Calm before the storm? Really??

In just 5 days, the Diamond League season begins in Doha, with the Shanghai version 2 days later.
Even before that, the Hoka One One distance affair has me salivating, with its incredible list of entrants!
It's scheduled for the day before Doha!
(Which explains why the entry lists for the DL's are missing most American distance people!)

Anyway, THIS weekend has been anything but calm!
We have 2 MAJOR records to report, as well as lots of other great marks!

Madison Wiltrout's story is fascinating!
She's a HS Soph, and just shattered the HSR in the Javelin Throw.
But listen to this!

She only took up the Javelin in 2014!!
That's right--last year!
She threw it 151-1, which is good for a frosh, though not the Class Record.
Know how she learned how to throw it?
Her Mom looked up the How-To on You Tube!

Well, she learned VERY quickly.
A week or so ago, she upped her PR to 168-5--which I reported, of course!
But now she's added 17 feet 3 inches to that mark, as she got a spectacular first throw out to 185-8 for the HSR, breaking Haley Crouser's 181-2 from 2012.

This is also the Soph Class Record!
She moves from 11th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 1st.
If she were in College, and not just a 10th Grader, she'd rank 20th A-T Collegiate!!
But it gets better!
Because she DOES rank 21st All-Time United States!!

Have I already said she's just a High School Sophomore??
LOL

Well, leave it to Demi Payne not to be one-upped by such a toddler!
She broke her own OUTdoor Collegiate PV record with 15-5.50 at her Conference meet!
It's also the Collegiate Senior Class record.
She moves from 6th to 4th on the A-T US list.
AND--she becomes 19th A-T World, tied with 3 others!!

But the good news doesn't stop there!
Matthew Maton, who just turned 19 a month ago, became HS'er Number 6 to break 4:00 for the Mile!
At the Oregon Twilight, he finished 3rd in 3:59.38, to become the 3rd fastest HS'er of A-T!

All that said, I need to comment on this!
Sorry.
But the majority of T&FN and Let's Run MB commentors agree with me.

He's 19, an age when about 99% of athletes are well into their Frosh year at College---and a few are even Sophs!!
Jack Shepard's HS Track book lists Age Records for HS'ers.
It says a LOT that he includes Ages 14 through 18---ONLY!!
While I congratulate him on running so fast, his mark should be measured in perspective.
It's the weakest of all the HS sub-4's!

In the same race, UO's Eric Jenkins and Will Georghegan made my A-T Collegiate Mile list!
Jenkins ran 3:57.09, making him 20th A-T Collegiate.
Georghegan ran 3:57.53 for 22nd A-T Collegiate!
The Mile--sadly!--isn't run much OUTdoors by Collegians anymore.
Besides the 2 new Ducks, only 5 other Collegians are on my list from this century!
And there's several marks from the 1960's on there, as well as the 70's and 80's!

Pedro Pichardo of Cuba TJ'ed out to 58-10.25 to become 6th A-T World!
He missed the Age 21 record by 1 inch!!
But it's the new National Record of Cuba!

Michael Lihrman is getting better in the HT, after his VERY successful INdoor season with the WT.
He improved to 247-0, which moves him from 17th to 11th on the Collegiate list!
And he becomes 15th A-T US!!

At the Jamaica Invitational, Jasmine Stowers showed her 12.40 100H wasn't a one-off fluke.
She ran 12.39, winning easily.
It breaks her own Age 23 record.
She remains 5th A-T US.
But she moves from 13th A-T World to 11th, tied with 2 others!
The wind was the 2.0 max!

Also in Jamaica, Shaunae Miller beat SAFP, among others, in the 200, running the Bahamas National Record time of 22.14.

In an IWC meet in Japan, the Women's JT produced 2 great marks!

Liz Gleadle broke her own Canada National Record, throwing the spear 212-8.

And Brittany Borman was right behind her.
Her 212-5 moves her from 3rd to 2nd on the A-T US list!!
It was a 9 foot improvement on her PR!

There were several other GREAT marks from the 2 International meets.
While none of them make any of my lists, or break any records, they're all interesting and worth reporting.

Asafa Powell beat Ryan Bailey in the 100, running the super fast time of 9.84.
Well, super fast, considering it happened on May 9th!

Eleanor Thompson proved her 10.92 wasn't a fluke, as she won the Jamaica 100 in 10.94, beating, among others, Allyson Felix, who ran 11.09.

Sanya Richards-Ross got under 50, winning the Jamaica 400 in 49.95.
Of course, she had that World Relays leg of 48.79!!
Fran McCorory ran just 50.73 in 2nd!
(She'd split 49.27 in the Bahamas!)

In the Japan meet, Sally Pearson won her first non-Australian meet of 2015 in 12.66, beating Queen Harrison's 12.75.

Bogdan Bondarenko missed his 3 tries at 2.41 (7-10.75), but won at 2.37 (7-9.25), the best so far in 2015.

LaShawn Merritt was beaten in the 400 by Al-Masrahi, 44.59 to 44.80.

Catherine Ibarguen's TJ of 48-9.50 won the day, and best mark of 2015.

Aisha Praught finished just 3rd in the Japan 1500, but her PR time of 4:05.52 bodes VERY well for a BIG improvement in the 3000SC, which I assume will remain her specialty!

Besides Wiltrout's and Maton's marks, High Schoolers produced other good stuff!

Matt Katnik improved his SP best out to 72-3.
He moves from 14th to 10th on the A-T HS list.

Candace Hill had a solid day, sprinting the 100 in a non-PR time of 11.34, then running a PR of 23.05 in the 200.
She becomes 23rd A-T HS, tied with 1 other!

She's not yet a High Schooler.
In fact, she's not yet an 8th Grader!!
SEVENTH Grade phenom Katelyn Tuohy ran the 1200 meter opening leg of a HS team's DMR, being clocked in the official split of 3:36.09.
That's basically sub-4:50 Mile pace!
In the SEVENTH Grade!!

And Mikey Brannigan won a 3200 in 8:42.92.
If the race had been just 18 meters longer, his Two Mile time would make my A-T HS list!
Too bad it does NOT!

Back to the Collegiate scene for a bit.

Darrell Hill improved his SP best to 68-5.25.
He moves from 20th to 18th on the A-T Collegiate list.

And Kayla Montgomery had a poor day at the "office".
Her 3000 time of 10:25.73 got her just 12th place--in a field of 14!
Her Conference meet is next week, where I think she'll be running the 10000, though I'm not certain of this.
Whatever she DOES run, I will report it here!

In the Manchester (England) Road 10K, Bernard Lagat finished 3rd, running the Age 40 Road record of 27:48.
Stephen Sambu won the race in 27:30.

Betsy Saina won the Women's race in a close battle with Gemma Steel and Edna Kiplagat.
Their respective times were 31:48, 31:55, and 31:57.

If Lagat had run the same time on a TRACK, he would have DESTROYED Martti Vainio's Age 40 WR of 28:30 by a full 42 seconds!!
(I tweeted him saying that, and he favorited my tweet!!  LOL)

As noted at the beginning of this post, NEXT weekend's schedule is HUGE!!
TWO DL's, plus the Hoka One One meet, which PROMISES to be incredible!!
Not to mention all the MAJOR Collegiate Conference meets (Big 12, Big 10, PAC 12, and SEC, for starters!!), and several HS State meets!

I have a feeling it may take MORE than one post to cover it all!!
See you soon!!