Olympic News

• No, We’re Not Joking: E-Sports To Become Official Medal Sport At 2022 Asian Games Apparently playing video games is now a “sport.”
  *USA Today: “E-Sports In Olympics Could Happen Before You Know It” “Crushing it at Call of Duty or Madden will soon get you a gold medal just like the swimmer who sets a world record in the 100-meter butterfly.”
• Rio Organizers Still Owe $28 Million In Outstanding Payments For The Olympics

More Post-Boston Stuff

• adidas Apologizes For Poorly Worded Email Saying “You Survived The Boston Marathon” Their word choice sparked outrage on Twitter as many connected it to the 2013 Boston bombing.
• Boston Globe: “Kathrine Switzer Finishes Boston Again, 50 Years Later” The 70-year-old Switzer ran 4:44 to finish 8th in her age group.
• Boston Globe: Boston Bombing Survivor Says Memorial Wreath Was Placed In The Wrong Spot
  *MB: Boston Marathon bombing victim lashes out at officials for misplaced wreath.
• Article/Video: Veteran Who Lost Leg In Afghanistan Carries Woman Across Boston Finish Line
  *MB: Should this girl be DQ’d from Boston for being carried across the finish line?
• Boston Herald: Marine Who Lost Leg In Afghanistan Runs Boston Carrying American Flag

Outside Boston Coverage

• Guy Who Posted Motivational Super Bowl Themed Poster From Boston Sticks It To ESPN When ESPN asked permission to use the photo the guy vehemently refused as retribution for ESPN’s “witch hunt” against Tom Brady.
• USATF Chief Marketing Officer Jill Geer Encourages Everyone To Go See New Boston Marathon Documentary The Matt Damon-narrated film is in theaters for one night only tomorrow.
• It Was The Best Overall American Performance In Boston Since 1985 USA had six men and two women in the top ten.
• How Did Other Notable Runners Fare In Boston? Results from former NHL and NFL players as well as ultra runners, former Boston winner Amby Burfoot and Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run Boston with a bib number.
• Runner’s World: Top Social Media Post From Boston 2017
  *Kiss Photos From Wellesley Scream Tunnel
• NY Times: “Boston Marathon 2017: Kenyans Sweep The Main Events”

Reads That We Really Enjoyed

• Fascinating Q&A With Lisa Rainsberger, The Last American Woman To Win The Boston Marathon And Mom Of Oregon Star Katie Rainsberger Rainsberger only took up running as the US boycotted the 1980 Olympics and so she ended up quitting swimming.
• Scott Reid Profiles Mondo Duplantis – And Calls Him The Pele Of Pole Vault A fantastic feature on arguably the sport’s biggest young star. The kid is so good that WR holder Renaud Lavillenie was filming him on his phone when he was 12.
• T&F News Q&A: “Donovan Brazier Adapting Well To Being A Pro” Brazier reveals he wanted to run World Relays but despite his recent 1:44 wasn’t selected. He also had some interesting quotes about mileage as he said, “I don’t know, a lot of people ask that and it’s just a weird question. I think it’s an irrelevant question, the mileage someone does.” He added, “I don’t do a 3-mile warmup and a 3-mile cool-down at 8:00 or 9:00-minute pace. My mileage is hard and it hurts.”
• Veteran Athletics Journalist Pat Butcher iIs “Mightily Impressed” By How Much Hardball Seb Coe Is Giving To The Russians Butcher has read the IAAF’s most recent report on the Russians and finds it to be amazingly good. Read the full report for yourself here.
• Feature On Oregon HS State Pole Vault Champ, Who Put A Javelin Into His Right Eye Socket In A Bizarre Accident At A Meet Last Year

Sprint Stuff

• Good News For Wayde Van Niekerk As IAAF Approve Schedule Change To Allow For The 200/400 Double
• Sports Scientist Ross Tucker Has Some Advice For Wayde Van Niekerk Tucker thinks Van Niekerk should focus on the 200/400 and forget about the 100: “You can be good at all three … but you’re not going to be world-class at all three. … [the 100] is never going to be an Olympic medal for him. The 200m and 400m both will.”
• Dafne Schippers Wants To Defend Her World 200m Title In 2017, But Will Be Putting Just As Much Emphasis On The 100m She wants to get her 10.81 PB under 10.80.
• GB Sprinter Nigel Levine “Not Angry Anymore” After Motorcycle Crash “I’ve got to deal with now. I’m still smiling and getting on with life. I’m just happy just to be alive and mobile, still got all my limbs and have a great team.”
• 1984 Olympic 400m Silver Medalist Chandra Cheeseborough-Guice Picks Her All-Star Women’s 4 X 400 Team No recent stars made her list, but there are two Americans.

Previous Boston Coverage

• Recommended Read: Runner’s World: How Did Abdi Abdirahman And Diane Nukuri, The Fastest Couple At The Boston Marathon, End Up Together? It took some persistence from Abdi to get Nukuri to go out with him. “She turned me down for like almost a year, so I was chasing her,” he said.
• 5 Thoughts From Meb Keflezighi Before His Final Boston Marathon Keflezighi has an A, B and C goal for Boston Monday: “My goal is to hopefully win it, but if not then top three, and if not top three then top 10. And if not that, then hopefully finish.”
• Good Read: Ben Beach Eyeing Record 50th Straight Boston Marathon Finish Beach was 18 when he ran his first Boston in 1968 and has a best finish of 2:27:26 from 1981. He is just one of 81 people to have a streak of 25 Bostons or more.
• Matt Damon-Narrated Boston Marathon Documentary Premieres Saturday In Boston
• Boston Marathon Retires Bib Number 261 In Honor Of Women’s Pioneer Kathrine Switzer Switzer is running again this year on the 50th anniversary of her historic run.

Olympic / Political News

• InsideTheGames Opinion Piece: Bid Race Between Paris And LA 2024 Turns Sour Both bids are touting their own strengths while subtly (or not subtly) pointing out the other’s weaknesses.
• Carl Lewis Stars In LA 2024 “Legends Of LA” Video Lewis won four gold medals (100, 200, 4×100, LJ) when LA last hosted in 1984.
• Former Rio Mayor Linked To Rio 2016 Corruption Allegations He’s accused of taking bribes from a construction company for contracts for the Games.
  *Five Members Of Rio State Accounts Court Arrested In Investigation Into Construction Projects Corruption
• London Tops Online Poll On Which City Should Host The 2022 Commonwealth Games Several UK and Australian cities have shown interest since Durban, South Africa was stripped of the event.
• Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates Admits To Swearing At Australian Sports CHariman At Nitro Athletics Event In Melbourne They exchanged some words as Coates called John Wylie a liar and Wylie called Coates a “c***.”
• Paris 2024 Vow To Support Gender Equality In Sport

Two Great Athletes Are Retiring; Another Is Just Getting Going

• 29-Year-Old US 800 Star And Expectant Mother Molly Ludlow Announces Her Retirement From Track And Field Ludlow had an impressive career which included 1:57.68 PR (#7 all-time US) and two heartbreaking 4th place finishes at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials.
  *MB: Molly Ludlow to retire!
• 33-Year-Old Bershawn “Batman” Jackson Announces His Pending Retirement Following The 2017 Season The former Olympic bronze medalist and four-time World champ will kick off his last season at the Drake Relays on April 29th.
• MB: NAU Alum And 6-Time All-American Futsum Zienasellassie Joins NAZ Elite

Tracktown Summer Series Is Back For Year #2

LRC TrackTown Summer Series 2.0 To Have Allyson Felix, Bernard Lagat, Nick Symmonds And Sanya Richards-Ross As GMs, Plus Why Nick Symmonds’ Final Season May Be A Short One An improved TrackTown Summer Series is back for year #2. We give you the details, plus the news that Nick Symmonds’ career may not make it into July.

Will Roger Bannister Have To Share His Anniversary With Eliud Kipchoge?

Nike Sub-2 Hour Attempt Set For The First Weekend Of May The attempt will go down at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza F1 track in Italy on either May 6, 7, or 8 depending on weather. The date is very appropriate as May 6th is the 63rd anniversary of Roger Bannister‘s first sub-4 minute mile.

Centro Sr.’s Book Gets Some Publicity

Matt Centro’s Sr Gets Q&A In Washington Post About His Biography And His Son’s Olympic 1,500m Gold

LRC Exclusive LetsRun.com Exclusive: Read Chapter Two Of Matt Centrowitz’s New Book “Like Father, Like Son” LetsRun.com doesn’t beat around the bush. Neither does Matt Centrowitz. He’s so confident you’ll like his book, he’s letting you read a whole chapter for free. Purchase the book now and come back at the end of February and participate in the first ever LetsRun.com Virtual Book Club.

LRC Review Legendary Athlete, Father And Coach Matt Centrowitz Just Published An Autobiography – We Suggest You Read It