LOLZLetter Edition 45| Best Professional Running Moments of 2019
Tis the season for the last newsletter of 2019!
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Hopefully, you are enjoying a relaxing time with family and friends if you're running a New Year’s Race on Wednesday, good luck! I've lost track of days, and I almost forgot it was Monday and newsletter day.
The newsletter this week is sponsored by CAULIPOWER. They are currently offering $2 off coupons for their brand new tortillas.
Since it's the last newsletter of 2019, I thought I would share some of the Best Professional Running Moments from the year.
Road Races:
Kipchoge Breaks 2 Hours in the Marathon:
To be honest, if it ever came out that Kipchoge wasn't clean my heart would be broken. In his interviews, he seems like a man who loves running. The Sub, 2-hour attempt was meant to see how fast we could make the human body go. Everyone knows, it "wouldn't count," blah blah, but the fact that he did it is incredible. Plus, when you win every race you enter, what's next? Your time is your only competition. You can read more here.
Kosgei Shocks Everyone in Chicago:
At the Chicago Marathon, Brigid Kosgei ran a 2:14:04 and smashed the World Record. Was it her training? Was it the shoes? She led the race out of the gate and set the World Record. You can read more here.
Jenny Simpson Wins her 8th Road Avenue Mile:
8 time champion! Simpson has had a longer career than most and to win an event eight years in a row is almost unheard of. I had the honor to meet Simpson at the New York City Marathon and she is one of the most humble runners I've come into contact with. She asked me about my race LOL! You can read more here.
Kenenisa Bekele Almost Breaks Marathon World Record:
Bekele won the Berlin Marathon in 2:01:41, only 2 seconds off Kipchoge’s World Record. For Bekele, it was an 80 second PR! Bekele has been in the sport for nearly 20 years and won both the 5000 and 10000 in the Olympics in 2004! You can read more here.
Joan Benoit Samuelson Runs at 3:04 at Boston:
Joan Benoit Samuelson was the first woman to win Boston 40 years ago. Samuelson's goal was to run within 40 minutes of her winning time 40 years ago at 1979 Boston, which was 2:35:15. This year, Samuelson, age 61, ran a 3:04 and within 30 minutes! You can read more here.
Trail Races and Ultras:
Jim Walmsley Breaks Western States Record:
Walmsley wins Western States (again) and breaks his own record, running 14 hours and 9 minutes. Proving he has range, qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials, broke the 50-mile record in May, and won the 42K at the World Mountain Running Championships. Next thing you know, he'll be running a 12 minute 5k. You can read more here.
Maggie Guterl Ran 250 Miles to Win Big's Backyard Ultra:
One of the most underrated performances this year in my opinion. Maggie Guterl became the first woman to win the Big Dog Backyard Ultra, the race with no end. Participants have 60 minutes to run a four-mile trail loop through the woods. At the top of the hour, if you are able, you do it again...and again, until the last person is standing. You can read more here.
Track:
Dalilah Muhammad Breaks Her Own 400m Hurdle Record:
She set the world record in July when she won the USATF Outdoor Championships in 52.20. She broke her record at the IAAF World Championships in Doha to 52.16. You can read more here.
Sifan Hassan won two gold medals that no one else has:
While Hassan has never been proven anything other than clean, her associations worry me since Alberto Salazar coached her. My question is, why even associate with someone like that? Never the less, she won two gold medals that no one else has. In Doha, she won both the 10,000 and 1,500-meter final 3 days later. You can read more here.
Other:
Not a Race but Important: U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar had a 4-year ban:
Arguably one of the most important things to happen to US Distance Running. Salazar coached some of the fastest runners in the sport. You can read more here.
Bourbon is Whisky Larry:
Why is Des Linden so cool? You can watch the one-liner from Des here.
Shalane Announces Retirement:
Shalane is one of the best distance runners in the country and in October, she announced she would retire and coach. She needs no introduction but has won:
2017 New York City Marathon
Silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in the 10,000 meters
4 Olympic Teams (i.e., been on a world stage for over 16 years)
You can read more about her retirement here.
Running Related Articles of 2019:
Many people know that 2019 also brought some big conversations to the table, including women's equality and sports.
Lindsay Crouse wrote Nike Told Me to Dream Crazy Until I Wanted a Baby. One of the most powerful pieces highlighting that Nike didn't pay their athletes during pregnancy or they must take a reduction.
She also wrote: I Was the Fastest Girl in America Until I Joined Nike.
Those Super Fast Shoes are Creating a Problem
Wherever you stand on the Vaporfly Shoes, it's becoming clear they are making an unfair playing field for athletes. While any brand can add a carbon plate, Nike has a patent of how the carbon plate can be applied in the foam (which creates the problem). The Hoka Carbon X and Carbon Rocket or the New Balance 5280 are not quite the same. They don't have the same "advantage." When the US Women's Marathon Team may come down to a couple of seconds, the shoe could very well play a role.
Now, it appears Nike made a Sprinting Shoe of similar fashion that will impact the sport even more. Taking even a fraction of a millisecond in sprinting times can make all of the difference.
Finally, as a reminder, as we wrap 2019 up, you'll see a lot of "Best of 2019 Posts". No one's life is perfect and you shouldn't compare yourself and your year to someone's "best of." For every highlight, there is a lowlight. This thread by A.C. Shelton summarizes it perfectly.
Finally, thank you to CAULIPOWER for sponsoring the newsletter this week. I've been enjoying them for on the go wraps, plus $2 off coupons make them fairly inexpensive.
If you liked the newsletter, I appreciate it if you share. It takes a couple of seconds and it helps grow the newsletter and keep it running.
Happy New Year!
If you have any comments, you can email me at FueledbyLOLZ@gmail.com. All feedback is helpful!
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