Athing Mu pregnant, has adidas changed the game? + Sawe's sub-2 hour marathon or Josh Kerr's WR mile?
LetsRun.com's Track Talk: The Home of Running and Track and FieldShow Notes
π Presented by VKTRY
VKTRY makes carbon fiber insoles you can use in any running shoe, no need for expensive super shoes to get carbon fiber benefits. They offer a 90-day risk-free trial: order insoles in your shoe size and weight, and if you don't like them, get your money back. USATF Half Marathon Champion Wesley Kiptoo runs in VKTRY. Check them out here.
π Get the LetsRun.com 1:59:40 Marathon T-Shirt for 50% off! Visit shop.letsrun.com and enter code Kipchoge at checkout. Super soft, in the colors of the Kenyan flag.
Summary:
Have adidas' new super shoes changed the game? adidas owns eight of the 10 fastest men's marathon performances and the top three women's times in 2026. Plus veterans like Lelisa Desisa and Tamirat Tola are running career PBs in their 30s.
In NCAA cross country, short-handed #2 BYU upset top-ranked NC State at Pre-Nats while a judge granted letting Taylor Rohatinsky compete, spotlighting a rapidly changing landscape with expanded scholarships, foreign athletes, and a new five-for-five eligibility rule.
Olympic 800m champion Athing Mu is pregnant. Will she return for the 2028 LA Olympics?
What was the World Athletics' Moment of the Year: Sebastian Sawe's historic 1:59:30 marathon or Josh Kerr's 3:42.66 mile world record? Who was the Athlete of the Year: Masai Russell vs. Audrey Werro? and what about USATF athletes of year?
π π§ Get a 2nd LetsRun podcast every week + bonus content: Join the Supporters Club β https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe Use code GOAT50 to save 50% off your first year. Money back guarantee.
Links
LetsRun 1:59:40 Marathon T-Shirt β Use code Kipchoge for 50% off
LetsRun Supporters Club β Use code GOAT50 for 50% off your first year
The Week That Was (LetsRun.com weekly recap column)
Q\&A with Colorado coach Sean Carlson (Supporters Club exclusive)
Brighton goal from midfield
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Sponsor / Intro & Episode Preview
04:14 The Sub-2:04 Marathon Boom
08:02 Adidas Dominance & Veterans Running PBs
13:25 2016 Olympic Marathon Doping Controversy
18:11 Super Shoes, Doping & Marathon Fairness
23:54 NCAA Cross Country: Pre-Nats & Eligibility Fight
29:59 The New NCAA: Five Years & Foreign Athletes
33:26 College Coaching & the Carlson Interview
38:50 Athing Mu's Pregnancy & Comeback Odds
44:13 Will Athing Mu Make the 2028 Olympic Team?
51:31 Coaching Athing Mu & the Dallas Running Community
53:51 World Athletics Moment of the Year Nominees
57:31 Sawe vs. Kerr: The Moment of the Year Debate
62:29 Athlete of the Year: Kerr vs. Dos Santos
66:12 World Athletics Voting Flaws & USATF Awards
71:59 World Athlete of the Year: Russell vs. Werro
76:41 USATF Road/Trail Awards & Wrap-Up
Contact us:
Email: [email protected] Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)
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.
More from LetsRun.com's Track Talk: The Home of Running and Track and Field
π Presented by VKTRY
The 2026 Chicago Marathon is stacked with storylines. On the men's side, Vinny Mauri, a former shoe store employee who ran 2:05 alone at Toledo, has gone viral for jaw-dropping treadmill workouts at Planet Fitness, fueling American record hopes. Rojo sparks heated debate by arguing the US has zero legitimate marathon title contenders despite record depth. The women's field is historically loaded with 12 sub-2:20 runners, led by former world record holder Brigid Kosgei and two-time Boston winner Sharon Lokedi, who's running her first flat marathon. The crew also breaks down Jacob Kiplimo's chances, weather concerns that could derail fast times, and whether super shoes benefit women more than men.
Tigst Assefa was on world record pace at the Berlin Marathon before an Achilles injury derailed her final two kilometers. She still limped home in 2:11:04, the third-fastest women's marathon ever, and underwent surgery within hours.
Emma Grace Hurley joins the podcast after the race of her life: a 66:23 half marathon PB at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, good for fifth place and a historic team silver medal for the US women. She breaks down her race strategy, the chaotic Atlanta trials where she was led off course in the final mile, and why she chose the half marathon over the 5K.
Andreas Almgren became the first non-African man in 30 years to win the World Half Marathon Championships, running 58:06 in Copenhagen and reigniting debate over whether he can contend at the New York City Marathon. The US women earned team silver with three runners in the top 10, Emma Grace Hurley, Weini Kelati, and Jess McClain all delivering stellar performances, while the US men took bronze.