The US is hosting the World U20 champs in 2026 but will not send a team to the 2024 edition in Lima, Peru, this August.
*MB: USATF not sending team to 2024 World U20 champs in Peru - Should WA remove Eugene as host of 2026?
Archived Homepage For April 11, 2024
Archived Homepage For April 11, 2024
Nearly Everyone Is United On This As Well
Guest Piece
LetsRun contributor Tim O’Hearn visited World XC in Serbia and wrote a gonzo piece on his experience watching the race without access to the finishline in a city known for its fierce history and Brutalist architecture.
The Olympics Officially Go Pro
World Athletics announced today they will pay gold medalists in Paris $50,000 each, making track & field the first sport to offer prize money in the 128-year history of the Olympics.
- MB: Paris Olympics to feature prize money for track and field gold medalists, paid by athletics governing body.
- Daily Mail says WA blindsided IOC with news and it's part of Seb Coe-Thomas Bach power struggle Apparently, Bach does not like Coe and doesn't want him to succeed him.
2024 Aussie Champs
A blue-haired Ollie Hoare won his heat in his first action since last June as did 17-year-old Cam Myers.
Should We Give Up On Track Being Popular In The US?
Everyone wishes they'd found a TV partner in the US that has more reach.
Nico Young Isn't Satisfied With His 26:52
Young also reveals he wished he'd gone for it earlier.
*MB: Nico Young has regrets about 10k debut: "I wish I was a little bit more daring and went earlier"
On The Boards
On The Boards
Boston is Monday
- Boston Globe: Kenyans prepare for race while mourning Kelvin Kiptum The article quotes lots of runners including Benson Kipruto, Matt McDonald, Connor Mantz, Eliud Kipchoge and Evans Chebet who says he thinks Kiptum was more talented than Kipchoge at 26.2. "Maybe Kelvin had more natural talent (in the marathon)."
- Toni Reavis remembers when the Boston Marathon was struggling for survival 40 years ago "The event had gone from 7927 entrants in 1979, at the height of the Bill Rodgers era, to 5594 entrants in 1985, a 30% drop in participation. 84 sub-2:20 performances were run in 1983, only two in 1985, as competition from other big-city marathons offering prize and/or appearance fees was stripping Boston of its prestige."
- LRC Updated 2024 Boston Marathon Forecast - Sunny Skies and A Tail Wind? It looks like it's going to be an absolutely beautiful day.
Let's Make The World's Greatest Footrace Matter To Everyone Yet Again
We have a simple way to make World XC very important again - not just for those battling for the medals. Make it the primary way to qualify for the Olympics and Worlds in the 10,000.
Doping News
- US's Alysia Montano Could Be Upgraded To 2012 Olympic 800m Bronze After Doping Ban Of Russia's Ekaterina Poistogova-Guliyev Montano finished 5th in that race, but Russia's original winner, Mariya Savinova was also stripped of her medal for doping. Poistogova-Guliyev was previously banned, but only lost results from 2014 onwards; now she is set to have her 2012 results annulled as well. Kenya's Pamela Jelimo would be upgraded to silver.
*MB: Alysia Montaño getting BRONZE medal from London 2012 - Jamaican Sprinter Tiffany James-Rose May Quit The Sport After Two-Year Doping Ban The 2016 world under-20 champion was banned for missing three doping tests, two of which came when she was making emergency trips related to her pregnancy.
- Japanese 400hurdler Masaki Toyoda's 2-year drug suspension is almost over and he's hoping to be in Paris His ingestion of trenbolone was viewed as unintentional so he didn't have to sit out 4 years.
Random Distance News
- Athletics Weekly: Insane Stats Behind Russ Cook's Run Across Africa 10,125 miles for 352 days means he averaged 28.7 miles a day (his biggest day was 68 miles).
*Russ Cook Eligible For BBC Spoty After Africa Run - Results: Ethiopia's Ali Abdilmana (27:54) And Sarah Naibei (31:42) Win Cooper River Bridge Run 10k
- Hellen Obiri Sponsored By Shokz Headphones Ahead Of The Boston Marathon
- Part of the Big Sur Marathon Course Collapsed Into the Ocean One lane of the road remains open, but only road workers are currently allowed to be in the area.
Olympic / Hosting News
- The Track For The 2024 Paris Olympics Will Be A "Vibrant Purple" Instead Of The Traditional Color It's also supposed to be the fastest track ever.
- Islamic State Threatens Terrorist Attacks At Paris 2024
- The Telegraph Chooses Three Marathoners Among Their "British Athletes To Watch" At Paris 2024 They mention Philip Sesemann, Charlotte Purdue and Calli Hauder-Thackery.
- Kremlin Denies French President's Claims That Russia Is Trying To Disrupt Paris Olympics
- 2026 Commonwealth Games 2026 Host City To Be Announced In May They're apparently considering a number of proposals after Australia, Singapore and Malaysia all withdrew or rejected the offer to host.
Non-Distance News
- Puma CEO is trying to use sponsorships to boost brand ahead of Paris Olympics: "We need to be very clear that Puma is about speed,"
- Japanese Announces Medal Targets for Paris Olympics "Last summer at the Budapest World Championships we had two medals and eleven top 8 placings. We'd like to equal or do better than that."
- Duplantis is focused on win, not WR at Olympics
NCAA News
- Texas A&M Men Remain #1 In Updated NCAA Rankings Florida is #2, while South Florida jumped ten spots to #3 and LSU down to #4.
- Texas A&M Women Jump From Third To #1 In Latest NCAA Rankings LSU and South Carolina dropped to 2-3 and Nebraska jumped nine spots to #4.
- South Florida's Abdul-Rasheed Saminu Runs Wind-Aided 9.95 (+3.6) At South Florida Invy He also ran a wind-aided 20.34 (+3.3) in the 200m.
- Event-By-Event Top-10 Collegiate Marks Of The Week (April 2-8)
Our Weekly Written Recap
Plus did you know there is a new world's richest marathon and it was held last week? Also Ajee Wilson opened up her 2024 campaign disappointingly and more.
What A Disgrace
USATF cited concerns about safety, the late-summer date and the potential lack of competitive readiness as the reasons why they're not sending a team.
More Pro Distance News
Each won their races by just a second (Jimer over Hilary Kipkoech and Amebaw over Loice Chemnung). 5K wins went to Hagos Gebrhiwet (13:24) and Caroline Nyaga (14:40). *Results
*MB: Julien Wanders, 29:29, beats Clayton Young, 29:31, in Paris 10km, finishing 16th. Winner, Yimer 27:43, Kipkoech 27:44 Cam Levins equaled the Canadian 10k record with 28:11 for 6th place.
- Kenyan 2:06:59 Marathoner Kennedy Cheboror Gets Two-Year Ban For Whereabouts Failures
- Prize Money Breakdown For The London Marathon London will be the first marathon to give equal prize money to able-bodied and wheelchair racers. 🙄
Cherry Blossom
American Nathan Martin (46:00) also finished under the old AR mark (46:11) as well. In the women's race, Uganda's Sarah Chelangat (51:14) broke the women's course record as American Emily Durgin (51:26) ran fast to finish 2nd.
Run Across Africa
- British Man Russ Cook Becomes 1st Person To Run From Most Southern Point in Africa To Most Northern The more than 10,000 mile journey (from South Africa to Tunisia's Mediterranean coast) took him almost a full year to complete (352 days). Along the way he faced many dangers including being robbed at gunpoint.
- World Runners Association Points Out Someone Else Already Ran The Length Of Africa 14-Years Ago Denmark's Jesper Olsen took the shorter Eastern route and ran from Taba, Egypt to South Africa in 434 days in 2010 although they acknowledge Cook's run was farther and he is the first to run from the most southern point to the most northern. Plus the Guinness World Records acknowledges someone who ran from Cairo to Cape Town in 1998.
- The Telegraph: "Where Russ Cook Ranks Among Outstanding Human Achievements" The Telegraph calls the World Runners Association "killjoys" and point out that Cook's run was 2,000 miles longer than the one they cited.
International Road Action
- Kenya's World Half Champ Sabastian Sawe Wins Prague Half-Marathon In 58:24 (#12 All-Time) This a week after he placed 7th at World XC Champs. Ethiopia's Gete Alemayechu Teklemichael won the women's race in 68:10. An interesting note, Spain's 1995 world marathon champ Martin Fiz ran 75:29 (5:45 pace) at the age of 61.
- Daniel Ebenyo Fails In WR Attempt, But Gets The Win In 59:30 At The Berlin Half Ebenyo went out super fast going through 5k in 13:28 (on pace for a sub-57), but had already fallen off by 10k where he went through in 27:29 (57:59 pace). He held on to win by 12 seconds. Tekle Muluat won the women's race in 66:53. *Results
*MB: Berlin Half Marathon Leaderboards Ebenyo 13:28 at 5k = 56:49 Pace - MB: Austrian 19 year old kid Timo Hinterndorfer wins Linz Half 1:03:25. Future monster.
- Ethiopians Mulugeta Uma (2:05:33) And Mestawut Fikir (2:20:45) Win Paris Marathon Both races were relatively closed as Fikir only beat Enatnesh Tirusew by three seconds and Uma won his race by 15. Kenya’s 40-year-old 2016 Olympic 5000m champ Vivian Cheruiyot ran her first marathon in five years, finishing 3rd in 2:21:46.
*MB: Matthias Kyburz, Swiss Mzungu Orienteer, runs 2:07:44 in Paris today.
*MB: Paris Marathon Leaderboards
- Kenya's Stephen Kiprop (2:07:04) And Ethiopia's Ruti Aga (2:21:08) Win Daegu Marathon
- Kenya's Titus Kimutai Kipkosgei (2:07:12) And Ethiopia's Gebeyahu Tigist Memuye (2:26:32) Win Milan Marathon
Arcadia Invy
Daniel Simmons Leads Seven Under 8:40, Winning Arcadia 32000m In 8:34.96
Simmons just beat out Nathan Neil by .36 while Foot Locker XC champ Drew Griffith was 3rd in 8:37.43. A meet record 69 boys broke the 9-minute barrier.
Other girls' meet highlights included wins from Isabel Allori (9:48.08 - 3200m), Ali Ince (2:05.26 - 800m) and Keelan Wright (11.54/23.97 - 100m/200m).
- American Fork Boys Run #2 All-Time High School 4x1600 With 16:47.66 (4:11.9 Average) Second only behind the American Fork team from 2017 which ran 16:41.30 (4:10.3 average).
Pro/NCAA Track Action
- Miramar Invy: Kenny Bednarek Beats Christian Coleman Over 200m, 20.35 To 20.43 Sada Williams won the women's race in 22.82. Shericka Jackson was supposed to race, but delayed starting her 2024 season for the third time, pulling out at the last minute.
- Oregon's Jaida Ross Sets Collegiate Shot Put Record With 19.71m At The Triton Invitational
- Lithuania's/Cal's Mykolas Alekna Throws European U23 Discus Record With 71.39m
Future Star Alert!
Wilson made headlines last week when he ran 45.19 for 400m and now he's set a blazing time at 800m as well.
Sprints / Jumps
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- Lame: Commonwealth Games Champ Ferdinand Omanyala And World 100m Silver Medalist Letsile Tebogo Won't Face-Off At Kip Keino Classic Omanyala is in the 100m and Tebogo the 200m.
- World Athletics Inside Track Podcast With Ukraine's HJ World Champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh
- Olympic 100m Champ Marcell Jacobs Will Race The 100m At The Rome Sprint Festival On May 18
- Sha'Carri Richardson Will Open Her Season April 20 In The Xiamen DL 200m After Withdrawing From This Weekend's Miramar Invy
The Early Boston Forecast Is Here
It should be dry and the temps look ideal and the wind should be helping out as well.
Who Won't Make Paris 2024?
History says 1 out of 2 people who made Team USA in 2023 WON'T make it in 2024. In our weekly bonus SC podcast, we tell our Supporter's Club members who will miss out on the Olympics.
More Distance News
- TFN feature: What makes the UW milers so special? Teamwork “We’re all going to go out there and go for it but if I don’t make the Olympic team but one of my best friends does I’m not going to be mad. If Joe beats me for that third spot or Luke beats me for the third spot and I’m sitting in 4th, I’m just going to be happy for them. Of course, I’ll be disappointed with the result. I’ll wish we would have gotten 1-2-3 but they’re my best friends and I’d do anything for them. If that means that they finish before me in the final then I’m OK with that,” said Nathan Green.
- 10 boys storylines to follow at Arcadia The loaded boys' 3200 is the headliner.
*Video chat with Footlocker champ Drew Griffith who will be at Arcadia - 10 girls storylines to follow at Arcadia California's Sadie Engelhardt is expected to break the US HS girls' mile record.
- Western States announces new drug testing agreement with USADA Additionally, anyone who has served more than a 3-month ban is ineligible for the race unless the race approves the application.
- Josh Kerr reveals he went to Paris over Xmas break so he could visualize crushing it at the Olympics better
The Latest From Kenya
One of the names on the list today wasn't even on the list of 10 in December. If someone rocks London or Boston in the coming weeks, it's hard to believe they won't be considered.
Not Everyone Got What They Wanted At The TEN
- Q&A with Keita Sato, the Japanese guy who ran 13:09/27:28 at 19, who has been training with the OAC for 2 months He actually ran worse at The TEN after training with the OAC than when he was in Japan as he only managed a 27:34 as he blew up after going out in 13:33. *Original article in Japanese
- Patrick Dever on his "bittersweet" 27:08 at The TEN On the one hand, being #2 in British history is something he's extremely proud of but he wanted sub-27.
4 Recommended Reads
- Elizabeth Leachman just ran the her 15:25 HS NR by training a lot like Parker Valby Her parents and coach seem to be doing a great job with her. They are trying to keep her healthy, teach her how to pace herself and don't let her have an Instagram account.
- Olympic 100m champ Marcell Jacobs is LOVING his new training setup in the US where he trains with 4 others hoping to make 100m final “I could go to the shop in my socks and nobody would recognise me, so I can do what I want,” says the invisible man with more than a million social media followers. “It’s a lot different to life in Italy, but it helps me stay emotionally calm.”
- How Arcadia became THE place to run the HS 3,200 The numbers speak for themselves: 321 boys have broken 9 and 14 girls have broken 10 at Arcadia over the years.
- Q&A with one of the World's Top 800 coaches Justin Rinaldi who reveals his 3 favorite workouts In addition to coaching Peter Bol, Guy Learmonth and Will Sumner, Rinaldi also coaches Josh Hoey who ran a big 1:45.54 pb over the weekend. In the piece with Kyle Merber, Rinaldi gives an update on Will Sumner's health. Rinaldi is a regular LRC poster. SC members, you can see all of his mboard posts here.
*MB: Any Will Sumner updates?
Non-Distance News
- Aston Moore, KJT's coach, gives some great advice to aspiring coaches: "Don’t believe in your own bull***t too much." We loved this Q&A with him in Athletics Weekly.
*MB: Katarina Johnson-Thompson's coach Aston Moore has some great advice to aspiring coaches: "Don’t believe in your own bull***t too much." - Sha'Carri Richardson has pulled out of this weekend's Miramar Invitational
- Daley Thompson documentary set for July release Sky Documentaries and NOW will feature the life story of the Olympic decathlon legend this summer
- WADA Publishes 2022 Testing Figures Report They tested 6.4% more in 2023 than 2022 - a staggering 256,770 samples.
Previous Distance News
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Kiplimo sustained minor injuries after his car went off the road and he had to be helped out by witnesses on the scene. Kiplimo said, "I'm not sure how much body damage internally this could have caused to me but I am grateful to God for shielding me. It could have been worse."
*MB: Jacob Kiplimo SURVIVES car accident in Uganda
- Elisabeth Asserson says Jakob hasn't changed much since they met when he was 16, Jakob vows to be a supportive father above all else Back then, he was already all in on running. The only difference is now he's the favorite, not the underog.
- MB: MTA wants NYC marathon runners to pay bridge tolls too - MTA is demanding NYRR pay it $750,000 to use Verrazzano bridge They say they need to make up for lost toll revenue. But are they going to give it back for the increased tourism revenue?
- Preview: Ethipia's Defending Champ Gisealew Ayana And Kenya’s 2016 Olympic 5000m Champ Vivian Cheruiyot Lead Fields For Sunday's Paris Marathon Cheruiyot hasn't completed a marathon since 2019 (although she DNF'd London in 2020). Japan’s Yuki Kawauchi is also in the men's race.
- MB: Former NCAA 10,000m champ Carmela Baez out @ OAC
Previous Non-Distance News
- New ESPN “30 For 30” documentary on Butch Reynolds - ‘False Positive’ - premieres Saturday at Cleveland International Film Festival. The former 400m WR holder Reynolds still claims he never doped. If you live in Cleveland, you can get tickets for shows on Saturday here. Others can start streaming if next week. It moves to Columbus later in the month. Or wait for it to come out ESPN. Watch the trailer above.
- Lengthy Q&A with 1991 world 400h champion Samuel Matete Matete is back in Zambia coaching but still occasionally thinks about moving back to the USA where he trained in his prime.
- Ackeem Blake's coach thinks his world indoor bronze has done wonders for his confidence
- Dina Asher-Smith split 51.20 in 4 x 400 at Texas Relays
- Texas & Germany's Leo Neugebauert is super pumped about his 8708 decathlon opener
- TFN's first NCAA outdoor form chart predicts a tie between Texas A&M and Texas Tech While Sam Whitmarsh's recent 800 was impressive, we're not sure if it is wise to pick a guy who has never scored at NCAAs to win it all. Their women's form chart shows a tight battle between Arkansas and LSU.
- Kiwi high jumper Hamish Kerr still finding it hard to believe that he actually won World Indoors
Minor Distance Links
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- Kenya's World 10k Record Holder Agnes Ngetich Blames "Menstrual Cramps" For Failing To Medal At World XC Champs She finished 5th and said, “I was not perfect health-wise in Belgrade, and the competition, course, and weather demanded perfection.” We talked about this a lot on the podcast this week as she also said the same thing after Worlds on the track but the math adds up.
- Hey Top Americans/Europeans, Take Note: Back-To-Back World XC Champ Beatrice Chebet Said "Cross country has always been a good buildup for me ahead of my track season."
- Athletics Weekly: Nine Takeaways From World XC Champs Their list included "Where were all the crowds?" (it was an awfully organized event for spectators) and "shame on the European no-shows." Many European countries didn't send a team at all and it's a bad sign when the UK can call you out for not sending athletes to a championship,
- Emmanuel Wanyonyi to make his 2024 track debut at Kip Keino Classic in two weeks (April 20) Wanyoni must be training well as check this quote out
*MB: Emmanuel Wanyoni: "I'll be targetting either a 1:40 or 1:41 in my next races" - 44-yr old Canadian Olympian Malindi Elmore pulls out of Boston due to hamstring tendinopathy Not taking any chances with the Paris Olympics on the horizon.
- Harvard's Maia Ramsden is looking forward to going pro: "I’m excited for being an athlete first and seeing what happens.”
- Mary Moraa to face Jemma Reekie in Doha on May 10
Catching Up On Some Recent Results
- Aussie Olympian Peter Bol Finishes Second In 1000m Handicap Race During Severe Thunderstorm At Stawell Gift Bol just lost out to Riley Bryce while the famous Stawell Gift sprint races (and the $40,000 prize money) went to Jack Lacey and Chloe Mannix-Power.
- World Athletics Carifta Games Recap Jamaica dominated the medal table with 83 medals, 44 gold (the Bahamas was was second with 34 medals, 9 gold. The University of Tennessee's Davonte Howell (representing the Cayman Islands) won the men's U20 100m in 10.15. Jamaica's Sabrina Dockery won the women's U20 race with 11.26.
- Relay Team With Rhasidat Adeleke, Julien Alfred, Lanae-Tava Thomas And Dina Asher-Smith Run Faster Than World 4x200m Record They ran 1:27.05 which beat the record of 1.27.46 set by the US 24-years ago. However, the time won't count as an official WR since the athletes aren't from the same country.
- Former BTC Runner Marc Scott Tunes Up For London Marathon With 63:40 Half-Marathon Win In The UK
- MB: Jamaica's Nickecoy Bramwell breaks Usain Bolt’s under-17 Carifta Games 400m record He ran 47.26 to break Bolt's 47.33 from 2002.
Random Other News
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- Usain Bolt Loses In Race Simulation Against A Greyhound Dog The dog crushed Bolt, running 5.80 seconds for 100m. But here is a simulation where Bolt does win against soccer player Kylian Mbappe and NFL player Tyreek Hill.
- No One Wants Them: Singapore Declines To Host The 2026 Commonwealth Games Australia pulled out of hosting and Malaysia rejected them as well despite being offered $126 million to host.
- Poland's Three-Time Olympic Hammer Champion Anita Wlodarczyk Says Paris 2024 Will Be Her Final Olympics The 38-year-old plans on competing past 2024, but not through the 2028 LA Games.
- Enter To Win A VIP Trip To The Bahamas For World Relay Champs
- 2029 World University Games Will Be From July 11-22 In North Carolina
Paris 2024 News
- Paris 2024 Olympic Village Won't Have Air Conditioning They're using a water cooling method that is supposed to help reduce carbon footprint, but might not be very good in a heatwave as it was only able to get temperatures in the rooms down to the 80s when it was over 100 outside. Athletes are still allowed to bring their own AC units.
- IOC And Warner Brothers Announce Loony Toons Licensing Agreement
- Paris Mayor Says Russian And Belarusian Athletes Are "Not Welcome" At The 2024 Olympics However, it is ultimately not up to her and the IOC has already said Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete as neutrals.
Doping Bust
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- Top Ranked Kenyan Cross Country Runner Lucy Mawia Provisionally Suspended For Doping Mawia is ranked #2 in the world on World Athletics XC rankings. It was a surprise when she skipped the Kenyan World XC trials, but this was likely the reason.
*MB: Another Kenyan busted
NCAA Rankings
- Texas A&M Men Remain #1 In Latest NCAA Outdoor Rankings Florida jumped up 79 to #2, LSU and Texas are 3-4.
- LSU Women Stay #1 In Updated NCAA Rankings South Carolina, Texas A&M And BYU moved up to 2-4
Some Other April Fools' Jokes
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- PulseSports: "Shock as Eliud Kipchoge Withdraws From Paris 2024 Olympics" The Kenyan media probably caught some people with this April Fools' prank.
*MB: Kipchoge drops out of Paris Olympics
- MB: We have a new t-shirt in the LRC store. Get your Post-Nuptial Tshirt for just $18 this week only!! We made it for AF, but the shirt is real. You can buy it here.
- MB: ROJO to take over Bowerman team head coaching job
- MB: Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Jacob Kiplimo, and Jake Wightman to form new musical trio called 'The Jacobs'
NCAA / Pro Track Results
- Gabby Thomas Opens Season With 100-200 Double Win At Texas Relays She ran a wind-aided 10.88in the 100m and 22.08 in the 200m while also running a leg of USA Red's winning 4x100 (42.25). France's Pablo Mateo won the men's 100m/200m double win a wind-aided 9.92 (+3.3) and wind-legal 20.03 (+2.0).
- MB: Texas A&M's Sam Whitmarsh 1:44.46 (#8 On NCAA All-Time List)
- MB: Centro 1:49.7 Today
- Maddy Elmore Breaks 39-Year-Old Oregon 5000m Record With 15:15.79 (#9 All-Time NCAA) At Stanford (Technically Jessica Hull ran faster while at Oregon - 15:00.32 - but it was in the summer so didn't count as a record.) Washington's Evan Jenkins (28:04) and Alabama’s Hilda Olemomoi won the 10,000s. *Results
- MB: Can someone please explain why Ky Robinson ran a 5k and a 10k on the same day
- MB: Lex Young 29:25 2nd to last at Stanford
- Pepsi Relays: High Schooler Christian Miller Runs 10.14 Canada's world 800m champ Marco Arop won the 1500m in 3:40.81.
On a day with 80+ degree temps, the Kenyan women put on a show. They were so good their 28:46 WR holder didn't even score. Weini Kelati was top US woman in 15th with Anthony Rotich top US man in 22nd.
*MB: Official 2024 World Cross Live Discussion Thread (+ Reaction show at 12 noon ET)
*MB: How well will Allie O. do at World Cross Saturday?
Available on demand now. Want this as a podcast? Join the Supporters Club today.
High School Action
She took .66 seconds off Natalie Cook's time from two years ago, breaking the US under-20 record as well. Leachman now has the indoor and outdoor 5000m HS record as well as the outdoor 3200m.
- NXN Champ Addy Ritzenhein Torches 4:44.30 1600m At Altitude (5,164-feet) At Niwot Invitational
*MB: Addy Ritzenhein 4:44 at altitude
He was close to the world age group record which is 45.12.
Spring Shoe Deals
Nike is having a huge spring sale right now on running shoes and with code SPRING you can save even more.
Tebogo opens impressively
Tebogo cruised at the start but had plenty at the end.
More Sprint News: Rhasidat Adeleke reflects on how she almost didn't take the leap of faith and go to Univ of Texas She's happy she did and is looking to break the 4 x 200 world record at the Texas Relays in her outdoor opener.
Barkley Marathons
Before this year, only 17 people had ever managed to finish the notoriously difficult 100 mile race (five 20 mile loops) within the 60 hour time limit. This year, Ukrainian Ihor Verys finished first in 58:44:59 while Paris just made the cutoff by less than 2 minutes, finishing 5th in 59:58:21.
Noah Lyles and Lance Brauman Podcast
What does Noah Lyles think about the doping problem in the sport? He tell us.
Noah Lyles and his coach Lance Brauman have their eyes set on golds in Paris. They believe Lyles can possibly break Usain Bolt's world record in the 200m, but they know first comes the most brutal meet in the sport - the US Olympic Track and Field Trials. Article and podcast.
The Ten
The Ten
Young was sensational and DESTROYED the collegiate record but Alicia Monson's AR attempt went south really quickly and she dropped out. Tsigie Gebreselama fan the first sub-30:00 women's 10,000 on US soil, Weini Kelati and Britain's version of Parker Valby, Megan Keith, both got the standard.
Engelhardt is now the 5th-fastest US HSer in history. Did you know that the four fastest US HSers never broke their HS PRs?
- MB: Centro needs to retire
- Official 2024 The TEN Live Discussion Thread - Who gets the Olympic 10,000 standards + How do Jager & Centro look?
- NICO YOUNG 26:52!!
- The ten is why I hate US track
- The TEN - Alicia Monson wants way more than the American record. Wavelight to be set at 29:37 pace
Get Your Training Questions Answered By John Kellogg
In the year 2024, there are all sorts of advice columns all over the Internet, but we’ve never seen one for distance running. There is one now as Robert Johnson and John Kellogg are here to answer your questions in our Dear Distance Gurus (DDG) column.
The Best of LetsRun.com
A doctor, nuclear engineer, and D1 runner won our Marathon Trails contest and one of the top online coaches triumphed in our NCAA XC contest to become the king of LRC contests.
Deal of the Day (Affiliate)
Want a shoe for your faster runs? Want the #2 rated Brooks, the Brooks Hyperion Tempo on sale for $64.95.
A Highly Recommended Guest Column
In a guest column, Andy Hardt describes what the fans and the sport of running have lost after Kelvin Kiptum's death at the age of 24.
- Government To Build Kelvin Kiptum's Family A New House Before He Is Buried The Kenyan president ordered a three-bedroom house be built in 7 days.
- Kelvin Kiptum's Funeral Will Be On Friday It was changed from Saturday to Friday so the Kenyan president, William Ruto, could attend.
- Kenyan Detectives Trace Kiptum's Final Hours Before His Fatal Crash Kiptum's last known location before the accident was the Grand Miarmir Guest House where the article says Kiptum "favorite meal in the VIP lounge."
Rest In Peace: Henry Rono 1952-2024
Rono achieved legendary status in 1978 when he set four world records in four different events in 81 days. Robert Johnson, who has an autographed poster of Rono on his office wall, pays his respects.
Past MB Talk On Rono
- 2004: 2006: Henry Rono
- 2006: Henry Rono training for masters mile record. PART II link fixed This was a 186 long page thread where Rono talked about his training.
- 2007: Was Henry Rono the greatest distance talent ever???
- 2013: Henry Rono
- 2003: How Henry Rono beat Alberto Salazar (Good Read)
- 2020: The HENRY RONO Base of Yore
RIP Kelvin Kiptum
In just three races, Kiptum turned the marathon world upside down, setting a world record, and running the three fastest second halves ever in a marathon. Jonathan Gault recaps his life and career.
- MB: RIP: Marathon WR Kelvin Kiptum has died in a car accident at the age of 24
- MB: Kelvin Kiptum's final 2 training sessions - 35km long run on Thursday, 18.6 km fartlek on Saturday
- MB: Kiptum's father: "Strange people looked for him 4 days before his death" Kiptum's father says the four men said they were from the State House, but could not produce identification to prove it. He now wants the Kenyan government to investigate.
Let the Anticipation Build - Only 178 Days until The Olympic 1500 Final
Stavanger Aftenblad's Erlend Nesje went to Jakob's house to catch up with one of the sport's biggest stars who is on the comeback trail from injury. After finishing up an hour-long run, Jakob had some interesting comments to say about fame, Josh Kerr, and Jake Wightman.
BetterRunningShoes.com Presents
We present to you the LetsRun.com Shoe Awards for 2023. What is the best shoe of 2023, the supershoe of 2023, the newcomer of the year and more?
Everyone's still looking for an edge
Kelvin Kiptum, Faith Kipyegon, Keely Hodgkinson and everyone in the OAC are among the stars who experimented with Maurten Bicarb System in 2023 ($65 for 4 doses). The big question: does it work? (paywall lifted)
BetterRunningShoes.com
We think most of you could guess the #1 brand, but the #2 might be a surprise. We break down the most popular brands overall, and for road, trail, and racing.
Sick of Shoes that Break Down Too Soon?
Running shoe construction has changed a lot in the last decade. Runners are still looking for more durable running shoes, but we take a look at some of the most durable shoes and what makes them stand out.
Get a Better Running Shoe
Stack heights on shoes are getting bigger and bigger. Runners are liking these shoes more and more. We try and make sense of the cushioning revolution.
Inside Kiptum's Training
Kiptum, who regularly runs 150+ miles a week, runs so hard in training that his coach Gervais Hakizimana wants him to slow down: "I told him that in five years he would be done, that he must calm down to last in athletics."
- Kelvin Kiptum's dad is very proud and says his son has never had a drop of alcohol
- Kelvin Kiptum says he's ready to race Kipchoge: “It will be exciting to meet Kipchoge, who has inspired many. I am ready to race against him.”
- Kelvin Kiptum returns to Iten & reveals the secret to his success: “My secret is training not any other thing." He received a hero's welcome.
Better Running Shoes a Click Away
Want to know what running shoes real runners like best? We've got some answers for you as our Better Running Shoe review site is now open to the public. Real reviews, from real runners, with data science.
Paywall lifted!
Paywall lifted!
The Latest JG Feature
What links Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the NAU cross country team, and Sebastian Coe? Double threshold training, which is having a moment in 2023. Note, most of this article is behind our SC paywall for 72 hours (until Saturday).
How do you explain the ridiculous indoor distance times?
Are all the fast times merely a product of supershoes? Or is it something more? We spoke to coaches Dathan Ritzenhein, Jason Vigilante and Dave Smith to figure it out.
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
‒4 x 100 Olympic gold medallist Morolake Akinosun tweeting about the short-sighted decision to put the Diamond League on Flotrack in the US starting in 2025. If you were trying to come up with a way to not develop the sport, we think putting the best meets on a streaming service the general public does not know or care about and with no reach is a good way to do it. Even the Diamond League final won't be on TV. Bravo.
MB: Bad news: Diamond League will go behind Flotrack's $150 paywall starting in 2025