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American Records Fall 🤠
2:19:12 — Isn’t it satisfying when the finish line clock matches the time the athlete actually ran? Keira D’Amato never hid the fact that she’d be attempting to break the American Record in Houston. And in Ruth-like fashion, she called her shot.
By now, most of us have heard the inspirational tale of D’Amato’s ascent: after a decade away from the sport, the now-37-year-old mother of two and full-time realtor fell back in love with the sport, started running faster and faster times, and as of this past weekend, eclipsed a mark that evaded a generation of all-time great athletes.
Deena Kastor’s 2:19:36 victory at the 2006 London Marathon sits atop the pyramid among the greatest American performances of all-time, but even Kastor didn’t expect her mark to last 15 years. So why did it?
The most likely candidate to have broken it has to have been Shalane Flanagan. Since making her debut in 2010, Shalane competed in twelve marathons during her professional career (not including the post-retirement Majors tour). Drawn by the prestige of winning on home soil — and likely handsome paydays — seven of those races were either in New York or Boston. Both courses are notoriously difficult, due to big hills, variable weather, and the absence of pacemakers. Another four of Shalane’s marathons were run at championships, either in the Trials or the Olympics. And so the only legitimate attempt in her career to rip a fast one came in 2014 at Berlin, where she ultimately finished 3rd in 2:21:14. Flanagan admittedly did try that day, leading the race through halfway in 1:09:38 — but she only really tried once.
Historians would have pegged Amy Cragg as another contender for the crown, especially following her 2017 World Championship bronze medal. But similar to Flanagan, she only ran one, maybe two marathons a year and the majority were either championships or held on harder domestic courses. Cragg’s best time came from Tokyo in 2018 where she ran 2:21:42 for 3rd, which remains her personal best by over five minutes.
Of course, how can you forget about Des Linden? Although she ran 2:22:38, there’s a small asterisk next to that because it was run on the Boston course, which is not record eligible due to being point to point and net-downhill (but still plenty uphill!). But it isn’t surprising this was her fastest time when you remember that of her twenty-one career marathons, eleven were either in Boston or New York and seven more were at championships.
Then there is a list of younger athletes who are still competing, many of whom newsletter pundits might consider as potential American Record holders. There hasn’t been a 31st birthday shared between the likes of Molly Seidel, Emma Bates, Jordan Hasay, or Emily Sisson. On the opposite end of the experience spectrum — and if we’ve learned anything recently — when it comes to Sally Kipyego, Molly Huddle and Aliphine Tuliamuk, motherhood won’t necessarily slow them down either.
All this is not meant to detract from Keira’s accomplishment by saying there haven’t been many attempts — it’s to celebrate it. That’s because she was bold enough to do something most others wouldn’t. After finishing a fall marathon, the majority of athletes take a couple weeks off before entering into another base phase. Maybe there’d be consideration about another marathon six months later — if the appearance fee is right. But following her fourth place finish in Chicago, Keira and her coach, Scott Rackzo, rolled right into training and racing (Richmond 8k, Manchester, USA Half). With her fitness mounting, D’Amato stepped up to the plate and pointed two fingers towards center field — there were no medals on the line and it wasn’t a World Marathon Major, but she swung for the fences. What an appropriate reward for betting on herself.
You may have noticed someone missing from our earlier discussion — the new American Record holder for the half marathon! Fifteen years after her husband and coach, Ryan, broke the still standing men’s record, Sara Hall cruised to a 67:15 in Houston to knock 10 seconds off Molly Huddle’s previous mark from 2018.
Much like D’Amato, Hall deserves a ton of praise for her consistent willingness to target records and race constantly. On two occasions she went after this record in solo attempts on the Row River bike path in Oregon, which is where her previous best time of 68:18 was from. In what is truly an unbelievable stat, guess how many times Sara Hall has competed in a race of 20 kilometers or more since 2014.
Think of a number…
Lock it in?
51.
Conservative coaches everywhere are picking their jaws up from off their yellow legal pads in awe. Needless to say, Sara Hall deserves this record. But part of what made this day so much quicker than previous attempts is that it was an actual race.
At the front was Kenya’s Vicoty Chepngeno, who blasted a 65:03 for the fastest time ever run on American soil and a 2+ minute personal best. She was so far ahead of the field that the broadcast crew lost her and wasn’t prepared for her finish. But behind Chepngeno and with Hall was another pack of breakout performances. In third place was the Boss Babe, Dom Scott (67:32), who ran a 3 minute personal best in her second half ever, good for the second fastest ever by a South African. And in fourth was Puma’s Fiona O’Keeffe (67:42), whose debut was the fastest ever by an American. If there’s one trend worth rooting for in addition to these fast times, it’s that the eagerness to line up with regularity is inherited by the next crop of stars.
Houston Rockets 🚀
All signs pointed towards James Ngandu being good at the marathon, but it’s impossible to really know until you actually try it. The former NCAA DII Champion from Tiffin College has been a force on the road running scene since graduating in 2018.
He’d put on a show in Houston before, when in 2019 he tried, but failed to gain a spot on the line with the elite half marathon field. Lining up from the open section, he still finished 9th in 1:01:51. (These DII guys thrive when there is a chip on their shoulders!)
And he brought the encore in Houston on Sunday. Ngandu hung back for the first 90% of the race, content to let others dictate the pace, before springing into action. His 2:11:03 debut confirmed that running fast while going pretty far has a tendency to convert to running fast while going really far, quite well.
The top American in the field was Roots Running’s Frank Lara who finished 6th in 2:11:32. And just behind him was his Scottish teammate, Luke Caldwell. Many people are now calling this the best marathon group in the country. And we know Parker Stinson agrees.
In the men’s half marathon, the top honors of the day went to Ethiopia’s Milkesa Mengesha in 1:00:44. And as the ol’ proverb says, ‘If you want to go far go together, if you want to go fast then follow the Olympian who has run sub-13 for 5k.’ Behind Mengesha was this year’s LA Marathon champ, John Korir, and a ton of other tough dudes running quick times:
The fastest American of the day was an unsponsored Kirubel Erassa, whose 1:00:44 is the second fastest debut ever by an American. The only person to open up faster? Ryan Hall in his American Record run.
The now-Ryan Hall trained athlete, Rory Linkletter, set a Canadian half marathon record (1:01:08), but unfortunately did not receive any kisses at the finish line.
In his first race as a non-sponsored athlete Scott Fauble (1:01:11) ran a big personal best, and that theme continues as you skim through the results.
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Pat Tiernan’s New Uniform
The two-time Australian Olympian and 2016 NCAA XC Champion for Villanova, Patrick Tiernan, joined the Oregon Track Club in 2020. Since moving to Eugene he’s found great success, highlighted by a 10,000m personal best of 27:22. This weekend in Houston, Tiernan ran a half marathon personal best of 1:00:55 to finish 6th. This race was his last as a Mark Rowland-trained athlete; he even competed in a new kit. Enjoy this short Q&A about his recent move:
Before getting to the business side of things, how are you feeling about the race on Sunday and that new personal best?
I’m really happy with it. The mentality going in was just to get a good hard effort in. Ultimately we are preparing for a 10,000m in March for a World Champs qualifier. When you put a January half on the calendar that’s a good motivator to get the fall miles in.
When you’re in a fast race like Houston, there’s no hiding — that is if you want to keep up. It was a large group through 9 miles, which is rare for that race. It was cool looking around the pack and seeing all the US-based guys up there together — it’s promising to see that.
If fans missed your announcement on Instagram beforehand, they may not have recognized you out there. What prompted the change from the Oregon Track Club to the new Puma uniform?
I’d describe the whole thing as bittersweet. Coming off the Olympic year, like most athletes, I went through a contract negotiation. Generally, things can get sorted out between the sponsor and an athlete, but Nike wasn’t making an offer. With a couple other options elsewhere, I weighed my choices and Puma stood out as a company that’s had a lot of success on the roads. Look at Molly [Seidel] — obviously the footwear is fantastic and that's a big deal in this day and age. Stepping on the start line, you want to be on a level playing field with everyone.
It was a good opportunity and unfortunately I couldn't get anything with Nike. And since they’re the group’s sponsor, it was out of our control. It’s disappointing because Mark [Rowland] and I were just getting started. The whole staff and team is really special to me — we had a great thing going.
The sweet spot is that I have been able to find myself another great situation moving forward. There's a fantastic group setup with Amy and Alistair Cragg so I am excited to be joining the Puma Elite Running crew.
For those who maybe don’t know you on a personal level, why was this such a tough decision?
My partner, Angel [Piccirillo] just joined the group a few months ago and we had a lot of fun this fall training together. Angel staying in Eugene makes sense and me going to North Carolina also makes sense for us long-term. It’s a reality that we will work through at this time in our lives. Our wedding was moved to August this year and I am hoping my family can make it over so we can go ahead with it. But this had nothing to do with visas or anything — it was about contracts. But it’s nice to know Eugene will still be a place that I can come back to and visit regularly to spend time with Angel and our dog.
My new coaches have been very understanding of everything and that has meant a lot in the transition. There was nothing wrong with my relationship with OTC. They’re easily the most underestimated group in the country and I was happy. But Puma Elite is also a fantastic group and I am thrilled to have been given this opportunity by them.
What are you most looking forward to in this move? It’s a young group, but they’re off to a strong start. Just look at Fiona O’Keeffe and John Dressel this weekend! Is there anything you’ve learned the last couple years that you’re hoping to take with you?
One thing that worked well under Mark is that he’s an open book. There’s always a lot of communication in regards to training, which I appreciated. That takes confidence and trust from his perspective. I’ve done sessions that I never would have thought possible, but he’s willing to turn the screw to test you. He’d propose things and would ask my take before we’d move things around together. It's something that gave me confidence in myself, especially with how important it is to be in tune with your body.
That was a big thing that stuck out with me for my initial conversations with Alistair. He said he’d be stupid not to listen and take thoughts away from me as far as training goes — that respect and trust is key, especially so early on. Also having Amy’s involvement in my career is super appealing. She was such a successful marathoner that it’d be a wasted resource to not pick her brain constantly. That’s how you form a career — by drawing from others' success, while also learning from their mistakes.
In the same way, I hope to bring a lot of what OTC taught me to Puma Elite. They taught me what a healthy and dynamic environment should be and I want to bring that energy to this new setup. I am going to be the oldest in the group which is a change, but new challenges are always good! (Editor: Pat is only 27!)
Do you have an interest in supporting elite athletes? Subscribe to our Friday morning premium newsletter! This week we speak with former Adams State standout, Sydney Gidabuday, coming off his 9th place finish at the Houston Half Marathon where he ran 1:01:09. This initiative has now raised over $16,500 with all proceeds going towards the athletes whose stories we share.
Play Ball ⚾️
Well, we made it! It was a long and dreary fall without track and field, but thankfully we were able to scrounge up enough human interest pieces and the occasional road race to hold us over. But now, track is back!
It felt like opening day this weekend, and kicking things off on the professional circuit was the newly named but well-established Union Athletics Club, who went on a business trip to College Station, Texas. The star of the show was Konstanze Klosterhalfenn, who opened things up by winning the 800m in 2:07.47 — or as she likes to call, “1500m pace.” It was a good warm up before she doubled back to win the 3000m in 8:39.36. In stride with Koko around the track was her teammate, Jess Hull, whose 8:39.79 was good enough for an Australian record. It’s safe to say both will be ready for Millrose.
Following an off-season marked by retirement consideration, Craig Engels ultimately returned to the track with a new long-term contract with Nike. Something about a flowing-haired, mustachioed man living in a trailer really resonated with the Swoosh, it seems.
But in Engels’s season opener, the hometown stud, Texas A&M’s Brandon Miller, held him off over 800m in a tight finish: 1:47.48 to 1:47.49. While most professionals may dread losing the potential for an undefeated season at the hands of a college kid, Miller has run 1:44 and is a favorite to win an NCAA title this year. Last year’s collegiate champion, Charlie Hunter, was also in this race, but following a mile win (4:00.86) was coming back on tired legs.
In the women’s mile, Athing Mu led the way, winning in a 21+ second personal best of 4:37.99. Unfortunately for spectators, Mu did not go out in 1:55 and try to hold on.
Flanagan takes On the next step
Before lining up at the Houston Half Marathon, Canadian standout and University of Michigan’s 2018 NCAA 10,000m champion Ben Flanagan announced that he’d no longer be competing for the Reebok Boston Track Club.
Last year was good to Flanagan, as he won his second Falmouth title and took home his first win at the Manchester Road Race. This year he looks to be picking up where he left off. Now competing for On, he ran a personal best of 1:01:38 this past weekend. We were curious what that move looked like and assumed you would be as well, so enjoy our brief conversation:
First off, an obligatory congratulations on your race this weekend! But I am curious because I was used to seeing you in Reebok, when did you first consider exploring other options?
My impending contract expiration date had been on my mind even a year in advance. The stakes were high going into an Olympic year because you not only want to accomplish a major life goal, but making a team would be a huge variable factored into any potential signing or re-signing. I started to ponder the idea of other opportunities — probably in the spring — because I wanted to set myself up for the best scenario possible.
It seems like you were happy in Virginia and running well. Was this strictly a financially motivated move?
I had an amazing experience with Reebok. I loved my time with teammates and the coaches — everything was fantastic! I wasn’t dying to get out of the situation. My next step has more to do with my life beyond running.
I’ve been running for over 10 years at a high level and every step of my life has been dictated by it. I’m reaching an age now where I’m confident enough in my ability, talent, and work ethic that I can shift the focus of where I want to be the next few years beyond just the best running environment. I wanted a bit more autonomy and independence.
Well we know you’re representing On, but what’s the whole group and coach setup?
On was an interesting opportunity from the start but I feel like they gained even more credibility among athletes from their investment in OAC and their innovation team. So I asked my agent, Dan Lilot, to get in contact with On. I thought they’d invest in an athlete like me — a Canadian on a second contract whose future is on the road, but still likes the track. It was impressive how quickly communication developed and this came to fruition. They made me feel wanted and I didn’t realize how important that was.
Since the beginning, I’ve been in communication with Mason [Ferlic] and Ron [Warhusrt] about moving back to Michigan. Ron’s always been supportive since my Michigan days, but the more we spoke, the more I realized what a great opportunity it was to come back and join the Very Nice Track Club.
I liked that it’s a group of individuals as opposed to being tied to a brand like most groups. The invitation to join the group was personal. Ron reaching out came from his own interest in me as an athlete with no strings attached. That raw grassroots element appealed to me.
Was there pressure to join the OAC? It’s nice to hear there are still options to be independent despite their being a shoe sponsored group.
It never came up. I made it clear from the beginning that I was looking for an independent situation and that’s why I was looking for a new deal entirely. But I reached out to Dathan [Ritzenhein] to let him know that I was signing to see if there’d ever be a chance to come out to Boulder for a camp and he was super inviting. I am actually headed to Florida shortly to visit them and meet the On product team.
Is there anything you’re going to take with you from Coach Fox’s training and alternatively, what are you most excited about to be under Ron?
He is definitely one of the best marathon coaches in the world and that made the decision a challenge since that’s the direction of my career. But I learned you don’t need to overcomplicate things: stay consistent and think big picture. The main thing I’ll take away is that I don’t need as much rest as I thought. He helped coach me until the very end and we did some great things together in that period.
But in college I enjoyed the high quality, high intensity work. I am excited to get back to sharpening up and putting spikes on for Ron’s workouts and just being in Ann Arbor again. And people forget, he’s coached more than middle distance athletes. You know Greg Meyer won Boston, right?
Readers may have noticed that in recent weeks, The Lap Count has increased its coverage and hype surrounding the various signings and group changes across the world of professional running. This hasn’t been an accident! We’ve watched for years the way other, more popular sports are covered — and treating the “offseason” as another factor for fans to follow has largely been lacking in track and field. Athletes can only race so much, but what happens off the track is not only relevant, it’s fun to keep tabs on and learn more about. We hope that by sharing and building storylines around these moves that we signal to both athletes and brands that the fans are always watching, even when the clock is stopped.
Stay tuned! On Thursday and Friday, CITIUS MAG will be breaking more fresh signings!
Rapid Fire Highlights 🔥
Steph Rothstein won the Arizona Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in 70:33.
Isaiah Harris is bringing his 1:44.42 talent with him to the Brooks Beasts. (Podcast via Citius Mag)
The 2022 World Championships in Oregon has sold over 100k tickets. Are you an athlete trying to qualify and unsure how the rankings work? Bookmark the Road To page to check in on your standings.
In his first meet of the season, Georgia’s Matthew Boling set a big personal best in the long jump, going 8.25m.
Jacob Thomson (13:28/27:57/2:15) and Katie Snowden (2:01/4:02/4:25) have joined Under Armour’s Dark Sky Distance in Flagstaff.
The 2021 NCAA 1500m champion from BYU, Anna Camp-Bennett, has signed a professional deal with Adidas.
Reminding everyone that he is all grown up, Drew Hunter got engaged!
Lonah Salpeter, Jake Smith, Nienke Brinkman, and Richard Douma have joined the NN Running Team (Post).
In her first request as a sponsored athlete, Nell Rojas asked Adidas if they would help a friend replace their workout gear lost during the Boulder fires. (Post)
We got another behind-the-scenes YouTube video from Molly Seidel, this time from the USATF XC Championships. (Video)
The Blessing Okagbare investigation has led to Eric Lira being the first person charged under US Anti-Doping law. Reading through the details of the case is revealing to the mindset of those involved. Now the question is, who is “Athlete-2?” (Article)
Texas Tech had a weekend! Ruth Usoro broke Keturah Orji’s NCAA TJ record (14.76m) and in the process set a Nigerian record. Her teammate, Terrence Jones, tied the NCAA record, running 6.45 in the 60m. (Video)
At the UW Preview, Ben Blankenship (7:45.92) impressively out-kicked three dudes running personal bests as Sam Prakel, Johnny Gregorek and Joey Berriatua followed him to the finish after 3000m.
Virginia is for
loversfast high school 1,000m performances. Rheinhardt Harrison ran 2:22.77 — good for the all-time #2 mark — and Roisin Willis held off Sophia Gorriaran 2:43.34 to 2:43.52. Don’t you love that the best teenagers aren’t afraid to race each other? Take notes pros!The USATF Foundation awarded a first ever $4,000 maternity grant to Molly Huddle, Elvin Kibet, Shannon Rowbury, and Ce’Aira Brown.
The University of Washington’s Kieran Lumb (3:55.53) and Madison Heisterman (4:34.51) ran NCAA leading marks. UW alum Amy-Eloise Markovc won the women’s race in 4:30.78, but she’s a professional now, so her time unfortunately won’t qualify her for NCAAs. We don’t make the rules, but we do report them!
Look at you loyal readers sticking around to the very bottom! As always, we not only permit, but encourage the sharing of this newsletter’s content with your friends. And thank you to UCAN for once again sponsoring The Lap Count!