LetsRun’s Best Articles of 2017: A Day With Eliud Kipchoge in Kenya, The Summer of Alan Webb, The Rise of Syracuse & More
By LetsRun.com
December 21, 2017
With the end of the year rapidly approaching, it’s time for a look back at the year that was. We began on Tuesday by recalling our favorite races of 2017 and continue today by looking at our favorite pieces of original LetsRun.com content. If you didn’t get a chance to read these when they were originally published, no worries. Bookmark this page, and when you find yourself with some free time over the holidays, grab your iPad and a glass of eggnog, plop down in your favorite comfy chair, and get reading.
Most of the articles below are profiles by Jonathan Gault, but we’ve got a few LRC debates, and included Galen Rupp’s win in Chicago and Shalane Flanagan’s win in New York, but if you want to read about any of the amazing action at the World Champs our entire 2017 World Championship coverage is here.
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March 25: LRC Her Dreams Became Reality: Canadian Champion Sasha Gollish Will Run World XC After an 8-Year Break From the Sport
Gollish quit the sport as a 20-year-old but recommitted herself at age 32 in 2014 and improved rapidly, winning the Canadian and NACAC XC titles last winter. She finished as the top Canadian (40th) at World XC in March.
April 10: LRC Six Years After Seeing The First Atomic Bomb Detonate in Hiroshima, Shigeki Tanaka of Japan Won the Boston Marathon
In 1951, Japan was still under U.S. occupation, and its athletes had been largely barred from the international sporting scene. But in that year’s Boston Marathon, a 20-year-old named Shigeki Tanaka, who grew up just outside Hiroshima, won the Boston Marathon — the first major U.S. sporting event to feature Japanese athletes since World War II.
May 2: LRC A Day With Olympic Marathon Champion Eliud Kipchoge, Part I: A Tuesday Morning Track Workout
May 3: LRC A Day with Olympic Marathon Champion Eliud Kipchoge, Part II: A Look at Kipchoge’s Spartan Training Camp & Why He Is Part of Nike’s Breaking2 Attempt
Photo courtesy of Jean-Pierre Durand for the IAAF. (Click here for full photo gallery)
Two months before Kipchoge ran 2:00:25 in Monza, we visited his training camp in Kenya. Part I details a track workout as the sun comes up at Eldoret’s Moi University. Part II offers an inside look at the Global Sports camp in Kaptagat and his thoughts before Breaking2.
May 6: LRC Breaking2 Falls Short, But Eliud Kipchoge Runs an Astonishing 2:00:25 for the Marathon Distance
While he didn’t break 2:00:00, Eliud Kipchoge showed why he’s the greatest marathoner in history.
May 22: LRC How Much Do the World’s Top Steeplechasers Practice Hurdle Form? For 2008 Olympic Champ Brimin Kipruto, the Answer is “Never”
Everyone prepares for the steeplechase in their own way, from the Olympic champion who claims he never practices hurdling to Evan Jager, who works on his hurdle form every week. LetsRun.com consulted the experts to explore the differences between the top Kenyan and American steeplers and the importance of hurdle form.
May 22: LRC Is Edward Cheserek The GOAT of NCAA Distance Running? Why the Answer Isn’t That Simple
King Ches certainly had an amazing career but Gerry Lindgren only lost once at NCAA championship, Henry Rono set a world record in four different events in one season, and Suleiman Nyambui won just as many NCAA individual titles but also secured an Olympic medal and had better pbs at the 1,500, mile, 5000 and 10,000.
July 31: LRC The Summer of Webb: An Inside Look at Alan Webb’s Magical 2007 Season
For a few months in 2007, American Alan Webb was the world’s best miler. Ten years later, we take a look back at Webb’s magical summer.
August 5: LRC Justin Gatlin Steals the Show in Usain Bolt’s Final 100M Race to Win 2017 World Title at Age 35
Our column from London on the night that Gatlin shocked Bolt to win the 100 meters at Worlds.
August 12: LRC Analysis: How Did Muktar Edris Finally Beat Mo Farah in the 2017 World Championship 5,000 Final?
Farah said it came down to Ethiopian team tactics, but we think Edris’ brilliance was a bigger reason.
August 30: LRC “I Love Pre, But This Meet Was Better”: A First-Timer’s Thoughts on Weltklasse Zurich
LetsRun sent staff writer Jonathan Gault to Zurich for the Diamond League final and he shared his thoughts on what makes the famous meet so great.
September 15: LRC The Rise of Syracuse: How a Cross Country Powerhouse Was Built From Scratch in 10 Years
Justyn Knight Wins 2017 NCAA cross country crown — photo by Mike Scott
In 2005, Syracuse was a middling Big East team over 30 years removed from its last NCAA championship appearance. Now it’s one of the premier cross country programs in the nation. How did it happen?
Galen Rupp wins the 2017 Bank of America Chicago Marathon in a personal best 2:09:20 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)
October 4: LRC LetsRun Debates: Is Galen Rupp a 2:05 Guy?
Whatever he is, he is a stud marathoner and showed it below.
October 8: LRC American Galen Rupp Wins 2017 Chicago Marathon – 1st American-Born Winner in 35 Years
Speaks for itself.
October 18: LRC Johnny Gray Talks About Having American 800 Record for 32 Years, Why He Considered Taking Drugs, & His Thoughts on Ajee Wilson
The best interview we conducted in 2017 was with Gray, the longest holder of a US track record in an Olympic distance (32 years and counting), who shared it all in this no-holds-barred interview. Who does he think has more potential – Clayton Murphy, Donavan Brazier, or Boris Berian? Does he have doubts about Ajee Wilson after her positive test? All of that and more.
October 30: LRC Digging Deep: The Legacy of Ryan Shay Ten Years After His Death at The Olympic Marathon Trials
Ten years ago this week, the running world lost one of its own when Ryan Shay collapsed and died 5.5 miles into the Olympic Marathon Trials. A decade later, we examined his legacy and found that while his loss still hurts, his ability to inspire lives on.
November 5: LRC Jerry Schumacher on How Shalane Flanagan Dug into Her “Deep Well” to Win 2017 New York City Marathon
In a rare interview, Bowerman Track Club coach Jerry Schumacher explained how his star athlete Shalane Flanagan was able to win New York and how Flanagan helped to build BTC into one of the greatest women’s training groups in the world.
Meb in his final NYC
November 9: LRC Meb Memories: A Generation of Greatness: LetsRun.com’s Favorite Moments from The Amazing Career Of Meb Keflezighi
Hard to believe Meb has really hung them up but we share our favorite memories.
November 13: LRC The Big Debate: Gwen Jorgensen Moves to the Marathon, How Will She Do?
Olympic triathlon champion Gwen Jorgensen shocked the world — or at least the endurance sports world — when she announced in November that she is making the move from triathlete to marathoner, setting herself an ambitious goal of Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020. LetsRun.com convened its braintrust (including triathlon nut Lars Finanger) to discuss Jorgensen’s move and her future in the marathon.
December 18: LRC Meet Mr. Cross Country, The Sport’s Biggest Fan
Cross country’s biggest fan resides in Massachusetts, where for the past 33 years, Michael Mahon, has traveled to over 1,747 career meets, bag of cans in tow. And he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
Want more races? Our entire 2017 World Championship coverage is here.
And don’t miss:
LRC The Best Races Of 2017 w/ Video: Gold & Silver For U.S. In The Steeple, Shalane Wins NYC, Kipchoge Runs 2:00:25 & More
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