- Do It, You Won't: Seb Coe has discussed the possibility of adding XC to the 2030 Winter Olympics with IOC president Kristy Coventry One hurdle is it would require amending the Olympic charter which currently says Winter Olympic sports must be performed on snow or ice.
- World 5000m finalist Mathew Kipsang and African U18 3000m champ Cynthia Chepkirui make it a Kenyan double win at Cardiff Cross Challenge in the UK GB's defending winner Megan Keith was 4th in the women's race after having to stop mid-race to remove a twig from her spike. Innes FitzGerald dominated the women's U20 race by 50 seconds. *WA recap
- Norway's World U20 3000m champ Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen wins Nordic XC Championships Sweden's Evelina Henriksson won the women's race and Norway took both team titles.
- DyeStat: Iowa Central men, Odessa women win NJCAA Division 1 titles in a winter wonderland
- NCAA DII Regional XC Championships recap
XC News
Ultra News
- Hollywood is making a horror film about the Badwater 135 ultramarathon It will star actress Shailene Woodley, known for the Divergent series.
- Two world records go down at Tunnel Hill trail races Caitriona Jennings broke the 100 mile record with 12:37:04 (breaking Camille Herron's 12:42:40 mark) and Anne Flower broke the 50 mile record with 5:18:57 (previous record was 5:31:56 by Courtney Olsen).
*MB: New 100-mile WR: Was this Camille Herron's last record? - Tara Dower won the Javelina Jundred ultramarathon in a course record last weekend
BAA Half
D'Amato is using it as a tune-up for the Valencia Marathon next month which will be her first marathon since she blew up in Boston and ran 2:35. The BAA Half field is lead by Evaline Chirchir (66:01) and Grace Loibach (66:31) and defending champ Fentaye Belayneh (77:31).
On The Boards
On The Boards
Doping News
- AP: 12 Russian runners sanctioned in final cases of doping saga The AIU said this was the "last batch" of doping cases using the recovered data from the Moscow anti-doping lab. The athletes were mostly retired and not well-known athletes with the biggest name being the 2013 European indoor 800m silver medalist Elena Kotulskaya. She was banned for 4 years for the cover-up of three positive tests. Some other athletes had already received bans and for one runner it was her third doping ban.
*2nd article with some more details on the 12 athletes - USADA head Travis Tygart responds to WADA president's Enhanced Games suggestions WADA president Witold Banka said USADA should step in to stop the Enhanced Games, but Tygart accused Banka of using the Enhanced Games as a "smokescreen" to "divert attention" away from his own failures.
- Video interview with Travis Tygart explaining why there is nothing USADA can do legally to stop the Enhanced Game
- Witold Bańka and Travis Tygart's war of words continues Banka responded to Tygart, saying, "In fact, it is Mr. Tygart who wants to divert attention. ... Ignoring the many failures of the anti-doping program in the United States, particularly in the college sports system, which he himself has described as a 'total joke…'
Worth A Watch
- World Athletics article and video feature on the camaraderie between training partners Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell Interestingly, their coach, Trevor Painter, admitted ahead of Worlds that he wanted Hunter Bell to do the 800m/1500m double, but he was "outvoted" by his wife, Jenny Meadows, Hunter Bell and her husband who wanted her to focus on the 800m. Seeing as how she won the silver over Hodgkinson, sounds like it was the right call.
Message Board Q&A
Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson, runner, best-selling author, and host of “The Most Interesting Thing in A.I.", just ran over three hours in the marathon for the first time in 20 years. He joins LetsRun Friday to talk running, life, and his new book The Running Ground. If you'd like a book for free, just join our Supporters Club. Click for more info.
Marathon Analysis
Did you know everyone who has won a women's major since the start of 2022 has a pb under 2:18? Have we already found the heir to Eliud Kipchoge?
Say it ain't so
The US's hopes of assembling a Dream Team to challenge for gold on home soil in Tallahassee will take a hit without the Olympic medalists Fisher and Hocker. Fisher's coach Mike Scannell did say there is a 20% chance Fisher runs the Trials race but even if he made the team he wouldn't run World xc. "I’ll give [the US trials] about a 20% chance," Scannell said. "But World Cross is just not on the radar right now at all."
This week's pod
The LetsRun.com Track Talk podcast dives into Obiri’s record, Kipruto’s photo finish, Joel Reichow’s dream run, the American women's record times, and Grant Fisher’s big call on World Cross.
Links That Passed Our Human Vetting Process
- It's end of year award season and Sonia O’Sullivan has some advice for Irish sensation Kate O’Connor on whether she should attend the awards ceremonies or blow them off O'Connor is a celebrity now in Ireland after winning heptathlon silver at Worlds.
- World Cross Country tour gold heads to Cardiff on Saturday and Seville on Sunday
- World Athletics is hiring an intern
- Are you just tired, or are you overtraining? If you track your heart-rate and HRV, you may be able to figure out the difference. "The combination of nighttime heart rate, HR-effort index and readiness-to-train scores correctly identified who was struggling with more than 90 per cent accuracy."
The Latest News of Interest
- Chris Bucknam is retiring as Arkansas coach after xc, long-time assistant Doug Case to take over starting January 1 Bucknam won 2 NCAA titles and 34 conference crowns during his 16 years at Arkansas.
*MB: Chris Bucknam retires at Arkansas, '25 xc season is his last. Doug Case to take over January 1. - MB: Wild bears are wreaking havoc on the Japanese HS xc season. Top team shuts down season" This is a wild story. Why don't the authorities just remove the bears?
- MB: Eliud Kipchoge reveals what he regrets about his career. "I always feel I missed the world record for 5000 metres." “I always feel I missed the world record for 5000 metres. I wish I could have done that and maybe run a 10-kilometre world record on the road," Kipchoge, a four-time Olympic medallist, stated. “In the marathon, I did not miss anything."
- Athletics South Africa (ASA) announced their intention to suspend president James Moloi, based on the findings of a probe into alleged credit card abuses. In the US, the CEO is paid so much he doesn't need to abuse the credit card.
- Australia's Len Johnson reflects back on Worlds and gives his highlight - The Whole Darned Thing! What was my highlight of the Tokyo25 world championships? The whole darned championships, that’s what!
- Why retirement remains off the table for Kipchoge “The only way to serve humanity in this world is to run across all seven continents, preaching the gospel of running,” Kipchoge said.
- Adriaan Wildschutt set yet another SA record at Valencia half last weekend (59:13) The versatile 27-year-old now has all of the SA records from 3k to 13.1 - 3000m (7:32.99), 5000m (12:55.02) and 10000m (26:50.64).
- Comrades Marathon sold out almost instantly Entries for the 2026 Comrades Marathon – the 99th edition of the race and 50th Up Run from Durban to Pietermartizburg – were snapped up in record time, sold out in less than10 hours on Monday.
- 4:39 miler Ellery Lincoln of Lincoln High in Oregon has committed to Oregon
- #3-ranked Komazawa University came on strong over the second half of the National University Ekiden to take a record 17th national title, Aoi Ito was key to the win as he "biggest run at this year's Nationals, running 35:01 for the 12.4 km 5th leg, 17 seconds under its old CR and an incredible 1:25 faster than the next-best runner on the stage, Arata Iguni from #1-ranked and defending national champ Koku Gakuin University."
The Villains Of The Sport
- Victor Conte, architect of the BALCO scandal, dies at age-75 Conte infamously helped dope sprinters Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Dwain Chambers and served 4 months in jail for dealing steroids. *The Guardian article
*MB: Victor Conte Dead at Age 75 - Athletics Illustrated releases three year old embargoed video interview with Papa Massata Diack, the son of disgraced former IAAF president Lamine Diack The Diacks were charged with corruption, bribery, money laundering and doping cover-ups during their time with the IAAF (now World Athletics). Lamine Diack was eventually jailed (under house arrest) in France and Papa Massata Diack escaped prison by remaining in Senegal. Pappa Massata still claims his innocence and in this interview, Athletics Illustrated's Christopher Kelsall asks for his side of the story.
The World's Top Two 400m Hurdlers
- MB: Femke Bol spotted training for 800 while wearing a bizarre mask (pics)
- Finally: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone says she is "definitely" considering doubling at LA 2028 Although not necessarily the 400/400H double since she "would love to run some more 200s in the future."
World Athletics Updates
- Finalists announced for World Athletics 2025 Athlete of the Year awards Track finalists are Noah Lyles and Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone; field finalists: Mondo Duplantis, Mattia Furlani, Tara Davis-Woodhall and Nicola Olyslagers; Sabastian Sawe, Alphonce Simbu, Peres Jepchirchir and Maria Perez.
*MB: Lol. World Athletics track athlete of the year finalist are SML and Femke Bol. What a joke. Where is Beatrice Chebet or MJW? - World Athletics release qualification process for the 2026 Ultimate Championships There is also a "road to" tracking tool which shows athletes that are qualified (Olympic champions, world champions, 2026 DL final winners and athletes at the top of the world rankings).
- World Athletics Indoor Tour expands to record size for 2026 77 meets across the world starting in December and ending in March.
British News
- GB's 2023 European indoor LJ champ Jazmin Sawyers is going to try the pentathlon during the 2026 indoor season It won't be new ground for her as she started out as a multi-eventer and finished 9th in the heptathlon at the 2011 World Under-18 Championships.
- Is Abigail Pawlett the next star British heptathlete The 22-year-old wants to follow in the footsteps of Jessica Ennis-Hill and Katarina Johnson-Thompson by winning an Olympic medal. Her first worlds didn't go well as she fell in the hurdles and had to withdraw on day 2 with a concussion.
- 2020 Olympic PV bronze medalist Holy Bradshaw talks about being the target of online abuse
- UK Indoor Champs return to Birmingham for 2026 The meet is on February 14-15 and will serve as the trials for the World Indoor Champs in Poland.
NCAA XC Rankings
- OSU men move to #1 in NCAA XC coaches' poll after dominating Big 12 Iowa State dropped to #2 (finished 2nd to OSU at Big 12) while New Mexico and Virginia stayed 3-4. *Regional Rankings – Week 5
- No changes to top-7 women's teams in post-conference champs NCAA XC coaches' poll BYU, NC State, Florida and Oregon are still ranked 1-4. *Regional Rankings - Week 5
O'Keeffe Had A Great NYC
O'Keeffe ran with the leaders through 19 miles and finished 4th in 2:22:49, the fastest time by an American woman in NYC by almost two minutes.
More From The NYC Marathon
- A look at the new Nike long sleeve top that Eliud Kipchoge wore for NYC It's supposed to have cooling technology that helps evaporate sweat off the athlete's body.
- New York City Marathon breaks world record for most finishers with 59,226 It broke the record from last year's London Marathon by almost three thousand people.
- Random stats from the NYC Marathon Runners from 132 countries competed, the oldest finisher was 91 and the average finishing time was 4:32:25.
High School XC
- Video: Crazy photo finish in boys race at Indiana state meet Calvin Seitz beat Noah Bontrager 15:01.22 to 15:01.24.
*DyeStat Indiana state meet recap: Calvin Seitz beats Noah Bontrager with late lean - MB: Ritz, Culpepper, Goucher - Sons of US Olympians all compete at 2025 Colorado HS state xc meet Jude Ritz finished 6th as freshman, Rocco Culpepper 37th as a senior, and Colton Goucher 44th as freshman.
- Kenadie Baker wins North Carolina state meet three weeks after getting hit by a car She was thrown up on the hood of the car and then the car actually stopped on top of her foot and then had to back up off it. Amazingly her foot wasn't broken, but she was still in pain for the state meet.
RIP
- Legendary former Baylor track coach Clyde Hart passes away at age-91 Under Hart, Baylor was known as “Quarter Miler U." Hart coached 9 Olympians including Olympic champions Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner. *DyeStat article *USATF
*MB: RIP: Former Baylor coach and 400m master Clyde Hart passed away today - Oldest former Olympic champion passes away at age-101 Track cyclist Charles Coste won gold for France at the 1948 London Olympics.
Hellen Obiri pulled away from Sharon Lokedi in the final mile to win the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon in 2:19:51, breaking Margaret Okayo’s 22-year-old course record. Fiona O’Keeffe impressed in her NY debut, while Olympic champion Sifan Hassan's presence impacted the race.
For the first time in 55 years, the New York City Marathon ended in a photo finish. Kenya’s Benson Kipruto edged Alexander Mutiso by just 0.16 seconds in 2:08:09, while American Joel Reichow was the top U.S. finisher in sixth place with a personal best of 2:09:56. *Video of men's finish
Eliud Kipchoge says it’s not retirement, it’s a transition. Two hours after finishing 17th at the 2025 New York City Marathon, the greatest marathoner of all time announced the “Eliud Kipchoge World Tour,” a plan to run seven marathons on seven continents while promoting the joy of running and his foundation’s mission.
NYC discussion
- Official 2025 New York City Marathon Live Discussion Thread
- Official 2025 NYC Marathon Pre-Race discussion - Who you got? Hellen Obiri crushed the competition and the course record with a 2:19:51. American Fiona O'Keeffe was 4th in 2:22:49Benson Kipruto won the men's race in a photo finish over Alexander Mutiso in 2:08:09.
- Someone tell me who Joel Reichow is - 1st American in New York He ran 2:09:56 to place 6th, edging Charles Hicks by 3 seconds.
- Fiona O'Keefe is an American superstar
- Charles Hicks 2:09:59 7th at NYC
- What the hell happened there at the finish?
- Ok that's it for Kipchoge, no need to watch him job aroung anymore
- Official Klecker NYC Debut Marathon Thread He was the third American in 2:10:39.
More Coverage From NYC
- Is Puma’s Fast-R shoe the "next big thing" for super shoes? Puma has been giving the shoe out to sub elites to test at major marathons and researchers claim that the shoe is returning "results as superior to other current super shoe models as what Nike’s first-ever Vaporfly was versus traditional racing flats in 2016."
- GB's Patrick Dever finishes 4th in NYC (2:08:58) in his marathon debut GB's Jessica Warner-Judd also made her marathon debut, finishing 7th in the women's race (2:24:45).
- Irish 41-year-old Fionnuala McCormack finishes 10th in NYC (2:27:00) This just seven weeks after finishing 9th at Worlds.
- How did the celebrities finish in NYC? An actor from the Harry Potter movies ran 5:06:50.
- NY Times: 8 memorable looks from the NYC Marathon
European Women's Distance News
- Good Read: Femke Bol interview opening up about her move to the 800m Bol explains that she wanted to try the 800m while she was young and still at her best (she is 25) and admits she's never run further than 600m all out.
- Keely Hodgkinson says she didn't think anxiety was real until she struggled with it herself the past few years "When I was younger, I never used to think anxiety was a thing. I was like, 'Anxiety, what's that?' I don't understand when people are saying they've got anxiety. And then I experienced it, and I was like, 'Oh, that's actually horrible.'"
- European Athletics looks back at the ten best races of Nadia Battocletti's career She has a lot of European golds to go along with her Olympic silver and world silver/bronze
Doping News
- WADA wants USADA to stop the Enhanced Games from happening WADA president Witold Banka: "There are some legal possibilities they can lobby for. Usada has made general comments, but maybe it's time to try to convince the people who have financed this that it's dangerous. That's [Usada's] role and responsibility because the event is going to take place in Las Vegas."
- Kenya added to WADA watchlist They have until March 2026 to implement their improvement plan or suffer the consequences of not being sanctioned despite having issues for years.
- USATF Masters champion loses title and gets three month suspension for testing positive for THC Semaj Street lost his masters 200m title plus his second place in the 100m.
Valby Comeback
After winning five NCAA titles and making the Olympic team in 2024, Valby had raced only once in the first 10 months of 2025 due to a foot injury. In her return to racing on Saturday, she opened up to LRC about her new coach and her hopes of running World XC in Florida in 2026.
Saturday Road Action
Rodenfels outkicked a strong women's field that included Weini Kelati (15:34), Elle St. Pierre (15:35), and Parker Valby (15:37), though US 5k/10k record holder Alicia Monson (16:22) struggled.
NCAA Conference XC Weekend
NCAA Conference XC Weekend
Big 12
- Jane Hedengren totally destroys the Big 12 Cross Country breaks the record by over 30 seconds She won by 44 seconds in 18:29.6 to lead BYU to a dominant win.
*MB: Jane Hedengren vs Sharon Lokedi - #2 Ok State men BEAT DOWN #1 Iowa St, #5 Colorado & #7 BYU at Big 12s. Wow what a performance. The race of day was supposed to be the Big 12 men's meet as it featured 4 of the top 8 teams in the land. In the end, Ok State made it look like a dual meet as they took 5 of the top 7 and with a staggering low point total of 20.
- DyeStat: Jane Hedengren, Brian Musau lead teams to Big 12 Conference titles
Big 10
- Oregon men win first conference title since 2008, snap Wisconsin's 7-yr streak Hard to believe that the Ducks haven't won an XC title in nearly 20 years. The Ducks' Providence transfer Abdel Laadjel took the individual title in 23:11.6. The Duck women were even better as they scored scored just 18 points to win in a conference with 6 ranked teams.
- DyeStat: Oregon sweeps individual, team titles to dominate Big Ten conference meet
ACC
- NC State women put on a clinic at ACCs Angelina Napolean took the individual title as NC State put five in the top 10 and six in the top 12. In the men's race, Vin Lannana won his first title as a Cavalier as UVA edged Syracuse, 61-66. Wake Forest's Rocky Hansen was sensational winning by 20+ seconds.
- DyeStat: Angelina Napoleon leads Wolfpack to ACC women's title
SEC & Other XC Action
- DyeStat: Doris Lemngole returns to action, wins SECs by 14.8 seconds In the team battles, the Alabama men and Florida women won.
- NAU scores fifth consecutive sweep of Big Sky XC titles Colin Sahlman and Hayley Burns took the individual wins.
*MB: Big Sky XC entries - Solomon kipchoge, Rosemary Longisa lead Washington State to sweep at West Coast Conference Champs
- Habtom Samuel, Pamela Kosgei lead New Mexico sweep of Mountain West Conference Champs
- MB: Official 2025 NCAA XC conference live discussion thread
- Heps XC 2025 The Princeton men and women swept the individual and team titles but the big story was Princeton's Myles Hogan broke the famous Van Cortlandt Park course record with a 23:26.4 and won by 48 seconds over last year's Foot Locker champ Tam Gavenas of Harvad. The Harvard men were 2nd for the 7th straight year. *Results
- MIAC 2025 XC
- Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships
- Official UAA 2025 XC thread
- UAA 2025
- Official 2025 NCAC XC Thread
- D2 NCAA XC
- Official 2025 NESCAC XC Thread
- Herriman's Jackson Spencer dominates Utah state xc meet, breaks Casey Clinger's course record with a 14:29.78 He won by 46+ seconds to lead Herriman to a 2 point win over American Fork, 60-62.
- USTFCCCA conference champs recap
Deal Of The Day
The Nike Vaporfly 4, the lightest and most responsive version of Nike’s vaporfly line, is on sale for just $161.99 ($189.88 for women). Save $108 on this super shoe.
Pre-Conference Champs Predictions
We have predictions for every single conference thanks to the new XCRI ranking system.
Doping Update
The fastest HS sprinter (9.89) in history's excuse grabbed our attention until another athlete from his school tested positive as well. CAS didn't find his excuse compelling and he got a full ban.
Big Administrative News
Alan Abrahamson has the details: "Insiders at World Athletics are believed to have stolen about $1.75 million over “a period of several years,” prompting the federation to pursue criminal cases while launching “a set of enhanced internal financial controls,” it said in a statement. The federation said it discovered the “systematic theft” earlier this year. The focus, the statement said, centers on two former employees and a contracted consultant. At issue: fake or doctored invoices."
Eliud Kipchoge (40) and Kenenisa Bekele (43) are the big names in NYC, but the most likely winners are defending champ Abdi Nageeye, 2024 London champ Alexander Mutiso, and Olympic bronze medalist Benson Kipruto. US debuts for Klecker, Bor, and Hicks. Full preview, picks, and how to watch
Hassan will try for her 4th major victory against the last three NYC champs: Sharon Lokedi, Hellen Obiri, and Sheila Chepkirui.
*Official 2025 NYC Marathon Pre-Race discussion - Who you got?
No American woman has stood on the podium in NYC since Shalane Flanagan in 2018. O'Keeffe and Sisson have had great builds - can the do it? Plus don't forget Molly Seidel, Susanna Sullivan Sara Vaugh, and debutante Amanda Vestri.
- Breaking: Kipchoge says NYC is 'absolutely' his final elite marathon. Will run 50k in Saudi Arabia and run in Antartica next - LetsRun.com It appears that NYC is Kipchoge's last as an elite competitor. Olympics.com has the story but has sort of buried the lead. “A lot is in store which I will roll out after New York…it will be an interesting journey...to do other things. I will run even 50 kilometres in Saudi Arabia.”
- Canadian 1500m Olyympian Charles Philibert-Thiboutot is closing his career with a marathon debut in New York City Marathon - Canadian Running Magazine The 34-year-old has pbs of 1:47.57, 3:32.94, 7:35.73 (NR), 13:12.76, and 27:54.66.
- Oldest runner in NYC - 91-yr old guy didn't run his first marathon until he was 78 and now he has 30+
Josh Hoey parts ways with yet another coach
Somehow Justin Rinaldi transformed Josh Hoey, who couldn't break 1:47 for 6+ years, to a 1:42.01 world indoor champ and DL winner. How has he been rewarded? With a pink slip. Rojo thinks it's hard to think of a dumber decision than this but then again Jerry Jones once did fire Jimmy Johnson.
After disagreements on training philosophy, Justin Rinaldi will no longer be coaching Hoey despite engineering one of the greatest turnarounds in American middle distance running history, taking Hoey from 1:47 to 1:42 and World Indoor champion in two years. Plus get the inside scoop on a key workout Hoey overcooked before USAs.
- MB: Breaking: Josh Hoey has parted with Justin Rinaldi, the man who took him from 1:47 also-ran to 1:42 World Champ!!
- LRC How Josh Hoey Went from Also-Ran to World Indoor Champion, Part I: A Coaching Odyssey
- LRC How Josh Hoey Went from Also-Ran to World Indoor Champion, Part I: Going All-In With Justin Rinaldi & The Fast 8 Track Club
Random, But Somewhat Interesting
- Recommended Read Oblique Seville reveals he was confident on start line at Worlds “When I stood at the start line in the final, the only thing that came to mind was ‘this is it, I am going to win’,” He also reveals that he almost withdrew from the Jamaican Trials while in the start blocks due to an injury.
- British man, who was diagnosed with brain cancer 6 years ago and still has it, is running across India
- Molly Seidel’s new coach Cliff Pittman talks about how he's transitioning her from marathon to 100k Pittman notes that Seidel’s world-class aerobic capacity means that she doesn’t need to focus on Zone 3 work in the later parts of the build as much as other athletes, and can instead lean on high-volume training and back-to-back long runs to build resilience. “The key point here is that Molly is not running slow for a 100K,” explains Pittman. “It’s that we’re optimizing her physiology to sustain submaximal output for 8 hours rather than two and a half hours.”
- 2025 High School girls absolute top 25 lists 2:06.24, 4:42.58, 10:09.39 ranked you #25 in the 800, mile and 2-mile.
- 2025 High School boys absolute top 25 lists 25th in the country was 1:49.57, 4:04.02, and 8:51.66 for 800, mile and 2-mile.
- Mondo's 2025 by the numbers Our favorite is 4 - number of WRs set.
- World Athletics launches Part I of III video series showcasing the top moments from the 2025 Worlds The series kicks off with a focus on last-gasp field feats and will continue over the next couple of weeks
Great listen/read
Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, joins the LetsRun.com Podcast to talk about his new book The Running Ground, how he ran 2:29 at 44, his late father, and why he still checks LetsRun every day.
The NYC Marathon Is Sunday
- The NYC Marathon will possibly be the final showdown between Kenenisa Bekele and Eliud Kipchoge It will be the 6th time Kipchoge and Bekele go head-to-head over the marathon distance. The current record is Kipchoge 4-1 (Bekele beat Kichoge when he DNF'd at the London Olympics). But on the track, Bekele has dominated their head-to-head matchups, winning 11 of 13.
- European Athletics: Can Sifan Hassan win NYC 63 days after winning the Sydney Marathon? Hassan says Sydney was very tough and took her a while to recover from: "That marathon was in my bones for a month. Recovering was really difficult. Everything hurt when I started training again." NYC will also be her third marathon in just over 6 months (she finished 3rd in London in April).
- Eliud Kipchoge: "I believe when I get a seventh star medal, I’ll be a real marathoner." Yes, up until now it's all been a sham.
- OIympics.com's NYC Marathon preview Eliud Kipchoge vs Kenenisa Bekele in the battle of the GOATs plus Sifan Hassan vs Hellen Obiri.
- Sifan Hassan talks ahead of her NYC Marathon debut "I can win, but I'm not going to let that get to me. I can't just think about winning; there's no point in that. ...Of course I want to win, but I don't need that extra pressure."
- What celebrities are running NYC? List includes an actor from the Harry Potter movies and a bunch of actors we've never heard of.
More Distance News
- MB: Morgan McDonald leaving OAC McDonald has been with the team under Dathan Ritzenhein for the last four years.
- In Case You Missed It: A 19-year-old won the Irish women's national marathon title last weekend Ava Crean ran a 2:34:12 PB to win the Irish title and finish 6th in the Dublin Marathon. It was her third marathon after she debuted at 2:49:26 six months ago (2nd place in Manchester) and ran 2:43:39 to win the Limerick Marathon in May.
- New study says climate change is making it harder to set marathon records because of warmer temperatures Interestingly, it claims the optimal running temperature is very different for men and women (39F/4C for men, 50F/10C for women).
- Four factors that make women closer to men at ultra marathon distances As distances get longer, the top women get closer to the top men. A couple reasons for this are that women have a greater distribution of slow-twitch muscle fibers and women burn more fat relative to their mass when exercising.
- Morinomiyako Ekiden recap: Josai University runs down Daito Bunka University in final kilometer to win first title since 2000
XC News
- USTFCCCA preview: Stacked races at NCAA conference XC championships this weekend They take a look at all the ranked teams competing at the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC Championships this weekend.
- USATF updates World XC Champs U20 team selection procedures Previously 4 spots came from the U20 selection race, one from NXN and one from Foot Locker. But with the cancellation of Foot Locker, now five athletes will come from the selection race.
*MB: USATF excluding Brooks winner from U20 XC team This isn't going to another hurdle for the Brooks XC Championships (which stepped in to replace Foot Locker) to get over with attracting the top runners.
*MB Archive: Footlocker is BACK BABY! Brooks XC Champs - DyeStat: Yohanes Van Meerten obliterates Mt. SAC XC course record He ran the 3 mile course in 14:10, although the 14:46 record was only a year old since the course changed in 2024.
*MB: Yohanes Van Meertan 14:10 3mi Mt. SAC - T&F News chooses Jane Hedengren as their 2025 High School Girls Athlete of the Year If she can replicate her dominant performance from Pre-Nats, could she end up being the collegiate XC runner of the year as well.
No, It's Not April 1st
Runners will "race" over 5k at local gyms with Technogym treadmills. They will first qualify for a regional championship and then the world's top 10 males and females will race for the world title where there will be $100,000 in prize money and wild card spots for the World Road Running Championships.
Mid-D News
- Jakob Ingebrigtsen says he wants to break three world records in 2026 Ingebrigtsen is looking at which dates and meets makes sense for his attempts and says, "I hope to take the world record in 1500m, mile and 5000m. If I can do that, I have to be satisfied.
- Jake Wightman feels that the "stars are alligning" for him to take gold at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games Wightman: "I definitely want to try to win it. I'm fairly certain this will be my last Commonwealth Games, so if I can come away with a gold, it would be pretty nice and to do it in front of a home crowd would make it even nicer."
- T&F News chooses Cooper Lutkenhaus as their HS Boys Athlete Of The Year
End Of Year Awards
- World Athletics announce nominees for 2025 Out of Stadium Athlete of The Year The men's finalists include Yomif Kejelcha, London/Berlin winner Sabastian Sawe and world champ Alphonce Simbu. The women's short list includes Sifan Hassan, world champ Peres Jepchirchir and world leader/London winner Tigst Assefa.
- Mondo Duplantis and Femke Bol named European Athletes of the Year (again) This is the third time for each of them. (Mo Farah is the only other athlete to win the award three times.) Swiss 800m runner Audrey Werro (1:55.91 this year) and Polish decathlete Hubert Trościanka (world U20 record setter) were named Rising Stars of the Year.
- European indoor silver medalist Maksymilian Szwed (400m) and World silver medalist Maria Żodzik (HJ) named Polish athletes of the year
Doping Bust?
In the latest update, Iowa State has confirmed that none of the suspended runners were in their top 7 but cited FERPA regulations and won't name the suspended runners. It appears that in a separate incident, their #3 runner was arrested last week for leaving the scene of a traffic accident.
Valencia Half
Ngetich gave Letesenbet Gidey’s 62:52 WR a scare by going out in 29:28, but came up a bit short. Sweden's Andreas Almgren broke the European record with 58:41, becoming the first European to break the 59 minute barrier.
More Road Results
- US 37-year-old Daniel Mesfin wins the Dublin Marathon in a 2:08:51 PB ) Ethiopia’s Eebbissee Addunya (2:26:28)won the women's race. Irish national titles went to David McGlynn (2:10:59, 5th overall) and 19-year-old Ava Crean (2:34:11, 6th overall). *Irish focused recap from Cathal Dennehy
*MB: American runs 2.08 to win Dublin marathon - Belay Asfaw (2:06:16) and Buze Diriba (2:19:34) win the Frankfurt Marathon
- Kyle King (2:18:51) and Tessa Barrett (2:34:08) win the Marine Corps Marathon
Kenya Picks Their Team For World XC Champs
Ebenyo ran 30:12 in a close race over Kevin Chesergon (30:12) and Denis Kemboi (30:13). This just two weeks after running 2:07:52 for 13th place in Chicago. Chebor ran 34:17 to win ahead of Brenda Jepchumba (34:20). World 1500m bronze medalist Reynold Cheruiyot and former world U20 1500m champ Purity Chepkirui won the men's and women's 2k races.
Supporters Club Pod
Molly Seidel is heading to the trails, Kenenisa Bekele is running the NYC Marathon, and Ruth Chepngetich’s phone messages add drama to her 3-year ban. Hear Rojo and Wejo break it down in this week’s LetsRun.com Supporters Club podcast.
Dream team coming together
Good news for U.S. distance fans: Nico Young is all in for USA Cross and could help form a dream team for Worlds with Grant Fisher and Conner Mantz.
Ultra News
- Sarah Perry sets women's Backyard Ultra World Record She ran 95 "yards" of the 4.1667 mile course (395.83 miles). The previous record was 87. Phil Gore won the men's race with 114 laps.
*Who is Phil Gore? The West Australian firefighter an 764km to win the Backyard Ultra World Championship in Tennessee earlier this week. - Molly Seidel announces she's moving to the ultras after the 2025 New York City Marathon She wants to do the Black Canyon 100k in February and then Javelina 100 Mile in October 2026. Her long term goal is Western States in 2027.
- Q&A with new 24-hr world record holder Sarah Webster on Calculated Pacing On Octobe 19th, she ran 278.622 kilometers (173.127 miles), breaking the previous record held by Japan’s Miho Nakata by 8.259 kilometers (5.131 miles), set in 2023.
Doping News
The AIU officially announced that marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich has been banned for three years, one more year than what she was initially facing for testing positive for a diuretic. But it's also possible she gets banned for previous offenses that would invalidate the world record due to incriminating messages on her cell phone.
No more illnesses at major champs?
Reigning Olympic 5000 m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen has had his tonsils removed following years of throat pain and recurring infections. The Norwegian star told VG the tonsils were “chronically inflamed” and said he’s finally taking two weeks off training to recover after the operation.
Three recommended Reads
- Sebastian Sawe and Claudio Beradelli talk about why he wanted to be drug tested so often and what's next for the Worlds best marathoner “We realised before Berlin that Sabastian is, with respect for my other athletes, a bit different, special and capable of doing something great,” the Italian reveals. “But in light of what happened in Chicago, with Chepngetich, I remember telling [agent] Eric Lilot, ‘this might be the worst moment ever to try to run very fast, people will not believe us.’”
- Rich Perelman: Is the just-announced “USATF Tour” for 2026 the wrong solution to fix a real problem? - The Sports Examiner Perelman doesn't sound like he's a fan of the USATF Tour. "The “USATF Tour” announcement was issued on 20 October and meets have until 31 October – Halloween – to apply via a short questionnaire. It remains to be seen if it the concept will be a trick or (hopefully) a treat."
- Strava voluntariy drops its lawsit against Garmin but is it too late? Tech expert DC Rainmaker still can't believe Strave sued in the first place and wonders if this creates serious questions about Strava's management team. *Discuss
Amsterdam Marathon
Geoffrey Toroitich Kipchumba won it with a 2:03:30 CR as he blitzed a 14:17 5k from 35k to 40k. It's hard to believe that after two marathons the 5000 and 10,000 WR holder only had a pb of 2:05:59. The field included Gabriel Geay (2:03:00 pb) and defending champ Tsegaye Getachew (2:04:49 pb). Aynalem Desta won the women's race in 2:17:37 after a 69:11 first half.
- MB: Joshua Cheptegei's third marathon is Sunday in Amsterdam. Can he finally run a good one? Predictions?
- World Athletics Recap
It's Nuttycombe / Pre-Nats Weekend
It's Nuttycombe / Pre-Nats Weekend
Hedengren ran 18:42.3 to win Pre-Nats by 23 seconds and smash the course record at Gans Creek, which will host NCAAs on November 22. The BYU women (25 points) also dominated the team race while Grace Hartman and NC State (41 points) and Habtom Samuel and New Mexico (51 points) won the men's & women's races at Nuttycombe.
- Nuttycombe, Pre-Nats & other NCAA XC action / Oct 17 & 18
- Jane Hedengren - Course Record 18:42 at Pre-Nats at Gans Creek
- Disagree with JG, Jane is the favorite
- Aaron Sahlman 26:12 at Nuttycombe B Race
- The days of NAU being a top team are officially over
- Is Ed Eyestone currently coaching TOO MANY different runners?
- USTFCCCA weekend NCAA XC recap
Will Jane Hedengren win NCAA XCs as a freshman?
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LRC Q&A
The US achieved its most successful relay medal haul since the introduction of the mixed 4x400 with four golds and a silver at the 2025 Worlds. We asked Woodson about Team USA's performance in Tokyo. Plus we asked USATF about what really happened with Rai Benjamin, who said he went out on the town the night before the men's 4x400 final.
Paywall lifted
After five coaches, six states, and hundreds of hours of listening to the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast, steepler Dan Michalski will make his World Championship debut in Tokyo. He dedicated his runner-up finish at USAs to the grinders who keep going without a big shoe contract. "They know the grind, they know what it’s like to fight through injuries, what it’s like to feel like you have the talent to make a team and keep coming up short," Michalski says. "This is for them, in a sense."
After 23 years, Khalid Khannouchi's 2:05:38 American record is no more. Mantz continued an epic 2025 season by breaking the marathon AR to go with his half marathon AR from January.
Chicago MB Talk:
Kiplimo and defending champ John Korir hit full send on this one and went for it. They ran the fist 5k in 13:58 (1:57:52 pace). They hit halfway on world record pace (60:16) and the next few miles were even faster than that pace. By 30k (1:25:31 - 2:00:16 pace), Kiplimo was all alone. Still on WR pace at mile 22, he slowed a lot late however and had to settle for the #2 time in Chicago history. Tokyo 3rd placer Hawi Feysa of Ethiopia (2024 Frankfurt champ) had a big day as she lowered her pb from 2:17:00 to 2:14:56. It was a tough day for the American women. Natosha Rogers was 6th in 2:23:28. *Full race broadcast
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Wins MrBeast Challenge
She raced them across the width of two soccer fields with a prize of $100,000 to anyone who could beat her. No one did, although one guy (a non-track runner) came close.
IF you are going to play a video game, play this one
XC Racing 2 is now out and free to play on ios and android and in this version you get to race the famed Detweiller Park course in Illinois.
Random Links A Human Found Interesting
- Melissa Jefferson-Wooden goes on CNN after triple gold and says she's not satisified “There are so many things out there that I’ve accomplished this year. But there’s so many more things that I do want to accomplish.”
- Former Yale swimmer, who had her leg bitten off by a shark, is running NYC marathon She quickly joined the Paralympic ranks and won Paralympic silver.
- Former Queen's Park Rangers star Don Shanks, 73, will run the New York marathon on November 2 to raise money for Alzheimers
- NYC is experiencing a 2nd running boom & some are unhappy about it In 2019, it took an average of 121 days for an N.Y.R.R. race to sell out. This year, races have sold out in an average of four days.
- NYRR claims running boom $934 million for the local economy in the fiscal year through March That’s up 58% from the comparable period five years earlier and they say last year’s marathon alone generated $692 million.
Hocker is the second American distance man to win multiple global golds, the third to win a global 5,000 title, and just the fifth from any country to win global titles in the 1500 and 5,000 after Paavo Nurmi, Hicham El Guerrouj, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and Bernard Lagat.
- Bring out the brooms: Kenya sweeps the women’s distances. Odira STUNS the world 1:54.62 as Keely gets the bronze
- COLE HOCKER 5000M CHAMPION Hocker has a SENSATIONAL last lap. He was way back and ran a 52 to win in 12:58.
- Was Cole Hocker’s 52.62 last lap tonight the fastest ever in a sub-13:00 5000?
- Rai Benjamin said he had a late night out before the 4x400: "I was pretty much done, you know, so I had a pretty late night if you can imagine."
- Grant Fisher is passed his prime
- Cole Hocker will win 2025 Tokyo 5000m
- Sage Hurta Klecker 1:55.89
Cole Hocker won 5000m gold in Tokyo ahead of Isaac Kimeli and Jimmy Gressier. Nico Young and Grant Fisher ended up 6th and 8th. Jakob Ingebrigtsen was 10th. The Kenyan women’s unreal meet continued and Cole Hocker was GOLDEN yet again. We broke it down for you live from right after it ended.
- AW: Lilian Odira's surge takes her to shock world 800m gold Odira came out of nowhere to give Kenya a sweep of the women's distance medals, passing favorite Keely Hodgkinson in the final meters to win in 1:54.62. Hodgkinson's teammate Georgia Hunter Bell also passed her to take silver in a photo finish, 1:54.90 to Hodgkinson's 1:54.91.
Final Day Non-Distance Medals
- AP relay recap: Sha'Carri Richardson, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Noah Lyles anchor wins on big closing day for Americans The US swept the men's and women's 4x100 relays, the women just holding off Jamaica by .04 and the US 4x400 women dominated with a 3:16.61 championship record to win by 2.64 seconds. But the US 4x400 men ended up with silver after an epic three-way finish with Botswana and South Africa where world 400m champ Collen Kebinatshipi passed Rai Benjamin at the line to get them the gold by .07.
- Leo Neugebauer makes late charge to win decathlon world title US's Kyle Garland lead most of the way, but Neugebauer threw a five meter javelin PB to take the lead and won with 8804 points. Garland ended up with bronze (8703 points).
- Australia's Nicola Olyslagers wins her first global outdoor title with 2.00m HJ victory She won on countback over Poland's Maria Zodzik with Ukraine's Olympic champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Serbia's Angelina Topic sharing the bronze at 1.97m.
- Sweden’s Daniel Stahl defends his title to become a three-time discus world champ He threw 70.47m to win handily over WR holder Mykolas Alekna (67.84m).
RIP To A Coaching Legend
Daniels had a prolific career as an athlete, coach and exercise scientist. He won two Olympic medals in the modern pentathlon, did exercise testing for various groups including Nike's Athletics West elite team in Eugene and held numerous coaching positions which included advising on the training of Jim Ryun while working with the 1968 US Olympic team and winning seven DIII women's national XC titles while at Cortland. And of course, he indirectly contributed to the coaching of thousands of high school and college athletes through his training book, Daniels’ Running Formula.
The Ultimate LetsRun Story In Our 25 Year History & One Of Our Favorite Jonathan Gault Features - Read It Now
After five coaches, six states, and hundreds of hours of listening to the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast, steepler Dan Michalski will make his World Championship debut in Tokyo. He dedicated his runner-up finish at USAs to the grinders who keep going without a big shoe contract. "They know the grind, they know what it’s like to fight through injuries, what it’s like to feel like you have the talent to make a team and keep coming up short," Michalski says. "This is for them, in a sense."
Sean Brosnan & Chris Lear & Andrew Greif's book is here
In Beyond Fast, Sean Brosnan, with Chris Lear and Andrew Greif, traces the unlikely rise of Newbury Park High School from an overlooked program to a distance-running powerhouse. Packed with behind-the-scenes stories, training insights, and cultural shifts, the book shows how Brosnan and his athletes rewrote the high school record books.
Sean Brosnan Podcast
From BMX to building the greatest HS team ever, Sean Brosnan tells us how he did it at Newbury Park, plus what really went on at UCLA, and what’s next. Don’t miss this one.
Data doesn't lie
We've run the numbers by comparing Lutkenhaus's run against every other age-16 world record, and the data is clear.
Who?
Jonah Koech wasn't even supposed to be in Sunday's 1500. As they approached the bell, he was in 13th out of 17. A lap later, he was the champion. He is just the third American man to win a Diamond League 1500/mile and the first runner sponsored by Under Armour to win a DL race. His 3:37.27 pre-race pb is also the slowest of any man to win a DL 1500/mile.
How Josh Hoey Rose To The Top Of The World
For five years, Hoey cylced through coach after coach but barely improved from his 1:47.67 high school 800m pb. Learn why he moved around so often -- and why he never gave up. Part I of JG's 7,000+ word feature.
*MB: Josh Hoey profile by JG
- Part II: SC How Josh Hoey Went from Also-Ran to World Indoor Champion, Part II: Going All-In With Justin Rinaldi & The Fast 8 Track Club Hoey's career had stagnated until connecting with Rinaldi in 2023. Within minutes of seeing him train in-person, Rinaldi knew he was special: "I said, if I can’t get this guy to run 1:44, there’s something wrong with me."
Stop Obsessing Over Your Diet
The US indoor 1500m/3000m champion overhauled his fueling in workouts before the 2024 season. Now he swears by his routine.
The Record Books Are Getting Rewritten In 2025
In the span of one week in February, runners broke five world indoor records and every American men's middle-distance record from 800m to 5000m. Jonathan Gault spoke to some of America's top athletes and coaches to find the reasons behind all of the fast times.
One More Look at a Legendary Race
From novice fans to running diehards, there was something for everyone (except perhaps Brits and Norwegians) to enjoy about one of the greatest middle distance races ever run.
Blanks = NCAA XC x 2
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."
Your latest American stars share their insights.
American Record Holders
American Record Holders
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.
Best of Jon Gault
Best of Jon Gault
Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level
Take Your Love of LetsRun to the Next Level
LetsRun Classics
LetsRun Classics
