The 2004 world cross country (WXC) in Brussels was certainly the highlight of my career. It was my 4th world cross country (my first time in the 8km race) and without a doubt, going into it, I was in my best shape of my career to date.
A column by Len Johnson - Runner's Tribe
In the world or precious stones, cut diamonds are more precious than raw, uncut diamonds.
The cutting process – expensive in itself – adds value. Expertly cut diamonds will always have more value than raw, uncut diamonds of the same carat, colour and...
A column by Len Johnson - Runner's Tribe
The men’s shot put at the world championships in Doha was acclaimed by many as the best-ever shot put competition and perhaps the best-ever field event competition.
In the latter category, Joe Kovacs, Ryan Crouser and Tom Walsh are up against stiff competition....
When Celia Sullohern finished 21st in the junior women’s race at the world cross-country championships in Punta Umbria, you didn’t have to be Einstein to discern an emerging talent.
In a race won by Olympic and world champion 1500 metres gold medalist Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, Sullohern was one of a few – very few – to mix it with the dominant east African runners. She was not the most stylish of movers, but she was strong and efficient, excellent credentials for cross-country.
And, as it turns out, excellent credentials for the marathon, too. Kipchoge or Moneghetti-like rhythm is an undeniable asset for a marathoner, but strength and efficiency will take you very far indeed. Did someone say Clayton? Or de Castella?
A column by Len Johnson - Runner's Tribe
When I boarded a plane bound for Alice Springs a couple of weeks ago, the following things held true: no-one had run a marathon in under two hours; Paula Radcliffe’s world record marathon remained almost a full two minutes outside the reach...
Paula Radcliffe’s world marathon record was considered by many as one of the hardest world records of them all. The Briton’s mark of 2hr 15min 25sec had stood unchallenged for 16 years. In steps Kosgei, and boom, that once insurmountable time has been slashed by 81 seconds .
Kosgei is also the fastest woman ever over the half marathon distance with her 64:28 at the Great North Run, although the race is not an official course and the time is therefore not classed as a world record.
Back to the marathon. Wearing Nike’s ZoomX Vaporfly Next% running shoes the 25-year-old Kosgei bounced her way to 2hr 14min 4sec – a time that was once considered impossible.
Astoundingly, Kosgei believes that she could can go quicker. “I think 2:10 is possible for a lady. I am focused on reducing my time again.”
It took a little longer to convince the world, but no-one who saw Robert de Castella’s debut marathon had any doubt this was a champion in the making.
For 32 kilometres, de Castella – ‘Deek’, as we knew him – followed his coach Pat Clohessy’s advice to “relax and enjoy yourself.”
At that point, ‘Deek’ realised he had plenty left. From that point, each succeeding mile was quicker than the previous one. The 22-year-old debutant came home with a sub-30 minute final 10km for a winning time of two hours 14 minutes 44 seconds.
I mean, let’s be serious for a second. If the sport really thought what he was doing was wrong, why didn’t they change the goddamn rules?
But here’s the rub. The sport’s entire existence is predicated on a set of norms. Those norms must be enforced. So he was found guilty of minor infractions and given a punishment for “conduct unbecoming a coach.”
Put another way, they didn’t ban him for his infractions, they banned him to set an example that some norms are not to be challenged.
I’m fine with this. Salazar was violating the central norms that make track and field a viable sport. He knew this full well. He also knew people would come after him and he knew one step over the line could be the end. He did it anyway. Salazar got what he should have known was coming to him.
Where Are the Medals?
Written by Mark Tucker - Runner's Tribe
In the 51 years since the Mexico Olympics in 1968, Australia has won a total of four medals, from the 800m upwards, in a World Athletics Championship or Olympic Games. That’s male and female combined competing in all of the...
Written by Len Johnson - Runner's Tribe
It’s high time we re-evaluated the worth of a relay gold medal, or rather, its relative value versus an individual gold medal.
One of the talking points during and after the world championships was that, in winning gold medals in two relays, the mixed...
