PA XC All Decade Team: An etrain Original Series

With the 2019 Footlocker Championships in the rearview mirror, a decade’s worth of Pennsylvania High School Cross Country is in the books. This 10 year stretch seemed to have it all. We started the decade with aqua jogging, a hydra monster and a state champ with two first names. Over time, we added a classification, retired a blog, rewrote the record books, started a blog, uploaded the record books to the cloud and retired a blog. And to cap it all off, we saw upsets, a plan coming together and a state champ with two first names. It has really hit all the check marks.

Seeing as I am now an old (, old,) man, I have managed to be around to follow all of this. And now, because the “e” in “etrain” probably stands for egotistical, I want to take some time to write a lot of words about it and post it on the internet so that less than 25 people can read it.

Coming in January 2020, I’ll be dropping a series of posts that will be covering the decade that was in PA XC. XC talk during track season isn’t necessarily the smartest idea I’ve ever had, but if you look back through some of my old posts, its definitely not my dumbest. 

There will be stories, rankings and a variety of blasts from the past. It would also be cool to get interviews, fan memories and guest spots. But those are up to you if you think this sounds fun.

The rest of the details are still being flushed out, but I wanted to make everyone aware early just to get the ball rolling.

Penntrack, if you want the rights hit me up. Otherwise, I’ll throw this on a blog (probably with a new link). It will be completely free, no subscription/email required. Just like the good old days.

If this idea seems like something you’d like, spread the news and comment below with your ideas and opinions. If it sounds terrible, feel free to share those opinions as well. All press is good press I guess.

And, *Forrest Gump voice*, that’s all I have to say about that.

Testing ... Testing ... Is this thing still on?

Well, TrainStation, I’ve officially brushed back the cobwebs that were covering my keyboard. For one night only, etrain will be doing etrain things one more time.

First, have to give a shout out to the PA Hub for putting in the hours while I was off doing ... well, a lot more sleeping mostly. So thank you for carrying the torch and giving everybody a place to check in.

It looks like there is a little gap in the action right now and, with states coming up, I figured I can bang out one more state preview so that the running nerds like me (and maybe some cool people who knows) can get their fix. 

So one night. Eight previews. One million views. Well, not that night, but did you guys see the blog got there while we were gone? That's fun.

So one night. Eight previews. One catch. I will not be posting the previews up on the site. To get them, send an email to lxvplus@gmail.com between now and Tuesday night and you will be added to the list of people who will receive the free preview posts. 

If you don't want access to all eight posts (AA and AAA 4x8, 16, 8, 32), then feel free to specify your picks. Burner emails are fine. Heck, they are even encouraged. 

I know you guys probably don't love this strategy for posting, but, hey, I'm curious how many individual readers are out there. 

Feel free to use the blog as a place for comments and to make your own predictions. Once I make them, I'll post my picks on here. You just have to get on the mailing list if you want the full articles.

All the best and best of luck.

- Train

Doha Diamond League Recap

I know it’s been almost a week since the Doha meet, but I figured I’d recap it anyway. I don’t think anyone was hanging on by a thread waiting for the recap and, let’s face it, this is mostly for me so I can gather and organize my thoughts to help me enjoy the next Diamond League races and the World Championships to come later this year. So let’s get to it.

Women’s Hurdles

As is the case for what feels like every Diamond League meet, the 400 hurdles was the first contest of the day. And, as has also started to feel familiar, Daliah Muhammad put down a dominate performance for the victory. She ran 53.61 to win by over a second (fellow American Ashley Spencer was second). It wasn’t the most stacked field ever assembled, but it was certainly a major statement. Muhammad likes to go out hard and then see if she can hold on and, in this instance, she had no problems in the home stretch. Everyone was ready to crown Sydney McLaughlin after last summer, but Muhammad is the defending Olympic Champion with a rising amount of big race experience and a ton of talent. I think she has a shot at the world record before Tokoyo 2020 is over.

In the short hurdles, Jamaica’s Danielle Williams picked up a bit of a surprise victory with a 12.66 clocking. Don’t get it twisted, Williams is awesome (I mean, she’s the 2015 world champion after all), but the Americans have recently owned this event, particularly Brianna McNeal. Yet the USA was nowhere to be seen as McNeal finished 7^th overall and Sharika Nelvis ended up the top American in 3^rd (12.78). Tobi Amusan of Nigeria came through for second in an impressive showing. The 22-year-old was bounced from the semi-finals in the London World Championships and the Rio Olympics.

The Jumps

It was a slow start for the #1 Pole Vaulter in the world in Doha, but ultimately Sam Kendricks righted the ship when it mattered most and came away with another DL victory. But the biggest story from this event was the reemergence of Thiago Braz of Brazil. After winning the Olympics on home soil, Braz has struggled in the Pole Vault the last two years, but mixing it up with Kendricks until the final round has to be a confidence booster. He finished the day at 5.71, his best mark since 2016.

In the women’s high jump, the large shadow cast by Mariya Lasitskene was gone, meaning a new star would have the opportunity to steal a DL gold. Many suspected it would be Bulgaria’s Mirela Demireva, currently the world #2 in the event, but instead it was a coming out part for 17 year old Yaroslava Mahuchikh. The Ukranian youth cleared a lifetime best of 1.96 to pick-up the victory. She and countrywoman Yuliya Levchenko (world #3) are possibly the two best young stars hoping to usher in the new era of high jumping. But still, this meet reminds us that nobody can catch Lasitskene when she is jumping anywhere near her best.

Caterine Ibarguen may be known for the Triple Jump, but the defending diamond league champion as really established herself as a contender for double gold after yet another major victory in Doha. Ibarguen won the long jump with a best of 6.76 it was considered one of the best fields of the day. She jumped 6.93 last year which was easily a lifetime best and, considering how strong Rojas has been in past triple jumps, she may actually have a better shot at gold in the Long Jump than the Triple. By the way, it looks like this event was Ibarguen’s 36^th DL victory in her career.

The breakout star in the Long Jump was Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Ukraine. She was a narrow second to Ibarguen with her best jump only 2 centimeters back. Clearing 6.74 is the best Bekh’s performed since 2016. She’s yet to be a true factor in the global championships as she hasn’t even landed a jump in a final.

200m

Turkey’s Ramil Guliyev, the defending world champion, showed why he was the class of Friday’s field with a 19.99 runaway victory. It actually looked like Guliyev might be in trouble after Aaron Brown ran a spectacular bend, but Guliyev calmly turned on the jets in the final 50 to blow the race open (Alex Quinonez of Ecuador got up for second). Guliyev is a really strong 200 guy which going to serve him well when rounds starting coming into play in global championships. Lyles has stolen all his shine recently (and has been close to untouchable at 200), but I think Guliyev will give him all he can handle the next time he hits the track in Doha.

If you’re calling Guliyev’s win emphatic, I’m not sure how to describe Dina Asher-Smith. The women who absolutely rocked the European Championships last year (10.85/21.89) threw down a 22.26 to scorch the rest of the field by 0.64 seconds. But ultimately, the Asher-Smith story will be decided by her performances against the big dogs later this summer. We know she can run fast, but she has to prove she can win consistently when it counts. This is her third individual DL victory and she’s still searching for a first individual global medal. Jamile Samuels of the Netherlands picked up the silver in a strong result for the 27 year old. It was her best ever finish at a Diamond League individual event.

800m

The men’s 800 was a thrilling battle to the finish as Nijel Amos of Botswana was able to sprint past Kenya’s Emmanuel Korir on the final straight to steal the victory 1:44.29 to 1:44.50. Korir, who won the DL last year and came in as the favorite, has rarely been hawked down at the end. And Amos hasn’t always been known for his strategic brilliance. But both runners were able to step up in this important moment. It will be interesting to see if this is a fluke or a trend for Korir (and Amos) as the 800 landscape looks a bit more wide open after one DL meet.

The USA’s Donovan Brazier finished 3^rd in the meet with a 1:44.70. While a 3^rd place result behind arguably the two most talented guys in the event is undoubtedly a positive, I found it an oddly passive result from Donovan. He was back a fair amount at the start and left himself a lot to do on the last lap. Still, now is the time to figure out the strategy and every bit of experience helps for a massive talent still looking to get into a global final for the first time.

The women’s race featured a familiar figure at that front. Caster Semenya was arguably more dominate than ever as she absolutely obliterated a star-studded field that included the most recent world and Olympic medalists behind her. She dropped a 1:54.98 to win by almost 2 full seconds against Francine Niyonsaba. USA’s Ajee Wilson grabbed third in 1:58.83 and Raevyn Rogers placed 5^th. Rogers mixed it up well with Wilson and got in a strong rep against the US record holder. I thought this was a very encouraging performance from her, even if she couldn’t quite hold on for a spot in the top 3 overall.

Men’s Throws

The Discus was all about Daniel Stahl. The Swede threw the Diamond League Record three different times and put together a consistent string of throws around 70 meters. Meanwhile, nobody else could crack 67. Stahl, who turns 27 this August, has yet to win a global title but will undoubtedly be the favorite this year. That said, he was chucking it well in 2017 (71.29 best) and still had to settle for Silver and in Rio, he didn’t even make the final. In 2018 he was second at Euro’s and 3^rd in the Diamond League Final. So the guy needs to prove himself in the big moments, but this event showed just how much of a cushion he has at this point in the season.

Nice result from the USA’s Reggie Jagers, who took 4^th overall in a strong Discus field. Jagers did not throw in any DL events last year, but did win the USA Championship with a monster 68.61 throw.

Three Americans were in the Men’s Shot Put final in Doha, including the eventual winner Ryan Crouser. Crouser put a 22.13 early and nobody was able to catch up. On paper, Crouser has owned this event as he has already been over 22 meters 4 times in 2019 (twice indoors) and 9 times in 2018. But Crouser didn’t even medal in the 2017 London Championships and he was 3^rd at last year’s DL final. You can argue that Tomas Walsh (second in Doha with a 22.06) has had his number since the 2016 Olympics and he was lurking not far behind him in this one.

Longer Stuff

In the 3000m Steeplechase, American Hilary Bor stole the show. Although Bor ended up second behind Morocco’s Steeplechase king Soufiane El Bakkali, he made a hard surge on the final lap and nearly broke the heavy favorite. He was rewarded with a lifetime best 8:08.41. El Bakkali never really looked comfortable in this race and seemed at multiple points like he would drop completely from contention, but ultimately class prevailed as he dropped an 8:07.22 for the gold. He will need to get a lot sharper if he is going to take down Conselsus Kipruto in the World Championships when he returns to Doha.

In the men’s 1500, the top contenders finished at the front of the race as expected. But it wasn’t quite the order most would have guessed. Elijah Manangoi held on against a hard charging Timothy Cheruiyot as the Kenyans went 1-2 to lead a 1 through 7 sweep for the country. Manangoi won worlds over Cheruiyot in 2017, but Tim had been the man in 2018 (including a DL victory and a 3:28.41). Ultimately, it seems like Manangoi just has the better kick if the pace isn’t super fast (3:32 was the winning time in Doha).

The race of the day was probably the women’s 3,000 meters. It was a battle between world record holders Genzebe Dibaba and Beatric Chepkoech, but the winner was somebody else. And few people were surprised. Hellen Obiri, who just recently was crowned the IAAF World Cross Country champion, put the pedal to the medal on the final two laps of the 3K and broke the furious kick of Dibaba to grab the win in 8:25.60 (Dibaba was 8:26.20). Obiri, who already has major wins on the track, is a phenomenal racer and really showed her class with a perfectly executed race against a deep field. The 3k may even be under distance for her at this point as she may try the 10k-5k double at some point over the next two global championships.

Shout out to Lilian Rengeruk who fell late in the race while in the top pack, but still managed to get back up and take 3^rd overall in a new personal best time of 8:29.02.

The Road to Doha: The Road is Long

As indoor track ends, it’s time to turn our focus to the outdoor season and what is sure to be another exciting year. Starting in May, the qualification window for the Tokyo Olympics opens up (technically its already open for some of the less contested events) and the Doha Diamond League Meeting is on May 3^rd. But it’s another Doha event that will be the major focus of the 2019 season: the IAAF World Championships.

This year’s world outdoor championships are not what your used to. By the time the games close, it will actually be October, meaning high schoolers and collegiates will be fully engaged in cross country by the time the professional track season is finished. Because of the climate in Doha, the championships will take place from September 27^th to October 6^th. For comparison, the 2017 championships in London ran from August 4^th to August 13^th and the championships haven’t dipped into September since 2011 (when the last day was of competition was still only the 4^th). We are talking about an unprecedented schedule which will make things very tricky for competitors training schedules.

For starters, the USA Championships (which will be the qualifying event for Worlds) are held at the end of July. It’s roughly a month later than the championships are typically held, but still two months out from the games. That’s an early peak for professionals who are aiming to compete for medals in the fall.

Things are especially complicated for NCAA athletes looking to compete at national championships. Most years, NCAA athletes only have to hold their peak for a couple extra weeks before USAs, but this year they will have to last from June 8^th (the end of NCAAs) to July 25^th. Personally, I’m comfortable with this time increase. If you are nervous about holding your peak until July, imagine holding it until October? But typically, America has some of their best guys and girls competing at the collegiate level so we will potentially lose talent that isn’t willing to give up 4 more months for intense training.

The Wild Card system is also different from year’s past. Typically, the reigning world champion (from 2 years earlier) and the reigning diamond league champion (from 1 year earlier) are automatically qualified for the world championships and, as a result, their country can send 4 in that event. However, because the championships are so late, the 2019 Diamond League will end before the championships (atypical), meaning that the 2019 DL Champs rather than the 2018 DL Champs will get the wild cards. Since the DL doesn’t end until after USAs, this means that its possible someone who gets 4^th at the US Championships will find out a month or so later that they have qualified for worlds because one of the top 3 finishers won the Diamond League Final. It makes standard chasing very important through August for anyone who was even in contention for a qualifying spot at their national championships.

One last thing I found interesting is the WC Marathon. Although the US isn’t a powerhouse in the marathon the way it is in other events, I suspect it will be hard for them to convince three runners to compete in this year’s worlds. As mentioned, the races aren’t until late in the year and US Olympic Trials for the 2020 Tokoyo marathon (a much more prestigious marathon globally and nationally) are happening on February 29^th in Atlanta. That means you would have about a 5 month turnaround between events. It’s not impossible, but it’s also a tighter turnaround than you might want as you chase an Olympic dream. There will without a doubt be athletes that seize the opportunity to represent their country on one of the biggest stages in athletics, but it will be interesting to see how many skip Worlds for a chance at the Olympics. Especially considering that the US Marathoning at Worlds is typically an afterthought compared to major marathons like New York (only about 2 months after Doha), Boston or Chicago. Plus, those events may be worth more toward the world rankings if you can guarantee a top finish (a top 10 finish at a WMM is actually worth the Olympic Trials A standard for 2020). 

Global Track Check In

Laura Muir at the European Championships

This past weekend, I watched most of the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow because yes, I am that cool. I’m not really sure how much we should be taking away from an indoor event some seven months out from the World Championships in Doha, but I have to say I was very impressed with the performances from Laura Muir.

In the 3,000 meters, Muir went up against Konstanze Klosterhalfen of the Nike Oregon Project. Koko had been a tare since joining up with the most infamous training group in the USA, including a dominate 4:19.98 to win the Millrose Games Mile and an 8:32 in the 3k in Germany a week later. But Muir absolutely smashed Kloserhalfen in their duel at the Euro Indoors, dropping an 8:30.61 with a blazing final k.

Two days later, Muir lead wire to wire in the 1500, easily outclassing the rest of the field, including the world #2 in the 1500 this year Sofia Ennaoui. Again, she torched the track in the final 200 meters with a kick that I didn’t know she had available. It seems like a new weapon she recently added to her arsenal and it makes her very dangerous in the more tactical world championship finals (where she has had her fair share of struggles).

It’s still very early, but the Scots on Team Muir have a lot more to celebrate recently than Shelby Houlihan fans here in the states might.

Indoor Track

In case you haven’t noticed, indoor tracks have become pretty darn quick. Right up the east coast in Boston, one track in particular has stood out. On Sunday, Yomif Kejelcha absolutely smashed the indoor world record in the mile (and came within inches of breaking the 1500 record en route) with a 3:47.01. That’s not only 1.45 seconds faster than anybody in history, but when you compare it to outdoor times, it’s the fastest mile we’ve seen since 2007: Alan Webb’s American Record (shout out to the ghost of Steve Scott).

But this wasn’t the first moment of glory for this indoor track. Just a year earlier, Edward Cheserek ran a then #2 all-time mark of 3:49.44 on the blazing fast surface. And before all of that, Galen Rupp owned a permanent wing on the track where he chased American Records in everything from the 5k to the mile (he tapped out a 3:50.92 in 2013).

By the way, it wasn’t just Yomif blasting the all-time list on Sunday. Johnny Gregorek dipped under 3:50 with his 3:49.98 mile to move to the #6 position all-time and Sam Prakel matched Marcus O’Sullivan’s 10^th ranked mark. Neither have ever topped that outdoors which probably isn’t all too shocking when you consider Olympic Gold Medalist Matt Centrowitz’s outdoor best is “just” 3:50.53.

So that’s really the point I was (quite long-windedly) getting around to here. Are indoor tracks actually faster than outdoor tracks? When guys who are likely 5k specialists such as Kejelcha, Cheserek and Rupp are soaring to some of the fastest miles of all-time (marks they will likely never equal outdoors), should we begin to give more credence to the idea that indoor facilities are really the fastest we have available?

IAAF World Rankings

The IAAF has come out its new world ranking system and they seem ready to publicize it. The list is all over their official website in some form or another, categorizing runners current rankings, equivalent result scores and meet categories.

In case you haven’t seen (because only about 1% of the track community has), the IAAF has set up a system that aims to standardize performances based on the time (results score) and place in a given meet. The bigger the meet (the highest being the world championships/Olympic games), the more potential placing points that are available. The rankings then take an average of these performance metrics and rank the athletes in a given event based on said average. There’s a full, much more detailed and complex explanation available for those who are into that sort of thing on the IAAF website (I’ve already read the whole thing unsurprisingly).

If you’re any sort of track fan, I think it’s a lot of fun to click around the rankings. There are certainly some flaws (the NCAA meet results do not place out very well against many top Euro meets, despite the fact that it had likely the best competitors in the world in the men’s and women’s 400 hurdles and men’s 400), but I think it’s really helpful to have a starting point metric for, say, where one of the USA’s pole vaulters stack up against the best in the world.

What I find particularly interesting is the fact that the points are normalized across events so, in theory, you can rank a steeplechaser against a triple jumper or a marathon runner against a decathlete. I don’t think they actually intend to use this part of the rankings for anything (the individual event rankings could be used for future global championship qualifying), but it’s a fun little activity. Beatrice Chepkoech, recent world record holder in the steeple, ranks #1 on the women’s side while the USA’s 200 meter man Noah Lyles is tied with 400 hurdler Abderrahman Samba of Qatar. Freshly minted marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge comes in at #3 (my wife says he got robbed).