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Feb 22, 2023

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World Cross Country Championships 🌎

I like cross country — I don’t necessarily enjoy doing it, but it’s great to watch! The World Cross Country Championships were finally held this weekend in Bathurst, Australia, following a few-year pandemic-induced delay. Since 1973, this meet has been a clash of titans, and this edition was no exception. The battle up front, especially on the men’s side, had all the characters you’d hope and expect to show.

And since we love complaining about broadcasts when they’re terrible, it’d be shameful to not also give praise when they’re excellent. The cameras did a great job covering the race, and the commentary was educated and full of emotion.

Let’s summarize the excitement before giving some minor critiques for the future…

Mixed Relay — This was the fourth appearance of the event in the World XC program and hopefully it remains and continues to grow. With only 15 teams lining up, there were plenty of gaps along the way, but one great leg could change the entire dynamic of the race. My first MVP would be Jess Hull, who ran the third leg 11 seconds faster than the next best time behind her and solidified the bronze medal for the home team. And on the men’s side, Kyumbe Munguit of Kenya gets a gold star for breaking open the race and leading Kenya to its third title. While based on PRs, he’s only a 3:36 guy matched up against competition with faster track times, this wasn’t on mondo, and that’s the beauty of cross country.

U20 Women — The US junior ladies won a bronze medal for the first time in history, and they should be showered in praise for this accomplishment! On paper, this was probably the squad that represented the very best of American talent. Irene Riggs (12th) is the NXN Champion, Karrie Baloga (13th) won Champs Sports, and Ellie Shea was the top US finisher in 10th despite taking an early spill. It would have taken a miracle to contend with Ethiopia, who won the team title with 15 points and was led by overall winner Senayet Getachew, who ran 68:37 for a half marathon last year at 16 years old, and second-place finisher Medina Eisa, who broke 15 minutes for the 5000m when she was 16.

U20 Men — The last time a team other than Kenya or Ethiopia won this race was in 1981, and that’s because Kenya and Ethiopia weren’t there. This was the first time since 1982 that the American junior men medaled and they had to do it up against the powerhouses. This race sorta played out as a tale of two groups: the entirety of the East African nations’ squads made up the top 15 spots, but the next man through was Leo Young in 16th. The US team packed up nicely and worked their way through the field and that smart running was rewarded. Be on the lookout for Ishmael Kipkurui the next couple of years. Although his track results are at the moment relatively modest (13:26 for 5000m), the long list of junior men who went on to win much bigger things is filled with athletes you’d put on the sport’s Mt. Rushmore.

Senior Women — The Kenyan women won on the heels of Beatrice Chebet, the world championship silver medalist at 5000m. But it almost didn’t go that way, well except for the Kenya team title part… that was inevitable. Ethiopia’s Letsenbet Gidey, the many-time world record holder, had fully separated herself and seemed to be on cruise control when disaster struck. As she slowed on the downhill finish, it wasn’t immediately obvious just how bad of condition she was in until Chebet passed her and she collapsed. Mind you, the official temperature reading was 35 degrees celsius — which I am told is hot. After being helped up by her coach, she crossed the line in fourth, but also received a DQ for that assistance. Only the best runners are able to push themselves so hard that they collapse and that should be worn as a badge of honor. I’d have stopped to walk it in well before that.

Senior Men — Any diehard American patriots reading this, please don’t revoke my citizenship, but Uganda’s XC team might be my favorite pro sports team. In 2019, the Silverbacks pulled off the upset to win their first title in history and my hope was that they could do it again. While the Kenya vs. Ethiopia rivalry is great, throwing a third team into the mix only makes things more interesting. Sadly it wasn’t meant to be: Kenya won for the first time since 2011, which is a drought almost on par with the Yankees’ current one. But Jacob Kiplimo winning the race and looking comfortable as hell with nine seconds to spare is a nice consolation prize. It had been five months since his last race, but now the stage is set for a record-breaking year.

Okay, some minor suggestions and questions: Why was the race on February 18th? The World Cross Country meet has always been at the end of March, following the indoor season, and that was a sweet spot on the calendar since it didn’t interfere with indoors. Meanwhile, we had multiple national track championships that were initially scheduled to be qualifiers for the World Indoor Championships. Next year's XC meet in Croatia will be one week earlier, so this issue doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

And while I understand the idea of diversifying meet locations as it is a global sport, wouldn’t it be cool if there was just a rotation of a few great courses in relatively central locations? It’d infuse some additional history and lore into the race, or we can just throw some tires on the ground and call it a day!

(My writing has been delayed this evening as I continue to watch all of the old World XC Championships that have been uploaded to YouTube by World Athletics. One relevant scene to recent events is Lynn Jennings’s victory in 1992. This week Fast Women wrote about the abuse Jennings suffered as an athlete at the hands of her former coach, John Babington.)

Fred Kerley signs with ASICS ✍️

The times they are a-changin’ and so are Fred Kerley’s spikes. The fastest man in the world has signed a new contract with ASICS. Since finishing up at Texas A&M in 2017 as a 400m runner – which seems like a lifetime ago – Fred Kerley wore the swoosh on his chest. Hell, for years, it seemed any American who dreamed of podium finishes in the sprints was in either a Nike or Adidas kit. Well, not anymore!

ASICS has always been viewed favorably by distance runners. Most of us have run at least a few hundred miles in a shoe named for a cloud. The MetaSpeed has remained competitive with the best of the super shoes. We all know – or are – a middle-aged man who rocks the Kayano with blue jeans.

But maybe that’s beginning to change – ASICS might be a sprint brand, too! The biggest prospect out of college in 2022 was undoubtedly Joseph Fahnbulleh, the former Gator who went from NCAA champion to 4th in the world at 200m. He signed with ASICS. Then this indoor season was filled with rumors and ambiguous tweets by stars that moves were being made. Now the question is did ASICS spend their entire budget betting on these two guys, or is this just the beginning of a big bet on the sprints?

From a marketing perspective, someone of Fred’s stature immediately brings a ton of legitimacy to ASICS’s brand and product – there is no way he is going to be lining up in shoes if he didn’t trust them. If you’re Nike, there are no doubts as to whether or not your gear works, so maybe Kerley’s value wasn’t quite as high for them.

The mistake a lot of armchair experts will make is in assuming that whatever dollar amount is being paid to an athlete will create the equivalent, immediate return on investment. Let’s say Fred is being paid $1 billion, a number I obviously just made up. He is not expected to turn around and generate $1 billion of sales. That’s not how commercials would be valued, and professional athletes are essentially moving billboards.

If done properly, this deal is just one small part of a greater strategy to influence the way consumers perceive a brand. If Fred, Joseph, and the next signing can make ASICS cool, then sure, maybe they’ll sell some extra spikes, but they’ll certainly make even more selling lifestyle shoes.

Had you told me in 2014 when I was getting made fun of by high schoolers for my footwear that in a decade’s time HOKA would soon be seen on fashion runways, traded by sneakerheads, and shilled by yoga bloggers, then I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But here we are, and now I regret not asking for my salary in Deckers stock!

There is this notion that professional runners are poor and underpaid, and that’s definitely true for a percentage of the population, especially in relation to other sports. But financially speaking, there has never been a better time to be an American track and field athlete. Brands are clearly seeing the value in sponsorship dollars right now! And in a world where everyone thinks they’re an influencer, and all TikToks are ostensibly ads, then there is legitimacy and social capital to be gained by being associated with real talent.

The competition is good for everyone as it raises wages. A couple of years ago when Under Armour committed to making a splash in distance running, it formed some groups, but needed bodies. So what did they do? They offered every distance runner in the country a pretty damn good contract. And then the athletes could either accept it or take that number to a competitor for negotiation. Suddenly with options on the table, the number of years and potential reductions attached to a deal also changed. Add on top of that the competitiveness of the OAC, and the attraction for top NCAA athletes has become more complicated.

In the past year, it’s been Puma who has elevated the standard contract – most notably the recent signing of Olympic 100m champion, Marcell Jacobs. But they’ve also added just about every previously unsponsored distance runner with a shot of hitting a qualifying standard. And maybe I am projecting my own feelings onto others, but it seems like fans have taken a newfound interest in these moves. That’s good! Because as thousands of fans react to this news, then it only serves to increase the value of athletes — let’s keep paying attention.

USATF Championships 🇺🇸

There was supposed to be a World Indoor Championship this year, but the originally scheduled event that was set to take place in Nanjing, China, in 2020 has been moved to 2025. As a result, the USATF Indoor meet held in Albuquerque no longer had a qualifying vibe to it, and instead, the only thing on the line was pride, a national title, and $6,000. While the fields lacked some of the depth that we’d normally see, there were still records broken, great finishes, and controversy. Let’s hand out some recognition!

DeAnna Price - The 2019 World Champion must feel like she’s on a rollercoaster. In 2021, she threw 80.31m – the second farthest hammer throw of all time. That off-season Price had total ankle reconstruction and labrum surgery before battling back to form to defend her title in Eugene… until Covid. Instead, for redemption in Albuquerque she broke the weight throw world record twice, ultimately winning with a dominant toss of 26.02m.

Aleia Hobbs - When you are hot, you are hot! Hobbs opened her season with a 6.98 clocking at Arkansas and has not lost this year. Her time of 6.94 is the American record and number two on the all-time 60m list. In 2022, her best was 7.10 and later that year she finished 6th at the World Championships in the 100m. What will this season lead to?

Anna Hall - This one is bittersweet. 5004 points in the pentathlon is a new American record, but it is painfully close to Nataliya Dobrynska’s world record of 5013 points. What’s that worth? Just over half a second faster in the 800m and she would have done it. Fortunately Hall added an individual 400m (51.03) national title to her tool belt to help her cope with any lingering disappointment.

Val Constien - The unsponsored Olympian now has a national title to her name! Rocking her old Colorado kit just to confuse everyone, Constien ran a brilliant last 200m to nudge out Whittni Morgan, who has gone 4:23 for the mile and 8:30 in the 3000m this season.

Sam Prakel - A 25-second last 200m can get you a lot of nice things in this world. Granted it was only an 8:12 race, but Prakel dominated the final lap showing off his mile speed while reminding the field that he ran 13:15 for 5000m to start the season. Now technically he won two races this weekend…

The men’s 1500m will, unfortunately, be the most memorable race of the weekend as confusion followed this one long after the athletes crossed the finish. The initial winner was Bowerman’s Josh Thompson, who we know is fit following his 3:52 mile PB at Millrose. With a classic devastating final straightaway, he seemed to have put this one away. Interviews were held, social media posts were made, and the meet was long over. Then a small ‘DQ’ appeared next to his name on the results and Prakel was declared the winner.

The extent of the explanation was a tweet by USATF citing rule 163.4: ‘If a competitor is pushed or forced by another person to run outside his lane, and if no material advantage is gained, the competitor should not be disqualified.’

At this point, the understanding is that Thompson cut in too close on Henry Wynne with 75 meters to go when he took the lead. Should Josh probably have waited another second before dropping in? I mean, considering the way things turned out, definitely! But to pretend that minor infraction would have changed the outcome of this race in any way is absurd. Josh was certainly the best athlete on that day. Minus the extra cash, it’s probably a weird feeling for Sam Prakel the next time he is announced as a two-time national champ.

What in the NCAA is going on here 🤠

In 2013, we had a DMR squad at The University of Texas run 9:31.82 in the first meet of the season. For six weeks that remained the number one time in the country and since that mark had always been enough to qualify for the NCAA meet, the decision was made to stay home and rest up for nationals. I wasn’t on that initial relay, but I was going to lead off the squad at NCAAs. That is until we gathered around a computer to watch 14 teams run faster than us on March 1st at the Alex Wilson Invitational and knock us out entirely.

Today, Texas again sits on the bubble as the 12th-best team in the country. But this time they’re on the bubble with a time of 9:22.74 – even though that’s fast as hell, hopefully, the Longhorns know it isn’t necessarily safe!

With four milers running between 3:51 and 3:53 in a single race, it was no secret that University of Washington would have a strong Distance Medley Relay team this year. However, no one could have predicted that running 9:16.65 – three seconds under the previous NCAA record – wouldn’t win the race. On the wings of Ryan Schoppe’s 3:52 split, Oklahoma State ran an ungodly 9:16.40.

This might be the final opportunity for anyone on the world record DMR team to clout chase based on that accolade. Anyone reading this who built a modest newsletter empire on the back of such an accomplishment – listen up pal, it’s time for a new schtick!

Femke Bol’s a perfect game 🎳

Do not tell me indoors doesn’t matter! Following up her 500m world record earlier this season, Femke Bol has now broken a much more sought-after mark, one that has stood since 1982. At the Dutch Indoor Championships the Olympic and World silver medalist (over hurdles) ran 49.26 (not over hurdles) to break Jarmila Kratochvílová's previous best of 49.59.

This is a big deal for two reasons, the first being whose record she broke. While competing for Czechoslovakia, Kratochvílová was one of the most decorated and strongest runners ever — it was like she possessed superhuman abilities! A year after running the 400m indoor world record, she would go on to set the then 400m record of 47.99 and the still standing 800m world record of 1:53.28.

Our lawyers are telling me that I should stop talking about Jarmila right now… anyway!

In terms of living in the present, this indoor season Bol has proven that her flat 400m abilities are apparently on par with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s. While Sydney’s 400m best of 50.07 from 2018 is quite outdated, her 47.91 split from the World Championships is more or less equivalent. Combine this with Bol’s offseason development of a 14-step alternating leg pattern and am I nuts to think we are gonna have a race on our hands?

For all that we know, SML is about to turn the world upside down with a 13-step sequence this outdoor season. She certainly remains the person to beat and the best to ever do it until proven otherwise. But the fact that this is now a conversation indicates the power of a good indoor season. Because if I am having this thought, then so is Femke. And the first step to beating someone is believing it is possible.

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Ryan Crouser breaks his WR ☄️

Just one centimeter further! The greatest shot putter of all-time, Ryan Crouser, did it again, breaking his previous world record from the 2021 Olympic Trials by a hair. Although he has been working on a new technique, the old one apparently still works quite well.

The world rightfully loves Crouser, which is why we have for the most part chosen to overlook the one downside of this accomplishment. No, it’s not that the Simplot Games is held at 4,400 feet and some altitude might account for the tiniest of gained margins. It’s that he wasn’t at the US Championships instead!

Again, it’s not the athlete’s fault when there is more incentive to compete elsewhere — it’s those damn high schoolers’!

New 3000m WR — I’m Liévin it!

Any distance record that is still left standing after the past few years must be something special. Set in 1998, Daniel Komen’s previous 3000m indoor world record of 7:24.90 is finally off the board thanks to Lamecha Girma’s 7:23.81 in Liévin.

When you hear “world record,” you may assume it was a time trial, but no! This was very much a race. Maybe we can have both? Spain’s Mo Katir also got under the previous time and set a European record as he shadowed Girma throughout.

Now the question for the Olympic and World Champion silver medalist is can he get two more long-standing marks: Daniel Komen’s 3000m outdoor record of 7:20.67 (which is widely believed to be one of the best on the books) and Saif Saaeed Shaheen’s steeplechase mark of 7:53.63.

Though time is nice, the real challenge will be beating Soufiane El Bakkali and finally bringing home a gold medal. Girma has only beaten the Moroccan once — at the 2019 World Championships — except it was for second, as Conseslus Kipruto won the photo finish.

Rapid Fire Highlights 🔥

In what is being called a Kerley-esque move, the 400m World Champion Michael Norman has shared that he is going to move down to focus on the 100m this season. This is only greater ammunition for my belief that we should get rid of half the events in track and field, forcing significantly more overlap amongst the best.
After long jumping 8.40m in Toruń, the Olympic champion Miltiádis Tentóglou’s mark was controversially nullified as World Athletics claimed his shoes did not meet code. To that news he said, "I don't care about an 8.40 jump… I can jump it whenever the fuck I want. It's just unfair. I'm disgusted." That’s a real quote. The next day he went 8.41m in Liévin.
Four-time hurdles world champion Greg Foster passed away at the age of 64.
Britton Wilson, who is known for being very good at the 400 hurdles, made every distance runner’s dreams come true when she tested out the 800m for the first time ever. Well, she crushed it, going 2:02.1 to win and now every assertion that a sprinter should move up to the 800 seems valid.
Irine Jepchumba Kimais (64:37) upset 2021 London Marathon champion Joyciline Jepkosgei (64:46) at the Barcelona Half. On the men’s side, Charles Kipkurui Langat (58:53) beat the fourth fastest marathoner of all time, Birhanu Legese.
At the RAK Half, it was all about Hellen Obiri (65:05) and Benard Kibet Koech (58:45). This was Koech’s first race since breaking the 10 mile WR, but it wasn’t quite as fast of a result.
The group ran deep at the Seville Marathon as 24 men broke 2:10 and 18 women went under 2:30. Ethiopia’s Gadisa Shumie (2:04:59) and Jackline Chelal (2:20:29) took top honors.

WHAT TO WATCH 📺

Madrid World Indoor Tour - Wednesday, 2/22 - 1:30pm EST - Flotrack

Maurie Plant - Thursday, 2/23 - 3am EST

Birmingham World Indoor Tour - Saturday, 2/25 - 9am EST - Flotrack

BU Last Chance - Sunday, 2/26 - 11am EST - Flotrack