Runners, On Your Marks ⏱

Lap 4: Sponsored by Hammer & Axe

Racing is back — Which means that the age-old and inexplicably intense running rivalry between you and your neighbor from across the street has also returned! Grab a training plan or get one-on-one coaching from the team at Hammer & Axe to leave them in the dust. Check out our latest training programs to get the ball rolling! 

Photo of the week 📸

Qualifying for the Olympics can be an unnecessarily confusing process, but based on this picture it should be pretty obvious that Chris Thompson secured a spot in Tokyo with his 2:10:52 victory at last week’s British marathon trials. An outpouring of emotion is to be expected when you make a team, but this level of fired up can be attributed to the fact that Chris turns 40 next month, and last represented the UK at the Olympics in 2012. Our newsletter data suggests only 34% of you will open a link, but if you haven’t seen his post-race interview then click here.

That’s a PB…this is PR

With a name like On, there are going to be some challenges when it comes to digital marketing — Best of luck to their SEO person. But social media is something the brand is excelling in. As some fans noticed, Thompson wasn’t wearing On on his feet for his accomplishment. Kudos to those in charge at On for allowing him to wear what he needed to perform on that day to perform after presumably getting to the line healthy and fit in their trainers. The number of fans who will respect this company’s stance will outweigh the number of athletes who were still ignorant to the existence of super shoes.

Get Steph Davis a sponsor! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Scotland has to be the most successful distance running country in the world on a per capita basis. At the very least, Team GB has to be glad that that Scottish Independence referendum never passed. The unsponsored Steph Davis broke away from the pack to set a new personal best of 2:27:16 and secure her place on the team. This is the first independent British Marathon Trials since 1980, but given this race’s success it could soon become a tradition. And what better British Athletics tradition than politics? Davis was the only athlete under the Olympic standard, which leaves those final coveted spots up to a parliamentary-style debate.

MARCH MADNESS 🏀

Imagine running 200 meters in 19.81 seconds and NOT getting the school record. Honestly, I can’t think of a better reason for Terrance Laird to transfer. He came in a close second place at NCAA Indoors, but watch that video and tell me he’s not built for the outdoor track. The way he closed on the straightaway reminds me of someone else…

Never apologize for loving the planet 🌍

Based on the number of dissenting replies to this tweet, I’d say Grayson Murphy successfully stumbled upon an unpopular opinion. But is she wrong? It feels like the only reason to include finish line medals and T-shirts as a default is to artificially pump up entry fees. Might as well have a Ticketmaster-style convenience charge. Maybe the solution to still charge $30 to run a 5k, but give participants a choice between donating to the local food bank or getting a special keepsake, if that’s how some finishers want to celebrate an accomplishment.

The Real Maine 🌅

(Full disclosure: The author of this article was a best man at Riley’s wedding)

There exists a theory in the world of T&F that when two athletes are dating, it’s impossible for both of them to be running well at once. That’s great news for Sara Sutherland, already a stellar athlete, who will hopefully “Space Jam” every ounce of talent — a 13:16 5k PB worth — out of her husband’s legs. Riley’s career highlights include a 2018 USA Road Mile victory and consistently being one of the friendliest people on the pro-circuit. Tip of the cap ol’ friend - Cheers! 🎩

That’s a LOOONGG Horn! 🐂

7.14 meters — To put that in perspective, Tara Davis from The University of Texas, didn’t just break another collegiate record in the last couple weeks — She broke 6x Olympic medalist, Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s collegiate record. If you only recognize her from from her boyfriend’s TikTok, then it’s time you lookup from your phone and towards the sandpit!

But did he wear spikes? ⚠️

Carlos Villarreal, the 2019 Pan Am 1500m Champ from Mexico, had some fun in practice with his OAC teammates with a time trial 800…on the roads! What’s this worth on a track? Nothing. But that was a cinematographic masterpiece as far as T&F is concerned. And it should be noted that On did not pay The Lap Count for any content marketing this week — This is what happens when you sponsor athletes, your brand gets mentioned. Time to step your game up LA Gear! 

Reminder: The shot put is only 16 pounds

Normally to follow your favorite athletes you go to their profiles, but for the juiciest shot put-and lifting related posts you’ll want to follow Joe Kovac’s wife and coach, Ashley. If my math is correct, that’s about 870 lbs on his back. Maybe let Joe Kovacs know the next time a boat gets stuck in the Suez Canal.

Have you met Sinclaire Johnson? 💃

‘There is no way I watch a 19-minute video’ -Me, 19 minutes ago

This interview with Nike Bowerman TC pro, Sinclaire Johnson-, really shows us what a day in the life looks like — even the part where her boyfriend interrupts her bathroom vlog to produce a stream of his own.

Shots fired💥🔫

Good luck to whoever ran 10.9 and said something about Sha’Carri Richardson!

Read of the week: My buddy, Jake Tuber of Endeavorun, wrote a great piece for The Positive Split. As a recently retired pro who has witnessed his body slowly lose form…this resonated. We are all the ship of Theseus.