LA Track Fest Live Recap
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This Weekend's Action / Rabat DL Is Sunday (2-4 pm ET)
This Weekend's Action / Rabat DL Is Sunday (2-4 pm ET)

Soufiane El Bakkali always delivers in the steeple in Rabat. Plus how will Donavan Brazier fare after an underwhelming opener, and does 2026 Emmanuel Wanyonyi = 2010 David Rudisha?

Will Rudisha's WR Fall in 2026?

Wanyonyi has already tied David Rudisha for the most sub-1:42s in history (seven) and is the same age (21) as Rudisha when Rudisha first broke the WR. With no Worlds or Olympics on the calendar this year, could Wanyonyi follow in Rudisha's footsteps in 2026?
*MB: Yeah or neah: Will Emmanuel Wanyonyi break the 800m WR in 2026?

Will Emmanuel Wanyonyi break the 800m WR in 2026?

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On The Boards
On The Boards
NCAA Regionals Started Wednesday

10 years ago, 17 of the 24 (70.8%) men's NCAA 10,000 qualifiers hailed from the USA. This year, it's just 5 of 24 (20.8%). Women's Update: For the women, 10 years ago also 17 of the 24 (70.8%) qualifiers were American. This year, it's down to 10 of 24 (41.7%) while the Kenyan numbers have gone up sixfold, from 2 (8.3%) to 12 (50%).

    Adaejah Hodge runs 10.86 (+0.2) in 1st round of 100m The freshman sensation has already run 10.77 this year. Sha'Carri's NCAA record of 10.75 may be on borrowed time.

    It's Harder To Qualify For Worlds Based on Time But People Will Still Chase Indoor Times

    You can no longer get a time qualifier at BU (or any indoor meet) but that doesn't mean people won't be chasing times indoors in a major way. There is a big loophole that World Athletics didn't fix -- indoor times are worth way more than outdoor times on the scoring tables.

    Previous: LRC World Athletics announces super hard qualifying standards for 2027 World Championships

    Random, But Interesting
    Father Time is Undefeated - Cherish Your Health
    • NY Times: Former WR holder in decathlon Russ Hodge dies at 86; an Olympian, like his mother "Russell the Muscle" was 9th in the decathlon at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the same position his mother Alice Arden had finished in the high jump at the 1936 Berlin Games. They were the first mother-son duo to go to the Olympics for the USA. Hodge, who admitted to steroid usage in the 1960s when they weren't illegal, remains the only decathlete to achieve a startling combination: He sprinted 100 meters in 10.2 seconds and threw the shot put more than 60 feet.
    • Lessons from a 90-year-old world record holder Giuseppe Damato holds both the 90+ world marathon (4:30:30) and half-marathon records (2:07:36) and his routine is refreshingly simple. He usually heads out for relaxed 10- to 15-kilometre runs with a group of friends, most of whom are decades younger and doesn't follow a structured trianing plan.
    • Mary Moraa reveals she was hospitalized due to a medical condition after finishing 7th at Worlds. "I almost threw in the towel a while ago owing to a medical condition but am glad that it has been fully addressed. I experienced general weakness and dizziness at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.”
    Administrative News

    8 women in the field have run 31:00 or faster including American Weini Kelati.

    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

    Mid-D Teen Phenoms Past & Present In The News
    New World Qualifying Standards

    The standards are way harder than ever -- 1:43.00 in the men's 800, 3:30.00 in the 1500 -- as World Athletics targets 40% of qualifiers by standard and 60% by rankings. Plus athletes can no longer hit the standard on 200m indoor tracks like Boston University.

    Podcast

    Parker Valby returned with a 14:49 PB at LA Track Fest, World Athletics unveiled controversial new standards that effectively ban BU indoor marks from Worlds qualification, and NBC News reporter Andrew Greif joined us from Las Vegas to discuss the Enhanced Games after organizers “expected multiple world records to happen, and it just didn’t happen.”

    Sub 2 happened

    Sabastian Sawe stunned the world with his 1:59:30 marathon in London to earn runner of the month honors. Jane Hedengren (two NCAA records) and Vincent Mauri (2:05:54 at the Glass City Marathon) were honorable mention.

    Road News
    Upcoming Action
    Catching Up On Some Other Recent Results
    Olympic News
    Interesting Distance News
    Post-Enhanced Games News
    Bolder Boulder 10k
    International Distance Results

    LA Track Fest

    Enhanced Games

    The inaugural Enhanced Games debuted in Las Vegas with athletes allowed to use performance-enhancing drugs, but the sprint results were surprisingly underwhelming. Fred Kerley won the men’s 100m in 9.97, while both track winners claimed they competed clean.

    More Weekend Track Action
    Xiamen DL

    Masai Russell ran the 2nd fastest 100m hurdle ever as 18-year-old Yan Ziyi threw the #2 javelin ever. Uganda's 2020 Olympic champ Peruth Chemutai fell short in her steeplechase WR attempt, but got the win in 8:51.06 (8th fastest performance of all-time) over Paris Olympic champ Winfred Yavi (8:51.54). Ethiopia’s 2022 world U20 champ Addisu Yihune beat Germany’s Mohamed Abdilaahi in the 5000m (12:57.32 to 12:57.90) and Australia’s Abbey Caldwell outdueled Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom in the 1500m (3:57.26 to 3:57.79), with US's Emily Mackay taking 3rd (3:58.13). Alison dos Santos topped WR holder Karsten Warholm again, taking the 400H 46.72 to 46.82. Other sprint highlights included world champ Collen Kebinatshipi dipping under 44 seconds to win the 400m (43.92), Shericka Jackson over Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the 200m (21.87 to 22.04) and Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala in the 100m (9.94).

    High School Corner
    Enhanced Games On Sunday Night
    Non-D1 NCAA Championships
    Kenyan Drug Busts
    DI Rankings
    Super Clothes?

    Adidas claims its new Techfit Endurance Suit can shave nearly a minute off a two-hour marathon as it “corrects and enhances” a runner's form. Is this a game changer even though Sabastian Sawe refused to wear it in London (Kejelcha did wear it)?

    Oceania Championships In The Books
    • Aussie Aidan Murphy completes 200m/400m double at Oceania Championships He followed up his 44.44 meet record from earlier in the week with a 20.05 victory in the 200m. Australia’s Luke Boyes won the men’s 800m by more than three seconds in 1:46.83 and the women's sprints were highlighted by championship records from New Zealand's Zoe Hobbs in the 100m (11.00) and Australia's Michelle Jenneke in the 100H (12.87).
    Weekend Previews

    Saturday will be a busy day for track fans as the Xiamen  DL (Saturday, 7-9 a.m. ET) and LA Track Fest (Saturday, 7-10 p.m. ET) will both take place. At the LA Track Fest, Parker Valby and Cooper Lutkenhaus will both make their outdoor pro debuts and the meet also includes Michael Norman, Nico Young, Donavan Brazier, Jake Wightman, Josh Kerr and Emma Coburn.

    Cole Hocker Update

    Hocker still owns a house in Blacksburg and will visit for training stints, but is spending more time in the Pacific Northwest. He will open his 2026 season on June 14 with the 3,000m at the USATF LA Grand Prix.

    NCAA Reigonals Are Next Week

    Perhaps the biggest development was that Alabama's Doris Lemngole, who had not raced all spring until SECs, has scratched the steeple to focus on the 5,000, where she will face Jane Hedengren in the final individual event of the meet.
    *MB NCAA Regional Declarations

    Links That A Human Liked
    Athlos Updates

    The meet be held on September 18 at StoneX Stadium in North London, a rugby stadium has a listed seating capacity of 10,500, though Athlos is currently only selling tickets to one side of the stadium. A manual count of all seats on that side was just over 2,900, with roughly 1,000 of those tickets being available for purchase currently. Sha'Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Tara Davis-Woodhall, Masai Russell and Marileidy Paulino are all scheduled to compete in both meets.

    Athlos is doubling from one to two meets in 2026 and prize money will go up even more (2.7X). The new location will be London according to Sportico.

    Administrative News of Note

    Kipchoge's quest to run seven marathons on all seven continents over the next two years officially begins on Sunday at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. It also marks Kipchoge’s first-ever marathon on African soil.


    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

    Our Week in Review

    From insane SEC sprint times rivaling the Diamond League to ridiculous high school state meet drama, we break down a massive week in track and field and put the biggest performances into perspective. Last week also saw Ireland join the Diamond League winnner's circle and a single race produce more sub-7:30 3000s than we'd ever seen in an entire year. Plus meet the Princeton senior who just joined the track team and is already amongst the nation's top 30.

    NCAA Conference Championships
    NCAA Conference Championships
    Big Ten
    Big 12
    SEC
    ACC
    Other NCAA Conference Champs News

    The big boys and girls had their NCAA conference meets this weekend. Check out our college-only forum here.

    Weekend interview

    Fresh off his 3:32.79 1500, Villanova star Marco Langon joins the LetsRun podcast to discuss Penn Relays, Simeon Birnbaum, going pro, and why he thinks running the NCAA 1500 would be “pretty fucking dumb.”

    Pro Track & Field's Opening Day Was Saturday

    The 2026 DL season kicked off with some wild results in Shanghai this morning including a men's 3k where 14 men broke 7:30. In the women's shot, Jessica Schilder broke the DL record (21.09). Watch our post-meet show in the player above. *Results

    The Latest Sub-2 News
    Distance News
    Jakob Update

    Jakob admits his absence from the circuit has made him realize how much he loves being a pro runner. That being said, he's being cautious with his comeback. *RW article here. *Outside article here.

    Pre is July 4

    The Pre Classic announced its fields for several events on Thursday, including Donavan Brazier v. Cooper Lutkenhaus in the men's 800 and Lilian Odira v. Keely Hodgkinson in the women's 800. The meet is on July 3-4.

    Texas State HS Meet

    Capehart, a Mississippi State signee, has dominated the 3A competition again.

    Chaos At African Champs

    MB: Chaos unfolding at 2026 African champs. Athletes claim they aren't getting enough food, no times are being recorded for races, etc Poles also were snapping in the pole vault. Media members are complaining as well. Wild. The men's 100m time we think was 10.25 but we also saw a 9.98

    Random Links
    Berlin 2026

    As part of the press release Sawe said, "Many people may be wondering what my goals are this time round. After coming off my win in London and a sub-2 performance, I can only say that, like always, I plan to prepare myself to the best of my ability ...and to run as well and fast as possible. Then on the day we will see what will happen."

    Parker Valby Update

    Valbymania, might it soon be back? Parker Valby's nearly 2-year absence from the outdoor oval may be coming to an end next weekend in LA as she's entered in the 5000 at the LA Track Fest.  The meet includes lots of other names including world champs Michael Norman, Emma Coburn, Sandi Morris, Donavan Brazier, Josh Kerr, and Jake Wightman, plus other stars like Hobbs Kessler, Bryce Hoppel, Kendra Harrison, Shelby Houihan, Roisin Willis, and Nico Young. Get your tix now.

    Diamond League starts Saturday

    Will Grant Fisher or Cole Hocker win their first Diamond Leagues? How will Femke Bol's transition to the 800 go? Which teen phenom will have the best year: Gout Gout, Cooper Lutkenhaus, or Cam Myers? Which world records will go down?

    This Week's Pod

    Does Simeon Birnbaum’s huge 1:44.67 pb mean he'll break the NCAA 1500m curse? Whats up with the 800? Gout Gout’s 60 Minutes profile, Parker Valby's return and a lot more.

    More Gout Gout Coverage
    Upcoming
    Catching Up On Some Recent Road Results
    Recommended Read
    Grant Holloway update

    Our Jonathan Gault reached out to Holloway's camp for an update yesterday and a day later we have an update. Holloway did not race indoors for the first time in his career in 2026. He said he tore his hamstring in March and did not announce a timetable for his return, though he is entered in the Pre Classic on July 4.

    The Week That Was

    In this week's WTW, we start with a hypothetical - who would win at 250 miles - Rachel Entrekin or Sabastian Sawe? Plus we tell you why Marco Langon should be happy he didn't break the collegiate 1500 record and hop on the Emma Grace Hurley hype train.

    If Sabastian Sawe had skipped the London Marathon and run the Cocodona 250 instead, who would have won?

    Your vote has been counted. Thank you!
    Rojo On NPR

    NPR radio devoted one hour to what made sub-2 possible. Was it the athlete, the shoes, nutrition, etc?  Full transcript at the link above or you can listen to it on your favorite podcast player.

    Too Good To Be True

    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.

    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 

    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."

    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?

    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.

    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.

      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.

      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?

      Boston Marathon
      Boston Marathon
      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 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.

      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

      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).

      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).

      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.

      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
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      LetsRun Classics

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