The top athletes and your intrepid correspondent experimented with methods for hurdling the hay bales in Belgrade. Plus hear how Anthony Rotich ran 27:08 while running less than 70 miles per week.

There will be a changing of the guard in the men's steeple this year, but what about on the women's side?

In case you forgot who the best distance runners in the US have been over the last three years, Shelby Houlihan and Paul Chelimo offered clear reminders in the 3000-meter finals on day 1 of the 2020 USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque. In the women's race, Houlihan led the BTC women to 1-2-3 finish (and 5 of the top 6), and in the men's race, Chelimo led the Kenyan-Americans of Scott Simmons group to a 1-2-3 finish as well.

Elle Purrier has arrived and we break Millrose down and look ahead to USAs and the Olympic Trials.

Katelyn Tuohy won her 3rd straight NXN title. What does that mean for her future success? Plus a pacemaker won $100,000 in Abu Dhabi and there were a TON of Olympic Trials qualifiers at CIM.

Rotich, a 4-time NCAA champ in college, is now a US citizen and Olympic medallist hopeful according to coach Scott Simmons.

There are two undefeated contenders in the NCAA field - none of whom are named Edward Cheserek. Is King Ches vulnerable?

UTEP's Anthony Rotich and Jonah Koech will challenge Cheserek, but is there any way they can beat him? In the women's race, studs Aisling Cuffe (Stanford), Erin Finn (Michigan) and Bethan Knights (Cal) will all aim for victory after winning major invitationals earlier this season.

There are lots of things to pay attention to as the calendar has turned to October. #1 New Mexico will run at the Notre Dame Invite on Friday against three other ranked teams while CU opens the season at the Rocky Mountain Shootout on Saturday. Friday's Washington Invitational (Stanford and Oregon are both in the field) and Saturday's Greater Louisville Classic (Wisconsin, Iona, Michigan, Ole Miss, Iowa St.) highlight the rest of the weekend's action. How will stars like Molly Seidel and the Rosa brothers look in their first tests of 2015? How will super frosh Anna Rohrer, Ryen Frazier, Matthew Maton, Tanner Anderson and Jonah Koech do? *MB:  Official 10/2-10/3 Weekend NCAA XC Talk – Notre Dame, Paul Short, UW, Rocky Mountain, etc.

There is a heavy, heavy favorite but behind him it's wide open. How many can Colorado put in the top 10? Does anyone have a chance Edward Cheserek? We've found a potential upset winner (pics included) whom we bet you've never heard of.

Both the 800 (1:49.26) and 1,500 (3:54.96) had incredibly slow winning times due to wind on the backstretch, but that made for thrilling theater as everyone was still in contention with 200 to go in each race. As it did last year, the steeple came down to Rotich vs. Stanley Kebenei and Rotich once again prevailed by a narrow .38 margin.

We recap the action and have a quote from Cristian Soratos that would make Steve Prefontaine proud.

The reigning NCAA xc and 10,000 champ was unfazed by a mid-race 53 second 400 and got the win after running the #2 1k in collegiate history - in the middle of a mile. #Unfair

Cheserek goes for individual title #6 vs. Montana State's 3:55 man Cristian Soratos, and don't forget about defending champ Anthony Rotich of UTEP. 

We need your help. Vote and tell us who are the male and female runner's of the year for the World, US, and NCAA. Plus vote for the 'best record-breaking performance', the 'race of the year', 'moment of the year' and 'unusual moment of the year'.

With the race mere hours away, we pass on what we learned this afternoon.

 In 2012, Lawi Lalang was viewed as invincible. He lost the NCAA xc title. Last year, Kennedy Kithuka went down. Is Edward Cheserek vulnerable this year? Pluis Americans rejoice, we've got 5 Americans in our top 10.

Saturday's Pre-National Invitational pits the #1 Colorado men against #2 Oregon while the women's race features #1 Michigan, #3 Oregon and #4 Georgetown. Individually, Edward Cheserek is the favorite on the men's side; Rachel Johnson and Erin Finn lead the women.

This race was very exciting over the last lap. An all-out war between two men that almost resulted in both of them going down on the final barrier because they were so spent. In the end, Rotich was your winner. Might runner-up Stanley Kebenei soon be on a US Olympic team?
*MB: Anthony Rotich and Stanley Kebenei wage great battle in men's steeple - Rotich repeats- Mason Ferlic top American in 4th

Oregon's Mac Fleet is looking to become the first NCAA 1,500 repeat champ since Seneca Lassiter in 1998 but last year's 10,000 champ Lawi Lalang wants to end his storied NCAA career with yet a 1,500 crown. In the steeple and 800, Anthony Rotich and Brandon McBride want to continue winning.