Has Oregon's and the US's next distance star arrived? Is Simeon Birnbaum the heir apparent to Matthew Centrowitz and Cole Hocker? If he breaks the 1500/mile record-holder curse, the answer very well may be, 'Yes.'
*MB: Will Simeon Birnbaum break the 1500/mile record-holder "curse" and win in Eugene?
NCAAs Start Wednesday
An NCAA legend retired and those he impacted showed up for his retirement party
Former NJ state champion Lyle Smith takes you inside the ultimate reunion of Mark Wetmore's former runners, who recently got together at a retirement party in Boulder and paid tribute to the man (and his assistant Heather Burroughs) who helped transform American distance running.
On The Boards
On The Boards
Stockholm DL Was Fantastic
Stockholm DL Was Fantastic
Having had a day to review the statistics, we can confirm that the 17-year-old Lutkenhaus's win in Stockholm was indeed historic. He is the youngest man to win a running event at a Diamond League in the 17-year history of the series. And three of the youngest eight before Lutkenhaus are already Olympic gold medallists and a fourth is a 1:59:41 marathoner.
*MB: It's official: Cooper Lutkenhaus is the youngest men's DL track winner in history. And 3 of previous youngest 8 have won gold
The sport has never seen a teen phenom quite like this. What. A. Race.
Werro's 1:53.98 is the first sub-1:54 by a woman in almost 43 years as Hodgkinson ran a pb of 1:54.33 but had to settle for 2nd. In the men's 1500, Yared Nuguse (3:30.11) won again afer running down Cam Myers (3:30.32) in the home straight.
- MB: Official 2026 Stockholm DL discussion thread
- MB My God. The greatest teen phenom our sport has ever seen. Cooper MF Lutkenhaus 1:42.70 FTW in Stockholm!!
- MB: AUDREY MF WERRO, 1:53.98 WL And she beat Keely Hodgkinson in the process.
- MB Past time to retire the “Nuguse doesn’t have killer instinct” nonsense He's earned his second-straight DL win, this time over Cam Myers.
- MB: Cam Myers Diamond League Stockholm 1500m prediction contest
Brooks PR
13-year-old Angelina Alder lowered her own age group world record to 4:38.25 to win the girls' mile and Chiara Dailey won the 2 mile in 9:49.57 (#5 on HS all-time list). Marcelo Mantecon took the boys' 2 mile in 8:44.88.
RIP
- Former Stanford runner and 1960 800m Olympian Ernie Cunliffe passes away at 88-years-old Cunliffe finished 3rd in the 800m for Stanford at the 1959 and 1960 NCAA Championships and once held the WR for the 1000 yards.
- Germany's 1956 long jump Olympian Manfred Steinbach passes away at age 92
Oslo Diamond League (Bislett Games) On Wednesday
Yared Nuguse faces a stacked Dream Mile field with all three 2025 world 1500m medalists, Isaac Nader, Jake Wightman and Reynold Cheruiyot, plus Cam Myers, Hobbs Kessler, Timothy Cheruiyot and Narve Gilje Nordas. The 5000m has Grant Fisher, Andreas Almgren and Nico Young. The sprints are highlighted by Gout Gout vs Letsile Tebogo in the 200m, Julien Alfred in the 100m and Karsten Warholm vs Alison dos Dantos in the 400H.
The Lone Star Grand Prix Was On NBC On Saturday
Taylor joined Erriyon Knighton as only the second American high schooler to break 20.00 in the 200. Other highlights included Trayvon Bromell (9.85, +3.8) taking down world champion Oblique Seville (3rd in 9.95) in the 100 and a great women's hammer competition, where Camryn Rogers (79.36m) defeated American Rachel Richeson (79.33m) in the first meet ever to feature two women beyond 79 meters.
- MB: Official 2026 Lone Star Grand Prix (NBC 4-6 pm ET) Live Discussion Thread
- Full Results: Makanakaishe Charamba (19.88, +0.1), Trayvon Bromell (9.85, +3.8), Chris Bailey (44.35), Jamar Marshall (13.04), Navasky Anderson (1:46.33), Sarina Dockery (10.92 pb, +1.6), Gabby Thomas (21.70 WL, +0.7), Ella Onojuvwevwo (49.47), Shafiqua Maloney (1:57.34), Demisha Roswell (12.53) win
USATF 4 Mile Champs
Muhumed won in17:57, three seconds ahead of Reid Buchanan while Parker ran 20:16 to beat out Rachael Rudel (20:23) and Allie Ostrander (20:24). *Top Results
Other Recent International Track Results
- Owen Ansah breaks German 100m record with 9.98 at the Sparkassen Open in Germany He took .01 off his own record from 2024.
- European U23 100m champion Karolina Manasova breaks 45-year-old Czech 100m record with 11.01 at the Liese Prokop Memorial
- China 10,000m national record goes down in Japan (27:47.53 by Wenjie Wang) He took just over a second off his own NR.
- Montenegro’s Marija Vukovic beats European U23 champ Angelina Topic with 1.98m national HJ record at Filothei Women’s Gala in Greece
- Norway's Henriette Jaeger runs 35.49 to just miss European 300m record by .03
New York Mini 10K
Agnes Ngetich shattered the course record, running a dominant solo 30:07 to defeat Tsigie Gebreselama (30:53) and defending champion Hellen Obiri (31:10). Emily Venters was the top American in fourth with a personal-best 31:36.
- RRW: Two-time Slovenian Olympian and European 10k record holder Klara Lukan making her US debut at the New York Mini 10k Lukan has an impressive resume. Besides being the first European woman under 30 minutes (29:51 PB), she has a masters degree in international business, works for the Slovenian Police and also part-time for a software company
That's One Less "Enhanced" Athlete In The Sport
- 2022 World 100m silver medalist Marvin Bracy-Williams gets 12 year ban for his third anti-doping violation They got him for three whereabouts failures, but since he competed in the Enhanced Games (where he was 3rd in 10.39), we're assuming they could get him on a lot more. This is in addition to the doping ban he is already serving. USADA says he is retiring so his ban "will continue indefinitely until he returns from retirement and serves the remainder of his sanctions."
Pre Stockholm News
Pre Stockholm News
Myers is 7-for-7 in 2026, and running fans (including LRC's Rojo) are getting excited about his potential, even throwing out the words "world record." Are their expectations realistic, or are they getting carried away?
Lutkenhaus faces a field that features four of the top six from the '24 Olympic final, including silver medalist Marco Arop. Plus US women's 800 champ Roisin Willis is also making her DL debut.
Aletheia - the sensor & app to help you run better has improved (sponsored)
Aletheia Run has launched a completely redesigned app built from runner feedback, featuring adaptive training, 170+ strength and mobility exercises, leave-phone-behind tracking, and performance insights. LetsRun readers can get a 30-day free trial plus 10% off their first year with code LETSRUN10.
Base Training 101 - Spread the Word to Any High Schoolers You Know
How good can a runner become with real summer training? This summer, LetsRun is going to help coach a sub-10:00 high school runner who only trained 10 miles per week in the past and document the journey while teaching the principles of base training that can help every runner improve.
NCAA Stuff
- Georgia women stay #1 in post-Regional NCAA rankings; Oregon jumps 10 spots to #3 Florida stayed #2 and Texas A&M moved up to #4. BYU had a big drop from #3 to #7.
- No changes to top-4 men's teams in pre-NCAA Champs rankings Arkansas, Oregon, Georgia and Texas A&M are still ranked 1-4. Tennessee jumped four spots to #5.
- Bowerman Award women's watch list update Jane Hedengren, Doris Lemngole, Sanu Jallow-Lockhart are the three distance women left on the list after Pamela Kosgei was cut.
- Bowerman Award men's watch list update Distance runners on the list are Simeon Birnbaum, Colin Sahlman, Habtom Samuel, Geoffrey Kirwa.
- Two-time All-American TJer Skylynn Townsend transfers from Georgia to Illinois
Rome
Noah Lyles (9.88, +0.5) took down Jordan Anthony (9.96) and everyone else to win his DL opener in the 100, while Julien Alfred (21.93, +1.3) beat world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (22.17) in the 200. *WA Recap
Meet Me in St. Louis
St. Louis bid out Phoenix, the only other bidder, for the right to host. The races will be held on March 25, 2028 -- 18 weeks before the Olympic marathons in Los Angeles.
Hoka Festival Of Miles
And Jackson Spencer (3:57.24) almost accomplished the feat in the HS boys race as the men's pro winner ran 3:57.01. Lincoln is now in the top 5 all time as only two HSers (Jane Hedengren and Mary Cain) have broken 4:27 in the mile in HS.
Chris Solinsky Update
The former American record holder in the 10,000 won 5 NCAA titles as a Badger. “It has long been a dream of mine to be right here in this moment. Wisconsin and this program mean a great deal to me and I do not take lightly the responsibility I have to take the baton into the future," said Solinsky.
More HS News
In 1976, the 1st 4 x 880 was held at the Illinois state meet. People are still talking about it 50 years later It was historically fast and competitive.
- Holmdel Park to host the 2026 Brooks XC Northeast Championship The Northeast region meet has been in Boston the last three years, but will move to NJ for 2026 where Edward Cherserek (14:53 in 2011) and Katelyn Tuohy (16:21 in 2018) have the course records.
*MB: Holmdel Park To Host 2026 Brooks XC Northeast Championship - MileSplit: The number of HSers breaking 4:30 for the 1600m has gone way up since 2019 4,836 in 2026 compared to 2,886 in 2019.
- MB: Update on track meet murder trial - Karmelo Anthony Jury selection began on Monday.
- MB: 4:08.5 does NOT make the finals at California state meet
- MB: HS Freshman Quenton Lanese, who ran an 8:47.53 3200 last week, runs 4:04.5 1600M
Distance News - Jakob Update
- MB: Jakob Ingebrigtsen's agent says he could be back competing in July, possibly at the London DL London is on July 18. He also mentioned the Monaco DL (July 10) and Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix (July 14th) as possible options.
- Brit Freddie Rowe almost breaks Steve Cram's UK age-17 1500m record He ran 3:40.26 to place 3rd (British collegiate athlete Dan Galloway won in 3:40.02) at the British Milers Club GP in Birmingham, just .17 slower than Cram's mark from 1978.
- 2023 world 10,000m silver medalist Daniel Ebenyo racing the Chicago Half Marathon this Sunday The 59:04 man faces fellow Kenyan Peter Njeru (60:29).
New Training Talk Live Series
As we move to LetsRun.com second quarter century, we want to give you more reasons to visit the site daily. So we have launched a Live Training Talk series. Marius Bakken was the perfect first guest as this website was founded to try to spread the gospel of aerobic/threshold-based training, which Bakken has helped spread across the globe better than anyone. Catch it on demand as an SC Member. *Purchase book
Cam Myers is on fire
The Australian teen smashed his 800m PB by more than three seconds, remained undefeated in 2026, and now owns a faster 800 PB than Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr, Yared Nuguse, and Niels Laros. *Race video
Random, But Interesting
- MB: Japanese guy who has been studying running form of Japanese couriers from 1600s racks up 270 million social media views This is wild. You've got to take a look at this. He's been researching how couriers could run 300 miles in 3 days while staying injury free
- ‘I started running in my 40s after having triplets. I’m now 62 and my 5K time is 17:48. Here’s how I train’
- Hannah Brier just broke a 44-year national Welsh national record in the 200 by running 22.79 seconds, but she won't be going to CGs as the foolishly closed their qualifying window weeks ago
- Three-time UTMB champion Xavier Thévenard (2013, 2015 and 2018) is back after battling Lyme disease for years
- 2021 Olympic steeple finalist Jon Gay thought he may never race again but he debute in 2:14 in Ottawa last weekend Gay, who is now coached by Jonathan Green, talks to Green about his race on his own podcast here.
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
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.
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.
Interesting Distance News
- Recommended Read: Tim Layden: "Super shoes continue to rewrite records; don't worry, legacies are safe." Layden writes, "This is the integrity argument that underpins almost any discussion of this topic. It goes like this: Super shoes have undercut the purity of the sport. People are running too fast, because they’re wearing engines on their feet that make their bodies perform better. Well, the shoes have done something, that’s for sure. But I don’t think this is about integrity at all ...I think it’s about a far more powerful metric: Legacies. ...The pearl clutching is genuine, but also performative, because sports fans really do get it. They are good at separating what’s been overridden from what endures. Times are just times. Records are just records. Legacies are more powerful than either one."
- Keely Hodgkinson reportedly went on secret dates with British reality TV star Casey O'Gorman An insider said they went on a few dates and had "real sexual chemistry," but it didn't work out for the long term.
- RW profile on high school senior who's breaking his school's distance records despite only having one arm Gabriel Lewis dealt with injuries for years from compensating for the uneven weight distribution, but had a breakthrough after strength training in the weight room. He's now broken school records in the 1600m (4:26), 3200m (9:54), and 5000m (16:12).
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
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.
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?
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
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.
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
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
‒Lyle Smith, a former New Jersey state champion from Bernardsville, NJ, writing bout Mark Wetmore. Smith is the author of Blood, Sweat & Spikes: Running the Wetmore Way.