Eliud Kipchoge pulled away from John Korir after 20 miles to comfortably get the win and show he is the marathon favorite heading into the Tokyo Olympics.
Live Discussion Thread
Archived Homepage For April 18, 2021
Archived Homepage For April 18, 2021
Kipchoge Is BAAACK
1:20 am ET MB: Men's Australian 1500 Champs At least one Olympic spot is on the line
Athing Mu NCAA Record
Video and results above. Her incredible 2021 continues. She crushed NCAA indoor record holder and indoor champ Aaliyah Miller by 3 seconds. Raevyn Rogers had the old outdoor record of 1:59.10.
*Discuss
On The Boards
On The Boards
NCAA Action
Tuohy finished 3rd at the Virginia Challenge as her teammate Hannah Steelman won the race in 15:30.87.
*Results Wake Forest's Zach Facioni won the men's 5000m in 13:35.33 over Georgetown's Robert Brandt (13:35.50). Other winners included Reebok pro Josette Norris (1500 in 4:07.35), FSU's Adriaan Wildschutt (10,000m - 28:25.11).
- Arkansas Sweep Steeplechase At Tom Jones Invy In At Florida; Andrew Kibet Wins In 8:53.12 Arkansas' Krissy Gear won the women's race in 9:45.10.
- Hayward Field Hosting The West Coast Classic On Saturday The scored meet which is being held in Oregon (for the distance races and throws) and Arizona (for the sprints, hurdles and jumps).
Coleman Update
Did Coleman get a raw deal? The drug testers reduced his ban from 24 to 18 months as they said it was "reasonable" for him to expect a phone call, but that's not enough of a reduction to put him in Tokyo.
*MB: World's fastest man Christian Coleman to Miss tokyo! Banned upheld but reduced to 18 months which doesn't help him at all
Friday 15 Subscribers Podcast: Coleman's Ban, Kipchoge Predictions, and Aussie Champs Preview
Assorted Distance News
- MB: Emma Bates joins Team Boss (Emma Coburn's Group)
- Eliud Kipchoge Looking Forward To A "Beautiful Race" At The NN Mission Marathon
- Sunday: Almond Blossom Cross Country Preview
- Eliud Kipchoge Has Been Using New Technology That Tracks Athletes' Glucose Levels During Training And Races
- Alphine Tuliamuk Signs With Gatorade
Tokyo 2020 News
- Two Japan Officials Says The Olympics Could Still Be Cancelled Or Held Without Any Fans At All One of them even said there "will probably be no spectators."
- Joe Biden Backs Japan's Plan To Hold "Safe And Secure" Games At Tokyo 2020 Biden recently met with Japan prime minister Yoshihide Suga at the White House.
- Japan Set To Place Four More Prefectures Under Tighter COVID Restrictions To Combat Rise In Cases
- New Zealand Using Giant Skateboard To Get People "On Board" For Tokyo 2020 A giant skateboard is set to visit 40 towns across New Zealand in 41 days in a bid to get people behind the country’s Olympic team ahead of Tokyo 2020.
The Latest VIP/SC Content
The Latest VIP/SC Content
Jonathan Gault has compiled a list of the youngest and oldest US Olympians in all track events since 2000.
Looks Like Purrier Is Going To The 1500
Mark Coogan tells LRC that he's "75% sure" Elle Purrier is going to do the 1500 at the US Olympic Trials. While it's a real shame World Athletics and/or USATF won't make the double more doable, the women's 1500 is going to be incredible.
Lots of National Champions Are Going On
The race was run at moderate altitude and converts to 15:31. *Telegraph
- MB: Caster Semenya runs 5000 at 1,339 m (4,393 feet) of elevation. Guess her time
- Australian Track and Field Championships Have Begun - Calab Law has completed the 100/200 U-20 sprint double w times of 10.66 and 21.12. The senior competition begins today with Olympic spots on the line.
- Australian hoping to send at least 60 individual track athletes to Tokyo
98 Days Until Tokyo
- MB: Canada Unveils Denim closing ceremony uniforms (pics)
- MB: Ralph Lauren releases Team USA uniforms (pics)
- Two-time US Olympian Kim Conley talks about her move to Flagstaff and training during Covid-19 "I think for young people there was an attitude of, 'it's mild, it's like a flu.' But it was like, hmm no, if you're an elite athlete trying to peak at an elite level in June, I think if I'd gotten it that it would have been career-ending for me."
- 98 days until the Tokyo Olympic ceremony - A look at the new stadium and other iconic Olympic stadiums
- Mass-participation race at Olympic test event in Sapporo in May cancelled due to Covid-19 2,500 amateur runners were scheduled to run 10k. That is now off but the 160 person elite half marathon is still on.
- Other Administrative news Season-opening Diamond League meet on May 23rd moved from Morocco to Gateshead (UK) due to Covid-19
US News
- Some cool photos of Hobbs Kessler climbing
- TFN: The Us women's hammer throwers are insanely good DeAnna Price is the #3 thrower in history but Brook Andersen last weekend moved up to #4 all-time and is just 16 inches beind with Gwen Berry (#7 all-time) another 16 inches behind Andersen.
- Arizona freshman Johnnie Blockburger ran 44.71 last weekend His twin sis, Alyssa, is also on the team and their dad Sheldon was (is?) the jumps/multi coach.
- Meet the US's #1 HS 800 runner Sam Austin (1:50.00) who is headed to Florida next year
Thorvaldson, a Wyoming native who earned commanding wins at the XC Town USA Meet of Champions and High School Cross Country National Invite last fall, will attend Arkansas in the fall.
Women In The News
And she's undecided on the 1500 or 5000 but admits the 1500 is her favorite event.
*MB: Is Shannon Rowbury jumping on the anti-Alberto Salazar bandwagon w/o naming him? What does this quote mean?
- British Olympic marathon Trials winner Steph Davis reveals she only runs 60-65 mpw
- Katie Rainsberger said she had a panic attack while racing in August and is now trying to focus on process goals and not define her self-worth by running “You can’t control anything but your effort and your attitude."
A New Marketing Idea
There will be 4 teams of 8 runners each, with a televised draft, and the top 6 runners on each team will score. *World Athletics release
Des Joins the Ultra Ranks
Linden averaged 5:47 for just over 31 miles to break the previous record by over seven minutes.
Non-Distance News
- Irish Hurdler Thomas Barr Is Afraid We're "Going To Lose A Lot Of The Younger Generation" Because Of COVID Lockdowns Young Irish athletes are now facing a second straight summer with few competitive opportunities.
- World Athletics Profile On Recent Aussie Pole Vault Record (4.82m) Setter Nina Kennedy Kennedy says the lockdowns were a "blessing in disguise" for her as it let her "reflect" on her career and decide she wanted to be more than a 4.60m vaulter.
- WA Profile: Australian Discus Thrower Dani Stevens Enjoying Impressive Comeback After Multiple Injuries Leading Up To 2020 Surgery At one point the injuries were bad enough she thought she "might not be able to throw again."
- Dutch Team Of 24 Selected For World Relay Champs Olympic 200m silver medalist Dafne Schippers headlines the squad.
- Japan Names Team Of 23 For World Relay Champs
Anti-Doping News
- Pandemic Lockdowns Have Been A "Logistical Nightmare" For Drug Testers Lockdowns halted drug testing for a period of time and even when it resumed, it has been a lot more difficult with COVID restrictions.
- US Promises To "Aggressively" Enforce The New Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov says the law will be a "game changer."
- Michael Johnson Talks About Anti-Doping, Russia And Wanting Minimum 4-Year Bans For First-Time Dopers
- US Sprinter Obichukwu Igbokwe (44.94 For 400m) Gets 30-Month Doping Ban
Your latest American stars share their insights.
American Record Holders
American Record Holders
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.
Best of Jon Gault
Best of Jon Gault
Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level
Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level
LetsRun Classics
LetsRun Classics
‒Eliud Kipchoge talking ahead of Sunday's NN Mission Marathon at the Twente Airport in the Netherlands.