, the big names (Tate Taylor, Jamaica's Gary Card, Mia and Mariah Maxwell and Jamaica's Shanoya Douglas) all advanced to the final (Taylor with 10.06 and Mia Maxwell with 11.13 had the fastest times). In the mixed 4x400m, the US ran a record time of 3:15.31. The only field final on day 1 was the women's shot put, won by Brazil's Alessandro Borges.

        Summer Reading Series

        We look at three training books that go beyond workout logs, covering training philosophy, performance science, and the psychology of pushing your limits.

        2026 Commonwealth Games

        14 days after his 3:42.66 World Record, Josh Kerr looked like the best miler on the planet as he DESTROYED Cam Myers, Jake Wightman, Timonthy Cheruiyot and others with a 52 last lap. Rojo hosted a live watchalong party for the men's 800 (where UA Baltimore's Navasky Anderson won) and men's mile and Kerr's coach Danny Mackey joined the show to talk about Kerr's big win. Mackey told us what workouts Kerr has been doing since his WR and what the odds are he goes for the 1500 WR. The video above is cued to start when Mackey joined the show. 

          Embed from Getty Images
          Big NCAA News

          Texas has signed 25-year-old Kenyan Dennis Kipkogei, a 59:11 half marathoner who will enter the NCAA as a freshman and an immediate contender for the 2026 cross country title.

          Q&A

          Hicks, who ran 2:04:35 in Boston in April, will run the Chicago Marathon in October and says he has a "North Star" of trying to eventually hit 150 miles per week in his marathon career. Plus, how he convinced coach Jerry Schumacher to drop "Jerry miles" for his marathon training.

          Runner of the Month

          No woman had run under 1:54 in the 800m for nearly 43 years until Audrey Werro did it twice in June. Could the world record be next for the LetsRun.com June Runner of the Month?

          This Week's Podcast

          Cooper Lutkenhaus capped a near-perfect season, Nikki Hiltz won a ninth straight US title, and marathoner Charles Hicks joined us to explain his plan to build toward 150-mile training weeks.

          Brosnan Is Back

          Former Newbury Park high school coaching legend Sean Brosnan is back in the NCAA ranks as the new distance coach at USC. We caught up with Brosnan to discuss why he chose a program without a men's cross country team, what really happened with his NCAA show-cause  penalty, and we even asked him who is more talented - Colin Sahlman or Nico Young?

          London DL
          London DL

          On March 28th, Josh Kerr called his shot and told the world what he'd do no July 18th and he went out and did it. Tim Hutchings called it the "ballsiest world record in the history of middle-distance racing" and we have to agree. Incredible. Recap coming. *Full Race Video

          The 24-year-old has now PRd by nearly a full second to crush the field. He has now won 4 straight 800s. It was the start of an amazing day for the Brooks Beasts and coach Danny Mackey. *Full Results
          *          Brandon Miller is going to kick some @$$ One messageboard predicted a big run from Miller yesterday.

            London DL Messageboard Talk
            Looking Back At El G's Mile Record

            Before Josh Kerr’s London record attempt, we revisit how Hicham El Guerrouj ran 3:43.13 in Rome, with near-perfect pacing, ideal conditions, and Noah Ngeny pushing him all the way to the finish. What could El Guerrouj run today?

            LetsRun Forum Flashback

            No carbon plates. No Strava. Barely any mid-race fuel. We asked longtime LetsRun posters how they trained and raced before modern running technology took over—and the answers were hilarious, humbling, and occasionally horrifying, and showed how much the sport has changed.

            Summer Reading Series

            Four running books that will deepen your appreciation for the sport, from the inside story of an NCAA championship team to the race to break the four-minute mile.

            Summer of LetsRun - Article V

            One underappreciated key attribute that most accomplished distance runners have is restraint. This week, we unveil the LetsRun.com tempo pace calculator to make sure you don't go too hard, too soon and ruin your summer.
            *MB: LetsRun.com Summer Tempo / Threshold Calculator unveiled.

            The Summer of LetsRun - Article IV
            The Summer of LetsRun - Article IV

            If a young runner has 30 minutes of free time, there are about 5 different ways they can productively spend that time: Sleep more, run more, socialize, study or lift weights. We explain why weights are the least important item on the list.

            The Summer of LetsRun.com - Meet the high school XC phenom we are coaching who has jumped from 10 miles per week to 11 miles per day

            The sub-10 HSer that we are coaching this summer has already gone from 10 miles per week to 11 miles per day and already doing workouts like 3 x 2 mile. Can we save him from himself and Coach ChatGPT? We hope so as he has two things you can't coach - desire and talent.

            Train Smarter - Share This with The HS and College XC Runners you know
            Train Smarter - Share This with The HS and College XC Runners you know

            A sub-10 high school 3200 runner who barely runs (8-10 mpw) recently emailed us about summer training. We decided to help him out and also decided we'd share the wisdom with the masses. Cross country is a summer sport that's played out in the fall and we are giving you the keys to training properly this summer.

            Discussion: Tips for increasing mileage over the summer or in a base phase?

            Amazing Story

            Two-time Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier and 18 minute 5k highs school runner,  Tyler Andrews, explains how double-threshold training and pure running fitness helped him climb from Everest Base Camp to the summit in a record 9:55.

            Aletheia - the sensor & app to help you run better has improved (sponsored)

            Aletheia Run has launched a completely redesigned app built from runner feedback, featuring adaptive training, 170+ strength and mobility exercises, leave-phone-behind tracking, and performance insights. LetsRun readers can get a 30-day free trial plus 10% off their first year with code LETSRUN10.

            New Training Talk Live Series

            As we move to LetsRun.com second quarter century, we want to give you more reasons to visit the site daily. So we have launched a Live Training Talk series. Marius Bakken was the perfect first guest as this website was founded to try to spread the gospel of aerobic/threshold-based training, which Bakken has helped spread across the globe better than anyone. Catch it on demand as an SC Member. *Purchase book

            Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

            Webb's record of 3:53.43 is now 25 years old. Jim Ryun's record of 3:55.3 lived for 36. *Race video

            Must Read

            Midway through Marius Bakken's new book The Norwegian Method Applied, Robert Johnson had an epiphany and asked himself, "Is there any human on planet Earth who is better suited to write a training book than Dr. Bakken?" He doesn't think so. This is a must-read. Read it, then join the SC so you can ask Bakken a question during our live interview with him on June 1 at 1 p.m. ET. *Purchase book

            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?

            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

            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.

            Best of the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast
            Best of the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast

            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.

            LetsRun.com Pro Coaches Tour
            LetsRun.com Pro Coaches Tour

            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
            LetsRun Classics
            LetsRun Classics

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