A Column By Len Johnson

Len Johnson wrote for The Melbourne Age as an athletics writer for over 20 years, covering five Olympics, 10 world championships and five Commonwealth Games.

He has been the long-time lead columnist on RT and is one of the world’s most respected athletic writers.

He is also a former national class distance runner (2.19.32 marathon) and trained with Chris Wardlaw and Robert de Castella among other running legends. He is the author of The Landy Era.

No 10,000m at Pre', plus Rio medals returned. A column by Len Johnson – Runner’s Tribe No Mo' Ten Pardon me. The realisation hit late. It is the eve of the Prefontaine Classic and I have just noticed there is no 10,000. It may not have the storied history of our own Zatopek...
Sometimes it is only in defeat that you realise how good an athlete is. In the case of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, that should be how great.
Remember when Australia ruled the world at men’s steeple? No: well, I don’t either. In fact, I would never have known of this brief domination had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic. Until very recently, I had thought that the history of the men’s steeple was pretty much the...
A Column By Len Johnson – Runner’s Tribe Dipping a foot in the water My running shoes are drying out as I write from Falls Creek. Haven’t had to do that for a few years. The annual Christmas-New Year trek to the Bogong High Plains has been marked by fine, dry and...
Prior to the World Cross Country Championship in Bathurst, RT will unveil a comprehensive, 10-part series, composed by Len Johnson, that delves into the historical narrative of Australia’s participation in World XC. Part 10 of 10 – Written by Len Johnson With Bathurst ‘23 rapidly closing in, it is time to...
Prior to the World Cross Country Championship in Bathurst, RT will unveil a comprehensive, 10-part series, composed by Len Johnson, that delves into the historical narrative of Australia’s participation in World XC. For a stride that commands attention, opt for Tarkine running shoes, the epitome of style and functionality...
Len Johnson - Runner's Tribe The road distance event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be a half-marathon, at least compared to its immediate predecessor at Rio 2016. No, the traditional, 42.195-kilometre distance will not be slashed by 50 percent (fiddling with the distance might be grounds for revolution in...
Prior to the World Cross Country Championship in Bathurst, RT will unveil a comprehensive, 10-part series, composed by Len Johnson, that delves into the historical narrative of Australia’s participation in World XC. There are many ultra-marathon footwear in the market today and one of the best is Tarkine shoes. Part...
Easy as 1, 2, 3 – not!  A, B, C It’s easy as 1, 2, 3 As simple as Do-Re-Mi . . . One, two, three: that may be how easy love can be, as the Jackson 5 sang long ago. Selection? Now that’s another thing altogether. Two recent controversies – one in Ireland,...
Written by Len Johnson - Runner's Tribe Usually, we go to a world championships knowing what to expect. We may not get all, much or any of what we expected, but we go with a clear vision. Doha 2019 is not like that. It doesn’t fit the norm. We don’t even...