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1. The group that trains together breaks records together
The COVID-19 pandemic has only seemed to make the Bowerman Track Club stronger. Based in Oregon, this elite club is smashing records left and right. Moh Ahmed is looking unstoppable with a 12:47 5,000m, destroying his own Canadian record by 11 seconds, and a 3:34 1,500m (although, were those Nike Next % spikes Ahmed was tiptoeing around in?). Not to mention Shelby Houlihan, who looked like she was on a Sunday stroll for most of her 5,000m, crushing the American record with a 14:23.92. Can anything stop this super group?
2. How inspirational were the Inspiration Games?
Andre De Grasse, Allyson Felix, Noah Lyles. Some of the top names in sprinting competed in the Diamond League’s Inspiration Games. While the games were based in Zurich, Switzerland, athletes raced in locations all around the world. And it was exciting to watch…minus a few glitches. For a period of about five minutes, it looked like Noah Lyles had run a 200m world record of 18.90, solo. Until officials determined he had started in the wrong spot, running only 185m. Sorry Lyles.
3. Michael Norman might be the best sprinter of all time. Ever heard of him?
Twenty-two-year-old, American sprinter Michael Norman ran 9.86 for 100m during a meet in Fort Worth, Texas the other week. That makes him one of only two people to join the sub 10/20/44 club - the other being 400m world record holder Wayde Van Niekerk. Norman’s personal bests now stand at: 100m: 9.86, 200m: 19.70, 400m: 43.45. When you take into account that Usain Bolt’s fastest ever 400m is 45.28, it puts Norman in contention for the crown of most versatile sprinter of all time.
4. Nike athletes jog for their livelihoods
A tweet released by PJ Vazel, a former coach with Altis, an elite training group, pointed out that many Nike athletes competing in this week’s AP Ranch High Performance Invitational seemed to be jogging in their events. Athletes like Ameer Webb and Justin Gatlin were recording 100m times around 11 seconds. According to Vazel’s tweet, Nike athletes have to compete in a minimum of 10 races this year to fulfill their contracts and get paid. Not even during a pandemic will Nike give its athletes a break.
5. One Big FKT
American runner Liz Anjos, who also goes by the nickname Mercury, has decided to devote her summer to breaking the fastest known time for running the Appalachian Trail. At 2,193 miles (that’s 3,529 km for us Canadians), the current fastest known time (FKT) for completing the trail is 41 days, 7 hours, and 39 minutes, set by Karel Sabbe in 2018. To accomplish this, Anjos will have to log 50+ miles a day. That’s one hell of a summer hobby.
🎧 Podcast: Our Top 5 Stories this week