On the Road(s) Again

There's still the Talence Multi's, but for all intents, the 2017 OUTdoor T&F season is over!!
Which means one thing---it's back on the Roads again---and the various XC courses!---for the next 3 months!
(Although the 2017-2018 INdoor T&F season will begin BEFORE those 90 days are done!)

Joyciline Jepkosgei--already a four-time Roads World Record holder from her Half-Marathon WR earlier this year--has added a fifth--at the IAAF Prague 10K!
Breaking---nay, SMASHING!--her own WR of 30:05 by 22 seconds, Jepkosgei's 29:43 became the first sub-30 time run on the roads!
But she broke a 2nd WR enroute--passing the 5000 meters point in 14:33!!
Thus, she has broken SIX Road WR's in 2017!!

Fancy Chemutai was 2nd in 30:04, also finishing under the old WR!
Violah Jepchumba was 3rd in 30:25, one second ahead of Sheila Chepkirui's 30:26!

The Men's race was much closer up front, but of lesser quality!
Benard Kimeli's 27:10 edged Mathew Kipkorir's 27:11 for the win!
Rhonex Kipruto's 27:13 was 3rd!

Today's Fifth Avenue Mile was the other highlight of the week!
Nick Willis won his 4th, while Jenny Simpson took her 6th--and 5th consecutive!

The ever-reliable Simpson powered the final 200 to a Course Record time of 4:16.65!
(Patti Sue Plumer held the old mark at 4:16.68!!)
Jenny had to battle a pair of Brits to win, but was not to be denied!

Jessica Judd--having her best year since her WJC 800 win in 2012--led at halfway (winning the $1000 bonus!), and still led when Simpson started her kick!
Another Brit--Laura Weightman--was also in the front pack, with Brenda Martinez close!
Weightman took 2nd in the British Road Mile best of 4:17.62, with Judd 3rd in 4:18.27!
Martinez was next in 4:18.36, while Eilish McColgan and Dominique Scott also ran under 4:20!

Heather Kampf, Emma Coburn, and Colleen Quigley were next, in that order, all sub-4:22!
Sara Vaughn was 11th, while Courtney Frerichs and Emily Lipari had off-days, ending 20th & 22nd!

Craig Engels and Drew Windle made it a real RACE to the Bonus point--Engels outleaning (!!) Windle!!
(Really, they leaned at the 880 point!!)
This cost them (in Place, NOT the bonus money!), as they finished 13th and 22nd, respectively!!

Up front--after the lead pair faded--it became a race between Chris O'Hare and Nick Willis, as the 2016 winner--Eric Jenkins--was never in it!
Also near the front through about 1000 was new Pro Ed Cheserek--but he finished only 16th!!

Willis won in 3:51.31 to O'Hare's 3:52.00.
Ben Blankenship beat Spain's Adel Mechaal, 3:52.25 to 3:52.60, for 3rd!
Close behind were Colby Alexander (3:52.62) and Jenkins (3:52.63)!
Ryan Hill was 10th, while Robby Andrews finished in 12th!

The Great North Run Half was won by Mo Farah and Mary Keitany!
Mo's winner was 60:08, with Jake Robertson 4 seconds back in 60:12.
For Farah, it was the Age 34 record!
Feyisa Lelisa was 3rd, but well behind in 61:32.
Dathan Ritzenhein--who led early!--ended 6th in 62:49.
Bernard Lagat was 8th in 63:02--not bad for a guy nearing his 43rd birthday!!

Keitany's win was clearcut, her 65:59 well over a minute ahead of Vivian Cheruiyot's 67:44!!
Kenyans took the first 5 places, but Gemma Steel led the British field with her 71:32 in 6th!

Another Road Race of note was the USATF 20K in New Haven, Connecticut!
Oregon Project (NOP) teammates Galen Rupp and Jordan Hasay took the wins, although Rupp had to really claw for his!

It came down to a final sprint between Rupp and Len Korir, with Rupp's 59:04 nipping Korir's 59:05, although they might as well have been given the same time!
Sam Chelanga's 59:16 was 3rd!

It was much easier for Hasay!
Her 66:35 beat Aliphine Tuliamuk's 67:49, and Sara Hall's 67:53!
BTW, remember this was 20000 meters, NOT a Half-Marathon!
If continued, Rupp probably would have run 62:20 for 13.1 Miles, while Hasay's time might have been right at 70 minutes even!!

The Hoka One One Miles--the Men's re-named the David Torrence Memorial Mile!!--were good devotionals to the much-loved Torrence's memory!
(Every runner wore a sticker labeled "DT" on their bibs!!)

Run just days before the 5th Ave Mile (See above!), it was another Chris O'Hare--Nick Willis thriller--but here O'Hare's 3:56.22 prevailed over Willis's 3:56.41!
(Times might have been slower than desired, as it was run during a rainstorm on a VERY wet track!!)
Johnny Gregorek was 3rd in 3:57.41.

For the Women, Emily Lipari was a shock (??) winner, her last-dash kick keeping Brenda Martinez in check!
Times were 4:28.84 and 4:28.96 for those two, with Lipari's being her first sub-4:30!!
Hanna Fields beat Emily Infeld for 3rd, 4:30.32 to 4:30.78!
(The track announcer introduced her as InFIELD!!!  LOL)

Not much else from the Track (or Field!) to report, but here's the best---
Yoshihide Kiryu became the first Japanese to break 10 seconds for 100 meters!!
His 9.98 is of course the Japan National Record!!
At the DecaNation meet, Ryan Crouser's SP sailed out 71-5.25.
Jimmy Vicaut took the 100 in 10.05.
Courtney Okolo won a double, the 200 and 400, times of 23.41 and 51.96.
Shannon Rowbury won the Women's 2000 in 5:48.22.

The great North Games--a street Track meet run on a portable track--saw Nijel Amos blaze a 500 in 59.26!
I have no idea how the track was laid out, so can't tell you the "value" of his time!---but it sounds good!!

I neglected to tell you in a previous post, but Eilish McColgan's recent 5000 of 14:48.49 is the National Record of Scotland!

Cross Country has begun!
Here's some VERY early results of some significance--
Weini Kelati---the girl who set the HS world aflame with some stunning front-run distance races INdoors and OUT as an over-aged Freshman and Sophomore--is now a Frosh at New Mexico!!
In her first race in 15 months (!!), she broke the Lobo Invitational Course Record, time of 16:59.8 over 5K!
She won, obviously!!

Katelyn Tuohy is one of several returning HS studs--and she proved it by shattering the Course Record with her 3 Mile time of 16:24!
Second?
She was over three MINUTES behind!!

On the Men's side, Carlos Carvajal was most impressive, winning at California's Seaside Invite in 14:12 over a 3 Mile course!
(Second fastest time in that meet's history!)

Finally, at the Kentucky Bluegrass XC, Kentucky (sic!!) athletes took the W's--Jake Thomson's 23:42 over 8K--Katy Kunc's 16:42 over 6K!
Both are Seniors.

In other news--
As noted above, Ed Cheserek is now a Professional!
He signed with Skechers!
(This was surprising, as he ran for Oregon, a school widely accepted as being a Nike-bought & paid for Institution!!)

Kate Grace has switched teams!
She just joined Jerry Schumacher's Bowerman TC--and has moved to Portland!

This might already be known, but Emma Coburn's wedding date is October 14th!

Also, Molly Ludlow is now 34 weeks pregnant--as a recent InstaGram photo revealed!

Finally, Triple Jumper Supreme Christian Taylor announced he will concentrate on the 400 meters in 2018!
He didn't say whether he will do his specialty also--but let's assume he will---at least once or twice!

At least one XC meet was cancelled in Florida because of Hurricane Irma!

Coming up is the Talence meet, beginning in 6 days!
Also, more XC, and the Berlin Marathon, where Wilson Kipsang has said he wants the World Record!

See you soon!