Not surprisingly, Hobbs comes from good genes as his father was an all-state XC runner in HS and his mother was a 2:44:55 marathoner who competed at the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials.
After an "out-of-nowhere" day 1 win, underdog Soka University started the final day with a 2:14 lead and were poised to make history with a 3:19 lead going into the final 23km leg. But Komazawa caught up with 2km to go to pull off the first anchor stage comeback at Hakone in 20-years.
A lot of interesting insights into the Japanese running culture why Kenyans are attracted to it and how they sometimes struggle to adjust.
Former world half-marathon silver medalist Bedan Karoki says, “Working for a running company is much better compared to working with a manager who may abandon you or swindle you of your money. In Japan, they cater for everything you need including accommodation and food on top of the salary you earn. It is a profitable venture."
Hughes ran as much as 140 miles a week, struggled just to find a race to run and when it was over, even though he broke the over-60 record by almost six minutes, he was disappointed he didn't go sub-2:30.
Read how Kitata's coach hid his positive COVID test from him so he wasn't emotionally affected before London, what advice Kitata got from Kenenisa Bekele and how Kitata explains why "[Kipchoge] is always the king to us, even when he is beaten.”
Rowden talks about his religion, coming back from a very painful stomach surgery and how he uses Donavan Brazier as a benchmark.
*MB: BBC article on Daniel Rowden
Lomong says that he wants to do the 5000/10,000 double next year in Tokyo.
Yoder broke his own backwards mile record by 24-seconds with 5:30.
Merber talks about riding the line between moving on from the sport and giving the Olympics one more shot and explains Tokyo's postponement was the catalyst that has seen him switch focus to training for the 5,000 and 10,000 instead of the 1,500.
"On a locked-down track that could have been in West Texas, Area 51, the Moon or Alabama, the sport of track returned in earnest on July 3rd as Mark Rowland’s Oregon Track Club took on Pete Julian’s squad of Nike elites in Portland Track’s tidy little dust up now known as ‘The Big Friendly’."
Houlihan says she's been playing late night video games with Matt Centrowitz during the pandemic and got sucked into his 2AM to 10AM sleeping schedule.
*MB: Shelby Houlihan: I want to break 3:50 for 1500 and 14 flat for 5000
Thornley talks about how the first time he spectated Western States was by accident when he and his brother were kids and camping out next to a creek along the trail.
Buerkle had an impressive life and career and a crazy story of what happened in the lead up to his 3:54.93 indoor mile WR.
Green and Seidel started off teammates and friends, but when Seidel left their club team, Green offered to send her some workouts, with no plans on making it permanent. He didn't have prior coaching experience, wasn't certified and only got into the post-race press conference at the Trials on a loophole.
Rudisha hasn't raced in two years and had a rough year with separating from his wife and his father dying. But he says, "I still feel like I still have something in me. I have not exhausted everything. There is something left in the tank and that is what I want to exhaust before I think of doing other things."
"As I looked over at the clock and saw 3:59.97 next to my name, I was completely euphoric. Seconds earlier my body was as heavy and exhausted as it had ever been. In an instant, I felt immortal."
Talking about living a relatively modest lifestyle despite his wealth, Kipchoge said, “I don’t envy people with big cars, helicopters and everything… that’s their life. What I want is to inspire someone… I don’t think I need a one million-dollar car to drive around.”
“If you don’t write things down then you will be empty. I need to put down everything to show the next generation that I was well organised, I know what I’m doing and I love what I’m doing. It’s like going to class and not taking notes. They say ‘ink it and you will remember it.’ So I’m doing that for the future generations.”
“It’s unfortunate. People should have a clean career. They say the moment you are on your death bed, you will be killed by guilt. There’s no point explaining and convincing (that one is innocent). Explaining and convincing means that you are guilty. I convince by training hard and going to a race.”
On what she'll miss most: "I think there’s this wonderful state of bliss and fatigue that is unlike anything when you’re in hard training. It’s almost this serene state that you get—almost zen—where you’re so tired, but it’s a happy tired."
Ingle's sources say that the IAAF's technological committee is going to clear the Nike Next% and even go so far to say any shoe should be legal as long as it gives no "motor assistance."
Hasay talks about going for the AR in Chicago, her coaching relationship with Salazar, the fact she's never got a transfusion or a TUE and never seen Dr. Brown, how she feels about Kara Goucher and more.
*MB: Hasay breaks her silence about Salazar and talks about her future