Ok, maybe we need MORE meets in Eugene ⏱

Lap 72: Sponsored by Hydrow

Hydrow is designed to transform the way you work out. Rowing works 86% of major muscle groups, compared with only 44% from cycling.That’s twice the benefit in half the time — core work is included! It’s a perfect low impact supplemental form of cross-training to add into your routine. Take the occasional day off from pounding out the miles on pavement to keep your body healthy, while still advancing your fitness. You’ll be glad you did come race day!

Boots on the ground

It is a blessing and a curse — for ten days there is non-stop track and field action. That’s perfect if you love the sport and terrible if you’d like to get anything productive done. I’m in Eugene for its entirety and every morning starts with our group run before we head to the first session where we bounce back and forth between talking to athletes in the mixed zone and watching in the stands. Afterward, we motor back to the house to record the CITIUS MAG Live at Worlds, whose lineup of guests has already included Grant Holloway, Joe Kovacs, Marvin Bracy, Emma Bates, Bryce Hoppel, Hellen Obiri and more! Then we head back to the stadium for round two before sitting down again to recap everything on CHAMPS CHATS.

And now I am sitting down to write* The Lap Count. Forgive me if I miss anything, but that’s why we have the daily newsletters for your consumption.

The atmosphere is continuing to build. A lot of fans were quick to jump on the World Championships having a partially empty stadium, but that was day one with just a single final. Trust me, it’s been electric and keeps getting better.

*A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Hey folks, sorry to bother your newsletter, but I just wanted to add that I have ghostwritten a few sections of this week’s TLC. I’m only pointing this out in case you notice certain insights are bad, as opposed to how they normally are: pretty good. I promise next week it’ll be back to normal! Thanks, and enjoy!

The 110H final 🚧

Although there is a lot to say about the 110H finals, it’s extremely important that we start with Grant Holloway’s defense of his World Championship title. There are many shameful parts of what transpired on the track in a five-minute span on Sunday night, but included in that is that one of the most consistent performers in our sport is having his moment overshadowed by controversy.

Yes, the Olympic champion Hansle Parchment pulled up with an injury in the moments immediately before competing. There is no question that Grant wanted that head-to-head battle to fulfill the redemption arc one year later. And undoubtedly there were countless fans in Hayward Field who were enthusiastically cheering on their hometown star, Devon Allen. But Grant had the fastest personal best in the field, won the title in 2019, grabbed the World Indoor Championship, and was the Olympic silver medalist.

He won this race.

As we collectively try to help this event transcend beyond the small bubble of just diehard track and field fans, this is now what normies will take away from this meet. Of all the special moments, incredible stories, and fast times — this is what people are speaking about outside the oval.

Of course, I am talking about Devon Allen’s disqualification. He did not go before the gun, as you may assume. Instead, he went too soon after it. World Athletics has a rule in place that any reaction time under one-tenth of a second is deemed too quick to have heard the gun. The concept is that anything faster is considered impossible and therefore athletes are guessing rather than reacting. But a number like that seems to be founded more on what is the most round and not what is actually true.

Devon was removed from the competition because he took off 0.099 seconds after the gun and not 0.001 slower. Maybe the guy who is good enough to go play in the NFL this season has a pretty good reaction time? Look no further than his semi-final heat, where he left the blocks 0.102 seconds after the gun. While it’s frustrating that Devon would then not be allowed to run under protest, it’s necessary to acknowledge that these are the rules.

World Athletics’s statement hints that these rules may soon change in the future, but as of now, there are a few possible solutions:

1. Do nothing because everyone is so pleased that the hometown hero with the heartbreaking story and the fastest time in the world was disqualified.

2. Start granting the field a single false start again. (Let’s never forget that at the height of his career, Usain Bolt was disqualified at the World Championships in Daegu!) The issue is that athletes would purposely false start to ice others or to force quick starters to sit in their blocks long.

3. The fun idea — is where we move athletes back as a penalty for false starting. You moved too early? Welcome to the 115m hurdles! (This would work better in other events where stride pattern and steps aren’t a factor.)

4. Lower the threshold of what is considered a false start to something more egregious.

5. Keep it simple — if you go before 0.0 seconds it’s a false start, otherwise, you're rewarded for anticipating the gun and/or reacting fast. (This idea is Maurice Greene endorsed!)

6. Give the athletes the benefit of the doubt. If there’s a reaction between a certain range (like 0.06 and 0.09) then it’s only a warning.

Pick your poison. I am exhausted by how much we have had to talk about this and how much it’s loomed over the rest of the competition.

Mixed 4x400 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

30 global championship medals later and that’s a wrap! Allyson Felix ends her career as the most decorated track and field athlete in our sport’s history. Unfortunately it was not the perfect story book ending, as the race slipped away in the final moments and her team faded from first to third.

The mixed gender 4 x 400 was first introduced on the international stage in 2017 at the World Relays to try spicing things up. At the time the idea was that with no set order the novel event would add strategy, constant lead changes, and exciting finishes. Instead, after the occasional viral finish, the order now is mandated as man-woman-man-woman, which kind of goes against the original point.

Maybe this is how it would feel no matter what the new event is, but it feels like a gimmick. I’m unapologetic in my belief that the sport would be better served by including a DMR or 4x800. If anything, we need less events not more, however, I digress. The point is that it is an event and the same gold medal is on the line here as the one in the 100m. That’s why it is frustrating that the United States is not taking it more seriously.

This is not a knock on any of the individuals who ran — their splits were strong! But with some X-factor stars waiting on the sidelines, more than a few days away from races of their own, it feels like a squandered opportunity that we let slip through our fingers. There were only 0.34 seconds between third and first and that time plus more was on the bench.

If I had that time in me, I’d have given it to Allyson Felix. But she has plenty of other gold medals to make up for it. 

25 laps, one expected outcome

The man who holds the world record in the 10,000m proved to be the best in the world at running 10,000 meters this past Sunday in Eugene, Oregon. Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei — with his 26:11.00 PB — predictably bested the impressive field assembled at this iteration of the World Championships. 

If you were one of the other sub-27 men in the race, your gameplan likely predicated on Cheptegei making a wild tactical error, him contracting the novel coronavirus en route to Oregon, or hoping somebody else would flop Marcus Smart style into the infield, resulting in Cheptegei’s disqualification. It likely wouldn’t matter whether the race was blazing fast or a more tactical affair. Joshua was the favorite in either case, because, you know, he’s just the best at running.

Nevertheless, in warm, sunny conditions, the fellas unanimously opted for the tactical route, which, was fair. (I wouldn’t want to try to run the legs off of somebody who’s covered six-plus miles at 4:13 pace, either.) Spain’s Carlos Mayo took control early on and proceeded to tow the field through 3,000m in about 8:20 before the contenders inched to the front and left the pace more or less where it was. 

And for the next 6,600m, Cheptegei, his compatriot Jacob Kiplimo, Ethiopia’s Tadese Worku and Selemon Barega, the American and Kenyan delegations (most notably including Stanley Mburu, who took a tumble in the opening lap but popped right back up), and Canada’s Mo Ahmed played a fartlek-y but ultimately a death-blow-less game of attrition. Even when it wasn’t Cheptegei pressing down on the gas, his presence loomed large. The rotating conductor of the 10k train always seemed deferential to him, because is it really wise to try to out-kick the dude who also holds the 5,000m WR from anything other than 400m out?

And that’s what the field left it up to. Despite the top five finishers all closing in roughly 54-seconds, it was Cheptegei who prevailed, followed closely by Mburu, Kiplimo, Grant Fisher, and Barega. Don’t let the less-than-a-second differential between 1st and 5th places fool you, Cheptegei took it commandingly.

It’s important to appreciate just how cool it is to see somebody who is the best at what they do in their prime. But it’s also okay to acknowledge that that person’s presence doesn’t always make for the most interesting competition. 

That said, this was about as exciting a championship 10,000m as you could have asked for. Say what you will about sit-and-kicking at events like this, but I’d much rather watch a race where the outcome — even one as likely as this one — is theoretically still being decided in the final 100m than a situation where three guys time trial separate 26-mid runs.

Nobody asked for my wishlist of things I wanted to see at Worlds. (Nor should anyone!) But next time these fellas line up to take a shot at Cheptegei, I’d like to see some true team tactics. Make the race weird as hell! Surge. Slow to a crawl. Box in. Just get goofy with it. Let’s make the 2023 World Champs the Wacky Racing Games, folks!

The bronze that feels like gold

Can we start saying that The Lap Count has the Midas touch yet? I first spoke to Trevor Bassitt after indoor USAs ahead of his eventual silver medal at World Indoors and things have only been trending up since. When a hurdler starts running 45.05 indoors, then you know good things will happen.

For those who were previously unfamiliar with Trevor, his third-place finish (47.39 PB) will be the perfect opportunity to finally get to know him. In addition to being incredibly friendly, the Ashland University graduate became even easier to root for following the loss of the legendary coach Jud Logan in January of this year. The four-time Olympic hammer thrower had coached in the small Ohio town for 17 years and guided 59 NCAA champions.

This tweet could melt even the hardest of hearts. 

After a blistering start, the world record holder from Norway faded late and despite being in 6th place with less than one hundred meters to go, Bassitt had a chance for a medal. Meanwhile, Brazil’s Alison dos Santos held it together over the final hurdle better than Rai Benjamin en route to his “surprise” World Championship in 46.29 PB. The world leader shouldn’t ever come in as an underdog, but there were doubts. 

If there was a question as to whether or not Rai would be disappointed with his silver medal, then look no further than his tackle celebration. Like for all of us, it was hard not to smile seeing Trevor come in third.

In partnership with Fan Hub TF

”The Fan Hub has truly become my go-to for inspiring stories and up-to-date performances. Now, every morning coffee is accompanied by Wordle and Fan Hub.” –Deena Kastor

At the Fan Hub, we love track & field and we are all about making it easier and more enriching to be a fan.

Easier > One-stop aggregation of the top news, stories, videos and voices from on and off the track at your fingertips. 

Enriching > Fun, informative, thought-provoking articles, interviews, and weekly shows delivered by a talented group of young, diverse creators and journalists. Our team on the ground at the World Championships is capturing this special moment for our sport in wonderful ways.

Plain and simple, our goal is to provide a place to highlight the best our sport has to offer and be a reliable source for all fans to follow along. 

Three and three quarter laps, one even more expected outcome

For as dominant as Joshua Cheptegei is, there’s one athlete whose greatness is even more pronounced over their signature distance: Faith Kipyegon. Everything I said above about Joshua is at least 1.25x truer for Faith.

The big difference is how the field responded to her presence in the women’s 1500m final. Whereas Cheptegei was challenged to a kick, Kipyegon was treated to one of the craziest opening laps I’ve ever seen.

Gudaf Tsegay Dom Torretto’d it from the gun, hitting the 200m mark in 28-high, and leaving the entire field completely strung out. How often do you see legitimate lead and chase packs formed that early in any professional race? Tsegay kept the NOS engaged through the first quarter, registering a 58-high split and along with Kipyegon, Hirut Meshesha, and Laura Muir, sitting on a nearly two-second lead over the peloton.

Kipyegon’s victory marked her fourth at a World Championship, and tacked a more or less unnecessary bullet point onto her GOAT resume. But it also reinforced this week’s unofficial Lap Count stance that when you’re trying to take down the world’s best, how you do so rarely matters. 

Tsegay could have relinquished the pace after establishing her place at the lead and let things get sloggy, hoping to save enough in the reserves to walk Kipyegon down over the waning meters. But would the outcome have been any different? 

Tsegay clearly felt opening the race up at most of the field’s 800m pace provided her with the best chance to take down the queen of the metric mile. And while it didn’t pay off, she did succeed in eliminating nine incredibly talented women from contention almost immediately, and in giving the fans a truly unique and wildly entertaining spectating experience.

But I am once again asking for more team tactics next time!

Mind blowing 1500 🤯

Jake Wightman beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

Pour one out for the athletes who haven’t raced yet 🍺

Imagine you’re an athlete who’s just arrived in Eugene for your first ever World Championships. Maybe you’re not a medal threat, but you’re hoping to make it out of the first round and have a good showing. And then after you’re done racing you’re eager to chop it up with your fellow athletes and partake in some of that world-famous Eugene, Oregon, nightlife. 

(Okay, so the dorms at U of O aren’t quite the Olympic Village but it’s still cool as hell, and you know that this being TrackTown, USA, you aren’t paying for a drink when you stroll into the Duck in your national team warmups.)

Now imagine you’ve qualified in the men’s 5,000m or the women’s 800m, or heaven forbid, the 100m hurdles. Unless you’re simply delaying your arrival and staying closer to home, you’ve arrived in Eugene “hella early,” in local-ish parlance. 

You’re in that dorm for a whole week without spiking up! A week when your peers are one by one relieving themselves of the crushing nerves that loom over life-defining competition by, well, competing. A week when those teammates have familiarized themselves with some of the local watering holes, and been plied by fan-paid-for drinks. A week when everyone but you has had a chance to actually enjoy themselves at a giant party dedicated to the sport you have dedicated your life to!

Don’t pity these athletes. No, they signed up for this, and they’re living their dreams. 

But if you’re in Eugene, do keep the buzz going for them. Greet them with a hearty toast when they saunter into The Wild Duck like a cowboy entering a saloon in an old western movie. Scream like a banshee at their feats of strength like you’re a 15-year-old who’s just seen the Beatles debut on Ed Sullivan. (No, I don’t have any more current cultural touch points. This is my first time on the computer.) 

As a fan, perhaps you’re sunburnt, hungover, keep running into old high school rivals/enemies, or just plain tired of track. Don’t let yourself wilt — give these late-competing athletes a taste of that Day Two Energy. It’s the least you could do.

Rapid Fire Highlights 🔥

• False starts aside, there was controversy before the meet even began as athletes from across the world struggled to get their visas approved in time. Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala arrived just a few hours before the first round of the 100m, and the UK’s Christopher Thompson missed the marathon entirely.

• The men’s hammer throw was a bomb fest with the now 5x World Champion Pawel Fajdek throwing a 81.98m WL. He also went 1-2 with his Polish teammate and Olympic champion, Wojciech Nowicki.

• China’s Jianan Wang upset the Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou, jumping out to a lead with his 8.36m leap on his final attempt.

• Katie Nageotte followed up her Olympic gold with a World Championship! Second place was fellow American and training partner, Sandi Morris.

• The women’s marathon was won in a championship  record of 2:18:11 by Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase. As you’ve probably heard and seen by now, the US women went 5-7-8 for an impressive showing that reaffirms this crew’s increasing competitiveness on the world stage.

• As expected, one of the biggest stars in the sport, Yulimar Rojas won the triple jump, going 15.47m WL. But Americans are plenty excited by Tori Franklin’s bronze for her 14.72m leap.

• The initial star of the men’s steeplechase was the cameraman standing in lane one during the first lap. Then the Olympic champion, Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, won a tactical race closing in a wild final lap of 57 seconds.

• South Korea’s Woo Sanghyeok won over the crowd with his national record high jump, but Mutaz Essa Barshim didn’t want to share the gold this time around.

• The US men swept the 100m thanks to the trio of Fred Kerley (9.86), Marvin Bracy (9.88) and Trayvon Bromell (9.88). It was one of the most special moments I have ever been in-stadium for. And when the Jamaican women, led by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, responded with a 100m sweep of their own, it was also special. But I preferred the home team’s version.

Thank you to Hydrow for supporting this week’s newsletter! Forgive me if I missed something or glossed over a special moment — there were so many. And we have five more days of track and field that we still need to recover, so I need some sleep.