Diamond League is back, Birnbaum 1:44, Valby's return, Gout Gout, Hocker vs Fisher
LetsRun.com's Track Talk: The Home of Running and Track and FieldShow Notes
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The 2026 Diamond League season kicks off Saturday in Shanghai as the outdoor track calendar heats up. Oregon's Simeon Birnbaum lowered his 800m PB to 1:44.67, strengthening his case as NCAA 1500 favorite despite a 12-man curse on NCAA record holders. Australia's Gout Gout got a 60 Minutes profile, reigniting debate about sprint phenoms and Erriyon Knighton's four-year trenbolone ban. The hosts preview a loaded Diamond League season, debate whether Cole Hocker or Grant Fisher will finally win a DL meet, rank teen phenoms Lutkenhaus, Myers, and Gout Gout, and ask whether any world records will fall in 2026. Late-breaking news: Parker Valby enters the Sound Running 5K for her first outdoor track race since the Paris Olympics.
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LINKS
LRC Who Wins in a 250 Mile Race: Rachel Entrekin or Sabastian Sawe?
Gout Gout on 60 Minutes (YouTube)
Gout Gout on 60 Minutes (LetsRun Forum)
Simeon Birnbaum 1:44.67 PB at Oregon Invite
Marco Langan 3:32.79 at Azusa Pacific, #2 in NCAA History
Mike Holloway Interview on Botswana Doping
Rae Edwards on Shoe Companies Supplying Drugs
Kenny Bednarek on Grand Slam Track (Front Office Sports)
What if they ran marathons at night?
Cooper Lutkenhaus Podcast Interview
Simeon Birnbaum Podcast Interview
Diamond League 2026 season preview and predictions article on LetsRun.com
Grant Holloway injury update (Instagram)
Parker Valby Sound Running Invite entry
Bodey Lutes breaks Prefontaine's 800m record
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Supporters Club Promo and Intro
00:55 Welcome and Episode Preview
06:35 Simeon Birnbaum's 800m PB and the NCAA 1500 Curse
12:18 Bicarb, Super Shoes, and the 800m Revolution
16:03 Birnbaum as Centro 2.0 and Marco Langan's 3:32
23:00 Bodey Lutes: The New Fastest Runner From Coos Bay
26:22 Wilma Nielsen's Oregon Debut and Quincy Wilson's Hurdles
29:07 Gout Gout Gets the 60 Minutes Treatment
35:42 Gout Gout vs Erriyon Knighton and the Name Factor
37:53 Erriyon Knighton's Doping Ban and the Trenbolone Cases
38:30 Mike Holloway on Botswana Doping
40:41 The USADA vs WADA Battle Over Knighton's Case
46:02 Diamond League Season Preview and Cole Hocker vs Grant Fisher
50:36 Grand Slam Track and Athlos Updates
56:23 Who Will Be the Best Men's 1500 Runner in 2026
60:56 Teen Phenom Rankings: Lutkenhaus, Myers, and Gout Gout
67:04 Will Any World Records Fall in 2026
71:18 Femke Bol's Move to the 800 Meters
75:22 Josh Hoey Concerns and Top US 800m Runner
80:19 The Athing Mu Mystery
82:18 Shanghai Diamond League Preview and Sign-Off
85:50 Parker Valby Enters the Sound Running 5K
CONTACT
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ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST
Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running.
The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.
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