Boston (& some Track & Field)

The 123rd Boston Marathon was far different from the 2018 race!
No monsoons or tornado winds!
And Sarah Sellers ran over 7 minutes faster, but ended just 15th!
Given this good weather, the races themselves took center stage!

The Women's race was a runaway for Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia!
Taking the lead at around 5K, she extended it to three minutes at the end of the Newton Hills!
But 39 year old Edna Kiplagat broke away from a group of 3 and began a relentless attack on Degefa!
Picking up almost 30 seconds per mile, she just started her run too late!
From 3 minutes to 42 seconds, Degefa beat Kiplagat, 2:23:41 to 2:24:13!!

Fighting for the 3rd podium spot were Meskeret Assefa and comebacking Jordan Hasay!
The California-born child-woman prevailed, Hasay running 2:25:20 to Assefa's 2:25:40!
Des Linden--the 2018 Champion--ended 5th in 2:27:00, but won everyone's hearts by devoting her race to cancer suffering Gabe Grunewald!
Almost in tears in her post-race interview, she spoke poignantly of Grunewald, urging women to run "brave like Gabe"!!

Lindsay Flanagan (NOT Shalane, who apparently may need knee surgery!!), ended 9th in a PR of 2:30:07!
Sellers, the shock 2nd placer in that storm last year, ran 2:36:42 in 15th!
Another American ahead of her was Kate Landau, who ran 2:31:56!
Betsy Saina ran 2:30:42 in 10th!

The Men's race was completely different, as it took a mad dash sprint down Boylston Street to decide the outcome!
The popular Lelisa Desisa tried to out-kick Lawrence Cherono--the fastest entrant--, but couldn't quite get there, as Cherono's 2:07:57 edged Desisa's 2:07:59!!
I watched the race, and let me tell you--there's no way there was a two second gap between the two!!
More like two-tenths of a second!

Kenneth Kipkemoi took 3rd in 2:08:06,but the big story for the US was that TWO Americans ran under 2:10:00!!

Leading for a few miles was Scott Fauble, while Jared Ward led also for awhile!
But they ended in 11th and 12th, respectively!!

Fauble's 2:09:10 rates him 11th A-T US, as I include Boston as a "legal" course, while everyone else calls it an "aided" course!!
While it's a point to point race, with an elevation net drop, I knew some guys who ran the course back in the 70's, and both said it's a really tough course!
Thus my position on its "legality" for Records & Marks purposes!!

Ward ended in 2:09:25, making him 12th A-T US!!
The favored American--Dathan Ritzenhein--faded badly, and ended just 16th!
Removed FROM the US list were two significant names!
Luke Puskedra's 2:10:24 from 2015, and Garry Bjorklund's 2:10:20 dating from way back in 1980!!

Manuela Schar beat many-time Champion Tatyana McFadden in the Women's Wheelchair division!

As for those guys & gals who run, jump, and throw things, several of them made indentures into my Record Book on a relatively quiet weekend!!

Because there's no one mark that truly stands apart, I'll do this by event--or event group!

The Sprints
Quincy Hall took over the World lead in the 400 with his 44.52 at the Gamecock meet!
This makes him 17th A-T Collegiate, tied with 3 others!
Halfway around the world, 400H'er supreme Abderrahman Samba cut 0.02 off his flat 400 PR, his 44.60 being added to his 46.98 over the 400H adds to 1:31.58 on my Combined Events list, but doesn't change his 2nd place standing!

Derrick Kemp ran 10.03 in the 100, also at the Gamecock meet!
Evonne Britton ran the 100H in 12.81 in Grenada, while Amber Hughes ran 12.85 at the Gamecock affair!

Jordan Lavender and Wadeline Jonathas had a good 400 duel, with Lavender prevailing, 51.53 to 51.56!
Jonathas is a Junior at South Carolina!

The Grenada meet had other fast times--
Bralon Taplin took the 400 in 44.92.
Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce made a comeback of sorts, sprinting the 100 in 11.20!
Miguel Francis won the 200 in 20.16, but the BIG story was the 20.20 given to Andre DeGrasse!!
This was his fastest race past a series of injuries!!

But Justin Gatlin pulled up during the race, although he finished--in 22.18!!

Steven Gardiner ran the 200 in 20.04 in Miami!

Gabby Thomas ran a 100 PR of 11.10 at Gamecock!

But maybe the most interesting result was a time that will NEVER make my Record Book, despite its brilliance!!
Syd the Kid--aka Sydney McLaughlin--ran in a MEN's 4X400 Relay--as the ANCHOR!!
Don't know who else was on her team, or their time, but McL was ahead of the last place guy coming into the last curve!
By the top of the straight, he'd passed her--barely!!
In a dead sprint the last 90 meters, McLaughlin only lost 3 to 5 meters!
Her recorded split was a quick 49.83!!
Not bad for a "rust-buster"!!

Distances
Yes, the venerable Boston Marathon was NOT the only Distance event to be worthy of mention!
In fact, there were other Boston races to report!
The BAA 5000--a Road race--was won by Hagos Gebrhiwet and Moresaah (sp?) Ngugi!
Gebrhiwet's 13:42 beat Ben True's 13:44!
Ngugi's time was 15:15 beating Violah Lagat's 15:29!
Kim Conley ended 4th in 15:36!

The Instanbul Half was fast!
--for the Women!
Ruth Chepngetich ran 65:30, making her 10th A-T World!

The Paris Marathon was taken by Abda Milaw (sp?) in 2:07:04, while Gelete Burka took the Women's race in 2:22:55.

France's Clemence Calvin broke her National Record in 2nd, time of 2:23:41!

This MIGHT change, as I've read that she deliberately missed a drug test recently!!
But she went to court to delay or prevent a ban!!
More on that in a future post!

If you're wondering if there were any distance races on a TRACK to report--well, there are!!
From INdoors!
The annual INdoor Marathon was held again at the Armory!
CJ Albertson broke the World Record with his 2:17:59 run over the 211 laps of the 200 meter track!!
His wife--Chelsea--had cramping problems over the final kilometers, but still ran 2:54:26!
But it was Stephanie Pezzillo's 2:42:11 that won that division!
The Women's WR for this torture test is Lindsey Scherf's 2:40:55!


Hammer Throw
Trey Knight walloped his HT best by almost 20 feet, hitting 254-0!!
This moves him way up the HS A-T list--from 19th to 4th!!

Alyssa Wilson originally made her name in the Shot Put, but she may have more to offer in the Hammer Throw!!
She got an 8 foot PR at the RJ/JJK meet!
Her 231-6 moves her from 24th A-T Colllegiate to 9th!!
She also makes the A-T US list--in 19th!!
Her other throws were okay--the DT in 185-0, and her "specialty" in 56-7.50!

Also, Beatrice Llanos hit an okay 225-5 with the ball and chain!!

Discus Throw & Shot Put
These events had some good marks also!
Jordan Geist finally topped his INdoor best, hitting 70-10 in a San Diego meet!
But this is OUTdoors, so the marks are totally different!!
He moves from 18th A-T Collegiate to 10th!
He misses the US list by 4.25 inches!!
However, he does claim the Soph Class Record!!

Another to hit a big PR was Valerie Allman!
Her 220-3 in the DT moves her from 12th A-T US to 5th!
Kelsey Card came close to her PR with her 2nd place mark of 207-9!
This was at the Chula Vista Throwers meet!

The Men's event was taken by Ehsan Hadadi's 220-5!
This beat Sam Mattis's 213-4!
BTW, Allman later threw 211-5 in San Diego!

Jamaica's Danielle Thomas-Dodd threw the SP 62-4, for one of her better throws of late!
At the RJ/JJK meet, Dotun Ogundeji had a SP mark of 69-0.50!
This makes him 21st A-T Collegiate!
But Josh Autolundi was the winner with his 69-4!
And Reggie Jager got a DT of 218-8!

Javelin Throw and the Multi's
Only one Heptathlon score to report--Michelle Atherley's 5966!

Liu Huihui took down the National Record of China with her JT mark of 222-3!
But she remains 11th A-T World!

Remember Madison Wiltrout!
She's the HSR holder at 185-8 from a few years back, who then got injured and had to have surgery!!
She threw one of her better marks--landing the spear at 181-4!
Can we expect a PR from her soon??

All the Jumps
The Arkansas meet---Where else??--produced some good PV marks!
Andrew Irwin went over 19-0.25, while Tori Hoggard took the Women's event with a modest 14-6.25!
For Irwin, his OUTdoor PR misses the US list by just one half inch!!

Even better, Alyssa Jones's 6-0.75 HJ ties the Frosh Class Record!!
But she misses the HS DDD by that same one half inch!!

And Erica Bougard--best known for her Heptathlon exploits, went over the HJ bar set at 6-2.25!!

Okay, now for some corrections and additions to previous posts!!

Remember I said I'd research whether Chloe Cunliffe was the only person to hold both HSR's in the PV--INdoors and OUTdoors--at the same time!!
Well, she isn't!

A friend reminded me of the obvious other person to hold both--MONDO!!
Duplantis's HSR's both came in 2018!

I used 14-0 and 18-0 as my starting points!
That made Tori Anthony the earliest to hold both Women's HSR's!
She did 14-2.50 INdoors, and 14-1.25 OUTdoors--both in 2007!
Desiree Freier was next, her 14-2.75 INdoors and 14-7.25 OUTdoors coming in 2014!
BTW, as you might recall, she had an INdoor 14-6 mark negated by some HS federation rule!
Then came Cunliffe's marks this year!

I suppose I should give a Special Mention to the former Weeks twins!!
AS Weeks girls, they held both HSR's in 2015!!
BUT--not by the same Ms Weeks!!
Tori got the INdoor mark with her 14-4, while sister Lexi took the OUTdoor mark with her 14-7.50!!
BTW, Mondo's marks are 19-3.50 INdoors, and 19-10.25 OUTdoors!

I reported that Markus Rooth took the Arcadia Decathlon at 7248!
But I didn't know he's from Norway!!

My readers know how I'm always urging meet directors to get enroute times in some distance races--giving athletes chances at TWO Records or List makers instead of one!!

I had to ask for these times, as the Arcadia meet results page didn't have them!
But Cole Sprout and Nico Young both made my A-T HS list in the 3000--enroute to their 3200 race finishes!

Sprout was ahead of Young at that point, so his 8:10.75 nets him 18th A-T HS!
Young hit 8:11.02 at 3000, making him 19th A-T HS!!

Please, Meet Directors--when you expect great marks in distance races, time them at the 1500 or 3000 points also!!
Then you can  brag TWICE for the same athlete!!

Upcoming is the Mt SAC Relays, beginning this Thursday!!
Then follows the Penn and Drake Relays, and I believe another Stanford meet (Cardinal Invite?), and the World Relays!

Also, on the 28th, is the London Marathon!
Eliud Kipchoge headlines the Men's entrants, while Emily Sisson will be in the Women's race!!

See you soon!