LetsRun.com's Track Talk: The Home of Running and Track and Field

Strand's breakthrough, Kejelcha's WR, Kerr vs Jakob, and Is the US #1 in the world in mid d?

LetsRun.com's Track Talk: The Home of Running and Track and Field

Show Notes

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EPISODE SUMMARY

Ethan Strand won a Diamond League 1500 in Silesia, something Matthew Centrowitz, Cole Hocker, and Jessica Hull have never done. What does it mean?

World Athletics breaks its own qualification rules to engineer the Jakob Ingebrigtsen vs. Josh Kerr showdown at the World Ultimate Championships in Budapest.

Yomif Kejelcha runs 56:51 in Buenos Aires, but suspicious splits raise questions about whether the half marathon world record will be ratified. Rai Benjamin commits to a bold 400/400 hurdles double at World Ultimates, and the US men's middle distance dominance reaches historic levels.

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LINKS

10 Years After Rio: Matthew Centrowitz on Olympic Gold, Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr, the Golden Age of the 1500m

WTW: Is Yomif Kejelcha's 56:51 World Record Legit? Collen Kebinatshipi, Marileidy Paulino Make 400m History

Was Devon Allen Screwed? There's at Least a 99.9% Chance That He Was

If You Lined Up Every NCAA Men's XC Champ in Their College Prime, Who Wins?

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Sponsor and Intro

02:00 Ethan Strand Wins Diamond League 1500

08:41 Do Tactics Matter in Middle Distance Racing?

12:35 Strand's Post-Race Tactics and Silesia Breakdown

15:26 Is the US the Best Middle Distance Country in the World?

20:24 Strand's Ceiling and Upcoming Races

26:44 Jakob and Kerr Get Into World Ultimates

28:28 Should World Athletics Break Its Own Rules?

34:07 Rai Benjamin's Bold 400/400 Hurdles Double

36:42 Historic 400-Meter Seasons for Cabanatchippy and Paulino

42:26 Yomif Kejelcha Runs 56:51 Half Marathon

46:56 Could Yomif Kejelcha Be the Next Kipchoge?

49:02 World Marathon Majors Are Losing Their Meaning

50:47 Rojo Raises Concerns About Kejelcha's Splits

56:32 Shoe Technology and What Records Mean Now

59:58 Melissa Jefferson Wooden's 100m Win Streak

65:29 Galen Rupp's Half Marathon and Masters Record

67:55 Centro Running 100 Miles a Week for Fun

74:07 Zurich Diamond League Preview

76:57 Greatest NCAA XC Champion of All Time

80:58 Outro and Supporters Club

CONTACT

Email: [email protected]

Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

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.

More from LetsRun.com's Track Talk: The Home of Running and Track and Field

Oct 5, 2026

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.

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Sep 24, 2026

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.

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