September 22, 2018 | LetsRun.com

More On Kipchoge

JG Opinion The Meaning Of 2:01:39: The Era Of World Record Chase Is Over LRC’s Jon Gault argues the era of the world record chase is over for the immediate future on the men’s side thanks to Kipchoge’s run.
*MB: Gault’s Kipchoge article is great.

On The Roads

Kenya’s Joseph Kiprono Kiptum Hit By Car While Leading Medellin Half Marathon In Colombia Kiptum was taken to the hospital with cuts and bruises and has been discharged in “good health.”
IAAF Weekend Road Preview: World 10,000 Silver Medalist Joshua Cheptegei Leads Field At Dam tot Damloop 10 Mile
World Marathon Champ Rose Chelimo And 2015 World Marathon Champ Mare Dibaba Will Face Off At The Great Scottish Run Half Marathon Next Weekend GB’s Chris Thompson will try to defend his title in the men’s race.
Sunday: Cape Town Marathon Has Their Deepest-Ever Field, Led By South Africa’s 10k Record Holder Stephen Mokoka (2:07:40 PR) He faces three other sub-2:09 men while the women are led by Namibia’s Helalia Johannes (2:26:09 PR).

Russia’s Back

WADA Votes To Lift Russia’s Three-Year Doping Suspension The decision means RUSADA will now be able to test its own athletes again and issue TUEs. The move has been widely condemned by athletes and anti-doping officials.
*BBC Article Lawyer for Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov calls it “the greatest treachery against clean athletes in Olympic history.”
IAAF Statement On WADA’s Reinstatement Of RUSADA The IAAF says it has “its own set of criteria for the reinstatement of the Russian Athletics Federation,” but they are actually the same as WADAs. The question will be if the IAAF considers the criteria fulfilled when they meet in December.
Good Read: BBC: What Now For Sport After WADA Decision? Dan Roan writes that part of the fallout from this move will be that WADA will no longer trusted after it effectively left Russia “off the hook.”
WADA Tried To Help Russia Lift Their Doping Ban In May Letters between WADA director general Olivier Niggli and Russia Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkoov show Niggli gave tips on how to word their letter to WADA’s compliance review committee to “ensure a positive recommendation.”
The Guardian: “WADA Appears To Have Complied With Russia – Wasn’t It Meant To Be The Other Way Around?”
IAAF Athletes’ Commission Letter To WADA Before They Voted To Reinstate Russia The letter (signed by athletes including Paula Radcliffe, Valerie Adams, Mutaz Essa Barshim and Adam Kszczot) urged WADA not to do it, but obviously they did not listen.
IOC Athletes’ Commission Backs WADA Decision To Reinstate Russia
The Guardian: Anti-Doping Rift Deepens As Agencies Turn On WADA Over Russia “Compromise”
InsideTheGames: iNADO Urges WADA Not To Pander To Russia As Express “Dismay” AT Compromise

NCAA News

NCAA 800 Record Holder Michael Saruni Goes Pro Early The 1:43.25 man is following in the footsteps of Isaiah Harris and Emmanuel Korir and going pro early. Initially it was reported that he signed with Nike, but that was not correct.

The 2018 BMW Berlin Marathon *Berlin Results

LRC Meet “Drinks Guy,” The Fist-Pumping German Who Gave Eliud Kipchoge His Drinks During His World Record Marathon We tracked down “Drinks Guy,” the fist-pumping German who gave Eliud Kipchoge his drinks in Berlin. He’s Claus-Henning Schulke, a 52-year-old amateur triathlete from Berlin.

LRC Final The Greatest Ever – 2:01:39 – Eliud Kipchoge Crushes World Record To Win 2018 Berlin Marathon The greatest marathoner in history has run the greatest marathon in history, 2:01:39, and taken 78 seconds off the WR, marking the biggest improvement in the WR in 51 years, thanks to a 60:33 second half.

Kenya’s Gladys Cherono Wins A Third Berlin Marathon Title She ran 2:18:11 to become the fourth-fastest woman in history and break the 13-year-old course record by a minute. Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga (2:18:34) and Tirunesh Dibaba (2:18:55) were a close 2-3.

Ross Tucker: Was 2:01:39 Really A Big Breakthrough Or Was It Just The Shoes? Tucker, who predicted after Monza that Kipchoge could run 2:01:40, wonders if the jump from 2:02:57 to 2:01:40 is simply the result of the Nike 4% shoes which (despite the name) the NY Times found is worth 1%.
IAAF: Eliud Kipchoge Breaks Marathon WR With Stunning 2:01:39 In Berlin
MB: Fernando Cabada– 2:15 today in Berlin
MB Pre-Race: Huge NY Times Profile on Eliud Kipchoge: “Eliud Kipchoge Is the Greatest Marathoner, Ever”

Berlin On The Boards

NCAA XC Top 10 Countdown

LRC No. 10 Syracuse Men Dominate While Unranked Ole Miss Women Edge Georgia Tech At 2018 Coast-To-Coast Battle In Beantown Campbell’s Amon Kemboi (24:03) held off Syracuse’s Aidan Tooker for the individual win as ‘Cuse put 5 in the top 13. Providence’s Abbey Wheeler (17:10) won the women’s race but the No. 11 Friars wound up 11th as a team.
*Brien Bell Talks About Being Syracuse’s New Head Honcho
*Andy Powell Talks About Having Centro As An Assistant
*Abbey Wheeler Talks After Winning Women’s Race
*Amon Kemboi Talks After Winning Men’s Race

LRC 2018 NCAA Men’s XC Preview: #2 BYU & #1 Northern Arizona With two 5th-year seniors and two 7th-year seniors that have all gone sub-13:40, last year’s 3rd placer BYU is very good, but NAU, with three back from last year’s top 8, has a chance to be historically good.
*MB: Will NAU be historically great and three peat? Or might they not even win the 2018 NCAA xc title?

LRC 2018 NCAA Women’s XC Preview: #2 Oregon & #1 New Mexico Can UNM three-peat? Or will Oregon, which lost their coach and their #1 and #2 from last year, get the job done? We know one thing – one of these foreign-dominated teams will win it all.

Previous Men’s Previews:
*#10 Syracuse & #9 Boise State
*#8 Wisconsin & #7 Colorado
*#6 Alabama & #5 Iowa State
*#4 Portland & #3 Stanford

Previous Women’s Previews:
*#10 Arkansas & #9 Villanova
*#8 Wisconsin & #7 Michigan
*#6 NC State & #5 Stanford
*#4 Boise State & #3 Colorado

More Russian Doping News

IAAF And IPC Warn Russia Their Bans Won’t Automatically Be Lifted Following WADA Decision The IAAF wants the Russian government to pay for the investigation expenses (several million dollars) and won’t consider lifting the ban until all the data from the Moscow lab has been evaluated.
WADA Vice President Linda Helleland Says They Have Failed Clean Athletes By Lifting Russian Ban She said that this “casts a dark shadow over the credibility of the anti-doping movement.”
Paula Radcliffe: “It undermines their credibility and the faith clean athletes have in them.”
Michael Phelps Slams WADA Over Russia Ban
Kremlin Call WADA Decision “Positive Step” While Admitting “There Is Still A Rather Long Way To Go”
Reuters: Compilation Of Quotes Condemning WADA Decision To Reinstate RUSADA

International Distance News

Olympic Steeple Champ Conseslus Kipruto Involved In Car Crash In Kenya; Escapes Unhurt A police officer said that he believes Kipruto was speeding and trying to get around a tractor when a car coming the opposite direction forced him to brake and he hit the tractor.
*AP Article Apparently David Rudisha came to the scene of the accident afterwards to help Kipruto.
Track, Road And Dirt: Sifan Hassan Says She’s Targeting The European XC Championships In December After her 65:15 half this weekend, Hassan also says she wants to move up to the marathon, but not until after a 5k/10k double at Tokyo 2020.
Recommended Watch: MB: Recent Video Interview With Zane Robertson Some footage and discussion about Robertson’s training in Ethiopia as well as his and his brother Jake‘s initial move to Kenya when they were just teenagers.
Beatrice Chepkoech’s 8:44.32 Steeplechase World Record Ratified By The IAAF So to were Armand Duplantis‘ 5.92m U20 pole vault record from March (although he later jumped 6.05m at Euros) and the 100k WR by Japan’s Nao Kazami.

WADA Not All On The Same Page Concerning Russia

BBC: WADA Vice President Linda Helleland Says She Is Opposed To Lifting Russian Doping Ban “I will vote for, and support the original roadmap. This is because I believe you should never make any compromises that undermine your credibility.”
The Guardian: Anti-Doping Rift Deepens As Agencies Turn On WADA Over Russia “Compromise” 13 agencies have spoken out against the WADA decision with UKAD chief Nicole Sapstead, saying, “It is pretty much sticking two fingers up at the athletes and the organisations that work tirelessly on their behalf.”
Full Statement From WADA Vice President Linda Helleland Meanwhile WADA president Craig Reedie has defended their deal with Russia: “Is doing nothing a realistic option? We couldn’t just sit back and do nothing – this moves things forward.”
The Telegraph: Key WADA Committee Member Resigns In Frustration Over Plans To Drop Russia Sanctions Many officials aren’t happy with WADA’s plan to “compromise” with Russia.