Our weekly recap is back with a vengeance. In it, we rave about how much better Africa is at the marathon than the mighty USA, wonder if it's bad that AOY awards are now nothing more than popularity contests and rave about 40+ runners.
The 2023 world half marathon champ missed Kelvin Kiptum's debut record by just 12 seconds. Ethiopia's Megertu Alemu, who was 2nd in London last year and 3rd in Chicago (4th in London this year), won the women's race. Kenenisa Bekele was with the leaders through halfway and in the top 10 at 30k but ended up a DNF.
From Brett Larner: "Yuya Yoshida's story is really the kind you love to read. A guy who never got to run the big races at Aoyama Gakuin University until his very last chance his senior year, when he dropped a course record at the 2020 Hakone Ekiden in what he was thinking of as his last race."
Hassan and Tebogo won the overall award after a fan vote while the category winners were Tebogo and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone for track, Hassan and Tamirat Tola for "out of stadium," and Mondo Duplantis and Yaroslava Mahuchikh for field events. Nike co-founder Phil Knight won the President's Award for "exceptional service to athletics." We were happy to see them going back to an overall man and woman winner after the "everyone wins" mess last year, but basing it solely to a popularity contest fan vote is ridiculous.
Hear from the repeat NCAA XC champ.
Reports allege that Gjert hit and kicked Jakob, that the abuse one time lasted 15-30 minutes and that Gjert said he'd beat him "to death." *Times of London article
*MB: Gjert Ingebrigtsen will stand trial in 2025 after indictment reveals he hit Jakob in the head
Kelati is the first woman to win 4 in a row.
The story of what happened to Habtom Samuel's shoe shows the best of the running community.
But before we switch over to indoor track, we had a few final thoughts to share about the 2024 NCAA XC championships, including explaining why track is not the same as cross country, revealing the top-20 finisher who called his shot on the LetsRun messageboard, letting you know about two runners who did something on Saturday that hasn’t been done since Matthew Centrowitz, before we give you a way-too-early look ahead to 2025 NCAAs.
The Tyreek Hill race may be coming together. Lyles has interesting comments on Grand Slam Track, the 100 vs the 200 and whether the sport of track and field wants to change. *Podcast here
They are apparently close to signing a partnership with a technology company to "develop the virtual running scene" and Seb Coe says, "...Ultimately, why not? We have to embrace and we have got to take our sport to where people are. ...Whether it is through virtual, whether it is through Esports, whether it is through treadmill, these are all the things that we want to really explore."
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BYU won its second title in the Diljeet Taylor era as Alabama's Doris Lemngole moved up one spot from last year to win the crown.
Graham Blanks joined the Gerry Lindgren, Steve Prefontaine and Conner Mantz club of repeat American winners as the year of Ed Eyestone continued with a BYU victory.
Hedengren ran 15:50 to dominate by 41 seconds over Ritzenhein. Herriman boys, Vista Nation girls won the team titles. *Results
*MB: BYU signee Jane Hedengren runs HS record 15:50 XC 5K
This is the 3 day end of the season meet World Athletics is hosing in 2026. $10 Million in Prize money for 1 meet with $150k for each winner. The single sex 4x1 and 4x4 are dropped as well.
Last year, nine Kenyan men and a record seven Kenyan women earned All-American honors at the NCAA XC champs. The total could be even higher at this year's meet. We explain the reason behind the trend and wonder if there should be an age limit. Is it fair to have a 28-year-old freshman join the team who has a PR faster than the American record?
NCAA track and field/XC is about to be radically changed. Roster caps are coming -- are you ready for a max of 10 people on a men's SEC roster? But the opportunity to give out way more scholarships is also coming. Will the net change be great or catastrophic, leading to the "the slow death of men's track & field" as one SEC coach worries.
Former 3rd placer at Foot Lockers Ryan Craven, who infamously pissed off the Wisconsin Badger faithful 13 years ago when he wrote an article comparing the coaching styles of Mick Byrne and Jerry Schumacher, returns to writing to apologize for any offense he caused as he gets ready to return to Wisconsin. Nowadays he's trying to make a more positive impact on the track community by developing an XC video game that we all can be proud of.
You've got to hear the crazy story when Abdi Nageeye at the Pre Classic decided he was done with the track and wanted to get out of town and the cops ended up coming to Mo Farah's house.
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The deep field also has Tokyo Marathon champion Birhanu Legese, 2021 Berlin Marathon winner Guye Adola, and Paris Olympic fifth-place finisher Deresa Geleta. 2:14:58 woman Amane Beriso leads the women's race against three other sub-2:19 women as well as Sara Hall.
A strong case could have been made for Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone over Thomas, but hard to argue with Quincy Wilson as youth athlete of the year.
(link updated) He broke the previous record of 41:05 which was set by Joshua Cheptegei at this same course in 2018 and then tied by Kiplimo here last year.
*MB: Jacob MF Kiplimo!
There was wildness in the Great Lakes where a runner celebrated before the line and cost the Michigan State men a spot at NCAAs. There was chaos in the Mid-Atlantic, where three men’s teams finished within a point of each other and Navy was the odd team out. Plus the Colorado women missed out for the first time since 2008.
SC Friday 15 Podcast: Cornell just misses, Guy letting up at line early costs Mich State + Shelby Houlihan is back training - is she guilty? Max Siegel wants a shorter Trials & Grand Slam Track cities and dates are unveiled You need to be an SC member to get our Friday podcast.
We started talking about whether Grant Fisher is talented and segued into a debate on whose career you'd rather have: Fisher or Brazier? *Full pod here
Simpson and Centrowitz, who both 1st medalled in 2011 and retired in 2024, leave the sport as two of the faces on the Mt. Rushmore of American 1500m running after piling up a combined eight medals at global championships. And despite not ever finishing in the top 3 on the yearly 1500 list (Simpson's best was 4th, Centro's 9th), they will be remembered as two of the better milers of their generation.
Rowberry began as a pacer and errand boy at the Nike Oregon Project but has since coached Hassan to six medals across the last two Olympics. He dives into their relationship and why he's looking to expand his training group -- and land a coaching contract from a shoe brand.
Rowberry was the guest on this week's podcast and joined the show at the 66:11 mark. Prior to that the crew spent a lot of time discussing Grant Fisher's talent, Donavan Brazier, Grand Slam Track and a whole lot more.
The Jamaican meet will be held on April 4th, 5th and 6th and the Miami meet on May 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Los Angeles was previously revealed as a host city and there will be two more cities announced later this week
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Toni Reavis pens thoughtful colum on election: "Tired of Democracy" Toni says most of America's current issues stem from the destruction of the middle class and reminds people we can't just take democracy for granted, "Democracy and distance running aren’t all that dissimilar. Both require consistent attention to thrive."
The Norwegian tax records for 2023 are now public and we share the scoop.
*MB: Jakob Ingebrigtsen got PAID in 2023 - Income more than doubled to $2.3 million.
Expanding the number of world marathon majors to nine is an absurd idea unless the majors make one simple change that will instantly keep them being compelling, elite sporting events.
There are two finalists in each category (six men and six women total). They are Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Letsile Tebogo (men's track), Sydney McLaughlin-levrone, Julien Alfred (women's track), Mondo Duplantis, Miltiadis Tentoglou (men's field), Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Nafissatou Thiam (women's field), Tamirat Tola, race walker Brian Pintado (men's out of stadium), Sifan Hassan, Ruth Chepngetich (women's out of stadium).
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Sydney is the first race to join the series since Tokyo joined 11 years ago. The current "six star medal" will remain in place for those that complete the original races, but it could be a nine star medal in the future with Cape Town and Shanghai also candidates to join the WMM.
For many years, Kwemoi was defined by the 3:28.81 1500 he ran in 2014, which made him the fastest teenager in history. Now Kwemoi is an Olympic medalist and will join Grand Slam Track in 2025. How did it happen?
At the start of 2024, only five men had ever broken 1:42. Five have done it in 2024 alone, and David Rudisha's 1:40.91 world record looks poised to fall. What is going on? Jonathan Gault interviews coaches and scientists from all over the world and unveils Project 99 - the quest for the first sub-1:40 800 in history.
The newest shirt is in stock at the Letsrun store.
At the start of 2024, only five men had ever broken 1:42. Five have done it in 2024 alone, and David Rudisha's 1:40.91 world record looks poised to fall. What is going on? Jonathan Gault interviews coaches and scientists from all over the world and unveils Project 99 - the quest for the first sub-1:40 800 in history.
Was this the best Olympic track & field competition ever? Why did the US men run so well? Plus the greatest unanswered questions from Paris 2024 and why Jakob Ingebrigtsen should not abandon the 1500m.
A lot to talk about on this week's LRC podcast. We couldn't get to it all so join the Supporters Club to get Friday's bonus podcast.
Your latest American stars share their insights.
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.
