An interesting look into Clinger's life as a missionary in Japan which has included helping people in the aftermath of earthquakes, a lot of snow shoveling and barely running.
*MB: All American Casey Clinger steps away from college to serve as a missionary - His Story

Young writes, "No one in the world is better at creating needless controversy and riling up its own athletes and fans than USA Track & Field. Their latest hit: nuking by far its single greatest asset, the Olympic Trials."

It wasn't the point of the article, but we were happy to see Holmes defend women's sport and tennis legend Martina Navratilova: "We’re just standing up for girls and women who physically have less bone density, muscular structure and lung capacity, and we haven’t got the testosterone.”

Powell, Sanchez, their coaches and others look back at this amazing race where Sanchez got a shock underdog victory over Powell with an 8:49.60 to 8:50.29.

Ennis was the reason Emerson switched from mid-distance to multi-events. They met when she was just 11-years-old and now have reunited with Emerson a fellow elite.

Article includes quotes from Paula Radcliffe who isn't happy about the 5000 and Nic Bideau.

The IAAF has proposed two radical changes. 1) Changing 50k and 20k to 30 and 10k and 2) to require all racers to wear a chip that helps determine if they are walking or not.
*MB: Racewalkers unite in opposition to insoles in chips being mandated by IAAF that would determine it they are actually walking

Like us, Dennehy realizes the Semenya situation isn't easy but in the end, if you don't limit the testosterone of people like Caitlyn Jenner or Caster Semenya, then why have women sports at all. "If we are to accept the unregulated presence of male biology in women’s sport, that women born without male sex organs must compete against those who have them on the premise that biology is fundamentally unfair, why not abandon the women’s category altogether?"

If you read one thing this weekend, this needs to be it. Irishman Shane Healy lived the American dream and it got it to him the Olympics. Now 50, he's got his sights on the 50+ WR. “I want to get the message across to young people. You can never ever give up on your dream.”

A fantastic read from Brett Larner. After 12 years, the women's race in Tokyo is finally on par (actually superior) to the men in Tokyo + Japan will likely celebrate its 100th man breaking 2:10:00 on Sunday.

Lobalu fled South Sudan as a child during the civil war after being separated from his family. He has a1500 best of 3:52 from London Worlds, but has been improving this year on the Kenyan XC circuit.

After a coach said, 'I always wished I had a chance to sit down with (two coaching legends who are now dead) with a bottle of whiskey and cigars to talk about coaching,' coach Chris Johnson made it a reality by hosting the event every year.

Baillie died still holding New Zealand records over 20,000m and one hour, set in 1963.

Adams says her daughter has shown her that "life is bigger than sports."

A routine checkup appointment turned into an emergency C-section to save both Felix and her daughter Camryn. Her daughter, born 3 pounds, 7 ounces, is still in the NICU, but doing well.
*MB: Allyson Felix is a Mom

She says winning a medal at the European Champs in Berlin there was no family or friends there "to run to or hug."

“I was obviously over the moon with my performance in Berlin but none of my family and friends were in the stadium. It is not really an anti-climax but you are so excited by it, yet you run around and there was no-one really there for you to run to or to hug. Weirdly enough, there was a girl I used to train with at Dundee Hawkhill, who was there in the crowd. I just saw her face, out of all those thousands of people, and she was just standing on the stairs, cheering me on. And I almost started crying. I hadn’t seen this girl in years, it wasn’t like we were really close, but we went to school together and she was a couple of years above me in my club. Just seeing someone who reminded me of home, I got quite emotional about that, and having that in Glasgow will be pretty special.”

“...To have what I had in Belgrade and Berlin, but actually have my friends and family there, rather than having to scramble to a phone to call them, it will be so much better having them there in person. She messaged me on Instagram afterwards and I even said to her ‘you have no idea how much that meant to me, just to see someone’s face’ and it did. You think of how many years you spend running around Scotland – cross countries in Livingston and Alloa – when it is freezing cold and muddy. To have someone else there who has been through all that with you and cheering you on was pretty special. ... They appreciate how hard it is to keep going when times are tough. It has taken me from the age of 12 to 26 to get my first medal, so it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. That was the first time I was able to step back and say ‘yeah, I am proud of myself for what I have achieved’. It has taken me a long time to get to this point. But we’ve got there.”

"It got to the point that strange superstitions took over: I can’t wear these boxers anymore, I have to wear the ones I used when I was running well, I have to go back to using that toothpaste, not this one. It was crazy. ... In college, when I had no money, I didn’t over-think things, but as a professional athlete I was on a mission to do everything right: buy organic food, do the best of everything – stuff I thought was going to help me run faster. It didn’t."

Even if you'd get an 'F' in track history, if you ran high school then you probably remember Gammoudi from watching the Steve Prefontaine movies (Gammoudi was 2nd at the 1972 Munich Games).

"Even if I was well prepared, it’s difficult to explain the exact feelings. It was a mix of apprehension, fear and determination at the same time. I remember what our president in that time, Bourguiba, told me before I left for Mexico, ‘Bring me the gold and I will give you what you want.’ My answer was, ‘I’ll bring the gold and you’ll come with me to take it my childhood home,’ a small place in the south of Tunisia, called Sidi Aich. The desire of my mum was to see the President, and this was important for me. Both of us honored the promise, and there are no words to explain my happiness when I heard my national anthem on the top of the podium!"