2022 LRC Men’s World & American Rankings: Who’s #1?
By LetsRun.com
January 23, 2023
Another year of running is in the books so it’s time to bring back the LetsRun.com world and US distance rankings. In each event, 800 through marathon, we’ve ranked the top 10 in the world and top 5 Americans.
Since these rankings are subjective, we’ll outline the criteria we’re using for them:
- An emphasis on performance in big races. How the athlete fared at Worlds carries a significant amount of weight but winning gold doesn’t guarantee that an athlete will earn a #1 ranking. For U.S. athletes, their performance at the U.S. championships also factors heavily in the rankings.
- Big-meet success with the Diamond League receiving emphasis.
- Season best times matter, and if an athlete has a bunch of fast performances, they’re more likely to be ranked highly.
- Indoor races are considered and can help an athlete’s ranking.
The men’s rankings are below; the women’s rankings are here: 2022 LRC Women’s World & American Rankings: Who’s #1?.
Previous LetsRun rankings: *2021 *2019 *2018 *2017 *2016 *2015 *2014
Men’s 800: World/Diamond League champ Emmanuel Korir is #1 again
Heading into Worlds, the men’s 800 meters was one of the most wide-open events of the championships. But once again, Kenya’s Emmanuel Korir imposed order on the chaos. Even though Korir’s early-season results had been unencouraging (8th Rabat, 5th Stockholm in two Diamond League appearances) and even though Korir entered Worlds unsponsored, having been unable to agree to a new contract with Nike, he used his killer speed (25.82 final 200m) to win his second straight global title, adding world gold to the Olympic gold Korir won in Tokyo a year earlier. He closed out the year by repeating as Diamond League champion, making him an easy pick for World #1.
Behind him, it was a lot messier. What to do with Mariano Garcia, who bombed out of Worlds in the semis but won two of the biggest races of the year, World Indoors and Euros? What about Jake Wightman, who skipped the 800 at Worlds but was brilliant the few times he did race the event? #3 through #10 on this list could really appear in any order and we wouldn’t argue much.
In the US, 2022 was a year to forget for men’s 800-meter runners. Despite sending four men to Worlds, the US couldn’t advance a single one to the semifinals — the first time in history that’s happened. Only two Americans broke 1:45 on the year, and Bryce Hoppel‘s 1:44.60 was the slowest US leader since 2005. The one bright spot was Hoppel’s bronze medal at World Indoors, but even he admitted he was a little disappointed not to have won gold. 2023 should be better — the US still has talent in this event, especially if Donavan Brazier can get healthy.
LRC Worlds recap Emmanuel Korir Adds World 800m Title to Olympic Crown
LRC USAs recap Bryce Hoppel Comes Out On Top In 800m
World rankings
1. Emmanuel Korir, Kenya
1:43.26 SB (#1); 8th Rabat, 5th Stockholm, 1st Worlds, 1st Silesia, 3rd Brussels, 1st Zurich (DL final)
2. Djamel Sedjati, Algeria
1:43.69 SB (#6); World Indoor semis, 1st Mediterranean Games, 2nd Worlds, 2nd Brussels. Sedjati ran nine 800s and won six of them. He finished 2nd in two more and those were big races (Brussels and Worlds). He was 2-0 against Arop on the year in head-to-heads.
3. Marco Arop, Canada
1:43.38 SB (#2); 8th World Indoors, 3rd Doha, 1st Birmingham, 1st Canadian champs, 3rd Worlds, 5th Brussels, 2nd Zurich (DL final)
4. Mariano Garcia, Spain
1:44.85 SB (#38); 1st World Indoors, 10th Birmingham, 11th Rabat, 3rd Spanish champs, Worlds semis, 1st Euros, 7th Zurich (DL final)
5. Jake Wightman, Great Britain
1:43.65 SB (#5); 4th Birmingham, 2nd Euros, 1st Brussels, 3rd Zurich (DL final)
6. Wyclife Kinyamal, Kenya
1:43.54 SB (#4); 6th Birmingham, 1st Kenyan trials, 8th Worlds, 1st Commonwealth Games, 6th Brussels, 4th Zurich (DL final)
7. Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Kenya
1:44.01 SB (#10); 1st Kip Keino Classic, 1st Ostrava, 1st Rabat, 2nd Kenyan trials, 4th Worlds
8. Slimane Moula, Algeria
1:44.19 SB (#14); 2nd Ostrava, 1st African champs, 1st Stockholm, 5th Worlds
9. Peter Bol, Australia
1:44.00 SB (#9); 1st Australian champs, 2nd Doha, 9th Birmingham, 2nd Paris, 7th Worlds, 2nd Commonwealth Games
10. Bryce Hoppel, USA
1:44.60 SB (#26); 1st USA Indoors, 3rd World Indoors, 1st Mt. SAC, 3rd Birmingham, 1st USAs, Worlds first round, 6th Silesia, 5th Zurich (DL final). French fans may think we should have Benjamin Robert here as he ran 1:43.75 to win Paris, but he didn’t make final at Worlds and failed to medal at Euros. Hoppel and Robert were 1-1 on the year with Hoppel beating him in the DL final. Plus Hoppel medalled at World Indoors.
US rankings
1. Hoppel, adidas
2. Jonah Koech, US Army WCAP
1:44.74 SB (#2); 7th USA Indoors, 3rd Music City, 2nd USAs, DQ Worlds first round, 1st Ed Murphey Classic, 1st NACAC
3. Brandon Miller, Texas A&M University
1:45.09 SB (#4); 1st NCAA Indoors, 3rd NCAA Outdoors, 3rd USAs, Worlds first round
4. Clayton Murphy, Nike
1:45.23 SB (#5); 1st Puerto Rico Classic, 7th Birmingham DL, 4th NYC GP, 4th USAs, 8th Silesia DL
5. Isaiah Harris, Brooks Beasts
1:45.55 SB (#9); 2nd USA Indoors, 7th World Indoors, 4th USATF Distance Classic, 3rd Portland Track Festival, 6th USAs, 2nd Sunset Tour #2, 3rd Sunset Tour #3, 8th Ed Murphey Classic
Men’s 1500/mile: Jakob Ingebrigtsen repeats as #1
Jakob Ingebrigtsen had a stellar year in 2022. He ran a world-leading 3:29.02 in the 1500, and his 3:46.46 mile in Oslo was the fastest since 2001, good for #6 on the all-time list. Ingebrigtsen won six of his eight 1500/mile races — unfortunately for him, the two defeats came in the two biggest races of the year, the World Indoor and World Outdoor final. Still, his consistent brilliance was enough to make him a clear #1 in our rankings.
World champ Jake Wightman didn’t race as much on the circuit, but his world title, combined with a DL win in Lausanne and a win at the super-competitive British championships earned him the #2 spot. One thing missing from our top 10 was an American. Cole Hocker, the US indoor champ, was injured outdoors and didn’t make it out of the first round at USAs. Cooper Teare, the US outdoor champ, was injured as well and couldn’t make it out of the first round at Worlds. With those two, Yared Nuguse, and Hobbs Kessler in the mix, the future is bright, but 2022 was largely a year to forget for American milers.
LRC Worlds recap Dreams Become Reality: Jake Wightman Stuns Jakob Ingebrigtsen to Win World 1500m Title
LRC USAs recap Sydney McLaughlin Breaks WR, Cooper Teare & Sinclaire Johnson Win 1500’s, & Evan Jager Makes the Team
1. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Norway
3:29.02 SB (#1); 1st Lievin (indoor WR), 2nd World Indoors, 1st Pre, 1st Oslo, 2nd Worlds, 1st Euros, 1st Lausanne, 1st Zurich (DL final)
2. Jake Wightman, Great Britain
3:29.23 SB (#2); 1st Rabat, 3rd Oslo, 1st British champs, 1st Worlds, 3rd Commonwealth Games
3. Abel Kipsang, Kenya
3:29.93 SB (#4); 3rd World Indoors, 1st Kip Keino Classic, 1st Doha, 1st Birmingham, 4th Pre, 1st African champs, 1st Kenyan trials, 7th Worlds, 4th Commonwealth Games, 2nd Lausanne, 4th Zurich (DL final)
4. Olli Hoare, Australia
3:30.12 SB (#5); 1st Millrose, 5th World Indoors, 1st Australian champs, 3rd Birmingham, 2nd Pre, 2nd Oslo, Worlds semis, 1st Commonwealth Games, 12th Lausanne, 3rd Zurich (DL final). Super tight between Hoare and Cheruiyot for #4/5. Hoare ran an indoor season and beat Cheruiyot at Pre and for CG gold but Cheruiyot beat him at Worlds and in the DL final. We’re rewarding Hoare for winning gold and running indoors.
5. Timothy Cheruiyot, Kenya
3:30.21 SB (#8); 2nd Doha, 3rd Pre, 2nd Kenyan trials, 6th Worlds, 2nd Commonwealth Games, 7th Lausanne, 2nd Zurich (DL final)
6. Mohamed Katir, Spain
3:29.90 SB (#3); 2nd Birmingham, 7th Rabat, 2nd Spanish champs, 3rd Worlds
7. Mario Garcia Romo, Spain
3:30.20 SB (#7); 6th Millrose, 1st NCAA indoors, 2nd NCAA outdoors, 1st Spanish champs, 4th Worlds, 3rd Euros, 6th Lausanne
8. Josh Kerr, Great Britain
3:30.60 SB (#9); 2nd Millrose, 1st BU Last Chance (European record 3:48.87 indoor mile), 5th Birmingham, 3rd British champs, 5th Worlds, 12th Commonwealth Games, 4th Lausanne, 6th Zurich (DL final)
9. Teddese Lemi, Ethiopia
3:32.98 SB (#15); 4th World Indoors, 3rd Doha, 5th African champs, 8th Worlds
10. Stewart McSweyn, Australia
3:30.18 (#6) 11th Doha, 13th Birmingham, 9th Worlds, 3rd Lausanne, 5th Zurich
Originally, we had Jake Heyward in the top 10 but McSweyn was 2-0 against Heyward on the year and ran faster. We almost put Samuel Tefera on here to reward him for one of the races of the year — his world indoor gold over Ingebrigtsen — but he only raced three 1500s on the year.
Close but no cigar: Jake Heyward, Great Britain
3:31.08 SB (#10); 7th Pre, 2nd Rabat, 4th British champs, 5th Commonwealth Games, 2nd Euros, 9th Lausanne, 9th Zurich (DL final)
US rankings
1. Cooper Teare, Nike Bowerman Track Club
3:34.81 SB (#3); 1st Windy City Invite (3:50.17 mile, #3 all-time US indoors), 1st Oregon Twilight, 6th Pre, 1st USAs, Worlds first round
2. Josh Thompson, Nike Bowerman Track Club
3:35.55 SB (#11); 2nd USA Indoors, 12th World Indoors, 2nd Music City, 8th Portland Track Festival, 3rd USAs, 12th Worlds, 2nd NACAC, 5th Berlin
3. Yared Nuguse, University of Notre Dame/On Athletics Club
3:33.26 SB (#1); 6th Sound Running Track Meet, 1st Portland Track Festival, 11th USAs, 1st Ed Murphey, 1st Sir Walter Miler, 1st Lucerne, 1st Padua
4. Cole Hocker, Nike
3:35.18 SB (#7); 2nd Windy City Invite (3:50.35 mile, #4 all-time US indoors), 1st USA Indoors, 3rd USATF Distance Classic, 5th Pre, USA semis, 6th Lucerne, 2nd Padua
5. Jon Davis, University of Illinois/Atlanta Track Club
3:33.81 SB (#2); 4th NCAA Indoors, 6th NCAAs, 2nd USAs, 1st Sunset Tour #3, 13th Sir Walter Miler
Men’s 3000/5000: A year of parity
There was a lot of great racing in the 3000 and 5000 meters this year, but no one had an overwhelmingly dominant year. Selemon Barega, the Olympic 10,000 champ, won the world indoor 3k a disappointing 12th in the 5,000 at World Outdoors. Reigning Olympic 5,000 champ Joshua Cheptegei won the 10,000 at Worlds but was only 9th in the 5,000 and only ran one other 5k this year — a special section at Pre in which he was ostensibly chasing the world record but wound up nowhere close. Oscar Chelimo and Luis Grijalva finished 3-4 at Worlds despite neither finishing higher than 6th in a Diamond League this year.
If you lined up everyone on Earth in a 5k, most track fans would probably pick Jakob Ingebrigtsen as the winner — and he did indeed win the world title this year. But he didn’t run the 3k or 5k at any Diamond Leagues (though he did win the 5k at Euros). Where to rank him? We ultimately put him ahead of Diamond League champ Nicholas Kipkorir and Worlds silver medalist Jacob Krop, but they were better on the circuit as each won a Diamond League and Ingebrigtsen didn’t run any DL races. It was tough sorting everybody out.
The US rankings were easier, particularly the top spot, which Grant Fisher earned after American records in the 3k and 5k. Will he hold onto that #1 ranking for the foreseeable future or could Paul Chelimo, Abdihamid Nur, or Cooper Teare challenge him in 2023? We’ll find out soon.
LRC Worlds recap Jakob Ingebrigtsen Dusts Field Over Final 200 to Win 2022 World 5,000m Title
LRC USAs recap Grant Fisher Runs A Masterful 5000m
1. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Norway
13:02.03 SB (#19); 1st Sound Running Track Meet, 1st Worlds, 1st Euros.
Initially we had Nicholas Kipkorir at #1, Jacob Krop #2, and Ingebrigtsen #3. We know what some of you are thinking: “How can a guy who didn’t medal and wasn’t the world leader be #1?” Well Kipkorir was 6-2 on the year against Krop, and defeated him at both CGs and in the DL final. Still, it didn’t sit well with all of us so we moved Ingebrigtsen to #1. Ingebrigtsen was undefeated in the event, won Euros and Worlds, and since no one holds it against Sydney M that she hardly ever runs the 400H, we guess we won’t hold it against Ingebrigtsen.
2. Nicholas Kipkorir, Kenya
7:31.19 (#6)/12:46.33 (#2) SBs; 1st Rome, 1st Kenyan trials, 7th Worlds, 2nd Commonwealth Games, 4th Monaco, 3rd Brussels, 1st Zurich (DL final).
3. Jacob Krop, Kenya
7:33.30 (#9)/12:45.71 (#1) SBs; 5th World Indoors, 1st Kip Keino Classic, 2nd Rome, 2nd Kenyan trials, 2nd Worlds, 3rd Commonwealth Games, 6th Monaco, 1st Brussels, DNF Zurich (DL final)
4. Selemon Barega, Ethiopia
12:54.87 SB (#7); 2nd Lievin, 2nd Torun, 1st Madrid, 1st World Indoors, 3rd Pre, 4th Rome, 1st Paris, 12th Worlds, 7th Zurich (DL final). Unlike Fisher, Barega won several big international races on the year.
5. Grant Fisher, USA
7:28.48 (#3)/12:46.96 (#3) SBs; 1st BU Valentine (12:53.73 AR, #5 all-time indoor), 1st USAs, 6th Worlds, 3rd Monaco, 2nd Brussels, 3rd Zurich (DL final)
6. Berihu Aregawi, Ethiopia
7:26.81 (#2)/12:50.05 (#4) SBs; 1st Karlsruhe (7:26.20, #5 all-time indoor), World Indoor semis, 1st Pre, 2nd Monaco, 5th Zurich (DL final)
7. Domnic Lobalu, South Sudan
7:29.48 (#4)/12:52.15 (#6) SBs; 1st Stockholm, 5th Monaco, 4th Brussels, 2nd Zurich (DL final)
8. Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Burundi
7:25.93 (#1)/12:59.39 (#14) SBs; 8th Rome, 2nd Paris, 5th Stockholm, 1st Monaco (7:25.93, #7 all-time), 11th Brussels, DNF Zurich (DL final)
9. Mohammed Ahmed, Canada
12:55.84 SB (#9); 2nd BU Valentine (12:56.87, #7 all-time indoor), 4th Pre, 5th Rome, 5th Worlds
10. Daniel Ebenyo, Kenya
7:40.39 (#21)/12:54.90 (#8) SBs; 4th World Indoors, 3rd Kip Keino Classic, 3rd Pre, 2nd African Champs, 4th Kenyan trials, 10th Worlds, 14th Monaco, 5th Brussels
Oscar Chelimo won world bronze at age 20 but didn’t make the top 10 as he didn’t break 13:00 and his only other races were 3rd in Grosseto and 7th in Brussels but we’d certainly rather have had his season than certainly anyone ranked outside the top four.
US rankings
1. Fisher, Nike Bowerman Track Club
2. Woody Kincaid, Nike Bowerman Track Club
7:38.81 (#2)/13:06.70 SB (#4); 1st BU Valentine B heat (13:05.56, #4 all-time indoor US), 2nd USAs, Worlds semis, 8th Monaco, 1st NACAC, 12th Brussels
3. Abdihamid Nur, Northern Arizona University/Nike
13:06.32 SB (#3); 1st NCAA indoor 5k, 1st NCAA indoor 3k, 4th Sound Running Track Meet (13:06.32 NCAA record), 3rd USAs, 11th Worlds
4. Joe Klecker, On Athletics Club
7:39.58 (#3)/13:04.42 (#2) SBs; 3rd Sound Running Track Meet, 4th Oslo, 9th Oslo, 13th Brussels
5. Emmanuel Bor, Tracksmith/Peak Running Elite
13:13.15 SB (#9); 4th BU Valentine (13:00.48, #2 all-time indoor US), 2nd USA Indoors, 5th USAs, 4th NACAC
Men’s 10,000: Uganda leads the way
The 10,000, like the marathon, is tough to rank because the top athletes don’t run the event very much. The Worlds results factored heavily into our rankings but we also put some value in the Commonwealth Games (Jacob Kiplimo‘s victory there bumped him ahead of Stanley Waithaka Mburu for the #2 spot) and national championships in the US, Kenya, and Ethiopia. It’s a shame that Kenyan champion Kibiwott Kandie, who ran 27:33 at altitude to win the trials in Nairobi, didn’t get to run at Worlds because he didn’t have the standard or enough ranking points to qualify. He still earned a bronze at Commonwealth Games so we put him into our top 10.
In the US, Grant Fisher tied for the highest finish ever by an American at Worlds in the 10,000 meters by finishing fourth, but he was beaten at USAs by Joe Klecker, who finished 9th at Worlds — a big improvement on his 16th-place finish at the Olympics in Tokyo. Both of them cracked our top 10.
LRC Worlds recap Josh Cheptegei Repeats as World 10,000m Champion, Grant Fisher Finishes 4th
LRC USAs recap Joe Klecker Upsets American Record Holder Grant Fisher To Win 2022 USA 10,000 Title
1. Joshua Cheptegei, Uganda
27:27.43 SB (#43); 1st Worlds
2. Jacob Kiplimo, Uganda
27:09.19 SB (#11); 3rd Worlds, 1st Commonwealth Games
3. Stanley Waithaka Mburu, Kenya
27:19.86 SB (#27); 2nd Kenyan trials, 2nd Worlds, 1st Japanese corporate champs, 10th Nippon Sport Science University Long Distance Competition
4. Grant Fisher, USA
26:33.84 SB (#1); 1st The TEN, 2nd USAs, 4th Worlds
5. Selemon Barega, Ethiopia
26:44.73 SB (#3); 1st Ethiopian trials, 5th Worlds
6. Moh Ahmed, Canada
26:34.14 SB (#2); 2nd The TEN, 6th Worlds
7. Berihu Aregawi, Ethiopia
26:46.13 SB (#5); 3rd Ethiopian trials, 7th Worlds
8. Daniel Mateiko, Kenya
27:33.57 SB (#55); 3rd Kenyan trials, 8th Worlds
9. Joe Klecker, USA
27:38.73 SB (#68); 1st USAs, 9th Worlds
10. Kibiwott Kandie, Kenya
27:20.34 SB (#29); 1st Kenyan Defence Forces champs, 16th Kenyan champs, 1st Kenyan trials, 3rd Commonwealth Games
US rankings
1. Fisher, Nike Bowerman Track Club
2. Klecker, On Athletics Club
3. Sean McGorty, Nike Bowerman Track Club
27:18.15 SB (#2); 4th The TEN, 3rd USAs, 12th Worlds, 1st NACAC
4. Dillon Maggard, unattached
27:37.26 SB (#6); 1st Payton Jordan, 4th USAs, 2nd NACAC
5. Shadrack Kipchirchir, Puma
27:24.93 SB (#3); 7th The TEN, 5th USAs
Men’s 3000 steeplechase: Soufiane El Bakkali an easy choice for top honors
2022 was the year sub-8:00 came back. After a grand total of one sub-8:00 from 2015-21, there were four in the span of 10 days in 2022, three of them courtesy of Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma. As impressive as Girma’s season was, he couldn’t defeat rival Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco, who collected head-to-head wins in Doha, Rabat, and Eugene at Worlds to complete an undefeated season and finish as an obvious World #1.
2022 was also the year Evan Jager returned to the steeplechase. When he crossed the finish line at Mt. SAC on April 14 — the same track where he had made his steeple debut 10 years earlier — it marked the first steeple finish in 3 years, 7 months, and 15 days for the greatest American steepler ever. Unlike his previous appearances at USAs, Jager was not a lock to make the team — he didn’t even have the Worlds standard entering the meet — but ran 8:17 to finish 2nd in the final and book his ticket to Worlds. A month later, he finished 6th in the World — a stunning result considering where Jager’s season had started and an optimistic note on which to end the season. Does Jager, who turns 34 in March, have one more podium run left in him in 2023?
LRC Worlds recap Soufiane El Bakkali Adds 2022 World Title to 2020 Olympic Steeplechase Crown
LRC USAs recap Sydney McLaughlin Breaks WR, Cooper Teare & Sinclaire Johnson Win 1500’s, & Evan Jager Makes the Team
1. Soufiane El Bakkali, Morocco
7:58.28 SB (#1); 1st Doha, 1st Rabat, 1st Worlds, 1st Lausanne, 1st Zurich (DL final)
2. Lamecha Girma, Ethiopia
7:58.68 SB (#2); 2nd Doha, 1st Ostrava, 2nd Rabat, 1st Rome, 2nd Worlds
3. Abraham Kibiwot, Kenya
8:06.73 SB (#4); 1st Kip Keino Classic, 3rd Doha, 9th Rabat, 2nd Rome, 2nd Kenyan trials, 5th Worlds, 1st Commonwealth Games, 6th Lausanne, 3rd Zurich (DL final)
4. Getnet Wale, Ethiopia
8:06.74 SB (#5); 7th Doha, 3rd Rome, 4th Worlds, 7th Lausanne, 2nd Zurich (DL final)
5. Conseslus Kipruto, Kenya
8:08.76 SB (#6); 5th Kip Keino Classic, 4th Rabat, 4th Rome, 3rd Kenyan trials, 3rd Worlds, 6th Commonwealth Games
6. Hailemariyam Amare, Ethiopia
8:06.29 SB (#3); 2nd Ostrava, 3rd Rabat, 1st African champs, 10th Worlds, 2nd Lausanne, 8th Zurich (DL final)
7. Amos Serem, Kenya
8:09.93 SB (#7); 7th Kip Keino Classic, 5th Rome, 1st Kenyan trials, 3rd Commonwealth Games, 5th Lausanne, 6th Zurich (DL final)
8. Leonard Bett, Kenya
8:12.08 SB (#11); 5th Doha, 9th Rome, 5th Kenyan trials, 15th Worlds, 3rd Lausanne, 5th Zurich (DL final)
9. Hillary Bor, USA
8:12.19 SB (#12); 4th Doha, 6th Rabat, 8th Rome, 1st USAs, 8th Worlds
It would have been nice if Bor had kept racing after Worlds.
10. Avinash Sable, India
8:11.20 SB (#10); 4th USATF Distance Classic, 5th Rabat, 11th Worlds, 2nd Commonwealth Games
US rankings
1. Bor, HOKA ONE ONE/American Distance Project
2. Evan Jager, Nike Bowerman Track Club
8:16.99 SB (#2); 2nd Mt. SAC, 5th USATF Distance Classic, 3rd Portland Track Festival, 2nd USAs, 6th Worlds, 1st NACAC, 8th Lausanne
3. Benard Keter, US Army WCAP
8:19.16 SB (#5); 6th Oregon Relays, 8th USATF Distance Classic, 2nd Portland Track Festival, 3rd USAs, Worlds semis
4. Duncan Hamilton, Montana State University
8:18.88 SB (#3); 2nd NCAAs, 4th USAs, 2nd NACAC
5. Mason Ferlic, adidas/Very Nice Track Club
8:23.92 SB (#13); 1st Oregon Relays, 2nd USATF Distance Classic, 6th USAs
Men’s marathon: The GOAT just keeps getting better
This was a strong year at the top of men’s marathoning. Evans Chebet won two World Marathon Majors (Boston & New York), and London champ Amos Kipruto would have won two as well if not for Eliud Kipchoge, who beat him to the punch in Tokyo. Kipchoge, of course, was our World #1 due to his 2:02:40 course record in Tokyo and epic 2:01:09 world record in Berlin, but Chebet and Kipruto — training partners in Kapsabet — had years that, in a world without Kipchoge, would have had a strong case for #1.
In the US, Scott Fauble, who left Northern Arizona Elite after a rough 2021 Boston Marathon, rebounded with a terrific first year with Team Boss, finishing as the top American in Boston and New York and becoming the 13th American to break 2:09. Conner Mantz joined him six months later with a 2:08:16 — a solid debut for the best US marathon prospect since Galen Rupp. Speaking of Rupp, he battled injuries for much of 2022 but still managed to finish as our US #4 due to his 2:09:36 against a deep field at Worlds.
LRC Worlds recap Tamirat Tola Leads Ethiopian 1-2 in 2022 World Championship Marathon as Cam Levins Smashes Canadian Record
1. Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya
1st Tokyo (2:02:40 CR), 1st Berlin (2:01:09 WR)
2. Evans Chebet, Kenya
1st Boston (2:06:51), 1st New York (2:08:41)
3. Amos Kipruto, Kenya
2nd Tokyo (2:03:13, #4 in world), 1st London (2:04:39)
4. Tamirat Tola, Ethiopia
3rd Tokyo (2:04:14), 1st Worlds (2:05:36), 4th Valencia (2:03:40)
5. Benson Kipruto, Kenya
3rd Boston (2:07:27), 1st Chicago (2:04:24)
6. Mosinet Geremew, Ethiopia
DNF Tokyo, 1st Seoul (2:04:43), 2nd Worlds (2:06:44)
7. Kelvin Kiptum, Kenya
1st Valencia (2:01:53,#2 in world in 2022, #3 all-time)
8. Abdi Nageeye, Netherlands
1st Rotterdam (2:04:56), DNF Worlds, 3rd New York (2:10:31)
9. Gabriel Geay, Ethiopia
4th Boston (2:07:53), 7th Worlds (2:07:31), 2nd Valencia (2:03:00, #3 in world)
10. Tsegay Getachew, Ethiopia
1st Riyadh (2:06:27), 1st Amsterdam (2:04:49)
US rankings
1. Scott Fauble, Nike/Team Boss
7th Boston (2:08:52), 9th New York (2:13:35)
2. Conner Mantz, Nike
7th Chicago (2:08:16)
3. Elkanah Kibet, Asics/Peak Running Elite
9th Boston (2:09:07), 24th Worlds (2:11:20)
4. Galen Rupp, Nike
19th Worlds (2:09:36), DNF New York
5. Zach Panning, Hansons-Brooks Distance Project
11th Chicago (2:09:28)
More: Women’s Rankings: 2022 LRC Women’s World & American Rankings: Who’s #1?.
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