All Systems Chica-GO! ⏱️
Lap 241: Sponsored by HOKA & Beekeeper Coffee
Sponsored by HOKA
We’re takin’ over Happy Camper Chicago (Old Town) with HOKA during the Chicago Marathon festivities. On Sunday morning, we’ll be posted up as part of the HOKA cheer zone to host our alternate broadcast watchalong, where Eric Jenkins, Karen Leciewicz, Paul Hof Mahoney and other guests will be providing their own commentary, reactions, insights and analysis live as the elite races unfold.
Stay tuned for some surprise giveaways that we’ll have on-site for marathon finishers. Don’t miss the HOKA Hub at the expo for a chance to demo the all-new Rocket X 3 and the up-tempo Mach X 3. RSVP to all of the events via the HOKA Eventbrite page at the link here.
Compiled by David Melly, Paul Snyder, and Audrey Allen
Will Conner Mantz Break The American Record In Chicago? 🇺🇸
There’s a lot to be excited about for this weekend’s Chicago Marathon.
John Korir will look to defend his title and solidify his case for the top male marathoner in the world. 14:12 5000m runner Ejgayehu Taye will make her marathon debut, and an Ethiopian sweep looks very likely as all four of the sub-2:20 entrants are her countrywomen. Natosha Rogers, Dakotah Popehn, and Gabi Rooker will battle for top American honors.
All those plotlines, while exciting, are going to take a backseat—because 28-year-old Utahn Conner Mantz has made his intentions clear: the American record or bust.
Which American record, you might ask? Mantz probably has two different marks sticky-noted to his vision board. The official mark is Khalid Khannouchi’s 2:05:38 from the 2002 London Marathon, which was also the world record at the time. But the fastest an American has ever run for 26.2 miles is Ryan Hall’s 2011 2:04:58 showing in Boston, where he benefited from a hefty tailwind on the point-to-point course.
Mantz is coming off a strong run of his own in Boston, where he ran 2:05:08 to finish fourth in the second-fastest all-conditions performance by an American. That run, which came three months after Mantz broke Hall’s national record in the half marathon, would suggest that both the official and unofficial marks are within reach for Mantz.
But just because 10 seconds looks like a tiny gap on paper doesn’t mean it won’t feel huge out there on the course. Can Mantz get it done? The answer to that question depends on at least three major factors: Mantz’s own ability, the field of runners around him, and the dynamics of raceday.
Let’s start with the man(tz) himself. The Ed Eyestone-guided BYU alum is coming off recent wins at the Beach to Beacon 10k and the U.S. 20K champs. In 2023, Mantz did the same double before his 2:07:47 run in Chicago, running 27:58 and then 59:16. This time around, he ran 27:26 and 56:16. Obviously, race conditions can vary year to year but it’s a promising sign.
Plus, Mantz has rarely run a dud marathon. In seven attempts, his worst performance was an 11th-place, 2:10:25 finish at Boston in 2023. This year in Boston, he finished fourth against a respectable field. He may have to improve on that finish in Chicago to run the requisite time, though. Fourth place in Chicago has recently taken a 2:05ish effort. 2024’s fourth placer ran 2:05:09; 2023’s ran 2:05:16, and 2021-2022 were a bit slower. Sub-2:05 made the podium each of the last two years and in 2022, third place was 2:05:01… run by John Korir. So basically, aiming for a top-three finish and the American record in Chicago are one and the same goal.
The men’s elite field is pretty deep this year, with nine entrants under 2:05 and six under 2:04, including Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo. He’s the world record holder in the half marathon at 56:42 (no, that’s not a typo), and coming off a 2:03:37 debut for second place at this year’s London Marathon. Unlike Boston, Chicago allows pacers to help share the load over the first part of the race, and Mantz is slated to have his own designated rabbit, but will the rest of the field be useful to Mantz?
Kiplimo, along with Korir (2:02:44 PB) and Timothy Kiplagat (2:02:55 PB) will likely be right on the heels of the pacers. If these three want to cook (remember that the late Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 was run on this course), the leaders will likely hit halfway in something blistering. How fast is the critical question: If the leaders are on 2:01 pace, Mantz would hopefully be wise enough to let them go and run his own race. With the depth of the competition, there should be a group that can hang together around 2:04-2:05 with or without a designated pacer.
The trickier circumstance arises if the leaders are a tad slower—say, 61:30 at halfway—and there’s a big, tantalizing pack up front. If Mantz (or anyone else with top-five aspirations) gets out ahead of his skis in an attempt to stick to the early leaders, those 30 seconds could prove quite costly in the back half. That said, Korir won both Chicago and Boston by virtue of a blistering second half, so he may want to keep things conservative early as well. Last year, the leaders hit halfway in 62:19 before Korir seized the front around 30K. If he employs a similar strategy, that would work out perfectly for Mantz’s purposes.
Prevailing wisdom is that Boston runs a bit slower than Chicago. But weather conditions were close to ideal for Boston this year, with no major headwinds and temperatures under 60 degrees for most of the race. Right now, it looks like wind won’t be an issue in Chicago, but the heat could be. The race kicks off at 7:30am and the overnight low is predicted to be 53º, but the forecast calls for a high of 74º with 57% humidity.
In 2021, temperatures around 70º and oppressive humidity slowed times across the board. Seifu Tura and Ruth Chepngetich (lol) won in 2:06:12 and 2:22:31. Unless something changes drastically, this year’s edition shouldn’t be as challenging, but the forecast is borderline enough that Mantz-heads and casual Chicago-goers alike will be nervously refreshing their weather apps for the next few days in hopes of a break for the better.
So can Conner Mantz break the American record on Sunday? Absolutely. Will he get the job done? Only one way to find out! Either way, watching him try as the seconds and miles tick by will likely be the most thrilling part of this weekend.
ATHLOS 2: Here We Go Again 🏃♀️
We’re entering year two of ATHLOS NYC and one big question remains unanswered: what is it, exactly?
Despite ATHLOS having all the makings of a must-watch meet, due to its current placement at the tail end of the competitive calendar, it’s ultimately still an exhibition event. As it picks up steam, aiming to expand beyond its current single-event-per-year schedule, what exactly will it become? A Grand Slam Track replacement, without the financial woes? An opportunity for the sport’s stars to boost their profiles to the track-curious via association with Megan Thee Stallion and Ciara? Something else entirely?
As we look to understand exactly what role ATHLOS aims to play, there’s also the question of whether the athletes themselves will take the meet seriously. There’s lots of money on the line, so that’s bound to be a motivator. But all the money in the world can only do so much if your legs are shot. You have to assume the participating athletes timed their peaks precisely for the World Championships. Enough time has passed since Worlds for R&R before a mini-build for ATHLOS, but after the rigors of a long season, who knows if that’s enough?
We’ll get our first taste of what’s left in the reserves tomorrow in Times Square when the long jump competition kicks off. Tara Davis-Woodhall will square off against Jasmine Moore, Quanesha Burkes, Monae’ Nichols, Claire Bryant, and Jazmin Sawyers. A street-level jump-off in one of the world’s busiest pedestrian plazas is sure to attract some eyeballs. Even if the product on display is a standard deviation away from what we got in Tokyo, it’s still going to be visually impressive. David-Woodhall in particular is an entertainer; and her antics and the general spectacle should bring out the best (or best available) in her peers.
The 100m hurdles, 100m, and 200m fields are made up of big names like Masai Russell, Marie-Josèe Ta Lou-Smith, Brittany Brown, and Amy Hunt. Regardless of the times posted or the closeness of each of these races, based on atmosphere and sheer star power the shorter distance events are likely to approach their pre-meet hype: these women will still run fast and excite the crowd. It’ll get a bit more interesting as the longer races get underway.
The 400m, 800m, and mile at ATHLOS will each feature two of three medalists from Tokyo—Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser, Georgia Hunter Bell and Keely Hodgkinson, and Faith Kipyegon and Jess Hull, respectively—and the rest of each six-athlete fields are all killer, no filler. But if we have poor parity on display, with some athletes still managing to fire on most if not all cylinders, and others limping through the proverbial and literal finish lines, that’ll take a bit of air out of the balloon. Despite being the biggest name, Kipyegon may be the least interesting headliner, as the rivalries between Paulino and Naser and Bell and Hodgkinson can still be compelling at any time of year.
Of course, even if the actual level of competition on display in New York City is hit or miss, ATHLOS is also aiming to perform an important duty for track and field: making it cooler. The Diamond League delivers a traditionalist, Eurocentric view of track and field that’s very elite, but not necessarily “cool.” Finding a balance between cache and credibility is tough, but essential. It’ll be fun to see whether Ciara’s performance leans heavily on her debut album, Goodies, and whether Ludacris or Missy Elliott will crash the party for a verse, but hopefully the actual broadcast leans more on track and field analysts and less on Peloton instructors than last year.
If you buy into the notion that track needs to tap into new audiences for the sake of its long term health, it’s vital that ventures like ATHLOS are both eye-catching and taken seriously. So as we tune into the show tomorrow and Friday, we’ll do so with an eye to what ATHLOS currently is, and has the potential to become.
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Belgian Athletics Owes Nafi Thiam An Apology 😡
It’s a tale as old as professional sports. A superstar athlete runs afoul of a governing body, and a public battle between individual and institution ensues. Track and field boasts a long and sordid history in this department, from Steve Prefontaine vs. the Amateur Athletic Union to Nick Symmonds’s crusade against USATF’s uniform rules.
The latest installment took place in Tokyo last month: three-time Olympic heptathlon champion Nafissatou Thiam felt disrespected by Belgian Athletics and ultimately withdrew from the competition after five events, the first time Thiam has ever failed to finish a global championship.
The short version is that Thiam had issues with Belgian Athletics’s code of conduct, declined to sign the agreement, and felt the federation retaliated unfairly. During Worlds, Thiam detailed a number of claims in a press conference, including that her team hadn’t been given accommodations for the Belgian pre-camp and that her physical therapist hadn’t been accredited.
In response, Belgian Athletics president Jessica Mayon didn’t mince words, saying “I have written proof that what she says isn’t true. It’s a lie. She received an email promising that someone from the federation was willing to do anything for her at the training camp. Of course, she was welcome there.” It’s worth noting that that wasn’t exactly what Thiam alleged in the first place, so “lie” feels like a strong choice of words.
Last week, Thiam shared her side of the story via a long message to Instagram, which reiterated her existing issues and emphasized that she felt there was a concerted effort by Belgian Athletics to prevent her from succeeding in Tokyo. It’s clear there was an extensive back-and-forth leading up to Worlds, with issues about team vs. individual sponsors, financial support, and comments made in the press. Thiam summed up her feelings:
I cannot stress enough how important it is for change right now. The safeguarding of athletes and their rights must be a priority. Where can an athlete go when they are intimidated or bullied by their own federation? Who protects them? Well, nobody. That’s why so many are afraid to talk.
Nafi Thiam is indisputably the most successful Belgian track and field athlete in history. She’s responsible for three of the seven Olympic golds in the nation’s history, and since 2016, she’s won six of the country’s 14 total World/Olympic medals. She’s one of only five athletes ever to clear the 7,000 point barrier and is the world record holder in the pentathlon indoors.
What this all means is that Thiam has been competing on the international stage for over a decade, and this is the first time she’s been cast in a light such as this. If we’re giving anyone the benefit of the doubt, we’re inclined to side with Thiam.
We don’t know the truth, but the simplest explanation is that only an athlete as notable and influential as Thiam could take on her national federation like this. For any other Belgian athlete, you’ve got an issue with your team’s code of conduct? Well tough nuggets; enjoy watching the championship from your couch. But Thiam has Olympic titles to her name and little left to prove. So why not take a stand?
Of course, the Belgian powers-that-be could reply that every athlete should play by the same rules, and just because Thiam is a big name doesn’t mean she should get special treatment.
But is that really true? The reality is that—while we prize fairness in principle—when it comes to track and field, the Entertainment Product, some athletes do matter more. It’s a loss for the nation, the fans, and the entire sport when Thiam doesn’t take on Anna Hall.
A quick scan of the comments on Thiam’s Instagram post reveal messages of support from the likes of Dina Asher-Smith, Aries Merritt, Eleanor Patterson, and—perhaps most tellingly—Belgian athletes like Cynthia Bolingo, Élodie Ouédraogo, and even retired tennis star Kim Clijsters. Thiam’s peers seem to believe she’s standing up for what’s right, and so do we. It’s on Belgian Athletics now to make amends: both in the form of a public apology and in the more critical follow-up, institutional changes to keep this situation from reoccurring.
There’s no track and field without the athletes that toe the start line. And the very least we as a community can do is give them the support they need to succeed when they get there.
What’s Going On With NCAA Cross Country So Far? 🤨
If you’re still experiencing withdrawals from the 2025 track season, scrolling ever deeper into the post-Japan algorithm while awake, and suffering from fever dreams of finishing kicks while asleep, help is here. If Chicago or ATHLOS isn’t enough for your weekly fandom fix, fear not: collegiate cross country is back.
We’re already on week three, but it’s understandable if you’re still catching up (and confused by the 80-degree October weather across much of the U.S.). In case you haven’t been paying attention, here’s a refresher on the state of the season.
What’s the same as last year?
The Iowa State and Oklahoma State men are still dominant. The BYU women still seem to have an endless roster of low sticks. And the national meet is still in the Midwest, but this year’s host is the “Show Me State,” Missouri, instead of “America’s Dairyland,” Wisconsin.
What’s different from last year?
Mike Smith is no longer a part of the collegiate scene. BYU mainstay Casey Clinger finally aged out of the NCAA and turned pro. Two-time NCAA Cross Country champion and soon-to-be Izumo Ekiden-racer Graham Blanks, three-time cross country All-American/2:11 Olympic Marathoner Yaseen Abdalla, and our favorite middle-to-distance merchant Liam Murphy are done with the collegiate ranks as well. For the women: perennial individual title contender Ceili McCabe, U.S. steeplechase champ Lexy Halladay-Lowry, and the top four scorers from last year’s Providence team, which produced one of the biggest shocks in Madison with their third-place finish, have all moved on.
It’s hard to tell because many of the top returners have yet to open their seasons, but it looks like the NC State women—ranked second in the country now—are back after an eighth-place finish at the national meet last year. They won the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational without the U.S.’s top steeplechaser, Angelina Napoleon, or 2024 NCAAs fifth-placer Grace Hartman. Hannah Gapes filled the gaps for the Wolfpack and remains undefeated so far this cross country season; she must be carrying the momentum off a New Zealand national title from August and an already-punched ticket to January’s World Cross Country championships in Tallahassee. Plus, Sadie Engelhardt finished 10th in an even 20:00 6km in her collegiate debut.
Who’s new here?
In non-Wolfpack news, FSU freshman Rylee Blade finished third, making it back-to-back bronze finishes across her first two races in the NCAA. While the aforementioned ACC duo of Engelhardt and Blade, as well as Stanford youngster Hanne Thomsen (third in the B-Race at Gans Creek) have impressed in their early showings, we’re all still waiting on high school sensation Jane Hedengren to debut in BYU’s navy blue. One new and notable Cougar who has donned the BYU split shorts is Tayvon Kitchen, who finished a very respectable 34th at Gans Creek. Kitchen’s high school teammate Josiah Tostenson hasn’t opened up yet for the Huskies of Washington, nor has the nation’s fastest nepo baby Owen Powell.
Who are some underdog teams to watch?
Year Two of the Sean Carlson Experience at Colorado is kicking into full gear. After a 19th-place national finish for the men last year—the women missed the meet entirely—both Buffalo squads jumped up the rankings after finishing third at the Gans Creek Classic in Missouri, which served as a pre-pre-Nats preview of the Nationals course for many teams. The women have climbed from 26th to 10th in the national rankings, while the men catapulted from 13th to fifth. Other big risers include the Michigan State men (now 16th), led by Gans Creek eighth-placer Riley Hough, and the also-16th-ranked Iowa State women.
It’s also worth noting that rumors of NAU’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. The Lumberjacks don’t look to have lost a step with Smith’s successor, Jarred Cornfield at the helm. The women are ranked sixth and the men 13th.
What else has happened so far?
The 6K in Columbia, Missouri, was a breakout race for first-placer Rosemary Longisa of WSU and runner-up Mary Ogwoka of Tennessee, who went neck-and-neck to the finish and led a staggering 22 more women under the previous course record of 19:50.1. Another statement was made by fourth-place finisher Angelina Perez of Wake Forest, who officially ran her way onto the Unofficial Lap Count NCAA XC Watchlist. On the team side, Florida’s gun-to-tape win over NAU bumped them up nine spots to third in the national poll, their highest ranking since 2009. Oregon’s sixth-place finish is misleading, because they were missing a ton of front-running firepower from the likes of Şilan Ayyıldız, Diana Cherotich, and Mia Barnett.
On the men’s side, Solomon Kipchoge silenced any doubt after a DNF at Nationals last year, completing the WSU win sweep with a 22:24.7 run. But he had to fend off a challenge from Iowa State’s Joash Ruto, who finished seven seconds behind, leading the Cyclones to a team title with every scorer in the top 19. Behind them was No. 4-ranked Virginia with five scorers inside the top 32, led by certified cross country guy Gary Martin.
The party continued over at Oklahoma State’s Cowboy Jamboree, where the BYU women took a comfortable win led by senior and second-place finisher Riley Chamberlain, who’s clearly bounced back quickly from a long track season. But it was an even better day for Isca Chelangat, the winner and only sub-20:00 finisher; in her NCAA debut she led her team to a runner-up team finish ahead of a Pamela Kosgei-less New Mexico. As for the men, the home team OSU Cowboys prevailed 36-41 over New Mexico, with both teams missing a contender for the individual title (Brian Musau and Habtom Samuel). Denis Kipngetich took the win for the Cowboys in 23:33.7—a strong chapter in a storyline of redemption for the OSU men, after their NCAA champs appearance fell well short of expectations.
UNC’s new dynamic duo Colton Sands and Tomer Tarrango went 2-3 at in the men’s race at Sean Earl Lakefront, but it was Louisville freshman Elsingi Kipruto with a seven-second win in 23:14.44, and the Wisconsin men notching the team title that took the spotlight. Other interesting notes from the weekend include Mary Bonner Dalton’s 5K PB (track included) for the win in 15:53.1 that led the Notre Dame women to victory at Joe Piane; Georgetown’s Melissa Riggins securing a commanding victory at Paul Short; and Tamrat Gavenas, the man forever known as the final Foot Locker champion, finishing third in his Harvard debut.
What’s next?
This weekend is a bit mellow on paper, with Oregon’s Dellinger Invitational attracting a weaker field than normal, but it’s all because we’ve got a tantalizing two days of action coming up on October 17th and 18th. The nation’s top teams will split their efforts between Nuttycombe in Madison, and Pre-Nats in Columbia. And believe it or not, the Big Dance is now only 45 days away.
More News From The Track And Field World 📰
– Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce shared a heartfelt note commemorating her official retirement from the competitive side of the sport. She hangs up the spikes having won five Diamond League Finals, eight Olympic medals (three of them gold), and 17 World Championship medals (10 of them gold), and as the third fastest woman ever over 100m.
– Runners at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and 10 Mile were treated to soupy conditions, and times were decidedly not their quickest. Americans Will Norris (2:15:41) and Jane Bareikis (2:32:54) prevailed over 26.2, becoming the first official qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Trials. Behind them, ultrarunning ultralegend Courtney Dauwalter notched a 2:49:54 showing during her rare departure from the trails. In the 10 mile, Yemane Haileselassie of Eritrea (46:25) and Mercy Chelengat (52:05) of Kenya and NAZ Elite claimed top honors. Biya Simbassa (46:29, second overall) and former Utah Valley standout Everlyn Kemboi (52:38, also second overall) were the top American finishers, while Minnesota governor Tim Waltz (1:38:12) was the top American finisher who was a former vice presidential candidate.
– Grand Slam Track lives! Or at least it isn’t dead. Investors have reportedly pumped enough money back into the venture to pay half of the money it owes its athletes, plus a portion of its other debts.
– A couple of months after completing his three-year doping ban, Botswana’s Nigel Amos, the 2012 800m Olympic silver medalist, is now the head middle distance coach for the Iranian national team.
– Camille Herron, the decorated ultrarunner who made digital waves last year for her alleged Wikipedia use, has filed a defamation suit against Canadian Running Magazine’s parent company for the publication’s role in reporting on said controversy.
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