In what might have been his final annual year-end media call, Coe raved about SML and talked about his love of XC. As for SML, he said he's "only seen one performance in an Olympic stadium to rival that" and that was Rudisha in 2012. Coe's tenure as World Athletics president could end next year if he is elected as IOC president.
The other finalists were Maia Ramsden of Harvard and Jaida Ross of Oregon.
*MB: Parker Valby Will Win Bowerman
Rai Benjamin delivered on all fronts in 2024 and was snubbed in the Athlete of the Year voting, but the things missing on his resume now are the world record and a 42-second relay split.
Non Distance News:
The elite-only race that was held in December 2020 during the COVID pandemic is returning in 2025 with room for 500 fast amateurs. Same lightning fast course in Chandler, AZ, but the race will be open to elites and non-elites (a non-elite marathon on Saturday and elites on Sunday). The site says the non-elites will be "treated like pros" and Rosario hopes the pro race is "the deepest, fastest marathon in the United States."
*MB: Return of the Marathon Project.
Olympian Hobbs Kessler joins us to discuss his breakout 2024 season and 2025 plans. He's followed by Mr. USA Gold Rai Benjamin as both athletes joined us from the Global Athletics Media Summit.
Vin Lananna's term as president is up and Clausen beat 1992 Olympic triple jump champion Michael Conley in a vote, 56.7% to 43.3% earlier this month. Although this has not been publicly announced by USATF themselves, possibly because there was a protest filed over the result. Clausen served on the board of directors of USATF from 2014 to 2018 and is currently the general counsel of Tickets.com. Here is an article from before the election where Clausen says he will "hold [Max Siegel] accountable." Let's hope so.
She ran 17:31.1 to hold off a challenge from Victoria Garces (17:39.90) and become the first since Claudia Lane in 2017 to win back-to-back titles. *DyeStat Recap
Gavenas, the top returner from last year, ran 15:23.90 to Gonzalez's 15:27.40. *DyeStat Recap
After earning his first global medals in 2024, Fisher is not content to rest on his laurels. "There were two guys better than me in both events," Fisher says. "So there's still a carrot out in front of me." Plus his coach Mike Scannell explains how they will attack the 2025 season, including Grand Slam Track.
America's best miler will race America's best long-distance runner at 3,000 meters in one of the crown jewels of the 2025 indoor season.
Double Olympic medalist and American record holder at 3000, 5000, 10,000m Grant Fisher joins us to announce he's running the Millrose Games 3000 vs Olympic gold medallist Cole Hocker and then to discuss his 2024 campaign and plans for the future.
The last super busy weekend of the year was full of action from all over the globe and we break it down for you.
Blanks previously had a NIL deal with New Balance.
Strand (7:30.15) and Wolfe (7:30.23) are now #4 and #6 on the all-time US list (including outdoor times) as the top four finishers all broke the NCAA record. *Race finish
Blanks ran under the World Championship standard in what may have been his final race for Harvard as Lemngole (14:52.57) just held off Hilda Olemomoi (14:52.84) and just got under Parker Valby's old indoor collegiate record of 14:52.79.
Ingebrigtsen broke away from the pack with less than a kilometer to go and won comfortably by 8 seconds over Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa. Spain won the team title with just 18 points.
Battocletti came in 11 seconds ahead of Germany's Konstanze Klosterhalfen to become the first woman to win European XC titles at the U20, U23 and senior level. Battocletti also lead Italy to their first women's team title.
Hedengren broke Tuohy’s previous course record of 16:37.8 and came in well ahead of Victoria Garces (17:13.4) and Elizabeth Leachman (17:13.7). Last year's winner Addy Ritzenhein was 5th (17:15.3). Denver won the team competition after finishing 3rd last year.
Niwot won with 70 points over American Fork (96), the second lowest score in meet history. Vause won in 15:28, two seconds ahead of TJ Hansen.
For the 1st time, an entrant in the women's division won the overall race where the biological females started 32-seconds ahead of the men but Hiltz downplayed the fact they made history. "Fun fact. I actually don't identify as a woman. I'm nonbinary... so a woman still hasn't won this race," said Hiltz.
Gout Gout is now #2 all-time on the World U18 list behind Erriyon Knighton's 19.84.
We made the Friday 15 available to everyone as part of our Cyber Week sale. (And PSA Grand Slam Tickets are now on sale).
Just before Blanks chases a 5,000m pb and collegiate record in what is likely his final NCAA race at Boston University on Saturday, he told LetsRun about the key session of his 2024 XC season -- one he described as "probably the best workout I've had so far in my career."
Almost 11 years after founding NAZ Elite, Rosario is leaving for a new venture. A number of athletes are also leaving the team, including Aliphine Tuliamuk, Krissy Gear, and Kellyn Taylor.
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.
Hear from the repeat NCAA XC champ.
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
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.
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.
(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!
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.
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.
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.
‒Toni Reavis musing about the sport's future in an column titled, "ATHLOS 2024 PROVED PROMISING." *Discuss