INdoors Catches Fire

And speaking of fire, no doubt you've already heard the story of the charter bus carrying the Stanford T&F team that caught fire enroute from Sea-Tac to the Dempsey Center!!
A back tire caught fire, but before the entire bus was consumed, everyone was evacuated safely!
You can catch a video of the newscast if you google it!

But the 2018-2019 INdoor season ALSO was set aflame!
A World Record!
A HSR!!
A multitude of incredible marks!!

But let's begin with the Dubai Marathon--which was also pretty damn hot--pardon the pun!!

Both Course Records were broken, with attitude!

After an estimated Half in 62:00 (passed 10K in 29:11--20K in 58:31), it came down to 2 Men--Herpassas Negefa and Getaneh Molla!
One or two others tried to stick, but drifted back as the mileage increased!
A 29:12 3rd 10 saw the duo side by side, hitting 30K in 1:27:43.
But by 40K (4th 10K in 29:33), Molla had moved ahead by 10 meters, and was sprinting!
While he checked his side-view mirror, Molla was safe with the win--time of 2:03:34 (to Negefa's 2:03:40)!!

Molla is now 8th A-T World, while Negefa becomes 10th A-T World!!
Asefa Mengstu ran a non-PR 2:04:24 in 3rd!!

The Women's race was just as quick, and interesting!
Surrounded by male pacers, Worknesh Degefa battled Ruth Chepngetich for the first 30-35K!
But Chepngetich--a sub-65 minute Halfer--took control, and cruised to the line in 2:17:07, becoming 3rd A-T World!!
They'd hit 32:26 at 10K, and did the 2nd 10 in 32:15.
Their approximate Half time was 1:08:35!
(Half times are guesses because the livestream didn't show the times!!)

For Chepngetich, it's the Age 24 Record!
She moves from 7th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 3rd!
Degefa becomes the National Record holder of Ethiopia--over the most venerable Tirunesh Dibaba!!
Her time (2:17:41) makes her 4th A-T World!!
She's now also the best 2nd Place mark ever!!

The WR was by the Brooks Beasts group!
They covered the 4 X Mile in 16:03.68, beating the Hoka NJ/NY TC by over 12 seconds!!
They were anchored by Izaic Yorks!

As for the HSR, who else but Katelyn Tuohy could be the name?
But she didn't win the 3000 at the Dr Sanders meet at the Armory!
Amanda Eccleston and Heather Kampf finished around 8:56-57, while Tuohy faded to 9:01.81 in 3rd!
Didn't see the race, but she apparently had the lead at 2K in about 5:58.
Her last 400 was 70.7.
If you compare her to Mary Cain, the latter had a kick---while Tuohy doesn't!
But she makes up for it with a much more aggressive first half!!
Anyway, Tuohy gets the Junior Class Record!
She moves from 2nd A-T HS to 1st!!

The PV had a busy and productive weekend!!
Mondo Duplantis finally hit his stride, clearing 19-1.50!!
BUT--he was soon joined at that height by Matt Ludwig, the Akron Senior!!
Mondo got the Frosh Class Record, and became 3rd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
When Ludwig joined the party, he also became 3rd A-T Collegiate, but tied with TWO others!!
(Who woulda thunk MONDO would have a challenger to his Throne??!!)
Ludwig is now 13th A-T US, tied with 1 other!

The Boston meet saw Katie Nageotte out-duel Ekaterina Stefanidi!!
Her clearance of 15-11.25 did the trick, and became the World Leader!
Stefanidi topped out at 15-5.25!
In 3rd came Annie Rhodes-Johnigan, whose 15-1.25 clearance moves her from 23rd A-T US to 16th!!

In Arkansas, Lexi Jacobus, Tori Hoggard, and Lisa Gunnarsson all cleared 14-9.50, but finished 1-2-3!
For Gunnarsson, she moves from 18th A-T Collegiate to 10th, tied with 2 others!!
In 4th was Desiree Freier, who made 14-5.50!!

Other good PV marks--
OUTdoors, Eliza McCartney opened her season at 15-11!!
INdoors, Sondre Gutormsen made the Men's NCAA picture a bit less clear, as he went over 18-8.75, making him 13th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others!!
Olivia Gruver competed as unattached (though she attends U of Washington), so her 14-10 clearance at the Seattle meet didn't count for the Collegiate list!
Also, Sam Kendricks won the Paris meet today with his World leading mark of 19-2!!
(Rumor is that Renaud Lavillenie didn't show!!  Don't know why!)

Events from the 300 to 1000 saw quite a bit of quality running!
Let's take it distance by distance!!

300
While running in separate sections, Kendall Ellis (She just signed with New Balance, so this was her initial Pro race!!) beat Gabby Thomas--36.97 to 37.03!!
Ellis is now 22nd A-T US!
Thomas just misses the US list--by 0.02 seconds!!
At the Armory, Jaide Stepter's 37.05 outran Anavia Battle's 37.08!!
For Battle, this makes her 10th A-T Collegiate!!

Rai Benjamin also made HIS Pro debut--his 32.55 making him 11th A-T US (Remember, he's now competing for US--in every sense of the word!!  LOL)--and 20th A-T World!!

400
 Kayla Davis continued her attack on the HS Record Book!!
Davis's 52.96 makes her the Frosh Class Record holder!
(Her time is better than the Soph Class mark also!!)
She moves from 13th A-T HS to 9th!!

500
One name--or moniker!
Syd the Kid!!
HER virgin Professional race took all of 1:09.46!
A jog for her, it fits somewhere in the Top 10 or so INdoor marks!
Sorry, but I don't have lists for the 500!!
She clearly was cruising, and said she'll be focusing on the 400H OUTdoors!!

600
Ajee Wilson had some contenders, but won her race in 1:25.91--the Age 24 Record!!
Olivia Baker--in one of her better races!--finished 2nd in a good 1:26.75!!
This makes her 10th A-T US!!
Cecelia Barowski's 1:27.71, and Christiane Williams's 1:27.93 were not PR's!
Byron Robinson's 1:16.65 beat Erik Sowinski's 1:16.75 in the Men's race!

Raevyn Rogers took the Boston race in 1:27.31, but might have gone faster if she hadn't tangled with Georgeanne Moline--sending Moline flying to the turf!!

800
Devin Dixon was the star here!!
His 1:45.27 claimed the Junior Class Record!!
And he makes THREE lists!
He's 3rd A-T Collegiate (But top American Collegiate!), 13th A-T US, and 24th A-T World!!
(That was at the Texas Tech meet!)

At Boston, Donavan Brazier went against Clay Murphy!!
He won--in 1:45.91--leaving Johnny Gray's 37 year old American Record intact!!
Murphy, right behind him in 1:45.94, moves from 22nd A-T US to 10th!!
Danae Rivers continued her quality season with her 2:02.94, which makes her 22nd A-T Collegiate!!

1000
Athing Mu extended her range up to the K, stopping the clock at 2:44.43!
This gives her the Junior Class Record!!
And it makes her 3rd A-T HS!!

Millie Paladino's 2:42.13 makes her 10th A-T Collegiate!
Besides Mu's race, the Armory meet saw a pair of other K races!
The Women's was taken by Natoya Goule in 2:37.55!!
This gives her the Jamaica National Record!!
She beat a comebacking (??) Laura Roesler, whose 2:38.11 makes her 12th A-T US!!
Claudia Saunders ran 2:38.95, making her 17th A-T US!
Shannon Osika's 2:40.16 in 4th gives her 23rd A-T US!!

Knocked OFF the US list was my initial Track infatuation--Francie Larrieu!!
Her 2:40.2 dated from 1975!!

The Men's HS race saw Luis Peralta speed a 2:24.53, making him 10th A-T HS!
Bronxville's (Sound familiar??) Matt Rizzo ran 2:25.41 in 2nd, making him 16th A-T HS!!
(BTW, he has a brother who finished 4th or 5th!!)
Alfred Chawouza's 2:25.77 makes him 19th A-T HS!!

Finally, Craig Engels took the Men's Pro race in 2:18.98, making him 16th A-T US!!

This is getting a bit long, but so much happened this weekend, so hope you'll stick with me!!

Gabrielle Stafford is making a name for herself (and bringing joy to Canadian T&F fans!!), this time by winning the Boston Mile in 4:24.80, and nabbing her second National Record!!
(Remember her 14:57+ 5000 against Laura Muir a bit ago!!  See previous post!!)
She also gets the Boston Meet Record, but misses my World DDD by -0.09 seconds!!

She had to fight off a determined Elinor Purrier, as the former New Hampshireite ended in 4:24.88!
She moves from 13th A-T US to 8th, tied with 1 other!!
Favored Dawit Seyaum took 3rd, as she faded in the rush to the tape!
Her time was 4:26.83!
Cory McGee's 4:28.07 wasn't a PR!
Brenda Martinez ran 4:29.11, but ended 7th, while Emma Coburn's 4:32.68 gave her just 10th!
BTW, Purrier's enroute 1500 time of 4:08.50 makes her 13th A-T US!!

Yomif Kejelcha ran a LEGAL World Leader, his 3:51.70 winning the Boston Men's race!
He gets the Ethiopia National Record, as well as the Age 21 Record!!
Bethwell Birgen was a far back 3:54.82!
Nick Willis took 4th in 3:56.76.
While not an Age record, not bad for a 35 year old!!

Cut FROM my World list was none other than Kiwi John Walker, whose 3:52.8 dated from 1981!!

Jessica Hull's 4:31.03 took the Arkansas race, and makes her 15th A-T Collegiate!
Taking second was Lauren Gregory's 4:32.92!

There were several other great marks, so I'll just group them together in one jumbled pile!!
We'll begin with the duel (??) between Jenny Simpson and Konstanze Klosterhalfen in the Boston 5000!!
And it was a DUD!!
Jogging the first 3000 in 9:28, KK got bored and took off, leaving Jenny to jog to the finish, about 18 seconds back of KK's 15:15.80!!
Embarrassing!

The "race" between Hagos Gebrhiwet and Ed Cheserek wasn't much better, though they stuck to a near-60 second 400 clip through 1200 or so!
Gebrhiwet ran away from the (former!) King, winning by 5 seconds in 7:37.41.
(Both appeared ready for more!!)

There were a few decent Pentathlon's!
Michelle Atherley's 4292 at Texas Tech wasn't a PR!
Nor was Kelsey Herman's 4189, or Madeline Holmberg's 4219!
But Great Britain's Niamh Emerson made some noise at the Cardiff meet!
Her 4544 not only is a World Leader, but it makes her the best ever British teen INdoors!
She was born April 22, 1999.

DeAnna Price sent the WT flying out 80-7.50.
It's a slight PR, but she remains 5th World and US!

Payton Otterdahl rolls on, this time by exploding out to 71-0 with the SP!!
He makes a triumvirate of lists--
3rd A-T Collegiate!
12th A-T US!
And 23rd A-T World!!

Maggie Ewen used her SP prowess to win Boston--and beat Christina Schwanitz and Anita Marton!!!
Her 63-3.25 is a small PR, and moves her from 7th to 6th on the A-T US list!!
Schwanitz--who got off the plane from Europe just before the meet!!--hit 61-11.

Jordan Geist's toss measured 68-2.25.
In an OUTdoor meet Down Under, Tom Walsh opened his season with a good 70-1.75!

A few Women's teams ran sub-11:00 DMR's on Seattle's OT, but Villanova ran a LEGAL one at the Armory, their 10:59.98 not a PR!

At today's Paris meet, Fabrice Zango TJ'ed 57-7.25.
This gives him Burundi's National Record, and makes him 20th A-T World!
Tori Franklin TJ'ed 46-3.50 at the Penn State meet.

Kiara Parker took over the Collegiate lead in the 60, her 7.15 making her 16th A-T Collegiate, tied with 7 others!!

Grant Holloway expanded his horizens with another Collegiate leader (and World leader!)!
His 6.51 in the short sprint makes him 10th A-T Collegiate, tied with 5 others!!

Yet another World lead was run by Christina Manning, whose 7.90 is this year's first sub-8 60H!
Trey Cunningham's 7.53 for 60H at the Armory makes him 9th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others!

I'm going to end (!!) this humongous post with maybe the year's most UNexpected HS distance result!!
We EXPECTED Katelyn Tuohy to lead everyone in the distances!!
But Marlee Starliper's 9:20.91 at Penn State was a bit of a shocker!
Not just because her time makes her 8th A-T HS, but because she WON the race--against a field of Collegiates!
(Okay, so the elders weren't exactly Top Tier Collegiates!!  So what!!)

And next week might be even better!!
Get out the fire hoses!!
(And bless the Stanford athletes, who made it home safe after that bus fire!!)

See you soon!