If the clean women's world record in the marathon ends up being under 2:10, does that make any sense? When Ruth Chepngetich did it, Amby Burfoot said it had to be doping. Across standard distance events, the women's world record is consistently 10% to 11% slower than the men's. A sub-2:10 shrinks that gap to 8.8%. Can male pacers and supershoes explain the discrepancy?
*MB: Can a clean woman actually run 2:09 in the marathon? That's only 8.8% slower than the men's WR LetsR
Hoey, who has not raced since setting the indoor 800 WR in January, developed a stress fracture in his lower left leg in the summer but has been cleared to resume training.
Tigst Assefa’s world record bid ended with an Achilles injury, Jane Hedengren suffered a rare loss, and Josh Kerr revealed a stunning 2:12.66 1,000m time trial.
Emma Grace Hurley discusses her 66:23 fifth-place finish at the World Half Marathon Championships, Team USA’s silver medal, her Chicago Marathon debut, and how she went from 51st at NCAA XC and a software job to one of America’s best road racers.
In Berlin, Tigst Assefa was well on her way to reclaiming her marathon world record before a late-race injury forced her to limp home in 2:11:04. Should the clean women's WR actually be under 2:10? (Statistically speaking, the answer is no). Plus 35-year-old Guye Adola won the men's race while #2 New Mexico's 27-year-old freshman helped the Lobos take down #1 Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Plus former teen phenom Jane Hedengren, who turned 20 last week, gets beat and current teen phenom Sam Ruthe goes to altitude.
Assefa went the whole race on pace to break Ruth Chepngetich's tainted 2:09:56 mark, passing halfway in 64:57 and 40k in 2:03:00 (2:09:45 pace), but then she started limping in the final mile and slowed to a 2:11:04 victory. She also dominated the race by almost 6 minutes. On the men's side, nine hit halfway in 61:01 and seven were still in contention at 30k, but Adola came out on top to repeat the title he first won in 2021. Gemechu Diriba was runner-up in 2:03:19. Olympic champ Selemon Barega was 5th (2:04:58). *Results
*Video of final 6 mins of women's race
New Mexico, lead by Pasanjo Kitonga's individual win, put 4 in the top 6 to beat OSU, 28 points to 44. The BYU women put 6 in the top 10 to win the team title with 32 points to OSU's 64. OSU's Billah Jepkirui won in 19:24 with Hedengren finishing third in 19:32. *Results
*MB: Jane Hedengren 2026: finish 3rd at Cowboy Jamboree, fine or not?
No official contract has been signed yet, but USATF and Mt. SAC are expected to come to an agreement soon with Mt. SAC director of public affairs. "They’ve (USATF) requested we host four events and we’re determining if it’s practical for us." Mt. SAC was supposed to host the 2020 Olympic Trials, but USATF ended up switching it to Eugene.
Track season is over. It's time to focus on NCAA XC. The #1 OK State men face #2 New Mexico and #5 Oregon on their home course, while Jane Hedengren leads #3 BYU against #2 New Mexico in one of the first major meets of the 2026 XC season.
Facing life without a major shoe or apparel sponsor following her 2024 Wikipedia controversy, world champion ultrarunner Camille Herron has found an unconventional way to fund her competitive career: launching an OnlyFans account as an adult creator.
Berlin wants its world record back. Can Tigst Assefa actually run 2:09 on Sunday? Organizers are billing this as a world record attempt, though Assefa (2:11:53 pb) has only said she is hoping for a pb. Plus 9 American elites will race.
Gabriel Geay (2:03:00) and 2021 Olympic 10k champ Selemon Barega lead the men's field which is the first Abbott World Marathon major since 2024 to not have at least one sub-2:03 guy in it.
The WC semifinalist from last year is the only man from SE Asia to ever have broken 10.00. His pb coming in was 9.94. And he ran 9.90 in the final despite having a terrible start.
*MB: Why are all of the competitors at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan being introduced to the crowd only in English?
Heat training has long been used to prepare for hot races, but new research suggests it may also improve endurance performance in cooler conditions. We look at how it works, what the science says, and who might benefit.
Flagstaff may empty out when the pros head to Europe, but the running doesn’t stop. Each summer, high school and college runners arrive for altitude training, iconic trails, group runs, and a community built around the sport.
Sam Blaskowski, the fastest white sprinter in US history, has left the world's top sprint group after a video from when he was in high school resurfaced of him saying the N-word. "There are no excuses to use this type of language ever....To anyone I hurt, then and now, near and far. I hear you, I see you and I am sorry," said Blaskowski.
In Copenhagen, Andreas Almgren, Agnes Ngetich the US women and Dawit Seare made history and we make sense of it. Plus Athlos headed to London, NCAA xc got underway and Americans swept the 100k world titles.
Some sensational and shocking performances at World Road Running Champs. Vinny Mauri is going nuts with his training. What are our final thoughts on Athlos? Plus what about the alleged Sam Blaskowski racial slur video.
30 years of African dominance at the World Half Marathon Championships are over! Sweden's Andreas Almgren unleashed a devastating kick to clock a 58:06 European record in Copenhagen, giving him the win over Nicholas Kipkorir and Joshua Cheptegei. Plus, Conner Mantz, who ran aggressively early on and went through 10k with the leaders in 27:53 (58:50 pace), led the American men to a team bronze.
Just like at World Cross, Agnes Ngetich once again destroyed a world-class field, but she had to dig deep to get the $50,000 bonus for the women-only WR, which she got by 1 second. Behind her, Emma Grace Hurley (1:06:23 American women-only record), Weini Kelati, and Jess McClain went 5-6-7 to secure an unexpected team silver for the United States.
Ingebrigtsen was leading with 100m to go before Seare pulled the shocker, 12:56 to 12:58. On Athletics Club teammates Robert Farken (3:51.80) and Yared Nuguse (3:52.33) went 1-2 in the mile. Agathe Guillemot (4:22.74) and Likina Amebaw (14:41) won the women's titles. *Video Highlights
Alexis Ohanian’s women's-only ATHLOS meet invaded London and the stars for the most part delivered big wins.
Two years after his infamous Copenhagen Half blowup, Jakob Ingebrigtsen returns to Denmark chasing road 5K gold. Plus, Conner Mantz makes his championship return after a brutal injury layoff, Yared Nuguse looks for his first global title in the mile and Andreas Almgren looks to become the first non-African to win the half in 30 years but he'll have to deal with Johsua Cheptegei. Plus Agnes Ngetich seems unstoppable. Here is what to watch this weekend.
After setting the American record of 2:04:43 in Chicago last fall, Conner Mantz felt much better than normal. He paced his wife in a marathon a month later. Two sacral stress fractures followed. Now, a father and back running healthy, America's top marathoner is ready to test his wheels at the World Half in Copenhagen.
In May, Alexis Ohanian went on national television and said that Athlos was ready to launch, touting a $2.1 million purse and international expansion. While Athlos London is going ahead on Friday, the abrupt cancellation of the New York meet and questions over attendance and TV viewership numbers show that building a sustainable pro track league takes much more than great vibes. Will this be a thriving series meet in the years to come or are we starting to get Grand Slam Track vibes?
WA staged a new meet with a bunch of bells and whistles, from the dyed-black infield to win probabilities. But the action on the track, which was electric, is what made Budapest a big success.
The lawsuit alleges that that a teenager was “forcibly and without provocation violently raped” in a hotel room provided by Nike for the Nike Elite Program held at Nike’s headquarters over the July 4 weekend. The lawsuit then says the claimant was urged to say the attack was consensual, then required her to make a written statement and her parents were “not allowed to review or read.” The alleged victim was treated at a local hospital. Plaintiffs allege they later learned the alleged assailant had “disciplinary issues” and was in the process of being removed from the program when the alleged attack occurred.
Here is everything that mattered in the running world last week including a Josh Kerr - Roger Bannister comparison, a woman beating a man's American record, and 2026 HYROX Beijing/ 1996 Boston Marathon comparison.
This will be the first time worlds has been in Africa, although Kenya hosted the World U18 Championships in 2017. This will be Germany's third time hosting; they last hosted in 2009 in Berlin (where Usain Bolt ran his 9.58 and 19.19 world records).
Should they award medals at World Ultimate Champs?
Talbi competed for Morocco at the Paris Olympics, but became a US citizen in 2024. He won here by 14-seconds over Kenya’s Alex Mutiso. The US also had Casey Clinger in 4th (61:36) and Clayton Young in 7th (62:04). Kosgei dominated the women's race by over 2 minutes. GB's Eilish McColgan DNF'd with another blister issue.
Did you miss the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship? We've gathered all the NBC Sports track replays, from the $150k distance showdowns to the sprints and relays, in one spot so you can catch up on every race.
LRC Our favorite photos of world's best track and field athletes chasing $150K prizes at the Ultimate Championship See some of the stunning images from Budapest.
Jemma Reekie ran away with her third Fifth Avenue Mile title, breaking the women’s course record, while Marco Langon won his race debut in 3:45.0.
Josh Kerr closed his final 800 meters in a sensational 1:47.79 to hold off Cam Myers and win the World Ultimate 1500m in 3:29.35, completing his personal “Kerr Slam” and cementing his status as the world’s best miler.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s 21.47 was officially the fourth-fastest women’s 200m ever. But after adjusting for wind and altitude, it ties for the fastest ever, and the cool conditions make the case even stronger that it may have been the greatest women’s 200m ever run.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ran a historic 21.47, Kenny Bednarek completed the sprint double, Djamel Sedjati won the 800m, and Brandon Miller capped his breakthrough 2026 season with another 1:42.
Werro won all 10 of her 800m finals in 2026, including times of 1:53.70, 1:53.80, and 1:53.98 -- the three fastest times by any woman since 1983.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Kenny Bednarek swept the 100m titles on Day 2 of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships, while Klaudia Kazimierska won a thrilling women’s 1500 over Georgia Hunter Bell and Nikki Hiltz. And Collen Kebinatshipi went for it and dominated the men's 400.
Seven months and five days after Achilles surgery, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (12:59.24) proved his championship 5000 greatness yet again, crushing Cole Hocker and an incredible US squad (2-3-5-6-7) to capture the inaugural World Ultimate 5,000m crown. *Race video
The men's race has Drew Hunter, Olli Hoare, Jake Heyward, Cooper Teare, Stevan Nillessen, Gary Martin and Marco Langon. The women's race includes Jemma Reekie, Kayley DeLay, Courtney Frerichs, Heather MacLean, Elise Cranny and Melissa Courtney-Bryant.
After publishing an article urging World U20 3,000m sensation Emmanuel Kiprono to choose the NCAA, LetsRun.com has learned the 17-year-old Kenyan signed with adidas and agent Eric Lilot back in 2025.
Learn about My Olympic Coach, a Miami training group where a 2:11 marathoner, a former NFL player, and 4-hour marathoners train side by side.
Yomif Kejelcha took back the half marathon world record with a staggering 56:51 in Buenos Aires, but did he really close the final 1.1 km at 4:04 mile pace? Plus, Marileidy Paulino and Collen Kebinatshipi continue two of the best 400m campaigns in track & field history, and quick hits on Ethan Strand and Femke Broeders-Bol.
On the 10-year anniversary of his unforgettable Olympic 1500m gold in Rio, Matthew Centrowitz joins LetsRun for a special edition of our Track Talk Podcast. He breaks down the Olympic race, discusses Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr and today’s golden age of the 1500m, and caps things off by taking on our own Jonathan Gault in a track & field trivia showdown.
Could Oregon win its first men's XC title since 2008 thanks to a new Irish recruit? How will Iowa State rebound from a turbulent 2025 season?
Olympic champion Sifan Hassan returns after finishing 6th last year. Two-time champ Hellen Obiri and defending men's champ Benson Kipruto are back, while Conner Mantz chases his first podium finish at a major. US half marathon record holder Weini Kelati makes her long-anticipated debut while Andreas Almgren is also debuting after his dominant Euro 10k win. The race is Nov. 1.
Andreas Almgren dominated the men's 10,000 at Euros in a way no one else has for decades and Mark English made history by becoming the oldest Euro 800 winner and Ireland's first individual male gold medalist.
USATF is condensing the Trials into six days (the shortest Trials since 1964), moving the 10,000m and multi events elsewhere, with a quick 23-day turnaround from the Trials (June 17-22) to the Olympics (July 15-24)
RunCCG co-founders Chris Catton and Tim Goldsack may have coached more fast high school runners than anyone else on Planet Earth. In Part VII of the Summer of LetsRun, we conduct a Q&A with the two online private coaches of high school runners. What is the No. 1 mistake most high school runners make? What is their No. 1 piece of advice? Plus, DT hits a lifetime-high 65 miles as he gets ready for his senior season.
Previous Summer of LetsRun Articles:
The Supporters Club embargo has ended! Watch our full Training Talk video interview with Marius Bakken - the godfather of the double threshold Norwegian Method - or read the highlights of our discussion on double threshold, super shoes, and lactate control. Even if you watched it live, you'll want to read this as it has been updated with a bonus emailed Q&A.
Hours after accepting a reduced 3-year ban for blood doping, 2025 US 1500m champion Jonah Koech told a LetsRun visitor on Instagram that he "didn't take anything." Plus, USADA explains a 3-year testing gap, and Ethan Strand and Hobbs Kessler react to the doping that cost one of them a US title and another a World championship spot.
Kibet led the last 1600 and won the 5000m in 13:28.27 over his countryman Nehemiah Kipngeno (13:30.09), closing in 4:06 and 57.26. Uganda’s world XC bronze medalist Charity Cherop won the women's 5000m in 15:03.88, well ahead of Ethiopia's Shito Gumi (15:07.91). In the 100m, the big names (Tate Taylor, Jamaica's Gary Card, Mia and Mariah Maxwell and Jamaica's Shanoya Douglas) all advanced to the final (Taylor with 10.06 and Mia Maxwell with 11.13 had the fastest times). In the mixed 4x400m, the US ran a record time of 3:15.31. The only field final on day 1 was the women's shot put, won by Brazil's Alessandro Borges.
We look at three training books that go beyond workout logs, covering training philosophy, performance science, and the psychology of pushing your limits.
14 days after his 3:42.66 World Record, Josh Kerr looked like the best miler on the planet as he DESTROYED Cam Myers, Jake Wightman, Timonthy Cheruiyot and others with a 52 last lap. Rojo hosted a live watchalong party for the men's 800 (where UA Baltimore's Navasky Anderson won) and men's mile and Kerr's coach Danny Mackey joined the show to talk about Kerr's big win. Mackey told us what workouts Kerr has been doing since his WR and what the odds are he goes for the 1500 WR. The video above is cued to start when Mackey joined the show.
Texas has signed 25-year-old Kenyan Dennis Kipkogei, a 59:11 half marathoner who will enter the NCAA as a freshman and an immediate contender for the 2026 cross country title.
Hicks, who ran 2:04:35 in Boston in April, will run the Chicago Marathon in October and says he has a "North Star" of trying to eventually hit 150 miles per week in his marathon career. Plus, how he convinced coach Jerry Schumacher to drop "Jerry miles" for his marathon training.
No woman had run under 1:54 in the 800m for nearly 43 years until Audrey Werro did it twice in June. Could the world record be next for the LetsRun.com June Runner of the Month?
Cooper Lutkenhaus capped a near-perfect season, Nikki Hiltz won a ninth straight US title, and marathoner Charles Hicks joined us to explain his plan to build toward 150-mile training weeks.
Former Newbury Park high school coaching legend Sean Brosnan is back in the NCAA ranks as the new distance coach at USC. We caught up with Brosnan to discuss why he chose a program without a men's cross country team, what really happened with his NCAA show-cause penalty, and we even asked him who is more talented - Colin Sahlman or Nico Young?
On March 28th, Josh Kerr called his shot and told the world what he'd do on July 18th and he went out and did it. Tim Hutchings called it the "ballsiest world record in the history of middle-distance racing" and we have to agree. Incredible. Recap coming. *Full Race Video
The 24-year-old has now PRd by nearly a full second to crush the field. He has now won 4 straight 800s. It was the start of an amazing day for the Brooks Beasts and coach Danny Mackey. *Full Results
*Brandon Miller is going to kick some @$$ One messageboard predicted a big run from Miller yesterday.
Before Josh Kerr’s London record attempt, we revisit how Hicham El Guerrouj ran 3:43.13 in Rome, with near-perfect pacing, ideal conditions, and Noah Ngeny pushing him all the way to the finish. What could El Guerrouj run today?
No carbon plates. No Strava. Barely any mid-race fuel. We asked longtime LetsRun posters how they trained and raced before modern running technology took over—and the answers were hilarious, humbling, and occasionally horrifying, and showed how much the sport has changed.
Four running books that will deepen your appreciation for the sport, from the inside story of an NCAA championship team to the race to break the four-minute mile.
One underappreciated key attribute that most accomplished distance runners have is restraint. This week, we unveil the LetsRun.com tempo pace calculator to make sure you don't go too hard, too soon and ruin your summer.
*MB: LetsRun.com Summer Tempo / Threshold Calculator unveiled.
If a young runner has 30 minutes of free time, there are about 5 different ways they can productively spend that time: Sleep more, run more, socialize, study or lift weights. We explain why weights are the least important item on the list.
The sub-10 HSer that we are coaching this summer has already gone from 10 miles per week to 11 miles per day and already doing workouts like 3 x 2 mile. Can we save him from himself and Coach ChatGPT? We hope so as he has two things you can't coach - desire and talent.
A sub-10 high school 3200 runner who barely runs (8-10 mpw) recently emailed us about summer training. We decided to help him out and also decided we'd share the wisdom with the masses. Cross country is a summer sport that's played out in the fall and we are giving you the keys to training properly this summer.
Discussion: Tips for increasing mileage over the summer or in a base phase?
Two-time Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier and 18 minute 5k highs school runner, Tyler Andrews, explains how double-threshold training and pure running fitness helped him climb from Everest Base Camp to the summit in a record 9:55.
Aletheia Run has launched a completely redesigned app built from runner feedback, featuring adaptive training, 170+ strength and mobility exercises, leave-phone-behind tracking, and performance insights. LetsRun readers can get a 30-day free trial plus 10% off their first year with code LETSRUN10.
As we move to LetsRun.com second quarter century, we want to give you more reasons to visit the site daily. So we have launched a Live Training Talk series. Marius Bakken was the perfect first guest as this website was founded to try to spread the gospel of aerobic/threshold-based training, which Bakken has helped spread across the globe better than anyone. Catch it on demand as an SC Member. *Purchase book
Webb's record of 3:53.43 is now 25 years old. Jim Ryun's record of 3:55.3 lived for 36. *Race video
Midway through Marius Bakken's new book The Norwegian Method Applied, Robert Johnson had an epiphany and asked himself, "Is there any human on planet Earth who is better suited to write a training book than Dr. Bakken?" He doesn't think so. This is a must-read. Read it, then join the SC so you can ask Bakken a question during our live interview with him on June 1 at 1 p.m. ET. *Purchase book
13-years ago, Rojo wrote the original The Myth Of The Sub-2-Hour Marathon and claimed we were nowhere close to a sub-2 and that we likely wouldn't see it in his lifetime. Well now that it has happened and everyone on the Internet is dunking on him, how does he feel? He's not backing down and claims the logic of his original column was right on the money.
How in the world did Sabastian Sawe turn was looked to be a 2:01 race into a historic 1:59:30 marathon world record? Did adidas' new 3.4 ounce shoe -- the Adios Pro Evo 3 -- tip the scales? What about the wind?
The Marathon Project has announced a major schedule change for this year's event. The Amateurs and Professionals will now compete together in a 400-person race on Saturday, December 12. The move is designed to amplify the atmosphere and increase the intensity with more athletes, fans, and energy on the flat, fast, loop course in Chandler, AZ. According to race organizers, "The overwhelming feedback we received from last year was that the participants loved being treated like pros. Now they'll get to race with the pros as well. It's a logical next step for us." Press Release here
Josh Kerr is chasing Hicham El Guerrouj’s mile world record his way, choosing a packed London Diamond League over a controlled time trial and insisting on “my race, my rules.” Kerr discussed his world record attempt and most recent world title over Cole Hocker on the LetsRun.com podcast.
Johh Kerr swears by power-to-weight training to improve his speed – here’s how and why you should do the same 'My gym coaches have done a really good job of finding where my weaknesses are. I need to create more power. My goal is that my power-to-weight ratio needs to be good.
We'd love to know a little more about you and how we can improve Letsrun.com.
Tesfay, who has a half-marathon best of 63:21 (#3 all-time) is the latest star in the group of famed Ethiopian coach Gemedu Dedefo, who has now coached five of the 11 fastest female marathoners in history.
World indoors are this week. The LetsRun.com prediction contest team for Worlds is set. Meet the winners from the USAs contest and some of our other recent contests as well. They highlight the best of LRC.
Since he stopped racing in the middle of the 2025 cross country season for Iowa State, Seth Clevenger has taken DIII by storm. The Rowan University athlete is the DIII leader in three events. But following the release of a video of an alleged EPO order, multiple former teammates told LetsRun.com that Clevenger said he took banned substances in 2025 while at Iowa State and admitted as such to the coaching staff. The situation raises questions about a potential hole in the NCAA’s anti-doping policy. We investigate how a star could allegedly admit to banned drug use and remain eligible to compete.
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.
One messageboard poster describes the above interview as the "best interview I've ever seen." More Budapest interviews here.