2023’s Biggest Disappointments & Surprises + A SUB-4 Mile In The Middle Of A Marathon?

In this week’s edition of the LetsRun.com Track Talk podcast, LetsRun.com co-founder Robert Johnson goes rogue. He recorded the podcast secretly without telling his fellow co-hosts Jonathan Gault or Weldon Johnson. On the show, Rojo reveals his biggest disappointments and surprises for 202. Along the way, Yared Nuguse Krissy Gear, Lamecha Girma, Narve Nordas and Addy Wiley get some love while Cooper Teare gets a little heat. Rojo then gets super excited about the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon. He breaks down the course and without saying it predicts that a sub-4 mile in the middle of it is more likely than a sub-2 hour marathon. He made that prediction on the messageboard. Speaking of messageboard, these are the two threads he talked about this week:

• Wife takes 45 minutes to say goodbye at holiday parties
• Dumbest article ever: Reuters: Will 2-hr marathon finally be broken at Paris Olympics? I'd be SHOCKED if it was under 2:04

Time stamps:

• 0:00 Intro and then talk about what percent of top 3 finishers at USAs repeat as top 3 the next year?
• Does this ratio hold true at the Worlds level? What percent of medallists at the Worlds level repeat the next year?
• 8:15 Breakthrough performers of the year – Yared Nuguse, Krissy Gear, Addy Wiley, etc.
• 15:30 How about some love for Lamecha Girma?
• 16:55 What shocked Rojo at the Worlds level? Who broke out in 2023? Emmanuel Wanyoni, Ben Pattison, Narve Nordas, and Simon Koech all get some love.
• 19:30 Can Evan Jager have Joe Flacco-type moment in 2024?
• 20:05 Rojo shares his biggest disappointment of the year – Cooper Teare.
• 23:15 Rojo talks about a messageboard thread that should make married people laugh.
• 24:23 Rojo gets mad that people are talking about a sub-2 hour marathon at the Paris Olympics. He tells you why it won’t be won in unde 2:04:00 but then gets super excited about what the individual mile splits will be – some over 5:20 – some near 4:00 – as John Kellogg helps him break down the elevation profile.

You can listen to the podcast in the player below, by clicking here or by subscribing on your favorite podcasting service.