World Relays a PASS-able Meet

Pretty good play on words in the title, yes?
Well, while the sold-out crowd in Nassau, The Bahamas had a raucous wild and loud old time, the doings on the brand-new blue track were far more than "passable"!!

THREE World Records were broken.
Numerous National Records were smashed, or established.

It was a spectacular 2-day meet (Total running time--another pun!--was about 7 hours.) that had thrills and spills (More on that in a minute!), and the usual number of American foul-ups in the sprint relays!!
So let's get to the records and marks, since that's what my blog's all about.

Kenya got 2 of the WR's, and Jamaica squeezed out the third.
Two came on the 1st day, one on the 2nd day.

In terms of quality, in juxtaposition to the team's potential, I'd have to give the top prize to the Kenyan Men's 4X1500 team.
Together, they had a PR total very close to, if not under, 14:00.
Their winning time was 14:22.22, shattering the old mark of 14:36.23, set by a different Kenyan team in 2009.

That's an average of 3:35.55 per 1500.
But with a team that included Asbel Kiprop (3:27.72 PR) and Silas Kiplagat (3:29.27 PR), you had to think they were cruising!

One unique factor: This was a rabbitless race!
Any fast running was going to have to be a solo act.
And the Kenyans aren't used to that.
They always have rabbits pulling them along for the first 1000 meters or so.

So this run by Kenya was impressive, to say the least.
Yet it's easy to believe that they can even smash THIS record by the same 14 second margin they produced in Nassau.

The US also broke a record, their own National record.
They ran 14:40.80, cracking the old mark of 14:46.3 set in...1979!!
After half of the 2nd leg, they had no chance to win, as Kenya broke it wide open with one of their deadly surges.

But they beat Ethiopia!
And that doesn't happen every day!!
Ethiopia almost caught a slowed Leo Manzano, timing out at 14:41.22.
Manzano ran by far the slowest US leg, a 3:46!!

Australia also got their National Record, running 14:46.04, which beat their 2009 NR  by less than 1 second!

The next best in WR quality was the Women's 4X1500.
Kenya obliterated their old WR of 17:05.72 (run just a few short weeks ago, at altitude), running 16:33.58, thus breaking their record by over 32 seconds!!

Yet again, they could have gone quite a bit faster, as their total PR time was close to or under 16:00!
So they too were just cruising!!
And in the very best of circumstances, they could take ANOTHER 32 seconds off their record, with the same unit of 4.

Missing this race were Ethiopia's women, including the Dibaba sisters and Meseret Defar, who I'm sure could have given Kenya a run for their money!
(Kenya and the other WR-breaking teams won $100,000 US dollars, $50,000 for the win, and 50G's more  for the record.)

The US took second, but finished about 22 seconds behind,  with their American Record time of 16:55.33.
They might have run a BIT faster, if Katie Mackey hadn't "tackled" an Australian runner after getting the baton from Heather Kampf!!

She got the baton, turned and started sprinting away.
But the Aussie girl, who had just finished her leg, hadn't gotten out of the way yet, and Mackey smacked right into her, and both went toppling to the track!
Katie got up immediately, hurdled the prone body, and went on her merry way, losing maybe 2 or 3 seconds,

But the race was over anyway.
The Kenyan win was inevitable, given their team's make-up, and the mostly star-less US squad.

Missing from the US team were Jenny Simpson, Shannon Rowbury, and Mary Cain, who together with Brenda Martinez (who anchored this team with a 4:10) could have run a lot closer to the Kenyans here.

To be brutally honest, and with all due respect to Heather Kampf, Mackey, and Grace, and with the sole exception of Martinez, this was really the US "C" team!!
(The US is THAT good now in the middle distances that they could have produced 3, or even 4 or 5 teams that could have matched, or beaten, the new AR!!)

Australia, despite the mishap, also got a National Record, their mark being 17:08.65.
Romania also ran, but their time isn't worth noting.

The third WR came in the Men's 4X200, and the expected winner was a Bolt-less Jamaica.

Usain may have stayed home, but Yohan Blake came to Nassau, and came IN shape!!
His anchor split was reportedly a 19-flat!!

Jamaica's just squeaked by the old mark, by 0.05, running 1:18.63.
The old mark was held by the Carl Lewis-led Santa Monica Track Club, set in 1994.

The US was supposed to be their biggest "challenger".
But they were DQ'ed!!

So a Kim Collins-less St Kitts & Nevis finished 2nd, but far back, with a 1:20.41 National Record.
France also got an NR, with their time of 1:20.66.

No other WR's, but all the other races produced SOME good marks, several National Records, and at least one somewhat unexpected winner.

The latter came in the Women's 4X800 race.
Kenya, with Moscow WC Gold winner Eunice Sum on anchor, and with Janeth Jepkosgei also in there, were thought the favorites, but not by much, as the US sent their best team this time, albeit without Alysia Montano, who has a pretty good excuse, as she's about 8 months pregnant right now!!

When Chanelle Price ran a solid 2:01 first leg, they were actually leading the Kenyans!
While Geena (Gall) Lara ran "only" 2:02, she maintained the US lead, but just barely.
Then young Ajee Wilson took over.
She broke 2:00, and broke the race wide open as well!!

When Jepkosgei sprinted hard to catch her, Wilson kept her cool, and then surged herself forward, producing a clear lead that the US just extended when Martinez took over.
She also went sub-2:00 (actually about 1:58.7), and brought the US home in an NR time of 8:01.58.

Kenya also broke their National Record, with a good time of 8:04.19.
Australia got an NR also, with their 8:13.26, as did Jamaica (with Natoya Goule anchoring) with their 8:17.22.
Russia ran about 8:09, but since their NR is also the WR (7:50.17), they just finished with the Bronze medal!

The Men's 4X400 was almost recordless (No WR, but one NR.)), but the US, with LaShawn Merritt anchoring, and TJ'er Christian Taylor running a strong 3rd leg, ran a creditable 2:57.75.

Trinidad ran the lone National Record, their time being 2:58.34.
Their previous mark was 2:59.60.
They moved from 13th A-T World up to 7th!
(BTW, I don't keep lists for Relays other than the World 4X100 and 4X400 (and some Collegiate Relays).)

The US Women's 4X100 team won with a time of 41.88.

The US Women's 4X400 team, with a comebacking Sanya Richards-Ross running a 50.4 second leg, won in 3:21.54

Finally, the Men's 4X800 also produced no WR, but 2 NR's, and it was exciting!

Kenya ran it hard from the gun, trying to break the WR of 7:02.43, set by another Kenyan squad back in 2006.
And when they hit the halfway point in 3:30 with a big lead, they seemed primed for the record.
The 3rd leg continued the parade, as they hit the 2400 meter mark in about 5:17.
All they needed was a 1:45.

But their guy sprinted the 1st 400 in 49.
Then crashed!!

As he struggled to hold the lead, the US and Poland anchors were sprinting hard off the final curve.
And Poland almost caught Kenya's man, Kenya running 7:08.69 to Poland's NR of 7:09.06.

Australia nailed their National Record with a 7:11.48.

Quite an Inaugural meet!!

There WAS other news this weekend, so let's get to it!

The 4th ATL meet, in San Marcos TX (near Austin) on May 23rd, produced 5 Meet Records, including in a "new" event, the Men's 300 meters.

Jose Herrera ran 32.44 (Jeremy Wariner was 3rd, in 33.02) for the MR.
Ronnie Ash fought a -2.8 wind, running the 110H in a MR 13.35.
Molly Beckwith-Ludlow continued her comeback, winning the 800 in a MR 2:00.60.
Tiffany Williams won the 400H in a MR 55.39.
(Ashton Eaton lost, but ran his fastest 400H, a 49.69!)
Finally, Britney Reese started her 2014 campaign with a new-event MR of 22-2.75 in the LJ.

Some good HS marks.

Ricky Faure ran 800 in 1:48.14, getting 10th A-T on my HS DDD list.

Payton Stumbaugh scored 5210 Heptathlon points, good for 18th A-T HS.

Stephanie Jenks, a 10th grader, ran 3000 in 9:24.67, which just made the Top 24, at 24th A-T HS.
Her joining the list knocked an oldie OFF the list.
Gone is Alisa Harvey, whose mark was run in 1983!

Haley Showalter threw the Hammer 183-2, good for 18th A-T HS.

John McCarthy ran the 3000SC in 9:11.86, which makes him 23rd A-T HS.

Haley Teel put the shot 51-6.50, good for 22nd A-T HS.

Gabrielle Kearney threw the Javelin 166-0, which makes her 14th A-T HS.

Curtis Thompson had a JT of 222-8, good for 21st A-T HS.

And Payton Montgomery had a JT of 161-2, good for 23rd A-T HS.

The Tucson Elite Throwers meet, a 2 day affair, produced some good marks.

Sultana Frizell, the Canadian National Record holder, broke her own mark by over 2 feet, her 248-5 winning in Tucson.
She moves from 21st A-T World up to 18th, tied with 1 other.

Chris Cralle threw the Hammer 246-11 for a PR, moving him from 21st A-T US up to 14th.

Leigh Petranoff, daughter of Tom, got a Javelin PR of 191-6, good for 8th A-T US.

Two female SP'ers made advancements.

Felicia Johnson improved to 61-10.50 (on May 9, not in Tucson!!), good for 10th A-T US.

And Brittany Smith, who's best known as a Hammerer, got a SP PR of 60-11.25, good for 16th A-T US.
I also discovered that she'd improved her HT best by about 6 feet awhile ago, her 230-6 making her 16th A-T US.

Kristin Hixson broke the NCAA Division II record with a Vault of 14-9.
While Division II athletes aren't eligible for NCAA Division I records, lists, or the Championship meet, I'm going to put her on my list.
She's a collegian in a 4 year school, and deserves to be measured against other collegians!!

Her 14-9 is good for 4th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others.
More significantly, it also makes her 18th A-T US, tied with 5 others!!

Another PV'er, Xui Changrui of China, got a National Record of 19-0.25.

Finally, Kim Collins continues to destroy the age 38 100 record, his latest being a 10.11.

In just 5 more days is the opening night session of the Prefontaine Classic, with (possibly) Galen Rupp going for his American Record in the 10000!!
Also, Mary Cain is scheduled to make her 2014 outdoor debut Friday night in the 800.
Coach Alberto doesn't want to throw her in the deep end in the 1500, with Abeba Aregawi and Jenny Simpson, among others, in the field!

Too bad, as I'd love to see her go up against a REAL World Class field, and have a great chance to go sub-4:00, or at least get a solid PR.

Another race I'm looking forward to at Pre is the Women's 2 Mile!!
The field's a good one, and should make for massive revisions to my 2 mile lists, both World and US, as well as Age Records, etc!!

See you then!!