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Lap 41: Sponsored by Diadora

Although Irish Olympian and 3:52 miler Ciarán Ó Lionáird is now done competing professionally, he recently spent a few days in the mountains of Northern Italy to put Diadora’s EQUIPE ATOMO’s to the test. We briefly caught up with him to learn about that experience.

Where does running fit in your life right now?

It’s always evolving and changing. When my body is healthy it’s an act of balance — it’s the action that grounds me. When I was doing it full-time I didn’t realize how many of our idiosyncrasies are mitigated by it. When running is taken away from your life, those things fall out of whack — running is a sanctuary to find myself.

What do you miss most about being on the other side of professional running?

Competing in the binary nature of sport, the results determine success. You know immediately if you had a good or bad run. Outside of athletics, you generally lack those daily indicators in everyday life. That can manifest itself in work or daily life by not staying in tune with your body. Your measure of success is more qualitative rather than quantitative.

To find that understanding of where I sit in the world requires looking more deeply into myself to discover that. At the core, athletes who make it to a high-level in the sport are natural competitors. You have to unlearn the mentality of trying to win at everything all the time once you’re done.

How has your relationship with the heritage of the sport changed with that new viewpoint?

I think in retiring I left a very one-dimensional side of the sport which was solely centered on the four year Olympic cycle, but I was in a bubble. Now I have a better understanding of the collective power of running within communities beyond competition. It’s an area that’s interesting for me to explore because it’s best done by interacting and connecting with people — which isn’t something I always did as a pro. I avoided them.

What has been your experience with Diadora in that regard?

Diadora is a brand that tells the story of culture through those that represent it and the crafted detail of product. There are Diadora moments in history that are tailored to high-performance marathon running and the employees reflect that. There is an elite running culture that sits inside Diadora’s DNA. But the brand is digestible for all runners and that’s due to the accessible nature of the product and the brand’s approachability. It’s not built for jocks; there’s a vibe that resonates.

How was running in the Dolomites? Did it bring back the days of training camps in the mountains?

Spectacular. It was a chance to be exposed to a different kind of running. As with all good relationships, it’s important to keep things fresh. I was used to being hyper-focused on a specific set of skills, and as a result, limited from exploring a lot of what the sport can provide.

That trip gave me a chance to spice it up by running in a lunar landscape and bounding between rocks — it was unlike any other shoot I’ve done. It challenged me to do something new and my muscles ached because of it. I removed myself from the cameras and appreciated running in an unbelievable landscape.

What was your impression of running in the Equipe Atomo?

Honestly, really good. I missed the beginning of the maximalist trend. It felt like a good balance of what I think a great training shoe is and my expectation of what a cushioned shoe with protection should be, but way lighter.

My body is not known for its resilience and I never felt under pressure – I made it out of the Dolomites unscathed. It’s versatile to go from mountain peaks to the boardwalk. Whenever I get the mojo to start moving hard — it responds.

European XC Champs 🇮🇪 🇳🇴 🇬🇧

This Sunday, just about everything came up Norway’s way, which now joins Turkey as the only other nation to sweep the senior titles at a European Cross Country Championship.

Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal hung back in the early parts of the 8 kilometer race before inching her way up to the lead pack to win in 26:34, 10 seconds ahead of Sweden’s Meraf Bahta. Grøvdal’s senior victory was the first ever for a Norwegian woman, although she won the junior U20 race twelve years ago. However, in the team battle, the depth of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s army secured the throne for her majesty's favorite harrier squad, which paired nicely with the Mixed Relay crown.

On the men’s side, it wasn’t the biggest surprise to see the Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen pull away from the field effortlessly. His range has ceased to be a surprise, but this was his first senior title, despite having won the four previous U20 races. Ingebrigsten's advantage apparently extends beyond having historically significant blood lactate levels — he’s unafraid to demonstrate his tactical savvy as well! Meanwhile, France dominated the team race, led by Jimmy Gressier’s bronze medal, which unfortunately wasn’t punctuated with his typical flamboyant celebration.

But results aside, did you see those crowds in Dublin? Hard to believe that yet another Winter Olympics is about to begin without cross country being a part of the program. The European Cross Country Championships have perfected the sport and should be on every running fan’s short list of must-attend events.

The day-of dry conditions made spectating pleasant, but the course was sloppy enough that there was a risk for a mud bath with each turn. The true genius came from the short loop course that made spectating a rewarding experience without having to run a 5k just to catch a few seconds of action. And it made the production of the event from a television standpoint significantly more tenable.

Even knowing who won, I promise you that watching this stream will capture your full attention. It’s a glimpse into the potential that we all know the sport holds for fans. A tremendous amount of credit belongs to Cathal Dennehy and Hannah England for their well-researched commentary and clear investment in what was happening on screen. They elevated viewers’ understanding with context rather than dumbing down the obvious simplicity of a footrace or leaning too heavily on human interest side-stories.

Combine that with the inherent fan-attracting power of superstars and patriotism and it’s very hard to find anything to complain about — which is normally my favorite activity, particularly in the first section of my newsletter!

(Full Results - U20, U23, Mixed Team Relay)

RIP Matt Scherer 🐰

The sad and unexpected news of Matt Scherer’s passing rippled through the track and field world late last week. He was only 38. Matt was an 8x All-American while competing as an Oregon Duck, then he went on to compete professionally for the Oregon Track Club and Brooks Beasts. His personal bests of 45.1/1:14.4/1:46.1 don’t tell the full story of his career, however. He would become best known as the greatest middle distance rabbit ever. Scherer rabbited 74 races in his career with near flawless execution — to do so primarily for world-class 800m races, which have notoriously bad pacing, is remarkable.

In addition to being a great runner and a universally liked and respected member of the elite running world, he had a deep passion for the sport and worked as RunnerSpace.com’s Chief Operating Officer. Our deepest condolences to his friends, family and teammates for their loss.

Honor his memory this week by trying to run the perfect 400m split without looking at your watch, then please consider contributing to the GoFundMe that has been set up for his daughter, Gemma.

Eastbay Nationals 🐎

Eastbay is Footlocker — Footlocker is Eastbay? Like writing the wrong year on forms well into February, this adjustment may take a while.

Whatever you find yourself calling it, there was another high school cross country national meet this weekend — this one was run on the famed Balboa Park course in San Diego and had hills. Making this meet was my life’s dream and failing to do so mentally prepared me for the many subsequent shortcomings in my career. ANYWAY….

The boys’ race looked like it was going to be West Hartford’s Gavin Sherry’s to lose, until the loping stride of Riley Hough took over with 600m to go. The 4:07 miler and Michigan State commit continues the Mitten State’s tradition of overrepresentation when it comes to great cross country runners. Is it the cold weather or the eternal belief that every factory city deserves a second life that makes ‘em so tough? Either way, if you’re a young college coach attempting to build a dynastic program, start recruiting exclusively from Michigan and it’ll probably work out.

Riley was 5th last weekend at the RunningLane Cross Country Championships, but the Newbury Park squad, who went 1-2-3, did not run Eastbay. However, he did gain redemption on Zane Bergen, who finished 4th at both championships. Not to get overly involved in high school running, but Zane and Riley are now eternal rivals.

On the ladies’ side, it was Natalie Cook doubling back from her win in Alabama to prove that she is the undisputed queen of the 2021 XC season. Additionally, she was the first girl from Texas to ever win the meet, which is surprising. Cook’s mother, Melissa, competed in the 1997 installment of this race, back when it used to be held in Florida. She is now coached by her father, Andrew, the head coach of the Flower Mound* HS team, making this a true family affair.

I know what you’re thinking, ‘here comes another high school star being overtrained by her parents — she is probably running 85 miles per week or something crazy!’ Well, think again, nerd. Natalie only runs 10-20 miles per week, supplementing that with some elliptical and swim workouts, making her a dream recruit for Oklahoma State.

College coaches to whom I very recently suggested only recruiting Michiganders, please skip ahead to the next section. (Psst… Little pro tip for you high schoolers, you should lie to college coaches and tell them you’re also only running 10-20 mpw with some light cross training. I deserve 15% of your scholarship for that advice.)

(*Note from the editor* - Kyle, this is not worth including in this newsletter, but Flower Mound's boys team lost the 2005 state championship on a sixth man tie-breaker to a squad out of Corpus Christi's King HS. It's fairly rare for a race to be determined by a 16:50 guy beating a 17:00 guy and even rarer for a team from South Texas to win the big school title. Pretty cool.)

Do you have an interested in supporting elite athletes? Subscribe to our Friday morning premium newsletter! This week we speak with Bowerman Track Club’s Carrie Dimoff fresh off her 2:29:33 PB at the California International Marathon. This initiative has now raised $15,100 with all proceeds going towards the athletes whose stories we share.

Three Turn Star ⭐️

If I was betting man, which, let’s face it, I am, I’d wager that we are going to see multiple NCAA records fall this winter. In 2020 Abby Steiner won the NCAA Championships and tied Gabby Thomas’s collegiate indoor record for 200m in a time of 22.38 — then things got quiet. After struggling with injuries during the outdoor season, she never made it to the Olympic Trials. Well, let me tell you right now, buy some Abby stock because she is back. In her first meet of the season she broke a 40-year-old NCAA record by running 35.80 in the 300m in Louisville. Abby showed up to Kentucky as a two-sport athlete with a knack for soccer, but now that she’s all-in on track, don’t be surprised if she exclusively kicks ass instead.

Shining a light 🔦

On September 3rd of this year, USADA dropped a press release about an anti-doping violation for Eliud Ngetich. An out of competition test came back positive for nandrolone (yes, this again) — except there’s a catch — it was in 2014. And he competed through it all AFTER a known failed test, but the athletes he beat or the meet directors who let him in weren’t made aware of this until seven years had passed. While he has retroactively been disqualified from race results spanning from July 1, 2014 through July 27, 2015, what is that really worth?

The suspension was reduced to just one year ‘due to the substantial assistance that Ngetich provided,’ according to USADA. What did we learn and at what cost? Athletes were robbed of many a fair fight, and at least $52,350 of winnings.

Why was this treated like a quid pro quo between the FBI and a local street gang member? Are there other athletes on the start line of major road races right now with failed drug tests? Will we have to wait until 2028 to find out? Are any major money prize purses serving as honeypots for USADA stings?

This is a depressing recap from a local club about their quest to have a legendary course record broken at the Salisbury’s Winter Flight 8k, and guess who “broke” it. The meet director said, “this negative memory of the best runner I have ever met in person is hard to digest and very disappointing, but we will look forward.”

Big moves, big picture 🖼

New Balance’s new indoor facility is going to be beautiful. That alone is a good enough reason to host more major meets there, despite a lack of creativity in naming it “The Track.”

If you’re trying to make track popular, or at least make it look popular, then start indoors. It’s a struggle to fill outdoor stadiums, but at half the capacity and with the friendly echoes of a metal roof, it’s much more realistic to create an electric atmosphere around a 200 meter track. It’s better for the long term development of fandom to have 5,000 spectators being deafened in a packed stadium than it is for 6,000 to be looking around a half empty one, wondering where everyone else is.

But we keep holding meets in sparsely populated places and then wonder why no one shows up. In the words of Ariel, “I wanna be where the people are!” and that’s in cities — like Boston. Yes, hardly any facilities bid to host meets and that’s why they often end up in the same handful of mid-sized cities or college towns. But to tangentially relate this to last week’s newsletter in regards to the Olympic Trials, that falls on the responsibility of USATF to make it more enticing to host meets.

I am currently reading The Four by Scott Galloway, which talks about why the biggest companies in the world are successful. In it he discusses the need for companies to be near densely populated areas and top universities in order to attract the best talent. Similar to how he suggests that in order for Nike to become a trillion dollar company it needs to leave Portland, I am suggesting that if we ever want more than a handful of fans at a track meet then we need to go where there are more than a handful of fans — or at least to a place where said fans can get a direct flight. And where can you find a better and bigger running community than in Boston? (Answer: New York, but our clam chowder is worse.)

Also, USATF needs to relocate away from Indianapolis.

Allie steps back

We are big Allie Ostrander fans over here at The Lap Count and this only makes us feel twice as strongly about her. After two years competing for Brooks, she has announced her decision to end her own contract to focus on her overall health. Allie has been public about her struggles with eating disorders, which has and will undoubtedly continue to help untold numbers of younger, also-struggling athletes. And the maturity and foresight it must have taken to make a difficult decision like this is why we aren’t rooting for her just as an athlete, but as a person.

Club XC Champs ♣️

The celebrations weren’t reserved for the afterparty at the USATF Club Cross Country National Championships this weekend, an event which has earned a notoriously rowdy reputation. Amateur runners fly in from all over the country to line up with their teammates to compete in a battle of grit and pride. It’s an amalgamation of ability levels, but at the front of the pack there are always a few Olympians or Olympic hopefuls.

It was a warm day in Tallahassee, and Frankline Tonui, the 8:30 steeplechaser from Peak Running Elite, won the men’s 10k race by 3 seconds over Zach Panning, who led Hansons-Brooks to the team title. On the women’s side, the race was only 6k, but that was all the Hansons squad needed to separate from the field, led by overall winner, Natosha Rogers. Just a week earlier, she finished second at the USATF Half Marathon Championships in a personal best of 69:36. Enjoy this quick Q&A with her:

It seems like you just get better as the distance gets longer. How did you feel about your performance at the half marathon championships?

I feel hopeful seeing good results in the longer distances. I would eventually like to start running marathons, but the timing has to be right and I honestly have no idea what to expect. I am happy with how the Half Marathon Champs went, but I still feel like there’s a lot of work to do.

It was a quick turnaround to get ready for Club XC. Was this motivated by the team aspect of the event? How was your body feeling going into it?

This is an important event for our team and sponsors so I knew I could make it work. Besides, I came off the half marathon with a lot of fitness so it was a good chance to utilize it and get a win. I had a few niggles going in, but I was really good about recovery so my body was not too bad. I like racing a lot!

Was the decision to race more aggressively something you settled on before the race or instinctual once the gun went off?

After reviewing some of my competitors I expected the race to go out a little bit harder than what it felt like for me. At the Half Champs, I went out the first 4 miles with Keira (D’Amato) going 5:10-12s . The pace in Tallahassee felt relatively easy from the gun so I just went for it. You can definitely expect me to run more aggressively next year.

Rapid Fire Highlights 🔥

• Australian Olympian and 1:44.3 800m man, Charlie Hunter, is taking his talent to the big leagues after signing with Nike. Will Oregon have anyone left on the roster by NCAAs?

• Al Franken, the legendary track promoter who definitely would have a much better newsletter than this, died at the age of 96. (Article)

• Kenya’s Emmanuel Saina (2:14:32) and Canada’s Lanni Marchant (2:41:25) won the Honolulu Marathon.

• Coming off her victory at the Berlin Marathon, Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase won the Bahrain Half Marathon in a time of 1:05:36 after a blazing first 5k of 14:53. Kenya’s Philemon Kiplimo won the men’s race in 60:01 after a three-man sprint finish.

• The Australian duo of Brett Robinson and Milly Clark won the Melbourne Marathon in times of 2:14:33 and 2:26:59 PB, respectively. For a city that was locked down less than two months ago, it was great to see the event could still be held.

• Nick Coury broke the American Record for the 24-hour run, covering 173.01 miles during a full rotation of the Earth. This after writing a blog about why negative splitting an ultra is the way to go. Also at the Desert Solstice event (held on a track), Camille Heron broke her own American 100 mile Record in a time of 13:21:51.

• Tommy Rivs was a guest on the Rich Roll podcast where he discussed his battle with cancer, and similar to his finishing the NYC marathon, this was crazy inspiring. (Link)

• NAZ Elite’s Scott Smith has announced his retirement. His career highlights include a 1:02:34 half and 2:09:46 marathon. (Post)

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