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.
*MB: WTW 5/11-17: SEC > DL?, NCAA steeple craziness, Sub-7:30 madness, HS DQ controversy and more
Our Week in Review
More International Action
- Noah Lyles highlights Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo with 9.95 victory in his first 100m of the season US high schooler Tate Taylor was second in 10.04. In distance action, Kenya’s Japan-based Janet Jepkoech won the women's 3000m in 8:39.24 while in the men's race, three men dipped under the previous Japan national record with Nagiya Mori winning in 7:38.98 (the previous record was 7:40.09 from 2014 by Suguru Osako). Other winners included Jordan Anthony in the 200 (20.05) and Rai Benjamin in the flat 400m (44.69).
- World indoor pole vault champ Molly Caudery opens outdoor season with 4.61m at Loughborough International Two-time world heptathlon champ Katarina Johnson-Thompson made her season debut in the shot put with 12.97m.
High School News
- MB: Mallard Creek boys 4x400 DQ'd from North Carolina state meet for celebrating; team loses meet by 2 points The athlete had apparently received a warning after winning the 300H earlier in the day and all the teams were warned before the 4x400 started. Still, why are we DQ'ing kids for mild victory celebrations at the state meet?
- 8th grader Luke Surface runs 8:52.03 3200m national record at North Carolina State Meet He finished in 7th place to set a middle school national record. His time converted to 2 miles (8:55.12) is also under the 14-year-old WR.
*MB: LUKE MF SURFACE 8:52 3200 AS AN 8TH GRADER - MB: Another trans (biological male) athlete dominating California girls track - this time in the 800
On The Boards
On The Boards
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
- Related - From The Archives: LRC From Norway to Flagstaff: How Double Threshold Training Is Taking Over the World
NCAA Conference Championships
NCAA Conference Championships
Big Ten
- Oregon sweep Big Ten Championships team titles; men win by 40 points and women secure victory with five scorers in the 5000m This gave Oregon the "double triple crown" (swept team titles in XC, indoor and outdoor). Oregon got distance wins on the final day from Tayson Echohawk and Dalia Frias in the 5000m and Simeon Birnbaum and Juliet Cherubet in the 1500m. *Results
- MB: Simeon Birnbaum wins Big Ten 1500m over Trent McFarland (4:00.98 to 4:01.49) Birnbaum closed his last 400m in 50.85.
- There were some crazy fast wind-aided times at Big Ten Champs Eddie Nketia ran 9.74 with a 5.6m/s tailwind to win the men's 100m while 7th place was 10.00. Brianna Selby ran 10.74 (+3.8 m/s) to win the women's race and Madison Whyte won the 200m in 21.78 (+6.0).
- Oregon men in position to repeat, women's team title up for grabs going into final day of Big Ten Champs The men's and women's 800m meet records went down with Penn State's Allon Clay running 1:45.11 in the heats and Indiana’s Veronica Hargrave running 2:01.21 (it took 2:03.35 to make the women's final). In non-distance action, Minnesota’s Charles Godfred won his third straight LJ title in 7.99m.
- Hana Moll breaks her own collegiate PV record with 4.83m to win Big Ten Champs Oregon's Luke Tewalt beat Washington's Evan Jenkins in the men's 10,000m, 29:49.24 to 29:49.83 and Washington's Chloe Thomas won the women's race in 32:59. USC star sprinter Garrett Kaalund pulled up injured in the 200m.
- MB: Oregon Coach pulls 2 runners mid race in 5k at big 10 champs
Big 12
- Texas Tech sweeps Big 12 team titles, again The men beat Arizona by 26 points while the women came from behind to beat BYU by 11.5 points. Jane Hedengren dominated the 5000m winning by 24 seconds and NCAA indoor mile champ Carter Cutting took the 1,500 in 3:58.63 with a 51.48 last 400m. Arizona's Mason Lawyer took the 100/200 double with a wind-aided 9.93 (+3.9) and 20.02 (-0.1).
- MB: Texas Tech's Titus Kimaru wins Big 12 steeple in 8:32.85, proceeds to run an extra lap (video)
- Kansas State's Tafadzwa Chikomba breaks Big 12 Championships LJ record with 8.27m; Houston's Louie Hinchcliffe runs 10.01 in prelim BYU's Taylor Lovell (9:40) and Texas Tech's Titus Kimaru (8:32) won the men's and women's steeplechase.
SEC
- Arkansas men, Florida women win SEC team titles Three women went sub-2 in the 800m with Arkansas’ Sanu Jallow (1:58.82) and Kentucky’s Janet Jepkemboi Amimo (1:59.01) moving to #4 and #7 on the NCAA all-time list. Arkansas got a lot of points from the distance events with Brian Masai (3:43.52) and Rivaldo Marshall (1:45.21) winning the 1500m and 800m and Ben Shearer leading a 1-2 in the 5000m. Doris Lemngole doubled back from her steeple win to take the 5000m in 15:30. South Carolina’s Salma Elbadra won the 1500m (4:09.80).
- MB: Jelani Watkins 9.95 / 19.87 double at SEC Champs
- Alabama's Doris Lemngole wins third straight SEC steeplechase title in a meet record 9:18.66 Kentucky’s Collins Kiprop Kipngok won the men's race in 8:29. Alabama leads both the men's and women's team scoring ahead of Florida; the men just 5 points ahead and the women up by 32 points.
- MB: 24-year old freshman wins SEC women's 10,000m title Congrats to Caren Kiplagat of Alabama.
ACC
- Juliette Whittaker beats Sadie Engelhardt at the line in women's 1500m; Virginia Tech’s Nick Plant gets upset win over Gary Martin and Rocky Hansen in men's race Whittaker beat Engelhardt by just .03 while Plant beat Martin 3:39.60 to 3:39.88. The Clemson women won the team title by just 3 points ahead of Duke while the Virginia men beat FSU by 14 points.
- Brett Gardner and Nathan Mountain go 1-2 in the steeple to give the Virginia men a 19-point lead going into final day at ACC Champs Notre Dame’s Sophie Novak got an upset win in the women's steeple, beating NC State’s Angelina Napoleon by 9 seconds in 9:34.
Other NCAA Conference Champs News
The big boys and girls had their NCAA conference meets this weekend. Check out our college-only forum here.
- Princeton men and women sweep Heps Championships They dominated both team contests, the men beating Harvard by 89 points and the women winning by 46 points over Penn. *Results
*Princeton men and women lead after day 1 of Heps The men lead 57 to 19 over Cornell and the women are 22 points ahead of Penn.
*MB: The Ivy League is soft - NAU men, Montana State women win Big Sky Conference Champs It was the Montana State women's first win since 2003.
- Navy men, Army women win Patriot League The Navy men dominated Army by almost 100 points while the Army women came in just 4 points ahead of Navy. *Results
- Official Top 10 college men distance runners from past 10 years
- Score the meet based off the descending order list at our new favorite website NCAATrackScorer.com
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
- The Guardian: "Sawe’s secret sauce: inside the lab that fueled historic sub-two hour marathon" Everyone credits the shoes, but the scientists behind Maurten’s energy products think the fueling is just as significant. In London, "seven of the top eight men and five of the top six women had an official relationship with the Swedish company." Maurten's did extensive testing on Sabastian Sawe to determine exactly when and how he needed to fuel for a sub-2 hour marathon. One of the scientists also says he had a formula for predicting Sawe's performance in London and when he punched in the weather conditions on the morning of the race he got 1:59:29.
- Ireland's 1995 world 5000m champion Sonia O’Sullivan is trying to run marathon WR pace for 100m The 56-year-old been training with former Irish pro sprint hurdler Derval O'Rourke to try and run 100m in 16.9 seconds and the best she's managed so far is 18.1
Distance News
- Molly Seidel talks about why she stepped away from marathoning in favor of trail/ultra running After dealing with years of injuries since her surprise Olympic bronze she said, "It just wasn’t fun anymore ...I needed a change. I needed something different." She's had some early success on the trails and will be racing Western States 100 mile next month.
- South African government stepping in after Soweto Marathon race organizers fail to pay out thousands of dollars in prize money to winners The race was in January, but 6 months later the athletes have gone unpaid (the winners are owed $15,000 each and the runner-ups $7,000). South Africa's Minister of Sports says the organizers "disappeared and stole that money."
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
- Illinois HS senior hits home run, then wins 300m hurdles while still wearing her softball uniform She didn't thin she'd make it to the track team in time and thus hadn't brought her track shorts.
- Study reveals only 25% of trail runners are properly prepared from a safety perspective "For runners, the idea of lugging around heavy survival gear can be off-putting, but a whistle, downloaded route map, light extra layer, basic first-aid supplies or emergency blanket weigh very little and can make a major difference if the weather suddenly changes or an injury forces someone to stop moving."
- Eliud Kipchoge ran with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week in Nairobi
- Mason Right becomes 1st U.S. ultrarunner to run 1,000 miles around a track It took him 18 days, 13 hours and 11 minutes so he averaged 27:43 per mile or almost 54 miles per day.
- How Gout Gout ended up on 60 minutes
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."
- Sawe's agent: Kejelcha expected to run Valencia Marathon, Kiplimo will defend his title in Chicago.
- Toni Reavis asks: what does a marathon WR mean in 2026? "So what are we really measuring anymore? That’s the question that will float above every subsequent addition to the record book. And the longer the sport refuses to ask it, the less the records will mean."
- MB: Sawe confirmed for Berlin Marathon
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
- Noah Lyles and Gout Gout link up for a training session in Miami Lyles posted a "hype video" with clips from their training and another clip of them doing block starts (where Lyles comes out ahead of Gout).
- The inside story behind Gout Gout's breakthrough appearance on America's 60 Minutes Gout's manager, James Templeton, has rejected more than 90 per cent of the media and commercial enquiries he's received, but couldn't say no to 60 Minutes.
- Gout Gout leads Australia's announced team for this summer's World U20 Championships in Eugene Gout is entered in the 200m and 4x400.
Upcoming
- Nico Young, Parker Wolfe, Graham Blanks, Cooper Teare, Vincent Ciattei headline Track Fest men's 1500m on May 23
- High school sprint star Tate Taylor added to 200m field at Lone Star Grand Prix on June 6 He'll be up against former Olympic and world 400m champ Steven Gardiner and Olympic and World medalist Aaron Brown. Star twins Mia and Mariah Maxwell are in the high school girls 100m.
- Tickets on sale for USATF Outdoor Championships in NYC July 23-26
- Five members of Athlete Refugee Team to compete at African Championships World Athletics takes a quick look at some of their stories which involve fleeing worn-torn areas to survive and working to help support family members they've been separated from.
More Sad News - RIP
- Ethiopian marathoner Yebrgual Melese dies at age-36 The 2:19:36 marathoner and former Chicago runner-up suffered a sudden medical emergency while training and was rushed to the hospital, but could not be saved.
- 15-year-old runner dies during half-marathon in the Netherlands She experienced a medical emergency during the race and was treated by first responders, but the exact cause of death hasn't been released
Catching Up On Some Recent Road Results
- MB: Jakob Ingebrigsen's oldest brother Kristoffer Ingebrigtsen runs 2:29:32 at the Copenhagen Marathon His younger sister Ingrid Ingebrigtsen also ran, finishing in 3:58:56 (there is also a Christina Ingebrigsten in the results at 3:09:56). The race was won by Ethiopia's Tadesse Kassa (2:08:26) and Kenya's Mercy Chebwogen (2:22:08). Evan Jager was making his marathon debut here, but according to the timing site, he went through halfway on pace for 2:28:50, kept that pace through 25k, but then slowed down a lot (was on 2:40 pace at 35k) before dropping out. *Results
*MB: Evan Jager's marathon debut in Copenhagen - Kenya's Dennis Kipkogei (59:14) and Ethiopia’s Emebet Dessie (69:01) win at the Mainz Half Marathon in Germany
- Shunsuke Shikama (61:31) and Tabitha Njeri Kamau (69:20) win Sendai Half Marathon in Japan
Recommended Read
- Amby Burfoot's tribute to Parker Morse who passed away last week: "Remembering Parker Morse - The unsung hero who shaped running coverage online" Talking about Morse's extensive resume, Burfoot writes, "He was the first online editor/producer at Runner’s World, wrote extensively for IAAF/World Athletics, helped design web pages for World Marathon Majors and the Boston Marathon, played a low-key but central role in Boston Marathon TV coverage, and supported the Fast Women website and newsletter produced by his wife, Alison Wade."
*MB: RIP Parker Morse
*GoFundMe for Morse's family
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.
NCAA Rankings
- Arkansas men stay #1 in updated NCAA rankings; Oregon move up to #2 Georgia and LSU are ranked 3-4.
- Georgia and Florida remain 1-2 in updated women's NCAA rankings South Carolina and BYU swapped positions at 3-4.
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?
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More Shoe Talk
- Australian distance-running great Chris Wardlaw (ran the marathon at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics) speaks out on super shoes Wardlaw said, "I don't want to be seen as a dinosaur creeping out of my grave screaming at people ... and all power to the shoe companies. They've done it. But to me, it distorts what the true meaning of the sport should be. I don't think we really know what could have been achieved without these shoes ...Anybody who knows maths would say there's been a jump here that has to be explained more by technology than human endeavor."
*MB: 'A big, big issue for the sport': Marathon great tees off about super shoes - Q&A with Adidas running department vice president of product Stephan Scholten Scholten explains how they approached their "moonshot brief" to get their latest shoe under 100 grams without sacrificing performance.
- MB: Swimming banned skin-suits. Horse racing banned bi-carb. Why is Sebby Coe turning a blind eye? — Too much money at stake
Sprint Stuff
- Olympic 400H silver medalist Anna Cockrell breaks Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone's 300H American record at Arkansas Twilight Her 37.40 is #2 on the world all-time list behind only Femke Bol's 36.86 world best. 2016 Olympic 400H champ Dalilah Muhammad was 3rd in 38.55. *Results
- Keely Hodgkinson will face a star line-up in the 400m at the Rome DL on June 4 The field includes 4 finalists from Tokyo worlds with Natalia Bukowiecka, Amber Anning, Henriette Jæger and Nickisha Pryce plus US's 49.09 woman Aaliyah Butler.
*MB: Keely Hodgkinson to run the 400M in Rome DL. What time you got...? - Olympic and world LJ champ Tara Davis-Woodhall returns to the 100H for the first time in 4-years She won at the Ward Haylett Invitational in Kansas with 12.99 (she has a 12.75 PB from 2021).
- UAlbany's Shenequa Vassell scored 22.5 points at America East Conference Champs, helping her team win their 17th consecutive title She won the 100m (11.47), the 200m (23.44) and ran on the winning 4x100.
Road News - USATF 25k Champs
Hurley won by 43 seconds in 1:22:51 (5:20 pace) while Colley ran 1:14:00 (4:46 pace) to beat Mo Bati (1:14:19) and Casey Clinger (1:14:32).
- 2020 Olympic 10,000m champ Selemon Barega will defend his title at the 2026 Great Manchester Run 10k He faces last year's runner-up Santiago Catrofe and 2024 winner Vincent Ngetich plus Brits Marc Scott and Andy Butchart. The women's race has Boston Marathon champ Sharon Lokedi vs US's Weini Kelati and former NYC Marathon winner Sheila Chepkirui.
- Kenyans Collins Kemboi (2:08:52) and Patience Kimutai (2:30:45) win Geneva Marathon
Gout Gout Featured On 60 Minutes
Weekend NCAA / HS Action
- MB: Marco Langon runs NCAA #2 All-Time 1500m at Franson Last Chance Meet (3:32.79) *Results
- Simeon Birnbaum leads trio of Ducks under 1:46 at Oregon Twilight (link fixed) He won in 1:44.67 ahead of true freshman Bodey Lutes (1:45.62). Silan Ayyildiz won the women's 1500m in 4:06.07 as two-time NCAA mile champ Wilma Nielsen (4:11.78) was only third in her outdoor debut. Benjamin Balazs took the men's race in 3:36.23 ahead of Thomas Ratcliffe (3:36.53). *Results
*MB: Simeon Birnbaum 1:44.67 at Oregon Twilight tonight - Arkansas' Brian Masai runs 3:33.17 at Arkansas Twilight finishing runner-up to former OSU runner Fouad Messaoudi (3:32.25) The time is joint #2 in the NCAA this year and broke a 27-year-old Arkansas school record.
- MB: Quincy Wilson makes 300 hurdles debut - wins in 38.77 For comparison, the high school record is 34.72. Wilson ran this doubling back after winning the 400m in 45.88.
Distance News
- Drew Hunter blog post: "Rethinking my entire running career" After doing well in three back-to-back races including winning USATF 5k Champs, Hunter has a new found love for the roads.
- MB: Emma Coburn returns to racing after 15 months - racing the steeple at Trackfest (May 23) This will be her first steeplechase in over two years.
- MB: No cross country at 2030 Winter Olympics This is a bummer for running fans, but the IOC hasn't ruled it out completely, so it could still happen at future Winter Olympics.
International Results
- Henry McLuckie breaks Steve Ovett's 39-year-old Belfast stadium 3000m record He ran 7:43.64 breaking the 1980 Olympic 800m champ's 7:44.83 mark from 1987. Melissa Courtney-Bryant set a stadium record in the 1500m, winning in 4:04.50 and 2023 world 800m bronze medalist Ben Pattison won the men's 1500m in 3:37.96.
- World 10,000m champ Jimmy Gressier wins French 10k champs in 27:47 He won the race by nearly a minute. 19-year-old Louisa Bailly won the women's race in 32:34.
- Italy's Nadia Battocletti opens outdoor season with 1500m win in Florence (4:03.75) She dominated the race by more than 12 seconds. 800m wins went to GB's Jemma Reekie (2:01.26) and Spain's David Borroso (1:44.56).
- Brit Clare Elms runs W60 five mile best of 29:53 (5:59 pace) She crushed her previous world best of 30:44.
- Philemon Kiriago and Ruth Mwihaki Gitonga lead Kenyan sweep at Transvulcania World Mountain Running race They each won the long distance races, with their compatriots, Richard Omaya Atuya and Joyce Muthoni Njeru won the uphill races two days earlier.
Worth A Read
(link fixed) Michael Crawley and Geoff Burns write in a fascinating long essay entitled "The Ethiopian running secret" on Aeon.co, "For a long time, African knowledge has been seen by the West as intuitive, superstitious and practical, and some might view the Ethiopian methodology as unscientific. We argue it may be just the opposite."
International News
- British sprinter CJ Ujah arrested for cryptocurrency fraud He is alleged to have been part of an organized crime group which scammed people over the phone to steal their currency, with one victim apparently losing over $300,000. Ujah was infamously banned for doping at the Tokyo Olympics which led the UK 4x100 to be stripped of their silver medal. GB sprinter Brandon Mingel was also arrested.
- Olympic pole vault bronze medalist and OnlyFans model Alysha Newman gets 20-month ban for whereabouts failures She was home for the third missed test, but told the tester she had to leave immediately to film a television game show. She received less than a two-year ban because the AIU accepted that she had decided to end her career, although in a follow-up statement, she said she wasn't done with track.
- Keely Hodgkinson signs with WME Sports talent agency This is the same talent agency as British star tennis player Emma Raducanu and Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
- India javelin star Neeraj Chopra nearing comeback from injury after being out since last year
Sprint News
At the time, it was written it was "greater than Randy Matson’s 21.52m shot put and Ron Clarke’s 27:39.4 10,000m, according to the Portuguese Scoring Tables.” Smith was quite the athlete as he held 11 different world records at once.
- Gabby Thomas, Oblique Seville and Quincy Hall to headline inaugural Lone Star Grand Prix on June 6th in Texas
- 3-time NCAA champ Peyton Bair's younger sister Karlie is quite the athlete - just like seemingly everyone in the family All three of her older brothers are NCAA athletes and she scored 36 points at the Idaho state meet last year as a sophomore.
- Two-time European 200m champion and two-time world 60m champion, Mujinga Kambundji, who is getting ready to compete again after giving birth, compares pregnancy comeback to coming back from injury
Random News That Passed Our Human Vetting Test
- Wilma Nielsen to make outdoor debut at Oregon Twilight on Friday The women's 1500 is loaded with Nielsen and 9 others who have broken 4:10. Simeon Birnbaum is in the 800 with Elliott Cook. Justyn Knightis in the 1500.
- Mondo Duplantis has moved to Monaco and he hopes to break the pole vault world record there at the Monaco DL on July 11th
- Femke Broeders-Bol announces she'll make her outdoor 800m pro debut in Hengelo on Sunday, June 21
- World Athletics 5th Kids’ Athletics Day is hoping to inspire 700,000+ kids to be active
- World Athletics rejects the IOC's request to allow Belarus to compete again "Our council has made a clear decision that when there is tangible movement towards peace negotiations it can begin to review its decisions. We all hope this will be soon, but until that happens the council continues to be united in standing behind the decision it made in March 2022 and revisited in 2023 and 2025."
- Jimmy Gressier will try to break Mo Farah's one-hour record at Brussels Diamond League Final in September To do it, he'll essentially have to run a little faster than a 59:20 half marathon on the track and keep going for a little bit longer.
- Nike opens its 1st store in East Africa in Kenya and Eliud Kipchoge was there to celebrate it "This is a massive achievement for the citizens of this country...This is the first shop in East Africa, and it’s a huge milestone. I’m a really happy man because this is also the first shop in Kenya, and I believe I have left a legacy,” Kipchoge said.
Ultra news
The 34-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama, took advantages of great condition in the 4th edition fo the race and crossed the line in a new overall course record with an official time of 56:09:48, smashing the previous mark of 58:47:18 in the race that goes from Sedona to Flagstaff, AZ and was watched by more than 20,000 people live online. Kilian Korth was second overall and the first man to finish, crossing the line in 57:28:36 *Outside
*MB:The official Cocodona 250 2026 thread. 345,000 people watched the live stream on Wednesday. Wow.
*MB: Runner drops dead in middle of Cocodona 250 Mile. Race goes on.
- BBC: Mashed potato & 19 minutes' sleep - The secrets to Entrekin's epic race "Somewhere around mile 200, I slept for five minutes at an aid station," said the 34-year-old, speaking to BBC Sport the morning after her success. "Then around 230 miles, I took two seven-minute naps on the floor. And food, it's impossible to say how much I ate but as far as real food goes, I had a lot of mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are the best. You get tired of chewing and you don't want to expend any extra energy doing that."
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.
More Sub-2
Adidas reveals to the NY Times the secrets behind the 1:59 marathon super shoe: From ‘unreasonable ambition’ to ‘actual magic’ The magic seems to be in the foam and in moving from the energy rods to a carbon rim around the perimeter. By changing the “formulation” of the foam, "they reduced its weight by 50 percent and increased forefoot energy return by 11 percent."
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
- 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.
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
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.
- 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
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 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.
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).
- 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
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
