Cole Hocker opened his indoor season in stunning fashion at the Hokie Invitational, running 4:52.92 to break the American 2000m record of Bernard Lagat, which Cooper Teare tied in 2nd place, as George Couttie smashed the collegiate record in 3rd. The Olympic champion now turns his attention to a loaded Millrose Games 2 mile featuring Grant Fisher, Josh Kerr, Jake Wightman, Parker Wolfe, and more.
Discuss: Cole Hocker breaks American 2000m Record
Shot #1 Fired
NBIGP Preview Show - Live @ 4 pm ET
We get you ready for tomorrow's action with the inside scoop from Boston. Get the show on demand as a bonus podcast by joining our Supporters Club.
2026 NBIGP is Saturday
2026 NBIGP is Saturday
"Here’s my open challenge right now: if you’re an athlete out there and you’ve got an idea for a race, let me know,” Lyles said. “Reach out to me. Let’s get it done...It doesn’t matter what sport you’re in, if you want to get your butt kicked by the world’s fastest man, I am happy to give it to you.”
*MB: : Noah Lyles talks big: "If you want to get your butt kicked by the world’s fastest man, (Call me)."
The 2026 pro indoor track season kicks off in earnest in Boston on Saturday. Can Josh Hoey break Wilson Kipketer's 29-year-old indoor 800m WR of 1:42.67. Elle St. Pierre returns for her first track race since the '24 Olympics against Jessica Hull. And what is Noah Lyles doing in the 300?
*MB: It's time to get ready for the 2026 NBIGP: Will Josh Hoey break the 800m WR? Who wins the stacked 2k: Fisher, Wightman, Kessler?
Live at 4 pm ET Friday 2026 NBIGP Live Preview Show - We'll give you the inside scoop from the press conference live from Boston at 4 pm ET. Get the show on demand as podcast by joining our SC.
Will Josh Hoey break the 1:42.67 WR in Boston?
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Grant is Moving Up
Grant is Moving Up
In an exclusive with the NY Times, Fisher says he wants to run 13.1 to see if he might run 26.2 in LA.
More Distance News
- Loaded elite fields for 2026 Tokyo Marathon are released The Tokyo men's field featured 8 sub-2:04 men (Boston has 3) and five sub 2:17 women (Boston has zero). The headline for the women is Chicago women's champ Hawi Feysa (2:14:56) will battle defending champ Sutume Asefa Kebede. For the men, defending champ Tadese Takele will face a lot of African talent including Olympic 10,000 champ Selemon Barega who will attempt to remain undefeated in the marathon plus "Japanese NR holder Suguru Osako and the man he replaced Kengo Suzuki, Canadian NR holder Cam Levins," and others. *Full fields
- Former marathon WR holder Brigid Kosgei, Olympic silver medallist Ronald Kwemoi among 11 athletes linked with allegiance switch to Turkey for 2028 What. A. Joke. We totally get why the athletes do it - money. But don't understand why it's allowed.
*Why did Kosgei switch? Money "Each athlete reportedly received a US$500,000 signing bonus, monthly stipends and performance incentives that include a $380,000 bonus for Olympic gold and an additional $190,000 for setting an Olympic record."
On The Boards
On The Boards
Spint News
Retired Bulgarian sprinter Ivet Lalova-Collio (10.77pb) popped in retest of 2016 samples The 41-year old, who is the 18th fastest woman in world histoyr, competed in 5 Olympics and was the European 100m champion in 2012. She also famously blew LetsRun.com employee 1.0 a kiss in 2011 as he filmed her belly button and more.
*MB: Ivet Lalova-Collio - Provisional Suspension - 2016 re-testing
*MB: Ivet Lalova Blows Employee #1 a Kiss...
The Latest Jonathan Gault Feature
Midway through 2024, Brazier had begun to accept he may never race again; in 2025, the former world champ returned faster than ever. Hear from Brazier and coach Mike Smith about how he pulled off one of the sport's greatest comebacks.
Boston 2026
The 2026 Boston Marathon elite fields are out and we break it down for you. From a US perspective, the fields are sensational, but what top pros from Africa are entered? Benson Kipruto vs John Korir leads the way for the men. Does American Fiona O'Keeffe have a shot for the win? *Full fields
The 1980 and 1981 World XC champ gives a passionate defense of cross country. He also admits he is concerned about the state of World XC given the lack of support from several federations and the three-year gap until the next championships in 2029 but is hopeful it can be added to the Winter Olympics: "If they can have breakdancing in the Summer Olympics, then we can certainly have cross country in the Winter Olympics."
Random, But Interesting
The 800m improved the most of any event from 2015 to 2025 Citius has done an interesting analysis of how the 1,000 best time has improved over the last 10 years. You can clearly see the impact of super shoes and financial incentives as the men's marathon is now the deepest event in the sport. Field events, where there are no super shoes and little money, have stagnated and even gotten worse in some instances.
This Weekend's Indoor
- Cooper Lutkenhaus making his pro debut on Saturday at Dr. Sander Scorcher at the Armory He's up against 2024 NCAA 800m champ Shane Cohen and Canadian 1:44.42 runner Justin O'Toole. Nia Akins leads the women's 800m with Ajee Wilson. OSU's NCAA XC 5th placer Fouad Messaoudi leads the men's mile while the women's has Katelyn Tuohy vs Oregon's Wilma Nielsen and NC State’s Sadie Engelhardt.
- New Balance Indoor GP preview: Donavan Brazier vs Bryce Hoppel and Ireland's Cian McPhillips over 600m The 2000m has Grant Fisher vs Jake Wightman and Hobbs Kessler and Jessica Hull vs Elle St Pierre in the 3000m. Sprint action is highlighted by Noah Lyles vs Trayvon Bromell and 2022 world indoor 400m champ Jereem Richards over 300m. Also Quincy Wilson in the 400m, world champ Cordell Tinch in the 60H. *Schedule *Tickets *TV
*Jake Wightman, Hobbs Kessler and Grant Fisher to battle in 2k at NBIGP this weekend - Saturday: BU Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invite entries
Assorted Distance News
- MB: RIP former Villanova All-American Fred Dwyer, 94 Dwyer was NCAA mile runner-up in 1953 and won four IC4A titles. He also was the 1953 Wanamaker mile champ. He also was the head coach at Manhattan University for 24 years and led them to a shock win at NCAAs in 1973.
- Cole Hocker announced for the mile at the ASICS Sound Invite on February 14 Cooper Lutkenhaus is in the 800m.
- GB's Innes FitzGerald ran Parkruns on Christmas Day and New Year's Day and set the British Parkrun record at 15:27 She said, "I didn’t even realize I’d broken the record until a couple of days later." That's not surprising since Parkrun controversially decided to not maintain records anymore.
- RW writers says to stop asking your friends "What was your time?" after their races High school and college kids, you can use the same strategy with your parents. Tell them to stop asking you about your grades, tell them to "focus on the journey."
Podcast
Josh Hoey has announced plans to target Wilson Kipketer’s iconic indoor 800-meter world record, a mark that has stood since 1997. We examine the significance of the attempt, what makes the record so enduring, and Cam Myers’ 3:49 mile, Jakob Ingebrigtsen skipping the indoor season, and a loaded American 2026 Boston Marathon women’s field.
News from Kenya
- World xc medalists Daniel Ebenyo and Agnes Ngetich will defend their titles in Kenya's Sirikwa Classic Cross-Country meet on Feb 14 The race has some nice prize money with $6,000 for 1st and $5,000 for 2nd.
- At press event for Sirikwa Classic, Eliud Kipchoge urges Kenyans to stamp out doping “We are in Category A not because of athletes, but because of all of us,” Kipchoge said, likening the situation to a household where responsibility lies with those in charge.
- At World XC, Agnes Ngetich stepped up to maintain Kenya's streak of individual women's golds (now 10 in a row) Ngetich says she's "been fighting for an individual gold medal for a long time" with 3rd and 4th place finishes at the last two world XC championships.
- Meet Mercy Chepngeno, perhaps Kenya's latest female prodigy The 18-year-old is hoping to make Kenya's World Indoor team but her ultimate goal is World Jr gold in the steeplechase in Eugene.
- Ebenyo is also racing at the Betika BingwaFest this weekend in Kenya
Random News
- A man running with a baby during the Hong Kong Marathon was stopped and told to leave A video of the mean with a baby strapped to his chest went viral with many citing the safety concerns. He made it at least 14k before he was kicked off the course and DQ'd, averaging 15:01/mile pace.
- Kenyan athlete Alice Koigi kept racing and winning prize money after her doping ban She ran at least two races, one of which she won and took home around $500.
- Former three-time NCAA pentathlon champion Jadin O’Brien named to US Olympic bobsled team
Catching Up On Some Recent HS / College Results
- Tate Taylor (32.45) and Mariah Maxwell (36.24) break high school 300m records at VA Showcase Also, Bullis HS broke their own mixed 4x400 high school record with 3:20.95.
- Trent McFarland runs 3:56.41 to lead three Michigan men under 4 minutes at Simmons-Harvey Invite
- Oklahoma's Kennedy Stringfellow moved to #13 on NCAA all-time LJ list with 8.29m at the Owen Hewett Invite
- Osaka Kunei HS breaks Kitakyushu Women's Ekiden course record They beat 8 corporate pro teams in the process.
- Miyagi wins its first-ever national men's ekiden title These teams had a mix of HSers and pros.
- Event-by-event top-10 NCAA marks of the week (January 13-19)
Upcoming Mid-D Racing
- Five sub-1:43 men will battle it out in the Millrose Games 800m Donavan Brazier vs Bryce Hoppel, Ireland outdoor record holder Cian McPhillips and NAU's Colin Sahlman.
- NBIGP U20 mile preview: Paige Sheppard (4:33 PB) vs NXN/Brooks XC champ Natasza Dudek 4:01.20 runner Carter Smith leads the boys field.
- Keely Hodgkinson will open her indoor season February 19 in Lievin She hasn't raced indoor since 2023.
- Keely Hodgkinson commits to racing British Indoor Champs for the first time since 2020 British Champs are in Birmingham on February 14-15.
- AW preview: Brits out in force at the New Balance Grand Prix Jake Wightman vs Grant Fisher and Hobbs Kessler in the 2000m will be the distance highlight.
More Weekend International Results
- Mark English breaks his own Irish indoor 800m record with 1:44.65 in Luxembourg The time also puts him tied for #6 on the European all-time indoor list. Belgium’s Pieter Sisk won the 1500m in 3:34.66.
- WA Weekend round-up: Ukraine’s Olympic high jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh opens season with 2.03m win on home soil at Demyanyuk Memorial In Jamaica, Olympic and world 100m silver medalist Kishane Thompson opened his season with a 60m win in 6.52 at the Puma JAAA Fuller Anderson Development Meet. In the US, Zach Bradford cleared 5.90m to win at the UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit on countback ahead of KC Lightfoot.
- European round-up: European 800m silver medalist Mohamed Attaoui opens season with indoor 1500m PB of 3:35.65 to win the Antequera Indoor Match
- European indoor long jump champion Larissa Iapichino starts her season with world-leading 6.93m in Ancona, Italy
Road / XC Results
- Olympic champion Tamirat Tola (2:05:40) and Paralympic champion Tigist Gezahagn (2:21:14) win Doha Marathon Gezahagn actually has a gold medal from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics for the T13 1500m (athletes with moderate visual impairment).
- Ethiopia’s Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Berihu Aregawi and Bahrain’s Olympic steeple champ Winfred Yavi win Elgoibar, Spain XC race Aregawi won over Eritrea's Saymon Amanuel by 7 seconds while Spain's European XC champ Thierry Ndikumwenayo was back in 4th. Yavi won the women's race by over a minute.
UW Preview
He dominated the race, winning by 5 seconds ahead of Sam Prakel (3:54.21). Myers' time is the fastest mile ever run in January. Other results at the meet included Maggi Congdon winning the mile/800m double with 4:27.77 and 2:00.93 and Stanford's Juliette Whittaker taking the 1000m in 2:37.54 over UW's Chloe Foerster's 2:37.79 (#2 and #3 on the NCAA all-time list). UW's Tyler Bilyard won the men's 1000m in 2:18.34 (#4 NCAA all-time).
More Weekend Track Action
- Sanu Jallow-Lockhart breaks collegiate 600m record with 1:24.19 at Arkansas Invite She broke the previous mark of 1:25.16 set by Britton Wilson in 2023.
- MB: 16-year-old Sam Ruthe runs 1:45.86 in NZ! He won ahead of Sam Tanner (1:45.94). *Results
- MB: Drew Hunter 7:39 solo 3k PB in Kansas
- Mark English breaks his own Irish 600m record with 1:15.80 He won the race by over 5 seconds and crushed his previous record of 1:16.64.
- Sophie Rambo breaks Athing Mu's high school 500m record; Quincy Wilson runs #2 all-time HS 500m at VA Showcase Rambo ran 1:10.07 to break Mu's record of 1:10.22 set six years ago. Wilson ran 1:00.56, missing the record by just .07 of a second.
- Noah Lyles opens his 2026 with 32.60 victory over 300m at the Carnes Invitational in Florida He'll race again over 300m at the New Balance GP on January 24 against Trayvon Bromell and Jereem Richards.
- USC's Garett Kaalund runs #2 NCAA all-time 300m with 32.10 at Spokane Sports Showcase NCAA indoor champ Dajaz Defrand won the women's 60m in 7.16.
A look at the Grand Slam bankruptcy hearing
At its first creditors meeting on Wednesday, Grand Slam Track revealed just $7,300 in cash remains against $30M in debt. Yet the league isn't finished. They revealed the have plans to spend $400k on 2026 racers, a fact that once revealed left a prominent agent chuckling.
A final look at the fantastic 2026 World XC Champs
A final look at the fantastic 2026 World XC Champs
World XC in the USA was amazingly fun to attend. How do we transform World’s Greatest Footrace into a spectacle / event that tens of thousands want to attend? How can we make it our sport's version of the Kentucky Derby - or maybe the grass version of the London Marathon?
XC legends Kenenisa Bekele & Beatrice Chebet were in Tallahassee as was Cooper Lutkenhaus, who left with the LetsRun.com flag.
More World XC News
- The Cheptegei-Kiplimo effect? A look at how Uganda has risen over the last decade to become an XC power A Ugandan man has now won the last 4 senior titles. At under-20 level in Tallahassee, Uganda’s women claimed a historic team gold – the first time any nation other than Kenya or Ethiopia had won that title.
- Daniel Ebenyo's first World XC medal at age 30 and after two sub-par marathons was special “Winning the bronze medal was more than standing on a podium; it was the echo of every early morning, every lonely road, every silent prayer answered in God’s perfect time,” said Ebenyo who failed to finish higher than 10th in any of his 2 marathons in 2025.
- Did you know Jacob Kiplimo ran his final 2k in 5:22? That’s 4:19 mile pace.
- Meet the Scottish duo that has been to every World XC since 1999 Niall Walker and David John Condra are super fans.
Non-Distance News
- MB: Fred Kerley's domestic violence case is dismissed Also Chis Chavez is reporting that the "charges of battery on an officer and resisting arrest in Miami Beach from January 2025 were dismissed on the condition that he take an anger management course." However, he has a Feb. 16th trial date for allegedly "punching his ex-girlfriend, U.S. Olympian and hurdler Alaysha Johnson, in the face."
- Sorry Noah, Usain Bolt says the 2 biggest track stars right now are Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levorne "Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levorne are probably the biggest stars in the sport at the moment – both are exceptionally talented athletes."
- Meet the teen phenom in the women's hammer At just 18 years of age, world hammer bronze medallist Zhang Jiale has already announced herself as one of the most exciting talents in the sport.
The Latest Distance News
- WATCH: This cat never skips a treadmill day Oliver, the cat, has gone viral for his daily treadmill sessions.
- Bahrain’s Olympic steeplechase champion Winfred Yavi and world xc silver medallist Berihu Aregawi at this weekend's World XC gold meet in Elgoibar, Spain Repeat after us. If you don't run Words (We're taking about you Yavi), you shoudn't be allowed to run WA xc meets after Worlds.
- MB: Want to train like Jakob Ingebrigtsen: You can now do his exact strength session if you buy a Coros watch Ironically, he says, "Strength is a big part of staying injury-free and handling all of the load, especially in my training,"
- Retired Canadian Olympian Charles Philibert-Thiboutot joins Salomon shoe design team in France “It feels like going back to my roots, growing up idolizing Quebec freeskiers that pushed the sport using Salomon skis in the early 2000s,” Philibert-Thiboutot wrote on Instagram.
- Marugame Half Marathon is in 2 week and Eilish McColgan will be there after her 30:08 10k European record in Valencia
Our Written Weekly Recap
A record four Americans broke 60:00 in Houston, led by Alex Maier (59:23). And did you know Brenda Jepchirchir ran at Auburn last year before her 29:25 in Valencia?
2028 OT
USATF confirmed that St. Louis (who hosted the women's Trials in 2004) and Phoenix (who have never hosted) are the only two bidders for the 2028 Trials.
Amazing 2 Mile Set For Millrose
This race could turn out to be one of the all-time greats. The field also has Graham Blanks, Ky Robinson, Geordie Beamish, Ethan Strand, Parker Wolfe, Drew Hunter, Cooper Teare and Edwin Kurgat.
*Millrose 2-mile will be the 1st time Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr have ever raced each other indoors
More Indoor News
- Some big names will be racing this weekend's UW Preview features a lot of big names including Cam Myers Olympic finalist Juliette Whittaker is also running while Maggi Congdon of Nike Swoosh TC is attempting an 800/mile double. Owen Powell will also make his collegiate debut, also his first race under the tutelage of his dad.
- Defending NCAA indoor and outdoor men’s team champions USC Trojans begin its 2026 indoor season up at the Spokane Sports Showcase Friday
- Jerry Schumacher speaks with the media to talk about the 2026 track season
Other Links That Passed Our Human Vetting Process
- NY Times: How little exercise can you get away with? Very little apparently. "As little as 30 minutes total per week, significantly reduced the risk of all-cause mortality as well as deaths by heart attack or stroke."
- Osaka International Women's Marathon is in 2 weeks and it will feature 3 sub-2:20 women
- The full 51: USTFCCCA's 2025 HS XC Coaches of the Year - state by state
- Georgia Hunter Bell wil be one of headlines at Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne on March 28 Did you know she's the world #1 right now in the 800 accoring to WA rankings?
Distance News
- Femke Bol's coach says she may race over 800m in February or March He said she is "unlikely" to compete over 800m at World Indoors though.
- Femke Bol: "There's a good chance I'll never run the 400m hurdles again ...the plan is really to be able to run a really good 800m." She said she's currently running 25 to 34 miles a week which is "a lot more" than she used to do.
- Results: Hansons-Brooks' Will Smith and Crown Running's Kasandra Parker won USATF Club XC Champs last weekend in Tallahassee The Georgetown Running Company Men and Minnesota Distance Elite women won the team titles. *Masters recap
- St. Louis is bidding to host the 2028 US Olympic Marathon Trials They previously hosted the women's marathon trials in 2004.
- World steeple bronze medalist Edmund Serem after winning World Athletics Rising Star award: "I think this year will be the start of my future – I'll be remembering this year." Serem is coached by Patrick Sang (Eliud Kipchoge's coach) and his brother, Amos Serem, was the 2021 world U20 steeple champ.
- Bidding process launched for 2029 World XC Champs and 2028-2029 World Road Running Champs Tallahassee should host again in 2029.
- Osaka wins National Women's Ekiden for 5th time
More Upcoming Track Action
- Noah Lyles opening his season with a 300m in Florida on Friday He'll face NCAA 200m champ Cheickna Traore.
- Quincy Wilson hunting 500m national record at VA Showcase on Saturday At this meet last year Wilson lost to Andrew Salvodon who set the record at 1:00.49. Wilson is #4 on the HS all-time list with 1:01.27. At the meet this year he'll face Joshua Cooper who is #8 on the all-time list with 1:01.92.
- Jamaica's Olympic and world 100m silver medalist Kishane Thompson opening his season Saturday in Jamaica
- Donavan Brazier vs Bryce Hoppel set for New Balance Indoor GP 600m on January 24 They'll also be up against Irish 800m record holder Cian McPhillips (1:42.15) and Spain's World Champs 5th placer Mohamed Attoui. World champions Cordell Tinch (60H) and Anna Hall (LJ, 400m) were also both announced for the meet.
- Preview: Double NCAA team champions USC men being indoor season at Spokane Showcase this weekend
- Spanish 800m record holder Mohamed Attaoui opening his season at Antequera Indoor Meet on Saturday
- Millrose Games sprints: NCAA 60m/100m champ Jordan Anthony vs Jamaica 60m NR holder Ackeem Blake The 60H has world champ Cordell Tinch vs Olympic silver medalist Daniel Roberts
Enhanced Games News
- 2022 World 100m silver medalist Marvin Bracy-Williams joins the Enhanced Games 9.85 man Bracy-Williams is currently serving a doping suspension until November 2028.
- Retired Jamaican sprinter Shockoria Wallace joins in Enhanced Games The 32-year-old has an 11.09 pb and never made it to Worlds or the Olympics.
- Retired GB sprinter Reece Prescod says he's not taking PEDs for the Enhanced Games Prescod says he wants to get "back into that sub-10 shape" (his PB is 9.93 from 2022) and that he retired last year because he didn't have financial support.
- Enhanced Games sign some more "also-rans" who probably won't break 10 seconds even fully doped
Recent NCAA / HS Track News
- MB: UGA frosh Jonathan Simms 44.62 400 in his collegiate debut at Clemson Invitational The time is a World U20 record and #4 on the world all-time list. At the same meet he also split 44.35 on the 4x400.
- Georgia's Dejanea Oakley runs 35.94 for 300m (#4 NCAA all-time) at Clemson Invite
- Jane Hickey runs #6 all-time high school 600m with 1:28.68 at the Molloy Stanner Games at the Armory
- The Bowerman 2026 men’s preseason watch list Four distance men make the list: Habtom Samuel, Brian Musau, Gary Martin, James Corrigan.
- The Bowerman 2026 women’s preseason watch list The list is half distance runners with Jane Hedengren, Doris Lemngole, Grace Hartman, Pamela Kosgei, Şilan Ayyildiz.
- Event-by-event top-10 NCAA marks from the week (January 6-12)
Long Distance News
- 49-year-old Dot McMahan qualifies for her sixth US Olympic Marathon Trials She finished 13th in Houston with 2:36:24 (36 seconds under the standard). She qualified for her first Trials in 2008 with best finishes of 8th in 2008 and 9th in 2012 (2:32:11 PB from 2012). She runs for Hansons-Brooks and has become a mentor for many younger athletes on the team while also assistant coaching at Oakland University.
- MB: Molly Seidel makes her ultramarathon debut by winning the Bandera 50k She ran 4:09:39 (8:02 pace) to break the course record. She's planning to race the Black Canyon 100k next month.
*Good Read: iRunFar interview with Seidel from before the race She says this is a stepping stone to working up to racing the Western States 100 miler: "The Western States 100 was always a dream for me. I’m such a Scott Jurek fangirl.” - Olympic champ Tamirat Tola and 2:18:52 woman Tigist Girma lead fields for Doha Marathon this Friday Tola faces Sammy Kitwara (2:04:28) and Nicholas Kirwa (2:05:01) while the women's race also has 2:22 women Sentayehu Lewetegn and Tigist Gezahagn.
Doping News
He tested positive for CERA which is the "third-generation of EPO."
*MB: Albert TITAN Korir suspended for doping
- Two-time Ugandan Olympian (Tokyo and Paris) Mercyline Chelangat gets 5-year drug ban after testing positive for testosterone twice Chelangat ban was originally for six years, but was reduced to 5 for early admission (although she claims she didn't intentionally dope)
Americans Go Crazy In Houston
Samuel won over Kenya's Patrick Kiprop (59:14) while Americans had a great showing with four men under 60 minutes, lead by Alex Maier's 59:23 and Casey Clinger's 59:34 (only five US men ever had gone sub-60 before today).
Belayneh beat out her countrywoman Tsigie Gebreselama by 3 seconds with Roe in 4th place (only American ahead of her is Weini Kelati with her 66:09 from last year).
Talbi won Houston in 2024 and ran at the 2024 Olympics while representing Morocco, but is now an American citizen with his time putting him #3 on the US all-time list.
- GB's Calli Hauger-Thackery wins Houston Marathon women's race (2:24:17) Sara Hall was runner-up in 2:26:26.
- LRC Archive: 2:06 Marathoner Zouhair Talbi Is Living The American Dream After Becoming A US Citizen By Enlisting in Army Reserve
- MB: Wait, Zouhair Talbi is now an American citizen? This is a MAJOR story for American marathoning.
World XC Was Saturday
World XC Was Saturday
Jacob Kiplimo put on a show and won his third title by 18 seconds as Ethiopia took the team title. The US led by Parker Wolfe (12th) was 4th.
- Men: Kiplimo 3 peats as Aregawi silver for 3rd straight time Deja vu.
- Women: Agnes Ngetich DOMINATES, Wins by 42 seconds Ethiopia took the team title with the US a distance 4th.
- Relay: Jess Hull anchors Australia to World XC mixed relay victory Australia won ahead of France and Ethiopia. Team USA finished 5th.
- Jr Girls: Marta Alemayo repeats with master class performance She won the 6k race by 26 seconds. HS. Jr Blair Bartlett finished off her first xc season with a 16th place finish.
- Jr Boys: Frankline Kibet leads Kenya to 1-2-3-4 performance. Tyler Daillak was 16th and Jackson Spencer 18th.
World XC Video Analysis + Discussion
A big thank you to the big crowd that turned out for the LetsRun party to celebrate the American running community at World XC.
- 2026 World Cross Country Championships - OFFICIAL THREAD (+ live reaction show @ 2:30 pm ET)
- Biggest winners & losers from World XC
- Confirmed: Rocky Hansen OUT of World XC, US will only run 5 guys
- Strand had the fastest 2k split of anyone in the world today
- World Cross - what an adorable, cute course.
- Nico Young + Swoosh TC, Brand Mismatch or Bad Idea
International Road Action
World 10,000m bronze medalist Almgren took 8 seconds off his own European record while Jepchirchir moved to #4 on the all-time list. Ethiopians Kahiri Bejiga (26:51) and Likina Amebaw (29:30) finished as the runner-ups.
*MB: Almgren winner 26:45 Valencia 10k
*MB: Brenda Jepchirchir 29:26 FTW in Valencia was only 14th and 21st in NCAA 5/10K
- Eilish McColgan reclaims European 10K record in Valencia just one week after it was broken McColgan ran 30:08 in Valencia to finish 8th and take two seconds off Jana van Lent's record from last week. Lent had broke McColgan's 30:19 mark from 2022.
- Ireland’s Efrem Gidey breaks his own national 10km record with 12th place finish in Valencia
- Dawit Wolde (2:09:18) and Ruti Aga (2:22:45) defend their titles at the Xiamen Marathon in China
Yr in Review Podcast
In a special yr end bonus podcast for our SC members, Rojo gives you his biggest story lines of the year. For the women (at least for Americans), it was the year of Jane Hedengren. On the men’s side, Cole Hocker’s 5000 gold finished off a wild Worlds where African born men won zero distance golds on the track, which hadn’t happened since the very first Worlds in 1983. Plus in 20 years, will we be talking about GST’s demise? And is the suspension of the coaching legends Art & Linda Kranick justified? What about NCAA D3 runner Mohammed Bati?
This is Disgraceful
The NCAA has done a lot of stupid things over the years but this has to to appear near the top of the list. They have stripped all remaining eligibility for NCAA D3 XC runner-up (and 2:12 marathoner) Mohammed Bati, who works a full-time job 5 days a week at an assisted living facility from 11 pm to 7 am while attending school and running track/XC. His sin? The local community came together and raised $6k for him.
Another controversial ban
Art and Linda Kranick built a dynasty at Saratoga Springs as they won 3 national titles and 28 NY state federation titles. Many runners RAVED about them. Many also HATED them. Banning them for life even though one of them is dead seems the definition of administrative over reach. SafeSpot has a policy not to ban dead people. Does USATF even know Art Kranick is dead?
Two LRC Exclusives On The 2021 Olympic 800m Champions
After three years with Kersee that included an American record in 2023, a devastating injury in 2024, and a failure to make the US final in 2025, Mu-Nikolayev has left Kersee and moved from LA to Dallas.
The Kenyan 800m star has largely disappeared since winning Olympic and world titles in 2021 & 2022. And the physiotherapist who treated him twice a day, every day for 6 months leading up to the Olympics is worried for him. "We’ve been trying to help him, but he hasn’t been willing to receive the help."
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Jager Q&A for Supporters Club Members
Evan Jager retired this week and then sat down with LetsRun.com for his most candid interview ever. He opened up about the Paris fall, the Olympic silver, the Fancy Bears leak, and the tension between Alberto and Jerry that shaped parts of his career.
- World Athletics' article on Evan Jager's retirement A good rundown of the highlights of his long career.
Message Board Q&A
Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson, runner, best-selling author, and host of “The Most Interesting Thing in A.I.", just ran over three hours in the marathon for the first time in 20 years. He joins LetsRun Friday to talk running, life, and his new book The Running Ground. If you'd like a book for free, just join our Supporters Club. Click for more info.
Josh Hoey parts ways with yet another coach
Somehow Justin Rinaldi transformed Josh Hoey, who couldn't break 1:47 for 6+ years, to a 1:42.01 world indoor champ and DL winner. How has he been rewarded? With a pink slip. Rojo thinks it's hard to think of a dumber decision than this but then again Jerry Jones once did fire Jimmy Johnson.
After disagreements on training philosophy, Justin Rinaldi will no longer be coaching Hoey despite engineering one of the greatest turnarounds in American middle distance running history, taking Hoey from 1:47 to 1:42 and World Indoor champion in two years. Plus get the inside scoop on a key workout Hoey overcooked before USAs.
- MB: Breaking: Josh Hoey has parted with Justin Rinaldi, the man who took him from 1:47 also-ran to 1:42 World Champ!!
- LRC How Josh Hoey Went from Also-Ran to World Indoor Champion, Part I: A Coaching Odyssey
- LRC How Josh Hoey Went from Also-Ran to World Indoor Champion, Part I: Going All-In With Justin Rinaldi & The Fast 8 Track Club
Great listen/read
Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, joins the LetsRun.com Podcast to talk about his new book The Running Ground, how he ran 2:29 at 44, his late father, and why he still checks LetsRun every day.
LRC Q&A
The US achieved its most successful relay medal haul since the introduction of the mixed 4x400 with four golds and a silver at the 2025 Worlds. We asked Woodson about Team USA's performance in Tokyo. Plus we asked USATF about what really happened with Rai Benjamin, who said he went out on the town the night before the men's 4x400 final.
Paywall lifted
After five coaches, six states, and hundreds of hours of listening to the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast, steepler Dan Michalski will make his World Championship debut in Tokyo. He dedicated his runner-up finish at USAs to the grinders who keep going without a big shoe contract. "They know the grind, they know what it’s like to fight through injuries, what it’s like to feel like you have the talent to make a team and keep coming up short," Michalski says. "This is for them, in a sense."
IF you are going to play a video game, play this one
XC Racing 2 is now out and free to play on ios and android and in this version you get to race the famed Detweiller Park course in Illinois.
Random Links A Human Found Interesting
- Melissa Jefferson-Wooden goes on CNN after triple gold and says she's not satisified “There are so many things out there that I’ve accomplished this year. But there’s so many more things that I do want to accomplish.”
- Former Yale swimmer, who had her leg bitten off by a shark, is running NYC marathon She quickly joined the Paralympic ranks and won Paralympic silver.
- Former Queen's Park Rangers star Don Shanks, 73, will run the New York marathon on November 2 to raise money for Alzheimers
- NYC is experiencing a 2nd running boom & some are unhappy about it In 2019, it took an average of 121 days for an N.Y.R.R. race to sell out. This year, races have sold out in an average of four days.
- NYRR claims running boom $934 million for the local economy in the fiscal year through March That’s up 58% from the comparable period five years earlier and they say last year’s marathon alone generated $692 million.
Sean Brosnan & Chris Lear & Andrew Greif's book is here
In Beyond Fast, Sean Brosnan, with Chris Lear and Andrew Greif, traces the unlikely rise of Newbury Park High School from an overlooked program to a distance-running powerhouse. Packed with behind-the-scenes stories, training insights, and cultural shifts, the book shows how Brosnan and his athletes rewrote the high school record books.
Sean Brosnan Podcast
From BMX to building the greatest HS team ever, Sean Brosnan tells us how he did it at Newbury Park, plus what really went on at UCLA, and what’s next. Don’t miss this one.
Data doesn't lie
We've run the numbers by comparing Lutkenhaus's run against every other age-16 world record, and the data is clear.
Who?
Jonah Koech wasn't even supposed to be in Sunday's 1500. As they approached the bell, he was in 13th out of 17. A lap later, he was the champion. He is just the third American man to win a Diamond League 1500/mile and the first runner sponsored by Under Armour to win a DL race. His 3:37.27 pre-race pb is also the slowest of any man to win a DL 1500/mile.
How Josh Hoey Rose To The Top Of The World
For five years, Hoey cylced through coach after coach but barely improved from his 1:47.67 high school 800m pb. Learn why he moved around so often -- and why he never gave up. Part I of JG's 7,000+ word feature.
*MB: Josh Hoey profile by JG
- Part II: SC How Josh Hoey Went from Also-Ran to World Indoor Champion, Part II: Going All-In With Justin Rinaldi & The Fast 8 Track Club Hoey's career had stagnated until connecting with Rinaldi in 2023. Within minutes of seeing him train in-person, Rinaldi knew he was special: "I said, if I can’t get this guy to run 1:44, there’s something wrong with me."
Stop Obsessing Over Your Diet
The US indoor 1500m/3000m champion overhauled his fueling in workouts before the 2024 season. Now he swears by his routine.
The Record Books Are Getting Rewritten In 2025
In the span of one week in February, runners broke five world indoor records and every American men's middle-distance record from 800m to 5000m. Jonathan Gault spoke to some of America's top athletes and coaches to find the reasons behind all of the fast times.
One More Look at a Legendary Race
From novice fans to running diehards, there was something for everyone (except perhaps Brits and Norwegians) to enjoy about one of the greatest middle distance races ever run.
Blanks = NCAA XC x 2
Just before Blanks chases a 5,000m pb and collegiate record in what is likely his final NCAA race at Boston University on Saturday, he told LetsRun about the key session of his 2024 XC season -- one he described as "probably the best workout I've had so far in my career."
Your latest American stars share their insights.
American Record Holders
American Record Holders
Keira D'Amato, the new American record holder in the marathon, was joined by Deena Kastor, who held the record for 15 years.
Sisson was the guest on the LetsRun.com Track Talk podcast after she became the first American to go sub 67 in the half marathon on a record-eligible course. Podcast highlights above. Full pod here.
Woody Kincaid joined us after he broke the American record indoors at 5000. He talks above why he left the Bowerman Track Club. Podcast highlights and link to full podcast here.
Coogan's New Balance Boston team had 3 Olympians in 2021 and 2022 could be the biggest year yet for the program with 2 new additions and the TRACK at New Balance coming on March 1st.
Danny Mackey has taken the Brooks Beasts from an unproven club to the Olympic podium in its first decade.
Dathan Ritzenhein is the first of the top pro coaches to sit down and talk about his club heading into the 2022 campaign.
Best of Jon Gault
Best of Jon Gault
Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level
Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level
LetsRun Classics
LetsRun Classics
‒former US sprinter Rae Edwards talking about Marvin Bracy-Williams' doping suspension that is now being covered by the British press.
MB: Rae Edwards gets some major ink in the British press: "I’m going to burn the whole of track and field down."
LRC in Nov: One of the world’s fastest men missed the Olympics because he was serving a secret doping ban — and his coach turned him in