Farah said his 30:41 tuneup 10k in Gabon didn't go how he wanted but took confidence from training partner Bashir Abdi's 2:03 win in Rotterdam Sunday.
*SC 2:01 man Kelvin Kiptum says he's fit but won't be going for WR London is the 1st marathon in history with two 2:01 guys in it.
*SC Defending champion Amos Kipruto speaks out on Kenyan doping problem He also says he's been holding his own in practice with Evans Chebet.
*SC World champ Tamirat Tola is fit, but weather could present an issue
Archived Homepage For April 21, 2023
Archived Homepage For April 21, 2023
London is Sunday
London is Sunday
WHAT. A. RACE. So much star firepower - Dibaba, Kosgei, Jepchirchir, Hassan, McColgan, Bekele, Farah, Kamaworor, Kiptum, Kipruto, etc. and storylines galore. Jonathan Gault breaks it all down for you.
- Geoffrey Kamworor is pumped for his 1st London: "I feel like I am back to the shape I was in 2017 to 2019 before all these misfortunes happened,”
- MB: Renato Canova is coaching one of Britain's top London hopes - Emile Cairess (27:34/60:32)
- 42-year-old Chris Thompson says super shoes have totally changed the marathon " I’m finishing sessions and ... I’m coming back after two days and doing stuff that I think shouldn’t be possible. For the record, he'll be racing in On's Cloudboom Echo.
- Judith Korir was supposed to pace London last year, instead she raced it and ran 2:18 and then won WC silver
- Former UK Athtletics head Ed Warner writes article saying financial troubles of UK Athletics is scandalous and avoidable He said it was the result of “unnecessary politicking, pursuit of vanity projects, timidity and simple sloppiness”. *AW summary
On The Boards
On The Boards
Tuohy In The News
Did you know that Joan Benoit Samuelson also briefly attended NC State? NC State has also made a 4-minute video profiling Tuohy.
*MB: Katelyn Tuohy vs Klosterhalfen at Wake Forrest Invite If it happens, it will be KoKo's 1st race since joining Puma's team in North Carolina, coached by the Craggs.
Want to know whom to blame for Kipchoge's loss? Runner's World
- MB: Runner's World jinx is in. RW special edition with Eliud Kipchoge on cover and 5 stories on him was published today (4/20/2023) Clearly, a lot of people were counting the chikens before they hatched and assuming Kipchoge was going to win.
- MB: BAA issues statement saying, "we need to do better " after black running groups say Newton police racially targeted them during marathon
Hamburg is Sunday as well
It should be a good one but Muktar Edris has scratched from his debut.
*MB: 20-year old Tiruye Mesfin (2:18:47 pb) wants to run 2:16 (or faster) this weekend in Hamburg, will go out in 68:00
*Free stream on Sunday at 9:30 am local (3:30 am ET)
Other Action This Week/Weekend
- There's lots going on at the Oregon Relays this weekend including a 4 x mile WR attempt with Centro on Friday night Plus Aaron Sahlman will go for sub-4, Tyrone Gorze "will chase some history as he goes after Steve Prefontaine's legendary state record time of 8:41.5 from 1969" and Mia Brahe-Pedersen will go for the 100yard HS record.
*MB: Centro goes for WR, this Friday... What about the UW and the Brooks Beasts? - Ferdinand Omanyala runs 10.05 in South Africa
- Tirunesh Dibaba's comeback continues at Seiryu Half Marathon this weekend
- Plenty of Japanese men are trying to pick up MGC qualification at Nagano Marathon this weekend Plus Kenyan Michael Githae is a late add as his visa for Boston didn't come through in time.
- Drake Relays 800 and 1500 fields announced for next week Sinclaire Johnson and Isaiah Jewett headline the 800s will Shannon Osikia, Nikki Hiltz and Nozomi Tanaka headline the women's 1500. The men's 1500 is led by Charlie Grice.
Quote Of The Day
“I made a mistake in New York, it was not a good strategy. After 30k I felt sick and got stomach problems. For me marathon is a bit like a marriage – there are difficult times and better times. I will run more intelligently on Sunday and will surely finish this time.”
Reads We Thoroughly Enjoyed
- The man behind the mic: Mike Jay’s journey from an Iowa high school track and field coach to one of the most recognizable names in the sport - The Daily Iowan Jay is a track nut with a wonderful voice and we are lucky to have him in our sport.
- Ben Flanagan is thriving under Ron Warhurst "It's just a good personality fit," Flanagan told CBC Sports last week of being a member of Warhurst's Very Nice Track Club in Ann Arbor, Mich., since early last year. "Ronnie's really big on communication and I'm a big talker, so we can hash it out.
- Amazing stat: 2022 Eugene Worlds was watched for 254.1 million hours in Japan, only 35.4 million hours in the US. GB even beat the US at 47.3 million.
- Was hosting Worlds worth it? Oregon22 report shows 2:1 return in media exposure for Oregon’s $40 million cash investment
- After years of injuries, Aleia Hobbs is thriving on and off the track Hobbs, a new adoptive mom, ran the #2 time in history indoors (6.94) and just opened up outdoors with her best opener ever (10.87) even though she broke her arm running that indoor time.
- World Athletics fires back at trans activists for lying about their new regulations "[WA does] not conduct sex testing and has never forced, or even recommended, any athlete affected by its regulations to undergo surgery."
Kipchoge Said He'll Run Boston Again
Kipchoge Said He'll Run Boston Again
Will Eliud Kipchoge ever run the Boston Marathon again?
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Will Eliud Kipchoge ever win the Boston Marathon?
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Kipchoge speaks
Kipchoge said the issue began to bother him around 30K, which is exactly when he was dropped from the lead pack.
- ESPN.com: 'Marathon is like life': How record-holder Eliud Kipchoge is reacting to Boston setback amid historic run "Life has ups and downs all the time, so what I meant was that yesterday [Monday] was a challenge where I couldn't push like I'm used to. But we slept, we woke up and we live to fight another day."
London Is Sunday
- Kenenisa Bekele Says His Training Ahead Of London Has Been "Good, But Not Perfect" He says he had minor injuries early in his build-up, but is feeling "healthy and fit for Sunday's race."
- Eamonn Martin: “I get no pleasure from the fact no British man has won London since me” Martin is the last British man to win London, back in 1993 with 2:10:50.
- Sifan Hassan Prepares To Make Her Marathon Debut In London: "I’m going to finish the distance or the distance is going to finish me.
- London Marathon Fears Environmental Activist Group Will Disrupt The Race They have already disrupted multiple sporting events in the UK protesting the government's oil and gas policies.
Random Race News
- Scottish Ultra Marathoner Joasia Zakrzewski DQ'd For Using A Car During A Race She finished 3rd in the 50 mile race, but took a car for 2.5 miles. GPS data showed she covered a mile in 1 minute and 40 seconds. Zakrzewski says she was sick and lost on the course and got a ride from a friend to the next checkpoint where she intended to drop out, but was encouraged to finish.
*MB: Top ultrarunner disqualified for using a car in race - Athletics Ireland Has To Apologize After Their National Road 10k Champs Ends Up Being Way Short Somehow the race ended up being only 8.5k long.
- Video: Goose Joins Runners On The Course During The Kansas City Half-Marathon
Negative News
- Former Olympic Champ Leroy Burrell Opens Up About Losing His Son To Suicide Burrell says Cameron, the 2018 NCAA 100m champion, felt a lot of pressure as the son of two Olympic champions: "It used to be, 'Cameron Burrell, Leroy Burrell's son,' or 'Cam Burrell, son of Leroy and Michelle.' And I used to cringe and say, 'Give him his own due,' Because he earned it. ...My timeline was my timeline, his was his. But I think in the process, that timeline was imposed on him and he felt a lot of pressure."
- Alabama State Champion Sprinter Killed In Birthday Party Shooting Phil Dowdell was one of four killed at a shooting where 20 more were injured at his sister's 16th birthday party.
- South Africa Olympic Race Walker Lebogang Shange Gets 10-Year Prison Sentence For Rape
More Boston Coverage
- What Were The Fastest Shoes Of The 2023 Boston Marathon? The top-4 men were wearing adidas. The women were more varied, but Hellen Obiri wore On's new super shoe which won't be available to buy until July.
*MB: Maybe the shoes did Kipchoge in? adidas goes 1-2-3 in Boston. Are adidas super shoes better than Nike's, especially in rain?
- GQ: "Did The Boston Marathon Just Usher In A New Era In The Running Shoe Arms Race?" Nike was first to innovate with the super shoes, but now adidas and others are giving them a run for their money.
- 2:38:57 Wins Boston Marathon "Nonbinary" Division The runner-up finished in 2:53:33 and said the next step is to add nonbinary prize money although they said, "It doesn't have to be, like, Evans Chebet money."
- The Horror! Some Boston Marathon Finishers Didn’t Get Their Medals At The End The BAA says they will get them "as quickly as possible."
- How Did The Celebrities And Notables Run In Boston? The brother of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old who was killed during the 2013 Boston bombing, finished in 4:40:45.
- NY Times: The Meaning Of The Boston Marathon Finish Line, Then And Now The NY Times talks to multiple spectators and runners (including Meb Keflezighi) about the Boston bombing 10-years later.
- Golden Retrievers Honor Legacy Of Spencer, The Official Dog Of The Boston Marathon Spencer passed away in February.
Upcoming Action
- April 29: Marvin Bracy Vs Ferdinand Omanyala, Kenny Bednarek Set For Botswana Golden Grand Prix 100m
- April 29: Competitive Hurdles Set For Drake Relays With World Champ Tobi Amusan Vs US's Nia Ali In The 100H And Olympic Medalist Hansle Parchment In The 110H
- July 16: Mutaz Essa Barshim And Gianmarco Tamberi Announced For Silesia Diamond League High Jump
- May 5: Javelin Showdown Set For Doha With All Three Men's World Medalists In The Field
There is a new king of the marathon and his name is Evans Chebet. Eliud Kipchoge, what's next for him?
Hellen Obiri bided her time and then struck to pull away from a star-studded women's lead pack that included American Emma Bates.
The GOAT took it out hard (14:17 at 5k, 62:19 at half) but fizzled late and finished 6th in 2:09:23. Where does he go from here?
Bates led much of the race and ran a huge 2:22:10 pb to finish as top American and back up her big pre-race talk.
Boston Talk
Recap and analysis coming. More Boston discussion below.
- Kipchoge Goes Home Devastated!!!
- Emma Bates appreciation thread
- Connor Mantz, 11th, 2:10:25, 3rd American - Are you giving Mantz a pass for his Boston result today?
- Kipchoge NOT the best of all time
- Emma Bates Ran 2:17, 5:00, 11:00 in High School
- Will Kipchoge run Boston next year? He has got to have a bad taste in his mouth over this debacle!
- Chad Hall on 2:04 pace! 29:32 at 10k
Doping Polls are Baaack!
When track and field fans walk into a bar or go on a run, doping is often the topic of conversation. With that in mind, we want your thoughts on which current track and field stars you think are clean and which you think are dirty.
Marcell Jacobs
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Christian Coleman
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Fred Kerley
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Noah Lyles
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Michael Norman
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Erriyon Knighton
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Grant Holloway
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Karsten Warholm
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Donvan Brazier
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Emmanuel Korir
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Jakob Ingebrigtsen
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Jake Wightman
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Timothy Cheruiyot
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Yared Nuguse
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Soufiane El Bakkali
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Evan Jager
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Lamecha Girma
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Grant Fisher
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Selemon Barega
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Ryan Crouser
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Mondo Duplantis
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Matthew Centrowitz
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Mo Farah
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Galen Rupp
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Coaches
Coaches
Alberto Salazar (coach)
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Jerry Schumacher (coach)
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Dathan Ritzenhein (coach)
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We didn't see this one coming
The Kiwi star, who had expressed his frustration with the amount of doping in the sport in 2016, was banned for 8 years after testing positive for EPO and "providing false documentation in his defence" as Robertson allegedly provided fake documents showing he went to a hospital for a Covid-19 vaccine but got EPO instead.
The Latest LRC Content
Brazier isn't currently running as Jonathan Gault has learned Brazier had to get a follow-up surgery in February (his 3rd surgery in 20 months) following surgery to correct a Haglund's deformity in July 2022.
Doping Polls are Back
One of the worst things about track and field is you're not sure what you're watching is real. We polled you whether you think the world records are dirty or clean.
Woody Speaks
Woody Kincaid is charting his own path in the running world for the first time as a professional. He opens up why he left Bowerman, his desire for American records, and a lot more including Shelby Houlihan.
How do you explain the ridiculous indoor distance times?
Are all the fast times merely a product of supershoes? Or is it something more? We spoke to coaches Dathan Ritzenhein, Jason Vigilante and Dave Smith to figure it out.
Nuguse Dreaming of Olympic Gold
Yared Nuguse surprised the world by getting one American record last weekend. By the time, the winter is over, he may have 3. Nuguse joined the LRC podcast to talk about his dreams, goals, training with the OAC, and his unorthodox start in the sport.
The Latest LRC Exclusive
On Athletics Club head coach Dathan Ritzenhein talked to LetsRun.com about a great weekend for his club and how they are exceeding his wildest expectations.
Paywall lifted
Kincaid says BTC coach Jerry Schumacher advised him not to leave the team but Kincaid told him, "Hey, I can do this and I think it's what I have to do."
We Look Back At 2022s Highs Month By Month
2022 was a year that saw Grant Fisher break out, Sydney McLaughlin explode, and Eliud Kipchoge break the WR (again). Here's what else stood out according to Jonathan Gault.
The Year's Not Over: Japensese New Year's Corporate Ekiden Will Be Broadcast at 7pm ET New Year's Eve - Watch It Live/Race Preview
Merry XMAS - Paywall lifted
In a decade, Valencia has gone from afterthought to host of some of the world's fastest races. How did the third-largest city in Spain emerge as a global capital of running? Jonathan Gault journeyed to Spain's Mediterranean coast to find out how.
Rojo and Mara Yamauchi Editorial
For nearly 40 years, the NYC Marathon has been known for being a trailblazer that paid its male and female athletes the same prize money. Sadly, that changed on Sunday. Guess what sex dominated the new non-binary gender division at Sunday's 2022 New York City Marathon? Olympian Mara Yamauchi joins Robert Johnson in this guest column.
Kipchoge loving the LetsRun Shirt in Berlin
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
‒Daniel do Nascimineto talking at the Haspa Hamburg Marathon press conference about his crazy tactics in the TCS New York City Marathon last fall where he went out super fast and then lied down on the course while leading.