Lengthy Reads We Really Enjoyed

Paul Kimmage Catches Up With Ireland’s Catherine McKiernan 20 Years After Her London Marathon Win The country girl who never liked the spotlight that came with being a star was a 4-time World XC runner-up who found her home in the marathon where she was the best in the world in 1997-1998, but injuries prevented her from Olympic glory. This nearly 6,000-word piece is much more than about just running – it’s about life – and finding yourself after a devastating divorce.

How Gabby Thomas Developed Into The 200m Collegiate Record Holder At Harvard Coach Kebba Tolbert has done a masterful job. Read all about it in this 3,500+ word piece by Johanna Gretschel.

2018 Commonwealth Games Have Started *LRC Preview *Commonwealths Schedule & Results

Day 1: MB: Joshua Cheptegei runs 3:58 final 1600 to beat Mo Ahmed for 5000 gold Wisco star Morgan McDonald was a well-beaten 8th.

LRC A Track And Field Fan’s Guide To The 2018 Commonwealth Games: Why You Should Care And How To Watch We preview the action down under which features Elijah Manangoi vs. Timothy Cheruiyot, Elaine Thompson vs. Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Caster Semenya, Joshua Cheptegei, Clarence Munyai, Isaac Makwaala.
*Day-By-Day Track Schedule And Highlights

• The Commonwealth Games Most Memorable Track And Field Moments The article by the Backstraight Boys includes great race videos. *Pre-Commonwealth Games Podcast By The Backstraight Boys
• Commonwealth Games Organizers And IAAF Considering Going Back To The Mile At CGs They ran the mile every year until 1966.
• Arizona Alum Sage Watson (2017 NCAA 400H Champ) Is Hoping For Canadian Record At CGs She’s only .13 off the record.
• New Zealand Shot Putter Tom Walsh Doesn’t Like Being Called The “Clean WR Holder” – He Wants The Actual WR

Assorted Distance News

• Andrew Wheating Now Coaching At A Portland High School
• Podcast With America’s Fastest Woman With A Full-Time Job – Stanford Invite 10,000m Runner-Up Carrie Dimoff And she’s a mom to boot.
• Good Read: Engaged Aussie Distance Runners Ryan Gregson And Genevieve LaCaze Discuss Their Relationship LaCaze: “I would say we are the complete opposite (personalities). When I met Ryan, “I thought how the hell is this going to work?”
• Updated Boston Marathon Elite Fields: Sara Hall And Olympic Silver Medalist Eunice Kirwa Withdraw With Injury
• Carrie Tollefson Does Podcast Interview With Molly Huddle Huddle talks about going back and forth between track and road, training for Boston and hopes for 2020
• Family Of Woman Who Died Last Fall Sues Race Organizers After She Fell In Ocean During The Japanese Race Four Years Ago The family is suing the race for $933,000.

More Commonwealth Games News

• Zane Robertson Pulls Out Of Commonwealth Games After Missing Training Due To Injury Robertson says that he “almost broke his hip due to a freak mistake made by a massage therapist.”
• Yohan Blake Looks To Bring A Gold Medal To Post-Bolt Jamaica After years of injuries, Blake has never gotten back to the level that saw him run 9.69, but he was 4th at Worlds last year and says, “I’m doing some good work in training and my confidence is coming back.”
• Athletics Australia Men’s Long Distance Preview
  *More Athletics Illustrated Preview
• Athlete In “Serious” Condition After Contracting Malaria

More Weekend International Road Action

• Sunday: Wide Open Fields Set For The Istanbul Half Men’s field includes Leonard Langat (59:18), Albert Kangogo (59:25) and Amdework Waleglegn (27:36 for 10K). The women’s race has Joyce Chepkirui (66:19), Dubai Marathon champ Roza Dereje (2:19:17) and Ababel Yeshaneh (67:21).
• Sunday: 2:10 Man Shadrack Tanui Leads Greater Manchester Marathon Field
• Sunday: Kenya’s Patrick Wachira Muriuki (2:10:00) And Ethiopia’s Konjit Tilahun Biruk (2:28:11) The Favorites For The Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon In South Korea
• Sunday: Rahma Tusa (2:25:12) Going For Three-Peat At Rome Marathon She’ll face challenges from former Worlds silver medalist Sharon Cherop and a slew of other sub-2:30 women. The men’s race is led by Kenya’s Jafred Chirchir Kipchumba (2:05:48) and Ethiopia’s Girmay Birhanu (2:05:48).
• April 22: World Record Holder And Defending Champ Joyciline Jepkosgei Returns To The Gifu Seriyu Half Marathon She faces Eunice Chumba (66:11) and Valary Jemeli (67:50). Defending champ Alexander Mutiso will try to defend his men’s title, but only has the fifth best PR as he faces sub-hour men James Mwangi, James Rungaru and Moses Kurong.
• April 29: Fourth-Fastest Marathoner Of All Time (Emmanuel Mutai), Former Olympic Champ Stephen Kiprotich Headline At Hamburg Marathon 2:04:28 man Sammy Kitwara and Ayele Abshero (2:04:23) are also in the field along with several other sub-2:07 men. Six of the women’s field have gone sub-2:30, led by Isabellah Andersson (2:23:41 from 2011) and Shitaye Eshete (2:25:36).