Archived Homepage For August 20, 2021
Archived Homepage For August 20, 2021
Pre Classic Preview Show - Live Now

For the first time in 1,182 days, the Prefontaine Classic will be held at Hayward Field and this may be the best one in history. Jonathan Gault counts down his best races, which includes Olympic rematches in the 800s, a sub-9:00 bid by Courtney Frerichs, a WR attempt by Sifan Hassan, and the women's 100 we've all been waiting for.

NYC Marathon is November 6

Kenenisa Bekele is making his NYC debut, Kibiwott Kandie is making his major marathon debut and Peres Jepchirchir is chasing history. Plus how do the 2021 NYC, Boston and Chicago fields stack up against each other?
*MB: Bekele running Berlin AND NYC?

Bekele will make his NYC debut just six weeks after Berlin. Will he be recovered enough to make it to the start line? We got the inside scoop from his agent Jos Hermens.

The Real Champs from Tokyo

Including a guy who became a huge track and field fan and lost weight because of LRC. 

On The Boards
On The Boards
Distance News of Note Not Related To Pre

Rupp was disappointed with the result in Tokyo but proud of his effort as he had "never died like that before from that far out." He said he had some great workouts in July and is thus pumped for a chance at redemption in Chicago.
*MB: Galen Rupp says he and Eliud Kipchoge simply had "some friendly conversation" in middle of Olympic marathon

2021 World Jrs
Quote Of The Day
Quote Of The Day

“I am still disappointed as I had high hopes heading into the Olympics. Looking back it was a tremendous opportunity and unfortunately didn't go the way I had hoped. I was very proud of the way I competed. I have never died like that before from that far out, and that is something that I need to learn from. I am so excited to have another opportunity to race so soon though with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon coming up in October. I had just started to get on a roll with training in the weeks leading up to the Olympic Marathon and hope to keep that momentum going these next few months.”

‒Galen Rupp talking to Jeff Benjamin about his Tokyo Olympic performance.

MB: Galen Rupp says he and Eliud Kipchoge simply had "some friendly conversation" in middle of Olympic marathon 

Previous World Jr News

*MB: Official 2021 World Jr Discussion Thread - Here are our 5 biggest things to watch.

    Tokyo 2020 Report Card

    From A+ to F, Jonathan Gault hands out grades to all 32 American mid-d/distance runners who competed in Tokyo/Sapporo.

      NYC Marathon is November 6

      Olympic bronze medallist Molly Seidel leads the field as Des Linden will do the Boston/NYC double just 4 weeks apart.
      *MB: 2021 TCS NYC Marathon American Elite Field Announced - All 3 US Olympians + Des Linden will race

      Running / Science

      The correction simply noted that there is no proof that the high T levels cause intersex athletes to dominate as association isn't necessarily causation. Instead, they want the sentence to now read, "High fT levels in female athletes were associated with higher athletic performance over those with low fT in 400 m, 400 m hurdles, 800 m, hammer throw, and pole vault."
      *MB: A picture is worth a thousands words. Ask a 5 year old, which of the following athletes is intersex and dominating World Jrs?

      Will runners/walkers soon all be wearing lower-body exoskeletons to speed up their pace?

      Pre World Jr News

      World Juniors won't have any Americans, but it will have the potential face of Paris 2024, an Olympic 200m silver medalist, and the next great Polish 800 runner along with a bunch of studs in the distance events. Read all about it.

      Will Sifan Hassan Set Two WRs In The Span Of Two Weeks?

      Olympic 5000m silver medalist Hellen Obiri will be in the field and Olympic champions Karsten Warholm and Elaine Thompson-Herah have also been announced for the meet.

      Salazar's Legacy Takes Another Hit
        European News
        Pete Julian's Group Is Finally Getting A Name
        International Distance News
        Recent Euro Results
        Pre Starts Friday

        In her first race since winning double gold in Tokyo, Hassan will go for the 5000 WR on Friday night in Eugene.

        College Coaching News
        Chicago 2021

        With just three women with PBs under 2:25, is the Chicago women's field worthy of major status in 2021?

        Tragic News
        Distance Action - Falmouth Road Race

        Flanagan won by just three seconds over Biya Simbassa while Kiplagat won by a wide margin, coming in 27 seconds in front of Emily Durgin. *Discuss

        Final American Track League

        Henry Wynne (3:37.47) and Rebecca Mehra (4:04.90) won the 1500m races and Devon Allen took the 110H in 13.14.

        Kenya's First Sub-10

        He broke the Kenyan record twice, first running 9.96 in the heats.

        RIP
        Marathon News

        Bekele won Berlin in 2019 with 2:01:41.
        *MB: BEKELE RUNNING BERLIN

        LRC Content

        We saw some great races in Tokyo, but there are a few more we still need to see, including Sha'Carri Richardson vs the Jamaicans at 100. Karsten Warholm vs. Rai Benjamin vs. Steven Gardiner at 400, Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, and Athing Mu vs Shaunae Miller-Uibo at 400; and a showdown between the men's Olympic 1500, 5k, and 10k champs - Ingebrigtsen, Cheptegei and Barega - at 5000.

        Kipchoge The GOAT

        Eliud Kipchoge is the greatest marathoner in history, maybe two times over, but there is one hole on his CV -- he's never won a non-flat, non-rabbitted major marathon. Kipchoge needs to win Boston and New York and then complete the Marathon Grand Slam with a win in Tokyo.

        Bolt Comeback?
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        Probably won't happen, but before you dismiss it, Hill was a US junior 100m and 200m champ and hasn't been retired for 4 years.

        Discussion: Anyone else think that Tyreek Hill would beat Usain Bolt in 40m dash? 

        Best of the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast
        Best of the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast

        Your latest American stars share their insights.

        Three legends of the sport.

        One of the greatest US runners ever.

        We chatted with Frank on the 50th anniversary of his Olympic Marathon gold

        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.

        LetsRun.com Pro Coaches Tour
        LetsRun.com Pro Coaches Tour

        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
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        Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level
        LetsRun Classics
        LetsRun Classics
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