When 18.91 -- quickly rounded down to 18.90 -- popped up on your screen after Noah Lyles crossed the finish line in the 200m in yesterday's Weltklasse Zürich Inspiration Games, you thought it just might be possible.
The instinct was to dismiss it immediately. 18.90 is a made-up time. To run it would require smashing a Usain Bolt world record by margins even Bolt in his prime couldn't manage. But Lyles is so good, and we don't know everything he's been up to during lockdown...perhaps this was the perfect storm of gale-force wind and supreme talent? The longer 18.90 stayed on the screen, wasn't there a small part of you that wondered, just maybe, whether we'd just witnessed something utterly impossible?
Well maybe you didn't, but here at LetsRun HQ, at least one of us did. And the fact we were even pondering the possibility is a testament to Lyles' greatness -- and to how desperate we are for any sort of track-related excitement this summer.
We may not have to wait long to see an actual record, however. Tonight, several Bowerman Track Club stars will be racing over 5,000 meters, and times are expected to be fast. Like, American record fast -- which is what happens when you line up Shelby Houlihan and Karissa Schweizer and an army of Bowerman Babes to pace them (the men's race, featuring Moh Ahmed and Lopez Lomong, could see records tumble as well).
And yes, we did say see a record -- Colleen Quigley has said the races will be streamed live. Details to come on that, but stay tuned. We know we will be.
Lyles' 18.90 was too good to be true but still provided one of the most entertaining moments of the 2020 summer track season, while Felix upset favored Shaunae Miller-Uibo over 150m.
In separate meets in Oregon & Florida last weekend, Brazier made closing in 52 look way too easy, Trayvon Bromell ran his fastest 100 since 2016, and Kenny Bednarek & Sha'Carri Richardson impressed.
Eighteen years ago, the three men who held the marathon WR from 1999 to 2011 - Geb, Tergat and Khannouchi - sparred on the streets of London in an epic race and Paula Radcliffe announced herself as a marathon star. It was the marathon's greatest day.
Matt Baxter, Rory Linkletter, Clayton Young, Conner Mantz, Dom Scott-Efurd, Laura Thweatt, Stephanie Bruce and Kellyn Taylor are all entered as well. The race will be held at just 2,700 feet of elevation, so times should be pretty fast.
Jos Hermens' record of 20,944m from 1976 is the second-oldest European record on the books. Moen came close to it when he broke the European 25k record last month (he ran 20,703m in an hour, about half a lap short of the record record).
Since they can't have the race and follow the Swiss government's social distancing requirements, they're letting registered runners complete the 31k course independently on any day for a 33-day period.
"Summer miles lead to fall smiles." It's a cliche because it's true. The months of July and August are critical opportunities to put in the work that lead to breakout results in the fall, winter, and spring racing seasons.
Now with the help of LetsRun.com, high school and college runners can make their dreams become reality. LetsRun's Robert Johnson (2:23 marathon pb, 13 Ivy League team titles as Cornell distance coach), Weldon Johnson (28:06 10k pb, two-time Team USA member), and coaching guru John Kellogg are sharing their knowledge with the LetsRun.com Summer Training Program. You'll get a customized 10-12 week training plan, helpful running tips, and exclusive discounts on shoes and gear. Click below to learn more.
