The two hour three minute barrier has fallen!
Dennis Kimetto of Kenya broke every known Men's Marathon record in the just-finished Berlin race.
His time of 2:02:57 breaks the "legal" WR of 2:03:23 by Wilson Kipsang.
It also breaks the best-ever mark of 2:03:02, set by Geoff Mutai in the 2011 Boston race.
His average mile was approximately 4:42.2.
That's about 70.6 per 400, or 105 laps (plus 195 meters extra) at that pace!
Oh, and Kimetto also gets the Age 30 record, as well as the Kenya National record.
He moves from 5th A-T World up into 1st.
Second in 2:03:13 was Emmanuel Mutai.
Because I accept Boston times in my Record Book, Mutai's time does not eclipse Moses Mosop's 2:03:06 second place mark in that 2011 race.
(Nor does he get the Age 29 record, which belongs to the other Mutai with his 2:03:02.)
But he moves from 6th A-T World up into 4th!
Shalane Flanagan sadly did not break Deena Kastor's American Record in the Women's Marathon in Berlin.
But she did run the 2nd fastest marathon in American Woman's history!
Her time of 2:21:14 moves her from 3rd A-T US into 2nd.
The winner was Terfi Tsegaye, her 2:20:18 making her 20th A-T World.
Feysi Tadese's 2:20:27 makes her 21st A-T World.
No Cross Country report this time, except to mention that Shelby Houlihan beat Emma Bates in a shoot-out at the Roy Griak Invitational.
Now for my wrap-up on the 2014 Collegiate Outdoor season.
As always, I'll begin with the men.
The Collegiate Record Department was thrown a no-hitter this year!
Not even one CR broken!!
But there were 5 Collegiate Class Records erased.
And FOUR of those were done by Freshmen!!
Ed Cheserek nabbed 2 of them, the 5000 (13:18.71) and the 1500 (3:36.50).
Trayvon Bromell got the Frosh Class record in the 100 (9.97).
Devon Allen's 13.16 got the Frosh 110H record.
And Aleec Harris's 13.18 time in the 110H was a Senior Class mark.
Only 31 marks made my Top 24 lists this year.
The leading event in that category was the Distance Medley Relay.
Five schools are listed from 2014.
With 3 marks each were the 110H, the SP, and the 4X100 Relay.
My Men's Collegiate Athlete of the Year Award goes to....
Ed Cheserek!
His 2 Class records as a Frosh were good for any class.
Both Trayvon Bromell and Devon Allen are tied as runners-up.
Bromell's 9.97 gets the Performance of the Year.
It's not only the Frosh Class mark, but the Age 18 record too!
Allen's 13.16 in the 110H and Cheserek's 13:18.71 in the 5000 share the runner-up spot.
The Collegiate Women's scene was somewhat better than the men, but not by very much!
One CR was broken.
Courtney Okolo's 400 of 50.03 was the lone Women's CR.
Class Records went to....
Kendell Baisden's 50.46 as a Frosh.
Okolo's 50.03 as a Soph.
Kendell Williams got 6018 Heptathlon points for the Frosh mark.
And Aisling Cuffe's 15:11.13 serves as the 5000 Junior Class record.
The women got 56 marks on the DDD lists.
I know Okolo got the only CR, but she doesn't get the AOY.
That goes to....
Kendell Williams.
Her marks (and victories) in the 7-eventer deserve it.
But that 50.03 gives Ms Okolo the Performance of the Year.
I'll give Cuffe's 5K the runner-ip spot.
The busiest event in 2014 for my DDD's was the PV.
Eight marks date from this year.
With 6 each were the JT and the 3000SC.
The 5000 has 5 marks.
And with 3 each were the 400, 10000, DT and HT.
The World and US 2014 wrap-ups won't be until December 31st!
The next post might not happen for 2 or even 3 weeks!
(Haven't you had enough of my ramblings these past 10 months?? LOL)
Hopefully by then, I'll have a better sense of who might be the Indoor stars of 2015.
If I have any news to report to that end, I will.
And maybe even a line or two about XC.
Until then, enjoy the break!
ADD: I decided to add ONE item from XC before my "vacation".
Just discovered that brand new Pro, Alexa Efraimson, has run her first Professional race!!
She finished 3rd in the College/Open division at Stanford yesterday.
The winner was Abby Regan of Washington State, who ran 20:31.
Alexa's time was 20:46.
Most, if not all, of her competition were collegians!
Alexa just began her senior year of high school!
Efraimson apparently was leading until the final kilometer, when she faded.
In an interview on Flotrack, she said she wasn't disappointed with her race, as it was her first race at the 6000 meter distance!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
2014 Outdoor Season--High School
Time to wrap up the 2014 Outdoor High School season.
(The 2014 Indoor season was wrapped up in my post from March 19th!)
Before I do, I've adopted a new rule.
I'll call it my "Pro-Am Rule", for want of a better name!
From now on, I've decided to go along with the general consensus about High Schoolers who turn Professional before graduation.
Mary Cain was the first to do so, but now Alexa Efraimson has followed suit.
There could be more in the future!
The only records, either overall HSR's or Class Records, affected thus far were/are held by Cain.
And most of these were from the 2014 Indoor season.
Here's the list:
Indoors
1000--Cain's 2:35.80 is now the Pro HSR, as well as the Pro Senior Class record! Sarah Bowman's 2:43.40 from 2005 is back as the official HSR, as well as the official Senior Class record!
1500. Cain's 4:11.72 from 2013 is still the overall HSR. But her 4:06.63 from 2014 is now just the Pro Senior Class record. The Senior Class record reverts back to Lynn Jennings's 4:18.9 from 1978.
1 Mile--The overall HSR is now Cain's 4:28.25 from 2013. (The Pro HSR is Cain's 4:24.11 from 2014.) The Senior Class mark is now owned by Jennings, with her 4:39.0 from 1978.
Outdoors:
The only record affected was the 3000.
The Pro HSR is held by Cain, with her 8:58.48.
The official HSR reverts back to Lynn Bjorklund's 9:08.6 from 1975.
Also, Bjorklund again owns the Senior Class record.
This all means that Ms Efraimson, now a Pro, can chase ONLY Cain's Pro HSR's and Pro Senior Class records, NOT the "amateur" records!!
Now, onto the 2014 Outdoor season!
Men
There were two HSR's set.
Trentavis Friday ran the 100 in 10.00.
Bailey Roth ran the 3000SC in 8:47.04.
Six Class Records were set:
Darryl Haraway ran 10.20 as a Soph.
Friday's 10.00 was as a Senior.
Noah Lyles ran 20.71 as a Soph.
Andrew Hunter ran the 3000 in 8:16.31 as a Soph.
Bailey Roth ran the 3000SC in 8:47.04 as a Senior.
And Brandon Bray PVed 17-8.50 as a Junior.
Twenty six marks from 2014 are on my HS DDD list from Outdoors.
The HS Athlete of the Year is Trentavis Friday.
He broke the HS 100 record, and ran the 2 fastest 200's, but both of them were wind-aided!
Bailey Roth is runner-up, breaking the 3000SC record...twice!!
Friday's 10.00 gets the Performance of the Year.
(He beat Trayvon Bromell in that race, while Roth's SC records were in races where he finished far back!)
Now on to the.....
Women
Women set 7 HSR's!
Cain set a Pro HSR. (See new rule above!)
Kaylin Whitney ran 11.10.
Cain's 8:58.48 3000 is the new Pro HSR.
(The "amateur" HSR belongs to Lynn Bjorklund's 9:08.6 from 1975.)
Bethan Knights ran the 2 Mile in 9:53.54.
Dior Hall got the 100H HSR with her 12.92.
Desiree Freier PV'ed 14-7.25.
Raven Saunders threw the SP 56-8.
The 4X200 Relay team from St Thomas Aquinas ran 1:33.43.
Columbia TC set the Sprint Medley HSR with their 3:50.82.
Fifteen Class Records were set!
Whitney got the Soph Class 100 & 200 records with her 11.10 and 22.49.
Elise Cranny got the HS Senior Class 1500 mark with her 4:10.95.
Cain, as noted, set the new Pro HS Senior Class 3000 mark with her 8:58.48.
Knights's 9:53.54 2 Mile was as a Senior.
Rylee Bowen ran the 3000SC in 10:50.92 as a Frosh.
Alexis Duncan ran the 100H in 13.33 as a Soph.
Dior Hall's 12.92 was as a Senior.
Sydney McLaughlin's 55.63 400H was as a Frosh.
Vashti Cunningham HJ'ed 6-3 as a Soph.
Lexi Weeks PVed 14-0 as a Junior.
Freier's 14-7.25 was as a Senior.
Saunders's SP of 56-8 was as a Senior.
Kiana Phelps threw the Discus 179-7 as a Soph.
And Hannah DeBalsi ran 2 Miles in 9:55.05 as a Soph.
There were 48 marks made in 2014 that are on my DDD list!
The HS Athlete of the Year award goes to Kaylin Whitney.
She broke the 100 HSR, and ran the fastest non-altitude 200 ever!
This was such a spectacular year for Women's HSR's, that I've selected 3 women to share the Runner-up position.
Raven Saunders destroyed Michelle Carter's SP record.
Dior Hall broke the 35 year old 100H record.
And Desiree Freier continued her outstanding year outdoors with yet another HSR.
As for the Performance of the Year?
I'm giving that, by a VERY slim margin, to.....
Dior Hall's 12.92 in the 100H.
It was the AGE of the old record (35 years) that tilted it in her favor!
Right behind were the 56-8 SP of Raven Saunders, as well as the 11.10 100 of Kaylin Whitney.
Although now relegated to the new Pro HS Record division, I must also honor Mary Cain's 8:58.48!
Looking back, I must say this was one of the best-ever years for High Schoolers that I can remember!
The girls, in particular, were just phenomenal.
How many other years do you remember SEVEN (8, if you include Cain's 3000!) HSR's broken by one gender?
(Add the 2 Men's HSR's, and you've got 9 (10, with Cain's!) altogether!
Plus all those Class Records!!
The best event was probably the PV, with Indoor HSR holders Devin King and Desiree Freier continuing their fabulous year outdoors!
But not far behind was the Women's SP and 2 Mile.
The sprints, for both genders, were dominant outdoors too, with BOTH HSR's in the 100 going down, plus some spectacular 200 times (windy and legal) being run.
The other big change came with the decision by Alexa Efraimson to turn Professional, following Mary Cain, who did so about 1 year earlier.
(Will others follow in 2015??)
Before I end this post, a bit of news from the Road Racing and Cross Country fronts!
41 year old Deena Kastor broke the Masters (Age 40 or over!) WORLD Record for the Half-Marathon, with her 1:09:35 in the Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half earlier today.
Also finishing well were comebacking Kara Goucher, who ran 1:11:40.
And Laura Thweatt, whose first-ever Half was run in 1:11:02.
In the USATF 5000 race today, Molly Huddle won easily in 15:10.
But surprisingly, it was Birthday Girl (She turned 23 today!) Jordan Hasay who finished second, in 15:25.
Mary Cain was a far back 6th, in 15:53, slower than her track HSR of 15:45, from 2013!
Also noted was Natosha Rogers return to the racing wars, though she finished FAR back, with a time closer to 17 minutes than to 16!
Next week will be the attempt by Shalane Flanagan to get Kastor's AR in the Marathon, in Berlin.
In XC, Erin Finn won the Big 10 Preview meet by 40 seconds, with her team easily winning!
As noted in my September 5th post, A big return to the top happened recently, with Finn's old HS rival Wesley Frazier winning her first CC race this year!
And several HS'ers are running well early over hill and dale.
More on all of that next time, and in other future posts.
Next post will wrap up the 2014 Outdoor Collegiate season.
(BTW, I'm doing the HS and Collegiate wrap-ups now because their Outdoor seasons have officially ended, HSers on August 31, and Collegians with the NCAA meet!
The US and World wrap-ups won't be until late December, as their "seasons" continue!
CORRECTION:
When I listed the HSR's (and Class Records) that Mary Cain now holds in the new "Pro HS" division, I didn't list all of them!
Add the following (all Pro HS or Pro HS Senior Class):
Indoors:
800--She ran 2:04.26, which is now the Indoor Pro HSR, as well as the Senior Class Pro HSR.
Outdoors
800--She now is the Pro HSR holder, with her 2:01.67. It's also the Pro Senior Class record outdoors.
1500--Her 4:06.34 is the Pro HS Outdoor record, as well as the Pro Senior Class record.
(As noted above, she also has both records in the 3000.)
I felt it important to list these, as they are the Pro HSR's and Senior Class records that Alexa Efraimson will be chasing, both indoors and outdoors, in HER Senior year as a HS Pro!
(The 2014 Indoor season was wrapped up in my post from March 19th!)
Before I do, I've adopted a new rule.
I'll call it my "Pro-Am Rule", for want of a better name!
From now on, I've decided to go along with the general consensus about High Schoolers who turn Professional before graduation.
Mary Cain was the first to do so, but now Alexa Efraimson has followed suit.
There could be more in the future!
The only records, either overall HSR's or Class Records, affected thus far were/are held by Cain.
And most of these were from the 2014 Indoor season.
Here's the list:
Indoors
1000--Cain's 2:35.80 is now the Pro HSR, as well as the Pro Senior Class record! Sarah Bowman's 2:43.40 from 2005 is back as the official HSR, as well as the official Senior Class record!
1500. Cain's 4:11.72 from 2013 is still the overall HSR. But her 4:06.63 from 2014 is now just the Pro Senior Class record. The Senior Class record reverts back to Lynn Jennings's 4:18.9 from 1978.
1 Mile--The overall HSR is now Cain's 4:28.25 from 2013. (The Pro HSR is Cain's 4:24.11 from 2014.) The Senior Class mark is now owned by Jennings, with her 4:39.0 from 1978.
Outdoors:
The only record affected was the 3000.
The Pro HSR is held by Cain, with her 8:58.48.
The official HSR reverts back to Lynn Bjorklund's 9:08.6 from 1975.
Also, Bjorklund again owns the Senior Class record.
This all means that Ms Efraimson, now a Pro, can chase ONLY Cain's Pro HSR's and Pro Senior Class records, NOT the "amateur" records!!
Now, onto the 2014 Outdoor season!
Men
There were two HSR's set.
Trentavis Friday ran the 100 in 10.00.
Bailey Roth ran the 3000SC in 8:47.04.
Six Class Records were set:
Darryl Haraway ran 10.20 as a Soph.
Friday's 10.00 was as a Senior.
Noah Lyles ran 20.71 as a Soph.
Andrew Hunter ran the 3000 in 8:16.31 as a Soph.
Bailey Roth ran the 3000SC in 8:47.04 as a Senior.
And Brandon Bray PVed 17-8.50 as a Junior.
Twenty six marks from 2014 are on my HS DDD list from Outdoors.
The HS Athlete of the Year is Trentavis Friday.
He broke the HS 100 record, and ran the 2 fastest 200's, but both of them were wind-aided!
Bailey Roth is runner-up, breaking the 3000SC record...twice!!
Friday's 10.00 gets the Performance of the Year.
(He beat Trayvon Bromell in that race, while Roth's SC records were in races where he finished far back!)
Now on to the.....
Women
Women set 7 HSR's!
Cain set a Pro HSR. (See new rule above!)
Kaylin Whitney ran 11.10.
Cain's 8:58.48 3000 is the new Pro HSR.
(The "amateur" HSR belongs to Lynn Bjorklund's 9:08.6 from 1975.)
Bethan Knights ran the 2 Mile in 9:53.54.
Dior Hall got the 100H HSR with her 12.92.
Desiree Freier PV'ed 14-7.25.
Raven Saunders threw the SP 56-8.
The 4X200 Relay team from St Thomas Aquinas ran 1:33.43.
Columbia TC set the Sprint Medley HSR with their 3:50.82.
Fifteen Class Records were set!
Whitney got the Soph Class 100 & 200 records with her 11.10 and 22.49.
Elise Cranny got the HS Senior Class 1500 mark with her 4:10.95.
Cain, as noted, set the new Pro HS Senior Class 3000 mark with her 8:58.48.
Knights's 9:53.54 2 Mile was as a Senior.
Rylee Bowen ran the 3000SC in 10:50.92 as a Frosh.
Alexis Duncan ran the 100H in 13.33 as a Soph.
Dior Hall's 12.92 was as a Senior.
Sydney McLaughlin's 55.63 400H was as a Frosh.
Vashti Cunningham HJ'ed 6-3 as a Soph.
Lexi Weeks PVed 14-0 as a Junior.
Freier's 14-7.25 was as a Senior.
Saunders's SP of 56-8 was as a Senior.
Kiana Phelps threw the Discus 179-7 as a Soph.
And Hannah DeBalsi ran 2 Miles in 9:55.05 as a Soph.
There were 48 marks made in 2014 that are on my DDD list!
The HS Athlete of the Year award goes to Kaylin Whitney.
She broke the 100 HSR, and ran the fastest non-altitude 200 ever!
This was such a spectacular year for Women's HSR's, that I've selected 3 women to share the Runner-up position.
Raven Saunders destroyed Michelle Carter's SP record.
Dior Hall broke the 35 year old 100H record.
And Desiree Freier continued her outstanding year outdoors with yet another HSR.
As for the Performance of the Year?
I'm giving that, by a VERY slim margin, to.....
Dior Hall's 12.92 in the 100H.
It was the AGE of the old record (35 years) that tilted it in her favor!
Right behind were the 56-8 SP of Raven Saunders, as well as the 11.10 100 of Kaylin Whitney.
Although now relegated to the new Pro HS Record division, I must also honor Mary Cain's 8:58.48!
Looking back, I must say this was one of the best-ever years for High Schoolers that I can remember!
The girls, in particular, were just phenomenal.
How many other years do you remember SEVEN (8, if you include Cain's 3000!) HSR's broken by one gender?
(Add the 2 Men's HSR's, and you've got 9 (10, with Cain's!) altogether!
Plus all those Class Records!!
The best event was probably the PV, with Indoor HSR holders Devin King and Desiree Freier continuing their fabulous year outdoors!
But not far behind was the Women's SP and 2 Mile.
The sprints, for both genders, were dominant outdoors too, with BOTH HSR's in the 100 going down, plus some spectacular 200 times (windy and legal) being run.
The other big change came with the decision by Alexa Efraimson to turn Professional, following Mary Cain, who did so about 1 year earlier.
(Will others follow in 2015??)
Before I end this post, a bit of news from the Road Racing and Cross Country fronts!
41 year old Deena Kastor broke the Masters (Age 40 or over!) WORLD Record for the Half-Marathon, with her 1:09:35 in the Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half earlier today.
Also finishing well were comebacking Kara Goucher, who ran 1:11:40.
And Laura Thweatt, whose first-ever Half was run in 1:11:02.
In the USATF 5000 race today, Molly Huddle won easily in 15:10.
But surprisingly, it was Birthday Girl (She turned 23 today!) Jordan Hasay who finished second, in 15:25.
Mary Cain was a far back 6th, in 15:53, slower than her track HSR of 15:45, from 2013!
Also noted was Natosha Rogers return to the racing wars, though she finished FAR back, with a time closer to 17 minutes than to 16!
Next week will be the attempt by Shalane Flanagan to get Kastor's AR in the Marathon, in Berlin.
In XC, Erin Finn won the Big 10 Preview meet by 40 seconds, with her team easily winning!
As noted in my September 5th post, A big return to the top happened recently, with Finn's old HS rival Wesley Frazier winning her first CC race this year!
And several HS'ers are running well early over hill and dale.
More on all of that next time, and in other future posts.
Next post will wrap up the 2014 Outdoor Collegiate season.
(BTW, I'm doing the HS and Collegiate wrap-ups now because their Outdoor seasons have officially ended, HSers on August 31, and Collegians with the NCAA meet!
The US and World wrap-ups won't be until late December, as their "seasons" continue!
CORRECTION:
When I listed the HSR's (and Class Records) that Mary Cain now holds in the new "Pro HS" division, I didn't list all of them!
Add the following (all Pro HS or Pro HS Senior Class):
Indoors:
800--She ran 2:04.26, which is now the Indoor Pro HSR, as well as the Senior Class Pro HSR.
Outdoors
800--She now is the Pro HSR holder, with her 2:01.67. It's also the Pro Senior Class record outdoors.
1500--Her 4:06.34 is the Pro HS Outdoor record, as well as the Pro Senior Class record.
(As noted above, she also has both records in the 3000.)
I felt it important to list these, as they are the Pro HSR's and Senior Class records that Alexa Efraimson will be chasing, both indoors and outdoors, in HER Senior year as a HS Pro!
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Outdoors done--Indoors coming
The outdoor 2014 season done?
Well, not quite.
We still have the Talence Multis, plus some Marathons (and a couple of relatively minor regional champs), before we can truly wrap this outdoor season into a nice neat package.
So this post will report a few last good marks, then try to give some sense of where this blog will go until the 2014-15 Indoor season begins.
A couple of Americans had good 3000's in Rieti.
Ryan Hill ran 7:38.64.
He's now 14th A-T US.
Lopez Lomong followed in 7:39.81.
He moves into 19th place on the A-T US list!
Noah Lyles became the HS Soph Class record holder in the 200 with his 20.71.
Minna Nikkanen now holds the National Record of Finland with her 14-10 PV.
Suguru Osaka ran 7:40.09 for 3000.
That's the new Japan National record.
Godfrey Mokoena TJ'ed 56-11 for the National Record of South Africa.
This was at the Continental Cup.
Also at that meet, the Women's 100H produced a couple of good marks.
Dawn Harper-Nelson won in a new Meet Record time of 12.47.
Second to her was England's Tiffany Porter.
Her 12.51 broke Jessica Ennis's National Record.
As you all know, I deal with T&F events run on either 400 meter tracks outdoors, or 200 meter tracks indoors.
Thus, I pay little attention to Road races (except for the Marathon), or to Cross Country.
But I said "little" attention.
I didn't say "no" attention!
So I must report on a great Road Mile, the Fifth Avenue Mile, held yesterday.
Jenny Simpson won it in 4:19.4, just nipping a surging Brenda Martinez, who ran 4:19.6.
Fourteen women broke 4:30.
And 8 of those were Americans!
The NOP women (except for Shannon Rowbury, who finished 2nd in the 1500 at the Continental Cup) were out in full force.
And somewhat shockingly, it wasn't Mary Cain who led that little pack!
Cain finished 10th in 4:25.5.
Not a bad time, considering she's run rarely this entire outdoor season.
You need to race to stay sharp.
No, it was Jordan Hasay who won the "NOP race".
And she did it with a Mile "PR" of 4:23.9.
(Of course, Road times do NOT count as PR's, at least not as TRACK PR's!!)
Treniere Moser was right behind Hasay!
Cain said, in her post-race interview, that she'll be running the USATF Road 5000 Championship next week!
Generally, it's safe to say that the next Indoor season will begin by early December.
You might remember that Abbey D'Agostino, as well as 2 or 3 others, ran good 5000's in early December.
Their times were in the low 15:40's, and Abbey D's time was the best-ever for a December Indoor race!
That means Indoor T&F "starts" in just over 11 weeks!
Until then, here's a general idea of what to expect from this blog.
1. I will, of course, report any marks or records to come from the above-listed events, or anywhere else!
2. I will do my 2014 Outdoor season wrap-ups. This will include choosing my Athletes of the Year in all 4 categories (World, US, Collegiate, and HS).
3. I'll introduce some parts of my T&F Record Book I've only mentioned in passing so far, such as my Combined Events leaders.
4. I'll provide some interesting (??) trivia, from the season, and from my Book!
5. Finally, as Indoors approaches (Starting in November?), I'll do some previews of that upcoming season.
Remember, I only started this blog last December 9th.
(I'll probably look back at that first year around that time!)
So you should also recall that, because it was so late in the year, I had to go back to the 2013 Indoor season, and wrap that up (And basically do the same for the 2013 Outdoor season!), before I could start reporting on the 2013-14 Indoor season!
This year, I won't have to do that.
The 2014 Indoor season has already been covered in full detail!
(Read my first 40 or so posts, all reporting on that Indoor season!)
And this goes, for the most part, with the 2014 Outdoor season as well.
Sorry, but I can't offer any specific dates for these upcoming posts.
The next 2 months or so are pretty much my "vacation from blogging" time.
However, you can rest assured that I'll do what I stated above!
See you all soon!
Well, not quite.
We still have the Talence Multis, plus some Marathons (and a couple of relatively minor regional champs), before we can truly wrap this outdoor season into a nice neat package.
So this post will report a few last good marks, then try to give some sense of where this blog will go until the 2014-15 Indoor season begins.
A couple of Americans had good 3000's in Rieti.
Ryan Hill ran 7:38.64.
He's now 14th A-T US.
Lopez Lomong followed in 7:39.81.
He moves into 19th place on the A-T US list!
Noah Lyles became the HS Soph Class record holder in the 200 with his 20.71.
Minna Nikkanen now holds the National Record of Finland with her 14-10 PV.
Suguru Osaka ran 7:40.09 for 3000.
That's the new Japan National record.
Godfrey Mokoena TJ'ed 56-11 for the National Record of South Africa.
This was at the Continental Cup.
Also at that meet, the Women's 100H produced a couple of good marks.
Dawn Harper-Nelson won in a new Meet Record time of 12.47.
Second to her was England's Tiffany Porter.
Her 12.51 broke Jessica Ennis's National Record.
As you all know, I deal with T&F events run on either 400 meter tracks outdoors, or 200 meter tracks indoors.
Thus, I pay little attention to Road races (except for the Marathon), or to Cross Country.
But I said "little" attention.
I didn't say "no" attention!
So I must report on a great Road Mile, the Fifth Avenue Mile, held yesterday.
Jenny Simpson won it in 4:19.4, just nipping a surging Brenda Martinez, who ran 4:19.6.
Fourteen women broke 4:30.
And 8 of those were Americans!
The NOP women (except for Shannon Rowbury, who finished 2nd in the 1500 at the Continental Cup) were out in full force.
And somewhat shockingly, it wasn't Mary Cain who led that little pack!
Cain finished 10th in 4:25.5.
Not a bad time, considering she's run rarely this entire outdoor season.
You need to race to stay sharp.
No, it was Jordan Hasay who won the "NOP race".
And she did it with a Mile "PR" of 4:23.9.
(Of course, Road times do NOT count as PR's, at least not as TRACK PR's!!)
Treniere Moser was right behind Hasay!
Cain said, in her post-race interview, that she'll be running the USATF Road 5000 Championship next week!
Generally, it's safe to say that the next Indoor season will begin by early December.
You might remember that Abbey D'Agostino, as well as 2 or 3 others, ran good 5000's in early December.
Their times were in the low 15:40's, and Abbey D's time was the best-ever for a December Indoor race!
That means Indoor T&F "starts" in just over 11 weeks!
Until then, here's a general idea of what to expect from this blog.
1. I will, of course, report any marks or records to come from the above-listed events, or anywhere else!
2. I will do my 2014 Outdoor season wrap-ups. This will include choosing my Athletes of the Year in all 4 categories (World, US, Collegiate, and HS).
3. I'll introduce some parts of my T&F Record Book I've only mentioned in passing so far, such as my Combined Events leaders.
4. I'll provide some interesting (??) trivia, from the season, and from my Book!
5. Finally, as Indoors approaches (Starting in November?), I'll do some previews of that upcoming season.
Remember, I only started this blog last December 9th.
(I'll probably look back at that first year around that time!)
So you should also recall that, because it was so late in the year, I had to go back to the 2013 Indoor season, and wrap that up (And basically do the same for the 2013 Outdoor season!), before I could start reporting on the 2013-14 Indoor season!
This year, I won't have to do that.
The 2014 Indoor season has already been covered in full detail!
(Read my first 40 or so posts, all reporting on that Indoor season!)
And this goes, for the most part, with the 2014 Outdoor season as well.
Sorry, but I can't offer any specific dates for these upcoming posts.
The next 2 months or so are pretty much my "vacation from blogging" time.
However, you can rest assured that I'll do what I stated above!
See you all soon!
Friday, September 5, 2014
Two Meets: a WR in Berlin, big final DL in Brussels
Lots of folks have been saying today's DL in Brussels ends the 2014 track and field season.
Hardly!
It only ends the Diamond League group of meets!
In the ISTAF meet in Berlin, Anita Wlodarczyk set a World Record in the Hammer Throw with her toss of 261-1.
While the Women's HT is a relatively new event, thus slightly deflating the worth of a WR, you can't deny the value of a WR!
In addition, she set the ISTAF Meet Record.
Also got the Age 29 record.
And the National Record of Poland. (She broke her own mark!)
She moves from 2nd A-T World into 1st.
Gia Lewis-Smallwood broke the American Record in the DT in the DecaNation meet with her throw of 226-11.
She moves from 4th A-T US into 1st.
This improved the old US record by 4 feet 8 inches!!
However, she missed the Age 35 mark by over a foot!
Bernard Lagat didn't win, but his 13:06.68 5000 at ISTAF shattered the Age 39 record by about 20 seconds.
That record was set by Lagat earlier this season!
Seems like the Age 40 record of 13:43.15 should be a stroll for him next year!
Both Bogdan Bondarenko and Mutaz Barshim cleared 2.40 in the HJ.
But only Barshim was able to jump over 2.43.
That height of 7-11.50 is a Van Damme Meet Record.
It also nabs him the Age 23 record.
He's number 2 A-T World, tied with no one!!
Evan Jager didn't win, but his 8:04.71 in the 3000SC broke his own American Record by over 2 seconds!!
And he finally moves onto my World DDD (Top 24 Performers list) in 23rd place!
The winner of that race was Jairus Birech.
His 7:58.41 moves him from 16th A-T World up into 10th!
Barbara Spotokova and Val Adams dominated their respective throwing events.
Spotokova's Javelin throw of 223-1 got the Meet Record.
As did Adams's 67-7 Shot Put.
Missing Usain Bolt's Meet Record (9.76) by 0.01 was Justin Gatlin.
His 9.77 broke his own Age 32 record.
(He doubled back in the 200, running a fast 19.71, but that mark didn't break any records!)
A race over 1000 meters yielded two National Records.
Adam Kszczot's winning 2:15.72 nabbed the National Record of Poland.
And Mohammed Aman's 2:15.75 broke his own National Record of Ethiopia.
Galen Rupp finished back a ways in the 1500, but he PR'ed at 3:34.15.
This makes him 23rd A-T US.
I'll finish this post with the Women's 3000.
2014 has been a VERY strong year over the 3000-2 Mile distance for women!
(See my detailed reports from earlier this year!)
And today's race was right up there with the earlier races, showing high quality and super depth!
Sixteen runners went 8:39 or faster today!
Mercy Cherono won it in 8:28.95, with Sifan Hassan 2nd, Genzebe Dibaba 3rd, followed by the 2 Americans. (Details to follow!!)
Hassan's 8:29.38 broke the National Record of the Netherlands.
But it was Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury of the United States who made the big headlines today.
Mary Slaney's venerable AR of 8:25.83 survived.
But Simpson shattered her former (outdoor) best over the distance by some 18 seconds!
Her time of 8:29.58 makes her number 2 on the A-T US list.
And it also makes her the 3rd best woman in the WORLD on the Combined 3000-3000SC list!
Her times of 8:29.58 and 9:12.50 add up to 17:42.08.
(If Emma Coburn ever runs a flat 3000 in just 9:08, she'll make that list!)
Avoiding their football tackle-style contact from the Zurich DL, Rowbury finished a few tenths back in a PR of 8:29.93.
No, Rowbury didn't crash to the track at the end of today's race.
But she did FALL!!
Prior to this race, Rowbury's 8:31.38 from 2010 had ranked her 2nd to Slaney's AR.
Not any more!
Because Simpson beat her--thus becoming number two on the US list!!--Rowbury FALLS from 2nd into 3rd place on that list!!
How's THAT for "There's good news and there's bad news!"??!!
Check back to my previous post for some news on upcoming events.
But as a reminder, upcoming is the Continental Cup, the Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half-Marathon, and the Fifth Avenue Road Mile in New York City.
The CC meet could produce some good marks, as quite a few top athletes will be there.
Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher will run the Philly Half as tune-ups for their fall marathons.
And it's been announced that the elusive Mary Cain will face Jenny Simpson and a deep elite field on 5th Ave.
This will be Cain's first-ever road race of any distance!!
One more news item.
Remember my early blog (from December or January) where I asked about the status of Natasha Rogers, Cayla Hatton, and Wesley Frazier?
Well, the question about Frazier has been answered, with several of my infamous exclamation points attached!
After a fantastic senior year of HS in 2013, and after finishing 4th in her first race as a Duke frosh a year ago, she basically disappeared, forced out of action by illness and injury.
Well, she's back!
In a tri meet against Florida state and Virginia, Duke won easily, and so did Frazier.
She ran 14:01 for the 4000 meter distance.
So forget those pre-season polls wherein Duke's women (and Frazier) weren't given any respect.
It appears Frazier is ready to REALLY begin her college career at the same level she ended her HS years!
(Wouldn't it be ironic if the NCAA XC meet came down to a duel between Frazier and Michigan's Erin Finn?? Remember their Indoor 5000 race at 2013's NBIN, when Frazier nipped Finn right at the tape by a razor-thin 0.01 seconds? Would love to see that happen again!)
Hardly!
It only ends the Diamond League group of meets!
In the ISTAF meet in Berlin, Anita Wlodarczyk set a World Record in the Hammer Throw with her toss of 261-1.
While the Women's HT is a relatively new event, thus slightly deflating the worth of a WR, you can't deny the value of a WR!
In addition, she set the ISTAF Meet Record.
Also got the Age 29 record.
And the National Record of Poland. (She broke her own mark!)
She moves from 2nd A-T World into 1st.
Gia Lewis-Smallwood broke the American Record in the DT in the DecaNation meet with her throw of 226-11.
She moves from 4th A-T US into 1st.
This improved the old US record by 4 feet 8 inches!!
However, she missed the Age 35 mark by over a foot!
Bernard Lagat didn't win, but his 13:06.68 5000 at ISTAF shattered the Age 39 record by about 20 seconds.
That record was set by Lagat earlier this season!
Seems like the Age 40 record of 13:43.15 should be a stroll for him next year!
Both Bogdan Bondarenko and Mutaz Barshim cleared 2.40 in the HJ.
But only Barshim was able to jump over 2.43.
That height of 7-11.50 is a Van Damme Meet Record.
It also nabs him the Age 23 record.
He's number 2 A-T World, tied with no one!!
Evan Jager didn't win, but his 8:04.71 in the 3000SC broke his own American Record by over 2 seconds!!
And he finally moves onto my World DDD (Top 24 Performers list) in 23rd place!
The winner of that race was Jairus Birech.
His 7:58.41 moves him from 16th A-T World up into 10th!
Barbara Spotokova and Val Adams dominated their respective throwing events.
Spotokova's Javelin throw of 223-1 got the Meet Record.
As did Adams's 67-7 Shot Put.
Missing Usain Bolt's Meet Record (9.76) by 0.01 was Justin Gatlin.
His 9.77 broke his own Age 32 record.
(He doubled back in the 200, running a fast 19.71, but that mark didn't break any records!)
A race over 1000 meters yielded two National Records.
Adam Kszczot's winning 2:15.72 nabbed the National Record of Poland.
And Mohammed Aman's 2:15.75 broke his own National Record of Ethiopia.
Galen Rupp finished back a ways in the 1500, but he PR'ed at 3:34.15.
This makes him 23rd A-T US.
I'll finish this post with the Women's 3000.
2014 has been a VERY strong year over the 3000-2 Mile distance for women!
(See my detailed reports from earlier this year!)
And today's race was right up there with the earlier races, showing high quality and super depth!
Sixteen runners went 8:39 or faster today!
Mercy Cherono won it in 8:28.95, with Sifan Hassan 2nd, Genzebe Dibaba 3rd, followed by the 2 Americans. (Details to follow!!)
Hassan's 8:29.38 broke the National Record of the Netherlands.
But it was Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury of the United States who made the big headlines today.
Mary Slaney's venerable AR of 8:25.83 survived.
But Simpson shattered her former (outdoor) best over the distance by some 18 seconds!
Her time of 8:29.58 makes her number 2 on the A-T US list.
And it also makes her the 3rd best woman in the WORLD on the Combined 3000-3000SC list!
Her times of 8:29.58 and 9:12.50 add up to 17:42.08.
(If Emma Coburn ever runs a flat 3000 in just 9:08, she'll make that list!)
Avoiding their football tackle-style contact from the Zurich DL, Rowbury finished a few tenths back in a PR of 8:29.93.
No, Rowbury didn't crash to the track at the end of today's race.
But she did FALL!!
Prior to this race, Rowbury's 8:31.38 from 2010 had ranked her 2nd to Slaney's AR.
Not any more!
Because Simpson beat her--thus becoming number two on the US list!!--Rowbury FALLS from 2nd into 3rd place on that list!!
How's THAT for "There's good news and there's bad news!"??!!
Check back to my previous post for some news on upcoming events.
But as a reminder, upcoming is the Continental Cup, the Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half-Marathon, and the Fifth Avenue Road Mile in New York City.
The CC meet could produce some good marks, as quite a few top athletes will be there.
Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher will run the Philly Half as tune-ups for their fall marathons.
And it's been announced that the elusive Mary Cain will face Jenny Simpson and a deep elite field on 5th Ave.
This will be Cain's first-ever road race of any distance!!
One more news item.
Remember my early blog (from December or January) where I asked about the status of Natasha Rogers, Cayla Hatton, and Wesley Frazier?
Well, the question about Frazier has been answered, with several of my infamous exclamation points attached!
After a fantastic senior year of HS in 2013, and after finishing 4th in her first race as a Duke frosh a year ago, she basically disappeared, forced out of action by illness and injury.
Well, she's back!
In a tri meet against Florida state and Virginia, Duke won easily, and so did Frazier.
She ran 14:01 for the 4000 meter distance.
So forget those pre-season polls wherein Duke's women (and Frazier) weren't given any respect.
It appears Frazier is ready to REALLY begin her college career at the same level she ended her HS years!
(Wouldn't it be ironic if the NCAA XC meet came down to a duel between Frazier and Michigan's Erin Finn?? Remember their Indoor 5000 race at 2013's NBIN, when Frazier nipped Finn right at the tape by a razor-thin 0.01 seconds? Would love to see that happen again!)
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