Sharon Lokedi is back to defend with no Hellen Obiri, and she'll face the entire US Olympic Marathon team from 2024, led by Fiona O'Keeffe, and the 2025 US Worlds team.
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.
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.
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."
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).
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.
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
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?
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.
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
He tested positive for CERA which is the "third-generation of EPO."
*MB: Albert TITAN Korir suspended for doping
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.
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.
A big thank you to the big crowd that turned out for the LetsRun party to celebrate the American running community at World XC.
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
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?
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.
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?
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."
Aletheia Run turns every run into real insight. The small sensor gives you a personal Force Portrait so you see how your body loads, moves, and reacts with each stride. Get clear feedback, form fixes, and training tips that help you run faster and avoid injury. Use code LETSRUN10 for 10 percent off your first year.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
We've run the numbers by comparing Lutkenhaus's run against every other age-16 world record, and the data is clear.
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.
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
The US indoor 1500m/3000m champion overhauled his fueling in workouts before the 2024 season. Now he swears by his routine.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- Craig Virgin, calling out runners who make excuses for not running in the World's Greatest Footrace - the World XC Champs. Virgin also had a great line about whether XC should be in the Winter Olympics: "If they can have breakdancing in the Summer Olympics, then we can certainly have cross country in the Winter Olympics."
MB: 2-time world xc champ Craig Virgin talks about XC.... And we listen.