Meet The Winners of LetsRun.com Trials Prediction Contest

With our $200,024 Paris Prediction contest now open it is time to highlight the winners of the LetsRun.com BetterRunningShoes.com Trials Prediction Contest.

The winners of our contest show that having close ties to the sport drastically increases your chances of choosing correctly. From hosting the Hoka Festival of Miles to being an orienteer turned  Olympic marathon hopeful, our winners illustrate the vast interests of the LetsRun.com audience.

Our U.S. Olympic Trials winner, Chris Barry may not be the fastest runner but he sure knows a thing or two

Chris after running the 2024 Big Sur International Marathon

The overall winner of the $200,024 BetterRunningShoes.com Track Trials Prediction Contest was Chris Barry, a San Francisco resident who listens to the podcast during his runs in the Presidio. Chris has been a runner since high school and while he claims to not be very fast, it’s clear he’s got some pretty good running knowledge–hopefully a result of being a regular LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast listener.

The second placer, Simen Storhov, hails from Norway & hopes to make the 2028 Olympics

Norway is becoming the home of LetsRun.com in Europe.

Simen Storhov, from Trondheim, Norway (birthplace of Ingrid Kristiansen), finished runner-up this year. Simen is an orienteering marathoner, who is aiming to compete in the marathon at the LA Olympics in 2028, hoping to take after Matthias Kyburz of Switzerland–who Simen believes is a sleeper pick for a big performance in Paris.

Read more about Matthias Kyburz, the world champion orienteer turned marathoner here. Could he be a darkhorse medal pick in Paris?

Mike Lally, the third placer is a high school coach

Mike Lally

It’s hard not to know a thing or two about running when you’re around it every day and that’s the case for Mike Lally, who coaches at St. Louis University High School–the host school of Hoka Festival of Miles. Apparently, the entire coaching staff at St. Louis University High is well-versed in running–as they have participated in LetsRun.com prediction contests for a few years now. Alongside coaching, Mike teaches theology at the school. One of Rojo’s former runners at Cornell, Charlie Hatch, is on the coaching staff with Mike.

Our NCAA Outdoors winner is another example of the positive relationship between dairy farming and running

Lisa Reeck was the winner of the $20,024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Prediction Contest–and she had some pretty solid picks to secure the win, including the correct choices of Shane Cohen in the 800 and Parker Wolfe in the 5000. Lisa, a Minnesota native, attended the University of Minnesota at the same time as Gabe Grunewald–who she says inspired her to follow elite-level running more closely.

Lisa with 2 of her children

Ready to show your picking prowess? Enter the $200,024 Paris Prediction Contest here.