- Former marathon WR holder Tegla Loruope slams super shoes - says those that use them are "Cheating...It's almost like doping."
- David Epstein does a Q&A with Alex Hutchinson Hutchinson supports a LRC coaching tip - relax your face to run faster.
- Podium Runner: Jeff Galloway may be the most important person in the history of the running movement The Olympian opened the first specialty running store in the US, helped grow the Peachtree from 1,000 to 25,000 finishers, helped get the women's marathon put in the Olympics, lived with John Parker as Once A Runner was being written, wrote the best-selling running book of all-time and has trained thousands with the Gallowalk method.
- Sifan Hassan will race Hengelo 10,000 on June 6
- Delaware xc runner Jess Stratton pens letter to college xc coaches: "At the lowest point of my freshman year of college, I had not gotten my period in almost three years..." The 10:00 3k runner also appeared on a dyestat video Q&A.
- Ultrarunner Robbie Balenger debuts film about him destroying the most miles run in Central Park in single day The runners, who wants to promote a plant based diet, ran nearly 100 miles in just over 18 hours.
- Dave Proctor is trying to run across Alberta in 72 hours starting Friday You can track him here.
Archived Homepage For April 30, 2021
Archived Homepage For April 30, 2021
The latest distance news
HS News
We Flattened The Curve But Now Are Paranoid California cancels HS state track meet - which wasn't even scheduled until the end of June - for 2nd straight year What a joke. The state's deaths of roughly 50 per day due to Covid are 1/14th of what it was at the peak but California has a history of doing this. In 1993, they canceled he state meet because of 1 inch of rain.
The Tinman effect: Approaching one's lifetime ceiling at an earlier age doesn't imply failure on anyone's part, and may have no major downside "Alan Webb is sometimes treated as an example of someone who didn’t fulfill his ultimate promise....But anyone who runs 3:53 in high school and still takes off almost seven seconds is hardly a failure, and Webb had a number of other fine moments as a pro."
On The Boards
On The Boards
A Watered Down 2021 World Relays Are This Weekend in Poland
- Event by Event Preview Jamaica, the US, Canada and others aren't competing
- Canada's Aaron Brown is confident team will make Olympics despite missing World Relays The 4 x 100 team beat LSU last weekend by running 38.49.
- Japanese 100mh (12.96) and 110mh (13.16) records were both set on Thursday Congrats to Taio Kanai who beat the men's record by 0.09 and Asuka Terada who beat her own pb by .01.
- Brits appear bitter that even though Andrew Pozzi ran a pb and beat Grant Holloway in August last year that he didn't win Olympic gold "Running your personal best in the first half of August? In an Olympic year, that's the dream."
Big Drama Coming From Ethiopia
Bekele, who says he is totally healthy, is protesting his exclusion from the team as prior to Covid-19 it was stated that Ethiopia would select their marathon team based on who had the fastest times during the qualifying window and he led the pack on that front by over a minute. Due to injury, Birhanu Legese and Mule Wasihun will also miss out meaning the 2nd, 3rd and 10th fastest men in history will all miss the race.
This Week's Pod
Listen to the LetsRun.com team tell you what you need to know about the running world and listen to our first Aussie guest interview on the podcast.
Video of the Day
All aspiring elite runners, please watch this.
*MB: Nick Symmonds makes a video calling out the LetsRun haters
Random Links That Passed Our Vetting Process
“My instinct here is that we need to look at this carefully, but we also need to recognize that athletes are part of the world that we live in. “We have to recognize that there are going to be occasions where they do feel extremely strongly about issues. I’m not one for closing down the natural emotions or the views of athletes, as long as it’s done respectfully and it’s done in a way that doesn’t damage other competitors and their moment as well."
- Simon Fraser's Addy Townsend is hoping to follow in her mom's footsteps as an Olympian after her recent 2:03.47 pb Her mom (and coach) was 7th in the 1984 Olympic 1500.
- What does the famed Finnish concept of "sisu" mean? 4 Finnish runners try to tell you
- Before David Rudisha there was an 800 maestro named Wilson Kipketer - A look at his top 5 races
- NY Times: Parents’ diet and exercise habits, even before birth, may contribute to child’s well-being
- Beth Potter’s 14:41 road 5K won't be ratified as a world record even though Marc Scott ran a British record on the same course in 2020
To Double Or Not To Double
- Justyn Knight Open To Running The 1500m/5000m Double At The Tokyo Games Knight just missed the 1500m standard at the Oregon Relays and says if he gets it, running both is "definitely something to seriously consider."
- GB Sprinter Zharnel Hughes Yet To Decide On 100, 200 Or Both At Tokyo He says the decision will be up to coach Glen Mills, but if he had to choose now, it'd be the 200m.
- South Africa's Akani Simbine Eying 100/200 Sprint Double For Tokyo Simbine wants to run both, but his coach his cautions about him running the 200m.
Mask News
This after the Oregon Health Authority had rejected calls from coaches to change the mask rules for months. *The Oregonian
- Oregon Isn't The Only One: Delaware High School Track Athletes Have To Wear Masks When Competing The governor removed the mask mandate earlier this spring, but the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association didn't agree and continue to force athletes to wear masks outdoors.
- DyeStat: Oregon Coaches And Athletes Welcome Easing Of Mask Rules One coach said, "Kids and coaches want to be compliant, but they've known in their heart and soul that this is wrong."
- Oregonian's John Canzano: "Governor's Office And State Leaders Have A Blind Spot When It Comes To Sports" "Runners, competing outdoors, were left masked up and gasping for oxygen for too long over the last year. Soccer players are still stuck."
- New CDC Guidelines Say You Don't Have To Wear A Mask When Running Outdoors Whether You're Vaccinated Or Not Something that has been pretty obvious to most people since the beginning.
- The Oregonian Interviews Oregon School Activities Association Head About Mask Change
Sprint Stuff
- GB Sprinter James Ellington On His Extraordinary Comeback: "I cheated death - of course I can make the Olympics"
- Chicago Bears Sign Wide Receiver (And Long Jumper) Marquise Goodwin To 1-Year Deal *Details Of Goodwin's Contract His one-year deal is worth $1.21 million.
- RIP Jamaica's Former Olympian And World 100 Yards Record Holder Dennis Johnson, 81
Blade Runner Debate
- World Athletics Panel Rules That US Amputee Sprinter Blake Leeper Would Gain A "Competitive Advantage" From Using His Running Prostheses They ruled that Leeper can't race against able-bodied competitors at the Olympics and other sanctioned events, in part because his prosthetics have him "running unnaturally tall."
- Statement From Leeper's Lawyers: They Will Appeal Decision To CAS; Claim World Athletics' Regulations "Discriminate Against Black Athletes" Their claim is that black athletes have longer legs than the standards set by World Athletics.
- World Athletics Statement On Leeper Decision
- NY Times: A Double Amputee’s Hopes for the Olympics Are in Jeopardy
COVID / Vaccine Talk
- Eliud Kipchoge Gets His COVID Vaccine "We never know what will happen in the future, the vaccine might be a prerequisite going forward so it is good to take the vaccine early enough."
- Athletes To Be Tested Daily For COVID-19 At Tokyo 2020
- MB: Help me understand Joe Rogan's vaccination stance for people in their low-20s
- 2021 European Mountain Running Championships Cancelled Due To Levels Of Coronavirus In Portugal They were scheduled for July 3rd.
- Aussie Athletes Will Be Given Priority For COVID Vaccine Ahead Of Tokyo 2020
- British Medical Journal Says Tokyo Should Be Reconsidered
Miscellaneous
- Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Connecticut High School Rules That Allows Biological Boys To Compete Against Girls The court case brought on by four female sprinters and their families fell apart since the transgender athletes in question have already graduated.
- Poland's World Hammer Record-Holder Anita Wlodarczyk Returning To Competition At The European Throwing Up On May 8-9 This will be Wlodarczyk’s first competition since June 2019.
- TrackTown Looking For Volunteers For The Olympic Trials Registration opens April 28th.
Doping - Crazy "Fake News" Story From Kenya
Elias Kiptum had apparently been working with foreign journalists to fabricate information that Athletics Kenya was encouraging doping and was trying to get Kenya suspended from the Olympics. *2nd article
- Three Russian Track Athletes Apply For Neutral Status The athletes are Yekaterina Koneva (women’s TJ), Alexander Menkov (men’s LJ) and Valery Pronkin (men’s hammer throw). A max of 10 Russians will be given neutral status for 2021.
- IPC Having Russia Use Acronym RPC Rather Than Full Name, Russian Paralympic Committee As Part Of "Neutral" Athlete Punishment So harsh. /s
- WADA Release Statement Ripping Alex Schwazer Case In Italy Where He Was Cleared Of Criminal Doping Charges "It would take many pages to correct all of the mistakes and misunderstandings in the investigating judge’s decree."
More Results From The Weekend
Orji jumped 14.92m in her first TJ in nine months to break Tori Franklin's 14.84m record from 2018. Chris Benard won the men’s TJ with 17.15m as Corey Crawford won the men's LJ in 8.05m over Marquise Goodwin (7.90m).
- World Athletics Weekend Round-Up: World 400m Bronze Medalist Fred Kerley Runs 9.91 World Lead In Miami
*MB: Fred Kerley 9.91 (+2.0) - AW Weekly Round-Up In Chula Vista, Olympic LJ champ Brittney Reese leapt a wind-assisted 7.05m (her legal jump was 6.74m).
World Relay Champs Are This Weekend
- World Athletics Previews For The 2x2x400m, Mixed Shuttle Hurdles Relay And 4x200m Kenya has world 800m bronze medallist Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich and Commonwealth 800m champ Wyclife Kinyamal on their 2x2x400m team.
- WA Men's And Women's 4x100m Preview: Italy, Brazil And South Africa Look To Make Statement
- WA Preview: Belgium, Colombia And Netherlands Poised To Seize 4x400 Opportunity In Silesia
- WA Preview: Athletes Look To Show Mixed 4x400m Form In Silesia Ahead Of Event's Olympic Debut
Athletes Talk About Their Experience At The Oregon Relays
Kessler talks about his race at the Oregon Relays and says he was hoping to go faster than his #3 all-time 3:40.46.
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
‒former women's marathon WR holder Tegla Loroupe talking about the super shoes.