WHO IS THE WOMEN’S DISTANCE GOAT?

Coming off this year’s spring marathon season, I recently penned an article debating who was the GOAT male distance runner in history, the greatest of all time. Afterwards, my old friend Amby Burfoot, he of 1968 Boston Marathon fame and ex-executive editor of Runner’s World Magazine, suggested I begin a debate about the women’s GOAT. Amby’s prompt is my command. Needless to say, women’s running…

View On WordPress

WHO IS THE GOAT? UPDATED APRIL 2024

Kenya’s Alexander Munyao takes the win in London 2024 (2:04:01), followed by Ethiopia’s Keninise Bekele in 2:04:15 Considering 41-yer-old Kenenisa Bekele‘s 2:04:15 second place finish in today’s 2004 TCS London Marathon, I believe the Ethiopian legend strengthened his case for GOAT status in the world of distance running. As far back as 2018, I deduced Kenenisa had already earned GOAT status off…

View On WordPress

HAS THE MARATHON WALL BEEN TORN DOWN?

The crosscurrents of history and technology met up at the Boston Marathon in its 128th year. The notoriously downhill, quad-busting early miles of the Boston Marathon course have brought many a competitor to a damaged standstill, especially those intrepid souls who choose to dash out of Hopkinton like they were riding the Space Mountain rollercoaster at Disney Land. And yet the new super shoes,…

View On WordPress

MEB REMEMBERS HISTORIC BOSTON WIN

Meb Keflezighi joined me at last weekend’s Carlsbad 5000 to remember his historic 2014 Boston Marathon win. He ran todays 128th Boston to raise funds and awareness for his MEB Foundation. (Better late than never)

View On WordPress

REEXAMINING 2014 BOSTON - A RUN TO REMEMBER

(The following is based on my contemporaneous reporting of the 2014 Boston Marathon.) Ah, the mysteries of racing. Which is why pure, non-paced competition is almost always more compelling than time-trialing. The only question in a paced race is whether the pace and finishing time can be attained, not how it is attained, as that has been predetermined. If ever there was a case for competition…

View On WordPress

A LONG & WINDING TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Today, one week before the 128th Boston Marathon, we go back in time to when the sport of marathon running was in a state of a flux, no more so than in the city of Boston. The 87th running of the great race on Monday. 18 April 1983 saw Joan Benoit smash the women’s word record by 2:46, while Michigan native Greg Meyer topped the men’s field in 2:09:00. Two months later, the Boston Athletic…

View On WordPress

BASEBALL'S OPENING DAY HERALDS THE BOSTON MARATHON'S IMMINENT RETURN

As the winter cold gives way to the unrelenting muds of spring, the small dividing strip of land along Commonwealth Avenue in Newton, Massachusetts between Center Street and Hammond Road—a stretch runners know better as Heartbreak Hill along the Boston Marathon route beginning around 20 miles—becomes rutted by the innumerable footfalls that pound its surface every day. For Bostonians who train…

View On WordPress

BELARUS ATHLETE LOOKING TO OVERCOME POLITICAL REPRESSION AT LA MARATHON

At its best, sport transcends the cultural and political differences of nations, and brings the people of the world into a better understanding of what connects us rather than what divide us. The apogee of this philosophy has been the Olympic Games which, in ancient times, brought warring city states together for a peaceful expression of sporting excellence, and in modern times, draws the nations…

View On WordPress

2024 LA MARATHON SETS ITS CHASE DIFFERENTIAL

Preview of this Sunday's 39th LA Marathon McCourt Foundation Chase. Can the men chase down the women? We find out on Sunday morning. Watch on KTLA5 beginning at 6 a.m. Pacific time.

Los Angeles, CA (14 March 2024) —  As it has in thirteen previous editions (2004-2014; 2022-2023), the 2024 Los Angeles Marathon presented by ASICS will stage their unique McCourt Foundation Marathon Chase this Sunday at the event’s 39th running. The Chase is an exciting 26.2-mile race-within-a-race competition that will highlight the talented runners of the women’s and men’s pro fields in an…

View On WordPress

REST IN PEACE, HENRY RONO

We are all born onto this spinning orb, traveling at 1000 mph at the equator, with the pack of previously born moving through on the inside already up to speed. There are no head starts, my friends; we’re all coming from behind, in one fashion or another. So the only thing to do is to pick yourself up, slime yourself off, and get on with the chase. Perhaps nobody got on with the chase any more…

View On WordPress

STRIDING TO PARIS IN ORLANDO

The important thing about a running stride is not how it compares with others, it’s how it compares with itself before, during, and after fatigue sets in. Like an effective golf swing that holds steady from holes one to eighteen, rounds one to four, the question – is it repeatable and efficient? – is paramount. If it is, then it can manage well in competition, irrespective of its aesthetic…

View On WordPress

COACH BOB LARSEN FETED ON HIS 85th BIRTHDAY

Beneath long-tailed clouds streaking the bright blue skies, gentle ocean breezes, and temperatures hovering around 70°F – the kind of SoCal winter’s day that would be the envy of any burg in the world – the hillside high in Brentwood overlooking Santa Monica Bay and far away Catalina Island came alive with the sound of laughter and good cheer as memories, and even tears, flowed at coach Bob…

View On WordPress

HOSTING A GREAT PARTY

The distinction between host and guest is similar to that between a professional and amateur athlete. Both participate, but one has an added responsibility to make sure the event is successful because in its success lies his or her own. Pro athletes are “The Show”. In that leading role, they have to assist beyond simply performing well. They also have to help publicize and promote the event in…

View On WordPress

What is it about running THAT people WHO don’t run don’t get?

According to the latest data, foot racing made a big comeback in 2023, and the trend seems to herald a robust 2024, as well. This, after several years of Covid-caused cancellations, delays and controlled race re-openings.  This reemergence of races speaks to the desire for people across the running spectrum to join like-minded adherents  not just in training, but in competition, too, if only to…

View On WordPress

Ranking the best of the best

Maui, HI – As the year comes to a close, it’s always interesting to take note of the top performances over the last 12 months. I did that recently with the men’s and women’s marathons. But today, I thought I’d go back and take a look at the best performances in history, and make some assessments based on those numbers.  The way I’ve chosen to determine what’s best is to rely on the World…

View On WordPress

2023 HONOLULU MARATHON

After Ethiopia’s, Asefa Mengstu (2:14:40) and Asayech Ayalew (2:30:58) broke Kenya’s 14-year lock on the Honolulu Marathon victory stand at last year‘s golden anniversary race, two Kenyan athletes returned their country’s flag to its traditional position atop the Honolulu leaderboard today.  Paul Lonyangata, 2:15:42, and Cynthia Limo, 2:33:01, overcame challenging conditions, and determined…

View On WordPress

2023 KALAKAUA MERRIE MILE

Pacer versus rabbit They seem like interchangeable terms, pacer and rabbit, but they are subtly different. A pacer is a confederate who is there to establish your pace. In that sense, they are an ally. A rabbit, on the other hand, is there to lure you to a faster time. A pacer is on the hunt with you, while a rabbit is that which you are hunting.  In the Kalakaua Merrie Mile, now in its seventh…

View On WordPress