The Comebacks Begin

"(I am a huge Alan) Webb fan, but that was tough to watch--no giddy up, even wondered if Alan was thinking "what am i doing here"--got to believe they would not have put him in there if they were not expecting something significantly better--better off doing practice time trials---as a big supporter i hope it is rust, but that really did not look promising."

- LRC message board poster "Webb fan" commenting after Alan Webb's first race since June of 2009 at a low key British Milers Club event in London. Webb got out slow and never really got it going and ran a fairly evenly-split 1:52ish (FAT not available) to finish 7th out of 9 - the same day that Olympic silver medallist Nick Willis began his comeback with a 3:59 mile at Falmouth. The link above takes you to a brief LRC recap of Webb's race as well as to a video of the race. If you want to read the ridiculous and over-the-top comments about Webb on the message board, please click here.

The Comebacks Begin

Waste Of Money Youth Olympic Games Open

Race On The Cape - Falmouth Is Sunday

New York City Marathon winner
Meb Keflezighi reacts in an on court ceremony honoring the marathon winners during a time out of the New York Knicks, New Orleans Hornets game at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 2, 2009. UPI/John Angelillo Photo via Newscom Meb Keflezighi, Gebremariam And Lineth Chepkurui The Big Stars At Sunday's Falmouth Road Race Gebre Gebremariam is the hottest man on the US road racing circuit, while Lineth Chepkurui is on one of the greatest American road-racing tears of all time, setting records almost every week. Meb Keflezighi and Catherine Ndereba will try to compete on the Cape with $90k in prize money on the line.

*Nick Willis To Make Return In Falmouth Road Mile We also find out that now-retired Wolverine coach Ron Warhurst is taking on Lee Emanuel and Brandon Bethke in an Ann Arbor group that will include proven pros Nick Willis and Nate Brannen. The club is going to be called the Very Nice Track Club.

Non-London News

Into The Wild Of San Francisco

Interview With Guy Who Missed OT Qualifier By 1 Second In San Francisco Former Penn Stater Tyler McCandless flew out to San Francisco to try to get his 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier but ended up with a 65:01 and a quality story.

Tabloid News

Mark Lewis Francis Calls Michael Johnson The Simon Cowell Of Athletics We're the ones who actually sidelined MLF's career ten years by telling him it was okay to eat at McDonald's when we roomed with him in Ireland. We're glad to see him running better in 2010, but see Michael Johnson's point.

HS News:

17-Year-Old Oliver Bear Don't Walk Runs 6:07 Pace For 50k To Break US Junior Record

Horrific Crash Between A Van And An SUV Both Carrying Cross-Country Runners (And Cal Baptist Team) Kills 3 In California
Our sympathies go out to all involved. You can share your thoughts here.

Midweek Action

Folksam Grand Prix 2010 Results (Erin Donohue 2:00.34 Win, Duane Solomon 800m Win, Boaz Lalang 3:39 Over Will Leer) We are fans of John Cook but think it would be great if Erin Donohue went sub-4 before Shannon Rowbury. They'll both get the chance tomorrow in London.
*Gothenburg Sweden Recap IAAF

Sad News

Antonio Pettigrew Antonio Pettigrew Has Died Updated article.
The 1991 world 400m champ, who admitted to using drugs from 1997-2003, was found dead at the age of 42. He was most recently an assistant coach at UNC. We commend Pettigrew for admitting his drug use and for UNC for giving him a second chance.
*Fair Obituary On Antonio Pettigrew In British Newspaper

On The Boards: RIP Antonio Pettigrew
*
Career Facts On Pettigrew Eurosport Yahoo
*2008 Article On Pettigrew's Name Coming Out In Court ESPN

LetsRun.com Jinx?

Usain Bolt Usain Bolt Out For Rest Of Season With Back Injury Just when we started to think of the publicity a Bolt-Gay rematch in Brussels was going to get, it was announced Bolt is out for the rest of the season. For the rest of 2010, track and field in the US will be relegated to obscurity and tape delay broadcasts on obscure stations. In case you can't tell, we're bummed.
*Discuss Bolt's Injury

Week In Review

LRC The Week That Was In Running: Tyson Gay Over Usain Bolt, Chris Solinsky's 12:55 And The 34-Year-Old Mark Kiptoo, Plus Phil Knight And Oregon's $41 Million Academic Center We give you an abbreviated recap of the week in running. And just so you click on it, we mention Alan Webb.

IAAF Council Meeting

Stockholm And Bolt Vs. Gay *Full Results *Photos *LRC $20,010 Prediction Contest Scores

Tyson Gay defeates Usain BoltTyson Gay Crushes Usain Bolt The top 100m man in the world on Friday night was clearly Tyson Gay. He got a good start and had no problem defeating Usain Bolt in Stockholm. Hopefully, the loss to Bolt is a jolt to the sport's publicity and makes the rematch that much bigger (Bolt's loss even got a mention on the Best Sports Radio Station in the country).
*
IAAF Recap *Reuters Recap *AP Recap
*
Video Of Gay-Bolt *Post-Race BBC Interview Of Gay *More Stockholm Video
*
Bolt: "I have always said I am not unbeatable ... This is not one of those seasons when I am fully working hard."
*British Paper Explains Terrible Tax Laws Which Will Prevent Bolt-Gay Rematch Next Week
On The Boards:
*TYSON GAY 9.83!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LRC Stockholm Distance Recap: Chris Solinsky Runs 12:55.53 As Galen Rupp Drops Out, Nancy Langat Wins Again, Chaos In Men's 800m World 10,000m leader Chris Solinsky ran another incredible race, this time a PR despite an erratic early pace. Galen Rupp was with Solinsky until the final 1,000m when he got knocked down. In the men's 800m, Abubaker Kaki suffered his second loss of the year (he dropped out too) as US wonderkid Andrew Wheating was well beaten (but he's got an excuse - he was caught up in the Kaki mess). The American women, two of whom have broken 4:00, disappointed in the women's 1,500m, as Nancy Langat showed she's the top 1,500m runner in the world despite never having broken 4:00.
*Stockholm Distance Video *RR: Solinsky Post-Race: "I've Just Got To Finish."

Stockholm Distance On The Boards: Stockholm 5000m thread.
*Solinksy Training
*Solinsky proves not to be a one trick pony
*The Legend Of Solinsky Stars With This Photo
*Wheating Runs 1:46 for 2nd last in Stockholm!!!!!

The Only Must-Read In The Industry

Jun 13, 2009; Fayetteville, AR; German FernandezLRC Week In Review: German Fernandez vs. Alan Webb vs. Leo Manzano Sure, it's the dog days of summer, but we devote much of our weekly recap a guy who hasn't raced in months - German Fernandez - and compare him to Webb and Manzano. Plus, we've got the African and European champs and a LetsRun.com mention in Sports Illustrated.

Aviva London DL Friday-Saturday *LRC LiveThread *Full London Results *Friday Recap *Saturday Recap *Photos *Gay's 9.78 All-Comers Record!

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 14: Jeremy Wariner of the USA (c) wins the
Mens 400 metres during the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace on August 14, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Oliver, Wariner And Felix Headline Day II, Leo Goes 3:50 In Mile
American sprinters and field eventers, led by David Oliver (13.06), dominated the final day in London. In the distance events, Kenyan Augustine Choge took the men's mile in 3:50, while Leonel Manzano came back with another fine performance, running 3:50.64 to place 3rd and set himself atop the 2010 US mile leaderboard. 2 Americans (Uceny and Pierce) broke 2:00 in the 800 but Mariya Savinova (1:58) proved she's the world #1, as Alysia Johnson and Maggie Vessey were well back. Biggest surprise of the day? Christian Cantwell loses a 20-meet win streak in the shot put.
*IAAF Recap Of Day 2: Felix Completes Sprint Double As Christin Cantwell Loses For 1st Time All Year
*Top Coaches Ricky Simms, Terrence Mahon And Alberto Salazar Talk At UK Distance Summit Rule #1 - Make sure you coach some of the most talented people on the planet.
*After Excelling At Euros, Brits Flop At Home
*US Stars Dominate
*Carolina Klüft Profile Very few photos included.
*Oscar Pistorious Still Way Short Of Commonwealth Games Time
LRC MBoard Talk
*Leo Goes 3:50 For 3rd
*Maggie Vessey???
*Elite Coaches Meet, Talk Training In London

 Abubaker Kaki of Sudan wins the men's 800m race during the London Grand Prix Diamond League athletics tournament at Crystal Palace in London August 13, 2010. REUTERS/Paul Hackett   (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT ATHLETICS) London Friday: Tyson Gay 9.78 Into A Headwind!!!
With Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt sidelined and rainy, cool conditions for the first of two days in London, American Tyson Gay ran the fastest time of 2010 despite not being sure if his groin would hold up. Aviva Grand Prix Day 1 also featured PRs for Oregon grads Wheating and Rupp, a win for Lagat in the 3k, and the return of Tirunesh Dibaba to the top of the world 5,000 ranks.
*
Andrew Wheating 1:44.56 PR For 2nd Ahead Of Nick Symmonds Again
*Men's 3k: Lagat Wins 7:40, Farah 2nd, Rupp 7:43 PR, Mottram 7:45
*Full Friday Results
*
Tyson Gay Blitzes Field With World Leading 9.78 Eurosport/Yahoo Recap
*
IAAF's UK Respondent Has Laptop Stolen

It's Official: Asafa Powell Out
Usain Bolt originally wanted to race here as well until the Brits tried to tax his endorsement income. Without Bolt and Powell, this meet is still pretty good, as if you can have a 2 day track meet and get fans to pay to watch, you've got quality. Now the headliner is Walter Dix vs. Tyson Gay over 100m. We could see Bernard Lagat get the American 3k record, we have Andrew Wheating and Nick Symmonds in the 800 and the American female crew in the women's 1,500.
London Aviva IAAF Preview It is really annoying how the IAAF website has half a preview and then directs you to the Diamond League site.
*Tyson Gay 6-Minute BBC Interview Where He Talks About Beating Bolt, Racing In London And More Gay says he's never taken a vacation and will take one this year. He's earned it to say the least.
*Carmelita Jeter Ready For London, Talks About Her 83 Year Old Grandmother Getting Upset About Online Comments About Her It's too bad Veronica Campbell Brown isn't in many DL meets this year. She's the world leader in the 100 and 200 this year. If the men's top 100 and 200 man wasn't running a lot of meets, people would be asking why. We've heard very little about Veronica this year.
*Hurdler David Oliver Clearly Enjoying The 2010 Season The WR could fall at any time. Oliver missed nearly 4 months in 2009.
More: British 400m Man Michael Bingham (Via Wake Forest) Says He's Not Just Competing For Britain For Financial Reasons Independent.co.uk
*21-Year-Old Perri Shakes-Drayton, Surprise Bronze Medallist In 400m Hurdles At Europeans, Excited About London 2010 The Independent

Previous London News:

Powell and GayAviva London Start Lists This is a great meet every year and a rare 2-day meet. Tyson Gay vs. Asafa Powell in the 100m, plus a do-over of the men's 800m in Stockholm (Andrew Wheating and Nick Symmonds). Not to mention the American record could fall in the men's 3k (Lagat and Rupp).
*Veronica Campbell Brown, The Top 100 And 200m Runner In 2010, Explains Why She Hasn't Been Seen On Diamond League Circuit Much We don't see her on the start lists this weekend either. Crazy.
*Asafa Powell In His Diary Says He's Not Sure When His Next Race Is We hope it's this weekend in London.
*5 Kenyans Near Diamond League Glory
*British 5k Record Holder David Moorcroft Thinks Mo Farah Can Get 2012 Olympic Medal
*Borlee Twins Talk About Wrong One Winning European Gold

Previous London News:
*Allyson Felix Going For 200-400 Double In London This Weekend
*Dayron Robles Pulls Out Of London Meet, Will Race Next In Brussels August 27
*Unbeaten Junior Phenom Jodie Williams Getting Advice From Allyson Felix
*Blanka Vlašić Mistakenly Reported To Be In Porno Film She's got another rematch with Chaunte Lowe on Friday.

College Discussion

News, History British News - Farah, Coe And Yamauchi

July 31, 2010 - Barcelona, SPAIN - epa02268907 Britain's Mo Farah (C) celebrates
winning the men's 5000m final at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, northeastern Spain, on 31 July 2010. Mo Farah Glowing After 10k/5k Double At Euros - Says He Can Medal In London 2012 Farah's wife went home alone from their honeymoon so he could stay and train in the mountains of Kenya.

*36-Year-Old Mara Yamauchi Announced For ING NYC Marathon Yamauchi so far is the biggest name to rival Shalane Flanagan and Deena Kastor. After a 2:23 career-best 2009 London performance, Mara tanked and got 10th in 2010. She will hope to continue the trend of older women marathoners having success in the top marathons.
*Yamauchi To Run BUPA Great North Run Paula Radcliffe was the last Briton to win the race back in '03. Portugese Jessica Augusto will race as the returning champ.

22 Years Ago - Seb Coe Excluded From 1988 British Olympic Team Father/coach Peter Coe thought it was a political decision.

World Champions Kemboi And Kirwa Yego Left Off African Team For Athletics World Cup

Monday's Distance News

Update On Armstrong Probe: Long Profile On Jeff Novitzky (The Chief Investigator), Nike Admits To Being Contacted By Investigators Armstrong's lawyer questions whether this is a waste of taxpayer dollars. We don't think so since millions of kids look up to athletes.

Sunday's Action *Luzern Results *Gatlin Results

Luzern: Nesta Carter Defeats Walter Dix 9.86 To 9.88, USA's Morgan Uceny Runs 1:58.67 The runs were PRs for Dix and Uceny. Uceny went sub-2:00 for the first time in her last 800m and then was the top American in Stockholm in the 1,500m before this race. Last year's 800m star Maggie Vessey only managed a 2:02.
Discussion Of Uceny's 1:58.67!
*Results

Estonia:
Justin Gatlin Comeback Race #2 A Win In 10.17 Photo and recap. Adam Nelson won the shot put.

Updated Post-Stockholm News *LRC Stockholm Recap *New Stockholm Photo Gallery

Sprint News

Beach To Beacon *Results *Photos

2009 World Cross Champ Gebre Gebremariam Comes From Behind To Win in 27:40 As Lineth Chepkuri Crushes Women's CR (30:59) Martin Lel ran 28:38 and was 7th as Khalid Khannouchi ran 33:10. Arkansas grad Shawn Forrest also impressed as he led early and got the attention of Joan Benoit, who said he one day may be a strong marathoner.
*Top American Ben True Is Giving Up On OTC - Moving Back East To NH
*Libbie Hickman Recalls Near Miss From 10 Years Ago She reached the tape first but the finish line was just past it.

Tyson Gay Runs 9.78 Into A Headwind In London

LRC Poll