LetsRun.com's Track Talk

By LetsRun.comSports News Sports News Fitness Running

LetsRun.com's Track Talk episodes

June 10, 2020 Pro Track is Back, Salwa Eid Naser banned, Hayward Field Reopening, Impossible Games, Treadmill Records, Brown Track Reinstated
The Diamond League comes back this weekend in Oslo w Team Kenya vs Team Norway (preview here), World 400m champ Salwa Eid Naser gets banned, Brown track gets reinstated, world records galore on the treadmill, deleted threads of the week and the Fantasy 2020 Prefontaine Classic. Show notes below.
Are you a high schooler or college student and want to train better this summer? Check out the LRC Summer Training Program (or spread the word to people looking for a coach. Financial assistance available).
Want the best running recover and supplement products? TheFeed.com/letsrun has you covered and use code LETSRUN to save 15%.
Show notes:
0:43 Hayward Field Reopens

6:26 World 400m champ Salwa Eid Naser banned

24:49 Brown track and field is baack

39:02 Impossible Games

50:23 Praise for ourselves, defund the police, and Jacob Frey

58:05 Chaski Challenge Treadmill World Records galore led by Sara Hall

66:08 1984 Olympic Marathon & Joan Benoit Samuelson, McDonald's, Julie Brown 800/Marathon Olympic double

74:58 Bobby Morrow RIP

78:44 Deleted/Restored Threads of Week: Centro: least deserving Olympic gold medalist of all time??
*Breaking News ! July and August to be scrapped!

86:25 Team Kenya or Team Norway at Impossible Games
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1 hr 30 min
June 04, 2020 Boston Marathon, Brown Track and Field Cancelled + Guest Tyler Andrews Goes for Treadmill World Record
The show goes on with the world mourning the murder of George Floyd and we start by paying our respects.
We end with guest Tyler Andrews joining us (73:20) to talk the Chaski Challenge and his attempt to break the marathon and 50k treadmills world records, plus setting a Mount Everest base camp FKT.
The last week saw the Boston Marathon cancelled and Brown University cut its men's track and field team, one of its most racially diverse sports, in the name of diversity. Plus Colleen Quigley won the ESPN Peloton Challenge, Johnny Gregorek ran a 4:06 mile in a pair of Levis, doping and Lance Armstrong talk and a new special segment where we get Hot Takes from a podcast listener with a cool name- Joe Fast (who will be running for Jason Vigilante at Princeton next year).
John Kellogg is officially out of retirement and the LetsRun.com Summer Training Program is here. Designed for high school and college runners, the goal is to set you up for a fall and lifetime of success. Sign up here. (and use code "podcast" to save $25)
Show notes:
0:00 George Floyd RIP + Comments from Michael Johnson
5:23 Boston Marathon cancelled
9:23 Brown University cuts men's track and field in name of diversity
22:36 ESPN Peloton Challenge and Colleen Quigley > Rory McIlroy > Allyson Felix
27:36 High schooler sub 4s and correction on Leo Daschbach
30:26 Johnny Gregorek Blue Jean Mile world record for NAMI + Alan Webb 3:46 Mile Talk
36:50 Thoughts on Lance Armstrong 30:30 (Our podcast with Floyd Landis is here) + Alberto Salazar doping appeal date set
44:17 Will doping go away? Good read on Abdi Nageeye, Dutch Record Holder, here
52:30 New segment: Reader Hot Takes with high school senior Joe Fast: Canadian Abdullahi Hassan will win the next 10 NCAA titles, Alan Webb > Ryan Hall & Ritz, Mo Farah could have gotten the world records, Bryce Hoppel could be greater than Donavan Brazier?
73:20 Tyler Andrews Talks Chaski Challenge and trying to break marathon, 50k treadmills World Records this weekend
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1 hr 40 min
May 27, 2020 Leo Daschbach Sub 4 in a Real Race, Pro Runner Wedding Bells, London Marathon in Doubt, LRC's Big Poker Win
Despite the COVID shutdown high schooler Leo Daschbach ran sub 4 in the Quarantine Clasico in California with a tremendous final lap to become the 11th high schooler in the US in the sub 4 club. Pros Nick Symmonds and Leah O'Connor got married (not to each other), Rojo discusses Des Linden's body fat percentage, we learn about the 6 figure poker win that helped fuel LetsRun.com, break down the Impossible Games, and discuss if all big city marathons are in trouble in 2020. Plus what is the best way to recover after a hard interval and does a belief in god help pro runners?
Shh. The LetsRun.com Summer Training Program is Coming Soon. Keep checking the site or email [email protected] if you want to be notified when it launches.
Show notes: Start: Daschbach Sub 4 + where does it rank, should it have been held, Andy Powell's recruiting...
20:03 Alan Webb's 3:53 high school mile and 3:46 American record.
25:48 London Marathon (and all big city marathons) in jeopardy for 2020?
36:16 Japanese college coaches live with their athletes
40:35 Des Linden's body fat percentage and threads of week
46:54 Impossible Games in Norway and Team Ingebrigtsen vs Team Cheruiyot
54:01 The 6 figure LRC poker win
57:07 Mental focus of being a pro. Does a belief in god help? (Evan Jager and Nick Willis)
67:02 Nick Symmonds & Leah O'Connor get married (not to one another)
71:34 Best way to recover after a hard interval?
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1 hr 22 min
May 22, 2020 Alan Webb, Ryan Hall & Dathan Ritzenhein Reunited: The Big 3 Discuss Their Greatest Performances, Biggest Lessons, & Much More
Alan Webb, Ryan Hall, and Dathan Ritzenhein rose to prominence in the early 2000s as members of the high school class of 2001. For their accomplishments as teens -- which included two Foot Locker Cross Country titles for Ritzenhein and a 3:53 high school mile record for Webb -- they were christened the "Big 3." Ever since, their careers have been linked, with each going on to break American records as professionals -- Webb in the mile (3:46.91), Ritzenhein in the 5,000 meters (12:56.27, since broken), and Hall in the half marathon (59:43). Hall also is still the fastest American ever at the marathon (2:04:58) from 2011 Boston.
Ritzenhein joined Webb and Hall in retirement earlier this month, marking the end of an era in American distance running. The Big 3 bridged the gap between the low point of American distance running in the 1990s and the success of the late 2000s and 2010s, where it has become common for Americans to bring home medals from global championships.
Amazingly, until Ritzenhein's retirement, Ritz, Webb, and Hall had never before gathered for a three-way conversation. We thought we had generated an incredible idea for LetsRun -- until Hall revealed he had had the same idea for his own podcast, which was published Wednesday! But the three of them had such a good time talking that they agreed to gather on Zoom for a second interview with LetsRun this week.
Find out why Ritz had Webb's face on his dartboard as a high schooler, how Webb was able to beat Ritzenhein in their famous 10k showdown in 2006, which performances each believes was the best from their careers, their biggest lessons from the sport, Webb and Ritz's thoughts on their time with the Nike Oregon Project and Alberto Salazar's ban, and much more. And when you're done, be sure to check out Hall's podcast - https://anchor.fm/runfree/episodes/Episode-40-The-Big-Three-come-together-for-a-first-ever-three-way-conversation--Dathan-Ritzenhein--Alan-Webb--and-myself-eeanvt where the Big 3 talk about their first encounters and what it was like racing each other as high schoolers.
We actually recorded this podcast as a zoom conference call so you can watch it you like at the following link on the LetsRun.com youtube page:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qseFTRDPnbs
We've also typed up some of the highlights from our conversation which you can find on LetsRun.com: https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/05/the-big-3-reunited-alan-webb-ryan-hall-dathan-ritzenhein-discuss-their-greatest-performances-biggest-lessons-much-more/
Support LetsRun.com's Track Talk by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/letsrun
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1 hr 15 min
May 20, 2020Brynn Brown, the return of the Major Marathons, everyone is an All-American, bus-only NCAA XC and track and field's Grand Slams
In this week's podcast, we propose a simple plan that should result in the major big-city marathons returning to action this fall: https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=10021792 We also talk about Brynn Brown's amazing 9:39 3,200 meter run (https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/05/high-schooler-brynn-brown-runs-second-best-3200-in-us-hs-girls-history), get you ready for this weekend's high school sub-4 mile attempt, and rip the NCAA coaches for declaring every one who qualified for NCAAs at the DIII level an All-American: https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=10019637. Along the way, we talk about Ben Rosario's idea to create 4 Grand Slams for track and field and wonder how the NCAA xc season will look if teams only travel by bus: https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=10019279.
The podcast is sponsored by TheFeed.com. They've got everything you need to perform at your best and try and stay healthy. LetsRun.com co-founder Weldon Johnson just got his goody bag and is pumped. They have a new product -- BLDG Active’s Anti-microbial Face and Hand Spray, which is a medical-grade solution you can take with you to spray on your hands and face. Go to TheFeed.com/Letsrun for more info and use code LETSRUN to save 15% off your entire order.
The link on superspreaders discussed on podcast is here: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/why-do-some-covid-19-patients-infect-many-others-whereas-most-don-t-spread-virus-all
Show Notes
3:40 Brynn Brown has run 9:39 for 3,200
10:10 Caster Semenya has declared herself to be Supernatural
13:41 Covid-19 talk during which Robert Johnson offers his simple plan to bring back the major city marathons - Test everyone before the race.
25:49 Some high school boys will be attempting to break 4:00 in the mile in the Quarantine Classico
29:22 Weldon Johnson joins the show and talks about week 2 as a parent and he quickly goes off on a Covid-19 rant
43:45 Is the dream that Jenny Simpson return to the steeplechase officially dead?
46:20 Everyone gets a medal. The coaches association has determined everyone who qualified for NCAA indoors should be declared an All-American at the DIII level. What a joke.
52:33 We share a couple of emails of the week. One calls us scum for interviewing Jim Ryun another praises us for sending out the best-emailed newsletter in history. We use the email as an excuse to talk more about Jim Ryun's silver medal run in 1968.
61:14 HOKA NAZ Elite coach Ben Rosario wants to create 4 Majors for track and field. Will this idea save the sport?
70:20 If NCAA xc is held in the fall with limited bus-only travel, how will the season look.
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1 hr 19 min
May 14, 2020 Who Had The Better Career - Ritz, Webb or Hall?
Our normal podcast returned but this was far from a normal podcast as podcasting history was made as for the first time in world history a six-day-old baby appeared on a podcast. Once we adjusted to our new female co-host, we spent most of the show debating who had the better career - Dathan Ritzenhein, Alan Webb or Ryan Hall? Along the way, Rojo ranted about the need for colleges to open up this fall, Tedd Ginn Jr was exposed as a liar, we wondered if World Athletics deserves more props for its anti-doping effectiveness, and much more.
The podcast is sponsored by TheFeed.com. They've got everything you need to perform at your best and try and stay healthy. LetsRun.com co-founder Weldon Johnson recently his goody bag and is pumped. They have a new product -- BLDG Active’s Anti-microbial Face and Hand Spray, which is a medical-grade solution you can take with you to spray on your hands and face. Go to TheFeed.com/Letsrun for more info and use code LETSRUN to save 15% off your entire order.
Show notes:
0:00 For the first 12 plus minutes, we talk about Tracksmith signing Mary Cain and Nick Willis.
15:22 Rojo rants about the need for colleges to open in the fall as the stats show Covid-19 is less dangerous than the flu for that age group.
21:32 Wejo and his 6-day old daughter join the show.
26:14 Who had the better career - Ritz, Webb or Hall?
53:27 HSer Ryan Schoppe runs 4:00.8, Tedd Ginn Jr says he beat Usain Bolt in HS.
59:14 Russian doping and Ivy League doping - Gabby Thomas doping suspension.
65:29 Ahmaud Arbery tragedy
Got audio feedback for the show? Fake Galen Rupp where are you? Call 844-LETSRUN (844-538-7786) and hit option 7.
Support LetsRun.com's Track Talk by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/letsrun
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1 hr 14 min
May 13, 2020Deena Kastor: Greatest American Female Distance Runner of All-Time GOAT Podcast
Recently the LetsRun.com visitors voted US marathon record holder Deena Kastor as the greatest US women's distance runner in history. To mark the occasion, we invited Deena to be on our podcast. Before we could have her on, however, she told us she wanted to answer questions from the fans on our messageboard which she did last week. Her responses were amazing so check it out now if you haven't read it.
https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=9994777
While you are reading things, read this piece we did on Kastor early in 2007 after she finished her amazing 2006 season during which she set US records in the half-marathon and marathon.
https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/04/lrc-visitors-vote-jim-ryun-denna-kastor-as-the-greatest-mens-and-womens-american-distance-runners-of-all-time/
The podcast is sponsored by TheFeed.com. They've got everything you need to perform at your best and try and stay healthy. LetsRun.com co-founder Weldon Johnson just got his goody back and is pumped. They have a new product - BLDG Active’s Anti-microbial Face and Hand Spray which is a medical-grade solution you can take with you to spray on your hands and face. Go to TheFeed.com/Letsrun for more info and use code LETSRUN to save 15% off your entire order.
Show notes:
0:01 Deena talks about her start in the sport and how she struggled with being labeled as "talented."
3:02 Deena talks about how she viewed herself as a failure in the sport but how that all changed once she got with coach Joe Vigil.
9:06 Deena talks bout her college career, how she was running just for gear when she got out, and how she was thrilled to eventually get $12,000 a year, but how that's all changed now for new college grads thanks to the "Alan Webb" effect.
13:40 Deena talks about her American records and how she's thrilled Molly Huddle broke her half marathon record as she knows Huddle is clean.
21:05 Deena talks about her amazing success in xc.
27:07 Deena talks about what it was like to have Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi as teammates and others like Morgan Uceny.
30:01 The talk turns to Deena's amazing 2005 Chicago Marathon victory where she as on 2:18 pace but totally blew up and only won by 5 seconds and her amazing 2016 season during which set American records in the half and full marathons, but a season during which she was sent home from her training camp for being a 'primadonna' and one which she called a disappointment at the time.
38:06 Deena talks about why the roads are her favorite surface
41:28 Deena talks about why she'd love to on a run with Abebe Bikila and why she thinks Joan Benoit Samuelson is the greatest women's American distance runner ever.
45:44 Deena talks about her favorite American runners of today.
50:38 The conversation turns to doping and how Deena responds when people ask if she was dirty. Deena reveals a story about how she was disgusted to see everyone puffing on an inhaler before her first big European track race.
61:31 We finally talk about Deena's Olympic bronze in the marathon
63:41 Deena tells us what she views as her greatest accomplishment and tell us how she wants to break 2:30 in Berlin next year.
Got audio feedback for the show? Fake Galen Rupp where are you? Call 844-LETSRUN (844-538-7786) and hit option 7.
More: https://www.letsrun.com/events/letsrun-coms-greatest-american-distance-runner-of-all-time/
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1 hr 10 min
May 08, 2020The Jim Ryun: Greatest American Distance Runner of All-Time GOAT Podcast
This week we devote the entire show to talking to Jim Ryun - the athlete that the LetsRun.com visitors recently voted as the Greatest American Distance Runner of All-Time. During our talk, Ryun talks about his entire career, during which he ran sub-4 and made the Olympics in high school before being named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year during his freshman year of college as he broke the mile WR and met his future wife on the same day. Along the way we of course talk about the 1968 and 1972 Olympics. In 1968, Jim snagged the silver and we point out that if you convert his time for altitude, he ran the equivalent of 3:29 for 1500 in the process according to the NCAA. We also talk about current track and field stars and Jim talks about the relationship he's had with Alan Webb and Matthew Centrowitz. Details appear in the show notes below.
The podcast is sponsored by TheFeed.com. They've got everything you need to perform at your best and try and stay healthy. LetsRun.com co-founder Weldon Johnson just got his goody back and is pumped. They have a new product - BLDG Active’s Anti-microbial Face and Hand Spray which is a medical-grade solution you can take with you to spray on your hands and face. Go to TheFeed.com/Letsrun for more info and use code LETSRUN to save 15% off your entire order.
Also, why don't you check out Jim Ryun's running camp? Normally it's for high schoolers but this year it's going online and will be virtual so there is no age limit. Check it out at RyunRunning.com.
Show Notes:
Start: Intro and then Jim reacts to being named the Greatest American Distance Runner of All-Time by LetsRun.com and talks about making the Olympics at age 17.
4:58 Jim talks about how he found running after being cut from the church baseball team and how he ran 100-mile weeks in HS.
9:15 We talk about Jim's 3:51.1 mile WR and wonder what it would have been on a modern synthetic track. Jim says it felt like one of the "easiest races of his life."
11:57 The talk turns to Ryun's training under Bob Timmons which included 4 workouts per week
15:20 The talk turns to running sub-4 miles in HS and Ryun talks about how after just his 4th HS race coach Timmons told him he thought he could be first US HS to break 4:00.
23:40 Jim talks about the one time he lost a high school track race
26:23 Jim talks about how he almost went to Oregon State.
31:25 Jim talks about how when he was in college freshman weren't allowed to compete in the NCAA but he still managed to be named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year that year and how on the same day he set the WR in the mile, he met his future wife, only he didn't know it at the time.
34:43 Jim talks about the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He calls the decision to hold it at altitude was a mistake but says his silver medal run was one of his best runs ever. We point out that according to the NCAA he ran the equivalent of a 3:29 1500.
45:13 More 1968 talk as we ask Jim about how much his training was limited by Mono that year.
50:08 Jim talks about how he wanted to redshirt in 1969 but coach Timmons didn't let him.
56:17 Jim talks about the 1972 Olympics - a race Seb Coe thinks he would have won had he not been tripped
64:35 Does Jim still watch track and field these days? Who is his favorite athlete? Jim talks about his interactions with both Alan Webb and Matthew Centrowitz.
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1 hr 10 min
May 06, 2020 Chris Solinsky Reflects On His Career and His 26:59 and Looks Ahead To The Future at Florida
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Chris Solinsky's 26:59 10,000-meter run, this week we dropped an extra podcast with Solinsky as the guest. Our regular podcast will come out later. By now, his 26:59 has been discussed and broken down in amazing detail -- heck, our own Jonathan Gault wrote 6,000+ words about it -- so we only spent the first 10 minutes or so of our chat with Chris talking about that.
After the 26:59 talk, we spent a lot of time talking about the rest of Solinsky's magical 2010 season, during which he ran 12:56 or faster for 5,000 three times in the span of 77 days -- a feat that has only been achieved six times by any American, ever. We also got Solinsky to talk about his vision for the University of Florida as he's currently the men's and women's distance coach at Florida. Chris also told a really cool Eliud Kipchoge story.
This week's podcast is brought to you by the TheFeed.com. TheFeed.com has everything you need to perform at your best and try and stay healthy. They have a new product - BLDG Active’s Anti-microbial Face and Hand Spray which is a medical-grade solution you can take with you to spray on your hands and face. Go to TheFeed.com/Letsrun for more info and use code LETSRUN to save 15% off your entire order.
Show notes:
0:00 We talk about the 26:59 for nearly the first ten minutes
09:15 We talk about the rest of Solinsky's 2010 campaign, during which he broke 13:00 three times
23:10 Solinsky talks about the first time he broke 13:00 and tells a cool story about how Eliud Kipchoge -- whom he beat badly in the race -- was the first person to congratulate him.
26:10 Solinsky talks about dreaming big and what Jerry Schumacher has taught him about coaching in the NCAA.
33:30 Solinsky talks about what drew him to the University of Florida and his vision for the distance program
38:40 Solinsky responds to those who think his huge improvements in times in 2010 mean he was a doper
43:30 We asked Chris about how many of the greats in US distance running history -- himself, Salazar, Hall, Webb -- didn't have really long careers. Chris talks about this and reveals what he thinks his peak fitness was.
Got audio feedback for the show? Fake Galen Rupp where are you? Call 844-LetsRun (844-538-7786) and hit option 7.
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53 min
April 29, 2020 Jim Ryun is the GOAT, $300 Fines for Running Without a Mask, Max Siegel Gets Paid + Big Anniversaries
Jim Ryun is voted the GOAT, Deena Kastor female GOAT, Chris Solinsky's 26:59 10th anniversary, LetsRun.com 20th anniversary, did Jonathan Gault really talk to Jerry Schumacher?, will Jon Gault run with a mask or risk getting a $300 fine, Max Siegel is getting PAID, London Marathon and more.
Sponsors: One Week Only: Biggest Sale Ever at NormaTec and Hyperice! Save $300 on NormaTec Leg Pulse 2.0 System. Save $50 on percussion. Details here.
TheFeed.com has everything you need to perform at your best and try and stay healthy. They have a new product - BLDG Active’s Anti-microbial Face and Hand Spray which is a medical-grade solution you can take with you to spray on your hands and face. Go to TheFeed.com/Letsrun for more info and use code LETSRUN to save 15% off your entire order.
Show notes:
5:19 Jim Ryun GOAT. Deena Kastor female GOAT vs Joan Benoit Samuelson
23:49 COVID 19 and London Marathon - Bekele vs Kipchoge
30:49 LRC grows by 1: World meet a healthy Sydney Dileen Soprano
34:38 $300 Fines for running in Cambridge (Boston suburb) without a mask *Thread 2: Runners that live in U.S. cities: are you wearing a mask while out running?
46:45 When were the LRC babies conceived?
49:43 Max Siegel making the big bucks. Is he worth it?
60:10 Chris Solinsky's 26:59 10th anniversary
Got audio feedback for the show? Fake Galen Rupp where are you? Call 844-LetsRun (844-538-7786) and hit option 7.
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1 hr 14 min