Issue 240, sponsored by New Balance

Faith Kipyegon becomes the first woman to break 3:50 in the 1500m
Last August, Kenya's Faith Kipyegon ran 3:50.37 for 1500m, missing Genzebe Dibaba’s world record that had stood since 2015—3:50.07—by 0.30 seconds. It was clear that Kipyegon had the fitness to take down the world record, but she needed to get in the right race, which is easier said than done. But the right race came a little sooner than expected, as Kipyegon ran 3:49.11 at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Florence, Italy, on Friday, shaving 0.96 seconds off the world record.
Kipyegon told the media post-race that while she was targeting the world record this year, she didn’t expect to break it so soon. She just hoped to run a world-leading time—faster than Gudaf Tsegay’s 3:54.03, run five days earlier. This was only Kipyegon’s second race of the outdoor season; she ran 3:58.57 to win at the Doha Diamond League meet four weeks earlier. But sometimes the fastest races come when athletes let them happen, rather than forcing a specific pace.
Brooke Feldmeier led the race through 400m in 62.4 seconds, with the other rabbit, Sage Hurta-Klecker, and Kipyegon (62.8) right behind. Feldmeier moved aside just before 600m and Hurta-Klecker took over. (Kipyegon is so good that it takes a 4:01/1:57 athlete, who is at her best, to be able to keep up for part of the race.) The second 400m was a little quicker, as Hurta-Klecker split 2:03.9 for 800m, and Kipyegon hit 2:04.1.
Hurta-Klecker stayed in the race through 900m, and then Kipyegon was on her own. Until that point, Scotland’s Laura Muir had hung on admirably, but Kipyegon was only getting faster. She hit the bell lap in 2:50.2 and would need to break 60 to have a shot at the record. Kipyegon delivered a 58.9, running away from the pace lights with about 250m to go. (It turns out the lights were set to 3:51.15, a little slower than record pace, which could have caused some confusion, but Kipyegon ran fast enough that it didn’t matter.)
You can watch the full replay of Kipyegon’s race, with different commentary than what was available during the live broadcast on Peacock, here. It’s worth watching beyond Kipyegon’s finish to see her reaction to breaking the world record, and her competitors waiting to congratulate her at the end of her victory lap. It was a touching moment that says a lot about the respect Kipyegon’s competitors have for her. (They posed for a sweet group photo, too.)
“I said yesterday that I wanted to run a beautiful race, run my race, and see what is possible, and this was possible,” Kipyegon said afterward. “There’s still more to come. I’m still working on running faster than that, faster than 3:49. I’m really thankful today that I managed to run 3:49, and I’m still heading towards beautiful races in the rest of the season.”
Thanks to changes in shoe technology, so many records have fallen in recent years that a world record doesn’t necessarily mean what it used to. But this one feels special, because Kipyegon is the first woman to break the 3:50 barrier, and because the women’s 1500m record has likely been artificially quicker than it should have been throughout much of its history because of doping. Since 1980, the record has been lowered only three times.
History has shown that even or negative splits are most effective for running quick times, and it’s notable that Kipyegon ran a pretty significant negative split. Her first three 400m splits were 62.8, 61.3, and 61.1. She ran the last 800m of the race in 2:00.6, her last 400m in 58.9, and her final 200m in 29.2. When Kipyegon ran 3:50 last year, she went out quicker, and Tsegay has gone out faster in quite a few races. But going out a little more conservatively likely made the race feel more manageable for longer, and it also allowed the pacers to stay in it for longer. When Dibaba set the previous record, she, too, ran a decent negative split.
Kipyegon is a two-time Olympic champion and two-time world champion in the 1500m, and her world record solidifies her status as the greatest of all time in this event. Her time converts to a 4:07 mile, so if Kipyegon gets a chance to run the mile, Sifan Hassan’s record of 4:12.33 is likely to go down.
Kipyegon is the latest in a line of women who have shown it’s possible to take a mid-career break to have a baby and come back stronger. She had her daughter, Alyn, in June 2018. One year later, she was back to competing, and she has only gotten stronger since. “I dedicate this world record to all of the mothers,” Kipyegon told Citius Mag after the race.
Next up for Kipyegon is a 5,000m at Friday’s Paris Diamond League meet, and she’ll take another crack at the 1500m at the Monaco Diamond League meet on July 21. It’s been eight years since Kipyegon raced a 5,000m, but she confirmed to reporters after her race that she’s considering a move to the 5,000m after the Paris Olympics, and eventually the marathon. (Results | And I appreciated the reactions to Kipyegon’s run from Tara Davis-Woodhall, Eliud Kipchoge, and Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, among others)
Jessica Hull breaks the Oceanian record
The race behind Kipyegon was quite good, too. Only Muir and Jessica Hull went with the early pace, and though neither could hang on to it, they both ran well, and the chase pack never caught them. Muir took second in 3:57.09, and it was nice to see her run so well in her outdoor season opener, after a rough split from her former coach at the end of March.
Hull crossed the line right behind Muir, in 3:57.29, a 1.52-second personal best, and an Oceanian and Australian record. Josette Andrews was the top American, finishing seventh in 4:01.39, and it shows what progress she has made in recent years that she can now consider a race like that to be slightly disappointing. Cory McGee finished right behind, taking eighth in a season best of 4:01.45.
Ethiopian 18-year-old Sembo Almayew wowed with a world-leading 9:00.71 in the steeplechase. Courtney Wayment ran a U.S.-leading 9:11.41 to take eighth. And Emma Coburn went out more aggressively, but slipped going over a water barrier—her second fall in two steeples this year—and fell coming out of the water pit. She went through 2K in seventh place (6:08.2) but dropped to 12th over the final kilometer. Still, her 9:18.17 was 11 seconds faster than the season opener she ran one month earlier.
Thanks to New Balance for sponsoring Fast Women
I’m particularly excited that version two of the New Balance SuperComp Trainer is coming out this week. I appreciated Believe in the Run’s YouTube review of the updated shoe, and I’m looking forward to some of the changes they mentioned, like more stability, a more traditional upper, and the fact that it’s an ounce lighter than the previous version. (I also appreciate that one day after being posted, that video already has 17K views. So many shoe geeks out there.)
For those who love version one, this is a good time to stock up, because they’re currently on sale in a lot of places. But I’m looking forward to trying v2, because the update sounds great, and I’ve only heard good things so far about this shoe, which most people use as a daily trainer.
Women ages 13 to 63 come together to break 100 x 1 mile record
This is one of my favorite stories in a week of many good stories. Starting on Saturday morning, 100 women with ties to the San Francisco area came together to set a Guinness world record in the 100 x 1 mile relay. They collectively ran 9:18:32, an average of 5:35/mile, and took 5 minutes, 7 seconds off the record the Canadian Women’s Milers Club set in 1999.
The record has roots in San Francisco (San Francisco Chronicle link, paywall). In 1977, a group of San Franciscans joined forces to average just over 6:00/mile for 100 miles. And a different group of San Franciscans lowered the record two more times in the mid 1990s. But the record has belonged to the group of Canadian women for the past 24 years.
Peggy Lavelle, now 62 and a cancer survivor, was part of all three of the previous San Francisco 100 x 1 mile records. And on Saturday, she anchored the race with an impressive 7:48, helping bring the record back home to San Francisco. “It’s great to see so much support for a women’s event in sports,” Lavelle said via a press release. “In my era, women weren’t always accepted in sports…it just shows how far we’ve come.”
The relay participants ranged in age from 13 to 63. One woman was nearly five months pregnant, and the relay was led off by professional runner Vanessa Fraser. While I’m sure there are groups of women all over the world who could run faster (though a 5:35 average is solid), I love the history of this record and the fact that speed wasn’t the only factor taken into account when selecting the team. I also appreciate how tough the logistics must have been.
No one was allowed to run more than one leg, and if anyone had to drop out before completing their leg, the race was over. Gillian Meeks recorded the fastest split (4:53) and you can see all of the team members and their times here (though I’m told the hand times will be more accurate, because the timing chip was in the baton). The event was organized by the San Francisco Road Runners Club and the Dolphin South End Runners Club, and what a lovely way to bring a running community together.
Big breakthroughs for Shawnti Jackson and Addy Wiley in Nashville
Shawnti Jackson, 18, won the 100m at Saturday’s Music City Track Carnival in 10.89 seconds and set a U.S. high school record. Jackson entered the race with a personal best of 11.15 seconds, and she shaved 0.05 seconds off of Brianna Williams’ previous record, set in 2019.
It was a good day for the teens, as Addy Wiley, 19, won the 1500m in 4:03.22. Wiley dipped under the world championships standard (4:03.50) and shaved an astonishing eight seconds off of her personal best. The weekend before, Wiley won the 800m and 1500m at the NAIA Outdoor T&F Championships, and now she’s the fastest U.S. teenager ever in the 1500m. (You can watch a full replay here.)
Wiley is part of the highly controversial Huntington University program and has stood by her former coaches. A teenager shouldn’t be blamed for adults’ wrongdoings, and while she has refused to see herself as a victim in any of it, she is, and until she cuts ties with the program, any success she has is going to feel complicated.
Behind her, Alexina Teubel (4:05.79) and Angel Piccirillo (4:06.96) ran PRs. Allie Wilson won the 800m in 1:59.24, edging out Charlene Lipsey (1:59.26). Kenya’s Susan Ejore finished third in nearly a three-second PR (1:59.51), and coming off of an injury, Brenna Detra broke 2:00 for the second time, running 1:59.57. And Logan Jolly won Friday’s steeplechase by 43 seconds, running 9:38.82. (Results)
Other News and Links
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone made a celebrity appearance on Thursday’s episode of Top Chef World All Stars (season 20, episode 13), which was filmed in Paris last year. McLaughlin-Levrone stayed cool under pressure and worked well with her partner, but she took a rare loss, with the feedback that her cauliflower was quite good, but the chicken they made was a little dry.
Kenya named Brigid Kosgei (2:14:04 PB), Sheila Chepkirui (2:17:29), and Rosemary Wanjiru (2:16:28) to its world championships marathon team. The U.S. will finalize its marathon squads this week (and hopefully they’ll announce them, too).
Caster Semenya announced last week that she has written a memoir, The Race to be Myself, which comes out October 31. The book is available for preorder here.
The Burgess Family Foundation, in partnership with the USATF Foundation, will provide Team Boss with $300,000 over four years.
Massachusetts high school senior Rhiannon Vos was unable to compete at her state’s meet of champions, a meet she had qualified for, because her school’s athletic director accidentally entered the wrong time for her. Mistakes happen, but situations where kids get punished for adults’ mistakes because rules are rules make my blood boil.
For those looking to run professionally who would benefit from more guidance, the deadline to apply for the 2023 RunPro Camp, to be held July 13–15 in Arlington, Virginia, is June 15. You can get more information and apply here.
Podcast Highlights
I’m keeping this short in the interest of saving space this week, but Dani Moreno was on I’ll Have Another | Maggie Montoya was on C Tolle Run | Emma Bates was on a live episode of the Ali on the Run Show | Nell Rojas talked about her race at the USATF 25K Championships on Women’s Running Stories | Mirna Valerio and Megan Roche talked about Lululemon’s Further initiative, and more, on The Trail Ahead | And I learned about Anne-Marie Blaney’s love of fried chicken and bees in her first-ever podcast appearance, on Lactic Acid
Additional Results
Less than six weeks after winning the London Marathon, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands won the 10,000m at the FBK Games in 29:37.80 (full race replay here). Making her 10,000m debut, Kenya’s Grace Loibach Nawowuna, 19, finished second in 29:47.42. One day later, to no one’s surprise, Hassan doubled back with a 3:58.12 win in the 1500m, because evidently normal recovery rules don’t apply to her. (Results)
At a meet at Pomona College on Saturday, Sue McDonald, 60, destroyed the world and American record 60–64 record in the mile, running 5:28.02. She lowered the record by more than 11 seconds, and also broke the 1500m record en route, running 5:04.27. (Results)
In her first steeplechase back since breaking her foot last year, Colleen Quigley led the Portland Track Festival race most of the way, pulled away from the field early, and won in 9:32.48. (You can watch her long post-race interview here.) The rest of the meet took place too late on Sunday to be included here, but you can check out the results here.
It’s hard to believe that Nikki Hiltz had never raced in Europe until last week, but now they’re making up for lost time. Hiltz made a last-minute surge and finished a very close second to Kenya’s Nelly Chepchircir in the Meeting de Montreuil 1500m on Wednesday, with both runners timed in 4:03.08. And at Saturday’s Trond Mohn Games in Norway, after pacing 3K of the 5K, they paced the first 1K of the 1500m and then hung on to win the race in 4:07.18. (Hiltz clarified that the plan was pre-approved and their competitors were aware of it.)
Alexina Teubel led the women’s pro mile at the Hoka Festival of Miles with one lap to go, but NAZ Elite’s Abby Nichols and Krissy Gear both ran 62-second closing laps and passed Teubel on the homestretch. Nichols won in 4:26.08, Gear was second in 4:26.52, and Teubel finished third in 4:27.67. All three PRed and went under the previous meet record, and Teubel broke 4:30 in the mile for the first time. And Jenn Randall had a big run to finish fourth in 4:30.53, a 3+ second PR. High school senior Tatum David, who is headed to the University of Virginia, finished sixth in the pro race in 4:37.79. (Full race video | Results)
Emily Durgin let a lead group of four runners go early in the Bolder Boulder 10K, which turned out to be a wise move because of the hot early pace. Ednah Kurgat led the middle stages of the race, but Durgin caught her a bit before 7K and pulled away not long after. Durgin extended her lead to the finish, winning the race in 33:24 (sound ON for this finish video. Kenya’s Daisy Kimeli moved up to take second (33:48), and Boulder-area teacher Carrie Verdon took third in 33:49. Kurgat held on to take fourth (34:05), and another local, Maggie Montoya, finished fifth in 34:30. Molly Grabill won the citizen’s race in 34:33. (Results | Full race replay)
Tristin Van Ord won the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K in 15:54 and Jessie Cardin, running her first race since collapsing at the Boston Marathon, finished second in 16:00. (Results)
Annie Frisbie won the Brian Kraft Memorial 5K in 15:48.
Madison Trippett of the University of Richmond won the Collegiate Road Mile National Championships, hosted by the Loudoun Street Mile, in 4:42.5.
Diane Nukuri won the Chicago 13.1 in 1:15:25.
Camille Herron won the marathon at the Texas Trail Running Festival in 3:49:47, a faster time than anyone has ever run on that course. For her efforts, she earned a birdhouse.
Upcoming
The NCAA Track & Field Championships begin Wednesday in Austin, Texas, though the women compete only on Thursday and Saturday. The start lists are here, the schedule and results will be here, and this page has information about where to watch every event. It’s going to be a fantastic meet. If you can’t watch live, videos of the running events are likely to end up on the NCAA’s YouTube channel shortly after they happen.
The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships begin on Wednesday and should be fun to follow. Results will be posted on the event’s website, iRunFar has a preview of the women’s 80K race, and Dani Moreno and EmKay Sullivan previewed all of the events on this week’s episode of The Sub Hub podcast.
The Paris Diamond League meet takes place on Friday and will stream live on Peacock at 3:00 p.m. ET. The results and entries will be here.
Hellen Obiri, Senbere Teferi, Sharon Lokedi, Keira D’Amato, and Emily Sisson are among the women scheduled to race at Saturday’s NY Mini 10K. There will be a free livestream of the race here. The pro wheelchair race, headlined by Susannah Scaroni, begins at 7:50 a.m. ET and the pro open race starts at 8:00.
In case you missed the announcement last week, you can now buy Fast Women merchandise here.
Thanks to New Balance for their six-month commitment to supporting Fast Women, and to all of you who help keep this newsletter going with your support on Patreon and Venmo.
I hope you all have a great week!
Alison
Isn’t it 100 x 1 mile?