London's Record Quest & Raven's Return

And so much more!
But let's begin with one of my favorite people--Raven Saunders--aka The HULK!
She's BACK!!

I was scanning my Twitter page (as I often do), and there appeared a tweet by Gwen Berry, saying "and we thought you were gone!"--referring of course to the woman who dropped out of Ole Miss back in January--school, team, all of it!--citing personal problems!
No hint of when she'd return, although she did say she WOULD return!!

For her 2018 (INdoors or OUTdoors!) "rust-buster", she merely sent the Shot Put flying out to a WORLD LEADING 64-2.25!!
And what a series!!
62-7.75--64-2.25--63-8.75--62-7.25--63-2.75--and then a foul observers say was past 20 meters--or in the 66 foot range!!

While short of her 2017 PR of 64-10, that consistency in her series, plus that humongous final effort (even if a foul!!), tells me she's ready to break the American Record, and to dominate the event this season!!
(She herself tweeted one of those "vote" things--asking what shoes she should choose for her first Diamond League meet!!  Most said Adidas!  I voted for "other", but messaged her "Anything but Nike!!". LOL)
She beat her (former) Ole Miss teammate--Janeah Stewart--by almost 8 feet!!
The Raven was listed as "unattached"!!

And what about those World Record chases in good olde London Town??
For the Men, a first mile in 4:22 (Yes, 4:22!!) set the wheels spinning!
And an initial 5000 of 13:48 didn't slow things down much!!
They were moving at 1:57+ pace!!

Returning to "normal", the Men hit 10K in 28:19 (2nd 5 in 14:31), then 43:05 at 15000 (14:46).
When they reached the Half in 1:01:00---2:02:00 pace!!--the front group included Eliud Kipchoge, Shura Kitata, Abel Kirui, and GB's HomeBoy, Mo Farah--who actually was looking quite comfy!!

But the Men began their race about 40 minutes after the Women, and the temp had risen to near-70 degrees--NOT good for WR Marathon attempts!!

After hitting 25K (about 15.6 miles) in 1:12:36 (10K since 15K was 29:31), their next 10 slowed to 29:57, and the WR try was GONE!!
And then it was down to Kitata & whom the announcer referred to as the "GOAT" (Kipchoge)--as Farah had fallen back--way back, and looking over his shoulder!!

Maybe that announcer is right, because this Master Marathoner (he of that fake 2:00:25 with all the help that God and Nike provides!!) just continued pounding out those 4:40-ish miles, and left Kitata to kneel in his very presence!!

Kipchoge's time was 2:04:17--splits of 61:00 & 63:17)!
Kitata finished in 2:04:49.
And Mo got Steve Jones's venerable British National Record (32 years old)--hitting the line in 2:06:21!!
Kirui was next in 2:07:07!

The Women were equally interesting!
In a heavily-promoted WR attempt, the duelers were going to be Mary Keitany and Tirunesh Dibaba!
Even Paula Radcliffe said her WR could fall!
(There would be male pacers throughout!!)

Hitting their 1st Mile in a much more subdued 5:08 (Radcliffe's 2:15:25 is 5:09 per mile!), they split 15:46 at 5000!
The leaderboard was projecting a sub-2:14 time!!
Their next 5's were each in 16:00--timing 47:46 at 9.3 miles!!
Tiru led---but only by a stride--and then she fell 2 or 3 strides behind Keitany!
Both were looking smooth, however!

A 2nd group (also with their personal male rabbits!)--including Vivian Cheruiyot--hit the Half in 68:56--while Mary & Tiru strode through in 67:17!!
They were on 2:14:34 pace!!!

Then the heat--and the early pace IN that heat!!--started hitting them!
Keitany would fall 5-10 meters behind her pacers--then catch up!
But the great Tiru fell further and further behind--and it was down to a one-Woman WR chase!!

That ended (IMO) when the 5000 between 20 & 25K sunk to 16:34 (instead of the previous 16:00!)!
Keitany wasn't "smooth" anymore!

And at 19 miles (or close to it), Dibaba stopped, hands on hips, tried to walk & jog, then stopped again--her race ENDED!!
Stomach problems, cramps?
I don't know!

Meanwhile, after another 5K in 16:39, she (Keitany) crawled to a 17:33 split--and was just in survival mode!
Tell that to Cheruiyot--she of the 29:32 10K track time (faster than Dibaba!!)!
She was coming on--HARD!!
(Or Keitany was DROPPING--hard!!)
When she passed the leader, Cheruiyot gave no quarter--she sprinted past!!
And the race was her's!!

Cheruiyot (splits of 68:56 & 69:35) won in 2:18:31, about a 5 minute PR!!
She gets the Age 34 Record!
And becomes 4th A-T World!!

Brigid Kosgei ended 2nd in 2:20:13, also a PR!
Tadelech Bekele was 3rd in 2:21:30.
Then, in a sad sight to behold, Gladys Cherono ALSO passed the dying Keitany--this after the 26 mile marker!!
Her time was 2:24:10 in 4th, while Keitany just shuffled to the line in 2:24:27.
After her 67:16 Half, she faded by almost TEN MINUTES--to a 77:11 second half!

In the Wheelchair races, the Commonwealth was happy to see GB's David Weir beat Marcel Pug--and Australia's Madison De Rozario (who is quite stunningly beautiful!!) beating the inimitable Tatyana McFadden--who had won Boston just 5 days earlier!!

And so much more!!
To save space, I'm moving to the "by event group" mode of reporting!!

Distances (800 to 10000)
Josh Kerr nailed the Collegiate Record in the 1500 at the Brian Clay meet!!
And what a deep field!!
His 3:35:01 removed Syd Maree's 1981 time of 3:35.30!!
It's also the Junior Class Record!
He moves from 6th A-T Collegiate to the Top!!
Second came Justyn Knight's 3:36.07.
This makes him 7th A-T Collegiate!
(TFRSS doesn't list Knight's time!  Is he redshirting?  He was listed in the results as being with Syracuse!!)
Ole Miss's Robert Dominic ran 3:36.33, making him 9th A-T Collegiate!
Sam Prakel followed in 3:36.84, making him 16th A-T Collegiate!

The Women had a great race also!
Shelby Houlihan ran 4:06.07 for the W, but Colleen Quigley was close--4:07.01--and Kate Grace wasn't too far back--time of 4:08.82!
The 1st Collegiate was Oregon's Jessica Hull.
Her 4:10.46 makes her 23rd A-T Collegiate!!
Her Duck-mate--Lilli Burdon--ended 6th in 4:12.52, while Courtney Frerichs ran 4:14.62 in 9th, and Allie Ostrander was 10th, time of 4:15.06!

Evan Jager held off Isaac Kimeli in the Brian Clay 5000--13:24.77 to 13:24.92!
Marielle Hall took the Women's race in 15:39.42!

Karissa Schweizer added another Mizzou school record to her collection--a 4:12.83 in the 1500!
The Cardinal Invite saw Grant Fisher's 13:36.77 beat Zach Perrin's 13:37.06, and Marie Bouchard winning over Erin Finn--15:32.95 to 15:33.15!
Fiona O'Keefe satisfied the home crowd with her 3rd place 15:38.82!
Mt SAC saw Jessica Drop of Georgia win in a school record-smashing 15:38.57!!
(No more "field events only" for them!!)

High Schoolers produced some great times--but over 3200 meters!!
The best was Katelynne Hart's 9:52.02--a solo run, as 2nd was 32 seconds back!!
She's just a Soph--and would have gotten the Soph Class record for 3000 (or 2 Miles!)--"would have" being the operative words!!
In a cold & windy race, Katelyn Tuohy ran 10:08.13.
And at Mt SAC, Claudia Lane LOST--by 10 seconds!!--to Maddy Denner's 10:08.01.
Lane's time was 10:18.68!
And 3rd place was just 0.06 seconds behind Lane!!

MT SAC also had a quick Women's 800!
Kaela Edwards (in the Joe Bosshard group!!) won in 2:01.06.
Sabrina Southerland's 2:01.44 misses the Collegiate DDD by 0.14 seconds!
Stephanie Brown was 3rd in 2:01.71.
The Men's race went to Jecoro (?) Lopez's 1:47.07.
But he beat Clay Murphy's 1:47.22!
In 3rd came the new INdoor 800 HSR holder--Josh Hoey--his time being 1:48.72!
He misses my HS list by 0.24 seconds!

Aliyah Miller, a Baylor Frosh, won in 2:03.84.
Vanessa Fraser took the Cardinal Classic 1500 in 4:10.63!
She misses the Collegiate list by 0.14 seconds!
Jamie Morrissey ran 4:11.48 in 2nd!

Sprints (& Sprint Relays)
Mt SAC had a deep Men's 400!
Michael Norman led the way, his 44.53 making him 14th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others!!
Rai Benjamin was 2nd in 44.74, just 0.04 ahead of Paul Dedewo's 44.78, with Kahmari Montgomery's 44.91 taking 4th!!
The Women had a good race too--Lynna Irby's 50.95 claiming the W over Jaide Stepter's 51.24, and Kendell Ellis's 51.43!!
Wil London ran 44.73 at the Michael Johnson meet!!
(Where else??)

Twanisha Terry entered elite territory--that being Collegiates who break 11 seconds in the 100!!
Her 10.99 (1.7) gave this USC runner the Frosh Class Record!!
She now ranks 10th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!!
Ashley Henderson took Silver with 11.06, while 3rd went to Jenna Prandini's 11.09!!
(Henderson also ran the 200 in 22.66 (1.6)!!)
Cut OFF my Collegiate list was none other than Gail Devers--her 11.05 dating from 1988!!

Ronnie Baker used an 0.5 breeze to run the 100 in 9.97!
The South Carolina Open saw Ncincilili Titi sprint the 200 in 20.00 (1.9)!!
This makes him 13th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
Brianna Rollins-McNeal continued her great season--her 12.43 in the 100H using a wind of 1.5!
This gave her the Mt SAC Meet Record!!
Bridgette Owens was 2nd in 12.79, with Dior Hall doing 12.85 in 3rd!

The MJ meet had a good Men's 4X400 Relay--with Texas A&M's 3:02.07 beating Texas Tech's 3:02.82!
USC sped the 4X100 in 42.57, moving them from 9th A-T School to 5th!!

Still with me??
Thank you!!

Field Events (and the Multi's)
First, an addition to a previously reported mark!!
Lisa Gunnarsson's 15-1 PV at the Texas Relays gave her the Age 18 Record!!

Gleb Dudarev exploded out to 256-0 in the HT!!
This gives him the Soph Class Record, and the Kansas Relays Meet Record!
He moves from 19th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, to 4th!

Gwen Berry threw the Hammer 237-9 at the War Eagle meet!
Mason Finley threw the Discus 209-7 at the Kansas Relays!
Brooke Andersen added almost 4 feet to her HT PR!
Her 236-8 moves her from 6th A-T Collegiate to 5th!
And from 12th to 10th on the A-T US list!!

Zach Ziemek's 8181 won the Brian Clay Decathlon.
Georgia Ellenwood's 5983 took the Heptathlon!

Donald Thomas took the War Eagle HJ with 7-7!
Shelby McEwen was 2nd with 7-4.50!
Moved INdoors because of bad weather, Vernon Turner won the HJ in Oklahoma with 7-5.25!
Vashti Cunningham won the Mt SAC HJ with 6-3.25.
Second was Liz Patterson's 6-2.
Tatiana Gusin took over the Collegiate lead with her HJ of 6-2 in 3rd!

Matthew Ludwig PV'ed 18-8.75!
In the Virginia Challenge meet, Virginia Junior Bridget Guy PV'ed 14-7.50!
This makes her 22nd A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others!
Maddie Gardner, a West Virginia Junior, got over 14-5.50!
Kristin Hixson got the Mt SAC Meet Record with her clearance at 15-1!

Terrell McClain LJ'ed 26-10!!
Jarvis Gotch leapt 27-1.75 at Mt SAC!

And in the Triple Jump, Imani Oliver's mark of 45-2.25 wasn't a PR.
Neither were Keturah Orji's and Tori Franklin's at Mt SAC!!
But Orji's 47-0.25 nailed the Senior Class Record for this A-T Great--giving her ALL FOUR of the Collegiate Class Records (for OUTdoors)!!!
She also got the Mt SAC Meet Record!
Franklin's 45-8.50 was a solid runner-up!
Then came an unknown (to me!) Oregon Junior--Chaquinn Cook--with 45-7!!
This makes her 15th A-T Collegiate!
And makes her 24th A-T US, tied with 1 other!

And that, as they say, is THAT!!
Thanks again for your endurance!!

Next up will be an "extra" post--all about the Two Mile--and the upcoming Women's race at the Drake Relays, and the Men's race at the Pre Classic!!
Then--more results--from Drake and Penn--and wherever else!!

See you soon!